[March 02, 2020] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, a Leading Securities Fraud Law Firm, Announces Investigation of VMware, Inc. (VMW) on Behalf of Investors Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a leading national shareholder rights law firm, today announced that it has commenced an investigation on behalf of VMware, Inc. ("VMware" or the "Company") (NYSE: VMW) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of the federal securities laws. If you suffered a loss on your VMware investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information here or contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, via email [email protected] or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com to learn more about your rights. On February 27, 2020, VMware annunced that the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission "requested documents and information related to VMware's backlog and associated accounting and disclosures." On this news, VMware's share price fell $15.11, or more than 11%, to close at $120.52 per share on February 28, 2020, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. Whistleblower Notice: Persons with non-public information regarding VMware should consider their options to aid the investigation or take advantage of the SEC (News - Alert) Whistleblower Program. Under the program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Charles H. Linehan at 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224 or email [email protected]. About GPM Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP is a premier law firm representing investors and consumers in securities litigation and other complex class action litigation. ISS Securities Class Action Services has consistently ranked GPM in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report. In 2018, GPM was ranked a top five law firm in number of securities class action settlements, and a top six law firm for total dollar size of settlements. With four offices across the country, GPM's nearly 40 attorneys have won groundbreaking rulings and recovered billions of dollars for investors and consumers in securities, antitrust, consumer, and employment class actions. GPM's lawyers have handled cases covering a wide spectrum of corporate misconduct including cases involving financial restatements, internal control weaknesses, earnings management, fraudulent earnings guidance and forward looking statements, auditor misconduct, insider trading, violations of FDA regulations, actions resulting in FDA and DOJ investigations, and many other forms of corporate misconduct. GPM's attorneys have worked on securities cases relating to nearly all industries and sectors in the financial markets, including, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, real estate and REITs, financial, insurance, information technology, health care, biotech, cryptocurrency, medical devices, and many more. GPM's past successes have been widely covered by leading news and industry publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times (News - Alert), Bloomberg Businessweek, Reuters, the Associated Press, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes, and Money. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302006017/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Are you an Indian holding a Phd in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) discipline? If so, getting a United Kingdom visa could become easier for you starting next year. That is because, even if your salary is below the minimum threshold set by the UK government in a proposed new regime, there are a few concessions. These concessions will make you eligible for immigration under new rules that will kick-in from January 1, 2021. This is one of the many new regulations that the UK government has proposed in its attempt to attract talent after exiting the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020. Following this, a new set of rules will come into place which would end free movement of people. The UK government will introduce an Immigration Bill to bring in a firm and fair points-based system to attract high-skilled workers. Until now, migrants including those from India, were employed in high-skilled jobs like the ones in the IT sector and low-skilled jobs like those in construction, fast-food chains and grocery stores. The UK government's attempt is to mandate employers to hire locally for low-skilled jobs. The total number of work visas granted (tier two) touched an all-time high of 1.1 lakh in 2019. Of these, over half were granted to Indians. At 57,199, India was the top source for tier two or skilled work visas given to migrants in 2019. This was a 3 percent increase over 2018. In February, the UK government said it is taking a phased approach to ensure smooth delivery of this new system and to allow sufficient time for everyone to adapt. The new system Taking guidance from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report published in January, a minimum of 70 points will be required to be eligible to live and work in the UK. MAC has recommended a reduction in the general salary threshold from 30,000 to 25,600. This means, even if you are paid a minimum of 25,600, you will be eligible for the relevant points. The points-based system will provide simple, effective and flexible arrangements for skilled workers from around the world to come to the UK through an employer-led system. Earlier, employers could decide who would be eligible to migrate depending on skill requirements. However, the UK government has said that they are taking back this power to decide on offering work visas to migrants. In the new system, all applicants, both EU and non-EU citizens, will need to demonstrate that they have a job offer from an approved sponsor, that the job offer is at the required skill level and that they speak English. A minimum B1 level of English would be necessary. In simple terms, a migrant should be able to effectively communicate in English including work-related matters, describing situations and writing simple and coherent text. The B1 level also indicates that an individual will be able to 'cope' with most of the situations that would arise from work-related trips in the region, including conversing with strangers, asking for directions and addressing a meeting, among others. In addition to this, if the applicant earns more than the minimum salary threshold, then the individual would be eligible to make an application. However, if they earn less than the required minimum salary threshold (not less than 20,480), the applicant will be eligible if they are highly skilled or have a relevant PhD for the job. Each category has a set points system. For instance, while a salary of 25,600 or above would entitle a candidate to 20 points, job in a shortage occupation will be equivalent to 20 points. Speaking English is mandatory and would be equal to 10 points. How will this work? For example, a university researcher in a STEM subject wishing to come to the UK on a salary of 22,000, (which is below the general minimum salary threshold), he or she may still be able to enter if they have a relevant PhD in a STEM subject. Likewise, a nurse wishing to come to the UK on a salary of 22,000 would still be able to enter the UK on the basis that the individual would be working in a shortage occupation, provided it continues to be designated in shortage by the MAC. A list of the stills in shortage will be published by MAC. It is likely that professions like nurse, coder, data mining and technology-linked engineering will be high in demand due to shortage of local talent. Some points could be tradable. The UK government has said that migrants will still be awarded points for holding a relevant PhD or if the occupation is in shortage, which they will be able to trade against a salary lower than the going rate or the minimum threshold. A STEM PhD would mean that a candidate could be eligible even if they are paid 20 percent lower than the minimum requirement. The UK Home Office will continue to refine the system and may also include attributes that can be traded against a lower salary. For example, this might include a greater range of qualification levels or other factors such as age or experience studying in the UK. The MAC report said that about 70 percent of European Economic Area (EEA) resident citizens arriving in the UK since 2004 would be found ineligible for either a skilled-work, family or tier four visa. Ukraine updates poultry exports record in 2019 15:00, 02.03.20 1386 In total, meat product exports over the period under review grew by 10% year-on-year, to US$712 million. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: If youve ever missed someone, I challenge you not to dog-ear this page. But Casey keeps pedaling, even if shes not entirely sure where shes going. We learn that, six weeks after her mothers death, she went to an artists residency in Rhode Island. But instead of working on her novel as planned, Casey spent half her time gallivanting with a sweet-talking poet and the other half steeped in memories of her mother: her lemon smell, her small square toes, her tortoiseshell headbands that were salty at the tips if you sucked on them. When she isnt writing or dreading writing, Casey works at Iris, a Cambridge watering hole staffed by oddball personalities youll recognize if youve ever rolled cutlery and memorized a list of specials that are actually leftovers. This is where Casey meets Oscar Kolton novelist, widower and father, in that order. Hes the first of two men she falls for. The other is Silas a leather-jacketed, chip-toothed old soul who drives a filthy car patched together with duct tape. Hes a writer, too; in a small-world twist, he attended a fiction workshop led by Oscar. It might be too religious for me, he tells Casey. A lot of verbal genuflecting. (Nota bene: Kings window into the machinations of aspiring literati is as spot on as her view of the bizarre politics of restaurant kitchens.) Casey ends up seeing both men at the same time: She takes a walk with Oscar, then visits a museum with Silas; has dinner with Oscar, then goes to the movies with Silas. King makes a convincing case for each one, to the point where I legitimately couldnt decide whom I was rooting for, although I did think Oscar was a bit hasty in involving his adorable sons. Still, it doesnt take long to understand why writers appears before lovers in Kings title: Romance isnt the point for Casey. Love is the gravy; words are the filet. Finding a way to build a life around work she loves, finding a way to support herself as a writer this is the line connecting all three corners of the love triangle at the heart of this novel. Even with a handful of compelling plots in the air, King is at her wisest and most self-assured when she shows how Casey gradually gets her bearings as a motherless daughter: one step forward, two steps back. Losing a parent at any age is the pits, but being the first of your friends to go through it to be the one writing a eulogy when everyone else is writing wedding vows is its own fresh hell. Writers & Lovers bravely traverses that pain, from the stab of tone-deaf comments (a middle school pal complains about the cost of the plane ticket from her Bermuda vacation to Caseys moms funeral); to the adrenaline hit of obsession (at the library to research Cuba, Casey ends up reading about writers and their dead mothers); to the dull ache of the everyday (My mother will be worrying about me, and I cant tell her that Im OK). After a while, I didnt bother to dog-ear anymore; I just held the book open and let my tears fall on the page. Im not talking crying-emoji tears; I mean actual sobs, the most cathartic kind. Beatriz has written a beautiful book about the power of love and friendship. She takes the reader on a journey of self discovery and awakening. In reading it we are immersed in a world of creative energies which uplift us. The reader is left both grateful and inspired. Author Beatriz Roche has published an inspirational book about her transformative journey to enlightenment in which she invites readers to awaken their spirits, discover their universal truth, and tap into their limitless inner power. In My YOUniverse According to Dharma, Roche shares her experience crossing paths with her late, close friend, Yelitza, in a dream and again later in Roches meditation. Through these encounters, Yelitza introduced Roche to Dharma, leading Roche to channel this highly evolved, nonphysical consciousness. Roches book delivers what she learned as a receptor and translator for this energy and explores topics such as how the world was populated, how people perceive time, what dark and light forces exist in the universe, how people are absolute creators of their reality using their conscious and subconscious thoughts and emotions, and how loving oneself is fundamental to everything. This journal or conversation with Dharma was of great help to me when I needed it the most, Roche wrote in her book about its development. I had no previous training as a channeler, so it came as a huge and wonderful surprise. The world according to Dharma satiates my never-ending thirst for truth. And apparently, this is just the beginning. Ultimately, My YOUniverse According to Dharma is a comprehensive channeling guide to personal growth that considers a wide range of existential questions intended to raise readers consciousness and help both them and those around them. Beatriz has written a beautiful book about the power of love and friendship, a reader wrote in a five-star review of the book on Amazon. She takes the reader on a journey of self discovery and awakening. In reading it we are immersed in a world of creative energies which uplift us. The reader is left both grateful and inspired. My YOUniverse According to Dharma By Beatriz Roche ISBN: 978-1-9822-2964-1 (hardcover); 978-1-9822-2965-8 (softcover); 978-1-9822-2966-5 (e-book) Available through Balboa Press, Barnes & Noble and Amazon About the author Beatriz Roche was born in Caracas, Venezuela, but has lived abroad for most of her life. Always a creative and curious person, Roche is passionate about the subjects of metaphysics and spirituality and is excited to share Dharmas wise and exceptional information and messages through My YOUniverse According to Dharma. Roche is also the author of The Keys Key, (previously titled The Key To It,) and she attended college in Boston, where she graduated with the deans award and literary honors. She currently resides in Madrid. To learn more, please visit http://www.conversationswithdharma.com. General Inquiries, Review Copies & Interview Requests: LAVIDGE Phoenix 480-648-7557 dgrobmeier@lavidge.com Three Ireland and a pizza chain have pleaded guilty to unlawfully sending customers unwanted marketing text messages. The telecom and internet provider and Mizzonis Pizza & Pasta Company were summoned to appear at Dublin District Court after complaints were received by the Data Protection Commission (DPC). They pleaded guilty to breaching the EC electronic communications privacy and electronic communications regulations, an offence that can result in a 5,000 fine with a recorded criminal conviction. However, Judge Anthony Halpin said he would spare them recorded convictions if they contributed to prosecution costs and donated money to charity. Prosecuting solicitor Aoife OCarroll said the DPC was proceeding with two charges and the remaining six could be withdrawn in the case of Three Ireland. Deputy Data Protection Commissioner Tony Delaney detailed two complaints in phone companys case. He said a woman had called Three Ireland last July to opt out of marketing texts. There was a delay in implementing her opt out and she got three more promotional messages. The second customer was upset having repeatedly told the firm he was opting out but the messages kept coming. He complained that he found it difficult to extricate myself from them. He received five more and complained to the DPC. Mr Delaney agreed with defence solicitor, David Stafford, that Three Ireland had been co-operative and were able to explain how the system errors occurred. Pleading for leniency, the solicitor said the firm was working on its system and it was hoped there would be no recurrence. Judge Halpin noted the company had agreed to pay the prosecution costs. He said he would apply the Probation of Offenders Act, sparing the telecom company a conviction, if it donated 400 to the Little Flower Penny Dinner Charity which helps underprivileged people in Dublin city centres Liberties area. The court heard a man complained that he had received an unwanted marketing text from Mizzonis Pizza & Pasta Company in March 2019. It came four years after he had ordered a pizza from one of their restaurants. He received three more messages with various offers, the court heard. Mr Delaney said the issue there was that no consent discussion had taken place between him and the firm. Even if he had been asked, consent for marketing messages expires after 12 months and needs to be refreshed to continue. The pizza firms solicitor said the firm had been operating at a loss for the past year but has taken steps to deal with the breach. Judge Halpin accepted the firm had shown remorse and now had an expert monitoring its database to ensure it did not happen again. It was ordered to pay the DPCs costs of 1,031, and to give 200 to the same charity. Neither firm had prior convictions. Both cases were adjourned until March 23 to confirm payment of the costs and charitable donations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 01:21:40|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Tunisian President Kais Saied (5th L, front) poses for a group photo with Arab interior ministers attending the 37th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council in Tunis, Tunisia, on March 1, 2020. The 37th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council kicked off on Sunday in Tunis to discuss common interests in strengthening Arab security cooperation, reported Tunis Afrique Presse. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua) TUNIS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied received Arab interior ministers attending the 37th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council opened in Tunis on Sunday, according to a Tunisian presidency statement. Saudi Interior Minister Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the honorary chairman of the Arab interior ministers council, described a meeting with the Tunisian president as one that "emphasized the deep-rooted Saudi-Tunisian ties". The 37th edition of the council is attended by high-level Arab security delegations as well as representatives of Arab and international organizations. According to the council's general secretariat, based in Tunis, the proceedings of this event will continue over two days and will discuss means to enhance joint Arab security cooperation. The council is also discussing a host of issues, including efforts to combat terrorism and narcotics and prevention of crime. (Bloomberg) -- Bernie Sanders could become Americas first Jewish president, and yet hed also be the harshest critic of the Jewish state ever to occupy the White House. That potential combination is creating tension with organizations that back Israel and with Jewish voters whove traditionally been a mainstay of the Democratic Party, while drawing Muslim voters in key states like Michigan to his diverse and growing coalition. As president, Sanders could fundamentally shift a half-century of U.S-Israeli relations, in which the White House rarely criticized Israeli policies in public and almost always took Israels side in a dispute. While President Barack Obama had a turbulent relationship with long-time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sanderss rhetoric suggests a deeper divide. He is in a box all of his own when it comes to Israel, said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East peace negotiator in Democratic and Republican administrations. If he were to become president, you might see him deciding to call settlements illegal. He could set strict conditions on American military assistance to Israel. What is certain, though, is that a Sanders presidency would represent a more combative U.S. stance toward Israel. Criticism of Netanyahu Sanders, 78, called Netanyahu a reactionary racist in last weeks Democratic presidential debate for his treatment of Palestinians. The comment prompted a rare public rebuke from Israels foreign minister. Sanders decided, as he did in 2016, to skip making a speech to the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committees annual conference in Washington this week. Hes denounced the group as a platform for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. The Vermont senator says that he firmly believes in Israels right to exist as a Jewish state and that the U.S. will remain an ally of Israel. But he uses words like occupation to describe Israels presence in Palestinian territories that many Democrats have avoided. Story continues At AIPAC on Monday, Michael Bloomberg, the other major Jewish candidate in the race, criticized Sanderss criticism as dead wrong, saying the groups conference is a gathering of 20,000 Israel supporters of every religious denomination, ethnicity, faith, color, sexual identity and political party. Israels Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the group on Sunday that anyone who calls our prime minister a racist is either a liar, an ignorant fool or both. (Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.) In January after President Donald Trump proposed his Israel-Palestinian peace plan -- which Netanyahu embraced and Palestinian leaders rejected -- Sanders laid out his own demands for what the agreement should contain. It must end the Israeli occupation and enable Palestinian self-determination in an independent state of their own alongside a secure Israel, Sanders tweeted. Trumps so-called peace deal doesnt come close, and will only perpetuate the conflict. It is unacceptable. Trumps Embrace Sanders, who spent time on an Israeli kibbutz -- a communal farm -- in the 1960s, argues that his Jewish values inform his drive to improve the lives of all people, including the Palestinians. After the tense Obama years, Trump has thoroughly embraced Netanyahus approach to governing, moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, and offered the pro-Israel peace plan. Like Obama, Sanders argues for an approach that takes the state of the Palestinian people into account far more than in previous administrations, even as he says Israeli security is paramount. I happen to believe that what our foreign policy in the Mideast should be about is absolutely protecting the independence and security of Israel, he said in the debate last week in Las Vegas. But you cannot ignore the suffering of the Palestinian people. Whole New Level David Harris, chief executive officer of the American Jewish Committee, said Sanderss candidacy has elevated a leftist view on Israel to a whole new level of magnitude. Sanders has the vocal support of Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who are Muslim and critical of Israel. He was endorsed by Emgage PAC, which calls itself the nations largest Muslim political action committee in the country. The congresswomen also share his progressive views on domestic policy and their support is only partly driven by Palestinian issues. In Omars endorsement video of Sanders, she didnt explicitly mention the issue, but alluded to Israel when she said, The senator is the only candidate that wants to make sure that we end our endless wars and will fight for human rights and hold everyone accountable, regardless of whether they are an ally or a foe. Omar has been criticized for comments that have been viewed as anti-Semitic. Sanders has defended her by saying its not anti-Semitic to criticize a right-wing government in Israel. The liberal Jewish organization J Street has defended Sanders against attacks, while the older, more conservative American Israel Public Affairs Committee has denounced him. Tikkun Olam J Street has said the vast majority of Democrats and American Jews are both supportive of Israel and strongly critical of the policies of the Netanyahu government and of Donald Trump. Many of the other Democrats running against Sanders for the nomination have espoused a more moderate approach, in keeping with the traditional U.S.-Israeli relationship. For some left-leaning Jews who support Sanders, his political ideology evokes the Jewish ideal of Tikkun Olam, a Hebrew expression that translates roughly to a shared responsibility to repair the world. Sanders often invokes the experiences of his fathers family, many of whom were killed in the Holocaust, when he accuses Trump of being a demagogue and a white nationalist. Jeff Weaver, Sanderss senior adviser, called him a strong supporter of Israel. Impediment to Peace That doesnt mean he supports all of the policies of the Israeli government, just like you can support America, and not be supporting everything Trump does, Weaver told reporters after last weeks debate. Sanderss views on Israel are more in line with the international community than with many voters in the U.S. The United Nations, for example, considers Israels settlements on the West Bank an impediment to peace. But the senators comments on Israel, like his praise of education in Fidel Castros Cuba in a 60 Minutes interview last week, will be used against him in states like Florida. Bloomberg told a largely Jewish crowd in Aventura, Florida, that if hes elected, you will never have to choose between supporting Israel and supporting our values here at home. A recent poll of New York Democratic primary voters by Siena College found Sanders in last place with New York Jewish voters, with 6% support. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, led with 28% followed by Pete Buttigieg, who has since quit the race, with 16% and Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren with 10% each. In the end, though, Weaver argues, many Jews will be motivated by the historic nature of Sanders candidacy. We would hope that they would want to come out and see the first Jewish president elected in the United States of America, Weaver said. That would be a huge milestone. (Updates with critical comments at AIPAC starting in ninth paragraph) To contact the reporters on this story: David Wainer in New York at dwainer3@bloomberg.net;Tyler Pager in Washington at tpager1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, ;Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, Ros Krasny For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. A car and home damaged by Hurricane Dorian show the extent of the damage to the island of Great Abaco even six months after the storm in February 2020. Photo: David Common / CBC By David Common and Melissa Mancini 1 March 2020 (CBC News) Ten minutes away from the restored and gleaming cruise ship terminals on Grand Bahama island, just beyond the multi-millionaires beach compounds, is the real Bahamas and it lies in ruins. Its six months since Hurricane Dorian made landfall on the island nation, snapping trees, gutting homes, shearing exterior walls and roofs clean off. Along with the catastrophic winds, surging waves hammered cars through buildings, and emptied schools of desks and chairs and pretty much everything else. Bahamian authorities officially reported 76 dead as a result of Dorians wrath. But nearly that many have been missed from some individual communities, with the belief by many aid and other organizations that the true death toll is more likely counted in four figures. Hundreds of Haitian migrants lived next to the sea when the hurricane hit, for instance, and many are unaccounted for but, without status in the country, their deaths have not been included in the official nationally tally. In February 2020, six months after the storm, Phil Thomas, left, points to a local school that was badly damaged by Hurricane Dorian. Photo: David Common / CBC While the streets have been cleared of debris, thousands of homes remain uninhabitable. Power crews continue to restore electrical service, and roofers have years of work ahead of them. What do people do? They have nowhere to come back to, says Bishop Silbert Mills, on the hardest hit island of Great Abaco. When they do come, there is nothing. Millss own church was a sanctuary for more than 200 people. First as powerful winds battered the windowless building during the storm, and then for nearly a week as supplies dwindled and food rationing became a necessity, with the community waiting for two metres of floodwater to recede back into the ocean. Great Abacos recovery from the destruction of Hurricane Dorian has been slow, and while streets have been cleared of debris, badly damaged buildings and piles of rubble can still be seen six months after the storm in February 2020. Photo: David Common / CBC For several days after the storm, water cascaded into homes of Great Abaco. On neighbouring Grand Bahama island, 80 per cent of the island was covered in water. That wiped out business, and with it the source of most of the jobs on both Abaco and Grand Bahama. On Sept. 1 when I woke up, my pizza operation was worth half a million dollars, says Bishop Mills. After Dorian, it was reduced to vacant land. He didnt have insurance and does not expect to ever have the money to rebuild that business. Hes running his other business, a gospel radio station, out of a trailer he now lives in with his brother. [more] I dont feel like were making any progress: 6 months after Hurricane Dorian, Bahamas struggles to rebuild By PTI LONDON: British health authorities on Sunday announced 12 more confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the country's overall tally to 35. The government's chief medical officer, Prof. Chris Whitty said one of the new patients had no relevant travel and it is not yet clear whether they contracted it directly or indirectly from an individual who had recently returned from abroad. Whitty said medical workers were still investigating the cause of that one infection. Three of the new COVID-19 patients were contacts of an existing patient. Of the remaining eight new cases, six infected people had recently travelled from Italy and two had arrived from Iran, both countries hard hit by the coronavirus that emerged late last year in central China. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of 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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe If I will die, let it ... George Grants vision of Canada increasingly attenuated (Part Two) By Mark Wegierski Unfortunately, others, notably shallow Progressive Conservative party operatives, adopted the term Red Tory as an excuse for opportunistic policies, that supported an ever more bloated and intrusive administrative state. They became socialists without embracing true community, and liberals without embracing genuine individualism and freedom of speech. Grant was prescient in pointing to the centrality of the 1963 federal election, for subsequent developments in Canada although, as has been noted above, he did not focus exclusively on what later came to be called social conservatism. It can be seen that, before the 1960s, all the major parties had partaken of a traditionalist-centrist consensus, i.e., they were all socially conservative to some extent, while differing in regard to economics. Notions of traditional nation, family, and religion; a strong work-ethic; and strict law-and-order were held by all of the major parties. The Old Left, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the precursor to the much different New Democratic Party (NDP), while fighting on behalf of the majority of working Canadians, was not socially radical. Notions of radical feminism, multiculturalism, and gay rights, that came to the fore after the 1960s, would have been of little concern to the Old Left. The adoption of the new Canadian flag (the Maple Leaf Pennant, also sometimes dubbed the Pearson Pennant) in 1965 pointed to the fact that massive social and cultural change was in the offing. It is a longstanding idea in the study of politics that a change of a countrys flag is a marker of regime change. With the arrival of Trudeamania in 1968, the country was thrust into ever more massive social and cultural change, which continued unabated for the sixteen years that Liberal Pierre Elliott Trudeau held the Prime Ministership. Trudeaus further success in the elections of 1972, 1974, and 1980, can largely be attributed to the fact that Quebec voters delivered virtually every seat in Quebec to the Liberal Party. Also, importantly, the Liberal minority government of 1972 was supported by the New Democratic Party. A minority government is when a party has a plurality but not a majority of seats in the federal Parliament. Sometimes a party with slightly less seats than a plurality will obtain the support of another party or parties in the Parliament, thus potentially allowing it to form the government. A majority government is when one party has a majority of seats in the Parliament. Incidentally, the term federal Parliament can be used to describe just the Canadian House of Commons, as I have used it here, although it can also refer to the Canadian House of Commons and Canadian Senate together. Canadian Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister of the day, in consultation with the provinces, and the powers of the Canadian Senate are highly residual. In federal elections, all of Canada votes to elect members of the federal Parliament (i.e., the House of Commons) from geographic areas called ridings. The Canadian electoral system is usually called first-past-the-post. There are also ten provinces that have separate legislatures and elections (with Premiers). The federal and provincial powers have been very carefully delineated in the British North America Act (1867) (the Act of Confederation), and the Constitution Act of 1982. Royal Assent is still required for legislation to become law, but it is most often conferred by the Governor-General at the federal level, and the Lieutenant-Governors at the provincial level (one Lieutenant-Governor in each province) (rather than by Queen Elizabeth II in person). There are also the northern territories in Canadas Far North, which have traditionally been under direct federal jurisdiction (owing to their very small populations), but there have been moves towards greater autonomy there, especially with the creation in 1998 of Nunavut, the official Inuit homeland. Guaranteed roughly a quarter of the seats in the federal Parliament from Quebec, Trudeau needed then to pick up only a majority of seats in Ontario, to win an over-all majority in the federal Parliament. Trudeau had indeed realized that a majority in the federal Parliament could probably be cobbled together from only Ontario and Quebec. He treated most of Western Canada with contempt. The only discontinuity in Trudeaus tenure was when Joe Clarks P.C.s unexpectedly won a minority government in the 1979 federal election. However, the P.C.s quickly lost the so-called non-confidence vote in the federal Parliament, meaning that another election had to be called. The Liberals once again won a majority in the federal Parliament, in 1980. Joe Clarks government had lasted only nine months. Joe Clark, a so-called Red Tory in the P.C. party, was one of the most craven supporters of virtually the entire agenda of left-liberalism. Indeed, so-called small-c conservatives had only a very tenuous representation in the (ostensibly) big-C Conservative party. A society that in 1965, was often seen as very socially conservative, was transmogrified into one of the most progressive societies on the planet, by 1984 especially with the introduction of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms into the Canadian constitutional structure in 1982. The Charter essentially enshrined virtually the entire Trudeau agenda, as the highest law of the land. The Charter was quickly backed up by an increasingly activist Canadian Supreme Court, where one would have been hard-pressed to find even one designated conservative. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home Criminal Court Judge Don Poole on Monday found that the Chattanooga Police Department did not withhold any evidence or witness interviews from the defense in the traffic death of rookie officer Nicholas Galinger, because these interviews had not actually been conducted. Defense attorney Ben McGowan had filed a motion claiming that the police department had withheld evidence from the . The main complaint by Ben McGowan, attorney for Janet Hinds, was focused on the actions the Chattanooga Police Department took immediately after the incident occurred. Ms. Hinds, the former Soddy Daisy postmaster, is charged with vehicular homicide and other counts in the January 2019 incident on Hamill Road. During investigator Joe Warrens time on the witness stand, attorney McGowan questioned the officer on procedure. Of particular note was the fact that a second car had come through the area, and although body camera footage showed a sheriffs deputy had spoken to city officers, their names were not gotten and the vehicles license plate was not recorded. Attorney McGowan posited that the second car through may have also run over Officer Galingers body. Investigator Warren stressed that while many things are recorded at an accident scene, not everything will be. While he spoke to the deputy about the conversation he had with the second cars passengers, he said the deputy had no recollection of the conversation. My job is to investigate the crash, to know who was involved and why it happened, that sort of thing, said investigator Warren. A conversation with a deputy that may or may not remember having a conversation with someone who rolled up on the scene afterwards, that doesnt have evidence that will help my case, I dont know how important that is. Investigator Warren also spoke about why Ms. Lockhart, the first officer to respond to the scene, did not file a witness statement. He said that the officer administered CPR, but was not a witness to the accident or any of Ms. Hinds alleged actions. While video showed her speaking about a statement, the district attorney stated there was no statement to turn over. Judge Poole did tell the state to turn over any accident data or measurements they had not turned over to the defense. Attorney McGowan had brought it to the courts attention that the defense had not seen any sort of measurements, laser or physical, of the accident scene. While he also asked for Investigator Warrants notes, Judge Poole decided that the state was not required to hand those over. During Chattanooga Chief of Police David Roddys testimony, attorney McGowan questioned him about the statements he had made to the media regarding the defense. During questioning, attorney McGowan made a statement insinuating that District Attorney Neal Pinkston had assisted the police chief in penning the statement. District Attorney Pinkston vehemently denied this, and demanded attorney McGowan provide written proof of this to the court, saying, I would request the court require McGowan submit an affidavit that supports his allegation that I helped Chief Roddy author that statement. These allegations that Ive been hiding or suppressing evidence and helping people and this, that, and the other. Well other than what he thinks or asserts, Id like for him to submit an affidavit supporting that I helped the chief. Police Chief Roddy defended the way police had conducted themselves at the scene of the accident. He told the court that officers and investigators followed protocol and that the investigators had processed all of the evidence from the scene. I didnt know with exact specificity what was said on scene, said Chief Roddy. What I did know was that our traffic investigators had done every bit of their due diligence, theyd investigated the scene and processed all of the evidence. The police chief also told the court that it was unrealistic to expect every officer on a crime scene to provide some sort of written report about what they saw. Earlier, Investigator Warren said that the existence of body cameras had eliminated the need for many written statements by officers. After both of the men had testified, Judge Poole stated that no witness testimony had been withheld, as the witnesses had never been interviewed in the first place. Attorney McGowan defended his motion before the ruling. I dont think that it was inappropriate, even though the state has purported otherwise, to ask why ordinary investigative steps were not taken in this case involving the death of a Chattanooga officer, steps that would have been taken in another case, said attorney McGowan. The next court date will be in July, and will concern any other motions filed by either side. [March 02, 2020] The Korea Fund, Inc. Announces Change to a Portfolio Manager Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC, the investment manager of The Korea Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") (NYSE:KF), announced today that Chung Jun (CJ) Yun has been named as a portfolio manager of the Fund, effective March 1, 2020. Chris Leung, CFA, will remain the lead portfolio manager of the Fund. Raymond Chan will no longer be a listed portfolio manager of the Fund but will remain as CIO, Equity Asia Pacific with Allianz Global Investors. Mr. Yun is a Hong Kong based portfolio manager at Allianz Global Investors with over 14 years of industry experience and joined the firm in 2016. Mr. Yun is responsible for research in Korean companies, supporting both the Korean country fund and regional Asian equity portfolios. About Allianz Global Investors Allianz Global Investors is a leading active asset manager with over 800 investment professionals in 25 offices worldwide and managing more than $632 billion in assets for individuals, families and institutions. Active is the most important word in our vocabulary. Active is how we create and share value with clients. We believe in solving, not selling, and in adding value beyond pure economic gain. We invest for the long term, employing our innovative investment expertise and global resources. Our goal is to ensure a superior experience for our clients, wherever they are based and whatever their investment needs. Active is: Allianz Global Investors Data as of December 31, 2019 Disclaimer The Korea Fund, Inc. is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company. TheFund seeks long-term capital appreciation through investing primarily in equity securities trading on the Korean stock exchanges. Its shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "KF." Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC is the Fund's investment manager. Investment in closed-end funds involves risks. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuation, government regulations, economic changes and differences in liquidity, which may increase the volatility of your investment. Foreign securities markets generally exhibit greater price volatility and are less liquid than the U.S. market. Additionally, this Fund focuses its investments in certain geographical regions, thereby increasing its vulnerability to developments in that region. All of these factors potentially subject the Fund's shares to greater price volatility. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with the value of the underlying securities. Closed-end funds trade on their market value, not NAV, and closed-end funds often trade at a discount to their NAV. The Fund's daily New York Stock Exchange closing market price and NAV per share, as well as other information, including updated portfolio statistics and performance are available at www.thekoreafund.com or by calling the Fund's stockholder servicing agent at (800) 254-5197. Statements made in this release that look forward in time involve risks and uncertainties and are forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the adverse effect from a decline in the securities markets or a decline in the Fund's performance, a general downturn in the economy, competition from other companies, changes in government policy or regulation, inability to attract or retain key employees, inability to implement its operating strategy and/or acquisition strategy, and unforeseen costs and other effects related to legal proceedings or investigations of governmental and self-regulatory organizations. This announcement is not an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell shares of the Fund or a prospectus, circular or representation intended for use in the purchase or sale of Fund shares. Fund shares are not FDIC-insured and are not deposits or other obligations of, or guaranteed by, any bank. Fund shares involve investment risk, including possible loss of principal. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005996/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Ofeliya Afandiyeva In 2020, Azerbaijans investments in Ukraine may amount to $1.5-2 billion, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Azer Khudiyev has told Ukrainian media. We plan to raise the volume of investments to $1.5-2 billion and now we intend to do this through our two Trade Houses. They are successful platforms and ample economic opportunities, where business communities of Ukraine and Azerbaijan gather to discuss specific issues," Khudiyev said to the Ukrainian National News Agency Ukrinform. The ambassador also noted that the Ukrainian partners have already reached agreement on the establishment of more joint ventures. We are planning to invest here. Therefore, I recently spoke with our Minister of Economics. He will visit Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. The president gave an instruction to strengthen Azerbaijans economic positions in this region, Khudiyev added. According to the Ukrainian State Statistical Committee, import and export operations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine reached approximately $116 million in January, 2020. Official figures suggest that exports from Azerbaijan to Ukraine amounted to $25.7 million, while imports reached $84.3 million in January of the current year. Note that Ukraine is Azerbaijan`s second largest trade partner in the CIS after Russia. The trade turnover between two countries reached $808 million in 2019. Azerbaijan Trade House was opened in April 2018 in Kyiv and Ukrainian Trade House was opened in Baku in December 2019. Companies with Ukrainian capital successfully operate in industry, construction, trade, agriculture, transport, services and other areas of Azerbaijani economy. The two countries have potential for cooperation in various sectors of economy, including transport, ICT, tourism and other areas. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced an inquiry into swirling allegations of bullying and worse against home secretary Priti Patel, whose top official in the Home Office last week publicly resigned, accusing her of a vicious campaign against him. Patel, who has been in the news for accusations of alleged ill-treatment of officials, was not in the House of Commons when the inquiry was announced by senior cabinet minister Michael Gove. She has rejected the allegations and Johnson has expressed full confidence in her. Gove told MPs: Allegations have been made that the home secretary has breached the ministerial code. The home secretary absolutely rejects these allegations. The prime minister has expressed his full confidence in her. This government always takes any complaints relating to the ministerial code seriously, and in line with the process set out in the ministerial code the prime minister has asked the Cabinet Office to establish the facts. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wanted independent lawyers to be involved in the inquiry. He said he was alarmed by reports that Patel told her civil servants to find a way of overturning a court judgment about an extradition case. According to Corbyn, the Johnson government is led by bullies and presided over by a part-time PM. Last week, Philip Rutnam, permanent secretary in the Home Office, tendered his public resignation and announced his intention to sue the government in a tribunal for constructive dismissal. Rutnam said his experience had been extreme, adding that he had received allegations that Patels 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 statement: 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 well-being 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. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ranchi, March 2 : A Ranchi court on Monday awarded life term to 11 convicts in the rape case of a law student. The court held 11 people guilty in the case on February 26 and reserved the matter for the quantum of punishment for Monday. District judge Navneet Kumar's court pronounced the quantum of sentence on Monday. While awarding life term to the convicts, the court also slapped a Rs 50,000 fine on each accused. The convicted people are Kuldeep Oraon, Sunil Oraon, Sandeep Tirkey, Ajay Munda, Rajan Oraon, Naveen Oraon, Basant Kachhap, Ravi Oraon, Rohit Oraon, Sunil Munda and Rishi Oraon. A student of National Law University, Ranchi, was gang raped on November 26 last year when she was returning to college along with her boyfriend on a scooty. As the scooty ran out of petrol they sought a lift in a vehicle. Thereafter, she was abducted by eight youth who were travelling in the vehicle. The accused dragged her to a nearby brick kiln and raped her. Later, more youth joined the accused and a total of 12 people committed the crime. The victim lodged a complaint at Kanke police station on November 27. Police had detained 16 youth and 12 of them had admitted to raping the girl. The forensic laboratory report had also confirmed rape by 12 people. One of the accused had raped her twice. One accused is a juvenile and his hearing is going on in the juvenile court. 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 'Precautionary measure' after several employees come into contact with infected individual Several employees at Vodafone's Newbury headquarters have been asked to work from home after coming into contact with a visitor who has tested positive for the Coronavirus. A Vodafone UK spokesperson said: We are aware that several of our employees in the UK have been in contact with a person visiting the office, who has tested positive for the coronavirus. "As a precautionary measure, we have identified those employees and asked that they work from home. "Our dedicated team will continue to monitor the situation, and we will take further action if required in line with advice from the health authorities. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 15:00:43 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 994 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY)(OTCPINK:LKMNF)(FRANKFURT:LKY) ("Lucky" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (the "Agreement") with First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum") whereby First Quantum shall acquire exclusive rights to explore for copper deposits on the Fortuna Concessions for a period from signing to January 23, 2021 (the "exclusivity period"). Lucky retains the right to explore on the entirety of the concessions and will focus its efforts on gold targets in 2020. Lucky retains a 100% interest in all primary-gold deposits and copper interests of less than a potential 500,000 tonnes of payable copper.Lucky CEO, Adrian Rothwell, stated "This agreement is testament to the quality and size of the Fortuna Concessions, which lie in a known prolific and underexplored gold and copper district in Ecuador. We look forward to working with First Quantum to quickly advance multiple copper targets on the Fortuna Concessions and to leverage this work to advance our understanding of gold targets on Fortuna." Exclusivity PeriodThe exclusivity period shall expire on January 23, 2021 at which time the parties may enter into an option and joint venture agreement on specific targets on a portion of the Fortuna Concessions.As part of the exclusivity agreement First Quantum will contribute towards the Fortuna Concession fees and will undertake certain minimum exploration activities to assess the claims. These activities will include - but are not restricted to - mapping, sampling, geophysics and any work needed to generate drill targets, as well as any legal due diligence.At the conclusion of the exclusivity agreement First Quantum will have the option to continue to the second "Target Testing" Phase.Target TestingThe decision to continue to Target Testing is at the sole discretion of First Quantum and shall be communicated to Lucky by December 25, 2020. In this stage First Quantum shall retain exclusive rights on specific targets, and agrees to drill, on each target, a minimum of 2,000 metres within 18 months of full drill permits being granted. First Quantum shall cover all tenement fees on the specific concessions for the duration of this period. Notice to move to the third "earn-in phase" shall also be at the sole option of First Quantum and notice will be provided to Lucky within 60 days of the end of this period.Earn-in PhaseUpon entering into the earn-in phase, the parties shall enter into an Option Agreement and First Quantum shall make a one-time cash payment to Lucky of US$1,000,000. The earn-in period is for a maximum of 5 years in which First Quantum must drill a total of 5,000 metres per year on the Option Property for a total of 25,000 metres, or will be obligated to pay Lucky an annual payment of US$1,000,000 with a one-time 12 month deferral option on payment of US$500,000. If drilling has been completed before the 5-year term is up and First Quantum is moving towards the achievement of all geological, mining, metallurgical, environmental, social and economic studies necessary to make a commercial decision to mine, Lucky may waive this penalty fee. Upon completion of this work commitment and preparation of a NI43-101 compliant resource report demonstrating a minimum of 500,000 tonnes of payable copper, the parties shall enter into a Joint Venture Agreement whereby Lucky retains a 30% interest in the project by funding its share of a feasibility study, up to a maximum commitment of US$1,500,000, above-which all costs are First Quantum's obligation. If Lucky chooses to not fund this study, it shall retain a 15% interest in the project, at no cost, through to the completion of a feasibility study.This Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.About LuckyAn exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna and Emigrant Projects.The Company's Fortuna Project is a royalty-free 550km2 (55,000 Ha, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concession. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador.The Emigrant Creek Project covers a 15 km2 area in an intensely altered and mineralized porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system in southern Montana.Qualified Person:Victor Jaramillo, M.Sc.A., P.Geo., Lucky's Exploration Manager and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration program at the Fortuna Project for Lucky Minerals and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD"Adrian Rothwell"Chief Executive OfficerFurther information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com , or by contacting Adrian Rothwell, President and CEO, by email at investors@ luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking InformationThis news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regul After years of fundraising and meetings with both the province and Prairie Mountain Health, Russell is still no closer to seeing a much-needed expansion of the chemotherapy unit at Russell Health Centre. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us After years of fundraising and meetings with both the province and Prairie Mountain Health, Russell is still no closer to seeing a much-needed expansion of the chemotherapy unit at Russell Health Centre. "It is extremely frustrating and difficult to keep generating hope and support from the communities," said Gloria Tibbatts, chairwoman of the Expanding Community Cancer Care Committee. "But the committee and the public have not given up." Formed in September 2014, the committee is comprised of 30 members from the 14 different communities that use the chemotherapy unit at the Russell Health Centre, including Angusville, Beulah, Binscarth, Birtle, Foxwarren, Inglis, Langenburg, Roblin, Rossburn, Russell, St. Lazare, Silverton, Solsgirth and Waywayseecappo First Nation. "The financial support (from the communities) has been there. It has increased over the last two years," Tibbatts said. "The level of interest and concern from the public has also increased, partly due to no progress on the project and no communication from the powers to be." In a public information meeting last Tuesday in Russell, Tibbatts outlined the committees efforts to expand and improve the chemotherapy unit at Russell Health Centre. Tibbatts told the group the approximately 510-square-foot chemo unit has had more than 1,500 visits a year since 2015. There is no wheelchair-accessible washroom, the waiting room is in the hallway, there is limited privacy and the area where treatments are administered is crowded, she said. As well, the doctors examination and office area is where the only bathroom is located. The unit, which is open five days a week, has two doctors, two nurses and a part-time ward clerk. The committee held its first meeting with Prairie Mountain Health in 2016, but was told that while a new build was not possible, a renovation of the unit could be done at a cost of between $300,000 and $650,000 with no assistance form the regional health authority. A 1,735-square-foot renovation was approved by PMH and Manitoba Health in May 2017, Tibbatts told the meeting, enlarging the existing unit from 510 square feet to 1,401 square feet as well as 334 square feet for the occupational and physiotherapy room, which would have to be moved. A feasibility study on the project that was completed in January 2018 pegged the cost of renovation at $1.1 million. However, there would be no private entrance, no bathroom for visitors or staff and little room for storage and a waiting room. After deciding that kind of money would be better spent on a new build, the committee received verbal approval by then-health minister Calvin Goertzen, but was told it would still have to go through Prairie Mountain Health and the proper channels. PMH was asked on July 9, 2018, to send the application to Manitoba Health for approval of an approximate 2,000-square-foot building to be attached via a vestibule to the southwest wing of the Russell Health Centre. In February 2019, new Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen, accompanied by MLA Greg Nesbitt, visited the Russell Health Centre for a tour of the chemo unit. Tibbatts said the committee was informed by Friesen he would give PMH and the committee an answer once a rural health study was completed in June. Still awaiting an response from the Provincial Clinical and Preventative Services Planning Committee of Manitoba Health, the committee met with new Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk in November 2019 to inform him of the project and to tour the unit, Tibbatts told the gathering. On Jan. 14, the committee was invited by Wowchuk to attend a meeting with Finance Minister Scott Fielding in Swan River. The committee, which has more than $1.3 million in its account, is still waiting for Manitoba Health to give PMH the green light to proceed with the project. It has a goal of reaching $3 million through fundraising in the communities. Late last year, the provincial government rolled out its Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, touted as a new model for health care, focusing on care away from Winnipeg and closer to local communities. The five-year road map, bolstered by a $250-million investment from the province, involved consultations with nearly 300 clinical leaders. In an emailed statement to the Sun on Friday, Debbie Poole, Prairie Mountain Healths vice-president of acute and long-term care, said the plan "will ensure Manitobans throughout the province receive a more consistent level of care that is closer to home. We are now moving to detailed planning, working with local communities to make decisions about investments and shifts in care that will enable improvements across the province. "Prairie Mountain Health applauds the communitys commitment to improving cancer services in Russell for patients throughout the area," Poole said. "Prairie Mountain Health, Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living and Shared Health will continue to work with the proponents of the Expanding Community Cancer Care initiative. "Conversations about the proposal are ongoing and will be considered as the provinces clinical and preventive services plan is implemented." Tibbatts, however, said there has not been any more dialogue with the province or Prairie Mountain Health. "Were still on hold," she said. "We cant do anything until we hear. Absolutely nothing, so were just going to continue raising money and fundraise. Thats what were going to do." brobertson@brandonsun.com Indonesia Confirms First Coronavirus Cases, a Mother and Daughter Two Indonesian citizens have tested positive for coronavirus after coming into contact with an infected Japanese national, the countrys president announced on March 1, marking the first confirmed cases in the worlds fourth most populous country. The paira mother, 61, and her 31-year-old daughterlive in Depok, West Jakarta, and have been hospitalized at Jakartas Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, president Joko Widodo told reporters on Monday. They were infected with the novel coronavirus after being in contact with a Japanese national who lived in Malaysia and had tested positive after returning from a trip to Indonesia, Widodo said. The president said an Indonesian medical team uncovered the cases after tracing the movements of the Japanese visitor. After checks, they were in a sick state. This morning I got a report that the mother and the daughter tested positive for coronavirus, Widodo said at the presidential palace in the capital. The Japanese visitor was a friend of the two womens family and had visited their home, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto told reporters. He added that authorities were working to locate other individuals the Japanese visitor may have come into contact with. Both are in good condition they dont have serious breathing difficulties, he added. News of the first confirmed coronavirus cases in Indonesia comes after authorities had defended their screening processes, with some medical experts raising concerns of a lack of vigilance and a risk of undetected cases in the Southeast Asian country of more than 260 million people. Harvard University researchers last month analyzed air traffic from Wuhanthe central Chinese city believed to be the epicenter of the outbreakand found that Indonesia should have had confirmed infections. A woman wearing a face mask stands on a street in Jakarta on March 2, 2020. (Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images) Putranto said in response at the time that the country owed it to God for having zero confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, calling the study an insult to the country. Its because of our prayers. We do not wish upon something like that will reach Indonesia, he said. The purpose of our study is to look at whether the detected cases are really representative of the total number of cases, Harvard professor of epidemiology Marc Lipsitch told The Jakarta Post last week, defending the findings. So, to do that we examined the statistical relationship between the number of travelers to a country to the number of cases detected, he said. There was an international average of 14 travelers per day associated with one detection of a case during the whole period we studied. By that standard, Indonesia would have been expected to have five cases, approximately, but it had zero during that period, he added. Reuters contributed to this report. The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has cautioned persons who live in flood-prone areas to take precautions ahead of the rainy season. The disaster management organisation is among other things asking such persons to relocate to higher grounds while observing safety procedures to avert any incidents. The Ghana Meteorological Agency has warned of possible flooding in the capital as the rainy season approaches. The Director of Communications for NADMO, George Ayisi in a Citi News interview said his outfit will do its best to ensure that lives and properties are protected. We will always entreat our director in the various districts to inform their zonal coordinators and to alert members of the communities the predictions of Ghana Metrological so they are aware so when the rains begin, they need to dash to a safe haven. He noted that residents in high-risk areas have been given possible safe havens to seek refuge at. They identified safe havens in their communities and the precautionary measures that we do when rains set in like electrical appliances being put off, the clearing their surroundings and ensuring that, they move to higher grounds when the rains begin. Ghanas metropolises have had to contend with flooding in the rainy season because of poor planning and a weak drainage network. The government has in the past said an estimated $523 million is needed to permanently deal with the perennial flooding in Accra and other parts of the country. ---citinewsroom Mathura: The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday (March 2, 2020) extended the deadline of Asan Kist Yojana by one month till March 31. The step is taken to provide more time to defaulting power consumers, including farmers, to pay their dues. UP Power Minister Srikant Sharma said in his letter to all pradhans (village heads) that since harvesting season of the rabi crop is approaching, the deadline would be helpful for farmers. For heavy collection, Sharma has used an important tool in the form of pradhans of the village by directly interacting with them. He said the power department has collected a large amount through the Asan Kist Yojana, which started on November 11, 2019, however, a large number of consumers are still left and, for them, extension of the scheme's deadline from February 29 to March 31 may turn out to be a boon. Through the letter, Sharma said that despite heavy power generation cost (Rs 7.35 per unit), the department is supplying cheaper power to private tubewell consumers, farmers, and below-poverty line consumers, among others, as the deficit is covered by the grant received from the government. While the current rate for private tubewell consumer on an average is Rs 1.21 a unit; for BPL consumers (for first 100 units), Rs 3 a unit; and for domestic rural metered consumers (for first 100 units), Rs 3.35 a unit, Sharma said. Expressing commitment of the government for better power supply, the minister said, "It depends upon proportionality of power spent and revenue received." He said that the Asan Kist Yojana was introduced for up to 4 kilowatt load for domestic defaulters. The defaulters, availing the facility, will have to pay 5 per cent of the arrears due till October 31, 2019, or Rs 1,500 along with their up-to-date power bills beginning from November 2019, Sharma said. He added that the defaulters may pay their arrear in one go or in 24 or 12 instalments (24 instalments for defaulters of rural area and 12 instalments for urban area). The minister said penalty for arrears up to October 31, 2019, would be waved off if the arrears and future bills are paid in time. Sharma said that the last date for the Kisan Aasan Kist Yojana, meant to give relief to private tubewell consumers, has also been extended till March 31, 2020. The defaulters, availing the facility, would have to pay 5 per cent of the arrears due up to January 31, 2020, or Rs 1,500 along with their present power bill beginning from November 2019, he said adding that the defaulters might pay their arrears in one go or in six instalments, he added. The minister said that penalty for arrears up to January 31, 2020, would be waved off if the arrears and future bills are paid in time. Sharma has requested pradhans to motivate the defaulters to enjoy facility that indirectly would boost the revenue. A Tennessee woman woke up to discover a work crew removing her roof, even though it was the wrong house in the wrong city. The work crew had started ripping off the roof of Belinda Hungate's home in Spring Hill on February 20 when she was woken by the noise. She then confronted the crew, but she said that they didn't speak English. 'It was really shocking and surprising that somebody was out there just tearing apart our house. I'm yelling stop, stop and nobody was listening to me,' Belinda Hungate, told News 2. Her husband, Philip Hungate, was at work at the time but rushed home after being called by his wife. Philip Hungate said when he arrived, he also confronted the crew, and discovered that they were meant to be working on a home 40 miles away in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Hungate's home in Spring Hill is approximately 40 miles away from Murfreesboro Belinda Hungate was sleeping when a work crew began ripped off her roof one morning Belinda Hungate called her husband, Philip (Left)m to say crew was tearing off their roof The contractor was supposed to be replacing the roof of a home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee Crew began work on the roof without permission or any dumpsters to put the trash in 'They did not speak English. The sub-contractor is from Honduras. No business cards, no contractors license,' her husband Philip Hungate told DailyMail.com. 'My wife called me at work in a panic saying there were guys on the roof and they were tearing things off.' Philip said when he arrived at their home about five per cent of the roof had been removed. 'We were a little surprised they started on the site before material or a dumpster was even here.' Philip added: 'It's unbelievable. I can't imagine that you would go to a job site and just start working without even communicating with the owner, they didn't even knock on the door.' The Hungates said the work done on the roof, so far, isn't what they would have asked for Philip and Belinda Hungate received a new roof they didn't want worth a value of $10,000 The company that mistakenly began work on the Hungate's roof ultimately decided to replace it, even though it isn't what the couple had asked for or even wanted. 'We didn't want a roof, we didn't need one at this point and we certainly didn't get the opportunity to choose anything,' Hungate said. To check the quality of the crew's work, Philip said he called in a general contractor, who said it was just good enough. The job is estimated at about $10,000. But Philip said he doesn't have a lot of confidence the job will be completed any time soon. 'I don't have a lot of faith in them, I don't know them. The snow has stopped the work they have placed some temporary shingles on some more vulnerable areas and we are just waiting for that to end so they can finish up and hopefully clean up our yard.' The presidency has expressed sadness and regret over the latest attack in Kaduna State that killed several people and left many injured. About 50 people were reported killed in the attacks on Sunday in three local government areas of the state. From reports received, it is obvious that these bandits are unleashing their fury and frustration on innocent people because of the ongoing military and police offensive against them in the Birnin Gwari and Kaduru forests, the presidency said in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu. This administration would not be blackmailed by criminals to abandon the current military operations against them. Below is the statement in full. STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENCY CONDEMNS LATEST BANDITS ATTACK IN KADUNA, VOWS TO SUSTAIN MILITARY OPERATIONS The presidency has expressed deep sadness and regret over the latest bandits attack in Kaduna State that killed several people and left many injured. From reports received, it is obvious that these bandits are unleashing their fury and frustration on innocent people because of the ongoing military and police offensive against them in the Birnin Gwari and Kaduru forests. This administration would not be blackmailed by criminals to abandon the current military operations against them. READ ALSO: President Buhari assures the people of Kaduna State and other parts of the country that this government would continue to deploy all available resources to fight these cold-hearted bandits with a view to bringing them to their knees. These criminals should make no mistake that they can establish a reign of terror on the people without feeling the full might of the government which was elected to protect the citizens. The President, while expressing profound commiserations to the victims of this heinous attack in Kaduna State, sent a strong warning to the killers: The criminals cannot be lucky always; we are determined to frustrate and defeat them, and no matter how long they run or where they hide, they would be smoked out and brought to justice. Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) March 2, 2020 Judge Judy Sheindlin is changing the course of her career. The TV personality, 77, says on Monday's edition of Ellen that her Judge Judy show will end after its 25th season, at which time she will focus her energies on what appears to be a rebooted version of the show called Judy Justice. 'I've had a 25-year-long marriage with CBS, and it's been successful; next year will be our 25th season, silver anniversary,' she said. 'And CBS sort of felt, I think, they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program, because now they have 25 years of reruns; so what they decided to do was to sell a couple of years' worth of reruns.' Judge Judy Sheindlin, 77, says on Monday's edition of Ellen that her Judge Judy show will end after its 25th season, at which time she will focus her energies on what appears to be a rebooted version of the show called Judy Justice The series first debuted on syndicated TV on September 16, 1996 'But I'm not tired, so Judy Justice will be coming out a year later.' Ellen asked Sheindlin what network the show would air on, to which she replied, 'I can't tell you yet.' The series first debuted on syndicated TV on September 16, 1996, and has remained on the air since, making the charismatic courtroom leader the highest-paid personality on TV with an annual salary of $47 million. The New York native explained how the last season of Judge Judy will air from the fall of 2020 until the spring of 2021, and reruns will be in circulation, as she prepares for her new endeavor. 'Judge Judy, you'll be able to see next year - a full year, all new shows. With a ponytail!' she said. 'The following couple of years, you should be able to catch all the reruns that CBS has sold to the stations that are currently carrying Judge Judy, and Judy Justice will be going elsewhere - isn't that fun? You know how much fun that was.' The charismatic courtroom leader is the highest-paid personality on TV with an annual salary of $47 million The last season of Judge Judy will air from the fall of 2020 until the spring of 2021, and reruns will be in circulation, as she prepares for her new endeavor Judy told Ellen, 'If you're not tired, you're not supposed to stop' She told Ellen, 'If you're not tired, you're not supposed to stop, we talked about that the last time we were here.' Sheindlin's most recent pact with CBS came in 2015, keeping her on the syndicated show - which gets in excess of nine million daily viewers - through this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The CBS Reality schedule plays four episodes from various seasons each day. In 2017, she sold CBS more than 5,200 hours of content for almost $100million in a transaction that sparked a suit from two producers she created the show with, Kaye Switzer and the estate of Sandi Spreckman (who died 11 years ago). Judy was a family court judge in Brooklyn until she was discovered for the show. She had earned a reputation as an extremely effective judge that garnered national attention and was the subject of a Los Angeles Times article in February 1993. That story caught the attention of 60 Minutes. Feted: Judge Judy posed with a Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award she received last May in LA The series focuses on small claims disputes from across the nation, which often center on family and/or interpersonal relationship issues. She is described in the show's synopsis as 'real, honest and keen to get to the bottom of emotional case'. Viewers have loved her for two decades due to her mo-nonsense, hard-hitting decisive approach to justice. Judy Judy has aired more than 5,000 episodes and she was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Daytime Emmys. At the time NATAS President & CEO Adam Sharp said: 'The Daytime Emmy Awards recognize both the excellence and vibrant diversity of daytime television programming. Judge Judy Sheindlin epitomizes both, shaping one of the mainstay genres of our medium.' David Michaels, senior vice president and executive producer of the Daytime Emmy Awards, added: 'Daytime television wouldnt be what it is today without Judy Sheindlin. 'Judy Judy redefined and reinvigorated the courtroom format propelling the genre to new heights.' The students' wings of the CPI(M) and the Congress on Monday "purified" the Shahid Minar ground where Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a rally. The groups claimed that the "historic ground" in Kolkata had been maligned by the provocative "goli maro" slogan raised by some BJP workers while they were on their way to the rally venue on Sunday. The Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Chhatra Parishad, students' wings of the Left party and the Congress respectively, washed the base of the Shahid Minar (Martyrs' Tower) with water and vowed not to allow communal forces disturb the harmony of the state. "We along with the SFI jointly conducted a programme to purify the Shahid Minar ground. The historic ground had witnessed a lot of political programmes in the past but never before we had witnessed such communal rhetoric and slogans like goli maro," Congress leader Subhankar Sarkar said. A group of men allegedly shouted the incendiary "desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro..." (shoot the traitors) slogan near Shahid Minar ground on their way to Shah's rally. Three persons were arrested in this connection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reprinted from the Los Angeles times Feb. 28. For the good of the country, Congress and the White House need to rise above their usual partisan sniping and name-calling and show a little unified leadership as the United States readies itself for the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19. We know it will be hard, given the level of bitter polarization in Washington, but Democrats and Republicans owe it to the American people to swallow their differences. Thats what rational, responsible governments do in cases of war, natural disaster and, yes, a mass outbreak of infectious disease. Theres a lot riding on the ability of the federal government to get things done fast to support states like California that are on the front lines fighting this new and frightening infection, which has killed more than 2,800 people, most of them in China, and has spread to 47 countries. An outbreak in the U.S. seems all but inevitable now that the first case of community transmission was discovered in Northern California on Wednesday and the first death inside the U.S. was reported Saturday in Washington state. Transmission without a known connection to someone who is sick or traveled to a place where people are sick marks a concerning turning point in any disease outbreak. One thing that needs to happen now is the accelerated production of the estimated 270 million face masks needed to protect health care providers; another is to get working testing kits out to the states to confirm suspected cases. California, which has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the nation, has only a few hundred virus testing kits, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Thats not nearly enough when at least 8,400 people in California are being monitored for the infection because theyve traveled to places where it is widespread. President Donald Trump made the same point about working together during a news conference Wednesday night, when he walked back some of his recent bluster about the coronavirus being no big deal. Instead, he tried to assure the country that he and his team had things completely under control. (To make that point he waved a printout he said was a list from the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore ranking the U.S. as the most prepared country to handle an epidemic.) We should be working together, he said when asked about criticism by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and the partisan debate about the right amount of federal funds needed to properly prepare. Pelosi shouldnt be making statements like that because its so bad for the country, he said. We agree with the call for bipartisanship wholeheartedly, but we were dismayed the president then undercut his own point by trash-talking Pelosi, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and all of the Democratic candidates for president on whom he inexplicably placed blame for the recent stock market drops. Honestly, can he not hear himself? Trump then announced he was putting Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus response. OK, well see whether that means an intensified focus on the problem; we hope it does. But Pence must offer better, less ideological leadership than he did as governor of Indiana during an HIV epidemic in 2015. That outbreak was traced to drug users sharing infected needles, and public health officials recommended the state institute a needle exchange program. But Pence, a religious conservative, disagreed with the experts and delayed action until the outbreak was well underway. That resulted in 173 more infections than might otherwise have occurred, according to a 2018 study. Copyright 2020 Tribune Content Agency. NEW YORK - A memoir by Woody Allen, rumoured for years and once thought unpublishable in the #MeToo era, is coming out next month. Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced Monday that the book is called Apropos of Nothing and will be released April 7. The book is a comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theatre, television, nightclubs, and print, according to Grand Central. Allen also writes of his relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life. Financial terms were not disclosed for the book, which Grand Central quietly acquired a year ago, and a spokesman declined to provide further details about the books contents. In addition to the U.S., Apropos of Nothing will be released in Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Spain, followed by releases in countries around the world. Allen will do several interviews for the book, Grand Central announced. The 84-year-old Allen is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for such works as Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo, and is among the most influential comedians of his time. But allegations by daughter Dylan Farrow that he molested her as a child in the early 1990s have effectively idled his movie career in the U.S. Amazon Studios backed out of a production and distribution deal with Allen, and numerous actors have said they wont work with him anymore. His A Rainy Day In New York was released in Europe last year but not in this country. His current production, Rifkins Festival, starring Christoph Waltz and Gina Gershon, was shot last summer and is seeking distribution. Allen has denied any wrongdoing, and he was never charged after two separate investigations in the 1990s. But Dylans allegations have received new attention in the #MeToo era. An Allen memoir nearly came out more than a decade ago. He had reportedly reached a multimillion-dollar deal with Penguin in 2003, but changed his mind. In 2018-2019, several publishers, citing #MeToo concerns, reportedly rebuffed an Allen representative who was seeking a deal for his memoir. But according to a Grand Central spokesman, a deal was reached in March 2019 after Publisher and Senior Vice-President Ben Sevier read a completed draft of the book. An Allen memoir once seemed the most obvious of publications. He has had a celebrated career as a performer and director, and is known for wordplay and one-liners. He has won three Academy awards for his screenplays and has been a published writer for decades, his comic essays appearing in The New Yorker and elsewhere. His previous books include the essay collections Without Feathers and Getting Even. Allens agreement with Hachette means he shares a publisher with one of his literary heroes, J.D. Salinger, and one of his biggest detractors, his son Ronan Farrow, whose Catch and Kill was released last year by the Hachette division Little, Brown and Company. Farrow won a Pulitzer Prize for his #MeToo reporting on producer Harvey Weinstein, and for years has been estranged from his father, as is Ronans mother, Mia Farrow, who starred in The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters and other Allen movies. This fall, a division of Macmillan will publish Dylan Farrows debut novel, Hush, billed as a powerful feminist fantasy full of surprising insights. Press Release 2 March 2020 Companies confronted with the coronavirus outbreak across Asia are encouraging employees to work remotely, setting up a test for what many consider a key tenet for the future of work. Advertisements In Singapore, business continuity plans that push working from home kicked in when the government shifted the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition into a higher gear. In Hong Kong, working from home due to risk of infection simply prolonged many companies' stances following political upheaval last year. While Chinese factory workers recently returned to work, many office workers are continuing to work from home, which is being encouraged by the government amid travel restrictions. "A lot of people are talking about this as a massive work-from-home experiment, but really it's more of an inflection point," says Ben Hamley, Future of Work Lead, JLL Asia Pacific. "While the idea of flexible work has been bandied around frequently and implemented in some firms, especially in tech companies and start-ups, the coronavirus forced many industries in Asia to begin this exercise en masse." The decisions come as work-from-home policies are increasingly debated within organizations. Technology makes it easier than ever, but there are concerns over hard-to-analyze impacts like the value of spontaneous, face-to-face interactions. "Companies, managers and employees are now faced with what it really means to sustainably and effectively maintain work quality, compatibility, co-operation, collaboration and co-ordination, as well as behaviours usually seen in the office - all the while being at home," Hamley says. Rethinking trust and work culture Some firms and employees are already finding this a challenge. Chinese employees complain about the level of mistrust from their superiors as they are made to "clock in" at home such as sending selfies every 30 minutes and being instructed to reply to work matters within 10 minutes. Others cite the social pressure of going into office and the worry about not being able to meet clients. "It is a time of uncertainty and there will be some nervousness. Employees need transparency and clarity from managers on expectations and the tasks that need to be done," says Hamley,who wrote previously on the topic."With that, employees can be more accountable. Employees, too, need to realise that trust is a two-way street and that with autonomy comes with responsibilities to keep employers reassured." The right tools are also essential to build trust and open communications. Technology has vastly improved the quality of video conferencing, cloud services and collaboration platforms. As 5G networks become more prevalent, real-time collaboration and communication could be done even more seamlessly. "The suite of technological tools at our disposal is wider than before and we have better infrastructure to support them. The question is whether companies are able to utilise them effectively and educate employees on best practices to minimise friction," Hamley says. "For instance, switching from emails to more open platforms like Microsoft Teams would allow communication to be more visible." Implications for corporate real estate Nowhere is the impact of working from home more felt than in office buildings. The once bustling business districts of Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai are noticeably quieter. Just as the rise of the gig economy has supported working remotely, if the working-from-home model prove tenable, corporate real estate could be reimagined and reconfigured accordingly. "We're just starting to see the first implications of working from home on a large scale," Hamley says. "But the need for human connection and collaboration will always be there." So while the design of offices and ways people work will continue to evolve, there will always be a demand for physical social spaces to facilitate communication with fellow workers and for organisations to build a sense of belonging and connection. The office isn't going anywhere even if working from home becomes the new normal. "How your people work is how your company works," Hamley says "Corporate strategy for this coronavirus situation or otherwise can be a human experience." 7.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump had a meltdown as he left his rally in North Carolina, and accused Joe Biden of a quid pro quo over Buttigieg and Klobuchar dropping out. Via the White House Pool Report as provided to PoliticusUSA, Trump said as he departed for North Carolina: The president emerged from the West Wing at 4:33 and took a few questions from the pool. The Democratic presidential nominating contest, he said, is rigged against Bernie, no doubt about it. He spectated that Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg may dropped out and/or endorsed Joe Biden in exchange for a position in his administration. Thats called a quid pro quo, right? Quid. Pro. Quo. Wrong. Trump is so desperate to find something on Joe Biden that he changed the definition of quid pro quo to accuse Biden of corruption because two of his fellow competitors for the Democratic nomination quit and endorsed him. Buttigieg and Klobuchars endorsements have no monetary value, so there is no quid pro quo. Unlike a president who withheld military aid from Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into Joe Biden. Biden gave Buttigieg and Klobuchar nothing for their endorsements, which have no monetary value, so thats not a quid pro quo. Trump is desperate and grasping because if Bernie Sanders loses, he is going to have to face the one Democrat who he knows can beat him in November. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook By ANI NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Monday adjourned till 2 pm after the entire opposition vociferously protested over the issue of communal violence in the national capital, with members alleging that the government slept while Delhi burnt. Opposition MPs including those belonging to the Congress, Left, TMC, SP, BSP and DMK were up on their feet shouting slogans and accused the government of failing in its duty. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the issue was definitely important but the priority should be to restore normalcy and then discuss ways and means of preventing it. When his appeals to members to resume their places went unheeded, he adjourned proceedings till 2 pm. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad charged that the Central government "slept" when violence rocked Delhi for three days. While members shouted slogans such as 'Delhi is Burning', three TMC members sported black bands on their eyes. Naidu ordered them to remove them as sporting badges is not allowed inside the house. The members complied, but the vociferous protests continued, forcing the adjournment. ALSO READ: Opposition parties give 23 adjournment notices in Lok Sabha over Delhi violence Earlier, when the House met it mourned the death of former member A V Swamy, followed by Naidu reading out a record of department-related standing committees that considered demands for grants for 24 departments. He said the proceedings of the House during the first half of the current Budget session were "largely purposeful" with 96 per cent sitting. The House in the second half, that began Monday after a three-week break, would be more meaningful, he hoped. Naidu said he has received notices from members of opposition parties seeking adjournment of proceedings to discuss the present situation in Delhi and other parts of the country. "The matter is definitely important and deserves to be discussed," he said, adding he will admit a discussion and allot time after discussing with the minister concerned as well as the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. ALSO READ | Delhi riots: HC asks police to file report on rehabilitation measures for victims "Our priority should be restoring normalcy. We should see that normalcy is restored and then we can discuss ways and means of preventing it (such violence)," he said, adding he wanted the House to send out a message in one voice on the issue. Let peace be restored, he said. However, members continued their protests, forcing the adjournment. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi has left at least 42 dead and over 200 injured. Opposition protests outside Parliament Congress, Trinamool and AAP MPs staged separate dharnas on Monday near the Gandhi statue in Parliament, demanding answers from the government on the Delhi riots on the first day of the second half of the Budget Session. Covering their eyes with black bands and holding a finger on their lips in an apparent imitation of the Gandhi's Three Monkeys, MPs like Mohua Mitra, Sukhendu Shekhar Rai were part of the protest. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Shashi Tharoor and others held placards demanding answers on the Delhi riots and the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. Another protest, this time by four AAP MPs -- Sanjay Singh, Bhagwant Mann, N D Gupta and Sushil Gupta -- was held in front of Gandhi statue of Parliament against violence in Delhi. They raised slogans of "BJP murdabad". At least 42 people died and more than 200 were injured during the communal riots in northeast Delhi. Opposition MPs have also given notice in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the Delhi riots. Those who gave notice include Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, NK Premachandran (RSP), PK Kunjalikutty (Muslim League), Elamaram Kareem (CPIM), Binoy Vishwam (CPI). Principals are among the most trusted community members, and they have tremendous power to address pressing inequities within schools and society, but few principals are trained to recognize their full leadership potential. In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, almost 85 percent of the public believes principals care about the students they serve some of the time or all or most of the time. In addition, 4 out of 5 respondents believe principals both handle resources responsibly and provide fair and accurate information. These results rank principals care for others and trustworthiness higher than those qualities in police officers and religious and military leaders. Yet, in my experience, few principals recognize the power they have within their communities to effect change. As a professor in a principal preparation program, I interact with aspiring leaders who question just how much principals can really do to meaningfully impact their school and community. I have worked in previous jobs with many principals and assistant principals in Baltimore, Washington, and El Paso, Texas. Most have told me their primary duty was to raise student achievement. They also told me their role did not include engaging in political activity. Some might argue that principals are trusted because they avoid political activity, but the idea that principals can actually do so and remain effective amid pervasive educational and social inequities is out of touch. The idea that principals can avoid political activity and remain effective is out of touch." The impact of systemic poverty and economic segregation, a lack of access to adequate housing and healthcare, public education funding shortfalls, and xenophobic immigration policies wreak havoc on millions of students and families. Students do not shed their life experiences when they enter school. As every educator knows, what happens outside of school impacts what happens inside the classroom. Principals who care about their students and aim to increase student achievement cannot afford to ignore social issues. And in pressing forward on social issues, todays principals have models from the past. Historian Vanessa Siddle Walker documented how, for example, black principals in Georgia during the 1950s publicly and privately challenged funding inequities and racial segregation. During the Jim Crow era, principals cultivated statewide networks that were plugged into civil rights efforts to defeat the status quo politics that trapped black families in poverty. These days schools serving immigrant communities have been heavily affected by the Trump administrations policies. Many students arrive at school dealing with fear and uncertainty. They are anxious, for example, about a caregiver who may have been or will be deported. Some students take on family errands to limit an undocumented caregivers exposure to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conducting raids. Children who experience high levels of stress, fear, and uncertainty are at greater risk of social and emotional difficulties and academic failure. Thus, the Trump administrations immigration rhetoric and policies are not just a social problem, but a school problem that principals must take on. In my travels across the border region and elsewhere, I have found principals following in the footsteps of those documented by Siddle Walker. I will not go into detail about where principals are organizing and supporting immigrant families because some states, politicians, and school board members are hostile to such actions and are advancing anti-sanctuary city laws, However, I will highlight the power principals have when they leverage their networks in service of vulnerable students and families. One group of principals in a Mexican-American immigrant community meet privately to learn about challenges experienced by families, identify legal and financial resources available for those impacted by deportation, and disseminate information to ensure individuals understand their rights. As immigration policies change, the principals engage with lawyers, activists, and grassroots organizations to better understand what is happening and communicate with families. Schools are often one of the few organizations that can quickly disseminate public information, but as with the principals in the Jim Crow South, many of these efforts are not visible outside of school circles. Principals have also publicly supported improvements in teacher working conditions. Such improvements reduce teacher turnover and improve student achievement. In recent years, teachers in Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Chicago, and several other large districts went on strike after looming budget cuts and shortfalls. In Oakland last year, 75 principals signed a public letter of support for teacher demands, including higher teacher pay and increased state education funding. More than two dozen of the principals traveled to the state capitol prior to the strike to support their teachers. Principals have the opportunity to communicate with families when districts engage in politically contentious reforms to address racial and economic inequality. For example, Howard County Public Schools in Maryland recently shifted enrollment boundaries to address socioeconomic segregation. While decades of research indicate the integration helps to close test score and opportunity gaps, some parents felt threatened by the rezoning. Howard County principals are in an important position to address unwarranted fears and organize supporters. I provide examples of principals engaging in thoughtful political activity to show how in this way principals can benefit their schools and communities. The Pew Research Centers findings that principals are deemed among the most trustworthy individuals within our society was of no surprise to me because principals have chosen a career path that does not bring fame or fortune, but does focus on improving the lives of the children in their community. I recognize political activity brings with it the threat of job loss. Political work also adds to the countless demands that are part of administering a campus. From what Ive seen, however, carefully taken risks can significantly help teachers, students, and families. I hope all principals recognize the legacy of courage in their profession and trust that their communities are ready to work with them to ensure students and families are safe, cared for, and able to be successful in all aspects of life. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The GDP target of $5 trillion looks ambitious considering the current growth rates, but it would be too early to comment on its achievement now, said Rusmik Oza, Senior VP (Head of Fundamental Research-PCG) at Kotak Securities in an interview to Moneycontrol's Sunil Shankar Matkar. Q) How do you expect the market to behave in the coming weeks if we exclude the key risk of coronavirus? A) As the coronavirus is spreading across multiple countries, the fear factor in markets is going up. Till the time the coronavirus was contained in mainland China, there was compliancy in global equity markets but now as more cases are getting reported in various countries the impact is sharper. This can be gauged by the fastest correction of 10 percent in the S&P 500 in a matter of 6 days. We expect markets to remain weak till the time the number of cases reported globally go down. Going by past precedencies, the recovery in markets (post containment of such epidemics) is equal or higher than the fall. Q) Do you feel India could find it difficult to achieve $5 trillion target by 2024 if coronavirus impact continues for one more quarter? A) Global trade and growth could get impacted due to coronavirus. In turn, India will also get impacted. If the problems persist, FY21 growth estimates will need to be cut down. India has got an opportunity to attract more FDI in manufacturing space due to China factor and lower taxation on new set up. Global companies could also look to de-risk their outsourcing strategy by reducing their reliance on China. The GDP target of $5 trillion looks ambitious considering the current growth rates but it is still too early to comment. Q: What are your thoughts on telecom space, though expectations are that India could be a 2-3 player market going forward? A) Telecom companies had seen the worst in the last three years. Going forward it could be a 2-3 player market, though the business prospects look promising for companies who remain in business. The revision in tariffs and rise in average revenue per user (ARPUs) will lead to a sharp improvement in the financials of telecom companies at the operating level. Earnings will still be a function of leverage and impact of the interest cost. We are very positive on Bharti Airtel and Reliance Industries because of expected improvement in Jio's performance. Q) Insurance business has been growing rapidly and is expected to grow at the same level considering the opportunity that lies ahead. What are your thoughts? A) India remains under-penetrated in the Insurance segment as compared to global averages. Longer lifespan, rising healthcare costs and growing pension needs should drive demand for life insurance in India. Insurance companies are operating with healthy return ratios making them attractive long term investment bets. Q: Most analysts are very selective in banking and financials space due to asset quality concerns and economic slowdown. What is your take? A) There is a big consolidation happening in the NBFC space with smaller players finding it difficult to compete with the larger players and even private sector banks. In banking, private banks are increasing their market share as most PSU banks are still not adequately capitalised. On one side, the slowdown is making it difficult for smaller players to be aggressive and on other side, their cost of borrowing is still on the higher side. Given this scenario, the idea is to be with selective bigger NBFCs backed by strong parentage. Names like HDFC, Cholamandalam Investment & Finance, M&M Financial Services are safer bets in today's market. Q: What is your take on Q3 earnings season? Does it indicate any recovery sign in the coming quarters? A) Q3FY20 results provide further evidence of the ongoing slowdown on the revenue front. However, earnings growth is higher because of the reduction in the corporate tax rate. Adjusted net profit of Nifty50 companies on a YoY basis grew by 11.5 percent in Q3FY20 but EBITDA grew by just 1.3 percent. For FY20, we now expect Nifty50 earnings to grow by 10 percent, despite the 10-15 percent uplift to profits from the corporate tax cut. We do not see any triggers for a quick recovery in the economy and expect modest recovery from second half of FY21 due to base effect and recovery consumption demand. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. The hospital sector in Northern Ireland is being "hyper-vigilant" to the developing threat of the coronavirus, a trade body has said. So far in Northern Ireland there has been one confirmed case of the disease, also known as Covid-19, with 93 people tested. Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, moved to reassure the public that the hospitality sector was taking preventative measures to stop the spread of the potentially deadly virus. Read More We have been following the developments of coronavirus closely and have issued detailed guidance to our members and those working in the hospitality industry," Mr Neill said. By nature, the hospitality industry operates high standards of hygiene and cleanliness and we have encouraged members to reinforce those standards, for example by washing hands regularly, making hand sanitisers available for staff and at reception areas, and disinfecting surfaces at regular intervals." Mr Neill said the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland is taking "nothing for granted" and that members are being urged to keep checking official advice from the Public Health Agency on how to deal with the coronvirus threat. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired an emergency Cobra meeting following a weekend which saw the number of people infected in the UK climb to 36. 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 By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Unidentified miscreants looted Rs 2 lakh in cash, gold and silver ornaments from Sai Baba temple in Gampalagudem on Saturday late night. According to police, when the priest opened the temple on Sunday morning, he noticed that the donation box was opened and cash, and ornaments were missing. The priest said the miscreants decamped with cash and other offerings including gold and silver ornaments leaving coins behind. The temple trust board chairman Naga Raju has filed a complaint with the police. An investigation is underway. The police said a similar incident was reported a week ago in Muthyalamma temple in the same village. You were ignored for too long, Schneider said. Our country was torn about the righteousness and wrongness of the cause. The righteousness of your service was never questioned. We owe a debt to our veterans and have to keep our promises to our veterans. Thank you for your service New Delhi, March 2 : Two BJP MPs -- Dausa representative Jaskaur Meena and Chikmagalur representative Shobha Karandlaje -- filed separate complaints with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday. Karandlaje has asked for Haridas's expulsion. In a complaint to Om Birla, Karandlaje wrote, "I am appalled to report to you the misbehaviour thrust upon senior MP Jaskaur Meena by Congress MPS.... That a senior can be jostled in the House is against all norms of decency." She alleged that the concerned MP, Haridas, earlier also pushed another BJP MP who belongs to the Scheduled Caste. Calling it a "perverse desire to vitiate the proceedings", Karandlaje asked for the expulsion of the Congress MP. In Meena's separate letter to Birla, a copy of which is available with IANS, she said, "all the allegations labelled against me are false." She added that, "Congress's women members of Parliament were waving banners and were coming towards me. I stopped her...She violently kept walking towards me." This letter was not just been signed by the Dausa MP but also by a host of other BJP MPs, who earlier went to meet Om Birla to register their protest against the pandemonium that broke out in the House. Earlier in the day, the House witnessed scattered incidents of face offs. As the Congress-led opposition demanded Amit Shah's resignation as Home Minister over the Delhi violence, the treasury benches reminded of Sonia Gandhi's speech "aar paar ki ladai" which she delivered from Ramlila Ground on December 14 last year, suggesting that it was inciting. Congress MP from Kerala Ramya Haridas, against whom the complaint by the BJP has been made, has also written to the Speaker alleging that she was heckled by the BJP MPs. Ramya Haridas wrote: "On 2nd March at 3 p.m. inside Lok Sabha I was assaulted by MP Jaskaur Meena, Is this repeatedly happening to me as I am Dalit and woman? I request you to take action against the said MP." Following scuffles, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. But the after-effects of the heated arguments were felt even after the adjournment. Tiger Shroff's Baaghi 3 is all set to hit theatres and we're eagerly anticipating its release only because the action sequences look so darn slick. However, recently the movie has been surrounded by a controversy due to a dialogue in the trailer and we're wondering what's Tiger's take on it. Twitter The trailer has a dialogue where Tiger talks about "wiping off Syria" in a threat to his enemies in the movie. Oh, if you must know, Tiger is very possessive about his brother who goes to Syria for a vacation and get's caught by some terrorists there. Now, who in their right mind takes a vacation to Syria to begin with? Well, Riteish Deshmukh, who plays Tiger's brother in the movie, that's who! Billed as "one man against the whole country", the trailer has Tiger saying, "If you harm my brother, I swear on my father, I will wipe out your country from the map." This dialogue put the movie in a little bit of controversy, when a lot of social media users thought the dialogue delivery was a bit insensitive and offensive to a country which has seen a lot of turmoil in the past years, with an ongoing armed conflict, because of which 570,000 people lost their lives and 7.6 million people were internally displaced. But of course that's not a plausible concern for the stars of the movie, who defended the dialogue delivery to the fullest. "At the end of the day, it's just a film. The intent was just to show, if anything happens to my brother... The characters are so much in love with each other, there is so much bromance, that this boy will do anything for his brother, go to any extent if something happens to him," Tiger recently said in a press conference. "So I think it was just in an outburst to express his emotions," he added. Of course it's just a film and nothing one says or does in it impacts people all around the world who're watching it, right? "I feel if you love your brother or any family member or if you think there's a certain country responsible for it, you'll say the same thing. This feeling is not there in everyone's destiny. My character is fortunate to have someone who doesn't question, if his brother has been beaten, he will hit back," Ritesh added as a rejoinder to Tiger's statement. Fox Star Studios While we agree it's an emotional moment for them on screen while threatening to erase an entire country, a lot of people didn't find it emotional from their perspective and slammed the dialogue on Twitter. Wait a minute... Tiger Shroff threats to wipe whole Syria off in Baaghi 3 trailer? Jesus. pic.twitter.com/cYfj9hD72a gigi (@zozonki) February 7, 2020 The Baaghi 3 plotline is Tiger fighting Syria. Whattey wow plotline. pic.twitter.com/7YB0lehYSW Priyal (@priyal) February 6, 2020 While we're sure the intent of the entire Baaghi 3 team was not to hurt any sentiments, we urge Bollywood to show a little more sensitivity in their content and not phase out global turmoil through their fictional movies, time and again. For those who're keen to watch the film, it's scheduled to be released on March 6, 2020. CAIT has attributed its displeasure to the economic downturn, and indifferent attitude of ministers/officials towards domestic trade. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), in a reversal from its earlier stand, has announced that traders have become disillusioned with the government. It has attributed its displeasure to the economic downturn, and indifferent attitude of ministers/officials towards domestic trade. Consequently, the CAIT has called a meeting of the National Governing Council in Patna on March 5-6, to deliberate on the current business scenario and decide on its future strategy. Bihar is set to go to polls this year. After the BJP government came to power, traders had great hope that the attitude of the government towards traders would change. "However, nothing has changed and traders remain neglected as ever before, it said in a statement on Sunday. It added that traders remain very impressed with Modi's positive attitude and thinking towards the traders and small industries". Over the past 6 years, CAIT has repeatedly backed the BJP in state and national elections, and has become an instrumental player in the corridors of power, lobbying keenly on policies governing retail, e-commerce, and foreign direct investments, among others. B C Bhartia, national president of CAIT, and Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general, said the executive wing of the government is intentionally neglecting traders issues. Traders say the CAIT and other organisations had led several campaigns across the country to support Prime Minister Narendra Modis policies - including Digital India, Skill India, adoption of digital payments, and GST. Stepping up its attack, the CAIT also said that despite several problems caused by demonetisation, traders supported the government in its efforts to fight black money. CAIT has issued a long list of demands that remain pending. On GST, it has pointed out that the system has become very complicated, duplicitous, and inefficient, calling it mental torture. On the contentious issue of e-commerce, it has once again trained its guns on global digital giants, alleging that these are destroying and devastating domestic trade, and continue their alleged unethical business practices despite repeated warnings by the government. It also called out the Enforcement Directorate for not releasing its report on the matter, two years after the body began probing certain e-commerce entities. Further, it argues that foreign direct investment norms continue to be violated. CAIT has also criticised Modi for the management of the Mudra scheme. It is true that trillions of rupees have been disbursed under the Mudra Yojana, but it is also a fact that the beneficiaries for whom the Mudra Yojana was introduced didnt get the loan. "This is why non-performing assets are increasing, it said. Khandelwal said there were fears over Modi not being given correct feedback about trade and business issues. He added that the contribution of the corporate sector to GDP remained a low 15 per cent, despite the attention given by ministers. Photograph: Reuters Up to $300million worth of methylamphetamine has been seized after NSW Police intercepted an air cargo shipment from southeast Asia. Australian Border Force officers found the consignment at a Sydney freight depot in February after a tip-off from the police. Police Superintendent Martin Fileman told reporters the shipment contained about 400 kilograms of a white crystalline substance that tested positive for methylamphetamine. Australian Border Force officers found the consignment at a Sydney freight depot in February after a tip-off from the police 'If this was making it's way into a country town it would decimate it,' Supt Fileman said on Monday. Border force acting commander Garry Low said the drug smugglers did not try to conceal the stash very well. 'It wasn't really much of a challenge for our officers to find this one,' he said, according to The Daily Telegraph. Border force acting commander Garry Low said the drug smugglers did not try to conceal the stash very well Police believe the haul passed through several ports before arriving in Sydney 'I'd probably call it lazy, lazy myself.' Police believe the haul passed through several ports before arriving in Sydney. Authorities believe the shipment could be the work of an organised crime group. Investigations are continuing. The NSW Crime Commission established Strike Force Pirinari to investigate the importation, manufacture and supply of illicit drugs and precursors in NSW. (Sharecast News) - Investors endured a roller coaster-like trading session on Monday, although London's top-flight index did manage to start the month of March with a small bounce, as hopes of central bank stimulus helped to offset ongoing concerns about the impact of the coronavirus. The FTSE 100 finished ahead by 1.13% at 6,654.89 even as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said the global economy is facing its biggest threat since the financial crisis and cuts its 2020 growth forecasts in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. In a best-case scenario, with only limited outbreaks outside of China, the OECD is still predicting what it called a "sharp" slowdown in world growth in the first half. Prompted by supply chain disruption, a fall in tourism and weakened confidence, economic growth is now expected to be 2.4% in 2020, compared to 2.9% in 2019. In November, the OECD pencilled in growth of 3% for 2020. Global growth below 2.5% is traditionally regarded as recession. However, a broader contagion spreading across Asia-Pacific and advanced economies could see global growth fall even further, the OECD warned, to just 1.5%, as some regions - including Japan and the eurozone - slip into recession. The report came as the Bank of England said it was working with the Treasury and international partners "to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect financial and monetary stability" in the face of the virus outbreak. Both the Bank of Japan and the US Federal Reserve have also pledged to act to support the economy if necessary, while Italy said it will inject 3.6bn into its economy to help cope with the impact of the coronavirus. Following an early slump in stock markets on Monday, the Bank of Japan said in a statement that it will "monitor developments carefully, and strive to stabilise markets and offer sufficient liquidity via market operations and asset purchases". This followed an emergency statement from the Fed on Friday, which helped to ensure a positive finish for US stocks. Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank was "closely monitoring" the coronavirus outbreak and its potential impact on economic growth. Powell said economic fundamentals were still strong but risks from the outbreak were evolving. "We will use our tools and act as appropriate to support the economy," he said. Investors were also mulling dismal data out of China. The Caixin/Markit purchasing managers' index declined to 40.3 in February from 51.1 in January, missing consensus expectations for a reading of 45.7 and hitting the lowest level since records began in April 2004. Over the weekend, official data showed that China's manufacturing PMI slumped to 35.7 in February from 50.0 in January, marking its worst level on record. Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing PMI printed at 29.6, down from 54.1. "The shocking reports hammer home the view the global economy could undergo a sizeable economic cooling. China is the workshop of the world so when they undergo a huge shock, the ripple out effect will be big," said CMC Markets analyst David Madden. On the UK macro front, figures released earlier showed the manufacturing sector grew at its fastest rate in ten months in February but that the coronavirus has started to cause some disruption. The IHS Markit/CIPS manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 51.7 in February from 50.0 the month before, but was below expectations for a reading of 51.9. In corporate news, British Airways and Iberia parent IAG was under the cosh again following heavy losses a week earlier, as investors continued to fret about the impact of the coronavirus on airlines and the travel sector more generally. A note by Berenberg added to the downside as the bank slashed its price target on the stock to 620p from 700p and downgraded its revenue forecasts but kept its 'buy' rating. Cruise operator Carnival was also in the red, along with budget airline easyJet and Premier Inn owner Whitbread. Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 6,654.89 1.13% FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,301.70 -0.15% techMARK (TASX) 3,794.18 0.78% FTSE 100 - Risers Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,899.00p 6.21% Rentokil Initial (RTO) 513.20p 6.03% Ocado Group (OCDO) 1,119.50p 5.22% Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (MRW) 180.10p 5.17% Experian (EXPN) 2,707.00p 4.48% Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 204.30p 4.37% GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,630.00p 4.34% London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 7,888.00p 4.12% Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust (SMT) 583.00p 3.92% BP (BP.) 411.25p 3.81% FTSE 100 - Fallers International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 433.10p -8.24% Carnival (CCL) 2,333.00p -4.19% Barclays (BARC) 143.30p -3.66% Whitbread (WTB) 3,759.00p -3.47% easyJet (EZJ) 1,062.50p -3.45% Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 172.50p -3.44% Informa (INF) 659.60p -3.34% Melrose Industries (MRO) 203.40p -2.87% Evraz (EVR) 317.60p -2.67% M&G (MNG) 193.60p -2.62% FTSE 250 - Risers Smithson Investment Trust (SSON) 1,210.00p 6.14% Centamin (DI) (CEY) 134.85p 4.58% Senior (SNR) 147.10p 4.18% Hiscox Limited (DI) (HSX) 1,276.00p 4.08% JPMorgan American Inv Trust (JAM) 462.00p 3.94% Jupiter Fund Management (JUP) 311.80p 3.93% Polar Capital Technology Trust (PCT) 1,536.00p 3.92% European Opportunities Trust (JEO) 804.00p 3.88% Primary Health Properties (PHP) 150.20p 3.73% Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH) 3,010.00p 3.61% FTSE 250 - Fallers Finablr (FIN) 52.50p -14.08% Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 291.00p -13.91% Cineworld Group (CINE) 138.45p -10.76% SSP Group (SSPG) 475.50p -6.61% PPHE Hotel Group Ltd (PPH) 1,630.00p -6.32% G4S (GFS) 160.50p -6.22% Hammerson (HMSO) 196.00p -6.04% Helios Towers (HTWS) 115.00p -5.97% Hyve Group (HYVE) 72.80p -5.82% Pagegroup (PAGE) 383.00p -5.76% Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images In a surprise, former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg has let it be known hes quitting the presidential race undoubtedly a welcome development for those hoping for a consolidation of moderate Democratic voter before Super Tuesday. The announcement came on the heels of a dismal fourth-place finish in South Carolina, following a disappointing third-place finish in Nevada. And theres just no question what did in Mayor Pete: a chronic inability to appeal to minority and especially African-American voters. In todays Democratic Party, that just wont cut it. The exceptionally pale complexion of Mayor Petes base of support was evident from the beginning of the campaign, but its significance was temporarily masked by his success in the two lily-white states that begin the nominating process, Iowa (where he basically tied with Bernie Sanders) and New Hampshire (where he finished a strong second to Sanders). In poll after poll, he registered in the low single digits among minority voters, doing well in the few states where that didnt matter and poorly in the longer list of states where it did. Pete Buttigieg participating in a Health Equity Roundtable at Nicholtown Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina last week. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Lord knows Buttigieg tried to turn this around. He spent a lot of time and money in South Carolina, where the majority-black primary electorate represented a particularly tough challenge. He released a comprehensive black empowerment agenda he called the Douglass Plan, and also a set of proposals focused on Latino economic opportunity. He also appealed to Latinos by running Spanish-language ads and showing off his own Spanish proficiency. He did, according to entrance polls, manage a 11 percent showing among Latinos in Nevada (far behind Bernie Sanderss 50 percent), but never could end his horrible slump with black voters. He won somewhere between two and three percent in South Carolina, amid signs (as reported by the New York Times) that he was making almost no progress in breaking out of his white-voter silo: By the end of the South Carolina campaign, Mr. Buttigieg was trying to introduce himself to black voters at the same time he was making a closing argument to the states white voters. In Greenville on Thursday, he sat for a round table on health inequities with nine black community leaders. There was no audience other than the three dozen members of the news media who attended. A few hours later in Rock Hill, a Charlotte, N.C., suburb, Mr. Buttigieg rallied a crowd of several hundred inside a gymnasium. The audience was almost exclusively white, aside for a group of out-of-state pro-charter school parents backed by conservative organizations. With a host of Super Tuesday primaries on tap where minority voters were a big factor and where many delegate-bearing congressional districts were majority-minority Buttigieg and his campaign apparently decided he didnt want to go out by demonstrating his narrow band of support across four times zones. And having blown through much of a 2019 fundraising haul of $76 million, Buttigieg didnt have the dough left to keep beating his head against the wall of demographic realities. Mayor Pete Buttigieg greeting supporters after speaking at a Town Hall campaign event at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center in South Carolina. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Multiple factors have been cited by observers for Buttigiegs minority voter problem, including a couple high-profile incidents of alleged police misconduct in South Bend that he did not handle well; his potential lack of electability; his openly gay sexual orientation; and more generally, the upscale wine track nature of his persona and message. Being the self-styled candidate of generational change at the age of 38 didnt do a thing for him among the young minority voters who have been steadily moving in Sanderss direction, while leaving older minority voters cold and acutely aware of his lack of connection to their communities. In any event, by the time those South Carolina results poured in, Pete Buttigieg was in danger of becoming indelibly branded as the symbol of colorless moderate politics a man who could speak multiple languages but wasnt able to communicate with many regular Democrats. Its no wonder he decided to bail out of this increasingly fraught campaign cycle and reclaim his position as a loyal and influential member of the party preferred by minority voters. Perhaps he will endorse Joe Biden soon and absorb some credibility by osmosis. He could have a cabinet position or ambassadorship in his immediate future, and if he wants to run for president again, hes got nine presidential election cycles before hes as old as Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden. That gives him a lot more time to build a reputation among minority voters. Elizabeth Ross Hadley, a shareholder in the Austin office and Government Law & Policy Practice of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, advised in the development of a Texas bill authored by Rep. Senfronia Thompson that would create a path to clemency for victims of domestic violence or human trafficking sentenced to prison for crimes committed while being abused or trafficked. Hadley represented Texas non-profit the Lone Star Justice Alliance (LSJA) pro bono in this effort during the 86th Texas legislative session. Texas House Bill 3078 was the first of its kindproviding survivors coerced into committing crimes a second chance and the ability to clear their name. The bill was authored by State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) and sponsored by State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo). Rep. Thompson has long been a champion of providing a second chance to victims of trafficking and abuse and we thank her for bringing this issue to the forefront in the 86th legislation session, said Hadley and LSJA Executive Director Elizabeth Henneke. After passing the Texas legislature unanimously, House Bill 3078 was vetoed. However, continued efforts by the LSJA, and other stakeholders to help victims of human trafficking and domestic violence as the bill intended, have resulted in Governor Abbott establishing a customized clemency application specifically for survivors of human trafficking or domestic violence. This new application will address the challenges at the heart of House Bill 3078 passed by Rep. Thompson. This was an endeavor I was extremely proud to be a part of as I was able to utilize my knowledge and background in the government law and policy space to aid this amazing non-profit client pro bono in its interactions with the Texas legislature, and ultimately accomplish something that will change the lives of victims of human trafficking and domestic violence, Hadley said. It is really exciting that Governor Abbott took this step to put Texas at the forefront of this effort after Rep. Thompsons work this last legislative session and her many years of unwavering support for these victims. The application will consist of a section that permits human trafficking and domestic violence survivors an opportunity to apply for a full pardon of crimes committed while under the hold of their abuser. The goal is to give survivors a chance to finally break free from the cycle of abuse and crime forced upon them. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles will review and make recommendations of pardons to the Governor. Providing a voice for those in need is something we should all aspire to do, said State Rep. Thompson. I was honored to pass HB 3078 and although disappointed with the veto, I am thankful the Governor recognized the need to continue working with stakeholders to create this solution that will help these victims. I appreciate Elizabeth and the LSJA for asking me to carry HB 3078 and the continued efforts to better serve our community in not letting a veto stop what matters most, freeing these victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow legislators, Gov. Abbott, and stakeholders to provide a pathway to freedom for these victims in Texas. Hadleys government practice includes representing clients with legislative, regulatory, and administrative issues across all policy areas in Texas. She maintains a deep understanding of legislative and government agency processes given her prior experience working within the U.S. Senate, the Texas State Senate, and the Texas Department of Agriculture. Clients relay on this knowledge to help them with the rule-making process and advising on regulatory matters before state agencies, boards and commissions. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP Texas: Texas is important to Greenberg Traurig, LLP and part of its history. With more than 130 Texas lawyers in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Greenberg Traurig, LLP has deep roots in the Texas business, legal, and governmental communities. Greenberg Traurig Texas works with clients to address their interdisciplinary legal needs across the state utilizing the firms global platform. The Texas attorneys are experienced in industries key to the states future, including: aviation, chemicals, construction, education, energy and natural resources, financial institutions, health care, hedge funds, hospitality, infrastructure, insurance, media, medical devices, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, real estate, retail, sports, technology and software, telecommunications, transportation, and video games and esports. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 41 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. Two hungover students who tried to get a flight upgrade by asking for paracetamol ended up in quarantine after they sparked coronavirus panic. Julia Walentin, 26, who lives in South London, and her pal Dina enjoyed some drinks during their layover in Singapore after visiting Cambodia together. The next day the women told the flight crew Julia had a headache and wanted to lie down - but instead she was given a face mask and met by doctors at Heathrow. After being escorted off the plane by officials in hazmat suits Julia and Dina were taken to a nearby building and put into isolation, reports The Sun. Julia Walentin, 26, who lives in South London, was hungover before a 14-hour flight back to the UK from Singapore but ended up sparking coronavirus panic and being put into quarantine The student (pictured after landing at Heathrow) was monitored throughout the flight and other passengers were moved to different rows away from her Julia, who is originally from Sweden, explained that they had to be at the airport for 6am and were feeling worse for wear after getting hardly any sleep. Thinking she might be upgraded if she told the flight crew of her headache, Julia asked for medicine but ended up causing them to think she might have coronavirus. She said: 'I tried to explain that I was just tired and hungover but they moved everyone on my row away and made me lie down. 'They also asked me to put a mask on and started taking my temperature but the readings were really up and down.' Julia (pictured) and Dina were taken to a building near to Heathrow after arriving back in the UK to begin 14 days in quarantine but were allowed to self-isolate at home after her flatmates moved out Although explaining that she just had a hangover Julia and her pal Dina (pictured together) had to self-isolate anyway and fill in health questionnaires on their flight home The students spent their layover in Singapore drinking (pictured Dina) meaning they were feeling worse for wear on the flight back to the UK Dina, who was feeling less hungover during the journey home, was asked about their travels. Julia said that others on the plane were also asked to fill out forms saying their address, where they have visited and if they had any symptoms. She said: 'I was so embarrassed. People were putting on double masks around me because they thought I had coronavirus.' After touching down at Heathrow following the 14-hour flight Julia and Dina were met by doctors and firefighters in protective clothing. Julia said she and Dina (pictured) drank Corona beer while in quarantine at a building nearby to Heathrow airport Police and firefighters met Julia and Dina (pictured during their quarantine time) from the plane and they are now waiting for their test results Julia's backpack was returned to her inside two large green plastic bags (pictured) Julia said they were asked if they could self-isolate at home but as she had flatmates, the women were taken to a nearby building for the next 14 days. She said this building looked like it was still under construction and claims she was told not to say too much to her family and friends about where she was. During their stay Julia said they ordered room service - including Corona beer - and had to wait a minute before opening the door. However Julia was eventually able to convince her flatmates to move out so she could go home. She said she is now awaiting the results of a coronavirus test. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 01:32:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Sunday said that a fire broke out in a shelter for immigrants in Libya on Saturday night, leaving one immigrant killed. "A young Eritrean died in detention in Libya last night, after fire broke out in one of the hangars. This is another reminder of the dire and inhumane conditions in detention centers. It is unacceptable that avoidable tragedies continue to occur," the IOM tweeted. "Action must be taken to dismantle the system of arbitrary detention, find alternatives to disembarkation in Libya and provide a minimum degree of safety to civilians trapped in the conflict. IOM medical teams have been deployed to assist some 50 migrants who survived the fire," IOM said. Libya has become a preferred departure point for migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward European shores. The IOM estimates that there are currently 650,000 illegal immigrants in Libya, many of whom lack the access to medical care and basic needs. 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 13:13 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067b1f81 1 World Iran,coronavirus,outbreak,Indonesian-Embassy,Indonesian-students Free Indonesian university students in Iran are bracing for an escalating public health crisis as the Islamic republic begins to take measures to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak that has impacted everyday life in the country. Ali Rido, a postgraduate theology student at the Al-Mustafa International University in Qom, said the streets seemed relatively deserted as a number of shops and schools in the city had been closed because of the viral outbreak. Apart from that, however, city life was normal, he said. The government has yet to order any mass quarantine efforts like those in Wuhan, China, but madrassa [Islamic schools] were already closed and have since moved their activities online, the Lampung native told The Jakarta Post via text message on Sunday. He went on to say that the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran had periodically issued warnings regarding the outbreak through its social media channels but had yet to announce any evacuation plans. The Indonesian Embassy has given us health advice, specifically on how to prevent coronavirus infection. The embassy has also provided us with supplies of facemasks, since the items are difficult to find lately at local pharmacies, Ali said, adding that Iranian authorities had also urged residents to stay at home during the outbreak. A spokesperson of the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran told the Post that it would continue to monitor developments in Iran while it awaited further instruction from Indonesian envoy Octavian Alimudin. None of the Indonesian nationals currently living in Iran were among the confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the embassy. There are around 350 Indonesian students in Iran, according to the head of the Indonesian Student Association in Iran, Muhammad Zaky Fathoni. Read also: Jokowi announces Indonesias first two confirmed COVID-19 cases The Iranian government had yet to declare a state of emergency, Zaky said. So far, the authorities in Iran have only called on locals and foreigners alike to maintain a healthy lifestyle, limit outdoor activities and avoid crowds, he told the Post. As reported by Reuters, Iran has seen the highest number of deaths from the coronavirus outside of China, where the deadly virus first emerged. Pilgrims wash their hands before entering Imam Reza holy shrine, following the coronavirus outbreak, in Mashhad, Iran February 27, 2020. Picture taken February 27, 2020. ( REUTERS/WANA (West Asia News Agency) ) Several of countries in the Gulf region have confirmed cases of infection among people who recently traveled to Iran. Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a live TV broadcast on Sunday that the countrys death toll from the coronavirus had reached 54 while the number of people infected had reached 978. There were 385 new cases of infected people in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number to 978. The death toll is 54, spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said, as quoted by Reuters. The Iranian government has announced plans to establish around 300,000 public health teams that will be tasked with performing door-to-door coronavirus screening starting on Tuesday, according to Jahanpur. ALBANY, N.Y., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arc New York, one of the leading organizations serving New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, supports medical aid in dying, reports Compassion & Choices. The group's Board of Governors has adopted a resolution that: "Mentally competent adults capable of making decisions for themselves who are dying of a terminal illness (typically 6 months or less to live) should have the option to obtain a prescription from their physician for medication if end-of-life suffering becomes unbearable so they can bring about a peaceful death." Gene Hughes of Utica, NY, who has been in a wheelchair since an automobile accident in 1983, tells reporter at New York State Capitol why he supports the New York Medical Aid in Dying Act. The Arc New York is a family-led organization that advocates and provides support and services to people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities, emphasizing choice and community engagement. With 52 Chapters across New York State, The Arc New York supports more than 60,000 individuals, employs 30,000 people, and has a membership of more than 100,000. Also, LIFE at RCIL Living Independently is For Everyone, Resource Center for Independent Living based in Utica with offices in Amsterdam and Herkimer has taken a neutral stance. LIFE at RCIL issued a statement that said: "The Board of Directors of LIFE at RCIL understands this is an emotional, moral and complex issue and that many people have strongly held views on both sides. As a Board, we have chosen at this time not to take apposition either supporting or opposing the bill. We will instead seek to provide and promote education on this issue so the public can determine for themselves if this legislation should be passed." Gene Hughes of Utica was injured in an automobile accident in 1983. He has been in a wheelchair ever since. Gene's story supports the 16th reason in Compassion & Choices' 50 Reasons to Pass Medical Aid in Dying NOW Campaign: "So that at the end of my life, I have the autonomy that I fought so hard for since my first day in a wheelchair." "To advocate and strive for equality only gets cheapened by the claim that we are now vulnerable, or our lives are somehow now diminished because of a law," Hughes said. "Allowing people with disabilities to make this decision at the end of life would empower us and legitimize our autonomy. We want control in life and we want control at the end of life. "My life's value cannot be diminished by medical aid in dying. To the contrary, my life would be empowered by passage of the Medical Aid in Dying Act. It would give me the autonomy I've worked so hard to maintain since my very first day in a wheelchair," Hughes said. "I hear from some legislators, journalists and others that it will be hard to pass this bill given the opposition from the Catholic Church, the Medical Society of the State of New York and the disability community," said Corinne Carey, Compassion & Choices' Senior New York Campaign Director. "But the reality is that is not true because the majority of Catholic New Yorkers support this compassionate bill, the vast majority of New York physicians support the bill, and the New York Academy of Family Physicians has endorsed it. A handful of leaders in the disability community oppose the bill, but they certainly don't speak for all New Yorkers with disabilities." "I have long admired the work done by The Arc New York supporting tens of thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities. But my admiration has only grown for their inspired leadership and demonstration of compassion in supporting the Medical Aid in Dying Act. I also applaud LIFE at RCIL for withdrawing its opposition and moving to a neutral stance in recognition of the fact that many in the disability community support medical aid in dying," Carey said. "And what can I say about Gene Hughes, one of the bravest, toughest, best people I know? Gene's fierce determination and inarguable logic will unquestionably be part of the reason this bill becomes a law." New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act ( A.2694/S.3947 ) with 57 legislative sponsors, including the chairs of both the Assembly and Senate Health committees, would allow terminally ill, mentally capable adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live the option to request, obtain and take medication should they choose to die peacefully in their sleep if their suffering becomes unbearable. The bill is supported by: New York State Academy of Family Physicians, League of Women Voters of New York State, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York State Public Health Association, StateWide Senior Action Council, Gay Men's Health Crisis, Harlem United, Latino Commission on AIDS, Latinos for Healthcare Equity, among many others. Compassion & Choices is the nation's oldest, largest and most active nonprofit organization committed to expanding and improving healthcare options at the end of life. Compassion & Choices New York is leading the campaign to give mentally capable, terminally ill New Yorkers the same legal option to request medical aid in dying that people in nine other states including New York's neighbors, Vermont and New Jersey as well as Washington, D.C. currently have. For more information, visit: CompassionAndChoices.org/NewYork . Follow Compassion & Choices on Twitter and Facebook . ICYMI: Compassion & Choices is in the midst of its 50 Reasons to Pass Medical Aid in Dying NOW Campaign, issuing a new reason every session day. To read the full stories behind Reasons 1-16, click here . . A recent discussion of medical aid in dying with Corinne Carey on FingerLakes1. on FingerLakes1. The most recent Quinnipiac University Poll on medical aid in dying showed New York voters support it more than 2-1 margin (63-29 percent). on medical aid in dying showed voters support it more than 2-1 margin (63-29 percent). A survey of New York physicians conducted by Medscape/WebMD showed that 56 percent of doctors support medical aid in dying, increasing to 67 percent when informed about the legislation's safeguards. conducted by Medscape/WebMD showed that 56 percent of doctors support medical aid in dying, increasing to 67 percent when informed about the legislation's safeguards. The New York Academy of Family Physicians , which represents more than 6,000 physicians and medical students across the state, strongly supports medical aid in dying, after having opposed it. , which represents more than 6,000 physicians and medical students across the state, strongly supports medical aid in dying, after having opposed it. A copy of the educational materials display recently in the LOB can be seen here . CONTACT: Steven Greenberg (518) 469-9858 [email protected] SOURCE Compassion & Choices Related Links http://CompassionAndChoices.org By Express News Service UDUPI (KARNATAKA): A man was arrested on Monday for raising pro-Pakistan slogans in the corridors of Mini Vidhan Soudha of Kundapur. A resident of Kodi, 42-year-old Raghavendra Ganiga, is reportedly mentally unstable and was influenced due to his obsession with TV news. Raghavendra, police sources said, was a Hindi teacher in a private school. However, he had quit his job about eight years ago. Married about 15 years ago, Raghavendra was living with his mother, wife and daughter. Due to his health condition, his wife and daughter had left him. On Monday morning, he suddenly started shouting anti-national slogans sending the onlookers into a tizzy. A police team led by sub-inspector Harish arrived at the premises of Mini Vidhan Soudha and detained him even as he continued with slogan raising. Sources said that Raghavendra continued to raise anti-national slogan even inside the police station after he was arrested. Kundapur Assistant SP Hariram Shankar, who is investigating the case, told TNIE that Raghavendra's mother made a 'plea of insanity' on his behalf. However, the doctors have been consulted to ascertain his health status. "His family has claimed that they had taken him to the taluk government hospital on Monday morning. However, he escaped from there, reached Mini Vidhan Soudha and shouted slogans. A case of 124A of IPC (pertaining to sedition) has been registered against Raghavendra and investigations are on," he said. Sources said that earlier too, his school management had sacked him for misbehaving with a student. But no complaint was filed in that incident. Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who saw a meteoric rise from virtual unknown to top-tier contender and became the first openly gay candidate to make a high-profile presidential run, ended his campaign Sunday as he confronted the reality that his prospects of victory had all but collapsed. Buttigieg's decision came shortly before Super Tuesday, the biggest primary day of the year, at a time when the Democratic race shows signs of becoming a race between Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and former vice president Joe Biden, with Biden occupying a centrist position that Buttigieg had hoped to make his own. Buttigieg struggled to win support from black voters, a key pillar of the Democratic coalition and a vulnerability that was emphasized Saturday in South Carolina, where he finished fourth. The normally stoic Buttigieg appeared to be steadying himself throughout his farewell remarks in his hometown of South Bend, bringing to an end what was for a time an electrifying candidacy. "After a year of going everywhere, meeting everyone, defying every expectation, seeking every vote, the truth is that the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy, if not for our cause," Buttigieg said. He also referred to the pioneering nature of his run, saying, "We sent a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than. (They saw) that someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband at his side." Buttigieg's departure may help add some clarity to a Democratic presidential field that at one point included more than two dozen candidates, including an array of senators and governors, but has dwindled to just a handful. At first it seemed Buttigieg might be one of the survivors; he won the Iowa caucuses and came in second in New Hampshire. But despite attracting enormous attention, significant support and often enthusiastic crowds, Buttigieg was not polling well in the upcoming primary states and never found a way to reverse the antipathy he generated in the black community. Earlier Sunday, his campaign held a call with reporters in which senior adviser Michael Halle and deputy campaign manager Hari Sevugan made the case that while Buttigieg likely wouldn't win any of the 14 states that vote Tuesday, he could still accumulate enough delegates to keep Sanders' lead to a minimum. But his campaign has also been realistic about its poll numbers, which allowed him to declare victory in Iowa before official results came in. His Sunday exit suggests his campaign's internal numbers showed Buttigieg would not be able to stay within striking distance of Sanders. An aide to Buttigieg's campaign said Buttigieg and his advisers looked at their models after South Carolina results came in, and they discovered their path had narrowed. "Essentially the reason he is suspending his campaign is the reason he started the campaign: His goal is to defeat the president and bring a new kind of politics to our country," a Buttigieg aide said. "He thought his candidacy would be best vehicle to do that. And when it became clear his candidacy was not the most viable vehicle to do that, he stepped aside to make sure [Democrats] could still achieve those things." Buttigieg called Biden shortly after news of his departure broke, according to two Biden aides who said the candidates exchanged voicemails but had yet to connect. Biden was to be in Norfolk, Virginia, for a rally Sunday night. Buttigieg's exit leaves several unanswered questions, chief among them whether he will endorse Biden or any of the other remaining contenders, and whether his staffers will shift over to another campaign. It also leaves unanswered the question of Buttigieg's own future. Buttigieg made history by becoming the first openly gay candidate to earn delegates for the presidential nomination in a major political party. He also broke barriers by making his marriage to his husband, Chasten, a major part of his campaign. Chasten normally joins his husband on stage after rallies, but on Saturday night, the Buttigiegs lingered in a noticeably longer hug than usual a rare sign of the emotional toll the campaign was taking on Pete Buttigieg, who knew then the end was near. Chasten was also the first on stage at Buttigieg's South Bend event Sunday, and he delivered an emotional introduction in which he told the crowd that his husband had helped him believe in himself again, and that he urged him to run for president because "I knew there were other kids in this country who needed to believe in themselves, too." Yet Buttigieg did not make the trailblazing nature of his campaign central to his pitch, and it often got lost in the realities of day-to-day campaigning. Not until Buttigieg won the Iowa caucuses did interviewers begin asking him more directly about America's readiness for a gay president to what his candidacy might mean to gay Americans. But LGBTQ leaders had no doubt that Buttigieg's candidacy had widened the path for gay Americans in politics and other areas of life in the U.S. "Mayor Buttigieg ran an incredible campaign that broke glass ceilings and inspired countless LGBTQ people to run for office and enter public service," Human Rights Campaign President David Alphonso said in a statement. "His history-making, open and honest campaign gave representation to a community that has been for long far too long pushed out of the spotlight." Also the youngest candidate in the Democratic race, Buttigieg formally launched his campaign in April from a formerly shuttered Studebaker plant in South Bend. His pitch was that his youth and lack of Washington political experience were assets, not drawbacks and something about that resonated. "I think he felt it was the right time because of the sense of jaundice President Trump had created," said former Obama adviser David Axelrod, who was in touch with Buttigieg at various times throughout his campaign. "He's a positive, unifying figure, and he's as kind and thoughtful and reflective as Trump is the opposite. His whole history is so different." In early interviews and campaign speeches, Buttigieg was fond of saying he was the only "left-handed, Maltese-American, Episcopalian, gay millennial war veteran" in the race a tongue-in-cheek way of condensing his biography but also of introducing himself to the public. Outside of winning two terms as mayor of South Bend, his highest-profile elections had been a failed 2017 bid for the chair of the Democratic National Committee and running for Indiana state treasurer in 2010, when he lost to the Republican incumbent by more than 20 points. Nevertheless, with an aggressive media exposure strategy, Buttigieg managed to rise in the public consciousness over 2019 and soon began raising more money and polling higher than many of his opponents who were governors or sitting members of Congress. Buttigieg's obvious intelligence and eloquence excited many Democratic voters looking for a powerful counter-force to President Donald Trump. He promised to usher in "generational change" to the White House and deliberately avoided releasing detailed plans at first, though he spoke of big ideas such as abolishing the electoral college and restructuring the Supreme Court. Along the way, his use of South Bend as the backbone of his experience was both a boon to his candidacy and a threat to undo his campaign at times. After a white police officer shot a black South Bend resident in June, Buttigieg was widely criticized for his handling of the matter as well as his general relationship with the South Bend Police Department and the city's minority residents. The shooting set off weeks of protests, briefly taking Buttigieg off the campaign trail. Still, his profile continued to rise, and by last fall, Buttigieg had shifted to a more moderate lane as he tried to seize a middle ground between Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., whom he targeted repeatedly over universal health care, arguing that his approach adding a public option that he dubbed "Medicare for All Who Want It" was superior because it left "choice" to the American people. "The way we think this shapes up is, if you want the most ideological, far-out candidate possible, you've got your answer. You want the most Washington candidate possible, you've got your answer," Buttigieg said in November. "Everybody else, I think, can come our way. I think that's almost everybody." The strategy initially paid off. Buttigieg went on to narrowly win the Iowa caucuses in February and came in second in New Hampshire. His troubles appealing to minority voters, however, hampered him as the race moved on to more diverse states. He came in third in Nevada and fourth in South Carolina, winning over 2% of the state's black voters. Still, his campaign vowed to press on through Super Tuesday, arguing that Buttigieg was the best-positioned moderate candidate to challenge Sanders. Buttigieg increasingly targeted the senator, warning that nominating Sanders would be detrimental for down-ballot races. Buttigieg accumulated 26 delegates in his long-shot bid the most ever for an openly gay candidate. After strong showings in predominantly white states, Buttigieg's results began to dimish as the race moved to more diverse electorates. Ultimately, he decided they were unlikely to improve. "We have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race any further, Buttigieg told the crowd in South Bend, adding, "And so we must recognize that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideas is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together." The crowd interrupted him with a new chant: "2024! 2024!" Navigos Group is dedicated to providing both quality and value for its customers Thuy Trang, a human resources director at a major pharmaceutical company, said that her company has undergone rapid changes over the past three years, partly because of the requirement to improve productivity and governance for the company. Moreover, investors and foreign shareholders have been putting pressure on the company to make changes. Therefore, Trangs company has implemented a series of training courses for employees, which put a burden on her shoulder in trying to build them. Trang has been given much more work to do now, from collecting feedback from employees and leaders to contacting lecturers and organising classes. She realised that she needed a third-party partner experienced to provide training programmes for the company. Such a professional partner could help the company to improve business performance while satisfying the versatile needs of employees, leaders, and stakeholders. This was also Navigos Groups goal when acquiring stakes at Kyna.vn and KynaBiz.vn in December. Dream Viet Education was founded by three young people seven years ago with the view to connect students and teachers through useful online courses. However, like many startups, the founding members quickly felt stuck and desperate as revenue grew slowly. After years of experimenting, they decided to place emphasis on two key customer segments employees and parents while improving quality and tailoring their offers to customers demand. Thanks to these efforts, the startup began to see an improvement in revenue. By the end of 2018, the founding members decided to separate the startup into three independent online projects, Kyna.vn a learning platform for adults, KynaBiz.vn e-learning solutions for businesses, and Kynaforkids.vn a learning platform for children. After the decision to merge with Navigos Group, founding member Nguyen Thanh Minh said that they spent two years researching, exchanging, and learning about the partner. The merger is built upon a shared vision of creating value for employees to develop themselves, improve productivity, and enable them to climb up career ladders. Quality-focused is our philosophy, Minh stressed. Navigos Group is pursuing the same principle of quality and value for customers. Gaku Echizenya, CEO of Navigos Group, said that the group wants to support Vietnamese employees to improve knowledge and skills, and become more professional and successful in their careers. Navigos Groups strength lies in its extensive experience in recruitment and its understanding of employers and employees. Meanwhile, Dream Viet Education has shown to be strong in developing user-centred online learning platforms. By leveraging each others strengths and capabilities, we can save time and efforts to develop a comprehensive e-learning ecosystem, empowering millions of Vietnamese citizens, Echizenya stated. The merger relies on two factors to secure success in the education field. First, it offers many attractive and useful programmes for learners to solve problems and discover valuable insights. Second, Navigos Groups extensive experience and understanding to create specialised products and courses for each industry enable the group to support employees with the diverse knowledge and skills for their career advancement. After nearly seven years of development, Kyna.vn and Kynabiz.vn are offering around 700 courses, attracting tens of thousands of customers. However, the startup behind these platforms also faces some challenges such as how to create more attractive courses and new technology to draw more customers and improve user experience. The investment of Navigos Group into this startup is expected to complement its shortcomings. With the backup from Navigos Group, Kyna.vn and Kynabiz.vn are expected to offer new products to the market, replicating the impressive success of Navigos platforms VietnamWorks and Navigos Search. Following the acquisition, Nguyen Thanh Minh was officially appointed as the managing director of NLV Training, a subsidiary of Navigos Group including Kyna.vn and Kynabiz.vn. The young teams will contribute to the development of Navigos Groups education segment in Vietnam and further across the region with their innovative thinking and deep enthusiasm. As online education has become a popular trend worldwide due to its utility and effectiveness, the tie-up promises to open up vast opportunities for both parties. According to a report in the Financial Times, Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) is working on a deal to sell millions of acres of land to the state of Wyoming. The transaction could include more than 1 million acres of surface land and an additional 4 million acres of underground mineral rights. That would make it the largest land purchase in the country since the U.S. government bought Alaska from Russia in 1867. The reported purchase price would be somewhere in the range of $1 billion to $3 billion. The sale would help Occidental Petroleum raise cash so that it can quickly pay off the debt it incurred when it acquired Anadarko Petroleum last year. The company intends to sell up to $15 billion of assets to help with debt reduction. It has already signed deals to sell $10.2 billion of assets, including $565 million in real estate in Texas. The state of Wyoming, meanwhile, sees the potential land purchase as a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity, according to state officials. It would allow the state to gain control over a vast swath of land that it could use as a revenue generator. The property has the potential for oil and gas drilling, renewable energy production from wind and solar farms, and as a right of way for electricity transmission lines. The state could also use it for grazing land as well as for big-game hunting. Wyoming's legislature is moving quickly to pass the necessary bills so that it can make the purchase as well as negotiate an acceptable price. However, there are no guarantees that the parties will agree to nor close a transaction. 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. If you're anything like most people, you're probably investing heavily in one market. You may not know it. You may not realize you're investing at all. But chances are, you are and it could be hurting your finances. That market? Your home market. We're not just talking your physical property or rental home. Your job, your income even your pension are tethered to the country in which you live and work, which could leave you overexposed to market risks pertaining to that geographical region. A common problem "If you think about it, essentially everything that is everything is in our home market," Dhruv Arora, CEO of Singapore-based digital wealth manager Syfe, told CNBC Make It. "Our salaries, our jobs, our success, growth is deeply intertwined with our home market's growth," Arora, a former trader, continued. That can be great during an economic boom. Jobs are plentiful, wages are rising, home prices are appreciating and pension funds are outperforming. But when a downturn hits, the implications can be severe and wide-reaching. The reality is, you're putting all of your eggs in one basket and in the long-term that's never paid off. Michele Ferrario CEO, StashAway "God forbid something happens in that market, the ramifications would be across all these areas," said Arora. The tendency to hone in on your home market is not just common, it's inevitable. By taking a job or buying a home in a particular country, you naturally expose yourself to that market. It's also psychological. You're more likely to invest in something you know better, "like an apartment you can look at or an industry you work in and understand better," explained Michele Ferrario of online wealth manager StashAway. But that's why it's all the more important to hedge your bets and build in exposure to other markets. "The reality is, you're putting all of your eggs in one basket and in the long term that's never paid off," said Ferrario. katleho Seisa Diversifying away from home Institutional investors, who are responsible for things like pension funds, have long advocated global diversification, building portfolios with exposure to a diverse range of assets including equities, bonds, real estate and gold as well as a variety of geographies. But the rise of online investment platforms have opened up international investment opportunities to regular savers too. Options such as Robinhood and Betterment in the U.S., Nutmeg in Europe and StashAway and Syfe in Asia can offer new investors access to a wide range of opportunities for as little as a dollar and annual fees of less than 1%. Elsewhere, more experienced investors can invest in other specific markets and industries by buying exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which track stock market indexes like the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100. Understanding the assets youre putting your money into has major significance. Steve Brice chief investment strategist, Standard Chartered In Cameroon, the opposition has lost 23 seats in the National Assembly following the results of the 9 February legislative elections. The ruling party of long-serving leader Paul Biya has secured a landslide victory, according to results announced by the constitutional council on Friday. The ruling Peoples Democratic Movement party (RDPC) took 139 out of 167 declared seats. The opposition Social Democratic Front lost 10 seats, and now has just five seats. Seven opposition political parties share 28 seats in total. While proclaiming the results, Justice Clement Atangana, the president of the constitutional court indicated that the electoral process was conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner in spite of the low participation rate of 45.9%. Elections were cancelled in 13 other constituencies, in Cameroons troubled English-speaking regions, where separatist groups had called for a boycott. Separatist forces have been clashing with government troops since 2017 to create a new nation they call Ambazonia in the Anglophone regions, representing about 20 percent of Cameroon population. Almost 8,000 people have fled into Nigeria from Cameroon in the past weeks to escape clashes between security forces and armed separatists, according to the UN refugee agency. The conflict has claimed more than 3,000 lives, according to tolls compiled by NGOs. The UN estimates that more than 679,000 have been displaced from their homes. The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed a resolution asking the state government to make teaching Punjabi language compulsory in all schools till Class 10. The unanimously passed resolution also made a recommendation for making the court orders available in the language. Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi moved the resolution during the Budget session, asking the government to take steps for teaching Punjabi language as a compulsory subject in all government and private institutions of the state till Class 10. After moving the resolution, Channi said according to a UNO report, Punjabi language was among those 2,000 languages, which would disappear in the next 50 years. He said strenuous efforts should be made for the survival of the language. He further said the language should be given due respect in neighbouring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chandigarh. Efforts should be made to make Punjabi first language in Chandigarh, said Channi, adding that its teaching should be made compulsory in all government and private schools of the state capital. He also discussed the formation of a commission to strictly enforce the use of the language in the state. He said there were some schools in the state where students were being fined for conversing in Punjabi. Presently, the teaching Punjabi language in government schools is compulsory while it is optional in private schools under the CBSE. Supporting the resolution, Akali MLA Sharanjit Singh Dhillon demanded that the teaching of Punjabi language should also be made mandatory in convent schools. Lok Insaaf Party MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains, though gave a thumbs up to the resolution, pointed out that English language had acquired a "status symbol" in society. He expressed displeasure over the conduct of examinations by the Punjab Public Service Commission and Punjab State Power Corporation for recruitment purposes only in English language. Bains demanded that the governor's address should also be in Punjabi. Participating in the discussion, AAP legislator Kultar Singh Sandhwan suggested that all members should sign only in Punjabi language. "The address of governor and the chief Minister should also be in Punjabi language, he said. Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema said works in all courts should be transacted in the language. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man accused of murdering Lyra McKee claimed the shots were fired by the son of a member of dissident republican party Saoradh, a court has heard. Ms McKee, 29, was shot dead by dissident republicans while observing a riot in the Creggan area of Londonderry in April 2019. An extremist group styling itself the New IRA said it carried out the killing. While police and prosecutors do not believe Paul McIntyre, 52, was the gunman, they contend he was involved in murder by joint enterprise, by escorting the gunman to the firing point and collecting four spent shell cases afterwards. Public Prosecution Service barrister Robin Steer said a witness had provided a statement that describes McIntyre being challenged about Saoradh, and about his potential involvement in the murder, the day after the shooting. Ms Steer told Belfast's High Court the witness says McIntyre allegedly replied: 'It wasn't me, it was one of our members' sons.' The barrister said that evidence pointed to McIntyre's 'intimate knowledge' of the crime. Ms McKee, 29, was shot dead by dissident republicans while observing a riot in the Creggan area Mr Steer was appearing before a judge in Belfast High Court to appeal against a decision taken by a district judge last week to grant bail to the 52-year-old accused. Police chiefs believe Saoradh is closely aligned with the New IRA. McIntyre, from Londonderry, is also charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and belonging to or professing to be a member of, a proscribed organisation. The PPS barrister told the court that McIntyre is allegedly a member of the New IRA. 'The prosecution essentially says that this person is a member of a terrorist organisation, a member of the New IRA,' he said. McIntyre, dressed in a grey jumper, watched proceedings via videolink from Maghaberry high-security prison while members of Ms McKee's family observed from the public gallery of the court. The prosecution case is, in part, based on analysis of the clothing worn by McIntyre when he was apparently filmed by an MTV crew earlier in the day, and that worn by a masked man who was captured in a mobile phone video picking up bullet cases following the shooting. Paul McIntyre, the man charged with the murder of Lyra Mckee arrives at Londonderry Magistrates Court on February 13 Sara Canning, the partner of Lyra McKee, outside Londonderry Magistrates' Court, February 13 The barrister told Mrs Justice Keegan there were '17 points of reference' on the clothing worn by McIntyre earlier in the day, with that worn by the masked man. He said 16 police officers had identified McIntyre as the man in the MTV footage, while two officers had identified him as being a masked man who exited a hijacked vehicle on the night of the Creggan rioting. Mark Mulholland QC, representing McIntyre, questioned the strength of the video analysis. He said a judge involved in a separate trial in Northern Ireland had ruled that another report by the same analyst could not be treated as 'expert' evidence. 'That's the same expert and the same methodology applied,' he said. The judge adjourned the hearing until Tuesday, when Mr Mulholland will resume his submissions. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Iran said Monday that novel coronavirus had killed 12 more people in the Islamic republic, raising the country's overall death toll to 66. The number of confirmed cases leapt by 523 from the previous day, to a total of 1,501, Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi told a news conference. "We are announcing 523 new cases infected (and) 12 new deaths. The total number of deaths is therefore 66," Raisi said. The worst-hit places were Tehran, the central province of Qom and Gilan in the north, the official said, adding that 291 people had recovered. Qom, a Shiite holy city, was the scene of Iran's first reported cases and deaths from the outbreak that began in China. The official news agency IRNA reported on Monday the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 72, a member of the Expediency Council which advises the supreme leader. IRNA did not specify the cause of death but said he had died at Tehran's Massih Danechvari Hospital, the capital's main centre for patients suffering from the new coronavirus. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP BAY CITY, MI Nearly two years ago, North Peak Brewing Co. outlined big plans for its expansion into downtown Bay City at the old Atrium restaurant and Stein Haus pub site. Company officials said then they planned to completely redevelop the site, investing $6.4 million and creating dozens of new jobs. The building remains closed today. The plan is still to open the North Peak in Bay City but, at this time, no project timeline is available, company spokeswoman Megan Worden said. Suzanne Maxwell, executive director of the Bay City Downtown Management Board and Development Authority, said she didnt have any updates on the project and directed questions to Bay Citys Economic Development Department. Sara Dimitroff, Bay Citys economic development project manager, said the plans are still in place for the development, but details are sparse. They are still coming. They hope to start construction this year, Dimitroff said. We do not have any definitive dates yet. Northern United Brewing Co. is owner of the Grizzly Peak and North Peak families of craft beer. They also operate Jolly Pumpkin microbreweries and restaurants in Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Chicago. The company purchased the site in Bay City at the corner of Third and Water streets in 2017. A brownfield plan submitted in 2018 by Ann Arbor-based real estate development company 3Mission, which is run by two founders of Northern United Brewing Co., included plans at the Bay City site for two restaurants, patio dining, 11 apartment units and a mix of existing and new construction. At the time, the developer aimed to begin construction in September 2018 and to complete the project by fall 2019. It didnt happen. In November 2019, company spokeswoman Megan Worden said construction was scheduled to begin in March and plans for the site remained the same as outlined in 2018. But by late-February, the project was postponed again, she said. Some are still hopeful the project will open one day. Avram Golden, owner of nearby Avram Golden Photography, 113 Third St., is optimistic about Northern United Brewings plans and what it would add to the downtown business landscape. He said hes excited to have them as a neighbor. I think theyre a great company and Im looking forward to what they end up developing there, Golden said. As far as I know, theyre still going forward with the project. "Theyre a reputable brand and to have them develop in downtown Bay City, thats pretty exciting, especially being right down the street from them, he added. Related news: North Peak brewery has even bigger plans for Bay City location When is North Peak brewery opening its Bay City location? The guys behind Jolly Pumpkin, North Peak breweries eye Bay City Michigans Best Brewery: North Peak Brewery in Traverse City aims to pair food and craft beer Bay City has vacant downtown storefronts, leaders see 'need to fill that space After failed efforts to iron out internal differences, a faction of Sri Lanka's opposition United National Party led by Sajith Premadasa on Monday forged an alliance with smaller parties with the aim of contesting the impending parliamentary elections. The alliance was formed amid speculation that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would dissolve the Parliament this week, paving the way for snap elections in April, months ahead of the schedule. President Rajapaksa, who named his elder brother and former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister of the caretaker cabinet in December, can now legally dissolve Parliament and call an election. He had earlier said he wanted two-thirds seats in the 225-member assembly. Premadasa, the deputy leader of the UNP, launched the new Samagi Janabala Wegaya or the United People's Force with the traditional minority Muslim and Tamil allies of UNP joining the coalition. The new alliance was launched despite an impasse over its symbol. The notable absentee at the ceremony was the UNP leader and former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. "Over 90 per cent of the UNP are with us, we will soon settle all our problems and contest the election under the new alliance," said Ranjith Madduma Bandara, the general secretary of the new alliance. Serious differences have emerged within the UNP over the next parliamentary election. The UNP working committee has approved Premadasa, who lost the presidential candidate in November, as the party's prime ministerial aspirant in the upcoming election. Premadasa was empowered to forge an alliance. The Wickremesinghe camp and the Premadasa camp had not arrived at an agreement on the symbol even as at. The UNP has decided to contest the election under the 'elephant' symbol while Premadasa-led alliance wanted a different symbol. "The working committee has decided to contest the election under the elephant symbol. The party cannot constitutionally give away the elephant symbol to another party," Wickremesinghe told reporters. Wickremesinghe, 70, was forced to hand over both the presidential candidate's position and the opposition leader's position to Premadasa, 52. However, Wickremesinghe wants to remain the UNP leader, a position he had continuously held over the last 25 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of Vietnamese people are returning from South Korea amid the spread of the Covid-19 in the country. 627 people return from South Korea at Can Tho International Airport on March 1. Photo by nld Three flights carrying 627 passengers including 568 Vietnamese and 59 South Koreans landed at Can Tho Airport on the afternoon of March 1. According to authorities at the Can Tho Airport, the landing of the flights which departed from Seoul and Busan by Vietnam Airlines were switched from the Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to ease the overloading at Covid-19 quarantined areas in the country's biggest city. After landing, all the passengers had their temperatures checked and were required to fill in health declaration forms. Everyone showed good health and were all moved to military units in Can Tho and the neighbouring provinces of Vinh Long and Soc Trang for a 14-day quarantine. A Vietjet Air plane carrying people from South Korea lands at Van Don International Airport on March 1 Director of the Can Tho Provincial Department of Health, Cao Minh Chu, said that they had prepared to receive these 627 people from South Korea, including 114 from virus-hit areas. "Anybody with viral symptoms would be taken to the Can Tho Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital and the Can Tho Children's Hospital if children," he said. A middle-aged Vietnamese passenger said that he and his wife had decided to return to their hometown in Kien Giang Province when hearing that Vietnam was controlling the Covid-19 epidemic well. "We are very happy to be able to return home at this time," he said. "Well wait here until the situation in South Korea is under control and return for work there later," he said. Can Tho Airport authorities added that they would receive two more flights carrying some 300 people from South Korea on March 2. Earlier, 289 people including 75 from Daegu City and Gyeongsang Province and 214 from other localities in South Korea were also kept in quarantine areas in Can Tho. Also on March 1, two flights carrying 410 passengers including 49 foreign people from Seoul landed at Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh Province. All passengers were in normal health condition and were moved to a local quarantine area. All the passengers from South Korea have their temperatures checked and are required to fill in health declaration forms at the airport. Vietnam's two biggest airports of Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City have stopped receiving passenger flights from South Korea since 12 am on Sunday due to the development of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). Such flights will be redirected to land at Van Don in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Phu Cat in the central province of Quang Binh, and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. Dtinews Major airports suspend receiving passenger flights from South Korea amid COVID-19 The Hanoi-based Noi Bai Airport and Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City has suspended receiving flights carrying passengers from the Republic of Korea due to the complicated developments of coronavirus as from March 1. Scott Marion|The Intelligencer CARBONDALE The new Southern Illinois University System president began his leadership on Monday by signing the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge. Its not just enough to talk about promoting diversity and inclusion. You have to put words into action. As I begin my tenure at the SIU System, I want our campus communities to know this is a long-held commitment that I will continue as system president, Dan Mahony said. One of the things that drew me here was not just the priority each campus places on diversity, but the acceptance that these are not static issues and we need to continue working every day to advance understanding and inclusivity. Im excited to become a part of that effort. Few are ready to paint Texas blue, or even purple, quite yet. But its a possibility that scares Republicans. Houston, Texas The Lone Star State, for decades a reliable red state on the Republican Partys electoral map, is fast losing its rosy blush, and immigrants are hastening the trend. Few prognosticators are ready to paint Texas blue, or even purple, quite yet. But it is a possibility that scares the daylights out of Republicans. If Texas turns back to a Democratic state, which it used to be, then well never elect another Republican [president] in my lifetime, Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn warned recently. Demographic shifts What is keeping Texas Republicans up at night is simple demographics. Republicans remain strong where Texas is on the wane places like the Pine Curtain of East Texas, culturally and economically less Texan than Deep South, and the depopulating ghost counties running west and northwest from Wichita Falls to the New Mexico line. Meanwhile, the state is urbanizing in 2016, only about 3.7 million of Texass 28 million people lived in a rural county, and that number is shrinking fast. Democratic margins in the cities are not yet wide enough to overcome red majorities in the rural counties and in some suburbs, but thats changing. For one thing, the state is becoming more Hispanic, both via immigration and natural population growth. Between 2010 to 2018, the number of Hispanic Texans increased by 1.9 million while that of white non-Hispanic Texans went up only 484,000. Non-Hispanic immigrants are also reshaping the Texas political landscape. During the last decade, the number of Asian Texans increased by 473,000. A report last week by the Pew Center found that more immigrants than ever are eligible to vote in 2020s US presidential election. Pew says more than 23 million immigrants, about 10 percent of the electorate, will be eligible to vote this year, a record high. When, not if If current trends persist, a blue Texas is a when and not if proposition. To hasten that days coming, the state and national Democratic Party is working to mobilise the Hispanic vote. The hope is that Latinos, stung perhaps by President Donald Trumps nativist rhetoric, will feel a new urgency this year. After 2018, Texas Democrats set out to register 2.6 million new voters and mobilize the 2.4 million registered voters of colour who sat that election out. The effort appears to be paying off. After nine days of early voting this year, all 10 of Texass largest counties have seen higher turnout among Democrats than in any other primary since 2012. Voters wait in line to cast their Super Tuesday ballots at a polling station located at the University Co-op in Austin, Texas. [File: Tamir Kalifa/AP Photo] Battle for the suburbs With Texas evenly divided between blue metros and a red countryside, the suburbs are the new battleground. The good news for Democrats is that many Texas suburbs are no longer the lily-white enclaves of the 1950s, or even the 2000s. Suburbs have been the almost exclusive territory of Republicans since the 1980s but demographic changes by immigrants from Latin America and Asia have slowly parted ways with the Republican Party, giving Democrats a chance to make inroads, said Brandon Rottinghaus, chair of political science at the University of Houston. Campaigns in these areas have to refocus their attention in terms of issues and language to new voters to appeal to a group of rising importance in the electorate. One has to look no further than Fort Bend County, just southwest of Houston proper, as proof. Just 15 years ago, Fort Bend was a staunch Republican bastion, the seat of power for uber-conservative House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Today, it is one of, if not the most, diverse counties in the US, almost equally divided between African Americans, Hispanics, Anglos, and an array of Asians. Prosperous, educated and multiethnic, Fort Bend County is the Democrats dream for Texass future. Flat and lush, bisected by the Brazos, Texas longest river, the county was once the heart of Texass brutal sugar plantation country. Today, it is a warren of idyllic master-planned communities centred on Sugar Lands mixed-use town centre. In 2016, Fort Bend became the first suburban county to align with the cities. Two years after that, Fort Bend Democrats conquered county government, with Asians at the forefront. KP George, a native of the village of Kokkadu in Indias Kerala state, was elected county commissioner. Thara Narasimhan, left, talks with Democrat for Congress candidate Sri Kulkarni during a fundraiser in Houston [File: David J Phillip/AP Photo] Meanwhile, Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni is vying to represent Fort Bend County and a swath of other less-diverse south Houston suburbs in Congress. A former diplomat, Kulkarni is the son of an Indian-born author and Rice University lecturer and a white American woman descended from Republic of Texas president Sam Houston. In 2018, after his campaign door-knocked, phone-banked and rallied in English, Spanish, Telugu, Kerala, Cantonese, Vietnamese and a host more of the countys 100 languages (six of which Kulkarni speaks himself), Kulkarni fell just five points short of unseating GOP incumbent Pete Olson in what was until quite recently a safe Republican district. Kulkarnis micro-targeting of each of Fort Bends immigrant communities was key time and time again, his campaigners were told that this was the first time anyone had reached out to them in their own language. Im not speaking broadly, like Asian, or Latino, but specific, like Mexican, or Salvadoran, or Ismaili Muslim, or Gujarati, or Malayali Christian, or Malayali Hindu all of these people need to be reached out to individually, Kulkarni said in 2018. Youre talking to somebody based on a shared sense of community or experience. The difference here is were not just trying to get votes, were trying to build a community. We want to make sure that all this diversity in this district is built into a coalition that makes us stronger. This year, Olson is not running and Kulkarni is at it again. His principal primary foe is Derrick Reed, an African-American former prosecutor and labour litigation lawyer from Pearland, an increasingly diverse but still staunchly Republican suburb in adjacent Brazoria County. The winner could face a scion of Houstons old GOP guard: Pierce Bush, grandson of one president and nephew of another. Fertile soil The conventional wisdom is that Texas is red and will remain so at least through this election cycle. While that seems likely to be true in statewide 2020 races, candidates like Kulkarni are spearheading a blue revolution from the ground up. After picking up 12 House seats in the 2018 elections, and with about 30 more seats up for grabs this year, 2020 could be the year the balance of power flips at the state capitol in Austin. If it does, it will be because of the increasingly diverse suburbs. Of the 18 Republican seats the Democrats have targeted in the state races, nine are in the Dallas-Forth Worth suburbs and four more are on the edges of Houstons sprawl. Our party is just as diverse as our electorate, said state Representative Celia Israel, an Austin Democrat and chairwoman of the House Democratic Campaign Committee. As these competitive House districts change demographically so will their representatives. Spooked by the cul-de-sac rebellion, last year Republican donors amassed the $25m Engage Texas campaign with the goal of registering a million new GOP voters. A fools errand, according to Texas Democratic Party executive director Manny Garcia. Last year, a laughing Garcia told the New Republic that the million unregistered Republicans they were chasing did not exist. Theyre tapped out, he said. It is not like no one saw it coming. As one of the deans of Texas political journalism, Paul Burka of Texas Monthly, put it more than a decade ago, Demographic change is fertile soil that grows Democrats. Portugal registered its first two cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, both in people who had recently returned from abroad, Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference, Trend reports with reference to Reuters. Both men were taken to hospital in Porto and were in a stable condition and in good general health, Temido said. She said one case was discovered in a 60-year-old man who had recently traveled to Italy, the site of Europes worst outbreak, and another one in a man aged 33, who had returned from Valencia in Spain. The minister said Portugal would expand tracing of passengers and their contacts to include flights arriving from Italy, in addition to those arriving from China that have been monitored for some time. In another possible case, a Chinese tourist had to be taken off a train during the night after complaining of fever, cough and throat pain, and officials said passengers on the train would be traced and monitored. A 28-year-old man was stabbed with a broken glass bottle in the Mawprem area here, as sporadic incidents of violence were reported from across Meghalaya in the aftermath of clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups that has left three people dead, police said on Monday. Four shops rented to non-tribal businessmen were set on fire in Photkroh town in South West Khasi Hills District in the early hours, they said. Police said nobody was injured in the incident. "A 28-year-old man was stabbed with a broken bottle by an unknown miscreant on Sunday evening, while he was walking in the Lower Mawprem area. He suffered shoulder injuries and is under treatment at the Civil Hospital," Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Gabriel Iangrai said. There were also reports of stone pelting on vehicles plying along the national highway near Puriang village in East Khasi Hills District on Sunday evening, he said. The situation in Meghalaya is "under control" and additional forces are deployed in vulnerable areas, the AIGP said. Curfew, which was imposed in the city and its outskirts, was relaxed from 6 am to allow students to appear in board examinations, East Khasi Hills District Magistrate Matsiewdor War Nongbri said. He, however, said curfew will be reimposed as soon as the exams get over. The indefinite curfew imposed in areas under Sadar police station, Lumdiengjri police station and those under the Cantonment Beat House will continue, Nongbri said. Most shops, banks and business establishments were shut and attendance in government offices was thin in the affected areas, officials said. Mobile internet and messaging services have been temporarily suspended in six districts of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region to curtail rumours that can deteriorate law and order, they said. The death toll in the clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups increased to three on Sunday after a 37-year-old man was killed by three unidentified people at his house in East Khasi Hills district, police said. The clashes had broken out between KSU members and non-tribals during a rally organised against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and to demand implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), at Ichamati on Friday. Eight people have been arrested and a magisterial inquiry has been instituted to probe into the incident, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The RinggitPlus Team We provide weekly updates on every Friday at 5pm on the prices of RON95, RON97 and Diesel in Malaysia and a chart that shows the movement of fuel prices across a 6-week period. Bookmark this page now! Its not the end of the world, even though Ive read some disappointingly alarmist articles out there, implying that very thing. Yes, the major watch exhibition of Geneva, Watches&Wonders (formerly the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) will not take place this year. I support the decision of the salon organisers, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie fully. It was a difficult choice to make, but it had to be done. And so far, everyone Ive spoken to whose opinion would really count brand representatives, retailers, some or the more serious and senior journalists they all understand this decision too. This is one of those times we need to stick together and support each other, and Im glad that this is what Im observing, for the most part. As Im writing this, the Swiss federal authorities have prohibited all gatherings of over a thousand people. This includes, sadly, the Geneva International Motor Show, which was originally scheduled to open its doors on 5 March. Baselworld will forgo its 2020 edition and resume in 2021, far earlier in the year than expected. Again, it must not have been an easy choice. The unique confluence of factors, public health and safety, the period of transition that Baselworld has been experiencing in the last few years, the apparent splintering of the old tradeshow format I would have been surprised to hear of any other outcome. What does this mean for you, our beloved readers? Practically, not that much. Stay safe, wash your hands, avoid overly crowded places and cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. And please dont put your hand back on the bus support poles. Ive seen people do that. I saw someone do it just this morning. Seriously, dont do that. Nevertheless, the show must go on, as they say. Some form of it, in any case. When crises cannot be averted, they must be navigated as best as we can. Some of our more foresighted partners have already snapped into Plan B mode, proposing alternative solutions to the centralised exhibitions. So it is here at WorldTempus as well. We have a plan, and that plan revolves around you, around remaining the premier site for horological information. Over the next few weeks, when strong, facts-based reporting and support for the watch industry is more necessary than ever, well be here, visiting the brands you love, bringing you the news you want. Viruses can be stopped, and they will be stopped, at some point. But time goes on. And, so must we. Stay tuned to WorldTempus. And wash your hands. US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday issued an alert warning to people against investing in publicly trade companies based on fraud claims about their products ability to stop coronavirus. It specifically red-flagged microcap stocks, low-priced shares of small, less-known companies. We have become aware of a number of Internet promotions, including on social media, claiming that the products or services of publicly-traded companies can prevent, detect, or cure coronavirus, and that the stock of these companies will dramatically increase in value as a result, SECs office of investor education and advocacy said in a statement. It did not list specific promotions but said they could come in the form of research reports with predictions of specific target price, a valuation of the stock. The SEC temporarily suspended trading of two companies. In the first case, the regulator said it was concerned about the accuracy and adequacy of information available about the viability of the companys product to treat the coronavirus. And, in the second, SEC had issues with the companys purported international marketing rights to an approved coronavirus treatment. Fears and concerns about the spread of coronavirus in the United States have been growing even as the Trump administration has sought to reassure Americans that most of them face a low risk of contracting the illness. It has also announced new and expanded travel restrictions as fresh cases are being reported from various parts of the country, including the first death. While people stock up on emergency supplies, such as masks, which are going at a premium, some among them may be tempted to cash in on it, specially by low-priced stocks of health-related companies that are suddenly zooming, pumped up by fraudsters as part of a scam. The SEC warned specifically about microcap stocks, low-prices shares of small companies about whom not enough information is available publicly. Unsuspecting investors are lured to them by fraudsters through, what the regulator said, were pump-and-dump schemes. False and misleading claims are spread through promotions about these stocks, which also begin to rise because of buying by the scammers. And once they have made enough, they are known to just dump the stocks, leaving other investors holding on to worthless stocks that will never ever rise. By Michelle Price WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Trump administration officials on Sunday tried to calm market panic that the coronavirus could cause a global recession, saying the public had over-reacted and that stocks would bounce back due to the underlying strength of the U.S. By Michelle Price WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Trump administration officials on Sunday tried to calm market panic that the coronavirus could cause a global recession, saying the public had over-reacted and that stocks would bounce back due to the underlying strength of the U.S. economy. The S&P 500 index dropped 11.5% last week as the novel flu-like virus accelerated beyond China's borders, the worst weekly drop since the 2008 global financial crisis. U.S. regulators who will gather on Wednesday face their most challenging week in a decade, with one official telling Reuters that coming days will determine whether the federal government has to take measures to bolster market confidence. On Friday afternoon, Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell sought to quell fears, stoked by dire economic data from China, flagging that the central bank would take action if necessary to support the economy, which he said remained strong. Speaking to NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the government's response to the virus, echoed that point adding the market "will come back." "The fundamentals of this economy are strong. We just saw some new numbers come out in housing and consumer confidence and business optimism. Unemployment is at a 50-year low. More Americans working than ever before," he said. The fast-spreading virus has infected around 83,000 people in more than 50 countries, with about 70 cases diagnosed in the United States. A Washington state man in his 50s with underlying health conditions was the first American to die from the virus, officials said Saturday. Authorities still do not know how he contracted the disease. New cases were reported over the weekend in the Chicago area and Rhode Island. Rebutting Democratic criticism that the administration had bungled its response to the outbreak, Pence said the government was doing "everything possible" to prevent the virus from spreading and that he was "confident" the United States was prepared. U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar told Fox News Sunday that the public was over-reacting to the current threat. He added that during a meeting of the White House's coronavirus task-force on Saturday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had discussed the negative stock market reaction, saying that much of it was driven by uncertainty. Azar said the administration aimed to quell that uncertainty by being as transparent as possible about latest developments. "That's why we are trying to give the American people all the information we have when we have it so they don't think there's secret information they're not getting," said Azar. (Reporting by Michelle Price; Editing by Daniel Wallis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Over the weekend, Turkey intensified its conflict with the Syrian government forces in Syrias Idlib province, announcing a military offensive and shooting down two Syrian jets. The reactionary nine-year, US-led proxy war in Syria is escalating into a war between the Turkish and Syrian states, threatening to start a war between the entire NATO alliance and Syrias ally, Russia. On Sunday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkeys armed forces had launched Operation Spring Shieldan undeclared waragainst Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime, after a Syrian strike killed at least 34 Turkish soldiers Thursday inside Syria. Akar said Turkish forces had neutralized a drone, eight helicopters, 103 tanks, some 70 howitzers, three air defence systems and 2,212 Syrian government troops since Thursday. Shortly afterwards, the Defense Ministry said, We destroyed two SU-24 regime jets downed after attacking our jets. It also claimed to have bombed Syrian air defence systems, and Turkeys state-owned Anadolu Agency reported that the Turkish army bombed Al-Nayrab military airport in Aleppo with armed drones on Sunday. This was just a day after the Russian Foreign Ministry said, Both sides confirmed their goal to reduce tensions on the ground while continuing the fight against terrorists, after days of talks in Ankara. However, it is apparent that Turkey and Russia are pursuing opposed aims and preparing for war. Syrian state news agency SANA confirmed the shootdown of two Syrian aircraft by Turkey, while the two aircraft were carrying out a mission against armed terrorist organizations in the Idlib area. The pilots reportedly parachuted safely. The Russian Defence Ministry responded that it could not guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft over northern Syria, after Damascus shut Idlib provinces airspace. Amid an increasingly aggressive offensive by Turkish-led forces receiving statements of solidarity from both Washington and NATO, there is a risk of a new retaliatory Syrian or Russian air strike on Turkish troops. Since the beginning of the February, Turkey has lost more than 50 soldiers in Syria, fighting to defend its military outposts and Al Qaeda-linked proxies in Idlib against Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian government troops. While Ankara accuses Damascus and Moscow of violating the 2018 Sochi agreement by fighting to retake Idlib, including Turkish military posts there, Moscow has charged that Turkey has failed to fulfill its pledge to separate radical Islamist militias from moderates. The Turkish governments claims to only be defending moderates and civilians against indiscriminate Syrian attacks are blatant lies. Idlibs most powerful rebel group is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which both the United Nations and Turkey designate as a terrorist group, and which is led by the former Syrian affiliate of Al Qaeda, upon which the NATO powers have relied for years in the Syrian war. Turkish and international media endlessly seek to whitewash this group. Just last week, Turkish stated-owned TRT World published an article titled Can Hayat Tahrir al Sham gain international legitimacy? Citing its leader Abu Muhammad al Jolanis interview with the International Crisis Group, it claims: The group now eschews much of Al Qaedas ideology after decoupling from the group in July 2016. While using these forces against the Syrian regime, Ankara is also seeking direct support from its NATO allies against Russia, risking a clash between nuclear-armed powers. On Saturday, after meeting with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo in Qatar, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that Ankara is asking Washington for Patriot missiles to challenge Russian control of Syrian airspace. Asked Saturday about Ankaras request for anti-aircraft missiles, Trump replied, We are discussing this issue with President Erdogan. This is another turnaround, after Washington refused to sell Turkey Patriot missiles and removed it from the F-35 fighter program when Turkey decided to deploy Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles. Yesterday, Erdogan also reportedly spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron to demand NATOs concrete and clear solidarity. At issue also is the horrific anti-refugee policy led by the European imperialist bourgeoisie. Erdogan has opened Turkeys western borders to more than 4 million refugees so they can travel on to Europe, hoping to force the European powers into supporting his policies, at which point he would again seal the borders. Erdogan aims to win NATO support not only for Turkish war aims in Syria, but also for plans to resettle Syrian Arab refugees in majority-Kurdish regions of Syria. This would cut across Kurdish militas attempts to set up a Kurdish pro-state in the region. Also, after Erdogan declared, We are not obligated to take care of so many refugees, a fascistic attack targeting Syrian homes and workplaces took place this weekend in Elbistan, in Turkeys southern province of Kahramanmaras. Amid widespread popular opposition to Ankaras war in Syria, President Erdogan made his first public remarks on Saturday following Thursdays disastrous losses in Syria. The speech principally aimed to prevent any eruption of social opposition to war amid growing social inequality, declining living standards and a worsening economic crisis inside Turkey and internationally. Erdogan declared, The main target is Turkey, not Syria. Conflating Turkeys ongoing occupation of northern Syria targeting US-backed Kurdish militias with its military presence in Idlib, he said: If we do not clear our borders from terrorists now, we might have to fight bigger wars inside Turkey later on. Erdogan also laughingly shared his conversation with Trump, sparking angry comments on social media. On Twitter, more than 200,000 people almost immediately used a hash tag Why are you laughing Erdogan? to express their opposition to war. The targets of the social anger include not only the Erdogan government, but also the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP). While CHP has tactically criticized Turkish military operations in Idlib, it has supported the war mandates in the parliament for years and bears direct responsibility for the Turkish governments war in Syria. It also promotes chauvinist, anti-Syrian propaganda. The CHP has signed a joint statement on Thursday together with its far-right ally the Good Party, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its government coalition ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). It asserted a right of reprisal against attacks on our soldiers. The Kurdish-nationalist Peoples Democratic Partys (HDP) no votes on war mandates in parliament, based on opposition to military operations targeting the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the main US proxy force in Syria, are not based on a principled, anti-imperialist or anti-war position. The dangerous escalation between Turkey and Russia is leading to stepped-up attacks on press freedom After a right-wing nationalist gang tried to raid the homes of three Sputnik Turkey employees in Ankara on Saturday, the journalists and Sputnik-Turkeys chief editor in Istanbul were detained, questioned and, hours later, released. One released journalist said, We were completely absurdly charged over an article that we did not write and have nothing to do with, a reference to the Stolen Province, an article on the southern border province of Hatay, which joined Turkey in 1939 after a referendum that Syria refused to recognize. Last month, Turkish state media outlets like TRT World published reports questioning Turkish-Syrian borders, showing maps of the Aleppo Vilayet in the Ottoman Empire on the basis of a National Pact declared by Turkish nationalist forces during the independence war. It covered current Turkish territories, the Ottoman Aleppo Vilayet and Ottoman Mosul Vilayet, which corresponds to present-day northern Iraq. Yesterday, the pro-government Daily Sabah also published an article titled Crimea: Story of a twice stolen peninsula. Opposing imperialist war and defending refugees are tasks of the international working class. The only way out of the growing danger of war, including between nuclear-armed powers, is to build an international anti-war movement in the working class, across the Middle East and internationally, on the basis of an internationalist socialist program. CLEVELAND, Ohio Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hip-hop group Public Enemy has cut ties with co-founder Flavor Flav. The news comes after the two sides engaged in a beef over Chuck D and other members of PE performing at a Bernie Sanders rally in Los Angeles on Sunday. Last week, Flavor Flav issued a cease and desist letter to Sanders campaign, saying they were engaging in the the unauthorized use of [Flavor Flavs] likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials. The Sanders rally promoted a performance by Public Enemy Radio, which features Chuck D and the rest of the members of Public Enemy minus Flavor Flav. Chuck D was not happy about Flavor Flavs actions, firing off a savage barrage of posts on social media that accused his now former groupmate of being desperate for money to support his addictions. Spoke @BernieSanders rally with @EnemyRadio. If there was a $bag, Flav wouldve been there front & center. He will NOT do free benefit shows. Sued me in court the 1st time I let him back in. His ambulance lawyer sued me again on Friday & so now he stays home & better find REHAB Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 2, 2020 Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this, Chuck D wrote. He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or hes out. Flavor Flav didnt get the year. Public Enemy issued the following statement to Pitchfork regarding cutting ties with Flav: Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav. We thank him for his years of service and wish him well. Thus, the most political rap group in history has been splintered over a political rally. MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS March concert guide: 35 great shows to see in Greater Cleveland this month 8 wines to consider sipping in March (photos) Celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2020 in style with these Cleveland sports team shirts, outfits, hats and more Dinner series highlights local chefs in homes Guinness selfies available to gear up for St. Patricks Day An enraged Chuck D kicks Flavor Flav out of Public Enemy Put down that phone and watch your baby: Dear Annie Todays famous birthdays list for March 2, 2020 includes celebrities Jon Bon Jovi, Daniel Craig Number of Coronavirus Cases in Spain Reaches 58 - Reports Sputnik News 01:21 GMT 01.03.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The number of people infected with the coronavirus disease, officially named COVID-19, has reached 58 in Spain, media reported on Saturday. The Spanish El Mundo newspaper reported that the highest number of virus cases had been recorded in the Valencian Community. Apart from that, 10 cases has been detected in the autonomous communities of Madrid and Andalusia, seven infected people have been registered in the Canary Islands. Among other regions, where the disease has been recorded, are Catalonia, Basque Country, Castile and Leon, as well as Hispania Balearica, the Principality of Asturias, Cantabria and Navarra. According to the Spanish Health Ministry, the majority of these people were confirmed as having COVID-19 after they returned from Italy. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry of Switzerland also confirmed that the number of coronavirus disease cases in the country had increased and stood at 18. "There have been reports of diseases from the cantons: Ticino, Geneva, Grisons, Aargau, Zurich, Basel City, Vaud, Basle Country, Bern, and Valais. All persons are in good health condition. All those who are ill are isolated. The public health authorities are contacting people who have been in close contact with the person infected," the ministry said in a statement. Europe has registered so far over 1,300 cases of the coronavirus disease with Italy recording the highest number of infected people. The death toll in the region stood at 31. On a global scale, to date, the coronavirus disease has infected over 85,000 people, of whom 2,900 have died and nearly 40,000 have recovered. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday two Indonesians had tested positive for coronavirus after being in contact with an infected Japanese national, marking the first confirmed cases in the worlds fourth most populous country. The two had been hospitalized in Jakarta, Widodo told reporters at the presidential palace in the capital. The president said a 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter had tested positive after being in contact with a Japanese national who lived in Malaysia and had tested positive after returning from a trip to Indonesia. Widodo said an Indonesian medical team had traced the movements of the Japanese visitor before uncovering the cases. After checks, they were in a sick state. This morning I got a report that the mother and the daughter tested positive for coronavirus, said Widodo, who said they were being treated at Jakartas Sulianti Saroso infectious diseases hospital. Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto told reporters the Japanese visitor was a friend of the two womens family and had visited their house. He said authorities were checking who else the Japanese visitor may have come into contact with. The confirmation of the first cases of coronavirus came after authorities had defended their screening processes, with some medical experts raising concerns of a lack of vigilance and a risk of undetected cases in the Southeast Asian country of more than 260 million people. The government has reiterated the risk for Luxembourg's population is low, while confirming the patient's condition. The first case of coronavirus in the Grand Duchy was officially confirmed during a press conference on Saturday. The government has since launched a pandemic crisis unit. On Sunday, the government issued a statement in which it confirmed the patient was hospitalised in isolation, no longer showing symptoms and doing well overall. The man returned from Northern Italy via Charleroi airport, and, after displaying symptoms of the virus, contacted the Sanitary Inspection Unit in line with the recommendations. Initial testing in Luxembourg suggested the patient had contracted COVID-19. The diagnosis was confirmed after a second test was carried out in a Rotterdam laboratory. LOW RISK FOR POPULATION The government's crisis unit has not ruled out the possibility of other cases in Luxembourg. Measures are in place to limit the spread of the virus, with the patient's family placed in quarantine for preventative reasons. However, at this stage, none of the people in contact with the first patient have shown symptoms of the virus, and first tests have all come up negative. The public should continue to follow prior guidance, including washing hands thoroughly and covering sneezes with elbows or tissues. A hotline has been set up for those who could potentially be affected by the virus, to be activated from 2pm on Monday 2 March. Signage is displayed inside the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 4, 2019. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in a case over whether the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the regulatory agency established in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, is constitutionally structured. The case, key to the future of the CFPB, could also have broad implications on other independent federal agencies, according to experts. A decision is expected by the end of June. The dispute turns on whether the CFPB's director is given too much independence. Under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which established the regulator, the agency is headed by a single director who may be removed by the president from his or her five-year term only for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." The CFPB also sidesteps the traditional congressional appropriations process, instead getting most of its funding from the Federal Reserve system. The funding mechanism is similar to that of other financial regulators like the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The bureau, which was envisioned by Sen. Elizabeth Warren when she was a professor at Harvard Law School, is designed to rein in abusive practices in consumer credit markets such as home mortgages and credit cards. It returned $12 billion to consumers between 2011 and 2017, but largely stopped pursuing enforcement actions under President Donald Trump. The bureau has been the subject of a number of lawsuits but has so far proved to be resilient. The latest suit was brought by the California-based consumer law firm Seila Law, which alleged that the CFPB's insulation from presidential control is unconstitutional. Seila Law challenged the agency after the CFPB targeted the firm in 2017 in an investigation into the marketing and sales of consumer debt-relief services. The law firm is being supported by the Trump administration via the Department of Justice, which has submitted briefs to the top court supporting the theory that the for-cause removal provision is unconstitutional. In a twist, the head of the CFPB has also weighed in to say the bureau is operating unlawfully. Kathleen Kraninger, the Trump-appointed CFPB director, told the court in September that the bureau would no longer defend its own constitutionality. Because the Trump administration is not defending the Obama-era regulator, the Supreme Court appointed a lawyer to do so. There is some intrigue in its choice. The lawyer, veteran Supreme Court attorney Paul Clement, is generally known for his advocacy of conservative positions, and served as solicitor general under President George W. Bush. Clement will argue alongside Douglas Letter, an attorney representing the Democratic-led House of Representatives. Solicitor General Noel Francisco and an attorney representing Seila Law will present the other side. Clement and the House face an uphill battle. The Supreme Court's conservatives are generally wary of agency power, and its newest member, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, made clear while a federal appeals court judge in Washington that he believes the agency's director is too unrestrained. The Cambridges and the Sussexes will be reunited on 9 March. (Getty Images) Prince Harry and Meghan will join the Queen and other members of the royal family at the Commonwealth Day service - but Prince Andrew will not be there. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will both be back in the UK for the annual service celebrating the commonwealth, to be held at Westminster Abbey on 9 March. But, in line with him stepping back from royal duties, Prince Andrew wont attend. The Duke of York announced he would not be carrying out royal duties for the foreseeable future in November, after a disastrous interview on BBC Newsnight over his association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew attended the ceremony in 2019. (Getty Images) His lack of attendance at the Commonwealth Day service draws into speculation whether he will attend future occasions like Trooping the Colour in the summer. The Commonwealth Day service is likely to be the last official royal duty carried out by Meghan and Harry before they step back from life as working royals. They will join the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the service. Read more: Canada to stop paying Harry and Meghan's security costs in coming weeks Prince Harry arrived back in the UK last week to host a working summit for his travel project Travelyst in Edinburgh, and then dropped in on a recording session with Jon Bon Jovi, for the Invictus Games song. Meghan will join the prince in London on 5 March for the Endeavour Awards, and she will also take on an engagement to mark International Womens Day on 8 March. Harry and Meghan at the 2019 Endeavour Awards. (Getty Images) But it appears that the Commonwealth Day service on 9 March will be the last thing they do in the UK. They stop being working royals from 31 March. The annual ceremony is attended by about 2,000 people and highlights the work of the global network of 54 countries which make up the commonwealth. Read more: Prince Harry is 'relaxed' and 'defiant' over future, says Travalyst conference host Anthony Joshua is due to speak at the service this year, and there will be performances from Craig David and Alexandra Burke. Story continues The theme for 2020 is Delivering A Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming and there will be an emphasis on youth, environment and trade. Guests of honour among the 2,000-strong congregation will include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Commonwealth secretary-general Baroness Scotland, high commissioners, ambassadors, faith leaders and more than 800 schoolchildren and young people. Charles and Camilla will be at the service with the Queen. (Getty Images) The Queen and the royal family will meet people involved in the service and walk past the Commonwealth flag bearers as they leave. The service will be broadcast live on BBC One and the BBC World Service on Monday afternoon. Prince Harry and Meghan sparked a royal crisis when they announced in January that they wanted to step back from their roles as senior members of the family. Read more: Harry and Meghan reveal transition details and confirm end of Sussex Royal branding Queen Elizabeth at the Commonwealth Day service in 2019. (Getty Images) Their plan to maintain their duty to the queen while making their own money was not feasible, and they have agreed to stop all royal duties while they seek financial independence. They will still be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but have opted not to use their HRH styling and will also not use the brand name Sussex Royal. There will be a review after 12 months, between the palace and the couple. The Sussexes are understood to be preparing to be spending most of their time in North America from April. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 05:07:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BRUSSELS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The emerging humanitarian crisis caused by the escalation of conflict around Idlib, northern Syria, requires enhanced preparation of the European Union (EU), EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Sunday. The ongoing renewed fighting represents a serious threat to international peace and security, causing an "untold human suffering", Borrell said in a statement, noting the EU needs to "redouble efforts to address the terrible human crisis with all the means at its disposals." The EU has to mobilize resources to relieve the suffering of displaced people by providing shelter, food and medicine, said Borrell, who underlined the importance that the EU-Turkey Statement on helping refugees is upheld. Borrell said he will convene an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of EU member countries soon to discuss the thorny issue. He said the move was a response also to the request of the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. Calling for restraint, Borrell said "there is only a political solution to this crisis." He urged the concerned parties to urgently re-engage in a political process under the auspices of the United Nations. The latest spiral of violence started Thursday when at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes in Idlib, which Turkey blamed on the Syrian government. Following the latest developments in Idlib, Turkey said that it would no longer stop refugees from going to Europe, according to media reports. A project aimed at improving peace and security in the election value chain and ensure the elimination of violent conducts by politically sponsored groups before, during and after the upcoming general election, has been launched in Accra. Spearheaded by Caritas Ghana, a charity organisation of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, the project is on the theme "Ethics Against Vigilantism" and is funded by the Star Ghana Foundation. It is also supported by seven other organisations, comprising the National Peace Council, Office of the National Chief Imam, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, the Catholic Bishops Conference and the Ahmadiyya Muslims Mission. The rest are the Federation of Muslim Women's Association and the Marshallan Relief and Development Services, the non-governmental organisation of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall. The project will span a period of 18 months and it will cover six regions, namely Greater Accra, Northern, North-East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West regions. The regions were selected based on the off-spot report Caritas Ghana received from some experts. Other objectives Other objectives of the project, according to the Head of Programmes at Caritas Ghana, Mr David Issaka, included building the capacity of vulnerable groups including women, the disabled and children to take active part in the electioneering process. Again, Mr Issaka mentioned the facilitation of dialogue between religious leaders and political parties, as well as support for ex-vigilante members to overcome violent tendencies through psycho-social counselling, as some of the reasoning behind the initiative. He said the project would collaborate with the National Youth Authority to provide cash-for-work opportunities to the vulnerable youth in the country in order to save them from being exploited by politicians. Threat to peace The spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu, said the vigilantism menace posed a serious threat to Ghana's peace and democracy and for that matter, all peace-loving citizens ought to come on board to eradicate it. "Vigilantism is a destabilising factor to our thriving democracy and to allow it to continue to become a subculture of our political engagement is to compromise the peace of our country", he said. In that regard, he said, "we must fight it with all the might at our disposal and ensure that our young people in this country will be treated with respect and not be reduced from the top of their humanity to become tools for visiting violence against political opponents". He added that faith-based organisations were noted for advocating peaceful co-existence and that it would be contradictory on their part to sit aloof and watch the vigilantism menace destroy the country. The Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana, Mr Samuel Zan Akologo, for his part, said the Ethics against Vigilantism Project, signified yet another ground-breaking undertaking by the faith-based groups working together to sanitise the country's political environment and ensure inclusion of all citizens in the process. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Eminent computer scientist Leslie Lamport, winner of 2013 Turing Award, speaking at the dialogue held in conjunction with the SMU-Global Young Scientists Summit 2020. Credit: Rebecca Tan Have you ever followed a recipe to bake some bread? If you have, congratulations; you have executed an algorithm. The algorithms that follow us around the internet to suggest items we might like, and those that control what shows up in our Facebook feeds may seem mysterious and uncanny at times. Yet, an algorithm is simply a set of instructions to be completed in a specified sequence, whether by human bakers or computer programs. The difference, however, lies in how the algorithm is expressed. Recipes are written in English or other spoken languages while computer programs are written in programming languages or code. According to Leslie Lamport, winner of the 2013 Turing Award, thinking mathematically can be a useful step to specifying the algorithm for computer programmes, as it can help programmers clarify their thinking and make programs more efficient. "Most programmers just start writing code; they don't even know what the algorithm is. It's like starting to build without a blueprint," said Dr. Lamport, speaking at an exclusive dialogue at the Singapore Management University (SMU) on 14 January 2020, held in conjunction with the SMU-Global Young Scientists Summit 2020. "And the result? The program is hard to debug and inefficient because you would be trying to optimise at the code level rather than at the algorithm level. We should do what almost every other field of science and engineering does: initially describe the problem with math instead." Why math is better than code Using Euclid's algorithm as an example, Dr. Lamport walked the audience through how an algorithm can be expressed precisely yet simply with mathematics. Described by ancient Greek mathematician Euclid in 300 BC, Euclid's algorithm is a method for identifying the greatest common divisor (GCD) of two numbers, that is, the largest number that can divide the two numbers without leaving a remainder. For example, the GCD of the numbers 15 and 12 is 3. The method is simple: subtract the smaller number from the larger number, then repeat this till both numbers are the same; the resulting number is the GCD. The entire procedure can be described in a single mathematical formula, said Dr. Lamport, who is recognised for developing the widely used LaTex file format, in addition to his pioneering work on distributed computing systems. In contrast, writing Euclid's algorithm in code is more time consuming and cumbersome, and therefore harder to debug if it is not working correctly. "Euclid's program would have to contain a lot of lower level details, like what you should do if either number is less than or equal to zero," Dr. Lamport said. "You would have to decide that if you are writing a computer program but it's not the algorithm's problem." How much more efficient would using math instead of code be? When engineers used TLA+, a high level formal specification language based on mathematics developed by Dr. Lamport to model, document and verify concurrent computing systems, they were able to dramatically reduce the size of an operating system originally used to control some experiments on the Rosetta spacecraft. "One of the results of specifying the software logic with TLA+ was that the code size was able to be reduced to about ten times less than the original," Dr. Lamport said. "You don't reduce the code size by ten times by better coding; you do it by cleaner architecture, which is just another word for a better algorithm." On top of being more efficient, taking a mathematical approach has the additional benefit of making de-bugging easier. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure engineers use TLA+ for their cloud services, Dr. Lamport said, and through it have found bugs in their system designs that could not be found via any other technique. Get comfortable with math Although math is both powerful and elegant when it comes to describing algorithms, many peopleincluding computer programmers and engineersare intimidated by it and shy away from using it. "Some students have asked us when can they stop doing and reviewing the math and start the software programming," said Professor Steven Miller, Vice Provost (Research) at SMU and formerly the Founding Dean of the School of Information Systems. Dr. Lamport believes that getting used to 'speaking' in mathematics is a matter of exposure. "Why is 'two plus two equals four' considered simple but a logical operation like 'an element of' is hard to understand for most people? Logical operations such as "element of" simply means that something is part of a bunch of other things. That concept doesn't require you to learn any complicated thing like counting, as counting is actually quite complicated," he said. "Why should 'element of' seem frightening when 'plus' seems so easy? It's just a matter of not being familiar with it, and this is not all your own faultmathematicians are terrible at teaching it." For Dr. Lamport, becoming fluent in mathematics is the first step, but for mathematical thinking to truly impact the way algorithms are written, it has to change the way we think. "I want to emphasise that mathematics doesn't solve the problem for you; you have to solve the problem," he said. "Thinking mathematically will help you solve the problem; and mathematics helps to ensure that the solution was right." Explore further Computer scientists design a tool to identify the source of errors caused by software updates Provided by Singapore Managment University SC judge, Justice R Banumathi, recused herself from hearing two petitions including one seeking transfer of the rape case against Swami Chinmayanand from Uttar Pradesh to a Delhi court. New Delhi: Supreme Court judge, Justice R Banumathi, on Monday recused herself from hearing two petitions including one seeking transfer of the rape case filed against former union minister and BJP leader Swami Chinmayananda from Uttar Pradesh to a Delhi court. The second petition, filed by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves on behalf of the rape survivor, challenged the bail granted to Chinmayanand by the Allahabad High Court. Last week, Gonsalves mentioned the matter before a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde for transfer of the case to Delhi for a fair trial and said that the accused is a powerful man and life of victim's family is in danger. Bobde had said that the victim and her family can apply for police protection. In February, Allahabad High Court had transferred from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow the trial in the sexual abuse case against Chinmyanand. The Allahabad High Court had on February 3 granted bail to Chinmayanand, a former Union minister of state, in the alleged rape case filed by a woman who studied law in a college run by Chinmayanand in UP's Shahjahanpur. In December 2019, the 23-year-old law student, who has accused Chinmayanand of rape, was released from a district jail in connection with an extortion case after she was granted bail by Allahabad High Court. The woman was arrested on September 25 in connection with an extortion case filed on the basis of Chinmayanand's complaint alleging that she, along with three of her friends, had demanded Rs 5 crore from him. Chinmayanand had alleged that they threatened to make public some purported videos of him getting a massage from the law student. On the other hand, the woman had alleged that she was repeatedly raped and blackmailed by Chinmayanand for over a year. New Delhi, March 2 : Vistara Chairman Bhaskar Bhat on Monday said that the airline is evaluating to bid for the national carrier Air India. He added no decision has been taken so far and only after the evaluation is complete, the company would decide on bidding in the disinvestment proces. "We are evaluating Air India. Which company would not be interested in evaluating a sovereign airline of the country? Whether we bid or not comes later," Bhat said at an event here. On the question of whether Vistara or Tata Sons was evaluating the bid for Air India, the Vistara Chairman said: "We (Vistara) are a joint venture." The government in January restarted the divestment process of the airline and invited bids for selling 100 per cent of its equity in the state-owned airline, including Air India's 100 per cent shareholding in AI Express Ltd. and 50 per cent in Air India SATS Airport Services Private Ltd. After its unsuccessful bid to sell Air India in 2018, the government this time has decided to offload its entire stake. In 2018, it had offered to sell its 76 per cent stake in the airline. Of the total debt of Rs 60,074 crore as of March 31, 2019, the buyer would be required to absorb Rs 23,286 crore. Air India, along with its subsidiary Air India Express, has a total operational fleet of 146 airplanes. Further, the disinvestment department has extended the last date for submission of written queries on the Performance Information Memorandum and Share Purchase Agreement to March 6. [March 02, 2020] Stephens Insurance to Divest a Substantial Block of Personal Lines Business Stephens Insurance, LLC ("Stephens Insurance"), an affiliate of independent financial services firm Stephens Inc., today announced it has entered into an agreement to divest a substantial portion of its Personal Lines business to Davis & Haynes Insurance, Inc. ("Davis & Haynes"). The sale will enable each company to focus on its operational priorities. Davis & Haynes was established by former Stephens Insurance members Gene Davis, Ben Haynes and Doug Lowe. Haynes, Lowe and the account management team that will be joining Davis & Haynes largely managed the Personal Lines business being divested. The Davis & Haynes team has 130 years of combined insurance industry experience. "We are very excited for Gene, Ben, Doug, and their team and look forward to building on the partnership between our companies," said Stephens Insurance President and Chief Executive Officer, Miles Stephens. "For Stephens Insurance, this transaction is consistent with our strategy of focusing on the building momentum in our Commercial Lines business." Both copanies are committed to providing a smooth transition for policyholders, partners, employees and other stakeholders. It is anticipated that all current Stephens Insurance Personal Lines clients will retain their policies with no change in coverage. "We are proud of Gene, Ben and Doug's accomplishments during their respective tenures at Stephens," said Stephens Inc. Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Warren Stephens. "Gene has spent approximately 18 years at Stephens, and we are excited for him and his colleagues as they establish, build and grow Davis & Haynes." About Stephens Insurance, LLC Stephens Insurance is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas and is one of the largest privately owned insurance brokerages in the Mid-South. There are currently more than 170 associates throughout Stephens Insurance's network of offices in Fayetteville, Dallas, Jackson, Houston, and Birmingham. Stephens Insurance National Producer #8844362 About Stephens Inc. Stephens Inc. is a full-service investment banking firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Since its inception in 1933, privately held Stephens Inc. has served a broad client base which includes corporations, state and local governments, financial institutions, institutional investors and individual investors throughout the United States and overseas. For more information, visit www.stephens.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005106/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BEIJING, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar, a leading manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic products, announced that it is to supply two 50MW solar power plants in Alvarado-La Risca, a town in the region of Extremadura, Spain, with 100MW high-efficiency mono PERC modules. The power plants are expected to enter operation in the third quarter of 2020. Developed and built by Spanish solar company - Solarpack, the two subsidy-free projects were recently acquired by Green Investment Group Limited (GIG), which signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Shell Energy Europe Limited. PPA is one of the key factors driving the Spanish PV market back to Gigawatt scale, and leads investors to focus more on the power generating capability and long-term performance of solar modules. The 100MW modules supplied by JA Solar used solar cells manufactured with Gallium-doped silicon wafers. In 2019, JA Solar was granted with the IP rights on doping silicon crystals with Ga and using the Ga-doped p-type crystalline silicon wafers for making solar cells over various nations and regions where the related patents covered. The application of Ga-doped silicon wafers can effectively mitigate the initial light induced degradation (LID) that solar cells using boron doped p-type silicon wafers having long suffered. It enables the solar modules with long-term performance, stability, and improved return of investment. SOURCE JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd. Related Links http://www.jasolar.com/html/en/ NEW SOUTH WALES: 61 January 25 Three men aged 43, 53, and 35 who had recently travelled to China contracted the disease. Two flew in from Wuhan while the other arrived in Sydney from Shenzhen, south China. They were treated in isolation at Westmead Hospital. January 27 A 21-year-old woman is identified as the fourth person to test positive for the illness in NSW. The woman, a student at UNSW, flew into Sydney International Airport on flight MU749 on January 23 and presented to the emergency department 24 hours later after developing flu-like symptoms. March 1 A man in his 40s is confirmed as the fifth coronavirus case in the state and a woman in her 50s as the sixth. Both returned to Sydney from Iran. March 2 The 41-year-old sister of a man who had returned from Iran with the disease was one of three confirmed cases. The second locally-acquired case was a 53-year-old male health worker who hadn't travelled for many months. The other new case is a 31-year-old man who flew into Sydney on Saturday from Iran and developed symptoms 24 hours later. March 3 Six more cases are confirmed in NSW. They included a 39-year-old man who had flown in from Iran and a 53-year-old man who arrived from Singapore last Friday. It also included two women aged in their 60s who arrived in Sydney from South Korea and Japan respectively. A man in his 30s who returned from Malaysia to Sydney on Malindo Air flight OD171 on March 1 was also one of the six. A 50-year-old carer was the final of the day's six people diagnosed with coronavirus. The woman is a carer at a nursing home in Macquarie Park in Sydney's north. She had not been overseas and contracted the virus in Australia. March 4 A 95-year-old woman died at a Sydney hospital on Wednesday night after developing a respiratory illness from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to two. A Macquarie University lecturer tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday after returning from Iran. A further six cases confirmed on Wednesday evening. They included an 82-year-old aged care resident from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge, where the 95-year-old woman was staying. The new cases include a female doctor who works at Liverpool hospital, a female patient from the Northern Beaches, a male from Cronulla, a woman who returned from the Phillippines and a woman in her 70s. March 5 A health care worker, who attended the same conference as the doctor from Ryde Hospital, also tests positive. A boy from Epping Boys High School is diagnosed with COVID-19 forcing the school to temporarily close. A Goulburn resident who had recently returned from Singapore and travelled on to Darwin was also diagnosed with the virus. A fourth resident, aged 94, from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care facility in Macquarie Park was also diagnosed. March 6 Two more workers at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care centre are diagnosed with coronavirus. A 24-year-old female and 21-year-old male have now been confirmed as cases at the facility. An 18-year-old female has also been diagnosed. March 7 Six new cases are diagnosed. This includes a man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s, who are a close contact of a previously confirmed case. Also included was a man in his 40s and a woman in her 40s, both family members of a previously confirmed case. A man in his 20s, also a close contact of a previously confirmed case, was also included. A man in his 70s, who returned from Italy and who exhibited symptoms a day after returning. NSW Health is contacting flight passengers on flight number QR908 which left Doha on 1 March. A second male in his 40s, who is a known close contact of a previously confirmed case, is being tested. He travelled on two domestic flights on 28 February while symptomatic but before he had been identified as a close contact. Another man in his 60s who recently returned from Italy and a second man in his 40s who is a known close contact of a previously confirmed case, were confirmed late Saturday. NSW Health says the man in his 40s travelled on two domestic flights on 28 February while symptomatic. March 8 A female care worker in her 30s at Ryde Hospital is among new cases in New South Wales. She had been in contact with a case in Macquarie Park aged care facility which had already been confirmed. Another woman, in her 50s, was the other person confirmed to have caught the disease. She had also been in contact with a previous case. An 82-year-old man, who contracted the coronavirus from an infected aged care worker at BaptistCare's Dorothy Henderson Lodge in his Sydney, died on Sunday. A man in his 70s was diagnosed after presenting to Sydney's St Vincent Hospital on Friday. He hadn't recently travelled overseas and the source of his infection is not known. A man in his 40s who recently travelled overseas was confirmed on Sunday night as NSW's 40th case. No other details about the case are available. March 9 St Patricks Marist College in Sydney's north west is forced to close after two students in grade 10, one boy and one girl, are diagnosed with coronavirus. Both fathers of the year 10 students, aged in their 50s have also tested positive, including a third member of the ADF. The father of the male St Patricks Marist College student is diagnosed with coronavirus. He is also the third Australian Defence Force member to test positive. A grade 7 student at Willoughby Girls High School was another confirmed case on March 9. The girl's mother, who is Iranian, was also diagnosed. Woman aged in her 30s was diagnosed on Monday having recently returned from the Philippines. NSW Health is establishing her travel movements and identifying any contacts who may require self-isolation. March 10 Cases confirmed on Tuesday March 10 include a woman in her 20s who had contact with a previously confirmed case at Ryde Hospital and a woman in her 40s who recently returned from South Korea. NSW Health is separately working to establish how three others were infected: two women in their 30s and 40s and a man in his 70s. Two other cases are related to the outbreak at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge nursing home in Macquarie Park. Another case was confirmed. A man in his 70s, a woman in her 30s and a woman in her 40s test positive, as well as three other people. VICTORIA: 21 January 25 A Chinese national aged in his 50s becomes the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Australia. The man flew to Melbourne on China Southern flight CZ321 from Wuhan via Guangzhou on January 19. He was quarantined at Monash Hospital in Clayton in Melbourne's east. January 29 A Victorian man in his 60s is diagnosed with the coronavirus. He became unwell on January 23 - two days after returning from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. The man was confirmed as positive on January 29 and was subsequently seen by doctors at the Monash Medical Centre. January 30 A woman in her 40s is found to have coronavirus. She was visiting from China and mostly spent time with her family. She is being treated at Royal Melbourne Hospital. February 1 A woman in her 20s in Melbourne is found to have the virus. February 22 Two passengers taken off the Diamond Princess cruise ship test positive. February 25 Another passenger taken off the cruise ship tests positive. March 1 Victorian man confirmed to have coronavirus after the 78-year-old was evacuated to Melbourne from a Darwin quarantine centre. It is confirmed a Victorian woman in her 30s has tested positive for coronavirus after flying from Malaysia to Melbourne via Indonesia. March 4 Victorian man in his 30s confirmed to have coronavirus after returning from Iran. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the man was 'almost symptom-free' after self-isolating March 7 A doctor working at a clinic in Toorak, Melbourne has been confirmed to have coronavirus and is now in isolation at home after returning from a trip to the US. The doctor came into contact with around 70 patients who have been told to self isolate. March 8 A woman who arrived in the state from Indonesia has tested positive March 9 Authorities confirmed on Monday two new cases in returned travellers from the United States. A third case was diagnosed on Monday in a passenger who recently returned from Iran. One of the cases is a woman in her 50s who returned from Tehran via Kuala Lumpar on MH0149, arriving on March 6, and is in hospital in isolation being treated for pneumonia. March 10 A man in his 70s who returned to Melbourne from Singapore on March 6 at 12.15am on flight EK404 was confirmed to be carrying the disease. A Victorian man in his 20s who recently returned from Hong Kong was diagnosed. A teacher from Carey Baptist Grammer was diagnosed. The school will closed until next week while students are tested March 11 A male teacher at Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah college was diagnosed with coronavirus after arriving in Australia on a flight from Los Angeles on March 6. QUEENSLAND: 19 January 29 Queensland confirms its first case after a 44-year-old Chinese national was diagnosed with the virus. He is being treated at Gold Coast University Hospital. January 30 A 42-year-old Chinese woman who was travelling in the same Wuhan tour group as the 44-year-old man tests positive. She is in Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition. February 4 An eight-year-old boy was diagnosed with coronavirus. He is also from the tour group where the other Queensland cases came from. February 5 A 37-year-old man, who was a member of a group of nine Chinese tourists in quarantine on the Gold Coast, also tested positive. February 6 A 37-year-old woman was diagnosed with coronavirus from the same travel group that flew to Queensland from Melbourne on January 27. February 21 Two Queensland women, aged 54 and 55, tested positive for COVID-19 and will be flown to Brisbane for further treatment. A 57-year-old woman from Queensland also tested positive for the virus. February 28 A 63-year-old woman was confirmed to have the virus after returning to the Gold Coast from Iran. March 3 A 20-year-old man from China was confirmed as the tenth person to be infected by the coronavirus in Queensland. The man had travelled to Dubai for at least 14 days before entering Australia, via Brisbane on February 23. March 4 A 26-year-old man from Logan in Brisbane is diagnosed with coronavirus. He arrived back in Australia from Iran. March 5 An 81-year-old man who had returned to Brisbane from Thailand and a 29-year-old woman who had come via Singapore from London are diagnosed with coronavirus. March 6 A 28-year-old man in Brisbane was diagnosed after returning from Iran. March 8 A 38-year-old woman is confirmed to have tested positive for coronavirus after returning to Australia from London via Dubai. March 10 A 42-year-old female is n the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition. She is the partner of the 38-year-old woman, who travelled from London through Dubai. A 46-year-old female from Brisbane, who recently travelled to Austria and France, is confirmed to have contracted the illness. A 22-year-old male from Brisbane is in a stable condition in The Prince Charles Hospital. He recently travelled to Spain, Italy and France. March 11 A student at the University of Queensland was diagnosed with coronavirus. SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 7 February 1 A Chinese couple in their 60s who arrived in Adelaide from Wuhan to visit relatives are confirmed to have coronavirus. A 24-year-old woman from South Australia was transferred to Royal Adelaide Hospital. March 4 Mother, 40, is diagnosed after flying to Australia from Iran via Kuala Lumpur. Another 24-year-old woman, not related to the previous woman, was in a stable condition in Adelaide hospital after falling ill following overseas travel. March 5 The eight-month-old child of the 40-year-woman, diagnosed on March 4, is also diagnosed with coronavirus. Renowned Australian music composer Brett Dean, 58, who travelled to SA on March 3 from Taiwan also tests positive. He's receiving treatment in an Adelaide hospital. WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 6 February 21 A 78-year-old man from Western Australia was transferred to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth. On February 28, he was taken into intensive care in a 'serious' condition and later died. His wife was also diagnosed with coronavirus. March 1 The elderly man died in the early hours of the morning from the virus at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. March 5 A woman in Perth is diagnosed with the virus after flying into the city from the UK, via Dubai March 8 A Perth woman, aged in her 70s, was confirmed as WAs fourth coronavirus diagnosis. She had been in Cuba in recent weeks had flown from London to Perth on a direct flight on March 5. The woman was tested for COVID-19 on Friday but didnt wait for the results before attending a the West Australian Symphony Orchestras Absolute Beethoven concert on Saturday night. March 9 A West Australian woman in her 60s contracted coronavirus from her husband after he returned from Iran, making her the state's first person-to-person transmission of COVID-19. TASMANIA: 2 March 2 The man who travelled from Iran to Australia on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19. March 7 A man in his 20s was diagnosed with coronavirus after returning to Tasmania from Nepal on February 26 and experiencing cold-like symptoms the next day. He is in the Royal Hobart Hospital in a satisfactory condition. NORTHERN TERRITORY: 1 March 4 A tourist in Darwin has tested positive for coronavirus in what is the first confirmed case in the Northern Territory. NT Health confirmed the 52-year-old man as the first case of COVID-19 in the community on Wednesday evening. The man recently arrived in Darwin via Sydney and has had limited contact with the local community, NT Health said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:07:48|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of foreign political parties and organizations have sent messages to China, speaking positively of the country's achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The messages sent to the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee also said China's measures had won time for the world to combat the disease and led to valuable prevention and control experience from which countries around the world could learn. They said they look forward to working together with China to stem the disease's global spread. In a joint message, Pakistan's National Party President Abdul Malik Baloch and General Secretary Jan Muhammad Buledi paid tribute to the CPC cadres and the Chinese people for the valor and unity demonstrated during the fight against the epidemic. They also condemned some Western media for making false claims about the outbreak. Under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC, China will no doubt defeat its current difficulties and become ever stronger and more united, they added. Secretary-General of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) Roque Silva Samuel said that China has made achievements in epidemic prevention and control, a reflection of the effectiveness of China's measures. Noting that the FRELIMO -- supported by the CPC -- has taken corresponding preventive measures, Samuel said that under Xi's leadership, the Chinese government and people will quickly beat the epidemic and set an example for the world. Secretary General of the Rwanda Patriotic Front Francois Ngarambe said that under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have overcome many challenges, and the outbreak will prove no exception. Ngarambe said he believes that the epidemic will not seriously impact the Chinese economy, and China's long-term sound economic growth remains unchanged. General Secretary of Cape Verde's Movement for Democracy Miguel Monteiro said that as the epidemic continues to spread, some countries are facing increasing risks. The Chinese government has taken strong measures and effectively contained the outbreak, Monteiro said, adding that China's valuable experience is helping other countries across the world. China's response has played an important part in safeguarding global public health security, he added. Slumber Tsogwane, chairman of the Botswana Democratic Party and vice president of Botswana, noted that the epidemic is not just a challenge for China but rather a common challenge for the whole world. Had the outbreak originated in another country, the consequences would have been unimaginable, he said. Tsogwane said that China has been actively sharing information and its experiences with the World Health Organization and other countries, demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a major country. Polish Democratic Left Alliance Vice Chairman Andrzej Szejna said he believes the outbreak will not impede China's path to modernization and the rapid growth of its economy, neither will it hinder cooperation between Poland and China, especially pertaining to the Belt and Road. China's experience in handling the epidemic will prove invaluable to global fights against possible future outbreaks, said the official. Branislav Djordjevic, director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics of Serbia, said the Chinese leadership is dedicated to finding the best solution to safeguarding people's livelihoods and reducing threats brought by the epidemic. China's efforts have earned international acclaim, Djordjevic said, expressing his belief that China will win the battle against the crisis and return to its devotion of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Istanbul police on Sunday released the editor-in-chief of the Turkish edition of Sputnik, the Russian news website said, as tensions escalated between Ankara and Moscow, The Moscow Times reported. Sputnik Turkey's editor-in-chief Mahir Boztepe was detained and taken to the Istanbul police headquarters but released a couple of hours later, the website said. The Ankara public prosecutor's office launched a probe into Boztepe on suspicion of "degrading the Turkish people, the Turkish state, state institutions" and "disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state", state news agency Anadolu reported. The release comes after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov spoke on the phone, officials said. Lavrov "stressed the need to quickly settle the Sputnik journalists and collaborators' situation in Ankara and to ensure their safety," the Russian foreign ministry said. They also discussed a meeting expected this week between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin, it said. Trump hails pact with Taliban, vows to meet with leaders of militant group Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 3:09 AM US President Donald Trump has vowed to personally meet with leaders of the Afghan militant group that the American military sought to root out when it led a massive invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, dismissing criticism of the deal Washington signed with Taliban. Speaking hours after US and Taliban representatives signed a pact on Saturday aimed at gradually withdrawing American-led foreign troops from the war-ravaged nation and eventually ending the longest war in the US history, Trump further said the deal would allow Washington to its forces in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 within months if the Taliban adheres to its conditions. The US president, however, insisted that the American military could quickly return forces back into Afghanistan if needed, amid expectations that the forthcoming negotiations between the Afghan sides will be more complicated than the initial pact. Trump, who has frequently boasted his desire to halt "endless wars," did not indicate where he would be meeting the leaders of the insurgent group that has fiercely resisted the US military presence in Afghanistan since its occupation of the country following the September 11, 2001 terrorist incidents in New York and near Washington. Trump further proclaimed during a White House press briefing that Afghanistan's neighbors should help maintain stability in the war-torn nation following the agreement. This is while the hawkish US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also hailed what he referred to as "historic talks" that led to the signing of the pact with the Taliban after more than 18 years of a failed US-led military campaign in Afghanistan, with persisting deadly terror attacks across the country, which mostly remains under the control of the insurgent group. Bolton slams Trump administration's deal with Taliban However, the agreement has also been widely criticized in Washington, even by Trump's Republican allies and former aides, including his previous national security adviser John Bolton, who blasted the pact as "and Obama-style deal." "Signing this agreement with Taliban is an unacceptable risk to America's civilian population," Bolton wrote in a Twitter post. "This is an Obama-style deal. Legitimizing Taliban sends the wrong signal to [ISIS] and al-Qaida terrorists, and to America's enemies generally." Bolton, who was also a key figure in Trump's recent impeachment proceedings in the US Congress over his attempted interventions in Ukraine, has written a book about his time in the White House as the top national security adviser, but Trump is trying to block its publication. The US president was asked at the White House press briefing on Saturday about Bolton's statement regarding the Taliban deal, blaming the former adviser for backing the military invasion of Afghanistan. "Nobody should be criticizing this deal after 19 years. He had his chance, he didn't do it," Trump said of Bolton. "He was very much in favor of going in, we should never have gone in in the first place," Trump added. "When they went into Iraq, when they went into the Middle East in such a fashion I was very much against it." In fact, however, Trump had voiced his support for the military occupation of Iraq at the time. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Winter testing has been held in Barcelona for the past 10 years, apart from in 2014 when the test was moved to Bahrain. AlphaTauri team boss, Franz Tost, believes that Bahrain would be more suitable for testing and hopes that it will be held in the Middle East in the future. We were lucky with the weather this year. I was also here in Barcelona a few years ago with the winter test and then we had snow and it rained a lot. My personal opinion is that a winter test is Abu Dhabi or Bahrain makes more sense," said the AlphaTauri team boss during an interview with GPblog.com, among others . Read more Formula 1 has become a lot faster in the hybrid era In those countries, we almost always have good weather and we also drive under the same conditions as in a race. If the tires work in Barcelona in the winter, it does not mean that they also work in Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam or other places, because the temperature is too low, the Austrian explains. We had a lot of wind problems this year in Barcelona, where it is difficult to test and the temperature drops quickly after two in the afternoon. In terms of circumstances, a test in Bahrain is, therefore, more logical, but you also have to take into account circumstances such as logistics. It is easier and cheaper to bring the parts to Barcelona from Italy or England." Read more Mark Webber predicts another Mercedes dominated season Many have been critical of holding testing at the Circuit de Catalunya and it will be interesting to see if the FIA make the decision to move it to a more suitable location. Public Enemy have parted ways with Flavor Flav after he refused to back 2020 presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. A statement said the hype man would no longer be working with the group after 37 years as a member. Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav, the statement to Pitchfork said. We thank him for his years of service and wish him well. The news comes after Public Enemy founder and frontman Chuck D led a concert for the Sanders campaign in Los Angeles, without the involvement of Flavor Flav. Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, responded by sending a cease and desist letter to Mr Sanders, who is currently frontrunner in the contest to face Donald Trump in the presidential election in November. In the letter, he said he objected to the use of Public Enemy as a tool for political endorsement. It accused Sanders' campaign of advancing a misleading narrative that Public Enemy has endorsed him. The letter also claimed that the Sanders campaign circulated the unauthorised use of [Flavor Flavs] likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is, he said. There is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav. In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Show all 5 1 /5 In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie Sanders and his wife Jane, triumphant at hearing of Nevada Caucus win. in San Antonio Texas on 22 February 2020 Reuters In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie Sanders embraces his wife Jane at rally in San Antonio Texas on 22 February 2020 REUTERS In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win REUTERS In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie support raises sign and a thumbs-up to the news of Senator Sanders' win REUTERS In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie supporter cheer at the news of Sanders' win REUTERS On Saturday, 29 February, Chuck D and his attorney issued a statement saying he was the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark. From a legal standpoint, Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark," the statement said. He originally drew the logo himself in the mid-Eighties, is also the creative visionary and the groups primary songwriter, having written Flavors most memorable lines. The number of new cases of coronavirus outside China were almost nine times higher than those inside the Asian country over the last 24 hours, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. As of this afternoon, some countries recorded their first cases of the disease, while cases have kept increasing in other countries. WHO chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, on Monday said new cases in China have been falling as the epidemic spreads across other countries. Mr Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing in Geneva that China reported 206 new cases of the virus on Sunday, the lowest number of new cases in that country since January 22. Only eight cases were reported outside Hubei province Sunday. Outbreak Meanwhile, outside China, WHO said the total number of cases now tops 8,739 across 61 countries, including 127 deaths. He said about 81 per cent of cases outside China are from four countries: South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan. The epidemics in the Republic of Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan are our greatest concern. Pandemic or not? Mr Ghebreyesus had earlier said the health experts would not hesitate to declare the outbreak a pandemic if thats what the evidence suggests. He said why they are yet to do so is because most cases of COVID-19 can still be traced to known contacts or clusters of cases. He said there isnt any evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities, thats one reason why WHO hasnt declared the outbreak a pandemic. We appreciate that people are debating whether this is a pandemic or not. We are monitoring the situation every moment of every day, and analysing the data. I have said it before and Ill say it again: WHO will not hesitate to describe this as a pandemic if thats what the evidence suggests. But we need to see this in perspective. Of the 88,913 cases reported globally so far, 90 per cent are in China, mostly in one province. Of the 8739 cases reported outside China, 81 per cent are from four countries, he said. Iran Mr Ghebreyesus said the WHO team arrived in Iran Monday afternoon to deliver supplies and support the government in the response. He added that a staff member of the WHO Iran country office had also tested positive for COVID-19. I would like to use this opportunity to thank Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates for his support in making this mission possible, he said. South Korea Meanwhile, South Korea has so far reported more than 4200 cases and 22 deaths, meaning it has more than half of all cases outside China. The UN health agency said the cases in South Korea appear to be coming mostly from suspected cases from the five known clusters, rather than the community. Thats important because it indicates that surveillance measures are working and Koreas epidemic can still be contained. Knowing and understanding your epidemic is the first step to defeating it. Koreas situation also underlines that this a unique virus with unique features. This virus is not influenza. We are in unchartered territory. We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures. If this was an influenza epidemic, we would have expected to see widespread community transmission across the globe by now, and efforts to slow it down or contain it would not be feasible, he added. Advertisements READ ALSO: Of the other 57 affected countries, 38 have reported 10 cases or fewer. Nineteen countries including Nigeria have reported only one case, and some countries have contained the virus and not reported in the last two weeks, the official said Senegal and Jordan reported their first cases Monday, while Egypt and Algeria reported new cases of the disease days after the confirmation of first cases. Unclear Meanwhile, the Executive Director, WHOs health emergencies program, Mike Ryan, said scientists still dont know exactly how COVID-19 behaves, saying it is not like influenza. We know its not transmitting in exactly the same way that influenza was, and that offers us a glimmer, a chink of light, that this virus can be suppressed and pushed and contained, he said. Scourge Covid-19 is capable of spreading through human to human contacts, droplets carried through sneezing and coughing and germs left on inanimate objects. The virus also appears to be more severe for older people and those with underlying health health conditions. Meanwhile, symptoms can include sore throat, runny nose, fever or pneumonia with can lead to multiple organ failure or death in severe cases. In spite of this, the health officials all agreed that the containment of COVID-19 is feasible and must remain the top priority for all countries. Support The WHO said it will continue to provide evidence-based guidance to help countries and individuals to assess and manage their risk, and make decisions. There is no one-size fits all approach. Different countries are in different scenarios. WHO is advising countries on actions they can take for each of the three Cs scenarios first case, first cluster, first evidence of community transmission. Our message to all countries is: this is not a one-way street. We can push this virus back. Your actions now will determine the course of the outbreak in your country, the global health agency said. By PTI 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 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". Iranian Ambassador to Belarus Saeed Yari held talk with Public Health Minister of Belarus Vladimir Karanik on ways to fight against coronavirus, Trend reports with reference to IRNA. In the meeting, both sides reviewed avenues concerning how to support Iranian students based in the host country. During the meeting, Karanik pointed out that the health status of Iranian students is under control. Approximately 800 Iranians are studying at the universities of Belarus. Earlier, Head of the Iran's Health Ministry's public relations office said that the coronavirus death toll has mounted to 54 in Iran out of the total figure of 987 people who have been affected by the virus. Panic gripped the residents of several parts of Delhi on Sunday evening following false rumours of violence, even as the Delhi Police and Aam Aadmi Party leaders denied any incident and appealed people to remain calm. IMAGE: Security personnel patrol a violence-affected area of northeast Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said it had shut down the entry and exit gates of seven metro stations but did not give any reason. The stations were later reopened. "A rumour has been noticed that there is some tension in Khyala-Raghubir Nagar area of West District. There is no truth behind it. All are requested to keep calm as the situation is absolutely normal and peaceful," deputy commissioner of police-west Deepak Purohit said. "There are some rumours regarding some communal tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala areas. It is intimated that there is no tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala and the whole west district area. Nothing to worry about," he added. Police said some "unsubstantiated reports" of tension in southeast and west districts were circulated on social media. "It is to reiterate that these are all rumours. Don't pay attention to such rumours. Delhi Police is closely monitoring accounts spreading rumours and taking action," they said, adding that rumours about tension in Dwarka and Badarpur areas were also "unsubstantiated". The DCPs of some police districts and station house officers of police stations took to Twitter to assure people that their areas were peaceful and normal. However, shopkeepers downed shutters and vendors closed weekly markets as people rushed home early in several areas, including Subhash Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri and Khyala areas in west Delhi. Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh too urged people to remain calm. "I reached at the site as soon as I heard of the rumour of riots, shops were shut people were in a state of panic but no one saw any riots happening. It was a conspiracy to spread rumours and spoil the atmosphere. I appeal to people to maintain peace and brotherhood and do not believe the rumours," he said. Rajesh Sharma, a resident of Subhash Nagar, said he had gone to a mall in west Delhi when at around 7:45 pm, he witnessed sudden commotion. "The outlets inside the mall began shutting down and the situation remained tense for nearly 20 minutes before police arrived and assured everyone that the situation was normal," he said. Meanwhile, the metro stations which were briefly shut down included Tilak Nagar, Nangloi, Surajmal Stadium, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Uttam Nagar west and Nawada. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said he spoke to acting Delhi Police chief S N Shrivastava on the rumours of fresh violence in the national capital and was ensured that the situation was under control. Anxious people also took to Twitter asking if the rumours were true. Police said that they were talking to people to assure that nothing untoward has happened and they should remain calm. The AAP MP, in a tweet, requested people not to pay heed to any rumours. "Rumours of violence are being spread in Delhi. In this regard I spoke to Delhi CP (commissioner of police) and he said that reports of violence are rumours and the law and order situation of the national capital is completely under control," he tweeted. He also posted a video of AAP leader Amanatullah Khan saying there are rumours being spread that fights have broken out in Madanpur Khadar, Jaitpur and Okhla areas. "These are all rumours senior officers are present there. Please don't listen to rumours. If anyone says that violence has broken out, ask them for evidence. Don't get frightened. We all have to fight these rumours. Rumours spread panic and that in turn leads to violence. Believe that we are all with you," he said in the video. AAP leader Atishi also took to Twitter and said she received WhatsApp messages about mobs in Govindpuri and Kalkaji areas. "These rumours are all false. Situation is peaceful. Police is patrolling the area," she said asking people to remain calm. A picture taken on February 18, 2020 in the Israeli coastal city of Caesarea shows a man playing the Piano of Siena A rare piano that could fetch more than a million dollars at auction in Israel next week has a history as elaborate as the wood carvings adorning its frame. The Piano of Siena's 221-year journey began in Turin and has included stops in Paris, a second world war battlefield in North Africa, New York and Tel Aviv. Moshe Porat, an Israeli piano tuner who has researched the instrument, told AFP the light brown upright decorated with carvings of wingless cherubs, animals, flora and other instruments was a "visual masterpiece". "Soon the next chapter will begin with a new owner," Porat said, referring to the sale scheduled for Tuesday at Winner's auction house in Jerusalem. Turin-based harpsichord maker Sebastian Marchisio started building the instrument in 1799, according to Winner's. Marchisio died before completing it but his descendants finished the initial build in 1825, giving it as a wedding gift to Marchisio's granddaughter Rebecca, who lived in Siena. The unusually ornate instrument underwent several modifications before appearing at the 1867 World's Fair in Paris before being gifted to Italy's then-prince and future King Umberto I. The exact circumstances that saw the piano fall into Nazi hands are not clear. But following the 1942 battle of El Alamein, as the British were looking to see what the defeated Germans had left behind, "the piano was discovered in a crate with a mine detector," said Porat. "They were astonished to see a piano inside buried in the desert's sand," he said. The British army had no use for the piano, which had been covered in plaster. It ended up in the hands of an Israeli merchant, who placed it outside the Tel Aviv piano workshop of Avner Carmi, whose "life was changed" when he discovered the treasure, Porat said. Carmi removed the plaster, fixed the piano's mechanism and eventually took it to the United States, where it was displayed in New York's Steinway Hall and used for recordings in the 1950s and 1960s. Story continues Carmi, who co-wrote a book about the piano with his wife Hannah called "The Immortal Piano," sold it to a businessman in 1996. In an interview with AFP in his spacious mansion in the posh coastal town Caesarea, the current owner, who asked that his name be withheld, said parting with the piano was not easy. "The more I learnt about it and its history, the more attached I became to the piano," he said. But "everything has its time," he said. "One needs to know how to let go of beautiful things too." Ways to make an ever-popular New Year's resolution a reality Getting started on a healthy program can be easy with some professional help. Finnish English Nokia Corporation Inside information March 2, 2020 at 8:15 (CET +1) Pekka Lundmark appointed President and CEO of Nokia; Rajeev Suri to step down after more than a decade as President and CEO of Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks Espoo, Finland Nokias Board of Directors has appointed Pekka Lundmark as President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia. Lundmark is expected to start in his new role on September 1, 2020. Lundmark is currently President and CEO of Fortum, a leading energy company based in Espoo, Finland, where he consistently delivered robust total shareholder returns, successfully renewed the companys strategy, and positioned it to be a strong player in the transforming global energy sector. Prior to Fortum, Lundmark served as President and CEO of Konecranes, a global material-handling technology leader, and from 1990-2000 he held multiple executive positions at Nokia, including Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Nokia Networks. Lundmark holds a Master of Science degree from Helsinki University of Technology. He will be based in Espoo, Finland. With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia, said Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia Board Chair. He has a record of leadership and shareholder value creation at large business-to-business companies; deep experience in telecommunications networks, industrial digitization, and key markets such as the United States and China; and a focus on strategic clarity, operational excellence and strong financial performance. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Nokia, an extraordinary company that has so much potential and so many talented people, said Lundmark. Together we can create shareholder value by delivering on Nokias mission to create the technology to connect the world. I am confident that the company is well-positioned for the 5G era and it is my goal to ensure that we meet our commitments to our customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. Strong values, leading innovation and unflinching commitment to our customers have always been core to Nokia and I want to put this even more at our center as we move forward. Rajeev Suri, Nokias current President and CEO, indicated earlier to the Board that he was considering stepping down from his role at some point in the future, provided a solid succession plan was in place. Nokias Board of Directors has conducted a structured process for CEO succession and has been working closely with Suri to develop internal candidates and identify external candidates. That process culminated today, March 2, 2020, when Nokias Board of Directors made the decision to move forward with Lundmarks appointment. After 25 years at Nokia, I have wanted to do something different, said Suri. Nokia will always be part of me, and I want to thank everyone that I have worked with over the years for helping make Nokia a better place and me a better leader. I leave the company with a belief that a return to better performance is on the horizon and with pride for what we have accomplished over time. Pekka is an excellent choice for Nokia. I look forward to working with him on a smooth transition and wish him the best success in his new role. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors I would like to thank Rajeev for his many contributions to Nokia, where he has served with both honor and distinction, said Siilasmaa. Rajeevs loyalty, commitment, and deep personal integrity have served as an example to all of Nokia. I know that Rajeev will, like myself, always have Nokia blue running through his veins. Suri will leave his current position on August 31, 2020 and continue to serve as an advisor to the Nokia Board until January 1, 2021. During his tenure as CEO of Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks, Suri led a significant consolidation of the telecommunications infrastructure sector; a fundamental turnaround of Nokia Siemens Networks including the disposal of multiple non-core assets; massive growth in the companys highly profitable patent licensing business; the integration of Alcatel-Lucent; and successful diversification into new software and enterprise markets. Under his leadership, Nokia became one of the top two players in telecommunications infrastructure, rising from a number four position, with the scope and scale for long-term success. Pekka is the right person to lead Nokia in the coming years, said Sari Baldauf, Nokia Board Vice Chair and Chair nominee. I look forward to working closely with him and Nokias leadership team to build an even stronger company, one well positioned for the future. I would also like to extend my personal thanks to Rajeev, continued Baldauf. He has been at the heart of a dramatic transformation of Nokia into one of the top players in the telecommunications infrastructure industry. His time at Nokia has been characterized by significant achievements, a relentless customer focus and a clear commitment to building a company culture based on both performance and respect. Rajeev leaves Nokia with my gratitude and appreciation for all he has done for the company. A press conference for media will be held today at 11:00 EET at Nokias Executive Experience Center at Karakaari 18, Espoo, and via webcast at https://my.icareus.com/web/bright/player/embed/webcast?eventId=42144713&playerId=42073592. Members of the media are kindly requested to bring their press credentials. *** About Pekka Lundmark Born: 1963 Nationality: Finnish Master of Science, Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Technical Physics, 1988 Married, three children Professional experience Fortum Corporation, President and CEO, September 2015 - current Konecranes Plc, President and CEO, 2005 - 2015 Konecranes Plc, Group Executive Vice President, 2004 - 2005 Hackman Oyj Abp, President and CEO, 2002 - 2004 Startupfactory Oy, Managing Partner, 2000 - 2002 Nokia Corporation, various executive positions, 1990 - 2000 About Nokia We create the technology to connect the world. Only Nokia offers a comprehensive portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing opportunities across the globe. With our commitment to innovation, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we are a leader in the development and deployment of 5G networks. Our communications service provider customers support more than 6.1 billion subscriptions with our radio networks, and our enterprise customers have deployed over 1,000 industrial networks worldwide. Adhering to the highest ethical standards, we transform how people live, work and communicate. For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia. Media Enquiries: Nokia Communications Tel. +358 (0) 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Katja Antila, Head of Media Relations FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS It should be noted that Nokia and its businesses are exposed to various risks and uncertainties and certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect Nokia's current expectations and views of future developments and include statements regarding: A) expectations, plans or benefits related to our strategies, growth management and operational key performance indicators; B) expectations, plans or benefits related to future performance of our businesses and any expected future dividends including timing and qualitative and quantitative thresholds associated therewith; C) expectations and targets regarding financial performance, cash generation, results, the timing of receivables, operating expenses, taxes, currency exchange rates, hedging, cost savings, product cost reductions and competitiveness, as well as results of operations including targeted synergies, better commercial management and those results related to market share, prices, net sales, income and margins; D) expectations, plans or benefits related to changes in organizational and operational structure; E) expectations regarding competition within our market, market developments, general economic conditions and structural and legal change globally and in national and regional markets, such as China; F) our ability to integrate acquired businesses into our operations and achieve the targeted business plans and benefits, including targeted benefits, synergies, cost savings and efficiencies; G) expectations, plans or benefits related to any future collaboration or to business collaboration agreements or patent license agreements or arbitration awards, including income to be received under any collaboration or partnership, agreement or award; H) timing of the deliveries of our products and services, including our short term and longer term expectations around the rollout of 5G, investment requirements with such rollout, and our ability to capitalize on such rollout; as well as the overall readiness of the 5G ecosystem; I) expectations and targets regarding collaboration and partnering arrangements, joint ventures or the creation of joint ventures, and the related administrative, legal, regulatory and other conditions, as well as our expected customer reach; J) outcome of pending and threatened litigation, arbitration, disputes, regulatory proceedings or investigations by authorities; K) expectations regarding restructurings, investments, capital structure optimization efforts, uses of proceeds from transactions, acquisitions and divestments and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such restructurings, investments, capital structure optimization efforts, divestments and acquisitions, including our current cost savings program; L) expectations, plans or benefits related to future capital expenditures, reduction of support function costs, temporary incremental expenditures or other R&D expenditures to develop or rollout software and other new products, including 5G and increased digitalization; M) expectation regarding our customers' future capital expenditure constraints and our ability to satisfy customer concerns; and N) statements preceded by or including believe, expect, expectations, consistent, deliver, maintain, strengthen, target, estimate, plan, intend, assumption, focus, continue, should", "will or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are based on managements best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. These forward-looking statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and views of future events and developments and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Factors, including risks and uncertainties that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) our strategy is subject to various risks and uncertainties and we may be unable to successfully implement our strategic plans, sustain or improve the operational and financial performance of our business groups, correctly identify or successfully pursue business opportunities or otherwise grow our business; 2) general economic and market conditions, general public health conditions (including its impact on our supply chains) and other developments in the economies where we operate, including the timeline for the deployment of 5G and our ability to successfully capitalize on that deployment ; 3) competition and our ability to effectively and profitably invest in existing and new high-quality products, services, upgrades and technologies and bring them to market in a timely manner; 4) our dependence on the development of the industries in which we operate, including the cyclicality and variability of the information technology and telecommunications industries and our own R&D capabilities and investments; 5) our dependence on a limited number of customers and large multi-year agreements, as well as external events impacting our customers including mergers and acquisitions; 6) our ability to maintain our existing sources of intellectual property-related revenue through our intellectual property, including through licensing, establishing new sources of revenue and protecting our intellectual property from infringement; 7) our ability to manage and improve our financial and operating performance, cost savings, competitiveness and synergies generally, expectations and timing around our ability to recognize any net sales and our ability to implement changes to our organizational and operational structure efficiently; 8) our global business and exposure to regulatory, political or other developments in various countries or regions, including emerging markets and the associated risks in relation to tax matters and exchange controls, among others; 9) our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits, synergies, cost savings and efficiencies of acquisitions; 10) exchange rate fluctuations, as well as hedging activities; 11) our ability to successfully realize the expectations, plans or benefits related to any future collaboration or business collaboration agreements and patent license agreements or arbitration awards, including income to be received under any collaboration, partnership, agreement or arbitration award; 12) Nokia Technologies' ability to protect its IPR and to maintain and establish new sources of patent, brand and technology licensing income and IPR-related revenues, particularly in the smartphone market, which may not materialize as planned, 13) our dependence on IPR technologies, including those that we have developed and those that are licensed to us, and the risk of associated IPR-related legal claims, licensing costs and restrictions on use; 14) our exposure to direct and indirect regulation, including economic or trade policies, and the reliability of our governance, internal controls and compliance processes to prevent regulatory penalties in our business or in our joint ventures; 15) our reliance on third-party solutions for data storage and service distribution, which expose us to risks relating to security, regulation and cybersecurity breaches; 16) inefficiencies, breaches, malfunctions or disruptions of information technology systems, or our customers security concerns; 17) our exposure to various legal frameworks regulating corruption, fraud, trade policies, and other risk areas, and the possibility of proceedings or investigations that result in fines, penalties or sanctions; 18) adverse developments with respect to customer financing or extended payment terms we provide to customers; 19) the potential complex tax issues, tax disputes and tax obligations we may face in various jurisdictions, including the risk of obligations to pay additional taxes; 20) our actual or anticipated performance, among other factors, which could reduce our ability to utilize deferred tax assets; 21) our ability to retain, motivate, develop and recruit appropriately skilled employees; 22) disruptions to our manufacturing, service creation, delivery, logistics and supply chain processes, and the risks related to our geographically-concentrated production sites; 23) the impact of litigation, arbitration, agreement-related disputes or product liability allegations associated with our business; 24) our ability to re-establish investment grade rating or maintain our credit ratings; 25) our ability to achieve targeted benefits from, or successfully implement planned transactions, as well as the liabilities related thereto; 26) our involvement in joint ventures and jointly-managed companies; 27) the carrying amount of our goodwill may not be recoverable; 28) uncertainty related to the amount of dividends and equity return we are able to distribute to shareholders for each financial period; 29) pension costs, employee fund-related costs, and healthcare costs; 30) our ability to successfully complete and capitalize on our order backlogs and continue converting our sales pipeline into net sales; and 31) risks related to undersea infrastructure, as well as the risk factors specified on pages 60 to 75 of our 2018 annual report on Form 20-F published on March 21, 2019 under "Operating and financial review and prospects-Risk factors" and in our other filings or documents furnished with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proven to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required. Thailand has announced one new coronavirus case on March 2. This brings the total number of cases in the country to 43 since the month of January. According to reports, the newest case is that of a 22-year old Thai woman that worked as a tourist assistant with another Thai patient, a driver for foreign tourists. Local transmission remains 'Limited' According to reports, the director-general of the Disease Control Department, Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, claimed that authorities had already located the woman for testing and that she had already been admitted to the hospital. As per reports, Dr Wattanayingcharoenchai explained that COVID-19 cases within Thailand were classified into two categories, the first being individuals that had contracted the virus in other countries and the second category comprising of individuals that contracted the virus locally, from people inside Thailand. This category includes Chinese as well. Read: Thailand Reports Its First Coronavirus Fatality Dr Wattanayingcharoenchai added that going by this model, the number of locally transmitted infected remained quite limited. According to reports, Dr Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, advisor to the Disease Control Department the coronavirus outbreak has not entered its third stage in Thailand yet. The third stage is defined as when the virus begins to spread considerably fast at the community level. He also added that health officials in Thailand were already preparing for the third stage. According to reports, the authorities are looking for five people that had reported breathing difficulties in the same location and the same week. On March 2, it was also reported that one COVID-19 patient had totally recovered from the infection and later discharged from Rajvithi Hospital in Bangkok. The number of COVID-19 infected individuals that have fully recovered and discharged from hospitals in Thailand is 31. Read: Thailand Vs Malaysia Live Score, Match Preview, Pitch And Weather Report Fatality in Thailand Thailand has reportedly confirmed its first death in the country due to the novel Coronavirus on March 1. A 35-year-old Thai National contracted COVID-19 due to declining immunity after he suffered from dengue, the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Thai media. According to news reports, the patient - a retail worker - was detected with soaring temperature due to dengue fever and incurred multiple organ failure. He was isolated and was being medically treated at a hospital for nearly a month. The health ministry, however, is yet to investigate the role Coronavirus played in the fatality. Read: Thailand Confirms New Coronavirus Infection, Total Number Of Cases Rises To 42 Read: Thailand Vs Singapore Live Scores, Streaming, Match Preview, Pitch And Weather Report GALLUP, N.M. A rural New Mexico man convicted of extreme animal cruelty in the killing of his dog has a warrant out for his arrest after failing to begin serving a prison sentence that authorities sought to make an example of his case. A state District Court judge in Gallup issued an arrest warrant on Monday for 35-year-old George A. Milliken of Thoreau after he failed to surrender Feb. 17 to start serving a two-year sentence. Milliken had pleaded no contest to two counts of extreme animal cruelty and Judge Lyndy Bennett sentenced him on Feb. 3, giving him two weeks to get his affairs in order. Milliken caught his dog with a metal-claw trap and shot it with a crossbow after it destroyed insulation under the family trailer in 2018, the Gallup Independent reported. Neighbors who called authorities said they heard the dog cry loudly for hours before they found it dead the next morning with a leg in a trap and an arrow in its chest. McKinley County Undersheriff James Maiorano said deputies went to Millikens home on Thursday to serve the warrant but did not find him. County Animal Control Director and Animal Protection Supervisor Cozy Balok said Friday she hopes the prison sentence sends a strong message that animal abuse wont be tolerated. This is the first sentencing like this. It is huge, Balok told the Independent. We all know the fact that theres a link between animal abuse and human abuse. Bennett said the sentencing was difficult because Milliken didnt have prior criminal history and has six children to support. But she ultimately granted prosecutor William Snowdens request to make an example out of Milliken. The prosecution is appalled at the defendants behavior and believes imprisonment will have a specific effect on the rest of the general population, Snowden said in a sentencing memorandum. In a jurisdiction where cruelty towards animals is endemic, where the term rez dog is synonymous with neglect and hopelessness, the citizens of McKinley County must begin to think twice before harming animals, particularly those that they have undertaken to own. Thoreau is near the southern boundary of the main portion of the Navajo Nations reservation. Defense attorney Linda Holander wrote in a sentencing memorandum that Milliken wasnt thinking clearly when he killed the family pet because he had suffered a painful hand injury involving broken bones before the incident. Holander said Milliken resorted to using the trap because he couldnt get the dog out from the trailer and that he shot it with the crossbow to put it out of its misery. Hollander also said the dog died immediately after being shot and that Milliken didnt remember the dog crying in pain. Keep it Real - Full Film: Yusuke Yamamoto - Coast Gravity Park: Boost - Matt Begg: Matt & Martha Do Ecuador: Year 42 Edit: BC Bike Race: NF Crew At Watts' House: Snap Clips: BC Backwoods With Reilly Horan: How To Fix A Flat: Shimmer - A Vans BMX Film: Grey: The First Cut - Felix Prangenberg: Mark Suciu's "Verso" Part: Rough Cut - Kyle Walker - ''Be Free'' Part: Nate Greenwood's "Thneed" Bones Wheels Part: The Denali Experiment: Snowciety: Few Words - A Candide Thovex Film: The Islands And The Whales - Trailer: Grizzly Country: The goal for Keep it Real was to create a movie filmed primarily on Super 16mm film. Hopefully it will remind people that riding bikes is the realest experience you can have. Riders: Stephane Pelletier, Jarrett Moore, Corbin Selfe, Noah Brousseau, Liam Wallace, Matt Macduff, JP Maffret, Reilly Horan. Filmed and edited by Andrew Young.Yusuke lapping one of the best bike parks in BC (Coast Gravity Park). We managed to get out there for a day before they closed for the winter break. It certainly didnt disappoint, unreal trails.Wide Open is built on a strong history of supporting young talent, with the next generation of talent rolling through, 'Boost' features Matt Begg, a freerider from Queenstown, New Zealand.Matt Jones and Martha Gill recently went to explore Ecuador with their bikes. Dirt jumps, Volcanoes, and world class singletrack were just a few of the things they stumble across!Year 42 of riding in Whistler and Trestle and good times had with my girls!A few of the racer's stories.The guys get one last banger session on Greg Watts new jump line before the snow hit. Riders: Zak West, Karl Immers, Robin Rambo Davis, and Cade Brock. Video: Shawn Howe.Reilly throwing down in Vernon, BC.Need to know how to fix you flat? Just need a laugh? This is the film for you! This film has been a long time in the making, thank you to everyone who helped make this thing possible, I'm super proud of it.Shimmer represents Vans BMX at its core, with a look into the riders that keep the streets talking, featuring Ty Morrow, Dakota Roche, Andrew Castaneda, Calvin Kosovich, Sean Ricany, Lewis Mills, Travis Hughes, and Bruno Hoffman. A years worth of travels, friends, clips and memories make up Shimmer by Calvin Kosovich and Vans BMX.Welcome to Lima, Perus capital city. Dubbed The Grey by the locals because of its misty weather conditions, Lima is a vibrant maze of immaculate street spots. Follow an all-star crew on a street mission through the citys finest spots, featuring Dennis Enarson, Bruno Hoffman, Alex Donnachie, Simone Barraco, Dan Lacey, Anthony Perrin, and Lewis Mills.It's crazy to see some of the young prodigies we've watched for years now turn into fully fledged destroyers. Felix is rolling in hot off his Simple Session win a few weeks back, and now he releases this street onslaught for Eclat. Never a slow nibble in sight!Mark's cross continental part birthed a legend, but this one catapults him into the stratosphere. The fastest feet in the biz and an approach to skating without comparison, Suciu's Verso is an absolute gift. Enjoy the show...The 2016 SOTY puts his heels of steel to the test again for a high-impact huck tour with his real homies. Through nosey neighbours and serious slams, he pounds the pavement until he rides away. Sometimes you gotta fight to be free.Whether jumping on a big bar, catching a quick line, or unleashing an unreal tech move on a hubba, Nate Greenwood confidently does it all. The gentleman in him also paints the rail after hes done tearing off the base coat. Respect on two counts.Free-ride skier Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and big mountain snowboarder Lucas Debari step out of their elements and make an attempt to climb, ski, and snowboard Denali. Sage and Lucas get a helping hand from a huge cast of seasoned and professional climbers and ski mountaineers from the North Face Athlete Team, including Hilaree ONeill, Conrad Anker, Ingrid Backstrom, Jim Zellers, Emilio Previtali, and Giulia Monego, as the two embark on the hardest expedition of their lives.A film by Kris Ludi.Few Words is an award winning documentary that retraces the life story of the most accomplished skier in the world Candide Thovex. This film gives us an insight into the legend behind the goggles and takes us to the most beautiful mountains on the planet.In their remote home in the North Atlantic, the Faroe Islanders have always eaten what nature could provide, proud to put local food on the table. The land yields little, so they have always relied on harvesting their seas. Hunting whales and seabirds kept them alive for generations, and gave them the way of life they love; a life they would pass on to their children. But today they face a grave threat to this tradition.After serving in the Vietnam War, author and eco-warrior Doug Peacock spent years alone in the Wyoming and Montana wilderness observing grizzly bears. This time in the wild changed the course of his life. With the protection of Yellowstone grizzlies now under threat, Peacock reflects on the importance of habitat and why he continues to fight for wild causes.Photo: jonashelford To check out videos submitted by fellow Pinkbike members that didn't quite make Movie Mondays here Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Baghdad, Iraq Mon, March 2, 2020 08:35 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067a2326 2 World #Iraq,#politics,Prime-Minister,resignation Free Iraq's prime minister-designate Mohammad Allawi bowed out Sunday from the task of forming a government, as two rockets crashed near the US embassy in the capital's Green Zone. Allawi's departure prolongs a political vacuum and plunges Iraq deeper into political uncertainty, leaving President Barham Saleh with 15 days to propose a new candidate, whom he can name unilaterally without consulting with parliament. Responding to Allawi's statement, Saleh said he has started consultations to name a replacement within the constitutional time frame. Iraq has been in legal limbo since outgoing premier Adel Abdel Mahdi stepped down in December, as the constitution makes no provisions for such a resignation. Allawi's latest move also marks the first time a premier-designate has backed out of forming a government, which means that constitutional deadlines and legal procedures moving forward remain largely unclear. In a letter to Saleh, Allawi said he took his decision because "some political factions were not serious about reform or fulfilling their pledges to the people." He said the repeated failure of lawmakers to convene a session to approve his cabinet was a clear sign that some were trying to obstruct his attempts to form a lineup of independents. Iraq's bitterly divided parliament had failed three times to convene a confidence vote, with the latest attempt taking place only hours before Allawi's latest announcement. Only 108 lawmakers of a total of 329 attended the session on Sunday. The vote had already been delayed twice last week. Successor Iraq is ranked 16th from the bottom in Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index. Even as a months-old protest movement rallies against rampant corruption, ministries are being bought and sold by political parties who have turned them into honey pots, according to political sources. Anti-government demonstrators who have remained mobilised since October have rejected the choice of Allawi for premier, saying he is too close to the elite against which they have protesting. They have backed instead Alaa al-Rikaby, a pharmacist who has emerged as a prominent activist in the protest hotspot of Nasiriyah south of the capital. Iraq's president, however, intends to propose intelligence chief Mustafa al-Kazimi as premier, according to political sources. Populist cleric Moqtada Sadr, regarded as a backer of the protest movement before he rescinded his support last month, hailed Allaw's decision as one taken "for the love of Iraq." He condemned other "corrupt" politicians for "holding the country hostage." Rockets crash in Green Zone Allawi's successor will inherit the daunting task of reconciling the government with an angry street following months of protests which have left nearly 550 dead and 30,000 injured, mostly protesters. In another challenge, the successor must also bridge major rifts between rival factions over ties with the United States and Iran, Iraq's two main foreign protagonists. Parties representing the Shiite majority have cast a non-binding vote in parliament for the immediate departure of the 5,200 US troops stationed in Iraq, over objections from the Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers. Amid the latest political twist, two rockets landed in Baghdad's Green Zone, where the US embassy and American troops are based, said the Iraqi military. The rockets landed near the US embassy, said a security source, in the 20th attack against US assets in the country in four months. None of the multiple attacks since October targeting either the US embassy or American troops stationed across Iraq has been claimed. But the US has pointed the finger at Iran-backed groups within the Hashed al-Shaabi, a military network officially incorporated into Iraqs state security forces. Oleksiy Honcharuk and Andriy Yermak hold conversation Christopher Miller Twitter Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk and Head of the Presidents Office Andriy Yermak held a meeting in Kyiv restaurant Sutra on March 1 as journalist Christopher Miller reported on Twitter. According to the journalists, during the dinner at the Indian restaurant, PM and Presidents Office Head had a conversation in hushed whispers. However, the talk was definitely serious. They just finished up talking and left. Didnt overhear much but did hear Igor Kolomoiskys name, Miller wrote. Earlier, media published information that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky might appoint businessman Serhiy Tihipko as Prime Minister of Ukraine instead of Oleksiy Hocharuk. Later, Zelensky confirmed that he held a meeting with Serhiy Tihipko concerning the work in the government. According to the Ukrainian president, he holds interviews with many people. In his turn, Honcharuk stated that he did not write the resignation letter and did not discuss this issue with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Cahya Aditya Minardi Putra (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 18:59 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067cc08e 3 Opinion AI,artifical-intelligence,automation,algorithm,technology,digital-technology Free Does everyone agree that artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be avoided? Interestingly, we actually have been using AI in our daily activities for a while, especially the millennial generation, people born between 1981 and 1996. The result of Google search or the posts that appear on our Facebook and Instagram accounts are all processed by AI. Although there are many skeptical opinions that argue that AI might denote a scary future, we have to consider the fact that the revolution of AI has the potential to be very beneficial for human life, making our future better. In the field of production, the application of AI can significantly minimize costs and fast-track production times, resulting in a lower price for end products and services. In manufacturing, where many production activities are done repeatedly, AI will bring a big advantage to Indonesian industry when automation is used. Automation is defined as the replacement of the human workforce by machines that have been AI script programmed to do repeating tasks in production. By doing this, the errors in production can be minimized and more outputs produced and sold at lower prices. As we tend to be busier in our lives today, the use of AI can be very helpful in arranging our daily activities. For example, if we are managing a fashion store where people may have many suppliers for different types of products, there is the possibility that having many meetings to discuss with suppliers regarding the different shirts, jeans and shoe qualities and quantities to be ordered would take place. To avoid forgetting or colliding meeting schedules we can utilize an AI personal assistant by allowing it to arrange the schedules and set reminders for us, as suggested by Drew Damer in 2019. This would reduce the cost of errors and lead to reduced costs in fixing them. Then we could allocate that saved time for other important activities. Furthermore, everyone argues that customer service plays an important role in maintaining customer loyalty. It is important for a company to make sure that its customer service team is doing well and helping customers efficiently. Previously, customer service would usually consist of many people on a phone working in hourly shifts and costing the company a lot since they would have to hire customer service teams with different language proficiencies, pay training costs and also wages. To increase efficiency in this division, a company could apply an AI chatbot. This smart chatbot could automatically reply to the text-chat from customers in pre-programmed languages, it could also be on standby 24/7 without the need for shift work. The company could save on labor and labor costs. Besides that, a standardized customer service level could be maintained as AI does not have any emotions like a human, who has good and bad days and moods. For these reasons, AI could increase the efficiency of the customer service department of a business. Taking a countervailing viewpoint, some people ask that if AI takes our jobs then what will be left for us? Actually, a human will still be able to take part in monitoring AI machines' performance and also evaluate the machines to analyze what the machine could learn and improve from the program script. Others may argue that we are entering a world without privacy but they do not consider that it could be very beneficial in terms of lowering costs, making life easier and lifting up our overall standard of living. We need to be optimistic that the AI revolution will bring many advantages for humans in many fields of work, instead of scary disadvantages. The efficiency of production will lower the price of the end-product, time efficiency will help individuals be more productive and the use of AI chatbots will bring about better customer service levels, eliminating the problem of disgruntled customers. We should embrace the AI digital revolution. *** The writer is a final year student at Sampoerna University in Jakarta. The writer studies at the School of Management, majoring in management-entrepreneurship. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. [March 02, 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/20200302005166/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg attends the youth climate protest in Bristol. (Reuters/Peter Nicholls) A Go Fund Me campaign to raise money to repair a college green damaged by a climate change rally has raised more than 13,000. Greta Thunberg led the rally on Friday through the streets of Bristol. An estimated 30,000 protesters endured torrential rain and high winds to hear the 17-year-old Swedish activist speak. Protesters at the youth climate protest in Bristol. (Reuters/Peter Nicholls) Thunberg told the crowd: 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 from our elected officials. Read more: Chris Packham slams Jeremy Clarkson for calling Greta Thunberg 'mad and dangerous' So what did you do during this crucial time? I will not be silenced when the world is on fire. Our leaders are behaving like children. So it falls on us to be the adults in the room. Watch Greta Thunberg speak in Bristol: The event was declared a success by organisers and protesters, but left the grounds of the college green muddy and inaccessible. Read more: Greta Thunberg's parents 'thought her climate activism was a bad idea' Campaign organiser Jon Usher said: Bristol welcomed Greta Thunberg to the city for the Youth Climate Strike and thousands turned out to see her and to stand in solidarity for climate action. The weather however wasn't on our side and it rained. A lot! Greta Thunberg embraces a crying girl who joined the march in Bristol on Friday. (Reuters/Dylan Martinez) Demonstrators filled the streets and the green for the event, but the weather left the green muddy and inaccessible. (Reuters/Peter Nicholls) Read more: Greta Thunberg responds to explicit cartoon mocking her Now College Green is a bit muddy. Contribute some funds to help Bristol City Council restore the grass in time for spring time picnics in the sun! Speaking exclusively to Yahoo News UK, Usher said: Friday was my first march and I took my 5 year old daughter - the chance to see Greta was too good to miss! We got to College Green after cycling into town and stood in the mud listening to the speeches. We marched for a short while - but by that point my daughter was starting to get cold so we headed for some lunch and shelter. Jon Usher and his five-year-old daughter at Friday's climate march (Jon Usher) I knew there would be people waiting to jump on the organisers or Greta for the damage to the grass, so I set up the fundraising page while we ate lunch. Story continues The charity executive said he had no idea there would be such a positive reaction to his campaign. Campaigner Jon Usher is now raising money to repair College Green. (Jon Usher/Twitter) He said: I am grateful to all that have contributed so far. I'm pleased that the response has silenced the critics of the march and Greta's visit to Bristol. It was such an overwhelmingly positive day - and Bristol has shown how positive we are. Yes College Green got a bit muddy, but we've probably raised enough money to put it right as well as improve other green spaces across the city too - win-win! Having created the hashtag #TurnCollegeGreenGreenAgain Usher launched the Go Fund Me campaign, and by Monday afternoon the page had received 13,666. He said: Bristol City Council have confirmed that if there are any funds left over they will use it for wildflower areas across the city. I think there could also be an opportunity for additional wildflower/pollinator planting on College Green, which would be a lovely legacy from Greta's visit to Bristol! A well-known Vietnamese blogger based in Germany has announced he will stop writing due to government pressure on family members back home in Vietnam, press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a press release on Monday. Bui Thanh Hieu, who writes under the name Nguoi Buon Gio, said his hospitalized 86-year-old mother was recently made a particular target for harassment, he said, writing in a farewell message to his followers on his Facebook page. Many people took advantage of my mother, [using her] to force me to comply with their wishes, Bui said, asking his readers forgiveness for having to end his blog. They want to turn me into a pawn under their control, Bui said. In a statement, Daniel Bastardhead of RSFs Asia-Pacific Deskslammed Vietnams harassment of Buis mother in an attempt to silence her son. It is absolutely despicable that the Vietnamese security apparatus is exploiting the poor health of individuals in order to silence a dissident living abroad, Bastard said. Vietnamese authorities have displayed appalling cruelty in their attempt to shut down Buis dissenting views and alternative information to the Vietnamese Communist Partys propaganda, he added. We urge foreign diplomats based in Hanoi, above all the German embassy, to closely monitor the harassment of Bui Thanh Hieus family, he said. Ranked near the bottom of RSFs World Press Freedom Index for 2019, Vietnam is listed 176 out of 180 countries on which the press freedoms group reports. Dissent is not tolerated in the communist nation, and authorities routinely use a set of vague provisions in the penal code to detain dozens of writers and bloggers. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huynh Le. Written in English by Richard Finney. SALZBURG, Austria (Reuters) - The trial of a retired Austrian army colonel accused of spying for Russia for decades opened on Monday and was ordered to be held behind closed doors on national security grounds. The 71-year-old defendant, who has not been named, is accused of having provided "comprehensive information" on a range of military information to Moscow, above all on weapons systems and how tasks were assigned within the armed forces, prosecutors have said. "He says no, at no point did he betray any military or state secrets," defense lawyer Michael Hofer told reporters before the trial in the city of Salzburg opened. Hofer said his client describes himself as a patriot. After the defendant entered the court, wearing a suit and carrying a bundle of papers under his arm, the presiding judge ordered that the trial be held behind closed doors on national security grounds, and the public gallery was cleared. Prosecutors say that in the course of his at least 25-year career as a spy for Russian GRU military intelligence, with which he first came into contact during a foreign assignment in 1987, he was paid hundreds of thousands of euros. The case has been embarrassing for neutral Austria, which under conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has positioned itself as one of Russia's closest allies in the European Union while saying it wants to be a bridge between east and west. Austria was in the minority of European Union states not to expel any Russian diplomats over the poisoning in Britain of Russian former spy-turned-British-mole Sergei Skripal and his daughter, which London blames on Moscow. Russia denies the accusation. Asked about the nature of his client's relationship with a Russian military official who prosecutors say was his GRU handler, Hofer said: "It developed out of an acquaintance, a friendship, a collegiality, that there was originally interest in how he sees the world." Story continues He added that his client gathered information for the Russian man, who had a "language barrier", apparently suggesting the Russian needed help understanding information in German. "He (the defendant) says he felt more like a foreign correspondent," Hofer said. His client faces up to 10 years in prison, according to a court statement. Five days in March have been set aside for the trial. It is unclear when a verdict will be reached. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Governor Hope Uzodinma The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, has reacted to the controversy over his alleged inauguration of an Emir in the state. Uzodinma who insisted that hes a governor of both Christians and Muslims in the state, addressed journalists in Abuja yesterday. The governor stated that the imam, who visited him was a native of Mbaise and a relative of ex-governor Emeka Ihedioha and not an Emir as been speculated. He said, The visit by the Muslim community in Imo State to me was a welcomed one. The new imam is a native of Mbaise, not a northerner. He is a relation of Emeka Ihedioha. I am a governor of both Christians and Muslims. So, we should shun everything that will bring division in society. There are more people from the East that are also Muslims and some Muslims were born in the East and do not know any other place apart from the East. So, it is left for government to devise a means that will accommodate everybody. This is coming at a time the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, had urged the Supreme Court to nullify the election of Uzodinma. Kanu, in a broadcast via Radio Biafra on Sunday, had called on the Supreme Court to order a fresh election in the state, stressing that nothing short of a fresh election would be acceptable by the people. Meanwhile, the apex court had adjourned the ruling in the controversial gubernatorial judgment in Imo state to Tuesday, March, 3. We asked several colleagues how they think about political impartiality. Kim Severson, a national food correspondent, considers the importance of applying the same rules to everyone in the newsroom: You might think it doesnt matter if a reporter profiling a chef or testing a new recipe campaigns for a school board candidate or goes to a rally, but it does. Every Times journalist, no matter how unrelated to politics our beats may seem, has to uphold the same standards of impartiality when it comes to politics. Anything that puts a dent in that standard hurts the paper and makes it harder for the reporters who work on the front lines of political coverage. Elizabeth Dias, a national correspondent covering faith and politics out of the Washington bureau, puts readers ahead of what she does in her free time: I dont go to marches, though thats the hobby du jour in Washington right now. When my friends point out that Americans have the right to free assembly, I agree. I just also think of another First Amendment right, freedom of the press, and that is my focus. Impartiality, for me, is not about hiding something I really think, or trying to keep my real views from being exposed. It is about trust. I think about my readers a lot. I want them to trust me. Not attending a rally or a march is one thing, but what about voting wouldnt a neutral journalist decline to choose a candidate in order not to take sides? Mr. Corbett draws the line: I think voting is a baseline action as a citizen. I wouldnt feel comfortable suggesting that our journalists shouldnt vote. But we dont need them to go any further than that. Some of our journalists, including our chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker, do go further, though: As reporters, our job is to observe, not participate, and so to that end, I dont belong to any political party, I dont belong to any non-journalism organization, I dont support any candidate, I dont give money to interest groups and I dont vote. I try hard not to take strong positions on public issues even in private, much to the frustration of friends and family. For me, its easier to stay out of the fray if I never make up my mind, even in the privacy of the kitchen or the voting booth, that one candidate is better than another, that one side is right and the other wrong. Stephanie Saul, a politics reporter, votes but has opted out of one part of the process: For more than 25 years, my New York voter registration has been no party. It places me in the category of a swing voter, so I get lots of door-knockers trying to sway my vote. There are many ways that journalists work to steer clear of politics in their personal lives, but doing so isnt always easy or straightforward. Social situations can be particularly challenging. Hanna Ingber, a newsletter editor and the former editorial director of the newsrooms Reader Center, grapples with how to approach the subject on dates: These days, it can feel like politics is everywhere and everything is politically charged. Even dating apps ask for your political affiliation. Its easy not to fill out that question, but what happens when a match asks about your views or which candidate you support? As a journalist, I struggle with how much to say and prefer interrogating my dates on their opinions. Perhaps we need a policy on this: On Date 7 you are allowed to express your political perspectives. Of course we can have concerns and worries, its understandable, but lets really calm down and do the right things, and use the window of opportunity to contain this outbreak, he said. He added, without identifying countries, that in some places we are not seeing the level of response that we expected. For that reason, he said, the W.H.O. was reminding the world that the window of opportunity is narrowing and that we still have to do our best to catch up. Dr. Tedros said there were positive signals that nations could contain the virus, such as the dozens of countries with fewer than 100 cases. He also cited the slowdown of infections in China as a sign that the virus could be contained. There is a point in any epidemic where you believe you can no longer contain the virus, or like it was influenza and you have to shift your resources to saving lives, said Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of the W.H.O.s health emergencies program. Now W.H.O. does not believe that were there yet. Coronavirus kills an adviser to Irans Ayatollah Khamenei. An adviser to Irans supreme leader died from coronavirus illness on Monday, state media reported the first fatality of a top Iranian official from the scourge that has hit the country especially hard and made it a hub of contagion in the Middle East. The adviser, Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, is a member of the Expediency Council, which provides advice to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 80. It was unclear from state media accounts whether Mr. Mirmohammadi, who died at a Tehran hospital, had been in direct contact with Ayatollah Khamenei when he was contagious. The state media accounts also said Mr. Mirmohammadis mother had died in recent days from the coronavirus and an uncle his mothers brother was being monitored in quarantine for possible infection. The Duchess of Sussex is said to feeling 'some trepidation' about her imminent return to the UK to join Prince Harry on their final engagements this week. Meghan Markle, 38, will join Harry, 35, at the Endeavour Fund Awards on Thursday, as they complete their final week of duties before they officially step down as senior royals. But according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the return will be 'bittersweet' for mother-of-one, who gave up her home, career and nationality to immerse herself into the royal family. The expert believes Meghan will 'feel sadness' about the way it panned out, and will 'put on a brave face' for the engagements. The Duchess of Sussex (seen in Australia last October) is said to feeling 'some trepidation' about her imminent return to the UK to join Prince Harry on their final engagements this week Katie told Ok! magazine that Meghan would feel 'some trepidation' at returning to the UK, claiming: 'She has come back to face the music here, and she'll feel a sense of duty. 'It's bittersweet for her because she sacrificed a lot to move to the UK. She gave up her home, her nationality and her career and fully threw herself into royal life, so there will be a sadness about the way it all panned out'. She added: 'Even if she's feeling uneasy, she won't let it show. She can put on a good front, so we will see plenty of that megawatt Meghan smile over the coming days'. The Palace confirmed previous reports that Harry and Meghan would be attending the Endeavour Fund awards last week. Meghan Markle, 38, will join Harry, 35, at the Endeavour Fund Awards on Thursday, as they complete their final week of duties before they officially step down as senior royals (seen at Canada House last month) The couple will celebrate the achievements of wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women who have taken part in remarkable sporting and adventure challenges over the last year. The Endeavour Fund supports the ambitions of men and women who use challenges to help with their physical, psychological and social recovery and rehabilitation. The annual awards, now in their fourth year, brings together hundreds of wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and veterans as well as their families, friends and supporters of the military community. Harry and Meghan's final seven engagements Last Tuesday : Travelyst conference in Edinburgh (Harry) Last Friday: Invictus Games choir (Harry) March 5: Endeavour Fund Awards (Harry and Meghan) March 6: Silverstone Experience (Harry) March 7: Mountbatten Festival (Harry and Meghan) March 8: International Women's Day (Meghan) March 9: Commonwealth Service (Harry and Meghan) Advertisement The awards ceremony, which will be hosted by former Invictus Games medallist JJ Chalmers, will see four prizes awarded on the night. The prizes include The Recognising Achievement Award, The Celebrating Excellence Award, The Henry Worsley Award and the The Community Impact Award. Upon arrival, the Sussexes will attend a pre-ceremony reception where they will meet the inspiring nominees, as well as endeavour participants and key supporters of the Endeavour Fund. They will then attend the awards ceremony, where they will each present an award. Harry will also give a short speech. Following his speech at the Travelyst conference in Edinburgh last week, Harry also attended the Invictus Games choir on Friday and the Silverstone Experience next week. Meanwhile Meghan will attend the International Women's Day, and join Harry for the Mountbatten Festival next week. Their final official engagement is expected to be March 9, when they will join the Queen at Westminster Abbey to mark Commonwealth Day. Italys premier earthmoving, site and construction machinery industry expo, SaMoTer has been postponed to May 16 due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country. The event was scheduled to take place from March 21 to 25 in the Italian city of Verona. The announcement from leading event organiser Veronafiere comes following a board meeting in Italy as more and more cases affected by the coronavirus are getting reported in the country. The board acknowledged the impossibility of ensuring proper timing for set-up, dismantling and logistics operations for upcoming trade fair events. In relation to the requirements of the ordinance issued by the Ministry of Health and the Veneto Region concerning Covid-19, it was decided to postpone the events scheduled for March and early April 2020, said a statement from Veronafiere. As per the new plan, SaMoTer will now be held from May 16 to 20 in conjunction with three other events: Asphaltica, the road infrastructure event, ICCX Southern Europe (precast) and LetExpo, the sustainable logistics trade fair. Besides the expo dates, Veronafiere has also announced a change in the official logo of SaMoTer.-TradeArabia News Service [March 02, 2020] Priority Health Brings Amazon Shopping to Commercial Group and Individual Members Today, Michigan-based health insurer Priority Health announced that members who are part of a commercial group or individual health plan have a convenient way to order and pay for eligible items using health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSA) through its Amazon storefront. Priority Health is among the first health insurers in Michigan to collaborate with Amazon on an HSA and FSA-eligible storefront. "Priority Health continues to seek out ways for our members to get more for their money by providing health insurance built around their unique needs," said Carrie Kincaid, Vice President, Individual Markets at Priority Health. "By collaborating with Amazon, we are able to offer quic and easy home delivery of items to improve the lives of our members." Through the company's branded storefront on Amazon, Priority Health members will be able to shop from thousands of HSA and FSA eligible items, ranging from bandages to contact solution, and place their orders. Members who already use Amazon can add the eligible items to their existing carts for convenient shopping and delivery. Additionally, members can choose to add their HSA and/or FSA debit cards to their Amazon account for easy payment and minimal paperwork for reimbursement. If members elect to not add their HSA or FSA card to their account, they can still take advantage of the convenience of shopping with Amazon and submit receipts for reimbursement. "Shopping for these items from Priority Health's storefront on Amazon is the smart choice for our members because it allows them to take advantage of cost-effective options and get more value from their health plan," said Kincaid. About Priority Health: With over 30 years in business, Priority Health is the second largest health plan in Michigan offering a broad portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving more than one million members each year and offering a network that includes 97 percent of primary care physicians in Michigan, Priority Health continues to be recognized as a leader for quality, customer service, transparency and product innovation. Priority Health is the smart choice for people seeking affordable, quality health insurance. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005484/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Benh Zeitlin was 12 the first time he visited Neverland. Growing up in Queens, New York, he and sister Eliza two years his junior had long harbored a fascination with J.M. Barries Peter Pan, even staging their own puppet shows based on the tale of the boy who refused to grow up. Then, the future Beasts of the Southern Wild filmmaker whose Peter Pan-inspired Wendy opens in local theaters March 3 visited New Orleans. Even at 12, he realized it wasnt like other places. He had found his Neverland. I decided then I was going to move here, he said in an interview at the Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street the day after the Louisiana premiere of Wendy at the Orpheum Theater. Theres just something in New Orleans. People were playing music to play the music, to enjoy the music, to enjoy the process. It wasnt like, Oh, let me get photographed, let me get famous, let me get rich. There was something organic to it. And, so, when he got a chance to relocate to the city in the years after Hurricane Katrina, he did it. His merry band of like-minded creatives at Court 13, a nonprofit arts collective dedicated to radical artmaking, followed. Hes never left and the citys fiercely defiant Lost Boys mentality has never stopped inspiring him, Zeitlin said. Like, its Carnival time right now, he said. Theres so much creativity that happens in the city that just goes into this day that doesnt get documented. All the art is destroyed and is never seen again. Its just gone. The joy of just making the thing, and whether or not anyone ever knows about it I remember that being an early reason why I was like, Oh, this is how I think about creativity, and, I feel like I can fit in here. That continues to ground me and inspire me. You go other places, and making movies is so much about celebrity and awards and all this external stuff. Its not why I do it. I go to those places and it makes me feel weird about being a filmmaker. Here, I feel much more grounded about being a creative person and why I do what I do. And why he does what he does, he says, is exactly the same reason people build elaborate costumes on Mardi Gras or stand on a random New Orleans corner blowing a horn: because he simply cant not do it. After the success of 2012s Beasts of the Southern Wild, which earned Zeitlin an armload of awards, including an Oscar nomination for best director, Hollywood predictably came knocking. But along with it came enormous pressures for Zeitlin to join the madding crowd in La La Land and leave behind the filmmaking community hes helped nurture in New Orleans. That was terrifying, he said. If he left New Orleans, he thought, he wouldnt be a Lost Boy anymore. He would just be lost. Thats because, he said, his films are such intensely collaborative projects. Zeitlin gets much of the credit for them since hes the director, but hes acutely aware that the unique quality of Beasts, and now Wendy which share a feral visual style as well as a sense of magical realism is the product of a team and a culture that would be impossible to replicate. I could never move, he said. I wouldnt be able to make these movies. New Orleans made me the filmmaker that I am, and if I left, I wouldnt be able to make the films that I do. I dont know what I would do. Fortunately, Beasts earned him significant creative capital in Hollywood. So, when the time came to talk to Searchlight Pictures the films distributor about his next project, he insisted it would be made his way. When we signed up for the whole thing, we said, Well, we are going to make the film the same way we made Beasts of the Southern Wild, and that has absolutely nothing to do with how films are made in Hollywood, he said. And to their credit, they bought in on that. He also realized he had a rare opportunity to make any movie he wanted. He knew right away it would be Wendy, a fantastical and ambitious reimagining of Peter Pan he wrote with sister Eliza, who also served as the films production designer. Initially, he imagined casting New Orleans as the films Neverland. Eventually, though, he and his team would end up shooting their Neverland scenes at the base of an active volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. But, he said, the DNA of New Orleans where the films non-Neverland scenes were shot is still very much at the heart of Wendy. The external perception is just that were just a bunch of kids partying all the time, refusing to accept settling down, he said. And its inspiring because I have so many friends here that are much older than I am and who still have this Lost Boy quality and just a joy about them in a way that I havent experienced in other places. Something about that and wanting to express what that is and how that happens like, how do you survive growing up and stay joyful? is something that Im really inspired by with many people that are in the film and a lot of my friends in New Orleans and the culture of the city in general. As Wendy begins its journey into theaters, theres no telling whats in store whether audiences, or Hollywood, will be as smitten with it as they were Beasts. Zeitlin doesnt seem overly concerned with that, though. He has other stories to tell, and, in concluding his interview at the Ritz-Carlton, his final three words left no doubt as to where hell be telling them: Ill be here. Nama has paid off the last of the 31.8bn of debt it took on a decade ago to fund its share of the bank bailout. A final 1.064bn payment has redeemed the bad-banks so called subordinated, or junior debt. Nama had already paid back 30.2bn of so called senior debt by 2017, three years ahead of schedule, and removing a potential liability that would otherwise have fallen on taxpayers. Nama CEO Brendan McDonagh said it clears the way for the agency to hand 2bn to taxpayers this year. The full repayment of our subordinated debt represents another significant milestone for NAMA, particularly as it paves the way for the Agency to commence the transfer of the first 2bn of its surplus to the Exchequer later this year. NAMA is now in a position to make a meaningful and tangible return of 4bn to the State a return that was not considered feasible a decade ago. The National Asset Management Agency (Nama) was set up to take over more than 70bn of boom era property and developer loans as part of a bid to get banks back lending after the financial crisis. Nama paid less than 50 cents in the euro for the loans, with bailed-out banks nursing the loss. The agency was then charged with clawing back value from the loans, which was achieved in many cases by selling the loans on to vulture funds. Meghan Markle's royal wedding was nearly two years ago, but it looks like the Duchess of Sussex's dress designer Clare Waight Keller and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer have struck up a lasting friendship. Abigail, 38, took to Instagram Stories to share snapshots of the handwritten card and flowers Clare, 49, sent her ahead of her Givenchy Fall 2020 show, which took place on Sunday during Paris Fashion Week. 'Dearest Abigail, Can't wait to see you at my show!! Lots of Love! x Clare,' the designer wrote. In addition to the flowers, she also sent Abigail a bag of clothes and accessories to wear to the presentation. Style star: Meghan Markle's former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer attended the Givenchy Fall 2020 show on Sunday during Paris Fashion Week Connection? Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller has become close with Meghan, 38, since designing her wedding gown. They're pictured at the British Fashion Awards in 2018 'Lots of love!' Abigal took to Instagram Stories on Sunday to share a photo of the handwritten note Claire sent her ahead of the show The actress shared videos of herself getting her hair and makeup done in a floral robe before posting a snapshot of her Givenchy purse and heels. Abigail later cut a stylish figure at the show when she posed for pictures wearing a sheer black lace top with a short cape, black dress pants, and classic black heels. She was joined by Miguel Alberto Enamorado, the fashion director at Harpers Bazaar, when she attended the show held at L'Hippodrome de Longcham, a horse-racing facility in Paris. The Grey's Anatomy star posted videos of her entrance into the smoke-filled venue as well as footage of the models strutting down the runway during the show. So sweet: Clare, 49, also sent Abigail flowers and a bag filled with clothes and accessories to wear to the show All black: Abigail posted a snapshot of the accessories Clare sent her to wear Visit from the glam squad! The actress shared videos of herself getting her hair and makeup done in a floral robe It's unclear when Abigail first met Clare, but she likely connected with the designer while helping Meghan, 38, get ready for her wedding. The Duchess of Sussex has only known Clare for a few years herself. She met the Givenchy artistic director in January 2018, giving the designer just 16 weeks to create her haute couture wedding gown. Abigail, who is one of Meghan's closest friends, was one of the lucky guests who was invited to attend the former actress' wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. Just a month before the wedding, she told People that she and Meghan share a similar aesthetic while praising her sense of style. Fashion friends: Abigail was joined by Miguel Alberto Enamorado, the fashion director at Harpers Bazaar, when she attended the show held at L'Hippodrome de Longcham Vibe: The Grey's Anatomy star posted videos of her entrance into the smoke-filled venue Glam gothic: Abigail later cut a stylish figure at the show in a sheer black lace top with a short cape, black dress pants, and classic black heels Red carpet: Abigail was all smiles as she struck pose in her all-black outfit ahead of the show 'She has incredible taste, she has really influenced my fashion and taste,' Abigail said. 'We have a lot of similarities in what we like.' Meghan has worn Givenchy over a dozen times since her wedding, and she also stunned the crowd at the British Fashion Awards in December 2018 when she made a surprise appearance to present Claire the British Womenswear Designer of the Year award. 'This woman is so amazing. I got to know Meghan on such a personal level. To have someone like that trust you on such a personal moment in their life...I can't thank you enough because it was the most beautiful moment,' the designer told the Duchess of Sussex. Color scheme: Abigail also posted videos of the runway show, which features lots of red, black, and white pieces Fun times: Abigail and Miguel enjoyed a cocktail after the show Where they met? It's unclear when Abigail met Clare, who designed Meghan's wedding gown (left). Abigail was one of the lucky guests who attended the royal wedding in May 2018 (right) It seems like Clare has also become good friends with Abigail, who seemed to be thrilled to fly to Paris to support her at her latest fashion show. The show comes nearly two months after it was reported that Meghan had started negotiations with top fashion brands including Givenchy following her and Harry's decision to step away from their royal duties and become financially independent. 'Meghan is very connected in the fashion industry and there are a lot of major labels who would like to partner with her on projects,' a source told The Sun in January. 'There have already been active discussions with Givenchy. Some of these deals could be worth millions of pounds.' Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambians have been gripped with fear over the confirmation in Senegal of the coronavirus first case on Monday, with many receiving the news with shock and fear and called on the government to strengthen its control on the border entry points by testing anyone who is coming and going out of the country Leader of Opposition and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday described the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's farm loan waiver scheme as a "sham", saying it has failed to give respite to cultivators. Speaking in the assembly, the BJP leader said the Shiv Sena-led MVA government had announced that farmers will be madedebt-free, but what is being offered to them in the name of loan waiver had no meaning. Fadnavis also demanded strict action against protesters and their supporters for raising "anti-national" slogans at anti-CAA protests in Mumbai. When in opposition, leaders from all three ruling parties (Sena, Congress, NCP) had demanded relief of up to Rs 25,000 per hectare for farmers hit by unseasonal rainfall in October-November last year. "The MVA government has not been able to even distribute the relief of Rs 8,000-Rs 18,000 per hectare announced during the President's rule (in Maharashtra in November) for crop losses suffered by farmers. "The government has rolled out a loan waiver which is unlikely to provide any major relief to farmers," said the former BJP chief minister, who had announced a mega loan waiver in June 2017 during his tenure. The government's farm loan waiver scheme is nothing but a "sham", the BJP legislator said. The scheme to write off outstanding crop loan of up to Rs 2 lakh, as on September 30, 2019, was announced by the three-party coalition government in December last year. Fadnavis was speaking on the opposition motion for debate on various issues, including relief to farmers and rise in atrocities against women. The Leader of Opposition demanded that the cut-off date for availing benefits under the loan waiver scheme be extended to July 31, 2020. The existing cut-off date is September 30, 3019, but many farmers faced loss of crops due to unseasonal rains in October and November last year. "To offer them respite from the losses, the loan waiver cut-off date should be extended, he said. Fadnavis said he has a photograph of Home Minister Anil Deshmukh sharing the dais with a 'criminal' who was once arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Deshmukh needs to be careful while attending public functions, he said. I do not want to politicise it as I believe that some times even politicians are unaware about the antecedents of people with whom they share the stage. He needs to be more careful in public life, Fadnavis said. He criticised the government for the rise in cases of atrocities against women and cited recent instances of rape, molestation and attack on them in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AKRON, Ohio People should be concerned but not panicking about the novel coronavirus and its spread, said an Ohio physician who chairs the national organization of infectious disease doctors. Dr. Thomas File is chair of the infectious disease division for Summa Health. He also is president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. As head of the organization, he is one of 12 physicians who consult weekly with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is in touch with other infectious disease doctors worldwide, including doctors in China. He recently spoke with the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, to answer questions about the coronavirus and what people should be doing to protect themselves. How worried should people be as the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 or novel coronavirus, continues to spread? Dr. Thomas File: I think people are freaking out too much. I think theres unnecessary hysteria when people are wearing masks and its not necessary. Right now, were much more concerned about the flu than the coronavirus. Its obviously something to be concerned about, but there is no need to panic. There have been other coronaviruses. Whats different about this one? File: Other coronaviruses have been circulating for years and are associated most commonly with the common cold. The novel coronavirus 2019 is genetically different, which means no one is immune to it and therefore havent developed antibodies against it. Everybody is potentially at risk for developing infection, some of which can be severe. However, from data we have so far, overall there is about a 2% to 2.5% mortality rate. I think thats an overestimate. What is difficult with this strain is it appears people can have it, not be sick and potentially transmit it. Coronavirus live updates: Details on New York City case; Wuhan shuts makeshift hospital Parenting: How do you talk to children about coronavirus? Stay honest and simple to avoid anxiety. Story continues What are the symptoms, and how are they similar or different from the flu? File: Its more similar than its different from the flu from the standpoint of how its transmitted. We havent completely understood the whole spectrum of the disease, but most patients will present with a fever, cough, muscle aches or a headache classic influenza presentation. An ambulance driver prepares to leave after transporting a patient into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Kirkland, Washington. Dozens of staff and residents at Life Care Center of Kirkland are reportedly exhibiting coronavirus-like symptoms as cases of the virus are on the rise in the U.S. So what should someone do if they have flu-like symptoms? File: Call your physician. Our society is recommending that if the patient has flu-like symptoms, that the provider prescribe the antiviral medicine without even coming in the office to be tested. We have such a high level of activity (for influenza) that you dont even need to be tested. The physician then should also ask questions of the patient. If there are any indications the patient has been exposed to the coronavirus, theyll want to refer the patient to the infection control or health department and have the patient wear a mask right away. Think you have coronavirus? Call first! Here's what to expect at the doctor's office Masks are flying off store shelves. Are they effective? File: Masks are not effective for preventing someone from getting the coronavirus and should be saved for health care workers or patients who have the coronavirus to reduce the spread when coughing or sneezing. Masks also need to be fit appropriately. You really cant go to the drug store and buy these things and know how to use them appropriately. 'Stop buying masks': Surgeon general says masks won't protect from coronavirus First defense against coronavirus: 20 seconds of proper hand-washing What prevention steps should people take? File: Its still not too late to get the flu shot. Were in the middle of a very active influenza season, and it is usually active through April. Wash your hands. A lot of respiratory infections are spread on the hands. ... Wash your hands frequently or use alcohol-based sanitizers. After a sneeze, some other coronaviruses have stayed on hard surfaces, like desktops and doorknobs and can stay active for hours. We dont know if this happens with the novel coronavirus. A precaution is to use alcohol or bleach or any other bleach or detergent or antiviral topical to wipe doorknobs and tabletops. Do you need a specific type of soap or anti-bacterial soap? File: It doesnt matter. Obviously, just soap and water is good enough. Its the sudsing of soap and water that gets rid of the microorganisms on the hands. Should I worry about traveling internationally or even within the US? File: You are much more likely to get influenza than coronavirus by flying. Within the U.S., if youre not worried about getting influenza and flying, you should not be worried about coronavirus and flying. I would follow the CDC recommendations and not fly to the international destinations on the list. Should I delay my future travel plans, depending on where else this spreads? File: All I can tell you is to follow CDC recommendations. Ill be more personal. I have an infectious disease meeting in the middle of April in Paris. Thats only six weeks away. France has 18 cases right now. I am monitoring it very closely, and if they start having sustained transmission (cases that spread from one person to another), Im probably not going. But if it doesnt change, I will be going. Some are using the Spanish flu of 1918 as a parallel to this coronavirus. That flu, which had no vaccine at the time, showed up in the spring, went away in the summer and came back with a vengeance in the fall. What do you think? File: The mortality rate for the Spanish flu was about 2 to 4%. I think the coronavirus is going to be less than that. In 1918 and 1919, youve also got to remember there was a world war going on and less access to medical care. It could be a fair parallel, but we dont know that for sure. Have patients who have other ailments, like asthma or a weaker immune system, or older patients been more susceptible? File: Yes; it is more possible for them to get sick. The data we are getting from China is patients who have more serious diseases or are older and have underlying conditions, are worse off. I heard a report that children are not as likely to get the coronavirus. Is this true and why? File: Thats a true observation, and I cant really tell you the answer. Of the patients who are testing positive for the coronavirus, children are a very small proportion. Are the deaths from pneumonia? File: With influenza and other seasonal viruses, most of the morbidity is secondary pneumonias. From what Im reading, thats not the case. A lot of these patients are dying specifically of the viral infection and not from pneumonia itself. Do chances of survival increase in countries that have better access to health care when someone gets sick? File: That happened with Ebola. Even before there was an effective vaccine ... the more intensive care that is provided for supportive care could be associated with better outcomes. At what point should health officials decide to close schools or tell people not to go to work? And could that be seen as false panic if done too soon? File: Thats a good point and will really depend upon the extent of the virus thats circulating within specific communities. It will depend upon absenteeism and what percentage of people in the population are infected. We know by doing social distancing and closing schools or canceling mass gatherings, it would help to reduce transmission when theres a certain threshold of infection within a community, even with things such as influenza. Can you explain the following terms: endemic, global outbreak, epidemic and pandemic? File: Endemic means it stays within a community, like seasonal influenza we get every year. We have a global outbreak now because it has spread globally. An epidemic is a high level of activity in one particular area of the world. A pandemic is when you start to have large activities in other continents and sustained transmission (spread from person to person). We now have coronavirus cases on every continent but Antarctica. I do anticipate they will eventually declare this a pandemic. Well have to wait and see. The last pandemic was the H1N1 in 2009. Are you more worried about this virus than others in the past? File: The H1N1 was very easily transmitted and was a worldwide pandemic, but it had a very low mortality rate, which is good. SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) had a higher mortality rate 10% but it was not as transmissible as this novel coronavirus. In one aspect, it is worse because this coronavirus is more transmissible than SARS, but theres less mortality, so its sort of a wash. What other recommendations do you have to prepare for potential quarantines or to prevent the disease? File: Having 30 days of food and your medicines on hand are good recommendations. But good hand hygiene and good healthy habits eat well, get good sleep and get vaccinated are key. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Coronavirus in US: What are symptoms? Do masks work? Should I travel? Christians in northeastern Kenya face continual persecution by Al Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab. The Somalian based terrorist group advised Christians to leave three counties Garissa, Wajir and Mandera for local Muslims to get all local jobs. Al-Shabaab spokesperson, Sheikh Ali Dhere shared that, Muslim teachers, doctors, engineers, and young graduates from the northeastern province are unemployed. Isnt it better to give them a chance? There is no need for the presence of disbelievers, in a 20-minute audio clip posted online. Additionally, Somali-Kenyans were implored by Sheikh Ali Dhere, to drive all non-Muslims out if they do not leave on their own. The Christian Post reports that the three counties are mainly comprised of people who have retreated from Somalia to Kenya due to violent conflict in Somalia. Al-Shabaab has long desired to overthrow the Somalian government and has attacked Kenya for dispatching troops against them. Assemblies of God Rev. Cosmas Mwinz addresses the hatred against non-locals who are mostly Christians. However, he stresses the necessity of non-locals whose expertise and hard work contributes to the improvement of the low levels of education and infrastructure in the three counties. Yet the local peoples conduct shows their anti-Christian intolerance. Additional cases of persecution include the murders of three Christian teachers back by Al- Shabaab back in January. The attack was carried out at a primary school in Gamuthe, a town in Garissa County. Persecution.org reports that non-local teachers are either being transferred or requesting transfers to schools away from northeastern Kenya. Christian teacher, Mr. Fredrick Kitonya, shared with International Christian Concern (ICC) of his awaiting transference. I left my work station in January and I was among the first bunch of teachers to present themselves to the Teachers Service Commission requesting for transfers. I have not been given a new posting letter yet and if I do not get it, I will not return to Garissa. I am ready for interdiction, he said. Back on February 19th, a bus attack was carried out by Al-Shabaab that killed 2 Christians for not reciting the Islamic declaration of faith. Included in the attack was one Muslim for trying to protect the Christians. The bus was shot at by militants in police uniform, in which the bus went into a ditch after its back tires were flattened. The bus driver and 2 others were injured. The Kenyan government has yet to comment on the audio clip, while a security alert raised by the US Embassy in Kenya was made for a suspected hotel attack targeting tourists, locals, and business travelers. The Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List ranks Kenya, as the 44th worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Oleksii Liskonih Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven. Ginny Owens has released her new single "Undefeated." The song is a stirring and uplifting anthem written to infuse hope into the fight against human trafficking. Initially composed as a theme song for the anti-trafficking organization Rescue: Freedom, the lyrics and melody of "Undefeated" invite everyone to chant along, while considering The magnitude of this profound problem and the countless lives that are at stake. "I have been deeply moved by the stories of those who spend their lives in the trenches, fighting to end traffic and slavery, and to hear their voices singing of relentless hope and determination, despite what they see," says OWENS. co written with Benji Cowart and Tyrus Morgan and produced by Tyrus Morgan and Sean Spence. "Some of you will remember that I visited Thailand a couple summers ago to be part of a conference where many of Rescue:Freedom's partners came together. As I got to know all sorts of folks working in the fight against slavery, I was so moved by their stories. All of them had either uprooted their families, or changed careers, or both, and dedicated themselves to this relentless war. I heard stories of many dark days, when the only thing to do was pray and wait. And other stories of how entire communities had been changed for the better, because of their work. What I learned was that, even thoug the war often seemed hopeless, my new friends were not without hope. If you could have heard all those dedicated workers, raising their voices as one, singing, "our hope is undefeated!" you would have had chills or been moved to tears, as I was. But the thing that moved me most was realizing that standing against human trafficking is for all of us. The Lord said, through Micah the prophet, that the good thing to do, the thing He requires, is that we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. So let's do that by praying for victims and rescue workers, and for giving as we can to support their meaningful work. Oh, and by listening to "Undefeated," of course." For more information about Rescue:Freedom please visit: www.rescuefreedom.org Tags : Ginny Owens "Undefeated" Ginny Owens Fights Against Human Trafficking with New Song "Undefeated" ginny owens ginny owens new single Rescue: Freedom human trafficking BRIDGEPORT A notorious city gang leader out on parole on a conspiracy to commit murder charge has been arrested on gun and drug charges. Travis Scuz Satawhite, 43, was arrested Feb. 28 at an Ansonia apartment with a stolen handgun, large capacity magazines and bags of cocaine, according to police. He was charged with stealing a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of a pistol, illegal transfer of a stolen firearm, illegal possession of large capacity magazines and possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Satawhite was accused of shooting Jermaine Baby Boy Reese 40 times in 2006 in retaliation for Reese allegedly trying to set him up to get killed on the steps of the Golden Hill Street courthouse in 1998. In the summer of 1998, Satawhite reportedly was at odds with the city's Foundation gang headed by the Reese clan. On Aug. 10, 1998, Satawhite was at the Golden Hill Street courthouse for a court hearing when the Reese family caught up with him, police said. Satawhite ducked into the courthouse as gunfire erupted, killing 21-year-old Dante Jones, a UPS worker from Stratford, on the courthouse steps. On May 6, 1999, a Superior Court jury found the then-27-year-old Jermaine Reese not guilty of Jones' murder. Satawhite testified in the case. According to the arrest warrant affidavit at the time, one witness recalled that Reese was working on his car on Read Street when Satawhite approached him and pulled out a machine-type pistol. "When Jermaine stood up, Scuz started shooting Jermaine in the lower part of his body, and he was stumbling around as he was shot," the affidavit said, quoting a witness. It said that another witness told detectives that Satawhite "let off the whole clip on him." However, a first trial ended in a hung jury when one of the states witnesses completely changed his account and another came down with a case of amnesia. Satawhite pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of conspiracy to commit murder and, over the objections of the victims family, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 10 years of special parole. Police said on Friday they received information that Satawhite was selling drugs out of an apartment on North State Street in Ansonia. Police said they raided the apartment and arrested Satawhite. Inside the apartment, they said, they found a 9mm handgun that had previously been reported stolen in Bridgeport, and two large-capacity magazines. Police said they also found six plastic bags containing cocaine. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Heads of Australian supermarkets have warned the coronavirus could affect stock of chocolate biscuits and chips as suppliers struggle to obtain certain packaging from China. Ritchies Supa IGA chief executive Fred Harrison told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age his 76 IGA supermarkets across Australia's east coast had been warned there could be packaging supply issues for certain lines of products. "As we talk to suppliers we hear that some of their wrappings or biscuit trays are starting to get a little bit short," he said. This is currently a short-term issue, Mr Harrison said, with factories in China starting to slowly reopen. However, the retail veteran believes if the level of coronavirus delays continue for another three weeks it could be bad news for biscuit fans. "I don't think we want another week or two of this. If there's no production or packaging in from China by the end of March, it'd be getting serious," he said. At Front Page, Daniel Greenfield analyzes the source, by zip code, of donations to the Bernie Sanders campaign: Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Their employees are three of the top 4 Bernie donors. Apple is in fifth place. These dot coms are not exactly organizations known to employ members of the proletariat. *** Geographically, Bernies top dollar zip code is 94110 in San Francisco. The average household income in this part of the Mission District, specifically the Inner Mission, the Bernal Heights area, is $166,302. The median home value is around $1.5 million and the median rent is almost $5,000 a month. There are no poor socialists in what was dubbed as the hottest neighborhood in San Francisco. This was the area that Salon founder David Talbot blasted as the hottest zip code in the country overrun by Silicon Valley movers and shakers in new-model Teslas, BMWs and Uber limousines. Its only fitting that it should also be the spigot through which so much of Bernies tech bros dollars flow. The second top dollar Bernie zip code in San Francisco, 94117 or Haight-Ashbury, seems like a better fit for Bernie. But the Summer of Love has long since given way to the Winter of Trust Fund Hipsters in the Haight where the average income is $201,503 and average home values top $1.6 million. The media has made much of Bernies flow of donations from Brooklyn. But the money isnt coming from the working-class Brooklynites of Bernies old neighborhood, but the gentrifying areas of the borough. 11215 or Park Slope is the second biggest top dollar zip code of Bernie donors. The neighborhood, formerly urban, known as the home of Mayor Bill de Blasio, and the Park Slope Food Co-Op and its anti-Semitic push to boycott Israel, is filled with renovated brownstones filled with wealthy hipsters. Its a place where a three-bedroom apartment can go for $2.9 million. *** In third place on Bernies donor list is 10025 or the Upper West Side of Manhattan. With an average rental price of $4,695, its not exactly an inexpensive place to live. The UWS is the 8th richest neighborhood [in the U.S.] with a $190,281 mean household income. And this is where Bernies cash comes from. 11238 or Prospect Heights, in fourth place, is a newly gentrified neighborhood in Brooklyn where the median sales price passed $1 million, and you can expect to spend $800,000 for a one-bedroom co-op. THE State has sought the authority of the ministry of Home Affairs to travel to Twitter headquarters in Nothern Ireland and institute extra territorial investigations into MDC secretary-general Chalton Hwendes tweet. Hwende is facing subversion charges, but has disowned a Twitter post that the prosecution is relying on to pin him to the allegations. When he appeared in court on Friday represented by Tendai Biti and Harrison Nkomo, prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti sought a postponement of the case to enable their representative to get authority and travel. Nkomo opposed the application and moved for Hwendes removal from remand, arguing the State was not serious in having the matter prosecuted. Nkomo opposed the application and moved for Hwendes removal from remand, arguing the State was not serious in having the matter prosecuted. This is a classic case of incompetence on the part of the State considering that the accused person first appeared in court on March 6 last year and there were subsequent remands that followed for a period of one year and 23 days, Nkomo submitted. Mugwagwa deferred the ruling to today. According to the State, Hwendes Twitter posts allegedly incited the public to overthrow the constitutionally-elected government of Zimbabwe by engaging in mass protests characterised by violence and hooliganism. We cant continue on this trajectory of failure and kwashiorkor of leadership. Enough is enough? In January, citizens must organise themselves for a complete shutdown of the country. Stay at home, no one will shoot you, read one of the posts Hwende allegedly posted. We voted for @nelsonchamisa and we must be prepared like the thousands of gallant liberation struggle heroes to die defending our right to choose the president of our choice #2019ChamisamuOffice. Ragging on the media, Trump claimed the video of his previous "Russia, if you're listening" comment was cut off "right at the end so you don't then see the laughter, the joke." The comment Trump is referring to was from a 2016 press conference where he asked for help obtaining his opponent Hillary Clinton's deleted emails and infamously said, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." When Trump made that comment, he did not laugh, nor was his comment cut off. After he finished that comment, he called on someone in the crowd so they could ask him a question. Food stamps With a little leap of the imagination, Rome becomes a giant amusement park. Its original name is the Flavian Amphitheatre. The guide points at the Colosseum, once the worlds largest stadium. She then explains that the floor, which once hosted animal fights and sea battles, will soon host cultural events of the highest level. The group is gathering beside a panini van. On its counter shimmers a large jar of Nutella. Look over there, one of the tour participants says and indicates a couple of centurions: cast members! The tour guide continues: And this is the main avenue, called Via dei Fori Imperiali. It runs right through the heart of the ancient empire. The road connects the former stadium to the city hall. A dressed-up horse carriage with a robed rider trots by. Its passengers admire the remains of government buildings, places of worship and a marketplace. So dad, a young man asks the adult standing beside him, this is Romes Main Street USA? In the travel agency, when the father explained the family had visited both Disneyland and Las Vegas and that now he wanted something different for him and his son Jeb, who is a freshman at Cornell, the sales agent suggested heritage tourism. The Rome package attracts ten million visitors per year. Trevi Fountain. Editorial credit: UlyssePixel / Shutterstock.com The tour group advances slowly: on each side of the road, a steady flow of visitors shuffles to and from the Colosseum. Street musicians are playing popular tunes. When the group passes a mime actor, one of the tour participants asks Jeb to take his picture: "I had one with Mickey. Now I want one with Caesar."Under a Mediterranean sun the crowd rambles carelessly. Military jeeps block the road beside the Colosseum; a police car patrols the stretch up to the Capitol. At the entrance of the underground station, police officers are evacuating tall black Nubians and Indian-looking women wearing long, colourful skirts: citizens of distant Roman colonies?While some tour participants wonder whether Trajan's Markets once looked like the Forum Shops in Vegas, others are discussing tomorrows schedule in Florence. Yet everybody wants to see the main attraction: St Peters Basilica. Apparently, it is as imposing and white as the Castle of Sleeping Beauty.Jeb consults his smartphone: In Main Street USA, Walt had the ground floors built to full scale and succeeding floors built proportionally smaller. The group climbs the stairs that lead to the Campidoglio. Jeb, did you know this? His father reads out from his travel guide: Michelangelo used optical illusions such as the trapezium shape of the square and the pattern of lines.Before the group turns off the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the guide halts. For the younger guests, the tour offers a detective game in the Forum. It starts at 15.00 sharp.In Piazza Venezia, red double-deckers with national flags painted on both sides are humming. The tour guide explains that guests can choose from several tours: Ancient Rome, Baroque Rome and Papal Rome. Dad, do you remember the traffic circle where you could choose between Adventure Land, Frontier Land and Tomorrow Land? Jeb asks. Let us this time go our own way.Father and son decide to explore Via del Corso, Romes high street. In the official Rome store, the father buys a t-shirt displaying I heart Rome. The duo follows the arrows that indicate the attractions. Every attraction goes with a compelling story or astonishing facts, and is surrounded by food and drink establishments.Halfway down Via del Corso, the giggling of children can be heard from a gelateria. Their t-shirts are smudged with green. The children are taking an ice cream-making class and pistachio seems to be the favourite. For those children who do not like their self-made ice cream, there is Nutella. Meanwhile, the restaurant next door is offering the parents a class in pasta cooking. Visitor groups zoom by on Segways. Jeb and his father get on the shuttle bus.When the bus arrives at a vast square, all passengers alight. In the middle of the square, adults are riding a lion. They scream and throw water at each other. All the time, people are taking pictures.Jeb and his father take a back-alley. A penthouse offers the view from a famous scene of a Hollywood movie the VIP section of this tour allows you to visit the apartment. Reading his travel guide, Jebs father remarks: Weve seen Trevi in Vegas, but Rome seems to have the original.Jeb has an idea. Excuse me, he asks a passerby, could you please tell us where we can find this fountain? He shows the man a picture on his smartphone. Its the Todds fountain.The Todds fountain? Are you sure? the man asks puzzled. Jeb shows him the picture. Oh, I see, the man says. E Trevi.As father and son are approaching the Trevi Fountain, the streets become ever more crowded. All of a sudden, a water spectacle pops up in front of their eyes. In front of it, girls are pushing another aside to take the perfect selfie. Two of them get into a row. Jeb and his father are amazed. Cant beat the real thing, can you?At 19.00 sharp, the tour offers a Private Experience: Meet a large family who lives in a typical blue-collar neighbourhood and experience the warmth of everyday Roman life. Listen to their stories on how they struggle to get by. Become a local among locals. Jebs father looks the neighbourhood up in his travel guide: the solid working-class neighbourhood a tight-knit community. So visitors expect each local to dress and behave as to confirm their expectations, he wonders. Jeb and his father are starving. They head to Trastevere. In the cobble-stoned streets, cosy restaurants alternate with slick wine shops. One of the bars has two old-timer Fiats on display. Amid all these places of leisure lie property agencies, their ads written in English. In the pizzeria Il Simulacro, Jeb favours a traditional Four Seasons over the restaurants specialty, La Nutellaccia. Dad, Im so happy we did Rome. Ive learnt a lot. More than my marketing books could ever teach me." Marketing? I recognise every concept we have studied, Jeb continues. For instance, didnt you notice that museums and landmark sites have copied Disneys queue management techniques? Yes, I have. The father nods. But this is authentic whereas Disney is staged. A former arena hosting cultural events of the highest order? Noticing his fathers puzzlement, Jeb points at his t-shirt: You see, cities are becoming brands. They have logos and position themselves in the market. Right. And now they are diversifying their offering by turning a nostalgic idea of urban life into a tourist experience, Jeb argues passionately. Take this. The wall next to their table exhibits black-and-white ads of a famous coffee brand that evoke the hardship and closeness of post-war Italy. In what way do these differ from the retro Coca Cola ads in Disneyland? The next thing will be charging visitors an entrance fee, Jeb explains. Cities will apply price differentiation: the fee will vary depending on the day and time of visit. Back on Via dei Fori Imperiali, by now illuminated, a woman wearing a safari hat runs waving at Jeb and his father. She looks panicked. Jeb recognises the woman from the tour. You were on the same tour as I was, she says. Remember? You do? Thank God! She is almost out of breath. These cast members dont understand me. Do you know when Rome closes? What do you mean? the father asks. I am not staying in a hotel inside the park. I am outside, in the Sheraton, she explains. Do you know at what time Rome closes? By Mike Dilien This article was published in the February 2020 edition of Wanted in Rome magazine. Flyone Armenia and Pegasus receive permission for Yerevan-Istanbul-Yerevan flights Pope condemns "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines Arab foreign ministers to visit Beijing Azerbaijanis stoned an Armenian car on the Stepanakert-Goris road Armenian FM has a phone call with his Polish counterpart Macron travels to French Riviera to discuss internal security issues Artsakh Foreign Ministry: Azerbaijan's aggressive behavior aims to disrupt Russian peacekeepers' activities US COVID-19 cases reach 60 million European Parliament President hospitalized due to immune system dysfunction Washington and Ankara discuss normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey WHO excludes emergence of deltacron strain In Karabakh Azerbaijanis shelled tractor Indian Defense Minister tests positive for COVID-19 US-Russia talks on security guarantees lasting for seven hours already NEWS.am daily digest: 10.01.22 Pashinyan appoints Hayk Mkrtchyan as Deputy Governor of Kotayk province Blast in eastern Afghanistan kills nine children Pashinyan: One of key priorities of Armenia presidency at CSTO is strengthening of crisis response mechanisms Internet cut off in Kazakhstan Armenia, Kazakhstan ombudspersons confer on Armenian communitys rights Armenia, Russia defense ministers discuss Kazakhstan Turkey defense minister meets with their envoy in process of normalization of Armenia relations Iranian Foreign Ministry reports progress in Vienna negotiations Dollar continues going up in Armenia New attempt by migrants in Belarus to storm Poland border Skat Airlines resumes Yerevan-Aktau and Aktau-Yerevan flights New Covid-related restrictions to be introduced in Armenia Karabakh police: Firefighters also targeted by Azerbaijan shooting (PHOTOS) Artsakh Defense Army has not fired on Azerbaijan positions Azerbaijani military are protesting amid military awards deprivation Azerbaijanis open fire in Nagorno-Karabakh Karabakh MFA: Events in Kazakhstan are result of actions planned by Turkey Armenia army General Staff has new deputy chief Australia to buy US $ 2.5 billion of armored vehicles Artsakh emergency service: Search for soldiers remains continued during holidays Kazakh Colonel Nazanov dies after heart attack Australia begins to vaccinate children aged 5-11 with COVID-19 vaccine Putin: Peacekeeping contingent to stay in Kazakhstan for a limited period Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan v. premier Pashinyan lawsuit court session is closed Azerbaijan commandos conduct military exercises Part of the Great Wall of China collapsed due to earthquake Armenia MP: Turkey, Azerbaijans regional calculations have mixed up Copper prices decline Armenia ex-President Kocharyan v. PM Pashinyan lawsuit trial resumes Gold is getting cheaper EU is ready to support in addressing Karabakh crisis 126 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Fire in residential building in New York leaves 19 people killed National Center for Infectious Diseases Yerevan branch employees protesting outside center Karabakh President: Radical Pan-Turkic circles are actively involved in process in Kazakhstan Oil is getting more expensive Mars helicopter Ingenuity preparing for difficult 19th flight Interior ministry: About 8,000 people detained in Kazakhstan Earthquake hits Armenia-Azerbaijan border zone Researchers create substitute for egg whites from fungus Kazakhstan official information channel removes message about 164 casualties EC says construction of new nuclear power plants in Europe will require 500 billion in investment Ghost ship that sank 343 years ago discovered in US Post-COVID-19 antibodies may attack healthy cells, scientists say Pope says he was praying for Kazakhstan Media: 164 people die in Kazakhstan during riots Peskov: CSTO session does not plan to sign documents yet Criminal cases launched after bomb threat in Armenian, Belarus embassies in Moscow Norwegian military surrender panties before demobilization Iranian MFA says Tehran is ready for talks on downed plane of UIA Ukraine Russian defense minister says information war is on all fronts Several strategic objects in Kazakhstan transferred to CSTO contingent under protection David Minasyan elected head of Armenia's Parakar community Bloomberg: US is considering issue of limiting supply of high-tech products to Russia Armenia reports 142 COVID-19 new cases Council of Elders meeting continues in Armenia's Parakar White House speaks on Blinken statement on Russian peacekeeping troops Armed people detained at border in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan talks stabilization of situation in all regions of country Azerbaijanis demand Armenian soldier change his faith by taking away his cross, Ombudsman says Armenian painter Mher Mansurian dies in France At least 17 killed in Egypt road accident NATO chief announces Russia forces continued buildup in Ukraine Armenian militarys transfer to Kazakhstan is completed Azerbaijan opens fire on military positions near Armenia village British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Priti Patel is a "fantastic" home secretary as he backed his senior Cabinet minister amid a row over the resignation of her top civil servant. Philip Rutnam, the Home Office's most senior official, resigned on Saturday citing a "vicious and orchestrated" campaign against him. Prime Minister Johnson was asked about the controversy and allegations of bullying against the Indian-origin minister by Rutnam, her former permanent secretary, during a visit to Public Health England in north London on Sunday evening to address the rising fears around the spread of the coronavirus in Britain. "Absolutely," he said, when asked if he had confidence in Patel, 47. "I think she is a fantastic home secretary. Anybody who has been home secretary will testify that it is one of the toughest jobs in the government," the prime minister said. In the context of what is being pegged as a clash between politicians and the civil service, Johnson also expressed his "admiration" for the country's civil servants, whom he described as "brilliant alpha minds". "There is a big, big task ahead of us now. We are delivering, at last, a new immigration system for this country, a points-based immigration system," he said in reference to the new visa regime unveiled by Patel last month. Johnson's intervention came following the explosive resignation of Rutnam from the UK Home Office over the weekend. While Patel herself is yet to comment on the matter, one of her cabinet colleagues, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, spoke out in her defence on Sunday. "Priti is a very determined person but she is also very courteous," he said. Patel has not made any public comment since Philip announced his resignation, the BBC reported. Meanwhile, the Opposition Labour Party has demanded that Patel address Parliament on the allegations of bullying against her. "The home secretary has a duty to come to Parliament on Monday to explain the allegations made about her own conduct," said Kier Starmer, the frontrunner in the ongoing Labour Party leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn. The minister also faces the prospect of an inquiry, following Rutnam's decision to sue the government over his alleged forced exit, and Starmer called for the head of the UK civil service, Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, to start "an immediate investigation" into the circumstances surrounding his departure. "There are now urgent questions that must be answered and steps that need to be taken," he said. Rutnam announced his resignation in an emotional television statement as he claimed a "vicious and orchestrated campaign" against him and pointed the finger of blame at Patel. "The home secretary categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office. I regret I do not believe her," said Rutnam, who has said he intended to go to court with "very strong grounds" to claim a constructive, unfair dismissal. Rutnam also referred to the tensions with Patel when he encouraged her to change her behaviour. "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," he claimed. The First Division Association union, which represents senior civil servants, has called on Cabinet Secretary Sedwill to launch an "independent" inquiry into Patel's behaviour. The union's general secretary David Penman said a probe should be led by an external lawyer, with access to ministers' and special advisers' communication records. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to spook international trade, it is likely to dampen Holi celebrations as prices of sprinklers and water guns are expected to rise by up to 20 per cent because of lack of supply from China. According to the industry, India imports 90 per cent of Holi related water toys from China. While large distributors had already placed their orders in advance in November, much before the virus outbreak, it is the small traders whose sales would suffer more. Manufacturers are planning to increase the price of products by 15-20 per cent as demand is more ... LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda says that, despite recent mega-deals in the financial technology space, the loan marketplace he founded isnt for sale. In February, two huge acquisitions shook up the marketplace in finance, with Morgan Stanley announcing a deal to buy trading platform E-Trade for $13 billion and Intuit disclosing plans to buy personal finance firm Credit Karma for $7 billion. LendingTree, though, doesnt appear poised to join the party. Although everythings always for sale, my hope is that we are not in the sell mode. Lebda said in an interview. For its part, the Charlotte-based loan marketplace that Lebda founded has continually bought up smaller firms in recent years, but nothing on the scale of the megadeals of February. Instead, Lebda is worried that theres too much capital chasing too few deals at the moment, leaving open the possibility for a bubble. He would know. LendingTree was hit hard by both the housing and tech bubbles, but emerged from both. Now, under Lebdas watch, the company has seen its stock price rebound from as low as under $2 in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis to its current perch of $273 per share. Lebda, 50, talked with the Observer recently about Charlotte, recent mega-deals in finance and the chances of a bubble in financial technology. Questions and answers are edited for clarity and brevity. Doug Lebda, founder and CEO of LendingTree, on Monday, February 24, 2020. LendingTree, Inc. LendingTree, is Americas largest online lending marketplace. It connects borrowers with multiple lenders so they can find the best deals on loans, credit cards, deposit accounts, insurance and more. Q: To start off, can you give us a short synopsis of who you are and what LendingTree is? Im the CEO and founder of LendingTree. I started it in 1996 and then moved to Charlotte in 1997, set up LendingTree in my spare bedroom in Ballantyne. We went and built the company from there. Were an exchange between consumers and financial service providers to help you with comparison shopping across mortgage, home equity, auto, credit card, personal loans, all types of insurance and now also deposit products. Q: How did you end up in Charlotte? I started in Pittsburgh, I was an accountant for Pricewaterhouse. I was trying to buy a $55,000 condo, I was looking at the rates in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and then went from bank to bank and applied for this mortgage. I was getting what consumers normally got, the run-around. Oh, that rates not good for you. Youre a condo, that rates higher. I didnt feel like it was an empowered process. Story continues At the same time I was doing work in other financial service industries and seeing the Internet come online, seeing trading come online and I just said, Why cant we network up all of these lenders with all of these consumers? I spent about six months trying to sell banks on this concept. I did not have a lot of success. It was early in 1997 and I decided to go to business school at the University of Virginia. During that year, I wrote the business plan, got some early investors and did some early testing. At the end of that year, I was also interviewing for jobs. I wasnt sure if I was going to pursue LendingTree. I was interviewing with Nationsbank at the time and McKinsey, and was looking for the right city to start LendingTree. As I was looking at the East Coast and the West Coast, I just kept being drawn to Charlotte as a place I thought where we could recruit people in the area. They had a lot of people who understood banking and financial services, which I didnt. I thought that we could attract technology talent to the area and thats turned out to be largely the case. So, we were very early here in the financial services and so-called fintech space. Q: Charlotte appears to take a lot of pride in having its business leaders take on an outsized civic role in the city. Youre co-chair of the RNC Host Committee. How do you see yourself filling in that leadership role? Early on when I was here, I got a call from Hugh McColl. I pick up the phone and he says he wants to take me to lunch. He basically said to me, as an up-and-coming business leader in the city, we work together with government as business leaders. We all set our differences aside to get things done. I took that and believed in it... LendingTree has set aside $10 million, weve launched a foundation... the niche we want to play in Charlotte is: how do we, through affordable housing, through better education, through giving people opportunities they wouldnt get otherwise, how can we give people a way up? Q: Youve been criticized for high compensation in the past, why do you think that is and what do you say that? (Lebda made $42.3 million in 2018, mostly in restricted LendingTree stock, the Observer reported last year.) My stock, for example, vests based on time and based on us having, I believe, at least 15 or 20% earnings growth over time. So, I dont get anything unless my shareholders are making money and Im still around. And then if you have a period where our stock moves up a lot, it looks like youve received compensation in that period, when the reality is that its set years earlier and your stock just went up. My comp is about 97% in equity in the company, which is completely aligned with shareholders. Thats what we want, and our shareholders absolutely love that and they love seeing when my stock vests because then they know that were producing growth at the company. Its aligned with what they want, I think that thats the way executive compensation should really be. Q: In the past few weeks, theres been an incredible amount of M&A activity in the consumer and retail finance space. is LendingTree considering any strategic move, whether its the sale of itself or the acquisition of another company? Right now, I would say, although everythings always for sale, my hope is that we are not in the sell mode. We have been very active in acquisitions over the past few years as we rounded out our portfolio and grew some capabilities in credit card, insurance, etc. Insurance is now our largest business. What youre seeing now is I think a consolidation and people really paying attention to fintech and financial services particularly online. You can go all the way back to early Internet days. Mary Meeker, who used to be the first Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley, wrote an Internet research report of when different industries were going to come online. Financial services was the last and was the biggest. And now youre starting to see lots of different things going on. So if youre Morgan Stanley and your job is to really make money off of assets under management with higher net-worth people, then this E-Trade deal makes sense because youre going to try and convert those people into Morgan Stanley accounts. Q: Are there any trends that you think are important to note in your field? I think now things are accelerating at a rapid pace. What were going to need to look for over the next few years is that valuations in some of these so-called startup fintech things that things dont get out of control too much and that valuations dont create another bubble. Q: Do you think theres a risk of that? I do think theres a risk of that. Because what you have now is too much capital chasing maybe too few deals. And youve got all these big companies that have to make moves, like we talked about with E-Trade and with Intuit and others. When the big guys need to tie for second, then all of a sudden things start to happen. The industry structure is set up where everyone is looking for their lane. And Ive always been waiting for this because I love where we sit. We own the consumer relationship and we help our lenders make money. Those two things work very, very well together. Q: So, you can remain inoculated from individual products in those spaces? A: Exactly. And the better our lenders get at technology, the more then we can invest in marketing. The more we can invest in marketing, the more customers we can bring which reinforces LendingTree overall. The four convicts Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh were scheduled to be hanged at 6 am tomorrow at Delhi's Tihar Jail. A Delhi court on Monday stayed the execution of the four convicts in 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case until further orders in view of the mercy petition filed by Pawan Gupta before President of India Ram Nath Kovind. The four convicts Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh were scheduled to be hanged at 6 am tomorrow at Delhi's Tihar Jail. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana said that the death sentence cannot be executed since disposal of mercy petition of convict Pawan Kumar Gupta is pending. Judge Rana had dismissed a petition by Gupta and Thakur seeking stay on the execution at 12 pm. He, however, agreed to hear the matter again after he was informed by advocate AP Singh, the convicts' counsel, that Gupta's mercy petition was pending before the president. Earlier in the day, Gupta had filed a clemency petition before the president after his curative petition had been dismissed by the Supreme Court. During the hearing which began afresh at 2 pm, public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed opposed Singh's application and contended that the plea is not maintainable. He said that the court cannot pass any order at this stage adding that this petition is premature. PTI reported Tihar authorities as saying that the ball is in the government's court, after filing of the mercy petition, and the judge has no role for now. They said the President will seek a status report from the jail on Pawan's mercy plea and when that happens, they will suo motu stay the execution. Lawyer for victim's family advocate Jitender Jha also submitted that that trial court does not have jurisdiction to deal with this situation. He further said that only the high court can impose stay as per Section 415 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with the postponement of execution sentence of death in case of appeal to the Supreme Court. Judge Rana pulled up Singh for ignoring the Delhi High Court's 5 February order granting a week's time to the convicts to exhaust all legal remedied available to them. The Delhi High Court had on 5 February directed all four convicts to exhaust their legal remedies within seven days. After that, the authorities should proceed as per law, it had said. "How can this Court ignore it? Once the Delhi High Court had given you seven days' time, it is binding upon me. How do we ignore those instructions?" said Judge Rana. "You as a death row convict are looking to disrespect the high court's order. Under what law should I come to your rescue?" PTI quoted the judge as saying during the hearing. The judge also told Singh that "he was playing with fire" and told him to be cautious and added "one wrong move by anybody, and you know the consequences". However, he held that even though the mercy petition had been filed after the time period prescribed by the high court had elapsed, that by itself did not raise questions on its maintainability. "Rule 840 (of Delhi Prison Rules) lays down the procedure for dealing with the mercy petition, if the same is moved after the prescribed period, and it nowhere says that the mercy petition beyond the prescribed period deserves to be summarily rejected on account of limitation", the order stated. Pawan, on Friday, had filed a curative petition before the Supreme Court, seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. He was the fourth convict in the case to file a curative petition. The top court has already rejected the curative petitions of the remaining three. The mercy petitions of the other three convicts have also been rejected by the president. The date of execution had been initially set by the court for 22 January. It was postponed twice, first to 1 February and then to 3 March. The case pertains to the gangrape and brutal attack on a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of 16 December, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. With inputs from agencies Kerry Washington has debuted a bold slicked-back hairdo. The actress, 43, stuns in a new photoshoot for PORTER magazine, in which she poses in an array of sleek black and white ensembles, showing off her new look. Scandal star Kerry also spoke to the publication about her new show with Reese Witherspoon, Little Fires Everywhere, and how she and the actress bonded. Stunning: Kerry Washington has debuted a bold slicked-back hairdo 'She's just amazing, and a great friend. The sort of girlfriend who, when she asks you how you are, you can tell really cares about the response,' she gushed about Reese. 'I have such great respect for her, not only as a friend but as someone who has her own production company. She was so willing to share her mistakes and what she had learned.' Kerry launched her own company - Simpson Street (named after the street where her mother grew up in the Bronx) - and told the magazine that she makes sure representation is seen throughout her projects. 'A lot of our mandate at Simpson Street is centering otherness and really reminding ourselves, and each other, that protagonists look like all of us that anyone can be the hero of their own story and their own life,' she said. Beauty: The actress, 43, looks stunning in a new photo shoot for PORTER magazine , in which she poses in an array of sleek black and white ensembles, showing off her cropped new 'do Diverse looks: Kerry attended awards season earlier in the year, still showcasing her long raven locks 'I always have, even as a child, been really opinionated. I've always wanted an environment where I could feel seen and heard.' The Django Unchained actress went on: 'I don't even know that I saw myself as a leader, I just saw myself as a person with a lot to say. 'I think the more I started to work in this industry, I started to understand that there weren't a lot of people who understood my perspective as a woman or as a woman of color in power, and I had to create that opportunity.' Kerry and Reese also bonded as active members of the Time's Up movement. Co-stars: 'She's just amazing, and a great friend. The sort of girlfriend who, when she asks you how you are, you can tell really cares about the response,' she gushed about Reese She said: 'It has created a myriad of female creative partnerships, though that was never our intention. That was always secondary. Our actions had to be working for the protection, the safety, the equity for women in all industries. 'When we brought all of those amazing activists with us to the Golden Globes, we knew this wasn't about just us. 'One thing that a lot of us have talked about is this idea that, because of the imbalance of power and the delineation of who gets to be the protagonist, so often in our careers, there was one woman on a set. We were siloed. Empowering: Kerry often speaks at events about her stance on matters such as diversity in Hollywood The Django Unchained actress went on: 'I don't even know that I saw myself as a leader, I just saw myself as a person with a lot to say' 'And so we were told about each other. And the story was often, "She's difficult. She's needy. She's crazy. She's unpredictable. She's a diva". Now we talk to each other, we work together and we know that not to be true. 'Even with Little Fires Everywhere, it deals with the nuances of womanhood and motherhood regardless of outward identity.' More: To see the full interview with Kerry Washington read Porter online now Growing up in the Bronx, New York, she found herself attending Upper East Side's Spence School, of which she said: 'I remember distinctly being 12 or 13 and going from my neighborhood in the Bronx to a very posh elite school. Seeing other people's homes, I remember understanding that there was another world and feeling overwhelmed, angry, inspired, delighted and betrayed at the same time. 'Thinking, Why does nobody I know live like this? Or, more so, why does nobody who looks like me live like this?' Kerry is a mother of three, with husband Nnamdi Asomugha, though she keeps her relationship and her children out of the spotlight. 'As I've gotten older and more well-known I've lost some of my anonymity, so I've become more boundaried in my relationships with people. I have the pull of an artist, where you love your private life, and you love the people you love, you love your children, and you also love your art,' she said. To see the full interview with Kerry Washington read Porter online now. Monday 02 March 2020 - Results from a study looking at an experimental drug to tackle the debilitating side effect of dyskinesia, have offered hope that it may have potential as a future treatment for people with Parkinson's. Research carried out by US biotech company Neurolixis with funding from Parkinson's UK, investigated the effect of the drug NLX-112 on dyskinesia, a common side effect experienced by people with Parkinson's who have been taking levodopa-based medications for several years. It causes involuntary movements that can affect various parts of the body, making everyday tasks impossible. The main medication available to manage dyskinesia is amantadine, which can have side effects and does not work for everyone. Around half (40 to 50 per cent) of all people with Parkinson's will experience dyskinesia after just five years of taking levodopa, and up to 80 per cent of people will experience it after ten years of taking the medication. NLX-112 works by targeting serotonin cells inside the brain which are believed to contribute to the development of dyskinesia, by releasing dopamine in an erratic manner. It aims to reduce dyskinesia by decreasing the amount of dopamine the cells release. In this study, NLX-112 was tested in marmosets with Parkinson's-like symptoms. The marmosets had developed the side effect of dyskinesia in response to levodopa treatment in a similar way to many people with Parkinson's. The study looked at the effect of NLX-112 both on its own and in combination with levodopa, to understand how it impacted both dyskinesia and Parkinson's symptoms. The results showed that NLX-112 successfully reduced dyskinesia and crucially, did not significantly reduce the effectiveness of levodopa, which many other similar drugs do. When NLX-112 was used on its own (without levodopa), it again improved movement problems. These promising results published online in Neuropharmacology, suggest that NLX-112 has potential as a future treatment for not only reducing dyskinesia, but also for improving the movement symptoms of Parkinson's. The one-year project was funded through the Parkinson's Virtual Biotech, led by charity Parkinson's UK, which is plugging the funding gap in drug development and fast-tracking the projects with the greatest scientific potential, to transform the lives of people with Parkinson's. Dr Arthur Roach, Director of Research at Parkinson's UK, said: "This promising research on NLX-112 offers hope that we can find a treatment that can tackle dyskinesia, which can make everyday tasks, such as eating, writing and walking, extremely difficult. People with Parkinson's tell us it is one of the most critical issues that impacts quality of life so we're delighted that this project is progressing so positively. "With 145,000 people living with Parkinson's in the UK, we are desperately in need of a breakthrough treatment and we're committed to delivering one by 2024. It is vital we continue to work with biotech companies like Neurolixis to drive forward new treatments that may slow, stop or reverse Parkinson's and also those, like NLX-112, that could bring relief from symptoms or side effects." Adrian Newman-Tancredi, PhD, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Neurolixis, said: "We are excited that NLX-112 has shown such positive results in reducing dyskinesia in marmosets. If the striking preclinical data are reproduced in clinical trials, NLX-112 could significantly alleviate the troubling dyskinesia that prevent many Parkinson's patients from performing routine daily tasks, thereby improving their quality of life. "We are currently making plans and seeking funding to take NLX-112 into clinical trials and hope to be able to initiate these before the end of 2020. "We're hugely grateful for the funding from the Parkinson's Virtual Biotech which has helped us complete the essential final experiments and preparations to get us to this crucial point." NLX-112 has been previously tested in people with diabetes to treat pain. As it has been found to be safe and well-tolerated in humans, it is hoped the drug will now be moved into phase 2 clinical trials in people with Parkinson's. 39-year-old TV director Michael Gibson lives in Preston and was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's at the age of 18. He lives with his wife and two children. Michael experiences the symptoms of stiffness, rigidity and slow speech. His medication has resulted in him experiencing the side effect of dyskinesia which has worsened over time and impacts his life the most. "The side effect developed five years ago but it has ramped up recently and I am struggling with my mental health as a result. I can cope with the stiffness but it's the twitching movements that I am most embarrassed about. "Sometimes I go to work in the morning and my body is nervous, my legs are bouncing around and I get stressed at my desk. I get conscious that my colleagues are looking at me. When I order a drink from a bar, I'm terrified that the dyskinesia will make me spill my drink, affect my walking and make people stare! It does and it really gets me down; that's why I never offer to make brews at work. "I have two children and their friends often ask, 'why does your Dad keep dancing?' It makes me feel awful because I don't want to continue explaining things. "When I found out about this drug, it gave me hope. Dyskinesia affects me every day by making me stand out. I just want to be normal and not jig about. I would want nothing more than to find something that could reduce it." ### Media enquiries: For further information/case studies/interview requests please contact: Parkinson's UK: Anita Salhotra, Senior Media and PR Officer on 020 7932 1361 or email asalhotra@parkinsons.org.uk Out of hours please call 07961 460 248 or email pr@parkinsons.org.uk Neurolixis, Inc: Dr Adrian Newman-Tancredi, CEO, Neurolixis Inc. on contact@neurolixis.com Notes to editors This press release highlights the findings published online on 10 February 2020: 'The selective 5-HT1A receptor agonist, NLX-112, exerts anti-dyskinetic and anti-parkinsonian-like effects in MPTP-treated marmosets' - published in Neuropharmacology About Parkinson's UK Anyone can get Parkinson's, young or old. Every hour, two more people are diagnosed. Parkinson's is what happens when the brain cells that make dopamine start to die. There are over 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety. Some are treatable, but the drugs can have serious side effects. It gets worse over time and there's no cure. Yet. But we know we're close to major breakthroughs. By funding the right research into the most promising treatments, we get closer to a cure every day. Until then, we're here for everyone affected by Parkinson's. Fighting for fair treatment and better services. Making everyone see its real impact. We are Parkinson's UK. Powered by people. Funded by you. Together we'll find a cure. Advice, information and support, is available via our website, http://www.parkinsons.org.uk, or our free, confidential helpline on 0808 800 0303. About The Parkinson's Virtual Biotech People with Parkinson's urgently need new treatments. But right now, there's a huge gap in drug development. The Parkinson's Virtual Biotech exists to plug that critical funding shortage. It takes the most promising research and partners with institutions and pharmaceutical companies worldwide to develop the findings into plausible drug treatments. Currently there are projects at the discovery, preclinical and early clinical development stages. With no large teams of scientists or expensive labs to run, the Parkinson's Virtual Biotech ensures that every penny of the annual 4m investment goes on what matters most: fast tracking the projects with the greatest potential to transform the lives of people with Parkinson's. No one else is doing this. It's a bold risk. But we believe it will deliver a groundbreaking new treatment by 2024. Because people with Parkinson's won't wait. Together, we'll find a cure. To find out more, visit https://www.parkinsonsvirtualbiotech.co.uk/ About NLX-112 NLX-112 (also known as befiradol) acts on the brain's serotonin system and is a particularly specific and efficacious activator of neuronal proteins known as 5-HT1A receptors. By targeting these receptors, NLX-112 potently and efficaciously reduces dyskinesias in rodent and non-human primate models of Parkinson's disease. NLX-112 is orally administered and has been safely tested in over 500 human subjects. Neurolixis plans to investigate the antidyskinetic activity of NLX-112 in patients with L-DOPA-induced Parkinson's disease and, potentially, with other movement disorders. About Neurolixis, Inc. Neurolixis, with offices in the USA and France, is a privately held biotechnology company developing therapies for disorders of the central nervous system. The Company has two clinical programs: as well as NLX-112, Neurolixis is also developing NLX-101, a Phase 1 drug candidate targeting Rett syndrome, a rare and debilitating disorder affecting young girls. Additional discovery programs target psychiatric disorders such as depression. Forward Looking Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements that represent our judgement as of the date of the release. They involve uncertainties, including dependence on third parties for the development, regulatory approval and successful commercialization of our products, the inherent risk of failure in developing new technologies, as well as other risks. Actual results may differ materially from those projected. Neurolixis disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Dr John Cuddihy, Director of Health Protection Surveillance Centre and Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer Department of Health at a press conference on the confirmed case of COVID-19 in Ireland at the Department of Health in Dublin. Photo: Arthur Carron Hundreds of pupils in a Dublin secondary school have been told to stay at home for two weeks after a student tested positive for the new coronavirus. Parents were thrown into panic yesterday after receiving a letter from the HSE saying the school had been shut with pupils and staff put under active surveillance by public health doctors until March 16. The student, the first person in the Republic to be diagnosed with the virus sweeping the globe, was being cared for in the isolation unit of the Mater Hospital in Dublin last night. He caught the virus during a mid-term visit to one of the areas of northern Italy which has had the biggest infection outbreak in Europe. The staff and students in the 400-pupil school have been told to restrict their movements and isolate themselves for the next 14 days. Parents got letters from the HSE yesterday informing them "a person" in the school had been identified as having the virus and that it would be closed for two weeks "as a precaution". Read More The letter provided information on how to reduce the risk of transmission but did not state it was a pupil who had the virus. Parents will get daily text messages from public health doctors and have been told to report any potential symptoms. The decision by the Department of Health not to reveal the name of the school was criticised on social media last night. Some public representatives named the school on Twitter. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the school would not be named for reasons of patient confidentiality and the need to reassure other people who may have the infection that they can come forward without a breach of privacy. It is understood Education Minister Joe McHugh has contacted the school principal and assured her support would be made available. It is the second case on the island of Ireland in the space of a few days and follows news that a woman in Northern Ireland also has the virus following a trip to northern Italy. Expand Close Workers disinfect subway trains against coronavirus in Tehran (Sajjad Safari/IIPA via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Workers disinfect subway trains against coronavirus in Tehran (Sajjad Safari/IIPA via AP) It is the second case on the island of Ireland in the space of a few days and follows news that a woman in Northern Ireland also has the virus following a trip to northern Italy. She returned to Ireland via Dublin airport and travelled on to Belfast by train. Dr John Cuddihy, head of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said yesterday that not all of the contacts of the person who tested positive from the Dublin school had yet been traced and this work was ongoing. The case has again heightened the risk of more people being diagnosed with the virus in the Republic, with particular fears about visitors who were recently in the 11 towns in northern Italy at the centre of the outbreak there. Another five fatalities were announced in Italy yesterday, taking its death toll to 34 as the infection continues to cripple the country's northern regions. The parents at the Dublin school are to receive a briefing from HSE officials at the school this morning. Asked what restricted movement meant for the pupils, Dr Cuddihy said: "They need to limit social interactions, not go to school, work or sporting events." He added that they should avoid contact with vulnerable groups. These include elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. The decision only relates to this school and does not have implications for other schools. Asked if more travel restrictions should be imposed in light of the risk of people abroad bringing it back to Ireland, health officials said it was a matter for individuals whether they travel or not. The Department of Foreign Affairs is advising against travel to mainland China and affected areas of northern Italy but there is no travel ban. Expand Close A woman wearing a face mask on a bus in London. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A woman wearing a face mask on a bus in London. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire The at-risk regions remain China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Iran and four areas in northern Italy - Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont. Health Minister Simon Harris said it was important people heeded the advice of public health doctors who, following a risk assessment, decided it was best to close the school as a precautionary measure. "It is important that schools stay open and follow the advice of the HSE in this regard," he added. He said he appreciated the concerns of people involved and asked that they contact their GP if they had questions. Dr Mel Bates, a GP in north Dublin, said family doctors were seeing an increase in questions from the "worried well" and this was expected to increase this week. These patients do not fit into current risk categories but are worried that if the virus starts to spread here they will be vulnerable. "They may have had surgery and are worried if this leaves them at particular risk," he added. Other GPs have expressed concern at the amount of time it is taking them to contact public health doctors on the phone with one doctor saying it is taking 45 minutes to get through. GPs must phone the public health doctors if they are contacted by a patient who has been abroad in an at-risk region and has potential symptoms of the virus. Meanwhile, the first person in Scotland has tested positive for coronavirus. The information-aware and many in the medical industry are nervously watching the news about coronavirus spread and mortality rates. What we know so far isnt pretty. Why Optimism Is Unwarranted The coronavirus appears to be highly contagious. Chinas CDC, based on a comprehensive study of the data it has, said as of mid-February that the case fatality rate is 2.3%. Even though optimists have pointed out the case fatality rate in China was much lower outside Hubei, on the order of 0.7%, that appears to be significantly the result of its stringent lockdown, which greatly slowed disease spread outside Hubei. Critically, that meant a higher proportion of the severely ill could be treated. Conversely, as we have pointed out, there is reason to think that in Hubei, at least twice as many cases as the ones reported are isolating at home. Over 150,000 people have represented themselves as being in desperate need of help on Weibo. A very high percentage likely does have the coronavirus and is also likely to suffer deaths at least at the level of the China CDC case fatality rate by virtue of not having been treated. The WHO has also rejected the cheery line of thought, that the fatality rate may be way lower than commonly assumed because mild cases arent being captured. Their take is that those mild cases are so few in number as to not be meaningful. From StatNews: Bruce Aylward, who led an international mission to China to learn about the virus and Chinas response, said the specialists did not see evidence that a large number of mild cases of the novel disease called Covid-19 are evading detection. if there arent large numbers of uncounted cases, the severity seen in China is what the rest of the world should expect as the virus moves to new locations, especially if it spreads to the degree seen in Hubei province, where the outbreak began. The case fatality rate the percentage of known infected people who die is between 2% and 4% in Hubei province, and 0.7% in other parts of China, he said. The lower rate outside of Hubei is likely due to the draconian social distancing measures China has put in place to try to slow spread of the virus. Other parts of China have not had the huge explosion of cases seen in Hubei, Aylward said. A case fatality rate of between 2% to 4% rivals and even exceeds that of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which is estimated to have killed upwards of 50 million people. Even a case fatality rate of 0.7% which means 7 out of every 1,000 infected people would die is sobering. It is seven times the fatality rate for seasonal flu, which is estimated to kill between 290,000 and 650,000 people a year globally. In other words, there isnt good reason to think the news about the coronavirus is going to get better soon, save perhaps the arrival of warmer weather slowing disease spread.but that may simply set us up for a revival in the fall. The lack of even adequate testing in the US and no prospect of getting it any time soon, the Trump Administration decision to opt for spin over transparency, the prohibitively high cost (for most) of getting tested, and financial insecurity and lack of sick days making it also too costly for many to stay home if they start exhibiting coronavirus symptoms, makes the US subject to more extensive propagation than might otherwise happen. The absence of enough data for making sound risk assessments means once awareness of the disease becomes more widespread (US readers say they see a lot of complacency except in locations close to outbreaks) means those who are in an economic position to do so will take protective measures, while those who need a paycheck and cant work remotely will keep showing upunless and until a slowdown in their business forces hours and headcount cuts. So we see Amazon bans all nonessential travel and Nike temporarily shutters its headquarters campus for a deep cleaning while Amazon warehouse laborers are expected to keep up their punishing routines no matter how terrible they feel. Amazon seems far more concerned about coronavirus leading to Prime Day inventory shortages than to its warehouses becoming coronavirus clusters. And to weigh heavily on the obvious, the US is not well positioned to cope with a massive public health crisis. The CDCs poor calls on the test kits calls the agencys sense of priorities into question. As most readers know, its staffing levels were cut under the Trump administration, particularly of disease security programs. But the problem with our public health system extend well beyond Trump. Even if the CDC were well funded and staffed, it could not do all that much. Public health in the US is a state and local responsibility. That virtually assures that if the coronavirus were to become a large-scale problem, responses across the US are likely to be uncoordinated. Consider this discuss from the National Conference of State Legislatures: The preservation of the public health has historically been the responsibility of state and local governments. Clarity in leadership is crucial in a joint federal, state, and local response to any event which could cause harm to the publics health. The public health authority of the states derive from the police powers granted by their constitutions and reserved to them by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The basis for the federal governments authority to prescribe a quarantine and other health measures is based on the Commerce Clause, which gives Congress exclusive authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. To be specific, a comprehensive public health response to avert the spread of highly contagious diseases may call for the isolation of people, the quarantining of a community exposed to the infectious disease or both. Quarantine typically refers to the separation of individuals who have been exposed to an infection but are not yet ill from others who have not been exposed to the transmissible infection.[i] In contrast, isolation refers to the (s)eperation of infected individuals from those who are not infected.[ii] Primary quarantine authority typically resides with state health departments and health officials; however, the federal government has jurisdiction over interstate and foreign quarantine. The article notes that the federal government can take charge if a state asks or of the Feds deem the state response inadequate. However, my impression is that for decades, the Feds have always been invited in; disaster areas are typically desperate for help. However, one can imagine the Trump team imposing its will on parts of California just for the hell of it. In addition, neoliberalism and the precautionary principle do not co-exist happily. The public is already being conditioned to expect that any coronavirus vaccine wont be free, but at least unlike being tested for the disease, will be affordable. So many wont seek care unless and until they become desperately ill. The failure to get a diagnosis and isolate early will increase coronavirus spread. Real Economy and Market Exposures I dont want to minimize the seriousness of the coronavirus health risks. But on top of that, people who do not become sick or come down with only a mild case may wind up suffering economically due to cuts in hours or job loss or for those who have them, damage to their pensions. The markets are finally taking coronavirus very seriously, with the long bond trading at record highs and stock markets doing synchronized swan dives last week. But unlike the financial crisis, where it was possible to identify the main drivers, housing debt and highly leveraged resecuritizations (CDOs) where the risks wound up concentrated at undercapitalized, systemically important financial institutions, here, many real economy sectors are seriously exposed: energy, travel and hospitality, aircraft manufacturers, automakers, restaurants, casinos. Even though the business press is geared to covering stocks, it is high levels of downgrades and defaults that make for financial crises. Remember that the the dot-bomb era, despite a massive wipeout of equity values, didnt result in a crisis due to limits on margin lending. But as a result of the measures to move risks out of the banking sector, it may be harder to anticipate where ruptures will occur. The current leading edge conventional wisdom is that well see a massive credit crunch as many companies start looking wobbly as their revenues shrink and investors get nervous about taking lending risk until they see a bottom to the disease and the economic damage. The fact that the Telegraphs Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is in top form is a bearish sign. In his latest article, he starts by describing Standard & Poors and Moodys issuing broad-based warnings. Note that S&P and Moodys are known for not downgrading until bonds are already trading as if theyd been notched down: There are mounting risks of a credit crunch in vulnerable sectors of the corporate bond market, potentially rocking an unstable financial edifice with record levels of debt and set off a dangerous chain reaction. Moodys has issued a global recession alert should the coronavirus turn into a global pandemic, deemed inevitable by many of the worlds top virologists after exponential outbreaks in Korea, Iran, Italy, and now France. The economy was already fragile before the outbreak and vulnerable to anything that did not stick to script. COVID-19 is way off script, said the rating agency. S&Ps [head of credit research for Europe and the Middle East] Mr [Paul] Watters said sectors with a toxic mix of high leverage and poor cash flow are coming under the microscope. Health care borrowers in the high-yield league are the most stretched with a debt-to-earnings ratio of six times, followed by media on 5.5 times. Yves here. Bet you didnt know there was lots of credit risk in the health care sector. I have to confess I found that out only recently due to some deep-dive research by a colleague that is being circulated privately. Upon reflection, it makes sense since private equity firms have long been buying in the medical space, both due to the perceived safety of cash flows and when they find a choke hold, their ability to jack up prices. But its not just PE plays: Europes car industry is also in the sights. Moodys downgraded Renault to junk last month. S&P has placed the company on creditwatch negative at BBB-, just one rung short of junk status and alongside GKN, IHO Verwaltungs, and ZF Friedrichshafen. The worlds number one car-maker VW is at BBB+ and no longer has much buffer. The US Treasury, the International Monetary Fund, and G20 Basel regulators have all warned that the underlying quality of high-yield debt and leveraged loans has deteriorated badly and is now more extreme than before the Lehman crisis. But what they are even more worried about is a fat tranche of BBB rated securities that has mushroom fivefold since 2008 to $3.4 trillion and is precariously perched on the cliff-edge. The slightest shock could lead to a cascade of downgrades. The US Treasurys watchdog (OFR) said in its Stability Report that investment funds with strict mandates would be forced to sell these derated fallen angels, setting off firesales into a frozen market. Among the companies sitting on the lowest investment rung of BBB- and also on negative watch are Samsonite, Vale, Suedzucker, Xerox, Western Digital, EQT, BlackRock TCP Capital, ArcelorMittal, Marks & Spencers, Abertis, and the state of Romania. Nokia and Macys have just been downgraded to junk. So has Kraft-Heinz with $32bn of debt. A similar red alert comes from Anthony Rowley in the South China Morning Post: Even before the coronavirus scare, it had already begun to look like a question of when, rather than if, such a debt crisis would erupt. All that was missing was the trigger. There always has to be a precipitating event for a crisis and the coronavirus could well be it. International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva told the recent G20 finance ministers meeting in Riyadh that high debt levels in countries and corporates could be affected by a rise in risk premia or an unanticipated tightening in financial conditions. She was being diplomatic, of course, but her comments could be interpreted in plain English to mean: countries and companies are up to their necks in debt and if lenders decide at this time of great uncertainty to raise lending rates or to call in loans, then we could be in trouble. Some Asian economies are heavily debt-laden: China itself has a steep corporate-debt-to-GDP ratio of 157 per cent, and after that come places like Singapore, South Korea, Japan and the euro area. At 74 per cent, the US corporate sector is less debt-addicted but that is partly a reflection of that countrys huge GDP. When it comes to household debt, South Korea is well in the lead with borrowing equal to 95 per cent of GDP (and rising) while Hong Kong ranks second in Asia with a ratio of 77 per cent and Malaysia third at 68 per cent. Elsewhere, British households are debt addicted to a degree of 84 per cent. State-owned enterprises represent 35% of Chinas corporate borrowing, so they could be readily backstopped. The others would be messier. The first step is apparently already underway, the zombification of debt by having banks pretend that bad loans arent bad. We saw that playbook in Japan. It was such a failure that the Japanese took the uncharacteristic step in the early phases of the crisis of telling the West that their biggest mistake was not forcing banks to recognize loan losses and dealing with fallout. Even with the banks pretending the losses dont exist, they still wind up being chary of extending more credit. From Bloomberg: Chinas financial regulators will allow the nations lenders to delay recognizing bad loans from smaller businesses reeling from the deadly coronavirus outbreak, giving temporary reprieve to trillions of yuan of debt. Qualified small- and medium-sized businesses nationwide with principal or interest due between Jan 25 and June 30 can apply for a delay to the end of the second quarter, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory said in a joint statement with the central bank on Sunday (March 1). In Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak, the waiver applies to all companies, including large firms, according to the statement. Chinese banks are taking extraordinary steps to avoid recognising bad loans, seeking to protect themselves and cash-strapped borrowers from the economic fallout of the epidemic. Regulators told lenders not to downgrade loans with missed payments or report delinquencies to the countrys centralized credit-scoring system before the end of June, according to the statement. For the West, two places to watch are junk bond positions and collateralized loan obligations. Banks would likely be holding some inventories of each. Collateralized loan obligation losses in the crisis werent terrible (banks also played games so as to underreport them), but they were generally believed to have taken ~15% losses, and they bounced back thanks to the liberal liquidity application by the Fed. The early thinking is CLOs could take worse hits this time around because so many different industry sectors could sink at the same time. And more of the underlying loans are cov lite which means junkier, so theyll also have less value in times of stress. We and others have warned of another possible point of failure: derivative central counterparties. From a 2018 post, which I hope you will read in full, Post Crisis Measures Have Failed to Tame Derivatives Risks: The post crisis remedy settled on in 2009 was to require trades to be cleared through central counterparties who would be the ones to assume the credit risk of buyers and sellers. But as [derivatives expert Satyajit] Das and others (including your humble blogger) pointed out then, all this did was to move that risk out of banks and big leveraged financial players like hedge funds, and into the counterparties, which themselves are too big to fail entities.2 And even though it is true that a central counterparty will reduce overall credit exposures, as Das has explained numerous times, there is a big gap between theory and practice. So the high-level conclusion is that CCPs in theory are an improvement over the old status quo, but they need to be implemented well to achieve their promise. Most important, they need to have strong enough capital buffers. Even then, they are not a magic bullet. Now aside from [the Financial Times John] Dizards warning, there was reason to be concerned about the motivation for creating central counterparties, in that it was to reduce the too big to fail problem. In other words, given the limited, conditional risk reduction that would result, the idea of moving more credit risk to central counterparties was more than anything else to solve a political problem: to get the government out of the liquidity provider of last resort game But an inadequately capitalized CCP is just another too big to fail entity. And since the CCPs are private, there would be motivation for the participants to have the CCP be underresourced, since higher margins mean higher transaction costs and therefore lower trading volumes. And although no one would admit to this, bankers know full well that no financial regulator is willing to let markets seize up in our brave new world of market-based credit, as opposed to bank-loan-based credit. Another effect of the officialdoms post crisis to move credit out of risk was to move even more into the hands of investors. Those leveraged loans used to finance private equity deals, which are often bundled into those afore-mentioned collateralized loan obligations, often wind up in credit funds managed by private equity firms. Just as with private equity, investors in those credit funds are public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, private pension funds, and life insurers. Fund managers like BlackRock, Fidelity and Vanguard also purchase them for their funds. The Financial Times reports that these investment managers are already reeling from withdrawals from their funds. By contrast, investors in private equity credit funds cant liquidate, so they will have to take their lumps. A big issue that astute commentators like Nouriel Roubini and Ambrose Evans-Pritchard have discussed is the Fed cant fix a real economy crisis. Pray tell what can a central bank do to compensate for widespread business travel bans, which hit the particularly lucrative premium class international flights? Or the fact that restaurants in cities like New York are largely deserted? When hours and jobs for restaurant and hotel employees fall (for starters), youll see knock-ons to credit card, auto loan and student debt delinquencies. Only fiscal spending can compensate for the loss of business income and the US is allergic to that, save in the form of tax cuts to the rich. Italy is on the right track although tax relief is less than idea than direct subsidies to workers and the amount looks too small. But its constrained by EU budget rules. From the Financial Times: Roberto Gualtieri, Italys economy minister, said on Sunday the government would introduce tax credits for companies that reported a 25 per cent drop in revenues, as well as tax cuts and extra cash for the health system. The package will amount to 0.2 per cent of GDP, he told La Repubblica, and would come in addition to 900m worth of measures unveiled on Friday for the most severely hit regions. Rome will simultaneously seek authorisation from Brussels to increase the budget deficit for this year, the Treasury said over the weekend. Italy does deserve credit for moving quickly on the health and real economy fronts. The US is likely to pay for its dilatory attitude in lives and in treasure. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 2, 2020) - Pancontinental Resources Corporation (TSXV: PUC) ("Pancon" or the "Company") announced that the Company has executed, with the Brewer Gold Receiver LLC (the "Receiver") an exclusive Mining Lease With Option to Purchase ("Option Agreement") the highly prospective former Brewer Gold Mine property ("Brewer"). Brewer is located 12 kilometers northeast along trend from the producing Haile Gold Mine on the gold-rich and underexplored Carolina Slate Belt in South Carolina, USA. Pancon's President & CEO Layton Croft stated: "In October 2019 we submitted our proposal, in cooperation with Environmental Risk Transfer LLC ("ERT"), to explore and possibly purchase Brewer. In January 2020 we were selected by the Receiver, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control ("SC DHEC") and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("US EPA"). In February we finalized our Option Agreement, based on our winning proposal. We now intend to commence exploration work, with our initial phase of drilling to be completed this summer. We are pursuing a multi-million AuEq ounce high-grade gold-copper resource between 300-600 meters below surface. Our immediate goal is to discover significant new gold-copper mineralization in 2020. ERT, meantime, brings unmatched integrated financial, operational, technical and risk management expertise to define, mitigate and contain environmental and financial liability." Brewer has not been explored since 1997. Pancon's team includes the exploration and economic geologists who: (i) discovered Brewer's near-surface high-grade oxide gold mine that produced 178,000 ounces in the 1980s-1990s; (ii) discovered the near-surface high-grade Buzzard Gold Project, on trend less than a kilometre southwest of Brewer, in the 1990s; and (iii) intersected near-surface gold mineralization at Pancon's Jefferson Gold Project, on trend less than a kilometre northeast of Brewer, in 2016-17. Pancon's 100%-owned Jefferson Gold Project (1,758 acres/711 hectares) surrounds Brewer (996 acres/403 hectares) on all sides. Story continues The Option Agreement is effective as of March 1, 2020, with an initial option term of 18 months commencing on April 1, 2020. If Pancon spends US$2 million to conduct exploration and environmental due diligence during the initial term, the Company can extend the option term for an additional 18 months and exercise its option to purchase at any time within the option term. During the option term, Pancon will implement the exploration program and engage ERT - an industry leader providing complex environmental risk-transfer solutions to cost-effectively eliminate environmental liabilities - to implement the environmental due diligence required to determine the Superfund liability at Brewer. Pancon can terminate the Option Agreement after spending US$500,000. According to the Option Agreement, there will be two components of the purchase price if Pancon exercises its option to purchase: 1) the cost of an environmental remedy and financial assurance for owning all environmental liability at Brewer to date, which will be a number based on ERT's environmental due diligence during the option term that informs upcoming negotiations with the Receiver, US EPA and SC DHEC; and 2) half of total past costs incurred by SC DHEC and US EPA to clean and manage Brewer since 2000, which, according to Pancon's and ERT's winning proposal, will be paid after future mining operations are commissioned, in ten annual installments of 10%, and conditioned on the future mine operator's ability to pay based on a profit formula to be determined by the parties. These two components will be finalized in a Purchase and Sale Agreement, which will supersede this Option Agreement, and which will be informed by ERT's environmental due diligence and ERT's and Pancon's negotiations with the Receiver, US EPA and SC DHEC. About Brewer Gold was discovered at Brewer in the 1800s. Between 1987-1995, the Brewer Gold Company ("BGC"), a U.K.-owned entity, produced 178,000 ounces of oxide gold from open pits that extended to 50-metre depths, where copper and gold-rich sulfides were exposed but could not be processed by BGC's oxide heap leach processing facility. Brewer is a high sulphidation system driven by a sub-volcanic intrusive and possibly containing a large copper-gold porphyry system at depth, as indicated by: widely known prospective geology, including diatreme breccias; associated high sulphidation alteration; gold and copper mineralization; and geophysics (Schmidt, R.G., 1978, The Potential for Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Deposits in the Eastern United States, U.S. Geological Survey). BGC mined more than 12,000,000 tons of mineralized material and waste rock from two open pits until 1995, when mining operations ceased. From 1995-1999, BGC performed initial reclamation activities under the direction of SC DHEC. BGC was unsuccessful in achieving the goal of a fully-reclaimed, clean site, and ultimately informed SC DHEC that it intended to abandon the site. In 1999, BGC abandoned the site, leaving SC DHEC and US EPA to handle reclamation activities and address conditions posing environmental risk. In 2005, Brewer was designated a US EPA Superfund site as per the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensations and Liability Act ("CERCLA"). BGC's abandonment of the property left the Department and US EPA with no options for addressing water quality threats from the site other than using the CERCLA response actions funded by US EPA and SC DHEC. SC DHEC and US EPA retained access to the property for purposes of constructing, operating, and maintaining the wastewater treatment plant and otherwise carrying out the CERCLA remedy, however they did not have the legal authority to manage long-term access to the property for other purposes or to make decisions concerning other uses or final disposition of the property, including exploration and future mining of Brewer. SC DHEC, with US EPA's support, sought appointment of a temporary receiver to manage access to the property for interested third parties. Such a receiver would have the authority to facilitate leasing, sale, or other use or disposition of the abandoned property, including potential renewal of mining exploration and development at the property, and would promote resolution of SC DHEC and US EPA's action to address continued environmental threats at the site. The Court of Common Pleas for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina granted SC DHEC's request and appointed the Brewer Gold Receiver LLC on February 4, 2019. About ERT In response to increasing shareholder and stakeholder demands for increased environmental stewardship and responsibility, as well as a state and federal regulatory focus on site closure in connection with financial and environmental liability, the Waterfield Group and Environmental Operations, Inc. (EOI) created Environmental Risk Transfer LLC (ERT) to provide complex environmental risk-transfer solutions to corporations that wish to cost-effectively eliminate all environmental liability. In this situation ERT would assume the long-term risks associated with the Superfund liability. By offering integrated environmental experience with innovative financial products, ERT provides clients with best in class solutions that define, mitigate and contain environmental and financial liability. ERT identifies and assumes environmental risk, typically through acquiring the contaminated real estate and providing the Seller with a collateralized indemnity. ERT offers risk assumption services to Fortune 500 corporations, real estate developers, municipalities, county governments, general contractors, utilities, industries, manufacturers, bankers, and attorneys. ERT's affiliates also provide environmental consulting and contracting services, as well as regulatory compliance, demolition, waste management, and industrial hygiene engineering. ERT's ongoing success at Missouri Cobalt LLC - a former and current US EPA Superfund site now owned and operated by an ERT affiliate - has won praise from the US EPA as a positive example of transforming formerly contaminated sites into hubs of economic activity promoting redevelopment and community revitalization. EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, visited the Missouri Cobalt mine site on July 31, 2019 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative. About Pancon Pancon is a Canadian-based junior mining exploration company focused on the prolific and underexplored Carolina Slate Belt in South Carolina, USA. Pancon's 100%-owned Jefferson Gold Project surrounds the former Brewer Gold Mine, located 12 km along trend northeast from the Haile Gold Mine, which produced 131,819 ounces of gold in 2018. In addition, Pancon has four nickel-copper-cobalt projects in Northern Ontario, surrounding or near producing or former mines in proven and safe mining districts. Qualified Person The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Richard "Criss" Capps, PhD, RPG, SME REG. GEO, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. For further information, please contact: Layton Croft, President & CEO or Jeanny So, External Relations Manager E: info@panconresources.com T: (USA) +1.980.498.7688; (Canada) +1.647.202.0994 For additional information please visit our new redesigned website (www.panconresources.com ) and our Twitter feed: @PanconResources. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52989 When you purchase a top-of-the-line appliance, you expect it to work. When you protect your purchase with an extended warranty, you expect stuff thats broken to get fixed or to be replaced. It doesnt always work that way. Nearly five years after spending $2,850 on a Samsung refrigerator, and another $180 on an extended warranty from NSI Protection Plus, Dena and Chris Roslan still dont have a fully operational appliance. The couple purchased the refrigerator, model number RF23J9011SR, which comes with a water and ice dispenser, in August 2015. By October of that year, just a month after the refrigerator was delivered, the icemaker went on the fritz, freezing up and not dispensing ice. Want more personal finance news? Enter your email address to be the first to know: Dena Roslan consulted the troubleshooting guide in the user manual, watched a YouTube video and followed the instructions, which told her to remove the icebox, dislodge the chunks of ice and empty the tray. Within a few hours, they had ice. Unfortunately, over the next several months, we routinely repeated these same steps numerous times, Roslan said. It would seemingly fix the issue, but only temporarily. Because the appliance was still under the manufacturers warranty, Roslan called Samsung several times, she said. Each time, the representative would ask if she followed the troubleshooting guide, and when shed say yes, the rep would tell her to wait six to 12 hours before trying the dispenser again. If it didnt work, she should call again. Inevitably, these self-correct steps would resolve the issue, however, the victory was always short-lived, she said. The icemaker would always fail again. This went on for three years. THE RUNAROUND By October of 2018, the self-correcting method wasnt working. By now, the extended warranty had kicked in, so Roslan called NSI, the warranty company. The first technician came to the home in November. He replaced a tube for the icemaker, and it seemed to work. At first. Two months later, it failed again. Another call to NSI, and another repairman came in January 2019. The tech told us that this exact issue we are having is a known issue with Samsung, Roslan said. The technician went through the usual regimen and replaced another part, but couldnt promise it would work. He said the part was a kit Samsung came out with to help this issue, but in his experience, it didnt always work. In our case, it worked for seven months, she said. So in August, another service call brought another technician. This one said the fridge was irreparable and NSI should replace the unit, Roslan said. The tech said he would file a report, and the couple should expect a call from NSI the next week. When they didnt hear right away, Roslan said, she called NSI, which said it never received the techs report. So Roslan called the technician, who said he did send the report and he would send it again. A week later, Roslan called NSI and again, it said it didnt have the report. Over the next several months, Roslan said she called NSI many times, spending hours on hold and telling the same story over and over again. Desperate for action, she got the merchant where she bought the fridge to contact NSI. NSI wasnt immediately responsive, but in November, there was word from the merchant. NSI told them the only way NSI would replace the unit was if another technician came out and said it needed replacement. When the new technician came, he agreed the unit was irreparable, Roslan said, and he said she would get a call from NSI. But once again, the call never came. When Roslan called, NSI told her a familiar story: It didnt have the service notes from the technician. A big concern for us is that our extended warranty expires on August 15, 2020, Roslan said. We wholeheartedly feel that the warranty company is purposely giving us the run-around until our warranty expires in six months. In a last-ditch effort, Roslan called Samsung in early February and shared all the service notes with the representative. The only thing she could offer was to put me in touch with the service center and set up an in-home diagnosis that we would have pay for. The diagnosis fee is $150, Roslan said. I have already paid for the extended warranty that should have resolved this issue long ago and I refuse to pay Samsung a service fee. Unsure what to do next, Roslan asked Bamboozled for help. GETTING ACTION We reviewed the couples timeline of events, the paperwork from all the service calls and the extended warranty. The warranty says: If We determine, in Our sole discretion, that Your Product cannot be repaired, We will replace it with a Product of like kind and quality that is of comparable performance or reimburse You for replacement of the Product. Then we looked around and saw the couples refrigerator, and several other Samsung models, are the subject of a class action lawsuit. The suit claims Samsung has known that fixes to the refrigerators didnt work given repeated consumer complaints of the Defects and of their multiple failed attempts at repair, and says Samsung made a conscious decision to ignore the problem at the expense of its customers. We reached out to Samsung and to NSI. Both said they would look into it. The Roslans got a voicemail from a repair company representative, who said he was closing out the case. We asked NSI how that could happen, and the representative told Bamboozled that NSI already authorized a replacement and the call was to work out the replacement exchange. The next day, Roslan got an email from Samsung, offering a full refund on the unit. The couple accepted the offer. Theres no question that your getting involved made this happen, as Dena had tried repeatedly to get someone at Samsung to care, but they only wanted us to pay for more service since the unit was past the manufacturers warranty, Chris Roslan said. It is good that they finally are making this right. The plot thickened briefly when the appliance merchant told Dena Roslan it had just heard from NSI, which was offering a partial credit, worth about half the cost of the refrigerator. Total disappointment with NSI still, Chris Roslan said. It wouldnt even cover a replacement. We contacted NSI and it refused to comment, but it called the couple and asked whether Samsung was replacing the fridge. If Samsung was, NSI would rescind the credit, Roslan said he was told. We still have a legal agreement with NSI stating that they will replace or repair our damaged unit, he said. We paid for that warranty and they need to live up to it. At the least, he said, NSI should refund the cost of the warranty. Thats still up in the air. We also asked Samsung about why the resolution took so long, but it didnt respond in time for publication. Were glad the Roslans got the refund, and now its time to go shopping. While we will consider other products that Samsung makes for future purchases, we will not purchase another Samsung refrigerator, Chris Roslan said. Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter. Justifying the prolonged detention of former chief minister Omar Abdullah under the Public Safety Act (PSA), the Jammu and Kashmir administration told the Supreme Court in an affidavit that the National Conference (NC) vice president, continues to be an 'imminent threat' to the public order. On Monday, the affidavit stressed the validity of Omar Abdullah's detention. The Jammu and Kashmir administration, without reasoning, emphasised that it is essential for Omar Abdullah to continue the detention, citing 'sensitivity' of law and order. In addition, the affidavit submitted to the top court stated that Jammu and Kashmir's 'geographical proximity to Pakistan' should be taken into consideration. The affidavit, which was submitted by District Magistrate before a Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, also claimed that Omar Abdullah has been a vocal critic of abrogating Article 370. Supreme Court on Monday posted for hearing on March 5 the petition of sister Sara Abdullah Pilot, challenging Omar Abdullah's detention. READ| Mehbooba Mufti's PSA dossier mentions 'daddy's girl' and 'Kota Rani' as charges SC on plea challenging PSA detention A bench of Justice Arun Mishra posted the matter for hearing on Thursday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that Jammu and Kashmir administration has filed an affidavit in the matter. Attorney General KK Venugopal told the bench that no reason has been shown for not approaching the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, and added that in detention matters, one is supposed to approach the High Court at the first instance. The plea, filed by Sara Abdullah Pilot, who is Omar's sister and the wife of Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, said the order of detention is manifestly illegal and there is no question of him being a "threat to the maintenance of public order". Sara, filing the habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of Omar Abdullah under the PSA, said that exercise of powers by authorities under the CrPC to detain individuals, including political leaders, was "clearly mala fide" to ensure that the opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution is "silenced". The plea has sought quashing of the February 5 order detaining Omar Abdullah under the PSA and also sought his production before the court. "The intent of exercise of power was to incarcerate not just him (Omar Abdullah) but the entire leadership of the NC, as well as the leadership of other political parties, who were similarly dealt with, including Farooq Abdullah, who has served the state and the union over several years... stood by India whenever the situation so demanded," the petition stated. The plea said that there could be no material available to detain a person who has already been detained for the last six months. It added that the ground for the detention order is wholly lacking any material facts or particulars which are imperative for an order of detention. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on February 5 invoked stringent PSA against the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other top leaders in the erstwhile state. READ| 'Degree from WhatsApp Univ': Congress' jab at PM Modi over quote on Omar Abdullah (With ANI inputs) Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald meets local residents looks at flood prevention measures in the Mill Bank area of Athlon The Irish Republic has been hollowed out and no longer rests on the firm foundations of alternating Fianna Fail and Fine Gael governments. These two parties have given nearly 100 years of stability, while most of Europe was engulfed by communism or fascism. Yes, there are housing and health problems. But we can cure them, because Ireland has a strong economy and virtually full employment. So, why the madness of a mantra for a "change" that nearly ended in a coup? By now, had Sinn Fein run sufficient candidates, a party directed by the IRA army council would be waiting for access to Garda and Defence Forces' files. Given the IRA's record, that would only be the start. They would reach into the Revenue Commissioners, "monitor" RTE and tax private media. People with the wrong politics would feel the heat. At the least. Next, they would step up "security" in support of their main agenda - putting pressure on unionists for a united Ireland that could only end in ethnic strife. Thanks to Micheal Martin's firm stand, that future scoundrel time has been postponed. But only postponed. The wolf I long warned about is within the fold and has to wait only five years. How did this happen? Sinn Fein apologists pretend that election attacks on the party helped it grow. If so, why did Leo Varadkar get a bourgeois bounce from his attack on Sinn Fein during the last leaders' debate? Why is Sinn Fein so anxious to make moral issues, like Paul Quinn's murder, totally taboo? Like all countries with a ''national question", Ireland can be roused to rage by a populist party led by a skilled demagogue. Apart from the majority, moved by health and housing, there are five reasons why many young people (and some middle-class voters) backed Sinn Fein's green frenzy. First, young people are taught no history. They are at the mercy of Sinn Fein's massive investment in false history on social media. Second, RTE has pumped out green centenary programmes, but does not balance by showing films like Spotlight on the Troubles or Lost Lives. Third, Sinn Fein academic chiefs cleared out pluralists (aka "revisionists") as completely as the Nazis purged the Jews from German universities. Proof? Scratch an academic on an RTE panel and, many times, you'll find a Sinn Fein apologist. Fourth, Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney's Brexit-bashing morphed in the public mind into Brit-bashing. Incredibly, they were at it again last week. Finally, the most dangerous development of all: the campaign to persuade us the peace process demands we must accept Northern Ireland as some kind of role model for the Irish Republic. But Northern Ireland is the imposed product of an IRA campaign. Naturally, northerners are tempted to demand we accept the same distorted settlement. Let me give you a practical example of how a campaign to "Shinnerise" the Irish Republic, no matter how well motivated, can only corrupt the state. Last week, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris repeated his support for the 2015 PSNI-MI5 report, stating the IRA army council oversees Sinn Fein. He could do this because he was completely free to speak his mind. Meantime, his opposite number in Northern Ireland was evasive on the same issue. That is why I was not impressed by Tommie Gorman's long meditation on Drew Harris's stance last Friday week. Depending on your politics, Gorman either depicted the complexity of the situation, or, in my view, muddied the clear water of the commissioner's statement. The bit that bothered me most was when Gorman seemed to normalise the "shadowy figures" by telling us they had previously rubbed shoulders with government representatives. Gorman: "The reality is that Irish governments ... when they're doing business here in Northern Ireland, they have met people who were on the army council of the IRA in order to promote democracy here." Gerry Adams must have been listening, because he made exactly the same point on Twitter - followed by the now-predictable whine against Micheal Martin. Neither Gorman nor Adams mentioned that some northern nationalists, with moral boundaries, made peace without making nice or inhaling the IRA's sulphurous incense. True, Tony Blair and Jonathan Powell had no qualms about slumming with IRA godfathers. Given the wide range of Gorman's soliloquy, however, he might have mentioned that Seamus Mallon famously said he "could not bear to be in the same room" with Gerry Adams. Luckily, there are still wise heads from the SDLP tradition who see that Sinn Fein in government in the south, far from helping northern nationalists, would ruin the decent Irish Republic they hope to join some day. Last week, Alban Maginness, writing in this newspaper, took a longer look at the big picture and the heading summed up his cold conclusion on Sinn Fein: "Letting the party into power in the Republic would cannibalise Irish democracy." Maginness had no doubt who had held the line for Irish democracy: "It is to Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin's great credit that he has rejected the idea of joining with Sinn Fein as a partner in a new coalition government. Micheal Martin has, instead, advocated a grand coalition, between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, together with the Greens." Maginness welcomed this, because it would "protect the Irish body politic from the corrupting influence of Sinn Fein". If a northern observer like Maginness can see that Sinn Fein poses a moral as well as a political challenge, isn't it time for public intellectuals in the Republic to take time out from their obsession with Boris and Trump and take part in the far tougher fight against tribal populism at home? That was why I was glad to see Fintan O'Toole, finally, do our state some small service by somewhat belatedly challenging Sinn Fein last Tuesday in a piece headed: "If murderous dissidents are wrong, so was the Provisional IRA." Given that O'Toole robustly supported Sinn Fein in government before and after the general election, it would have been fitting - if out of character - for him to admit this was a major volte face. Although I'm an atheist, I wish he'd confront the real threat of Sinn Fein right now instead of playing old records about the Catholic Church of the past. A few weeks ago on BBC Northern Ireland's The View, replying to questions about IRA direction of Sinn Fein, he took refuge in a tired Left-liberal trope. "This is not just a question of whether there are 'shadowy figures' (here he did punctuation marks in the air) from the IRA. It's about big business, it's about the Catholic Church in a lot of the history of the Republic." But it's not about big business (barring the IRA's criminal empire), or the Catholic Church of old. It's about backing Micheal Martin against Sinn Fein's atavistic agenda and telling Leo Varadkar to stop posing and get on with giving us a government. Eoghan Harris is a Dublin-based political commentator Photograph: EPA Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, on Sunday brushed off the Afghan presidents rejection of a key clause of the US-Taliban deal he saw signed into effect on Saturday. Related: US and Taliban sign deal to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan After Ashraf Ghani rejected a Taliban demand for the release of 5,000 prisoners which was included in the deal as a condition for further talks, Pompeo was asked if a major stumbling block had emerged only a day after the deal was signed. He told CBSs Face the Nation: There have been prisoner releases from both sides before. Weve managed to figure our path forward. Pompeo said the deal signed in Doha on Saturday, which will lead to US troop withdrawals, was historic and contained detailed commitments by the Taliban to reduce violence. He also expressed hope that talks would begin in the coming days between Afghanistans government and the Taliban, adding that Donald Trump would be actively engaged. Pompeo gave no date for a Trump meeting with Taliban leaders, which the president promised at the White House on Saturday. The deal faces criticism at home but in Kabul, Ghani told reporters: The government of Afghanistan has made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners. Under the accord, the US and the Taliban are committed to work expeditiously to release combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, with the coordination and approval of all sides. The agreement calls for up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by 10 March. Ghani said it was not in the authority of United States to decide about the swap, because it was only a facilitator. Speaking to CNN, the Afghan president said Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and the issue should be discussed as part of a comprehensive peace deal. The political consensus that would be needed for such a major step does not exist today, he said. Story continues Ghani said key issues need to be discussed first, including the Talibans ties with Pakistan and other countries that had offered it sanctuary, its ties with what he called terrorist groups and drug cartels, and the place of Afghan security forces and its civil administration. The people of Afghanistan need to believe that weve gone from war to peace, and not that the agreement will be either a Trojan horse or the beginning of a much worse phase of conflict, he said. Pompeo said that though the Taliban have an enormous amount of American blood on their hands, they have now made the break. Theyve said they will not permit terror to be thrust upon anyone, including the United States, from Afghanistan. Saturdays accord was signed in Doha by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, witnessed by Pompeo. Pompeo said he met a senior Taliban negotiator. Baradar met foreign ministers from Norway, Turkey and Uzbekistan and diplomats from Russia, Indonesia and other nations. The dignitaries who met Mullah Baradar expressed their commitments towards Afghanistans reconstruction and development the US-Taliban agreement is historical, said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. In the US, Republicans in Congress expressed concerns about the logistics of the deal and trusting the Taliban, while Democrats demanded congressional involvement. In a Saturday briefing at the White House, Trump rejected all criticism and said he would meet Taliban leaders. Aides to Ghani said Trumps decision to meet the Taliban could pose a challenge to Afghanistans government at a time when the US troop withdrawal is imminent. Washington is committed to reducing troops to 8,600 from 13,000 within 135 days of signing the deal. The US is also committed to work with allies to reduce the number of coalition forces, if the Taliban adheres to security guarantees and ceasefire. If so, a full withdrawal of all US and coalition forces will occur within 14 months. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and imposed draconian restrictions on womens rights and activities it deemed un-Islamic. After being ousted in a US-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks engineered by al-Qaida forces harboured by the Taliban, the Taliban led a long and violent insurgency. Related: Trump ally Graham and ex-aide Bolton voice concerns over Taliban deal The Bush administration and the Obama administration both tried to get the words that were on the paper yesterday that the Taliban would break from al-Qaida publicly, Pompeo said. We got that. Thats important. Now, time will tell if theyll live up to that commitment is our expectation. They have promised us they will do so and well be able to see on the ground everything they do or choose not to do. The Afghan war, easily Americas longest, has been a stalemate for more than 18 years. More than 2,400 Americans have been killed and more than 20,000 wounded. As of October 2019, more than 43,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed. Talks between Afghan government and Taliban groups will be rocky and bumpy, Pompeo said. No one is under any false illusion that this wont be a difficult conversation. But that conversation for the first time in almost two decades will be among the Afghan people. In February, two school districts in South Carolina became the first in the country to install body scanners at the main entrances of their schools. Florence District 1 and Spartanburg District 6, Motherboard reported, replaced their clunky metal detectors with Evolv Technologys airport-style scanners, after a monthslong initial implementation phase at Spartanburg schools. Evolv claims that these machine learning scanners are the worlds fastest, most accurate and least intrusive weapons detection systems, with the capacity to screen thousands of people per hour. Theyre also free-flow: Students can pass through them without even slipping off their backpacks, the way they would have to with a metal detector. Advertisement In the first 46 weeks of 2019, there were 45 school shootings in the U.S. As policymakers, educators, parents, and students continue to seek a greater sense of control and agency amid this gun violence in schools, a variety of new tech products have entered the market, including facial recognition systems, spyware that monitors students internet behavior, and A.I.-based surveillance cameras that track suspicious movement. Still, people havent yet given up on old-fashioned metal detectors, which first became popular in U.S. airports in the 1970s and in some school districts in the 1990s and 2000s, despite questionable results. In February, for instance, Rep. Wendell Gilliard, a Democrat from Charleston County, filed a bill to the South Carolina House of Representatives that would require metal detectors in every public school in the state. A similar bill was introduced to the Texas House in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While neither Florence nor Spartanburg has previously dealt with a shooting, the districts have experienced threats and a lockdown in the past couple of years. Mark Smith, the director of student services and safety at Spartanburg 6, said in an Evolv press release that he came across the company when he was searching for a solution that delivered optimal security while providing a welcoming, non-prison-like environment for everyone on campus. But there are concerns about efficacyand cost. No public data is available on the scanners accuracy, and Florence 1s superintendent has said that they cost $364,000 for a four-year lease. As Amelia Vance, director of youth and education privacy for the Future of Privacy Forum, told Motherboard, after the Parkland shooting in 2018, schools have been flooded with expensive technology proposals that have no evidence base behind them. Its possible that schools are funding a pipe dream at the expense of potential programs and faculty. Any time youre spending money on something youre taking money away from more school counselors, Vance said. Advertisement And then there is the issue of privacy. Evolv says its scanners can pinpoint exactly where a weapon is on the body. Similar to airport scanners, this raises questions about whetherand to what degreeits acceptable to reveal the contours of a childs body to security guards. Additionally, machines like this further underscore the extent to which children are being monitored, especially by technology neither they nor we yet understand. Theres something unsettling about the brunt of the state and federal governments failures to enact better gun control policy falling on schoolchildren. Its not uncommon to hear nostalgia for ye olden days, when one could waltz up to an airplane, briefcase and full-size shampoo bottles in tow, and board. No lines, no scanners. In this case, though, its not consultants or businesspeople who fly regularly for work that are most affected by new security measures. Its children who can no longer get to class without being reminded, once again, of their own mortality. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. WASHINGTON - Warning that it will be a long, windy, bumpy road to peace in Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Mark Esper said Monday he has approved the start of an American troop withdrawal even as the Taliban said it would continue attacks against Afghan forces. Speaking at a Pentagon news conference, Esper said he wasnt sure if the drawdown had begun, but he said it must start within 10 days of the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement that was announced on Saturday. Esper said Gen. Scott Miller, the U.S. commander in Kabul, will begin the withdrawal to about 8,600 troops from the current total of nearly 13,000, and then will stop and assess conditions. The agreement with the Taliban followed a seven-day reduction in violence period that, from the Trump administrations viewpoint, was meant to test the Talibans seriousness about moving toward a final peace agreement. Our expectation is that the reduction in violence will continue, said Esper, adding that officials will work to determine who is responsible for any acts of violence. Thats going to be the nature of this over the next days, weeks and months, he said. Im not going to get too exited about what happens at the moment. Were just going to deal with each situation as it arises. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there is no expectation that violence in Afghanistan will go to zero quickly. And Esper said the U.S. expects violence will taper off, leading to a start by March 10 of peace negotiations among Afghan groups, including the Taliban. This is going to be a long, windy, bumpy road. There will be ups and downs, and well and stop and start, said Esper. At the White House, Trump was asked if he thought talks will begin as planned on March 10. Well, were going to find out. But were getting out. We want to get out. We had good meetings with the Taliban. And we are going to be leaving, and were going to be bringing our soldiers back home. The Taliban military commission on Monday issued an order to its fighters on the ground to resume attacks against Afghan forces and the the Kabul puppet administration, but not against foreigners. And there were reports of an attack in the eastern province of Khost, but Milley said it was not yet clear who was responsible. That area is known for Taliban activity, but other insurgent groups, including the Islamic State, could be responsible. The peace agreement signed with Taliban militants on Saturday aims to bring Americas longest war to an end after 18 years of bloodshed that began after the 9-11 attacks. Under the deal, the U.S. would draw its forces down to 8,600 in the next three to four months, and the remaining troops would leave within 14 months. The withdrawal depends on the Taliban meeting its commitment 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. The deal does not, however, tie the U.S. withdrawal to any specific outcome from the all-Afghan peace talks, according to U.S. officials. We are going to show good faith and begin withdrawing our troops, Esper said. But both he and Milley said the U.S. will continue counterterrorism strikes against other groups, such as Islamic State militants who pose threats to the U.S. This past weekend, Trump said he would be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-too-distant future, but provided no details. At the Afghan Embassy in Washington, Afghanistans ambassador to the U.S., Roya Rahmani, said the recent reduction in violence had given the Afghan people a glimmer of hope, but that they remained worried about the future. With no military win in sight for either side, the Afghan people see the U.S.-Taliban agreement as an opportunity to forge a political settlement, she said. Rahmani, who just returned from meetings in Kabul, said Afghan officials are ready for the negotiations. Peace is not impossible, but its not easy either because its going to be a difficult road ahead. There is so much to be discussed, she said. The peace process already has hit its first snag. Ghani said Sunday that he will not free thousands of Taliban prisoners ahead of all-Afghan power-sharing talks set for next week. Ghani publicly disagreed with a timetable for a speedy prisoner release laid out just a day earlier in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement. ___ Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report. National Republicans are launching a multi-million-dollar field effort in four blue states, a move that comes as Democrats express mounting concern that a Bernie Sanders nomination could doom them in critical down-ballot contests. The Republican National Committee is deploying dozens of field staffers to California, New Jersey, New York and Illinois. While none of the four states is remotely in play at the presidential level, each has numerous competitive House races and played a critical role in helping Democrats capture the chamber in 2018. The committee is also dispatching staff to Nebraska. While the state is certain to go for President Donald Trump in November, it is home to the district where endangered Republican Rep. Don Bacon is seeking reelection. The RNC plans to spend at least $4 million on field deployment across the five states by Election Day, according to an aide briefed on the decision. It's an unusual investment, since the committee typically focuses its field resources exclusively on swing states in presidential election years. Republican officials say they've been planning the blue state effort for months long before Sanders emerged as a Democratic frontrunner and insist the Democratic primary had no bearing on their decision. The RNC's massive, seven-to-one financial advantage over the Democratic National Committee, aides say, has afforded them the luxury of investing in states that arent in play in the presidential contest. Still, the move comes as senior Democrats worry that Sanders could jeopardize their House majority. Particularly concerning to Democrats is the prospect that the self-described democratic socialist could undercut them in the affluent suburban areas that powered them in 2018. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gestures during a campaign rally Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) During an appearance on Fox News Sunday following his South Carolina Democratic primary win, Joe Biden said the Vermont senator would make "it very difficult down-ballot" for the party. Story continues "This is no great secret to anybody: You can't run as an independent socialist, now a democratic socialist, and expect to do very well in the states we have to win," Biden said. Sanders aides have pushed back against the idea that he would hurt other Democrats on the ballot, arguing that he would draw a wave of young voters to the polls. Republicans, however, have already begun to attach Democrats to the Vermont senator a strategy aimed at suburbanites who've fled the GOP during Trumps presidency but who may be repelled by Sanders politics. The National Republican Congressional Committee, for instance, sent out a press release recently asking whether a pair of vulnerable New Jersey Democrats agreed with comments Sanders made praising Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Democrats insist they'll have more than enough money to defend incumbents seeking reelection, noting that they launched a nationwide field program nearly a year ago. As part of the effort, Democratic field staffers have been dispatched to the four blue states Republicans are now targeting. Democrats also note that their endangered House members have vastly outraised their Republican rivals and have substantial resources to defend themselves. While Republicans are just showing up now, DCCC organizers have been on the ground since March of last year laying the groundwork to not only protect, but expand this House majority that is standing up for everyday folks and making sure they have a voice in Congress, said Robyn Patterson, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman. The four blue states are expected to take center stage in the 2020 fight for the speakers gavel. In 2018, Democrats netted seven seats in California, two in Illinois, four in New Jersey and three in New York. Collectively, they represent more than a third of the 41 seats Democrats gained. The Republican deployment is part of a broader expansion of the RNCs field program. By early March, the committee will have more than 800 field staffers on the ground across 23 states. The lions share of the partys efforts are focused on presidential battlegrounds like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. In addition to its investment on field deployment, the RNC plans to spend millions more on contacting voters in those states. While Trump is focused primarily on his own reelection, he's also turned his attention to House races in the wake of the Democratic-led impeachment push. During a post-impeachment speech last month, the president said he was going to work hard on congressional contests and that he intends to get out to those Trump areas that we won by a lot and you know, in 18, we didnt win. In the aftermath of House Democrats impeachment sham, said RNC chief of staff Richard Walters, our mission to take back the House is more critical than ever." China has unveiled an ambitious blueprint to develop its own standards for autonomous vehicles by 2025, which analysts say would generate vast investment opportunities and transform the country's automotive industry. A total of 11 ministerial-level authorities, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, promulgated the document called the Strategy on Developing Smart Vehicles last week. According to the blueprint, China will basically finish its set of standards for autonomous vehicles covering such aspects as technological innovation, infrastructure, legislation, supervision and network safety by 2025. Specifically, the country sets a target to realize "scale production of vehicles capable of conditional autonomous driving and commercialization of highly autonomous vehicles in certain circumstances "by the year. It also expects to achieve progress by that year in smart transport and smart city programs. According to the blueprint, some regions in the country will have full access to the LTE-V2X wireless network for vehicles and the new-generation wireless network for vehicles, the 5G-V2X, will be gradually adopted in some cities and expressways by 2025. Some Chinese and foreign companies including Audi, Changan, and GM have been testing V2X technologies in China over the past few years. The blueprint said China is expected to build a complete and sound set of standards for autonomous vehicles between 2035 and 2050. "China has strategic advantages to develop autonomous vehicles," said the blueprint. Among others, it said China-made vehicles have seen steady progress in quality, the country has some world-class telecom and internet giants, China is leading in terms of 5G communication and navigation systems, and it has been the world's largest vehicle market for a decade. Li Jun, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in addition to the automotive sector, many industries will benefit from the new strategy, including artificial intelligence chips, sensors, data and smart transport. Many companies in relevant sectors saw their stock prices soar following the release of the strategy last week. Analysts at securities companies said it will bring about vast investment opportunities. According to Beijing News, the autonomous driving market in China is worth 170 billion yuan ($24.31 billion) in 2020. Last week, several startups announced their latest fundraising results. Uisee, a Chinese startup focused on algorithms and systems for high-level autonomous driving, finished its round B financing, with investors including German industrial giant Bosch. Wu Gansha, founder of the startup established in 2016, told local media that 2020 will mark the start of commercializing autonomous driving, and the funds it has raised will accelerate the company's pace. Another startup Pony.ai announced last week that it has raised $462 million, which its CEO James Peng said would speed up commercialization of its autonomous driving technology. The fundraising, of which $400 million was from Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation, has put the three-year old startup's valuation at over $3 billion. Toyota's money also marks its biggest investment in an autonomous driving company with a Chinese background. This is not the first time that Toyota has partnered with Pony.ai. The two companies initiated a self-driving vehicle pilot project in China last year. Consulting firm Mckinsey said China has the potential to become the world's largest market for autonomous vehicles. "In China, we believe fully autonomous vehicles will see mass deployment in nine or 10 years," said analysts at the company in a research note last year. It expected such vehicles could account for as much as 66 percent of the passenger-kilometers traveled in 2040, generating market revenue of $1.1 trillion from mobility services and $0.9 trillion from sales of autonomous vehicles by that year. In unit terms, that means autonomous vehicles will make up just over 40 percent of new vehicle sales in 2040, and 12 percent of the vehicle installed base, Mckinsey said. 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. Is Drake running out of ideas that he chose to use part of Eminem's song on his newly-released track just to complete it? Drake surprised his fans with two new songs entitled "When to Say When" and "Chicago Freestyle." The said songs have been shared along with Theo Skudra-directed music video, which was partially filmed at the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn. These also marked Drake's first official solo songs of 2020 after he previously partnered with Future for the tracks "Life Is Good" and "Desires." However, while his first new solo materials since last year got a lot of attention, the song "Chicago Freestyle" drew some criticism as well after fans noticed that Drake used Eminem's 2002 single "Superman" on it. Drake The Copycat? In his interview with Rap Radar in December, the 33-year-old "Girls Need Love" hitmaker said that he wanted to show the world that he still can rap. However, the way he came back hit the nerves of Eminem's fans. "Chicago Freestyle" is a song of someone paying tribute to the art. However, Drake included a line from Eminem's song and flipped the verse to fit his new song. "But I do know one thing though. Women they come they go Saturday, through Sunday, Monday Monday through Sunday, yo," Drake started out in the song. Because of the apparent little modifications Drake made on the "Superman" song, Eminem's supporters vented out on Twitter and called out the Canadian rapper for "turning a gem into a trash." Eminem's Fans vs Drake's When Drake's admirers started to praise him for his surprise tracks, Eminem's supporters did the opposite and began to criticize him. One fan said, "Drake released a new song "Chicago Freestyle" and straightup used Eminem's 'Superman' chorus in it LMFAO." "Drake really finna just steal Eminem's verse like that," another one said. Meanwhile, some people -- who claimed that they are already familiar with the hip-hop industry -- explained that Drake did not really copy the lines from "Superman." One Twitter user said that the rapper did not steal it. He went on and explained the meaning of "interpolation" and how the rappers are using it to pay respect to the other artists in the industry. "Em did with Jay-Z on Business, Jay-Z did with Em on Success. Respect and understand the culture, P L E A S E," the fan continued. Though someone explained clearly what happened, some people still suggested that Drake should have used a different line or worked on his own words instead of repeating the same Eminem lyrics all over again. While everyone became too focused on how Drake allegedly copied Eminem's lyrics, it is also worth noting that the other song -- the Brooklyn-set "When to Say When" -- also included a sample of Jay-Z's "Song Cry." Drake even visited the 50-year-old "Empire State of Mind" rapper's stomping ground Marcy Projects in the music video just to complete his tribute for his fellow rapper. The four-minute music video, which was a combination of two new songs, presented shortened versions. The full-length tracks are expected to be uploaded on Soundcloud soon. Privacy and energy regulators will investigate energy giant Alinta after reports data storage conditions imposed on its sale to a Chinese company almost three years ago were not being enforced. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which regulates the Australian Privacy Act, said it would decide whether further action was required once it finished its inquiry, which was prompted by revelations on Monday in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC's 7.30. Alinta Energy pursued dairy farmers the White family with bankruptcy for one late payment. Credit:Ron Ekkel Energy regulator, the Essential Services Commission, also confirmed it wanted answers after this masthead exposed gaping holes in the way Alinta protects the personal information of its 1.1 million customers. Through its retail operations, Alinta collects names, addresses, birth dates, mobile numbers, Medicare and passport numbers, credit card details and in some cases individual health information. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. When he took over Kashmir assignment valley was virtually on fire, but today he must be a satisfied man because that fire has not only been doused but the situation is such that the possibilities of new infernos too are drastically reduced. Lt. General KJS Dhillon, Corps Commander of 15 Corps, joined just after the Pulwama terror attack when the situation was too volatile and it was during his tenure that New Delhi took some major decisions regarding the erstwhile state of J&K. During his tenure, Kashmir witnessed calm as protests and stone-pelting incidents came to an end and attacks by terrorists were drastically reduced. In an exclusive interview with Republic TVs Bureau Head, Kashmir, Zeenat Zeeshan Fazil, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon talks about a wide range of issues. In an exclusive interview Lt Gen KJS Dhillon said, Post abrogation of Article 370, the biggest challenge was not law and order rather it was to save every human life and credit goes to entire security grid that not a single life was lost due to bullets of security forces. He further said that because of better training, Army is capable to tackle things both in the hinterland and on the LoC. Having invested quite a few tenures in Kashmir, Gen Dhillon believes that Pakistan is no friend of Kashmir, when he said, In last 3 decades, terrorism has brought so many miseries to Kashmir and Kashmiris in the form of unrest, abductions, civilians killings et al and all this has originated from Pakistan and Pakistani Army from time to time. READ| 'Terror-related incidents reduced by 60% in Jammu and Kashmir': Dilbag Singh Recently we had an incident in Nagrota of Jammu region where a truck loaded with weapons, explosives and terrorist (Pakistani National) was intercepted who were neutralized later, he added. He further said, At a time when passes in Valley are covered with snow which is yet to melt, Pakistani terrorists are trying to use alternate routes from International border and routes from Nagrota Side to sneak in,. Our reports suggest, Launchpad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are full of terrorists. Every day they (Pakistani terrorists) are making attempts of infiltration from diverse areas and Pakistan Army is actively supporting infiltration. Pakistan Army not only houses the infiltrators in their posts but are also guides them up to the LoC and facilitates their infiltration by providing them cover fire. This is one of the major reasons why there has been an increase in ceasefire violations along the line of control and International Border by Pakistani Army, said Lt Gen Dhillon. However, Corps commander was quick to add that Indian Army is giving befitting reply to Pakistan and its Army both on LoC and hinterland. Post abrogation of Article 370, to see Kashmir normal, Pakistan and its Army tried best to disrupt peace in Valley and in order to implement their writ on the ground, Terrorists started killing truck drivers, burning apple crops, killing laborers, Killing innocent civilians. However the situation was brought under controlled, Gen Dhillon added. When asked about funerals of slain terrorists, no longer witnessing huge gathering as was the case in past, Lt. Gen Dhillon said, reduction in mass gathering at the funeral of terrorists is one part simultaneously there has been reduction in protests, stone-pelting and crowd mobilization as everything is touching to zero levels." READ| Trump offers mediation for Kashmir, denies it, then says 'there are two sides of story" Regarding Pakistani terrorist strategies in Valley, he said They (terrorists) keep changing their tactics. However, Post August 5th last year, there is hardly any terrorist incident in Valley. After the Pulwama attack, forces focused on the elimination of terrorist leaders. Today, the problem with the terrorists is that no one wants to become a leader of any outfit because the moment the terrorist becomes a leader, he is neutralized by forces,. Corps Commander pointed out that recruitment numbers in the terrorist outfit have reduced by almost 45 percent post-2018, and to get misguided boys back, he gave credit to Kashmiri mothers who supported their initiative. We launched operation MAA and made an appeal to mothers to ask their kids to return who have joined terror outfits and we were quite successful. Novak Djokovic has been pictured on a tennis court in Melbourne today as he began training for the Australian Open at midnight - hours after a judge slapped down the government's attempt to rip up his visa, though with the threat of deportation still hanging over his head. 'I'm pleased and grateful that the judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete,' Djokovic said in a tweet alongside an image of himself on court with his team. I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans. For now I cannot say more but thank you all for standing with me and encouraging me to stay strong.' The judge's ruling freed Djokovic from migrant detention where he has been languishing for the last six days in a 'torture chamber' hotel alongside refugees, but does not spell an end to the drama as he still faces being kicked out of the country by immigration minister Alex Hawke who has the power to rip up individual visas. Mr Hawke declined to use those powers on Monday night but insisted he is still actively considering the move, leaving a Sword of Damocles hanging over Djokovic's head even as he prepares to compete at the Open in a bid to become the most-decorated men's singles player of all time. Speaking at a press conference in his native Serbia after the verdict, Djokovic's family (bottom right) blasted his treatment by Australian authorities which mother Dijana said amounted to 'torture'. Oregon AP Photo/Andrew Selsky An elementary school in Oregon will be closed for cleaning after an employee became the first COVID-19 virus case in the state, local station KPTV reported. The case in Oregon appears to be the third possible case of community spread of the virus in the United States. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. An Oregon elementary school plans to close for sanitation after one of its employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus, local station KPTV reported. Oregon officials held a press conference on Friday to announce the state's first "presumptive positive" coronavirus case. The case remains "presumptive" until the CDC confirms the positive test done by the state. The adult appears to be the third possible case of community spread in the US, meaning they had no relevant travel history or contact with any known infected person. Pat Allen, the director of Oregon's Public Health Authority, said the patient had visited the Forest Hills Elementary School, and the Lake Oswego School District confirmed to KPTV that the individual is an employee. Allen said the patient was a Washington County resident but did not provide any additional information. It's still unclear how many people came into contact with the patient, who was being treated at Kaiser Permenante Medical Center. However officials said they would investigate and inform those who may have been exposed to the virus. Officials encouraged residents to continue to take personal precautions such as washing their hands, coughing and sneezing into their elbows, and making preparations for sick leave in case they become infected. Another individual in Oregon is currently being monitored for potential coronavirus symptoms. Two other cases of possible community spread were reported in California this week. An older women with a prior health condition tested positive in Santa Clara County, officials there announced earlier on Friday. Story continues On Thursday, officials in Solano County announced the first case of community spread. In that case, the woman had been transferred to University of California, Davis Medical Center from a smaller hospital on February 19, and was not tested for the virus for a couple of days because she did not meet CDC's previous guidelines. Read the original article on Business Insider WALKING at the age of 12 for 12 days from Mberengwa to Bulawayo, starting primary education at Grade Six because of advanced age to writing books summarises the life of an Upper Six pupil in Bulawayo. Zenzo Siziba has penned a book dedicated to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Second Republic. The avid writer whose romance with the pen started when he was in Form 2, said the book mainly focuses on unity and love. The book, The New Dispensation, the Second Republic, was published by Evolution Publications. He has written six books including My Life Without Direction, The Lost Generation, Breaking The Codes Of Limitations, The Restoration Gospel and the latest one set to be launched during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo. It lays bare differences in the countrys political landscapes. The New Dispensation, the Second Republic is a must read for every Zimbabwean, regardless of political affiliation.It lays bare differences in the countrys political landscapes. President Mnangagwa believes the post Mugabe-era demands an appropriation of new operational tools to navigate the international arena while at the same time striving to provide servant leadership. On the other hand, [MDC Alliance leader, Nelson] Chamisas second republic appears to be a mere passing on of a relay baton. In fact, it is defined by the quest of power for powers sake, it is a simple transition from the old to a new youthful leadership that he calls generational consensus, said Siziba. Asked on the circumstances that led him to walk more than 150km to Bulawayo, he said: I do not have parents and I do not want to talk about it. All I can say is I used to live in Mberengwa under difficult conditions and I decided to run away in search of education. On arrival in Bulawayo he was taken in by well-wishers. Siziba ended up in Maphisa starting education at the age of 12, doing Grade Six before moving back to Bulawayo for his secondary education at Agape College in Nketa 7, where he is doing Form Six. New York state has confirmed its first coronavirus case, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday night. The patient, a woman in her late 30s, contracted the virus while traveling in Iran, the governors office said. The woman lives in Manhattan, according to a New York state official. This evening we learned of the first positive case of novel coronavirus or COVID-19 in New York State, Cuomo said in the statement. The patient, a woman in her late thirties, contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran, and is currently isolated in her home. The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York. The confirmed infection followed the news Sunday that a New York City couple is being tested for COVID-19, according to health officials. They had traveled to Iran, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced. There is no cause for surprise this was expected, Cuomo said in the statement. As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York. There are 76 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. On Saturday, a Washington state man in his 50s was the first person to die from coronavirus in the U.S. Another Washington state resident a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions became the second to succumb, officials said Sunday. There are no confirmed cases in New Jersey. On Saturday, a patient at Bayshore Community Medical Center in Holmdel tested negative for the virus. COVID-19 has infected about 87,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 3,000. The New York womans positive test was confirmed by Wadsworth Lab in Albany, the statement said. New York officials have already identified close contacts" of the patient, NYC Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said in a statement. There is no reason for undue anxiety the general risk remains low in New York," Cuomo said in the statement. "We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available. Rhode Island also confirmed its first case Sunday, the same day that researchers said the virus may have been circulating in Washington state for weeks undetected. The state is the home of the nations first confirmed infection. It has seen eight confirmed cases. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Health min.: 300,000 medical teams start detecting Covid-19 cases as of Monday Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 5:35 PM Iran's Health Minister Saeed Namaki says 300,000 special teams with relevant expertise will start monitoring and detecting potential cases of coronavirus infection across the country as of Monday. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the Iranian minister said a national coronavirus containment plan has entered into effect across the country, adding, "This plan will get underway as of tomorrow (Monday) using 300,000 medical teams." Namaki said, "In this move, Iran, as one of the pioneering countries in the East Mediterranean region and for the first time in the world, will endeavor to prevent the disease in an active manner instead of sitting idly for the virus to show up." The Iranian minister noted that the teams will be dispatched to every single home to identify suspected cases at the earliest in order to send them to medical centers. Namaki emphasized that out of some 950 confirmed cases so far, 175 patients have recovered while the figure is increasing. At ATM, Iranian woman does her share in anti-coronavirus battle Meanwhile, a new video has surfaced on social media showing a responsible Iranian woman disinfecting an ATM in line with collective efforts currently underway to contain the spread of coronavirus in Iran. The clip came out after Iran announced earlier on Sunday that it had introduced new measures to contain the spread of the flu-like virus originating from China. The video, recorded in the city of Khorramabad, shows an Iranian woman painstakingly disinfecting a bank's ATM to do her part in preventing further spread of the deadly virus. On Sunday, the Iranian Health Ministry updated the death toll from the virus to 54 and the number of confirmed infections to 978. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The federal government will help pay for a transmission line that will boost Manitoba Hydro power sales to coal-dependent Saskatchewan. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The federal government will help pay for a transmission line that will boost Manitoba Hydro power sales to coal-dependent Saskatchewan. Ottawa announced Monday it will contribute $18.7 million to the Birtle Transmission Line, linking the Manitoba and Saskatchewan power grids. Construction of the Manitoba portion of the line a 46-kilometre stretch from the Birtle South Station in the Municipality of Prairie View to the Saskatchewan border will begin this summer. The line is expected to go into service in June 2021. It is expected to cost about $70 million. "This new (230-kilovolt) transmission line will allow for the distribution of surplus electricity from Manitoba from our power grid to SaskPowers power grid, which will enhance system reliability for both provinces," said Winnipeg MP Jim Carr, the prime ministers special adviser for the Prairies, at a ceremony at Manitoba Hydros downtown headquarters. "The revenue from the sale of renewable hydroelectricity will help keep rates affordable for Manitobans," he said. In 2018, Hydro and SaskPower signed a deal that would see up to 215 megawatts of hydroelectricity flow from Manitoba to Saskatchewan beginning in 2022. The deal would provide Saskatchewan, which still relies on coal-powered electricity, with the energy to power 82,000 homes. Carr said interprovincial connections such as the one being built between Saskatchewan and Manitoba are "the building blocks of a major national network of green energy transfers." Replying to criticism that Ottawa has not respected Manitobas considerable investments in hydroelectricity, Carr said: "Its not a matter of respecting what one province or what another province might say. Its a matter of looking where theres an alignment of our interests. Here is a very good example of an alignment of everybodys interests." Central Services Minister Reg Helwer said Manitobas "clean-energy advantage" places the province on the path to "a prosperous low-carbon economy." 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. "Increasing Manitobas connection to the national power distribution grid will help create greater stability for energy supply and benefit Manitobans through cleaner, more efficient energy," he said at the announcement. Hydro president and CEO Jay Grewal said the transmission line "is a positive step forward in reducing carbon emissions in Canada." The transmission project is one of the first in Manitoba to receive federal funding from the climate-change stream under the Investing in Canada infrastructure program. "Saskatchewan gets the benefit of green Manitoba energy, improved (power) grid reliability as well as a source of energy that supports the development of more intermittent renewable sources, such as wind and solar," Grewal said. Manitoba Hydros exports totalled about $3.9 billion from 2010 to 2019, she noted. Grewal said more than 99 per cent of the electricity in Manitoba comes from renewable, non-greenhouse gas-emitting sources. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 06:17:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MONTEVIDEO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Luis Lacalle Pou of the National Party (PN) was sworn in on Sunday as the president of Uruguay for the period of 2020-2025. Lacalle Pou took his oath of office at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo at 14:06 local time (1706 GMT) to head an administration that puts an end to 15 years of the leftist Broad Front (FA). "I, Luis Lacalle Pou, swear on my honor to faithfully execute the office that has been entrusted to me, and to guard and defend the Constitution of the Republic," the new president stated in his oath. The oath of office was administered by senator and former president Jose Mujica (2010-2015). The same oath of constitutional loyalty was given by the new vice president, Beatriz Argimon, the first woman ever to hold the office. (Newser) A Georgia teen who appeared dead in a fire turned out to be alive and welland now faces murder and arson charges, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The tale began when authorities responded to a raging house fire in Monroe County early Thursday and identified two bodies inside as Candace Walton, 16, and her brother Gerald Walton, 21. But a Chevrolet Malibu belonging to Gerald's mom, 46-year-old Tasha Vandiver, was oddly missing: "That's what kind of makes this whole thing a little suspicious," Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman told 13WMAZ at the time. "She may have left before. She may have had a pre-planned trip. We don't know." story continues below Later that day, a nationwide lookout for the car led Kentucky police to pull it overand there was Candace behind the wheel. Police tell the Macon Telegraph she was headed to Oregon to be with her boyfriend and they found "some incriminating things" in the vehicle. Now Candace has been charged with arson, theft by taking, and two counts of murder, and faces extradition to Georgia, the Barnesville Herald-Gazette reports. The fire's second victim is likely Vandiver, but official results aren't in yet. Little else is known, but an ex-teacher says Gerald was a special needs student: "He just generally loved everyone," she tells 13WMAZ. "He never would say a negative word about anybody. Just always a sweet, sweet soul, and it's just a tragedy that we lost him." (Read more arson stories.) The coronavirus has found a crack in the nations public health armor, and it is not one that scientists foresaw: diagnostic testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention botched its first attempt to mass produce a diagnostic test kit, a discovery made only after officials had shipped hundreds of kits to state laboratories. A promised replacement took several weeks, and still did not permit state and local laboratories to make final diagnoses. And the C.D.C. essentially ensured that Americans would be tested in very few numbers by imposing stringent and narrow criteria, critics say. On Monday, following mounting criticism of the federal response, Trump administration officials promised a rapid expansion of the countrys testing capacities. With the help of private companies and academic centers, as many as a million diagnostic tests could be available by the end of this week, said Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. As the violence was raging in north-east Delhi last week, an officer of Rapid Action Force (RAF) displayed exemplary courage and saved four people from being lynched by a mob of rioters in Shiv Vihar area. Ashok Kumar, second in command (RAF) of battalion 103, was deployed at Shiv Vihar of north-east Delhi along with 19 other personnel when an autorickshaw driver approached him and told him that three of his passengers had been caught by a mob and were being thrsahed. Sensing the gravity of the matter, Kumar and his team swung into action and rushed towards the spot. They faced some difficulty in reaching the spot as narrow lanes criss-crossed in a mind boggling pattern. Speaking to ANI, Kumar said "The incident took place on February 27 around 3 pm when a 22-year-old autorickshaw driver was carrying three passengers from Loni (Ghaziabad) to Dayalpur. As soon they entered Shiv Vihar, a mob surrounded the autorickshaw and attacked all of them." The autorickshaw driver somehow managed to escape and reached to RAF team. "We wasted no time after being informed about the incident and ran towards the spot through narrow lanes. We saw an aggressive mob of around hundred people who were beating boys mercilessly. We blocked corners leading to the spot and dispersed the mob," Kumar told ANI. Recalling the horrific incident, the auto driver said that he had never expected such a thing would happen to him. "Within a couple of minutes, hundreds of people attacked us. I was in deep shock and took a few minutes to believe it was real. The RAF personnel accompanied me without wasting time. They saved all of us and later sent us to a hospital for medical treatment," he said. RAF officer Ashok Kumar said, "It took us around half an hour to control the mob. It was a life threatening situation for us too. But we are trained to handle such situations." The RAF has been deployed along with the police and paramilitary forces in the violence-hit areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In South Korea, a staggering two-thirds of the more than 4,000 people who have now tested positive for coronavirus are tied to the same church. In fact, Lee Man-hee, the leader of Shincheonji Church, got on his knees and bowed to the ground at a news conference as he apologized for his fringe Christian sect's role in the spread of the virus. It plays to reason that churches are potentially dangerous breeding grounds for an outbreak like the coronavirus illness, officially known as COVID-19. Not only do services involve gatherings of large groups of people, they often involve the touching of strangers' hands and the sharing of communal cups. And at a time when health experts are recommending social distancing, neither of these actions seem advisable. So, are churches in the United States taking any precautions to avoid the spread of coronavirus? On the level of individual dioceses, some are. On February 27, the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey issued liturgical guidelines instructing its 109 parishes to discontinue the option of drinking "the Precious Blood from the chalice," effective immediately. "During the Exchange of Peace, worshipers should simply bow with respect to each other and not shake hands," the guidance continues. They are also instructing all eucharistic ministers to have bottles of Purell on hand and to use hand sanitizer both before and after the distribution of Communion. The same goes for liturgical ministers before and after Mass. In Illinois, the Diocese of Joliet is taking similar measures. "We led the mass today with a formal announcement before the mass even began, which is extraordinary for us," Rev. Joshua Miller of St. Charles Borromeo Church told CBS Chicago. "I haven't done it in five years I think everybody understands the need to err on the side of caution even on a normal flu season, but with the threat of coronavirus in particular." Story continues CHINA-RELIGION-CHRISTMAS Worshippers receive communion as they attend a Christmas eve mass at the Xishiku Cathedral in Beijing on December 24, 2019. NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images A representative for the Diocese of Brooklyn told CBS News that they have had a mandatory suspension on drinking wine from the communal cup instituted all winter. Additionally, while there has not yet been an official mandate, they have suggested that all Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, voluntary suspend the distribution of communion bread directly onto churchgoers' tongues. The Diocese recommended "that folks receive the Body of the Christ in their hand" instead. These sorts of protective measures are not unique to the Catholic Church. While not explicitly prohibiting the passing of the peace or drinking wine from the common cup, the Episcopal Diocese of California issued guidelines to its congregations late last week, instructing them to "consider alternatives to handshaking or hugging." "A nod, a wave, or touching our hands to our hearts are among the many ways we can acknowledge Christ in one another," the guidelines read. The diocese also asked congregants to refrain from the practice of intinction, which is when people dip the communion bread or wafer into the wine. "Intinction is not a safer practice than sipping from the chalice," a representative wrote in a statement to CBS News. "There is a risk that the bacteria on our hands may come in contact with the wine." They are also encouraging any of the approximately 24,000 people across their 80 congregations who feel "even slightly unwell" or are concerned about their health to "refrain from contact with the chalice." They are advising anyone sick to simply stay home. CBS News has also reached out to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, where "the blood of Christ" is consumed at communion through the use of a communal spoon which enters the mouth of every churchgoer, but has not yet received a response. SYRIA-RELIGION-CHRISTIANITY-CHRISTMAS-ORTHODOX Worshippers receive communion during Christmas Mass at the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria's northern city of Aleppo on December 25, 2019. -AFP via Getty Images Addressing concerns about the potential for contracting infection or germs from the Holy Spoon, Rev. Fr. Stylianos Muksuris writes on the Orthodox Research Institute's website: "From a purely microbiological perspective, the sweet red wine used in Communion is typically high in alcoholic content. This means that the chances of bacteria or germs surviving in it are virtually minimal to non-existent. Although each of us communes the Body and Blood of Christ, the invisible microbes that may enter our mouths from the previous communicant are harmless. From a purely experiential perspective, every chalice on Sundays is consumed in its totality by the priest, after several mouths have communed from it. No priest, including the writer of this column, has ever become ill or incapacitated after consuming the Holy Gifts. And finally, from a purely spiritual perspective, the Holy Gifts are exactly that: they are sacred. ... If we truly believe in God, we know quite well that God would never allow harm to come to us, most especially in the reception of Holy Communion." Biden gets major boost from moderates as Super Tuesday voting gets underway Deborah Dugan fired by Recording Academy Public facilities take action to limit coronavirus spread Rigaku MiniFlex benchtop X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument Rigaku is exhibiting its benchtop lines of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), as well as handheld Raman and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation at Booth # 4725. Rigaku Corporation is pleased to announce its attendance at the 71st annual Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon 2020), being held March 1 - 5, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Pittcon is the worlds leading annual conference and exposition on laboratory science, attracting attendees from industry, academia and government from over 90 countries worldwide. Rigaku is exhibiting its benchtop lines of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), as well as handheld Raman and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation at Booth # 4725. Rigaku (The Woodlands, TX) is showing the Rigaku MiniFlex benchtop X-ray diffractometer, and the Rigaku Supermini200 benchtop wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometer. Ideally suited for today's fast-paced XRD analyses, the sixth generation MiniFlex system delivers speed and sensitivity through innovative technology enhancements such as the optional D/teX high-speed detector coupled with a powerful 600 W X-ray source. The MiniFlex comes standard with the latest version of PDXL, Rigaku's full-function powder diffraction analysis package. The Supermini200 analyzer is the world's only high-power (200 W) benchtop sequential wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for elemental analysis of oxygen (O) through uranium (U) of almost any material. It uniquely delivers low cost-of-ownership with high resolution and lower limits of detection (LLD). Applied Rigaku Technologies, Inc. (ART, Austin, TX) is presenting the Rigaku NEX QC series of low-cost benchtop EDXRF spectrometers. The NEX QC and NEX QC+ systems are compact elemental analyzers with intuitive icon-driven touch screens interface and built-in printer for easy operation and convenience. The series also includes the Rigaku NEX QC+ QuantEZ analyzer, engineered for heavy industrial use, which runs on Microsoft Windows-based QuantEZ analytical software. The Rigaku NEX DE series of high-performance, direct excitation EDXRF elemental analyzers is also featured. On display is the Rigaku NEX DE VS direct excitation variable spot X-ray fluorescence elemental analyzer. The NEX DE VS system is uniquely suited for small spot analysis. It features a high-resolution camera combined with automated collimators allowing for precise positioning of a sample for the analysis of 1 mm, 3 mm, and 10 mm spot sizes. Handheld and portable spectrometers from Rigaku Analytical Devices (RAD, Wilmington, MA) are also displayed at the Rigaku booth. RAD is featuring their latest Raman and LIBS analyzers, including the Rigaku Progeny and Rigaku Progeny ResQ 1064nm handheld Raman analyzers, as well as the new Rigaku ResQ CQL 1064 nm handheld Raman analyzer for explosives & narcotics detection. The Rigaku KT-100S handheld LIBS spectrometer for fast, precise alloy identification is also featured. RAD will also present a talk entitled, Library and Method Development what Lies Behind the Black Box? hosted by Dr. Suzanne Schreyer, Sr. Applications Scientist on March 3 from 3:35 4:10pm in Room 181B. About Rigaku Since its inception in Japan in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Rigaku and its subsidiaries form a global group focused on general-purpose analytical instrumentation and the life sciences. With hundreds of major innovations to their credit, Rigaku companies are world leaders in X-ray spectrometry, diffraction, and optics, as well as small molecule and protein crystallography and semiconductor metrology. Today, Rigaku employs over 1,400 people in the manufacturing and support of its analytical equipment, which is used in more than 90 countries around the world supporting research, development, and quality assurance activities. Throughout the world, Rigaku continuously promotes partnerships, dialog, and innovation within the global scientific and industrial communities. For further information, contact: Michael Nelson Rigaku Global Marketing Group tel: +1. 512-225-1796 michael.nelson@rigaku.com The city of San Antonio went into court Monday and unsuccessfully sought a temporary restraining order to stop the federal government from releasing more than 120 coronavirus evacuees from quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The failed motion came just hours after the city and Bexar County each declared a local state of disaster and public health emergency over the impending release of 122 evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Local officials have tried a series of maneuvers in an attempt to gain control of the quarantine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after the mistaken release Saturday of an evacuee who still had the virus in her system. In its court filing, the city argued that allowing those quarantined to leave Monday, as scheduled, would threaten public safety. They requested that the evacuees be quarantined for another two weeks. The imminent movement of those quarantined at Lackland by the CDC to other facilities within the City limits or transport to the San Antonio International Airport for travel to another secure location increases the risks to the residents of the greater San Antonio area, creating a public health threat, requiring the City to mitigate the risk of disease and manage the concerns of residents, the filing said. But U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez denied the request, noting the federal governments determination that a 14-day quarantine and two negative tests for the virus are sufficient to prevent transmission or spread of COVID-19. The court, Rodriguez wrote further, has no authority to second-guess those determinations even though the Court also shares the concerns expressed by the Plaintiffs. Despite the blow, the judges ruling indicated that local officials may still have recourse in the matter issuing their own quarantine orders using the pair of emergency declarations filed earlier in the day. The United States Government is, in effect, washing its own hands further of this quarantine, the ruling said. This is disappointing. Nonetheless, Plaintiffs motion for a temporary restraining order is denied. Throughout Monday, local officials have tried to compel the federal government to keep the cruise ship evacuees, who have not tested positive for the virus, in quarantine so that the group can be retested. On HoustonChronicle.com: CDC: Coronavirus patient released in San Antonio later turned up positive for infection The emergency declarations filed by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff empower local officials to take any actions necessary to promote health and suppress disease, including isolation and quarantine efforts. They also outline local officials authority to use private property to house the evacuees. The controversy has pitted local and federal officials against each other over the handling of the passengers, growing out of disagreements that have persisted throughout the quarantine. Tensions were further fueled over the weekend, when an evacuee from Wuhan appeared to recover from the coronavirus and was discharged from a hospital, only to later test positive again. After the mistake was acknowledged by the CDC, Nirenberg and Wolff called on federal officials to extend the quarantine of the remaining evacuees at Lackland until they could be tested once more for the virus. But there was a problem: The federal governments quarantine order only extended for 14 days, and legally it did not appear that they could hold them for longer than that. Now Playing: Sig Christenson is a senior reporter who covers the military for the San Antonio Express-News. He is currently reporting on the coronavirus evacuee situation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Video: San Antonio Express-News It is unclear whether the Wuhan evacuee is still actively contagious to others. However, local officials said they dont want to repeat the scenario with any other evacuees. Nirenberg said it was totally unacceptable that the CDC, which is in charge of the quarantined evacuees, had released a coronavirus patient prior to receiving all test results, potentially exposing the public to harm. Gov. Greg Abbott and state health officials had also urged the CDC to not allow any evacuees to depart until further testing can be conducted and requested that federal officials provide a written rationale before releasing anyone. Federal officials have yet to respond to local and state officials request to keep the evacuees in quarantine. As of Monday evening, the evacuees release had been put on hold. The CDC did not respond to requests for comment Monday. The agency abruptly canceled a national briefing with reporters that was scheduled for late morning. On HoustonChronicle.com: Two more Diamond Princess evacuees at Lackland test positive for coronavirus, bringing confirmed cases to 8 The Wuhan evacuee, who was in isolation for several weeks at two area hospitals, was released Saturday afternoon after twice testing negative. The results of a third test that same evening came back as a weakly positive for the virus, forcing federal authorities to track the woman down early Sunday at the Holiday Inn Express, near San Antonio International Airport. By then, she had also visited North Star Mall. CDC officials said Sunday that the woman was asymptomatic at the time of her initial release and met all agency criteria for release resolution of any symptoms and two consecutive sets of negative test results, collected more than 24 hours apart. Following the patients release, results of a subsequent sample were received and determined to be weakly positive, the agency said in a statement. Out of an abundance of caution, CDC decided to bring the individual back into isolation at a local medical facility. The woman was taken around 2 a.m. Sunday back to the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, a state hospital where 10 other coronavirus patients are being treated in isolation. Her hotel room was closed off and disinfected, and at 2:50 p.m. Monday, North Star closed for 24 hours for further deep cleaning. Local health professionals, in whom I have the utmost confidence, are working very hard to prevent the spread of this virus here in San Antonio, and we simply cannot have a screwup like this from our federal partners, Nirenberg said. On HoustonChronicle.com: CDC: Quarantine lifted for first group of coronavirus evacuees at Lackland After the mistake was realized, Metro Health officials began to retrace the womans steps and learned she had taken a hotel shuttle to one of the citys busiest retail centers, where she stayed for about two hours on Saturday evening. She spent much of that time alone at the food court, eating Chinese food. The exact number of people the woman had contact with, and possibly infected, is not known. Health officials conducted a investigation, reconstructing her contact with others, and assessed each persons risk for contracting the highly contagious virus. The investigation identified that 18 people at the hospital, where tuberculosis cases are typically treated, were potentially exposed to the virus. Most were deemed to be at a low risk, while two were found to be at medium risk, said Anita Kurian, who leads the communicable disease division at Metro Health. Three people at the hotel, including the shuttle bus driver, also could have been exposed. Officials are confident that exposures there were pretty confined and contained, Kurian said. The investigation has revealed generally encouraging news, considering the circumstances, Nirenberg said. An unknown number of people at North Star came into contact with the woman, but officials said the potential exposure at the mall is believed to be low. When she did enter stores including Dillards, Swarovski and Talbots she browsed and did not spend a significant amount of time interacting with store cashiers, Kurian said. She did not stay in one place for longer than maybe two minutes, three minutes, she said. We certainly want folks to come forward and let us know if they think theyve been exposed. Kurian said the relevant areas at the mall where the woman was have been disinfected, but the mall still voluntarily closed later Monday. The governor called the mistaken release a case of negligence on the part of CDC and said everyone the woman came into contact should be tested for the virus. What happened in San Antonio and what the CDC did is completely unacceptable, he said. I think they understand the magnitude of that error they made. The patient had isolated in San Antonio since Feb. 11, after being flown to the United States aboard a State Department-chartered plane. She arrived at Lackland with 90 other evacuees on Feb. 7. The woman, who was the only person infected from that group, was initially treated at Methodist Hospital | Texsan and was later transferred to TCID when her health improved. The remaining Wuhan evacuees were released from quarantine Feb. 20. Evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship arrived at Lackland on Feb. 17. Of the 144 who were initially quarantined, seven have tested positive by the CDC. Three more tested positive before leaving Japan, where the ship was docked. They are awaiting confirmatory testing from the CDC. Staff writer Andrea Zelinski contributed reporting from Austin. Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe | Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba Less than two weeks after his own attorney general publicly chastised the practice, President Trump was right back at it, tweeting attacks against a judicial system that the U.S. Constitution says should be independent and free of improper political influence. Just days after earning Attorney General William Barrs rebuke for calling federal prosecutors in the Roger Stone case these corrupt people, the president has gone on to smear the judge and jury forewoman in the trial of his longtime friend and political ally. And more recently, he has tried to bully two justices on the U.S. Supreme Court into recusing themselves from anything Trump-related. To understand how wrong, dangerous and far over the line this is, you dont have to listen to the presidents many liberal critics. Just check out his conservative allies. It starts with Barr, the man Trump chose to run the Department of Justice after finding Jeff Sessions to be insufficiently loyal. I think its time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases, Barr said in a Feb. 13 interview with ABC News after the president had railed against the sentence recommendations of prosecutors who had convicted Stone. To have public statements and tweets made about the department, about people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending in the department and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job and to assure the courts and the prosecutors in the department that were doing our work with integrity, he said. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a staunch defender of the president during his impeachment trial, sided with Barr and urged Trump to steer clear of weighing in on the case. While the presidents free to tweet about anything else he wants, its really not a good idea to continue to comment on things like that, Cornyn told Politico. But within days, Trump was attacking U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, demanding that she grant Stone a new trial because the jury forewoman was totally biased and tainted. But a juror, writing in the Washington Post, said that far from being prejudiced against Stone, the jury forewoman was actually one of the strongest advocates for the rights of the defendant and expressed skepticism at some of the governments claims and was one of the last people to vote to convict on the charge that took most of our deliberation time. The president, however, keeps assailing the nations rule of law. The most recent example is a demand that Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg disqualify themselves from hearing anything having to do with Trump or Trump-related cases. The rant was apparently inspired by a Fox News commentary that badly translated a Sotomayor dissent into a soundbite that she had accused GOP-appointed justices of being biased in favor of Trump while pointing out that Ginsburg had called Trump a faker during his 2016 campaign. Notwithstanding that Ginsburg later apologized and said she regretted the comment, it should be pointed out that Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said much worse about Trump before he became the Republican nominee. As for Sotomayor, her judicial complaint was that the federal government has been too quick to ask the Supreme Court for emergency relief from lower-court decisions that had not gone through the usual legal process and the high court had been too compliant in granting it. Thats a perfectly valid argument, even though the majoritiy of her fellow justices saw the case differently. Neither case warrants recusal. The presidents attempt at intimidation is all the more chilling because the Supreme Court is expected to hear cases next month on Trumps attempt to shield his financial records from congressional committees and a New York district attorney. In addition to being incredibly self-serving, the presidents comments undermine the credibility and integrity of a judicial system that Barr said he was trying to protect. It brings to mind the response from yet another conservative source after Trump denounced a judge who had rejected his migrant asylum policy as an Obama judge. We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges, Chief Justice John Roberts said. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That is what Americans expect and deserve. Its not surprising that even the presidents usual allies agree that he is going too far. New York, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Weapon Mounts Market by Mount Type, Platform, Mode of Operation, Weapon Compatibility And Region - Global Forecast to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05868174/?utm_source=GNW The weapon mounts market is projected to grow from USD 1.1 billion in 2019 to USD 1.8 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period. Some of the factors that are expected to fuel the growth of the weapon mounts industry are increased procurement of armored vehicles, rotorcraft, machine guns, and aircraft by militaries worldwide, ongoing modernization of naval platforms by various countries, and increasing demand for remote weapon stations for military applications, among others. However, challenges such as high technical expertise requirements for the development of weapon mounts for remote operations are curbing the growth of this market. The static mounts segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the rising procurement of armored vehicles globally. Based on mount type, the static mounts segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the increase in the number of platforms where static mounts can be deployed, and the upgrades of these platforms by replacing older weapons with new and modern weapons. Procurement programs for armored vehicles, naval ships, and aircraft are driving the market for weapon mounts. The naval segment is expected to lead the weapon mounts industry in 2019. Based on platform, the naval segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the weapon mounts market in 2019.Modernization programs to upgrade weapons and weapon mounts for the mounts platform is driving the market. Additionally, the procurement of new naval ships by countries such as the US, India, China, Germany, and France, among others, is also driving the market for weapon mounts. The manned segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Based on mode of operation, the manned segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the increase in demand for machine guns, sniper rifles, and automatic rifles by various militaries globally.For example, in February 2019, the Indian Army planned to procure 73,000 assault rifles and 44,000 Light Machine Guns (LMGs) to be deployed across the Indo-Pak border. The contract will most likely be awarded to a US firm supplying Sig Sauer rifles. Asia Pacific is estimated to account for majority of the global weapon mounts market share in 2019. Asia Pacific is expected to lead the weapon mounts market in 2019.The market in the region has tremendous potential due to the need for armored vehicles, aircraft, and helicopters. Additionally, the increased procurement of weapons for soldiers is driving the market.The region has key investors in defense technology such as China, India, and Japan which invest heavily to modernize their troops. For example, in February 2019, the Indian Ministry of Defense started the procurement of Beretta .338 Lapua Magnum Scorpio TGT and Barrett .50-calibre M95 sniper rifles. These rifles are said to replace the Russian Dragunov sniper rifles. The break-up of the profiles of primary participants in the weapon mounts market is as follows: By Company Type: Tier 135%; Tier 245%; and Tier 320% By Designation: C Level Executives35%; Directors25%; and Others40% By Region: North America45%; Europe20%; Asia Pacific30%; and Middle East and South America5% Major players operating in the weapon mounts market are Kongsberg Gruppen (Norway), Raytheon Company (US), Elbit Systems (Israel), Saab AB (Sweden), and BAE Systems (UK), Dillion Aero (US), AEI Systems Ltd. (UK), FN Herstal (Belgium), Capco LLC. (US), and ISTEC Services Ltd. (UK), among others. Research Coverage The study covers the weapon mounts market across various segments and subsegments.It aims at estimating the size and growth potential of this market across different segments based on type, platform, mode of operation, weapon compatibility, and region. This study also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market, along with their company profiles, key observations related to their product and business offerings, recent developments undertaken by them, and key market strategies adopted by them. Reasons to Buy this Report This report is expected to help market leaders/new entrants with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall weapon mounts market and its segments. This study is also expected to provide region-wise information about the applications, wherein weapon mounts are used. This report aims at helping the stakeholders understand the competitive landscape of the market, gain insights to improve the position of their businesses and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. This report is also expected to help them understand the pulse of the market and provide them with information on key drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities influencing the growth of the market. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05868174/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Some additional points to the Feb. 25 National Digest item Grand Teton suspends aerial hunting of goats: The only reason the National Park Service is killing the mountain goats from helicopters in Grand Teton National Park is to please trophy hunters. American trophy hunters prefer the larger horns of bighorn sheep over mountain goats, and when animals step outside our small national parks, they can be shot by trophy hunters. Mountain goats are not an introduced species to the Wyoming mountains. People saw them back in the 1800s. There is no evidence of any disease transmission between mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Global Affairs Canada says officials are fully engaged with authorities in Ethiopia after 13 Canadians were detained there last week. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Global Affairs Canada says officials are fully engaged with authorities in Ethiopia after 13 Canadians were detained there last week. Canadian Humanitarian says a group of 10 Canadian volunteers, three Canadians on staff and two Ethiopian staff members are in custody in the African country on allegations they were practising medicine without permission and had dispensed expired medication. The charity has disputed the allegations. Spokeswoman Angela Savard says Global Affairs Canada is aware of the situation in Gondar, which is a city in northern Ethiopia. She says Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne spoke with his Ethiopian counterpart about the humanitarian workers. Savard says department officials are also in contact with local authorities to gather more information, while consular officials are working with the Canadians and their families. No one from Canadian Humanitarian has returned emails or calls for comment. A statement posted on the Canadian Humanitarian website Saturday said the group consists of doctors and other medical professionals whose mission is to provide essential medical care to Ethiopians. The group is described as a registered charity, based in Medicine Hat, Alta., which sends volunteers abroad to provide medical and dental support, along with other humanitarian services. In Edmonton, a spokeswoman for Premier Jason Kenney said the government is waiting for more information from Ottawa. "We are very concerned with the situation in Ethiopia," Christine Myatt said in an email. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020 Migrants: child dies while attempting to land on Lesbos Boat capsizes. Violence against refugees, police, NGO (ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 2 - A child has died while a group of migrants was attempting to land on Mitilini (island of Lesbos, Greece). According to Cnn.gr, the boat - which had left from the Turkish coast nearby, capsized when a Greek coast guard cutter got near. According to Greek coast guards, 46 people were rescued. The body of the child was found soon afterwards. Overnight five boats reached the island, two arrived in Chios and two others reached Samos. Meanwhile, journalists and photo reporters were insulted and hit, UNHCR personnel were also screamed at while stones were hurled against a police bus (one officer was wounded) by Lesbos residents who staged violent protests against landings. A few dozen people did not allow a rubber dinghy to land in Thermi after the boat - which was carrying a reported 50 migrants, including several children - had been at sea for hours. This group also verbally attacked UN personnel trying to assist the migrants. In another accident, an empty migrant hosting center was set on fire. Images of journalists being hit at the port went viral on social media.(ANSAmed). Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday arrived in Parliament to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The meeting came after at least 46 people died in the recent violence in North-East Delhi. The Delhi Police has registered 254 FIRs including 41 cases under the Arms Act. As many as 903 people have been either arrested or detained by police. Two Special Investigative Teams (SITs) under Dehli 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.) Long-term care facilities must focus even more rigorously on prevention, given the risks faced by the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, and the propensity of this disease to spread within closed systems, such as the Diamond Princess cruise ship and prisons in China. In a number of places in the United States, public health agencies are keeping suspected cases isolated, retracing the interactions of Covid-19 patients, retracing family members, co-workers and other people with whom the patient was within six feet for a sustained time, and ensuring that high-risk contacts are isolated. If the number of cases increases significantly, however, that may no longer to be possible. At that point, public health agencies will need to focus on tracking the extent of Covid-19 in the larger population; ensuring that the public knows the importance of staying isolated when sick; and issuing instructions on how to proceed when someone is sick, but not sick enough to be in the hospital. It may seem too obvious to mention, but officials need to clearly tell people to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds after contact with others and before eating, to cough or sneeze into your sleeve, not their hands, and to understand symptoms of illness and how to get diagnosed in any given community. Public health professionals will also need to work with political leaders to make hard decisions on if or when large events should be canceled, workers should be told to telecommute, schools should change the way they operate or schools should close. While these actions may slow the spread of the disease, they could have negative consequences. If schools close, for example, many children will not get school meals they depend on, not to mention the learning time they will miss and the workers who will have to stay home to care for their children. Private companies will need to develop therapies and vaccines. While leading vaccine scientists have said it might take 12 to 18 months before a vaccine is ready to be given to the public, there may be antiviral or antibody-based medicines that could be developed far sooner. The federal government has existing partnerships with a number of companies that are working or could work to develop therapies or vaccines. The government also needs to ensure that if these companies succeed, their products will be mass manufactured to be able to meet potentially extraordinary demand. Companies have been burned by governments before, when they have been asked to develop products during crises, only to have governments back away from commitments when the crises diminish. This work will be costly. Public health agencies already are scrambling to meet their normal responsibilities with too little funding, and the Trump administrations recent budget proposed cuts to programs that fund this work. The White House and Congress are negotiating on how much money to spend on these efforts. The emergency funding for the Ebola response in 2014 was $5.4 billion. Covid-19 will require twice as much money or more. Unlike Ebola, it is a new disease for which we have no countermeasures, it is transmissible through the air, and it is already present in many places around the world. 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. Ram Prasad Sarmah along with many others, including senior journalist Zamsher Ali, joined the Congress in Guwahati Guwahati: Former BJP MP from Assam's Tezpur seat Ram Prasad Sarmah has joined the Congress. Sarmah along with many others, including senior journalist Zamsher Ali, joined the Congress in Guwahati on Sunday. Sarmah, who is from the Gorkha community, had won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from the Tezpur seat on a BJP ticket. He had resigned from the BJP in 2019 after his name was not included in the party candidate list for the Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that the Congress will win at least 80 seats out of 126 in the Assembly polls in Assam next year. "I do not have any religion. I eat at any place if I wish to have good food. I have mutton at a Nepali household, fish at Assamese, curd at Muslims of char areas and local liquor at the houses of tribal people," Sarmah said at the Assam Congress headquarters in Guwahati on Sunday. I was deeply troubled last week to hear reports from some of my Indigenous friends of Indigenous kids being taunted at school while the recent rail blockades were bringing tensions to a high. I was also deeply concerned to hear young Indigenous leaders expressing views of hopelessness in declaring that reconciliation is dead. Then there are the brutal decals reported in Alberta with a train striking stick figures, which is a sad reflection of how insensitive some Canadians are to the tragic circumstances Indigenous people have experienced in Canada over the years. We cannot let that thought process prevail. Weve come too far together to take a backward step now. There is too much at stake for us all. Given events of the past few weeks, it is time for all Canadians and Indigenous people on all sides of this complex issue to take a deep breath and rediscover the generosity of spirit and understanding of our differences that makes us proud to be Canadians and that has always been a hallmark of Indigenous people in Canada throughout the challenging and at times tragic history that Indigenous people in this country have endured. It is understandable that people who are inconvenienced by a demonstration would be frustrated and angry. It is understandable that industries, small businesses and workers who could be financially impacted by demonstrations are worried and unhappy. However, it is also important for Canadians to recognize that Indigenous peoples have been remarkably patient as they have endured hundreds of years of abuse and discrimination at the hands of previous generational governments of all political stripes. Be it having their children ripped out from their homes and forced into abusive residential schools over many generations. Be it unfulfilled treaties and commitments. Be it the tragic impact that past government policies have had on Indigenous people leaving a legacy of poverty, poor health, substance abuse, and lack of quality education and job opportunities. We ought to be aware of this every time our relationship with Indigenous people is threatened. Regardless of your views on the Coastal GasLink pipeline and regardless of your views on the appropriateness of some of the demonstrations, all Canadians and Indigenous people must not lose sight of the goal of working towards reconciliation. We must ensure that not one more generation of young Indigenous people goes by without every opportunity to lead a healthy, happy, safe life with access to quality health care, education, and economic opportunity. Demographers confirm, this is the fastest growing and youngest population in our country and how young Indigenous people succeed over the next decade will determine how Canada succeeds. We are undeniably in this together. And so, I ask all Canadians to keep this in mind as these types of disputes heat up. Tune out those whose rhetoric panders to the baser side of our society. And, I ask Indigenous leaders; elected, hereditary, spiritual, respected elders and young leaders, to never give up on reconciliation and the prospect of building a better future together no matter how you may disagree with a particular project, decision, or policy. While there is still a long way to go, this remains a period of great potential for Indigenous people in Canada. At the present time, Canada has a prime minister and a government that appears to care about building a strong partnership and a better future for Indigenous people. Thats not always been the case. Yes, it may be taking too long and there may not always be agreement in Indigenous communities about decisions the federal government makes, but it would be a tragedy to not seize this moment together to make more progress. So, let us not lose sight of the fact this is the time to be making progress not conflict. We all owe that to every young Indigenous person in Canada and every Indigenous child to come. Regardless of your view on the pipeline, surely it should not take precedence over our collective obligation to partner and work together to build a better future for Indigenous people in this country. As you might be guessing from the many promotional emails or your hairdresser advertising deals, March 8 is International Women's Day. Women, you may have had it rough with pay inequality, sexual harassment, and that whole systemic discrimination thing, but today is your day to get your hair done with a 10 discount. I'll be ignoring the day this year. There was a time when I would mention International Women's Day (IWD) and people would look confused. In fact, it wasn't even that many years ago. Nowadays, I'm bombarded with ads for slogan T-shirts and feminist necklaces, and exploitative PR pitches urging me to express solidarity with other women by shopping from late February onwards. The irony that International Women's Day began as an initiative of the Socialist Party of America to honour the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York seems lost on them. The founding foremothers are likely spinning in their graves. March 8 used to be a day to celebrate women's achievements. But like Black Friday, Christmas, Mother's Day and even Halloween, Women's Day has been picked up as just another opportunity to sell us things, and an opportunity for any brand tapped into the zeitgeist to push commercialism at us in the name of feminism. The other very bad thing is that they now get to partially control the narrative and the message surrounding the day. This year there's a spate of "networking" opportunities for business women for just the cost of lunch at a Dublin five-star hotel. There are dinners and a "cocktail masterclass" for 25, where you will get to meet other women who wear heels to work. Then there are the make-up brands and fashion labels that want us to give them our money too. But what good is buying an "I'm a feminist" T-shirt when a company doesn't pay its female workers as much as its men? I'm not saying that businesses shouldn't mark International Women's Day. Not at all. But, employers, it isn't your day to celebrate unless you are actually doing something to improve women's lives. Look at yourself. What kind of employer are you? Is there a gender pay gap in your organisation? Are you promoting women? Do you offer flexible working options to mothers? Are the new dads in your company taking paternal leave? Would you consider spending some of your profits on an onsite creche? I'm not sure many, if any, Irish businesses could answer yes to those questions. But all organisations can make a commitment to get better. There is nothing worse than companies trying to jump on a feminist-branded bandwagon without making real, on-the-ground steps to improving working conditions for female employees and pushing for wider change across industry. It's easy to pretend, to talk the right talk, but the words are meaningless unless you are doing something about it. Your actions throughout the year will say more about you than your tiny wishes on this UN-identified day. If you are a sexist organisation, a tweet about Women's Day, however multi-coloured and deep, won't magically transform you into a feminist brand. Putting the colour pink on anything you can and putting the word "empowerment" before a product does not further women's cause. Free drinks for women (a complimentary negroni won't narrow the pay gap) or telling us that this might be a good day to book a girls' weekend is just riding the coattails. And it's tacky. Just stop. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) publishes an annual Gender Equality Index on progress in member states. We got 71.3 out of 100 in the 2019 index - above the EU average of 66.2. This isn't bad but women's mean monthly earnings are 2,808 in Ireland, compared to 3,423 for men. A woman's working life in Ireland spans 33.1 years - it's 40.1 for men. And 88.7pc of women cook and or do housework every day, compared with just 48pc of men. Then there's the fact that childcare costs an arm and a leg and we are expected to never grow old. Aside from the commercialism, there's a sharp bang of elitism about the day, as so many of the events are ticketed networking opportunities for well-off women. It would be wonderful to assume that the day was a celebration of all women, or that every woman is an equal in modern feminism, but that just isn't true. So, while we celebrate the progress women continue to make in a world that has pressed us down for so long, the victory lap is often bittersweet when I consider who is being dismissed or left out of that conversation. This year, don't sign up for a paid event and don't buy a necklace with the word "feminist" engraved on it. Read some of Eavan Boland's poems or Kate O'Brien's prose. Watch something by Vivienne Dick. Visit Maude Delap's marine specimens in the Natural History Museum. Think of the women who broke oppressive structures. Alone or with other women, these are all good ways to spend this day, or for that matter, any other. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu had a meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in Ankara. After the meeting, Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted the following: The Minsk Group now needs to take more action for the resolution of the Karabakh issue. The resolution needs to be within the scope of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:55:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LAGOS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen killed more than 50 villagers in two local government areas of Nigeria's Kaduna state early Sunday, state governor Nasir El-Rufai confirmed on Monday. The governor, who visited the two local government areas, Igabi and Giwa, vowed never to negotiate with bandits. He said the situation could have been worse if the Nigerian Army and Air Force did not launch an offensive against the bandits. The governor told the families who lost their loved ones that the attackers would be apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law. The victims have been buried in accordance with Islamic rites, El-Rufai said. Grieving Australians could land themselves in jail if they pay for a lavish funeral in cash. Under proposed new laws, handing over more than $10,000 in cash to a registered business could see someone fined $25,200 or jailed for up to two years. A parliamentary committee, chaired by Liberal senator Slade Brockman, concluded the proposed new law could unfairly penalise grieving people who have English as a second language. 'The committee recommends the government assess the impact of the bill on particular migrant communities, particularly in relation to funerals, to determine if there are potential negative impacts,' it said. Grieving Australians could land themselves in jail if they pay for a lavish funeral in cash. A parliamentary committee, chaired by Liberal senator Slade Brockman, concluded the proposed new law could unfairly penalise grieving people with English as a second language The Senate economics legislation committee released a 60-page report at 5pm on Friday detailing how Christian and Buddhist migrants in particular were vulnerable. It accepted Australian Funeral Directors' Association national president Andrew Pinder's argument the law could 'operate harshly on elderly and migrant communities'. 'Migrant funerals are more likely to be above $10,000. Many migrant communities have burial rather than cremation, and burial is more expensive than cremation,' he told the Senate committee. The law would particularly affect Christian Orthodox mourners, including those from the Greek, Macedonian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian and Egyptian communities. Polish and Croatian Catholics and Buddhists from Vietnam and China 'have a preference for paying cash'. 'Those are the communities that will be impacted by this bill most profoundly,' Mr Pinder said. Under proposed new laws, handing over more than $10,000 in cash to a registered business could see someone fined $25,200 or jailed for up to two years Liberal Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar in September introduced the Currency (Restrictions on the Use of Cash) Bill 2019 into Parliament. The proposed law was designed to tackle criminal syndicates. It allowed $10,000 cash transactions for private sales of motor vehicles but not large banknote purchases at car dealers. The government had originally intended to have the law come into effect on January 1, 2020 but the start date is yet to be determined, with the bill still before the Senate following an objection from One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes with the opposition MLAs led by the BJP saying that the Congress government is trying to disrupt the ongoing Income Tax raids at the premises linked to its officials and others. A BJP MLA demanded that all ministers in the state be booked on the charge of obstructing the government work. Soon after Question Hour, BJP MLA Shivratan Sharma raked up the issue saying that IT officials launched raids on February 27 at the premises of some officials of the state government, politicians and businessmen. "While the raid was going on, the state government tried to disrupt the action. The biggest evidence of this is that during the raid, the four-wheelers being used by IT officials were seized by the local police," he said. Sharma said the action has been taken against corrupt officials and politicians in view of "strong evidence" against them, and demanded a discussion by moving an adjournment motion notice. Senior BJP MLA Nanki Ram Kanwar said the Central agencies have the right to conduct raids all over the country and all ministers should be booked on the charge of obstructing the government work. Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) MLA Dharamjit Singh supported the BJP members on the issue. Former Chief Minister and JCC (J) chief Ajit Jogi said that conducting raids is a normal process and that all should wait for the outcome. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ravindra Choubey said the subject does not belong to this House. Amid uproar from the Opposition and the Treasury benches, Speaker Charan Das Mahant rejected the adjournment motion notice citing it was not according to the rules. Subsequently, opposition MLAs demanded a discussion on the issue. Amid the din, the speaker adjourned the house for five minutes. After the House reassembled, the listed business of the House was taken up. Income Tax officials on February 27 launched searches at about 25 premises linked to Chhattisgarh government officials and others in Raipur. Some of the properties where searches were conducted 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, Raipur Mayor Ezaj Dhebar and his brother Anwar Dhebar, officials said. On February 28, searches were conducted at the house of Saumya Chourasiya, deputy secretary to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in Bhilai town of Durg district and others. However, as Chourasiya's house was locked, IT officials stayed put outside there the entire night on Thursday and on Friday, sources said, adding that the house was sealed. On Monday, Chourasiya reached her house and informed IT officials, following which they launched a search, sources said. Terming the IT raids as "political vendetta", the chief minister had accused the BJP government at the Centre of "weakening" the federal structure and trying to "destablise" his government. The Congress, during a press conference held in Delhi on Sunday, said the "cloak-and-dagger" I-T raids showed that the Centre was "scared" after the state government launched a probe into alleged corruption under the previous BJP government. The party also claimed that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was being used for "political vendetta" like other investigative agencies during the searches. On Monday, CBDT said in Delhi that the Income Tax raids conducted in Chhattisgarh have revealed that "unaccounted cash" sourced from liquor and mining businesses was being paid to public servants every month. Issuing a statement, the board claimed "unaccounted transactions" of over Rs 150 crore have also been unearthed during the searches that were conducted on February 27 against a group of individuals, hawala dealers and businessmen in Raipur that covered over 25 premises. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CBC NewsFebruary 27, 2020A documentary tackling the issue of the Confucius Institute in Canada is screening Thursday night in Coquitlam, B.C., the city where its filmmaker was kicked out of an interview with Beijing's public diplomatic arm.Toronto-based filmmaker Doris Liu says the core nature of the Confucius Institute Chinese government-funded language schools is to "propagate the Chinese government's ideology" behind the facade of a cultural organization. She said the Institute is not in the same category with France's Alliance Francaise and Germany's Goethe Institute."Those Western institutions are independent from their own governments. Even though their governments fund them with money, their governments cannot tell them who to hire, what to teach, and how you teach."Liu began researching In the Name of Confucius after Sonia Zhao, an instructor with the Confucius Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., resigned and filed a human rights complaint that her job contract included discriminatory terms prohibiting her from Falun Gong practice.This challenge led McMaster to close its office of the Confucius Institute for good in 2013.Director unwelcome at Confucius InstituteLiu is a former journalist and an immigrant from mainland China. She told CBC's The Early Edition that her Chinese ethnicity helped her land an interview at the Confucius Institute in Coquitlam, but her critical questions fell flat."The Coquitlam school board representatives took it for granted that Asian or Chinese Canadians should have been supportive [of] this program, so they allowed me in. And once I started to ask them questions about the controversies surrounding the CI [Confucius Institute] program, they became unhappy and unwilling to continue the discussion. Until the point when I persist [with] them for an answer to react to all those controversies, they suddenly shut out of the interview," Liu told host Stephen Quinn.Liu said the Confucius Institute director also filmed her with a smartphone and told her she would report the interview to "Hanban," the abbreviation for the Office of Chinese Language Council International under the Chinese government.Liu said she suspected other branches of Confucius Institute in Canada denied her access after that interview.CI as a state propaganda machineA 2013 intelligence report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warned that Chinese leaders identified Confucius Institute as "an organization for spreading propaganda and building soft power" and spoke of a "perception that CIs do not allow discussion of topics that the Chinese government deems sensitive," such as the political situation in Tibet and Taiwan or the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.Toronto School District Closed CIIn the Name of Confucius, which is one hour long, will be screened Thursday evening at Coquitlam Public Library. Liu said she made this arrangement on purpose.The Coquitlam School District made a statement to CBC News, saying that the Confucius Institute in Coquitlam "primarily provides opportunities for community members to access Mandarin language learning and Chinese cultural classes." It also said "classes at the Institute are taught by Canadian instructors."In 2014, the Toronto District School Board ended a planned partnership with Confucius Institute, citing the partnership was "not aligned with TDSB and community values."To hear the complete interview with Doris Liu on The Early Edition, tap the audio link below:The Early EditionToronto filmmaker debuts Confucius Institute documentary in B.C.9:23Filmmaker Doris Liu speaks with Stephen Quinn about why she tackled an organization that purports to only promote the Chinese language. 9:23With files from Raffy Boudjikanian, Samantha Craggs and Thomson Reuters A person seeking asylum is advancing the best kind of claim you can make to stay in this country, which is that if we turn you back, youll be subject to torture or persecution, said Justice Elena Kagan. Why should he not be able to have a court review a pretty basic question: Did the executive officer follow the rules that he was supposed to follow? GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- A group of Genesee County residents plans to ask the county Board of Commissioners to adopt a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution. Around 300 people are expected to attend the next Genesee County Commission meeting Wednesday, March 11, with around 35 speaking, said Jerry Katich of Gaines Township, co-chair of the Genesee County branch of the group Michigan for 2A Sanctuary Counties." The group will first bring the resolution to commissioners on Monday, March 9, Katich said. Then, at the Wednesday meeting, he said members will speak as Americans, as patriots, to why Genesee County needs to be a sanctuary county in the state of Michigan. A growing list of municipalities across Michigan are passing Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions, affirming gun ownership rights and signaling resistance to proposed gun control legislation. 5 things to know about the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement in Michigan We know that with Genesee County being a Democratic (Party) stronghold, we may face a little bit of turbulence there, he said. The group will be there there to help protect the Second Amendment, Katich said. They will also hand out free pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution at the meeting. If we dont have a strong Second Amendment, then we dont have a strong constitution and all those words are just that, that our forefathers set up, theyre just words if we dont protect them, he said. Lapeer County votes to become a Second Amendment Sanctuary Though the movement began in Illinois in 2018, according to the Associated Press, recent political conflict in Virginia has raised its profile. The resolutions are generally opposed to any laws the county would consider unconstitutional, a prime target being proposed red flag laws legislatures have considered in efforts to curb gun violence. In general, the laws would allow authorities to temporarily confiscate someones firearms if they are determined to be a threat to themselves or others. Martin Cousineau, chair of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, said he started looking into the Second Amendment Sanctuary resolutions after hearing from the group. My basic understanding is theyre not asking anything more than supporting the laws as the constitution of the United States make in regard to Second Amendment rights," Cousineau said. "It would be a non-binding resolution but its just kind of reaffirming what we already took an oath to when we were elected and swore in to abide the constitution. The sheriff and the prosecutors office enforce laws, not council, Cousineau said. I really dont know why theyre asking, because its really a non-issue with us, he said. We dont enforce the laws, he said. We are a budgetary board, thats all. Genesee County Interim Sheriff Chris Swanson said he was asked two questions when approached by the group bringing forward the Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution. First, he said he was asked if he supported the Second Amendment and, second, he was asked if he supported the A2 Sanctuary. To the first part, Swanson said, he is a constitutional sheriff who took an oath to uphold the constitution when he took office. He said he is pro-gun and responsible gun ownership. But, as far as the 2A Sanctuary County movement, the resolution is to the board of commissioners, not to the sheriff," Swanson said. "I said I would hope that the state Legislature uses sound judgment and, until the constitution changes, which I dont anticipate it will, we dont have to worry about declaring (Genesee County) a sanctuary county. Swanson said he has faith in the state and its support of responsible gun ownership. Most of Michigan would likely be in support of responsible gun ownership, he said. We are a hunting, fishing state," Swanson said. "We were built on the fur trade. Swanson said he sat on a board for seven years that would consider concealed pistol license applicants and choose to grant or deny them. Ive always said that people have to be honest about responsible gun ownership. Dont fight about the right to bear arms, how about we compromise and join together on who can own a gun and who cant. As the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement spreads throughout Michigan, Swanson said he hopes it sparks conversation about responsible gun ownership while maintaining peoples right to bear arms. If you have people on both sides who really do comprise instead of fight, maybe well get more responsible conversations going, he said. Nobody wants violence. Twenty-five years ago, we wouldnt even talk about gun violence. Now were training preschoolers how to hide under desks and barricade doors." The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. By my count, I have given 53 elbow bumps in the past 72 hours. During that time, Ive turned down several dozen handshakes and tried, unsuccessfully, to turn this into a thing as the coronavirus spreads. (Want this in your inbox each morning? Sign up here.) A cure for what ails investors? Over the weekend, the global death toll of the coronavirus surpassed 3,000, with about 90,000 identified cases in 65 countries. The U.S. reported its first two deaths from the virus, both in a Seattle suburb, while New York City disclosed its first case. The latest developments, as always, can be found in our live briefing. Stocks can also go up sometimes. A rare sight in recent days, markets in Asia and Europe posted gains in early trading, recovering some of the ground lost during last weeks rout. (European shares are mixed at the time of writing, and U.S. futures have tipped into the red.) The turnaround, such as it is, began when Bank of Japan issued a statement pledging support to ensure stability in financial markets, echoing a similar notice from the Federal Reserve on Friday. Jittery markets are expecting increasingly aggressive, potentially coordinated actions from central banks around the world. (Anybody else getting 2008 flashbacks?) A Cork secondary school has cancelled a planned ski trip to northern Italy over coronavirus fears. The board of management of Colaiste an Spioraid in Bishopstown made the decision on Friday night to cancel the trip, which would have seen some of its students and teachers depart over the weekend. The board said it took many issues into consideration in arriving at its decision to cancel - including the potential impact on staff, students and the wider community. In a statement, the board said the potentially serious consequences of proceeding with the trip far outweigh any possible educational or recreational benefit. Among the considerations, the board said, was the likelihood of some students or staff members contracting the coronavirus and the consequent implications for the health and safety of the school in its entirety. Further consequences of the coronavirus being contracted by some or many of the ski trip party might include the likely closure of the school for several weeks which would particularly impinge on those preparing for the state examinations in June 2020, it said. The issue of enforced or self isolation could be very disruptive of family life and could potentially incur loss of income as entire households may have to endure isolation from the normal activities of life. The board said they were concerned that the impact could also extend to the local community. An additional consideration is the possibility that the region to which the students and staff were travelling might itself become a quarantined area causing the entire ski trip party to be held in Italy for some weeks. Bearing all these considerations in mind, the board of management has decided that its duty of care to the school community - students, staff and parents - impels it to cancel the proposed ski trip to Italy. It also has regard to the welfare of the local community. The board very much regret that the taking of this decision has become necessary. A Catholic member of a Freemasons Lodge in Belfast has said he is prepared to quit over plans to hold a celebration dinner for the Ulster Defence Regiment. The long-term member, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Belfast Telegraph he felt hurt when letters were issued from a number of lodges to encourage ticket sales. The fraternal organisation is open to all religions, with members agreeing not to discuss religion or politics. The event will be held in May at a hotel in Carrickfergus, marking 50 years since the formation of the UDR. A spokesperson for the Belfast Masonic Charity said the event was organised by several members acting in a private capacity and was not officially endorsed by the Masons. Explaining his reaction, the person said: "This has shocked me because, first of all, the UDR are steeped in controversy over the years just like the paratroopers. The Freemasons should not be getting involved in this. "The other thing is that provincial grand lodges of Antrim and Down have given their backing by sending letters out to lodges with a directive to support this event." He continued: "I'm not bigoted, many in the UDR did a great job, but we should not be getting into bed with this organisation. "I'm a Roman Catholic and I go to chapel, now people are going to say 'you're backing this'. What has happened over the last two weeks when this letter came out, this directive, it has shown me the sectarianism developing inside the Freemasons "It's made me very uncomfortable and a lot of Freemasons have called me to say they feel the same." He said he first joined the Freemasons for friendship and camaraderie, with all religions and professions represented. "Catholic, Protestant, Jewish. You name it, they're there," he said. "I enjoyed everybody's creed, but we don't talk about religion. We meet with the call 'on the level', everybody's the same. "Whether you're a bank manager or a street sweeper, Catholic or Arab, we're all the same brothers. "But now what has happened over the last two weeks when this letter came out, this directive, it has shown me the sectarianism developing inside the Freemasons. "We should not be involved in any politics. "If the UDR applied to the charity for a grant, for something like children and widows suffering hardship, that's different. "To me that's an appeal for help. But when you're talking about throwing yourself behind a celebration dinner it makes no sense." He said many Catholics still viewed the Freemasons as taboo, incorrectly believing it to be associated with Protestant organisations like the Royal Black Institution. "If this comes out my chapel is going to react (badly), there's four Freemasons in my chapel," he said. "My wife said to me it might be time to resign. If they go ahead with it, I will not be a member come May. "It's the backlash I fear for my family and other Catholic members who are going to face the same blinded view of the organisation. "That's the fear." Billy Beattie, secretary of the Belfast Masonic Charity, disagreed that the Freemasons were backing the event. "The Freemasons aren't actually running the event. As I understand it's some of the masonic veterans who were members of the UDR and there's no proceeds going towards the masonic charities," he said. "I think he's possibly misinterpreted it, but I'm happy to take a phone call if he wants an explanation. "From our perspective, we're a long-established charity and I can assure you there is no religious or political bias as regards our charities." Major supermarkets throughout Australia are running out of stock as customers panic buy supplies amid a potential coronavirus outbreak. The deadly virus has infected an estimated 90,149 people across 76 countries and killed more than 3,000 - mostly in mainland China. But as more cases are diagnosed outside China, particularly in Iran, Italy and the United States, authorities are increasingly concerned about the threat of a worldwide pandemic. Australia's Chief Medical Adviser on Monday warned the nation's strategy no longer includes trying to stop the spread of coronavirus in Australia. The aisles in Coles in Claremont, Perth were unusually empty on Saturday as shoppers stockpiled the essentials One shopper was shocked to realise her local supermarket in Hornsby, Sydney, was entirely sold out of pasta A Costco in Casula, Sydney, sold out of all toilet paper and bulk bottles of water this week Instead, authorities are putting certain travel bans in place and taking the necessary precautions to slow the inevitable spread. In response to a potentially catastrophic outbreak, Australians have been racing to stores to prepare for the worst. Pasta, tinned food, bottled water, toilet paper and hand sanitiser have been the most in-demand items at supermarkets across the nation - and plenty of stores aren't able to keep up with demand. One Woolworths employee said during his shift, he is constantly getting queries about bulk buying options. 'I work at Woolies packing shelves, I am getting so many requests for 10kg rice, canned vegetables and tuna,' he said. 'As soon as we put some on the shelf they are snatched away, I assume this is all due to the first Australian death to the Coronavirus.' Others shared photos of bare shelves in Costco stores in Sydney, claiming customers were heading there to strip the shelves of bulk packets of toilet paper and bottled water. Westfield Booragoon, in Perth, also experienced bare supermarket shelves after customers began stockpiling The global coronavirus death toll surpassed 3,000 following a sudden spike in Italian cases Woolworths in Doncaster, Melbourne, was stripped bare this week as shoppers stocked up on supplies On Saturday, Coles in Claremont, Perth, was brimming with people as they stocked up on what was left in store. Throughout the region grocers and pharmacies have run out of hand sanitiser. Some stores don't expect more stock until mid week. One shopper said the hysteria surrounding the outbreak was most concerning. 'There's so many people grabbing stuff. It's kind of intimidating,' Lucy Bell told 7News. 'It kind of worries me, seeing that.' Pictured: Brisbane Woolworths with pasta shelves entirely empty Customers in North Sydney were 'disgusted' at the low supply levels in store when they went to do their groceries Some stores claim they won't be able to restock essentials until mid week. Pictured: Safeway Camberwell, Victoria Toilet paper and soap supplies were running low in supermarkets in Manuka, Canberra 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 Tinned goods were also running low in a Coles supermarket in Manuka, Canberra One of Australia's leading survivalists said people should start bulking up their weekly shop before the virus' spread leads to food supply shortages. 'We should always be prepared for food shortages - not just from coronavirus but civil incidences, extreme weather and power outages which will cut us off from supply,' Western Australian survival instructor Bob Cooper told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. Mr Cooper said Australians should start thinking about whether their food cupboards could sustain them if the supply chain is broken. 'You need to think about things that have a long shelf life: dried fruit, dried foods, cereals, pasta will also last a long time,' he said. 'Packets of flour will also allow to make your own bread.' The hysteria comes as Australia recorded its first coronavirus death on Sunday. A 78-year-old man who contracted coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan boarded the doomed cruise in Perth with his wife Iris, who also contracted the virus. The man died at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital early on Sunday morning after being flown to Perth on February 21. Australia has also recorded its first human-to-human contact. A doctor in a western Sydney hospital contracted the virus from a man who returned from Iran. Lucy Bell (left) was shopping at Coles in Perth and said watching all the panic buying made her nervous Stock in Tasmanian supermarkets is also running low as people stock up on the basics A lab-coated technician leans over a bioreactor at an Iranian pharmaceutical plant producing cancer drugs -- a tall order since equipment imports fell victim to US sanctions. A huge corridor bathed in artificial light and smelling of disinfectant leads to the bioreactor room at the Actoverco factory, to which AFP was given rare access. Six hundred people run production lines at the facility in an industrial district of Karaj, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Tehran. Technicians wear scrubs, face masks, gloves and surgical caps as they work. In the bioreactor, cells are multiplied then transferred to tanks for use as cultures to produce medication. "Much of the equipment that we are using either in production or in laboratory, they are considered as dual-use and they are sanctioned," said plant manager Reza Mostofi. "We have many issues at the moment. Because of the sanctions, usually we can't either transfer the money or the supplier is not willing to sell the machinery that we need." - Production stoppage - As the new coronavirus spreads in Iran, many people have struggled to find medicine -- an issue linked to sanctions reinstated by the United States in 2018 after it withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal. In retaliation, the Islamic republic has gradually reduced its commitments to the deal since May 2019. On paper, humanitarian items are exempt from US sanctions, but in reality banks tend to decline transactions involving Iran to avoid being exposed to potential litigation. "The equipment that we are using, the spare parts and everything, now we have a big issue for repairing the spare parts that are needed," said Mostofi. For the past six months, he said, the plant has been unable to produce a drug that is essential for treating leukaemia. "For some time we have not been able to import the ingredients of this material, so our line... is now stopped," said the English-speaking manager. The company hopes to produce the active ingredient itself, with a "very big" bioreactor, but it faces almost insurmountable difficulties because of the sanctions. Iran's health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour voiced concern about the situation. "Regarding cancer patients, we had no problem because we are producing the medicine ourselves... (but) our companies want to renew, rebuild and replace their industrial equipment," he told AFP. According to him, there are 500,000 cancer patients in Iran, and it is the second biggest cause of death in the country, claiming 30,000 lives a year. Actoverco, part of a family business established 40 years ago, also produces the drug interferon beta-1a, used to treat multiple sclerosis. "We cannot provide the patients as much as we want," said the company director. "I hope there would (be) a political solution for this because at the end of the day these are people who are suffering" because of medicine shortages. He also voiced concern about the new coronavirus. "Maybe next year there would be a vaccine available (in) some places, but it might not be available here," he said. "This winter we had shortages of vaccines" for flu. - 'More and more difficult' - With the sanctions, "work has become more and more difficult, you feel it every day", said medical physicist Maryam Yaftian. The 30-year-old works at Roshana, a private clinic that opened in Tehran three years ago and is equipped with modern facilities. She points to the difficulty of obtaining supplies including medicine and spare parts for two radiotherapy machines bought from an American company prior to the sanctions. For troubleshooting, staff at the clinic hold video conferences with Iranian technicians based abroad. The sanctions have also caused prices to skyrocket for the clinic which is absorbing some of the increase on behalf of its patients, said its director Touraj Norouzi. In one room, mother of two Seyedeh Hosseini is receiving chemotherapy. Thanks to financial help from her brothers and father, she feels "lucky" to have been able to undergo treatment for bowel cancer with chemo drugs and an imported infusion pump. Many patients or their relatives seek chemo treatment abroad as they do not trust the quality of local products. The director of a Tehran pharmacy, Shahrzad Shahbani, said she had sought treatment abroad at all costs for her mother, who ultimately lost her battle with cancer. Nevertheless, she said, "If I had a chemo patient right now, I would not advise them to take local drugs." A pharmaceutical factory worker packages Sertraline medication tablets at the Actoverco plant in Karaj, west of Iran's capital Tehran Technicians wear scrubs, face masks, gloves and surgical caps as they work Pharmaceutical factory workers package vitamin and mineral supplement ampoules at the Actoverco plant in Karaj, west of Iran's capital Tehran A pharmaceutical factory worker packages vitamin and mineral supplements at the Actoverco plant in Karaj, west of Iran's capital Tehran Washington on ordered several U.S.-based media organizations run by the Chinese government to cut their staff numbers, hitting out at Beijing's "long-standing intimidation and harassment of journalists." U.S. based employees of China's Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International and China Daily Distribution Corp., which last month were designated foreign agents by the State Department, will need to be reduced from 160 to just 100 by , official said. The move was in direct response to Beijing's treatment of journalists, which was highlighted in an annual report released by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) on . The report found that 82 percent of members who responded to its survey had experienced interference, harassment or violence while reporting in China, while 44 percent said digital and physical surveillance concerns had affected their ability to carry out reporting activities, including contacting sources and doing interviews. Forty-four percent said their Chinese colleagues had experienced harassment at least once during 2019, while 51 percent said they were obstructed by police or other officials while trying to do their jobs. The report said it had built up "a detailed picture of sustained attacks by the Chinese state on the foreign press, a worsening reality that should be cause for global concern." "As China reaches new heights of economic influence, it has shown a growing willingness to use its considerable state power to suppress factual reporting that does not fit with the global image it seeks to present," the report said. "For the second consecutive year, not a single correspondent said conditions improved," it said. 'Visas as weapons' Citing the expulsion from China of three Wall Street Journal reporters last month, the FCCC said Chinese authorities are now "using visas as weapons against the foreign press," either refusing to renew work visas as in the case of the Journal's Chun Han Wong in August, or issuing "severely truncated visas" to resident journalists. It said since President Xi Jinping took power in 2013, China has forced nine foreign journalists to leave the country, either through outright expulsion or non-renewal of visas. "Twenty-two percent of respondents faced difficulty renewing their credentials, up from 13 percent the year before," the report found. "Almost all of them believed this was related to their reporting." Meanwhile, Chinese employees at international media organizations continued to face intensifying intimidation and harassment, including being detained, interrogated and threatened, the FCCC found. China's ever-expanding surveillance network, which employs facial recognition technology and physical monitoring, as well as evidence of the hacking of e-mail and encrypted messaging apps is making journalists' jobs harder still, it said. "For years, the government of the Peoples Republic of China has imposed increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and intimidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement announcing the staffing cuts to Chinese media organizations. Reciprocity sought One U.S. official told Reuters: "We've been imploring the Chinese for years and years now to improve their treatment of journalists in China. So, this is not linked to any one particular incident." The U.S. official said it was hoped that the restrictions on Chinese media organizations would "spur Beijing to adopt a more fair and reciprocal approach." "If in fact they decide to take this in a further negative direction however of course...all options would be on the table. I can't tell you what in particular we would do, but wed sit down review the circumstances and then consider all of our options," said the official in comments reported by Reuters. While the U.S. isn't expelling any individuals, some of the staff members may be forced to leave due to the fact that their visas depend on their ability to work in the U.S. The move drew criticism from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), however, which called on Washington to immediately suspend the plan. "China and the United States need to pull back from this dangerous cycle of tit-for-tat retaliation that threatens the free flow of information in both countries--especially during a global health crisis," CPJ Asia program coordinator Steven Butler said in a statement on the group's website. "As a democracy with a strong constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press, the U.S. in particular must show leadership in the area of press freedom, rather than adopting Beijings authoritarian tactics," Butler said. China is the worlds worst jailer of journalists, with at least 48 journalists behind bars at the end of 2019, the CPJ said. Reported by RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. A cabinet minister today warned European Union leaders that Britain will take a hard line against France in a dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights. We are not going to trade away our fishing in a deal with the EU or any other negotiating partner, said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss as EU and UK negotiators met for the first round of trade talks in Brussels. Her words were a response to the French minister for European affairs Amelie de Montchalin, who yesterday said an EU-UK trade deal could collapse unless London gives guarantees that European boats can continue to fish in its waters. She said French fishermen had invested in boats in the expectation that decades of fishing would continue and when asked if the EU was willing to let the whole agreement collapse, she said: Yes. We said that there are four topics which are linked in negotiations. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms Truss insisted: We are going to get a deal with the EU that does not involve selling out our fishing. But her words did not rule out an eventual deal that would allow fishing fleets on both sides to ply UK waters under licence. UK negotiator David Frost and 100 British officials were sitting down with EU counterparts led by Michel Barnier for talks so large they could not fit into the European Commission headquarters. David Frost / REUTERS The Government chose the same moment to publish UK proposals for a trade deal with the United States, which has aroused fears that chlorinated chicken and other food products linked with low animal welfare standards would pour into supermarkets. But Ms Truss said it would be a red line to reject foods that did not confirm to UK standards. In a blow to President Trumps demands, she said drugs prices paid by the NHS were also off the table. Liz Truss / PA I can absolutely guarantee that in a trade deal with the US, we will not diminish our food safety standards and we will also not put the NHS on the table or the price the NHS pays for drugs on the table. Those are two very clear red lines in our trade deal, she said. She added; If we dont get the deal we want we will be prepared to walk away. The EU talks are due to end in December at the latest. They cover everything from aviation to nuclear isotopes to student exchanges. A second round will be held in London later this month, with further meetings every two to three weeks. All in all, its already clear that June will be a difficult month. It is hard to see much progress being possible by then so things will start getting tense, said one EU diplomat involved in Brexit talks. Boris Johnsons proposed trade deal with the US would boost Londons economy by 650 million, according to official estimates published today. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. 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While videos of alleged police brutality and its personnel's behaviour with rioters was doing the rounds on social media after the start of the communal violence in northeast Delhi, ordinary citizens decided to fill the vacuum created by the inaction of the State While videos of alleged police brutality and its personnel's behaviour with rioters was doing the rounds on social media after the start of the communal violence in northeast Delhi, ordinary citizens decided to fill the vacuum created by the inaction of the State, whether in providing relief, helping with rescue efforts or saving lives of those injured during the violence. "Nine of them came chanting religious slogans in our area, but we were all outside guarding our homes. They saw us and left," said Imaan (name changed to protect identity), a resident of Mustafabad. He is out on bail after no evidence was found that could prove his involvement in violence during the anti-CAA protests in December last year. Imaan and many like him stood guard and continue to do so in their respective gallis in various violence-hit areas of northeast Delhi. They have lost their faith in the forces ever since verified videos of officers in uniforms using lathis on wounded Muslim citizens, abusing them and asking them to chant slogans went viral on social media. On 25 February, a group of concerned citizens from various fields got together, decided to intervene and provide some interim rescue and relief to those who continued to be in the middle of the violence in various localities of northeast Delhi. Meanwhile, people across the city were receiving unverified frantic messages of gunshots, houses being burnt, ambulances not being allowed to take the injured to hospitals etc. Different teams were formed and a mechanism developed whereby SOS calls received were first verified and details of location sought, after which the kind of support and assistance needed was ascertained. Finally, the information on what needs to be done was sent to teams on the ground who would immediately provide support. Each volunteer spent sleepless nights to contribute the little they could while ordinary citizens peacefully demanding action from the chief minister were brutally beaten, made to face water cannons and detained from outside his residence on the night of 25 February. Rescue teams found it extremely difficult as there was little or no support from officials of violence-affected areas to let ambulances pass. After midnight, an order was passed by the Delhi High Court in the matter of Rahul Roy versus Government of NCT of Delhi and Others, where the DCP, East was ordered to ensure safe passage of those injured to government hospitals, soon after which the critically injured were able to reach hospitals like Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital for treatment with the police starting to cooperate. Dr Juveria, who was helping coordinate the safe passage of those critically injured from the local Al Hind Hospital to GTB, recounted how the delay cost two of the 10 gunshot victims their lives. "The doctors at Al Hind a hospital that is not at all equipped to deal with such serious cases did not get nervous at all. They did all they could to negate any immediate harm to the injured. Those driving ambulances did not let fear grip them and reached the spots that needed them. They did not let the news of the vulnerability of those areas affect their duty, they told me," said Dr Juveria. But this organising comes at a cost for many. Khalid Saifi, who is in judicial custody at present, was detained from the Khureji area and faced police violence. He was helping rescue people and provide relief and medical aid to those who were critically injured. Locals in Khureji confirm that he went to the protest site two days ago and requested the women and others to consider not blocking any roads as part of their peaceful protest. Two days later, his FIR stated that he asked protesters to pelt stones at the police, with no evidence for this claim whatsoever. Similar accusations were levied against Ishrat Jehan of Khureji as well, who has also been detained. The lawyers who intervened in this particular detention of activists who were providing relief to the violence-affected were assaulted by cops in the Jagatpuri Police Station, including women lawyers who went there to intervene. Many groups have come forward to do what the State should ideally be doing in a situation like this. People's homes have been burnt to ashes, livelihoods finished and lives lost. Activist Harsh Mander and his team have been very active on the ground and have been working with volunteers to provide relief, rehabilitation, medical and legal help to the violence-affected. Apart from organisations that are setting up medical camps and temporary rehabilitation centres, young students from universities and colleges have been and continue to be at the forefront of relief work. "My friend goes to Shaheen Bagh at 10 pm every day and is back by fajr (first of the five daily prayers). After college, he comes to help with relief work and stays here till 8 pm. This has been his routine every single day," Asma (name changed to protect identity) told me. Asma has been helping coordinate the collection of relief materials and sends them after verification of needs to the remotest of areas where even basic supplies are lacking. A volunteer is sent with the relief truck to ensure that the supplies reach those who need them. Working in the current hostile environment however has not been easy. Asma narrated the tale of one of the volunteers in Chand Bagh a student who was detained by police from a supply truck and mentally harassed through the night. The truck carrying milk for 100 children in the area was also asked to return. Sharique, working on the ground, recounted how there were no basic supplies in Kardampuri, Shiv Puri, Chand Bagh, Bhajanpura and Karwal Nagar when the violence broke out and how with the help of locals and those coordinating to provide food and evacuation from some of these areas, they were able to reach out to those affected. The contribution of the Sikh community in providing relief and rehabilitation to the pogrom survivors has been covered by many a media house. What has also been a ray of hope in these past days are the set of stories of how individuals from various communities took it upon themselves to protect people from other communities in their areas. "Dalit residents of Seelampur J-Block are protecting the Muslim residents and have blocked roads pushing out right wing mobs," read a tweet by a Seelampur resident, Ovais Sultan Khan, activist. Even in these tough times, stories of solidarity, of communities coming out to help those affected brings some hope. Nadeem Khan from United Against Hate recounted how residents of one of the most affected areas, Noor e Elahi asked him to direct the food supply vehicles to Kardampuri saying that there was a greater need there and that they would manage with what they had at the moment. Individuals with personal cars offered to take the injured to hospitals and supply food to doorsteps of families who could not step out. Residents from Shiv Puri told me how unknown people picked up two of the severely-injured men at GTB in their semi conscious state and took them on their bikes to hospitals nearby. There are hundreds of faceless, nameless people guarding the streets, collecting basic supplies, counselling families and arranging help to fill the vacuum created by agencies whose job is to provide these facilities to the violence-affected as best as possible. A team of Chinese medics has successfully carried out the world's first double-lung transplant for a patient who had been infected with coronavirus, hoping to explore new treatments against the virus. Dr Chen Jingyu, a leading expert in the lung transplant field, performed the five-hour surgery with his team on Saturday at the People's Hospital of Wuxi in Jiangsu Province of eastern China. The male patient, 59, is in stable condition and his transplanted lungs have been functioning well after the operation, Dr Chen told the press. The CT scans of the patient's lungs before (left) and after the transplant (right) on Saturday The male patient, 59, is in stable condition and his transplanted lungs have been functioning well after the operation, according to Dr Chen Jingyu, one of the surgeons of the operation The Chinese resident was confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus on January 26. After a series of treatments, the patient tested negative - but his lung functions were severely impaired and suffered irreversible damage. The hospital decided to perform the transplant as the patient's condition had been life-threatening, the surgeon told the Paper. The picture shows the team of medics after successfully carrying out the first double-lung transplant on coronavirus patient in hopes of finding a new way to treat the deadly disease The transplanted lungs came from a donor who had been declared brain dead and were transported to Wuxi city by high-speed railway within seven hours, according to Global Times. The patient had tested negative consecutively for five days before undergoing the operation to ensure it was relatively unlikely for the surgeons to be infected. Dr Chen said the transplant was extremely risky because 'the death rate of critical coronavirus cases was very high'. The coronavirus has claimed at least 3,048 deaths and infected over 89,000 people globally Chinese workers are pictured checking the information of suspected coronavirus carriers 'It was a big gamble because we were not sure if there was still any viruses left in the patient's lung, or if it was infectious. 'But [the operation] was for all the patients in critical condition, to give them hope,' he continued. The team also hoped to understand the coronavirus better from the transplant surgery and find new ways to treat the deadly disease. South Korea is dealing with the worst outbreak outside China, with a total of over 4,000 cases. A group of workers are seen spraying disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus The number of people infected with the deadly virus in the UK jumped from 23 to 36 on Sunday. People are pictured wearing protective masks walking on the streets of London, UK A man is pictured wearing 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, South Korea 'If we conduct more successful cases, I would recommend the National Health Commission to assemble a medical team to treat the critical patients in Wuhan with lung transplants,' Dr Chen said. The novel coronavirus has claimed at least 3,048 deaths and infected over 89,000 people globally, with the majority of cases in China. Elsewhere, South Korea is facing the worst outbreak after a 61-year-old woman developed a fever on February 10 but attended at least four church services in Daegu before being diagnosed. Airport officials are pictured monitoring passengers' body temperatures in Krakow, Poland British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted the virus was a 'significant challenge'. He is seen touring in a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in London More than half of South Korea's 4,000 cases have been linked to the church and numbers are expected to rise further as 260,000 people associated with Shincheonji are tested for the virus. The number of people infected with the deadly virus in the UK jumped from 23 to 36 on Sunday, marking the biggest rise in a single day after 12 new cases were recorded in England and Scotland announced its first patient. Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted the virus which has infected almost 90,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000 was a 'significant challenge'. Story On Sunday, March 1, Executive Constantine signed a Proclamation of Emergency in response to COVID-19, enabling "extraordinary measures" to fight the outbreak, including waiving some procurement protocols, and authoring overtime for King County employees, among other powers. Executive Constantine immediately ordered the purchase of an area motel to be used to isolate patients in recovery as well as those in active treatment. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in a matter of days and available to Public Health by the end of the week. Location details will be made available when the transaction is complete. In addition, King County will place modular units on public properties in locations throughout King County. We have moved to a new stage in the fight to contain and mitigate this outbreak. King County is aligned and organized behind this common mission, with Public Health Seattle & King County as our lead agency," said Executive Constantine. "We will direct all available resources to help cities, health-care facilities, businesses, and families continue life as normally as possible. But our best strategies depend on millions of residents actively following established disease prevention guidelines." As we learn more about this outbreak, it's now more important than ever that we look out for one another and stand strong as a community," King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci said. "In King County, we are fortunate to have a network of highly skilled public health professionals who are working round-the-clock to assess and respond to the situation, while making sure we are informed with up-to-date information." COVID-19 case updates COVID-19 test results have come back from the Washington State Public Health Laboratory confirming four additional cases of COVID-19 in King County residents. With these four new results, the total number of cases in King County is 14. Today's results include 2 additional deaths, along with an individual who was previously reported as ill but who has now died. This brings the total number of deaths in King County from COVID-19 to five. We have the best people in the world right here in King County responding to this crisis," said Patty Hayes, RN, MN, Director of Public Health Seattle & King County. "We will get through this by staying informed and united. There are things each one of us can do to take control and reduce the impact of this disease in our community." The four new cases are in: A male in his 50s, hospitalized at Highline Hospital. No known exposures. He is in stable but critical condition. He had no underlying health conditions. A male in his 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20 A female in her 70s, a resident of LifeCare, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman had underlying health conditions, and died 3/1/20 A female in her 80s, a resident of LifeCare, was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. She is in critical condition. In addition, a woman in her 80s, who was already reported as in critical condition at Evergreen, has died. She died on 3/1/20 10 other cases, already reported earlier by Public Health, include: A female in her 80s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. This person has now died, and is reported as such above. A female in her 90s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition A male in his 70s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition A male in his 70s was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. He had underlying health conditions and died on 2/29/20. A man in his 60s, hospitalized at Valley Medical Center in Renton. A man in 60s, hospitalized at Virginia Mason Medical Center. A woman in her 50s, who had traveled to South Korea; recovering at home A woman in her 70s, who was a resident of LifeCare in Kirkland, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth A woman in her 40s, employed by LifeCare, who is hospitalized at Overlake Medical Center A man in his 50s, who was hospitalized and died at EvergreenHealth Public Health is working hard to identify close contacts of these confirmed cases. These close contacts may include family members, co-workers, emergency responders and other contacts. A team of CDC officials is on-the-ground working with Public Health, along with the Washington State Department of Health, our healthcare system partners and many others. The public can help: A Russian court has sent the high-profile case of an opposition activist imprisoned for repeatedly taking part in unsanctioned rallies to an appeals unit of the Moscow City Court. Moscow's Court Of Cassations No. 2 said on March 2 that it rejected a motion by Konstantin Kotov's lawyers and prosecutors to annul a four-year prison term handed to the activist. His lawyers wanted the case against their client to be closed and the charge to be dropped, while prosecutors had asked the court to cut the prison term to one year. The court also ruled that Kotov must be kept in pretrial detention until May 2. The 35-year-old computer programmer was detained on August 10 for taking part in a rally to demand that opposition and independent candidates be put on the ballot for the Moscow City Duma election that was held on September 8. The barring of the would-be candidates sparked a wave of protests in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia last summer, some of which were violently suppressed by police as thousands were briefly detained, sparking international condemnation. Kotov was one of several activists punished with prison following the protests in what has been dubbed the Moscow Case. His conviction and sentencing on September 5 sparked a public outcry in Russia because of its severity. On January 25, amid protests against Kotov's imprisonment, President Vladimir Putin ordered the Prosecutor-General's Office to review the legality of the sentencing. Two days later, Russia's Constitutional Court ruled that the case must be reviewed. Based on reporting by Mediazona and Rapsinews Visa held its second regional Transforming Transit programme, an innovation showcase at the intersection of urban mobility and payments to ideate and co-create the next generation fare and ticketing solutions. The event convened public and private transport operators, authorities, agencies and ticketing schemes from Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) to discuss best practices and innovations in mass transportation to deliver better door-to-door rider journeys. Transport operators around the world are recognising the benefits of integrating fast, easy, secure payments at turnstiles and fare gates. Open loop, contactless ticketing allows customers to use the same Visa contactless card or device they use every day to turn up, tap and travel, helping save valuable time by avoiding the need to pre-purchase a ticket, manage a standalone transit card, or stand in line to reload their fare card. Visa has launched more than 180 contactless transit projects in the past five years and more than 60 projects in 2019 alone in cities spanning New York to Singapore, Rome to Rio. Transportation projects that Visa has launched are seeing positive customer adoption, with a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in contactless transport transactions. Marcello Baricordi, Visas General Manager for Mena, said: Visa has successfully supported governments, transport operators, and technical partners in delivering seamless, secure digital payment solutions across transportation systems. Open loop ticketing is an important example of how payment innovation can not only transform the passenger experience, encouraging more people to adopt greener forms of travel, but also help make transport systems more efficient and cities more connected. We are delighted to have had this opportunity to engage with the regions transport operators and authorities, and look forward to partnering with them to co-create the future of seamless transportation that will help travelers save time and cities operate more efficiently and sustainably. In the Mena region, consumers continue to choose contactless solutions as their preferred way to pay. Visa contactless transactions in the region have grown more than four-fold (467 per cent) in the past year driven mainly by the UAE and Saudi Arabia where transactions have seen over 140 per cent and more than ten-fold (1161 per cent) growth, respectively. According to a recent survey by Visa, commuters in Dubai (67 per cent) and Cairo (58 per cent) would prefer to pay using a contactless card or device instead of their transit card if the option were provided. Madhur Mehra, Visas Head of Merchant Sales & Acquiring - Mena, said: Improving city life by reducing pollutionwhile also moving people around efficientlyis one of the biggest challenges of our time. That is why Visa is working with cities around the world and engaging local transportation stakeholders and our partners through initiatives such as our Transforming Transit programme to show how transportation solutions leveraging contactless payment technology can make every day travel easier, faster, and cities more livable. Mike Tuckett, Head of Transformation Delivery of Transport for London (TfL), the British capitals transit authority, presented his citys successful adoption of open-loop ticketing to participants at the event. Beginning in 2012, TfL began offering bus, tube, ferry, light rail and conventional rail commuters the option to pay by contactless card or device instead of its proprietary Oyster transit card. According to Tuckett, the contactless system resulted in increased journey volumes (from simplified ticket purchasing), leading to higher revenues; increased average journey speed, since riders no longer had to buy tickets or top-up cards; reduced need for vending machines, lowering operational costs; and better data insights, resulting in better fare modeling, route loading and capacity planning. As a result of the successful pilot, other large towns and cities across the UK, including Manchester and Edinburgh, have launched the innovation, the TfL executive said. -- Tradearabia News Service Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has questioned a key component of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Ghani told a news briefing in the capital, Kabul, on March 1 that his government has made no commitment to free up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners, as set out in the February 29 agreement. The Western-backed Kabul government was not a signatory of the bilateral U.S.-Taliban deal. "There is no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners," Ghani said, adding that any prisoner release was "not in the authority of the U.S., it is in the authority of the Afghan government." "This is the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan, Ghani added. It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks." There was no immediate response from the United States or the Taliban. There are an estimated 10,000 Taliban prisoners being held in Afghanistan. The U.S.-Taliban deal said Washington was committed to the release of "up to five thousand" Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government and "up to one thousand...prisoners of the other side will be released by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations." Road Map To Peace Pursuit of a lasting peace -- which is heavily conditioned on guarantees that Afghanistan won't be used to stage attacks on the United States or its allies -- could face considerable obstacles as Washington tries to shift the burden of peacemaking to the warring Afghan sides with Ghani's government facing its own challenges following his disputed reelection victory. The long-awaited road map to peace was signed by the leader of the political wing of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Washington's chief negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, in the Qatari capital, Doha. In it, the United States commits in the deal 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." Ghani told CNN on March 1 that U.S. President Donald Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and that the political consensus needed for such a major step did not currently exist. "The people of Afghanistan need to believe that we've gone from war to peace, and not that the agreement will be either a Trojan horse or the beginning of a much worse phase of conflict," Ghani told CNN. Earlier, at his press conference, Ghani expressed hope that a seven-day partial truce that helped finalize the U.S.-Taliban agreement would continue until a more permanent deal was reached. "The reduction in violence will continue with a goal to reach a full cease-fire," Ghani said. Trump said on February 29 that American troops would "immediately" begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan. "Today. They will start immediately," Trump told reporters when asked when the soldiers would start to leave. "No one should be criticizing this deal, after 19 years," Trump said, adding that he will "be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-so-distant future," without specifying. The agreement 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 -- which it so far has refused to do. According to a joint declaration published by the U.S. and Afghan governments, the United States and NATO would withdraw all troops in Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban upholds the commitments made in the agreement. The U.S. military has some 13,000 troops in Afghanistan and plans to immediately cut the level to 8,600, leading up to a potential final pullout in 2021. Trump told a conservative political conference in suburban Maryland that if the Taliban lives up to its commitments, the war will "be over." "We cant be the policeman for the world," said Trump, who has often vowed to halt Americas involvement in endless wars around the world. John Bolton, Trump's hawkish former national-security adviser, wrote on Twitter that "signing this agreement with Taliban is an unacceptable risk to America's civilian population." "This is an Obama-style deal. Legitimizing Taliban sends the wrong signal to [Islamic State] and Al-Qaeda terrorists, and to America's enemies generally," he said, referring to former President Barack Obama, Trump's predecessor. Republican U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney under George W. Bush, also ripped the deal, saying the U.S. administration must explain how it will verify Taliban compliance. "Todays agreement with the Taliban includes concessions that could threaten the security of the United States," she said. 'Everyone Is Tired Of War' Many experts have also said that eventual talks, if they occur, between Afghan government officials and the Taliban could prove to be troublesome. Many in Kabul have rejected talks with the extremist group, expressing doubts about its sincerity and ability to control its fighters. Trump, however, said he was optimistic that such talks will be successful, saying "everyone is tired of war." "The other side's tired of war. Everybody is tired of war -- a particularly long and gruesome one," he said. "We've had tremendous success in Afghanistan, in the killing of terrorists, but it's time, after all these years, to go and to bring our people back home." Meanwhile, chief Taliban negotiator Abbas Stanikzai said, "There is no doubt we have won the war.... This [is] why they are signing a peace treaty." The Foreign Ministry of U.S. foe Iran, which shares a long border with Afghanistan and has a sizable population of Afghans, said the United States has no legal standing to sign a deal with the Taliban, Reuters reported. Tehran also reportedly stressed the need for intra-Afghan talks and urged considerations for the interests of Afghanistan's neighbors. Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said he considered a prisoner exchange an important confidence-building measure. The prisoner exchange will be one of the first confidence-building measures, so it will remain a very critical step that we need to push forward, he added. Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib told Afghanistan's Tolo TV channel that the government had made no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners by March 10. Mohib also questioned the deal's seeming absence of specifics on the Talibans ties to neighboring Pakistan, which Kabul and Washington have long accused of harboring militants who conduct cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, his chief political rival who has disputed official results of September's presidential election that showed the president winning reelection, have yet to agree on the composition of the government's negotiating team for any peace talks with the Taliban. With reporting by RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal, AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, The New York Times, and the BBC Maharashtra BJP President Chandrakant Patil on Monday welcomed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's statement that the amended Citizenship law will not affect any Maharashtrian. "We welcome Ajit Pawar's stance, first Uddhav Thackeray understood the law now Ajit Pawar also has. Later, the Congress leaders too will understand it. The Prime Minister has been saying this from day one that this law won't affect anyone in the country," Patil said. Pawar on Monday had reiterated that any citizen of the state will not be affected by the amended Citizenship Act or Population Register (NPR) exercise and urged the Congress MLAs to not spoil the environment in the state by demanding anti-CAA, NPR resolutions. He said this in response to many Congress MLAs meeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to raise the demand for passing an anti-CAA and NPR resolution in the state Assembly, on the lines of the Bihar Assembly. "I have said it many times in the past and the MVA government too has said that these laws will not affect any Maharashtrian. Uddhavji has also said the same. Do not spoil the mood in our state by citing examples of resolutions passed in any other state," Pawar said. However, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi said that his party leaders will seek a meeting with the Deputy CM to apprise him of the threats posed by the CAA and NPR. "By demanding a resolution over CAA and NPR we are not spoiling any atmosphere, we will meet Ajit Pawar soon and will make him understand the issue with these laws," Azmi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the viral outbreak spreading to more countries, the price of oil has dropped precipitously as global demand weakens even further. That has sent shares tumbling for oil giants like Exxon and Chevron while smaller producers with idling rigs continue to slash jobs. Hundreds of new cases of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease have been announced in recent days outside of China. 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 85,000 people worldwide have contracted the illness, with deaths topping 2,900. Oil industry analysts fear that what they thought was a contained disruption may instead lead to more travel restrictions and even less oil consumed. That was the fear all along, that the virus would not be contained in China, said Claudio Galimberti, head of demand, refining and agriculture at S&P Global Platts. There are entire cities, and in some cases regions, that are in a lockdown. When you begin to have a lockdown, people work from home, factories shut down, people dont travel. The impact on oil is very, very bad. Oil prices fell dramatically in mid-February, but had been steadily climbing back as the number of new cases of the virus in China slowed. In the last week, however, reports of the spreading virus knocked prices down. The benchmark for U.S. crude oil fell 16% during the week, settling Friday at $44.76 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, dropped 14% for the week to its lowest levels since July 2017, closing Friday at $50.52 a barrel. Meanwhile, shares of Exxon Mobil tumbled to $49.82 on Thursday, reaching a 15-year low, before rebounding more than 3% on Friday. Chevron Corp. shares hit their lowest level in nearly four years on Friday. The Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia is pushing for deep cuts in oil production to help stabilize prices in the face of falling demand. The newspaper, citing people familiar with the talks, said the Saudis propose to bear most of the brunt of a cutback of 1 million barrels per day but want Russia and other big producers to join them. Representatives of OPEC and allies like Russia plan to meet next week. If demand for oil and the price of a barrel continues to fall, that may result in lower gasoline prices a potential bright side for consumers, who account for about 70% of U.S. economic activity. Gasoline prices have been fluctuating in recent weeks, but nothing significant that could be attributed to the coronavirus, said Jeanette Casselano, director of public relations at AAA. Prices tend to rise for the summer driving season, but the effects of coronavirus on the price of oil could mitigate that. Lower prices at the pump, however, arent necessarily good for the U.S. economy overall. When energy prices fall, energy companies tend to cut back on investment and jobs. A freefall in gasoline prices led to a sharp drop in U.S. business investment in 2016, for instance -- one reason the countrys economic growth slowed to 1.6% that year from 2.9% in 2015. When the coronavirus first hit, the Energy Information Administration predicted global oil demand would fall to 100.3 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2020, down about 900,000 barrels, or 1%, from what was estimated in January. The agency said it expects global oil demand to rise by 1 million barrels per day in 2020, which is lower than its growth prediction last month of 1.3 million barrels per day this year. Those numbers were released in mid-February, before the number of reported cases outside of China began to rise significantly, so analysts expect estimates to get worse. On Monday, ING head of commodities strategy Warren Patterson said he expects travel restrictions and factory shutdowns caused by coronavirus to shave 400,000 barrels a day from global consumption growth, which would take the industry to its lowest level of consumption in a decade. The financial situation was deteriorating for the oil industry long before the coronavirus hit. Demand for oil was suppressed by ongoing trade tensions with China, concerns about climate change, growing adoption of renewable energy sources and steadily improving energy efficiency. In the U.S., many oil and gas producers were already struggling under the financial pressure of low prices, caused in part by oversupply as companies figured out how to produce oil and gas more cheaply than ever before. In the past five years, 208 oil producers have filed for bankruptcy protection after racking up approximately $121.7 billion in debt, according to law firm Haynes and Boone. The strain has especially hurt smaller producers that relied on debt and an expectation of higher prices to repay their loans. The weakness in the commodity price has driven many companies to the point that they cannot refinance their debt or their lenders have lost patience with the longer-term downturn in the energy industry, said Charles Beckham, a partner at Haynes and Boone. In Texas, the number of active rigs fell from 553 in October 2018 to 398 in January 2020. Around the same time, the oil industry in Texas shed about 14,000 jobs, said Karr Ingham, executive vice president at the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, which has about 2,600 members. Theyre drilling fewer wells, theyre idling rigs and parking them somewhere until they need it again, Ingham said. Its hard to know how long the outbreak will continue, and just how deeply the industry will feel the impacts. Many of the countries reporting significant numbers of new coronavirus cases are also large energy consumers, said Kevin Book, managing director of Clearview Energy Partners. A demand killer virus that nobody understands points toward an even tougher financing environment, he said. 3 1 of 3 Matt Rourke Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Maddie Mcgarvey/NYT Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Former Vice President Joe Biden is riding a wave of momentum into Super Tuesday fueled by his dominating win in South Carolina, and new California primary polls show that Biden was gaining ground in the Golden State even before his rout on Saturday night. The polls, conducted by Emerson College and CBS/YouGov in the days just before the South Carolina primary, showed that while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders still holds a comfortable lead and should be considered the favorite to win California, Biden is now polling over the critical 15 percent threshold he needs to pick up delegates in the state. In California, a candidate can only receive delegates if he or she reaches a 15 percent threshold, either in individual congressional districts or statewide. Previous polls showed Biden struggling to hit this threshold. On the pretence of increasing the daily wage of plantation workers to 1,000 rupees (about $US5.50) President Gotabhaya Rajapakses government is conspiring with the plantation companies and the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) to impose exploitative working conditions. A deal is being prepared behind the backs of workers. During last years presidential election campaign, Rajapakse promised to increase estate workers wages in a desperate bid to garner their votes, with the help of the CWC. This was part of his bogus election pledge to improve peoples living conditions, so as to exploit the mass discontent with the previous government. Knowing Rajapaskes ruthlessness as defence secretary during the 2005-2014 government of President Mahinda Rajapakse, estate workers largely voted against him. He presided over the final military offensives on the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that killed thousands of innocent Tamil civilians and unleashed repressive measures against workers and the poor. Now, preparing to dissolve the parliament for a general election, Rajapakse is once again touting his so-called estate wage increase plan. Last month he asked the companies to increase wages by March 1. This increase has nothing to do with the demands raised by workers in a series of protests during 2018, including the 11-day strike by hundreds of thousands in December that year. Workers demanded the doubling of the then basic wage of 500 rupees, but the CWC, assisted by other trade unions, betrayed the struggle. The unions agreed to a 200-rupee increase and a 50-rupee allowance, as proposed by the companies. By adding a 105-rupee pension fund allocation to these amounts, the companies falsely claim they currently pay 855 rupees. Now Rajapakse is seeking to add 145 rupees to that total. CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman, a minister in Rajapakses government, boasted that his union did what it said, that is, delivered what it promised to workers. This is a complete lie. Supported by the other unions, Thondaman and his CWC have taken the lead, time and again, to keep workers wages at poverty levels. The Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) are opposing any wage increase. Hayleys plantation managing director Roshan Rajadurai told the Sunday Observer on February 16 that the RPCs had put forward an alternative proposal, with a new wage model. It is based on increasing productivity and slashing even the small social benefits workers currently have. Rajadurai said: The new wage model will guarantee workers 10 days work per month and for the rest of the days, wages will be paid on a productivity-based scheme, where for every kilogram plucked a specific rate will be paid, as it is done in the smallholder sector. According to this plan, workers would not be guaranteed work for the remaining 15 days per month. At present, according to previous agreements, companies are supposed to provide 25 days work per month. This mandatory 25-day system would be abolished under the new plan. Also workers would not receive pension fund paymentsfor the employees provident fund and employers trust fundfor these 15 days. This is the practice imposed by smallholders in the tea industry. Plantation companies also have hired retired workers on this basis, paying 40 rupees a kilogram for plucked tea leaves. To earn 1,000 rupees a day, a worker would have to pluck 25 kilograms a day, which is impossible. Rajadurai insisted: The cost of production tea of Sri Lanka is higher than its competitors, such as India and Kenya. If we want to compete we need to be competitive in cost. That means labour costs must be reduced by cutting jobs and increasing workloads. Facing the stiff resistance from the companies to any wage increase, Plantation and Industry Minister Ramesh Pathirana said that, for a short period, the government would provide treasury support to the RPCs to pay the 1,000-rupee minimum wage to plantation workers. Pathirana said the companies had proposed three models, based on out-grower, productivity-based incentives and also revenue-sharing models. This means the government will provide the bogus salary increase, temporarily, using treasury money. At the same time, the government is talking with the companies and unions to implement their models to increase workloads and slash the pension funds and meagre welfare measures. Workers face the danger that an agreement is being prepared secretly to impose these models to increase workers exploitation. In the last two collective agreements, signed in 2016 and 2019, the unions, led by the CWC, agreed to collaborate with the plantation companies to implement a revenue-sharing model. Under this system, workers are allocated about 1,000 tea bushes. They have to tend them and provide plucked leaves to factories owned by the plantations. After companies deduct amounts for inputs, equipment, office expenses and profits, workers get the remaining income. This revenue-sharing takes place only for the benefit of the companies. In some estates where the system was implemented, workers entire families toiled in vain to try to earn a living income. Workers opposed the system and in some estates they returned the allocated plots of land and opted for the old system. Other methods are being tested in plantations to increase output. On November 29, less than two weeks after Rajapakse came to power in the presidential election, over 5,000 workers walked out. They opposed the introduction of digital weighing machines and digital identity cards, by which management can monitor workers every movement during working hours. For decades, plantation companies, brokering firms and international retail giants have manipulated prices and costs in order to squeeze out greater profits. Earlier, workers were brutally exploited by British colonial rule. Now, because of the international economic downturn, the drive for profits has intensified. Plantation workers in Kenya, South Africa, China, India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka face similar exploitation by internationally-connected companies. Workers conditions are being slashed, while poverty wages have been maintained. According to a Central Bank of Sri Lanka report, the present cost of living means a four-member family must have 50,000 rupees per month. However, a plantation workers family could earn only around a quarter of this amount. Workers must reject the manipulated wage deal. They need decent wages, paid medical leave, a better pension scheme, and proper housing, education and health care. They should not place the decision-making on their wages and other conditions in the hands of the unions, which have become direct agents of the companies and the government. Workers must form action committees, in workplaces and neighbourhoods, independent of the unions and excluding the union bureaucracy. This will provide opportunities for workers to unite with other sections of the working class in Sri Lanka and internationally to fight the attacks on their jobs, wages and conditions. In 2018, Abbotsleigh estate workers took such an initiative, forming an action committee during the wages struggle. This struggle must be linked to the fight for the nationalisation of all large plantations under workers control, as part of the broader struggle for socialist policies and a workers and peasants government. This is the international socialist perspective fought for by the Socialist Equality Party. The author also recommends: Sri Lankan presidents bogus wage increase for plantation workers [30 January 2020] A one-man drama will commemorate America's favorite World War II newspaperman. Rick Plummer of Scottville, Michigan, will portray Ernie Pyle in "Live from the Front: Byline Ernie Pyle" at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 5, at the First Reformed Church of Scotia, 224 N. Ballston Ave. (Route 50), Scotia, for the benefit of the Capital Region Veterans Memorial Legacy Project. Plummer will celebrate Pyle's everyday heroism of the American GI. The World War II correspondent was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who told 40 million readers back home what life was really like on the front. Pyle presented in simple language the courage, patriotism, and sacrifice of the soldiers he so loved and admired. Plummer, a Vietnam veteran, wrote the play at West Shore Community College in Scottville, Michigan, where he was a performing arts director and professor before retirement. Pyle, a World War I Navy veteran, was an extremely popular Scripps Howard syndicated columnist who detailed World War II through the eyes of combat troops in the European and Pacific theaters. His column appeared in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers. "No man in this war has so well told the story of the American fighting man as American fighting men wanted it to be told," said President Harry Truman. Pyle was killed by enemy machine gun fire on Ie Shima island during the Battle of Okinawa. Today's soldiers have Pyle to thank for their monthly combat pay. Pyle had written a column encouraging Congress to give combat troops "fight pay" just as pilots earned flight pay. Within a year, Congress passed a law called the "Ernie Pyle Bill" that gave ground troops combat pay. Pyle is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii, not far from Pearl Harbor. Tickets cost $25 per person in advance and $30 at the door. Tickets are first come, first served and the audience is limited to 300 seats. To purchase tickets or to sponsor a veteran who would otherwise not be able to attend, go to CapitalRegionVeteransMemorial.org or call 518-240-8397. Proceeds will benefit local veterans and the Capital Region Veterans Memorial Legacy Project, a memorial that will be a tribute to Capital Region veterans and will be an educational resource center for youth. The project will include a welcome center and Veteran's Cafe, a veterans park, a museum and monuments. The cafe is intended to be a place where veterans, their families, and the public can relax, make friends and obtain information. "The goal of the cafe is to create an environment where veterans can share ideas, share their pain and joy and see that they are not alone," according to Justin Crowley-Duncan of Latham, Legacy Project secretary. Soldiers advance Amy Bonanno of Clifton Park was promoted to lieutenant colonel while assigned to the Operations Company, 42nd Infantry Division. Bryan Reed of Glenville was promoted to lieutenant colonel while on duty with Headquarters and Support Company, 42nd Infantry Division. Renee Davin of Clifton Park advanced to chief warrant officer 4 while on duty with the Joint Force Headquarters. Kevin Williams of Delmar was promoted to chief warrant officer 3 while on duty with Headquarters and Support Company, 42nd Infantry Division. Thomas Helveston of Glenville advanced to captain while on duty with the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Patrick Shaw of Saratoga Springs was promoted to captain while serving with Company H (Forward Support Company Infantry), 427th Brigade Support Battalion. William Okun of Colonie advanced to captain while assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 369th Sustainment Brigade. Michael Broderick of Watervliet was promoted to master sergeant while serving with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 369th Sustainment Brigade. David Hansen of Melrose was promoted to sergeant first class while serving with the 2nd Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Amanda Eldred of Earlton advanced to sergeant first class while assigned to the 466th Medical Company Area Support. Other promotions include: Staff sergeant: Nicholas Scialdone, Glens Falls, 206th Military Police Company; Joshua Phillips, East Greenbush, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry; Thomas Rinaldi, Stillwater, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry; and Justin Aragosa, Troy, Military Intelligence Company D, 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion. Sergeant: Tyler Kelafant, Voorheesville, 206th Military Police Company. Specialist: Amanda Coleman, Stillwater, 206th Military Police Company; Joshua Parlapiano, Ballston Spa, 206th Military Police Company; Charles Olson, East Greenbush, 466th Medical Company Area Support; Robert Hoard, Berlin, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry; Victoria Brundage, Leeds, Company A, 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Security and Support; Blake Pobran, Johnsonville, Company A, 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Security and Support; and Daniel Mahoney, Slingerlands, Intelligence and Sustainment Company, 42nd Infantry Division. News of your troops and units can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or brownt@timesunion.com. Reuters has apparently found some documents that prove Huawei did violate trade sanctions after all. These internal documents are the strongest proof yet of the Huawei Iran deal. They can strengthen the charges that the U.S. has levied against the Chinese company. According to the report, two Huawei packing lists dated December 2010 contained HP-made computer gear destined for Iran. Another internal document dated two months later said that the equipment has reached Iran and is pending custom clearance. The packing lists have Huaweis logo and their metadata also mentions the Chinese companys name. Advertisement The documents revolve around a mega telecommunications project in Iran. Basically, the U.S. has alleged that Huawei has supplied various computer equipment and software made by American companies such as HP and Microsoft to Iran. The U.S. says that the Chinese giant used its unofficial subsidiary Skycom Tech to do business in Iran. Huawei, on the other hand, refers to Skycom as a local business partner in Iran. This way the company can distance itself from any wrongdoing. Skycom had allegedly offered to sell prohibited HP equipment to a telecom company called Mobile Telecommunication Co of Iran, also known as MCI and MCCI in 2010. A partial list had previously hinted at Huaweis involvement in the deal. Huawei says it never delivered those goods. Advertisement However, the new documents prove otherwise. They imply that Huawei might have sent some U.S. gear to Iran after all. One of the internal documents even shows that the Chinese company was an integral part of the MCI expansion project. Apparently, the two signed some sort of equipment contract. Huawei Iran Deal Also Apparently Involved Another Company Named Panda International Information Technology Co A 2010 proposal titled Bill of Quantity Quotation also lists the gear that was required for the project. Huawei produced the document and it included products made by HP, Microsoft, Symantec, and Novell. Although a Huawei document does say that the gear for the project reached Iran, it doesnt specify the products. Advertisement Additionally, the documents also mention another Chinese company, Panda International Information Technology Co. The records show this firm was also used for acquiring U.S. origin goods for the Huawei Iran deal. The U.S. Department of Commerce added the company to its Entity List in 2014. The suspected violation of sanctions earned the company this honor (pun intended). The documents show that Panda International provided $10 million worth of gear to MCI. They talk about Huaweis involvement in the contract. In fact, a correspondence shows the Chinese company even resolved some hardware related issues in Shiraz, Iran in 2013. Advertisement The records also show that Panda International was to receive payments through the Shenzhen branch of the China Construction Bank, the same city where Huawei is headquartered. Pandas website acknowledges the companys history with Huawei. The Chinese company has allegedly used Panda International numerous times to ship gear to Iran and Syria. Huawei has always said that the U.S. no evidence against it. However, these new documents can prove to be a turning point. Advertisement The company has denied the request to comment on the freshly obtained documents for now. However, it says it complies with all laws and regulations in the regions it operates in. Thousands of migrants were trying to find a way across Turkey's western border with Greece Monday, with only dozens managing to pass through either border fences or fording rivers, after Turkey opened its side of the frontier to migrants and refugees to leave the country for Europe. Turkey declared its borders open to pressure the European Union into helping it handle the fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria. Thousands of Turkish troops are supporting the last rebel forces holed up there in the northwestern province of Idlib against the onslaught of Russian-backed Syrian government forces. The offensive into the last Syrian rebel areas has driven almost one million civilians to flee toward the sealed border with Turkey, threatening that country which hosts already 3.5 million Syrian refugees with a new and dramatic influx of displaced people. Thousands of migrants have massed at the Turkish-Greek border since the border opening, and hundreds more crossed from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in dinghies over the weekend. Greek authorities said that in the 24 hours from 6 am local time Sunday, they thwarted 9,877 attempts to cross the northeastern land border, either through the river or through the border fence. Authorities arrested 68 people and charged them with illegal entry into the country. Therose Ngonda, a 40-year-old woman from Cameroon, made it into Greece by wading across the Evros river that runs along the two countries' border. Speaking in the morning, her feet still wet from the river crossing, she said she had been told migrants had 72 hours from Friday to leave the country. She got on one of dozens of buses and mini buses that have been ferrying people from Istanbul to the border, among about 2,000 people, including families with young children and Syrians. Ngonda said she was put into the river on the Turkish side of the border. They told me 'go that way'. Greece says it is faced with what has all the markings of an organized campaign by Ankara to push people through its borders. The government has sent Greek army and police reinforcements to its northwestern land border with Turkey, saying it was suspending all asylum applications for a month, and would return those entering the country illegally without registering them. The army announced a 24-hour live fire exercise along the Greek border for Monday, declaring the area dangerous and banning any movement of people or livestock during the exercise. Police said migrants were concentrated at 10 parts of the border Monday morning, after a relatively quiet night. Over the weekend, Greek authorities used tear gas, water cannon and stun grenades to push back efforts by the crowd to push through the border. They also said Turkey had fired tear gas onto the Greek border. Afghan university student Karimi Khalmahammad, 22, also managed to make it across the frontier. He said he had spent time inside a Taliban prison in Afghanistan, and now hoped to make it to Germany. But many of the new arrivals were being picked up by Greek authorities shortly after they crossed the border, and were being driven away in white vans. Greek islands near the Turkish coast also saw a major increase in arrivals from Turkey. The coast guard said that in the 24 hours until Monday morning, 977 people had reached the islands in dinghies, most of them on Lesbos but also on Chios, Samos and some of the smaller islands. On Lesbos, local anger at the migration situation boiled over, with some residents preventing people, including young children and babies, from disembarking from a dinghy that reached a small harbour. Elsewhere on the island, they prevented buses from taking new arrivals to Lesbos' massively overcrowded migrant camp of Moria. The new arrivals spent the night on the beach. Turkey's communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said Sunday the fighting in Idlib was directly linked to Turkey's decision to open the gates for refugees to Europe. He said Ankara had changed its focus to preparing for the possibility of new arrivals from Syria instead of preventing refugees who intend to migrate to Europe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six Malian soldiers died and 10 were injured when militants armed with rocket launchers attacked a checkpoint in a central region of the conflict-torn nation, the army and a local official said Monday. The attack on Sunday night at Mondoro resulted in "six deaths, 10 injuries and material damage," the army said on Twitter. It said soldiers destroyed "two columns of vehicles and motorcycles belonging to the terrorists" during the fightback. "Air strikes launched at night quickly led to major losses of human lives and material of the armed terrorist group," it said. A local official said the militants had launched the assault "using rocket launchers fired at parked military vehicles". The official said the clashes lasted for an hour. "I don't know the number of jihadists killed but there are victims," the official said. A local association on Monday expressed concern over the possible withdrawal of troops from Mondoro, where one soldier was killed and three others wounded on February 14. The camps at Mondoro and Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso, were targeted in twin attacks in September that left at least 40 soldiers dead. "According to information received, the soldiers are threatening to leave Mondoro... if they execute this decision, the terrorists will take control not only of Mondoro but the entire area of Douentza," said Oumar Ongoiba, an official with the Association for the Development of Mondoro, underscoring the strategic importance of the zone. The September attacks on Mondoro and Boulkessi were claimed by the GSIM, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel region affiliated to Al-Qaeda, with which Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita hopes to negotiate. President Trump floated that the Democratic primary was being rigged against Bernie Sanders and in favor of Joe Biden. 'They are staging a coup against Bernie!' Trump tweeted Monday afternoon directly before he emerged from the West Wing to leave for a planned evening rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. He elaborated further with the hoard of reporters awaiting his departure on the White House's South Lawn. President Trump floated that the Democratic Party was trying to rig the primary against Bernie Sanders pointing to Amy Klobuchar's and Pete Buttigieg's decision to back Joe Biden President Trump tweeted Monday that the Democrats are 'staging a coup' against Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders holds the delegate lead in the Democratic Primary but lost to Joe Biden Saturday in South Carolina 'I think it's rigged against Bernie,' Trump said. He was pointing to the fact that within 24 hours both Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race and would announce their endorsements of Joe Biden Monday night in Dallas, Texas. Trump suggested that Biden had dangled administration positions in front of the ex-rivals in order to garner their support. 'Probably they'll say, "Hey, look if I win, I'll put you in the administration,"' Trump said. 'That's called a quid pro quo, right?' the president mused. 'Quid. Pro. Quo.' Trump, himself, had been accused of a quid pro quo when he held up around $400 million in Congressionally authorized military aid to Ukraine as he pressured the country's president to announce an investigation into Biden and the former vice president's son Hunter, who had business dealings in the country. This was the accusation that the House of Representatives made in the first of two articles of impeachment that passed the House in December, making Trump the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. Trump survived a Senate trial last month. Trump has long floated that the Democratic Party has been trying to steal the nomination from Sanders, who currently leads the delegate count. Biden had been looking like a weak frontrunner for weaks as he came in fourth and then fifth place in Iowa and New Hampshire. Meanwhile Sanders received the most votes in Iowa - though Buttigieg bested him with delegates - and came in first place in New Hampshire, with Buttigieg directly behind him. In Nevada, Sanders proved he could win with Latinos, while Biden did better - coming in a distant second place to the democratic socialist. But in South Carolina things changed, with Biden's deep roots in the African-American community paying off, giving him a huge win over Sanders. Since then, Biden has received a flurry of endorsements from moderate Democrats including former Senate Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, former California Sen. Barbara Boxer - and then those coming from Buttigieg and Klobuchar. An obsessed husband stalked the mother of his two children by attaching a tracking device to her car and calling her more than 100 times over just ten days. Anthony Cardile, 47, breached a violence restraining order that limited the amount of contact he could have with the mother of his two children. The Perth man breached a restraining order 13 times between June 23 and July 12, 2018 after stalking his ex-partner, calling her 114 times in ten days, and hiding a tracking device in her car. Anthony Cardile (pictured) 47, breached a violence restraining order that limited the amount of contact he could have with the mother of his two children Cardile pleaded guilty to multiple counts of breaching a family violence restraining order, pursuing another to intimidate, and unlawfully using a tracking device, The West Australian reported. He is due to be sentenced in April and risks two years' prison for breaching a family restraining order and 18 months' jail for stalking. Judge John Staude said Cardile's offences 'did not involve any threatening behaviour or any personal contact with the victim that was not consented to', the publication reported. Representative image The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on March 2 announced the expansion of universal screening of all passengers to cover those arriving in flights from Italy and Iran. This is in addition to the flights that come in from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. In a release, the DGCA said the screening of passengers arriving from these countries "shall be ensured immediately once they step out of the specific locations at all the airports and getting the self-declaration form filled by the passengers as per the instructions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare". It added that all airlines arriving from the aforementioned countries shall make an in-flight announcement and ensure strict compliance. The announcement comes at a time when two new cases of coronavirus cases were confirmed in India, one reported from New Delhi and the other from Telangana. 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 Also Read | Coronavirus outbreak: 2 new cases confirmed in India The Union Health Ministry said the person from Delhi had travelled to Italy and is now being treated at the RML hospital in the national capital. Meanwhile, the other person with coronavirus infection had a travel history to Dubai, the ministry said. Over 89,000 cases of the novel coronavirus infection have been reported from across the world, with the death toll at over 3,000. Also Read | Coronavirus outbreak : Global death toll crosses 3,000, cases in Italy nearly double The virus, now known as the COVID-19, emerged in late 2019 in the Hubei province of central China but has now spread to more than 60 countries around the world. Fiftyfive5 Names First Head of Pharma Australian insights consultancy Fiftyfive5 has promoted company partner Alan King for a newly created position, Head of Pharma, based in its Sydney office. The firm was launched in 2010 by three former Directors of The Leading Edge: Karen Phillips, Mark Sundquist and Darren Kemp; and in 2018 it merged with brand development and consumer insights agency GalKal. King (pictured) joined nearly six years ago from M&C Saatchi-owned brand research specialist Clear, where he latterly served as MD Australia, having earlier been MD for the UK. Earlier, he was Research Director at Research International, having begun his career as an Account Manager at Colmar Brunton. Commenting on the promotion, Sundquist said: 'Pharma is a key growth driver for the business and Alan is the perfect person to capture and build on the momentum we already have in this space. We have a large team of skilled pharma practitioners and we are excited about the significant opportunity that exists'. Web site: www.fiftyfive5.com . We dont know if its like the flu, if its going to be seasonal and burn out when the temperatures warm up. We dont know if it will be year-round. Coronaviruses cause respiratory infections ranging from a common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome, according to the World Health Organization. The disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, was not known before it began to appear in Wuhan, China, late last year, according to WHO. Symptoms are similar to the flu, including fever, cough and shortness of breath. More than 3,000 people have died from the coronavirus worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state of Washington on Monday afternoon announced four more COVID-19 fatalities, bringing the U.S. death toll to six. Oklahoma continues to send its samples to the CDC for testing, but Dart said the agency announced Monday morning that it would be sending test kits to states. His hope is that they arrive at the state Public Health Laboratory in Oklahoma City by end of the week but said there is no way to know. Rebecca Gondos and her husband, Peter, were the first tenants to return to 650 Parliament St. Monday morning, roughly a year and a half after a six-alarm fire displaced hundreds of residents of the St. James Town highrise. They picked up the key from the emergency response office at 7 a.m. and said they were anxious to return to their unit on the 22nd floor. Its been a long 19 months, said Rebecca, standing in her apartment and directing movers to place things in the living room and bedrooms. Wellesley Parliament Square management cleared all the safety inspections for the building to be reoccupied after about 1,500 residents of the St. James Town highrise building were forced out of their homes when the building caught fire on Aug. 21, 2018. The six-alarm fire, which did not cause any serious injuries, was later determined to have been caused by a failure in the buildings electrical system. Management announced earlier this year a reoccupancy schedule that started this week, with those whose units are on the penthouse and 22nd floor. According to the schedule, reoccupancy will continue until mid-May. I have mixed emotions right now, Rebecca said. Im happy we are back in our home, but so much has changed its overwhelming. Her whole apartment has been repainted white and the smell of paint is still fresh in the unit located on the western side of the building, overlooking the centre of St. James Town. Before the fire, the couple who have lived here for 16 years had their walls painted gold and burgundy. Theyll have to do some of their own painting before mounting their art. The unit also features a new heating system, and some power plugs have been changed, which will dictate the new arrangement in the room, she said. She and her husband had moved their belongings in a private storage space through their insurance, as they didnt want to leave their valuable contents in the buildings basement where there could be bugs and mice, she said. In the lobby, repair activities were still underway as workers could be seen fixing walls and painting at various corners. The biggest surprise for Peter was when he pressed the button for the elevator, which still smells of fresh paint and is wrapped in paper. Wow, the elevator is closing fast. Thats a surprise. It used to take forever, he said, half-jokingly. Danny Roth, spokesperson for Wellesley Parliament Square, said eight residents will be booked to move in each day. For three hours, the movers can use an exclusive elevator for taking their belongings up to their units. After that time, they can continue to use one of the four unbooked elevators. Theres definitely going to be some issues but weve prepared to the best of our abilities, he said. If we had given everybody a full day to move in, it would have taken a year for all the residents to get back home. Roth noted theres still final touches happening, especially on the lower floors and in the lobby. But nothing is hazardous now, he said, as the building management passed all required safety tests before allowing people to start moving in. We werent going to delay reoccupancy for the pursuit of perfection, he said. In a statement, area councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said Toronto Building and Toronto Fire Services have assured her the building has been thoroughly inspected and is safe. My office will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that tenants get home safely and the move-in process goes smoothly, she said. At the beginning of the displacement, both management and the city struggled to find temporary housing for residents. Many stayed for weeks in local community centres, while others were housed in hotels. Eventually people found accommodation at various residential buildings, some run by the same property management. Restoration work has mainly focused on rebuilding the electrical system as well as plumbing, according to management. Many units did not sustain much damage so they were only repainted, while other apartments have had kitchens and bathrooms replaced. Earlier this year, management estimated the total cost of repair to be between $60 million and $70 million. During the displacement period, management kept an open policy for any residents who wanted to break their leases and move on. Only residents of about 100 units took up the offer, according to management. Those returning will continue to pay rent according to their rates at the time of the fire. A $40-million class-action lawsuit on behalf of all residents is still underway against the buildings landlord and management, who are accused of negligence. On Monday, a few minutes past 11 a.m., Cynthia Hamlin was starting to feel impatient. As a founding member of the 650 Parliament Residents Association, she had come to help welcome returning residents and to ensure everything was in order. But she had yet to hear from one particular resident, a senior who was scheduled to move in between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Its a complicated process, she said after calling the tenant and finding out movers were still loading her things into a truck. Were talking about peoples entire lives here. Nobody loves to keep moving. Hamlin and her mother are also residents of 650 Parliament, and have moved from location to location since the fire. Theyre scheduled to move back in by early May, among the last cohort. She said building owners across the city have to learn to work with residents to ensure everybodys safety going forward. Buildings are like an old car that needs regular maintenance to keep running, she said. For owners its an asset, but for us its our home, she said, noting the experience of 650 Parliament should serve as a wake-up call to keep buildings systems well maintained at all times. H.E. Ambassador HU Zhangliang Met with Dr. Housainou Taal, the Representative and Country Director of WFP 2020/03/01 On February 27, 2020, H.E. Chinese Ambassador HU Zhangliang Met with Dr. Housainou Taal, the Representative and Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sierra Leone. Ambassador HU introduced the agricultural and educational cooperation between China and Sierra Leone. He said that the Chinese government has provided 6923 metric tons of rice aid to the Sierra Leonean government at the latter's request, and the Sierra Leonean government has been responsible in distributing the aid, part of which was delivered to support school feeding under the Free Quality Education Programme. Ambassador Hu stated that China would continue to work with the Sierra Leonean government as well as other development partners to jointly support the sustainable development of agriculture and food security in this country. Dr. Taal spoke highly of China's staunch support for the social and economic development of Sierra Leone, especially the Chinese rice aid. He said that the WFP country office in Sierra Leone was invited by the Sierra Leonean government to help distribute the Chinese rice aid. Dr. Taal shared with Ambassador HU of the distribution plan, and assured that every grain will be put to good use for the intended purpose. He said that WFP is looking forward to working with China to support agricultural and educational development, address food insecurity and achieve Zero Hunger in Sierra Leone. As Dr. Taal introduced, WFP is helping distribute part of the Chinese rice aid to over 300,000 primary school children in seven districts in a scientific, effective and transparent way. You cant put a price on the worth of the nose of police dog Stryker, but the approximately 595 pounds of methamphetamine he sniffed out had an estimated street value of $1.2 million. On Feb. 23, Lewisville Police Department K-9 Officer Pat Robey received a call to assist another agency that received an anonymous tip about a suspicious tractor trailer located near a major highway in Lewisville, Texas. "Officer Robey deployed his K-9 partner Stryker to conduct a free air sniff of the tractor trailer and K-9 Stryker alerted to the presence of narcotics, the Lewisville Police Department reported in a Facebook post. Robey and other officers then searched the vehicle and found $1.2 million worth of meth in a hidden compartment, the department said, adding that it was one of the largest busts the department had ever seen and the largest drug bust in Strykers career. In response, there were more than 1,800 comments generated on the Lewisville Police Departments Facebook page. Comments included Glad that at least some of that evil junk is off the street. Thankful for our women, men, and canines in blue, Great work. That bust not only kept a ton of meth off the streets, but likely saved lives, and Pawsitively pawesome work Officer Stryker! Way to keep the streets clean! Others mention rewarding Stryker with a steak or at least give that dog a bone! And yes, Stryker was rewarded, receiving a few extra treats, a lot of scratches and as much time as he wanted with his favorite toy, the department commented on its Facebook post. The Lewisville Police Department seized more than 270 kilograms (approximately 595 pounds) of methamphetamine in one of... Posted by Lewisville Police Department on Monday, February 24, 2020 READ MORE: A senior official from Armenias National Security Service (NSS) has been charged in connection with the disclosure by a Yerevan newspaper of Minister for Local Government Suren Papikians criminal record. The Hraparak daily reported last month that Papikian was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison in 2006 for stabbing his commander during compulsory military service which he apparently performed at a Russian base in Armenia. It said that he was released from prison a year later. The paper critical of the Armenian government accused Papikian of hiding this fact in his official biography. While acknowledging the criminal conviction, Papikian condemned the Hraparak article as an intrusion into his personal life. The minister, who is one of the most influential members of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians cabinet, urged law-enforcement authorities to find out who publicized the secret information relating to my private life. The Special Investigative Service (SIS) launched a criminal investigation in response to the appeal. The SIS announced on Monday that it has charged a senior NSS officer with abusing his powers to illegally collect and disseminate the information which it said constitutes a personal secret. It did not name the officer, saying only that he heads a relevant NSS division and has been suspended pending investigation. It also said that he is not held in pre-trial detention. According to an SIS statement, the suspect instructed one of his subordinates to scrutinize Papikians past to find out whether the minister has a criminal record. The unnamed subordinate obtained such information from the Armenian police, said the statement. The SIS claimed that the indicted officer publicized it for the sake of his personal self-interest. It did not elaborate. Hraparak earlier denounced Papikians angry reaction to its article. The paper insisted that the revelation of Papikians criminal record was not an invasion of privacy and that it should not have been kept confidential in the first place. Some press freedom groups have backed this stance. Papikian, 33, is a senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party who actively participated in the 2018 Velvet Revolution that brought Pashinian to power. He taught history at a private high school in Yerevan prior to the revolution. Kiran Prakash By Its amusing how BJP leaders in Kerala keep fighting among themselves. As if they have achieved a great deal and the tussle is over sharing the spoils. The truth is their biggest achievement so far has been winning an Assembly seat, whereas they have splendidly squandered every opportunity available to deliver electoral results for the party. Right now, a struggle is on after the party appointed a new president for the state unit. Even the process of picking a new chief, after the last one was conveniently moved to distant Mizoram as governor, took almost four months an indication of the intense factional rivalry and lobbying that went on behind the doors. The appointment of K Surendran, the 49-year-old poster boy of Sabarimala agitation known for fiery speeches and radical views, as the Kerala unit boss has deepened the party fault lines, with other contenders making evident their stubborn unwillingness to work with him. If the leadership was hoping to pep up the state unit by entrusting the reins to a firebrand, it is finding itself in a peculiar situation where it has to try hard to make the man it chose acceptable to the rest. If it was looking for a certain Yogi Adityanath in Surendran, it must have realised Kerala is no UP. Factionalism is one reason why BJP has failed to make convincing electoral gains in Kerala despite expanding its support base. The party-led NDAs vote share has grown from election to election from 10.8 per cent in 2014 (Lok Sabha) to 14.9 per cent in 2016 (Assembly) to 15.6 per cent (Lok Sabha). But, this has not been enough to establish it as a winnable contender among Keralas political fronts. In every election, the party nurses great hopes and makes tall claims, only to end up being an also-ran. The BJPs failure in Kerala can certainly be credited to its state leadership, which has consistently failed to make use of opportunities, turn support base into votes, send the right message to people and, most importantly, appear credible enough to inspire confidence. The leaders, pushing their own agendas, seem to lack a common goal, which reflects in inconsistent electoral performance. While BJP has had partial success in the South, it was hoping to make a breakthrough in Kerala, exploiting the states decades-old two-front political system and the peoples need for a change. But, its lack of success despite trying really hard shows its insufficient understanding of the state and its people. The hardline politics that worked elsewhere seems to have run into a secular wall here. While Keralas large minority population certainly is a challenge, what must be worrying the party the most is its limited success in swaying the Hindu votes. Even after the emotionally charged Sabarimala agitation, in which it played a major role, the party failed to secure enough Hindu votes to make a difference. The Lefts longevity, past its predicted expiry date, is another hurdle in the BJP emerging as an alternative political force. The BJP has entrusted control of the state unit to Surendran with much hope, banking on his track record and organisational skills to turn around the partys fortunes before the local body polls due in a few months and Assembly polls next year. Surendran contested the 2019 LS election from Pathanamthitta and polled close to 3 lakh votes with an impressive vote share of 29 per cent. Before that, in 2016, he had narrowly lost in the Manjeswaram Assembly seat by 89 votes. But, with his appointment, the party which had two factions one led by Union minister V Muraleedharan, to which Surendran belongs, and the other by ex-president P K Krishnadas seems to have developed more cracks. Krishnadas had put up two candidates M T Ramesh and A N Radhakrishnan. Sobha Surendran, the 45-year-old rising star who polled 2.5 lakh votes in the Attingal LS seat, was another contender. After the selection, Sobha, Ramesh and Radhakrishnan have been sulking. Some others, too, are upset. With efforts to broker peace failing, Surendran is left to lead a highly divided organisation. Again, factionalism is threatening to disrupt whatever plans BJP has for Kerala. Its surprising, almost comical, how the party manages to bungle repeatedly despite having opportunities to succeed. Kiran Prakash Resident Editor, Kerala kiranprakash@newindianexpress.com In Elizabeth Warren's Houston campaign office, one early morning in February, volunteers bustled around arranging chairs in a circle and tacking Spanish-language posters to the walls. They were soon joined by a dozen Latino voters, come to discuss the Democratic White House race - with days to go until "Super Tuesday" on March 3, when Texas and 13 other states vote to pick a challenger to President Donald Trump. For an hour and a half, people of all ages -- seniors, young adults, families with children -- talked about immigration, healthcare and their experiences as Latinos living in a state where they make up a third of the electorate. "A lot of the time, we are kind of ignored as a community," said novelist Ariane Navarro, joined for the event by her husband and their two children. "I'm surrounded by educated Latinos, and we all believe that we do have a voice and we can make a change in Texas," the former teacher told AFP. Most of all, Navarro is keen to help her younger family members register to vote, in line with a broader effort to boost turnout among the state's Hispanic community. Texas has been a Republican state for two generations, but Democrats made gains there in 2016 and 2018 -- and the party is looking to Latinos, two thirds of whom lean Democratic, to reinforce the trend longer term. "A lot of folks say Texas is a red (Republican) state; it's not: it's a non-voting state, so we want to make sure that we're reaching out to as many folks as we can," said Maria Martinez, in charge of national Latino community engagement for Warren. Turnout has been a persistent challenge in Texas: for the 2016 Democratic primaries it was 20 per cent below the national average, and 10 percent lower than the national average for the presidential election. Hispanics are on track to become the largest population group in Texas by 2022, according to US census data. The state now counts 5.6 million Latino voters -- 800,000 more than in 2016 and a 1.4 million increase since 2012. That mirrors the trend nationwide where a record 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in 2020, surpassing blacks as the largest minority group in the electorate, according to Pew Research. But voter turnout in the community is also notoriously low: since 1996, Pew data shows that most eligible Latinos have not cast ballots in US presidential elections. With an eye on Super Tuesday, Warren's team organized a campaign tour specifically dedicated to the state's Hispanic community, with stops in cities like San Antonio, where 64 per cent of the population is Latino. She is not alone in courting the growing demographic: a debate was organized in Houston in mid-February between students and a line-up of Democratic primary candidates. Bernie Sanders - a self-declared Democratic socialist who leads polls of Texas Latino voters with 30 per cent support -- took part via video conference, earning lengthy applause. "It meant a lot to me that they at least took time out of their day... to speak with us and answer any questions that we had," said Victor Ibarra, a young health physicist. To really boost turnout will take more than ads in Spanish and canvassing, according to Antonio Arellano, the executive director of Jolt, an organization that encourages young Latinos to take on the problem themselves. Jolt last year launched an initiative called Poder Quince ("Power Fifteen"), which offers voter registration to guests at quinceaneras, the traditional celebration for when a Latina girl turns 15. It's designed to "harness the power of Latino culture and create a new tradition of civic engagement," said Arellano, 29, who is undocumented. A volunteer with Jolt, Ibarra met AFP at the group's small office in east Houston, decorated with multicolored posters, electric candles and fringes of pink and yellow papier-mache. Rice crackers and peanut butter were spread on a table for snacking. The office is staffed one day a week by Ibarra and others who like him want to ensure Latino youth have a voice in the future. "We try to focus on young people because we want to let them know it's their responsibility to go out and inform their household," said Leslie Hernandez, Jolt's 22-year-old census organizer and volunteer supervisor. For the half dozen high school students and young adult volunteers, voting in the Democratic primaries is just a drop in the ocean of political battles they want to lead: environmental issues, the census, the fight against racism. "As a Latina, I feel like I always carry a weight on my shoulders," says Hernandez, telling them: "You are in a safe space now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pete Buttigieg, a little known politician whose strange and seemingly unpronounceable name became his best asset initially, suspended his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination Sunday, ending a historic first real shot at the coveted job by on openly gay man or woman. Buttigieg, the two-term mayor of Indianas South Bend city, became the second Democrat running for the partys presidential nomination to drop out of the race after a blow-out performance from former Vice-President Joe Biden in the South Carolina on Saturday with an emphatic win thats overhauling the race. Tom Steyer, a California billionaire who sank millions in the South Carolina race in the hope of a breakout reversal of fortunes, suspended his campaign shortly after it became cleat Saturday he did not have a path to the nomination. Buttigieg followed hours after, and more expected. Buttigieg (who family came from Malta, where there are many more Buttigiegs) won the Iowa caucuses tied it with Senator Bernie Sanders, but both have claimed it as their victory and narrowly lost the New Hampshire primary. He finished third in Nevada and fourth in South Carolina, which voted Saturday. This is a much better score than that of some still in the race. Buttigiegs withdrawal is being seen as part of a larger attempt to consolidate the Democratic partys moderates to stop Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who is making a second bid to win the Democratic partys presidential nomination after losing to Hillary Clinton in 2016, a possibility that scares Democrats. Buttigieg did not endorse anyone in his speech announcing the suspension of his campaign, but experts and pundits expect Buttigiegs supporters to transfer their backing to Biden, a moderate like them, in an evolving consolidation of party moderates, to stop Sanderss insurgent campaign. Sanderss rise as the frontrunner has worried Democratic party leaders who fear his brand of progressive political positions could not only imperil his chances of winning the White house if he was nominated, but also those of Democrats running for the House of Representatives and the Senate. All eyes are now on the March 3 Super Tuesday nominating contests in 14 states, including Democratic strongholds California and New York, when 34% of the partys 3,900 pledged delegates will be up for grabs, in a contest that appears to be moving towards a race that will be settled bu delegates at the partys convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in July. Biden had entered the race as a frontrunner, given his experience serving as two-term vice-president with President Barack Obama, who remains extremely popular in the Democratic party. Biden has aggressively sought his former bosss mantle, but has failed to make a convincing case, not yet at least. But his surge from South Carolina, where African-Americans dominate the Democratic party, has raised expectations of a resurgent campaign with more energy Biden looked charged up at his victory speech Saturday night and more money, a big spin-off. Buttigiegs exit will put pressure on the remaining moderates int he fray Senator Amy Klobuchar and billionaire Michael Bloomberg to announce their intentions to continue, or drop out before, the Super Tuesday voting to consolidate moderate voters. Senator Elizabeth Warren has performed poorly in the nominating contests thus far, despite stellar debate-night turnouts. Her long-shot candidacy has appeared in peril in recent days. Her votes will most likely migrate to Sanders, a fellow progressive, if she stepped down. At the same time, the clinic has room for expansion. The area of the building formerly occupied by the Orange County Free Clinic represented approximately 3,500 square feet of underutilized space, Foley said. The grant funds will allow the clinic to add five more operatories (it currently has nine), expanding capacity and increasing patient care. Three days per week, the former free clinic space will be used for pediatric care, while the main clinic will be devoted to treating more adults. The space also will enable the clinic to restart its popular walk-in extraction clinic helping those in acute pain. Another benefit, Foley continued, is the ability to accommodate Germanna Community College-sponsored expanded function dental assistant courses. By expanding its operation, the clinic will be able to establish a separate entrance for children and their families apart from the adult public health patients. It will allow for increased staff to meet the demand for Medicaid families and patients. It also should improve operations by leveraging existing centrally located office resources, including lab, administration, sterilization and storage. Oregon on Sunday identified a second patient with presumptive coronavirus as state health officials braced for the likelihood that future testing will identify more Oregonians with the potentially deadly virus. Officials provided limited information about the new case but said it is linked to Oregons first coronavirus case identified Friday. The new case involves a Washington County adult who is a household contact with the first person with coronavirus. The adult did not require medical attention and is isolated at home. That patient increased Oregons presumed total to two on the same day that coronavirus cases grew nationally to at least 75, with new patients reported in Washington, California, Rhode Island and New York. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE The continued spread in Washington, home to Americas first two fatalities, prompted researchers to suggest the virus may have been undetected in that community for weeks. There could now be 300 to 500 carriers in Washington, according to The New York Times. Oregon officials on Sunday would not speculate how many people locally could be infected with the virus but did note that a flu carrier can typically infect two to three other individuals. Oregons first patient, a Washington County resident who works at Forest Hills elementary in Lake Oswego, became infected from an unknown source and is hospitalized in an undisclosed condition. State officials issued a pragmatic message to Oregonians who are scared by the outbreak, recognizing an all-but-inevitable spread while trying to instill confidence in the medical response. We will continue to identify cases in Oregon, this number will continue to increase, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregons state health officer, said Sunday night. We want people to know were doing everything we can to track and contain the spread, Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said. State officials said theyve been working since Friday to identify and monitor each person who came into close contact with the Washington County patient. Health officials would not quantify those efforts Sunday but said all contacts have been made and everyone is cooperating. This is your public health system at work, said Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the tri-county region. State health officials completed nine tests Sunday. Aside from the single positive test, the other eight came back negative. An additional six tests are pending, with results expected Monday. The state is monitoring the health of 86 people without symptoms but who may have been exposed, and they now must identify more people exposed to the newest individual with coronavirus. State health officials currently have about 1,500 coronavirus tests on hand, although the number of tests needed per patient can vary. State officials say they can obtain more tests from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if necessary. The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory can process up to 80 tests a day and is planning for surge capacity if needed. Turnaround time for testing is expected within half a day. Officially known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus causes a disease dubbed COVID-19. Several regional hospital systems were tight-lipped Sunday about whether they had any patients with coronavirus-like symptoms. Legacy Health, Kaiser Permanente and Providence hospitals declined to say if either was awaiting test results for patients, while a spokeswoman for OHSU Hospital said no tests had been submitted to the state lab. Eventually well get to a point where commercial labs will be doing testing, said Robb Cowie, a state spokesman. At that point, theyll be referring positive test results to us. Confirmation of the new case comes as regional school officials and employers brace for students to return to classrooms and workers to offices Monday. Administrators from Portland advised parents of cleaning efforts while suburban schools urged families to keep sick children home. Large employers such as Nike and Columbia have taken action to help prevent the spread, conducting deep cleans over the weekend. Parents should feel confident they should send their children to school, Sidelinger said. The Lake Oswego School District plans to keep Forest Hills closed until Thursday. The employee with coronavirus had little contact with students. Superintendent Lora de la Cruz sent a message to parents Sunday night saying state and local health officials have concurred that the case presents a low risk to staff and students. The CDC had also reviewed the case, she wrote, and determined that expanded surveillance is not needed at this time. While acknowledging a rapidly shifting landscape, state officials have advised the public to remain calm and practice dedicated hygiene habits including thorough hand-washing. Roughly 80% of people with coronavirus will experience what might feel like a bad case of the flu: a fever, bad cough and shortness of breath. Another 15% to 18% might require more advanced care from a doctor or a stay in the hospital. A study of 72,000 cases in China found that fatality rates for the disease were just above 2%, with most deaths occurring among older populations and among those with underlying medical conditions. While Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Saturday declared a state of emergency in response to the spread, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has not done so. The Oregon Health Authority has told Browns office that it currently has the resources it needs to work with local health agencies and medical providers, spokesman Charles Boyle said in a statement. State health officials are in close contact with Browns office and a Coronavirus Response Team is also working to coordinate responses across state agencies. Subscribe to our Oregon coronavirus newsletter. Email: Brown stands ready to declare a state of emergency if needed. "My thoughts are with the Oregonians who have contracted this virus, as well as their families, Brown said in a statement. The developments of the last 48 hours in Oregon and across the globe are concerning, and we are taking this extremely seriously. Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt Kale Williams, Lizzy Acker, Piper McDaniel, Jeff Manning and Grant Butler contributed to this report. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 15:20:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LHASA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- While the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has affected regular ways of transport, charter flights have been organized to bring workers back to southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region to resume construction of the region's major projects. At 9:15 a.m. Sunday, the TV6031 flight operated by Tibet Airlines landed at the airport of Nyingchi City. The 105 power workers onboard, from Zhejiang Province, will be assigned to the power grid projects in the region's most impoverished areas. Yu Jiajin, leader of the team, said nearly 50 of their colleagues stayed in the city of Nyingchi, and the others who intended to return and resume work on Jan. 29 were delayed by the epidemic. "The regular flights and trains were drastically reduced, and the long journey of driving would have increased the risk of being infected," Yu said, adding that charter flights had saved them time and energy. Other charter flights were also organized to the cities of Xigaze, Qamdo as well as the regional capital of Lhasa. All the workers to Tibet will receive a 14-day quarantine before allowed to enter the construction sites. Tibet Autonomous Region only reported one confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection and has not seen new infection reports for over a month. According to the regional development and reform commission, Tibet plans to pour 187.2 billion yuan (around 26.8 billion U.S. dollars) in 179 projects this year, with the earmarked funds up 18 percent compared with those in 2019. By the end of February, more than 10 projects, such as the railway connecting Lhasa and Nyingchi, have remained under or resumed construction. More major projects will see construction restored by March, said the commission. Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden (L) and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) participate in the Democratic presidential primary debate at Paris Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada on Feb. 19, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Buttigieg and Klobuchar to Endorse Biden Ahead of Super Tuesday Former Democratic presidential primary candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar plan to endorse former vice president Joe Biden ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday elections, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. A campaign aide for Klobuchar said she plans to endorse Biden when she formally announces the suspension of her campaign during a Biden rally in Dallas on Monday night. A top advisor for Buttigieg said the former South Bend mayor also intends to endorse Biden. The two endorsements give Biden an informal lead in total delegate count, since the pledged delegates are likely to stick with the endorsements. Buttigieg and Klobuchar won a total of 33 candidates before dropping out of the race. Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) formally leads the race with 60 delegates to Bidens 54. While there are no rules for who the Klobuchar and Buttigieg delegates should vote for during the national convention, the 2020 delegate rules state that delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them. Biden scored a solid victory in South Carolina on Saturday but is still second to Sanders in both national polling and formal delegate count. Biden racked up additional endorsements on Monday from former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, former United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, and former CIA Director John Brennan. The win in South Carolina and the new endorsements give Bidens campaign a much-needed boost as the former vice president heads into Tuesday trailing Sanders in polling in six of the eight most populous Super Tuesday states, including California and Texas. Joe Biden is one of the most honest, decent, practical, & experienced individuals with whom I have ever worked. If nominated & elected, he is capable of unifying our country & restoring Americas standing around the world, Brennan wrote on Twitter. Sanders picked up a pair of media endorsements, one from The Nation, a left-wing magazine, and another from Yemeni American News. The democratic socialist is the only candidate with a program both realistic and radical enough to meet the challenges of our time, the publications endorsement stated. Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will appear on the ballots for the first time on Tuesday. Bloomberg has poured more than $500 million into advertising. Five candidates remain for the nomination to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the November election, down from more than 20 earlier in the race. Biden still trails his opponents in fundraising. Sanders announced a staggering $46 million haul for February. Buttigieg, who entered the Democratic presidential race as a relative unknown, ended his White House bid on Sunday. Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer gave up his campaign on Saturday night after a third-place finish in South Carolina where he had invested most heavily. Reuters contributed to this report. (Newser) After a weekend in which Tom Steyer and Pete Buttigieg both dropped out of the 2020 race, Amy Klobuchar is hanging tough. But the Minnesota senator bowed out of a campaign rally in her home state at the last minute after protesters stormed the stage before it commenced, with the demonstration tied to a case Klobuchar's office oversaw while she was the chief Hennepin County attorney nearly 20 years ago, per Politico. WCCO notes that Klobuchar's rally in St. Louis Park was set to begin at 8pm Sunday, but a few dozen protesters chanting "Klobuchar has got to go" and "Black lives matter" converged upon a local high school where the event was taking place, took to the stage, and stayed put for about 40 minutes. "The campaign offered a meeting with the senator if [the protesters] would leave the stage after being on stage for more than an hour," a Klobuchar rep said. story continues below The group agreed to that, the rep added, but the event was then nixed "after the group ... backed out of the agreement." The demonstrators, however, say it was Klobuchar's people who did a 180, per Fox News. Video circulated on social media showing the protest, in which the group also chanted "Free Myon," a reference to Myon Burrell, who was convicted as a teen in 2003 for the shooting death of an 11-year-old girl by a stray bullet. A recent AP investigation, however, found the case against Burrell, now 33, was "flawed," with "myriad inconsistencies" that "[raise] questions about whether he was railroaded by police." Burrell has insisted he's innocent and turned down all plea deals. A Klobuchar rep told the AP after its probe that she wasn't the county attorney at Burrell's second trialhe was tried and convicted twiceand that any new evidence should be reviewed by the court. (Read more Amy Klobuchar stories.) 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. It was around 14 years ago that Stanmore Bays Calum Hodgson, 43, gave up horticulture after falling in love with cheese on his OE. I trained as a horticulturalist, but cheese captured my imagination its a simple, ageless and aged process, which tends to attract quirky people and I wanted to get closer to it, he says. Not afraid of a cheesy pun, Calum says cheese quickly became more than just protein its my whey of life! While he was in the UK, Calum became a self-styled curd nerd, employed by passionate foodie Lady Bamford, who has a farm and creamery in Gloucestershire. The role included joining Lady Bamford on her private jet, flying in to buy cheese at a Slow Food show in Italy. Calum jumped at any chance to learn more about cheese he also worked at outlets in London, including Neals Yard Dairy, where he looked after the cheese, graded it and sent it to market. Farmhouse cheese made by small producers is something he grew more and more passionate about, however he says he is no food snob, and does not look down his nose at a good old block of cheddar. Everyone has had the mass produced block of cheddar its part of the Kiwi food culture and I still purchase it myself, Calum says. But I love to work with small cheese makers. I focus on the sales and marketing and leave the milking and making to them. Theres nothing like something that has been made from your own herd and matured on site. Because the milk volumes are small, the cheese is complex and characterful and every batch is different and distinctive. Since returning to NZ in 2012, Calum has worked for large and small dairy-focused organisations, from Fonterra to The Dairy gourmet deli in Ponsonby. More recently he has been working with the Italian food store Sabato. This includes introducing exclusive cheese, such as the Cheese of No Name, which was matured to the sounds of heavy metal music. Calum also organises the annual cheese festival in Eketahuna, which is focused on small cheese makers. Small cheese making is part of provincial New Zealand, so I want people to come to the provinces and celebrate it there. I hope other provinces follow suit, including this region, he says. Along with his wife Bec and two children, Calum lives what he calls a food adventure. Bec brews beer and Calum enjoys pickling, fermenting and experimenting, often with food that he has foraged for things like nasturtium seed pods, onion weed bulbs or wild fennel pollen, which he dries and rubs on pork. Foraging is something I did as a child and started again about a year ago as an act of mindfulness. My kids help me and its a chance to be outside and have a bit of quiet time. This month, Calum starts a new job at Massimo Italian Cheeses in Dairy Flat. Calum has joined Hibiscus Matters as our new Food columnist. Read his first Food Adventures in this issue. The column will appear monthly. Downing Street is pulling the UK out of an EU pandemic early warning system against the wishes of health experts amid claims they fear it could harm the Government's post-Brexit trade strategy. The Department of Health lobbied to remain a member of Brussels' Early Warning and Response System (EWRS), an online hub bringing to together medical and political authorities across the bloc. But while Downing Street this afternoon insisted it was committed to working with Brussels to combat the spread of the coronavirus, it would not agree to remain part of the programme after the transition period ends in December. The Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters: 'We have left the European Union.' It came as Boris Johnson today warned that coronavirus is on the verge of 'significant' escalation in the UK - as he urged people to stay calm and keep washing their hands. Speaking after the Cobra meeting today, Boris Johnson said coronavirus was 'likely to become more significant over the next days and weeks' The claim came as Boris Johnson vowed to 'stop at nothing' to combat Coronavirus as he chairs an emergency Cobra meeting including Health Secretary Matt Hancock (centre, today) Boris Johnson (pictured yesterday) will take charge of the Government response to the coronavirus outbreak today after claims he was acting like a 'part-time Prime Minister' The government is bracing Britons for the virus to escalate further after the number of cases in this country hit 40, including the first in Scotland. Sinn Fein leader staying at home with children after coronavirus outbreak at their school Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was postponing meetings and staying at home with her children after a coronavirus case was confirmed at their school in Ireland. 'My children's school is closed for the next fortnight because of a confirmed case of the coronavirus,' she said in a video message. 'We're following all of the chief medical officer's advice and therefore the children have to be at home for the next 14 days. 'This is a worrying time for families and for the staff at the school, particularly for the family of the person affected and we wish them a very, very speedy recovery.' She added that she had cancelled planned public meetings in Cavan and Galway this week as a result. Advertisement The PM finally waded in to take personal charge of the response by chairing a Cobra emergency committee meeting this morning. Speaking after the session, which agreed a new 'battle plan' against Covid-19 to be published tomorrow, Mr Johnson said coronavirus was 'likely to become more significant for this country in the course of the next days and weeks'. But EWRS membership appears to have been sacrificed as the Government is seeking a deal which allows the UK to diverge away from EU rules and regulations. It is threatening to walk away from talks - which started today - as early as June if it does not get its way. The PM's spokesman said the Government was 'open to discussing ways of working with member states on sharing info, adding: 'We have continued to work closely with our EU allies throughout this process. 'One practical example I could point you do is how closely we have worked together on repatriation flights.' The EWRS was set up in 1998 to 'allow exchange of information on risk assessment and risk management for more timely, efficient and coordinated public health action'. This morning the former head of Public Health England defended the scheme. Paul Cosford, now its PHE's emeritus medical director, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The EWRS, it's an early warning system, is a mechanism for communicating between countries in the EU but it's also also used with countries outside the EU... 'We are still part of that at this stage. And we do find it useful.' This morning European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen said the risk level in the EU had risen from moderate to high. Fears for scores of cancer patients at an NHS hospital in Hertfordshire were sparked this morning after a clinician was revealed as one of the 13 latest coronavirus cases in the UK. More than a half a dozen members of staff at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood have been forced to self-isolate and are waiting to hear if they have caught the killer virus, MailOnline understands. The PM is finally taking personal charge of the response to the Covid-19 threat, after the number of people infected in the UK climbed to 36 over the weekend. Mr Johnson will warn ministers that the virus will present a 'significant challenge' to the country as he finalises a new 'battle plan' by the Government. A healthcare worker at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Hertfordshire is one of the 13 latest coronavirus cases in the UK, it emerged this morning Scotland declared its first case, while 12 new patients were diagnosed in England on Sunday, when the Health Secretary admitted it was 'inevitable' coronavirus would continue to spread. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has refused to rule out following China's lead in shutting down cities if the Covid-19 outbreak escalates. Meanwhile, Trade Secretary Liz Truss suggested the government plans to appoint a single minister to coordinate the UK action. Amid the current coronavirus epidemic, the fast-moving consumer goods and e-commerce sectors have experienced a tumultuous period. E-commerce and FMCG markets shaken by outbreak, illustration photo Nguyen Huy Hoang, commercial director at market research firm Kantar Worldpanel Vietnam, told VIR that the spread of the virus has led to an increased health consciousness among Vietnamese consumers. In order to stay safe and protect themselves, people are avoiding crowds in their daily activities. As such, shopping traffic could be reduced, perhaps impacting retail and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sales in the short term. He added that spending on dining out and other activities outside the home would be reduced during the epidemic, but FMCG for in-home consumption is expected to sustain growth. Household cleaning and hygiene products such as hand wash, sanitiser, and tissues have also experienced a rise in sales. Healthy foods like fruit and fruit juices that help strengthen the immune system will see an upward trend, and consumers also have a tendency to stock instant foods such as instant noodles, sausages, and snacks, especially in areas with confirmed cases. In terms of retail, smaller, clean, nearby shopping spaces such as street shops, minimarkets, and convenience stores will be temporarily preferred to wet markets or larger supermarkets, Hoang said. This situation is also significantly increasing the number of home deliveries and online shopping transactions. Ralf Matthaes, managing director of market researcher Infocus Mekong, also said that e-commerce should benefit considerably as delivery services help negate potential infection. Pre-packaged FMCGs such as cereals and soups should see an overall spike in demand as there may be a fear of infection regarding fresh produce, although medical experts declared some time ago that infection via this method would be highly unlikely, even from items imported from China. In the short term, e-commerce deliveries will see a substantial increase, and also receive new consumers, who historically have not used e-commerce for groceries or FMCG, said Matthaes. However, once fears dissipate, human nature takes over and consumers will be back at the markets in due time. On the other hand, due to delays in import and export, there are challenges for suppliers and traders to produce, distribute, and stock goods. This is more likely to result in an uplift in prices which might demotivate consumer spending during the fight against the virus. Online traders are also facing some issues as many products sold online are imported from China. The epidemic has caused a slowdown in cross-border e-commerce activities, so online shoppers have to wait longer for their orders to arrive. Meanwhile, a representative of Shopee Vietnam said that Chinas extension of the Lunar New Year holiday as part of efforts to stop the virus from spreading further has delayed shipments of overseas products. Kantar Worldpanels Hoang said that the impact of this outbreak in 2020 might also accelerate trends already observed last year. Firstly, it could increase health and hygiene consciousness among Vietnamese consumers, which further drive the development of hygiene products for personal care and home use. These products were previously not in high demand, but are expected to become more popular as consumers are getting used to buying these items in high numbers. Secondly, it is expected in 2020 that e-commerce will take a bigger share of the market. Thanks to its convenience and the advantage of less physical contact, the online to offline and e-commerce delivery models fit well with consumers needs during this time. Online shopping platforms and delivery services are expected to witness a growth acceleration in both shopper base and incremental spend, and increasing expenditure from existing online shoppers, he added. Lastly, with emerging channels such as minimarkets, convenience stores, and e-commerce growing in popularity, there could be a continuing shift from traditional shopping behaviours to omni-channel and multi-channel shopping, reinforcing the rising omni-channel trend in retail and FMCG markets. Furthermore, Matthaes added that the slogan Made in China has always been a source of contention in Vietnam, largely due to historical factors rather than food safety and hygiene issues. However, the current epidemic may give the consumer more to think about, as they want to know more about the origins of a product before they buy. This suggests huge potential for Made in Vietnam as a marketing tool. VIR Thanh Anh Foreign investors penetrate deep into Vietnams e-commerce market The few e-commerce players which survive the stiff competition in the market are all backed by big foreign firms in the region. Last week, Julian Assange was subjected to an extradition hearing brought by the Trump administration to bring the WikiLeaks founder to the United States to face Espionage Act charges carrying a 175-year prison sentence. Throughout the four-day proceedings in London, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and his closest allies, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, along with every single Labour MP, kept their mouths firmly shut. Their silence was tantamount to collusion in a monstrous political show trial, aimed at silencing a publisher and journalist who has exposed US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Assanges defence team detailed Washingtons conspiracy to silence him by any means necessary. The proceedings also revealed how the British courts and Boris Johnsons Conservative government are prepared to trample on basic democratic and legal rights to ensure that Assange is sent to the US and silenced forever. The extradition hearing had a Kafkaesque character. On February 24, Assange took his seat at Belmarsh Magistrates Court in a bulletproof glass box. He could barely hear his legal team outlining his defence against extradition. The bulk of the worlds press, stuck in a porta-cabin grandly described as a media annexe, could also barely hear or follow events. For the defence, Edward Fitzgerald QC made a powerful presentation insisting that the US extradition request was illegal because it was demonstrably politically motivated. He detailed the extraordinary level of criminality involved in the US vendetta against Assange, including the methods employed by Spanish security firm US Global on behalf of the CIA to monitor every movement of the award-winning journalist during his political asylum inside the Ecuadorian Embassy. Private and privileged conversations between Assange and his lawyers and doctors were filmed, even in the toilet, so that he was forced to sleep in a tent in his bedroom to protect his privacy. More devastating still were the revelations of an unnamed Spanish whistle-blower, witness 2, that the US had plotted to kidnap and possibly kill Assange. There were conversations between the CIA and UC Global head David Morales about whether there should be more extreme measures contemplated, such as kidnapping or poisoning Julian Assange in the embassy, Fitzgerald told the court. This included suggesting that the embassy door could be left open to make a kidnapping look like it could have been an accident. Day two began with reports that Assange was handcuffed 11 times and stripped naked twice by prison guards on the opening day of proceedings, while his legal documents were confiscated. He was moved to five different cells. Despite this grotesque interference in the right to a fair trial, presiding judge Vanessa Baraitser declared that she had no jurisdiction over Assanges treatment in detention. The next day, she informed the court that Assange was medicated and might have difficulty following proceedings. In response, Assange approached the glass panels separating him from the body of the court, telling the head of his legal team, Gareth Peirce, that he was under constant surveillance: I cannot communicate with my lawyers or ask them for clarifications without the other side seeing What is the point of asking if I can concentrate if I cannot participate? The defence requested that Assange be allowed to sit in the body of the court, but Baraitser rejected their written submissions, ruling on the final afternoon that Assange must remain in a dock encased in reinforced glass when the hearing resumes in May. Fitzgerald cited the medical opinion of Professor Michael Kopelman that, I am as confident as a psychiatrist can ever be that, if extradition to the United States were to become imminent, Mr. Assange would find a way of suiciding, and of Doctor Sondra Crosby that, It is my strong medical opinion that the extradition of Mr. Assange to the United States will further damage his current fragile state of health and very likely cause his death. This is the corrupt and depraved British legal system that Corbyn, McDonnell, et. al. refuse to challenge. Their public rationalisations are politically criminal. On February 20, McDonnell visited Assange at Belmarsh. He called Assanges plight the Dreyfus case of our age. At the same time, he insisted that when the hearings start they will be sub judice and it will be difficult to raise it in the House of Commons McDonnell was advancing the contemptible rationale which he and Corbynand their pseudo-left political allieswould use to justify their own cowardice and lack of political principle. Jeremy Corbyn is the leader of the Opposition. He could have raised Assanges fate in Parliament every single day, informing millions that he was being tried in a kangaroo court and that his fundamental democratic rights were being abused by a judge whose verdict has been decided in advance. He should have called for every worker and young person in Britain and internationally to demand an immediate end to the legal travesty at Belmarsh and for Assange to be freed. What would the courts have done in response? Threaten him with prosecution or arrest? A genuine workers leader would have told the judiciary, Just you dare try it! If any action had been taken against Corbyn, this would have been the most incendiary move since Charles I entered Parliament in January 1642 seeking to arrest five members of the Commons and precipitating the English Civil War. It would have unleashed a wave of protest throughout the UK that would have galvanised mass support for Assanges freedom. But Corbyn and McDonnell are not only too fond of their own skins to throw down the gauntlet to the judiciary. They are servants of the same capitalist masters as Baraitser and are bitterly opposed to any mobilisation of the working class to thwart the machinations of British imperialism. Corbyn kept quiet on Assange for years after becoming Labour leader, until April last year when Assange was illegally dragged out of the Ecuadorean Embassy. He briefly opposed extradition to the US, before supporting extradition to Sweden on manufactured sex allegations. He then resumed his silence for 10 months, including during Decembers general election campaign, before again breaking it briefly on February 12. The media barely and selectively reported last weeks trial. Over the weekend, Socialist Equality Party campaign teams in the UK found that many workers and youth did not even know it was taking place. Corbyn is politically responsible for this dangerous situation. Against the efforts of the official Dont Extradite Assange campaign, and its political leaders such as John Rees and Tariq Ali, the World Socialist Web Site, the International Committee of the Fourth International and the Socialist Equality Parties have warned repeatedly that Assanges freedom cannot be won by relying on such false political friends as Corbyn and McDonnell or by extending the slightest confidence to Britains courts. As we wrote on February 13: Corbyns tenure as Labour leader has been an object lesson in the impossibility of fighting for democratic rights and against war by supporting or peddling illusions in the Labour Party and its left representatives. It has demonstrated that the fight to block Assanges extradition, secure his freedom and defend civil liberties requires the development of an independent movement of the working classthe vast majority of the populationdirected against the entire official political set-up. We appeal to our readers to contact the WSWS and take part in the global campaign to free Julian Assange and heroic whistle-blower Chelsea Manning. Meetings must be called in every workplace, school, college and university demanding Assanges and Mannings immediate and unconditional freedom, the withdrawal of the US extradition request and full compensation for the decade-long state vendetta against them. Their lives depend on the intervention of the working class. There is no time to lose. Principia mystery annotations: Were pretty sure whodunit but what was he thinking? Mystery begets mystery: Caitlin Dolt 22 stands beside the Swem Special Collections' copy of Isaac Newtons Principia. Dolt has likely resolved the long-standing question surrounding the mystery annotator of the book. But her solution has brought about other questions. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption A persistent mystery surrounding one of William & Marys most treasured possessions apparently has been solved, by a 19-year-old sophomore. It took her a little over a week. The sleuth is Caitlin Dolt 22. Two university faculty members believe she has identified the mystery annotator who wrote corrective notes in Latin in the margins of the universitys copy of the 1687 first edition of Isaac Newtons Philosophi Naturalis Principia Mathematica. The Principia is arguably our most valuable and important rare book in our collections, said Gerald Gaidmore, the Marian and Alan McLeod Director of Special Collections at Earl Gregg Swem Library. The annotations make it extra special because they make it even more unique. The Principia is widely recognized as one of the most important books in the development of modern science. Written in Latin, the common language of natural philosophers of the time, the book lays out Newtons laws of motion and universal gravitation. William & Marys Principia is protected, but far from sequestered. Special Collections arranges regular showings of the book and other rare scientific tomes for the William & Mary community. And its of interest to more than just the scientists at William & Mary. Every year, I visit the Special Collections at Swem with my Latin students and we have often examined this edition of Newtons Principia, said Vassiliki Panoussi, professor of Classical Studies. Dolts search for the mystery annotator took her through a centuries-old controversy about the invention of calculus. She also had to deal with the peculiarities of 17th-century typography, as well as the perplexing differences between the Latin used by the scientific community of Newtons time and the more-familiar Classical version of the language. Panoussi explained that the Latin of the Principia is known as Neo-Latin. Its the version of Latin adopted from the Renaissance through the 1900s to write scientific, philosophical and other treatises, she said. Neo-Latin is quite different from Classical Latin, which is what we teach here at William & Mary, but close enough that one could figure out what character or word is meant. In addition, Dolt had to wade through the contributions of an individual who became known as the Doodler, perhaps a bored student Dolt says, who made seemingly meaningless marks in the Principia, filling in the os and qs and committing other odd graffiti. All of those paths, each of them extremely interesting, turned out to be red herrings in the search for the mystery annotator. Dolt ran the annotator to earth by comparing handwriting. Joshua Erlich and Nicholas Popper, William & Mary faculty involved in the ongoing investigation, endorse Dolts conclusion: the mystery annotator is Rev. Thomas S. Savage, the man who donated the copy of the Principia to William & Mary in 1869. Plenty of unanswered questions to ponder There is still plenty of mystery surrounding the book. For one thing, the revelation of the identity of the mystery annotator has hatched a completely new conundrum: What was Rev. Savages motivation in making those annotations? There are also annotations made in what appears to be a secret code. Erlich, professor of physics, and Popper, associate professor of history, have coordinated a continuing investigation into the secrets of the Special Collections copy of Isaac Newtons masterwork, mentoring Latin-literate undergraduates like Dolt, or Jackson Olsen 16, who previously took on the investigation. Dolt started with the same working hypothesis that guided previous investigations into the mystery annotator: The annotations were made by some learned soul who was preparing for the publication of subsequent editions of the book. Second and third editions of the Principia were published in 1713 and 1726. The revision hypothesis was based on deductions based on the annotations themselves. Dolt points to annotators notes in a digitized version of the Principia. See, he does an asterisk and then he writes his note down here, Dolt explains. So from this, along with the corrections in the earlier part, it really appeared to us that he was editing it. And when I looked at the third edition, comparing them. These edits show up. Exactly, word for word. The compelling revision hypothesis challenged The revision hypothesis was challenged by a message that came a few years ago from Niccolo Guicciardini of the University of Bergamo in Italy. He had read about the mystery and wrote the collaborators to indicate one of the annotations referenced a work that was first printed in 1792. Ergo: at least that one annotation in the 1687 book could have been made no earlier than a few years before the onset of the 19th century. Guicciardinis observation about a single entry did not by itself destroy the revision hypothesis. In addition to the verbatim appearance of annotations in the third edition, a number of other aspects supported continuing work along the revision track. For example, Popper said that some of the more inscrutable notations were interpreted as possible marks used by typographers preparing for a new edition. And so, the investigations focus remained on that comparatively small group of natural philosophers who had the scientific chops to comment on the work of Isaac Newton. A controversy over calculus Newton himself was ruled out early in the investigation; the handwriting was wrong for Sir Isaac. Dolt noticed several instances of a one-word annotation in the margins: dico, or I say, in Latin. This was huge for me, she said, explaining that she thought she might have found an important element of the famous who-invented-calculus controversy that persists after centuries. Newton and (Gottfried Wilhelm) Leibniz apparently developed the early concepts of what became calculus, independent of each other, she said. There was a big controversy of who plagiarized whom. Dolt thought that the multiple dico notations might be assertions of primacy and she could imagine Leibnitz himself as the mystery annotator, marking up Newtons book with I say, meaning I said this first. I was really excited, she said. Such a discovery would be huge indeed. She researched online samples of Leibnizs handwriting: no match with the mystery annotator. Handwriting matches ruled out Newton, Leibniz and some other suspected annotators, so Dolt took a closer look at the annotators handwriting itself. She noticed it had a distinguishing element. A distinctive letter in a collection of letters The Ps are distinctive, she said, pointing to the p in ipsius. Its an open P. See, its not closed on the bottom, and the upstroke goes up really high. It looks like an H. She shared her discovery with Gaidmore, who had arranged for Dolt to have access to the Special Collections Principia. By coincidence, Gaidmore used to work at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the repository of the Savage family papers. Gaidmore noted that Rev. Savage was a polymath in his own right and is credited with the discovery of the western gorilla while serving as a missionary in Africa. Through his UNC connections, Gaidmore was able to secure permission quickly for Dolt to gain access to the Savage family archive. Dolt examined a letter from Rev. Savage to his son. The handwriting matched the important annotations in the Swem first edition of the Principia. The distinctive Ps were a clincher, she said. Erlich, Popper and Dolt discussed the implications and questions prompted by her discovery at a meeting in early February. The Principia left Rev. Savages hands in 1869, when he donated it to William & Mary. Erlich pointed out that the annotations were made more than a century after the book came off the printing press. Wouldnt it be recognized as a valuable book even at 150 years old? he asked, wondering that someone would mark up what was, even in the mid-19th century, a venerable first edition of a classic work. Not necessarily, Popper replied. People didnt fetishize books back then the way they do now. The conundrum of why? For now, Rev. Savages motivation in updating his first-edition Principia remains a matter of speculation. Gaidmore says he cant say and is consulting the collective wisdom of the Special Collections staff. The motive remains at least as perplexing as the annotators identity had been. Why is he doing this? Popper wondered. Is he preparing to make his own edition? Its clear hes not preparing for a third edition, which is what we originally thought. Dolt is making arrangements for a trip to UNC, Chapel Hill to take a deeper dive into the Savage family papers. She hopes to find some answers, or at least some context, about the annotations and perhaps even a key to the annotators notations made in astronomical/astrological characters mixed with Greek letters. It has the appearance of a secret code, but Erlich cautions that its too early to say so. Her work is a significant advance in the study of the William & Mary Principia, which has been a kind of an ongoing side project for Popper and Erlich. They like to find an undergraduate to spearhead the investigation someone conversant in physics and comfortable with Latin and a suitable candidate had not surfaced for a few years. Dolt is a physics major and classical studies minor and just the kind of person Erlich and Popper look for to resume the Principia project. She was discovered when Erlich was subbing in Professor Marc Shers Modern Physics class one day. He was comparing something, Dolt recalled. And he said, Then we write CF which means to be compared with for some reason. I don't know why. After class, Dolt went up and told him why. CF stands for the Latin word conferatur which means to be compared with. She just had "conferatur" as a vocabulary word in a Latin class with Panoussi. He thanked me, Dolt said. Then asked: Oh, do you know Latin? Would you be interested in a project? We met and I found that it was super interesting. Panoussi is not a part of the Principia working group, but she says she has been following Dolts progress. Caitlin was able to bring together her expertise in physics and her knowledge of Latin to unravel a really cool mystery, Panoussi said. I am very impressed with her initiative and ability to go through the annotations, which are probably written in Neo-Latin. It is extremely impressive that Caitlin was able to do this having only taken beginning and intermediate Latin at W&M. Caitlins project is a wonderful demonstration that Greek and Latin can still help lead to new and exciting discoveries, Panoussi concluded. Her project not only helps answer the important question of who the annotator was, but also enhances the value of this Special Collections holding for the future. German side RB Leipzig has apologised after some Japanese fans were reportedly ejected from Sundays match against Bayer Leverkusen due to fears about the spread of coronavirus. The Bundesliga club admits security staff made a mistake during the 1-1 draw at the Red Bull Arena. Coronavirus has spread from Wuhan in China to countries across the world, with tens of thousands of confirmed cases and thousands of deaths worldwide. Leipzig hopes to make amends by contacting supporters affected by the incident to invite them to a future game. In accordance with recommendations from the Robert-Koch-Institute (General Principles of Risk Assessment and Recommendations for Course of Action at Large-Scale Events), the grounds security personnel had been instructed to intensify checks regarding the admission of certain groups due to potential risk, read a Leipzig statement. Unfortunately, in this instance, amidst the great uncertainty surrounding this topic, by which we are currently also affected, a mistake was made on our part with respect to our Japanese guests. In light of this mistake, we would like to extend our apologies. Leipzigs next home match comes on Tuesday, March 10 against Tottenham in the Champions League last-16 second leg. Julian Nagelsmanns men, who lead Spurs 1-0 on aggregate, host Freiburg in the Bundesliga four days later. We are already trying to get in contact with the fans in question to invite them to our next home game to try and make amends for the incident, continued the statement. As for our handling of the coronavirus issue, we will continue to work thoroughly and on a daily basis with the authorities in order to try and reach the best possible solution for all of our guests. Cultural Appropriation and Assimilation in the... 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!) SOUTH EASTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Maplewood Country Day Camp is preparing for the upcoming summer 2020 season. Serving the Greater Boston area and Rhode Island, Maplewood Day Camp & Enrichment Center is open year-round. It is family-owned and operated and is a community that encourages friendship, leadership, responsibility, and teamwork. Since the camp's opening in 1965, 25,000 children have learned to swim at Maplewood. The owners of Maplewood are on-site and share their over 50 years of combined experience teaching swimming and providing parents with peace of mind. Maplewood Country Day Camp has two Olympic-sized heated pools that were specifically designed for teaching, with shallow areas where beginners can feel comfortable learning and deeper areas for more experienced swimmers and diving. The swimming staff at Maplewood are certified water safety instructors and lifeguards. They are highly trained and experienced, guiding campers to success in the water. Lee Pinstein, co-director of Maplewood Country Day Camp, notes that each camper has a 30-minute swim lesson each morning, with beginners getting individual attention, and an hour of free-swim each afternoon to practice and play. For more information, please visit https://www.maplewoodyearround.com/. About Maplewood Day Camp & Enrichment Center Maplewood's after school programs help children build confidence, boost academic performance, and promote physical wellbeing, all while providing a safe and structured environment. The program includes transportation from Easton Public Schools, 30 acres of indoor and outdoor activities, academic assistance, and tutoring and convenient hours for families - until 6:30 p.m. Maplewood also offers weekly programing for children ages 6 and younger, including bouncing in Maplewood's moonwalk, playing in the gym, participating in gymnastics, and visiting the play structures at the Village. Families from all over the area have consistently recommended Maplewood Country Day Camp & Enrichment Center for instilling confidence in their children, providing them with positive enrichment activities and an unmatched quality of care. Contact: Lee Pinstein Email: info@maplewoodyearround.com SOURCE: Maplewood Country Day Camp View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578645/At-Maplewood-Country-Day-Camp-Swimming-Is-Part-of-Our-DNA-Our-Owners-Learned-Here-Your-Child-Should-Too-Heres-Why The conference is being organized by the Prem Jain Memorial Trust The First South Asian Conference on Sustainability in Textile and Apparel Industry is set to take place in New Delhi on March 3, 2020 at the C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre, New Delhi. The conference is being inaugurated by the Honble Minister for Textiles and Women and Child Development Smriti Z Irani. It is a well-known fact that the textile industry has many sustainability-related issues. In recent years, the industry has come under scrutiny due to the human and environmental impact of its practices. If things do not change, continued growth will cause untold harm to the planet and people. The garment export industry in South Asia is a prominent industry and a major source of revenue for these countries, especially in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India is the third largest exporter of textiles in the world and Indian textile and apparel exports are expected to cross US$ 82 billion by 2021. The industry is also one of the biggest polluters. It employs a work force of over 45 million, 60% of whom are estimated to be women. This contributes roughly 15 per cent of Indias current export earnings. We strongly believe that sustainability, and the working condition inside factories and workers well-being are critical issues for the growth of this sector. The First South Asian Conference on Sustainability in Apparel and Textile Industry 2020 is an effort to address the following important concerns of the industry : 1. Sustainable facilities 2. Workers well-being 3. Sustainable products and resources The conference aims to create awareness amongst students and young professionals about the sustainable built environment, safer work places for workers and minimum damage to the environment. The conference is being organized by the Prem Jain Memorial Trust and Michigan State University, USA in association with School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi, IDH-the Sustainable Trade Initiative, Indian Green Building Council and Ella Pad Foundation, Bangladesh. The Mission of Prem Jain Memorial Trust is to create, establish and maintain the sustainability paradigm through education, recognition and nurturing of the present and future generations. Its vision is to identify future leaders and be a catalyst for global development of sustainability, to create awareness and advocacy on sustainability and environment and to nurture India's young talent by disseminating education on sustainable development ecosystems, built environment, traditions, arts, crafts and related studies across Indias youth and working professionals. Dr Prem Jain, architect of the modern green building movement in India, is revered as the Father of Green Buildings. He ushered in a paradigm shift in the way buildings are conceived, designed worldwide and facilitated. India stands tall in second place after USA in the global green building movement, as he aspired for "Bharat to emerge as Jagat Guru in Sustainable Built Environment. The Green Bharat story is unparalleled amongst members of the World Green Building Council (WGBC). He led India to the worlds highest 60 platinum and 40 gold awards from IGBC and USGBC, for the design of services for Green Buildings. Under his leadership, India reached 1 billion sq ft of registered green footprint with IGBC in 2012, three years ahead of schedule, without any incentives. By 2018, over 4,900 projects, amounting to over 6.4 billion sq ft of green building footprint adopted IGBC standards. IGBC, under his guidance, launched 25 green building rating systems including affordable housing, net zero, green homes, green cities, green villages and green townships. He was instrumental in launching over 150 IGBC student chapters in colleges. Disclaimer: This is featured content. No Deccan Chronicle journalist is involved in creating this content. The Group also takes no responsibility for this content. Ditching self-help books in favour of complex works of classic literature can help boost brain power and quality of life, research suggests. People suffering from depression, chronic pain and even dementia are being urged to tackle books by the likes of Charles Dickens or Jane Austen to send rocket boosters to the brain. Professor Philip Davis, of the University of Liverpool, said that reading the classics frees emotions and imagination and lets people feel more alive, potentially allowing relief from symptoms of illness. Reading classic literature can help boost brain power and quality of life, research suggests. It 'frees emotions and imagination' and lets people feel 'more alive', says Professor Philip Davis, of the University of Liverpool Self-help books and other similar works do not carry the same benefit because the process of reading them is too basic to excite the brain. If youre just scanning for information, you go fast, its very easy, its automatic, Professor Davis told the Sunday Times. But when literature begins to do something more complicated than that, the brain begins to work. It gets excited, it gets emotional. His own book, Reading For Life, is based on work at Liverpools Centre for Research into Reading, Literature and Society, which studies the role of literature in modelling creative thinking about human existence. He said his favourite book is Middlemarch by George Eliot a novel known for its complex language, characters and plot. Earlier research has also shown that reading could help preserve your memory into old age. Self-help books (file image) and other similar works do not carry the same benefit because the process of reading them is too basic to excite the brain. When reading something more complicated than that, the brain begins to work and 'gets emotional', suggests Mr Davis Activities which promote mental stimulation such as reading demanding books and doing crosswords at any age could be linked to a slower rate of decline in brain power. Professor Davis believes reading should be promoted in care homes. Zoe Gilling, a director at charity The Reader, said: We define great as literature that has the power to touch diverse people and illuminate what connects us. It is widely been recognised that picking up a book can have a positive effect on mental health but there is no evidence that it can cure mental disorders (file image). Reading in groups was the most significant development in mental healthcare in the past ten years, says Dr David Fearnley It can help with inner life, mental health, soul troubles and make us say, I never knew anyone but me felt that! There is no evidence that reading can cure mental health disorders but medics agree that picking up a book can have a positive effect on mental health. Dr Helen Willows, a GP, told the Sunday Times that reading can transform the lives of the people that we see day after day at our surgery those that are stuck, perhaps with low mood or who are socially isolated. And Dr David Fearnley said reading aloud in a group setting was the most significant development in mental healthcare in the past ten years. OAK BROOK (dpa-AFX) - McDonald's declared Monday, March 2, as National Egg McMuffin Day, offering free Egg McMuffin sandwiches. Incidentally, the fast food giant's offer comes as rival Wendy's entering the competitive breakfast market with Monday's launch of breakfast menu across the U.S. In a twitter post, McDonald's said, 'Announcing National EggMcMuffinDay . coming March 2nd! Monday morning, get an Egg McMuffin on *us*, via our app.' The offer for a free, freshly prepared Egg McMuffin is available at participating McDonald's nationwide between 6 am and 10:30 am local time, only on Monday. To redeem the offer, customers only need to download the company's mobile app. David Tovar, vice president of U.S. Communications, said, 'We're always looking for new ways to show our fans love and remind them, no matter where they might be, a great tasting and convenient breakfast is just around the corner for them at McDonald's.' The company celebrates National Egg McMuffin Day 50 years after the 1971 launch of Egg McMuffin, which is considered the first ever quick service restaurant breakfast sandwich. Egg McMuffin was first created by Herb Peterson, an owner and operator in Santa Barbara, California. It comes with a freshly cracked Grade A egg on a toasted English Muffin topped with real butter, lean Canadian bacon and melty American cheese. In its breakfast menu, McDonald's offers Breakfast Burritos, McGriddles, and All Day Breakfast. The company in late January launched Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit breakfast sandwiches nationwide as part of its breakfast menu changes. The company also offers 2 for $4 Mix and Match Value Deal. Wendy's in early February had announced the upcoming launch of its breakfast menu that includes signature items such as the Breakfast Baconator, Frosty-ccino, and Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. A Smithsonian Channel documentary that premiered in April 2019 makes the case that Pulaski may have been intersex, or with a body that doesnt fit neatly into standard definitions of male and female. In The General Was Female? scientists use skeletal remains and DNA testing to make a case that a skeleton with female features was Pulaskis. The debate over the skeleton is really his has been raging since as far back as 1854, when his remains were moved to a monument in Savannah, Ga. MOUNT PROSPECT, IL, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Executive Committee is pleased to announce that Lemrey Al Carter, MS, PharmD, RPh, will become the Associations executive director/secretary effective May 16, 2020, during the Associations 116th Annual Meeting. He will succeed Carmen A. Catizone, MS, RPh, DPh, the fourth NABP executive director, who is retiring from NABP in December 2020 after serving the Association for 35 years. Prior to joining NABP, Dr Carter served as the divisional vice president of pharmacy operations and professional affairs for Walgreens. In this position, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations and pharmacy regulatory oversight of more than 9,200 pharmacies in the United States as well as oversight, management, and execution of all commercial, Medicare Parts B and D, and state Medicaid plans. In addition, Dr Carter is serving his second term as a member of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation State Board of Pharmacy. NABP is excited to welcome Dr Carter as the next executive director/secretary, says NABP Chairperson Susan Ksiazek, RPh, DPh. His commitment to community, excellence, and innovation will foster responsible stewardship of the Associations resources. Dr Carter will lead with passion and integrity as he serves NABPs membership and works tirelessly to support our shared mission of protecting public health. "I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to lead NABP and will continue to be an unyielding advocate for the protection of public health while preserving the long-standing success of NABP," says Carter. Reporting to the NABP Executive Committee, Dr Carters responsibilities as executive director/secretary will include leadership of the Association, budget oversight and development, and strategic planning and analysis. In addition, he will collaborate with professional organizations and stakeholders at the state and federal levels to advance public health protection. In addition to serving on the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy, Dr Carter was appointed by the Illinois House of Representatives to serve two terms on the Illinois Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force. He is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Council of Deans Task Force on Community-Based Pharmacy Practice and has served on numerous task forces and committees for pharmacy organizations, including NABP. Dr Carter earned his master of science degree from the University of Florida and his doctor of pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, College of Pharmacy. NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its state member boards and jurisdictions for the purpose of protecting the public health. Visit nabp.pharmacy to learn more. - 30 - And then there was one? Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images So where is Michael Bloomberg supposed to go from here? The former mayor and his campaign have told anyone whod listen since November that their plan to win the Democratic nomination started, and largely relied, on Super Tuesday. And as voting began in the presidential primary a month ago and the party looked set for an ugly, muddled struggle for the nomination after Iowa everything appeared like it was going according to plan. At campaign headquarters, operatives each day pass countdown clocks ticking toward March 3, the day they planned to swoop into the race. Even after his disastrous first debate in Las Vegas, staffers unfailingly pointed to Tuesday, the date with the most delegates up for grabs of the whole primary, as the day everything would start coming together for him. But that plan was always based on Joe Biden continuing to falter, and the moderate wing of the party lining up behind the tycoon to stop Bernie Sanders. And now, hours before polls open from Virginia to Texas to California with Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar both exiting the race since Bidens romp in South Carolina jump-started his campaign election forecasts have Bloomberg running behind both the former vice-president and Sanders in Tuesdays delegate count, and see no state as more likely to go for Bloomberg than the Vermont senator. Even the usually reticent architects of Barack Obamas 2008 campaign have started questioning what comes next: Wheres the path for Bloomberg here? asked David Axelrod on CNN on Saturday night, pointing to Bidens strength, as David Plouffe, on MSNBC, argued the race is now essentially a Biden versus Sanders head-to-head. Back in midtown, some of Bloombergs top advisers were taken aback by the size of Bidens win, but were quick to insist that it wouldnt change the former mayors thinking about the contest: even if Biden looked like a new man, the postSouth Carolina cash injection into his campaign wouldnt make a difference in time to affect Tuesdays contests. With so many ballots already banked in the early voting period, Bidens bounce would likely be muted, Bloomberg staffers argued. Bidens big South Carolina win could even prove useful to Bloomberg, some argued, since it slowed down Sanderss roll toward the nomination. Anyway, with the race still shaping up to be a long scrap for delegates, Bloomberg would be unlikely to consider dropping out anytime soon unless Tuesday turned into a massive, unexpected disappointment, they said. Invariably though they also offered some version of: But talk to us on Wednesday. The obvious discussion that everyone is having, which is not novel, is: Its Bernie versus who? And what kind of consolidation do you get? Tuesday is dispositive, said one congressman supporting Bloomberg. Theres gonna be a lot of pressure to have one alternative to Bernie if Bloomberg doesnt have a solid Super Tuesday, there is going to be an enormous amount of pressure for him to step aside, [but] if Biden doesnt have a huge Super Tuesday and Bloomberg outperforms him, I think theres going to be a huge amount of pressure on Biden to have the realization. In recent days, Bloombergs team has taken to reassuring surrogates and allies that he is uniquely positioned to keep competing through the spring, unlike others (like, say, Biden). We, from jump street, understood this was a delegate race, [thats why] we have teams on the ground in 43 states and across all 165 congressional districts on Super Tuesday, said Dan Kanninen, the campaigns states director. Tuesday is a big day its a third of the electorate in terms of delegate apportionment but theres also two-thirds left to come after Tuesday. As a general statement, its fair to say our best states are later in the calendar rather than early in the calendar. Super Tuesday is front-loaded for Bernie, especially with California, Kanninen continued, pointing to states like New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Maryland as opportunities for Bloomberg to pick up huge delegate troves. He also argued that Bloomberg will gain strength as he competes strongly in states that will be central to the general election, like Michigan. Later in the contest there are states that we think well do quite well in. Yet Bloombergs path to a victory before the Milwaukee convention or a robust enough showing to keep him in contention if no one wins a delegate majority outright has relied on positioning himself as the obvious moderate choice, and the field slimming accordingly. But that hasnt happened so far: the most recent Los Angeles Times poll of California showed Bloomberg, Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar all under the statewide delegate viability threshold, with only Sanders and Elizabeth Warren above it. (Other polls have shown Biden or Bloomberg hitting the 15 percent mark, and presumably Buttigiegs and Klobuchars exits could further reshape this math.) This has led to significant angst among Democrats eager to back the strongest Sanders alternative. Nervous moderate Democratic members of the House walked into a caucus meeting last week hoping to talk about strategies for handling Sanders, but Nancy Pelosi refused to discuss the race, insisting on just walking them through the delegate rules, according to Democrats in the room. With a contested convention still very much a possibility though, individual candidates are still weighing that possibility among their incentives. Warrens team, for one, made the case on Sunday that after Tuesday no candidate will have a viable path to a delegate majority. Even Buttigiegs camp was arguing until its final hours that he could stay in the race to complicate Sanders road ahead. The whole line is if Bernie can get to his 1,991 delegates out of Super Tuesday, or its clear thats the path, there will be a lot of pressure to consolidate, explained the congressman. But if it looks like theres going to be a [brokered] convention, then no ones gonna get out. And that likely includes Bloomberg, because while he may have similar political calculations as others, his financial calculus could hardly be more different. After all, candidates usually leave races because they run out of money, not political space. If you havent won anything through the first four and you dont do particularly well on March third or March tenth, funders are going to start wandering, said former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, a chairman of Bloombergs campaign, speaking prior to the vote in South Carolina. Bloomberg, though, wont have that problem, and his supporters are increasingly making that fact central to their explicit pitch, even as Biden raised $10 million within two days of winning South Carolina. The alternative to Trump has to be someone who can raise the resources, and thats the bottom line, said the congressman. So thats why Mike, to me, is the only option. Hes always been cooking, from feeding his brother during his childhood on Santa Clara Pueblo to making a feast for producer Steven Spielberg and friends over a coal fire at Bears Ears National Monument. Ray Naranjo excelled as a chef at a young age, but it wasnt until he turned to indigenous cooking that he found his calling as a chef and as a person. I refer to my experience as a Native pueblo chef as my poeh (the path I walk), says Naranjo, 41. At times the journey is hard, and at times rewarding and at times humbling. Naranjo has been using indigenous foods and growing methods for a long time, but his new job as executive chef at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center will allow him to make such foods the focus of his menu. The dishes at Pueblo Harvest will center on an authentic pueblo experience based on whats happening in the pueblo world, with Naranjos own modern twist on things. For example, he might offer a version of chicken and waffles, but using all indigenous ingredients. Using rabbit, say, and non-European flours to make waffles blue corn, amaranth flours. Using ash instead of baking powder to do the leavening. The thing with me is I like to be simple, Naranjo says. I do a simple food that people eat every day. I try to do it well. Raised by a single mother who wasnt often home, Naranjo started cooking because if youre the only two kids in the house someone has to cook for you, so I had to be that person. He and his brother watched cooking shows on TV, but it wasnt until Naranjo went to Arizona that he realized his skills could be turned into a profession. I didnt really think of it as an industry because it wasnt really an honored profession in my area, he says. People would see cooking as just to cook, not really something special. Naranjo worked two jobs so he could afford training at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute and then just kept working. He has cooked for a lot of well-known people, including Barbara Bush, actor Laurence Fishburne and the Spielberg gathering, for which a rental car was provided to him but no cooking facilities at the remote Utah site. Theyre like, Oh, were hoping youll cook in our pit out here. So I switched my game plan, and we did everything like real ancient methods kind of thing, Naranjo says. He didnt know who the main guest was until he got there, and he still doesnt know what the gathering was for, although he guesses it was a fundraiser for the monument. Bears Ears has been downsized by the Trump administration and targeted for mining and drilling. Naranjo hastens to add this, though: I just want to state for the record that who I cook for is not that important. To me, its the feeling people get when I cook for them. Its the feeling I get from peoples satisfaction and not who you are. At what point in your career did you start specializing in indigenous cuisine? In my early career, my perspective as a professionally trained chef took me on a path that didnt feel right. The environment and stress of the job was an easy pathway to the early stages of alcoholism and drugs to cope, to self-medicate. During this time, I learned to pray in Tewa. Maybe as an answer to my prayers, I was asked to be a part of the pueblo food experience. This experience has had the most profound impact on my path as person and as a chef, as I am able to tie my culture to my career. What do you think makes you successful as a chef? I think in most careers you have to go through a period of failure to where you can rebuild yourself and figure out what was wrong the last time a series of falling down and standing back up. Just never giving up, I guess. Whats your best advice for aspiring chefs? Use failure to make you a better person. In the beginning of my career, I was just really good at cooking, so I treated everyone like a jerk and then I got fired for it. Because I got fired from my job, I had to teach myself how to be a better person. Can you think of a difficult situation youve been through and how you overcame it? I guess Ive gone through a little bit of emotional stuff. I didnt know my father growing up, and then I kind of knew him a little bit as an older person and then he died. I never really got to know him better, so I just used that energy and put it into work. Do you have any hobbies? Indigenous food, foraging. I was always venturing out in the wild, learning about medicinal herbs, just studying the environment all through this area the pueblo region is what we call it. I picked up books. I just wanted to know because everything I learned about in school, I felt like it was in a box, and I thought there was so much more to know about it. Whats your favorite book? The favorite book Im reading right now is My Search for the Seventh Mole (by Susana Trilling). What makes you sad? Bad food. What makes you laugh? Im kind of serious, but I do laugh. I have a strange sense of humor, but a lot of people in the pueblo have the same sense of humor as me. Whats your favorite junk food? I actually do not eat processed food, period. I try to stay really far away from all that. We dont have it in our house. If you need to make a meal, youve got to cook it. Whats the most difficult dish youve ever made? The cooking part has never been hard. The hardest part is volume. Ive done extreme volume when we opened Buffalo Thunder resort (in Pojoaque). I served 2,000 (people) a day for 30 days. We were working from 6 in the morning to midnight every day. What are your goals? Its kind of crazy. I met all my goals by the time I was 30. When I first graduated from school, my original (goal) was to be a chef by the time I was 30, but I made that happen by the time I was 23. I was going to be a homeowner by the time I was 30, but that happened way early. I came to the point where I was either going to create new goals or just see where it went. So I havent really created new goals, but Ive definitely continued learning some of the older goals. Are there any places you want to travel to? No desire. People who have a desire to travel usually want to go home to see where theyre from. My ancestors have been here for thousands of years. Im already home. I dont have a desire, really, to go anywhere. One-on-One with Ray Naranjo One-on-One with Ray Naranjo U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for the U.S.-China "phase-one" trade agreement in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. The reporters were expelled after outrage in China over an opinion piece printed in the Journal whose headline referred to China as "the real sick man of Asia," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said during a news briefing on Feb. 19. The cap comes weeks after China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters based in Beijing, a move that sparked fury from White House officials . "Today, we announced a personnel cap on Chinese government-controlled media organizations in the United States," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet Monday. "We urge Beijing to respect freedom of expression and will continue to seek reciprocity across the bilateral relationship." The Trump administration on Monday said it is imposing a cap on "the number of Chinese citizens permitted to work" for China's major state-run media companies in the U.S. "at any given time." The move marked the first time since the era of Mao Zedong that China has expelled multiple journalists from one international news organization simultaneously, according to the Journal. "Our goal is reciprocity. As we have done in other areas of the U.S.-China relationship, we seek to establish a long-overdue level playing field," Pompeo said in a statement to CNBC about the cap. "It is our hope that this action will spur Beijing to adopt a more fair and reciprocal approach to U.S. and other foreign press in China." "We urge the Chinese government to immediately uphold its international commitments to respect freedom of expression, including for members of the press," Pompeo added. The State Department cap will cut the number of Chinese nationals working for the state-run media companies in the United States to 100 employees down from 160, according to the Wall Street Journal. A State Department spokesperson told CNBC that the cap extends to five Chinese media entities: Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily Distribution Corporation and Hai Tian Development USA. Last month, the Chinese outlets were designated as foreign missions by the White House, meaning that none of the outlets will be regarded as an independent news organization in the country. The move to impose a cap may escalate already-existing tensions between the United States and China, which come as the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to spread globally. China seemed unhappy with the move, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson who questioned the validity of the White House's goal of "reciprocity." "Now the US kicked off the game, let's play," she wrote on Twitter early Tuesday. tweet CNBC's Amanda Macias and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report. Ex-Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher has said he would campaign for Trump's re-election - and claims that the president's intervention in his war crimes trial helped saved him from a life in prison. Gallagher was acquitted of murdering the ISIS prisoner following a high-profile trial which saw Trump wade into the debate, coming out in support of the SEAL. In an interview with 60 Minutes aired on Sunday, the disgraced veteran spoke of his gratitude to the president, before proudly showing off the knife he was accused of using to kill the Iraqi fighter. 'If the president hadn't intervened in any way I believe I would be in prison for life,' Gallagher said told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. 'I was able to get out of the brig and actually properly defend myself,' he said. Ex-Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher has said he would campaign for Trump's re-election after the president's intervention in his war crimes trial helped saved him from a life in prison When asked if he was planning to campaign for Trump's re-election, Gallagher said he would be happy to if the president came calling. 'I have not been personally asked to campaign for his re-election from him but if he asked me, if he wants me to help out in any way, yes I would he helped save my life,' he said. Gallagher's defense team included Marc Mukasey, who also represents the Trump organization. Mukasey was also interviewed for 60 Minutes and said Trump's actions did not affect the outcome of the Gallagher trial. 'We tried a real murder case [with] prosecutors that, as far as I could tell, were apolitical, and defense lawyers that were apolitical,' Mukasey said. 'It was fought on the field of legal battle. And that's where it was won and lost.' Mukasey refused to confirm or deny whether he had spoken to Trump about Gallagher's trial. Gallagher went on to show off the knife he was accused of using to murder the Iraqi captive. While giving a tour of his glory wall in his garage gym where he proudly displays memorabilia from his military days, Martin asked if he had gotten the knife back after the trial. Gallagher went on to show off the knife (above) he was accused of using to murder the Iraqi captive He was happy to show off the knife, which never tested positive for any blood, as Martin took it out of its sheath and looked it over Gallagher's glory wall in his garage gym where he proudly displays memorabilia from his military days Also displayed on the glory wall was a wooden plaque (above) with the now-eerie motto of the platoon he led in that fateful tour: 'Kill em all' Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher shows 60 Minutes his war memorabilia, including the knife seen in his photo with the dead ISIS fighter. https://t.co/nDZBPHA0ub pic.twitter.com/b86c5oI8Qu 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 2, 2020 When Gallagher replied that he did, he was asked why it wasn't displayed alongside his other memorabilia. Gallagher pointed out that the knife was displayed - just on the table underneath the wall. He was happy to show off the knife, which never tested positive for any blood, as Martin took it out of its sheath and looked it over. Also displayed on the glory wall was a wooden plaque with the now-eerie motto of the platoon he led in that fateful tour: 'Kill em all.' The TV interview, Gallagher's first since the controversial trial, showed that the veteran is under no illusions over how divisive his acquittal was. When Martin said 'people either love you as an American hero', Gallagher responded 'or despise me'. Gallagher was charged in 2018 with war crimes after he posed for a now-infamous photo with the corpse of an Iraqi prisoner during a deployment to Iraq. The photo: Gallagher was charged in 2018 with war crimes after he posed for a now-infamous photo with the corpse of an Iraqi prisoner during a deployment to Iraq The TV interview, Gallagher's first since the controversial trial, showed that the veteran is under no illusions over how divisive his acquittal was. When Martin (right) said 'people either love you as an American hero', Gallagher (left) responded 'or despise me' The Special Operations Chief was pictured smiling in the middle of his platoon members as he held the dead captive by the hair with one hand and held a knife to his throat with the other. He had sent the photo to a friend in a text at the time that said: 'Got him with my hunting knife'. Gallagher denied that meant he had stabbed the ISIS captive but his own platoon brothers described him as 'freaking evil' and 'toxic'. His platoon was interviewed by naval criminal investigators before Gallagher was charged in September 2018 of war crimes. The video recordings of their interviews were leaked to the New York Times and painted a picture of Gallagher, who was their platoon chief during a 2017 deployment to Iraq, as a reckless leader who had a hunger for violence. 'The guy is freaking evil,' Special Operator First Class Craig Miller told investigators. Gallagher was found not guilty of murder and attempted murder at a military trial in San Diego last July. He was convicted of one charge: posing in photos with the dead captive. The offense carried a maximum sentence of four months imprisonment. He was released on time served during his pre-trial detention. Gallagher (left) and his wife Andrea (right) Gallagher smile after leaving military court in San Diego in July after he was acquitted of murdering the ISIS prisoner Gallagher and Andrea talk with Melania and Donald Trump at Mar A Lago. Trump restored Gallagher's rank after the trial and then ordered the Navy to allow Gallagher to retire as a SEAL with his full rank intact After his trial, Gallagher was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer. Trump restored Gallagher's rank and has repeatedly tweeted support for him. 'The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher's Trident Pin,' he tweeted in November. 'This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!' The President then ordered the Navy to allow Gallagher to retire as a SEAL with his full rank intact. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the Navy SEAL commander who clashed with Trump over his response to Gallagher's trial will reportedly step down from his post later this year. Rear Adm Collin Green, the commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, will be resigning in September. In November, Green made his intentions clear at a staff meeting that he wanted to remove Gallagher's Trident pin, which designates him as a SEAL. Green had planned to notify Gallagher that he would have to undergo a peer-review process, known as a Trident Review Board, to assess whether his fellow SEALs believe he is still suitable to remain on the elite force. These plans were quickly halted by Trump. Just days after the president's interference, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer announced his resignation. Spencer wrote in his resignation letter that he 'cannot in good conscience' obey the order to stop Gallagher's case going before the review board, because he believes it 'violates the sacred oath' he took. The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has embarked on his final tour in office. The Right Rev Dr William Henry began his week-long tour of the South Belfast Presbytery yesterday, having just returned from a 14-day visit to Kenya. As well as speaking at several churches, his tour will focus on the community work of the church with visits to the Welcome Centre for the Homeless, a church-run job club and a PCI residential care home. Dr Henry said the aim of each tour was to encourage ministers and congregations to see "the incredible work" the Church does in the community "often quietly behind the scenes". He said he had been impressed by the "outward focus" of the Church in Kenya, which translated into practical good deeds in the community. "I am looking forward to seeing the manifestation of this in South Belfast, which is a diverse and vibrant place, through the work of our local churches and people," he said. The PCI has just over 210,000 members, including 19 presbyteries and 535 congregations. South Belfast has 18 congregations, with over 3,300 families and 6,300 people of all ages. Rev Morris Gault of Cooke Centenary Presbyterian Church commented: "In South Belfast, we have areas of great poverty sitting side by side with places of great wealth and one of the main highlights will be his visit to Lowe Memorial's Job Club, which is part of their Christians Against Poverty Project." Pond Lehocky is proud to announce that the Philadelphia Business Journal has ranked it one of the citys top law firms for the percentage of women attorneys. The firm ranked fifth in the list published Jan. 26. The firm employs 21 female lawyers47 percent of the attorneys working at the firm. More than 65 percent of the firms staff are women. In addition, the majority of Pond Lehocky's managers and three-fifths of its executive team are women. Pond Lehocky has prioritized diversity and inclusion as central values in building its corporate culture. The firm is on a mission to diversify the legal industry. It realizes that diverse perspectives and fresh insights help the firm better connect with its clients, who come from all walks of life. It also helps the firm deliver innovative legal solutions to its clients most pressing problems. Pond Lehocky works to promote gender equality and put its female attorneys and staff in leadership positionsboth at the firm and in the overall legal community. WOMEN'S ISSUES IN THE LAW Pond Lehocky acknowledges that there is still a long way to go in the fight for gender equality. The firm is focusing on womens issues and the law, including womens rights in the workplace, particularly gender discrimination and sexual harassment. It is also referring mass tort matters affecting women, including litigation over talc products and transvaginal mesh. INITIATIVES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Here are some of the ways that Pond Lehocky has promoted gender equality and diversityboth at the law firm and in the overall legal community: The firm hosted Women Connect, a networking event for women in the workplace featuring conversations with women leaders in the business world. Pond Lehocky was recently recognized for its attorney gender diversity for three straight years by The Legal Intelligencer. Associates Kajal Alemo, Danielle Webb, Ruxandra Osgood and Erica Shikunov participated in a March roundtable discussion at the Women, Diversity & Change Summit in Philadelphia. The topic was Women & Self Advocacy: Damned if you do, damned if you dont. The firm recently named associate Erica Shikunov as the head of the Firms employment law department. In October 2018, associate attorney Alexis Handrich participated in The Legal Intelligencers Women in the Law Roundtable. Associate Kajal Alemo participated in a previous roundtable discussion. Associate Melissa Chandy participated in The Legal Intelligencers 2017 Diversity Roundtable. Associates Kajal Alemo, Ruxandra M. Osgood, Erica Shikunov and Danielle N. Webb spoke at the 2018 Women in Law & Leadership summit in Philadelphia. Associate Erica Shikunov authored an article providing needed perspective on the #metoo movement in the wake of the contentious Supreme Court confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh. Pond Lehocky opened its doors in July 2010. Today, it is the largest workers compensation and Social Security disability law firm in the region and has expanded nationwide with offices in New Jersey, New York and California. The firm has also recently added new practice areas for workers, including employment law and long-term disability, and has a national referral network, which has helped 86,000 clients with referrals. Peng Xinye, an art student in a senior high school, has drawn pictures to express his gratitude to the medical workers in the Fangcang Hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak. According to Peng, after he was diagnosed with COVID 19 and admitted into the hospital on Feb. 6, the hospital workers and other patients not only took care of him, but also provided better conditions for him to study for the National Entrance Examination to College, which he is supposed to take this year. When he saw how busy the medical workers were treating the patients, Peng wanted to record those touching moments through his sketches. His paintings depicted the daily work of the medical workers, such as sending medicines to the patients and making the rounds of the wards. With the help of the doctors and nurses, Peng is now recovering, and has already come back negative on a nucleic acid test. New Delhi, March 2 : The Prime Minister's Office has called a meeting with the state insurers on quick and hassle-free settlement of the claims coming from the riot-hit areas in northeast Delhi as the situation in the area limps back towards normalcy. Though these are initial days, preliminary estimates show that there could be insurance claims to the tune of Rs 10-15 crore which could go up as surveyors start assessing the situation once full normalcy returns. The PMO has already taken stock of the situation on anticipated claims and the likely situation, sources said adding state life insurer LIC has settled the killed Delhi Police head constable's claims in a record time. A majority of the claims filed so far pertain to motor vehicle damage and business losses. In India, property, business, shops, and houses are not usually insured. With motor insurance being mandatory in India, only vehicle damages has formed the major claims so far, but still the situation is evolving, said an executive from a private insurance firm. A senior executive of a state insurance PSU said the government has called a meeting on the claims but as of now, they have not received any from the area. "These are early times, normalcy is just creeping now. They already had one meeting and one more will be taking taking place. The Principal Secretary is looking into it. "We are finding out how to go about it, they (PMO) will give guidance on how to reach out to the riot victims on their losses. Insurance companies have their rules... if there is a claim, people have to come. That guidance has to come from the Finance Ministry, especially for public sector insurance companies," the executive said. Sanjay Datt, chief underwriting and claims at ICICI Lombard, told IANS that they would know how many people are affected once formal claims start coming to them. "As of now, claims have not come ... we just waiting for people to come back home to pick up life and then this process will start as we have seen in other such situations. Now it is very early. Claims over Rs 50,000 for motor insurance and Rs 1 lakh in case of other cases will need surveyors' estimate of the loss," he said. Another official said once the situation stabilises, insurance companies will send surveyors to assess the losses and all genuine cases will be fast-tracked. (Anjana Das can be contacted at anjana.d@ians.in) [March 02, 2020] Inspirage Acquires Vertical Edge Consulting Group BELLEVUE, Wash., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inspirage, an award-winning provider of Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Lifecycle Management, Supply Chain Management and Logistics Management implementation services announced today that they have completed their acquisition of Vertical Edge Consulting Group, a leading full-service Oracle Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) and Business Intelligence(BI) consulting firm. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. With this acquisition, Inspirage strengthens their ability to help companies implement a full suite of Oracle ERP Cloud applications. Leading industry analyst firms, such as Gartner, consider Inspirage to be a leader in the Cloud application marketplace based on the ability to execute and completeness of vision. This acquisition further strengthens Inspirages position as a leader in Oracle ERP Cloud and enhances their ability to provide clients with unparalleled strategic advisory in finance, enterprise performance management and end-to-end integrated supply chain, in addition to providing technology and management consulting services. The Vertical Edge Consulting Group acquisition represents our commitment to providing the highest quality end-to-end Oracle ERP Cloud implementtion services and further strengthens our services provided to the CFO office, said Inspirage CEO, Srini Subramanian. United by a common vision to make our clients successful and our exclusive focus on Oracle technologies, Vertical Edge was the natural choice as we looked to grow our EPM practice. We have been admirers of Vertical Edges capabilities in providing top notch Oracle EPM and Business Intelligence services for some time, and are pleased to welcome them to our team. We are extremely excited to be joining the Inspirage family, said John Conlee, Founder and CEO of Vertical Edge Consulting Group. This significant milestone will extend our capabilities and provide major growth opportunities through expanded services and offerings to our clients to help them realize their world class finance initiatives. As part of the Inspirage team, we look forward to the global expansion of our core EPM and Analytics services and making available complete functional Oracle solutions for Vertical Edges 140+ customers while continuing our focus to transform their businesses to the cloud. Inspirage was recognized with the 2019 Oracle Excellence Cloud ERPM Global Specialized Partner of the Year award for their outstanding accomplishments in driving customer success, accelerating innovation, and helping clients migrate to the cloud successfully. This acquisition represents Inspirages continued investment in delivering the highest level of professional services to their clients. About Inspirage Inspirage is the integrated supply chain specialist firm solving business critical challenges from design to delivery. The company delivers end-to-end consulting and implementation solutions that link Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Lifecycle Management, Supply Chain Management and Logistics Management. Inspirage partners with their customers to break down information silos and optimize performance to accelerate innovation, fuel growth and achieve operational excellence. Inspirage is a Platinum level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) with Cloud Premier status and has been recognized by Oracle with numerous awards, including the 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 Oracle Excellence Award for Specialized Partner of the Year. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the company has global presence with offices in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia. For more information, visit www.inspirage.com. About Vertical Edge Vertical Edge Consulting Group is a full-service Oracle Enterprise Performance Management / Business Intelligence and IT Advisory consulting firm with offices in Tampa, FL, Indianapolis, IN, Minneapolis, MN and Mason, OH. As an Oracle Platinum Partner, the firm specializes in solving fragmented and complex reporting and business analysis issues through the design and implementation of technology solutions that integrate strategic, operational, and financial data to optimize enterprise-wide performance. For Further PR Information, Contact: Celeste White, Inspirage 855-517-4250 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] ATLANTA, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greater Women's Business Council (GWBC) is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2020 with plans for a full year of events and activities to help women-owned businesses continue to flourish in its three-state region. The largest provider of certification and development resources for women business enterprises (WBEs) in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, GWBC's 2020 plans include hosting a number of networking and educational events in cities across its region, providing mentoring and scholarship opportunities, and hosting the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) National Conference and Business Fair, June 23-25 in Atlanta. "We have an exciting year planned, and hosting WBENC's national conference is a fantastic way to celebrate GWBC's 20 years of providing WBENC certification," said GWBC President & CEO Roz Lewis. "Additionally, we are adding even more events, programs and growth opportunities in 2020 for the major corporations, government entities, and women business enterprises (WBEs) that comprise our membership. "Successful businesses help shape the fabric of thriving communities," Lewis continued. "And as we look forward to our next 20 years, GWBC is committed to providing resources and support to all our members so that they can continue to contribute in a positive way to the communities where they do business." 2020 events and programs include: A restructured Power of Partner Marketplace program, with more networking and educational opportunities offered throughout the year in cities across the region. Quarterly orientation sessions for both certified WBEs and corporate members to help maximize certification opportunities. Signature events, including the Top Corporations Awards Luncheon on April 27, 2020 and the LACE Awards Dinner on Nov. 6, 2020 to honor champions that support women businesses and GWBC. and the LACE Awards Dinner on to honor champions that support women businesses and GWBC. Tables of 8 networking events throughout the year in cities across the region. More "Conversations to Grow Your Business" on GWBC's radio show launched in 2019 with seven episodes and more than a half-million downloads. The live, one-hour show airs the third Thursday of each month with certified women business and corporate members discussing a variety of subjects critical to running a healthy business. Listen to all the episodes at www.GWBCradio.com. "Our region is one of the fastest growing for women-owned businesses, and we're committed to supporting more growth opportunities in years to come for businesses of all sizes," said Lewis. "Looking at the numbers, women-owned businesses are driving economic growth, not just in our region, but across the United States. According to a recent report by American Express*, women-owned businesses in the U.S. represent 42% of all businesses nearly 13 million employing 9.4 million workers and generating revenue of $1.9 trillion." In the GWBC region alone, there are more than 1,000 WBENC-certified women-owned businesses generating 9.8 billion in revenue and employing more than 51,000. And the growth of certified WBEs and their economic impact on Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina has been exponential. In the last year alone, the number of workers employed by certified WBEs has increased by 14% while revenues have grown 6% across the region. To learn more about GWBC, events and other opportunities throughout 2020, visit www.gwbc.org. * 2019 American Express State of Women-Owned Business report ABOUT THE GREATER WOMEN'S BUSINESS COUNCIL, INC. The Greater Women's Business Council, Inc. (GWBC) is a nonprofit organization providing nationally-recognized certification through Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), innovative programming and value-driven events customized to the unique needs of women business enterprises (WBEs) in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. GWBC's constituency is comprised of over 1,000 certified WBEs, dozens of corporate member partners, government entities and business alliances united to inspire, engage and empower women-owned businesses. A Regional Partner Organization of WBENC, GWBC is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with an office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Learn more at www.gwbc.org. SOURCE The Greater Women's Business Council, Inc. Related Links http://www.gwbc.org 02.03.2020 LISTEN MOGADISHU, Somalia, 01 March, 2020 Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemns the arrest of Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur, the editor of the independent privately-owned Radio Hiigsi by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) around 11.30 a.m on Saturday 29 February, 2020 in Mogadishu. NISA officers arrested Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur (better known as Abuuja) on his way to the radio station, according to Hussein Ahmed Tifow, the Director of Radio Hiigsi who spoke to SJS. Colleagues told SJS that Mr. Nuur was arrested over a critical editorial article questioning the ethical behaviour of the security forces which also criticized the use of disproportionate powers of the army during operations which was broadcast on Radio Hiigsi and also published on its social media platforms on 26 February 2020. Shortly before he was arrested, I spoke to Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur and he told me he was coming to the radio station. Around 2.p.m his father informed us that he was arrested by NISA, Hussein Ahmed Tifow, Director of Hiigsi Radio told SJS. The journalists father Abdiwahab Nuur Mahdi told SJS that after several attempts to locate his son, he later learnt that he was held at the notorious NISA detention Godka Jilaow in Mogadishu. The father also told SJS that he was refused to see his son when he visited Godka Jilaow Prison on Sunday. I went to Shibis Police Station and he was not held there. On Sunday at 9.a.m I went to Godka Jilaow to see my son but the officers refused me to access. Mohamed is a father of three young kids and I am worried about his situation, Abdiwahab Nuur Mahdi said. Family and colleagues also told SJS that there were no charges brought against journalist Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur despite being in detention for more than 24hours. Senior police officials did not comment when contacted by SJS on Sunday mid-day while a senior officer at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said they were not aware of the arrest of the journalist. Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) is concerned about the continued detention of journalist Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur and calls for his unconditional freedom. We condemn the arrest of Radio Hiigsi Editor, Mohamed Abdiwahab Nuur in the strongest terms possible and call for his immediate and unconditional release, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, Secretary General of Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said, This arrest and similar others represent the looming condition of the state of press freedom and freedom of expression in Somalia and we demand from the Somali authorities to give journalists safe environment, which is free from all kinds of threats including arrests similar to this, where they can practice their profession without fear of reprisals whenever they criticise or question authorities and the security services. Kangaroos and wallabies dont reproduce the way most of their fellow mammals do they keep their pregnancies short and to the point, with young crawling out of the womb and up to their mothers pouch after just a months gestation. Once there, the tiny joeys spend about nine months nursing and growing before theyre ready to actually climb out of the pouch into the world. This is the kind of thing youve probably been hearing vaguely on nature programs about Australia for years. But what you might not have heard is that the joey in the pouch is not the only offspring in its mothers body. Almost all kangaroos and wallabies have two separate uteruses, and they usually contrive to have extra, undeveloped embryos waiting in the wings or rather, in whichever uterus was unused in their most recent pregnancy. Often they get pregnant again within days of birth, and their bodies keep the new embryo from developing for months at a time, until its older sibling has reached sufficient maturity. But researchers report in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday that the swamp wallaby, a small, dark-furred creature, has an even more peculiar way of doing things. It gets pregnant again before the first pregnancy is even over, suggesting that female swamp wallabies may be pregnant continuously for their entire reproductive lives. Swamp wallabies are delicate, skittish creatures, said Brandon Menzies, one of the papers authors. While researchers had suspected for decades that they were doing something unusual, answers were not forthcoming until he and his co-authors, Thomas Hildebrandt of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Germany and Marilyn Renfree of the University of Melbourne, managed to use ultrasound scanners on pregnant females. A man threatened his own life during hours of negotiations when police tried to arrest him, Lititz police said Sunday. Joseph A. Dimartino, 32, was accused of terroristic threats and harassment following an incident with a female at a residence in the 500 block of East Front Street in Lititz on Saturday, police said. A warrant was issued for Dimartinos arrest, police said. The female involved was not identified. When officers went to the address on East Front Street for a premise check around 1:22 p.m. Sunday, officers found Dimartino inside, police said. When officers made contact with Dimartino, he refused to leave the residence, got a large knife and placed the knife to his own throat, police said. Lititz Borough police officers began negotiating with Dimartino until Lancaster County Crisis Negotiators arrived, police said. At 3:09 p.m., the negotiations successfully led to Dimartino leaving the house voluntarily, police said. He was taken into custody and no injuries were reported. Police said the public was never in danger but closed off the area to pedestrians and vehicle traffic in an abundance of caution. Dimartino was transported to Lancaster County Central Booking, where the charges against him will be processed. Read more on PennLive: Polish and Ukrainian transmission system operators, Operator Gazociagow Przesyowych GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. and LLC Gas TSO of Ukraine, intend to conclude a new interconnection agreement regarding gas transmission through the Grid Connection Point GAZ-SYSTEM/TSOUA based on gas stations Hermanowice and Drozdowicze, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Gas TSO. "According to the Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/703 of April 30, 2015, establishing a network code on interoperability and data exchange rules, both TSOs shall invite the network users to send filled-in questionnaire on the proposed text /link/ of rules for the matching process; rules for the allocation of gas quantities; and communication procedures in case of exceptional events," the report reads. After the consultation, GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. and LLC Gas TSO of Ukraine will evaluate the responses received during the consultation and take the network users comments into account when concluding above mentioned interconnection agreement. All market participants are invited to submit their comments and questions by sending them to the e-mail address: businesscooperation@tsoua.com and instrukcja@gaz-system.pl. The consultation will run from March 3, 2020 until May 4, 2020. ish Workers carry the corpse of Rohingya who was suspected to be a member of a robbery gang from the site of a gunfight near a refugee camp in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, March 2, 2020. Bangladeshi security forces killed eight Rohingya criminal suspects in two gunfights on Monday in Coxs Bazar, authorities said, amid the southeastern districts ongoing struggles with reported lawlessness and violence around sprawling Rohingya refugee camps. The eight suspects were killed hours apart in separate shootouts with officers from the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), a police official in Teknaf, a sub-district of Coxs Bazar, told BenarNews. Of them, seven were killed in a battle with RAB on a hill in Teknaf on Monday morning while another person died in a gunfight with BGB at dawn, said Prodip Kumar Das, officer in charge at the Teknaf police station. According to a local human rights activist, Mondays killings marked the deadliest day of violence involving suspected Rohingya criminals in Bangladesh. This is the highest number of killings of Rohingya refugees in a single day of gun battles, Nur Khan Liton, the former executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra, a local NGO specializing in human rights, told BenarNews. RAB alleged that seven members of a gang of Rohingya robbers were killed near the Jadimura refugee camp while BGB said that officers killed an alleged Rohingya drug dealer. None of the suspects were identified. The RAB Teknaf Camp company commander said police received a tip that led to them to the gang led by a man identified as Jokir. Sensing our presence, the robbers opened fire on us prompting us to respond. Seven robbers were killed, Lt. Mirza Shahed Mahtab told BenarNews. Prodip said police would conduct another drive in an effort to capture and arrest Jokir and members of the gang. At 11:30 a.m. Monday, RAB had the area of the shooting cordoned off as officers removed the corpses of the suspects. Rohingya refugees watched the police action. I am afraid and could not eat my meal today, Rajuma Begum, a resident of the nearby Salbon Rohingya camp, told BenarNews. I woke up at about 3 a.m. to gunshots. We heard gun shots until 9 a.m., she said. The children were crying. Now peace will prevail in the camp, we hope. Another Rohingya expressed similar sentiment. We are happy to know that the tormentors of Rohingya have been killed. But still there is fear as Jokir, the big fish, was not caught. God knows what he will do to the residents in the camp, Hafez Ahmed told BenarNews. We are used to hear gunshots in the camp every night. We cannot sleep properly and we are still afraid. RAB members killed an alleged member of Jokirs group during a gunfight on Feb. 8. About 1.1 million Rohingya who fled Myanmar are living in refugee camps just across the border in and around Coxs Bazar. Most of them, more than 740,000, have arrived since a brutal military crackdown began in Myanmars Rakhine state in August 2017. Nur Khan, the rights activist, said several gangs of robbers were operating in the district, where human smuggling and cross-border drug trafficking are rife. But it is necessary to analyze how such deadly gunfights happened there. RAB needs to be more careful in arresting robbers and avoiding killings, Khan told BenarNews. Arrests, rather than killings of robber gang members, are more effective for law and justice in the long run. In addition, the government launched anti-narcotics operations across the country beginning on May 4, 2018. Since then, 220 people, including four women, were killed in Coxs Bazar gunfights, according to police officials. Among those killed were 74 Rohingya, including two women. (Newser) It appears the moderate wing of the Democratic party will indeed close ranks around Joe Biden: Shortly after they dropped out of the 2020 presidential race, both Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar will endorse Biden, their former rival. The New York Times cites a source who says Buttigieg plans to endorse the former VP at a Biden campaign event in Dallas Monday night; Klobuchar is also expected to be there and do the same. Also throwing his weight behind Biden Monday: Former senate majority leader Harry Reid, USA Today reports. The endorsements come on the eve of Super Tuesday, when Biden hopes to gain a big advantage over frontrunner Bernie Sanders. story continues below Reid's statement: "Joe Bidens strength of character and deep experience stand in the starkest contrast to Trumps amorality, corruption and utter incompetence. Biden will be a much-needed stabilizing force following Trumps disastrous term, offering a positive and progressive alternative to Trumps dark vision of racism, xenophobia and policies built on cruelty and exclusion. I believe Biden is best able to defeat Donald Trump and enact the policies we all care about." Politico reports donations are also pouring in to Biden's campaign suddenly, and a Biden adviser says "it's raining endorsements." Sen. Tammy Duckworth also endorsed the former VP Monday. Also still in the presidential race are Elizabeth Warren, Mike Bloomberg, and Tulsi Gabbard. (Read more Election 2020 stories.) The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has risen to 40, the government has announced. England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty revealed the new total in a statement. "As of 9am this morning, four further patients in England have tested positive for Covid-19," he said. Mr Whitty added that the four patients had recently returned from Italy and that "contact tracing" has started. Earlier on Monday, Boris Johnson said after an emergency Cobra meeting that the coronavirus outbreak in the UK was "likely" to become "more significant" in the days ahead. He said: "We have also agreed a plan so that if and when it starts to spread, as I'm afraid it looks likely it will, we are in a position to take the steps necessary to contain the spread of the disease as far as we can, and to protect the most vulnerable." The prime minister said that decisions to close schools and ban mass gatherings would be guided by scientific advice, adding that chief medical officers would help the government to take key protective decisions. The government's "battle plan" to manage the spread of the illness will be published on Tuesday. It is thought that extra powers allowing the government to help control the virus will pass into legislation by the end of March. These measures could include retired nurses and doctors going back to work, encouraging people to work from home and cancelling major events. Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Show all 16 1 /16 Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A gondolier on the Grand Canal as the sun sets in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A local pulls a trolley as she leaves a street food market in Venice, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. 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 nation's tourism industry, the head of Italy's hotel federation said Saturday. 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. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Locals wait for a mass at the barely empty San Salvador church in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. A coughing Pope Francis told Italy, pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists wearing protective masks take photographs in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists wearing protective masks look at their smartphones as they have a break at the St. Mark's square in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A couple stand at the Rialto bridge during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. Reuters Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty water bus after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists shelter against the rain with umbrellas as they walk in the empty St. Mark's Square during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondolas are parked on a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. AP A government source told the PA news agency it might be "months rather than weeks" before the illness hits its peak in the UK, saying the government wanted people to carry on with their daily lives as much as possible. Professor Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England (PHE), warned on Monday that widespread transmission of the virus in the UK is "now highly likely" and may even happen in the next few days. This comes as the European Commission raised the risk level of coronavirus from "moderate" to "high" for countries in the bloc. Recommended Coronavirus causes iPhone and Samsung factories to shut down The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said it expects more countries to report "more cases and clusters" of Covid-19 in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, dozens of Britons stuck in quarantine in a hotel in Tenerife will soon fly back to the UK, where they will self-isolate for two weeks. Elsewhere, Richard Ratcliffe said his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is in jail in Iran, has "all the symptoms" of the illness but is yet to be tested. Coronavirus has so far spread to more than 60 countries around the world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said around four in five people with the virus have mild symptoms and recover. The WHO added that older people or those with medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease are at greater risk from the illness. Additional reporting from PA ZURICH and BOSTON, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BC Platforms, a world leader in providing powerful genomic data management and analysis solutions, today announced the appointment of Karen Tay Koh to its Board. Singapore-based Karen, who has extensive experience and networks in finance, healthcare and education, will work closely with the company's recently established Singapore-based entity to support the Company's activities in the Asia Pacific region, including China. BC Platforms' Asia strategy includes a strong precision medicine focus both in healthcare delivery, as well as in genomics-related research. Genomics is becoming a mainstream solution for improved clinical decision-making. In parallel, BC Platforms' goal is to provide the genomic IT infrastructure to build cohort studies, representing Asia's rich multi-ethnicity that is of interest from a medical perspective. To this end, partnering with key institutions in the local ecosystem across the region is essential in establishing world-leading genomic data management and interpretation infrastructure. Karen Tay Koh has long been driven to positively impact human healthcare, from managing hospitals, to setting up medical schools, and advising on healthcare deals. She has served as a C-level executive and Board Director in both private and public companies and organisations in the US, Denmark and Asia. She has deep expertise in executing business-building entrepreneurial initiatives across companies in various stages in their life cycle, from start-ups to dominant industry incumbents. Karen commented: "It's fascinating to see how the future of healthcare is racing towards precision medicine. To make that future a reality, where people can benefit daily from the advances genomics brings, will require significant access and operational expertise to deliver seamless services. Together with BC Platforms, and its pioneering analytics platform supporting more effective clinical decision-making, we relish the opportunity to help transform clinical practice in healthcare." Tero Silvola, CEO of BC Platforms commented: "We are delighted to welcome Karen to the team. Her impressive diversity of board experience, and breadth of operational experience, plus her extensive local relationships will be a tremendous asset in supporting our Asian efforts in the rapidly growing precision medicine market." About BC Platforms BC Platforms is a world leader in providing powerful genomic data management and analysis solutions. Our high performing genomic data management platform enables flexible data integration, secure analysis and interpretation of molecular and clinical information. The company has helped launched and opened a global network of biobanks, on the module known as BCRQUEST.COM, to provide genomic and clinical cohort data for pharmaceutical and medical research and development. BC Platforms' vision is to build the world's leading analytics platform for healthcare and industry by 2020, providing access to diverse genomic and clinical data and samples from more than 5 million subjects, consolidated from a global network of biobanks. Founded in 1997 from an MIT Whitehead project spinoff, the Company has a strong scientific heritage underpinned by over 20 years of working in close collaboration with a network of leading researchers, developers, manufacturers and vendors. BC Platforms has global operations with its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, research and development in Espoo, Finland, and sales and marketing in London, Boston, Vancouver. The new entity in Singapore will, in addition to sales and marketing functions, create a second research and training hub for Asia. For more information, please visit www.bcplatforms.com or follow us on Twitter @BCPlatforms. About Karen Tay Koh Karen possesses diverse international board experience, including Singapore's Banyan Tree Holdings (a global hospitality SGX-listed company), the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation, Denmark's Falck (active in ambulance & emergency), Northeastern UniversityUSA, Singapore EDB Investments, and The Red Pencil, a global charity that promotes arts therapy. Karen has supervised, led, and advised organisations spanning finance, healthcare, education, and private equity. She has deep expertise in executing business-building entrepreneurial initiatives across companies, from start-ups to dominant industry incumbents. Karen started her career at the Singapore Ministry of Finance, where her portfolio covered fiscal and taxation policy, corporate and financial regulation, as well as international and multilateral finance policy in relation to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Her career then pivoted into healthcare, where she concurrently held Deputy CEO positions at SingHealth and Singapore General Hospital. She has headed advisory work for clients and worked at prestigious hospitals across Asia, including ones in Bangkok, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon. Hospitals work hand in glove with medical schools, and Karen was instrumental in the teams setting up two in Singapore: Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and LKC Medical School at Nanyang Technological University. Following her hands-on experience in healthcare and education, Karen moved into private equity and was CEO / Executive Director at IP Investment Management Pte Ltd, an MAS-regulated alternative real estate fund manager. She is currently Senior Advisor to TVM Capital Healthcare Partners. Karen has a BA (Hons) in Economics, from the University of Cambridge and an MPA / International Tax Program (Certificate) from Harvard University. Contact information: BC Platforms: Tero Silvola, CEO tero.silvola@bcplatforms.com Katja Stout Scius Communications katja@sciuscommunications.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:19:39|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close NAIROBI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has set aside adequate funds to facilitate the acquisition of protective gear and life-saving drugs required to manage COVID-19 cases once they are detected in the country, officials said on Monday. Jonah Manjari, Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Medical Supplies Agency, said that local manufacturers have been put on notice to enhance the supply of masks and essential medicine required to tackle a novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. According to Manjari, Kenya is treating COVID-19 like a health emergency though no single case has been reported in the country. "We have placed orders for masks that can be manufactured locally and today alone, we are set to procure two million masks as efforts to contain the outbreak gathers momentum," said Manjari. "The Ministry of Health has provided a list of recommended N95 masks and medicine to treat fever and pneumonia," he added. "We have prioritized emergency procurement of commodities to support treatment of the disease," said Manjari. He said that an inter-agency task force formed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to respond to the COVID-19 is exploring financing, regulatory and human capacity interventions, that should be adopted to enhance response to the epidemic. Kenya serves as a regional trade and transportation hub in east Africa. He's on daddy duty while ex-partner Irina Shayk is in Paris for fashion week. And while Bradley Cooper is in the middle of a busy filming schedule, the Hollywood actor made sure to spend Monday with daughter Lea, two. Bradley, 45, was spotted teaching his little girl how to ride her scooter. Daddy daughter time: Bradley Cooper was spotted teaching his little girl Lea how to ride her scooter He was seen in a blue shirt and grey slacks along with some dark aviators while Lea wore jeans, boots and a black padded coat. Bradley has been filming a remake of the 1947 classic Nightmare Alley with Rooney Mara. He was pictured on Friday wearing a long winter coat as he walked in the snow in Buffalo, New York. Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette also star in the flick set for release in 2021. Careful: The American Hustle star was seen in a pale blue shirt and grey slacks as he supervised his little girl On foot: The doting dad carried his daughter's bag and Minnie Mouse flask Off duty: Bradley stepped out in New York City on Monday during a break from filming drama Nightmare Alley The IMDb synopsis for Nightmare Alley reads, 'A corrupt con-man teams up with a female psychiatrist to trick people into giving them money.' The original film starred Tyrone Power in the lead role of Stan Carlisle, who will be played in the remake by Cooper. Cooper swiped the role from Leonardo DiCaprio, after the Titanic star failed to 'close the deal' according to THR. This is in fact the third film in which Cate and Rooney will appear together; in addition to 2015's Carol, for which they were both nominated for Academy Awards, the pair of thespians also starred in Terrence Malick's Song To Song in 2017. Bradley and Irina, 34, who split in 2019, are co-parenting their only child together after four years together. Hollywood star: The 45-year-old actor looked casual in a blue jacket and grey pants Shelton clarified in a second email, stating: Students can have goldfish, popcorn, fruit, veggies, chips, pretzels, etc. While these snacks are also sold prepackaged, you may still send (these) types of snacks to school in zip-lock baggies. You may also continue to send most of the food items your child is already bringing to school such as cut-up fruit, veggies, sandwiches, pasta, etc. The policy change never stated that you could no longer pack your students lunch. WILMINGTON, N.C.As Americans prepare to vote in the Super Tuesday Democratic presidential primaries Tuesday, a lot of attention will be paid to the two biggest states: California and Texas. But Americans living in Toronto and across Canada could have an even bigger impact, proportionally. Alongside the 14 states and one territory holding their primary on Tuesday, its also the start of voting for the Democrats Abroad primary, in which U.S. citizens who live in other countries are able to vote in a separate primary that sends 13 pledged delegates to the nominating convention. Thats only one fewer electable delegates than some states such as North Dakota and Wyoming elect. And because fewer people vote in the international contest an estimated 9 million American eligible voters live abroad, but less than 35,000 voters participated in 2016 each vote carries far more weight. According to a recent message sent out to members by Democrats Abroad Canada, that means the votes of Americans in Toronto has four times the impact of a vote in California. One campaign trying to take advantage of this is Mike Bloombergs, which ran ads in Canadian newspapers as well as in other countries around the world this weekend. What were trying to do is just raise awareness of the campaign, because, you know, were really running two campaigns at the same time, says John Calvelli, who serves double duty as the campaign director for New York State and Democrats Abroad. One obviously, is to get Mike Bloomberg elected, but the other is to kind of engage the base and identify new people that we could get into the fold so that they would then vote against Donald Trump in November. Calvelli says its not something many other campaigns devote a lot of resources to. Though, of course, not many campaigns have the financial resources available to them that the billionaire former mayor of New York does. Calvelli says its a challenge because there are no lists of members available, so phone banks and door knocking, as in a traditional state primary, are not options. Hence the newspaper ads, alongside a campaign visit to Toronto recently by Bloomberg, and social media and word-of-mouth campaigns. Calvelli says in 2016 Canadian residents had among the largest vote turnouts for the primary, with 3,260 people voting, just shy of 10 per cent of the total voters in what he calls the 51st state primary. Americans in the GTA can register with Democrats Abroad this week if they want to vote in the primary, and then have the option of voting online between Tuesday and March 10, or voting in person at one of two GTA locations. In-person voting will take place starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the East of Brunswick pub in downtown Toronto and at Failte Irish Pub in Mississauga. By PTI KOLKATA: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched 'Banglar Gorbo Mamata' (Bengal's pride Mamata), a public outreach campaign to connect with more than 2.5 crore people and get the party battle-ready for the upcoming civic polls and the 2021 state assembly elections. Over 75,000 party leaders, big and small, and five lakhs party cadres would fan out across the state during the 75-day programme that kicked off on March 2 and will conclude on May 10. "The aim of the programme is to further reinvigorate the party's communication and engagement with people at all levels. All leaders and workers should sincerely participate in the campaign," Banerjee said at its launch. According to TMC sources, the campaign is aimed at celebrating the political journey of Banerjee and projecting her as a "fierce protector and guardian" of the ideals of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in the Constitution. "We will also celebrate her as a passionate proponent and true custodian of Bengal's culture, dignity and pride. It will be a reaffirmation of people faith and trust in her. That she is the leader who is working tirelessly to restore Bengal's past glory and steer it towards a prosperous future," a TMC leader, who preferred not to be identified, said. Like the "Didi Ke Bolo" (tell Didi) campaign, the new programme is also a brainchild of poll strategist Prashant Kishor and his team- I-PAC. According to TMC sources, the decision was taken following the "massive" response to the three-phase 'Didi Ke Bolo' initiative, which provided a platform to people to approach Banerjee for redress of their grievances. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, however, mocked the programme, calling the TMC a "sinking ship". "The TMC is a lost case in Bengal. Only TMC leaders think Mamata is their pride not the people," he said. According to TMC sources, the campaign will help energise the party for the municipal elections and lay the groundwork for the assembly polls. Elections to 107 municipalities and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), to be held this year, are being dubbed as "mini assembly elections". Banerjee had in July last year launched a helpline number and a website as part of an outreach programme suggested by Kishor, whom the party appointed an adviser after Lok Sabha poll reverses. The programme had received encouraging response with more than 10 lakh people recording their grievances in the first month alone, party sources said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 15:22:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HEFEI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's pig farmers, who experienced the toughest year in 2019 as African swine fever roiled the industry, are boosting hog production while staying vigilant against the potential impact brought by the novel coronavirus outbreak. "We faced a shortage of swine feeds due to disrupted transportation at the early stage of the virus outbreak. I was so worried," said Lu Hao, a 41-year-old pig farmer in Shouxian County, a major pork supply base in east China's Anhui Province. The problem has been solved after the local government opened a green channel for pig farmers like Lu to ensure smooth transport of swine feeds and pig trade. Lu has experienced his fair share of ups and downs in pig farming since he started this business in 2013. Last year, he had to sell all 3,000-plus piglets at a loss as African swine fever swept across the country. Still, his business rebounded after he invested more than 2 million yuan (about 287,000 U.S. dollars) in the pigpen to upgrade its bio-safety standards. To protect pigs from African swine fever, Lu set up three checkpoints outside his pig farm. He guards the second one, about 500 meters away from the entrance, while his father watches the first around 2 km away. "Apart from the strict entrance check, we disinfect the farm at least twice a week. All workers are required to wear protective suits. We have to be very careful," said Lu, who is raising more than 3,800 pigs. Standing the test of African swine fever, a growing number of pig farms have strengthened prevention and control measures against animal diseases and other unexpected events. In Zhongjiang County of southwest China's Sichuan Province, a traditional hog production powerhouse, workers have been required to disinfect themselves before entering pigpens since last May. Now prevention efforts have beefed up. In addition to having body temperatures checked every day, workers should wear masks and avoid gathering to reduce the risk of the cross-infection amid coronavirus outbreak. "We must stay vigilant and carry out strict prevention and control measures," said Lin Shanbo, general manager of Sichuan Fengxian Agriculture Limited Company. The company's pig farm in Zhongjiang County has survived the swine fever with boosted protection measures. Likewise, many pig farmers have realized that cooperation with big companies can cushion the hog industry against challenges. Li Xin, a pig farmer in Shouxian County, chose a development model by cooperating with Wens Foodstuff Group Co., Ltd, a large-scale pork producer in China. "The company provides me with piglets, feeds, and farming skills and technology. All I have to do is build the pig farm based on their instructions and raise the pigs, which will then be purchased by the company when they are full-grown," Li said. "Thanks to the technical guidance from the firm, my pig farm is always safe." Li can earn a stable income of more than 200 yuan for each pig he raises. He is raising 1,500 pigs at the moment, and they have grown to over 35 kg on average. "They will be ready for sale in three months," he said. More than 50 pig farmers in Shouxian have adopted the same development model as Li, partnering with major pig companies. China's hog production restored steadily in January as market demand and policy incentives boosted hog producers' confidence to restock, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Data showed that the number of hogs for slaughter expanded 17.9 percent month on month in January. The country's breeding sows in stock in 400 counties monitored by the ministry rose 1.2 percent month on month in January, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth. To help farms with difficulties in taking out loans and obtaining swine feed amid the coronavirus, policies have been rolled out and mechanisms set up to coordinate work across departments and at local government levels. "The local government offered funds to improve our pig feces treatment facilities and lowered loan interest discount. With more support, we are more confident in restoring and expanding hog production," Lu said. Allison Langdon has confronted the CEO of a day care centre accused of leaving a three-year-old boy to die in a sweltering hot minibus. The boy's body was found on a minibus at Goodstart Early Learning in Edmonton, near Cairns in far north Queensland, at about 3.15pm on February 18. Bus driver and manager Michael Glenn Lewis, 45, and Goodstart employee Dionne Batrice Grills, 34, are charged with the toddler's manslaughter. During a heated discussion on the Today Show on Tuesday, Allison Langdon challenged CEO Julia Davison on how can any parent be reassured that their child will safe in her care. 'We don't know what happened in Cairns,' Ms Davison responded. Allison Langdon confronted the CEO of a daycare centre accused of leaving a three-year-old boy to die in a sweltering hot minibus. Pictured with co-host Karl Stefanovic During a heated discussion on the Today Show on Tuesday morning, Allison Langdon questioned CEO Julia Davison (pictured) on how can any parent be reassured that a child is safe in her care 'What we do know is we have had a handful of bus incidents over the years here at Goodstart. 'Every time we've had an incident we've taken stock and we've reviewed and strengthened our policies and procedures.' Langdon didn't back down, responding: 'But whatever you're doing isn't enough. A little boy is dead.' Ms Davison said the centre will 'keep doing everything we possibly can to make sure that nothing like this can possibly happen again whilst a child is in our care'. Co-host Karl Stefanovic then chimed in, saying: 'I don't know how has a parent I would over allow my child to go on your bus. I just don't know how that happens.' When asked how the family of the little boy were coping, Ms Davison refused to provide any specific details of their correspondence. The boy's body was found on a minibus (pictured) at Goodstart Early Learning in Edmonton, near Cairns in far north Queensland, at about 3.15pm on February 18 Bus driver and manager Michael Glenn Lewis, 45, and Goodstart employee Dionne Batrice Grills, 34, are charged with the toddler's manslaughter 'It's obviously a very private matter. We're having ongoing conversations with them. I'm unable to share what they're saying with you, I'm afraid on national television. That will not be respecting them,' she said. It isn't the first time staff at a Goodstart Early Learning franchise left a child on a hot bus. In 2018, a 14-month-old girl was left in a bus in Parkwood on the Gold Coast for more than an hour, on a day when temperatures reached 30C. Thankfully she survived. Following February's tragic death of the three-year-old boy, the centre's minibus services were suspended. However on Tuesday, the bus service will reopen. Ms Davison said the childcare company's focus had been on the family of the little boy who died, and retraining staff to avoid another tragic incident. Ms Grills (pictured) is charged with manslaughter over the tragic death of a three-year-old boy at Edmonton Goodstart Early Learning Centre on February 18 The boy had allegedly been put in a child restraint just two seats away from the driver and front door 'In the past ten years we have cared for almost half a million children and we have never had a death of a child in our care and it has hit us really hard and our teams remain distressed,' she told the Cairns Post. She assured parents that their duty of care to children is of the utmost importance, and said policies and procedures are regularly reviewed. Goodstart's national Safe Work team reviewed the centre in the wake of the tragedy, leading to national compulsory refresher training for staff. The tragedy has also led to new designated roles in the bus system; where staff members will be assigned to be a driver, supervisor or checker. THE TRAGIC TIMELINE OF THE BOY'S DEATH: 7.35am: Edmonton Goodstart Early Learning Centre manager Michael Glenn Lewis allegedly 'fraudulently' checks in the boy on the electric sign-in system. 8.30am: The boy's mother calls to ask if he can be picked up, as he was not collected on the initial morning run. 9.15am: Lewis and his colleague Dionne Batrice Grills collect the boy from his home on the minibus. 9.33am: The bus pulls into the daycare carpark, but the boy - who is strapped into a baby seat, two seats away from the front door - never gets off, despite being clearly visible. **During the day the temperature rises to 36C in the Cairns area. 2.45pm: The bus leaves for the afternoon run, with the boy still in his seat. 3pm: Lewis makes a desperate call to Triple-0, telling the operator: 'Oh my God, this kid is dead' Advertisement Each have their own roles and duties to make sure kids get on and off the bus safely. The supervisor will be responsible for making sure no kids are left on the bus before getting off. A checker will be required to inspect the bus after it returns to the centre, then double-check the attendance roll and check off children. They will also take and upload photos to show the bus is empty. In late February, Cairns Magistrate Court heard how the three-year-old was left strapped in a babyseat inside the bus for six hours in sweltering 36C heat. It was only when Mr Lewis, the director of Edmonton Goodstart Early Learning Centre, returned to the bus that afternoon that the boy's body was discovered. The boy had allegedly been put in a child restraint just two seats away from the driver and front door. Yet when the minibus being driven by Lewis arrived at the daycare centre, he and his colleague Grills allegedly left the vehicle - but did not take the boy with them. He allegedly spent the next six hours sweltering inside the bus as the mercury rose to 36C. At 2.45pm, Lewis returned to the bus to begin the afternoon drop off run, but the court heard it wasn't until 3pm that he discovered the lifeless boy. He then called Triple-0 and said: 'I've left a child on the bus... my life is over'. The court also heard allegations that Mr Lewis and Ms Grills had 'fraudulently' signed in the young boy more than two hours before the bus arrived at the daycare centre. Police allege that the boy had been signed in by Mr Lewis at 7.35am last Tuesday on the Goodstart Early Learning Centre's electronic sign-in system. However, the boy was not collected from his home by the bus until 9.15am, and CCTV footage showed the bus did not arrive at the daycare site until 9.33am John Daugherty Realtors, one of Houston's top names in luxury real estate, has filed for bankruptcy protection following the failed acquisition of the company by competitor Douglas Elliman. The voluntary Chapter 11 petition, filed Feb. 27 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, lists estimated assets and liabilities of between $1 million and $10 million. Heavily armed police were deployed at a mall in the Philippine capital Manila on Monday after reports that a disgruntled employee was holding a group of people hostage, an AFP journalist saw. The mayor of a section of Manila had earlier told journalists that a security guard was holding up to 30 people in an administrative office and had shot at least one person. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On-boarding the CEO succession plan by Nokia Directors, Rajeev Suri is stepping down to pave the way for Pekka Lundmark to take over his role. From August 31, 2020 onwards, Lundmark will officially start his journey; however Rajeev will be serving as an advisor to Nokia Board until January 1, 2021. Upon losing the battle to develop large-scale rollouts for fifth-generation mobile equipments, Nokia decided to pay off the setback by putting forward a new management in place. Much to ones surprise, after the announcement, Nokia shares sprung up to as much as 4.9 percent in Helsinki. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Nokia, an extraordinary company that has so much potential and so many talented people, said Pekka. Together we can create shareholder value by delivering on Nokias mission to create the technology to connect the world. I am confident that the company is well-positioned for the 5G era and it is my goal to ensure that we meet our commitments to our customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. Pekka, a 57-year-old President & CEO of Fortum Oyj, a leading energy company based in Espoo, Finland, had been consistent in delivering robust returns to the share holders of the company. His successful renewal of Fortums business strategies, has not only transformed the global energy market, but rooted him as one of the recognized players in the industry. Prior, he had served as the President & CEO of Konecranes, a global material-handling technology leader and from 1990-2000. He also held multiple managerial posts at Nokia as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Nokia Networks. With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia, says Risto Siilasmaa, Board Chairman, Nokia. Risto added, On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Rajeev for his many contributions to Nokia, where he has served with both honor and distinction. Rajeev, President & CEO of Nokia since 2014, envisages that Pekka will draw a Silverline for Nokias growth and development. Rajeev says, I leave the company with a belief that a return to better performance is on the horizon and with pride for what we have accomplished over time. Pekka is an excellent choice for Nokia. I look forward to working with him on a smooth transition and wish him the best success in his new role. (Newser) Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, has died at age 84, reports CNBC. The outlet notes that Welch oversaw an expansion at GE that saw its market value rise from $12 billion to $410 billion in the two decades he led the company. But along the way, he picked up nicknames including "Neutron Jack" for cutting tens of thousands of jobs. GE became one of the world's most valuable companies during his tenure, which began in 1981 and ended a few days before the 9/11 attacks. (GE's fortunes have since fallen in a big way.) Yahoo Finance notes that Fortune named Welch "manager of the century" in 1999. story continues below Yahoo also notes that Welch made a salary of $10,400 when he joined GE as a chemical engineer in 1960 in Pittsfield, Mass. When he retired, he collected a severance package of $417 million, which was then a record. When he stepped down, a New York Times editorial called him a "white-collar revolutionary." It added: "His legacy is not only a changed G.E., but a changed American corporate ethos, one that prizes nimbleness, speed and regeneration over older ideals like stability, loyalty and permanence." (Read more Jack Welch stories.) AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) has closed a deal to divest itself of a set of hypertension drugs. The buyer will be fellow U.K.-headquartered pharmaceutical company Atnahs. AstraZeneca received a $350 million upfront payment for the five medications, and is eligible for up to $40 million more between now and 2022 if certain sales milestones are met; it did not specify those milestones. The deal, originally agreed to at the end of January, transfers most of the global commercial rights to the drugs Inderal, Tenormin, Tenoretic, Zestril, and Zestoretic. The arrangement does not cover China, India, Japan, or the U.S. The India and U.S. rights were previously sold, while the company will maintain its rights to the Japanese market. When first announcing the Atnahs transaction, AstraZeneca said it "supports our strategy to realize value from our portfolio of non-core mature brands, enabling further investment in new medicines." One key element of the pharmaceutical company's current strategy is to bolster its strength in oncology medicines. Lately it has had much success with its PARP inhibitor Lynparza, which is approved to treat breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer, and which brought in nearly $1.2 billion in revenue in 2019. Lynparza recently received priority review status from the Food and Drug Administration for prostate cancer. AstraZeneca said that the $350 million upfront payment will be included in the "other operating income and expense" line item in its first-quarter 2020 profit-and-loss statement. It is currently scheduled to release this quarter's results on April 29. AstraZeneca's shares were up nearly 3% in mid-afternoon trading on Monday. That seems to be the idea, for now anyway. We didnt do this to make money, Ronnie says and theyre not. We didnt do it to lose money indefinitely, either. The Wrights want to support this music the folks that create it, the stages they play on, the studios and labels that record them which in turn continues to fuel Ditty. And as long as that feedback loop is working, they want to see how far it can go and whether there are palatable ways to make it self-sustaining. The couple spent last year feeling out possible expansions into satellite radio, TV and podcasting, and opened a retail shop next door, called Vibe & Dime. Starting this month, theyre planning to open some of the in-studio performances to audiences, and by summer they expect to break ground on a second studio and retail shop in Alabama. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the health of Chinese citizens currenly in countries seriously impacted by the novel coronavirus epidemic, such as South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran, said Cui Aimin, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs. These people can directly fly back to China or come via a third country, as these nations have not yet shut down public transport, Cui said at a news conference held by the State Council's joint prevention and control mechanism on Sunday. If the situation in those countries worsens, the Chinese government will take further actions to help bring them back to China, Cui said. These people should follow the preventive measures taken in those countries and after they come back. . : , . . , 28 . . ... British and EU trade negotiators embarked on high-stakes talks aimed at forging a new post-Brexit relationship on Monday, with timing tight and the sides far apart on key issues. The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his UK counterpart David Frost met in Brussels, launching several months of intense talks that will mobilise about a hundred officials on each side. The negotiations began just over a month after Britain left the EU, and are meant to wrap up by the end of this year -- an exceedingly tight timeframe that few see as feasible for anything but a bare-bones accord. The deadline is effectively December 31, the end of the UK's current transition period during which it trades like an EU member with no tariffs or other barriers. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out extending the transition and both sides are looking to an EU-UK summit in June to decide whether talks are worth continuing. The negotiations have been clouded by mistrust and weeks of chest-beating as each side has accused the other of reneging on high-ambition goals set out in a political declaration struck last year. Mandates published last week highlighted the EU's aim of securing a "level playing field" to prevent Britain undercutting European standards on labour, tax, environment and state subsidies. Meanwhile the UK is insisting on setting its own rules in the name of "economic and political independence". The acrimony pushed the British pound 1.3 percent lower against the euro on Monday, amid fears that Britain's hard-line stance would hurt the economy. Experts warned that the two-sides are on a collision course, with a deal highly unlikely without a major concession. Fabian Zuleeg, head of the European Policy Centre, said he was "pessimistic" about the outcome given the UK's fervent desire to break from EU rules. "It's very difficult to see where they could meet to make this work," he said. If the British government "sticks to their line, there cannot be a deal". Underlining tensions, Barnier, in an uncharacteristic display of podium-thumping, has warned Britain that any backsliding on its EU divorce terms would torpedo trade talks. The Brexit deal notably requires checks on British goods crossing the Irish Sea into the UK territory of Northern Ireland that Johnson now says are unnecessary. "Clearly, at the beginning of any negotiation, there's a bit of posturing. Both sides want to state the strongest possible case," said Zuleeg. Experts see a deal limited to goods as the most likely outcome, but that would still require customs checks for products crossing the Channel and lacks the ambition called for by businesses. But fishing -- of relatively minor economic importance but of totemic significance to Britain and EU states such as France and Spain -- could be the flashpoint that scuppers a deal. Barnier has emphasised that fishing is "inextricably" linked to the whole agreement. The EU is demanding its fishing boats continue to have access to British waters in return for British fishermen being able to sell their catches to their biggest and closest market. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Baghdad, March 2 : Iraqi President Barham Salih on Monday began consultations with parliamentary political blocs to choose an alternative Prime Minister-designate to form a new cabinet following the incumbent Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi's apology. A statement by Salih's media office said the President called on the lawmakers to work seriously to achieve a true national agreement on choosing the alternative candidate within 15 days, in accordance with the Constitution, to form a new government, reports Xinhua news agency. "The alternative candidate who would be designated to form the interim government should be acceptable by both people and lawmakers. The interim government should abide by its obligations toward citizens, and should be entrusted with holding early parliamentary elections," Salih confirmed. On Sunday night, Allawi apologized for forming a new Iraqi government, hours after Parliament failed to hold a session to vote on his cabinet lineup. In a letter sent to Salih, Allawi said that he apologized because he was "in front of an equation, the position of Prime Minister in exchange for lack of honesty with my people and continuing the position at the expense of their suffering." He said that his choice was "simple and clear, which is to be with my people, especially when I saw that some political parties were not serious about reform that they promised the people with." On February 1, Salih appointed Allawi as the Prime Minister-designate to form a new cabinet. According to the Iraqi constitution, a Prime Minister-designate has 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to Parliament for approval. Allawi's appointment came two months after former Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi resigned from the post. The appointment ended a two-month period in which Abdel-Mahdi was running the country on an interim basis amid the nationwide anti-government protests that claimed 536 lives since it began last October. The protesters demands include comprehensive reform, fight against corruption, better public services and more job opportunities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia on March 5, the Turkish presidency said in a statement. "The president is due to pay a one-day visit to Russia on March 5," the statement reads. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss with his Turkish counterpart their commitment to the Sochi agreements on peace settlement in Syria, RIA Novosti reported. Earlier, Turkey intended to hold a summit on Idlib on March 5 in Istanbul, but later it was reported that Vladimir Putin does not plan ant foreign trips at this time. The director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vitaly Naumkin, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza earlier, said that direct talks between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will help resolve the Idlib crisis. "Our leaders have a very good level of personal sympathy, but there are also certain obligations to their electorate, to their peoples. The situation is not easy. Syria, on the one hand, brings our countries together, but it also separates us. There are many other difficult issues linked, in particular, to the Kurdish issue. I believe that this highest level of our contacts will pull us out of the pit," he emphasized. P olice in the US have rescued an alligator that had been kept in a man's basement for 25 years. The five-foot-long reptile was found in the Ohio property in a tub with water and a pump. Leading the operation, police commander Darrell Breneman said in his 17 years on the force he has never come across such a situation. Madison Township Police Department seized the animal after it became apparent the owner, Dusty Rhoades, did not have an exotic animal permit. Police capture the alligator and remove it from the property (Madison Township Police Department ) / Madison Township Police Department A police spokesman said officers visited the home following a tip-off that an American alligator had been penned in the basement of a residence in Groveport. The Ohio Department of Agriculture was notified, and confirmed the residents did not possess a valid exotic animal permit as required by Ohio law, he added. The reptile is 5ft long and had been living in the home for a quarter of a century (Madison Township Police Department ) / Madison Township Police Department State wildlife officials responded to the scene escorted by Commander Darrell Breneman, where the property owner voluntarily surrendered the animal. Our 25-year-old scaly friend is retiring to an animal sanctuary in sunny Myrtle Beach, South California. See ya later, alligator! Owner Mr Rhoades said he had bought Alli at a reptile flea market. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) Six bosses of a former security guard at V-Mall in Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City have apologized and resigned in a bid to free around 30 mall employees he had held captive for hours. Among those who apologized to the hostage-taker and resigned during a press briefing organized by police are Safeguard Armor Security Corporation General Manager Oscar Hernandez and the company's Assistant Director Frederick Gravador, who introduced himself as the captors direct supervisor. SASCOR is the security firm which employed the hostage-taker. SASCOR director for operations Villamor Luis Jr. and Salvador Capadocia, its security coordinator for Greenhills, also apologized and resigned. Greenhills head of corporate security, Fernando Solina, and the shopping centers security coordinator, Salvador Capadocia, also said sorry and stepped down from their posts. Their public apology and resignation are part of ongoing negotiations between police and the hostage-taker, who is disgruntled over his firing. Hernandez, however, told reporters that the hostage-taker was not fired and was only supposed to be moved from his post as part of their agencys policy to rotate security guards every few months. The hostage-taker was listening as his bosses spoke, In response, the captor alleged via a handheld radio that corruption surrounded his termination. It is still unclear whether the hostage-taker will finally let the hostages out. At least one person has been hurt in the shooting and hostage-taking incident in V-Mall which began at around 10 a.m. Monday. The suspect is armed with a pistol, officials said. During a video call with police, he also showed what he said were grenades in his possession. The Church of the Highlands will launch a new branch in Troy in August, Pastor Chris Hodges said Sunday. Alabamas largest church is headquartered on Grants Mill Road in Irondale but Hodges has his weekly sermons streamed by video to more than 20 branches from Huntsville to Mobile and Tuscaloosa to Columbus, Ga. The church held a planning meeting Sunday afternoon on the campus of Troy University for those interested in being part of the church. Associate Pastor Layne Schranz spoke to a group of more than 200 who gathered at the Trojan Center. Hodges also announced that the church has approved buying property for future buildings for five branch locations that currently rent temporary meeting spaces at schools. The branches in Alabaster, McCalla, Woodlawn, West Birmingham and Sylacauga will get new campuses, Hodges said. The church has not released the locations of property purchases for planned new buildings, pending the finalization of real estate transactions. The church already has 10 branches with permanent facilities, all of which are on land that was paid for from the churchs cash reserves, Hodges said. The buildings were all built without taking out loans, he said. Were continuing to add locations, campuses at the speed of our generosity, Hodges said. We try not to keep them portable for too long. Weekly attendance at the Church of the Highlands now exceeds more than 50,000 at all its campuses combined, according to its latest year-end annual report. Weekly attendance at all 21 branch locations combined is 52,163, according to the churchs latest annual report. The Fultondale campus opened on Dec. 15 and features a 1,500-seat sanctuary that hosts a congregation that grew to weekly attendance of more than 2,000 in its temporary location, according to the annual report. The 1,513-seat sanctuary that opened in Huntsville in July now has weekly attendance of 4,460, the report said. A 1,150-seat sanctuary and a new campus in Gadsden is under construction and set for completion in December 2020. The congregation meets in a school auditorium now and has 1,897 weekly attendance. The church opened its first out-of-state branch Aug. 11 in Columbus, Ga., and opened its second branch campus in Auburn on Aug. 25. It opened a Sylacauga branch on April 7. The Church of the Highlands encourages members to join small groups, and reports that 53,727 people took part in 5,411 small groups during 2019. I think this should be our legacy, Hodges said. When weve lived our lives, that there were churches all over our region, paid for, peoples lives being changed, long after were dead and gone For generations to come, marriages healed, people saved, lives changed, in Jesus name. G Janardhana Rao By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: At a time when coronavirus is playing havoc in markets the world over, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) is all set to achieve the highest-ever cargo handling of 72 million metric tonne (MMT) by March-end. Though the cargo movement from China was disrupted due to coronavirus outbreak, there was not much of an impact on Visakhapatnam port. The port improved its overall performance this year, surpassing its last years performance by February 22, 38 days before the current fiscal year comes to an end. Speaking to TNIE on Sunday, VPT deputy chairperson PL Harnadh said the port is most likely to achieve 72 MMT and it will be the best ever cargo handling by the port. It is four MMT more than the highest-ever cargo handling of 68 MMT achieved in 2011. This despite the competition givben to it by Gangavaram port, which is now handling more than 35 MMT of cargo. Haranadh said port operations were severely affected in China and the world economy has suffered a loss close to `350 lakh crore. However, we were not affected due to continuous cargo supply from Indonesia, South Africa, and Australia and oil from Italy. We are able to maintain the operations target and we are still growing, he said. The port is cruising to achieve 12.8 per cent growth, Haranadh said. Our marketing efforts and business development initiatives in the past two to three years have panned out well. The initiatives are now yielding results. He said improving railway wagons evacuation, completion of projects aimed at increasing capacity, MoU signed with major organisations and providing equipment for higher productivity also helped in improving the VPTs performance, he pointed out. The port has taken strict checking of cargo ships coming from notified corona-affected countries such as South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and China. Vessels from these nations are allowed to anchor at the port only after the mandatory 15-day quarantine period. Even after the completion of quarantine period, the master of the vessel concerned should give a declaration that none of the crew is sick. If there is any sick person among the crew, the ship will not be allowed to anchor at the port, it will be sent back. He said they were following the strict procedures laid down by the Centre. The deputy chairperson said once the vessel is berthed after declaration by the master of the vessel, port health official equipped with full protective gear will visit the ship. The official will screen the crew with the help of thermal guns and if he found there was any sick person aboard, the ship will be sent back. No crew member of cargo ships from affected-countries is allowed to disembark or visit city, he pointed out. Carmaker Tesla registered 83 new cars in Norway last month, compared with 1,016 vehicles during the same period last year, according to data from the countrys transport authority. In the Netherlands, registrations plunged 68 percent to 155 units. The results are a bad omen for two of only four countries for which Tesla breaks out revenue on a quarterly basis. Registrations in Norway and the Netherlands during the first two months of the year were down 77 percent and 42 percent, respectively. And thats against a soft year-ago comparison sales of the Model 3 were just getting underway in early 2019 and didnt pick up the pace until later in the year. Qatar Airways, Emirates and Korean Air have all reduced their operations to Zagreb as a result of continuing fears over the coronavirus outbreak. As of next week, Qatar Airways is reducing its double daily service between Doha and the Croatian capital to twelve services per week. The airline will no longer operate a second rotation on Tuesday and Wednesday until at least the start of the 2020 summer season, which begins on March 29. At this point, the Qatari carrier has kept its schedule unchanged for its remaining destinations in the former Yugoslavia, although the situation remains fluid. Qatar Airways maintains the largest number of flights to Croatia compared to other markets in the EX-YU region. Emirates, which will resume operations to Zagreb on March 29, is currently in the process of updating its operations for a number of routes. It has reduced its daily service between Dubai and the Croatian capital to six weekly, with the departure on Tuesday removed. The change currently effects only its first two weeks of operations, until Easter week, however, the airline continues to make adjustments across is network. Emirates has asked staff to take voluntary paid and unpaid leave as the effects of the coronavirus across the world ramps up. An email to staff described a measurable slow-down in business across our brands and called for flexibility in the way we work. As previously reported, Korean Air has postponed the resumption of its seasonal flights between Seoul and Zagreb from March 31 until April 23. Within Europe, the airline has also suspended flights to Milan and reduced frequencies across its network. Passengers have been asked to continue to monitor their flight status for further changes. South Korea's government earlier this week announced measures to help airlines during the travel slowdown, including offering loans and deferring airport fees. At this point, the effects on Zagreb Airports schedule remain limited, with those airlines heavily relying on passengers from Asia making modifications to their schedule. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 11:47:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai's health authority has given the green light for the city's children's hospital to offer online services. Yu Guangjun, president of Shanghai Children's Hospital, said in the prevention and control of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the hospital has sped up the implementation of the "Internet Plus initiatives" such as opening online coronavirus pneumonia fever consultation and joint online pediatric outpatient service with hospitals in the Yangtze River Delta region. However, it requires an internet hospital license for doctors to give prescriptions online. The hospital officially obtained the license issued by the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission Saturday. Yu said in the epidemic control situation, many children with chronic diseases are unable to go to the hospital for follow-up visits, making doctors and parents anxious, and the municipal health commission has accelerated the approval of Internet hospital to address the problem. Armed police surrounded a pub for five hours negotiating with gun-wielding robbers, but when they finally stormed they were nowhere to be seen. Officers were called to the Westmeadows Tavern, in Melbourne's north, at about 5am on Monday after a staff member saw his colleague being held against her will by two men, one of them with a gun. Police confirmed the woman, a cleaner, 'ran from the venue stating she had been held inside' when officers arrived. Heavily armed police officers stormed Westmeadows Tavern, in Melbourne's north, after a five-hour siege involving two robbers bearing firearms Inspector Anthony Brown said she escaped injury, but the experience was 'violent and traumatising'. The venue was cordoned off and police conducted a search for several hours before confirming on Monday afternoon the two men had escaped. Just after 10am, around 15 heavily armed camouflaged officers stormed the pub when negotiations via a loudspeaker failed. Insp Brown said he believed they left through an unattended entrance before the cordon was in place. 'Whilst the cordon was being established, the offenders have managed to escape via another door,' he said. 'We spent considerable amount of time this morning conducting a thorough search of the premises, to ensure that the offenders weren't still inside. Just after 10am, around 15 heavily armed camouflaged officers stormed the pub when negotiations via a loudspeaker failed The burglars are understood to have escaped before police stormed in 'We are now going into the investigation stage of the incident.' Armed police, the critical incident response team, special operations group officers and the dog squad swarmed the venue during the stand off with the burglars. Police had been trying to convince the men to come out using a loudspeaker and asking them to answer the hotel phone so they could negotiate. 'Come out without anything in your hands,' an officer could be heard saying through a loud speaker. Armed police, the critical incident response team, special operations group officers and the dog squad swarmed the venue on Monday It's understood the two men armed with firearms stormed the Westmeadows Tavern, in Melbourne's north, at about 5am on Monday morning Timeline of siege 5am: Officers were first called to the Westmeadows Tavern after receiving reports of an armed burglary A woman was inside at the time and managed to escape Just after 9am: More tactical officers arrive at the scene Just after 10am: 15 officers stormed the pub after negotiations via a loudspeaker failed. No one was inside Advertisement Police believed the suspects had 'long firearms' inside with them. Local resident Shanice Bandendriesef said that she awoke to loud noises and noticed swarms of police. 'Around 6.30am, all we could hear was what seemed like noise coming from a megaphone or over a loudspeaker,' she told the Herald Sun. 'We hopped out onto the balcony and we could see a lot of police. 'We could hear someone say something about coming out with anything in their hands, so that's when we realised it was something serious.' The tavern has been the targeted a number of times in recent years, but the suburban area is generally quiet. MANAGUA, Nicaragua Ernesto Cardenal, the renowned poet and Roman Catholic cleric who became a symbol of revolutionary verse in Nicaragua and around Latin America, and whose suspension from the priesthood by St. John Paul II lasted over three decades, died Sunday. He was 95. Known for his trademark black beret and loose white peasant shirts, the author of works such as Epigrams and Zero Hour was one of the most important and honored poets in Nicaraguan history. Cardenal penned verse that went around the globe, and lived until his last days with a lucidity that inspired amazement and admiration in the literary world. Our beloved poet has begun the process of integrating with the universe, with the greatest intimacy with God, his personal assistant, Luz Marina Acosta, said Sunday. Bosco Centeno, a close friend of Cardenal, told The Associated Press the poet was hospitalized in Nicaraguas capital of Managua a couple of days ago with a heart problem. Cardenal received numerous awards during his lifetime including the Reina Sofia poetry prize in 2012, and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1980. Argentine poet Jorge Boccanera once said of Cardenals writing that he loses his life and at the same time discovers it in a profound delivery; in consecrating and offering himself in that dialogue of soul and blood. Cardenal was also an essayist and sculptor, and the herons he fashioned from stone and metal are highly prized in Central American cultural circles. Born Jan. 20, 1925, to a wealthy family in the colonial city of Granada southeast of the Nicaraguan capital, Cardenal became a priest in Colombia and later became enamored of the leftist Liberation Theology movement that swept through Latin America during the 1960s, centered on ministering to the poor and liberating the oppressed. On the Solentiname Islands in Lake Nicaragua, he founded a community of peasants, poets and painters in 1966 that came to symbolize artistic opposition to the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, who was overthrown in 1979 by Sandinista rebels. Cardenal actively supported the revolution and served as culture minister during the first government of former Sandinista guerrilla Daniel Ortega causing him to run afoul of then-Pope John Paul II, who firmly held that clerics should not hold political office. The pontiff was also staunchly anti-communist and opposed some parts of Liberation Theology. In 1983, John Paul publicly upbraided Cardenal at Managuas international airport at the beginning of a tense visit. When Cardenal knelt in front of the pope and moved to kiss his hand, the pontiff withdrew it and pointed his finger at him in a moment caught in a widely circulated photograph. You should regularize your situation, the pope scolded. Later that year he suspended Cardenal from the priesthood along with his brother Fernando, who was then serving as minister of education. Only late in life was Cardenals suspension lifted by Pope Francis: In February 2019, as Cardenal was in the hospital, the Vatican noted that he had accepted the punishment, refrained from pastoral activity and long ago abandoned the political arena. The Vaticans ambassador to Nicaragua visited him at the hospital and joined him in celebrating Mass, a moment that Cardenals personal assistant described as very moving and said made him very happy. While Cardenal never held political office again, that didnt mean he shied away from speaking his mind, and the erstwhile supporter of Ortega distanced himself from his former Sandinista sympathizers over his disagreement with the ex-guerrillas partisan leadership. After Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007, Cardenal denounced what he called the beginning of a family dictatorship. And in 2018, when anti-government protests broke out that posed the biggest challenge to Ortegas increasingly authoritarian hold on power, Cardenal quickly aligned himself with the opposition. What we want is for there to be a different government, a democratic republic, he said in a handwritten message of support, adding that dialogue with the Ortega camp would be useless. Now suddenly across the country the young people have risen up in protests, taking the streets, Cardenal said, something that was unexpected because the youth had seemed to be sleeping, or that a sepulchral slab had fallen on them. As he turned his back on Ortega, Sandinista officialdom turned its back on him. Cardenal faced legal problems he attributed to political persecution for his criticisms of Ortega and Rosario Murillo, Ortegas first lady and currently vice president. And in 2015, when Cardenal turned 90, he was feted in Mexico where he had lived and studied theology as a young man as the Sandinista government had nothing but silence for a man it viewed as a turncoat. Cardenal continued to hold a dim view of John Paul for decades after their run-in, calling his canonization in 2014 a monstrosity. He was more supportive of Francis and his calls to build a better world for those on the margins of society. I try to live with the message of the gospel, Cardenal once said, which is a political message, which is changing the world so that there is a better world after 100,000 years of inequality. Several former leaders of South San Antonio Independent School District, which was disrupted by trustee infighting last year and now faces a state investigation, have joined charter school start-ups that want to open campuses in the districts backyard. Three proposals to open schools on the South and West sides starting in 2021 are among the latest batch of charter applications under review by the Texas Education Agency. Two of the proposals are being helped along by former board members and a former South San superintendent, who has insisted theyre not trying to undercut the district they once served. Charter schools are expanding in Bexar County and compete for students and state funding with traditional school districts and, increasingly, with each other. South San has struggled with enrollment declines and fiercely debated a 2017 board decision to close schools to cut costs and a 2019 decision to spend the money to reopen them. Former trustees Angelina Osteguin, Edward Mungia and Elda Flores now are on the board of the 7Cs Academy, which wants to open in the 78227 ZIP code in fall 2021 and recruit elementary-aged students in the Edgewood, Southside and South San ISDs. Former Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra, meanwhile, is on the board of Royal Public Schools, which hopes to open four campuses targeting families in Southside, Harlandale and South San ISDs to eventually serve students at all grade levels. The 7Cs Academy would be led by Nathan Balasubramanian as superintendent. Osteguin, who was president of the South San board until losing a re-election bid in 2018, said she met him when he interviewed for the superintendent position at South San that year. When Balasubramanian asked her to join the charters board, she was eager to contribute, she said. On ExpressNews.com: After fight, state education panel OKs new San Antonio charter schools Im not opposed to charter schools. I advocate for kids and if charter schools were opening up (while I was board president), I think that was a good thing because it challenged the school district to up their game, she said. When I was approached, I was more than happy to help our kids excel, not only in the areas of STAAR testing but the whole child. Osteguin said she helped recruit Mungia and Flores to the 7Cs board. Mungia was appointed as a South San trustee in January 2018 to fill a vacant seat and lost the election for it that November, but has continued to work with educational organizations, including SA RISE, which promotes equity in education. Im not there to attack any school district, Mungia said. At the end of the day, even though the districts are separated and you have charters all over the place, its still San Antonio. We have the same kids and families and need to work together. The school, if it is approved, will emphasize seven virtues: character, competencies, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and citizenship. The application pointed to four failing schools in Edgewood ISD as evidence of the need for another option for parents. Two charter schools, IDEA Monterrey Park Academy and KIPP Un Mundo Dual Language Academy, also are in the area. The KIPP school received an F grade under the TEA accountability system last year. The new school would open with pre-K through second grade and add one grade in subsequent years through fifth grade, eventually enrolling 1,470 students. Balasubramanian previously worked for Manor Independent School District as the director of school improvement and accountability. Saavedra, the Houston ISD superintendent from 2005 to 2009, ran South San from 2014 to 2018. He said he had been advising Royal Public Schools CEO, Soner Tarim, for about a year when Tarim asked him to join the charters board. Years ago, Tarim founded Harmony Public Schools, now an established charter network with several campuses in San Antonio and across the state. Im sure some folks might be critical of my involvement with any charter. My thinking on that is, Ive always felt that successful charters are good options for parents to consider, Saavedra said. I think Soner will be able to establish one of these highly successful charters here in San Antonio and he has a successful track record through Harmony. Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox Royal plans a curriculum focused on science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, math and social-emotional learning and will incorporate a project-based learning model, its application states. It wants to start with an elementary school inside the attendance boundaries for Gallardo Elementary School in Southside ISD. At full capacity, the network would enroll 2,328 students in four campuses, the application states. Last year, the State Board of Education rejected Royal Public Schools application to open schools in Houston and Austin. Osteguin and Flores were among trustees who voted to close schools in South San under Saavedras recommendation. An election in 2018 ousted trustees and produced a new board majority that reopened the schools the following year. South Sans current board president, Gilbert Rodriguez, points to that record as the reason his former colleagues have joined charter schools and said he viewed their choice as an effort to undermine the district. Its definitely disappointing, given that these board members advocated for public schools at one point, Rodriguez said. Were going to press forward. Were going to compete and were going to advocate for South San Antonio Independent School District and were going to fight for our identity. Flores was elected to the South San board in 2016 and resigned last fall to protest the treatment of Superintendant Alexandro Flores by Rodriguez and others in the board majority. The TEA opened an investigation last April into whether the board overstepped its authority when it overrided Superintendent Flores recommendation to slow down the timeline to reopen the schools. Flores, who is not related to the former board member, resigned after less than a year. The TEA added possible procurement violations to its probe in January. I know the optics do not look good for three board members coming out of a public school district now trying to start a charter school. But its not the optics Im concerned about. Its the whole child that Im concerned about and an advocate for, Elda Flores said. Also applying for a charter this year is Prelude Preparatory Charter School, which wants to open a K-8 campus focused on academics and high expectations, civic education and social and emotional learning. It would serve the 78242, 78224 and 78211 ZIP codes and be located within the attendance boundaries of McAuliffe Middle School in Southwest ISD. If approved, the school would open with pre-K through first grade and increase by one grade each year, serving 720 students at full capacity. Prelude would be led by superintendent Lauren Lewis, a fellow with an organization called Building Excellent Schools that trains leaders to start charter schools. Lewis also applied for a charter in 2019. The TEA rejected that proposal, for a campus in the 78210 or 78223 ZIP codes within San Antonio ISD. Silicon Hill Academy Charter School has applied to build a campus in Austin in 2021, and to expand to San Antonio in 2024, its applicationsays. The TEA will vet the applications using external reviewers then interview applicants in the summer. Its approval is subject to a possible veto by the State Board of Education before the charters are awarded in August. Ashley McBride covers several school districts and the Alamo Colleges District in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | Ashley.McBride@express-news.net | Twitter: @Ashleynmcb BALTIMORE, MD, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE Cannabis Science Conference, the world's largest, fastest growing and most technical scientific and medical cannabis event, will return to Baltimore, Maryland this April 6-8, 2020 at the Baltimore Convention Center for another year of bridging the gap between traditional science and medicine and the cannabis industry. The Cannabis Science Conference, organized by CSC Events, LLC, will feature the CEO of leading cannabis culture media outlet High Times, Stormy Simon, as one of its keynote speakers. Simon previously served as president of online retailer Overtstock.com. The annual conference brings together over 100 global cannabis thought leaders and industry expert presenters. In alignment with the conferences theme of Advancing Cannabis Science, the conference will focus on four distinct tracks that will provide attendees with original content designed by cannabis industry experts and showcase the latest technologies and advancements in cannabis communities. The tracks include the Analytical Cannabis Track, the Medical Cannabis Track, the Cultivation Science Track and the newly added two-day Hemp/CBD Science track. After CSC Events expanded its scope to include the East Coast for the first time last year with great success, the Cannabis Science Conference East is returning to Baltimore this year following the launch of its flagship event in 2016 in Portland, Oregon. We are excited to bring the brightest minds in the cannabis industry back to my hometown of Baltimore for another Cannabis Science Conference, said Joshua Crossney, President, CEO, and Founder of CSC Events, LLC. The goal of CSC is to make cannabis science accessible to the attendees so that they develop a robust scope of knowledge about the plant. With every session at the conference, we are able to deliver the most advanced information in the most accessible, comprehensive way. Crossney added, This year we have added new sessions that take a closer look at several emerging hot topics, including the vaping crisis, cannabis academic programs at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and Northern Michigan University, cannabis contaminants, the development of cannabis reference materials at NIST and even a talk from the U.S. Pharmacopia on testing methods, acceptance criteria and specifications to confirm purity, potency, and identity. Story continues The 2020 Baltimore Cannabis Science Conference is expected to surpass the number of attendees and vendors from last years Baltimore event with an expected turnout of at least 2,500 attendees and 120 vendors from all over the world. Currently, 28% of the U.S. population lives in states where recreational cannabis is legal. As of this year, 46 states have enacted statutory laws specific to the possession and use of either whole-plant cannabis or extracted cannabinoids that are in direct violation of the federal law. The U.S. cannabis market size is expected to reach USD 31.7 billion by 2025 according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing adoption of medical marijuana for treatment of a variety of medicinal conditions and applications in medical marijuana programs in each state is expected to drive the market over the forecast period. In response to its unceasing, rapid growth, Cannabis Science Conference continues to expand its space and offer more sessions and technical learning opportunities for attendees. Through roundtable discussions and hands-on demonstrations of innovative techniques, instruments, and technology within the industry, the Baltimore event will keep pushing for higher standards and quality research in the medical cannabis space. The Cannabis Science Conference will also be hosting its ever popular, Canna Boot Camp at Evermore Cannabis Company, a Maryland licensed cultivation & processing facility. Canna Boot Camp is the official pre-conference kick off to Cannabis Science Conference and is a full-day, interactive workshop that covers everything from Cultivation, Pre-Processing, Sample Prep, Analytical Testing, Extraction, and more. Vendors join forces to demonstrate techniques, instruments, and technologies to share their experiences in a fun, hands-on learning environment. In one day, you can get a full understanding of many aspects of the cannabis industry and analytical testing & extraction. This is also a great opportunity to network with industry experts. Tickets for the 2019 Cannabis Science Conference East and Canna Boot Camp are now available at https://www.cannabisscienceconference.com/register-for-tickets/. For more information about Cannabis Science Conference, including the full agenda and current list of Sponsors & Exhibitors, visit https://www.cannabisscienceconference.com/. About Cannabis Science Conference Cannabis Science Conference is the world's largest, fastest growing and most technical scientific and medical cannabis event. Our conference pulls together cannabis industry experts, instrument manufacturers, testing labs, research scientists, medical practitioners, policymakers, patients and interested novices. Our semi-annual event is aimed at improving cannabis science. Join us in Baltimore, Maryland, for an exciting conference with keynotes, presentations, roundtable discussions, and exhibits. Public Relations Contact Cassandra Dowell Account manager CMW Media cassandra@cmwmedia.com P. +1888 829-0070 http://www.cmwmedia.com Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) canceled a campaign rally in St. Louis Park in her home state Sunday night after it was disrupted by protesters shouting "Black Lives Matter" and "Free Myon" at the event. The big picture: The protest was "in support of Myon Burrell, convicted of killing a teenager several years ago, for which he maintains his innocence," CBS Minnesota journalist Jeff Wagner notes. "Klobuchar was the county attorney during Burrell's first trial." Klobuchar's campaign manager Justin Buoen told reporters he's "very disappointed about what happened tonight." A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. Go deeper: Amy Klobuchar on the issues, in under 500 words Greg Gutfeld outside Fox News headquarters in New York in November. (Bryan Anselm for The Post) The caustic comic has gone from irreverent cable news oddity to a ratings champ who seems right at home on the network. Awardee Patricia Campos Mello speaks onstage at the Committee to Protect Journalists 29th Annual International Press Freedom Awards in 2019. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) Yahoo News is a member of the One Free Press Coalition and is publishing the groups latest 10 Most Urgent list below to highlight the increasingly dangerous climate for journalism and free expression around the world in an effort to roll back repressive antipress policies. 1. Chen Qiushi (China) Journalist missing as Chinese authorities stifle reporting on coronavirus outbreak. Freelance video journalist Chen Qiushi has not been seen since February 6, when he told family he planned to report on a temporary hospital. On January 24, he traveled to the city of Wuhan in Hubei province from Beijing and began filming and reporting on the coronavirus health crisis, according to his posts on YouTube, noting local hospitals were short of resources and struggling to handle the number of patients who needed treatment. Later, China expelled three accredited Wall Street Journal journalists over an opinion headline relating to the crisis. 2. Daler Sharifov (Tajikistan) Tajikistan silences independent media ahead of March 1 elections. Daler Sharifov is ordered two months of pretrial detention since Tajik police raided the independent reporters home on January 28, confiscating a computer and books, and days later issuing a statement announcing charges of inciting ethnic, racial and religious hatred. The statement refers to more than 200 articles and commentaries containing extremist content he published between 2013 and 2019. CPJ calls this a clear attempt to silence ahead of elections one of the few media critics that remain. A guilty verdict could mean up to five years in prison. 3. Patricia Campos Mello (Brazil) Politicians join in online sexual harassment to undermine journalists integrity. A reporter for Brazils largest daily newspaper, Folha de S.Paulo, Patricia Campos Mello experiences ongoing harassment online in retaliation for her reporting. During a congressional hearing in Brasilia last month, an individual falsely accused Campos Mello of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for a scoop. Hundreds of Facebook and Twitter users, including the son of President Jair Bolsonaro, shared the allegations, many using sexual language. The allegations were later referenced by the president himself, whose 2018 presidential campaign backers distributed misinformation through WhatsApp to millions of Brazilians, Campos Mello reported. Story continues 4. Roohollah Zam (Iran) Trial underway for antigovernment journalist held in undisclosed location. Intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps arrested Iranian journalist Roohollah Zam in October. Founder of antigovernment Amad News, Zam had been living in France and, following his arrest in Baghdad, was extradited to Iran. He is accused of working with French, Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies, amounting to 17 charges, including espionage and spreading false news, although the government has made his platforms almost completely inaccessible for more than two years. In February, at least three trial sessions were held in his case. 5. Agnes Ndirubusa and the team at Iwacu (Burundi) Court delivers prison sentence and fines for Burundis only imprisoned journalists. Following their October arrest, a Burundi court convicted four journalists on January 30 of attempting to undermine state security, fined them each $530 and sentenced them to two years and six months in prison. The four, who had been covering clashes in the countrys Bubanza province and submitted their appeal on February 21, include Agnes Ndirubusa, head of the political desk at Iwacu, one of Burundis last independent outlets, and three colleagues: broadcast reporter Christine Kamikazi, English-language reporter Egide Harerimana and photojournalist Terence Mpozenzi. 6. Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan) Kyrgyz court hears final appeal of journalists life sentence. After nearly 10 years in prison and his life sentence twice upheld, award-winning journalist Azimjon Askarov, 68, pursued a final appeal at the Supreme Court. The February 26 hearing was quickly adjourned until April 7. The ethnic Uzbeks reporting on corruption, abuse and human rights elicited trumped-up charges that included incitement to ethnic hatred and complicity in the murder of a police officer. Kyrgyzstans one imprisoned journalist experiences deteriorating health amid harsh conditions and limited access to medication. 7. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia) U.S. executive branch idles while calls persist for Khashoggis justice. February 14 marked 500 days since Jamal Khashoggis murder inside Istanbuls Saudi consulate. The Washington Post columnists fiancee, Hadice, observed the date with an op-ed calling for justice. The Trump administration has so far ignored a law passed by Congress, and signed by the president, that mandated the release of an intelligence report about Khashoggis murder by January 19. Thats in addition to ignoring a deadline to reply to Congress regarding the killing, as required under the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act. 8. Pham Doan Trang (Vietnam) Journalist in hiding to evade arrest continues reporting. Pham Doan Trang has been in hiding since August 2018, after Ho Chi Minh City police brutally beat her and confiscated her national ID card, on top of silencing measures including interrogation, monitoring and shutting off her internet and electricity. A colleague reports that Trang, co-founder of the Vietnamese and Luat Khoa news publications, has not fully recuperated from the assault and her health has deteriorated. While moving between safe houses, she has continued critical reporting on the environment, freedom of religion and online civil society. 9. Mahmoud Hussein (Egypt) Journalist held in extended pretrial detention for unspecified charges. Mahmoud Hussein, a journalist working with Al Jazeera, has spent more than 1,000 days in pretrial detention in Cairo. Last May, an Egyptian court ordered his release, but authorities opened a new investigation with unspecified charges and returned him to prison. Husseins initial arrest dates to December 2016, and his detention has been repeatedly renewed every 45 days, with antistate and false news charges stemming from a 2016 documentary about conscription in Egypt that the government claims uses fake footage and aims to incite chaos. 10. Aasif Sultan (India) Communications blackout further delays imprisoned journalists trial. Kashmir Narrator reporter Aasif Sultan has spent more than a year and half behind bars, since his 2018 arrest and charges months later of complicity in harboring known terrorists. He has been repeatedly interrogated and asked to reveal his sources for a cover story on a slain Kashmiri militant, whose killing by Indian security forces set off a wave of antigovernment demonstrations in Kashmir in July 2016. A number of hearings have been postponed and other journalists harassed and detained the past year. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:35:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese armed forces have been engaging in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), shouldering patient treatment and supporting the supply of medical and daily necessities in virus-hit Hubei Province in central China, military officials said Monday. ASSISTANCE TO EPICENTER The armed forces have dispatched over 4,000 medical professionals in three groups to assist with the battle against coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak and capital of Hubei, since Jan. 24, said Chen Jingyuan, health division director of the Logistic Support Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), at a press conference in Beijing. "They have formed a relief force comprising a leading battlefront group, joint logistic support units and frontline medical worker units," said Chen. The first group of 450 people left for Wuhan on Jan. 24, Chinese New Year's Eve, with the second group of 950 people leaving for Wuhan on Feb. 2, and the third group of 2,600 people leaving for Wuhan on Feb. 13, he said. 10,000 FRONTLINE MEDICS Nearly 3,000 beds have been set up by 63 military hospitals designated to treat COVID-19 patients, with over 10,000 military medics working at the front line, Chen told the press conference. As of Sunday, the designated hospitals of the armed forces and military medical teams dispatched to Hubei had treated 4,450 COVID-19 patients with 1,000 cured, he said. While sticking to scientific treatment, the military medics have attached importance to self-protection, with no infection found among them so far, Chen added. Three military-led hospitals in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, had admitted 3,467 severe COVID-19 cases and cured 689 patients, said Chen. SUPPORTING SUPPLIES IN WUHAN As of Sunday, 260 troops and 130 transport vehicles from the Central Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had been tasked with transporting 8,500 tonnes of household goods and 23,600 items covering protective materials and equipment to Wuhan. Meanwhile, the Central Theater Command had sent helicopters to transfer 6.5 tonnes of medical supplies by Sunday, said Chen. Earlier, the military's joint task force for responding to public health emergencies allocated 400,000 medical masks, 8,000 sets of protective clothing, 50 sets of positive pressure respiratory protective hoods and two sets of negative pressure isolation transfer cabins to Wuhan to provide urgent medical treatment, Chen said. Moreover, the PLA Air Force deployed military aircraft including Y-20s to transport about 2,850 medics from the armed forces in different batches to Wuhan, said Zhang Tianxiang, head of the transport and delivery division of the Logistic Support Department of the CMC. ADVANCING INT'L COOPERATION The Chinese military will actively conduct international military cooperation and work with other countries' militaries to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak and other public security threats, said Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense. Wu thanked countries and militaries that have offered China sincere help and support in the country's full-swing fight against COVID-19. Wu said the strength, spirit and efficiency China has demonstrated in its COVID-19 prevention and control work have won widespread praise from the international community. A hotel worker with a fetish for underwear has been hauled before the courts after he was busted with more than a thousand pairs he stole from women and teenagers after breaking into their rooms. Sutan Achmed Daniel Al Hamilton was found with 1,047 pairs of underwear and bras in his granny flat in Rosebery in Sydney. The 37-year-old stole most of the items while employed by the Ibis Hotel in World Square and Rydges Hotel in Mascot as a maintenance worker and subcontracted painter. Sutan Achmed Daniel Al Hamilton was found with 1,047 pairs of underwear and bras in his granny flat in Rosebery in Sydney Hamilton had unrestricted access to all rooms in both hotels and stole undergarments from eight female victims including three teenagers between November 2017 and October 2019. He pleaded guilty to four counts of break, enter and steal with intent to commit an indictable offence. Hamilton reportedly claimed he bought all the underwear from pantydeal.com or 'from females in person.' Police facts in Downing Centre Court stated that 'all if not the majority of the 1,047 pairs of female underwear were the proceeds of crime.' Hamilton was found on one occasion crouching behind a bed while trying to hide stolen underwear in October 2019. Online records found that Hamilton had found at least four of his female victims on social media. Hamilton's underwear thievery happened at the Ibis Hotel in World Square (pictured left) and the Rydges Hotel in Mascot (pictured right) Hamilton told reporters after an earlier hearing in December that he had a 'stupid fetish'. He also pleaded guilty to one count of deal with property proceeds of crime between November 2017 and November 2019. Hamilton will be sentenced at Downing Centre Court in next month. Two new novel coronavirus cases have been reported in Delhi and Telangana, the Ministry of Health and Family welfare announced on Monday. The Ministry in a statement said: "One positive case of COVID-19 has been detected in New Delhi, and one has been detected in Telangana." According to the Health Ministry, the person who has tested positive from Delhi has a travel history to Italy, while the one from Telangana visited Dubai. Further details of their travels were being ascertained. The Ministry also said that both the patients were stable and were being closely monitored. Earlier in India, there were three positive COVID-19 cases reported from Kerala, but all were discharged from the hospital after they recovered from the disease. More than 2,000 people have been screened at 21 international airports in India in order to contain the disease. The Centre has evacuated Indians as well as foreign nationals at least thrice from the COVID-19-affected China. Suspected persons were quarantined at the Chhawala and Manesar isolation camps arranged by the Army and the ITBP. The presidency has released the statement below telling Nigerians not to panic over the coronavirus. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Nigeria announced its first coronavirus case last week. An Italian who arrived in Nigeria last week was diagnosed with the disease and has been quarantined. The disease has caused about 3,000 deaths globally, the majority in China where the disease originated from. In a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Mr Buhari urged Nigerians not to panic about the news of this first case of Covid-19 in our country, as undue alarm would do us more harm than good. Read the full statement below. President Muhammadu Buhari notes with sadness, the recent confirmation of a case of Covid-19 infection in Lagos, Nigeria. This was despite the ardent efforts of the government regarding preparedness and response measures put in place in our countrys borders and beyond. President Buhari, however, commends the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies whose diligence and efficiency enabled the case to be detected, diagnosed and isolated quickly, even while swift measures were taken to identify and follow up on those with whom the index patient came into contact. The president commends the responses of the Federal Ministry of Health and Governments of Lagos and Ogun States as well as other relevant agencies to the reported incident and calls for vigilance on the part of all citizens and responsible government agencies. President Buhari urges Nigerians not to panic about the news of this first case of Covid-19 in our country, as undue alarm would do us more harm than good. Instead, Nigerians should strictly observe the advisories disseminated by the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the best way to prevent infection. This information is being broadcast in all available media by the Federal Ministry of Information. Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President Pete Buttigieg, one of the frontrunners for the Democratic presidential nomination has decided to suspend his campaign. According to reports, people close to Buttigieg on anonymity have confirmed that the former mayor has decided to withdraw from the White House race. US President Donald Trump has reacted to the latest development in the Democratic camp as he took the opportunity to attack his rival, Joe Biden. Read: Pete Buttigieg Slammed For 'copying' Barack Obama's 2008 Speech Donald Trump in his tweet alleged that all of Buttigieg's votes will go to Joe Biden, who is also in the race for the candidature. Trump termed it as the real beginning of the Democrats taking Bernie Sanders out of play. Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play - NO NOMINATION, AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020 Buttigieg, an Afghanistan war veteran was one of the two most impressive candidates in the Democratic field, other being Bernie Sanders. Read: 'Help Me': 9-year-old Boy Asks Pete Buttigieg's Advice In Coming Out As Gay Buttigieg's campaign Buttigieg announced that he would run for the 2020 presidential election in January last year. Buttigieg officially launched his campaign on April 14 from his constituency South Bend. Buttigieg became the first openly gay person to launch a major presidential campaign and emerged as one of the main candidates for the Democratic party. Read: Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg Emerge As Democratic Frontrunners For US Elections Buttigieg was giving Bernie Sanders a tough competition in the race for candidacy as he finished second with 24 percent votes in New Hampshire primary on February 12, where the Vermont senator claimed victory with 26 percent votes. Buttigieg narrowly beat Sanders in the Iowa caucuses as he again finished as the top two candidates among Democrats. Read: Pete Buttigieg Faces New Urgency In Bid To Win Minority Voters Lead Image Credit: AP Local wood processing enterprises need to expand supply chains with a focus on seeking suppliers from domestic and overseas markets to ease disruptions from China due to coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, experts have said. A timber production line of Da Lat Processing and Exploiting Company Limited in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. According to Do Xuan Lap, chairman of the Viet Nam Timber and Forest Product Association (VTFPA), this year may be turbulent for the wood processing industry as the wide-spreading virus outbreak have been impacting trade between Viet Nam and China, as well as Viet Nams exports to other countries. Lap said in the price of wood products, wood materials account for only 35 per cent, while the other cost comes from auxiliary materials such as paint products, which may be US brands but are also made in China. Lap urged local enterprises to actively and swiftly seek alternative raw material suppliers in Viet Nam as well as other countries. Domestic enterprises also need to connect with each other so that their products can join the supply chains of export products. When they collaborate to produce products that meet the importers demand, they can quickly join the global supply chain, he told a seminar on prospects for Viet Nams timber industry in 2020 on Friday in Ha Noi. However, Lap pointed out that until now, the links in the value chain of the timber industry vertically or horizontally are very limited. The newly-formed links are small scaled, between the forestry plantation households and some wood processing companies such as Scancia Pacific, Woodsland and Nam Dinh Forest Products Joint Stock Company. Foreign direct investment (FDI) still plays an important role in exports with half of Viet Nams wood export value coming from this sector. However, the links between the FDI sector and domestic companies barely exist, dividing the wood industry into two separate segments FDI and domestic, Lap said. To Xuan Phuc, an expert from Forest Trends, agreed the disruptions in both supply and demand from China would cause delays in the export of Viet Nam. China is an important source of auxiliary materials for Viet Nams wood industry with items such as straps, accessories, sliders, hinges, paints and chemicals. Businesses also need to find alternative sources of supplies, especially when the materials imported from the previous period are only enough for 2-3 months of production, Phuc said. Wood chips are Viet Nams main export products to China with a turnover of more than US$972 million in 2019, or 79.2 per cent of total export turnover of wood and timber products. Meanwhile, Viet Nam imported wooden planks worth $400 million. Phuc said COVID-19 has driven down demand from Chinese paper and pulp companies. At the same time, halts of some ports in China and its stringent inspection for means of transportation and loading goods activities by ships have also caused difficulties for Viet Nams exports to this country. Vu Hai Bang, chairman of Woodsland Joint Stock Company, said the epidemic will have a major impact on wood companies in the early stages but with the dynamic and quick solutions, they will overcome difficulties. He also called on enterprises to search for domestic suppliers. The United States is currently the largest importer of wood and wooden products from Viet Nam. In 2019, the US imported $5.1 billion of wood products, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of Viet Nams total exports and up 42 per cent year-on-year. There are opportunities to expand exports for the timber industry, mainly to the US market, but the risks of trade and investment fraud in the timber industry still go hand in hand with these opportunities, Bang said. According to experts, the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will open wider doors for Viet Nams wood products to enter the EU market (with tariffs being just 6 per cent or less), but any breakthrough exports to this market may be seen until next year after Viet Nams ratification of the agreement, expected at the National Assembly meeting in the middle of this year. The Government has set a target of $20 billion in wood exports by 2025 nearly double the current turnover. To achieve this goal, it will require fundamental changes in both business strategies in each enterprise and the development strategy of the whole industry. The industry meanwhile is also calling on the Governments support in institutional and policy environment to create the most favourable conditions for their business activities. In addition, the Government also needs to create a channel to promote Viet Nams clean wood and timber brand. VNS VN woodwork exports face new regulation on customs inspection The new regulation on certificate of origin (C/O) makes it more for Vietnam to obtain $11 billion in woodwork exports this year as planned. Photo Chandigarh: The Punjab Government led by Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday took a major step towards implementing another pre-poll promise, with the Cabinet approving introduction of Punjab Lokayukta Bill, 2020, which will cover all levels of public functionaries, up to the Chief Minister. The Cabinet decision will repeal the existing Punjab Lokpal Act, 1996, and the new legislation will be applicable to the Chief Minister, Ministers, non-officials/officials of all the public offices, with the aim of further enhancing governance and checking corruption. Advertisement The sweeping reform measure envisages an autonomous body to inquire into the grievances and allegations against public functionaries in the state, and to make provisions for appointment of Lokayukta and for the matters connected therewith. The Lokayukta shall have all the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908. It will also provide for prosecution in case of false complaint. Prosecution of the Chief Ministers and MLAs can be sanctioned only with 2/3rd majority of the House under the new legislation. Further, all sanctions by the Assembly, whether or not permission to prosecute is granted, will be binding on the Lokpal. All complaints will be scrutinised by a screening committee of the Lokpal before issuance of the a notice, said an official spokesperson, giving details of the key provisions of the Bill. The screening committee will also take the Governments opinion in the matter. Advertisement The legislation bars a parallel probe into a complaint against any officer/public functionary if an inquiry is being conducted in the matter by the Lokpal. Similarly, the Lokpal will not have the authority to conduct a parallel inquiry of the matter is already under investigation by the Government. The Lokayukta shall consist of a Chairperson, who is or has been a Judge of the High Court or the Supreme Court. Such number of members, not exceeding four, shall be appointed by the Government (provided that at least one of the member of the Lokayukta shall be from amongst persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, or the Backward Classes, or the Minorities, or Women), all of whom shall be qualified personnel with impeccable reputation. The Chairperson and Members shall be appointed by the Governor on the basis of majority of the recommendation of a selection committee, consisting of the Chief Minister as Chairperson, besides Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court and eminent Jurist nominated by the Punjab government as its members. There are a lot of true-crime documentaries on Hulu, Netflix and HBO right now. Click through the gallery to find your next binge-worthy doc. The Keepers (Netflix) Ryan Whites documentary series debuted in 2017, and explores murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. The documentary investigates whether Father Joseph Maskell had Sister Cathy killed because she was about to expose him and others for sexual abusing teenage students at Archbishop Keough High School. Abducted in Plain Sight (Netflix) In maybe one of the craziest stories ever, Jane Broberg is kidnapped by her neighbor, a family friend, on two separate occasions, and how he was able to infiltrate a family. The Staircase (Netflix) The Staircase follows the trial of Michael Peterson in the case after he reported in December 2001 that his wife had fallen down the stairs and died. However, there was a lot of blood and lacerations to the head that caused investigators to look into a possible homicide. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (Netflix) Directed by Joe Berlinger, the Ted Bundy Tapes looks at one of the most infamous killers, using previously unseen footage and unheard tape recordings from Bundy himself. The Confession Killer (Netflix) This Netflix true-crime doc looks into Henry Lee Lucas, known as one of Americas most prolific serial killers who admitted to hundreds of murders. Dont F*** With Cats (Netflix) One of the newest true-crime docs, Dont F*** With Cats chronicles how internet sleuths uncovered a man who broke the internets number one rule (Dont f*** with cats) and committed animal abuse and murder of a man. Evil Genius (Netflix) Evil Genius tells the story of the pizza bomber heist and the murder of Brian Wells in 2003. The 46-year-old from Erie, Pennsylvania, was a pizza delivery man who got involved in a bank robbery that included a scavenger hunt and a homemade bomb strapped around his neck. When he was arrested after robbing the bank, the bomb went off and killed Wells. Story continues The Murder of Laci Peterson (Hulu) The murder of Laci Peterson is one of the most heavily-debated murders in U.S. history. Laci went missing on Christmas Eve, while 8 months pregnant. Following a media frenzy, her husband, Scott, became a prime suspect. Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death by hanging. Making a Murderer (Netflix) Perhaps one of the most famous Netflix documentaries, Making a Murderer looks into the murder of Teresa Halbach, for which Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey have been convicted for. A second part of the series focused on their appeals. I Love You, Now Die (HBO) This doc follows the death of 18-year-old Conrad Roy who died by suicide in his car in 2014. Soon, police discovered alarming text messages from his girlfriend, Michelle Carter, which seemed to encourage him to kill himself. Behind Closed Doors (HBO) This documentary investigates the double murder of a 13-year-old girl and her familys servant at their home in India, which sparked a media frenzy. The Cheshire Murders (HBO) In 2007, two ex-convicts entered the Petit family home and tortured the family. The ordeal ended with rape, arson and a triple homicide. Mommy Dead & Dearest (HBO) Truly one of the most bizarre cases, Mommy Dead & Dearest is about the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, for which her daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, and Gypsys boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were accused. The doc explores looks into the years of abuse Gypsy suffered at the hands of her mother, who suffered from Munchausen by Proxy. Who Killed Garrett Phillips? (HBO) This documentary examines the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips and the subsequent trial of soccer coach and ex-boyfriend of Garretts mother, Tandy Cyrus. Read original story Finished The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez? Here Are 14 Other True-Crime Docs You Should Watch (Photos) At TheWrap Racing Point's technical boss suggests teams like McLaren are just jealous of what has been dubbed the 'pink Mercedes'. It is rumoured that McLaren or Renault are not ruling out lodging an official protest about Racing Point's 2020 car in Melbourne. "I don't know what sort of claim they can bring against us," technical boss Andy Green said. "What we have done is in full compliance with the rules. "If other teams did not follow the same path that we chose for whatever reason, that's their choice. But they had the opportunity to." Green claims that Racing Point designed the 'pink Mercedes' not on the basis of actual drawings supplied by Mercedes, which would be illegal, but on the detailed analysis of photos. McLaren driver Carlos Sainz suggests he doesn't believe that. "I asked my engineers 'Why don't we copy Mercedes too?' and they told me it's impossible. F1 is in the detail, and it's impossible to copy those details," he said. "I believe them and I'm not going to say any more." Racing Point's Green, though, hinted that McLaren and others are simply jealous. "I like what they're saying about us," he said. "It's a sure sign that we have built a good car. "If we were at the back, nobody would be thinking about us." Meanwhile, Green said he is not worried about the reliability of Mercedes' 2020 engine, even though the works team and Williams had several issues in testing. "I believe Mercedes are aware of the problems and I have no doubt that they will take the appropriate measures," he said. "That's what testing is for - to identify problems." (GMM) There have been no new confirmed case for Covid-19 (coronavirus) in the country, Nigerias health minister, Osagie Ehanire, has said. The minister, at a press conference in Abuja, said that as of Monday, no new case has been detected from the contacts being followed-up. Mr Ehanire said so far, 14 tests have been conducted aside the index and no other person has tested positive. Index Case PREMIUM TIMES on Friday reported that the only case reported in the country is that of an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on February 24 from Milan, Italy on a business visit. He fell ill February 26 and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing, the Lagos State Ministry of Health said, in a statement. He arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 10 p.m. on February 24, aboard Turkish Airlines from Milan, Italy. He travelled to Ogun State on February 25 and on February 26, presented himself at the staff clinic in Ogun where the managing physician referred him to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Lagos based on suspicion COVID-19. He was confirmed on February 27 and he is currently being managed at a designated treatment facility for COVID-19 at Yaba, Lagos. Contact Tracing Nigeria, since the incident, began contact tracing for people who have been in touch with the Italian. Two states, Lagos and Ogun, had been identified as the centre for concentration as the Italian had flown into the country through Lagos and had a meeting in Ogun. So far, 19 people have been identified in Lagos and 39 persons in Ogun state as those who have been in contact with the first confirmed case. This includes the driver who had taken the Italian to the hotel, the minister said. Mr Ehanire said Plateau State also suspected some cases among Chinese nationals on February 29. All of the cases have no symptoms, but they have all been tested at the NCDC reference laboratory and they are all negative for coronavirus infection, he said. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Plateau State quarantined three Chinese who arrived the state for business and 39 Nigerians who had contact with them. The state has placed them under supervised self-isolation for 14days. We will continue to monitor global situations with cases spreading quickly as they are doing now, Mr Ehanire said on Monday. So far, three countries have reported cases in Africa, one in Egypt, three Algeria and one in Nigeria. Holding Facilities The minister explained that the Italian was being treated at the holding facility in Yaba, Lagos. He explained that the Italian was stable and was seen walking around his room at the medical facility. He said the facility at Gwagwalada is still under construction and will soon be finished. In the meantime, he said the ICU in Gwagwalada hospital will be used if the need arises. He also cautioned Nigerians to not create panic or stock mask as it is not necessary because the case is still just one. The minister also cautioned schools to detest from enforcing parents to buy masks for the wards as they have no need for it. It is important for Nigerians to focus on facts and not on fear so as not to generate panic. The citizens should also desist from spreading fake news, especially on social media. He said screening is in place at the international airports. He explained that the reason some people believe they are not being screened is because they are not screened with the hand-held thermal machine. Advertisements Mr Ehanire also added that people do not need to mask, especially when they are not coughing, sneezing or ill. Fair trade regulator CCI has dismissed a complaint alleging unfair business practices against the Eastern Railways. The order came on a complaint filed by Abhiraj Associates Pvt Ltd which is engaged in the business of export of stone aggregates and boulders through rakes allotted by the Eastern Railways. The complainant alleged that the Eastern Railways stopped allotting rakes to it from July 2019 onwards, CCI noted in an order dated February 28. Abhiraj Associates said the decision was taken by Indian Railway Board as per the request of the Bangladesh Railway Board. It further said Bangladesh Railway Board issued an order for boulders in September 2019, for which rakes were allotted to JHM International, which according to the complainant, is a Bangladesh-registered export company. The complainant said "such an act on part of Bangladesh Railway Board shows its malafide and biased decision and the same is being implemented by OP/ Eastern Railways." Abhiraj Associates informed the commission that aggrieved by the decision of the Indian Railway Board, it filed a case before the Calcutta High Court against Indian Railways and JHM International Ltd. However, the same was withdrawn. Considering the submissions of the Eastern Railways, CCI noted that it does not have any discretion in rakes allotment as acceptance of rakes by Bangladesh Railways is governed by bilateral agreement between the governments of the two countries and in order to give equal opportunity to all stakeholders, Eastern Railways follows a rotational policy for loading of stone boulders to Bangladesh subject to the rake availability. "The Commission is of the view that no case of contravention of the provisions of the Act is made out against OP (Eastern Railways)", the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said. CCI further noted that the complainant approached CCI through e-mails and applications for requesting more time to file additional information in relation to the alleged violation of the Competition Act by the Eastern Railways. "The Informant (Abhiraj Associates) is taking liberty with the process for filing of documents ...by filing random e-mails, but is also indulging in forum shopping by approaching the High Court and thereafter the Commission without even placing the orders passed by the High Court on record," CCI said. It further noted that the complainant has made a "scandalous allegation" against the Commission by stating that "the OP (Eastern Railways) is being a favoured party in the eyes of the Commission", it added. CCI warned the complainant "to refrain from making such reckless allegations which have no basis in fact or in law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pete Buttigieg, a former small-city Indiana mayor and first openly-gay major presidential candidate, said on Sunday night he was dropping out of the Democratic race South Bend, Indiana: Pete Buttigieg, a former small-city Indiana mayor and first openly-gay major presidential candidate, said on Sunday night he was dropping out of the Democratic race, following a crushing loss in the South Carolina primary where his poor performance with black Democrats signaled an inability to build a broad coalition of voters. The decision comes just 48 hours before the biggest voting day of the primary, Super Tuesday, when 15 states and territories will allot a third of the delegates overall. The results were widely expected to show him finishing far behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Buttigieg cancelled plans for a Sunday night rally in Dallas and a Monday morning fundraiser in Austin, Texas, to return to South Bend. Sometimes the longest way around really is the shortest way home, he told supporters to loud cheers. The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close, for our candidacy if not for our cause, he said, adding, Tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency. Invoking his experience as a two-term mayor of South Bend, he said his candidacy caught on not despite that experience but because of it. America, he said, was eager to get Washington to start running like our best-run communities. On a conference call with campaign donors Sunday evening, Buttigieg said he had reached the decision with regret but concluded it was the right thing to do, when we looked at the math, according to one person on the call. Without mentioning opponents by name, Buttigieg said he was concerned about the effect he would have on the race by staying in, saying Democrats needed to field the right kind of nominee against Donald Trump. It is unclear if Buttigieg, a relative moderate, will endorse another candidate. He and Biden have exchanged voice messages, a Biden campaign official said. But his departure could reframe the Democratic primary if many of his supporters shift to Biden, creating a more formidable centrist challenge to Sanders progressive movement. In his remarks, Buttigieg directed criticism toward Sanders, without naming him, that he has previously made on the debate stage and on the campaign trail. We need leadership to heal a divided nation, not drive us further apart, he said. We need a broad-based agenda to truly deliver for the American people, not one that gets lost in ideology. We need an approach strong enough not only to win the White House, but hold the House, win the Senate and send Mitch McConnell into retirement. Sanders, in Los Angeles, made a brief statement congratulating Buttigieg while also making a bid for those who backed him. He is the first openly-gay candidate for President of the United States and he did extraordinarily well, Sanders said. And tonight, I just want to welcome all of his supporters into our movement and to urge them to join us in the fight for real change in this country. Buttigiegs departure was another step in the narrowing of a Democratic field that once featured two dozen candidates, and now has six. His move comes one day after Tom Steyer, a billionaire former hedge fund executive, dropped out after a disappointing finish in South Carolina where he invested millions of dollars. Buttigieg, 38, skyrocketed from obscurity into the top tier of a field of more than two dozen Democratic presidential candidates largely on the strength of his robust fundraising totals early last year. He collected more than $24 million in the three-month period ending on 30 June, more than any other candidate in the field. The campaign spent nearly all of its funds to deliver its virtual tie for first place in Iowa and a narrow second-place finish behind Sanders in New Hampshire. But the rush of contributions the campaign expected after Iowa and New Hampshire never materialized. The Iowa Democratic Partys vote-counting fiasco robbed Buttigieg of some of the expected momentum and media attention after the states caucuses, and Senator Amy Klobuchar was the big story after her surprise third-place showing in New Hampshire. And Buttigieg never broadened his breadth of support in a party with a large component of nonwhite voters, and one that has veered leftward since 2018. He came in a distant third in the Nevada caucuses, which drew strong numbers of Latino voters, and then fourth place in South Carolina, where black voters made up a majority of the Democratic electorate. He won just three percent of them, according to exit polls. After raising more than $76 million in 2019, an astonishing haul for a mayor with no national profile, Buttigieg spent nearly all his treasure in Iowa and New Hampshire. He faced campaigning coast-to-coast for Super Tuesday with evaporating funds and little chance of clearing the threshold of 15 percent of votes needed to amass delegates. In the last presidential debate, Tuesday in South Carolina, Buttigieg forcefully warned that nominating Sanders, the front-runner, would lead to crushing defeat in the fall, not just four more years of Donald Trump, but the loss of the Democratic House majority secured by moderate candidates who won in suburban swing districts in 2018. But Buttigiegs own existential crisis was his inability to appeal to voters of color, both African Americans and Latinos. Many establishment Democratic officials have openly worried about the partys moderate candidates cannibalising the Centre-Left vote and making it impossible to coalesce and challenge Sanders. Buttigieg on Monday said in a town hall event on CNN that he and his fellow moderates had not had any talks about one or more of them dropping out. Asked the same question in a post-debate TV interview on Tuesday, Buttigieg argued that it was he, as the candidate with the second-most delegates, who other moderates should rally behind. But except for a polling uptick after his strong Iowa finish, Buttigiegs support in an average of national polls plateaued around 10 percent. That imperiled him as the race moved to the 14 Super Tuesday states, including California and Texas, where most delegates to the National Convention go only to candidates who win 15 percent in congressional districts and statewide. As Sanders, in his second presidential run, built a devoted following of progressives with a call for political revolution, Buttigieg tried to offer an alternative: an upbeat message of unity and more ideological flexibility, aimed at attracting moderate Democrats, independents and crossover Republicans. But the pitch, which some found contained more platitudes than passion, was no match at a time of rising anger on the left that the political establishment has failed to address health care, income inequality and climate change. In his quest to earn black support, Buttigieg spent more time visiting South Carolina than any other candidate, spent more on TV ads in the state than any candidates besides Steyer, and rolled out a sweeping proposal, called the Douglass Plan, to redress the legacy of racism. None of it made much of a dent with African-American voters who had developed a deep trust in Biden over decades. Another factor may have been the sometimes troubled history of Buttigiegs relationship with black residents of South Bend, including his demotion of a black police chief and the shooting last summer of a black resident by a white officer. Buttigieg tried to counter poor impressions by campaigning with African American leaders from his hometown who vouched for him. All along, he believed that winning in Iowa would beget winning in later states with more racially-diverse voters. Despite an early exit from the race, Buttigiegs candidacy will be remembered for its remarkably high trajectory: The mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city outran, outraised and outpolled senators and governors who dropped by the wayside. Buttigiegs decision, just before Super Tuesday, echoed one he made three years ago during his first foray into national politics. In late February 2017, Buttigieg dropped out of the contest to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee on the morning of the vote after it became clear he had commitments from fewer than 10 DNC members. After his withdrawal, Buttigieg received a single vote, from Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio. Reid J Epstein and Trip Gabriel c.2020 The New York Times Company After sinking last week, Asian shares rose on hopes that new measures would address the effects of the virus outbreak. Asian shares steadied from early losses on Monday as investors placed their hopes on a coordinated global monetary policy response to weather the damaging economic effects of the coronavirus epidemic. Pandemic fears pushed financial markets off a precipice last week, wiping more than $5 trillion from the value of global shares as stocks cratered to their steepest slump in more than 10 years. The sheer scale of losses prompted markets to anticipate policy responses from the United States Federal Reserve to the Bank of Japan and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBC). Futures now imply a half percentage-point cut by the Federal Reserve in March while Australian markets are pricing in a quarter-point cut at the RBAs Tuesday meeting. Also helping calm market nerves, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Monday the central bank would take necessary steps to stabilise financial markets. In equities, Chinese shares opened higher with the blue-chip index up 1.5 percent. MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.4 percent, turning around from a loss of about 0.3 percent earlier in the day. E-mini futures for the S&P500, which were down more than by 1 percent at one point, were last up by 0.3 percent while Japans Nikkei, which opened by 1.3 percent lower at a six-month trough, climbed by 0.4 percent. Australias S&P ASX/200, which had tumbled by 3 percent, was last off at 1.8 percent. The yield on benchmark US 10-Year Treasuries hit a fresh record low of 1.0750 percent. Despite some stability in the market, analysts still expect volatility to persist. Any signs that new cases are beginning to taper could be seen as a positive catalyst for the market especially given that some of the market complacency has reduced with equity valuations much lower vs few weeks ago, Nomura analysts wrote in a note. In the very near term until [first quarter] reporting results, we expect Asian equities may remain quite volatile, they added. However, on a medium-term basis we believe the risk-reward is now getting favourable, assuming the virus does not take the form of a virulent global pandemic. Leaders in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas rolled out bans on big gatherings and stricter travel restrictions over the weekend as cases of the new coronavirus spread. The epidemic, which began in China, has killed almost 3,000 people worldwide as authorities race to contain infections in Iran, Italy, South Korea and the United States. Both official and private surveys, released on Saturday and Monday respectively, showed Chinas factory activity collapsing to its worst levels on record as the virus crippled broad areas of the economy. It is now highly probable that the coronavirus will spread globally, Citi analysts said in a note. Financial markets may over-react until they have visibility on the actual impact. Investor panic last week sent bonds soaring and stocks plunging. The S&P 500 index fell by 11.5 percent, only its fifth double-digit weekly percentage drop since 1940. On Monday, oil extended losses before steadying on expectations OPEC may cut production. Brent crude last traded at $50.41 per barrel and US crude at $45.30 per barrel. In currencies, investors sought shelter in the Japanese yen, which jumped to a 20-week high on the US dollar in tandem with the significant shift in money markets to price US rate cuts. All of this leaves just about every largest asset class on edge and few analysts sounding optimistic. So it was right not to buy the dip, said Michael Every, Rabobanks senior strategist for the Asia-Pacific. The yen was last up by 0.1 percent at 107.98. The Aussie huddled near an 11-year low at $0.6527, while the New Zealand dollar slipped by 0.1 percent to $6238. The euro was up by 0.3 percent at $1.1054. That left the US dollar index a shade weaker at 97.911. A further set of manufacturing surveys from around the world due later on Monday will provide investors with more detail on the virus effects on the global economy. Later in the week, central bank meetings in Australia, on Tuesday, and Canada, on Wednesday, will be closely watched. Over the weekend, Pete Buttigieg bowed out of the Democratic presidential race, leaving a substantial number of delegates up for grabs. Reports indicate that the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., is strongly considering endorsing Joe Biden, though he declined to do so in his speech announcing the end of his campaign, instead making a pitch for unity. Dropping out was the smart thing to do for the sake of preventing Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders from running away with the nomination; his exit means theres one fewer non-Sanders option dividing the field and splitting the vote. But it was likely an easier decision for him to make than it wouldve been for Elizabeth Warren, whos still in the race and several decades older than Buttigieg, who only just turned 38. Hes saying goodbye to 2020, perhaps, but evidently has his eye on 2024 and beyond. Buttigieg undoubtedly will be back, and perhaps for good reason. It was a stunning feat to go from being the barely known mayor of a mid-sized, Rust Belt city a place whose prospects he did markedly little to improve during his tenure to winning Iowa and finishing a close second in New Hampshire. A large part of that success owes to his ability to come across as highly articulate, though close listening revealed that hes less eloquent than glib. He seemed to model his campaign as the second coming of Barack Obama, but he lacks the charisma of the former president and substituted an impressive ability to memorize so many talking points so thoroughly that he was able to emote as if his comments came from the heart. As a gay man, he could play the identity-politics card with vigor, arguing that support for his campaign would be a step forward for America. In what turned out to be one of his final campaign events, Buttigieg welcomed a nine-year-old boy on stage to come out as gay and discussed the bravery it has required of him to blaze a trail as a gay politician. On policy, Buttigieg was a moderate only because so many candidates in the Democratic field had run so far to the left. His Medicare for all who want it was a handy cop-out, allowing him to embrace the idea of socialized health care without accepting the unpopular fact that it would require removing millions of people from private health insurance. Story continues He managed to give vocal support to the national Green New Deal policy while also rolling out his own paper on the subject, calling it a bold and achievable Green New Deal and a realistic plan, pitching it as if he had found a middle way to keep the goals of the program without the exorbitant costs. On every policy, he either embraced the standard progressive position or came as close to it as he possibly could while offering a rhetorical spin that aimed to please everybody. But it was on matters of culture and religion that Buttigieg most revealed his instinct for division. Despite having said in the past that he worked well with Mike Pence when Pence was Indiana governor, Buttigieg spurred an entire news cycle last spring by suggesting that the vice presidents support for traditional marriage is an animus-driven misapplication of Christianity. Thats the thing that I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand, that if you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me, Buttigieg said in a speech last April. Your quarrel, sir, is with my Creator. Never mind that, not very long ago, Democrats as prominent as Barack Obama espoused the same views about marriage as does Pence. For Buttigieg, it was a way to pick a fight, to drive up his name recognition, to portray himself as a progressive martyr in a cultural holy war. Again and again, it turned out that no one but Mayor Pete understood what Christianity really demanded of us and of our politics. The Left is rightly committed to a separation of church and state, but we need to not be afraid to invoke arguments that are convincing on why Christian faith is going to point you in a progressive direction, he told USA Today. Christianity requires us to be progressive, and Buttigieg anointed himself the prophet of this leftist religion. In a September interview, he attempted to rationalize his support for unlimited abortion by suggesting that theres a lot of parts of the Bible that talk about how life begins with breath. And he didnt limit himself to sharing his own twisted interpretation of Christianity; he also used it as a cudgel to accuse his political opponents of insincerity. The Republican party Pikes to cloak itself in the language of religion. . . . We should call out hypocrisy when we see it, he said during a primary debate last summer. For a party that associates itself with Christianity, to say that . . . God would smile on the division of families at the hands of federal agents, that God would condone putting children in cages, has lost all claim to ever use religious language again, he added. In another debate, Buttigieg levied his religious expertise to scrutinize fiscal conservatism. The minimum wage is just too low, he asserted, and so-called conservative Christian senators right now in the Senate are blocking a bill to raise the minimum wage, when scripture says that whoever oppresses the poor taunts their maker. The media will aim to preserve Petes memory as a reasonable, subdued statesman who brought a voice of moderation to the Democratic primary and pulled off an admirable campaign before his time had really come. He should be remembered instead as an inexperienced progressive who attempted to disguise his actual policies and contempt for his opponents by dressing them up in the jargon of an exMcKinsey consultant. Editors note: This piece has been updated since its initial publication, as Amy Klobuchar ended her campaign this afternoon. More from National Review Headlines of mainstream newspapers for Monday, March 2, examine the visit to Somalia by 11 Kenyan MPs and why security agencies in Nairobi are displeased with the tour. Another point of interest for the dailies are reactions by the political class following Saturday, February 29, Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) meeting in Meru. READ ALSO: BBI: Murkomen says he left rally early to attend sports event at his kids' school The dailies reports on reactions by the political class following Saturday's BBI meeting in Meru. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Pope Francis asks for prayers days after falling ill 1. People Daily The 11 Kenyan MPs who secretly visited Mogadishu on Saturday are likely to face counts of treason if the state decides to press charges against them. According to People Daily, the lawmakers bypassed protocol by not involving the Speaker of the National Assembly and Ministry of Foreign Affairs who provide MPs with clearance ahead of an official visit to a foreign country. Security agencies have also read malice in the visit since it comes at a time when Kenya is embroiled in several disputes with Somalia, for instance, the border row and the push by Mogadishu to have Nairobi remove KDF soldiers from Somalia. What even raises more eyebrows is that the 11 MPs come from the Ogaden clan as Somalia President Farmajo. The clan has always been at war with Jubaland President Mohamed Islam (Madobe). Farmajo has been pointing fingers at Nairobi claiming it has installed Madobe. READ ALSO: 10 most dangerous airports to land and take off in the world 2. Taifa Leo Taifa Leo reports that there is disquiet in the political class since President Uhuru Kenyatta has not been associating directly with countrywide BBI rallies. It is being perceived that BBI agenda has been handed over to ODM leader Raila Odinga. Uhuru has also not shown signs of attending the last round of the rallies that are set to be convened in his political forts. The latest meeting was held in Meru, one of Uhuru's strongholds but he was no show. The remaining regions are Nairobi, Uasin Gishu and Nakuru where the Head of State also has huge political clout. The latest meeting was held in Meru, one of Uhuru's strongholds but he was no show. Photo: Taifa Leo. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kabogo aongeza chumvi kwenye kidonda cha Waititu, afufua kesi ya vyeti feki 3. The Star Nairobi County Assembly Minority Whip Peter Imwatok has said the impeachment motion against Governor Mike Sonko is still on despite President Uhuru's intervention. On Saturday, Uhuru hosted 115 Nairobi MCAs at State House where he urged them to drop the bid to oust Sonko. However, Imwatok who was absent during the session, said the motion will be on the floor of the House on Tuesday, March 3. He said Uhuru did not provide solid points on why MCAs should spare Sonko. Peter Imwatok has said the impeachment motion against Governor Mike Sonko is still on. Photo: The Star. Source: UGC READ ALSO: William Kabogo admits things are different on ground after mass walkout during BBI rally in Meru 4. The Standard Chinese engineers supervising the construction of a power transmission station in Tana River county have deserted their camp after locals demanded they be screened for coronavirus. The engineers left for Nairobi about three weeks ago as panic among Hola residents continues to rise. Most of the locals believe the foreigners, who frequently travel to China, may come back with the virus. This comes even as the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi urges Kenyans not to make anti Chinese sentiments over the virus. The engineers left for Nairobi about three weeks ago. Photo: The Standard. Source: UGC READ ALSO: TV presenter Kimani Mbugua apologises to SDAs for calling their church a cult 5. Daily Nation Leaders charged with organising BBI meeting in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county have remained noncommittal on when the gathering will be convened. According to Raila who is heading the meetings, the next rally after the one held in Meru on Saturday will be held in Nakuru then Eldoret (Uasin Gishu). Leaders from the country's breadbasket which is Deputy President William Ruto's backyard had hinted that they will not allow Raila to preside over the meeting. Led by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, the leaders said Raila tolerated hateful messages. They cited remarks by Narok senator Ledama ole Kina during BBI meeting in Narok. Led by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, the leaders said Raila tolerated hateful messages. Photo: Daily Nation. Source: UGC 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 Climate change is a hoax, the Bible predicted President Trumps election and Elon Musk is a devil worshiper trying to take over the world. All of these fictions have found life on YouTube, the worlds largest video site, in part because YouTubes own recommendations steered people their way. For years it has been a highly effective megaphone for conspiracy theorists, and YouTube, owned and run by Google, has admitted as much. In January 2019, YouTube said it would limit the spread of videos that could misinform users in harmful ways. One year later, YouTube recommends conspiracy theories far less than before. But its progress has been uneven and it continues to advance certain types of fabrications, according to a new study from researchers at University of California, Berkeley. YouTubes efforts to curb conspiracy theories pose a major test of Silicon Valleys ability to combat misinformation, particularly ahead of this years elections. The study, which examined eight million recommendations over 15 months, provides one of the clearest pictures yet of that fight, and the mixed findings show how challenging the issue remains for tech companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter. The researchers found that YouTube has nearly eradicated some conspiracy theories from its recommendations, including claims that the earth is flat and that the U.S. government carried out the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, two falsehoods the company identified as targets last year. In June, YouTube said the amount of time people spent watching such videos from its recommendations had dropped by 50 percent. Yet the Berkeley researchers found that just after YouTube announced that success, its recommendations of conspiracy theories jumped back up and then fluctuated over the next several months. This is the share of conspiracy videos recommended from top news-related clips % 8 6 4 2 0 2.4% 2019 April July Oct. 2020 YouTube announces watch time of borderline content from recommendations dropped by 50% YouTube announces effort to improve recommendations % 10 8 6 4 2 0 2.4% 2019 2020 YouTube announces effort to improve recommendations YouTube announces watch time of borderline content from recommendations dropped by 50% % 8 6 4 2 0 2.4% Nov. Dec. 2019 Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. 2020 Feb. YouTube announces effort to improve recommendations YouTube announces watch time of borderline content from recommendations dropped by 50% Note: Recommendations were collected daily from the Up next column alongside videos posted by more than 1,000 of the top news and information channels. The figures include only videos that ranked 0.5 or higher on the zero-to-one scale of conspiracy likelihood developed by the researchers. Source: Hany Farid and Marc Faddoul at University of California, Berkeley, and Guillaume Chaslot The data also showed that other falsehoods continued to flourish in YouTubes recommendations, like claims that aliens created the pyramids, that the government is hiding secret technologies and that climate change is a lie. The researchers argue those findings suggest that YouTube has decided which types of misinformation it wants to root out and which types it is willing to allow. It is a technological problem, but it is really at the end of the day also a policy problem, said Hany Farid, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-author of the study. If you have the ability to essentially drive some of the particularly problematic content close to zero, well then you can do more on lots of things, he added. They use the word cant when they mean wont. Farshad Shadloo, a YouTube spokesman, said the companys recommendations aimed to steer people toward authoritative videos that leave them satisfied. He said the company was continually improving the algorithm that generates the recommendations. Over the past year alone, weve launched over 30 different changes to reduce recommendations of borderline content and harmful misinformation, including climate change misinformation and other types of conspiracy videos, he said. Thanks to this change, watchtime this type of content gets from recommendations has dropped by over 70 percent in the U.S. YouTubes powerful recommendation algorithm, which pushes its two billion monthly users to videos it thinks they will watch, has fueled the platforms ascent to become the new TV for many across the world. The company has said its recommendations drive over 70 percent of the more than one billion hours people spend watching videos each day, making the software that picks the recommendations among the worlds most influential algorithms. Alongside the video currently playing, YouTube recommends new videos to watch next. An algorithm helps determine which videos to suggest, often using someones viewing history as a guide. Illustration by The New York Times YouTubes success has come with a dark side. Research has shown that the sites recommendations have systematically amplified divisive, sensationalist and clearly false videos. Other algorithms meant to capture peoples attention in order to show them more ads, like Facebooks newsfeed, have had the same problem. The stakes are high. YouTube faces an onslaught of misinformation and unsavory content uploaded daily. The F.B.I. recently identified the spread of fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terror threat. Last month, a German man uploaded a screed to YouTube saying that invisible secret societies use mind control to abuse children in underground bunkers. He later shot and killed nine people in a suburb of Frankfurt. To study YouTube, Mr. Farid and another Berkeley researcher, Marc Faddoul, teamed up with Guillaume Chaslot, a former Google engineer who helped develop the recommendation engine and now studies it. Since October 2018, the researchers have collected recommendations that appeared alongside videos from more than 1,000 of YouTubes most popular and recommended news-related channels, making their study among the longest and most in-depth examinations of the topic. They then trained an algorithm to rate, on a scale from 0 to 1, the likelihood that a given video peddled a conspiracy theory, including by analyzing its comments, transcript and description. Here are six of the most recommended videos about politics in the study The Trump Presidency- Prophetic Projections and Patterns This is The End Game! Trump is part of their Plan! Storm is Coming 2019-2020 What You're Not Supposed to Know About America's Founding Rosa Koire. UN Agenda 2030 exposed Deep State Predictions 2019: Major Data Dump with DAVID WILCOCK [Part 1] David Icke discusses theories and politics with Eamonn Holmes Like most attempts to study YouTube, the approach has flaws. Determining which videos push conspiracy theories is subjective, and leaving it to an algorithm can lead to mistakes. To account for errors, the researchers included in their study only videos that scored higher than 0.5 on the likelihood scale. They also discounted many videos based on their rating: Videos with a 0.75 rating, for example, were worth three-quarters of a conspiracy-theory recommendation in the study. The recommendations were also collected without logging into a YouTube account, which isnt how most people use the site. When logged in, recommendations are personalized based on peoples viewing history. But researchers have been unable to recreate personalized recommendations at scale, and as a result have struggled to study them. That challenge has deterred other studies. Arvind Narayanan, a computer science professor at Princeton University, said that he and his students abandoned research on whether YouTube could radicalize users because they couldnt examine personalized recommendations. Late last year, Mr. Narayanan criticized a similar study which concluded that YouTube hardly radicalized users because it studied only logged-out recommendations, among other issues. Mr. Narayanan reviewed the Berkeley study at request of The New York Times and said it was valid to study the rate of conspiracy-theory recommendations over time, even when logged out. But without examining personalized recommendations, he said, the study couldnt offer conclusions about the impact on users. To me, a more interesting question is, What effect does the promotion of conspiracy videos via YouTube have on people and society? Mr. Narayanan said in an email. We dont have good ways to study that question without YouTubes cooperation. Mr. Shadloo of YouTube questioned the studys findings because the research focused on logged-out recommendations, which he reiterated doesnt represent most peoples experience. He also said the list of channels the study used to collect recommendations was subjective and didnt represent whats popular on the site. The researchers said they chose the most popular and recommended news-related channels. The study highlights a potpourri of paranoia and delusion. Some videos claim that angels are hidden beneath the ice in Antarctica (1.3 million views); that the government is hiding technologies like levitation and wireless electricity (5.5 million views); that footage of dignitaries reacting to something at George Bushs funeral confirms a major revelation is coming (1.3 million views); and that photos from the Mars rover prove there was once civilization on the planet (850,000 views). Here are six of the most recommended videos about supernatural phenomena in the study Why NASA never went back to the moon THIS JUST PPNED IN RUSS, UT SOMETHING VEN STRNGER IS HAPPENING AT T SNI Nikola Tesla - Limitless Energy & the Pyramids of Egypt If This Doesn't Make You a Believer, I Doubt Anything Will The Revelation Of The Pyramids (Documentary) Oldest Technologies Scientists Still Can't Explain Often the videos run with advertising, which helps finance the creators next production. YouTube also takes a cut. Some types of conspiracy theories were recommended less and less through 2019, including videos with end-of-the-world prophecies. One video viewed 600,000 times and titled Could Emmanuel Macron be the Antichrist? claimed there were signs that the French president was the devil and that the end-time was near. (Some of its proof: He earned 66.06 percent of the vote.) In December 2018 and January 2019, the study found that YouTube recommended the video 764 times in the Up next playlist of recommendations that appeared alongside videos analyzed in the study. Then the recommendations abruptly stopped. Videos promoting QAnon, the pro-Trump conspiracy theory that claims deep state pedophiles control the country, had thousands of recommendations in early 2019, according to the study. Over the past year, YouTube has sharply cut recommendations of QAnon videos, the results showed, in part by seemingly avoiding some channels that push the theory. This is the share of recommendations of different types of conspiracies Most conspiracy-theory videos recommended were labeled in one of three categories: Alternative science and history; prophecies and online cults; and political conspiracies and QAnon. % 10 8 6 4 2 0 Overall Alt. Science and History Prophecies Political 2019 April July Oct. 2020 % 10 8 6 4 2 0 Overall Alternative Science and History Prophecies and cults Political and QAnon 2019 April July Oct. 2020 % 10 8 6 4 2 0 Overall Alternative science and history Prophecies and cults Political and QAnon 2019 2020 Source: Hany Farid and Marc Faddoul at University of California, Berkeley, and Guillaume Chaslot While YouTube recommends such videos less, it still hosts many of them on its site. For some topics like the moon landing and climate change, it now aims to undercut debunked claims by including Wikipedia blurbs below videos. One video, a Fox News clip titled The truth about global warming, which was recommended 15,240 times in the study, illustrates YouTubes challenge in fighting misinformation. YouTube has said it has tried to steer people to better information by relying more on mainstream channels, but sometimes those channels post discredited views. And some videos are not always clear-cut conspiracy theories. In the Fox News video, Patrick Michaels, a scientist who is partly funded by the fossil-fuel industry, said that climate change was not a threat because government forecasts are systematically flawed and sharply overstate the risk. Various scientists dispute Mr. Michaelss views and point to data that show the forecasts have been accurate. Mr. Michaels does indeed qualify as a conspiracy theorist, said Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University. The key is not just that his science is wrong, but that he packages it with accusations that climate science is corrupt. Everything I said in the video is a fact, not a matter of opinion, Mr. Michaels responded. The truth is very inconvenient to climate activists. Yet many of the conspiracy theories YouTube continues to recommend come from fringe channels. Consider Perry Stone, a televangelist who preaches that patterns in the Bible can predict the future, that climate change is not a threat and that world leaders worship the devil. YouTubes recommendations of his videos have steadily increased, steering people his way nearly 8,000 times in the study. Many of his videos now collect hundreds of thousands of views each. I am amused that some of the researchers in nonreligious academia would consider portions of my teaching that link biblical prophecies and their fulfillment to this day and age, as a mix of off-the-wall conspiracy theories, Mr. Stone said in an email. Climate change, he said, had simply been rebranded: Men have survived Noahs flood, Sodoms destruction, Pompeiis volcano. As for the claim that world leaders are Luciferian, the information was given directly to me from a European billionaire, he said. I will not disclose his information nor his identity. Senegal and Tunisia have confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of people with the virus on the continent to five. ... Senegal and Tunisia have confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of people with the virus on the continent to five. Prior to the latest development, Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt were the only African countries with confirmed cases of the virus, which has killed over 3000 persons across the world. At a press conference in Dakar, capital of Senegal, on Monday, the countrys health minister said a French national who arrived in Senegal last week has tested positive to the virus. He had been under observation at an institute in Dakar. In Tunisia, a 40-year-old citizen, who arrived the country by boat from Italy, tested positive to the virus. At least 33 countries in Africa can now conduct coronavirus test, according to Matshidiso Moeti, regional director for Africa at the World Health Organisation. The virus, which broke out in Wuhan, China, in December, has affected over 80,000 persons. Saudi Arabia recorded its first case on Monday. The kingdom had earlier cancelled the annual lesser hajj pilgrimage to prevent an outbreak of the virus. Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (TSE:USA) President, Darren Blasutti, recently bought CA$100k worth of stock, for CA$3.51 per share. That purchase might not be huge but it did increase their holding by 28%. View our latest analysis for Americas Gold and Silver Americas Gold and Silver Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In fact, the recent purchase by Darren Blasutti was the biggest purchase of Americas Gold and Silver shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that even when the share price was higher than CA$3.15 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. Darren Blasutti was the only individual insider to buy over the year. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! TSX:USA Recent Insider Trading, March 2nd 2020 Americas Gold and Silver is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Insider Ownership of Americas Gold and Silver Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 5.4% of Americas Gold and Silver shares, worth about CA$15m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. Story continues So What Do The Americas Gold and Silver Insider Transactions Indicate? Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. Overall the buying isn't worth writing home about. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders own shares in Americas Gold and Silver and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Americas Gold and Silver. 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. On Monday morning a trickle of injured people had started coming to Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, the biggest government medical facility in the trans-Yamuna region. By evening, the numbers started increasing and so did the severity of the injuries, several coming in with bullet wounds. The number of those injured swelled to 97 by next morning and over 200 by the time the violence abated. Twenty-eight people were brought dead to the hospital and 10 succumbed to their injuries during treatment. GTB hospital saw the worst of Delhi riots -- bodies, debilitating injuries and people turning up to find their relatives. It was a disaster-like situation, said Dr Sunil Kumar, medical director of GTB Hospital. Among the measures taken at the hospital were beds earmarked for those injured in the riots, a trauma team of over 50 doctors being roped in, and a separate emergency area created for those coming from riot-hit areas. After assessing the kind of injuries that people were coming in with on Monday, GTB hospital drew doctors from surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, and ophthalmology department to create the trauma team. The team was further divided into smaller teams of five to six doctors who manned the emergency room in rotation to ensure proper rest for everyone. As soon as people came in, the doctors triaged them categorising them into green, yellow, and red with green being those who could walk and probably had blunt traumas and injuries to the limb and red being those grievously injured, said Dr Kumar. Depending on how a patient was categorised, a team would take over. But, we could receive two or three red patients at once or within a short time. So, we had Red team 2 and Red team 3 ready to take over, he said. Forty patients, mostly in surgery and orthopaedics department, are still admitted to the hospital. To ensure that patients other than the riot victims who walked into the emergency department also received the adequate care, a separate room inside the emergency area was demarcated for them. When patients with bullet wounds started showing up at the hospital on Monday evening, the hospital had another problem at hand. The CT scan machine in the hospital had broken down. The patients had to go to Rajiv Gandhi super-speciality hospital around 2 kms away for the scan. Usually CT scan is not needed for treating the emergency patients that we get. However, it is needed for assessing some of the bullet injuries, etc. The machine was repaired immediately, said a senior doctor, on condition of anonymity. Based on the reports from riot-hit areas and the number of patients coming in the day before, the hospital also earmarked beds for those injured in the riots. The forensic department too had to work past the office hours. On Tuesday, a day after the riots began, the hospital did not conduct the autopsies of any of the riot victims other than that of the head constable Ratan Singh. A medical board had to be set up. The request for setting up a medical board and for a post-mortem comes from the police. But, once the requests were raised, I asked all the doctors from the department to ensure that the autopsies were conducted the same day. The mortuary ran well into the night during the crisis, said Dr Kumar. The autopsy of four people is pending as they are unidentified SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former Vice President Joe Biden used Houston as a backdrop on Monday as he tries to drive his newfound momentum into Super Tuesday when Texas and 13 other states will cast a potentially decisive blow in the race for the White House. Biden dominated in South Carolinas presidential primary on Saturday and brought his reinvigorated campaign to Texas for a final pitch. Look, we did it. We won in South Carolina, Biden said to a roar of hundreds of supporters at Texas Southern University. And God willing, we will win in Texas tomorrow. Biden, who has long honed his image as a fighter for the underdog, acknowledged that just a few days ago many were counting him out. My message to everyone who has been knocked down, counted out, left behind: This is your campaign, he said. Bidens rally at TSU came amid a flood of endorsements that rolled into his campaign from Democrats around the state and nation as other candidates dropped out of the race. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday and, just before Biden took the stage, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar pulled out. Both are expected to endorse Biden at a rally in Dallas later on Monday. Know the candidates: Houston Chronicle 2020 primary election voter guide; San Antonio Express-News 2020 primary election voter guide But Biden hardly has a clear path to the nomination. Polls in Texas show he is locked in a tight battle with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Biden didnt mention Sanders by name, but alluded to him when he told the crowd the party needs a Democratic nominee who is actually a Democrat. That is a reference to Sanders, who describes himself as a democratic socialist. The decision Democrats make tomorrow and the next few weeks will determine what we stand for, what we believe and where we're going to go, Biden said. Bidens Texas visit was just a week after Sanders held four rallies in Texas, including one in San Antonio and another in Houston. Speaking at the University of Houston, Sanders declared that the nation needs big structural change to fight for the working class by providing health care to everyone and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In San Antonio, Sanders drew a crowd of 3,000 supporters as he vowed to win the Democratic primary. The president gets upset very easily, so dont tell him that were going to beat him here in Texas, he said. Those visits were part of a wild final week in Democratic politics in Texas. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigned in San Antonio on Thursday, then in Houston on Saturday. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg was in Houston on Thursday and San Antonio on Sunday. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The attention precedes a dramatic Super Tuesday. Texas offers winning candidates a share of 228 pledged delegates. A big night for Sanders could make him unstoppable for the Democratic nomination. But if Biden wins outright, hed have even more momentum following his big weekend. Nevertheless, Texas is a challenge for Biden because of Bloomberg, who has zeroed in on the state as a key part of his strategy to win the nomination. Bloomberg skipped the first four early voting states, and instead has invested heavily in Texas, where hes spent millions more on television than any of his rivals. In Virginia on Monday for a campaign event, Bloomberg spoke shortly after Klobuchar quit the race, according to the Washington Post. He said he had spoken to both Klobuchar and Buttigieg. I thought both of them behaved themselves, is a nice way to phrase it, but they represented their country and their states very well, he said. And I feel sorry for them, but Im in it to win it. Bloomberg has visited Texas more than any other candidate since the start of the year. That has allowed Bloomberg to pick up key endorsements, including that of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has become one of Bloombergs most important surrogates. Warren on Monday traveled to Los Angeles to make a final pitch to California voters. She also released a detailed plan on how she would deal with the coronavirus, and a plan for farmworkers rights. For decades, agricultural labor has been intentionally excluded from basic labor laws. ... This exclusion was justified with explicitly racist reasons, one of the many ways in which Americans of color were excluded from the opportunities that built Americas white middle class, Warren says in her plan, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. She was scheduled for a rally in East Los Angeles on Monday night. In his appearance at TSU, Biden credited the voters of South Carolina particularly black voters with changing his fortunes as a presidential candidate. I am very much alive because of you, he said. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was at the rally on Monday with Texas State Sens. John Whitmire and Carol Alvarado, two of Bidens newest Houston-area endorsements. Biden didnt hesitate to pitch himself as the candidate who is best positioned to carry on former President Barack Obamas legacy. We need to build on a coalition and legacy of the most successful president in any of our lifetimes: Barack Obama, Biden said in pledging to build on Obamacare and not scrap it. A week after Delhi witnessed communal riots in the north-eastern parts of the city, the Capital was again on the edge over the weekend as rumours of tension in the citys south-east and west districts spread like wildfire, mainly on social media platforms and WhatsApp groups. This led to the closure of seven metro stations for an hour, shops downing shutters, panic and fear across localities, and people rushing home to ensure that they were not caught in the violence. The situation, however, did not spiral out of control because the Delhi Police quickly, and proactively, denied these rumours. Senior officials posted clips urging calm. The police said that they were closely monitoring social media accounts, which were allegedly spreading the rumours, engaged with the media to quell rumours, and reassured citizens that the law and order situation in Delhi was completely under control. This was followed by an appeal to all the residents in the national Capital to act responsibly and help in maintaining peace. While Delhi Police must be praised for acting quickly on Sunday night to quell rumours, which, as one senior police officer correctly said , is the biggest enemy at this point of time for the city, the force must not slide into complacency. The rumours, and the subsequent public response, laced with fear, showed that the city is still on the edge and the situation remains fragile. The polices proactive approach over the weekend was also in stark contrast to their actions last week, when they did not act for hours even as the city burnt. Delhi Police have a new leader in SN Shrivastava. He has started well, but must ensure rigorous and independent probe into the riots, bring the guilty to book, ensure peace, and rebuild trust between the police and citizens and between communities. Family makes homemade midnight snacks for volunteers By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-03-02 08:53 I am not at the frontline, but it is very meaningful for me to do my best and send warm homemade midnight snacks to the volunteers on the night shift, said Cheng Caiyan, an ordinary villager in Datuan Town, Pudong. From Feb. 7, at 10 pm every day, she and her family sends prepared food to people at the intersections, rain or shine. (Cheng Caiyan and her mother-in-law) To offer more kinds of food to the volunteers who are on guard at the intersections fighting against the epidemic, Cheng has racked her brains. Her 72-year-old mother-in-law, Wu Caijuan, has helped her a lot. Wu is good at making pancakes with pickle stuffing, glutinous rice balls, dumplings, and wontons. Almost all members of the family have been mobilized. Chengs husband is in charge of buying ingredients and coordinating. Then Chengs son packages the snacks and delivers them to the volunteers. After a few days of making Chinese snacks, Cheng wanted to make something new. At first, she saw many of her friends posting nice-looking homemade snacks on WeChat Moments, so she learned from them. Then she downloaded many cooking apps on her mobile phone to learn from other netizens. Now she is able to make Western-style food, like Windsor bread and sweet red bean paste bread. Each time she learns a new type of food or dim sum, she asks her family to taste it in advance. Only after it gets approval will she make large quantities for the volunteers in the village. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 03:59:48|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed speaks during a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, on March 1, 2020. Hala Zayed departed from Cairo on Sunday evening for the Chinese capital Beijing to convey Egypt's solidarity with China in combating the novel coronavirus. (Xinhua) CAIRO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed departed from Cairo on Sunday evening for the Chinese capital Beijing to convey Egypt's solidarity with China in combating the novel coronavirus. "The Egyptian political leadership is keen on maintaining solidarity with China and the Chinese people during such critical conditions," said the minister during a joint press conference with Chinese Ambassador to Cairo Liao Liqiang ahead of departure. Zayed also praised the measures taken by China to contain the outbreak of the virus. "Had it not been for the very strong precautionary measures taken by the Chinese government, the situation could've been different worldwide and the outbreak could've been larger," she said. The minister expressed thanks to the Chinese government for its efforts to combat the virus, saying that the Egyptian health ministry is looking forward to learning from the Chinese expertise in this regard. Egypt has previously sent tons of medical supplies to China as a sign of support and solidarity with the Asian country in fighting the new epidemic. For his part, the Chinese ambassador expressed appreciation to the Egyptian minister and the country's leadership for standing by China at such a critical time. He also hailed the joint efforts exerted by China and Egypt in fighting the novel coronavirus. Egypt's only announced case of coronavirus, which was of a foreign national, was discharged from hospital in late February after recovery and being tested negative for the virus following a 14-day quarantine period. The Delhi police has denied permission for a march from the Ramlila Maidan to the Parliament against the new citizenship law, officials said on Monday. The Young India Coordination Committee, which comprises members from various students' bodies, had given a call for the march on Tuesday. Police said the application for permission was submitted in New Delhi and Central police districts, and it was not granted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chad Daybell has insisted that his wife Lori Vallow's two missing children are not in danger as the mother awaits extradition to Idaho to face charges in their disappearance. The prolific doomsday author has repeatedly declined to comment in the past on the whereabouts of Lori's kids Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and Tylee Ryan, who were last seen in Idaho in September. That changed on Thursday, when he was approached by ABC News reporters at Lihue Airport in Hawaii. 'The kids are safe,' Chad said minutes before he boarded a flight back to Rexburg, Idaho. He declined to go into any further detail about where the children are. Scroll down for video Chad Daybell has insisted that his wife Lori Vallow's two missing children are not in danger as the mother awaits extradition to Idaho to face charges in their disappearance. 'The kids are safe,' Chad told reporters at Lihue Airport on Thursday (pictured), minutes before he boarded a flight back to Rexburg, Idaho Seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan have not been seen since September. Police in the city of Rexburg, Idaho, have said they 'strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee's lives are in danger' Lori was arrested in Kauai on February 20 on charges of desertion and child abandonment, resisting and/or obstructing an officer, solicitation and contempt of court. She waived her right to an extradition hearing when she appeared in front of a judge on Friday (above) Lori was arrested in Kauai on February 20 on charges of desertion and child abandonment, resisting and/or obstructing an officer, solicitation and contempt of court. Authorities are reportedly preparing to return her to Idaho later this week after she waived her right to an extradition hearing when she appeared in front of a judge last Wednesday. Meanwhile, Chad was seen packing up the couple's apartment in Princeville, Hawaii, before he caught the flight to Idaho the following day. Chad was seen packing up the home he shared with Lori in Princeville, Hawaii on Wednesday The doomsday author also stopped by a Hawaii supermarket on Wednesday to pick up last minute packing supplies Seven-year-old JJ and 17-year-old Tylee were last seen in Idaho over five months ago but were never reported missing by their mother. Lori and Chad, whom she married in early November, fled their home in Rexburg later that month when police began asking questions about her children's whereabouts. Authorities tracked the couple down in Princeville, Hawaii, and served Lori with a court order on January 25 requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho within five days. Lori failed to meet the deadline, prompting her arrest on February 20. Rexburg police have accused Lori of repeatedly lying about where JJ and Tylee are and refusing to cooperate with investigators conducting a multi-state search. They've said they 'strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee's lives are in danger' and that Lori knows what happened to the kids. Police are still searching for Tylee, 17, and JJ, seven, who went missing over five months ago The last known footage of JJ, recorded on a neighbor's security camera, showed the seven-year-old playing outside his home in Rexburg on September 17 JJ was last seen at his elementary school in Rexburg on September 23, a day before his mother withdrew him and told administrators she would be homeschooling him. Doorbell camera footage recorded at a neighbor's house appeared to show JJ playing in his front yard on September 17. Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance July 11: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho September 23: The last time JJ was seen at his school in Idaho October 19: Chad Daybell's wife Tammy dies at their Idaho home October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a text from her phone November 5: Lori and Chad marry November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives. Police also learn Tylee has not been seen since September, either November 27: Police execute a search warrant at Lori and Chad's home, discovering the couple have fled Idaho December 11: Tammy Daybell's body is exhumed from the Utah cemetery December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, believed to have died in Arizona December 21: Police issue a press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance is linked to Tammy's death December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor' December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them January 26: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve two search warrants in Kaua'i January 30 Lori misses court deadline to produce the children to authorities February 20: Lori is arrested in Kauai Advertisement Tylee was last seen on September 8 at Yellowstone National Park on a day trip with her mother, uncle and JJ. Police recovered a photo of Tylee in the park from Lori's iCloud account and said there's been no sign of the 17-year-old since. Detectives are reportedly preparing to search Yellowstone as soon as the snow melts, which could not happen until May or June. The case captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police are also investigating three mysterious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as family members' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult. The first death is that of Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow, who was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona on July 10. Charles and Lori had gotten into an argument when the father came to pick up JJ at the mother's home in Chandler. Lori's brother intervened and fatally shot Charles. Police initially determined that he acted in self defense - but the case was reopened amid the multi-state search for JJ and Tylee, who had moved to Idaho, where Chad lived, with their mother in August. The second mysterious death was Tammy Daybell - Chad's previous wife - who was found dead at the couple's home in Salem, Idaho, on October 19. An obituary stated that Tammy passed away in her sleep and her cause of death was ruled as natural after Chad reportedly declined an autopsy. Investigators reopened the case after learning that JJ and Tylee were missing, as their mother had married Chad just two weeks after Tammy died. They believe the two cases could be linked. Tammy's body was exhumed on December 11 and the autopsy results have not yet been released. On December 12, Lori's brother, Alex Cox, was found dead in Gilbert, Arizona. The 51-year-old's death is now under investigation as police wait for an autopsy to determine the cause. Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow (pictured together) was shot dead by her brother Alex Cox in Arizona on July 11 Chad's wife Tammy Daybell (pictured together) was found dead under mysterious circumstances in October, just two weeks before he married Lori The Bihar Assembly on Monday passed the third supplementary demand for grant of Rs 8,868.52 crore of the current financial year as well as the Bihar Appropriation Bill, 2020 amid a boycott by opposition MLAs. The Appropriation Bill is required for withdrawal of the supplementary demand from the treasury to meet various outstanding expenditure in addition to those sanctioned in the 2019-20 budget. While giving a reply during a debate on supplementary demand for grant of Rs 2276.80 crore for rural development department, its minister Shrawan Kumar outlined the priorities and achievements of his department. He said the state government had set up a Management Development Institute (MDI) on February 13, 2014 and sanctioned a revised estimate of Rs 250 crore for constructing the institute's campus on 15 acres at Mega Industrial Park in Patna's Bihta. The institute is currently being run from Udyog Bhawan in Patna. He said the state government intends to spend Rs 24,524 crore on 'Jal-Jiwan-Hariyali' drive. Kumar said Bihar's green cover has increased from nine per cent to 15 per cent in 15 years and the state government has set a target to increase it to 33 per cent. He said the state government has set a target of planting 8.50 crore saplings during the 'Jal-Jiwan-Hariyali' drive and 2.51 crore saplings will be planted on a single day on the occasion of 'Bihar Prithwi Diwas' on August 9. Opposition RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) legislators staged a walkout during the debate, expressing dissatisfaction over the minister's reply. Later, during the debate on Bihar Appropriation Bill, 2020, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that out of Rs 8,868.52 crore supplementary budget, Rs 6,983.52 crore will be spent on annual schemes while Rs 1,876.22 crore has been earmarked for committed and establishment expenditure head and Rs 8.76 crore for central sector schemes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nine years ago last month, the winds of the Arab Spring finally reached the Arabian peninsula, engulfing the tiny island of Bahrain in a sea of optimistic faces wrapped in the red and white national flag. Generations of Bahrainis had dreamed of living in a free country and as hundreds of thousands peacefully descended on Manamas Pearl Roundabout, it seemed to finally be within reach. However, what began as a dream quickly became a nightmare. Sensing their authority crumbling, Bahrains desperate despots called for aid. Just weeks after the protests began, troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia were invited in to crush the fledgling revolution. The invasion was brutal. Soldiers fired live ammunition indiscriminately into crowds and emergency doctors were jailed as traitors for treating injured protesters. Thousands of civilians found themselves arrested, tortured and carted before military tribunals on a range of spurious charges. I myself was sentenced to six months for giving an interview about police violence; a deep scar on my forehead is a daily reminder of the torture I was subjected to. A bump stock on an AK-47 at Good Guys Gun and Range in Orem, Utah, on Feb. 21, 2018. (George Frey/Getty Images) Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Block Bump Stock Ban, for Now The Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to put on hold the Trump administrations ban on bump stocks. One of the justices indicated, however, that the court will observe how lower courts handle the issue and may pick it up later. President Donald Trump ordered the ban on Feb. 20, 2018, asking the attorney general to outlaw devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire rapidly like machine guns, which are mostly illegal for civilians. A bump stock harnesses a semi-automatic rifles recoil force to allow it to achieve a fire rate nearly equivalent to that of an automatic rifle. The devices received unprecedented media attention after Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock used them in killing 58 and injuring hundreds more on Oct. 1, 2017. The Firearms Policy Foundation, a gun rights group, and other plaintiffs sued in federal court to try to reverse the bump stock ban and pause its implementation while the case works its way through the courts. The District of Columbia District Court refused to pause the rule, which went into effect on March 26, 2019. The D.C. appeals court affirmed the decision in April. The Supreme Court last year refused to pause the ban as well, and the justices also refused to temporarily exempt the plaintiff in the case from the ban. While requests to put the rule on hold have failed, the case is yet to receive a final decision on its merits. Gorsuch Criticism In a March 2 court statement (pdf), Justice Neil Gorsuch affirmed that the request to put the rule enforcement on hold does not merit review. But he also criticized the D.C. circuit for weighing the ban on improper grounds. The appeals court ruled that the ban was likely a non-ambiguous and reasonable interpretation of the National Firearms Act and that the courts should defer to the administrations judgment in such regulatory matterseven though the government in this case explicitly rejected that it should receive such deference. Gorsuch disagreed. He said the government is telling people they need to hand over or destroy their legally purchased bump stocks or face up to 10 years in federal prison. In questions of criminal law, the courts shouldnt defer to the government, but interpret the law independently. The agency used to tell everyone that bump stocks dont qualify as machine guns. Now it says the opposite. The law hasnt changed, only an agencys interpretation of it. And these days, it sometimes seems agencies change their statutory interpretations almost as often as elections change administrations, he said. How, in all this, can ordinary citizens be expected to keep uprequired not only to conform their conduct to the fairest reading of the law they might expect from a neutral judge, but forced to guess whether the statute will be declared ambiguous; to guess again whether the agencys initial interpretation of the law will be declared reasonable; and to guess again whether a later and opposing agency interpretation will also be held reasonable? And why should courts, charged with the independent and neutral interpretation of the laws Congress has enacted, defer to such bureaucratic pirouetting? Gorsuch acknowledged that he couldnt judge the bump stock ban on its merits without briefing and argument. He indicated the justices would like to wait to hear final judgments on the matter from lower courts. Before deciding whether to weigh in, we would benefit from hearing their considered judgmentsprovided, of course, that they are not afflicted with the same problems [as the D.C. circuit decision], he said. Response Lawyers for several parties involved in the suit expressed disappointment with the decision, but also some optimism regarding Gorsuchs statement. I do hope the Court takes up this issue in future, because it arises in a host of areas, most of which are less exotic than bump stocks, said Ilya Shapiro, director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, which briefed the Supreme Court in support of the plaintiffs. Gorsuchs statement will be a strong indication to the courts still considering challenges to the bump stock rule not to make the same mistakes that the D.C. Circuit made, said Caleb Kruckenberg, who represents the New Civil Liberties Alliance in two other cases against the bump stock ban in the 10th Circuit and in the Western District of Texas. We are confident that the courts reviewing these challenges will heed Justice Gorsuchs admonition, he said. The alliance also briefed the Supreme Court in support of the D.C. plaintiffs. Broader Implications Erik Jaffe, lawyer for the D.C. plaintiffs, warned that the bump stock rule could have broader implications. The rule they passed changes the definition of a machine gun and what it means to automatically fire, he told The Epoch Times over the phone. The new rule says that a bump stock allows automatic fire because its a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism to harness the recoil energy. The plaintiffs say the mechanism doesnt act or regulate itself on its ownat least not completely. It requires the shooter to continually pull the barrel of the rifle forward so that the gun slides out of the stock a bit after each shot and the trigger thus bumps against the trigger finger again. Any semi-automatic can be bump-fired, with or without a bump stock, Jaffe said. Online videos show that even a belt loop can be used as a bump-fire device and, with some skill, a similar effect can be achieved with no device at all. If the new standard is that a device needs to simply make bump-fire easier, many other gun parts do that too, including any regular stock, Jaffe said. It actually threatens a far more expansive law enforcement regime, he said. The fact that no other justices joined Gorsuchs statement indicates some difference of opinion on the bench, he said. Five of the sitting justices were appointed by Republican presidents and four by Democrats. Gorsuch is a Trump appointee. The Department of Justice didnt respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. Unfortunately, while the bump stock issue is in litigation, I cannot comment any further & would encourage you to refer to the pleadings that are publicly available, said April Langwell, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in an email to The Epoch Times. Update: The article was updated with a response from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives as well as information about Cato Institutes and New Civil Liberties Alliances relationship to the petition to the Supreme Court regarding the D.C. bump stock case. Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly described Erik Jaffes role in the D.C. bump stock court case. He represents the plaintiffs. Reuters contributed to this report. Iran confirmed eight deaths from the novel coronavirus on Sunday, the highest toll of any country outside China, as the supreme leader accused foreign media of trying to use the outbreak to sabotage a general election. The final results of the parliamentary election are due on Sunday, two days after it was held on the heels of the confirmation of novel coronavirus cases in the country. A low turnout had been widely forecast, as a conservative-dominated electoral watchdog disqualified about half the 16,000-odd candidates, mostly moderates and reformists. Voter apathy marked the polls, but Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday lauded the people's "huge participation" despite what he termed "this negative propaganda". It "began a few months ago and grew larger approaching the election and in the past two days, under the pretext of this illness," he said, according to a televised extract of his speech. "Their media did not miss the slightest opportunity to discourage people from voting. (Our enemies) are even opposed to any election by the Iranian people," the leader was quoted as saying on his official website. The latest three deaths Iran reported on Sunday were among 15 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, bringing the overall number of infections to 43 and fatalities to eight -- the highest death toll outside of China, the epicentre of the epidemic. Four new infections surfaced in the capital Tehran, seven in the holy city of Qom, two in Gilan and one each in Markazi and Tonekabon, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said. Authorities have ordered as a "preventive measure" the closure of schools, universities and other educational centres in 14 provinces across Iran from Sunday. They include Tehran and Qom, where the first cases emerged, as well as Markazi, Gilan, Ardabil, Kermanshah, Qazvin, Zanjan, Mazandaran, Golestan, Hamedan, Alborz, Semnan and Kurdistan. Art events, concerts and film shows have been banned for a week. "We are on the frontlines, we need help," the head of Qom's medical sciences university, Mohammadreza Ghadir, said on state television. "If I can say one thing, it is help Qom." Iran's neighbours have started to take precautions against the spread of the virus. The Kuwait Port Authority on Sunday announced a ban on the entry of all ships from the Islamic republic. Iran's health minister, Saeed Namaki, said the treatment of COVID-19 cases would be free. "In every city, one hospital will be dedicated to treating coronavirus cases," he said, adding that this number would be greater in bigger cities like the capital. Tehran's city hall has ordered the closure of snack shops and water fountains in metro stations, officials said. Tehran municipality spokesman Gholamreza Mohammadi said buses and underground trains were being disinfected. Mohsen Hashemi, head of Tehran's municipal council, said, "If the number of infections increases in Tehran, the whole city will be quarantined." Posters were also being put up across the sprawling city on Sunday, asking people not to shake hands as part of a coronavirus prevention campaign. Iran's cyberpolice meanwhile warned that anyone putting "fake clips" online related to the virus would be punished. The World Health Organization has expressed concern over the speed at which COVID-19 has spread in Iran, as well as it being exported from the Islamic republic to other countries, including Lebanon. Iran has yet to confirm the origin of the outbreak, but one official had speculated that it was brought in by Chinese workers. Although official figures are still coming in, Iran's conservatives look set for a landslide win in the 290-seat parliament. If the conservatives' resurgence is confirmed, it will mean President Hassan Rouhani's slender majority of reformists and moderates elected with fanfare four years ago is nearly purged. The 11th parliamentary election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution comes after a surge in tensions between Tehran and Washington, and Iran's accidental downing of a Ukrainian airliner that sparked anti-government protests. Turnout was estimated at around 40 percent nationwide and 30 percent in Tehran at the scheduled close of polls on Friday, according to Fars news agency. But authorities extended polling for another six hours to allow as many people as possible to vote. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) shareholders might be concerned after seeing the share price drop 15% in the last quarter. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last five years have been respectable. The share price is up 62%, which is better than the market return of 55%. View our latest analysis for Martin Marietta Materials In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. During five years of share price growth, Martin Marietta Materials achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 29% per year. The EPS growth is more impressive than the yearly share price gain of 10% over the same period. So it seems the market isn't so enthusiastic about the stock these days. The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image). NYSE:MLM Past and Future Earnings, March 2nd 2020 We know that Martin Marietta Materials has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? You could check out this free report showing analyst revenue forecasts. What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the 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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Martin Marietta Materials, it has a TSR of 69% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! A Different Perspective It's good to see that Martin Marietta Materials has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 19% in the last twelve months. That's including the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 11%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. 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 Martin Marietta Materials is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about... Story continues We will like Martin Marietta Materials better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Ukrainian investigators continue to work in the joint investigative group to investigate the MH17 disaster, an agreement to extend the work will be signed by the end of this week, said Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Riaboshapka. "At the end of this week, it is planned to sign a continuation of the agreement on the investigation team, and we will also extend this agreement. Our prosecutors are fully represented in this investigation group, they are professional, they can cooperate and work competently in this investigation group," Riaboshapka told reporters in Kyiv on Monday, answering a question from the Interfax-Ukraine agency. Some media outlets reported in February that six prosecutors involved in the investigation of the MH17 incident, including two members of the Joint Investigation Team, were fired in Ukraine in the course of the anti-corruption reform. The reports caused concern of Dutch parliamentarians but Dutch Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus assured them that the replacement of Ukrainian prosecutors would have no effect on the MH17 probe. Riaboshapka said also that Ukraine was expecting the court to be fair in hearing the MH17 case. "We have no doubt that the ruling will be impartial and fair. [...] What do we expect? We expect every culprit behind this horrid crime to be punished," he said. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was downed in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on July 17, 2014. None of the 298 people on board survived. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which includes law enforcement from Ukraine, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and Malaysia, is probing the incident. In September 2016, the JIT made public conclusions that the aircraft was downed by a missile fired from a Buk air defense missile system, and the JIT identified the ownership of the Buk missile a year ago. According to the JIT, the missile launcher belongs to the Russian 53rd Air Defense Missile Brigade, which is deployed in Kursk. The JIT named four suspects in the MH17 crash: Russians Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov), Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. Dutch prosecutors plan to charge these individuals in the Boeing crash case. The first court hearing in this case is scheduled to take place at the Justice Complex Schiphol on March 9. SCHENECTADY Jack Welch, the bombastic former chief executive of General Electric Co. whose complicated legacy shaped both Schenectady and the Capital Region, died Sunday at age 84. Welch, a Boston area native, died of renal failure, his wife Suzy told CNBC. A chemical engineer by training, Welch joined GE at age 24 at its location in Pittsfield, Mass., and in 1973 became vice president of its chemical division. He continued rising through the company's ranks and in 1981 became the company's youngest chief executive officer. Welch became one of the nation's most well-known and highly regarded corporate leaders during his two decades as GE's chairman and chief executive. He personified the so-called cult of the CEO during the late-1990s boom, when GE's soaring stock price made it the most valuable company in the world. Under Welch's leadership, the company was transformed into an industrial and financial services powerhouse. During his tenure, GE's revenue grew nearly fivefold, and the firm's market capitalization increased 30-fold. From the day I joined GE to the day I was named CEO, 20 years later, my bosses cautioned me about my candor, Welch wrote in his first book, 2001's "Jack: Straight from the Gut." I was labeled abrasive and consistently warned my candor would soon get in the way of my career ... and Im telling you that it was candor that helped make it work. But Welch's business moves often brought hardship and controversy to GE's home of Schenectady and beyond. After he became known for cutting thousands of jobs cuts that hit the GE plant in Schenectady particularly hard Welch earned the nickname "Neutron Jack," after the nuclear weapon that kills people but leaves buildings largely intact. Welch bristled at the insult, insisting that successful companies needed to be agile. But the nickname stuck, and was used by President Donald J. Trump in a tweet Monday that praised the businessman as "my friend and supporter. We made wonderful deals together." Under Welch's tenure, GE fought a two-decade battle with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state of New York over polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic chemicals the company had flushed from its Washington County plant into the Hudson River. Welch disputed that the toxins could cause negative health consequences, an opinion he maintained late into his life. "EPA," Welch scoffed, waving his hand in a dismissive motion during a 2013 deposition. "I was completely satisfied as to the safety of PCBs. In my time I studied it. I looked at it. I made my judgment and I was completely satisfied. ... I haven't seen any PCB studies that convince me there was another side to it." His departure from GE in September 2001 was welcome news for local environmental activists. In a joint news release after Welch left the company, the Sierra Club and other Capital Region environmental activists saw his departure as "an opportunity to usher in a new era of corporate responsibility in the corporate giant," the Albany Business Review reported. "Jack Welch's legacy to New York is 1.3 million pounds of PCBs in the Hudson River," a Sierra Club representative said in the press release. An editorial cartoon that appeared in the Albany Times Union on Sept. 7, 2001, illustrated a closed Schenectady storefront, a barrel of Hudson River sediment contaminated by PCBs and a group of shareholders throwing money in the air. The caption: "Thanks Jack." Jeff Immelt, who succeeded Welch as GE CEO, said in a LinkedIn blog post that he remembers Welch as a man who wanted people to succeed, set priorities and created an sense "that everybody counted and that each individual voice mattered." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "From the first day I joined GE, I felt like I worked for Jack Welch, and that was all right by me," Immelt said in a statement. "He was a brilliant, aspirational leader. Jack was always direct, but his frankness was appealing and effective. His informality and accessibility made GE a team we all loved working for him because he wanted the people around him to succeed." Welch did not slow down after leaving GE. He became a senior advisor with private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2001. He also taught a course on business leadership at MITs Sloan School of Management in 2006. In 2009, Welch founded the Jack Welch Management Institute, an online MBA program that is now part of Strayer University. While Welch was known for being hypercompetitive, he also stressed giving everyone a fair shake. In 2005's Winning: The Ultimate Business How-To Book co-authored with his third wife Welch wrote that he would like to be remembered as a huge advocate of candor and meritocracy, and believing everyone deserves a chance. And Id like to be remembered for trying to make the case that you can never let yourself be a victim. New Delhi: Bollywood begum Kareena Kapoor Khan is known to be a fitness lover. She, in fact, introduced many firsts in the movie businessright from size zero fad to preggers hitting the runaway and not shying from any public appearanceKareena has been a trendsetter in many ways. On the internet, a picture of Bebo performing a headstand under the supervision of her trainer has gone viral. Even though the actress is not on any social media platform officially, yet her photos and videos manage to flood the internet. A fan club shared the picture on Instagram, check it out: Kareena, on the work front, has 'Laal Singh Chaddha', a film starring Aamir Khan in the lead. The film is an official Hindi adaptation of Hollywood's blockbuster hit 'Forrest Gump' starring Tom Hanks. The venture is helmed by 'Secret Superstar' director Advait Chandan. It will open in theatres on Christmas 2020. It has been produced by Aamir and wife Kiran Rao. Reportedly, 'Lal Singh Chaddha' will be shot pan India covering around 100 different locations and this is for the first time that a Hindi film will be shot at so many places. Kareena Kapoor and Aamir will be seen uniting on-screen after 2009 hit film '3 Idiots'. Seeking to rebuild strained ties with Bangladesh regarding updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC), Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday said the process is "entirely internal to India" and will have no implications on the country or people of Bangladesh. "As closest of neighbours, it is inevitable that events in each other's countries create ripples across the border. A recent example is a process of updating NRC in Assam, which has taken place entirely at the direction of the Supreme Court," Shringla said here at a seminar titled "Bangladesh and India: A promising Future." "This is a process that is entirely internal to India. Therefore there will be no implications for the Bangladesh Government and the people of Bangladesh. You have our assurance on that count," the foreign secretary added. Shringla, who is currently on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, is the first high-level contact with the Sheikh Hasina government since protests against citizenship law and NRC erupted all across India. Bangladesh has also recently seen fresh anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest erupting in the national capital due to which 47 people have lost their lives so far. Bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh became strained after New Delhi enacted the CAA last December. Meanwhile, ahead of the visit of Narendra Modi to Dhaka on March 17 to commemorate the birth anniversary of 'Bangabandhu' or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Shringla stated that the Prime Minister has been looking forward to this visit, both because of the priority he attaches to the relationship with the neighbour. "PM Modi has been specially invited to take part in the inaugural ceremony of Mujib Barsho later this month. We are looking forward to this visit, both because of the priority Prime Minister attaches to this relationship and even more so, because Bangabandhu is just so iconic - as a globally-recognised statesman and iconic symbol of liberation for Bangladesh and for our subcontinent. For us in India, there is a special resonance to his name," he said. 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Estonias scheduled spectrum auction has stalled following a legal challenge from a smaller local player. Tallinns Circuit Court last month ruled in favour of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (MKM)s plan to issue three 5G licences in the 3400MHz-3800MHz band. Fixed and IoT provider Levikom has now appealed against this decision and aims to take its case to the Supreme Court. The local firm first challenged the Ministrys proposals in March 2019, arguing that offering just three licences would stymie competition as it was inherently advantageous to the countrys three incumbent mobile operators. Levikom argues that both national and regional licences should be put to auction, enabling smaller players to begin offering 5G. However, the challenge has been complicated by reports that Levikom has outstanding tax bills, which would have precluded the provider from participating in the 5G auctions in the first place. Laura Laaster of the MKM said: The court dispute has no doubt slowed down the process of issuing frequency permits and consequently the development of 5G networks. At the same time, we cannot say Estonia has fallen far behind other countries. 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 In 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, 29 February 2020, signaling a new and potentially volatile phase in the migration crisis. About 4,000 migrants of various nationalities were pressed against the Turkish side of the border and an additional 500 or so people were trapped between two border posts, but still on the Turkish side. Photo: Bulent Kilic / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images By Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Carlotta Gall 29 February 2020 KASTANIES, Greece (The New York Times) 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. Dozens of Greek security officers and soldiers fired tear gas as riot police officers with batons, shields and masks confronted migrants, yelling at them to stay back on Saturday, 29 February 2020. Photo: Bulent Kilic / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images Some people had climbed onto the limbs of trees or were crouching against the thick loops of barbed wired placed on the ground by the Greek Army. They cheered, booed and screamed to be let through. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey declared on Saturday that he had opened his countrys borders for migrants to cross into Europe, saying that Turkey could no longer handle the numbers fleeing the war in Syria. What did we do yesterday? he said in a televised speech in Istanbul. We opened the doors. His comments were his first to acknowledge what he had long threatened to do: push some of the millions of Syrian refugees and other migrants in Turkey toward Europe in order to cajole the European Union to heed Turkeys demands. He accused European leaders of not keeping their promises to help Turkey bear the load of millions of Syrians. [] Twenty-seven migrants on a dinghy originating from Gambia and the Republic of Congo landed on the Greek island of Lesbos on Saturday, 29 February 2020. Photo: Aris Messinis / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images The migrants at the border had heeded Mr. Erdogans call and rushed to Turkeys borders with Europe, some on Friday taking free rides on buses organized by Turkish officials. But once at Europes doorstep, they were met with a violent crackdown. [] The mini-exodus was live-streamed by Turkish state television in scenes reminiscent of the 2015 migrant crisis that Europe solved only with Turkeys help. Syrians shared information, some joking about the Turkish facilitation, suggesting they should publish the telephone numbers of people smugglers, too. The International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency, said that as many as 10,000 were making their way through Turkey to the northern land borders, in hopes of reaching Europe. [more] Erdogan Says, We Opened the Doors, and Clashes Erupt as Migrants Head for Europe Kim Kardashian West was in Paris recently for the Balmain Fall Winter 20 show where the French luxury fashion house presented a collection that looked at formidable tailoring skills via the ateliers one-of-a-kind treatment of Atsuko Kudo latexexpertly pleating and draping the material, in order to offer a surprising and intelligent sensuality,as mentioned by the brand on their Instagram. The beauty mogul and social media star was spotted in two different latex head-to-toe Balmain suit looks from the collection, one in a shade of deep garnet and one in spicy tan tone. Kim looked absolutely stunning in both the outfits and she was accompanied by her sister, Kourtney Kardashian who also chose to sport a similar look to Kanye Wests Sunday Service at the Theatre des Bouffes du Nord. Kims daughter, North West, and Kourtneys daughter, Penelope, joined their mothers at the service as well. Kim Kardashian styled both the looks in an interesting fashion keeping her signature side-parting low ponytail for the spicy tan suit as well as the deep garnet suit. The matching gloves with the suit were an interesting add on to the edgy look. Both Kim and Kourtney shared a series of stories on Instagram sharing their experience.The beauty icon went for neutral tones, one of her signatures and the entire look was powerful and intriguing. In terms of accessories, Kim carried a Balmain clutch that complemented her outfit really well. The reality TV sensation has always been in the news for her out-of-the-box fashion choices be it her bespoke Met Gala look or the textured gown at the Oscars Vanity Fair party. We look forward to more such experimental and edgy looks by the social media sensation in the future. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Russia, an FBI official said recently, wants Americans to "tear ourselves apart" as we head toward the November election. The U.S. seems to be complying. Just last week came the news of a Feb. 13 congressional briefing on Moscow's ongoing attack on the 2020 election, in which officials reportedly said Russia was working in support of President Donald Trump, just as it did in 2016 according to an intelligence report issued in 2017 by the Office of Director of National Intelligence. While the account of what was said Feb. 13 is in dispute, the Capitol Hill briefing reportedly enraged the president, who subsequently replaced an intelligence veteran, Joseph Maguire, as acting director of national intelligence, with Richard Grenell, a loyalist with no relevant intelligence background. A day after that move, Americans learned that the intelligence community believes Russia is also working on behalf of Sen. Bernie Sanders as its preferred candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination. The seemingly contradictory moves made sense to some Americans when viewed through an ideological lens, given Trump's repeated rhetorical affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as newly resurfaced interviews with Sanders in which he defended the Soviet Union, Cuba and Nicaragua. But Moscow's ultimate goal could be to sow chaos, which would limit America's ability, if not willingness, to confront Russia's revanchism destabilizing actions like the illegal annexation of Crimea and its immoral rescue of the homicidal Assad regime in Syria. "I would classify what the Russian influence operations do as equal-opportunity hyperpartisan," Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, told an editorial writer. "They will prey on any division in order to exacerbate that," Brookie said. "America's divisions make America less capable of confronting Russia, about playing the traditional role of America's leadership" in the world. And so sowing divides, especially via social media, is designed to weaken an American resolve that has served as a bulwark against Russian, and formerly Soviet, geopolitical aggression. Russia is advancing an "information confrontation," David Porter, an assistant section chief with the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, said at a election security conference in Washington. "The primary objective is not to create a particular version of the truth but rather to cloud the truth and erode our ability to find it, creating a sentiment that no narrative or news source can be trusted at all." But of course there are news sources, government officials and outside experts who provide accurate and transparent reporting that can be trusted. That's why Trump's denigration of a phantom "deep state" and some media outlets as "fake news" or "enemies of the American people" is so deleterious to the U.S. and only serves to indirectly advance Russia's aim of weakening America while justifying the corruption of its own democracy. Russia will likely continue its assault. The U.S. government and most importantly, everyday Americans must not be fooled. The above editorial appeared in the Star Tribune (Minneapolis). It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency. [March 02, 2020] Government of Canada invests in regenerative medicine research to support Canadians' health Funding will help combat blood disorders, heart disease, diabetes and vision loss MONTREAL, March 2, 2020 /CNW/ - Stem cells are the body's building blocks, responsible for growing and repairing tissues. Used in regenerative medicine, they hold immense potential to treat major illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes. Since first discovering the existence of stem cells, Canadian researchers have been world leaders in this cutting-edge field, working to bring this technology from the lab and into hospitals to improve and save countless lives. Today, on behalf of Minister Navdeep Bains, William Amos, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (Science), announced an investment of $6.9 million through the Stem Cell Network's competitive research funding program, which supports some of the country's most promising stem cell research. The funding will support nine translational projects and four clinical trials across the country aimed at bringing new therapies to the clinic and fostering continued growth in Canada's regenerative medicine sector. This includes supporting 200 researchers and trainees at 27 Canadian research institutions in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario, as well as direct partnerships with several emerging biotechnology companies. Parliamentary Secretary Amos made the announcement at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, home to two of the projects announced today. One is a clinical trial that is testing a promising new protocol to make blood stem cell transplants available to more patients with severe leukemia, and the other is a biotechnology partnership that is advancing a stem cell-based approach to vision loss. Quotes/p> Canada success story, and the kind of modern, high-risk, high-reward research that drives innovation and benefits all of us. The Government of Canada is proud to invest in our world-class researchers and scientists that are saving the lives of Canadians and countless others around the world." William Amos , Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (Science) "When we invest in science, we invest in better, healthier lives for everyone. Our government's support will help Canadian researchers further their ground-breaking work to tackle some of the most serious illnesses we face today. Congratulations to all of the recipients, and thank you for your work to keep Canada on the cutting edge of discovery and innovation." The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry "These projects reflect the strength of Canada's stem cell research sector and its collaborative community. Through the efforts of this community, the Stem Cell Network is closer to realizing its goal of translating stem cell-based therapies from bench to bedside for the benefit of Canadians." Dr. Michael Rudnicki, O.C., Scientific Director & CEO, Stem Cell Network Nous sommes tres fiers de recevoir ce financement qui confirme l'excellence et la reconnaissance de l'Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont comme etant le plus important pole de recherche au Quebec et l'un des plus developpes au Canada en therapie cellulaire et ce, dans les domaines de l'hematologie-oncologie et de l'ophtalmologie. Les progres des dernieres annees dans ces domaines sont porteurs d'espoir pour les personnes touchees par le cancer et les maladies oculaires. C'est notamment grace au soutien financier du Reseau de cellules souches que nos chercheurs continuent d'avoir les leviers necessaires pour faire avancer les connaissances et les traitements novateurs dans ces domaines, au grand benefice de tous. Sylvain Lemieux, president-directeur general du CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal Quick facts The investment made today includes $2.6 million to fund four clinical trials, three of which are based in Quebec and are being led by women researchers. to fund four clinical trials, three of which are based in and are being led by women researchers. Today's funding is matched with partner support valued at more than $11 million . . The disease areas targeted by these projects include severe blood disorders, vision loss, type 1 diabetes, muscular dystrophy and heart, lung and liver diseases. The global regenerative medicine market is estimated to grow to more than $81 billion by 2023. Associated links Stem Cell Network project descriptions For Canadian Science news, follow @CDNScience on social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA Follow Stem Cell Network on Twitter: @StemCellNetwork SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Mineral catalysts found in deep-sea vents convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen to biomolecules, showing striking parallels to known biological pathways. Credit: Susan Lang, U. of SC. / NSF / ROV Jason / 2018 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Mineral catalysts found in deep-sea vents convert CO 2 and H 2 to biomolecules, showing striking parallels to known biological pathways. An international collaboration of researchers in Germany, France and Japan investigated the catalytic activities of minerals found in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. The results suggest that mineral-driven chemical reactions might be closely mapped onto microbial carbon metabolism. Life on Earth could not have started without metabolism. Alkaline hydrothermal vents have been proposed as a possible environment where a primitive form of metabolism (protometabolism) predating cellular life could have emerged. The first steps of metabolism, which would have started as geological chemistry, might still be conserved in biochemical pathways that evolutionary biologists have identified as being ancient. One of them is the acetyl-CoA pathway. Microorganisms use it to convert carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to acetate and pyruvate, serving as an entry point to a more complex carbon metabolism. Interestingly, it is the only known biological carbon fixation route that uses hydrogen (H 2 ) as a source of electrons, and H 2 is very abundant in alkaline hydrothermal vent systems. Still, geochemically realistic CO 2 fixation leading to higher-carbon biomolecules under biologically relevant deep-sea vent conditions has been challenging. Looking for a bridge between the abiotic (non-life) and biotic (life), the researchers in Germany, France and Japan became inspired by the characteristics of the biological acetyl-CoA pathway. In biology, complex enzymes facilitate the reaction between CO 2 and H 2 , but hydrothermal minerals can serve as catalysts for the non-enzymatic version of the same reaction. Prof. Joseph Moran, an organic chemist interested in the protometabolic origin of life and leader of the Laboratory of Chemical Catalysis at the University of Strasbourg (France) explains: "What acetyl-CoA pathway enzymes and hydrothermal minerals have in common is transition metals like iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni). These metals are also commonly used as catalysts in organic chemistry to promote notoriously difficult reactions." The Strasbourg-based team had already explored fixing CO 2 alone using metallic iron in the origin of life context. It was the right time to move on to geologically abundant mineral catalysts. Biologist Prof. William Martin from the Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf has been investigating the parallels between biochemical and geochemical CO 2 fixation for two decades. "Under physiological conditions, H 2 alone is not reducing enough to fix CO 2 . We wanted to find catalysts that could have supported life at the very beginning, before the complex biological mechanisms were in place," says Martin. Together with chemist Dr. Martina Preiner (co-first author of the paper), they reached out to a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mulheim, Germany, led by Dr. Harun Tuysuz, who specializes in heterogeneous catalysis. After some brainstorming, Martin, Moran and Tuysuz decided the experiments would begin with H 2 , CO 2 and minerals found in alkaline hydrothermal vents: awaruite and magnetite. However, the three teams were not the only ones with a similar goal. Researchers in Tsukuba and Sapporo (Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) had started reducing CO 2 with H 2 over iron sulfide catalysts (e.g. greigite mineral), which are also common in deep-sea vent systems. Microbiologist Dr. Kensuke Igarashi (co-first author of the study), who performed experiments with greigite in Sapporo, explains: "It was clear we can achieve a deeper understanding of our findings if we share our results with each other." Indeed, this open-minded approach proved to be very fruitful. Although CO 2 fixation with H 2 over three hydrothermal mineralsawaruite (Ni 3 Fe), magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) and greigite (Fe 3 S 4 )was performed in three different laboratories all over the world, the results lead to the same conclusion. "All these minerals catalyze the fixation of CO 2 with H 2 in water and yield products which correspond to those of the biological acetyl-CoA pathway: formate, acetate and pyruvate," says Dr. Kamila Muchowska, a Strasbourg-based chemist and co-first author of the paper, responsible for magnetiteexperiments. "We studied the surface of all the minerals tested and we have strong evidence the reactions are catalytic and occur on the mineral surface" explains Tuysuz. "In the hydrothermal process of CO 2 fixation hydrogen acts as an electron- and energy donor, just like in biology. It's truly astonishing," Preiner adds. The researchers' findings suggest that simple abiotic geochemical reactions could have paved the way for early metabolism that microbes still use today. Hydrothermal minerals could have functioned as geochemical primers for the later emergence of the enzymatic acetyl-CoA pathway. These results might not only be relevant for terrestrial hydrothermal systems, and the scientists do not exclude the possibility that protometabolism could be initiated by a similar route elsewhere. The study is published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Explore further Electricity-driven undersea reactions may have been important for the emergence of life More information: A hydrogen-dependent geochemical analogue of primordial carbon and energy metabolism, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2020). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution A hydrogen-dependent geochemical analogue of primordial carbon and energy metabolism,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1125-6 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:09:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RAMALLAH, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday that Israeli settlers' assaults on the Palestinians have increased since the declaration of the U.S. peace plan. The ministry said in an emailed press statement that the U.S. plan, the so-called "Deal of the Century," has doubled the Israeli settlers' assaults on the Palestinians and their properties of lands. The statement held both the U.S. administration and Israel directly and fully responsible for the outcomes and consequences of the Israeli settlers' attacks against the Palestinians and their properties. Tension in the West Bank has been flaring over the past few days after Israeli settlers attacked several villages in northern West Bank and Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers all over the Palestinian territory. The PA statement warned that Israeli settlers' campaigns in northern West Bank "are aiming at building more settlements in the area and isolating northern West Bank from its central and southern parts." The statement accused the Israeli government and the Israeli army of protecting settlers and also accused the U.S. administration of providing political support to the settlers. The ministry called on the international community "to halt the Israeli occupation and exert pressure on it to stop all its expansion plans." Much of his poetry, though, was intimate: love poems that recalled the longings of his youth, finely wrought images of city lights at dusk or his famous Prayer for Marilyn Monroe, in which he describes how Monroe was found on her deathbed in 1962, like someone wounded by gangsters/stretching out his hand to a disconnected telephone. Fascinated by evolution and its lessons for politics, Father Cardenal in the 1980s began to incorporate science into his poetry. He developed the theme until the end of his life, marveling at the origins of the universe and the mysteries of DNA sources of awe that in his vision brought people closer to God. In this monumental vision, everything merges and condenses, the Nicaraguan writer Sergio Ramirez wrote in the introduction to Father Cardenals anthology Ninety at Ninety, which was published in Spanish in 2014. Not only do the poets intimate personal experience and the scientific exploration of the heavens enter into the mystical, so do the memories of his own past. The most recent complete collection of Father Cardenals poetry published in English was Pluriverse: New and Selected Poems, (2009, edited and translated in part by Jonathan Cohen). Closing the volume was the poem Stardust, Father Cardenals meditation on death. It concludes: And the galaxy was taking the shape of a flower the way it looks now on a starry night. Our flesh and our bones come from other stars and perhaps even from other galaxies, we are universal, and after death we will help to form other stars Farmers in Nindar village of Jaipur district on Monday continued their protest against the terms of acquisition of their land by Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and stood neckdeep in the soil. Speaking to ANI, a farmer said, "We want to say to JDA that they should pay the compensation to us of Rs 1,75,00,000 per bigha (a unit of measurement of land) to farmers and we will stop the protest. They want to take full 1145 bighas of land belonging to farmers. It is the third day of our protest." Another farmer Kailash Bohra said, "We are willing to give our land only as per new law. We will continue to protest like this until our demands are met. We are ready for talks with government officials anywhere." The protest by the farmers against the JDA this year has been going on since January 1. But in the last three days, the farmers here including women have come up with this new way of protest by digging holes and standing in them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Newser) The Los Angeles County district attorney has apologizedand said her husband is sorry, tooafter protesters outside her home were threatened with a gun. Jackie Lacey's husband, David, stood in the doorway early Monday, the Los Angeles Times reports, and told the protesters: "I will shoot you. Get off of my porch." Someone in the group had rung the doorbell, and three people said they heard the gun being cocked. The Black Lives Matter activists were demonstrating against the district attorney's refusal to meet with them about her decision not to prosecute Ed Buck, a wealthy Democratic donor; a man died of an overdose in Buck's home in 2017, per the Times. The group has held weekly protests outside Lacey's office, chanting the names of people killed by county officers. Lacey had agreed to meet with the activists but didn't follow through. "So we decided to have the meeting in front of her house," an organizer said. story continues below Later Monday, Lacey objected to the presence of the dozen or so protesters, who chanted and held signs. "I do not believe it is fair or right for protesters to show up at the homes of people who dedicate their lives to public service," she said, adding that her husband was "profoundly sorry." The couple was alone in the house, she said, "and we really didn't know what was about to happen." David Lacey is a former investigative auditor for the district attorneys office. The district attorney is up for reelection and faces two challengers in the primary Tuesday; one of the activists' signs said, "#ByeJackie." She's in her second term. "Their main issue is she wont prosecute police officers," said a political consultant, per the Los Angeles Daily News. A police official said an investigation has begun. (Much more on the Ed Buck case here.) Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor on Monday expressed his concern over the fake 'one-sided' stories reported by International media. Kapoor said he is 'appalled' to see the 'fake' International media coverage about India. Kapoor's tweet comes amid the controversy over US-based newspaper Wall Street Journal allegedly misreporting on IB Officer Ankit Sharma's death during the Delhi riots by carrying a false quote of his brother Ankur Sharma, over which a complaint has been filed. Kapoor in his tweet further wrote that he now wonders whether 'stuff' said about North Korea, a 'truly authoritarian regime' was 'ever true'. The 43-year-old actor concluded his tweet with hashtags 'India Is United'. Many users on Twitter came out in support of Tusshar Kapoor's tweet and said, "It is very refreshing to see a Bollywood actor calling out the one-sided narratives. Takes guts. Kudos to you." Appalling to see so much fake one sided news about my country in the international media! Now one wonders whether stuff said about truly authoritarian regimes like North Korea was ever true! #indiaisunited #delhiriots #peace Tusshar (@TusshKapoor) March 2, 2020 Ankur Sharma's clarification In an exclusive conversation with Republic TV, Ankur Sharma said, "I never passed any such statements to the Wall Street Journal. I have since the beginning told of the people who had taken my brother. Tahir Hussain's people took him to his house and murdered him. We want to get justice," said Ankur Sharma. "There are trying to lie, spread rumours. What I have spoken to you, I spoke to everyone. I request the government to take action," he added. Complaint filed over its reporting of Ankit Sharma's murder; here's what WSJ reported Wall Street Journal's report On Friday, Police complaints were filed against Wall Street Journal for 'defaming particular religion & spreading communal tension' by activist group - Legal Rights Observatory. The WSJ report titled Indias Ruling Party, Government Slammed Over Delhi Violence claimed that 'rioters armed with stones, rods, knives and even sword' had charged into the street where Sharma's home was situated, quoting Ankur. WSJ quoted Ankur saying, "they shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' [Glory to Lord Ram]; some even wore helmets'. Moreover, WSJ claimed Ankur said 'they started throwing stones and bricks at the residents, who rushed to Ankit to help... Later, his body was found in a ditch." Maharashtra Cyber Cell transfers complaint against WSJ's riot reporting to Delhi Police By Agencies MANILA: A sacked security guard who shot one person and took about 30 others hostage at a Manila shopping mall on Monday gave up peacefully, according to a live-streamed video, ending a day-long standoff. The suspect, angered by his dismissal, opened fire at the mall in the Philippine capital and barricaded the hostages in an office. ALSO READ: Police respond as disgruntled ex-guard takes dozens hostage in Philippines' V-Mall Earlier today, Philippine police had surrounded the mall after the recently dismissed security guard opened fire and took dozens of people hostage, an official said. He felt bad because he was removed as a guard, Philippines Mayor Francis Zamora told reporters, adding that the man tried but failed to convince fellow guards to join him. The man demanded to talk to fellow guards and the media, Zamora said, but it was not clear if officials would agree to those conditions. The gunman also shot one person who was admitted to the hospital. His condition was said to be stable. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GEESPACE, a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group, plans to launch a pair of satellites this year for the validation of relevant technologies and communications system, according to a local media report. From the time being, the design of the yet-to-be-launched satellites has been completed, said the foregoing source. To accomplish the goal, the subsidiary attempts to recruit over 100 employees for 40 posts, most of which are about technical engineering and branding. Photo source: Geely Auto's WeChat account) Founded in 2018, GEESPACE focuses on the R&D of satellite communications system, electronic products, and technologies about communications and data processing, according to the Chinese business research platform Tianyancha. Aiming to becoming a worlds leading provider of AICT (Aerospace Information Communications Technology) infrastructures and solutions, the company is dedicated to promoting the commercialized upgrade for Chinas satellite industrial chain. Geely, one of most prominent Chinas indigenous auto brands, has stretched its reaches to various high-tech fields beyond automobile. In November 2018, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding) and China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp. (CASIC) inked a strategic cooperation agreement that focuses on development of hyper flight train and Industrial Internet. Under the agreement, both companies would jointly develop key programs of hyper flight train and Industrial Internet and give impetus to the industrialization of relevant technologies by means of strategy planning and resource integration, etc. Meanwhile, Geely Group (New Biz), a subsidiary of Geely Holding, reached a cooperation framework agreement with China Aerospace Science & Industry Aerodynamics Technology Academy to jointly work on R&D and marketing promotion of hyper flight train programs. DAMASCUS, Syria Syrias foreign minister hosted officials from Libya's east-based government on Sunday, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported. Walid al-Moallem's meeting was the first announced visit by Libyan officials to Syria since 2011, when both countries were engulfed by so-called Arab Spring uprisings and later descended into civil wars. While Syrian President Bashar Assad has managed to retake control of most of his country from rebels, Libya remains divided between two competing governments, one based in Benghazi in the east and the other based in Tripoli in the west. Turkey backs the Tripoli-based government, and also backs Syrian rebels fighting against Assad. Turkey has recently sent thousands of its troops into the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria, and the past week has seen a major escalation in direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces, with dozens killed on both sides. In a further twist, Turkey has in recent weeks been sending Syrian rebels with SANA reported that Sunday's meeting in the Syrian capital Damascus discussed Turkish aggression against both brotherly countries, and the danger this poses to their sovereignty, as well as to Arab national security. They also signed a memorandum of understanding to reopen diplomatic missions, the report said. Gulf Arab nations, once the main backers of rebels trying to oust Assad, have recently lined up to reopen their embassies in Syria, worried about leaving the country at the heart of the Arab world to regional rivals Iran and Turkey and missing out on lucrative post-war reconstructive projects. The United Nations recognizes the Turkey-backed government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, as Libyas legitimate government because it was born out of U.N.-mediated talks in 2015. In addition to Turkey, Sarraj is backed to a lesser degree, Qatar and Italy. The east-based government controls most of Libya and is allied with forces commanded by Khalifa Hifter. He receives backing from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia. Libya has the ninth largest known oil reserves in the world. While it's well known that the easiest way to save money and time in the kitchen is to meal plan, it's often far easier said than done. This is why two Melbourne-based mothers and friends have come up with a simple weekly '4+2+1' formula which will help you to structure your meals each week and save you more money. 'The 4+2+1 formula means you cook four meals each week, take two from the freezer and make one simple meal using leftovers,' former chef Jen Petrovic and her friend Gaby Chapman told Daily Mail Australia. 'By only having to cook four meals from scratch, you can save so much time and also have tasty, healthy home-cooked meals without the daily "what's for dinner?" stress.' Two Melbourne-based mothers and friends have come up with a simple weekly formula which will help you to structure and save valuable cash each week (pictured) Jen Petrovic and her friend Gaby Chapman told FEMAIL you only need to be cooking four times a week with the 4+2+1 formula (stock image) Double up on portions and freeze some dishes to save valuable time and money in the kitchen (pictured) How does the 4+2+1 formula work? How does the 4+2+1 formula work? FOUR * Make four meals from scratch each week and make two of these double-up meals where you double the ingredients on two meals and freeze them for later. The second two meals from the four should be 'fast and fresh' meals that take less than an hour total. TWO * Have two 'foodbanked' meals from the freezer each week, which just require you to add something like rice, pasta or vegetables. ONE * Make one meal super easy and just enjoy leftovers or something super simple to whip up like an omelette or eggs on toast. The advantage to this is anyone in the family should be able to make it. Advertisement To try the 4+2+1 formula for yourself, you first need to think about what will work best and freeze well. 'The four meals you are cooking each week should include two double-up meals for the freezer,' Jen said. 'You should choose meals that freeze well for these meals, like chicken and lemon tagine or Italian meatballs.' Then, the Melbourne-based mums said you should focus on making 'two fast and fresh meals', which take less than an hour from start to serving. Good examples of a 'fast and fresh' meal include Thai pork stir fry and Tex-Mex rice and corn. 'The two meals you take from the freezer during the week are "foodbanked" meals that are ready to eat,' Gaby said. 'All you need is a speedy side to add to them like rice, pasta, veggies or salad.' The final meal in the week - the 'super simple meal' - should be very easy; something like a toasted sandwich, sausage and mash and leftovers or omelette. 'The bonus of this is that anyone in the house can cook it,' Jen said. You should aim to take two meals from the 'foodbank' of foods from the freezer each week (pictured) Since the pair introduced the 4+2+12 formula in their own busy families, they said they have had to spend far less time in the kitchen and no longer have the surrounding stress of the 'what is for dinner' question. 'We shouldn't be overwhelmed by the evening meal,' Jen said. 'It doesn't need to complicated or use hard-to-find ingredients.' You should only shop once per week, as the average Australian family visits the supermarket three times a week, giving you more opportunity to save money (stock image) Two of your meals from the week should be 'fast and fresh' meals which take less than an hour from start to finish to make (pictured) How can you save $2,500 per year on food? What are your pantry staples? Tinned or dried legumes such as red kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils Tinned tomatoes (you can never have enough) Asian sauces Rice Pasta and noodles Ground spices and dried Greek oregano Advertisement Everyone wants to slash their grocery bill in half, and Jen and Gaby believe that by both embracing the 4+2+1 formula and getting a plan in action you can save a lot of money on food. 'Make sure you shop just once a week to save both time and money,' Jen said. 'The average Australian family shops three times a week or more, and this not only takes up so much time, but it also gives you more opportunities to buy things you don't need.' The pair said that you should only visit the supermarket once with a list in hand and you should never go to the supermarket hungry. 'If you plan your meals and only buy what you need for the week without impulse buying, you will save around $2,500 per year,' they said. 'It's easy to be tempted at the end of the aisle or at the checkout, or by those lovely eggplants which look great. But if you haven't got a plan to use any of this, they will go to waste.' The Plan Buy Cook Book is available at all good bookstores, in Kmart, Target and Big W, or online from Booktopia in Australia or internationally through Amazon. The Plan Buy Cook Book is available at all good bookstores, in Kmart, Target and Big W, or online from Booktopia in Australia or internationally through Amazon (pictured) If the bill is approved, Argentina will be the largest jurisdiction to legalise the procedure in Latin America. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Argentina is the second-most populous country in South America. This article has been corrected to state that Argentina is the third-most populous country. Buenos Aires, Argentina Argentinas President Alberto Fernandez will send a bill to Congress in a matter of days that seeks to legalise abortion, marking the first time the initiative will have the backing of the president in what could be a significant breakthrough for abortion rights in Latin America. Fernandez made the announcement in the National Congress on Sunday, with thousands of people gathered outside, including women brandishing the green handkerchief of abortion rights. Some wiped tears from their eyes during his speech. In Argentina, abortion is illegal and can mean jail time, except in instances of rape, or if a mothers health is at risk. The new bill comes two years after a dramatic debate in the home country of Pope Francis in which the legalisation of abortion was narrowly rejected by the Senate. Fernandez called the current law ineffective because it has had no deterrent effect. It has also condemned many women, generally of limited resources, to resort to abortive practices in absolute secrecy, putting their health and sometimes their lives at risk, he said. Argentinas President Alberto Fernandez, (centre), flashes a victory sign alongside Vice President Cristina Fernandez, (right), and Lower House of Congress President Sergio Massa, as he arrives at Congress to open the 2020 session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, March 1, 2020. [Marcos Brindicci/The Associated Press] A state that is present must protect citizens in general and obviously women in particular. And in the 21st century, every society needs to respect an individuals decision to make choices over their own bodies. That is why, within the next 10 days, I will present a bill for the voluntary interruption of pregnancy that legalises abortion at the initial time of pregnancy and allows women to access the health system when they make the decision to abort. Advancing womens rights Argentinas feminist movement is pushing to legalise elective abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The president will also send a project to Congress that will provide better support to mothers and newborns, as well as a plan to ensure sexual education is delivered in schools. The Argentine government estimates that 350,000 illegal abortions take place every year in the third-most populous country in South America, putting womens lives at risk. Human rights groups estimate the number could be as high as 500,000. Many women who try to access abortions that are legal also face obstacles, with doctors invoking religious or moral objections. Ana Correa, a womens rights activist who wrote Somos Belen, a book about an Argentine woman who was imprisoned after suffering a miscarriage said she was delighted with Fernandezs decision. Were very happy and hopeful, Correa told Al Jazeera. We will have some important opponents, but its going to be very difficult for legislators to oppose this project because there really is very compelling proof of how clandestine abortions impact women. Daniel Lipovetsky, a legislator in the province of Buenos Aires, told Al Jazeera that Sundays announcement showed how far Argentina had moved ahead on the issue. Just a few years ago, it would have been unimaginable that a president would send a project to legalise abortion to the Congress, said Lipovetsky, who forms part of the political opposition and in 2018 was part of the group who worked in favour of legalisation. Argentina is in the midst of an important transformation around the advancement of womens rights. In 2015, a feminist movement known as Ni Una Menos (Not One Less) took to the streets to denounce high rates of violence against women and triggered a broader debate that set the stage for the vote in 2018. Correa, one of the founders of Ni Una Menos, highlighted three cases that have served to unmask the truth of abortion in Argentina: that of Belen, who spent more than two years in prison after a court ruled that what doctors had diagnosed as a miscarriage was an abortion (her conviction was overturned in 2017 following a public outcry); that of Ana Maria Acevedo, who sought an abortion in 2007 in order to undergo chemotherapy, was refused, and died; and that of an 11-year-old girl known as Lucia, who was raped by her grandmothers partner and denied a legal abortion by health authorities in 2019, until a court finally intervened. An emergency caesarean section had to be performed, the baby did not survive, and the doctors were then accused of homicide. No indictments were filed. Supporters of Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez gather as he attends the ordinary opening session at the Congress, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 1, 2020. President Fernandez announced a project to decriminalise the abortion but also a programme to help low-income mothers who decide go ahead with the birth [Juan Ignacio Roncoroni/EPA] Correa said Fernandezs project to provide support to new mothers also serves to deconstruct that false notion that those of us who are in favour of legal abortion are against maternity thats not true. Influence of Catholic church The presidents speech opening the session of Congress addressed a slew of other issues in Argentina, which is in a deep recession and in talks with the International Monetary Fund and other international creditors to restructure its debt. He made repeated references to taking care of the most vulnerable. His discourse was steeped with his set of values, of an Argentina that is inclusive, that is innovative, of a state that is present, and a state that is attending to, and listening to the new demands, said political scientist Paola Zuban, director of the public opinion consultancy Zuban Cordoba & Associates. But the issue of abortion remains deeply divisive, according to polls she has conducted. The Catholic Church is likely to play an influential role in the debate. During the presidents speech, the Episcopal Conference of Argentina sent a tweet reminding people of the mass it is planning for International Womens Day on March 8 to express opposition to abortion and yes to women, yes to life. The culture of death advances, Monsenor Jorge Eduardo Scheinig, an archbishop, said in a recorded message. We need to pray so that in Argentina, the yes to life is stronger than death. Lipovetsky believes that the votes are there for approval in the lower house, but the Senate will be close. Still, he is optimistic. The chances that this will finally become law are many, he said. And Correa says the feminist movement will keep the pressure on. Theres no doubt that were going to stay present in the streets and were going to keep insisting so that legislators vote in favour, she said. The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would hear a GOP-led effort against Obamacare, with opening arguments likely slated for the fall after the justices initially decided against fast-tracking a ruling. Obamacare came under threat in December when the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 vote that the individual mandate, which required Americans to buy health insurance under threat of fine, was unconstitutional. But the court kicked the rest of the case back down to Texas district judge Reed OConnor, who initially decided that the individual mandate was unconstitutional in December 2018. It may still be that none of the ACA is severable from the individual mandate, even after this inquiry is concluded, Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod said in her majority opinion. It may be that all of the ACA is severable from the individual mandate. It may also be that some of the ACA is severable from the individual mandate, and some is not. The Democratic states and the House, which are leading the defense of the 2010 healthcare statute, intervened and asked the Supreme Court to intervene and fast-track a decision by June, which it turned down. But the Courts decision to hear the case on a regular track is still unusual, as the case has yet to be fully considered by OConner. The Trump administration had urged in its brief for the Court to wait for a lower-court decision. Immediate review is unwarranted in the cases present posture, it wrote, because the court of appeals did not definitively resolve any question of practical consequence. Texas and 17 other Republican-led states sued in 2017 after the GOP-led Congress cut the tax penalty for those who lacked insurance to zero rendering the individual mandate effectively over, and attorney general William Barr expanded the suit this year to argue that the entire law should be found unconstitutional. More from National Review A north Alabama drug investigation led to the seizure of more than 18 pounds of cocaine and the arrest of one man. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on Monday announced the arrest of Terrell Clayton Brown. The 50-year-old Tuscumbia man is charged with trafficking cocaine. According to ALEA Special Agent Adam Buchanan, the agencys Region E Drug Enforcement Task Force received information that a large quantity of cocaine would be delivered to a location in Muscle Shoals. Agents launched their probe, which included surveillance of the undisclosed location and the suspect. Terrell Clayton Brown (Colbert County Jail) On Friday, Brown arrived at the spot and was approached by the state agents. They discovered several ounces of cocaine in the drivers area of his vehicle. While processing the vehicle, investigators found more than 18 pounds of cocaine in the trunk. Buchanan said the drugs have a street value of more than $800,000 and represent about 8,000 single uses of the drugs. Additional narcotics charges may be filed. Assisting members of the task force represent several agencies including ALEA SBI, the Colbert County Drug Task Force, the Franklin County Sheriffs Department, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force and the Russellville Police Department. Also involved were the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force and the Colbert County Sheriffs Department. Brown is being held in the Colbert County Jail. And just about when we got to the point of, I dont want to keep going in this groomer anymore, I just happened to look over and see their light. It was cold enough, and those guys were soaked. Their fire wasnt going so good and they were in trouble. The snowmobilers were able to punch through the snow to Hoags groomer and eventually get back down to their vehicles, cold and wet but very much safe and sound. The rescue crew had been called out around 4 p.m. that day. Hoag remembers arriving home around 3 a.m. The Seeley-Swan area is synonymous with outdoor recreation, drawing people down to its rivers and lakes and up into its mountain ranges throughout the year. A winter like this one, with mild temperatures and unforeseen snowstorms, is especially unpredictable when coupled with newer, more powerful snowmobiles that can get people deeper into treacherous terrain. . A shock result for Malaysia on Saturday (February 29), after 94-year-old interim leader Mahathir Mohamad lost the battle to become the country's prime minister. The king named former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin for the premiership, after a week of political turmoil sparked by Mahathir's resignation - before he made the last minute decision to stand for the top job. Speaking after the announcement, Muhyiddin said he was "gratefu" to be appointed. The decision could again reshape politics in the southeast Asian country, less than two years after an alliance of Mahathir, and old rival Anwar Ibrahim, swept out the former ruling party that had been tarnished by corruption scandals. That former ruling party of six decades, the United Malays National Organisation, was among those that had rallied in support of Muhyiddin, along with the Islamist party PAS. Although Mahathir and Anwar announced Saturday (February 29) that they had joined hands once again, the palace said in a statement the king's decision was based on Muhyiddin's potential to command a majority in parliament. But his position could change again depending on whether he is able to win a confidence vote. The second part of Budget Session in the Parliament will begin on March 2, Monday. The session will continue till April 3. In today's Budget Session session of the Parliament, the opposition parties are most likely to raise issues of Delhi communal riots, which has killed at least 46 people. The Indian National Congress (INC), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have given Adjournemnt Motion notice in Lok Sabha, over the issues of violence in Delhi. The primary objective of an Adjournemnt Motion is to draw attention of the House to a recent matter of urgent public importance having serious consequences. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh and CPI (M) MP KK Rajesh has given Suspension of Business Notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha over clashes in Delhi. In addition to this, Trinamool MPs have staged dharna near Gandhi statue outside Parliament against Delhi clashes. Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) protest in front of Gandhi statue inside the Parliament premises, over #DelhiViolence pic.twitter.com/pN0AKDIp7Z ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2020 Apart from discussion on Delhi clashes, demand for grants of various ministries including Railways, Social Justice and Empowerment, Tourism and Health will be discussed during the second part of Budget session. Besides, various Bills including the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, the Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, the National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill and The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill will also be taken up for consideration. What if you get stuck on the highway in a storm? Here are some tips The comedian said changing his name has been a headache (Ian West/PA) The comedian formerly known as Joe Lycett has said that changing his name to Hugo Boss to taunt the fashion company has been a headache. The TV star is now legally called Hugo Boss, in a jibe against the German luxury designer using trademark claims to target small businesses and charities who use boss in their branding. He said that he has been surprised at the response to his decision since announcing it on Sunday. He had posted a letter on Twitter purporting to be from the UK Deed Poll Office, which committed him to absolutely and entirely renounce, relinquish and abandon the use of my said former name. His move garnered a lot of attention, and he became a trending topic on Twitter. Appearing on BBC Twos Victoria Derbyshire, where the host referred to him by his new name, the comic said: Thank you for calling me Hugo Boss, Im going to have to get used to it. He showed off his BBC visitor pass, which had a picture of him with his new name, and he added: Im now legally Hugo Boss, according to the BBC system. Explaining his actions, he said: So, Hugo Boss is also a company, and theres a small company called Boss Brewing in Swansea, who are a little new business, and they tried to make a trademark for a couple of their beers, and Hugo Boss sent them a cease and desist letter, which is a legal letter that says stop doing what they think is alleged illegal activity. Its a massive company taking on a little company and its just not fair nobodys going to confuse a beer with Hugo Boss. I dont think Id splash myself with Heineken in the morning on my neck So they clearly dont like their name being used, theyve sent dozens of these to small businesses and charities. He added: I changed my name by deed poll, and I didnt expect the reaction I was in the bath about an hour ago. So @HUGOBOSS (who turnover approx $2.7 billion a year) have sent cease & desist letters to a number of small businesses & charities who use the word 'BOSS' or similar, including a small brewery in Swansea costing them thousands in legal fees and rebranding. (1/2) Joe Lycett (@joelycett) March 1, 2020 Ive legally changed my name and its a headache Ive got to tell you, theres so many things you have to do. He said he is launching a new product as Hugo Boss and that it will be revealed on his Channel 4 show, adding: Which I suppose has to be re-branded now because it was called Joe Lycetts Got Your Back, but itll have to be Hugo Boss Has Got Your Back. According to WalesOnline, Swansea-based Boss Brewing was left with legal fees totalling about 10,000 last year after the fashion brand sent it a cease and desist letter when the brewer tried to register its brand. In 2018, the i paper reported that a charity called DarkGirlBoss received a legal letter from Hugo Boss when it tried to trademark the name. The comedian said he would like the company Hugo Boss to stop sending cease and desist letters, for them to give the money back to Boss Brewing, and that an apology would be nice. It's clear that @HUGOBOSS HATES people using their name. Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future statements from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/IlDoCrfmaO Joe Lycett (@joelycett) March 1, 2020 Derbyshire read out a statement from the company, which said: Following the brewerys application to register a trade mark we approached them regarding the use of Boss in relation to two beer names in their portfolio. This was to avoid conflict and potential misunderstanding regarding the brands Boss and Boss Black, which had been used by the brewery but are long-standing trademarks of our company. The discussions clarified the situation in respect of these two brands as well as in relation to textile merchandising for the future. The brewery is able to proceed with the majority of their products without impact on their current branding. In a statement on Monday, a spokesman for the company said: We welcome the comedian formerly known as Joe Lycett as a member of the Hugo Boss family. As he will know, as a well-known trademark (as opposed to a regular trademark), Hugo Boss enjoys increased protection not only against trademarks for similar goods, but also for dissimilar goods across all product categories for our brands and trademarks Boss and Boss Black and their associated visual appearance. Following the application by Boss Brewing to register a trademark similar to our well-known trademark, we approached them to prevent potential misunderstanding regarding the brands Boss and Boss Black, which were being used to market beer and items of clothing. Both parties worked constructively to find a solution, which allows Boss Brewing the continued use of its name and all of its products, other than two beers (Boss Black and Boss Boss) where a slight change of the name was agreed upon. As an open-minded company, we would like to clarify that we do not oppose the free use of language in any way and we accept the generic term boss and its various and frequent uses in different languages. The comedian and TV star formerly known as Lycett is known for appearing on comedy shows including Taskmaster, QI and Live At The Apollo and for hosting BBC Two programme The Great British Sewing Bee. Founded in 1924, the fashion company which often styles itself as Boss, employs more than 14,000 people in 127 countries and generated sales of more than 2.7 billion euros (2.3 billion) in 2018 from its 439 stores. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced on Sunday night he is suspending his presidential campaign. Buttigieg told supporters in South Bend that he values the truth, and "the truth is, the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy, if not for our cause." Buttigieg promised he will "do everything in my power to ensure we have a new Democratic president come January," and will work to "bring our party and our country together." The United States, Buttigieg said, is "hungry for new politics," and his campaign found "countless Americans ready to support a middle class millennial mayor from the industrial Midwest not in spite of that experience, but because of it." Buttigieg also hopes that by becoming the first openly gay man to run for president, it sent a message "to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than, to see that someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband at his side." More stories from theweek.com Trump is postponing the second part of his mysterious annual physical Coronavirus might be the end of international travel as we know it It's not 1972 and Bernie Sanders isn't George McGovern 25-year-old KCK man charged in connection to Saturday morning Westport shooting KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - One man has been charged in connection to the Westport shooting from Saturday morning. 25-year-old Devon L. Carter of Kansas City, Kansas faces unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action charges. According to court records that were filed Sunday, a Kansas City police officer reported about 1:24 a.m. For those who haven't seen it yet . . . Here's a glimpse at authorities struggling to keep up with Midtown Kansas City violence. Read more: By Akbar Mammadov Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans lack of expertise in the Nagonro-Karabakh conflict and his inexperience in politics put him in a difficult situation during his debate with President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Munich Security Council held on February 15. Weeks after the debate, Pashinyan is still being criticized by Armenian experts and media over his poor handling of the debate. Commenting on the debate, Former Prime Minister of Armenia Hrant Bagratyan said that Pashinyan was in a difficult spot during the debate and had weak arguments. By comparison, Ilham Aliyev had an upper hand and a concrete agenda, Bagratyan said. It should be noted that during the debate Aliyev drew the agenda of the meeting, stressing that the international community must put a pressure on Armenia to de-occupy Azerbaijani lands. However, the former minister praised both Heydar Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev in the Karabakh issue while criticizing Pashinyan because of his weak arguments and unprepared speech in the Munich conference. Another criticism came from Armenian political scientist Gagik Hambaryan who said that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was absolutely unprepared for the meeting and failed to show resistance to Aliyevs arguments. The debate did not go unnoticed by international experts, either. US-Israeli professor Brenda Shaffer drew the attention to Nikol Pashinyans statement that his son is serving in the army in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region. She also quoted Pashinyan as saying that Nagorno Karabakh is a separate entity from Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan, you stated at the Munich Security Council that Nagorno-Karabakh is a separate entity from Armenia. Then why is your own son serving his compulsory military service in Nagorno-Karabakh? the US-based professor questioned. Another Armenian political scientist Stepan Danielyan said that Pashinyans speech lacked variety and also showed the differences between the Pashinyan administration and the so-called authorities in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. Pashinyan lays responsibility on the Karabakh authorities. The previous administration also used such tools. Armenia used to take advantage of Karabakh, to say there are differences of opinion between us, and this was done for the foreign policy, Danielytan said. Armenian press and social networking websites have been discussing non-stop the meeting between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held in Munich on February 15 in which the Armenian side clearly lost due to the strength of Azerbaijans rightful arguments. Munich conference also revealed controversies between the Armenian authorities and the opposition. What is more, it showed that the differences between Aliyev and Pashinyan in terms of matters of politics and history are beyond comparison. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 19:34:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkish state media on Monday claimed that one illegal migrant died when he was hit by a gunshot fired by Greek security forces in Turkey's border gate with Greece. According to the TRT broadcaster, Ahmed Abu Emad was killed when he was attempting to sneak into Greece from the Ipsala border gate in Turkey's northwestern province of Edirne. Emad was shot in the back, TRT said, without revealing further details. Earlier in the day, Greek police fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons against illegal migrants who have been waiting at the Pazarkule border gate to cross into Europe, an eyewitness said. Thousands of refugees were stuck at the borderline on the Turkish side as Greek authorities are determined not to allow them into the country. Last week, Turkey decided to open its border gates for illegal migrants after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold. Since then, over 100,000 illegal migrants have managed to cross to Greece from Edirne, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 23:55:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LAGOS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The condition of the first confirmed COVID-19 patient in Nigeria has improved, said a heath official here on Sunday. Giving an update to reporters on the COVID-19 situation in Lagos, Akin Abayomi, State Commissioner for Health, said the Italian national has not developed new symptoms. Abayomi, also called for a stop to spread of false and unverified information about Coronavirus situation in the state, restating the government's commitment to protect citizen's health. The state government had recently confirmed its first case of COVID-19. The virus was brought into the country by an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit. According to him, another test will be conducted for him in the next two to three days to ensure there is no more virus particles in his saliva. The commissioner said he would be released back into the society very soon, once they ascertain him clinically free of the virus. He reassured the citizens that government was fully prepared and would continue to initiate all measures required to prevent the spread of the outbreak and protect the citizens. The BSF on Monday handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to its jawan Mohammed Anees after his house in northeast Delhi was vandalised and burnt by rioters. The border guarding force has also pledged to re-build the house of the jawan and hand it over to him as a 'wedding gift', as he is scheduled to get married soon, a Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said. The engineering and technical team of the force is already on job, the spokesperson said. "Constable Anees along with his father Mohammed Munis met Inspector General D K Upadhyay at the force headquarters here at Lodhi Road. The jawan was handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh," the spokesperson added. Another senior official said the welfare funds of the force were utilised and other resources were mobilised to assist their 29-year-old colleague whose house in Khajuri Khas area of the national capital was badly burnt and vandalised by rioting mobs when communal violence engulfed parts of northeast Delhi last week. The riots in areas like Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Gokalpuri, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpur and few others have left over 40 people dead and more than 200 injured. Anees is posted at a BSF camp in Radhabari near West Bengal's Siliguri after he recently completed a stint in the anti-Naxal operations grid in Odisha. The BSF has also decided to post to him to a unit in the national capital region so that he can take care of his family, officials had said. The BSF, with about 2.5 lakh personnel in its ranks, is primarily mandated to guard Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh apart from rendering a variety of roles in the internal security domain of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ROCHESTER, Mich., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OptimizeRx Corp. (OPRX), a leading provider of digital health solutions for pharmaceutical companies, payers, medtech and medical associations, has appointed Todd Inman as chief technology officer. Inman brings to the position more than 30 years of experience delivering outcomes across the healthcare technology industry. Since joining OptimizeRx in January 2019 as VP of Technology, he has led the companys technology innovation teams in the U.S., Europe and Israel. Inman has overseen OptimizeRxs establishment of a state-of-the-art AWS cloud backbone, data and analytics infrastructure, and the recently announced OptimizeRx Innovation Lab. He will continue leading the implementation and development of the companys newly integrated communications platform. Todds appointment to this new position reflects our commitment to technology innovation that improves patient-centered care, access and adherence to medications, said Miriam Paramore, president of OptimizeRx. Given Todds expertise and track record of success, he is uniquely suited to fulfill the role of chief technology officer. He recently led the successful technology integration of our newly acquired companies, and were looking forward to many more great things to come. Inman commented: Im honored to take on this role at OptimizeRx to continue building and growing a world-class platform that creates better communication pathways within the healthcare industry. Leveraging the power of technology to streamline communication among stakeholders in the care journey is critical, and I couldnt be more excited to contribute to that global effort with the best team in its class. Prior to OptimizeRx, Inman has held leadership roles within prominent health technology and information services companies. While leading data solutions at a large publicly traded health IT company, Inman directed the design and implementation of the companys big data strategy. This resulted in an AWS cloud-based data asset of over 30 billion digital health records for 230 million patients. With this highly secured and compliant health information asset, he led artificial intelligence, machine learning, and business intelligence efforts that resulted in the creation of numerous solutions benefiting providers, payers, and patients. Story continues Inman and other OptimizeRx leaders will be attending HIMSS in Orlando on March 9-13, 2020, to demonstrate the industry-leading technology connecting provider and patient communications from the point-of-care and beyond. To schedule a meeting, please email malejandra@optimizerx.com. About OptimizeRx OptimizeRx (OPRX), a digital health company, connects pharmaceutical companies to patients and providers, offering greater affordability, adherence and brand awareness at the point-of-care. As the nations largest digital platform connecting life sciences to the point-of-care, OptimizeRx provides a direct channel for payers, medtech companies, medical associations and pharma companies to communicate with healthcare providers right within their workflow and also directly to patients. The cloud-based solution supports patient adherence to medications and better healthcare outcomes with real-time access to financial assistance, prior authorization, education and critical clinical information. OptimizeRx provides more than half of the ambulatory patient market with access to these benefits through leading EHR platforms like Allscripts, Amazing Charts and Quest, and directly via its mobile communications platform and digital therapeutics SaaS platform. For more information, follow the company on Twitter , LinkedIn or visit www.OptimizeRx.com . Important Cautions Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the definition of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such as in section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements should not be used to make an investment decision. The words 'estimate,' 'possible' and 'seeking' and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as to the date the statement was made. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted, or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks. OptimizeRx Contact Doug Baker, CFO Tel (248) 651-6568 x807 dbaker@optimizerx.com Media Relations Contact Maira Alejandra, Media Relations Manager Tel (754) 245-7070 investors@optimizerx.com Police arrested three people from the outskirts of Amritsar with Rs 53 lakh in cash, which they had allegedly looted from a dera last month. According to police, the accused, identified as Sukhwinder Singh, Balwinder Singh and Tarsem Singh, had looted Rs 1 crore on February 24 from the dera, located on the outskirts of Goindwal town in Punjab's Tarn Taran district. The accused were arrested on a tip-off that they were travelling in a car, police said, adding that they had barricaded the Nariangah crossing on the outskirts of Amritsar on receiving the information. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sergio Aguero scored the winner for Manchester City in their third consecutive League Cup triumph. Credit:AP Sergio Aguero and Rodri scored the goals on Sunday as Pep Guardiola's team picked up the trophy for the fifth time in seven years and seventh time in their history. London: Manchester City have won the English League Cup for the third successive time by beating a valiant Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley. "It was awesome. We struggled in the first minutes and the last ones. They had two clear chances in the first minutes but we played really well, especially in the second half. "We've won a lot. I tried when we arrive, every game we play we try to win it, every competition we try to win it, and three times in a row, being here and winning is great." Manchester City have now won the League Cup seven times and are still alive in the Champions League. Credit:Getty City went into the match as overwhelming favourites but they needed a strong rearguard action in the second half to keep Villa at bay. Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez on the bench but they were 2-0 up by the half-hour mark. A special court on Monday directed confiscation of Rs 58.48 lakh in movable and immovable properties of Pankaj Trivedi, former controller of Madhya Pradesh's Vyapam. The Vyapam scam refers to irregularities in exams held by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, also called Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal or Vyapam, for admission in professional courses and state services. Special Judge Alok Mishra's order came under the MP Vishesh Nyayalaya Adhiniyam 2011 (MP Special Courts Act) that aims to hear corruption cases expeditiously and confiscate ill-gotten money for public good. The assets amassed by Trivedi had come to light during Lokayukta raids six years ago. The confiscated items include a plot and agricultural land in Indore district, agricultural land in Bhopal, a four- wheeler and investment of Rs 4.70 lakh in fixed deposit (FD) schemes. Among these properties, only one plot worth Rs 39.06 lakh in Indore was registered in the name of Trivedi, while the others were purchased in the name of his wife and son. The special judge, in his order, said the properties were of Trivedi while his wife and son were mere custodians, adding that all these assets were acquired by Trivedi during his government service "by illegal means". Special Public Prosecutor Mahendra Kumar Chaturvedi said Lokayukta police raided Trivedi's places in Indore and Bhopal on 29 January, 2014. Trivedi, at the time, was accused of rigging entrance tests to professional courses recruitments to government departments conducted by Vyapam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A statement released by the Centro Astalli, the Jesuit Refugee Service in Italy, calls for the relocation of migrants in Greece and the activation of humanitarian visas for Syrian refugees. By Linda Bordoni In light of what is happening to migrants stranded in Greece, and following the tragic news of the escalation of violence in Syrias Idlib province, the JRS-run Centro Astalli has issued an urgent appeal to national governments and European institutions to demand the immediate evacuation of the refugee camps in Greece, and the establishment of humanitarian visas for Syrians fleeing fighting. Turkeys decision this week to stop curbing the movement of tens of thousands of migrants trapped in the country, following a 2016 agreement with the EU, has resulted in thousands of displaced people massing at the frontier with Greece, where army and police patrols are using tear gas and stun grenades to block them. In Greece, meanwhile, overcrowded detention centres host tens of thousands of migrants in inhumane conditions. Pope Francis expressed his sorrow on Sunday for the plight of so many displaced men, women and children whom, he said, have been discarded and thrown away by war, and he asked the faithful to pray for them. The Centro Astallis Donatella Parisi spoke to Vatican Radio about the JRS appeal. Listen to the interview with Donatella Parisi JRS in Italy is very concerned about the situation in Greece and more in general in Syria for refugees who try to make their way into Europe, Parisi said. Regarding what is happening to migrants in Greece, she stated, we are asking national governments and EU institutions to act immediately to evacuate refugee camps in Greece and to establish a sort of a humanitarian corridor for those who are under the bombs in Syria where the situation is terrible. We are convinced that the European Union can do more than what they are doing, she said. Pope Francis' concern Regarding Pope Francis appeal for the migrants, Parisi said the Centro Astalli hopes it will have an impact on those with political responsibility. We hope, for example, that the agreement with Turkey is immediately interrupted, because it is a very big problem for people trying to reach Europe, including Syrian and Iraqi refugees. The EU-Turkey deal, signed in March 2016, is a statement of cooperation between European states and the Turkish government, seeking to control the crossing of refugees and migrants from Turkey to the Greek islands. The crux of the deal was that every person arriving irregularly in Greece including asylum-seekers would be returned to Turkey. In exchange, EU Member States would take one Syrian refugee from Turkey for every Syrian returned from the islands. The Centro Astalli appeal calls for a humanitarian corridor for the Syrians fleeing the bombs that should be opened immediately, putting an end to the wicked agreement with Turkey which has condemned millions of people to misery, despair and death. Parisi said the rights of refugees are in urgent need of re-establishment: for example, the rights enshrined in the Geneva Convention regarding the right of non-refoulement and the right to receive protection if the person is escaping war or persecution. So, she said, Centro Astalli sincerely hopes that the words of the Pope will be taken into consideration by the people who have decisional powers for the lives of these people. The government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are mulling a backup rescue plan in the event that a suggested $2 billion capital infusion into the Yes Bank Ltd gets further deferred. The options that are being considered comprise an interim bailout of the embattled private lender which includes selling pooled assets to public sector banks (PSBs) or, in case that doesn't work then as a last recourse, selling a small stake to a state-run bank to set the stage for further capital raising, sources told the Livemint. Yes Bank which is reeling under the burden of bad loans, has necessitated a consideration of all options by the government and the RBI as the downfall of a bank can have a ripple effect on inter-connected financial institutions and undermine economic growth. Also Read: YES Bank share price rises 8% amid stake sale in Eveready Industries Although the bank is optimistic that it will manage to raise funds by as early as March 14, it is likely that a large PSB may be asked to intervene temporarily if the talks with investors overshoot set time frame, the news daily reported. The negotiations with the investors are still underway and no final offer has been made yet. Should that happen, it will highly likely make a case for the purchase of pooled assets from Yes Bank, the report added. Three investors, Cerberus Capital Management, Hinduja Group and JC Flowers are examining the books of Yes Bank for a potential investment. But, in view of the time constraints and the sheer size of the capital infusion, the investors are likely to request for more time. Also Read: YES Bank gets shareholders' approval to raise up to Rs 10,000 crore "The deadline of 14 March seems overly optimistic at the moment even though the potential investors remain engaged," a source told the news daily. "However, it is possible that Yes Bank could close a smaller round by 14 March while continuing its conversations with investors," the source further stated. The Coronavirus outbreak in China has had a broad impact on the tech industry globally, so much so that smartphone sales are expected to fall 10.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) in the first half of 2020. Although the market is anticipated to make up ground in the second half, research firm IDC is predicting a 2.3-percent YoY decline in smartphone shipments this year due to coronavirus. IDC says shipment volume is likely to hover around 1.3 billion. The figure for last year stood at 1.41 billion, down one percent from 1.43 billion in 2018. The market was expected to recover this year driven by advancements in 5G. However, uncertainties around Coronavirus have had a negative impact on the global smartphone market. A prolonged shutdown of factories in China and consequent disruption in the supply chain has resulted in a rapid slowdown. Advertisement Although factories are slowly resuming production, its going to take some time before they return to normal operations. The IDC report suggests that small and medium enterprises in the phone industry, especially retail channel partners, will be affected the most. Component shortages, factory shutdowns, quarantine mandates, logistics, and travel restrictions will create hindrances for smartphone vendors to produce handsets and roll out new devices, said Sangeetika Srivastava, senior research analyst at IDC. The period between February and March is the time when several market leaders release their flagship products. That is already being affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Samsung is blaming the virus for terrible sales numbers of its Galaxy S20 series. Advertisement Smartphone shipments will likely exhibit a fast recovery from the second half of the year when the coronavirus situation hopefully improves and 5G plans pick up the pace globally. Actual sales, however, may not entirely get back on track until 2021. Chinese market hit the most The Coronavirus epidemic started in the Wuhan city of China, and the country has unsurprisingly suffered the most. IDC forecasts the Chinese smartphone market to drop by nearly 40-percent YoY in the first quarter of 2020. The market will recover slightly in subsequent quarters but still may not reach last years levels. Advertisement IDC is expecting a multi-quarter growth for the industry in China as workers gradually return to factories. The Chinese government may intervene with subsidies and incentives to help improve the situation. The countrys demand shock still extends several quarters. The coronavirus outbreak may also result in a permanent shift in customers buying behaviors in China. In order to avoid the crowd, customers will prefer buying from online channels. While online sales will account for a significantly increased share of phones sold in the first half of 2020, IDC expects this behavior to grow into a trend in the long term. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Two updated datasets published to LawAtlas.org today show minimal change in state fair housing laws and city nuisance property ordinances since 2017, in spite of the continued housing crisis in the United States. These laws are part of the existing landscape of statutes, regulations, and ordinances intended to establish a framework for safe and equitable housing in the US. Yet, we know little about how they function as tens of millions of Americans continue to suffer from poor housing options and dangerous housing conditions. "These datasets are an invaluable resource for housing rights advocates, public health practitioners and others who work on issues related to housing discrimination and eviction. They also provide a foundation for legal epidemiology researchers working at the intersection of housing and health to explore the public health impact of these lawssome of which have been around for generations and have largely gone unstudied," said Lindsay K. Cloud, JD, director of the Policy Surveillance Program's Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University's Beasley School of Law. The data published today include laws and policies in effect from August 1, 2017 through August 1, 2019. The city nuisance property ordinances dataset captures laws from the 40 largest US cities, while the state fair housing dataset captures laws from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. City Nuisance Property Ordinances City nuisance property ordinances impose penalties on property owners based on the conduct of their tenants, sometimes requiring the eviction of those tenants. These policies were originally designed to regulate substance use and crime, but many ordinances establish a wide range of activities that the city considers to be a nuisance. These activities can include calls to law enforcement, which may discourage tenants from calling the police in life-threatening situations. "Nuisance property ordinances could have a significant impact on public health since they may force tenants to choose between calling 911 and being threatened with eviction," explained Kathleen Moran-McCabe, JD, a special projects manager at the Center who managed the update to these data. "These laws can have a disproportionate effect on domestic violence survivors, and people with disabilities, who may have to call for emergency help more often than others. While some cities exempt domestic violence incidents or calls to police from being considered a nuisance, many cities do not have exemptions in their nuisance ordinances." While the majority of the cities' laws were relatively unchanged since 2017, the data released today show important changes to the laws in Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas. Chicago and Columbus both added exemptions for domestic violence. Chicago expanded its exemption for emergency calls to apply to any calls related to domestic or sexual violence or an individual's disabilitynot just calls made by the property owner. Columbus added an exemption to its law that prevents domestic violence incidents from being labeled nuisance activities. Dallas has adopted a policy that allows the Dallas Police Department to designate a building as a "habitual criminal property" if certain criteria are met, including being associated with five or more law enforcement reports of criminal activity within one year. The police department may require owners now to post a sign at the building to show its habitual criminal status, and may face fines. State Fair Housing Protections The Fair Housing Act was passed as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to prohibit discrimination in housing. Since then, a majority of states have enacted congruent policies to advance FHA's aims. As of August 1, 2019, every state except Mississippi has its own laws that seek to supplement protections against discrimination in housing-related transactions. Changes to these laws since 2017 have been minimal, but those states that have changed their law tend to focus on the nature of protections for various populations: New Hampshire added gender identity as a protected class in 2019, bringing the total to 20 states with this protection. Five states now include domestic violence victims as a protected class, up from four in 2017. Source of income protectionswhich may specifically include or exclude housing vouchersis also now protected from discrimination in 12 states, up from 11 in 2017 (New York added source of income, including housing vouchers, as a protected class). "The State Fair Housing dataset is a valuable resource as we continue to seek to understand the impact of housing laws, associated regulations, and the implementation of policies on local practices, as well as broader effects on public health outcomes," said Adrienne Ghorashi, JD, a program manager at the Policy Surveillance Program who led the update of these data. "As federal protections against housing discrimination have been stalled or scaled back, understanding the effects of state laws becomes even more critical to advancing equity in housing." Explore further High water bills can unintentionally harm disadvantaged tenants More information: City Nuisance Property Ordinances. Policy Surveillance Program, Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University Beasley School of Law. February 28, 2020. City Nuisance Property Ordinances. Policy Surveillance Program, Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University Beasley School of Law. February 28, 2020. lawatlas.org/datasets/city-nui -property-ordinances State Fair Housing Protections. Policy Surveillance Program, Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University Beasley School of Law. February 28, 2020. lawatlas.org/datasets/state-fa otections-1498143743 Access Hollywood Full House fans aren't the only ones mourning a sad loss after Bob Saget, best known for his starring role as Danny Tanner on the classic sitcom passed away at 65 years old. His family is shared in a statement that they are devastated over his unexpected passing. Bobs oldest daughter, Aubrey Saget, 34, revealed a screenshot of the last text message she received from her late dad prior to his death. It appeared that the message was sent ahead of his last stand-up comedy show in Florida on Janu A BJP legislator from Assam, Suman Haripriya, on Monday in a bizarre statement claimed that 'Gaumutra' or cow urine and dung can cure Coronavirus, 'in the same way it can cure Cancer'. She made the claim inside the Assam Legislative Assembly and defended it outside while interacting with the media. She defended her claims in front of the media Raising a question on the floor of the House on Monday on the increasing number of cattle smuggling cases in the state, Suman Haripriya said, "The cow is a resource with the potential to cure Coronavirus." She said that researchers in Gujarat have already cured cancer patients by making them live with cattle, as part of the treatment. She further defended it in front of the media when questioned by journalists in the lobby of the Assam Legislative Assembly. The Budget session of the Assam Legislative Assembly began on Monday. On the first day, Suman Haripriya raised a question on the recent rise in cattle smuggling throughout the state. She alleged a nefarious design in order to destroy the agrarian economy of the country by anti-national forces and said that it's Bangladesh who is benefiting the most because of the trade that is on through the state as all the cattle smuggled through this route eventually goes to the neighbouring country. She alleged the involvement of suspected Bangladeshi immigrants She further questioned why such incidents of cattle smuggling have been on the rise in certain districts of the state, putting a hint on the involvement of suspected Bangladeshi immigrants. She appealed to the state government to take up measures in this regard. READ | Coronavirus outbreak: Singapore reports 4 new cases bringing total to 106 Later, speaking to the media outside in the lobby of the house, she said, "In ancient times, the sages used to burn cow dung and urine to purify. That exercise could easily purify up to 5-6 kilometre area from a single pyre of cow dung." It may be mentioned that Suman Haripriya, who represents Hajo constituency is the daughter of former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Bijoya Chakraborty. READ | Deepika Padukone refuses to go to Paris Fashion Week 2020 as Coronavirus epidemic spreads Suman Haripriya's bizarre claim of cow urine and dung curing cancer as well as Coronavirus not only entertained the legislators but has also become a hot topic of discussion on social media platforms. READ | Man with coronavirus symptoms admitted to Jaipur hospital READ | 'Can't shake hands?': Group of friends tap foot to greet each other over coronavirus dread The Kolkata Police on Monday claimed to have arrested three Bharatiya Janata Party supporters for allegedly raising the incendiary "desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro ... " (shoot the traitors) slogan while they were on their way to attend Union home minister Amit Shah's rally in Kolkata. IMAGE: BJP supporters attend home minister Amit Shah's rally in Kolkata. Photograph: PTI Photo "This illegal act of passing provocative slogans was done by BJP supporters. It is a cognisable offence," a senior official of the Kolkata Police said. Based on the complaint lodged by a person at the New Market Police Station on Sunday, police arrested the trio. The three, identified as Dhruva Basu, Pankaj Prasad, and Surendra Kumar Tewary, were arrested on Sunday night, the official said. "They have been booked under four sections including two non-bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code. They will be produced at a city court today," the IPS officer said. The West Bengal BJP unit on Sunday came under fire after a group of people holding the party flag allegedly raised the incendiary "desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro..." (shoot the traitors) slogan on their way to a rally of Shah. The men shouted the slogan while they were passing the Maidan Market in Esplanade en route to the rally venue Shahid Minar ground. The state BJP leadership, however, denied the involvement of any party worker in the incident and termed it as the "handiwork of the TMC (Trinamool Congress)". The home minister was on a day-long visit to Kolkata on Sunday. There has been a controversy over raising of such slogans during BJP rallies during Delhi assembly polls and protests in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act due to allegations that they provoke violence. Update: As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Washington state had 39 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths related to novel coronavirus. An updated story with additional details will be available Wednesday afternoon. Health officials announced on Tuesday that Washington had 27 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, nine of which resulted in death; there were seven more in King County than on Monday. Some deaths have been retroactively linked to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that spread in parts of Washington, including a death on Feb. 26 at Harborview Medical Center, before the first cases of the novel coronavirus were announced in King County. The man was a 54-year-old resident of Kirkland Life Care, a nursing and rehabilitation facility, which was been linked to a majority of the cases announced between Friday and Monday. He was brought to the Seattle hospital on Feb. 24, and died two days later, according to a Harborview spokeswoman. Seven of the deaths in Washington were connected to Life Care. The governor of North Carolina announced Tuesday that the state's first confirmed case was also linked to Life Care as someone from Wake County traveled to Washington, visited the facility and flew back to North Carolina where they were tested. As of Tuesday, King County had 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19, eight of which resulted in deaths. Snohomish County had six confirmed cases, one of which resulted in death. While there have been people tested in other counties, there were not any confirmed cases outside King and Snohomish counties. According to King County Public Health, the seven new cases include: A woman in her 40s who worked at Life Care. She was never hospitalized and was recovering at home. A woman in her 60s who was a family member of a confirmed case of COVID-19. She was not hospitalized. A man in his 70s who was a frequent visitor of Life Care. His hospitalization status was unknown currently. Two men in their 20s who were hospitalized at Swedish Medical Center in Issaquah. It was not known how they were exposed. A woman in her 80s who was a resident of Life Care. She was never hospitalized and died at her family home on Feb. 26. A man in his 50s who was resident of Life Care and hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center. He died on Feb. 26 and was believed to be the earliest confirmed death in the U.S. due to the virus. Those numbers are up since Monday, when local health officials announced the total number of cases of COVID-19 was up to 14 in King County. Out of those, five had died as of Monday. Numbers are expected to continue rising as testing increases and could diagnose people retroactively. King County Executive Dow Constantine announced an emergency declaration at the news conference, which would help allocate resources to respond to further cases. Later in the day, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that health officials were asking the State Legislature for $100 million to help respond to COVID-19. Constantine said a motel was being purchased by the county to house isolated patients. Using modular homes already owned by the county to house patients was another option the executive brought up. The announcement came within 72 hours of the first confirmed case on Friday in King County. Health officials have stressed throughout the weekend that the spread probably didn't start this weekend, but were confirmed through testing. Dr. Jeff Duchin, a health officer for King County Public Health at the news conference said there may have been many cases, a "vast majority" of them mild. We expect the number of cases to increase in the coming days and weeks, Duchin said. We are taking this situation extremely seriously. Out of the 14 cases, nine were linked to Kirkland's Life Care, a nursing and rehabilitation facility, including five deaths. Duchin described the situation as an outbreak in the facility. Public Health director Patty Hayes was among the health officials to stress hygiene and handwashing to mitigate the spread. She also said healthy people should not be buying masks, asking them to leave the supply for frontline healthcare workers, and those with illnesses. Despite schools across the region testing students for the virus and shutting down, King County Public Health recommended against school closures. It also tweeted there were no confirmed cases in Seattle Public Schools yet. Less than a day after public health officials on Sunday confirmed two more cases of COVID-19, both men in their 60s in Seattle and Renton, they confirmed the second death due to the virus. A man in his 70s, with underlying health conditions, died from the novel coronavirus while he was hospitalized at Evergreen Health, King County health officials announced Sunday. The announcement of two women in their 90s and 80s in critical condition at Evergreen Health, and a man in his 70s in critical condition at the same hospital, brought the number of cases in King County up to 10. The two men whose cases were announced Sunday morning, were in critical condition, one at Valley Medical Center and the other at Virginia Mason Medical Center. The two also had underlying health conditions, according to the State Public Health Laboratory. The new cases ended a weekend full of updates that raised the level of alarm in the state. Friday, two Washington cases were confirmed, and on Saturday a man in his 50s died from the virus in Kirkland. After the first death confirmed in Washington, Inslee announced a state of emergency. The U.S. Postal Service reported one of the six cases was an employee, but the cause for alarm was low according to King County Public Health. "In consultation with the King County Public Health Department, we have been informed the current risk to our employees is low," USPS said in an emailed statement. "The safety and well-being of our employees is one of our highest priorities." The employee was not a mail carrier, or someone who regularly handled individual parcels or letters. The number of reported was expected to rise as more people are tested, a statement from health officials said. Washington reported the first case of the novel coronavirus in January, when a Snohomish man was diagnosed with it. Dr. Trevor Bedford, a genetic and infectious disease researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, on Saturday tweeted that the case from January and one announced Friday were most likely genetically linked. Bedford said the possibility of a coincidence in the genetic similarity between the two was "highly unlikely." "This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State for the past six weeks," Bedford tweeted. He also said there was likely "hundreds of cases." "I believe we're facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China," Bedford said. RELATED: Wash. state sees 1st virus death in US, declares emergency Trump, on 1st death from virus in US: 'No reason to panic" 2 new coronavirus cases identified in Washington state The worst myths and misinformation about coronavirus SeattlePI reporter Alex Halverson can be reached at alex.halverson@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter @AlexHalversonPI. Find more from Alex here. Argentina could become the first major Latin American nation to legalise abortion. On Sunday, the countrys president, Alberto Fernandez, announced plans to send a bill to legalise abortion to congress within the next 10 days. Mr Fernandez, who was sworn in as Argentinas president in December, explained his intentions in his first annual address to congress. Abortion happens, its a fact, he said. A state should protect citizens in general and women in particular. And in the 21st Century, every society needs to respect the individual choice of its members to decide freely about their bodies. If congress approves the bill, Argentina will become the first major Latin American country to legalise abortion, joining Cuba, Guyana and Uruguay. Abortion is largely illegal across Latin America aside from in cases of rape or if the pregnancy will endanger the life of the pregnant woman. However, certain countries, including the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua, have outright bans on terminations with no exceptions. Mr Fernandezs announcement has been welcomed by pro-choice campaigners in Argentina, who suffered a major defeat in August 2018 when a bill to legalise abortion was rejected by congress after then-president Mauricio Macri failed to show his support for the bill. At the time, tens of thousands of women responded by protesting in favour of legalising abortion in Argentina, where the population is largely Roman Catholic, with many wearing green scarves that have since become a symbol of their campaign. In response to Mr Fernandezs plans, Mariela Belski, executive director of Amnesty International Argentina, has said: Congress must now listen to the demands of tens of thousands of women who have fought to have control over what they do with their bodies. Access to safe abortion is a human right. Yet in Argentina abortion continues to be illegal, and is only available to women whose life or health is in danger, or where the pregnancy is the result of rape. Legalising abortion would be a truly historic step for our country, and women would be able to look forward to a future where their rights are respected and they are treated with compassion. It's a great entrance. It starts with a graffitied door in the rabbit warren "food precinct" at the bottom of the Fulton Lane apartment building (hint: look for the red light). The door opens onto a fluoro-lit barebones stairwell. Up the stairs is a door with a faulty closing mechanism that means it will slam loudly behind you, though the slam is mostly lost beneath the blast of Queens of the Stone Age or Nirvana from powerful speakers. The salty, fatty Mary's cheeseburger. Credit:Simon Schluter The cavernous room is so dimly lit you'll be temporarily unable to see anything but the distant glow of the open kitchen and bar, where the words "F--k Mary's" are spelt out in red tiles. It's sensory deprivation and sensory overload all at the same time. You can sense trouble ahead, in all the best ways. Mary's Melbourne is the first non-Sydney outpost of an empire built on a foundation of burgers and natural wine by pals Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham. The space has a definite Sydney vibe to it: a grungy, dark, rock and roll, anything goes party pit is something our northern brethren do particularly well and it's a welcome addition to Melbourne's bar diversity. The Nigerian government now agrees with what church leaders have been complaining for years: Christians are the target of jihadist terrorism. In the wake of a renewed onslaught by our tireless military against Boko Haram and their ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) allies in recent times, the insurgents have apparently changed their strategy, said Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, at a press conference last week. They have started targeting Christians and Christian villages for a specific reason, which is to trigger a religious war and throw the nation into chaos. In comments given exclusively to CT, the administration of President Muhammad Buhari clarified that this targeting is not new. Yes, Boko Haram is targeting individual Christians. In doing so, their target is all Nigerians, and their goal is to divide Christian brother against Muslim brother, Mohammed, the information minister, told CT. What Boko Haram seeksand always has soughtis to drive a wedge between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. By targeting Christians, they seek to promulgate the falsehood that the democratically elected Nigerian government does not care to protect them. By targeting Muslims, they seek to promulgate the falsehood that the terrorists themselves follow truthfully Islamic teachings, and those they target do not. It is the strategy of the desperate. CT previously reported on the martyrdom of 11 Nigerian Christians killed by ISWAP around Christmas, as well as the January 21 killing of Lawan Andimi, a Brethren pastor and regional leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), beheaded by Boko Haram. In response, CAN declared that January 21 be commemorated as an annual national day of prayers for the persecuted Christians of Nigeria. The government statement followed two two-year anniversaries. On February 19, 2018, Boko Haram kidnapped 110 Dapchi schoolgirls. Only Leah Sharibu remains in captivity, for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, after the government secured release of the rest. And on March 1, 2018, ISWAP kidnapped Alice Ngaddeh, a UNICEF nurse and mother of two, along with other aid workers. Others captured were killed or released, but Ngaddeh remains a slave. This government continues and seeks to secure the release of all children and captives of terroristsand we do so regardless of their creed or the name of their creator, said Buhari in a presidential statement released on the anniversary of Sharibus capture. And as we redouble our efforts for Leahs return, we can never allow the terrorists to divide usChristian against Muslim, Muslim against Christian. We are all sons of Abraham. And all Nigerians have the same worth and rights before the law, and before God. In an exclusive op-ed for CT in which he praised the faith of Andimi, Buhari said 90 percent of Boko Harams victims are Muslims. CAN angrily rejected this statement, and called on the president to reveal his sources. In an article at the National Catholic Register decrying a Christian genocide, former Congressman Frank Wolf, author of the United States International Religious Freedom Act, and Toufic Baaklini, president of In Defense of Christians, compiled the following statistics: Boko Haram has killed more than 27,000 civilians in Nigeria. This is greater than the amount of civilians ISIS killed in Iraq and Syria combined. The Global Terrorism Index states that Nigeria is the third-most dangerous country after Afghanistan and Iraq. Open Doors calculates that more than 7,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed because of their faith over the last three years, including 1,350 martyrs in 2019. CAN reports 900 churches in northern Nigeria have been destroyed. The government statement represents tremendous progress, because Nigeria needs to walk in the truth in such trying times, said Gideon Para-Mallam, the former Jos-based Africa ambassador for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, now an advocate for peace and social justice. To own up and say that indeed Boko Haram has changed tactics will make a difference. They [the Buhari administration] need to be commended for calling out targeted attacks on Christians, and now we can join hands as a nation. The earlier government narrative, he said, believed by many Muslims, is that Christians are not persecuted in Nigeria. Though the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has called for a state of emergency against insecurity, following the information ministers statement, it stood by its previous statement that it was wicked to suggest that Boko Haram is a ploy to eliminate Christians, as reported by Nigerian newspaper Punch. Para-Mallam spoke to CT from London at a British Foreign Office conference to promote social cohesion in Nigeria. He said that Muslims there felt blamed when Nigeria was painted as a land of Christian persecution. He said his offer to be given the names of all Muslims in captivity, that he might also advocate for them, was appreciated. But this does not mean he disagrees with the pressure CAN has kept on the Nigerian government. Last month, CT reported on a nationwide march joined by prominent pastors across the country. The troubles CAN has made have added up, and brought the government to a proper understanding of the reality before us as a church and nation, said Para-Mallam. It has also brought international attention to Nigeria. Johnnie Moore, a commissioner with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), called for more efforts. The terrorists aim is to ethnically cleanse northern Nigeria of its Christians and to kill every Muslim who stands in their way, he said, following a week-long personal visit with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, during which they visited with more than 50 survivors of Islamist attacks. If things dont change immediately, portions of Nigeria may soon become the most dangerous place on the planet. In December, the US State Department added Nigeria to its Special Watch List for countries that have engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. Moore called upon the US to appoint a special envoy and review all American assistance to Nigeria. But he also echoed the Nigerian governments plea. The best thing that Muslim, Christian, and other religious leaders in Nigeriaand around the worldcan do, is to stand together in solidarity with the victims, instead of looking with suspicion and enmity at one another. Unfortunately, the federal government plays into the hands of conspiracy theorists, said Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic bishop of Sokoto, a city in northwest Nigeria that he said was like the Vatican of Nigerian Muslims. Islam came to Nigeria in the 11th century, and today is divided roughly 50-50 between Muslims and Christians. The Sokoto Caliphate governed a large stretch of territory in the 18th century, and today is the seat of the sultan, who heads the NSCIA. Kukah noted that all national security posts and most of Buharis advisors are Muslims. Previous administrations sought to balance their religious makeup. Kukah was surprised by the information ministers statement. In a diverse environment, people need a sense that power is being shared, Kukah said. Buahri has made himself vulnerable to the accusations about complicity and the Islamization of Nigeria. The vulnerability is widespread. In its 20162018 cycle of surveys, Afrobarometer found 73 percent of Nigerians believe that some or most senior officials in the federal government support or assist extremist groups. Only slightly lower figures were reported for members of the military (69%) and local government officials (65%). Perhaps paradoxically, 85 percent agree or strongly agree that the military keeps Nigeria safe from militants and insurgents. Even so, 55 percent of Nigerians trusted the president just a little or not at all. The Conference of Catholic Bishops invited churches to wear black for Ash Wednesday last week and then conduct a prayer march the following Sunday. Kukah also invited Muslims and made sure to coordinate with local security authorities. Similarly, he wants Christians to work together with Muslims to prevent the spread of anti-government conspiracies, even as he calls its efforts clearly not enough. We wore black to focus on the killings across Nigeria, and not just of Christians, Kukah said. We wanted to claim moral authority in this conversation, that this Lenten season we are mourning for the whole country. But according to John Hayab, a Baptist pastor and vice president of CAN for 19 northern Nigerian states, most of which are Muslim-majority, not all Muslim leaders cooperate. Many understand Christians, he said, and he partners with one in particular to preach a message of being one family under God. Other Christian leaders recently hosted Muslims in their Lenten fasts. But the terrorists have made others afraid to speak out in defense of Christians, while others use the message of hate for political gain. A 2010 Pew Research Center poll found 49 percent of Nigerian Muslims express favorable views toward al-Qaeda. But by 2014, this figure dropped to 22 percent. And only 10 percent of Nigerian Muslims expressed favorable opinions toward Boko Haram, with 80 percent negative. Yet in 2017, 20 percent of Nigerian Muslims had a favorable view of ISIS, to which a branch of Boko Haram swore allegiance at the time. Hayab said the government statement is better late than never. But he characterizes the jihadists strategy much differently. They are trying to make us live in fear and not identify publicly as Christians, he said. It is not just to divide Nigerians, but to eliminate Christianity and stop evangelism. Some in his area have begun wearing Muslim clothing to blend in. Young evangelists have left the area. And over the past 12 months, $1.1 million in ransom has been paid by Christians to secure release of captives, he said, a process in which he has mournfully participated. Our leaders have lived in denial, saying No, no, no, Hayab said. What we want to see now is concrete steps to find solutions, because our cry has always been legitimate. The Nigerian government now agrees. Neither Nigerians nor the international community should confuse the intentions of the Government of Nigeriawhich is committed completely, resolutely, and in full unity, to defend the right to life of all citizens, Mohammed, the information minister, told CT. And every individuals God-given right to follow the faith of their choosing. This classic Answer Man was first published in November 2016. Dear Answer Man, I heard a rumor that the largest employer in Rochester has told employees that they cannot vote during working hours. Doesn't this go contrary to our laws here in Minnesota and to federal laws? Fascinating question. Yes, it's true that according to statute, "Every employee who is eligible to vote in an election has the right to be absent from work for the time necessary to appear at the employee's polling place, cast a ballot, and return to work on the day of that election, without penalty or deduction from salary or wages because of the absence. An employer or other person may not directly or indirectly refuse, abridge, or interfere with this right or any other election right of an employee." This applies to most but not all elections. The law covers "a regularly scheduled election, an election to fill a vacancy in the office of United States senator or United States representative, an election to fill a vacancy in nomination for a constitutional office, an election to fill a vacancy in the office of state senator or state representative, or a presidential nomination primary." So yes, your employer needs to work with you if you choose to vote during the work day. ADVERTISEMENT The question above obviously refers to Mayo Clinic, and spokeswoman Kelly Reller told one of my Answer Man I-Team members about Election Day policies at the World Famous: "Mayo Clinic employees are encouraged to exercise their right to vote, and Mayo will support employee requests for reasonable time away from work to vote. "In most situations, employees will be able to visit the polls outside work hours. If this is not possible, reasonable time will be given to allow the employee to be absent from work to cast their ballot. The amount of time and other details will depend on the state law of the state where the employee votes." That line about "most situations" seems to be a shot across the bow, that "employees will be able to visit the polls outside of work." In Minnesota, it's simply a right to be absent from work to vote -- you don't need an explanation or excuse, and the employee can't "directly or indirectly" deny, abridge or interfere with that right. Mayo workers in Florida aren't so lucky, though. Florida has no law requiring employers to allow time off to vote. Mayo employees in Arizona have more legal options. Apparently you have to apply to your employer for up to three hours at the beginning or end of your shift for voting. For the record, Wisconsin allows workers up to three hours off, but you have to request it before Election Day and they don't have to pay you for it. In Iowa, if you don't have three consecutive hours off during polling hours, you're entitled to take paid time off to vote, though you have to apply in advance. Look at the variation among just these five states. Does this make sense to you, that voters have more obstacles to voting in one state than another, and legislators in all 50 states have the power to affect federal elections? It doesn't make sense to me, either. The law, passed in 2002, is being updated to target terrorist activities that are funded by money laundering The Egyptian parliament's constitutional and legislative affairs committee on Monday approved several amendments to the anti-money laundering law, law number 80 of 2002. The committee's deputy chairman, Ihab El-Tamawy, told reporters that the amendments aim to tackle funding for terrorist activities. "The law was passed in 2002 and since then there have been many developments, on top of which is that terrorists and terrorist organisations now resort to money laundering activities to fund their crimes," said El-Tamawy. An explanatory note that accompanied the government-drafted amendments said four articles of the law on will be amended. Article 1 will be amended to widen the scope of money laundering activities which terrorist organisations currently make use of, such as selling and smuggling oil and other natural resources, according to the note. Article 16 will be amended to give greater powers to the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Funding Unit, to help it take quick and effective measures such as freezing assets and cash from those suspected of funding terrorist crimes. Article 18 will be amended to make it compulsory for local authorities and the anti-money laundering unit to reinforce cooperation and exchange information with international organisations in regard to fighting money laundering and the funding of terrorism. Article 9 will be amended to require the anti-money laundering unit to publish up-to-date and comprehensive statistics and figures on its activities and operations in tracking illegal funding of terrorist crimes. Search Keywords: Short link: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) The Department of Health and Cebu authorities continue to track down a South Korean from coronavirus-hit Daegu City, who gave false information about his travel details, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Monday. Twenty-six foreign tourists from Daegu City in South Korea arrived in Cebu City on February 25 a day before the Philippines announced a selective travel ban on North Gyeongsang Province, where Daegu is located. Of that number, 15 have already left for South Korea, while two others are set to leave the country today. One person has left Cebu City, while 7 are undergoing strict monitoring in their hotels. Vergeire said one South Korean remains untraceable after he put "erroneous" information on his travel arrival card. He gave the name of the hotel he will supposedly stay in, but he never checked in. The health official clarified that the man is not considered a patient under investigation, but he should be placed under strict monitoring because he traveled from a high-risk place. "We still have to look for them kasi kailangan ma-monitor natin sila, kailangan mag-monitored self quarantine kasi 'yung probabilidad, mataas dahil galing sila sa lugar na may mga kaso," she said. [Translation: We have to look for all of them because they need to be under a monitored self-quarantined because it's risky because they came from a place where there is a high number of confirmed cases.] Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia on February 28 ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all travelers coming from North Gyeonsang Province. The order covered the 26 Korean nationals who already arrived in Cebu from Daegu prior to the declaration of a travel ban. READ: South Koreans from coronavirus-hit Daegu under monitoring in Cebu, Boracay Garcia said she issued the order in view of the "confusion" on the part of the national government agencies whether a travel ban is already in effect or not. The Bureau of Immigration also on Feb. 28 said it was enforcing the ban that day -- two days after it was announced -- because it had to address some implementation issues. Daegu is where the majority of South Korea's coronavirus cases are concentrated. South Korea has the most confirmed coronavirus cases outside of mainland China. There are at least 4,200 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 26 deaths; about 60 percent of all nationwide cases are linked to the Shincheonji religious group and its branch in the southern city of Daegu, which has reported more than 2,500 cases. Aside from the South Korean province, the Philippines also has an existing travel ban on China, its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan. After a Delhi court on Monday stayed the execution of the four death row convicts in the 2012 gangrape and murder case, Nirbhaya's lawyer Seema Kushwaha said that the judicial system has become stale. "On February 5, the Delhi High Court had given the Nirbhaya case convicts one week to use all their options and yet a petition was filed the day before the execution. The judicial system has become stale," Kushwaha told ANI. "However, I still feel that within 2-3 days a fresh date would be given for the execution of convicts," she added. Earlier today, a Delhi court stayed the execution of four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case and deferred the matter till further orders. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana had earlier today reserved the order on a petition filed by Pawan Gupta after hearing arguments from all the sides in the matter. The execution of the convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh -- was earlier scheduled to take place on the morning of March 3. During the hearing, advocate AP Singh said that he filed the mercy petition before the President of India on behalf of convict Pawan Gupta as soon as he received the information that the convict's curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier today. Earlier today, the court had also dismissed an application seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrant but slated to hear a petition afresh after advocate AP Singh informed the court that the mercy petition of convict Pawan Gupta was filed before the President. President Ram Nath Kovind had on February 5 rejected the mercy petition of convict Akshay Thakur. So far, mercy petitions of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh have also been rejected. The case pertains to the gang-rape and brutalising of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ukrainian government and the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) at a meeting on Monday discussed macroeconomic stabilization in the country, the issues of cheapening mortgage loans and loans for business, Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said on his Telegram channel. "A further reduction in the refinancing rate from 11% to 7% in 2020 means cheap loans. Thus, a mortgage will be much cheaper, and for business we will increase microloans to UAH 2 million at 5-7-9%. In addition, we expand these loans to buy commercial real estate," Honcharuk said. According to the photo posted by the prime minister, the meeting was also attended by the finance minister, minister of economic development, trade and agriculture, responsible in their ministries for macroeconomic forecasts, as well as the government representative for public debt. MINNEAPOLIS Protesters chanting "Black Lives Matter" and hoisting signs shut down Sen. Amy Klobuchars rally in St. Louis Park, Minn., Sunday night after occupying the event for more than an hour. Klobuchar was scheduled to speak at St. Louis Park High School in suburban Minneapolis ahead of Tuesdays Minnesota primary, which she is fighting to win and notch her first victory. But dozens of protesters entered the gymnasium and took over the stage, shouting for Klobuchar to drop out of the presidential race over the former prosecutor's handling of a 2002 case. The demonstration prompted her campaign to cancel the event. The protesters were critical of Klobuchars role in prosecuting Myon Burrell, who they say was wrongfully sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl. Klobuchar was the Hennepin County Attorney when Burrell, who was 16 at the time, was convicted. That conviction was eventually overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court, but Burrell was convicted again in a second trial overseen by Klobuchars successor. A recent Associated Press investigation detailed numerous potential flaws in the case, calling into question Burrells conviction and Klobuchars role in overseeing it. Activists have since called on her to end her presidential campaign. Protestors take over the stage forcing Democratic presidential hopeful Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar to cancel her rally before it even started on March 1, 2020 in St. Louis Park, west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. - Hundreds of Klobuchar supporters witnessed a group of Black Lives Matter protesters demanding her to drop out of the race after her misshandling of Myon Burrell's case in 2002 when she was County Attorney. (Photo by Kerem Yucel / AFP) (Photo by KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images) "Amy Klobuchar has the power and the influence if she wanted to actually help us to free him she could, and she doesnt want to," said Leslie Redmond, president of the Minneapolis NAACP, which helped organize the protest. "This is a tale of two cities. Theres a real distinction between how we see Amy Klobuchar, and its because she keeps hiding behind her progressive background or values, but shes actually not as progressive as she comes across." Klobuchars campaign manager, Justin Buoen, said he was disappointed at the turn of events that prevented the senator from speaking to voters in her home state two days before they vote in their primary election on Super Tuesday. Story continues 'Not over yet': Biden-Sanders on Super Tuesday collision course as biggest trove of delegates awaits "We had a negotiation and had an agreement with the organizers of the protest to meet with the senator onsite," Buoen told reporters. "She was in the room ready to meet with them and they changed the terms and decided they didnt want to meet with her. So Im disappointed that that happened tonight." Redmond said protesters wanted Klobuchar to acknowledge their concerns onstage but that the campaign wouldnt agree. Myon Burrell, convicted in the murder of Tyesha Edwards, an 11-year-old girl pierced in the heart by a stray bullet in 2002 while doing homework at her family's dining room table, stands for a photograph at the Stillwater Correctional Facility, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, in Stillwater, Minn. A growing number of legal experts, community leaders and civil rights activists are worried that the black teenager may have been wrongly convicted in the name of political expediency. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Klobuchar so far has struggled to garner a diverse coalition of support, earning just 1% of black support in the South Carolina primary, according to exit polling. Fellow Midwesterner and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg ended his presidential campaign earlier Sunday amid similar failures to appeal to black voters. But Buoen dismissed the protests Sunday as evidence of any broader concerns with the senators appeal. "I dont know that one event is emblematic of anything," he said. "Im disappointed, and hopefully were able to do a meeting in the future." Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amy Klobuchar: Black Lives Matter protesters shut down Minnesota rally Hundreds of people stand around Love Park after being evacuated of the General Services Building at 15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard after a gas-like smell was reported in Center City. Read more The smell of gas wafted through Center City on Monday, briefly leading to the evacuation of multiple buildings and prompting an hours-long investigation into its source. The cause of the odor remains undetermined, the Philadelphia Fire Department said late Monday afternoon. The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management first said the release of mercaptan, which it called a non-hazardous substance, during equipment cleaning at the shuttered Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery led to the citywide reports of an odor. But the Philadelphia Fire Department later said it could not confirm that initial report, though the refinery site did clean equipment Monday. We dont know what the cause of these odors is," Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said. The refinery had a reading on its monitoring system about 7:30 or 8 a.m. that suggested some type of product went across their facility from an unknown location, Thiel said. But the Fire Department checked with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and there were no reported releases from other facilities. Thiel first became aware of the odor when the Municipal Services Building was evacuated. When the Fire Department responded to that location, it did not find anything. With the atmospheric monitoring equipment that we have available, they did not find any hazards. Frankly, that does not mean there are not hazards there, Thiel said. There is a limit to what we are capable of finding with the equipment that we have, and of course, the atmospheric conditions are constantly changing. Its a windy day today. Thiel said he did not know how many odor reports the Fire Department received because there were so many, but said there were upward of 500 emergency calls to the Philadelphia Gas Works reporting the odor of gas. PGW said a natural gas leak was not the source of the reports of foreign gas odors across the city of Philadelphia. Sophie Kluthe, an American Red Cross spokesperson, said Red Cross staffers were evacuated from their offices at 22nd and Chestnut Streets about 11:20 a.m. and allowed back in about 10 minutes later. We walked out of the building, the fire trucks pulled up, and then they were talking to my bosses, and all of a sudden we were allowed back in, she said. The Public Interest Law Center closed its office in Center City due to a suspected gas leak. At the Criminal Justice Center, an announcement over the loudspeaker attributed the odor to an additive used in cleaning the refinery in South Philly. The announcement said it was not natural gas and was not harmful. In City Hall, an announcement also said an odor was emitted through the air at the refinery: We are all clear, no gas leak, you can return to work." Staff writers Chris Palmer and Laura McCrystal contributed to this article. THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick has sold its presidential Killaloe home after it lay vacant for more than ten years with the funds immediately put towards another property. The four-bedroom home which overlooks Lough Derg and is known as The Downs, was sold in late 2019 for 790,000, with an estimated value of 850,000. The university came under scrutiny for the under-used property, especially after building a second presidential residence in 2010 at the cost of 2.2m. The lavish Killaloe property, purchased in 1998, was funded by US philanthropist Chuck Feeney when the university was 3million in debt. The property had not been used since ULs second president Dr Roger Downer stepped down due to ill-health in August 2008. Since then, it had been leased on only one occasion, in May 2009 for 18 months at a cost of 1,500 per month, accruing 27,000 in rent. The second residence sits on the UL campus and is home to current university president Dr Des Fitzgerald, who once likened it to living in a fish bowl. A Freedom of Information act submitted by the Limerick Leader found the maintenance of both properties had cost an eye-watering 109,654.55. Now, the money made from the sale of the universitys first presidential home has been used to fund a third property, Larkin House. Larkin House sits on 1.1 acres of land and leads onto a further five acres of land which was previously acquired by the university. While the exact cost of this property is unknown, a spokesperson of the university confirmed that the cost of Larkin House was met by the sale of the Killaloe house to the Irish Daily Mail. The spokesman insisted the purchase was necessary for future development. Fianna Fail deputy Willie ODea had called on the university to sell or at least rent the vacant property to get the best possible value out of it and ease the burden on the taxpayer in recent times. A new extortion scheme targets users of Googles AdSense program. The scam threatens to flood a website with bogus traffic until Google suspends the sites AdSense account, unless the owner pays US$5,000 in bitcoin to avoid or stop the attack, security blogger Brian Krebs reported Monday. The grifters appear to be exploiting a click-fraud crackdown Google launched last summer. This year, were enhancing our defenses even more by improving the systems that identify potentially invalid traffic or high risk activities before ads are served, Andres Ferrate, chief advocate for ad traffic quality, explained at the time. These defenses allow us to limit ad serving as needed to further protect our advertisers and users, while maximizing revenue opportunities for legitimate publishers, he wrote. AdSense Nightmare Krebs, a former Washington Post reporter, published portions of a ransom note provided to him by a reader of his Krebs on Security blog. In it, the extortionist warns the reader, who operates several websites, that he soon would be receiving ominous messages about his AdSense status. This will happen due to the fact that were about to flood your site with huge amount of direct bot generated web traffic with 100% bounce ratio and thousands of IPs in rotation a nightmare for every AdSense publisher, the note declares. More also, it continues, well adjust our sophisticated bots to open, in endless cycle with different time duration, every AdSense banner which runs on your site. Although the reader was skeptical of the threat, Krebs noted that when he checked his AdSense traffic statistics, they showed invalid traffic to his sites increased substantially month-over-month. A Krebs reader writing in the comments section of the blog explained why suspension of an AdSense account would be a nightmare: Its actually a very effective threat, as anyone whos ever worked with Adsense will have noticed its more or less impossible to contact anyone at Google about problems with this, wrote Dave. Theyll contact you to sell you more stuff, but if you try and contact them you get lost in a maze of web pages pointing to more web pages, none of which contain any way to contact them. Given that theres no means of recovery, I can see that the victims would take paying up as the easier option, he continued. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Thats exactly what we did with a billing error, Dave added. It was so hard to try and get it resolved that we just paid Google to make it go away. Classic Sabotage Threat The case sounds like a classic threat of sabotage, where an actor attempts to trigger an enforcement action against a publisher by sending invalid traffic to their inventory, Google said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Suzanne Blackburn. We hear a lot about the potential for sabotage, its extremely rare in practice, and we have built some safeguards in place to prevent sabotage from succeeding, the company maintained. For example, we have detection mechanisms in place to proactively detect potential sabotage and take it into account in our enforcement systems. Google noted that it has a help center on its website with tips for AdSense publishers and a contact form for publishers to use if they believe they are the victims of sabotage. We encourage publishers to disengage from any communication or further action with parties that signal that they will drive invalid traffic to their web properties, Google advised. If there are concerns about invalid traffic, they should communicate that to us, and our Ad Traffic Quality team will monitor and evaluate their accounts as needed, it said. We have extensive tools and processes to protect against invalid traffic across our products. In fact, most invalid traffic is filtered from our system before our advertisers and publishers are ever impacted. Framing the Good Guys Google has the resources to address this problem if it wants to, observed Sky Cassidy, CEO of MountainTop Data, a Canoga Park, California-based provider of data services to B2B marketers. Google has a way to identify fake clicks, he explained, although in the past, the person cultivating those clicks usually was the AdSense account holder. They would be trying to generate more money with the fake clicks, Cassidy told TechNewsWorld. The scheme described by Krebs is a novel one, he continued, because the schemers are trying to frame AdSense users and make it appear theyre using their account for fraud. A D V E R T I S E M E N T In the past, the schemers were probably being hired by AdSense account holders to commit ad fraud. Once Google shut that down, they decided to do it to people and make them pay to not do it, Cassidy speculated. Theyre taking their tools, pointing them at legitimate people, and making them look like the bad guys. Before Google cuts off an AdSense account for abuse, the company should determine the source of the abuse, and not assume the account holder is at fault, he suggested. If an AdSense user is attacked and gets an extortion email, they should be able to forward the email to Google and say, This isnt me,' Cassidy said. Its going to take a little more work on Googles end, but luckily theyve got billions of dollars so they can do it. Tough Talk, Little Action The AdSense extortion scam is similar to classic Distributed Denial of Service shakedowns, noted Jerome Segura, director of threat intelligence at Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity software maker based in Santa Clara, California. In a DDoS attack, the criminal floods a site with bogus traffic. That prevents it from functioning. In the case of an e-commerce site, that means lost revenue, as customers desert the site when they cant land there. These scams typically work best on sites that have a sizable amount of traffic, or in cases where an attacker is specifically targeting a victim, he told TechNewsWorld. The breadth of the AdSense scam suggests it may be more social engineering than action, Segura said. We saw this previously with sextortion spam campaigns claiming to have compromising pictures or videos of victims, when in reality attackers only had a password that had been exposed previously in a data breach, he explained. Whether or not the criminals do follow up on their threat, victims are likely to be scared and pay up front, said Segura. With traditional DDoS attacks producing dwindling revenues, criminals are turning to new approaches to reap ill-gotten gains, observed Deepak Patel, a security evangelist at PerimeterX, a Web security service provider in San Mateo, California. The new wave of business logic attacks are using advanced bots that can mimic human behavior and use hyper-distributed IPs to cause serious disruptions, he told TechNewsWorld. As more commerce shifts online, attackers will find ways to monetize, Patel added. Automated threats should be evaluated as a business risk, and every digital business should account for them and deploy bot management solutions to protect their users and proprietary content. The five track EP, set to drop on Friday, transforms 2020 into a 2099 future EDM vision, as Montell2099 embarks on his biggest career moves yet. 'Forces' follows Montell2099s triumphant run of summer festivals, seeing him bring his entrancing live show to the main stages of Northern Bass, Rhythm & Vines, Bay Dreams Pre Party and more - and before he embarks on his biggest festival look to date at Tomorrowland Belgium, and an Australian tour with What So Not. Montell2099s debut EP grounds him as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. Keen to hear it before anyone else? Brook from George Nights is assembling a team for the George Nights Lazertag Listening Sesh, an exclusive Lazertag Session with Montell2099 himself, whilst listening to his new EP. Listen to George Nights from 7pm daily to find out how you can be apart of the team! 01.03.2020 LISTEN Media Watch Research Associates is calling on the international community to assist the Ghanaian government recover 175 million dollars allegedly transferred by Ghanaian Former President John Dramani Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama in 2012 into bank accounts in Switzerland. Professor Halima Kabore, Executive Director of Media watch Research that she intended to petition the Office of the Special Prosecutor in Ghana as well, the African Union and the European Union to assist the Ghanaian government trace this money and take steps to recover it. Media watch Research Associates recalls that in October 2012, just before the 2012 Elections Pierre Wimhoven, an investigative journalist affiliated with transparency international who also was director for Associated Press News in Zurich Switzerland reported that IMF investigators found that some illegal electronic transfers had taken place into some banks accounts opened by DZ Privatbank who in turn opened another account for the Ghanaian President with a bank called Credito Private Commercial. This arrangement was deemed unusual and suspicious. Documentary evidence sighted by IMF and Transparency international sources say between August 2012 and October 2012 huge amounts of money were transferred from Ghanas foreign reserves into these bank accounts totaling 170 Million Dollars on the blind side of Ghanas parliament. Dr Kabore said the current Ghanaian government had a moral obligation to recover the money but it will need support from the international community to retrieve all the funds stashed abroad by the former President. Source-Media watch Research Associates News (MRA NEWS) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:53:15|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close YANGON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Six people including a driver were killed with five others injured in a car accident in Myanmar's highway, according to a release from the Highway Police Office on Monday. A truck carrying 13 passengers on board, travelling to Nay Pyi Taw from Mandalay crashed into the highway guardrails and overturned as the vehicle got a flat tire near the milepost 329 on the Yangon-Mandalay highway at 4:10 p.m. local time on Sunday. The injured were brought to the Tada-U General Hospital for treatment. The highway police force is urging people to follow the traffic laws and to cooperate with traffic police in carrying out road safety measures. Human errors such as over speeding, negligent driving, drowsy driving and others such as defective vehicles and severe weather are mostly responsible for the deadly motor vehicle accidents on Myanmar's highway. Enditem 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. He also refused to provide additional information on potential changes in the government Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said that he had not written the letter of resignation. He stated this during a briefing, answering a journalist's questions on his possible resignation. The broadcast was provided by 112 Ukraine TV Channel. "Look, as of this moment, I have not written any letters. I also know a lot and I have heard a lot. Obviously, we will have consultations with the President and Parliament on this," Honcharuk said. Prime Minister also added that he was not willing to comment on anything. Speaking on possible replacements among ministers, Honcharuk said that it was too early to make any statements. "I have stated for a long time that we are thinking of strengthening the Government. This is a command decision, which depends mainly on the President, the position of his colleagues in Parliament. Whatever the final decision is, I am not willing to comment on it, because it is still on the desk. It is too early to talk on whom we are going to choose and who we are planning to replace, Ukraines PM noted. As we reported earlier, media published information that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky might appoint businessman Serhiy Tihipko as Prime Minister of Ukraine instead of Oleksiy Hocharuk. Zelensky confirmed that he had held a meeting with Tihipko, but also noted that he has meetings with many people. As dairy producers, we tend to focus on milk prices, but it pays to be aware of whats going on in the beef markets, too. After all, our dairy cattle make up an important part of the U.S. beef supply. Brenda Boetel, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, shared her 2020 forecast for several commodities, including beef, at the Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum held in Madison, Wis. One of the biggest things in 2019 was weather, she started out. Another thing that had a big impact on these commodities was export and trade markets. Specifically for beef, she talked about the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement. The bilateral agreement will reduce tariffs on agricultural products, and the tariff on beef will fall from 38.5% down to 9%. That will put the U.S. on level trading with countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Boetel said. That has a very big impact for beef markets because Japan is our number one export market for beef in the United States, she continued. They take about 28% of our exports. In 2019, beef exports were down 4.2%, but Boetel told the audience to not be too pessimistic about that. It is still very strong, she said. Weve had record years of beef exports, and you cant have record years every year. Speaking of records, beef production will be up about 1% in 2020, which would be a chart-topping level of production. Pork and poultry are also expected to have record production years in 2020. For now, the economy is doing well and there is strong demand for both beef and pork in the U.S. Consumers are continuing to eat protein, particularly beef, which is the higher priced protein, Boetel noted. Trade is also a good thing, she said, which keeps demand and prices strong. Looking at 2020, The biggest thing for these commodities is trade, she said. We also have to pay attention to a recession because it has a big impact, particularly for beef producers, Boetel added. Beef is more expensive for consumers to buy, so recessionary tendencies impact beef markets significantly, she explained. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2020 March 2, 2020 RTHK: US reports second death as New York sees first case Health officials in Washington state said a second person had died from the coronavirus as as New York reported its first case in a woman who had visited Iran. Researchers said earlier the virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected in Washington state. The second victim, a man in his 70s with underlying conditions died on Saturday, health officials said. Washington state now has 12 confirmed cases. Authorities meanwhile stepped up testing for the illness as the number of new cases grew nationwide, with new infections announced in California, Florida, Illinois, Rhode Island, New York and Washington state. Two health care workers in California were also diagnosed. Of the new Washington state cases, two were women, one in her 80s and another in her 90s. Both were in critical condition. The first case in New York was a woman in her late thirties who contracted the virus while traveling in Iran. The patient is not in serious condition. As the cases ticked up, some Americans stocked up on basic supplies particularly in areas with diagnosed cases and began to take note of the impact on daily life. Some stores ran out of toilet paper, bottled water and hand sanitizer outside Portland, Oregon, where a case was announced on Friday. Sports games and practices were cancelled into the coming school week. Some churches said they would not offer communion because of fears of viral spread. As Americans prepared, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre and the University of Washington on Sunday said they had evidence the virus may have been circulating in the state for up to six weeks undetected a finding that, if true, could mean hundreds of undiagnosed cases in the area. They posted their research online, but it was not published in a scientific journal or reviewed by other scientists. (AFP, AP) This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) warned Sunday that former vice president Joe Biden would lose to President Trump in the crucial rust belt states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin for his support of disastrous trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement. What do you think Trump will do with him in Michigan and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin? Sanders told the San Francisco Chronicle in an interview. Hell decimate him on that issue. Biden, a prominent supporter of the original NAFTA, voiced his support for President Trumps USMCA trade deal last year, while Sanders has voiced opposition to the agreement. The democratic socialist added that Biden was unlikely to inspire the voter turnout to defeat President Trump in 2020. Democrats win elections when voter turnout is high, he said. Does anyone really think that a Biden candidacy will create the kind of energy and excitement we need to significantly increase the voter turnout? Biden countered the narrative after the South Carolina debate last week, saying it was not likely that Sanders would cause a record Democratic turnout. Sanders also said that his potential running mate would have to support Medicare for All, and warned that the Democratic National Committee might block his nomination if he arrives at the convention with a plurality of delegates, but not a majority. I think that would look terrible, and I think that would lay the groundwork for a Trump victory, Sanders said of the potential situation. It would reflect on the Democratic Party in a very, very terrible way. Interviews with Democratic superdelegates released last week showed a large number unwilling to declare Sanders the nominee without the necessary majority. Biden told voters last month that Democrats cant let Trump use Sanderss credentials as red meat, arguing that the party will have to carry the label of democratic socialism if Sanders remains in contention. More from National Review The Mexican Secretariat of Public Safety or the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), along with Europol and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs are discussing the expansion and development, and to work together regarding security matters. The SSCP that was established in 2018 is an agency of the administration of Mexico that is a cabinet-level. They are mostly in charge of the supervision of public safety and security. The Secretary of the SSCP is Alfonso Durazo. Europol is an organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands and is also a law enforcement agency of the European Union. They assist 27 EU Member States and help them fight against terrorism and other kinds of serious crimes. Their main objective is to achieve a safer Europe. They perform an important role in assisting the Member States in fighting against unauthorized and unlawful trafficking of weapons and explosives. Their tactic is to recognize the networks involved in crimes that supply the terrorist groups with weapons and ammunition. Experts from Europol work strictly with the experts of counter-terrorism on international investigations. The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs is Mexico's international secretary and is in charge of the enforcement of foreign policy in Mexico. The terrorist attacks in Europe recently have pushed forces to combat the illegal and illicit trade in firearms. It is quite a small market below the organized criminal group's control. The trafficking of weapons is nearly only an additional or extra instead of a primary source of income for the few organized criminal groups that are involved. The groups usually enter the business of trafficking of weapons in other forms of criminal activity. Western Balkans and the former Soviet Union are the origin and home of the organized criminal groups who participate in the trafficking of weapons. The main components of weapons that are illegal are burglaries and thefts; the revitalization of the deactivated army or police firearms and neutralized weapons; the marketing of legal firearms on the illegal stores, like the Darknet; the embezzlement of legal arms; and many more. Not long ago, Mexico was added in the lineup of important allies with which Europol aims to set up and secure collaborative connections. According to the Mexico Government, their collaboration alongside with the European is a necessary and crucial matter to complete and enhance the capabilities of the nation versus the crimes that are transnational organized. That is specifically to control and restrain the wrong and unlawful course of arms, their resources, ammunition, explosives, and their components. The conferences were inaugurated to sign and engage in a Working Arrangement between the Europol and the SSPC to assist and back Mexico and the Members State of the European Union in prevention and combat grave and severe evil, corruption, terrorism, and other kinds and sorts of criminal acts, and it is in line with the respective mandates of the Parties, but the approval processes are still pending. This is the outcome of the high priority both sides to international cooperation have given, including Mexico's great interest to work, through Europol, beside the Member States of the European Union and also with the other organizations and countries stewarded at Europol. New Delhi, March 2 : Two new novel coronavirus cases have been reported in Delhi and Telangana, the Ministry of Health and Family welfare announced on Monday. The Ministry in a statement said: "One positive case of COVID-19 has been detected in New Delhi, and one has been detected in Telangana." According to the Health Ministry, the person who has tested positive from Delhi has a travel history to Italy, while the one from Telangana visited Dubai. Further details of their travels were being ascertained. The Ministry also said that both the patients were stable and were being closely monitored. Earlier in India, there were three positive COVID-19 cases reported from Kerala, but all were discharged from the hospital after they recovered from the disease. More than 2,000 people have been screened at 21 international airports in India in order to contain the disease. The Centre has evacuated Indians as well as foreign nationals at least thrice from the COVID-19-affected China. Suspected persons were quarantined at the Chhawala and Manesar isolation camps arranged by the Army and the ITBP. UN: Russia may have committed war crimes in Syria The UN investigators called for ensuring accountability for a "multitude of violations". Russia killed civilians in air strikes in Syria, UN investigators said on Monday, actions it said could amount to war crimes by Moscow. "RUSSIA VIOLATED THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT" A report by a UN commission, covering the period from July, 2019 to Feb 2020, found that Russia conducted air strikes on a popular market and a camp for displaced people that killed dozens of civilians in July and August. "In both incidents, the Russian Air Force did not direct the attacks at a specific military objective, amounting to the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas," it said. The report blamed Russia for a strike in the city of Maarat al-Numan on July 22, when at least 43 civilians were killed. Two residential buildings and 25 shops were destroyed after at least two Russian planes left Hmeimim air base and circled the area. "Based on the evidence available, including witness testimonies, video footage, data imagery as well as reports by flight spotters, flight communication intercepts and early warning observation reports, the Commission has reasonable grounds to believe that a Russian aircraft participated in each incident described above," it said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:09:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The entrance to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, April 4, 2018. (Xinhua/Li He) China welcomes the U.S.-Taliban agreement and firmly supports the broad and inclusive peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement as a positive step in achieving a political solution of the Afghan issue, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday. Representatives of the United States and the Taliban on Saturday signed the long-awaited deal in the Qatari capital city of Doha, calling for a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops if the Taliban negotiates with the Afghan government and cuts ties with terrorist groups. The signing ceremony was attended by representatives of many regional and international organizations and countries including China. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing that China welcomes the agreement and firmly supports the broad and inclusive peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 28, 2020. Trump said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will attend the signing of U.S.-Taliban agreement, which could be one step forward to ultimate U.S. troops withdrawal and lasting peace in Afghanistan. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) He expressed the hope that the deal can facilitate a lasting peace on the land of Afghanistan. Zhao said foreign troops in Afghanistan should withdraw in an orderly and responsible way to ensure a smooth transition in the Afghan situation and avoid a security vacuum, which terrorist organizations may take advantage of. Meanwhile, the international community should continue to support and participate in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. "China calls on the Afghan Taliban and all parties in the country to grasp the opportunity to start the intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible, and to negotiate for political and security arrangements acceptable to all so as to realize lasting peace and stability of Afghanistan," said the spokesperson. Local people celebrate the peace agreement between U.S. and Taliban in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, Feb. 29, 2020. (Photo by Sanaullah Siam/Xinhua) He said China is willing to work with the international community to continually provide supports and assistance to the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. The U.S. side and the government of Afghanistan also released a joint declaration on Saturday in Kabul. When asked for comments, Zhao said that China will continue to work as a supporter, mediator and convenience provider of the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, and play a constructive role on the basis of respecting the will of all parties in Afghanistan. MEXICO CITY Guacamoles popularity is feeding a roaring trade over the southern border of the United States. Some estimates put American consumption of avocados on Super Bowl Sunday alone at over 100 million pounds in 2018, and last year a record 2.1 billion pounds of the succulent green fruit was imported from Mexico. The avocados success illustrates how commerce over the Rio Grande continues to grow, despite President Donald J. Trumps moaning about the deficit. When he was elected in 2016, imports of all goods from Mexico were worth $293 billion; last year they shot up to $358 billion. As exports of avocados, known as green gold, have boomed, they have helped lift rural Mexico out of poverty, especially in the state of Michoacan, and reducing the need to migrate to the United States. Unfortunately, it has also drawn the attention of drug cartels, who have been extorting avocado growers, often charging them for every kilo they export. Fed-up avocado producers have taken up arms against the cartels, and have hit the streets in protests. The state governor has promised a new anti-extortion unit but this has yet to deliver results. While these shakedowns have been a problem for years, a wave of recent media attention has led to debate about whether its ethical to buy blood avocados, considered a conflict commodity. TROY Whoever chose the name of the city's Police Objective Review Committee seems to have overlooked the fact that its acronym evokes a particularly derogatory slang term for cops an echo that has been incorporated into the City Code for a generation. But that's likely to change next week. The law setting up PORC to review police force operations dates backs to 1997 and has survived multiple charter rewrites despite the shorthand name's proximity to "pig," a anti-police slur that goes back at least half a century. Laughter exploded from Police Commissioner Anthony Magnetto when he was asked what Troy police think about the acronym. It didnt keep people up at night, Magnetto said. Its not bothering me as an insult, Police Chief Brian Owens said. "Weve been called a lot worse things." But its annoying to some officers, retired and active. Most take it in stride, helped by the fact that PORC hasn't had significant impact, and has only been fitfully functional since its creation. The whole point of the committee is to improve the police. You dont want the perception of the police to be 'pork,' said City Council President Carmella Mantello, who called the name derogatory. Pork is the flesh of a pig, hog or swine, according to various dictionary definitions. "Pig" became an insult flung at officers during the 1960s during student demonstrations and race riots. (It also was adopted by feminists around the same time to describe the worst sort of male chauvinists.) Its those ... hippies, Deputy Police Chief Dan DeWolf said with a smile, adding an expletive of his own. I feel like its so old. In October, Mayor Patrick Madden announced during his successful re-election campaign that he would appoint the members of a new police oversight board in consultation with the NAACP's Troy chapter and other leaders. Thats when the old name caught the eye of law enforcement. The committee is responsible for monitoring police department operations and internal affairs, and hears reports about internal investigations after they are completed. The committee can make recommendations to the mayor about internal affairs investigations, recruitment and training but it can't compel officers or witnesses to testify before it. Police leaders dont like the review process; to have this name on top of it makes it more annoying, said Richard Lachmann, a sociology professor and pop culture expert at the state University at Albany. Mantello introduced a resolution last week to substitute "Board" for "Committee" in the code, making it the Police Objective Review Board, or PORB. The council approved the change unanimously in committee; it goes up for a final vote Thursday. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. This happened after Mantello's father, retired Detective Jim Mantello, urged her to push for the change. He remembers when "pig" was flung around more commonly. The council presidents nephew, Officer Nick Laviano, serves as president of the Troy Police Benevolent Association. Laviano said the name change might seem trivial, but its's important to get rid of the connotation. Former Deputy Mayor Jim Conroy said the name's association was never considered when the push was made in the 1990s to put the review board in place. Conroy recalled no hassles about the name and insisted no one intentionally coined PORC as a putdown to cops. If youre going to be in public service in Troy, you have to have a thick skin, Conroy said. There was a national effort by police to claim "pig" itself as an acronym for "pride," "integrity" and "guts." Some cops even had their own little pig statues. Some Troy historians claim that the city is the source of the word "cop" as the familiar word for police. According to various accounts, including a 1930 Times Union article, the term originated with Amasa Copp, the chief of Troys Night Police Force in the 1850s. The perhaps apocryphal story was that kids would say, Here comes Copp a name that ended up being extended to all police. The word is more likely believed to have originated in London, when constables wore large copper buttons. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco city officials on Monday are celebrating the reopening of a child-friendly small park in the Tenderloin neighborhood. The Turk-Hyde Mini Park at Turk and Hyde streets is reopening with new equipment and landscaping, and Mayor London Breed and other officials will be on hand for a 4:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. Construction for the project began last April funded by $1 million from a 2012 bond measure approved by voters as well as $700,000 from the mayor's office. The park was created specifically for preschool-aged children. Monday afternoon's ceremony will include art making for children, collaborative coloring with a muralist, and a musical performance, according to city officials. 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. VIDOR Amanda Sauls has seen her Vidor neighborhood on Weatherford Street decline over the past five years. Several homes vacated because of damage from two devastating tropical events, she said, have provided shelter for squatters and drug users. It didnt use to be this bad, she said. Weve been here about 13 years. I see it all, every day. You can sit here and see crackheads walking down the street. For a while they werent here, but it seems to be picking up again. They are always walking down this street. But Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll said the citys Criminal Trespass Program is already showing a positive impact. Put into effect in December, the program allows officers to cite trespassers without the property owner being present, provided the owner has filled out the required paperwork and posted a department-provided sign in a visible location. Earlier this month, police ticketed a woman for trespassing in a vacant home a few houses down Sauls after neighbors called police. Carroll said since the property owner moved after Tropical Depression Imelda, neighbors have been calling about people living in the residence. I told (the owner) about the program and said if he filled out a packet and added the appropriate sign, we could cite people who are on his property that should not be there, Carroll said. Within a day, he had the sign up, which you have to have. Carroll said he got the idea while visiting Galveston. I noticed the signage on some posts while I was down there, he said. I knew of a situation where you could have an affidavit that allows police to act as the owner of the property. It stops me from having to call the owner at 2 a.m. and asking the if they want to cite someone for criminal trespassing. Im not sure what heated up on Galveston, but a lot of businesses had this on file with Galveston PD. Carroll got a copy of the ordinance and began conferring with the Vidor city manager. Its another tool for law enforcement to use to decrease crime, he said. If we can harden up facilities, they either dont commit the crime or go to where it is softer. We have a lot of properties that people had to leave because of Imelda. Carroll said the program allows for a more efficient judicial process. Instead of the case taking two years to go to trial, we issue a Class-C (misdemeanor) offense and citation, he said. It allows it to go through municipal court and doesnt tie up the county court. The citation is anywhere up to $500. The chief said his officers use common sense as the threshold for whether someone is ticketed under the ordinance. Property owners also are asked to fill out a list of people allowed to be on the property during specific hours. If you are walking through the parking lot, our officers are going to use discretion, Carroll said. If you are behind the business, we question why you are there. Very few of them turn into citations. The officer can issue is a criminal trespass warning. If the officer had not caught them trespassing before, it could just be a warning. Now, if you are one of my top-10 thieves in town, it is going to be a different thing. The program relies heavily on neighbor participation. We have roughly 11,000 people in the city of Vidor, Carroll said. That is roughly 22,000 eyes. People see things. You are more likely to notice things that are out of place far before I will driving through in a patrol car. Approximately 20 property owners currently participate in the program, with the majority being businesses. I would like to see more people involved, he said. Its going to take some effort from them. We can put a sticker on the front of a business window and go from there. They just have to fill out the application, get it motorized and get it back to us. Sauls said she, too, would like to see more home owners participate in the program, and would like to see a heavier police presence in her neighborhood. The area needs it, she said. They are just going to start piling up in them. Were actually moving. Ill be so glad when we get out of here. Its just bad. Sauls neighbor, David Perritt, has lived in his home for nearly 30 years. Ive held two people at gunpoint one time, he said. Ive had a guy steal a truck of mine. We chased him down and sent him to the hospital. I think the program is a good idea. They need to do something. We have a vacant home behind us that they use half the time until I go and run them off. This area is an older neighborhood. Sometimes I feel like it is just forgotten. chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/chris_moore09 For 22 years, Boerne Market Days have boosted local tourism and provided fun for the whole family to enjoy. On the second weekend of every month, local artists, vendors and musicians gather together to share their time and talent with the Boerne community at an event that draws thousands of visitors monthly. David Querbach, director of Boerne Market Days who came from a background in the hotel industry and event planning saw potential in the event from the beginning, realizing it would increase tourism in Boerne by attracting visitors from all over Texas. It began as just a half-dozen picnic tables on the plaza and quickly grew, Querbach said. Its helped the citys revenue, too, with the money visitors spend in town and the hotel rooms they visit. So its become a mutually beneficial relationship among all parties involved, and its really helped downtown to grow. Through building Boerne Market Days, a full-fledged business evolved for Querbach: Market Days Management/Event Off Main, which now works with small towns and nonprofits to assist or manage their events. We currently work with Boerne supporting Dickens on Main and Granite Shoals with their annual Granite Fest, he said. Other Market Days we have created were in towns such as Fairfield, Elgin, Salado and Uvalde. He also works with nonprofits such as the Hill Country Council for the Arts on events such as Boerne Bierfest in April and Art Waddle Boerne in May, and has worked with the Lighthouse for the Blind on past events. RELATED: Hill Country Luxury But the original Boerne Market Day events remain a strong attraction for locals and visitors alike. The family-friendly, alcohol-free Market Days host, on average, 100 vendors and 4,500 visitors a month. Local food favorites abound at Boerne Market Days, said Querbach such as some of the citys most famous gorditas, which have been available at Market Day for 15 years. The wonderful live music varies as well from month to month, he added. But its all local Texas flavor. And, Querbach said, the event gives back to the community as well, with a handful of nonprofits present each month at Market Day. Last month we had the National Charity League, the American Legion, the Texas Foundation of Hope, the Girl Scouts and the Texas Corvette Association raising money for St. Judes Hospital, he noted. And, with the event being free of charge as well as child and pet-friendly, its a good way to shop local. Its family-friendly and offers unique shopping, Querbach said. Because of that, it draws a lot of people from out of town we have a large following from the Austin and Houston areas. He noted that a variety of artists are present each month, ranging from fine arts practitioners to fine craftsmen. And local vendors and sellers offer not only delicious food but wares ranging from antiques to collectibles to jewelry to plants and flowers. Asked what sets Boerne Market Days apart, Querbach said its the overall positive experience that keeps people coming back. In general, I think its the family atmosphere that brings people to town, he added. He even knows of visitors who fell in love with Boerne through the Market Day events and later became residents of the town. The next Boerne Market Day will take place March 14th and 15th, with a special Easter-themed Bluebonnets and Bluegrass Market Day held April 11th (Easter weekend). Saturdays Market Day hours are held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Sundays hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on how you can enjoy Boerne Market Days or participate as a vendor visit www.boernemarketdays.com or follow Boerne Market Days on Facebook. No cases of Covid-19, the new coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands across the globe, have been identified in Alabama, according to State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. Staff from the Alabama Department of Public Health have monitored more than 100 travelers and tested more than 10 with symptoms of respiratory illness, Harris said. None of the tests have come back positive. Brian Hastings, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, and Donald Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, also spoke at a press conference held to update members of the public on the situation. All three men said Alabama is prepared to handle the virus if it begins to spread inside the state. The virus, which has caused havoc overseas, still isnt circulating widely in the United States and can best be prevented by practicing good hygiene, Harris said. We feel very comfortable to say the disease is not circulating in our community, Harris said. It is still not widely circulating in the U.S. and not a high risk for people in Alabama." Harris acknowledged rumors about Covid-19 patients being secretly moved to Alabama that have circulated since federal authorities abandoned a plan to quarantine cruise ship passengers at a site in Anniston. He emphasized that no patients have been treated in the state and no cases have been reported. This is a situation that has changed really rapidly, Harris said. Sometimes the messages get confused because things do change so rapidly. Hastings and Williamson said emergency personnel and hospitals have plans in place to handle Covid-19 patients. Agencies and hospitals have worked together since mid-January to develop a plan if the virus begins to spread. People worried about the virus can take steps to prevent infection, including washing hands with soap and water, covering coughs and avoiding those who are ill, the officials said. They said people who havent gotten the flu shot should do so to protect themselves and help reduce the burden on healthcare facilities that could be swamped by Covid-19 patients. Face masks can prevent symptomatic patients from spreading germs through coughs and sneezes, but do not offer much protection for healthy people. Healthcare workers need specially-fitted masks, Williamson said. He urged members of the public not to buy masks designed for medical staff. Much remains unknown about Covid-19 but a clearer picture is emerging, Williamson said. Most people who become infected with covid-19 will not become seriously ill and will not need hospitalization. Officials in Florida reported two presumptive positive cases of Covid-19 that have not yet been confirmed. Washington state health officials recently reported the first two U.S. deaths from the illness. Harris said the Alabama Department of Public Health has received tests for the virus and training about best practices. The agency could be testing patients later this week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has handled all prior testing. Although the number of U.S. cases is rising, officials urged people to remain calm and take the same preventative measures they would for other respiratory illnesses. Above all, they said people who are sick should avoid public spaces and remain home to prevent outbreaks. This is a very serious situation, but it shouldnt be filled with a lot of fear, Hastings said. Iraqi Prime Minister Designate Drops Out After Failing to Secure Parliament Support - Reports Sputnik News 21:09 GMT 01.03.2020(updated 22:36 GMT 01.03.2020) Earlier on Sunday, the Iraqi parliament held an extraordinary session to vote on the government of Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi, who was appointed to the post on 1 February. The Iraqi Prime Minister designate, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, on Sunday announced in a video his resignation from the office after failing to secure the support of parliament for his government. Allawi apologized for his failure to form a government in an official letter to Iraqi President Barham Salih, following the vote in parliament. The official said that several political parties were not serious about reform, by their use of smear campaigns and a subsequent lack of a quorum in parliament. "I anticipated the equation - the post of prime minister, in return for a lack of honesty with my people and continuing this position at the expense of their suffering. The choice was simple and clear: I must remain with my to be with my patient people, especially when I saw that some political parties are not serious about reform and keeping their promises to the people, and have instead put obstacles in the way of the birth of an independent government that works for the country," Allawi tweeted. The Iraqi president has reportedly accepted the prime minister-designate's apology and announced that consultations had begun to choose a replacement. On Sunday, the parliament in an extraordinary session failed for the second time to achieve a vote of confidence for a Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi government amid continuing political unrest in the country. Parliament had been scheduled to vote on the Allawi government on Saturday, but the session was postponed due to a lack of a quorum. in October 2019, Iraq witnessed nationwide protests demanding the government's resignation as well as seeking reforms to improve the quality of life in the country. During the demonstrations, the biggest since the ouster of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, over 600 protesters were killed, according to official estimates. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for last weeks communal clashes in Delhi and the raising of the controversial goli maaro slogan in Kolkata. Bengal BJP leaders, however, said they stood in support of those party workers whom the police had arrested for raising the slogan on Sunday. Banerjee also alleged that the Delhi riots were a planned genocide, triggering strong reactions from BJP leaders who called her remarks irresponsible. I have been told by many people that its a planned genocide later shown as a riot. Delhi Police is under the Centre. Delhi Police, the CRPF and the CISF were all present. But nothing was done. And the BJP is so shameless that they have not even sought an apology, she said while addressing a gathering of party workers at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Monday. Targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah who in his Sunday speech in Kolkata called for the toppling of the TMC government, Banerjee said, They are shamelessly seeking to capture Bengal. Just look at what they have done to the states under their control. All seven Delhi MPs belong to BJP. It got riots. Assam got NRC, chaos and terror. In Uttar Pradesh, no one gets to lodge FIRs at police stations. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief also took digs at the BJP supporters who raised the Desh Ke Gaddaron Ko, Goli Maaro Saalon Ko slogans in Kolkata on Sunday. Those who talk about Bengals law and order, tell me why the BJP leaders who created the provocation (before the Delhi clashes) with the slogan have not been booked and arrested. They did it here yesterday and we have picked them up today. Its Kolkata, not Delhi. If we spare a single person, others will be encouraged, the chief minister said. Responding to Banerjees tirade against them, Bengal BJP unit president Dilip Ghosh labelled Banerjees planned genocide remark as irresponsible for a chief minister. In Bengal, people who shout Pakistan Zindabaad are not penalised and Bharat Tere Tukde Honge (India will be split) are not penalised and but those who call for shooting the countrys traitors are arrested. Whats wrong with the goli maaro slogan? Should anti-nationals be worshipped? I myself had called for shooting anti-national elements, said Ghosh, a Lok Sabha member. Officers at the New Market police station on Sunday had registered a suo motu case at the station under Sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups), 505 (statements conducing public mischief), (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. On Monday morning, three BJP supporters, Prem Narayan Tewari, Surendra Kumar Tewari and Dhruba Basu were arrested. BJP state unit general secretary Sayantan Basu said the party would move the Calcutta high court against the police for arresting three BJP supporters on Monday for raising the goli maaro slogan on their way to Amit Shahs rally in Kolkatas Shahid Minar ground. At the party workers gathering which was also attended by TMCs political advisor Prashant Kishor, Mamata Banerjee launched a mega public outreach campaign, designed by Kishor. Branded as Banglar Garbo Mamata (Bengals Pride Mamata), the campaign would unfold in three phases over 75 days across all panchayat and civic areas in the state and involve 75,000 grassroot-level leaders and 5,00,000 party workers. Mamata is our pride because of three reasons a) as a fierce protector of the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution, b) the true custodian of Bengals culture, dignity and pride and c) weaving Bengals turnaround story, said Abhishek Banerjee, the chief ministers nephew and TMCs youth wing chief. The campaign will include grassroot level TMC leaders take part in a breakfast with 2,500 journalists working at the panchayat/community development block-level, felicitation of thousands of locally-reputed women, people from SC, ST communities, and party veterans, a mega joining event and street corner meetings in every nook and corner of the state. Amit Shah on Sunday had launched the BJPs Bengal campaign, named Aar Noy Annay (no more injustice), seeking to topple the TMC government by bagging two-thirds of the state Assembly seats in 2021. The party in 2019 bagged 18 of the states 42 Lok Sabha seats, against 22 won by the TMC. Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar too joined the goli maaro controversy on Monday when he said that the media was highlighting a minor incident in a major rally and advised that they should refrain from playing a partisan role. TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee and Left legislator Sujan Chakraborty said the governor had compromised the honour of his chair by commenting like a political leader. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New Delhi: Attacking the central government over the recent violence in the northeast district of Delhi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar held the government solely responsible for the mayhem. The NCP chief accused the ruling BJP of playing divisive politics in the national capital as the party lost the recent-held assembly elections to Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Pawar was addressing a convention of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Mumbai on Sunday (March 1) when he made these claims. He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's over their speeches in the run-up to the Delhi election. He claimed that the electoral campaign of Modi, Shah and other Cabinet ministers was aimed towards creating a rift in the society and disrupting peace in the national capital. He also stated that he was stunned when PM Modi during his speech said that protesters can be identified with their clothes. "The prime minister of a country belongs to all the religions, people and states. He belongs to the entire country. The person in such post indirectly making statements (aimed at) creating a religious discord (in his poll speech) is a worrisome thing," PTI quoted him saying. "As per the Constitution, public representatives and the ruling party are not responsible for the law and order situation in Delhi. That responsibility lies with the Union government. Hence whatever is happening in Delhi, its 100% responsibility lies with the Union government, as it is responsible for law and order," Pawar said. "The national capital has been burning since the last few days. The ruling party at the Centre could not win the Delhi Assembly polls and tried to divide the society by promoting communalism," he said. Quoting the controversial 'Goli Maro...' statement, the veteran leader claimed that some BJP ministers were trying to terrorise a section of the society. Kejriwal's AAP swept the Delhi Assembly election with a whopping majority of 62 out of 70 seats. The remaining eight seats were bagged by BJP, while the Congress scored a duck. Speaking of the Delhi violence, clashes erupted on February 23, in Jafrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi, which claimed at least 46 lives so far and left over 300 injured. (With PTI inputs) A Toronto judge used a mans presence at his own trial as a factor against him when she convicted him of sexual assault, Ontarios top court ruled Monday. The Court of Appeal overturned Manuel Esquivel-Benitezs conviction and ordered a new trial. The top court found that Superior Court Justice Carole Brown, among other errors, had used the appellants presence in the courtroom while the complainant testified as a basis for rejecting his own testimony. Brown had mentioned several times in her ruling that Esquivel-Benitezs testimony came after the complainants, and that his evidence essentially mirrored hers. Accused persons have not only a statutory obligation but also a right to be present at their trial, grounded in their constitutionally guaranteed rights to a fair trial and to make full answer and defence, the appeal court said in its brief ruling. On our review of her reasons, the trial judge used this right against the appellant to find that he had the opportunity to tailor his evidence and that he did so. This line of reasoning is not permissible. The Crown acknowledged that unless theres an actual allegation of recent fabrication regarding the appellants testimony, it is impermissible to reason that an accused person tailored their testimony to match the prosecutions evidence, the appeal court said. Mr. Esquivel-Benitez looks forward to vigorously asserting his innocence and having his name cleared at a new trial, his appeal lawyer, Lance Beechener, told the Star. Its the latest in a string of sexual assault cases to be overturned by the appeal court in recent months due to errors made by trial judges. It also comes as the federal government reintroduced a bill on mandatory training on sexual assault law for federally-appointed judges, largely mirroring a similar bill introduced by former Conservative leader Rona Ambrose that died in the Senate before last falls election. That bill had been sparked by several high-profile sexual assault acquittals and controversial remarks made by judges in some of the cases. In the Esquivel-Benitez case, the Court of Appeal also found that Brown failed to meaningfully recognize or address evidence the complainant may have had a motive to fabricate her testimony. According to the top court, it was undisputed that Esquivel-Benitez and the complainant had sex on a couch after an evening of partying while the complainants husband slept in a nearby room. They were caught by the complainants husband, who persistently questioned his wife on the walk home, stating repeatedly, Tell me this guy abused you or Did he abuse you? the top court said in its ruling. The fact that the complainant did not immediately, when confronted, tell her husband that she had been assaulted and did so only after they had returned home, in response to his repeated entreaties, was relevant to whether she had a motive to fabricate, and ultimately to her credibility, the appeal court said. The court said that instead of giving this issue proper consideration, Brown said she was dismissing the defences focus on it as part of an ongoing myth regarding sexual consent. The top court said this was an error. They said the judge was entitled to accept the complainants testimony that she did not consent to sexual activity, but in the circumstances of the case, should have also considered whether the events gave rise to a motive to fabricate. Finally, the appeal court found Brown erred when, after finding that she preferred the complainants testimony over Esquivel-Benitez, she failed to step back and consider whether all of the evidence in the case gave her a reasonable doubt. Louisianas judges have promised the Legislature over and over again that they can clean up their own scandals and hold themselves to an ethical standard that instills respect from the public. But if the bills pre-filed for the upcoming legislative session are any indication, lawmakers are losing patience. In the session that begins next Monday, legislators plan to take aim at Louisianas opaque system for policing judicial misconduct, which mostly keeps the public in the dark. In the hopper are bills that would rewrite rules that ban and threaten people for revealing judicial complaints; force the public posting of judges financial disclosure forms; and possibly even upend the system of electing judges that Louisiana has embraced for the past century. +3 Under legislative pressure, Judiciary Commission mulls more confidentiality changes With multiple bills that target their authority looming in the Legislature, Louisiana Judiciary Commission officials announced Saturday that t State Rep. Jerome Zeringue and state Sen. Jay Morris are co-sponsoring bills that would dramatically increase the publics access to information about misbehaving judges, while a response from the Judiciary Commission which polices judicial misconduct makes plain that the two branches of government are going to clash over separation of powers. With that reform legislation looming, Judiciary Commission officials are trying to signal that they will clean up their own mess. On Saturday, they announced they are considering three changes in the way judicial misconduct cases are handled. All of the proposals come amid a backdrop of judicial drama and outcry, with the governor, watchdog groups and others having called this week on Assumption Parish Judge Jessie LeBlanc to resign after she admitted to using a racial slur in text messages with her paramour, a former top Assumption Parish sheriffs deputy. LeBlanc relented to the pressure on Thursday, submitting a resignation letter laced with bitterness, in which she argued that she was a victim of a smear campaign from the District Attorneys Office over her unfavorable rulings toward prosecutors. "We do not need another Judge being endlessly attacked and vilified at the expense of the integrity of our system of justice, LeBlanc wrote in her resignation letter. She appeared to be referring to the experience of Supreme Court Justice Jefferson Hughes III one of two justices she copied on the letter. The Advocate and The Times-Picayune published a series of stories over the past year revealing that Hughes, who remains on the high court, was under federal investigation over a possible conflict while a district judge, and that he wrote at least three apology letters to litigants in his courtroom after the investigation ended without charges. Hughes apology letters and the details of the investigation into him were never made known to the public as he ascended to the states top court. Hes been the subject of another judiciary complaint since then, this time because of an allegation that he offered money to a former Hammond city councilman to switch sides in the 2019 Supreme Court race. Hughes acknowledged visiting the councilman, but denied offering him money. Such secretive investigations and outcomes would no longer be allowed if Zeringue and Morris bill were to pass. Current state law and Supreme Court rules prevent people from even acknowledging they filed a complaint with the Judiciary Commission, though a recent rule change allows people to reveal a complaint once it has been closed or a hearing has been scheduled unless the commission explicitly says they cant. Many complaints that are deemed valid still remain forever hidden. The Judiciary Commission may privately caution, admonish and warn a judge, or strike a deferred disciplinary agreement for one willing to perform an agreed-upon act of penance. The process as it stands is very secretive, said Zeringue, a Houma Republican. It doesnt allow the public information in terms of transparency. Zeringues proposed bill would allow people to reveal complaints they file against judges. It would also make public the letters that judges receive to schedule Judiciary Commission hearings, and the hearings themselves would be open to the public. The proposed rule changes that the Judiciary Commission is mulling might also allow the public to attend such hearings. Zeringues bill would also bar the Judiciary Commission from reprimanding judges privately: Instead, cautions, warnings and admonishments would become public. The commission would also be required to publish annually how many disciplinary actions it took against judges. The Judiciary Commission has no plans to do away with such private actions. Its rule change says the commission might limit judges to receiving one private admonishment within a certain time frame, with admonishments afterward becoming public. When Zeringue sponsored a bill in the Legislature last year to increase Judiciary Commission transparency, judges pushed back, saying lawmakers were out of their lane by trying to regulate the Judiciary Commission, which operates under the Supreme Court. This year, Zeringue and Morris are trying to address those concerns through a second bill. That bill would put a constitutional amendment before voters to give the Legislature the explicit ability to set the confidentiality rules for the Judiciary Commission. You have to take in the context of what were trying to do here, which is simply make public some of these disciplinary processes and results, you know? said Morris, a Monroe Republican and an attorney. Were legislators, so we legislate. Were not infringing on their ability to make judicial decisions; I think were staying within our house. Ed Walters, the Judiciary Commissions chairman, and Fifth Circuit of Appeal Judge John Molaison, the commissions vice chairman, disagree. Our Views: Dueling interests, secrecy poison justice at the Supreme Court Candidates for the Louisiana Supreme Court love to tell voters about their experience or their faith or their toughness in the war on crime. Our form of democracy requires a constitutional balance of power between the three equal branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial, they wrote in response to the bills. The balance and separation of power is consistently found in most state and federal systems. Each branch has its own discipline system. The judicial branch, through the Louisiana Supreme Court, has exclusive constitutional jurisdiction over the discipline of Louisianas judiciary. 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 Such arguments are familiar to Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, a national nonpartisan watchdog group that pushes for more transparency in federal courts. Separation of powers arguments are almost like the boogeyman that members of the judiciary like bringing up as a way to scare lawmakers away from passing new laws that would require greater oversight, Roth said. Whether or not those concerns are real, its almost just like a shortcut of saying, You want to mess with us? Well mess with you. Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jefferson Hughes III denies payoff allegation from ex-Hammond councilman Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jefferson Hughes III acknowledges that he visited a former Hammond city councilman at his home last week to qu At the federal level, courts have given Congress some latitude over rules that apply to judges. When Congress passed the Ethics in Government Act in 1978, requiring financial disclosures from federal government officials including judges in the wake of former President Richard Nixons Watergate scandal, a federal judge from Louisiana filed a class-action lawsuit. Adrian Duplantier argued along with other judges that the law was unconstitutional because of the separation of powers doctrine. But the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Duplantier and his fellow plaintiffs in 1979, concluding that the Ethics in Government Act was constitutional. But Robert Williams, director of the Center for State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers Law School, noted that states often differ from the federal government. He notes that Louisianas constitution explicitly says in a section on the Judiciary Commission that the states Supreme Court shall make rules implementing this Section and providing for confidentiality and privilege of commission proceedings. Williams suggested that any legal challenges to transparency that the Legislature forces on the courts would likely end where the perceived trouble begins: at the marble French Quarter doorstep of the Louisiana Supreme Court. +5 Amid blowback over secrecy, Louisiana Supreme Court changes confidentiality rules Under fire over a cloak of secrecy that envelops misconduct investigations against state judges, the Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday announc Its an outcome that Williams said is common. You cant take it to federal court, because its a matter for state law, Williams said. The legislators will say, For goodness sake, theyre biased! It looks a little unseemly, but in states, Supreme Courts have to decide on their own powers. Its not an unusual separation-of-powers battle. State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Slidell Republican who is sponsoring a bill this year to require the Supreme Court to post judges disclosures online, pointed out that the Legislature funds the judges and the courts in Louisiana and hence can influence court policy through its pursestrings. Hewitt said she was also surprised that the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a New Orleans-based watchdog group, had to go to such extraordinary effort to create an online database of judicial financial disclosures. Our three branches are separate but they do have checks and balances, Hewitt said. We do have policy-making authority; we represent constituents who have clearly been speaking out in the public recently about the need for more transparency in the judicial system. +2 What was the outcome of your Judiciary Commission complaint? The Louisiana Supreme Court announced September 6 that people who filed complaints about judges, judge respondents and witnesses to Judiciary Supreme Court spokesman Robert Gunn said the high court is considering making judges financial statements available online. The Supreme Court has always sought to strike a balance between transparency and the safety of judges, who have been subjected to threats or other security incidents, Gunn said. State Rep. Lance Harris, R-Alexandria, is also sponsoring a bill this session that would require judicial financial disclosures to be posted online. Harris bill differs from Hewitts in minor ways: Hewitts bill is more specific about the categories of financial disclosure information that judges need to fill out, and it would require the Supreme Court to post the disclosures online. Harris bill, on the other hand, would require the Supreme Court to send the disclosures to the Ethics Board, which would post them online along with the disclosures of other public officials. Harris is also sponsoring two bills this session that would do away with Louisianas long-running tradition of electing judges, which voters would have to approve through a constitutional amendment. Louisiana is one of just six states that elects judges through partisan elections for higher courts, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York Universitys Law School. Judges are elected in nonpartisan elections in 15 other states, one of the most popular options nationwide. Our Views: Burying the judges' disclosure forms is embarrassment for Supreme Court In 2008, Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Legislature pledged the state to attain the gold standard of ethics in government. Harris proposes to create nominating commissions made up of 15 people for each tier of state courts. Lawyers and non-lawyers alike would be appointed to the commissions. Judicial nominating commissions are common across the country, and are used in 36 states and Washington, D.C. to help fill high court vacancies, according to the Brennan Center. The commissions would screen and vet potential judicial candidates, then send three candidates to the governors office. The governor would make the final appointment. The issue of election of judges should be a matter for public discussion and evaluation by the citizens, who should have the right to express their opinion on whether they prefer a system of direct participation in the election of judges or a system of appointment, said Gunn, the Supreme Court spokesman. Harris said he wants to change the system because of concerns that heavy spending in judicial races can later sway judges once theyre on the bench. +5 Big industry got the Louisiana Supreme Court judge it wanted; can he vote on key issue? Two months into Will Crains term as a Louisiana Supreme Court justice, the bad blood from the campaign trail has yet to wash away. We saw in our own state, because of yalls reporting, where we may have to have a Supreme Court justice recuse himself from cases that go before him because of all the money that has gotten involved in judicial elections, Harris said. Its a problem when youre expected to be impartial on the bench, but youre expected to raise all this money to be elected, and that could, in my opinion, compromise and politicize the system. 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 poster for the 10th Congress of Pan-African Women's Organization By Yi Whan-woo The Pan-African Women's Organization (PAWO) has called for enhanced efforts to empower African women economically in the lead-up to International Women's Day, March 8. Founded in 1962, the PAWO is Africa's first and oldest women's organization. During its 10th congress last week, it concluded that although the continent has made much progress in achieving gaps in gender equality, parity and empowerment, more still needs to be done. The conclusion is in accordance with International Women's Day observed by the United Nations to recognize and promote the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. PAWO President Assetou Koite called for a maximum investment in women to reduce discrimination and enhance their participation in social issues. She also asked all 55 African Union (AU) member states to create an enabling environment for women and girls, including those in rural areas, by ensuring that they participated in the bottom-top approach to eradicate poverty. "Economic empowerment on the African continent can only be attained if women occupy high political and social positions," the AU quoted her as saying. "We must make efforts in a number of areas to ensure women achieve education and also take advantage of the emerging opportunities in science and technology. "We must eliminate the obstacles and discrimination women face in terms of access to financing." Meanwhile, Namibian President Hage Geingob underscored the contribution of the women's organizations including PAWO for Africans to attain human dignity, and break the chains of oppression, when he lauded the African leaders' recent decision to declare 2020-30 as the new Decade for African Women's Financial and Economic Inclusion. President Geingob noted that Namibia had prioritized gender parity as a means of addressing historical imbalances and injustices toward women. He explained that 46 percent of Namibia's parliament was comprised of women and also that the government's leadership positions are required to be filled 50 percent by women. "To further demonstrate our commitment to enhance capacity on gender equality, Namibia is in the process of establishing an International Women's Peace Centre, which will focus on national, regional, and international conflict resolutions and management activities, as well as aspects of mediation and negotiations," he said. "I however urge you, that as we focus on the girl-child, we should not forget the boy-child. In addition, youth should be empowered in order for the continent to benefit from their vast and untapped potential." Citing AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairman's special representative Hawa Ahmed Youssouf underscored eliminating all forms of discrimination against women to ensure full participation in the economic, political and social development of their countries. Faki has regularly observed that despite the suffering of women and children during conflicts, women have always demonstrated their resilience to fight the scourge of poverty and they remained the agents of change the continent needed. "PAWO has paved the way for accelerating women rights on the continent," he was quoted as saying. "We must therefore do more to ensure the women and girls are actively involved in the development of Africa. "We commit to accelerate African women's action toward achieving sustainable economic development for the realization of AU Agenda 2063." The commission's Acting Director of the Women and Gender Development Directorate Victoria Maloka highlighted that the AU's Agenda 2063 and the Agenda 2030 recognized the critical agency of women and youth. She underlined the need for more action to drive the implementation of policies on gender equality and parity, such the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. So far, 42 of the AU member states have ratified the protocol. "If our member states ratify and fully implement this protocol, women will greatly benefit from the civil and political, economic, social and cultural as well as environmental rights for women envisioned in the protocol," Maloka said. "This congress is a good reflection of the commitment to promote equal opportunities for men and women, and I urge you that we all take the advocacy role with us wherever we go." The PAWO's objectives aim to unite all African women's organizations to allow an exchange of points of view and to undertake joint action, eliminate any form of discrimination irrespective of birth, race and religion or sex and establish lasting relations of friendship and cooperation between women in Africa and throughout the world. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 11:49 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067afc08 1 National coronavirus,COVID-19,Batam,Singapore,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-Indonesia-zero-case,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,outbreak,Riau-Islands Free Three people, two Singaporean citizens and one Myanmar national, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, after visiting Batam, Riau Islands, Singapores Ministry of Health announced on Sunday. The three cases bring the number of COVID-19 patients who tested positive after visiting Indonesia to seven. The three people, identified only as Case 101, Case 103 and Case 104, visited Batam together from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23, and are part of a cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to Wizlearn Technologies Pte Ltd, a Singaporean software company. The Ministry of Healths website announced that Case 101, a 61-year-old male Singaporean citizen, tested positive for the disease on Saturday. Case 103, a 37-year-old Singaporean woman, and Case 104, a 25-year-old Burmese woman, were announced as confirmed cases on Sunday. Case 103 is a colleague of Case 101, while Case 104 is a domestic worker employed by Case 103. The two women had close contact with a previously confirmed case, a 38-year-old male Singaporean identified as Case 93. Case 93 is a relative of Case 103 and tested positive for the disease on Feb. 26. The ministrys website said that he did not have any recent international travel history. Cases 103 and 104 had been under home quarantine since Case 93 tested positive. On Feb. 29, both reported that they previously experienced COVID-19 symptoms. [Case 103] revealed that she had onset of symptoms on Feb. 20 and had sought treatment at a general practitioner clinic on Feb. 25, the ministrys press release said. [Case 104] she revealed that she had onset of symptoms on Feb. 23. They were then immediately taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) where they were isolated. Their test results confirmed they were infected with COVID-19 on Sunday morning. Achmad Yurianto, the Indonesian Health Ministry's Disease Control and Prevention Directorate Secretary, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the ministry was "conducting contact tracing" of the patients without giving further details. Cases 101, 103 and 104 are the latest of seven cases in which patients tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting Indonesia. Previously, four other patients in China, Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia tested positive shortly after returning from Indonesia. In San Francisco in the 1970s and 1980s, it was routine to see men from China spit in the streets, blow their noses in their fingers and then wipe their hands on anything nearby, and generally violate American hygienic norms. Outside the tourist zones, Chinatown's restaurants and grocery stores also suggested resistance to American hygiene. The Chinese who came to America to escape communism were amazing people and model immigrants. They worked hard and were so family-focused and education-oriented that, usually within one generation, they made the leap from Chinatown squalor to lovely suburbs. However, unlike the Japanese, the Chinese did not bring with them a culture of cleanliness. When it comes to epidemic diseases, these cultural norms matter and political systems may matter even more. One of the things noted here last week is that the coronavirus, unlike ordinary respiratory viruses, may also be transmitted through fecal matter (emphasis added): That reference to hygiene in China gained new meaning from reading a viral post from Regie Hamilton, who was in China eighteen years ago to adopt his daughter. He vividly remembers the cultural comfort with fecal matter and other disease vectors: When my wife and I got off the plane, 18 years ago, to adopt our first daughter, we were taken aback by the split pants. Split pants are (or at least were, back then) pants the children wear that are open in the crotch area. That allows them to urinate or defecate unobstructed, onto the street or wherever they may be. The theory is that eventually they will learn to "aim it at the toilet" or something to that effect. Either way, I distinctly remember my brand new Nike slip-ons (probably made not far from where I was standing) sloshing into a mix of urine and who knows what else, and continuing to do so for the next three weeks. [snip] Over the next several days and weeks, we would experience the amazing culture of China, in several different cities. But some things stood out to this germophobic American. I watched a man hock up something from his chest and spit it on the floor, right next to us, in a restaurant. No oysters for me, thanks. I've suddenly lost my appetite. We visited a Hutong (inner city where the locals live) and saw raw chickens, skinned and bleeding, just laying on the floor, waiting to be thrown on a restaurant grill...for public consumption. No FDA or USDA or food inspectors or "codes" to comply with, here. But why? This is the last purely communist country on earth. You'd think there would be red tape everywhere. What was happening here? Hamilton thinks there's a greater problem in China than filth, and that's socialism. After taking his new daughter to the hospital and seeing that it was as filthy inside as the streets were outside, he knew what was wrong. When there's only one entity selling health care and that entity is a police state, two things happen people have no recourse when the system fails, and the system has no incentive to improve: I was witnessing the kind of maximum, almost brutal efficiency a society must develop when the state is the master and the individual is merely a subject. Why would a Communist country not have an effective FDA? Because who are you going to complain to if you get tainted food? The government? They don't answer to you. The press? They are owned by the government. And again, they don't answer to you. So what if you don't like the conditions in the hospital? Where else are you going to go? This hospital is the last (and only) stop. You can't opt for another place and then just pay out of your own pocket. The government has capped financial upward mobility. There is now "income equality." And that means nobody has the means to buy their way into a different (or better) situation. And even if you could, one doesn't exist. The state provides it all. You're stuck. Hamilton's post is magnificent and a necessary antidote to the leftists insisting that socialized medicine is the answer to epidemic disease. You should read the whole thing. Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog on Monday filed fresh cases against former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yousuf Raza Gilani and former president Asif Ali Zardari for misuse of authority and buying vehicles given by foreign leaders as gifts. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the cases in an accountability court in Islamabad. According to NAB, during his tenure as prime minister, Gilani relaxed rules to allow Zardari and Sharif to buy expensive vehicles gifted to them by foreign leaders. As per law, the vehicles were state properties and could not be used for personal purposes. NAB claimed that Zardari and Sharif used dishonest and illegal means and bought the vehicles by paying a "nominal payment of 15 per cent of the total value". It said Zardari made the payments for the vehicles through the Omni Group CEO and his son "for which he has no plausible justification". "It was established during investigation that these amounts are in the context of illegitimate laundered proceeds for the benefit of the accused," the NAB said. NAB had also named Omni Group CEO Khawaja Anwar Majid and his son Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majid as accused in the case. Gilani was also accused of illegally relaxing the rules about the acceptance and disposal of gifts to prime minister and president. "The accused (Gilani) floated and suppressed the law and the procedure to grant undue concession, and benefits resulting in wrongful loss to the national exchequer," NAB said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When Han Lee returned to Melbourne after four years overseas in 2017, he was eager for friends, connection and a local church. During a Christian event at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, he was pleasantly surprised when a young Korean woman sat next to him, struck up a conversation and invited him to a barbecue the next weekend. There, two men invited him to a Bible study group a couple of two-hour sessions a week, full of engaging interpretations of the Bible that Han hadn't heard before. Within weeks, he found himself in five-hour classes that ran past midnight most nights of the week. "Suddenly you don't have time for your other friends. My family got used to me skipping dinner every night," he said. Only after six months, when he passed a rigorous exam, was Han told he was part of the Korean religious cult Shincheonji. Advertisement Last week, Shincheonji and its 245,000 claimed members in South Korea were thrust into the spotlight as the sect became a hotbed of the country's red alert coronavirus outbreak, pushing thousands of members into hiding. About 68 per cent of the country's minimum 3700 confirmed cases have been linked to Shincheonji. The group's iron-fist enforcement of attendance and rules such as the forbidding of face masks have made for highly infectious conditions. Han Lee soon found himself sucked into over 20 hours of Bible classes a week, entranced by the teachings and afraid to miss any. Credit:Justin McManus South Korean Lee Man-Hee, who continues to lead the Christianity offshoot he created in 1984, espouses himself as the immortal, second coming of Jesus. Now, according to British media reports, Lee Man-Hee could face "murder" charges in connection to the 18 coronavirus deaths in South Korea. Authorities have accused the church of deliberately exacerbating the outbreak by failing to provide lists of its worshippers and, thus, interfering with moves to curb the virus' spread. Few Australians are aware that Shincheonji has operated a secretive branch here for several years. Advertisement Lee Man-Hee speaking to Australian Shincheonji "graduates" last year, espousing his religion's messianic bible interpretations. Credit:YouTube Shincheonji appears to have hundreds of Australian members at any time with class sizes up to 100. In Melbourne, hidden under deceptive recruiting techniques and teachings that deify its 88-year-old leader, Shincheonji targets, then overwhelms, the lives of unknowing recruits often Asian international students and those, like Han, with few local connections. Lee Man-Hee appears to have visited Australia last year, appearing in a bizarre YouTube video of Australians completing their six-month "passover" an official acceptance into Shincheonji. Hundreds of students at their "passover" in Australia last year, where they cheered and applauded speakers including Lee Man-Hee. Credit:YouTube "Shincheonji is life, the source of my strength," a 22-year-old university student from Sydney says in the video. "God and Jesus speak only to our chairman ... now this word has been preached all over the world, even though many people have betrayed our chairman, whom God is with." Advertisement In his 40-minute sermon, Lee Man-Hee, wearing a white suit with a yellow tie, congratulates the graduates, interprets Bible verses and damns those who disagree. "When you see these people they are alive and moving, but their hearts are dead," he says. In recent days, Seoul's city government filed a criminal complaint to prosecutors against Lee Man-Hee, himself waiting on the results of a coronavirus test, and 11 other senior members of the church. According to the BBC, the legal complaint accuses the church leaders of homicide, causing harm and violating the Infectious Disease and Control Act. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Seoul's mayor Park Won-soon alleged the church's actions amounted to "murder through to willful negligence". Under South Korean law, a person can be convicted of murder if they foresaw their actions resulting in death, but continued with those actions regardless. Before the shadow of the virus, Shincheonji was most brazenly recruiting individuals on the streets of Melbourne's CBD. Advertisement Normally young and from eastern Asia, Shincheonji recruiters move in pairs of "eyes" - like the two men who showed an interest in Han. Earlier this month, seizing on the period when international students are yet to start university, they were seen politely asking people walking alone outside RMIT and Melbourne Central to complete a survey on "how happy you are with your life from one to 10". Lydia, who did not want her last name published, was 19 when a woman from Singapore and a man from Korea approached her at Melbourne Central in 2017. "They asked whether I was interested in going to a multicultural event nearby, with K-pop singing and dancing," Lydia said. "I went, because I had nothing else to do during the summer. Not long after, the girl texted me and asked whether I was interested in joining a Bible study group." In the group, Lydia felt as if every time she spoke with a new class member, one of her recruiters her "eyes" would appear and join the conversation. Like Han, she was bombarded with messages any time she skipped a class. Lydia's other friend group in Melbourne was her university Bible study class. Soon, her Singaporean "eye" was telling her those friends weren't to be trusted. Advertisement Every capital city apart from Darwin saw dwelling values rise over February, according to CoreLogic's Hedonic Home Value Index. The national index is now just 1.2 per cent below its 2017 peak before prices started to decline. CoreLogic's head of research Tim Lawless said at the current rate of growth, the national index is likely to reach a new nominal high over the next two months. To enlarge, click here. Sydney and Melbourne's drastic turnaround continued. The two biggest capital city markets now in double digit annual returns since the market peaked in mid-2017. The harbour capital was the best performer over the quarter (+4.6%), ahead of Melbourne (+3.9%). Both markets have primarily been driven by the turnaround in the housing market. Sydney house values over the quarter are 5.4% higher, compared to 2.9% in units. It's the same story in Melbourne, houses up 4.5%, units 2.7%. In fact Melbourne was the most recent capital to stage a nominal recovery, with housing values surpassing the September 2017 peak last month. Melbourne has joined with Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart and Adelaide where housing values are also tracking at record highs. Click here to enlarge. The primary factors driving this rebound remain in place and include an extremely low cost of debt and improved borrowing capacity," Lawless said. "However, considering the sluggish pace of household income growth, housing affordability is eroding rapidly which is likely to see some parts of the market become less active. The most expensive end of the market has seen the strongest performance, following the larger correction, however Lawless suggests "structural factors may also be at play". He said this includes a rise in borrowing capacity following changes to serviceability assessment from APRA in July 2019 and the dominance of owner occupier buyers (rather than investors) through the recovery phase to date. With lenders favouring high quality borrowers, buyers with a large deposit and low level of debt relative to their incomes, are likely to be those who receive the lowest mortgage rates - another factor that could be supporting demand at the more expensive end of the market. Candidates are spending more than $1.5 billion to become president, but they may be wasting their money. Money can get you attention. Money can get your TV commercials. Money can get you on the debate stage. But money cant buy you love. Thats the consensus of participants in PennLives most recent Readers Panel on Money and Politics. Billionaires can spend their gold boosting the economy with glitzy TV ads, but eventually they have to show up, answer questions and face the people. Thats what former Mayor Michael Bloomberg had to do. And when he did, he flopped. But PennLives readers had no problem with billionaires spending their money to try to win voters. After all, it helps the economy. Harrisburg resident Claude Phipps and Pennsylvania Secretary of Pardons Brandon Flood saw no reason to place restrictions on anyone spending his or her own money in a campaign for mayor, senator, president or dog catcher. Speaking only for himself and not in any official capacity, Flood sided with Phipps. If people want to spend their billions, let them. But voters cant be bought. Jo Sheppard, a Central PA resident, spoke for several around the table in expressing discomfort at the role money is playing in politics at both the national and local levels. She thought voters should know whos funding candidates for office, and she thought there should be limits on how much is spent. Jo Sheppard participated in PennLive's Reader Panel on the Senate impeachment trial. Martin Boutros | mboutros@pennlive.com Martin BoutrosMartin Boutros As she see and her husband Warren saw it, theres a question of fairness, of leveling the playing field, of making sure one candidate doesnt get an unfair advantage over another. Keith Mitchell, a retired federal employee, agreed. its just an absurd amount of money being spent, he said. With so much money being doled out, our readers insisted voters should know where the money is coming from and why. Its naive to think people are giving millions and millions of dollars and they dont want influence, Retired Naval Officer Bob Russell said. Russell, Jo and Warren Sheppard believed there should be limits, as did Central PA resident Gerry Rickabaugh. Members of PennLive's recent Reader Panel discuss money and politics in the 2020 elections. Money has always been a factor in campaigns for high public office, Mitchell said, especially the presidency. But he said the amount of money being spent today is setting records that our founding fathers could never have imagined. According to the political website Open Secrets, Bloomberg has dedicated more than $464 million dollars of his own money in the few months hes been a presidential candidate, according to National Public Radio. Before he got out of the race, Tom Steyer had set aside more than $270 million of his own money. Compare that to the Donald Trumps estimated $217 million and Bernie Sanders $132 million. Open Secrets has Elizabeth Warren raising $91 million and poor old Biden was coming in at a little more than $68 million. Open Secrets said candidates for this years presidential election had raised more than $1.6 billion by early 2020. But if money could buy an election, Steyer would not just have dropped out, and Biden certainly would not be basking in the victory propelled by black voters last week in North Carolina. It also wouldnt matter if Bloomberg bombed on the debate stage. Hed just buy his way out of it with a few commercials. Our readers generally believed the Supreme Courts decision to allow corporations and interest groups to plow unlimited amounts of money into elections through political action committees was a mistake. Worse yet, they say, is allowing dark money to be funneled through nonprofit organizations, trade associations and unions without disclosing the identities of donors. Secretary of Pardons Brandon Flood speaks with Kenneth Lee (right); William Gallagher and Don Sechler (immediate left) at the recent Readers Panel on money and politics. All of this just fosters distrust of the political system, suspicion about whos pulling the levers of those in power and questions about who our elected officials really are serving. We should know who are the powerful and monied interests that want to place certain people in government offices. And we need to be able to monitor their actions and hold them accountable if they become puppets of people working against the common good. Theres something else worth considering. Bill Gallagher, a retired school administrator, contended the campaign season is just too long. We agree. There are just too many candidates, too many TV debates, too many town halls and too many campaign commercials. Don Selcher also thought there were too many polls that only serve to mislead and confuse. Any wonder why people are getting sick and tired of politics? Heres what our readers think we should consider: Set a reasonable limit on campaign spending Make sure voters know whos giving what to whom And shorten the campaign season. They are right. These three things would help reestablish confidence in our electoral system, re-engage the voters and put power back where it belongs -- in the hands of engaged and informed citizens and not monied, special interests promoting their own agendas. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. And please subscribe to Battleground PA to stay abreast of the issues in the 2020 elections! ZURICH and BOSTON, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BC Platforms, a world leader in providing powerful genomic data management and analysis solutions, today announced the appointment of Karen Tay Koh to its Board. Singapore-based Karen, who has extensive experience and networks in finance, healthcare and education, will work closely with the company's recently established Singapore-based entity to support the Company's activities in the Asia Pacific region, including China. BC Platforms' Asia strategy includes a strong precision medicine focus both in healthcare delivery, as well as in genomics-related research. Genomics is becoming a mainstream solution for improved clinical decision-making. In parallel, BC Platforms' goal is to provide the genomic IT infrastructure to build cohort studies, representing Asia's rich multi-ethnicity that is of interest from a medical perspective. To this end, partnering with key institutions in the local ecosystem across the region is essential in establishing world-leading genomic data management and interpretation infrastructure. Karen Tay Koh has long been driven to positively impact human healthcare, from managing hospitals, to setting up medical schools, and advising on healthcare deals. She has served as a C-level executive and Board Director in both private and public companies and organisations in the US, Denmark and Asia. She has deep expertise in executing business-building entrepreneurial initiatives across companies in various stages in their life cycle, from start-ups to dominant industry incumbents. Karen commented: "It's fascinating to see how the future of healthcare is racing towards precision medicine. To make that future a reality, where people can benefit daily from the advances genomics brings, will require significant access and operational expertise to deliver seamless services. Together with BC Platforms, and its pioneering analytics platform supporting more effective clinical decision-making, we relish the opportunity to help transform clinical practice in healthcare." Tero Silvola, CEO of BC Platforms commented: "We are delighted to welcome Karen to the team. Her impressive diversity of board experience, and breadth of operational experience, plus her extensive local relationships will be a tremendous asset in supporting our Asian efforts in the rapidly growing precision medicine market." About BC Platforms BC Platforms is a world leader in providing powerful genomic data management and analysis solutions. Our high performing genomic data management platform enables flexible data integration, secure analysis and interpretation of molecular and clinical information. The company has helped launched and opened a global network of biobanks, on the module known as BCRQUEST.COM, to provide genomic and clinical cohort data for pharmaceutical and medical research and development. BC Platforms' vision is to build the world's leading analytics platform for healthcare and industry by 2020, providing access to diverse genomic and clinical data and samples from more than 5 million subjects, consolidated from a global network of biobanks. Founded in 1997 from an MIT Whitehead project spinoff, the Company has a strong scientific heritage underpinned by over 20 years of working in close collaboration with a network of leading researchers, developers, manufacturers and vendors. BC Platforms has global operations with its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, research and development in Espoo, Finland, and sales and marketing in London, Boston, Vancouver. The new entity in Singapore will, in addition to sales and marketing functions, create a second research and training hub for Asia. For more information, please visit www.bcplatforms.com or follow us on Twitter @BCPlatforms. About Karen Tay Koh Karen possesses diverse international board experience, including Singapore's Banyan Tree Holdings (a global hospitality SGX-listed company), the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation, Denmark's Falck (active in ambulance & emergency), Northeastern University USA, Singapore EDB Investments, and The Red Pencil, a global charity that promotes arts therapy. Karen has supervised, led, and advised organisations spanning finance, healthcare, education, and private equity. She has deep expertise in executing business-building entrepreneurial initiatives across companies, from start-ups to dominant industry incumbents. Karen started her career at the Singapore Ministry of Finance, where her portfolio covered fiscal and taxation policy, corporate and financial regulation, as well as international and multilateral finance policy in relation to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Her career then pivoted into healthcare, where she concurrently held Deputy CEO positions at SingHealth and Singapore General Hospital. She has headed advisory work for clients and worked at prestigious hospitals across Asia, including ones in Bangkok, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon. Hospitals work hand in glove with medical schools, and Karen was instrumental in the teams setting up two in Singapore: Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and LKC Medical School at Nanyang Technological University. Following her hands-on experience in healthcare and education, Karen moved into private equity and was CEO / Executive Director at IP Investment Management Pte Ltd, an MAS-regulated alternative real estate fund manager. She is currently Senior Advisor to TVM Capital Healthcare Partners. Karen has a BA (Hons) in Economics, from the University of Cambridge and an MPA / International Tax Program (Certificate) from Harvard University. Contact information: BC Platforms: Tero Silvola, CEO [email protected] Katja Stout Scius Communications [email protected] SOURCE BC Platforms Exit polls say PM Netanyahu secured 37 of parliaments 120 seats with rival Gantz at 32. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gained seats in Israels election on Monday, according to early exit polls that put him almost within grasp of a right-wing governing coalition. But it is unclear whether Netanyahu can clinch a parliamentary majority needed to claim victory. Exit polls on Israels main TV channels projected Netanyahus Likud Party and its religious and nationalist allies would capture 60 seats, leaving it one seat short of the majority needed to claim victory. Netanyahus Likud Party won about 37 seats, ahead of his rival Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White alliance, according to media channels. The early results came after a hard-fought campaign for the countrys third election in less than a year. If final results give Netanyahu a parliamentary majority, it would pave the way for a new term and give him a boost as he prepares to go on trial for corruption charges. But if he falls short, the countrys year-long political deadlock will continue and it could potentially face a fourth consecutive election. Israeli exit polls are often imprecise and final results could change. Official results are expected to come in throughout the night. Polls for 6.4 million eligible voters opened at 7am (05:00 GMT) and closed at 10pm (20:00 GMT). Israeli citizens aged 18 and over, including those living in illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank were eligible to vote. The 4.8 million Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza did not have voting rights. There was little fanfare in the days leading up to the vote, with a noticeable absence of campaign posters and public rallies on the streets. With voter fatigue clearly a factor after the inconclusive polls in September and April, turnout could prove to be decisive. Election day is a national holiday in Israel but the three-repeat vote and fears of the new coronavirus outbreak, which has so far has been kept largely in check, look to hinder turnout. Israel set up some 15 stations to allow voting by hundreds of Israelis who have been ordered to remain in home quarantine after possible exposure to the virus. Al Jazeeras Imran Khan, reporting from West Jerusalem, said the months-long political deadlock had left the public frustrated. They say that politicians needed to sort this out in the first election and not this one. However that anger hasnt led to apathy. In fact, what were seeing is people coming out to vote, hoping that this one will be decisive, Khan said. More seats expected for Joint List The Joint List, an alliance of four parties who mainly represent Palestinian citizens of Israel, is also urging people to take to the polls. According to opinion poll, the Joint List, headed by Ayman Odeh, is expected to win a record 14-15 of the Knessets 120 seats, improving its September showing when it won 13 seats. Many Palestinian citizens with Israeli citizenship said they were voting as a response to US President Donald Trumps proposed plan for the Middle East. Heavily weighted in favour of Israel, Trump unveiled his long-awaited plan in late January alongside Netanyahu at an event in the White House. Israels Palestinian citizens have long said they are not treated as equals in Israel, facing systematic discrimination in law and policy. Coalitions Following Septembers election and in a bid to remove Netanyahu, the Joint List had endorsed Gantz for prime minister after his party won the most seats, breaking a nearly 27-year-long standard of not endorsing a candidate. However, during campaigning for the latest round of election, Gantz said he will build a coalition only with a Jewish majority, in an apparent attempt to win right-wing voters. Many analysts have remarked that it will be difficult for the Blue and White party to form a coalition without the Joint List. Coalitions are the norm as winning a majority of 61 seats are required to form government. Gantz says he favours a coalition government with Likud but only if it rids itself of its longtime leader because of the corruption charges against him. Netanyahu, who still enjoys widespread support in his party, insists he must remain as prime minister in any unity deal. 200229175701128 Last month, Netanyahu was indicted for bribery, breach of trust and fraud in three corruption cases, which could damage his bid to stay in office. Netanyahu, who goes to trial on March 17, denies the charges. With his career on the line, Netanyahu has campaigned furiously. He has taken a hard turn to the right in hopes of rallying his nationalist base, promising to expand and annex settlements in the occupied West Bank. Avigdor Lieberman, who leads the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party,once again looms as a potential kingmaker, with neither Netanyahu nor Gantz able to secure a parliamentary majority without his support. Lieberman has not committed himself to either candidate, though he has promised there will not be a fourth election. Even after the results come out in the next 24 hours, theres still gonna be a lot of politicking, a lot of deal making and a lot of people being reached out to by [Gantz and Netanyahu], Khan said. Tommy Robinson was today charged with common assault after allegedly 'smacking' a male holidaymaker in the face in an altercation at a Center Parcs swimming pool. The anti-Islam campaigner was visiting the Woburn Forest resort in Bedfordshire when was said to have confronted the man as shocked families watched on Sunday. Bedfordshire Police today charged Robinson, 37, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, from Bedford, and he is due to appear at Luton Magistrates' Court on April 2. Police arrested Tommy Robinson at a Center Parcs swimming pool in Bedfordshire yesterday The incident involving the anti-Islam campaigner took place at the Woburn Forest resort Following the incident at about 1pm yesterday, Mr Robinson said he had been trying to prevent a man he believed had committed an offence from leaving the scene. The man was treated at the scene by medics and was not taken to hospital, an insider told The Sun. A police spokesman said: 'We were called at around 1.10pm on Sunday to a report of an altercation between two men at Center Parcs, Woburn Forest. 'One man sustained an injury to his face, and received first aid at the scene. Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, 37, of Bedford, has been charged with common assault. The anti-Islam campaigner was visiting the Woburn Forest resort (pictured) in Bedfordshire The interior of the swimming pool at the Center Parcs Woburn Forest resort in Bedfordshire 'He has been bailed ahead of a court appearance at Luton Magistrates' Court on April 2.' Police confirmed this afternoon that no other people have been arrested or charged in connection with the incident. A spokesman for Center Parcs UK said: 'I can confirm that an incident occurred at Center Parcs Woburn Forest on Sunday afternoon to which the police attended.' In September last year, Mr Robinson walked free from jail after serving just two months of his sentence for contempt of court. Mr Robinson live-streamed a video which featured defendants in an Asian sex grooming trial and put the case at risk of collapse. The government should protect children aged under 14 from the citizenship-stripping powers of Australias national security legislation because it could leave them stateless, a new submission from international NGO Save the Children argues. Anyone over 14 can lose their citizenship under legislation being proposed by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, but the rights of younger would be undermined if their guardian or parent had their citizenship revoked, Save the Childrens deputy chief executive, Mat Tinkler, said. Jarah and Layla, two of the children of an Australian mother living in the al-Hawl camp in Syria in November. Credit:Majid Abdulrahman Walika for Sesame Seed Films There are 47 children - including 34 infants - living in the squalid al-Hawl camp in Syria after their mothers were caught by Kurdish authorities along with the last remnants of the Islamic State a year ago. Several of the 20 women have already lost their Australian citizenship because the government says they also hold citizenship of another country. The Department of Home Affairs says children do not automatically lose their citizenship if their parent does. But Mr Tinkler said the legislation had a lack of information ... on the steps that the Minister must take to prevent statelessness, particularly of children. The country's diamond exports could shrink by a fifth to USD 19 billion by the end of 2020-21, as the novel coronavirus (n-CoV) outbreak amplifies sluggishness in global demand, according to a report. In 2018-19, India's diamond exports stood at USD 24 billion, according to Crisil Ratings. Consequently, exports in the next financial year would remain down or at best flat because any traction in the second half would be offset by the weak first half, the report added. In the first nine months of this fiscal, India's total diamond exports by value were down 18 per cent, year-on-year. About 40 per cent of these exports are to Hong Kong, which has seen dysfunctional local markets over the past year or so. Moreover, it said there has been no diamond exports to the island since January 15 this year. "Exports would continue to fall in the closing quarter of this fiscal, which typically accounts for roughly a third of India's exports to the Southeast Asian region. Given extended holidays in the region and shutdown of markets in the aftermath of the n-CoV outbreak, exports worth over USD 1 billion may be lost in this quarter alone," Crisil Ratings Senior Director Subodh Rai said. The report further said the n-CoV impact could not have come at a worse time for an industry that has been buffeted by tepid demand, declining realisations and the ongoing political conflict in Hong Kong. Even if the n-CoV outbreak is contained in the next two months, trade normalcy and demand uptick from Hong Kong are unlikely before the middle of the next fiscal, it added. "More testing would be a stretch in payments from Hong Kong. So far, these have been on time. However, bulk of the payments have just started falling due. That is because a large part of the sales took place after October 2019, and bills are generally discounted for 90-120 days. And, any further delay in the revival of business in Hong Kong would weigh on the liquidity profiles of Indian exporters," Crisil Ratings Director Rahul Guha said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A girl holds her sister after fleeing the massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis by Armenians in Khojaly in February 1992. / Embassy of Azerbaijan The following is a statement from the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. ED. We, the internally displaced persons from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied districts of the Republic of Azerbaijan, have suffered from Armenian aggression for almost 30 years. The ethnic cleansing policy against us, which was started in 1988, culminated by Armenian military invasion, occupation of almost one fifth of the territory of Azerbaijan and expulsion of more than 700,000 Azerbaijanis from their ancestral homelands. During the aggression and occupation of our territories, thousands of Azerbaijanis were brutally killed, while many civilians went missing. The genocide perpetrated in the Azerbaijani-populated Khojaly city of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, where in one night 613 civilians, including women, children and elderly were brutally killed, has become the largest massacre committed against Azerbaijanis by invading Armenian forces. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of these crimes continue to enjoy impunity. The world community, including the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly, has repeatedly stated its unambiguous support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, with the Nagorno-Karabakh region as its inalienable part, and has affirmed the right of return of all internally displaced Azerbaijanis to their lands. On the off chance that you werent watching President Trump address the American Farm Bureau Federations convention in January, heres what he told the appreciative crowd: A poll just came out Wall Street Journal. It just came out. Look at this: Farmer Approval of Trump Hits Record, Poll Shows 83 percent of the farmers and ranchers approve of the Presidents job performance. 83 percent! Such a lofty approval rating might seem suspicious, given the havoc that Trumps tariffsand retaliatory actions by China and other countrieshave brought to the agriculture business. Farm bankruptcies rose 20 percent last year, while Trump keeps promising farmers even greater payouts to stem their losses. These suspicions are well-founded. Trump misled his audience on several counts: The poll wasnt a poll at allcertainly not one that would be recognized by experts who do this for a living. Nor was it conducted by the Wall Street Journal. THE MEDIA TODAY: The Sunday shows fail to link the coronavirus and the campaign That 83 percent figure got its start at Farm Journal, a trade publication that covers the agriculture industry. Farm Journal invites its audience to participate in occasional surveyssomething that anyone can see by texting PULSE to a widely available number. About 5,000 peoplerecruited from our ag-related universe of digital offerings,says John Herath, news director for Farm Journal Mediahave signed up. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Once a month, Herath says, Farm Journal asks the group how they feel about Trump. In the January survey, nearly 1,300 people voted; of those, 64 percent responded strongly approve, and 19 percent responded somewhat approve. Adding those together gives us the 83 percent figure that Trump touted right after that survey was reported. But this survey isnt remotely like a poll, which would use random sampling to ensure a wide field of respondents, and would provide a margin of error, along with crosstabs to show how different groups respond. Such a survey is highly suspect, says Robert Shapiro, a Columbia University professor, former chair of the Political Science department, and an expert on political polling. Its not transparent with how they came up with the people who responded, Shapiro notes. There could be enormous biases. Those flaws didnt stop the survey from being picked up by conservative sites, including Breitbart and the National Review, with the credulousness that typifies many partisan outlets. Coverage wasnt limited to right-wing news organizations. The Wall Street Journal also published a story, reporting the poll showed that 83% of farmers and ranchers approve of the presidents job performance. the highest level of support for Mr. Trump among farmers since he took office. While the Journal story noted the methodology, it didnt scrutinize Farm Journals techniques. The imprimatur of such a credible news outlet might not have been lost on Trump, or his speechwriter, since they cited the Journal as the surveys source. The Journal doesnt have much to say about the story now. Asked to explain why they published it, spokesman Steve Severinghaus sent this one-sentence reply: The Wall Street Journal has no affiliation with Farm Journal or this survey, which we do not typically cover. There are reasons to think the surveys results are flawed. A December 2019 poll by Reuters/Ipsos showed that, among those involved in agriculture, 49% approved of the way Trump is handling American farming and 40% disapproved. Thats a much lower rating, though its also a slightly different question than the Farm Journals, which focused on overall presidential approval. Herath sticks with his outlets findings: Anecdotally, I must say the numbers from our poll are much closer to what I hear from farmers and ranchers than what is reflected in the Reuters/Ipsos poll. No matter. Between conservative media, the Wall Street Journal, and President Trump, this 83-percent rating has taken hold. Even liberal talk-show host Bill Maher cited it a few weeks ago when interviewing Amy Klobuchar, the US senator from Minnesota whos running for president. Why do 83 percent of farmers say theyre for Trump? Maher asked. A perplexed Klobuchar replied, Um, well, thats where they may be in the past I dont think its going to be where they are in 2020. Perverse motives can come into play when journalists report on polls. A big number will drive a big headline. And even if one surveys methods are suspect, theres always another one a few days later to take its place. The biases of journalism are related to conflict or news or surprise, says Shapiro, the Columbia professor. There are always incentives to publish, just to get attention. ICYMI: Preserving a national memory of an outbreak Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Bill Grueskin is on the faculty at Columbia Journalism School. He has previously worked as founding editor of a newspaper on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, city editor of the Miami Herald, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, and an executive editor at Bloomberg News. He is a graduate of Stanford University (Classics) and Johns Hopkinss School of Advanced International Studies (US Foreign Policy and International Economics). China is grappling with a new coronavirus epidemic that began in December and has since spread to countries around the world. While the country has made headway in controlling the viruss spread, the picture abroad is less positive as hotspots emerge in a number of other nations, including Japan, South Korea, Italy and Iran. Caixin Global will continue covering this story as it develops. Please check back regularly for updates. Caixins coverage of the new coronavirus Monday, March 2, 11:59 p.m. Even as new coronavirus infections have been declining in China, cases imported from abroad have been rising. The eastern province Zhejiang Monday reported the first such case in a patient who recently traveled to Italy. In recent days, Beijing, Ningxia and Shenzhen reported five confirmed cases that were related to Iran and London. This is a bad sign and very worrisome, said Zhang Wenhong, director of the department of infectious diseases at Shanghai Huashan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University. It will bring difficulties to Chinas outbreak control. In the U.S., two dozen new cases were confirmed in Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state, New York and Florida over the weekend, bringing the total to 89 as of Monday morning. The total includes 44 people who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three who were repatriated from China and 42 cases generated in the U.S. The new cases prompted emergency declarations in at least two states and more school closures. The European Union raised the risk alert level for the novel coronavirus from moderate to high, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday at a news conference. There have been more than 2,000 confirmed cases in the EU, with the bulk of them in Italy. France announced the closure of more than 100 schools in the north central Oise region, affecting more than 28,000 students. The schools were closed until March 14 as part of precautionary measures. South Korea Monday sought murder charges against leaders of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, to which most of South Koreas cases have been traced after some members visited Chinas Wuhan city where the disease emerged. The Seoul government asked prosecutors to launch a murder investigation into leaders of the church, including reclusive founder Lee Man-hee. South Korea, where 26 have died in the epidemic, reported an additional 599 infections Monday, raising its tally to 4,335, the most outside China. Of the new cases, 377 were from the city of Daegu, home to a branch of the religious group. Compiled by Denise Jia Monday, March 2, 6 p.m. A top Iranian official who counseled the countrys supreme leader died Monday after falling ill with the new coronavirus, the Associated Press reported, citing Iranian state radio. Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, who sat on the Expediency Discernment Council that advises Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died at a hospital in the capital, Tehran. A number of high-level officials have contracted Covid-19 in Iran, which has logged the most virus-related deaths of any country outside China. Fears of a global pandemic deepened Monday as new cases continued to emerge in several countries. South Korea, which has the most confirmed cases of any country except China, logged 599 new infections as the day progressed, with the total standing at 4,335 as of Monday afternoon, according to the Yonhap News Agency. In response, South Koreas government postponed the start of the new school year until March 23, three weeks later than initially scheduled. The peninsular nation also expanded its network of drive-through screening stations in a bid to control the spread of the virus, according to Yonhap. In the United States, where the virus is known to have sickened dozens of people, public health experts are warning that a significant outbreak is likely. Speaking Sunday on CBS Newss Face the Nation, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said there are likely hundreds or low thousands of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. The country will have the capacity to screen 20,000 suspected cases each day within two weeks, although treatments and vaccines remain significantly farther off, he added. In other international virus-related developments: Indonesia confirmed its first two Covid-19 cases, Reuters reported, after weeks of speculation that the pneumonia-like illness had already made its way to the worlds fourth most-populous country. Australia confirmed its first cases of human-to-human transmission after three people in New South Wales contracted the virus without leaving the country, the states Health Minister Brad Hazzard said at a Monday press conference reported by national broadcaster ABC. India said two more people had tested positive for the virus: one in the capital, New Delhi, and one in the southern state of Telangana. The patients recently traveled to Italy and the United Arab Emirates, respectively, a health ministry statement said. In China, authorities are conducting legal proceedings against eight high-level officials in Central Chinas Hubei province for their roles in allowing a recently released prisoner surnamed Huang to travel from the disease-stricken city of Wuhan to Beijing, where she tested positive for the new coronavirus. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the eight are under investigation for dereliction of duty and potential violations of Chinas civil servant law. They include Tan Xianzhen the head of Hubeis justice department and Hao Aimin, the chief of the provincial prison management bureau. Hao, along with several other prison management officials and senior jailers at the facility where Huang was held, has also been dismissed from his position. Heres a roundup of the rest of Chinas Covid-19 news: The eastern province of Zhejiang lowered its emergency response level (link in Chinese) from one to two, becoming the 19th province in China to dial down its official threat rating. Macao, the worlds biggest gambling hub, chalked up a record 87.8% year-on-year decline in gaming revenues (link in Chinese) in February after authorities in the semiautonomous territory shuttered casinos for 15 days from Feb. 5. A Caixin survey released Monday showed that Chinas manufacturing activity shrank at its fastest pace in nearly 16 years due to declines in new orders, output, and employment, all of which have been severely hit by the outbreak. Compiled by Matthew Walsh Monday, March 2, 10 a.m. The new coronavirus outbreak continued to spread across Europe Sunday even as China, where the deadly disease known as Covid-19 was first reported, logged a significant decline in the number of new cases. In Italy, the number of cases soared 50% (link in Italian) between Saturday and Sunday bringing the total to 1,694, according to the countrys health ministry. Five more patients died of Covid-19 in the European nation, bringing the death toll there to 34. The United States warned its citizens not to travel to two regions of northern Italy hit hardest by the outbreak. The number of cases in France rose to 130, the countrys health agency said Sunday, according to a report in Le Monde (link in French). The U.K. added 13 more cases, bringing the total there to 36, according to a BBC report. One of the new cases, from the southeastern county of Essex, had no relevant travel to other affected countries, making it unclear how they contracted the virus, Englands chief medical officer said. The U.S. confirmed Monday its second virus-related death when a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions passed away in King County in Washington state, according to CNN, citing a press release from the countys public health authority. The news comes after the governor of the state of New York, Andrew Cuomo, said in a Sunday evening tweet that a woman in her 30s had become the first person in the state confirmed to have Covid-19. She contracted the virus while traveling in Iran, where the disease has spread rapidly, and is currently in quarantine at home, Cuomo said, according to Reuters. More than 70 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with Covid-19 so far. The Czech Republic and the Dominican Republic also recorded their first Covid-19 cases on Sunday, according to reports. As public health concerns festered in Europe and the U.S., the situation on the Chinese mainland continued to move in a more positive direction. The countrys health ministry confirmed 202 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the lowest number since January, in the latest indication that the disease may have peaked in the East Asian nation. Most new cases were recorded in Hubei, the province worst affected by the outbreak. The Chinese mainland logged 42 new deaths Sunday, all of which occurred in Hubei. Although thats slightly higher than Saturdays total of 35, it continues a now-weeklong trend of less than a 100 deaths per day, a marked improvement from the situation in mid-February. Those new cases nudged Chinas overall total past the 80,000 mark. Covid-19 has now officially sickened 80,174 people in the country, killing 2,915. The Chinese mainland added a further 141 suspected cases and 2,837 recoveries on Sunday. Some 44,462 people have now recovered from the disease. Compiled by Matthew Walsh Read More Coronavirus Live Updates Sunday: China Discovers Infected Travelers From Iran and U.K., Another Wuhan Doctor Dies A laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that was producing coronavirus test kits may have been contaminated, a report claims. According to Axios, an official at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who visited the lab last week found 'alarming issues' including improper practices and contaminants. He then warned the agency that this could lead to potential impurities within the tests themselves. On Sunday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed it was investigating the lab and the 'manufacturing defect' that led to the delay of kits being rolled out. Although there has been no further elaboration on what those defects might be, the Axios report links these defects to the FDA scientist's findings. An FDA scientist allegedly came across 'inappropriate procedures and possible contaminants' when he visited a CDC lab where coronavirus test kits were being manufactured, a new report claims. Pictured: A CDC test kit for coronavirus Axios reports that Dr Timothy Stenzel, director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, was sent to the CDC lab in Atlanta a week ago to help fix technical problems that delayed test kits being sent to state and local health departments. Dr Stenzel was allegedly 'alarmed' by the 'inappropriate procedures and possible contaminants' he saw in the lab. It's currently unclear what procedures and contaminants he may have seen, or how big a role they played in the delay of rolling out test kits. Dr Stenzel is not a lab inspector so, although he was not required to report on the lab, he allegedly raise his concerns with his higher-ups. 'Upon learning about the test issue from CDC, FDA worked with CDC to determine that problems with certain test components were due to a manufacturing issue,' FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said to Axios in a statement. He said that government agencies - CDC, FDA, HHS and the National Institutes of Health - have already worked together to resolve the problems with the coronavirus tests. 'FDA has confidence in the design and current manufacturing of the test that already have and are continuing to be distributed,' Hahn continued in his statement. 'These tests have passed extensive quality control procedures and will provide the high-level of diagnostic accuracy we need during this coronavirus outbreak.' The news may have been what prompted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to ask permission from the FDA to use its own coronavirus testing kits. On Saturday, the first case was confirmed in New York City. The CDC and other health officials have come under fire for how slowly Americans are being tested. A recent ProPublica investigation found the CDC refused to use tests kits made by the World Health Organization because the federal agency wanted to make its own. Worldwide, more than 89,000 people have been infected with coronavirus and more than 3,000 people have died. Manufacturing issues and delays have led to just 3,600 people being tested in the US, By comparison, South Korea has tested more than 66,000 citizens. But HHS Secretary Alex Azar told ABC's This Week on Sunday that the US currently has at least 75,000 test kits available. Worldwide, more than 89,000 people have been infected and more than 3,000 people have died. Cases in the US spiked over the weekend by 43 percent, increasing from 62 to 89. Two deaths have been confirmed, both in Washington state and both among people who had pre-existing conditions. What if lawmakers writing one of the most consequential laws to come out of last years legislative session, legalizing hemp in Texas, forgot to include a small, but crucial detail that could get your marijuana possession charges dropped? Thats what happened last week, after a Brazos County court judge concluded the new law did not state when the law took effect, as is typically the case. As a result, misdemeanor charges against a Texas A&M University student arrested on the day of his 2018 college graduation were summarily tossed. The decision is the latest stumbling block that Texas 9-month-old hemp law has presented for police and prosecutors committed to pursuing low-level marijuana possession cases. Although the decision does not bind other judges, attorneys said the successful tactic had the potential to change the course of hundreds of pending cases across the state. On the morning of May 12, 2018, a College Station police officer pulled over a Kia sedan because the driver wasnt wearing his seat belt. As he approached the car, the officer said he smelled marijuana. David Darley was sitting in the front passenger seat. When the 23-year-old opened a backpack to get his identification, the officer said the odor of pot became even more pronounced. A search uncovered several small bags of what appeared to be marijuana, and Darley was charged with possessing less than 2 ounces of pot, a Class B misdemeanor. For subscribers: Texas Highway Patrol is releasing some, jailing others who are caught with marijuana As his charges wound through Brazos County courts, the Texas Legislature was meeting. Following changes in federal statutes, House Bill 1325 legalized hemp in Texas. Although the law was primarily about agriculture, it had huge implications for law enforcement. Previously, it was simply a crime to possess marijuana, so anyone busted with it could be charged. But to legalize hemp, which comes from the same plant, the new law had to distinguish the legal product from the illegal drug. It states that products containing less than 0.3% of THC, the chemical that in higher concentrations produces a high, are legal hemp; anything over is pot. The law was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 10. Mark Loeffler, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture, said the hemp regulation program should be live by March, with licensed farmers able to start planting by the end of the month. But the hemp bill, which was passed through the Agriculture and Livestock Committee instead of the regular criminal justice panels, neglected to specify when the new pot definition started. New state crime laws always include a clear dividing line, typically written as a date, said Shannon Edmonds, director of governmental relations for Texas District and County Attorneys Association. Before the date, the old law applies; after, the new law does. A little-known provision of Texas law says that without clear transition instructions, if a new law lowers the penalty for a crime it can be applied retroactively. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said Friday he was not aware of any cases in Bexar County where defense attorneys tried to have cases thrown out retroactively, as was the case in Brazos County. He said thats likely because prosecutors rarely pursue marijuana possession charges. Im not aware of any cases like that, Gonzales said. Thats likely because of our declination policy. Unintended consequences This is not the first time the hemp law has had unintended consequences. The new law also inadvertently made it difficult for district attorneys to press charges in such cases. In the past, labs did quick chemical tests for cannabinoids and looked for characteristic hairs that should be present on any pot plants. But with the hemp law, labs had to extract THC from the sample and determine the exact amount present in the substance, which requires new testing procedures that must be approved by an accreditation agency making the prosecution of such cases tricky. In July, shortly after the legislation with into effect, prosecutors in several large counties including Bexars Gonzales announced they would not accept new misdemeanor marijuana possession cases, at least until the testing problem was solved. His office does not pursue cases under 1 ounce. Gonzales said felony marijuana charges, which includes possession of more than 4 ounces of marijuana, would be considered on a case-by-case basis. Arrests plummeted across the state. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County will stop prosecuting some pot cases after new hemp law complicates testing Gonzales announcement was not a huge departure in policy, as he had recently unveiled a cite-and-release program that allowed police officers in Bexar County to cite rather than arrest people caught with small amounts of marijuana. Those cited are typically placed into a pre-trial diversion program that requires participants to take a class, complete community service or pay a fine, depending on their financial situation. In turn, participants dont have an arrest and conviction on their record. Around 1,400 people have been cited, rather than arrested, as part of the program in its first seven months, Gonzales said, saving taxpayers roughly $1 million in booking costs. Christian Henricksen, chief of litigation at the District Attorneys Office, said Friday there were a small number of marijuana cases pending when the hemp law was signed on June 10. He said most, if not all, of those cases were resolved without having to go to trial or having the material tested. Last year, Bexar Commissioners Court approved about $100,000 to purchase new equipment to test materials suspected to be marijuana, primarily for felony cases. The Bexar County Criminal Investigation Laboratory, which conducts forensic testing for the San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriffs Office, has submitted its new procedures to the American National Standards Institute for accreditation. It hopes to receive approval in the next few weeks. The Bexar County lab could be among the first public facilities to offer such testing. A private lab in San Antonio, Quality Forensic Toxicology, was accredited in October to test plant-based materials, according to the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Earlier this month, jurisdictions that have vowed to continue to pursue low-level possession cases suffered another blow. Many had been waiting for the Texas Department of Public Safety, whose labs conduct tests for smaller police departments, to get its marijuana testing protocols up and running, likely sometime in the next month or so. But on Feb. 18, Director Steve McGraw announced lawmakers had not provided enough money to test evidence in the approximately 80,000 misdemeanor marijuana arrests state law enforcement agencies made annually. So local police departments will have to pay private labs about $100 per test, if not more, if they wanted to pursue their low-level possession cases. Darleys case could be another headache. Hundreds? Thousands? of similar cases The district and county attorneys association noted the missing language early on. The law went into effect on June 10, 2019, but it is unclear whether it applies to previously-filed marijuana cases pending on that date, it warned in a June letter to member prosecutors. The bills sponsor, Rep. Tracy King, D-Batesville, did not return a call to his office seeking comment on the AWOL date. Criminal defense attorneys noticed it, too, and began seeking cases to test if the new law could also be used to challenge older possession charges. Greening, whose Bryan practice does a busy pot-possession defense business, said it wasnt easy to find willing defendants. With a guilty verdict often meaning a fine and a six-month to a year suspension of driving privileges, he said most were happy to accept the deferred adjudication plea deals prosecutors typically offered. Darley, however, didnt want a deal. He also was irked family members had come from California to witness his graduation and hed spent the ceremony in jail. He agreed to have Greening try to get his case dismissed based on the new hemp laws missing date. It worked. On Feb. 18, Brazos County Judge Jim Locke agreed the new law applied to old cases. Because prosecutors hadnt tested the marijuana seized from Darley, he said, they lacked the evidence to go through with the trial. He dismissed the charge. Edmonds said it was the first such decision hed heard of. Legally, he added, a county court decision sets no precedent, so the immediate impact would remain local. Brazos County Attorney Rod Anderson, who said he remains committed to prosecuting misdemeanor pot possession arrests, said it means that, at least in Lockes courtroom, evidence in all pot cases not just the new ones will now have to be tested. Anderson added he didnt think there were many old cases to which the new law could be applied retroactively. Greening said hes not so sure. He said his office alone had three dozen possession cases filed before the new hemp law went into effect last June. Greening said hes been sharing the decision with attorneys around the state. An associate, Sarah Wilkinson, said shes already been contacted by a dozen defense attorneys interested in deploying the strategy. I have no idea how many old cases are pending, Edmonds said. Hundreds? Thousands? Staff Writer Emilie Eaton contributed to this report. Eric.Dexheimer@chron.com Apple has agreed to pay up to $500 million in a class-action settlement over claims that it covertly slowed older iPhones to get users to upgrade. A federal judge in California presiding over the group of lawsuits will be asked to approve the proposed settlement at a hearing in early April, according to a court filing on Friday. The litigation centered on stealthy mobile software that slowed phones in the name of avoiding 'unintended power-offs' according to the company. In December 2017, Apple admitted that iOS software was tweaked to slow performance of older iPhones whose battery life was deteriorating to prevent handsets from spontaneously shutting down. Apple agreed to a settlement in a class-action lawsuit alleging it slowed the performance of older handsets including the iPhone 7 when battery life was deteriorating to encourage users to upgrade Critics accused Apple of surreptitiously forcing users to buy phones sooner than necessary, and the outcry forced Apple to upgrade its software and offer steep discounts on battery replacements. The proposed settlement calls for Apple to pay at least $310 million dollars, but no more than $500 million to compensate affected US iPhone owners and pay lawyers for the plaintiffs, according to court documents. People who owned iPhone 7 models or older will get $25 for each handset, with the amount rising or falling depending on how many people file claims and costs of getting word to them. Lawyers behind the suit aim to pocket $93 million of the settlement money plus another $1.5 million or so for out-of-pocket expenses, legal documents indicated. France's consumer watchdog said last month that Apple had agreed to pay 25 million euros ($27.4 million) in a related case. French prosecutors opened an inquiry in January 2018 at the request of the Halt Planned Obsolescence (HOP) association. As batteries in all phones and gadgets age, they become less effective. Meanwhile, as software becomes more advanced, it puts more of a strain on the battery and processor as the phone ages, and in come cases, this can cause phones to simply shut down. Apple's performance management feature throttles some system components, such as the CPU and the GPU, as the battery degrades over time to prevent the device from randomly shutting down. Previously, this was an automatic feature in every iPhone, but following outrage from users, Apple began giving them the option to turn it off in iOS 11.3. Apple introduced new battery controls (pictured) as a response to backlash for slowing older models of iPhones. The controls give greater insight into battery health An Apple statement at the time maintained that 'we have never - and would never - do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.' In May of last year Apple agreed to be more transparent with users when new software updates are likely to throttle or slow down the performance of their iPhones. The tech giant signed an agreement with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a UK watchdog, that it would be 'clearer and more upfront' with users in the future. As part of the agreement, Apple pledged to provide more accessible information about 'battery health and unexpected shutdowns.' It also pledged to give guidance on how iPhone users can maximize their device's battery health, such as changing settings, turning on low power mode or replacing the battery. FAKE bodies, guns, and mythical creatures - this really isn't your average Limerick business. Odyssey Studios, based in Corcanree Business Park on the Dock Road is a prop-making and large sculptural company that caters for the cinema industry. CEO and sculptor Mark Maher first developed the business after his handmade miniatures were used in The Hobbit films, before moving on to work on films such as Alice in Wonderland and Penny Dreadful to name but a few. Mark was approached to set up shop here in Limerick in recent years, with the idea already in his head to set up a studio in Wicklow. It came down to Troy Studios being based here, thats the kind of company thats a support net for a business like ours. Were currently working on a show being filmed there, we do a lot of bits and pieces there, its great. Set up last year, Mark says the Limerick studio is a nice unit - its definitely not your normal workshop. Our main thing is to really take on as many local people as possible and train them up here, Mark explains, we're running courses here now as well during the summer on make-up prosthetics, prop-making, miniatures and stuff like that. Its very exciting to be able to do that. But all this really wouldn't really have happened without Eamon Ryan and Chris Clancy from Limerick Enterprise Office. They really played a pivotal role in our set-up here. If it wasn't for them, I dont think wed be here actually. They have hugely supported our business, because when youre setting up a business, especially a prop-making business, its huge outgoings really because of the machines that we need. Mark points out that to be next door to the United Kingdom and anywhere in Europe, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with that competition, the machines that he needed were of the high-end variety and LEO helped with the funding for those machines. They also help just to set up and to start up here and get advice for Limerick, and the surrounding area as well as who we should be talking to and introductions and stuff like that. Theyre brilliant for us. Right now were setting up a website, and theyve been a huge help with that financially, he continued, it's really good because in a business, it's just money out the door. As quick as it comes in it goes out. And in order for us to be able to stay here, we need the support of Limerick and all around. We've been outsourcing a lot of our metalwork and carpentry work here in Limerick. We've been using the skills of local people for the business, so we have an input in the area as well. So it's not just all about taking, we give back as much as we can. So that's brilliant. [March 02, 2020] JELD-WEN DEADLINE ALERT: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $50,000 In JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. To Contact The Firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. ("JELD-WEN" or the "Company") (NYSE:JELD) of the April 20, 2020 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you invested in JELD-WEN stock or options between January 26, 2017 and October 15, 2018 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here: www.faruqilaw.com/JELD. There is no cost or obligation to you. You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of all those who purchased JELD-WEN common stock between January 26, 2017 and October 15, 2018 (the "Class Period"). The case, Cambridge Retirement System v. JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. et al., No. 20-cv-00112 was filed on February 19, 2020, and has been assigned to Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making false and/or misleading statements and or failing to disclose that: (1) JELD-WEN products, including doors, compete against other manufacturers on price, and described the market in which the Company sells its doors as "highly competitive"; (2) JELD-WEN's strong margins and anticipated margin growth were attributed to legitimate business factors, such as "making strategic pricing decisions based on an analysis of customer and product levelprofitability" and increasing its emphasis on "pricing optimization"; (3) these and similar statements made by defendants during the Class Period were false and misleading because defendants knew that JELD-WEN was engaged in a price-fixing conspiracy with another door manufacturer to artificially increase or maintain prices of interior molded doors; and (4) consequently, JELD-WEN common stock traded at artificially inflated prices throughout the Class Period. On August 7, 2018, a veteran industry analyst at J.P. Morgan slashed his estimates for JELD-WEN's earnings in 2018 and 2019 and lowered his December 2018 price target for JELD-WEN's stock, based, in part, on the "ongoing Steves and Sons litigation." On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $26.33 per share on August 7, 2018 to $23.71 per share on August 8, 2018: a $2.62 or 9.96% drop. Then, on October 5, 2018, the Judge presiding over the Steves Litigation ruled that as part of the resolution of that case, JELD-WEN would be required to divest the Towanda, Pennsylvania door skin facility the Company had obtained as part of its acquisition of CMI. This disclosure caused several securities analysts to downgrade JELD-WEN stock over the ensuing trading days, with analysts at Baird noting that the divestiture is "among the worst case scenarios." Analysts at RBC Capital Markets commented that up to 33% of JELD-WEN's global door skin manufacturing capacity would be lost by the divestiture of the Towada plant. On this news, the Company' stock price fell, over the following three trading sessions, from $24.09 per share on October 5, 2018 to $22.91 per share on October 9, 2018: a $1.18 or 4.90% drop. Finally, on October 15, 2018, after the market closed, JELD-WEN announced that the Company expected its third quarter 2018 financial results to include a $76.5 million charge related to the ongoing Steves Litigation, and reflected the judgment anticipated to be entered against JELD-WEN, as recent rulings in the case "now provided sufficient detail for the company to estimate future liabilities if the appeal process is unsuccessful." The Company also announced the sudden resignation of its CFO, Defendant Mallard. On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $21.31 per share on October 15, 2018 to $17.28 per share on October 16, 2018: a $3.03 or 18.91% drop. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding JELD-WEN's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200301005029/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Coronavirus has taken the world by storm as nations around the globe try to come up with ways to tackle the increasing epidemic. Surprisingly enough, the spread of the virus has not been noted at any significant scale in India, the country with the largest population after China. A new Twitter thread might just be the answer to why. Dr Angela Rasmussen, a Virologist from Columbia, has posted a thread on Twitter explaining the effects of environmental conditions on the novel virus strain. The thread then proceeds to highlight the takeaways from humans understanding of it. Looking at it, it is easy to say that Dr Rasmussen has shared some interesting insights about the Coronavirus here. The question at large put up by Dr Rasmussen on here Twitter thread is whether the viruses (in this case, Coronavirus) remain infectious for over a week if they are on surfaces? By seeking answers to this, humans can further try to work towards eliminating the existence of the virus on these surfaces. The simple answer to this, as highlighted by Dr Rasmussen, is that the infectious span of the virus depends a lot on the environment. Citing sources, Dr Rasmussen raises a strong point that if the viruses are outside and under direct sunlight, their infectious span drops dramatically as the UV radiation in sunlight inactivates viruses. (Dr Angela Rasmussen: Twitter) The environmental impact Reports indicate that the Coronavirus and other, similar virus strains can remain active on an infected surface for around 9 days. Dr Rasmussen now points out that this viability greatly reduces with the increase in temperature or humidity. She cites a report showing the SARS virus losing its infectivity by upto a 1000 times in high temperature, high humidity environments. A 3-log reduction is quite substantial. Depending on how much virus is on a given surface, a 3 log drop might effectively render the virus functionally non-infectious, if there are insufficient viable virus particles remaining to establish an infection her following tweet reads. A similar result has been derived from such studies on MERS virus too. So it would not be a long shot to assume that the Coronavirus can be deemed non infective under high temperature and high humidity conditions. It is easy to consider how the Coronavirus might not be at its peak infectivity in a country like India, where high temperature and humidity are a given at most of the parts. (Representative Image: Reuters) How does it work? Low humidity is said to impair the mucociliary clearance (trapping/expelling virus in mucus), antiviral immune responses, and tissue repair functions as per Dr Rasmussen. Therefore, the bodily protection of humans against such viruses tends to drop when the humidity is low. As an example, the effect might just be responsible for the flu seasons being marked in winters when the air is drier. A key takeaway from here, the Coronavirus just might be a seasonal disease! What happens when you get it? More important than the effect of environment on the virus laying dormant on a passive object, we should try to understand how a hosts body can be benefitted from this knowledge. Dr Rasmussens tweets suggest that the response of a host to the virus can also be affected by the environment. She cites a research paper by Professor Akiko Iwasaki that looks at influenza, an enveloped RNA virus just like Coronavirus that causes a similar respiratory disease. As per the study, mice in low low humidity conditions were more prone to severe influenza disease. (Representative Image: Reuters) Now there are some differences between the two strains and some might argue that the same principles cannot be applied to both. The understanding does, however, points us in the right direction as per Dr Rasmussen. Precautionary Measures Rounding it off, Dr Rasmussen shares some precautionary measures that we all should keep in mind to keep the Coronavirus from spreading. These include washing hands regularly with soap, using hand sanitizer between washes, keeping surfaces clean using disinfectants, and coughing or sneezing only into a tissue. Additionally, we can also control the environment to decrease the infectivity of the Coronavirus as per the above mentioned points. Humidifiers and heaters can help with the same. So as long as the temperature and humidity is high, we should have a fighting chance against the Coronavirus. Senate holds exhibit featuring SDGs Pia calls for renewed commitment to UN global goals "Let us make sustainability an integral part of our national development goals." Thus said Senator Pia S. Cayetano, as she called for government's renewed commitment to fulfill the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on SDGs, Innovation, and Futures Thinking, Cayetano on Monday (March 2) will lead the opening of the Senate exhibit on the SDGs at the Senate legacy hallway. The exhibit which runs until March 5 aims to promote public awareness on the importance of achieving the 17 SDGs to benefit all Filipinos. Invited to grace the exhibit opening are: Senate President Vicente Sotto III; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Titon Mitra; National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Secretary Carlos Bernardo Abad Santos; and Senate Deputy Secretary for Administration and Finance Services Atty. Arnel Banas. Cayetano stressed that while the country has committed to adopt the global goals, much remains to be done to achieve the various targets by 2030. "We continue to face issues arising in health, education, agriculture, environment, equality, peace and justice, among others. We need to initiate more reforms to renew our commitment to the SDGs," stressed the senator, who has filed measures in the Senate towards this cause. Cayetano filed Senate Resolution No. 308, declaring the 2020s as the "SDGs Decade of Action." It seeks to mobilize government, private sector, stakeholders, and citizens to work together towards sustainability in the next 10 years leading to 2030. The senator also filed Senate Bill No. 1362 or the Sustainable Development Framework Act, which mandates NEDA to incorporate the SDGs and their associated targets in its sustainable development policy and programs. Cayetano's committee recently conducted a public hearing to discuss these measures with stakeholders from both the government and the private sector. The senator said she hopes to sponsor her proposals in plenary soon. ATLANTA - Two Georgia Republicans duking it out in a special U.S. Senate election paid their fees and filed paperwork to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot Monday, the first day of candidate qualifying in the state. The early entries make official the head-to-head fight between recently appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Rep. Doug Collins, a GOP congressman challenging Loeffler for the seat. The two competed for attention with back-to-back news conferences at the state capitol on Monday as both announced they had officially qualified to run. The race wont be filtered by party primaries, meaning multiple Democrats and Republicans will share the ballot. Loeffler was joined by Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who appointed her to the seat following the retirement of Republican Johnny Isakson, who left the Senate at the end of December because of declining health. Im so honoured to serve Georgia, and Im thrilled to qualify for the race in November, Loeffler said. Im running to win. Loeffler made little mention of Collins, who had just wrapped up speaking to reporters in the same room minutes earlier. Collins announced in late January that he would challenge Loeffler for the seat, splitting Republican interests in the process. He took an opening shot Monday at Loefflers campaign, saying: Bring it on. Were ready for this. Georgia knows who the conservative is in this race. Theyve been watching, they know that Ive been fighting for the values that they hold dear, Collins said. Collins qualifying announcement means hes moving full steam ahead in the Senate race and will give up his seat in the U.S. House. It also signals that President Donald Trumps efforts to broker a deal and spare the GOP from the infighting have been unsuccessful. Trump recently said he was considering Collins for director of national intelligence, but Collins said he wasnt interested. Democrats Ed Tarver, Matt Lieberman and Raphael Warnock have also announced that they are running in the special election. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in November, the top-two vote getters will advance to a January runoff. Republican Sen. David Perdue, who is running for reelection to a second term in Georgias other U.S. Senate race, was also at the Capitol on Monday qualifying. Perdue touted the economy and federal deregulatory efforts, while repeatedly saying he was staying out of the Loeffler-Collins matchup. Im taking a hard side on the Republican side. I dont want to go down the road the other side is talking about right now, Perdue said. Democrats Jon Ossoff, Teresa Tomlinson and Sarah Riggs Amico are vying to challenge Perdue. Democratic U.S. Rep John Lewis qualified for what would be his 18th term in Congress despite announcing in December that he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Lewis said Monday that he was inspired by his annual trip to Selma, Alabama, on Sunday, where marchers recreate the voting rights march where Lewis was gassed and clubbed. Im ready to run the race. I never considered not running. Im getting better. Im feeling good, I feel stronger and stronger, Lewis said. Georgias qualifying period will run through Friday at noon. Both of the states U.S. Senate seats, as well as all 14 U.S. House seats and 236 seats in the state legislature, will be up for grabs in November. The United States signed a historic agreement Saturday with the Taliban in Doha. If all sides follow through, this could pave the way to end a 19-year-old war in Afghanistan. VOAs Ayesha Tanzeem was at the signing ceremony and filed this report. The TechHer Initiative has concluded a two-day intensive workshop on gender-balanced reporting for Nigerian journalists. The workshop is the first of a two-part workshop. The first part held in Owerri, Imo State, while the second part will hold in Abuja. The training, tagged Gender Reporting for Media Professionals (GRFP), had 19 Nigerian journalists in attendance who were selected across the country. Several facilitators trained participants cutting across newsrooms on how to carry out gender-based and balanced reporting. Journalists were trained on appropriate languages to be used when reporting gender-sensitive stories, good and bad representation of women in the media, as well as challenges journalists, encounter during reporting gender-related stories. They were also taught ways to implement gender ethical journalism and how to curb fake news and sensationalism. The facilitators include Lolade Nwanze, an editor for the digital division of The Guardian Newspaper; Dorothy Njemanze, an investigative journalist and gender activists; Ummi Bukar, a gender activist and Kawther Ahmed, project lead for TechHer. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, Ms Kawther said the zeal to tackle gender-related problems and proffer solutions inspired the workshop. She said the workshop is aimed at helping journalists report gender-based stories without bias, marginalisation or even stigmatisation. When asked how the participants were selected, Ms Ahmed described the process as hectic having received over 400 applications within a short time frame. She however said, some of the criteria were that journalists must have reported a gender story and be active on social media. She said persons with disabilities were also considered. The next part of the workshop is scheduled to hold in Abuja on March 6 and 7. Some of the participants described the workshop as eye-opening, highly impactful and thought-provoking. Jennifer Ugwa of the International Centre for Investigative Journalism (ICIR), said the workshop was insightful. She, however, faulted the fact that discussions about the male child was completely neglected. If were talking gender equality we should include men and male children too. I know women have been victims for a long time, its only logical to include the men. Also having four men out of 20 is poor. Men are mostly perpetrators of crimes against women. Itll be nice to have more of them present and change their perspective, she said. Uche Ndeke of Radio Nigeria, Awka, said the workshop was indeed was a great one for him. I learnt a lot as regards to taking the women and girls into consideration in all the reports I do. Surely from now on, the gains of this training will be visible in all reports I do for Radio Nigeria, he said. He also said he learnt the need to expose the perpetrator of a crime against a woman instead of putting the victim in a condition that will make her feel bad after listening to the report. TechHer is a platform set up to demystify technology and provide support, learning and collaboration for women in an encouraging and conducive environment. Gogoi, 65, who retired as the Chief Justice of India in November last year after a tenure of 13 months, took oath in English in the name of God. As his name was called for oath taking, Congress and Left members started shouting slogans like 'Shame on You' and 'Deal'. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu ordered that the slogan shouting will not go on record. Talks have started between Morocco and Russia for a new fisheries deal to replace the current agreement that expires this March. The talks will raise the terms for fishing in Moroccos territorial water and fisheries quota as well as the financial compensations. The two countries signed their first fisheries deal in 1992 with a quota of 129.500 tons in return for $22 million in addition to $8 million dedicated to scientific research and port fees. The current 4-year maritime fisheries cooperation agreement was signed in 2016 and allows a fleet of 10 Russian vessels to operate in Moroccan waters in the Southern Atlantic as far as Cape Blanc. The agreement provides employment to more than 300 Moroccan sailors. The new agreement is expected to create 350 jobs annually for Moroccan fishermen. Australia Records First 2 Cases of Human-to-Human Transmission of COVID-19 Health authorities in Australia announced the countrys first cases of person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 on March 1. New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard said during a press conference that the first case is a 53-year-old health worker who initially was thought not to have the virus. However, a third test confirmed he does have COVID-19, and officials believe he may have contracted it through patients. He has not traveled overseas for three months, the health minister noted, but added that NSW Health is now working to determine what contacts he may have had and how he may have contracted the virus. There are no indications anyone else has contracted it from the doctor but NSW Health is taking every precaution, he said. The second is a 41-year-old woman who it appears may have contracted the virus from her 43-year-old brother who was diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning from Iran. She has not traveled to Iran but was in close contact with her brother, the health minister said. Hazzard added that it was particularly concerning to have these two cases on NSW soil and advised the general public to be cautious but not alarmed, and to wash their hands if they have been in a public space as coronavirus doesnt have a long life on objects but it certainly has a life. All new cases are being treated at Westmead Hospital in Sydneys west. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr. Kerry Chant, who joined Hazzard at the press conference, said authorities in Australia remained vigilant and are doing lots of testing. We have tested over 3,500 people, and we continue to see high rates of testing, she said, adding that anyone who has been in Iran should remain particularly vigilant of symptoms of COVID-19, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. She added that the new case involving the health worker raises concerns over whether a case may have been missed in NSW, but reassured the public that there is no widespread transmission in the state. We have to remain vigilant but even if occasional cases are missed, if people practice good hygiene, do common sense things, then the likelihood of transmitting it, even if someone is unaware they had it, is reduced, she said. This marks the first case of person-to-person transmission of the disease as the previous 28 Australian cases were people who were infected while they were traveling in China, Iran, or onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Last week, the Australian government announced it has activated its emergency response plan (pdf) amid warnings a potential global pandemic is looming as coronavirus continues to spread throughout Asia and parts of Europe. The response plan covers a number of factors including staffing health services with more workers, further quarantine measures, tighter controls at airports and ports, and keeping schools informed as to how they should respond to any widespread outbreak. It notes that in the event of a high outbreak, non-urgent procedures and activities may need to be scaled back with regards to health services. Prime Minister Scott Morrison also announced the country has extended its travel ban to March 7, forbidding foreign nationals from entering the country from mainland China for a further week to protect Australians. Kriti Sanon is known to update her fans about everything new and exciting thats happening in her life. The pretty actress recently took to social media to inform her Instafam that she has recently got inked. Kriti shared a picture revealing a sneak peek of her latest tattoo. With the visible parts of the tattoo, it appears to be the alphabet 'K after her name in a purple hue. She captioned the intriguing post as The start of something new.. #Inked, accompanied by a bunch of emojis. The 29-year-old is seen wearing a grey off-shoulder top with straightened hair covering one of her shoulders. The actress made the visible part of her initial look like a 'V. The picture has since garnered a lot of positive comments and appreciation for her tattoo design from fans. Check out the post here: In the meantime, Kriti Sanon is currently busy shooting for her upcoming film Mimi. The movie is an official remake of the award-winning Marathi film, Mala Aai Vhhaychy and is being directed by Laxman Utekar. It also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Pahwa and Sai Tamhankar in pivotal roles with Sanon portraying the role of a surrogate mother. Mimi is being produced under the banner of Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films. The highly anticipated film is scheduled for release on July 17, 2020. ALSO READ: Kriti Sanon Sports Baby Bump In Leaked First Look From Sets Of Mimi ALSO READ: Kriti Sanon Pregnant? Heres The Story Behind It! Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan today delivered a message on the occasion of Diplomats Day. In his speech, the foreign minister expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for attending the event dedicated to Diplomats Day and said his attendance shows that the government attaches importance to Armenias diplomatic service. He also stated the following: Taking a look back at the history of Armenian diplomacy, it is safe to state that it is thanks to the hard and dedicated work of Armenian diplomats that today Armenia has a strong and efficient diplomatic service that is capable of consistently advocating state and national interests and solving any foreign policy issue. Sovereignty, all-Armenianness and mutual cooperation serve as the three key principles of Armenian diplomacy. Armenian diplomats make their tangible contributions to Armenias development agenda by identifying new international platforms and expanding the scopes of cooperation. The aim of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia is to continue to exert efforts to make sure the ministry is famous for being one of the most well-developed and professional institutions in the country. It is clear that not all Armenian diplomats work can be seen, but we realize and highly appreciate Armenian diplomats dedication and how they invest their ideas and put their efforts, and for that I express my sincere gratitude to you all. I would also like to express special gratitude to the Armenian diplomats who bear the title of diplomat with honor and carry out major missions around the world, especially in war zones such as Aleppo, Damascus and Baghdad. Dear colleagues, on the occasion of Diplomats Day, allow me to cordially congratulate all the members of this family of diplomats within the Ministry of Diaspora and abroad and wish more achievements and victories in diplomacy, as well as personal and family happiness, for strengthening Armenias national security, for improving citizens welfare and for ensuring eternity of the Republic of Armenia. Mobile police have made an arrest in connection to the murder of a man who was stabbed to death Sunday night. Two men were discovered by police at the 1600 block of Katye Street suffering from stab wounds at approximately 8:52 p.m. Kalvin Matthews, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene on a kitchen floor. The other victim was found at nearby residence and transported to a local hospital. After initial investigation, Rodney Finklea, 51, was arrested and charged with murder. On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO 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 on Friday, 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.) Ayodhya: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to honour `kar sevaks` who participated in the 1990 Ayodhya movement and then in the 1992 Babri demolition. Families of `kar sevaks` who lost their lives during the Ayodhya movement, will also be felicitated. The felicitation function will take place during the Ram Mahotsav celebrations that will begin from March 25 and will continue for a fortnight this year, instead of the seven-day celebrations that used to take place earlier. "Workers will also visit villages, from where bricks to construct Ram temple were brought in Ayodhya," he said. The VHP activists will also establish a communication with the Hindus, who are "disturbed due to the violence that broke out at several places after CAA was passed in Parliament". According to a senior VHP functionary, the programmes will start across three lakh villages from March 25 and will continue until Hanuman Jayanti, which falls on April 8. Every year, Ram Mahotsav is celebrated during Ram Navami but this year the celebrations will be different in view of the apex court verdict in favour of Ram temple. The VHP leader said that though VHP activists wanted to celebrate the Supreme Court verdict immediately after the judgment, the organisational leaders felt that it could hurt the sentiments of the other communities. "Now is the right time to celebrate," he said. "Our aim is to spread Lord Ram`s message across the length and breadth of the country and ease the disturbed atmosphere in the country," the VHP functionary said. Meanwhile, VHP`s Braj region vice-president Sunil Parashar, said, "Workers will go to villages to garner support for the temple construction. `Prabhat pheris`, `shobha yatras` will also be organised during this period." Auryn Closes Additional CAD$4.9M in Non-Brokered Private Placement Posted by Publisher Internet Auryn Resources Inc. (TSX: AUG, NYSE American: AUG) (?Auryn? or the ?Company? -? https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/auryn-resources-getting-environmental-permits-to-start-drill-campaign-on-sombrero-soon/ ) is pleased to announce that due to increased interest, a second allotment has closed in its previously announced non-brokered private placement through the issuing of an additional 3,062,500 common shares (the ?Shares?) priced at CAD$1.60 per Share for gross proceeds of CAD$4.9 million (the ?Offering?). Auryn raised a total of CAD$15 million through the issuance of 9,375,000 common shares in February 2020, putting the Company in a strong financial position. No commissions were paid on the second allotment. A Message from Ivan Bebek, Executive Chairman & Director: ?2020 is going to be an exciting year for Auryn shareholders as the Company is anticipating drill permits for two major discovery opportunities in Peru. The Company appreciates the continued support that it receives from shareholders and insiders in these financings and is pleased to welcome additional accretive investors.? Proceeds from the placements will be used to fund continued surface exploration at its Sombrero and Curibaya projects located in southern Peru and for general working capital.?? The Shares issued under the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period under Canadian securities laws. The Shares have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ?U.S. Securities Act?), and have not been offered or sold in the United States other than pursuant to available exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. Any Shares sold to investors in the United States are ?restricted securities? and subject to restrictions on resale under the U.S. Securities Act. On Behalf of the Board, Ivan Bebek Executive Chairman and Director For further information on Auryn Resources, please contact Natasha Frakes, Manager of Corporate Communications at (778) 729-0600 or info@aurynresources.com In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch About Auryn Auryn Resources is a technology-driven junior exploration company focused on finding and advancing globally significant precious and base metal deposits. The company has a portfolio approach to asset acquisition and has seven projects, including two flagships: the Committee Bay high-grade gold project in Nunavut and the Sombrero copper-gold project in southern Peru. Auryn?s technical and management teams have an impressive track record of successfully monetizing assets for all stakeholders and local communities in which it operates. Auryn conducts itself to the highest standards of corporate governance and sustainability. About Sombrero This project consists of the North Sombrero and South Sombrero properties, comprising over 130,000 hectares owned or optioned by Auryn Resources. The copper-gold Sombrero mining concessions are located 340 kilometers SE of Lima in southern Peru and are hosted in the Andahuaylas-Yauri belt. This belt is interpreted to be on the north-western margins of this Eocene-Oligocene aged copper-gold porphyry and skarn belt that hosts the Las Bambas, Haquira, Los Chancas, Cotambambas, Constancia, Antapaccay and Tintaya deposits. The project is characterized by a strong structural control and significant copper and gold values from historical surface samples. The principal targets at Sombrero are copper-gold skarn and porphyry systems and precious metal epithermal deposits. About Curibaya Auryn acquired 100% ownership of the Curibaya property in 2015 and the adjacent Sambalay and Salvador concesssions in 2019, which collectively consist of approximately 11,000 hectares. The Curibaya project covers the regional Incapuquio fault zone and subsidiary structures, which are interpreted as one of the fundamental controls for both epithermal and porphyry styles of mineralization within the region. Forward Looking Information and Additional Cautionary Language This release includes certain statements that may be deemed ?forward-looking statements?. Forward-looking information is information that includes a proposed financing and completion if a proposed loan amendment as well as information relating to or associated with the acquisition and title to mineral concessions. In addition to the stated conditions to complete the transactions forward looking statements involve other known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different (either positively or negatively) from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company?s Annual Information Form and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequent continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at?www.sedar.com?and the Company?s registration statement on Form 40-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at?www.sec.gov. The Toronto Stock Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Goodstart Early Learning will resume its national bus service with "additional safety measures", after a suspension announced in the wake of an incident in far north Queensland that left a toddler dead. Police allege the three-year-old boy was left on a company bus throughout the day on February 18, before being found while the vehicle was parked outside a school in Cairns' south that afternoon. Police investigating the boy's death at Edmonton in Cairns' south. The company temporarily suspended its national pick-up and drop-off service the following day. Two people the mini-bus driver and centre manager, along with a childcare worker appeared in court last week, charged with manslaughter over the incident. Exclusive interview of co-owner of the RDS road construction group Yuriy Shumakher for Interfax-Ukraine The first question is about your rebranding. Has the company completed it, or is it in progress? What are your goals? Why did you decide to rebrand the company? Today companies have to monitor the market and the latest technologies not only in their business areas. We and our brands have gone through a long way of transformation. Initially, the company was created as the Rost (Growth) investment group for construction of housing and commercial real estate. Actually, that is from where the name came from to grow. When we decided to invest money in roads in 2005, we named the project Rostdorstroy. Now we work in the field of road construction and are already in the top three companies in this market. We monitor worldwide trends not only in the sphere of road construction. Ubiquitous digitalization and a huge flow of information make brands and companies to grow more rapidly and keep up with the time. Therefore, their visual and media image changes. Everything is becoming more simplified, easy. That is why we decided that the name of the company Rostdorstroy is long and heavy, especially for the European market, in which we, in addition to the Ukrainian market, want to be represented. We decided to move to a new level and rebrand the company, starting from the name, changing it to RDS, and ending with a new approach to advertising. In general, we want to take the company's image to a whole new level. Our rebranding is in progress. We have created the company's accounts on Facebook and Instagram. This is connected with numerous factors. The main thing is that since the new president had been elected, we can see in general how the approach to road construction has changed. It has become a priority of the state. A planned approach is being used, and it is planned to double the financing of roads in 2020. We can see that big and powerful foreign companies are entering our market. We need to keep up with their level, to purchase high quality equipment so as to save our positions in the market. Technologies are upgrading every year. When we visit trade shows in Dubai or Germany, we can see that road construction equipment, construction materials and specialists' skills are getting better year after year. Anyway, I call all of them partners, and not competitors, because we are together in construction of modern roads. Therefore, we should hold relevant talks, properly introduce ourselves and stand for the company's position. That is what we need rebranding for. In December 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated additional UAH 15.2 billion to close 2019. How much public funding will the sphere receive in 2020? And do you find it acceptable for the country? I find them not just acceptable, but really sufficient. Even we are sometimes surprised by the fact that such money is allocated for roads. Over UAH 30 billion has been allocated, the Verkhovna Rada backed this decision. Moreover, the Verkhovna Rada also voted in favor of another UAH 20 billion, which will allow the government to attract extra loan funds. And this means that more than UAH 50 billion will be allocated for roads. As the heads of both the Infrastructure Ministry and Ukravtodor say today, it is planned to attract additional UAH 10-15 billion from other sources so as to, let's say, complete a record number of kilometers of roads this year. The money has been allocated and we have to do our job next. We have to do it both in quarries and on railway. This is very important, because not any spot can be reached by vehicles in the country. Today there is no comparison between the possibilities of motor vehicles and the possibilities of railways. Therefore, we are very concerned about proper arrangement of logistics. In previous years the work of railways was really tough the cars fleet was outmoded and it was poorly upgraded by Ukrzaliznytsia, taking into account that, thank God, the country had a record harvest and, as a result, there was a lack of cars for both the road business and grain transportation. That is what concerns us. The main thing, which makes today's government of the country in general, the ministry, Ukravtodor, etc., significantly different from the governments of past years, is the fact that today we have got an adopted resolution. Usually we saw the following picture: the national budget is adopted, but they issue the list of roads only in April (if we are lucky!). Tenders take a long time and it was not until June that a road company could start its work. As of today, the budget had been adopted by January, we have the list of roads, hence this helps the customers and Ukravtodor's services to carry out tender procedures and us, as contractors, to bid, win or lose. And, above all, we can start our activities from late February if weather allows. Today, to spend UAH 60 billion of budget funds (not including the money from the European bank, which are allocated separately), a symbiosis of the customer and the contractor is necessary, as well as various types of road repairs. There is intermediate road maintenance a simplified system of tenders and, respectively, of types of work which do not require licenses and expert assessment for projects at all, although some customers make it. Speaking about overhauls and construction of new roads, they require expert assessment and state licenses. We know that with regard to many aspects these agencies and expert assessments are unable to change rapidly just like many other institutions did under the new president and government. Therefore, there is a lot of bureaucracy which has to be defeated by stipulating the procedures in the legislation. We have some problems here so far. Is the structure of Ukravtodor effective today? Can your company propose some innovations as a market participant? They are already being implemented. Let's say, the current structure of Ukravtodor, in my opinion, completely meets modern requirements. It is a state mechanism when the automobile roads service is the distributor of public funds. Naturally, there are various mechanisms and, probably, Ukravtodor could hold all tenders in all regions on its own. But it was created to reform a bulky machine which was supposed to be headquartered in Kyiv. Now each region has its own automobile roads service. So, you mean the distribution of Ukravtodor's powers in regions was effective? Yes. But today in the composition of Ukravtodor there is the so-called SJSC (state joint-stock company), which unites the operation of roads. It is also a bulky machine with lots of employees, numerous, if you remember, DEUs (road maintenance sections), RaiDUs (district road authorities) in every district, which were in charge of road maintenance. A serious confrontation is under way in this area, and in their time they used to win all tenders for road operation in all regions, which included patching repairs, road maintenance, snow cleaning, road marking, guard rails, etc. They used to win billion worth tenders and 'operated' these roads, because constructing a road is half the trouble, one has to operate it. And operations add at least 50% to roads' durability. The state companies won tenders and used outmoded equipment which had not been upgraded for decades. They always lacked funds and faced other problems. The situation is changing today. Firstly, private companies (like us) have been invited, and due to a new bidding system they are ready to invest money in machinery and equipment. I mean very expensive equipment for snow cleaning, blades, sand spreaders and other modern staff. All these guard rail pile drivers and various other equipment used for road operation. They never invested in this before, because they did not want to take a risk. I think the fact that today tenders are held for three years in advance is a serious renovation, which is being implemented in Ukravtodor. Tenders are held normally in the ProZorro system. Such an establishment like SJSC can be eliminated without any troubles. Should there be a system of government audits in the sphere? What should it be like? What part can public control play in this system? I think that the current format of road checks is the main sticking point, which in many aspects hinders us, as a road company, from development. The system of checks in the sphere of road construction is ineffective and outdated. The number of checks in the sphere is much higher than in any other spheres, which have them at all. I think that reform of this system is one of priority tasks of the National Association of Road Builders of Ukraine today. It appears that road builders in Ukraine work in line with one system when money is received from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), but switch to a different system while working through public procurement. This is nonsense. Our major initiatives are related to the necessity for a unified system of tenders and performance quality checks. So, if we have the ProZorro system and a company wins a tender in this system, one should not say that something was wrong about it. This system was created to carry out all procedures transparently. Secondly, all tenders should be held only with firmly fixed prices. Why they used to be held with variable prices? That is because there was no financing, it was divided into tranches for four years. Obviously, the prices could change during these three years and that is why the customer held tenders with variable prices. A variable price is a reason for all law enforcement agencies to think that we are deceiving the government. Today almost every law enforcement agency has a department in charge of controls in the road construction sphere. Inside the automobile roads service, there is a technical service which checks us when we submit forms. In the structure of Ukravtodor, there are the DerzhdorNDI (the State Road Research Institute) and the DorCenter (the State Center for Road Quality Check and Certification), which additionally check us. Ukravtodor always has the right to schedule its audit in order to check one or another road. There is also the accounts chamber, which can come to audit road builders. This is wrong. I think one independent agency should carry out road audits. An absolutely independent expert, who won the customer's tender for engineering support, carries out checks abroad or when the construction in Ukraine is financed by Europe. It is like an audit company that signs every conclusion and stakes its reputation, which it had been building for decades, on it. An independent audit system, in which not public officials, but independent experts audit road construction, should be developed. That is what we created the National Association of Road Builders of Ukraine for. It works very effectively, although we have been working for less than a year, and the law on public procurement has been amended due to our initiatives. We are ready to keep working in this direction. You are building your company as a part of Ukrainian business. Do you or others have ambitions to move to the international level? Have you made any attempts to bid for foreign tenders, and are you also preparing the company for the international environment? We already have been participating in international tenders in Ukraine for five years. International tenders have their own problem. We also have raised it in our national association. We are trying to make our government hear us. We prepare for tenders in line with international standards as long as money from international institutions are involved there. Today, we have signed a contract worth $12 million for the construction of the M03 highway. Moreover, we have ambitions to participate in tenders abroad. Unlike Ukraine, tenders in Europe have very strict criteria. A mandatory requirement, in particular, is experience in the European Union for at least three to five years. We participated in tenders in Moldova several times, but having no experience, we lost. Now, we are trying to analyze the market and participate in tenders in Moldova and Romania. We also plan to try to enter the Polish market as a subcontractor. We have to stand in the market, therefore we plan to improve our profitability. It should be higher in the countries with higher risks. If risks in the country are smaller, then profitability is lower too, however they pay better there. We want to try to enter the European market. In addition, we are already buying almost all machines abroad. Ukraine practically does not produce its own machines. We also can buy Belarusian machines. Leasing packages are cheaper there, thus we will have lower cost price for project implementation. That is why we are trying to enter that market too. How much did you spend on machine fleet in 2018-2019? In general, the acquisition of modern machines, mechanisms and vehicles cost the company UAH 167 million. We annually invest about $8 million in the renewal of our fleet of road machines. In 2019, the company's fleet was expanded with 114 units of road machines and equipment. RDS uses its own funds, funds borrowed from Ukrainian banks and leasing companies to upgrade its fleet. Also, part of the equipment is bought through financing of manufacturing companies such as Wirtgen and Zeppelin. We purchase mainly foreign equipment from leaders in modern machine building. There is an interactive map of road repairs on Ukravtodor's website. Both the repaired roads and the sections which are yet to be repaired are marked on it. If you glance at this resource, you will see a noticeable imbalance in the volume of repairs in certain regions: while large-scaled works are being carried out on dozens of sections in Kyiv region, for example, in Khmelnytsky region only four sections with completed works are marked, and repairs on two of them took more than ten years. We have the same situation in Cherkasy and other regions. Does this mean that roads in Khmelnytsky or Cherkasy regions are better than in Kyiv region? Today, the government's approach to the distribution of funds for road construction is different from the schemes that were used in past years. Unfortunately, everyone and their dog participated in it before. This referred, in particular, to making decisions on which regions should receive financing. The issue passed through the Verkhovna Rada committee in which relevant parliamentarians worked and each of them wanted to not offend the regions from which they were elected to the Verkhovna Rada. Therefore, in fact, if we look even at the last year's budget, the distribution looked as follows: let's say, there were UAH 10 billion for 20 regions and each region received UAH 500 million. Such an approach makes it impossible to develop the strategy of transport corridors, which, in turn, stimulate tourism, logistics and development of ports. They started to build a road in Khmelnytsky region and, respectively, they made a section worth UAH 500 million. For this the contractor built a big expensive plant and they failed to provide it with a normal amount of orders then. Next year new lobbyists came, this region was deprived of lobbying, hence no money was allocated for it. That is what this approach looked like. Any other contractor in Ukraine can tell you. The situation has changed now. Since the new management had been appointed at the Infrastructure Ministry and Ukravtodor, a consistent policy has been carried out for the development of priority transport directions. One or another region may suffer [in terms of financing] this year in connection with this policy. For instance, local roads, which are financed under an individual program from the automobile road fund, will be constructed there. Meanwhile, national roads will be constructed to a lesser extent. It is because we have a strategy. I believe it is the right thing to do, as we will have one completed road, instead of several unfinished. We will certainly have all of the roads completed, not in a year, but in five years, as the president said, and all of them will be real, finished roads. Thus, roads will be built by areas in the coming years. There is an obvious imbalance, but it is linked with the strategy. I find it absolutely correct. About the company: The company was founded in 2005 as an investment group "Rost" for the construction of housing and commercial real estate, but in the same year the firm began to invest in road construction and was named Rostdorstroy. As part of expanding its activities and entering the European market, the Rostdorstroy group of road construction companies changed its name to the RDS in 2019. Now it is one of the three largest road companies of Ukraine in terms of the volume of built roads. The main office is located in Odessa. The group focuses on design, construction, reconstruction, and overhaul of roads and infrastructure facilities; maintenance of highways; and construction of runways. The primary owners of RDS are Yuriy Schumacher and Evgeny Konovalov. The RDS includes the companies Rostdorstroy and Kiyvshlyakhbud. The group of companies operates in 9 regions of Ukraine: Kyiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Odessa, Vinnytsia, Luhansk, as well as in the cities of Kyiv and Odessa. RDS production facilities are located in each of these areas. The assets of the company include asphalt and cement concrete plants, laboratories, a fleet of vehicles. The number of employees is over 2000 people. RDS co-founded the National Association of Road Workers of Ukraine (NARWU). In addition, it is a member of the European Business Association (EBA). Activities: - 20052010, the company was engaged in bank protection works, and construction of highways and streets in Odessa and the Odessa region. Projects included the construction of the 9th berth of the Pivdennyi Sea Trade Port, and reconstruction of taxiways at the Odessa airport. - 20112012, RDS Group of Companies was engaged in the repair and reconstruction of streets and objects in Kiyv, as well as in the capital region. - In 2013, the company repaired the N-01 Kiyv-Znamianka road in the Cherkasy region. In addition, a number of roads were also built in Artsyz, Tarutyne, Bolhrad districts of Odessa region. The construction of streets in the cities of Odessa and Kiyv was carried out. - Since 2014, RDS has been taking part in international tenders, including tenders for the overhaul of roads in the Republic of Moldova, held under the auspices of the EBRD. - In 20152016, the company performed work on the reconstruction of Marselskaya and Sakharova streets in Odessa. In addition, the construction of the Reni Bypass road continued. In 2016, cooperation with the Road Service in the Poltava region began. - In 2017, RDS signed a contract for the reconstruction and construction of the airfield complex at the Odessa International Airport. Also this year, large-scale construction projects were completed in Kirovohrad, Cherkasy and Mykolaiv regions. - In 2018, a contract was signed for the overhaul of an artificial runway at the Cherkasy International Airport. - In 2019, the company won a World Bank tender for work in Ukraine for the construction and repairing of the M-03 Kyiv-Kharkiv-Dovzhansky highway. - In 2020, RDS completed the construction of a runway at the Odessa airport, while continuing to build highways in the Cherkasy, Poltava and Mykolaiv regions. In April 2020, the company bought the Kredmash DS-16837 asphalt concrete plant. On its opening day, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada annual convention was hit by a protest led by the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network whose supporters blocked all entrances to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where the meeting is being held. As speeches on the strong performance of Canadas mining industry in the past 12 months were underway and as the industry group announced its new board of directors, activists outside were asking people to stand up to the extractive industrys violence, ongoing colonization, and complete disregard for the future of life on this planet. Endorsed by some 50 human rights and environmental organizations, the protest is part of the ongoing rallies in support of the Wetsuweten nation, whose hereditary chiefs oppose the installation of a Coastal Gas Link natural gas pipeline in their traditional territory in northern British Columbia. The very companies and people who provide the economic and political support for Coastal Gas Link are inside PDAC this year, and so are representatives from hundreds of other companies that are enacting violence around the world. Were disrupting this convention in solidarity with every community that has found itself staring down the barrel of a gun for daring to oppose Canadas ongoing colonial project, Vanessa Gray, Anishinaabe Kwe Land Defender from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, said in a media statement. It is expected that 25,000 people attend the PDAC, among them top figures from sponsoring companies such as Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A | TECK.B)(NYSE: TCK), Vale (NYSE: VALE), Hudbay Minerals (TSX: HBM) and Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX) (NYSE: GOLD). Representatives from both provincial and federal government are also in attendance, among them Canadas Natural Resources Minister, Seamus ORegan, who addressed the convention early on Sunday. Related: Bitcoin Capitulation Is Not Over Yet In his speech, ORegan said that mining has long been a driver of the Canadian economy and that, given the challenges posed by climate change, minerals and metals that serve the clean energy industry are becoming more and more critical to the world. The energy and the people we need are here at @the_PDAC. Lets seize this momentum, the minister tweeted. Protesting outside, however, Kirsten Francescone of MiningWatch Canada, disagreed with ORegans assertion. We are in a moment of global ecological crisis, and unchecked resource extraction is a major cause, the activist said in a statement. The extraction and processing of metals and minerals make up 26% of global carbon emissions. Yet the people who attend PDAC often say that expanding mining is necessary for combating climate change while avoiding minings own disastrous role in rendering the planet uninhabitable. In a statement to MINING.com, the executive director of the PDAC, Lisa McDonald, said that different viewpoints on the role of the mining industry are welcomed as long as they are presented in a peaceful and respectful manner. The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada is aware of an ongoing protest that is taking place outside our annual Convention in Toronto, McDonald said. Open and respectful communication is core to doing business in our community, and we are proud to offer a platform for this dialogue through our sustainability, indigenous, and various other programs. By Mining.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Caesarea, Israel Mon, March 2, 2020 16:08 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067c2650 2 Art & Culture auction,piano,Israel,history,music Free A rare piano that could fetch more than a million dollars at auction in Israel next week has a history as elaborate as the wood carvings adorning its frame. The Piano of Siena's 221-year journey began in Turin and has included stops in Paris, a second world war battlefield in North Africa, New York and Tel Aviv. Moshe Porat, an Israeli piano tuner who has researched the instrument, told AFP the light brown upright decorated with carvings of wingless cherubs, animals, flora and other instruments was a "visual masterpiece". "Soon the next chapter will begin with a new owner," Porat said, referring to the sale scheduled for Tuesday at Winner's auction house in Jerusalem. Turin-based harpsichord maker Sebastian Marchisio started building the instrument in 1799, according to Winner's. Marchisio died before completing it but his descendants finished the initial build in 1825, giving it as a wedding gift to Marchisio's granddaughter Rebecca, who lived in Siena. The unusually ornate instrument underwent several modifications before appearing at the 1867 World's Fair in Paris before being gifted to Italy's then-prince and future King Umberto I. The exact circumstances that saw the piano fall into Nazi hands are not clear. But following the 1942 battle of El Alamein, as the British were looking to see what the defeated Germans had left behind, "the piano was discovered in a crate with a mine detector," said Porat. Read also: Indonesian pianist among winners at Kennedy Center young soloists competition "They were astonished to see a piano inside buried in the desert's sand," he said. The British army had no use for the piano, which had been covered in plaster. It ended up in the hands of an Israeli merchant, who placed it outside the Tel Aviv piano workshop of Avner Carmi, whose "life was changed" when he discovered the treasure, Porat said. Carmi removed the plaster, fixed the piano's mechanism and eventually took it to the United States, where it was displayed in New York's Steinway Hall and used for recordings in the 1950s and 1960s. Carmi, who co-wrote a book about the piano with his wife Hannah called The Immortal Piano, sold it to a businessman in 1996. In an interview with AFP in his spacious mansion in the posh coastal town Caesarea, the current owner, who asked that his name be withheld, said parting with the piano was not easy. "The more I learnt about it and its history, the more attached I became to the piano," he said. But "everything has its time," he said. "One needs to know how to let go of beautiful things too." Topics : auction piano Israel history music Tamil Nadu Police has arrested All India Hindu Mahasabha leader Srikandan and registered cases against him in connection with harassment and money laundering. The Police arrested the leader on Sunday night who was on run for a few months. A complaint was filed against Srikandan in Kilpakkam women's police station on January 8, 2020. Later, the police booked another case against him based on a complaint by Vimal Chand, a businessman who leveled cheating and criminal intimidation charges against Srikandan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Proceedings in Indias parliament were suspended on Monday after a protest over the Delhi riots ended in a scuffle between MPs in the floor of the lower house. In the first session since religious violence in the capital killed 46 people, opposition MPs carried a large banner into the chamber which called for the resignation of home minister Amit Shah. Narendra Modis long-time right hand man, Mr Shah is responsible for policing in the capital and has been accused of allowing mobs of hundreds, if not thousands of Hindus to lynch Muslims and burn mosques and Muslim homes and businesses, unchecked. The ugly scenes on Monday came as the chief whip of Mr Modis ruling BJP was speaking during a budget debate. Members of the opposition Congress party entered the well of the lower house, the Lok Sabha, unfurling their Shah must quit banner. Other placards held up by the opposition read Save India, No more hate and Stop hate speech. The latter is a reference to allegations that a number of BJP politicians incited Hindus to take to the streets last Sunday, kicking off the bloodshed. In scenes which were caught live on parliamentary TV, members then descended from the government benches and the two sides started pushing and shoving each other in the centre of the house. Proceedings were adjourned for the day by speaker Om Birla, who urged MPs to maintain decorum in the temple of democracy in the country. Sloganeering and the use of banners is not uncommon in Indias parliament, though against the rules, as MPs try to get their messages conveyed on camera. But unusually, political reporters said the scuffles continued after the house was adjourned and the live stream of proceedings switched off. In the aftermath, a female Congress MP wrote to the speaker alleging she was assaulted after the cameras were turned off. Ramya Haridas said she was repeatedly struck on the shoulder and asked if it happened because I am (lower caste) Dalit and [a] woman? For its part, the BJP said it would move a resolution tomorrow calling for the opposition MPs involved to be suspended, accusing them of trying to intimidate the government benches. Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures A shop burns as a mob sets it on fire during violence between two groups in Delhi, India on 25 February AP Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Police officers clash with members of Communist Party of India (CPI) as they demand the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the responsibility about the violence in Delhi on 27 February AFP Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Student members of the Campus Front of India stage a protest in front of the Karnataka Governor's house, also known as the Raj Bhavan, in Bangalore on 27 February AFP/Getty Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Student members of the Campus Front of India stage a protest in front of the Karnataka Governor's house, also known as the Raj Bhavan, in Bangalore on 27 February AFP/Getty Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures People watch on as a car is burned during clashes between hundreds of supporters and opponents of a new citizenship law in Delhi, India on 24 February AP Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Demonstrators form a human chain to protest against India's new citizenship law, in Kolkata on 25 February AFP/Getty Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol a street vandalized in Tuesday's violence in Delhi on 27 February AP Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Police officers detain members of Communist Party of India (CPI) as they demand the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the responsibility about the violence in Delhi on 27 February AFP/Getty Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Activists of the All India Trinamool Congress party hold electric candles during a vigil condemning he recent sectarian violence in Delhi over the Indian government citizenship law and to demand peace, in Kolkata on 27 February AFP/Getty Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Men look at burnt vehicles at a parking lot in a riot affected area following clashes between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in Delhi on 27 February Reuters Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures A Delhi municipal worker stands next to heaps of the remains of vehicles, steel cupboards and other materials on a street vandalized in Tuesday's violence in Delhi on 27 February AP Religious riots flare up in Delhi: In pictures Relatives, friends and residents gather during the funeral of Mohammad Mudasir, who died in the recent sectarian riots in Delhi AFP/Getty The protest in parliament was part of a coordinated effort by Congress, its loudest condemnation yet of what it calls the governments complicity in last weeks wave of anti-Muslim violence. A simultaneous protest in the upper house, the Raj Sabha, saw it adjourned at around the same time, while outside the chambers MPs from across opposition parties staged demonstrations next to a statue of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Some Congress supporters were detained by police after burning an effigy of Mr Shah. Apart from a vague tweet calling for peace and brotherhood at all times - and that coming three days after the riots began - Mr Modi is yet to speak out on the worst religious violence in the capital since 1984. Mr Shah himself, speaking at a political rally in West Bengal, accused opposition parties of inciting riots by spreading misinformation about a new citizenship law that has been the source of months of protests. He otherwise made no mention of what happened in Delhi. Also on Monday, India's Supreme Court agreed to hear cases filed by riot victims accusing BJP leaders of hate speech. Several petitions named Kapil Mishra, a local leader of Mr Modi's party who lost his Delhi state assembly seat in recent elections, of stoking the violence. Mr Mishra posted on social media calling on his followers to give an answer to those protesting the new citizenship laws by taking to the streets. The revised death toll of 46, plus well over 200 injured, makes last weeks violence considerably more deadly than the Delhi clashes in 1992 following the razing of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya. Prior to that, the 1984 riots in the capital saw some 3,000 Sikhs killed, after prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. Researchers who have examined the genomes of two coronavirus infections in Washington state said the similarities between the cases suggest that the virus may have been spreading in the state for weeks. Washington had the U.S. first confirmed case of coronavirus, announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 20. Based on an analysis of the viruss genetic sequence, another case that surfaced in the state and was announced Friday probably was descended from that first case. The two people live in the same county but are not known to have had contact with one another, and the second case occurred well after the first would no longer be expected to be contagious. So the genetic findings suggest that the virus has been spreading through other people in the community for close to six weeks, according to one of the scientists who compared the sequences, Trevor Bedford, an associate professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington. Bedford said it was possible that the two cases could be unrelated and had been introduced separately into the United States. But he said that was unlikely, however, because in both cases the virus contained a genetic variation that appears to be rare; it was found in only two of the 59 samples whose sequences have been shared from China, where the virus originated. A scientist who was not involved in the analysis said he agreed with the conclusion that the second case was connected to the original Washington case. I think hes right, said Andrew Rambaut, professor of molecular evolution at the University of Edinburgh, referring to Bedford. Its extremely unlikely that two viruses coming from outside the USA independently would arrive in the same geographical area and be genetically related unless they were connected. State and local health officials have been hamstrung in their ability to test widely for the coronavirus. Until very recently, the federal CDC had insisted that only its test could be used, and only on patients who met specific criteria: those who had traveled to China within 14 days of developing symptoms or had contact with a known coronavirus case. If the virus has 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, said Dr. Mike Famulare, a principal research scientist at the Institute for Disease Modeling in Bellevue, Washington, who performed the analysis. These people have either been infected and recovered or currently are infected now, he said. Many of those people would now be in the early stages of incubating the virus and might not yet be contagious, Famulare said. Famulares estimate was based on a simulation using what scientists have learned about the incubation period and transmissibility of the virus. He called his figures a best guess, with broad uncertainty. Another method based on the size of the local population, the number of tests performed and the proportion of those that were positive produced similar estimates of how widely the virus may have spread in the community. The scientists immediately reported the genomic sequence and their findings to state and federal health officials. The scientists said they had already been working closely with government health officials. Theres an enormous collaborative spirit right now, Famulare said. Neither the CDC nor the state or local health departments immediately responded to a request for comment. The first patient, a man in his 30s, has recovered after being treated in a hospital isolation unit. The later patient, a teenager, had a mild enough illness to recuperate at home. According to a statement by the Snohomish Health District, the teenager was unaware that he was being tested for the coronavirus. His case came to light Friday because he went to a clinic Feb. 24 to be tested for the flu, and his sample was shared with the Seattle Flu Study, which tested it for a variety of pathogens, including the new coronavirus. I do think, as more community cases start popping up in the United States, this approach and technique could prove very useful to figuring out the extent of community transmission we currently are having, Bedford said of the genetic analysis. Similar analyses have helped public health officials trace cases and fight outbreaks of Ebola in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On Saturday, local health officials in Seattle said that delays in being able to test for the virus had slowed identification of community cases, meaning those who did not travel to places with major outbreaks or have contact with known patients. If we had the ability to test earlier, Im sure we would have been able to identify patients earlier, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County. Two more confirmed cases in the state were announced Sunday. The genomic technique used to compare the viruses is akin to constructing a family tree. As a virus passes from person to person, there will be errors that occur as copies of the virus are made, Bedford said. To explain, he compared the tiny mutations in the genetic sequence to mistakes made during a game of telephone. Those can link up, he said. The first case had one genetic difference from the original virus that was detected in Wuhan, China. The new case had that mutation plus three additional ones. More than 125 genomes derived from samples taken from coronavirus patients around the world have been shared among scientists thus far, providing data for the analysis. In the first case in Washington, the man in his 30s had been traveling in Wuhan and returned home to Snohomish County, Washington, on Jan. 15. He sought medical care a few days later after developing symptoms and suspecting that he might have the coronavirus, officials have said, and tests later came back positive. Health officials then scrambled to retrace his history, tracking down eight people he had socialized with at a group lunch and 37 more who were in the clinic when he showed up for medical help. They also reached out to people on his flight back to the United States. But as the man remained in hospital isolation and then later returned home, officials reported no new cases in Washington state. They tested two dozen people over a span of five weeks, and all came back negative. That changed this past week, when the state laboratory became able to test for the virus. Officials reported two new confirmed cases Friday night and then more, including the first patient to die of the virus in the United States. They are now working to trace how the cases in the state might be linked and who else might have been exposed. Two cases have been detected at a skilled nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, where officials said dozens of other people also had symptoms that could be a sign of coronavirus infection but could also be symptoms of flu. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington has declared a state of emergency and said officials may need to take steps like canceling sporting events and closing schools to slow the spread of the virus in the community. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Press Release March 2, 2020 HONTIVEROS HITS BI OFFICIALS' DENIAL OF 'PASTILLAS' SCHEME "Bistong-bisto na, pero deny pa!" This was the remark of Senator Risa Hontiveros as officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) linked to the 'pastillas' scam denied their involvement and knowledge. Former BI Deputy Commissioner Marc Red Marinas, whose name was mentioned by whistleblower Alex Chiong, denied he knew of the easy entry of Chinese nationals arriving in the country to work for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGO, in exchange for grease money. "Tama na ang palusot niyo. Stop the excuses", Hontiveros said in exasperation during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Women and Children on Monday. Nepotism Hontiveros was also alarmed that Marc Red and his father, Maynardo Marinas were appointed to key positions within the Bureau. "Hindi ba nakakabahala na mag-ama ang nangangasiwa ng review, assessment and preparation ng VUA?" Hontiveros asked. Marc Red was appointed head of the Port Operations Division (POD) on July 2016 by then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre. His father, Maynard, was appointed as head of the Special Operations Communications Unit (SOCU). The senator pointed out that easy entry of Chinese nationals were facilitated by the Department Circular 041 issued by the former Justice Secretary granting the POD and SOCU the power to review, assess and prepare orders on all requests for issuance of Visa Upon Arrival (VUA) in 2017. "Our border control was bought off by Chinese money, and no less than our government officials had a hand in them. Mga mag-ama, magkakaibigan, magkakatropa," Hontiveros further remarked. "There was, from the outset, conflict of interest," the Senator said of the strategic appointment of the father-son duo. Discrepancies in the SALN Hontiveros was also skeptical about Marc Red's ability to finance a political campaign in 2018-19 when he ran as Mayor of Muntinlupa. "Salary grade 13 pero tumatakbong Mayor?," Hontiveros expressed in disbelief. The Senator also took exception of the younger Marinas' failure to file his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth [SALN] from 2014-16 and in 2018. "Twenty-four thousand pesos monthly ang sahod pero may mahigit limang milyong pisong net worth?" she also asked, referring to his 2017 SALN. On a similar note, Marc Red's assistant and security guard Fidel Mendoza registered a 7.8 million-peso net worth in his 2018 SALN, despite a salary of 11,000 pesos monthly (salary grade 5). "Nawawalang SALN, mga net worth na hindi katumbas ng Salary Grade. Hindi na ito bago. Classic korap moves ito", Hontiveros said. Threat to national security Apart from bringing reforms to the BI, Hontiveros stood on her earlier call for a crackdown on all illegal POGO operations in the country. The Senator also said that an immediate suspension of all POGO operations must be done. "POGO is already a threat to our national security. It is a threat to our women. It is a threat to our children," Hontiveros remarked. "Natatakot na ang mga kababayan natin kasi nakikita nila sa sa paligid na parang nasa peligro sila dahil dito sa POGO. Nararapat lang na i-suspend na ito kasi national security threat ito," she concluded. A plan for new offices for the Israeli Embassy in Dublin is at the centre of a planning dispute, the High Court has heard. The fifth floor of number 23 Shelbourne Road in Ballsbridge is to be leased by the State of Israel from the building owners, Spectre (Shelbourne) Ltd. However, concerns about safety and security have been raised by two of the buildings current tenants as part of the planning process. Today, Spectre was given leave by the court to seek to quash a Bord Pleanala decision that the change of use of the fifth floor from general office to "embassy office" is not exempted development and therefore requires planning permission. As part of the new lease arrangement, Spectre says the Israeli Embassy is to surrender an existing lease it has with Spectre for similar facilities just down the road at Carrisbrook House on Pembroke Road. Last year, Spectre, along with two existing tenants of the building, Finance Ireland and Transaction Network Services (TNS), raised queries as to whether the change to the fifth floor of the building was an exempted development. All three asked Dublin City Council to make a decision under Section 5 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as to whether it was exempted. Finance Ireland, among its arguments that it was a change of use, cited the public nature of embassy activities as well as safety and parking. TNS referred to the "change in risk profile" that it would bring and the fact that it would have to declare the change to its insurers. In all three cases, the council said it was exempted. Finance Ireland then referred the council's decision in its application to An Bord Pleanala which, on February 6 last, decided it was not exempted. In its challenge, Spectre claims, among other things, the board erred in law, took into account irrelevant considerations, acted irrationally and/or unreasonably. Spectre says it has already spent more than 1m on refurbishment works and is concerned that it could be subject to planning enforcement action. The application was made to Mr Justice Charles Meenan on a one-side-only represented basis who adjourned the matter to May. The city council and Finance Ireland are notice parties. The judge also granted liberty to apply for a stay on any works on the building on 72 hour's notice. In 2018, Spectre's parent firms, U+I and Colony, found their plans for the alteration and extension of their Carrisbrook House property the subject of an appeal to An Bord Pleanala by the then Israeli ambassador, Ze'ev Boker. It was argued on Mr Boker's behalf that the change of part of Carrisbrook from embassy office to general use would be a material change of use, as an embassy had different privacy and security arrangements. Concern was expressed that a proposed rooftop terrace at the building could present a significant threat. Two public schools in Washington and Oregon have been temporarily shut down after one individual from each school was suspected of being infected with the deadly Coronavirus, international media reported citing health and school officials. The United States of America reported a second death from the deadly virus on March 2. Meanwhile, the deadly virus has now infected more than 88,000 globally and killed over 3,000 people with the vast majority in mainland China, international media reported. Read: Coronavirus: Fear For Cancer Patients As Hospital Clinician Tested Positive In UK State health officials on February 28 reported that a student in Jackson High school, north of Seattle was presumed to have Coronavirus. Meanwhile, Oregon's Health Authority said that an official from Forest Hills Elementary school outside Portland was also suspected to have contracted the viral infection. The temporary shutdown of both schools are a part of the wide range of preparations and measures that the districts have undertaken to mitigate exposure and anticipation outbreak of COVID-19. Read: Russia Reports One More Confirmed Case Of Coronavirus In The Country According to media reports, the Jackson High school student Mill Creek became ill with fever and body ache on February 24. He got better and returned to school. but on February 28 he was tested positive of the infection. On the other hand, the employee in Oregon was not in direct contact with the school students, US media reported. According to reports, both schools were shut down and were expected to reopen this week following disinfection of the entire building. First case in New York New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, on March 2, confirmed the first case of Coronavirus in New York. According to reports, the patient is a woman in her 30s and recently returned from Iran. The news of the first case of COVID-19 comes just as the global death toll of the coronavirus crossed 3,000. Read: Health Min Harsh Vardhan Confirms 2 More Coronavirus Cases, Issues Fresh Travel Advisory The New York Governor took to Twitter on March 1 and revealed general details about the patient and her symptoms. According to the Governor's tweet, the patient has shown respiratory symptoms and is currently isolated in her own home. The Governor further added that the patient was not in a serious condition and that she has been stable and controlled since coming to New York. Read: Germany Confirms 158 Coronavirus Cases, Global Toll Crosses 89,000 (With Agency Inputs) Donald Trump's reelection campaign is planning to fly a blimp over swing states in the months surrounding the parties conventions this summer. The purpose of the blimp is not only to get its message out through flying Trumps poster with Vice President Mike Pences name attached, as well, but the airship will also collect reams of data. Tumps campaign is also exploring the possibility of hosting a contest where winners would get the opportunity to take flight in the blimp. The blimp with Trump logos is set to fly between May and July, and will encourage onlookers to text the word Fly to a Trump 2020 mobile number, which will automatically add them to the campaign's list of supporters. Once the data has been collected, the campaign will also add those individuals to their email list and will send out donation ads asking for their votes and financial contributions. Donald Trump's campaign is planning to fly a blimp over swing states touting his reelection logo and urging voters to text a number and The campaign released a mockup of what the airship will look like and has considered running a contest that will allow winners to take a ride in the blimp The blimp with Trump's logo, including Vice President Mike Pence's name, is set to fly between May and July, and will encourage Trump supporters to text the campaign The move is aimed at helping to refine the campaign's already voluminous data on voters in key states, the campaign confirmed Sunday, as reported by Politico. The dates chosen for flying the blimp comes as the Democratic National Committee will hold its nominating contest in July and Republicans prepare to do the same at the Republican National Committee Convention a month later in August. The unconventional advertising strategy is borne in part out of the campaign's record fundraising, which has given Trump aides the freedom to explore novel ways to reach voters. Trumps political operation reported that it had $200 million on hand through the end of January. Last week Trump's campaign unveiled plans to open 15 'Black Voices for Trump Community Centers' in urban areas to try to make inroads with the traditionally Democratic voting bloc. The campaign is also discussing the possibility of a fundraising contest to give Trump supporters the opportunity to fly in the blimp. The campaign has experimented with aerial advertising before, for instance, deploying airplane-towed banners the cities hosting Democratic debates. Trump's team have flown aerial banners above cities where Democrats are holding debates and last month aired a pair of commercials during the Super Bowl. They also aired TV ads in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and New Hampshire showing footage of Trump rallies. Demonstrators protest the visit of President Trump to the site of the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, last August 7 with a Trump baby blimp Anti-Trump protesters with a Trump baby blimp flying over Parliament Square gathered for a protest against the president's visit to London in June last year So far the most well-know blimp associated with Trump is that of a giant baby mocked up to look like the president that has been used at protests in the U.S. and Britain. The presidents idea for a blimp could have manifested after blimps in the shape of a baby Trump were flown in anti-Trump demonstrations. The baby blimp showed up in London last June when Trump made his visit there. It also appeared last August at protests in Ohio, demanding he 'stop being a baby' and introduce stricter gun laws following the mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso, Texas. Source : moroccotomorrow News | 612 views Tensions with Iran almost scuttled a major international training exercise in the Sahel. BY Lara Seligman NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIAEvery February, hundreds of special operations forces from around the world gather in West Africa for Flintlock, a unique U.S.-led exercise that provides critical training for regional militaries struggling to counter growing terrorist activity in the Sahel. This year, the threat is more urgent than ever. Despite the presence of 4,500 French troops and a 13,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force, violent extremist attacks in the region have skyrocketed in the last 18 months. The Sahel saw the most rapid increase of such events of any African region in 2019, with roughly 2,600 fatalities from 800 attacksa number which has nearly doubled every year since 2015. Burkina Faso bore the brunt of the new violence, primarily from groups linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, as the locus of terrorist activity shifted from Mali across the border. But even as terrorist activity explodes in the Sahel, the United States is considering withdrawing some or all of its roughly 5,000 troops across the continentincluding approximately 1,000 in West Africain order to move resources toward preparing for a potential future conflict with China or Russia, a concept the Pentagon calls great power competition. While the U.S. military no longer accompanies West African forces on combat missionsa practice that was largely halted after a fatal ambush in Niger killed four U.S. service members in October 2017the United States plays a key role in facilitating French and other Western military operations here, providing air refueling, transportation, and drone surveillance. The so-called G5 Sahel Joint Force, a framework of about 5,000 troops from five countries in the regionBurkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Nigerwas created in 2017 with French and international backing to address the growing terrorism threat. But French officials say the U.S. militarys support to their operations here is irreplaceable. At the same time, tensions with Iran have put unforeseen strain on U.S. military resources in the Sahel. Due to the increased demand in the Middle East, only one U.S. Air Force C-130 airlift plane could be spared for Flintlock this year, U.S officials saidand it broke down on the second day of the two-week exercise, leaving reporters as well as U.S. and foreign officers stranded for four days in Senegal. In fact, if the Moroccans had not offered additional C-130s to support the exercise, Flintlock might not have happened at all, U.S. officials said. Critics, including influential lawmakers such as Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, have spoken out against the potential drawdown, warning that such a move would further degrade the security situation in this region of West Africa, where deep religious and ethnic divisions, climate change, poverty, and vast ungoverned spaces provide an ideal breeding ground for extremism. Prompted in part by talk of a potential U.S. withdrawal, French President Emmanuel Macron convened a G5 Sahel summit in January to discuss the fight against armed groups and reiterate French commitment to the mission. As violent activity increases, U.S. and foreign officials in the region are concerned that the Sahel may become the next major front in the global war on terrorism. As the Islamic State struggles for relevance in the Middle East, particularly after the killing of its leader, Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, in a U.S. raid last year, the group has increasingly leaned on its African affiliates for new recruits, said Brig. Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, during an interview here ahead of the exercise. Due to longstanding ethnic and tribal ties, leaders from al Qaeda and the Islamic State cooperate here in ways they do not anywhere else in the world, enabling more sophisticated attacks. When you put all that together, these random acts of terrorism, you start seeing a more complex and nuanced campaign, said Anderson. Im concerned about what al-Qaeda will be able to develop into and thats something that is troubling. Outsize impact For Flintlock, which has occurred each year since 2005, the United States is largely responsible for transporting foreign soldiers in and out of the host country, including arranging visas and other logistics requirements. U.S. special-operations forces also serve in advisory roles, overseeing training and liaising between the different units. No single country can fight violent extremism alone, said U.S. Army Capt. Nate, from the 3rd Special Forces Group, who oversees the U.S. team at the Thies, Senegal, outpost for Flintlock. The United States, with its large defense budget and experience in counterterrorism operations, is uniquely suited to facilitate a large-scale exercise such as Flintlock, he noted. Like others interviewed for this story, Capt. Nate requested reporters publish only his rank and first name. The U.S. military does not need a large footprint to have an outsize impact in the Sahel, officials here saidbut it needs to be here in some form. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has indicated the United States will not completely withdraw from Africa, but he is still reviewing U.S. military presence on the continent as part of an ongoing review of troop deployments worldwide. One of the low-cost things the United States can provide is that convening power, said Anderson. We can provide and exercise a framework for other countries to come into, without having to be the sole provider of security. Many of the Western special-operations forces on the ground for Flintlock have longstanding relationships with their counterparts in the Sahel, including participating in bilateral training exercises. But the Americans bring expertise and resources to the fight, foreign officers here said. Capt. Tom, a British Army officer, and Capt. Samuel, from the Nigerian Special Forces, agreed that while a U.S. military drawdown in Africa would not scuttle the U.K.-Nigeria military relationship, which stretches back to 2008, such a move would degrade the standard of training. One important outcome of the annual exercise, officials hope, is that regional militaries learn how to combine forces to better combat terrorist activity. Throughout the exercise, which took place at four hubs in Mauritania and Senegal, more advanced forces were paired with West African unitsfor example, the Dutch and the Senegalesefor basic combat training, ranging from simple firearm handling to more complex close-quarters battles. Flintlock this year will culminate in a fictitious scenario in which all the participants must work together to analyze intelligence from a variety of sources, ultimately leading to a major urban counterterrorism mission, explained U.S. Army Capt. Brett, from the 3rd Special Forces Group, who oversees the U.S. team at Nouakchott for the exercise. Flintlock allows all the partners to identify and manage challenges that crop up related to logistics, communications, or capabilities, a skill that will be critical as the different nations in the region counter the growing threat from violent extremists, Capt. Brett said. They are going to have to work through these exact same friction points in reallife operations, he said. The Mali playbook This year, the security situation in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, is particularly grim. Lt. Daouba Ilboudo, who commands a Burkinabe unit of 34 soldiers, said through a translator at the Thies outpost that his men face attacks as often as once a week. The militants have developed a sophisticated campaign in Burkina Faso, drawn from the well-documented Mali plays, over the last eight months. In July 2019, they began a more forceful push into the country from Mali, targeting infrastructure and economic centers, such as crops and bridges, and isolating local populations. Next, they targeted military bases, forcing security forces to flee, and executed local leaders, including the mayor of Djibo, who was killed while traveling along the highway to the capital, Ouagadougou. In November, the militants began moving south, attacking major urban areas. Once the militants established control over the local populations, they gained access to local resources, such as gold mines, and criminal networks, allowing them to expand their influence over key economic corridors. The strategy also enabled them to tax local civilians, much as the Islamic State did in Iraq and Syria when it took over vast swaths of those countries in 2014. If you start giving them a regular source of funding, you start getting the ingredients for something that could get much worse, said Anderson.It is incumbent upon the international community to keep them off balance. In Mali, extremists continue to mount devastating attacks. There, al Qaeda deliberately stays below the radar, marrying into local tribes and becoming part of the community in order to penetrate the population and avoid the attention of the West. Northern Mali, in particular, has been a hotbed for violent extremist activity since the area fell to a mixture of jihadist groups and Tuareg rebels in 2012. The Malian army has been unable to regain control of the area, even with French intervention. For the moment, every time we have an attack, our team always wins, said one Malian special forces officer, who was in Nouakchott for training with the Czech special forces during Flintlock, speaking through a translator. But we dont know the enemy during the day. In neighboring Mauritania, the host of Flintlock this year, the military has been able to keep violent extremists at bay. After a precursor to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb conducted a major attack in northern Mauritania in 2005, killing 17 soldiers and catching the government off guard, the military redoubled its counterterrorism efforts, said Maj. Sidi Mohamed Hedeid, spokesperson for the Mauritanian Army. Since the first attack, Mauritania has significantly built up its security forces, training to understand the militants tactics and buying more advanced aircraft and other equipment. The military also works hard to maintain control over even the most remote parts of the country, conducting frequent ground and air patrols and tightening the borders. Meanwhile, the Mauritanian government is also trying to counter violent extremism at its roots, creating deradicalization programs and building trust with local populations by providing basic services. The country last year elected a new president, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, the former chief of staff of Mauritanias military and son of a respected Islamic spiritual leader, who officials here hope can root out corruption and implement key social and political reforms. U.S. and Mauritanian officials here said they hope the Islamic nation, which is set next week to take over G5 Sahel leadership, can serve as a security model for the other nations in the Sahel working to counter the growing threat. In the other four countries of the G5 Sahel, there are attacks almost daily, said Hedeid, noting that there have been no successful attacks in Mauritania since 2011. It is proof that our strategy is the best. Great power competition Providing counterterrorism assistance to nations in the Sahel has other benefits for the United States as it tries to counter Russian and Chinese influence. U.S. officials here noted that both countries are investing in the region, militarily and economically. Both Moscow and Beijing have offered military equipment and training to the besieged state forces in the Sahel, particularly since the United States began signaling it may pull support. Russia in particular often misrepresents its own counterterrorism expertise, said Anderson. They are more than happy to tell the partners in Africa that they were the ones that tipped the tables in Syria, that they were involved in killing al-Baghdadi, Anderson said. They bring a corrosive effect. French officials also suspect Moscow is conducting a disinformation campaign, spreading conspiracy theories on social media that the French government is in league with terrorists. China is also investing economically in the region. In Senegal, Beijing has been paying local farmers a premium to buy the bulk of their harvest, potentially leading to food shortages. Meanwhile in Mauritania, China is building ports and other infrastructure, as well as investing in local fisheries, an effort U.S. officials suspect has led to overfishing. Providing counterterrorism assistance is just another way the United States can counter Chinese and Russian influence in the Sahel, said Anderson. What are the security concerns of these nations? For most of them, it is violent extremism, said Anderson. Being able to engage with counterterrorism efforts with counterterrorism training, equipment, education allows us to be that preferred partner. In Africa, [counterterrorism]is great power competition. Armed robbers who held a female employee hostage during a hold-up at a pub in Melbourne's north are believed to have made their getaway before police set up a cordon and spent hours searching for them inside the venue. Police were called to the Westmeadows Tavern on Ardlie Street about 5am on Monday after a 45-year-old woman was confronted by two offenders as she arrived for work and held for "some time" against her will. Another female employee arrived and saw what was happening inside, before calling police. The victim was able to escape and ran out just as police arrived at the scene. A cordon was established and officers from the elite special operations group were called in to try to negotiate with the offenders. Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. W e're only a few months in, but 2020 has already been one of the most significant years for film. Most notable has been Bong Joon-Hos masterpiece Parasite, which became the first ever foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars and it's helping more people than ever to overcome the one-inch-high barrier of subtitles, as Bong put it. The film is already shaping up to be the knockout of the year, and there have been plenty of other critical hits arriving in cinemas already. Read all of the Standard's reviews here. Still, if you're determined only to see the best of the best, below are the only films the Standards critics have awarded full marks. So far there are just three, but we'll update this list as more come in. 1917 - January 10 1917 - Trailer 2 Sam Mendess epic war movie is ostensibly told through one long, continuos camera shot, but it's far more than a gimmick. The drama took prizes for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Mixing at the Oscars, and as a technical piece of filmmaking its staggering. Theres more to it than that though, with the film delivering a palpable emotional gut punch and compelling storytelling, complete with moving turns from George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman. The Evening Standards David Sexton called the film spectacular, shocking and a terrific performance all round. Parasite - February 7 Parasite - Trailer Parasite is a masterpiece, and a film which might just have saved the Academy Awards earlier this year. Director Bong Joon-Hos picture moves from black comedy to horror, to biting satire and everything in between across the space of two hours. In winning Best Picture it broke the mould for others to follow, and the film already has impressive global takings of more than 177m worldwide. The Standards David Sexton called it stunningly original, and added that it is fully worthy of its "remarkable, thoroughly deserved success". Portrait of a Lady on Fire - February 28 Portrait Of A Lady On Fire - Trailer This stunning movie from director Celine Sciamma has emerged as one of the most compelling romances of recent years. Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenal both deliver inspired performances as a young painter and her unruly subject, who enter into a passionate relationship while living on a remote island off the coast of Brittany in 1770. The Standards critic David Sexton called it simply ravishing from start to finish, an absolute treat, and a film for "anyone who has a heart". Bacurau - March 13 Bacurau trailer 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. European leaders are facing an unprecedented range of problems, from new tensions at the Greek border, trade talks with the U.K. and internal divisions over money. All of this while the coronavirus keeps spreading across the 27-member bloc and fuels fears of an economic recession. "This is one of those situations where everyone should, and has to, hope that creativity, energy, and solidarity will rise to match the occasion," Erik Jones, professor of European studies at Johns Hopkins University, told CNBC Monday. Leaders of the top three European institutions are headed to Greece Tuesday to visit the border with Turkey, where migrants have been arriving since Friday in the hope they will be able to cross into EU territory. On Saturday, Greek police fired teargas toward the migrants who were demanding entry into the country and were reportedly hurling stones and shouting obscenities. The tensions at the border come after Turkey decided to end a previous agreement with European countries and allow refugees fleeing war to try to reach Europe. Turkey has argued it has reached overcapacity with almost 4 million refugees coming from Syria, Afghanistan and other war-torn places, while also blaming the EU for not supporting its troops in Syria. The issue is highly sensitive in Europe and brings back memories of 2015, when more than 1 million people arrived in Greece. At the time, some EU countries were reluctant to accept a redistribution of migrants and the topic was heavily used by anti-EU and anti-immigration parties across the region. "The risk of a partial replay of the migrant crisis of 2015/2016 will ring alarm bells across the EU," Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank, said Monday in a note to clients. "A major new tide of migrants, which we consider unlikely at this stage, could again boost support for latently anti-EU right-wingers in Europe," he added. Matteo Salvini, one of the most well-known anti-immigration politicians in Europe, has commented on the latest episodes at the Greek border, saying via a translation: "A serious European Union would preside over (guard) its borders, we risk a catastrophe." Tweet 1 Weather Alert ...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Kentucky...Illinois...Missouri... Ohio River at Paducah...Olmsted Lock and Dam...and Cairo For the Ohio River...including Paducah, Olmsted Lock and Dam, and Cairo...Minor flooding is forecast. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. && ...FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Ohio River at Paducah. * WHEN...Until early tomorrow afternoon. * IMPACTS...At 39.0 feet, Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding low lying areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 11:00 AM CST Monday the stage was 38.5 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 39.0 feet tomorrow morning. - Flood stage is 39.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood && You are here: World Flash Kenyan police on Saturday rescued a Chinese national who was abducted in the country's capital on Thursday by four kidnappers. The victim has returned home safe and sound on Saturday, authorities said. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) of Kenya said the 38-year-old Chinese national was abducted from his shop in the Dagoretti residential estate by a four-man gang whose members pretended to be from the DCI. The Chinese Embassy in Kenya immediately urged the police to handle the case after obtaining a report. "Police officers from the DCI specialized units trailed the kidnappers and managed to locate their hideout ... They found four suspects and challenged them to submit for search but instead they began shooting at the officers prompting the special unit team to respond," the DCI said in a report. The DCI said the four kidnappers, one of whom was a Kenyan police officer, were all shot dead. The DCI said the case is under investigation. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ongoing "politically motivated" raids in parts of the state by the Income Tax department, terming the action as an affront to the idea of cooperative federalism. In a letter to the prime minister, Baghel said it is an intriguing coincidence that the timings of these raids coincide with the decision of the state government to initiate criminal investigations into the alleged acts of corruption committed under the previous BJP government. The I-T department has been conducting multiple raids in Chhattisgarh since February 27. "May I respectfully point out that the actions of finance/home ministries of the Government of India are nothing short of an affront to the idea of cooperative federalism that you have often spoken about," the chief minister of the Congress-ruled state said. He said the action reflects "coercive and insecure centrism". "The actions of the agencies of Government of India border on political vendetta on one hand and threaten the very core of our democracy on the other," he said in the letter. Baghel questioned the "unconstitutional" use of CRPF personnel, which are to be used only for "emergencies" and exceptional circumstances, during the raids. Asserting that law and order is a state subject and central forces cannot be deployed in a state without its consent and prior intimation, he said, "If each one of us fails to adhere to this cardinal principle of our constitutional democracy, we would become an undemocratic anarchy." Baghel said raids have been conducted in a clandestine, cloak-and-dagger manner without any information being provided to the state government or to the state police. "The central government's deployment of a central force to assist in motivated income tax raids undermines every word of Dr Ambedkar's caveat and the constitution scheme laid out in List II of the seventh schedule of the Constitution," he said. "I take this opportunity to reiterate the availability of the police machinery or any other assistance in the quest to find and prosecute the corrupt," the chief minister said in the letter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Millions of migrants towards Europe soon, Erdogan 'Hundreds of thousands since we opened doors' (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, MARCH 2 - ''Since we have opened our borders, the number of migrants travelling towards Europe totals hundreds of thousands - soon they will be millions'', Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told members of his AKP party in Ankara. ''The period of unilateral sacrifices in favor of refugees is over'', he said. ''We carry out a battle whose objective is to regulate the humanitarian crisis sparked by moving millions of Syrians towards our country and to guarantee security of our territory'', added the Turkish leader, stressing the intention of not ''closing the door'' of Turkey to the EU. ''We are sorry that we have reached this point'' in Syria but ''those responsible for this situation are the ones that felt able to threaten us thanks to the support of external forces'', claimed Erdogan, referring to ongoing Turkish military operation in Idlib against the forces of Bashar al Assad.(ANSAmed). If youre shopping for a used car, caveat emptor: You could buy one with a safety defect that couldve been fixed by a free repair as part of a recall. Its easy to use the vehicle identification number, or VIN, to determine whether the vehicle youre about to buy has a potentially lethal Takata airbag, for instance, but the seller isnt required to make the repair, or even tell you the car needs it. Not every recall is a matter of life and death, but ignoring one courts disaster. Let the buyer beware. Federal law requires that all new-car dealers fix any safety recall before sale, lease or rental, but theres no requirement for used vehicles, which account for 30 million to 40 million sales a year, far more than new vehicles. Buyers should feel confident the vehicles they buy are safe, said David Bennett, AAA repair systems manager. If the manufacturer issues a recall, repairs should be performed as expeditiously as possible. Jack Welch: Former General Electric CEO who built company into a powerhouse died What is ModelLand? Tyra Banks envisions a place where you feel like a top model for a day A worker demonstrates a pyro-electric wheel airbag initiator during a presentation for journalists at the international automotive supplier Takata Ignition Systems in 2014. Takata acknowledged in 2015 that it had supplied defective airbags for use in millions of vehicles. There are proposals to require the repairs before sale, but the issue is less straightforward than you might think. It can take months or years to get parts for some recalls, and requiring repairs could make it harder for owners to trade in vehicles, reduce their value or raise the cost of used cars. A trade-in tax? Without a rule, consumers need to be their own advocates for this, said Becky Mueller, senior research engineer with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They need to be vigilant about recalls as buyers and as owners. Part of shopping for a used vehicle should be checking for recalls and asking for proof the vehicle has been repaired before purchase. You cant emphasize this too much. There will always be new recalls. Be your own advocate. Its easy to look up the VIN for recalls on a vehicle at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations Safercar website. Story continues The National Auto Dealers Association cited a study by JD Power that said requiring recall work to be completed before sale could reduce the average trade-in by $1,200. The figure that could rise to $7,000 for some vehicles in what NADA calls a "trade-in tax" that would take money out of people's pockets. A dealer might have a car on hand for weeks, months, longer, said Robert Levine, director of dispute counseling for consultant Stout. Only franchised new vehicle dealers are allowed to make recall repairs, for which the automaker pays them. A Chevy dealer that takes a Honda with an outstanding recall in trade cant make the repairs and bill Honda. It may not even know about the recall. Each automaker notifies its dealers privately about recalls and how to make the repairs. Automakers typically reimburse dealers for recall work at a lower rate than regular customers pay, reducing the incentive to get cracking on repairing a recalled vehicle brought in by a competitor. Wasnt this car already recalled? On top of that, big recalls which frequently include millions of vehicles are a logistical nightmare. It can take years to get parts, often because the supplier that made them is fully occupied making parts for new cars. In whats got to feel like the ultimate Catch-22 for owners, some vehicles that were recalled early in the Takata air bag saga got a temporary repair. Its wearing out, and theyre being recalled again for the permanent fix. If youve got 500 used vehicles in stock, you may be certain that none had a recall when you purchased it, but that could change tomorrow, Levine said. A dealer might expect to sell a popular trade-in quickly, only to have it sit in inventory for weeks or months when a recall was announced. Dealers would have to perform almost constant VIN checks on their inventory. A bill in New Yorks Legislature would require franchised and independent dealers to complete safety recalls. It could reach Gov. Andrew Cuomo this year. U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., have repeatedly introduced federal legislation, to no effect. None of the proposals addresses private sales from one individual to another or ownership transfers within a family. This is an untenable situation that fundamentally puts consumers at risk, said William Wallace, Consumer Reports manager of home and safety policy. Its a clear safety loophole that makes consumers responsible for something the manufactures should address. There should be a federal law to address this, but Im optimistic this loophole will be closed one way or the other, through federal or state laws. Contact Mark Phelan at 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How to check for safety flaws in a used car A 2018 Rand Corporation study on the Coast Guard, a DHS agency, found women resign at much higher rates than men, she said. The study noted that this was due in part to gender bias and a belief that women had to work twice as hard to prove themselves as men and were not given the same advancement opportunities. Public health officials in New Hampshire have announced the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the state. In a press conference Monday, New Hampshires state epidemiologist Benjamin Chan announced that the state has tested four people for coronavirus so far and one of those tests have come back positive for the virus, known as COVID-19. That person, Chan said, had recently traveled to Italy. As many of you may be aware we released a notice yesterday that we were testing a fourth person for COVID-19, Chan said. The prior three have been negative. Unfortunately, I am here to tell you that the fourth test is positive. The patient who tested positive was an adult from Grafton County, Chan said. The person is now being treated at home, Chan said, and was not sick enough to be hospitalized. Our ability for the public health lab to test is considered a presumptive positive," Chan said. This individual and this test still needs to be confirmed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but were not going to wait for that confirmation we are going to beginning the investigation, in fact, we already have begun the investigation when we initiated testing over the weekend. The single best thing for the public to do right now is to continue to follow typical flu prevention measures, including washing your hands often, avoiding touching your eyes, mouth or nose with unwashed hands and to avoid close contact with people who are sick," New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan said at the press conference. Chan said the state was prepared for the introduction of the coronavirus, referring back to previous concerns with SARS, ebola and other infectious disease threats. 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. Related Content: 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-03 00:37:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Health Minister Mam Bunheng said on Monday that he is confident that China will be able to bring the COVID-19 situation under control in the near future. "Now, we all see the results in China, there have been remarkable declines in new cases and deaths, as more and more patients have recovered," he said in a press conference on preventive measures against COVID-19 here. "I strongly believe that China will have the COVID-19 situation under control soon because she has taken all necessary and strict measures to contain the virus," the minister added. Bunheng also expressed his appreciation to China for the timely and effective measures to combat the virus, saying that Cambodia hoped to learn this experience from China in the future. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said last week that the impact of COVID-19 on China's economy is temporary, and that the virus will not affect China's long-term socio-economic development goals. "I think the coronavirus (COVID-19) will change neither China's long-term economic development goals nor the Belt and Road Initiative," he said in a news conference. According to the Chinese health authority, a total of 44,462 patients of the COVID-19 on the Chinese mainland had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Sunday. Sunday saw 2,837 people discharged from hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report. By the end of Sunday, a total of 80,026 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 had been reported on the Chinese mainland, and 2,912 people had died of the disease. Staffers on duty at the 32-bed isolation ward at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, where a 45-year-old Delhi resident who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) was admitted, have been asked to stay under home quarantine for the next 14 days, a staff member said on the condition of anonymity on Monday. RML Hospital in central Delhi is one of the two nodal centres designated to quarantine and treat persons suspected to have Covid-19. The patient from Delhi, whose test came back positive on Monday, was kept in isolation at RML Hospital. He was later moved to Safdarjung Hospital, the second such centre. All staff members who came in contact with the patient who tested positive have been asked to stay at home and stay away from the rest of their family members. The work roster was revised today (Monday), said the staff member. Currently, staff members in the ward are also being tested, this person said. The staff members are of course worried. There is no treatment or vaccination for the disease right now. Minakshi Bhardwaj, medical superintendent at RML hospital, said: We have been strictly asked not to give out any information. Please speak to the ministry for any information related to coronavirus. There are reports that the Air India crew who had flown the February 25 Vienna-Delhi flight, which was boarded by the male passenger, too, have been asked to stay at their homes for 14 days. In mid-January, the hospital set up a six-bed isolation facility, which was later expanded when people started returning from China in large numbers towards the end of that month. At RML Hospital, the same ward and the same staff treat H1N1 (swine flu) patients. In NCR, 124 people who have returned from Japan and 112 from Chinas Wuhan, believed to be the epicentre of the outbreak, are under isolation at Haryanas Manesar managed by the Indian Army and in the national capitals Chhawla Camp managed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). The quarantine facility Himveer Awaas at Chhawla Camp, is a five-storey building where people are housed on different floors. No one is allowed to enter the building without personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks. There is a common room where people are examined in batches every morning. Those who show symptoms such as cough, fever, or have difficulty in breathing are then sent to hospitals such as RML or Safdarjung for treatment. There is an ambulance ready to transport a sick patient at any time, and separate isolation beds have been kept for those who develop symptoms so that they are away from the rest till they are moved to a hospital, said AP Joshi, chief medical officer, Chhawla Camp. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The US recently removed Vietnam, among other countries from its list of developing nations. The move allows the US to penalize such countries after a countervailing duty investigation. The changes will have a minimal effect on Vietnam, however, it will need to be vigilant and abide by guidelines on rules of origin, particularly for industries such as steel and footwear. The US recently slimmed down its list of developing and least developed countries, thus removing Vietnam from receiving preferential trade benefits. The move, however, was not directed specifically at Vietnam but included several countries such as China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore among others. The move will allow the US a reduced threshold for starting an investigation into which countries are harming US industries with subsidized exports as per United States Trade Representative (USTR). Under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, governments are required to terminate their countervailing duty (CVD) investigations if the amount of foreign subsidy is less than 2 percent ad valorem (duty calculated as percentage of the value of goods). Therefore, countries removed from the list, will not be given special consideration and will have lower levels of protection in a CVD investigation. But what does this mean for Vietnam? Le Trieu Dung, from the Trade Remedies Department under the Ministry of Trade (MOIT), stated that the effect will be minimal as Vietnam has applied subsidies of 2 percent to goods in all its countervailing duties (CVD) investigations. The decision, however, could be problematic in the long run if the US applied further investigation on its exports and the subsidies applied is less than 2 percent. Experts also suggest that the US delisting will have minimal effects on existing duties on Vietnam, though the move means that Vietnam will stop receiving some preferential treatment. The MOIT also stated that Vietnams developing country status with the WTO remained unchanged and it still enjoyed the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Vietnam however, will have to be even more careful to deal with origin fraud and transshipment as this has been the source of US tariffs on Vietnam in the past. The tariffs were imposed to prevent steel products that originated from China attempting to bypass anti-dumping rules. The Vietnamese government, subsequently, issued new regulations related to the origin of exported and imported goods. Most recently, Vietnam issued Resolution 119 in December 2019 to address transshipment and origin fraud. The move was in line to satisfy US rules of origin requirements and address the trade surplus. US-Vietnam trade expected to continue to grow Nevertheless, Vietnams exports to the US have continued to grow. As per WTO data, Vietnams total import and export turnover reached US$235.5 billion in 2019 and US$242.6 billion in 2018. In the first nine months of 2019, exports to the US jumped by 34.8 percent year on year. The US is Vietnams largest export market and China is Vietnams largest source of imports. This was clear when several garment and textile industries due to the lack of raw materials from China during the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak. Overall, Vietnam-US trade will likely to continue to increase. However, Vietnam will need to be more careful particularly for industries such as steel, footwear and agricultural products exports to the US, which have been growing. If it does not, the US is likely to impose countervailing duties on products that it deems to harm its domestic industries. The Indonesian government announced that it plans to repatriate 68 of its citizens who are crew members aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, at the center of Japans coronavirus outbreak. The crew members will return home by air Sunday and be quarantined on Sebaru Kecil, an uninhabited island in Thousand Islands, near Jakarta, where 188 crew members from the World Dream have been since Friday. The Indonesian National Military will oversee travel from Japan. "It is a place we consider safe as the island is not inhabited and the facilities are good and ready to use, Muhadjir Effendy, Indonesias Coordinating Human Development and Culture minister, said earlier in the week. The crews will be in separate buildings and quarantine zones on the island, Indonesian Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said. The government evacuated the Indonesian World Dream crew members before those on the Diamond Princess because the World Dream was closer to the quarantine site not far from Bintan Island. Wayan Sudiartha, a 24-year-old Diamond Princess crew member, has been stuck aboard the ship since Feb. 5. Yan Artha, as he likes to be called, said that the 200 Indonesian crew members have been worried because nine Indonesian crew members have tested positive for COVID-19. They are being treated at a hospital in Japan. "We are definitely worried, because we were on the same part of the ship," Yan Artha, who continues to work up to 10 hours a day, said. The Diamond Princess was carrying 3,700 passengers and crew from 56 countries and regions when it arrived in Yokohama in early February. More than 700 passengers and crew members of the ship have been infected. Six Diamond Princess passengers have died since people on board learned of the outbreak Feb. 3. The ship entered quarantine Feb. 4. Cruise ships are prone to the spread of infectious diseases because shipboard life places the passengers in close contact. For the crew, living and working conditions are even closer. Dewa Susila, Bali branch chairperson of the Indonesian Seafarers Association, an internationally affiliated union, said there were 15 to 24 crew members from Bali working on the Diamond Princess, and many of their families in Bali did not know the health status of their relatives. Susila told VOA Indonesian that it was unclear what kind of legal protections may assist the crew members. Many of them opt for a working life at sea because it pays better than tourism and hospitality jobs on land. Indonesia has managed the evacuation process deliberately in part because the government has yet to report a confirmed coronavirus case. Terawan, a military doctor, said Indonesia based its evacuation decisions on medical, rather than emotional, considerations. Indonesia will implement the World Health Organization procedures for evacuation rather than put the nation at risk, Terawan said, adding, We are careful. Supreme Court judge, Justice R Banumathi, on Monday recused herself from hearing two petitions including one seeking transfer of the rape case filed against former union minister and BJP leader Swami Chinmayananda from Uttar Pradesh to a Delhi court. The second petition, filed by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves on behalf of the rape survivor, challenged the bail granted to Chinmayanand by the Allahabad High Court. Last week, Gonsalves mentioned the matter before a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde for transfer of the case to Delhi for a fair trial and said that the accused is a powerful man and life of victim's family is in danger. Chief Justice Bobde had said that the victim and her family can apply for police protection. In February, Allahabad High Court had transferred from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow the trial in the sexual abuse case against Chinmyanand. The Allahabad High Court had on February 3 granted bail to Chinmayanand, a former Union minister of state, in the alleged rape case filed by a woman who studied law in a college run by Chinmayanand in UP's Shahjahanpur. In December 2019, the 23-year-old law student, who has accused Chinmayanand of rape, was released from a district jail in connection with an extortion case after she was granted bail by Allahabad High Court. The woman was arrested on September 25 in connection with an extortion case filed on the basis of Chinmayanand's complaint alleging that she, along with three of her friends, had demanded Rs 5 crore from him. Chinmayanand had alleged that they threatened to make public some purported videos of him getting a massage from the law student. On the other hand, the woman had alleged that she was repeatedly raped and blackmailed by Chinmayanand for over a year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Flash A gunman took around 30 hostages at a shopping mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila and one person was shot, a government official said on Monday. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora told reporters at the scene that the gunman entered the V-Mall in the upscale district this morning and demanded to talk to his former co-workers. Zamora said the gunman shot and injured another mall security guard as he forced his way into the mall. The wounded victim is in stable condition and recuperating at a nearby hospital, he added. "Now the gunman held hostage an estimated 30 mall employees inside the mall's administration office," he said. Now the entrances to the mall were sealed and police already asked mall-goers to stay away from this area. "We are currently negotiating with the hostage-taker. The negotiation is ongoing," Zamora said, adding that the ex-guard was demanding for a video call with his former colleagues. Dozens of heavily-armed special policemen were deployed and surrounded the mall. Destination Africa (DA), a pan-African business investor group based in the United Kingdom has advised foreigners, especially Nigerians and other Africans against investing in Rwanda, warning that the government of the middle-east African country has in place, deliberate policies to defraud businesses that are not owned by indigenous Rwandans. In a statement released on Monday, DA said its investigative officials were deployed to Kigali, the Rwandan capital and some other key cities, as undercover agents, following complaints from many business owners that have had very ugly experiences in the country. DA therefore warned specifically that Rwandas campaign as a destination for business events is a serpentine, sugar-coated decor to lure unsuspecting international conference organizing agencies and companies across Africa into the country, where they have institutional local vendors that would take your money and disappear, leaving you with the taste of ash in your mouth. Titled The Ugly Side of Rwanda, and signed by Simpson Chiwaki, its operational Director, Destination Africa said it is true that the government of Rwanda, led by Paul Kagame has transformed the country and made it better habitable than many African countries, the people have been debriefed of their natural mental sense of freedom and re-briefed to behave like zombies, as their country has been turned into a police state, governed with draconian rules. We want to start by acknowledging that, yes, President Paul Kagame has done a lot in transforming Rwanda from an aid seeking country it was after the gruesome genocide of 1994 when over one million Tutsis were murdered to become the 3rd fastest growing economy in Africa as well as the 4th in the continent in terms of life expectancy, among other positive ratings. It is also true that Rwanda is now cleaner than many countries in Africa, especially Kigali, its capital. However, to the people of Rwanda, these come at great cost, especially the loss of their humanity and rights of expression as citizens. Rwanda is currently a police state. All agents and institutions operate as a mafia ring to satisfy the caprices of one man-Paul Kagame and members of his family, DA said, adding that Africans and other foreign investors have very terrifying experiences, after they have been tricked to Rwanda by the countrys international propaganda experts hired mainly from Europe. The government of Rwanda is a cartel with Paul Kagame as its head. But there are three individuals coordinating the racketeering ring, to the pleasure of the president. The name of the intimidator in chief is Richard Iyaremye. He is the Division Manager, Rwandan Investigation Bureau (RIB) which is under the countrys ministry of Justice. He works closely with two women; Nelly Mukazayir, the Chief Executive Officer of the Rwandan Convention Bureau (RCB), a division of the Rwandan Development Board (RDB). Earlier, the 38-year-old Nelly had served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the countrys presidency; and Janet Karemera who serves as Deputy Chief Executive Officer to Nelly, at the RCB. Together, these three Rwandans, constitute the biggest nightmare to investors and international event organisers, from when you enter the country until when you eventually leave, for most people, totally frustrated and with regrets, DA stated. Continuing, the investor monitoring group stated: Another major agency neck deep in the fraudulent and underbelly business tactics is the Rwandan Development Board (RDB), which they call a one-stop-shop for business, established by Paul Kagame ten years ago. Together with the Rwandan tourism agency, these government institutions work hand in gloves to bring you into their country and empty your pockets without achieving your business objectives and the system does not provide you any window to seek redress. Explaining further, DA said: How it works is this- They use the propaganda of come to beautiful Rwanda with its 1,000 rolling hills, saying the country is now the Singapore of Africa; and all that fancy talk. No contention here. But the World Bank rating that Rwanda is the 29th easiest place to do business globally does not align with the reality on ground because the country is like a rotten egg that shines outside but stinks inside. They lure you into Rwanda with these fancy talks to organise events or conferences; and as a matter of state policy, you are introduced to local vendors that you must deal with. You discuss and enter agreements with them and then pay. After collecting your money, these government-handpicked vendors would vanish and refuse to deliver services and whatever you have paid for. For you to execute your business plan, it means you have to start all over again since you are already in the country, probably running up and down yourself while paying again, for the services you had earlier paid for, now to a new vendor and it goes on that way. According to the group, once Rwandan local vendors take your money, nobody listens to you again. Once you indicate interest to do business in Rwanda, they begin to treat you as VIP. From embassy people to those at the immigration and at the airport, they pamper you, feeding you with information about Eldorado Rwanda until you part with your money, then trouble begins. When you are swindled, all the doors are shut against you. Everywhere and everyone you turn to would be against you. You cant report to police, you cant report to embassy people as everyone gives impression their hands are tied, it is a terrible situation doing business in Rwanda, DA concluded. There is nothing new in his immigration game. The Democrats encouraged large numbers of Latino and Irish immigrants who reliably voted for them. Many of the Indian immigrants are educated and fairly well-off. by Eric S. Margolis President Donald Trumps 36-hour whirlwind visit to India this past week was designed to show Americans just how adored abroad their president really is. Unluckily for Trump, his campaign stop at this behemoth nation of 1.3 or 1.4 billion proved a fiasco. First came the terrifying Chinese coronavirus that so far has killed less people than the weekly toll on Chinas dangerous roads, but the whole world went into a panic. The US stock market, the underpinning of Trumps popularity at home, took a crash dive even though the all-knowing president-physician assured Americans that the Wuhan virus was only a cold. VP Mike Pence, who believes in Adam and Eve and Noahs Ark, was put in charge of combating the new virus. Next, anti-Muslim riots led by Hindu fanatics in India left large numbers of mostly Muslims dead or injured. A not very well briefed Trump had just lauded India for its harmonious communal relations. The riots were sparked by a virulent anti-Muslim immigration bill enacted by hard-line Hindu Prime Minister Narendra Modi that has caused distress across the nation. But all was not lost. Trump signed a deal to sell $3 billion of US arms to India and got a visit to the Taj Mahal. He will very likely want a copy built in Washington. The parade-loving president also viewed a fine display in Delhi of Indian martial prowess. The latest US military helicopters will be sold on credit to India. They could be particularly useful in the high mountain regions along Indias tense northern borders with Pakistan and China. US President Trump and Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi are both flaming populist leaders who play to two popular passions: hatred of Muslims and fear of China. Muslims make up roughly 14% of Indias billion-plus population, or some 172 million people. Trump and American hawks dream of unleashing India against China. India and China have a long, disputed, ill-demarcated border across the high Himalayas and Karakoram mountains that divide them. They are rivals over Tibet, Ladakh and Burma, and Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. India and Pakistan have already fought three wars over Kashmir. But Indians are clever and cautious and will not allow the US to push them into a big war against China. For more on this topic, my geopolitical analysis of the region, War at the Top of the World, is available through Amazon and used by general staffs, intelligence agencies, and universities. As Ive long warned, this little-known but highly strategic Himalayan region, the source of Indias and Pakistans major rivers, could well spark nuclear war between them possibly joined by China. Many Americans could not even find Kashmir on a map and care nothing about a war there that could ignite a nuclear conflict and contaminate the entire globe. But none of this matters at election time. Trump wants to show he is beloved by the outside world. He has now forged a very close alliance with the Muslim-hating PM Modi, who is the front man for Indias powerful Hindu fundamentalist organization, the RSS, which was modeled in the 1920s after Mussolinis Fascists. Israels prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is denounced as a Jewish fascist by many on Israels left, has joined Trump and Modi in a de facto anti-Muslim rightist alliance. At the same time, India has drawn very close to Israel, its principal supplier of arms and nuclear technology. Israel has opened doors for India across Washington. Interestingly, in a quid pro quo almost totally ignored by US media, the Trump White House has allowed massive Indian immigration to the US. There are now an estimated four million Indian immigrants in the US. Most are Hindus. They are designed to offset Muslim immigration and sway US politics in Trumps favor. There is nothing new in his immigration game. The Democrats encouraged large numbers of Latino and Irish immigrants who reliably voted for them. Many of the Indian immigrants are educated and fairly well-off. They cluster in IT, banking and journalism, bringing much value to both fields. Instead of heightening tensions between India, Pakistan and China, the US should be helping calm Indias ethnic riots and promoting a fair settlement over the Kashmir dispute that has dragged on since 1947. Photo ops of the Taj Mahal are not going to help. Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2020 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Russian authorities on Monday confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Moscow, saying the patient had recently returned from Italy. The anti-coronavirus task force said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies that the "young man" had fallen ill on February 21 while on vacation to Italy. The man, who resides outside Moscow, returned to Russia on February 23, and started showing signs of a respiratory viral infection, it said. He sought medical help and was hospitalised on February 27. Testing confirmed the infection on Monday and his symptoms were not severe, the statement said. Nearly 90,000 people have been infected in over 60 countries and more than 3,000 people have been killed by COVID-19. Russia has so far managed to avoid a large number of infections and introduced a range of travel and visa restrictions. Russia repatriated and quarantined a number of passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, three of whom tested positive for the virus. Two Chinese citizens in Russia were also infected and treated in Siberia. Moscow has imposed a near blanket ban on Chinese visitors over coronavirus fears and has closed rail links with China and halted most flights. Authorities have also announced restrictions on travel to Russia from Iran and South Korea, two countries hit by the outbreak, and most recently advised against all non-essential foreign travel. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Somalia's 2-million strong diaspora has a huge role to play as the Horn of Africa country rebuilds its economy and resets ties with major international institutions after three decades as a "failed state," Somalia's finance minister said. Long saddled with $5.3 billion in debt, Somalia is in the process of inking debt forgiveness deals with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other big institutions after nearly three decades of clan warfare, famine and sporadic terror attacks by al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab. Somali Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beileh, a longtime member of the diaspora himself, will finalize a debt forgiveness agreement on Monday with the African Development Bank in Abidjan, another milestone as Somalia normalizes ties with the rest of the world. He signed the first of several such deals with the World Bank on Thursday in Washington, paving the way for Mogadishu to receive deeper and broader financial and technical support, and expects the IMF to follow suit later this month. "It's a historic moment," Abdirahman told Reuters in an interview on Friday. "I'm really happy I get to participate in the renaissance, the rebirth of Somalia." On March 31, Somalia officials will meet with Paris Club creditors, with non-Paris Club creditors to attend as well. He said he hoped the creditors would agree to cancel about 75% or 80% of Somalia's debt, with the remainder to be repaid on strict and closely supervised terms over the next few years. Those agreements will pave the way for Somalia to receive grants and concessional financing to build new water and energy infrastructure, fund education and expand fisheries and other potential sources of revenue, Abdirahman said. But he said he is also relying on help from Somalis living in the United States, Canada and elsewhere, who contribute about $2 billion or 40% of Somalia's gross domestic product in remittances each year, to shore up trust in the government, invest in businesses and move the country forward. Story continues "We need a big perception change, a big cultural shift," he said, noting that 75% of Somalis were under 30 years old and had no memory of more normal times before 1991. "It is totally a shift of paradigm, a shift of attitude." Educated and working in the West, he said he was counting on diasporan Somalis to change the attitudes of their clansmen back home, and support a range of reconstruction projects. Women also had a huge role in rebuilding the economy, he said. To guide its work, Somalia is now building a database of potential donors and investors among diasporan Somalis. Abdirahman, who also holds a U.S. passport, plans to do his own outreach during a visit to one of the biggest communities in Minneapolis in May. "You can't imagine the feeling of being reclassified from a failed state to a normal country," he said. "To be classified as a normal country is a blessing for us." (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Daniel Wallis) We are on the highest level of alert or highest level of risk assessment in terms of spread and in terms of impact...This is a reality check for every government on the planet: Wake up. Get ready. This virus may be on its way and you need to be ready. You have a duty to your citizens, you have a duty to the world to be ready. These were the words of Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organizations health emergencies program during a Press Conference on February 28, 2020 whilst stressing that they were not trying to scare people. To me, the above statement by Dr. Mike Ryan summarizes the entire episode of events associated with the outbreak of COVID-19 and briefly answers the questions set out in the title of this article. Anyone who has monitored the events from onset will fully agree that facing the reality of the threat COVID-19 poses to global health is not scaremongering. When the disease first broke out in China, there were numerous reports that Chinese authorities downplayed the impact of the outbreak and in certain instances sought to punish (imprison) doctors who first discovered the disease and subsequently sounded the alarm. It was later revealed that one of the doctors died of the disease and was posthumously celebrated as a hero. And at the time China was battling with the crisis, a major part of the rest of the world sat unconcerned forgetting that the world is a global village and that China had become one of the most popular destinations for people from all continents. Today as we speak, about 37 countries that span 5 continents are struggling to contain the disease with WHOs Situation Report 37 published on February 26, 2020 putting the number of cases globally at 81 109 confirmed in 37 countries and a total of 2,762 deaths. Today is March 1 and the figures are pretty much higher based on media reports. And to further highlight the need to take serious preventive measures is the case of Iran which has become one of the spot lights of the disease outside China. It was first reported at a time when the country was going to the Polls. The authorities tried to conceal the situation in a bid to encourage people to go out to vote. However, the disease spread wide and even infecting high political leaders and killing some. The authorities finally resorted to taking drastic measures like cancelling Friday congregational prayers in order to control the spread of the disease. This story is enough to be a caution to all other countries. However in the midst of all these facts, there are people thwarting global response efforts to this disease even though these people might have good intentions and may be truthful with some of their claims. Statements like healthy people are less likely to be fatal and/or COVID-19 is more fatal to the Aged and people with underlying conditions like Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart diseases, etc even though are true do little in solving the problem and at worst are detrimental to our collective efforts in solving the problem. Others also make the claim that this category of diseases are more fatal in caucasian and Asian populations than in African populations just like the common cold. First of all in response to these statements, every single life is valuable irrespective of whether the person is old or suffering from other underlying conditions like diabetes, etc. Secondly, there is an estimated 962 million old people globally. Are we comfortable that about 9 percent of the Worlds population is at fatal risk? Furthermore, in todays world it is difficult defining who a healthy person is. The prevalence of diseases like diabetes, hypertension are very high and common in the youthful population than they were in the past. On the issue of fatalities based on ethnicity/race, it should be noted that the the experts say COVID-19 is about 20 times more fatal than common cold. In addition, the world is regarded as a global village. What affects one part equally affects the other areas and that is why global markets are declining irrespective of race/ethnicity. This would have been enough reason even if the cancellation of global events of importance and restrictions of movement is not a major inconvenience. Thus, using these facts as a means of reassuring people might be counter productive. One of the best ways of reassuring people is to have faith in God and then stick to the scientifically proven preventive measures that are constantly updated by the health authorities. We all need to be balanced in our communications on this subject, stick to the guidelines issued by the relevant authorities and work together to stop the threat that this disease poses to global health. I will also like to say kudos to the Government of Ghana as well as the Health Service for their dedicated and hard work to minimize/stop the spread of the disease in Ghana and the world at large. Written by: Dr. Issah Imoro ( [email protected] ) The Trump administration said March 2 that it will reduce the number of Chinese staff allowed to work at several major Chinese state-run media outlets in the United States. The move was described by senior administration officials as an act of reciprocity against Beijings continued use of intimidation to silence members of a free and independent press. The Chinese regime has been presiding over a deepening crackdown on independent journalism within the country, two administration officials told reporters on a call on Monday, citing recent examples such as the disappearance of citizen journalists covering the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, and the arrest of Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kong-based independent newspaper Apple Daily, in Hong Kong on charges connected to his participation in the citys pro-democracy protests last year. Last month, the regime revoked the visas of three Wall Street Journal reporters in Beijing after saying the newspaper refused to apologize for a racially discriminatory headline of an op-ed piece, which had called China the real sick man of Asia. Another reporter with the paper had to leave last year after Beijing declined to renew his visa. For years, the government of the Peoples Republic of China has imposed increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and intimidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. Effective March 13, Washington will be capping the number of U.S.-based employees at Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, and China Daily Distribution Corp to a total of 100, from 160. These four outlets are among the five Chinese state-run outlets designated by the U.S. State Department as foreign missions in February. No action was taken against the fifth outlet, Hai Tian Development USA, which is the U.S. distributor of the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Peoples Daily. This designation means that staff are treated as foreign government employees, rather than journalists. The staffing cap is a direct result of this designation. The five outlets are explicit propaganda organs of the Chinese Communist Party, one administration official said, noting that even after the cap takes effect, those outlets alone will still have more Chinese personnel in the United States than there are foreign reporters from all U.S. media outlets in China. In 2019 alone, the United States issued 425 I-visasthe visa type for representatives of foreign mediato Chinese nationals working in the media space, an official noted. In contrast, the number of U.S. journalists working in China for both U.S.-based and other foreign-based media is only around a hundred in total. Pompeo said that the move was a part of the administrations efforts to establish a long-overdue level playing field in its relationship with the regime. It is our hope that this action will spur Beijing to adopt a more fair and reciprocal approach to U.S. and other foreign press in China, he added. On Monday, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) said in a report that the Chinese regime has weaponized visas as part of an intensifying campaign to suppress independent reporting on issues deemed sensitive by Beijing. As China reaches new heights of economic influence, it has shown a growing willingness to use its considerable state power to suppress factual reporting that does not fit with the global image it seeks to present, the report said. Since 2013, China has forced out nine foreign journalists, either through outright expulsion or by non-renewal of visas. The FCCC fears that China is preparing to expel more journalists, the group said, citing responses from 114 reporters to a survey. The personnel caps would be placed on the entities as opposed to people, hence it would be up to the media outlets to decide the necessary staffing cuts, the officials said. While the United States will not be sending anyone back, the officials acknowledged that the Chinese individuals whose visas are contingent on their ability to work in the United States may be forced to leave the country. The United States will also be announcing in the near future limits on the duration of stay on I-visas issued to Chinese nationals, administration officials said. From The Epoch Times Reuters contributed to this report. There may be others among some 10,000 Chinese students who have arrived in Korea since Feb. 10 and those set to arrive in the coming weeks if they are asymptomatic. Gangneung city officials said Sunday that the student arrived from Shenyang on Feb. 28 without displaying any symptoms. But the city has since last week set up stringent inspections targeting all foreign students on arrival and were able to identify the patient quickly. Jeon Byung-ryul at CHA University said, "This case suggests that hundreds more carriers may exist among the tens of thousands of Chinese students who have arrived so far." Kim Woo-joo at Korea University Guro Hospital said, "Present quarantine measures which do not restrict incoming travelers, can't screen out patients who display no symptoms." According to the Education Ministry, around 36,000 Chinese students study in Korea. Only on Feb. 28, President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting with the chiefs of four ruling and opposition parties stressed that there had been no new infections among Chinese visitors since Feb. 4 and banning Chinese visitors is "impossible and devoid of benefits." He added, "If we impose a comprehensive ban on of visitors from China, we may end up being treated the same way by other countries." Greg Hands: Its time to get behind our push for free trade as we begin to negotiate a deal with the United States Greg Hands is Minister of State for Trade Policy at the Department for International Trade, and is MP for Chelsea and Fulham. Its great to be back at the Department for International Trade, working with Liz Truss. Today, we have one of key milestones in our bid to re-establish Britain as an independent, free-trading nation, with the publication of our strategic case and scoping assessment for our first Free Trade Agreement that with the United States of America. Liz will be setting out in the Commons later today our overall approach, and how the negotiations will begin very soon in earnest. This is therefore a big moment for Global Britain. Trade with the USA, our closest friends and allies, has always been close to my heart. Indeed, for 13 years I lived in the US, and saw at first hand not only our close trading relationship, but also how much more we could export to the US: whether high quality cheese like cheddar and stilton, British beef and lamb, cars and parts from the West Midlands and the North East, or financial services from London and across the UK, and much more. The United States is the worlds largest and most dynamic economy, and is our largest bilateral trade partner. Our scoping assessment shows there could be a 15.3 billion expansion in overall trade between the two countries, an 18 per cent increase on 2018 levels. The analysis also shows that UK workers would be in for a 1.8 billion pay rise, as a result of new export markets realised. Ceramics from Stoke-on-Trent could have the 28 per cent tariff reduced or removed entirely. Bentleys from Crewe and Aston Martins from Warwickshire or Wales could have their tariffs removed too, and other non-tariff obstacles to their sale States-side. Sales of UK cheese like Stilton and Cheddar are already strong in the US, but currently face tariffs of up to 17 per cent, which could be brought down as a result of this agreement. The US maintains a broad tariff regime across a number of key UK products, including up to 13.5 per cent on jewellery, 11 per cent on bicycles and 20 per cent on leather goods. Its no wonder UK companies and export groups I have spoken with in recent days, as diverse as the National Sheep Association to the British Ceramics Confederation, have shown such interest in this proposal for a Free Trade Agreement. Both countries are already committed to helping Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The UK has 5.9 million SMEs, but less than 10 per cent of them export. The US, as already our largest export market, is a natural place to start. Nor are the potential beneficiaries only goods exporters. Last year, we exported 46 billion of services to the United States. The two countries are the worlds largest exporters of services. The US has already stated it is seeking state of the art provisions in digital trade. We can work together to write the global rules on digital trade, including provisions that facilitate the free-flow of data, whilst ensuring that the UKs high standards of personal data protection are maintained. We will seek commitments to support the reduction or abolition of business and consumer restrictions relating to access to the US digital market. Our analysis shows that every region and nation would benefit from this agreement. So a Free Trade Agreement with the US is a great opportunity for us. It also makes sense for the United States. We would become the largest economy that they would have a Free Trade Agreement with, and seeking an agreement already commands broad support not just from the President himself, but across both parties in the Senate and Congress. Last week, Liz and I met Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the US Trade Representative (USTR). He has said that for sure, the UK is a priority. Itll be a really big deal. Last summer, 45 of the 53 Republican Senators signed a letter calling for such an agreement. Many Democrats have also shown their support for deepening the trade relationship with the UK. I know, from the years I spent living in the United States, how many friends this country has across the country, from coast to coast. Of course, there will be critics and opponents. Some will have legitimate questions. The UK has been clear that there will be no lowering of animal welfare, food safety or environmental standards. But much of the opposition will come from protectionist voices or from the Far Left. We need to engage with real concerns, but also be robust in defending our position against those with a political agenda. We have more such agreements to come; our top priorities also include Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the CPTPP. Our manifesto pledge is that within 3 years, 80 per cent of all UK trade will be covered by such agreements. On my return to the Department for International Trade, I was pleased to see so much progress in getting our negotiation teams ready to deal. We have created a world-class negotiation team, overseen by Crawford Falconer, one of the worlds great trade experts, who has now been with us for two years and has built the world-class team we now have. So today, I call on all Conservatives to get behind the Prime Minister and Liz Truss when she makes her statement to the Commons. This isnt just an announcement but a key building block in our future outside of the European Union. It will be a vital focus of work across the whole of the Government throughout 2020. Taiwan confirms 40th COVID-19 coronavirus case ROC Central News Agency 03/01/2020 04:56 PM Taipei, March 1 (CNA) A woman who was evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has been diagnosed to become Taiwan's 40th confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus case, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Sunday. The newest patient is a woman in her 70s who lives in northern Taiwan, the CECC said. The woman boarded the cruise ship Jan. 20 and was originally diagnosed with coronavirus Feb. 15 after the ship was quarantined off Yokohama since Feb.4, even though she did not show any respiratory issues, the CECC said. She was hospitalized in Japan Feb. 16 and then returned to Taiwan Feb. 26 after two tests showed she was negative for the virus, the CECC said. Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (), CECC chief, said the woman wore a mask the whole time on the flight and was separated from other passengers with nobody sitting within two rows in front of or behind her. After disembarking from her flight she was taken by ambulance to be quarantined at a hospital, with the latest test result showing her to be positive for the coronavirus, Chen said. CECC expert Chang Shang-chun () said the woman originally showed negative on her first test, then an unconfirmed result on her second test, which was followed by a positive result on her third test. One of the reasons for the negative tests to later turn out to be positive may have been that toward the end of a particular treatment, the virus level may have dropped low, affecting the tests detecting the virus, Chang said. This is why some international reports have shown that people who are believed to be been cured and have been discharged from hospital later turn out to be positive, he said. Meanwhile, three more patients in Taiwan who were infected with coronavirus were discharged from hospital after recovering from the disease, the CECC said Sunday. The discharged patients were a female tourist from China, the wife of a Taiwanese businessman from Wuhan -- the epicenter of the virus -- and an imported case from Macau. This brought the total number of people who have been discharged after being hospitalized for treatment in Taiwan to 12, the CECC said. As of Sunday, there had been 2,192 people suspected of being infected, including 40 confirmed cases, with one death, according to Taiwan Centers for Disease Control statistics. A total of 2,059 people had been cleared of infection, with the remainder awaiting test results while under quarantine. (By Chen Wei-ting, Chang Hsiung-feng and William Yen) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 02.03.2020 LISTEN "Galamsey" local parlance used to describe small scale illegal mining in Ghana has been a national headache for Ghana since the 1970s and the reasons are not farfetched. The rampaging effects of galamsey on our environment notably our lands, water bodies and forests, the health, safety and security issues of galamsey operatives themselves as well as the upsurge in social vices in galamsey communities underscore the national attention galamsey continues to court year after year. Ghana is currently the tenth largest producer of gold in the world and second in Africa only after South Africa. Gold is the second major export commodity of Ghana after cocoa and galamsey contribute about 35% of all gold exported out of the country. Most of the gold obtained through galamsey is exported illegally. Nobody knows when exactly galamsey started in Ghana but the fact is it started in the then Gold Coast a very long time ago. Indeed it predates 1471 when the first Europeans, the Portuguese set foot on our land at Elmina. When they arrived here due to the language barrier Silent trade was adopted both as a form of communication and trade. Our forefathers and their European counterparts exchanged various goods among themselves. One commodity that featured prominently in the silent trade was gold. It is therefore not surprising that Ghana was named the Gold Coast by the Europeans and this name was used until 1957 when the country gained independence from the British. Ghana has therefore been identified with gold for a very long time and rightly so because a lot of gold has been produced in the country since time immemorial. It is worthy to note that during the era of silent trade there was no single mining industry in the country and that presupposes that all the gold in the system then was obtained through small scale/artisanal mining currently referred to as illegal small scale mining or galamsey. The rippling economic effect of the proceeds of galamsey within the Ghanaian economy cannot be underestimated. It is by virtue of these staggering facts that in Ghana galamsey and mining in general have been likened to the proverbial Akan 'Santrofi Anoma' a bird which carries with it misfortune when it is brought home but carries away a delicacy when it is made to escape the fowler's net. To "galamseyers" that is those who are engaged in small scale illegal mining the trade is not only a survival mechanism but also a necessary evil without which they would virtually fail to exist on the surface of the planet earth. The trickle down effect of the benefits of galamsey to the dependents of galamseyers and it's multiplier effect within the local economy cannot be overemphasized. Government after government have attempted to fight against the galamsey menace albeit unsuccessfully. The more government tried the more the problem exacerbated. By 2017 the galamsey conundrum had almost become so intractable to the extent that a media coalition against galamsey was formed and a strong movement against galamsey was ignited precipitating a general groundswell of discontentment against galamsey amongst the vast majority of the Ghanaian populace save those who benefit directly or indirectly from galamsey. The general consensus was that we were on the brink of an imminent disaster if immediate steps were not taken to salvage the situation. The government of the Republic of Ghana led by His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his own volition and conviction and in response to the general expectations of the Ghanaian people declared war on illegal small scale mining or galamsey after the several failed attempts by previous regimes to fight the canker. To demonstrate his commitment towards the fight his excellency the president went to parliament and stood on the floor of the house and quite unceremoniously and uncharacteristic of any sitting President threw his presidency on the line as far as the war against galamsey is concerned. His intentions were clear and genuine. He was very clear in his mind exactly what he wanted to achieve - to clamp down on galamsey and it's operatives and bring the illegal trade down to the barest minimum and if possible reverse its negative environmental effects. There was absolutely no doubt that the intentions of the President were good, he was commited to ensuring the war on galamsey is won by hook or crook. To this end Operation Vanguard (OV) a joint military and police surveillance team was quickly formed to crackdown on illegal small scale miners or galamseyers. An Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) was formed to coordinate the activities of Operation Vanguard. In time the IMCIM also constituted another task force codenamed Operation GALAMSTOP to complement the activities of Operation Vanguard. Three years down the line the challenges which necessitated the war against illegal mining to a large extent continue to exist. Our water bodies are still muddy, our forests are being depleted at an alarming rate and people continue to engage in illegal mining with careless and reckless abandon. Ghanaians are obviously at a loss as to what exactly has happened to the war against illegal small scale mining declared by his excellency the President. As a person born, bred and 'buttered' in a mining community, currently working and in fact living in a mining community I can say without any fear of equivocation that we have indeed lost the war against illegal mining because of unbridled and stinking greed, avarice corruption, parochial interests and personal aggrandizement. There are a litany of stories of extortion of monies from illegal miners by operatives of both Operations Vanguard and GALAMSTOP who rather protect illegal miners to continue engaging in their illegal mining activities almost with impunity a situation which some pundits have described as "regulators becoming perpetrators". It is a sad story of the fish being rotten from the head to to the tail. Seized excavators and other seized equipment are allegedly lost in the process making national headlines but who is to blame? The accusations and counter accusations from government officials who are supposed to be the generals at the warfront is quite appalling if not shameful. Obviously we cannot blame His Excellency the President who meant so well for the country to the extent of throwing his presidency on the line to win this arduous fight. We should blame ourselves as a corrupt bunch of greedy people who are prepared to even "cut our tongue and chew it" and damn the consequences, that is the exact and the major reason why we find ourselves in this mess. Today galamsey has become a big political issue especially going into the 2020 election as political parties seek to make political capital and gains out of galamsey but to what end? The negative effects of galamsey continue to stare all of us in the face and what we need now are not mere political rhetorics as usual but a well laid out strategy and plan to deal decisively with the galamsey enigma once and for all. I have always posited that galamsey is not only a political issue but also a social, cultural, religious and economic issue that needs to be tackled from those perspectives. It is a multidimensional and multi-sectoral problem that can never be solved politically. Anybody that seeks to do politics with galamsey is clearly clueless about the crosscutting nature of the problem. Yes the political actors have a big role to play in the fight against galamsey but the socio-cultural and economic dimensions of galamsey cannot be glossed over. Galamsey does not occur in a vacuum, it occurs in communities. There are several communities in Ghana with huge gold deposits but the chiefs and people of these communities have declared their community a "no galamsey zone" and indeed nobody can enter those communities to engage in any form of illegal mining. Personally I think we should leave the fight against illegal mining in the hands of our chiefs and elders and special community task force against illegal mining while educating the masses on the dangerous consequences of galamsey with a framework developed by government to that effect under the direct supervision of Metropolitan, Municipal District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) who also double as the chair of the various Metropolitan, Municipal, District Security Councils. Indeed the fight against illegal/small scale mining should be everybody's business, a shared responsibility because until something drastic is done about galamsey now the environmental future of this country is bleak, very bleak. We cannot continue to leave the fight against illegal mining in the hands of the military and police, they will fail us. We have been using them since the 1980s and they have consistently failed us miserably. Even under military regimes they failed us. I dare ask why don't we revise the strategy and vary the modus operandi using our local structures including our various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, our traditional and local structures to wage and win this war against illegal mining? We have to win this war at all cost, we are very capable of winning the war. We are already feeling the pangs of the negative externalities of illegal mining through our share of global warming and climate change due to unbridled deforestation arising out of illegal mining. There is currently an acute scarcity of water and high cost of water due to the high cost of treating polluted water bodies for drinking, another negative effect of galamsey. It is a truism that galamseyers are just free riders depleting our common resources of land, water, forests etc without restoring or reclaiming nor pay taxes to government typical of the tragedy of the commons we cannot continue like that, this war must be won and won decisively. I would like to commend the government for the introduction of the concept of community mining scheme. It is a tacit admission that we can never eliminate small scale mining from our local economy as a people but it must be done in a responsible manner that benefits all in line with best practices around the globe. My only plea is for this community mining scheme to be modeled along with our local government, traditional authorities and community structures for our opinion leaders to also have a say as to how small scale mining can be done responsibly to facilitate community development and by extension national development. The writer is a freelance writer from Aboso in the Western Region Luxembourg Registers First Case of Coronavirus Disease in Country - Reports Sputnik News 00:48 GMT 01.03.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Luxembourg has registered the first case of the coronavirus disease, officially named COVID-19, in the country, media reported on Saturday. According to the RTL news portal, citing Health Minister of Luxembourg Paulette Lenert, one out of 50 people, who underwent a medical examination, tested positive for the coronavirus. It is a man in his 40s who has recently returned from coronavirus-hit Italy. A second test is currently being carried out to confirm the initial one. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry of Ireland said that the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed. The infected person has been hospitalized. The authorities are currently trying to establish all those with whom the patient contacted, the ministry added. According to the Irish RTE broadcaster, the patient is a man who lives in the eastern part of the country and has recently returned from Italy. The novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late December and has since spread to more than 50 countries, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency. So far, the virus infected more than 85,000 people worldwide, while over 2,900 people died and nearly 40,000 have recovered. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Markets have been nosediving in recent sessions, as the coronavirus scare spreads. While public health professionals are trying to cope with the spread, and to educate the public, the economic effects are real. Quarantines and travel restrictions have impacted airlines, shipping companies, and factories. Demand for oil is down, pushing down prices and hurting energy stocks. Tech companies, especially those with supply chains based in China, are feeling the pain as well. But in the markets, what goes down will (usually) come back up. Low prices may hurt right now, but they are also an opportunity to buy in. A savvy investor can find deals now, on stocks with high potential and real return value. Dividend stocks are clear choice for investors looking to buy in. On one level, their appeal is obvious a reliable, high yield dividend represents a steady income stream even when markets turn south. But there is another, less obvious attraction: dividend payments are a conservative strategy for companies to follow, and conservative strategies are usually sign of strong defensive stocks. These are the stocks that are likely to keep a portfolio viable during an extended market correction. So how to make your portfolio choices? Following the market leaders is a viable strategy. After all, the big fund managers had to make some good decisions to reach the top, and their stock picks can work at smaller scales, too. Steve Cohen, the billionaire trader behind Point72 Asset Management, has shown that he can survive the vicissitudes of Wall Street. After recovering from Federal investigations earlier this decade, he went back into the trading business and built Point72 into a $19 billion giant. And in the fourth-quarter he moved heavily into high-yield dividend stocks. Weve pulled up three of Cohens recent moves, and used the TipRanks Stock Screener tool to take a closer look at them. All three offer some clear advantages for todays market conditions: a dividend yield over 5%, and over 20% upside potential for the next 12 months. In short, these are the stocks to buy when prices fall. Lets dive into the details. Story continues Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (HP) The energy sector is not the monolith it may appear to be. Many of the companies engaged in oil production are highly compartmentalized. There are exploration companies, production companies, midstream companies, refiners: the list is nearly endless. Helmerich & Payne inhabits this universe, as a contract driller. That is, HP drills the wells that the exploration and production companies use to get the oil out of the ground. Splitting various aspects of the industry among different companies allows each to pursue greater specialization and efficiency. HP ended Q1 with over $355 million cash-on-hand. The full pocketbook allowed the company to maintain its generous dividend at 71 cents per share quarterly. This payment has been kept steady for the last two years, and the company has a 14-year history of keeping up the payments and modestly growing them. At $2.84 annualized, the yield is a heft 7.7%, almost quadruple the average dividend yield among S&P listed companies. A firm industry position, profitable operations, and a reliable high-yield dividend are attractions in any stock, and Cohens firm took notice. The billionaire bought up over 814,000 shares of HP, boosting his position in the stock by 7,689% to a total of 825,583 shares. That holding is now worth $30.414 million, and at the current yield Cohen will pocket over $2.3 million in dividend payments. Wall Streets analysts are also bullish on this stock. Writing for Stephens, Tommy Moll says, we expect the Company to 1) remain firmly disciplined on pricing as the super spec market leader, 2) continue to drive earnings power growth through innovation on both technology and contracting models, and 3) generate more-than-ample FCF to cover a dividend now yielding a compelling 7% annually. Molls Buy rating is supported by a $65 price target, which indicates confidence in an impressive 76% upside potential. (To watch Molls track record, click here) David Anderson, of Barclays, points out strengths in companys international operations: A year ago HP had 1 rig working in Bahrain with 2 idle in addition to 2 idle rigs in the U.A.E.; today all 5 rigs are fully utilized as the company has been able to capitalize on the momentum in the region. This combined with the likelihood of additional rigs deployed in the region will help lessen the blow of the 8 YPF rigs in Argentina rolling off contract throughout the year. Anderson sets a $48 price target here, suggesting a 30% upside in the next 12 months, to back up his Buy rating. (To watch Andersons track record, click here) Overall, with 12 analyst ratings, including 7 Buys, 3 Holds and 2 Sells, TME gets a Moderate Buy from the analyst consensus. Shares are selling for $36.84, and the average price target of $45 suggests a 22% upside potential in coming months. (See Helmerich & Paynes stock analysis at TipRanks) Chevron Corporation (CVX) Next up is Chevron, one of the giants of the oil industry. Chevrons pockets the company has a market cap over $175 billion are deep enough that the company can weather a market drop, even in a time of low oil prices and falling revenues. Chevron will need those resources, as low oil prices have pushing down on revenue; 2019 saw the company bring in ~$2.9 billion in earnings compared to ~$14 billion in 2018. At the same time, however, CVX saw sufficient cash flow to keep up the dividend payments. The company pays out $1.29 per share after raising the payment from Q3s $1.19. Annualized, this makes the dividend $5.16 with a yield of 5.5%, an impressive payment by any standard. The payout ratio is high, at 86%, but shows that current earnings levels are enough to keep up the payment, with some slack available. With Q2 forecasts predicting EPS of $1.75, the dividend is clearly sustainable. So, if Steve Cohen is seeking solid dividend performers, its no wonder that hes drawn to CVX. His purchase here, of 817,071 shares, represents a new position for his firm, and is worth over $76 million at current share values. Analyst Ryan Todd, with Piper Sandler, likes what he sees in Chevron. He writes, CVX's modest beat should be just enough in what has been a challenging week for Integrated peers. Underlying results were slightly mixed, but the core drivers of the investment case continue to deliver, namely accelerating shareholder distributions and Permian production beat. Todd reiterates his Buy rating and $143 price target, implying a 53% upside here. (To watch Todds track record, click here) Chiming in from Wolfe Research, 5-star analyst Sam Margolin sees a profitable future for CVX investors: We feel comfortable that CVX should trade at least to its 25-year dividend yield spread because risks to the dividend are low and the outlook for ongoing dividend growth are at the high end, and so a yield dislocation should no longer persist in the stock. In the higher FCF based valuation, we also would argue that current FCF and growth dynamics support the stock at its longer-term valuation Margolins review includes a Buy rating and a $151 price target, indicating confidence in a robust 61% upside potential. (To watch Margolins track record, click here) All in all, Chevrons Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating is based on 7 Buys, 3 Holds, and a single Sell. Shares are selling for $93.33, and the $132.90 average price target suggests room for 42% upside growth. (See Chevron stock analysis at TipRanks) PPL Corporation (PPL) The final stock on todays list is PPL, an electric utility company based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In the US, PPL operates 8,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and serves over 10 million customers in the US and the UK. PPL brings in over $7.7 billion in annual revenues. The financial position allows PPL to keep up its dividend payment, of 41 cents per share quarterly. The next dividend is due out on March 9. Annualized the payment is $1.66, with a yield that matches CVX at 5.5%. The 72% payout ratio shows a commitment to sharing profits with investors while keeping the payment sustainable. Cohen picked up over 2.5 million shares of PPL, his largest of these three purchases. It was a 3,563% increase in his holding of the stock, and brings his total ownership to 2,571,953 shares. Its a clear sign that he is impressed by what he sees in PPL. Turning to Wall Street, Wolfe Research analyst Steve Fleishman gives PPL a $41 price target, implying a 36% upside potential. Backing up his Buy-side review, Fleishman writes, PPL is expected to grow rate base 4% through 2024... we believe investors will view favorably PPLs LT opportunities, such as electrification in the UK and coal replacement in KY. Meanwhile, PPLs yield is the best among US utilities by a wide margin. (To watch Fleishmans track record, click here) 5-star analyst Ali Agha of SunTrust Robinson is also bullish on PPL. He says of the stock, Earnings growth visibility (driven by cap ex plans and internal growth), a discounted valuation, prospects for valuation expansion as UK exposure concerns dissipate, and an above average dividend yield, provide an attractive total return proposition for investors. Agha maintains his Buy rating on PPL, and, like Fleishman, gives the stock a $41 price target. (To watch Aghas track record, click here) PPL stock is another with a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating, this one based on 5 Buys and 4 Holds. Shares are priced at $30 and the average price target of $37.31 suggests room for 24% growth to the upside in the coming year. (See PPL stock analysis at TipRanks) TORONTO, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nutritional High International Inc. ("Nutritional High" or the "Company") (CSE: EAT, OTCQB: SPLIF, FRANKFURT: 2NU) is pleased to announce that effective March 2, 2020, John Durfy has been appointed as the Companys Chief Executive Officer. Adam Szweras, CEO of the Company since June 2019, will be stepping down from his role as CEO but will continue on as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, replacing David Posner. Mr. Posner, a founder and former CEO of the Company, will continue on as a director, providing strategic vision and oversight of Nutritional High. Mr. Durfy brings a wealth of senior management and executive experience encompassing operations, investment management, financial and business strategy over the past 30 years. Mr. Durfy has an extensive understanding of the North American cannabis landscape through participation on a number of boards, active participation in a cannabis investment corporation, as well as senior leadership experience in a medical cannabis company. He has extensive experience in the capital markets having served as a Managing Director of a major Canadian pension fund, chief investment officer of an alternative asset manager, and chief operating officer of an emerging asset manager. We will focus our efforts on the redevelopment of Nutritional Highs business and operating strategy, initially centered around profitable growth and expansion of the Companys manufacturing footprint in Colorado, California and Nevada, said Mr. Durfy. I look forward to working with the team to build on and reinforce a solid foundation of the Company, and to develop brands that resonate with consumers and the markets. With a new CEO identified, Adam Szweras will be stepping down from his role as CEO of the Company but will continue on as the Chairman of the Board of Directors effective March 2, 2020. As a founder of Nutritional High, Mr. Szweras has been active in the Companys leadership since inception and he will work closely with Mr. Durfy in the capacity of broad oversight of Nutritional High, progressing the strategic partnership and transaction of Calyx Brands, Inc. and the overall capital markets strategy. Mr. Szweras commented: We are very pleased John has agreed to join the Nutritional High team and will work closely with him to capitalize on strategic opportunities for the Company. Mr. Szweras added: I look forward to working with the team and the board in my role as Chairman, and to seeing the Company continue to evolve and grow under Johns leadership. About Nutritional High International Inc. Nutritional High is focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing products under recognized brands in the cannabis products industry, with a specific focus on edibles and oil extracts for medical and adult recreational use. The Company works exclusively with licensed facilities in jurisdictions where such activity is permitted and regulated by state law. The Company follows a vertically integrated model with a fully developed strategy for acquisitions in extraction, production, sales, and distribution sectors of the cannabis industry. Nutritional High has brought its flagship FLI edibles and extracts product line from production to market through its wholly owned subsidiaries in California and Oregon, as well as Colorado where its FLI products are manufactured by a third-party licensed producer. In California, the Company distributes its products and products manufactured by other leading producers through its distributor Calyx Brands, Inc. and is entering the Nevada market in the near future. For updates on the Company's activities and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please follow Nutritional High on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram or visit www.nutritionalhigh.com . For further information, please contact: David Posner Chairman of the Board Nutritional High International Inc. 647-985-6727 Email: dposner@nutritionalhigh.com NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC., NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Risks that may have an impact on the ability for these events to be achieved include completion of due diligence, negotiation of definitive agreements and receipt of applicable approvals. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking information expressed in this press release include, but are not limited to: obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals including acquiring and renewing U.S. state, local or other licenses, the uncertainty of existing protection from U.S. federal or other prosecution, regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. state-law legalization, market and general economic conditions of the cannabis sector or otherwise. Makeup artist Pati Dubroff, who works on the faces of Margot Robbie and Priyanka Chopra, calls that phase extremely cookie-cutter. Although the powdered-on, airbrushed look still exists today in beauty, were seeing a resurgence of uncovered skin in retaliation against all the years when hiding ones natural look was the it thing to do, Dubroff says. Everyone was contouring their faces in the same way, whether it suited them or not. What resulted was a legion of overly painted faces. Freeing the skin not only keeps individuality at the forefront, but it is also much, much healthier for the skin and I believe for the psyche, also. ** POSTPONED ** Start From: Friday 27 March 2020, 05:00PM to Friday 27 March 2020, 09:00PM Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun. ** POSTPONED ** Briefing 5.00 - 6.00 pm/ Networking 6.30 - 9.00 pm at Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort Cost: The briefing is free to attend but pre-registration is required. Please state briefing when making a booking. The networking is THB 500 for BCCT members and participating chambers and THB 900 for non-members payable at the door. Price includes food and beverage. Trams would be protected by raised kerbs on either side of tracks under a $42 million proposal to decrease the number of collisions between cars and trams. Concrete and bluestone kerbing could be installed on tram tracks along busy CBD streets and inner-city arterials, blocking motorists from crossing the tracks. A car hit on Elizabeth Street last year. Credit:Reddit/@hopefulpenguin About 38km of track have been identified as suitable for greater separation in a business case commissioned by Yarra Trams, including stretches of Collins, Bourke and Elizabeth streets. Inner-city streets including Bridge Road, St Kilda Road, Commercial Road and Fitzroy street could have the kerbing installed. Indian Motorcycle and Workhorse Speed Shop announced their comeback at the Baikal Mile Ice Speed Festival at Lake Baikal, Siberia, with the Appaloosa v2.0. This time, it will be modded to run on the icy surface with tire studs, carbon-fiber nose cap, smaller cooling intakes, closed wheel bays, a new paint scheme, and an upgraded NOS system amongst a host of others. Modded to run on the icy surface with tire studs, a new paint scheme, and an upgraded NOS system LISTEN 04:23 Baikal Mile Ice Speed Festival at Lake Baikal, Siberia The conditions here can reach -40C at night -20C during the day specially prepared 1/8-mile and 1-mile ice tracks For its second edition, the Baikal Mile runs on the ice off the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Laid on the most unique and the most challenging piece of land are the specially prepared 1/8-mile and 1-mile ice tracks. The conditions here can reach -40C at night -20C during the day, and the Workhorse Speed Shop team arrived in full prep to tame these situations with their Appaloosa v2.0. Having traveled thousands of miles to take part in the second running of the Baikal Mile, the Appaloosa v1.0 was modified for the challenges of racing on ice and the extreme Siberian conditions. It first got itself padded up with studs on the SportSmart Mk3 tires supplied by Dunlop Europe, which was hand-fitted by Brices mechanic, Dorsan, in the course of four days. the mouth of the fairing has been closed off with a new carbon-fiber nose cap areas around the wheels have been closed off to control the ice thrown up by the studded tires Taking such extreme conditions into play, the mouth of the fairing has been closed off with a new carbon-fiber nose cap that was first introduced to create better cooling on the v1.0. Since the 1133 cc V-twin did not need as much cooling this time, smaller cooling intakes have been added to the side fairings. Inside those fairings, areas around the wheels have been closed off to control the ice thrown up by the studded tires. The Nitrous Oxide Injection system was replaced with a Nitrous Express setup or better reliability and power. The Appaloosa v2.0 finally received a full makeover to depict such a departure from its original purpose of tarmac sprints in the form of a new paint scheme designed by Benny Maxwell from Axesent, Japan, and expertly applied by Matthias from Moto Peinture. added up with studs on the SportSmart Mk3 tires hand-fitted by Brices mechanic, Dorsan, in the course of four days Originally a Scout Bobber, it took Brice more than 700 hours to design and fabricate around the brutally beautiful factory custom bobber. To set the rider, Grand Prix legend Randy Mamola, for a focused riding position, a new sub-frame was fabricated with lower clip-on handlebars and drag-style foot controls that kept him forward to transfer weight to the front wheel. At the rear end, an extended aluminum swingarm was welded on to further enhance traction for the perfect start. It was then tethered with advanced, fully adjustable STX 36 piggyback rear shock absorbers from Ohlins and solid 4D braking unit by Beringer. At the front, Ohlins supplied 43mm forks and a steering damper to ensure the best possible grip and stability. solid 4D braking unit by Beringer The Nitrous Oxide Injection system was replaced with a Nitrous Express fully adjustable STX 36 piggyback rear shock absorbers from Ohlins Modern through and through, engineers at the Indian factory gave their beautiful liquid-cooled, 60-degree 1133 cc V-twin an electronic closed-loop fuel-injection system and huge 60 mm throttle bodies. Without having to nudge through the internals, Workhorse bumped up the power figure from 94 hp to 130 hp, courtesy a bespoke titanium exhaust system from Akrapovic. Also adapted were quickshifter, racing ECU tuned by EVOK3, Power Commander, direct intake, MOTOREX oil. Another mention needs to be given to those pretty fancy 4D Aerotec braking system from Beringer Brakes. The 4D unit carries twin 230mm rotors per caliper to help stop the bonkers Appaloosa v2.0 as fast as or even faster than it can do the quarter-mile. Beringer Brakes also supplied the CNC machined handlebar controls and buttons, designed by Brice himself. The folks from Vibrant Performance provide this maniac with the cooling system, welded dash connectors, fuel and water tank caps, and heat protection hoses taking the oomph to crazy levels. a new paint scheme designed by Benny Maxwell from Axesent, Japan The epic trip to Siberia and the action from Lake Baikal can be followed across Indian Motorcycle social channels with the hashtag #IndianxWorkhorse. McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates attorney Melissa Mosier "This man who was a pillar of his community and a father of three young kids was taken too soon." Thousands of motorists die as a result of crashes with large trucks each year. McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates has secured a settlement for the family of one such victim who was killed by a tractor-trailer in Saluda, SC. This comes despite the other sides insurance company denying liability for the fatal crash. McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates attorney Melissa Mosier recently helped the family of the victim receive a $975,000 wrongful death settlement against the trucking companys insurer, after her client was killed while driving to a grocery store near his home. The driver of the semi-truck alleged that the 45-year-old victim suddenly made a left-hand turn and therefore left him with no choice but to enter the wrong lane on the highway in an attempt to avoid the vehicle. However, the victims family chose to hire McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates to dig deeper into what happened. The case was filed in the US District Court of the Anderson Division in South Carolina under case number 8:19:CV-00237-HMH but was settled outside of court, with the trucking companys insurance company paying $975,000 for the victims wrongful death. Mosier explained that it was extremely important for her and her law firm to take on this particular case. This man who was a pillar of his community and a father of three young kids was taken too soon," said Mosier. Melissa Mosier and her colleagues at McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates are committed to fighting for victims of automobile accidents in the state of South Carolina. The firm possesses the resources needed to battle insurance companies in denied liability cases, and its attorneys are dedicated to pouring the necessary time and energy into fighting for fair compensation for their clients. About McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates With offices in Aiken, Camden, Columbia, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, and Sumter, the personal injury attorneys at McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates are ready to serve you. The firm specializes in all areas of personal injury, including defective products, medical malpractice, workers compensation, and wrongful death. To learn more about the firm, or to receive a free case evaluation, call 1-803-590-9243. Mumbai, March 2 : Bollywood actress Mahie Gill shot to fame playing the modernday Paro in Anurag Kashyap's new-age "Devdas" adaptation of 2009. She says she wishes to work with the filmmaker again but is too introverted to convey her interest to him. "If I analyse it you might just find it weird. I am an introverted person who does not do much PR exercise to maintain visibility, at a time when people are doing more PR than actual work. At the same time I am passionate about work. This is a weird combination that I have as an actor. No matter what films and projects I get, I have earned my fame from the film 'Dev D'. I admire Anurag Kashyap as a filmmaker and wish to collaborate in future. But I do not know how to tell him that. There are several other filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani, Imtiaz Ali, Vishal Bharadwaj, Anurag Basu and so many of them I wish to work with," Mahie told IANS. "I feel if I call them to say, 'give me work, I want to collaborate with you', I would be bothering them. I am socially awkward and that is why I only get work in a organic manner," said the actress who plays a crucial character in her latest release "Doordarshan". Mahie has impressed with roles in films such as "Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster", "Gulaal", "Paan Singh Tomar" and web series such as "Apharan: Sabka Katega" and "Posham Pa". Asked to choose one character of hers that has created an impact in her mind, she replied: "Usually, I am a happy-go-lucky person and really do not get a hangover of my characters once shooting is over. But so far, there have been a few roles that emotionally took a toll. One of them was 'Posham Pa', where a mother is a serial killer, and that is her profession! There was another film called 'Not A Love Story' and that was another character that impacted me badly," shared the actress. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Prof Stephen Gitahi Kiama, who is the 8th Vice-Chancellor, University of Nairobi, talked to Sunday Nation about his vision for the institution and his recruitment drama. Q: What do you consider to be your greatest contribution to the University of Nairobi and the scholarly world in general? A: I have mentored and supervised many doctorate students many of whom are lecturers in this and other universities. I also helped set up the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environment studies from a mere concept to an institute that is globally recognised. I have also published heavily in my field of structural biology and done a lot of work with students on governance and electoral politics on the campus. Q: What will be your priority at the University of Nairobi as VC? A: I really want to encourage my fellow academicians to express themselves freely and fearlessly and contribute to national debate on topical issues such as the locust invasion or the coronavirus problem. Universities should not be seen as a place where degrees are fetched. Lecturers must be in sync with the pulse of the nation and they should actively work to resolve societal problems. I also want to make the university get an international touch by actively working to encourage foreign lecturers to take up teaching jobs and foreign students to get enrolled in our various programmes. That will open up the university to new ideas and make it globalised. I will also concentrate on streamlining our finances and degree programmes to ensure money is spent prudently. Q: What ails Kenyas universities? A: Our universities are grappling with many problems many of which are to do with finances, tribalism, duplication of courses and examination irregularities. We need to reflect and support Prof Magohas efforts to put the institutions on the right track. Universities are created to help solve societal problems but if they are hobbled by their own challenges then we have a big problem. The first priority should be to streamline governance. Once we have the right people managing our universities, we will have solved more than half of our problems. Q: Funding is the most serious problem facing our universities. Whats the way forward? A: The whole system needs to be rethought and reworked. The Universities Funding Board uses the unit differentiated cost system but it only funds programmes up to about 60 per cent. Where should the rest come from? We must quickly re-examine the Module 11 programmes, bursaries, income generating projects and the Higher Education Loans Board. Then lets rethink our degree programmes to see which require more resources, which require fewer and which should be discarded all together. Q: What do you consider your greatest strength? A: Im a stickler for rules and just processes. Im a good listener and I believe in expressing myself freely and without fear. I expect the same of everyone else. In fact, I want to encourage my colleagues in this institution and elsewhere to be candid and express their thoughts freely and clearly. Nagpur, March 2 : Implying that the Bharatiya Janata Party is like the 'Frankenstein Monster' a top Shiv Sena leader on Monday urged the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat to 'save Bharat Mata' from the BJP's rampage. Penning an open letter to the RSS top brass, Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari said the policies of the BJP and other 'alleged Hindutva' groups in opposing Maharashtra Government's proposal to give five per cent quota to backward Muslims in education will backfire on the RSS. He said that all sections of society are demanding reservations in education-jobs since past six years which were supported by the BJP-Hindutva groups. "But only after the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress' Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) made the announcement they are strongly opposing! They are now trying to paint Shiv Sena as 'pro-Muslim' -- ironically, by those who did nothing for the Hindutva and Hindus", said Tiwari in the open letter uploaded on social media sites. "Please intervene to stop the BJP becoming a Frankenstein, and goes out of your control and goes in reverse destroyer mode... Or who will save Bharat Mata," he implored. He expressed apprehensions that his frequent letters to the RSS would force it to disown him as a cadre like it did to M. G. Vaidya or R. H. Tupkari in the past, "but this will not change the truth that is being written in history". The hospitals of Zhytomyr, Rivne and Sarny have isolation wards designed for possible or confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. Ukraine's Deputy Health Minister Viktor Liashko on March 1 inspected three local hospital facilities designated for possible coronavirus patients. In particular, he visited hospitals in the cities of Zhytomyr and Rivne, and the town of Sarny as part of his working visit, the ministry's press service said. Read alsoTwo Ukrainians who returned from Italy preliminarily test negative for coronavirus He met with doctors and hospital nurses. "During the visits, it is important to understand how the hospitals and, most importantly, the medical staff are prepared. This applies to both their professional skills and morale. The doctors are ready to provide all necessary medical care to patients with coronavirus infection," the deputy minister said. "If necessary, medical workers are ready to work overtime. All employees are well informed about what to do if COVID-19 has been identified." According to him, several drills have already been held in those three facilities. The hospitals of Zhytomyr, Rivne and Sarny have isolation wards designed for possible or confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. They are currently empty, but are ready to receive patients at any time. "In all three hospitals, they know what intensive care measures should be taken. Zhytomyr's hospital has an intensive care unit, it has also developed an action plan for the treatment of a greater number of people and for re-equipment of hospital units. In Rivne, the intensive care unit in the infectious disease department will be fully prepared by the end of next week. But if necessary, other departments are ready to receive patients for intensive care," the ministry said. Thus, it assured that the medical system of Ukraine is ready for addressing confirmed coronavirus cases. In Ukraine, there are about 12,000 beds in infectious disease hospitals, isolated wards, 2,000 doctors who are able to treat infectious diseases, 5,000 medical personnel working in infectious diseases hospitals. Actor Randeep Hooda is all set to make his Hollywood debut with the Netflix film, Extraction that has been directed by Sam Hargrave. Extraction stars Chris Hemsworth and has been written by Joe Russo, of the directing duo Russo Brothers. Talking about this association, Randeep said in a press statement, I get to do a lot of action in the movie. I might be the first Indian male actor to do such an action-packed role in a Hollywood film. It was a great experience working with Hemsworth, Russo brothers and the director, Sam Hargrave. Extraction, which was initially titled Dhaka, also stars Pankaj Tripathi. Also read: Sooryavanshi trailer: Akshay fights terror with Ranveer, Ajay It (Randeeps character) is described as a wrecking ball in the script. Hes had a run as a military personnel and is now working for Ovis father. For the action shots, we rehearsed twice a day for 10 days, since many of my roles so far have been more dramatic. I must say, Ive never had a director on a wire, hanging next to me, giving me instructions, he added. The film revolves around Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when hes enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord.It is scheduled to release on April 24. Chris Hemsworth will visit India for the promotional tour of his upcoming action film Extraction. He will reach Mumbai along with Hargrave, on March 16. Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. Randeep, who was recently seen in Imtiaz Alis Love Aaj Kal 2 which featured Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan in lead roles, is now working on Salman Khans Radhe The Most Wanted Bhai where he will be seen as the antagonist. Follow @htshowbiz for more Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Paul Fletcher's semi-professional theatre debut didn't go so well. Encouraged by their law revue successes at the University of Sydney, Fletcher and a small crew of fresh-faced graduates had decided to write and produce The Fax of Life, a satirical comedy performed at Sydney's Playhouse Theatre in early 1990. The show tanked poorly attended, loss-making and unappreciated by critics. "It was something of a nightmare for the quartet," lamented The Sydney Morning Herald at the time. Paul Fletcher (dark suit) and Craig Hassall's play "The Fax of Life" tanked in 1990. Credit:Philip Wayne Lock "It was a disaster," says Fletcher, now 55 and the Morrison government's Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts. A second production, Annually Fixated, was reviewed as a "zany contribution to the silly season" and fared better. For two co-writers, Rake creator Peter Duncan and former Opera Australia boss Craig Hassall, the plays were the beginning of successful careers in the arts. But Fletcher went into a job at corporate law firm Mallesons and towards a life in business and politics. Fletcher's theatrical history contrasts with his very sober public persona today. A self-confessed nerd, the moderate Liberal MP holds a consequential and highly technical portfolio, making decisions that will shape the future of the internet and media in Australia. Publicly, he is serious to the point of dour. "Competent but boring", is how many describe him. Advertisement But those that know him say this isn't fair. Labor frontbencher and former NSW premier Kristina Keneally, who has known Fletcher for decades, says he can "come across as a little intimidating when you first meet him because he is so intelligent and taciturn". "But underneath his quiet and thoughtful demeanour lurks a wickedly dry sense of humour," she says. During Keneally's stint as a host on Sky News, she had two goals when inviting Fletcher on as a guest. First, yielding a useful nugget of information. The other was making him crack a smile. "Occasionally I succeeded on both," she says. Fletcher was born in the rural English town of Devizes in 1965, but spent most of his childhood in Adelaide and the eastern suburbs of Sydney, with a computational engineering professor father and school teacher mother. Since 2007, he has been married to jewellery designer Manuela Zappacosta and has an 11-year-old son and 23-year-old stepson. Fletcher has always been brainy and ambitious. He was dux of Sydney Grammar in 1982, received first class honours in both law and economics, was a Fulbright scholar and has a MBA from Columbia University in New York. He also joined the Young Liberals at 16, was a champion debater, and got elected to positions in student politics. Advertisement After an unsuccessful preselection bid for the southern Sydney seat of Cook in 2007 (subsequently won by Scott Morrison), Fletcher entered federal politics in 2009 as the member for Bradfield in northern Sydney, becoming parliamentary secretary to then communications minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2013 and later urban infrastructure minister. He was first elevated to cabinet in 2018 as social services minister before Morrison put him in his current role last year. In the ego-rich environment of politics, Fletcher is not the most colourful performer. MPs of various political stripes are known to compare him to The Simpsons' "Blue-Haired Lawyer" character a grey-suited and bespectacled corporate archetype. Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But those who have worked closely with him in business and politics universally agree he retains a potent sense of humour: wicked, dry, at times "absurdist". ASIC corporate affairs boss Bruce Meagher, who was a runner-up at the 1986 World Universities Debating Competition alongside Fletcher, says the MP is "one of the funniest people you have ever come across". Liberal senator Andrew Bragg rejects outright the narrative that Fletcher is a humdrum public speaker. "If we had more people who were able to understand and communicate the detail like he can, that would be good for the country," Bragg says. Advertisement Fletcher says he just takes his job seriously. "Every now and then, you might be able to say some more light-hearted things say in the context of a speech but I guess I probably am a bit more serious-minded," he says. (According to a colleague, a favoured Fletcher joke goes something like this: "Everyone talks about economic reform and productivity but no one has taken me up on my proposal to introduce legislation compelling Chinese restaurants in Australia to number their menus to an agreed standard. Think of the productivity improvements!") His wife Manuela says her husband is "quite reserved" in public life. Privately, he is more open and less combative. "I tend to win the arguments at home," she says. "Paul is quite a sensitive person. You find all deep thinkers are quite sensitive because they feel the ills and injustice of the world." Fletcher likes to go to the gym, bushwalk, kayak and spend time with family. He enjoys pasta, a glass of wine and he still goes to the theatre. His favourite books include Robert Caro's epic biographical series about Lyndon Johnson, William Manchester's The Last Lion about Winston Churchill, and John Lukacs' Five Days in London, May 1940 about Britain's decision to fight the Germans. Broadcast News, the 1980s romantic comedy, is a favourite film. "And anything with Helena Bonham Carter," he adds. While Fletcher may not be the most explosive communicator, he has an alarmingly good memory. One long-time friend and colleague says Fletcher has the "helicopter" quality, an ability to absorb a lot of information and work out what matters. He has high expectations of those around him and is forensic even pedantic about detail. He doesn't hold back if people fail to meet those standards and is said to have a short fuse, but is also loyal and encourages young talent. Advertisement Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety commissioner (a world-first office Fletcher helped create as parliamentary secretary to Turnbull), says her minister is heavily involved in policy. (Something that wasn't often said about his predecessor, Mitch Fifield). "He is one of the most hands-on ministers I've ever worked with, which is a good thing. He keeps us all on our toes," she says. Education Minister Dan Tehan says his cabinet colleague will consider all the key information and use his intellect to lay out a well-reasoned argument. "His isn't the crash through approach. His is an approach where he will kill you with reason and that makes him very formidable," he says. Some colleagues consider him conflict-averse. And his clinical, technical approach might not always be enough to win an argument in politics, where battles can be decided by emotion and narrative. His fixation with numbers and detail does come through in his personal life as well. He wears a Garmin watch that allows him to track his fitness and is enthused about the family's new solar panels and the app that allows him to see how much money they are saving on energy bills. Fletcher's entry into the communications portfolio is, in a way, a fulfilment of destiny. He is an unusually qualified minister, having worked as a senior adviser and ultimately chief of staff to Howard government communications minister Richard Alston in the late 1990s and then forging his reputation in the corporate world as an executive at Optus between 2000 to 2008. He even wrote a book on broadband: Wired Brown Land, published in 2009. Advertisement Parliament on Monday met after a 20-day long break to discuss the Budget presented by Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2020. The nearly three-week long break helps the finance ministry to put finishing touches to the Budget 2020-2021 aimed that stimulating the economy that has been on the downward spiral for almost three quarters now. The first phase of the Budget Session began on January 31 and will go on till February 11. The session started at 10:30, however, the Question Hour session was whitewashed due to several disruptions over the next few huors that led to the adjournment of ... Two health care workers in Solano County, California, contracted coronavirus after being exposed to a patient who was not immediately tested for the virus, officials said Sunday. The patient was treated at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, but was not tested for COVID-19 coronavirus because she did not fit the federal testing criteria at the time; the woman had not recently traveled overseas or had contact with anyone known to have coronavirus. The patient is now considered the first U.S. case of community spread, where the source of infection is unknown. She has been transferred to UC Davis Medical Center. "Our two health care workers who tested positively have been in isolation at home since the day we learned they had contact with the patient who had contracted the virus," Aimee Brewer, president of the NorthBay HealthCare Group, said in a statement. "We took immediate and comprehensive measures intended to stop any further spread of the virus, including working with public health officials to trace the contacts the two workers may have had." There are more than 60 known cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with new cases reported Sunday in California, Rhode Island, Washington, and New York. More stories from theweek.com Americans are growing less confident in Trump's coronavirus response, poll shows It's not 1972 and Bernie Sanders isn't George McGovern Trump is postponing the second part of his mysterious annual physical Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 18:12 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067cacac 1 Business bank-indonesia,BI,perry-warjiyo,financial-market,intervention,government-bond,forex-market,market-rout,sell-off,foreign-investors Free Bank Indonesia (BI) will intensify intervention to stabilize the local financial market by buying government bonds and the rupiah amid heavy selling pressure caused by coronavirus fears as Indonesia reports its first two cases. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said the central bank was conducting triple intervention in the financial market: stabilizing the rupiah in the domestic non-deliverable forward (DNDF) and spot markets, as well as buying government bonds (SBN) on the secondary market. The central bank has bought Rp 103 trillion (US$7.24 billion) worth of SBNs, Rp 80 trillion of which followed its assessment that the novel coronavirus may pose risks to Indonesias economy. Weve increased the volume [of intervention] so the market is assured and confident that BI is always in the market to guard the market, Perry said at a news conference on Monday after President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced first two coronavirus cases in Indonesia. BI will intensify intervention in the financial market through triple intervention to stabilize the rupiah to follow its fundamental [value]. Read also: Disappearing act: Market braces for volatile March after $2.4b vanishes in a week The rupiah erased losses of 0.6 percent after the announcement and traded 0.4 percent higher at Rp 14,260 to the US dollar. Last week, foreign investors sold a net Rp 33.6 trillion (US$2.36 billion) in both Indonesian stocks and bonds, as $5 trillion was wiped off stock markets around the world in the worst week for global shares since the 2008 financial crisis. Over the week, the benchmark stock index, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), fell 7.3 percent to 5,452 and the rupiah depreciated by 4.1 percent to 14,234 per US dollar. Ten-year Indonesian government bond yields, which indicate investment risk, rose 35 basis points last week to 6.83 percent, the third-biggest increase after Turkey and Russia. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said that Russia is abusing Interpols tools to illegally prosecute Ukrainians who opposed the aggression of the Russian Federation. Thus, the former Aydar battalion commander Serhiy Melnichuk was put on the international wanted list, who was detained on the Greek-Bulgarian border on trumped-up charges, as the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov reports. Melnichuk is suspected of alleged involvement in the murder in April 2014 in the Rostov region. Ukrainian diplomats are working on a mans return to Ukraine. "As Minister of Internal Affairs, I turned to the Secretary General of the Interpol IOCL, Mr. Jurgen Stock, regarding the need to develop an effective mechanism to block the Russian Federation from abuse of my rights as a member state of the organization," - Arsen Avakov said. The Secretary General of Interpol decided to revise the request of Russia regarding the announcement of Melnichuk on the international wanted list and his detention. The ministry added that, according to a similar scheme, Russian law enforcement authorities prosecuted public and political figures Anatoly Hrytsenko, Mustafa Dzhemilev, Refat Chubarov, Ihor Mazur and others. In recent years, the country has been able to prevent the unlawful restriction of the rights of about 30 people. Recall, the former commander of the battalion "Aydar" and MP VIII convocation Serhiy Melnichuk was detained on the border with Greece yesterday, March 1. Together with him in the department was his pregnant wife and 9-month-old son. As we reported before, The Prosecutors Office of Bulgaria explained why Oleksiy Levin, the suspect of the organization of the murder of Ukrainian activist Kateryna Handziuk, was not detained by the law enforcers during the entrance to the country. The Bulgarian Prosecutors Office provided the report on the process of detention of Levin Seoul, March 2 : , South Korea reported a continued rise in the confirmed cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total infections here to more than 4,300. The 599 new cases of the novel coronavirus brought the nation's total number of infections here to 4,335, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). School breaks were again extended nationwide, until March 23, as the nation provides an "all-out response" to the fast-spreading virus that includes a massive testing programme. So far, 26 people, mostly ones with underlying illnesses, have died here from COVID-19, which first emerged in China. Four new deaths were reported earlier in the day, including an 82-year-old man and an 87-year-old woman. About 57 percent of confirmed cases have been linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in the southeastern city of Daegu. Most confirmed cases with unknown origins in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the epicenters of the virus outbreak here, are believed to be tied to the religious group, officials said. The total number of cases in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its neighboring North Gyeongsang stood at 3,081 and 624, respectively. The virus cases in Busan rose by five to 88, with 32 patients linked to a Christian church in the Dongnae district. The 32 patients of the Oncheon church in Busan are tied to the church's three-day retreat that ended on Feb. 17, officials said. It is still unclear how they were infected with the virus, reports Yonhup. In evidence that the virus could be circulating undetected, a 25-year-old Chinese university student tested positive for the virus in Gangneung on March 1. When he arrived in South Korea from the northern Chinese city of Shenyang on Feb. 28, the Chinese student showed no symptoms, local government officials said. To minimize deaths from the virus, KCDC Director-General Jeong Eun-kyeong told reporters that the health authorities had revised government guidelines to allow critically ill patients to be swiftly treated in so-called negative-pressure rooms at hospitals from Monday. So far, virus patients with mild or moderate symptoms have also been allowed to receive treatment at such facilities, which are designed to prevent infectious diseases from spreading within hospitals. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said in a daily briefing that the government opened an isolation facility in Daegu where virus patients with mild symptoms can be admitted. About 160 patients will be admitted to the facility, Kim said, adding that two more of such facilities will be set up this week. Since raising the virus alert level to "red," the highest level, on Feb. 23, health authorities have focused on halting the spread of the virus in Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here, and North Gyeongsang Province. On Sunday, President Moon Jae-in said the government "is now waging an all-out response after raising the crisis alert to the highest level." (Newser) Washington state is reporting more deaths caused by the coronavirus, putting the current count at 6. Five of the patients killed by COVID-19 were located in King County, which has declared an emergency, per Q13 FOX; the sixth was in Snohomish County. Another 12 are said to have been infected. Jeff Duchin with Seattle & King County's public health agency says the expectation is that the number of cases will jump and the situation is being taken "extremely seriously." story continues below Indeed, the Seattle Times reports King County is buying a motel that will be used to isolate patients. KOMO News reports the deal should close within days, making the property ready for use by week's end. Modular units will also be used throughout the county. (Researchers say the coronavirus may have spread in the state for weeks.) India is the world's biggest palm oil importer but its purchases from Malaysia, the second-biggest palm exporter behind Indonesia Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia and India will work on improving ties that soured under former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and badly affected palm oil trade between the countries, officials from both nations said on Sunday. India is the world's biggest palm oil importer but its purchases from Malaysia, the second-biggest palm exporter behind Indonesia, dropped drastically in recent months after attacks on India's policies by Mahathir. Malaysia swore in a new prime minister on Sunday after last week's resignation by the outspoken Mahathir, 94, after a power battle in his coalition government. Wee Ka Siong, a lawmaker expected to gain a ministerial post, said that mending ties is a priority because Malaysian palm oil producers have been suffering because of India's effective ban on purchases. "Can we just renegotiate? Its for my country as well as for my people," Wee told Reuters. "Since we are a new government, let the PM, the new government deal with it. We treasure the friendship with India." An Indian official with knowledge of the matter said that New Delhi is also keen to improve bilateral ties, including palm oil trading, provided that Malaysia keeps out of India's domestic affairs. India could also invite the new Malaysian prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, for a visit this year, the official said on the condition of anonymity. India put refined palm oil and palmolein on its list of restricted items on Jan. 8, a move sources said was in response to Mahathir's criticism of its actions in Kashmir and a new citizenship law. Malaysia's January palm shipments to India tanked 85 percent from a year earlier to 46,876 tonnes, the lowest since 2011. India accounted for nearly a quarter of Malaysia's total palm oil exports last year and has been the biggest buyer of Malaysian palm oil for five years. India's curbs on Malaysian imports disrupted global edible oil trade flows, with Indonesia diverting supplies to India, Malaysia rushing to tap markets left behind by Indonesia and India substituting palm with other oils. Cronkite News WASHINGTON An emotional Tohono Oodham Nation chairman told lawmakers Wednesday that blasting on sacred sites in national monuments to build a border wall near his reservation has forever damaged our people. I know in my heart and what our elders have told us and what we have learned that that area is home to our ancestors, said Chairman Ned Norris Jr., pausing to compose himself as he tried to hold back tears. And by blasting, and doing what we saw today, has totally disturbed, totally forever damaged our people. Norris was one of six witnesses testifying at a House Natural Resources subcommittee looking into damage caused by contractors as they build a stretch of border wall through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which stretches along the border and abuts the Tohono Oodham Nation. Recent controlled blasting has included Monument Hill, which officials say is the final resting place of Apache warriors defeated by the Tohono Oodham, and which environmentalists say is home to two endangered species. Democrats made their opinion clear with the title of the hearing , to investigate destroying sacred sites and erasing tribal culture to build the wall. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, called the governments actions reckless and harmful, and said the demolition has been done without any kind of meaningful tribal consultation without advanced notice. This administration apparently has no shame for the damages it has caused to tribal burial grounds, Gallego said at the hearing. This is the Tohono Oodham Nation equivalent to bulldozing through parts of Arlington National Cemetery. Tohono Oodham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. teared up at one point as he testified how blasting of sites for border wall construction has totally destroyed and forever damaged his people. Photo by Jessica Myers / Cronkite News But Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, said that a wall would stop illegal border crossings that he said pose an overwhelming destructive activity to areas around the border. Trash, feces, water pollution illegal vehicle transit, Gosar said. All this damage, all this destruction as a result of illegal trafficking has left deep scars on the environment. I get it, you dont want the wall. You dont want to work with the Trump administration, he said. But you offer no alternatives. That theme was echoed by Scott Cameron, principal deputy assistant Interior secretary for policy, management and budget, who testified that the situation at the border threatens core national security interests and constitutes a national emergency. Along this border, cultural resources, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, plants and animals are adversely impacted by land degradation and destruction from trails, trash, fires and other activities related to unlawful border crossings, he said in his prepared testimony Cameron said that in the last three years at Organ Pipe alone, National Park Service rangers have arrested 71 people, stopped 1,231 border crossers and found 7,563 pounds of marijuana. Since 2010, he said, Park Service staff have found the remains of 184 people. Construction of border barriers will reduce or eliminate impacts from illegal entry and will help us maintain the character of these lands and resources under the departments management that may otherwise be lost, Cameron said. He said that if there arent illegal vehicles driving willy-nilly over an area, they wont be disturbing protected sites or running over endangered desert tortoises. But critics said that comes at a cost of disruption of sacred burial and ceremonial sites. And that destruction often comes without any consultation, without any respect and without following the constitutional mandate that you need to talk nation to nation to affected tribes, said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson. His district includes much of the southern border as well as the Tohono Oodham Nation. which is in Mexico and the U.S., divided by 62 miles of border. Tribe members share the same language, culture, religion and history, Norris said, often crossing the border for religious and cultural ceremonies, as well as regular visits. Norris said his tribe is sensitive to border issues, having spent an annual average of $3 million of our own tribal funds on border security and enforcement to help meet the United States border security responsibilities. The Nations police force typically spends more than a third of its time on border issues. Scott Cameron of the Interior Department said a border wall could protect sensitive sites by cutting down on illegal traffic. Also testifying is the Government Accountability Offices Anna Maria Ortiz. Photo by Jessica Myers / Cronkite News But the nation strongly opposes border wall construction, he said, not only because its costly, but also because it is highly destructive to the religious, cultural and environmental resources on which our members rely and which make our ancestral lands sacred to our people. Norris said the tribe is rarely given advance notice of work on potentially sensitive sites, citing one time when he was notified by email the same day that blasting was set to occur on land that is the final resting place for many of his tribes ancestors. We have an obligation, we have a responsibility, we have a vested interest in protecting and securing the safety of our ancestors, and the remains of our ancestors and protecting these sacred sites regardless of whether or not they are on our current ancestral lands, Norris said. Last year, archaeologists found bone fragments during an archaeological survey near Quitobaquito Springs, two of which were later determined to be human. Cameron said the Park Service is working to repatriate the bone fragments to the Tohono Oodham Nation. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, right, and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, at a House hearing where Gallego said border wall construction is reckless and harming national monuments and sacred sites. Photo by Jessica Myers / Cronkite News Those answers, and the insistence by Gosar and Cameron that a wall would help protect sites in the area, did little to placate Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M. As one of two Native American women in Congress, she said it is her duty to stand up against shameful and immoral actions against indigenous people. Trash can be cleaned up, Haaland said, but a sacred site thats been blasted cannot be whole again. I dont know how any of you sleep at night, she said. House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States Notice Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University Join the Conversation Related Stories [The stream is slated to start at 2:00 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Washington state and King County officials are holding a press conference Monday to announce an emergency declaration as local officials grapple with a possible coronavirus outbreak just outside of Seattle. Public health officials in Seattle reported the nation's first two deaths in a suburb and several new cases Saturday and Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 10. Local officials also said that 50 residents and employees of a nursing care facility were being tested for the new coronavirus after several people there tested positive for COVID-19. Four of the six new cases reported over the weekend were residents of LifeCare, a skilled nursing facility in Kirkland. Two cases a staff member and resident were previously identified at LifeCare, officials said. King County Executive Dow Constantine will announce an emergency declaration, a county spokesperson said. Seattle and King County public health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin is also scheduled to speak, along with Washington state health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy. Director of public health for Seattle and King County Patty Hayes is also scheduled to attend. Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak. Asserting that the US has done a "great job" in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, President Donald Trump on Monday said it is now time for other countries to "get rid of those terrorists". The US and the Taliban signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29 to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home from America's longest war. "We've done a great job in terms of getting rid of terrorists. Now it's up to other countries to get rid of those terrorists," Trump told reporters at the White House. Responding to questions, Trump reiterated that the US is pulling out its troops from Afghanisatn. Under the US-Taliban pact signed in Doha, the US has agreed to reduce its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 in the next 130 days and withdraw all its soldiers in 14 months. "We are getting out. We want to get out. We had good meetings with the Taliban. And we are going to be leaving, and we're going to be bringing our soldiers back home. We've been there for almost 20 years. It's a long time," Trump said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UPDATE: City will test for coronavirus sooner than expected STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and leading health officials from across the state briefed the public Monday to urge calm following the states first confirmed case of COVID-2019. According to officials, a 39-year-old health care worker residing in Manhattan began exhibiting symptoms of the virus after returning from Iran on Tuesday. Officials said the only person she had prolonged contact with was her husband, who is also a health worker, and both are following protocols remaining in her home. As a health care worker, she was very aware of the situation, Cuomo said to point out that the woman went for a test at Mt. Sinai Hospital in upper Manhattan shortly after exhibiting symptoms of the virus. Officials do not believe she was contagious when she was on the plane, and they know she did not use public transit taking a car service from the airport. Coronavirus: Full coverage on SILive.com Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that only those with close contact to someone exhibiting symptoms are at serious risk of contracting the disease. Out of an abundance of caution, we will be contacting the people who were on the flight with her from Iran to New York, and the driver of that car service, Cuomo said. For weeks, Cuomo and de Blasio have made New Yorkers aware that they can expect to see in-state cases of the coronavirus disease that first appeared in Wuhan, China last year. Transmission Cuomo said state and city agencies are focused on containing the spread of the disease to the best of their abilities. He said that within a week the state hopes to get testing capacity up to 1,000 tests per day, and that currently that number is at several hundred tests per day. There is no doubt that there will be more cases where we will find people who test positive, he said. Youre not going to eliminate the spread, but you can limit the spread. Emergency state legislation will authorize $40 million to help combat the spread of the disease. Special cleaning programs will also be installed at schools and public transit systems across the state. New York Citys Public Health Lab will be able to begin testing for the disease on Friday. Currently, the city and state are partnering with each other and health care facilities to test for the disease. As of Saturday, the United States had 22 cases and one death that were either confirmed or presumed positive for COVID-2019, according to the CDC. Those confirmed cases included person-to-person contact that occurred in the country, which Cuomo said has not yet confirmed in New York, although officials are assuming the health care workers husband will test positive. At the federal level, the impending pandemic has already been politicized. President Trump on Monday took to Twitter to praise his own decisions related to the outbreak. I was criticized by the Democrats when I closed the Country down to China many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended. Saved many lives," he wrote on the social media site. Dems were working the Impeachment Hoax. They didnt have a clue! Now they are fear mongering. Be calm & vigilant! I was criticized by the Democrats when I closed the Country down to China many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended. Saved many lives. Dems were working the Impeachment Hoax. They didnt have a clue! Now they are fear mongering. Be calm & vigilant! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 2, 2020 According to a report from the Associated Press, the United States restricted travel from China on Feb. 2. The Senate voted Feb. 5 to acquit Trump on both impeachment charges brought against him. Democratic presidential candidates have criticized Trump for cutting funding to the CDC. While his proposed budgets have featured cuts, none of those have been finalized after making their way through Congress, and funding for both the CDC and National Institutes of Health have increased. Cuomo said he has spoken with Vice President Mike Pence, who has been placed in charge of the nations response, but that the state and city have not gotten the help they need from the federal government. This is going to be expensive for the state, for the city, and we are -- I understand the relationship to the federal government, I understand our responsibility, but this is a significant financial burden, he said. We have no issue with the administration, the management and doing the job, but the financial consequences are highly relevant. And at a minimum, we would expect the federal government to help with that. Globally, 88,930 COVID-2019 cases have been confirmed, and 3,043 people have died as a result of the virus with over 90% of those cases occurring in China, according to information the World Health Organization released overnight. To urge calm, Cuomo used the available statistics regarding the disease. He said that 80% of people who contract the disease self-resolve, and that it has an estimated mortality rate of 1.4% -- the majority of which have compromised immune systems, are already debilitated, or are seniors. According to the latest numbers from the WHO, the estimated mortality rate from confirmed cases is 3.4%. Unlike the flu, which causes similar symptoms to a persons respiratory system, COVID-2019 does not appear to affect children with more severity. The strain comes from the same group of viruses that cause anything from the common cold to SARS. In this situation, the facts defeat fear, because the reality is reassuring, he said adding that New York has dealt with similar outbreaks in the past. Health officials said the best preventative measures, at this time, include covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing, and being sure to frequently and thoroughly wash your hands. Both the governor and mayor said anyone who thinks they may be sick should seek testing. Those in the city who might not have easy access to healthcare should call 311, de Blasio said. He echoed Cuomo urging calm, and highlighted how the states and citys approaches have surpassed some in other parts of the world. What has been the advantage here in New York -- weve kind of been the anti-China in this sense -- is to say from the beginning its coming here, its a real thing, everyone get ready for it, he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java Tue, March 3 2020 How it came to be: Srihadi explains one of his paintings called Mt. Merapi The Powerful Nature at his studio in Bandung, West Java. Srihadi, who once worked as a painter reporter during the Indonesian independence revolution era, will hold his 21st solo exhibition entitled Man & Universe at the National Gallery in Jakarta from March 11 to April 10. For the display, Srihadi is presenting his latest 37 works created over the past three years. A total of 44 paintings from his private collection will be shown. 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 Taliban will not participate in intra-Afghan negotiations until the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, Reuters reported refereeing to Taliban spokesman. According to a deal between the US and the Taliban concluded on Saturday, both parties pledge to seek the release of military and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure. The deal provides for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 prisoners of war by the Afghan government by March 10. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who did not participate in the talks, rejected this demand. We are fully ready for the intra-Afghan talks, but we are waiting for the release of our 5,000 prisoners, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by phone. If our 5,000 prisoners - 100 or 200 more or less does not matter - do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks. The US said it hopes talks for a permanent political settlement and ceasefire could begin in the coming days, but Western diplomats and analysts see serious problems. While Ghani yesterday said that US President Donald Trump did not ask for the release of prisoners and this issue should be discussed within comprehensive peace deal. Zabihullah said that most of the 5000 prisoners were captured by US forces and held in Afghan government prisons, and that they preferred sick and elderly prisoners. According to him, the agreement to reduce violence in the seven days preceding the conclusion of the Saturday pact in Doha, has officially ended. As we are receiving reports that people are enjoying the reduction in violence, we dont want to spoil their happiness, but it does not mean that we will not take our normal military activities back to the level that we were before, he said. It could be any time, it could be after an hour, tonight, tomorrow or the day after. Under the deal, the US pledges to reduce its troop strength in Afghanistan to 8,600 from 13,000 within 135 days of signing. BJP legislators, including Leader of Opposition in assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, met Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Monday and demanded an in-depth investigation into the "international conspiracy" behind the riots in northeast Delhi that claimed at least 42 lives. The delegation submitted a memorandum to Baijal, demanding probe also into the rumour mongering, especially through social media, to stoke violence, Bidhuri's office said in a statement. "The way rumours were spread yesterday evening were in all possibility part of the conspiracy. The design was to provoke violence leading to riots during the ongoing session of Parliament," Bidhuri said. Saying that the riots coincided with US President Donald Trump's visit, Bidhuri asserted, "It smacks of international conspiracy. Its sole aim was to tarnish the image of India in international community. It is essential to expose the international and local forces conspiring against the nation." He also raised questions on the use of a "large stock of weapons" during the riots. "It appears that large stock of weapons was collected much before the riots started. It is apprehended that weapons are still hidden in the riot-affected areas. It is essential that the mafia behind the weapons should be exposed," he said. The BJP MLAs also demanded that the rioters be made to pay for the loss of property. The delegation comprised Mohan Singh Bisht, former Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, Abhay Verma and other BJP MLAs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deadly clashes between supporters of Indias new citizenship law and its opponents have been taking place in the Indian capital Delhi since February 23. More than 40 people have been killed and more than 200 wounded in the ongoing violence. Videos and photos of the unrest show apparent sympathizers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist paramilitary group often accused of stirring up religious hatred, carrying out acts of violence. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a reform of Indias citizenship laws crafted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his nationalist party the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), was passed in December 2019. It allows undocumented immigrants from three neighbouring countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan) to become Indian citizens provided they are Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist or Christian. Its exclusion of Muslims has raised fears that it will be used to make many Muslims living in India stateless. Another initiative backed by the BJP, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), published in August 2019, excluded hundreds of thousands of Muslims living in the state of Assam. Many Indians see the two reforms as signals that Muslims will be considered second-class citizens. Since December 4, 2019, thousands of Indians have poured into the streets to protest against the CAA. Police have cracked down on protesters, with a particularly violent example taking place at Jamia Millia Islamia University on December 15, where scores of student protesters sustained injuries. On February 23, clashes between supporters and opponents of the CAA broke out in majority Muslim neighbourhoods in the northeast of Delhi. Videos on social media show violence being carried out by young men who claim to be Hindu and according to our Observers show signs of affiliation with the RSS, a Hindu nationalist paramilitary group that was founded 94 years ago. In the videos, these apparent RSS sympathizers are seen committing arson, tormenting people and carrying out other acts of violence. In some cases, the crimes were even livestreamed. Many of the images of violence that were posted online were shared by the perpetrators themselves, who are often young, sometimes even very young, as you can see in several posts. Asked by reporters on February 27 about the unrest in Delhi, RSS General Secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said only that the government should restore order, adding: "Nobody has the right to take law into their hands." Story continues This Instagram post published Feb. 26, 2020 sees a link between recent sectarian violence in New Delhi and the ideology espoused by "the Sangh," an apparent reference to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a nationwide Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. 'You can recognise them by their chants and Hindu prayers'Kamran Shahid, a Muslim from the state of Karnataka in southern India, is currently studying engineering in Bangalore. He is in daily contact with Muslim friends in Delhi, helping them identify potential aggressors and share information about which neighbourhoods to avoid. Even if these RSS-affiliated assailants dont wear a uniform, you can tell who they are by the chants and Hindu prayers that they often shout out during clashes with Muslims during riots. The slogan Jai Shri Ram, a Hindu prayer, means Glory to Lord Rama. It is a used as a symbol of allegiance to the Indian nationalist movement, whether its the RSS or one of the many other groups that share the same sentiments. Some of the group's supporters film their actions and show off their 'exploits' [on social media]. They think it'll improve their standing in their community. In one video, a young man brags that his group just burned down a service station in the Vasanth Pura part of Delhi on February 25. He says things like Maaro! [which means hit them) and Jai Shri Ram. He also says, The police are with us! as if to highlight their ability to carry out acts of violence with total impunity. There was another video that was particularly shocking. It was filmed in northaeast Delhi on Feburary 25 and shows police officers and civilians mocking injured Muslims who are lying on the ground. Those watching hit the Muslims with sticks and tell them to sing the national anthem. The victims comply and begin to sing while still lying on the ground. Police officers look on without intervening. The aggressors seem to think that Muslims aren't Indian, that they aren't loyal to India and will only sing the anthem under torture. Screengrab from a video filmed on February 25, 2020 in Delhi, in which assailants torture a group of Muslims, making them sing the Indian national anthem. (The France 24 Observers chose not to publish the video itself because of its violence.) An incident in Delhi's Mustafabad neighbourhood also shows these groups ability to carry out violence with impunity. On the evening of February 25, a group of armed men wearing ski masks burned down a market. The aggressors also shouted "Jai Shri Ram", a cry used during other violent incidents carried out by RSS in the past. The incident took place in front of police officers who said they were unable to intervene, according to the journalist who posted the video, below. Another video show uniformed police officers destroying surveillance cameras near Khureji Khas, one of the neighbourhoods in eastern Delhi where protests took place. On Thursday, February 27, Delhi police asked members of the public to submit video and eyewitness evidence of the violence. The next day, the Commissioner of the Delhi police was ousted and replaced. 'They believe that no matter what they do, they will be rewarded by society'Ranbir (not his real name), a student in Delhi, has been studying Hindu nationalist movements for the past year. The young men who are carrying out these acts of violence and posting them on social media are seeking acceptance in their communities by following the ideology of the RSS. The RSS is part of an umbrella organisation, Sangh Parivar, which is made up of numerous organisations including the party in power, the BJP, and other far-right Indian groups. The RSS is very effective: their ideology is, simply speaking, to create conflict between Hindus and Muslims. When I speak to RSS members, their objective is clear: to make India a Hindu-only nation. They accept Sikhs and Buddhists, but they consider other religious communities, Muslims and Christians, to be outsiders, not part of the Indian identity. The RSS's form of Hindu nationalism is known as Hindutva. The movement's early leaders openly admired Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Ranbir says the RSS and its political allies praise supporters who commit violence: The RSS wants a society where Hinduism is opposed to any minority groups. They want to unite Hindus around a common identity, citing Mussolini or Hitler. The movement rewards its members for carrying out violence. One example is when a BJP minister congratulated the alleged perpetrators of a lynching when they got out on bail, and hung garlands around their necks. When young people see criminals praised and rewarded for their crimes, they see a link between attacking religious minorities and gaining status within their community. Article written by Fatma Ben Hamad. (Photo : REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo) FILE PHOTO: CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 11 at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 10, 2019. As new cases of coronavirus increase in every part of the world, Apple Chief Executive Officer claims that China is likely getting the outbreak under control. Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an interview posted on Fox Business, addressed the outbreak of coronavirus - officially referred to as Covid-19 - and the way it has affected Apple's business for the year. Apple "carefully" watches the coronavirus outbreak Apple is carefully watching simply how the coronavirus outbreak is unraveling in South Korea and Italy, where the corporation has distributors, CEO Tim Cook said. Apple counts biggest Korean screen manufacturers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics; amongst its distributors. The tech giant also supplies chips from a manufacturing facility in Italy run via Franco-Italian chipmaker STMicroelectronics, according to its latest vendor listing. ALSO READ: South Korea Raises Coronavirus Alert to 'Highest Level': Is Samsung in Peril? Cook told Fox Business Networks that Apple had re-opened 80 percent of its shops in China. He moreover claimed that iPhone production centers in China had genuinely reactivated and also were in "phase 3 of the ramp mode." "It will take some time, but I think that [coronavirus outbreak] is a temporary condition, not a long-term sort of thing," Cook claimed. Asked if Apple would genuinely relocate its production from China to Vietnam or Cambodia, Cook claimed the company serves its supply chain worldwide. The organization, according to Cook, thought about price adjustments in the market and additional skills enhancement as a setback. He additionally claimed Apple's supply chain supervisors had been checking out just how data against the coronavirus surprise the corporation's supply chains were. "And so the question for us after we get on the other side will be, was the resilience there or not and do we need to make some changes," he claimed. ALSO READ: Ming-Chi Kuo Says Coronavirus May Negatively Affect Apple's Q1 Shipping Forecast WHO agrees to Cook's claim over coronavirus containment, but there's a catch The World Health Office (WHO) said it China's containment measures had been effective as the number of latest cases continued to fall. However, the health agency warned of the risk of outbreaks coming back to life. The alerts were released on Friday as WHO declares the risk of the global spread of the coronavirus epidemic had become "very high." Epidemiologists were also convinced that the lethal virus was caused by animals. Bats regarded to be the reservoir of the virus, but the intermediate host had not yet been identified. ALSO READ: Are Aliens Behind the First US Coronavirus Confirmed Case of Unknown Origin? A Scientist Claim It's Possible! Without figuring out that animal chain, there was a chance that outbreaks should recur in regions where they'd receded, the UN health agency warned. The health agencies underscored that the prevention measure is to hold a safe distance from other people, and minimizing near contact in public places. However, the chance of getting the virus has increased as work resumed, and movement restrictions were lifted. More nations have started implementing preventive measures such as factory closures and the cancellation of public gatherings. South Korea urged residents to live indoors on Saturday after the variety of confirmed instances rose rapidly. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. WASHINGTON (March 2, 2020)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., is awarded amodification (P00016) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0081). This modification exercises an option to procure 29 AE1107C engines for Navy V-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is expected to be completed December 2021. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $21,517,380; and fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $40,883,022 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded acost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-20-F-0521) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0006). This delivery order procures Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) Depot Planning Phase II efforts, including depot level logistics support analysis, engineering support for logistics, supportability analysis, maintenance planning, reliability maintenance, technical manual development and engineering support as it directly correlates to depot planning for the USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78) and USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). Additional efforts include those required to complete the Depot Planning EMALS logistics products necessary in support of an in-service EMALS. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (99.9%); and Tupelo, Mississippi (0.1%), and is expected to be completed February 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,787,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded amodification (P00047) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-14-C-0037). This modification procures hardware and installation support services for the System Functional Demonstrator and Shipset Control Lab sites for the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (95%); and Tupelo, Mississippi (5%), and is expected to be completed December 2021. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,364,470 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded afirm-fixed price modification (P00084) to a previously-awarded fixed-price incentive-firm contract (N00019-14-C-0050). This modification exercises options to procure six low rate initial production lot II VH-92A aircraft, interim contractor support and six cabin interior reconfiguration kits in support of the Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut (50%); Coatesville, Pennsylvania (36%); Owego, New York (10%); Patuxent River, Maryland (3%); and Quantico, Virginia (1%), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $470,813,279 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded amodification (P00036) to a previously-awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-16-C-0048). This modification procures organic capability pilot repair material, technical publications, peculiar support equipment re-design and acquisition and logistical support in support of lot 2 CH-53K aircraft. Work will be performed in Shelton, Connecticut (78%); Stratford, Connecticut (21%); and Cherry Point, North Carolina (1%), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $40,029,200 will be obligated at the time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded anmodification (P00003) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-19-F-2972) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-19-G-0029). This modification provides non-recurring engineering to replace existing subsystems, such as the Data Transfer Unit, Defense Electronic Countermeasure System and ARC-210 radio, with the CH-53K production aircraft. Non-recurring engineering efforts include investigation, systems engineering support, risk analysis, integration development, weight impact, publication updates including maintenance, training, update tooling and qualification testing. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (55.82%); Stratford, Connecticut (35.7%) and Fort Worth, Texas (8.48%), and is expected to be completed in August 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,967,528 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity.No applicable data.No applicable data., is awarded amodification (P00005) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost contract (N00421-19-D-0031). This modification exercises the option to provide contractor owned and operated aircraft to Navy fleet customers, foreign military sales customers, and contractors as well as Department of Defense and other government agencies in support of the Contracted Air Services (CAS) program. The CAS program provides airborne threat simulation capabilities to train shipboard and aircraft squadron weapon systems operators and aircrew on how to counter potential enemy electronic warfare and electronic attack operations in today's electronic combat environment. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia (50%); Coronado, California (40%); and Kauai, Hawaii (10%), and is expected to be completed in February 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded amodification (P00027) to a previously awarded cost reimbursable, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-17-C-0043). This modification provides for the planning and execution of test efforts for aircraft and weapons components through a Milestone C decision to include developmental and operational test and evaluation efforts associated with modifications to existing commercial-off-the-shelf and non-developmental items, which require engineering, design, integration, test and evaluation. This modification also provides contractor services support in administration, engineering and management functions in support of the Naval Test Wing Atlantic, Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in February 2021. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,062,000 and fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $812,739 will be obligated at time of award, $812,739 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded afirm-fixed-price delivery order (N00019-20-F-0573) against basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This delivery order procures 30 A1 G-Model kits and 66 A3 E-Model kits in support of F/A-18E/F and EA-18G modifications. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (86%); St. Louis, Missouri (6%); San Antonio, Texas (6%); and Mesa, Arizona (2%), and is expected to be completed in October 2023. Fiscal 2019 ($3,701,400) and fiscal 2020 ($3,672,000) aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,373,400 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded ancost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure recurring and non-recurring engineering associated with the H-53E (aircraft) and T-64 (battle tank) fuel control production line stand-up. In addition, this contract provides for the procurement of special tooling, test equipment and support equipment. Work will be performed in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,565,275 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0016)., is awarded acost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System (JMEWS). The EMD effort includes the design, integration, test and evaluation of the JMEWS. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (79%); Cincinnati, Ohio (15%); Plymouth, Minnesota (3%); and Rocket Center, West Virginia (3%), and is expected to be completed by November 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,162,342 and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,374,456 will be obligated at time of award, $1,162,342 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0004)., is awarded afirm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost contract to provide hardware, technical engineering, management and logistics support associated with the fabrication, assembly, test and delivery of 235 T-1622/ALE-55(V) Fiber Optic Towed for the Navy and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (48%); Chelmsford, United Kingdom (12%); Mountain View, California (6%); Rochester, New York (4%); San Diego, California (4%); Landenberg, Pennsylvania (3%); Hamilton, New Jersey (2%); Commerce, California (2%); Los Osos, California (2%); Toledo, Ohio (1%); various locations within the continental U.S. (16%), and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2020 procurement of ammunition (Navy and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $13,752,949 and FMS funds in the amount of $7,627,598 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0042)., is awardedfirm-fixed price modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00174-19-D-0001 to exercise the option ordering period for the manufacturing of the 2.75-inch rocket launchers and subcomponents to support Navy, Army, Air Force and the governments of South Korea and Pakistan under the Foreign Military Sales program. This option exercise is for the manufacture of 2.75-inch rocket launchers and subcomponents to support the Army for the M260 and M261 Launchers; the Air Force for the LAU131 Series Launchers; the Navy for the LAU61 and LAU68 Series Launchers and the Intervalometers that will be utilized by all services. Work will be performed in Arnold, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by February 2021. No funding is being obligated at the time of award. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded amodification (P00028) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-17-C-0015) for the manufacture and delivery of two MV-22B variation in quantity aircraft for the Marine Corps and to provide funding for additional repairs in support of the Common Configuration-Readiness and Modernization Program. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (30%); Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (15%); Amarillo, Texas (13%); Red Oak, Texas (3%); East Aurora, New York (3%); Park City, Utah (2%); McKinney, Texas (1%); Endicott, New York (1%); various other locations within the continental U.S. (CONUS) (28%); and various other locations outside CONUS (4%); expected completion by September 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $165,275,894 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity.s is awarded amodification (P00028) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract (N00019-18-C-1048). This modification provides for the stand-up of organic level repair capabilities for the combat aircraft F-35 communications, navigation and information system. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (39%); Fort Worth, Texas (28%); Melbourne, Florida (12%); Genoa, Italy (10%); White Plains, New York (5%); Oslo, Norway (4%); and Beverly, Massachusetts (2%), and is expected to be completed by June 2024. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $70,827,820, fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $35,413,910 and fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $35,413,909 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is awarded anfirm-fixed-price modification (P00013) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-fee contract (N00019-17-C-0030). Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2020. This modification provides for the production and delivery of a fully assembled flight training device for an AH-1Z attack helicopter, excluding software integration, for the government of Bahrain. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $6,259,796 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity. Almost half of parents questioned in a new survey have considered giving up work because of the cost of childcare. The survey of 500 women also found that while almost 12% had experienced some form of online abuse or harassment, almost half chose to ignore it and just one-in-five reported it to the relevant website, its operator, or the gardai. The online survey was conducted on behalf of business group Network Ireland. According to the survey, 49.3% reported that the cost of childcare had made them consider giving up work. Regarding work pressures, 77.49% of women said they deal with work-related emails and calls outside of working hours. It also showed that 47% of those questioned reported feeling discriminated against in the workplace because of their gender. In terms of healthcare, 87% of those surveyed said they felt overwhelmed at times by the pressures of modern life and more than one-in-four said they feel this way every day, while 42% said it occurred on a weekly basis. More than 60% of respondents said they have put off addressing their own health concerns because of cost. The survey also showed that 11.81% of women said they have been the victim of online abuse or harassment. But of those, around 20% reported their experience while 46% chose to ignore it. The president of Network Ireland, Louisa Meehan, said: The fact that so many women consider leaving work because of the cost of having their children cared for is distressing. This is not a choice women in Ireland should have to make. More must be done to support them to continue in their jobs, which 92% of respondents said they like, while ensuring they have access to good childcare. Having children is not a reason to hold women back from progressing their careers it sends out the wrong message to women and to their families. Nearly 90% say they feel overwhelmed at times, and over a quarter of those face it on a daily basis where are the supports for these women? Additional government resources must now be put into helping women cope with the many demands on their talents and resilience, said Ms Meehan. The survey has been released ahead of International Womens Day on March 8. Network Ireland has already held its annual event marking the date at Tulfarris House in Blessington, Co Wicklow. SurfingAttack is an attacking technique that allows to wake up mobile device and control them using voice commands encoded in ultrasonic waves. SurfingAttack is a hacking technique that sees voice commands encoded in ultrasonic waves silently activate a mobile phones digital assistant. The technique could be used to do several actions such as making phone calls or reading text messages. The SurfingAttack technique was presented at the Network and Distributed Systems Security Symposium in California last week. we design a new attack called SurfingAttack that would enable multiple rounds of interactions between the voice-controlled device and the attacker over a longer distance and without the need to be in line-of-sight. reads the research paper published by the experts. By completing the interaction loop of inaudible sound attack, SurfingAttack enables new attack scenarios, such as hijacking a mobile Short Message Service (SMS) passcode, making ghost fraud calls without owners knowledge , etc The experts at Michigan State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Washington University in St Louis in the US, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, tested the SurfingAttack technique on 17 models of gadgets. 13 devices were running Android with Google Assistant, and four were iPhones with Apples Siri. The researchers were able to take control of 15 devices, the technique was ineffective against Samsungs Galaxy Note 10+ and Huaweis Mate 9. We want to raise awareness of such a threat, said Ning Zhang, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at St Louis, on Thursday. I want everybody in the public to know this. The attack scenario sees a laptop located in a separate room from the victims phone. The laptop connects to a waveform generator via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, the generator device must be in proximity of the targets phone. The attacker uses specially crafted voice commands crafted by the laptop via ultrasonic waves and emits them via the generator. The attacker could use a circular piezoelectric disc placed underneath the table that emits the pulses from the generator. Traditional ultrasonic speakers, as used in previous attacks, are not suitable for exciting guided waves in table materials due to their transducer structures. In order to adapt to the solid medium, we utilize a special type of ultrasonic transducer, i.e., piezoelectric (PZT) transducer, to generate ultrasonic guided waves by inducing minor vibrations of the solid materials. continues the paper. However, due to the unique characteristics of ultrasound transmission in different solid materials, the selection of different modes of guided wave can lead to significant differences in the attack outcome, compared to the over-the-air delivery of manipulated signals The inaudible ultrasonic wave is propagated through the table to cause vibrations that are received by the victims phone and activate the digital assistant. The attacker could use a wiretapping device placed underneath the table to record the assistant and relays the audio back to the attackers laptop to decode the response. The researchers published a video PoC of the attack that shows how silent commands transmitted via the pulses instruct the assistant to perform various actions. Experts pointed out that in order to activate the victims smartphone, the attacker has to imitate his voice. Experts explained that the best way to do it is using machine-learning technology. Qiben Yan, first author of the paper and an assistant professor of computer science at Michigan State University, told The Register the team used Lyrebird to mimic voices in their experiment. reported The Register. The researchers explained that the voice assistants must have permission to control the devices to carry out the attack, usually, the assistants only have a limited number of capabilities. Researchers suggest disable voice commands or only allow assistants to receive commands when the phone is unlocked. The team suggested some defense mechanisms that could protect against such an attack. One idea would be the development of phone software that analyzes the received signal to discriminate between ultrasonic waves and genuine human voices, Zhang said. Changing the layout of mobile phones, such as the placement of the microphone, to dampen or suppress ultrasound waves could also stop a surfing attack. conclude the expert. But Zhang said theres a simple way to keep a phone out of harms way of ultrasonic waves: the interlayer -based defense, which uses a soft, woven fabric to increase the impedance mismatch. In other words, put the phone on a tablecloth. Pierluigi Paganini Deysi Crespo is the Executive Director for Katy Christian Ministries, one of the largest Katy-based charities. Crespo first became involved in KCM as a resale store volunteer in 2007. She now leads the charity in its mission of Transforming lives through Gods grace and the generosity of the community. Under her leadership, KCM has grown and expanded and earned numerous awards and distinctions. Your resume is packed with experience in humanitarian efforts, crisis counseling and advocacy. What drew you to work in this field? I wholeheartedly believe that it was driven by my humble beginnings and personal experiences, starting when I was a child. I lived in an underdeveloped country in Central America until I was 7-years-old, under the care of my grandparents, who were raising 11 more grandchildren- my siblings and cousins- in one household. We lived in a poor environment where there was no running water, no commodes or bathtubs or showers, no electricity, no car for transportation, and we were vulnerable to being a victim of war crime. I knew no better. I thought that was normal. It was not until later in life, with all the commodities that one can be privileged with, is when I learned that simple basic needs cannot be taken for granted. Even decades later, in a new century, there are families still in the same situation here in our city, our country and around the world. It was in my undergrad studies in social work that I discovered the beauty of working directly with individuals and families, as well as working in communities at the macro level where, through advocacy, our focus is to create societal change: understanding oppression and diversity, working compassionately for the marginalized and vulnerable populations. Along the way towards completion of my masters in social work with a clinical concentration, reinforced through my trauma fellowship during my time as a therapist intern, I learned that direct client practice and advocacy go hand in hand. I learned that no one is exempt from a crisis. I also realized that we all have our own barriers and resiliency points in how to deal with a crisis. A crisis can be traumatic, and more often than not, crisis counseling is never a top priority. Therefore, advocating on behalf of clients is a must in my line of work. You started out as a volunteer at Katy Christian Ministries before you were employed there. Did your time as a volunteer impact your decision to become an employee? My experience as a volunteer when I started with KCM was one of the best. I volunteered at the resale stores, where I had the opportunity to engage with customers as they shopped. I love to smile, and therefore it was easy for me to welcome everyone with a smile. I later found out about the Crisis Center and the opportunity to volunteer as a support group co-facilitator with a compassionate team of staff helping victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. It was here that I learned a lot. I learned from the individuals receiving the help and from my mentor, the primary support group facilitator. Most importantly, I witnessed victims become resilient survivors. So when the Crisis Center offered me a part-time position as Primary Prevention Specialist for Sexual Abuse, I immediately said yes. I wanted to make a difference in my own community, therefore, it was a no-brainer. I loved KCMs mission from my first day at KCM. Some of the things youve seen working in crisis counseling and advocating for victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence must be deeply upsetting. How do you unwind from that? How do you continue, day after day, to do the work you do despite the things you see? Indeed. It is heart wrenching. But I tell you, I love the fact that we start our day with a prayer. This helps us a lot, and it is actually my favorite part of the day where staff and volunteers come together to pray before our day begins. In addition, when possible, you will see me up on top of the bleachers supporting our Katy Tigers softball team. I also do a lot of driving around, which believe it or not, relaxes me- especially when I travel to Huntsville to go visit my family. I also have to say that Im very proud of the family-culture that weve created at KCM. We are each others support system when the stories we hear and the things we see are very difficult to comprehend. It is comforting to know that KCM is a safe place for victims to come for their healing and recovery. This is what helps me continue to keep going. On the opposite side, what are some of the joys this job has brought you? From the community level perspective, it gives me joy to know that we have an entire community supporting our ministry. I see this through the number of volunteers that come through on a yearly basis. In-kind donations have increased, and monetary support from churches, businesses and individuals continue to sustain the mission. From the direct client service perspective, I find joy in reading the testimonials from individuals who share how they found hope in times of darkness and despair. This fills my heart, and its the fuel I need to keep on pressing forward. I love seeing the smiles on families as they leave our facilities. What are the biggest challenges youve faced in your position? There are a lot of challenges I face daily that impact our clients and community as a whole. It is difficult to rank them in order, because to me, they are all equally important. But Ill start with the most obvious one. As a nonprofit, we rely on community support. I have a budget to follow- one that I must lead my team to successful fruition of funding to support the mission. However, as we increase in programs or unexpected growth in population seeking services, I find the need for additional funding makes it even more challenging when existing needs have to be met. The other challenges we face daily as we engage our clients in goals toward resiliency and self-sufficiency are the lack of affordable housing, shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, shelter for the homeless and transportation, to name a few. KCM has flourished under your leadership. KCM was even recently awarded a 4-Star rating by Charity Navigator, which is a very illustrious honor. What do you think has contributed to that success? Im truly blessed to work with a team of professionals who care deeply for the work they do. I give this honor to the staff and volunteers because they are the ones performing, measuring and growing along with their respective teams. I love how my key leaders come together for planning, execution and ensuring accountability and transparency. Looking to the future, what are some of the things youd like to see KCM accomplish? I am praying for a new space to house our existing programs and those programs to be added in the future. We have outgrown our facilities, which is a challenge in itself. To acquire a new space though, we will need to raise funds to support the capital needed to make this dream come true. In January of this year, the KCM board of directors approved the 2021-2025 strategic plan with a new vision, Self-sufficient communities through Christs love. My next step is to conduct a needs assessment, which will launch in March of 2020. KCM has so many different community outreach events, and most of them are really fun. Whats your favorite annual KCM event? Related: Katy Christian Ministries to host 21st annual golf tournament This is a hard question because I love them all. I love our two main fundraisers- KCM Annual Gala and Golf Tournament because they are fun, theres fellowship, and they provide the general support I need to fulfill the mission. However, an event that pulls on my heartstring is the Santas Sleigh, our Christmas program for children and senior citizens of low-income households. Its special for me because being a child of extreme poverty, I did not get to enjoy what one would consider a traditional Christmas of receiving and giving gifts. So rallying our community to grant these opportunities to our local families who would otherwise not receive gifts is very rewarding. claire.goodman@chron.com People arrive from Wuhan, China, aboard a chartered Boeing 747 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas on Feb 7, 2020. (Billy Calzada/The San Antonio Express-News via AP) CDC Released Texas Patient Who Later Tested Positive for New Coronavirus The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a patient from isolation in San Antonio, Texas, after two tests returned negative for the new coronavirus, but the person later tested positive. The patient met the criteria for release, including two negative test results and a lack of symptoms, the federal agency said in a statement, but later returned to isolation after a pending, subsequent lab test came up positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. Following the patients release, results of a subsequent sample were received, and determined to be weakly positive. Out of an abundance of caution, CDC decided to bring the individual back into isolation at a local medical facility, the agency stated. The patient did come into contact with others after their release and federal and local authorities are following up with those people to notify them of their potential risk. American evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship arrive at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2020. (Edward A. Ornelas/Getty Images) Much is now known about the virus, including the cycle of infection, leading the CDC to require a patient to have two negative test results from specimens taken more than 24 hours apart. The cycle seen in the patient held in Texas is longer than what has been previously seen, the agency stated. The patient was part of a group evacuated from Wuhan, China, earlier this year. The new virus emerged in that city late last year. Local officials condemned the release of the patient. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called what happened unacceptable, adding, We will hold the CDC accountable to provide complete transparency for the public. U.S. passengers who evacuated off the quarantined cruise ship the Diamond Princess and officials wait for the takeoff of a Kalitta Air airplane at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Feb. 17, 2020. (Cheryl and Paul Molesky via AP) Nirenberg accused the CDC of not following guidance from medical experts and noted a group of Americans flown from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan were slated to be released from quarantine on March 2. I have asked the CDC to do everything in their power to ensure that those who are released pose no risk to the community, he said. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said that he has repeatedly raised concerns about evacuees and called for extended quarantines. Letters he sent in February went unanswered, he said. Our federal representatives, the CDC, and the U.S. Department of Defense cannot and should not ignore us now. We are in dire need of additional resources and protocols immediately to include longer quarantine periods and the opening of appropriate facilities such as the Alabama facility or the San Antonio Military Medical Center. Please do not delay any longer and risk local transmission, he wrote in a statement. Eleven evacuees under quarantine in Texas have previously tested positive for the new virus. The number includes nine who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess, one who was flown out of Wuhan, and one who was quarantined at a military base in California before being transferred to a base in San Antonio. DUBLIN, OHIO -- In a crowded field of competition, Wendy's strategy to win over breakfast customers includes spending big on advertising and poking fun at rivals. Within the fast-food industry, breakfast is the only meal that is seeing more customers return to restaurants compared to a year ago. For chains like McDonald's and Dunkin', the early morning meal plays an important role in their overall business. Breakfast accounted for 16% of fast-food chains' traffic in the 12 months ended Nov. 2019, according to data from the NPD Group. "As restaurants, and especially when you talk about a breakfast war, you tend to be competing for consumers that are already breakfast consumers. The challenge is to expand that pie," Technomic senior principal David Henkes said. Wendy's is betting that breakfast will eventually account for 10% of its U.S. sales. To drive those sales, Wendy's will use national advertising campaigns to promote the meal for the first time, starting Monday to coincide with the nationwide launch. Its past attempts at breakfast never expanded beyond regional tests, which meant it could only use local advertising to draw in customers. Wendy's CFO Gunther Plosch told analysts on Wednesday that the chain plans to spend between $70 million to $80 million in 2020 on advertising for breakfast, increasing its total media spend by about 30%. The company will contribute between $40 million to $50 million. The chain is not planning on pulling any advertising dollars for lunch or dinner. Other fast-food chains that serve breakfast are expected to step up their own marketing to compete with Wendy's. "There's clearly a renewed vigor in defending each restaurant chain's turf," Henkes said. McDonald's, which has been trying to reverse weak breakfast traffic trends, started offering a national 2 for $4 promotion Feb. 24 on several of its breakfast sandwiches. The Chicago-based company has declared Monday "National Egg McMuffin Day" and plans to give away free Egg McMuffins. "We have to win at breakfast," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski told analysts in late January. "There's obviously a lot of focus and attention that we're going to be putting on that in 2020." Wendy's anticipates that more breakfast rivals will discount their food and coffee to stave off competition from the new entry. At the invitation of Mr. Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Customs and WCO Vice-Chair for the North of Africa, Near and Middle East (MENA) region, WCO Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya attended the Regional Meeting of Directors General of Customs held in Cairo, Egypt on 1 March 2020. The Meeting brought together representatives from 16 Members of the region, the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) and the League of Arab States. The Office of the Vice-Chair presented an update on WCO activities, including the outcomes of the 82nd Session of the WCO Policy Commission held in December 2019 in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the pilot project on the use of additional languages at the WCO and the WCO Strategic Plan for 2019-2022. With regard to the Strategic Plan, the Secretary General outlined the key activities being implemented under its nine priority areas. He drew participants attention to the Environmental Scan as a key strategic document for identifying priority areas of work and highlighted the importance of Communications in the Customs context. Lastly, Dr. Mikuriya introduced the WCOs theme for 2020: Customs fostering Sustainability for People, Prosperity and the Planet. He concluded by underscoring the high priority to be given by Customs to environmental protection. Members also discussed the topic of transit and the work underway concerning the study of systems for electronic cargo tracking, exchange of electronic certificates of origin, and electronic exchange of information in general. The ROCB reported on its recent activities and participants expressed their support for the establishment of a more sustainable approach to capacity building in the region, including the requirement to enhance the needs assessment process and increase the pool of available experts to support the delivery of activities. Members welcomed the official establishment of a new WCO Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Kuwait, and acknowledged the hope expressed by Qatar Customs to have its facilities recognized as a WCO RTC in the near future. (Alliance News) - Lekoil Ltd on Monday admitted its due diligence over a fraudulent loan was not strong enough, though stressed no employees were complicit. At the start of January, Lekoil agreed on a USD184.0 million loan with the Qatar Investment Authority to help fund work on the Ogo field off the coast of Nigeria. However, later that month it was revealed the party offering the loan was not from the QIA, and Lekoil confirmed it had been duped by fake investors. It paid USD450,000 to Seavave Investment Ltd, which acted as an introducer to those claiming to be from the QIA. Shares were 8.1% lower on Monday morning in London at 2.94 pence each. When the loan was originally announced, they reached 10.50p, before crashing following the revelation of fraud. An independent committee was set up to investigate the matter. Kroll Associates UK Ltd acted as third-party forensic investigators, and Herbert Smith Freehills LLP provided legal counsel. The investigation has found "no evidence of any complicity of any Lekoil director of employee", the company said Monday. The interaction with the fake investors was led by Chief Executive Olalekan Akinyanmi. Lekoil said the fraud was "relatively elaborate and sophisticated" but should have been picked up in due diligence, which the investigation found to be "inadequate". Lekoil will be looking to recover the USD450,000 paid to Seawave, though stressed this may not be possible. It will also be review corporate governance practices and procedures. Chair Samuel Adegboyega commented: "First of all, I would like to thank the committee for leading the review and the provision of the detailed findings to the board. "The board will seek, as a priority, to improve its standards of corporate governance and we welcome the recommendations received from the committee, which are in the process of being implemented." By George Collard; georgecollard@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Sydney, Australia Mon, March 2, 2020 11:43 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067af2aa 2 World #Australia,#coronavirus,spreading,border-areas,overseas Free Australia's chief medical officer said on Monday it was no longer possible to completely prevent people with the coronavirus from entering the country, citing concerns about outbreaks in Japan and South Korea. Australia, one of the first countries to put restrictions on its borders in a bid to limit the spread of the virus, confirmed its first death from the disease on Sunday. "It is no longer possible to absolutely prevent new cases coming in," Brendan Murphy, Australia's Chief Medical Officer, told reporters in Canberra. "We have got concerns about Japan and South Korea. They are working hard to control their outbreaks but we are still concerned that people in those countries and other high risk countries may present with an infection." Australia has reported 29 cases of coronavirus, including the weekend death, but there has been no community transmission. The 78-year-old man who died was a passenger on the Diamond Princess ship that was held off Japan's coast for weeks. The man and his wife, who also has the virus, were transferred back to Australia for treatment. Australia barred entry from Feb. 1 to any foreigners who had travelled through China in the two weeks prior to arriving in Australia. It extended that ban to Iran on Sunday. Both bans are in force until at least March 7. Australian citizens and permanent residents are exempted. China, the epicentre of the outbreak, retains the bulk of the infections with more than 86,500 cases. However, it has since spread to 53 countries, with more than 6,500 cases and more than 100 deaths. The majority of the deaths outside of China have come from outbreaks in recent days in South Korea, Italy and Iran. Murphy said travel bans were "a way of slowing things down" as he urged any Australians returning from Italy or South Korea who work in the healthcare sector to self-quarantine for two weeks. However, he said the outbreaks in Italy and South Korea, while large, were confined and localised, meaning that further travel bans to Australia were not necessary. Thousands of Chinese visitors and students have been barred from entering Australia, damaging the country's important tourism and education sectors at a critical time for the country's A$2 trillion ($1.31 trillion) economy. Some economists have warned that economic growth could reverse in the current quarter if the epidemic becomes a pandemic, threatening the country's almost three-decade long period of recession-free expansion. Canadians are now being told to prepare for a possible novel coronavirus pandemic. The current COVID-19 outbreak declared a public health emergency of global concern by the World Health Organization is only the latest example of what to expect as our planets growing and increasingly mobile population provides more opportunities for transmission of pathogens. Theres nothing like a global epidemic to remind us just how interconnected we all are on Earth. For a long time, we behaved otherwise: medical doctors looked after people, veterinarians treated animals and ecologists attended to the environment. That fragmented approach to health and disease is no longer good enough. From SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) to MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) to the current outbreak, the common thread is the interconnectedness of humans, animals and the environment. Most new infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they come from animals. As with SARS and MERS, the virus causing this new outbreak likely jumped directly from a bat to a human or indirectly through another animal host. Scott Weese, director of the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses at the University of Guelph, says its estimated that more than 1 million undiscovered viruses exist in nature. The more closely we interact with animals and their environments, the more likely we are to encounter a new zoonotic virus. Our changing world is setting up the conditions to enable just that. Climate change allows insects and animals to exploit new habitats. Human activity urbanization, global travel, movement of animals across borders means people and animals increasingly bump up against each other. Those creatures can carry disease-causing organisms, enabling a new pathogen to spread widely and quickly. Its a 21st century version of the butterfly effect: When a bat flaps its wings, a storm of infection occurs halfway around the world. As with SARS, COVID-19 is believed to have arrived through wild animal species sold at markets. But the solution is bigger than simply avoiding live animal markets. We need to look for one health solutions that bring together human, animal and environmental components. That means looking beyond human health alone to prevent, track and mitigate these diseases in animals. Before West Nile virus became a problem for people, for instance, it was first identified in birds. We know that birds and pigs are classic sources of disease or intermediate hosts for passing along infections, such as the H1N1 virus that caused the 2009 flu pandemic. We need to maintain surveillance networks that track diseases in domestic animals and wildlife and that provide early warnings about potential human health threats. Pigs are also ideal mixing vessels for viruses. We need to monitor animals for potential recombining of flu viruses that could yield a new strain infecting people. The H1N1 pandemic, for example, occurred after bird, swine and human flu viruses combined to create a new flu strain. A similar concern arose with canine influenza in Canada in 2018. The disease infected only dogs, so experts werent worried about people getting sick directly. But there was a possibility that a canine flu virus might mix with a human flu virus to create a novel strain that we werent ready for. We also need experts studying the genetic makeup of viruses to predict which animal species might be affected. Understanding the genetic basis of how coronavirus attaches to an animals cells might help us predict which species it might infect next. The University of Guelphs newly formed One Health Institute, a community of practice for interdisciplinary experts and educators, is another example of ensuring human health through improved animal health. Dealing with the next disease outbreak and there will be one will require us to more closely connect through a one health approach that accounts for the health of humans, animals and the natural world. Jeff Wichtel is the dean of the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. Read more about: Syrian government forces and their allies retook early Monday a key northwestern town days after losing it to rebel forces, pro-government media and an opposition war monitor said. The town's recapture comes escalating and direct clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces that could signal a new stage in the war. Turkey backs fighters in Syria's Idlib province, where the last remaining rebel forces in the country are holed up, and has sent thousands of troops into the area. The fighting has also sparked one of the war's worst humanitarian crisis, with almost one million Syrian civilians fleeing toward the sealed Turkish border. Syrian activists said Turkish drone strikes killed more than 90 Syrian government forces and allied fighters. Turkey has lost 54 soldiers in February, including 33 killed Thursday in a single airstrike. Outraged, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his country's European borders were open Saturday for thousands of migrants and refugees as he sought to pressure Europe to help Turkey handle the fallout from the war in Syria. The new gains at Saraqeb on the ground also bring the last segment of a highway that links the capital Damascus and the major northern city of Aleppo under government control. The highway was reopened late last month before insurgents seized Saraqeb, which sits on the highway, last week. On Sunday, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military downed a Turkish drone, a major escalation in the direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies regained control of Saraqeb after fighting with al-Qaida-linked militants. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops captured the town under the cover of airstrikes by the Russian air force. Syrian government forces have captured dozens of villages since they launched a Russian-backed offensive in Idlib in early December leaving hundreds of civilians dead and displacing more than 950,000 triggering a humanitarian crisis. Amid the rising tensions bewteen Turkey and Russia's ally Syria, Turkish broadcasters reported that Erdogan would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 5. The trip was later confirmed in a message to journalists. Search Keywords: Short link: Delhi judge Dharmendra Rana on Monday stopped the execution of the four Delhi gang-rape and murder convicts, barely 13 hours before the four were to walk to the gallows at Tihar prison tomorrow morning. The judge ruled that a last-minute mercy petition filed by Pawan Gupta - the last of the four to file the plea - is still pending with Rashtrapati Bhavan. I am of the opinion that the death sentence cannot be executed pending the disposal of the mercy petition of the convict. It is hereby directed that the execution of death warrants against all the convicts scheduled for 03.03.2020 at 6 am if deferred till further orders, the judge said in his order. Reacting to stay on the executions for the third time, the victims mother blamed the failure of the system and the government. This is the failure of the system and the government which has led to the delay of the execution. Till the time the convicts are not hanged, I will not be relieved. she said. Also read| Our system supports criminals: Delhi gang-rape victims mother after court defers convicts execution Earlier Monday, the judge had rejected Pawans request to stop the executions yet again but reserved the order because the convict had petitioned the President to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment. Pawan Guptas lawyer A P Singh had filed the mercy plea shortly after the Supreme Court dismissed the convicts curative petition Monday morning. A curative petition is the last judicial resort available to a convict for redressal against the final judgment. The Supreme Court had dismissed curative petitions filed by two other convicts, Mukesh Singh and Vinay Sharma on January 14. The curative petition filed by the third convict, Akshay Thakur was dismissed on January 30. Earlier in the morning, Justice Rana also underlined during the hearing that Pawan Gupta had missed the seven-day deadline that the Delhi high court had set last month for the convicts to avail their legal remedies. The court had first issued the death warrant against the four convicts on January 7, 2020 and scheduled their execution on January 22. The execution date was postponed twice, first to February 1 and then to March 3. In December 2012, five men and a juvenile had raped and brutalised a young para-medic student in a moving bus in Delhi before throwing her and a male friend out of the vehicle. The victim later died of injuries a fortnight later in a Singapore hospital. One of the accused committed suicide in Tihar jail during the trial. The brutality of the crime had provoked nationwide outrage that brought tens of thousands of people on the streets and led to a major overhaul of laws relating to crimes against women A 42-year-old farmer from a remote village here in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, Bharat Bhushan, has been selected for the prestigious 'Innovative Farmer Award' by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Bhushan will receive the award in New Delhi on the concluding day of the 'Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2020' on Tuesday for innovative farming by bringing 62 acres of land under aromatic plant (lavender) cultivation. The farmer, who was on the Below Poverty Line (BPL) list, attributed the change in his fortunes to an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a live video conference four years ago. "We used to sow maize and vegetables on our two kanals (0.4 acres) land, earning a meagre Rs 15,000 annually. But after turning to aromatic plants, we took additional land on lease and started growing lavender, and got a turnover of Rs three lakhs a year," Bhushan, a resident of the inaccessible Lehrote-Khellani hamlet in Bhalla tehsil, told PTI. This is the first time that a farmer from Doda has bagged the prestigious national award. Displaying the letter sent to him by the Centre for Agricultural Technology Assessment and Transfer, IARI, New Delhi, Bhushan said his idea of turning to lavender cultivation was initially opposed even by his family. He said when he floated the idea of shifting from traditional maize cultivation to aromatic plant farming in 2010, his fellow villagers made fun of him and even his family members disapproved the idea. "But I put my foot down and took the risk. Luckily, I made good returns after the first harvest," Bhushan added. He claimed it was initially very difficult and costly to get access to lavender seedlings but things changed for the better after he managed to interact with the prime minister during a live video conference session. "That was the turning point of my life as on the same day in 2016, the government started its aroma mission," Bhushan added. "Today, we get saplings free of cost and my profit has increased to Rs 3 lakhs per harvest, besides, I am providing direct employment to many people," he claimed. Bhushan's farm is now a sought-after destination for agricultural scientists and farmers. It has been selected for field training by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Doda, and the Department of Agriculture. KVK Doda in-charge Narinder Paul congratulated Bhushan and said, "This is the first time that a farmer from Doda district has won the prestigious IARI Innovative Farmer Award. The award is not only a recognition for the farmer but a testimony to KVK's persistent efforts for farmer promotion as well." "Bhushan not only employed himself but is also providing direct and indirect employment to 60 other people. He alone started from a small piece of land and today 500 kanals (62.5 acre) and nearly 100 farmers are associated with the progressive farmer in lavender cultivation," Paul added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Less than a week before Super Tuesday, the crowded Democratic primary field suddenly shrank by three, as Tom Steyer, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar decided to give up the ghost before suffering what they expected to be miserable defeats just days later. But their sudden departures raise a problem: with the states having already printed their ballots, many millions of Americans will still have a chance to vote for them. So what happens if they do? Where a candidate drops out after a states ballots were printed, they will still appear on them; voters will still be able to vote for them, and their votes will still be counted. This is the case in California, where the ballot will include 20 candidates not just Sanders, Biden and so on, but also long-gone candidates like Cory Booker and Andrew Yang. The question in that case becomes whether voters are aware the candidate has dropped out, or whether theyre still so devoted to them that they give them a valedictory vote regardless. 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 Things are different for people whove already voted for a dropout candidate by absentee ballot. In some states, a growing proportion of primary votes are cast by mail, meaning a great many may already have been sent in by the time Steyer and Buttigieg gave up the ghost. Voters whove already mailed in ballots for the two men will not, in most states, be able to withdraw their vote or reallocate it to a different candidate, though thats often because of the candidates timing. In Minnesota, for instance, it is possible to change an absentee vote after its been cast but only up to a week before polling day, too late for Buttigieg and Steyer voters to back somebody else. However, in many states, voters whove received their absentee ballots but not mailed them in yet will be able to show up to polling stations and vote in person, even if their unposted ballot is marked for a candidate whos dropped out. One other thing to remember: because Buttigieg won pledged delegates in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, votes cast for him earlier in the primary were, technically, not for nothing. There is a difference between formally withdrawing from the race and suspending a campaign. If a candidate merely suspends, as Buttigieg has, they can retain some control of their pledged delegates, in theory allowing them to exert influence or act as kingmaker at a contested convention. But even though this years Democratic convention is shaping up to be a tense affair, with talk of a floor fight growing louder, Buttigieg leaves the race with only 26 pledged delegates to his name out of a total 3,979. German chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to shake hands at a reception in Stralsund due to risk of infection. (Stefan Sauer/Picture alliance via Getty Images) The number of coronavirus cases in Europes largest economy surpassed 135 on Monday, with cases reported in 10 of Germanys 16 states. North Rhine-Westphalia, the countrys most populous state, is the worst-hit with over 70 confirmed cases. Coronavirus has now reached the capital Berlin, with authorities reporting that a young man admitted to the Charite hospital on Sunday had tested positive. He had previously been in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia. German citizens have started panic buying supplies of disinfectants, tinned foods, and toilet paper. Many pharmacies across Germany have run out of hand-sanitizers and supermarket shelves have been cleared of supplies. "The pharmacies in North Rhine-Westphalia sold as much disinfectant last week as they normally did in two years," Thomas Preis, head of the North Rhine-Westphalian Pharmacists' Association told Rheinische Post newspaper. Read more: European stocks surge as central banks pledge to tackle coronavirus Finance minister Olaf Scholz told Die Welt newspaper that the government would consider buoying up the German economy, which is heavily reliant on exports. "If the situation calls for it, we have the means to launch a fiscal stimulus package," Scholz said. The countrys interior minister Horst Seehofer said on Sunday that he does not expect a vaccine against coronavirus to be available before the end of the year. He said the scenario where Germany would seal off regions or towns would be a last resort." Germanys confirmed coronavirus cases far exceed the UK, where 35 people have tested positive. Meanwhile, Italy, the epicentre of the virus in Europe, saw a surge in the number of cases on Sunday to 1,694, with 34 deaths, as the economy braces for a meltdown. Lufthansa (LHA.DE) said on Friday that it plans to cut the number of short-and-medium haul flights by about 25% and ground 23 long-haul planes in the coming weeks due to the accelerated spread of the coronavirus. It is also extending its flight ban to China to the end of April. Story continues Read more: Geneva Motor Show cancelled as coronavirus pushes Swiss to ban large events The airline which is due to report earnings on 19 March, said it was currently impossible to assess the financial impact of the virus on its business at this stage. Its share price tumbled by about 20% in Frankfurt last week. Berlin announced on Friday that this weeks International Tourism Fair was cancelled. The worlds largest tourism fair, which was due to begin today, attracts well over 100,000 visitors and 10,000 exhibitors. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK Tajiks go to polls in parliamentary elections Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 11:04 AM People in Tajikistan are going to the polls in parliamentary elections, to pick 63 lawmakers from candidates of seven political parties, who are competing for the lower house of legislature. Among the seven parties are the ruling People's Democratic Party of President Imomali Rakhmon and the opposition Social Democrat Party, which has openly criticized the president. 240 candidates will be competing for the country's lower house of parliament. 176 of them will run for parliament in 41 single-mandate constituencies and 65 others will compete for 22 seats in a single nationwide district. From the officially registered candidates, 48 are women. Members of the lower house are directly elected for a five-year term, according to a mixed majoritarian-proportional system. Of the 63 lawmakers, 41 will be elected from single-mandate districts, with the winning candidate requiring a majority of votes cast. If no candidate receives a majority, a second round is held within two weeks between the two leading candidates. From those, who registered to vote, more than 50 percent need to cast their ballots for the election to be valid; otherwise, repeat elections must be held. More than 4.5 million people are eligible to vote, including migrants residing abroad. International observers will be monitoring the elections, according to local media. The last parliamentary vote in Tajikistan, held in 2015, was marred by allegations of fraud. Critics accused the government of clamping down on opposition groups and individuals. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ReloQuest is honored to have won the Serviced Apartment Global Award for Best Short-Term Rental Platform in 2019 from International Hospitality Media-Serviced Apartment Awards-selected for making an impact for customers, driving innovation, and serviced apartment adoption. At ReloQuest, we attribute much of our success to our in-house engineering team, who continually advance the technology by working hand-in-hand with our product team to transform concepts to completed solutions. Lead by ReloQuest CTO, Ilan Berkner, the team looks ahead to solve today's client challenges and prepare Clients, and ReloQuest Verified Suppliers for the future of travel management in a sector that grew by seven percent in 2019 to a total of $115 billion according to Skift research. Our team of skilled engineers, designers, and project managers work in a highly collaborative cross-functional environment to continuously improve and transform how ReloQuest serves its clients and, in turn, how the rental accommodations and hospitality sector does business. Ilan Berkner, CTO stated, "Our team continues to put our customers first. We understand the importance of ensuring that our first to market solutions correspond to the complex, demanding and real-time environments our customers operate in. Together with our product team, we listen and work to quickly introduce new features to further enhance collaboration and integration with our customers." ReloQuest is the industry leader and the only housing platform that provides an independent, unbiased, and fully transparent solution to global mobility clients and individuals in need of sourcing serviced apartments, corporate housing, and hotels worldwide. ReloQuest provides access to the largest global marketplace and has altered the competitive landscape for temporary housing by giving suppliers equal visibility and facilitating global reach to corporate housing, serviced apartments and hotels in most cities around the world. ReloQuest represents a network of Verified Suppliers in 92+ countries, including North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. A streamlined guest experience, images of property options, and insightful metrics via award-winning technology are available to clients and travelers at the press of a button on the ReloQuest platform. Real-time data and business intelligence reporting provide an overall view of the client's business, market trends, spends by departments, cost savings, cost compliance, budget variance, reservation, and average rates. About ReloQuest: ReloQuest integrates clients, suppliers, and guests throughout the process of their relocation. A transparent and intuitive business solution, ReloQuest increases efficiency up to a reported 80%, assists in determining the best options, reports data, provides actionable insight, and impacts ROI. Select and manage a global supply chain, analyze reservation data, create flexible workflows, and integrate with relocation management software. Based in Sunrise Florida, ReloQuest is online at http://www.ReloQuest.com. To request a demo call: 855-ReloQst (735-6778). Contact: Jgiordano@reloquest.com 954-422-0756 Mobile Director of Global Marketing Communications www.ReloQuest.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097440/ReloQuest_Inc_SAA_2020.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/964501/ReloQuest_Logo.jpg Related Links http://www.ReloQuest.com SOURCE ReloQuest Inc. Covering the coronavirus story requires careful navigation and constant attention. organizations trying to responsibly report on the growing health crisis are confronted with the task of conveying its seriousness without provoking panic, keeping up with a torrent of information while much remains a mystery and continually advising readers and viewers how to stay safe. It's a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week, around-the-world story, said Michael Slackman, international editor at The New York Times. The Times maintains a live blog about the coronavirus that is refreshed 24 hours a day, with editors in New York, London and Hong Kong dividing responsibility. The Slack channel set up by Associated Press journalists to discuss coverage among themselves and contribute to the story has 388 members. Starting Monday, NBC is turning its morning newsletter solely into a vehicle for talking about the disease. The coronavirus has sickened thousands, quarantined millions and sent financial markets reeling all while some cultural critics say the story is overblown. It's hard to tell people to put something into context and to calm down when the actions being taken in many cases are very strong or unprecedented, said Glen Nowak, director of the Grady College Center for Health and Risk Communication at the University of Georgia. But that's what journalists in charge of coverage say they need to do. We have been providing a lot of explainers, Q-and-A's, trying to lay out in clear, simple language what the symptoms are and what the disease means for people, said Jon Fahey, health and science editor at the AP. Fear is a natural response when people read about millions of people locked down in China, he said. Yet it's also true that, right now, the individual risk to people is very small. Late last week, the Times' Vivian Wang tried to illustrate some of the complexities in writing about a disease that has struck more than 80,000 people, with a death toll approaching 3,000. Most people have mild symptoms good fortune that paradoxically can make the disease harder to contain because many won't realize they have the coronavirus, she noted. I keep reminding the viewers that still, based on two very large studies, the vast majority of people who get this infection are not going to get sick, said Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN's medical correspondent. They're going to have a mild illness, if any, and they're going to recover. This tends to be very reassuring to people. But I don't want to minimize this. We're dealing with something that is growing and becoming a legitimate pandemic. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Venezuela's Guaido claims Maduro trying to kill him Venezuela's interim president Juan Guaido was calling on people to rally on March 10, when he hopes to retake control of the National Assembly. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido accused the government of trying to kill him while he was taking part in an anti-government rally Saturday in Lara state. "MADURO IS A COWARD" "The cowardly dictatorship tried to assassinate me," Guaido said in a video posted on social media. "Nicolas Maduro is a coward who cannot go out on the streets and so he sends armed groups," he added, referring to Venezuelas president. A photo posted on Twitter shows a masked man pointing a gun toward a group of opposition activists, including Guaido, who claimed his vehicle was hit by more than nine bullets. "They shot, they fired guns near us, they aimed at me, but that's not going to make us back down," said Guaido. "INTERNATIONAL ALERT" His office published an "international alert" calling on the governments of other countries to "decisively and fearlessly increase the measures and pressure exerted against the tyranny headed by Nicolas Maduro. The events were condemned by the United States and Luis Almagro, secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS). The US government rejects the "acts of desperation and violence" against the demonstration led by Guaido, the US Foreign Office for the Venezuelan embassy in Caracas said in a post on its official Twitter account. It said the attack was "another reminder of how the world must defend Venezuela" and stressed that "democracy cannot be intimidated." Click the photo to write a caption and have a chance to win a free subscription to the Norfolk Daily News. The Department of Health and Human Services stripped from a government website HIV/AIDS educational material that featured condoms, calling the images "unapproved," according to official correspondence obtained by Kaiser Health News. The images had been included in a 2017 fact sheet posted by HHS' Office on Women's Health to mark National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. A directive to remove it from HHS servers was contained in an Aug. 1, 2017, email from a junior department employee to Palladian Partners, a federal contractor that specializes in communications about health and science education. The condoms were featured on a fact sheet and included in a social media campaign on Facebook intended to spread messages on how to reduce HIV transmission among women and girls. "Since it contains the unapproved condom imagery, we were hoping you could remove this file from the server," the government official wrote. The document which wasn't publicly linked on the agency's WomensHealth.gov website at the time - was removed from the government's server that morning. Kaiser Health News was provided the HHS emails by American Oversight, a left-leaning, nonprofit government watchdog group that obtained them in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The HHS agency's website lists abstinence as its first form of prevention, saying, "The best way to prevent HIV is to not have vaginal, oral, or anal sex or share needles at any time." It then mentions condoms. For those who are sexually active, condoms are widely recognized as the most effective method for preventing HIV and other diseases, if used correctly. Experts also say condom use should be promoted as part of a broader prevention strategy along with safe-sex behaviors, increased testing and medication such as pre-exposure prophylaxis - commonly known as PrEP. "To me, it should be PrEP, it should be condoms, it should be contraception. To me, that's more realistic for women," said Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, a New York University professor who specializes in HIV/AIDS prevention. "It should be together." Palladian Partners is a communications firm owned by Altarum, which says it is in the business of helping "federal and state agencies and other organizations improve health outcomes." Palladian worked with HHS' women's health office as part of a larger contract with Hager Sharp, another communications company. "All people deserve accessible information about health and science," reads a blurb from Amy Ewing, vice president of Palladian Partners, in explaining Palladian's mission on its website. "Using social marketing and plain language, we connect audiences to the messages they need to live better, healthier lives." Palladian's contract to provide communications support to the women's health office ended in June. While the firm would make recommendations about content, HHS made final decisions about materials on its website. The firm did not make a recommendation about the removal of condom imagery, according to its president, Beth Maloney. In 2017, women accounted for 1 in 5 new HIV diagnoses, according to HHS. More than 236,000 adult and adolescent women were living with a diagnosed HIV infection in the U.S. at the end of 2017, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An HHS spokesperson declined to comment on whether the decision to take down fact sheets with the condom images which appeared in the department's 2016 materials as well - was part of a broader department policy to not include condom images in HIV/AIDS educational materials. HHS still mentions condoms as a prevention tool on some websites and fact sheets. "HHS routinely reviews and updates online content, which may include revision or removal of content that is no longer current, underutilized or available elsewhere," the spokesperson said, adding that the 2017 fact sheet was removed "as part of routine maintenance" and no approval "seems to have occurred" for the 2016 and 2017 images. HHS in recent years has been criticized for removing information and health resources from government websites, including content related to LGBT health that previously appeared on WomensHealth.gov. HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, which oversees the women's health office, was led by Dr. Don Wright when the emails about unapproved condom images were sent. Wright, who had been the division's acting head, is a career civil servant and has worked for administrations of both Democratic and Republican presidents. He was succeeded in February 2018 by Dr. Brett Giroir, a political appointee nominated by President Donald Trump. The Office on Women's Health periodically changes its educational messages related to HIV prevention for women and girls; in 2016 and 2017, the theme was "The Best Defense Is a Good Offense." Associated promotional logos designed for social media and documents displayed multicolored images of individual condoms. For 2018 and 2019, the message had changed to "HIV Prevention Starts With Me." Government-issued promotional materials emphasized HIV testing and taking prevention medication, in particular PrEP. The fact sheets did not mention condoms. HHS has made boosting access to PrEP a major part of Trump's goal to halt new transmissions of HIV in the United States by 2030, an initiative he announced during his 2019 State of the Union address. "We've secured a donation of prevention medication for 200,000 uninsured Americans. We've made planning grants to the 57 jurisdictions that account for half of the new infections in America. And we've already started implementation in four jurisdictions," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a speech to department employees in early February. "That is an incredible set of results in one year." The most recent HHS materials included more information about taking medication to reduce risk, but less detail on other aspects of prevention - notably on what constitutes safe-sex practices. For example, fliers from 2018 and 2019 encouraged women and girls to "practice safe sex" but did not elaborate. HHS declined to comment on this change. "I think for any demographic it's too vague. What does that mean? Everyone has a different threshold," said Kim Molnar with The AIDS Institute, a patient advocacy organization. An earlier version of the flier, from 2016, went into greater detail about behaviors that are protective against HIV infection, for women and girls as well as their partners - including using condoms every time they have sex, not abusing drugs or alcohol and engaging in sexual activity with a monogamous partner. However, Guilamo-Ramos said the 2016 documents could have benefited from more context about certain populations at higher risk for HIV infection. The federal government sponsors HIV/AIDS awareness days every year for different groups, including young people, gay men, African Americans and Latinos. The one for women and girls is held every year on March 10. This year, HHS said, it will stick with the theme of the past two years. Bernie Sanders may become the Democrats presidential nominee whether West Texas party members are ready or not. After wins in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, the Sanders campaign train is moving full throttle into Super Tuesday, which includes primary elections in Texas. It is quite a change from 2016 when Sanders was playing second fiddle to Hillary Clinton. Even in Texas, which is not exactly a mecca for Democratic socialists, Sanders is polling at or near the top. A poll from the University of Texas and Texas Tribune show the Vermont senator collecting 24 percent of Democrats surveyed. Former Vice President Joe Biden was second at 22 percent, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was third at 15 percent. A poll from University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, reported this past week on The Hill.com, showed Biden and Sanders virtually in a dead heat at 22.5 and 22.1 percent, respectively. Warren was again third at 18.5 percent. I have talked to lots of people and would have to say there is some support for Bernie out here, said Cathy Broadrick, one of two Democrats on the ballot for Midland County party chair. (His support) is most concentrated in younger people but there are many lifelong Dems who are favorable for Bernie. Both Broadrick and Kristin Hanggi, the other candidate for party chair, said there is plenty of support for candidates across the board. Former Democratic Chair David Rosen already submitted a letter to the Reporter-Telegram throwing his support in the primary for Amy Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota. Most people are planning to support the partys presidential nominee, Hanggi said. On social media there is targeted effort to divide people. I know with 2016 election, Democrats were divided, and people didnt turn out to the polls like people hoped. Margaret Williams, the current chair of the Midland County Democratic Party, writing in an email about Sanders candidacy and how it registers with West Texas Democrats, said, If he wins the nomination, we will support him. Whoever wins will get our support. In the presidential primary in 2016, Democratic Party voters inside Midland County picked Sanders as a solid second to Hillary Clinton, who captured 63.07 percent of the vote, compared to Sanders 34.62 percent. I understand the draw, said Broadrick, who also said younger Democrats have been active in their campaigning for Sanders, including manning phone banks. Broadrick added that Sanders has played a role in moving the party farther left, and that most of us are comfortable where we landed. She said she will pick a candidate who most aligns with my ideology. We will worry about who can win in November, Broadrick said. Hanggi said Tuesdays major candidates in the presidential primary have differences regionally and in terms of the demographics of their supporters. There is a wide range of support (for all the candidates) in West Texas, Hanggi said. Democratic Party chair race The two candidates for the Midland County Democratic Party chair are Cathy Broadrick and Kristin Hanggi. Broadrick described herself as a lifelong Democrat from Big Spring who considers herself an activist and has even served as a union president. She moved to Midland in 2011. Hanggi is a recent arrival to Midland after spending around a decade in Iraan and Snyder. She has worked with the Tom Green Democratic Party and former Agricultural commissioner candidate Kim Olson to modernize communication platforms. A Cisneros victory would send a message that we should pay attention to our base, that we should pay attention to the need for a member of Congress to stand up for what is right, she said. I think every incumbent member, me included, has to always make the case every two years. The four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder case Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh are scheduled to be hanged at 6 am on 3 March New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on a petition filed by Pawan Gupta, a death row convict in the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case, seeking a stay on the execution as his mercy petition is pending before President Ram Nath Kovind. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana reserved the order after hearing arguments from all the sides in the matter. The four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder case Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh are scheduled to be hanged at 6 am on 3 March. During the hearing, advocate AP Singh said that he filed the mercy petition before the president on behalf of convict Pawan Gupta as soon as he received the information that the convict's curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier today. Singh said that the former justice (Markandey) Katju has emailed him and stated that he will meet the president regarding the mercy petition. Public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, on the other hand, opposed the application and contended that this plea is not maintainable. Judge Dharmendra Rana asked Singh how he could afford to ignore the order of the Delhi High Court, which granted a week's time to the convicts to avail all legal remedied available to them. "How can this Court ignore it? Once the Delhi High Court had given you seven days' time, it is binding upon me. How do we ignore those instructions?" Judge Rana said, while expressing displeasure with advocate AP Singh. The court observed that the defence has already lost the seven days period granted by the high court. Lawyer for victim's family, advocate Jitender Jha submitted that that trial court does not have jurisdiction to deal with this situation adding that only the high court can impose stay as per Section 415 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with the postponement of execution sentence of death in case of appeal to the Supreme Court. Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmed said that as per the mandate of prison rule, the president will seek a report from jail authorities and the execution will be stayed suo moto. He said that the court cannot pass any order at this stage adding that this petition is premature. Earlier today, the court dismissed an application seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrant but slated to hear a petition afresh after advocate AP Singh informed the court that the mercy petition of convict Pawan Gupta was filed before the President. President Ram Nath Kovind had on 5 February rejected the mercy petition of convict Akshay Thakur. So far, mercy petitions of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh have also been rejected. The case pertains to the gangrape and brutal attack on a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of 16 December, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. A young mum is demanding answers from a scandal-hit maternity unit after her baby was stillborn when she was told to stay at home and take paracetamol. Kirsty Stead and her partner Jack Shaw say the under-fire East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust missed several opportunities to save their little boy Reid. The trust - one of Britain's largest - is currently being investigated for a number of preventable baby deaths, with chief executive Susan Acott said to be in 'complete denial about the scale of the problems.' The government recently announced an independent inquiry into the trust's care, with more than a dozen babies believed to have perished unnecessarily. Reid was stillborn on November 8 at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate, Kent, where several other baby deaths are now also being probed. Kirsty Stead and her partner Jack Shaw (both pictured) say the under-fire East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust missed several opportunities to save their little boy Last night Kirsty, 23, said she had visited the hospital twice with reduced foetal movement and the second time, at almost 30 weeks, she should have been induced. Instead, the high risk pregnancy was left to continue and a week after she went into labour she says she was told to stay at home and take painkillers despite feeling her baby 'going frantic' in her womb. Reid was later stillborn with his cord wrapped around his neck. The excessive moment is believed to have been caused by him being slowly strangled. His parents say if they'd been called straight in when they voiced concerns, he would be alive today. They claim they told a nurse of their concerns over the phone but she failed to check Kirsty's records - meaning she didn't know she was high risk - and simply told her to take painkillers and go to bed. Kirsty, 23, of Margate, said: 'When I held him I was overwhelmed with love and pride. That soon turned to anger. He was a healthy boy and he didn't deserve it, let alone us. 'It's scary. We put our trust in what they told us. Things need to change. They are failing. They're making little mistakes which turn into very serious situations. The grief is awful and it should be one of the happiest times of our lives.' Kirsty and Jack, who have been together seven years, were shocked but happy when they discovered she was expecting. Pictured: The scan of Reid, who was tragically stillborn at the hospital in East Kent after staff allegedly missed chances to save him They decided not to find out the sex at their 20-week scan but instead Kirsty's sister Sarah, 35, found out so she could throw them a gender reveal party. The whole family gathered to find out that the pair were going to have a boy and people chipped in to buy them a new pram that was covered in bows for the event. Around that time, Kirsty went into hospital worried that her baby had stopped moving but both were found to have normal heart rates. After that the baby's growth slowed slightly and she was offered regular scans as a precaution. When she again felt less movement at around 30 weeks, Kirsty went to the hospital but says she wasn't scanned or offered an early labour, which she says she was later told is the QEQM's policy. On October 26, Kirsty felt the baby moving excessively and went back to the QEQM's maternity unit where she stayed overnight, but she was told she was in slow labour and should return home. Almost a week later, she was in so much agony and she could feel the baby struggling so she called the unit to ask what she should do. She says a member of staff told her to take paracetamol and go to bed without checking her notes. Kirsty says if she had, she would have realised she was high risk and should have called them straight in. She explained: 'I spoke to the nurse and she told me to take paracetamol for my backache and go to bed and see what happened overnight. 'I felt one last movement and then fell asleep. She didn't give me any advice on the excessive movement. All she said was if there was reduced movement that's when she would be concerned. 'I trusted what she said and I did what she told me to do. It sounds naive but it's the truth. 'I said 'He's going mad as I speak to you.' She said if it's not reduced we don't really have any concern. I just took what she said.' The next day Kirsty couldn't feel Reid moving so they went into the hospital. There, doctors told her they could no longer find a heartbeat and her baby had died overnight. 'It was like I was underwater and I only came to and realised it was real when I looked at my partner,' Kirsty said. 'He was fuming and so upset at the same time. He couldn't believe what they were telling him. He was saying 'Why didn't you get her in last night? I can't understand.' 'I was later told when I went in for the second reduced movement at 30 weeks that they should have offered me an inducement or to stay in until my due date.' Kirsty had to give birth to her baby who weighed 6lbs 13oz. The couple dressed him in his newborn clothes and carried him on his last journey to the hospital mortuary together. He was buried with family photos and a special blanket following a Dumbo-themed funeral. Now, the couple say they want assurances that the hospital trust will improve to make sure no other parents have to go through what they did. It comes after the death of other babies at the trust's five hospitals. Archie Batten died on September 1 after his mum was turned away from the QEQM and gave birth at home. And tot Harry Richford died a week after his 'chaotic' birth at the same hospital, during which he was not resuscitated for more than half an hour. His dad Tom said his family had still had no contact from chief executive Susan Acott. He blasted: 'It feels like she is in complete denial of the whole scale of the problem.' The government announced an independent inquiry into the deaths last month. It will be led by Dr Bill Kirkup, who also conducted the 2013 investigation into serious maternity failings at Morecambe Bay. A spokeswoman for the Kent trust said: 'We offer our heartfelt condolences to Reid's family. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to them. 'We apologise that they have concerns about Reid's care. We have started a thorough investigation into the care that Kirsty and Reid were given and we will involve Reid's parents fully and honestly in the investigation as it progresses.' A Hellertown man is accused of using a restaurants internet to upload child porn, the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals office said. Oscar Velasco, of the 300 block of Laubach Street, was arrested Friday and charged with four counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of disseminating images of child sex abuse and a single count of criminal use of a communication facility. The 66-year-old Velasco was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail. An attorney is not yet listed in his case. Investigators say Velasco uploaded two videos of child pornography in August to his Facebook account, and then then a third video in September. A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was sent to the attorney generals office on Jan. 13 about the first two videos. The videos each showed a boy performing a sex act, court records say. Investigators estimated one boy was between the ages of 8 and 10, and the other boy was between the ages of 10 and 12. Investigators subpoenaed RCN for information on the IP address used, and it was traced back to the Hellertown Crossroads Hotel, on Main Street in Hellertown, records say. They then subpoenaed Yahoo for information on the email account connected to the Facebook account, and that led them to Velasco, records say. On Friday, agents met Velasco at the restaurant, where he said he has worked for the last three years. The restaurants owners said Velasco was hired by the previous owners as a cook, and worked at the restaurant for 14 years. When the restaurant changed ownership, Velasco worked for the new owners for the past three years. Velasco was immediately fired when the owners learned of the allegations. Velasco reportedly said he sent the videos to another person. Another fourth video was in a Facebook group message on Velascos phone, but he did not forward that to anyone, records say. He stated he did not know the videos and pictures were illegal if (the people in them) were under the age of 18, according to court records. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The epidemic can impact India's March quarter by 0.20 per cent as imports from for crucial sectors have got affected, a foreign brokerage said on Monday. The country's economic growth is already sagging and is set to slide to a decadal low of 5 per cent in 2019-20 as per official estimates. Data for the December 2019 quarter released last week said growth had slid to a seven-year low of 4.7 per cent. Two cases tested positive for the infection in India on Monday, after the initial set of three cases in Kerala were successfully treated. In a report, said sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals and automobiles can see supply disruptions in value chain, which may lead to a derailment of the domestic economic growth. "While the situation is still evolving and the scale of economic impact is highly uncertain at this point, we think an adverse impact of 0.20 per cent could be felt in India's real for the March 20 quarter," it said. The brokerage also cut its fiscal 2020-21 real estimate marginally to 5.6 per cent as against the previous estimate of 5.7 per cent, but added that there will be a recovery in the next financial year. A favourable base effect due to FY20's low growth, improved monetary transmission and support from government spending will aid the growth momentum in the next fiscal, it said. It warned that a delay in strengthening the balance sheet of the financial sector (banks and non-banking financial sectors) and weak credit impulse could continue to be a "drag" on the growth. The Reserve Bank of India is expected to cut rates by 0.25 percentage points in the next fiscal and policymakers may continue to rely on "creative measures" like the liquidity moves in the last policy review to boost the growth, it said. After being hit with a lawsuit over a Black Mirror episodes relationship to the Choose Your Own Adventure phrase, a term trademarked by book publisher Chooseco, Netflix is asking a court to revoke the companys trademark on what it says is a generic term. The Hollywood Reporter spotted the latest evolution of the dispute this week, in which Netflix argues that the phrase has become generic over the years and that it calls to mind a genre of interactive adventures rather than Choosecos exact brand of branching books. The phrase 'Choose Your Own Adventure' has become generic in its current use within the United States. In contemporary parlance, any situation that requires making a series of unguided choices, or that provides an opportunity to go back and re-make a series of choices that turned out badly, is referred to as a 'Choose Your Own Adventure, argues Netflixs counsel. Thus, in its current usage, the phrase 'Choose Your Own Adventure' encompasses the entire genre of interactive-narrative fiction, a genus of media of which Choosecos book series is just one species." In a similar vein, Chooseco has gone up against indie developers in the past for using Choose Your Own Adventure as a seemingly generic term to describe their games in which players are given the ability to make choices that direct characters down diverging paths. One recent case saw Itch.io founder Leaf Corcoran tweeting a warning to indie developers that choose your own adventure was a trademarked term, and that Chooseco has issued takedown notices to itch.io games that use it to describe their titles. The Netflix part of the CYOA debacle kicked off last year when Chooseco took Netflix to court over the Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch, an interactive episode that allows Netflix viewers to make moment-to-moment decisions that ultimately steer the direction of the on-screen story. Chooseco opted to sue the company in January 2019 for trademark infringement, pointing out similarities to its own series structure and an in-episode reference to a Choose Your Own Adventure book alongside the claim that it had previously discussed a licensing deal with Netflix in the past. Netflix moved to have the case dismissed earlier this year, but the request was denied. In this latest development, Netflix confirms there were talks of a potential licensing deal earlier on, but argues that those discussions werent related to Bandersnatch. Alongside the argument that Choose Your Own Adventure has become a generic term, Netflix also suggests the structure of Bandersnatchs narrative twists and turns have a fundamental difference from Choosecos novels as viewers are tasked with directing a protagonist from the outside rather than assuming the role of the protagonist themselves. Staff shortages in the wake of Brexit could be plugged by increased automation and robots, according to a new report. Most British workers support the idea of using robots to perform manual jobs and heavy lifting if cheap migrant labour vanishes from UK shores after Priti Patel's points-based system comes into force. There is also significant support for increased levels of automation among British people, according to the Trend Index 2020 published by Automatica. Scroll down for video A report suggests British workers believe robots could be used to fill some staff shortages left by EU migrants after Brexit when the hardline Australian style points system from Priti Patel comes into force CAN AI ROBOTS REPLACE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS? Robotics are common in manufacturing sites, such as auto plants, but those machines are stationery and carrying out the same task over and over, often in sterile and enclosed environments. Robots used in construction sites have to move around. Although much of what they may do is repetitive, they still have to respond to uneven floors and zigzagging routes, depending on a building's design. Shimizu says it is developing its own artificial intelligence systems, using robots made by Kuka Robotics of Germany. If they work successfully, the robots could help reduce safety risks and long hours for construction workers. Using robots makes sense in urban construction, where buildings are high-rise and the same work is repeated on each floor. Advertisement It surveyed workers from across Europe including the UK on their thoughts about the current and future use of the technology. The UK Government's post-Brexit immigration plans are set to move the UK away from offering visas to low-skilled migrant workers from Europe. This will drastically reduce the number of those workers coming to the UK. According to the report, 68 per cent of participants believe the use of robots will be essential for the competitiveness of the UK's economy. While almost three-quarters (74 per cent) said they will become increasingly important in the workplace of the future. Mike Wilson, chairman of the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA) said: 'Over many years, the UK has attracted workers from other countries, with businesses preferring to hire people rather than invest in automation equipment. 'After Brexit, businesses have to ensure that they use their workforce effectively and find alternative ways of performing tasks for which they have a shortage of staff robot automation being an obvious solution.' They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above 25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level The research showed that British workers were strongly in favour of turning to robots to carry out certain tasks, particularly those which didn't appeal to them or they felt could be hazardous to health. Dr Martin Lechner, study director of Automatica's Trend Index said: 'The UK's working population already welcomes robots, to do the dirty, dull and dangerous work: 73 per cent want the machines to take monotonous routine jobs off the hands of employees. 'About 80 per cent want robots to take on tasks with hazardous materials and carry out work that is harmful to health, e.g. lifting heavy loads.' Ms Patel's Australian-style points-based immigration system is expected to cause a drop in net migration when it is introduced some time next year. A crackdown on the number of low-skilled workers coming to the UK is at the heart of the new border control blueprint. The plans will make low-skilled immigration almost impossible as EU free movement is consigned to history. Instead, EU migrants' chances of getting a work visa will be the same as for applicants from elsewhere. They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above 25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level. The British public is optimistic that the increase in robots will actually provide new job opportunities. Almost half (46 per cent) of UK workers asked said they believed education and training in the sector could help open up new career paths. However, trust in artificial intelligence a key part of automation technology remains an issue, with 40 per cent of those asked admitting that AI scared them. research showed that British workers were strongly in favour of turning to robots to carry out certain tasks. One example is the 700,000 machine which carefully plucks a raspberry from a plant and carefully places it in a punnet built by the University of Plymouth The University of Plymouth has also built a cauliflower-picking machine (pictured). According to the report, 68 per cent of participants believe the use of robots will be essential for the competitiveness of the UK's economy British scientists are working on creasing robots specifically designed to master some jobs which may see a shortfall in applicants in a post-Brexit Britain. Last year, the University of Plymouth built a 700,000 machine which carefully plucks a raspberry from a plant and carefully places it in a punnet. Currently, the painstaking process takes 60 seconds to pick one berry due to the complex task at hand. It stands around six foot tall (1.8metres) and was built to help combat a continued drop in the amount of migrant farm workers available for the arduous harvests. The same university also built a cauliflower-picking machine. Dr Martin Stoelen, a lecturer in robotics at Plymouth where the machine was created, said in 2019: 'A lot of producers are very worried about where they will get their reasonably priced manual labour from and rightly so,' Dr Stoelen said at the time. 'Manual harvesting also represents a large portion of their total costs, often it can be up to 50 per cent, so looking at addressing that, especially against a backdrop of Brexit, is very important.' Two baby girls, one of them just four-month-old, have lost their fathers in the violence between tribal and non-tribal groups over implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya. The four-month-old's father, Uphas Uddin, was killed in the early hours of Sunday by three unidentified assailants who broke into his home at Pyrkan village in Meghalayas East Khasi Hills district and stabbed him. Another baby girl, who was adopted just a fortnight ago in Assams Barpeta district, met the same fate when her adoptive father Rupchan Dewan was stabbed by two unidentified assailants at Iewduh market, in the heart of Shillong on Saturday. Police are yet to make any arrest in both the cases. The two deaths followed the killing of a pro-ILP activist, 35 year-old Lurshai Hynniewta, who was attacked by a mob at Ichamati on Friday evening. Hynniewta, a father of four children, was a member of the influential Khasi Students Union and was cremated on Monday at his hometown in Sohra. The clashes had broken out between Khasi Students' Union members and non-tribals during a rally organised against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act and to demand implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) at Ichamati on Friday. Inner Line Permit is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state. Eyewitnesses told PTI that two masked men had come running to the small shop where Dewan was selling tomatoes at Iewduh market and attacked him with a sharp machete. He was taken to Shillong Civil Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Jodu Choudhary, a vegetable vendor who hails from Silchar in Assam and is under treatment at the hospital for stab injuries suffered during the clash, said the two masked assailants had first attacked him but their machete missed his chest and hit him on the shoulder. The two attackers then targeted Dewan, who was his neighbour at the busy traditional market, before they disappeared among the crowd. Dewan lived in a one-room rented accommodation at Laban area in Shillong which is inhabited by all communities. His landlady, Parveen Nongrum broke down while narrating the incident. She said that Dewan did not have any children of his own and had recently returned from his home in Barpeta after adopting a baby girl with his wife. Dewan's wife, she said, has barely spoken since his cremation on Sunday. A police officer said that Uphas Uddin was known to have facilitated the safe passage of illegal cattle to Bangladesh and investigations are on to ascertain if the killing had taken place due to personal enmity as he had married a Khasi woman. Uphas Uddin's wife B Lyndai is now only one to fend for the four-month-old baby girl. KSU president L Marngar denied that the student union's activists were behind the attacks on the two men or the sporadic attacks on life and property since Friday. Claiming that the pro-ILP worker who was killed at Ichamati was a KSU member, he expressed sorrow that it took place during the "peaceful rally" (against CAA and to demand implementation of the Inner Line Permit). He claimed it had turned ugly as hundreds of migrants armed with machetes and sticks attacked the convoy of KSU members. Marngar said the attack on the KSU members were premeditated as the attackers were armed with traditional weapons and had ill intention. Police have so far arrested eight people from Ichamati area for their alleged involvement in the attacks on the KSU members. "We demand justice. We demand that the police arrest all those who were armed on Friday. From the video clips, we find there were more people involved," Marngar said. "An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Your sacrifice for the Khasi jaitbynriew (community) wont go in vain," KSU general secretary Do Thabah posted as a tribute to Lurshai on his social media handle. The KSU has been against the Citizenship Amendment Act and is demanding that the hill people of the state be protected by implementing the Inner Line Permit, like in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. East Khasi Hills district magistrate M W Nongbri has clamped 12 hours curfew in the Shillong city and its outskirts apprehending a serious deterioration in law and order. "There is likelihood of serious breach of peace and tranquility and may lead to loss of life and property," he said, adding the curfew has been clamped in Shillong agglomeration and adjoining areas from 6 pm on March 2 till 6 am on March 3, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finance & Development, March 2020, Vol. 57, No. 1 PDF version Eastern Europes Exodus In Europes newest states, emigration compounds the problem of aging populations Maria Petrakis Chris Topalovs family has navigated the choppy waters of Europes embattled economies for decades. His parents left their homeland of Bulgaria to escape financial chaos in 1997; chaos caught up with them in Greece, where Chris was born. In 2016 the family left for better prospects in the United States. The odyssey has prompted Chris to study economics to make some sense of Europes travails when he heads to college this year. But though he feels Bulgarian, its an open question whether he would ever move back. Thats a problem for Bulgaria and the other, mostly former socialist countries of central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. Nine of the ten fastest-shrinking countries in the world are in eastern Europe, according to United Nations projections, with consequences for economic growth and a chance at the European prosperity that the fall of the communism promised. Life expectancy has risen to 74 years from 67 in 1995, and GDP per capita has more than doubled. But longer lives, smaller families, and the ease of emigration have combined to exert demographic pressures that will increasingly weigh on economic growth, undermining the gains achieved since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Countries in the region are at risk of getting old before they get rich, IMF Deputy Managing Director Tao Zhang warned last year. It is no surprise, then, that many from eastern European countries are seeking opportunities elsewhere. Membership in the European Union has made it easier to boost trade and foreign investment and has brought with it an exceptional pace of per capita income convergence to western European levels. But it has also kept up the pressure on the exodus of young, skilled professionals that began with the fall of communism in 1989. Between 1995 and 2017, central, eastern, and southeastern European (CESEE) countries lost about 7 percent of their workforce, mostly young and educated workers, like Topalovs parents. The United Nations expects that the population of the region will decline by 12 percent by 2050 as a result of aging and migration. The workforce will fall by a quarter in the same period. Population aging concerns more than just public pensions, says Alasdair Scott, an IMF economist who coauthored a recent study of demographics in central and eastern Europe. It has serious implications for health care and social services and profound implications more generally for growth and the aspirations of these countries to converge to western European incomes. The research indicates that a shrinking labor supply and lower productivity of older workers, together with greater pressure on the public purse for health care and pensions, could cost these countries about 1 percent of GDP per year for the next 30 years. That will put the brakes on incomes rising to western European levels: per capita GDP for these countries will still be only 60 percent of western European levels in 2050. Although that represents an increase from 52 percent now, without the demographic challenge, it could have been 74 percent. Some governments in the region are betting on financial incentives to raise birth rates. In Hungary, where the government has been vocal in its opposition to immigration, women with more than four children have been exempted from income tax, and couples requiring fertility treatment will receive it free. But fertility rates arent the big story, says Scott. What makes the demographics in the region so dramatic is the extent of the difference in emigration and mortality rates, which are much higher than those in western Europe. Financial incentives in other countries dont seem to have had much effect on birth rates. But even if they could, immmediately, it would be two decades before a difference were seen in the working-age populationwhereas the demographic pressures are here and now, he said. The region needs quick footwork. More women need to be brought into the workforce and older workers convinced to keep working and trained so that they can do so. And CESEE countries need to deter people from leaving. That would entail strengthening institutions and improving the overall economic environment and investment climate. The world is a highly competitive place, says Maria Topalova, Chriss mother, a journalist. If countries like Bulgaria want to keep young, hard-working, smart people, they have to offer things in return. Globally, 54 percent of companies say they struggle to find qualified people for vacancies, the highest rate in a decade, according to Manpower Groups Talent Shortage survey for 2019. At the Bucharest headquarters of Dacia, the iconic car created under communism and now owned by Groupe Renault, employees get massages and use of a gym and can telework two days a week as part of the companys campaign to attract and keep qualified people, according to Managing Director Christophe Dridi. We need to provide those things in order to persuade them to stay with us, he told a conference last year. Otherwise, countries need to look at inward migration. Fast-food giant McDonalds imported 30 workers from Sri Lanka to fill the labor shortage in three of its Bucharest stores, part of a two-year pilot project. The company serves about 230,000 customers per day in its 84 restaurants in Romania. It opened four new outlets in 2019 and plans to open another eight this year. Much has been said about automation: in principle, it could free workers for more valuable activities, such as spending more time teaching than on administrative work. But it could also push out workers with lower skill levels. The key, ultimately, is educationnot just before adulthood, but throughout working lives. In Bulgaria, Rails Girls Sofia has been singled out as an example of building skill sets for the future. The organization has trained about 1,000 women in web programming since 2013. Maria Topalova agrees that Bulgaria has come a long way from the country she left when it was on the verge of economic collapse, with unstable institutions that drove her to that decision. The countrys institutions are improving, something the IMF research suggests can draw skilled migrants back to the country and stanch the brain drain. However, more needs to be done to dissuade a new generation from leaving. Now Bulgaria is a member of the EU and NATO, it has a stable economy, its macroeconomic indicators are excellent, it is a functioning democracy, she says. But if you want to fly in space or to find a cure for cancer, you go to countries that have already found ways to fund this research. PHOTO: ISTOCK / BORCHEE Opinions expressed in articles and other materials are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect IMF policy. The moment a motorcyclist is sent flying across the road after crashing into a van has been caught on camera, but social media users can't decide who is in the wrong. The collision happened at Bridge Road and Melville road in Salisbury East, north of Adelaide, at 4.35pm on Friday. Dashcam footage showed a white van pulling out of an intersection and on to the main road. As the driver turned right, the 26-year-old male motorcyclist smashed into the vehicle and was sent skidding across the tarmac. Dashcam footage showed a white van pulling out of an intersection and on to the main road While the majority social media users agreed the driver should have given way to the bike, many said the motorcyclist should have seen the van. 'The van definitely should have given way to the bike, but the rider had plenty of time to avoid,' one person wrote. 'Even though the van is at fault the rider may also be charged with negligence. As the motorcycle did not apply brakes in this instance and did not slow down in accordance with the law as to avoid the accident,' another shared. But others jumped in to defend the rider claiming he didn't have time to stop. 'Average reaction time when driving is 1.5 seconds. No, the rider didnt have time to avoid that.' As the driver turned right, the 26-year-old male motorcyclist smashed into the vehicle and was sent skidding across the tarmac The motorcyclist was slammed for wearing shorts and a T-shirt instead of protective gear - long pants and a leather jacket 'I've been riding for 35 years and no they didn't have time to avoid that and it's very obvious to me that they were hard on the brakes.' He was also slammed for wearing shorts and a T-shirt instead of protective gear - long pants and a leather jacket. 'Some riders still don't wear appropriate clothing when riding. I'd rather a be a bit hot and sweaty than have to get lots of skin grafts.' Despite tumbling over the road, the motorcyclist miraculously stood up and walked back to his bike as the van sped off 'Obviously inexperienced, slow reaction time and no protective gear, still the van was at fault.' Despite tumbling over the road, the motorcyclist miraculously stood up and walked back to his bike as the van sped off. A South Australia Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia police attended the scene. 'The motorcycle rider was taken to hospital with a suspected broken arm. The van driver a 54 year-old woman was uninjured.' A ll primary schools in London should become water-only to help curb childhood obesity, the Mayor said today. Southwark council is banning sugary drinks in its schools from April and has told them to offer pupils only water or milk. Health experts believe that by making water more freely available students will be less likely to consume sweetened drinks. Nearly 40 per cent of children aged 10 and 11 in London are classed as overweight or obese, one of the highest rates in Europe. Sadiq Khan, who wants to halve the childhood obesity rate by 2030, today responded to recommendations in a City Hall child obesity taskforce report from last year that called for curbs on food offered by takeaways and greater availability of drinking water. He said: Making water freely available and introducing measures like water-only in schools are some of the simple things we can do to not only tackle childhood obesity, but also improve behaviour and learning. PARIS - The spreading coronavirus epidemic shut down France's Louvre Museum on Sunday, with workers who guard its famous trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the museum's flow of tourists from around the world. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/3/2020 (680 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Tourists, some wearing a mask, queue to enter the Louvre museum Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in Paris. . The world is scrambling to get on top of the new coronavirus outbreak that has spread from its epicenter in China to most corners of the planet. Governments and doctors are presenting an array of approaches as the virus disrupts daily routines, business plans and international travel around the world (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) PARIS - The spreading coronavirus epidemic shut down France's Louvre Museum on Sunday, with workers who guard its famous trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the museum's flow of tourists from around the world. Almost three-quarters of the Louvre's 9.6 million visitors last year came from abroad. The world's most popular museum welcomes tens of thousands of fans daily in Paris. We are very worried because we have visitors from everywhere, said Andre Sacristin, a Louvre employee and union representative. A tourist wearing a mask makes a selfie outside the Louvre museum Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in Paris. . The world is scrambling to get on top of the new coronavirus outbreak that has spread from its epicenter in China to most corners of the planet. Governments and doctors are presenting an array of approaches as the virus disrupts daily routines, business plans and international travel around the world. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) The risk is very, very, very great," he said in a phone interview. While there are no known virus infections among the museum's 2,300 workers, its only a question of time, he said. A short statement from the Louvre said a staff meeting about virus prevention efforts stopped the museum from opening as scheduled Sunday morning. Amid intermittent rain, would-be visitors waited to get inside, but the Louvre later announced it would not open at all on Sunday. Among the frustrated visitors was Charles Lim from Singapore. He and his wife, Jeanette, chose Paris to celebrate their first wedding anniversary and bought tickets in advance for the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and other famous artworks. He posted a video on Twitter of the long lines of people waiting to get in. Tourists wearing a mask walks outside the Louvre museum Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in Paris. . The world is scrambling to get on top of the new coronavirus outbreak that has spread from its epicenter in China to most corners of the planet. Governments and doctors are presenting an array of approaches as the virus disrupts daily routines, business plans and international travel around the world. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) We waited for about 3 hours before giving up, he told The Associated Press. It was incredibly disappointing. The shutdown followed a French government decision Saturday to ban indoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people. Sacristin said the new measure banning large indoor gatherings exacerbated the fears of Louvre workers that they might be in danger of contamination. Louvre staffers were also concerned about museum workers from northern Italy who had come to the museum to collect works by Leonardo da Vinci that were loaned for a major exhibition, he said. Italy, with over 1,600 coronavirus cases and 34 deaths, has been the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe. Tourists stand outside the Louvre museum, in Paris, France, Sunday, March 1, 2020. The spreading coronavirus epidemic shut down France's Louvre Museum on Sunday, with workers who guard its trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the museum's flow of visitors from around the world. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) France raised its number of reported cases to 130 on Sunday, 30 more than the day before. More than half of France's regions now have at least one case, and the new patients include one in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the first in France's overseas territories. Two people with the virus have died in France, and 12 have recovered, the director of the national health agency Jerome Salomon said Sunday. Most case can be traced to growing clusters around the country or to people who travelled to virus-hit areas, but authorities are investigating 23 cases whose origin is not yet clear. Another meeting about virus prevention at the Louvre is scheduled for Monday between union representatives and the museum management. Sacristin, who will be taking part, said museum visitors should be subjected to health checks to protect staffers and if any cases of coronavirus contamination are confirmed "then the museum should be closed." Workers have asked for masks to be distributed but so far have been given only an alcohol-based solution to disinfect their hands, he said. That didn't please us at all, he said. Union representative Christian Galani questioned why the Louvre isnt covered by the new ban on large indoor gatherings, telling The AP, You will easily admit that the Louvre Museum is a confined space and that it receives more than 5,000 people a day. Culture Minister Frank Reister argued on France-Info radio that Louvre visitors move from room to room, which doesn't present the same risk as a closed concert hall, for example. ___ Chris den Hond and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed. ___ Follow APs coverage of the new coronavirus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak Q. When my daughter was born 18 years ago, I contributed to a Coverdell education savings account. It seems New Jersey is the only state in the union where the earnings portion is taxable. Is this correct? I should have used a 529 plan. Whats the deal? Dad A. Youre correct that New Jersey treats Coverdell accounts, previously known as Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), differently than 529 plans. Had you chosen the 529, it would have received the same tax-free results for New Jersey as it would federally. Bulletin GIT-2 addresses New Jerseys tax treatment of Coverdell education savings accounts, said Neil Becoutrney, a certified public accountant and tax partner with CohnReznick in Holmdel. Want more personal finance news? Enter your email address to be the first to know: Contributions to Coverdell ESAs are not deductible when they are made, like regular IRA contributions, he said. So this creates a basis that is returned tax-free. Distributed earnings from a Coverdell ESA are subject to New Jersey tax, he said. Although you will recover your basis tax-free, there is no formal guidance as to how it is recovered when you take distributions, which presumably include a portion of what you contributed as well as the taxable earnings. For federal purposes, Becourtney said, withdrawals from a Coverdell ESA are tax-free if used for qualified education. Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com. Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter. Advertisement A dog breeder has offered hope to Britain's most endangered dog breed with a litter of 10 healthy puppies. Irish Red and White Setters used to be the pet dog of choice in the UK, but they have fallen out of favour amid a craze for pugs, cockapoos and labradoodles in recent years. In 2019 only 39 new Setter puppies were registered, compared with 35,347 Labradors. They are currently bottom of the Kennel Club's list of vulnerable breeds, but with Ve Callaghan's litter, there could be a brighter future in store for the K9s. Ms Callaghan, of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, has already found homes for all 10 dogs. She is one of the only remaining breeders who deals in Setters and her litter represents a quarter of the puppies born last year. Irish Red and White setter breeder Ve Callaghan, of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, has offered hope to the endangered breed with this litter of 10 healthy puppies Ms Callaghan, one of the only remaining breeders, has already found homes for all 10 of the Irish Red and White Setters The adorable litter of Setters are pictured cuddling up to one another before being given to their new owners Red and White Setter breeder Julian Barney believes there are several reasons why the breed has become so unpopular Jim Cuddy, chairman of the Red and White Setter Club of Great Britain, said: 'Having 10 new puppies does help the breed, given as there were only 39 last year. 'The aim is to sell the puppies to new owners in the hope they will go on to breed from the bitches. Once people have a breed they tend to stick with that breed in the future. 'The dog industry does suffer from very few young people following in the footsteps of their parents and own a dog as a hobby today. 'Setters need a good couple of hours of exercise a day. Today everyone has to have a job and don't necessarily have the time to do that.' Jim Cuddy, chairman of the Red and White Setter Club of Great Britain, said of Ms Callaghan's litter (pictured): 'Having 10 new puppies does help the breed, given as there were only 39 last year.' These sleepy little Setters are carrying the hopes of the entire breed on their shoulder after just 39 were registered last year Red and White Setter breeder Julian Barney believes there are several reasons why the breed has become so unpopular. He said: 'I think we have this fashion for smaller designer dogs now and Red and White Setters are are a size that suit a particular environment. They wouldn't be good in a flat for instance. 'We also don't have the number of breeders out there for them right now. The general public also don't know they actually exist. When I take mine for a walk in our local country park, people ask me what it is because they have never seen one before. 'But as soon as you say it's the predecessor to the red setter they say 'oh, that's interesting.' Having a litter of 10 is a good size litter and helps. We want to encourage people to own them.' Irish Red and White Setters (two of 10 puppies pictured) are rarer than Siberian Tigers, Amur Leopards and Giant Pandas The alarming demise of the Irish breed has seen it plummet to the bottom of the Kennel Club's vulnerable breeds list for 2019 Play fighting: These pet dogs have already been re-homed as they are getting rarer and rarer by the year in Britain The rise and fall of the Irish Red and White Setter Irish Red and White setters used to be one of the most popular dogs in Britain. Their name dates back to Roman times when they would find the location of game birds, set down and then creep forward to disturb them. But in recent years they have fallen out of favour, with only 39 newborns registered in the UK last year, down from 51 in 2018. Their demise can be traced back to the Victorian times when the fashion for their cousin the Red Setter took over. The white element of the Red and White Setter was bred out and puppies with more red in their coat were removed and used for breeding. Despite numerous efforts to revive interest, their popularity has continued to plummet over the past few decades. Enthusiasts blame competition from designer breeds such as the labradoodle and cockapoo, in addition to the current fashion for pugs, bulldogs and rescue dogs. Advertisement Irish Red and White Setters date back to Roman times when they would find the location of game birds, set down and then creep forward to disturb them. Their masters would then throw large nets over the birds to snare them. The nets were replaced with shotguns by the 16th century and the red and white markings on the gundogs helped their owners easily pick them out in the rural landscape to avoid accidentally shooting them. But their demise can be traced back to the Victorian times when the fashion for their cousin the red setter, which had a rich chestnut coat, took over. The white element of the Red and White Setter was bred out and puppies with more red in their coat were removed and used for breeding. Paul Keevil, a founding member of the Kennel Club's vulnerable breed committee, said: 'Irish Red and White Setters have been on the list from its inception and have remained on it ever since. 'Instead of recovering they have been in consistent decline for the last 10 years, although this is the first time they have been at the bottom. It is a very bleak future for them, it's not good. 'Other breeds on the list have a large international population to fall back on, For example, bloodhounds aren't popular in Britain but they are still massive in America and Scandinavian countries. 'What they need is not just more of them but they need more breeders, younger breeders. People who can take on the breed for the future. 'People also need to see what fabulous dogs they are. They are really quite wonderful dogs to look at and are very graceful the way they move.' Irish Red and White Setters (10 puppies pictured) date back to Roman times when they would find the location of game birds, set down and then creep forward to disturb them Laredo City Council will meet twice this week on Monday for their regularly scheduled meeting and on Wednesday to interview the two finalists for the city manager position, Robert Eads and Samuel Keith Selman. READ MORE: Drama unfolds around open Laredo city manager position after candidate drops out after news reports Both candidates have deep roots in Laredo; Eads, who grew up here, is a current co-interim city manager for the City of Laredo and Selman worked for the city for 20 years, from 1991 to 2011, leaving as the planning and Metropolitan Planning Organization director. He is currently an assistant city manager for the City of Corpus Christi. Wednesdays interviews are likely the last step in City Councils lengthy selection process, which involved putting together an ad-hoc committee, hiring a head hunting firm and extending the application deadline to encourage more candidates to apply. After going through three city managers in four years, council had voiced that they wanted to embark on a nationwide search to find their next leader, someone who could last longer than a year and marshal the city to the next level. Some members of council and Mayor Pete Saenz have been adamant that the city manager should be someone from outside of the citys political structure. After learning that Eads was at one point a patient of Councilman Marte Martinez, a medical doctor, Saenz voiced that he would exercise his veto power to avoid any shenanigans. We want a city manager who is totally independent, has no ties to the political machine weve had for years and years and years. We need to loosen ourselves from these anchors that create negativity and distrust, he said on KGNS Behind the Headlines a few weeks ago. Then two weeks ago, the City Manager Search Ad-Hoc Committee interviewed the top four candidates for the position, deliberated in closed session and then individually filled out score cards for each candidate. The scores were combined and tabulated, and Eads came out on top; Selman second. But it is ultimately City Councils vote that selects the new city manager. READ MORE: Committee reportedly gives Eads No. 1 ranking for open Laredo city manager position At Mondays meeting, council is set to discuss the process and guidelines for the interviews on Wednesday, among other items. DUBAI, March 2 (Reuters) - Qatar's health ministry said on Monday that medical tests had revealed four new cases of coronavirus infection in the country, state news agency QNA said in a tweet. Two Qatari citizens, and two domestic workers who were accompanying them in travel, were diagnosed with COVID-19, the ministry was quoted as saying. They were among a group of citizens who were evacuated by the government on a private plane from Iran on Feb. 27, the ministry said. The majority of infections in other Gulf countries have been linked to visits to Iran or involve people who have come into contact with people who had been there. The only deaths reported so far in the region have been in Iran. (Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh; Editing by Catherine Evans) Northeast Delhis drains serve many purposes. For some, they serve as a convenient way to dispose household garbage. For others, they are prominent geographic markers that help first-time visitors navigate the maze of interconnected lanes. These drains have now grabbed headlines for a different reason. Around eleven bodies, all likely those of people killed during the communal riots that roiled northeast Delhi last week, have been fished out from different points in these drains in the last five days, according to reports from hospitals and the district administration. The riots have killed at least 47 lives and left around 350 injured. The first body recovered on February 26 was that of Ankit Sharma, a staffer with the Intelligence Bureau, whose family said that he was attacked by a mob during the violence. The last five bodies recovered from the drains on Sunday and Monday are unidentified. Also Watch | Delhi violence: Intelligence Bureau staffer, a cops son, killed; family mourns Several of them are decomposed beyond recognition and the police and hospital authorities have recommended a DNA test as the last resort. The police also said that they are not sure whether all recovered bodies are of people killed in the riots. Akash Gupta, a resident of Khajoori said the drains have become a topic of discussion on account of the bodies. LABYRINTH OF DRAINS The drains of northeast Delhi create a labyrinth which often confuses even residents. One reason is that they all look alike. Another is that, most residents identify these drains by names of localities. But multiple drains pass through some of these localities. It is possible that you and I could be referring to different drains when we say Gokalpuri drain or Bhajanpura drain, said Hamza Ahmed, a resident of Yamuna Vihar, a riot-hit neighbourhood. His neighbour Kanishk Kumar said, All of them are covered by thick layers of floating garbage, plants (water hyacinth) and have silt deposits. When it comes to jurisdiction, multiplicity of agencies add to the confusion. While some of these drains come under Delhi governments irrigation and flood control department, others fall under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). The network consists of one main drain referred to as Drain no. 1 whose origin is in the Eastern Yamuna Canal in Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad. This 12 km drain enters Delhi through Loni and covers large parts of northeast Delhi and east Delhi before it exits downstream at Noida through the Okhla barrage, explained a senior official in Delhi irrigation and flood control department. He added that there are four major drains that intersect Drain no. 1 at different points. These main drains pass through localities that include Karawal Nagar, Chand Bagh, Gokalpuri, Bhajanpura, Brijpuri, Bhagirath Vihar, Mandoli, Mustafavad, Shiv Vihar, Babarpur and Jafrabad. All these areas witnessed violence last week. Other than that, there are 24 narrow drains , which are also open, this person said. . Senior engineer and spokesperson of the EDMC, Arun Kumar said, Floating garbage is a major problem in these drains. Now, under the Drain Management Rule, last amended in 2016, garbage collection has become a door-to-door exercise. This can clear the drains to a large extent. The drains in northeast have been a perennial civic issue for years now. Several residents recalled how the issue was a central one during the assembly elections in 2013, 2015 and 2019, and during municipal polls in 2012 and 2017. But now we have lost hope, said Munna Akhtar, a resident of Kabir Nagar, though the peripheries of which one of the four main drains in the region passes. This drain is a hygiene issue as well as health issue. Now that they are on news, we hope they get adequate attention from the government and the municipal agencies, said Deepak Sharma, a resident of Gokalpuri village. Marijuana legalization continues to advance around the world: Malawi's parliament passed a bill last week that will permit the cultivation and sale of cannabis for medicinal use or to process the hemp fibers for industrial use. Malawi joins four other African countries that have loosened laws relating to cannabis: Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, and Lesotho. Lawmakers are hoping that cannabis cultivation can provide an economic boost to Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries. Boniface Kadzamira, a former member of parliament who in 2015 pushed for legalizing hemp, sees this as a great opportunity for the country of 19 million people: "It is my strong view that cannabis will in the long run replace tobacco to become our major cash crop -- that will contribute hugely to the GDP." Malawi could be a new target for North American cannabis companies One cannabis company that has already made inroads in Africa is Canadian producer Aphria (NASDAQ:APHA). In 2018, it entered into a joint venture with Verve Group, which in turn acquired a majority stake in Verve Dynamics, a medical marijuana producer in Lesotho. Among Aphria's goals in expanding into Africa was to bring down its costs. At the time of the deal, then-CEO Vic Neufeld noted, "Verve is poised to become one of the lowest-cost producers of medical cannabis extracts in the world." Aphria's strong international presence has been key to its growth. In its most recent quarter, CC Pharma, which generates distribution revenue for Aphria in Germany, contributed 86.4 million Canadian dollars in sales -- more than 71% of the company's total net revenue of CA$120.1 million. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A woman struck by a San Francisco Department of Public Works truck Sunday morning in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood died as a result of her injuries, department officials confirmed. The collision happened around 7:25 a.m. near the corner of Taylor and Geary streets, police said. A street cleaning worker driving a pickup truck struck the victim, described by police as a 67-year-old woman. She was taken to a hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries. RELATED: Pedestrian dies after being hit by driver at O'Farrell & Polk Acting Public Works Director Alaric Degrafinried issued a statement Monday morning in response to the collision. "On behalf of San Francisco Public Works, I want to extend our profound condolences to the family and friends of the person who was fatally struck by one of our vehicles in the Tenderloin. Her death is tragic. We will continue to work with police investigators on this case, as we also review our internal safe-driving procedures and training. The safety of members of the public and our employees is our No. 1 priority at Public Works," he said. The city's medical examiner's office was not immediately available to release the identity of the victim. 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. Hyderabad, March 2 : On a day when Telangana reported its first COVID-19 positive case, a leading social activist, who returned from Bangkok on Monday, was admitted to a hospital here with suspected symptoms of coronavirus. She tweeted that she was admitted in the isolation ward of government-run Gandhi Hospital for suspected coronavirus infection as she came back from the Thai capital with a mild cough. The doctors conducted tests and were waiting for the results. The activist voluntarily approached the hospital. Earlier, she tweeted that the display of coronavirus desks is prominent everywhere but urgency to ensure immediate response looks less than the desired level. Telangana on Monday reported the first positive case of COVID-19. The patient had recently returned from Dubai. Joe Biden captured 61 percent of the African-American vote in South Carolina on Saturday, allowing him to beat Bernie Sanders easily statewide. Biden now has a chance to do well on Super Tuesday and could soon consolidate the anti-Sanders vote. But make no mistake, Bernie Sanders remains the clear front-runner. The latest forecast by the political forecaster FiveThirtyEight finds that theres now a 59 percent chance of a contested Democratic convention. Bernie Sanders has a 28 percent chance to win the majority of delegates on the first ballot, while Joe Biden has a 13 percent chance. No one else still running has anything above a 1 percent chance. The reason Sanders still has the inside track is that Biden has yet to score a convincing win in a state where he doesnt have the overwhelming advantage. South Carolina is Bidens neighborhood, home to African-American voters who were fond of his loyal service as Barack Obamas vice president and to older moderate whites. Its also the home base of House majority whip Jim Clyburn, who threw his political machine behind Biden in the crucial days right before the primary. Indeed, Biden was so strong in South Carolina that, as of now, it is the only state primary he has won in any of the presidential races hes run since 1988. The 14 states that will vote on Super Tuesday will answer the question about whether Biden can create the kind of coalition that Hillary Clinton assembled to hold back Sanderss insurgent candidacy in 2016. So far, Biden has had little success attracting Hispanics, feminists, or highly educated white voters. He also hasnt convinced party leaders or campaign strategists that he can go the distance all the way to beating President Trump in November. In just the past week, Biden committed several rhetorical flubs that call into question his ability to avoid obvious mistakes in an even more heated fall campaign. At the statewide dinner hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party last Monday, Biden bizarrely introduced himself as follows: My names Joe Biden. Im a Democratic candidate for the United State Senate. Look me over. If you like what you see, help out. If not, vote for the other Biden. Give me a look though, okay? Story continues Biden followed that head scratcher a couple of days later by telling a crowd he was looking forward to appointing the first African-American woman to the United States Senate. The problem is that there have been two black women already elected to the Senate, and it is governors, not presidents, who can appoint a senator if there is a vacancy. Then, during the Democratic debate three days before the primary, he said, speaking of gun deaths, 150 million people have been killed since 2007. He was off by about 149.9 million. Every politician makes gaffes, and at the presidential level, many battle exhaustion. But party insiders with whom I spoke say that Bidens constant flubs are part of a pattern that is worrisome if he is to be the Democratic nominee. Trump says bizarre things all the time, but you get the sense its on purpose, one Democratic pollster told me. With Biden, its a constant series of train wrecks and low-energy debate performances. If he debates Trump, I fear he would lose, even though Trump is famously undisciplined. But despite all the complaints about Biden from establishment Democrats, they will pull out all the stops to nominate him and block Sanders. The radical Vermont senator would be viewed as a millstone around the neck of every moderate Democrat running in a swing state or district this fall. With Sanders at the top of the ticket, the party could fail to take back the Senate. Even more alarming to Democrats, it could lose the House and a slew of state legislatures in key states that, next year, will begin the once-in-a-decade process of redrawing most of the nations political maps. Democrats are paying a high price for their successful kneecapping of Sanders when he ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016. They stopped him from getting the nomination, but Hillarys surprising loss allowed Sanders to create the myth that he would have won because his left-wing populism would have proved more popular than Trumps right-wing brand of populism. Now Sanders is back, with an even higher name ID than he had in 2016, an army of loyal small-dollar donors, and the enthusiastic support of the increasingly vocal radical wing of the Democratic Party. For now, he is the front-runner for the nomination. But what party leaders fear is that he is also a doomed underdog if he is their candidate in the fall. More from National Review Former Bloomberg News Executive Editor for Washington Al Hunt speaks during a taping of "Meet the Press" at the NBC studios February 22, 2009 in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press Al Hunt, Bloomberg News' former Washington editor and one of the organization's most visible faces in politics until his 2018 exit, was accused over the course of years by multiple women of giving unsolicited massages and verbally berating employees for minor infractions. Sources tell Business Insider that Hunt was known to favor a small group of women that some employees called "Al's Angels," giving them plum reporting assignments, invitations to key meetings with DC power brokers, and in at least some cases, career advancement, according to former employees. Business Insider has learned of at least two instances in which Bloomberg agreed to pay women to settle potential claims over Hunt's conduct. Hunt denies touching anyone inappropriately and says he was a supportive boss who did not engage in favoritism. In a statement, a Bloomberg LP spokesperson declined to dispute any of the claims regarding Hunt, saying "there are certainly instances where we wish we had handled some complaints differently." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Al Hunt, Bloomberg News' former Washington editor and one of the organization's most visible faces in politics until his 2018 exit, was accused over the course of years by multiple women of giving unsolicited massages and verbally berating employees for minor infractions, Business Insider has learned. Despite at least two financial settlements with women who complained about the editor, he continued in his position for years, sources said. That's one of the findings in a weeks-long investigation conducted by Business Insider into the company's culture. The investigation involved interviews with more than 40 current and former Bloomberg LP employees and found allegations of a toxic, macho workplace culture fueled by fear, in which powerful people screamed at underlings and bullied them with impunity. When they reported claims of inappropriate behavior to human resources, these staffers said, they were routinely ignored. Story continues In the course of Business Insider's investigation, few names came up more frequently in conversations with former employees than Hunt's. Hunt joined Bloomberg in 2005, while Mike Bloomberg was New York City mayor, after nearly four decades as a reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal. For seven years, he ran Bloomberg News' Washington bureau, holding a key voice over what stories were published and whose careers advanced. In 2012, for reasons that are unclear, Hunt moved from his role overseeing editorial operations in Washington to become a columnist for Bloomberg's opinion section, where he remained until 2018. During his time at Bloomberg News, Hunt developed a reputation among some employees for a volatile temper and a propensity to touch women in ways that, to some, felt too intimate. Several former employees said Hunt was notorious for giving women who worked for him massages without bothering to ask first. He would frequently walk up behind a female co-worker seated at her desk and begin rubbing her shoulders without warning, according to seven people who saw him do it. "I remember seeing his hands move pretty rapidly between her shoulders and her arms," one former employee recalled. "His hands were all over her." Hunt's alleged touching wasn't limited to massages, former co-workers said In a statement, Hunt said he never inappropriately touched any employees and defended his record of advancing the careers of female journalists who worked under him. "There never was a propensity to touch women in inappropriate ways. The shoulder rub charge is wrong," Hunt said. "There was one incident in which I was talking to a group of political reporters and apparently put my hand on the shoulder of a reporter sitting in front of me; NOT rubbing her neck, putting my hand on shoulder while talking to other reporters. She spoke to HR about it, who looked into it, spoke with reporters present and concluded there was nothing inappropriate and thus no need to inform me. I only was told about this several years later." Hunt's alleged touching wasn't limited to massages, former co-workers said. One time he reached out to hold a female employee's hand, according to a person who witnessed the event. When she thrust it into her pocket to remove it from his reach, the person said, Hunt simply slipped his hand into her pocket as well and held it there. Another time he slapped a woman's bare thighs several times and dared her to tell human resources, according to a person who witnessed it. In another case, he put his hand on a woman's shoulder and left it there, according to the person. Hunt could also make inappropriate comments, former co-workers said. He once took note of a reporter's matching manicure and pedicure and asked, with a smirk, if everything else matched, according to one witness. Hunt denies making that remark, as well as putting his hand in a woman's pocket or slapping a woman's thighs. Al Hunt (left) and Matthew Winkler (center) attended the 2007 White House Correspondents Dinner with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. Getty Images Al's Angels Hunt was known to favor a small group of women that some employees took to calling "Al's Angels." Membership in the group often meant getting plum reporting assignments, invitations to key meetings with DC power brokers, and in at least some cases, career advancement, according to six people who say they witnessed what they described as favoritism. In other cases, when Hunt still had oversight of compensation for the bureau, it could mean getting a bigger bonus, one person said. One former employee believed that Hunt expected the women to dress provocatively. Once, after asking a woman to do a task for him, this employee was told that Hunt said, "I just love watching her run in heels." An employee told Business Insider that they often witnessed Hunt call a woman to his desk, caress her forearms, and, after she walked away, comment, "I have such a crush on her." In his statement, Hunt denied making both remarks, calling them "made-up stories." "Can you seriously suggest these were shiny toys that achieved enormous success at Bloomberg and later at other places?" he said. "To call them angels is insulting." More than a dozen former employees described Hunt's volatile temper, saying he would frequently yell at underlings. One former employee described a time Hunt was shouting at an assistant because he couldn't find his glasses. Eventually, she told him they were on his head. "He could be abusive to people working for him and very, very demanding and not always kind about it," that person said. In one case, Hunt threw a stapler at one of his assistants, two of the people said. The people didn't witness the incident, but one of them recalls talking about it with the stapler's target, who moved on from the Hunt post and now works in Bloomberg's television operation. The target declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider. "I am certain I never threw a stapler at a reporter," Hunt said. "It is perfectly possible that I did insist you say yell to an assistant to find my glasses when they were perched on my head. That has happened at home with my kids, so it's credible." Television journalists Al Hunt (L) and Judy Woodruff (R), who are married to each other, share a few words with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (C) shortly after touring the Newseum which reopened after moving locations April 11, 2008 in Washington, DC. PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images) Sources say Bloomberg LP made settlement payments to two women who complained about Hunt Business Insider has learned of at least two instances in which Bloomberg agreed to pay women to settle potential claims over Hunt's conduct. Business Insider was unable to confirm the specific details of the settlements. "I raised Al Hunt's treatment of female employees to senior managers in the company on several occasions, after repeatedly witnessing its impact," said one former Bloomberg editor. "I was never informed of any action." Hunt continued at Bloomberg until 2018, well past the time that Mike Bloomberg had returned from running New York City. In a statement, a Bloomberg LP spokesperson did not deny any of the claims regarding Hunt: "We take complaints from our employees seriously and investigate them thoroughly. Looking back at the history of the company, there are certainly instances where we wish we had handled some complaints differently. We're always striving to do better, and we are constantly improving policies and procedures to ensure an inclusive workplace." Not all of Hunt's former co-workers described him as abusive or inappropriate. Several described him simply as a 60-something man accustomed to working in a newsroom under the norms of a bygone era. These people point out that the accusations against Hunt do not rise to the level of the sort of sexually predatory behavior that Charlie Rose and Harvey Weinstein have been accused of. One person said that accusing Hunt of giving "massages" was misleading, saying that he would simply place his hands on people's shoulders. "Al Hunt is both a mentor and a friend," Julianna Goldman, a former White House correspondent at Bloomberg and former correspondent at CBS News, told Business Insider. "He has been a champion and advocate for me throughout my career as well as countless other women who have excelled professionally across some of the most prestigious news organizations. I never felt he treated me inappropriately." "Unquestionably I could be demanding," Hunt said. "There were displays of temper and demands and a couple assistants who left unhappy; again [there] were NO instances of inappropriate touching, etc. It was a big bureau and [I] suspect there were some unhappy people, four or five journalists were managed out over those years. But if the climate was anything like you describe, we never would have been able to hire such really talented reporters, many women; almost without exception they stayed and flourished." READ OUR FULL STORY: "More than 40 current and former Bloomberg LP employees reveal the company's abusive 'trading floor' culture, where Mike Bloomberg and his colleagues allegedly called women 'SFUs' for 'short fat and ugly,' and women complained about a senior newsroom leader's unwanted massages for years." Read the original article on Business Insider Bali's Galungan festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil, but a new enemy was threatening that cosmic balance this year -- coronavirus. Temples across the Island of the Gods were filled with faithful who hoped incense-and-flower offerings would get Hindu-majority Bali back on its feet after a drastic slump in Chinese visitors hammered the key tourism sector. "We're praying for good things in this universe and that the virus is gone soon so Bali's tourism can bounce back," priest Made Langgeng Buwana told AFP during the recent February Galungan celebration in the capital Denpasar. Concerns over the rapidly-spreading outbreak prompted Indonesia to shut down all flights to and from China last month, dealing a body blow to scores of Bali businesses including restaurants, hotels, travel agents, wedding planners and Mandarin-speaking interpreters. Around a million Chinese tourists visit the holiday island 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. - Ghost town? - In Bali, some China-focused businesses have closed and others say they're on the brink of bankruptcy. Management at one upscale hotel was so desperate to cut costs they told employees to wear street clothes on the job to reduce uniform cleaning expenses, according to staff. Bali's tourism industry has suffered -- and recovered -- before, including when volcano Mount Agung erupted in 2018. "There was a drop then but not something like this," said Robin, 29, an Indonesian interpreter who used to guide wealthy Chinese around the island. Jakarta has announced more than $700 million in stimulus to bolster Southeast Asia's biggest economy as its tourism sector takes a hit, while Bali officials hope social media influencers can help draw more visitors. The island's tourism agency head Putu Astawa -- barely two months into his new job -- acknowledged that losing 100,000 Chinese visitors a month has stung. But the number of visitors from Australia, Japan, North America and Europe is stable, despite unfounded reports that Bali is a ghost town, he insisted. "I don't worry about the virus," Astawa said in an interview. "I worry about social media hoaxes hurting the image of our tourism sector. I'm tired of fighting it." - 'Fatally impacted' - The ghost-town image isn't fake news at Dream Island Bali Beach Club, however. Chinese tourists used to roll in for wedding photos, massages in thatched huts, beachside camel rides and a $17 'Dream Dinner' package with a fire-dance show. The now-empty operation also ferried mainly Chinese visitors on boats to company-run restaurants nearby. Those eateries are now closed, the ferries are beached and Dream Island is headed for bankruptcy with half the staff on leave, said manager Wayan Tirta. "Now we're trying to get local students to come here because there aren't any tourists," he said, plunging his hand downward to show the drop in business. "We've been fatally impacted by the outbreak and are just trying to stay afloat." At Dream Island's deserted Mermaid Bay restaurant, Arik and two other staff played with their smartphones as a pair of unemployed camels lay in the sand nearby. "We don't have anything to do. Hopefully we'll get some more guests," she said. In Denpasar, OYO 1992 China Town Hotel -- draped in bilingual signage and a huge lobby painting of a woman with a Chinese-style fan -- is also feeling the pinch. The hotel once employed scores of massage therapists who relied on mainland tourists, but that crucial moneymaker has dried up. "Before coronavirus we were planning to add more massage beds," said manager Vincent Fonda in the hotel's empty Chinese food restaurant. "At the end of the day, we're probably going to close down." As US troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, opening the door for a potential Taliban comeback, women across the war-torn country are nervous about losing their hard-won freedoms in the pursuit of peace. The militants were in power for around five years until the US invasion of 2001. They ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist that turned women into virtual prisoners under a strict interpretation of sharia law. The Taliban's fall transformed women's lives, much more so in urban areas like Kabul than in conservative rural Afghanistan. But across the country, women remain wary of the insurgents, desperate to see an end to the violence, but fearful of paying a heavy price. Here are some of their stories: - 'How will I support my family?' - Under the Taliban, women were barred from seeking education or work -- rights that Afghan female professionals are fiercely protective of today. In the western city of Herat, saleswoman Setara Akrimi, 32, told AFP: "I will be very happy if peace comes and the Taliban stop killing our people." "But if the Taliban come back to power... with their old mentality, it is a matter of concern for me," the divorced mother of three added. "If they tell me to sit at home, I will not be able to support my family," she said. "There are thousands of women like me in Afghanistan, we are all worried." - 'No change in Taliban mentality' - Akrimi's anxieties are echoed by Kabul-based veterinarian Tahera Rezai, who believes "the arrival of the Taliban will affect women's right to work, freedom and independence". "There has been no change in their mentality," the 30-year-old told AFP. Passionate about her career, Rezai said she was pessimistic about her prospects if the insurgents return to government, even in a truncated capacity. "Looking at their history, I feel less hopeful... I believe the situation will get harder for working women like me," she said. In the run-up to the US deal, the militants made a vague commitment to respect women's rights in line with "Islamic values", prompting warnings from activists that the pledge was mere lip service and open to broad interpretation. The Taliban control large swathes of Afghanistan and while they now allow girls to attend primary school in some areas, occasional reports of floggings and even the public stoning of women persist, fuelling fears they will turn back the clock if they return to power. - 'Every family is grieving' - Many ordinary Afghans are struggling to balance their desire for peace with their dread of the insurgents. "Every family here is grieving because they have lost their children, sons, husbands, brothers in the war," government official Torpekay Shinwari told AFP in eastern Nangarhar province, which witnessed fierce battles between the Taliban and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate. The 46-year-old said she was praying for peace, but was increasingly concerned that "women would be looked upon as the second sex and suppressed" if the militants gain ground. - 'The young generation has changed' - But in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, schoolgirl Parwana Hussaini struck a rare optimistic note. "I am not worried. Who are the Taliban? They are our brothers," the 17-year-old told AFP. "We are all Afghans and want peace." Furthermore, she added: "The young generation has changed, and will not allow the Taliban to enforce their old ideology upon us." - 'I don't want this so-called peace' - For those who bore the brunt of the insurgents' merciless rule, however, there is little doubt that a Taliban comeback will bring anything other than a repeat of "dark and painful memories". Factory worker Uzra, from the mainly Shiite Hazara ethnic minority, sobbed as she recounted life as a young mother, alone at home with her children when the Sunni-fundamentalist Taliban arrived in her village. "I still vividly remember the day... They massacred all the men, and then came to my house," the 40-year-old said, too frightened to give her full name. The militants threatened to behead her then three-year-old daughter, she told AFP from her home in central Bamiyan province. The family survived and fled to Pakistan, but her husband was disabled and traumatised by the brutal beatings he suffered. "To this day, when the word 'Taliban' comes up, he starts crying," she said. "Everybody wants peace, but not if the Taliban returns. I don't want this so-called peace." strs-us-nn-amu/st/wat/mtp/it Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 Six high-ranking officials in the Jakarta administration have resigned over the last four months after a series of reported controversies rocked Governor Anies Baswedans administration. The administration has been under public scrutiny over the past months for issues including a questionable allocation in the 2020 Jakarta draft budget last year and this years flood-management measures. Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Subejo and Jakarta Housing and Settlement Agency head Kelik Indriyanto are the latest two officials to leave their position. Both Subejo and Kelik resigned on Monday. 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 Baaram review: Docu-drama feel! Baaram Source: SIFY By: MOVIEBUZZ Critic's Rating: 2.5/5 Monday 24 February 2020 Movie Title Baaram review: Docu-drama feel! Director Priya Krishnasamy Star Cast Raju, Sugumar, Jayalakshmi Director Priya Krishnasamy's Baaram is a hard-hitting film on patricide practised in villages in south Tamil Nadu. It is about Thalaikoothal, traditional form of senicide. If you ask if Baaram is for the regular mainstream moviegoers? The treatment is documentary style so it may not be everyone's cup of tea but Priya's film is relevant and her voice must reach everyone. Karuppasamy (R Raju) is self-dependant apartment security who gels well with his sister's family and nephews more than his selfish son. Karuppasamy has already transferred his properties to his son Senthil (SuPa Muthukumar) so he is no longer taking care of his dad. An unexpected accident causes a severe back injury to Karuppasamy and doctors advise immediate surgery. But Senthil prefers to take care of his dad in his native village. A few days later, Karuppasamy dies. At the funeral, Karuppasamy's nephews come to know that their uncle was murdered by his son and daughter-in-law. Among the nephews, one named Veera (Sugumar Shanmugham) is a do-gooder and fights against the irregularities in the society; his character has been portrayed as a communist. Veera takes the alleged murder of his uncle to cops; he even mails to some of the leading media outlets. A sting operation conducted by a leading media house reveals that many elderly men and women were murdered in the name of 'Thalaikoothal' in the same village and it is happening in various places across Tamil Nadu. As said earlier, the documentary flavour prevails throughout the film. Some of the actors are so natural while a few of them struggle to emote. For example, Sugumar, Karuppasamy's sister(Jayalakshmi), and Raju are excellent while the actress who played as the daughter-in-law of Karuppasamy and even Muthukumar, the son sound too dramatic. The scenes where Raju was taken to and fro from the hospital to the village would melt even stone heart; his pain and agony were passed to the audiences perfectly that we couldn't see his suffering and have to close our eyes in a few sequences. On the downside, the son and daughter-in-law can't be black, it would've been better of the director tried to establish them in the grey-shaded zone. There is no back story to why the father is ill treated by his only son. Overall, Baaram scores with its message and hard-hitting tone and it is clear that the film was made like an art house one with a running time of 91 minutes aimed at festival audiences. The film would have been far better if the characterizations and performances were better. All ready director Madhumita had come out with KD on the same subject which could strike a better chord as the story had the heart in the right place. Baaram review: Docu-drama Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on March 4 a plea seeking immediate registration of FIR against BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and others for their alleged "hate speech", that allegedly led to the violence in North-East Delhi. The petition was filed by a group of Delhi violence survivors. A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde posted the matter for hearing on Wednesday after senior advocate Colin Gonsalves appearing for the survivors told the apex court that Delhi High Court had last week adjourned the issue for six weeks whereas people are dying every day. Gonsalves said that it is an urgent issue and added that the top court should hear the matter today or tomorrow. The Chief Justice said that he "wished for peace" but added that the court cannot give preventive relief. "We are not saying people should die. That kind of pressure we are not equipped to handle. We cannot stop things from happening. We cannot give preventive reliefs. We feel a kind of pressure on us... We can only deal with the situation after it occurs, the kind of pressure on us, we can't handle that... it's like the court is responsible," Chief Justice Bobde observed. "We read newspapers, we know the kind of comments that are made. Courts come on to the scene after the thing is done and courts have not been able to prevent such a thing. We wish peace...," he added. The plea filed by a group of 10 Delhi violence survivors sought an immediate FIR against Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma who allegedly "indulged in hate speech, rioting, murder and arson". It sought the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) with officers from outside Delhi to probe violence and call in the army to maintain law and order in the capital. The plea further sought an inquiry committee headed by a retired judge to probe police persons involved in the violence and exemplary compensation to all victims. The petitioners also sought postmortem reports to be released immediately to the families of victims. IT also sought a direction to the government and police to make public the full list of persons detained by police and paramilitary and to preserve all CCTV footage of violence-affected areas. At least 46 people lost their lives and more than 200 others sustained serious injuries in the violence that rocked North-East Delhi last week. (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 The Nifty50 is just 200 points away from breaking 11,000 and looking at the current selling pressure, a breach of 11,000 mark is quite likely, Rajesh Palviya, Head Technical and Derivative Research, Axis Securities, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand. Edited excerpt: A) Indian markets are currently in risk aversion mode which is seen in global markets on account of the supply side disruption and disproportionate dependence of global economy on China across various sectors. Further, the market participants believe that the supply side shock is likely to get converted to demand destruction or deferment further pushing the economic recovery. The market is also fearing that the supply shocks/demand destruction may get escalated into defaults of leveraged companies (or countries), thus leading into global NPA in the banking system or a bailout by IMF. The sentiment would improve if individual governments and/ or central banks take necessary measures, be it fiscal or monetary measures to contain the fallout of drop in economic activities. These moves may not immediately improve the businesses but it would certainly contain the risk off sentiments. Indian markets would follow the direction taken by the global markets in the near term. A) The Nifty50 is just 200-points away from breaking the 11000 mark and looking at the current selling pressure, a breach of 11000 mark is quite likely. On the other hand, a close above 11535 (28th Feb gap resistance) is necessary for the bulls to regain strength for the near term. Looking at the derivatives data, the highest PE concentration for weekly and monthly series is placed at 11,000 strike price which indicates Nifty would try to find support in the range of 10900-11000, but any breakdown below 10,900 would open the lower range up to 10,600-10,500. However, on the higher side, 11500 is having the highest CE concentration for weekly and monthly series is likely to act as a major resistance on the higher side. As of now, the possibility looks weak for 11800-12000 level in March series. Frankly, looking at the pace of selloff, it is still difficult to take a view at which level market will hold the support, as the derivative data is changing every day very fast based on the major supports are taken out on daily basis. India VIX surged approximately 70 percent during the week and reached to level of 23 which indicates high volatility and we are going to witness big swings in the near term. A) Last week we have seen a surge of 1 percent in USDINR and it is approaching towards 72.60 (Sept 2019 high). A close above those levels will be crucial to watch. 28th February has clocked the highest daily volume since 2014 indicating strong participation in the current uptrend. A weekly close above 72.60 (USDINR March Futures) will confirm the channel breakout of range (70.60 -72.60) which can take USDINR towards 73.30 -73.50 in the near term, however, 72.05 and 71.90 are the important support levels on the downside. We expect USDINR to trade in a range of 73.50-71.90 for March A) Concerns over the spread of coronavirus which might further escalate, we are anticipating Nifty to extend its correction after Fridays fall of 400 points and to take advantage of the same at a very minimal cost, and we are suggesting a bear put ladder for 5th March weekly expiry. This strategy consists of buying 11,100 put @ 136 and selling two out of the money puts (OTM), one at 10,900 @ 84 and the other at 10,700 @ 55. It is a net credit strategy of Rs 3 and all options expire on 5TH March 2020. The maximum profit of Rs 203 (Rs 15,225) happens if Nifty remains near 10,700. However, since we have sold an extra put at 10,700, every point below level will cause the profit to drop right until 10,500. Below 10,500, the losses will multiply and it is advisable to exit the strategy or in other words, maintain a stop loss of 10500. If there is a bounce-back in Nifty, then since its a credit strategy, our gains will be restricted to Rs 3 per lot i.e Rs 225/- A) Here is a list of stock ideas which traders could consider for the week: Granules India: It has made a new all-time high last week after breaking out from the multi-month declining trend line. We recommend to buy near Rs 150-140 levels with a stop loss of 120 and a target of 180-200 levels. Dabur India: It has broken out from the multiple resistances near Rs 480 levels. We recommend to buy near 485-475 levels with a stop loss of 445 and a target of 530-550 levels. India Cements: It has bounced from the major support zone with lifetime high volumes indicating good participation by the bulls. We recommend to buy near 95-90 levels with a stop loss of 85 and a target of 115-125 levels. United Spirits: It has broken out from a one-year-long resistance of 670 and is sustaining above that. We recommend to buy near 680-670 levels with a stop loss of 650 and a target of 710-730 levels. : 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. Syrian Air Defence Opens Fire at Turkish Drones Near Hama Sputnik News 16:55 GMT 01.03.2020 HAMA, Syria (Sputnik) - Syrian government troops opened fire on Sunday at aerial targets near the western city of Hama that a Syrian military source identified to Sputnik as Turkish drones. "Our anti-aircraft weapons are firing at Turkish drones," the source said. A Sputnik correspondent in Hama said traces of artillery fire could be seen in the sky over Hama and its suburbs for at least half an hour. The city lies south of the flashpoint region of Idlib. Earlier in the day, Syria announced that its airspace over Idlib had been closed, warning that the army would destroy any aircraft violating its airspace. Later on Sunday, SANA news agency reported that Turkey downed two Syrian aircraft in Idlib province, adding that the pilots ejected and landed safely. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Dear Annie: I have been married to my wife for 25 years, and I love her so very much. When we first met, she had two young boys, ages 2 and 7, and for the most part I helped raise them with her. In the late '90s and early 2000s, we traveled around the country with our business. The boys went back to their father's for a few years. When we sold the business, they came back to live with us. We found them to have changed. They were into drugs and gangster lifestyles. They are now 30 and 35 years old. The older son, "Tim," has carved out a wonderful life. But the 30-year-old, "Robby," has continued doing drugs. A few years ago, we agreed to take him in to see if we could help. He's still here. He has not worked or even looked for a job in five-plus years. He stays in his bedroom and watches TV, stays up until 4 or 5 a.m. every night and gets up the at 1 or 2 p.m. I don't think he is doing drugs anymore, but I'm not sure. I've tried to talk to my wife about setting boundaries: telling him it's time he gets a job and that he can't just keep living with us and not even looking for one. But it always ends up in a disagreement. I offered Robby a list of 10 ideas of jobs he might like and bought him a book to read called "Your Best Self." He has never even picked it up. I don't know what to do anymore; I have almost left my wife over him. We are in our 60s, and it is getting harder. She defends everything he does, so it's impossible to have a productive conversation about any of this. Tim has become frustrated as well. I don't see any end in the future. -- Desperate Stepdad Dear Desperate Stepdad: Addiction is a family disease. Living with your stepson's drug abuse has warped your wife's way of thinking. This is true even if he's not using anymore. This situation has become too much for you to bear alone. I encourage you to attend a Nar-Anon meeting and ask your wife (and other stepson) to go as well. If your wife says no, go on your own, and try at least a few different meetings before deciding whether or not it's for you. They're free and confidential, and they just might offer that light at the end of the tunnel that you so need. Visit the Nar-Anon website for more information. Dear Annie: In reading your recent columns about alcoholism and help/support for those stuck in that vortex, I would like to point you to another source of help for both alcoholics and their families. It is Celebrate Recovery. CR is a Christian 12-step program. While it won't appeal to everyone due to its Christian undergirding, it has been a very effective program for many afflicted with the ravages of drugs/alcohol/addictive behavior. I pastored a CR program for many years, and we saw countless people helped through group support. CR is national and has programs in many cities. More information may be found on the CR website. God bless you as you offer help to others. -- Retired Pastor Dear Retired Pastor: I had not previously heard of Celebrate Recovery, and it sounds like a great resource for Christians looking for fellowship and support in their recovery. Thank you for bringing another recovery resource to my attention. "Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie" is out now! Annie Lane's debut book -- featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette -- is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM Read more advice: Ask Amy: Separated soulmates are eager to connect Dear Annie: Looking to hop off the hamster wheel Dear Abby: Children cut off stepmother with dads power of attorney Finance & Development, March 2020, Vol. 57, No. 1 PDF version Somalia's Recovery and the Power of a Song In The Trenches Rebuilding Somalia Finance Minister Abdirahman Dualeh Beileh sees hope for his countrys economic development A big challenge for fragile states is to hold on to their most valuable asset: people. More than 1 million Somalis have fled their country in recent years, many choosing ramshackle refugee camps in neighboring countries over the incessant instability and conflict back home. But for Abdirahman Dualeh Beileh, Somalias finance minister, years abroad helped prepare him for a key post in a country that had virtually no functioning public institutions for more than 20 years. After three degrees from the University of WisconsinMadison and a long stint at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Beileh was beckoned back to Somalia in 2014 to help the country get on its feet again. He served first as minister of foreign affairs before being named finance minister in 2017. Decades of devastating conflict have left Somalia with vast needs, and Beileh has focused on restoring trust in Somalias government to secure the resources needed to rebuild. In addition to his role as a public servant, Beileh is known for his talent as an artist and songwriter. In this interview with F&Ds Bruce Edwards, Beileh says cultural expression has been a unifying force in Somalias fractious history and plays an important role in its development. F&D: Could you paint us a picture of the place Somalia is emerging from? ADB: Somalia had no recognized government for 20 years. There was a total lack of institutions, a total suspension of law and order. Everybody went back to their roots, back to their clans where the elders are in charge of small communities. If you dont have a recognized central government, schools, or anything binding these communities of small clans and subclans, then you suddenly feel that you dont exist anymore. We were saved by our women and elders, who helped ease tensions between communities. But we sobered up when we saw that the country was slipping away. We realized that people were leaving, and a country cannot exist in a vacuum. F&D: What was the turning point? ADB: The turning point was 2012, when the first government was elected in a manner that resembled normalcy, and the international community recognized that. Since then weve been climbing a very steep mountain, and were heading for the summit. F&D: Insecurity has been a long-standing issue. ADB: Security is always a problem. But when we compare where we are today and where we came from, I think its tremendous that we were able to make it this far. There are still some security problems, some terrorist elements in Somalia. But by and large, we have rules that guide our economy nationwide. I think we have the common agenda worked out: one nation, one economy, and one budget. Were not there yet, but with the help of the international community, well get there soon. F&D: Among your many priorities, which ones are the most pressing? ADB: The most pressing issue is to deal with our debt to the international community. In recent years, Somalia did not have access to financial resources of the international community other than funds for capacity building and humanitarian assistance. F&D: What is the size of Somalias debt, and why have you not had access to the financial resources of the international community in the past? ADB: The total estimated debt is about $5.3 billion. No country can have access to international financial institutions or other concessionary or grant resources as long as it is in arrears. So the Somali governments clear strategy has been to put every effort into clearing its arrears through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. Once the debt is relieved, we will be able to benefit from the grant resources of the IMF, the World Bank, the AfDB, and other institutions. These resources will be used in rebuilding the country, which will, in turn, generate more jobs. My country is a youthful country, with young people making up 70 percent of the population. There are currently very few jobs for them. Creating more job opportunities is also a top priority. F&D: After so many years without a functioning government, how do you regain peoples trust in government institutions? ADB: To a normal person working in a normal country, it is impossible to imagine what it is like to lose everythingto lose institutions, records, even your history of governance. It is simply unimaginable. We have lived through this. It is not easy. At some point, some of the ministers had no offices, no staff. But we now have a functioning government. We have been able to agree on all the bills that will govern our finances, taxes, and customs. Some of them have already been harmonized, and we are working on others with the help of the IMF and the rest of the international community. F&D: There is now a very large global Somali diaspora. How closely tied is that community to the community within Somalia? ADB: The diaspora for Somalia has been a blessing. They contribute significantly to our economy, bringing their businesses and their skills back to Mogadishunot to mention their remittances. I would say 80 to 90 percent of Somali families were fed during our period of difficulty thanks to the diaspora community. And so I cannot overemphasize its value for our country. F&D: Where would you like Somalia to be, say, five years from now? ADB: If the current trajectory holds, we can be a middle-income country. It sounds like an overstatement, but knowing the Somali people and their acumen and resilienceyou name it, they have been through it. If you can survive all these challenges, if you can build malls and businesses in places like Minneapolis, London, Columbus, and Nairobi, then you can do that in Somalia. Five years down the road, we have to be a country with a self-sufficient government. We should not be asking for handouts. In five years, the governments budget must be funded by internal resources. We will still require investment in Somalia, because the countrys infrastructure has been totally destroyed. F&D: Youre well-known not only as an engaged public official, but also as a distinguished artist and songwriter. Do you believe that art and culture can play a role in the development of the country? ADB: Yeswhen we lost everything else, the culture and the letters remained. And it is Somali culture to articulate everything through the art of poetry and songwriting. So I am one among many. I dont think I can say that I am a great artist. It is just when my emotions reach a certain level, then those feelings find expression in song. Ill give you an example. When I worked for the AfDB, I would go to African countries and participate in meetings where Africans congregated, and Somalia was not there. The chair was there, the flag was there, but there was no representative. And then I would recall how strong Somalia was when I was growing up. I needed to express the emotion that this evoked in me. And so I did that through song. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. PHOTO: IMF/EUGENE SALAZAR Opinions expressed in articles and other materials are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect IMF policy. English Danish Company announcement no 09-20 2 March 2020 This is to convene the Annual General Meeting of North Media A/S, company reg. (CVR) no. 66 59 01 19. The Annual General Meeting will be held at: IDA Conference Kalvebod Brygge 31-33 1560 Copenhagen V Denmark on Friday, 27 March 2020 at 3:00 p.m. Agenda and complete proposals: 1. Presentation of the management report on the Companys activities in the past year. 2. Presentation of the audited annual report and resolution to adopt the annual report. 3. Resolution to discharge the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board from liability. 4. Resolution as to the appropriation of profit or covering of loss according to the adopted annual report. The Board of Directors proposes a dividend of DKK 4.00 per share with a nominal value of DKK 5.00. 5. Resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors or shareholders. 5.1 Proposal from the Board of Directors to authorise the Board of Directors to acquire treasury shares. The Board of Directors proposes that the shareholders in general meeting authorise the Board of Directors to allow the Company to acquire, on a current basis, treasury shares with a total value of up to 15% of the share capital in accordance with applicable law. Treasury shares may be acquired at the official market price applicable at the time of purchase subject to a deviation of up to plus or minus 5%. The authorisation will be granted for a five-year period ending on 27 March 2025. 5.2 Amendments to the Companys remuneration policy for the Board of Directors and the Executive Board. The Board of Directors proposes that the shareholders in general meeting adopt the Companys updated remuneration policy. The remuneration policy has been updated as a result of the new requirements under sections 139 and 139a of the Danish Companies Act. The updated draft remuneration policy is available at the Companys website, www.northmedia.dk . 5.3 Amendment to the Companys Articles of Association. The Board of Directors proposes to amend the standard agenda for the Companys Annual General Meeting. The proposed resolution entails that article 8.2 of the Articles of Association is amended to read as follows (text added is marked in bold): Presentation of the management report on the Companys activities in the past year. Presentation of the audited annual report and resolution to adopt the annual report. Resolution to discharge the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board from liability. Resolution as to the appropriation of profit or covering of loss according to the adopted annual report. Presentation of remuneration report and resolution to adopt the remuneration report. Resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors or shareholders. Election of members to the Board of Directors. Appointment of auditors. Any other business. 6 Election of members to the Board of Directors: The Board of Directors proposes re-election of the existing members of the Board of Directors: Mads Dahl Mberg Andersen, Richard Bunck, Peter Rasztar and Ulrik Holsted-Sandgreen. The Board of Directors further proposes that Thomas Weikop and Ulrik Falkner Thagesen be elected as new members of the Board of Directors. The documents to be used at the Annual General Meeting and information about the background and qualifications of the board candidates seeking election or re-election are available at www.northmedia.dk . 7 Appointment of auditors. The Board of Directors proposes re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab (PwC) based on a recommendation by the Audit Committee. The recommendation by the Audit Committee has not been influenced by any third party, and the Audit Committee has not been bound by any agreement with any third party restricting the shareholders appointment of auditors. 8 Any other business. Majority requirement Adoption of the proposals set out in agenda items 2-5.2 and 6-7 requires that the resolutions are passed by a simple majority of votes, see section 105 of the Danish Companies Act and article 10.2 of the Companys Articles of Association. Adoption of the proposal set out in agenda item 5.3 requires that the resolution is passed by a majority of at least two thirds of the votes cast and of the voting share capital represented at the general meeting, see section 106(1) of the Danish Companies Act and article 10.3 of the Companys Articles of Association. Registration for and attendance at the Annual General Meeting From 2 March 2020, the following documents for use at the Annual General Meeting will be available at www.northmedia.dk : (1) This notice to convene the Annual General Meeting, including the agenda of the meeting, the complete proposals and information about the total number of shares and voting rights at the date of the notice. (2) The documents to be presented at the Annual General Meeting, including the annual report for 2019. (3) Registration form, proxy form and postal voting form. All documents can be downloaded from www.northmedia.dk . The documents are also available from North Media on request. Please submit a written request by letter to North Media A/S, Gladsaxe Mllevej 28, 2860 Sborg, Denmark, for the attention of Investor Relations or by e-mail to investor@northmedia.dk . The documents listed above will be sent to you by ordinary mail. Shareholders right to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting is determined on the basis of the shares held them at the registration date, which is one week before the date of the Annual General Meeting. Accordingly, shareholders must be registered as such in the Companys register of shareholders or have given due notification with a view to entry into the register of shareholders on Friday, 20 March 2020 at the latest. Shareholders may ask questions to the Board of Directors and the Executive Board during the Annual General Meeting. Please submit any questions concerning the agenda by e-mail to investor@northmedia.dk . Admission card/proxy form for the Annual General Meeting may be requested electronically by e-mail sent to investor@northmedia.dk or via the Investor Portal at www.northmedia.dk using your custody account no. and password/NemID. You will receive immediate confirmation of registration via the portal. The documents can also be downloaded from www.northmedia.dk . The documents must be completed and returned by ordinary mail to North Media A/S, Gladsaxe Mllevej 28, 2860 Sborg, Denmark, for the attention of Investor Relations. Regardless of the medium chosen, your registration must be received by Computershare A/S on Monday, 23 March 2020 at 11:59 p.m. at the latest. Admission cards requested by shareholders will be handed out at the venue of the meeting. Please note that admission cards are no longer sent by ordinary mail. Shareholders are entitled to attend by proxy and may also attend together with an adviser. If you wish to vote by postal vote, you may do so electronically via the Investor Portal or by downloading the postal voting form from www.northmedia.dk . The form must be completed, dated and signed. Regardless of the medium chosen, the postal voting form must be received by Computershare A/S on Thursday, 26 March 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at the latest. Please note that postal votes cannot be revoked. The aggregate share capital of North Media A/S amounts to DKK 100,275,000 nominal value and is divided into shares with a nominal value of DKK 5.00 each, each share entitling the holder to one vote. North Media A/S Mads Dahl Mberg Andersen Chairman of the Board of Directors This document is an unofficial translation of the Danish original. In the event of any inconsistencies, the Danish version shall apply. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Roland Jackson and Tom Barfield (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom/Frankfurt, Germany Tue, March 3, 2020 02:33 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067d4813 2 News Airlines,flights,cancellation,coronavirus,outbreak,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,health-issues Free British Airways and Ireland's Ryanair on Monday announced major flight cancellations particularly to Italy, in response to the worsening novel coronavirus outbreak, while Germany's Lufthansa extended cutbacks. BA, which is owned by International Airlines Group, said it would cancel some 216 flights to various countries as a result of weaker demand sapped by the spread of COVID-19 disease. The International Civil Aviation Organization says the virus outbreak -- which has hit Italy the hardest in Europe -- could mean a $4.0-5.0 billion drop in worldwide airline revenue. 'Reduced demand' "To match reduced demand due to the continuing coronavirus issue, we are merging a number of flights between March 16 and March 28," BA said in a statement. "We will be contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including rebooking onto other carriers where possible, full refunds or booking with BA for a later date of travel." The cancelled flights include 12 from London Heathrow to New York's JFK airport, plus 204 short-haul round-trips, including to Albania, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland. There was no word from parent group IAG about its other divisions which include Spain's Iberia and Ireland's Aer Lingus. In a further development, Brazilian carrier Latam suspended flights between San Paolo and Milan from March 2 to April 16. Separately, Irish no-frills airline Ryanair announced it would cut up to a quarter of its short-haul flights, particularly to Italy. "Ryanair today notified passengers that it was reducing its short haul flight program mainly to and from Italy by up to 25 percent for a three-week period from March 17," it said. "Over the past week, Ryanair has seen a significant drop in bookings over that late March/early April period, in response to the COVID-19 virus." 'Passenger no-shows' "There has also been a significant step up in passenger no-shows on flights, particularly from and within Italy," it added. Dublin-based Ryanair did not expect the cancellations to have a material impact on its current financial year to March 2020 but said it was "far too early to speculate" what the impact might be on 2021. "Our focus at this time is on minimizing any risk to our people and our passengers," noted Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary. "It makes sense to selectively prune our schedule to and from those airports where travel has been most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak." Earlier Monday, Lufthansa extended cancellations on Iran and China routes until late April due to the spreading disease. The group's namesake carrier and subsidiaries Austrian and Swiss will not fly to and from mainland China until April 24, Lufthansa said in a statement. Tehran flights will be suspended until April 30. The cuts are part of a wider scheme Lufthansa announced Friday that will ground 23 long-haul aircraft and cut short- and medium-haul services by up to 25 percent. Lufthansa said Monday it was reducing the frequency of flights between major German hubs Frankfurt and Munich and Seoul and Hong Kong. The group is also reducing frequency on routes to cities in Italy, including Rome, Venice, and Milan, with subsidiary Brussels Airlines affected alongside low-cost carrier Eurowings, Austrian and Swiss. It has also suspended new hires as part of its measures to cushion the business impact of the virus, which it added was "not yet possible to estimate". More EU airline failures? Ryanair predicted Monday that the outbreak would spark more European airline collapses in a sector already marked by fierce competition. "We expect that this COVID-19 virus will result in further EU airline failures over the coming weeks," Ryanair said while reassuring over the strength of its own balance sheet. In northern Italy, 11 towns have been placed under quarantine due to coronavirus. On Monday the global death toll from the epidemic passed 3,000 as dozens more patients succumbed in China. More than 90,000 people have now been infected around the world, mostly in China but with significant outbreaks also in South Korea, Italy and Iran. To the Editor: Re No, Not Sanders, Not Ever, by David Brooks (column, Feb. 28): Im the quintessential traditional liberal whom David Brooks talks about. I am committed to the system that Mr. Brooks says Bernie Sanders wants to tear down. But while Mr. Sanders isnt my first, or even third, choice among the Democratic candidates, I wont hesitate to vote for him should he become the nominee and, if he has a lick of sense, neither should Mr. Brooks. Mr. Sanders may have bizarrely charitable views about the policies of some cruel authoritarians such as Fidel Castro. But lets be clear about what really matters: Mr. Sanders is not himself an authoritarian and would not govern like one. I have no doubt that Mr. Sanders believes in the rule of law; that he would not use the power of the state against political enemies; and that he would not demean and degrade institutions such as the press, the courts, the Justice Department and the diplomatic corps. Nor is Mr. Sanders cruel. In all of those things, Mr. Sanders is the antithesis of the man currently in the White House. If you want to preserve constitutional democracy, David Brooks, think again. President Donald Trump on Monday said he would be talking about a vaccine or a cure for the coronavirus with pharmaceutical executives and defended holding campaign rallies amid concerns about an outbreak of the disease. 'We're talking about a vaccine, maybe even a cure,' the president said ahead of his meeting later Monday. 'We've asked them to accelerate whatever they're doing in terms of vaccine,' he told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with the president of Colombia. President Donald Trump - during a meeting Colombian President Ivan Duque in the Oval Office - said he would be talking about a vaccine or a cure for the coronavirus with pharmaceutical executives President Trump also defended holding campaign rallies during fears of an outbreak; he'll hold one in Charlotte Monday night and held one in Charleston (pictured) on Friday President Trump, who is holding a campaign rally in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday evening, also defended holding a gathering of thousands amid concerns about the spreading of the disease, saying it was 'safe.' Coronavirus is spread via people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump pointed out the Democratic presidential candidates are also campaigning. 'They're all having rallies. That's what they're doing. They're campaigning,' he said. 'I think it's very safe,' he said. Researchers are working on a cure for the disease but that process could take into the next year. First it would have to be tested on animals and then on humans before it would released to the wider public. The White House is working to contain public panic on the issue but also making sure people are taking adequate measures to safeguard against its spread. The president has had the outbreak on his mind Monday, tweeting about the issue several times, claiming progress was being made on a vaccine and cure. He also touted the restrictions placed on those traveling from China in early February as a move that 'saved many lives' and he complained Democrats were too busy trying to impeach him at the time to do anything about the disease. The president - along with Vice President Mike Pence and members of the coronavirus task force - are scheduled to meet with pharmaceutical executives at the White House Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. EST for a closed-press briefing. 'I am meeting with the major pharmaceutical companies today at the White House about progress on a vaccine and cure. Progress being made!,' Trump tweeted. President Donald Trump claimed progress being made on a vaccine and cure for the coronavirus Pence is scheduled to brief the public from the White House press room at 5 p.m. ET after Trump leaves the White House for a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. Trump also touted a February 2 travel restriction his administration put into place that required U.S. citizens who had traveled in China within 14 days to be directed to one of eight airports designated for screening. 'I was criticized by the Democrats when I closed the Country down to China many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended. Saved many lives. Dems were working the Impeachment Hoax. They didn't have a clue! Now they are fear mongering. Be calm & vigilant!,' the president tweeted. The Senate voted to acquit Trump of the two impeachment charges on February 5. The president's words of reassurance about a vaccine came after the second death in the U.S. was confirmed and the worldwide death toll has passed 3,000. A man in his 70s died Sunday at the same Seattle area hospital where the first person died. And at least 77 patients in the U.S. have now been confirmed to have coronavirus. The coronavirus has infected more than 89,000 people and spread to over 60 countries since it first emerged in China late last year. President Trump has been complaining that Democrats are blaming him for the spread of the disease. He's been defending his administration's response to the outbreak as the stock market has plummeted amid fears of a widespread epidemic. As part of the administration's efforts to calm fears, the U.S. will start screening travelers for coronavirus and ramp up production of masks and test kits. Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and upon arrival, without specifying which countries. Delta Air Lines on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday. The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. Trump said on Saturday that the United States was also considering shutting the country's southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus, adding, 'We hope we won't have to do that.' As the global panic over Coronavirus continues, water, paper towels, gasoline and Clorox disinfecting wipes and products were top of most customers shopping lists at the Costco Wholesale market in Burbank, California At the terminal that serves planes bound for China, people wear medical masks out of concern over the Coronavirus at John F. Kennedy Airport Plane passengers wear surgical masks at LaGuardia Airport, Terminal B in Queens, New York as the first confirmed coronavirus case in New York State is reported Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said more than 3,600 people already have been tested for coronavirus and the capability exists to test 75,000 people. He forecast a 'radical expansion of that' in the coming weeks. The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number 'radically' in coming weeks, Azar told ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday. He also said work was happening on a vaccine. 'We are actively working on a vaccine. We are actively working on therapeutics, the diagnostic is out in the field. And we're going to work to protect the American people with every tool that we've got,' he said. Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases, but that the 'vast majority' of those who contracted the disease would recover. 'Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We're ready,' Pence told NBC's 'Meet the Press'. A 53-year-old man has claimed he can unlock his smartphone with his severed thumb which he kept in a freezer after cutting it off in a circular saw accident. A two-minute clip shows Yuri Vinogradov, from Belarus, appearing to access his device when he places the separated digit on the unlock button after defrosting it in warm water for ten minutes. He lost the top part of his thumb three months ago and had been keeping it in the freezer in the hopes it could be re-attached. But doctors said this would not be possible due to his age and diabetes. Yuri Vinogradov, from Belarus, claimed he unlocked a Chinese-made smartphone with his severed thumb after he defrosted it in warm water for ten minutes The thumb did not unlock the phone when it was frozen, according to the video The video begins with Mr Vinogradov removing his thumb from a plastic bag in the freezer. He demonstrates opening his Chinese-made Elephant S8 with his left thumb, and then shows that it doesn't respond when his severed right thumb is placed on the unlock button. But, after bringing the body part to room temperature, footage appears to show Mr Vinogradov successfully unlocking his phone with it. His son Pavel, 31, who took the footage can be heard exclaiming: 'It worked. And it worked again. 'Can you open an app? Facebook? It works and the screen reacts to the thumb. Can you scroll the Facebook feed? Yes you can.' The video, which was filmed when no one else was present, appears to provide evidence that severed fingers can unlock phones. However, many studies have concluded that this is impossible. Mr Vinogradov pictured with his son Pavel, 31, who took the footage, after he severed his thumb in an accident with a circular saw three months ago Mr Vinogradov pictured showing his thumb after it healed over. Doctors said it could not be re-attached due to his age and diabetes Professor Anil Jain, of Michigan State University, was asked by police in 2016 to unlock a dead mans phone because it contained potentially useful evidence. He concluded that smartphone fingerprint readers require an electrical circuit to unlock. For this reason severed fingers could not unlock a phone, he said, according to a Futurity report. Mobile phone makers have made similar assertions. Mr Vinogradov pictured taking his thumb out of the freezer after the news from doctors The phone appeared to unlock after it was touched with the thumb on the video Engadget in 2013 also reached the conclusion that a disembodied digit could not be used. While the Vinogradovs have shown their experiment several times, no independent observers were present at the time. In a 2016 experiment, Professor Jain managed to unlock the phone using an enhanced digital fingerprint and conductive ink to create an electrical circuit as with live fingerprints. Strongsville priest Robert McWilliams is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals as he waits indictment from a federal grand jury on child sex crime charges. McWilliams, 39, who was previously a seminarian at St. Helens Catholic Church in Newbury Township appeared in federal court Feb. 27 where court records show he waived a preliminary hearing on charges of child pornography, child exploitation and juvenile sex trafficking. Federal court records show that McWilliams also waived his right to a detention hearing and is being held without bail. McWilliams was previously being held in the Geauga County Jail before being moved into federal custody. The priest was first arrested Dec. 5, 2019, at St. Joseph in Strongsville after the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force raided his office and living space. He was facing criminal charges in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties, but prosecutors in both ultimately dropped their cases after a federal complaint was filed Feb. 21 in the The Northern District of Ohio U.S. Court. Geauga County investigators allegedly uncovered evidence that McWilliams solicited child prostitutes online during the course of their investigation, according to Geauga County court records. Following that discovery, Geauga County prosecutors met with the U.S. Attorneys Office and requested that they prosecute the matter in federal court. According to a Feb. 21 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio, McWilliams allegedly used a social media network to make contact with a minor male victim for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex. He allegedly met the victim on multiple occasions, and, in exchange for sex, paid the 15-year-old approximately $100 per act. One act occurred at a Medina hotel, according to the complaint. He is also accused of being in possession, receiving or distributing child pornography, which included approximately 1,700 images and videos, according to the news release. He also allegedly had about 150 files of child pornography in a Dropbox cloud storage account. McWilliams also allegedly pretended to be a woman on social media applications, which he used to make contact with minor male victims. Allegedly, certain of McWilliams victims were young boys McWilliams knew because he served as a priest in parishes with which these children and their families were affiliated, the news release stated. Posing as the female, McWilliams allegedly enticed the minor male victims to send sexually explicit photographs and videos, sometimes threatening to expose embarrassing information McWilliams already knew about the victims if they did not send such images. McWilliams is alleged to have at times threatened to send those photos to family and friends if the minor victim did not send additional photos and videos. McWilliams is also alleged to have followed through on this threat by sending the mothers sexually explicit photographs he received from minor male victims, according to the new release The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland placed McWilliams on administrative leave following his Dec. 5 arrest. Records from the diocese show McWilliams was ordained in May 2017. Latest News MFAA calls submissions for 2022 Excellence Awards The association also reveals a new award Playing it safe? Here are 50 of most consistent suburbs to invest in Hotspotting founder claims investors should look into stable markets, not booming ones A finance broker based in Lidcombe, New South Wales has been charged with breaching an ASIC banning order handed down in 2015 which permanently barred him from engaging in credit activity. Five years ago, an ASIC investigation found that between November 2011 and August 2013, Aussie representative and finance broker Shiv Prakash Sahay made 13 false statements in home loan applications and created and used 23 false documents namely bank statements for 17 clients in an attempt to secure home loans totalling around $7 million. Of the $7 million in loans for which Sahay applied, just under $5 million were approved from Bankwest and Suncorp. At the time, Sahay was convicted of making false statements, making false documents and using false documents in home loan applications; in addition to being permanently banned from the industry, he was sentenced to 350 hours of community service work. However, ASIC has now alleged Sahay engaged in credit activity involving 38 credit contracts between October 2015 and October 2018, dealing with loans worth over $17 million combinedly and earning $111,064 in commissions. Last week, Sahays solicitor advised the court Sahay would plead guilty to the charges. The matter will return to the Downing Centre Local Court in New South Wales on 7 April 2020 for sentencing. If convicted, Sahay faces a maximum penalty for the first offence of a fine of $18,000 or two years imprisonment, or both. The maximum penalty for the second offence is a fine of $21,000 or two years imprisonment or both. At the time of Sahays original banning in 2015, ASIC commissioner Peter Kell said, The reputation of the lending industry depends on mortgage brokers and other credit representatives acting honestly and in compliance with the credit laws. ASIC will vigorously pursue offenders involved in falsifying loan documents and other statements for their own financial benefit. Los Angeles, March 2 : Actress Jennifer Lopez says she was sad when she failed to get an Oscar nomination for her movie "Hustlers". The actress opened up on her snub at this year's Oscars during a discussion with Oprah Winfrey, reports variety.com. "I was a little sad because there was a lot of build up to it. There were so many articles. I got so many good notices - more than ever in my career - and there was a lot of 'She's going to get nominated for an Oscar. It's going to happen; if she doesn't, you're crazy'. I'm reading all the articles going, 'Oh my God, could this happen?' And then it didn't and I was like, 'Ouch.' It was a little bit of a letdown," she said. Many expected the "Hustlers" star to have her name called out during this year's nominations for supporting actress, but Lopez was missing from the list. Kathy Bates ("Richard Jewell"), Laura Dern ("Marriage Story"), Scarlett Johansson ("Jojo Rabbit"), Florence Pugh ("Little Women") and Margot Robbie ("Bombshell") made the cut instead, with Dern taking home the award. She opened up about the snub at Winfrey's "2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour" on Saturday. Lopez also admitted she felt like she let her close friends down. "Most of my team has been with me for years - 20, 25 years - and I think they had a lot of hopes on that and they wanted it, too. So I felt like I let everyone down a little bit," she said. Despite the disappointing Oscar results, Lopez earned nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Indie Spirit Awards for her role as Ramona in "Hustlers". "You realise you want people's validation. You want people to say you did a good job, and I realised, 'No, you don't need that. You do this because you love it," she said, adding: "I don't need this award to tell me I'm enough." Directed by Lorene Scafaria, "Hustlers", a heist thriller, is based on a 2015 "New York" magazine article by Jessica Pressler. The film is about a group of strippers in New York City who begin to drug stock traders and business honchos who visit their club, in order to steal their money. The story is set against the backdrop of the 2008 recession. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Victoria Confirms 9th Coronavirus Case A woman in her 30s is Victorias ninth confirmed coronavirus case. The states Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Sunday the woman landed in Melbourne from Iran. The Victorian woman travelled from Tehran via Kuala Lumpur and Bali, arriving in Australia around 6 a.m. on Friday. She started feeling unwell while travelling to Melbourne, and authorities are following-up with fellow plane travellers. The health department said the woman travelled by private car directly home, which eliminates the risk of further public exposure sites. She was admitted to hospital on Saturday and put in isolation, then confirmed positive for the COVID-19 virus on Sunday. Another person who was in contact with the woman will be tested for the virus and has been forced to self-isolate at home for 14 days. This new case comes as the federal government defends its decision to ban foreign visitors entering Australia from Iran to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, rather than South Korea which has a much higher level of cases. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Sunday said that of the 106 deaths that have been reported outside of China, 43 have been in Iran. A 63-year-old Gold Coast beautician who returned to Australia from Iran on Monday, has also been diagnosed with the virus. Seven previously confirmed cases in Victoria have recovered and are no longer in isolation. The eighth, case a man in his 70s who was aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Japan, was on Sunday transferred to Melbourne from quarantine near Darwin. Yahoo Life A year after the insurrection, video clips continue to come at such a relentless pace that they seem to be on a constant loop not only on TV and social media feeds, but in people's minds, triggering anxiety, insomnia and all sorts of traumatic stress. Krueger: With some care over the years, the old family barn keeps standing Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey might have folded a few years ago, but dont worry Connecticut theres a new circus in town. Its called CT2030. With all of the changes the transportation plan has undergone since Gov. Ned Lamont first unveiled it last November, the only reasonable take away we can gather is that the 2030 part of it meant 2,030 different versions. While the governors actions from the past few months certainly resemble The Greatest Show on Earth, unfortunately, this is no laughing matter. Said bluntly, Connecticuts failure to adopt tolls statewide is a serious blow to our economic future. Talk to anyone who studies it for a living and I did; more on that in a moment and they will tell you that infrastructure is the key to unlocking economic growth. Cities and states that have top quality infrastructure will be rewarded handsomely in the form of business investment. Its the magic formula: Companies bring jobs, jobs create income, and income leads to spending. Thus, it should come as no surprise that several of the states that rank as being the most business friendly are the same ones that get high marks for infrastructure. So, while Texas spends $4.75 billion annually to maintain its roadways, Connecticut continues to dance and weave its way around a viable and sustainable plan to fund infrastructure over the long term. Gov. Lamont gave us a glimmer of hope with his first iteration of CT2030, which called for the implementation of electronic tolls, yet his flip-flopping act that followed would make even the most renowned trapeze artist jealous. Its almost as if the administration was unprepared for how politically unpopular tolls were going to be, and decided to retreat from the fight, rather than stand its ground. Lets go back to Texas for a minute. I spoke with David Perkins, President and CEO of the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA), to find out how the Lone Star state has been able to get Texans to support infrastructure funding (83 percent of voters approved the passage of Proposition 7 in 2015, which authorized a constitutional amendment for transportation funding) and to get his thoughts on tolling. In the mid-2000s, the effort began in earnest to push for tolling in Texas because of the realization that current funding mechanisms just werent going to cut it any longer. And as expected, the people revolted. However, to build support, the Texas legislation did something much differently than the Lamont administration. Rather than disappear, it stepped up to the plate to come up with two different funding mechanisms in addition to tolls (Proposition 1 and Proposition 7), which helped ease some of the resentment over tolling. From a policy standpoint, tolling needs to be an option [in infrastructure funding], Mr. Perkins said. It needs to be a component. Its a big tool in the toolbox with other tools available to leverage. But there has been pushback, and there continue to be some growing pains over tolls especially as the funds from Proposition 1 and Proposition 7 come into play. It has to be a combination of tools to make this work effectively in order for the general public to get on board. Even with such strong opposition over tolls, the Texas legislature found a way to make the public more receptive to them. Unlike the Lamont administration, Texas refused to let politics stand in the way of passing resolutions to fund infrastructure. So, its no coincidence that as Texas continues to increase the amount it spends on its highways and roads, its labor force follows suit, growing at the equivalent of nearly 1,000 new jobs a day in 2019 (for comparison, Connecticut added a total of just 3,600 jobs all of last year!). While the Lamont administration figures out the next ball to juggle on infrastructure, maybe it ought to take a look at what other states are doing, especially as 5G rolls out across the nation. Theres just no clowning around about this: The ways things currently stand, we are in no position to compete for business investment and tolls are a critical funding source to help shore up Connecticuts economic future. Tolls in Connecticut? Now that would be a nice jester. Matthew Chudoba, a Danbury resident, is a strategic communications professional. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday it was "unacceptable" for Turkey to pressure the EU "on the backs of refugees" as thousands, some fleeing fighting in northern Syria, sought to enter the bloc. "I find it completely unacceptable that... President Erdogan and his government did not bring their dissatisfaction to us at the EU, but instead duked it out on the backs of refugees," Merkel told a Berlin press conference, while acknowledging the "additional burden" on Turkey. Meanwhile EU migration commissioner Margaritis Schinas said "no one can blackmail or intimidate the EU" at a separate Berlin event. "Each time the EU is tested as it is now, unity must prevail," Schinas added. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned he no longer feels bound by a 2016 deal to hold refugees in Turkey in exchange for billions in EU cash. "Hundreds of thousands have crossed (into the EU), soon it will reach millions," he said Monday. But the numbers remain in dispute. German's foreign ministry cited reports from the European Commission and International Organization for Migration that said between 7,000 and 13,000 people remained camped on the Turkish side. "For me the option is that we talk to Turkey so that we get back to the situation we had before, namely that Turkey fulfils its obligations with our support, even as the burden has grown," Merkel said. More intense fighting in Syria's Idlib province between Turkey and Russian-backed Syrian forces has contributed to an increase in the numbers of refugees fleeing the conflict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Missouri businessman William Niemet, 43, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his former classmate Greg Jones, 14, whose body was found in June 1991 A Missouri fast-foot franchise owner has been arrested and charged with killing his 14-year-old classmate in 1991, when the suspect in the cold-case murder was 15 years old. William Niemet, of Fulton, 43, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Greg Jones, whose body was found in June 1991 near a branch of the Moreau River near Russellville. The grisly discovery ended a six-week-long search that began after Jones' parents, Homer and Janice Jones, reported him missing when he was two hours late for supper on April 24, 1991. An autopsy found Jones was shot twice in the head. Niemet and Jones were classmates, Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said. He was one of several people questioned in the shooting at the time. Because he was a juvenile at the time, Niemet had to go through juvenile court processes before authorities could certify him to be tried as an adult last Wednesday. During a press conference held last Thursday announcing the arrest, Thompson and Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler declined to discuss what led authorities to Niemet or the circumstances surrounding Jones' death. Niemet, left, was 15 years old in 1991 and lived a mile from where Jones' body was found after a six-week search. Jones' father had told authorities he recalled a bizarre comment by his son that someone had a 'contract' on his life They said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information to contact authorities. Thompson attributed the arrest in part to advancements in technology since 1991. And Wheeler said his office routinely looks at cold cases and had been conducting an ongoing investigation in this case for seven months. Thompson said authorities met with the Jones family after Niemet's arrest but they have not made any public comment on the case. 'To the family and friends of Greg Jones, although we realize Greg can never come back, we hope that this is the first step toward the justice and closure that is long overdue,' Thompson said. Niemet, the owner of the Golden Corral fast-food eatery in Quincy, Missouri, is being held in the Cole County jail. His bond had not been set Thursday afternoon. In 2006, Niemet was named a person of interest in connection to the death of his tenant, 28-year-old mom-of-two Shawnda Reed (pictured), but he was later cleared of all charges due to lack of evidence KMIZ reports Niemet was initially arrested in connection to Jones' death six days after Jones' body was found. Wheeler declined to comment on that report. At the time of the killing, Niemet lived about a mile from the spot where Jones' body turned up. A witness told police that on the night of the teen's shooting, Niemet came home with what looked like blood on his clothes, which he tried to wash off with bleach, reported the Fulton Sun. During the initial investigation, multiple people came forward saying Neimet claimed responsibility for Jones' murder. Jones' father had told authorities he recalled a bizarre comment by his son that someone had a 'contract' on his life. Court documents do not say what Niemet was charged with in juvenile court in 1991. The case was eventually dropped and Niemet filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the county and then-sheriff John Hemeyer in 1997. The lawsuit claimed the sheriff used 'false information' to imprison Niemet in order to get a confession to the murder. The court dismissed the case, saying Niemet had not shown any proof that Hemeyer fabricated evidence against him. Niemet made headlines in 2006 when he was named a person of interest in the killing of Shawnda Reed, a 28-year-old mother-of-two, who was fatally shot in the neck inside a home in Fulton she was renting from Niemet, reported the Sun. Not long after her killing, Niemet collected a $150,000 life insurance payout, leading to a civil lawsuit filed by Reed's mother. Niemet was later arrested and charged with taking out a fraudulent life insurance policy on Reed by pretending to be her brother and forging financial documents, but those charges were later dismissed due to lack of evidence. Reed' case remains open to this day. A new police officer is reporting for duty in New Zealand. But unlike other cops, this officers an AI named Ella, short for Electronic Life-Like Assistant. Her station is the digital kiosk in the lobby of the national police headquarters in Wellington. There, she serves as a virtual assistant to the concierge team. Her duties include welcoming visitors, guiding them through the guest pass process, relaying collected data to law enforcement personnel, and providing information like non-emergency numbers to help curtail long lines. Meet Ella, The New Zealand Police Force's First-Ever AI Officer. Tech firms Intela AI and Soul Machines spearheaded the development of Ella, with Erin Greally assuming the role of lead researcher. For starters, Ellas face was conceptualized as a composite of 26 different people. Shes also been programmed to realistically account for voice, tone, speech, body language, and empathy. To give her an added level of warmth, shes even been designed to smile and blink. She can greet you, carry a full-on conversation, and even simulate the appropriate facial expressions in real-time. Of course, she is still a virtual assistant, or avatar, on a digital kiosk screen, and not a bona fide three-dimensional robot (yet). Ella is part of a pilot program wherein New Zealand law enforcement can innovatively connect with the public. Her trial run spans three months, an in May, her performance will be reviewed to see how her technology can be further applied and upgraded. If successful, Ella will go on to grace other law enforcement kiosks across New Zealand. Her capabilities are basic at this stage as she is a proof of concept, but we see some real benefits of digital person technology if we can equip the AI with more knowledge and capabilities, and it can learn from more interactions, explained New Zealand Commissioner of Police Mike Bush in a recent statement. This trial is designed to help police understand if a digital person makes sense in a policing context, but Ella could eventually provide a variety of non-emergency services and advice in more places and on more devices, such as the NZ Police app and Police Connect. Story continues New Zealand has been taking several steps to modernize its police force lately. The other new technology implemented is the Police Connect digital kiosk, a self-service platform that provides people with answers to commonly asked queries, connects them to call centers, and reports non-emergency mishaps as they occur. Possible future improvements to this kiosk include CCTV monitoring and built-in alarms, as noted in the New Zealand Herald. Its likely that Ella will also work in tandem with this, particularly when citizens start to access it for information or advice. Commissioner Bush was quick to point out that Ella would not replace her human counterparts. Indeed, the New Zealand police force is looking to grow its numbers. Were in the process of recruiting 1,800 new staff to bolster our frontline and ensure we have the capabilities to deliver the best services, emergency and non-emergency, to everyone in New Zealand, her said. New Zealand man uses the high-tech Police Connect Kiosk to speak to the police. Rather, Ella and all the new technology being deployed are a means to enhance the force and bring it to the 21st century. Were very much just starting this journey, as Police Connect, Ella, and other modern digital technologies present many more exciting opportunities for us to provide new and improved policing services, Bush explains PlaceMe PlaceMe, Bostons pioneer co-living company, is launching the first official co-living building in Cambridge, MA. Starting April 1, 2020, the three-story building will accommodate 26 residents, offering all the benefits of the shared living concept: no-hassle moving, fully furnished units, a prime location at accessible rents which include utilities, wifi, and cleaning of shared areas, as well as dedicated community events. The newly renovated property is located a few steps from Kendall Square, the Mass Pike, Route 28, the Green Line Lechmere MBTA, as well as major employers like Philips, Hubspot, Biogen, Microsoft, IBM, MIT, CarGurus, and many others. PlaceMe@Gore will offer furnished private bedrooms, contemporary-modern common spaces and will feature brand new kitchens, in-unit laundry, and central heating/AC. PlaceMe focuses on providing city newcomers with a convenient co-living offering at a price that is accessible and all-inclusive. PlaceMe members benefit from flexible lease terms (three months or longer) and enjoy an instant community and 24/7 customer support. No broker fees make this even more attractive to the budget-conscious population. Compared to market-rate studios in the area, a co-living space at PlaceMe typically runs at a 30% discount, according to PlaceMe CEO Clara Arroyave. And since utilities, cleaning and other services are included in our price, the discount grows to as much as 40% from market price, making co-living a very accessible choice for the modern workforce. Well established in Europe, co-living is taking hold in the United States. PlaceMe, founded and headquartered in Massachusetts currently operates co-living properties throughout Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville. The concept solves common landlord problems and the needs of the increasingly mobile workforce and student population. PlaceMe rents apartments from local landlords and small developers providing stable long-term rental income and assuming the property management role. PlaceMe@Gore is a concept in the works between PlaceMe, Inc. and Gore Street Real Estate Group, one of PlaceMes developer partners, to take on the benefits of co-living. This strategic partnership with PlaceMe provides well-vetted, high-quality tenants with concierge-level management in our real estate assets, which truly services the tenant of tomorrow, says Emmanuel Doe, LP at Gore Street Real Estate Group. Corporations and organizations are capitalizing on PlaceMes successful co-living model and often enter into agreements with PlaceMe to secure accessible housing for employees, students, and research associates. It reduces the organizations housing and relocation costs, enables them to attract top talent and solves the housing challenge for incoming talent. Clara adds, This new building helps cement PlaceMe as the Boston market leader in our segment. By working closely with local employers to provide accessible housing to employees, we help companies improve their talent retention: employees not only need to love working at a company but also enjoy living in the city to have a positive overall life experience About PlaceMe: Launched in 2016, PlaceMe is Bostons leading co-living company. The company provides a convenient and affordable housing solution for students and young professionals looking for a flexible term stay. PlaceMe also helps employers looking to relocate or host their employees, interns, and new hires. Media Contact: marketing@placemeliving.com 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 Hannah Wolfes. Hannah Wolfe was utterly convinced she was going to die. The December 2019 incident started when the 24-year-old Royal Oak resident had trouble catching her breath, and went to urgent care. Doctors there couldnt find anything wrong, but sent her by ambulance to a nearby emergency room. I just couldnt get enough air, Hannah said. I was convinced I was going to stop breathing. It was the strongest feeling that Ive felt that I was going to die. That night. It was just the strongest feeling. Hannahs mother, Kristine, drove from Niles to Royal Oak in the middle of the night, arriving at 3 a.m. It broke my heart to see her that way, Kristine Wolfe said. She said, I love you, Mom, and the way she said it freaked me out. The diagnosis: Hannah was having a panic attack. People dont die from panic attacks. But as Hannahs experience illustrates, it can be a hugely disruptive condition, one that wrecks havoc on the sufferers physical and emotional state. My personal demon, Hannah said. Its always been lurking. She had her first attack in seventh grade. My heart started beating really fast, she recalled. My hands were going numb. Her father took her to the emergency room. The diagnosis was anxiety, and Wolfe was given a prescription for Ativan, an anti-anxiety drug. Since then, Hannah has had dozens of attacks over the years. Her chest feels heavy. Her heart races. It can feel like something is choking her, and she cant breathe. It goes up and down in terms of frequency, she said. Each time it comes, its a little bit different and a little stronger. Whats most frustrating, Hannah said, is there is no apparent trigger as to what sets it off. The first thing everybody asks (during on attack) is, Did you have a bad day? Did something happen? she said. And no, nothing happened. The day was fine. Hannah, a graduate of Michigan State University who works at a payroll service company, says its hard to pinpoint the cause of her anxiety. Her job is not stressful. She makes enough money. She likes living in Royal Oak. Shes close to her parents, has good friends and has two cats she adores. I have no idea whats going on, Hannah said. That made me really mad for a long time, because it's like if I could just know why this is happening, I could try to fix it. Its estimated that 5% of the population have experienced a panic attack at least once, and 1% to 2% have a panic disorder, where the attacks are more chronic. Experts dont understand the root cause of panic attacks that come out of nowhere, although they suspect a genetic link. In fact, Kristine Wolfe also has panic attacks, although they started later in life than for her daughter. Hannah said shes seen many doctors over the years in search of an effective treatment, to no avail. Most recently, a psychiatrist told her that treating anxiety is really hard because there's no specific drug that will fix it, like there is for schizophrenia or depression or bipolar, Hannah said. Nobody really knows exactly what to do. Still, Hannah continues to experiment with various medications at various doses, and shes continuing to search for a therapist with experience in anxiety disorders. She found one she really liked, but then her employer changed insurance plans and the therapist was no longer covered. One treatment that has helped some is dialectical behavior therapy. Hannah went through a weeklong DPT program last year at Henry Ford Hospital, in which patients learn how to reprogram their thoughts to reduce stress and better regulate their emotions. She regularly reviews the DPT strategies, she said, and tries to put them to use when she feels an attack might be coming on. But she worries that the attacks seem to be getting stronger, and how panic attacks and fear of panic attacks have permeated her life. Nighttime is very hard for me, she said. Being alone. Sometimes I'll have to stay at somebody's house, or I'll have to have my dad come stay with me, like I'm a child, because I can't make it through the night by myself. And there are days, she said, you dont want to get up and do anything. Not that you don't want to; youre just scared to get your heart rate up and then what if it just keeps going up? And then, what if you have trouble breathing? So it can feel really scary. Its in your head, but it's physical symptoms that you feel, Hannah added. I always tell people Id much rather have a broken leg, because with a broken leg you know exactly how to fix it. Everybody can see what's wrong and you dont have to explain yourself. Hannah said shes lucky to have family, friends and co-workers who are supportive. Still, her anxiety has made her avoid romantic relationships; you really dont want someone to see you having a panic attack, she sid. It also has made her vow not to have child. Because a lot of it is genetics, I wouldn't want to pass that down, Hannah said. And the thought of being pregnant, it scares me a lot. With the kind of health anxiety that I have, it would not be good mix. Kristine Wolfe doesnt want the anxiety disorder to define her daughter. Its an important part of her life, but theres so much more to her, Kristine said. Shes such a caring person, and does things like cat fostering and helps with groceries and things for the homeless shelter. Shes very intelligent, warm and thoughtful. She's got a great sense of humor. She is just an awesome person. But I know shes capable of so much more, and the panic attacks do hold her back sometimes, her mother said. This is a little bump in the road, but she will prevail. To read more about mental health experiences, go to to https://www.mlive.com/mentalhealthessays/ Referring to the party's demand for resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah in the wake of violence in the capital city, Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Monday said "I think this is the least that we can do for people. There is enormous sense of stress, anxiety, and worry amongst the people, particularly the people of Delhi who have seen some terrible-terrible things happen and we are trying to give a voice to their emotions and our voice which I believe is a legitimate voice to their concerns," Khurshid told ANI. The Congress leader made the remarks in response to a question about the Parliament session and the party's demand for the resignation of Amit Shah. Reacting to a tweet by his party colleague P Chidambaram, wherein he had remarked that if nobody is affected by Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as it stands at present, then why did the government pass the law, Khurshid said: "That makes sense. Doesn't it? That you are having to pass a law and then you say nobody is going to be affected by it." Last week, on Wednesday, Congress Working Committee (CWC) had passed a resolution demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah with immediate effect over Delhi violence. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury too had on Sunday said that his party will continue to press for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah during the second half of parliament's Budget Session, beginning Monday and will also unmask them over the violence in Delhi, which left 46 people dead and over 200 injured. "We will raise all the important issues and unmask them. We will not spare them (BJP). We are asking for Amit Shah's resignation. We will continue to do so in parliament as well," Chowdhury had told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police fired tear gas at protesting migants on Monday on Lesbos, a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, an AFP photographer said. Sordid conditions in the camp of Moria, one of the most overpopulated in Europe, triggered the latest clashes, with angry migrants demanding to be released. Clashes also erupted at Kastanies, on the Greek-Turkish border, according to footage from the Greek government. More people have been trying to get to Greece since Turkey on Friday said it would open the gates for refugees wanting to travel to Europe, as a way of pressuring the West to intervene in the Syrian conflict, where many refugees come from. About 10,000 migrants were blocked from entering Greece at the weekend. At Moria, police fired tear gas at demonstrators, some of whom hurled back projectiles, the photographer reported. Built to house 2,840 people, the population of the camp is now more than 19,000. "We are not prisoners" read one sign held by a protester, while another summed up the general feeling about the camp with "No good Moria". Greece has declared a state of "maximum" alert to protect its borders and has suspended asylum applications by those who entered the country illegally. The UNHCR said Monday that Greece had no legal justification for suspending asylum procedures. Greek asylum official Manos Logothetis said there has been "a substantial increase" in the number of arrivals on Aegean islands. "We have gone from an average of 200-300 last week to 500-800 in recent days." Over a 24-hour period from Sunday morning to Monday morning, around 1,300 people landed on Lesbos, Chios, Leros, Kos and Samos, the five islands that have centres to register asylum seekers, he said. The Greek press agency ANA said around 200 migrants had arrived on Lesbos so far on Monday. In his new book The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties, Claremont Institute scholar Christopher Caldwell explains how the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the landmark legislation designed to end segregation in the South, gave unprecedented power to Washington and ended up dividing the country. To be sure, Caldwell recognizes that Jim Crow was immoral and needed to be eradicated. But in doing so, he contends, the law enacted permanent emergency powers that vastly increased federal control over the private lives of Americans. The law created new crimes, outlawed discrimination in almost every aspect of public and private life and exposed nearly every facet of American life to direction from bureaucrats and judges. What had seemed in 1964 to be merely an ambitious reform revealed itself to be something more. Caldwell writes: The changes of the 1960s, with civil rights at their core, were not just a major new element in the Constitution. They were a rival constitution, with which the original one was frequently incompatible--and the incompatibility would worsen as the civil rights regime was built out. This seems like extreme language today, but there were prominent figures at the time who pointed out that the civil rights laws were on a collision course with the Constitution. Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and law professor Robert Bork both pointed out that the Act created conflicts with the constitutional protections accorded to private property and freedom of association. Those who opposed the legislation, Caldwell observes, proved wiser about its consequences than those who sponsored it. When de jure segregation was ended, the vast powers transferred to the federal government were not scaled back; on the contrary, they intensified. The law made legal equality a fact of life, Caldwell notes. However, within a few years of its passage, legal equality was deemed insufficient. The next step was affirmative action, explicitly authorized by the Act as equitable relief where a business had intentionally engaged in discrimination. However, as Caldwell notes, the judges who interpreted it wound up explicitly repudiating race neutral solutions. The pivotal case was Griggs v. Duke Power Co. decided in 1971 by a unanimous Supreme Court. At issue was the legality of employment tests the company administered to job applicants. The tests were professionally developed and the company had no intention of discriminating against any applicant. Nevertheless, the Court ruled against Duke Power, holding that even a facially neutral employment test could be illegal if it had a disparate impact (that is, if significantly more minority than white applicants failed). The Griggs decision, said Caldwell, made clear that the government was now authorized to act against racism even if there was no evidence of racist intent. To a greater extent than ever, policy was made by regulatory bodies. For instance, writes Caldwell, no law required busing to desegregate schools... But after 1966, the [Office of Civil Rights] issued guidelines that set percentage targets for black student populations and opened the door to busing. The Supreme Court in the 1978 Bakke decision condemned quotas, but then allowed them to creep in through the back door, recast as programs to promote their interest in the diversity of their student bodies (an interest, Caldwell notes mordantly, that many universities had not realized they had.) Needless to say, none of these policy ideas, from busing to affirmative action, had popular support. But they rolled on nonetheless, supported by the new regime of political correctness, which proved to be the enforcement arm of the civil rights revolution. Caldwell traces the origins of PC to the student upheavals of the late 60s, especially the five-month strike organized by black students at San Francisco State that led to the establishment of ethnic studies departments at all major universities by the end of the 70s. Caldwell notes that: Political correctness was a top-down reform. It was enabled not by new public attitudes toward reactionary opinions but by new punishments that could be meted out against those who expressed them. The power of political correctness generally derived, either directly or at one remove, from the civil rights laws of the 1960s. Since businesses were now vulnerable to suits for discrimination, whether they had engaged intentionally in it or not, it was in their interest to go along with affirmative action as a preemptive strategy. Corporate leaders, advertisers, and the great majority of the press came to a pragmatic accommodation with what the law required, how it worked, and the euphemisms with which it must be honored... Accordingly, businesses began to embrace and even promote identity politics. In addition, the Acts protections were expanded to a host of other accredited victim groups, including (improbably) immigrants. In time, and so slowly that hardly anyone noticed, the law that was enacted to free Southern blacks from the indecencies of Jim Crow has led to demands for transgender bathrooms. Toward the end of the book, Caldwell writes, Republicans, loyal to the pre-1964 constitution, could not acknowledge (or even see) that the only way back to the free country of their ideals was through the repeal of the civil rights laws. This is the most provocative statement in the book, yet it has the feel of a throwaway line. The author surely knows that ending the Civil Rights Act is not politically feasible. But we could push for two major changes. First, eliminate affirmative action once and for all and make civil rights law color blind. Second, strike back at PC by enforcing freedom of speech on campuses so that students are exposed to a diversity of opinions and not just a diversity of races and genders. Caldwells central narrative is sound: the civil rights laws that were meant to bring us together are pulling us apart. If we are to avoid a cultural civil war, we need to restore a single constitution for all Americans, not two constitutions for rival factions. These two reforms would be a starting point. You can follow Nicholas J. Kaster on Twitter. "While I was expecting to see a dashing Hans Solo PR type walk through my door, in walked Yoda instead," said Jack Potter, former US postmaster general, in recalling the first time that he met the diminutive and soft-spoken Harold Burson. The Burson-Marsteller co-founder though more than lived up to the Yoda image by imparting PR wisdom to Potter that helped him guide the USPS during the 2001 anthrax incident, through the mail crisis that resulted in the deaths of five people. Potter was among speakers at the Feb. 28 memorial to Burson held at Lincoln Centers Alice Tully Hall, which is right across the street from Burson's former New York apartment. More than 425 people RSVPed for the event. Former B-M vice chairman and 96-year-old Buck Buchwald, who quit his job at a business-to-business PR firm to become the first employee of Harold and Bette Burson; Diana Ross, Burson's long-time former assistant; Pat Ford, ex-B-M USA CEO; Karen Hughes, vice chair; along with Bursons son, Scott, and grandson, Wynn Burson Cateron, also spoke at the event. WPP CEO Mark Read addressed the audience via video from London. BCW CEO Donna Imperato welcomed the audience. Chris Foster, North America president and a third-time BCW boomerang, presided over the affair. Burson died Jan. 10 in Memphis. He was 98. Do you have a best friend at work? Its an innocuous enough question, right? Not so much, according to Gallup. Apparently, in 30 years of workplace engagement research, thats the most controversial question the analytics company has ever asked. It riles up a whole slew of bosses who dont believe friendships should have anything to do with a companys bottom line. Unfortunately, womens workplace relationships are often perceived as particularly unprofessional. To some men, the intimacy women exhibit with their friends can seem insular, chit-chatty and even threatening. Many if not most women have had the experience of talking with a female coworker when a male colleague walks by and says, Whats the gossip now, ladies? Or, Drama, drama, drama. While these comments are usually meant to be joking and friendly, they also play into stereotypes about womens idle chatter. (For what its worth, research suggests men gossip just as much as women.) But Gallup has consistently found that having a best friend at work actually improves performance for both men and women. As of 2018, Gallup found that 2 in 10 employees have best friends at work, but they estimate that if that number grew to 6 in 10 employees, companies would see 36 percent fewer safety incidents, 12 percent higher profits, and 7 percent more engaged customers. For women, having a close friend at work can make or break their investment in a job. Our research has repeatedly shown a concrete link between having a best friend at work and the amount of effort employees expend in their job, Gallup reports. For example, women who strongly agree they have a best friend at work are more than twice as likely to be engaged (63%) compared with the women who say otherwise (29%). Gallup found that women who have a best friend at work are less likely to be looking for other jobs, more likely to feel solidarity with their team, to rate their team and organizations performance highly, to understand whats expected of them and even to take risks that lead to innovation. Plus, according to a 2017 study in the journal Organization Science, social friendships among women in male-dominated businesses (where women are seen as other and struggle harder to prove themselves) significantly reduce conflict among female employees. All of this makes sense. From an evolutionary standpoint, womens social bonds were integral to our survival, and they continue to be a vital part of how women see themselves as belonging in the world. A 2019 study from Georgia State University suggests that females find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than males, and females are more sensitive to the rewarding actions of oxytocin [which] plays a major role in regulating many forms of social behavior as well as pair bonding. For women (and men!), feeling seen by a close friend as we go about our days can be like standing on a powerful springboard. A best friend is someone we feel comfortable bouncing new ideas off of, and who propels us to take the next big leap. So how do business leaders encourage these kinds of friendships? Here are a few places to start. 1. Promote a culture of open communication For workplace friendships to be truly beneficial to your bottom line, you must have a culture of open dialogue. Everyone should be encouraged to volunteer their thoughts and contribute according to their skills, and managers should make a sensitive effort to draw out people who arent immediately comfortable speaking up. Not only will this environment make it easier for your employees to be their true selves around their coworkers, but it will also allow them to work together more effectively to meet the groups goals. On the flip side, if a companys leadership is uninterested in new ideas and works to hamper transparent communication, coworkers may still form close friendships but theyre more likely to spend their time commiserating as opposed to pushing each other to greater heights of engagement. As they talk about their experiences with demeaning or disorganized management, theyll probably grow more entrenched in their negative impressions of the company. Operating inside a toxic work culture, workplace friendships become petri dishes of unhappiness, breeding more unhappiness. So for employee friendships to work in your favor, your team needs to trust and believe in your business enough that they inspire each other to try harder. Related: 10 Ways Even Introverts Can Make Friends at Work 2. Volunteer as a team or host philanthropic events Meaningful experiences bring people together. If your team volunteers together for a particular cause, or hosts a benefit, everyone gets the helping high that comes with doing something kind for others, and that emotional openness is fertile ground for making friends. The 2017 Deloitte Volunteerism Survey found that 70 percent of respondents believed volunteering as a team actually boosted morale more than company social mixers, and 89 percent believed that company-sponsored charity functions made for a better work environment. Plus, these projects have the added benefit of requiring people to work together, but not in their usual professional capacities. So theres room for people to shine in different ways. 3. Encourage collaboration and cross-team projects The managers number one responsibility is to make sure everyone knows what they need to do. But once thats handled, combining teams to fuse their expertise on a certain project is a great way to land on innovative ideas while allowing new people to meet. A Google survey of 258 North American companies found that 88 percent of respondents who said that employee morale and job satisfaction were high also strongly agreed that their company supported collaboration and knowledge-sharing between organizational silos. Related: 4 Ways Companies Foster Productive Co-Worker Friendships 4. Create fun circumstances for people to meet The office Christmas party is legendary for enabling employees to get acquainted in a looser capacity, but you dont need spiked eggnog to start people chatting. Set up channels for employees to mingle all year round. For example, you could try a random coffee pairings calendar. Anyone who wants to participate will be randomly matched with someone else in the office for a weekly (or monthly) coffee date. Maybe you get matched with someone youve never met before, or maybe you get matched with someone you know, but havent really checked in with in a while. You could even switch out the coffee for pedicures, or a yoga class. Another option is to organize an office potluck where everyone brings a dish they made themselves. Food has a special way of bringing people together and often facilitates conversations about peoples childhoods and backgrounds. It can be anxiety-inducing for a new employee to introduce themselves to everyone. So after they get settled in you dont want to overwhelm them on their first day its a sweet little hack to place a bowl of candy on their desk. People will have a reason to stop by and introduce themselves without too much awkward small talk. Bonus points if you choose a retro candy thats sure to spark some memories or strong opinions (Pixie Stix or Warheads, anyone?). Related: Change the Rules! Why Employer-Employee Friendships Work. Related: We All Need Work Wives: Here's How Bosses Can Encourage Female Friendship Why Did Bob Newhart Laugh When Don Rickles Called His Wife a Prostitute? Why Did the Guy Who Got $750K for Catching Barry Bonds' Home Run Ball Give Half to His Friend? Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The State is bending the rules for a convicted killer, who stabbed a student to death in her bedroom and left her heavily bleeding friend for dead, by releasing him to see family. Peter Whelan broke into the home of Nichola Sweeney, then 20, who was getting ready for a night out with her best friend Sinead OLeary, then 19, in Rochestown, Co Cork on a motiveless, murderous rampage. Ms OLeary survived the horrific attack with life-changing injuries, but Ms Sweeney suffered a fatal stab wound to the heart in her bedroom on April 27, 2002. Whelan was sentenced to life in prison for Ms Sweeneys murder, and 15 years for Ms OLearys attempted murder. The sentences were to run consecutively. But after serving 11 of the 15 years for attempted murder, and just four years for killing Ms Sweeney, Whelan was out of prison on escorted day release. This upcoming escorted release will be the fifth that the Sweeneys and OLearys are aware of. They were "horrified" when an email from the Irish Prison Service recently informed them that Whelan would be out on an escorted visit for the purpose of visiting some family members at a location in County Laois...over the next four weeks." Speaking after receiving the news, Ms OLeary said: I was very shocked that the State is still acting unlawfully regarding this case. Whats going on is illegal. The seriousness of the crime and the sentence handed handed down by Judge Paul Carney are not being taken into account or respected at all. Theyre bending the rules with him." Whelan was ordered to serve separate sentences for murder and attempted murder consecutively one after the other as opposed to the more usual concurrent sentencing when sentences for different crimes are served at the same time. Ms OLeary said: If he was serving a life sentence on its own, he wouldnt be let out at this stage in his sentence. There was a reason the sentences were made consecutive." Ms OLeary and the Sweeneys have repeatedly begged the Government not to release Whelan early because they fear for their own safety and believe that he is still a danger to wider society. Family of Nichola Sweeney Nicholas father, John Sweeney was "disgusted" by this development in their case: We were horrified. Despite all our pleading to Ministers and TDs to block this illegal situation it is being allowed to continue. Its a further insult to us." Mr Sweeney is also concerned that the new Parole Act which was passed last year but has not yet taken effect may not be enacted before Whelan serves seven years of his life sentence this year. The new Parole Act will extend the minimum term of a life sentence from seven to 12 years which would keep Whelan locked up until at least 2025: Were in a government limbo-land and it could be many weeks or months before a new government is formed. Were under pressure and very desperate." He was left out once for his mothers funeral which we had no problem with on compassionate grounds, but hell have been out five times that we know of since 2017." If the Justice Minister had any decency he would have apologised for allowing these illegal releases and stopped this deplorable situation. Saudi Arabia has confirmed its first case of coronavirus after one its citizens who had returned from COVID-19 hotspot Iran tested positive. The health ministry said the man, tested after entering the country through Bahrain, had been isolated in a hospital. Saudi Arabia is the last Arab state in the Gulf to report a confirmed case of COVID-19. Portugal has also confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus, a 60-year-old man who had travelled back from northern Italy, which is the European hotspot for the virus. A second person hospitalised in Portugal with coronavirus symptoms, a 33-year-old man, was awaiting final test results after initial exams suggested he might be ill with the virus as well. Tunisia today, also confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus, the health ministry disclosed. The Health Minister, Abdelatif el-Maki, said this at a news conference in Tunis, the countrys capital, explaining that the patient is a 40-year-old Tunisian man who had returned from Italy. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Situation in China is fast returning to normal as evident by the increasing rate of the resumption of work in the coronavirus-hit country, Chinese consulate General to Kolkata Zha Liyou said on Monday. Zha made the remarks while speaking to reporters after participating in a prayer meeting held here to send out a message of love and solidarity for the people of China battling the outbreak of novel coronavirus. "For the major state-owned companies, and for the medium-sized companies, the rate of resumption to work is 70.9 per cent. That is huge. Nationwide, the major key projects -- (be they in the fields of) manufacturing or trade -- are resuming work," Zha said."I am very optimistic, though we have to be very cautious still. It's not over yet, but given the rate of the resumption of work, it (the situation) is very good," he added. The prayer meet was organised by the Rakshak foundation at Kolkata press club here and was attended by spiritual leaders of different religions. Coronavirus first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has killed more than 2900 people in that country alone, while cases have been reported in several countries across the world, including India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Alliance News) - Ryanair Holdings PLC on Monday said it is reducing its short haul flight programme - mainly to and from Italy - in response to the covid-19 virus. The Irish budget airline said it intends to cancel up to 25% of its Italian flights for a three-week period from March 17 to April 8. Over the past week, Ryanair said it has seen a "significant" drop in bookings over that late March and early April period amid coronavirus concerns. There has also been a step up in passenger no-shows on flights, particularly from and within Italy, Ryanair noted. Looking ahead, the airline said it does not expect these cancellations to hurt its performance in its current financial year, ending March 31, but noted that it is too early to speculate about the impact of coronavirus outbreak on financial 2021. Ryanair said it will continue to monitor bookings carefully, and will continue to flex its schedules in response to this developing situation. "We will make sensible cuts to our schedules over the comings weeks to reflect weaker bookings, and changing travel patterns. All affected customers will be advised of any schedule changes at least 14 days in advance," said Chief Executive Michael O'Leary. He added: "Our focus at this time is on minimising any risk to our people and our passengers." On Friday last week, another budget airline easyJet PLC warned the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in "significant" softening of demand and load factors into and out of its northern Italian bases. British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group SA also warned on demand due to the spread of coronavirus. In its annual results, IAG said it is currently experiencing demand weakness on Asian and European routes and a weakening of business travel across its network due to cancellation of industry events and corporate travel restriction. By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A little bright red glass bowl. A deep, earthy ceramic vessel. Shallow green plates that looked like curly ferns. Those were just some of the more than 3,000 handcrafted bowls that lined walls, planters and shelves at the Southwest School of Art grounds for the 20th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser Sunday. Hundreds of people of all ages, and more than a few dogs, turned out in beautiful weather for the event that supports SAMMinistries, the San Antonio interfaith nonprofit that helps the homeless and those on the brink of becoming homeless. Guests buy a handcrafted bowl for $30 and then get a serving of bread and soup, donated by some of the citys best restaurants. The empty bowl serves as a reminder of those in our community who are struggling with homelessness and hunger, states the card that comes with each bowl. On ExpressNews.com: Artists come from all over to create for San Antonio Empty Bowls event Zakk Shanks and Sarah Connell were at the event with their son, 18-month-old Wilder Shanks, and his grandmother, Karen Duncan. It was a nice and relaxed event, said Shanks, 34, great for families. This isnt the first time theyve come to the event. Its a great way to stock your kitchen with handcrafted bowls, said Connell, 36. Bowls produced by local artists and, for the price point, you cant beat it, Shanks added, as Wilder gurgled happily. Duncan, who grew up in Montana, said she has lived in San Antonio for many years and has long wanted to attend the event, which features bowls of many colors and varied materials. This is the first time Ive been here, and it was absolutely wonderful, said Duncan, 66. I could have bought a whole bunch of bowls! Members of the San Antonio Potters Guild, the San Antonio Glass Art Guild and the Alamo Woodturners Association, as well as individual artists, spend several months creating bowls to donate to the event. Teachers, students and professionals contribute their time and talent. John Nelson, head of the potters guild, has said the organizers of the event werent sure what to expect the first year of Empty Bowls, held in 2000. We had a couple hundred bowls and raised $4,500, he said after one of the creative sessions sponsored by the guild earlier this year. On ExpressNews.com: Volunteers make San Antonios Empty Bowls fundraiser a success The event has grown dramatically since that first year; last year, Empty Bowls raised more than $70,000. Organizers were hoping to beat that this year. Since 2000, the popular fundraiser has brought in more than $700,000 for SAMMinistries, which provides shelter and services and helps in finding housing for the hungry and homeless. The Valero Texas Open plans to match 7 percent of the event proceeds this year. Empty Bowls events, which started in the 1990s, are held around the world to fight hunger while also raising awareness. Staff Writer Sara Cline contributed to this report. dfuentes@express-news.net Armenia Identifies First Coronavirus Case As Man Returning From Iran By RFE/RL's Armenian Service March 01, 2020 YEREVAN -- Armenia has detected its first confirmed case of a coronavirus infection, that of a 29-year-old man who recently returned with his wife from Iran, the Caucasus nation's leader says. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on March 1 in a Facebook posting that "Dear compatriots, about two hours ago we confirmed a case of coronavirus, unfortunately." Health Minister Arsen Torosoan confirmed the news as well. Pashinian said the man, an Armenian citizen, arrived by plane from Tehran on February 28 and later went to the hospital for treatment. He is in good condition, the prime minister said. Pashinian said people the victim has had close contact with will be quarantined. He added that all of the passengers on the flight with him from Tehran had been wearing face masks and were escorted from the airport under previously set precautions for people traveling from Iran. Iran has become the hot spot for the disease in the Middle East. An Iranian Health Ministry spokesman on February 29 said nine people died from the COVID-19 virus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of reported deaths to 43 amid 593 confirmed infections. Many critics and outside experts have expressed concerns that Tehran is severely underreporting the magnitude of the crisis in the country, allegations the government has vehemently denied. Iran has been linked to most of the more than 200 confirmed cases of the virus now spread across the region, and many countries in and outside the Caucasus, Middle East, and Central Asia have imposed restrictions on travel to and from Iran in an effort to curtail the disease's spread. Worldwide, the COVID-19 outbreak, which began in China, has infected more than 86,000 people and killed some 3,000. Most of the deaths and infections have occurred in China, but the epidemic has spread elsewhere, with Iran becoming the hardest hit outside of mainland China. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia- identifies-first-coronavirus-man- returning-iran/30462231.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey's western frontier Monday morning, trying to enter Greece by land and sea after Turkey declared its borders were open to migrants hoping to enter the European Union. Many huddled around fireplaces at dawn on the banks of the Evros River which separates the two countries near Doyran, south of the border town of Edirne. The United Nations reported at least 13,000 people had gathered on Turkey's land border by Saturday night, the vast majority apparently from Afghanistan. In Istanbul, a steady stream of buses, taxis, cars and minibuses were ferrying hundreds more throughout Sunday to Edirne. The vehicles weren't part of any regular bus route and those boarding them said they were heading to Greece and eventually hoped to get to Germany. On the Greek islands, more than 500 people had arrived from the nearby Turkish coast by Sunday evening, a clear increase in the usual number of people who arrive on eastern Aegean islands from Turkey. More than 19,300 people already live in and around island's migrant camp, which has a capacity of less than 3,000. Greece said it was using "all available means" to tell migrants that the country's borders were closed, including text messages to foreign mobile phones in the border area. A representative image of a protest in the US over allegations that Apple supply chains used sweat shop labour to make their products (Photo | Flickr - Annette Bernhardt) Sydney: Top global brands such as Apple, Sony and BMW have been accused of using the forced labour of Chinas Uighur detainees, after an Australian think tank said on Monday that the government has transferring 80,000 or more inmates from internment camps in Xinjiang to factories that manufacture products for some of the worlds leading brands. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said, Some factories across China are using forced Uighur labour under a state-sponsored labour transfer scheme, the think tank said. The oppressed Chinese minority Uighurs work in the supply chains of 83 well-known global brands in technology, clothing and automotive sectors, the think tank said. The brands, it added, included Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen. Companies using forced Uighur labour in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labour or mandate disclosure of forced labour supply chain risks, the report said. The companies listed in this report should conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labour in China, including robust and independent social audits and inspections. Volkswagen and Apple, when contacted by AFP, gave the news agency boiler plate statements about commitment to their responsibility to ensure everyone in their supply chain is treated with dignity. As expected, Chinas foreign ministry on Monday slammed the ASPI report as baseless and accused the institute of attempting to smear Chinas efforts to oppose terrorism and fight extremism in Xinjiang. The Xinjiang measures have achieved good results and all participants undergoing anti-extremism education have graduated and achieved stable employment, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijiang said at a regular press briefing. An estimated one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held in internment camps in Xinjiang. After initially denying their existence, Beijing cast the facilities as vocational education centres where students learn Mandarin and job skills in an effort to steer them away from religious extremism, terrorism and separatism. Rights groups and witnesses accuse China of forcibly trying to draw Uighurs away from Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. NASA will again accept applications for new astronauts beginning March 2 through March 31, 2020. The new recruits, members of NASA's 23rd class of astronaut candidates, will train for expeditions to the space station and Artemis flights to the moon. If you've always wanted to fly to the International Space Station or go on to the moon, NASA's next recruitment effort promises to bring future astronauts to both locations. The agency began accepting applications for its next class of astronauts today (March 2), and U.S. citizens can apply here until March 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT (0459 GMT April 1). The application process will take awhile, but NASA expects to make its final selections for astronaut candidates in mid-2021. There's no word yet on how many people will be chosen, but competition will be fierce; the agency only picked 12 out of 18,300 applicants during the last selection, which wrapped up in 2017. One of the finalists resigned during training, leaving 11 people who graduated and became eligible for spaceflight early this year. Related: What it's like to become a NASA astronaut: 10 surprising facts The basics for qualification are rigorous, and accepted astronaut candidates usually exceed the mark. That said, NASA said applicants should hold a master's degree (or equivalent) in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) field, which could include engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics. Some applicants may be accepted without the master's degree, if they hold one of these qualifications: Two years of work toward a STEM Ph.D. program. A completed doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree. Completion (or expected completion by June 2021) of a nationally or internationally recognized test pilot school program. If test pilot school is your only advanced degree, NASA requires a bachelor's degree in a STEM field as well. Outside of basic education, NASA demands experience either two years of "related, progressively responsible" work in your field, or a minimum of 1,000 hours command-piloting a jet aircraft. Candidates also must pass a NASA long-duration spaceflight physical, as you may spend anywhere from six months to a year in space on the International Space Station (ISS) after being selected for a flight. NASA often asks new recruits about their experience working in isolated or dangerous environments, since it builds up useful skills for work on the ISS. For example: Christina Koch, who recently wrapped up nearly a year in space, did research for months at a time in Antarctica during her career before NASA. New recruits typically spend about 2.5 years in basic training before being eligible for missions, and ISS missions often require 18 months or more of crew training before liftoff. This means new recruits likely won't fly until after 2024, when the first crewed moon landings of NASA's Artemis program are scheduled to take place, unless the schedule changes. That said, the agency plans to build a permanent presence on the moon in future flights and, if the funding and will persist, to go on to Mars in the mid-2030s. "Becoming an astronaut is no easy task, because being an astronaut is no easy task," Steve Koerner, NASA's director of flight operations and chair of the astronaut selection board at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement. "Those who apply will likely be competing against thousands who have dreamed of, and worked toward, going to space for as long as they can remember. But somewhere among those applicants are our next astronauts, and we look forward to meeting you." For more information on how to apply to be a NASA astronaut, visit the agency's application page here. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Former U.S. Sen. John Warner, a five-term Virginia Republican who has increasingly broken with his party as it moves further right, is endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden over President Donald Trump, declaring that the Democrat is "thoroughly tested." Warner's endorsement - coming two days before the Super Tuesday primaries in Virginia and 13 other states - could spur other centrist Republicans to the polls, though the former senator said it would be "overload" for him to vote in the Democratic contest. "To win nationally, he has got to bring abroad a lot of moderates and moderate Republicans," Warner said of Biden. Warner, who served in the Senate from 1979 to 2009, supported Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016 and has backed other Democrats in Virginia, including U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, who is not related to the Republican and is running for a third term this year to what had been John Warner's seat. John Warner said he favored Biden, with whom the Virginian served in the Senate, because of his experience in foreign policy, "adherence to the constitution" and commitment to family as a cornerstone of American society. Washoku, Japan's traditional cuisine is a combination of simple and complicated, as well as plain and sophisticated preparation of food. It is blended with salty, sweet, sour, and full of umami flavours, while an equally important emphasis is given to its beautiful presentation. The Washoku Challenge is a cooking contest for chefs of Japanese cuisine from all over the who are passionate about Japanese food and are striving to deepen their knowledge and expertise. The seventh contest, themed 'Texture and Mouth feel,' was organised by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with the participation of foreign chefs. Five chefs joined this final competition with the cooking skill of Washoku. Washoku, which is registered on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, raises the Japanese government's hopes of enhancing its global recognition by attracting more foreign tourists and boosting agricultural exports of the country. Kyouko Nishi, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said, "This year, more than 80 people from 17 countries applied. Five finalists participated. Local people in various countries understand the essence of Japanese food culture, and they express Japanese food culture in various regions using ingredients from their own countries and original ingredients imported from Japan." In Bangkok city of Thailand, Japanese food is very popular and there are many Japanese restaurants. Jaran Deephuk is the chief chef of "Nanohana -Japanese restraint". He is the winner of the Washoku Challenge 2015. "I hope all challengers can do the best and try to get the win. All judges are very strict but if challengers focus on competition, the decision to assess the success skill of Washoku World Challenge will guarantee successful business," Deephuk said. Japanese cuisine he cooks is very popular with Thai and Japanese customer and "Nanohana" has become a famous Japanese restaurant in Bangkok. There are 4,500 restaurants in the world that can use Japanese foodstuffs and other retail stores that are recognised as Japanese foodstuffs supporters. "I think that the chefs in that country are the most familiar with how to communicate to consumers in their own country, so it's because they can learn Japanese food techniques and convey the goodness of the ingredients that the chefs can handle, but the number of consumers who want to try supermarkets or buy them has increased, leading to a cycle in which they want to eat them again at that restaurant," Nishi stated. Wang Weiping, a chef from China, won the Washoku World Challenge competition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Political crisis grips Malaysia as Mahathir says 'betrayed' by new PM Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 8:45 AM Crisis continues to overshadow Malaysia's politics, with former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad rebuking the designation of Muhyiddin Yassin as his successor, saying he feels "betrayed" by the newly appointed premier. "Apparently we are going to see a man who does not have majority support will become the prime minister. This is a very strange thing because the result of the 14th election should be that the winners form the government, here we are going to see from the same election the losers will form the government," Mahathir said at a news conference in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, referring to the 2018 poll. "I feel betrayed, mostly by Muhyiddin. He was working on this for a long time and now he has succeeded," he added. Mahathir's reformist "Pact of Hope" alliance, which scored a landslide victory in the May 2018 election, collapsed after months of bitter infighting and the move led to the resignation of the 94-year-old politician last weekend. He was later reappointed as interim prime minister and promised to seek a vote in the parliament to challenge Muhyiddin's support mainly from the corruption-tarnished former ruling party. After a week of uncertainty, the Malaysian king a constitutional monarch appointed Muhyiddun, the former interior minister, as the prime minister. He was officially sworn in on Sunday. The Malaysian palace announced that King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah believed Muhyiddin had the support of a majority of lawmakers, but Mahathir insisted that he had enough backing to return to the role with the support of at least 114 out of the 222 lawmakers. The announcement was met with shock and sparked widespread anger among Malaysians who felt their democratic rights as voters had been undermined. The king's ejection of the reformist alliance, with the hashtag "NotMyPM" trending on Twitter, prompted more than 100,000 people to sign a petition that said the move was a "betrayal" of voters' choice at the 2018 poll. Muhyiddin's coalition is comprised of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the party of disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak, as well as a hardline group that advocates tough religious laws. The 72-year-old was deputy prime minister under Najib until he was sacked in 2015 amid a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal at state fund 1MDB. Najib, himself, is now on trial for corruption in relation to wrongdoing at 1MDB. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Technavio has been monitoring the agricultural machinery market in India since 2014 and the market is poised to grow by USD 3.73 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of more than 8% during the forecast period. Request free sample pages This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005500/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Agricultural Machinery Market in India 2020-2024. (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Agricultural Machinery Market in India Analysis Report by Product (Tractors, Harvesting machinery, Haying machinery, Planting and fertilizing machinery, and Others) and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/agricultural-machinery-market-in-india-industry-analysis The market is driven by the presence of government initiatives that support sustainable agricultural practices. In addition, the increasing adoption of contract farming is anticipated to boost the growth of the agricultural machinery market in India. Many government and non-government bodies in India are introducing several initiatives to encourage sustainable agricultural practices in the country. For instance, the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) program by the Government of India is an initiative to promote organic farming in the country. Through this initiative, the Indian government is aiming to form 10,000 clusters and bring about five lakh acres of agricultural land under organic farming. Such initiatives are increasing agricultural activities in the country, which will drive the need for agricultural machinery for the cultivation and processing of crops. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Agricultural Machinery Market Companies: AGCO Corp. AGCO Corp. operates its business through segments such as Tractors, Replacement parts, Grain storage and protein production systems, Combines, Application equipment, and Other machinery. The company offers tractors, combine harvesters, seeding and tillage, and hay and forage equipment under the brands such as Challenger, Fendt, Massey Ferguson, and Valtra. Some of its key offerings include Challenger 1000 Series tractors, Fendt 1000 Vario, and 9505 Series Axial Combines. Amalgamations Group Co. Amalgamations Group Co. operates its business through an unified business segment. The company offers tractors (range of 25-90 HP), hydraulic pumps, and gears. The company also offers both air and water-cooled tractors. CLAAS Group CLAAS Group operates its business through a unified business segment. The company offers a wide range of combines, forage harvesters, telehandlers, balers, forage harvesting machinery, and transplanters. CNH Industrial NV CNH Industrial NV operates its business through segments such as Agricultural Equipment, Construction Equipment, Commercial Vehicles, Powertrain, and Financial Services. The company offers a wide variety of tractors and combine harvesters under the brand, New Holland Agriculture. Some of its key offerings include New Holland TD5 tractors, EXCEL 9010, FR, PULL-TYPE FORAGE HARVESTER, and TC5.30. Deere Co. Deere Co. operates its business through segments such as Agriculture and turf, Construction and forestry, Financial services, and Other revenues. The company offers a wide range of tractors and loaders, farm equipment and technology, tools and equipment, and planters for farming purposes. Some of the products offered by the company are 1-4 Series Compact Utility Tractors, 1745 Compact Planter, and Row Crop Tractors. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Technavio has segmented the agricultural machinery market based on the product. Agricultural Machinery Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020 2024) Tractors Harvesting machinery Haying machinery Planting and fertilizing machinery Others Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Related Reports on Industrials are: Industrial Automation and Instrumentation Market in India Industrial automation and instrumentation market in India by product (industrial automation and industrial instrumentation) and end-users (process industry and discrete industry). Plastic Crates Market in India Plastic crates market in India by material (PE, PP, PVC, and others) and end-users (F&B, industrial, retail, pharmaceutical, and others). About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005500/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 www.technavio.com NEW DELHI: Women officers seeking permanent commission in the Indian Navy have submitted before the Supreme Court that their plea is aimed at women getting equal opportunity in nation-building roles and not for beneficial measures. The apex court is in the final stages of delivering judgment on the petition of women officers seeking permanent Commission in the Indian Navy retrospectively. Commander Seema Chaudhary sought that women officers be given a fair chance to serve as proud officers in the service of the nation. It is submitted that the plea of women officers of the Indian Navy to serve as Permanent Commission Officers of Indian Navy, with fairness and in a just and reasonable manner, is not a welfare measure being sought by women officers, she said. She maintained that the issue is about allowing women, who are competent and capable, equal opportunity in nation-building roles. It is about being fair, just and reasonable, and allowing gender equality in true spirit and purport, Commander Seema stated. In 2008, Navy had allowed PC to women officers from Short Service Commission. However, it was not given to officers who were already serving in the Indian Navy before the provision of PC for SSC. Saboteurs have been caught on camera spraying a foul-smelling liquid over the front of a family-run restaurant near Harrods. Detectives released CCTV of two of three attacks on the Freej Swalieh restaurant on Brompton Road near Knightsbridge, London, in an attempt to trace the suspects. The substance, thought to be a strong smelling food preservative, was sprayed on the business on February 19 at 12.30am and at 4.10am on February 25. However the substance was also sprayed at the restaurant on the afternoon of October 30 with people allegedly being seen depositing it in the bathrooms. Scroll down for video Police have released CCTV of a man in a black jacket spraying a foul smelling substance onto family-run restaurant Freej Swalieh in Kightsbridge while using what appears to be a syringe (pictured on 25 February at 4.10am) This first incident was treated as a chemical spill and saw police, ambulance and fire crews called to the scene, with 27 people evacuated from neighbouring flats as well as 15 staff who had to leave the restaurant. During the second attack, witnesses were left with nausea and vomiting and were taken to hospital. The manager of the Middle Eastern restaurant, who asked two members of staff to sleep at the business this week, told the Evening Standard the spray gave off a 'really nasty cheesy smell'. He said: 'We are worried there is a vendetta against us.' Detectives would also like to speak to this man (pictured on 30 October) about the first time a bad smelling substance was sprayed onto the business. During this incident it was treated as a treated as a chemical spill and fire, police and ambulance services attended the scene Samuel Di Francesco, general manager of Caffe Concerto which is nearby on the street, said: 'The second time someone had sprayed the substance through their window and we could not open our business for three hours.' Detective Constable Danielle Sapsford said: 'Although no serious harm has come to anyone, a number of people suffering with nausea and vomiting were taken to hospital after the incident on February 19. 'We are not in a position to completely determine motive at this stage. It does however appear that each incident has been targeted, and whoever is behind them must be aware of the damage they have caused to this family-run business. The manager of the restaurant said 'we are worried there is a vendetta against us' after the third attack happened last week. Pictured is another man police would like to speak too 'This has caused great distress to the owner and we want to bring this to an end. The most recent incident took place on a day when the owners expected the restaurant to be very busy.' CCTV of the most recent incident shows a man in a dark coat with the hood up spraying a liquid onto the front of the shop using a large syringe. Police have also released stills of two men they would like to speak to in connection with the incident in October. Anyone with information can call DC Sapsford by dialling 101, quoting CAD1293/25Feb20, or to stay anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online. Series B investment led by west-coast investor Foresite Capital, with all existing investors participating in the round Funds will be used to accelerate development of the Company's gene synthesis platform, through to introduction of first products EVONETIX LTD ('Evonetix'), the synthetic biology company developing a desktop platform for scalable, high-fidelity and rapid gene synthesis, today announced the successful close of its Series B funding. The Company has raised $30 million USD (23 million GBP) in this round, which was led by new investor Foresite Capital. Existing investors, Draper Esprit, DCVC (Data Collective), the Morningside group, Providence Investment Company, Cambridge Consultants Ltd, Rising Tide Fund, and Civilization Ventures, also all participated in the round. The new funding will be used to accelerate internal technology development, including the integration of Evonetix's technology to enable the synthesis of DNA on a chip. The investment will fund the Company through to the introduction of its desktop DNA platform which, once fully developed, will facilitate and enable the rapidly growing field of synthetic biology, with application across industries including healthcare, pharma, biotech, food and agriculture and data storage. The investment will also support the Company's significant recruitment plans, as it continues to increase headcount across scientific, operational and commercial staff located at Evonetix's state-of-the-art facility at Coldhams Business Park, Cambridge, UK. Evonetix was founded in 2015, to develop technology that enables the parallel synthesis of DNA on silicon arrays, to facilitate the fast-emerging field of synthetic biology, where there is increasing demand for high-throughput and highly accurate DNA synthesis. The Company was founded by Cambridge Consultants and Providence Investment Company Limited, and went on to close $12.3 million USD Series A funding in 2018, in addition to a grant from Innovate UK. The close of the Series B round brings the total funds raised by the Company to $46 million to date. The Company has the backing of the technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist Hermann Hauser. The Company's technology utilises a silicon chip, made by microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processing, that controls the synthesis of DNA at many thousands of independently controlled reaction sites or 'pixels' on the chip surface in a highly parallel fashion. Following synthesis, strands are assembled on-chip into double-stranded DNA in a process that identifies and removes errors, enabling accuracy, scale and speed that is several orders of magnitude better than conventional approaches. Dr Tim Brears, Evonetix CEO, said: "The backing of both our existing and new investors will enable us to fast track development, testing and delivery of our highly parallel desktop platform, which will be available to every researcher to accelerate their ability to use biology on a scale not possible with existing approaches." Jim Tananbaum, CEO and Managing Director at Foresite Capital, said: "Evonetix is developing a desktop, short latency solution to synthesise DNA. We are delighted to support the team in their mission to make biological engineering as accessible and widespread as next-generation sequencing." Vishal Gulati, Venture Partner, Draper Esprit, added: "The next set of breakthroughs in healthcare and synthetic biology will come from technologies that can go beyond reading DNA to writing it. Evonetix is leveraging the UK's strength in DNA research to build this unique, ground-breaking DNA synthesis platform. We're excited to welcome Foresite Capital, one of the world's leading life-sciences investors, to support this Company to achieve the next stage of its growth and look forward to working closely with this talented team." Armen Vidian, Evonetix Board member and Partner at DCVC, said: "DCVC is pleased to continue its commitment to synthetic biology with its renewed investment in Evonetix. As demand grows to use synthetic biology for everything from sustaining agriculture to creating precision medicines and synthetic fuels, Evonetix will be well-positioned to meet those more complex needs with highly accurate, high throughput, long-strand DNA synthesis." For more information about Evonetix, please visit: www.evonetix.com or to learn more about the Company's technology: www.evonetix.com/our-platform. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200301005092/en/ Contacts: Lorna Cuddon Zyme Communications +44(0)7811996942 lorna.cuddon@zymecommunications.com Over the last few days concern has mounted rapidly about the COVID-19 coronavirus. The World Health Organization raised the threat level on Friday, the U.S. government canceled a summit meeting scheduled in Las Vegas, an increasing number of companies are instituting travel bans and restrictions, border health checks are becoming more restrictive and there is growing concern about large conferences with people coming from different parts of the world, IHS Markit said in a statement. Moscow, March 2 : Russia has created unique offence strike systems despite having no intention of attacking anyone, President Vladimir Putin said. "For the first time, we have created such offensive strike systems which the world has never seen," he said in a video interview with TASS news agency entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin", a part of which was aired on Monday, Xinhua reported. He specified that he was talking about hypersonic attack systems, including intercontinental-range ones. He mentioned how the US wanted to upset the balance of power while developing its anti-ballistic missile system, believing the other side would not be able to respond adequately if nuclear weapons are used against it. However, after Russia developed its own modern systems, including those which easily evade any anti-missile ballistic system, it continued to maintain stability, essential not only for itself but also for global security, Putin said. He said that Russia was in a unique situation, as it previously had to catch up to the US in developing strategic weapons, but now the US has to catch up to Russia. Putin said that Russia ranked seventh in arms spending, while top spender the US had adopted a huge military budget of $738 billion for the 2020 fiscal year. He also noted that the number of troops declined in Russia to a little more than 1 million from 1.3 million in 2000, while the share of modern armaments rose to almost 70 per cent from 6 per cent in the same period. Maura Higgins and Curtis Pritchard have officially split, MailOnline can exclusively reveal. The former grid girl, 29, and professional dancer, 24, who met during Love Island season five, have called time on their romance after just eight months of dating and 20 weeks of being in a committed relationship. A source exclusively told MailOnline: 'It's going to be a tough time for Maura. She really tried to make things work with Curtis but unfortunately they've gone their separate ways. Parted ways: Love Island's Maura Higgins and Curtis Pritchard have split after just eight months of dating, MailOnline can exclusively reveal 'Most of her family and close friends are in Ireland, which will make this even more difficult for her.' A representative for Maura confirmed the news to MailOnline. The Dancing on Ice star took to her Instagram stories on Monday evening to explain it had been a joint decision for the pair to part ways. She said: 'Curtis and I have made the decision to separate. We enjoyed a great experience from our time in the villa and want to thank everyone for supporting our relationship. Difficult breakup: 'It's going to be a tough time for Maura. She really tried to make things work with Curtis but unfortunately they've gone their separate ways,' a source told MailOnline Not meant to be: 'Most of her family and close friends are in Ireland, which will make this time even more difficult for her' the source added (pictured on January 15) 'There is no easy way to get through a break up and no bad feeling on either side. We tried to make it work but it wasn't to be, and I wish Curtis nothing but the best for the future,' followed by a broken heart emoji.' Curtis, who's the brother of Strictly professional dancer AJ, is yet to comment on the split. The former couple only made their romance 'official' in October 2019, meaning they were in a committed relationship for just 20 weeks in total. Their split comes the same day The Sun alleged the reality stars were 'still together' despite the pair not being pictured together for over a month. Love Island fans suspected they had called it quits after Maura and Curtis enjoyed separate nights out in London over the weekend. Over: Maura took to her Instagram stories on Monday evening to explain that it had been a joint decision to part ways Throwback: The former grid girl and professional dancer began dating after they met during the summer of 2019 on Love Island season five Maura partied at London nightclub Luxx with former Love Island co-stars Chris Taylor and Joe Garratt while Curtis was spotted at Freedom bar with brother AJ and a group of professional dancers. It was feared their relationship could be in trouble at the point of the National Television Awards when it was reported that the ex-couple had a heated argument behind-the-scenes. Insiders said the dancer claimed him and Maura only secured the red carpet presenting gig at the ceremony because of his fame, despite the pair both rising to prominence on last year's Love Island. The Irish star is said to have told friends she felt 'used' and 'like a d*** for trusting him,' before leaving the party in tears. Bronze: The exes came in third place on the ITV dating show after Maura's feisty personality led viewers to keep them on air 20 weeks later: The former couple only made their relationship 'official' in October 2019, meaning that they were boyfriend and girlfriend for just 20 weeks in total Final appearance: The Dancing On Ice star and Greatest Dancer receptionist hadn't been pictured together since hosting the NTAs' backstage interviews on January 28 (pictured) Ouch! Insiders said the Curtis claimed the couple only secured the red carpet presenting gig at the ceremony because of his fame despite their joint pull The insider also insisted minders attempted to escort the ballroom pro out the bash, with Curtis refusing to leave and letting loose with his pals instead. They added: 'Things were clearly very frosty between them. Curtis seemed to be so drunk he had no idea Maura was just meters away from him.' Since their stint in the villa, the media personalities have gone on to lead successful careers in their own right. Used? According to sources, the former ring girl confided in her friends that she felt 'used' and 'like a d*** for trusting him', before leaving the star-studded bash while Curtis refused to leave Frosty! 'Things were clearly very frosty between them. Curtis seemed to be so drunk he had no idea Maura was just meters away from him' added the insider Until recently, the model was competing on this year's Dancing On Ice, and often serves as a showbiz correspondent on This Morning. She is a brand ambassador for fashion retailer Boohoo, lingerie company Ann Summers, and luxury tanning brand Bellamianta. Choreographer Curtis, meanwhile, starred as a receptionist on BBC One's The Greatest Dancer and was a guest judge on Ru Pauls Drag Race last year. TV star: Since their villa stint, the model has competed on this year's Dancing On Ice, secured major brand ambassadorships and often serves as a showbiz correspondent on This Morning The final photo: On Valentine's Day, Curtis shared this snap of himself and Maura, along with the hashtag #loveyou, but she failed to wish him a Happy Valentine's Day on social media Earlier this month, their romance was rocked by cheating claims on Curtis' part but he firmly denied the rumours. Appearing on Lorraine, he addressed a video which emerged of him hugging a woman in a club on New Year's Eve. Curtis said at the time: '[The] new year photos [are] nonsense, you can't hug somebody or talk to somebody in this day and age without something coming out!' A case of the ex: Prior to dating Maura, Curtis was coupled up with Amy Hart in the Love Island villa and famously had his head turned leaving the blonde beauty devastated 'Me and Maura are completely fine. I was there watching her on Dancing On Ice yesterday.' During a recent appearance on Heart Radio's Capital Breakfast, Maura outlined the three main reasons why they have managed to stay together. She said: 'I think trust one another, don't believe everything you read in the press and one main thing don't let fame get to your head. You just need to stay grounded.' Prior to coupling up with Maura, Curtis was in a relationship with Celebs Go Dating star Amy Hart. But he broke her heart after returning from Casa Amor claiming that his feelings had changed and it wasn't long before his attention turned to Maura causing Amy to walk from the villa. 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. Four TVs and a cell phone were stolen from a residence on U.S. Highway 29 North on Feb. 21, the morning after a shooting left two people injured inside the same home, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department report. A 60-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man were shot in the residence the night before the burglary. Police arrested and charged a man with aggravated assault and battery on Feb. 21 for that incident. The burglary occurred between 2 and 10 in the morning following the shooting, according to the report. The burglary requires further investigation, according to the report. The televisions were worth over $1,600 total, and one of the televisions was damaged from the shooting the previous night, according to the report. The burglar had kicked the front door in, leaving several visible footprints, and the door jamb was broken. Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is an Ebola treatment center. That gives it special capabilities which can be applied to an outbreak of the new coronavirus, according to Dr. Catherine Paules, an infectious disease specialist for Penn State Health. Weve had plans in place for a long time. We are revising some of those specific to this virus, Paules said . Were working around the clock on these issues. Other hospitals are similarly focused on preparing for local spread of the virus, called COVID-19. They must address matters such as making sure staff knows the symptoms, mastering logistics of forwarding lab test samples and receiving results, and planning how to isolate the sick to contain the spread of COVID-19. Penn State Health received its Ebola treatment center designation in 2015, becoming one of four in Pennsylvania and two outside Philadelphia. Such centers are continually ready to handle cases of Ebola, a highly-contagious and deadly disease. That includes having a stockpile of protective clothing for health care workers, space to isolate the sick from other patients, and holding drills to rehearse the response. Many if not all other hospitals are similarly focused on COVID-19, now that spread of the illness in the United States is considered inevitable. They must worry about having adequate supplies of masks and other protective equipment for health care workers, as well as the masks recommended for people sick with COVID-19 to reduce the chance of them spreading it. They must educate staff about procedures for dealing with patients, including passing along the flow of updates and protocols from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has told hospitals to quickly put people with possible symptoms in a separate room with a closed door and, if available, in a negative pressure room, which continually sucks air out of the room and carries it outside the hospital. Penn State Health has negative pressure rooms at the medical center in Derry Township and at Penn State Health St. Joseph in Berks County, according to a spokeswoman. UPMC Pinnacle has negative pressure rooms at its seven central Pennsylvania hospitals, a spokeswoman said. Hospitals for weeks have been receiving a stream of information and advice from the CDC and the state health department. Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvanias secretary of health, said the health department has participated in countless calls with the CDC since the coronavirus threat arose in China in early January. She said the department is in close communication with hospitals, emergency medical providers and other health care entities, to plan and coordinate the response to an outbreak. Questioned about possible shortages or gaps in response capabilities, Levine said the state has stockpiles of things such as protective clothing for health care workers, and she has confidence Pennsylvania and its health systems are up to this task. But she said resources could eventually become strained. In that case, Pennsylvania and its health care system would rely on federal help. She acknowledged potential shortages of such things as breathing ventilators, which have been needed to save some people stricken with coronavirus. One significant gap in the national response plan has already appeared: Hospitals lack an on-site test to determine if someone has COVID-19, nor does the Pennsylvania Department of Health have one at its lab. As it stands, lab samples must be sent to the CDC in Atlanta, which takes up to about 48 hours to return results. The CDC sent test kits to states, but those proved faulty. Over the weekend, the CDC said states should have tests as of early this week. The CDC also gave emergency approval to allow hospital-based and commercial labs to create and use their own tests. Meanwhile, theres potential shortages of things such as face masks, resulting from global demand and also supply chain problems related to COVID-19. One major Pennsylvania hospital system, in an internal email, advised staff to avoid sending extra protective clothing and masks home with patients, and to re-use items when possible. A Penn State Health spokeswoman said the center is prepared to handle multiple coronavirus patients, but didnt have an exact capacity. In the event of a large outbreak, the medical center will be relying on help from state and federal agencies, and other hospitals will also be taking care of patients in a coordinated effort, Paules said. Obviously, the more patients there would be, the more challenging it would be thats one of the things were talking about and preparing for, she said. During an outbreak, a critical early step will involve figuring out whether people with symptoms such as fever and coughing have COVID-19. If they do, they will be put in isolation, and an effort will be launched to figure out who infected them, and whether they had contact with others who may become infected. It takes up to 14 days for symptoms to appear. Paules said she expects the medical center and other health care providers will be urging people who might have the coronavirus to call ahead rather than just show up at the ER. Thats so steps can be taken to prevent staff and others at the hospital from being exposed. Paules co-authored a January article in the Journal of the American Medical Association focusing on what science knows about the new coronavirus. Experts have said the death rate of people infected with the coronavirus in China is 2-4%. The death rate has been lower in some of the other countries where it has shown up. Discussing the threat posed by the new coronavirus, Paules noted the death rate for the regular flu is .1%, the death rate of a pandemic-causing flu is typically a little less than 1%, and the death rate during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the deadliest in history, was an estimated 2-2.5%. So this is not a trivial virus we are seeing, she said of COVID-19. Paules said that up until about two weeks ago she considered it unlikely an outbreak would affect Pennsylvania. Her view has changed, and she now believes a local outbreak is a serious possibility. She said her best advice to area residents is to use sources such as the state health department and the CDC to stay informed about the latest news and information about COVID-19. That involves knowing how to protect themselves from the coronavirus or to avoid spreading it. We are all stakeholders in this. We need to pay attention to whats going on with this outbreak, she said. To many people, New York City is The City of Dreams. But for people with disabilities, New York state falls gravely short. Thousands of New Yorkers are unemployed, underemployed or impoverished due to a disability. And if Gov. Andrew Cuomo follows through on his threats to slash state funding for Medicaid, many, myself included, will face mass institutionalization. Despite having a disability (spinal muscular atrophy) and using a wheelchair since childhood, I achieved the American dream by the age of 25. I lived in and was an attorney for the city of New York. But, at age 31, everything came crashing down after the mysterious onset of a chronic illness. Ehlers Danlos syndrome left me too sick to work. I was forced onto Social Security Disability Insurance, which only paid $1,300 per month. Overnight, I couldn't afford my health care, rent or the New York City cost of living. However, my SSDI was too high for me to be eligible for Medicaid, Social Security Income or Section 8 Housing. Faced with homelessness, I moved in with my mother. As my health worsened, I lost the strength needed to live independently. And, eventually, I required daily assistance at home, otherwise known as long-term care. I quickly discovered, however, that only Medicaid covered long-term care, and I was ineligible. Buy-in programs existed for working people with disabilities in New York making less than $63,000, but I was too sick to work. (My salary would've been too high anyway.) So, my mother quit her job to care for me. With only my income to cover our bills, we moved in with my grandparents in North Carolina. At one point, we had four generations living under one roof, and the years of chronic illness, poverty and unemployment took its toll on everyone. Thankfully though, my chronic illness resolved. So, last June, due to receiving a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School, I moved to Massachusetts to pursue the American dream anew, and make it accessible to all. But thanks to income caps, if I return to New York City after graduation, I could lose my long-term care and ability to survive. Ironically, returning to the City of Dreams could transform my path to the American dream into a hopeless dead-end. Worse yet, Cuomo has convened a task force to find a way by April to cut state funding for Medicaid by $2.5 billion. The budget cut will force local governments to foot the bill or, more likely, cut long-term care programs. And this will drastically reduce community-based services and place recipients like me, who rely on full-time care, at risk of institutionalization, which is far more costly. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. However, it doesn't have to be this way. Here in Massachusetts, working people with disabilities are entitled to Medicaid regardless of their income. The commonwealth requires recipients to pay a percentage of their income in monthly premiums. In return, Medicaid provides recipients with sufficient hours of in-home care and the ability to manage our own care. Such consumer-directed care is significantly less expensive than institutionalization and permits us to live with dignity. Thus, people with disabilities in Massachusetts can be productive, taxpaying members of society, and the government saves on relinquished benefits, while collecting new tax revenues. Every citizen deserves a shot at the American dream. However, sadly, my story isn't unique. With just one tragic accident, any New Yorker can find themselves in my situation. Cuomo could slash Medicaid and deprive thousands of Americans of our nation's greatest promise. Or he can take the opportunity to adopt Massachusetts' Medicaid policies and allow New York City to be a City of Dreams for everyone. OccupyGhana has urged the Ghanaian Government to adequately prepare for a possible outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ghana. In recent weeks, Government has been putting in place some measures to prevent an outbreak of Coronavirus in Ghana. But OccupyGhana believes more work is needed to be done considering the countrys weak healthcare system. In a statement, OccupyGhana said until last week, no cases had been reported from countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, that changed when an Italian traveled to Nigeria from Milan, Italy (the epicenter of the outbreak there) and was found to be positive for a COVID-19 infection. It stated that this shows that it is only a matter of time until cases are seen in Ghana too. With the amount of travel between countries in the sub-region and also between the region and Europe, we in Ghana are bound, sooner or later, to see cases. According to the statement, that is why the country needs to be prepared if an outbreak should occur. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) recently released a paper detailing its degree of preparedness. The efforts to prepare for and deal with a possible outbreak of COVID-19 are being spearheaded by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) with help from units like a Rapid Response Team (RRT). We commend all involved in those efforts. However, we cannot escape the fact that the nation's health sector is weak and not well-resourced, says OccupyGhana in the statement. This means that our preparedness for epidemics and/or pandemics may not be the most optimal. The 2019 Global Health Security Index, published by Johns Hopkins and the Nuclear Threat Initiative ranked Ghana 105th out of 195 on preparedness for epidemics and pandemics, it said. In planning for a possible COVID-19 outbreak, it stated suggested that Ghana considers the following variables: 1 Surveillance; 2 Containment; 3 Prevention; 4 Testing; 5 Treatment; 6 Coordination; and 7 Finance ---Daily Guide Truly wireless headphones have been part of my daily life for the past three years, and Ive grown accustomed to the Galaxy family, starting with the IconX (2018) and then transitioning to Galaxy Buds. When Samsung announced the revamped Galaxy Buds+ are incoming, I got excited because I truly hoped the Korean company would finally fix the massive flaws that I was living with in the past twelve months. Samsung Galaxy IconX (2018) vs Galaxy Buds+ vs Galaxy Buds The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ ships in three colors - White, Black, and Blue, with the latter option arriving at GSMArena's office. Earbuds, in general, are becoming a fashion accessory as well as an audio tool, so having a larger palette of colors available is certainly going to be the norm going forward. The Galaxy Buds+ case and earbuds are the same size and design as the predecessor and you can even swap them around. The big difference is that Samsung managed to cram more battery - a single earbud now has an 85 mAh power cell, which is 50% increase over the 58 mAh charge of one bud in the predecessor. Samsung promises 11 hours of playback, so I took the buds out and into my ears and went on with my day. While I was comfortably in my third hour of listening to some techno music, I realized that testing the ultimate life of the earbuds on a single charge isn't going to be particularly useful - no one needs 11 hours of constant audio in his/her day. Yes, the buds are comfortable thanks to the three different types of rubber rims (which are kind of like sizes, but with a different shape to complement different shapes of earlobes), but I couldn't come up with a use-case where you'd keep them in your ears for that long. Instead I went about testing the quick charging speed and found that a quick bathroom break or a five-minute conversation where I'd put the Buds+ back in the cradle would give me about an hour of playtime. In reality, this means that there's no way youll be able to deplete the battery. The biggest issue with last year's Galaxy Buds was the in-call audio quality - people weren't able to hear you even in moderately noisy environments. I am happy to announce that Samsung took care of that and the secondary microphone on the outer side of the buds is really doing its job. Both exterior mics have a feature called Beam-forming that are figuring out where the voice is coming from and then the inner microphone is doing a better job with the in-call noise cancellation. The Galaxy Buds+ also supports Ambient Sound during calls. It allows you to hear your voice more naturally, instead of feeling the words reverberate in a weird way around the head. Another improvement Samsung did to the Buds+ is the overall user experience - last year I complained the touch functions werent working properly, and now the Galaxy Buds+ are definitely better. The hold-for-ambient-sound function is gone and made way for Spotify - simple tap and hold will immediately start the song that was the last playing on the phone, even if the app on the phone was closed. While Samsung was proud to announce the Galaxy Buds+ are compatible with iOS, the Spotify launch feature wont be available to Apple devices. They will also miss on the option to have notifications read back to them, but everything else, including the improved Ambient Sound and all the new touch features, are available on both platforms. The Galaxy Buds+ also have touch controls on their edges - a single tap on the left lowers the volume, a tap on the right increases it. This feature is hidden in the Labs sub-menu where an extra level of Ambient Sound can also be unlocked. Ambient Sound is a feature that uses smart algorithms to detect environment noise that is then played into your ear. This neat feature felt a bit robotic and dystopian with the IconX (2018) and the Galaxy Buds, but the Galaxy Buds+ have four different levels of volume that make the experience a tad more realistic - the hidden one is extra-loud, that's why it isn't widely available. Small earbuds have the downside of playing less than stellar bass. The Galaxy Buds had this issue as well, but AKG provided a better tuning to the tweeter and the woofer of the Buds+, so the performance is now 38% better on paper. Now there's no way I could measure the improvement in as specific numbers, but the reality is you can now actually feel the bass - a big departure from the original Galaxy Buds, where it was non-existent. One major feature the Galaxy Buds+ are lacking is active noise-cancellation, especially when competitors like Huawei and Apple already have products with ANC. Hopefully, we will see an updated version this summer when the Galaxy Note20 eventually arrives, otherwise, well have to wait until next year. Samsung improved the calls, the bass, the ambient sound, the battery life and even the hinge of the case. Those comes with an increase in price to $150/170, or just $20/20 over the previous generation, but the Buds+ are definitely a better deal than their predecessor. The two most popular use cases - listening to music and taking calls are so vastly improved that the premium is well worth it. MONTCALM COUNTY, MI -- Authorities are investigating the death of a 1-year-old child in Montcalm County. Officers were dispatched around 5:30 a.m. Monday, March 2, to a report of an unresponsive child at a residence on W. Stanton Road near N. Hillman Road in Douglass Township. Police said the child was a little younger than 2 years old. On-scene life-saving attempts by Michigan State Police troopers and Montcalm EMS personnel were unsuccessful. State police announced they were investigating the childs death but didnt provide many additional details Monday afternoon. The incident remains under investigation. Personnel from the state police crime lab were on scene Monday afternoon. Read more: Traffic backup from I-96 rollover causes fatal crash Cedar Springs man charged in crash that killed baby and teen How to watch Grand Rapids mayors 2020 State of the City speech OTTAWA - Work has resumed on a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia at the centre of protests that have disrupted both rail and road traffic across the country, but questions remain about how opponents to the project will react to workers and the RCMP re-entering Wet'suwet'en territory. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Wet'suwet'en hereditary leader Chief Woos, also known as Frank Alec, centre, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relation, Carolyn Bennett, left, and B.C. Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser address the media in Smithers, B.C., Sunday, March 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward OTTAWA - Work has resumed on a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia at the centre of protests that have disrupted both rail and road traffic across the country, but questions remain about how opponents to the project will react to workers and the RCMP re-entering Wet'suwet'en territory. The RCMP, which is under contract provincially in B.C., has resumed patrolling the area and is once again monitoring an access road that leads to the work site for the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline. Wet'suwet'en protesters and their supporters were arrested along this road in early February, sparking solidarity protests and blockades across Canada. The RCMP moved its operations to the nearby town of Houston, B.C. last week after Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs said they would not meet with government officials to discuss their concerns about the pipeline unless the Mounties and pipeline company workers left their territory. Now that a proposed arrangement has been reached, following three days of talks in Smithers, B.C. between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior ministers of the federal and B.C. governments, the RCMP and company are back and working again work in the territory. Coastal GasLink confirmed construction on the project resumed Monday morning. Details of the draft accord between the Wet'suwet'en and the B.C. and federal governments have not been disclosed and will remain unpublished until after it is ratified by the Wet'suwet'en people in their traditional feast process, which is expected to take up to two weeks. However, all parties are making it clear the agreement deals only with land and title rights generally. The pipeline itself remains in dispute, says former NDP MP Nathan Cullen, who was hired by the B.C. government as a liaison between the province and the hereditary chiefs. "The opposition remains ... will protests happen? Will barriers and blockades happen, I can't say," Cullen said Monday. He noted that before the meetings in Smithers began, one of the hereditary leaders, Chief Woos, who also goes by Frank Alec, issued a statement calling for an "atmosphere of respect" to allow the Wet'suwet'en leaders to hold their negotiations with Canada a call that was reiterated on Sunday. Whether this is heard and respected by solidarity protesters remains to be seen, Cullen said. The proposed agreement reached over the weekend aims to define more clearly the land and title rights of the Wet'suwet'en people in British Columbia, following the 1997 Delgamuukw-Gisday'wa decision. In that case, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the existence of Aboriginal title as an exclusive and ancestral right to the land, but the ruling fell short of recognizing the boundaries of the territory to which Wet'suwet'en title applies. The judges suggested at the time negotiations could be a better way to resolve some of these outstanding questions, but those discussions did not move forward. Last year, the province of B.C. did set up a table to discuss land and title rights with the Wet'suwet'en after 14 people were arrested for blocking access to the pipeline work site in January 2019. The province hired former NDP MP Murray Rankin as negotiator, but progress has been limited. Cullen says the proposed new deal goes "far beyond what was being contemplated" in those previous discussions, especially since Ottawa was not involved in those talks. While the tentative agreement does not deal with the pipeline concerns, Cullen says if this work on land and title rights had been done 23 years ago, the tensions over the Coastal GasLink pipeline might never have happened. If adopted by the Wet'suwet'en people, the deal will lay the foundation to reduce conflicts over future development projects. The chiefs have consistently said they do not support the pipeline project and feel the approval process was faulty, Cullen said. Meanwhile, the province and federal governments say they will respect the permits that have been legally issued and they have no jurisdiction to interfere with a standing injunction against further efforts to block work on the project. Therefore, despite the progress made overall, an impasse over the pipeline remains. "The parties in their wisdom were able to address the underlying reasons for the conflict. How it will inform the actual issue of the pipeline itself, I can't say yet," Cullen said. "I believe that dialogue and negotiation is always better than the alternative, which is not talking and not trying to find something. But it remains a difficult question, there's no doubt about it." Chief Woos called the draft agreement a milestone for everyone involved, though he added the "degree of satisfaction is not what we expected." Meanwhile, rail blockades in Quebec erected in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en protesters remained in place Monday. Kenneth Deer, the secretary of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake, said the community would meet Monday evening to discuss whether to dismantle a blockade that protesters have maintained on their territory south of Montreal since Feb. 8. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he remains confident that polarized, divisive debate about resource development projects will eventually come to an end and that Canada can develop its natural resources while staying committed to emissions reductions and respecting Indigenous rights. "We just haven't reached that point of consensus where we argue about the best way to do it. There are still pockets of this country and the political debate arguing about whether or not to protect the environment ...That can flip fairly quickly," Trudeau said in a speech in Toronto. "It won't be easy but we all know, you all know, that's where we need to go." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 2, 2020. With files from Morgan Lowrie in Montreal. Ghanaian Students in the coronavirus hit Wuhan in China have expressed disappointment at the government over the food exported for their upkeep. The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) a fortnight ago met the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway on the plight of students in China, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus. She promised some amount of money which has subsequently been received by students as well as food items. The students have however expressed disappointment at the food items. One student said: When we opened the box, we found Ga and Fanti kenkey, five boxes of Neat Fufu and one big sachet of this Way Chocolate drink and to us this is sad. There is an outbreak and we learnt that when they were bringing the food, they kept it on the floor so we are disheartened. They brought us kenkey but there is no shito or tin fish. There is nothing and this is about sixteen students, another said. The Foreign Affairs Ministry dispatched cartons of assorted Ghanaian food items to the Mission in Beijing for onward delivery to the students in Wuhan in February. Other support The Ministry has also granted approval for the Ghana Mission in Beijing to expend an amount of 100,000 (USD$14,286) to cater for emergency needs, such as the provision of nose masks, hand sanitizers and food items, especially for Ghanaians in Wuhan and its environs. Additional amounts of US$50,000.00 and US$200,000.00 have been transferred separately to the Mission in Beijing to cater for the emergency needs of the students. Coronavirus: Chinese government doing its best to protect Ghanaian students Ambassador The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Shi Ting Wang says the Chinese government is doing all it can to protect Ghanaian students currently studying in China. Ambassador Shi Ting Wang says Ghana's Foreign Affairs Ministry is in constant touch with the Chinese government to ensure that the students are safe . It is understandable that people are worried. We are human beings. Our authorities tasked to protect the foreigners of Hubei province and universities are working hard to keep the students safe. The universities keep doing routine inspections and monitoring the temperature of every student on a daily basis. The Chinese municipal government has published a 24-hour English speaking services hotline for foreigners including Ghanaian students. If any student feels unwell, the local government will respond immediately and arrange the student for medical treatment in time. Up till now, everyone is safe. Nobody reported a case of being infected, he stated. Gov't evacuate students when the need arises Following the outbreak of the coronavirus, there have been calls from the Minority, the China chapter of National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and parents to evacuate Ghanaian students from the country. The Minority Caucus in Parliament a few days ago even gave the government a three-day ultimatum to evacuate Ghanaians living in China in the midst of the ravaging coronavirus. On the back of this, President Nana Akufo-Addo, while delivering the 2020 State of the Nation Address, said the government will evacuate Ghanaians students from China if the need arises. He noted that the government will do so if other options aimed at confining the disease to the area of origin fails. ---citinewsroom MIDDLEFIELD, N.Y. Cooperstown Volunteer firefighters Jon Roach and Scott Monington were given a heroes welcome home after undergoing burn treatments at Upstate Medical Hospital in Syracuse. The two firefighters were injured following a severe garage fire in Middlefield last week. Members of the community as well as law enforcement and a number of fire companies from throughout the area, lining up at Clark's Sport's Center in Cooperstown to show their support. The two were escorted from the hospital in Syracuse to their home in Middlefield. Jon's mom waiting for them as they passed through Cooperstown. She said she was devastated when she heard the news about Jon's injuries. "Absolutely terrified, but the support from the fire department and the love and support, it made a really big difference," said Michele Roach. Roach also said her son got support from Scott Monington's daughter Mckayla. She said she never left Jon's side until he was released from the hospital on Sunday. As the convoy passed through Middlefield, the firefighters went by the home where the fire happened. Cooperstown Chief Jim Tallman who was also injured said it was hard to drive past the house. "It was a surreal scene just unbelievable what we had and what we went through. Bringing them out and taking them to the hospital, it was just a nightmare," said Tallman. 2 Middlefield firefighters were also injured during the fire. Cooperstown fire officials are confident that Jim and Scott will be returning to service soon. "I'm sorry about the injuries that they sustained but I'm glad they are still with us. And knowing these guys the way that I do, they will be back on the line soon," said Assistant Chief Mike Molloy. State fire continues to investigate what caused the fire and explosions. In Germany, a political crisis erupted against the backdrop of a scandal over the election results in the East German state of Thuringia, inflated by the top of the ruling party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who had a reputation as Chancellor Angela Merkel's successor, announced she was about to resign as party leader. She abandoned her ambitions to lead the German government in the future. The election of the new CDU leader will be held in April. Germany is entering a period of political turbulence, and it is an intrigue who would replace Kramp-Karrenbauer as the leader of the CDU and compete for the post of chancellor in the parliamentary elections in 2021. Ukraine is closely following the political crisis in Germany, a participant in the Normandy Format of negotiations to resolve the armed conflict in Donbas. In two months it will become clear what changes might occur in German foreign policy, including on the Ukrainian issue. Preliminary conclusions could be drawn right now, starting from the views of the main applicants for the post of head of the CDU. Brawl in Thuringia The fuss in the CDU arose as a result of the cold calculation of the separation of this party in Thuringia - in one of the least developed socio-economic lands of the former GDR. None of the parties won enough votes to form a government in the elections to the local parliament in October 2019. The most votes went to Die Linke party (31%), whose representative Bodo Ramelow has served as head of the regional government since 2014. For the CDU, the election ended in failure - the third place with a result of 21.8% of the vote. This is less than the result of the far-right anti-migrant party Alternative for Germany (23.4% of the vote), which advocates the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions and the rapprochement of Germany and the EU with Russia. Christian Democrats decided to act on the principle of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and entered into an alliance with members of the faction Alternative for Germany" the liberal Free Democratic Party (gained only 5% of the vote). They elected to the post of head of the government of Thuringia a compromise figure - a member of the Free Democratic Party Thomas Kemmerich. For the first time, the irreconcilable antagonists in the CDU Bundestag and Alternative for Germany successfully joined forces in the struggle against a common political rival in Thuringia, where there is a problem of unemployment, where young people are trying to leave for other regions of Germany, and the gross product per capita was $ 35,000 in 2018 (in Kyiv it amounts to $ 9 thousand). However, this combination caused shock in German society. Protests rallied in 50 cities, including Berlin and Erfurt (the administrative center in Thuringia). Christian Hirte, the German Government Commissioner for Eastern Affairs, resigned. CDU Secretary-General Paul Ziemiak condemned his party members from Thuringia for a deal with Alternative for Germany. It may seem that the Germans set off alarm bells. However, a feature of the vast majority of German society is a complex of guilt feelings for the crimes of the Second World War, passed down from generation to generation. Most Germans are extremely negative about the manifestations of racism, xenophobia, radical nationalism. The Alternative for Germany, which calls for restricting, tightening the migration regime, closing the borders for refugees and reducing the influence of Islam in German society, evokes in the CDU associations with Nazism, Hitler and the crimes of World War II. Kramp-Karrenbauer sacrificed herself to remove from the agenda the issue of early parliamentary elections in the wake of the scandal. In the understanding of the CDU electorate, the party has discredited itself as a political force professing tolerance, multiculturalism, and advocating a liberal migration policy. In the current conditions, a change in party leadership is a less painful test for the CDU than early parliamentary elections. Party popularity is falling. Despite the fact that most Germans want to see Merkel as chancellor. Christian democrats lost the last local and regional elections in Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony. There is confusion in the party itself. Some members are inclined to roll to the right, tighten their migration policies and take part in the electorate from the Alternative for Germany. Other Christian Democrats are centrists and want to continue Merkels policies. In any case, the Merkel party is competing with the Free Democratic Party, Alternative for Germany, and may show worse results than in the previous parliamentary elections in 2017. Events in Thuringia are a conflict of the center and the periphery, disagreements of like-minded people. Leader of the Christian Democrats in Thuringia Mike Mohring was appointed at the discretion of Merkel. He was born and raised in the GDR, where Merkel was established. In addition, Moring is opposed to the election of the leader of the CDU, Friedrich Merz, Merkel's long-standing opponent. He put at stake the partys reputation for personal ambitions in the struggle for power in his homeland. At the end of 2019, he urged Berlin not to poke its nose into the affairs of Thuringia. In any case, the obvious advantages of the current situation are drawn by representatives of the CDU right-wing, who have a chance to compete again for leadership in the party. The heirs of Merkel and Ukraine The most likely candidates for the post of the CDU are a lawyer, businessman and former leader of the Christian Democrats faction in the Bundestag, Friedrich Merz, chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Relations Committee, Norbert Rottgen, and the head of the North Rhine government, Westphalia Armin Laschet. Friedrich Merz represents the right-wing of the CDU, advocating the revision of Merkels policies. At the beginning of the 2000s, he lost to her in the struggle for influence in the CDU, after which he left politics, was engaged in business, headed the German-American organization Atlantic Bridge, whose goal is to improve Germanys image in America. In 2018, Merz fought with Kramp-Karrenbauer for leadership in the CDU but lost. The politician decided to try his luck for the third time. He earned the image of German Donald Trump because he advocated the revision of the provision in the German constitution for political asylum, positioned as a candidate suitable for business, especially for the financial sector. As a Catholic, Merz supports the idea of protecting Christian values in Germany, strengthening the fight against ISIS and Islamic extremism. The Alternative for Germany even accuses him of plagiarism. Merz takes an ambiguous position on foreign policy issues. He advocates strengthening transatlantic relations with the United States. He endorsed the idea of signing an agreement on the Transatlantic free trade zone between America and Europe, which was proposed by the team of Barack Obama. However, Merz is critical of the protectionist policies of US President Donald Trump, who did not sign this agreement and increased duties on European steel and aluminum. The German politician approved a reciprocal increase in duties on American jeans and motorcycles. Merz shares the views of French President Emanuel Macron regarding the construction of a strong integrated European army. Merz has a double attitude towards Russia. He criticized Russia for the aggression in Ukraine, questioned the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after the crisis in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait in 2018 when Russia captured Ukrainian boats. However, during a visit to Apolda in Thuringia in February 2020, Merz said that in the 21st century the EU should go closer to Russia and strengthen cooperation. Merz believes that Russia complicates the life of Germany, but without this cooperation, it would not be possible to achieve long-term stability in Europe. In his opinion, the policy of rapprochement with Russia will be successful after the end of the presidency of Vladimir Putin. Thus, the candidate for the post of head of the CDU wants to enlist the support of residents of East German lands who have a warm attitude towards Russians and to take part in the electorate from the Alternative for Germany. Merz defends the interests of German business, which has experienced the negative effects of anti-Russian sanctions and is interested in trade with Russia. The politician sends a signal to the United States, making it clear that if they continue to put pressure on his country and the EU on trade and economic issues, on the issue of defense spending, he will follow Macrons example, building a situational alliance with the Russian Federation. However, Merz is mistaken. The regime of the United Russia party, which is based on the symbiosis of natural monopolies and the power bloc, will exist even after Putin leaves politics. The Russian leader has already refreshed the Russian government: at the beginning of the year, personnel shifts took place in a number of ministries, and party bureaucrat Dmitry Medvedev was replaced by technocrat Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister. Even if Putin is not the president, the entire power will remain with the United Russia party. Foreign policy will not change. Merz is trying to fit into the mainstream mood that prevails in some political circles of the European Union. Similar rhetoric about Russia comes from Macron, with the difference that the French leader wants to establish relations right now, despite continued aggression in eastern Ukraine. Merzs rhetoric once again confirms the drift of a number of European countries towards Russia amid a crisis of Atlantic unity and differences between the EU and the USA. In this regard, Ukraine faces unfavorable prospects. Another challenger, Norbert Rottgen, is a typical centrist and has a reputation as an ally to Merkel. He advocates strengthening European integration, increasing the role of the EU as a center of power in the modern world, but at the same time emphasizes the importance of strengthening transatlantic relations with the United States and overcoming disagreements with the Trump administration. Rottgen condemns the annexation of Crimea and sees Russia as a threat to European security. According to Rottgen, anti-Russian sanctions are a manifestation of Atlantic unity. Rottgen is cautious about the initiatives of French President Emmanuel Macron and does not agree with his opinion about the inefficiency of NATO. At the same time, he supports the strengthening of the Franco-German alliance within the EU, and also advocates the rapprochement of Germany and Britain in the field of security after Brexit. However, Rottgen is not inclined to tighten the pressure on Moscow. In 2019, he did not support the US proposal to impose sanctions against companies that are building Nord Stream 2, since it is supposedly too late to stop the project. As for Armin Laschet, he has a reputation as a moderate politician, a supporter of Merkel, but he is excessively provincial and not involved in global political processes. He earned the nickname "ace evasion" due to his flexibility and ability to evade unnecessary obligations. Laschet advocates strengthening integration processes within the EU. The candidate avoids criticizing Russia. In 2018, he said that anti-Russian sanctions should remain in effect until progress was made in implementing the Minsk agreements. Laschet previously took part in the Petersburg Dialogue forum of civic communities of Russia and Germany. In 2015, he emphasized that North Rhine-Westphalia was interested in dialogue with the Russian Federation. He managed to achieve this. The agency NRW.Invest, which provides advisory support to foreign investors in North Rhine-Westphalia on tax and legal issues, has opened its offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. North Rhine-Westphalia is considered one of the most densely populated, technologically developed German lands, and 400 Russian firms work there. Among the candidates for the post of head of the CDU, there are no obvious favorites of the United States, Russia or Ukraine. Rather, there are opponents of Merkel in the person of Merz, and her supporters in the person of Rottgen and Laschet. They have one thing in common with the current chancellor - they are not ready to take the path of toughening anti-Russian sanctions and will take into account the interests of German business, which is interested in working with the Russian Federation. The Jammu and Kashmir government has asked its employees to subscribe to the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) to secure financial security, officials said on Monday. The government of India has rolled out two social security schemes, namely, PMJJBY and PMSBY in the country with a view to financially empowering people and providing social security to them, a circular issued by the Finance Department said. "All the employees are, as such, advised to consider a subscription to the two. schemes, if they have not done so already, by visiting and contacting the branch managers of the banks in which they maintain their saving accounts so as to secure financial security and insurance cover benefits for themselves," Under Secretary to the Government, Finance Department, Shafqat Ali Keen, said in the circular. There are nearly 4.5 lakh government employees in Jammu and Kashmir. The Finance Department circular contained details of the two schemes, including the sum insured, the premium amount and the benefits they come with. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington state health officials speak about the first patient death from novel coronavirus in the United States By Gabriella Borter and Steve Gorman (Reuters) - A Washington state man in his 50s with underlying health issues became the United States' first fatality from the coronavirus, officials said on Saturday, as the Trump administration stepped up efforts to combat the spread of the global outbreak. The patient, who was chronically ill prior to contracting COVID-19, died at EvergreenHealth Hospital in Kirkland, near Seattle, and officials are unsure how he was exposed to the virus, said Jeffrey Duchin, head of the Washington health department's communicable disease unit. The state has recorded two other "presumptive" coronavirus cases at a long-term care facility in Kirkland where more than 50 residents and staff could be showing symptoms, he said. "At this point we do not have widespread community-wide transmission locally. We have transmission that's associated with an outbreak at this long-term care facility," Duchin said. The two cases at the Kirkland facility were a health care worker in her 40s who is in satisfactory condition, and a woman in her 70s who lived there and is in serious condition. "It is a sad day as we learn a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends," the state's governor, Jay Inslee, said in a statement. "We are strengthening our preparedness and response efforts to keep Washingtonians healthy, safe and informed." The first U.S. coronavirus death capped a week of stock market upheaval and escalating concern among state and federal health officials as the virus has spread across 46 countries and infected more than 60 people in the United States. 'SCALE AND SERIOUSNESS' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers would take up a coronavirus spending bill next week "to advance a strong emergency funding supplemental package that fully addresses the scale and seriousness of this public health crisis". Story continues Most of the U.S. cases have occurred in travelers who were repatriated from China, where the virus originated. But public health officials have also identified coronavirus cases in California, Washington and Oregon with no direct ties to the virus' source in China, signaling a turning point in strategies needed to contain the disease in the United States. U.S. health authorities say it means the respiratory disease that has infected nearly 80,000 people worldwide and killed more than 2,800 in China is no longer an imported phenomenon but has taken up residence in the United States. GRAPHIC: Tracking the novel coronavirus - https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-MAP/0100B59S39E/index.html "We still judge the general risk to the American public to be low and that includes residents of long-term care facilities," Nancy Messonier, head of the Immunization and Respiratory Disease division at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), told reporters in a call on Saturday. Messonnier said the agency would send teams to support investigations in California and Washington into how patients contracted the virus and help trace who else may have been exposed. Reuters graphics on the new coronavirus: https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-GRAPHICS/0100B5CD3DP/index.html PERSON-TO-PERSON 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. 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, health officials say. Coronavirus is spread primarily through tiny droplets coughed or sneezed directly from an infected person into the face of someone nearby, as opposed to the more contagious "airborne" transmission of a virus like measles, which can remain suspended in enclosed spaces and be breathed in hours after being exhaled by sick individuals, experts say. Coronavirus can also survive on surfaces, such as handrails and door knobs, for "a very long period of time," and be picked up by hand that way, though the virus is "very susceptible" to cleaning products, Dr. Christopher Braden, deputy director of the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said on Friday in Santa Clara County. Still, "It's mostly a person-to-person transmission that we are concerned about for our communities," he added. For the online coverage of the coronavirus outbreak click, https://www.reuters.com/live-events/coronavirus-6-id2921484 (Reporting by Steve Gorman and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles and Gabriella Borter, Hilary Russ and Michael Erman in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Paul Simao) WHY ARE YOU A COMMUNIST? In celebration of International Womens Day, The Workers Weekly Guardian asked several women, varying in age, from around the country, why they joined the party. Here are their stories. SILVIA, 85 I believe that women have particular issues such as health that require focusing on and the Communist Party has always been attentive to those issues. However, the Party acknowledges that were all workers together. Despite the great advances were made as a society, there are still old customs and attitudes perpetrated by men that have to be fought against. In this regard Ive been very lucky because I grew up with a communist father and my husband is also a communist and they both had and have the attitude that all the work has to be done by everybody in order to make things better for the majority. LILLY, 26 I first started exploring the idea of communism at university (as many of us do) when I began to realise the short comings of liberal ideologies, particularly liberal feminism. The more I learned the more evident it became that the main success of liberal feminism was to glorify a small percentage of women who had joined the capitalist class, whilst hiding the economic forces that kept the majority of women oppressed. I came to realise not only that many of my beliefs about how to bring about change were wrong, but that the cause of the problems I wanted to fight against was much bigger than just the patriarchy. Becoming a communist pushed me to continually learn about the material reality of our world and to learn about how we can bring about real change. Its forced me to come out of my shell, to meet new people, and grow as a person. Being a communist and being part of the Communist Party of Australia helps me fight the alienation of living under late stage capitalism, and it gives me the conviction that we can build a better world for women and all members of the working class. ELIZABETH, 60 Long before I joined the Party, I had a sense the system wasnt working for people. My reaction to this realisation manifested in activism, starting from my very early teens. Later, once I entered the workforce, I immediately engaged with unions, eventually becoming active as a delegate and getting more involved in the leadership of my union. I am still involved with my union. I joined the Party after travelling to Cuba. A couple of things happened there, firstly I experienced a system I thought was healthy; a better world I always thought should be possible but had never experienced. Not because it was perfect but because it was responsive. The people seemed more empowered and it was especially obvious in women, children and young people. There was an atmosphere of inclusion and an absence of alienation. At the time I was on a brigade, so I got to visit schools, hospitals, workplaces as well as meet people from the government and the unions. It was a talk by a representative from the Communist Youth in Cuba that firmed up my decision to seek out the Party on return to Australia. Strangely now I cant remember what it was she said but I left her talk and told my comrades on the brigade of my intention to join the Party on my return. Most of them tried to redirect me to the Greens but I didnt feel swayed in any other direction once I had made the decision. I read once that Fidel said of his early days as a revolutionary that once he read Marx, he realised he had been wandering around in a forest without a map. I would go one step further than that. I think even if you have read Marx it is like wandering around in a forest if you dont have a Communist Party. For me that is the Communist Party of Australia. CASEY, 34 From a young age, I wanted to make the world a better place. As a teenager, I joined World Vision, reassuring myself that at least I was doing something. It was surprising to see shoppers suspiciously eye me or explain to me why what I was doing was ineffective. I somewhat agreed but was continuously shocked by general apathy. I decided that if I became a journalist, I could help privileged people become more aware of poverty, and philanthropically bring everyone out of it. I was naive. Obviously, I had no understanding of the way capitalism functioned, and only started to when I came across an organisation called the Zeitgeist Movement. I was very passionate about it and worked tirelessly on building a community of people around Australia. I was somewhat successful, but eternally unsatisfied, which no doubt, lead to burn out. I needed to take a step back to really think and learn. I opened my mind to exploring revolutions through history, initially through an anarchist lens, but eventually lead to discovering Marxism-Leninism. I was amazed to discover the achievements of the USSR, Cuba, the DPRK, and more, and appalled by the propaganda I had been fed my whole life. I was ashamed of my white saviour complex and came to realise the people of the world were empowered in themselves. I learnt how the deepening of the contradictions in capitalism leads to class struggle and revolution. Since then, my knowledge has exponentially grown. By practicing dialectical materialism as a grounding philosophy in life, and taking advice from past and present revolutionary thinkers, including those within the CPA, I am more able to use my time and energy wisely and continue the struggle for the working class, this time more deliberately and more informed. ROMINA, 64 I grew up in a family who were political and very active in the community. My earliest memories of my political awareness go back to when I was barely six or seven years of age, hearing about class struggle and inequality, how the distribution of wealth is unfair, and lack of basic rights for women. There has been some progress in the last twenty-five years around the world although it has been slow and uneven. Many countries have narrowed the gender gap in education, and some have even reached gender parity in school enrolment. This is all good news. And yet we are still a long way from achieving equality between men and women, boys and girls. For too many women, especially in the less-developed countries, not enough has changed. Violence against women continues to blight lives in all countries of the world. The world needs full equality in order for humanity to prosper, and I believe the capitalist system is incapable of changing the climate emergency, ending the devastating wars of aggression which are effecting the lives of so many such as poverty, homelessness, violence against women, and so many other inequalities. I believe the answer to all this is a system that would support and will ensure an economy that will work for all which includes women. I believe that system is Communism. FAIZA, 35 The short and universally applicable answer to this question is that we wish to build a better world, that we see capitalism has far outrun its date-of-use and is the cause of human impoverishment, war and ecological destruction. Of course, it is not that simple and straight a path in practice for everyone. There are three key steps, in my opinion, often overlapping. One is the grasping of socialist ideas and understanding the systemic problems of capitalism. Second is the desire to be politically involved for socialist change. Finally, the third is finding the correct political platform. I as an individual had already taken the first two steps when I arrived in Australia as a skilled migrant. So, I knew I wanted to join a Marxist party that wants to build socialism, and what follows is a look at what I found agreeable about the CPA and disagreeable about other socialist groups. I was looking at publications in the Australian left group publications, including the CPAs Guardian, mainly to understand the local issues. However, on international issues, I was more knowledgeable, I found other socialist groups taking incorrect positions; positions that were favourable to US imperialism. It was a bit later that I learnt of their Trotskyite trend of rejecting the achievements of socialist countries like China and Cuba. The CPAs analysis is in contrast to that and I found their analysis to be correct. Democratic centralism is essential in my opinion, and Ive found this principle practised within the CPA. The CPAs anti-sectarian approach, by forming united fronts, working with other organisations towards common goals, while maintaining its unique identity and agenda. Unlike other organisations I participated in previously, where I saw juvenile attacks or hostility towards other organisations where disagreements arose, the CPA rose above, highlighting its political maturity to me. The CPA is part of the biggest working-class international fraternity (IMCWP), which only highlights in one instance our strong dedication to internationalism, to the international working-class. I was a political novice when I joined the CPA, yet I was welcomed by the party. This is because the CPA understands that political education involves both study and practice. It doesnt expect new members to come fully armed with all the knowledge. However, it expects its members, new and old, to involve themselves in political activity and fully participate in educational discussions. These are the reasons why I joined the CPA. Damascus, March 2 : The Syrian army on Monday successfully recaptured the strategic city of Saraqeb in the Idlib province, a war monitor reported. Backed by Russian airstrikes, the Syrian forces captured Saraqeb, four days after losing it to the Turkey-backed rebel groups, Xinhua news agency quoted the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying. Meanwhile, battles were taking place on the outskirts of the city as the Turkey-backed rebels were trying to re-enter the city. Saraqeb has a strategic significance as it overlooks the M5 road, known locally as the international highway. The M5 starts in southern Syria, near the border with Jordan, and runs all the way north to the city of Aleppo near the Turkish border. Saraqeb was the last large city dominated by the opposition and Islamist rebels on the M5 highway. Turkey, which supports the opposition, had four of 12 observation points in a demilitarized zone established in 2018 in Saraqeb penned with Russia, which backs the regime, to ease tension in the region. Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have been keen intent on controlling the M5 highways to facilitate communication and cut off supplies to rebels. Idlib and western Aleppo are mainly under the control of former Al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has been ruled a terrorist group by Damascus and Moscow. The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Sunday organised a power walk to promote gender equality and build awareness about crimes against girls and women at public spaces. The walk from India Gate to Janpath, which was led by NCW chief Rekha Sharma, saw the participation of hundreds of people, including students and activists. Speaking at the event, High Commissioner of Canada to India Nadir Patel said, It is incumbent on all of us to help create an environment all over the world where women can thrive and prosper. Participants were seen holding placards reading I have nothing to be ashamed of and Dont tell me the time, tell them about the crime. Women are equal contributors to prosperity both economic and social. I am particularly pleased to see so many men here because it is a collective responsibility that we all have to ensure that women are safe, Patel said. Sharma said the walk is a drive to instill, with a belief that, the only way to make public spaces safe is to occupy in large numbers and put out the message clearly, whether day or night, women have equal right to claim her spaces everywhere and anywhere. We must advocate for change as collective citizens and build impact in terms of physical safety for women for their social, physical, cognitive and economic growth. She said the walk is being simultaneously organised in 15 states, she said. A nukkad natak was also held by a group of students from the Delhi University. Through the street play, the NCW said it intends to highlight the gender based discrimination and inform citizens behind the cause of the power walk. THOUSANDS of staff at tech giant Googles Dublin headquarters have been told to work from home tomorrow as a staff member who presented with flu-like symptoms is being tested for the new coronavirus. A spokesperson for the search engine company said the majority of the company's 8,000-strong Irish workforce based at its sprawling campus in the Dublin docklands are to work from home tomorrow. However, the company insisted the measure is to 'test' the ability of workers to work remotely. "We continue to take precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our workforce, and as part of that effort we have asked our Dublin teams to work from home tomorrow," the spokesperson said. A source said the worker in question has not tested positive or negative for coronavirus yet. It is believed to be unlikely the worker has the coronavirus but "out of an abundance of caution" staff have been told to work from home and to monitor their health. The move affects all of Google staff apart from those based in the firm's data centres in Sandyford and Eastpoint. The so-called 'Work From Home' day is being conducted to test "operational readiness" and ensure the company's "ability to perform at full capacity in case of an extended period", the source said. "This is not the first Google office we have closed for a day or more we have been doing this for some time now as we prioritise worker safety and manage a dynamic situation," the source added. The move by Google comes as the the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) today confirmed the risk of widespread sustained transmission of coronavirus in the EU and UK in the coming weeks as moderate to high. The National Public Health Emergency Team will meet again tomorrow to evaluate the international situation and consider Irelands ongoing preparedness. People have been urged to follow public health advice by washing their hands regularly and covering their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough and sneeze. A Tumultuous Time to Re-Elect a President Commentary The election was about six months away. Everyone believed that it would be as important an election as an election could be, sure to set the course of the Republic for decades to come. The stakes could hardly be higher. The incumbent understood all that. He was anything but your typical politician, yet he had an instinctive flair for understanding and responding to the mood of the nation, or at least the mood of his supporters within the nation. It was a talent that his many opponents on both sides of the aisle found baffling and troubling. He was an amateur who had somehow managed to best the professionals at their own gameat least temporarily anyhowand rare is the professional who can honestly reassess his or her worldview in the most forgiving of circumstances when bested by a newbie. They thus concluded that this brash, boisterous newcomer was but a short-term annoyance preying on the electorates basest fears. The not-so-loyal opposition saw in the incumbent everything wrong with the blundering, poorly educated, simple-minded portion of the electorate that had somehow managed to retain a voice in the American experiment. This president, they concluded, appealed to everything selfish and ignorant in America. He was a boob who appealed to rubes. Many opponents laughed when one pundit pronounced him an ape. The label stuck among the snickering classes. He did enjoy support among his own party, but that support was hardly universal. Some longed for a more polished, civilized candidate who would uphold the dignity of the office to which he was entrusted. A few brave souls openly challenged the incumbent for the nomination, but those efforts were half-hearted and ultimately doomed to fail. It would be an election that would emphasize, as few elections had emphasized before, the divisions among us rather than the common principles and causes that unite us. To many, of all political persuasions, the election was as much a battle for Americas soul as it was a contest between two parties, two ideologies, and the representatives of each. The wrong choice, everyone said, would rip the fabric of the nation asunder. The incumbent understood all of this. Even his most vehement opponents were willing to admit that he had a unique ability to take the countrys temperature. There were times when he spoke from the heart in a way that managed to both uplift his supporters and enrage his detractors. Indeed, a speech that would eventually go down in history as a classic, moving piece of oratory that has known few equals before or since was roundly criticized by a collection of journalists who more or less served as the semi-official public relations arms of the presidents opponents. One such publication, based in Chicago, dismissed the presidents soon-to-be-famous remarks as so much literary refuse, declaring that: The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat and dishwatery utterances of the man who has to be pointed out to intelligent foreigners as the President of the United States. The president of the most powerful nation on Earth was a focal point for the tumultuous issues of the day that so divided a great nation and so threatened its future. The incumbent understood that, but he viewed himself and his mission as the servants of the changes that those tumultuous times demanded, not as the force majeure creating the challenges. Whether a majority of the electorate would agree with the president remained to be seen. That, he reflected solemnly, was a matter out of his control. He had made his case as best as he was able. He didnt believe there was much more he could do, and he resigned himself to following whatever fate decried. Six months later the electorate spoke. Abraham Lincoln was re-elected to a second term as the 16th President of the United Sates by a wide majority. Richard Trzupek is a chemist and environmental consultant as well as an analyst at The Heartland Institute. He is also the author of Regulators Gone Wild: How the EPA Is Ruining American Industry. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Jammu and Kashmir administration informed the Supreme Court on Monday that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has been detained under the Public Safety Act considering his "past conduct" and possibility of such conduct being repeated on his release, which may "prejudice the public order". Terming Abdullah as "a very vocal critic" of abrogating Article 370, the J&K administration claimed that his acts squarely fell within the realm of public order as it was "calculated to disturb public peace and tranquility". The District Magistrate of Srinagar has said this in his reply filed on a plea by Sara Abdullah Pilot, who has challenged the detention of her brother Omar Abdullah under the provision of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act. The J-K administration has said that in the history of independent India the existence and continuance of Article 370 of the Constitution, which used to give special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, has "always remained a contentious and burning issue". "The detenu has been a very vocal critic of any possible abrogation of Article 370 prior to its abrogation on August 5, 2019. It is submitted that considering the very peculiar geopolitical position of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and its geographical proximity with Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the concept of 'public order' needs to be examined contextually," it said. It also said that Abdullah should have moved the Jammu and Kashmir high court to avail his remedy before approaching the apex court. The matter came up for hearing on Monday before a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for J-K administration, told the bench about the reply filed by the district magistrate. The bench, which posted the matter for hearing on March 5, said the petitioner can file rejoinder, if any, to it. In its reply, J-K administration has said that detention of Abdullah was ordered under section 8 of the PSA after being satisfied that it is necessary to detain him with a view "to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order". It also dealt with submissions advanced in Pilot's plea which said that as Abdullah was already under detention since August 5 last year, there was no ground to come to a conclusion that he may act in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. "It is submitted that the said assertion is fallacious and ignores that the subjective satisfaction of the detaining authority, the grounds of detention and the dossier clearly indicate that there exists a live and proximate link in the events that occurred in the past, the activities of the detenu (Abdullah) and the possibility of such activities being prejudicial to maintenance of public order," it said. "In light of the above, the deponent states and submits that there was ample material and grounds to issue the impugned order of detention against the detenu considering the past conduct and the possibility of such conduct being repeated on release and thereby prejudicing the public order in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," it said. The reply further said, "It may not be out of place to mention that so far since 1990, 41,866 persons have lost their lives in 71,038 incidents throughout the erstwhile state of J-K. This includes 14,038 civilians, 5,292 personnel of security forces and 22,536 terrorists." It said that J-K high court is seized of over 350 habeas corpus petitions and pleas challenging the detention orders. "It is further submitted that the high court is fully functional and has in fact quashed 68 detention orders since August 2019 while confirming 11 detention orders passed by the appropriate authority," it said, adding that the petitioner has failed to disclose the reason for not approaching the high court first. "It is submitted that entertaining one petition would open flood gates of petitions which in absence of any special ground to make a departure, needs to be avoided," it said. Seeking dismissal of the plea for "bypassing the effective alternative remedy" available under the PSA, the district magistrate said, "The detenue has chosen not to file a representation before the advisory board". Grounds of detention were supplied to Abdullah to enable him to make an effective representation as stipulated in law, it said, adding that the advisory board had on February 24 observed that there was sufficient cause for his detention. "It is submitted that the acts, which are easily available in public domain, on the part of the detenu squarely fell within the realm of public order, as it was calculated to disturb public peace and tranquility. It is needless to emphasise that the incitement of the public at large, pertains to public order," it said. It said the detention order is "not vague or without any material facts" and such order based on subjective satisfaction of detaining authority cannot be a matter of judicial review. "The deponent states and submits that invocation of jurisdiction of this court to issue high prerogative writ in the present case is unjustified and unwarranted in as much as the detention of the detenu was neither illegal nor unlawful as alleged in the petition," it said. Pilot has approached the apex court claiming that the detention order was "manifestly illegal" and there was no question of him being a "threat to the maintenance of public order". The lawyer for controversial developer John Woodman has confirmed she spoke with Premier Daniel Andrews and met with senior government ministers including Tim Pallas and Luke Donnellan several times to lobby them over planning issues. Megan Schutz on Monday gave evidence at the first day this year of corruption commission hearings into land deals at Casey Council. Megan Schutz leaves the IBAC hearings in Melbourne on Monday. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Under questioning by commissioner Robert Redlich, QC, Ms Schutz said she had met a handful of times with the Treasurer, Mr Pallas, at fundraisers and "boardroom lunches". And she said she had met with Mr Donnellan, the former roads minister with decision-making power over key development issues in Casey Councils areas, on a number of occasions. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurni Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra Mon, March 2, 2020 13:40 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067b67cb 1 Business culinary-business,food-business,Go-Food,Gojek,Medan,startup-accelerator,Kopi-Kenangan Free Digitarasa, a business accelerator program founded by Gojeks Go-Food, as well as celebrity chef Arnold Poernomo and CEO of local coffee chain Kopi Kenangan, Edward Tirtanata, have encouraged food and beverage entrepreneurs in Medan, North Sumatra, to step up their game. The program that is aimed at developing culinary startups nationwide, offers participants a boot camp, business matchmaking and a festival. Registration for the Digitarasa program is open on digitarasa.id from Feb. 24 to March 6. The organizers are set to select 15 start-ups on March 10, then hold a boot camp for them from March 16 to 18. By the end of the program, the selected start-ups are then slated to join a festival on July 2-3. On Thursday, the Digitarasa program came to Medan for an offline training session for local entrepreneurs. Gojek Group chief food officer Catherine Sutjahyo, Edward and Arnold were among the culinary business experts that attended and participated in the session. Rendy Ariestanto, a local culinary businessman specializing in vegan food, was among the participants at the Thursday event. He showcased his products to the culinary business experts. I want to develop my business, so I joined the Digitarasa program, Rendy told The Jakarta Post after presenting his products. The Medan session was the first offline meet-up convened by the Digitarasa program. Catherine said her team had recognized the challenges -- including in business management, marketing and capital -- faced by small and medium-sized enterprises after partnering with them over the past five years. With sustainable technology and innovation, weve become a bridge for [food enterprises] needs. Go-Food has transformed itself from a food-delivery service into an enabler, which fully supports SMEs in becoming competitive players in the culinary industry, she added. GoFood merchants were estimated to contribute Rp 18 trillion (US$1.29 billion) to the economy in 2018, according to a study by the University of Indonesia. As a professional chef and a restaurateur, Arnold, the CEO of Digitarasa, said he understood the difficulties that were faced by most food and beverage entrepreneurs in the country. Flavors in Indonesia are abundant as we are very diverse and culturally rich. [The richness in flavor] is a potential attribute that we can use against the foreign culinary players. Digitarasa plays the role of a mentor and an assistant, which we believe can help [our cuisine] compete at international levels, said Arnold. Meanwhile, Edward, whose Kopi Kenangan has received global investment, said he hoped he could transfer his knowledge into building the local coffee chains brand to the participants of the Digitarasa program. March 2 marks the death anniversary of Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru of the Sikhs. This year, devotees will observe his 376th death anniversary. He became guru at the age of 11 after the death of his father Guru Arjan Dev. Guru Hargobind is credited with developing a strong Sikh army. This brought him in direct conflict with the Mughals. It is believed that Guru Hargobind carried two swords at his succession ceremony. One sword symbolised his authority as temporal (miri) and other as spiritual (piri) head of the community. He was an adept swordsman, wrestler and rider as he had been imparted training in military warfare and martial arts. Born on June 19, 1595, he constructed the Akal Takht, the highest seat temporal seat of the Sikhs. Spiritual and temporal matters related to the Sikh community are resolved at Akal Takht. ALSO READ: Meet the Indian artist who is bringing back childhood memories of the Sikh community through his comics As a result of Guru Hargobinds attempt to build a strong Sikh army, Mughal emperor Jahangir jailed him in the fortress of Gwalior for 12 years. He was later set free. After the demise of Jahangir, Shah Jahan started persecuting the Sikh community. Guru Hargobind took on Shah Jahan, and his strong army defeated the Mughal armies four times. Shah Jahans defeat at the hands of Sikhs was a telling blow to the military might of the Mughals. Besides building an army, he established congregational prayers to promote Sikhism. He sent his followers to various places across India to spread the word of Guru Nanak, first Guru of Sikhs. According to hagiographies written by the orthodox Sikh tradition, Guru Hargobind survived several attempts at his life. Once his uncle tried to poison him, but he survived. He also escaped unhurt when a cobra was thrown at him. He breathed his last on March 2, 1644, at Kiratpur Sahib and was cremated on the banks of River Sutlej. Gurdwara Patalpuri Sahib now stands at his place of death. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Phuket police net 300kg of kratom from Malaysia PHUKET: Police acting on a tip-off arrested two men with 300kg of kratom leaves bundled into sacks in a pickup truck in Thalang early this morning (Mar 2). drugscrimepolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Monday 2 March 2020, 01:18PM The two men were caught with the 300kg of kratom in Thalang this morning (Mar 2). Photo: Phuket Provincial Police The two men were caught with the 300kg of kratom in Thalang this morning (Mar 2). Photo: Phuket Provincial Police The two men were caught with the 300kg of kratom in Thalang this morning (Mar 2). Photo: Phuket Provincial Police Capt Boonchok Malichot of the Phuket Provincial Police said officers were informed at 4am that a pickup truck will be bringing a delivery of kratom onto the island. Capt Boonchok and officers from the Thalang Police set up a checkpoint near Wat Phra Thong and at about 5am saw a grey Isuzu D-MAX pickup truck turn into Soi Wat Phra Thong, Capt Boonchok reported. The officers followed the pickup truck and found it parked near Wat Phra Thong, Capt Boonchok explained. The officers moved in and arrested the driver Ronnarong Yokrat, 31, and his passenger, Jarudach Theangthum, 24 , both from Songkhla, after the officers confirmed that the large white sacks in the back of the pickup and jammed into the back seat area of the cab were filled with kratom leaves, he added. The two men said that the kratom was brought into Thailand from Malaysia and delivered to Hat Yai, where they picked it up to bring to Phuket, Capt Boonchok said. Ronnarong and Jarudach were taken to Phuket Provincial Police Station and charged with possession of Category 5 drug with an intent to sell. The two men were then handed over to Thalang Police for further investigation, Capt Boonchok confirmed. An adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died after he was infected with the coronavirus, which has infected several other top Iranian officials as well. Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, died Monday in a Tehran hospital, according to Iran state radio. Irans vice president and deputy health minister have also been infected with the virus. At least 66 people have died from the virus in Iran, the most fatalities outside of China, where the coronavirus originated. Iran currently has an official total of 1,501 cases, over 500 of which were reported in the last 24 hours from Sunday to Monday. The official fatality rate stands at 5.5 percent, well above the roughly 2 percent death rate reported in China. About 291 people have recovered, according to Irans deputy health minister Alireza Raisi. Iran has so far refused U.S. offers of help to combat the virus, expressing suspicion that the U.S. is trying to break the spirits of Iranians over the epidemic. We neither count on such help nor are we ready to accept verbal help, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Monday. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern that Iranian government was attempting to cover up the scope of the toll the virus is taking on the population. The United States is deeply concerned by information indicating the Iranian regime may have suppressed vital details about the outbreak in that country, Pompeo said last week. The coronavirus has killed over 3,000 people worldwide and infected over 89,000. The U.S. currently has 91 cases of the deadly virus, including 26 confirmed or presumptive positive cases of person-to-person spread. New York City reported its first case on Sunday, and a second person died from the infection in Washington state. More from National Review A new Nokia 9.2 PureView concept design has surfaced online, and it looks great. This design comes from Ben Geskin, a well-known concept designer, amongst other things. Please do note that this is not a leak of the device, or anything of the sort. This design came from Mr. Geskins imagination, even though it is inspired by the Nokia 9 PureView. It seems like Nokia will skip the 9.1 PureView brand, for some reason. Such rumors have been popping up online for quite some time now. The Nokia 9 PureView was announced back in February last year, but its successor still did not arrive. Advertisement The Nokia 9 PureView was supposed to launch much sooner, but it got postponed several times. Well, the same thing happened with its successor, it seems. The latest information surfaced in January, and it claimed that the phone will arrive in Autumn 2020. This Nokia 9.2 PureView concept comes with extremely thin bezels, and an under-display camera Until then, well probably see quite a few leaks, and even concepts like the one shown here. The Nokia 9.2 PureView concept design that you can see in the image provided above, shows a phone with really thin bezels. The bottom bezel is the thickest, and its almost there. The device does not include a display camera hole, or notch, which makes us wonder where is its front-facing camera. Advertisement Well, the Nokia 9.2 PureView is rumored to include an under-display camera. We dont know how realistic it is to expect that, but it surely inspired this designer. Xiaomis exec recently said that under-display cameras are not yet ready for primetime. On the flip side, Vivos latest concept smartphone does include such a camera. Well see what will happen. All the physical keys are located on the right-hand side of this concept smartphone. The back side of the device reminds us of the Nokia 9 PureView. The phones back side is curved quite a bit, and it sure seems slippery. There is a round camera module included on the back, with four camera sensors There is a round camera module included on the back, and it hosts four cameras. That camera module protrudes on the back, and below it, youll notice an LED flash. Nokias logo is also placed on the back. Advertisement The designer did not release any spec info with this phone, which is not that odd considering this is just a concept phone. The real Nokia 9.2 PureView will probably be quite powerful, as that will become the companys new flagship. The device is expected to ship with the Snapdragon 865 64-bit octa-core processor. That is the most powerful processor Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. The phone will also include plenty of RAM, and ZEISS optics. Android 10 will come pre-installed on the device, while were also expecting that software to be quite clean, with no added bloatware. The Andhra Pradesh government has appointed retired former Union finance secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg, as advisor to chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, to help the cash-strapped state mobilise resources. The state government issued an order late on Sunday night. Garg has been given the rank of a cabinet minister in the state government and a tenure of two years. The order said Garg, in the capacity of advisor to CM (resource mobilisation) shall spend 15 days in a month on the assignment including 7-10 days at the state headquarters. Andhra Pradesh has a debt to GDP ratio of 31.6%, one of the highest among Indian states, junior finance minister in the Union government, Anurag Thakur, said in a written reply in Parliament on February 3. While the Jagan Reddy led government has blamed the previous government headed by the TDPs N Chandrababu Naidu for pushing the state into a debt trap by taking the borrowings to Rs 2.60 lakh crore, the fact is that it still needs money. Thus far this year, it has already borrowed Rs 40,000 crore. State finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy could not be reached for comment, as he is said to be busy with preparations for annual budget. He, however, said while commenting on the Union budget last month that the state was facing resource crunch, as devolution from the Centre had come down. The share of GST returns from the Centre had come down by about Rs 2,500 crore for the last fiscal. It had paid only Rs 3,979 crore towards revenue deficit compensation as against Rs 18,969 crore, he said. On Monday, the chief minister held an official review meeting on Mission Build programme, aimed at additional resource mobilization through monetisation of vacant government lands through National Building Construction Corporation. Jagan directed that the officials identify the government lands and sell them for funding development and welfare schemes. Gargs appointment comes against this backdrop. A 1983-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Garg took voluntary retirement from his service in October 2019, after he was shifted out of the Union finance ministry and transferred to the department of energy in July. At the time, there was speculation that he was being moved for suggesting the controversial idea of sovereign bonds. Garg is expected to be in charge of the revenue generation projects of all state government departments. Garg also pushed for a one-time transfer of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)s reserves to the government as part of the Bimal Jalan committee looking into the capital economic framework of the central bank. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former South Australian senator Nick Xenophon must sign up to the foreign influence register because of his legal work for Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee chairman Andrew Hastie has demanded. Mr Xenophon returned to his legal career advocating for Huawei, which the Australian government has banned from building the 5G and national broadband networks on security grounds. Former senator Nick Xenophon and former ABC foreign correspondent Mark Davis outside the Supreme Court in Sydney. Credit:James Alcock The former parliamentarian defied a similar call made by the junior government Senator James Paterson last year, claiming his law firm's work for Huawei does not constitute working for a foreign power. Mr Xenophon has vowed to go after Huawei's critics using Australian laws to contest what he says are "false and unsubstantiated" comments about the company's security credentials and claims that it has links to the Chinese state. An illustrative example of a policy area where a more cohesive approach is needed is income inequality, a concern virtually all Democrats share. Reading the coverage of the presidential primary, you could be forgiven for thinking my fellow Democrats have to choose between two stark alternatives: a wealth tax on one hand and supporting the status quo on the other. I believe there is more potential for common ground and intellectually honest give-and-take than the drama of the primary suggests. Finding this common ground, however, will require both sides to make concessions. For the partys more moderate factions, that starts with recognizing that the measures Democratic presidents have been able to achieve to address income inequality have fallen short. The gap between the wealthiest 0.1 percent of Americans and the other 99.9 percent is greater than ever. To close great and growing wealth and income gaps, and to raise badly needed revenue for public investment, its not enough to lift the bottom up; we need to ask more of those at the top, too. Moderate members of the Democratic Party must recognize the popular resonance of a wealth tax, even if, like me, they dont support it. Roughly 74 percent of American voters, including a majority of Republicans, support a 2 percent wealth tax on those worth more than $50 million. When I served in government, Americans were wary of taxing the very wealthy, but public opinion and the politics of taxation has changed. A wealth tax is on the table. But it shouldnt be the only option on the table. Just because the wealth tax is good politics doesnt necessarily make it good policy. A plan to bring the top down and reduce inequality must be constitutional and administrable. There are strong reasons to believe a wealth tax is neither. A wealth tax is likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court as a direct tax not apportioned among states, as the Constitution requires. And even if it survives a legal challenge, valuation is likely to prove prohibitively challenging, and taxing illiquid assets presents serious problems. Even those who strongly support a wealth tax must concede that other plans exist and that they ought to be part of the debate. Economists have put forward revenue-raising proposals that reduce inequality, such as raising corporate, capital gains and personal income tax rates; broadening the tax base; converting deductions to more limited credits; strengthening the estate tax (including by eliminating stepped-up basis, a tax code provision that allows heirs to minimize estate taxes); and imposing a financial transactions tax, as recently proposed by Mike Bloomberg and supported by many leading progressives. The Italian city of Venice has turned into a ghost town as coronavirus fears sweep the north of the country. Following a reported 50% increase in coronavirus cases on Sunday, the historic tourist destination has been deserted by residents and visitors alike. Waiters stand by an empty restaurant in St Mark's Square, Venice, which is usually full of tourists. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri) Eerie pictures of empty boats, canals and even St Marks Square this weekend revealed the level of fear in the city. Read more: What its like to run a town under coronavirus lockdown A man in a protective suit sanitises a water taxi in Venice. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri) A lone tourist in a protective mask on a water taxi. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri) The Venetian tourism industry is still reeling after severe flooding in November left much of the city under water, it is now facing a very different crisis. More than 1,600 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Italy higher than any other country outside Asia and 34 people have died. Read more: UK coronavirus patient works at cancer unit, NHS confirms The spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri) France has been warned to prepare for an outbreak similar to Italy as the virus spreads across Europe. The Louvre museum in Paris shut on Sunday after 300 staff voted almost unanimously not to open. Both France and Switzerland, which banned mass gatherings, have cautioned citizens not use la bise greeting people with a kiss for fear of spreading the virus. A man in a protective mask walks through St Mark's Square. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri) Twelve more people in England and one in Scotland have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of UK cases to 36 on Monday. Read more: Coronavirus could return every winter 'like the common cold' Three of the new cases in England were linked to a man from Surrey who was the first to be infected within the UK. Waiters at an empty restaurant in St Mark's Square. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri) It comes after health secretary Matt Hancock said the UK was still in the "containment" phase of the outbreak. Read more: What could a coronavirus worst-case scenario really look like in the UK? He said the government contingency plans, which will be published this week, included banning big events. One of many almost-empty canals in Venice. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri) Boris Johnson will chair his first emergency Cobra meeting on coronavirus on Monday morning. Public Health England has warned that Britain needs to be prepared for "more widespread transmission" of the coronavirus including cases that might be "quite challenging". Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK "I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair," sings Nellie, the female lead in the 1958 film version of the classic musical "South Pacific," as she showers her hair squeaky clean. Today, Lizzo has updated the theme with "Shampoo, press, get you out of my hair." There's a theme here, and it applies to more than just shedding a bad relationship. "Spring cleaning" your mind, body, even your home can be liberating -- a "fresh" start, so to speak. Science agrees. There's something about a deep clean and purge of dust, dirt and clutter that inspires a sense of rebirth, which must be why we traditionally tackle our clutter in the spring, as new buds bloom and newborn creatures scurry. And by starting anew in less cluttered space, we reduce our stress, improve our moods, and get more energy -- which in turn could give us the boost we need to eat healthy, exercise and get more sleep -- which in turn, could lengthen our lives. Do you 'KonMari'? Marie Kondo popularized the benefits of simplifying and organizing your home with her best-selling book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." Her method, which she calls "KonMari," suggests tackling your clutter by asking each item: "Do you bring joy to my life?" If the answer isn't "yes," it's time to toss. By clearing space we do more than just save time and money, according to professional organizer Regina Leeds, author of the 2008 New York Times bestseller, "One Year to an Organized Life." "We create in the physical world the pattern of how we think and experience the world," Leeds said. Or, put more succinctly, "Your crap and your clutter is what's going on inside of you." Boosts self-esteem Clearing out "our crap" raises our self-esteem and shifts energy, Leeds explained. We open ourselves up to change and are in a better position to reach our potential. Leeds knows as well as anyone the power of decluttering. She was seeing transformed clients decades before Americans began drinking the Kondo Kool-Aid and buzzing about "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo," the Japanese organizing consultant's Netflix series. Organizing was Leeds' "side hustle" starting in January 1988, what she did to get by while hoping to become a full-time actress. People at Los Angeles parties raised their eyebrows or looked confused when Leeds told them what she was doing. Today Leeds, who spent a year roaming LA with a feng shui master and views organizing as a spiritual activity, is known as the "Zen Organizer." Her company slogan: "Inner peace through outer order." Endorsed by psychologists One doesn't have to be a professional organizer, or be schooled in feng shui, to understand the value of decluttering. There's a psychological upside, according to PhDs. Michael Tompkins is a licensed psychologist and co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy. He's written two books on hoarding and, fun fact, has even appeared in several episodes of the show "Hoarders." And while hoarding is a whole different level of stuff, not to mention a disorder diagnosed as a mental illness, Tompkins can speak to why tidying up makes people feel so good. We live in "an acquiring culture," Tompkins said, "and perhaps there are some of us, myself included, that long for the serenity that can come with less stuff." Our moods can be boosted by "pleasant activities and mastery activities," he explained. Hanging out with friends, spending a day on the beach, watching a comedy: These are "pleasant activities" that naturally lift us up. The "mastery activities" Tompkins referred to, on the other hand, are tasks we take on that may not be as fun in the moment but elevate us with an enormous sense of accomplishment once we're done. It's what Ellen Delap, a certified professional organizer (there's a board for that), sees time and again. People she's helped are left with a new sense of hope. "Right away, people see change in their environment," said Delap, of Houston, Texas, the current president of the nearly 3,500-member National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. "They feel their space is lighter." The clutter continuum The tolerance for clutter varies from person to person, said Tompkins. A pile that makes one person's skin crawl can be completely overlooked by another. There's also a continuum when it comes to our propensity for acquiring and holding onto stuff, said Craig Sawchuk, a Mayo Clinic psychologist and co-chair of the Division of Integrated Behavioral Health. Putting people like Kondo aside, on one end, you have people who try to get rid of things with some regularity, during, say, spring cleaning. Next, Sawchuk said, you've got the collectors who accumulate a growing amount of certain items: clothes, mugs, snow globes from around the world. The pack rat might fill a storage space or overwhelm an attic. And the hoarder, on the extreme far end, sits in a functionally impaired and often unsafe living space. Most all of us, no matter where we are on the continuum, "have good intentions but don't know where to start," he said. The "flittering effect" might send us from room to room, taking on one mess only to dart off to try another -- so we don't see tangible results. The "bumping phenomenon" let's us push that decluttering off for another day, week, month or, gulp, year. That's why experts like Leeds, Delap, Kondo can be so helpful. They offer us roadmaps, Sawchuk said, strategies to inform problem solving and decision making -- what to keep, toss or donate -- as we face our clutter. They offer an approach "to help simplify your life and reduce that kind of visual distress," he said. "Once you get into the groove of decision making, it starts to feel good. ... All those reasons to retain things, those retention beliefs, they start to weaken and fade." We become more relaxed because our environment is clearer, he said. We process information differently because visually there's "less noise to your brain." And when we recycle items by donating them to people who need and will use them, that sort of altruism "psychologically can have a really, really good impact on us." Being our best selves To do right by yourself, don't set out to be perfect, experts say. You are not Marie Kondo and, newsflash, you never will be. Don't be too critical of yourself and, when taking on decluttering, don't surround yourself with anyone who will shame you or -- equally bad -- reprimand you for not keeping certain items. Create the right decluttering environment by surrounding yourself with good lighting, fun music, healthy snacks, plenty of water, a supportive friend or family member. Take breaks and allow yourself a stopping point, said Leeds, who can tell when clients are done because their eyes start to glaze over. Organizing is a skill, one we have to learn how to do correctly, she said. Furthermore, it's something that needs to be maintained. "You don't go to the dentist, find out you don't have cavities, and say, 'Thank God I don't have to go to the dentist again,' " or floss and brush anymore, Leeds said. By opening ourselves up to a decluttered life, we can be our best selves, the Zen Organizer said. "We can calm the inside by bringing order to the outer," Leeds said. "The average person lives in an environment that sabotages his or her best efforts at every turn," she continued. "You can accomplish more, quicker and with ease, if your environment literally nurtures and supports you." AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi during his partys 62nd Foundation Day Ceremony in Hyderabad on Sunday. MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi (left) and the party chiefs son Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi (centre) could also be seen. (STYLE) Hyderabad: All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party chief and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, has called the Delhi riots as "targeted structural violence." He termed the violence in northeast Delhi a genocide. Stating that the responsibility lies at the doorstep of the BJP government, he appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected areas. While addressing a public meeting on AIMIM's 62nd foundation day at party headquarters Darussalam on Sunday, he alleged that "this communal violence happened with full planning and preparation. An atmosphere of hatred was created. It cannot be called a communal riot but is a genocide" He said that I want to ask Prime Minister why he hasn't spoken a word on the Delhi violence that took place a few kilometres away from his official residence. More than 40 people lost their lives in the violence. Modi should speak up on this matter and visit the violence affected Shiv Vihar once as people who died in the violence are all Indians." He said "I want to tell the Prime Minister that this violence has happened because of the statements made by leaders of his party. This is a genocide. I thought that the Prime Minister got his lesson in 2002 in Gujarat but genocide occurred in 2020 in Delhi too. Referring to slogans raised by some youths in a metro station in Delhi, he asked Who are these people saying 'Goli maaro desh ke gaddaron ko' (Shoot the traitors)? Owaisi slammed the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, for saying that he would adopting the 2010 model NPR in Bihar. He pointed out that the NPR and NRC are in the realm of the union government and the state governments have no power or jurisdiction to meddle with the questionnaire prepared for the NPR and NRC and the states have to abide by the questionnaire. The mother of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder victim said on Monday the delay in the execution of the four convicts in the case was the failure of the system and government. Why is the court taking so much time to execute its own order to hang the convicts? Repeated postponing of the execution shows the failure of our system. Our entire system supports criminals, the mother was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The mother of the 23-year-old woman, who has been present in courts for all hearings in the case, said she will not be relieved until the men who raped and killed her daughter are hanged. Also read: Court stays execution of Delhi gangrape convicts as mercy plea pending The government has to answer to the court that why there was a delay in execution of the convicts, she added. Her comments came after a local court in Delhi stayed the execution of the convicts for the third time, hours before the four were scheduled to be hanged at Tihar Jail at 6am on Tuesday. Judge Dharmendra Rana ruled that a last-minute mercy petition filed by Pawan Gupta - the last of the four to file the plea - is still pending with Rashtrapati Bhavan. I am of the opinion that the death sentence cannot be executed pending the disposal of the mercy petition of the convict. It is hereby directed that the execution of death warrants against all the convicts scheduled for 03.03.2020 at 6 am if deferred till further orders, the judge said in his order. The court had first issued the death warrant against the four convicts on January 7, 2020, and scheduled their execution on January 22. The execution date was postponed twice, first to February 1 and then to March 3. Also read: Judge refuses to stop execution of 4 Delhi gangrape convicts, gets another plea The four convictsMukesh Singh (32), Pawan Kumar Gupta (25), Akshay Thakur (31) and Vinay Sharma (26)are on death row for the gang-rape and assault of her daughter inside a moving bus on December 16, 2012. The young woman died in a hospital in Singapore on December 29, 2012. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uzbekistan has suspended flights to and from Afghanistan and Iran to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus, the Uzbek foreign ministry said. The Uzbek Ministry of Transport informed aviation authorities and companies of Afghanistan and Iran about temporary suspension of flights to these countries since March 1. Uzbekistan Airways has also halted flights to Italy, Japan and South Korea since March 1 since March 1. Uzbek authorities pledged to restore flights upon improvement of the coronavirus situation in those countries. Uzbek citizens are recommended to refrain from travel to coronavirus affected countries until improvement of the situation, AKIpress reported. [March 02, 2020] AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings to Members of SFM Companies AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" to SFM Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, SFM Safe Insurance Company and SFM Select Insurance Company, collectively known as SFM Companies (SFM). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. All companies are domiciled in Minneapolis, MN. The ratings reflect SFM's balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. SFM's risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), is categorized as strongest, and AM Best expects it to remain at a similar level in future years. The balance sheet strength assessment also considers the company's low reinsurance dependence, improving liquidity and elevated underwriting leverage ratios. SFM has generated an adequate level of operating performance, predominantly supported by moderate underwriting gains and a consistent stream of investment income. SFM's limited business profile is due to the group being monoline workers' compensation insurers with modest geographic concentration. While the group is licensed and operating in 30 states, it does business primarily in five core states: Minnesota, where it is the market-share leader, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. This leaves SFM susceptible to potential legislative, regulatory or judicial changes in the workes' compensation market. Risk-management capabilities are considered appropriate for the risk profile of the group. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2020 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005541/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are set to marry on 29th May in a private ceremony at The Chapel Royal in St James's Palace. But in an unconventional twist, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed to the Daily Mail that Edoardo (or 'Edo' to his friends) has nominated his 3-year-old son to be best man. Getty Images Mozzi was previously in a relationship with American architect Dara Huang. The couple have a son, Christopher Woolf, also known as 'Wolfie', who was born in 2016. Mozzi appears to be on good terms with his ex, who issued a statement last year following Beatrice's engagement: "I wish the best for Edo and Beatrice and look forward to uniting our families." Royal Family members often ask one of their siblings to take on the best man role. PA Prince Harry and Prince William were each other's best men, while Princess Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank asked his younger brother Thomas to do the honours at the couple's wedding in 2018. Beatrice will inherit an Italian 'Contessa' title after she marries - Edoardo's father is Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi. Ellie Goulding attends Beatrice and Edoardo's engagement party / SplashNews.com NEW YORK, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Tupperware Brands Corporation (Tupperware or the Company) (NYSE: TUP). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980. The investigation concerns whether Tupperware and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here for information about joining the class action] On February 24, 2020, post-market, Tupperware issued a press release announcing that the Company will be unable to timely file its annual report for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2019. Tupperware also announced that it expects 2019 net earnings per share (EPS) in the range of breakeven to $0.34 versus $3.11 in the prior year[,] and adjusted EPS of $1.35 to $1.70. Tupperware stated that its financial results were affected by financial reporting issues concerning the Companys Fuller Mexico beauty brand and that the Company is conducting an investigation primarily into the accounting for accounts payable and accrued liabilities at Fuller Mexico. Additionally, Tupperware announced that it is forecasting a need for relief concerning its existing leverage ratio covenant in its $650 million Credit Agreement dated March 29, 2019 [], to avoid a potential acceleration of the debt, which could have a material adverse impact on the Company. On this news, Tupperwares stock price fell sharply during intraday trading on February 25, 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. The brokerage cut its fiscal 2020-21 real GDP growth estimate marginally to 5.6% as against the previous estimate of 5.7%, but added that there will be a recovery in the next financial year. Mumbai: The coronavirus epidemic can impact India's March quarter GDP growth by 0.20 percent as imports from China for crucial sectors have got affected, a foreign brokerage said on Monday. The country's economic growth is already sagging and is set to slide to a decadal low of 5 percent in 2019-20 as per official estimates. Data for the December 2019 quarter released last week said growth had slid to a seven-year low of 4.7 percent. Two cases tested positive for the coronavirus infection in India on Monday, after the initial set of three cases in Kerala were successfully treated. In a report, UBS Securities said sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals and automobiles can see supply disruptions in value chain, which may lead to a derailment of the domestic economic growth. "While the situation is still evolving and the scale of economic impact is highly uncertain at this point, we think an adverse impact of 0.20 percent could be felt in India's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the March 20 quarter," it said. The brokerage also cut its fiscal 2020-21 real GDP growth estimate marginally to 5.6 percent as against the previous estimate of 5.7 percent, but added that there will be a recovery in the next financial year. A favourable base effect due to FY20's low growth, improved monetary transmission and support from government spending will aid the growth momentum in the next fiscal, it said. It warned that a delay in strengthening the balance sheet of the financial sector (banks and non-banking financial sectors) and weak credit impulse could continue to be a "drag" on the growth. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to cut rates by 0.25 percentage points in the next fiscal and policymakers may continue to rely on "creative measures" like the liquidity moves in the last policy review to boost the growth, it said. Photo: ISTOCK While Canada has not executed a person convicted of murder since 1962, discussions about the death penalty have never gone away. Unfortunately, serious attempts to gauge public opinion about capital punishment in Canada have often been met with opportunism from headline grabbers masquerading as sociologists. Asking Canadians about the death penalty in the middle of Paul Bernardos 1995 trial, for instance, will yield an emotional response that is not rooted in logic. This is a delicate topic that must be met with nuance, not pretentiousness. Earlier this month, Research Co. asked Canadians and Americans about their feelings on capital punishment, as well as the proper sentence for a person who has been convicted of murder. There are certain themes where the two countries agree, but the motivations that place people on either side of this debate can differ. Some Canadians are not particularly thrilled with the concept of execution. More than one in four (27%) call the practice never appropriate, while 13% refer to it as always appropriate. This is a big contrast with the United States, where only 18% of Americans find the death penalty never appropriate and 16% deem it always appropriate. When Canadians are asked about reinstating capital punishment for murder which was eliminated in July 1976 just over half (51%) support this idea, while 37% are opposed. Men (55%), Canadians aged 55 and over (56%), Albertans (55%) and British Columbians (54%) are more likely to favour the return of the death penalty. In addition, those who voted for the Conservative Party of Canada in last years federal election are significantly more likely to welcome this notion (68%) than those who voted for the Liberal Party of Canada (52%) or the New Democratic Party (37%). In the United States, almost three in five Americans (59%) support the possibility of prosecutors relying on the death penalty for murder cases, while just over one in four (27%) are opposed. South of the border, we do not see wild shifts among age groups. Most self-described Republicans (76%) are in favour of keeping capital punishment in the books, along with majorities of independents (56%) and Democrats (51%). An analysis of the reasons cited by supporters of the death penalty on both sides of the 49th parallel shows at least three in five Canadians and Americans (60% and 68%, respectively) subscribing to an eye for an eye mentality. If a convicted murderer has taken a life, execution fits the crime. About half of supporters also believe that capital punishment serves as a deterrent for potential murderers (50% in Canada and 47% in the United States), and about two in five (41% in Canada and 42% in the United States) say it provides closure to the families of murder victims. The biggest difference is observed on the impression of the death penalty saving taxpayer money and the costs associated with having murderers in prison. While only 43% of American supporters of capital punishment feel this way, the proportion climbs to 57% among their Canadian counterparts. Conversely, sizable proportions of opponents of the death penalty (73% in Canada and 65% in the United States) cast doubt on the efficacy of the justice system, saying that a person may be wrongly convicted and then executed. Canadian opponents of capital punishment are more likely to feel that it is wrong to take a murderers life (50%) than are their American counterparts (41%). A separate question that asks North American respondents about the best approach to punish a convicted murderer yielded dissimilar results. Americans are evenly split, with 42% choosing life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and 42% preferring the death penalty. As expected, most Republicans (56%) pick execution while most Democrats (53%) prefer life behind bars. When asked the same question, almost half of Canadians (47%) prefer life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, while 37% select capital punishment. Only two regions of the country grant majority support to life behind bars: Atlantic Canada (54%) and British Columbia (52%). When Canadians and Americans are asked about the death penalty, fewer than one in five believe it is always appropriate, and majorities appear to endorse it. However, Canadians are more likely to disdain execution and favour life imprisonment without parole as a punishment for convicted murderers. The motivations cited by supporters of the death penalty are remarkable. Many Canadians look at capital punishment as an exercise in government spending restraint. Americans, who currently have this policy at the federal level and in 29 states, are not as likely to believe that the death penalty saves taxpayer money. Mario Canseco is president of Research Co. Results are based on an online study conducted February 79 among 1,000 Canadian adults, and an online study conducted February 68 among 1,000 U.S. adults. Its make or break time for Democrats seeking the White House in 2020. Tuesday, March 3 is Super Tuesday, a time when residents in 14 states hold primaries or caucuses. There are roughly 1,357 delegates at stake, about a third of all delegates up for grabs. States holding primaries are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. American Samoa will also hold its primary. Poll closing times varies. The earliest will be Vermont and Virginia at 7 p.m. ET, the latest California at 11 p.m. ET. Alabamas polls close at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT). Driven by California and Texas, the Super Tuesday states account for about 40 percent of the U.S. population. California has 415 available delegates; Texas has 228. The term Super Tuesday dates back to at least 1976 when then-President Gerald Ford faced off against eventual winner Jimmy Carter. Like today, it referred to the windfall of delegates available on the day. Super Tuesday grew in importance after 1984 as Southern states looked to have a greater say in party nominees after Democrat Walter Mondale was crushed in the presidential race by Republican Ronald Reagan. Who are the leaders? Among Democrats, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders holds the delegate lead with 58. Hes followed by Joe Biden (50); Elizabeth Warren (8); and Amy Klobuchar (7). Tuesday will be the first time former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg will appear on the ballot. A candidate needs 1,991 delegates to secure the nomination. President Donald Trump is a clear-cut leader among the GOP. His only challenger is former two-term Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. Washington, DC: A second person had died in the US from the coronavirus amid fears the virus has been circulating undetected and has possibly infected scores of people over the past six weeks in Washington state. The man in his 70s was from a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus. The airport in Everett, Washington, located in the county where two of the seemingly related coronavirus cases emerged. Credit:AP In a statement, Public Health-Seattle & King County said the man died on Saturday. On Friday, health officials said a man in his 50s had died as a result of the coronavirus. Both men had underlying health conditions, and both were being treated at a hospital in Kirkland, Washington, east of Seattle. Washington state now has 12 confirmed cases. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted the christening ceremony of the U.S. Coast Guards ninth Legend-class national security cutter (NSC), the future USCGC Stone (WMSL-758), at its facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Feb. 29. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted the christening ceremony of the U.S. Coast Guards ninth Legend-class national security cutter (NSC), the future USCGC Stone (WMSL-758), at its facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Feb. 29. US National Security Cutter Stone (WMSL 758) (Picture source: Huntington Ingalls Industries) The ship honors Coast Guard officer Cmdr. Elmer Archie Fowler Stone, who made history in 1919 for being one of the two Coast Guard pilots to successfully make the first transatlantic flight in a Navy seaplane. Stones great niece, Laura Cavallo, officially christened the ship. Today we celebrate the time and talents our shipbuilders have invested in this incredible ship, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. The success of the National Security Cutter program is a direct reflection of our strong partnership with the Coast Guard and the dedication and capability of a team of Ingalls shipbuilders that continues to successfully deliver some of the most challenging manufacturing projects in the world. Event speakers on behalf of the Coast Guard include Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz and Vice Commandant Adm. Charles Ray. Over the last four years, we as a Coast Guard have interdicted 2 million pounds of illicit drugs, Schultz said. These modern cutters allow our nation to advance all of our national interests, and the success wouldnt be possible without the partnership that we find right here in Pascagoula with HII. I visited Stone before she was in the water last year, and I talked to some of the shipbuilders, Ray said. You could tell that they werent just building a ship, they were building a Coast Guard cutter. They were building a ship that was going to do the deeds our nation needed them to do. Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Steven Palazzo joined Ingalls to celebrate the ship christening. We are here with a company, Ingalls Shipbuilding, that believes in its more than 11,000 workers, invests in state-of-the-art safety methods and has a corporate philosophy that relies on its own workers to develop better productivity techniques, Wicker said. When we see the capabilities of our Coast Guard today, we are amazed and truly impressed that we stand on the shoulders of Elmer Stone. We are gleaming and beaming today and we are glad to honor the memory of this great American. National Security Cutters like Stone behind me have been game-changers in the Coast Guard in their fight against criminal organizations responsible for the smuggling of hard narcotics into America. Personally, I think Senator Wicker would agree with me that we need more National Security Cutters, not less, Palazzo said. The Legend-class NSC is the largest, most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guards fleet which enables it to meet the high demands required for maritime and homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defense missions. NSCs are 418 feet long with a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120. Locked Out of Canada YOLO, FOMO, and Semper Paratus on Swim Call in the Caribbean Story and Photos by Gillian Kendall A guest lecturer on a ship only dives once before requiring rescue from the US Coast Guard. "Swim call" on a Coast Guard ship signals a brief splash of liberty in an exotic aquatic setting few people on earth ever experience. But the 1MC announcement from the bridge came terse and flat, like a navigational briefing: "Water depth is two thousand feet. Air temperature eighty-eight degrees. Water temperature eighty-seven degrees." As an instructor on board the USCG Cutter Confidence, I was the only civilian and one of three women (inevitably referred to as "females") in a crew of some 80 men. I thought I was the oldest person aboard, probably the only Ph.D., and almost certainly the only Quaker. An employee of Vincennes University, not the Department of Defense, I felt like a participant-observer in some kind of cross-cultural, marine-based social study. But despite my outsider status, I was treated like an honored guest. I had the luxury of a private stateroom in officer country, three (or four!) meals a day from the kitchen that had just been named "galley of the year," and travel wherever the ship's mission took it. Before I left, a few friends asked me if I was nervous about what might happen. A terrorist attack? Shipwreck? Pirates? Wasn't I, they wondered, a little bit afraid? "Of course not!" I said smugly. "If something goes wrong at sea, who do you call? The Coast Guard!" I knew that if the mission became dangerous or circumstances unsuitable for a civilian, I'd be whisked out of harm's waymaybe, excitingly, by helicopter. In the meantime, with no emergencies happening, I had everything I needed to teach and live aboard a ship. What I didn't have, though, was the upper body strength to haul myself out of the water. One of the female officers, Jane, had confided that after her last swim call, she'd had trouble getting back on board. To leave the water, swimmers had to clamber up the hull on canvas rigginga like a giant, camouflaged spider web and Jane hadn't been quite strong enough. "One of the guys had to pull me up," she admitted. Several of the Coasties (Coast Guard sailors) were in the "1000-pound club," meaning that they could bench press/dead lift/squat a combined weight of 1000 pounds in one workout. So maybe they wouldn't mind helping haul my 175 pounds of professorial deadweight from the water. I was prepared to offer bribes of good coffee or grade inflation. Sharks in the Water? Before the actual swim call came, our cutter stopped, and one of the small motorboats was lowered off the side. It would lay offside about 100 yards away. Up on the bridge were the usual helmsman, officer of the day, watch, and lookouts, plus a special shark guard armed with an M-16. I was glad about the shark lookout, as I am shark-phobic. When I venture into saltwater I keep my swims brief and close to shore. I stay where there are surfers and where there are not seals. I stay closer to the beach than whoever I'm swimming with: that way, when the Great White comes looking for lunch, my buddy's legs will be closer than mine to its jaws. But in 2000-foot-deep water, some 15 miles from a Bahamian island, there was no beach to run to. And while I had confidence in the skills of the crew of CONFIDENCE, I wasn't sure that even the sharpest sniper could put down an attacking shark from forty feet above. When swim call was called, I gazed down at the beautiful depths of blue beneath me. It was opaque, smooth, Mediterranean blue, marked with edges of white froth along the bow wave and wake. Back to Being Boys at Swim Break The first swimmer leaped off the boat deckabout thirty feet above the waterlinewith a bellow. He bobbed up, and I recognized Alejandro, my most energetic and boisterous student. Laughing and wiping the water from his thick black mustache, he yelled encouragement to the others waiting to plunge. One by one they came off the deck, cannonballing, belly-flopping and somersaulting to freedom. These flying daredevils were hardly recognizable to me as the upright, well-trained Coasties who came to my classes and took care of the ship. The educational services officer, who had bushwhacked through the jungles of academic, financial, and governmental rules to make a path for on-board instruction, did a beautiful backwards double somersault, entering the water with barely a ripple. Aboard the vessel, these men were American exemplars of honor, respect, and devotion to duty (the official Coast Guard values). Those hardworking, early rising Coasties addressed me as "Ma'am," "Professor," or "Doc." If we met going opposite ways in the narrow passageway, they flattened themselves against a bulkhead and looked discreetly away while I sidled past. But in the water, they transformed into boys, laughing, cheering, and goofing around. Waiting to jump, they stood glistening on the deck in a cheerful throng. It was the first time I'd seen any of them not in their dark-blue uniforms; they were sporting non-uniform, rainbow-bright swim trunks, and their backs and legs showed nut-brown, or pale white or freckly red. With their skin and without rates and ranks, their personalities emerged toono longer bound by the ship's rules, in the water they were exuberant and exultant. I was suffering not only FOMO (fear of missing out) but actual missing out: watching the scene from above, dry and in my long pants and button-down shirt, I was dying to join in. The Daunting Climb Up the Side of a Ship As I watched, however, even some very fit crew members were struggling with the rope ladder. In addition to the dreaded camo-canvas rigging, the deckhands had let down a bright orange Jacob's ladder with rigid plastic steps suspended between two ropes. But even on that, some of the guys with excellent upper body definition, with football-player shoulders, were swaying and shimmying sideways as they grappled up. Often, they fell backwards and had to start over. Disappointed, I turned to my camera. As I bent over it, one of my students spoke to me. I had been surprised to see Eric there, because I knew he had just had the worst possible news, a death in his family. He would be leaving the next morning to fly home. I had been writing him a sympathy note when the swim call came, but there he was, his hair plastered down and his skin shining in the sun, asking if I were going in. When I answered that no, I wasn't going in because I knew I couldn't get out again, Eric shrugged, smiled, and said one word: "YOLO." The boy who had just lost a parent was reminding me: You Only Live Once. If he could be strong enough to try for some camaraderie despite his trauma, I could risk a little embarrassment. In my stateroom, I put on my suit. I'd packed only my oldest and ugliest swimsuit, too big and too ruffly and too pink. I pulled some blue running shorts on top, did not consult the mirror, and trotted back out on deck. Into the Bahamas Water Barefoot, I stood on the sharp, unpleasant "non-skid": an irregular, unearthly surface, like crumbled cement coated in lead. Designed to prevent slippage, non-skid is hell on the soles of boots, let alone bare feet. I wanted to get off it quickly, and I needed to jump in before I lost my nerve. I stepped up to the edge and then off it. As I dropped, I heard a fantastic Coast Guard cheer for me! I fell deep and far and free into that warm water, and it was pure blue ecstasy. When I zoomed back up, I lay back and kicked up a fountain of white spray. I side-stroked away from the ship, looking out at the unmarked expanses: if I faced east, water was all I could see. The water was as clear as air; it had just seemed opaque from above because it was 2000 feet deep. Patrick, wearing bright orange trunks, demonstrated its transparency by submerging himself straight down, windmilling his arms upward to stay down. Even when he was fifteen feet below, I could clearly see his toes. The water was crystalline, so my shark-phobia diminished. But still, plenty of bull sharks, tiger sharks, and hammerheads do live in Bahamian waters and do occasionally attack humans, especially the ones stupid enough to feed them or spearfish in their waters. We of course were not chumming, and there were no seals or seal-like surfers to attract them. Sharks, I reminded myself, do not roam the world's oceans searching for people to eat. The water was clean, very salty, and apparently free of predators. Someone threw the swimmers a star-spangled football, instigating an impossible challenge to throw the red-white-and-blue pigskin vertically up to the bridge. The spinning oval symbol of the USA sprayed water down on us, bouncing off the side of the ship and into the water, over and over. One of the women had tossed in her enormous inflatable raft, a round seat in the shape of a pony with rainbow mane and tail and a cheerful constant smile. This toy, meant to support a small child in a swimming pool, was being fought over by linebackers and lumberjacks. Three guys were balancing on the pony's back and a fourth was hanging on by the tail. Someone slung an orange lifesaver around the pony's head but too late to keep her from capsizing. Amid great shouting and last-ditch efforts at stabilization, the float turned belly-up, dunking the screaming men. The pony seemed ultimately unassailable, but I kept rooting for my shipmates. Amid splashing and laughing, cheers went up every few minutes. It was an hour of exultation caused not by any brewed intoxicants or smuggled contraband, but by freedom from rule and order; in joyous, wet anarchy, we bounced in the gentle swells, glowing with exertion and liberation for which no one had prepared and everyone was ready. While floating around thinking about freedom and sharks and fun, I drifted some distance from the ship. I was a little proud of myself until Patrick swam up to me and mentioned the current taking us out. Politely, he suggested we go in a little. Low key and smiling, he was exemplifying the Coast Guard motto: "Semper Paratus" literally "Always ready," and colloquially, "Be prepared." If I'd been in trouble, he would have saved me. Meekly, I put my head down and we swam in. Coast Guard Rescues Swimming Civilian Wanting another jump, I swam to the Jacob's ladder, put my arms up and clasped the rope above the bottom rung, which was at the waterline. Waves slapped the metal hull, I was bobbing up and down, and the boat was listing, first away from then back towards me, and rocking aft to stern. The collective motions made me dizzy and disoriented. From below, the ship seemed gargantuan, and I hadn't reckoned on the angle of approach: this ladder was not straight up and down but bowed, so that a person climbing it had to lean slightly backwards. Patrick and my student Alejandro bobbed up near me, offering help. "How about if we both hold it down for her?" Alejandro suggested, and the two of them hung off the canvas netting, giving me a few inches of clearance in which a more agile person could put hands and feet and work her way up. I did get my feet into the rigging, but after a few seconds I couldn't get any higher and my arms were giving out. I let go with what I hoped was a merry laugh, falling safe but embarrassed into the blue. When I came up, the XO called me, pointing to the motorboat and saying it would pick me up. I swam the few hundred yards to the boat, breast-stroking the last bit so I could make eye contact. There were three men on the small boat, none of whom I recognized. All three were in sunglasses and hats and one had a black bandana tied across his face. I knew that this was to protect him from wind and sun, but still, I was about to request assistance from someone who looked like a bank robber. Drawing close, I said, "I understand you're the US Coast Guard," and the masked guy seemed to smile, maybe, under his cover. When I got to the leeward side, the heaviest and oldest of the boat crew addressed me. "We're going to lift you in," he said. "He's going to take your left arm, I'll get this one. We'll do one, two, three. We'll dip you on three and then bring you on up to here." He patted the side of the boat. From my perspective, treading water several feet below the boat, it seemed an excellent plan, but I was concerned about the ergonomics for them. Leaning over the side of a boat, thighs braced against the edge, to lift a substantial and flailing person could not be good for their spinal cords. However, the only alternative was for me to swim to the Bahamas, so I kept my reservations to myself. The maneuver went exactly as planned: one, two, three, dip and heave, and then I was floundering on the side of the boat, surprised, breathing hard, and relieved. Embarrassed but not humiliated, I was wet and sunburnt, high on salty excitement. I felt grateful to the crew of Confidence and especially to the bright-faced seaman who had just lost someone he loved, for reminding me: You Only Live Once. I was glad I'd jumped in. Gillian Kendall is the author of Mr Ding's Chicken Feet, which the New York Times Review of Books considered one of the "notable" travel books of 2006. She also edited the anthology Something to Declare: Good Lesbian Travel Writing. Her work has appeared in The Sun, Glamour, Curve, Girlfriends, and many other magazines, and she's won a number of obscure awards. All photos by the author. Names have been changed in this article to protect military identities. Related Features: Karaoke at Sea on a Cargo Ship by Rebecca A. Hall Scars of the Wild by Stephen Markley Sanguine on the Water in Saguenay by Tim Leffel Too Cool for Normal in Illinois by Gillian Kendall See other USA travel stories from the archives The race for Clackamas County sheriff drew another entrant over the weekend, with Undersheriff Angela Brandenburg announcing she will run. Brandenburg, 50, of Molalla, has worked for the sheriffs office since 1992 when she was hired as a patrol deputy. Shes held a range of positions, and last year was hand-picked by Sheriff Craig Roberts to be his second-in-command. She joins two longtime sheriffs office employees, Sgt. Lynn Schoenfeld, 51, of Beavercreek, and Lt. Brian Jensen, 49, of Tualatin, in the race. Roberts has not announced his plans but has said privately he does not plan to seek re-election. At one point last year, he discussed his retirement with the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners and asked them to name Brandenburg his successor. Roberts salary is $178,378.20. 4 Candidates for Clackamas County sheriff Schoenfeld is ahead in terms of fundraising, according to campaign finance reports, which show he has received a $25,000 contribution from a Milwaukie businessman. Brandenburg, an Oregon Army National Guard veteran, has worked as a public information officer, a field training officer and a member of the tactical and search and rescue teams. Before her latest promotion, she was director of the Family Justice Center, a public and nonprofit partnership that works with victims of domestic and sexual violence and elder abuse. -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. [March 02, 2020] Siyata Mobile and CrisisGo Applaud New Jersey's Recently Signed "Alyssa Law" MONTREAL, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Siyata Mobile Inc. (the "Company" or "Siyata") (TSX-V:SIM / OTCQX:SYATF) comments on the recently signed Alyssa Law by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. A764, also known as Alyssas Law," requires all New Jersey public schools to install silent panic alarms that will alert law enforcement during emergencies such as an active shooter, or to employ an alternative emergency mechanism approved by the Department of Education. Alyssas Law will become a state requirement for all public elementary and secondary schools. The law is in memory of Alyssa Alhadeff, a New Jersey native from Woodcliff Lake who was among the 17 people that were killed in the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last February. The trust our children have in us to protect them is a sacred bond that is worth every measure of effort, to whatever length is required. It has unfortunately, wavered these past few years as students increasingly feel unsafe at school. Fortifying our schools emergency response capabilities is a small endeavor compared to the value of our children, said Senator Ronald Rice. New Jersey will be propelled into the forefront of states which are harnessing the power of technology to protect our schools from the type of heart-wrenching tragedies weve seen far too many times in the news. But more than that, it will help fulfill our responsibility to the children that we hold so dear. Jason Depue, VP Sales of Siyata states, Empowering first responders with cutting edge technology, is a critical step in improving the safety of the public. The power of technology and mass communication through a broadband network allow legislation like the Alyssa Law to help protect the future of America. We applaud Governor Phil Murphy and the State of New Jersey for being a thought leader and taking the appropriate action to make a difference in our communities. The CrisisGo app combined with the Uniden UV350 keeps yellow school bus drivers connected to first responders, dispatch, and fleet managers through an instant unified mobile communication solution. The UV350 is the first dedicated in-vehicle phablet approved and FirstNet-ready, built for the specific needs of commercial drivers and first responders while integrating functionality critical to emergency first responders. CrisisGo allows bus drivers, teachers, school administrators and their security teams to rapidly alert key personnel of potential risks. Alerts can also be escalated to district administrators and first responders. CrisisGo also enables those in crisis to stay in constant contact by sharing timely and relevant information as the situation unfolds. Alysss Law is a critical step in protecting students in schools with effective use of technology and integrations. CrisisGo is committed to offering solutions that support this goal, said Jim Spicuzza, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of CrisisGo. Integrating the CrisisGo platform with the Uniden UV350 device allows us to extend that protection of students from classrooms to school buses, providing greater security and peace of mind. We are proud to partner with Siyata Mobile to offer solutions that enhance school safety and support Alyssas Law. To watch a video of the UV350 and CrisisGo in action click here. UV350 features include: Dedicate One Touch SOS Button LTE high speed data 5.5 widescreen LED display for easy monitoring Dedicated microphone and speaker for crystal-clear extra loud sound quality In-vehicle installation ensures device is always powered by the vehicles battery Extended cellular and GPS coverage with external antenna included Push-to-Talk Over Cellular (PoC) ensures instant communication at the push of a button About Siyata A TSX Venture Top 50 Company, Siyata Mobile Inc. is a leading global developer and provider of cellular communications systems for enterprise customers, specializing in connected vehicle products for professional fleets, marketed under the Uniden Cellular brand. Since developing the worlds first 3G connected vehicle device, Siyata has been a pioneer in the industry, launching the worlds first LTE all-in-one fleet communications device in 2017. Incorporating voice, push-to-talk over cellular, data, and fleet management solutions into a single device, the company aims to become the connected vehicle communications device of choice for commercial vehicles and fleets around the world. Siyata also offers rugged phones for industrial users and signal boosters for homes, buildings, and fleets with poor cell coverage. Siyatas customers include cellular operators, commercial vehicle technology distributors, and fleets of all sizes in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Visit www.siyatamobile.com and http://www.unidencellular.com/ to learn more. About CrisisGo CrisisGo is the premier safety and incident management platform that aligns communication across and within multiple agencies. First responders, safety and security teams, organizations and staff, and their communities trust the platform to rapidly respond to incidents, notify people based on roles in real-time, and facilitate recovery faster. CrisisGo is highly secure as demonstrated by being the only school safety app in the App Catalog for FirstNet. CrisisGos reliability is demonstrated as an AWS Advanced Technology Partner. CrisisGos OpenAPI enables easy integration with IoT devices and virtually all communication systems and channels, creating robust, comprehensive safety networks for virtually any organization. CrisisGos digital safety tools have been chosen by over 16,000 schools and organizations. To learn more, visit www.crisisgo.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of: SIYATA MOBILE INC. Marc Seelenfreund CEO Investor Relations: Arlen Hansen Kin Communications 1-866-684-6730 [email protected] Sales Department: Glenn Kennedy, VP Sales Siyata Mobile Inc. 416-892-1823 [email protected] CrisisGo Media Contact: Chris Buecksler, VP Marketing 314.833.5764 [email protected] Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The coronavius epidemic is getting more serious by the day. The total number of confirmed infections in Korea surpassed 1,000 on Feb. 26 and reached 3,700 just four days later. The 10,000-mark looms on the horizon as many more followers of the Shincheonju sect remain untested. Health officials contacted by telephone 200,000 out of 300,000 sect followers and 3,900 apparently admitted they had tell-tale symptoms. That means many more confirmed cases could be reported among them. The high rate of infection was demonstrated in one instance when a woman without a face mask who briefly rode the same elevator with a confirmed carrier ended up infected. There are probably many more carriers without symptoms scattered throughout the country, so the number of confirmed cases could soar to tens of thousands. In Daegu, 65 percent of 2,569 confirmed cases remain in self-quarantine at home due to a shortage of hospital beds. One 75-year-old carrier who had received a kidney transplant ended up dying at home. Fears are mounting over Daegu being subject to a Wuhan-style lockdown. There were 830 confirmed cases in Wuhan when the city was locked down on Jan. 23, and that soared to 7,830 on Jan. 30, 28,100 on Feb. 6 and to 63,900 on Feb. 14. One quarantine expert here said, "I'm afraid March is going to be a nightmare." There are increasing signs that Korea's medical resources are stretched to the limit. Suspected carriers in Daegu, who have grown tired of the long waiting lines, are traveling to Busan to get tested sooner. Medical staff are increasingly tired, with some nurses apparently quitting. There is no telling how much further conditions will deteriorate. The country must prepare for the worst-case scenario. If Mr. Duque wants to lessen the refugee problem, perhaps he should demand that the United States drop its economic sanctions and trade embargoes, which are worsening the lives of people living in Venezuela. He should also stop the promotion of more draconian measures aimed at Venezuela, which would only cause more people to leave. Mr. Duque was right in his last sentence: The fate of the Western Hemisphere depends on the resolution of the crisis in Venezuela. Will the region be dominated by the United States? Or will the region be a set of countries standing up to the United States and following their own national interests, which is what earned Venezuela the wrath of the United States? I was humbled to walk in the symbolic and the literal shadows of heroes who 55 years ago made America more of a democracy than it had ever been by their blood and by their courage, and seeing those moral giants made me ask what we might achieve in the years now at hand how we might live up to the greatest moral traditions of political change in this country, Buttigieg said. "It made me wonder how the 2020s will be remembered when I am an old man. I firmly believe that in these years in our time, we can and we will make American life in politics more like what it could be not just more wise and more prosperous but more equitable and more just and more decent. Storyful Birds swarmed over a Texas parking lot on January 8, perching on the cars in a scene worthy of Alfred Hitchcock.The unnerving sight was captured by Kenna Mitchell outside the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco.The footage shows birds perched atop parked cars, while others circle above in the foggy evening sky.We went to Stonebriar Mall just after dusk and the entrance by the Cheesecake Factory was overrun with thousands of birds, she told Storyful.These grackles were perched on cars, in the trees, and swarms were everywhere you looked. Other people in the lot were just amazed at the sheer number of birds, Mitchell said.Very loud and very gross, but still quite a site to see! Definitely in need of a car wash now! she added. Credit: Kenna Mitchell via Storyful Opened in July 2016, MCW-Central Wisconsin was established by MCW to address the looming shortage and maldistribution of physicians and other healthcare professionals across the state. With regional campuses in Wausau and Green Bay, MCW aims to train and graduate physicians locally to ensure the very best care in the areas where it is most needed. "The expansion of this campus is a key milestone that demonstrates the power of collaboration," said John R. Raymond, Sr., M.D., president and chief executive officer of MCW. "This new space will enable us to develop future doctors for north central Wisconsin." MCW-Central Wisconsin purchased the space from Aspirus, Inc. Since its establishment in 2016, the campus was located within leased spaces at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. "MCW has been a valued partner for Aspirus and for our community, and we are excited that its new space remains part of the Aspirus medical campus in Wausau," said Matthew Heywood, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspirus. "We look forward to continuing to support MCW as it continues training the region's future physicians." Now located at 1900 Westwood Dr. across from Aspirus Wausau Hospital, the new campus is built with an open concept using glass and natural elements to inspire collaboration, clarity and energy among faculty, staff, students and community partners. "We are all really excited about our new space. It's been fun to watch our campus grow along with us, and our new building allows us to be much more collaborative than we could have been previously. It's a community-oriented space for a community-focused medical school," said first-year medical student Colton Brown. "I'm grateful for all the hard work put into our new building. Everything turned out great and we feel really supported as students." Studies show that physicians who attend medical school and perform their residency in the same area are up to 87 percent more likely to stay in the community, taking care of people they know and understand. This support is vital to improving the quality and quantity of care in central Wisconsin. Seventy-six students are currently enrolled at MCW-Central Wisconsin. SOURCE Medical College of Wisconsin Related Links http://www.mcw.edu Disgraced youth pastor Jacob Malone, 37, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a teen girl, has now been charged with attempted murder, criminal solicitation, attempted aggravated assault, and terroristic threats A former Pennsylvania youth pastor serving time for sexually assaulting a teenage girl has been charged with hatching a revenge murder-for-hire plot from behind bars targeting the church official who reported his crimes to the authorities and the judge who sentenced him. The Chester County District Attorney's office on Friday announced that 37-year-old Jacob Malone has been charged with attempted murder, criminal solicitation, attempted aggravated assault and terroristic threats. Malone was sentenced in 2017 to three-to-six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to counts of institutional sex assault, corruption of minors and child endangerment for sexually assaulting and impregnating a 17-year-old girl who lived with his wife and their three children. According to the prosecution, in July 2019, Malone approached a fellow inmate at a minimum-security prison near Pittsburgh and offered him $5,000 to kill Harold Lee Wiggins, head pastor at Calvary Fellowship church in Downingtown. Malone allegedly handed the inmate, Angelo Tomeo, a map of the church and a detailed description of the Sunday church services, reported Daily Local News. Targets: Pennsylvania prosecutors say Malone hatched a revenge plot last year seeking to have his former boss, Calvary Fellowship head pastor Harold Wiggins (left), and Somerset County Common Pleas Judge Jacqueline Cody (right) killed Malone was working at Calvary Fellowship, a nondenominational church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, when he began assaulting a 17-year-old girl Malone allegedly held a grudge against Wiggins because the clergyman had been a key witness in the case against him. The former youth pastor allegedly offered additional money for the murder of Somerset County Common Pleas Judge Jacqueline Cody, who presided over Malone's case and rejected a shorter sentence because it was too lenient. Malone was arrested after church leadership learned of the teenager's pregnancy in 2016 Two months later, Malone allegedly approached his cellmate, Anthony Yerger, telling him he 'wanted to get revenge on the people involved in his case,' the district attorney's office said in a news release. Yerger, whom Malone also allegedly tried to draw into his plot, reportedly urged the jailed youth pastor to 'drop it,' and Malone purportedly agreed to 'put it behind him.' Instead of going along with the homicidal plan, both Tomeo and Yerger reported the matter to the authorities. A Calvary Fellowship spokesman told WPVI Pastor Wiggins has already forgiven Malone for allegedly trying to have him killed. Malone was arrested last Thursday and booked into the Phoenix state prison north of Philadelphia. Malone, a married father-of-three, had first met the victim in the sexual assault case years ago when she was 12 years old and attending a Mesa, Arizona, church where he worked as a pastor, authorities said. Malone, pictured above with his wife and their three children, was sentenced in 2017 to three to six years as part of a plea deal after Judge Cody rejected a more lenient sentence He contacted the girl in June 2014, when she was 17 years old, and invited her to come stay with him and his family in Minnesota. The following month, she made the move with the family to Exton, Pennsylvania, where Malone began working at the nondenominational church Calvary Fellowship. Malone even registered the teenage girl at a local high school and eventually became her guardian. The teenager told police Malone began sexually assaulting her in the fall of 2014, when she was 17. She said he gave her alcohol twice after she turned 18, and in one of the instances molested her after she became highly intoxicated. Leaders at Calvary Fellowship learned of the girl's pregnancy in November 2015. Malone admitted to impregnating the teenager and resigned that same month. The victim gave birth to her and Malone's daughter in 2016. The young woman, now in her early 20s, maintained that Malone took advantage of her 'mentally, physically, spiritually' while acting as her guardian. Malone allegedly offered one inmate $5,000 to kill Wiggins and told another he 'wanted to get revenge on the people involved in his case' When given a chance to speak at his sentencing in 2017, Malone admitted he gave the girl alcohol but said the sexual encounters were consensual. He apologized, saying his 'failures and weaknesses' had hurt her, her family, and his family. 'She admired me and trusted me, and I betrayed that,' he said of the victim. Cody, who had rejected an earlier plea deal that called for a two-year minimum jail term, called the case 'one of the times when the court system fails' and said even with the stiffer sentence in the new plea agreement, Malone would be getting off with a much lighter punishment that his crime merits. 'You have taken responsibility for a very, very serious series of crimes that have completely altered someones life,' the judge also told Malone. 'The things you have done are inexcusable.' The original charges against Malone included rape. His defense attorney Evan Kelly said in a statement that Malone 'has always been adamant' he did not rape the teenager but has admitted to other crimes. 'And for that he is embarrassed, ashamed and truly remorseful,' Kelly said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:05:41|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close A pedestrian wearing a face mask is seen in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 2, 2020. Two Indonesian nationals have been infected with COVID-19 in the country, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday, marking the first confirmed cases in Indonesia. (Photo by Zulkarnain/Xinhua) JAKARTA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Two Indonesian nationals have been infected with COVID-19 in the country, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday, marking the first confirmed cases in Indonesia. A 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter are treated in a hospital now, the Indonesia president told reporters. The cases were found after a report that a Japanese citizen who had traveled in Indonesia was tested positive in Malaysia, he said. Then the officials of the Indonesian heath ministry traced the Japanese contact history in Indonesia, said the president. The officials found that the Japanese had contacted the woman and her daughter in Indonesia, the president said, but did not elaborate further the address of the two persons. The team of the health ministry found the woman and her daughter who were sick and the result of tests showed they have been infected by the virus, said the president. The president said that Indonesia has been seriously undertaking efforts to counter the spread of the virus, including setting up thermal scanners in 135 gates. What to know in New Orleans this week (March 3): Women's Day workers march ... voting information to know ... coronavirus risk ... and more An unpublished report has criticised the role of a government department in the case of a former Christian Brother since convicted three times for sex offences against children who continued to work at a centre for young offenders. Edward Bryan, 67, was jailed for a third time last month after pleading guilty to the indecent assault of a teenage boy while he was a teacher at the North Monastery in Cork City almost four decades ago. It was his third conviction relating to his time as a teacher in the secondary school. However, between 1994 and 2010, he worked at what became Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre in Dublin a forerunner to the present day Oberstown facility. Initially a teacher, Bryan was promoted to deputy director and also served as chaplain at the facility, despite twice being suspended over concerns about his behaviour. However, an unpublished report, commissioned by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) and sparked by his initial 2013 conviction for offences while teaching in Cork, shows there were concerns while he was working in Finglas. It emerged that Bryan had been suspended twice in the early to mid-2000s, but on both occasions took legal actions against his employers to force his return to work firstly against the board of the centre, and secondly against the HSE after it had assumed authority over the facility. A summary of the independent review, written for the department and the IYJS by child welfare consultant Kieran McGrath, suggested the process became a legal quagmire which proved costly for the State and with Bryan ultimately resuming the role of child protection officer at the centre. That summary said: This person held a management position within the organisation and during a period of c 15 years concerns had been raised at various times. The catalogue of concerns culminated in the staff member being placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. The investigative process extended over a protracted period of time which resulted in the High Court ordering that the suspension be lifted. Some six years later the employer was informed of allegation [sic] relating to a period prior to taking up his present employment. The amount of time and energy devoted to the micro-management of this case by the Department [of Education] was unnecessary and unhelpful. By involving legal advice from the AGs office the process was slowed down which created delay and confusion. This was compounded by the numerous number of staff changes during the period. Where there is no clear-cut allegation, just a series of concerns, then the concept of grooming behaviour must be considered. The report summary outlined how the concerns could have been better dealt with, and said staff found it difficult to stand over their concerns due to Professional Accommodation Syndrome. The review found that no one person had a firm grip of the matter and this led to the confusion and delays, it said. The plethora of delays is a striking feature throughout the case. When contacted, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs said it was not in a position to provide a response at that time, but would address the issue today. The US-Taliban agreement, signed in Doha on February 29, is historic. It may just lead to peace in Afghanistan after 40 years of unremitting warfare, but that is a prospect that cannot be said to be in sight since nothing is yet known about the shape of the intra-Afghan talks that is expected to ensue from the Doha deal, also described as Americas race to the exit. The agreement also goes to show that yet another empire has gone down in Afghanistan, after the British and the Soviet. Why dont invaders succeed in Afghanistan is a fascinating question. The outlines of a possible answer may lie in the fact that the landlocked country, with its harsh terrain, does not have enough resources (though potential hydrocarbon reserves have been spoken of) to keep imperialists incentivised for long. That is why they have come for geopolitical compulsions and have cut and run once those lose their salience. In 1842, the British had been chased out militarily but retained enough influence for 67 years after that to have their foreign policy goals met. This they did by playing the right kind of politics. It is to be seen if America attempts something similar. The difference between the Soviet departure in 1989 and the American promise of departure now is that when Moscow departed Kabul, it was able to put in place a political compact leading to a short-lived governmental arrangement, no matter how shaky, under the jihadi groups which had fought it, though these people did not know how to rule and brought chaos to the country due to vicious internal warfare. On the other hand, the US under President Donald Trump is just upping and going. It is leaving the political groups in the country, which have enjoyed political power or privilege since 2001 (when the Taliban had been militarily ejected by the US forces backed by an Afghan military faction), to their own devices, merely urging them to engage in intra-Afghan talks, with the Taliban holding the whip hand. It is anyones guess where this may lead. It may be in Americas interest, and that of its allies, including principal regional ally India, to continue supporting the people of Afghanistan and their government with badly needed aid. This may help moderate the Taliban, who may now be expected to call the shots and dominate other political trends. Perhaps this will help keep Afghanistan on its version of the democratic track. India can have a role to play in this if in the changed context it is able to persuade all Afghans, including the Taliban, that its friendship is for the people of Afghanistan and not any particular political dispensation. Only such an outlook on Indias part can keep Afghanistan out of Pakistans pernicious grip even when the Taliban are in command. New Delhi could have chosen to engage the Taliban earlier and was short-sighted not to do so. It labored under the pre-conceived notion of the Taliban being terrorists principally because it had been harboured by Pakistan. A stiff dose of realism is now called for. Pete Buttigieg ended his campaign for President Sunday night, concluding the White House bid that vaulted the once-unknown mayor from South Bend, Indiana, to a top presidential contender. Buttigieg officially made the announcement during a hastily planned event on Sunday in South Bend, where the former mayor said 'today is a moment of truth... the truth is the path has narrowed to a close, for our candidacy, if not for our cause.' 'So we must recognize that at this point in the race the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together,' Buttigieg said. 'So tonight, I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency.' Buttigieg added: 'We have a responsibility to concede the effect of remaining in this race any further. Our goal has always been to help unify Americans to defeat Donald Trump and to win the era for our values.' Buttigieg's run was historic. He is the first openly gay man to launch a competitive campaign for president, and he broke barriers by becoming the first gay candidate to earn primary delegates for a major party's presidential nomination. After initial success in Iowa and New Hampshire, Buttigieg's campaign struggled to win over voters of color, a key base to the Democratic Party, which hurt his performance in Nevada and South Carolina, two states where Buttigieg finished significantly behind the race's frontrunners. Buttigieg was scheduled to fly from Selma, Alabama, to Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, but during the flight he informed reporters that he would be flying back to his hometown of South Bend to make an announcement on the future of his campaign. That announcement, aides said, is that he is ending his run. Buttigieg made the decision on Sunday, aides said, after he struggled to compete in South Carolina's primary and had little path toward success on Super Tuesday. 'He believes this is the right thing to do right now for our country and the country to heal this divided nation and defeat President Trump,' the aide said. The aide added: 'He decided that now was the time and, I think that is exactly why he is getting out. He believes this is the right thing to do.' Buttigieg did not endorse one of his former competitors on Sunday night, and instead used the moment to laud all of his competitors for 'demonstrating what public service can be.' Former Vice President Joe Biden and Buttigieg have yet to connect but the two have traded voicemails today, a Biden aide tells CNN. A separate source familiar with the matter told CNN that there has been staff-level communication between the Buttigieg and Biden campaigns tonight, however. Buttigieg ended his campaign with little-to-no path toward the nomination, a fact he acknowledged on Sunday. 'He studied the math,' a top Democrat familiar with the Buttigieg campaign said. 'He knew there wasn't a path forward.' Buttigieg signaled throughout the final weeks of his campaign that he was aware the race was coming to a close. As Buttigieg warned supporters against nominating Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his 'inflexible, ideological revolution,' his campaign released a memo days later worrying that Sanders could enjoy a 'seemingly insurmountable delegate lead' after the Super Tuesday contests. In the end, Buttigieg didn't make it to Super Tuesday. Buttigieg's campaign, though, impressed a host of Democratic heavyweights, many of whom see the former mayor as a key figure in the future of the party. What comes next for the mayor remains unclear -- some top Democratic officials have speculated about a possible Cabinet position in a Democratic administration or another attempt at becoming the Democratic National Committee chairman, a job he ran for and lost in 2017. That future was front of mind to the supporters in the audience in South Bend who began chanting '2024! 2024! 2024!' after he ended his run. 'I know that as this campaign ends, there comes disappointment that we won't continue,' Buttigieg said, nodding to his future. 'But I hope that everyone who has been part of this in any way knows that he campaign that you have built and the community that you have created is only the beginning of the change that we are going to make together.' Results of the Iowa caucuses The former mayor's top advisers believed that a win in Iowa would propel Buttigieg to turn in strong performances in New Hampshire and Nevada. That success, they believed, would be followed by a fundraising boost, allowing them to nationalize the campaign by the time Super Tuesday rolled around in early March. That strategy, however, ran into several challenges. The results of the Iowa caucuses were repeatedly delayed due to mistakes by the state party, denying Buttigieg the ability to fully tout that he won more delegates out of the state than any other candidate. And one of Buttigieg's primary opponents, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, delivered a strong debate performance before the New Hampshire primary and turned in a surprising third place finish in the state, possibly siphoning votes from the former mayor. Adding to Buttigieg's challenges was the presence of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the hundreds of millions the billionaire was spending. Bloomberg provided voters yet another alternative to consider, thwarting Buttigieg's attempt to coalesce moderate Democrats. Buttigieg entered the 2020 race as a relative unknown, launching his exploratory committee from a windowless conference room in Washington, DC. 'The case here is simple,' Buttigieg said at the time. 'It is time for a new generation of leadership in our country.' For months, the candidate toiled in obscurity, one of nearly two-dozen Democrats running for the chance to take on President Donald Trump. But Buttigieg got his break when a CNN town hall in Austin, Texas, last March introduced Democratic voters to the young mayor, leading to a steady climb in polls and a significant boost to his fundraising. 'It reminded me of early Obama and the shooting-fish-in-a-barrel phenomenon,' Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, Buttigieg's first congressional endorser, said at the time. 'Everyone I called (to ask for money) said yes.' Early momentum Buttigieg officially launched his campaign in April with an event that used his hometown -- South Bend -- as a character in his presidential pitch. His campaign picked the hollowed interior of the once bustling Studebaker plant as the site of his launch, a visual symbol of the struggles his city has faced. 'There's a long way for us to go. Life here is far from perfect. But we've changed our trajectory and shown a path forward for communities like ours. And that's why I'm here today,' Buttigieg said as rain audibly beat down on the steel roof above him and as the lectern in front of him visibly took on water. Buttigieg raised more than $80 million during his 2020 run, including an impressive $25 million haul in the second quarter of 2019 that allowed the former mayor to invest heavily in Iowa, a state where he and his top aides believed his Midwestern roots, veteran status and focus on faith could build a broad coalition of support across the state. But Buttigieg's fundraising success was not everlasting. The campaign entered February with just $6.6 million in the bank and they struggled to hit their goal of raising $13 million in the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday. Part of the problem was a decline of small dollar donors. The percentage of Buttigieg's fundraising from small dollar donors -- over time -- has fallen from 65% in early 2019 to just 29% in January, according to his financial filings. Lack of support from black community Some of Buttigieg's early momentum was also stalled by persistent questions about his appeal to communities of color, an issue that was highlighted in June, when black South Bend resident Eric Logan was shot and killed by a police officer. The subsequent protests forced Buttigieg off the campaign trail for nearly a week, including skipping a key campaign event in South Carolina. 'Maybe the level of attention on this will help us do some good,' a visibly emotional Buttigieg told reporters after a particularly contentious June town hall in South Bend over the police shooting. 'Because everybody has got to be a part of it. There is just no running away from it, not for me.' Although Buttigieg often pushed back against progressive criticism by noting, should he win, he'd be the most progressive president in a generation, he offered voters a more moderate approach than Sanders. This was clearest on health care, where Buttigieg often touted his 'Medicare for all who want it' plan, a more scaled back version that would provide a public option, but allow people to keep their private health insurance if they chose. As the race dragged on, though, Buttigieg's central argument became that the Democratic Party should look to their past success and nominate a younger candidate from outside Washington, DC. 'When it comes to electability, every single time my party has won the presidency in the last 50 years, it's been with a candidate who was new on the national scene, hadn't spent a lot of time in Washington, and represented a new generation of leadership,' Buttigieg often said. The line morphed into a direct attack on former Vice President Joe Biden, who Buttigieg criticized repeatedly as a backward-looking candidate. He touted what Biden was able to accomplish during the Obama administration, but at a debate in New Hampshire added, 'those achievements were phenomenally important because they met the moment, but now we have to meet this moment, and this moment is different.' 'I hear Vice President Biden saying that this is no time to take a risk on someone new,' Buttigieg said in Decorah, Iowa, days before the Iowa caucuses. 'But history has shown us that the biggest risk we could take with a very important election coming up is to look to the same Washington playbook and recycle the same arguments -- and expect that to work against a president like Donald Trump.' Buttigieg also ran hard against Sanders at the end of his campaign, raising questions about the self-identified Democratic socialist and the impact that nominating a 'divisive' candidate could do to down ballot races. 'If you want to keep the House in Democratic hands, you might want to check with the people who actually turned the house blue,' Buttigieg said at the South Carolina debate in February. 'Forty Democrats... They are running away from your platform as fast as they possibly can. I want to send those Democrats back to the United States House.' And he attempted to warn Democrats after Sanders' victory in New Hampshire that the Vermont senator could be the prohibitive favorite after Super Tuesday. 'We've got to wake up as a party,' Buttigieg said during a January debate in Las Vegas. 'We could wake up two weeks from today, the day after Super Tuesday, and the only candidates left standing will be Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg, the two most polarizing figures on this stage.' It was that intense focus on Sanders that hinted at Buttigieg's inner thinking: Without taking down the race's frontrunner, Buttigieg's run would effectively end once the Vermont senator began to amass enough delegates to make it impossible for others to catch him. Buttigieg made it clear to aides for weeks that he was not willing to run just for the sake of running. A senior Buttigieg aide told CNN in January -- before voting even began in Iowa -- that the mayor was not interested in sticking with a campaign that had no chance of winning. 'He is not in the business of diddling around,' the senior aide said in January. 'We are going big and we have got a lane to win. If that doesn't work out, there is no point in running.' This story is being updated. Haiti - News : Zapping... COVID-19 epidemic : Global report March 2, 2020 Monday March 2, 2020, the number of people infected worldwide with the Coronavirus COVID-19 (laboratory confirmed cases, official source) amounted to 89,197, up 2,211 cases (+39.9%) compared to the previous day (1,580), https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30158-haiti-news-zapping.html ; 3,048 deaths (+ 1.9%) or 69 more than the day before (2,979). Average mortality rate 3.4%. 45,146 people healed, 2,774 more than the day before. Note that the cure rate is higher than the number of new confirmed cases. To date, there are 9,171 cases of confirmed infected people outside China (+ 28.1%), a good 2.011 more than the previous day, for a total of 67 countries (+4 countries compared to the previous day). Note that South Korea and Italy alone account for 6,029 cases (65.7% of all cases outside China) 128 deaths outside of China have been reported to date since the start of the epidemic (December 2019), i.e. 28 more than the previous day: 54 in Iran, 26 in South Korea, 1 in Taiwan, 1 in the Philippines, 2 in Hong Kong, 6 in Japan, 2 in France and 34 in Italy. 1 Australia. 1 Thailand, 2 USA (86 confirmed cases). A first case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Dominican Republic See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30165-haiti-flash-first-case-of-covid-19-in-the-dominican-republic.html Low representation of women in science The final report of the national SAGA project of the Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies of Haiti (ISTEAH) in collaboration with UNESCO-Haiti which has just been published reveals that in Haiti, the presence of women in science and technology is only 33.5% compared to 66.5% for men. Uruguay : Wishes of Jovenel Moise "On behalf of the Republic of Haiti and on my own, I congratulate the new President of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Pou. I wish him success in the heavy responsibilities he assumes, as Head of State, from March 1, 2020," President Jovenel Moise Reintegration of women prisoners Certificates and materials (Kits) for screen printing were given to 6 former inmates following training sessions on screen printing as part of the Preparation and Support Project for the Reintegration of Women and Minors detained in the civil prison of Cabaret women implemented by Kri Fanm Ayiti (KRIFA) in partnership with Avocats Sans Frontieres Canada (CBSA) thanks to the support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Congratulations to Qatar "I wish to congratulate the State of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad for all his efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan. Good leadership of Mubarak Bin Abdullah Al-thani and Secretary Pompeo for achieving this great peace plan. Now Talibans must leave the past behind to join forces to rebuild a new peaceful country," Chancellor Bocchit Edmond. Farm visits in Spain The Ambassador of Haiti to the Kingdom of Spain, Claude Joseph visited agricultural farms in the Murcia region to inquire about the advantages and disadvantages of greenhouse farming, an agricultural technique widely used in certain autonomous communities from Spain. HL/ HaitiLibre WASHINGTON Three Upstate New York congressmen unveiled a bill today that would open the door for states, cities, towns and homeowners to sue the U.S.-Canada commission that regulates Lake Ontario water levels. The International Joint Commission has the same immunity from lawsuits as foreign governments under a 1948 executive order signed by President Harry Truman. A bill authored by Reps. John Katko, R-Camillus; Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica; and Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, would remove the IJCs immunity and allow communities to sue the commission over flood damage. New York state filed lawsuits against the IJC in October and November, alleging the commission failed to follow its own protocol for operating the Moses-Saunders Power Dam on the St. Lawrence River. The dam controls the flow of water from Lake Ontario to the river. The lawsuits claim the IJCs failure led to extensive flooding and damage along the Lake Ontarios southern shoreline in New York in 2017 and 2019. The congressmen said their IJC Accountability Act would allow New Yorks legal challenge to move forward. It also would open the door for communities and flood victims to file their own lawsuits. Katko said the legislation will help pressure the commission to be more responsive to shoreline communities and help prevent flooding again this year. High water levels along Lake Ontario have devastated homes, businesses, and infrastructure in our region and were not seeing an adequate response from the IJC, Katko said. Brindisi said the legal threat would hold the IJC accountable for their carelessness, futility and inaction. A spokesman for the International Joint Commission said today the 1948 executive order serves a good purpose, taking politics and the courts out of the process of managing water levels. Its a very difficult and delicate balancing act setting the Lake Ontario outflows, said IJC spokesman Frank Bevacqua. The domestic political process or the courts are not necessarily well positioned to manage an international water boundary. By opening the process to lawsuits, upstream and downstream communities and businesses in the United States and Canada could flood the courts with competing legal challenges over Lake Ontario water levels, Bevacqua said. New Yorks lawsuit blames the 2017 and 2019 flooding on a new IJC policy for regulating water levels that the commission began enforcing in 2017. The commission and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blamed the flooding on record rainfall in 2017 and 2019, when all five Great Lakes exceeded record high water levels. The Army Corps of Engineers said last month that flooding along Great Lakes shorelines could be even worse this year. Read more High water levels on Lake Ontario delay opening of St. Lawrence Seaway Feds to Great Lakes shoreline residents: Brace for more flooding this year Water is flowing out of Lake Ontario at record pace. So is the water flowing in Lake Ontario water level remains high, residents worry about more spring floods Is climate change to blame for Lake Ontarios alarming water levels? Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. A drive-through COVID-19 screening site in Yorba Linda, California. Photo: MediaNews Group via Getty Images Were committed to keeping our readers informed. Weve removed our paywall from essential coronavirus news stories. Become a subscriber to support our journalists. Subscribe now. In February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the United States should brace for a domestic coronavirus outbreak. Just one month later, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and President Trump announced a national state of emergency. Over the past nine months, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has risen dramatically, with more than 71.1 million across the globe. But the U.S. has suffered the largest outbreak in the world. As of December 13, more than 16.2 million people across every state; Washington, D.C.; and four territories have tested positive for the disease, and nearly 300,000 people with the virus have died. It is hard to overstate the severity of the national trajectory: Across the U.S., coronavirus cases are surging to terrifying, unprecedented levels, with nearly every state suffering what one trusted tracker has characterized as uncontrolled spread. The U.S. recorded over 4 million new cases in November, more than double Octobers record of 1.9 million. Per the New York Times, there are almost no hopeful signs in the data, although the approval of a vaccine does present a bright spot. Heres everything to know about the spread of the virus in the U.S. How many new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S.? As of December 13, there have been at least 16,262,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., and the death toll is now at least 298,649. Back in May, President Trump predicted that the U.S. would see anywhere from 75,000, 80,000, to 100,000 fatalities from the virus. Now, the U.S. has reported more deaths from COVID-19 than any other country, and is seeing the highest single-day increases of any country in the world. Though the U.S. accounts for 4 percent of the worlds population, it has had around 20 percent of the worlds coronavirus deaths by far the largest gap of any affluent country. Still, many public-health experts believe that the official numbers significantly underestimate the pandemics true toll. Though cases had been on a downward trajectory after the widespread lockdowns in March and April, the virus spread rapidly throughout the summer especially in regions of the country that were early to reopen, including the South and West. Now, the New York Times reports, the U.S. is averaging roughly six times as many new cases per day and thrice as many deaths. Over the past week, the country has reported an average of 208,097 new cases per day, a 28 percent increase from the average just two weeks earlier. Throughout late October and early November, the nation also broke new records for daily cases almost as soon as it set them: Just one day after the daily tally surpassed 90,000, on October 30, the country reported more than 99,000 new cases. On November 4, the country clocked over 100,000 new cases for the first time since the pandemic began. On November 10, the tally was 139,855. On November 13, more than 181,000 new cases were reported in a 24-hour timespan. As of November 29, more than 170,000 people were testing positive across the country on an average day. The numbers have continued to trend upward this month, with a record-breaking 3,000-plus deaths recording on December 9. One epidemiologist recently warned the Times: The worst is yet to come in the next week or two or three. Texas became the first state to surpass 1 million total cases on November 10, and now counts 1,473,706 total cases. Texas has had the nations largest outbreak for weeks, but has now been surpassed by California, which just became the first state to add more than 30,000 new cases in a single day, and counts 1,558,275 total. In comparison, New York, the early epicenter of the pandemic, has recorded a total of 770,804 cases. For weeks, the worst outbreaks have been occurring in rural areas within the Upper Midwest, the Great Plains, and the Mountain West, although the situation is dire across the country, and case counts have recently begun climbing in mid-sized and large cities. With numbers rising in almost every state across the board Hawaii continues to be an exception many officials are considering stay-at-home measures and other precautionary measures to mitigate the spread, which shows no sign of abating. Public-health experts expected a situation like this. On October 18, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told NBC that the next six to 12 weeks are going to be the darkest of the entire pandemic. Thanksgiving and the holiday season have been particularly concerning lately, as public-health experts say that small indoor gatherings are driving new COVID-19 outbreaks. You get one person whos asymptomatic and infected and then all of a sudden, four or five people in that gathering are infected, Fauci said during a recent livestreamed interview. To me, thats the exact scenario that youre going to see on Thanksgiving. On November 19, CDC officials gave the agencys first public briefing since August, advising the country against Thanksgiving travel, and gatherings outside their immediate households. Nonetheless, the Transportation Security Administration says it screened more airline passengers 1,070,967 of them the day before Thanksgiving than it has on any day since March. The week leading up to the holiday reportedly saw 6.8 million people filter through the nations airports. The travel, the congregate setting, not wearing masks the chances are that you will see a surge superimposed upon a surge, Fauci said of holiday gatherings. What were doing now is going to be reflected two, three weeks from now. Now, that prediction appears to be proving true. The largest COVID-19 outbreaks have been in nursing homes, correctional facilities, and meat-processing plants. Additionally, federal data shows that Black and Latino people in the U.S. have been three times as likely to contract the virus as white people and that they have been nearly twice as likely to die from it. While elderly and immunocompromised people accounted for a large share of COVID-19 infections at the start of the pandemic, in recent months, younger people have been testing positive more than any other age group, and many outbreaks have been linked to schools and universities that have resumed in-person classes. As of November, roughly 1.2 million children have tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported. How has the Trump administration responded to the pandemic? In March, President Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic, effectively freeing up to $50 billion in federal funds to help states and territories fight the spread of the virus. He also signed a $2 trillion stimulus plan, the largest in modern American history, which sent direct payments of around $1,200 to millions of Americans who earn less than $99,000, along with an additional $500 per child. Negotiations on a second, scaled-back aid proposal bill were ongoing until, in early October, the president ordered Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to put everything on hold until after the election. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act, which could take away health-insurance access from as many as 23 million Americans. President Trump has repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the current outbreaks and told his supporters at a rally in Ohio in September that the virus affects virtually nobody. He has previously, falsely, claimed that 99 percent of cases are totally harmless despite the fact that he told journalist Bob Woodward in early February that he knew the virus was airborne and more deadly than even your strenuous flus. On October 1, Trump announced that he and Melania had tested positive for the coronavirus. Although he reportedly worried he could be one of the diers, after being treated with several different drugs, Trump was back to holding large public events one week later, repeating his claim that the coronavirus is disappearing. (Meanwhile, infections within the presidents orbit still continue to climb.) What is Bidens coronavirus-response plan? Days after winning enough electoral votes to secure the presidency, President-elect Joe Biden announced his coronavirus task force, which was met with widespread praise namely because, unlike Trumps task force, Bidens includes an impressive slate of epidemiologists and infectious-disease experts. Whereas Trumps team was led by Vice-President Mike Pence, who fueled an HIV outbreak in Indiana while he was governor, Bidens will be led by Vivek Murthy, surgeon general under Obama. Additionally, the president-elect has pledged to reverse Trumps withdrawal from the World Health Organization, and spoken about his plans to enforce mask mandates and expand testing infrastructure. On December 4, Biden said he would ask the country to commit to wearing masks for 100 days. He has also said he wants to distribute 100 million vaccines in that time. But none of this will be simple. Biden has inherited a public-health crisis that is all but certain to get much, much worse before he is inaugurated. And, if Republicans maintain control of the Senate, hell likely meet resistance in implementing all of his plans. When will we get a coronavirus vaccine? Researchers worldwide have been working around the clock to develop a safe and effective vaccine and get it on the market as soon as possible, a process that can sometimes take up to a decade. On November 9, we received a much-needed bit of promising news: Pfizer, one of the four U.S. drug companies with a vaccine in late-stage trials, announced that its two-dose vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in an ongoing trial, according to an early analysis. Now, the company believes its product to be 95 percent effective. Shortly thereafter, Moderna announced that late-stage trials of its vaccine also showed a 95 percent efficacy rate. On December 11, the FDA authorized Pfizers vaccine for emergency use, and the first round of vaccinations for health-care workers at high risk of exposure to the virus will begin Monday, December 14. Modernas vaccine could be distributed starting December 21. However, as epidemiologists have long warned, distributing a vaccine to the public is logistically challenging, so its unlikely well have widespread distribution until early-to-mid-2021. Meaning, we wont be abandoning masks or social-distancing precautions anytime soon. The Pfizer vaccine, in particular, presents a shipping puzzle: It must be stored at negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit in special, deep-freeze suitcases, and those can only be opened two times a day for 180-second intervals, at best. Modernas option can be stored at temperatures between 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, other potential coronavirus treatments are undergoing clinical studies to determine their efficacy. On October 22, the Food and Drug Administration formally approved the countrys first treatment for COVID-19, the anti-viral drug remdesivir, which the FDA commissioner called an important scientific milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic. The FDA also recently issued emergency authorization to an antibody therapy called bamlanivimab. And on November 21, the FDA granted emergency authorization for the experimental antibody cocktail made by Regeneron, which Trump touted as a miracle cure, for treating COVID patients. What should I do to minimize my coronavirus risk? The two best ways to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus, according to public-health experts, is to wear a face mask and practice social distancing. (38 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, require residents to wear masks in public settings when social distancing is not possible.) Also, maybe consider lowering the decibel of your voice, as some research shows that speaking quietly instead of yelling which sends an abundance of respiratory droplets and aerosols out into the air can lower the rate of virus transmission. If you have symptoms associated with coronavirus particularly coughing, fever, respiratory issues call your doctor before showing up at their office: The virus is highly contagious and you want to limit the possibility of spreading it. If you are sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home and self-isolate, confining yourself to one room as much as possible and wearing a mask when you have to interact with others. Wash your hands frequently soap and water and at least 20 seconds of scrubbing and avoid touching shared household items, cleaning high touch surfaces (like your phone) regularly. Regardless of whether or not you have symptoms, though, keep your hands clean, and seriously, stop touching your face and just stay home. This post is being regularly updated with new developments. Join the worldwide Magnificat family by subscribing now: Your prayer life will never be the same! Alessandro Manzoni 1785-1873 The church is thronged, as it had been at the beloved man's funeral one year ago. Now the man's friend, his hair quite gray, stands on a dais before a vast orchestra and choir, and in quick and tremulous gestures he raises his arms and brings them down, rising and falling again and again, as the words thunder as if from heaven: Dies irae, dies illa, Solvet saeclum in favilla, Teste David cum Sybilla! The music rains down like that final fire that will dissolve the world. Yet the man is not angry. The choristers do not sing with fear. For one passionate hour they perform that sequence for the Mass for the Dead. It is only one part of the performance. There are the Kyrie and the Sanctus and the other prayers; the Agnus Dei, with a duet of sopranos soaring heavenward in appeal: Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem. The conductor is also the composer, Giuseppe Verdi, the greatest genius of opera the world has known. Verdi was a Catholic, and an Italian patriot. So was the man who lay in his coffin in San Marco, in honor of whom Verdi composed his stupendous work of sacred opera. His name was Alessandro Manzoni, the greatest Italian writer of the 19th century, a loyal son of the Church, and to this day a beloved teacher to the nation. What is enlightenment? It would not have been so, if mere human beings had had their way. As I write, I'm looking at a painting of the young Alessandro. He is tall, with a long face, a shock of black hair, and pensive, intelligent eyes. In the wrong place, at the wrong time, he could have done great harm to himself, to others, and to the Church. And he was indeed in the wrong place, at the wrong time. When he was a youth, he joined his divorced mother in Paris, in the fashionable salons, where men divided their days between indulging their intellects in falsehood, called reason, and their bodies in debauchery, called liberty. Tear down the unspeakable thing! Voltaire had cried, meaning the Church, and Alessandro agreed. It was convenient to agree. From then till the day of his death, Manzoni dedicated himself, his intellect, and his art to Christ, the Church, his beloved Italy, and the poor. But God had other plans for him. He married a pious Protestant girl, and in 1810, at the age of twenty-five, Alessandro Manzoni was present at her reception into the Catholic Church. From then till the day of his death, Manzoni dedicated himself, his intellect, and his art to Christ, the Church, his beloved Italy, and the poor. For he hadn't forgotten everything from those salons. Pagans often speak more wisely than they know. The French had rebelled against the arbitrary abuse of power; and no one in Italy wrote with more fire against that than did Manzoni. French intellectuals had taken up the cause of the poor; and the hero and heroine of Manzoni's greatest work, The Betrothed, are but a poor young tailor, Renzo, and his promised spouse, Lucia. Manzoni was not a sentimentalist. He saw that reason brought light, but reason led to God, who is light. Enlightenment without God is red in tooth and claw: men will but more efficiently tear one another to ribbons. The Church led men to the true light. Night, and a pistol Another scene. It is night, in a castle atop a mountain overlooking the town of Lecce. A man sits in his study. He is not young. His life is etched upon his face: a life of will, the exercise of power, an almost ascetic disdain for common pleasures, a keen intellect wasted. He is holding a girl in a room below. He has kidnapped her from a convent in Lecce, where she was hiding from a local nobleman, Don Rodrigo. She was promised in marriage to a peasant, a young tailor. Why has he done this? What is this Don Rodrigo to him? The man's name arouses such fear that no one dares to breathe it. He is L'Innominato: The Unnamed. His own servants and henchmen tremble when he comes before them. And the girlif only she had tried the ways of women! A leer, a pout, something to scorn, something impure; but she knelt before him, and she promised to pray for him. "You have had a mother, my lord!" she cried. "Think of my mother. What have I done to you, my lord? Why will you not let me go home to my mother?" Her innocence disarmed him. Her innocence did more than that. He takes a pistol out of its case and lays it before him on the desk. It is loaded. He cocks it, uncocks it, and cocks it again. A wasted life, a life of wickedness, and from that wickedness no joy, but only darkness visible. And if he dies, no one will pity him. So it goes through the night, when in the early dawn he hears sounds from far below. Bells? The neighing of horses? The chatter of happy people? What is that life from which he has shut himself out? The Unnamed descends. Reader, do you want to know what happens? Do you want to be there when this lifelong criminal, this terrible man feared by everyone and weighted down by sin upon sin, descends the mountain? Why are the bells ringing? Who has come to town? You must read The Betrothed. Hanging in the balance Another scene. The plague has struck Lombardy plague after famine. The saintly Cardinal of Milan, Federico Borromeo, has emptied his coffers for the relief of the poor. He has also built an asylum for the sufferers a lazaretto. There, priests and nuns do all they can to feed the sick, to tend to them, to give them consolation, to protect their children, and to bury the dead. One hundred of the cardinal's priests will die in the effort. One of those, Fra Cristoforo, is standing by the bed of a dying man. It is, or was, an aristocrat, Don Rodrigo by name. The man is raving in a fever. He cannot understand what is said to him. He appears to be dying in his wickedness. Also standing there is a young tailor, Renzo. The dying man is his worst enemy. He had stolen his bride-to-be, and now she is either dying somewhere in this vast field of sickness, or dead. Or you may ask schoolchildren about Renzo and Lucia, and they will be happy to tell you things; because in Italy, The Betrothed is not just studied. It is beloved. He had sworn vengeance. "If I don't find her," he had cried, "I'll sure find someone else! In Milan, or in his filthy palace, or in the devil's own house, I'll find that swine who separated us! My Lucia, twenty months it's been, she'd have been mine, and if we had to die, at least we'd die together. But if he's still alive and I find him" but the priest had cut him short. Not with easy words. Death and judgment everywhere, and hell gaping wide! "Wretched sinner!" cried the priest, "Look and see who chastises man, who judges and is not judged! Who plies the lash and who pardons! But you, worm of the earth, you want to deal out justice. You know what justice is, you!" And with such words, not balm but a purifying fire, he scored the soul of the boy, stripped away its selfishness, and left it bare to the dreadful medicine of God. So they stand, the boy and the priest; the one a young survivor, the other about to die of the illness himself. And there in bed lies the evil man, the source of so much misery. "For four days he has been as you see. No sign of consciousness," says the priest. "Maybe the Lord is ready to grant him an hour of reconciliation, but he wants you to pray for him; maybe he wants you and that innocent girl to pray; maybe he reserves his grace for your prayer alone, the prayer of a heart in pain, but resigned to the pain. Maybe the salvation of this man and your own depends upon you, hangs upon one impulse of pardon, of compassion of love!" What happens then? You must read The Betrothed. Where is his like? When Alessandro Manzoni died at the age of eighty-eight, all of Italy mourned. If you go to Lecce, you can see in the Piazza Manzoni a monumental sculpture of the author, an old man seated with a book, his head slightly tilted, as in kindly thought about the grandeur and the folly of man, and the love of God that overcomes all wickedness. Or you may go to Milan, to the Cimitero Monumentale, where he is entombed. Or you may ask schoolchildren about Renzo and Lucia, and they will be happy to tell you things; because in Italy, The Betrothed is not just studied. It is beloved. No one now where English is spoken stands as Manzoni did for the Italians. But he would never want us to end with praise of himself. The true and only man, as Manzoni knew, was Christ. So I will end with a verse from Manzoni's hymn in honor of the Resurrection: He is risen: his sacred head Rests upon the cloth no more; He is risen: to one side Of the lonely sepulcher Lies the shroud he tossed away: Like a strong man flushed with wine Wakes the Lord upon this day. A scheme to help small businesses turned down by banks borrow from peer-to-peer and alternative finance firms has proved 'underwhelming' and needs an overhaul, say experts. The Government-backed Bank Referral Scheme was launched in November 2016 and requires the UK's biggest banks to refer small and medium-sized businesses they turn down for finance to a platform, to help facilitate alternative funding. But just 1,695 deals were completed between launch and summer last year, compared to 30,000 businesses turned down for funding by banks, latest figures from a HM Treasury review show. Mike Cherry, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'Helping well under one per cent of the small business community secure a few million over three years doesn't scream roaring success.' Almost 1,700 businesses secured alternative funding thanks to the Bank Referral Scheme between 2016 and 2019 - but this is minute compared to the 30,000 SMEs rejected by banks Tens of thousands of entrepreneurs could be missing out on growing - or even starting - a business because they are left feeling disheartened after being turned down for funding from banks - and do not recognise the opportunity to be had from the Bank Referral Scheme. It was introduced in response to data that showed SMEs that were rejected funding by their bank tended to give up rather than seek alternative options to grow their business. But recent reports show this still seems to be an issue. In a 2018 report, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said progress was being made thanks to the scheme but few referred businesses were actually going on to be successful in their applications. Meanwhile, according to alternative finance provider Nucleus Commericial Finance, nearly four in ten (39 per cent) of UK SMEs have encountered financial challenges over the past 12 months. Within that group, a quarter of business owners dipped into their personal savings to address those issues, while 27 per cent simply took no action, rather than seeking the funds they needed from elsewhere. Nucleus chief executive Chirag Shah said: 'As we enter a new year, we need to encourage business owners to be more vigilant of their finances and be more aggressive when it comes to growing revenue. 'Entrepreneurs should rest assured that there are options available and as an industry, we should be educating them on the benefits of seeking external finance. 'Together we can help SMEs be better equipped to tackle any financial challenges; boosting performance and ultimately improving the countrys GDP.' There are three platforms that nine of the UK's biggest banks refer SMEs which they have refused funding to: Alternative Business Funding, Funding Options and Funding Xchange Why are companies being rejected by the banks? Currently, there are three platforms which banks refer SMEs they have refused funding to: Alternative Business Funding, Funding Options and Funding Xchange. They are, in turn, required to anonymously share their details with alternative finance providers, helping to facilitate a conversation between the business and any provider who expresses an interest in supplying finance to them. The platform determines which type of funding might be a good match for an individual business, and there are countless options, from pension-led funding to invoice financing and merchant funding. Between November 2016 and July 2019, around 30,000 SMEs were declined funding. But why are these companies being rejected in the first place? Katrin Herrling, chief executive of Funding Xchange said some of those rejected businesses are often looking for a small amount of credit and many banks prefer to focus on higher value lending. 'Furthermore, banks built their credit models in the 1970s when the typical company was eight years old and had a pretty steady trading record, growing at two to three per cent per year,' she said. 'But that is not the profile of the typical company that makes today's economy. Most companies havent even been around for four years. Herrling of Funding Xchange said the quality of refused bank applications has increased 'If a bank doesnt feel they can fund until two submissions on Companies House, then 35 to 40 per cent of businesses fall outside of what banks consider fundable.' As a result, younger companies with only a two to three-year trading record are often being rejected. Herrling also cited a bias towards particular sectors as a reason for increasing bank declines, as well as a 'progressively more cautious credit policy'. She added: Only 14 per cent of companies accessing Funding Xchange through the scheme in early 2018 had a financial profile that suggested "viable demand" where the provision of responsible lending was possible. 'This increased to 20 per cent in 2019. Some of this may be due to the banks not wishing to have a concentration in any one business sector, which has seen them rejecting applications notwithstanding their quality. Nonetheless, these businesses have been rejected.' Why isn't the scheme working as well as it could? Despite being in action for almost four years, the scheme hasn't given SMEs the planned boost it was created for. Mr Cherry, of the FSB, said: 'The bank referral scheme is a great initiative in principle but its results to date are underwhelming. He added: 'The model is the right one. However, we urgently need to look at how we reduce friction within the referral process. Banks should be encouraged to proactively reach out to those they turn down: that starts with ambitious referral targets. 'Equally there needs to be more encouragement on the demand side small firms may be wary of handing over details to funding platforms, and automatically being given the chance to be referred is not the same as an automatic referral straight off the bat.' The Bank Referral Scheme model is the right one. However, we urgently need to look at how we reduce friction within the referral process Mike Cherry, Federation of Small Businesses Mike Cherry, Federation of Small Businesses Cherry also believes there needs to be more funding platform options, within an industry that is constantly growing and innovating. Meanwhile, Emma Jones, founder of small business support network Enterprise Nation, believes the problem lies with the process rather than a lack of awareness or demand. She said: 'At the moment small businesses are losing a lot of time and money applying for bank loans via a system that isn't set up to cater for their niche requirements. 'The Bank Referral Service simply spits them out without offering any understanding on why they were refused in the first place. 'Just sending them off to another bank is unlikely to satisfy immediate cash requirements and just adds to a lack of productivity. 'What needs to happen is for financial lenders to be able to harness open banking and credit data to understand better how small firms operate financially - it could be that they don't tick the classic turnover box, but have an excellent credit history and are on an upwards trajectory and banks can often miss this fact.' But success stories do exist Of course there are some companies that have come out better off thanks to the Bank Referral Scheme, and are proof of its positive impact. Alternative Business Funding helped Surrey based development trust, the Caterham Barracks Community Trust (CBCT) from possible closure, by helping it secure more than 1million in funding - the platform's largest ever loan and the second-largest loan created through the Bank Referral Scheme. The funding was provided through ethical and sustainable finance specialist, Triodos Bank UK, after CBCT received notice from their main mortgage provider advising them they would not be renewing their loan. The trust's vice chairman Robin Clements approached Barclays, who could not provide funding, but immediately referred him through the scheme. Clements said: 'We were beginning to resign ourselves to the fact we were going to have to sell a building and lose charitable services. 'All in all over 10,000 local people that benefit from our facilities were going to be affected by the closure of [community hub] The Arc and CBCT operated buildings, not to mention the 18 local businesses including a nursery who would have to find new premises from which to run their enterprises.' The Bank Referral Scheme helped save the Caterham Barracks Community Trust in Surrey. Pictured: CBCT vice chair Robin Clements at the soft play area in community hub The Arc The new 1.1million Triodos Bank UK loan refinances previous lending to help with CBCTs cash flow while securing the future of The Arc and ensuring the trust can continue to run its services. Clements continued: 'Not only did the loan ensure we can continue our important work for the Caterham community, Triodos also managed to reduce the interest on the loan and set up a far more attractive agreement which means we have an additional 50,000 per year available, or over 4,000 per month in cashflow.' Adam Tavener, chairman of Alternative Business Funding, added: 'When loans like these are declined, its never the end of the road, as the Bank Referral Scheme opens the door to many more specialist lenders such as Triodos, which fully understood CBCTs requirements as they lend solely to organisations delivering social, environmental or cultural impact.' Snow falls are expected to cause problems across Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England today as warnings of further flooding are issued Snow falls are expected to cause problems across Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England today as warnings of further flooding are issued. A yellow weather warning is in force until noon here, with drivers and pedestrians being warned of icy stretches likely to form and possible disruption. Even Scotland's lower regions are expected to get a covering of snow today as the new working week begins with more stormy weather. Further south, a fresh severe flood warning - meaning an imminent danger to life - has been issued for the River Severn in Shrewsbury, as the Environment Agency warned of ongoing flooding dangers across England. A yellow weather warning has been issued for snow across all but the most northern areas of Scotland and Aberdeen. Higher ground is expected to see significant accumulations but commuters in the Central Belt have been warned to take care. Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: "It could be a pretty tricky commute first thing tomorrow for a lot of people. It's certainly turning more wintry." Mr Partridge said Northern Ireland and parts of northern England are also expected to see snow, especially on higher ground where yellow weather warnings have been issued. Areas of the north that dodge snow are still likely to see large amounts of rain and gale force winds, the forecaster added. The gloomy forecast came as Environment Secretary George Eustice defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson for defying calls to visit flood-stricken areas despite a third consecutive weekend of storms. Mr Eustice told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday: "In a Cabinet Government it's not a one-man show, it's right that on certain operational things such as this that the Prime Minister will ask one of his Cabinet members to lead. I can't see anything wrong with that." What to do if you have a coronavirus infection If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, stay home and avoid public areas for 10 days after the onset of your symptoms, the CDC advises. If you are asymptomatic, meaning you never experience symptoms of the illness, quarantine yourself for 10 days after your coronavirus test. Remain in a designated sickroom away from others, if possible, and keep your doctor updated with any changes in symptoms. Washing your hands often and wiping down frequently touched surfaces also reduces the risk of getting others sick. Its important to note that your symptoms may linger longer than the infection. A July report from the CDC, for example, found that 35 percent of symptomatic adults who tested positive for COVID-19 but who were not hospitalized for the illness had not returned to their usual state of health 14 to 21 days after testing. Even young, healthy adults struggle to recover quickly from an infection. Nearly 1 in 5 surveyed adults ages 18 to 34 with no chronic medical conditions had not returned to their usual state of health 14 to 21 days after testing positive. Many coronavirus patients have seen complications persist even longer. COVID-19 doesnt have a cure yet, just relief from symptoms. But clinical trials are underway to test the safety and effectiveness of potential therapies, including remdesivir, which received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May after preliminary results showed that patients hospitalized with COVID-19 recovered faster on the antiviral drug, compared with patients taking a placebo. Vaccine trials are also moving forward. How to protect yourself from coronavirus Without a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus, experts say the best way to avoid it is to practice everyday prevention measures: Wash your hands often and keep your distance from other people at least 6 feet of distance, Wadman says. This disease is transmitted by respiratory droplets. So those droplets from a sneeze or cough, if [they land] in your mouth or nose, or if youre inhaling those droplets, thats the way that this disease is primarily transmitted from one person to the next, he says. And if you stay 6 feet away, you minimize the possibility of that happening. Also: Wear a face mask, even if you feel healthy. The latest research shows cloth face coverings can block respiratory droplets from spreading to other people, leaving the virus with nowhere to go. If worn community wide, face masks reduce everyones risk for infection. Says Allen, "I am living the Easy Spirit ethos that age is nothing but a number and that anything is possible when you're comfortable. I am an executive producer, who, at 70 years old, is doing more work now than ever. I stand on my feet all the time. I'm directing, I'm teaching at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, I'm acting, I'm taking care of my mom. I like Easy Spirit shoes because they are supportive, and they feel good. You can't be on your feet all day without the right footwear." The Easy Spirit "Live Your Best Life Now" campaign celebrates power, beauty and wisdom of women over 50, who are multi-faceted, vibrant, active, and are in the prime of their lives through a video and still life campaign highlighting Allen living her best life. The campaign will live on easyspirit.com and Easy Spirit social channels and Debbie Allen's own channels. Easy Spirit is inspired by Debbie Allenshe moves for so many things, including founding her non-profit, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles and inspiring others to keep moving in Easy Spirit. In addition, the Easy Spirit "Live Your Best Life Now" campaign showcases six additional inspirational women age 50 plus on easyspirit.com and social channels who are living their best lives now, including a 9/11 widower and founder of a kindness non-profit, a cancer survivor and fashion designer, and a wellness expert and bodybuilder. The campaign highlights what they #MoveFor in their lives with an intention to inspire and reinforce that Easy Spirit keeps women moving comfortably at every age. These women, along with up to 30 other ambassadors and influencers, will amplify the empowering "Live Your Best Life Now" message on their social media channels beginning the second week of March. Shanya Perera, VP of Marketing, Advertising and PR for Marc Fisher Footwear says, "Women over 50 are unfortunately an underserved demographicthey are wise, beautiful, vibrant and they have so much going on in their lives, but this not often reflected in media and advertising. The Easy Spirit "Live Your Best Life Now" campaign and our partnership with Debbie Allen aims to shift the focus to showcase women over 50 and to tell the stories of women who are an inspiration to us all. At Easy Spirit, we believe anything is possible when you're comfortable. And we think this campaign reflects that age shouldn't be taboo but more about feeling comfortable in your own skin. Easy Spirit shoes are designed for support, ease and flexibility for all that women move for in their lives and we hope to inspire women to keep moving at every age." The campaign will include a "Live Your Best Life Now" sweepstakes with a grand prize package worth over $5,000. Entrants will share how they are living their best lives now on easyspirit.com to enter for a chance to win the curated prize, which includes gift cards for JetBlue, Master Class Online, Book Club of the Month, Blue Apron, a spring wardrobe of Easy Spirit shoes and more to support her multi-faceted life and keep her moving. With the promise of keeping women moving, in partnership with the citywide Los Angeles International Dance Festival founded and organized by Debbie Allen and Nigel Lythgoe for April 2020, Easy Spirit will sponsor a dance class specifically designed for women over 50, led by Debbie Allen wearing shoes from the Easy Spirit spring collection. About Easy Spirit With a legacy rooted in creating simple solutions, the story of Easy Spirit has always been one of innovative thinking. Over the last 35 years, women have evolved and so have we. Now, more than ever, we know it's about more than just shoes. Being comfortable in your own skin and making life easier is what matters most. Today, we continue our mission - we are MAKERS OF shoes and experiences that are all about making life EASY for all women. Because anything is possible when you're comfortable. Live your best life every step of the way in Easy Spirit. The Easy Spirit collection is available for purchase at easyspirit.com and at major department stores, with price points ranging from $49-$89. About Marc Fisher Footwear Established in 2005, Marc Fisher Footwear Company is a leading full-service, product-driven fashion footwear company with knowledge and expertise in design, sales, sourcing, distribution and marketing. Marc Fisher Footwear includes a diverse portfolio of globally recognized brands, including Easy Spirit, G by Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Tretorn, Marc Fisher, Marc Fisher LTD, Sigerson Morrison, EVOLVE, Bandolino, Nine West, indigo rd., and UNISA. Available domestically and internationally via wholesale and retail channels, the Marc Fisher Footwear brands consistently meet the widest range of consumers' fashion footwear needs, from classic to contemporary, sport to dress and men's and women's. With headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut and showrooms in New York City, Marc Fisher Footwear is sold through department stores, specialty stores and e-commerce channels worldwide. SOURCE Easy Spirit Related Links http://easyspirit.com A mother diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy feared she would lose her baby and claims her GP mistook the lump for a blocked milk duct. Kirsty Guy, 30, found an 8cm lump on her right breast in March 2019 and assumed it was because she was 11 weeks pregnant. Her GP allegedly reassured her it was likely a symptom of her pregnancy, and a milk duct in her breast may be clogged or damaged. But the lump became increasingly painful, and Mrs Guy was sent for tests. She was diagnosed with breast cancer while 15 weeks pregnant. The nursery nurse immediately panicked that she would lose her baby. In some cases, mothers-to-be have to consider abortion if they are very early on in their pregnancy. Mrs Guy and her husband, Shawn, 29, were told they could continue with their pregnancy, and the baby would not be harmed by chemotherapy. Hallie was born prematurely and Mrs Guy underwent a further six rounds of gruelling treatment, a mastectomy on her right breast and a reduction on her left breast. Both mother and baby are now healthy seven months on, and Mrs Guy was given the all-clear from cancer on February 12 this year. Kirsty Guy, 30, who was diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy feared she would lose her baby. Hallie is pictured after birth in July 2019, ten weeks premature Mrs Guy immediately panicked that she would lose her baby when she was diagnosed with cancer. She is pictured with her two daughters, Scarlett, three and Hallie, seven months Mrs Guy, also mother to Scarlett, three, said: 'Hallie was planned and we were over the moon when we found out we were having her. 'But after I was diagnosed, I didn't know if I'd be able to have her at all. I was terrified, it was horrific.' Mr and Mrs Guy from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, had been planning to have a second child for years and were over the moon when they found out they were expecting in January 2019. When Mrs Guy found the lump in March, she initially assumed it was a symptom of the pregnancy. She said: 'I was sitting on the toilet and I looked down and there was a huge lump under my bra that had just appeared out of nowhere. 'I just thought it was because I was pregnant, the doctor told me it was a blocked milk duct.' Breasts can go through various changes during pregnancy, including swelling, tenderness and changes in nipples. A lump in the breast or a red, swollen area that is painful could be a symptom of a condition called mastitis where the milk is built up. In non-breastfeeding women, mastitis most often occurs when the breast becomes infected as a result of damage to the nipple, according to the NHS. When Mrs Guy found the lump in March, 11 weeks pregnant, she initially assumed it was a symptom of the pregnancy. Then it became painful over the next month Because Mrs Guy was 15 weeks pregnant and in her second trimester when she was diagnosed, she and her baby would be safe through chemotherapy. Mrs Guy had six rounds of weaker chemotherapy before Hallie was born. Pictured: Mrs Guy is wearing a cooling cap to reduce chemotherapy to her head and prevent hair loss Hallie was born 10 weeks premature, although it is not clear why. Sometimes doctors induce birth early because the mother needs stronger cancer treatment. Hallie also had meningitis, for which she was treated for 21 days in hospital. She has full recovered Mrs Guy said one month after the lump had first appeared, it became painful and she was referred to the Countess of Chester Hospital for a biopsy. She was subsequently diagnosed with grade three breast cancer during pregnancy, which occurs in one in 3,000 pregnancies according to Cancer Research UK. She is unclear what stage it was. Mrs Guy said: 'I was so scared. I was panicking and I didn't know if I'd be able to keep the baby. 'I didn't even feel pregnant anymore because I didn't want to get my hopes up. 'I would have had to have an abortion because I've got Scarlett to think about, she's priority and I had to be around for her. 'When the doctor said I could keep the baby I just thought "thank God". I felt pregnant again.' Rarely, some women may need to think about termination of their pregnancy in order to save their own lives and start treatment. This is usually recommended if the woman is less than 14 weeks pregnant. Because Mrs Guy was 15 weeks pregnant and in her second trimester when she was diagnosed, it was deemed safe for Mrs Guy to continue her pregnancy while starting treatment. Mrs Guy had six rounds of weaker chemotherapy before daughter Hallie was born in July last year. Mrs Guy said: 'When the doctor said I could keep the baby I just thought "thank God".' Rarely, some women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy may need to think about termination of their pregnancy in order to save their own lives and start treatment Mrs Guy, pictured with her husband, Shawn, and their children said: 'We would have liked to have had more children but it's just not worth the risk. I have to be around for the two I've got' Hallie was born ten weeks premature, although it is not clear why. Sometimes doctors induce birth early because the mother needs stronger cancer treatment. Hallie also had meningitis, for which she was treated for 21 days in hospital. She has full recovered. Mrs Guy went on to have six further rounds of treatment after the birth and a mastectomy on her right breast. Mrs Guy claims she was told by nurses after she'd given birth that the cancer had been triggered by her pregnancy. It had been there before she was pregnant, but a surge in hormones had activated the tumour to grow. There is no evidence to support that pregnancy can directly cause or trigger cancer. However, hormones do play a role in some of the most common cancers. Mrs Guy said: 'I couldn't believe it when they told me it had been triggered by the pregnancy. Nobody had heard of anything like it before. 'My dad, Phil, died of cancer when I was 15 and he was only 52 so it was scary. I thought I was going to die. 'We would have liked to have had more children but it's just not worth the risk. I have to be around for the two I've got.' France has again supported India's bid for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) when the issue was discussed during the India-France Bilateral Consultations on Disarmament, Non-Proliferation & Export Control that took place in Delhi last week. A French source while confirming the discussion on the issue said," It was another occasion for us to reaffirm our support towards India". India is keen to be part of the Multilateral export control regime and New Delhi is engaged closely with the NSG members on the way forward on its membership. Only country which is opposing India's membership is China. Barring NSG, India is part of all other export control regimes-- Australia group, Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) Indra Mani Pandey at India's Ministry of External Affairs, while the French delegation was led by Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic, Security and Disarmament Affairs, French Foreign ministry David Bertolotti. A release by MEA said, "Both sides reiterated the importance of the Dialogue as an important mechanism between the two countries" The next round of dialogue will take place in Paris in 2021. According to the statement, as members of the New Orleans task force approached the home on Monday, they saw Colindres-Galeano trying to flee the residence from the rear access hatch of a chicken (coop), which was attached to the home. He was taken into custody without incident, the statement added. Riaboshapka announces resumption of contacts with Iranian law enforcers on downed Ukrainian plane, but consultations postponed due to coronavirus epidemic Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Riaboshapka announces the resumption of communication with Iranian law enforcement agencies on the crash of the Ukrainian UIA plane near Tehran, but consultations are postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic. "The communication with Iranian law enforcement agencies has been resumed. We have to hold consultations, but, unfortunately, due to the coronavirus epidemic, consultations are postponed for some time," Riaboshapka told reporters in Kyiv on Monday, answering a question from the Interfax-Ukraine agency. At the same time, he emphasized: "as soon as the situation improves slightly, we will resume consultations and will directly communicate with our Iranian colleagues." As coronavirus closes in on Connecticut, the nations doctor was bumping elbows with public and health officials at the state health lab in Rocky Hill Monday, reiterating his request that healthy people stop buying face masks and get a flu shot. And when it came to hands, his message was clear wash them, dont shake them. It sounds basic, but those are the steps U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams repeated multiple times Monday during stops throughout the state, continuing a nationwide message of preparedness over panic. Part of my job as surgeon general is to help keep things in perspective, Adams said. In terms of keeping things in perspective, we want folks to know that your risk as an individual remains low. What we know is that there will be increased cases of coronavirus, and on an individual level, we know that basic public health precautions go a long way. During the trip, state Department of Public Health Commissioner Renee D. Coleman Mitchell said two patients were tested at the state lab over the weekend and both tested negative for the virus. The lab was approved to conduct testing last week, and Coleman Mitchell said the state has offered use of the lab to neighboring states. As more surrounding states report instances of the virus, including cases in Manhattan, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and the death toll and diagnosis rate increases in the U.S., the state is doing all it can to raise awareness and help people be prepared. Adams advised people to stop shaking hands, demonstrating an elbow bump with Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Gov. Ned Lamont, who also provided updates on the states preparedness. Right now I think were prepared, were ready and I just hope you take all the necessary precautions, Lamont said. Lamont later joined a nationwide phone call with Vice President Mike Pence and other governors to hear an update on the virus. He said he planned to tell Pence the country needs a unified message at the federal, state and local level. Hes not the subject expert there but hes convening those experts, Lamont said. Blumenthal reiterated his call for increased federal financial support for public health across the country, and again voiced his concerns about science denialism at the federal level. We are playing with fire if we fail to be prepared. Preparedness does defeat panic, but it also achieves health and thats really what our goal has to be here, Blumenthal said. We need to invest in the CDC, the NIH, other public health measures and in the public health networks of our states and localities. thats what makes us strong as a nation. we cannot shut down whole cities. we cannot tell people not to travel. We can be smart, strategic, and swift in our approach. Its not too late to get a flu shot they said, and dont bother with a mask. Adams said most people wear them wrong, which can actually increase risk of contamination, and hoarding masks can create a public health problem by limiting access for those who actually need them. Adams, who washed his hands alongside Blumenthal and Lamont while singing Happy Birthday (the duration of the song is how long it is recommended to wash your hands effectively), also advised the public to keep surfaces like desks and tables clean, avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth, and to practice social distancing by maintaining space between from anyone exhibiting symptoms. We can turn it into a little Tik Tok dance if we need to, he said, referencing a viral video app popular among teens. Adams reiterated that for most people who contract the virus, the illness will be mild. Those suffering from chronic illness, lung or heart disease or who are otherwise unhealthy, are at the highest risk for severe complications from coronavirus, he said. Still, he said the U.S. is better off than many other countries, crediting aggressive containment strategies that have included invoking federal quarantine and limiting travel to the most affected countries. We know that risk is correlated directly with exposure, he said. You cant get the coronavirus if someone around you does not have it. But containment only works well when the source is limited, he said. Now that more than 40 countries have reported coronavirus, containment strategies will only be so effective. Now, he is advising communities to think about steps they can take to limit the spread of the illness within their community when it does inevitably arrive. On a community level, we want state and local officials to be thinking about and dusting off their preparedness plans, and to be thinking about if this does worsen then what should we do in terms of closures, in terms of tele-work, in terms of canceling large gatherings, Adams said. Were not there yet, but we want folks to be thinking about that in the event that it does happen. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt Rachel Johnson (pictured) , 54, shares items of significance from inside her living room in London's Notting Hill 1. WILD CHILD Growing up, my three brothers [Boris, Jo and Leo] and I were mischievous and cheeky. Wed get up and think, What can we do today to be naughty and drive everybody mad? And we usually achieved it. My older brother Al, known to most people as Boris, must have felt particularly guilty one day in 1971 to write this note of apology to our mother saying, Mama we are sory [sic] that we were so bad today, and made my brother Leo and me sign it. Theres still a bit of the mischief gene in me... 2. IN THE FRAME My artist mother Charlotte, 77, and my father Stanley, 79, got married in the early 1960s and had my brothers and me in their 20s. She did this striking oil painting of Dad around the same time, and I treasure it. My mother has always made her living as a painter, doing portraits and landscapes, and is still painting away. My parents eventually went their separate ways but I still see a lot of them, and I count myself incredibly lucky to have them both. 3. HAPPY SNAP I love this photo of my children [l-r] Ludo, now 27, Charlotte, 25, and Oliver, 23 by photographer Sophie Baker, who also took a picture of me and my siblings when we were little. Charlotte is named after my mother, Oliver after my father-in-law, and Ludo is just one of the few names we agreed on. 4. ROMANCE IN RIO This shows my journalist husband Ivo, 67, and me at our wedding at Chelsea Register Office in 1992. Wed met in Rio de Janeiro, where he was a foreign correspondent, a couple of years earlier, when my father introduced us. I didnt want a big, splashy wedding, so we just invited family and godparents, and I wore an office suit from Next but I did buy a nice straw hat from Lock & Co in St Jamess. Behind me is a portrait of Ivo done by brilliant Greek artist Christos Tsimaris. 5. WOMAN'S BEST FRIEND This lovely Susan Rowland sculpture reminds me of our beloved Labrador-collie cross, Coco. We got her after spotting some puppies tumbling around in a Somerset farmyard and we picked the quietest one. She was the most perfect dog, and a constant companion to me when the children were away. Sadly Coco died four years ago aged 13, though she did get to swim in the River Exe on her last day. I still miss her enormously. A Susan Rowland sculpture (pictured) reminds Rachel of her beloved Labrador-collie cross, Coco 6. RECOVERING REMAINER Im a writer and loved my time as editor of The Lady, but back in the early 90s I worked for the Foreign Office for a year, and Im still quite attached to my old blue passport. I used it to travel to and from Brussels. I lived there for seven years as a child and two as an adult, but it always struck me as a grim, unhappy place. Despite different opinions in my family over Brexit, we stayed civil. I now call myself a recovering remainer. Rachels new book Rakes Progress: My Political Midlife Crisis is published by Simon & Schuster on 19 March, 16.99. The suspect in the fatal shooting of a Kimberly police officer has now been indicted on federal gun charges. Preston Johnson, 37, is charged federally with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictments were issued in late February, and announced by federal authorities on Monday. Johnson already is facing state charges of capital murder in the February slaying of Officer Nick ORear, who was fatally shot that Tuesday night during a pursuit on Interstate 65 South. Johnson is also charged with attempted murder for shooting at the Warrior police officer who initiated the pursuit of Johnson. According to the federal indictments, Johnson on Oct. 31, 2019 was in possession of an Anderson AM-15 5.56mm rifle. At the time he was in possession of that weapon, he had already been convicted in 2017 of unlawful possession of a controlled substance in both Cullman and Morgan counties, as well as first-degree theft in Cullman County in 2005. On Feb. 4, 2020, the night ORear was shot, authorities say Johnson was in possession of a Norinco Mak90, 7.62 mm rifle. And on Feb. 5 which is when ORear was officially pronounced dead and when Johnson was captured Johnson was in possession of a Glock Model 19 9mm pistol. Violent convicted felons with firearms will answer to federal charges in the Northern District of Alabama, said Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Jay Town. We are indebted to the brave law enforcement officers who put themselves in harms way to ensure that this violent criminal was brought to justice. ATFs focus on removing illegally possessed firearms from prohibited individuals aids in reducing the potential for violent crime, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson. The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. ATF investigated the case along with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and several other local law enforcement agencies, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Becher, Sr. is prosecuting. ORear, 33, was a father of two with a third child on the way and had been a Kimberly police officer for a year or less. Everybody loved him, Kimberly Mayor Bob Ellerbrock said. He was a tremendous asset to our community. Johnson has a lengthy criminal history, according to state and federal court records. According to state court records, Johnson was arrested in Cullman County on Oct. 31, 2019 on charges of possession of drugs with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police found him with 13 grams methamphetamines, suboxone, baggies, and scales. Records state Johnson was also in possession of a stolen Corvette. Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry at the time told AL.com that Johnson also had an AR-15, which he was forbidden to have because he is a convicted felon. That case had a hearing set for March 2, records state. The Cullman County District Attorneys Office on Wednesday filed a motion to revoke Johnsons bond on those drug charges. Though he had been arrested on 20 different charges dating back to the early 2000s, and convicted of at least six felony charges, he was released on his own recognizance just five days after his Oct. 31, 2019 arrest. While on bondthe defendant has been booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a charge of capital murder of a Kimberly police officer, wrote Cullman County Assistant District Attorney Jefferey H. Roberts. In addition to those pending 2019 cases, Johnson pleaded guilty in 2017 to drug possession with intent to distribute and sentenced to 75 months in jail. His attorney asked he be able to take part in a diversion program, however a judge denied that request. In 2011, Johnson pleaded guilty to drug possession. He was sentenced to 15 years with 18 months to serve. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to drug possession and was sentenced to five years in prison. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to theft of property and received a 15-year suspended sentence. He pleaded guilty to forgery in 2001 and received a three-year sentence. In addition to Johnsons criminal history in state courts, Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2012 on a charge of being a felon in possession of a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol during a June 20, 2009 arrest in Winston County. The indictment cited Johnsons previous criminal convictions: a June 6, 2001 conviction in Cullman for possession of a forged instrument; an Aug. 15, 2001 conviction in Cullman County for second degree forgery; and a May 17, 2005 conviction in Cullman County for first degree theft of property. Johnson pleaded guilty to the gun charge. He was sentenced to a year and one day in prison and a supervised release term of three years. Johnson was arrested on January 11, 2016, for violating the terms and conditions of that supervised release. The next month, a federal magistrate judge sent him to federal prison for 12 months and a day. According to the federal magistrates order: After being placed on supervised release, defendant Johnson admitted to use of methamphetamine in January 2015. He was later placed in the Color-Code Random Urinalysis Program for drug testing. Defendant never showed up for the first drug test. He failed to report for drug testing in June, July, August, September, and October 2015. Defendant Johnson failed to appear for his test in August 2015 after having been specifically told to attend. Defendant Johnson is also supposed to report to his U.S. Probation Officer each month. He reported in October 2015, but he has failed to report since that time. The federal case against Johnson is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justices signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Departments past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to communities. Johnsons arraignment on the federal charges is set for March 12. He is scheduled to appear in state court Thursday in connection with ORears slaying. Our former client faced, and still faces, a sustained public campaign of intimidation including repeated tweets by President Trump and other senior figures that the whistle-blower must be publicly outed despite having participated in an established and encouraged process that guaranteed them certain protections under the law. Even members of Congress, individuals within the very body that created the statutory protections that exist for whistle-blowers, sought to expose the whistle-blower for political purposes and created harmful doubts concerning the integrity of the system. Joseph Maguire, until last week the acting director of national intelligence and himself an appointee of Mr. Trump, stated in public testimony last September that the whistle-blower acted in good faith and followed the law every step of the way. The whistle-blower demonstrated that one can ensure that legitimate oversight occurs within the confines of the law and the policies and procedures of the intelligence community. Whistle-blowers play a particularly critical role in Congresss ability to oversee the intelligence community. As the executive branch controls classified information, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are reliant on inspectors general and whistle-blowers to conduct their constitutionally mandated oversight over federal agencies and even the president of the United States. In correspondence dated Oct. 22, 2019, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, composed of dozens of appointees, made it clear that whistle-blowers play an essential public service in coming forward by reporting their reasonable belief of waste, fraud, abuse and misconduct and that whistle-blowers should never suffer reprisal or even the threat of reprisal for doing so. Significantly, the letter quotes Senator Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, chairman and a co-founder of the Senates Whistleblower Protection Caucus, who noted recently that whistle-blowers ought to be heard out and protected and we should always work to respect whistle-blowers requests for confidentiality. Members of the intelligence community, whether they are federal employees or government contractors, must follow the law in disclosing their reasonable belief of a violation of law, rule, regulation or an abuse of authority. They cannot avail themselves of whistle-blower channels available to other federal employees because they deal almost exclusively with classified information, the unauthorized disclosure of which could cause grave harm to our national security. It is for these reasons that Congress created a specific process where members of the intelligence community may disclose such information lawfully through an Office of Inspector General. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:30:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) has launched a program to further support the country's young literary and artistic workers, according to the federation Monday. Aiming to instill more vigor into literary and artistic creation, the program mainly targets original works of active literary and artistic workers under the age of 45, and will set up projects for outstanding works. The completed works are expected to be released before the end of 2020. Writers and artists can submit their projects to member groups of the CFLAC for selection and assessment, before the groups submit the recommended projects to the leading group of the federation. Those selected will be supported by the federation in terms of funds, instruction and promotion, and will be included along with the artists in a database of literary and artistic talent by the CFLAC, the federation said. Celebrating World Wildlife Day and the living oceans next to us by Ariadna Jacob March 02,2020 | Source: Teton Gravity It was 2018 when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced The Living Oceans Film Showcase, an international film showcase focused on marine species. At the event winning films contributed to raising global awareness of the importance of life below water to our daily lives. The initiative also aimed at exploring the critical challenges facing the marine ecosystems which comprise two-thirds of our planet and highlight inspiring solutions in meeting them. While many are now starting to be aware of the importance of maintaining as well as improving our marine bio ecosystem not all nature-based initiatives are visible through film festivals. I have a great respect and gratitude for Seto Inland sea (setonaikai) and sharing its presence through the art is the step forward to spreading the love and gratitude of this sea across the globe. Meet Emi Yoshimoto, an aspiring entrepreneur and artist based in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan, who has been part of the solution to bettering marine species and ecosystems from the environmental and social economic standpoint. Emis solution was founded with the idea of allowing people to be more conscious of the beauty of the ocean and marine ecosystems. In 2019, Emi began to invent her original art crafts utilising shell paintings with shells she collected at Seto inland sea. Emi now allows people to join in on this process of collecting seashells and teaching her art style to participants who believe in her vision of eco-cleanliness. Her initiative includes cleaning up the beach area by picking up plastic material or any trash and objects that are unhealthy to the ocean. It is my aim to contribute to improving the marine bio ecosystem." Emi Yoshimotos sea shell painting initiative, The Living Oceans Film Showcase, and dozens of doors that are being built right at this moment are perhaps what brings humanity a chance of sustainability. In this years 2020 World Wildlife Day, why not get involved in celebrating the many beautiful and varied forms of wildlife we take granted from time to time. TETON GRAVITY RESEARCH 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Theme(s): Others. The Delhi High Court asked the police on Monday to file a status report on measures taken by it for medical treatment and rehabilitation of violence-affected people. New Delhi: The Delhi High Court asked the police on Monday to file a status report on measures taken by it for medical treatment and rehabilitation of violence-affected people in northeast Delhi. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar directed the Delhi Police to submit a report on the measures taken by them in compliance with the court's 26 February order by which certain directions were made for rehabilitation of victims. The court listed the matter for further hearing on 30 April. Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra informed the court about the rumours spread on Sunday evening about riots breaking out in other areas of the national capital and added that the police was doing a good job in tackling such rumours. He also informed the court that the existing number of helplines are still not adequate to deal with the sheer number of calls that are being made by the victims. The court was hearing a plea by Rahul Roy seeking urgent orders for safe passage of ambulances for the injured and rehabilitation of the violence-affected people. At least 42 people died and more than 200 were injured during the communal violence in northeast Delhi related to Citizenship Amendment Act. Advocate Suroor Mander, representing the petitioner, told the court that most amount of rehabilitation measures are being carried out by the community itself. Citing the 26 February order, she said there are still major gaps, like setting of relief camps and sought court's direction for the government to take over the rehabilitation measures such as setting up of relief camps. During the hearing, Mehra submitted that advocate Zubeda Begum, who was appointed as amicus curiae by the court to coordinate between the victims and various agencies, has done a commendable job and sought for expanding the mandate of her work. He also submitted that a legal service authority desk be put up in every police station here. The court had on the intervening night of 25-26 February conducted a special hearing at the residence of Justice S Muralidhar after receiving a call from the advocate explaining the dire circumstances wherein it was not possible to move the violence hit victims from a small hospital to the GTB Hospital. The court had then directed the police to ensure safe passage for the injured to government hospitals and providing emergency treatment for them. It had directed the police to deploy all resources at command and on the strength of the order as well as to make sure the injured receive immediate emergency treatment, if not at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital then at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) or Maulana Azad or any other hospital. It had also cautioned the authorities to remain alert so that the carnage caused during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots is not repeated. The court had asked the police to ensure safe passage for fire tenders and ambulances to reach the spot. It had said the police will ensure requisition of private ambulances and steps be taken in coordination with secretary (health) and fire services head and basic amenities including blankets, food, sanitation and clean drinking water shall be ensured in the shelter homes for victims displaced in the violence. It had further asked the director of Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) to provide sufficient number of qualified professionals to cater to the victims suffering from post trauma stress. : Police rescued 14 children and arrested two inter-state child traffickers here on Monday for allegedly engaging them as bonded labourers in bangle making units. Police raided two places andnabbed the duo and rescued the children, most of them below 14 years, police sources said. The two persons, who are from Bihar, were running bangle making units in the city and both hatched a plan to secure child labourers from their native village. Two months ago they went to their native place, and enticed the poor parents of the children by offering Rs 5,000 per month, gaining their permission to employ the minors at their bangle making units, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 02, 2020] Sense Rolls Out Partner Program for Cooperatives at TechAdvantage 2020, Booth 2421 NEW ORLEANS, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At the TechAdvantage conference, Sense ( sense.com ) will debut its partner program for rural cooperatives. Through the program, cooperatives can offer the innovative Sense Home Energy Monitor to their members at a significant discount and take advantage of real-time insights into energy flows at the grid edge. Demonstrated at booth 2421, the Sense Home Energy Monitor uses high resolution waveform processing to track sub-second differences in current and voltage. Drawing on this uniquely rich data, utilities can gain unprecedented insights into home energy use to improve customer service in areas such as resolving high bill complaints. Sense's extremely high-resolution data also offers the potential for unparalleled forecasting of loads and solar production, DER integration and control, voltage analysis, and targeting system investments. The Sense Home Energy Monitor connects to the home's internet and reports energy data through the cloud to the Sense apps for iOS, Android, and the web. Since homeowners can track their home's energy in real time right down to the second and set goals for future usage, the Sense app increases customer satisfaction while helping consumers save energy. Studies conducted by Efficiency Vermont and Alliant Energy have demonstrated potential energy savings of 6-9% among residents who installed Sense. Sense users are highly engaged in tracking their home's energy and activity. During an average week, 50% ofSense users open the app at least once, and those users open their app on average ten times. The monthly active users make up 75% of the customer base. With permission from co-op members who install the Sense home energy monitor, cooperatives have access to real-time insights into energy flows at the grid edge. Cooperatives can use these insights to: Anticipate surges in net demand when clouds block the sun by seeing real-time views of both solar production and consumption. Forecast loads and solar production more accurately to target investments in distribution systems. For instance, Sense can identify EV adoption and charging patterns. Improve ability to promote demand flexibility through direct insights into members' solar production, electric vehicle charging, energy efficiency and demand response. Manage peak loads by prompting members with real-time alerts, then tracking actual reductions by analyzing Sense home data. Verify end-of-line voltage in support of Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) and distribution switching, and diagnose voltage sags across the grid. Analyze waveform data to anticipate and avoid outages due to factors such as equipment failures. Today the Sense Home Energy monitor is installed in a home's electric panel . Sense has partnered with Landis+Gyr to make Sense technology available on the Gridstream Connect IoT platform. Through this partnership, the Sense home energy app will also be available as an application for Landis + Gyr's innovative Revelo meter , the next generation of electric meters with leading-edge grid sensing technology. For more details about the Sense partner program , stop by booth 2421 during TechAdvantage or email Sense at [email protected]. About Sense Sense gives consumers engaging, real-time analytics on energy consumption in their homes right on their mobile devices. Founded in 2013 by pioneers in speech recognition, Sense uses machine learning technology to provide real-time insights on device behavior, even for those devices that are not "smart." Customers rely on Sense for a wide range of uses including monitoring their home appliances, determining whether they left appliances running and identifying major energy drains in their home so they can substantially reduce their energy costs. Sense has received investments from two of the world's largest energy technology companies, Schneider Electric and Landis + Gyr. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. To make sense of your energy, visit: https://sense.com . Media contact: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sense-rolls-out-partner-program-for-cooperatives-at-techadvantage-2020-booth-2421-301013842.html SOURCE Sense [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Alphabet's self-driving company unit Waymo raised $2.25 billion in its first external funding round. Several Silicon Valley heavy-hitters participated, the company announced Monday. The external funding is a sign that some of Alphabet's "Other Bets" companies like Waymo need much more capital than Alphabet is willing to provide on its own. Most "Other Bets" companies are funded through revenues generated by Alphabet's cash cow Google, which makes most of the company's profits thanks to its dominant digital ads business. Investors in the latest round include Alphabet itself, along with outside firms including Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz and AutoNation, which disclosed Monday that it invested $50 million in Waymo. A little over a year ago, Alphabet's life sciences company Verily received $1 billion in a funding round led by Silver Lake. "We've always approached our mission as a team sport, collaborating with our OEM and supplier partners, our operations partners, and the communities we serve to build and deploy the world's most experienced driver," said John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo in a blog post. "Today, we're expanding that team, adding financial investors and important strategic partners who bring decades of experience investing in and supporting successful technology companies building transformative products. The investment will go toward hiring employees, and investments in technology and global operations, the company stated, adding that its driving technology has accrued more than 20 million miles on public roads and 10 billion simulated miles. Waymo's betting on its ride-hailing service, Waymo One, which currently mostly operates in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The company, which is testing in other U.S. cities, also said it operates on "business applications," including a delivery service it calls Waymo Via. Last month, UPS said it is testing self-driving minivans in the Phoenix area over the next six months. Waymo and other self-driving car companies have found wider adoption to be more difficult than expected. CNBC first reported last summer that Waymo still largely relied on human safety drivers, and the company only started offering fully autonomous rides around that time. Last fall, Morgan Stanley cut its valuation on Waymo by 40% from $175 billion to $105 billion, concluding that the industry is moving toward commercialization more slowly than expected. Last fall, CNBC found that Waymo shuttered its Austin facility, affecting at least 100 employees who described a "sudden" closure. Waymo said it was a relocation effort. Investors and analysts still believe in the potential of widespread self-driving cars but say a broad rollout is still several years out. WATCH NOW: This Arizona town is overrun with self-driving cars -- here's what it's like. Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Mohammed Anees -- whose house was set on fire during the communal violence in north-east Delhi last week -- was presented an aid cheque of Rs. 10 lakh by Inspector General (IG) of BSF DK Upadhyay on Monday. The BSF jawan's house in Khajuri Khas was torched during the violence on February 25. His colleagues have come forward to help Anees at this crucial time. Anees is going to get married soon and preparations for the wedding ceremony were on at his house. BSF officials had also visited Anees's house along with him on Sunday. The BSF is also helping Anees rebuild his charred house as soon as possible. At least 47 people, including a police head constable, have died while around 200 people have been injured in the communal violence that rocked north-east Delhi for four days. Two Special Investigative Teams (SITs) have been constituted under Crime Branch, Delhi Police to probe the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Women during a sit-in protest against the CAA, NRC and the NPR, at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi on Sunday. (PTI) NEW DELHI: As parts of northeast Delhi continued to suffer in the aftermath of the worst communal clashes in the national capital in more than three decades, a large number of people at Shaheen Bagh, which has been the epicentre of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, on Sunday said that they were ready to call off their 75-day long agitation if they were given a written assurance by the BJP government at the Centre that a Rs 10 self-attested affidavit, supported by one or two witnesses, would guarantee that their citizenship is not snatched away. Soon after some TV news channels started a scroll that Section 144 of the Cr.PC, barring assembly of more than three people, was imposed in Shaheen Bagh, a large number of people, mainly women, came out of their homes to join the anti-CAA protesters. Contrary to claims by channels that a heavy police deployment was put in place in Shaheen Bagh, a visit to the area revealed there was not a single cop near any lane or bylane of the protest site. Despite living in constant fear of violence and apprehension that they can be removed forcibly at any time, protesters made it clear that they have resolved not to retreat. Either take back CAA or guarantee us that in the absence of any document like Voter Identity card, Aadhaar or Passport, even a self attested affidavit on Rs 10 stamp paper, duly signed by one or two witnesses, will be enough to prove our citizenship, said a 28-year-old Mirza. When asked if everybody agreed to the suggestion, the 100-odd people at the protest site shouted in unison Ha Bilkul Yeh Manzoor Ha.. (Yes surely this is acceptable to us). A 48-year-old Akthar Khan said that many protesters know that the BJP government would not roll back the CAA, but all they want was a clear assurance that their citizenship would not be snatched. People are scared as many people do not have any document to even prove their date-of-birth. All that the government should now do is to assure us that a self attested affidavit would be enough to prove our Indian citizenship. When asked what they would do if Section 144 was imposed, Asif (54) said: We will continue with our protest. We are all peaceful citizens of this country. Instead of removing us, any Central government nominee can visit us. We will greet them with flowers. Another protester, who identified himself as 23-year-old Ragib, said that some people were playing mischief by spreading rumours that Section 144 had been imposed in the area. "These restrictions are only in nearby areas like Jasola and Sarita Vihar Thats why you can see there is not a single police personnel in the entire area." As if in solidarity with the families being targeted just 30 km away from them, the women protesters at Shaheen Bagh said that they have decided to intensify their agitation till the new law is either taken back or they are assured that their citizenship is safe in the country. Muslims apart, some protesters from other faiths said they too will appeal to people to join in large numbers to defeat the fascist forces who want to discriminate one particular community in this country. As some protesters were putting across their point of view why their agitation was important to safeguard the rights of their future generations, many women holding tricolour started singing "Hum Honge Kamyaab" (We shall overcome). Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Its been three quiet months since a West Side group home for mentally ill men caught fire. Investigators continue to search for a cause as family and friends mourn two men lost to the flames. Adam Perry, 29, and Lawson Reeves, 75, slipped from this world in anonymity two days before Thanksgiving. City officials and firefighters repeatedly refused to release their names after the men died in a blaze at 201 59th SW, a few blocks from Central and Coors. A third man identified by a caretaker as 38-year-old Timothy Perry, no relation to Adam Perry was critically injured and remains in the hospital. I miss them every day, every day, said Anais Cruz-Hernandez, the caretaker at the home. Its like a family. I cant recover from that. I feel sorry for the parents, I feel sorry for them. Its tragic. Although separated by almost 50 years, the two men who died had something in common that brought them into the house: a debilitating mental illness. Over the years, the home they shared with at least four other men was the source of more than a hundred 911 calls related to suicides, sexual assaults, welfare checks, SWAT situations, domestic disputes and at least one stabbing. It all ended Nov. 26. I dont know what happened that night, Cruz-Hernandez said. The caretaker, who lived next door to the group home, said she was preparing for Thanksgiving around 11 p.m. when her husband went to the garage and saw the house engulfed in flames. Cruz-Hernandez said she called 911 as her husband pulled Timothy Perry, who was on fire, from the home and used a blanket to snuff out the flames. The couple then began breaking windows and helped three other men escape. She said she tried to get to Adam Perry and Reeves, but the smoke and fire was too heavy and someone pulled her out before she found them. We called them, everybody, Adam! Adam! Lawson! But they dont answer, Cruz-Hernandez said. Its so sad, you never think that youre going to lose people you care for. She said firefighters told her the two men died from smoke inhalation. She doesnt know what caused the fire. From NY to NM Walter Pilarski, who lives in New York, got the call Jan. 9 that Reeves, his lifelong friend, was dead. Authorities were trying to figure out what to do with the body, and Pilarskis name popped up in Reeves paperwork at Veterans Affairs. Pilarski was also named executor in his will. He didnt really too often get in touch with anybody over the last 20 years. It was mainly me, he said. It seemed like I was the only one he could trust. Pilarski said Reeves wrote him in June complaining about his stuff being stolen some money, a winter jacket at the group home. Reeves wanted to come back to upstate New York, where the men had grown up. I could see the stress in his writing especially when he talked about trying to leave there, Pilarski told the Journal. Pilarski was trying to get Reeves into an assisted living situation near Buffalo. Wintertime came on and whatnot, and I said, Can you hold off until spring? Pilarski said. Finding places for him to live up here, it just wasnt coming together. Two weeks before Pilarski planned to come out to New Mexico to get Reeves, he got the call from the morgue. Pilarski and Reeves met as boys and grew into men in North Tonawanda, New York, near the Canadian border. Pilarski recalled summers spent at Reeves family cabin off Lake Ontario, pulling walleye from the water and playing horseshoes. Wed fish and wed hunt, drink beer and chase girls, Pilarski said with a hearty laugh. Things you do when youre 19, 20 years old. Both men joined the Navy, and Reeves went on to be an optician for some time. He said Reeves known by friends as Butch was never violent and never used drugs. But when he was about 27, Reeves began showing signs of schizophrenia. In one of the first episodes, Reeves hopped a plane to New Zealand and disappeared for a year. When he resurfaced, Reeves told Pilarski a National Geographic magazine had spoke to him and Reeves obliged. After that, the episodes came on a lot more often. With a person who has mental illness, its not as easy as everybody thinks just give them a pill and things are OK, he said. Its a tough thing to deal with. Pilarski said Reeves moved to New Mexico in the 1980s bouncing around Albuquerque, Belen and Los Lunas and survived on disability checks. Every once in a while Id get a letter from him, that he was moving here, moving there, he said. Pilarski said things went downhill and Reeves was institutionalized at the VA center a few times before landing in the 59th Street home. These voices in the back of his head kept giving him problems They got you this time, theyve got you cornered. He was always being pursued, he said. That was the sad part about it. He couldnt really find comfortable stability wherever he was. Pilarski still has a box of Reeves paintings and sketches in his basement entrusted to him long ago. Since the death he started rummaging through them and found a surprise: the ashes of Reeves father. Pilarski said the father and son will be interred together at a small cemetery in Newfane, New York, a five-mile drive from the lake where they spent so many summers. He was going to come back here, Pilarski said, one way or the other. Traumatic childhood Unlike Reeves, Perrys life was upended by mental illness during childhood. His mother, Katie Nicholson, said he had outbursts as a child and was diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder in his sophomore year at Del Norte High School. At 18, the diagnosis worsened: schizotypal disorder. I almost lost him a few times, Nicholson said. A lot of his life we spent at doctors and hospitals. In the years that followed, Perry bounced from juvenile detention, treatment centers statewide, halfway houses and even lived on the streets before landing at the house on 59th. Nicholson said her son called the day before the fire. Youre still coming for Thanksgiving? she recalled asking him before telling him she loved him and that she couldnt wait to see him. Although Perry had lived the last decade drifting between institutions, treatment centers and homelessness, Nicholson said he remained close to family. He checked in multiple times each week, leaving long voicemails if his mother was at work or didnt answer. He loved spending time with us. He knew I couldnt have him at home. He understood that and felt bad about it, but there was nothing he could do, she said. He was a great kid. Did I see him as often as I wouldve liked? No. The family made a point to spend every holiday together, and Thanksgiving was no different. Perry, a bottomless pit, was excited for the meal. Nicholson said she missed two calls from Cruz-Hernandez the night of the fire. She got the third one, at 6 a.m., the next morning. It was a short conversation, she said. Nicholson said she got through the holidays, starting with Thanksgiving, waiting for answers from investigators who have remained tight-lipped. I just wanted the day to be over. I had to cook, and I didnt want to cook. My heart wasnt into cooking, she said. Christmas, I just wanted the day over. It started; I wanted it done. Nicholson said Perry, one of four siblings, was intelligent with a good sense of humor. He loved to play video games, read fantasy novels like Eragon and enjoyed metal bands like Metallica and Slayer. I miss him saying, I love you mom, she said, growing emotional. I cant delete his number off of my phone. He was my kiddo. During the three years spent at the group home, Perry got along with his roommates but would complain, she said, mainly about the meal schedule and belongings disappearing. His stuff was stolen all the time everything from TVs, Playstations to cellphones, Nicholson said. His clothes would disappear. When Albuquerque Fire Rescue let Nicholson into the home to see if anything could be salvaged, there was nothing left. She wishes there had been something. The family has bought a headstone for Perry, but Nicholson said she cant bring herself to get it inscribed. It just seems too final too hard for me right now. English French TORONTO, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunwing is gearing up to celebrate International Womens Day (March 8, 2020.) The carrier operated its 100th flight crewed entirely by women this morning. Sunwing Airlines flight WG438 took off from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Punta Cana International Airport helmed by an all-female flight and cabin crew. The flight was piloted by Captain Vicky Marks from Sunwings Quebec City base, assisted by First Officer Nicola Godfrey from Sunwings Toronto base. The cabin crew was led by Cabin Safety Manager Tiziana Di Giuliantonio and included three female flight attendants Zoi Loukas, Anita Tasha Thompson and Camille Osbourne. The customer journey for flight WG 438 was handled by women every step of the way. From sales and reservations agents to flights ops dispatch, maintenance, ramp agents and in-destination support services, Sunwing employs thousands of women who are part of a customers vacation journey. Monday, March 2nd also marks the start of Women of Aviation week which aims to address the gender imbalance in the aviation industry. Sunwings 100th all-female-operated flight also marks their commitment to this cause and celebration of their female aviation professionals. Captain Vicky Marks, who piloted the flight, commented on the occasion, Its such an honour to be part of the 100th all-female-operated flight by Sunwing. It wasnt long ago that women were limited to very few roles in the aviation industry; however, today, women are involved in every part of the industry. Im proud to be a female pilot, and I hope this monumental flight and the increased opportunities for women in this field, inspires more women to pursue careers in the aviation industry. Vice President of Flight Operations for Sunwing Airlines, Piyush Gandhi, stressed the importance of this initiative. As the Chair of Sunwings diversity and inclusion committee, Y.A.Y! (You Are You!), I am so proud to work for an organization that celebrates and empowers women. The aviation industry has been a traditionally male-dominated field, so its great to be a part of a company that celebrates women and makes all-female flight crews a regular occurrence as opposed to a rare one. The women at Sunwing are breaking down barriers and taking on the world of aviation in a variety of roles. In the last five years the number of female pilots at Sunwing increased by 160% and while that number is a great accomplishment, were hoping this trend only continues to grow in the future across all areas. For more information or to book, visit www.sunwing.ca or contact your travel agent. About Sunwing The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from over 33 airports across Canada to more than 45 popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing is consistently voted the top leisure airline by travel agents and is the perennial winner of the Consumer Choice Award. Customers can look forward to starting their vacation off with award-winning inflight service, which features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine*, non-alcoholic beverage service; together with a buy on board menu of light meals and snacks, including kids choices, the World Famous Original Smoked Meat from the iconic Montreal-based Schwartzs Deli along with delicious menu options inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Sunwing customers also benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. Sunwing supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid. Sunwing matches all donations the Foundation receives through its Spare Change Program on board Sunwing Airlines, no administrative fees are collected and 100% of the proceeds go to charity. *Service may be unavailable on select flights For all media enquiries, please contact: Rachel Goldrick Senior Corporate Communications Manager Sunwing Vacations 1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca https://www.facebook.com/SunwingVacations https://twitter.com/SunwingVacay https://www.instagram.com/sunwingvacations https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzjZ-lcuaqBQH7Sq0u3ru7A A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b7a8a1bf-f8c6-415a-9567-24d3a891242a In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Mar. 2. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Wet'suwet'en hereditary leader Chief Woos, also known as Frank Alec, centre, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relation, Carolyn Bennett, left, and B.C. Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser address the media in Smithers, B.C., Sunday, March 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Mar. 2. What we are watching in Canada ... SMITHERS, B.C. Work is expected to resume today on a natural gas pipeline in B.C. that's been at the centre of protests that have disrupted both rail and road traffic in many parts of the country. It follows a proposed arrangement that was reached Sunday during talks in Smithers, B.C. involving Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior ministers of the federal and B.C. governments. The agreement still needs the approval of the Wet'suwet'en people. Details of the draft accord, which centres on Indigenous rights and land titles, were not disclosed, however, a joint statement by representatives of Wet'suwet'en Nation, the province and the federal government acknowledged they had not come to an agreement on the pipeline. Chief Woos, one of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders, called the draft a milestone for all involved, though he added the "degree of satisfaction is not what we expected." The Wet'suwet'en are governed by both a traditional hereditary chief system and elected band councils. A majority of its councils have approved the pipeline, but some of the hereditary chiefs, including Woos, remain staunchly opposed to it running through their traditional territory. Despite that, Coastal GasLink issued a statement saying it would resume construction activities in the Morice River area on Monday. Meanwhile, Kenneth Deer, the secretary of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake, said Sunday that activists had decided to maintain their rail blockade on the territory south of Montreal, at least for now. --- Also this ... OTTAWA The federal Conservatives' Crown-Indigenous Relations critic says it's time for his party to have a serious think about its own policies on Indigenous issues. Jamie Schmale says national protests sparked by the opposition of some Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to a pipeline project are sparking a conversation about his party's own relationship with Indigenous communities. Schmale says he knows the party's past relationship was tense, but with the Conservative leadership race underway, he hopes candidates put forward ideas on the file. One candidate, Marilyn Gladu, has already advanced some, including ending all boil water advisories for Indigenous communities by 2025. Another candidate, Peter MacKay, was greeted by protesters at an event last week in Northern Ontario where he was accused of posting anti-Indigenous rhetoric on his social media accounts. Current leader Andrew Scheer was once also booed by First Nations chiefs for not being able to differentiate himself from his predecessor, Stephen Harper. --- ICYMI (in case you missed it) ... TORONTO Ontario health officials announced four more cases of the new coronavirus in the province on Sunday, raising Canada's total to 24 British Columbia has reported eight cases, and Quebec one. The four new patients had all recently travelled overseas, so the province said it appears the virus is not yet spreading locally. There have now been 15 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, though the first three patients have since been cleared of the virus. Thus far, health officials have said, all of the cases of COVID-19 in Canada are either in people who had recently travelled abroad or who were in close contact with those who had. They also say frequent hand-washing and staying home while sick remain the best way to prevent the spread of any virus, COVID-19 included. The epicentre of the virus is in China, where nearly 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 2,800 have died. Iran was reporting 978 cases as of Sunday, with 54 deaths. But Egypt has only publicly reported one case of the illness. --- What we are watching in the U.S. ... SELMA, Alabama An emboldened Joe Biden is trying to cast himself as the clear moderate alternative to progressive Bernie Sanders as the Democrats' shrinking presidential field raced toward Super Tuesday. One of Biden's leading moderate rivals, former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg, dropped out of the campaign Sunday just 24 hours after Biden scored a resounding victory in South Carolina, his first of the 2020 rollercoaster nomination fight. While other rivals appeared undeterred, Biden pressed his case during TV interviews that reflected a stark reality a day after his big win in South Carolina: The former vice-president was forced to rely upon free media coverage because he was understaffed, underfunded and almost out of time as he fought to transform his sole win into a national movement. Biden vowed to improve his campaign operation, his fundraising haul and even his own performance. He also warned of a stark choice between him and Sanders, while making the case he was the candidate who could win up and down the ballot and in states beyond those voting next week. --- What we are watching in the rest of the world ... SEOUL, South Korea North Korea fired two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea as it resumed weapons demonstrations following a months-long hiatus. The launches came two days after North Koreas state media said leader Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery drill aimed at testing combat readiness. Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff couldnt immediately confirm how far the projectiles flew or whether the weapons were ballistic or rocket artillery. In late December, Kim expressed deep frustration over deadlocked diplomacy with the United States and said he would no longer be bound by a self-imposed weapons test moratorium that coincided with his diplomacy with President Donald Trump. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Mar. 2, 2020. - Zambian farmers would soon have access to an $81 million finance scheme set up by the African Green Resources - Through the project, the farmers would receive farm supplies as well as technological solutions to aid them in farming - The scheme forms part of a $150 million fund which would be spread across a series of projects in the country Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in An agriculture-inclined business in Zambia, African Green Resources (AGR), has announced a finance scheme for farmers valued at $81 million. The project, launched on Sunday, March 1, 2020, is designed to provide farm supplies and technology to farmers in exchange for farm produce. This forms part of AGRs plan to invest $150 million in Zambia for a series of projects, including a 50-megawatt solar farm and irrigation dam. Source: research4agrinnovation.org Source: UGC READ ALSO: Coronavirus causes stir on world market; wipes off $6 trillion off stocks in a week Per a report by Reuters, AGR would select 120 commercial farmers, as well as 250,000 small and middle scale farmers under the new programme. The plan is to increase food security in the country as well as the surrounding regions. The fund would take are of 60,000 tonnes of fertilizer for wheat and soya farming, estimated to be worth $55 million. Another $26 million would be used for projects such as the expansion of grain storage silos. It is expected that the project would lead to a yield of 44,000 tonnes of wheat per season. Part of the fund has been guaranteed by the African Development Bank, the African Union, Sace Italy and Agriculture Grain International. Eventually, the farmers would derive benefits from the growth of the business as they gain access to markets and credit finance. In other news, in the year 2019, the internet in Africa experienced continuous and longer shutdowns, a new report has suggested. YEN.com.gh understands that some African leaders capitalized on the situation to manage or control information in their countries. Compared to the previous year, incidents of internet shutdowns across Africa increased by 32%, qz.com reports. The tactic, used in some countries was revealed by AccesNow, an internet access advocacy group. Information available shows that out of the number of African countries that shut down internet access in 2019, at least seven of them had one time in their past shut it down or did same in either 2017 and 2018. It has also been confirmed that 35 incidents of internet shutdowns lasted longer than seven days in 2019. 19 countries including Chad, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Eritrea, Mauritania, Sudan and Zimbabwe experienced cases of total or partial shutdown for more than seven days. Chad, however, experienced the worst case, with aspects of its social media blocked for a record 16 months. In the run-up to the February 22, 2020, presidential elections in Togo, there were reports of social media blocks of apps such as Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. READ ALSO: Facebook cancels massive developer conference over fears of spread of coronavirus Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Playstore now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Yenkasa: Coronavirus: Is Ghana ready? | #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 Top government aide said Britain doesnt need farmers or fishermen by Joe Roberts March 02,2020 | Source: Metro UK One of the most senior Government advisers has said the UK does not need its farming or fishing industries, according to reports. In comments seen by the Mail on Sunday, Dr Tim Leunig is understood to have said the food sector was not critically important to the countrys economy, and that agriculture and fisheries certainly isnt. The economic adviser to the Chancellor, in his leaked emails, is reported to have said ministers could follow the example of Singapore which is rich without having its own agricultural sector. The published opinions are likely to propel industry fears that ministers could discard safeguards for farmers and fishermen in the forthcoming post-Brexit trade talks with the US and the European Union. The Government has distanced itself from the comments made by the Treasury adviser. A spokesperson said: We have made clear the comments are not in line with Government policy. Sources said the remarks were made in personal emails and that Dr Leunig was not speaking in his Treasury role. The agriculture and fishing sectors represent less than 1% of the UKs economy respectively. But rural and coastal communities voted out in large numbers during the 2016 referendum after the Vote Leave campaign argued that farmers and fishermen would be better off once free of EU rules. Fishermen also fear promises made to them on increased catch quotas and controlling who fishes in British waters could be traded in exchange for market access during the talks with the EU, which are due to begin next week. Brussels has made clear it wants little to change in terms of access for European boats and quota allocation once the transition period is over in December. Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade. 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 Schools across the Bay Area are ready and waiting for what feels like the inevitable first case of coronavirus to hit their classrooms, resulting in possible closures and the potential cancellation of proms, sporting events and other large gatherings. Everybody is poised, said Michelle Smith McDonald, spokeswoman for the Alameda County Office of Education. Everybody is ready. As the number of U.S. cases passed 100 on Tuesday and the death toll hit nine in a growing outbreak outside Seattle Bay Area school officials sought to balance a growing anxiety among parents with prevention and preparation. I think its fair to say that theres more anxiety than weve experienced with previous crises, said Troy Flint, spokesman for the California School Boards Association. If the worst-case scenarios do play out, there are reasonable crisis response plans in place. Everyone operating from an overabundance of caution. Cases of COVID-19 the illness caused by the new coronavirus quadrupled over the weekend in the Bay Area, where more than two dozen people have now tested positive. Most of those cases are directly connected to overseas travel, but a growing number appear to be in people infected by the virus circulating in the community. On Tuesday, Santa Clara County said two more people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total count there to 11, and the city of Berkeley and Contra Costa County each reported their first cases. Both of the new Santa Clara County cases are under investigation to determine the source of transmission, while the Berkeley patient had traveled to a country experiencing an outbreak. The Contra Costa patient was in critical condition, and the source of infection was not known. Santa Clara County public health officials issued a new advisory Tuesday that older adults and people with health problems such as heart and lung disease, cancer and diabetes avoid mass gatherings, including parades, sporting events and concerts where large numbers of people are within arms length of one another. The county also advised that organizations that serve older adults cancel large group activities like bingo gatherings and movie screenings. People over age 50 and those with pre-existing health problems are more at risk of COVID-19 infection and serious illness. The increase in cases comes with expanded testing of people with COVID-19 symptoms, including fever and cough. Thirteen labs across California are able to test local residents, and the state has more than 1,000 testing kits available. But local leaders have criticized federal officials for delays in getting testing kits to local communities, a move that would help public health authorities identify and isolate new cases. In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed blasted the White House response to coronavirus, calling it anemic and deficient. The lack of test kits is a national disgrace, Breed wrote, adding that San Francisco has 250 kits, which she said is not nearly enough. We will not be able to contain, treat, or mitigate the effects of the virus if we cannot diagnose infection. San Francisco has not yet reported any COVID-19 cases in residents. The coronavirus situation is especially troubling in Washington state, where an outbreak in a long-term care facility near Seattle has infected at least 21 people. All nine deaths in the United States are related to that outbreak. There have also been reports of infections in students and teachers at nearby schools, and more than a dozen campuses have been closed in response. The Bay Area is experiencing nothing like that outbreak. The hope is that the sporadic cases reported so far in the region will be contained by public health authorities, and that emergency procedures to stall an outbreak wont be necessary. But with cases on the rise in local counties, there is an increasing sense of inevitability, officials said. School officials have stepped up efforts to disinfect common areas daily and teach basic hygiene, including how to wash hands and sneeze into sleeves. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidelines advising schools to prepare for closures or the cancellation of events for 14 days, or possibly longer if advised by local health officials. So far, public schools across the region remain open with no reported cases associated with school staff or students. The Healdsburg School, a private school in Sonoma County, closed on Monday after someone in the campus community although not a staff member was exposed to a case of coronavirus. We were not able to confer with Public Health last night or early this morning as the agency was closed, said Andy Davies, head of school, in a statement. At 6:15 this morning we made the cautious decision to close school for today. School officials announced Monday afternoon that the school would reopen Tuesday. Sonoma County officials declared a local emergency after the second case of the virus was confirmed in the county. Both cases involved people who had traveled recently and were not infected in the United States. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In Oakland, Manzanita Community School kindergarten teacher Olivia Udovic said she feared efforts to contain the virus could be stymied by run-down facilities, including bathrooms that lack hot water, soap and paper towels, as well as poorly ventilated classrooms. In that situation, germs are spreading even more, she said. School district officials across the region said they were in near constant communication with county health officials, who would be the ones to recommend school closures or other actions. In general, individual schools close during outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness for example, norovirus, which triggers a shutdown when at least a third of the school is affected. But with the coronavirus, school closures may be based on more nuanced factors. A school could shut down for just one case in the campus community in an effort to stop it from spreading, said Terry Koehne, spokesman for the Contra Costa County Office of Education. On the other hand, schools may remain open if the virus appears to be circulating locally but no staff or students are affected, he said. That is kind of counterintuitive, Koehne said. What actions could be taken at this point are really on a case-by-case basis. If schools do close because of the virus, officials can submit a waiver request to state officials to ensure the district continues to get state funding. Typically, the state does not provide funding when individual students are absent. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Sarah Ravani contributed to this report. Jill Tucker and Erin Allday are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker The condition of the man, who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus here, was stable and he is being treated in an isolated ward at the state-run Gandhi hospital in the city, Telangana Health Minister E Rajender said on Monday. The 24-year-old man, a software engineer who works in Bengaluru, had worked with people from Hong Kong in Dubai last month where he is suspected to have contracted the virus, Rajender told reporters. The man reached Bengaluru on February 19/20 and later came to Hyderabad in a bus. He took treatment for fever after coming to Hyderabad and was admitted to a private super speciality hospital in the city. As it did not subside, he came to the state-run Gandhi hospital on Sunday evening, Rajender said. According to the minister, the government is tracking all those who came in contact with him, including family members besides those who travelled with him in the bus and the medical staff in the private hospital where he was treated. The state government would function as per the guidelines of the Centre, the minister said. Rajender hoped that the man would be cured as it happened in the case of Indians who previously tested postive for the virus. The state government has informed its counterparts in Karnataka about the present case, he said, adding,arrangements were being made to ensure that the virus does not spread. Two fresh cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported in India, taking the number of people who have tested positive for the respiratory virus in the country to five so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy. The deadly virus, COVID-19, has killed 2,912 people in China and has spread to at least 58 countries. The three people, which include two medical students of a university at Wuhan, who had earlier tested positive for the virus in Thrissur, Alappuzuha and Kasaragod districts in Kerala were discharged following recovery. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Health Minister of UK Matt Hancock reportedly said on March 1 that the UK was planning to heighten its precautionary measures amid the global Coronavirus outbreak before it gets worse. Hancock described the outbreak as a very, very significant challenge, according to the international media reports. As per the reports, a meeting is expected to take place on Monday by the government's emergency response committee and it will be chaired by British PM Boris Johnson. The move signifies stepping up Britain's preparations for the deadly outbreak which originated in China and has claimed more than 3000 lives worldwide. READ: Malaysia Health Ministry Confirms Four New Coronavirus Cases Britain has 23 confirmed cases Hancock told British media that they have their own strategy to contain the spread of the virus which is a challenging task. He added that the UK Health Ministry is making plans in case the situation gets worse. According to reports, if the government finds the virus spreading rapidly, it has decided to let retired health workers register to work again and it will encourage people to work at home. Britain currently has 23 confirmed Coronavirus cases, as per reports. While addressing the media, Hancock also said that a visit to a British hospital had left him 100 per cent confident in its medical resilience. As per reports, the UK government will launch a new public information campaign this week, which will encourage people to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds. READ: Taiwan Authorities Reports One New Coronavirus Case, Issues Travel Alert China confirms 577 new cases On the other hand, China's health authorities have reportedly confirmed 577 new cases of the novel Coronavirus. The number of fatalities stood at 35, dipping from 47 reported the previous day. The total death toll in mainland China currently stands at 2,870, as per reports. At least 34 fatalities were reported in Hubei province, where COVID-19 first originated. The province detected the new cases within 24 hours, the National Health Commission of China said in media reports. China had earlier described the situation regarding the pathogen outbreak as "still grim and complex" as the disease spread globally raising international concerns. READ: Malaysia Health Ministry Confirms Four New Coronavirus Cases READ: Pak To Close Border With Afghanistan For 7 Days Amid Coronavirus Scare (With Agency Inputs) Domino's is giving away free pizza and $17,000 worth of cash to celebrate the opening of its 17,000th store. The milestone in Bradbury, south-west of Sydney, will be serving up free pizzas to customers from 12 to 1pm on Monday March 2. Seventeen pizza boxes will feature a hidden 'golden slice' inside worth $1000 cash. Seventeen Domino's pizza boxes will feature a hidden 'golden slice' inside worth $1,000 cash (pictured) The opening will be marked by a special visit and ribbon-cutting ceremony from Domino's executives from the USA and Australia. Don Meij, CEO and Managing Director of Domino's Australia, said he is honoured that the milestone store is opening in Australia. 'We couldn't be more thrilled to commemorate Domino's 17,000th store in the world, right here in Bradbury.' The opening of the 17,000th store in Bradbury (pictured) will be marked by a special visit and ribbon-cutting ceremony 'The first Domino's store in Australia opened in 1983 and since then we have grown to 700 stores across the country.' He also said the company hopes to open more stores in the near future. The first Domino's store opened in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1983. Auto manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra plans to enter the shared mobility services segment with the launch of a cab aggregator, called Alyte, for corporates. The introduction of the service will put M&M in direct competition with Ola and Uber. The company claims a quarter of Alyte's fleet will be EVs in the next two-three years. M&M also aims to bring all its mobility businesses under one vertical. Under the new plan, Alyte (currently under Mahindra Logistics), Meru Cabs (majority owned by M&M), Glyd (M&M's e-vehicle cab service) and First Choice (used car business) will all come under the new business vertical called Mobility Services. Alyte will be a substantial attempt by the company to get into the cab aggregator and shared mobility services segment. "We are introducing a nationwide brand around our mobility service called Alyte from this quarter," Mahindra Logistics CEO Rampraveen Swaminathan told The Economic Times. Alyte app coming soon M&M will launch a mobile application for Alyte this month. The service will work on a contract basis with companies. The contract will include services to ferry the company's employees to and from offices to the employees' homes, warehouses or places of meetings. The app will later diversify its services into an on-call service. This will enable employees to book a seat for a trip to the airport among other services. The company's employees that are covered by the contract will be able to use Alyte by submitting their employee ID's or other account details. How it's different from Ola, Uber Ola has a significant share in the corporate taxi services through its Ola Corporate feature. Recently, Uber had also entered the segment through its Uber for Business feature. According to reports, over 10,000 companies spread across 22 different industries are currently using Ola Corporate. Alyte will be a B2B application and will work through corporate partnerships thus its functioning will be significantly different from B2C services such as Uber and Ola. Also Read: Tata Motors domestic sales slump 34% in February as coronavirus disrupts supplies Also Read: Mahindra & Mahindra February sales plunge 42% to 32,476, exports down 40% The threat will have chilled Europe's leaders to the bone. Turkey's autocratic president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced that his country would no longer enforce the deal struck with the EU in 2016 to prevent millions of Syrian and other refugees who have poured into his country from leaving for Western shores. 'The doors are now open. Now you [in Europe] will have to take your share of the burden,' he declared. So far only a few thousands migrants have amassed on the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. But Erdogan has promised millions are on their way, and Greek border guards are already saying they cannot cope. There is now a real possibility that we could see a European migration crisis on a larger and more disastrous than that following German Chancellor Angela Merkel decision in 2015 to open her country's borders to more than a million refugees. Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) announced that his country will no longer enforce the deal struck with the EU in 2016 to prevent millions of Syrian and other refugees who have poured into his country from leaving for Western shores It was a decision that unleashed political chaos, helped fuel the rise of populist far-Right parties across Europe, and is considered by many to be behind Merkel's protracted political downfall. By detonating this latest immigration timebomb, Erdogan is cynically using his trump card to try to force Europe (with billions in financial aid) and Nato (with bombs and bullets) to back him in his rapidly escalating conflict with Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad. The horrific war in Syria, with its use of poison gas and barrel bombs and its toll of hundreds of thousands of casualties, has put them at each other's throats. One reason is that their two countries share 500 miles of border, across which 3.6 million refugees have fled from Syria to Turkey following the start of the civil war in 2012. Another is Erdogan's support for rebel groups fighting Assad as a Sunni Muslim, he is instinctively opposed to Assad's Shiite-backed regime. On top of this, Erdogan loathes the Kurds who comprise up to 20 per cent of Turkey's population and for decades have demanded their own state. He has bombed Kurdish forces in northern Syria to ensure they never manage to establish a Kurdish nation on his border. Now, the conflict between Turkey and Syria threatens to flare into a terrifying all-out war. Until recently, Erdogan, who has treacherously cosied up to Russian president Vladimir Putin despite being a Nato member, had been held in check by Putin, who has never made any secret of his determination to keep his ally Assad in power. In 2017, Russia and Turkey even signed an agreement to 'de-escalate' hostilities in four rebel areas opposed to Assad. One of these was the province of Idlib in north-western Syria. Migrants move towards the border in Ipsala district of Turkey's Edirne province on Monday Migrants gather around a bonfire as they try to warm themselves in Edirne, Turkey, at the Turkish-Greek border on Monday Over the past ten days, however, all pretence over this agreement has been abandoned as Russia allowed Syria to pulverise Idlib, which is now seen as the one remaining stronghold against the Assad regime. Turkish forces, which have established bases in the province, have been among the casualties. On Thursday night, 34 were killed in an air strike. Turkey responded with drone and artillery attacks which killed scores of Assad fighters and destroyed two airfields. Yesterday two Syrian jets were shot down and three Turkish drones attacked. As a Nato member, Turkey is within its rights to call for support from the organisation. And America is only too happy to see Erdogan fall out with Putin. On the other hand the Western democracies don't like Erdogan's authoritarian ways at home or his treatment of Kurds. And no-one wants to be dragged into a war proxy or otherwise with a nuclear-armed Russia. If Turkey and Russia end up in conflict, the rest of us in Nato will face a hard choice: join in or abandon an ally to Putin's mercy. With so many blood-soaked fingers in the Syrian pie, it is easy to despair about what to do. A migrant throws a gas canister in response to Greek security forces' intervention as they continue to wait at the Pazarkule Border Gate in Karaagac neighbourhood in Edirne, Turkey A baby cries as 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 Lesbos, Greece But our frustration at the lack of decent options is nothing to the dilemmas facing the 3 million civilians in Idlib, huddling in makeshift refugee camps and bombed-out buildings. The grand strategy of Russia versus the West is no concern to them merely naked survival. They are trapped between a Syrian army pushing them towards Turkey, and intransigent Turkish border guards refusing to let them in. Erdogan says his country can't take any more refugees unless it lets the 3.6 million already there flee to Europe. And this, he claims, is why he is sending 'millions' our way. Even if we in Nato don't want to wage war in Syria, the consequences of that war are going to come to us. In addition to all the problems of housing and feeding an unexpected wave of millions of refugees, there is the growing danger of the spread of coronavirus. Stranded migrants are rescued by Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency team from an islet at Evros River in Edirne, Turkey as they try to reach Europe If anyone lacks the means to 'self-isolate' or just keep their hands clean, it is refugees. These poor people have gone for years without basic public health and vaccination against known contagious diseases. Now they are threatened by the new virus, but so are citizens across Europe if they flood westwards. Erdogan is blackmailing the West. He hides this by using humanitarian language but it is clear that Turkey is throwing its weight around. Some might welcome the Turks confronting the Assad regime in Syria, but no-one can trust a president such as Erdogan who uses refugees like bargaining chips to squeeze financial aid out of us. To put it crudely, we have a vested interest in stopping a mass exodus. Western European governments have to try to pressure all the warring groups to accept a real ceasefire. Erdogan has said he will head to Moscow on Thursday 'to discuss the developments in Syria' with Putin. He says he hopes to 'find a solution to this affair'. Whatever our misgivings about the man, we must all pray that he succeeds not just for our sake in the West, but in the interests of common humanity. Mark Almond is director of the Crisis Research Institute, Oxford DES MOINES -- Joni Ernsts electoral victory six years ago gave Iowa a pair of Republican U.S. senators for the first time since the mid-1980s. Iowa Democrats had a chance to restore political balance in 2016, but Patty Judge was unable to unseat longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. Democrats get their second chance this year as Ernst faces re-election for the first time. There are five Democrats officially running in a primary race that will decide which candidate challenges Ernst in the November general election. Iowas primary election is June 2. Ernst is seen as a slight favorite to hold onto the seat, but not a dramatic favorite, according to national forecasters. Most rate Iowas U.S. Senate race as leans Republican, while one rates it likely Republican. Democrats chances of winning back the seat rest with one of five potential challengers. THERESA GREENFIELD Age: 56 Resides: Des Moines Profession: small business leader Family: married, four children Greenfield is a familiar name in Iowa Democratic politics. She ran in the 2018 3rd District Congressional primary but dropped out when it was revealed that one of her campaign staffers falsified signatures on her nominating petition. Greenfield was considered an intriguing candidate in that race before she had to drop out. Cindy Axne won the primary instead and is now finishing her first two-year term in the U.S. House. Greenfield grew up on a farm in Minnesota, near the Iowa-Minnesota border. Her first husband was killed in an accident at his job as an electrical worker. She has led the Iowa division of Rottland Homes and served as president of Colby Interests, a Des Moines real estate and development company. Greenfield may be the favorite early in this U.S. Senate primary, based on fundraising and endorsements. Through the end of the year, Greenfield had raised $3.4 million, far and away the most among the Democratic candidates when subtracting self-funding. And she has been endorsed by a number of influential Democrats, both in Iowa and nationally. She is being supported by the campaign arm of Democratic leadership in the U.S. Senate, and in Iowa she has been endorsed by retiring Democratic 2nd District Congressman Dave Loebsack and freshman 1st District Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer. Greenfield also has been endorsed by a number of influential political organizations, including the states largest public employee labor union, EMILYs List, NARAL, and End Citizens United. EDDIE MAURO Age: 57 Resides: Des Moines Profession: small business owner Family: married, two children A lifelong Iowan, Mauro started his professional career as a teacher but then started a small property and casualty insurance business. He is a co-founder of A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy, on organizing group for community causes. For example, the group lobbied for state mental health care reform and allowing immigrants brought to the country illegally as children to obtain drivers licenses. His campaigns website says Mauro has participated in community service, activism, and organizing, and fought for social, economic and environmental justice. Mauro has shown a willingness to put his own resources into his campaign. In 2019 he poured $1.5 million into his campaign. MICHAEL FRANKEN Age: 62 Resides: Sioux City Profession: veteran Family: married, two children Franken is a 37-year U.S. Navy veteran. He retired a three-star admiral after working in military and legislative affairs, personally briefing the U.S. defense secretary and serving as a military fellow to the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, according to Frankens campaign. Franken also commissioned the USS Winston S. Churchill and commanded an international task force of ships, according to his campaign. His campaign will be focused on addressing climate change in a way that benefits Iowa farmers, ensuring all Americans have access to the same kind of health care available to military members, and tackling political corruption. Franken raised $334,000 in 2019. KIMBERLY GRAHAM Age: 55 Resides: Des Moines Profession: attorney Family: single, one child As an attorney, Graham works in court as an advocate for abused or neglected kids. A graduate of Drake University Law School, she previously worked as a flight attendant and union organizer. Graham has been appealing to the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic primary electorate. She often could be spotted at Sanders events during the run-up to Februarys first-in-the-nation caucuses. On her campaign website, Graham calls for universal, single-payer health care and a government by the people, for the people, and laments preventable deaths due to the greed of big pharma and the corporate health care industry, a climate in crisis, and for the livelihoods of farmers who have been impacted by international trade negotiations. Graham has pledged to accept only individual donations and none from corporate political action committees. She raised $32,000 in the first portion of 2019 but has not yet filed a report for the final three months of 2019. The Federal Elections Commission sent her campaign a notice of a need to file. CAL WOODS Age: 63 Resides: Des Moines Profession: fencing contractor Woods, a contractor who works with chain link and cedar fencing, grew up on a hog farm in Mount Vernon. He joined the U.S. Navy after high school, completing two tours of duty aboard the U.S.S. Chicago, a guided missile cruiser, in the western Pacific Ocean. He graduated the University of Iowa and worked as a news reporter in newspapers and television for 16 years. Though he didn't make his candidacy official until mid-December, Woods said he's been "actively campaigning" since June because he didn't see a "sense of urgency and passion" from the Democrats in the race. His big issues are climate change and health care. He's for a public option but said he would be open to a Medicare for All-style plan if it was the most politically expedient. But above all else, he's running to put in place policies to combat climate change. "For the sake of those coming generations, we need to tackle our climate crisis now," Woods said. "Because if we don't -- and we need to tackle it with all sense of urgency -- the next generation and the one after that, they're going to see some really bad things." Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 By Trend In connection with the temporary closure of the border between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan on February 29, appropriate measures are being taken to ensure the return of Azerbaijani citizens, who are currently in Iran, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan told Trend. For this purpose, a flight from Iran to Azerbaijan will be organized on March 4 and, through a special corridor, citizens will be returned to the country. Citizens wishing to return from Iran to Azerbaijan must register at Azerbaijans embassy in Tehran and the Consulate General in Tabriz. Azerbaijani citizens evacuated from Iran will be quarantined. According to the World Health Organization, the quarantine for the detection of coronavirus infection is 14-29 days. All citizens must comply with the quarantine regime to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Address of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Tehran, Neyistan 3, Rastovana St., 16 Phone: (+98 910) 559 56 10 (+9821) 22 55 82 99 (+9821) 22 55 42 55 Address of the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tabriz: Tabriz, Veliasr, Arif St., 9 Phone: (+98 902) 095 13 83 (+98413) 333 48 02/04 --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz In this week's #FairnessFirst, I interviewed CEO of the UK-based D&AD, Patrick Burgoyne whilst in South Africa to attend Design Indaba, on everything from the trend towards creativity for social good, the importance of diversity in the creative industry and changes in the business of design. Patrick Burgoyne, D&AD's CEO One of the key changes you've made to the D&AD Awards this year is the introduction of the Design Transformation category. Tell us more about this. Any other key changes you've made to the awards this year? What themes is the Festival going to address this year? In Imagine Joining Forces , we will be exploring how creativity can produce solutions, create consensus and forge a united path forward. , we will be exploring how creativity can produce solutions, create consensus and forge a united path forward. Imagine Unleashing Talent looks at the barriers to great new talent coming through and how our industry is tackling them. looks at the barriers to great new talent coming through and how our industry is tackling them. Imagine Reinventing Commerce examines new, disruptive models for business that will support sustainable futures. examines new, disruptive models for business that will support sustainable futures. Imagine Progressing Humanity asks how we can use technology to create a better world for all, and asks how we can use technology to create a better world for all, and Imagine Brilliance showcases outstanding work from around the world. Tell us about D&AD Future Impact. You run a number of other programmes to encourage a more accessible and diverse industry what are these? Theres a trend towards creativity for social good. What is your opinion on the matter? Design and creativity have huge power to change behaviour and values. It is very exciting to see that power being deployed in the cause of social good. What is the change you hope to see in the industry? Designers and creatives help shape the world, define our values and the behaviours we aspire towards. Burgoyne has been attending Design Indaba on and off for 20 years. This time, I was very struck by the hugely diverse ways in which design is tackling major issues in the world, from malaria to flooding to supporting and preserving cultures. It was also very exciting to see how, over the years, the programme has embraced more and more African content and speakers from beyond Europe and the US.Speaking of which, here, he goes on to tell us about some of the key changes theyve made to the Awards this year and how their programmes encourage a more accessible and diverse industryIt's very important that the D&AD awards always reflect the industry and the work that our community does. Design is going through a very exciting period of change where organisations are recognising its potential to unlock and drive change across organisations, including services, products and every facet of customer experience, as well as comms. The Design Transformation category is a place to showcase this extremely important area of design.The Awards evolve every year following consultation with our community and past jury members. We have redefined some of our digital design categories and added more emphasis on service design, and have reviewed the product design categories to make them more in line with industry standard.We have also moved the writing categories into the main sector categories such as Graphic Design and Commercials. This is because, over the past four years, judges in those larger categories were telling us that they would have awarded work for its writing if only we had provided them with a sub-category to do so. We hope that this move will result in more great writing being awarded at D&AD and as ever, we will continue to listen to feedback from our juries and refine our processes year to year.The Festival will be organised around five conversations this year under the overall theme of Imagine Everything:Future Impact is our scheme to support great innovative ideas that drive positive social change and which are in the earliest stages of development. Selected projects are supported over a 12-month programme centred around a two-day boot camp in New York at which the founders receive expert advice and support on how to accelerate their idea.We support a number of initiatives in this area run by other organisations, such as Creative Equals and Rare. D&AD itself runs Shift, a free night school for young creative people who have not had the opportunity to access a university degree. Shift at present runs in London and New York. With the support of the industry and brand partners, our Shifters receive expert training and support so that they are ready to enter the workplace.It has a fantastic record of achievement with over 70% of participants going on to be employed in creative roles in advertising and design. It's one of the programmes that I think all of us at D&AD are most proud of as it literally changes lives and is beginning to help our industry tackle its diversity issues.We have a long way to go on that, but Shift shows the importance of supporting young people with talent from underprivileged backgrounds and the incredible value they bring to the agencies and design studios they go on to work for. We know that more diverse teams produce better work, and Shift helps create those teams.However, in some circumstances, some of the projects emerging in this space can be superficial or inauthentic. Awards shows have to acknowledge their role in this as there has been a tendency for projects to be created predominantly in order to win awards rather than to have a lasting impact.We must ensure that our judging process is rigorous and questioning enough and that we provide our juries with the right information to be able to identify those projects that have genuine value and celebrate them.The climate crisis poses a huge challenge to our entire society. Design and advertising have a massive role to play in tackling this. At Design Indaba we saw many examples of how this can happen.We invent the future. We have a central role and a responsibility to help our clients create a thriving, sustainable world that works for all of us, and D&AD can help with this by supporting, educating, showcasing and encouraging our industry as it takes on this challenge. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Monday recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Sources said that the Delhi government made the recommendation just a few minutes after it received the mercy petition from the Union Home Ministry. ALSO READ: We had made all preparations to hang Nirbhaya's convicts, says Tihar authorities "The Delhi government has recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta. The file has now been sent to Lt Governor Anil Baijal for his recommendation," a source told PTI. Earlier in the day, the Union Home Ministry received the mercy petition of Pawan (25), officials said on Monday. The ministry will forward the petition to President Ram Nath Kovind for his consideration and decision. ALSO READ: Delay in hanging shows failure of system, says Nirbhaya's mother A Delhi court on Monday deferred till further order the hanging of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Hanging of the four convicts was scheduled for Tuesday at 6 AM. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana said the death sentence cannot be executed pending disposal of mercy petition of convict Pawan. The court passed the order on Pawan's plea seeking to stay the execution as he has filed a mercy petition before the President on Monday. Mariano's numbers make his isolation under Zidane incomprehensible Real Madrid Best minutes-per-goal ratio under Frenchman Mariano Diaz scored with his first touches of the ball during Sunday night's Clasico to wrap up a precious win for Real Madrid over Barcelona, but it is not just due to netting in 52 seconds that should cause Zinedine Zidane to rethink his sparse use of the striker. Not only were they his first 52 seconds of the match, but his first taste of action of any kind in LaLiga Santander all campaign, such has been the extent of the former Lyon man's isolation. Mariano has turned down numerous offers from clubs around Europe over the course of the last year due to his persistence in succeeding at Real Madrid. His eagerness to score for Los Blancos has been demonstrated not only in El Clasico but throughout his time under Zidane, particularly his knack of finding the net in limited time. Across Zidane's two spells in charge of Real Madrid, the Frenchman's most effective forward is Mariano, statistically speaking. Mariano has the best 'minutes-per-goal' ratio of anyone under Zidane for Real Madrid, with eight goals scored in 551 minutes, which equates to one every 69 minutes. The Spanish-Dominican forward scored five goals in 303 minutes in Zidane's first spell and so far has three in 248 minutes in his second. In comparison, during the same period of time, Gareth Bale has played 1,633 minutes and has scored four times, only one more than Mariano, at the rate of a goal every 408 minutes. His goal in the Clasico could be the catalyst for more chances in the first team, and he has the numbers to justify more opportunities than most attackers in the current squad. English Finnish TELESTE CORPORATION INVESTOR NEWS 2.3.2020 AT 14:10 EET TELESTE TO INITIATE CO-DETERMINATION NEGOTIATIONS Teleste Corporation will initiate co-determination negotiations in accordance with the Act on Co-operation within Undertakings in order to adapt its operations. The negotiations may lead to possible redundancies, temporary lay-offs and part-time employment contracts due to production and financial reasons. The reason for the adjustments is the ongoing technological transformation in the Network Products business area that has led to decreased demand for traditional access network products, as stated in the 2019 financial statement release. This change decreases the related capacity need in production and supporting functions. According to our estimate, the deliveries of distributed access architecture products will commence during the second half of 2020. However, the production of these new products does not require a corresponding amount of production capacity. The negotiations will concern HFC business unit employees in Teleste Corporation's Operations, Logistics and Sourcing and customer support department at the Littoinen plant in Finland. The potential need for personnel reductions is estimated to maximum 35 people. The negotiations will aim to find solutions for adapting Teleste's operations to the technological transformation in the market situation without endangering the company's growth opportunities. TELESTE CORPORATION Jukka Rinnevaara CEO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Jukka Rinnevaara, tel. +358 2 2605 611 DISTRIBUTION: Main Media www.teleste.com Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said his government has not signed off on a United States peace agreement pledge to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners by March 10. The U.S. and the Taliban reached a deal Saturday that is poised to end the sides' 18-year conflict in Afghanistan. The main conditions of the agreement are a phased U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban denying extremist groups from using Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks on the U.S. and its allies. It also stipulated the U.S. will work to "expeditiously release" the Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government in the hopes of igniting peace talks between the government and the Taliban by the March deadline. But Ghani said that shouldn't be a prerequisite for intra-Afghan discussions, and instead should be part of the negotiations. The government, he said, has made no such commitment. "It is not in the authority of the United States to decide, they are only a facilitator," he said, adding that "it's the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan." The deal, while heralded by the Trump administration, is anything but settled, and it already has a number of critics. This particular hold up, BBC reports, looks like it stems from the U.S. using different language in its communications with Kabul and the Taliban. The deal itself says the U.S. will help get the prisoners released before the intra-Afghan talks, but a joint U.S.-Afghan declaration only said Washington will play a role in helping the other two sides assess the "feasibility" of a release. Read more at BBC and Al Jazeera. More stories from theweek.com It's not 1972 and Bernie Sanders isn't George McGovern Coronavirus might be the end of international travel as we know it It's 2020 and women are exhausted Several federal court rulings in recent days have challenged the actions and personnel of the Trump administrations extreme anti-immigrant agenda, setting the stage for a series of cases that will likely be decided by the majority right-wing US Supreme Court. On Sunday, Washington DC US District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that President Trumps appointment of Ken Cuccinelli as acting director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was in violation of the 1998 Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA). The immediate result of the ruling is the suspension of two Cuccinelli directives implemented since his appointment last June aimed at dramatically reducing the number of migrants approved by immigration authorities for asylum in the US. The USCIS is an agencylike Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customers and Border Protection (CBP)within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is responsible for processing and adjudicating applications for work visas, asylum and US citizenship. Cuccinelli, who also holds the number two position within DHS, was never formally nominated for either position due his unpopularity with both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. Cuccinelli at the White House, Photo credit AP-Evan Vucci The FVRA regulates who the president can appoint to certain positions within his Cabinet. By creating a new position for Cuccinelli called principal deputy director, the Trump administration attempted to skirt around FVRA requirements stipulating that the director of USCIS must serve in a subordinate role as first assistant before becoming director. Judge Moss, an Obama administration appointee, wrote in his ruling, Cuccinelli may have the title of Principal Deputy Director, and the Department of Homeland Securitys order of succession may designate the office of the Principal Deputy Director as the first assistant to the Director. But labelswithout any substancecannot satisfy the FVRAs default rule under any plausible reading of the statute. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrant advocacy groups Democracy Forward and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network on behalf of an immigration legal center and seven asylum-seekers. In their suit, the group both challenged Cuccinellis appointment and his directives as eviscerating protections for asylum seekers fleeing persecution by cutting the adjudication process and prohibiting applicants from obtaining a continuance. The right-wing Republican Cuccinelli and former attorney general for the state of Virginia made a name for himself when discussing the Trump administrations public charge rule on National Public Radio last August. When asked about the White House plan to give green cards and visas only to immigrants who can prove they will not use government services, Cuccinelli made up words for the bronze plaque at the Statue of Liberty, saying, Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge. In another ruling last Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld an injunction against the Trump administrations poorly-named Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) implemented in January 2019. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court blocked the MPP that has been forcing non-Mexican asylum seekers to remain outside the US southern border while their cases move through the immigration courts. Also known as the Remain in Mexico policy, the MPP has been a central part of the campaign by the Trump White House against migrants from Central America who have fled their home countries seeking asylum in the US. Since the MPP was implemented, 59,000 applicants for asylum have been turned back to Mexican border cities to await a decision on their claims for protection, a process that can take months or years to be completed. Immediately following the decision against MPP, the three-judge panel stayed its own ruling and granted the Trump administrations petition for an immediate appeal. The court has given lawyers for both sides until Monday to respond to the stay. Cuccinelli public relations image, Photo credit USCIS Fraudulently adopted by DHS as a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers, the MPP policy states certain foreign individuals entering or seeking admission to the US from Mexicoillegally or without proper documentationmay be returned to Mexico and wait outside of the US for the duration of their immigration proceedings. The reality facing asylum seekers who are forced to remain in Mexican border cities is that they face violence and kidnapping while living in makeshift shelters and vast tent encampments exposed to the elements. There are also reports that Mexican drug cartels have moved in to exploit these vulnerable people, many of whom are women and children. The Ninth Circuits decision to stay its own ruling was made late Friday when CBP officials became alarmed as groups of migrants began gathering at international bridges expecting that they would be granted entry into the US. In issuing its decision, the majority on the court ruled that the original nationwide injunction imposed by US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco last April, blocking the MPP from being implemented, was lawful. Seeborgs ruling was stayed by a lower court which at that time sided with Trump administration attorneys who argued that a little-known provision of a 1996 federal law allows immigration officials to return migrants to contiguous countries while their cases for US entry are being processed. Backing Seeborgs position, the Ninth Circuit majority ruled that MPP was invalid in its entirety and in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act by not providing safeguards against refoulement that protect refugees from threats to their life or freedom by returning them to Mexico or to their country of origin. In a third case, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled 3-0 on Friday to uphold a block on the Trump administrations rule preventing migrants who cross the border between ports of entry from applying for asylum. The ruling said that the policy contradicts US immigration laws which state that [a]ny alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States (whether or not at a designated port of arrival ...) irrespective of such aliens status, may apply for asylum. While the latest series of court decisions have challenged Trumps immigration policies, the administration is pressing ahead with its attacks on immigrant rights. On Friday, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, an agency within the Justice Department, announced a new fee schedule for asylum seekers that requires a $50 payment to have their case heard in court. Previously, individuals fleeing persecution could apply for asylum in the US without regard to their ability to pay. Other proposed changes to immigration fees include a nearly ten-fold increase in the cost of challenging immigrant deportation orders in US courts to nearly $1,000, an increase of $990 for green card fees to a total of $2,750 and an increase of $445 for the naturalization of new citizens to $1,170. Clearly, everything the Trump administration is doing is aimed at reducing the number of immigrants entering into the US regardless of where they come from or how they enter the country. The immigration policies of the White House are in violation of US and international laws and the inconsistency of the US courtsas well as the Congressional Democrats who have repeatedly voted to fund Trumps border wallon these issues of basic democratic rights shows that no confidence can be placed in the institutions of the US government to defend migrant workers. Only the unity of American workers with their brothers and sisters in every country around the globe against the growth of nationalism and anti-immigrant laws as part of the fight for socialism can guarantee the rights of all workers. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 15:20:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 540 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Luvu Brands, Inc., (OTCQB:LUVU), a designer, manufacturer and marketer of a portfolio of consumer lifestyle brands, today announced that it will be presenting at the third annual LD Micro Virtual Conference on Wednesday, March 4 at 3:20 PM EST (12:20 PM PST). Luvu Brands management will be giving the presentation and answering questions from investors.The conference will be held via webcast and will feature over 40 companies in the small/micro-cap space. The investor presentation used by Luvu Brands at the conference will be posted in the investor relations section of the Company's website on the day of the event.Interested parties can register in advance or access the live presentation at the following link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2019/33407 View the profile for Luvu Brands here: https://www.ldmicro.com/profile/luvu "We are delighted to be hosting our third virtual event in order to showcase some of the truly unique names in micro-cap" stated Chris Lahiji, President of LD Micro. "There are many people and companies who are unable to attend our live events, due to any number of reasons, so we are happy to offer an additional way for companies to present to investors without taking a lot of time out of their day-to-day operations. While virtual events will never replace the experience of sitting in the same room with other humans, it is a great format for updating the investor community and getting increased exposure." Profiles powered by LD Micro - News Compliments of AccesswireAbout Luvu BrandsLuvu Brands, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of consumer lifestyle brands through the Company's websites, online mass / drug merchants and specialty retail stores worldwide. Brands include: Liberator, a brand category of iconic products for enhancing sensuality and intimacy; Avana, inclined bed therapy products, assistive in relieving medical conditions associated with acid reflux, surgery recovery and chronic pain; and Jaxx, a diverse range of casual fashion daybeds, sofas and beanbags made from virgin and re-purposed polyurethane foam. Many of our products are offered flat-packed and vacuum compressed to save on shipping and reduce our carbon footprint. The Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia in a 140,000 square foot vertically-integrated manufacturing facility that employs over 165 people. Creating innovative consumer brands are core to the Company's operating principles. The Company's brand sites include: www.liberator.com www.avanacomfort.com plus other global e-commerce sites. For more information about Luvu Brands, please visit www.luvubrands.com About LD MicroLD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event).In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe.For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com for more information.Company Contact:Luvu Brands, Inc.Ronald ScottChief Financial Officer770-246-6426ron@ LuvuBrands.com SOURCE: Luvu Brands via LD Micro The government said on Monday passengers coming from Italy and Iran would also undergo thermal screening for coronavirus after two people tested positive for COVID-19. Flyers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are already being screened at airports. Universal screening of all passengers in flights from Italy and Iran besides the flights from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia shall be ensured immediately once they step out of the specific at all the airports and getting the self-declaration form filled by the passengers as per the instructions of the ministry of health & family welfare, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) said in its order. All airlines have also been directed to make in-flight announcements coming from these countries, the aviation regulator said. Authorities in Italy have said that the number of people infected in the country soared 50% to 1694 in just 24 hours, and five more had died, bringing the death toll there to 34. In Iran, the health ministry on Sunday raised the nationwide death toll from the new coronavirus to 54 as the number of confirmed infected cases jumped overnight by more than half to 978 people. In India, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said one of the new cases was detected in Delhi and the other from Telangana. A third case was also reported from Rajasthans Jaipur where a 69-year-old Italian national tested positive for coronavirus. Harsh Vardhan said the infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy and the other from Telangana came back from Dubai, adding both patients were stable and being closely monitored. The minister also advised that Indian citizens need to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore, Republic of Korea, Iran and Italy. National Climate Action Report Fremantle, WA The National Day of Climate Action in Western Australia was held in Fremantle (Walylup). The rally was opened with a welcome to country by Aunty Maureen Mingili who compared the ongoing destruction of the environment and ensuing climate change to the destruction of her peoples land when the white settlers came remembering the ripping up of the bush and setting fire to it as a child. Mingili added that the health of the land is what contributes to good health from an Indigenous persons perspective. Present at the rally were a group of men and women dressed in blood red robes and whitened faces. This group called themselves the Red Rebels (a sect of Extinction Rebellion), and their presentation was a representation of the climate apocalypse. Many protesters found their presence to be disturbing and off putting that was their aim. A spokeswoman from the campaign to save native forests in the south west said that we are living in a time of a climate emergency which was made evident through the latest report released in August 2019 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which stated deforestation accounts for one third of all carbon emissions. The spokeswoman added, Forests have a right to exist of and by themselves. Despite the huge campaign waged in the early 2000s to save old growth forests which resulted in large areas being set aside in reserves, old growth forests are still being cut down in the form of karri trees which are sent to the Diamond Mill near Pemberton for woodchips and the jarrah forests which are being cut down near Nannup to supply the smelter at Kemberton with charcoal as part of the process of making silica. Greens Member of the Legislative Council, Tim Clifford, said the political system is sick as it seems incapable of getting its priorities right. Woodside, Chevron, and Shell are proceeding with their development of the Burrup Hub and Browse Basin projects which will prove to be an, unmitigated disaster of which the cumulative emissions will be four times greater than the Adani Coal project in Queensland. Clifford said these extractive industries, use a different type of language, which allows them to ignore the environmental consequences in their pursuit of profits. But the actions of these corporations and the acquiescence by the state and federal governments make it look like, we are in a bus heading into a brick wall. The corporations make their money and then leave town. Katie and Amy from School Strike for Climate Change were next to appear. They were promoting their next action for climate justice on 15th May, to build on from their last rally on 20th September 2019, when 15,000 people turned out to protest. Part of their demands include, No new gas or coal projects, All renewables by 2030, and Just transition for workers in the non-renewable energy sector. We have had a number of climate related disasters during 2019 as well as record dry and heat spells throughout the world, including the bush fires of the eastern states from September till February 2020. In Kenya and Sudan, it has led to the worst locust outbreak in twenty-five years as clouds of locusts devour the food needed by humanity in that region of Africa which has vacillated in recent years between drought and flood. Kerry from the Anti-Nuclear Alliance addressed the rally on the campaign against uranium mining and nuclear energy and spoke of its success in ensuring not one ounce of uranium yellowcake was exported from WA in the last forty years. Nuclear power is dangerous as it needs a lot of water and carbon-based energy in order to produce nuclear energy and radioactive waste. Nuclear also leaves a legacy of a long-term risk to human health and is a distraction from the transformation to renewable energy. Sam Wainwright, a councillor from the Fremantle City, and member of Socialist Alliance, said the bush fire crisis has blown away the denial about global warming. However, he warned that emissions targets for 2050 being touted by Liberal and Labor are unreasonable as we need to deal with feedback loops that will occur before then. Wainright added it was not enough to paint a picture of apocalyptic climate change, we needed to push harder for the activation of renewable energy projects such as the Fremantle Community Wind Farm for which $500,000 has been spent on a feasibility study and is ready to go but is being held back by governmental approval rumoured to relate to objections by the states energy supplier, Synergy. Leila Folland from Extinction Rebellion said it was necessary to have, Creative disruption of the media, industry, and government as there was a dissonance between what industry wanted and what was humanly and environmentally possible. Folland called on the WA government to declare a climate emergency something other local governments, states and countries around the world have done but which the WA government is unable to do as it is held captive by the carbon emitting/extractive industries. The 150 protesters then marched around the city of Fremantle to spread their message through colourful banners and chants and funky music which had people in the march dancing as well as other people along the march route. The Communist Party of Australia supports the call by a number of groups in the rally for the phasing out of fossil fuels and a just transition to new renewables. Over 50 indigenous residents in the communities in Tabasco, a Mexican state, have threatened that they would bring death to the employees and staff of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) who would try to disconnect their power for not paying their bills. Most of the customers who are displeased and dissatisfied are from the municipality of Centro. They stated that the rates they are required to pay have increased too much and therefore have announced that they belong to the "civil resistance" versus the company that is state-run. Nicolas Sanchez, a spokesman for the movement of the civil resistance, announced a press conference that he and his people are willing and prepared to pay but he wants it to be fair. Sanchez also stated that their opposition is established and founded on not paying and that they will not let any workers from the CFE to disconnect their power in their communities. He added that they will also not allow any of the workers to have a chance to view and take the reading of the meters and that chased out of town. He said that the residents are requesting that the CFE should charge them a single preferential rate the entire year. The customers of CFE in Tabasco pay a cheaper and more inexpensive rate at the moment in the summer season compared to winter. This has led several customers to protest and grumble that they won't be able to afford the higher bills they are will be charged when the winter season comes. Adan Augusto Lopez Hernandez, the Governor of Tabasco who is a politician associated with Morena, a National Regeneration Movement held in Mexico, responded by pointing out the rates they have charged in Tabasco are not high but the most expensive in the entire country. The customers of CFE have years of experience of resisting to pay their electricity bills in the Gulf coast state, the location where President Lopez Obrador has launched a movement for civil resistance in the year 1995 to rally versus the controversially accused fraud in the gubernatorial election in 1994, an event where he lost to Roberto Madrazo, a politician from Mexico who was part of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. Over 500,000 electricity customers have accumulated a total debt of 11 billion pesos in bills that are unpaid over the following 25 years. However, the CFE has granted to eliminate the total amount in the middle of the year 2019, but several customers still have decided not to pay their electric bills after the slate was erased on June 1. The director of the distribution division of the state company, Guillermo Nevarez, announced that the situation had improved this month as nearly 60 percent of the electricity customers in Tabasco are now paying their bills right and on time. In a piece of recent news, Guillermo told in a press conference that the Federal Electricity Commission had late customer debt of a total of 55 billion pesos or 2.9 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2019. M ore than nine out of 10 Good Morning Britain viewers say that taxpayers should not have to pay the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's security bill, a poll has found. Some 14,000 people answered the show's poll on Twitter, which asked: "Should UK taxpayers foot the bill for Harry, Meghan and Archie's protection." An overwhelming 90.6 per cent of people answered "no", with just 9.4 per cent answering "yes". The results were revealed by presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Monday morning. They were joined by Princess Diana's former protection officer Ken Wharfe, who argued the Queen should foot the couple's bill due to the threat of someone kidnapping Archie. "Archie is probably the biggest threat to the family than the parents, there's a real risk of kidnap, given the publicity, a lot of it being more negative now than before," he said. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex / REUTERS Mr Wharfe then went on to suggest that Diana's car crash death in 1997 was partly due to the fact she had not used proper royal protection officers. Joining him on the panel was Ateh Jewel, who said the British public had a duty to pay for Harry and Meghan's security. "Hes still sixth in line to the throne,' she said. "I think its our duty as British taxpayers to take care of them, not throw them to the wolves." Host Morgan, 53, suggested the couple should pay for their own security as they are looking to make money in the private sector. He then hit out at their decision to leave Archie alone in Canada while they visit the UK. Life is less bright for the friends and family members of 72-year-old Joyce Thomas, who are praying for the day theyll see the Ville Platte womans warm smile again. Thomas has been missing since Wednesday, when she was last seen at her apartment complex on Chataignier Street in Ville Platte. Phillip DeWoody, a 53-year-old from Opelousas, was arrested Friday on a count of aggravated kidnapping in her disappearance, but family members and friends said they dont feel any closer to answers or Thomas safe return. DeWoody has a lengthy criminal history, including armed robbery convictions and convictions for a 1993 prison escape that include a second-degree kidnapping charge for holding a Lincoln Parish prison guard at knifepoint. He was paroled in June 2019, according to records from the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. About 50 people prayed outside Thomas apartment complex Sunday . Supporters clasped hands and bowed their heads in front of white poster scrawled with messages like Lord, show us where she isguide us and God send her home. Family members said theyre trying to remain focused on her recovery. +4 Man accused of kidnapping deaf Ville Platte woman has lengthy violent criminal history Phillip Wayne DeWoody, the 53-year-old Opelousas man accused of kidnapping a deaf woman from Ville Platte, has been in and out of prison after Jermaine Gallow, Thomas nephew, said his aunt is a strong woman. She and her sisters are women who speak their minds, assert themselves and dont allow themselves to be pushed around. She has fire inside of her, Gallow said. I have a feeling shes still alive because shes a strong woman, he said. Shes going to put up a fight. Gallow said hes visited Thomas apartment every day since she disappeared to ring the doorbell and knock, hoping each time that shell open the door. Gallow said he comes by the complex to visit Thomas and his uncle, Larry Thomas, almost every day and is struggling not being able to see her. The 42-year-old said hes fighting to remain positive and to keep spirits up for his other aunts and uncles. If I hurt, they hurt and Im trying to keep them confident and keep them strong until we get more information. Were not fearing the worst, were hoping for the best. Its just hard not seeing her. Its very hard, Gallow said. Lance Thomas, Joyce Thomas grandson, said the weight of his grandmothers disappearance has been incredible, but hes leaning on his family, faith and his experience in the U.S. Army National Guard to keep his focus on finding her. Lance Thomas said his grandmother is unlike anyone else. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Shes the best person to be around in all aspects, he said. He described his grandmother as a woman of high standards, who expects the best of herself and the best of others. She wants everyone to give their all in everything they do and when she gives love and respect to others, she expects it in return, he said. Shes also funny and loves to poke fun and tease her friends and loved ones. Though deaf and mute, Joyce Thomas always finds a way to express her thoughts and feelings with others, Lance Thomas said. While she may not be able to talk to you, she could always communicate, even if you never met her a day in your life. She had a certain communication skill. Shes a very strong peoples person, he said. A surveillance photo released by family members depicted a man at Joyce Thomas apartment door the morning she disappeared. Law enforcement officials have not confirmed if the photo was of DeWoody, but the two men have similar features. Haley Gallow, 38, said she visits the apartment complex daily to care for her mother and the other residents. She and Joyce Thomas built a strong relationship and the older woman loved to play with her 11-month-old daughter, sweeping her up into hugs and planting kisses on her head, Haley Gallow said. She was kind. All she wanted to do was make you understand her, and she wanted to understand you, she said. The 72-year-old was also discerning, and when she met someone, or they knocked on her door, shed analyze their face to assess their facial expression and mood. If she didnt trust you, she wasnt afraid to slam the door in your face, Haley Gallow said. Rose Ben, Joyce Thomas neighbor, agreed the 72-year-old was particular about who she would let into her apartment. The two were neighbors for six years and Ben said she knew Joyce Thomas to let very few people inside; maintenance staff only came to check her television and shed meet Meals on Wheels volunteers or prescription deliveries at the complexs front door, Ben said. Im still believing that this cant be happening, she said. Ben said she would see Joyce Thomas every morning like clockwork as she did her laundry. She saw her Wednesday morning before she disappeared around 9 a.m. and has been missing her since, she said. While sharing thoughts about Joyce Thomas, Ben told the gathered prayer group how her neighbor would scratch and tap on her wall at night if her television was too loud, feeling the vibrations through the wall. I could use that little scratch right now, she said. BEIJING (AP) China's coronavirus caseload continued to wane Tuesday even as the epidemic took a firmer hold beyond Asia, with three countries now exceeding 1,000 cases and the U.S. reporting its sixth death. The health ministry announced just 125 new cases detected over the past 24 hours, China's lowest number since Jan. 20. Another 31 deaths were reported, all of them in the hardest-hit province of Hubei. The figures bring China's total number of cases to 80,151 with 2,943 deaths. The global shift in the COVID-19 epidemic was apparent with 2,410 recovered patients being released from Hubei's hospitals and treatment centers, many of them hastily built over recent weeks to cope with the thousands of people sickened by the virus. But new infections outside China were far surpassing its totals. Clusters of disease grew in South Korea, Italy and Iran, and the virus has turned up for the first time in New York, Moscow and Berlin, as well as Latvia, Indonesia, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Jordan and Portugal. The worldwide death toll topped 3,000, and the number of cases tops 89,000 in about 70 countries. Global health officials sought to reassure the public that the virus remains a manageable threat. Containment is feasible and must remain the top priority for all countries, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Around the world, the crisis reshaped the daily routines of millions of people. School children in Japan stayed home with schools closed until April. Israelis in quarantine used special booths to vote in national elections. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel was rebuffed by her interior minister when she extended her hand to greet him. And the United Nations postponed a major conference on women that had been expected to bring up to 12,000 people from its 193 member countries to New York next week. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned that the world economy could contract this quarter for the first time since the international financial crisis more than a decade ago. Global economic prospects remain subdued and very uncertain, it said. Nevertheless, the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared nearly 1,300 points, or 5%, as stocks roared back from a seven-day rout on hopes that central banks will take action to shield the global economy from the effects of the outbreak. Finance ministers and bank leaders from the Group of Seven major industrial countries said they will confer by phone Tuesday to discuss an economic response. Story continues Health officials in Washington state, where a particularly troubling cluster of cases surfaced at a nursing home outside Seattle, said four more people had died from the coronavirus, bringing the number of deaths in the U.S. to six, all in Washington. New cases were also reported in New Hampshire and New York. In Seattle, King County Executive Dow Constantine declared an emergency and said the county is buying a hotel to be used as a hospital for patients who need to be isolated. We have moved to a new stage in the fight, he said. Over 100 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. More are likely with thousands of test kits going to state and local labs and new guidelines to expand screening. In this situation, the facts defeat fear. Because the reality is reassuring. It is deep-breath time," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. The message was echoed by global health officials, who said they were encouraged that even in some countries that had taken far less aggressive measures than Chinas to contain the spread, the virus remains largely in check. Because the virus is not transmitted as easily as the flu, it offers us a glimmer ... that this virus can be suppressed and contained, said Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHOs emergencies chief. China in January imposed a virtual lockdown around Hubei's capital, Wuhan, where the illness was first detected in December and which has been the epicenter of the outbreak. Many countries have canceled or curbed public events and discouraged travel to virus hotspots, but quarantines and similar restrictions have been on smaller scales, focused on those directly exposed. The worst-hit places outside China were South Korea, Iran and Italy. South Korea on Tuesday reported 477 new cases, bringing its totals to 4,812 with 29 deaths. Most are in the southeastern city of Daegu and neighboring towns. In Iran, a confidant of Iran's supreme leader died from the virus. The Islamic Republic confirmed 1,501 cases and 66 deaths, but many believe the true number is larger. Its reported caseload surged more than 250% in just 24 hours. Italys caseload rose to 2,036, including 52 deaths. Officials said it could take up to two weeks before they know whether measures including quarantining 11 towns in northern Italy are slowing the spread of the virus. ___ Contributing to this report were Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; Chris Grygiel in Seattle, Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Matt Sedensky in Bangkok, Dake Kang in Beijing; Aniruddha Ghosal in New Delhi; Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea; Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Thomas Adamson and Lori Hinnant in Paris; Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo; Nicole Winfield and Frances D'Emilio in Rome; Colleen Barry in Milan; and Aron Heller in Jerusalem. ___ This story has been revised to correct that Indonesia reported its first case Monday, not Malaysia. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:24:39|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close TOKYO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Japan is stepping up efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases, including foreigners, has risen to more than 960, with over 700 of them stemming from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in the port city of Yokohama. Medical experts and government officials said small groups of infections, or clusters, have already appeared in the country. In the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the governor declared a state of emergency last Friday and asked residents to remain indoors over the weekend after the number of confirmed cases has been rising every day. Fearing that the epidemic could lead to shortages of daily items, some residents start stockpiling these days, causing drugstores and supermarkets in several cities to run short of toilet paper and other items. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last Saturday that his government will draft another emergency package by using reserve funds worth over 270 billion yen (2.5 billion U.S. dollars) in around 10 days to help cushion the fallout from the spread of the epidemic. Last Thursday, Abe said his government would request all elementary, junior and high schools in Japan to close from March 2 until the end of a spring break through early April. "Above everything else, the health and safety of the children should be prioritised, and we should be prepared for the risk of large-scale infections due to many children and teachers gathering for long periods of time on a daily basis," he added. Meanwhile, he ordered the government to "prepare necessary legislation to curb the spread of infections and minimize the impact on the lives of people as well as the economy." The government has also pledged this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead as scheduled. The request came a day after Abe asked organizers of big sport and cultural events to consider cancelling or postponing them in the next two weeks. "In view of large-scale transmission risks, we have decided to request (organizers) to cancel, postpone or hold sport and cultural events nationwide on a smaller scale than planned for the next two weeks nationwide," he said. Earlier last week, the government adopted a basic policy to help curb the domestic spread of the novel coronavirus, with some of the measures aimed at ensuring enough medical facilities are available to deal with cases of newly infected people. According to a government task force, the focus would be on preemptive measures to curb the virus' spread. There are small clusters, or sporadic cases of infections occurring in numerous parts of Japan, but that these do not, as yet, constitute a large scale epidemic. Japan's health minister Katsunobu Kato said that the government was concerned that the clusters of infections, as they stand at the moment, will form into bigger clusters and lead to an expansion of the virus. A government panel comprising medical experts has said that the next week or two would be "critical" in assessing the extent the virus has and could spread in Japan. They added that if a further spread of infections could be curbed or slowed down, then medical experts would have more time to better prepare to treat infected patients. (Alliance News) - MXC Capital Ltd on Thursday said shareholders at a general meeting approved the resolution to cancel its shares from being traded on London's AIM. In February, the technology-focused investor said it would seek shareholder approval to cancel its shares from trading in a bid to save costs and because its stock "traded at a notable discount" to its net asset value. The company said it could save GBP300,000 a year if it cancelled its listing. The amount includes fees paid to Peter Rigg and Simon Freer, two directors who will step down should the cancellation become effective. At the end of the 12 months to August 31, MXC Capital shares were trading at a 22% discount to its net asset value. In financial 2018, its shares ended at a 33% discount and at the end of financial 2017, a 27% discount. The stock closed 2.0% lower at 50.00 pence each in London on Monday, a 58% discount to its 117p NAV at August 31. On Monday, shareholders approved the cancellation. The last day of dealings in the company's ordinary shares on AIM will be March 13 and the effective date of the cancellation will be March 16. By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. The Supreme Court Monday dismissed the petition filed by a former high court judge seeking a direction to Tihar jail authorities here to give an option to four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case to offer their bodies for medical research and donate their organs. "By way of PIL you can't seek seek such direction. If they (convicts) want to do it they can express such things by themselves or through their family members," said a bench comprising Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna. When the counsel for petitioner -- Justice (Retd) Michael F Saldanna, former judge of the Bombay High Court -- continued with the submission, the bench said the petition by a former judge was "misconceived". "To execute a person is the saddest part for the family. You (petitioner) want their body to cut into pieces," the bench said, adding that "have some human approach." "Organ donation has to be voluntary," it further said. The petitioner had asked the apex court to consider the "desirability of making it as a condition precedent in the case of all executions". The four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya case are -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31). On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, who 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. Six people, including the four convicts and a juvenile, were named as accused. Ram Singh, the sixth accused, allegedly committed suicide 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. (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 Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 08:37 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067a2426 1 Editorial #Editorial,#coronavirus,#Wuhan,COVID-19,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-Indonesia-zero-case,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,novel-coronavirus,WORLD-DREAM-CRUISE,Diamond-Princess Free As more countries record new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Indonesias claim of being virus-free continues to raise doubts as questions persist over the effectiveness of monitoring and testing efforts of local health authorities. The country only allows one lab, run by the Health Ministrys Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes), to test swab samples of suspected COVID-19 patients. As of Saturday, it had tested 143 samples taken from people who had shown symptoms or had traveled to infected countries. All were reportedly negative. However, the government did not test the 237 citizens and one American spouse of an Indonesian national who were evacuated from Wuhan and other cities in China after a 14-day quarantine in Natuna, Riau Islands. The government claimed they had already been declared virus-free when leaving China, so it was unnecessary for them to be tested again. Instead of being more vigorous and deploying more resources in conducting health monitoring and tests, the government later announced it would allocate Rp 72 billion (US$5.2 million) for promotional purposes partly for so-called social media influencers to attract foreign tourists to Indonesia and help revive the countrys tourism, which has been battered by the outbreak. But this kind of blind optimism wins nobodys trust, especially from the international community. Several foreign nationals who transited in Indonesia have tested positive for COVID-19. They might have contracted the virus in Indonesia and it does not rule out the possibility that the country has become a vector of the disease. Saudi Arabia has banned Indonesian pilgrims from going on umrah (minor haj), even though Indonesia has not declared any confirmed cases of infection. A document circulating among foreign diplomats obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out that the inadequate transportation of specimens was among the concerns that led them to doubt Indonesias virus-free status. Countries have escalated measures to mitigate the virus. The New York Times reported that measures would be expanded throughout the United States, which has tested 500 patients, following a flaw found in the tests that were only performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person has reportedly died of the virus in the US. Malaysia has tested 1,092 cases as of Feb. 24, while South Korea has tested over 60,000 people as of Thursday. There is no reason for Indonesia to do less or overstate its coronavirus status. It would be more useful for all resources, including funding, to be allocated to help improve public health efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus. Thorough testing and observation should be conducted on returning crew members of the World Dream and Diamond Princess cruise ships, who will be quarantined in Sebaru Island, North Jakarta, as well as travelers coming in from countries that have reported positive cases as the virus has become even more widespread. Its better to be safe than sorry. Another child in hospital, 46 others rescued after makeshift boat packed with dozens of refugees and migrants capsizes. A child has died and another has been hospitalised after a makeshift boat packed with dozens of refugees and migrants capsized off the coast of Lesbos, Greek port police said. One young boy could not be revived after being found unconscious, the Greek coastguard said in a statement on Monday, while the other was taken to hospital and is now considered out of danger. A further 46 people are safe following the rescue. Greeces coastguard alleged that the occupants of the boat deliberately overturned it as a coastguard vessel approached. The coastguards account of this encounter is that the vessel, a rubber dinghy, approached the maritime border line accompanied by a Turkish coastguard vessel, which then turned away once they had ensured the vessel had entered Greek waters, said Al Jazeeras John Psaropoulos, reporting from Lesbos. In a statement on Sunday, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas alleged Turkey had been encouraging people to test the Greek border. Instead of curtailing networks of people smugglers, Turkey has itself become a smuggler, said Petsas. Thousands of refugees and migrants are trying to find a way across Turkeys western border with Greece, with only dozens managing to pass through either border fences or crossing the river that runs along the frontier. At least 1,000 refugees and migrants have reached Greeces Eastern Aegean islands since Sunday morning, a police official told Reuters news agency. This comes after Turkey opened its side of the frontier to refugees and migrants to leave the country for Europe. Others are trying to reach Greek islands from the Turkish coast. Turkey declared its borders open amid a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive into Syrias northwestern Idlib province. It is a very large increase compared with usual inflows, reported Psaropoulos. People here on the island have been getting very nervous about whether that will continue and some people have been showing persistent determination and resolve to prevent the authorities from doing what they normally do, which is search-and-rescue at sea and resupply of the camp at Moria. They have been blocking the roads to the camp to camera crews, all journalists, to the authorities and also to any who have any work at the camp. This is the attitude we have seen on the island in the past 24 hours. Greeces prime minister also announced he was freezing asylum applications following a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday. As of now, we will not be accepting any new asylum applications for one month, Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted. Greece is currently processing 125,000 applications and appeals. Greece is invoking Article 78 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows the EU to provide Athens with assistance in an emergency situation characterised by a sudden inflow of nationals of third countries. A deal was reached between the European Union and Turkey after a crisis in 2015 saw waves of refugees arriving on Europes shores, many who remain in Turkey. The deal calls for the EU to pay a total of six billion euros ($6.7bn) to help Turkey accommodate the crowds and hold them back from EU borders. So far, 3.2 billion euros ($3.6bn) have already been paid out, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday. Turkey now hosts some four million refugees the majority of them Syrians but has called for the EU to provide additional support for hosting them. A fresh surge of migrants has arrived on its border with Greece in recent days after an escalation of fighting in Syrias Iblib province between Turkey and Russian-backed Syrian forces. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned he no longer feels bound by the agreement and had opened the countrys borders to the EU. After we opened the doors, there were multiple calls saying close the doors. I told them its done. Its finished. The doors are now open. Now, you will have to take your share of the burden, he said on Monday. Hundreds of thousands have crossed, soon it will reach millions, he said. But the numbers remain in dispute. Erdogan also said he hoped to reach a deal on a ceasefire in Syria when he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday, following intense fighting in the last opposition holdout of Idlib. Staff member blocks the view as a person is taken by a stretcher to a waiting ambulance from a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for the COVID-19 virus, in Kirkland, Wash. News organizations must walk a fine line in covering coronavirus. They need to convey the story's seriousness without provoking panic and report a flood of news while much remains a mystery. At the same time, they have to remind people who to stay safe and keep their own employees well. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) 150 tests for the virus have been carried out in Northern Ireland (Jane Barlow/PA) Updates on coronavirus in Northern Ireland are to be stepped up following the first confirmed case of the virus in the region. Health Minister Robin Swann, in a statement to the Assembly on Monday, said 150 tests have been carried out so far, with one positive result. It comes as a flight carrying passengers who were quarantined in a Tenerife hotel is due to land in Belfast. The number of cases across the island of Ireland is two, following the Republic's first confirmed case emerging over the weekend. Read More Both patients are believed to have contracted the disease after travelling to northern Italy, where there have been 34 deaths due to coronavirus. The patient from Northern Ireland is a female healthcare worker from Belfast, who had flown home from Italy via Dublin. Whilst the situation is no doubt serious, and whilst it is far from certain that it will happen, detailed plans are in place in case of the virus becoming a pandemic Robin Swann Robin Swann confirmed all those who were in contact with the woman have been contacted by health officials and they have been given "appropriate advice". Mr Swann emphasised that those who travelled between Dublin and Belfast should not be concerned. The Public Health Agency has been publishing the number of coronavirus tests carried out on a weekly basis since the outbreak emerged, this will now be increased to twice weekly. Mr Swann said the case in the Republic relates to an affected area of Italy, but is not linked to a school ski trip to the region and authorities do not believe the are any "wider implications for children or schools". "Whilst the situation is no doubt serious, and whilst it is far from certain that it will happen, detailed plans are in place in case of the virus becoming a pandemic. Even with the recent case I would stress that we are very much still in the containment phase," he said. Expand Close Health Minister Robin Swann has urged calm PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Health Minister Robin Swann has urged calm "We have been planning for the first positive case in Northern Ireland and we have robust infection control measures in place which have enabled us to respond immediately to this type of situation. Our health service is used to managing infections and we are well prepared to deal with this." Mr Swann stressed that the risk to individuals in Northern Ireland remains moderate and said a UK-wide Coronavirus Action Plan is to be published on Tuesday. "My advice to the public remains the same. To those members of the public who have symptoms and are concerned they may have Covid-19 I would urge them not to turn up at GP clinics or hospital emergency departments. They should instead contact their GP or GP out of hours. Advice will then be given on next steps, including testing if required," he said. "I would like to remind members and the public that everyone can play their part. I would encourage everyone to take sensible precautions of washing their hands regularly and to especially heed the advice recommend for similar illnesses such as cold and flu catch it, bin it and kill it. "Northern Ireland now has full access to the NHS 111 helpline on coronavirus. This is available 24/7 to provide advice." The people of Northern Ireland are a resilient people. I believe they are well used to keeping calm during challenging circumstances Robin Swann The Coronavirus Action Plan will set out what is known about the virus, what preparations are in place to deal with the outbreak, what actions have been taken so far in response to the virus, and what UK authorities are planning to do next. A Regional Virology Lab has been set up in Belfast to test for coronavirus and planning across the civil service has been stepped up to assess readiness across all sectors of government. Addressing the public, Mr Swann said: "It is vital that we keep taking a balanced, proportionate approach at all times with our actions based on the best scientific advice. "Complacency is our enemy but so too are panic and hysteria... "The people of Northern Ireland are a resilient people. I believe they are well used to keeping calm during challenging circumstances." Read More Meanwhile, a flight carrying passengers from a hotel in Spain which has been quarantined due to coronavirus is set to land in Belfast on Monday evening. British tourists were allowed to leave the Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife after testing negative for the virus. The Jet2 flight, understood to be carrying a number of passengers from Northern Ireland, is expected to land in Manchester and then on to Belfast. "The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Public Health England will be advising customers about the steps they need to follow once back in the UK," a Jet2 spokesperson said. "As we have made explicitly clear, our number one priority is the health and safety of our customers, our colleagues, and the general public. "We have been working closely with the FCO, Public Health England and the hotel, to find a solution which ensured the best outcome for our customers in the hotel, whilst making sure we fulfilled those responsibilities. "We have been in contact with our customers throughout, and we would like to sincerely thank them for their patience and understanding." Legislators and analysts of both sexes said the expanded female presence affected the kinds of bills that were proposed and passed, as well as transforming the picture that the General Assembly presented to the public. At the start of the session, the House revised language in its rules to refer to people in the feminine gender she instead of he, and her instead of him. Russias President Vladimir Putin has hinted that Russia may once again join OPEC in its efforts to stimulate oil prices even though Russia itself has no problem with current price levels. I want to stress that for the Russian budget, for our economy, the current oil prices level is acceptable, Putin said during a meeting with energy industry representatives, as quoted by Reuters. Our accumulated reserves, including the National Wealth Fund, are enough for ensuring a stable situation, the fulfilment of all budget and social liabilities, even under a possible deterioration of the global economic situation. Russia has been budgeting for lower prices for years now, after it suffered the fallout of the 2014 oil price collapse. Yet the Russian president also recognised the need for steps to be taken to support prices, including, he said, together with foreign partners, as the partnership between Russia and OPEC has proved to be an effective instrument to ensure long-term stability on global energy markets. At the same time, however, Putin noted there was no guarantee that deeper production cuts would improve demand for oil, which has been pummelled by the Chinese coronavirus outbreak and its international expansion. The latest updates are discouraging: Italy had confirmed 1,694 cases as of the time of writing, which made it the country with the most cases outside of China. In the United States, there were 69 confirmed cases per data from the CDC as of Friday. Globally, the coronavirus, dubbed Covid-19, has spread to at least 60 countries with the number of infected at more than 87,100, although it could be a lot higher if mild cases that go unreported are included. Amid the panic caused by the outbreak, even though experts note that the mortality rate could be as low as 1 percent, oil has been falling. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $51.29 a barrel with West Texas Intermediate at $46.10 a barrel. Unless demand patterns change fast, especially in China, prices could drop further, endangering the economies of mot OPEC members. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: One figure was not correct (solely in in the English version) of the ad hoc message published today at 14:27 CET / CEST regarding the volume of the buy back. CEWE decides to buy back own company shares Oldenburg, 2 March 2020. The Board of Management of CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA (SDAX, ISIN: DE 0005403901) resolved today to buy back up to 100,000 own company shares on the stock exchange with a volume of up to EUR 10 million in the period from 3 March 2020 to 1 April 2021. The repurchase is based on authorisation granted at the Annual General Meeting of 31 May 2017 to acquire up to 10 % of the company's own shares. The equivalent value per share (excluding extra acquisition charges) may not exceed the stock exchange quotation determined in the opening auction in XETRA trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on the relevant trading day by more than 10 %. The repurchase of shares is to be exercised independently and without the influence of the company by ODDO BHF Aktiengesellschaft, Frankfurt, upon application of the safe harbour regulations. CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA provides information on the daily progress of the repurchase program on the company's website at https://ir.cewe.de/websites/cewe/English/1000/the-cewe-share.html Person making the notification: Axel Weber Head of Investor Relations CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA email: IR@cewe.de By Trend The visit of buyer missions will be organized to Azerbaijan in mid-May 2020, Acting president of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) operating under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy Yusif Abdullayev said. Abdullayev made the remark in Baku at the press-conference dedicated to the activity of AZPROMO in Azerbaijan in 2019, the promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand and upcoming tasks, Trend reports. The buyers from the European countries, namely, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, intend to visit Azerbaijan, acting president said. Up till now, the research has been conducted in the markets of the UAE, UK, Russia, China, Georgia, Germany, Ukraine, Switzerland, Belarus and the Baltic countries. "We exported mineral water, fruit juices, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, hazelnuts, uniforms, home textiles, ice cream, motor and lubricating oils, paints and varnishes, industrial products and etc, in 2019" Abdullayev said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Contributed photo A traffic stop led to the arrest of a Seymour man Monday for being a felon in possession of a weapon, among other charges. Police Detective Richard Bango said that officers stopped a vehicle blew through a red light on Bridgeport Avenue. Upon stopping the vehicle, Police Officer John Kekac discovered the vehicle was not registered or insured and the operator, 35-year-old Ramon Capacete, did not possesses a drivers license. The United States Air Force's may see its first African-American chief of staff after Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. was nominated by the Trump administration. Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper announced Monday that Brown, commonly known as 'C.Q.', is in line to become to the Air Force's 22nd chief of staff. He would also become the first African-American Pentagon leader since Army Gen. Colin Powell retired as chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff in 1993 and the first African American to lead any military branch. Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr (pictured) was nominated by the Trump administration to become chief of staff Monday, an honor that would see him as the Air Force's first African-American service chief If Brown is confirmed for the elite position by the Senate, he will become the highest ranking officer in the Air Force and oversee all units within the military branch. Brown, 58, would also sit among the Joint Chief of Staff in the Department of Defense, which advises the President, secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council on military affairs. Under the chief of staff position, Brown would also continue the Air Force's transition to focus efforts on defusing clashes with countries like Russia and China. '[Brown] will take command of an Air Force in transition, one moving from a decades-long priority on combating and containing terrorism to a new era of Great Power Competition,' the Air Force said. Brown would become the first African-American Pentagon leader since Army Gen. Colin Powell (left) retired in 1993 and would succeed Gen. David Goldfein (right) 'As part of that new focus, the Air Force and entire U.S. military must be trained, ready and properly equipped to confront, deter and if necessary, defeat, challenges from Russia and China.' As part of the new position, Brown would also be a key ally in supporting the new Space Force program. He has been an Air Force officer since 1984 and is a four-star F-16 pilot who has served several combat tours throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Part of Brown's (pictured) position, if confirmed by the Senate, would include being a key ally in Space Force efforts Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett praised the nomination, saying: 'The United States Air Force will be well served by the formidable talents of CQ Brown. 'He has unmatched strategic vision and operational expertise. His leadership will be instrumental as the service continues to focus on the capabilities and talent we need to implement the National Defense Strategy.' Brown would succeed current Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, who is expected to retire later this year. By Olivia Rose FORMER Speaker of the House of Assembly Robert Hall has condemned a search carried out on Opposition MPs. Hall in a strongly worded statement called for an independent inquiry to be conducted into the incident. On Tuesday (February 25) during a sitting of the House of Assembly in Grand Turk, three Opposition members of parliament were searched and questioned by police officers. The MPs were searched after police officers were called in to find a misplaced diary belonging to Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson. In an invited comment on Thursday, the former speaker condemned the actions of current Deputy Speaker Derek Taylor, police officers and the premier. Hall explained: "On Tuesday, February 25, while the House of Assembly was sitting, the Hon. premier is alleged to have reported her diary or black book missing. "Speaker, the Hon. Dwayne Taylor had already left for London, so Deputy Speaker and Father of the House Hon. Derek Taylor was in charge with Hon. Douglas Parnell acting as Deputy Speaker. "Hon. Porsha Smith left for the airport to catch a 3.30pm flight. There, she was accosted by police with many Islanders and tourists watching. "She was escorted to a room and had her bag searched. "Hon. Josephine Connolly, upon her return to the House of Assembly was accosted by three female police officers. "She was escorted to the bathroom and bodily searched, even in areas where a diary could NOT be located. "Hon. Royal Robinsons search was not as undignified as that of Hon. Connolly. Hall said the ordeal was a wanton disregard for the privileges and immunities of Opposition members of the House of Assembly. "In most instances I have left politics to the politicians, but if I should hold my peace then the stones would cry out. "This could never have happened on my watch as speaker of the House, as the Privileges and Immunities Ordinances clearly provide that a member of the House may not be accosted on his/her way to or from, and in the precincts of the House of Assembly. The former speaker further explained that the House of Assembly in the TCI enjoys the same privileges and immunities as the House of Commons in London but must not exceed it. "Heads should roll, Hall said. He argued that all police officers must be briefed on their functions as far as the House of Assembly is concerned. "The police, so involved, should be suspended while an independent inquiry takes place. Hall called on the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly Hon. Derek Taylor to resign "as despite his many years in the House, he failed to uphold the dignity of the House. He added: "The premier as a lawyer, ought to have known better. I dont know if the AG was consulted, so I cannot offer any comment in that regard. "As someone said, We are fast becoming a banana republic with no bananas. The former speaker questioned the motive behind the intrusive search. "What crimes were alleged to have been committed or suspected to have been committed? Who invited the police? On what authority did the police intervene? "If a criminal act did in fact transpire or was suspected of being done, why search only members of the Opposition? Even after the premier found her misplaced diary, he added. An unprecedented act Leader of the Opposition Washington Misick also strongly condemned the incident. Misick said police entering the House of Assembly while it was in session and questioning and searching members of parliament is an "extraordinary and "unprecedented act. "At no time in the history of the Turks and Caicos Islands has such an occurrence happened before. "The fact that the missing item belonged to the Hon. premier, and the MP searched is a member of the Opposition who was formerly on the Governments side, raises a lot of questions. "And when one takes into consideration the fact that the Hon. Premier has publicly shown disdain towards Hon. Connolly, this matter becomes troubling, and cries out for an investigation. The Opposition leader also called for an independent investigation to be conducted into the situation. He wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House Dwayne Taylor, Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles and Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting. Misick in his letter urged the speaker to address the matter publicly in a timely fashion. He said: "As I am sure you would agree this matter cannot be left unaddressed. To do so would put the honourable House of Assembly into disrepute. "Due to the seriousness of this matter, we are requesting that you: "a) Convene as soon as possible, an independent investigation into this matter, and; "b) On completion of the investigation, have a private meeting with the Opposition MPs regarding the findings of the investigation. "I am sure that you would agree that another incident of this sort cannot be allowed to take place in the House of Assembly. "An independent investigation into this matter would go a long way in ensuring that it does not, Misick said. The Opposition leader stressed that even though the attorney general was in the House of Assembly at the time, she was not consulted. "I am aware that although the Attorney General, Hon. Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles was present in the House of Assembly at the time when the police interrupted the proceeding, at no time was her counsel sought on this matter. The Opposition leader said that whoever gave permission for the police to enter the House of Assembly, did so without regard for the sanctity of the House, and even for the law. The Supreme Court Monday reserved verdict on a plea filed by Janata Dal (United) leader Ram Chandra Prasad Singh over claims of new a party formation by rebel leader Sharad Yadav. "Arguments heard. Judgment reserved. Written submissions be filed within three days," a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah said. The apex court in 2018 had decided to examine the plea by Singh which sought to place on record documents related to claim of formation of new party by Yadav. Singh had challenged the order of September 11, 2018 of the Delhi High Court by which it had dismissed his application seeking permission to place on record additional documents to demonstrate the post-disqualification conduct of Yadav. Singh had said in his application before the high court that during the pendency of Yadav's petition challenging the order of Rajya Sabha chairman disqualifying him as an Member of Parliament, Yadav had launched a new party "Loktantrik Janata Dal" on May 18, 2018. Singh wanted to place on record video recordings of the speeches delivered by Yadav. The high court, while dismissing Singh's application, had said that scope of petition before it was limited to examining the legality and validity of the December 4, 2017 order passed by Rajya Sabha Chairperson, disqualifying Yadav from being a member of the Upper House of Parliament. Yadav had joined hands with the opposition after JD(U) president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar dumped the alliance with the Rastriya Janata Dal and the Congress in Bihar and tied up with the BJP in July 2017. Yadav has challenged his disqualification before the high court on several grounds, including that he was not given any chance to present his views by the Rajya Sabha chairman before he passed the order. Yadav was disqualified as a member of the Rajya Sabha under the Anti-Defection law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Angola, IN (46703) Today Variable clouds with snow showers. High near 20F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 6F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. by Bill Benzon Frank Foster leading and fronting the Count Basie Orchestra in 1994 I headed off to the State University of New York at Buffalo (aka UB) in the Fall of 1973. While I was going for my Ph.D. in English Literature, I was also interested in the schools music offerings. Id just gotten my trumpet out of storage, a year or so ago and I decided I wanted to sharpen my jazz chops. So I looked through the UB catalogue and noticed they had some guy named Frank Foster teaching jazz improvisation. Id never heard of him. But, hey, I looked him up anyhow, you never knowplayed and arranged with Basie, Elvin Jones, Sarah Vaughan, hmmm, says I to my little-too-smart self, maybe hell do. He did. I forget just how I made my way into his improv workshop. While I was registered in the English Department and took courses there, there was no problem about showing up in Franks class and just hanging out. I didnt even register for credit. Just showed up. (Maybe I officially audited the course, as its called, but I dont really remember the arrangement.) Frank had no problem with that. Neither did anyone else. So, anyhow, I show up in the room. Other folks came in. We got out our horns and warmed up in that checkin everyone out way that musicians have. Naturally I was apprehensive about whether or not I could hang with these musicians. True, most of them were a bit younger than I was, but I figured most of them would have been music majors whereas music had never been my central focus. Then Frank came inhe must have, because thats how it had to be, no? But I dont actually remember that first day. I remember other days, but not that one. So Im pretty much making it up about that first day. Frank comes in, says Hi to folks he recognizes. Does some administrative crap, and gets down to business. He goes to the chalk board, writes out the head (melody) and chord changes to a tune, say, Blue Bossa. He then explains a thing or two about harmonic relevance (his term) and were blowing. The rhythm section bass, drums, piano, guitar starts and then we all play the head with Frank. Frank takes a chorus or two and then sends it around the room. Everyone took a turn. But maybe I didnt take a solo, not that first day. Now that I heard these cats, I wasnt feeling so cocky with my Blood, Sweat and Tears Chicago Transit Authority jazz-rock solo chops. Eventually I got up there, though with Billy Skinner in the room it was a little scary, and I blew some. Probably sucked (that is, was merely adequate), too. But that was OK. I took notes, wrote out exercises based on the tunes Frank called, and practiced diligently (while at the same time taking courses in the English Department and teaching composition). I would compare notes with the other musicians. And over time I got better. One day we were playing one of Franks tunes, Whos That Rocking My Jazz Boat a title that speaks volumes about the fate of jazz (recorded with Elvin Jones as Someones Rocking My Jazzboat). Funkier n shit. And I got off a good solo. When I was done, Frank looked at me, then looked at the rest of the group. He pointed at me and smiled. That made my day. Made my day. My week. I got the nod from Frank. I was not, of course, the only one. Lots of folks got the nod from Frank. And by the by I figured out that I wasnt the only non-enrollee in the course. There were others. Heck, some of those others werent even students at UB. They were just local jazz musicians who dropped in to hang out and jam with The Master. And Master he was. One day we were jamming on Giant Steps. For those of you who dont know, the name says what the tune is, giant freakin steps. Fast furious and more changes than a chameleon on speed. You had to be damn good just to keep up, and to make actual music on that tune, few managed. And Frank was one of those few. Things were movin along and the piano player lost it. And then the bass player. So it was just Frank and the drummer. He killed it! Killed it dead! A capella, all in his head, Frank hit every change right on, and made music out of it. Astounding, both in his physical mastery of the horn and his conceptual mastery of the music. Theres the day he broke out singing Hello, Dolly, sounding just like Louis Armstrong. It shocked the bejesus out of us standing around. Whod have thought this bad-ass post-bop Basie arranger and contemporary of Coltrane had a world-class Pops imitation in him? Think of the cultural history collapsed into the one moment. Armstrong has been one of the earliest jazz pioneers. By the 1930s he had become a major entertainer and public figure in America and Europe but by the 1950s he was two style revolutions behind the times and jazz was being displaced by rock and roll. In 1964 his recording of Hello, Dolly became his best-selling record, putting him on the charts along side the Beatles. Is that when Frank first developed his Armstrong imitation of the tune? I have no idea. By the time he regaled us with his singing Armstrong had been dead for four or five years and so been transmuted into pure myth and symbol. And thats what we heard, an icon made flesh through the voice of Frank Foster. And then, and then, then theres the day he was kind enough to be embarrassed on my behalf. The school decided they wanted to have a big band. So they held auditions. And of course I auditioned. While mostly a soloist, I really wanted to play in the big band. I got in there. They put a chart in front of me, the lead trumpet part for Central Park North. I sucked. I knew I would. My sight-reading chops just were not anywhere near my jazz chops. This was, maybe, three years from when Id first showed up in Franks improv workshop and Id gotten to be a damn good soloist. And, in Franks world, the world of professional jazz musicians, damn good soloists can also read fly shit on paper. So Frank, Im sure, expected me to kill the audition. Which I did, but not it the good sense of kill. In the bad sense (but not, you know, the good sense of baad). As I said, I sucked. I was disappointed and embarrassed. And the thing is, so was Frank, on both counts. Disappointed, yes, because maybe I wasnt going to be the lead trumpet player he was looking for. But also embarrassed, like it was his failure too. Of course it wasnt. The failure was all mine. But it was kind and sweet of him to be embarrassed on my behalf. He was that kind of man. Oh yes he was. * * * * * In 2002 the National Endowment for the Arts presented Foster with the NEA Jazz Masters Award. Four years before that William Brower, Jr. had interviewed him for the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program. A 178 page transcript of the interview is available on line. Ive selected a few excerpts. Fosters style Stylistically Fosters heart was in bebop, but he spent much of his career with the Count Basie Orchestra, which has grounded in the swing era, jazzs major stylistic movement prior to bebop. But he as stretched to various post-pop developments and at times flirted with avant-garde outside playing. Lets start with the special connection he felt with John Coltrane [pp. 22-23]: Foster: I brag about having the same birthday as Trane. Where were we? [] Brower: And I wondered, and this is a real digression, is there some connection? I mean do you feel a connection with Coltrane? Does the 23rd does that day does that mean something to you? Foster: Definitely. I feel a connection theres a fact that in although were two years apart, he having been born in 1926. Before he joined was it with Monk first or Miles? Brower: I think it was Miles first. I think it was Miles, Monk, Miles. Foster: Miles, Monk, Miles, yeah. Before his first tour of duty with Miles, his style and my style were very similar. This is around 1954, I think, 55. I remember hearing a recording of his and I remember remarking to myself, wow, he sounds a lot like me. Then he got with Miles and I with Basie, and our paths went in vastly different directions. Trying to fit with the Basie orchestra and being torn between the Lester Young approach, and the Buddy Tate, Don Byas approach, and really being in love with Sonny Stitt, I was all kind of messed up, while Trane, his direction was very definite and intense. Here I while Im trying to fit with this institution, long-standing institution, by veering back and forth between Prez and Don Byas and Buddy Tate, my style became diffused, whereas Trane was pinpointed in a certain direction. Then he left me in the lurch. Later in the interview Foster mentions that Davis had actually offered him a gig with his band, but he turned it down because the gig with Basie paid more, an important consideration for a man whose wife was pregnant with his first child. Heres how Foster characterized bebop [pp. 37]: Foster: Being a bebopper meant that you concerned yourself with certain elements of the music, like melody and chord changes, especially the chord changes, and rhythms where instead of the [Foster sings a repetitive drum pattern], the heavy four associated with the swing era, you had [Foster sings a widely varied rhythm], drummers dropping bombs. That became the expression used for the way drummers, Max Roach and Kenny Clarke, et cetera played. We liked the idea of playing with drummers who dropped bombs instead of [Foster again sings the repetitive pattern]. Brower: Instead of a steady chug. Foster: Yeah, right. We liked the freedom that it afforded us, and we became more aware of what chord changes were. The melodies that were created by Dizzy Gillespie and Bird, we emulated these melodies. We analyzed what they were doing in terms of extensions of what before we were just aware of the root third, and the fifth, and maybe the sixth, but now here we were hearing the major seventh, the ninth, and the raised eleventh, the thirteen. We were getting into these extended intervals and we really we were considering ourselves Brower: Artists? Foster: Many notches above the swing-era people and old heads who said, Oh, that bebop aint nothing but a lot of noise. They dont know what theyre doing. The Early Years in Ohio, the Army Foster was born in 1928 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up there. Of his early exposure to music [p. 5]: Foster: Certainly. I think its most important to say that at a very early age I discovered that I had a strong appreciation for music, music that I refer to now as quality music. For instance when I was five years of age, I really got off on Tchaikovskys Nutcracker Suite and things of that nature. I didnt hear any jazz per se until I was about nine years old. Its not that it wasnt I wasnt frequenting places where at that age I wasnt hearing much on the radio, but I was hearing a lot of classical music and popular music, and my mother regularly took me to what was referred to as the summer opera at the Cincinnati Zoo. They had a pavilion where they had operatic performances every summer. I saw most of the major operas by the time I was ten years of age. I really loved classical music and some of the better popular songs of the day, but Id like to say that very early I developed a taste for quality music and a distaste for garbage. Here are some remarks about race relations in his early years as a musician [pp. 15-16]: Brower: In these places, were you playing for black folks, white folks, mixed audiences? Foster: We played for black folks. There were no mixed audiences in those days. You either played for all black audiences or all white audiences. Brower: Would there be some white people at the black thing but no black people at the white thing? Foster: Exactly, yeah. Some white, only a smattering. Brower: Were they typically musicians or more hip people? Who were the whites who ventured into the black world to hear this music? Foster: A lot of them were so-called slummers. You know, Lets go slumming tonight. Lets go see whats happening, and so forth. Not particularly hip people but people who they may have had black friends who brought them to the affairs, or they may have been people who actually had an appreciation for music and who didnt know where else they would be able to hear this band, so they would come to this black dance. In 1951 Foster was drafted into the Army and served in Korea in the infantry. Foster didnt see combat [pp. 81-82]: Foster: No, I didnt see combat, but every night we could hear small arms fire going, machine guns. Brower: What did the experience of being, and I guess youre getting to this, but how did it feel being in a war? How did it affect you as a human being? Foster: It didnt feel good at all. I did not like it. I did not like the Korean countryside. I hated the army experience of getting up early in the morning and having a long day, a long hard day, and finally getting to bed at night and getting wed get a pass to go into a local village. All you could smell was fertilizer when you went into the village. It seemed like our only recreation was going into the village and uh Brower: The great uh. Foster: Yeah, the great uh. Brower: Uh. Foster: We did discover marijuana stalks growing in the fields, marijuana stalks that grew to six feet in height. Wed cut them and pluck the branches off the main stalk. Wed hang them upside down to let the essence flow to the leaves. Then wed fill an empty cake box, like if somebodys mother sent them a fruitcake. As soon as we finished the fruitcake, wed fill the cake box with dried marijuana leaves. That was our best recreation. [] Brower: Was it boring? Foster: Huh? Brower: Was it boring? Did you think it would end? Foster: Strangely enough it was not boring. I though it would never end, yeah. Brower: You thought it seemed endless. Foster: It wasnt boring, because we did have some music to listen to. We won a tape recorder in a contest. We would record our own music on this tape recorder, and we would Brower: Were the units segregated? Foster: No, no. The training unit at Camp Roberts California, was segregated. The army on an overall basis was integrated by that time in the early 1950s, but the integrated status hadnt gotten to Camp Roberts yet. So we trained as a segregated unit, but as soon as I got to Japan everything was totally integrated. All organizations, band, every area was totally integrated. Brower: Now I want to maybe make the transition to how you got from there to Basie, unless theres some other aspect of your time there or the military experience thats either musically or personally significant to you. Foster: Yes. In February of 1953 I was scheduled to be released in May, so in February of 1953 I got a hold of a Down Beat magazine. I saw a picture of the Basie orchestra with inset photos of Paul Quinichette and Eddie Lockjaw Davis. I remember saying to myself, Man, I sure would like to be in that band, not realizing that less then four months I would sitting in that band. I got out in May. I went back to Detroit, and I freelanced around Detroit. I played with Kenny Burrell Four months after he left the army Foster was playing with Basie, which he did for well over a decade, after which he lived the life of a freelancing musician based in New York City. Its during that period that he taught at UB (1972-1976) and then spent another ten years freelancing. Running the Count Basie Orchestra Foster took over the Count Basie Orchestra in 1986, where he received two Grammy Awards. Here he talks about the challenges and opportunities that afforded him [pp. 175-176]: Foster: When I heard the band under Thad Jones, I wondered how it was going to do. I wondered how long it would last. Thad took it in another direction, because Thads arrangements were some of the most progressive of anyone this century. Thad kept it going until his health failed and he had to resign. I thought when I took over I would uphold the Basie tradition. The fact that I wasnt overly successful in my professional life up to that time I was very unfulfilled. I didnt get to hear my band but once every seven or eight months, and I had just having a rehearsal was like pulling teeth to get everybody to come to a rehearsal. Was it a rehearsal for a particular gig? Aw, no, theres no gig, I just want to rehearse the music. If theres no gig in sight, why do you want to rehearse? I just want to hear the music. Ill try to make it by, but I cant guarantee. Brower: So its too frustrating. Foster: I was highly frustrated and just doing little gigs that didnt have anything to do with my ambitions, just to make money to pay the mortgage. Doing a gig, a club date or a gig with some guys who couldnt play that well, just for that $150 or $200, and going doing a workshop and a clinic and playing with some students Brower: So what kept you from snapping? Foster: I had a good marriage going, a good marriage and a good partnership. She was encouraging me, Do what you want to do. Do what you do best. She didnt say, go out and play some rock-and-roll, or go out and play some funk, or write some commercial stuff for this whatever. She encouraged me to do whatever what I wanted to do, what I did best. So when I toured with the Basie band, I said, heres a regular job in front of a good organization that was going to play the music well. So I was all gung ho about upholding the tradition, not writing anything that the Chief wouldnt like. After about a year of being in this power struggle, I was beginning to get weary and frustrated again, but still even so I had these excellent musicians in front of me every night, playing this music very well and very satisfactorily, not playing it sloppy and not having me have to make speeches. Man, you all sounded you all sucked. You all sounded horrible. It was no more of that. Because I had cursed my own band out several times about sounding bad and sounding sloppy. Thats because I had too many mediocre musicians in there with the cream, and they took the level down. But still I was falling in love with swing all over again and deciding that when I get out of this context and back into my own, the numbers are not going to last 20 minutes and a half hour for one number. Im going to keep my numbers inside of five minutes, six minutes, and still have everybody playing solos and have a whole lot of ensemble going on, just the same as in the Basie orchestra, because in the Basie orchestra no tune lasted more than five minutes and most of them were over in three and a half, four minutes. I got accustomed to that. I got to liking the fact that you could play 10 to 12 pieces in an hour instead of just two to four pieces. * * * * * Frank Foster Lets Jazz Party Tracklist: 00:00 Giants Steps 06:59 Joy Spring 15:08 Simone (A Foster original, which we played in the workshop) 24:50 Just 40 Bars 29:25 A Blues Aint Nothing But a Trip 42:00 Fat Shoes 46:50 Escale a Victoria 51:29 My Heart Stood Still 57:33 Theme for Ernie 01:07:33 Ill Take Romance 01:12:56 The Things We Did Last Summer 01:16:56 Chiquito Loco 01:29:24 Shiny Stockings (Fosters best-known composition) Historians will today begin combing the archives of the world's most contentious pope, hoping to discover why Pius XII stayed silent during the Holocaust. More than 200 researchers applied for permission to settle in one of the small studies of the Vatican Apostolic Archives to begin poring over millions of letters and documents the Vatican kept under lock and key. The historic moment was preceded by decades of controversy and debate about why the pontiff, who headed the Catholic Church from 1939 until his death in 1958, never spoke out about the slaughter of six millions Jews in Nazi concentration camps across Europe. 'The Church is not afraid of history,' Pope Francis declared when he chose to open one the Vatican's most painful moments up for world scrutiny a year ago. Historians will today begin combing the archives of the world's most contentious pope, hoping to discover why Pius XII (pictured in September 1945) stayed silent during the Holocaust The pontiff, who headed the Catholic Church from 1939 until his death in 1958, has been criticised for not speaking out about the slaughter of six millions Jews in Nazi concentration camps across Europe 'For millions of people, Catholic and Jewish, these archives are of enormous humanitarian interest,' Suzanne Brown-Fleming, international programmes director at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, told AFP. The Vatican first published the essentials covering the Holocaust four decades ago, an 11-volume work compiled by four Jesuits priests. But some crucial pieces are still missing, such as the pope's replies to notes and letters - including those about the Nazi horrors. The unsealed archives additionally cover a post-World War II era in which writers were censored and some priests hounded for suspected communist sympathies. The archives will give historians a chance to better understand Pius XII's reticence, which some view as unforgivable Pictured: The minutes of Pius XII's speech to RAI employees with autograph corrections from December 1944 The Vatican first published the essentials covering the Holocaust four decades ago, an 11-volume work compiled by four Jesuits priests German researcher Sascha Hinkel was one of those to have gained access to the trove through the summer months. 'This is a great opportunity,' said Hinkel, who is one of the researchers assisting the religious history scholar Hubert Wolf, an expert on Pius XII and the Nazis. Hinkel thinks it will take researchers about five years to answer the main questions, although the entire mountain of documents available for the first time 'will occupy historians for at least 20 years'. The Vatican's focus on transparency was symbolised a few days ago by the presence of reporters' cameras in the bunker of the central archive - officially known as the 'secret archive' until as recently as last year. The 50-miles web of dusty shelves includes a section dedicated to Pius XII, protected behind locked metal gates. Pictured: A satirical cartoon from archives on Pope Pius XII, who reigned from 1939-1958, depitcting Cardinal Pacelli hugging a woman Pictured: Inside the VaticanApostolic Library during the opening of the archive of Pope Pius XII The Vatican Apostolic Library opened the Holy Sees wartime archives on the pontificate of Pope Pius XII between the years 1939 to 1958 on March 2 On this occasion, Archbishop Sargio Pagano, the central archives' manager, took out some tattered leaflets. They were drawings and letters from German children thanking the pope for sending them first communion gifts in 1948. Kept confined to the Vatican by the Nazis and then Italian Fascists, Pius XII was a German-speaking Italian aristocrat who witnessed Hitler's rise while posted as the Holy See's ambassador in Germany for 12 years. The archives will give historians a chance to better understand Pius XII's reticence, which some view as unforgivable. A list of those shot during the Fosse Ardeatine massacre seen in the archive of Pope Pius XII The unsealed archives cover a post-World War II era in which writers were censored and some priests hounded for suspected communist sympathies The archives will give historians a chance to better understand Pius XII's reticence, which some view as unforgivable Others note that the Church still saved around 4,000 Jews from certain death by hiding them in its Roman institutions - and that he had to stay neutral to better shield Catholics from the unfolding devastation. Will these documents finally settle the debate? Historians are less than certain. Pius XII 'never raised his voice and I doubt that these documents will contradict this,' said Italian historian Anna Foa, characterising his style as 'very diplomatic and traditional'. 'During the war, he thought his duty was to save lives but not to condemn ideologies,' said Foa. 'Pius XII was a product of his time. He was not particularly anti-Jewish, but he refused to disavow the anti-Jewish history of the Church.' While opening the archives, the Vatican also appears to be shutting down talk of Pius XII's beatification - a first step toward canonisation backed by the German-born Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. The idea triggered an outcry from Jewish groups. P rime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged not to "cosy up" to US Presidents Donald Trump as trade talks get underway. Trade Union chiefs have warned Mr Johnson against signing the country up to lower food or employment standard in order to cut a deal. Frances OGrady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: The Government should be focused on getting a good trade deal with the EU not cosying up to Donald Trump. A bad trade deal with the US will put working peoples jobs and rights on the line. And it will undermine our vital public services, environment and food standards." The Government has set out its overall strategy for a trade deal with the United States, vowing not to cut standards or allow any privatisation of the NHS. Boris Johnson and his government have vowed not to allow a US trade deal to cut British standards / Getty images Ministers predict a free trade agreement could boost the UK economy by opening up opportunities for British businesses and investors while facilitating greater choice and lower prices for producers and consumers. However, food hygiene has proved to be a dominating issue as negotiators prepare to face their US counterparts in the coming weeks. The US, as well as allowing farmers to produce chlorine-washed chicken, has fewer restrictions on what can be sold on supermarket shelves. Lax rules allow rat hairs in paprika, maggots in orange juice and rodent droppings in ginger, according to opposition MPs. Ms OGrady added: Nobody voted for chlorinated chicken or for US corporations to have more access to our personal data. TUC's Frances O'Grady has warned Mr Johnson against a "cosy" relationship with Trump (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images) / Getty Images The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said it was encouraging to see overarching ambitions in the negotiation mandate, due to be published in full on Monday, to make it simpler for skilled workers to cross the Atlantic for work. CBI director-general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said: The UK is beginning a brand-new chapter in its global future, and a good trade deal with the US is a vital part of that story. The US and UK already share the worlds largest bilateral investment relationship; now is the time to use it as a springboard for new jobs and investment here at home. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said a great deal of its members were enthusiastic about the prospect of closer trading ties with such a major economy. The UKs talks with the US will take part in parallel with the talks with Brussels over a new post-Brexit relationship. Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC said: The Government has set a high ambition for UK-US talks, and it will be important to get the details right over the coming months to ensure that a prospective agreement benefits businesses and communities around the UK. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said sealing a deal with Washington could allow more firms to export globally. National chairman Mike Cherry said: FSB research shows that the United States is the number one individual country that UK small businesses are looking to as they consider where to trade, with 46 per cent of UK SME exporters prioritising the US market over the next three years. This shows the sheer scale of ambition that will be unleashed if we can take full advantage of the opportunities a free trade agreement will open up. Kolkata Police on Monday claimed to have arrested three BJP supporters for allegedly raising the incendiary "desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro ... " (shoot the traitors) slogan while they were on their way to attend Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in the city. "This illegal act of passing provocative slogans was done by BJP supporters. It is a cognisable offence," a senior official of the Kolkata Police said. Based on the complaint lodged by a person at the New Market Police Station on Sunday, police arrested the trio. The three, identified as Dhruva Basu, Pankaj Prasad, and Surendra Kumar Tewary, were arrested on Sunday night, the official said. "They have been booked under four sections including two non-bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code. They will be produced at a city court today," the IPS officer said. The West Bengal BJP unit on Sunday came under fire after a group of people holding the party flag allegedly raised the incendiary "desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro..." (shoot the traitors) slogan on their way to a rally of Shah. The men shouted the slogan while they were passing the Maidan Market in Esplanade en route to the rally venue Shahid Minar ground. The state BJP leadership, however, denied the involvement of any party worker in the incident and termed it as the "handiwork of the TMC (Trinamool Congress)". The home minister was on a day-long visit to Kolkata on Sunday. There has been a controversy over raising of such slogans during BJP rallies during Delhi assembly polls and protests in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) due to allegations that they provoke violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SELMA, Ala. Rep. John Lewis, who was attacked with tear gas and polices billy clubs on Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, made an unexpected, inspiring appearance at the 55th anniversary remembrance of the protest, leading marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday. Lewis, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, was not expected to be at the event until an announcement from his office the morning of the final day of Jubilee, the annual events marking the voting rights protests in Selma. I thought I was going to die on this bridge. But somehow and some way, god almighty helped me here," he said of what he experienced 55 years ago. Lewis then told the crowd on the bridge to keep fighting today. "We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize," he said. "We must go out and vote like we never ever voted before. Some people gave more than a little blood. Some gave their very lives." 2020 election: Pete Buttigieg ends his campaign I thought I was going to die on this bridge. Incredible moment in the middle of the Edmund Pettus bridge during #Selma55 bridge crossing. Thank you @repjohnlewis. We will never stop working to honor you and all who risked their lives for the right to vote. pic.twitter.com/v0V05D36uI Vanita Gupta (@vanitaguptaCR) March 1, 2020 Lewis appearance overshadowed the presidential candidates posturing for Alabamas voters allegiance ahead of the state's primary on Tuesday. All of the major candidates seeking the Democratic Partys nomination except Bernie Sanders were expected to be in Selma over the weekend. 'Not over yet': Biden-Sanders on Super Tuesday collision course as biggest trove of delegates awaits Story continues Polls: Sanders leads Biden in key Super Tuesday states of California, Texas and North Carolina Former Vice President Joe Biden arrives at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., on Sunday March 1, 2020. It is the 55th anniversary of the Selma Bloody Sunday Bridge Crossing. Former Vice President Joe Biden, fresh off his decisive South Carolina primary victory, spoke at Brown Chapel, as did Michael Bloomberg. Biden earned the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and U.S. Sen. Doug Jones before Bidens remarks. Protesters turn their backs on Bloomberg When Ryan Haygood saw democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg get up in front of the audience at Brown Chapel AME Church, he hoped the former mayor of New York would take the opportunity to right a wrong. He didn't, so Haygood turned his back on him literally, joining a group of about seven other people in protest after Bloomberg didn't address his mayoral administration's controversial stop-and-frisk policy. Bloomberg was invited to speak during Selmas Jubilee, an annual event marking Bloody Sunday when hundreds of protesters were beaten and battered while marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965. Opinion: Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer drop out. Other Democrats also should do the right thing. A group of guest stand and face the opposite way as Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg speaks during the Jubilee at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., on Sunday, March 1, 2020. The event has long been an opportunity for national candidates to share their platforms and drum up support from black voters. Bloomberg already faced an uphill climb before he stepped up to the pulpit at Brown Chapel. But Haygood was open to what Bloomberg had to say. Bloomberg gave an anecdote about how as a young Boy Scout he helped walk Amelia Earharts mother to the polls, an instance that resonated with him because as a woman, she had not always had the right to vote. There are so many still being denied the right to vote simply because of the color of their skin, Bloomberg said. The voter suppression did not end. If it had, Stacey Abrams would be Gov. Abrams. Bloomberg hammered hard on voter suppression, as did Biden and keynote speaker Abrams. It was the controversial stop-and-frisk program that Bloomberg supported during his time as mayor that Haygood hoped he might atone for. Bloomberg made no mention of the program, which has gotten him significant criticism during his campaign. Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg speaks at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., on Sunday, March 1, 2020. I was sitting there really wrestling with the fact that 55 years ago 600 or more people assembled at this church and they prayed and prepared to be brutalized by Alabama state troopers about a half a mile up the bridge, Haygood said. Then comes Michael Bloomberg who when he was the mayor of New York City presided over those very kinds of police brutality practices and policies. So in my mind, I thought, though I was surprised to see him come through the doors, I thought he would use this space to atone for that. When it became apparent to Haygood that Bloomberg was not going to atone for that he quietly stood and turned his back to the candidate. Slowly, about seven people beside him stood and also turned their backs. A few more people across the church did the same. They stood for about 30 seconds before Bloomberg realized what was happening. He paused, then stumbled over his words before picking back up with his speech. Theres a direct connection to the police brutality on Bloody Sunday and that brutality he presided over in NYC. So I thought he would lean into the moment, to really acknowledge it, take responsibility for it and atone for it, Haygood said. And not only did he not do that, it was clear to me that he wasnt even going to address the issue at all. And so I wrestled with it. So I felt like I had to do something to acknowledge that thats not OK especially in this sacred space. This is a space that changed the world. Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg joins the crowd at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Ala., on Sunday, March 1, 2020. Despite not openly acknowledging the small protest, Haygood said hes confident Bloomberg understand what was happening. I think he came in with prepared remarks. I dont think he thought carefully about the audience, Haygood said. He could have given that speech anywhere. This is not anywhere. Theres a reason why every year, you get the highest elected officials in the land, all the candidates for president, I think, they all came. Theres a reason they come to this church. Its because the people here have power and the history is powerful, and the history informs the present. So hes not free to dismiss what he did as the mayor of one of the largest citys in the country. Hundreds of thousands of lives devastated and he could have atoned for that here. It was a missed opportunity for him. Follow Montgomery Advertiser reporter Kirsten Fiscus on Twitter @KDFiscus Super Tuesday: California has huge role in Democratic primary, but new vote centers could mean confusion Pence: Trump Jr. 'justified' to claim Democrats hope coronavirus 'kills millions' This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Selma: John Lewis' speech inspires at 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary (Natural News) Healthcare professionals use different methods to fight cancer and viral infections. However, a team led by researchers from Wake Forest University in North Carolina recently reported a potential therapeutic strategy that may help fight both. In a study published in the journal Cell, the researchers discovered that reducing lactate, a product of glucose breakdown, increases the production of type 1 interferons (IFN). Type 1 IFNs are proteins that help clear viral infections and boost immunity against cancer. Glycolysis and type 1 interferon production Glycolysis, the process by which cells convert glucose into lactate or pyruvate, is normally shut down when RIG-I-like receptors (RLR) are activated. RLRs are responsible for detecting viral RNAs and are involved in initiating and controlling the anti-viral immunity of cells. But the researchers found that when glycolysis remains activated, it hinders the production of type 1 IFNs despite RLR activation. The key to this inhibition is lactate. According to the researchers, lactate binds to a membrane protein called MAVs and prevents it from doing its function. During viral detection, RLRs trigger MAVs activity, which involves localization to different cell organelles in order to drive anti-viral cell responses. The binding of lactate to MAVs stops its localization inside the cell. Using pharmacological and genetic approaches, the researchers showed that reducing lactate in mice increases type 1 IFN production. They achieved this by inactivating an enzyme called lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), which facilitates the reversible conversion of pyruvate into lactate. Though their efforts, the researchers established the role of glycolysis-derived lactate in limiting RLR signaling and slowing down type 1 IFN production. They also showed how energy metabolism is linked to cellular innate immunity. The role of interferons in the immune system Interferons play an important part in the bodys immune response. They serve as signaling proteins, with host cells releasing them in response to viral infections. In most cases, a cell thats been infected by a virus will release interferons to signal nearby cells. As a response, nearby cells will then heighten their own anti-viral defenses to help ward off infection. In addition to boosting the bodys immunity against viral infections, type 1 interferons also help fight cancer. These proteins have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumor cells. Natural ways to boost your interferon levels Alhough researchers have only tested this on animals, that doesnt mean that humans cant raise the levels of interferons in their body. In fact, there are plenty of ways to do this naturally. One way to do this is by making sure you get enough vitamin C. Vitamin C helps boost the immune system through a number of ways, one of which is by enhancing interferon production. Using fermented red ginseng can also help increase the levels of interferons in the body. Red ginseng is especially great for someone whose immune system has been weakened by prescription drugs. Poria mushroom is known to stimulate the production of interferons. This superfood has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to boost immunity for centuries. Another way to boost your interferon levels is by taking probiotics. A number of studies have shown that probiotics not only reduce the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection, they also increase interferon levels in the blood. Maintaining the health of your immune system is important for preventing diseases. For more news on how to boost your immunity, visit ImmuneSystem.news. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com Cell.com 1 Cell.com 2 JVI.ASM.org TAndFOnline.com Advertisement A terrified woman was today dragged by police before she was publicly caned in Indonesia's Aceh province for having sex outside of marriage, a crime punishable under strict local Islamic law. Dozens gathered to watch as the humiliated woman was whipped along with seven other people outside a mosque in the provincial capital Banda Aceh. A masked sharia officer known as an 'algojo' rained down between five to 45 lashes from a rattan cane on their backs after they were caught with members of the opposite sex. A terrified woman was dragged by police before she was publicly caned in Indonesia's Aceh province for having sex outside of marriage, a crime punishable under strict local Islamic law Dozens gathered to watch as the humiliated woman was whipped along with seven other victims outside a mosque in the provincial capital Banda Aceh The men and women were rounded up by religious officers after they reportedly had intercourse outside marriage - which violates Aceh province's strict Sharia laws. Despite widespread criticism, public whipping is a common punishment for a range of offences in the deeply conservative region at the tip of Sumatra island, including gambling, drinking alcohol, and having gay sex or relations outside of marriage. Aceh is the only region in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country that imposes Islamic law. Authorities gave few details, but couples have been whipped in the past for cuddling or holding hands in public. Sharia Police escort an Acehnese woman before she is caned in public for having sex outside of marriage in Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia A masked sharia officer known as an 'algojo' rained down between five to 45 lashes from a rattan cane on their backs after they were caught with members of the opposite sex The men and women were rounded up by religious officers after they reportedly had intercourse outwith marriage - which violates the region's strict Sharia laws About 98 per cent of Aceh's five million residents are Muslims subject to religious law, known locally as Qanun. While it's relatively rare, non-Muslims who have committed an offence can choose to be prosecuted under Islamic law, sometimes to avoid a prison sentence. Rights groups have slammed public caning as cruel, and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has called for it to end, but the practice has wide support among Aceh's population. A masked sharia officer known as an 'algojo' canes an Acehnese woman for having sex outside of marriage A woman kneels on the ground as she is caned for her crime. Despite widespread criticism, public whipping is a common punishment for a range of offences in the deeply conservative region at the tip of Sumatra island A male Sharia police officer canes an Acehnese man for having sex outside of marriage. Crimes punishable by cane include including gambling, drinking alcohol, and having gay sex or relations outside of marriage People gather to watch as a woman bows her head while she is publicly caned. Aceh is the only region in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country that imposes Islamic law Authorities gave few details, but couples have been whipped in the past for cuddling or holding hands in public Sharia Police escort an Acehnese woman before she is caned in public for having sex outside of marriage The late Ben Zabala. Hotel workers at the former Wyndham Philadelphia-Bucks County hotel say he advanced cash when the hotel's owners bounced checks. Philadelphia Federal Credit Union says the owners' bankrupt company owes it more than $12 million. Read more In the spring of 2009, at the bottom of the financial crisis, dozens of newly hired hotel workers gathered to open the 200-room Crowne Plaza Hotel at 4700 E. Street Rd. in Trevose. The Bucks County hotel was managed by Hermani Hotels LLC, a Galloway, N.J., firm run by the father and son team of Niranjan and Mayur Mike Khatiwala. Five years later, the bill for that opening came due. U.S. Bank, which held the hotels construction loan, complained in Philadelphia federal court that the Khatiwalas hadnt paid. Judge Michael Baylson ordered the owners to come up with $17 million or face foreclosure. In 2015, they secured a new lead loan for $13 million not from a bank, but from the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union, founded in 1951 to take deposits and make small loans to government workers. But in December, the hotel, renamed Wyndham Hotel Philadelphia-Bucks County, lost its liquor license as dozens of liens for unpaid tax, utility, maintenance and wage claims piled up. Then the hotel was shut Jan. 29 on orders of the Bensalem Township fire marshal, and the owners declared bankruptcy Feb. 3. Since the financial crisis, credit unions have become more popular among business borrowers, especially at larger institutions such as Philadelphia Federal, headed by president James McAneney. Total loans at credit unions in Pennsylvania rose 83 percent, to $35 billion, from 2009 to 2019, according to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). By contrast, loans from Pennsylvania commercial banks were down 11 percent, to $147 billion, according to Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council data. Credit unions may fill the vacuum left in the mergers and shutdowns of local banks, but only if they can avoid the mistakes made by the nations savings and loans, another group of small, consumer-focused institutions. Many were ill-prepared when they rushed into business lending in the 1980s. One-third failed in the resulting S&L crisis, costing government-run insurers more than $100 billion. The case of the Trevose hotel points to some of the risks. In its most recent NCUA report, Philadelphia Federals mortgages with payments up to two months late more than doubled since the previous report three months earlier, to $21 million. If the hotel loan isnt back on schedule by the end of March, it risks having to report a delinquency-to-loans rate more than double last years, which was already double the national credit-union average. That could prompt questions about loan management from regulators charged with preventing credit union losses. The credit union may yet recover the $12 million it says it is owed. The strategy right now is to put the thing up for sale, said Ronald S. Gellert, the owners bankruptcy lawyer. The owners are trying to cancel their restaurant and bar agreement with Flight Hospitality LLC of Aston, so a buyer can seek another operator. Flight, which operated Bradys pub and the Global Bistro at the Wyndham, offered to buy the hotel last fall, but the two sides did not reach agreement. The hotel was last appraised in 2018 for $24.5 million, Gellert said, leaving a massive equity cushion to pay the loan, with millions to cover other claims, even at a shut-down discount. He added that the owners have made repairs and are ready to reopen. (Bensalem fire and police officials did not respond to inquiries.) Wyndham Hotels, based in Parsippany, N.J., has dropped the hotel, spokeswoman Gabriella Chiera confirmed, and owners will have to find a new brand, or at least cover the Wyndham signs, before they might reopen. Bankruptcy Judge Ashely Chan on Tuesday authorized the David R. Maltz auction house of Long Island to put the hotel up for sale. Maltz has not set a date and is trying to find an opening bidder, said spokeswoman Kerry Goldberg. Former employees say the hotels manager, Ben Zabala, who had run a string of hotels since he was owner and operator of Roosevelts bar near 23rd and Walnut in the 1990s, held staff together for a time and even advanced his own cash when the companys checks started bouncing. But Zabala died the day after Christmas 2019 in New York, while attending the musical Hamilton with his son, Nick Zabala, and granddaughter. There was nobody from the hotel ownership at the funeral, Nick Zabala said. My dad believed you had to fill the hotel with good staff, keep up the standard, respond to customer feedback," he added. About a year ago we got the first notice of a Bucks County sheriffs sale. They had the school district, the township, the state payroll taxes, the Liquor Control Board, the elevator company, the boiler people. Medical claims. He figures his father advanced more than $20,000; he has submitted receipts for about two-thirds that amount. Zabala has asked the United States Trustees office to appoint a trustee to investigate fraud, dishonesty, incompetence or gross mismanagement, citing a long record of bounced checks and payment claims against the owners. Zabala, who is a lawyer, and Flight chief executive Frank Battista, an accountant, say they are surprised Hermani was able to borrow so readily. Court records show that 78 liens totaling more than $2 million had been filed against the current hotel owners. And that doesnt count civil lawsuits by contractors who say they werent paid even when the company collected insurance settlements to fund their work. Almost half of the liens were filed before the credit union agreed to fund the hotel. The credit union has had other challenges. Last year, business development manager Kevin Biederman was sentenced to fines, forfeiture of bribe proceeds, and a day in jail after pleading guilty for his role in a case that sent three Lower Southampton officials to prison on money-laundering charges. Also last year, the credit union admitted that hackers had withdrawn funds from hundreds of members accounts. The credit unions associate general counsel, Aimee Harmon declined to comment on the hotel loan, the conviction, or the hack. Gellert, the hotel owners lawyer, says hes confident the credit union will get paid, so long as the hotel gets sold at a price that covers the loan. Pakistan to allow India to send wheat to Afghanistan through its territory: PM Imran Khan India, Russia, China call for formation of truly inclusive government in Afghanistan India-Central Asia dialogue: Need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghan, says Jaishankar Explained: Why Afghan women fear the US-Taliban peace deal International oi-Vicky Nanjappa Kabul, Mar 02: As US troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, opening the door for a potential Taliban comeback, women across the war-torn country are nervous about losing their hard-won freedoms in the pursuit of peace. The militants were in power for around five years until the US invasion of 2001. They ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist that turned women into virtual prisoners under a strict interpretation of sharia law. The Taliban's fall transformed women's lives, much more so in urban areas like Kabul than in conservative rural Afghanistan. US-Taliban peace deal: India reiterates support for 'Afghan-led, Afghan controlled process' But across the country, women remain wary of the insurgents, desperate to see an end to the violence, but fearful of paying a heavy price. Under the Taliban, women were barred from seeking education or work -- rights that Afghan female professionals are fiercely protective of today. In the western city of Herat, saleswoman Setara Akrimi, 32, told AFP: "I will be very happy if peace comes and the Taliban stop killing our people." "But if the Taliban come back to power... with their old mentality, it is a matter of concern for me," the divorced mother of three added. "If they tell me to sit at home, I will not be able to support my family," she said. "There are thousands of women like me in Afghanistan, we are all worried." Akrimi's anxieties are echoed by Kabul-based veterinarian Tahera Rezai, who believes "the arrival of the Taliban will affect women's right to work, freedom and independence". "There has been no change in their mentality," the 30-year-old told AFP. Passionate about her career, Rezai said she was pessimistic about her prospects if the insurgents return to government, even in a truncated capacity. "Looking at their history, I feel less hopeful... I believe the situation will get harder for working women like me," she said. US aims to withdraw all forces 'within 14 months': US-Afghan sign agreement for bringing peace In the run-up to the US deal, the militants made a vague commitment to respect women's rights in line with "Islamic values", prompting warnings from activists that the pledge was mere lip service and open to broad interpretation. The Taliban control large swathes of Afghanistan and while they now allow girls to attend primary school in some areas, occasional reports of floggings and even the public stoning of women persist, fuelling fears they will turn back the clock if they return to power. Many ordinary Afghans are struggling to balance their desire for peace with their dread of the insurgents. "Every family here is grieving because they have lost their children, sons, husbands, brothers in the war," government official Torpekay Shinwari told AFP in eastern Nangarhar province, which witnessed fierce battles between the Taliban and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate. The 46-year-old said she was praying for peace, but was increasingly concerned that "women would be looked upon as the second sex and suppressed" if the militants gain ground. But in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, schoolgirl Parwana Hussaini struck a rare optimistic note. "I am not worried. Who are the Taliban? They are our brothers," the 17-year-old told AFP. "We are all Afghans and want peace." Furthermore, she added: "The young generation has changed, and will not allow the Taliban to enforce their old ideology upon us." For those who bore the brunt of the insurgents' merciless rule, however, there is little doubt that a Taliban comeback will bring anything other than a repeat of "dark and painful memories". Factory worker Uzra, from the mainly Shiite Hazara ethnic minority, sobbed as she recounted life as a young mother, alone at home with her children when the Sunni-fundamentalist Taliban arrived in her village. India, US can do larger trade deal 'much fast': Goyal "I still vividly remember the day... They massacred all the men, and then came to my house," the 40-year-old said, too frightened to give her full name. The militants threatened to behead her then three-year-old daughter, she told AFP from her home in central Bamiyan province. The family survived and fled to Pakistan, but her husband was disabled and traumatised by the brutal beatings he suffered. "To this day, when the word 'Taliban' comes up, he starts crying," she said. "Everybody wants peace, but not if the Taliban returns. I don't want this so-called peace. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 9:07 [IST] The All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has felicitated with the General Overseer of Redeemed Christ... The All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has felicitated with the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, on his 78th birthday. The former Lagos governor described Pastor Adeboye as a strong and committed leader of nations who has built a flock that now numbers many millions through his formidable and devoted ministry. In a congratulatory letter to Pastor Adeboye, personally signed by him and released by his Media Office on Monday, Tinubu said: I sincerely extend my best wishes and congratulations to Pastor E. A. Adeboye on the occasion of his 78th birthday celebrations. Truly, Pastor Adeboye is a strong and committed leader of nations. Through his formidable and devoted ministry, he has built a flock that now numbers many millions. With the support of his loyal and dedicated wife, Pastor Adeboye has built a church that is renowned across the world. He has led a life of grace and service. He is a beacon of hope for those in search of salvation and a guiding light for those who, like him, are called to serve. His dedication to his faith and the salvation of his followers deserves recognition and commendation, even from among those who do not profess identical beliefs. My thoughts are with Pastor Adeboye, his family and all people of faith across our great nation, Nigeria at this important moment. May God continue to show Pastor Adeboye His divine mercy. May He bless him and give him many more years in good health and high spirits that he may continue to touch the lives of those who would follow. Britain, Germany and France have offered a 5 million-euro ($5.6 million) package to Iran to help fight coronavirus in the country, Britain's Foreign Office said on Monday. The so-called E3 group would provide the support through the World Health Organization or other UN agencies, it said in a statement. The group was also sending medical material to Iran on Monday, including equipment for laboratory tests, protective body suits and gloves, the statement said. Search Keywords: Short link: MyTN, a phone app that provides multiple government services to Tennesseans, was released last week , but officials say work on the ambitious platform is far from over.Currently, the free app, which is available for Apple and Android phones, breaks its offerings down into four categories: children and families, lifestyles, driver services and public safety. Users can, among other actions, report child abuse, obtain a handgun permit, access a list of farmers markets across the state or search a database of state felony offenders.Over the next several months, MyTN will add numerous more services from different state agencies as well as new functions, such as push notifications that can inform a user when they should use the app to, for example, renew their drivers license.Strategic Technology Solutions (STS), which is housed under the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration and led by state CIO Stephanie Dedmon, created the app in coordination with different state agencies. The vision behind this app of apps is to give citizens one place where they can efficiently and regularly do business with state government.It makes it citizen-centric so that they just look for services, said Jerry Jones, executive director of Enterprise Shared Solutions. They dont have to have intimate knowledge of which departments or program areas provide the services.Since its Feb. 18 launch, MyTN has about 3,000 unique users. The state wants that number to continue growing.Thats why we want to grow the number of services as quickly as we can in these multiple phases, Dedmon said. Because if a citizen can go to MyTN and obtain multiple services or complete two to three transactions at one time, theyre more likely to use it than just every once in a while when they need to do one thing.Jones said the goal is to add several services every three months. In terms of upcoming additions, the state has identified 11 and 15 services that can be included on April 30 and July 31, respectively, but every additional service will need to be approved by its department. Services for veterans, personalized license plates and health data are among the potential additions in the near term.Many of the services, including those currently featured on the app, are existing government applications that require integration into the MyTN platform. Jones said MyTN will also feature brand-new services down the road.The app will also gain functions over time. One of the most significant improvements will be single sign-on, meaning that citizens will only have to use one set of credentials to log in for various services. Another function will give citizens the ability to communicate their concerns to agencies.We are working with departments to have agents set up in the different departments so that if a citizen has a question about a certain service theyll be able to submit inquiries or possibly chat with an agent from that department right through MyTN, Jones said.For an app to cut across agency lines, buy-in is key. Dedmon said departments showed some skepticism initially. Jones described their sentiment as I dont want to be first. But financial support from the state, in the form of $3.6 million, has been critical to making the case to the agencies.The only cost to you will be some staff time to help us test it is much more of an attractive model than Youre going to need to fund a $200,000 development effort to have your vendor work with us on this, Dedmon said.Dedmon added that STS has had to use some of its own resources to help pay for the project. Most of the money thus far has gone toward tools and technologies, though that will change when more non-existing applications are developed and added to MyTN.For security, MyTN employs anonymous guest access, multifactor authentication and LexisNexis identity proofing.Jones said the experience of creating MyTN has been a learning process. For instance, at first the plan was to redevelop existing government applications through an Adobe platform. But the team eventually realized this was the wrong direction to take.We were going to recreate those applications inside of the (Adobe Experience Manager) platform, and we went down that path, and we talked to departments, and they honestly helped us wake up on it, Jones explained. They basically said, Thats not a good idea, the applications are already developed, and they work.One challenge and opportunity is coming up with a way to teach the individual agencies how to use the templates for creating MyTN applications, which could accelerate the addition of services to the phone app, Jones said.Another hope is that MyTN will be used by enough citizens so that the state can rely less on its current real estate and buildings for service delivery. But such cost savings would be years in the making, Dedmon said. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 16:31:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 414 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 BLUE BELL, PA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / CoreDial, LLC, a leading provider of cloud communications solutions for businesses, announced that Ken Lienemann, its Chief Revenue Officer, has been named to CRN's prestigious 2020 Channel Chiefs list. Recognizing those individuals who are driving growth through professional achievements, high standards and ethics, and dedication to the channel partner community, Channel Chiefs is one of the most popular features produced by CRN, the pre-eminent publication for the technology reseller community.This marks Lienemann's second consecutive appearance on the Channel Chiefs list. He has been instrumental in guiding CoreDial's growth throughout 2019, which included the launch of several contact center-related partner programs, and the refinement of CoreDial's highly successful UCaaS offerings, which are now available through over 800 partners nationwide."Being named a Channel Chief is an honor that really speaks to the effort and commitment of the entire CoreDial team," said Lienemann. "Our Partners' success is our main priority, and the team consistently goes above and beyond to make success a reality for the Channel. I'm proud to be a part of this team and what we're collectively delivering to our Partners. I look forward to being a continued part of the Channel's growth and success well into the future." Partners can view the full Channel Chiefs feature, as well as Ken Lienemann's listing. For information on CoreDial and its CoreNexa UCaaS platform, visit www.coredial.com About CoreDialCoreDial is the leading provider of cloud communications services for businesses and drives channel success through a unique and proven business model that empowers partners to deliver high-value, margin-rich communications solutions. With over 800 partners serving more than 30,000 businesses and 350,000 seats nationwide, CoreDial enables the channel to quickly and cost-effectively provide end-users with compelling, reliable platforms and services that include UCaaS, CCaaS, hosted PBX, mobility, SIP trunking, and SD-WAN. The company's success-focused business model and intuitive self-service capabilities enable Partners to generate recurring revenues, increase profitability, and build customer loyalty.About The Channel CompanyThe Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. Learn more at www.thechannelco.com CONTACT:Suzanne MattaboniParallel Communications Group, Inc.610-261-4560smattaboni@ parallelpr.com SOURCE: CoreDial A French social media influencer has gone viral after he filled his bath with orbeez and managed to block his entire neighbourhood's drainage systems with the jelly-like balls. YouTuber Cyril Schreiner, from Alsace, poured three boxes of Orbeez - beads that expand in water - into a bath for his latest video. But events took a turn for the worst when he decided to unplug the bath to try to get rid of the jelly balls down the drain. Youtuber Cyril Schreiner (pictured), from Alsace, poured three boxes of orbeez - beads that expand in water - into a bath for his latest video, which he posted four days ago Events took a turn for the worst when he decided to unplug the bath to try to get rid of the jelly balls down the drain The balls filled the pipes and flooded into the toilet and sink. Cyril then made it even worse by trying to flush the toilet, which only resulted in it overflowing and flooding his bathroom. A further update revealed the entire neighbourhood's drainage system had been blocked and the mayor was looking for the culprit. Although the videos were all in French, one English-speaking Twitter user - with the username @yuqheis - translated the events in a thread that has been viewed six-million times. They wrote: 'This French guy filled his tub with orbeez then had no idea how to get rid of them so he just pulled the plug which resulted in orbeez overflowing both in his toilet and sink.' The orbeez filled the drains around the French town and the mayor sent a letter to each house explaining they were searching for the culprit Although the videos were all in French, one English-speaking Twitter user - with the username @yuqheis - translated the events in a thread that has been viewed six-million times It was one disaster after another when his vacuum cleaner caught on fire while he tried to clean the mess. The Twitter user added: 'His hoover caught on fire when he tried to hoover them up, then he found out the Orbeez invaded the entire sewer system in his neighbourhood. 'Someone suggested to use salt and it actually worked until poop started flooding not only his house but the neighbourhood too. There are genuine tears streaming down my face at this point. What are Orbeez - the tiny balls also known as water jellies, water beads, water gems? An Orbeez footspa Orbeez are superabsorbent polymers that grow to 100 times their original size when submerged in water. They absorb liquids and a version of Orbeez are used in babies' nappies to keep them dry. Why were they created? They were originally invented as a way to keep moisture in soil for plants. The plant roots can take the water out of the beads as soon as the soil gets dry, and then the beads absorb more water again once they're watered. So the plants are always the perfect level of damp. What are they used for now? The beads are hugely popular with children and YouTube content creators. Many videos have been created showing people filling paddling pools and baths with the colourful jellies. Are they harmful to the environment? Orbeez are non-toxic and biodegradable but they can clog up waste and pipe systems so should never be flushed or poured into plugs. Advertisement 'The Orbeez actually blocked the entire water system in his neighbourhood and he received a letter from town hall saying cops are searching for the culprit.' Cyril, who has half a million subscribers, originally posted the full video on his YouTube channel. And when he saw the English translation of his antics on Twitter he commented: 'HELLO IT'S ME THE IDIOT.' Other Twitter users couldn't believe what they were seeing and commented their shock underneath the post. When he saw the English translation of his antics on Twitter he commented: HELLO IT'S ME THE IDIOT' Other Twitter users couldn't believe what they were seeing and commented their shock underneath the post One said: 'but WHY? why would you fill the tub with them? I personally would have scooped them out with a bucket into trash bags, assuming I had a tub full of them for some reason.' Another added: 'Okay you know what. I'm just wondering why you didn't just vacuum clean them all up and just dumped them in the trash bags. You could have hired somebody to industrially clean this.' One penned: 'Time to blame Orbeez for damages coz they dont specify not to do this on the packet, good luck mate.' Another was less sympathetic: 'Man that would wreck the sewage system and cost tens of thousands of dollars.' 713 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lawyer Lisa Page said President Donald Trump is still very much obsessed with her and former FBI head of counterintelligence Peter Strzok after reports emerged that the text messages critical of Trump that she and Strzok shared while engaged in an affair were performed as a play entitled FBI Lovebirds: Undercover. The play, which featured actors Dean Cain and Kristy Swanson, was the first to ever be performed at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Trump had met with the actors and the writing team in the Oval Office before the performance. More than three years later, long after his election victory, Donald Trump is still obsessed with two officials who did their jobs while personally not liking him, Page wrote on Twitter. They are still the stars of Trump rallies, where the president performs their exchanges, grotesquely. More than three years later, long after his election victory, Donald Trump is still obsessed with two officials who did their jobs while personally not liking him. They are still the stars of Trump rallies, where the president performs their exchanges, grotesquely. https://t.co/6E76hpKi9N Lisa Page (@NatSecLisa) March 1, 2020 Many came to Pages defense, calling Trumps behavior is grotesque and inappropriate. Honest to god Ms Page, you are absolutely correct. His bizarre behavior toward you is totally nuts, inappropriate, and demonstrates his evil vindictive nature. Trump is indecent. He does not have one redeeming quality. Stay strong and keep speaking out. Equimom (@Equimom2) March 1, 2020 Hang in there. Millions of good people are with you. james jewell (@jamesje85833064) March 1, 2020 It's grotesque and inappropriate, and I think most Americans know that and will factor Trump's overall childish and vindictive behavior (along with the incompetence) into their vote come November. Hang in there. Betty Cracker (@bettycrackerfl) March 1, 2020 Trump, who often refers to Page and Strzok the lovers, has repeatedly asserted that the texts they shared were evidence of bias within the Department of Justice and his opponents desire to undermine the 2016 election results. When Lisa Page, the lover of Peter Strzok, talks about being crushed, and how innocent she is, ask her to read Peters Insurance Policy text, to her, just in case Hillary loses. Also, why were the lovers text messages scrubbed after he left Mueller. Where are they Lisa? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2019 This is one of the most horrible abuses of all. Those texts between gaga lovers would have told the whole story. Illegal deletion by Mueller. They gave us the insurance policy. https://t.co/EEa41Kn6fX Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2019 I am on Air Force One flying to NATO and hear reports that the FBI lovers, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page are getting cold feet on testifying about the Rigged Witch Hunt headed by 13 Angry Democrats and people that worked for Obama for 8 years. Total disgrace! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2018 In December 2019, a report by the Justice Department inspector general found that Page had no input in the decision to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 general election. The inspector general also concluded that Strzok was not motivated by bias in his work as the investigation unfolded. Shortly afterward, Trump decried the findings, calling the report incredible, far worse than I wouldve ever thought possible. Trump: "The IG report just came out and I was just briefed on it and it's a disgrace what's happened with respect to the things that were done to our country. It should never again happen to another president. It is incredible, far worse than I would've ever thought possible." pic.twitter.com/uuRl6bzdsa The Hill (@thehill) December 9, 2019 As expected, these findings have done little to quell the belief among Trumps base that Page and Strzok influenced the investigation. Fox News reported that FBI Lovebirds: Undercover was greeted with applause at CPAC and that the president has given his stamp of approval. Drug syndicates are sending ice to Australia through the mail service, federal police say after a nationwide operation targeting the syndicates in February 2020. (Australian Federal Police) Police Departments Issue Fake Warnings About Coronavirus-Contaminated Meth Several police departments have used the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak to create joke social media warnings in an attempt to make drug arrests. The Tavares Police Department in Florida and the Merrill Police Department in Wisconsin are among several that have posted on social media offering to test drugs and methamphetamine for coronavirus. If you have recently purchased Meth, it may be contaminated with coronavirus, the Merrill Police Department wrote on Facebook this week. If youre not comfortable going into an office setting, please request any officer and theyll test your Meth in the privacy of your home. Please spread the word! We are here for you! Bring it by our station and we will test your batch within minutes! the Tavares Police Department wrote on Facebook. In a now-deleted Facebook post, the Decatur County Sheriffs Office in Kansas asked people to bring their meth to the station to have it tested. Please take it to the sheriffs office or police department and they will test it for free, it said. If youre not comfortable going into an office, please contact any officer and theyll test your meth in the privacy of your home. Please spread the word! In the past, police departments have posted similar messages on Facebook offering to test meth or other drugs. But some Facebook users criticized the departments for what they claimed was insensitivity. While other departments are creating substance use outreach programs, youre doing this. Substance use disorder is a public health crisis. Making a mockery of it is putting you further away from a solution. This is disgusting, one person wrote. The department responded, noting that it is a law enforcement agency, not a recovery service and addresses crime and criminals. Most of the comments on the pages were humorous. Police in Merrill wrote an updated post to acknowledge that it received critical comments. The department said that similar ploys have worked in the past. Just to give you some history, we have actually experienced people report their illegal drugs being stolen, being ripped off in a drug deal, being sold a look-a-like illegal substance, etc., the department wrote. So this attempt, although a long shot, still had some possibility behind it. It added, It is our hope that every drug arrest both works to hold offenders accountable for their deeds and provides them with a path toward treatment options. The Tavares Police Department also updated its post, saying that we are aware that our post has generated a lot of concerns and we want to clarify that there is no indication illegal drugs can have coronavirus in them. Drug abuse has a high personal cost to oneself and family with drug dependence. We apologize for any confusion our post may have caused, it added. So far, more than 70 cases of COVID-19, the disease the new coronavirus causes, have been confirmed in the United States as of Sunday. One death was reported on Saturday in Washington state, while the same state reported two new cases on Sunday, and Rhode Island reported its first case. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will hold talks this week in Moscow amid mounting tensions in Syria, Turkey's presidency said March 2. Turkey confirmed on March 2 that it had launched a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces following increasing clashes in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib. The latest escalation followed the killing of 34 Turkish soldiers last week in an air strike blamed on Syria. "The president is due to pay a one-day visit to Russia on March 5," the Turkish presidency said in a statement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on March 2 also confirmed the talks on Syria in Moscow. But the Kremlin drew Turkey's attention to a warning from the Russian Defense Ministry that Moscow could not guarantee the safety of Turkish planes flying in Syria. Turkey killed 19 Syrian soldiers in drone strikes on March 1 and shot down two government warplanes. Turkey and Russia -- which back opposing sides in the conflict -- have avoided direct confrontation so far. The two countries share significant defense and trade ties. Putin on March 2 told Russian news agency TASS that Russia does not plan to go to war with anyone, but wants to dissuade other countries from engaging in conflict with Moscow. Erdogan and Putin agreed at a meeting in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi in October 2019 to conduct joint military patrols in northeast Syria. But Syria and Russia look increasingly determined to regain full control of the area and an offensive launched in December has displaced close to a million civilians. Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS CALGARY, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific's (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Nadeem Velani, will address the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference on March 10, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. ET in New York City. CP will provide access to a live audio webcast of Mr. Velani's remarks at investor.cpr.ca. A replay will also be available following the conclusion of the event. About Canadian Pacific Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to major ports on the west and east coasts. CP provides North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. CP-IR SOURCE Canadian Pacific Related Links www.cpr.ca To sort this problem, a French startup has come up with a solution. A company known as EP Tender is currently developing a range extending trailer to haul behind your vehicle. To begin with, the company will roll out a fleet of 60-kWh battery trailers along traditional holiday travel routes in Europe where they can be rented and hitched to your EV. Does that solve your range anxiety issues? If you happen to own an internal combustion car, you can always carry a jerrycan of fuel with you for emergencies. But what do you do when your EVs battery is low and theres not charger in sight? Some companies offer portable chargers, but they arent feasible yet due to slow charging. A Paris-based startup has come up with a unique solution that will make long trips in EVs a lot more stress-free LISTEN 03:18 How Does A Range Extender Work? Play A Tender is essentially a power bank that is mounted on a small trailer. They can be hitched to the rear of the car easily and carry about 60 kWh of energy. According to Jalopnik, they can be rented on demand and attached to EVs for long-distance trips. The French startup called EP Tender has come up with this unique solution to the fact that urban-focused entry-level EVs come with small battery packs with a limited range. For instance, the Renault Zoe, an electric city car, offers 120 miles of range on a full charge. While this is enough to potter around the city, it is not feasible to go on long trips with this car. But with this range extending trailer attached to it, you can get an additional 350 miles over the standard 120 miles offered by the Zoe. Thats 470 miles available at your disposal, which no other EV today offers in real-world conditions. How Much Does It Cost? Customers can rent a light trailer on demand. You can get one for as low as 34 ($37), according to Autonews. What Are The Other Types Of Range Extenders? There are different types of range extender trailers available in the market today. They are powered by battery, hydrogen, or gasoline. EP Tender started off by introducing the gasoline-type range extenders and even rolled out 20 trailers for experimental purposes. However, the company quickly moved on to battery-based range extenders, thanks to the falling prices of battery packs. Final Thoughts Play This is just the beginning. There will be a lot of players offering such rental services in a couple of years. These extenders solve the range anxiety issues to a large extent since you wont have to park your car at a charging station and sit for hours for the battery to replenish. It will be interesting if such startups collaborate with automakers to keep the extenders in their charging stations. Instead of having to plug in your charger, you can simply rent an extender and continue with your journey. This will be immensely helpful in developing countries where the current infrastructure setup is the biggest reason for the delay in electrification. Do you think range extenders will be able to solve range anxiety issues? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Armed robbers who held a female employee hostage during a hold-up at a pub in Melbourne's north are believed to have made their getaway before police set up a cordon and spent hours searching for them inside the venue. The attempted robbery occurred hours after a gun-toting thief stormed a family-owned supermarket in nearby Hadfield and fired a gun at the owner. Police have not yet established whether the two incidents, which took place eight kilometres apart, are linked. On Monday, police were called to the Westmeadows Tavern on Ardlie Street about 5am after a 45-year-old woman was confronted by two offenders as she arrived for work and held for "some time" against her will. A plane carrying UN medical experts and aid touched down Monday in Iran on a mission to help it tackle the world's second-deadliest outbreak of coronavirus as European powers said they would send further help. As the official death toll rose by 12 to 66, the Islamic republic turned down a similar offer from arch-enemy Washington, dismissing it as "propaganda". The World Health Organization said a flight arrived from Dubai carrying medical supplies and experts on a fact-finding mission and to "provide guidance on strengthening and scaling up the response to the ongoing outbreak." Germany, France and Britain, for their part, said they would send emergency medical supplies including testing equipment, body suits and gloves as well as five million euros ($5.5 million) to help tackle the outbreak. Iran's confirmed cases leapt Monday by 523 on the previous day, hitting 1,501, said Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi. State news agency IRNA reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 72, a member of the Expediency Council which advises Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It did not specify the cause of death but said he had died at Tehran's Massih Danechvari Hospital, the capital's main centre for coronavirus patients. The outbreak that originated in China has sparked concern among Iran's neighbours, with the Gulf Arab states confirming 130 cases including, on Monday, Saudi Arabia's first case. The health ministry in Riyadh, another key rival of Tehran, said the man had tested positive after returning from Iran. Many of the Gulf's other victims are pilgrims returning from Iran, especially the Shiite holy city of Qom where the country's first case was reported. US President Donald Trump had Saturday offered: "If we can help the Iranians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so... All they have to do is ask." But Tehran rejected the offer, charging that Trump, who has heaped sanctions and a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran, was offering help "for propaganda purposes". "We are suspicious of the intentions of the Americans and do not count on this aid," said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi, quoted by IRNA. Germany, France and Britain, who remain as signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran despite Trump's withdrawal, expressed "their full solidarity with all impacted by COVID-19 in Iran". Beijing, also a signatory to the nuclear deal, said an expert team from China had arrived Saturday in Tehran "to provide what assistance it can in terms of epidemic prevention and control and medical relief". - 'Supplies running low' - The WHO said it had sent Iran "medical supplies and protective equipment to support over 15,000 health care workers, as well as enough laboratory kits to test and diagnose nearly 100,000 people". As the goods worth more than $300,000 -- including gloves, surgical masks and respirators -- were loaded onto an Emirati transport plane in Dubai, WHO's Robert Blanchard warned that global supplies were running low. "What we see now is that demand has greatly exceeded our available stocks... and we are struggling to get access to more supplies." The six-member medical team is made up of doctors, epidemiologists and laboratory specialists to help Iran detect and control the virus, Blanchard said. WHO operations manager Nevien Attalla said the supplies were the "first big shipment which supports the response to coronavirus". "Iran is a challenging country. You don't have always easy approvals to go," she said. The UAE provided the military transport plane for the flight despite having downgraded its relations with the Islamic republic amid fierce rivalry between Iran and close UAE ally Saudi Arabia. Gulf states have announced a raft of measures to cut links with Iran to curb the spread of the virus, cutting off transport links and telling citizens not to visit. "Aid should reach all people regardless of their background," said Sultan Mohammed al-Shamsi, the UAE's undersecretary for humanitarian affairs. IRNA reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 72, a member of the Expediency Council which advises Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It did not specify the cause of death but said he had died at Tehran's Massih Danechvari Hospital, the capital's main centre for patients suffering from the new coronavirus. burs/dv/par/hc Iranians have taken to wearing face masks to protect themselves from the virus Iran's confirmed cases leapt by 523 from the previous day to 1,501 The UAE provided the military plane for the aid flight to Tehran despite having downgraded its relations with Iran Gulf states have announced a raft of measures to cut links with Iran to curb the spread of the virus, cutting off transport links and telling citizens not to visit A bitter love feud is playing out in Nigeria's northern state of Kano, where two men separately got married to the same woman. At the heart of the controversy is 32-year-old Hauwa Ali Mariri, who now risks punishment if she is found guilty of misleading the men. Kano is one of several states in Nigeria operating Sharia, or Islamic law, and it is an offence for a woman to marry more than one man. Things went sour when Bello Ibrahim, 40, Mariri's first husband, returned home to find another man lying on his bed. Ibrahim had fallen seriously ill and had travelled to his village for treatment where he spent two years. He accuses Mariri of remarrying in his absence and without his knowledge. But she told the BBC that he had divorced her. He said he had divorced me before he travelled to his hometown. That is why I married Bala, I felt I was a free woman after he mentioned divorce, she said. Ibrahim disagrees, saying that he never divorced her and still considers her his wife. They were married for 17 years and had six children. I never divorced her. If she insists that that is the case where is her evidence, wheres the letter I wrote her? Most divorces in northern Nigeria are either done verbally or through a written letter. Broken-hearted, Ibrahim took the matter to the states Sharia police where this unusual love story is now being investigated and all three have been questioned. Bala Abdulsalam, 35, the second man in the story, said Mariri had told him that she had divorced her husband and that they could get married. He says he sent her 20,000 naira ($50; 40) to take care of the marriage, including the bride price. I was out of town when I sent her the money, when I came back to Kano, she was my wife already, he told the BBC. He also risks punishment if the Sharia court finds him guilty of taking another man's wife. The two-year relationship produced a child and Mariri is now pregnant with her second. Mariri has moved out of the house, leaving behind the six children with Ibrahim, while Bala has been told by the Sharia police not to leave Kano, as they are still investigating the case. Gwani Murtala, a local commander of the Sharia police in the Kumbotso area where it happened, told the BBC that the case was a "first of its kind" and that he did not know how it would end. ---BBC Leading e-commerce portal Club Factory has bagged the award for National Best Employer Brand at the World HRD Congress. This award was presented to 100 companies who have made significant efforts to create a difference for their employees and build a strong case for themselves in the Best Employer Brand category. "We are delighted with this honour conferred on us. The award is a testimony to our commitment to promote young talent and diversity at Club Factory. We are looking to create a dynamic workforce focussed on the aim of 'One Team - One Dream.' This award is a recognition of the efforts of every team member of Club Factory and thus belongs to everyone who makes up Team Club Factory," said Mukul Chopra, Head - Human Resources, Club Factory, while commenting on the award win. "We are currently strengthening our workforce in India and will appoint local leaders over key functions soon. The Indian leadership team will further lead the strong momentum gained by Club Factory in 2019," added Chopra. Over the last two years, Club Factory has made a mark with its nimble presence in the highly-competitive Indian E-commerce space. Club Factory's management is focussed on building a performance-based culture where every individual employee becomes a flag bearer for the organization's vision and mission. Each employee has been continuously striving to contribute towards the organization's success story. Club Factory recently surpassed 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) in India with a sharp rise in traffic. The platform was recently featured as 'Breakout Apps of 2019' in App Annie's State of Mobile Report. Club Factory has been the most downloaded shopping app on the Android platform globally over the last quarter, according to Sensor Tower's Store Intelligence platform. Club Factory has also surpassed Snapdeal to become the 3rd largest shopping app (in terms of MAUs) in India since June 2019 after retaining #1 rank in Google Play Shopping App category (according to data analytics platform App Annie). This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OTTAWA - Shoppers across the country were loading carts with everything from gas cans to cat litter in response to warnings from top health officials to stock up on supplies in case of a major outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Canada. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Health Patty Hajdu makes her way through the Foyer of the House of Commons to speak with the media Thursday January 30, 2020 in Ottawa. Critics of the federal health minister say her advice to stockpile food and medicine for a possible coronavirus outbreak may be overblown or not specific enough. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - Shoppers across the country were loading carts with everything from gas cans to cat litter in response to warnings from top health officials to stock up on supplies in case of a major outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Canada. Despite the low risk of contracting the virus in Canada, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu suggested last week that people stockpile food and medication in case they or a family member get sick and need to stay at home under quarantine. "Its good to be prepared because things can change quickly," Hajdu said last week. Social media posts over the weekend described "pandemonium" at some bulk-buying stores, like Costco, as people stocked up on toilet paper, disinfectant wipes and groceries. Hajdu said her advice was meant to be practical, since people should always be ready for an emergency. But Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said Monday she doesn't believe it's necessary. At a briefing where she confirmed three new cases of the virus in Ontario, Elliott urged people to go about their lives, while being cautious, and said anyone with symptoms should contact their local public health unit. Federal Conservative health critic Matt Jeneroux said he was caught off guard by the Hajdu's message last week, especially since she reiterated for several weeks that the risk to Canadians was still low. The message to stockpile can evoke a lot of public concern, he said, and he hasn't heard any specific details to back it up. "Food and medicine can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people," Jeneroux said Monday. "We'd love to see more transparency in terms of what to expect. I think this is something most Canadians are curious about." He said a local pharmacy in his Edmonton riding recently ran out of masks because people felt the need to stock up on protective supplies, perhaps unnecessarily. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a specific list of what people should gather to prepare for a potential pandemic, including a two-week supply of food and water, a continuous supply of prescription medication, and non-prescription health supplies like pain reliever, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins. It also recommends people get copies of their health records. Other health officials in Canada have also backed up Hajdu's advice. "People have seized on the idea that this is somehow new," said Dr. Vera Etches, the head of Ottawa Public Health. "In fact, it's not new." She said public health agencies warn all the time that people should have provisions for unexpected emergencies, including snowstorms, power outages and even possible pandemics. Making sure people have enough supplies that they won't have to dash out to the grocery store or the pharmacy if they or a loved one becomes ill is practical advice that's always applicable, she said. The difference this time, she said, is that people seem to be heeding it. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 2, 2020. By PTI NEW DELHI: A Muslim BJP leader said his and some of his relatives' houses were burnt down by rampaging mobs during the communal violence in northeast Delhi. Akhtar Raza, the district vice president of BJP's minority cell told PTI that on February 25, a crowd had gathered in his neighbourhood in Bhagirath Vihar in the evening and within a couple of hours mayhem ensued. READ| 'Papa ke paas le chalo': The numbing angst of kids who lost their fathers in Delhi riots "The crowd raised religious slogans and began setting houses on fire. There are 19 houses belonging to Muslims in the area including mine and three of my relatives all were burnt down," he said. Raza alleged most of the rioters were outsiders. As he along with 12 of his family members were fleeing their burning home, they were pelted with stones by the mob, he alleged. "I sought the help of police but was told that the force was short-staffed. I did not receive any phone call or relief from the party but I have been assured of justice," he said. OKLAHOMA CITY A bill moving through the Legislature would allow Tulsa and Oklahoma City residents to vote on splitting up their school districts. The bill would allow districts with 30,000 or more students to be divided into two districts. Oklahoma City Public Schools is the states largest district with 42,513 students, followed by Tulsa Public Schools with 38,509 students. Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, is the author of Senate Bill 600, which Thursday passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on a vote of 13-5 with its title stricken. Striking the title is usually done on bills that need work or have a financial impact. The bill must be returned to the chamber to have the title restored before final passage. Stanislawski said 80% of Tulsa Public Schools sites have D or F grades on their state report cards; in Oklahoma City Public Schools the figure is 79%. It is an effort to help kids with better opportunities and outcomes, said Stanislawski, a former Jenks Public Schools Board of Education member. The larger the district, the easier it is to get lost in the system and maybe this can help. As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to spread across the globe and countries are reporting new confirmed cases, the United States is closely monitoring and updating travel advisories. The State Department says when it comes to issuing a travel alert for Americans traveling abroad, it takes into account health risks, including current disease outbreaks or a crisis that disrupts a countrys medical infrastructure, as well as the issuance of a travel notice by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are four travel advisory levels: Level 4do not travel; Level 3reconsider travel; Level 2exercise increased caution; and Level 1exercise normal precautions. On Feb. 26, the State Department raised the travel advisory to level 3reconsider travelon South Korea. The change comes after the CDC issued a Level 3 travel warning for people to avoid non-essential travel for South Korea, and after a U.S. soldier there tested positive for coronavirus. The U.S. is asking travelers who spent time in South Korea during the past 14 days and feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing to seek medical advice, and also to avoid contact with others. Also on Wednesday, while maintaining a Level 4 warning or 'do not travel' to Iran (due to the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens), the State Department updated information amid more confirmed cases of coronavirus and deaths in that country. "Several countries have closed their borders with Iran and/or suspended air traffic to and from Iran. As a result, commercial travel to and from Iran may become severely limited with little or no notice, said the State Department. The U.S. has advised against travel to Mongolia, a country that neighbors China, due to travel and transport restrictions. The State Department has also allowed for the voluntary departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members. The update comes after Mongolia's government took several precautionary measures, including closing schools until March 30, the mandatory shutdown of restaurants and bars at midnight, and the prohibition of all public events such as concerts. The country's president, Battulga Khaltmaa, is also in quarantine after returning from a trip to China. This week, the U.S. travel advisory on Italy was increased to Level 2 -- exercise increased caution -- after separate cases were confirmed in Tuscany and Sicily. But the U.S. does not recommend canceling or postponing travel to Italy, a popular travel destination. Italy and Iran are among the countries with the largest numbers of coronavirus cases outside Asia. On Feb. 22, the travel advisory on Japan was raised to Level 2exercise increased cautionafter coronavirus infections on a cruise ship and an increase in cases confirmed in the country. Thursday, Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe requested all schools to close from March 2 until the end of spring break, in a bid to stop coronavirus spreading. In another drastic move, Japans northern island of Hokkaido, which has seen the largest number of coronavirus cases in the country, declared a state of emergency on late Friday. The island is known for its volcanoes, natural hot springs and ski resorts. And as for whether the Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be canceled due to the coronavirus, the International Olympics Committee said a decision will be made around May. The U.S. government already has a check-list for potential travelers to the sporting event set to open July 24 in Tokyo. The following is a breakdown of travel advisories on countries and areas, as of Feb. 28, according to the State Department. Level 4: Do Not Travel COVID-19 outbreak related updates: China, Iran. Other non-coronavirus risk indicators, including terrorism, kidnapping, and armed conflict: Iraq, Mali, Central African Republic, Venezuela, Yemen, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, North Korea, Libya, North Korea, Afghan. Level 3: Reconsider Travel COVID-19 outbreak related updates: South Korea, Mongolia. Other non-coronavirus risk indicators, including terrorism, kidnapping, and armed conflict: Pakistan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nigeria, Lebanon, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Sudan, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua. Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution COVID-19 outbreak related updates: Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau. Other non-coronavirus risk indicators, including crimes, civil unrest, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws: Ukraine, Guinea, Russia, Serbia, Timore-Leste, Brazil, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Nepal, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Mauritania, South Africa, Belgium, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, The Bahamas, Tajikistan, Dominica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Spain, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar (Burma), El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malawi, Ethiopia, Cote dlvoire, Uruguay, Netherlands, Madagascar, Egypt, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, Germany, Kosovo, Guyana, Zimbabwe, Maldives, United Kingdom, Republic of the Congo, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, Philippines, Kenya, Colombia, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Algeria, Morocco, France, India, Guatemala, Turks and Caicos Islands, Eritrea, Antarctica, Belize, Tunisia, Israel, Jordan. Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions Thailand, Palau, Solomon Island, Micronesia, Luxembourg, Australia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Poland, Croatia, Canada, The Kyrgyz Republic, Samoa, Armenia, Zambia, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, North Macedonia, Seychelles, Mauritius, Fiji, The Gambia, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Cabo Verde, Bulgaria, Austria, New Zealand, French Guiana, Djibouti, Tonga, Kiribati, Ireland, Brunei, Belarus, Suriname, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Laos, Finland, Norway, Andorra, Hungary, Cyprus, Romania, Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia, Moldova, Ghana, Albania, Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Iceland, Lithuania, Portugal, Benin, Togo, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saint Kitts and Nevis, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Panama, Comoros, Turkmenistan, Saint Lucia, Malaysia, Georgia, Angola, Kazakhstan, Nauru, New Caledonia, Sweden, French Polynesia, Vanuatu, Barbados, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, Tuvalu, Grenada, French West Indies, Mozambique, Bhutan, Paraguay, Sao Tome and Principle, Gabon, Sint Maarten, Curacao, Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bermuda, Aruba, Liberia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Marshall Islands, Argentina. British Prime Minister has said Priti Patel is a "fantastic" home secretary as he backed his senior cabinet minister amid a row over the resignation of her top civil servant. Johnson was asked about the controversy and allegations of bullying against the Indian-origin minister by Sir Philip Rutnam, her former permanent secretary, during a visit to Public Health England in north London on Sunday evening to address the rising fears around the spread of the coronavirus in Britain. "Absolutely," he said, when asked if he had confidence in Patel. "I think she is a fantastic home secretary. Anybody who has been home secretary will testify that it is one of the toughest jobs in the government," the prime minister said. In the context of what is being pegged as a clash between politicians and the civil service, Johnson also expressed his "admiration" for the country's civil servants, whom he described as "brilliant alpha minds". "There is a big, big task ahead of us now. We are delivering, at last, a new immigration system for this country, a points-based immigration system," he said in reference to the new visa regime unveiled by Patel last month. Johnson's intervention came following the explosive resignation of Rutnam from the UK Home Office over the weekend. While Patel herself is yet to comment on the matter, one of her cabinet colleagues, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, spoke out in her defence on Sunday. "Priti is a very determined person but she is also very courteous," he said. Meanwhile, the opposition Labour Party has demanded that Patel address Parliament on the allegations of bullying against her. "The home secretary has a duty to come to Parliament on Monday to explain the allegations made about her own conduct," said Sir Kier Starmer, the frontrunner in the ongoing Labour Party leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn. The 47-year-old minister also faces the prospect of an inquiry, following Rutnam's decision to sue the government over his alleged forced exit, and Starmer called for the head of the UK civil service, Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, to start "an immediate investigation" into the circumstances surrounding his departure. "There are now urgent questions that must be answered and steps that need to be taken," he said. Rutnam announced his resignation in an emotional television statement as he claimed a "vicious and orchestrated campaign" against him and pointed the finger of blame at Patel. "The home secretary categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office. I regret I do not believe her," said Rutnam, who has said he intended to go to court with "very strong grounds" to claim a constructive, unfair dismissal. Rutnam also referred to the tensions with Patel when he encouraged her to change her behaviour. "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," he claimed. The 10th AUC-EC Commission-to-Commission (C2C) meeting was held at the African Union (AU) Headquarters in Addis Ababa on 27 February. The meeting was co-chaired by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, with the participation of 22 EU Commissioners and nine AU elected officials. This C2C meeting was critical as a building block of an enhanced partnership, backed by the appropriate framework and instrument, to be solidified by mutual commitments at the AU-EU ministerial meeting on 5 May 2020 and the EU-AU Summit later in the year. The two Commissions took note of progress on the priorities set in the 2017 Abidjan Declaration and focused the discussion on the alignment of their positions on the following areas: (i) sustainable growth, trade, investment and digitalization; (ii) peace, security and governance; (iii) migration and mobility; and (iv) climate change and resilient infrastructure. In all priority areas, the two sides reiterated their commitment to support multilateralism as an effective modality in addressing global challenges. On Sustainable Growth, Trade, Investment and Digitalization The European Commission welcomed the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the ongoing implementation of its first phase, and stressed the importance of the second phase of negotiations on competition policy, intellectual property, and the investment protocol which aims to enhance the investment policy climate and address risks facing businesses and investors. The two Commissions agreed on the need to prioritise regional infrastructure as an underpinning element of the AfCFTA. They agreed to maximise synergies between European and African private sectors in view of the upcoming EU-Africa Business Forum, and to promote actions focused on the diversification of African economies by (i) developing the private sector and strengthening productive capacity in agriculture, manufacturing and services; and value-addition in national and regional value chains; (ii) supporting regional and trans-continental transport; and (iii) promoting digitalization. The two Commissions agreed to improve domestic resource mobilisation in Africa through reforms, tax revenues, tax transparency, international asset recovery, as well as fighting illicit financial flows, money laundering and corruption. Furthermore, the two Commissions called upon the international community to complement Africas efforts to track, stop and repatriate illicit financial flows. The two Commissions agreed to intensify efforts to enhance youth skills development and better match skills with the demands of the labour market, particularly in sectors with the highest job creation potential, notably in infrastructure development, digital economy and climate-friendly/green economy, renewable energy, ICT, agri-business and small-scale manufacturing, cultural and creative industries.. The two Commissions reaffirmed the contribution of inclusive rural transformation to sustainable growth and job creation and agreed to intensify efforts for the implementation of the recommendations of An Africa-Europe Agenda for Rural Transformation: Report by the Task Force Rural Africa endorsed by the third African Union European Union Agricultural Ministerial Conference for rural transformation, sustainable agriculture and agro food sector in Africa. In order to better connect the two continents and accelerate growth for the achievement of the SDGs and AU Agenda 2063, they agreed to promote cooperation to establish a Digital Partnership based on a shared vision on an open and secure digital economy, and which puts African and European citizens at the centre of the digital transformation. They agreed that Africa and Europe should harness the many opportunities offered by digitalisation to drive innovation and transformation in all sectors. Building on the work done by the EU-AU Digital Economy Task Force, they noted the importance of taking into consideration the AU's Digital Transformation Strategy by Africa (2020-2030) for the future cooperation. In this regard, both continents agreed to enhance their partnership to (i) support digital infrastructure; (ii) build a secured single digital market in Africa by the 2030; (iii) help improve favourable environment, policy and regulation, (iv) develop digital skills and applications; and (v) promote digital innovation and entrepreneurship. Both Commissions expressed their commitment to strengthening of the multilateral trading system. The European Commission reiterated its support to an enhanced observer status for the African Union at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). On Climate Change and Resilient Infrastructure The two Commissions took cognizance of the challenges posed by climate change to the development of both Africa and Europe and the achievement of the goals of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030. They noted the adverse impacts on food production, health, infrastructure, water resources, migration, peace and security. The two parties reaffirmed their engagement on the implementation of their respective commitments under the Paris Agreement, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, in the light of national circumstances, and stressed the importance of reviewing progress on the worldwide commitments on climate financing made in Copenhagen (2009) and the Paris Agreement, with a target of reaching USD 100 billion per year by 2020, to support developing countries in responding to climate change. The two Commissions further reaffirmed their commitment to the multilateral climate change negotiations aimed at finding global solutions to the phenomenon and to work together to achieve successful outcomes at the UNFCCC conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2020. The two Commissions also underscored the need to work together in the development and implementation of programmes aimed at facilitating the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), enhancing capacity and development of clean technologies, improving access to climate finance and promoting investments in climate change related projects. The African Union Commission took note of the New Green Deal presented by The European Commission as the new long-term growth strategy for Europe, which recognises the global challenges of climate change and environmental degradation both requiring a global response. Recognizing that infrastructure is the backbone of socio-economic development and job creation, both commissions agreed to continue supporting infrastructure development through the Programme for Infrastructure in Africa (PIDA), including its phase II. They committed to use the recommendations from the AU- EU Task Forces on Digital Economy, Transport and Connectivity, and Sustainable Energy Investment as vehicles for collaboration. They agreed as well to develop an efficient African continental transport network capable of ensuring flows of goods and services as well as to connect to the European network. They agreed to jointly support the Single Air Transport Market. The partnership shall also support the promotion of gender inclusion in infrastructure value chains as well as the ongoing process to ratify the AU Road Safety Charter and UN road safety Conventions. On peace, security and governance The two Commissions assessed the implementation of the provisions of the 2018 AU-EU Memorandum of Understanding on Peace, Security and Governance, which was part of the Abidjan priorities. They agreed to deepen its use in a more strategic way allowing for an effective use of the combined AU and EU political, security, development and humanitarian instruments, associating the UN as relevant. The European Commission congratulated the AU on the achievements made under the 2019 theme on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solution to Forced Displacement in Africa. The European Commission also noted with appreciation the declaration of 2020 as the year of Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africas Development. In view of promoting African solutions to African problems, both sides stressed the urgent need to adapt and upscale cooperation to better respond to the changing nature of common threats, notably the spread of terrorism and violent extremism, trafficking and transnational crime including cybercrime and for action-oriented measures to curb the persistent illicit flow and use of arms and weapons into the African Continent. The two Commissions emphasised the need to strengthen cooperation in various areas presently implemented through the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), including promotion of multilateralism, conflict prevention, crisis management and peace building, and health security. Furthermore, transitional justice, the rule of law, elections, human rights and gender equality were also highlighted as key areas of cooperation. They also stressed the critical role of cybersecurity and trust in the digital age and agreed to focus on and enhance capacity in privacy and data protection. Recognizing the need to ensure sustainable financing as a priority for peace and security in both Africa and Europe, both sides recognised the strategic significance of the revitalised AU Peace Fund, and exchanged on EU plans to establish the European Peace Facility. While noting the importance of continued European support to African-led initiatives, both sides pledged to pursue working together on the financing of African-led peace initiatives, including through UN-assessed contributions. In that context, the AU Commission welcomed the launching of the funding for the Fourth EU Support Programme to the implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (EU APSA IV). The Commissions agreed to support the implementation of the continental framework on youth in peace and security, in support of Article 17 of the AU Youth Charter UNSCR 2250 including on participation, prevention, protection, partnership. On Migration, Mobility, Youth, Skills and Innovation On migration, the two sides recalled commitments made at the 5th AU-EU Summit held in Abidjan in November 2017, to deepen cooperation and dialogue on migration and mobility, and committed to developing a joint framework for a strengthened Continent-to-Continent dialogue on migration and mobility. They agreed to reinforce joint strategic management of refugees, migration and mobility at the continental level, guided by the respective migration policy frameworks of the two continents. In this respect, the two Commission agreed to work together to develop concrete proposals on all these matters for consideration by the EU-AU Summit in 2020. The Commissions restate their shared commitment to provide assistance to those fleeing conflict and persecution, including IDPs, and recognise that the vast majority of African refugees are hosted on the African continent. They pledge to continue their efforts to provide protection in line with international standards, to create opportunities for refugees and host communities and to find sustainable solutions. They endeavour to fast track support to refugees and displacement response in Africa. They noted the progress on implementation of the Abidjan priorities, through the work of the African Institute for Remittances in Kenya; as well as efforts directed towards the establishment and operationalization of the African Observatory on Migration in Morocco, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Migration in Mali, and the Continental Operational Centre in Khartoum, Sudan as a specialised office of the African Union Commission to fight smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings. They committed to intensify efforts in building capacity on migration management at continental, regional and national levels, as well as to explore ways to build on the experience of the AU-EU-UN trilateral Taskforce. In this context, they commended Niger and Rwanda for receiving Refugees and Asylum Seekers. On youth and skills, the two Commissions took note of the progress realised in the implementation of agreed priorities in education, science, technology, innovation and skills development, notably the AU-EU Skills for Youth Employability Programme. They agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation through expanding the VET Mobility, apprenticeship and other work-based learning and career guidance to address the skills mismatch. They further noted the need for harmonisation of higher education to improve relevance of curricula, academic mobility, recognition of qualifications, quality assurance and accreditation, and agreed to support implementation of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA). Carpenter Elementary School Principal Suzanne Holcomb thinks of her campus as a canvas for creativity and innovation. The school has been a leader at Deer Park ISD in pushing the math, science and technology to the forefront of its curriculum, with its robotics teams winning state-level competitions. With the completion of its new campus, Holcomb said students and staff believe they have found a fitting learning hub. I call her my majestic educational facility, Holcomb said of the new facility. When students and staff members officially moved into the 142,440-square-foot rebuild at the end of January, their eyes darted everywhere as they explored the colorful rooms and corridors. Features include an outdoor sundial in the courtyard. The campus sits adjacent to the existing site of the original Carpenter building at 5002 W. Pasadena Boulevard, which was constructed in the early 1960s. We built the (new) school while the other building was in operation, said George Watanabe of cre8 Architects, the firm that designed the building. With students officially in class, the old building remains vacant while construction crews go through the process of salvaging things the school district wants to keep, such as computers, projectors and hardware, Watanabe said. The building is slated to be torn down this spring to make way for green spaces and additional parking space. The $33.5 million rebuild was part of a $156 million bond package authorized by voters in 2017, which provided funds for various capital projects and improvements to facilities, new technology and upgrades, new fine arts equipment, safety and security updates and new school buses. According to Watanabe, the schools strong emphasis on science, math and technology influenced the architectural and aesthetic concept of the rebuild. Color-coded floors act as yellow-brick-road pathfinders to different grade levels and pods, with modern furnishings continuing those color schemes throughout the building. Bullet-resistant lobby The school is also equipped with advanced technology security features, including lock-down pods, a bullet-resistant front lobby and laminated glass throughout the campus. Two educational courtyards and two playgrounds include interactive features. For instance, a large sundial allows students to mark seasons by observing the shadows and different angles of the sun. What we are trying to do is have the students come out at a certain time on certain days, log where the shadow falls, said Watanabe of the sundial. We thought that was a more interactive process than just seeing what time it was (on a traditional clock). Holcomb, who credits campus technology specialist Terri Amendariz with giving the school its academic tech edge, said students and staff have been energized by the environment created by those features. Referring to the school as her educational home, Holcomb said, What is so great about the space is when I moved into my home that first week, I didnt have those Oh, I wish I would have.. I have been in this building for weeks, and not one single time have I said, I wish I would have it was so well thought out by the design team. Holcomb was impressed that Watanabe and his team incorporated some of her suggestions, including one entrance that resembles an entryway familiar to old-school sc-fi TV fans. I wanted it to feel like you were walking into the Star Trek Enterprise, said Holcomb, a self-described Trekkie. Every feature, said Holcomb, has an educational purpose like the shapes of tables and mobile chairs that allow for multipurpose props in lesson-planning. movement, collaboration and creativity, she said. Kids minds are wired differently today This is not your traditional little red schoolhouse with four walls, Holcomb said. Kids minds are wired differently today: they are more active in their movement and they are able to focus in on the lesson much better. The school accommodates approximately 996 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and includes special education. The challenging part of this was that we were trying to build for our children today and also for our children in the future because this building has to sustain another 50 years, Holcomb said. yorozco@hcnonline.com ANN ARBOR, MI - Michael Cox returned to work as Ann Arbor police chief on Monday. Two letters from the citys police unions indicate he will have an uphill battle to regain trust from some of his subordinates. Representatives from the citys command officer and police officer associations questioned Coxs integrity and leadership capabilities in written memorandums after reviewing findings of an investigation that occurred during his three weeks of paid administrative leave. 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. Howard Lazarus, now the former city administrator, ordered his reinstatement effective March 2. Read More: Ann Arbor police chief to return to work, with conditions and lingering disagreements Ann Arbor police chiefs leave was related to parking supervisor voiding tickets The findings from outside investigating firm Miller Canfield left both unions wondering if Cox should continue as head of the police department. We personally, professionally and regretfully believe that the actions and statements of Chief Cox daily and this internal investigation have diminished his ability to continue to lead the Ann Arbor Police Department, said Eric Ronewicz, Ann Arbor Police Officers Association president. It is clear to us that the standards of the Ann Arbor Police Department conflict with (his) personal standards. Cox is not a member of either union, said his lawyer Nick Roumel. Leadership requires trust, Cox said in his response to the Miller Canfield report. The Ann Arbor Command Officers Association said it has "not seen the leadership he claims. Unfortunately after this incident, it will be impossible for Chief Cox to regain that trust, said Det. Sgt. Shane Dennis, the command unions vice president. Lazarus wrote that one of the conditions to reinstate Cox as police chief was more positive communication with his subordinate officers and command staff. These two letters highlight the tension between Cox and many of his officers. He has a difficult time conveying his thoughts and directives to us, which prevent us from understanding him Ronewicz said. Chief Cox is deficient in comprehending what we discuss with him. Cox has previously discussed his intentions to promote community policing" in the department, including a criminal justice forum this past Martin Luther King Day in Ann Arbor. This is one of his initiatives that hasnt been communicated well, said both union representatives. The department has 76 less officers than it used to have to conduct Coxs vision, Dennis said. Its not that we dont want to do community policing, he said. Its that we dont have the resources to do it effectively. Officers find out what Coxs vision for the department is through government meetings and media outlets, but not Cox himself, Ronewicz said. We have never been provided with the chiefs vision of change, he said. We must watch City Council (or police oversight commission) meetings and read MLive in order to learn about what will or may transpire in our own department. These letters offer some confirmation that Miller Canfields investigation, cited in its report, 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, but by a number of people, in a number of different positions, who had similar, credible, and often admitted, experiences with the chief," " Miller Canfield said in the report. Cox in his response noted that he did not intend to interfere in any investigation, but did acknowledge 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. City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, March 2, at Larcom City Hall, 301 E. Huron St., to discuss a resolution regarding Cox. Many councilmembers expressed a desire to move past the recent drama, from Coxs administrative leave to Lazarus firing. In addition, the council is expected to vote on a new collective bargaining agreement for the departments deputy chiefs. Read more: Police oversight commission laments weaponized speculation over Ann Arbor police chiefs leave 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 Parents organize to fight back By Rebecca Hagelin Brian was a 15-year-old big man on campus. Good-looking and witty, he had a way with the girls, and the guys thought he was fun too. But Brian's party spirit included consuming lots of alcohol. Soon he was smoking pot, and then even that was not enough. In a few months he was not only using hard drugs but selling them, too. For a while he was able to maintain his charm and respectful attitude at home. Inevitably, his personality and health quickly plummeted along with his school attendance and grades. Thankfully, his parents finally recognized the problem before it was too late and enrolled Brian in a private residential drug-rehab clinic. The reality that Brian had become a secret addict under their noses crushed his mom and dad. They felt guilty, helpless, and heartbroken. On their knees before God, they pledged to do everything possible to help their son and committed to change their lives so they could be a bigger part of his. When they called the clinic to arrange a meeting and seek reconciliation with their beloved boy, they were told that they could have no contact. As a physician, Brian's dad asked to review the medical records and speak to the doctor so he might understand the treatment. He was flatly turned down. Why the secrecy? Brian's father was told that the law forbids parental access to Brian's medical information without his consent. And Brian detoxing, embarrassed, and angry at the world would not consent. Since the state laws extended to every rehab center and Brian's life was in jeopardy from drug abuse, there was no choice but to allow Brian to complete the program. Without his parents' help, it took far too long for Brian to get well. He and his parents still despise the laws that kept them apart during a vulnerable and painful period. The law far too often gets between parents and their children. Increasingly, just when kids need their parents the most, moms and dads discover that the state has taken their place; that the government has determined that immature children, often in trouble because of bad choices, are wiser than their parents. A nonpartisan group of parents is fighting back. Led by Deborah Flora, Parents United America seeks to restore parental authority in every area of a child's life. The biggest argument against parental rights is that the state needs to protect children from potentially abusive parents, Ms. Flora said. However, we have laws in place to deal with abuse. The state should never try to usurp the rights of the vast majority of parents who work tirelessly to provide a home and a future for their children. Yet that is what we are seeing from multiple fronts in our society. Ms. Flora points to several frightening examples of how the government is quickly becoming not just a nanny state not just a bully of a big brother but a god-like, all-encroaching force set on destroying the family unit. Consider: A six-year-old girl in Texas was committed to a mental-health facility without parental consent. State legislators in Washington are attempting to require mandatory sex ed for kindergartners even though 54% of the community is against it. When parents of a five-month-old boy sought medical care for a broken bone, he was forcibly taken from his parents by Colorado by Child Protective Services and placed in foster care without due process. It turns out that the baby wasn't abused but suffered from a bone disease. In many states, parents of children as young as 12 are denied access to their medical records without the child's consent. Wisconsin parents are suing the Madison Metropolitan School District over a new policy that allows children of any age to change their gender identity at school without their parents knowledge. You probably have your own horror stories. To share them, join hands and hearts with other loving parents and get help to fight back by logging on to www.parentsunitedamerica.org. Ms. Flora told me, Most parents want what is best for the children. The question is, who gets to decide? Remote bureaucrats who don't know the individual needs and unique personalities of each child? Or the parent who knows their children intimately, who understand what brings them joy and what keeps them up at night? This radical shift is only happening because many parents are either unaware or bullied into silence. Numerous studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that the key factor in helping children flourish is parental engagement, Ms. Flora continued. Anyone who truly cares about the well-being of children will fight for increased parental engagement, not take a radical stance to exclude them. Parents United America connects, informs, and empowers parents by joining our voices. When united, parents will become an unstoppable force that can no longer be ignored by administrators, bureaucrats, or politicians. 2020 Rebecca Hagelin Home Actor Tiger Shroff on Sunday said the dialogue of wiping off Syria in his upcoming movie Baaghi 3 should be taken in the context of the story. The trailer of the film features Tiger travelling to Syria to save his brother, played by Riteish Deshmukh, who is captured by terrorists. Billed as one man against the whole country, the trailer has Tiger saying, If you harm my brother, I swear on my father, I will wipe out your country from the map. The dialogue didnt go down well with many social media users, who called it offensive and insensitive. Wait a minute... Tiger Shroff threats to wipe whole Syria off in Baaghi 3 trailer? Jesus. pic.twitter.com/cYfj9hD72a gigi (@zozonki) February 7, 2020 The Baaghi 3 plotline is Tiger fighting Syria. Whattey wow plotline. pic.twitter.com/7YB0lehYSW Priyal (@priyal) February 6, 2020 At the end of the day, its just a film. The intent was just to show, if anything happens to my brother... The characters are so much in love with each other, there is so much bromance, that this boy will do anything for his brother, go to any extent if something happens to him. So I think it was just in an outburst to express his emotions, Tiger said in a group interview. Also read: Shruti Haasan shares her struggle with PCOS, also reveals There was a time when I went crazy with lip fillers Riteish added, I feel if you love your brother or any family member or if you think theres a certain country responsible for it, youll say the same thing. This feeling is not there in everyones destiny. My character is fortunate to have someone who doesnt question, if his brother has been beaten, he will hit back. The third instalment of action-drama, directed by Ahmed Khan, also features Sharddha Kapoor and has a cameo by Jackie Shroff, who plays the on-screen father of Tiger and Riteishs characters. Backed by Sajid Nadiadwala, Baaghi 3 is scheduled to be released on March 6. Follow @htshowbiz for more With an end-to-end solution for the growing financial needs of the new age consumers, Oppo is the latest Chinese smartphone manufacturer to venture into financial services in India. Under Oppo Kash, the company plans to introduce six offerings over the next 18 months. These include payments, lending, savings, insurance, financial education, and a financial well-being score. Oppo Kash caters to the growing financial needs of individuals and SMEs that have been conventionally deemed as a risky segment for organised lending, perhaps due to a lack of credit history. "Oppo Kash is our end-to-end financial services solution. It comes under 'Make for India' initiative where we have now poured into developing local services for Indian consumers. Now as you can see the market currently, consumers have to go to various places as far as savings, borrowings, insurance are concerned. We have tried to consolidate all of these financial services under one umbrella and made a consolidated service for Indian consumers as Oppo Kash. Within these pillars, as far as saving is concerned, we have disrupted by introducing the first platform brand to put visual fund platform on the go on the smartphone. We have also gone ahead and created a unique offering in terms of SIP where you can invest as low as Rs 100," explained Sumit Walia, VP - Product & Marketing at Oppo. ALSO READ:Realme partners with ICICI Lombard to offer screen protection cover While the payment offer is yet to be rolled out, mutual funds and Freedom SIP will be offered under savings. The borrowing segment comprises personal loans up to Rs 2 lakh and business loans up to Rs 2 crore. Under insurance, Oppo users can get their mobile screens insured. For financial education, Oppo will offer free credit reports thrice in a year for financial inclusion. In the beta release, 5 products have been launched with Freedom SIP as a unique offer. With Freedom SIP, users can commence their mutual fund investments journey with as low as Rs 100 worth of investment and become future-ready. "For a business loan, we have tied up with Lendingkart, and Early Salary is our partner on the personal loan side. On the insurance side, we have done a strategic partnership with ICICI Lombard for us to be able to give mobile screen insurance and digitise the whole experience. We are going to create the holistic ecosystem of Oppo which goes into hardware and services, and we will create loyalty and stickiness among our consumers and give them a reason to stay in the ecosystem for a repeated number of times," added Walia. ALSO READ:Introduction of GST, DBT silent revolutions of country, says Sitharaman Oppo Kash will be pre-installed in all Oppo smartphones and will be available for download on Google Play Store as well. The Oppo team is piloting a physical acquisition model leveraging the smartphone sales team in Oppo stores to cross-sell financial products. The pilot will run in select stores in select Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities for 6 months after which an all India rollout will be done. Oppo has also set up a customer service team that would help users invest in mutual funds, take loans or solve any other queries. Trained in multiple Indian languages, the customer servicing team will be instrumental in making Oppo Kash a household name in India in times to come. "We plan to offer a one-stop solution for all financial services on the phone. All financial needs should be fulfilled when a user has an Oppo phone within few clicks and with a simple, mobile-first experience. We are offering our services with the best partners in the industry and look forward to enabling 10million dreams," said Zafar Imam - Lead, Oppo Kash. Oppo aims to have 10 million consumers in the next 5 years on the platform having used either of their financial services worth Rs 50,000 crore. ALSO READ:Alert salaried employees! PF may soon fetch lower returns The meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust which was scheduled to be held here on March 3 and 4 has been postponed. Sources informed that the reason for the postponement of the meeting is the unavailability of trust members on the scheduled dates. The date of the start of the construction of the Ram Temple is expected to be announced at the meeting in Delhi. According to sources, a private company has offered to completely finance the construction of the Ram Temple. The trust has informed that the date for the Bhoomi Poojan of the Ram temple will be announced after April 2 now. Ram Navami is being observed on April 2 this year. There is a possibility that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the Bhoomi Poojan. The trust's chairman Nripendra Misra, along with engineers, toured Ayodhya on Sunday and he is expected to apprise the Prime Minister about the details. The engineers are expected to submit a technical report containing their findings on the temple site to the trust on March 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Austrian Parliamentary Speaker Wolfgang Sobotka said his country is looking forward to benefiting from Egypt's experience in reforming the religious discourse, given the high rate of Muslims in Austria. Sobotka praised Egypt's effective role in combating terrorism, extremism, and illegal migration, adding that Egypt is a pillar of stability in the Middle East and a beacon for moderate Islam, being home to the Al-Azhar, the most prestigious seat of Islamic learning. He called on the international community to stand together to eliminate these phenomena. Sobotka's remarks came during his meeting with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Monday in the presence of the Austrian ambassador to Cairo and Egypt's Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, a statement by the Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady read. The meeting tackled the latest developments in the Middle East, Rady said, adding that both sides agreed on the significance of abiding by the outcomes of the Berlin Conference to reach a comprehensive political settlement and putting a limit to illegitimate foreign interferences. It also touched upon the Egyptian vision for combating terrorism and extremism which is not restricted to the security and military aspects only but extends to achieving development and providing the neediest people with the elements of a decent life. El-Sisi reviewed the efforts to deal with this cross-border phenomenon by consolidating the culture of accepting the other, freedom of belief and citizenship. He underlined the importance of the proper understanding of religion, rectifying the wrong ideas and confronting "the systematic exploitation of these ideas that aim at achieving political goals." Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-03 00:16:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TUNIS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- At the conclusion of the 37th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council, the participants reaffirmed they will continue to ensure the security of the Arab people, said a statement released on Monday by the council. During the session, the ministers discussed issues of common interests and the adoption of plans to combat illicit drug use and terrorism as well as a plan of the Arab civil defense strategy, said the statement. The council also discussed the creation of a team of Arab experts responsible for detecting terrorist threats and analyzing terrorist acts. The session was launched on Sunday in Tunis with the participation of interior ministers of the Arab states, senior security delegations, and representatives of various Arab and international organizations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 17:58:24|Editor: yhy Video Player Close LAGOS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen operating in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna on Sunday reportedly killed about 50 villagers, including infants in three local government areas of the state, a police source said on Monday. The affected areas are Giwa, Birnin Gwari, and Igabi. They are all in the northern axis of the state. The source told media that the gunmen attacked six villages which are within the three areas. An Israeli scientist works at a laboratory at the MIGAL Research Institute in Kiryat Shmona in the upper Galilee in northern Israel, where efforts are underway to produce a vaccine against the coronavirus adapted from another for infectious bronchitis virus, on March 1, 2020. (Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images) Chinese Authorities Destroy Data Related to Outbreak: Coronavirus Updates From March 2 The new coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has spread to dozens of countries around the world. Below are news updates from March 2. Click here for March 3 updates. EXCLUSIVE: Chinese Authorities Require Government Offices to Destroy Data Related to Outbreak In recent weeks, the Chinese regime has reported fewer novel coronavirus diagnoses across the country, making it appear as if the outbreak is leveling off. The Epoch Times previously obtained confidential internal documents showing that in the coastal province of Shandong, authorities were purposefully under-reporting the number of diagnostic kit test results that turned up positive. Now it appears some local authorities have been required to destroy data they compiled relating to the virus outbreak. Read the Epoch Times exclusive here. 5 Dallas Officers Potentially Exposed While Arresting Suspect Five Dallas police officers were potentially exposed to the COVID-19 coronavirus on Sunday and were advised not to return to work, officials said. Per our contagious disease policy, all five officers that came in contact with the arrested person were notified of the potential exposure and advised not to return to work until further notice, the police department said in a statement Monday evening, according to local news outlets. Read the full story here. VIDEO: Beijing Hospitals Refuse Treatment to Non-Coronavirus Patient A patient who is not a coronavirus patient tried to seek treatment in several hospitals in Beijing, but none of these hospitals accepted him. They told his family there are no hospital beds available for new patients. Watch the story here. Senegal Confirms First Case Senegals health minister on Monday announced the first case of coronavirus in the country, the second case in sub-Saharan Africa after one was confirmed in Nigeria last week. The patient is a French man who lives in Senegal and came back from a skiing holiday in France on Feb. 26 on an Air Senegal flight, Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr told reporters. He passed a temperature check at the capital Dakars main airport on his return but developed a fever two days later and went to a private clinic for a check-up, the minister said. That clinic alerted the authorities who have quarantined him in Dakars Fann Hospital. The patient had been in contact with his wife and two children, the minister said. It was not clear how many other people had also been in contact with him. Authorities are in the process of tracing the other passengers on the Air Senegal flight. 250 People Being Monitored for Coronavirus in Arizona The director of the Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed Monday that the state is monitoring 250 people for the COVID-19 coronavirus. We know the disease is spreading and we can expect additional cases in Arizona, Dr. Cara Christ said during a news conference. Christ said that of the 26 people tested in the state, 24 have come back negative, one was positive, and one persons test is pending, reported KTAR. She said that as many as 450 samples can be tested for COVID-19 each day. Continue reading here. Trump Calls on Federal Reserve to Lead, Not Follow President Donald Trump announces Jerome Powell as the new chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Nov. 2, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/ The Epoch Times) President Donald Trump has renewed calls on the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates as the worlds central banks consider a joint policy response to the elevated risk of economic fallout from the novel coronavirus. In signs of a growing likelihood of a major coordinated response to the virus epidemic, finance ministers of G-7 countries are planning a call Tuesday to discuss actions to prevent financial meltdown. Similarly, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank said in a joint statement Monday they stood ready to help member countries cope with the potential economic fallout from the fast-spreading virus. Trump, meanwhile, took to Twitter Monday to express his view that the Fed has been slow to act compared to other central banks, which he said are pumping money into their economies, and urged Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut rates. We should be leading, not following, Trump said in the tweet, arguing that as other central banks have been much more aggressive with slashing rates, the United States has been left at a competitive disadvantage. Read the full story here. Policeman, Fireman Test Positive in Rome A policeman and a fireman based in Rome have tested positive for the new coronavirus, authorities said, raising the risk of the virus spreading in the Italian capital. Authorities reported late on Sunday that a Rome policeman had tested positive. On Monday, the Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital where he was staying announced that his wife, two children, and sister-in-law were also infected. A fireman living at barracks in the southeast of the city tested positive on Monday. The school attended by the policemans son, in the nearby town of Pomezia, was closed and lessons were suspended in the university faculty at Romes main Sapienza university, attended by his other son. Read more here. San Antonio Mayor Declares Health Emergency The mayor of San Antonio, Texas, issued a public health emergency over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and also ordered that anyone quarantined at Lackland Air Force Base be prohibited from entering the city. At the same time, the North Star Mall announced it would close after a coronavirus-infected patient visited it over the weekend. Mayor Ron Nirenberg made the declaration in an attempt to make sure more than 120 coronavirus evacuees who were being quarantined at the Air Force base stay there. The people under quarantine were evacuated from the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that was held off the coast of Japan for weeks in February, by the State Department before they were transported to several military bases across the United States. Read more here. President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 2, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) Trump: Its Safe to Hold Large Events President Donald Trump said that its very safe to hold large events such as political rallies while speaking to reporters Monday in Washington. The president was queried about the rally he planned to attend on Monday night in North Carolina. Well, these were set up a long time ago, Trump said in the Oval Office. I mean, you could ask that to the Democrats because theyre having a lot of rallies. Theyre all having rallies; thats what theyre doing. Read more here. A sign is seen at the entrance to Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington state on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) Wall Street Rebounds on Stimulus Hopes and Technicals U.S. stock indexes rose sharply on Monday, driven by dip-buying, bargain hunting, and on reassurances by central banks and international financial institutions that they stood ready to counter any economic impact from the coronavirus. At 1:07 p.m. EST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2.88 percent, the S&P 500 was up 2.56 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 2.55 percent. All three Wall Street titans fell more than 10 percent last week, their biggest weekly declines since the 2008 financial crisis. They also entered correction territory, defined as down more than 10 percent from all-time highs notched earlier in February. Read more here. Six Dead in Seattle Area Six people in the Seattle area have died of illness caused by the new coronavirus, health officials said on Monday, as authorities across the United States scrambled to prepare for more infections, with the emphasis on ratcheting up the number of available test kits. Dr. Jeff Duchin, chief health officer for Seattle and King County Public Health agency, announced the increase in fatalities from the previous two in Washington state. He told a news conference that the county was not recommending school closures or cancellation of any events at this point, but they do expect the increase in cases to continue. The total number of cases in Washington state is now at 18. Five of the deaths were in King County and one from Snohomish County, also in the Puget Sound region just north of Seattle. Read more here. Italy Deaths Reach 52, Cases Climb Above 2,000 The death toll from COVID-19 in Italy jumped to 52 on Monday, from 34 the day before. The total number of confirmed cases in Europes worst affected country climbed past the 2,000-mark. The increase in deaths was the largest since the outbreak surfaced 10 days ago in the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Lombardy, around Italys financial capital Milan, is by far the hardest hit, with 38 casualties. The virus has since spread south but the vast majority of cases remain centered on the original hotspots, with the addition of Emilia Romagna, another affluent region which borders on both Lombardy and Veneto and now has more cases than Veneto. In total, 2,036 people have tested positive in Italy, up from 1,694 on Sunday. Of these, 149 have recovered, the civil protection agency said. What is comforting is that 50 percent of the 258 people who tested positive (in the last 24 hours) have no symptoms or are being looked after at home, Angelo Borrelli, head of the agency, told reporters. In total, Italy has tested 23,345 people for the disease. A tourist visits Milans Duomo cathedral, as it reopened to the public for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, in Milan, Italy, on March 2, 2020. (Yara Nardi/Reuters) Baseballs Final Olympic Qualifying Event Postponed to June Baseballs final qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics has been postponed from April to June because of concerns over the virus outbreak that has infected nearly 89,000 people and caused more than 3,000 deaths, mostly in China. The World Baseball Softball Conference announced Monday the qualification event scheduled for Taichung and Dou Liu in Taiwan from April 1-5 had been postponed to June 17-21 because of player, personnel, and spectator health and safety measures against the spread of the coronavirus. Hundreds of new cases of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease have been announced in recent days outside of China. There have been 40 cases and one death in Taiwan. The Olympics are scheduled to open July 24, with a baseball competition set to be played at Fukushima and Yokohama from July 29 to Aug. 8. The second- and third-place teams from the Americas qualifying tournament in Arizona from March 22-26 will advance to the final qualifying tournament in Taiwan, joining a field that will include Australia, China, Netherlands, and Taiwan. Baseball was an Olympic event from 1992-2008 and has been restored for the Tokyo Olympics. Nigerian Officials Contact 100 People Who Might Have Been at Risk Nigerian health officials have contacted about 100 people who might have been in contact with the West African nations first COVID-19 coronavirus patientidentified as an Italian manin an attempt to prevent an outbreak. The Italian man arrived in Lagos, the most populous city, from Milan on Feb. 24 on a Turkish Airlines flight that connected in Istanbul, said officials in a Reuters report on Monday. The Federal Ministry of Health said it confirmed a coronavirus case in Lagos State Nigeria and was confirmed on Feb. 27, according to a post on Twitter. The head of Nigerias Center for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, wrote that one case is not a sign of failure and called on residents to avoid rumors and not to panic. Read more here. Senegal Confirms First Coronavirus Case: Health Ministry Senegals health minister on Monday announced the first case of coronavirus in the country, the second case in sub-Saharan Africa after one was confirmed in Nigeria last week. The rapid spread of the new coronavirus has increased fears of a pandemic, prompting governments to step up control measures and sending global financial markets into a dive. The patient is a French man who lives in Senegal and came back from a skiing holiday in France on Feb. 26 on an Air Senegal flight, Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr told reporters. He passed a temperature check at the capital Dakars main airport on his return but developed a fever two days later and went to a private clinic for a check-up, the minister said. That clinic alerted the authorities who have quarantined him in Dakars Fann Hospital. The patient had been in contact with his wife and two children, the minister said. It was not clear how many other people had also been in contact with him. Authorities are in the process of tracing the other passengers on the Air Senegal flight. Pedestrians walk past the entrance of the Fann National University Hospital Centre in Dakar, where a coronavirus patient is being treated, on March 2, 2020. (Seyllou/AFP via Getty Images) Top US General Says Military Preparing for Potential Pandemic The top U.S. uniformed military general said the military is planning for a number of different scenarios presented by the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, including a potential pandemic situation. The United States military looks at a wide variety of scenarios, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon. A pandemic is the worst case, he added. Of course we do all kinds of planning in the department of defense, Milley added to reporters. He was asked about a possible vaccine, replying, With respect to the vaccine, yes, the military labs are working very consistently working in direct support with health and human services. Read more here. CDC: 91 Cases Now in US There were 91 cases of the new coronavirus as of Monday morning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency released updated figures after at least 23 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the United States over the weekend, including the countrys first two deaths from the new disease it causes. New cases were announced in five states: Washington, Oregon, California, Rhode Island, Florida, and New York. The two deaths were both in Washington, where a nursing home is on lockdown over dozens of residents and staff members showing symptoms. Read more here. A worker shields a patient on a stretcher being taken to an ambulance at the Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington state on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) Hundreds Could Already Be Infected in US Hundreds of people in the United States could already have the new coronavirus, experts found. Researchers studied the genomes of two coronavirus infections in Washington state, one announced on Jan. 20 and the other reported on Feb. 28. The second genome is on a branch in the evolutionary tree that descends directly from the first case, according to Trevor Bedford, an associate professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington. This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington state for the past six weeks, he wrote in an analysis of the findings. The research points to a substantial outbreak in the state, likely a few hundred cases, he said. Read more here. A stretcher is moved from an AMR ambulance to the Life Care Center of Kirkland where one associate and one resident were diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus on Feb. 29, 2020. (Jason Redmon/AFP via Getty Images) Schools Close in 4 States Schools closed in Idaho, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington on Monday for deep cleaning after students or staff tested positive for the new virus or were suspected of possibly becoming infected. Colville School District in eastern Washington said on Sunday that it would be closed on Monday because of a person under investigation for COVID-19. The Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland and Kentwood High School and Covington Elementary School in Kent were also closing, officials said. The institute sent students to the Life Care Center in Kirkland, which has confirmed multiple cases and reported dozens showing symptoms of the new virus. The schools in Kent were closing because a parent of two students was being tested for the virus. Troy School District and Genesee Joint School District in Idaho also said schools would be closed Monday to allow for precautionary coronavirus cleaning. The closings stemmed from some band members in the district attending the same jazz festival as a group from Jackson High School near Seattle. At least one student from Jackson has tested positive. The school was closed on Monday to allow for deep disinfecting, the superintendent said. After a staff member in Oregon tested positive for the new virus, Forest Hills Elementary shut down for several days for cleaning, officials said. Three Catholic schools in Rhode Island, meanwhile, were closed after several students or staff members tested positive for the new virus after taking a trip to Europe. Adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei Dies A close adviser to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died on Monday in Tehran after succumbing to the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to state-run media. Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, was a member of Khameneis Expediency Council, reported The Associated Press, citing state-run radio. Iran has confirmed over 1,500 infections and 66 deaths as of Monday, AP reported, which added that China, where the COVID-19 outbreak is believed to have originated, has sent health experts to deal with the outbreak. Read the full story here. South Korea, Japan Infections Put Chinas Factories at Risk The spread of the coronavirus in South Korea and Japan could mean a second wave of disruption at Chinese factories after the disease triggered a record contraction in activity last month. Cases of the flu-like outbreak have jumped in South Korea and Japan, prompting some manufacturers there to partially suspend operations and risking a reduction in the supply of spare parts to factories in China as they restart work. Read more here. Number of Cases Soar in South Korea South Korea now has over 4,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, after the government reported nearly 600 new cases on March 2. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 476 new cases on Monday morning, before logging 123 more cases in the afternoon. The Korean government also announced four additional deaths due to the virus, including an 87-year-old woman and an 82-year-old man, according to local outlet Yonhap News Agency. Currently, South Korea has a total of 4,335 known cases of coronavirus and 26 deaths. Among them, 31 have recovered from the virus and been discharged from the hospital. South Korea is now one of the hardest-hit areas by the virus outside of mainland China, having seen its known cases spike dramatically from 104 on Feb. 20. Read more here. Disinfection professionals, wearing protective gear, spray antiseptic solution around a department store to guard against the coronavirus in Seoul on March 2, 2020. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Virus Spreads to Over 60 Countries COVID-19 cases surged in Italy, and France closed the world-famous Louvre Museum on March 1 as the deadly outbreak that began in China sent fear rising across Western Europe, threatening its tourism industry. The number of countries hit by the virus climbed past 60, and the death toll worldwide reached at least 3,000. New fronts in the outbreak opened rapidly over the weekend, deepening the sense of crisis that has already sent financial markets plummeting, emptied the streets in many cities, and rewritten the routines of millions of people. More than 88,000 worldwide have been infected, with the virus appearing on every continent but Antarctica. Australia and Thailand reported their first deaths on March 1, while the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic recorded their first infections. Italian authorities announced that the number of people infected in the country soared 50 percent to 1,694 in just 24 hours, and five more people had died, bringing the death toll there to 34. France raised its number of reported cases to 130, an increase of 30 from the day before, and said it has seen two deaths from the virus. The U.S. government advised Americans against traveling to the two northern Italian regions hit hardest, including the Milan area, and Delta Air Lines suspended its daily flight between New York and Milan. The travel restrictions against Italy and the rising alarm in France could deal a heavy blow to the countries tourism industries. Spring, especially Easter, is a hugely popular time for schoolchildren to visit France and Italy. Iran, Iraq, and South Korea, among other places, also saw the number of infections rise. Cases in the United States climbed to at least 74 with the first death inside the United States reported on Feb. 29a man in his 50s in Washington state who had underlying health problems but hadnt traveled to any affected areas. Panic-buying of daily necessities emerged in Japan, where professional baseball teams have played spring-training games in deserted stadiums. Tourist sites across Asia, Europe, and the Mideast were deserted. Islams holiest sites have been closed to foreign pilgrims. And governments have closed schools and banned big gatherings. In France, the archbishop of Paris told parish priests to put the Communion bread in worshippers hands, not in their mouths. French officials advised people to forgo the customary kisses on the cheek upon greeting others. And the Louvre closed after workers who guard the Mona Lisa and the rest of its priceless artworks expressed fear of being contaminated by the stream of visitors from around the world. Florida Declares Public Health Emergency After 2 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed Two cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus were confirmed in Florida on Sunday, prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a public health emergency in the state. The patients, who are both adults from the states Gulf Coast, tested presumptively positive for the new virus. One patient was located in Hillsborough County and another person was located in Manatee County, officials said. For the time being, the two are being quarantined, and the Florida Department of Health is monitoring every person who came into contact with them. Read more here. Australia Reports First 2 Cases of Human-to-Human Transmission Two new coronavirus cases in the Australian city of Sydney have been confirmed to be local human-to-human transmission in New South Wales, the states health minister said on Monday. Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that a 53-year-old doctor in western Sydney who tested positive for the virus had been in direct contact with patients through his work, and was most likely exposed that way. The second case is a 41-year-old woman who likely contracted the virus from her brother who recently returned from Iran with the disease. Hazzard said that NSW Health is now investigating whether other patients of the doctor need to be contacted and possibly quarantined. There are no indications anyone else has contracted it from the doctor but NSW Health is taking every precaution, he said. A woman wearing a face mask stands on a street in Jakarta on March 2, 2020. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images) Indonesia Confirms First Cases Indonesian President Joko Widodo confirmed in a Monday press conference that two people have tested positive for COVID-19. A mother, 64, and daughter, 31, from the West Javan city of Depok are the nations first known cases. They have been quarantined in a hospital ward since their detection on Sunday, Widodos health minister said. Indonesia is the worlds fourth most populous nation with a population of more than 260 million people. Australia Confirms First Tasmanian Case A man who landed in Australias state of Tasmania from Iran has tested positive for the virus. Tasmanian authorities said that the 40-year-old arrived in Launceston on Saturday via Malaysia and Melbourne. He has since been brought to Launceston General Hospital for quarantine and monitoring. Tasmanias Public Health director Mark Veitch said on Monday that the risk to the local community from the man was limited. The risk to any passengers or crew on this flight is very low from this man, he said, adding that he had very little movement through Launceston, really getting between the airport and reaching his residence, so we dont believe theres any wider risk to the Launceston community. According to the authorities, the man had suffered from a fever while in Iran a couple of weeks ago but he is now quite well and possibly on the tail end of the virus. On Sunday, the state of Victorias Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that a woman in her 30s had tested positive for the virus after landing in Melbourne from Iran. The Victorian woman traveled from Tehran via Kuala Lumpur and Bali, arriving in Australia around 6 a.m. on Friday. She started feeling unwell while traveling to Melbourne, and authorities are following-up with people who also traveled on her plane. The health department said the woman traveled by private car directly home, which eliminates the risk of further public exposure sites. Read more here. A worker disinfects a public bus against coronavirus in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 26, 2020. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo) Kazakhstan to Bar Iranian Nationals Entry Kazakhstan will bar Iranian nationals from entering the Central Asian nation starting from March 5, the government said on Monday, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The government will also decrease the number of flights to and from Azerbaijan and suspend the issuance of work permits to citizens of countries hit by the virus, officials said at a government meeting on Monday. For updates from March 1, click here. Melanie Sun, Zachary Stieber, Jack Phillips, Tom Ozimek, Frank Fang, Isabel Van Brugen, the Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this article. COLUMBIA, Md., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) invites members of media to attend its annual symposium, "The SmallSat Revolution: Doing More with Less," on Thursday, March 26, 2020, at the Hilton National Mall, L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C. The Symposium is being held in partnership with the Space Policy Institute of The George Washington University. Media interested in attending should RSVP by March 13th. to [email protected]. The half-day symposium, scheduled from 12 Noon - 5:00 pm EDT, on March 26, 2020 will bring together prominent business, government and academic leaders to discuss what has led to the SmallSat revolution and where we are headed. Time will be made available for questions. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Panel 1: Nurturing the SmallSat RevolutionUniversity Research and Entrepreneurial Ventures Panelists: James W. Cutler, University of Michigan; Michael A. Keidar, George Washington University; Jeffrey Manber, President, NANORACKS Small satellites, often built in simple university laboratories by graduate students under the supervision of senior faculty were envisioned as relatively inexpensive ways to develop a hands-on educational experience. The success of these satellites and the ability to launch them inexpensively as well (using "extra" space on larger launch vehicles) demonstrated the probability of their exceptional capability being used in many ways. Combining advanced micro technologies with shorter lifetimes than traditional satellites became attractive to entrepreneurs and to venture funding sources. Today, a vast new industry and era is approaching that encompasses everything from simple university experiments to mega-constellations employing small satellites in ways never before possible. This panel will explore the history, recent developments, and future visions of the research potential for SmallSats as well as the growing university-business relationships that emerge from these experiments. Panel 2: The Attraction of SmallSatsCivil, Defense, and Commercial Applications Panelists: Jed Hancock, Space Dynamics Laboratory, Civil Space, Utah State University; Patricia Cooper, SpaceX (invited); Steven Nixon, SmallSat Alliance Traditional large scientific, telecommunications, earth observation, weather, and other satellites have all of the characteristics that make space exclusive, expensive, risky and essentially the province of government programs and missions. Smallsats, and in particular, constellations of smallsats, overcome many of the barriers to entry into space business. And, although yet not fully proven, they offer the prospect of taking the place of larger satellites and providing both complementary and competitive services. The attraction is obvious, and the industry is growing rapidly. However, they do present new issues to the space environment that include shorter lifetimes, crowded orbits, increased space debris, and other unwanted interference. This panel will explore both the new opportunities and the risks involved with the rapid and as yet somewhat uncontrolled and uncoordinated smallsat systems being proposed and placed in orbit. Speakers: Symposium Speakers will be announced at a later date. Reception Beginning at 4:45 pm EDT, a reception celebrating USRA will follow for all attendees (including media) Media Coverage All sessions will be on-the-record and may be video- or audio-recorded by accredited journalists, provided symposium proceedings are not disrupted. A press room and mult-box will be available on-site. Interviews may be conducted after all sessions conclude at the speakers' individual discretion. Follow the conversation on Twitter using #USRAedu, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/USRAedu. Media Credentials, Inquiries All media should register for a badge to attend symposium sessions and the reception. Reporters, producers and photojournalists with valid media credentials are encouraged to pre-register via email with their name, news affiliation, title and phone number to Suraiya Farukhi ([email protected]; (410) 740-6224) by 5:00 pm Friday, March 13, 2020. All media requests received after this deadline will be handled onsite at the symposium on Thursday, March 26. Both pre-registered and onsite registrants are required to provide a business card, press pass or equivalent identification at the media registration desk the day of the symposium. Registration for press is complimentary. USRA Background In 1969, at the request of NASA and other federal policymakers, NASA established USRA as an independent, nonprofit bridge for scholars and scientists to study samples of lunar rock and soil collected by Apollo astronauts. Now 50 years later USRA's mission encompasses far broader space- and aeronautics-related sciences exploration through leading-edge research, technology and education programs; space and aeronautics policy formation; and the operation and management of world-class facilities and initiatives through a consortium of 110 universities, the private sector and federal and foreign governments. USRA's contributions over a half century touch nearly every aspect of space science, research and development and education from biomedicine and astrophysics to space technology, facility management and operations, and education. By partnering with NASA, academic institutions worldwide, and industry, USRA has enabled the study of the universe from airborne, ground-based and orbiting observatories as well as from space-based platforms. Its scientists and engineers have helped develop advanced technologies for complex spacecraft and human exploration into deep space. USRA's operation of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory with NASA and Google is also producing some of the most important discoveries of our time. USRA's workforce development initiatives impact the entire education spectrum from K-12 STEM and student internship programs at federal laboratories and USRA facilities to the management of NASA's postdoctoral program. More information about USRA and this symposium are available at newsroom.usra.edu Media Contact Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D. Director, External Communications [email protected] office: (410) 740-6224 cell: (443) 812-6945 SOURCE Universities Space Research Association Related Links http://www.usra.edu Titanic Studios in Belfast where HBO was tenant for more than a decade The company that brought Game of Thrones to a global TV audience has formally ended its tenancy of more than 10 years at Titanic Studios, the Belfast Telegraph has learned. HBO filmed multiple seasons of the hugely successful fantasy drama at the Belfast landmark. The US cable and production giant has now issued a 'letter of notification' to Titanic Quarter, Northern Ireland Screen and others connected to the studios, stating that it no longer needs the facilities. After Game of Thrones ended last year, and the shooting of a pilot for a now-scrapped prequel stopped, there remained an effective agreement that the studios would stay vacant, and not be marketed for use by others, until the notification was issued, according to NI Screen. A separate 10-episode Game of Thrones prequel - to air on HBO's new streaming service - is currently in pre-production but will not be filmed in Belfast, NI Screen chief executive Richard Williams confirmed. It was known from a relatively early stage that Northern Ireland was not in a position to deliver, in location and other ways, on what was required for the prequel series, provisionally titled House of the Dragon, Mr Williams said. "All that is happening... is that they have served notice to Titanic Quarter that they would not be holding the studios," the chief executive said, adding that NI Screen had encouraged HBO to do so as the space could not be sold to others until this happened. He added: "There is no surprise here, no panic." Filming of the pilot for the other, abandoned prequel starring Naomi Watts and Miranda Richardson took place earlier last year, but HBO said it would not be moving forward with a full series in early November. Trade publication Deadline reported that it was scrapped following a long post-production process, including re-editing. Other outlets reported budget overruns and creative differences. Mr Williams said his organisation and others in Northern Ireland maintain an "extremely close" relationship with HBO, which he described as "our best friends in Hollywood and I do not think that is ever going to change". Over the years, NI Screen supported the series with 15.94m in funding, but the production is estimated to have added approximately 250m to Northern Ireland's economy. Tim McKane, a communications specialist and former board member of NI Screen, said any criticism of the organisation over Game of Thrones is a "lot of nonsense". Mr McKane described the partnership as a "phenomenal" success. With Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney and Apple set to spend billions over the coming years, there "has never been a better time because of the demand for content, and they have to make it somewhere", Mr McKane added. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the mining activity is expected to resume in the state from next month. In an interview to Rajya Sabha television channel which was telecast on Sunday, Sawant said his government is hopeful that the Supreme court will provide relief during the hearing on mining case in April, after which the extraction of iron ore would restart in the state. "We are hoping that the legal extraction of ore will start from April onwards," he said. The mining industry in the coastal state came to a standstill after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases in February 2018. Sawant said attempts were being made to restart the mining operations while following the legal procedure. "We already received a relief when the Supreme Court allowed the 'royalty paid' iron ore, which is piled up at different places, to be exported from the state," he said. Once the apex court allows extraction of iron ore, the Goa government's vision will be to have "sustainable mining" in the state, he said. The chief minister further said the infrastructure development projects currently underway in the state, including the Greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa and the National Highway project, would be completed by 2022. Hailing the state budget which he presented in the Goa Assembly on February 6, Sawant said even the opposition parties were left with no issue to criticise the financial statement (budget). "The focus of my budget was the common man. We targeted revenue collection without pinching the common man. There was no increase in tax on the public," he said. While doing so, the budget continued with the social welfare schemes already existing in the state, he pointed out. "Despite all this, we have presented a revenue surplus budget," the chief minister said. He admitted that the "biggest challenge before him was to generate revenue for the state". Also read: India's factory activity growth slows down in Feb over weak demand: PMI Also read: Budget session of parliament resumes today; key issues on agenda The Congress is likely to continue its protest over the Delhi riots until the Union government agrees to a discussion on the issue in both Houses of Parliament, a senior party functionary said on Monday, adding that a final call on the partys strategy would be taken at a meeting on Tuesday morning after consulting other opposition parties. There were claims and counterclaims from the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that their members were assaulted in the Lok Sabha, where there was pushing and shoving on Monday -- the first day of the second part of the Budget session -- during protests and sloganeering over the Delhi violence. The Congress accused the government of not allowing a debate on the issue; BJP leaders blamed the Congress for creating a ruckus in Parliament and insisted that no discussion is possible if the House is not in order. Let the Congress first move a motion for discussion; the House has to be in order for the government to consider the request, said a senior BJP functionary who asked not to be named. Setting the tone for further confrontations on the matter, the Congress floor leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, said his party will continue to protest in Parliament as it is their duty to uncover the conspiracy behind the Delhi riots. It is our duty to uncover who makes hate speeches, who indulges in killings and what is the conspiracy behind the violence. Democracy was torn to shreds. We were not allowed to speak on the issue, he said. When Delhi was burning, our home minister (Amit Shah) was playing the host in Ahmedabad. Playing a host is fine, but when Indians were being killed, that should have been the priority, Chowdhury said. His reference was to the Namaste Trump programme in Ahmedabad, in which Shah was present. He said the Congress wants the violence in Delhi to be discussed in Parliament because it is an important issue, which is being talked about across the world. We demand that there should be a debate on the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the home minister participating, the Congress leader added. We were trying to make this request, but the government did not allow us to do so and kept making one excuse after another. What is surprising is that when Delhi was burning, the ruling party thought that Vivaad Se Vishwas bill should be brought. Without asking us, the bill started being discussed. The Direst Tax Vivaad se Vishwas Bill, 2020, provides a mechanism for resolution of pending tax disputes related to income tax and corporation tax. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that riots continued unabated in Delhi for three days, but Union ministers did not make any statement, and did not visit the riot-affected areas. Because of that, the police also did not act, he alleged. The central government wanted that those who are dying let them die and those who are being burnt alive, let it happen. Hate speeches were given by leaders of the ruling party which meant that the central government was behind the riots, Azad said. All business in Parliament should be adjourned to discuss the issue of Delhi violence, Azad said, hinting at a stormy second day of the second part of the budget session, which will go on till April 3. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will go with the Congress and support its demand for a discussion on the issue. As far as the Shiv Sena is concerned, its leaders have maintained that the central government, especially the home minister, is answerable on the violence in Delhi and hence should inform Parliament about the entire matter. The BJP said further action will be decided at the parliamentary party meeting that is scheduled on a Tuesday morning. The meeting is usually attended by the Prime Minister and the party president, apart from the MPs. A group of churchgoers staged a silent protest on Sunday and turned their backs on Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg as he addressed the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama. Why it matters: Bloomberg is facing fresh scrutiny of his conduct while New York City mayor in particular the aggressive stop-and-frisk policing policy that disproportionately targeted African American and Latino people. Bloomberg again apologized and admitted the policy was a mistake during an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," which aired Sunday. A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. The big picture: The commemorative service marked the 55th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," when state troopers attacked civil rights activists marching in Selma. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who demonstrated his support among African American voters when he secured a crucial win in the South Carolina Democratic primary Saturday, also spoke at the service. Per CNN, the protest occurred after the Rev. Leodis Strong said Bloomberg initially declined his invitation to address them. But he added it's important for the businessman to hear from them. The incident prompted President Trump and Bloomberg to trade barbs on Twitter. A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. Go deeper: Bloomberg's baggage, and barrage India on Monday reported two new cases of the novel coronavirus, including one from the national capital, the Union Health Ministry said as the government stepped up its efforts to detect and check the infection which has killed more than 3,000 people globally. Meanwhile, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said an Italian tourist has tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur. The first sample collected from the tourist on February 29 tested negative but his condition deteriorated so a second sample was collected which tested positive on Monday, the minister said, adding, "Since there is a variation in the reports, samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for testing". India had earlier reported three cases from Kerala, including two medical students from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus. They had self-reported on their return to the country and tested positive for the infection. They were discharged from hospitals last month following recovery. Giving details of the fresh cases, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, while theother patient who has tested positive for the COVID-19 infection is from Telangana and has a recent travel history toDubai. "Both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms. They tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored," he told reporters. The person in Delhi had self-reported at the RML hospital after returning to India while the one in Telangana had initially gone to a private medical facility and then was referred to a government hospital in the state, the minister said. As part of the government's contact tracing efforts to control spread of the epidemic, authorities are in touch with the family members and employees in the offices where the two infected persons work. Vardhan also advised people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore and said India was in discussions with authorities in Iran and Italy, two countries badly affected by the infection, to evacuate Indians there. The novel coronavirus or COVID-19, which originated in China, has spread to over 60 countries, including the US, Italy and Iran. The health minister, who held a meeting of the Group of Ministers constituted to monitor the current status and actions for prevention and management of the virus, said India has already suspended e-visas/visas issued to Iranian and Chinese nationals over the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in these countries. "Depending on the situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries," he said. Asked if there could be a drug shortage in the country as around 70 per cent of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) come from China, Vardhan said he has spoken to the minister in-charge who has informed that "we are adequately prepared to deal with the situation as of now". Vardhan said around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance. Authorities are screening travellers arriving from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan at 21 designated airports in the country for a possible exposure to the virus, he said, adding, a total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far. He also informed that around 10,24,922 people have been screened in the villages of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim bordering Nepal. Besides, as many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across India while 37 people with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 across the country are currently hospitalised and their samples have been sent for testing, a senior health ministry official said. So far 3,245 samples have been tested out of which five have tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited, the minister added. The minister further informed that 112 people including nationals from Myanmar (2), Bangladesh (22), Maldives (2), Chinese (6), South African (1), USA (1) and Madagascar (1) have been evacuated from Wuhan and kept at the ITBP camp at Chhawla. They have tested negative in the first round of tests, he said. He added that 119 Indians and five foreign nationals have also been brought back from Japan through an Air India flight on February 27. They all have tested negative and are kept in the Army Facility at Manesar. Vardhan also advised people to take precautions and in case of any symptoms report to the nearest public health facility. People may pose their queries at the Health Ministry's 24x7 Control Room at 011-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) F lights at one of Europe's busiest airports were grounded for more than an hour after a drone was spotted in the area. Planes at Frankfurt Flughafen Airport in western German could not take off or land due to the sighting. Police said on Twitter that they are investigating the incident and that delays are likely. The problems began at 11.20 local time - 10.20 GMT - and lasted for almost two hours. A spokesman for the airport told the Standard: "We have been dealing with the incident since 11.20am local time. "We had a drone sighting in the vicinity of the airport. "The use of the the runways has been suspended by air traffic controllers and authorities are working to resolve the situation.! A similar situation occurred in May last year, when the runways were closed for nearly an hour following a drone sighting. Whether a poor showing in the municipal elections will augur a comfortable return to power for the Trinamool Congress is a matter of speculation. Union home minister Amit Shah virtually kicked off the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) campaign for the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal on Sunday with the resounding declaration that his party would capture the state with a two-thirds majority. It wasnt Shahs prognosis at his central Kolkata rally that caught the ear, however. What almost drowned it out was the recrudescence of a slogan previously heard at several places in the National Capital over the past month or so: Desh ki gaddaron ko, goli maro salon ko. There are two theories about who shouted this slogan. The obvious one is that members of the BJP on their way to the rally venue raised the slogan. The other, offered by Subhash Sarkar, party MP from Bankura, is that it was raised by Congress and Left members who had infiltrated the BJP ranks. On the face of it, the latter sounds a bit stretched. If that had, indeed, been the case, one would have expected that BJP members would have apprehended the agents provocateurs and either ejected them or handed them over to the police. But these are matters the police must investigate. Idle speculation would not take us very far. The Telegraph published pictures of two men, both obviously part of a procession, who, the paper claims had shouted these slogans. It also claims that a source within the party has confirmed that members of the south suburban unit raised the slogan. Sayantan Basu, the BJP state secretary, has been quoted in The Times of India, Kolkata, as having defended this particular instance of sloganeering, saying, "They have been instigated over propaganda and fake news over the past few weeks. That has sparked anger among them and they are now identifying anti-national forces." Figure that out. The publication of the photographs affords an opportunity. It should not be too difficult for a half-decent police force to run these two people down to the ground and ascertain their affiliation. If they are found to be BJP members, Sarkars contention falls partially at least. If they are not, the infiltration theory holds, again partially at least. At any rate, if BJP members, or leaders, raise such slogans it is more likely to hurt the party, rather than help it win next years elections. The kind of polarisation that can be created in north India will likely not materialise in Bengal, where the atmosphere is not as charged. This is not to suggest that people in north India are more susceptible to communal thinking, but to point to a different kind of political dynamic in the state. In any case, Shah has himself said that intemperate slogans contributed to the BJPs debacle in Delhi. The BJP leadership at the Centre and in the state can indemnify the party from any damage from such obnoxious slogans, and clear the air, simply by unequivocally and unambiguously distancing itself from such slogans. One easy way of doing that is taking action against people raising objectionable slogans, regardless of what the Supreme Court rules on the matter. The vulnerability of the BJP will become apparent when the elections to 110 municipal bodies, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), will be held. As of now, a mid-April date has been proposed, though Opposition parties, including the BJP, want them to be held somewhat later to allow for robust campaigning. It would make sense to examine the current situation without trying to offer a prognosis with regard to both the municipal and Assembly elections. The BJP performed sensationally in last years Lok Sabha elections, upping their tally of seats from two in 2014 to 18 and their vote share from around 17 percent to a shade over 40 percent in 2019. In between, it polled around 10 percent in the 2016 Assembly elections. In 2011, it got 4 percent of the vote in the Assembly. The BJPs performance shows a rising graph in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, but its numbers have been significantly lower in state elections compared to parliamentary elections. This should cause the BJP some disquiet, especially if one looks at its recent showing in Assembly elections. Since its thumping victory in last years Lok Sabha elections, the party seemed to have assumed that it would wipe the floor with the Opposition in subsequent state elections. It hasnt. Even though it emerged as the single largest party in Haryana and Maharashtra, its performance was a significant comedown compared both to its Lok Sabha results and its own expectations. In Jharkhand and Delhi, it came a cropper, woefully. The Assembly elections are more than a year away, but the municipal elections will be held in under two months. Significantly, media reports said that Shah had held several meetings with a raft of state leaders, until almost midnight, to strategise for the Assembly elections. The municipal polls seemed not to have figured. What does that signify? That the BJP is not particularly hopeful about pulling anything off in April? The question then would be: Why are the municipal elections being almost side-stepped. Is it because the party figures that the more local the issues the greater is its disadvantage? The next question would be: Would it not be demoralising for the party to begin its preparations for the Assembly elections on the back of an under-par municipal showing? There does seem to be some disquiet over the municipal elections. The pointers are ambiguous, but taken together seem to acquire a critical mass. Sample these. Early last month, it was reported that though the BJP wanted to field some heavyweights for the KMC elections, many of them made it clear that they didnt want to contest. Among the reasons cited was that given the movement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, they werent sure of their ground. They felt that a poor showing could jeopardise their chances of getting a ticket for the Assembly polls. There is also the curious case of Sovan Chatterjee, former Trinamool Congress leader and Kolkata mayor from 2010 till the end of 2018, who at that time left the party to join the BJP. It was reported then that he would lead the BJP charge in the KMC elections. Chatterjee seems, however, to be in limbo. It has been reported that he is not comfortable in the party and may rejoin the Trinamool Congress. Whatever the case, he seems to be flying under the radar and his name does not seem to be cropping up very often in connection with the elections. Finally, we have to note that the BJP has suffered serious reverses on the municipal front. In North 24 Parganas, for instance, the party had captured several municipalities in the wake of Trinamool defector Arjun Singhs victory in the Barrackpore constituency, with Trinamool councillors defecting. But soon after, in the latter half of 2019, these councillors returned to their parent party and Trinamool recaptured these municipalities. Among the string of reversions were Bongaon, Bhatpara, Halishahar, Kanchrapara and Naihati. Bhatpara, Halishahar, Kanchrapara were part of the home turf of arch-defector Mukul Roy. Added to these reversions, was the BJPs Assembly by-election losses in Kharagpur and Kaliaganj last November after huge swings away from it using the Lok Sabha elections as a base. The loss of the Kharagpur seat would be especially alarming for the party, given that it was held by state party president Dilip Ghosh before he got elected to the Lok Sabha from the Medinipur constituency. Given this situation, there is a pretty big question mark hanging over the BJP in the immediate term. Whether a poor showing in the municipal elections will augur a comfortable return to power for the Trinamool Congress is a matter of speculation. But it certainly would not help the partys cause even if, as apparently planned, Shah visits Bengal once every month from April to October and subsequently spends a week every month till the 2021 elections. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined a request by a group of blue states, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, to move quickly to hear Texas v. The United States, one of the latest challenges to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The blue state groups intent was to make the case a focal point of the 2020 Presidential election. As a result of the Supreme Courts denial, the case was sent back to the federal judge in Texas who issued the original decision, which means the Court will not hear the case until at least the next term, which begins in October. The argument against the ACAs constitutionality Those challenging the ACAs constitutionality argued it was invalidated in late 2017 after Congress removed the tax penalty for not having health insurance while leaving the rest of the law in place. This challenge sounds similar to an earlier challenge arguing the law was invalidated after the tax penalty for not having insurance was reduced to zero. In that case, the courts said that the law was not invalidated because a future Congress could make the tax penalty something other than zero. Most legal scholars reportedly do not support the claim of a lack of severability (i.e., that the tax provision cannot be removed without invalidating the law) that is central to the most recent challenge. ACA election rhetoric Even though the Texas case will not be resolved in 2020, Democrats can still be expected to highlight the Republicans continuing challenges to the ACA in their 2020 election rhetoric and what a successful challenge could mean for pre-existing condition coverage protection. This protection is strongly supported by a majority of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, and even though President Trump previously pledged to retain the protection, irrespective of any other changes that might result, the threat perceived to this provision has been a powerful tool for Democrats. It is ironic that pre-existing condition coverage protection has always been one of the most popular features of the ACA even when the legislation was being debated in 2009 because similar protection was already in place for people in plans covering at least two individuals in 1996, with the passage of HIPAA, and in a few states, including New York and Connecticut, it was available even for individual plans. An unclear election strategy Raising healthcare in general or changing particular ACA provisions does not seem to be in the Republicans interest, especially during periods when they are in power and therefore can be expected by the public to be able to deliver on their healthcare policy proposals. Calls to repeal and replace the ACA were a useful rallying cry for the party from 2010 to 2016 when they were not in full control of government and, thus, couldnt be expected to deliver on a promised legislative alternative to the ACA. But the Republicans lack of success with repeal and replace efforts after the 2016 election should have made it clear to them that such an approach would not be in their political interest in this election cycle, and it does not seem to have done so.[1] The fate of Republicans alternatives Consider the challenges Republicans faced in pursuing this strategy between 2016 and 2018. Early in this period, they lacked a unified vision of an alternative to the ACA. The House Republicans, led by Paul Ryan, had put together an agenda called A Better Way that focused on jobs and the economy, taxes, healthcare, national security and poverty. At the time, they pledged to try to implement their plan if/when they were in the majority. However, Republicans in the Senate did not have a comparable unifying proposal for what they would do when in control, and attempts to achieve such a consensus after the election proved impossible for Republicans with just a narrow majority. The second challenge Republicans faced in passing an ACA replacement was from having only a razor-thin majority in the Senate initially 52-48 and then 51-49, after Republicans lost the Jeff Sessions seat in Alabama following his appointment to Attorney General in early 2017. Recall how hard it was for Democrats to pass the ACA in 2009-10, even with a supermajority of 60/40 (counting two independents in the Democratic column). It took the appointment of Democrat Paul Kirk to serve as an interim senator after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy until Massachusetts could have a special election to again give Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and the ability to pass what then was perceived to be highly controversial legislation. Public support leans toward the Democrats on healthcare policy The publics view of the ACA has had its ups and downs over the years, but public support has remained just above 50%, on average, since President Trump was inaugurated. There is greater support, however, for many of the individual provisions contained in the ACA, and any perceived threats to these popular provisions are met with substantial resistance. It seems the public not only trusts Democrats more with protecting the ACA, but also trusts the Democratic party to do a better job with most healthcare issues. An October 2018 election tracking poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the public trusts the Democrats to do a better job protecting womens access to reproductive health services, maintaining Medicaid expansions, continuing protections for people with pre-existing conditions and improving the health of minority populations, with Democrats leading 2:1 over Republicans in these issues. An April 2019 poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research pointed to a 17% advantage for Democrats over Republicans regarding who the public trusts more to handle healthcare, even though the response was more evenly divided regarding who the public trusts for other areas of national policy. Given past experience and the polling that continues to point to Democrats overwhelming dominance over Republicans in gaining the publics trust regarding healthcare policy, one can only wonder why Republicans would voluntarily keep raising healthcare as an election issue. Public and political party support for the ACA Overall Favorable: 53% Unfavorable: 37% Democrats Favorable: 84% Unfavorable: 10% Independents Favorable: 55% Unfavorable: 34% Republicans Favorable: 19% Unfavorable: 74% Source: KFF Health Tracking Poll: The Publics Views on the ACA, Jan. 30, 2020. The epidemiology wing of the government has got officials, who will call them night and day, and insist that they do not move out of their homes. Hyderabad: Twelve people were chased on Sunday night by officials of the district medical and health department, of whom four had returned from Italy, one from Thailand, two from the Middle East and five others from Singapore, who were contacted and checked for symptoms. According to sources, there was a group of four people, who had to leave for Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh for darshan but were asked to stay at home for 14 days. A senior health official on condition of anonymity explained, This family group of four are close to a powerful political family in the state, and they had to be told to not go. This was quite a task, as orders came from senior officials from the state. Their travel history was to destinations where the coronavirus cases are very high. It was a risky proposition. These members were contacted on Sunday night and asked about their symptoms. They had no symptoms and replied that they were all fine. They had been cleared at the airport level screening too. But officials insisted that they have to self-isolate and stay at home for next 14 days. The epidemiology wing of the government has got officials, who will call them night and day, and insist that they do not move out of their homes. A senior official said, since people are aware of the impact of coronavirus, we have so far not faced any resistance. There is cooperation from people. We have told them to get in touch with us if they develop cough and cold in the next few days. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 09:44:17|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Alberto Fernandez called on Sunday for an "orderly" resolution of the country's debt crisis while seeking talks on debt restructuring. "We need an agreement that will allow Argentina to get back on its feet and not fall down again. This is non-negotiable," Fernandez said at the 138th ordinary session of the National Congress. Fernandez said the country's public debt has hit "a record amount" and almost 49 billion U.S. dollars are due in 2020 alone. "To this we must add 14.838 billion dollars in interest on this debt." Argentina and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) signed in June 2018 a loan agreement for 56.7 billion dollars, of which the international organization has disbursed more than 44.1 billion dollars. The Argentine government has said that it will seek a new agreement with IMF to begin repayments when the country's economy stabilizes and sees positive growth. The IMF said last month that it "assesses Argentina's debt to be unsustainable," and the country needs a definitive plan which could require "a meaningful contribution from private creditors" to "help restore debt sustainability." Fernandez said Sunday that his administration would not pay the debt only for it to result in "hunger and the destruction of the dreams of Argentineans." The Argentine Finance Ministry said Sunday it had hired Lazard, a financial advisory and asset management firm, as financial advisor and Bank of America and HSBC as debt placement agents for the debt restructuring process. An IMF technical mission will arrive in Buenos Aires on Monday to continue talks with Argentine authorities on debt restructuring that the Argentine government expects to conclude by the end of March. "We are going to work constructively with International Monetary Fund authorities. They have recognized how deeply serious the economic situation is," Fernandez said. The Indian stock posted worst weekly fall in a decade last week, tracking a major sell-off in the global as investors grew more concerned about novel coronavirus' impact on the global economy. Those fears were made more concrete on Saturday when China reported that its factory activity had contracted at the fastest pace on record. Chinas official Purchasing Managers Index fell to a fresh low of 35.7 in February against 50 in January. In that context, investors back home will keenly await the release of India Manufacturing PMI numbers to be released today and Service PMI numbers on March 4. Further, China and South Korea continued to report more cases over the weekend, while the US, Australia, and Thailand reported their first cases of death. Throughout this week, market participants will keep a keen eye on the situation and it is expected to remain the major trigger for the Traders will also react to India's GDP growth rate numbers published on Friday after market hours. Indias economy expanded by 4.7 per cent in the quarter ended December 31, a marginal increase from 4.5 per cent in the previous quarter. The report expected India's GDP to stagnate at 4.7 per cent in the March quarter also. Besides, individual stocks will react to monthly sales data of auto and cement makers. In the primary market, the initial public offer of and Payment Servies will open today. The company expects to raise around Rs 10,341 crore from the with most brokerages recommending 'subscribe' to the issue. In commodities, oil prices pared losses on Monday as hopes that a bigger than expected production cut from and stimulus from central banks could offset economic gloom from the outbreak. Brent crude was at $50.32 a barrel, up 1.3 per cent. Globally, stock futures plummeted on Monday as investors were rattled by weekend data from China. Futures for Japans dropped 2 per cent. while Australia was down 2 per cent and New Zealand shares slipped 3.2 per cent. The SGX though shows a green start for domestic indices today. Analysts say that traders should be cautious to take new position as 100-week EMA is placed at 11,211 which would be a crucial level for the next week. Meanwhile, is witnessing resistance in the sub 11,400 zone and therefore, traders should try to create shorts keeping a close eye on 11,400. And, in the end, here's a stock idea by CapitalVia Global Research which recommends buying Limited above Rs 2380 with the target of Rs 2,490 with the stop-loss of Rs 2,299. Read by: Kanishka Gupta Congress MPs, including former party chief Rahul Gandhi, on Monday held a protest inside the Parliament premises over the issue of communal riots in Delhi and demanded Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation. Leaders from the opposition party have also given adjournment notices in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, demanding a debate over the violence in Delhi which has claimed at least 42 lives. Demonstrating in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Shashi Tharoor and others raised slogans and demanded Shah's resignation. The Congress MPs held placards reading 'Save Our India', 'Prime Minister Must Answer' and 'Shah Must Resign'. "When Delhi was burning, our home minister was playing the host in Ahmedabad. Playing a host is fine, but when Indians were being killed, that should have been the priority," Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Chowdhury said referring to the 'Namaste Trump' programme in which Shah had participated. "There should be an investigation into the violence. The prime minister speaks after three days, the home minister does not say anything, Ajit Doval is sent to look into it, this is their failure," he told reporters outside Parliament. Speaking to reporters, Tharoor said the Congress wants a debate over what happened in Delhi. "The home minister has a big responsibility as the law and order is under him. The home minister must resign as he could not fulfil his responsibilities," he said. The Congress and other opposition parties have accused the police of bias and inaction in the Delhi violence. A Congress delegation, including party chief Sonia Gandhi, urged President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday to call for Home Minister Shah's resignation over his alleged "abdication of duty" during the communal violence in Delhi and remind the Centre of its "raj dharma". The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, had also deliberated on the issue last week and passed a resolution, demanding answers from both the central and Delhi governments, while also urging the people of Delhi to "reject the of hate". The Congress president on Friday had deputed a five-member team to visit the riot-affected areas in northeast Delhi and submit a report to her after assessing the situation there. The delegation comprised All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Mukul Wasnik, AICC in-charge for Delhi Shaktisinh Gohil, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja, former MP Tariq Anwar and Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev. The Budget Session of Parliament commenced on January 31 and continued till February 11. After a break, it commenced on March 2 and will continue till April 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk insists the state is well placed to deal with the potential spread of coronavirus, as the disease begins to get a foothold in Australia. Ms Palaszczuk on Monday announced a range of preparations including tripling the emergency department capacity of the states hospitals and setting aside $25 million worth of protective gear for medical staff. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a tripling of the state's emergency department capacity ahead of any coronavirus outbreak locally. Credit:AAP/Dan Peled The announcement came as NSW reported the first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus within Australia. All cases before then had arrived in Australia from overseas. New Delhi, March 2 : Uproar over Delhi violence continued to disrupt the Upper House of Parliament with members of the opposition trooping into the well and raising slogans against the central government. Some of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) members wore black bands to protest against the government. The members called for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah over communal riots in Delhi that saw killing of 45 people in the northeast Delhi while hundreds being injured. As soon as the House assembled after being adjourned till 2 p.m., members of the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI, TMC and other parties stormed into the well. They wanted the Chair to suspend the House business and discuss the reasons of communal violence and why it could not be contained in time. Even as disruptions continued, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank introduced the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 to establish and incorporate Universities for teaching and research in Sanskrit. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh appealed to the opposition members to return to their seats and allow the House to function properly but it fell on deaf ears. As many as 33 members were on their feet raising slogans like "Goli marna band karo" (stop firing bullets) and "Tanasahi nahin chalegi" (No more dictatorship will be allowed). The constant ruckus and loud slogans forced the Deputy Chairman to adjourn the House till Tuesday 11 a.m. Earlier in the morning when the House assembled after three weeks of recess of the Budget session, opposition members demanded discussion on Delhi riots but Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu did not accept it. He noted the gravity of the issue and the need for discussion but suggested that efforts should be made first on establishing normalcy in violence-hit areas. But members did not budge from their positions and protested against the government. This forced the Chair to adjourn the proceedings of the House till 2 p.m. KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Reuters) - Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd reported on Monday that it achieved profit from operations of 7.36 billion ringgit ($1.76 billion) for 2019, compared with a loss of 6.27 billion ringgit in the previous year. Gains on divestments increased to 9.9 billion ringgit compared with 1.4 billion ringgit in 2018. In 2019, Khazanah announced a new strategy that involved restructuring its portfolio into commercial and strategic holdings, and trimming stakes in some large firms to improve returns. ($1 = 4.1930 ringgit) (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Tom Hogue) Tributes have been paid to a Church of Ireland clergyman who died suddenly at his home in Co Fermanagh. In a statement issued on Monday, March 2, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher Rt Revd John McDowell and clergy of the diocese expressed their deepest sympathy and sadness following the "unexpected death of their esteemed colleague," Canon Mark Watson. Canon Watson was rector of Maguiresbridge and Derrybrusk parishes since 2017 having previously served in the nearby Trory and Killadeas group. The married father of two was also a Canon of St Macartans Cathedrals in Clogher and Enniskillen and Past County Grand Chaplain of Co Fermanagh Orange Lodge. A diocesan spokesman added: Our prayers and thoughts are foremost with his family and we particularly remember his wife, Rhona and sons, Peter and Samuel and the whole family circle at this time. Canon Watson was a dedicated and faithful pastor and will be greatly missed by his parishioners. We ask everyone to remember Canon Watsons family in their prayers as the family come to terms with his sudden and untimely death. Police confirmed officers attended at the scene of a sudden death in the Drumgoon Road area of Maguiresbridge on Monday. A post mortem is due to take place to determine the cause of the death. There are no further details at this stage, said the spokesman. Press Release March 2, 2020 Zubiri called for Balik-Scientists to face off ASF in the Philippines Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri urged Malacanang to call on Balik-Scientists, vets to face off African Swine Fever in the Philippines. "We have to save the livelihood of our hog raisers, both large-scale and backyard; especially the backyard hograisers. For many years, we have had the lowest hoof and mouth disease. We controlled Avian Flu and it failed to decimate our poultry industry. We are one of the preferred sources of pork and poultry by countries who had high standards like Japan. That's why I'm aghast at how ASF is destroying our hograisers. Together with the Agriculture Committee chaired by Sen. Villar, I have warned that the importation of pork meat, offals and processed products should stop. Evidently, the concerned agencies were powerless against importers added to smugglers who cared for nothing else but their profits. I understand that our porous borders opened our hograisers to attack with imports driving down farmgate prices. Now we witness how they're succumbing to mandatory culling meaning they lose present stock and need a lot of capital to restart. Since the disease is already here decimating the industry, I urge Malacanang to call as many Filipino scientists and veterinarians back to the country. Many of them occupy high positions in the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Office of the United Nations. I also recognize the various task forces organized by Agricuture Sec. William Dar who is assisted by the private sector. Still, we have to more than double our manpower, equipment and financial resources to address ASF until the whole of the Philippines is declared ASF- free. Pork-eating Filipinos should feel safe eating pork without the lingering fear that they're eating diseased meat. Our hograisers should regain their lost livelihoods from Benguet to Davao as all our islands register ASF infection. I urge government to invite all Balik-Scientists who hold the key in beefing up efforts to combat ASF," stressed Sen. Migz Zubiri , who studied Agri-business and holds a Master's Degree on Environment & Natural Resources at the University of the Philippines. https://www.pigprogress.net/Health/Articles/2020/2/ASF-Philippines-Virus-reaches-Mindanao-Bali-infected-539247E/ Governor Ortom had while congratulating Adeboye said the cleric has demonstrated uncommon humility and the love of God through his teaching, preaching and lifestyle. Vijayawada, March 2 : Bharatiya Janata Party's Andhra Pradesh chief Kanna Lakshminarayana on Monday demanded that AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi be denied permission to address meetings anywhere in the country, saying he is instigating people over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The BJP leader slammed Owaisi for allegedly making provocative speeches and instigating people of one community against the other by "spreading lies". He alleged that the Hyerabad MP and others whipping up communal passions and misleading innocents over CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) should not be permitted to address meetings and rallies. Lakshminarayana made the demand a day after Owaisi addressed a public meeting in Guntur to protest against CAA, NRC and National Population Register (NPR). The BJP leader slammed leaders of ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) for participating in the anti-CAA protest meetings and alleged that they were funding the protests. He wondered how Deputy Chief Minister Amjad Basha, other ministers and MLAs could attend anti-CAA rallies when their party YSRCP voted for the Bill in Parliament. He said if they were attending the meetings with the consent of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, he had no right to continue in office. He also asked the Chief Minister how he permitted Owaisi to address a public meeting. The BJP leader said the CAA was enacted after Parliament debated and passed the Bill but unfortunately Congress, the Left parties and AIMIM were provoking Muslims to gain political mileage. He pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarified on many occasions that CAA would not impact citizenship of people of any community and caste and that NRC was not under the government's consideration. ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek government has been sending texts to migants arriving at its northern border warning them not to attempt to cross it as it has increased its border security to the maximum level, a government source said on Sunday. ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek government has been sending texts to migants arriving at its northern border warning them not to attempt to cross it as it has increased its border security to the maximum level, a government source said on Sunday. (Reporting by Renee Maltezou) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Here's a thought experiment: if Trump tonight said the U.S. was going to give $1,300 to each resident and waive $2,600 from your income tax bill this year to help offset the hit from coronavirus, would bond yields plunge or soar? My guess is they would soar. Because that fiscal stimulus--which is exactly what Hong Kong is doing to help its economy cope with coronavirus--would certainly help shore up confidence and avoid a deeper GDP hit. Instead, U.S. Treasury yields right now are plunging. Remember, we never went below 1.3%--ever--on the benchmark 10-year yield until last week. As of this morning, we are barely, barely hanging on to 1%. We went as low as 1.03% before the stock market open. Why? Because the economic hit from coronavirus keeps growing. Ed Hyman at Evercore ISI thinks we'll have zero GDP growth in the second and third quarter now. A recession, technically, is usually two consecutive quarters of falling GDP, so we're getting perilously close, if he's right. Meanwhile Goldman, which has been relatively upbeat, and rightly so, on the U.S. economy, thinks we'll average hardly more than half a percent growth for the first three quarters. And that, in turn, has economists forecasting/calling for a big central bank response. Goldman now expects a full percentage-point cut in rates this year, starting with a half-point cut at the March meeting in two weeks. The rest of the street has a similar view now, which we first heard from Bank of America on Friday just before the Fed's extraordinary statement confirmed that kind of action may indeed be coming. But even Goldman says they don't think cutting rates will actually be that effective a tool in fighting the effects of a coronavirus pandemic. "Central banks may well react aggressively," they wrote, "even if the impact on economic growth is limited." Even if the impact is limited! Why are we leaning so much on the Fed to respond to this outbreak? They can't afford to mess around with that much rate cutting with the "zero lower bound" rapidly coming into sight. And this is with the underlying business cycle still expanding! What happens when it ends in due course? With hardly any rate cuts left, they'll have to go back to QE, i.e., bond-buying. How many more bonds can they buy? Would equities inevitably be next? Everyone uncomfortable at this prospect--which Japan and Europe are already experimenting with--should hope and press for a fiscal response to coronavirus, not a monetary policy one. And to circle back to Hong Kong, there is a roadmap for what fiscal stimulus could look like. Their package also includes business relief and a reduction in electric bills, for a total of about 4% of GDP in spending. Not for nothing, this being an election year, if I were President Trump I'd be happy to come out with a nice, juicy fiscal stimulus package. You can say the U.S. doesn't have "room" for more spending, since we're already running a large deficit. But we really won't have room if the economy tanks in the future and neither the Fed nor the government can do much to help. A little spending now to help people and businesses deal with coronavirus and to make sure the business cycle keeps going is far better than huge spending later on along with major market interference from the Fed. I'll be sure to press this point with our guests today. Recall, President Obama in 2011 pushed a payroll tax cut that gave people the rough equivalent of an extra $1,000 in take-home pay that year. I see no reason why we couldn't do something similar right now. And I certainly wouldn't want to buy bonds at these yields if so! See you at 1 p.m! Kelly P.S. Don't miss a minute... Click to subscribe to The Exchange podcast. Twitter: @KellyCNBC Instagram: @realkellyevans Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-03 00:08:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KATHMANDU, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on Monday applauded the efforts by the Chinese government and Chinese people in containing the spread of the COVID-19. Talking to Xinhua at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu, the foreign minister expressed his confidence in China to win the fight against the epidemic soon. "If China hadn't taken those strengthened measures to combat virus, the situation would have been more dreadful till now," the minister said, adding every country in the world should learn from China in fighting such outbreaks. "Epidemic cannot be predicted, China too hadn't imagined such outbreak in Wuhan. But the way it constructed hospitals in a short period and managed everything, it's really appreciable," Gyawali said. He said that Nepal has been safe till now as it has adopted prevention measures as part of preparation, and will strengthen the measures gradually. Nepal had recorded one case of COVID-19 at the end of January, involving a male student who had returned from China. But he was already discharged from hospital after full recovery, he said. He said necessary measures have been adopted by the Nepali government in airport, border points and in hospitals, with at least 100 beds preserved in isolation wards in different private and public hospitals. "Crisis can be an opportunity to enhance domestic labor, production and capacity," the minister said, adding that the government has encouraged the production of pharmaceutical materials and medical supplies like masks and sanitizers. He said the devastating earthquake of 2015 has made Nepal more resilient in face of emergency, and his country is highly alert to encounter the epidemic. Congress MP Ramya Haridas on Monday lodged a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that she was assaulted by a BJP woman MP inside the Lower House and sought immediate action over the matter. BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha as opposition members vehemently protested over the issue of violence in Delhi and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. "On March 2, at 3 PM, inside Lok Sabha, I was physically assaulted by MP Jaskaur Meena (BJP parliamentarian from Rajasthan)," Haridas said in her complaint. In her complaint to Birla, she asked if such things were repeatedly happening to her because she was a Dalit and a woman. She sought action against the BJP MP. During the Winter Session last year, the Congress had alleged that two of its women parliamentarians, including Haridas, were "manhandled" by marshals in the Lok Sabha when they were protesting in the Well of the House over the Maharashtra government formation. Both the MPs had lodged a complaint with Speaker Birla. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global Merchant Fund Acquires North American Operation of Bibby Financial Services We see great synergies between Bibby NAM and our other operating businesses. We intend to capitalize on those synergies. Global Merchant Fund Corp. (GMF), a leading North American provider of financial solutions for middle-market companies, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Bibby Financial Services (Holdings) Inc. (Bibby NAM). Bibby NAM is the North American operation of Bibby Financial Services (BFS), a U.K.-based independent SME funder with operations in 14 countries. The deal, which closed Friday, February 28, 2020, advances GMFs long term growth strategy to expand its specialty finance business through the acquisition of companies and portfolios that fit its growth model. Bibby NAM which provides invoice discounting through factoring and asset-backed lending fits well within that strategy. Since 2017, GMF has successfully completed the acquisition of four specialty lenders, including Gerber Finance (based out of NY), Paragon Financial Group (based out of Florida), Accutrac Capital (based out of Canada) and eCapital (based out of California). Bibby NAM entered the North American market in 2001, first opening an office in Florida. Today, Bibby NAM has more than 100 employees based across six cities in the U.S. and Canada, supporting 900 small and medium sized businesses. Steve McDonald, GMF President said: Bibby NAM, as is its UK parent, is a well-recognized firm that has been active in the invoice discounting through factoring space for years. We see great synergies between Bibby NAM and our other operating businesses. We intend to capitalize on those synergies. In addition to the industries we serve, the geography we cover, and the services we provide, we share a common interest in building lasting relationships with our clients by providing flexible financing solutions. Bibby NAMs clients should expect to continue to be served with the highest level of expertise and professionalism. We intend to further improve their experience as we deploy our technology and knowhow post-closing. David Postings, Global Chief Executive of BFS said: Since first launching in North America in 2001, we have built a strong business with excellent client service levels, and one which provides vital support for small and medium sized companies in the U.S. and Canada. Following a strategic review, we have decided to focus and invest in other markets. The sale of our North American business to GMF represents good value for both parties. ABOUT GLOBAL MERCHANT Global Merchant offers alternative financial solutions primarily catered towards middle-market companies located in the United States and Canada through asset-based lending, factoring and supply chain financing. Global Merchants portfolio companies include Accutrac Capital, a factoring company dedicated exclusively to the transportation sector, technology-powered payment services provider eCapital, asset-based lender Gerber Finance, and Paragon Financial Group, which specializes in small-ticket factoring. Global Merchant maintains offices in Carlsbad and Santa Monica, California, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, New York, NY and Toronto and Orillia, Canada. For more information, visit http://www.globalmerchantfund.com. ABOUT BIBBY FINANCIAL SERVICES Bibby Financial Services (BFS) is a multinational corporation that has provided financial services to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) since 1982. It is a subsidiary of the Liverpool-based Bibby Line Group, which was founded in 1807. BFS specializes in providing funding solutions such as factoring, transportation finance and asset-based lending with a focus on the industry of apparel, manufacturing, staffing, transportation and logistics, and wholesale and distribution. For more information, visit http://www.bibbyusa.com. For any inquiries please contact: Steve McDonald Office: 416 240-8404 Email smcdonald@globalmerchantfund.com In a high school gymnasium in Iowa, Joe Biden was doing his thing. There was a sign spelling JOE in large red, white and blue letters attached to the wall, and over the course of the next half-hour the 77-year-old sought to suggest that had you had opened up his veins, the same colours would have flowed. Biden appeared genuinely disgusted stunned, even by what he believed Donald Trump had done to the office of the presidency. People all around the word are looking and asking what is happening to the American public," he said. Helped by the likes of former secretary of state John Kerry, 76, who won Iowa when he ran for the presidency in 2004, Biden presented himself as a quick-fix solution to the nations ills brought about by Trumps 2016 victory. He was not offering anything revolutionary. Indeed, he believed most people did not want the kind of radical shake-up being hawked by Bernie Sanders. What they wanted was a return to a time when Democrats felt better about the world, a turning back of the clock to when he and Barack Obama occupied the White House. Just imagine: no more angry Twitter rants, no more insulting of Washingtons allies, no more cosying up to dictators. On a day filled with nostalgia for many of his supporters, Joe Bidens pitch was quite simply this: I am the safe reset. To someone who in recent years had only seen the former vice president from afar, on debate stages where he stuttered and looked weary, or in viral videos in which he mixed up dates and events, it felt like something of a revelation. This is why Biden was polling so highly, why he was able to win in South Carolina, and why on the eve of Super Tuesday he is once again a serious contender. Please understand that this is not written as any form of endorsement. Common sense would dictate the nations future ought not to lie in the fortunes of a career politician with intense personal ambitions making his third presidential run, who would turn 80 during his first term. But after listening to Biden at the Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy in Cedar Rapids, and then a few weeks later at an event in Nevada, where he spoke with gun violence activists and appeared empathetic and genuine, the essence of his appeal to voters an avuncular comfort blanket came much clearer. Seeing him up close close enough to watch him shake hands with supporters also provided another unlikely insight: his skin somehow looked thicker, his overall appearance much younger than on television. Data suggests that Bidens allure, not surprisingly, is most strongly felt among older voters. In South Carolina, where he won in a landslide 48-point victory, the Associated Presss VoteCast project suggested he secured 60 per cent of African American votes, along with the backing of women, older voters, conservatives and churchgoers regardless of skin color. The AP found 40 per cent of voters in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared to just 30 per cent in Iowa and New Hampshire. Up to 50 per cent of American Americans wanted a president who would emulate Obamas two terms. Two-thirds of white voters said they wanted fundamental change. One of Bidens problems is that he is not Barack Obama, not by any stretch. Indeed, the young Illinois senator pummelled Biden in the 2008 primary when he was making his previous bid for the Oval Office. Nostalgia for what once was is not the same as the real thing. Soon enough we will know whether Biden can use it to win the nomination and take on Trump. For now, its been enough to put him back in contention. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Monday confirmed the group were denied entry into the country Eight people who tried to enter Australia on a small boat have been sent back to Indonesia after border control intercepted their trip. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Monday confirmed the group were denied entry into the country. He would not say when or where the interception took place, but insisted they returned to their country of origin safely. 'All eight people on board were safely turned back to Indonesia,' Dutton said in a statement. 'We will not tolerate a return to past circumstances where more than 1,200 people died at sea attempting illegal and dangerous journeys to Australia.' Dutton said illegal immigrants had a 'zero per cent chance' of making their way into Australia. Any attempt to arrive covertly, he said, would be 'as pointless as it is dangerous.' Under the previous Labor government, an estimated 1,200 people died attempting to enter Australia via boat in six years. The Coalition introduced the Operation Sovereign Borders in 2013 in response to the alarming statistics. The boat was intercepted by border force officials (pictured: A new border protection boat) So far, border force officials have turned back 38 boats carrying 873 people since its inception. Under the policies, those people on-board the people smuggling vessel will never be allowed to live or work in Australia. 'It is the Coalition Government's policy to intercept any vessel seeking to reach Australia illegally and to safely return those on board to their point of departure or country of origin,' Dutton said. He confirmed all eight people on board made it back to Indonesia safely. 'Measures and safeguards are in place to enable actions and activities to be undertaken in accordance with Australian domestic law and Australia's obligations under international law.' [March 02, 2020] Infosys and IBM Collaborate to Help Businesses Accelerate Digital Transformation With IBM Public Cloud NEW YORK, March 2, 2020 /CNW/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a global alliance to help enterprises accelerate their digital transformation journey using the IBM public cloud. The collaboration will help enterprises -- including those in highly regulated industries such as financial services, insurance and healthcare -- to transition, modernize and transform their enterprise workloads and applications by tapping into the security, open innovation and enterprise capabilities of the IBM public cloud. As part of the relationship, Infosys will also offer its clients access to Red Hat's portfolio of open source offerings on the IBM public cloud. This will provide enterprises a greater level of scale, resources and capabilities to accelerate the impact of their cloud-driven digital transformation. Ravi Kumar S, President, Infosys, said, "Enterprises cannot truly succeed at digital transformation without leveraging cloud - be it transforming processes, expanding into new markets, launching new products, automating operations or elevating customer experience, cloud is the true enabler to complete digital transformation. But enterprises, especially in highly regulated and data sensitive industries are worried about privacy, regulatory compliance, security and system downtime as they embark on this transformation journey. Our collaboration with IBM will help enterprises across industries address these concerns and accelerate their digital transformation journey on IBM public cloud." Bob Lord, Senior Vice President, Cognitive Applications and Ecosystems, IBM, said, "As businesses today continue to migrate critical workloads to the public cloud, they are also demanding the highest levels of security and control to ensure their data is not compromised. To help clients achieve this balance, we are collaborating with Infosys to provide clients including those in highly regulated industries with a seamless path to the IBM public cloud, which was built with their specific needs in mind." Infosys will be the first Global System Integrator to join the new IBM Public Cloud Ecosystem, to help bring IBM public cloud services to clients via service providers. As part of the program, Infosys will be able to deploy technical expertise from IBM to support clients in their move to IBM public cloud. IBM will work with Infosys and its clients to speed efforts such as proof of concepts, running cloud pilots, staffing client innovation centers and other mechanisms designed to deliver value quickly and securely. Through this alliance, Infosys employees from the cloud practice will participate in training and become certified on IBM public cloud. They will be able to implement solutions on the financial services-ready public cloud, developed by IBM, to help clients in the financial services industry address their need for regulatory compliance, security and resiliency. In addition, Infosys can offer its clients services around IBM's cloud native and open technologies, such as AI, blokchain, analytics and more. By tapping into these services, enterprises will be able to transition, modernize and transform their enterprise workloads and applications helping accelerate their digital transformation on public cloud. With its security leadership, enterprise-grade capabilities and support for open source technologies, including RedHat OpenShift, the IBM public cloud is designed to extend the hybrid cloud strategies for the most complex enterprise workloads. It also helps provide preventative and compensatory controls for regulatory workloads, multi-architecture support and proactive and automated security, leveraging high level of encryption standards. Infosys will leverage its vast experience, cloud capabilities and global reach to help clients migrate, modernize and transform workloads and solutions on IBM public cloud including application modernization (VMware Cloud Infrastructure and Red Hat OpenShift), mainframe modernization on public cloud, SAP HANA running on IBM Power Systems technology, IBM QRadar security analytics, e-commerce and an assortment of Infosys-led Industry Solutions. Infosys plans to invest in a dedicated IBM global cloud practice where employees would be fully trained and certified on IBM public cloud. About Infosys Ltd Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. About IBM Cloud With over $21B in annual cloud revenue, IBM has built a leading enterprise hybrid cloud business. This includes a comprehensive range of as-a-service offerings, software, hardware and professional services that enable IBM to advise, move, build and manage cloud solutions across public, private and on-premises environments. Through its global network of more than 60 cloud data centers across 19 countries and 18 availability zones across 6 regions, IBM public cloud helps enterprises in all industries to meet security, resiliency, performance, and global deployment requirements. Built on an open source, multitenant environment, clients have secured access to an enterprise-grade IaaS and a leading PaaS that provides them with the latest developer capabilities and ready-to-go innovation engines. This includes more than 190 cloud-native APIs, such as AI, blockchain, IoT, serverless and quantum computing, and consistent function all the way to the edge. For more information, visit https://www.ibm.com/cloud/public. Safe Harbor Certain statements mentioned in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/infosys-and-ibm-collaborate-to-help-businesses-accelerate-digital-transformation-with-ibm-public-cloud-301014507.html SOURCE Infosys [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 11:40:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's daily output of face masks reached 116 million units as of Saturday, 12 times the figure reported on Feb. 1, as production expansion moves into top gear, official data showed Monday. By the end of February, the daily production capacity of masks in China more than quintupled from Feb. 1 to 110 million units that came in medical and non-medical calibres, the National Development and Reform Commission said. Uttar Pradesh elderly resident Shamim who lives in Hapur district has received an electricity bill for Rs 1,28,45,95,444 by the Power Department. The startling part is, a septuagenarian who has been charged with huge amount on the power load of 2 KiloWatt has been asked to pay the bill by the officials. An Uttar Pradesh elderly resident Shamim, septuagenarian, has received an electricity bill for Rs 1,28,45,95,444 by the Power Department on the power load of 2 KiloWatt. Shamim, lives with his wife in Chamri village in Hapur district. Elaborating on his issue he said that he had approached the Electricity Department for rectification, however, officials told him to pay the bills or else the electricity would not be reconnected. He further stated that the Department officials are not keen to listen to his complaints. His monthly electricity bill is Rs 700 and Rs 800, but this time the Electricity Department has given him bill of the entire city, he said. Hapur: A resident of Chamri has received an electricity bill of Rs 1,28,45,95,444. He says "No one listens to our pleas, how will we submit that amount? When we went to complain about it,we were told that they won't resume our electricity connection unless we pay the bill."(20.7) pic.twitter.com/2kOQT8ho36 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 20, 2019 Ram Sharan, an Assistant Electrical Engineer quoted a technical fault as the cause behind the bill. While Senior officials of the Power Department, Lucknow said that the technical glitch would be rectified. Ram Sharan, Assistant Electrical Engineer: This must be a technical fault. If they provide us the bill we will issue them an updated one after rectifying the technical fault in the system. This is no big deal. Technical faults do take place. (20.07.2019) pic.twitter.com/4TUswbvVDu ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 20, 2019 Soon this news broke out on the social media, netizens started commenting on it: This looks more like a phone number than an alectric bill amount! Inderjeet Kumar Singh (@justin23448669) July 21, 2019 Batti gul meter chalu? ?? ?? ?? (@farhaz98) July 20, 2019 This is pure harassment inhuman and insanity Dr.Hemant Mittal (@doctor_mittal) July 20, 2019 Mistakes happen, technical fault happens; agree! Where is the 200 gm brain ? of a person who issued such a bill. How can they disconnect for nonpayment? What if these poor guys dont have the previous bill? Anwar Hussain (@Anwar_is_here) July 21, 2019 For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Employees dressed in scrubs talk with each other at Providence Regional Medical Center after coronavirus victim treated in Everett Reuters The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance to hospitals trying to prepare for the impact of the coronavirus as it spreads in the United States. The coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed 2,858 people and infected more than 83,000 around the world. The virus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 55 other countries. Here are the 10 things the CDC is advising hospitals to do. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Are you a healthcare professional? If you want to share your experience in the healthcare industry as the coronavirus spreads, please reach out to Business Insider reporter Bryan Pietsch at bpietsch@businessinsider.com. Train healthcare personnel The CDC says hospital leadership like the chief medical officer, quality officers, epidemiologists, and department heads should review the CDC's COVID-19 guidance, which is available here. Trainings should include how to identify infection, how to safely collect a specimen, and how to report cases of COVID-19. How to quickly identify and isolate patients who are confirmed or suspected to have the virus Post signs at entrances instructing people experiencing symptoms of respiratory infection to put on a mask and keep it on while at the hospital, cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and wash their hands frequently. Provide face masks to patients and people displaying symptoms. Put alcohol-based hand sanitizer at all entrances and common areas. Facilities should have a separate, well-ventilated space for waiting patients that separates them by at least six feet. Have a process to notify local or state health officials if a case of the coronavirus is suspected after that person arrives. How to place patients Confirm the number and location of Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIRs) in the facility. Make sure that AIIRs have been tested and are effective. (AIIRs should have sufficient air flow, negative pressure and exhaust handling.) Plan to minimize the amount of healthcare professionals entering the room. The CDC advises that only "essential" personnel should enter the AIIR. Log who enters and exits the patient rooms. Story continues Transmission precautions Protective equipment and other supplies for workers and patients should be supplied at a sufficient level throughout all steps from the patient's arrival to assessment. Have a respiratory protection program, and make sure employees are cleared and trained to use a respirator. Patients moving within the hospital Patients moving outside of the AIIRs should be limited to only medically-essential situations. If the patient is being moved out of the AIIR, employees in the receiving area need to be notified in advance. Patients being transported out of the AIIR should wear a mask and be covered with a clean sheet. Hand hygiene Hand hygiene supplies should include alcohol-based hand sanitizer and be accessible in patient care areas, including places where employees are removing protective equipment. Oversee and audit adherence to CDC recommendations for hand hygiene. Cleaning of the hospital environment Have a plan to disinfect surfaces and equipment in patients' rooms effectively. People cleaning equipment and surfaces should be trained and tested. Use an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant with approved to sanitize for "emerging viral pathogens." Monitor and manage personnel Follow local and state policies for monitoring personnel for potential exposure. Make sure workers have access to medical consultation. Track exposures and conduct active or self-monitoring of personnel. Have a process to check symptoms and temperatures of personnel before they start their shift. Visitor access Ensure plans for visitor access have been reviewed and updated. Visitors should be screened for symptoms of respiratory illness before entering the hospital. Plan to restrict visitation to patient rooms with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. If visitors are allowed to visit those patients, hospitals should plan what type of protective equipment visitors should wear, give instructions to those visitors on proper hygiene protocol, maintain a record of visitors, and limit visitors' movement within the hospital. Regularly monitor the situation with the CDC Check the CDC's page on the coronavirus situation at www.cdc.gov/COVID19. Read the original article on Business Insider Seth Rich, Julian Assange and Dana Rohrabacher - Will We Ever Know the Truth About the Stolen DNC Files? By Philip Giraldi March 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The media is doing its best to make the Seth Rich story go away, but it seems to have a life of its own, possibly due to the fact that the accepted narrative about how Rich died makes no sense. In its Iatest manifestation, it provides an alternative explanation for just how the information from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) computer somehow made its way to Wikileaks. If you believe that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and that he was just a nasty pedophile rather than an Israeli intelligence agent, read no farther because you will not be interested in Rich. But if you appreciate that it was unlikely that the Russians were behind the stealing of the DNC information you will begin to understand that other interested players must have been at work. For those who are not familiar with it, the backstory to the murder of apparently disgruntled Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich, who some days before may have been the leaker of that organizations confidential emails to Wikileaks, suggests that a possibly motiveless crime might have been anything but. The Washington D.C. police investigated what they believed to be an attempted robbery gone bad but that theory fails to explain why Richs money, credit cards, cell phone and watch were not taken. Wikileaks has never confirmed that Rich was their source in the theft of the proprietary emails that had hitherto been blamed on Russia but it subsequently offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to resolution of the case and Julian Assange, perhaps tellingly, has never publicly clarified whether Rich was or was not one of his contacts, though there is at least one report that he confirmed the relationship during a private meeting. Answers to the question who exactly stole the files from the DNC server and the emails from John Podesta have led to what has been called Russiagate, a tale that has been embroidered upon and which continues to resonate in American politics. At this point, all that is clearly known is that in the Summer of 2016 files and emails pertaining to the election were copied and then made their way to WikiLeaks, which published some of them at a time that was damaging to the Clinton campaign. Those who are blaming Russia believe that there was a hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) server and also of John Podestas emails that was carried out by a Russian surrogate or directly by Moscows military intelligence arm. They base their conclusion on a statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security on October 7, 2016, and on a longer assessment prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on January 6, 2017. Both government appraisals implied that there was a U.S. government intelligence agency consensus that there was a Russian hack, though they provided little in the way of actual evidence that that was the case and, in particular, failed to demonstrate how the information was obtained and what the chain of custody was as it moved from that point to the office of WikiLeaks. The January report was particularly criticized as unconvincing, rightly so, because the most important one of its three key contributors, the National Security Agency, had only moderate confidence in its conclusions, suggesting that whatever evidence existed was far from solid. An alternative view that has been circulating for several years suggests that it was not a hack at all, that it was a deliberate whistleblower-style leak of information carried out by an as yet unknown party, possibly Rich, that may have been provided to WikiLeaks for possible political reasons, i.e. to express disgust with the DNC manipulation of the nominating process to damage Bernie Sanders and favor Hillary Clinton. There are, of course, still other equally non-mainstream explanations for how the bundle of information got from point A to point B, including that the intrusion into the DNC server was carried out by the CIA which then made it look like it had been the Russians as perpetrators. And then there is the hybrid point of view, which is essentially that the Russians or a surrogate did indeed intrude into the DNC computers but it was all part of normal intelligence agency probing and did not lead to anything. Meanwhile and independently, someone else who had access to the server was downloading the information, which in some fashion made its way from there to WikiLeaks. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Both the hack vs. leak viewpoints have marshaled considerable technical analysis in the media to bolster their arguments, but the analysis suffers from the decidedly strange fact that the FBI never even examined the DNC servers that may have been involved. The hack school of thought has stressed that Russia had both the ability and motive to interfere in the election by exposing the stolen material while the leakers have recently asserted that the sheer volume of material downloaded indicates that something like a higher speed thumb drive was used, meaning that it had to be done by someone with actual physical direct access to the DNC system. Someone like Seth Rich. What the many commentators on the DNC server issue choose to conclude is frequently shaped by their own broader political views, producing a result that favors one approach over another depending on how one feels about Trump or Clinton. Or the Russians. Perhaps it would be clarifying to regard the information obtained and transferred as a theft rather than either a hack or a leak since the two expressions have taken on a political meaning of their own in the Russiagate context. With all the posturing going on, the bottom line is that the American people and government have no idea who actually stole the material in question, though the Obama Administration was extraordinarily careless in its investigation and Russian President Vladimir Putin has generally speaking been blamed for what took place. The currently bouncing around the media concerns an offer allegedly made in 2017 by former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher to imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. According to Assanges lawyers, Rohrabacher offered a pardon from President Trump if Assange were to provide information that would attribute the theft or hack of the Democratic National Committee emails to someone other than the Russians. He was presumably referring to Seth Rich. Assange did not accept the offer, but it should be noted that he has repeatedly stated in any event that he did not obtain the material from a Russian or Russian-linked source. In reality, he might not know the original source of the information. Since Rohrabachers original statement, both he and Trump have denied any suggestion that there was a firm offer with a quid pro quo for Assange. Trump claims to hardly know Rohrabacher and also asserts that he has never had a one-on-one meeting with him. The U.S. medias coverage of the story has emphasized that Assanges cooperation would have helped to absolve Russia from the charge of having interfered decisively in the U.S. election, but the possible motive for doing so remains unclear. Russian-American relations are at their lowest point since the Cold War and that has largely been due to policies embraced by Donald Trump, to include the cancellation of START and medium range missile agreements. Trump has also approved NATO military maneuvers and exercises right up to the Russian border and has provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, something that his predecessor Barack Obama balked at. He has also openly confronted the Russians in Syria. Given all of that back story, it would be odd to find Trump making an offer that focuses only on one issue and does not actually refute the broader claims of Russian interference, which are based on a number of pieces of admittedly often dubious evidence, not just the Clinton and Podesta emails. Which brings the tale back to Seth Rich. If Rich was indeed responsible for the theft of the information and was possibly killed for his treachery, it most materially impacts on the Democratic Party as it reminds everyone of what the Clintons and their allies are capable of. It will also serve as a warning of what might be coming at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July as the party establishment uses fair means or foul to stop Bernie Sanders. How this will all play out is anyones guess, but many of those who pause to observe the process will be thinking of Seth Rich. Philip M. Giraldi is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer who served nineteen years overseas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Spain. He was the CIA Chief of Base for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and was one of the first Americans to enter Afghanistan in December 2001. Phil is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington-based advocacy group that seeks to encourage and promote a U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that is consistent with American values and interests. " Source " Why Greta Garbo, Givenchy, John Lennon and Valentino all flocked to Dalva Brothers On 22 October in New York, Christies presents a landmark sale of European furniture, Sevres porcelain, Chinese works of art, clocks, sculpture, and more from the family firm that has been a fixture in New York for the past 80 years My mother always said that Dalva Brothers was collecting for collectors, says Leon Dalva of his familys storied New-York-based antiques dealership. Whats so wonderful about the history of the gallery is that it reflects the history of New York as a collecting city. For the past 80 years Dalva Brothers has furnished connoisseur collectors, interior designers and museum curators working for such prestigious institutions as the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Versailles and the Louvre, with the finest 18th-century furniture and decorative arts on the market. In October 2020, Christies pays tribute with Dalva Brothers: Parisian Taste in New York, a dedicated sale of more than 250 lots spanning European furniture, porcelain, clocks, sculpture, and Chinese works of art from the firms extensive inventory. A second sale will take place in Paris in November 2020. The Dalva Brothers gallery in New York The sale encapsulates a golden age of American collecting in the 20th century, says Christies specialist Victoria Tudor. The name Dalva Brothers is synonymous with excellence in the rarefied world of French decorative arts. Dalva Brothers was established in 1933 by Leon Dalva Sr. and his brothers, and was later taken over by Leons sons, David II and Leon Jr. The founders grandsons, David and Adam, are the third generation to work at the gallery, now located in a magnificent six-storey townhouse on New Yorks Upper East Side. The gallery began life dealing in antique textiles, before specialising in French 18th-century furniture and decorative arts. By the 1950s and 60s despite a prevailing taste for English antiques in New York French decorative arts were highly sought-after by a core group of very serious American collectors, reveals Leon. Helena Rubenstein and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were among the famous names to cross the gallerys threshold. Greta Garbo, it turns out, was a regular visitor. Shed come in nearly every afternoon around 5.30pm and sit down opposite my mothers desk, says Leon. You werent allowed to introduce her as Greta Garbo, though; she was Ms. Brown. The members of staff who worked downstairs would always bid good evening to Ms. Brown. And she would say it back with a little formal bow it used to get a good laugh out of her. According to David Dalva, When you walked into Dalva Brothers the first person you would generally run into was my grandma [Jean Dalva, the matriarch of the firm]. She would hold court, and she was very social. Adam Dalva adds, Once, she got into a witty conversation with a young Englishman about finding a chair for his little woman. After he left, my father and my Uncle David had to explain to her who that young Englishman was John Lennon. Then there was the time Gianni Versace stopped by with his entourage. He was a wonderful client because he really loved the things he bought, recalls Leon. Its interesting actually, the connection between fashion and French furniture. There have been quite a few major collectors over the generations that have been in the fashion industry. Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld and Hubert de Givenchy were all loyal clients of Dalva Brothers. They share what Leon describes as a sensitivity to proportion and an appreciation of the elegance and quality of French 18th-century brocades and fabrics. An eye for detail is really important, as is being able to hone in on that special thing, he says. The Dalva Brothers became known for doing just that. When youre a dealer for many, many years, the things that appeal to you are the unusual things that you dont see every day, notes Leon. Its a quirkiness, some kind of oddity that makes a piece stand out. One such example is the Charles X exhibition panel, above, made by jewellery designer Jean-Baptiste-Pierre-Laurent Douault-Wieland for the Exposition des Produits de lindustrie of 1827, a fair held annually in Paris between 1798 and 1849 to showcase technological advancements in French industry. The panel is densely inset with multicoloured imitation hardstones made of strass, a form of rhinestone-like glass, and portrait medallions patriotically depicting the Bourbon monarchs from Louis XII to Charles X. This is a technical tour de force, says the specialist. Its design is emblematic of the Gothic revival, so fashionable in France in the 1820s. Very few examples of Douault-Wielands work are preserved, and none compare to the present work in its scale and ingenuity. Dalva Brothers has long been the go-to for collectors looking for pieces that at the time of their creation were at the cutting edge of contemporary design and craftsmanship, affirms the specialist. A typical example is the magnificent late Louis XVI pietra dura and ormolu-mounted ebony cabinet shown above. It was made in around 1785-1790 by Adam Weisweiler for the celebrated marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre. Daguerre had an enormous stock of luxurious materials including 17th-century Japanese lacquer ware, Florentine hardstone panels and rare porcelains. His designs, which would break up and combine these materials in innovative ways, created a luxurious and instantly desirable new aesthetic, says the specialist. Other treasures coming to auction include a late 17th-century pair of Italian silk and metal thread panels with beautiful technique in couching that brings to life the various birds and iconography; and a late 18th-century terracotta model of a poodle, above, probably by Anne Damer. The sale also features a Sevres porcelain gold-ground teapot and cover from around 1779, which was probably made for Marie Antoinette or Louis XVI, and a German beechwood and beadwork centre table from circa 1740 (below). Theres something very contemporary about this mid-18th-century beauty, says Tudor. With the glass beadwork in beautiful tones of blue, it could live in almost any interior. Other highlights include a Louis XV ormolu-mounted marquetry table with spring-loaded rising compartment dating to around 1750, and a Louis XVI ormolu, blued and silvered metal and bleu turquin marble clock with rotating dials by Lepaute from circa 1780. 02 Mar 2020, 11:55 AM Coronavirus claims 2 lives in US, authorities step up testing for virus The deadly coronavirus continues to spread. Health officials in Washington state said Sunday night that a second person had died from the coronavirus. Researchers said the virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected in the greater Seattle area. A man in his 70s died Saturday. On Friday, health officials said a man in his 50s died of coronavirus. Both had underlying health conditions, and both were being treated at a hospital in Kirkland, Washington, east of Seattle. Anand Mahindra's M&M to compete with Ola, Uber with launch of cab aggregator service Auto manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra plans to enter the shared mobility services segment with the launch of a cab aggregator, called Alyte, for corporates. The introduction of the service will put M&M in direct competition with Ola and Uber. The company claims a quarter of Alyte's fleet will be EVs in the next two-three years. China factory activity dives to worst on record as coronavirus paralyses economy - PMI China's factories were dealt a devastating blow in February as the coronavirus epidemic triggered the sharpest contraction in activity on record, a private survey showed on Monday, with the health crisis paralysing large parts of the economy. The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) tumbled to 40.3 last month, the lowest level since the survey began in 2004, and down sharply from the 51.1 reading in January as well as the 50-mark that separates growth from contraction. Modi govt to give major boost to MSMEs sector; it 'drives the economy': Nitin Gadkari Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the Modi government was all set to give a major boost to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. "MSMEs account for 48 per cent of the exports and employ 11 crore people. We are giving a major boost to the MSME sector...it drives the economy," Gadkari said. The MSME minister added that India needs an institute for enterprises and entrepreneurship. Delhi Riots: 254 FIRs registered, over 900 people arrested The Delhi Police has registered 254 FIRs and arrested or detained 903 persons in connection with the northeast Delhi violence, a senior officer said on Sunday. Forty-one of the cases were registered under the Arms Act, they said. According to police, they did not receive any PCR calls of rioting in the last four days. The situation in the riot-affected areas is under control, a senior police official said. Facebook, Twitter, Google rebel against Pakistan's new digital law 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. 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. Over the weekend, two huge news storiesthe coronavirus and the 2020 presidential campaigntook significant steps forward. On the virus front, we learned of the first and second deaths on US soil, both of which came at a hospital in Washington state; at least one local scientist believes that the virus has been spreading undetected in the state for six weeks. At a rally on Friday night, President Trump called the coronavirus the Democrats new hoax; on Saturday, he clarified that he was referring not to the virus itself, but to what [the Democrats] are doing. (Trump was addressing the press from the White House briefing room. Hes been there more times in the last week than in every other week of his presidency combined.) On the 2020 front, and also on Saturday, South Carolina held its Democratic primary. Joe Biden won it by a wide margin, accumulating nearly 50 percent of the vote; afterward, Tom Steyer, who finished in third place, quit the race. Yesterday, Pete Buttigieg, who finished fourth, dropped out, tooproof, perhaps, that aggressively courting the press can only take a campaign so far. In some quarters, weve seen efforts to tie these two huge stories together. Some of thempieces on what the spread of the coronavirus could mean for campaign logistics, and on the convergent responses of bitter rivals Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg, for instancehave been smart; others, less so. (On his CNN show Saturday, Michael Smerconish asked, CAN EITHER CORONAVIRUS OR BERNIE SANDERS BE STOPPED?) In large part, however, the coronavirus has felt relatively siloed from campaign coverage. The two stories dominated yesterdays Sunday shows on NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, and Fox News, yet were treated separately, for the most part. Questions on the coronavirus were largely reserved for Vice President Mike Pence, who Trump has placed in charge of the US response, and for Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services. (Trump tapping Pence was controversial given Pences much-criticized handling of an HIV/AIDS outbreak when he was governor of Indiana. Neither Chuck Todd, on NBC, nor Jake Tapper, on CNN, asked him about that yesterday.) ICYMI: The one way Sanders is the new Trump Collectively, the five shows featured seven appearances from Democratic candidates for president. (Biden made four; Sanders made two; Buttigieg made one.) The majority of those interviews did not feature a question on the coronavirus. Tapper and George Stephanopoulos, on ABC, did both ask Biden what hed be doing differently if he were president right now, but their questions had the air of afterthoughtsand Stephanopoulos failed to put the same question to Sanders when he interviewed him immediately after talking with Biden. (There may be nothing to that; equally, the political press doesnt have a good track record when it comes to treating Sanders as a serious presidential figure.) The only other coronavirus question came from Margaret Brennan, of CBS, who asked Sanders whether its safe for supporters to attend his upcoming rallies on the West Coast, given the cases there. (Brennans show also featured an excerpt from last nights edition of 60 Minutes, in which Scott Pelley discussed the coronavirus at the top of a conversation with Bloomberg. Also last night, Bloomberg purchased three minutes of ad time on CBS and NBC, and used it to address the American people on the virus. The Verge wrote afterward that Bloomberg was cosplaying as president.) There are multiple possible reasons why the Sunday shows didnt emphasizeor, in some cases, even mentionthe coronavirus in their discussions with Democratic candidates. The flood of news in the Trump era has demonstrated, time and again, that swaths of the press are ill-equipped to synthesize big stories; a fear of politicizingor being seen to politicizea national crisis could also have been a concern. (In recent days, Trump and his allies have attacked Democrats and the media on such grounds; yesterday, Azar told Stephanopoulos that this isnt the time for partisan sniping, because we all need to be banding together.) Whatever caused it, the oversight was a neat illustration of a persistent problem with our campaign coveragethat we treat it as a narrow question of whos up and whos down; of what issue X means for the standing of candidate Y, more than what candidate Y might do about issue X. Asking candidates about their political standing is entirely legitimate, of course. The problem yesterday, rather, was one of proportion. By my count, Biden, Sanders, and Buttigieg collectively faced 54 distinct questions across their seven Sunday-show interviews; of those, 45 pertained to campaign dynamics. (Should other moderates drop out to stop Sanders? Have Bidens campaign staff been letting him down? Is this thing headed to a contested convention, and if so, what then?) The shape of a given candidates presidential campaign mattersbut not as much as what theyd do once elected, particularly at moments of national crisis. Asking the Democrats running to replace Trump how theyd respond to the coronavirusand related questions about public health, the integrity of government science, their public-information and media-relations strategies, and so forthisnt inappropriately political; its what campaign coverage should prioritize. Nor, sadly, are such questions necessarily hypothetical. Its possible that the coronavirusor something similarwill still be around after Inauguration Day, 2021. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Instead, the candidates on TV yesterday morning got asked, more than anything else, to respond to kneejerk punditry that will likely be out of date by tomorrow night, once the Super Tuesday states have had their say. On NBC yesterday, Todd said that if hed had more time with Buttigieg, hed have liked to ask him to name the specific Congressional districts he planned to carry on Tuesday. By the end of the day, Buttigieg wasnt running anymore, and people in Congressional districts nationwide still faced mounting fears about their health. Below, more on 2020 and the coronavirus: Other notable stories: Related: The new coronavirus and racist tropes Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. W&M's COVID-19 Response William & Mary continues to follow public health guidelines to support safely convening in person. Learn more about The Path Forward for the university. COVID-19 Testing: If you are a student who has been identified as a COVID-19 close contact, visit ReportCOVID.wm.edu for a case manager who will help you obtain COVID-19 testing. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, visit If You're Feeling Ill for more information. COVID-19 Dashboard William & Mary's COVID-19 dashboard provides public information on regional, local and campus trends. University Messaging Questions? We welcome questions or comments regarding the university's response to COVID-19 and W&M's Path Forward. Your responses will help inform future communications at William & Mary. By 2008, when President Obama was first elected, the rate of uninsurance in the U.S. had been steadily deteriorating: nearly 56 million Americans reported they had no health insurance for at least part of the prior year. Despite a long-lasting economic boom, a substantial expansion of public coverage for children, federal tax subsidies for people buying high-deductible health plans, and many state efforts, the nation's rate of uninsured had been climbing since 1999, and 10 million more Americans were projected to join the ranks of uninsured by 2019. Even those with middle and higher incomes were worried about being financially devastated by a serious illness. Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law on March 23, 2010, however, the crisis has eased, substantially so, according to a new study led by Sherry Glied, dean and professor of public service at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. Some 19.3 million people have gained coverage because of the ACA, according to her study, entitled "Did the Affordable Care Act Lower Americans' Financial Barriers to Health Care?"published today (Mar. 2) in Health Affairs and coauthored with Sara R. Collins, vice president for health care coverage and access at the Commonwealth Fund, New York City, and Saunders Lin, a Master's of Public Administration student at the Wagner School and general surgery resident at Oregon Health and Science University, Portland. The fact that 19.3 million more people have health insurance coverage today than in 2008 understates the law's impact, according to the researchers. That is because all government forecasts before the law was passed projected that the number of uninsured people would have risen even further if nothing were done. The authors found that some 30 million more people have coverage today than was anticipated back in 2009, and the uninsurance rate is just half as high as was forecast. "Collectively, the ACA's coverage expansions and market reforms generated substantial and widespread improvements in reducing financial barriers to coverage, improving access to health care, and lowering the financial risks of illness,'' the article stated. "The coverage expansions reduced uninsurance rates, especially relative to earlier forecasts; improved access to health care; and led to measurable gains in the financial well-being of poor Americans. The law's market reforms reduced the burden of maintaining continuous eligibility for coverage and ensured that people with insurance had true risk protection." Before joining NYU Wagner, Glied served as a senior economist on the President's Council of Economic Affairs under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and was Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration. Despite the law's impact, she and her co-authors wrote, the ACA's reach has been constrained by court rulings such as the Supreme Court's decision in NFIB v. Sebelius, along with congressional and executive branch actions. In addition, Congress and the Trump administration have chipped away at the law's market reforms. One example: Congress's repeal of the individual mandate penalty, which took effect in 2019, is projected to increase the uninsured by 7 million people over the next decade. As the law continues to be legally contested, "the courts remain an existential threat to both the coverage expansions and the market reformswith the latest case, Texas V. United States, contesting the constitutionality of the ACA in the absence of the individual mandate penalty," according to the article. The case is headed to the Supreme Court, as are other cases targeting different aspects of the law. "But the justices will need to reckon with a considerable body of evidence showing the far-reaching effects of the ACA on Americans' insurance coverage, access to care, and financial health ten years after the law's historic passage," the researchers concluded. Explore further In 2016, proportion of uninsured Americans down to 10 percent HOUSTON - (March 2, 2020) - Now there's evidence that oil and water do mix. Sort of. Scientists at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering show that microscopic saltwater droplets emulsify crude oil when each has the right composition. Understanding how they combine is important to enhanced oil recovery. Rice chemical and biological engineer Sibani Lisa Biswal and her colleagues went to great lengths to characterize the three elements most important to oil recovery: rock, water and the crude itself. They confirmed wells are more productive when water with the right salt concentration is carefully matched to both the oil and the rock, carbonate or sandstone formation. If the low-salinity brine can create emulsion droplets in a specific crude, the brine appears to also alter the wettability of the rock. The wettability determines how easily the rock will release oil. The team's work appears in the open-access Nature journal Scientific Reports. Co-lead author Jin Song said the first hints of seawater's effect came from wells in the North Sea. "Oil companies found that when they injected seawater, which has relatively low salinity, oil recovery was surprisingly good," he said. Even with that understanding, he said research has been limited. "Usually in the oil and gas industry, when they're looking into low-salinity water, they tend to focus on the effect of the brine and ignore the effect of the oil," said Song, who earned his Ph.D. at Rice this year and is now a researcher at Shell. "So people haven't been able to find a good indicator or any correlation between the effectiveness of low-salinity water and experimental conditions," he said. "Our work is the first to identify some of the properties of the oil that indicate how effective this technique can be in a specific field. The team tested how injected brine is dispersed and how it affects oils' interfacial tension and electrostatic interactions with rock. "How to characterize wettability accurately is a challenge," Biswal said. "Oftentimes, we assume that reservoir rock underground are under a mixed-wet state, with regions that are oil-wet and regions that are water-wet. "If you can alter your oil-wet sites to water-wet sites, then there's less of a driving force to hold the oil to the mineral surface," she said. "In low-salinity water injection, the brine is able to displace the trapped oil. As you change from oil-wet to water-wet, the oil is released from the mineral surface." The researchers tested two brines, one high-salinity and one with a quarter of the salinity of seawater, on Indiana limestone cores against six crude oils from the Gulf of Mexico, Southeast Asia and the Middle East and a seventh oil with added asphaltene. They found that high-salinity brine clearly inhibited water droplets from emulsifying in crude, unlike the low-salinity samples. To better understand the thermodynamic nature of the emulsion, Rice research scientist Wenhua Guo took cryogenic electron microscope images of about 100 mixtures of oil and water. Because oil is opaque, the samples had to be placed in very thin containers, and then frozen with liquid nitrogen to keep them stable for imaging. "This is the first time anyone has seen these water droplets inside crude oil," Biswal said. "They spontaneously arise inside the crude oil when you expose it to a low-salinity brine." The images revealed droplets varying in size from 70 to just over 700 nanometers. Biswal said chemical surfactants -- aka soap -- are also good at loosening oil in a reservoir, but are prohibitively expensive. "You can change the salt concentration to modify the composition of the brine and get the same effect as in including the detergent," she said. "So it's basically a low-cost technique trying to achieve the same goal as detergent." ### Rice graduate alumna Sara Rezaee is co-lead author of the paper. Co-authors are Rice alumna Brianna Hernandez; research scientist Maura Puerto; Francisco Vargas, the Louis Own Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; and George Hirasaki, the A.J. Hartsook Professor Emeritus and a research professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Rice's Consortium for Processes in Porous Media supported the research. Read the abstract at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-60106-2 This news release can be found online at https://news.rice.edu/2020/03/02/smart-water-may-aid-oil-recovery/ Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Related materials: Biswal Lab: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~biswalab/Biswal_Research_Group/Welcome.html Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: https://chbe.rice.edu George R. Brown School of Engineering: https://engineering.rice.edu Images for download: https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/02/0224_CRUDE-1-WEB.jpg Low-salinity brine injected into crude oil forms nanoscale droplets that help separate oil from rock in reservoirs, according to Rice University engineers. The black ring around the droplets, seen in a cryogenic electron microscope image, is asphaltene. (Credit: Wenhua Guo/Rice University) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/02/0224_CRUDE-2-WEB.jpg High-salinity brine mixed with crude oil does not appear to emulsify like low-salinity brine does, according to Rice University engineers studying the phenomenon. Their results have implications for enhanced oil recovery. (Credit: Wenhua Guo/Rice University) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/02/0224_CRUDE-3-WEB.jpg Rice University engineers studied the mechanism that allows low-salinity brine to emulsify with oil. The effect could aid enhanced oil recovery from reservoirs. Clockwise from left: Wenhua Guo, George Hirasaki, Jin Song, Sibani Lisa Biswal and Maura Puerto. (Credit: Rice University) Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Jeff Falk 713-348-6775 jfalk@rice.edu Mike Williams 713-348-6728 mikewilliams@rice.edu By Trend All necessary and urgent measures have been taken in Azerbaijan to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), Operational Headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers told Trend. Hospitals have been allocated and quarantine zones have been established to detect the coronavirus cases. Moreover, special mobile laboratories have been set up along the border with the Islamic Republic of Iran to prevent and detect the virus, said the Operational Headquarters. There was made a decision on Feb.29, at 16:00 to temporarily close the border with Iran in a limited mode to ensure the health and safety of the population. Moreover, all necessary measures are taken for medical check-up of those who come to Azerbaijan from the countries suffering from coronavirus. Specialized hospitals and laboratories are provided with appropriate equipment and medicines for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. For this purpose, professional doctors have been sent to all hospitals in the regions. Together with the World Health Organization (WHO), all necessary measures are being taken to treat the infected and to identify the circle of people with whom they were in contact. Intensive work is underway to prevent the spread of coronavirus and increase the effectiveness of relevant preventive measures. In addition, as a result of negotiations with China, Germany and other countries, relevant agreements were reached on bringing the necessary equipment, medicines and specialists to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has taken all necessary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country, the sanitary and epidemiological situation is under strict control, the Operational Headquarters said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Belarus and the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation, following the Belarusian-Uzbek Agrarian Forum, Trend reports via Uzbek media. The total number of participants at the event amounted to more than 700 people. The Uzbek side was represented by delegations from all regions of the country, as well as relevant agencies and organizations of the agricultural system. The Belarus delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Dvornik, while the business part of the Belarusian delegation included about 150 representatives of enterprises exporting agricultural and food products, scientific and educational institutions of the country. During the visit, Vladimir Dvornik met with Uzbekistans Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov. Negotiations with the heads of several ministries and agencies were held. The Belarusian delegation also visited the Tashkent Agricultural Machinery Plant JSC, Tashkent processing enterprises. As a result of the forum, the Ministry of Industry of Belarus and Uzbek Leasing International company signed an agreement on the provision of services by the Uzbek company under contracts of financial lease of goods produced in Belarus. Uzbekistan is a promising trade and economic partner of Belarus in the Central Asian region. According to the statistics of the Uzbek side, bilateral trade volume between Belarus and Uzbekistan exceeded $239 million. One of the most important aspects in mutual trade is agricultural products and food products. In 2019, $35 million worth of agricultural products and their processing products was supplied from Belarus to Uzbekistan. The volume of Uzbek agricultural products supplied to Belarus has exceeded $15 million. ALBANY With New York confirming its first case of COVID-19 Sunday night, colleges, universities and K-12 schools in the Capital Region are stepping up precautionary measures, including sterilizing their campuses and monitoring students' travel overseas. School districts are asking families and parents to inform them of visits to impacted countries and to take "individual precautions" such as washing hands with soap and staying home if they have respiratory symptoms, while colleges are asking students returning from travel in high-risk countries to self-quarantine for at least two weeks. State education law prohibits K-12 schools from excluding students based on race, country of origin or recent travel, including a family members' travel, according to guidance from the state Education Department released last month. "Schools may only exclude a student if a local health department informs the school that a student must comply with a quarantine order or the student is symptomatic of a communicable or infectious disease pursuant to Education Law 906," wrote Education Department officials in a letter to parents dated Feb. 5. SED is asking schools to follow guidance from the Center for Disease Control, as well as the directives of state health and education agencies. COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China is caused by a new strain in the coronavirus family similar to the viruses that caused SARS and MERS outbreaks in the past. The disease has flu-like symptoms, such as coughing, fever and difficulty breathing and it appears to be more lethal than the flu, killing 1.4 percent of those infected, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. However, many carrying the disease may be asymptomatic which would place the fatality rate much lower, health experts say. So far, there are no COVID-19 cases reported at New York educational institutions. The only confirmed case is a woman in Manhattan who recently traveled to Iran and is currently in isolation. In the rest of the U.S., a handful of K-12 schools have closed to prevent the spread of infection. In the Capital Region, several school districts have recently sent students on language trips to Italy, including Bethlehem and Shenedehowa districts, and have asked students to monitor themselves for symptoms. On Feb 22, a group of 28 students and three chaperones from Shenendehowa Central School District returned from a 10-day trip to Sorrento, Florence, and Rome. School officials said students did not exhibit symptoms and that they are monitoring the situation. "The district has infectious disease protocols in place and has been focused on cleaning and disinfecting to help minimize the spread of viruses and a variety of other illnesses," Shenendehowa officials wrote in a memo. "In fact, the district has made a significant investment in expert training for our cleaning staff as well as the purchase of disinfectant supplies and equipment." The memo adds, "like with all viruses and illnesses, theres a tremendous reliance on individual precautions." Colleges are also bracing for a COVID-19 outbreak and as of Monday afternoon, several private schools have suspended study abroad programs in Italy and China and say they are working with parents to bring impacted students home. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has asked students to avoid all personal travel to China, Iran, Italy, Japan, or South Korea, countries deemed high-risk by the CDC that have seen infection rates climb into the thousands. Anyone who travels to these countries will be required to self-identify prior to returning to campus and will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, school officials said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Siena College is also warning students to avoid travel to high-risk countries. In addition to being subject to federal quarantine of 14 days, students returning from impacted areas will not be able to return to Siena College for 21 days and must be cleared by a physician at Siena College Health Services, according to a notice from the college. "Please be aware that because travel advisories can change quickly, if there is a change in the travel warnings while you are away, you will be subject to the strictest interpretation of the suggested policies in order to limit the risk of spread to the Siena community," Siena's advisory reads. The State University of New York officials on Monday said that it is in the midst of coordinating with the state's 64 SUNY campuses as well as the Department of Health to finalize system-wide guidance. In addition to preparing for COVID-19, K-12 schools and higher education institutions are grappling with a record number of influenza cases this flu season. RPI officials said the campus saw roughly five times the number of flu cases that college saw at this time last year. Niskayuna twice this year was forced to close an elementary school due to a high number of flu-related absences. While the flu kills less than 1 percent of those infected, it infects millions and kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide each year. Last month, a 28-year-old RPI student died from an aggressive strain of the flu that health officials said tends to comes on "sudden and severe." The state has seen 131,604 laboratory-confirmed cases of flu this season the most ever recorded since the state began tracking flu in 1998, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last Thursday. The previous high was set in 2017-18, when 128,892 cases were recorded. State Health Department data indicates New York is past the peak of flu season and the number of cases has been declining for more than two weeks. Cruise ship health protocols in place as vessel welcomed in Manx waters The Fridtjof Nansen from Hurtigruten Cruises arrived in Manx shores today. Fridtjof Nansen is the first cruise ship of the 2020 schedule to visit the Island. The Manx Government has reassured members of the public about protective measures in place for cruise visits to the Island in relation to COVID-19. The government is continuing to work closely with Public Health England on measures to contain coronavirus infection, including following clear guidance and procedures for cruise ships. This includes embarkation protocols for staff and guests. Guidance from Public Health England and the Cruise Line Association, implemented by cruise companies, states that people who have visited a list of high-risk countries will not be allowed to board, and that screening is being undertaken where appropriate. Consequently, there is no need for additional screening for passengers coming ashore to the Isle of Man. Passengers travelling to and from the UK and Ireland via air and sea links are also not required to be screened. At present the risk from COVID-19 to the Isle of Man remains low, with a cross-government working group regularly reviewing the situation. A staff member sanitizes the facilities on a train at the Garibaldi train station in Milan, Italy, Feb. 28, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) The number of Italians infected by the coronavirus "continues to accelerate," says Giovanni Rezza, head of the Italian High Institute of Health's Department of Infectious Diseases, adding that the country was at least a week away from seeing a peak in the outbreak. ROME, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of Italians infected by the coronavirus "continues to accelerate," Giovanni Rezza, head of the Italian High Institute of Health's Department of Infectious Diseases, said Sunday, adding that the country was at least a week away from seeing a peak in the outbreak. According to Angelo Borrelli, Civil Protection Department chief and Extraordinary Commissioner for the coronavirus emergency, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Italy reached 1,577 -- or 1,694 including those healed or died. That is an increase from 1,128 a day earlier, or 1,049 excluding those who died or were cured. The death toll in Italy so far is 34, an increase of three over the past 24 hours. Most of those infected are in the northern part of the country, with 984 cases in Lombardy, 285 in Emilia-Romagna, and 263 in Veneto. All told, 15 regions and one autonomous province have seen infections. But those three regions are the only ones with triple-digit infections. A man wearing a face mask is seen outside the Allianz Stadium, after five Serie A matches were postponed because of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, in Turin, Italy, Feb. 29, 2020. (Photo by Federico Tardito/Xinhua) Borrelli stressed that the vast majority of the COVID-19 cases were not serious -- more than half of those infected are recovering at home with at the worst mild symptoms. Another 41 percent were recovering with symptoms. Only 9 percent of those infected, or 140 people -- 106 of whom are in Lombardy -- are in intensive care, the Department of Civil Defense said. The department also said that the number of Italian residents cured of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, reached 83, an increase of 33 compared to Saturday. Among those cured, a 98-year-old woman, believed to be the oldest person in the world to have been infected and cured of COVID-19. "The number of serious cases remains small in percentage terms, and that continues to be the case even as the total number of infections continues to accelerate," said Rezza. Rezza added that since most containment measures were put into place in Italy only a week ago, and given that the incubation period for the virus appears to be 12 or 13 days, that peak acceleration in Italy was still several days away. "The data implies we will likely see a slowdown starting in about one week or ten days," Rezza said. UK prime minister Boris Johnson said Priti Patel is a 'fantastic' home secretary as he backed his senior Cabinet minister amid a row over the resignation of her top civil official, while the government announced an internal inquiry into the issue. London: UK prime minister Boris Johnson said Priti Patel is a "fantastic" home secretary as he backed his senior Cabinet minister amid a row over the resignation of her top civil official, while the government announced an internal inquiry into the issue. Philip Rutnam, the Home Office's most senior official, resigned on Saturday citing a "vicious and orchestrated" campaign against him. In response to an Opposition question over the issue in the House of Commons on Monday, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the usual process under the UK's ministerial code has been triggered to "establish the facts". "This government always takes any complaints relating to the ministerial code seriously, and in line with the process set out in the ministerial code the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to establish the facts," Gove told Parliament on behalf of Johnson. The independent adviser on ministerial interests, Sir Alex Allan, will be conducting the inquiry. Johnson was asked about the controversy and allegations of bullying against the Indian-origin minister by Rutnam, her former permanent secretary, during a visit to Public Health England in north London on Sunday evening to address the rising fears around the spread of the coronavirus in Britain. "Absolutely," he said, when asked if he had confidence in Patel, 47. "I think she is a fantastic home secretary. Anybody who has been home secretary will testify that it is one of the toughest jobs in the government," the prime minister said. In the context of what is being pegged as a clash between politicians and the civil service, Johnson also expressed his "admiration" for the country's civil servants, whom he described as "brilliant alpha minds". "There is a big, big task ahead of us now. We are delivering, at last, a new immigration system for this country, a points-based immigration system," he said in reference to the new visa regime unveiled by Patel last month. Johnson's intervention came following the explosive resignation of Rutnam from the UK Home Office over the weekend. While Patel herself is yet to comment on the matter, one of her cabinet colleagues, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, spoke out in her defence on Sunday. "Priti is a very determined person but she is also very courteous," he said. Patel has not made any public comment since Philip announced his resignation, the BBC reported. Meanwhile, the Opposition Labour Party has demanded that Patel address Parliament on the allegations of bullying against her. "The home secretary has a duty to come to Parliament on Monday to explain the allegations made about her own conduct," said Kier Starmer, the frontrunner in the ongoing Labour Party leadership contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn. The minister also faces the prospect of an inquiry, following Rutnam's decision to sue the government over his alleged forced exit, and Starmer called for the head of the UK civil service, Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, to start "an immediate investigation" into the circumstances surrounding his departure. "There are now urgent questions that must be answered and steps that need to be taken," he said. Rutnam announced his resignation in an emotional television statement as he claimed a "vicious and orchestrated campaign" against him and pointed the finger of blame at Patel. "The home secretary categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office. I regret I do not believe her," said Rutnam, who has said he intended to go to court with "very strong grounds" to claim a constructive, unfair dismissal. Rutnam also referred to the tensions with Patel when he encouraged her to change her behaviour. "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," he claimed. The First Division Association union, which represents senior civil servants, has called on Cabinet Secretary Sedwill to launch an "independent" inquiry into Patel's behaviour. The union's general secretary David Penman said a probe should be led by an external lawyer, with access to ministers' and special advisers' communication records. ROME, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Italy is a safe country; it is safe to live in Italy and it is safe to travel to Italy, says the Italian National Tourist Board. The Italian National Health System, among the most efficient in the world, immediately implemented procedures directed at safeguarding citizens and tourists. Intense controls made it possible for the Italian Government to monitor and contain the spreading of Covid-19 from the earliest diffusion outside the Chinese borders. The adoption of extraordinary preventive actions, such as the temporary closure of several sites or the suspension of several events, represents cautionary measures which have nothing to do with the spreading of the virus throughout the Italian territory. In accordance with the data provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to date only 0.05% of Italy is affected by extraordinary measures of temporary isolation of some Italian cities (equal to 0.1% of the total) aimed at avoiding the spread of the virus. Only 12 out of 7904 Italian cities are affected by such measures: Lombardy : Bertonico, Casalpusterlengo, Castelgerundo, Castiglione D'Adda, Codogno, Fombio, Maleo, San Fiorano, Somaglia, Terranova dei Passerini : Bertonico, Casalpusterlengo, Castelgerundo, Castiglione D'Adda, Codogno, Fombio, Maleo, San Fiorano, Somaglia, Terranova dei Passerini Veneto : Vo' Euganeo The remainder of the country, including the Italian regions where the cities in temporary isolation are located, is safe and accessible. All services and activities for citizens and tourists are normally provided and the quality of life, for which Italy is famous world-wide, remains high. For additional information, please consult the following links: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - https://www.esteri.it/mae/it/sala_stampa/archivionotizie/approfondimenti/farnesina-al-lavoro-per-una-corretta-informazione-all-estero.html Ministry of Health - http://www.salute.gov.it National Institute of Health - https://www.iss.it EpiCentro, portal of epidemiology for public health - https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus World Health Organization - https://www.who.int MEDIA CONTACT: Salvatore Basile | ENIT - Italian National Tourist Board | (416) 925-4882 | [email protected] SOURCE Italian National Tourist Board Mexicans who attended mass at the Cathedral of Mexico City on Sunday implemented measures imposed by the Mexican archdiocese to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The broader Latin America region has reported several other cases of the COVID-19 illness since midweek. Mexico has reported five cases, Brazil two and Ecuador one, all involving people who had traveled recently to Europe. Mexican health officials said the country is not currently facing a national emergency over the virus. 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. LANSING, MI -- Three months after the first marijuana businesses opened to recreational customers, Michigan has tallied nearly $32 million in sales, the state licensing agency says. And weekly totals continue to top former records. In week 13, the state Marijuana Regulatory Agency recorded nearly $4.3 million sales, $1.3 million more than the $3 million logged the week prior. The total sales have generated $5.3 million in new tax revenue, including $3.2 million from a 10% excise tax and $2.1 million in sales tax. As of Monday, March 2, the state had issued 111 recreational marijuana business licenses. Sixty-one of those were for retail businesses. The first $20 million for the first two years after recreational marijuana sales begin is slated to be spent on research for marijuana use in health care. The breakdown of the remainder is: 15% to cities, townships or villages that allow recreational business, proportioned based on the number of micro-businesses and retailers; 15% to counties, proportioned based on the number of micro-businesses and retailers; 35% to the School Aid Fund for K-12 education and 35% to the Michigan Transportation Fund for road and bridge repair. At maturity, Michigans recreational marijuana industry is expected to be worth nearly $1.5 billion annually. Michigan recreational marijuana sales by week -- Gus Burns is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact him with questions, tips or comments at fburns@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, @GusBurns. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana. More on MLive: Caregiver loophole cinched tighter Cancer patient loses battle to buy untested caregiver products Michigan cant see what caregiver sold vitamin-E tainted vaping products Michigan recalls Savage Sticks vaping products Michigan recalls nearly 65,000 vape cartridges The coronavirus epidemic is disrupting supply chains and hampering demand for businesses that source from or sell to countries like Japan and South Korea. Duy Tan Plastics had assessed that the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic would not affect it too much when it broke out in China, but is now facing difficulties after it spread to South Korea, its main source of raw materials. "The disease has been spreading fast in South Korea in the past few days, and so we are having to come up with new response scenarios," Trinh Thi Mai Hanh, the companys media representative, said. As of Monday South Korea had 3,736 confirmed cases and 18 deaths. The epidemic has also reached a state where because plastics are not a basic necessity, consumers are willing to cut spending on it. "Last year we were hit by the anti-plastic trend, and this year by Covid-19," Hanh said. A spokesperson for Thai Binh JSC, which manufactures and exports diapers and sanitary products and has a factory in Cuba, said her company has also been affected though it does not source materials directly from China. Its Cuban suppliers source some materials from China, and so production has slowed down, she said. Many trade promotion events have been hit by the outbreak. "Our company planned to attend two international trade fairs in March and April, but both have been postponed because many businesses are unable to attend," she said. Minh Long I JSC, which manufactures and exports ceramics, said its latest exhibition from February 7-11, in Frankfurt, Germany, was a failure since attendance fell by 60 percent from last year. Most of Minh Longs biggest deals have been struck at this annual event, Ly Huy Sang, deputy director of the company, said. The number of customers visiting the companys showrooms has declined by 30 percent since the outbreak began, he said. While the ceramics industry is not directly affected, restaurants and hotels that are losing customers to the outbreak would spend less on ceramics, he pointed out. The epidemic has hit all of Vietnams three biggest businesses partners, China, South Korea and Japan, which makes it difficult for businesses in this country, economist Le Dang Doanh said. "The textile and garment industry is one of the industries suffering the most from the epidemic. If things continue to be as they are, by the end of March textile producers will run out of raw materials." At a press conference on February 26, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) had said that textile, footwear and electronics firms are running low on feedstock sourced from China, and might have to suspend production by March-end if the epidemic continues unabated. The automobile industry, which imports over 70 percent of components from China, would start suffering shortages by the end of the first quarter, it said. Opportunity in crisis According to Vu Kim Hanh, president of the Business Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Products, said, on the bright side, Covid-19 is a wake-up call forcing many businesses to look at themselves, and come up with proactive solutions to deal with the situation. "Businesses are being pushed to the edge, and are in survival mode. They are reviewing how they manage human resources, cash flows and the market in general." Doanh said businesses need to diversify and not put all their eggs in one basket. Textiles firms, in particular, need to consider importing inputs from markets other than mainland China such as Taiwan or South Korea. Vietnamese businesses had traditionally been too dependent on Chinese supplies, when Chinese businesses have been the most easy-going and flexible in partnerships, Doanh said. But Covid-19 is an opportunity to decrease dependence on China, and look to other markets like the EU, especially with the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) expected to come into effect later this year, he added. In a government meeting last week, Truong Thanh Hoai, head of the MoITs Industry Department, proposed that banks should consider restructuring loans and extending payback periods for Covid-19 affected businesses, while the government should look at tax exemptions, extensions or VAT refunds during this "difficult period". Many businesses are also calling for a bailout. "We hope the government will soon roll out a rescue package, with many businesses upon the brink of insolvency," said a representative of Duy Tan Plastics. Vietnam should also be adjusting its growth targets, which if kept are unrealistic given the current developments of Covid-19, said Le Dang Doanh. "If adjustments are made early, Vietnam could avoid overspending and instead release stimulus packages to help businesses that have been damaged by the epidemic," he added. The Ministry of Planning and Investment estimates that almost 900 companies in the country have stopped operating or scaled down their business considerably because of the coronavirus outbreak. Vietnams GDP growth could fall to a 7-year low of 5.96 percent this year, the ministry said in its latest report on the epidemic. The Covid-19 epidemic broke out in Wuhan, China, in December and has spread to 67 countries and territories, infecting over 89,000 and killing 3,053 people as of Monday. The elderly leader of a secretive South Korean sect linked to more than half the countrys 4,000-plus coronavirus cases knelt before the cameras Monday to apologise for the spread of the disease. Shincheonji head Lee Man-hees plea for forgiveness came after Seoul city authorities filed a murder complaint against him for failing to cooperate in containing the epidemic. South Koreas case numbers -- the largest total anywhere outside China -- are expected to rise further as authorities carry out checks on more than 266,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is often condemned as a cult. I would like to offer my sincere apology to the people, said Lee, his voice breaking. Although it was not intentional, many people have been infected, the 88-year-old said, twice bowing his head to the floor before reporters in Gapyeong. I seek the forgiveness of the people. I am very thankful to the government for its efforts, he added. I also seek the forgiveness of the government. Lee is revered by his followers as the Promised Pastor who has taken on the mantle of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the Day of Judgement, which he will usher in within his own lifetime. A 61-year-old female member developed a fever on February 10 but attended at least four services in Daegu -- the countrys fourth-largest city with a population of 2.5 million and the centre of the outbreak -- before being diagnosed. At worship Shincheonji members sit close together on the floor and pray extensively in what critics say creates an ideal environment to spread viral infections. Lee -- whose organisation says he has tested negative for the virus -- insisted that the group was actively cooperating with the government. At churches, the leader of the church is like a parent and its members are the children, he said, pausing occasionally to wipe tears from his eyes as protesters shouted abuse. What parent would stand by and watch when there is such a scary disease that could even lead to death? Wouldnt they try to fix it? Explosive rise Seouls city government has asked prosecutors to press charges including homicide against Lee and 11 other leaders after the sect was accused of submitting false lists of its members to authorities. For its part, the group says members face social stigma and discrimination if their beliefs become publicly known, dissuading some from responding to official inquiries. Prosecutors have assigned the Seoul City request for investigation, Yonhap news agency reported. Seoul mayor Park Won-soon added on his Facebook page: If they had actively taken early measures, we could have prevented the explosive rise of COVID-19 cases in Daegu and North Gyeongbuk province and the deaths of several people. South Korea confirmed 599 new coronavirus cases Monday, taking the total to 4,335, health authorities said, while the death toll rose to 26. Around 60 percent of the infections are linked to Shincheonji. The countrys central bank has warned of a contraction in the worlds 12th-largest economy in the first quarter, noting the epidemic will hit both consumption and exports. Scores of events have been cancelled or postponed over the contagion and the education ministry said school and kindergarten breaks, which had already been extended nationwide to next Monday, will be lengthened by a further two weeks. infected people may stay in the incubation period; they may have no visible symptoms due to the earlier stage of the disease Temperature screening of the passengers at the entrance to the country for the prevention of coronavirus is not quite an efficient measure as the World Health Organization (WHO) states. The WHO noted that the infected people may stay in the incubation period; they may have no visible symptoms due to the earlier stage of the disease. Temperature screening alone, at exit or entry, is not an effective way to stop international spread, since infected individuals may be in incubation period, may not express apparent symptoms early on in the course of the disease, or may dissimulate fever through the use of antipyretics; in addition, such measures require substantial investments for what may bear little benefits, the WHO stated. As we reported, Ukraine's Healthcare Ministry expects the results of four tests for Chinese coronavirus, or Covid-2019. The potential patients are three foreigners and a Ukrainian citizen who returned from Italy. Earlier, German medics confirmed the first case of COVID-19, the Chinese coronavirus in Berlin. The doctors began to check the people who contacted the infected person. American Airlines Group Inc. AAL will suspend all U.S. flights to Milan due to a drop in demand as Italy becomes the hotspot of coronavirus outbreak in Europe. Italy alone reported more than 1,100 coronavirus cases and a death toll of 29. The virus broke out for the first time at a place situated about 40 miles from Milan. American Airlines will be suspending Milan flights from New York (JFK) and Miami through April 24. The announcement came within a few hours after the U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory alert to "Level 4 - Do Not Travel" to Lombardy and Veneto in Italy "due to the level of community transmission of the virus and imposition of local quarantine procedures." However, the carrier will continue to operate its daily flights between Philadelphia and Rome. It is expected to resume seasonal service to Venice in May. American Airlines Group Inc. Price American Airlines Group Inc. Price American Airlines Group Inc. price | American Airlines Group Inc. Quote Change Fee Waiver to Tackle Slackening Air Travel Demand Amid decreasing air travel demand as the coronavirus outbreak spreads, American Airlines suspended change and cancellation fees for new ticket purchases through March 16. Customers can avail of this benefit up to 14 days prior to travel for scheduled journey through late January 2021. JetBlue Airways JBLU first started offering this facility last week to ease some of the travel woes associated with the coronavirus outbreak. Effective Feb 27, passengers can avail of the privileges on bookings through Mar 11 for travel to be completed by Jun 1, 2020. Later Alaska Airlines, the subsidiary of Alaska Air Group ALK, joined in. With the carriers "peace of mind'' waiver, passengers can avail of the benefits for tickets booked through March 12 on travel to be completed by Jun 1. Upon cancellation, travelers will earn a credit for a future flight. Fare differences will be applicable to the new ticket. Given that the airline industry is grappling with low travel demand in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, other airline players may soon follow in the footsteps of American Airlines, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines. In this regard, Southwest Airlines LUV is already in an advantageous position as it does not charge change or cancellation fees. Zacks Rank American Airlines carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) : Free Stock Analysis Report JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research File photo of an ambulance driver wearing a protective suit preparing to exit the special isolation ward where coronavirus-suspected patients are being quarantined at the Kochi Medical College in Kerala. (PTI) Kochi: The coronavirus test of a man from Kannur who died in the Ernakulam Government Medical College Hospital yesterday has returned negative. The second sample result from the National Institute of Virology, Pune confirmed that the man was not infected with the Covid-19 virus. Earlier, the first sample of his fluids too had tested negative at the National Institute of Virology, Alappuzha. The 36-year-old mans body has been kept in the freezer facility in the isolation ward of the hospital. The man used to work in Malaysia and returned to Kochi Thursday midnight. Since he was suffering from symptoms like pneumonia, fever and breathlessness, he was immediately shifted to the Ernakulam Government Medical College Hospital. Initially he was admitted to the isolation ward and later shifted put under ventilator support. The patient had other health complications like severe diabetes and ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition in people with uncontrolled diabetes. Meanwhile, nine more people have been put under quarantine for coronavirus surveillance in Ernakulam district. Two persons have been quarantined in isolation wards of hospitals and the others are under home quarantine. A total of 47 persons are under isolation in the district now. The ruling New Patriotic Party Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe popularly known as Abronye DC, has descended heavily on former President John Mahama for seeking to score cheap political points with his recent comments on the cocoa sector. Mr. John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of the NDC is reported to have described as sheer wickedness on the side of President Akufo-Addo, the deliberate cancelation of all government contracts the previous NDC government awarded for cocoa roads to be constructed, apart from destroying the cocoa sector. The former President, who is campaigning to come back to power after being defeated massively as incumbent in 2016, used his tour of the newly created Western North Region last week to virtually incite the people in the region against the ruling government. But at a press conference, Kwame Baffoe sought to expose the falsehoods being peddled by the former president on his Speak-out tour adding; "the lamentations of the former president are not as a result of a selfless desire to see the right things done, in so far as the award of cocoa road contracts are concerned...They are, instead, the lamentations of man whose schemes which were to ensure large cash flows to friends, family and cronies have been frustrated by the Nana Akufo Addo government." The NPP Bono Regional Chairman further accused Mr Mahama of "mismanagement and misapplication of funds" from the cocoa sector. ...instead of admitting to his failure to fulfill the promises he made to cocoa farmers and cocoa farming communities during his presidency; he mismanagement and misapplication of funds which he oversaw and his governments lack of innovative capacity to resolve the issues of the cocoa sector, the former president is rather engaging in a Trumpian style spreading of misinformation, he indicted. Below is a copy of the statement read at the press conference: A Press Conference Addressed By Kwame Baffoe Abronye, the Bono Regional NPP Chairman: Exposing The Falsehoods Being Peddled By John Mahama On His Country Tour. Introduction Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press. I am singularly honoured to on behalf of the Bono Regional branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), welcome you all to todays press conference. This event has been necessitated by the recent statements weve all heard from the former President, John Dramani Mahama who is on a campaign tour of the nation. Indeed, we welcome engagements between the political class and ordinary Ghanaians. Such engagements are not new, and they generally improve our democracy. Having said this, it is imperative that when under the guise of such engagements, political figures take to scoring cheap political points through falsehoods, and fabricated claims which bear no resemblance to well-documented facts, we must call them out for their worrying actions. Instead of admitting to his failure to fulfil the promises he made to cocoa farmers and cocoa farming communities during his presidency; the mismanagement and misapplication of funds which he oversaw and his governments lack of innovative capacity to resolve the issues of the cocoa sector, the former president is rather engaging in a Trumpian style spreading of misinformation. Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, I am sad to announce that former President John Dramani Mahama has been reduced to a trafficker of misinformation. This is particularly true of the statements he has made about the construction of cocoa roads and on which bases he has launched several attacks on the current government. He has clearly decided to launch these attacks at any opportunity he gets to address the chiefs and good people of the cocoa regions. It has, therefore, become imperative for me as chairman of the NPP in a cocoa region, to address the press and set the records straight. As such, aided by facts and figures I will give you a true account of what happened at the time of his government and what is happening now, as far as cocoa roads are concerned. The Case for Suspension Ill begin by stating the historical fact that the cocoa roads initiative is a proudly New Patriotic Party (NPP) initiative. It was first introduced by the government of President John Agyekum Kufuor and evolved over the years to what it is presently. It is an initiative we are proud of as a party and one which will continue as long as the NPP is in power. So, one will ask the question, what then will force an NPP government to suspend cocoa road projects? Ladies and Gentlemen, the answer is not that this government is opposed to cocoa roads, as the purveyors of misinformation will have you believe, but it was due to the need to conduct a clinical audit of the contracts which were awarded under the John Mahama government after several anomalies were found and to allow for the re-scoping and proper alignment of funds to execute the projects. It is improper for any government or head of a state institution to commit to contracts on behalf of Ghanaians without the proper cost assessment and the provisioning of a means to funding to pay for the projects. Yet, this is exactly what the Mahama government did. Cocoa road contracts were awarded to the tune of over GH 5.1billion when available funds for payment of the contracts was only GH 1.7billion and no arrangements had been made to source extra funding. For many of these contracts, the exact cost was impossible to determine. The standard practice of conducting proper appraisals and costing, with 10 percent provisions for variations had not been undertaken in many cases. Consequently, and not surprisingly, the construction cost of these roads kept rising and rising. Is it not proper to label road contracts which have been found to have cost Ghanaians an upward of 80 percent more than what are their standard costs, as inflated contracts? Any government which cares about the prudent management of public funds will be troubled by this situation. As such, it was important to carefully interrogate the matter and separate out good contracts with genuine claims from bad ones. The recklessness of the previous government could not be allowed to continue. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is important to bear in mind that these contracts were awarded through sole-sourcing and mostly went to members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), family and cronies of the former president. Also, the absence of funds for the contracts as I have mentioned above have resulted in delayed payments to some contractors and ensuant increases in project costs to the tune of some GH 200million. The Present and Future of Cocoa Roads We are all aware that the suspension has long been lifted. Some 24 contractors have had their contracts terminated for non-performance while others have been given the go-ahead to continue their construction of road projects that were awarded to them by the previous government. These contracts have been assessed and limits duly placed on the expenditures involved. It is false that contractors with genuine claims about their contracts issued by the previous government are not being paid. GH9,603,917.55 was paid to cocoa road contractors during the 2016/2017 cocoa season. GH496,872,500.00 was then paid during the 2017/2018 cocoa season. During the 2018/2019 season, the amount went up to GH550,983,450.00 million and so far in the present 2019/2020 season, the figure stands at GH123,639,516 million. This brings the total amount paid by this government for cocoa road contracts issued by the previous government to well over a billion Ghana cedis; the exact figure being GH1,181,099,383.55. Ladies and Gentlemen let no one be deceived by the claim of former President John Mahama and NDC communicators that the present government stopped absolutely all cocoa road projects started by the previous government. This is another blatant falsehood. The suspension which was imposed was not a blanket suspension on all the contracts, as such, several roads at different stages of construction were allowed to continue until completion in 2017 and thereafter. I would like to share the names of some of these roads with you: Asutiano Dormaa Akuamu Akontanim road (10.7 km) Asumura Tipokrom road (4.9 km) Kyeremasu Akontanim road Atebubu Kwame Danso Kojokrom road Mim Fetegya and Ahmadiya Hospital road Pokukrom Ahwerewa Bronum road (15.9 km) Fiankuma Hia road (14.5 km) Kokofo Asaman Asaas road Subriso Junction. Subriso road Ntoroku Junction Ntoroku road Safokrom Daaban road Manfo Subriso Nfanti Bekwai Adankragya road (14.7 km) Kumawu Timaate Drobonso Town road Offinso Town Roads Partial Reconstruction of Internal Roads at Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. Bitumen Surfacing of Akoase Akadewaso road (9.5km) Upgrading of Nsawam -Aburi Road (6.6 km) and Other Total length = 14.9km Upgrading of Kete Krachi Buya (km 10 30km) In addition to the above, I also have a list of some cocoa roads upon which work have resumed and progressed steadily after the suspension. Upgrading of Adwofua Oseikojokrom road (0 16km) Upgrading of Akontombra Sefwi Wiawso road Rehabilitation of Prestea Samreboi road Rehabilitation of Buako Sankore road Upgrading of Duakwa Mankrong Junction road Partial Reconstruction of Cape Coast Twifo Praso road Reconstruction of Apam Ankamu Agona Swedru road Bitumen Surfacing of Anyinase Kwesikrom (4 27km) Bitumen Surfacing of Tikobo No. 1 Ellanda Wharf Partial Reconstruction of Kade Town Roads (5km) Rehabilitation of Akoase Kyenkyenku Abokyikrom Pra River road (14.4km) Bitumen Surfacing of Bodada Kute Dzolu road (27.5km) Bitumen Surfacing of Anfoega Akukorme Wadamaxe Aveti road (8.6km) Reconstruction of Hohoe Jasikan (2 32km) Construction of Kete Krachi Buya (km 30 56.9km) Upgrading of Borae Junction Dadiokorpe road (11.05 28.05km) Partial Reconstruction of Asamankese Osenase Akwatia road (0 12km) Partial Reconstruction of Suhum Asamankese (0 10km) Partial Reconstruction of Koforidua Bunso (20km) Partial Reconstruction of Nsawam Aburi (0 15.1km) Partial Reconstruction of Adoagyiri Adeiso road (15.2km) and Adeiso road (5.1km) and Access Road to COCOBOD Warehouse at Nsawam (0.74km) Total length = (21.04km) Ladies and Gentlemen, the above-listed roads, and others like them, were awarded for contracts by the John Mahama led NDC government and continued in the time of the present government. In addition, this government has awarded 43 new cocoa road contracts and is scheduled to add more. For the very first time, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) used an open competitive bidding process to choose suitable contractors to award the contracts to. This open approach to the award of cocoa road contracts has introduced transparency to a process, hitherto, characterised by the sort of cloak and dagger which provide the perfect opportunity for the contracts to be awarded to NDC party member and well as friends, family and cronies of John Mahama. Conclusion It is clear to us that, the lamentations of the former president are not as a result of a selfless desire to see the right things done, in so far as the award of cocoa road contracts are concerned. No, far be it that he would want that. They are, instead, the lamentations of man whose schemes which were to ensure large cash flows to friends, family and cronies have been frustrated by the Nana Akufo Addo government, and in particular, by the patriotic men and women he appointed to be at the helm of the affairs of Ghana's cocoa authority, to steer things right in the interest of Ghanaians. Regrettably, we do not expect the lamentations of the former president to cease as he tours the country. We have no hope that he will refrain from his misinformation campaign and so we address our appeal to the chiefs and people of Ghana to not join the former presidents bandwagon. We ask that they take note of the facts herein provided and be mindful of the chain of events leading to the present state of cocoa roads, so they will not be swayed by political gimmickry. Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, I thank you for your time. Cc: chairman Kwame Baffoe Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Read more: MetLifes private debt deals hit record US$7.7 billion The principles include commitments to establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality; treating all women and men fairly at work, as well as respecting and supporting human rights and non-discrimination; ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all workers; promoting education, training, and professional development for women; implementing enterprise development, supply chain, and marketing practices that empower women; promoting equality through community initiatives and advocacies; and measuring and publicly reporting on progress to achieve gender equality. Michel Khalaf, president and chief executive officer at MetLife, recently highlighted the signing of the compact at a diversity conference in New York City sponsored by the American Council of Life Insurers, the Life Insurance Council of New York, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. At the conference, Khalaf also announced the formation of a MetLife Gender Equality Team that will partner with the UN to identify any gaps in recruitment, retention, promotion, compensation, and succession planning and work to close them. MetLifes support for gender equality reflects our purpose of building a more confident future for all, said Khalaf. Empowering women is more than a core value for us its a key element of our business strategy. Partnering with the UN will help us strengthen our focus and take our commitment to the next level. Frustrated India captain Virat Kohli criticised his team and sparred with a journalist as New Zealand won the second Test inside three days to sweep the series on Monday. Home skipper Kane Williamson celebrated "an outstanding performance" as New Zealand, who won the first Test by 10 wickets, claimed the second by seven wickets to wrap it up 2-0. But it left Kohli, who was caught making a foul-mouthed outburst to the crowd during day two, disappointed with his top-ranked side. "We were completely outplayed in this series, and obviously did not play the kind of cricket that we do play as a team," Kohli said. "We were not positive enough, we were not brave enough." The irritation was clear from the current holder of the "spirit of cricket" award as he lost his world number one batting ranking following a string of low scores. Kohli gave Williamson a very animated send-off in the first innings and he was caught on camera yelling an obscenity at a group of New Zealand supporters on Sunday. But he refused to answer questions about his behaviour after the Test. "What do you think?" he fired back at a journalist, when asked if it was appropriate conduct. "If you want to create controversy this is not the right place to be. I spoke with the match referee and he had no issues with what happened." In the two Tests, on traditional New Zealand green wickets, India managed scores of 165, 191, 242 and 124, reflecting Kohli's low contributions of 2, 19, 3 and 14. New Zealand are now unbeaten in their last 13 home Tests, winning nine of them, and in the past decade their record as hosts is played 39, won 20, drawn 13 and lost five. India started the day at 90 for six and were all out for 124, before New Zealand chased down the required 132 to win for the loss of three wickets in 36 overs. - Swing attack - The end came quickly for the India innings as Tim Southee and Trent Boult tormented the batsmen with their variety of inswing and outswing deliveries targeting both sides of the stumps. Hanuma Vihari was the first to fall, in Southee's second over, when he turned a legside delivery too fine and was caught by BJ Watling diving to his left. Five balls later and with no addition to the score, India's other overnight batsman Rishabh Pant was caught behind off a Boult delivery that swung away. Mohammed Shami was caught for five by Tom Blundell at deep mid-wicket and Jasprit Bumrah was run out when trying to give the strike to Ravindra Jadeja, who was unbeaten on 16. Boult and Southee signed for most of the dismissals with Boult taking four for 28 and Southee three for 36. The swing pair accounted for 25 of the 40 Indian wickets in the series. There was enough seam and swing available for India to keep the New Zealand batsmen guessing but Bumrah and Umesh Yadav were unable to apply consistent pressure and Mohammed Shami was troubled by a sore shoulder. New Zealand coasted through a century opening stand by Tom Latham and Blundell before losing three quick wickets. Latham notched his 18th half-century and second of the Test before he was caught behind off Yadav for 52, Kane Williamson had a short stay for five, and Blundell went for 55. India's captain Virat Kohli cut a frustrated figure during the second Test New Zealand's Tom Blundell scored 55 in the second innings Innovestor, a Helsinki, Finland-based venture capital firm, held the first close of its new B2B Industrial Technology Fund, at 30M. The fund is backed by institutional investors such as Mandatum Life, family offices, and high net worth individuals. The vehicle, which will be capped at 100M, will focus exclusively on early-stage B2B industrial technology companies. It will offer pre-series A to series A investments in the Nordics and Baltics that focus on Industry 4.0 and sectors benefiting from the fourth industrial revolution such as smart cities, cyber and physical security, and digital energy. The fund will make its first investments as early as Q2 of 2020. Led by CEO Tommi Aijala, and Partner Myron Seto, and Venture Partner Pekka Viljakainen, Innovestor is an early-stage venture capital firm which offers direct co-investment syndication opportunities and builds growth programs. To date, the firm has a total of 123M across 3 funds and currently manages one of the largest private venture-backed portfolios in the Nordics, consisting of over 100 high-tech companies in multiple fields of technology such as cleantech, consumer, enterprise software, health, industrial technologies, and life science. FinSMEs 02/03/2020 A Cork man who killed his friend by repeatedly punching him in the head during a pub row after drinking 20 pints has been jailed for eight years for manslaughter. Sentencing Michael Dineen at the Central Criminal Court this evening, Mr Justice Alexander Owens said the attack was a "one-sided and unequal affair", where the deceased had taken "a battering" from "prolonged punching". Dineen, who has a history of violent offending, was on bail awaiting sentence for breaking another man's jaw when he killed Patrick 'Ginty' O'Donnell. Earlier, the court heard that Dineen had failed to listen to his wife when she came into the pub that day and tried to persuade him to leave. The court also heard that Dineen (28), who shouted that he was "the king of Mitchelstown" after the attack, now prays "on a daily basis" for the victim. Dineen was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Mr O'Donnell (36) by unanimous verdict on December 6 last. Former State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy gave evidence during the 10-day trial that Mr O'Donnell died from inhaling his own blood and teeth after he suffered serious injuries to his face and head. Prof Cassidy testified that Mr O'Donnell had lost seven teeth in the assault and she found one of these lodged in his trachea and another lodged in the bronchi leading to his left lung. His nose had also been fractured and flattened. Dineen of Ard Mhuileann, Ballinwillin, Mitchelstown, had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr O'Donnell at Willie Andies bar on New Square, Mitchelstown on June 1, 2018. An early plea of manslaughter had been offered by Dineen in advance of his trial but this was not accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Passing sentence, Mr Justice Owens noted that the reality of the jury's verdict last December was that Dineen did not intend to cause serious harm to Mr O'Donnell because he was too drunk. The judge said that both men were settled members of the Traveller Community and Dineen had been drinking most of the day prior to the killing. Dineen had knocked Mr O'Donnell to the ground by delivering a blow to his head, said the judge, and the defendant then proceeded to hit him to the face with both fists for a minute. "He could not be persuaded to stop and also delivered a number of kicks to his body," he added. Mr Justice Owens observed that Dineen threw a pint of water over Mr O'Donnell's face but the deceased's had never regained consciousness. The judge called it a "a one-sided and unequal affair" where Mr O'Donnell had taken "a battering". Dineen had used both fists in the attack and inflicted injuries on the deceased as a result of prolonged punching, he said. The late Patrick O'Donnell The judge emphasised that Dineen's lack of self-control had fuelled his aggression on the night and he should be aware that he has the capacity to become very aggressive when he is drunk. Referring to the defendant, the judge said his mindset leaving the pub that night was that he had been involved in a "bare-knuckle fight" and had won. He did have some awareness at the time of what he did and the seriousness of the injuries he had inflicted, he said. CCTV footage shown to the trial indicated that Dineen was agitated at various times during the evening, said the judge, adding that he had poked Mr O'Donnell and invaded his personal space. Before delivering the sentence, Mr Justice Owens said Dineen had committed this offence whilst he was on bail for breaking another man's jaw and had been awaiting sentence for that offence. The judge said this was an aggravating factor in the case as it showed a history of violent offending. Furthermore, the judge said that the harm done in this case was not just confined to the loss of Mr O'Donnell's life but the effect his death had on his partner and young children. The judge said he had taken into account the fact that the killing was not premeditated. "He intended to beat him up but not kill him," he indicated. The judge said the appropriate headline sentence was 12 years but as a result of the mitigating circumstances including his remorse, apology and significant psychiatric history, he would reduce the headline sentence from 12 years to nine years. Mr Justice Owens said there was also room for partial suspension and he would suspend the final year of the nine year sentence if Dineen abstained from alcohol forever and remain under the supervision of probation services. Dineen was sentenced to nine years imprisonment with the last year suspended, backdated to March 15, 2019. Facts of case At todays sentence hearing Detective Sergeant James OShea of Fermoy Garda Station, summarised the facts of the case. Det. Sgt OShea told prosecution counsel Dean Kelly BL that Michael Dineen was with some friends at Willie Andies bar on New Square, Mitchelstown on June 1, 2018. Theresa Walsh gave evidence in the trial that she was in charge of the pub that day and Dineen had come in at 12 noon, said the witness. The witness agreed with Mr Justice Alexander Owens that the defendant had a colossal amount to drink that day. The court heard that Mr ODonnell had joined Dineen after work at 7.15pm and a fight broke out between the two men at 10.20pm that night. Ms Walsh gave evidence in the trial that she heard a chair falling and it appeared Mr ODonnell had left his seat and could be seen moving through the air, said Mr Kelly. She said that Dineen punched him in the face and Mr ODonnell was not capable of defending himself. She said she was screaming for him to stop and he wouldnt stop so she ran up the bar to get help, said Mr Kelly. Dineen had thrown a pint of water over his friend to resuscitate him before he ran to the front of the pub and shouted out that he was the king of Mitchelstown, said Mr Kelly. Dineen was quickly identified as a suspect in the case and gardai went to his house that night. On the way to Fermoy Garda Station, Dineen asked detectives if Mr O'Donnell was alright and inquired if he was dead, said Mr Kelly. The court also heard that Dineen told gardai on his way to the station: Ginty ODonnell came into the pub and asked me did I have his pint. I said no. I dont give a fuck, he hit me first and he got the shit kicked out of him. Dineen was also recorded as saying: What will I do, I killed my friend. Mr Justice Owens interjected at this point and said he recollected from the trial that Dineen had mentioned self-defence during his interviews with gardai and apologised for what happened. The court heard Dineen has 65 previous convictions including criminal damage, assault causing harm and road traffic offences. Mr Kelly said the DPP was of the opinion that this incident fell into the "high culpability bracket" and warranted between 10 and 15 years in prison. Under cross-examination, Det. Sgt OShea agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that there was no animus between the two men. The detective also agreed with Mr Grehan that no kicks had been administered to the deceaseds head. The barrister said the damage had been inflicted through punches, which were delivered in a very short amount of time. The detective further agreed with Mr Grehan that this event blew up after his client drank a pint belonging to Mr ODonnell. Dineen had tried to buy a pint back for Mr ODonnell but offence was taken and things escalated from there, said the defence barrister. Mr Grehan said this event also had consequences for Dineens family as they had to move from their home in Mitchelstown to Mallow, where there would be more support. Det. Sgt OShea agreed that Dineen was upset and shocked when he found out that his friend was dead. They use to go hunting together and there had been a recent transaction between the two men concerning a sulky cart, said Mr Grehan. Mr Grehan submitted to the court that this case fell within the medium culpability bracket as no weapon was used and there was no pre-meditation. Mr Grehan submitted: Its quite apparent his immediate reaction was to get a pint of water and throw it in the deceaseds face. "This was not an outcome which the accused sought to bring about even though he was responsible. The lawyer said his client wanted to reiterate his deep sorrow and regret for killing his friend. He did not set out to do it and it will haunt him forever, Mr Grehan said, adding that Dineen prays on a daily basis for the deceased. Mr Grehan said Dineen was not proud of his behaviour that night and he had not become consciously aware that his friend had died until he was told by gardai the following night. From then on, there has been a consistent thread of remorse, regret and apology for his actions, he submitted. He said Dineen had consumed 20 pints on the day and he did not shy away from the fact that drink was a central factor in the case. If only he listened to his wife when she came into the pub and tried to persuade him to leave. He told her he would come home but he had no intention of leaving, said the lawyer. Mr Grehan said his client could not rationalise how he was responsible for his good friends death. He can only express sorrow to the family for what they have to deal with and he recognises that drink is a central factor, he outlined. In conclusion, the defence barrister asked the court to be as lenient as possible when sentencing his client and to consider in mitigation the manner in which he has behaved since the event. Denis Murray takes his driving test but Alan Carolan is not impressed on RTE Ones The Test A provisional driver for 40 years takes his driving test on TV tonight - and fails. Denis Murray (64) went through a red light, crossed the white line and kept putting the handbrake on before the car had stopped. The Dun Laoghaire man, one of the first people ever to take a driving test while being filmed, was hugely disappointed. "I thought I had a good chance. Whatever happened to me, my head just wandered," he tells The Test, a six-part series on RTE which follows the fortunes of a group of drivers trying to get a full licence. However, after two months and more lessons, Denis repeated the test and passed. The Test, narrated by Simon Delaney, reveals that there are still 65,000 people in Ireland on their third or more provisional licence, with 40,000 of these on their fifth or more. "You could drive on a provisional licence and keep renewing it and that was quite normal," barman Denis said. However, a new law means any provisional driver without a fully qualified driver in the car with two years' experience can have the vehicle seized. Ahead of his test on the show, Denis said: "I'm feeling quite positive. I've picked up a lot from the lessons and I just hope everything will go well for me. "I'm a carer now for my wife Agnes, so I take care of her and my wife can't drive, so I have to have that to take her to hospital appointments and to take her to church every day. Strange "At 64, to be doing your driving test is so strange but I'm glad to be doing it after all these years. I feel good about it." His instructor Brian Hughes said there were a few things which had to be ironed out. Tester Alan Carolan was not impressed with Denis's effort on the show, saying: "For a lot of the test he was driving too close to the centre line. "He has a tendency to apply the handbrake before the car has come fully to a rest and he went through a red light, which potentially is very dangerous." The Test is on RTE One tonight at 7.30pm Authorities in Vietnam have announced that they will be temporarily suspending visa-free travel for Italians. According to reports, the suspension will go into effect from March 2. According to the government, this action is being taken due to concerns about the growing coronavirus epidemic. As per reports, the Vietnamese government on March 2 stated that visa-free travel for Italians will be suspended due to the growing COVID-19 infections in Europe. The move by authorities comes after Italy reported its 34th death due to COVID-19. Vietnam has reported 16 confirmed cases of the virus till date. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 has infected over 83,000 and killed nearly 2,800 people worldwide, with a majority of them in mainland China. In an effort to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Vietnam on February 28 reportedly announced that it will also suspend issuing visas to South Korean nationals. According to international media reports, the Vietnamese government said that the measure aims to help the nation contain the spread of COVID-19 outbreak and limit the impact of the epidemic on society. In another announcement, foreign nations who have previously visited South Korea would be subjected to 14 days mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Vietnam. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Vietnam's Major Airports Suspend Flights From South Korea Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Vietnam To Stop Issuing Visas To South Koreans Vietnam bans S Korean passengers According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAV), major airports have suspended flights carrying passengers from South Korea. The coronavirus outbreak has severely worsened in South Korea. Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City have suspended receiving flights with passengers from the Republic of Korea (RoK). The flights carrying passengers from South Korea will instead be diverted to Van Don international airport located in the Quang Ninh province and the Can Tho International airport. Flights that are carrying goods from South Korea will still be allowed to land at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports as scheduled and only passengers from South Korea have been banned. Read: Coronavirus: Mumbai Airport Starts Screening Passengers Arriving From Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam And Nepal Read: Vietnam: Activist Monk Thich Quang, Under House Arrest Since 2003, Passes Away At 93 : Cilpku (Cil), : Computation : DMBD'2020: Final Call for Papers (March 19) : BBS (Mon Mar 2 13:08:26 2020, ) Name: The Fifth International Conference of Data Mining and Big Data (DMBD' 2020) Theme: SERVING LIFE WITH Data Science URL: http://dmbd2020.ic-si.org/ Dates: July 14-19, 2020 Location: Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia Important Date: March 19, 2020: Final Deadline for Paper Submission. Submission Details: Prospective authors are invited to contribute their original and high-quality papers to DMBD'2020 through the online submission page at https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=dmbd2020. DMBD2020 serves as an international forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange latest advantages in theories, algorithms, models, and applications of data mining and big data as well as artificial intelligence techniques. Data mining refers to the activity of going through big data sets to look for relevant or pertinent information. Big data contains huge amount of data and information. DMBD2020 is the fifth event after Chiang Mai event (DMBD'2019), Shanghai event (DMBD'2018), Fukuoka event (DMBD'2017) and Bali event (DMBD'2016) where more than hundreds of delegates from all over the world to attend and share their latest achievements, innovative ideas, marvelous designs and excel implementations. Prospective authors are invited to contribute high-quality papers (8-12 pages) to DMBD2020 through Online Submission System. Papers presented at DMBD'2020 will be published in Springer (indexed by EI, ISTP, DBLP, SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge ISI Thomson, etc.), some high-quality papers will be selected for SCI-indexed International Journals. Sponsored and Co-sponsored by Internatonal Association of Swarm and Evolutionary Intelligences, Singidunum University, Peking University and Southern University of Science and Technology, etc. The DMBD2020 will be held in Singidunum University at Belgrade, Serbia, which is the capital and the largest city of Serbia. Belgrade is a vibrant city, surprising in its diversity and rich in its history and culture. We look forward to welcoming you at Belgrade in 2020! DMBD'2020 Secretariat Email: [email protected] WWW: http://dmbd2020.ic-si.org -- :WWW mitbbs.com [FROM: 42.] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anisah Shukry, Elffie Chew and Yantoultra Ngui (Bloomberg) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Mon, March 2, 2020 13:40 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067b65f2 2 SE Asia Malaysia,Mahathir-Mohamad,UMNO,Muhyiddin-Yassin,Anwar-Ibrahim Free In the weeks before his shock resignation as prime minister threw Malaysia into turmoil, Mahathir Mohamad was getting agitated. His then-ruling alliance had suffered a series of by-election losses, stunting its momentum after a historic election win in 2018 against a government in power for six decades. Mahathir wanted quicker action to reduce living costs, a key part of the New Malaysia agenda that had propelled the blocs surprise win. But his proposals only spurred more bickering within the unwieldy coalition of four parties with racial and religious differences. One conflict centered around highway tolls. In January, Mahathir agreed to let the conglomerate Maju Group take over highways operator PLUS Malaysia Bhd., which is controlled by the finance ministry, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Under the deal, valued at about 30 billion ringgit ($7 billion), Maju Group wouldve scrapped toll fees in return for government contracts to maintain the roads, the people said. But his coalition partners disagreed: The largest, the Democratic Action Party or DAP, was strongly opposed to the deal, according to a person familiar with the discussions. In the end, the administration rejected all bids for PLUS and restructured concessions to reduce highway fares instead of eliminating them. The failed deal highlighted a series of policy disputes that eventually brought down the coalition, showing that the differences in Mahathirs government extended far beyond when he would cede power to Anwar Ibrahim, his long-time rival. New Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is backed by parties that lost in 2018, shifting Malaysia back to an agenda favoring the Malay majority. Mahathir, 94, hasnt given up: Hes revived the alliance with Anwar and the DAP, and said on Sunday he has the numbers to oust Muhyiddin in a confidence vote during the next meeting of parliament, now scheduled for March 9. But even if he manages to quickly return to power, those policy differences in his coalition still remain -- signaling more turbulence ahead either way. For Malaysia, the political disarray comes at a bad time: The economy is already growing at the slowest pace in a decade, and faces more downside risk as the global coronavirus outbreak disrupts travel and business operations. Malaysias stock index is one of the worlds worst performers since the 2018 election, and the ringgit last week reached the lowest level in two years. This account of what led to Mahathirs resignation is based on conversations with multiple officials who asked not to be identified talking about private matters. Cabinet Revamp The infighting that brought down Mahathirs government had been brewing for months. He had wanted a cabinet revamp since at least November, but the disparate nature of the coalition -- made up of parties with contrasting views, including the multiracial DAP whose top leaders are mostly ethnic Chinese and his own Malay nationalist party -- meant he had to tread carefully or risk dismantling the alliance. While Mahathir was mainly disappointed with the management of the economy, he could only oust ministers who belonged to his own party to avoid destabilizing the coalition, according to a person familiar with the discussions. One of them was then-Education Minister Maszlee Malik, a member of his Malaysian United Indigenous Party, or Bersatu, who came under fire for pushing policies that appeared to bolster Islamic influence in public education. His termination in January was meant to prod ministers Mahathir couldnt forcibly remove, the person said. But it made little impact. The PLUS deal was one example: While other groups were in the running for the deal, which didnt go out to tender, Maju Group was so confident it would be approved that it had begun approaching banks for funding, even before a decision was to be made at a Jan. 9 cabinet meeting, two people said. But the DAP opposed it because of Maju Groups track record and its close relationship with Mahathir, a person said. When the deal eventually collapsed, Maju Groups executive chairman, Abu Sahid Mohamed, called the decision stupid. Mahathir said the final call came down to PLUSs main shareholders: Khazanah Nasional Bhd. and Employees Provident Fund, both state-owned funds that manage public money. Maju Group, Abu Sahid, the DAP, former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Mahathirs office didnt respond to requests for comment on the deal. The finance ministry declined to comment. All of Them Are Weak Other key policy decisions also stalled due to differences in the cabinet. They included how to turn around companies from ailing flag carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd. to FGV Holdings Bhd, one of the worlds largest producers of palm oil. On Jan. 20, Mahathir made a rare show of frustration in a meeting with journalists, warning his administration could be a one-term government unless it changes. They still dont understand, he said. Instead they fight among themselves, they divide their people and all of them are weak. As tensions within the cabinet grew, questions again began to surface over succession. Mahathir had repeatedly pushed back the date he planned to step aside for Anwar, who said publicly he expected to become prime minister around May. Several of Anwars rivals to the succession saw an opportunity to pounce. Azmin Ali, who was deputy president in Anwars party, began holding talks with members of the opposition in the former ruling coalition anchored by the United Malays National Organisation, or UMNO. That party includes Najib Razak, who faces charges he denies over a money laundering scandal involving billions of dollars allegedly siphoned from state investment firm 1MDB. Succession Fight After a coalition meeting on Feb. 21, Mahathir and coalition leaders announced that he would stay on through the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings this year, which are being hosted in Malaysia. He said he retained the authority to decide whether he would step down at all. Anwar concurred and said he would need to be patient. There were two opinions, but in the end -- and Im proud of this -- in the end it was all up to me, whatever I say, they will follow, Mahathir said. Yet all was not well. Saying he was acting on behalf of Mahathir, Azmin invited lawmakers from across the country that weekend to fly to Kuala Lumpur in a bid to form a new coalition that excluded Anwar, according to people who were present at the event. The Feb. 23 meeting, attended by leaders from across the ruling and opposition coalitions, anticipated announcing a new government shortly, the people said. Some leaders also met with the king that day. But Mahathir himself didnt attend the meeting, with his media adviser later saying that he didnt agree with Azmins decision to work with UMNO. Instead, on Feb. 24 he went to the king and submitted his resignation -- a move that automatically dismissed the cabinet. He was then immediately appointed interim prime minister, putting him in the drivers seat to form a new coalition. Unity Government In public statements, Mahathir made it clear he wanted a unity government that was non-partisan, making it more likely he would get a cabinet that listens to him. He said he was willing to work with any individual lawmakers in UMNO but not the party as a whole, since it was still associated with Najib and corruption allegations. Keeping in mind Mahathirs authoritarian propensity and draconian track record, that sort of unity government is but a few steps away from de facto dictatorship, said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. It could only be viable if he clamps down on dissent as before, and the lack of opposition would regress Malaysia to the dismal oppression of his first term. The 20 billion ringgit ($4.7 billion) stimulus package Mahathir announced last week while he was interim prime minister reflected the divisions in his coalition. He made significant changes to the package compared with the version submitted earlier by the DAP-controlled finance ministry, said a person familiar with the matter. Tactics Backfire Mahathirs tactics ended up backfiring. While many initially supported him to return, soon they were proposing alternative names for prime minister, including Anwar and Muhyiddin, who was president of Bersatu. After all the chaos, Mahathir now finds himself back with Anwar and the DAP -- but in the opposition rather than running the government. At the same time Muhyiddins new coalition appears similarly disparate, raising just as many questions about policy direction if it manages to survive Mahathirs no-confidence vote and avoid a snap election. There doesnt seem to be a strong sense of ideological direction, Johan Saravanamuttu, an adjunct senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said of Malaysias new government. Im wondering how long that coalition will hold together. There is tremendous pressure on courts to step in to prevent violence but the power of courts in such cases is limited and they are not equipped to prevent riots, Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde said in open court on Monday, while hearing a plea by 10 victims of Delhi riots who were seeking that the Army be called in to stop the violence and that cases be registered for alleged hate speech against four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. Though the riots, which began on February 23, have ebbed since February 26, there is uncertainty in the Capital, highlighted by fears in various parts of the city on March 1 stokes by rumours of the violence rekindling. Courts and judges desire peace, but they can step in only after such incidents have happened, CJI Bobde said when senior counsel Colin Gonsalves mentioned the matter on behalf of the petitioners for an urgent listing, citing more loss of life every day. We dont want people to die We want peace. But you must understand, we are not equipped to prevent such things from happening. We can only come into scene after such riots have happened. Court can never prevent such things. We read newspapers. There is so much pressure on us. But we cannot prevent such things, Bobde said. The CJI, however, agreed to hear the case on Wednesday. Clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups in several neighbourhoods of north-east Delhi left at least 47 people dead. Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, by largely Muslim groups, and in favour of the legislation by Hindu groups, erupted in violence. The plea in Supreme Court sought registration of FIRs against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including for offences of hate speech, rioting, unlawful assembly, insulting religious beliefs, and murder. The petitioners alleged that videos involving the four BJP leaders went viral on social media, and that they were seen exhorting their followers as well as the general population to kill those protesting against CAA. the said persons also took part in demonstrations where the slogan desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalo ko (shoot the traitors) was repeated again and again. After these leaders engaged in the hate speech and exhortation to murder peaceful protestors, attacks broke out all across Delhi. Therefore this was not simply a case of hate speech but it was hate speech coupled with mobilisation so that people were killed, the plea stated. Gonsalves underscored the necessity to register FIRs immediately since nearly 10 people were dying every day. The urgency is that 5 or 6 personalities are going around encouraging it, Gonsalves said. He also said that activist Harsh Mander filed a similar petition before the Delhi high court but that was adjourned for more than a month. A bench of the Delhi high court, of Chief Justice DN Patel and justice C Hari Shankar, last week have Delhi Police four weeks to respond to petition that alleged that hate speeches by some political leaders had incited the protestors, leading to the riots in the Capital. Though that order of adjournment looks innocuous, the following circumstances set out will show how arbitrary the order was, particularly in the factual context of 10 persons being killed every day in Delhi..., the plea stated. The petitioners sought an SIT comprising officers from outside Delhi to conduct an independent probe into the incident. Further, the petitioners prayed for an enquiry by a retired judge to identify and take action against police officials involved in rioting and criminal conduct. The petitioners also sought directions to ensure the safety of those who are protesting at various sites against CAA and to provide compensation to the families of those who have been killed or injured. The Supreme Court had, on February 26, pulled up Delhi Police for their inaction and lack of professionalism in containing the violence in Delhi. Rajasthan Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma said here on Monday that the person who landed in Jaipur from Italy on February 29 has been tested positive for coronavirus in the second test. "A passenger landed in Jaipur from Italy on February 29. He was admitted to the isolation ward at a hospital after he showed symptoms of COVID-19 in the screening. He had tested negative. However, he tested positive in the second testing," said Sharma. "He has been put in isolation ward of SMS Hospital. His samples will be sent again for testing since two different results were found in different tests. People who came in his contact till February 29 will also be screened for COVID-19," he added. He said that the state health department is on alert to deal with the coronavirus. "The top officers and doctors of the department are monitoring all the arrangements daily," Sharma said. Meanwhile, the Italian citizen, admitted in the Isolation Ward of Sawai Mansingh Hospital, has tested positive in the second testing done in Pune. The Italian patient was admitted to the Isolation Ward of SMS Hospital on February 29. The same day, his throttle sample was taken and tested in the local SMS Micro Biology Lab and the sample was found negative in this investigation. On Monday, the blood sample was sent to Pune for confirmation check and it tested positive. The said patient was staying at a local hotel in Jaipur with his group. On being unwell, he was admitted to a private hospital and on being referred by the private hospital, he was later admitted to the SMS Hospital. Rohit Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health and Family Welfare Department, said that the medical officers have been instructed to screen all the places visited by the patient, including the local hotel and private hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington, March 2 : Pete Buttigieg, the former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana and also the first openly gay contender to launch a major presidential campaign in the US, has dropped out of the Democratic nominee race. "Tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency," Efe news quoted the 38-year-old as saying in a speech in South Bend on Sunday. "We sent a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are destined to be less than. "To see someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading presidential candidate with his husband at his side," he added. Buttigieg had stood out as the youngest candidate in a race dominated by men over 70 and just a month ago he had been reported to be the favourite for the Democratic presidential nomination among voters in the party's moderate centre after winning the February 3 Iowa caucuses by a narrow margin, the first state to vote during the Democratic primary season. However, Buttigieg was unable to broaden his base of voters and win the support of Latinos in Nevada or the African-Americans in South Carolina in the states' primaries held last week. "The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close," Buttigieg said in his speech on Sunday. The former mayor's prospects for the contests on Super Tuesday on March 3 were not very promising, given the fact that voter surveys have indicated that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders would win in California and Texas. Buttigieg's withdrawal will surely benefit the rest of the moderates vying for the Democratic nomination, particularly former vice president Joe Biden, who on February 29 won the South Carolina primary. The former Mayor's bowing out may also help Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who up to now has been obligated to share with the status of a presidential hopeful from the Midwest and will now be able to further develop her argument that she represents the "middle" of the country - both geographically and politically. Although he pledged to do "everything in (his) power" to ensure the election of a Democratic President in the upcoming polls in November, Buttigieg directed veiled criticism at Sanders, the favourite for the Democratic nomination. "We need leadership to heal a divided nation, not drive us further apart," he said. "We need a broad-based agenda that can truly deliver for the American people, not one that gets lost in ideology." Responding to Buttigieg's withdrawal, President Donald Trump tweeted: "Pete Buttigieg is out. All of his Super Tuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the real beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play - no nomination again." Buttigieg's youth and his atypical profile attracted many white moderate voters who saw in him an intelligent, thoughtful, articulate and well-rounded candidate who is progressive, the son of an immigrant (his father is Maltese), educated at Harvard and Oxford, a veteran who plays the piano and speaks seven languages. His departure from the Democratic contest comes after magnate Tom Steyer, whose key issue had been climate change, dropped out on February 29, leaving six Democratic contenders still in the fray: Sanders, Biden, Klobuchar, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Hindu-American Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed The Oklahoma Governors Minority Business Council (GMBC) on Thursday will host its second Spark Event, a series of meet-and-greet events for minority business owners across the state. It will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Skyroom at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa. Designed to bring together minority business owners from across the state, the event is sponsored by the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma, Utopia Genetics, DBG Construction LLC, Omega Investments LLC and Dobson Technologies. The GMBC was established in March 2019 by Gov. Kevin Stitt and Sean Kouplen, Oklahoma secretary of commerce and workforce development, to help make Oklahoma a more inclusive and attractive business environment for people of all ethnicities and backgrounds. The council is the first of its kind in Oklahoma history. Part of becoming a Top Ten state is ensuring that our state welcomes and seeks input from every entrepreneur, innovator and business owner, regardless of ethnicity or background, Stitt said in a statement. NEW YORK and LONDON, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), a global Fintech leader and part of the S&P 500 Index, has completed its previously announced acquisition of FundsLibrary, a leader in fund document and data dissemination in the European market. The acquisition accelerates Broadridge's pan-European regulatory communications and digital data platform, supporting the lifecycle of fund data, documents, and regulatory reporting for the investment industry. FundsLibrary's solutions enable fund managers to increase distribution opportunities and help them comply with regulations such as Solvency II and MiFID II. The business will be combined with FundAssist, Broadridge's existing European funds regulatory communications business. The combination of FundsLibrary's data platform and technology with Broadridge's existing fund calculation, document creation and translation capabilities, creates an end-to-end solution for fund managers and distributors, enabling them to respond to demanding regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. The combined business will be known as Broadridge Fund Communication Solutions, and will be led by Arun Sarwal, former CEO of FundsLibrary. Sarwal has extensive financial services industry and technology business leadership experience. He previously held roles as Senior Vice President of SS&C Technologies, CEO of DST Investment Management Solutions, COO at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP), SVP within ABN AMRO's Private Clients & Asset Management business and was one of the founders of Kurtosys Systems. "I am delighted to lead this exciting fund data and regulatory communications business for Broadridge as we expand and grow our footprint in international markets," says Sarwal. "This combined business will enable Broadridge clients to utilize a single provider for the creation and dissemination of fund marketing and regulatory documents so they can increase distribution opportunities and meet the demanding standards of regulation." Broadridge Fund Communication Solutions provides a comprehensive digital platform, supporting the lifecycle of fund data, documents and regulatory reporting for the global investment industry. The company manages and distributes data for some 700 global fund groups and supports over 200 million fund data requests each year. It is recognized for the breadth of its regulatory solutions, encompassing production and distribution of reports, including Key Information Documents (UCITs KIID & PRIIP KID), MiFiD II and Solvency II, for clients globally in over 35 languages. About Broadridge Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), a $4 billion global Fintech leader, is a leading provider of investor communications and technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and corporate issuers. Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 50 percent of public companies and mutual funds globally, and processes on average more than U.S. $7 trillion in fixed income and equity securities trades per day. Broadridge is part of the S&P 500 Index and employs over 11,000 associates in 18 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com. Contacts: Investors: W. Edings Thibault Head of Investor Relations Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. +1 516-472-5129 [email protected] Media: North America: Matthew Luongo Prosek Partners +1 646-396-0966 [email protected] Europe: Charlie Morrow Cognito +44 (0) 20 7426 9400 [email protected] SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. Related Links http://www.broadridge.com More than 14 hardened criminals are being found in possession of firearms each week as the state grapples with a rising gun culture that has led to twice as many Victorians shot dead in 2019. The Age can reveal 52 people were shot and 14 fatally gunned down across the state last year, twice as many as the previous 12 months, with handguns increasingly used by criminals to settle drug debts or underworld disputes. During the past 24 hours lives were threatened in two separate gun crimes in Melbourne's north after a shot was fired as a Hadfield supermarket owner wrestled a gun from the hand of a robber and armed bandits reportedly stormed a Westmeadows tavern eight kilometres away. Police were called to Westmeadows following reports of a burglary in progress about 5am. Investigators have been told that two offenders entered the Ardlie Street premises, possibly armed. Credit:Eddie Jim Five people have been shot this year, one fatally, in a string of public shootings that include the unsolved daylight killing of underworld identity Nabil Maghnie on a busy Epping street. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:35:36|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close ALGIERS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Two new cases of novel coronavirus infection were confirmed in Algeria, the Algerian Health Ministry said on Monday. The two include a 54-year-old woman and her 24-year-old daughter, who live in the northern province of Blida, some 50 km to the southwest of the capital city Algiers, the ministry said in a statement quoted by the state-run ENTV channel. It said that though the two patients exposed no visible signs of the virus, they were detected thanks to the surveillance system put in place by the health authorities. The two patients have been placed under quarantine and are currently undergoing medical treatment, it added. The two received at their home some relatives from Feb. 14 to 21, including an 83-year-old Algerian man and his daughter who live in France. They were both tested positive for the new coronavirus after return to France on Feb. 21. The Algerian health authorities immediately conducted an epidemiological investigation on the mother and daughter, who were diagnosed with the new coronavirus infection. In late February, Algerian health authorities announced the first confirmed coronavirus case in the country, involving an Italian national who had been deported back to Italy after receiving medical care. Algeria has taken precautionary measures at its airports, ports, and land border crossings, including the installation of temperature cameras, to prevent the spread of the virus. "Domino's opened its first international store in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1983. We've come a long way since then, and I'm incredibly proud to announce the opening of our 17,000th store in the world," said Ritch Allison, Domino's chief executive officer. "This achievement is a true testament to how hard Domino's has worked and truly is a reflection of the success of our global brand." Don Meij, the Group CEO and Managing Director of Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd, will join Nick Knight, Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd. CEO of Australia and New Zealand, in commemorating the milestone store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:45 a.m. (AEDT). Domino's Bradbury will celebrate by giving away free pizza* and a total of $17,000 AUD**. From noon-1 p.m., the store will be serving up free pizzas to carryout customers, with seventeen of those pizza boxes featuring a hidden "Golden Slice" on them, worth $1,000AUD in cash. "It's an honor to celebrate this global milestone right here in Bradbury," said Meij. "This store opening represents our commitment to international growth and development. We look forward to continuing our global growth momentum by opening even more stores closer to our customers and serving up high-quality food to local residents." Domino's Bradbury is located at Shop 3a/100 The Parkway, Bradbury, NSW. Domino's had global retail sales of more than $14.3 billion in 2019, with over $7 billion in the U.S. and nearly $7.3 billion internationally. Domino's operates in more than 90 markets around the world. *Customers are limited to one free value range pizza per person from 12 1 p.m. on Monday, March 2 at Domino's Bradbury. The official opening ceremony starts at 11:45 a.m. (AEDT). **Golden Slice Promotion T&C's: https://www.dominos.com.au/goldenslice About Domino's Pizza Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world based on retail sales, with a significant business in both delivery and carryout pizza. It ranks among the world's top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 17,000 stores in over 90 markets. Domino's had global retail sales of over $14.3 billion in 2019, with over $7.0 billion in the U.S. and nearly $7.3 billion internationally. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Domino's had global retail sales of over $4.5 billion, with over $2.2 billion in the U.S. and over $2.3 billion internationally. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 98% of Domino's stores as of the fourth quarter of 2019. Emphasis on technology innovation helped Domino's achieve more than half of all global retail sales in 2019 from digital channels, primarily online ordering and mobile applications. In the U.S., Domino's generates over 65% of sales via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms, including those developed for Google Home, Facebook Messenger, Apple Watch, Amazon Echo and Twitter as well as Domino's Hotspots, an ordering platform featuring over 200,000 unique, non-traditional delivery locations. In June 2019, through an announced partnership with Nuro, Domino's furthered its exploration and testing of autonomous pizza delivery. In late 2019, Domino's opened the Domino's Innovation Garage adjacent to its headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to fuel continued technology and operational innovation while also launching its GPS technology, allowing customers to follow the progress of the delivery driver from store to doorstep. Order dominos.com AnyWare Ordering anyware.dominos.com Company Info biz.dominos.com Twitter twitter.com/dominos Facebook facebook.com/dominos Instagram instagram.com/dominos YouTube youtube.com/dominos Please visit our Investor Relations website at biz.dominos.com to view news, announcements, investor presentations, earnings releases and conference webcasts. SOURCE Domino's Pizza From left, Democratic presidential candidates, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., talks with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the Gaillard Center, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in Charleston, S.C., co-hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. Read more CHARLESTON, S.C. Democrats held their final debate before the South Carolina presidential primary and the critical Super Tuesday contests that follow three days later. Here are some key takeaways. Bernie bash Bernie Sanders is rarely a quiet voice, but he has managed to get through nine debates with few bruises. That ended Tuesday night when he was attacked on multiple fronts by every opponent. The overarching themes: Sanders can rile up a crowd but cant get things done. He is unelectable as a democratic socialist. He will drag down the Democratic House majority. Can anyone imagine moderate Republicans voting for him?" former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg asked. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar noted that Sanders proposals cost $60 trillion triple the U.S. economy. The math does not add up, she warned. Sanders parried some of the blows but also got into shouting matches. Asked by a moderate how hed pay for his plans, he responded coolly, How many hours do you have? Centrist Democrats who hoped the Vermont senator would come off as not electable may be heartened, but so could Sanders supporters who see their candidate as passionate and authentically unpolished. Bloomberg tries to bounce back The good news for Bloomberg is this debate didnt go as badly as the last one. The bad news is no one is grading on the curve. He ceded prime target status to Sanders, but took his share of criticism. He still got scratched and occasionally came off as brittle. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren continued to be his nemesis, slamming him for funding Republican senators and for accusations that women at his company were mistreated. She brought up an allegation that Bloomberg had told a pregnant woman in his employ to kill it" which Bloomberg heatedly denied. Later, he tried to make a joke about how everyone else onstage should have been scared to show up after I did such a good job of beating them last week. The joke was one of many he offered up that didnt land. A comedian's timing he does not possess. A billionaire's wallet, though, he does. And he bought advertising for the commercial breaks during the debate. Biden balanced Former Vice President Joe Biden has called South Carolina his firewall, even before his dismal finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. If he gets the breakthrough he needs, it probably won't be because of a sterling debate performance. Biden seemed as comfortable as he has on any Democratic debate stage since the first encounters last June. But he little to offer a new rationale for his candidacy. He emphasized his affinity for issues dear to black voters and reminded them of his decades-long advocacy. Overall, it was a steady performance when Biden most needed it. And he expressed some confidence. Pressed on whether hed drop out if he doesnt win Saturday, Biden declared, Im going to win South Carolina. Warrens case against Sanders (and Bloomberg) Warren had to make a difficult straddle at the debate she wanted to spotlight her liberal positions to pry voters from front-runner Sanders, but she also had to make a pitch for why they should back her rather than him. She has been hesitant to fully voice her criticism of Sanders but leaned into it Tuesday night. Bernies winning right now because the Democratic Party is a progressive party and progressive ideas are popular ideas, she said. Warren also reprised her attacks on Bloomberg, which might not help her win votes, but clearly helps her raise money. Buttigieg: Another good night, but will it mean votes? If the race were about skill on the debate stage, it might be hard to deny Pete Buttigieg the nomination. He continued to answer questions with calm and clarity, and showed he could throw an elbow too. But his path forward is still unclear, given that his support is overwhelmingly white and the Democratic electorates in most upcoming primaries are not. Buttigieg helped lead the moderates charge against Bernie Sanders, almost mocking the idea of a general election between Sanders and President Donald Trump. Imagine spending the better part of 2020 listening to such a match-up, he pondered. It added up to another consistent performance for Buttigieg. The question is whether that will mean anything at the ballot box. Klobuchar fights to be heard The star of the New Hampshire debate had to fight to be heard in Charleston. Klobuchar pulled out some of her go-to lines like the one about checking with the duck hunters in her family as she formulates gun control policies but she was often cut off by moderators for going over her time. She consistently made the case for a Midwestern moderate as the best candidate to take on Trump. She hammered Sanders on the cost of his plans. And she had one striking moment, when she was asked about coronavirus and said the issue was too serious for politics. "I'm not going to give my campaign website," Klobuchar said. Instead, she pointed viewers to CDC.gov, the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But she had a hard time breaking through at a time she may have needed it most. The other billionaire Tom Steyer has pinned his hopes on snatching South Carolina from Biden. But on Tuesday he looked like someone whose momentum has been yanked away. Steyer spluttered after Biden accused him of investing in private prisons as a hedge fund manager. He condemned both Sanders and Bloomberg as unelectable but never was able to make a clear case for himself. Without a clear win in South Carolina, its hard to see how Steyer wins anywhere else. Moderate muddle continues The moderate, anti-Bernie lane remains crowded. So crowded that several candidates couldn't agree on a strategy to clear some of the space. Buttigieg acted as if Biden wasn't on the stage at all, trying to make himself the clear alternative to Sanders. Biden and Bloomberg barely acknowledged one another. Klobuchar and Buttigieg did not renew their blood feud. The jumble underscores the uncertainty of the race beyond the reality that Sanders is still the front-runner. He's not a commanding one yet. But he may not have to be if the moderate muddle continues. White stage, black vote The seven white Democratic presidential candidates took turns offering various reasons black voters should support them. Some attacked their rivals or struggled to defend their own records. Biden immediately took aim at Sanders for contemplating a primary challenge to President Barack Obama, the nations first black president, in 2012. Steyer said hed spent his career and his political activists fighting for, among other things, racial justice. But Biden went after him, too, for his investments in private prisons. The scenes highlight the oddity of an all-white slate of presidential candidates in party where about four out of 10 voters are non-white. Its even more stark in South Carolina, where black voters are likely to make up more than 60% of the primary electorate. When they werent attacking each other on race, several candidates found ways to name drop Rep. Jim Clyburn, the House majority whip and the most influential Democrat in the state. Clyburn is expected to endorse a candidate Wednesday. For a better experience on our website and avoid any trouble, we strongly recommand to activate Javascript ( click here ). Hello and welcome to Journal des Palaces You are a communication or the PR manager? Click here You are an applicant? Check out our questions and answers here ! Ahead of Super Tuesday, Matthew McConaughey beamed as he posed with the 42nd POTUS Bill Clinton and the 43rd POTUS George W. Bush at the inaugural HISTORYTalks event at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan on Saturday. The 50-year-old Oscar winner, who boasts 10.2M social media followers, captioned his snap: 'Two sides of the aisle, one side of values M.O.C. #BillClinton #GeorgeWBush.' Matthew's bipartisan message of 'values' stands in stark contrast to Clinton's 1998 admission of his 'terrible moral error' engaging in (then lying about) his affair with 22-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Ahead of Super Tuesday! Matthew McConaughey (M) beamed as he posed with the 42nd POTUS Bill Clinton (L) and the 43rd POTUS George W. Bush (R) at the inaugural HISTORYTalks event at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan on Saturday The 50-year-old Oscar winner captioned his snap: 'Two sides of the aisle, one side of values M.O.C. #BillClinton #GeorgeWBush' The 73-year-old Arkansas native was subsequently charged with perjury and obstruction of justice and was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives until the Senate acquitted him. Bill's 45-year marriage to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton survived the scandal, and the couple were last pictured visiting their daughter Chelsea's Manhattan home on February 27 to celebrate her 40th birthday. 'I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday,' the Clinton Global Initiative founder gushed via Twitter. 'Being your dad is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Happy birthday, @ChelseaClinton.' Impeached then acquitted: Matthew's bipartisan message of 'values' stands in stark contrast to Clinton's 1998 admission of his 'terrible moral error' engaging in (then lying about) his affair with 22-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky (R) Still going strong! The 73-year-old Arkansas native's 45-year marriage to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) survived the scandal, and the couple were last pictured visiting their daughter Chelsea's (R) Manhattan home on February 27 to celebrate her 40th birthday The Clinton Global Initiative founder gushed via Twitter: 'I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. Being your dad is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Happy birthday, @ChelseaClinton' Eyebrows have also raised over Clinton's association with pedophile and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who's said to have died August 29 in his Metropolitan Correctional Center cell. Bush has been criticized over his handling of Hurricane Katrina as well as launching a seemingly endless 'War on Terror' in Afghanistan and Iraq in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Connecticut-born, Texan-raised 73-year-old has been married to his wife Laura for 43 years and they have three grandchildren from their fraternal twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. Some have since softened their opinions of G.W. thanks to his heartwarming, eccentric manner at public events and for his painting hobby which spawned a 2017 book of portraits of veterans for charity. Legacy? Bush has been criticized over his handling of Hurricane Katrina as well as launching a seemingly endless 'War on Terror' in Afghanistan and Iraq in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks (pictured in 2005) 'Sunrise 2020': The Connecticut-born, Texan-raised 73-year-old (3-L) has been married to his wife Laura (M) for 43 years and they have three grandchildren from their fraternal twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna (pictured January 1) 'Well, that was some weird s***': Some have since softened their opinions of G.W. thanks to his heartwarming, eccentric manner at public events and for his painting hobby which spawned a 2017 book of portraits of veterans for charity (pictured in 2016) Meanwhile, Matthew - who was arrested for marijuana possession and resisting transportation back in 1999 - has been married to wife Camila for seven years. The McConaugheys have three children - daughter Vida, 10; son Levi, 11; and son Livingston, 7 - and they originally met at Hollywood hotspot Hyde back in 2006. During the Leadership & Legacy event, The Gentlemen action star detailed his career's 'McConaissance' from superficial rom-com king to awards-worthy dramatic actor. The University of Texas-Austin professor next voices Buster Moon in Garth Jennings' animated sequel to Sing - hitting US theaters July 2, 2021 - alongside Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, and Reese Witherspoon. Ladylove: Matthew - who was arrested for marijuana possession and resisting transportation back in 1999 - has three children with his wife of seven years, Camila (R, pictured February 2) Branding: During the Leadership & Legacy event, McConaughey detailed his career's 'McConaissance' from superficial rom-com king to awards-worthy dramatic actor drnadig/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Amid heightened concerns from Democrats over the Trump administrations handling of the novel coronavirus, House Democrats are investing in a new digital ad campaign targeting Republicans in key districts ahead of the highly-anticipated general election -- the latest move in an ongoing political fight over the outbreak. In the ads, which will appear on Facebook in both English and Spanish, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) takes aim at Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar over his recent comments about the affordability of vaccines for the virus. We would want to ensure that we work to make it affordable, but we can't control that price, because we need the private sector to invest. The priority is to get vaccines and therapeutics. Price controls won't get us there, Azar said during a congressional budget hearing last week. The DCCC's efforts follow those of Democratic presidential contenders who have escalated their attacks on the Trump administrations management of the threat, as part of their case for defeating him in November. This is not a Democratic hoax, former Vice President Joe Biden said on ABCs This Week on Sunday, referring to President Donald Trumps comments at his South Carolina rally where he called the epidemic a hoax. This is incompetence on the part of the president of the United States at the expense of the country and the world, Biden added. The president's at-times uneven response to the threat has opened a window for his Democratic rivals to attack his White House over what they claim is a failure of leadership. In a three-minute ad that ran on NBC and CBS Sunday night, Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg delivered an address on coronavirus, saying, At times like this, it is the job of the president to reassure the public that he or she is taking all the steps necessary to protect the health and well-being of every citizen. ... Each crisis is different, but they all require steady leadership, team building and preparation. With House Democrats up against the challenge of defending their majority in 2020, they are turning to this issue during one of the most crucial weeks in the presidential contest, with Super Tuesday slated for March 3. Its disturbing that the Trump administration is too concerned about drug manufacturers profits to even attempt to make an affordable vaccine for a virus that is rapidly spreading across the globe, said DCCC Spokesperson Robyn Patterson. Washington Republicans are already blocking bipartisan House-passed legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs. This virus is a threat to millions of Americans and House Republicans have an obligation to stand up to the White House and drug manufacturers by demanding they work to ensure a coronavirus vaccine is affordable for working families, Patterson continued. House Democrats are set to run the ads across seven districts targeting vulnerable Republicans as they seek to keep the focus down-ballot on protecting voters access to health care. The party will take aim at newly-turned GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jerseys 2nd congressional district, Rep. Ross Spano of Floridas 15th congressional district, Rep. Vern Buchanan of Floridas 16th Congressional district, Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler of Washingtons 3rd Congressional district, Rep. David Schweikert of Arizonas 6th Congressional district, Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouris 2nd Congressional district, and Rep. Don Young of Alaskas at-large district. Despite the local targets, the ad campaign comes as the Trump administration grapples with the rapidly-advancing global health emergency, which is affecting at least 60 countries and has caused 2,980 deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. There have been 87,138 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two deaths within the United States. Trump took aim at Democrats for politicizing the issue at a rally in South Carolina, where he said Democrats were creating a new hoax. In an interview with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos, Azar said Trump was referring to the partisan sniping. "It's unnecessary, we don't need to have this made a political issue," Azar said. "We're in a public health crisis here -- we all need to be working together." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. A woman wearing a protective mask crosses Piazza Duomo with her bicycle in Milan on March 2, 2020. (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images) 2 New England Presumptive Coronavirus Cases Linked to Europe School Trip Two new presumptive cases of coronavirus in New England have been linked to a high school field trip to Europe dating back to mid-February, according to health officials, as the state tested a third person for the deadly virus. A teenager was identified by Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) State Health Laboratories as a presumptive positive case of the novel coronavirus. The teenager and an adult in her 30s are undergoing tests; both went on the same school trip as the first presumptive positive case of the disease, a male in his 40s. The trip, organized by high school Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, included stops in Italy, France, and Spain, reported WCVB. The news comes as the death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy rose to 34 with 1,694 confirmed cases, and fears of community spread of the virus within the United States continue to grow. As of March 1, 88 cases of the novel coronavirus had been identified in the United States, with New Yorks first case confirmed on Sunday. The first American to die from coronavirus was a man in his 50s with underlying conditions in Washington state, officials said Saturday. A second American, a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions, also died on Saturday after contracting coronavirus, according to a Sunday press release from Seattle and King County Public Health. The two New England cases will remain presumptive until the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms a positive test. According to Saint Raphael Academys website, the male in his 40s is a staff member of the school community, and has not returned to the Catholic high school since arriving back to Rhode Island on Feb. 22. The school, which is located on the Massachusetts border, will be closed for the remainder of this week while it is being sanitized, it said. The teenagerthe second presumptive positive case of coronavirusremains at home with mild symptoms, the state Department of Health said. The third adult pending tests results is a staff member at Achievement First Academy in Providence, which will remain closed for two days pending test results. All 38 people who went on the school trip to Europe have been instructed to self-monitor at home for symptoms for 14 days with public health supervision. They have been instructed to not go to school or work and to remain at home during this time, according to a news release. Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the states director of health, said the department had been preparing for weeks to limit or prevent the spread of the virus in Rhode Island. All three people went on the same trip to Italy, Alexander-Scott said in a statement. This is precisely why we are being so aggressive in identifying contacts, ensuring monitoring, and testing people who are symptomatic. We fully anticipated having a first case of COVID-19, Alexander-Scott said. We are not seeing widespread community transmission in Rhode Island, and the general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is still low. However, everyone in Rhode Island has a role to play in helping us prevent the spread of viruses, just like the flu. She urged the public to wash their hands regularly, cover their coughs and sneezes, and to stay home if sick. Dr. Teresa Kelechi, associate dean for research in the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina, co-led the study examining whether and how study participants wanted to learn about trial results. Credit: Sarah Pack, Medical University of South Carolina Researchers and the participants who enroll in their clinical trials do not always speak the same language, making it difficult to share trial results with study participants. As a result, most clinical trial participants are not told the results of the study in which they were involved, though most would like to know, and most researchers would like to tell them, report Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) researchers in an article published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. Helping researchers to learn how to translate their findings for a lay public could make participants feel like respected partners in research and potentially increase the number of patients willing to enroll in trials. Study participants deserve the right to hear those results and know their efforts made a difference, said the two National Institutes of Health-funded MUSC translational researchers who led the study: senior author Teresa J. Kelechi, R.N., Ph.D., associate dean for research in the MUSC College of Nursing, and lead author Cathy L. Melvin, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Public Health in the MUSC College of Medicine. The study was funded by a special commission pilot project grant from the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research (SCTR) Institute, the Clinical and Translational Science Awards hub headquartered at MUSC. Translational research is about "translating" research breakthroughs into clinical practice, but it is also about translating research results into meaningful messages for members of the community, particularly those who made the research possible. "So part of translation is not only translating from bench to bedside but also translating your findings back to the participants who made it work," said Kelechi. "At the end of the day, it's because of them that we're doing science." Kelechi and Melvin interviewed and ran focus groups for past study participants to find out whether and how they would like to receive study results. The study also canvassed researchers to determine whether they were willing to share results and identify any barriers to doing so. Of the 48 past study participants surveyed, almost 70% never received the results from the study in which they participated, though 75% would have liked to. The vast majority of researchers surveyed95% - thought it was important, and even an ethical duty, to report findings to study participants. If informed of findings, many study participants also expressed a willingness to share them with friends, health care providers and others with the same condition. As such, participants could become champions for research in the community, helping to disseminate findings while encouraging others to participate through their example. Study participants expressed different preferences for how to receive study findings, based on their ages. Two groups of study participants were surveyed: teens/young adults and adults older than 50. The top preference for both groups was email, but older adults greatly preferred mailed letters, postcards, newsletters or calls to texts or social media, while teens/young adults expressed a strong preference against mailed correspondence or newsletters. The researchers surveyed said they had received little training in communicating to a lay public through age-appropriate channels. Several of the surveyed researchers expressed a desire for more training through workshops as well as templates for a variety of communication documents. "For me, this was an eye-opening experience," said Kelechi. "I've been doing research for 20 years but was unaware how much the research community feels unequipped to report their findings to study participants. They want to give back, but that is not a skill set that they have, but it is one they want to develop." To meet that need, Kelechi and Melvin have already developed a number of communication templates and are currently working to refine them further. They also would like to develop lunch and learns and an online module on the topic. At MUSC, researchers can also request recruitment consults and marketing assistance from SCTR via the electronic tool SPARCRequest. Researchers were also unsure if they should communicate preliminary, partial or equivocal findings to participants. Melvin thinks they should. "Whatever the results are, researchers have a responsibility to share that information back to the participants," she said. Funding can be another barrier for researchers. Most monies dedicated to communication in a grant are used to recruit patients, leaving little at the end of the study to cover the costs of disseminating the findings. Kelechi suggests that researchers buy postage and other supplies ahead of time to ensure that they have the necessary resources at the end of the study. Kelechi and Melvin are confident that the gap in communication between researchers and study participants can be bridged. "We have two groups of people who want the same thing, which is to share information with each other," said Melvin. "So, given the good will on both sides, I'm very optimistic and feel that there is a real opportunity for us to make a difference in this area." Explore further Could sphingolipids help solve a racial paradox in heart disease? More information: Cathy L. Melvin et al, Communicating and disseminating research findings to study participants: Formative assessment of participant and researcher expectations and preferences, Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (2020). Cathy L. Melvin et al, Communicating and disseminating research findings to study participants: Formative assessment of participant and researcher expectations and preferences,(2020). DOI: 10.1017/cts.2020.9 Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and plans to endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice president's White House bid. She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally Monday night, according to her campaign. Klobuchar was the third presidential candidate to drop out of the race in less than 49 hours, following Pete Buttigiegs departure late Sunday and Tom Steyer's exit late Saturday. Their decisions reflect an urgent push among moderates to consolidate behind Biden as a counter to progressive rival Bernie Sanders. Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire. But she couldn't turn that into success elsewhere, as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in the next contests. The three-term senator had one of this cycle's more memorable campaign launches, standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm last February to tout her grit and Midwestern sensibilities. Klobuchar argued that her record of getting things done in Washington and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency. She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates. But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April, starting as a front-runner and remaining there. Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely unknown mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top contender on a mix of intelligence, strong oratory and youthful optimism. Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday, saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination. He has not endorsed anyone. Klobuchar entered the race with low name recognition compared with many of her rivals, a disadvantage she was still citing a year into her campaign. Outside Minnesota, the lawyer and former prosecutor was best known for her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow teenager when both were in high school, if he ever had so much to drink that he didn't remember what happened. Kavanaugh retorted, Have you? Klobuchar continued, unruffled, and Kavanaugh later apologized to the senator, whose father is recovering from alcoholism. Even before she got into the race, Klobuchar was hit with news stories claiming she mistreated her Senate staff, and she had a higher-than-usual turnover rate in her office. Klobuchar said she is a tough boss but countered that she has several longtime employees, including the manager of her presidential campaign. She also face questions over her prosecutor past. In January, The Associated Press published a story about Klobuchar's office in Minneapolis having prosecuted the case of a black teenager accused of the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl. Klobuchar has cited the story to show her toughness on crime. But an AP/APM Reports investigation uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, raising questions about whether Myon Burrell was railroaded by police. The issue followed Klobuchar on the campaign trail, with protesters forcing her to cancel a rally in suburban Minneapolis days before Super Tuesday. Klobuchar campaigned on her productivity in Washington, where she led more than 100 bills that were signed into law. And she criticized the more liberal candidates in the field, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, for running on promises she said they couldn't keep. Rather than advocate for Medicare for All, for example, Klobuchar favored expanding the Affordable Care Act and working to reduce prescription drug costs changes she said had a chance of passing and would make a significant impact. She supported making community colleges free but said she wouldn't promise to do the same for four-year colleges and universities because the U.S. cannot afford it. I've got to tell the truth, she said during a CNN town hall at a college campus, where she acknowledged her position may be unpopular with younger voters. Klobuchar was one of the first candidates to outline a plan for addressing addiction and mental health, an issue she described as personal because of her father's longtime struggle. Her accounts of growing up with a father suffering from alcoholism and watching him be forced to choose between prison or treatment were some of the most compelling moments of speeches, interviews and discussions with voters. Klobuchar said that her father described getting help as being pursued by grace and that it's an opportunity all people fighting addiction deserve. But Klobuchar couldn't match her top competitors in fundraising. She raised about $11 million in the last quarter of 2019 roughly half of what Sanders and Buttigieg received. The lack of finances early on in the campaign meant Klobuchar wasn't able to expand her operation on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire until months after her rivals. She then scrambled to put an operation in place in Nevada, South Carolina and the 14 states that voted on Super Tuesday. Still, there were bright spots, including strong debate performances that helped bring in new donors. Her campaign credited Klobuchar's showing in a debate days before the New Hampshire primary with helping her clinch a better-than-expected third place in the state's primary, topping Warren and Biden. Klobuchar said she raised $12 million in the next week. During one debate she addressed sexism in the campaign, questioning whether a woman with Buttigieg's experience would qualify for the stage. She also pushed back at fears of a female candidacy, saying, If you think a woman cant beat Donald Trump, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi does it every day. In January, she earned endorsements from The New York Times, which also endorsed Warren, and the Quad-City Times, one of Iowa's largest newspapers. But Klobuchar was sidelined for much of the last few weeks before the Iowa caucuses when she along with fellow candidates Warren, Sanders and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado was stuck in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial. She continued to rack up endorsements even as her campaign struggled, getting the backing of newspapers including the Houston Chronicle, The Seattle Times and the New Hampshire Union Leader. Click Here to go to PublishersWeekly.com Your browser does not support the audio element. Police in Vietnams Mekong Delta have arrested a group of 16 illegal street racers who were armed with several types of weapons. The Department of Police in Tien Giang Province confirmed they had captured the suspects and confiscated their motorbikes. Preliminary information showed that a group of about 30 young men rode their motorcycles to the section of National Highway 1 in Cai Be District at around 3:30 am on Monday. Many of them came from other provinces in the Mekong Delta. As police officers arrived at the scene, the street racers fled and only 16 of them were apprehended. Officers also found such weapons as machetes and knives. According to local residents, this was not the first time unlawful street racing had been organized along National Highway 1 in the past days. The street racers motorbikes are confiscated by police officers. Photo: H. T. / Tuoi Tre The street racers are captured on National Highway 1 in Tien Giang Province on March 2, 2020. Photo: H. T. / Tuoi Tre One of the suspects carries along a knife. Photo: H. T. / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Oil is now more volatile than bitcoin By Alex Kimani You know that the oil markets have truly gone to the dogs when they are suddenly riskier than one of the world's most volatile commodities: bitcoin. Bitcoin and most cryptocurrencies are synonymous with extreme bouts of volatility. However, it's crude oil that is now earning that dubious distinction after exhibiting price swings wilder than even the leading cryptocurrency. On February 10, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil's one-month realized, or historical, price volatility stood at 105.3%. In contrast, bitcoin's historical volatility clocked in at 42.3%, its lowest reading since September, according to Skew Markets. Historical volatility is a measure of how much commodity prices have varied in the past calculated as the standard deviation of daily price movements of the front month futures price, typically for a 30-day period. The metric is expressed as a percentage in annualized terms. Rising Volatility A commodity's historical volatility, however, does not tell us anything about the direction of the price movement; rather, it tells us the degree to which a security's price movement is deviating from the average. It would, therefore, not be a stretch to say that crude oil's volatility has lately exceeded that of bitcoin. During the period under review, WTI's historical volatility shot up from 38.7% to 119.6% by late January while S&P 500 Index's realized volatility increased to 15.6% during the last week of January. In contrast, BTC's volatility retreated from 66% to 42%--hardly surprising given that BTC tends to benefit from flight to safety trades. That said, don't rush to dump your gold holdings to buy some BTC just yet. Despite its falling volatility, bitcoin remains considerably more volatile than gold, one of the commodities that has traditionally been regarded as leading safe haven assets. Gold's historical volatility doubled during the early part of January to 18% before sliding back to 10% during early February. In other words, gold at its most volatile has still been considerably less so than bitcoin, which proves the most popular crypto still has some way to go before claiming the safe haven mantle from the yellow metal. Indeed, bitcoin has failed to play that role to a satisfactory degree during the latest market selloff. BTC was down nearly 5% on Monday's stock market rout on a day the S&P 500 fell 3.5%, the biggest one-day loss by the broad-market index since August 2019. That drop was not an aberration for BTC, either, which has suffered intraday declines of more than 3% seven times so far in the first two months of the year alone. For perspective, gold bullion was down 1.5% to about $1,650/oz though still 5.1% up over the past 30 days. Coronavirus Mayhem And you might have guessed right by now: the coronavirus mayhem is largely to blame for crude oil's sharp spike in volatility. The viral outbreak has thrown a monkey wrench into financial markets across the globe, with the crude oil market frequently finding itself whipsawed by the turn of events. The January rally that saw oil WTI prices shoot up nearly 10% in a matter of days was triggered after Washington launched a retaliatory attack on an Iranian military base in Iraq, killing a top military commander and injecting considerable geopolitical uncertainty into the markets. Unfortunately, the rally was only to be short-lived, cut off by the first news of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The oil market is officially now in bear territory after posting the worst day in more than a month on Monday on heightened coronavirus fears. U.S. WTI crude dipped more than 5% at the session low to settle at $50.45 with investors worried that a subsequent slowdown in the global economy could further dent the already weakened demand for crude. Prices, however, managed to slightly recover from the lows to settle at $51.43 per barrel--still bad enough for its worst day since Jan. 8--after Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser reportedly said that the coronavirus impact will be "short term". Nasser said that Aramco has not evacuated its staff from China. Right now, there's plenty of uncertainty in the oil markets with very little clarity regarding if and when the outbreak will be brought under full control. While the Aramco chiefs expect the situation to have normalized during the second part of the year, others contend that the situation remains tenuous and the outbreak could rebound when Chinese residents return to work and school. Monday's heavy selloff suggests that the bears are the ones holding sway right now, while trading in oil has suddenly become a (fabulous, for some) game of volatility that makes it as exciting as crypto. Alex Kimani is a writer for Oilprice.com where this originally appeared. Home Venezuela on Monday said it had arrested two officials from state oil company PDVSA for providing the US with "strategic and sensitive" details of its sanctions-hit oil operations. Alfredo Chirinos, the company's special operations chief, and Aryenis Torrealba, PDVSA's general manager of crude operations, were arrested on Friday, the commission set up to restructure the company said in a statement. "They are responsible for handing over strategic, sensitive and confidential information to the United States government," the statement said. It said the pair had "provided data" on the company's operations and logistics as well as details of Venezuela's oil trade activity. Under pressure from increased US sanctions which last month targeted a subsidiary of Russian oil giant Rosneft -- a key conduit for Venezuelan oil -- President Nicolas Maduro last month ordered a commission be set up to revamp the oil company. Four new vice-presidents were appointed to the company on Saturday, tasked with boosting exploration, refining, trade and finance. Washington has already imposed multiple sanctions aimed at toppling Maduro's regime, particularly by cutting his government's oil revenue. Washington said it would step up pressure on Venezuela's oil trade as part of its plan to overthrow Maduro's socialist government. US officials said Rosneft handles around 70 per cent of Venezuela's oil and that the country's top importer has been India, followed by China. Delhi has promised to cut down purchases because of its strong ties with the United States. Venezuela produced 882,000 barrels a day in January, according to OPEC -- 25,000 bpd less than in December. However, secondary sources consulted by the 13-member oil-producers' cartel indicate that the January production figures could have been as low as 733,000 bpd. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A total of 17 fishermen, mainly from the fishing villages of Thiruvananthapuram were trapped in Iran due over Coronavirus fears. The fishermen have shared a video in which they plead for immediate help saying they are stranded in the virus-hit country without having food, drinking water and other basic needs. They are said to have confined in a crammed room. The fishermen are from the coastal villages of Vizhinjam, Pozhiyoor, Mariyanadu and Anchuthengu. They went to Iran along with some fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. The fishermen are said to have gone to port towns of Iran to get fishing jobs. Kerala fisheries minister J Mercikutty Amma confirmed the report and said that the state government is in constant contact with the Ministry of External Affairs, according to IANS report. Hundreds of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are also stranded in Iran and the state governments have initiated measures to bring back the trapped fish workers. WCC Millage The community college seeks a renewal. by James Leonard From the March, 2020 issue Along with the presidential primary (see Inside Ann Arbor, p. 13), the March 10 ballot includes Washtenaw Community College's request to renew and restore a 1 mill operating millage. That translates to $150 annually on a $300,000 home with a taxable value of $150,000. Local taxpayers pay half of the school's $113 million annual budget; this millage provides a little more than $17 million. The college's last operating millage request in 2016 sailed to victory unopposed with 70 percent of the vote. But while this one also has no organized opposition, it does have one very determined critic. Eileen Peck's website, wccwatch.org, features headlines like "WCC master plan hides an awful truth" and "WCC's Health and Fitness Center Fraud." But the key to understanding it is the post "What is the real cost of outsourcing WCC's IT department?" Peck's husband was one of the thirty-one full-time employees who lost their jobs when WCC eliminated its in-house IT department last year. So while Peck says she's "voted for every millage that the college has asked for in the past, I don't intend to vote for this millage." Dave Fitzpatrick, who stepped down in February as president of the college's faculty union, believes voters "absolutely should" support the millage. If it fails, he says "the only people who will be harmed are students. The college will either have to raise tuition or end programs or both. "People who are concerned about the issues raised by WCC Watch need to address those issues through the board of trustees," Fitzpatrick adds. Peck hopes to do that, too: she says she's actively seeking candidates to run in the November trustee election. [Originally published in March, 2020.] The Madras High Court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a detailed response on the anti-CAA protests happening across the state. A bench Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Krishnan Ramasamy gave the direction on a petition which contended that the protests were unlawful as permission had not been obtained and caused inconvenience to the public. Petitioner G Kannan sought to initiate action against those who have been staging protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) near the old bus stand in Salem in western Tamil Nadu since February 14. Counsel for the petitioner submitted though the petition mentioned only about the protest in Salem, similar agitations were being staged in different places across the state affecting the public. In Salem, several protestors, including children, were staging the agitation close to the bus stand, causing "huge inconvenience" to the public, he said. A detailed response from the government on the action taken against protests without any permission was required, the counsel added. Recording the submissions, the bench ordered the government to file its response on the action taken against the protests and ajourned the petition to March 9. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The coronavirus Covid-19 presents the global economy with its greatest danger since the 2008 financial crisis, according to the OECD's latest interim economic outlook released on Monday. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Covid-19 is spreading from China to other regions, causing human suffering and economic disruption. "It is raising health concerns and the risk of wider restrictions on the movement of people, goods and services, falls in and consumer confidence and slowing production," it said. The interim outlook presents both a best-case scenario in which the extent of the coronavirus is broadly contained and a domino prospect of contagion that is more widespread. In both cases, the OECD calls on governments to act immediately to limit the spread of the coronavirus, protect people and businesses from its effects and shore up demand in the economy. Even in the best-case scenario of limited outbreaks in countries outside China, a sharp slowdown in world growth is expected in the first half of 2020 as supply chains and commodities are hit, tourism drops and confidence falters. Global economic growth is seen falling to 2.4 per cent for the whole year compared to an already weak 2.9 per cent in 2019. It is then expected to rise to a modest 3.3 per cent in 2021. Growth prospects for China have been revised down sharply to below 5 per cent this year after 6.1 per cent in 2019. But broader contagion across the wider Asia Pacific region and advanced economies -- as has happened in China -- could cut global growth to as low as 1.5 per cent this year, halving the OECD's previous 2020 projection from last November. Containment measures and loss of confidence would hit production and spending and drive some countries into recession, including Japan and the euro area. "The virus risks giving a further blow to a global economy that was already weakened by trade and political tensions," said OECD Chief Economist Laurence Boone while presenting the interim outlook. "Governments need to act immediately to contain the epidemic, support the health care system, protect people, shore up demand and provide a financial lifeline to households and businesses that are most affected," he said. The outlook says that flexible working should be used to preserve jobs. Governments should implement temporary tax and budgetary measures to cushion the impact in sectors most affected by the downturn such as travel and tourism, and the automobile and electronic industries. In the most affected countries, adequate liquidity needs to be provided to allow banks to help companies with cash-flow problems while containment measures are in force, it adds. If the epidemic spreads widely, the G20 economies should lead an internationally coordinated framework for health care support, combined with a coordinated fiscal and monetary stimulus to rebuild confidence, the outlook adds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Citing repeated assurances by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami to Muslims over the amended citizenship law, senior AIADMK leader and Minister D Jayakumar on Monday appealed to them to give up their protest and resume normal life. Palaniswami had both in the state assembly and outside has asserted that minorities will not be affected due to the Citizenship Amendment Act, he told reporters here. "People of Muslim community should understand it (the assurance) and give up the protest and resume their normal life... they need not have even an iota of doubt. Minorities will not be affected at all, Jayakumar said. He said Palaniswami had already held talks with the protesters here. Similarly he (Jayakumar) too had interacted with those agitating at Washermanpet, which falls under his assembly constituency, the Minister added. The protest at Washermanpet in North Chennai against the CAA, the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens is continuing here for the 18th day. To a question on actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan joining hands politically, he sarcastically said, "we may again get to see a good film like Pathinaru Vayathinile." The 1977 superhit Tamil movie directed by Barathirajaa featured both Rajinikanth and Haasan. Asserting that none can 'touch' the AIADMK's votebank, he said only other parties need to be concerned over the expected political entry of Rajinikanth and a view that Haasan, heading the Makkal Needhi Maiam, may align with his long time friend. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Vile Parle police on Monday booked a woman NCP legislator, her husband, two sons and the younger daughter-in-law in a case of alleged harassment, cruelty and assault filed by her elder daughter-in-law. The legislator and the family has denied all allegations. According to a police officer, the daughter-in-law filed the complaint against the in-laws on January 16. HT is not naming the politician as revealing her name would jeopardise the identity of the complainant (daughter-in-law), who has pressed charges of outraging of modesty against a member of the family. The complainant said the trouble started after she gave birth to her second daughter, who was born premature and died later. The daughter-in-law alleged her brother-in-law used to make inappropriate gestures, while her sister-in-law (younger daughter-in-law), too, mentally harassed her. The family wanted a son which is the reason for harassment mentioned in the complaint, said a police officer. The daughter-in-law has demanded her valuables kept at their residence be returned, he said. After the FIR was registered, the police summoned the legislator and the other accused and recorded their statements. In their statements, they have denied the allegations, terming them as false, he said. The NCP leader and her family members have been booked under sections 498-A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, the police said. While speaking with HT, the legislator said: All allegations are baseless. We never assaulted herIn January, her husband had to leave for Denmark. He even booked tickets for her and their daughter. One day, his wife told him that her WhatsApp stopped working and asked him to fix it. Her husband [an engineer] fixed it and found her chats which revealed her purported affairs. My son asked his wife for divorce with mutual consent, but she went to the police station and filed a complaint. We have filed divorce papers before a family court. Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton reconvened in New York's SoHo on Sunday after spending an afternoon apart. The pair - who have recently returned from hitting the shows at Paris Fashion Week - went their separate ways for an hour or so, with Lucy indulging in some retail therapy while Rami grabbed a coffee. The loved-up pair were back together again later in the afternoon, as they met up on the sidewalk and strolled along in the wintry sunshine. Lazy Sundays: Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton reconvened in New York's SoHo on Sunday after spending an afternoon apart The Oscar winning actor, 38, was sartorially in sync with his girlfriend, 26, in an all-black ensemble and dark sunglasses. He added a burst of colour to his otherwise dark ensemble by donning an electric blue sweater underneath his coat. 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 matching boots. Romantic stroll: The pair - who have recently returned from hitting the shows at Paris Fashion Week - went their separate ways for an hour or so, with Lucy indulging in some retail therapy while Rami grabbed a coffee She added a taupe leather purse to the look and wore slacks and a sweater underneath her trench. 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. She added shades to complete the get-up. Matching: The loved-up pair were back together again later in the afternoon, as they met up on the sidewalk and strolled along in the wintry sunshine Woman in black: Lucy looked sensational in an oversized loose fit black coat and matching boots The Politician star complemented her porcelain complexion with a light dusting of make-up. 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.' Feeling blue? The Oscar winning actor, 38, added a burst of colour to his otherwise dark ensemble by donning an electric blue sweater underneath his coat Stylish: She added a taupe leather purse to the look and wore slacks and a sweater underneath her trench. 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 Confirmed: 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 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.' India on Monday reported two new cases of the novel coronavirus, including one from the national capital, taking the total number of cases to five in the country, the Union Health Ministry said as the government stepped up its efforts to detect and check the infection, which has killed more than 3000 people globally. Meanwhile, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said an Italian tourist has been found positive of Coronavirus in Jaipur. In the first sample collected on February 29, the man was tested negative but his condition deteriorated so the second sample was collected which tested positive on Monday, the minister said, adding "since there is a variation in the reports, samples have been sent to NIV-Pune for testing." India had earlier reported three cases from Kerala, including two medical students from Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus. They had self-reported on their return to the country and tested positive for the infection. They were discharged last month following recovery. Giving details of the fresh cases, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, while theother patient who has tested positive for the coronavirus infection is from Telangana and has a recent travel history toDubai. "Both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms. They tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored," he told reporters. The person in Delhi had self-reported at the RML hospital after returning to India while the one in Telangana had initially gone to a private medical facility and then was referred to a government hospital in the state, the minister said. Vardhan also advised people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore and said India was in discussions with authorities in Iran and Italy, two badly affected countries by the infection, to evacuate Indians there. The novel coronavirus or COVID-19, which originated in China, has spread to over 60 countries, including the US, Italy and Iran. The health minister, who held a meeting of the Group of Ministers constituted to monitor the current status and actions for prevention and management of the virus, said India has already suspended e-visas/visas issued to Iranian and Chinese nationals over the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in these countries. "Depending on the situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries," he said. Asked if there could be a drug shortage in the country as around 70 per cent of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) come from China, Vardhan said he has spoken to the minister in-charge who has informed that "we are adequately prepared to deal with the situation as of now". Vardhan said around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance. Authorities are screening travellers arriving from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan at 21 designated airports in the country for a possible exposure to the virus, he said, adding a total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far. He also informed that around 10,24,922 people have been screened in the villages of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim bordering Nepal. Besides, as many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across India while 37 cases with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 across the country are currently hospitalised and their samples have been sent for testing, a senior health ministry official said. So far 3,217 samples have been tested out of which five have tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited, the minister added. Vardhan also urged people to pose their queries on the helpline numbers made available in case they have symptoms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US-Taliban Deal Hits First Speedbump By Ayesha Tanzeem March 01, 2020 Less than 24 hours after the United States signed a landmark agreement with the Afghan Taliban in Doha, its implementation has already hit its first speedbump. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced in Kabul Sunday that his government has made no commitment to release thousands of Taliban prisoners, a precondition to the start of talks between Taliban and other Afghan factions. "The release of prisoners is not the United States authority, but it is the authority of the government of Afghanistan," Ghani said. The U.S.-Taliban deal sealed on Saturday requires Afghan parties to the conflict to open direct negotiations on or around March 10 to agree on a nationwide permanent cease-fire and future power-sharing. However, some of the steps required to be taken in the run-up to the dialogue include the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners from Afghan jails and of 1,000 government security forces, who are held by the insurgents. The Taliban have so far refused to acknowledge the Ghani administration as a legitimate government or to engage with it directly. As far they are concerned, they say they have settled the prisoner release issue with the Americans. "We have decided the issue of our 5,000 prisoners with the Americans. They have promised in the agreement that those prisoners will be released before the start of the intra-Afghan negotiations. For us, this issue is settled," said Khairullah Khairkhwah, a senior member of the Taliban negotiation team. An Afghan delegation from Kabul arrived in Doha ahead of the signing ceremony to discuss prisoner releases and other issues with the Taliban but members of the insurgent group refused to meet them. "We have not decided yet whether we are going to meet them," Khairkhwah said after the deal signing Saturday. "We don't know yet who they are and why they are here." Meanwhile, officials of the host country Qatar say they could facilitate the discussion without the two sides having to sit together. "Negotiation sometimes does not mean you interact directly and face to face. There's something which is called shuttle diplomacy. So, we can do this, as an option, to facilitate these talks without physically. . . facing, seeing, watching, and touching each other. Maybe this is something to start with," said Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Qatari Foreign Minister for Counter Terrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution. The deal, signed Saturday in Doha by chief U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political office head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, was a culmination of 18 months of back and forth diplomatic efforts that stalled several times and almost broke off last September. After President Donald Trump called off the negotiations following several deadly attacks that killed an American soldier, the Qatari government, which has hosted the Taliban political team since 2011 to facilitate negotiations, tried to save the process by negotiating incentives for the two sides to come to the table again. "We thought about two things. Number one, to do a kind of hostage release or swap and the second one to work on reduction in violence," Mutlaq said. In November 2019, two hostages, an American and an Australian, held by Taliban for a few years, were released in exchange for three Taliban leaders, including Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of Taliban deputy chief and the head of Haqqani network Sirajuddin Haqqani. Soon after, negotiations between Khalilzad's team and Taliban started again. Mutlaq said along the way Qatar managed to establish two channels with the Taliban, one to facilitate the prisoner exchange and the other, a military channel, to monitor any violation of the agreement. "Our military is involved in this as part of the discussions in Doha," he said. The agreement promises the drawdown of U.S. forces to 8,600 from the current 13,000 in the first 135 days. The rest of them will be withdrawn within 14 months conditional to Taliban compliance of the deal. Taliban have to break ties with al-Qaida or any other militant group, fight Islamic State, and prevent territories under their control from being used for terrorist activity. They have to also negotiate with other Afghan factions on the future roadmap of Afghanistan, starting with negotiations on a permanent and comprehensive cease fire. The Taliban promises to respect women's rights and human rights granted under Islam, but many activists worry that under its severe interpretation of Islam, the group would try to limit their freedoms. President Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday he believed the Taliban would deliver on its counterterrorism pledges, but he warned that "if bad things happen" U.S. troops would swiftly return to Afghanistan Meanwhile, partisan bickering and a post-election dispute in Kabul between Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah has made the formation of a representative team of Afghans more difficult. Many observers doubt the intra-Afghan negotiation would start within two weeks as scheduled. Ayaz Gul contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mr. Lee has long courted controversy. He has been dogged by lawsuits, protest rallies and allegations of preaching heresy, splitting apart families, as well as going after rival churches. He has survived them all, commanding a messianic charisma over the 245,000 followers who he says the church has in South Korea and abroad. Until now, Mr. Lees Shincheonji has been one of the fastest-growing religious sects in South Korea. He has employed an aggressive proselytizing program that has unnerved mainstream Christian denominations who liken the church to a cult. He has often staged large-scale outdoor events that remind critics of massive propaganda rallies in North Korea. Like North Korea, the church has its own calendar, counting the years from the day Mr. Lee founded it in 1984. It hosts its own Olympiad, filling a stadium with worshipers from around the world. It features military-style honor guards, taekwondo exhibitions and other group performances similar to North Koreas Mass Games. Often dressed in snow white and carrying his trademark hand-held folding fan, Mr. Lee likes to snap a military salute to his adoring crowds. [Update: The impact of the coronavirus on sports.] Shincheonji has been growing rapidly despite the persecutions from the mainstream Christian churches, Mr. Lee said in an interview with the newspaper Kyeonggi Ilbo last June. Why? Because we have a doctrine. We are not a traditional church. Mr. Lee was born on Sept. 15, 1931, in a poor farming family in Cheongdo, a county near Daegu. He says he began praying with his grandfather at a young age although he didnt go to a church. He fought in the Korean War in the 1950s as an army sergeant. He worked for another religious group deemed a cult by mainstream churches before starting his own Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in 1984. Shincheonji means new heaven and new earth in Korean. In his sermons, he promises an end to the crime- and corruption-ridden world and a new era. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Egypt on Monday reported its second case of novel coronavirus, more than two weeks after announcing the first confirmed infection in Africa. The foreigner is showing "minor symptoms" and has been quarantined, the ministry and the World Health Organization said in a joint statement. Other people who had contact with the patient are undergoing medical tests, it added. Egypt announced its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus on February 14. The patient, a Chinese national, was released last week after recovering, the statement said. Cairo has been cooperating with French and Canadian authorities after they both announced seven confirmed cases of the virus from travellers coming from Egypt. With the number of cases rising in the Gulf, Qatar imposed a temporary ban on visitors coming from Egypt via transit points on Sunday citing the spread of COVID-19. Kuwait stopped short of a flight restriction but added extra screening measures for travellers boarding their flights from Egypt. Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed travelled to China on Sunday amid mounting criticisms and satirical posts on social media of her ministry's handling of the outbreak. At a news conference at Cairo airport, she praised Beijing's efforts to contain the spread of the virus. That same evening, Egypt projected the Chinese flag in solidarity with Beijing on some of its most historical monuments. The Salah al-Din Citadel in Cairo and ancient temples of Karnak and Philae in the south were are lit up in the colour red along with the golden stars of China's national flag. The global death toll from the epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday after dozens more were killed in China and cases soared around the world with a second fatality on US soil. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Motoring journalists from around Europe have cast their votes on the best new cars for 2020 - and the Peugeot 208 is the overall winner. The small hatchback - which is also available as an electric e-208 - beat both the Tesla Model 3 and Porsche Taycan EVs to the crown. But while the dinky Peugeot won over the hearts of experts from around the continent - especially France - it didn't get quite as many votes from British motoring experts. Meanwhile, the same car failed to even win its class in a UK-only poll last month. European Car of the Year 2020: The 208 is the sixth Peugeot to win the prestigious motoring award, which is voted for by motoring experts from around the continent The UK journalists picked the Porsche Taycan (3rd overall) as their favourite, with 38 votes from the British experts The naming of the European Car of the Year is usually the ceremonial opening of the Geneva Motor Show. However, with the show cancelled at last minute a matter of days ago as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the awards event was held on a livestream from the Palexpo exhibition centre, where manufacturers are still packing away their stands and vehicles. A shortlist of seven cars is selected by an initial vote weeks earlier. Like a Eurovision Song Content for cars, journalists from 23 different European nations then have 25 points to distribute among the seven finalists in a final round. European Car of the Year 2020 results 1. Peugeot 208 - 281 votes 2. Tesla Model - 242 votes 3. Porsche Taycan - 222 votes 4. Renault Clio - 211 votes 5. Ford Puma - 209 votes 6. Toyota Corolla - 152 votes 7. BMW 1-Series - 133 votes Source: European Car of the Year Points must be distributed to at least five cars, with no more than ten to any one car, and no joint top marks. Some countries, like Denmark and Greece, have just one expert casting votes, while larger markets have a higher number of journalist representatives. The UK, for example, has a grand total of six, which is the same as France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The Peugeot 208 racked up 281 votes in total, putting it well ahead of the Tesla Model 3 (242), Porsche Taycan (222) and Renault Clio (211). It is the sixth time the French brand has won the award having previously received the top honour in 1969 (Peugeot 504), 1988 (Peugeot 405), 2002 (Peugeot 307), 2014 (Peugeot 308) and 2017 (Peugeot 3008). Peugeot has won European Car of the Year awards before, including with the 405 saloon Were there Eurovision levels of patriotic voting? Just like the annual song contest, there appears to be plenty of patriotism in the votes. For instance, the 208 scored 36 points from the six French journalist. However, the same number of UK judges gave it just 19 marks in total. Looking further down the list, the French Renault Clio received 42 votes from its own panel of journalists (more than the 208) but just 11 from the UK. And this is reflected in other awards, too. The 208 didn't even win its category in the UK Car of the Year award for 2020, being beaten by the Clio in the vote by a panel of 29 judges. The winner of the UK award - announced last week - was the Tesla Model 3, which was the runner-up in the eyes of European journalists today (Monday). What Car? also didn't name it in its awards earlier this year. Reviewing the votes in the European Car of the Year 2020 awards, the UK journalists rated the Porsche Taycan as the best with 38 votes. The Model 3 was a close second with 35. While the 208 scored highly with French journalists, the UK contingent were more inclined to vote for the Porsche and Tesla The Tesla Model 3 was the second most-liked car of the 7th among the British voters Electric cars top the agenda What was a common theme among the results was the popularity of zero emission cars. The top four models in the European awards are either fully electric or have an electric model in the ranges. The 208, for example, is available with the choice of combustion engines and the e-208, which has an electric powertrain. The Ford Puma - What Car?'s 2020 Car of the Year - was voted fifth in the standings ahead of the British-built Toyota Corolla and BMW 1 Series. Peugeot boss Jean-Philippe Imperato described winning the award as a 'great honour'. 'We love cars, and we recoginise the Car of the Year jury is made up of experts, so we are honoured to win. It's a big surprise and a big pleasure for us,' he added. The Renault Clio came fourth in the vote. It got 42 votes from French journalists but just 11 from UK experts Fireworks and protests may dominate the second half of the Budget session of Parliament, at least in its initial days, when it starts on Monday in the backdrop of the Delhi riots that left 46 dead, over 450 injured amid massive destruction of properties. The Congress-led Opposition has announced it will mount pressure for Union home minister Amit Shahs resignation and will spare no efforts to attack the Narendra Modi government over the riots. The government, on the other hand, wants to show its intent for business as usual and has listed four bills for passage and another two for introduction in the opening day of the budget sessions second half. The second phase of the budget session is scheduled from March 2 to April 3 Government business in Lok Sabha includes the introduction of The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The Union Cabinet on January 29 approved increasing the time limit for conducting a medical abortion from the current 20 weeks to 24 weeks, and allowed the option for special categories of women that would include vulnerable women such as rape survivors, victims of incest, differently-abled and minors. The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill will also be introduced. Later in the day, the government plans to pass The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill in the Lower House. In Rajya Sabha, the government wants to pass the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill that aims to establish and incorporate Universities for teaching and research in Sanskrit. Another important legislation, The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill will also be brought for passage. The legislation aims a medical education system that improves access to quality and affordable medical education, ensures availability of adequate and high quality professionals of Indian System of Medicine. The Centre may also bring The National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill to promote high quality Homoeopathy medical professionals in the Upper House. But this elaborate legislative agenda may hit a road block as the Opposition plans to protest and bring adjournment motion on Delhi riots, demand Amit Shahs resignation. The Congress and other Opposition parties also want to target the ruling dispensation over economy and farmers plight. With all eyes on the budget session, the BJP sounded ready to take on the Opposition. Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday demanded strict action against those involved in the violence in north-east Delhi but sidestepped question on his involvement in hate speech in the Delhi election campaign. In Chandigarh, Thakur said, From Monday, Parliament session will begin, questions are raised there also from economy to various other issues and on that platform, answers will be given on various matters. Congress floor leader Adhir Chowdhury announced on Sunday that the party will strongly raise the issue of communal riots in Delhi and demand Shahs resignation over alleged police lapses. The government has miserably failed to maintain law and order. I think there must be some sort of a nexus between the rioters and a section of police officials which resulted in gruesome killings and arson that has tarnished our image across the globe. This is a matter of serious concern for us, he said. Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has already hit out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi for instigating violence and questioning the rival partys shifting policies. Senior Congress leader in Rajya Sabha, Abhishek Singhvi, added that the wanton destruction of democratic values in this country with the active approbation and, frequently, the selective Nelsonian blind eye of the government will be taken up in the strongest possible terms. The country is assured that we will discharge our responsibilities vigorously and without fear, despite extreme and illegal intrusion and harassment, Singhvi said. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has already set the tone by repeatedly demanding Shahs resignation - first in a rare press conference after a meeting of the partys working committee on Wednesday and then in her memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday it was "unacceptable" for Turkey to pressure the EU "on the backs of refugees" as thousands, some fleeing fighting in northern Syria, sought to enter the bloc. "I find it completely unacceptable that... President Erdogan and his government did not bring their dissatisfaction to us at the EU, but instead duked it out on the backs of refugees," Merkel told a Berlin press conference, while acknowledging the "additional burden" on Turkey. Meanwhile EU migration commissioner Margaritis Schinas said "no one can blackmail or intimidate the EU" at a separate Berlin event. "Each time the EU is tested as it is now, unity must prevail," Schinas added. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned he no longer feels bound by a 2016 deal to hold refugees in Turkey in exchange for billions in EU cash. "Hundreds of thousands have crossed (into the EU), soon it will reach millions," he said Monday. But the numbers remain in dispute. German's foreign ministry cited reports from the European Commission and International Organization for Migration that said between 7,000 and 13,000 people remained camped on the Turkish side. "For me the option is that we talk to Turkey so that we get back to the situation we had before, namely that Turkey fulfils its obligations with our support, even as the burden has grown," Merkel said. More intense fighting in Syria's Idlib province between Turkey and Russian-backed Syrian forces has contributed to an increase in the numbers of refugees fleeing the conflict. Search Keywords: Short link: In the first weeks of the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders was the only candidate to win big. And to win repeatedly. We won the popular vote in Iowa, we won the New Hampshire primary, and according to three networks and the A.P., we have now won the Nevada caucus! [CHEERING] In Nevada, he did it through sheer popularity by proving hed built a coalition, one made up of union workers, people with college degrees and Hispanic voters. In Iowa and New Hampshire, he did it by narrowly beating out his moderate rivals who split the majority of the vote, with the leading moderate candidate, Joe Biden, losing support and stumbling badly. The only gas that powers a candidate to the nomination is these delegates, and Sanders now has 43 of them. Thats more than his closest rival Pete Buttigieg at 26. And now you can see Sanders also has more than triple the number of delegates of most other people in this race. Down-ballot Democrats are very worried about Bernie ending up at the top of the ballot, but theres speculation that the rest of the folks the moderates and others cant get it together, and they cant stop Bernie. and the only one who could walk away from Super Tuesday, today, as the likely Democratic nominee. 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 weve won big because of you. Joe Biden offered a vision of a different coalition, this one made up of black voters, older voters and suburbanites. Joe Biden lapped the field with 48 percent of the vote, winning every single county in the state, crushing Bernie Sanders by more than a 2-1 margin, with everyone else trailing badly. Bidens big win helped him close the delegate gap considerably with Sanders. Its very close. Despite Bidens big night, the confetti could stop for him on Super Tuesday, as Sanders is much better organized and positioned to take a potentially commanding delegate lead. And so the question now is, will Sanders sweep? Or, will the moderate wing of the party coalesce around Biden, and will the voters who had left him come back in time for Super Tuesday? Its Tuesday, March 3. No ones ever going to invite me to their home after hearing this. [LAUGHS] Theyve still got a Christmas tree. So this house right behind us four beds, three baths, 2,600 square feet. Estimated price: $1.3 million. You would not be the first New Yorker to do that. To look up how much these homes sell for? We are on a residential street in Arlington, Virginia. Its a quite lovely neighborhood of colonial houses. I think its safe to say well-off. An affluent suburban community. Of course, of course. Nice to meet you. So on Sunday night I went with my colleagues Jessica Cheung and Clare Toeniskoetter to meet Brian Keane at his house in Arlington, a suburb about 15 minutes outside Washington, D.C. So cute in here. Theyve even got a fire going on. There are so many of you! So you met Tommy. And this is Julia, and this is Maddie, and this is Jack. And his dog, a yellow lab named Annie. And then we sit down in his living room. So my name is Brian Keane, and Im 52 years old. Were here in Arlington, Virginia. Tell me who you are and what you do. So Brian, like a lot of people in Arlington, used to work on Capitol Hill. His wife is a partner at a law firm that represents, among many clients, the Democratic National Committee. He now runs a nonprofit organization and a software company, both of them focused on renewable energy. We have a sense that if were going to be voting, we understand that you want to vote for somebody who can be elected, and so you dont want to kind of just say like, oh, lets just go crazy and vote for Mr. Potato Head because I think hes great, and see what happens. And you said left of center. My sense of this community is that that center word is important. That its left of center, but its not liberal liberal. I went back and looked at the 2016 primary for Arlington County and saw that Hillary Clinton won this county by a 2-to-1 ratio over Bernie Sanders. It wasnt really even close. He got 32 percent. She got twice as much, 66 percent. Whats the kind of character of peoples political identification, if you could summarize it? Sure. Its a wealthy community. And its a very well-read community, if you will. And the reason a lot of people kind of live here is because of the politics. And so they move to Washington certainly thats why I came here, because I love politics. So tell me about the politics of this community Arlington, Virginia. But in the most recent polling, which was conducted before South Carolina, Sanders is actually leading the state of Virginia with 28 percent of the vote. Joe Biden has 19 percent, and Michael Bloomberg has 17 percent, which, as you can probably gather, is not welcome news to Brian. Well, look. Lets be clear. The establishment is freaking out. The establishment is worried. Wall Street is worried. The drug companies are worried. Insurance companies are worried. When he and his friends hear Sanders going after the establishment When you say Washingtons the problem, hes probably talking about us, and thats not really well received. they hear that as him going after them. You mean it will trickle down over the whole party. I dont think, for every and I really, really think Trump is bad for America a socialist revolution is not what were asking we need. And if we have a nominee to stand up against Trump that says we need a socialist revolution, were going to lose. And we will lose our Senate. Well lose any strong candidates we have in the Senate, and we have a lot of strong candidates. I think it would be really, really bad for the party. What about as your Democratic nominee? I mean, what do you Hes just a little mean. I dont think Id like him as my neighbor. Yeah, like any industry town would be, right? So if youre going to say, the car manufacturers stink, I think Detroit would take umbrage to that. This is how you hear a lot of establishment Democrats talking right now, that a Sanders nomination would trigger a meltdown inside the party. Please tell a long story. We didnt come here for a short story. Well, I came to Washington, D.C. to go to college here at American University. And this is a long story. Can I tell my long story? You say Im a Joe guy with so much conviction that I kind of want to go back to understand what you mean by that. I love the guy, but can you win? And then in that case, its like, so I need to go with a guy thats a person whos going to win. And so now Im, like, ping-ponging back and forth of who can win, who can win, and I have to give up the guy I love, you know? So its, Ive been all over the board, though. Like it just moves so fast. And my personal thing is so interesting, though, because Ive always my heart has always been like, Im a Joe Biden guy at heart. Given what you just laid out, who do most of your neighbors tend to support in this primary? But, to summarize: Brian went to college at American University, where he was the head of an undergraduate group that brought speakers to campus, and Joe Biden was one of them. This was in 1988, and Biden had just dropped out of his first presidential run after being caught plagiarizing a speech. And then he had a brain aneurysm that he barely survived. And the guy was just great. Like its just me and Joe. And then he just says to the bartender, hey, how late are you guys open till? Last call, maybe 2 oclock. Oh, great, great. Can I borrow your phone? Yeah. So he gives him his phone, and Joe dials and he goes, hey Beau, its Dad. Im here at American University with Brian KEANE. Come on over. Get Hunter. Come on over, and lets have a beer with Brian KEANE at American University. And so, they shut the room down. So its, like, 11 oclock at night now. And he says, hey, is there like a bar around here? And so I said, well, actually, theres a tavern on campus. Hes like, oh, you got time? Lets go get a beer. They actually had to shut it down. They were like, we got to close the room. Im serious. Im serious. Im serious. Dont make me laugh. The answer is yes, I do see the possibility of uniting us so that we can win. He took every single question that was there. I dont see no leader right now of the Democratic Party whos able to unite everyone. The Southern conservatives, the Northern liberals Most of we public officials, when were about to speak somewhere, we start off and we say, Im really happy to be here. Well folks, Im happy to be here. Im happy to be anywhere in light of [LAUGHS] the last 8 or 10 months. [APPLAUSE] Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. first entered public service in 1970 when he was elected to the Council of Newcastle County excuse me in New Jer in Delaware. [LAUGHTER] Sorry. [APPLAUSE] Thank you. Good evening, and welcome to tonights program. My name is Brian F. KEANE, and I am the director of the Kennedy Political Union. Yes, right. So Im there. Im just a senior in college, Im a kid. And he shows up. He gets out of this car, and hes like my best friend. Hes like, Brian, its so great to see you! You have no idea how glad I am to see you. And Im like, Senator Biden, so nice to meet you. No, you have no idea how glad I am to meet you uh, to see you. Not meet you. You know, hes very good. Its like, in case he has met me before, hes like, so glad to see you! And it was like [GASPS], were best friends. This is amazing. And so the speech he gave for the Kennedy Political Union at A.U. was his first speech after having been driven out of the race and his aneurysm. So he shows up So the boys came over. And really, he was calling for a ride. [LAUGHS] And I was like, that was unbelievable. It was, like, the best night of my life. This is actually not the end of the story. Yeah, yeah. And that he is a Democrats Democrat to me. Partly because of the relationship you had, partly because of his politics, all of it? Yes. So Joe enters 2020, and I said, well I got to be with Joe. But I think its amazing that theres a person that can make you feel like that. Well, I said to my wife, well, I got to go with Joe. Were like best friends, you know? And shes like, you dont talk to the guy. So this time around, 2020, did you know right away? Did it feel like he was going to be your candidate? That he is the best politician. He loves people. And, actually, that is what the job is. And if you love people, youre going to do well by people. And I go, oh my God! How do you remember that? That was 1989. He goes, that was a great night, wasnt it? How are you man? Hows it going? How are you? And I said, well, are you running for president? And hes like, well, why not? Like, why not? And so we got coffee, and then we waited in line for the Amtrak. And it was unbelievable. To make this long story longer, that was 1989. So fast forward to 2007. Theres rumors that hes going to run for president. So Im taking the Amtrak, and I get to 30th Street Station and I go up the escalator. And Im like, I think, just to myself, Im like, I think thats Joe Biden over there. And theres a guy just holding the newspaper. Hes holding it up. And I said, excuse me, Mr. President. And he folds the newspaper down, and he looks at me. He looks me in the eye, and he goes, American University. michael barbaro Tell me about whats happened since then. brian keane So I love Joe. Joes my guy. But he has not been a strong candidate. I think he doesnt look good. I think hes not sounding good. And Joe Biden, who is a great guy, is playing by a rulebook that was written in 1980 maybe, 1972. And thats really concerning to me because Donald Trumps going to fillet him very quickly. I mean, were seeing these debates. Joe Bidens version of kind of hand-to-hand combat is to just say it louder, is to yell. archived recording (elizabeth warren) things that touch peoples lives. archived recording (anchor) Mayor, mayor archived recording (joe biden) I agree. Let me she referenced me. I agreed with the great job she did, and I went on the floor and got you votes. I got votes for that bill. I convinced people to vote for it, so lets get those things straight too. brian keane I kind of feel like Im walking through a nursing home and seeing an old friend, and hes just yelling at me. And its like, youre an old friend, why are you yelling? He just says it louder, you know, and its like, stop yelling. archived recording (bernie sanders) separate health care plan. archived recording Senator Klobuchar, Im going to come to you. archived recording (joe biden) My name was mentioned. archived recording Im going to come to you for 45 seconds. 45 seconds for Vice President Biden. archived recording (joe biden) Im the only guy whos not interrupted here, all right? And Im going to interrupt now. It costs $30 trillion. Lets get that straight. brian keane Its like he doesnt know how to take on his opponents without just yelling it. And he was stumbling on these words. archived recording (joe biden) I agree that everybody, once they, in fact anyway, my time is up. Im sorry. archived recording Thank you, Vice President. michael barbaro You just felt he was faltering. brian keane Yeah. michael barbaro So as youre confronting what you see as his weaknesses, youre watching these debate performances, it sounds like youre starting to flirt with other candidates around this time. And where is your eye starting to drift? brian keane To everybody, actually. And then along comes Bloomberg. And theres a guy who really does understand social media, and he has the money to understand social media. And thats really kind of cool. And on an electoral level, he really can go toe-to-toe with Trump on that and put his money behind the whole thing to win this thing. michael barbaro So when it comes to Bloomberg, for you he has this combination of values and resources. Thats the appeal. brian keane Yeah. And as such, he could win. michael barbaro And what about his candidacy so far, if anything, has given you any reservations, given you pause? brian keane That he so quickly got off message and kind of got sidetracked. michael barbaro In the debates. brian keane Yeah, in the debates. And to me, the problem there is, oh, so now youre going to go one-on-one with Trump? Maybe youre not the guy. This is a problem. This all a game-day decision for me, right? So its elections Tuesday. So, you know, can Trump destroy Bloomberg? Can he destroy Biden? Yes and yes, perhaps. Who has kind of the better heart, and I think I have that answer, because Joe is the guy. I love Joe. Who has the money to be able to do this? Bloomberg does. But Bidens victory in South Carolina, game changer for me. michael barbaro Really? brian keane Yeah. michael barbaro Why? brian keane I didnt believe he was going to be able to do that. I didnt believe him when he said, its a firewall. And the numbers are unbelievable. Its like, wow. Joe did it. So then you come back to Bloomberg, and its like, well, I dont know. michael barbaro Sounds like the thing that matters most you was just victory. Is seeing Joe Biden, this person who was faltering onstage, you didnt like the way he was presenting, suddenly seeming electable because he had won an election? brian keane No. michael barbaro No? brian keane The winning was really important, but that speech archived recording (joe biden) Thank you, thank you, thank you, South Carolina! brian keane really grabbed me. archived recording (joe biden) Let me talk directly to Democrats across America, especially those who will be voting on Super Tuesday. brian keane And it was hopeful, and it laid out an agenda. archived recording (joe biden) If Democrats want to nominate someone who will build on Obamacare, not scrap it; take on the N.R.A. and gun manufacturers, not protect them; stand up and give the poor a fighting chance and the middle class get restored, not raise their taxes and keep the promises we make, then join us. And if the Democrats want a nominee whos a Democrat [CHEERING], a lifelong Democrat, a proud Democrat, an Obama-Biden Democrat, join us. brian keane And so now, hes back. archived recording (joe biden) So heres the deal. Lets get back up. Were decent. Were brave. Were resilient people. We can believe again. Were better than this moment. Were better than this president. So get up, take back our country. This the United States of America. Theres nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together. God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you. michael barbaro So at the moment this is Sunday night, almost 9 oclock you are leaning toward Joe Biden. OK. What are the odds that you change your mind between now and Super Tuesday? brian keane Its really amazing because Im just so back and forth and back and forth every day. And every hour of every day. michael barbaro I want to talk about what Im hearing you say, because I think this is a larger question happening in Virginia on Super Tuesday and part of the reason why were here, which is that it seems like aside from defeating Trump, which is your number one priority, a big priority for you is not having Bernie Sanders be the nominee. Is that fair to say? brian keane A equals B, and B equals C. Because if my number one issue is to beat Trump, then we need the candidate who can do that. So thats really the calculus thats happening here. michael barbaro But Im hearing you waffling over these two moderate candidates, Biden and Bloomberg. And the latest polling has Sanders with close to what he had in 2016 in Arlington. Biden and Bloomberg are around 20 percent too, because theyre sharing a lot of voters. So if on Super Tuesday, Sanders sweeps a bunch of these states, and he wins in places like Virginia, it will likely have been because Biden and Bloomberg split the vote. And I wonder if youre thinking about that at all. brian keane I am thinking about that. I think every other election has been like, oh, I dont watch the polls. I just vote. I vote my heart. I vote the issues, you know? But now were all watching the polls. Were all kind of michael barbaro Gaming. brian keane The Arvind Kejriwal governments recent approval to prosecute former JNU scholars Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and eight others in a sedition case, after sitting on the Delhi Police request to do so for 13 months, has kicked up a storm. The case is linked to slogans raised at an event in JNU on 9 February 2016 and the violence that followed, which sharpened the political divide on the campus. The Left-liberal sections and their influencers appear to be particularly aghast as they were the most vociferous in supporting the AAPs victory march in Delhis Assembly polls. When crafty Kejriwal lapped it all up but sidestepped the controversial CAA-NRC-NPR and sprinkled a bit of soft Hindutva in his campaign, they hailed it as a brilliant concoction to trounce the BJP. They even sought to condone his tepid response to the recent northeast Delhi riots, pointing fingers at the Centre instead. With the sedition case nod changing their tone and some of them calling it a sellout, Left-liberals ought to blame themselves for misreading the AAP. For, Kejriwal has always been against their brand of politics. Look at his systematic purge of liberals like Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the AAP. Opportunism and political flexibility, not ideological rigidity, has been his calling card. The Delhi CMs latest strategy is to work in tandem with the BJP-ruled Centre instead of indulging in shrill confrontationlike a Naveen Patnaik, not a Mamata Banerjee. In any case, Kejriwal couldnt have refused prosecution sanction in the Kanhaiya case after recently claiming high moral ground, saying those in the wrong should be made to face the laws full force. While he said it in the context of the Delhi riots, the prosecution sanction came on the same day, indicating he did not want to let the BJP accuse him of double-speak. Also, his party corporator Tahir Hussain was arrested on that day for his alleged role in the murder of an IB staffer in the riots. While the high-voltage sedition case will now be fought in court, Kejriwal just lost some political capital, which could show up when he tries to spread his wings beyond Delhi. Photo: (Photo : REUTERS/Danny Moloshok) Kim Kardashian revealed that she took up law and is aiming to take the bar exam to become a lawyer in 2022. The reality TV star said that she decided on this matter back in 2018 and it wasn't until 2019 that she was able to have time to focus on her 4-year apprenticeship. Her decision attracted mixed reactions, some were quick to roll their eyes and stated that she only did it in order to rake in ratings for their show "Keeping up with the Kardashians." But her supporters expressed their support on her decision to pursue her dream and choosing the profession of her late father Atty. Robert Kardashian. In 2018, Kim Kardashian worked with the White House in order to plead the case for clemency on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson, she met with President Donald Trump and she said in her Vogue interview that sitting in a room with all of the powerful attorneys, judges and the President made her want to go through with the plan. Kim Kardashian on her four black kids In her Vogue interview, Kardashian talked about her four kids with rapper Kanye West and how they inspired her to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer. She said that raising four black children in today's society wherein black and brown people are being discriminated against really opened her eyes. It made her want to do more so she could save lives and she also wanted to dig into the system and correct everything that is wrong. She felt that it was her duty to herself and to her children more than the public and that she wanted to be a good role model for her children. The reality TV star said on "Good Morning America" that juggling family life and student life while studying law is not easy. She studies in the afternoons, she goes to the office and she does her extra reading and other things at home from 9 pm to 11 pm. In just two more years, she will become a lawyer, and she wanted her fans to be a part of her journey. She premiered her documentary "Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project" on April 5, 2019. Discrimination in America Every year, hundreds of African American children report discrimination and acts of racism that are often left unnoticed, and the media and police are not giving it much attention. In America, African Americans are more likely to be arrested for offenses that not heavy, while white Americans only get a slap on the wrist. Because of this, there is a disproportionate number of the prison populations. African Americans also have a higher chance of getting shot by the police than white people. The movement Black Lives Matter has been calling for justice against unfair police treatment, discrimination, and police brutality for years since 2013. And every year, they hold marches asking for equality and the fundamental reordering of society wherein people of color, especially black people, are free from any systematic dehumanization. The impact of the movement on the legal and political landscape is undeniable and with continuous support, they can achieve their ultimate goal. ALSO READ: Black Lives Matter's Shaun King Accused Of Being White In December 26, 2019 , the Georgian National Museum presented a new exhibition titled Chinese Art in the Georgian National Museum, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Peoples Republic of China, and a book on the theme by Georgian authors. Within this project, supported by the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Georgia, several exhibitions of works by Chinese painters take place in Tbilisi between December 2019 and February 2020. In recent years Chinas growing economic presence in the South Caucasus has been accompanied by developments in cultural and educational relations between China and the regional states. BACKGROUND: The growing scale of Chinese cooperation with the South Caucasus in recent years has turned Beijing into an increasingly influential force in the region. The key component of these relations is the economic interests of all parties involved. China has signed several official documents with Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on their participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Among these is Chinas free trade agreement with Georgia in 2017 the first in the post-Soviet area. Starting from a very low level ten years ago, China is now among Georgias top ten largest export partners, accounting for more than 5 percent of Georgias exports in 2018. Over 40 percent of Chinas trade with the region is conducted with Azerbaijan. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is considered one of the main components of Beijings global transportation project in the region, in which Azerbaijan participates as a key actor. Another strategically important project is Azerbaijans Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat, which China has supported with equipment on the basis of an intergovernmental grant agreement signed between Beijing and Baku. According to official Armenian data, China has been Armenias second largest trading partner for the last several years. Chinese-Armenian trade soared by nearly 50 percent, to US$ 342 million, in the first half of 2019. China has provided at least US$ 37 million in economic assistance to Armenia since 2012, and donated hundreds of public buses and ambulance vehicles to the country. Moreover, China has in recent years provided military assistance to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and sent high-level military delegations to Georgia. Chinas main soft power tools in the South Caucasus, as in the rest of world, are the Confucius institutes. Along with these, China has sponsored several humanitarian, cultural and education projects in the Southern Caucasus countries. In the South Caucasus, Sinophobe sentiments among the public are not as strong as in Central Asia, a difference likely stemming from a geographical distance from China and a low numbers of Chinese labor migrants in the three republics. However, Chinas economic activities in the region has on occasion stirred negative reactions; in 2013 the parties aligned in Georgias National Front staged a small protest against a planned free economic zone in Tbilisi owned by Chinas Hualing Industry and Trade Group. Protesters demanded that the agreement signed in 2012 between Hualing and the previous Georgian government be made public and that the new government impose restrictions on the number of Chinese workers entering Georgia. IMPLICATIONS: While the efforts China expends to exert soft power differ depending on the level of importance of any given country, its approach in this regard towards the South Caucasus countries is not qualitatively different from Beijings general soft power strategy. Chinas soft power tools consist of cultural and educational projects and technical assistance and the Confucius institutes started operating in the region in the late 2000s. The Confucius Institute at Yerevan Brusov State Linguistic University was established in 2008 and officially opened in February 2009. In 2018, China also opened a state-of-the-art school in Yerevan, in which hundreds of Armenian children will study the Chinese language in addition to subjects taught in secondary and high schools across Armenia. According to Armenian officials, the Chinese government has spent over US$ 12 million on building and equipping the school. It is designed for up to 405 students aged between 10 and 18 who will take intensive language courses taught by Chinese teachers. Izabella Muradyan, director of Yerevans Chinese Center for Science and Culture, told EurasiaNet.org that learning Chinese has become a matter of prestige now in Armenia. She added that the growing number of Armenians, particularly younger people, who learn Chinese primarily have pragmatic motives for doing so, since the Armenian political and economic elite understand the benefits of closer cooperation with China. China demonstrated its increased interest in Armenia in 2017 when it started constructing a new embassy building in Yerevan. According to Azatutyun.am, the 40,000-square-meter embassy compound will be the second largest Chinese diplomatic mission in the former Soviet Union, and the second largest embassy in Armenia after the U.S. Embassy. In Azerbaijan, the Confucius Institute at Baku State University was established in 2010 and opened in 2011. In 2012, the Institute opened a center at the Academy of Public Administration and in 2016, an additional one at Azerbaijan University of Languages. Aside from language courses and cultural projects, the Confucius Institute in Baku also conducts research on Azerbaijans participation in the implementation of the BRI. More than 70 students at the bachelors level in the regional studies specialization are studying the Chinese language at the Azerbaijan University of Languages. According to the interstate agreement, Azerbaijans Ministry of Education annually sends up to 50 students to China, and the Confucius Institute sends students from the aforementioned language courses for a one-year education program in China. Moreover, since 2003 Chinese students have been studying at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in Baku. The Confucius Institute at Tbilisi Free University was established in 2010. According to Chinas ambassador to Georgia, language courses are offered in 26 universities and secondary schools in Georgia. He noted that every year, 25 Georgian students continue their studies at Chinese universities with a scholarship paid by the Chinese government. Moreover, 20 Chinese language teachers and volunteers come to Georgia every year to teach Chinese language and culture. On February 15, 2019, the Georgian and Chinese governments signed an agreement on popularizing Chinese language studies in Georgia. The agreement will enable Georgias secondary schools to offer Chinese language lessons to students in accordance with the national curriculum standard. Yet China has not yet established its own media projects in the South Caucasus. According to Dr. Vasif Huseynov of the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations, there is no China-sponsored media outlet broadcasting in local languages in the region that projects Chinese perspectives on domestic and regional affairs. This is in striking contrast to the activities of other external actors, i.e. Russia and Western states, in the South Caucasus. CONCLUSIONS: Although Chinas soft power influences in the South Caucasus are weaker than similar approaches by other external actors, Beijing has increased its economic presence in the region in recent years. Chinas restrained and cautious strategy of first and mainly targeting elites has implied a more limited effort to influence the wider public in the region. However, as its economic involvement continues to grow, China will likely increase its cultural and educational efforts in the South Caucasus in coming years. Moreover, the elites of the three republics consider China to present an alternative to Russia and the West for economic cooperation, which does not promote its own political agenda or pose demands for participation in alliances or domestic reforms, at least for now. These circumstances also serve to place Chinas soft power in the South Caucasus in a positive light. AUTHOR'S BIO: Nurlan Aliyev is a PhD Candidate and Researcher at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies of the University of Warsaw. He received the Visegrad Fund Scholarship for 2018-2020. From 2000 to 2017, he worked as an expert at various government, non-government and international institutions. His research focuses on political and security processes in Russia and post-soviet countries, as well as asymmetric warfare threats. Image accessed 3/2/20 All Italian chartered flights to Salalah Airport have been suspended, said a report. The Public Authority for Civil Aviation, in cooperation with the competent authorities, on Sunday suspended all Italian chartered flights to Salalah International Airport from March 1 for one month," a report in Oman Observer said, citing a statement issued by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (Paca). Paca added Oman Air will continue flights between Muscat and Milan, affirming it will take all necessary measures to curb spreading of Coronavirus. Italy has reported 34 death from the Coronavirus, and almost 1,700 cases. The most affected countries after China are - South Korea (3,736 cases, 18 deaths, 586 new cases), Italy (1,694 cases, 34 deaths, 566 new cases), Iran (978 cases, 54 deaths, 385 new cases) and Japan (239 cases, 12 deaths, nine new cases), the report said. WASHINGTON A federal judge ruled on Sunday that Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II was unlawfully appointed to lead United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and that two policies he put in place that limited asylum seekers access to counsel should be nullified. The judge, Randolph D. Moss of United States District Court in Washington, said the Trump administration violated a federal law that stipulates who can fill vacant leadership positions at federal agencies when Mr. Cuccinelli was tapped in June to be the acting director of the agency that oversees legal immigration. One of the policies in question was a directive that reduced the time from 48 hours to 24 that detained migrants have to consult with lawyers before an interview with an asylum officer. The other policy prohibited asylum officers from granting migrants an extension to prepare for that interview, which is used to assess their claim of fear of returning to their home country. The statute related to Mr. Cuccinellis appointment is the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which says an official temporarily filling a cabinet-level position before Senate confirmation must be next in the line of succession by serving as the first assistant or must have worked as a senior official in the agency for at least 90 days. Mr. Cuccinelli, the former Virginia attorney general who aggressively defended Mr. Trumps immigration agenda on television in the months before his appointment, did not meet either of those requirements, according to the ruling. By Trend Azerbaijan generated 1.9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity from renewable energy sources in 2019, Director of the Energy Efficiency and Ecology Department of Azerbaijans Energy Ministry Alasgar Hasanov told Trend. Hasanov added that the total amount of electricity generated in 2019 amounted to 26.1 billion kilowatt hours in the country. "Azerbaijan has a high renewable energy potential. Thus, the potential of renewable energy sources that are economically viable and technically available in our country is estimated at 26,940 megawatts, including 3,000 megawatts of wind energy, 23,040 megawatts of solar energy, 380 megawatts of bioenergy, and 520 megawatts of mountain river hydropower," the departments director said. Hasanov noted that currently, the total production capacity of Azerbaijan is 7,556 megawatts, adding that the capacity of renewable energy power plants, including 1,276 megawatts of large hydroelectric power plants, is equal to 17 percent of the total production capacity. "During 2019, 105.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity were generated at wind farms, 44.2 million kilowatt-hours at solar power plants, and 195.9 million kilowatt-hours at a solid waste incinerator. Electricity generated from renewable sources amounted to 7.3 percent of total production. Small hydropower plants, with the total capacity of 25.3 megawatts, generated 53.6 million kilowatt hours" the director said. One and a half percent in the amount of 399.1 million kilowatt-hours of total electricity production accounted for electricity generated from renewable energy sources, the director of ecology department added. Hasanov added that the indicators show that, despite the solid wind and solar potential of Azerbaijans renewable energy, adding that the practical results in this area leave much to be desired. At the same time, most of the completed work was carried out through public investments, Hasanov said "Today, the main goal is to create a favorable investment environment for attracting business entities along with state investments in the development of this sphere. To this end, to improve the legislative framework steps are being taken as a start. The developed draft law of Azerbaijan on the use of renewable energy in the production of electricity is currently at an implementation stage," the director added. Presently, Azerbaijan is taking steps to develop alternative energy. For this purpose, the negotiations are underway with foreign companies and investors, including the companies from China, the UAE, the US and the EU. An alternative energy source is a renewable resource, it replaces traditional energy sources operating on oil, natural gas and coal, which, when burned, emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and this contributes to an increase in the greenhouse effect and global warming. C omedian Joe Lycett said he has legally changed his name to Hugo Boss in a jibe against the German luxury designer. The fashion house has been using trademark claims to target small businesses and charities who use the name "boss". Mr Lycett, 31, posted a letter on Twitter purporting to be from the UK Deed Poll Office, which committed him to "absolutely and entirely renounce, relinquish and abandon the use of my said former name". He also changed his Twitter name to Hugo Boss. Joe Lycett is protesting against the fashion house / Getty Images Mr Lycett said he would be "launching a brand new product as Hugo Boss" which will be revealed on a new series of the Channel 4 consumer rights show Joe Lycett's Got Your Back. The entertainer, who has appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Live At The Apollo, wrote: "So @HUGOBOSS (who turnover approx 2.7 billion a year) have sent cease & desist letters to a number of small businesses & charities who use the word 'BOSS' or similar, including a small brewery in Swansea costing them thousands in legal fees and rebranding. "It's clear that @HUGOBOSS HATES people using their name. Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future statements from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy." According to WalesOnline, Swansea-based Boss Brewing was left with legal fees totalling around 10,000 last year after the fashion brand sent it a cease and desist letter when the brewer tried to register its brand. In 2018, the i paper reported that a charity called DarkGirlBoss received a legal letter from Hugo Boss when it tried to trademark the name. Celebrities attend the Hugo Boss Milan Fashion Week show in February / Getty Images for Hugo Boss Founded in 1924, the fashion company - which often stylises itself as Boss, employs more than 14,000 people in 127 countries and generated sales of more than 2.7 billion euros in 2018 from its 439 stores. One week after the shock resignation of Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysia's prime minister, the country now has a new premier but some analysts said the political crisis is not over yet. Muhyiddin Yassin, former minister of home affairs under Mahathir, was sworn in as Malaysia's 8th prime minister on Sunday after emerging as a frontrunner for the top job at the end of last week. But Mahathir has claimed that he, instead of Muhyiddin, has the support of the majority in the country's 222-seat parliament. The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index fell by more than 1% on Monday morning before recouping some losses to trade about 0.3% lower. In contrast, many of its regional peers gained. "We consider Malaysia's political crisis far from over as we are dealing with yet another fragile coalition here. And this is not positive for investors and markets," Prakash Sakpal, Asia economist at Dutch bank ING, wrote in a note. The Malaysian government has for decades been made up of a coalition of political parties. Muhyiddin's party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia or Bersatu, was part of the former ruling coalition called Pakatan Harapan. Muhyiddin pulled his party out of the coalition last week after Mahathir's resignation, which resulted in the collapse of the previous government. He subsequently tied up with several parties, including the United Malaysia National Organisation or UMNO, which lost power in the 2018 general elections. The opportunists who don't want to miss out on cabinet posts might now be tempted to jump ship... Harrison Cheng Control Risks Muhyiddin was believed to have 113 members of parliament on his side, according to various local media reports, citing unnamed sources. That's more than the 112 lawmakers needed to form a government in Malaysia. But ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Mahathir who set up Bersatu with Muhyiddin said 113 members of parliament had pledged their support for him to return as premier. Some of those on Mahathir's list have denied supporting the former premier. But if the numbers hold, analysts said Mahathir could file a no-confidence motion during the next expected sitting of parliament next Monday, on March 9. "Whether Muhyiddin will face a no-confidence motion really hinges on whether the 113 MPs pledging support for Mahathir continue to stick together by then," said Harrison Cheng, associate director and lead analyst for Malaysia at consultancy Control Risks. "The opportunists who don't want to miss out on cabinet posts might now be tempted to jump ship, though Mahathir's published list of MPs could have drawn the lines such that it now makes no sense to move over, given that they have been explicitly identified as Mahathir supporters," Cheng wrote in a note. But Adib Zalkapli, a director at consultancy BowerGroupAsia's Malaysia office, said it's unlikely the speaker of parliament would allow lawmakers to vote on a no-confidence motion. "Parliament is convened primarily to transact government's business and the government decides the agenda of parliament, so it's unlikely for (Muhyiddin's) appointment to be challenged," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Monday. Instead, the closest to a no-confidence motion that the Malaysian parliament has seen is the budget bill that the government typically tables at the end of the year, he added. If that bill is not passed, the government could collapse, said Adib. Return of scandal-tarnished parties Even if Muhyiddin could hold his numbers together, it's uncertain that the new coalition government would have a smooth ride. The prime minister's own party, Bersatu, remains divided with some members publicly pledging their support for Mahathir instead. One coalition partner, the Islamist party PAS, could attempt to push for "religiously inspired policies" that would cause friction with other allies which are moderates, said Cheng. In addition, the comeback of political parties tarnished with corruption scandals would impede reforms that the previous government had started, and anger the Malaysian public who voted those parties out in the last elections. In conversations with friends, I have occasionally been asked the question, What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen? The answer is always immediate and clear for me. The stars of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, are by far the most beautiful and thought provoking of all observations. The Milky Way galaxy on a clear, moonless night in dark zones away from the light pollution of our cities, inspires deep thought and wonder. Hundreds of thousands of years ago ancient members of our species, Homo sapiens, would have gazed at the same unchanging night sky that we see now, free from the modern distractions of our cluttered planet. Polynesian navigators in waka travelling across the Pacific Ocean several centuries ago, en route from Hawaiki to Aotearoa, charted their journeys using the stars of the southern hemisphere. Contemporary astronomers using modern telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, continue to discover extraordinary new insights into the Milky Way. The galaxy consists of two disk-like structures, which we on earth view from the side. Our galaxy contains over 200 billion stars and over 100 billion planets. Planet earth, together with our sun and solar system, is on the fringes of the galaxy. What we see in the night sky is a view back to the centre of the galaxy from about 30,000 light years away. The conclusion is very clear: planet earth and its many forms of life are very insignificant in the massive context of our galaxy. Current thinking suggests that the apparently infinite expanse of space may be filled with many other universes (the multiverse hypothesis). With every new observation using improved telescopes looking deeper and deeper into seemingly empty space, it is apparent that the physical universe continues beyond detection. Therefore, perhaps the greatest unanswered question in science can now be posed: What are the physical dimensions of the universe(s)? Recent study has provided an updated age for the Milky Way galaxy at about 13 billion years. This compares to the age of our sun and planet earth (about 4.6 billion years). The first forms of life on planet earth appeared about 4.3 billion years ago and the first hominid (our early ancestors) 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago. Our species, Homo sapiens, emerged from our hominid ancestors from 200,000 to several hundred thousand years ago. A final consensus on a more precise age depends on resolving conflicting theories, which have attracted intense debate. These timelines reinforce the view of modern science regarding the relative insignificance of Homo sapiens in space and time. This contemporary realisation that we humans are not the centre or pinnacle of all existence may help us deal with critical problems now arising on our increasingly overcrowded and changing planet. Our tenure on earth will not be endless. Professor Ralph Cooney r.cooney@auckland.ac.nz (Bloomberg) -- The threat of the coronavirus went global this week, prompting Japan to shut schools, Germany and other countries to impose quarantines and sowing chaos in markets. Democratic presidential candidates face-off in South Carolina for the last primary before Super Tuesday on March 3. Former Vice President Joe Biden, no longer the front-runner, is facing an uphill climb after falling behind in the early contests and will need a blowout to keep his candidacy alive. We also take a look at the violence that exploded in India during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit and that country's construction of detention camps that could see millions of people imprisoned under new citizenship laws.We hope you enjoy these and more of our best stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads. Coronavirus Crisis Seeds Chaos in Washington and on Wall StreetIn the 24 hours after Trump assured Americans that the response to the coronavirus was well in hand, signs of disorder began to emerge from Washington to Wall Street. Drew Armstrong reports. Biden Tries to Defy History After Sinking in PollsDespite leading national Democratic primary polls for more than a year, Bidens numbers have collapsed. Paul Murray explains how, since 1980, no candidate has managed to come back from such a position. Abortion Clinics Are Getting Nickel-and-Dimed Out of BusinessAmy Hagstrom Millers clinic is on the brink. As Cynthia Koons and Rebecca Greenfield write, the de facto guardian of the pro-choice movement has won cases at the Supreme Court, but anti-abortion funders are threatening her operations with economic pressure. Johnsons Post-Brexit Spending Spree to End Era of AusterityU.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson won the biggest election victory since the days of Margaret Thatcher by wooing voters in Britains former industrial heartlands. Now hes promised to level up struggling regions with a surge in spending, Andrew Atkinson reports. As Turkey Asks for U.S. Help, Trump Befriends Its Old EnemyGreece and the U.S. completed a live-fire exercise last week as the NATO allies strengthened military cooperation. Glen Carey reports how, as neighbor Turkey asks for help over the conflict in Syria, Greece has emerged as key to the U.S. struggle for influence in the eastern Mediterranean. Millions in India Could End Up in Modis New Detention CampsIndia is building its first standalone detention center for people who dont meet new citizenship rules. Bibhudatta Pradhan takes us to the front lines of a battle that could see citizenship revoked for millions of people, stoking long-simmering religious tensions. Story continues Also, take a look at Muneeza Naqvis story on the scenes from the aftermath of the worst communal violence to hit Indias capital in nearly three decades. Coronavirus Shows Scale of Task to Fix Chinas Flawed HealthcareEven before coronavirus, China faced a monumental task to bring its healthcare system up to scratch. Now, that challenge has been highlighted after the virus exposed an over-reliance on big hospitals and shortcomings in emergency response. Japan Hits Panic Button Despite Weeks to Prepare for Virus Although Japan has had a front-row seat to the outbreak in China, it has at times appeared relaxed as the illness spread. But now, after weeks of halting preparations, the mood has changed, Gearoid Reidy and Shiho Takezawa report. One-Time Pariah That Hosted Bin Laden Now Courts Global ApprovalLed by a suspected war criminal who once hosted Osama bin Laden, Sudans reputation could only improve when its government fell. Mohammed Alamin and Samuel Gebre explain Sudans startling turnaround in rebuilding ties with the international community. And finally As the outbreak of Covid-19 cuts a deadly swath across China, tens of millions of people are struggling with isolation under quarantine. People are turning to livestreaming to experience nightclubs, gyms, and other services that usually require physical interaction, an awkward but effective stopgap to maintain contact with the outside world. To contact the author of this story: Michael Winfrey in Prague at mwinfrey@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. New Delhi, March 2 : As a showdown between the Congress and the BJP in the Lok Sabha over Delhi riots snowballed into a major scuffle with their members almost coming to blows, timely intervention by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani saved the Parliament from disgrace on the first day of the Budget session's second leg. A visibly perturbed Speaker Om Birla had to finally appeal that "all efforts should be made to maintain the dignity of the House". He also expressed his "personal pain" over the ruckus created in the House amid repeated adjournments throughout the day. Demanding resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress-led opposition had a heated argument with treasury benches. Even after the house was adjourned, members stayed in the chamber and continued heckling each other. It all started when Congress members Gaurav Gogoi and Gurjit Singh Aujla tried to raise a banner in front of BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal to prevent him from speaking, and then, a few BJP members including Ramesh Bidhuri tried to snatch away the banner from Gogoi. Some more MPs from both sides joined the tussle. As the situation came close to blows being exchanged, Irani swiftly moved from her seat and stood between the opposing sides. She was joined by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the two senior BJP leaders tried to pacify both sides. At this, Congress leader in the house, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, also rose from his seat and began pacifying party members. The House was reconvened at 4 p.m. However, this time, the female members of Congress and BJP got engaged in a scuffle. Congress member from Kerala and party's Dalit face Ramya Haridas, who was displaying a banner before the Speaker's podium, was stopped from approaching towards the treasury benches. Ramya later told IANS she was physically assaulted by BJP MP Jaskaur Meena. As women members from both sides got enraged and the scene turned a bit ugly, Irani again rushed from her seat to intervene and with folded hands, requested both Congress and BJP members to calm down and return to their seats. Parliament Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi also tried to placate all the members. The House was again adjourned for half an hour. According to a BSP member, absence of senior leaders like Nitin Gadkari, Ram Vilas Paswan or Rajnath Singh on the treasury benches and Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on opposition side led to the chaos. "But still I would say, Smriti ji saved the House today from disgrace. Seeing the rising tempers of several members, anything could have happened ..but she managed the situation," the member added. At 4.30 p.m., the Speaker requested the house to maintain dignity. He also said that after taking note of the ruckus and subsequent adjournments, the House cannot be run and adjourned it for the day. India reads the 'agreement' between the United States and the Taliban not as a treatise of 'peace' but the first step towards an exit strategy of the former. Indias reaction to the deal signed between the United States and the Taliban for peace in Afghanistan reveals more than is immediately apparent. For one, it indicates Indias discomfort with the development, portrays New Delhis determination to remain a stakeholder in Afghanistan while simultaneously exposing its lack of options in the wake of a regional development that holds crucial security and strategic implications for India. Speaking to reporters on Saturday on the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in Doha, and issuing of a parallel joint declaration between the US and Afghan governments in Kabul, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar stated: 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...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. Two points here are worth noting. One, in using the word contiguous, India is delineating clearly that it shares a border with Afghanistan. This has several implications. India is reiterating its sovereign rights over Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and formalising its role as a neighbour of Afghanistan, not just a close regional partner. In doing so, New Delhi is contesting not only Pakistans claim over PoK but also Islamabads key contention that India is an outsider in Afghanistan. Simultaneously, the statement expresses Indias determination to remain a key stakeholder and an integral partner in the war-ravaged countrys reconstruction, reconciliation and restructuring. The single word contiguous is pregnant with more meanings than just a desire to maintain strategic depth in Afghanistan. Second, India notes that various stakeholders in Afghanistan its government, democratic polity and civil society have welcomed the initiative, but it refrained from greeting the development or expressing any enthusiasm or hope. India instead issued a careful, stoic statement underlining the factors of importance that the so-called peace deal should uphold. These factors include not only Indias oft-stated policy of lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process, but also end of violence, cutting of ties with international terrorism and protecting the interests of all sections of Afghanistan society. Contrast this cautious statement with Indias vociferous backing on 20 February of Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani on his re-election in presidential polls. The Ministry of External Affairs, in an official statement, had congratulated Ghani and reiterated its support for the democratic aspirations of the people of Afghanistan and commitment for strengthening our bilateral strategic partnership in fighting the scourge of externally sponsored terrorism and for an enduring and inclusive national peace and reconciliation which is Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled. It would seem that India is deeply skeptical of the outcome of the US-Taliban peace deal, despite the fact that in sending Indian ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran to Doha as an observer to the US-Taliban peace deal, New Delhi arranged for a serving Indian diplomat to be in the same room as Taliban representatives for the first time since 2001. To interpret this as Indias endorsement of the peace deal would be a mistake, however. It was more an acceptance of inevitability and a realist interpretation of the course of history over which India has little control. New Delhis skepticism over the peace deal stems from an apprehension that the agreements signed by US representative Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar at a ceremony in Doha where US secretary of state Mike Pompeo was also present are merely the first step and not a culmination of events. India reads the agreement not as a treatise of peace but the first step towards an exit strategy of the United States. It regards withdrawal of US troops from nearly 13,000 now to 8,600 within 135 days as a statement of intent from Doland Trump administration that it is tired of fighting an 18-year-old war. Withdrawal commitment is clear: -US down to 8600 in 135 days (level at start of Trump term) -NATO/coalition numbers down in parallel -"all" out within 14 months of today -"all" defined and includes "non-diplomatic civilian personnel" which I interpret to mean intelligence 5/19 Laurel Miller (@LaurelMillerICG) February 29, 2020 The point needs to be elaborated here. India is aware of the inevitability of the turn of events, but it does not consider the inking of peace deal at Doha as a unitary moment that may lead to a lasting solution to Afghanistan conflict, bring peace to Afghan people and secure the progress achieved over the last 18 years. This lack of conviction is also apparent in the reaction of Indias foreign minister Subramanyam Jaishankar who, during an event in New Delhi, said that our message to the US is that the achievements of the last 18 years should not be lost. Speaking with former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, Jaishankar also expressed Indias apprehension that real negotiations will begin only now and it remains to be seen how cohesive are the various players, does the Taliban join the democratic set-up, or will the democratic set-up have to adjust to the Taliban...We are all watching this space, according to a report in The Hindu. Yet, India is not the only party skeptical of the peace deal. The Afghan government led by President Ghani that has been kept marginalised by the lead actors (the US and Taliban) is even more skeptical of the deal, and views the agreement as hogwash that may eventually give Taliban the space and ability to capture power by toppling the democratic government in Kabul. The Taliban certainly hasnt lost hopes of doing so even as it agreed to kickstart intra-Afghan dialogue for a power-sharing arrangement with the administration in Kabul. The footsoldiers of Taliban believe it is merely a matter of time before they take over Kabul and establish an Islamic government. Ghani is restless, and he has already rejected a key component of the peace agreement swapping prisoners with the Taliban. Under the agreement, around 5,000 Taliban prisoners will be released in exchange for 1,000 from Afghan side. The remaining prisoners will be released in three months. A day after the deal, however, the Afghanistan president told reporters that government of Afghanistan has made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners. This is just one of the many hurdles that the peace deal faces, and even takes for granted by way of escalatory steps. India has little say in shaping the realities because it remains averse to proactively interfering with the turn of events by sending boots on the ground in Afghanistan. The Ghani government wants India to consider deploying troops in Afghanistan, as the countrys National Security Advisor, Hamdullah Mohib, recently told the powers-that-be in New Delhi but India has never considered sending forces even in a peacekeeping role seriously because there is a consensus among policymakers, strategic thinkers and governments that taking such a step may trigger an escalatory mechanism bound to go out of control. Thats a strategic choice, and India must live with the consequences of that choice. It is one of the biggest players in region, an emerging superpower and a key stakeholder in Afghanistan. What happens in Afghanistan has a direct strategic bearing and holds security concerns for New Delhi, yet it remains completely at the mercy of other actors and has no other option but to ask others to be mindful of its concerns. The Taliban may have little patience with such a request. BERLIN (Reuters) - The consortium that won the bid to acquire Thyssenkrupp's elevators division wants to spend billions of euros on expanding the business, a manager at one of three partners said in remarks published on Sunday. 'The is no shortage of money for a global expansion,' Ranjan Sen, managing partner with private equity firm Advent told the Handelsblatt business daily BERLIN (Reuters) - The consortium that won the bid to acquire Thyssenkrupp's elevators division wants to spend billions of euros on expanding the business, a manager at one of three partners said in remarks published on Sunday. "The is no shortage of money for a global expansion," Ranjan Sen, managing partner with private equity firm Advent told the Handelsblatt business daily. "This could by all means amount to single-digit billions." Thyssenkrupp said on Thursday it had agreed to sell its elevators division to a consortium of Advent, Cinven and Germany's RAG foundation for 17.2 billion euros ($18.96 billion). Thyssenkrupp said it would reinvest about 1.25 billion euros to take a stake in the unit. By far the German conglomerate's most profitable business, Thyssenkrupp Elevator is the world's fourth-largest lift manufacturer behind United Technologies Corp's Otis, Switzerland's Schindler and Finnish rival Kone. ($1 = 0.9070 euros) (Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Andrew Heavens) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. [March 02, 2020] Launcher.ID Provides Clarifies Allegation of the P2P Fintech Company Name's Misuse JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Launcher.ID, a business consultancy company with a focus on market entry services for digital business, today announces its clarification on the recent press release published on February 20, 2020 by Indonesian Joint Funding Association (AFPI), for alleged profiteering of the three association members on the company's website. According to the article, AFPI stated that the Launcher.ID has misused the logo and name of the three Fintech Lending (P2P) companies and AFPI's members, Crowdo, Mekar, and PinjamDuit, into the Launcher.ID's website. The company has clearly clarified this case on December 2019. "Responding to the case of the logo and company name misuse, we have sent our response through email and direct letters to these three fintech lending (P2P) companies since December 13, 2019. We also copied the letter directly to the Financial Services Authority (OJK) as an official regulatory agency, and since then we have removed the company logo and name from our website, as well as announced the clarification statement to finalize the case," said Rahmat Adrian, Managing Director of Launcher.ID. Since the press release was pblished, Launcher.ID has also made further clarification statement to AFPI on February 22, 2020, that the case has been resolved with the consent those related P2P lending companies, at the end of 2019. "We fully understand the role of AFPI as an association that facilitates P2P companies in setting out a financial inclusion practices in Indonesia. Hence, we see that the press release published on February 20, 2020 has projected an information disclosure conducted by AFPI, as is the association's function to continuously protect and educate all their members," added Alifia Putri, one of the founders of Launcher.ID. Following the clarification, Launcher.ID has fully understood that the case was part of business practice, that required active coordination and communication among all stakeholders. Together with AFPI, Launcher.ID is now committed to continuously guide and assist the healthy ecosystem of fintech lending (P2P) industry, while providing transparency and accountability to every stakeholder. Founded in early 2019, Launcher.ID was initiated by Rahmat Adrian, Rafif Rizqullah, and Alifia Putri. The company focuses on market entry services for digital business and providing additional values for Indonesian SMEs companies to begin their business operations in Indonesia. Launcher.ID realizes that every new and pioneering company will require a lot of guidance and assistance, in terms of technical, cost, and technology. As part of the P2P lending ecosystem, on February 12, 2020, Launcher.ID has completed the P2PL Quality Improvement Socialization and Discussion held by OJK. With this participation, the company has strengthened its position to support a conducive fintech lending (P2P) ecosystem in Indonesia. Advancing the startups and SMEs' facilities in Indonesia, Launcher.ID also presents various added values in its features, including the Dedicated Dashboard that is now in underdevelopment phase. This upcoming feature will help facilitating the initial process of establishing and maintaining new company documents, such as business incorporation, sector licensing, and registration of property intellectual. Rahmat Adrian added, "We are aware that these licensing aspects are being a new challenge for startups and SMEs in running their business. By bringing technology into the process, we make the process easier to help local startups and SMEs to be globally competitive in facing the dynamic market developments." As a further commitment to help the digital business companies growing at a rapid pace, Launcher.ID has participated in Startup Factory at the 2019 Tech in Asia Conference in Jakarta on last October 2019. Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200302/2735161-1logo SOURCE Launcher.ID [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The likely decision by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to slim down their regular spring meetings in Washington in April or make them virtual over the threat of the coronavirus outbreak is both a common-sense move and terrible news at the same time. Sensible because the meetings involve almost 5,000 delegates and observers from 189 countries converging on a tightly packed two-block corner of the US capital that could inadvertently contribute to the spread of the virus. Regrettable because this is the one occasion where finance ministers and central bank governors from all states, both big and small and rich and poor, can exchange views and formulate policies for the two premier financial watchdogs to share among members. This dilemma sums up the challenge the coronavirus poses for economic policymakers. Young scientists from 101 countries are invited to the 70th anniversary of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. This was the result of the decision taken today by the Council for the Meetings to conclude the nomination and selection process. "We are pleased to inform you that the scientific review panel of the Meetings has selected you to participate in the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting taking place from 28 June to 3 July 2020 in Lindau, Germany." While the "important phone call from Stockholm" usually comes as a complete surprise to freshly selected Nobel Laureates, the young scientists have been waiting for days for this message in their mailbox. - Today the notifications of acceptance are sent from Lindau to the young researchers all over the world. Countess Bettina Bernadotte, President of the Council: "Every year it is very moving to be able to offer so many excellent students, PhD candidates and post-docs this opportunity for an exchange and for the further development of their careers. For our 70th Meeting we are particularly pleased that we were able to gain new academic partners in four countries who will send Young Scientists to Lindau this summer." In addition to almost 200 academic partners - academies of science, universities, foundations and research-based companies - once again six Nobel Laureates nominated young scientists for participation. All nominees have gone through a demanding, multi-stage selection process over the past few months: Following the nomination, they had to submit extensive documentation on their previous scientific career as a first step. On this basis a preliminary evaluation took place. For the first time this year, it was supported by Lindau Alumni who had attended the Lindau Meeting themselves in previous years. The final decision was taken by the scientific chairpersons of the 70th Lindau Meeting - this year with an interdisciplinary programme (every five years) professors from three scientific disciplines: Heiner Linke and Wolfgang Lubitz (Chemistry), Klas Karre and Stefan Kaufmann (Physiology or Medicine) as well as Lars Bergstrom and Rainer Blatt (Physics). Young scientists around the globe interested in participating in future Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings can obtain information here: http://www. lindau-nobel. org/ application-faq (application procedure from September 2020) The 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting from 27 June - 2 July 2021 will be dedicated to chemistry by rota. These young scientists will attend the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting - 660 researchers from 101 countries - 45% female, 54% male, 1% no comment - youngest participants: 18 years - Disciplines: 34% Chemistry, 16% Physiology or Medicine, 21% Biology, 29% Physics Hours after he was arrested for attacking his pregnant girlfriend, a Warren County man called the victim from prison and told her to lie to prosecutors, according to court records. It was the first in a series of calls, emails and letters that Michael Russell made or sent over the next seven months from the Easton prison to get the victim to recant and lie, prosecutors said. The calls and letters to the victim from July through Valentines Day came from Russell, his mother and others, according to court records. Russell, 37, allegedly strangled his girlfriend on July 16 in Palmer Township, police said. During the attack he grabbed her face and mouth so she could not scream for help and told the woman he was going to kill her, according to police. The attack ended when a woman came out of a nearby house and Russell let the victim up off the ground, authorities said. Russell pleaded guilty in 2015 in New Jersey to sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl three years earlier, and was sentenced to five years in prison, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Given his prior record, he faced significant prison time so he pressured his girlfriend to stop working with authorities, according to police. You know Ill go to prison and never get out, Russell reportedly told the victim. After his arrest, prosecutors said Russell went on a campaign to have the victim recant, police said. He asked her to illegally record conversations with prosecutors and court hearings, and to lie on the witness stand, police said. The campaign began with three phone calls on July 17 from the prison, police said. He made the calls despite warnings reminding him that all calls from prison are recorded. Russell arranged for the victim to send a notarized letter recanting the assault allegations to the district judge, investigators said. As the date for his preliminary hearing got closer, Russell wrote the victim a love letter" with detailed instructions on what to say if she went to court, prosecutors said. The letter was sent to Russells mother who hand delivered it the victim, investigators said. If you can cry then cry stating, Im in jail now for something I didnt do... the judge may say your (sic) facing perjury or other (expletive). Ignore it all, he allegedly wrote. The most severe thing that would happen is a fine but probably not even that. I will take care of the fine for you, if I get out. Most likely nothing will happen tho. Russell also wrote the victim should only follow the instructions IF I TELL YOU TO SHOW UP. The victim told police she wrote a letter recanting the assault accusation as per Russells instructions. In phone calls days before the hearing, the victim told Russell she worried she would be charged with perjury. No one gets charged with (expletive) perjury, Russell said in one call. The victim did not show for Russells preliminary hearing on Aug. 27, police said. Still, all the charges were sent to county court and Russell now awaits trial. The victim did show up after the hearing was over, and reportedly told an officer she was afraid to testify and perjure herself. The woman said her online research made her realize she could get in trouble if she lied under oath; Russell allegedly told the woman more than once that she would only face probation and a fine. The calls and letters from Russell to the victim continued into the new year, according to court records. In one call on Jan. 5, he tells the victim to put your (expletive) big girl panties on. You hear me? Stop being a baby" and asks if she got the letter, which she confirms she did. Russell allegedly then tried to have the victim record conversations and court proceedings in county court. Russell is charged with criminal solicitation of perjury, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice. He is being held on $37,000 bail in two cases now. His attorney, Christopher Shipman, did not immediately return a message asking about the new allegations. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Wole Olanipekun, says he did no wrong in asking the Supreme Court to review its judgement that sacked David Lyon as governor-elect of Bayelsa State. Mr Olanipekun and another senior lawyer, Afe Babalola, led the legal team that filed an application for the review of the judgment delivered on February 13. Both senior lawyers were ordered by the Supreme Court to pay N10 million each to each of the respondents for filing such an application. A five-member panel of the apex court led by Mary Odili, had on February 13, nullified the election of Mr Lyon on the grounds that his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, presented false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in aid of his qualification for the November 16 governorship election in the state. The apex court, in the judgement delivered by Ejembi Eko, consequently ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Messrs Lyon and Degi-Eremienyo. The court also ordered that INEC should immediately declare the party with the highest number of lawful votes and geographical spread the winner of the election. Delivering judgement in the said application filed by Mr Olanipekun, a seven-member panel of the apex court in a unanimous decision, led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, held that the application by the APC and Mr Lyon lacks merit and that the court lacks jurisdiction to review its own judgement. Reading the lead judgement, Justice Amina Augie said the application was an invitation for the apex court to sit in appeal on its earlier judgment in violation of the Constitution. She held that it would amount to violating the finality of its judgment if the applications were granted. She said granting the applications would open a floodgate for the review of decisions of the Supreme Court. There must be an end to litigation, she said, adding, the decision of the Supreme Court is final for ages in a matter and only legislation could change it. She said with tears in her eyes, she regretted that very senior lawyers were responsible for filing the applications. No force on earth can force the court to change its decision, she said. Apart from the award against the senior lawyers, Justice Augie further awarded the cost of N10 million each against the first, second and third applicants, to be paid to the first, second and third respondents. Lawyers reaction Reacting to the recent judgment of the apex court, Mr Olanipekun said he had done nothing wrong by asking for a review. The senior lawyer said this on Sunday, in Ikere, Ekiti State, during the donation of a 1,600-capacity church auditorium to Saint Peters Anglican Church. He further added that he would elaborate more on the ruling at the appropriate time. According to Mr Olanipekun, I have never regretted any of my actions since I started my legal practice because I always abide by the ethics of the job. The truth about the matter will be revealed soon, but I have the conviction that I have done no wrong because this is a profession I love so much. I saw the legal profession as a ministry. I am convinced and knew that what we did was within the best tradition in law. I can tell anyone about this. But I will speak about the whole thing at the appropriate time, I wont say more than that now. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and plans to endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice presidents White House bid. She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally Monday night, according to her campaign. Klobuchar was the third presidential candidate to drop out of the race in less than 49 hours, following Pete Buttigiegs departure late Sunday and Tom Steyers exit late Saturday. Their decisions reflect an urgent push among moderates to consolidate behind Biden as a counter to progressive rival Bernie Sanders. Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire. But she couldnt turn that into success elsewhere, as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in the next contests. The three-term senator had one of this cycles more memorable campaign launches, standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm last February to tout her grit and Midwestern sensibilities. Klobuchar argued that her record of getting things done in Washington and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency. She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates. But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April, starting as a front-runner and remaining there. Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely unknown mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top contender on a mix of intelligence, strong oratory and youthful optimism. Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday, saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination. He has not endorsed anyone. Klobuchar entered the race with low name recognition compared with many of her rivals, a disadvantage she was still citing a year into her campaign. Outside Minnesota, the lawyer and former prosecutor was best known for her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow teenager when both were in high school, if he ever had so much to drink that he didnt remember what happened. Kavanaugh retorted, Have you? Klobuchar continued, unruffled, and Kavanaugh later apologized to the senator, whose father is recovering from alcoholism. Even before she got into the race, Klobuchar was hit with news stories claiming she mistreated her Senate staff, and she had a higher-than-usual turnover rate in her office. Klobuchar said she is a tough boss but countered that she has several longtime employees, including the manager of her presidential campaign. She also face questions over her prosecutor past. In January, The Associated Press published a story about Klobuchars office in Minneapolis having prosecuted the case of a black teenager accused of the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl. Klobuchar has cited the story to show her toughness on crime. But an AP/APM Reports investigation uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, raising questions about whether Myon Burrell was railroaded by police. The issue followed Klobuchar on the campaign trail, with protesters forcing her to cancel a rally in suburban Minneapolis days before Super Tuesday. Klobuchar campaigned on her productivity in Washington, where she led more than 100 bills that were signed into law. And she criticized the more liberal candidates in the field, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, for running on promises she said they couldnt keep. Rather than advocate for Medicare for All, for example, Klobuchar favored expanding the Affordable Care Act and working to reduce prescription drug costs changes she said had a chance of passing and would make a significant impact. She supported making community colleges free but said she wouldnt promise to do the same for four-year colleges and universities because the U.S. cannot afford it. Ive got to tell the truth, she said during a CNN town hall at a college campus, where she acknowledged her position may be unpopular with younger voters. Klobuchar was one of the first candidates to outline a plan for addressing addiction and mental health, an issue she described as personal because of her fathers longtime struggle. Her accounts of growing up with a father suffering from alcoholism and watching him be forced to choose between prison or treatment were some of the most compelling moments of speeches, interviews and discussions with voters. Klobuchar said that her father described getting help as being pursued by grace and that its an opportunity all people fighting addiction deserve. But Klobuchar couldnt match her top competitors in fundraising. She raised about $11 million in the last quarter of 2019 roughly half of what Sanders and Buttigieg received. The lack of finances early on in the campaign meant Klobuchar wasnt able to expand her operation on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire until months after her rivals. She then scrambled to put an operation in place in Nevada, South Carolina and the 14 states that will vote on Super Tuesday. Still, there were bright spots, including strong debate performances that helped bring in new donors. Her campaign credited Klobuchars showing in a debate days before the New Hampshire primary with helping her clinch a better-than-expected third place in the states primary, topping Warren and Biden. Klobuchar said she raised $12 million in the next week. During one debate she addressed sexism in the campaign, questioning whether a woman with Buttigiegs experience would qualify for the stage. She also pushed back at fears of a female candidacy, saying, If you think a woman cant beat Donald Trump, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi does it every day. In January, she earned endorsements from The New York Times, which also endorsed Warren, and the Quad-City Times, one of Iowas largest newspapers. But Klobuchar was sidelined for much of the last few weeks before the Iowa caucuses when she along with fellow candidates Warren, Sanders and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado was stuck in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial. She continued to rack up endorsements even as her campaign struggled, getting the backing of newspapers including the Houston Chronicle, The Seattle Times and the New Hampshire Union Leader. Delhi minister Gopal Rai visited a relief camp in violence-hit northeast Delhi on Monday and assured people that more such facilities would be opened if needed. In the evening, the minister also met Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava and urged him to set up a proper system to provide information to the families of those arrested in connection with the riots, so that they did not remain "confused and clueless" about their whereabouts. He also discussed how to check rumourmongering in the wake of violence in northeast Delhi, and asked police to take necessary action against it. The labour and employment minister visited the relief camp at Mustafabad which has a capacity to accommodate 1,000 people. The relief camp was set up by the Delhi government to give shelter to the families affected in the communal violence in parts of northeast Delhi last week. There are provisions for food, water and medicines in the camp. It also has a helpdesk to facilitate processing of compensation forms by the riot victims. "We will set up more relief camps in other affected areas too if needed," Rai said. The minister said after speaking to the MLAs of Seelampur and Mustafabad, he got to know that some "innocent" persons have also been picked up by police. "Their relatives are running here and there in hospitals and police stations looking for them. We hope that this issue will be sorted out immediately. The guilty must be punished but at the same time, the innocent should not be harmed," he added. After meeting the police commissioner, Rai said that he asked the officer for reviving police station level committees having local MLAs and presence of police officers in peace committee meetings by the MLAs to boost confidence of the people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Poundland has announced that more shoppers will be able to buy frozen and chilled foods from its stores after expanding a successful trial. The value retailer said it would roll out frozen and chilled food to 60 stores in coming weeks as it moves further into grocery sales. The company added it had seen a successful trial of five 'shop-in-shops' selling products ranging from luxury yogurts to frozen fish. It said almost one-in-ten stores would benefit from the expansion, which has seen Poundland partner with frozen food specialist Fulton Foods. Poundland has announced that more shoppers will be able to buy frozen and chilled foods from its stores after expanding a successful trial. Pictured, the retailer's new frozen range. Shoppers will be able to buy frozen and chilled foods from 60 stores in coming weeks after expanding a successful trial. Pictured, shop front The expansion programme will cover a number of towns and cities in the North and Midlands, with the first stores to receive the changes in Gateshead, Hartlepool, Sunderland and Nottingham. Poundland said it expected to open the first 20 shop-in-shops by the end of this month and the other 40 by early June. Poundland managing director Barry Williams said: 'We're here to bring customers more of what they love, and frozen and chilled food is high on their list. 'It's clear from our five-store pilot that customers have given a warm welcome to our Project Ice offer that brings our promise of amazing value to more of what they buy, week-in, week-out.' The move comes months after the budget retailer announced it was ending its across-the-board 1 price pledge with the introduction of products ranging from 50p to 5 in every UK store. Pictured, the new frozen range Poundland said it expected to open the first 20 shop-in-shops by the end of this month and the other 40 by early June. Pictured, the retailer's new frozen range The move comes months after the budget retailer announced it was ending its across-the-board 1 price pledge with the introduction of products ranging from 50p to 5 in every UK store. The move followed a trial in 24 West Midlands stores, two years after introducing 2 and 5 prices in stores nationwide. It said the rollout would enable it to deliver a 'broader range of items at simple prices in three key categories - household goods, health and beauty, and grocery'. Poundland has also been at the centre of speculation regarding a possible stock market listing or sale as its troubled South African owner Steinhoff looks to reduce its heavy debt burden. The ban on demonstrations outside the Town Hall is gradually turning into a political controversy, with the opposition Congress and the JD(S) set to protest the decision in front of the BBMP council on Tuesday. While Congress members were surprisingly silent when BJP corporators moved a resolution for the ban and got it passed in the BBMP council on Saturday, opposition leader Abdul Wajid had later told reporters that he would oppose the decision. The party, however, didnt plan anything until Monday. It may finally get cracking on Tuesday. A statement released by the office of the BBMP opposition leader said that corporators, MLAs, MLCs and MPs from both the Congress and the JD(S) would take part in a massive protest in front of the BBMP council on Tuesday morning. The government will allow export of onions from March 15 in the interest of farmers, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. The decision will help boost the income of farmers, the minister said in a tweet. The government last week decided to lift nearly six-month-old ban on export of onions as prices are likely to fall sharply due to bumper rabi crop. The ban was imposed after the prices of the commodity skyrocketed. Now, onion prices have stabilised and there is bumper crop also. Expected monthly harvest in March is over 40 lakh MT compared to 28.4 lakh MT last year, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had tweeted on Wednesday. In September 2019, the government banned onion exports and also imposed a MEP of USD 850 per tonne. The move came after prices started skyrocketing due to supply-demand mismatch. There was shortage of onion as kharif crop was adversely affected due to excess rains and floods in key producing states, including Maharashtra. Currently, the arrival of rabi (winter) crop of onion has begun in small quantities and would increase from mid-March onwards. Exports of onion are expected to arrest sharp the fall in domestic prices. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The endangered pangolin may be the missing link between bats and humans in spreading coronavirus, Chinese researchers disclose. Bats had been recognized as one of the carriers of coronavirus after a genetic analysis reveal that the strain of the virus that is spreading among humans was 96% identical to that found in bats. However, scientists believe that the disease did not jump straight from bats to humans. Arnaud Fontanet of the France Pasteur Institute deems that there is an animal that is an intermediary between bats and humans. Several studies reveal that the bat-borne virus lacks the necessary hardware to latch onto human cell receptors. Which animal that links between humans and bats, however, is still unknown. Fontanet infers that the intermediary was 'probably a mammal', possibly belonging to the badger family. Scientists at the South China Agricultural University tested more than 1,000 samples from wild animals and learned that the genome sequences of viruses in pangolins to be 99% identical to those on coronavirus patients. Other experts expressed their caution, saying such findings are not scientific evidence. James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge said that although investigations into animal reservoirs are imperative, the results of the said study must be published for international scrutiny. He added that 'simply reporting detection of viral RNA with sequence similarity of more than 99% is not sufficient'. To positively identify the 'missing link', each species that was on sale at the market needs to be tested. However, this may seem impossible because the market is now permanently closed. Martine Peeters, a virologist at France's Institute for Research and Development (IRD) relate that during the Ebola Research, thousands of bat dropping from several sites in Africa were collected to confirm that the bat was the carrier of the disease. Peeters who also believe that this is the case may be similar as part of the team that identified the host animal of the Ebola virus. Although it may be too late to name the carrier for this particular outbreaks, identifying the 'carrier' of the novel coronavirus is crucial in preventing imminent epidemics. Calls for More Radical Measures to Stop Wildlife Trade Fontanet describes the spread of coronavirus as the "latest example of the potentially disastrous consequence of humans consuming virus-carrying wild animals". He added that China needs to take radical measures to stop wildlife trade in China. In 2003, the SARs outbreak which involved a different strain of coronavirus was transmitted to humans by the civet, a mammal which is a delicacy in China. During the Sars epidemic, the sale of civet was outlawed. China has declared an immediate and comprehensive ban on the trade of wild animals last February 24 when the outbreak has affected 31,000 and claimed 630 lives worldwide. Francois Renaud, a researcher at the Paris-based National Center for Scientific Research noted that each time an outbreak happens, efforts are done to stop the trade, but once it's already in control, 'we await the next one'. He recommends that there is a need to become proactive in seeing the epidemics before it happens. A watchlist compiling all animals that could potentially transmit viruses to humans must also be done. The upcoming talks between Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that is expected to be held in Moscow are not promising to be smooth but the presidents reiterate their commitment to the Sochi agreements on peace settlement in Syria, Putins press secretary Dmitry Peskov said. "Yes, it (the meeting) will take place in Moscow on March 5 or 6. We hope. It is being prepared now," he said in an interview with the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin program on the Rossiya-1 television channel. "Obviously, it will not be an easy meeting but the heads of state after all reiterate their determination to settle the situation in Idlib and their commitment to the Sochi agreements. It is important," TASS cited Peskov as saying. According to the spokesman, the two leaders will exchange views "on how the Sochi agreements are being implemented." Dear Editor, Fifty years ago, I fought the Vietnam War from the flight deck of the USS America, operating in the Tonkin Gulf. I lost hearing working among the jet engines. After examination at VA in Albany, I received my benefit letter. Determination: Acoustic trauma, service connected. My award was calculated as 0 percent. Yes, zero. No benefit. I was suffering from diabetes; my doctor prescribed Invokana. I sent a script to the VA and never got meds. I asked, Where is my medicine? Their response: Too expensive, we will not fill prescriptions for Invokana. I have to go private and pay a $179 co-pay. We fought for years to get the VA to admit that Agent Orange wafted into the (Tonkin) gulf and affected the sailors on these ships. Ten years ago, we started a lawsuit that made it to the Supreme Court. In January 2019, the court found in our favor. Congress passed the Blue Water Navy Act of 2019 and demanded the VA approve our claims and pay our benefits. Benefits were to start January 2020. But the VA figured out a loophole: It determined that the carriers were operating outside an imaginary 12-mile limit from shore. And so the VA has determined that the thousands of men on the carriers will be excluded from the benefits of the Blue Water Navy Act and will not be awarded compensation. We appealed to Congress and it refused to allow the carriers to be included. Robert Carroll Aviation Electronics Mate Attack Squadron 82 Arkville, N.Y. [March 02, 2020] VMware Partner Connect Launches to Deliver Simplified Engagement With VMware Based on Partners' Business Models VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today launched VMware Partner Connect, the new, dramatically simplified and flexible program designed to enable partners to do business with VMware in a way that aligns with their business models. VMware Partner Connect empowers partners with flexibility to meet customers' needs, making VMware technologies and services opportunities more accessible. Partners now have an enhanced experience that delivers simplicity, choice and innovation, and recognizes and rewards partners based on the value they bring to customers. "VMware Partner Connect reimagines the way we do business with and for our partners, helping them drive differentiated customer success and digital transformation," said Jenni Flinders, vice president and worldwide channel chief, VMware. "We designed Partner Connect with our customers in mind, and the idea that they should feel confident when choosing to go with a VMware partner. And this is just the beginning, as Partner Connect continues to evolve to deliver new and better ways for our partners to grow their businesses." VMware Partner Connect now offers three tiers: Partner, Advanced Partner, and Principal Partner. Hundreds of partners have been designated Principal Partners at today's launch. These partners can help customers identify and implement ideal VMware solutions, as evidenced by achievement of Master Services Competencies across different strategic IT priorities. These Principal Partners also earn comprehensive rewards, including deployment and consumption incentives and prioritization for collaborative business planning and co-selling opportunities with VMware. Starting today, VMware partners can find support, resources and education at https://www.vmware.com/go/partner-connect. Enhancements include: an Incentives and Development Funds portal, which provides enhanced dashboards and improved visibility for partners to track their activity with VMware, a new VMware Learning Zone, which provides a wide variety of content, including the ability to customize learning plans based o individual partner preferences, and an overall improved partner experience. Additional Resources Support for VMware Partner Connect for Principal Partners: https://www.vmware.com/company/news/updates/vmware-partner-connect-support-2020.html Register for today's Partner Connect Virtual Event to learn more: https://www.vmware.com/partner-connect-live-geo.html VMware EMPOWER, VMware's elite partner training event: Dallas, April 20-23: https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower/empower-us.html Lisbon, April 27-30: https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower-europe/home.html Asia: https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower-asia/en.html Follow @VMware_Partners on Twitter (News - Alert): https://twitter.com/VMware_Partners About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert), California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html VMware, Carbon Black, Pivotal, VeloCloud, and VMware EMPOWER are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005027/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] At just about every campaign stop Joe Biden is approached by folks who face a crisis in their lives. He unfailingly provides sympathetic understanding, speaking openly about his own personal tragedies. My heart breaks each time I hear Biden recount the deaths of his wife and daughter in a 1972 car crash, followed by the blow in 2015 when he lost his son Beau to cancer. My spirits soar when he explains how he rallied after promising his dying son he would not withdraw from public service. He knew I would take care of the family, Biden says with eyes moist, but he worried what I would do is I would pull back and go into a shell and not do all the things Ive done before. It took me a long time to get to the point to realize that that purpose is the thing that would save me. And it has. This years Democratic candidates have many compelling qualities, but none can match Joe Bidens empathy for those who are in pain. If a more serious health crisis were to develop, he would be the man to whom many voters would turn. By Trend The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry congratulates the Iranian government on the successful holding of parliamentary elections, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva told reporters in Baku, Trend reports on March 2. We believe that close cooperation between the two countries will continue, the spokesperson added. The 11th parliamentary elections were held in Iran on Feb. 21, 2020. According to the statistics, 24.5 million out of 57.9 million Iranians, who were eligible to vote, used their suffrage in the elections. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Intuit Inc. today announced a new agreement with Visa to strengthen their propositions for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) customers in India. Intuit's QuickBooks Online is the world's leading financial management solution for small businesses and accountants, used by over 4.5 million customers. The strategic relationship with Visa is going to be the first of its kind for Intuit QuickBooks in India. It is an outcome of Intuit's global strategy to form strategic relationships with leading financial institutions worldwide and Visa's strategy to build an ecosystem that enables even more convenience, control and cost-savings for SMEs in India. Intuit QuickBooks will collaborate with Visa to develop joint value propositions and thought leadership in the SME space. As an immediate result of this collaboration in India, Visa cardholders will be able to subscribe to Intuit QuickBooks and use its features like anytime, anywhere access to data, GST compliance, expense management, automated bank reconciliation, document management and many more. Intuit QuickBooks also enables small businesses to collaborate with their Chartered Accountants in real-time. This will result in superior user experience while also being more durable and secure. The new agreement builds upon an existing relationship between Intuit QuickBooks and Visa in the United States, announced in October 2019. Under the existing agreement, Intuit QuickBooks announced a new feature called Instant Deposit, which enables real-time disbursements for small owners using QuickBooks Payments into their bank accounts through an eligible card using Visa Direct, Visa's real-time push payments solution. "This is an important strategic relationship for us in India. We are delighted to be collaborating with Visa which apart from being the world's leading card network, is known for its technology innovations and innovative value propositions for SMBs. As cloud-based accounting is gaining tremendous traction in India, we hope to catalyse this trend further through this relationship," said Aditi Puri Batra, Country Manager, Intuit QuickBooks India, announcing the extended relationship with Visa. "SMEs in India seek not just innovative solutions for their businesses but distribution access, network strengths and ways to automate payments. We are glad to extend our existing collaboration with Intuit QuickBooks in the United States to India and bring Visa's world-class commercial solutions to small businesses and drive growth for the segment," said TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, India, and South Asia, Visa. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Ofeliya Afandiyeva The volume of Azerbaijans exports exceeded $19.6 billion in 2019, which is 0.8 percent higher than in 2018, Yusif Abdullayev, acting president of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) told local media. Abdullayev made the remarks while speaking about the measures to promote the brand Made in Azerbaijan during the press conference on the activities of Azerbaijani Export and Investment Promotion Fund (AZPROMO) in the Baku Convention Center on March 2. The acting president stated that income from exports of oil and gas products amounted to $17.6 billion, and non-oil products - $1.9 billion. Export missions to 33 countries have been organized by Azerbaijan so far. Nine of them were created in 2019 and covered the countries such as China, Poland, Latvia, Qatar, Switzerland, Russia, and UAE, Abdullayev mentioned. In addition, he addressed that AZPROMO plans to organize export missions from Azerbaijan to Russia, China, Lithuania and Croatia by the end of the current year. Abdullayev added that the export mission, which is due to be launched in China in March this year, has been postponed. Azpromos mission is to attract potential buyers of Azerbaijani products from European countries, including Hungary, Croatia and Germany. Touching upon launching of new trade houses abroad Abdullayev said: This year, the Kazakh Trade House will be officially opened in Nur-Sultan city. The Trading House operates but has not been officially opened. In addition, there are proposals to open new trade houses in Russia and the Gulf countries, which are under consideration. AZPROMO provided support for the signing of export contracts in the amount of $ 9.935 million 2019, Abdullayev said, adding that over the past four years, about $17 million were directed to export promotion. Furthermore, Abdullayev also mentioned that AZPROMO held 188 events and bilateral meetings in 2019. Some 48 of these events were organized abroad and 140 in Azerbaijan. As for business forums, he stated that 22 business forums were held last year, which 5 of them organized abroad. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Heart wrenching footage captures the moment a wildcat struggles to breathe as it tries to free itself from the grips of a boa constrictor before being rescued by locals. The incident took place in the town of Las Lajitas, Salta, in north west Argentina, when two men spotted the animals battling it out in the middle of the road. With the wild cat clearly in need of saving, the locals swooped in attempting to release it from the boa's grip. In the video, the snake can be seen coiled around the jaguarundi, a small wild cat, in the middle of a dirt road. The cat can be heard yelping as it works to try to free itself from the snake's coils. Sole Rojas, a forest ranger who shared the video, said: 'Between two people they managed to unwrap the boa and release the animal. 'It is always a risk, [but] people in the area know how to manipulate wild animals and this boa is not venomous'. The incident took place in the town of Las Lajitas, Salta, in north west Argentina, when two men spotted the animals battling it out in the middle of the road In the video, the snake can be seen coiled around the jaguarundi, a small wild cat, in the middle of a dirt road Adding that four people had to be drafted in to complete the rescue operation and separate the two animals. The feline was reportedly freed from the snake's coils. Rojas said that there are three national parks in the area from where the animals could have ventured from, including the National Park of El Rey (The King), the national reservoir of Pizarro and the natural park of Los Palmares. The jaguarundi is found from southern Texas and coastal Mexico in the north to as far south as northern Argentina. The cat can be heard struggling to breathe as it works to try to free itself from the snake's coils Struggle: Between two people they managed to unwrap the boa and release the animal, with four people total involved in the rescue mission Males can grow up to 32 inches long and females up to 26 inches. It is prohibited to hunt the animals in Argentina and they are often targeted by farmers as they are known to hunt livestock. The boa constrictor occidentalis is considered a threatened subspecies due to strong hunting and capture pressures for both its skin and for the pet trade. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global demand for dural graft is expected to grow significantly, owing to rising burden of neurosurgical diseases leading to increasing cranial and spinal duraplasty, and rapid technological advancements in dural graft products. Moreover, increasing the global neurosurgical workforce, extensive clinical research, and increasing demand for CNS dural repair are responsible for increasing the adoption of dural graft products. For instance, in 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that, there were 33,193 neurosurgeons worldwide, including trainees. In 2015, this number rose to approximately 49,940 neurosurgeons, with a 4% total growth, worldwide. Persistence Market Research predicts that, the global dural graft market will exhibit a 6% CAGR during the forecast period (2019-2029). To Remain Ahead Of Your Competitors, Request for a Sample Here @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/25285 Key Takeaways of Dural Graft Market Study By product type, synthetic dural graft along with xenogeneic dural graft are expected to gain traction during the forecast period. Technological advancements in material science of dural graft products in North America and Europe are expected to contribute to the significant dominance of these regions during the forecast period. Brain and spine tumor applications are expected to hold more than 50% share in the global dural graft market. share in the global dural graft market. Synthetic polymer material is expected to gain significant traction and experience 2X demand by 2029. demand by 2029. Leading dural graft manufacturing companies are partnering with innovative product developers and specialized distributors to strengthen their market position. Rising healthcare expenditure and increasing neurosurgeon workforce density in East Asia are expected to offer significant opportunities for market growth. Increasing scientific evidence from industry-led clinical trials and technological advancements in dural graft products are expected to support the significant adoption of synthetic nanofibrous dural grafts. says a PMR analyst. For Critical Insights on the Market, Request For Methodology Here @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/25285 Brain and Spinal Tumor Application Dominating Dural Graft Market Prevalence of CNS tumors due to neurological conditions is growing rapidly. Chiari malformation and spinal cord tumor-related neurosurgical procedures requiring dural grafts for surgeries are becoming more frequent. Growing risk of such neurological conditions demands neurosurgical procedures along with duraplasty for effective and safe treatment outcomes. For instance, in 2018, more than 50% of dural grafts were used in cranial and spine tumor operations. This high proportion is estimated to continue in the future. What Does the Report Cover? Persistence Market Research offers a unique perspective and actionable insights on the dural graft market in its latest study, presenting historical demand assessment from 2014-2018 and projections for 2019-2029, on the basis of product type (xenogeneic dural graft, synthetic dural graft, autologous dural graft, and allogeneic dural graft), application (brain and spine tumor, traumatic brain and spine injury, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation, cerebrovascular accident, epilepsy, and others), material (bovine pericardium, autologous pericardium, synthetic polymers, ligamentum nuchae, and others), and end user (hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, trauma centers, and clinics), across seven key regions. For In-Depth Competitive Analysis, Buy Now @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/25285 Companies covered in Dural Graft Market Report Cook Medical. Integra Lifesciences Corporation B Braun Cousin Biotech, Natus Medical Incorporated Tissuemed Ltd, Vostra GmbH Stryker Corporation Medtronic Plc. Johnson & Johnson, Aesculap, Inc. Baxter International Inc More About the Report Unprecedented access to a world of information has given rise to the empowered, albeit distrustful, consumer. So is the case with healthcare, where the patient has been rendered more informed and conscientious thanks to the extraordinary penetration of the Internet. The discerning patient now demands more affordable, sophisticated, transparent, and personalized healthcare services, creating the need for new models for care. The advent of health information technology (HIT) components such as electronic health records (EHR), hospital information systems (HIS), picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), and vendor-neutral archives (VNA) has had just as transformational an impact on the overall healthcare sector as the concerns regarding security and privacy. Data theft, undue access to personal health records, and cyber-attacks are very real threats that the healthcare sector faces today. Explore Extensive Coverage of PMR`s Life Sciences & Transformational Health Landscape Animal Healthcare Market According to a report published by Persistence Market Research (PMR), the global animal healthcare market is expected to witness a CAGR of 4.8% from 2017 to 2025. In 2017, the market was worth US$ 30,744.2 Mn and is estimated to rise to a valuation of US$ 44,847.2 Mn by the end of 2025. Dental Implants Market According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Dental Implants Asia Pacific to Witness Fastest Growth by 2020, the global Dental implants market was valued at USD 4,508.9 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.7% from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 7,879.5 million in 2020. Globally, rising aging population has increases the demand for dental implants in the market. As a result, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 9.7% from 2014 2020. Bioinformatics Market According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Bioinformatics Asia to Witness Fastest Growth by 2020, the global bioinformatics market was valued at USD 4,110.6 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.4% from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 12,542.4 million in 2020. Globally, rising R&D expenditures and a rising number of research activities have increased the demand for bioinformatics in the market. As a result, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 20.4% from 2014 2020. Hospital Beds Market According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Hospital Beds: Asia to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global hospital beds market was valued at USD 5,254.2 million in 2014 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 6,731.8 million by 2020. Cleanroom Technology Market According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research titled Global Market Study on Cleanroom Technology : Consumables to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global cleanroom technology market was valued at USD 3,156.0 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2 % from 2014 to 2020 to reach an estimated value of USD 4,290.1 million by 2020. About us: Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes. Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMR's collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset. Contact us: 305 Broadway, 7th Floor New York City, NY 10007 United States Ph.no. + 1-646-568-7751 E-mail id- sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Website: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com 02.03.2020 LISTEN This informative publication is not meant to insult, but to educate Ghanaians. Would it not have been better if I had titled it, Most Ghanaians act before they think? I know from long time ago, the advice, Look before you leap But why do most Ghanaians leap before they look? I am no exemption from this attitude of Ghanaians. Nonetheless, I am changing for the better. This publication is mostly about the reaction of Ghanaians to the revelation by the Auditor General, Mr Daniel Yao Domelevo, about some NPP Members of Parliament availing themselves of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) scholarship. As soon a performance audit report by the Auditor-General on the administration of scholarships by GETFund was released (understandably having left out some other beneficiaries from the NDC camp, and making it appear as though the NPP guys availed themselves of the scholarship under the current NPP government, for reasons only best known to himself), many Ghanaians jumped into conclusions. Both the highly educated ones from different professional backgrounds, the less educated ones and the totally illiterate ones without any formal education, made their voices heard loud and clear. They did not bother to think to make any little search into why and how those MPs came to enjoy the scholarship, how many MPs in total and from which political backgrounds or how many supposedly already rich people had availed themselves of the scholarship and for what reasons. Then again, none of them cared to find out the detail rules set out for the award of the scholarship to qualifying candidates and who qualify for it except all we know, superficially, is that the GETFund is set up for needy but brilliant students in Ghana. Anyway, who is a student? A student is defined by the Cambridge dictionary as a person who is learning at a college or university and by Dictionary.com as a person following a course of study, as in a school, college, university, etc. Is there a cut off period or age when one ceases to become a student even when studying in a tertiary institution? What again is a tertiary institution? A tertiary institution is defined as A university or other tertiary education provider recognised by the Employer which offers Degrees, Diplomas or teacher education courses Therefore, could the beneficiary MPs gone to study in Universities abroad, regardless of the duration of their courses, be at that moment classified as students? And if yes, could they legally qualify for the scholarship when applied for? Before I proceed any further, let us pause to familiarise ourselves with the reasons for setting up the fund. The GETFund was established on 25th August, 2000 when ACT 581 which established it received Presidential Assent. The Fund started operation in 2001. Object of the Fund 2. (1) The object of the Fund is to provide finance to supplement the provision of the education at all levels by Government (2) For the purposes of attaining this object, the monies from the Fund are to be expended as follows: (a) to provide financial support to the agencies and institutions under the Ministry of Education, through the Ministry, for the development and maintenance of essential academic facilities and infrastructure in public educational institutions, particularly, in tertiary institutions; (b) to provide supplementary funding to the Scholarship Secretariat for the grant of scholarships of gifted but needy students for studies in the second-cycle and accredited tertiary institutions in Ghana; to contribute monies from the Fund towards the operation of student loans schemes for students in accredited tertiary institutions through loan scheme mechanisms and agencies, approved by the Minister; (d) to provide through the National Council of Tertiary Education, grants to tertiary institutions, (i) to train brilliant students as members of faculties; (ii) to undertake research and other academic programmes of relevance to national development; and (e) to provide monies to support such other educational activities and programmes for the promotion of education as the Minister in consultation with the Board may determine. I leave it to the public to study the Object of the Fund to tell if the named MPs had not qualified for the scholarship under one or two of the specifications. In the United Kingdom, Child Benefit was awarded to every child from every family in equal amount per week regardless of the financial background of their parents. If a needy parents child gets 10.00 a week, so does a billionaire or a millionaires child gets. The law was to give every child born or brought into Britain that amount per week. All the rich families were receiving the money for their children because the money was understood to be for the child. However, the Child Tax Credit was means-tested, thus, what a child of a needy parents got was higher than that received by a child of rich parent-background. It was awarded to the children taking into account their parents gross annual income. With this, a single child whose parents earned say 10,000 a year could get say 3,000 a year whereas the one whose parents were on 90,000 got nothing. That was the law until the Universal Tax Credit took over. Could you blame the billionaire for being greedy by accepting the obligatory Child Benefit? The billionaire must first accept it and if he would donate it to a charity, then it is his own choice. The law is the law. Again, coming close to home, does the law for registering oneself onto, and benefiting from, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), discriminate against the rich in Ghana? Is it not their choice to register as the law grants them the right? Will you accuse a rich man of being greedy for registering with the NHIS instead of going for private medical care because he has the abundant means to pay for his healthcare cost? Does the law not say any Ghanaian or anyone living in Ghana has the right to register with the NHIS to access the public healthcare free or almost free of charge? If we were all to ensure that the law prevails as it is written, without always seeking to temper justice with mercy, thus seeking to consider the individual and societal needs of forgiveness in order to soften our need for justice, there would be less lawlessness and corruption in Ghana. There must be no question of morality raised to negate the power of the application of the law to soften it. Some people have been saying the MPs were greedy to have sought and accepted the GETFund scholarship because they had the means to afford the cost of their studies themselves. If the law permitted them to seek and be granted the scholarship, what evil have they committed? Do you accuse the UK billionaire for accepting the weekly 10.00 Child Benefit for their child? Do you accuse one for obeying the laws? What will you do then when one disobeys the law? Please Ghanaians, let us be quick to think analytically before we react or else, we shall very often be making mockery of ourselves. If there was any law or rules broken in the award of the GETFund scholarship to the MPs, then the administrators of the GETFund are those to be held responsible for not knowing what they were doing to have wrongly awarded the MPs the scholarship. Stay tuned for the Part II of the same heading. Rockson Adofo Monday, 2 March 2020 Guwahati, March 2 : Seven students, who appeared in the Assam board's Class 10 examinations, were detained for allegedly raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl in Assam's Biswanath district, police said on Monday. "The girl, with multiple injuries in her body, was found hanging from a tree in Chakla village under Gohpur police station on Saturday. The crime might have occurred on Friday," a police official said. He said that following a complaint of an uncle of the victim, police detained the seven students, all of whom had appeared for High School Leaving Certificate exams. As all the accused are juvenile, following a local court order, they were now lodged in an observation home. The girl's uncle told the media and the police that after an examination, the boys had called the girl to a house on the pretext of holding a party and subsequently raped her. Police and victim's family suspected that the girl was hanged from a tree in a forest after the mass rape by the accused. The police said they were awaiting the autopsy report to ascertain whether the girl was raped. After the recovery of the girl's body, the boys had been absconding but the police were able to apprehended them from different places of the district on Saturday. A large number of agitated people assembled in front of the Gohpur police station and demanded that the detained boys be handed over to them. By Craig Murray March 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - In Thursdays separate hearing on allowing Assange out of the armoured box to sit with his legal team, I witnessed directly that Baraitsers ruling against Assange was brought by her into court BEFORE she heard defence counsel put the arguments, and delivered by her entirely unchanged. I might start by explaining to you my position in the public gallery vis a vis the judge. All week I deliberately sat in the front, right hand seat. The gallery looks out through an armoured glass window at a height of about seven feet above the courtroom. It runs down one side of the court, and the extreme right hand end of the public gallery is above the judges bench, which sits below perpendicular to it. Remarkably therefore from the right hand seats of the public gallery you have an uninterrupted view of the top of the whole of the judges bench, and can see all the judges papers and computer screen. Mark Summers QC outlined that in the case of Belousov vs Russia the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg ruled against the state of Russia because Belousov had been tried in a glass cage practically identical in construction and in position in court to that in which Assange now was. It hindered his participation in the trial and his free access to counsel, and deprived him of human dignity as a defendant. Summers continued that it was normal practice for certain categories of unconvicted prisoners to be released from the dock to sit with their lawyers. The court had psychiatric reports on Assanges extreme clinical depression, and in fact the UK Department of Justices best practice guide for courts stated that vulnerable people should be released to sit alongside their lawyers. Special treatment was not being requested for Assange he was asking to be treated as any other vulnerable person. The defence was impeded by their inability to communicate confidentially with their client during proceedings. In the next stage of trial, where witnesses were being examined, timely communication was essential. Furthermore they could only talk with him through the slit in the glass within the hearing of the private company security officers who were guarding him (it was clarified they were Serco, not Group 4 as Baraitser had said the previous day), and in the presence of microphones. Baraitser became ill-tempered at this point and spoke with a real edge to her voice. Who are those people behind you in the back row? she asked Summers sarcastically a question to which she very well knew the answer. Summers replied that they were part of the defence legal team. Baraitser said that Assange could contact them if he had a point to pass on. Summers replied that there was an aisle and a low wall between the glass box and their position, and all Assange could see over the wall was the top of the back of their heads. Baraitser said she had seen Assange call out. Summers said yelling across the courtroom was neither confidential nor satisfactory. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter I have now been advised it is definitely an offence to publish the picture of Julian in his glass box, even though I didnt take it and it is absolutely all over the internet. Also worth noting that I am back home in my own country, Scotland, where my blog is based, and neither is within the jurisdiction of the English court. But I am anxious not to give them any excuse to ban me from the court hearing, so I have removed it but you can see it here. This is the photo taken illegally (not by me) of Assange in the court. If you look carefully, you can see there is a passageway and a low wooden wall between him and the back row of lawyers. You can see one of the two Serco prison officers guarding him inside the box. Baraitser said Assange could pass notes, and she had witnessed notes being passed by him. Summers replied that the court officers had now banned the passing of notes. Baraitser said they could take this up with Serco, it was a matter for the prison authorities. Summers asserted that, contrary to Baraitsers statement the previous day, she did indeed have jurisdiction on the matter of releasing Assange from the dock. Baraitser intervened to say that she now accepted that. Summers then said that he had produced a number of authorities to show that Baraitser had also been wrong to say that to be in custody could only mean to be in the dock. You could be in custody anywhere within the precincts of the court, or indeed outside. Baraitser became very annoyed by this and stated she had only said that delivery to the custody of the court must equal delivery to the dock. To which Summers replied memorably, now very cross Well, thats wrong too, and has been wrong these last eight years. Drawing argument to a close, Baraitser gave her judgement on this issue. Now the interesting thing is this, and I am a direct eyewitness. She read out her judgement, which was several pages long and handwritten. She had brought it with her into court in a bundle, and she made no amendments to it. She had written out her judgement before she heard Mark Summers speak at all. Her key points were that Assange was able to communicate to his lawyers by shouting out from the box. She had seen him pass notes. She was willing to adjourn the court at any time for Assange to go down with his lawyers for discussions in the cells, and if that extended the length of the hearing from three to six weeks, it could take as long as required. Baraitser stated that none of the psychiatric reports she had before her stated that it was necessary for Assange to leave the armoured dock. As none of the psychiarists had been asked that question and very probably none knew anything about courtroom layout that is scarcely surprising I have been wondering why it is so essential to the British government to keep Assange in that box, unable to hear proceedings or instruct his lawyers in reaction to evidence, even when counsel for the US Government stated they had no objection to Assange sitting in the well of the court. The answer lies in the psychiatric assessment of Assange given to the court by the extremely distinguished Professor Michael Kopelman (who is familiar to everyone who has read Murder in Samarkand): Mr Assange shows virtually all the risk factors which researchers from Oxford have described in prisoners who either suicide or make lethal attempts. I am as confident as a psychiatrist can ever be that, if extradition to the United States were to become imminent, Mr Assange would find a way of suiciding. The fact that Kopelman does not, as Baraitser said, specifically state that the armoured glass box is bad for Assange reflects nothing other than the fact he was not asked that question. Any human being with the slightest decency would be able to draw the inference. Baraitsers narrow point that no psychiatrist had specifically stated he should be released from the armoured box is breathtakingly callous, dishonest and inhumane. Almost certainly no psychiatrist had conceived she would determine on enforcing such torture. So why is Baraitser doing it? I believe that the Hannibal Lecter style confinement of Assange, this intellectual computer geek, which has no rational basis at all, is a deliberate attempt to drive Julian to suicide. The maximum security anti-terrorist court is physically within the fortress compound that houses the maximum security prison. He is brought handcuffed and under heavy escort to and from his solitary cell to the armoured dock via an underground tunnel. In these circumstances, what possible need is there for him to be strip and cavity searched continually? Why is he not permitted to have his court papers? Most telling for me was the fact he is not permitted to shake hands or touch his lawyers through the slit in the armoured box. They are relentlessly enforcing the systematic denial of any basic human comfort, like the touch of a friends fingertips or the blocking of the relief that he might get just from being alongside somebody friendly. They are ensuring the continuation of the extreme psychological effects from isolation of a year of virtual solitary confinement. A tiny bit of human comfort could do an enormous amount of good to his mental health and resilience. They are determined to stop this at all costs. They are attempting to make him kill himself or create in him the condition where his throttling death might be explained away as suicide. This is also the only explanation that I can think of for why they are risking the creation of such obvious mistrial conditions. Dead people cannot appeal. I would remind you that Julian is a remand prisoner who has served his unprecedentedly long sentence for bail-jumping. His status is supposedly at present that of an innocent man facing charges. Those charges are for nothing except for publishing Chelsea Mannings revelations of war crimes. That Baraitser is acting under instructions seems to me certain. She has been desperate throughout the trial to seize any chance to deny any responsibility for what is happening to Julian. She has stated that she has no jurisdiction over his treatment in prison, and even when both defence and prosecution combined to state it was normal practice for magistrates to pass directions or requests to the prison service, she refused to accept it was so. Baraitser is plainly attempting psychologically to distance herself from any agency in what is being done. To this end she has made a stream of denials of jurisdiction or ability to influence events. She has said that she has no jurisdiction to interfere with the strip searching, handcuffing and removal of Assanges papers or with his being kept in solitary. She has said she has no jurisdiction to request that his defence lawyers have more access to their client in jail to prepare his defence. She has said she has no jurisdiction over his position in the courtroom. Se has suggested at various times it is up to Serco to decide if he may pass notes to his lawyers and up to Group4 to decide if he can be released from the armoured dock. The moments when she looks most content listening to the evidence, are those when prosecution counsel James Lewis argues that she has no decision to make but to sign the extradition because it is in good form and that Article 4 of the Treaty has no legal standing. A member of the Assange family remarked to me at the end of week one that she seems very lazy, and thus delighted to accept any arguments that reduce the amount she needs to do. I think it is different to that. I think there is a corner of the mind of this daughter of dissidents from apartheid that rejects her own role in the torture of Assange, and is continually urging I had no choice, I had no agency. Those who succumb to do evil must find what internal comfort they may. 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/ Former Vice Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Peter Obi has commended the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ni... Former Vice Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Peter Obi has commended the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria for significantly drawing the National & Global attention to the worsening security situation in Nigeria. Obi who spoke at the weekend at the sidelines of an International business conference organized by Ngeria, America Business Forum (NABF) said the peaceful protest by the Bishops shows their patriotic level of concern on the challenging situation in the country. According to a statement from Obis media office in Abuja, Obi charged other critical stakeholders in the country to join the Bishops in elevating the insecurity situation in the land for necessary action. Mr Obi who was one of the keynote speakers at the well attended forum said what Nigeria desperately needs now is Investment especially Foreign direct investment to reboot her declining economy & create employment for her teeming unemployed youth. But nobody will be attracted to invest in an unsecured or lawless environment. He said that unemployment situation in the country is so frightening and any nation who cannot engage its teeming educated youths surely will have issues with social vices like crimes and criminalities. Obi regretted that Ghana whose entire population is less than 20% of our population is attracting more Investment & attention than Nigeria with all its abundant capital and material resources. Mr Obi said that all the attendees he spoke to personally had one or two worries, Security, Law & Order He further urged Government to aggressively tackle the situation. Democratic hopeful Elizabeth Warren is bringing her presidential campaign to Michigan, where she may pick up more support as opponents bow out of the primary race before the next slate of elections on Super Tuesday. Warren is holding a March 3 campaign event at Eastern Market in Detroit, taking the stage just before results will likely start being reported from the 14 states voting on Super Tuesday, the biggest day of the Democratic primary. Michigan goes to the polls on March 10, so the Massachusetts senator is among the first candidates to meet with voters who may be left without a candidate after Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar suspended their campaigns. Senator Warren is coming to Michigan to have a real conversation about why shes in this fight: that to level the playing field for working families, we need to dream big and fight hard, the campaign said in a statement. After Super Tuesday, more than half of the Democratic delegates will still have yet to be awarded, and Michiganders want to help build a movement that will rebuild the middle class and save our democracy. Abby Clark, president of progressive communications firm Athena Strategies, said its not clear who stands to gain the most from the recent dropouts, but supporters of Klobuchar and Buttigieg will likely be split between Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden. Buttigieg had also planned to hold a town hall in Michigan Tuesday night, but the event is canceled. Buttigiegs exit, in particular, creates a big opportunity for another candidate to pick up his supporters, Clark said, and could help consolidate the support of moderate Democrats around one candidate capable of taking on Bernie Sanders, the front-runner. Buttigieg and Klobuchar are reportedly planning to endorse Biden. Clark said the reshuffling of supporters could have a huge impact on the race in Michigan, where Sanders is expected to pull off a repeat of his 2016 Democratic primary victory. Sanders is leading the field in delegates and national polling but hasnt gathered a majority of the Democratic Partys support. Candidates must receive 15% of the vote to earn any delegates, a threshold Warren didnt meet in three of the first four primary contests. With two fewer candidates in the race, and a week left to court voters, a slimmer field could make it harder for Sanders to run away with Michigan. Its a very big deal because of that viability threshold, Clark said. It makes it vastly more likely that non-Bernie candidates can make it over 15% ... I dont know that it means that anyone beats Bernie in Michigan, I think it makes it really possible. Before this happened, I thought Bernie was very likely to win Michigan. Now I think its more like 50/50. Specifically, Biden could come out ahead of him. Morning Consult polling shows Buttigiegs supporters could scatter across the primary field, with 21% of Buttigiegs supporters saying their second choice was Sanders, with 19% choosing Biden and Warren and 17% picking former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Warren sits in fourth place after votes have been tallied in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Warren has earned eight delegates so far, behind Buttigieg (26), Biden (53) and Sanders (60), and she has yet to win a state. Warren is currently in fourth place in the RealClearPolitics national average of polls with 14% support, one point behind Bloomberg. Warren was also tied with Bloomberg for third place in a recent poll of Michigan voters by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Clark said Warren has particularly strong support among women and college-educated voters in suburban communities. The senators campaign has been rolling out endorsements from dozens of local politicians in Washtenaw, Oakland and Macomb counties, and also picked up the support of U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township, and seven Democratic state lawmakers. Michigans the next big state after Super Tuesday, so I think it makes a lot of sense to get there before anybody else does, Clark said. Clark said the recent dropouts should put more scrutiny on Bloomberg, who spent half a billion dollars on television advertisements but skipped the first four states to focus on Super Tuesday. Bloomberg is presenting himself as a more practical alternative to Sanders and argues Trump would easily beat the self-described democratic socialist in November. Warren has been severely critical of Bloomberg, resulting in explosive confrontations during the last two Democratic debates. Warren insinuated the arrogant billionaire is a sexist and criticized nondisclosure agreements signed by women who worked for Bloombergs companies, demanding that he allow their alleged accounts of harassment to become public. Warren began her first running television advertisements in Michigan last week while Bloomberg has already spent nearly $12 million on ads that ran virtually unanswered in the last two months. Bloomberg is planning to visit Macomb County Thursday, according to his campaign. Warrens ads attack Bloomberg for using his vast fortune to enter the 2020 race and previously funding Republican candidates. Bloomberg also spent contributed millions to help Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder get re-elected in 2014, who is unpopular among Democrats due to his role in the Flint water crisis and passing right to work legislation. Clark said Warren would be wise to highlight Bloombergs past support for Snyder while campaigning in Michigan. Mike Bloomberg has just been able to overwhelm the field with the money hes spending and that gives him a lot of control over his own narrative on what the public knows about him, Clark said. I think what Elizabeth Warren has done is really important. People deserve to know his record and judge it for what it is." Warrens event is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, at 2934 Russell St. in Detroit. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Democratic hopeful Tulsi Gabbard is also planning to campaign in Michigan Tuesday. Gabbard will hold a 7 p.m. town hall at 3434 Russell St. Suite 501 in Detroit, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Michigan residents have time to recast their absentee ballot if they already voted for a candidate who dropped out of the presidential primary since early voting began in late-January. Michigan law gives voters who turned in an absentee ballot the option to "spoil their ballot and obtain a new one, providing a second chance to pick a candidate who is still in the race. This can be done by submitting a request to a local clerk before election day on March 10. Raipur: Chhattisgarh chief minister, Bhupesh Baghel, on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over what he called unconstitutioinal and politically motivated income-tax (I-T) raids in the Congress-ruled state. Baghel alleged that the ongoing I-T raids,which began on February 27, coincided with the criminal investigation initiated by the state into acts of corruption under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. I-T officials have raided the residential premises of senior bureaucrats and Congress politicians. On Monday, the residence of the deputy secretary in the chief ministers office, Saumya Chaurasia, was searched in Bhilai on charges of tax evasion. Chaurasia is a Chhattisgarh Administrative Service official. In the letter to Modi, of which HT has a copy, Baghel termed the ongoing raids as an affront to the idea of cooperative federalism that reflect coercive and insecure centrism. The actions of agencies of the Union government border on political vendetta on one hand and threaten the core of our democracy on the other, for, as a former CM, you should agree that law and order is the state subject and central forces cannot be deployed [in the state] without the consent of the state government. If each one of us fails to adhere to this cardinal principal of constitutional democracy, then we would become an undemocratic anarchy, he wrote in the letter. The Centres deployment of a central force to assist in motivated income-tax raids undermines every word of Dr Ambedkars caveat and the constitution scheme laid out in List II of the seventh schedule of the Constitution, Baghel said. I take this opportunity to reiterate the availability of the police machinery or any other assistance in the quest to find and prosecute the corrupt, the chief minister added. Reacting to the letter, BJP spokesperson, Gauri Shankar Shrivas. said that these are routine raids conducted by the I-T department, which has nothing to do politics . Why is the Congress rattled by the raids? These are routine raids and were conducted during the BJP rule as well, Shrivas said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON DETROIT, MICH. -- Sunday marked a momentous day in the more than 300-year history of Ste. Anne Parish in Detroit. The historic church has been named a basilica by Pope Francis, a rare honor for a Roman Catholic parish in the United States, officials announced. According to the Associated Press, the declaration makes Ste. Anne one of only 86 churches in the United States to carry the title of Minor Basilica -- and one of just three such churches in Michigan. The other two Minor Basilicas in Michigan are the Archdiocese of Detroits National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, named a Minor Basilica in 2015, and the Basilica of St. Adalbert in Grand Rapids, named in 1980. According to the Archdiocese of Detroit, the title is given to churches to denote a particular importance in liturgical and pastoral life and a closer relationship with the pope. The title of Major Basilica is only given to churches in Rome. Established just two days after Detroits French founders arrived in the area in 1701, Ste. Anne is the second-oldest continuously operating Catholic parish in the U.S. The current church building was constructed in 1886. "To demonstrate it met criteria for becoming a Minor Basilica, Ste. Anne extensively documented its heightened liturgical activity and its architectural stature. ... It contains many artifacts from the so-called stone church, the church building that preceded the present structure, the archdiocese said. Archbishop Allen Vigneron will celebrate the designation at a Mass on Sunday, April 26. RELATED: 16 remarkable historic Michigan churches Detroits most dazzling historical architecture Dnzkievua.sharepoint.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 5 Aug 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the dnzkievua.sharepoint homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the dnzkievua.sharepoint homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the dnzkievua.sharepoint homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the dnzkievua.sharepoint homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if dnzkievua.sharepoint has a Facebook fan page). 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Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND By Ali Kucukgocmen and Ellen Francis ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes over Idlib on Sunday and struck a military airport well beyond its frontlines in a sharp escalation of its military operations following the death of dozens of Turkish soldiers last week. Ankara has ramped up its attacks, including drone strikes, against the Russian-backed Syrian forces since Thursday, when 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike by Damascus. It has already deployed thousands of troops and military vehicles in northwest Syria's Idlib province in the last month to stem advances by Syrian government forces which have displaced 1 million people close to Turkey's southern border By Ali Kucukgocmen and Ellen Francis ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes over Idlib on Sunday and struck a military airport well beyond its frontlines in a sharp escalation of its military operations following the death of dozens of Turkish soldiers last week. Ankara has ramped up its attacks, including drone strikes, against the Russian-backed Syrian forces since Thursday, when 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike by Damascus. It has already deployed thousands of troops and military vehicles in northwest Syria's Idlib province in the last month to stem advances by Syrian government forces which have displaced 1 million people close to Turkey's southern border. Already hosting 3.6 million Syrian refugees, Ankara is determined to prevent any further influx from Syria. It has also let migrants cross its borders into the European Union, in an apparent effort to press for EU support in tackling the Syria crisis. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said in the last four days Turkish forces destroyed eight helicopters, 103 tanks, 72 howitzers, rocket launchers, a drone and six air defence systems. He dubbed Turkey's operation, its fourth incursion in Syria in four years, "Operation Spring Shield". In response, Syria's army said it shot down three Turkish drones and warned it would take down any aircraft breaching the air space over the northwest, which has been controlled for years by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main ally Russia. Despite the warning, Turkish warplanes downed two Syrian warplanes, while Turkey's state-owned Anadolu agency said the Turkish military had targeted and rendered unusable Nayrab airport, west of Aleppo city. Turkey-backed opposition commanders also said Kuweires airport, east of Nayrab, had been bombed since midnight. Both airports are well inside Syrian government controlled territory, marking a significant expansion of Ankara's targets. The fighting has risked drawing Russia and Turkey, who cooperated for years to contain the fighting despite backing rival sides in Syria's nine-year war, into direct conflict. "We have neither the intention nor the notion to face Russia. Our only intention there is for the (Syrian) regime to end the massacre and thereby prevent ... radicalisation and migration," Turkey's Akar said. He said that 2,212 members of the Syrian forces had been "neutralised", a term used to designate killed, wounded or captured. The Syrian Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said 74 Syrian government troops and pro-Damascus fighters had been killed since Feb. 27. Fifty-five Turkish troops were killed in Idlib in February. CRISIS DIPLOMACY Diplomatic efforts by Ankara and Moscow to defuse tensions have failed to agree a ceasefire in Idlib, part of Syria's last major rebel stronghold. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday that while there was progress in talks between Turkish and Russian delegations, the Idlib issue would only be resolved between presidents Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin. A senior Turkish official and a security official said the meeting would be held on Thursday in Moscow. The officials said the two leaders would discuss steps to take in Idlib and that they were expected to reach a mutual agreement. The Kremlin said it hoped Erdogan and Putin would meet on Thursday or Friday. Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov agreed on the need to create a "favourable atmosphere" to improve working relations between their countries, Russia's foreign ministry said. The latest fighting in Idlib has uprooted 1 million civilians since December, many of them women and children fleeing towards the Turkish border. Turkey said it would allow migrants to cross into Europe in anticipation of an imminent new migrant influx from Idlib, lifting restraints on movement in place since 2016 under a deal with the European Union. Greek police fired tear gas to repel hundreds of stone-throwing migrants who sought to force their way across the border from Turkey on Sunday, witnesses said, with thousands more behind them after Ankara relaxed curbs on their movement. [nL8N2AU05E] Turkey's borders to Europe were closed to migrants under the accord between the Turkish-EU deal that halted the 2015-16 migration crisis, when more than 1 million people crossed into Europe. (Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun in Ankara, Khalil Ashawi in Syria and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Andrey Ostroukh in Moscow; Writing by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Dominic Evans, Mark Heinrich and Andrew Heavens) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. South Africa: South Africans called to put children's rights first The rights of the most vulnerable in society will take centre stage as South Africa observes Human Rights Month this March. Social Development Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu says childrens rights must be placed above all else. Child protection remains a key area and thats why we say every child must have access to Early Childhood Development (ECD), and every child must be in school. [We must create] an environment where we protect children. However today, not even school is safe, not even the ECD centre is safe, and not even the home is safe, the Deputy Minister said at the start of Human Rights Month. Bogopane-Zulu said while South Africa has without reservation ratified all the global instruments -- including those from the African Union and United Nations -- that are aimed at protecting children, children are being let down. We need to ask ourselves what kind of a nation we are. Are we worthy of celebrating March as Human Rights Month, when we are not even close to respecting the inherent human rights of children? the Minister said, adding that children are under siege from their own parents. Human Rights Day March is commemorated as Human Rights Month in South Africa, which marks Human Rights Day on 21 March. The day is in memory of the Sharpeville massacre, which occurred on 21 March 1960. South Africa commemorates Human Rights Day to reinforce its commitment to the Bill of Rights, as enshrined in the Constitution. These rights include: Equality everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law; Human dignity everyone has inherent dignity and to have their dignity respected and protected; Freedom of movement and residence everyone has a right to freedom of movement and to reside anywhere in the country; Language and culture everyone has the right to use any language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice; Life - everyone has the right to life. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BOLOGNA - The Facebook page 'Patrick Libero' on Monday published a message from Patrick Zaky, the Egyptian student at the University of Bologna who has been in prison in Egypt for a month. "I'm fine (to the extent that one can be in prison). I want this to come to an end and return to my studies. Until that happens, I want to get my books back and the freedom to use the bathroom," Zaky said in the post. The post said Zaky's family was able to visit him Sunday at his detention facility in his hometown of Mansoura. Activists on the Facebook page wrote that Zaky's parents said Patrick "seemed fine but that he expressed his concern about his continued detention and his desire to be quickly released so he can resume his studies". Belarus is interested in a long-term contract on buying Azerbaijani oil. Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas made the statement as he met with President of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev on 2 March, Trend reports citing BelTA. Sergei Rumas said: Belarus is interested in signing a long-term contract on deliveries of Azerbaijani oil. We intend to have this oil refined by Mozyr Oil Refinery using the Odessa-Brody-Mozyr oil pipeline. I believe such cooperation will be interesting for SOCAR company as well. The head of government reminded that Belarus and SOCAR have a long history of cooperation on the oil market. Belarus bought oil from SOCAR in 2011 and 2016. The Azerbaijani side buys Belarusian oil products. Sergei Rumas went on saying: It is no secret that Belarus is working on diversifying oil deliveries. We used to buy all the oil from the Russian Federation up till now. But the price for oil for Belarus will reach the standard market level by 2024 due to the ongoing tax maneuver. Certainly, Belarus' energy security cannot be ensured without alternative oil deliveries these days. This is why we would like to find reliable partners to sign long-term contracts with. Practice demonstrates that SOCAR can be such a reliable partner. The prime minister noted that the Belarusian side does not rule out oil import from the Russian Federation. We are not going to completely rule out oil delivery from Russia at present. We just have to diversify oil import up to a certain level, he explained. Apart from that, SOCAR specialists are now performing construction and installation operations at Mozyr Oil Refinery. I would like to say with satisfaction that we hear very positive feedback from the management of Belneftekhim and Mozyr Oil Refinery. Your specialists are doing this complicated work very well, Sergei Rumas said. In his words, taking into account SOCAR's vast experience in the sphere of civil engineering and work at Mozyr Oil Refinery the Belarusian side is interested in the involvement of highly qualified workforce of the Azerbaijani company in construction as part of other major investment projects in Belarus. The head of government said he hopes that today's meeting will be another step towards stronger bilateral relations in oil industry between SOCAR and Belneftekhim. Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Lyashenko, who is entrusted with overseeing oil industry affairs, and Chairman of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim Andrei Rybakov were also present at the meeting. BelTA reported earlier that SOCAR intends to dispatch the first tanker carrying about 85,000 tonnes of oil for Belarus from the Turkish port of Ceyhan on 5-6 March. The second tanker with about 85,000 tonnes of oil is supposed to depart from the Georgian port of Supsa approximately on 20 March. As much as 160,000 tonnes of Russian oil bought for Belarusian oil refineries via traders without paying a premium is supposed to be delivered to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda in March. In addition to that, six Russian companies, including SAFMAR Group and five companies Belarus has not worked with yet, will deliver oil to Belarus in March without a premium. In particular, SAFMAR Group will ship 300,000 tonnes of oil while UDS Oil will deliver 50,000 tonnes. Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Lyashenko told BelTA that this year Belarusian oil refineries have been getting about 1 million tonnes of oil per month for processing. The same volume is expected in March. On 1 January Russia suspended oil deliveries to Belarus because the sides had failed to come to an agreement about the price. First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Dmitry Krutoi was quoted as saying that Belarus believes it is economically inadvisable and pointless to pay the same amounts of premium to Russian companies. Representatives of the government also stated that all possible options for alternative deliveries were being looked into. The first update for the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite brings new capabilities to the phones camera. Despite its name, the device straddles the line between the S10 and S20, having the design and some of the features of the latter. The biggest improvement that comes with this update is that the Super Steady video mode is enabled at 2160p resolution (even the S20 flagships are still stuck at 1080p-only Super Steady, but that will probably change soon). Another upgrade is the addition 60fps mode for video capture at 2160p resolution. Technically, the Galaxy S10 Lite was always capable of that (our review unit had the option), though some people in the Samsung forums were complaining that they only had 2160p / 30fps available to them (this may have been a regional issue). Additionally, the cameras picture quality and the stability of the camera app itself have been improved. Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite's first firmware update brings several improvements to the camera The in-display fingerprint reader will unlock the phone faster after you install the update. The stability of the phones software has been improved as well. Finally, the G770FXXU2ATB2 update brings the security patch level up to February 1. The update is a 416MB download and is well worth it, given the change log. Source A patrol robot at a hospital in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province checks temperatures and identities and disinfects people on Feb, 26, 2020. STR | AFP | Getty Images Marvin Sepe, senior vice president of Irvine, California-based CTC Global, has been scrambling to get his company's Chinese factory operating again after losing one month of production due to the coronavirus outbreak. To reopen the company's plant in the eastern Chinese city of Huaian, he must submit documents to the Chinese government for his 62 employees in China, listing their health status, recent travels, dates, quarantine and isolation periods. All but two workers have cleared the government-mandated health check. He also must make sure that the hi-tech plant, which makes conductor wires for the electric power grid, is disinfected. When work restarts on the planned date of March 2, employee temperatures will be monitored twice a day and workers outfitted with masks and gloves. Production will be ramped up slowly as employees return to work, and output is carefully monitored. All staff have been paid their full salary during the production shutdown, which overlapped with the two-week long Chinese New Year holiday starting Jan. 25. CTC Global's plant in China is more than 400 miles away from Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, but it's not immune from the highly contagious virus. Still, the company has been able to tackle the issues better than many labor-intensive companies that are struggling to restart operations because they lack staff due to the quarantines, isolated periods, road blockages and checkpoints. At CTC Global, fortunately, its Chinese plant is "highly automated already," said Sepe. "Our plant is designed to be machine dominated, with low labor content." CTC Global, which has a joint venture in China with large electric utility, State Grid Corp. of China, also operates a plant in Indonesia. For this reason, CTC Global is less vulnerable to the virus because its production is diversified geographically. Getting back to work As some 100 million factory workers return to China's automotive, consumer electronics and smartphone makers, one clear, longer-term impact will be an emphasis on robotics and automation. Robotics can reduce labor costs and increase productivity and prevent a recurrence of future plant shutdowns. A worker debugs a robot at a Sany Heavy Industry plant in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, on Feb. 20, 2020. Chen Zeguo | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images The COVID-19 disease has infected more than 87,000 people worldwide, with China accounting for 91% of cases. Globally the death toll has surpassed 3,000, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization. The coronavirus has been a wake-up call for supply chain managers and risk managers in both China and the U.S., said Rosemary Coates, executive director of the Reshoring Institute in Silicon Valley. She points to how manufacturers such as agricultural and construction equipment maker Deere & Co. are assembling crisis teams to deal with product shortages. Identifying ways to keep factory production going in those Chinese factories that have re-opened may include the use of more robots and other automation that substitute for humans. "China bought more robots last year than any country, and now is the time to put them to work," Coates said. Over the past several years, the world's second-largest economy has been undergoing a so-called "robotics revolution." Now, the impetus is greater than ever to embrace automation or be left behind. China has become the world's largest market for industrial robotics and the fastest-growing market worldwide, surging 21% to $5.4 billion in 2019, while global sales hit $16.5 billion, according to the International Federation of Robotics in Frankfurt. China's robot revolution China counts more than 800 robot makers, including major players SIASUN and DJI Innovations. Development of robotics is part of an ambitious Made in China 2025 master plan to upgrade the nation's manufacturing technologies. China is on track to account for 45% of all industrial robot shipments by 2021, up from 39% in 2019, predicts the robotics research group. In the past, China has lagged behind other nations in robotic workforces, counting 97 industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers, half as many industrial robots as the U.S. and one-seventh as many as South Korea, according to the robotics group. Clearly, the virus outbreak has put a "renewed urgency behind the trend towards increased automation and use of robotics in China," says Emil Hauch Jensen, vice president of sales at Mobile Industrial Robots in Shanghai, which is fielding dozens of requests. The company's autonomous robots, which can move pallets and heavy loads across warehouse and factories, are being used across a wide range of industries by large players such as Ford, Airbus, Flex, Honeywell and DHL. Jensen points out the cost benefits: one robot that can work a 24-hour shift can replace three workers and cost in the range of $43,000 to $72,000. With salaries in China going up as much as 20% annually in recent years, China business consultant Bill Edwards, CEO of Edwards Global Services in Irvine, California, foresees an inevitable push to robotics. "Wages in China are no longer cheap," he observed. Getting production back on stream U.S. companies with operations in China have been hit hard by the virus. A survey by the American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai found nearly half of the 109 companies polled in that city and metro area said lack of staff is their biggest challenge over the next few weeks, while two-thirds noted they don't have sufficient staff to run a full production line. Another one-third indicated that logistics issues will be their biggest concern while nearly all the companies said they expected their supply chains to be impacted within the next month. Industries that are most impacted are those with large assembly operations such as auto manufacturers and electronic component makers. A worker in a face mask walks past gates at the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, China, on Feb. 17, 2020. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images Tesla's new multi-billion-dollar plant in Shanghai resumed operation Feb. 10 after a near two-week shutdown. The assembly line at the Chinese operation is less automated than at its main plant in Fremont, partly because local labor costs in China are lower than full automation. Strategizing to prevent further disruptions, Tesla is looking to completely localize its China supply chain by the end of this year but did not respond to an inquiry about any plans to increase automation. Apple supplier Foxconn has been moving to automate 30% of its one million factory jobs in China by 2020, which could prove fortuitous. Foxconn cut 60,000 factory jobs from its 1.2 million China workforce in 2016, but further reductions have been slow to develop. The company has acknowledged that industrial robots can't match the cognitive ability of humans. In the current crisis, plans to reboot the use of robots could be under review, but Foxconn hasn't signaled such a move yet. Apple said it doesn't expect to hit its quarterly revenue targets because its iPhone manufacturing partners are located near the outbreak center in Hubei province and it has taken longer than expected to get operations back up and running. Foxconn employees wearing masks attend the company's year-end gala in Taipei, Taiwan, Jan. 22, 2020. Yimou Lee | Reuters Multinational automotive manufacturers in China, the world's largest car market with sales of 28 million autos in 2019, are severely impacted. Wuhan, known as the Detroit of China, is a base for auto plants including General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Peugeot and Renault. With employees staying home and supply chain disrupted, getting back into production has been a struggle at many of these plants. Operations such as Cadillac's new Shanghai plant that are automated have a head start. Opened in 2016, the factory features 386 robots and two fully automated production lines that do welding and painting. A national call to action One overriding factor that could stall further use of robotics at operations within China is controversy about robots displacing blue collar jobs. The concern is about widespread unemployment, and potentially, social unrest. With an economic slowdown in China, that issue will be prominent. Meanwhile, with travel and transportation bans in effect in China and stores, restaurants and schools closed, robots are being deployed for a wide variety of crucial services, from disinfecting hospitals and streets to delivering food, drugs and supplies. Delivery robots are in high demand. In Wuhan, Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com is using a fleet of autonomous robotic vehicles to deliver essential goods to residents stuck at home homes and shopping online. The company's automated warehouses have seen daily orders nearly double from 600,000 in one week during the crisis period. In Wuhan, JD Logistics is using a fleet of autonomous robots to deliver essential goods to residents stuck at home due to the coronavirus. China Daily, Photographer: Zhu Xingxin In true quick-to-implement China style and responding to multiple requests from manufacturers, retailers and offices Chinese robot maker Youibot created a sterilization robot, start to finish in just 14 days, said Duncan Turner, managing director of the HAX Accelerator in Shenzhen. Youibot has just signed a contract with a huge manufacturer in Suzhou to disinfect the plant and has already delivered three robots and is starting to deploy 35 robots in Shenzhen by early March, he added. Technicians adjust disinfection robots in a technological company in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 11, 2020. Li Ziheng | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images In a pleasant gesture of brotherhood, Akshay Kumar reprimanded a scribe for posing an inappropriate question to his Sooryavanshi co-star Ranveer Singh. It so happened that at the films trailer launch in Mumbai on Monday, a journalist took a cue from the dialogue, Yeh kaam sirf ek hi kam**na kar sakta hai in reference to Ranveers entry in the trailer, and asked, Ranveer ji, kya aap bhi maante hain ki aapke fraternity mein sabse kam**ne aap hain? Trailer mein aisa hai toh... Read: Ranveer Singh falls at Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgns feet as hes late for Sooryavanshi trailer launch, watch video While filmmakers Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar were baffled at the question, and the audience burst into guffaws, Ranveer handled it with his usual quick wit, saying, Direct insult. However, Akshay was visibly rattled by the insensitive nature of the query. He immediately came to Ranveers rescue. Ye bahut galat hai jo aapne aisa sawaal kiya... Woh film ka dialogue hai naa ki fraternity ka dialogue. I would request you to not ask such questions, he said. Actor Ranveer Singh, apart from Ajay Devgn, will be seen along with Akshay Kumar in the Rohit Shetty directorial. Akshays response was applauded, and Ranveer reacted with complete melodrama. Mera Akki... Hamesha mujhe bachaane aayega... Mera Akki, Ranveer said with a smile and a laugh. At the event, Akshay also took a friendly swipe at Ranveer for arriving 40 minutes late. In a video that went viral, Ranveer is seen touching the feet of the cast and crew members apologising for the delay. The two Bollywood actors share a great camaraderie, seen earlier in a chat show wherein Ranveer had recalled that he was all of eight years old when he went to the sets of a film for which Akshay was shooting for a song with Raveena Tandon. He recounted how Raveena had asked him to move out of the sets, and Akshay won his heart when he complimented him on his unusual haircut. Author tweets @radhikabhirani Follow @htshowbiz for more Gugu Mbatha-Raw has spoken candidly about portraying a sexual assault victim, and how she hopes to help create 'conversations' between women on the topic. The actress, 36, explained how she wanted her role in The Morning Show on Apple TV+ to encourage viewers to 'look at things differently'. In the show, her character, TV producer Hannah Shoenfeld, is sexually assaulted by news anchor Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), who is later fired over multiple sexual misconduct allegations. Star performance: Gugu Mbatha-Raw has spoken candidly about portraying a sexual assault victim, and how she hopes to help create 'conversations' between women 'It's exciting for me to realise that the work can create conversations and help people to look at things differently,' she told Harper's Bazaar UK. 'Obviously, it's just TV, it's not therapy, but I think it could spark a shift in someone [...] Even since that episode, friends I've had for a long, long time have been reframing an experience they had in the light of it.' The Morning Show, which also stars Jennifer Aniston - who won a SAG Award for her performance - finished with a shock finale late last year and has already begun filming on a second season. Following the cliffhanger ending, Gugu told of the 'chilling' real-life parallels of Hannah and Mitch's story to recent headlines surrounding Matt Lauer and NBC News. Tragic plot: It was revealed that her character, TV producer Hannah Shoenfeld, was sexually assaulted by news anchor Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) Activist: The actress, 36, explained how she wanted her role in The Morning Show on Apple TV+ to encourage viewers to 'look at things differently 'In the last couple of months as weve been doing this show it has been quite chilling to learn really what has been going on. 'Im proud of the fact that its authentic and so zeitgeist, unfortunately so, because Im glad its become more relevant in a way.' The BAFTA-nominated star previously starred in British television series including Doctor Who and Spooks before trying to crack Hollywood. She added that earlier on there were 'dark nights of the soul' where long hours and intense schedules led her to doubt the work she was involved in, but that having a 'bigger reason' spurred her on. Gugu has since gone on to star in Beauty and the Beast, and has landed a role as the first black Miss World in the upcoming film Misbehaviour. Big hit: The Morning Show, which also stars Jennifer Aniston, finished with a shock finale late last year and has already begun filming on a second season Rising star: Gugu has since gone on to star in Motherless Brooklyn (pictured), and has landed a role as the first black Miss World in the upcoming film Misbehaviour 'For me, success is freedom and being stimulated and staying curious. I want to be proud of my work, and to feel it's doing something to help the culture evolve, but also, I want to keep myself interested.' And given recent reports that Hollywood is still failing its ability to deal with a lack of diversity, Gugu doesn't see her skin colour as an obstacle to succeeding in her career. 'There is always a complexity about identity that you bring. Its not a riddle that needs to be solved, its a duality thats part of your nature,' she continued. 'Its interesting as an actor because youre always taking on different identities. Now settled in the US, The Oxfordshire-born actress, who made it across the pond with a Broadway run of Jude Laws Hamlet, knows where her career can excel, but longs for the feel of home. Mover and shaker: The BAFTA-nominated star previously starred in British television series including Doctor Who and Spooks before going on to crack Hollywood I miss the rain so much in LA. Im rock n roll, me! The April issue of Harpers Bazaar is on sale from 04 March 2020. It was reported earlier in February that Gugu is joining the cast of the Disney Plus Marvel series Loki. According to Deadline, the Larry Crowne star has been cast as the female lead opposite British actor Tom Hiddleston who is reprising his big screen role in the streaming show. Little has been revealed about her character but it is known that the series is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame and centers on Marvel's mercurial god of mischief who is brother to Thor. Filming on the project is already underway in Atlanta and the series is expected to premiere on Disney Plus in spring 2021. For information and advice for people affected by rape and sexual abuse in the UK please call the Rape Crisis national freephone helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2.30pm and 7-9.30pm every day of the year). An Italian tourist tested positive for coronavirus here on Monday and his blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for further confirmation, the state government said. The 69-year-old man has been placed under isolation at the government-run Sawai Man Singh Hospital here. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot summoned a meeting of top officials on Monday night to discuss the development. The man is part of the group of 20 tourists, who are now in Agra. Two separate blood tests on him at the SMS Hospital had come up with contradictory findings, The first sample collected from him on Saturday tested negative but the man's condition deteriorated, Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma told the state assembly here. A second sample was then taken and its report received on Monday indicated that he had the virus. Since there is a variation in the test reports, samples have been sent to NIV-Pune for testing," he told reporters. The minister said the Italian embassy in New Delhi has been informed. Other tourists in his group have moved to Agra from Jaipur and authorities there have been informed about it, he said. Directions have been issued to screen them as well, Sharma said. The minister said that the patient was admitted to the Emergency ICU at the SMS Hospital and later shifted to an isolation ward. The doctors and the nursing staff at the ICU will now be screened for the virus that originated in Wuhan, China. Others in touch with the man will also be screened, authorities said. All measures are being taken and the hospital administration is on alert. There is no need for panic, Sharma said. This is the first time that a suspected coronavirus victim has tested positive in the state. Before this, all 102 samples collected in the state had tested negative for the virus. At Jaipur international airport, over 23,000 passengers from 161 flights have been screened so far, according to an official. Hospital sources said the man arrived here from Udaipur with the group of tourists and checked into a hotel of February 28. He suffered from breathlessness and was coughing. He was then taken to a private hospital and kept overnight there, they said. The next day, he was shifted to SMS Hospital where he was kept in an isolation ward. Test results received late on Sunday night were negative so he was shifted to the ICU for observation, they said. Since his condition kept on deteriorating, a second test was conducted on Monday. When the report came out positive for the virus, he was shifted to the ICU of the isolation ward, hospital sources said. The issue was raised in the assembly on Monday by Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore. The Health Minister assured the House that there was nothing to fear and the government is sensitive to the issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Srinagar, March 2 : J&K Police on Monday produced a chargesheet against two persons accused of making provocative speeches. The two accused have been identified as Mohd Rafiq Shah, a resident of Shuhama, Ganderbal, and Bashir Ahmad Lone, a resident of Nishat, Srinagar. An FIR has been registered for their involvement pertaining to a provocative speech at Chunduna in Ganderbal. "In 2018, both the accused delivered provocative speeches at the funeral of a terrorist named Mohd Rafiq Bhat at Chunduna," the police said. During the course of investigation, the police collected all the evidences regarding the case and subsequently arrested both the accused. The police said the chargesheet against the two accused was presented before the court on Monday. Last Thursday, Steven Fulops re-election campaign had its best night ever. At a $125-per-plate fundraiser at Bayonne restaurant Chandelier, Fulop kicked off his re-election campaign along with council president Joyce Watterman, Ward A councilwoman Denise Ridley, Ward B councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, councilman-at-Large Danny Rivera, and Ward F councilman Jermaine Robinson. The event raised more than $250,000 and drew 550 attendees, reportedly including county clerk E. Junior Maldonado and New Jersey Assembly members Raj Mukherji, Nick Chiaravalloti and Angela McKnight. This was our most successful single event in seven years, Fulop said in an email. But theres one thing Fulops campaign doesnt have: an opponent. With the mayors hefty war chest and apparent deep bench of Democratic support, political observers in Hudson County are wondering: Why start campaigning now, 20 months before the election, before any other candidates have even announced a run? In an email, Fulop denied that his campaign was starting early. In years past we have started about the same time prior to the actual election, he said. (He announced his last mayoral race in late September 2016, about 13 months before the 2017 election.) Jersey City attorney Bill Matsikoudis, who ran unsuccessfully against the incumbent in 2017, said that the early campaign kickoff would weed out potential opponents. Theres a limited amount of people who have a base-slash-name recognition as a result of either being currently elected or previously elected to office, he said. For those people who bring that sort of base, youre still going to need a substantial amount of money to amplify your message. Its not like its easy to generate a lot of publicity, he added. In 2017, Fulop won a resounding victory after spending seven times more than Matsikoudis. The announcement of a slate of candidates could also give the mayors team another boost in fundraising. Last month, Watterman, Ridley, Prinz-Arey, and Rivera formed a joint candidates committee named Team Fulop 2021," campaign filings show. Under New Jersey law, donors can give only $2,600 to single candidates, but committees can pool their contributions and spend them on whatever they want. Campaign finance documents filed last month show that Fulop had more than $1 million in the bank, even before Thursdays event. Some speculated that Fulops early start could allow him to push through unpopular policies and still mitigate the political fallout. The mayors plan to plug Jersey Citys school funding gap, which involves hiking residents property taxes, could make him some enemies. Already, some prominent Jersey City unions have spoken out against it. And the head start will likely help the mayor address areas that sources described as weaknesses. Fulop has struggled to make inroads with African-American voters, sources said. And his ties to developers and former Board of Education president Sudhan Thomas, who has been charged with embezzlement and accepting bribes, could also be political liabilities. Joshua Sotomayor Einstein, a state GOP committee member running for Hudson County GOP chairman, said that compared to possible opponents, Fulop was basically all aces. Hes shown a versatility and agility that few of the crop of politicians in Hudson County (have), Einstein said. But, he added, it was inevitable that the mayor would eventually make an unforced error," such as his controversial bid for an appointment-based board of education. He will mess up someday, he said. Fulop has also alienated prominent Democrats like New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez and Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise. Without the support of Hudson Countys entrenched Democratic establishment, the mayors path to re-election could get rocky. He also has his critics on the city council, including one-time ally Councilman-at-large Rolando Lavarro Jr. On Friday, Lavarro criticized Fulops decision to seek a third term, noting that when they ran together in 2013, both had agreed to hold office for only two terms. We all committed to self-imposed two-term limits, Lavarro said. I intend to keep my promise and I think the public expects other politicians to do the same. Fulop said in an email that he was seeking a third term to finish what we started. Initially we thought that we would be able to finish the projects we started in two terms, but we quickly learned that government works very slowly," he said. Whether it is the largest mixed-income project in the history of the city at Bayfront, or the municipal complex we started in Ward F, or the $250 million school funding plan, or some of the structural changes to the police department, or the museum, we have transformed the city and set up plans to pay for them. Asked if he was considering a mayoral run, Lavarro neither confirmed nor denied it. I believe theres a need for changing the direction of the city, so Im looking at all my options as to how I can be of service to the people of Jersey City, he said. My public service is not done. As of now, no clear challengers have emerged. But, as Ward D Councilman Michael Yun pointed out, the election is still a long way away, and the mayors fate is far from certain. Im going to keep an eye on him, he said. Nineteen months in politics in Jersey City is like forever." Children as young as eight in Ireland are being diagnosed with eating disorders, with social media increasingly being blamed for contributing to the alarming trend. Watchdogs have warned that the numbers of youngsters suffering from anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating are on the rise. Just under 190,000 people in Ireland have an eating disorder, with around 1,700 new cases diagnosed every year. However, support groups fear that more younger children, many of who have an unhealthy attachment to their smartphones and tablets, appear to be falling prey to eating disorders. "The age of onset for eating disorders used to be 15 to 24, but it's now 13 to 18," said Harriet Parsons, of Bodywhys. "Younger people are now developing eating disorders, and we're hearing about sufferers who are 10, 11 or 12, and even younger - eight or nine." Studies suggest social media can lead to eating disorders in youngsters because it makes them more impulsive. A Canadian study of eight to 11-year-olds found that those who used smartphones more than two hours a day and slept less than nine hours a night were more impulsive. "Impulsive behaviour is associated with eating disorders, behavioural addictions and substance abuse," said lead researcher Dr Michelle Guerrero, of the University of Ottawa. Pressure Experts from Bodywhys have also identified social media as a "contributory factor" to eating disorders in young people. "We are all exposed to pressure around things like body image, food and health and exercise," Ms Parsons said. "The pressure is likely to increase if you have a smartphone or access to social media. "Children are growing up faster, but it also depends on the personality type. Those who are vulnerable can be high achievers or perfectionists, all-or-nothing type personalities. "If they see certain images on social media, they can get it in their head that they're not a good person if they don't look a certain way." Eating Disorders Awareness Week runs from today until Sunday. This week the HSE will launch an app to help spots signs of eating disorders in kids. The United Arab Emirates announced it will evacuate its citizens from Iran, state news agency (WAM) reported on Monday. The agency added that this step comes amid the spread of coronavirus in a number of countries, and all the returning people will be quarantined and checked to guarantee their safety. Search Keywords: Short link: Kyiv has once again demanded an "official apology" from Tehran for the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) passenger plane, killing all 176 onboard. In an exclusive interview with Radio Farda's Anna Rajskaya (Ra-yskaya), the head of international law at the Ukraine's' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oksana Zolotaryova, has reiterated that the Islamic Republic should officially apologize for the tragedy, and identify person(s) responsible for firing missiles at UIA's Boeing and downing it on January 8, over Tehran. The three-year-old Boeing 737-800, flight 752 operated by the UIA, took off from Tehran international airport on January 8. A few minutes later, amid tension with the U.S., the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fired two anti-air missiles, bringing down the plane not too far from the airport. Victims of the crash included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, eleven Ukrainians, ten Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three Britons. Canada, Ukraine, Germany, Britain, and Afghanistan have formed a group to pursue a thorough investigation of the incident. Weeks later, haggling over the primary investigation, the fate of the plane's black boxes kept in Iran, and the amount of compensation for the relatives of the victims are still outstanding. Ukraine's representative, Oksana Zolotaryova, admits that investigating such cases is a "lengthy procedure," adding that after almost four years of negotiation about the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17's (MH17) has not yet been completed. MH17 was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down on July 17, 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed. However, Zolotaryova tells Radio Farda that Tehran still has time to cooperate with other countries to achieve justice. Based on international law, Ms. Zolotaryova argues, Tehran is responsible for investigating the UIA's case, and Ukraine, as the owner of the plane cooperates with Iran. The investigations are not limited to the fate of the black boxes, says Zolotaryova, noting that every other detail related to the tragedy should also thoroughly be investigated. "At the end of the investigations, Iran is obliged to present a full report to the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, offer its proposals concerning the safety of flights, and recommend measures for preventing of such incidents in the future," Zolotaryova asserts. Meanwhile, diplomats from the countries involved in the tragedy are discussing the amount of compensation for the bereaved families. "The discussion about compensation is also a lengthy procedure," Zolotaryova says, reminding, "The problem of paying compensation to the relatives of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17's (MH17) took two years." In the meantime, Zolotaryova called on the Islamic Republic authorities to officially admit responsibility for downing the UIA's passenger plane. However, the Ukrainian diplomat noted that Kyiv had not set a deadline for Tehran to do so. "But how long Kyiv is going to wait for Tehran's response?" "Kyiv is giving Tehran a little bit more time. At the next stage, Ukraine may file a complaint against the Islamic Republic at the international tribunals," Zolotaryova says, affirming, "Surely, the Islamic Republic authorities are aware that if they stop cooperating with Ukraine and our counterparts in the case, we would refer the case to the International Court of Justice in the Hague." It is not the first time that Ukraine has demanded an "official apology" and accepting "responsibility" for the disaster. Hours after Iran admitted its missiles shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called for among other things a formal apology. Furthermore, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a statement January 11, demanding "assurances" from Iran of a "full and open investigation, bringing the perpetrators to justice," in the wake of the tragedy over Tehran. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East General Officer Commanding (GOC), 15 Corps (Chinar Corps), Lieutenant General BS Raju on Monday called on the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Girish Chandra Murmu. The Lt Governor and GoC discussed issues relating to the security management in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Lieutenant General BS Raju assumed the command of the strategically located and operationally committed Chinar Corps as the 49th Corps Commander on March 1. According to an official statement, on taking over the command, he paid homage to the martyrs, who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. "Later in the day, the General addressed and interacted with the troops of Chinar Corps and enthused them to continue to work with unflinching dedication and perseverance," the statement read. Lieutenant General BS Raju, an alumni of Sainik School, Bijapur and Defence Academy, Pune was commissioned in December 1984 and has had an illustrious military career spanning 36 years during which he has held varied prestigious command, staff and instructional appointments. The General Officer has an incisive understanding of Jammu and Kashmir, having served here for five tenures since 1984, notable being Force Commander of Rashtriya Rifles and Brigade Commander of an Infantry Brigade on the Line of Control. A graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (TN) and Royal College of Defence College, United Kingdom, Lieutenant General Raju is credited with important appointments at Army Headquarters and instructional appointments at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and leading the Indian Army Training Team abroad. Before taking over as the Chinar Corps Commander, the General was tenanting the prestigious appointment of Director General Staff Duties at Army Headquarters. On assuming the charge, Lieutenant General BS Raju conveyed his greetings and best wishes to the Awam of Kashmir. He expressed great happiness in being posted to Kashmir once again and that this tenure would be a wonderful opportunity to interact closely with the Awam at many levels. General Raju stated that he is sanguine that this is a momentous time in the history of the Valley and is optimistic that together with the Awam, we will usher in an era of peace and stability. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra recently announced a loan waiver scheme for farmers. Mumbai: As many as 14,591 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra between October 2014 and August 2019, state Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said on Monday. He also said that 1,286 farmers ended their lives in 2019 in 11 districts falling under the Nagpur and Amravati revenue divisions. The minister gave this information in the state Legislative Council while replying to a question raised by Congress MLC Sharad Ranpise. "From October 2014 to August 2019, as many as 14,591 farmers have committed suicide, of which 5,430 cases are disqualified for any help, while another 214 cases are pending for enquiry," Wadettiwar said in a written reply. He also informed that there has been a special package for six districts in Maharashtra where farmer suicides have been reported in large numbers. Responding to another question raised by BJP MLC Parinay Fuke, the minister said, "Eleven districts of Nagpur and Amravati divisions have reported 1,286 farmer suicides during 2019 calendar year." The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra recently announced a loan waiver scheme for farmers. An ABC presenter has called out a man for making 'disgraceful' homophobic remarks about his colleague who participated in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. News Breakfast host Michael Rowland voiced his disgust over slurs sent to weather presenter Nate Byrne. Byrne uploaded a video of himself dancing on the ABC float at the Mardi Gras on Saturday night. 'So proud to be part of #MardiGras2020... first time for both me AND for your ABC. The team smashed it. Thanks to the crowd for all of the love!' Byrne tweeted. But Byrne, a proud gay man, was met with criticism from a homophobic social media user. ABC weather presenter Nate Byrne was part of the ABC Mardi Gras float on Saturday night, but was abused by a homophobic Twitter user News Breakfast host Michael Rowland announced his disgrace over slurs sent to his colleague Nate Byrne during Monday morning's programme 'P****er, now you know why I won't watch News breakfast! This is a very sick world we live in,' a man said in a post sent to Byrne's Instagram direct messages. Rowland responded on Monday morning's program. 'You might have seen on social media Nate was the subject of some disgusting, some disgraceful homophobic comments which we think are just appalling,' Rowland told viewers. 'Who's that in the hot pants?' Rowland asked as he played a a video from the Mardi Gras parade in Sydney to celebrate gay pride. 'It's great to see Nate having a great time,' he said. 'We are so proud not just of Nate but all of our colleagues, and everyone else involved. 'One for all the homophobes out there,' the video's caption read. Byrne also aired his frustration over the Twitter user's comments. 'Mail's in. It IS a sick world we live in - one where this kind of unprovoked spray of hatred is still on the cards. This is why we march,' he tweeted on Sunday. MOSCOW -- As the latest episode of his weekly talk show got under way on March 1, pro-Kremlin TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov turned to address his viewers across Russia. The topic of the evening was the latest escalation in Syria's Idlib Province, where the death of at least 33 Turkish soldiers in a February 27 air strike escalated tensions between Moscow and Ankara and appeared to place the two regional powers which back opposite sides in the Middle Eastern country's military conflict -- on the brink of war. Solovyov's description of the carnage hewed closely to the Kremlin line, from the specific wording to the broader narrative: the Turkish-backed opponents of President Bashar al-Assad were "terrorists," government forces were provoked, and Russia had nothing to do with it. "Terrorists who were supposed to be restrained by Turkey attacked the Syrian Army, which delivered a retaliatory blow," Solovyov said. "That resulted in the deaths of several dozen Turkish servicemen, who shouldn't have been there in the first place." Solovyov's show on state TV is part of a crop of weekly news shows and other programs that advance the Russian government's positions on international affairs, and the latest theme of discussion came as the world focused much of its attention on the volatile region. The signal conveyed by several of these shows was clear: Turkey was not welcome in Syria. Back To 'Backstabbing'? The message came after Turkey's worst loss of life in a single military attack since the nine-year war in Syria began. Ankara moved quickly to reinforce troops working to back rebel groups in their campaign to thwart Assad's drive to seize back control over the restless province with the assistance of Russian air power. On March 1, Turkey's defense minister said that his country was "successfully" continuing its military operation in northwestern Syria against the Russian-backed government in Damascus and that Ankara has no "desire or intention to clash with Russia." But within hours of that statement, reports from Syria claimed that Turkish forces had downed Syrian warplanes. Turkey and Russia have avoided a major confrontation so far in the war. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan mended fences quickly after Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015, an incident that Putin called a "stab in the back" and that spurred a wave of anti-Turkish reports on Russian state TV. That downing came shortly after Moscow launched a campaign of air strikes and increased its military footprint on the ground in Syria, helping turn the tide of the war in Assad's favor at a time when he had seemed close to defeat. Moscow -- which also gives Assad's government diplomatic support, shielding it from punishment by the UN Security Council -- has long referred to Turkish-backed rebels fighting against the Syrian president as terrorists and has denounced any move by outside forces to lend them support. Now, with tensions escalating, Kremlin-allied pundits are pressing the claim that Turkey should not be in Syria in the first place and portraying Ankara's presence in the neighboring country as illegal -- in contrast to the presence of Russian forces, which Syria and Russia say was requested by Assad in 2015. In an interview a state-TV program that focuses on Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov drove the point home. Russia is the only country whose forces are active in Syria in accordance with the wishes of its "legitimate" government, he said -- echoing assertions Moscow has made about the legitimacy of U.S. military actions there. Others, he added, are there "in contravention of the norms and principles of international law." A Meeting In Moscow Official statements were in sync with the narrative advanced on state channels, which portrayed Turkey's losses in Syria as a result of what they suggested was its misguided interference in the country. In his weekly news round-up on March 1, prominent state TV presenter Dmitry Kiselyov said NATO member Turkey was only "visiting" Syria since it had never been invited to station troops there. Kiselyov's assessment of the February 27 attack on Turkish forces was similar to Solovyov's. He asserted that the attack was carried out by the Syrian military and said that the Turkish soldiers who were killed "were marching into combat shoulder-to-shoulder with terrorists." On March 2, the Kremlin drew Turkey's attention to a warning from the Russian Defense Ministry that Moscow could not guarantee the safety of Turkish planes flying in Syria, following retaliatory Turkish drone strikes that killed 19 Syrian soldiers on March 1 and downed two government warplanes. Peskov confirmed that a meeting between Putin and Erdogan would take place on March 5 in Moscow, part of what both Russia and Turkey cast as an effort to calm the situation and avoid military conflict. It came amid a flurry of statements by Turkish and Russian officials aimed at downplaying the prospect of war between Moscow and Ankara. "We have no intention of waging war on anyone," Putin said in an interview with state news agency TASS, which aired on March 2 and which included a thinly veiled warning against provoking Russian military action. "We strive to create conditions so that no one thinks of waging war on us. So that it doesn't cross anyone's mind." Putin's critics, meanwhile, mocked Russia's foreign posturing at a time when the country's economy struggles and real wages continue to fall for vast swaths of its population. "After we conquer Istanbul," wrote opposition politician Leonid Gozman. "We'll seize the straits and go further, to the Persian Gulf. But never - NEVER! - will we get our own house in order." China on Monday welcomed the US-Taliban peace deal signed in Doha over the weekend after more than 18 years of conflict in Afghanistan, calling it a seed of peace. Beijing, which sees itself as an increasingly influential player in Afghanistan, urged the Taliban to seize the opportunity and start intra-Afghanistan talks. The US-Taliban peace agreement was signed in Doha, Qatar, by US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad USs chief negotiator in the talks with the Taliban -- and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who led the groups talks with the US. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo witnessed the signing of the peace accord. Representatives of foreign missions including India and China attended the signing ceremony. Called the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, the peace accord outlines a series of commitments from Washington and the Taliban about reducing troop levels and intra-Afghan dialogue, aimed at bringing in lasting peace. Under the deal, the US and Nato allies will pull back their troops stationed in the war-ravaged country within the next 14 months provided the Taliban maintain their part of the deal. The Chinese foreign ministry called it an opportunity for peace and development. We hope taking this as an opportunity, the seed of peace can grow and prosper in Afghanistan. Foreign troops in Afghanistan should withdraw in an orderly and responsible manner to ensure a smooth transition and void a security vacuum especially to prevent terrorist groups from growing stronger in Afghanistan, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said on Monday. We think it is important to political settlement of the Afghan issue. China firmly supports the Afghan-led, Afghan own, broad and comprehensive and inclusive peace and reconciliation process, he said. We call on the Taliban and all parties in Afghanistan to seize the opportunity and start inter-Afghan talks as soon as possible to discuss political and security arrangements acceptable to all and make joint efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan, he said. In September, a Taliban delegation had met Chinas special representative for Afghanistan in Beijing to discuss the groups peace talks with the US. Along with Pakistan, China also has a trilateral foreign ministers dialogue, which has so far met three times. Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz headed to their third match-up in less than a year, as Israelis burdened by election fatigue and political paralysis looked grimly at polls forecasting another deadlock. Netanyahu's prospects appeared to improve as he went into the last stretch ahead of Monday's race, yet there was no clear sign of the significant shift in opinion that would end a year of impasse that's stymied progress in key policy areas. Israel's economy expanded at an unexpectedly faster clip of 3.5% last year buoyed by consumer spending and a booming technology sector. Yet there's concern that continued stalemate will alienate investors and delay reforms to the ailing health, education and infrastructure sectors. If no government is formed after the vote, Israel's credit rating may suffer, Bank Hapoalim said in a report Sunday. Netanyahu, indicted in three graft cases, has been gambling on successive revotes to win a majority in parliament and possibly keep himself out of jail. Two major developments have rippled through the body politic since Israelis last cast ballots in September. The once all-powerful Israeli prime minister watched corruption suspicions ripen into indictments and a March 17 trial date. And far away in Washington, the Trump administration reshuffled the Middle East deck with a peace plan that would allow Israel to unilaterally annex large chunks of the West Bank, in a harsh blow to the Palestinians' statehood aspirations. While these moves could have far-reaching implications, polls suggest they haven't tilted the contest toward a clear-cut verdict. Netanyahu built momentum in the last two weeks of the campaign, and his Likud party overtook Gantz's Blue and White in polls after consistently trailing before. Yet he and his religious and nationalist allies still fell short of a parliamentary majority. The last surveys gave the prime minister's camp as many as 59 of parliament's 120 seats, while the rival bloc led by former military chief Gantz would win up to 57. If the polls are borne out, then the fulcrum would shift to coalition negotiations that didn't end the impasse in the previous two rounds of voting. The surveys' margin of error makes a Netanyahu victory realistic, but if he can't scrape together a 61-seat majority, a variety of options could ensue, said Abraham Diskin, an emeritus professor of political science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "There could be a rebellion in both camps" against their leaders, Diskin said. "You could have a minority government. You could have a unity government. And there could be another election." In a sign of the times, isolated voting stations were put up in parking lots to accommodate the roughly 5,600 Israelis under house quarantine after being exposed to coronavirus. Election workers and voters at these stations will operate in separate tents with transparent panels that will allow the workers to supervise voting. Voters will be asked to don masks and gloves, and put their identifying papers in plastic bags to lessen the risk of infection. As he cast his ballot in Jerusalem, Netanyahu urged voters to turn out and assured them their health wouldn't be compromised by the coronavirus. "The corona thing is completely under control," he said. "Today, we've taken all the precautions that are necessary." The absence of a fully functioning government since December 2018 has put off decisive action on many fronts as security, political and diplomatic challenges mount. Confrontations with Iran-backed militants on the country's northern and southern frontiers have flared sporadically, and while the economy has been robust, risks are piling up. Israel remains without a permanent budget, a predicament the central bank has warned could have a contractionary effect on the economy. Bank Hapoalim has warned that the country might be slapped with an unprecedented downgrade of its credit rating should the election fail to produce a government that could pass a new budget. And Deutsche Bank AG noted that it's the only country that's "uniformly exposed to risks emanating from China, the euro area and the U.S." "The first priority of the new government, when formed, will be to draft a budget for 2020, assuring markets, as well as credit rating agencies, of a planned consolidation ahead," Deutsche Bank analysts including Kubilay Ozturk said in a report. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, called the first elections for April 2019 as the prosecutor's office weighed whether to indict him on bribery and fraud charges. He was unable to form a government after former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman unexpectedly refused to join his coalition, and rather than give anyone else a chance to become prime minister, Netanyahu engineered a September revote that delivered another inconclusive result. Before the election season degenerated into a yearlong affair, the prime minister was trying to push through legislation that would shield an incumbent leader from prosecution, and that effort could resume if he wins a fifth term. Netanyahu is accused of illicitly taking about $290,000 worth of cigars and champagne from wealthy friends and of scheming to help media moguls in exchange for sympathetic coverage. The prime minister and his backers claim he's the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt by opponents who deplore his nationalist agenda. He's the first sitting Israeli leader to face criminal charges. In Israel's Bruising Election Campaign, This Is the Man to Watch It was this taint of corruption that allowed political newcomer Gantz to mount the most serious challenge to Netanyahu since he was defeated after his first term by another former military chief, Ehud Barak, in 1999. Gantz didn't enter politics until December 2018, and wasn't one of the country's storied generals. His political bloc is a mishmash of Netanyahu opponents from across the political spectrum. But his clean-hands image, security credentials and message of uniting a divided nation were enough to attract a large following among many desperate to replace the prime minister. "I hope that today marks the start of a healing process, where we can begin living together again," Gantz said after voting in his hometown of Rosh Ha'ayin. "I'm hopeful that today we can set Israel on a new course." Netanyahu had hoped that the Trump peace plan, which goes far further than previous proposals to accommodate Israel's demands, would give his camp the boost it needed to finally vanquish Gantz. When polls showed it did not, he pivoted to the economy, which hadn't been an issue in previous campaigns given solid growth, promising to bring down high food and housing prices. And he appealed to supporters weary of back-to-back elections to go to the polls to help him recoup votes lost in the September election, as he sprinted across the country in the final days of the campaign, insinuating that Gantz was unstable. As he did so, polls showed Likud slightly surpassing Blue and White, but not in a decisive way. "It looks pretty much like the same outcome" as before, said Professor Gideon Rahat of the political science department at Hebrew University. - - - Bloomberg's Paul Abelsky contributed to this report. I hope everyones year started well and you managed to get some time to relax over summer with family and friends. Our Labour team started back on January 22 when we had the first meetings of our Ministers, MPs and the Prime Minister, before the official start of Parliament on February 11. The Government hit the ground running with the launch of our Big New Zealand Upgrade infrastructure programme. With an additional infrastructure spend of $12 billion over four years, this is the biggest investment in infrastructure in a generation. It will help to improve road safety and public transport, help upgrade almost every public school in the country, fix up hospitals and help lower our carbon emissions. Last year, as the first part of our wider infrastructure package, we announced that we would bring forward urgent school property improvement, with the largest capital injection for school maintenance funding in 25 years. Schools in Rodney are real winners, receiving a total of nearly $4.5 million additional funding to help accelerate upgrade projects already planned. This is on top of the investment we have made in over 700 new classrooms across the country. From my visits in and around Rodney, I learned that many of our schools have seen rapid roll growth over the last few years. This has put significant strain on school space and resources. Over the last decade, funding for building classrooms fell behind the growth in students. As a result, too many children ended up being taught in libraries and school halls. Many schools have had to put off building projects, making do with patched up classrooms and playgrounds. This simply is not good enough. But following the capital injection for school maintenance, it was exciting to hear of the plans of schools like Mahurangi College, which has changing rooms long overdue for an upgrade. Meanwhile, Matakana School is looking at accelerating projects for outdoor learning spaces, roof replacement and upgrading drinking fountains. The Government has made good progress on many issues over the past two years, but there is still more mahi to do and well never lose sight of that. Weve started the year as we intend to continue with energy, enthusiasm, and determination. Were going to be upbeat as we always are because we know you prefer positive politics to bickering and negativity. Well be telling the truth, both about what weve achieved so far and the work ahead of us. Theres still plenty of mahi to do in the electorate as well. You can trust that I will continue with integrity; wearing my values on my sleeve, staying in touch with local people and local issues, and fighting hard for the things that matter to us here. Because with a boss like mine, who leads by example every day, whether here at home or on the world stage, no other style of politics will cut it. Marja Lubeck, Rodney-based MP marja.lubeck@parliament.govt.nz Northern Irish drinks producers have called on the Government to reduce the burden of excise on alcohol sales in the UK in the budget next week Northern Irish drinks producers have called on the Government to reduce the burden of excise on alcohol sales in the UK in the budget next week. Over six million cases of Irish whiskey, Irish cream liqueur and gin were produced in Northern Ireland in 2019, over 80% of which was exported to markets beyond the UK and Ireland. Around one million cases were sold in the UK, from producers such as global players like Old Bushmills Distillery to newer businesses like Jawbox Gin. And distilleries are also becoming important tourist attractions, as new enterprises like the revived Matt D'Arcy complex in Newry and Co Fermanagh's The Boatyard Distillery seek to emulate the success of Old Bushmills Distillery as a tourist attraction. And Rademon, the Co Down estate where Shortcross Gin is produced, is also a visitor attraction. Drinks Ireland, which represents the industry on both sides of the border, said a cut in excise in the budget next Wednesday would be a boost to the industry in Northern Ireland. In its pre-budget submission, Drinks Ireland said a competitive UK market was crucial to Northern Ireland producers. And a cut in excise was all the more important as exports come under pressure following after a new 25% US tariff hit products such as Baileys and Bushmills. Drinks Ireland called for more support for the drinks industry in Northern Ireland, including more funding for economic development agency Invest NI to support export activities. Patricia Callan, director of Drinks Ireland, said the drinks industry was vital for Northern Ireland's economy. She cited a spend of 8m by Diageo on its Marshalls Road site in east Belfast, as well as a spend of 60m by Bushmills owner Proximo on new facilities at its north coast site. "Additionally, in 2019, Bushmills Distillery attracted over 150,000 paying visitors to the Causeway Coast," she said. "Echlinville, Rademon Estate and the Boatyard distilleries also attract visitors with plans for further distillery visitor experiences in Newry, Donaghadee and Crumlin Road, Belfast. "In order to maintain growth, we're calling for an excise reduction in the next budget. "It's been the policy of the UK Government to increase excise duty on all alcohol by RPI at each budget. "However, recent duty freezes in 2017 and 2018 have actually delivered higher revenues to the exchequer. "The excise freeze announced in 2017 was projected to cost the Exchequer 180m in revenue. "In fact, the Treasury made 380m more from spirits alone. The freeze announced in 2018 delivered the same in 2019. "So, a restructuring of the excise system to reduce the burden of excise is not only good for consumers and the economy, but also the exchequer." The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday handed over a cheque of 10 lakh to one of its soldiers, Mohammad Anees, whose house was gutted in fire in Delhi violence. More than 40 people have been killed in the violence which broke out in the Northeast district of the capital. The cheque was handed over by Inspector General, BSF DK Upadhyay at the BSF headquarters in Delhi. The force is also looking after the repair of the damaged house. The situation is terrible here but everything will get alright. All my superiors are helping me. I am fortunate to be part of BSF, Anees had told news agency ANI on Sunday. While the BSF soldier is posted in Odisha, his relatives used to stay at the house in Khajuri Khas area of northeast Delhi. I was born and brought up here but I never saw such a thing in my life. Nothing of such sort should happen in future and I hope everyone will stay peacefully, ANI further quoted him as saying. Anees is about to get married in May. One of the cousins is also supposed to get married. The family reports having lost almost all their savings and gold in the blaze. Officials had earlier said that the BSF will rebuild constable Anees house and hand it over to him as a wedding gift. A BSF officer said that the 29-year-old constable will also be transferred to Delhi very soon so that he could be with his family and prepare for the wedding. On Sunday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had sanctioned 10 lakh to constable Anees as an aid. In an official statement, Patnaik expressed regret over the communal clashes in Delhi and was saddened to know that house of Constable Mohammad Anees, 9th Battalion BSF was burnt down in recent communal violence in Delhi, read the statement from the Chief Minister. The riots that broke out in northeast Delhi last week have claimed over 40 lives with hundreds injured. The clash between anti-CAA protesters and supporters has been described as the deadliest incident of violence witnessed by the national capital in decades. (With inputs from agencies) China is forcing Uighur detainees to work in factories supplying major global brands including Nike and Apple. At least 80,000 Uighurs have been transferred to work at factories far away from their home province of Xinjiang, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute concluded in a study released on Saturday. The Chinese government has instituted a mass detention and surveillance apparatus meant to Sinicize the Muslim Turkic minority, and the ASPI reported that the transfer of Uighur workers strongly indicates the existence of a forced labor system. The Chinese government is now exporting the punitive culture and ethos of Xinjiangs reeducation camps to factories across China, wrote Vicky Xiuzhong Xu, the lead author of the study. Some of those workers were brought to one of the largest factories in Nikes supply chain, Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co., in Laixi near Chinas coast. Everyone knows they didnt come here of their own free will. They were brought here, a fruit vendor in the city told the Washington Post. Another vendor stated, The Uighurs had to come because they didnt have an option. The government sent them here. We can walk around, but we cant go back [to Xinjiang] on our own, a Uighur woman told the Post. Other factories employing Uighur labor are part of supply chains for Apple, Dell, Volkswagen, Microsoft, and numerous clothing outlets including Abercrombie and Fitch, Victorias Secret, and the Gap. (Abercrombie and Fitch has since stated that the company has instructed vendors to end any relationship with the factories mentioned in ASPIs report.) Apple is dedicated to ensuring that everyone in our supply chain is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, company spokesman Josh Rosenstock said. We have not seen this report but we work closely with all our suppliers to ensure our high standards are upheld. We are committed to upholding international labor standards globally, Nike spokeswoman Sandra Carreon-John said. Suppliers are strictly prohibited from using any type of prison, forced, bonded or indentured labor. More from National Review At least 10 members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by Nelson Chamisa, who were arrested Saturday outside a senior party officials residence in St. Marys, Chitungwiza, are expected to appear in court Monday, facing charges of participating in a gathering with intent to promote public violence. According to state security agents, the youth had running battles with the police, resulting in the stoning of some houses and state-owned buses. Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests, noting that the MDC youth were engaged in an orgy of violence that led to some political disturbances in Chitungwiza. Nyathi could not be drawn to give more details, saying he was attending to some pressing issues. The arrested youth are expected to also face charges of breaching peace or bigotry as defined by the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. MDC spokesperson, Daniel Molokele, says the party youth were arrested outside local lawmaker Job Sikhalas residence where they were consulting him on the current deteriorating economic and political situation in Zimbabwe. Molokele says President Emmerson Mnangagwas government is no longer allowing the opposition party to hold public meetings and as a result youth are resisting such moves by defying all police orders. I think like other young people in the country, the youth yesterday (Saturday) were trying to get themselves organized and also discuss the worsening situation in the country in terms of the economic and so on and its their constitutional right. But what we see in Zimbabwe today is that the ED (Emmerson Mnangagwa) regime is on a panic mode, they are no longer allowing youth even Zimbabweans in general to gather in public, they dont want them to exercise their freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of association, freedom of expression. Practically they have closed all part of democracy in this country. Sikhala, who is also the MDCs vice chairperson, was recently acquitted of charges of subverting a constitutionally-elected government. Zanu PF provincial committee member and former Tsholotsho senator, Believe Gaule, says police arrested the MDC youth in order to maintain law and order in Chitungwiza. There is a good reason why they were arrested. Police cannot go out there and start arresting people without any reasons. If they committed a crime then they must be arrested. State security agents shot and killed at least seven people in Harare last year during protests over fuel price increases of up to 150 percent. The army gunned down six other innocent civilians in 2018 following protests over delays in releasing presidential election results. A commission of inquiry led by former South African president Kgalame Motlanthe condemned the army for killing the civilians and recommended that relatives of the deceased should be compensated. The government has not do this amid concerns of civil unrest due to the deteriorating economic situation in Zimbabwe. Anthony Coscia, the chairman of Amtraks board of directors, said on Monday that it was too soon to forecast how much of the repairs could be accomplished during weekends and what impact they would have on train service. But that work would not lessen the need for new tunnels, which would provide redundancy and increase capacity, he said. You sure wish it would go a bit smoother in terms of the funding, he said. But, he added, Rest assured, were going to take good care of those tunnels. Among the challenges Amtraks chief executive has to navigate is that other railroads are the biggest users of Amtraks infrastructure in and around New York. The Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit carry the bulk of daily users of Penn Station, which New Yorks governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, wants to expand by annexing a block of Midtown Manhattan. Mr. Anderson, a former chief executive of Delta Air Lines, has been Amtraks chief executive since 2017, a memorably difficult year at Penn Station. His first day on the job was the third day of what Mr. Cuomo had warned could be a summer of hell because of the disruptive emergency track repairs Amtrak undertook. Mr. Anderson succeeded Charles Moorman, a former chief executive of the Norfolk Southern freight railroad. The two men, each of whom took no salary, shared the chief executive title during a transition that lasted several months as Mr. Anderson learned the railroad business. By all accounts, Mr. Anderson, who guided Delta through a bankruptcy proceeding, has been successful. Amtrak, which has lost vast sums of money for decades, is expected to report its first operating profit this year. Advertisement The first wave of winning images in the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards 2020 has been revealed - and as always, the standard is truly spectacular. The amazing shots below are among the winners in the competition's National Awards, which is aimed at supporting photographers across 63 countries and regions. One photographer from each nation has been honoured for one standalone image. Those picked will now be given the chance to showcase their work to a global audience at the renowned Sony World Photography Awards 2020 exhibition, which takes place at Somerset House, London, from April 17 to May 4. Judges sifted through over 190,000 images that were entered into the contest's open competition - a record number - to select the national award winners. The overall winner of the Photographer of the Year 2020 title will be announced during the Sony World Photography Awards 2020 ceremony in London on April 16. The winners of the Sony World Photography Awards' open contest and youth contest will also be announced at the same event. Scroll down and prepared to be wowed... Photographer Atanas Chulev is the winner of the national award for Bulgaria with this stunning shot of the Italian Dolomites. He said: 'The photo was taken in one of the excavated tunnels that were created during the First World War. Most of them can be seen on the Via Ferrata De Luca/Innerkofler route through the mountains' The winner of the national award for Malaysia is Tien Sang Kok, who captured this jaw-dropping image of galloping horses in Mongolia at sunset. The photographer explained: 'It is traditionally said that a Mongol without a horse is like a bird without a wing' The winner of the national award for Australia is Adam Stevenson, who snapped this powerful image on his iPhone X after devastating bushfires swept through Wallabi Point in New South Wales, close to where he lives. He called the picture 'That's Nothing to Laugh About'. He said: 'As I watched the sun set through the smoke, a kookaburra appeared and allowed me to walk right up to it. We shared a moment, watching the sun fade behind the apocalyptic scene he was laughing' This image of two rhinos mating in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in India was captured on an early winter's morning by Abhijeet Kumar Banerjee. He is the winner of the national award for India. He said: 'We were on a jeep safari and suddenly we encountered this pair of Indian one-horned rhino mating. Needless to say, it was a unique and rare opportunity' Runner up in the national award for China is Sutie Yang for this dramatic image of the Northern Lights next to the Seljalandfoss waterfall in Iceland. The photographer explained: 'I went inside the waterfall and found this little world. The aurora danced outside the cave for a moment, as if it contained the whole universe' This dramatic shot of the Huangshan mountains in China was shot by Karem Apaza Lopez, who won the national award for Peru. He called the image 'Dreamy Mountains'. He said: 'It was impossible for my senses to ignore the wonder of the Huangshan mountains. It was as if they were posing for my lens and allowing me to capture their splendour' This cute image, left, of a curious monkey in an Indonesian forest, helped Jan Simon win the national award for the Czech Republic. He said: 'I was amazed by this creature while travelling through Indonesia. I spotted the monkey just sitting there while I was exploring a place called Monkey Forest. It looked like he was just sitting there wondering about the world.' Pictured right is an image by Will Venter, the winner of the South African national award, showing a water buffalo peeking out from dense foliage. He explained: 'It had a look as though it wanted us to help it. So many people around the world rely on these amazing creatures for survival, and yet few help to protect its natural environment' The national award winner for Norway is Bjrn-Arild Schancke, who impressed the judges with this striking shot of an abandoned coal mine on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. He explained that mining in Svalbard ended in 1981 The winner of the national award for Thailand is Kiatthaworn Khorthawornwong, who captured this beautiful autumnal shot of Lake Kawaguchiko and Mount Fuji in Japan This image, called 'Spread 'em', helped photographer Marcus Westburg scoop the national award for Sweden. He captured the unusual photo while in a hide at the Onguma Private Reserve in Namibia. He said: 'I knew if I were patient enough, I would have a good chance of photographing giraffes as they came in to drink, but I never imagined any of them would squeeze in between the hide and the waterhole! This presented me with a different perspective than I had envisioned. Patience and a willingness to sit quietly in nature is often a reward in itself - although in this case I was delighted to leave with an image like this' The winner of the national award for Sri Lanka is Lakshitha Karunarathna for this fascinating shot of an otter he captured in Bourne, Lincolnshire. He said: 'As I spent a whole night photographing a heron in a small pond, this handsome hunter popped up all of sudden right in front of me and started swimming and diving for fish at an unbelievable pace. I could not get a proper shot for some time due to the speed and the unpredictability of this skilful night hunter. After good half an hour of hunting, it took a break and shook the water off' Winner of the French award is Greg Lecoeur for this incredible underwater shot of crab-eater seals in the Antarctic Peninsula. This image also earned him the top prize in the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020 competition, as MailOnline previously reported Claiming second place in the national award for Hong Kong is Kam Moon Lai, who shot this amazing photo of a school of jackfish off the coast of Sipadan Island in Malaysia Ales Krivec is the winner of the national award for Slovenia after impressing with this snap, which he called 'Ring of Frost'. It shows an optical phenomenon called 'halo', which is produced by light interacting with ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere Runner-up for the national award for Taiwan is Yung-sen Wu, who captured this magnificent shot of a sea lion swimming among fish Turkish photographer F. Dilek Uyar is the winner of the national award for Turkey for this image of sheep being herded in Bitlis in the east of the country. She described the image as being like a 'pastoral symphony' Claiming second place in the national award for the Republic of Korea is Hwanhee Kim for this image he captured of a boy on a raft in the Solomon Islands. He said: 'Although the weather was a little unfriendly, he seemed happy to meet some new faces' A shortage of teachers and a bulge in pupil numbers could see even more children missing out on their first choice secondary school, a think-tank is warning. Today primary pupils will find out which secondary they will attend in September. Last year nearly 115,500 almost 20 per cent of year six children missed out on their first choice on National Offer Day. And despite Government efforts to boost pupil places, a lack of teachers could exacerbate the problem of over-subscribed schools. A shortage of teachers and a bulge in pupil numbers could see even more children missing out on their first choice secondary school, a think-tank is warning (file photo) The overall percentage of children getting an offer from their first preference secondary in England has been in slow decline since 2013/14. Today, an Education Policy Institute think-tank report warns that teaching numbers have fallen by 7 per cent, despite pupil numbers being projected to soar. It also says one in five new teachers are leaving after their first two years, while four in ten leave after five years. The losses are more severe in key subjects such as maths, sciences and languages, where as many as half quit after five years. Last year there were 604,500 applications to secondary schools. Report author Luke Sibieta said: A pupil population bulge is now hitting secondary schools, with numbers expected to rise by as much as 10 per cent by 2023. This could make teacher shortages more severe, and may also create wider capacity issues in the system, meaning parents could find it more difficult to secure their preferred school. The EPI is calling for a range of measures to stem the problem, including doubling the payments for teaching in challenging areas to 2,000 per year to help schools retain their teachers. School standards minister Nick Gibb said: Last year more than nine in ten pupils received a place at one of their top three preferences of secondary school, with the majority offered their top preference. Last year nearly 115,500 almost 20 per cent of year six children missed out on their first choice secondary school (file photo) Pupils are also significantly more likely to be receiving a place at a good school than they were ten years ago... Delivering good school places is a priority for this Government and we are on track to create one million between 2010 and 2020... and we use councils own population forecasts to make sure these places are provided where they are needed. Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: While the majority of families will be receiving the good news that they have been offered their first choice for a secondary school place, some will be disappointed. Last year, the number of families denied their first preference increased, and it may do so again this year... There are generally enough school places, although there may be particular pressures in some areas. The main issue, however, is caused by the fact that many families apply for oversubscribed popular schools and, as pupil numbers continue to increase in the secondary phase over the next few years, this will intensify. The situation is particularly iniquitous for disadvantaged families who do not have the spending power to buy or rent houses in the catchment area of these schools. By PTI KOLKATA: The communal conflagration in Delhi was "state-sponsored planned genocide", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Monday and claimed an attempt was being made by the BJP to replicate the "Gujarat model of riots" across the country. Banerjee, while addressing a TMC event, insisted it was due to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that "so many people were killed" in the Delhi violence. "Amit Shah should keep this in mind". The Trinamool Congress supremo also condemned those who raised the controversial "goli maro." slogan while heading to Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in the city on Sunday. "I am deeply pained by the killing of innocent people in Delhi. I think it's a planned genocide. I am calling it a genocide because it was state-sponsored violence that was later projected as riots. Delhi police is under the Centre. There was Delhi police, CRPF, CISF but nobody did anything, everybody was inactive," she alleged. Banerjee hit back at Shah, who had expressed "anguish" over the law and order situation in Bengal at his Kolkata rally, demanding that the BJP apologise for the Delhi violence before lecturing others. "Why hasn't BJP apologised for it? Then they come here and shamelessly say they will capture (kabza) West Bengal. The BJP is trying to replicate the Gujarat model of riots across India, including in West Bengal. After the Gujarat riots of 2002, they did it in Uttar Pradesh and now Delhi," she said. Her stinging remarks came in the backdrop of opposition CPI(M) and Congress questioning her "silence" on Delhi violence that has left over 42 people dead and more than 200 injured. Though she had not condemned the killings in speech, Banerjee had penned a poem a few days ago voicing her concern over the orgy of violence. She urged TMC workers to hold state-wide rallies against the communal riots in the national capital and also raise funds to help the victims. "Condemning the goli maaro. chants by alleged BJP supporters during Shah's rally," Banerjee said nobody who raised such divisive slogans will be spared by police. ALSO READ | Dont want people to die: SC to hear on March 4 plea for FIRs against hate speeches 'leading' to Delhi riots "The slogan is incendiary, provocative and illegal. All who raised it will be penalised and law will take its own course. Its Kolkata, not Delhi. Its Bengal. Police has already taken action," she said. The Kolkata police on Monday arrested three BJP supporters for allegedly raising the provocative slogan. "Those who talk about Bengal's law and order. Tell me why the BJP leader who instigated the violence has not been booked and arrested? Why no action has been taken against Yogiji (Yogi Adityanath) for his hate speeches?" she asked. Banerjee asked party workers to help police identify from media footage others involved in raising the slogan but urged them not to take law into their hands. She alleged the BJP relied on either inciting riots or whipping up war frenzy to win elections. "Despite losing one election after the other since last year it is shamelessly boasting about capturing Bengal". The feisty Bengal politician alleged that the CPI(M) and Congress had a tacit understanding with the BJP and they ensured the victory of its candidates in the Lok Sabha polls in the state by splitting anti-BJP votes. "Yesterday, he (Shah) said that they will set a target of winning 200 seats in Bengal (in the Assembly elections). Why not all 294 seats? Because they only want to target Trinamool Congress seats and not those of CPI(M) and Congress. We will target all the seats," she said. Reacting to Banerjee's allegation, senior BJP leader Babul Supriyo said, "She doesn't understand the meaning of genocide and should think twice before speaking such things." The Union minister said peace had returned to Delhi and Banerjee should stop making provocative comments. If she has any suggestions, she should meet Amit Shah, he said. CPI(M) politburo member Mohammed Salim called Banerjee's remarks "a staged drama" as her police stood as a "mute spectator" when provocative slogans were raised. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh critised the TMC government for its failure to act against those who chant "anti-India' slogans. The spreading coronavirus epidemic shut down France's Louvre Museum on Sunday, with workers who guard its trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the museum's flow of visitors from around the world. "We are very worried because we have visitors from everywhere," said Andre Sacristin, a Louvre employee and union representative for its staffers. "The risk is very, very, very great," he said in a phone interview. While there are no known virus infections among the museum's 2,300 workers, "it's only a question of time," he said. A short statement from the Louvre said a staff meeting about virus prevention efforts stopped the museum from opening as scheduled Sunday morning. Would-be visitors were still waiting to get inside on Sunday afternoon. The shutdown followed a government decision Saturday to ban indoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people. OTTAWA - Former prime minister and foreign minister Joe Clark faces a tough slog during his travels to the Persian Gulf and Africa to campaign for Canada's bid for the United Nations Security Council, analysts said Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Former Prime Minister Joe Clark is seen during a photo op in Ottawa on November 6, 2017. Former prime minister and foreign minister Joe Clark is off to the Persian Gulf and Africa to campaign for Canada's bid for the United Nations Security Council. But one leading analyst ways says Canada's feminist foreign policy may not be too popular in some of Clark's travel destinations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - Former prime minister and foreign minister Joe Clark faces a tough slog during his travels to the Persian Gulf and Africa to campaign for Canada's bid for the United Nations Security Council, analysts said Monday. Clark began a one-week trip Monday as "special envoy" to Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt to campaign for Canada's bid for a temporary two-year seat on the UN's most powerful body. If elected, the Trudeau government says Canada will continue to work to strengthen multilateralism, foster peace, address climate change, promote economic security and advance gender equality. Bessma Momani, an expert in Middle East affairs at the University of Waterloo, says Clark may not get a very receptive audience to Canada's push for women's rights among some of the government representatives he will be meeting. "The people certainly hold Canada in high regard, regardless of what the governments may think," Momani said. "People are still queuing to immigrate here so clearly we are still doing something right." "Certainly our recent emphasis on human rights and women's rights is probably not received that favourably in that part of the world, which tends to have more conservative values and are part of the global autocratic turn." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ethiopia and Senegal in February as part of his government's campaign for the council seat. Several cabinet ministers have also been visiting countries across Africa in recent months. The secret ballot at the UN General Assembly takes place in June for a two-year term starting next year. Africa, with its 54 voting countries, is a key voting bloc in the tough fight that pits Canada against Norway and Ireland for two available seats. Both countries spend more per capita than Canada on foreign aid, which is seen by many analysts as an impediment to Canada's chances to winning the competition. Clark is an appropriate choice to campaign in the region, but he will have his work cut out for him, said Fen Hampson, a Carleton University expert who wrote a recent book on the foreign policy of the ex-prime minister Brian Mulroney. Clark served as Mulroney's minister of external affairs. "African leaders with long memories will recall the important role Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney played in the Commonwealth in helping to bring an end to apartheid in South Africa and also stepping up to the plate in the Ethiopian famine crisis," said Hampson. "We also opened our wallets with generous development assistance in those years. Unfortunately, Canada's more recent engagement in the region under successive governments suffers in comparison with our role in the 1980s and 1990s and that is the nub of the problem and our challenge in getting Africans to vote for us." It was during the Mulroney era that Canada invented the practice of using so-called "special envoys" to campaign for the country when it won a seat on the council in 1988, said Adam Chapnick, the Royal Military College professor and author of the new book 'Canada on the United Nations Security Council: A Small Power on a Large Stage.' "You typically don't send special envoys halfway around the world unless you believe that there is a reasonable chance of getting a yes vote and you don't expect normal campaigning strategies to be sufficient to close the deal," said Chapnick. "Typically, when it comes to UNSC campaigns, we do better in the Gulf and the Middle East writ large than people might suspect." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 2, 2020. Hi! I am an Assistant City Editor for the education beat, which means I help with breaking news and all things K-12 or higher education. Any tips or story ideas can be sent to me at hlht46@mail.missouri.edu or in the newsroom at 882-5720. Follow this search 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 Good Morning America The Biden administration's plan to send 500 million at-home tests to Americans for free is an historic undertaking, but one that will take weeks or months to fully execute, recently released contracts and interviews with seven test manufacturers suggest. Contracts for the first two batches of tests were announced on Friday, one for 13.3 million kits from a health technology company and another for an undisclosed amount from a distribution company in Virginia that had extras on hand -- all to be distributed in an effort to reduce the massive testing shortage in the U.S. Tests won't be available to be ordered through a government website until later this month, the official said, meaning it's unlikely the average American will get free tests delivered in time for the January peak of omicron cases predicted by most models. In 1985 Dr Akerman, a world-renowned expert in melanoma, said, With big enough hopes and serious enough convictions, no human being need die of a melanoma. Despite his optimism, in New Zealand we currently have about 350 people die each year from melanoma a similar number to our road toll. Melanoma is on your skin and visible for all to see. It doesnt need an invasive procedure to diagnose, unlike bowel cancer that requires a colonoscopy, or breast cancer that requires a mammogram. All that is needed to diagnose melanoma is an educated eye. If diagnosed early, melanomas are completely curable with a relatively minor procedure done under local anaesthetic. Broadly speaking, there are two types of melanoma: flat, slow-growing melanomas that take years to become invasive and spread, and nodular melanomas that become invasive within months. The slow-growing melanomas can be diagnosed with the use of a dermoscope by your doctor before they become invasive. Annual checks with your doctor are sufficient for this type of melanoma. On the other hand the nodular variant, if it appears between annual skin checks, may well be invasive before your next visit to the doctor. Fortunately, nodular melanomas are usually obvious to the untrained eye as not right and most patients, if they look, will recognise a nodular lesion. These nodular melanomas are responsible for a large proportion of deaths. Why are people still dying of melanoma? Mainly because patients dont look at their own skin on a regular basis. Most patients are able to diagnose their own melanoma in plenty of time for a cure, they just need to look. To start the process of massively reducing your risk of dying of a melanoma, you should see a doctor competent in dermoscopy to get a baseline examination. Thereafter have annual checks. In addition, and maybe more importantly, you need to do self-checks each month of your own skin with the help of mirrors and or a partner. If a new, changing or strange lesion appears between your annual checks, show your doctor. Often it will be benign, and if not will likely be curable with a small procedure. It really is that simple. New medicines are now becoming available to treat late-stage melanoma and this is very exciting. Until recently, a melanoma that had spread was always terminal but now between 30 to 50 per cent of patients with metastatic melanoma can potentially get long-term remission (and possibly a cure) with these new treatments. Andrew MacGill, Rodney Surgical Centre www.rodneysurgicalcentre.co.nz On Super Tuesday, Democratic voters from Colorado and across the United States will face a serious decision: Sanders or Warren? Biden, Klobuchar or Bloomberg? Then, afterward, what kind of wine to drink. Now, a new study taps into mathematics to probe how people make those kinds of fraught choices--in particular, how hypothetical, and completely rational, individuals might select between two options as they navigate through a noisy social environment. It turns out that not making a choice can sometimes be as revealing as picking a side, report researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Houston. When the people around you are indecisive, for example, that can have a big influence on your own choices. "Say you have a friend who has been a staunch Sanders supporter in the past," said Zachary Kilpatrick, a coauthor of the new study and an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at CU Boulder. "It's the night before the primary, and they still have not made a decision about who they're going to vote for. That suggests that they have received some evidence that's in conflict with voting for Sanders." Kilpatrick will present his team's results remotely at a meeting of the American Physical Society. (The physical conference has been canceled due to public health concerns). The group's findings, while theoretical, could still inform how we should address real-world problems--for example, the spread of misinformation on the internet, he said. "If we want to combat the hijacking of our social information networks, we need to understand in a quantitative way how peoples' beliefs are swayed by their social connections." Dreaded decisions His team's research zeroes in on a major question in a field of study called decision-making theory: How people make choices based both on their own, private research--such as watching televised debates--and through their social interactions--say, checking out their friends' posts on social media. Kilpatrick compared that goal to the classic battle of wits between Vizzini and the Dread Pirate Roberts in the 1987 film The Princess Bride. In that scene, the pirate claims to have poisoned one of two glasses of wine. Vizzini, a scofflaw of supposedly vast intellect, must choose the one he thinks is safe to drink. It gets complicated. "What Vizzini says is that he knows what the Dread Pirate Roberts knows that he knows," Kilpatrick said. "But he takes multiple loops through what we call a 'common knowledge' exchange before he makes the decision on the wine glasses." In other words, when you make such an exchange, you need to not only consider what you know about your opponents, but what they know you know about them--and on and on. To explore similar kinds of intellectual spirals, Kilpatrick and his colleagues used a series of equations, or mathematical models, to simulate social interactions of varying complexity. Their models didn't revolve around real-life voters, or even pirates, but "rational agents"--theoretical deciders who always make the right choices based on the evidence available to them. The researchers discovered that, when time is of the essence, two fictional voters might go through mental loops akin to Vizzini's thought process. "We're both watching the same news show, for example, and I look over to you to see if you've made a decision or not," Kilpatrick said. "We have to account for our common knowledge multiple times until we've adequately squeezed all of the information that we can out of the fact that you haven't made a decision yet, and I haven't made a decision yet." Eventually, it stops. One voter or group of voters in a network might finally receive enough information to feel confident about their choice. And when that happens, other voters might get the impetus they need to quite dithering, too. The researchers report their findings in a preprint publication online. Messy humans Kilpatrick is quick to note that, of course, no voter is perfectly rational. But scientists can still learn a lot by studying where real-life humans fall in line with what theory suggests they should do--and where they don't. People should also always try to be aware of the baggage that others in their social networks carry, he added. "When we're determining how political leaders or people in our networks make decisions," Kilpatrick said, "we should think hard about how those individuals are biased in order to figure out what we should take away from their decisions." As for your Super Tuesday decision, learn from Vizzini's example and steer clear of the wine. ### City Hall Reporter Monique 'Mo' Brand joined the Herald in May 2019. Before that, she covered border coverage and county government in Arizona. She also worked as a reporter in Kerrville, Los Angeles, and Norfolk Virginia. The U.S. Navy veteran grew up in Killeen. CAMP HILL - The race for the Democratic Partys nomination in Pennsylvanias 10th Congressional District is quickly becoming one of record vs. vision. For the second time in five days, candidates Eugene DePasquale, the current Pennsylvania Auditor General from North York, and Tom Brier, an attorney and author from Derry Township making his first race for elective office, squared off in a public forum. And once again there was far more agreement than difference between them on broad policy direction on most federal issues. But the unavoidable contrast is in how they are making that case. DePasquales emphasis is squarely on his record in both the state House - where he served three terms representing the City of York - and as Pennsylvania Auditor General since 2012, a tenure in which he argues he and his staff have done the hard, independent work of making government perform better and stretching tax dollars further. It is a you-know-what-youre-getting kind of argument that lets DePasquale argue that he is the partys best choice to take on the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Carroll Township, in a district that President Donald Trump carried by a 54.7 percent to 45.3 percent margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016. In that same 2016 campaign cycle, as DePasquale likes to point out, he was the only one of four other statewide Democratic candidates to carry the present-day 10th, outpolling his Republican foe by 50.7 percent to 49.3 percent in DePasquales bid for a second term as Auditor General. Brier, meanwhile, offers voters a more purely progressive vision marked by support for policies like the House Democrats Green New Deal to combat climate change, or his proposal that the government take an equity stake in firms that use federally-funded research in future private-sector applications to help make sure their successes are shared with everyone. Brier, again on Sunday, also tried to sow doubts about DePasquales ideological purity. Brier pointed to episodes in his opponents record like a 2011 vote for a Congressional redistricting map that saw Democrats votes diluted statewide in a plan designed to maximize the size of the states Republican delegation to Congress. He also cited DePasquales acceptance of campaign contributions from corporate political action committees; Brier has sworn off such contributions. He saw his biggest opening Sunday in a question about good government reforms the candidates would back. DePasquale said he would back campaign finance reform at the federal level that would unwind the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision that eliminated limits on political spending by independent political action committees. Critics have said the 2010 decision has made federal campaigns more reliant on money than ever before, especially from outside super-PACS that can be harder for the public to track. The problem, Brier said, is We can talk about Citizens United, but you have to run on a platform that doesnt take corporate money to have credibility to actually say it. And so Eugenes taken corporate money his whole career... Democracys broken for a reason, and thats because we have politicians running for office who refuse to step back and not take corporate money. Brier then segued to the Congressional maps bill, which was crafted at a time when Republicans controlled the governors office (Tom Corbett), and held majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. You know you talk hard about fighting against corruption," Brier said to DePasquale. Where was the fight there on the one issue that deprived Democrats of equal representation in government for a decade? Thats why were in this situation: Its because we didnt have politicians stand on principle at the very moment when we really needed it." The bill in question passed 136-61. DePasquale was one of 36 House Democrats who joined 100 Republicans in supporting it, while 53 opposed. The maps were eventually overturned and redrawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a 2018 ruling in a lawsuit brought by the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters. There is a criminal operation in the White House," Brier said, pressing his attack. We need people who run on principle. We need to get money out of politics, and we need to prioritize the fact that we give people an equal say in their representation. DePasquale immediately went back to his record. You can look at my entire tenure in public life and see regardless of who donates to me, I take on the tough fights. He touted his audits of the Corbett Administrations regulation of the Marcellus Shale drilling that led to the hiring of 55 additional state inspectors; that discovered alarming rates of unanswered phone calls to the state child abuse hot line by Gov. Tom Wolfs Department of Human Services; and that called out police departments that failed to prioritization of rape kits, or school districts in heavily Democratic cities that found misuse of taxpayer dollars. But he also made no apologies for running his campaigns - including this campaign for Congress - under the rules as they exist today. It would be tremendously naive to proceed any other way, DePasquale said, in a race where Perry is expected to receive strong backing from conservative financiers like the billionaire Charles Koch. You only get to govern if you win, DePasquale reminded Sundays attendees. I got into this to fight and win on behalf of the people of this district, and thats exactly what Im going to do. As of the candidates last quarterly filings, DePasquale had $468,000 on hand for the primary campaign, compared to Briers $203,000. The eventual Democratic nominee is also likely to receive a large amount of national assistance in the general election campaign if the party continues to see Perry as one of the more vulnerable Republican incumbents. Brier went back to the gerrymandering vote in his closing. Eugene said it earlier: The best predictor of future behavior, is to look at past behavior.' His past behavior shows that at the very moment we really needed him to stand on principle, he voted for an unconstitutional gerrymandering bill. I promise you, I would never do that... I promise that I would never support the expansion of fracking. I promise you that I wont take corporate money.... In this critical election year, we have to vote our values. Thats the only thing that has been proven to work in history, Brier said. DePasquale, who had already closed, demanded a chance to respond. It is amazing, when we are trying to bring unity... that there would be a cheap shot thrown to try and divide us, DePasquale said. While not directly defending his vote for the 2011 Congressional map, DePasquale said his legislative record also included an unsuccessful push for redistricting reform in Pennsylvania before that map was drafted. He again stressed his history of fighting for better government no matter who that takes him up against, and argued thats a tested record that voters in the 10th know they can rely on. Many of our issues and our positions are the exact same or pretty close... The biggest difference is not where we stand, but on what weve actually done," DePasquale said. Ive taken on the tough fights, Ive taken on bullies all over Pennsylvania, and Ive won. Sundays debate at the Camp Hill borough building was sponsored by the citizens group Capital Region Stands Up. Perry, who is unopposed for the Republican nomination, was invited but did not attend. The race in the 10th District is being listed by national analysts as one of the hottest Congressional contests in the country in the 2020 cycle, in part because of the spirited battle political newcomer George Scott gave Perry in 2018. Politically, both Democrats would mark a dramatic turn from Perry, a Republican who is seeking his fifth term and second in the present-day 10th, which covers all of Dauphin County, the eastern half of Cumberland County, and the northern half of York County. The primary election will be held April 28. HarperCollins India's Rahul Soni's stint in mainstream publishing has only just begun, having recently crossed the two-year mark, with a prodigious number of acclaimed titles under his belt already. Reactions to his accomplishments from publishing peers range from reverence to unwavering faith in his mettle, but what seems to get repeatedly underlined about Rahul through several testimonies is his abounding empathy an alleged rarity in the business. In the digital age, his belief continues to lie firmly in the printed word, which, more often than not, leads him to award-winning bestsellers seven of them within a year, to be precise. "He is quiet and unassuming, doesnt exist on social media, he refuses to be in photographs, he doesnt like to be the centre of attention, it's all about the words on the page for him," is how author of Girl in White Cotton, Avni Doshi describes her editor Rahul Soni, Executive Editor (Literary) at HarperCollins India. Soni's stint in mainstream publishing has only just begun, having recently crossed the two-year mark, with a prodigious number of acclaimed titles under his belt already. Reactions to his accomplishments from publishing peers range from reverence to unwavering faith in his mettle, but what seems to get repeatedly underlined about Rahul through several testimonies is his abounding empathy an alleged rarity in the business. When Firstpost reaches out to Rahul Soni for a conversation, he is in the middle of deadlines and travel. He tells me how his "love for words" brought him to publishing, besides him second-guessing that this is perhaps what he's "best at?" "I started, along with a friend, the journal Pratilipi, and Ive been associated with the journals Almost Island and Asymptote, with the writers residency Sangam House, and the literary agency Writers Side," Soni informs, before adding that during this time, he's "done everything from evaluating manuscripts to editing and ghostwriting, from designing covers to laying out books to producing them, running a small press, organising conferences and small literary gatherings (not festivals)." Finally, in 2017, he joined the publishing giant as Senior Commissioning Editor. However, only a handful seem to be aware of his writing career prior to his editorial stint. Udayan Mitra, Publisher (Literary) at HarperCollins India, tips me off about it. "I first met Rahul about three years ago, soon after I moved to HarperCollins as Publisher, and was looking to build a strong literary team. Rahul was a Harper author before he was a Harper employee we had published some of his excellent translations under our Perennial imprint. Rahul has a very sound literary sense and a great eye for writing with true merit," he says. For Soni, it's all about getting his hands on a good book, whether as a reader or as an editor. But what really cuts it for him is "a combination of strong voice, strong writing, strong story." "I love to be able to publish work that pushes at and tries to expand the boundaries of what form and language can do. It doesnt matter then whether it is from an established writer or a debut work," he says. The editor, however, is mindful of falling in the trap of chasing trends or established names. Predicting readers' tastes and preferences or what may sell isn't among his concerns either. "The aim, as a literary publisher, should be to bring out work of lasting value," the 40-year-old tells me. The list of award-winning and nominated titles acquired by him looks formidable already. "Its been a good run of luck," he admits. "You can only choose from what is out there, what is submitted to you, or what you know is being written and can chase down. The past couple of years have been special that way, and Im very aware that its not something that can consistently keep happening." From Madhuri Vijay's debut book, The Far Field (winner of JCB Prize for Literature, Tata Literature Live First Book Award for Fiction, and The Crossword Book Jury Award for Fiction), Sahitya Akademi awardee Vinod Kumar Shukla's Blue is Like Blue (winner of the Atta Gallata Best Fiction of the Year, and The Mathrubhumi Book of the Year Award), to debutante writer Shubhangi Swarup's Latitudes of Longing (winner of the Sushila Devi Literature Award) and N Prabhakaran's Diary of a Malayali Madman, translated by Jayasree Kalathil (winner of The Crossword Book Jury Award for Best Indian Language Translation) Rahul Soni is just getting started. Among his other notable titles, which have been nominated for various prestigious awards, are the late Numair Atif Choudhury's first and only novel, Babu Bangladesh!, Anukrti Upadhyay's Bhaunri, Akil Kumarasway's Half Gods, Subimal Misra's Actually This Could Have Become Ramayan Chamar's Tale (translated by V Ramaswamy), and This is How it Took Place, by the late Rudrakshi Bhattacharjee. Author and translator Arshia Sattar first met Rahul Soni in the year 2012, when he joined the Sangam House Residency headed by her, as a writer. By the end of his term as a resident, Sattar invited him to come onboard as an administrator. "When Rahul was with Sangam House, each year there were at least four or five residents who specifically mentioned how very helpful he had been to them in their writing, and how their work had improved because of their conversations with him. Some of those writers from Sangam House and those works have gone on to win awards like Shubhangi Swarup's Latitudes of Longing," Arshia mentions. Her faith in her former colleague, now her editor, is unrelenting, as she emphasises on his gentle approach towards his job that is often perceived as a rational, almost surgical feat. "He lets you do what you want and helps you do it better. The biggest thing is that you know you can trust him completely, that he is a literary editor, and without being dominated by marketing and sales concerns, he will make your book the best that it can be," Sattar says. Shubhangi Swarup corroborates this claim. She remembers how only days before her novel went to print in April 2018, her life came to a momentary pause after a near-fatal accident. "But we met our deadline, thanks to Rahul's dedication. He and my sister helped me type, because I had two fractures on my hand. Rahul sat with me, listened to my suggestions, and made the changes to the document. That explains the kind of equation I have with him. He really looks out for you, and speaks through his actions," she says, adding that he "worked his magic silently" by helping her find an international audience. "I didn't have international publishers. He pushed my book in a way that it got international attention. We, as writers, and anyone who's a part of the literary community, should also look after him because he's such a gem. The writer too should be invested in the editor's career. It can't simply be a transactional relationship, you know." Swarup also believes that Soni's writing chops contribute significantly to his superlative editing skills. For Soni, the two skill-sets certainly overlap more often than not. "I think you absolutely need to be a good editor to be a good writer, but you dont necessarily have to be a good writer to be a good editor (though it can help)," he says. When asked if he's finally learned a secret or two about concocting a best-selling book, the editor starts with narrowing down the purview to fiction, and then attributes it to chance. "It goes without saying that you should publish well, that is acquire good books to begin with, and then edit, design, produce, package and market them well. But more often than not, these books will not become hits, in the sense that their sales figures will be very modest. And prizes, reviews, reading tours, festival appearances will not really help much. What does help is word of mouth readers telling other readers that this is a book to get and that is hard to engineer. But I do like to think that good writing will find its readers immediately, or over the course of time," Soni says. While on the subject of book acquisitions, Priya Doraswamy of Lotus Lane Literary agency chimes in to vouch for Rahul's sharp instincts. For Doraswamy, who's worked with him on over half-a-dozen books, ranging from mythology, to poetry, fiction and biography what stands out in the man are "his gentle ways, humour, and deep love for books," making every interaction fun. "He has a 'nose' for stories that to many at first glance seem unlikely, but he sees the potential and is not afraid to take on these books, and then edits them with much care, which end up as success stories. No pun intended!" she laughs. Soni runs a fine-tooth comb through each of his projects, with a keen eye for detail that "[cuts] across language, structure, plot, and simplicity," according to HarperCollins India CEO, Ananth Padmanabhan. "As you can imagine we receive a lot of submissions, and there is a certain consistency with the kind voice he likes, while the books themselves can be starkly different," he says. But above all, he is a generous reader, who "takes the time to tune into the wavelength of a new writer," says poet Vivek Narayanan. The two first collaborated in the mid-2000s, when Soni solicited Narayanan for poems for his bilingual journal, Pratilipi. Rahul's experience in independent publishing prepared him for its knottier aspects from dealing with obdurate distributors to "sniffing the paper for printing", according to Vivek. "I think Rahul reads like a writer as much as a publisher, with a feeling both for what is good and what is going to become important in the future. I'm not sure these kinds of instincts can be taught, or learnt. You either have them or you don't." But the man himself finds nothing exceptional about his routine. He does "what all editors do", charting out a list of seemingly mundane literary chores that starts with reading submissions, writing blurbs, to overseeing cover designs and colluding with marketing teams, agents, and international publishers after the book's release. You'd wonder why he makes the drill look like the most ordinary clockwork, only to be reminded of his fly-on-the-wall disposition. Clearly, the spotlight isn't his comfort zone. "He is never heavy-handed, never arrogant always ready to have a conversation about what decision to make...His interest in language and his dedication to literary fiction are single-minded. (I would use the word devotion, but I think he wont like that.) That is the kind of person you want ushering your work into the world," says Avni Doshi. She remembers being surprised when Soni mentioned some of his favourite authors in one of their first conversations. "Maggie Nelson, Alejandro Zambra, Samanta Schweblin all authors that I admire and am inspired by. I immediately felt we had similar taste," the writer recalls. Armed with an uncanny literary instinct and a stolid mien, Rahul Soni's peers firmly believe that he is set to achieve even greater heights in the days to come. In 2018, writer Avik Chanda first bumped into Soni over an email exchange between the latter and his agent, with Chanda playing silent spectator on cc. "I could almost immediately understand his gentle and quiet nature from how he wrote his emails," he says. As they eventually went on to collaborate on his book, Dara Shukoh: The Man Who Would Be King, Chanda realised how Soni was "more than just a good editor". "He brought empathy, and that was new to me. He could almost feel what the characters felt. He would come back to me and say that he felt terrible about what happened to a character at the end of a chapter," Chanda says, with a hint of wonderment. Having said that, the writer also testifies to Rahul's conscientious and uncompromising editorial standards, that refuse to get swayed by emotions. "It was he who suggested that I add a Dramatis personae to my book, along with maps. The book is almost 400-pages long, and has almost as many characters, which I didn't find confusing because I was living with the characters, as almost all authors do. But others may have found these names similar sounding, while they were actually completely different personages. It took me a little time, and was a bit tedious, but so many readers have come and told me that it made a world of difference to their reading experience," he says. *** Currently, Arshia Sattar's upcoming title Maryada, and journalist Ashutosh Bhardwaj's The Death Script are keeping Rahul Soni up at night. But the publisher is not complaining. "I'm terribly excited and proud to be publishing them," he says. Quite evidently, the literary universe is all ears for Soni, even if it means having to strain them every once in a while to listen to what he has to say. But make no mistake "Contrary to his otherwise quiet demeanour, Rahul has a wicked sense of humour," assures Ananth Padmanabhan, before signing off. M SARAVANAN By Express News Service COIMBATORE: Until the age of 60, he had been running a business. Now, for the last one-and-a-half years, 63-year-old M Balachandar from Thoothukudi is providing lunch on a daily basis to around 250 tribal who are not able to go for work due to illness or old age. He visits the tribal hamlets in Panappalli, Kondanur, Jambukandi, Kuttupuli and Thekkalur in Anaikatti Hill in the district. Balachandar who was into the jewellery business said that he was deeply inspired by Pattinathar, a saint who was born in a wealthy family in Kaveripoompattinam. "He had given up all his waelth and had become a saint in the 14th century. He was also giving meal to the tribals on a daily basis," Ramachander said. Every day Ramachander, along with his friend - Murugan of Anikatti, gives 250 packets variety meals to tribal at the hamlets between 11 am to 12 pm. Apart from that, every third Sunday in a month, he visits Palamalai tribe area and offers 5 kg of rice and 1 kg of dal to 250 tribal family. "I am a man from merchant family from Thoothukudi. I have earned enough money. Earlier when I was running business, I had the thought of providing food to poor people every day. As all my commitments to my family were fulfilled in my 60 years of life, I quit the business and made myself free from commitments," Balachandar told TNIE. Balachandar has a wife, a son and two daughters. Son works as the Doctor in General Medicine at a private super specialty hospital in Coimbatore. Two daughters have settled in abroad. He said that his wife, who was born in Coimbatore, wanted to live his last phase of life in the locality. "In order to serve the food to needy people in the tribal hamlets, we made door-to-door visit to tribal areas. After taking the details, we started serving food to them by visiting their hamlet," he said and added that a woman who lives in Thadagam is preparing the food. Every day, he spends around Rs 6,000 for preparing the food to 250 persons. Boris Johnson has been urged to stop cosying up to Donald Trump and focus on securing a good UK-EU trade deal, as the government outlined its objectives for upcoming negotiations with the US. The Department for International Trade (DIT) said on Sunday it expects trade talks with Mr Trumps administration to begin later this month, as it vowed to rigorously protect the NHS and ensure high standards of food safety. The vow comes as the UK and EU kickstart post-Brexit negotiations over the future relationship and trading partnership, as the prime ministers Europe adviser David Frost heads to Brussels on Monday. Crawford Falconer, the chief trade negotiations adviser at DIT, will lead the negotiations on behalf of the government, with talks expected to alternate between London and Washington. The department spearheaded by Liz Truss claimed a transatlantic trade deal would deliver a 3.4bn boost to the economy, increasing trade flows between the UK and the US by 15.3bn. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 An aerial picture shows a worker using a quad bike and trailer to transport freshly harvested trees at Pimms Christmas Tree farm in Matfield, southeast England AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A shopper browses Christmas trees for sale at Pines and Needles in Dulwich, London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 November 2021 A murmuration of hundreds of thousands of starlings fly over a field at dusk in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border PA UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 24 November 2021 Migrants are helped ashore from a RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat at a beach in Dungeness, on the south-east coast of England, on November 24, 2021, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel. AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 23 November 2021 The coffin of Sir David Amess is carried past politicians, including former Prime Ministers Sir John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the requiem mass for the MP at Westminster Cathedral, central London PA UK news in pictures 22 November 2021 The scene in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset where police have launched a murder probe after two people were found dead Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 21 November 2021 London-based midwife Sarah Muggleton, 27, takes part in a 'March with Midwives' in central London to highlight the crisis in maternity services PA DIT said that manufacturers of ceramics, cars and food and drinks, and professionals such as architects and lawyers, were among the industries the UK government expected to be the biggest winners from a deal with Mr Trump. But Frances OGrady, the general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, said the government should be focused on getting a good deal with the EU, rather than cosying up to Donald Trump. She said: President Trump doesnt care about the UK. The only trade agreement he wants to strike is one that will line the pockets of his corporate backers. Nobody voted for chlorinated chicken or for US corporations to have more access to our personal data. Among the governments negotiating objectives, to be published today, the department said it would defend the UKs freedom to provide public services. The NHS is not for sale and the government is committed to guiding principles of the NHS that it is universal and free at the point of use, the department said. It added that ministers will ensure high standards and protections for British consumers and workers, and vowed to uphold the UKs domestic standards on food safety and animal welfare. Just last week, however, the newly appointed environment secretary failed to offer a clear commitment that the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef will be off the table in any trade deal with the US. George Eustice, who was appointed in the recent reshuffle, said the government had no plans to change the ban on the two products but did not give a guarantee on the issue, which is expected to prove a crunch point in trade talks with Mr Trumps administration. In a statement, Mr Johnson said: We have the best negotiators in the business and of course, were going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry. Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers, he claimed. Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the closeness of our two great nations. Ms Truss added: This deal with our biggest single trading partner will cut red tape for small businesses, cut tariffs for our great products from diary to cars and increase growth in all four nations. Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, however, said: This is a government that has sought, at every opportunity, to resist efforts to lock in our high standards and to ensure robust protections for our NHS. Their false promises are meaningless they have said they wont undercut our food standards whilst briefing that chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef are perfectly acceptable. That is why there must be a full and proper scrutiny process for this and all trade agreements. As the U.S. braces for the coronavirus epidemic, businesses looking to protect the health of their employees are taking steps to support staff working from home leading to a surge in demand for video conferencing technology and other collaboration tools. The stock prices of Slack and video-conferencing software Zoom have risen in the past month, even as the overall stock market saw serious declines last week. Zoom has also gained a number of new users amid the outbreak, according to CNBC, with company officials saying theyve seen more active users in the first two months of 2020 than in all of last year. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, in a blog post, talked up the features offered by the companys products and how they could be useful during the outbreak. Though the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. remains low compared to other parts of the world, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned last week that the virus is likely to spread to further in the coming months. Two coronavirus deaths in the U.S. were reported over the weekend, and suspected cases of the virus began popping up in different states. Even before that, on Thursday, Facebook decided to cancel the in-person component of its F8 2020 developers conference in San Jose, Calif. That decision came just 10 days after the social media company announced it was cancelling its global marketing summit in San Francisco. Other companies with well-known tech events, such as Apples WWDC, are also eyeing the prospect of cancelling their events. IT needs to make plans now The prospect of cancelled events and the need to keep workers productive is pushing companies to revisit collaboration tools and work-from-home policies, said Raul Castanon-Martinez, senior analyst at 451 Research. The coronavirus outbreak will definitely lead IT organizations to look at how they are supporting remote work, as it already has resulted in organizations cancelling attendance to industry events as in the case of MWC. While there already was interest, this could act as a catalyst accelerating adoption of technologies that enable remote workers, he said. Remote work has significantly increased in China as a result of restricted movement; in a conference call last week, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, advised U.S. companies to start making similar preparations. For adults, businesses can replace in-person meetings with video or telephone conferences and increase teleworking options, she said last Tuesday. Now is the time for businesses, hospitals, communities, schools and everyday people to begin preparing. On Thursday, IBM which had moved away from remote work for its employees several years ago urged employees in hard-hit areas to stay home, according to the Washington Post. Other companies are restricting business travel, or pulling out of events. Remote working is not a new concept, with research from Merchant Savvy showing that 69% of businesses in the U.S. already have a remote working policy in place 7% higher than the global average and a three-fold increase from 1996. Even so, Castanon-Martinez stressed that, while there is an increased awareness about remote working, the majority of organizations are not prepared for its wide-spread enablement and many are still evaluating requirements and solutions. A 2017 survey by Polycom of 25,234 employees in the U.S. and 11 other countries found that 37% of respondents used video conferencing software every day to better collaborate with colleagues. Teams can often be dispersed across different states and communicating via video can help to improve employee relationships and drive productivity and slow the spread of illness like coronavirus. The same study also found that 62% of respondents didnt believe the tools they had in place were adequate, and wanted their employers to provide better technology thats both easy to use and helps them stay connected with their colleagues. CDC: Companies should encourage telework The official advice from the CDC states: For employees who are able to telework, supervisors should encourage employees to telework instead of coming into the workplace until symptoms are completely resolved. Ensure that you have the information technology and infrastructure needed to support multiple employees who may be able to work from home. In his statement, Zooms Yuan said the company was doing everything it could to support those affected by the outbreak by committing our reliable technology, expanded access, and agile customer service. The company removed the time limit on two-person meetings for users in China and scheduled a number of on-demand resources and tutorials to help new adopters learn how to use the platform with ease and at their convenience. California-based BlueJeans is also providing support to customers that might be affected by the outbreak, according to a spokesperson. BlueJeans is making every effort to support the growth in meetings by scaling up our cloud infrastructure and network capacity. One of the biggest issues stemming from working at home for long periods is that employees will need technology that allows them to collaborate remotely with the colleagues they usually sit next to, as well as workers in different offices across the country and external partners and clients. Enabling a distributed workforce is a complex endeavour, particularly considering the growing security and compliance requirements that IT organizations have to deal with, said Castanon-Martinez. A good place to start is by evaluating how their current communications and technology stack supports different use cases. Castanon-Martinez said that the uptake in remote working has directly led to the rise of vendors like Zoom, which emerged precisely due to its relevance for enabling and connecting remote teams. While Zoom continues to focus on videoconferencing, CafeX Communications recently launched a new collaboration tool called Challo to tackle external collaboration while other options like Microsoft Teams and Workplace by Facebook are looking at ways to better address the needs of frontline workers, both in and outside the office. Matthew Finnegan contributed to this report. Several storm systems are moving across the country from California to the Gulf Coast with heavy snow in western mountains and flooding rain in the South. Already up to a foot of snow fell from Sierra Nevada in California to the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming causing accidents and piles ups. One of the major incidents shut down I-80 overnight killing two people. This morning, these storms stretch from California to the Ohio Valley with heavy rain already bringing flash flooding to southern Missouri. Later today, in addition to flooding, strong thunderstorms could also produce damaging winds around Memphis and Nashville. By Tuesday, heavy rain will move into Atlanta and parts of the Southeast with severe thunderstorms possible in central Texas where damaging winds will be the biggest threat. PHOTO: By Tuesday, heavy rain will move into Atlanta and parts of the Southeast with severe thunderstorms possible in central Texas where damaging winds will be the biggest threat. (ABC News) By Wednesday, storms are expected to continue across the South bringing more flooding to the area. Also, Friday, severe thunderstorms could produce damaging winds across the Gulf Coast from Houston to New Orleans and into Floridas Panhandle. With days of rain expected over the same areas in the South, a flooding threat is increasing and some areas could see more than a half a foot of rain meaning it could turn into a dangerous situation by the middle of the week. PHOTO: With days of rain expected over the same areas in the South, a flooding threat is increasing and some areas could see more than a half a foot of rain meaning it could turn into a dangerous situation by the middle of the week. (ABC News) Several storms moving across US could bring life-threatening floods, damaging winds South originally appeared on abcnews.go.com UB launches law center for entrepreneurs Provides critical legal guidance to startups while training the next generation of business attorneys Launching this program is very exciting. Our team welcomes the collaboration to create a best-in-class educational experience for the next generation of transactional lawyers that also support a critical need in the startup community. BUFFALO, N.Y. Starting a business involves planning, making key financial decisions, and completing a series of legal activities. As a startup, the operation of a new business is all-consuming. Taking care of the legal technicalities should not be a distraction, but an important part of new business formation. Getting a lawyer who can handle new business challenges just got easier for startups. Entrepreneurs, meet resources. UBs office of Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships and the School of Law have partnered to launch the Entrepreneurship Law Center, also known as the e-Law Center. The center is part of a larger initiative, UBs Innovation Hub, which directly supports the growth of Buffalo Niagaras innovation economy by encouraging and driving ideation and startup formation. Launching this program is very exciting. Our team welcomes the collaboration to create a best-in-class educational experience for the next generation of transactional lawyers that also support a critical need in the startup community, said Christina Orsi, associate vice president of Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships. As entrepreneurship across Western New York continues to thrive, access to applicable law services is needed. Startups dont often have the resources they need to navigate the many legal requirements necessary to get their idea off the ground and position themselves to grow into the fabric of Buffalo Niagaras innovative and reinvigorated business community. Innovation Hub, which was established last May as part of a $32 million award from New York State to UB, is providing initial funding for the e-Law Center. To meet the needs of Buffalo Niagaras startup economy, the center is implementing a multipronged approach. It is: Providing legal expertise to help talented innovators within the UB community move forward Encouraging commercialization research to activate business opportunities across Western New York Helping develop a more diverse startup community Connecting students with exposure to ground-level business development and access to experiential learning opportunities related to startup formation, intellectual property and venture investment. You have all these different components, says Matthew Pelkey, director of the e-Law Center. There are the founders, the entrepreneurs coming up with ideas and executing them, but there are also the professional services and vendors they need, as well as educators and academics, and investors the finance piece to help fund them for growth. All of these things have to work in tandem. We are hoping to increase the number of entrepreneurs and increase the number of businesses started, says Pelkey, an adjunct professor in the School of Law and UB alumnus. This will hopefully, in turn, create successful companies that will create jobs and provide opportunity for Western New York to grow. Getting the right legal support to establish a startup correctly can be a challenge because startups often cant afford legal services. The e-Law Center fills that gap while providing hands-on learning experience for UB law students. This next generation of attorneys will learn first-hand how to support startup company growth. This has been a big issue, says Tim Dee, associate director of technology transfer in Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships. We didnt have anywhere to turn for them to go for proper legal assistance when they didnt yet have funding in place. With UBs Technology Transfer office working with the e-Law Center, the two entities are starting to close this gap between UB-born innovation and its mobilization into a viable business entity. Legal matters like entity selection, financing and licensing can all be facilitated through the e-Law Center. The e-Law Center builds off the successful technology transfer law program UB has been running for years. With leadership at UBs Technology Transfer office, law students were given an opportunity to work on intellectual property work for UB technologies. This part of the program is also expanding with the e-Law Center. In fact, a past UB law student tech transfer intern, Jordan Wallbasser, just joined the center to enable more students to learn about the critical roll intellectual property can play in helping commercialize new innovations. The e-Law Center is already having a significant impact. The impact its havingespecially the fellowship for studentsis incredibly rewarding, says Pelkey. So theres this economic development piece and commercialization piece thats important, but to be able to provide students an opportunity to have exposure to a career path they may have never considered before, match them with a job they never thought they could pursue, and really open those doors as a mentor? Its very difficult to even put into words how rewarding that is. The Innovation Hub supports moving innovative, technology-driven solutions to the market through startup formation and growth in our region, having a wide-ranging positive local, national and global impact. To learn more about UBs Entrepreneurship Law Center, visit the Innovation Hub website and law services for startups website. A woman has been arrested in Rajasthans Jhunjhunu district for drowning her four-year-old son in a water tank allegedly to take revenge on her husband, police said on Sunday. Jhunjhunu superintendent of police (SP) Jagdish Chandra Sharma said Pannram, a native of Budhaniya village, approached the Mandrela police early on Saturday and lodged a complaint against unidentified persons for murdering his nephew Vivan Swami (4) and slitting his sister-in-law Sunitas wrist. A team of senior officials, including the forensics department and a dog squad, was rushed to the spot. The dog squad found a blade laced with blood stains on Sunitas bed. Blood stains were also found on the floor near the accuseds bed, which raised suspicion on her, said Sharma. All the family members, including Sunita, were questioned. During interrogation, Sunita confessed to killing her son and subsequently slitting her wrist to divert attention, he added. As per Sunitas confession, she killed Vivan as she was disturbed due to the frequent fights with her husband and his remarks doubting her character. The couple used to fight over the issue on a daily basis, following which she decided to kill her son, Sharma said, adding that further investigation in the case is on. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON RICHMOND, Va., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy announced today its Environmental Education and Stewardship Grants program, which will provide up to $1.5 million for environmental grants through the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. This competitive program is designed to support nonprofit organizations and schools working to improve the environment and provide educational experiences in communities served by Dominion Energy. "We're grateful for the contributions these organizations and schools are making to advance environmental stewardship," said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. "Their efforts align with our commitments to protect natural resources and lift up the communities we serve." One such organization is the James River Outdoor Coalition (JROC) in Richmond, Va., which was recognized with a grant in 2019 to support the construction of a universal access ramp to enable paddlers and water enthusiasts of all abilities to access to James River. Watch this video to learn about JROC's efforts. "This grant is a key component to providing a new universally designed boat launch in the James River Park System," said Sally Wetzler, a James River Outdoor Coalition board member. "JROC is using the funding to ensure that there is access to the James River for anyone who wants to canoe or kayak, go fishing with family or just enjoy being at the river." Other past grant recipients include the Avian Conservation Center in Awendaw, S.C., which used the money to study and preserve local birds of prey, and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach, which works to rescue and care for sea turtles mistakenly hooked by fishermen. Nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for grants up to $25,000 each to support specific, short-term projects that promise measurable results to improve the environment. Also, public and private K-12 schools in eligible regions can apply for classroom grants up to $5,000 each for environmental education programs. Eligible organizations in Connecticut, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and other areas in Dominion Energy's footprint can submit applications through March 23, 2020. Dominion Energy will consider grant requests that focus on one or more of the following priorities: Educating K-12 students and the public about environmental stewardship Protecting and preserving natural habitats Improving open spaces and making nature accessible For details and online application, please visit: https://www.dominionenergy.com/envirogrants. About the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation More than 7 million customers in 18 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D). Through its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy contributed $48 million in 2019 to community causes. The Foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, promote education, and encourage community vitality. Please visit www.DominionEnergy.com to learn more. SOURCE Dominion Energy Related Links http://www.dominionenergy.com Benjamin Netanyahu is battling to stay in power just days before the start of his corruption trial, as citizens began voting in Israel's third election in under a year which polls predict will end yet another deadlock. More than 6.4 million people are eligible to cast their ballot across nearly 11,000 polling stations, with 14 special stations created for those quarantined due to exposure to the coronavirus. Since April, Mr Netanyahu, Israels longest-serving prime minister, has failed twice to form a ruling coalition following two previous inconclusive votes. His chief rival ex-army chief Benny Gantz, who heads the Blue and White party, was also unable to sweep a majority of the 120-seat parliament. Mr Netanyahu has also been formally indicted in three cases on graft charges he has vehemently and repeatedly denied. The impasse has meant for the last year Israel has been led by a caretaker government that cannot pass a budget or certain laws bringing the country to a political standstill. At the polling stations, there was growing voter anger over the stalemate. Citizens said they feared the same inconclusive results as the April and September votes, because the country remains bitterly divided. Recommended Jaded Israelis head to polls for third time in a year I dont know what the result will be, but I think it could be just like the last times, said Nir Amsel, 45, a Blue and White voter from Tel Aviv. I worry that people who are undecided will go with Netanyahu because theyre sick of the situation and believe that he has the best chance of forming a ruling coalition. A fellow Blue and White voter Noga Ratz, 63, added: "This is already the third elections and our budget has run out and we dont have a functioning government." "I want to have an Israel for the next generation so they wont need to run away to live abroad," she said. On the other side of the political divide Yasmin Farhadian, 31, a doctor voting Likud, said she felt the desperation to break the deadlock might see many more heading out to vote. "I think something's different this time. I think [Likud supporters] understand this is it. Now this time, there's the feeling that if people dont go out to vote, it just wont happen. That there really will be an opportunity for [the Left] to win". President Reuven Rivlin meanwhile said he felt "deep shame" for the repeat election as he cast his ballot. Israel heads to the polls: In pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Israel heads to the polls: In pictures Israel heads to the polls: In pictures People walk past a Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) alliance electoral billboard depicting the faces of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) with text in Hebrew reading "taking care of himself" and of retired Israeli general Benny Gantz (L) with text reading "taking care of Israel", in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan on March 1, 2020, a day before the country's third election in a year. AFP Israel heads to the polls: In pictures Israeli centrist Blue and White party and ex-military chief Benny Gantz talks to the media next to his wife Revital at a polling station in the city of Rosh Hayin during parliamentary election on March 2, 2020. - Israelis were voting for a third time in 12 months today, with embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to end the country's political crisis and save his career. AFP via Getty Images Israel heads to the polls: In pictures An Israeli man casts his vote during parliamentary election at a polling station in Jerusalem on March 2, 2020. - Israelis were voting for a third time in 12 months today, with embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to end the country's political crisis and save his career. AFP via Getty Images Israel heads to the polls: In pictures Ultra-Orthodox Jews vote in the Israeli religious city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv during parliamentary election on March 2, 2020. - Israelis were voting for a third time in 12 months today, with embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to end the country's political crisis and save his career. AFP via Getty Images Israel heads to the polls: In pictures An Israeli man and a child cast a ballot at a polling station in Tel Aviv during parliamentary election on March 2, 2020. - Israelis were voting for a third time in 12 months today, with embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to end the country's political crisis and save his career. AFP via Getty Images Israel heads to the polls: In pictures Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu cast their ballots during the Israeli legislative elections at a polling station in Jerusalem, Monday, March 2, 2020. Israelis have begun voting in the country's unprecedented third election in less than a year. AP Israel heads to the polls: In pictures An Arab Israeli woman votes in the country's parliamentary elections at a polling station in the Arab city of Tamra in northern Israel on March 2, 2020. - Israelis were voting for a third time in 12 months today, with embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to end the country's political crisis and save his career. AFP via Getty Images Israel heads to the polls: In pictures An Israeli settler casts a vote with his son during elections in the settlement of Alon Shvut, West Bank, Monday, March 2, 2020. AP Israel heads to the polls: In pictures An Israeli employee of the Central Elections Committee wearing a protective suit sits inside a special sterile voting station for people in quarantine on coronavirus suspicion, in Jerusalem, Israel, 02 March 2020. Some 5,600 Israelis who have returned in the last two weeks from countries such as China, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy, have been required to stay in a 14-day isolation by the Israeli Ministry of Health. EPA Israel heads to the polls: In pictures An Israeli employee of the Central Elections Committee wearing a protective suit talks to a voter at a special sterile voting station for people in quarantine on coronavirus suspicion, in Jerusalem, Israel, 02 March 2020. Some 5,600 Israelis who have returned in the last two weeks from countries such as China, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy, have been required to stay in a 14-day isolation by the Israeli Ministry of Health. EPA Israel heads to the polls: In pictures An Arab-Israeli girl casts her mother's ballot for the parliamentary election at a poling station in the Bedouin town of Rahat near the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on March 2, 2020. - Israel held its third election in less than a year seeking to break a grinding political deadlock, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chasing re-election while facing criminal indictment. AFP via Getty Images Israel heads to the polls: In pictures Israelis gather at a polling booth specially erected for the 5,600 voters under quarantine, many of whom visited countries where the coronavirus COVID-19 is prevalent, during parliamentary elections in the northern Israeli city of Haifa on March 2, 2020. - Israelis were voting for a third time in 12 months today, with embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to end the country's political crisis and save his career . AFP via Getty Images "We don't deserve this. We don't deserve another horrible and filthy campaign like the one that ends today and we don't deserve this endless instability. We deserve a government that will work for us," he added. Unperturbed Netanyahu cast his vote in Jerusalem focusing on measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus rather than the repeat election saying: The corona thing is completely under control. Today weve taken all the precautions that are necessary, people can go and vote, with complete confidence. The final polls released by Israeli media on Friday show both Mr Netanyahus Likud and Mr Gantzs centrist alliance Blue and White neck-and-neck with seat numbers around 33, mirroring the last election in September. The Channel 13 and 12 polls also predicted neither party would be able to drum up enough support from their political allies to build a parliamentary bloc of 61-seats needed to rule. Firmly in the middle, according to both polls, is the so-called kingmaker Avigdor Lieberman, head of right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party, who is predicted to get around seven seats and so could swing the results, but has refused to join either a Likud-led or Blue and White-led bloc. Instead, the right-wing nationalist, who cast his ballot in the Israeli settlement of Nokdim in the occupied West Bank on Monday, is pushing for a unity government of both parties. The idea has failed, however, as neither side can agree on whether Mr Netanyahu should remain prime minister in a rotation deal. The embattled premier goes on trial 17 March for charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, stemming from accusations he accepted lavish gifts from billionaire friends and promised to promote advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in exchange for favourable coverage. He has vowed to prove his innocence in court and has dismissed the legal proceedings as a political witch hunt. Blue and White have over the last few elections agreed in part to forming a unity government with Likud but on the condition Mr Netanyahu not be prime minister while he remains on trial, saying he might use his position to seek a form of immunity. Likud has refused to agree to a deal where Mr Netanyahu does not remain in office, with Likud official Eli Hazan telling The Independent: If the leader is under persecution, we are all under persecution, we close ranks. According to the latest polls, Mr Netanyahu overall remains more popular than Mr Gantz but only marginally. Israel elections Blue and White claim a vote for them will prevent a 4th election Under the shadow of the graft cases, Mr Netanyahu has fought a fierce elections campaign, slamming a Gantz-led government as one that would have to rely on support from Arab parties in Israel, tapping into his right-wing supporters' suspicion of Israels 21-percent Arab minority. Mr Netanyahu has also made repeated promises to immediately annex the occupied West Bank, despite it being illegal under international law and prompting fierce backlash from the Palestinians as well as rights groups. Likud has widened its net to bring in left field voters, including making promises to Israels 150,000-strong Israeli-Ethiopian citizens and those convicted of possessing cannabis. For the first time since the election 2009, the right-wing party has released an economic manifesto that promises to drastically lower soaring food and housing costs. In another first, Mr Netanyahu even offered an elections debate, something he has also refused to do since taking office for the second time 11 years ago. Mr Gantz has meanwhile played up Netanyahus legal woes, claiming the premier is leading the country like a mafioso, who will do anything to escape the law. In the face of the madness, in the face of the lies and the toxicity, we carry hope, he said at a campaign event in Tel Aviv. On Monday as he voted in Rosh HaAyin he added: "Im hopeful that today we can set Israel on a new course. Benjamin Netanyahu says Donald Trump has been 'the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House' His team told The Independent they had homed in on the 70,000 or so new voters, who are able to cast their ballots for the first time on Monday, with promises on youth-centric issues like climate change. But this has done little to shift voter positions which remain deeply entrenched with analysts calling the elections yet another referendum on the popularity of Mr Netanyahu. The results of Mondays vote are expected to come in overnight after polling stations close at 10pm local time (8pm GMT). Following this, president Reuven Rivlin will select a candidate he believes has the best chance of building the 61-seat majority to build a government, giving the candidate six weeks to form a coalition. If he fails, another candidate then has 28 days to form an alternative coalition. If that fails, a fourth round of elections will likely be called. Mr Netanyahu is hoping to drum up last-minute support to nudge forward his bloc, with hardline Yamima and ultra-orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism. Mr Gantz is hoping to build a strong coalition with centre-left alliance of Labour, Meretz and Gisha parties. At the time, Ms. Orlick was renting a studio with a shared bathroom in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and paying even less, but her room was too small to work in and she was eager to live in an artistic community. She was also excited about using the buildings shared basement space, where she has shot and shown her films. Ms. Orlick set up a work space in her room as well, but because of the conditions required for film production and development, she uses it more for creative side projects. There is a table where she makes zines and hats her latest obsession that hang on her walls, alongside vintage hats, drawings, watercolors and a puppet she made at a puppetry class in the Czech Republic. It has been really nice to be immersed in the community and to experiment with my art, she said. And the relatively affordable rent has allowed her to keep her bakery shifts she works as a pastry chef in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to four days a week, which gives her three days a week for her art. Most of her artist friends outside the building, she said, pay closer to $1,000 a month. It can also be a lot of fun: Hopping around from room to room, running into friends on every corner, having tea, impromptu dinners, writing poetry, barbecues in the spring and summer, yelling at friends in the backyard from the second floor, climbing down the ladder to hang out. But living, collaborating and hanging out with the same people so much of the time can be challenging. Especially because, to offset rent increases over the years, all the apartments in the building have taken on additional tenants, converting living rooms and large closets into bedrooms. Ms. Orlicks apartment, for example, is a four-bedroom that houses six people, with one in the living room and another who pays $400 to live in a closet with a loft bed. A kitchen is the apartments only communal gathering space. The close quarters combined with close friendships and artistic relationships can be trying. 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #9 Posted on 1 March 2020 by John Hartz Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Australia on the frontline: ask an expert about climate change and its effects Your chance to put questions to climate scientists and academics as well as experts on controlling bushfires As Australia feels the brunt of the climate crisis, the ominous orange glow of a bushfire, such as this one near Nowra last December, has become an all-too common sight. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images From unprecedented bushfires in forests that used to be too wet to burn to warming seas that have killed giant underwater forests, Australia is experiencing the effects of the global climate crisis more rapidly than much of the world. Over the past three weeks, Guardian Australia has told these stories in a major six-part series that was paid for by readers. The Frontline: inside Australias climate emergency has also looked at what happens when towns run out of water, at the health effects of cities and towns being engulfed in smoke for weeks on end, and at extreme heatwaves that are killing people prematurely. On Monday, we publish the final episode in the series, The Lost Harvest. On Tuesday 3 March, readers will have the chance to ask experts in these fields questions about the series, what the science tells us and the impacts already being felt, in a Frontline live blog running from 10am-3pm. Click here for more details about the live blog. Australia on the frontline: ask an expert about climate change and its effects by Marni Cordell & Adam Morton, Environment, Guardian, Feb 29, 2020 Toon of the Week... Hat tip to the Stop Climate Science Denial Facebook page. Coming Soon on SkS... Nine tipping points that could be triggered by climate change (Robert McSweeney) (Robert McSweeney) Can you change your cranky uncle's mind? (John Cook) (John Cook) SkS New Research for Week #9 (Doug Bostrom) (Doug Bostrom) How I try to break climate silence (Baerbel) (Baerbel) The potential climate consequences of China's Belt and Roads Initiative (Jan Ellen Spiegel) (Jan Ellen Spiegel) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #10 (John Hartz) (John Hartz) 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #10 (John Hartz) Climate Feedback Claim Review... Current climate warming is rapid and occurring on a global scale, unlike past periods of regional climate fluctuations CLAIM: "Of course the climate is changing. It always has. It always will." VERDICT: SOURCE: Instagram, PragerU, Jan 21, 2020 KEY TAKEAWAY: Although periods of regionally warmer and cooler temperatures have been recorded over the last 2,000 years, the patterns of warming and cooling were not globally coherent. In contrast, the current period of climate warming is unprecedented, occurring simultaneously on 98% [1] of Earths surface and at a significantly faster rate than past fluctuations in global temperature. Current climate warming is rapid and occurring on a global scale, unlike past periods of regional climate fluctuations, Edited by Katy Dynarski, Climate Feedback, Feb 21, 2020 Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Strains of coronavirus can occur annually in domestic cattle herds. Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kay Ledbetter Many people are hearing about coronavirus for the first time as COVID-19 affecting humans causes concern all across the world. But coronaviruses are not new to livestock and poultry producers, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife veterinary epidemiologist. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common human coronaviruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people get infected with one or more of these viruses at some point in their lives. But the CDC is now responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel or new coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. "Coronavirus is a common virus in livestock herds and poultry flocks seen routinely worldwide," said Heather Simmons, DVM, Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases, IIAD, associate director as well as Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service's associate department head and extension program leader for Veterinary Medical Extension. IIAD is a member of the Texas A&M University System and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Wildlife in China may be human strain carriers "In wildlife, bats are known to carry over 100 different strains of coronavirus, and wild civets are the source of the coronavirus that causes SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), first reported in China in 2002-2003," Simmons said. "Although our understanding is still limited, wild pangolins (a scaly anteater) sold at live markets may be associated with the recently reported coronavirus outbreak in China." Bats, civets and pangolins are all commonly sold at live markets in China, she said. Coronaviruses from wildlife are dangerous since they have the potential to mutate, adapt and spill over to new species, including humans. "That is the concern now, this new strain of coronavirus has emerged to cause disease in humans," Simmons said. "It is important to create an understanding of the difference between coronaviruses occurring in domestic livestock and poultry compared to coronaviruses that spill over from wildlife to humans." Coronavirus in domestic livestock doesn't jump to humans Simmons said, to date, the coronaviruses in livestock are not considered reportable diseases because their main effect is as an economic burden to livestock producers. They are known to occur worldwide annually, with some of the most common coronaviruses found in production animals to include the scours and winter dysentery in beef and dairy cattle, porcine respiratory coronavirus in swine and avian infectious bronchitis in poultry. The World Health Organization has reported that while another coronavirus, MERS-CoV, is known to be transmitted from dromedary camels to humans, other coronaviruses circulating in domestic animals have not yet infected humans. "That's what is very important to understand at this time," Simmons said. "We have been dealing with these diseases for a long time but as of yet, we have not seen cases worldwide transmitted from livestock to humans or vice versa." What does coronavirus look like in livestock? While coronaviruses have a high morbidity, or rate of illness, in livestock and poultry they are generally considered to have low mortality, rate of death, Simmons said. Coronaviruses will affect either the respiratory system or the gastrointestinal system, depending on the species and the age of the animal. Coronavirus in cattle In calves, diarrhea commonly occurs in animals under three weeks of age due to a lack of obtaining antibodies when the calf does not get enough colostrum from the mother in order to build up immunity. Clinical signs include severe dehydration and diarrhea. The severity of the clinical signs depends on the age of the calf and their immune status. This is often seen by producers in the winter months as the virus is more stable in cold weather. The second clinical syndrome, winter dysentery is found in adult cattle. Clinical signs include bloody diarrhea with decreased mild production, loss of appetite with some respiratory signs. Bovine coronaviruses can also cause mild respiratory disease or pneumonia in calves up to six months. The virus is shed in the environment through nasal secretions and through feces. Coronavirus in swine There are multiple coronaviruses that affect swine. Like cattle, they affect the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract. In sows and piglets, porcine respiratory coronavirus usually presents with no clinical signs. If clinical signs do occur, it may be a transient cough within the herd and spread of this disease occurs through aerosolized methods. Coronavirus in poultry Infectious bronchitis virus, or IBV, is a rapidly spreading respiratory disease in young chicks. Clinical signs in laying hens include reduced production, eggshell abnormalities and decreased internal egg quality. How to treat Livestock producers should consult with a veterinarian for treatment, Simmons said. Treatment in livestock herds and poultry flocks typically includes supportive therapy of fluids. Antibiotics are not indicated for viral infections but may be used if a secondary bacterial infection occurs. More information can be found through the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Disaster Education Network. Explore further Are you in danger of catching the coronavirus? 5 questions answered Itll likely be years before a resolution is reached in the legal battles over the effort to incorporate the city of St. George. But one matter was settled Monday during the first of what is expected to be many court hearings related to creating a fifth municipality in East Baton Rouge Parish: Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Metro Councilman LaMont Cole will remain plaintiffs in the lawsuit seeking to block the incorporation. District Court Judge William Morvant, however, did remove M.E. Cormier, one of the lead organizers of a St. George opposition group, from the suit, which Broome is spearheading. Now attorneys on both sides will set a schedule for future filings as the lawsuit makes its way through the judicial system. Ive said all along: This whole process will take three to four years, attorney Mary Olive Pierson said outside Morvants courtroom following Wednesdays hearing. Whats slowing us down? They havent filed an answer. We cant move until they file an answer. Pierson, whos representing Broome, Cole and Baton Rouge attorney Lewis Unglesby in the challenge to the incorporation, was referring to the legal team for St. George organizers Chris Rials and Norman Browning. Andrew Murrell, spokesman for the St. George proponents, said they intend to fight to the very end to see their vision of creating a new city in the southeast corner of the parish come to fruition. That city would be majority white and considerably more affluent, many in opposition have pointed out. If you look at what happened in the past with the city of Central (incorporation), they dragged that out, too, Murrell said after the court hearing. And what happened? You have a successful, thriving city in the parish, and St. George will be no different. Murrell and the St. George proponents framed Wednesdays hearing as a win for them namely because Pierson and her associates made it clear in court their lawsuit isnt trying to challenge the results of the Oct. 12 election in which in 54% of the voters residing within the proposed city's boundaries voted in favor of incorporation. After the suit was filed in November, St. George proponents claimed the city-parish was attempting to invalidate the election through the lawsuit. Pierson and Broome on Wednesday denied those claims, noting the lawsuit focuses on the financial impact rather than the election. The lawsuit asks the court to deny the incorporation because of the negative financial impact it would have on the rest of the city-parish. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Last year, Broome's administration released a study claiming the city-parish would lose $48.3 million annually if the St. George incorporation happens and that government agencies would need to make across-the-board cuts of at least 18%. St. Georges attorneys filed a countersuit asking the court to toss the case. Those attorneys argued that Broome lacks the authority to contest the incorporation because she's not the governing authority of Baton Rouge, which state law mandates to challenge incorporations. The St. George attorneys also assert in their petition that Cole needed approval from the Metro Council first before he could jump in as a plaintiff, which he did not get. In his ruling from the bench, Morvant cited passages from Louisiana Revised Statute 33:4, which outlines how incorporation can occur and subsequently be challenged. That statute states "any municipality which might be adversely affected or an elected official of the governing authority of such municipality, can file petitions contesting an incorporation." Morvant said Broome is clearly an elected official of a governing authority as outlined in the city-parishs home rule charter. By virtue, she has a right of claim to contesting the incorporation, he said. Morvant said the same of Cole. Unglesbys right was never challenged by proponents. He lives within the boundaries of the proposed city. As for Cormier, because she lives outside the proposed boundaries of St. George, the same statute doesnt give her any authority to challenge the incorporation so she was dismissed from the case. Cormier, whose organization has spent years fighting against the movement to create the proposed city, appeared unfazed by Morvants ruling. We are glad the city-parish is represented in such a wonderful way (and) were excited to see the case continue forward and eager to hear St. George prove they can actually be a functioning city. +3 St. George incorporation could mean major layoffs: 'The nightmares of this are huge' The incorporation of St. George could mean hundreds of layoffs in city-parish government, the closing of up to five fire stations and sharp cu A Toronto judge has written a scathing letter to Canadian Tire demanding to know why an employee was told he wouldnt be paid if he were selected for jury duty. During recent jury selection for a murder trial in downtown Torontos Superior Court, several prospective jurors said their employers had told them they would not be paid or they would receive only partial pay while performing their civic duty. They also included employees of a web-design outfit, a digital gift card company and a firm that has contracts with the Canadian military, all of which also received sharp rebukes from Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein. In court, Goldstein said he found it completely unacceptable that an automotive service employee at a Canadian Tire location in the Junction had produced a letter saying: Please be advised that he will not be paid for jury duty as it is not a company benefit. In response, Goldstein wrote to Canadian Tires general counsel, Jim Christie, and Timothy Tallon, the owner of the St. Clair West. franchise. I find it surprising that Canadian Tires policy is that payment while on jury duty is a company benefit, Goldstein wrote in his letter. Citizens who serve on juries are not receiving a benefit; they are doing a civic duty. Trial by jury in serious criminal matters is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy, he continued. It is vitally important that citizens be able to participate in the administration of justice in their communities, with the support of their employers. Goldstein included in his letter some Canadian Tire financial information and noted that the corporation that promotes itself as a uniquely Canadian brand had $14.5 billion in sales in the 2019 fiscal year. The judge also said that his experience, virtually all large Canadian corporations including large franchised corporations pay their employees while they fulfil their civic obligation to do jury duty. The next day, Cynthia Hill, Canadian Tires vice-president of legal and associate general counsel, sent the judge a reply, saying the employee would, in fact, be compensated for any lost wages if he was accepted for jury duty. Asked by the Star to clarify what Canadian Tires company-wide policy is, spokeswoman Cathy Kurzbock said the corporations practice is to compensate employees if they are selected. The case youre referring to is specific to an independently owned and operated franchisor, and we have confirmed that should the employee be selected for jury duty, the Associate Dealer will compensate him for any lost wages, Kurzbock wrote in an email. The Star sent Tallon detailed questions by voicemail and email and attempted to speak to him in person through staff at the St. Clair West store, but did not receive a response. In the end, the employee was not selected for jury duty. The judge also sent a sharply worded letter to digital gift card company Givex Inc. after an employee indicated he would not be paid if picked to sit on the jury. Contacted by the Star, Joe Donaldson, the companys chief marketing officer, said he wasnt sure why the employee said that, but our policy is to pay when people are on a jury. Under Ontario law, companies must allow employees time off for jury duty but are not required to pay their full salary. Speak with your employer to determine if they have a policy to pay people absent from work for jury duty, the provinces website says. Toronto police Homicide Det. Jason Shankaran, the officer in charge of the murder case, last week tweeted that it was immensely disappointing that some large Canadian corporations refuse to pay employees for jury duty. Many of these corps have contracts with various levels of govt. Being a juror is one of the most important peace time activities a citizen can undertake, he wrote. Defence lawyers on the murder case said they were also dismayed. When Canadian Tire gets robbed or otherwise is damaged they expect the justice system to take action, so as a result, it would be helpful if we had jurors to do that, said John Struthers, who is also president of the Canadian Criminal Lawyers Association. Sid Freeman, who also represents one of three men on trial for murder, said the ability of employers to opt out of paying disproportionately eliminates the working poor from serving on juries, making them less than fair. The failure of the state to adequately compensate jurors also eliminates the poor as well as all people on commission and all people who are self-employed. If they are selected, jurors are given $40 a day only after serving without pay for their first 10 days on a jury. Jurors receive a daily amount of $100 from the 50th day onward. Freeman, Struthers and Greg Leslie, another defence lawyer on the case, agree it should be mandatory that employers compensate jurors. Its one of the few civic duties we have as Canadians, Leslie said Tuesday. There could be exceptions for small businesses, where having to compensate lost wages for a missing employee creates a problem, he said. Read more about: The text of the US-Taliban deal released by the State Department clearly said the exchange of 5000 Taliban prisoners for 1000 people held by the Taliban would occur "by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations". The peace deal with the Taliban has been a critical foreign policy goal for President Donald Trump, who campaigned on ending the war. But the deal signed on Saturday came under renewed criticism from fellow Republicans back home. The deal was "reminiscent of the worst aspects of the Obama Iran nuclear deal", said Representative Liz Cheney, in a statement on Saturday. Cheney, a member of the House Republican leadership, warned the deal "could threaten the security of the United States". Cheney also asked for the State Department to make "verification mechanisms" and "any other side deals or annexes, public." Loading "The American people deserve to know precisely what deals have been cut in our name with the terrorists who harboured those who attacked us on 9/11," she added. Outside the palace walls in Kabul, Afghans expressed apprehension and elation about the peace deal. "I'm not optimistic about the deal," said Qasima Khuram, a 22-year-old student working in a cafe in Kabul. Khuram, who said she had dreams of being a business owner after completing her master's degree, said she was most concerned about how women's rights would change if the Taliban assumed a formal role in any future Afghan government. "We know their background, we know their history. So looking back at this, we know what they would do in the future," she said. Loading Just across the street, a 57-year-old man selling almonds said he would have danced once the peace deal was signed "if I knew how to dance". "This government guides people to hell," said the man, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. He said he had lived through Taliban rule in Kabul and during that time, he had never witnessed the levels of corruption, petty theft and crime that he had seen under the current administration. "Hearing about the peace deal, it energised me," he said. What the peace deal signed in Doha on Saturday did not mention was the period of reduced violence that preceded the deal's signing. Following the signing ceremony, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the week-long period of reduced violence had "ended". Ghani, however, said on Sunday that the reduction in violence would extend and eventually transform into a ceasefire. "The reduction of violence will continue and our goal is to turn (it) in into ceasefire," he said. The top US commander in Afghanistan "has made it clear to the Taliban that this is part of the (peace) deal", Ghani continued. "If they back away from it, then (the Taliban is) openly violating the condition set for them." Responding to a question about the status of the reduction in violence agreement, General Austin "Scott" Miller said: "The expectation is Taliban violence continues to stay down and does not go back up." So far the reduction of violence has continued to mostly hold, according to Afghanistan's acting Minister of Interior Massoud Andarabi. But Andarabi said he had received four reports of the Taliban abducting Afghan police officers within the past two days something he believed the Taliban might be doing to exchange them with the Afghan government. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said he believes the new kidnappings are intended to bolster Taliban bargaining power in the upcoming prisoner exchange. "Prisoners are going to matter going forward, and how those cards are played is going to matter," the US official said. A deepening political crisis in Kabul also had the potential to complicate the next steps after the signing of the peace deal. Ghani's main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, called the deal signing an "historic event," and said he hoped for the formation of "an inclusive, national and countrywide delegation to take part," in talks with the Taliban. With less than 48 hours before Super Tuesday, former New York City Mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg took the stage at Brooks in San Antonio to make his case for the Democratic presidential nomination. I know I just missed the rodeo, and Im too early for Fiesta, but I am just in time to wish you all a happy Texas Independence day, Bloomberg said to kick off the Sunday rally. The road to victory in November starts right here, right now, in Texas. Super Tuesday, when Texas is one of 14 states holding elections, will be the first time Bloomberg appears on a presidential ballot. He entered the race late, bypassing the first four states holding primaries or caucuses and banking on his wealth and name recognition to propel him to the top. With Ganamos con Mike in large letters casting shadows on the wall at the former Air Force hangar, Bloomberg delivered a 20-minute speech, broken occasionally by the crowds chants of Mike! Mike! Mike! and, when referencing President Donald Trump, Lock him up! I know Im not a typical politician, sorry about that, he said, drawing cheers from the audience. Ive never worked in Washington, I dont make pie-in-the-sky promises. As youve seen in debates, Im not someone who yells slogans even when theyre not true. Bloomberg has poured about half a billion dollars into campaign advertisements, mostly television and radio. In Texas, about 80 percent of presidential campaign television advertisements are Bloombergs. If you think this campaign is expensive, just imagine what four more years of Donald Trump will cost our country. It would be a catastrophe, and Im in to stop it, he said. His appearance in San Antonio came hours after Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., withdrew from the race. Buttigieg was seen as a moderate rival to Bloomberg and to former Vice President Joe Biden, who won South Carolinas primary Saturday by a landslide. An important backer for many progressive organizations in the country, Bloomberg has presented a challenge for those who may not have picked him as their candidate but rely on his monetary contributions for their causes. Hes also come under fire for issues arising from his role as co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg LP, a multinational private software and media company, and his time as mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013. Hes been drilled by fellow contenders, most notably by presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, about the number of nondisclosure agreements his company has with female employees. He later agreed to release three women from their NDAs and to no longer use NDAs in connection with sexual harassment claims at his company. While serving as New Yorks mayor, Bloomberg instituted a stop-and-frisk policy that targeted minority communities, which he admitted at a recent debate got out of control. In an interview before the rally, Bloomberg joined Biden and Warren in supporting a temporary halt to deportations when he assumed the presidency instantly. I cant understand what were doing. I cannot understand why the last administration deported all these people, he said, saying the U.S. needs more immigrants, not fewer. Earlier that day, Sam Waterston, the actor who plays Sol on the television show Grace and Frankie, stumped for Bloomberg at his San Antonio campaign office. He thanked a volunteer, Thilo Herda, for being a self-proclaimed Republican and supporter of Bloomberg. Herda said this was his first time volunteering for any campaign. (The Republican Party) has been hijacked. Im ashamed to admit Im one of them, Herda told Waterston. In the 2016 presidential election, Herda said he voted from Gary Johnson, the libertarian candidate. I had no clue who he was, but I knew who he wasnt. To me its about character. Thats Bloomberg, he said. Bloomberg, too, emphasized character during his rally, contrasting his boasts of experience and wealth with self-deprecating humor. I believe we need less talk, less partisanship, less division, less tweeting, he said to cheers. In fact, how about no tweeting from the Oval Office ever again? Well, it is easy for me to say since I cant spell but then again neither can Donald. 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 SYRACUSE, N.Y. Public health officials and doctors offered these tips on how you can prepare for a potential coronavirus outbreak: Use good cough etiquette. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your arm. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Stay home if you are sick. Plan ahead. Be prepared for disruption to your routine. For example, have a backup childcare plan in case school is canceled. Stay informed. Follow local and national news about coronavirus. Visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Health Department and the Onondaga County Health Department. Get your home ready for a coronavirus outbreak or quarantine. Turkey, Syria Fighting Escalates; Refugees Mass at EU Border KASTANIES, GreeceThousands of immigrants and refugees massed at Turkeys western frontier March 1, trying to enter Greece by land and sea after Turkey said its borders were open to those hoping to head to Europe. In Syria, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military downed a Turkish drone, a major escalation in the direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces. Turkeys decision to ease border restrictions came amid a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive into Syrias northwestern Idlib province. That offensive has killed dozens of Turkish troops and led to a surge of nearly a million Syrian civilians fleeing the fighting toward Turkeys sealed border. Turkey backs the Syrian rebels fighting in Idlib province and has sent thousands of troops into the area. Idlib is the last opposition-held stronghold in Syria, and is dominated by al-Qaida linked terrorists. A Turkish official said the fighting in Idlib was directly linked to Turkeys decision to open the gates for refugees to Europe. He said Ankara had changed its focus to preparing for the possibility of new arrivals from Syria instead of preventing refugees who intend to migrate to Europe. Europe and others must take robust action to address this monumental challenge, said Fahrettin Altun, the communications director for Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We cant be expected to do this on our own. Erdogans decision to open his countrys borders with Europe made good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into the continent. His announcement marked a dramatic departure from a previous policy of containment, an apparent attempt to pressure Europe into offering Turkey more support in dealing with the fallout from the Syrian war to its south. 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. Turkey has since accused the EU of failing to honor the agreement, and Erdogan has frequently threatened to allow refugees into Europe unless more international support was provided. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, as well as many others from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Turkey borders Greece and Bulgaria, both European Union members. On the Greek-Turkish land border, Greek army and police patrols using tear gas and stun grenades to thwart attempts by thousands to push into the country overnight. Officials said the situation was much calmer early March 1. But in the afternoon, authorities used tear gas and water cannons to push back another crowd attempting to cross. Immigrants threw rocks and other objects, and one policeman was injured. Greek authorities said they stopped about 10,000 crossing attempts Feb. 29, and another 5,500 on March 1. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was convening the countrys defense and foreign affairs committee late March 1. Europes border agency Frontex said it was redeploying equipment and additional officers to Greece. A Greek government official said the Turkish authorities also fired teargas at the Greek border, using drones flying close to the border. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasnt authorized to discuss the matter with the media. Stavros Zamalides, the president of the Greek border community of Kastanies, said Turkish soldiers used wire cutters to actively help people cross. The United Nations migration organization reported at least 13,000 people had massed on Turkeys land border by late Feb. 29, the vast majority apparently from Afghanistan. In Istanbul, a steady stream of buses, taxis, cars, and minibusses were ferrying hundreds more throughout March 1 to Edirne, a town near the border with Greece. The vehicles werent part of any regular bus route. Those boarding the busesthe vast majority Afghanssaid they were heading to Greece and eventually hoped to get to Germany. On the Greek islands, more than 500 people had arrived from the nearby Turkish coast by late March 1, a clear increase in the usual number of people who arrive on eastern Aegean islands from Turkey. Existing migrant camps on the islands are already dramatically overcrowded, and tensions there have mounted. In a small harbor on Lesbos, angry local residents refused to allow immigrants to disembark from a dinghy that had just arrived. Groups who arrived on other parts of the island remained there for hours because locals prevented buses from reaching them to transport them to the main camp. Late March 1, a former staging area used for new arrivals on Lesbos was set on fire. More than 19,300 people already live in and around islands migrant camp, which has a capacity of 2,840. Protests by island residents last week over the situation degenerated into clashes with riot police on Lesbos and Chios. Greece said it was using all available means to tell immigrants that the countrys borders were closed, including text messages to foreign mobile phones in the border area. In Syria, fighting escalated on the ground and in the skies between Turkish and Syrian troops. Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assads government, remained largely on the sidelines through the weekend even as a Turkish-led counteroffensive blunted and in some cases reversed Syrian government advances. Syrias official news agency SANA said the four pilots in the two jets shot down on March 1 had ejected and landed safely. Turkeys Defense Ministry said it had hit the two SU-24 aircraft, as well as Syrian air defense systems after one of its aerial drones, was downed. Earlier March 1, Syria said northwestern airspace was closed and any aircraft or drone that entered will be treated as hostile and shot down. The Syrian announcement followed two days of Turkish drone strikes in Idlib province. Syrian activists said the strikes killed more than 50 Syrian government forces and allied fighters. Turkey has lost 54 soldiers in February, including 33 killed Feb. 27 in a single airstrike. Outraged, Erdogan announced his countrys European borders were open Feb. 29. The crisis in Idlib stems from a Syrian government offensive with Russian military support, which began Dec. 1. Turkey is worried it might come under renewed international pressure to open its now-sealed border with Syria and offer refuge to hundreds of thousands more Syrian civilians. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, speaking from a military headquarters near the Syrian border, said Turkey aimed to confront Syrian government forces rather than Russian troops. He called on Moscow to persuade Assad to withdraw to the 2018 cease-fire lines on the edges of Idlib. Referring to losses inflicted on Syria, he said Turkey had neutralized more than 2,200 Syrian troops, 103 tanks, and eight helicopters. The operation is Turkeys fourth in the war-torn country since 2016. Altun, the Turkish communications director, claimed 80,888 immigrants had left Turkey for Europe in the past several days. There was no evidence to support his claim. Greeces Foreign Ministry tweeted that these numbers were false and misleading. By Costas Kantouris and Andrew Wilks Portland-area school districts are giving students and their parents extra encouragement to keep students who are feverish or coughing heavily at home as a precaution in the face of spreading coronavirus. But schools arent drawing a hard line that no child who sneezes, coughs or sniffles can come to class, district spokespeople say. And even in Lake Oswego, where the first Oregon resident known to have COVID-19 worked in an elementary school, officials arent insisting any child go home. The school district does not have the power to exclude a child from public education, Mary Kay Larson, the communication director for Lake Oswego schools, said Monday. I believe that would need to come from the public health officials. Clean-up crews showed up at Forest Hills Elementary School on Sunday after it was announced that an employee at the school was identified with the coronavirus and presumed to be Oregon's first case of the contagious disease. (Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen/Special to the Oregonian)Randy L. Rasmussen All students at the affected school, Forest Hills Elementary, are having to skip class the first three days of this week. Their school is closed for two reasons: to undergo deep cleaning and to allow the CDC-recommended 14-day quarantine period to pass since the last day the infected employee reported to work. The employee is now hospitalized near the persons home, at Kaiser Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro. State public health officials and Kaiser officials wont say what condition the person is in. School district officials have gone to lengths to provide parents and students with accurate information about the outbreak and how to best protect their and the communitys health: wash hands frequently, cover coughs or sneezes with your elbow and stay home if you show signs of flu or a bad cold, including fever and cough. But school officials acknowledge that its unrealistic to expect that families have the capability to keep home every child with a light cough or a lingering cold. And in recent years, Oregon schools, with help from pediatricians, have pushed a if you have a cold, go to school anyway as long as you practice good hand-washing and mouth-covering, because research makes it clear that missing more that one day of school per month on average harms learning and endangers students likelihood of graduating. So educators, backed by nurses, will make nuanced judgments, school officials said. Fever, deep cough and respiratory distress are the main symptoms of concern with COVID-19. The difficult thing is that we are in the thick of cold and flu season right now, so there are a myriad of different illnesses people may be experiencing, said Beth Graser, chief communications officer for Hillsboro schools. Sneezing and/or cough in the absence of other symptoms would likely not be enough to warrant a recommendation to go home, she said, but context and severity play a part as well, so theres not a simple answer. Canby schools do seem to be drawing one hard line: a childs temperature. Information sent to parents Monday says you will be asked to take your child home if the childs temperature is 100 degrees or higher. If you are contacted to pick up your student from school due to illness, please do so as quickly as possible to avoid the spread of germs, the note to parents says. Portland Public Schools has not changed its standards for when students should come to school versus stay home due to the outbreak, according to spokeswoman Karen Werstein. The district continues to follow recommendations from the tri-county health office, last updated in 2017, that say a students cough should be persistent or serious and sustained before the child should stay home. Jennifer Vines, the lead health officer for the tri-county health office for Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, which created those recommendations, said Sunday that she advises anyone with symptoms of illness to stay home from school or work. Everybody has to make their own call, she told The Oregonian/OregonLive. If you wake up with a runny nose, I would say give yourself a day. People often send their children to school with mild colds, she acknowledged. But she said anyone with a fever or coughing illness should definitely stay home. -- Betsy Hammond; betsyhammond@oregonian.com; @chalkup Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC Samsung's new lineup of flagship phones the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra launches Friday. They're the first phones in the U.S. to support the wide range of 5G networks rolling out here. I've been testing the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the top-of-the-line model, for about a week. The Ultra is not for everyone: Samsung is clearly targeting this $1,400 phone toward people who want all of the latest and greatest stuff, including a bunch of features most people don't need but that gadget-lovers like me still enjoy like a camera that can zoom 100x and 5G connectivity, long before there's much of a reason to even use 5G. The premium market isn't big for Samsung the way it is for Apple, though. Generally, Samsung's best-selling products are mid-range and low-cost phones. But Samsung consistently tries to beat Apple to the market with new ideas, whether they work or not: It started with big "phablets" with the first Galaxy Note in 2011. It continued with folding phones like the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip. Now it's beating Apple to the market with 5G. But 5G is still confusing, and there's no real need for it right now until the technology becomes more reliable and widely available. Here's what you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. 5G 5G antennas in Manhattan. Todd Haselton | CNBC Before we dive too much into the phone itself, I want to give a quick overview of Samsung's Galaxy S20 lineup, which includes the S20, the S20+ and the S20 Ultra. Each phone supports 5G, but not in the same way. The "regular" Galaxy S20 on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile only runs on low-band LTE, which is more widespread than faster mmWave 5G, but only slightly speedier than the LTE you've been using for the last several years. Sometimes I found it's even slower, but the explanation for that is best told by PCMag's Sascha Segan, who has a wealth of knowledge on the topic and has been my go-to source for understanding 5G in the U.S. If you're planning to keep your phone for two or three years, you should look at the Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra, since they support the variety of 5G flavors in the U.S. You'll get slightly faster speeds most of the time and much faster mmWave if you find it. Samsung's intro video shows the Galaxy S20 Ultra downloading movies in just a couple of seconds, so I tried this for myself. Fast 5G speeds on Verizon's mmWave network in New York City. Tested on a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Todd Haselton | CNBC I went to New York City and tested the Galaxy S20 Ultra on Verizon and T-Mobile. Verizon's mmWave network is wildly fast, but only when you can find it. I used a map provided to me by the carrier and tested it near New York University. When I came within the coverage area, a small symbol showed me I had 5G "UWB," or ultra wide band coverage. In this area, I saw speeds of about 1,100Mbps, or more than 11x faster than you'd normally find on LTE. I was able to download Netflix movies in a couple of seconds, not minutes. But you need to be right near a tower for this speedy connection to work. If you walk just a half-block away, you'll lose the signal and fall back to a slower 4G network. These signals also have trouble penetrating walls and buildings, so you'll likely drop back down to 4G if you go indoors. T-Mobile 5G on the Galaxy S20 Ultra is slower than Verizon's, but still good. Todd Haselton | CNBC T-Mobile's 5G is different. There's "nationwide coverage," but in the New York area I generally got about the same speeds as LTE. The speeds were actually slower than LTE at my home in New Jersey. (This comes down to how T-Mobile rolled it out here, which gets complicated, but it stands to improve if the phone gets a software update.) In New York City, I found some mmWave networks, but it was harder: Unlike Verizon, the T-Mobile doesn't show a different icon when you're in a faster area, which is annoying. I got speeds about 300Mbps on this network, or about 3x faster than T-Mobile LTE, but way slower than Verizon's similar 5G network. This is all to say that 5G speeds vary a lot depending on your carrier, the type of 5G connection you have and your location. That means there's also no killer 5G use case yet. There's no reason you might need 5G in your phone right now save for faster speeds when you're standing in the right area, or perhaps a better signal if you're in a place like a very crowded stadium. 5G can do a better job providing a reliable signal in venues such as stadiums. When 4G LTE started rolling out several years ago, we started to see some killer apps such as video chat (FaceTime over cellular!) and other things like video streaming that made people want much faster data. So far, we haven't seen that kind of shift with 5G. Gamers might want to be among the first to adopt 5G phones, though. The faster connections to the cellular tower (and the time it takes your phone to talk to a tower) may make upcoming services like the final version of Project xCloud from Microsoft, Google Stadia or NVIDIA GeForce now more compelling, since you could theoretically use them anywhere you want, even without Wi-Fi, and still stream games in high quality and without slowdowns that could prevent you from winning competitive matches against other players. And remember: You might not even live in a market with any 5G yet, so check your carrier's website for 5G maps before you buy this phone for that reason alone. The good news: Once 5G becomes more reliable and widespread, you'll be ready if you buy the Galaxy S20+ or Galaxy S20 Ultra now. What's good Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC The Galaxy S20 Ultra is one of my favorite phones to launch in the last couple of years. I like that it supports 5G and that it'll likely only improve from here on out. But here's the thing: If you buy a Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus or Galaxy S20 Ultra, you're getting support for 5G whether you use it or not. So it's just an added benefit to an already great phone. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC There are two big highlights of the Galaxy S20 Ultra: the screen and the cameras. It has a huge 6.9-inch screen that I love (but some people might find too big). Samsung includes a new 120hz mode that's off by default but, when turned on, makes a noticeable improvement to how smooth scrolling is inside apps and games that work on it. If you buy it, turn it on right away so you can see what it's like. Some people don't notice a huge difference, but I do. Since the 120hz mode refreshes animations on the screen faster, everything just looks really fast and smooth without any jitters, like when I was scrolling through my thousands of pictures or Twitter. Apple uses this tech in its iPad Pro, and I suspect it'll filter down to the 2020 iPhones, too. The cameras are a lot of fun. There's this new feature called "Single Shot" that automatically takes a bunch of pictures and videos over 10 seconds. A picture the Galaxy S20 Ultra took in Single Shot mode. Todd Haselton | CNBC Then it just spits out the best ones it thinks you'll like. I used it playing with my dog Mabel in the park, when I didn't know if I wanted to take a picture or a video. It took both for me, and gave me some really nice pictures. A picture of Mabel taken with the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Todd Haselton | CNBC There are lots of geeky specs to talk about with the camera. It can take 100x zoom using a fancy mix between software and hardware zooming technologies, but I found the images I captured that far away weren't very good. Even though it's sort of like a spy camera at that range, pictures end up looking blurry and splotchy. Still, you can take really clear pictures at around 4x and 10x zoom that are still better than the iPhone 11 Pro's 2x zoom. Here's a regular wide-angle shot on the S20 Ultra. Note the building in the distance: An ultra-wide picture on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Todd Haselton | CNBC Here's 100x zoom, showing the (blurry) steps of that same building: 100x zoom on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Todd Haselton | CNBC Crazy, right? Samsung also includes a 108-megapixel camera, something we haven't seen in a phone for years. That may sound like overkill, but all those megapixels help out the zoom and other camera features. Normally, lots of pixels can result in poor low-light images. But Samsung is using some magic behind the scenes called "pixel binning" that combines 9 pixels to create larger ones that are better at capturing light, which means clearer pictures. These let you snap a picture of a big scene, like a landscape, and let you crop in to the image and still get a clean picture of something that might be far away. It's fun, but again, it's something only hardcore gadget lovers are going to understand or want to use. You can multitask with two apps (and more) using the S20 Ultra. Todd Haselton | CNBC Then there's the performance: The Galaxy S20 Ultra, thanks to the latest and fastest Qualcomm processor, feels very fast. It even has options that let you pin up to three apps to stay open at all times, so you can pin games and launch right into them without loading. This worked well when I tried it with "Alto's Odyssey," which otherwise takes about 30 seconds to boot into a game. The phone is massive, but that's because it includes everything Samsung could have possibly included inside. On paper, the S20 Ultra is a tech geek's dream. It starts with 128GB of storage, with the option to add another TB with a memory card. It also has a massive 5,000mAh battery, up to 16GB of RAM and fast wireless charging. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC You even get other perks like water and dust resistance, lots of Bluetooth options and more. Samsung just packs the phone with features. It does, however, leave out the headphone jack. That doesn't bother me, but it might be a dealbreaker if you still use wired headphones. What's bad Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC I had a few issues with the phone. The most major is with the camera, which has trouble auto-focusing sometimes. This can really stink. When I tried to take a picture of my dog Mabel doing something silly, I couldn't focus on her in time to get the picture I wanted. I don't have that problem with other phones, but Samsung says a software fix is coming that should address it. I just don't know when. But the auto-focus issues are widespread and apply to video, too. It's a bummer for a phone that puts so much into the cameras. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC It's also really heavy, like a tank. Again, I like these big and huge glass and metal phones that last all day and include everything I could possibly want. They're kind of like multi-tools: you know you have everything you need. But, my wife thought it was way too heavy for her. So, for those who prefer smaller and lighter, the cheaper models of the S20 are more manageable. And back to 5G: Sure, it's nice to have right now, but you probably don't need it just yet. You sort of just have it as a comfort to either use if you stumble across a 5G network, or for when there's a real need to use 5G in a couple of years. (At which point prices on 5G phones will also have fallen dramatically, by the way.) Should you buy it? Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC The Galaxy S20 Ultra costs $1,400, but I think it's actually pretty reasonable for what you get. I've knocked phones such as the Galaxy Z Flip for being expensive, because aside from unique folding screens, they have hardware that's otherwise found in $600 phones. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has all of the latest and greatest stuff, though. I paid a similar amount for my fully loaded Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max, but Samsung's S20 Ultra has a better screen, support for 5G when it's available, a way bigger battery and more. The cost seems justified to me but, no, if you have an iPhone 11 Pro Max you don't need to upgrade to this. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Todd Haselton | CNBC India on Monday assured Bangladesh that the updation of the National Register of Citizens will have no implications for its people, asserting that it is a process that is entirely internal to the country. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India in December over prevailing situation following the passage of the new citizenship bill by Parliament. Dhaka was also apparently upset following the roll out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam even though India conveyed to it that the issue was an internal matter of the country. Updation of National Register of Citizens is a process that is entirely internal to India, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said. India assures Bangladesh that NRC will have no implications for the country and its people, he said at a seminar Bangladesh & India: A Promising Future held in Dhaka. The Foreign Secretary, who previously served as Indias high commissioner in Dhaka, is the first senior most Indian official to visit the neighbouring country after the amended citizenship bill and the NRC. Dhaka is worried over reports that India may send back some Bangladeshi immigrants to the country under the new citizenship law. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had taken up the issue of NRC with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their bilateral meeting in New York in September. During his visit, Shringla is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Hasina and Foreign Minister Momen and hold talks with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen. He is expected to discuss the preparations for the likely visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dhaka this month to attend the birth centenary of the countrys founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangbandhu is iconic - as a globally recognised statesman and iconic symbol of liberation for Bangladesh and for our subcontinent. He is as revered and remembered in India as he is here in Bangladesh, Shringla said. Let me wish you on the centenary of this great son of Bangladesh: a man of letters, a man of action, courage and conviction, and most of all, a true hero, for he liberated from oppression the spirit of a people and brought forth a nation. As Prime minister Modi has said, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is our national hero too, he said. India and Bangladesh have been able to address and resolve some of the problems that bedevil relations between any neighbours - problems such as those of borders and land exchanges. We have done so with maturity, grace and sophistication, Shringla said referring to differences over some bilateral issues. Our partnership will reach its true potential when we recognise that our interests converge. It is in the spirit of of finding common ground rather than being bogged by a few differences that we have jointly agreed to work to enhance navigability of waterways, he said. The Foreign Secretary lauded Bangladeshs astonishing successes in improving socio-economic indices from infant mortality to womens education and from primary health to literacy. He said Bangladesh had given new energy by the worlds most impressive economic development rates. Today it is Bangladesh that is leading Asias development race, a miraculous achievement that merits every word of praise, Shringla said. Bangladesh today has become Indias largest development partner in the world and is the countrys largest trade partner in the region, he said. At the level of people-to-people ties, our largest visa operation anywhere in the world is in Bangladesh and Bangladeshi friends constitute the largest number of tourist arrivals by far in India, he said. According to the he Citizenship Amendment Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship. An investigation is underway following the demolition of a building on Corks MacCurtain Street to pave the way for a 7m city-sleeper hotel. Officials from Cork City Councils planning department visited the construction site at 54/55 MacCurtain St today to inspect and assess the extent of work in recent days which has included the demolition of the former Windsor Inn building, a 19th-century four-storey masonry building which had traded as a bar, venue and guest accommodation over many decades. The site is to be redeveloped as a mini-hotel which will feature 73 pod-style bedrooms with 93 bedspaces. Aimed at tourists who are travelling light on short-stays and who want to stay somewhere central, it will be Corks first city-sleeper hotel. A council spokesperson said its planning office was made aware of the matter today and officials visited the site to assess the situation. The matter is now being investigated, she said. It is understood that a report will be requested of the developers and their contractors and that it could take a number of days before a decision on the next stage of the planning probe is determined. The project team did not respond to a request for comment. Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said while a partial demolition was granted as part of planning decision, planners must determine whether what's taken place goes beyond what was authorised. Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran "The MacCurtain Street area is a part of the city that's undergoing a renaissance. The buildings of the street are central to that. The Windsor Hotel development was broadly welcomed as enhancing that environment. It would be a sour note if the contractors have gone beyond what they were allowed to do. But we should wait for confirmation one way or another, while City Hall investigates," he said. Following a lengthy planning process, permission was granted almost two years ago to MacCurtain Street Hoteliers Ltd to redevelop the former Windsor Inn building and an adjoining building as a micro-sleeper hotel. The site, which is close to the citys train and bus stations, was sold recently to the team which secured planning late last year for a 58-bed hotel in the former National Irish Bank premises on the citys South Mall. That team is now delivering the project on MacCurtain St. A design statement submitted as part of the planning application said neither of the two buildings at the development site is on the register of protected structures, or on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. The report said there is little to nothing left of any conservation value internally except for timber staircases and balustrades which are neither unusual nor of significant value and it said all the interior plaster features are gone and the original timber windows have been replaced on the front of the building with a mix of 30 to 40-year-old new and PVC windows. It also said the buildings were in a poor condition generally with a number of leaks and internal ceiling collapses, with the timber floor structure requiring replacement in many areas. The report also said the design team hope the new building will present a strong and confident presence that consolidates the architectural character of the area. In doing so we are striving to show how a well-considered infill development cannot only bring new life to the eastern end of MacCurtain Street but also enhance the existing character of the area, it said. Failte Ireland has backed the new hotel project which it says meets the demands of a new type of city tourist. It has also pointed to a 2017 Irish Hotels Federation study which identified a lack of hotel capacity in Cork city. By Tom Plate By Trend In connection with the temporary closure of the border between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan on February 29, appropriate measures are being taken to ensure the return of Azerbaijani citizens, who are currently in Iran, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan told Trend. For this purpose, a flight from Iran to Azerbaijan will be organized on March 4 and, through a special corridor, citizens will be returned to the country. Citizens wishing to return from Iran to Azerbaijan must register at Azerbaijans embassy in Tehran and the Consulate General in Tabriz. Azerbaijani citizens evacuated from Iran will be quarantined. According to the World Health Organization, the quarantine for the detection of coronavirus infection is 14-29 days. All citizens must comply with the quarantine regime to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Address of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Tehran, Neyistan 3, Rastovana St., 16 Phone: (+98 910) 559 56 10 (+9821) 22 55 82 99 (+9821) 22 55 42 55 Address of the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tabriz: Tabriz, Veliasr, Arif St., 9 Phone: (+98 902) 095 13 83 (+98413) 333 48 02/04 Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - March 2, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed SANUWAVE Health, Inc. (OTCQB: SNWV) ("the Company"), a shockwave technology company initially focused on the development and commercialization of patented noninvasive, biological response activating devices for the repair and regeneration of skin, musculoskeletal tissue and vascular structures. CEO of the Company, Kevin Richardson, joined Stock Day Host Everett Jolly. Richardson began the interview by updating listeners on the Company's background and current projects. "SANUWAVE is a company that's been around for a number of years, but we really hit our turning point in late 2017 to early 2018," said Richardson. "We're a medical device company, and we received our FDA clearance to help treat diabetic foot ulcers," he continued. "We stimulate the body to heal itself," said Richardson when explaining the Company's wound care technology. Jolly then noted that the Company recently raised $5 million through institutional lenders, and asked how the Company was able to avoid toxic debt and achieve this type of funding. "One of the things we try to do is establish a long-term goal," explained Richardson. "Then what we try to do is break it down into phases; we break it down into milestones so that investors can watch how we're performing," he continued. "If we can perform and meet those milestones, then we can achieve those long-term objectives," said Richardson. "It's really a way of allowing those institutional lenders to measure us," he added. "We're very fortunate to have a great team, and we've achieved or exceeded our expectations over the last year or so," said Richardson. "That's what really got their attention." "I think SANUWAVE is going from an R&D company to commercialization, where you're going to start monetizing," said Jolly. Richardson shared that the Company went through clinical trials for seven years and has now secured 82 patents. "It's very much driven by R&D and now we've flipped the switch," said Richardson. He then explained that the Company's product is beneficial for both hospitals and insurers, while also offering patients a convenient and effective treatment method. "We always think about how we've got to make the patient happy, the payer happy, and the physician happy." Jolly then commented on the Company's management team, including the addition of Dr. Tom Price to their Board of Directors. "I'm very proud and happy to have Dr. Price involved with the company," shared Richardson. "He's a kind-hearted guy and has a great head on his shoulders strategically," said Richardson. "He understands the healthcare system and it's going to help us navigate as we move forward," he added. The conversation then turned to the Company's international sales strategy. "We always try to bring on two to three new partnerships a year," explained Richardson, adding that the Company is currently undergoing the registration process in Brazil and was able to secure expansion into Bolivia at the end of 2019. Richardson then elaborated on the Middle East's struggle with early adulthood diabetes. "It's going to lead to increased problems, specifically diabetic foot ulcers," said Richardson. "The health problems they are facing are twice what they are here from a diabetes standpoint, so there's a great opportunity for us," said Richardson. "They're not afraid of spending money to help their population, and they know that they have an epidemic." He then elaborated on the adverse effects of foot amputations caused by diabetic foot ulcers. "One of the things we're really good at is amputation prevention," said Richardson. "We offer a statistically significant reduction in amputation when our device is used, and I think that is going to help society in a wonderful way." To close the interview, Richardson shared that the Company continues to progress towards its long-term goals. "This really is our breakout year where the placements from the past year will turn into revenues this year. As we grow, that footprint will be helping save more limbs and lives across the country and across the world," closed Richardson. To hear Kevin Richardson's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7519495-sanuwave-health-inc-discusses-its-2020-goals-with-the-stock-day-podcast Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/ About SANUWAVE Health, Inc. SANUWAVE Health, Inc. (OTCQB: SNWV) (www.SANUWAVE.com) is a shockwave technology company initially focused on the development and commercialization of patented noninvasive, biological response activating devices for the repair and regeneration of skin, musculoskeletal tissue and vascular structures. SANUWAVE's portfolio of regenerative medicine products and product candidates activate biologic signaling and angiogenic responses, producing new vascularization and microcirculatory improvement, which helps restore the body's normal healing processes and regeneration. SANUWAVE applies its patented PACE (Pulsed Acoustic Cellular Expression) Technology in wound healing, orthopedic/spine, plastic/cosmetic and cardiac conditions. Its lead product candidate for the global wound care market, dermaPACE System, is US FDA cleared for the treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers. The device is also CE Marked throughout Europe and has device license approval for the treatment of the skin and subcutaneous soft tissue in Canada, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. SANUWAVE researches, designs, manufactures, markets and services its products worldwide, and believes it has demonstrated that its technology is safe and effective in stimulating healing in chronic conditions of the foot (plantar fasciitis) and the elbow (lateral epicondylitis) through its U.S. Class III PMA approved OssaTron device, as well as stimulating bone and chronic tendonitis regeneration in the musculoskeletal environment through the utilization of its OssaTron, Evotron System and orthoPACE System in Europe, Asia and Asia/Pacific. In addition, there are license/partnership opportunities for SANUWAVE's shockwave technology for non-medical uses, including energy, water, food and industrial markets. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to financial results and plans for future business development activities, and are thus prospective. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding intent, belief or current expectations of the Company, its directors or its officers. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Among the key risks, assumptions and factors that may affect operating results, performance and financial condition are risks associated with the regulatory approval and marketing of the Company's product candidates and products, unproven pre-clinical and clinical development activities, regulatory oversight, the Company's ability to manage its capital resource issues, competition, and the other factors discussed in detail in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. For additional information about the Company, visit www.sanuwave.com. Contact: Millennium Park Capital LLC Christopher Wynne 312-724-7845 cwynne@mparkcm.com SANUWAVE Health, Inc. Kevin Richardson II CEO and Chairman of the Board 978-922-2447 investorrelations@sanuwave.com About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. Stock Day recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona. SOURCE: Stock Day Media 602-441-3474 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53010 Germany expects Turkey to uphold an EU agreement to prevent migrants reaching the bloc, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday. The comments come as Ankara sought to maintain pressure on Western countries over the Syrian conflict, warning that "millions" of migrants would soon head toward Europe. Merkel's German spokesman said Monday a 2016 migrant deal between Turkey and the EU was still in place and should be adhered to. "We are convinced about the value of the agreement and we expect it to be upheld," Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin Monday. He added that if Ankara is dissatisfied with the deal, then it should address grievances in discussions directly with the EU. The deal was agreed after a migrant crisis in 2015 that saw waves of refugees arriving on Europe's shores, many who remain in Turkey. The migrant deal calls for the EU to pay a total of six billion euros ($6.7 billion) to help Turkey accommodate the crowds and hold them back from EU borders. So far 3.2 billion euros have already been paid out, Seibert said. Turkey now hosts some four million refugees -- the majority of them Syrians -- but has called for the EU to provide additional support for hosting the migrants. A fresh surge of migrants has arrived on its border with Greece in recent days after an escalation of fighting in Syria's Iblib province between Turkey and Russian-backed Syrian forces. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned he no longer feels bound by the agreement and had opened its doors to the EU. "Hundreds of thousands have crossed, soon it will reach millions," he said Monday. But the numbers remain in dispute. German's foreign ministry cited a report from the International Organization for Migration that said between 7,000 and 13,000 people remained camped on the Turkish side. "So far very few people have made irregular crossings," a German foreign ministry spokesman said. Search Keywords: Short link: Leading Chinese innovator expands Avanci marketplace to 38 patent owners Avanci announced that OPPO has joined its licensing platform, bringing the number of patent owners on the platform to 38, including several Chinese companies. Avanci's one-stop marketplace offers a license to the vast majority of 2G, 3G and 4G cellular standard essential patents for Internet of Things products and connected vehicles, through a single agreement with a transparent, fixed price royalty. Kasim Alfalahi, founder and chief executive officer of Avanci, said: "We are delighted to welcome OPPO, a smartphone industry leader, to the Avanci platform. Through our platform, we enable companies such as OPPO to earn a reasonable return on their R&D investments, through an efficient marketplace that balances the interests of patent owners and licensees around the world, and enables continued innovation." Adler Feng, senior director of intellectual property at OPPO, said: "OPPO has always been committed to promoting the healthy development of the industry. We are willing to license OPPO's essential patent portfolio to the industry based on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. We are pleased to offer our 3G and 4G communications standard essential patents for licensing through Avanci to IoT and automotive manufacturers." Avanci's one-stop marketplace has transformed the way companies share technology by licensing intellectual property from many different patent holders in a single transaction. By streamlining the technology sharing process, Avanci is accelerating the growth of the Internet of Things by providing automotive and IoT manufacturers with an efficient and transparent way to access the wireless technology needed to bring their products online. Fourteen automotive brands are already licensed through Avanci for their connected vehicles. About Avanci Avanci believes that sharing technology in the Internet of Things era can be simpler. As our connected world evolves, we want to help it happen faster and more efficiently. Our one-stop solution is designed to enable the success of the ecosystem, bringing convenience and predictability to the technology licensing process. In our marketplace, those with essential patents can share their innovations, and companies creating connected products for the Internet of Things can access the patented wireless technology they need to be successful in one place, with one agreement and for one fair, flat rate. Founded in 2016, Avanci is headquartered in Dallas. www.avanci.com About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone "Smiley Face" in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find X and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO provides its users with the ColorOS operating system and internet services like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO operates in more than 40 countries and regions, with 6 Research Institutes and 4 R&D centers worldwide, as well as an International Design Center in London. More than 40,000 of OPPO's employees are dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. www.oppo.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005051/en/ Contacts: Mark Durrant Director, Marketing Communications Avanci media@avanci.com OPPO Press Office press@oppo.com A bill that seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks was introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan introduced the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 amid vehement protests by opposition members against the Central government over the Delhi violence which has left more than 40 persons dead. After approving the bill last month, the government had said this will ensure safe termination of pregnancies and also give women reproductive rights over their bodies. The extension to 24 weeks will also help victims of rape, girls with disabilities as well as minors, who may not realise they are pregnant until later, it had said, describing the draft legislation as progressive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks during the AIPAC convention at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on March 2, 2020. Tom Brenner/Reuters Vice President Mike Pence on Monday suggested that Sen. Bernie Sanders supports Israel's enemies. During a speech at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Pence said Sanders would be the "most anti-Israel president in the history of this nation." Sanders is Jewish, has lived in Israel, and much of his father's family was killed during the Holocaust. The senator from Vermont has called for a more balanced US policy toward Israel that could include conditioning US aid in relation to the occupation and peace process, among other matters. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Vice President Mike Pence on Monday said Sen. Bernie Sanders would be the most anti-Israel president in the history of the US, as he excoriated the Vermont senator over his criticism of the Israeli government. "In the days ahead, we must ensure the most pro-Israel president in history must not be replaced by one who would be the most anti-Israel president in the history of this nation. That's why we need four more years of President Trump in the White House," Pence said at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference. Pence also suggested that Sanders, who is Jewish, sides with Israel's enemies. "Those who side with Israel's enemies must never be allowed to call themselves friends of Israel. It is wrong to boycott and slander Israel. It is wrong to boycott and slander AIPAC," Pence said, as he accused Sanders of smearing Israel during the most recent Democratic presidential debate. Sanders, who is leading the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination, has boycotted the AIPAC event. He has not called for boycotting Israel, as Pence suggested, and does not support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. But the senator, among other 2020 Democrats, is open to conditioning US aid to Israel in relation to the occupation of Palestinian territories, settlements, and peace process. Story continues "The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security," Sanders tweeted Sunday. "So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights." During the AIPAC conference, Pence also equated anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. "It is the position of the United States government that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism," Pence said. Zionism is the belief that Jewish people should have their own sovereign state in their ancestral homeland, Israel. There's an ongoing debate among scholars and American Jews as to whether anti-Zionism is, as Pence said, anti-Semitic. Some contend that suggesting "anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism" is actually anti-Semitic in and of itself because it plays into the dual loyalty trope, or the implication that American Jews are more loyal to Israel than the US. There are also those who are concerned that criticism of the Israeli government and its policies is too often labeled and dismissed as anti-Semitism instead of being critically examined. Since his 2016 campaign, Sanders has broken the American taboo of criticizing the Israeli government and the nature of US support for Israel. He's called for a more balanced US policy toward Israel that takes Palestinian rights into greater account. During the last Democratic debate in South Carolina, Sanders said, "I'm very proud of being Jewish. I actually lived in Israel for some months. But what I happen to believe is that right now, sadly, tragically, in Israel, through Bibi Netanyahu, you have a reactionary racist who is now running that country." The senator from Vermont would be first Jewish person to receive a major party nomination for president in US history. Much of his father's family was killed during the Holocaust, and he's spoken about anti-Semitism in personal terms along the campaign trail. "It is true that some criticism of Israel can cross the line into antisemitism, especially when it denies the right of self-determination to Jews, or when it plays into conspiracy theories about outsized Jewish power. I will always call out antisemitism when I see it. My ancestors would expect no less of me," Sanders wrote in an op-ed for Jewish Currents in November 2019. He went on to say, "My pride and admiration for Israel lives alongside my support for Palestinian freedom and independence. I reject the notion that there is any contradiction there." Read the original article on Business Insider Over 60 people from Assam who were detained by the Nagaland police for trying to enter Dimapur without "proper documents" have been released, police said on Monday. Protestors had blocked NH-39 near an inter-state check gate at Bokajan in Karbi Anglong district of Assam on Sunday noon demanding release of the 67 people who were detained for trying to visit the commercial hub of the northeastern state without Inner Line Permits (ILP), they said. Till December 2019, ILP was not required for travelling to the busy town of Dimapur which is frequented by people from neighbouring Assam. The national highway was blocked for two hours on Sunday disrupting movement of vehicles. The situation was brought under control after district officials of the two states intervened, police said. Karbi Anglong Superintendent of Police Debajit Deuri said on Monday, "The situation is normal now and the people have been released from detention." PRO of Dimapur Police T Relo Aye said that some persons entering the state from Assam were "detained temporarily for questioning due to non-possession of proper documents". While Dimapur was the only district in Nagaland without ILP regime since the formation of the state in 1963, the state government brought it under the purview of ILP from December 9, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MUSCATINE What is being called a much needed service for local adolescents will soon be coming to Muscatine. From 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, UnityPoint Health Robert Young Center will hold support group sessions for adolescents ages 12 to 18. The support group is facilitated by a licensed mental health counselor. This is a brand new group for Muscatine thats been formed due to the increase weve seen in children with self-harm and suicide ideation, said Christine Gradert, director of child and adolescent services. According to UnityPoints research, the number of youth dealing with a mental health crisis is growing. Originally, this teen support group was only in Rock Island. But because of increased demand, new groups were added in Bettendorf and Muscatine. Communication with the community, based on the health needs assessment in Muscatine, showed that more services for adolescence mental health were definitely needed, Gradert said, so were responding to the community in that way. Your browser does not support the audio element. Doctors in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have successfully performed a surgery to remove a bullet from the body of a veteran after it had been lying there for over half a century. The veteran is Le Van Sang, a 71-year-old man living in Hoa Tien Commune, Vi Thanh City, located in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, which is about 50 kilometers to the south of Can Tho City. Sang participated in a battle in 1969, during which he was hit by a bullet in the right side of his back, his family said. Due to the location of the bullet and the lack of medical supplies in wartime, military physicians could only remove parts of the bullet from his body at that time. The rest of the bullet remained trapped in his lumbar muscles. After the war ended, Sangs family took him to different hospitals in Vietnam for several times, only to be told that it was not feasible to remove the remaining part as many complications, which could result in paralysis, would occur during the removal. Sang lived with and suffered from pains caused by the bullet fragment for more than five decades. As his backache became more severe recently, his family tried their luck one more time by taking the 71-year-old man to Can Tho Central General Hospital in the namesake city. After an examination, neurosurgeons at the hospital were able to pinpoint the bullet piece, with a dimension of 1x2 cm, located in the retroperitoneal cavity, on the right at the level 5 of the lumbar vertebra in Sangs body. The doctors said Sang's surgery was a success and he can now move around normally. He is set to be soon discharged from the hospital. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! March 02, 2020 Technology has had a profound impact on the marketing landscape and has transformed the way many organizations do business. With the rise of social media platforms and digital advertising, the need to stay ahead of the curve has never been more important for brand awareness and sustainability. As an entrepreneur and marketing consultant, Scott Jarman of Vancouver, British Columbia knows better than anyone that adapting to new technology can help a brand reign supreme in their marketing efforts. With experience helping teams and business increase their growth and performance, Scott Jarman outlines some of the key impacts that technology is having on marketing, and how they can help you and your business. Big Data The importance of being where your customers is crucial when you start structuring an effective marketing strategy. In the 1950s, radio, print and television advertising allowed companies to target people according to their gender, age, and geographic location. Advertising was a numbers game and didnt allow companies to quantify their reach. Today, Scott Jarman of Vancouver, British Columbia explains that we use psychographics, which allow companies to advertise to people according to personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles, producing a whole body of quantitative data that can analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of campaigns. Approximately 65% of business executives from global brands say that they embrace big data to stay competitive, and yet only 0.5% of big data is being analyzed. This data allows companies to determine what works well and what doesnt, allowing them to redesign their marketing efforts accordingly. Another marketing tool that allows you to quantify the number of clicks, opens, and interactions is email marketing. Email Marketing Of course, email marketing is not new, but the statistics speak for themselves. The average expected return on investment is $42 for every $1 you spend on email marketing. Additionally, 81% of small businesses rely on email as their primary customer acquisition channel, and 80% for retention. Scott Jarman explains that the popularity of e-mail marketing has been remarkably stable and is in part due to the necessity of signing up for new apps, websites, and programs with an existing e-mail address. This is a powerful marketing tool, precisely because it allows you to connect directly with your consumer. With the tools available to companies today, creating funnels to target different segments of your audience can make customers feel deeply connected to your brand without the hassle and manpower of e-mailing them individually. When it comes to personalisation and connecting directly with your audience, no tool is as powerful and social media. The Rise of Social Media Marketing Any list about the impact that technology is having on marketing would not be complete without social media. Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2018 alone, roughly 2.65 billion people were using social media worldwide, and this number is expected to increase to almost 3.1 billion by 2021. Since the inception of social media, a lot has changed. From promotionally paid advertisements to changes in algorithms, there is no shortage of trends to keep up with. Scott explains that social media has essentially democratized marketing, allowing anyone, anywhere, to produce and create content. This form of marketing is very different from traditional out-of-home or print marketing, as it has the opportunity to connect with clients on a one-on-one basis and can develop a distinct and memorable brand identity. Wendys, as an example, actively engaged with other brands and followers on Twitter (News - Alert) through dry comedic humor This strategy not only placed their brand in dozens of news articles but gained them a lot of respect and recognition from younger audiences. Automation Lastly, automation on websites and online platforms is allowing companies to have greater control over being proactive. Timing can be critical when deciding to make or leave a purchase, and companies are now able to take advantage of this. Automation combined with metrics means that customer behaviour can be tracked without the supervision of a real person, making it easy to send emails or personalized responses very quickly and efficiently. This type of automation comes in the form of chatbots, social media messaging, and e-mail marketing. Scott has experienced first-hand how quickly digital marketing is taking over the marketing industry, primarily because of its accessibility, affordability, and effectiveness. In comparison with traditional print and out-of-home media, digital marketing is easily more effective at converting followers into customers, and solidifying brand identity. Glossier, Mejuri, We Work, and dozens of other companies built their multi-million-dollar brands solely through social media and other digital marketing platforms without ever investing in traditional media. If that doesnt speak to the power of technology and its impact on marketing, we dont know what will. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. CLEVELAND, Ohio Police arrested a 40-year-old man suspected of drunken driving in a crash that killed a 28-year-old Georgia woman. The man, who has not been formally charged, is currently in the the Cuyahoga County Jail on suspicion of aggravated vehicular homicide and drunken driving. The crash killed Evianna Rutland, 28, of Marietta, Georgia, according to police reports. She was sitting in the backseat of the mans car at the time of the crash. The crash happened about 3:30 a.m. on Carnegie Avenue near East 61st Street in the citys Central neighborhood. The man was driving a 2006 Buick Lucerne when he crashed into the median near the I-90 overpass bridge. He was unable to tell police where he was coming from. He initially told police he drank one shot of alcohol that night, but later said he had a couple shots, police reports say. Police found a bottle of Hennessey in the backseat of the car where Rutland was found dead, according to police reports. The driver told police he was not speeding and that his car slipped on a patch of ice. The driver and another 28-year-old passenger were taken to University Hospitals for treatment. Read more from cleveland.com: She slipped through the cracks: Family says Cleveland woman dismembered and set on fire was a poet who struggled with schizophrenia Euclid man arrested, charged in connection with catalytic converter thefts from Wickliffe impound lot Man arrested after plowing into gas pump, vehicles at Lake County GetGo, threatening deputies with gun Tajik Ruling Party Expected To Secure Victory In First Parliamentary Elections Since Key Opposition Banned By RFE/RL March 01, 2020 Tajiks voted in parliamentary elections on March 1 in which President Emomali Rahmon's ruling party was widely expected to secure a sweeping victory, with only one opposition party participating in the vote. It was the authoritarian Central Asian nation's first parliamentary elections since a ban was imposed nearly five years ago on the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRPT), a leading opposition group. Just before polls closed, Tajikistan's Central Election Commission said over 75 percent of eligible voters -- some 3.7 million voters -- cast ballots, well above the 50-percent mark to make the vote valid under Tajik law. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was the only opposition group that contested the elections. The party has never entered parliament. The election commission said preliminary results would be released on March 2. Election commission Chairman Bakhtiyor Khudoyorzoda earlier told reporters that 3,412 polling centers had created "conditions for a transparent and fair election." None of the votes of the past two decades have been deemed free and competitive by Western observers, which again this year includes the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). In an instance of one of the most widespread problems, proxy voting, an RFE/RL correspondent saw a single voter cast 22 ballots. One video that appeared online showed a single person ticking dozens of ballots for the ruling party, and another clip showed a Tajik migrant in Russia saying he was told to vote for the ruling party or lose his job. President Rahmon's People's Democratic Party is widely expected to retain a majority in the 63-seat Majlisi Namoyandagon, the lower house of parliament. Rahmon, who has ruled since taking power in 1992 with the country embroiled in a five-year civil war, turned up to vote early in the day, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported. Six other smaller parties took part in the elections. The SDP registered five candidates after it was forced to reduce the initial eight-strong party list due to lack of money to pay the nearly $600 application fee per nominee. The SDP was unable in past elections to pass the 5 percent minimum barrier to get a seat in the legislature. The party has blamed it on Tajik authorities' failure to hold free and fair elections. Past elections in Tajikistan were marred by allegations of fraud, including ballot-box stuffing, multiple voting, and the disregard of the vote-counting procedures by election officials. The government has long been criticized for clamping down on opposition groups and critics. Opposition movement Group 24 was banned as an extremist organization in 2014, and the IRPT was branded a "terrorist organization" the following year after losing its final two seats in parliament in the 2015 elections. Both deny the allegations. Muhiddin Kabiri, the IRPT leader, said the opposition urged its supporters to vote for the Social Democrats instead of simply ignoring the elections. "We know that these elections won't be transparent and democratic, but we still want to use this very small window of opportunity to try to convince people once again that the only peaceful way to bring changes to society is through the elections," Kabiri told RFE/RL on February 27. Parliament in Tajikistan is seen as rubber-stamp body, while real political power is consolidated in the hands of President Rahmon. The Central Election Commission said 241 candidates were registered to participate in the elections. Forty-one lawmakers will be elected from single-mandate districts, and the other 22 seats are determined by the party list system. In the single-mandate districts, a candidate must receive 50 percent plus one of votes to win outright in the first round. If no candidate reaches that level, the two candidates with the most votes will compete in a second round. According to the Central Election Commission, there are 4,793,282 eligible voters, including labor migrants residing abroad. Widespread unemployment has forced hundreds of thousands of Tajik to become migrant workers in Russia. Tajikistan's embassy in Moscow said it has prepared five polling stations in Russia for Tajik migrants workers to vote. With reporting by RFE/RL's Tajik Service Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajikistan- parliamentary-elections-rahmon-favored- opposition-banned/30461787.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Related Three Mali soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attack Five Malian soldiers were killed when militants armed with rocket launchers attacked a checkpoint in a central region of the conflict-torn nation, a military source and local official said Monday. "At least five soldiers were killed on Sunday in Mondoro during a jihadist attack," said a source from the Mali army base in Mopti, the largest town in the region, adding that the assailants had also "suffered losses". A local official said the militants had launched the assault "using rocket launchers fired at parked military vehicles". Search Keywords: Short link: Children as young as 11 who do not identify as a girl or a boy have opened up on why they are undergoing treatment to block puberty - with their parents' support. Olivia Purdie, a Year 6 student from Adelaide, spoke to the ABC's Four Corners about living non-binary - where a person's gender identity is neither male or female. 'I am non-binary, which means I have no gender. I am just me,' Olivia told the program, titled 'Not a Boy, Not a Girl'. 'The world basically revolves around boxes and those two boxes are a male and a female box. 'People try to duct tape the box so then you'll stay like that. But I cut the duct tape and opened up into my own box.' Olivia Purdie, a Year 6 student from Adelaide, spoke to ABC's Four Corners about living non-binary Olivia was diagnosed with gender dysphoria two years ago. It is defined by distress and anxiety an individual feels because of a mismatch with their assigned sex at birth and gender identity. Olivia, who was approaching puberty, felt breasts were not part of their body and doctors recommended the use of puberty blockers to cope with the anxiety amid impending body change. Due to the age of the patients and worries about their health, there is much debate about prescribing such drugs. According to Olivia's psychiatrist Georgie Swift, the biggest risk of puberty suppression is the potential for a lower bone density while growing up. Olivia is in 'no rush' to come off the blockers and their family have supported the decision. Olivia's mother Jane Russo said: 'We were informed about the risks of Olivia going on puberty blockers but we believed this risk was low and we weighed it against Olivia's mental health and wellbeing. 'If I was to disregard Olivia's thoughts and how Olivia was feeling, I'd lose my child... By saying ''this is a fad'', that ''this is child abuse'' it's actually not the reality. Olivia's mother Jane Russo (second from the left) said determining a child's gender dysphoria as a 'fad' is 'child abuse' which can be detrimental to their health. Olivia's psychiatrist Georgie Swift (right) said young gender-diverse people have better mental health when supported by their family and friends WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE NON-BINARY? Non-binary is where an individual's gender identity is not exclusively male or female. Being non-binary can mean different things to different people. Advertisement 'The reality is, I could have no child if I didn't respond to what I was hearing from my child. The need to go onto puberty blockers is actually saving Olivia's life, because Olivia can be what Olivia wants to be.' Dr Swift said young gender-diverse people have better mental health when supported by their family and friends. 'Their number of suicide attempts are less, their deliberate self-harm is less, and their general wellbeing is improved,' Dr Swift said. Audrey Mason-Hyde, who went to the same primary school as Olivia, is gender non-binary and wants to 'change the world'. The 14-year-old said: 'I think a lot of people do identify as non-binary and want to change their body to fit what they see as the ideal body.' Audrey Mason-Hyde (right), who went to the same primary school as Olivia (left), is gender non-binary, queer and wants to 'change the world' Audrey added that not all non-binary people needed to change their bodies to be 'valid'. Audrey loves the body they're in. Despite sharing powerful stories, Olivia and the other gender diverse young people in the TV segment fell victim to cruel bullies online. Some of the comments were too vulgar to publish. 'The world has gone nuts,' one person wrote as the story went to air. 'I identify as a billionaire. Where's my money?' wrote another. 'Oh, for goodness sake... I am so over this BS!' another read. Despite the trolls, most viewers were in awe of Olivia's ability to articulate what it is like to be non-binary and without the constraints of gender. But the 11-year-old and other gender diverse young people in the TV segment have fallen victim to cruel bullies online Despite the trolls, viewers were in awe of Olivia's ability to articulate what it is like to be non-binary and without the constraints of gender 'Thank you for sharing. It's hard to understand. I always think though, you're somebody's child. You're a person. You deserve to be happy within yourself and you're worthy of love. You have rights. You have a voice. Thank you,' one commenter wrote. 'Beautiful acceptance and understanding from Olivia's family and health carers. Thank you for sharing,' said another viewer. One person said they were reminded how important the segment was after reading the nasty comments about Olivia. 'I'm so disheartened by the comments with so much judgement. Why can't we just live and let live? I'm so in awe of Olivia,' another wrote. Some viewers suggested the trolls turned their frustration towards the 11-year-old because they didn't understand what it's like to be gender diverse. 'The human race is evolving. People are just scared of what they don't understand,' one said. 'It is so sad that people feel the need to be mean to other people just because they don't understand their different life journey,' added another. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here U.S. regulators have told Boeing Co. that pilots may require additional training to properly respond to emergencies on the 737 Max after airline crews failed to perform proper procedures in simulator tests. In a Feb. 19 letter to Boeing reviewed by Bloomberg News, the Federal Aviation Administration detailed multiple missteps that airline crews had made in the December simulator sessions and said additional tests are needed. The simulations replicated failures similar to those in two fatal crashes. An analysis of the results by FAA and regulators in other nations reviewing revisions to the grounded jetliner may prompt additional training requirements pertaining to the aircraft, the letter said. As a result of the tests, Boeing had already reversed its long-held position that Max pilots who were certified to fly on earlier versions of the 737 didnt need extra simulator training. But the letter provides more detail about issues raised in the sessions and is the first indication that the government is also examining the need for more training requirements. It is the latest complication for Boeings efforts to bring the 737 Max its best-selling jet back into service almost a year after it was grounded worldwide after the crashes. Decisions on training are important because they could delay the planes return and be costly for airlines. Pilots from the three U.S. carriers that fly the Max, American Airlines Group Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co., along with a crew from Grupo Aeromexico SAB were tested in December simulations of multiple emergency scenarios. The tests were conducted in a simulator running Boeings updated flight-control system that was developed in the wake of the crashes. While none of the crews committed such egregious mistakes that they lost their planes, the errors were extensive, according to the FAA letter. The pilots, who had received additional training proposed by the company, failed to finish emergency checklists related to the automated system involved in both 737 Max crashes, known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. In addition, they had difficulty with emergency procedures related to sensor failures, erroneous altitude and airspeed readings and the autopilot, among others, according to the letter. The tests also showed that some pilots were confused about how the autopilot behaved in some circumstances and their interactions with the planes automated warning systems were distracting. The FAA said it had asked members of the Joint Operations Evaluation Board made up of pilot-training experts from the agency as well as Europe, Canada and Brazil to perform similar reviews. The tests are part of federal requirements that airliner systems must be relatively intuitive and average pilots can perform the procedures necessary to respond to failures and emergencies. Deliberate Process The effort is part of a multi-step process of evaluating training requirements for the plane. The FAA is taking the lead, but regulators such as the European Aviation Safety Agency are working with the agency and performing their own assessments. The agency is following a thorough, deliberate process to verify that all proposed modifications to the Boeing 737 Max meet the highest certification standards, the agency said in a statement. The FAA is working with aviation regulators in other nations and will take as much time as it required, the agency said. The crashes of two 737 Max jets in October 2018 near the coast of Indonesia and in March 2019 in Ethiopia killed 346 people, led to the prolonged grounding and prompted massive upheaval at Boeing. Boeing is already in the process of expanding training following its Jan. 7 announcement that it backed mandatory simulator sessions for pilots transitioning from the popular 737 Next-Generation models to the Max. The planemaker originally had sold the Max as an updated version of its 737 and so similar to earlier models that pilots only needed a short training course on an iPad. However, the pilots in the simulator sessions in December had been given a revised training course and still made multiple missteps, showing that more was needed. Boeings January decision makes it almost certain that regulators in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere will mandate simulator training, though they havent yet made a decision. With assistance from Julie Johnsson. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Muhyiddin was appointed following the abrupt resignation of 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, who had been in office since the general elections in 2018. TV live-broadcast showed that Muhyiddin, wearing traditional Malay clothes, pledged to serve the country and the people well before Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah at the national palace. The ceremony was attended by Muhyiddin's political allies. Muhyiddin, 72, had served as deputy prime minister under former Prime Minister Najib Razak from 2009 to 2015. He later co-founded Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) with Mahathir and served as its president, joining the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to win the general election in 2018. He served as home minister in Mahathir's cabinet. On the same day of Mahathir's abrupt resignation on Feb. 24, Muhyiddin announced as party president that PPBM is pulling out of the PH coalition, costing its majority in the lower house of parliament. Muhyiddin later won support from major opposition including the Barisan Nasional led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and became a leading candidate as prime minister. In a statement on Saturday (February 29), the national palace said that Sultan Abdullah felt Muhyiddin might command majority in the lower house of parliament, hence agreeing to appoint him as prime minister in accordance with the constitution. However, Mahathir, who again became PH's candidate for prime minister earlier Saturday, unveiled a list of some 115 members of parliament (MP) whom he said support him to be prime minister, hence that he command the majority in the 222-seat lower house of the parliament. In a press conference on Sunday, Mahathir called for an early parliament sitting so that the MPs could demonstrate if Muhyiddin command the majority. According to Malaysia's constitution, the King shall appoint a prime minister who in his judgement is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the house. The constitution also stipulates that if the prime minister ceases to command the majority, the prime minister shall tender the resignation of the cabinet unless at his request the King dissolves the parliament. Iran to build special hospital for coronavirus patients in 3 days: Official Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 4:26 PM A municipal official in the central Iranian province of Yazd says the province will set up a special hospital in the city of Yazd in a matter of three days for the treatment of confirmed coronavirus patients and containing the deadly virus. Following a decision by the Islamic Council of Yazd, the construction work for the hospital started on Sunday morning, Tasnim news agency quoted Mahmoud Dehqan as saying. He expressed hope that the project would be completed within the next three days, after which equipping the facility would begin. The hospital covers an area of 1,000 square meters and has an emergency ward as well as a warehouse for keeping biohazard management equipment. The municipality of Yazd has undertaken the project. On Sunday, the Iranian Health Ministry updated the death toll from the virus to 54. The number of confirmed infections in the country stands at 978. The ministry's spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said a total of 175 corona patients had already recovered and been discharged from hospitals. 'IRGC will take all measures to contain outbreak' Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that it was ready to take all the necessary measures to contain the novel coronavirus in cooperation with Basij volunteer forces until normalcy returns. In a statement addressed to the Iranian nation, the elite force added that under the current circumstances that the virus has spread across Iran and more than 50 other countries and the world is determined to combat it, the IRGC has made its full capacity and human resources in the health sector available to the responsible organizations since the very first days of the outbreak of COVID-19. It said the IRGC has set up a special headquarters to that end and has so far prepared hospitals and medical centers, begun disinfection operations and supplied the necessary medical equipment. Despite the psychological warfare and media campaign launched by enemies and ill-wishers of the Iranian people with the purpose of undermining Iran's medical capabilities and accusing the country of mismanagement, effective work has been done to control the virus and treat the patients, the IRGC statement pointed out. The coronavirus first emerged in China late last year and is now spreading in Europe, Americas and across the Middle East, sparking fears of a global pandemic. Since December 2019, almost 87,000 people have been infected in several countries, with nearly 2,980 deaths mostly in China. The World Health Organization announced on Friday that the coronavirus outbreak has reached the "highest level" of risk for the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Emmerdale star Lorraine Chase has revealed she's 'lucky to be alive' after a barmaid saved her from choking to death. The actress, 68, told how she had never been 'never been so frightened in all my life' after a piece of rye bread became lodged in her throat as she celebrated a friend's birthday at her local pub. Lorraine credits the efforts of a quick-thinking barmaid, who ran to her rescue and saved her life. Ordeal: Emmerdale star Lorraine Chase has revealed she's 'lucky to be alive' after a barmaid saved her from choking to death Recounting the horrible tale to The Sun, the star, who played Steph Stokes in the ITV soap, revealed her friends were too shocked to help as she choked on a meal of salmon on rye toast. She said her pals, who were not first-aid trained, had wrongly believed that she was having a heart-attack as she struggled to talk and breathe. Lorraine explained that she had not been drinking as she had an early start the next day, but instead decided on the snack, of which she described as 'quite dry'. She explained: 'I was eating a little piece of smoked salmon on rye bread, which was quite dry, and it just went down the wrong way and became stuck in my windpipe. Shock: The actress, 68, told how she had never been 'never been so frightened in all my life' after a piece of rye bread became lodged in her throat as she celebrated a friend's birthday at her local pub (pictured in character on Emmerdale in 2013) 'I've never been so frightened in all my life. I'm lucky to be alive. I was coughing and choking. I couldn't breathe.' The Holby City actress went on to explain that she didn't know how long her ordeal had lasted, but recalled how she found it 'quite funny' that her friends sat there in 'shock' as they didn't know what to do. She continued: 'I've got no idea how long it went on for. All I know is that it went on long enough for my lips to go slightly blue, so it was long enough. I remember my friend Jamie saying, "Lorraine, are you all right?" but I couldn't breathe or talk at all. I was frightened that I was going to choke to death'. As well as Holby City, veteran actress Lorraine has also had parts in medical dramas Doctors and Casualty. Hero: Lorraine credits the efforts of a quick-thinking barmaid, who ran to her rescue and saved her life Horror: 'I've never been so frightened in all my life. I'm lucky to be alive. I was coughing and choking. I couldn't breathe' And her drama was reminiscent of one of her shows as the barmaid rushed over to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre to try and dislodge the bread from her windpipe. When that didn't work, Lorraine told how the girl sat her down and began patting her on her back really hard. Luckily, the method worked and the stuck piece of rye was dislodged from Lorraine's throat, allowing her to breathe again. Following her nightmare, Lorraine has since said that she plans to return to the pub in Camberwell, South London and personally thank the barmaid and give her a present. She also stressed the importance of people having training for such emergencies, adding that it can make the difference 'between life and death.' Lorraine concluded that her near death experience has made her want to 'seize the day' and 'live life to the full', with the actress planning on more travel and volunteering. PHILIPSBURG:--- For the sixth year in a row, K1 Britannia Foundation is once again taking part in the annual SXM DOET event. The foundation will be hosting one large project in collaboration with Milton Peters College (MPC), the largest high school on the Dutch side with over 1000 students. SXM DOET is an initiative that facilitates island-wide volunteering, which encourages altruism and community bonding. This initiative ensures that the community organizations get the help they need while cultivating a sense of fulfillment for the volunteers. On Friday, March 13th and Saturday, March 14th, K1s project which is called Repairing and beautification of bathrooms at Milton Peters College is in need of 10-15 volunteers for both days. The inspiration behind the project is to empower and motivate the students to thrive to be as good as they can be. Over the past years, the bathrooms have not been updated/renovated and the students have been complaining about the state of the restrooms. The reason we choose to work with K1 is that I have worked with K1 in the past, they are professional, take volunteerism and giving back very seriously and I am sure that the job will be done and done well. explained Laticia Brown, MPC Teacher. As a school is like a second home for youth K1 finds it important that they have comfortable and functioning restrooms. Were really excited to be working with MPC for SXM DOET this year! During the two day project, volunteers will be replacing toilet seats, fixing faucets, installing mirrors and most importantly, beautifying all bathrooms by painting positive affirmations on the bathroom doors. elaborated Yasmine Essed, SXM DOET Project Coordinator. K1 Britannia Foundation has a great focus on volunteerism through its local and international volunteer program and strongly believes in SXM DOETs mission to help encourage volunteerism and community service, by showing how fun, creative, and gratifying volunteering can really be. We would like to encourage not only families, friends, colleagues, companies, or alumni to sign up but a special focus on handy and artistic volunteers who can help bring this project to life. explained SXM DOET Project Coordinator Alan Schet. To sign up as a volunteer for SXM DOET, please visit www.sxmdoet.com and search for K1 Britannia, which will direct you to our projects. For more information about the K1 Britannia Foundation or this project, visit www.k1britanniafoundation.org, www.facebook.com/K1SXM, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +1-721-543-3332 or +1-721-554-7383. Kingboard Laminates Holdings Limited (HKG:1888), which is in the electronic business, and is based in Hong Kong, saw significant share price movement during recent months on the SEHK, rising to highs of HK$9.81 and falling to the lows of HK$7.77. 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 Kingboard Laminates Holdings's current trading price of HK$7.77 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Kingboard Laminates Holdingss 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 Kingboard Laminates Holdings What is Kingboard Laminates Holdings worth? 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. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 9.37x is currently trading slightly above its industry peers ratio of 8.87x, which means if you buy Kingboard Laminates Holdings today, youd be paying a relatively sensible price for it. And if you believe Kingboard Laminates Holdings 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. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Kingboard Laminates Holdingss share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility. What kind of growth will Kingboard Laminates Holdings generate? Story continues SEHK:1888 Past and Future Earnings, March 2nd 2020 Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. 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. In the upcoming year, Kingboard Laminates Holdingss earnings are expected to increase by 58%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value. What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in 1888s positive outlook, 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 1888? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio? Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on 1888, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for 1888, 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 Kingboard Laminates Holdings. You can find everything you need to know about Kingboard Laminates Holdings in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Kingboard Laminates Holdings, 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 2 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: High technologies are widely used in Azerbaijan's banking sector and measures to ensure cybersecurity are being taken, President of the Azerbaijan Banks Association (ABA) Zakir Nuriyev said at the second International Cybersecurity Week conference in Baku, Trend reports on Mar. 2. The primary tasks for Azerbaijans banks are reducing the costs of customer services in the banking sector. To ensure cost reduction, special attention should be paid to the development of various strategies and legal basis, with the participation of all interested parties, in particular, private companies and public associations in this sector, the associations president added. Currently, participants of banking sector work to introduce advanced technologies, but given that relevant international conventions are not applied in the country, there are certain problems in this sphere. We believe that in the process of developing new strategies, the legal framework should be clearly taken into account. We expect support from government agencies in addressing this problem, Nuriyev said. The second International Cybersecurity Week organized by the Ministry of Transport, Communication and High Technologies is being held in Baku on March 2. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili LUBBOCK, Texas A Texas man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for abducting a 16-year-old girl and chaining her to a room in an abandoned apartment, where he sexually assaulted her. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that Tyrone Carter, 46, had pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault. He was sentenced during a court hearing Friday. In January 2017, Lubbock police were flagged down by the girl, who had a chain and lock around her neck, according to police documents. The girl told police she had escaped from an abandoned apartment complex where she had been held captive and raped after being abducted while she walked near a middle school. Authorities say they matched Carters DNA to DNA found on the chain wrapped around the girls neck. The girl also identified Carter in a photo lineup. Carter will have to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. He will also have to register as a sex offender. New York state confirmed its first positive coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday night, as the U.S. government said it would start screening travelers for the virus and hike production of protective masks. Cuomo said on Twitter that a woman in her 30s contracted coronavirus during a recent trip to Iran and was in quarantine in her home. He did not say where the woman lived. "The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York," Cuomo said. At the federal level, President Donald Trump's administration scrambled on Sunday to reassure Americans as the disease spreads and businesses cancel conferences and flights.Administration officials tried to calm market fears that the coronavirus could cause a global recession, saying the public had overreacted and that stocks would bounce back because of the underlying strength of the U.S. economy. The first American died from coronavirus, a man in his 50s with underlying conditions in Washington state, officials said on Saturday. They still do not know how he contracted the disease.The state on Sunday confirmed two other cases and locked down a long-term care facility where a resident and a worker also tested positive for coronavirus and 50 residents and staff are showing symptoms. Over 70 cases have been reported in the United States, with most on the West Coast but new cases in the Chicago area and Rhode Island, aside from New York.Stock markets plunged last week, with an index of global stocks setting its largest weekly fall since the 2008 financial crisis, and more than $5 trillion wiped off the value of stocks worldwide. A key energy conference in Houston that brings together oil ministers and energy firms was canceled on Sunday with the organizers of CERAWeek noting that border health checks were becoming more restrictive and companies had begun barring non-essential travel to protect workers.A world economy conference with Pope Francis due to take place in Italy later this month was also canceled. 'WE'RE READY' Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and on arrival, without specifying which countries. Delta Air Lines Inc said on Sunday it was suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday. The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number "radically" in coming weeks, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. Vice President Mike Pence said the government had contracted 3M Co to produce an extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell International Inc is the other major U.S. mask producer. He also told Fox News that clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine would start in six weeks but that a vaccine would likely not be available this season.Democrats, who will challenge Trump for the presidency in the Nov. 3 election, have criticized his administration for downplaying the crisis and not preparing for the disease to spread in the United States. Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases but that the "vast majority" of those who contracted the disease would recover."Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We're ready," Pence told NBC's "Meet the Press." The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea.Trump said on Saturday that the United States was also considering shutting the country's southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus, adding: "We hope we won't have to do that." Mexico has reported four coronavirus cases. Its Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that both governments were in "close and effective communication, especially the health authorities." Also read: Coronavirus outbreak hits supply of parts, say Tata Motors, Mahindra Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Tata Motors, M&M, MG Motor claim china shutdown impacting parts supply PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 04:03:12 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 461 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 PRx Performance, based in Fargo, ND & creator of compact home gym equipment, recently celebrated its 4th Shark Tank anniversary. Its folding squat rack continues to disrupt the fitness industry.FARGO, ND / ACCESSWIRE / March 1, 2020 / PRx Performance, a fitness equipment company based in Fargo, ND that's known for its compact home gym equipment, has recently celebrated the 4th anniversary of its appearance on Shark Tank. February 21st marks four years since the founders of the wall-mounted Profile Folding Squat Rack walked away with an $80,000 investment from shark Kevin O'Leary (Mr. Wonderful).For more information, visit: https://prxperformance.com PRx Performance is now a multi-million dollar company, helping thousands of people fit fitness into life. Their flagship product, the Profile Folding Squat Rack, landed them a coveted spot on season 7 of ABC's Shark Tank.Founders Brian Brasch and Erik Hopperstad relate their experiences leading up to when they were highlighted on Shark Tank. When they arrived in Florida in January of 2015, they had to compete with 700 other entrepreneurs who were also hoping to stand out with their one-minute pitch.To Brasch and Hopperstad's surprise, less than two weeks later, they were called back for the next round and asked to submit an official audition tape. In it, they told the story of where and why PRx Performance was created.The company is headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota where winters are long and extreme. The idea of giving up precious garage space for a gym was unrealistic, so Brasch and Hopperstad set out to create compact home gym equipment that conveniently folds up and out of the way when not in use. Their solution was the Profile Folding Squat Rack.For more information on the Profile Folding Squat Rack, visit: https://prxperformance.com/products/23-profile-kip The wall-mounted squat rack's patented folding technology allows people to easily transform their home, garage, or commercial gym space into a multi-functional gym.When Brasch and Hopperstad entered "The Tank", Kevin O'Leary was coincidentally in the process of getting his own home gym installed. He happened to encounter space limitation issues that PRx Performance set out to resolve, so the duo's pitch naturally piqued his interest. Despite being turned down by four sharks, Brasch and Hopperstad managed to secure a deal with O'Leary for $80,000.While filming was completed in 2015, Brasch and Hopperstad's episode officially premiered on February 21st, 2016. Their appearance on ABC's Shark Tank marks a momentous date in PRx Performance's history as they continue to disrupt the space-saving fitness equipment industry.View the Profile Folding Squat Rack in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=graEXFJravU Contact Info:Name: Rachel RiceEmail: Send EmailOrganization: PRx PerformanceAddress: 2402 8th Ave N, Fargo, North Dakota 58102, United StatesPhone: +1-701-566-0452Website: https://prxperformance.com SOURCE: PRx Performance She's managed to maintain a strong relationship with her daughters following her divorce from Kris Jenner and her gender transition. And on Sunday, Caitlyn Jenner met up with Kendall Jenner for lunch in Malibu. The 70-year-old's outing with the 24-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star came days after she said she wouldn't be talking politics anymore after getting 'very fed up,' according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bonding: Caitlyn Jenner, 70, took the opportunity for some family bonding on Sunday as she stepped out in Malibu for lunch with her daughter Kendall Jenner, 24 Caitlyn looked classy in a fuzzy white sweater and dark jeans, which she covered up with a white down jacket and carried along a black leather handbag. Kendall was also trying to stay warm, though she rocked an edgier ensemble featuring an olive green sweater with yellow beaded elbow pads. The 5ft10in beauty wore her raven tresses down in gentle waves, and she completed her look with black slacks and a pair of comfortable black shoes. Bundled up: Caitlyn looked classy in a fuzzy white sweater and dark jeans, which she covered up with a white down jacket and carried along a black leather handbag Chic: Kendall was also trying to stay warm, though she rocked an edgier ensemble featuring an olive green sweater with yellow beaded elbow pads Caitlyn's outing came shortly after she was quoted in The Hollywood Reporter about her disillusionment with politics. The longtime Republican has reversed her position on President Donald Trump, whom she previously supported in the 2016 election and said she voted for. But in a Washington Post op-ed from October 2018, Caitlyn pulled back her support. Though she initially hoped the Republican president would help make the party more inclusive toward LGBTQ people, Trump moved to effectively ban transgender people from serving in the military. Shortly before her op-ed was published, the administration also began considering plans to change the definition of gender to something biological and immutable, essentially defining away transgender people. Giving it up: Caitlyn's outing came shortly after she was quoted in The Hollywood Reporter about her disillusionment with politics; pictured February 5 with Sophia Hutchins Stepping back: 'I don't talk politics anymore,' she said. 'I tried the first couple of years [after my transition]. I went back to Washington to make some changes and, to be honest, I just got fed up. I don't even want to get involved anymore'; pictured February 4 Speaking at the Monte Carlo Television Festival in West Hollywood on February 5, Caitlyn said she didn't 'even want to get involved anymore' when it came to publicly discussing politics. After she was asked who she'll be supporting in the 2020 presidential election, the former decathlete balked. 'I don't talk politics anymore,' she replied. 'I tried the first couple of years [after my transition]. I went back to Washington to make some changes and, to be honest, I just got fed up. I don't even want to get involved anymore.' Though she was once outspoken about her politics, Caitlyn has kept mostly quiet on the subject since her op-ed. Her current motto seems to reflect her desire to stay out of it: 'Don't worry about me, worry about you.' Though she's trying to stay out of the public sphere, Caitlyn got some happy family news earlier this month when her son Brandon Jenner welcomed twin boys with his new wife Cayley Stoker. Happy moment: Though she's trying to stay out of the public sphere, Caitlyn got some happy family news earlier this month when her son Brandon Jenner welcomed twin boys with his new wife Cayley Stoker; shown in 2016 The day before meeting up with Caitlyn, Kendall enjoyed a day out with her bff Hailey Bieber. The enjoyed breakfast together at Croft in West Hollywood, before making a stop together at the leather goods store Goyard. It was the day before Hailey's husband Justin Bieber's 26th birthday, so it's possible the two might have been searching for a special present ahead of the big day. KASTANIES, Greece A child died when a boat full of migrants heading to a Greek island capsized Monday, part of a wave of thousands trying to push through Greeces land and sea borders. The childs death was the first since neighboring Turkey announced Thursday it was easing restrictions on those wishing to cross to Europe, and thousands of migrants began massing at the frontiers with Greece. Greek authorities said they had stopped more than 24,000 attempted illegal crossings at the land border with Turkey since early Saturday, and arrested 183 people very few of whom were Syrians. Turkeys announcement marked a dramatic departure from its previous policy of containing refugees and other migrants under an agreement with the European Union. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, has demanded more support from Europe in dealing with the fallout from the Syrian war to its south. As European countries rushed to back Greece, Erdogan said Monday that Western leaders were calling him and urging him to reverse the border opening. Its done, the gates are open now. You will have your share of this burden now, he said he told them. Soon the number of people going to the border will be expressed in millions, he said. Greece, which has made clear its borders will remain closed, says it is faced with an organized Turkish campaign to push people through. The two uneasy NATO allies are historic regional rivals who have come close to war three times in the past half-century, and even before the migration crisis relations were tense over undersea exploitation rights. Greek Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said Greece faced an organized invasion from a foreign country. Turkey is making use of innocent people in its efforts to destabilize Greece and Europe, he told state ERT TV. The government has sent army and police reinforcements to its borders and suspended asylum applications for a month. It says it will return those entering the country illegally without registering them. On Monday, Greek border guards prevented 4,354 people who attempted to cross the land border with Turkey, either by cutting or climbing the fence or crossing the Evros River running along the frontier, authorities said At one site, Greek police fired tear gas at migrants throwing stones as they tried to push through, while nearby other migrants held white flags, shouting peace, peace, and asking to be let in. In the 24 hours until Monday morning, 977 people crossing on boats reached Greek islands near the Turkish coast, the coast guard said. One dinghy carrying 48 migrants heading to the island of Lesbos was accompanied by a Turkish patrol vessel while in Turkish waters. The migrants deliberately overturned their boat once in Greek waters, the Greek coast guard said. The coast guard said they rescued the migrants, but one boy, aged around 6 or 7 and believed to be from Syria, was unconscious and efforts to revive him failed. On the Turkish side, an official said its coast guard saved people when their boat was targeted by the Greek coast guard. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record, said the Greek coast guard performed maneuvers aimed at sinking the boat as well as firing warning shots and hitting those on board with boat hooks. There was no immediate reaction from the Greek side. Under a 2016 deal, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for more than 6 billion euros in financial aid after more than a million people entered Europe in 2015. Ankara has since accused the EU of failing to honor the agreement. Erdogan has frequently threatened to open the gates unless more international support is provided. Turkey eased its border restrictions amid a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive into Syrias northwestern Idlib province, which has killed dozens of Turkish troops and sent nearly a million additional Syrian civilians fleeing toward Turkeys sealed border. With heavy clashes continuing there Monday, Erdogan said he is hoping to secure a cease-fire during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow set for Thursday. Margaritis Schinas, the EU commissioner for migration, told reporters in Berlin on Monday that nobody can blackmail and intimidate the European Union, Germanys dpa news agency reported. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it is understandable that Erdogan feels overwhelmed by the number of refugees at the Syrian border, and that Russia needs to be pressed on a cease-fire. I understand that the Turkish government and President Erdogan expect more from Europe, Merkel said. But it is fully unacceptable that that is now being put on the backs of refugees. German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel offered to hold a four-way meeting with Erdogan, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the crisis in Syria. Seibert said upholding the EU-Turkey deal was in both sides interests, saying more than 3 billion euros has been released to Turkey so far, along with bilateral funds. The prime minister of Bulgaria, which also shares a land border with Turkey, was heading for talks with Erdogan in Ankara later Monday. Boyko Borissov told reporters they will discuss the migrant issue and measures for de-escalating tensions in Syria. European countries moved to show support for Greece amid the border surge. The EUs border protection agency Frontex said it was rushing extra border guards to the area, at Athens request. Top EU officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, were to join Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on a visit to the land border Tuesday. Mitsotakis office said he discussed the situation with U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call Monday. The challenge that Greece is facing right now is a European challenge, von der Leyen said. Apparently to dissuade migrants from approaching, the Greek army announced a 24-hour live-fire exercise for Monday along the land border and on a long arc of Aegean Sea islands. Greek authorities have also accused Turkish border guards of firing tear gas over the border to prevent its guards from stopping migrants. Greek authorities said they arrested 42 migrants who made it into Greece on Monday, most of them from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Morocco. Therose Ngonda, a 40-year-old from Cameroon, made it into Greece by wading across the river. Speaking in the morning, her feet still wet, she said she had been told migrants had 72 hours from Friday to leave Turkey. She got on one of dozens of buses and minibuses ferrying people from Istanbul to the border, among about 2,000 people, including Syrians and families with young children. Ngonda said she was put into the river on the Turkish side of the border. They told me go that way. On Greeces Lesbos island, local anger boiled over, with some residents preventing people, including young children and babies, from disembarking from a dinghy in a small harbor. Elsewhere on the island, they prevented buses from taking new arrivals to Lesbos massively overcrowded migrant camp of Moria. The new arrivals spent the night on the beach. Human rights organizations deplored the border situation, which Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic described as an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Urgent action is now needed to prevent the situation from getting even worse, Mijatovic said. The U.N. refugee agency appealed for calm at the Greek-Turkish border. But it said that while the situation there is of concern, the humanitarian disaster unfolding in northwest Syria and massive humanitarian needs in Idlib for some 950,000 internally displaced people continues to require urgent action. ___ Becatoros reported from Athens. Associated Press writer Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria, Andrew Wilks in Ankara, Turkey, Nicholas Paphitis in Athens, Greece, Vaggelis Papadonis in Lesbos, Greece, Frank Jordans and David Rising in Berlin and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed to this report. Suidooster Teasers for April 2020 are just in time for soapie lovers. This Telemundo drama series is a family favourite, and almost every household here in South Africa follows the action. Find out if Justin will manage to please his father or if Michelle will find a way to get out of the tricky situation. Image: twitter.com, @officialtvsa Source: UGC What is happening to Bridgette? Will the truth prevail as Nazeem believes? Find out from the Suidooster Teasers below! What should you expect from Suidooster in April 2020 episodes? See how actions will unfold in your favourite telenovela drama series during the month by reading the teasers below. Will Justin manage to please his father? Justin tries hard to win his fathers heart. April 1st, 2020, Wednesday (Episode 986) Nazeem wants to continue living in Ruiterbosch for other reasons, although he manages to convince AB that the family is the reason he wants to stay. Zoe has a surprise for Tim. The Gerbers are not on good terms with Quinton. April 2nd, 2020, Thursday (Episode 987) The Gerbers want to meet the new friend that Quinton has. Justin is working hard to ensure his father is thrilled. Nazeem throws Bridgette a curveball. April 3rd, 2020, Friday (Episode 988) There is so much tension between Bridgette and Nazeem. Quinton does not know that there is a trap being set specifically for him. Justin has the last chance at his career in music. Will the truth prevail? Nazeem has faith that the truth will come out even as he refuses to back down. April 6th, 2020, Monday (Episode 989) The Gerbers are concerned that Quinton is being spoiled by Kate. Justin continues to look for ways to please his father. Nazeem has faith that the truth will eventually win. April 7th, 2020, Tuesday (Episode 990) Kaashifa goes to see Sylvia the pet. Danni receives confirmation regarding Erika. Nazeem is distressed and decides to go against the law. April 8th, 2020, Wednesday (Episode 991) Nazeem is not ready to give in even as the Samsodiens do damage control. A compassionate stranger approaches Quinton. Siya is stubborn and does not want to stop what she is doing. April 9th, 2020, Thursday (Episode 992) Will Quinton agree to meet Chad in secret? Willem intimidates Bianca. Mymoena is surprised at the way AB treats Nazeem. April 10th, 2020, Friday (Episode 993) The Gerbers cannot take in Kates interference anymore. Bridgette feels guilty. Justin finds out something that leaves him with many questions. Image: facebook.com, @suidooster (modified by the author) Source: UGC How will Michelle and Quinton get out of their tricky situation? Quinton and Michelle are in a tricky situation, and they try to find ways to get themselves out. April 13th, 2020, Monday (Episode 994) Two Ruiterbosch residents find themselves in a precarious state. Justin challenges his father. Kaashifa is asked by Junaid to go to a reptile farm. April 14th, 2020, Tuesday (Episode 995) Willem gives Justin an ultimatum. Bridgette is pricked by her conscience concerning how she treated the Samsodiens. Stefan is panicky and worried about Quinton and Michelle. April 15th, 2020, Wednesday (Episode 996) The Samsodiens hope that they will get back to good terms with Nazeem. Willem is determined to criticize Siya. Michelle tries to find ways to handle the situation. April 16th, 2020, Thursday (Episode 997) Justin gives Siya a different viewpoint. The past comes back to torment Bridgette. Quinton needs to decide, but he acts in an astonishing manner. April 17th, 2020, Friday (Episode 998) Lee-Ann fulfils her promise, and Stefan is hopeful again. Michelle has a plan on how to evade the tricky situation they are in. Justin is finally sure about his future as he comes up with a decision. READ ALSO: Generations: The Legacy Teasers: April 2020 What is happening to Bridgette? Bridgette receives a parcel that rocks her world, but the people in Suidooster Eindomme are worried about her. Find out why! April 20th, 2020, Monday (Episode 999) Kate and Stefan get into a dispute again. The Jacob family tries to bring things back to normal after the Nazeem fiasco. April 21st, 2020, Tuesday (Episode 1000) Michelle deliberates on adopting drastic measures. Hope is diminishing for Stefan and her parents. Willem works to make his relationship with Justin stronger. Bridgette gets a package that means a lot to her. April 22nd, 2020, Wednesday (Episode 1001) People in Suidooster Eindomme are concerned about Bridgette. Justin finds out his father has a secret. Mymoena increases Kaashifas romantic prospects. April 23rd, 2020, Thursday (Episode 1002) Justin is disturbed by Erikas expose. Tim is curious about what Nazeem is planning to do. Junaid finds a place where his snake will live. Albertus is hopeful that Kate will accompany him back to Pretoria. April 24th, 2020, Friday (Episode 1003) Erika does not want Justin and his friends to intervene. Kaashifa gets an uncertain problem. Bridgette gets back to who she was in the beginning. READ ALSO: Isibaya Teasers: March 2020 What does the Gerbers decide to do? The Gerbers are at crossroads, but they finally come up with a life-changing decision. April 27th, 2020, Monday (Episode 1004) Bridgette gets more and more unstable. Mymoena has a firm decision. Justin comes up with a radical change in his life. The Gerbers need to make an important decision. April 28th, 2020, Tuesday (Episode 1005) Justin receives a message from his father. Kaashifa has to feed Sylvia. The Gerbers come to a critical decision. Mrs. J cannot confront Mymoena. April 29th, 2020, Wednesday (Episode 1006) The Gerbers let everybody know their plans. Mymoena tries to get Mrs. Js attention, but Nazeem comes to spoil everything. Bridgette continues to struggle with her issues. April 30th, 2020, Thursday (Episode 1007) The significant decision about to be taken by the Gerbers makes Kate anxious. Bridgette is suspicious that the ghost of Jerome is trying to connect with her. Mymoena finds the chance to befriend Mrs. J again. Image: facebook.com, @suidooster Source: UGC What happens to your favorite characters in April 2020 episodes of Suidooster? Several events unfold during the month. The following will happen to your favourite characters. Justin He tries to win his fathers heart. He later finds out that his father is hiding something from him. He then decides to make drastic changes in his life. The Gerbers They feel that Kate is spoiling Quinton. They reach a point where they have to come up with a life-changing decision. READ ALSO: Arendsvlei Teasers: March 2020 Suidooster Teasers for April 2020 above show you what will happen to various characters during the month. You can watch the Telemundo on kykNET and kykNET & Kie on weekdays at 6:30 p.m. You have no reason to miss the action! READ ALSO: Imbewu: The Seed Teasers: March 2020 7de Laan Teasers: March 2020 Uzalo Teasers: March 2020 Source: Briefly News [March 02, 2020] Generex Biotechnology Appoints Independent Director S. Gail Eckhardt, MD to the NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology Board of Directors -Chair of the Department of Oncology at The University of Texas at Austins Dell Medical School -Director of the Livestrong Cancer Institutes MIRAMAR, Fla., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generex Biotechnology Corporation ( www.generex.com ) (OTCQB:GNBT) ( http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GNBT/quote ) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. S. Gail Eckhardt, MD to the NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology (NGIO) Board of Directors. Dr. Eckhardt is a tenured professor at The University of Texas at Austins Dell Medical School where she is also the inaugural director of the Livestrong Cancer Institutes, chair of the Department of Oncology, and associate dean of cancer programs. She has been a faculty member at the institution since January of 2017. Prior to joining UT Austin, Eckhardt was at the University of Colorado School of Medicine where she was division head of medical oncology from 2006-2014, associate director for translational research at the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the Phase I Program and Fellowship. Dr. Eckhardt has served on numerous committees/study sections, including the ASCO Molecular Oncology Task Force, the ASCO Board of Directors, the FDA Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee and the NCI Cancer Centers Study Section. She is a member of the NCI Investigational Drug Steering Committee, serves on 10 External Advisory Boards of NCI designated Cancer Centers, is currently on the Board of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) and was a lead mentor in ASCOs Leadership Development Program. Dr. Eckhardt is the Principal Investigator on grants involving early clinical trials and colorectal cancer research, has conducted numerous phase I and II cinical trials and has published over 200 manuscripts. She is a Research Scholar of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Dr. Eckhardts expertise is in the preclinical and early clinical development of novel agents and she has over 25 years of drug development experience. Dr. Eckhardt earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Stephen F. Austin State University and her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. She conducted her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia Medical School in Charlottesville, VA followed by a post-doctoral research fellowship in experimental and molecular medicine at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA and a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Eckhardt commented on her appointment to the NGIO Board, I am thrilled to be a member of the NGIO Board of Directors and work with a highly experienced team and an innovative technology platform to bring novel and effective treatments to cancer patients. Dr. Eckhardt is a fabulous addition to the NGIO Board of Directors, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise in cancer therapy to help guide the strategic direction of the company, said Joseph Moscato, President & CEO of Generex Biotechnology. Her standing in the oncology community is unparalleled as evidenced by her appointments at UT Dell Medical School and her selection as the inaugural Director of the Livestrong Cancer Institutes, as well as her leadership positions with the NCI and ASCO. We welcome Dr. Eckhardt and look forward to working with her on our NGIO Board of Directors. About Generex Biotechnology Corp. Generex Biotechnology is an integrated healthcare holding company with end-to-end solutions for patient centric care from rapid diagnosis through delivery of personalized therapies. Generex is building a new kind of healthcare company that extends beyond traditional models providing support to physicians in an MSO network, and ongoing relationships with patients to improve the patient experience and access to optimal care. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release and oral statements made from time to time by Generex representatives in respect of the same subject matter may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by introductory words such as "expects," "plan," "believes," "will," "achieve," "anticipate," "would," "should," "subject to" or words of similar meaning, and by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements frequently are used in discussing potential product applications, potential collaborations, product development activities, clinical studies, regulatory submissions and approvals, and similar operating matters. Many factors may cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements, including inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of risks and uncertainties, some of which are known and others of which are not. Known risks and uncertainties include those identified from time to time in the reports filed by Generex with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which should be considered together with any forward-looking statement. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results or events, and one should avoid placing undue reliance on such statements. Generex undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Generex claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements that is contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Generex Contact: Generex Biotechnology Corporation Joseph Moscato 646-599-6222 Todd Falls 1-800-391-6755 Extension 222 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] File image: Goa CM Pramod Sawant Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the mining activity is expected to resume in the state from next month. In an interview to Rajya Sabha television channel which was telecast on Sunday, Sawant said his government is hopeful that the Supreme court will provide relief during the hearing on mining case in April, after which the extraction of iron ore would restart in the state. "We are hoping that the legal extraction of ore will start from April onwards," he said. The mining industry in the coastal state came to a standstill after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases in February 2018. Sawant said attempts were being made to restart the mining operations while following the legal procedure. "We already received a relief when the Supreme Court allowed the 'royalty paid' iron ore, which is piled up at different places, to be exported from the state," he said. Once the apex court allows extraction of iron ore, the Goa government's vision will be to have "sustainable mining" in the state, he said. The chief minister further said the infrastructure development projects currently underway in the state, including the Greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa and the National Highway project, would be completed by 2022. Hailing the state budget which he presented in the Goa Assembly on February 6, Sawant said even the opposition parties were left with no issue to criticise the financial statement (budget). "The focus of my budget was the common man. We targeted revenue collection without pinching the common man. There was no increase in tax on the public," he said. While doing so, the budget continued with the social welfare schemes already existing in the state, he pointed out. "Despite all this, we have presented a revenue surplus budget," the chief minister said. He admitted that the "biggest challenge before him was to generate revenue for the state". [March 02, 2020] INVESTIGATION ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against VMware, Inc. and Encourages Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of VMware, Inc. ("VMware" or "the Company") (NYSE: VMW) for violations of the securities laws. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. VMware announced on February 27, 2020, that the SEC (News - Alert) had opened an investigation of its backlog of orders. According to the Company, the SEC requested documnts and information related to its backlog and accounting in December 2019. The backlog is vital for investors to predict future revenues. Based on this news, shares of VMware fell by about 16% in heavy trading. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected]. The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005884/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Simon Harris are to seek Cabinet approval on Tuesday to establish a special committee to examine the full impact of the Coronavirus on the economy and society. The Irish Examiner has learned that the Taoiseach will chair the new sub-committee. "The Taoiseach and the Minister will now establish a special Cabinet committee to assess the impacts of Covid-19 and oversee the cross Government response. This will be chaired by the Taoiseach, a spokeswoman for Mr Harris said. Mr Harris will also confirm the establishment of a stakeholder event to brief trade unions, employer organisatons, voluntary leaders and a variety of sectors. Mr Harris said he would not be surprised if more confirmed cases of the Coronavirus emerge here in Ireland. He said that the HSE will be given all and any resource needed from Government to deal adequately with the crisis, which has seen one confirmed case here emerge. A teenager remains under treatment in a Dublin hospital and his school, Scoil Chatriona in Glasnevin will be closed for 14 days as a result of the diagnosis. Mr Harris, speaking on RTE's Six One News said: We won't be surprised if we see more cases and we've been preparing for that for a number of weeks. He stressed that despite concerns being expressed about the capacity of the health services to cope with a more widespread outbreak, he said resources will be made available. Any extra allocation that is required will be made available by government. The Taoiseach is very clear on that. So too is the Minister for Finance," Mr Harris said. It is important to say that when you got to the stage where there were many, many cases in our country, and that's not the stage now, you'd move from what's called the containment stage to the mitigation stage. Mr Harris said it is important for people to know that so far we have not had any community transmission in this country. So we've had one imported case where somebody came back from abroad, and we haven't seen community transmission. So we're still in the containment phase, he said. He also said the Opposition are being constantly informed as to developments. Absolutely. I mean, there's huge and I must also point out because we're in an interregnum period where there's obviously government formation talks going on, we're keeping the opposition very well briefed, and I want to thank and acknowledge and the cross party support that everyone's providing this is a real public health issue that we all need to work together on, the minister said. According to the announcement of President Donald Trump on Saturday he stated that there are possible conditions in shutting down the Mexican border and that is now being considered by the United States in order to control the spreading of the novel coronavirus. There are also new limits on the travelers who have visited the country of Iran and are now recommending against travel areas that are hit by coronavirus such as Italy and South Korea. The Mexican government released an announcement on Friday that they had detected three cases of the novel coronavirus from three men who had all recently gone to Italy, this makes the country the second in Latin America to have a rapid spreading of the virus. A white house press also asked President Trump if he was considering closing the US-Mexico border and the president said that his administration is now thinking about closing the southern border. Later in the press briefing, President Trump also added that he might consider all of the borders closed but they are still considering the borders and it is not a border problem. He also said they hope that they won't have to close the borders. The Mexican prime minister also released a statement that there are still no notifications from the US administration that the borders are going to be closed. He said that they have not gotten any proposals regarding the possible restrictions in legally entering the US from Mexico. He also added that the United States and Mexican government are keeping close and effective communication, especially health care authorities. United States Vice President Mike Pence, who was in-charge of the US response to the coronavirus outbreak that was appointed by President Trump said that their administration will ban non-US citizens who had visited Iran within their last 14 days of travel and are traveling from other countries. An Iranian official also released a report that there are already 43 deaths in Iran due to the novel coronavirus. The United States administration also banned the entry of citizens of Iran and is also imposed on several major Muslim countries to protect and avoid terrorism attacks. The State Department of the United States raised the "Level 4: Do Not Travel" for the regions that were hit by the virus in South Korea and in Italy. President Trump's administration also added that they are considering adding South Korea to the restrictions that had been already imposed on the travellers from China for more than a week. Vice President Mike Pence also added that the administration will work with the countries South Korea and Italy to coordinate a medical screening for every individual in their countries that are coming to the United States. The Washington state officials also released a report that the first death of coronavirus in the United States happened on Saturday. Chip Roy of Texas led a group of 11 Republicans to send a letter on Friday to top the US administration about details containing to plan out the coronavirus at the border with the Mexican government. The lawmakers said that given the open nature of the borders and the continued lacking operational support due to the influence of the dangerous gangs, it is very much possible and it has a major chance that any outbreak in Central America or Mexico could rush to the border. Also three republicans led by Senator Martha McSally of Arizona also sent a similar message on Friday to the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The possible restrictions on Italy coming in the country could complicate the agreement between United States and Europe's Schengen Agreement that allows travellers and goods to cross without checking according to the DHS officials. The US airlines also stopped this week's operation in their flight schedules to South Korea. The discussions over closing the borders are still in the preliminary phase but the DHS now considers the increased medical screening of people coming from certain countries based on the medical capacity and number of travellers coming in the United States. The officials also added that the issues within closing the borders are something that they are exploring and now are worried because Mexico are having their first cases of the virus. The reigning Miss Staten Island 2020 was disallowed to participate in the communitys St. Patricks Day parade over the weekend after she came out as bisexual. Madison LInsalata, 23, chose to open up publicly about her sexuality ahead of the event out of solidarity for the New York City boroughs Pride Center, which hasnt been authorized to take part in the parade. It would have felt disingenuous. I felt that it was necessary for me to come out and say that I was bi publicly because I wanted it to be clear that Im part of this community, she told the Advance. It would have made me sick to my stomach if I would have sat back and done nothing on that day knowing that the Pride Center wasnt allowed to walk. After revealing her sexuality, LInsalata said she was told she couldnt join the parades procession either. Jim Smith, director of Miss Staten Island Scholarship Pageants, told WLNY that parade organizer Larry Cummings said the ban was because he was worried about her safety. Its really hurtful. Nobody likes to feel rejected from their community, LInsalata told the outlet. Larry Cummings could not immediately be reached by PEOPLE for comment. Last month, Cummings told the Advance that the parade is a non-sexual identification event. The fact of the matter is thats what it is, okay? And thats that, he said. RELATED: Northern Ireland Celebrates First Same-Sex Marriage: Our Love Is Just the Same Madison L'Insalata | Madison L'Insalata/Instagram Despite not be able to join in the marches, LInsalata still proudly attended the parade. Keeping my head high Change is coming! I am proud to be a member of the LGBTQ community, she captioned a photo on Instagram, showing herself at the parade with a rainbow scarf around her neck, a crown on her head and a smile on her face. I am proud to be Miss Staten Island, to have grown up on Staten Island, and to partake in this Staten Island tradition year after year. Story continues LInsalata continued: There is so much room for growth, but with all the love and support I have received today, I know change is coming. Speaking to the Washington Post, LInsalata said her goal was to raise awareness and hopefully inspire change in the communitys inclusion and representation in public forums. I just realized that even if I wasnt going to be allowed to march, I could still make a difference, and I think that I still sparked conversation, she said. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLEs free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories Staten Island St. Patrick's Day Parade | Dennis Rees/Splash RELATED: Miss USA to Feature First Openly Bisexual Contestant: The Biggest Dream of My Life LInsalata, who works as a musical theatre teacher, told the Advance shes gotten used to backlash and disapproval in her conservative home community. I hate that thats the truth, she said. Its hurtful. It really is unfortunate that were the last borough to not include the Pride Center despite having a pope that talks about being inclusive to all different types of people, including those that are a part of the LGBTQ community. LInsalata added that she was relieved when she got positive feedback from community members following her coming out. Ive received some texts from parents of my students, which is really nice, she told the outlet. I was definitely a bit worried at first about, just knowing that Staten Island tends to be a little more on the conservative side. Not to say that I think anyone I work closely with would think that way, but it was something that went through my head. So it was really nice to hear from parents who were supportive. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Washington, D.C., March 2, 2020 Pakistani authorities should grant government advertising to outlets without regard for their editorial stances, and should lift the suspension of advertising in the Dawn and Jang media groups, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since January, the countrys federal government and the provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have suspended the normal practice of placing advertisements with the two independent media groups, according a report by Dawn and a statement from the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, a private organization representing publishers. The Dawn Media Group publishes Dawn, Pakistans most prominent English-language newspaper, and owns the Urdu-language Dawn News TV Channel. Jang Media Group owns Pakistans largest TV news channel, the Urdu-language GEO News, and several prominent newspapers, include the Urdu Daily Jang and the English The News International. The Pakistani governments selective ban on placing advertisements with Dawn and Jang, two prominent and independent news organizations, amounts to a crude form of retaliation, said Steven Butler, CPJs Asia program coordinator. Using government advertising as a cudgel to punish and reward news outlets based on their editorial stance in this way is incompatible with Pakistans constitutional guarantee of press freedom and must come to an end immediately. In a speech on February 15, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan singled out the Dawn and Jang media groups, and accused them of publishing false stories that allegedly misrepresented his statements and his recent trip to China, according to news reports. The Dawn Media Group, which also does business as Pakistan Herald Publications Limited, filed a petition in the Sindh High Court on February 27 challenging the ban and describing it as punishment for its publications reporting and editorial stances, according to the Dawn report. The All Pakistan Newspapers Society statement said the ban represented the use advertisements as a lever to influence the editorial policy of newspapersaimed at silencing any dissenting voice in the press. CPJ emailed the Pakistani Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications for comment, but did not immediately receive a reply. CPJ has documented repeated attacks and restrictions on the two news groups, including in a September 2018 special report on Pakistan, Acts of Intimidation: In Pakistan, journalists fear and censorship grow even as fatal violence declines. In November 2019, CPJ awarded Dawn editor Zaffar Abbas the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award for extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom. Financial Services Commission Chairman Eun Sung-soo, left, and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Yoon Suk-heun wait for Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki to come to a meeting at the Korea Federation of Banks headquarters in Seoul in this Feb. 14 file photo. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Park Jae-hyuk The Financial Services Commission (FSC) has clashed with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) again over their stance on market regulations. The FSC clearly indicated Monday that it is skeptical of FSS Governor Yoon Suk-heun's proposal to adopt "Hong Kong-style" short selling rules. Short selling refers to the sale of borrowed shares in the hopes of making a profit from a price fall by buying the shares back at the lower price. When the stock market tumbles, foreign and institutional investors with access to this method have made profits, while retail investors have lost money. As the financial market has become more volatile since the coronavirus outbreak, a growing number of retail investors are calling for the government to impose a temporary ban on short selling. Against this backdrop, the idea Yoon suggested at the National Assembly audit in October last year has drawn public attention. "We may ban a certain part of the short selling market as Hong Kong did," he said at that time. "Small-caps are what matters, so I think we may consider forbidding short selling of such stocks." Since then, the FSS has discussed this idea with the FSC. The FSS is a public agency that inspects and supervises financial services firms under the supervision of the FSC, a government regulatory authority. In Hong Kong, stocks are only eligible to be sold short if their daily turnover exceeds 60 percent of the company's market capitalization, which must also exceed 3 billion Hong Kong dollars ($385 million). If similar regulations are imposed on the Seoul bourse, short selling will be only eligible for large-caps whose market cap is over 470 billion won. This may protect retail investors, most of whom hold small- and mid-cap shares. The FSC, however, opposes regulating short selling, saying this would go against "global standards." "Our basic stance is that regulations should be imposed very carefully," said Sohn Young-chae, head of the FSC's capital markets division. "Hong Kong has limitedly short selling, since it once imposed a complete ban on the trading method. It is difficult in Korea to reach a consensus on limited permission on short selling after a complete ban, and this is the same globally." The FSC official's remarks are in contrast to the wishes of small investors here. The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice said in a statement Friday that Korea's short selling rules were unfair, as they were designed in favor of foreign and institutional investors, since their enactment. The Korea Stockholders Alliance comprised of 3,000 retail investors also urged the financial authorities to temporarily prohibit short selling and carry out transparent and fair regulation of the investment method. Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said the government should consider forbidding the method, if it truly wants to minimize the impact of the virus on the economy. According to the Korea Exchange, the volume of short selling on the KOSPI and Kosdaq markets in February stood at a combined daily average of 664.6 billion won, up from 340 billion won in December. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and plans to endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice presidents White House bid. She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally Monday night, according to her campaign. Klobuchar was the third presidential candidate to drop out of the race in less than 49 hours, following Pete Buttigiegs departure late Sunday and Tom Steyers exit late Saturday. Their decisions reflect an urgent push among moderates to consolidate behind Biden as a counter to progressive rival Bernie Sanders. Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire. But she couldnt turn that into success elsewhere, as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in the next contests. The three-term senator had one of this cycles more memorable campaign launches, standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm last February to tout her grit and Midwestern sensibilities. Klobuchar argued that her record of getting things done in Washington and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency. She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates. But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April, starting as a front-runner and remaining there. Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely unknown mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top contender on a mix of intelligence, strong oratory and youthful optimism. Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday, saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination. He has not endorsed anyone. Klobuchar entered the race with low name recognition compared with many of her rivals, a disadvantage she was still citing a year into her campaign. Outside Minnesota, the lawyer and former prosecutor was best known for her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow teenager when both were in high school, if he ever had so much to drink that he didnt remember what happened. Kavanaugh retorted, Have you? Klobuchar continued, unruffled, and Kavanaugh later apologized to the senator, whose father is recovering from alcoholism. Even before she got into the race, Klobuchar was hit with news stories claiming she mistreated her Senate staff, and she had a higher-than-usual turnover rate in her office. Klobuchar said she is a tough boss but countered that she has several longtime employees, including the manager of her presidential campaign. She also face questions over her prosecutor past. In January, The Associated Press published a story about Klobuchars office in Minneapolis having prosecuted the case of a black teenager accused of the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl. Klobuchar has cited the story to show her toughness on crime. But an AP/APM Reports investigation uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, raising questions about whether Myon Burrell was railroaded by police. The issue followed Klobuchar on the campaign trail, with protesters forcing her to cancel a rally in suburban Minneapolis days before Super Tuesday. Klobuchar campaigned on her productivity in Washington, where she led more than 100 bills that were signed into law. And she criticized the more liberal candidates in the field, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, for running on promises she said they couldnt keep. Rather than advocate for Medicare for All, for example, Klobuchar favored expanding the Affordable Care Act and working to reduce prescription drug costs changes she said had a chance of passing and would make a significant impact. She supported making community colleges free but said she wouldnt promise to do the same for four-year colleges and universities because the U.S. cannot afford it. Ive got to tell the truth, she said during a CNN town hall at a college campus, where she acknowledged her position may be unpopular with younger voters. Klobuchar was one of the first candidates to outline a plan for addressing addiction and mental health, an issue she described as personal because of her fathers longtime struggle. Her accounts of growing up with a father suffering from alcoholism and watching him be forced to choose between prison or treatment were some of the most compelling moments of speeches, interviews and discussions with voters. Klobuchar said that her father described getting help as being pursued by grace and that its an opportunity all people fighting addiction deserve. But Klobuchar couldnt match her top competitors in fundraising. She raised about $11 million in the last quarter of 2019 roughly half of what Sanders and Buttigieg received. The lack of finances early on in the campaign meant Klobuchar wasnt able to expand her operation on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire until months after her rivals. She then scrambled to put an operation in place in Nevada, South Carolina and the 14 states that will vote on Super Tuesday. Still, there were bright spots, including strong debate performances that helped bring in new donors. Her campaign credited Klobuchars showing in a debate days before the New Hampshire primary with helping her clinch a better-than-expected third place in the states primary, topping Warren and Biden. Klobuchar said she raised $12 million in the next week. During one debate she addressed sexism in the campaign, questioning whether a woman with Buttigiegs experience would qualify for the stage. She also pushed back at fears of a female candidacy, saying, If you think a woman cant beat Donald Trump, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi does it every day. In January, she earned endorsements from The New York Times, which also endorsed Warren, and the Quad-City Times, one of Iowas largest newspapers. But Klobuchar was sidelined for much of the last few weeks before the Iowa caucuses when she along with fellow candidates Warren, Sanders and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado was stuck in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial. She continued to rack up endorsements even as her campaign struggled, getting the backing of newspapers including the Houston Chronicle, The Seattle Times and the New Hampshire Union Leader. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. [March 02, 2020] BioCorRx Announces Senior Management Promotions Lourdes Felix Promoted to President Tom Welch Promoted to Executive Vice President ANAHEIM, CA, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- BioCorRx Inc. (OTCQB: BICX) (the Company), a developer and provider of advanced solutions in the treatment of substance use and related disorders to help save lives and improve health, today announced the promotions of Lourdes Felix to President and Tom Welch to Executive Vice President, effective immediately. Ms. Felix will retain her role as Chief Financial Officer and member of the board of directors. Previously, Mr. Welch served as Vice President of Operations. Brady Granier, CEO, and Director of BioCorRx, Inc., stated, We are pleased to recognize Lourdes and Tom's leadership and vital contributions to our organization as we position BioCorRx for future success. We anticipate many catalysts coming up and these key leadership changes were made to accommodate the next phase of BioCorRxs growth. We recently announced that we were awarded $2.8 million, the second tranche of a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grant for the development of BICX102, a sustained release naltrexone implant for the treatment of opioid use disorder. This grant is expected to substantially cover our financial costs towards FDA approval of BICX102 as we go through the development and regulatory process. Lourdes has been a key player in defining and executing BioCorRx's strategic initiatives, including launching our UnCraveRx program, which is a medically assisted weight loss management program. She has also been tirelessly and diligently working to enhance the Companys capital structure in order to position ourselves for growth and prepare for our planned up-listing to a senior exchange. Tom is a recognized leader in our organization, and he has been instrumental in repositioning the BioCorRx Recovery Program. I am delighted to announce their promotions today, both of which are very well deserved, and look forward to their continued leadership and guidance. About Lourdes Felix Lourdes has served as BioCorRxs Chief Financial Officer since October 2012. She has been instrumental in capital procurement, completing multi-million dollar equity financing and accomplished in structuring and negotiating transactions and favorable terms with investment banks and private investors. Lourdes provides oversight for company-wide operations and led the launch of BioCorRxs UnCraveRx Weight Loss Management Program. Alongside other key executives of the compan, Lourdes rebranded, restructured and expanded the Companys business model in order to position it for long term growth in the addiction treatment, drug development and weight loss space. She has extensive operational experience with medical clinic and practice management. Prior to joining BioCorRx her experience was in the private sector, public accounting including audit and public company experience. Ms. Felix has over 25 years of experience in financial and operational management. She has expertise in finance, accounting, company-wide operations, budgeting and internal control principals including GAAP, SEC, and SOX Compliance. Through knowledge of federal and state regulations, she successfully managed and produced SEC regulatory filings. She also has extensive experience in developing and managing financial operations. Lourdes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from University of Phoenix. She continued her education and is an MBA candidate at DAmore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University. She is a member of the BioCorRx Inc. board of directors. About Tom Welch Mr. Welch has decades of operating experience. Mr. Welch was a founder and Director of Operations at TAK Healthcare Management from 2012 until 2015. TAK Management was responsible for the streamlining of clinical and financial operations for Start Fresh Alcohol and Opioid Recovery Centers Inc. Mr. Welch led a team that completely reorganized clinic operations. Tom was also successful in negotiating reimbursement with major private insurance corporations across the U.S. Prior to his tenure with TAK Management, Mr. Welch created Benchmark Consulting Group LLC in 2001 in Los Angeles, California and expanded into Dallas, Texas in 2005. He has been actively involved in assisting in infrastructure creation including, front and back office management, billing and coding personnel, clinical management and executive teams. Tom was responsible for negotiating multiple partnership agreements and contracts with major medical corporations and as well as the Military and Veterans Administration. In 2016, Tom was hired as VP of Operations for BioCorRx Inc. where he assisted in creation, training and integration of the BioCorRx Recovery Program. The program was rolled out across the U.S. to independent physicians, integrated medicine and substance use disorder centers. Mr. Welch led the training and implementation of the program nationwide. About BioCorRx BioCorRx Inc. (OTCQB: BICX) is an addiction treatment solutions company offering a unique approach to the treatment of substance use and other related disorders. The BioCorRx Recovery Program is a non-addictive, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program for substance use; please visit www.beataddiction.com for more information on the BioCorRx Recovery Program. The UnCraveRx Weight Loss Program is also a medication assisted program; please visit www.uncraverx.com for more information on UnCraveRx. The Company also conducts R&D under its controlled subsidiary, BioCorRx Pharmaceuticals. For more information on BICX and product pipeline, please visit www.BioCorRx.com . Safe Harbor Statement The information in this release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "estimate," "become," "plan," "will," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties. Although the Company believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. BioCorRx Inc. [email protected] 714-462-4880 Investor Relations: Crescendo Communications, LLC (212) 671-1020 x304 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Georgia Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of a US Army couple serving life in prison in the death of their newborn daughter after unanimously ruling that the parents received ineffective legal counsel. Albert Debelbot, 34, and his wife, Ashley Debelbot, 35, on Friday were granted a new trial after having their guilty verdicts thrown out more than a decade into their life terms. Their daughter, McKenzy Debelbot, was born on May 29, 2008, at Fort Benning's Martin Army Community Hospital in Columbus. Albert Debelbot, 34, and his wife, Ashley Debelbot, 35, on Friday were granted a new trial in the 2008 death of their newborn daughter, McKenzy The parents took the baby back to the hospital days after the birth when they discovered a lump on her head. She passed away on June 1, and an autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined that the cause was blunt force trauma. During their three-day trial in October 2009, Ashley and Albert denied harming their child after taking her home from the hospital. The prosecution called to the stand a convicted felon who shared a holding cell with Albert Debelbot after his arrest. According to the testimony of Melvin Tarver, Debelbot told him that on the night he and his wife brought their daughter home, he went out to buy drugs. The US Army couple from Georgia were convicted of murdering their baby in 2008 and sentenced to life in prison When Albert returned home, his former cellmate told the court, he allegedly said his wife told him she had spanked the newborn baby and put her to bed. According to court documents, when police arrived at the couple' home, Albert 'appeared to be very distraught and cried several times, while Ashley did not appear to be nearly as upset as Albert and was never seen crying.' In her testimony at trial, Ashley Debelbot denied ever harming her daughter. The Debelbots' trial lawyers failed to call expert medical witnesses during the trial. Their new defense attorneys say experts would be able to show that the baby was born with a brain deformation and suffered a 'vascular event' in utero that caused a brain bleed resulting in her death According to court documents, four experts hired by the defense to review McKenzy's medical records and CT scans have found that the baby was born with a piece of her skull and a portion of her brain matter missing. Their appeal, filed by lawyers from the Georgia Innocence Project, the Wisconsin Innocence Project and the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuits public defender office, also noted that a trial prosecutor told the jury that 'reasonable doubt' does not require the state to prove defendants guilty with 100 per cent certainty. The Georgia Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of Ashley and Albert Debelbot after ruling that the parents received ineffective legal counsel during their October 2009 trial 'It does not mean to a mathematical certainty,' Assistant District Attorney Sadhana Dailey said. 'Which means we don't have to prove that 90 per cent. You don't have to be 90 per cent sure. You don't have to be 80 per cent sure. You don't have to be 51 per cent sure.' The high court said in its decision that the explanation was a 'gross misstatement of the law,' and the failure of the Debelbots' lawyers to object to that point proved the couple were denied effective counsel. 'We admonish lawyers not to confuse jurors by attempting to quantify a standard of proof that is not susceptible to quantification,' the court stated. The case was expected to be sent back to Muscogee Superior Court. The Debelbots remain in their separate prisons, where they have been since December 2009, reported the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. District Attorney Julia Slater said her office plans to put the parents on trial again. YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Justice minister of Armenia Rustam Badasyan received the delegation of the Council of Europe led by Director General for Human Rights and Rule of Law Christos Giakoumopoulos, the ministry told Armenpress. Minister Badasyan and the CoE partners discussed the ways to develop the current effective cooperation, as well as touched upon the ongoing actions being carried out within the judicial reforms. The sides reached an agreement to deepen the close cooperation. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan We Cant Keep Virus Out But We Can Slow It Down: Aussie Chief Australia can no longer keep new coronavirus cases out of the country, the nations chief medical officer has said. Professor Brendan Murphy made the comment while explaining why Australia has banned arrivals from virus-hit Iran, but not two other major hotspots, Italy and South Korea. It is no longer possible to absolutely prevent new cases coming in, given the increasing changes in epidemiology around the country, Prof Murphy told reporters on Monday. He said the Iran outbreak was considered high risk, and the travel ban was considered an effective strategy to slow the spread of the disease. But a different view has been taken on Italy and South Korea, where outbreaks are considered contained, confined and localised. In the case of Iran, its such a high risk that a travel ban is worth doing because it will slow down the number of cases, Prof Murphy said. In Italy and South Korea, where they have large outbreaks but they are confined and (have) been localised, the risk, the proportionality of putting in a travel ban was not justified in terms of its benefits to the health protection of the Australian community. The government has upgraded its travel advice for Italy. Australians intending to travel there have been told to exercise a high degree of caution across the entire country and to reconsider the need to go to 10 virus affected towns in Italys north. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt also said any health and aged-care workers returning from Italy and South Korea must not go to work for two weeks because they could infect vulnerable populations at greatest risk of dying. As a healthcare worker, or as a residential aged care worker, you should not attend your regular work for 14 days, Mr Hunt said. That is an additional level of protection which has been advised by the chief health and medical officers and accepted by the Australian government. The Monkey Family of beers are also known for the unique and interesting monkey characters that highlight the brand's packaging. This year, Golden, Sour, and Twisted are coming to life to showcase their mystical and playful personalities that transcend beyond the world of craft beer. The "monkeys" are here to remind us that quality does not have to be too serious, rather that it should be fun. The characters are designed to tell light-hearted and fun stories about the beers. "With the intense political environment, social media craze and overwhelming noise within the craft segment, 2020 felt like the perfect time to introduce some much-needed laughter," says Bill Covaleski, co-founder of Victory Brewing Company. "The Monkeys have an innate light-hearted personality to fuel the fun and encourage drinkers to stop taking life too seriously. At the end of the day, our goal is to create delicious beers that help our customers escape the stress of everyday life and to transport them to a place of content. The Monkeys have earned their right in the craft industry to voice that reminder." The Monkeys (@VictoryMonkeys) have joined Instagram and Twitter to share their stories and content. Besides debuting their new social channels, the Monkeys are hosting a regional comedy tour in partnership with fellow Philadelphia native Mekki Leeper. They're also launching a year-long national consumer sweepstakes, and they'll be curating digital content throughout the course of the year. Comedy Tour featuring acclaimed comedian Mekki Leeper Starting in March 2020, the Victory Monkeys will embark on a 5-city comedy tour featuring Mekki Leeper. Mekki is a comedian from Philadelphia, now living in Los Angeles. His Comedy Central digital special Control Room is streaming now. His standup has been featured on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Just For Laughs: New Faces, Comedy Central's Up Next, Comedy Central Stand Up Featuring and he was named a Comedian You Should Know by Vulture. He wrote for the 2017 White House Correspondents Dinner, and Crooked Media's Lovett or Leave It. He also wrote and directed the digital series Resolutions on Comedy Central. He's performed at Just for Laughs, Comedy Central's Clusterfest, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and headlines clubs around the country. You can find Mekki headlining the Let the Monkeys Out Comedy Tour in the following cities: March 26 th in Philadelphia at Helium Comedy Club in at Helium Comedy Club April 2 nd in Washington DC at Drafthouse Comedy in at Drafthouse Comedy April 9 th in Brooklyn at The Bell House in at The Bell House April 23 rd in Pittsburgh at The Improv in at The Improv May 1 st in Boston at Great Scott Mekki "can't wait to be back home on the east coast! These shows are going to be great!" For more details, and to learn how to get tickets, check out Victory Beer's Facebook Events Pages. Consumer Sweepstake Program: Win a trip to the National Comedy Center! Calling all comedy & craft beer lovers! Victory has partnered with the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY to create a once in a lifetime experience for one lucky winner and their guest. The National Comedy Center is the US's official cultural institution and museum dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage for future generations. For more details on this sweepstakes, and to find out how to enter, checkout victorybeer.com/monkeys. The introduction of a new member of the Monkey Family: Tart Monkey Coming in at 4.9% ABV, Victory releases Tart Monkey, a Session Sour ale with guava, that provides a tangy, refreshing, and sessionable spin off of Sour Monkey, the #2 Sour in the country. Now, with this new monkey part of the bunch, the monkey family provides a broad range of ABVs from 4.9% to 9.5% and features 4 unique sub-styles using the same Belgian yeast that propelled Golden Monkey to become the #1 Belgian Ale in the US. Tart Monkey is shipping in March 2020 as a new inclusion in the Mystical Monkey Mixer Pack and also available on draft Find the rest of the Victory Monkeys at retailers near you by exploring the Beer Finder available at VictoryBeer.com/BeerFinder. The Monkeys are also available at all Victory taproom locations in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Follow Victory on social media @VictoryBeer for updates and follow the monkeys on their comedic journey on Twitter & Instagram @VictoryMonkeys For more information on the Let the Monkeys Out campaign, visit www.victorybeer.com/monkeys and follow the Monkeys on Twitter & Instagram for a glimpse into their journey as they strive to get people laughing more @VictoryMonkeys Now we hope you'll sit back, crack a joke (and a cold one), and have some light-hearted fun with the Victory Monkeys by your side. About Victory Brewing Company Headquartered in Downingtown, PA, Victory Brewing Company is a craft brewery founded by Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet. In 1996, Victory opened its doors to serve full-flavored, innovative beers putting curiosity and inspiration from their travels and the world around them into each delicious, high quality beer. By 2014 Victory outgrew the original Downingtown brewery and opened a second brewery in Parkesburg, PA. Victory operates three taprooms; the Downingtown site, Victory at Magnolia in Kennett Square and Parkesburg featuring great views of the large-scale production facility and self-guided brewery tours. In February 2016, Victory announced an alliance with Southern Tier Brewing Company under the partnership platform of Artisanal Brewing Ventures. In November 2018, Sixpoint Brewery out of Brooklyn and Bold Rock Hard Cider in Nellysford, VA have since joined the Artisanal Brewing Ventures family. Victory products are distributed to nine countries, over 30 states across the US, plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. To learn more about Victory Brewing Company please visit www.victorybeer.com. Taste Victory Responsibly Victory Brewing Company 420 Acorn Lane Downingtown, PA 19335 Debra Thom [email protected] SOURCE Victory Brewing Company Related Links http://www.victorybeer.com With the Twitter campaign to boycott Karan Johars magnum opus Takht gaining momentum, the filmmaker is now in a dilemma He either gets rid of his writer, or shelve the project altogether. However, given the current situation, it will be impossible for Johar to go ahead with what is his most expensive film to date. The films writer Hussain Haidrys tweet on Hindu terrorism has created a furore on social media, with netizens offering Johar the option of either sacking his writer or offended netizens boycotting the project. While Karan himself maintains a studied silence over the controversy, elements close to him say he is seriously reconsidering the project. He may decide to drop the project since there is no film without the writer. On the other hand, if the furore dies down after a while, he may consider keeping Hussain onboard. But at the moment, the option of continuing with Hussain seems unlikely, given the volume of protest, says a friend of the filmmaker. It may be recalled that in 2016, Johar was under attack for hiring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan for his film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Ranchi: A Ranchi court on Monday (March 2) awarded life imprisonment to all 11 convicts in the gangrape case of a law student. The 11 convicts are Kuldeep Urao, Sunil Urao, Sandeep Tirkey, Ajay Munda, Rajan Urao, Naveen Oraon, Basant Kashyap, Ravi Oraon, Rohit Oraon, Sunil Munda, Rishi Oraon. Ahead of the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence today, additional security arrangements were made in the civil court premises. The case was registered at Kanke police station against 12 persons under Section 376D (intercourse by member of a hospital with any woman in that hospital), 366 (kidnapping or inducing woman to compel her marriage), 379 (theft), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after the woman reported about the incident on November 27. One of the accused was later found to be a juvenile and his case is pending with the juvenile justice board. The student of Ranchi`s National Law University was gang-raped on November 26 last year when she was returning to the college with her boyfriend on a scooty. They sought a lift from a car after their scooty ran short of fuel. Eight youths abducted her and took her to a secluded place. The youths also called their friends and all of them then raped her. The victim had lodged the complaint at Kanke police station on November 27. The Police had detained 16 people and 12 of them confessed their crime. Notably, the forensic report had also confirmed that the girl was raped by 12 people. The active weather pattern that has been plaguing the Pacific Northwest with rain and mountain snow since the end of February will prevail for the first week of March. During the first two months of the year, Seattle received nearly 150 percent of its normal rainfall, with Portland, Oregon, picking up about 0.50 of an inch more than normal during the same time. None of the storms targeting the Pacific Northwest will be particularly strong this week, but forecasters say another 0.50 to 1 inch of rain could fall in Seattle by the end of the week. The first system zipped through Washington state and the higher terrain of western Montana and Idaho on Monday and Monday night. A second storm system affected the region from Tuesday night to Wednesday. This image, taken at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, 2020, shows patchy clouds associated with weak storms pushing inland over the northwestern United States. A swirl of clouds, associated with a stronger storm was located over the Pacific Ocean farther to the west. (NOAA / Goes-West) The second storm has been of the nuisance variety, with snow levels limited to only a few of the highest passes. A mix of rain and snow fell on Interstate 90's Snoqualmie Pass again on Tuesday night, with temperatures remaining too high for any accumulation on the highway. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP A long fetch of warm and moist air coming into the region from the Pacific Ocean will be to blame for the lack of accumulating snow in all but the highest elevations of the Cascades. Regardless, motorists traveling on I-5, I-90 and secondary roads should be prepared for reduced visibility and make sure to travel with caution on wet roadways to reduce the risk of hydroplaning. After a brief lull in the stormy weather on Thursday, yet another system will push onshore from late Thursday to Friday. This system will have more moisture to work with than the first two, and it will also draw colder air southward from western Canada and allow rain to change over to snow in the passes by Friday. Snow levels could even dip down to the hills around Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Story continues In addition, gusty winds of 20-30 mph will be quite common throughout the week, so travel delays and rough seas are also expected. Residents should allot extra time to get to and from work and school and be sure to grab the rain gear before heading out the door. Although chilly air will continue to grip the Northwest during the upcoming weekend, an area of high pressure should put an end to the parade of storms bombarding the region for at least a few days. Correction: This story previously stated that Snoqualmie Pass was located along Interstate 80. It is situated along Interstate 90. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. The Trump administration is urging Americans to avoid travel to parts of Italy and South Korea amid growing concern about the spread of coronavirus. In a press conference Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the U.S. has raised the travel warning to level 4 its most severe warning regarding travel to affected areas of Italy and South Korea. In addition, the existing travel ban on Iran is being extended to include any foreign national who has visited Iran in the last 14 days, Pence said. The "president has also directed the State Department to work with our allies in Italy and in South Korea to coordinate a screening, a medical screening, in their countries of any individuals that are coming in to the United States of America," Pence said. The new advisory applies to two regions in northern Italy: Lombardy, home to Milan, and Veneto, which includes Venice. Milan and Venice are major Italian vacation destinations. Coronavirus outbreak: Delta broadens waiver to cover all of Italy; United, American add Italy waivers Due to the heightened alert and a drop in travel demand, American Airlines late Saturday announced plans to cancel its flights to Milan through April 24.The carrier offers daily nonstop flights from New York and Miami. Affected passengers will be given the option of canceling the flight or rebooking. American also serves Venice but the service is seasonal and not scheduled to return until May. The temporary suspension of Milan flights, effective Sunday, means American's only nonstop flights to Italy this spring will be to Rome. The State Department alert level for Rome and elsewhere in Italy outside northern Italy remains at level 3, which means "reconsider travel.'' Other airlines serving northern Italy, including United and Delta, are likely to follow American's lead and reduce flights to Milan. "We want to lower the amount of travel to and from the most impacted areas," Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, said at the news conference. Story continues The restrictions are part of a containment strategy, though the coronavirus will still spread in the U.S., said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. There are cases throughout the world, he said, and the "United States cannot be completely immune to that." Officials have not imposed domestic travel restrictions, particularly to states like Washington, where the first patient died Saturday, or California, where evidence of a community spread of coronavirus has emerged. Trump said that officials are also considering restrictions on the Southern border. Trump previously took steps to restrict travel from China when the outbreak began. In January, the State Department issued a level 4 travel advisory for all of China. The CDC recommends travelers avoid nonessential travel to China, a level 3 warning, also its most severe warning. This excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Contributing: David Oliver and Dawn Gilbertson USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus travel advisory: Trump issues Italy, South Korea warning Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 17:21:38|Editor: yhy Video Player Close SUVA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Home Ownership Initiative Grant for 2020 in Fiji has closed after more than 400 applicants were processed, said a Fijian government minister on Monday. Fiji's Minister for Housing Premila Kumar said that 450 households have benefited from the Home Ownership Initiative in the first six months of this financial year (2019/2020) representing 4.9 million Fijian dollars (about 2.2 million U.S. dollars) against a budget of 5.5 million Fijian dollars (about 2.4 million U.S. dollars). Applications were processed strictly on a first come first serve basis and 143 applications are currently being processed, she said, adding that those unsuccessful applications this financial year could reapply in the next budget cycle for 2020/2021. More than 2,550 Fijian families have been assisted under the First Home Ownership Initiative since its inception in 2014, with overall investment of 22.7 million Fijian dollars (about 10.2 million U.S. dollars). BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has visited the newly-built park where the statue of Shah Ismayil Khatai was moved. President Aliyev arrived at the newly-built park next to the Central Hospital of Oil Workers where the statue of Shah Ismayil Khatai was relocated. The president laid flowers at the statue. Head of Baku City Executive Authority Eldar Azizov informed the president of the work done there. All necessary conditions for recreation of residents were created in the park. The benches were installed, the landscaping work was carried out here. The pedestal of the statue was also renovated. Chairman of the Board of Baku Transport Agency Vusal Karimli informed the president of the road and transport infrastructure in the area. President Aliyev gave his instructions to improve the new road and transport infrastructure. Earth was once a 'waterworld' just like the one depicted by Hollywood in the Kevin Costner blockbuster, according to new research. A global ocean covered the planet 3.2 billion years ago, when the first primitive microbes were emerging. There would have been hardly any dry land mirroring the way it looked in Waterworld, the 1995 post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie. US scientists studied the ancient rocky Australian outback for traces of oxygen to form a picture of the ocean water from billions of years ago. The finding could shed light on the evolution of life on Earth and explain how single-cell organisms first emerged. This pillow basalt in Australia lined the seafloor roughly 3.2 billion years ago when Earth was a 'waterworld' 'Kevin Costner, eat your heart out you may want to start planning the prequel,' said the research team. 'Early Earth, home to some of our planet's first lifeforms, may have been a real-life "waterworld" without a continent in sight. 'It may even have looked a bit like the post-apocalyptic, and land-free, future imagined in Costner's infamous film Waterworld.' In the film, humanity struggles to survive after the ice caps melt and inundate the planet with water. But, unlike in the movie, there were no fish only tiny aquatic organisms called cyanobacteria. A vista of the Panorama district looking down from the top of the ancient ocean crust to its base The discovery, reported in the journal Nature Geoscience, is based on an analysis of rocks from Northwestern Australia's outback. They date back to a period known geologically as the 'Paleoarchean' spanning a period 3,600 million to 3,200 million years ago when life consisted of nothing more complex than bacteria. 'The history of life on Earth tracks available niches,' said co-author Professor Boswell Wing, of the University of Colorado Boulder. 'If you've got a waterworld, a world covered by ocean, then dry niches are just not going to be available.' It was identified from the chemical signatures of an ocean in a chunk of crust that's been turned on its side in the Panorama desert in the Aussie outback. It is possible to walk across what used to be the hard, outer shell of the planet in the space of a day. Benjamin Johnson inspects an outcrop in the Panorama district by what was once an ancient hydrothermal vent It will take you from the base to spots where water once bubbled up through the seafloor via hydrothermal vents. The researchers described it as a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to pick up clues about the ocean water from billions of years ago. 'Today, there are these really scrubby and rolling hills that are cut through by dry river beds,' said lead author Dr Benjamin Johnson, now at at Iowa State University. 'It's a crazy place. There are no samples of really ancient ocean water lying around, but we do have rocks that interacted with that seawater and remembered that interaction.' He likened it to looking at coffee grounds to gather information about the water that poured through it. US post-apocalyptic action film Waterworld depicts a future in 2500 where every continent on Earth is now underwater, due to a rise sea levels. This projected future could resemble an early Earth The researchers analysed data from more than 100 rock samples from across the dry terrain. They were looking, in particular, for two different flavours, or 'isotopes', of oxygen trapped in stone Oxygen-18 and the slightly less heavy Oxygen-16. The ratio may have been a bit off in seawater 3.2 billion years ago with just a tiny bit more Oxygen-18 than you'd see today. Professor Wing said these are 'super sensitive' to the presence of continents. Today's land masses are covered by clay-rich soils that disproportionately take up heavier oxygen isotopes from the water like mineral vacuums for Oxygen-18, he explained. Nostoc, a genus of cyanobacteria, under microscopic view. Cyanobacteria would have inhabited the early 'waterworld' of Earth 3.2 billion years ago There simply weren't any soil-rich continents around to suck the isotopes up, but there could have been tiny spots of land dotted about. 'There's nothing in what we've done that says you can't have teeny, micro-continents sticking out of the oceans,' Professor Wing said. 'We just don't think there were global-scale formation of continental soils like we have today.' The researchers are now planning to scour other, younger rock formations at sites from Arizona to South Africa to see if they can find when the land masses we know today first roared onto the scene. 'Trying to fill that gap is really important,' said Dr Johnson said. Your browser does not support the audio element. The Embassy of Vietnam in Japan has identified five Vietnamese sailors who went missing following the wreck of a Belizean ship off Japan last weekend. Belizean cargo ship Guo Xing 1 crashed into a Japanese fishing boat and eventually sank off Japans Aomori Prefecture at 10:35 pm on Saturday, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the Vietnamese Embassy as saying on Sunday. A total of 14 crew members, including six Vietnamese, seven Chinese, and one Filipino, were on board the vessel at the time of the accident. Among them, Nguyen Van Hai, a 34-year-old sailor from the northern Vietnamese city of Hai Phong, was rescued by a nearby ship, while the rest remained unaccounted for. Hai is now in good health conditions and wishes to return home, the embassy stated, adding it has worked with Japanese authorities to ensure his rights. The five missing Vietnamese crew members are Nguyen Van Thao, 30, Ho Quang Tho, 40, Nguyen Viet Khanh, 30, Nguyen Van Truong, 28, and Phan Hong Quan, 29. The Japan Coast Guard has sent patrol ships to the site to search for the missing victims. The Vietnamese Embassy will continue updating on the incident and actively working with the Japanese authorities to protect the citizens rights. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 11:17:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's armed forces have dispatched over 4,000 medical professionals in three groups to assist with the battle against coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, since Jan. 24. "They have formed a relief force comprising a battlefront leading group, joint logistic support units and frontline medical worker units," said Chen Jingyuan, health division director of the General Logistics Department of the Central Military Commission, at a press conference in Beijing Monday. The first group of 450 people left for Wuhan on Jan. 24, the Chinese New Year's Eve, with the second group of 950 people leaving for Wuhan on Feb. 2, and the third group of 2,600 people leaving for Wuhan on Feb. 13, Chen said. Some 5,000 people are being conferred with citizenship in ceremonies which began this morning in Killarney, Co Kerry. The large scale ceremonies over two days got underway with a nod to the coronavirus. The usual neighbourly handshake after the oath of fealty to the State gave way to nodding as 900 people from among 135 countries nodded to their neighbours left and right and front and back at the first of the ceremonies in the INEC venue in Killarney. On such occasions before threatened with viruses, I would suggest you turn to the new citizens beside you and shake hands. You are not to shake hands today, but you can look at them and nod in their direction, presiding officer, retired High Court judge Bryan McMahon urged. The Department in consultation with health authorities asked candidates and their guests who have returned from a COVID-19 affected region in the past 14 days or who believed they had symptoms, not to attend. Around 60 people postponed by Monday morning, and a short ceremony will be held in Killarney in April to accommodate this group, a spokesman said. Exactly how many cancelled because of the virus was not clear, as weather was a factor in some of the cancellations. The 40-minute solemn and simple ceremony began with the army bands rendition of the European Anthem Ode to Joy, and it ended with the Irish national anthem. In an introductory video message, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said his family story his father was a doctor from India and his mother a nurse from Ireland and his sister lived in London is defined by migration. Migration has been good for Ireland, Mr Varadkar said, helping the society to function and enriching society. The new citizens were urged to apply for passports, and cautioned that even online applications will take between four and six weeks. Harpist Elaine Hogan played OCarolans Welcome. A colour party arrived on stage with the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan and presiding officer Mr McMahon. In the nine years of citizenship ceremonies, more than 120,00 people from 180 countries have become naturalised, the minster outlined. Integration has to be kept to the fore and this is why the Government published The Migrant Integration Strategy in 2017. It is aimed at all newcomers as well as to Irish citizens, Mr Flanagan said. Its very remarkable that this tiny island at the edge of western Europe has as its citizens members of every nationality and from every country on this planet. Almost 1,000 candidates are from Britain, followed by 715 from Poland and almost 500 persons from Romania. This is followed by India with 370 and Nigeria with 201. England, Scotland and Wales were all represented on Monday. In the bed and blue tartan kilt of the Hamilton clan, came David Pratt, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland. Mr Bratt said he had been living in Derry for 10 years and Brexit was among the factors urging him to apply. 83-year old Anne Mary Moriyama from England, has lived in west Cork, between Schull and Bandon for almost 20 years now. She was congratulated in person by Mr Justice McMahon. Wearing a green cardigan and beads in honour of the occasion, Ms Moriyama said she was greatly moved by the ceremony. Ann Mary Moriyama, originally from England now living in Schull, Co Cork with her husband, Jerome Moriyama. Picture: Valerie OSullivan I have been quite frustrated I couldnt vote in referendums, she also said. She has family in the region including her son. Accompanying her was her husband of 46 years, Japanese-born Jerome. He wanted to apply but Japanese law does not allow dual citizenship, Mr Moriyama said. Many British people gave Brexit as central to their decision. Some 45 people travelled from Sligo and among them was 80-year-old Lawson Owen Clements, originally from Wales. Im very worried about Brexit, Mr Clements, a retired veterinary surgeon said. Wojcieh Terlecki, from Poland, a father of two has lived in Sligo for 13 years where he has his own wardrobe business. The father of two said Brexit was also a key factor in his decision to seek citizenship. Greek mother of two Loukia Athanasiou, pregnant with her third child, said she and her husband Kostas, an orthodontist have been living in Ireland for 11 years. She wore a mask because of the corona virus. I am afraid, she said. There are two days of ceremonies because a back-log had developed because of a legal question over continuous residence. In November 2019, the Court of Appeal held that the Minister for Justice and Equality was entitled to allow for reasonable absences from Ireland. Previously, the High Court had found that continuous residence must mean that applicants cannot leave Ireland at all during the 12-month period before their application is submitted. However while applicants can leave Ireland in the 12-month period before lodging their application, they cannot spend more than six weeks abroad in total during the year. The leader of East Texas United Methodist conference has endorsed a plan that would allow conservative churches to leave the denomination over same-sex marriage. The announcement by Bishop Scott J. Jones comes ahead of a May meeting at which delegates from across the globe are expected to vote on one of six plans that would create anywhere from one to four new Methodist groups. Calling it the least bad way forward, Jones said he reluctantly decided to support the plan for reconciliation and grace through separation which would pave the way for the creation of a new, traditionalist denomination of Methodist churches. I deeply regret that we have come to this point, Jones told the Chronicle Monday, but given where we are I want to bless all of the United Methodist churches of my conference and help them be as strong and viable as possible. Should the UMCs global delegates approve the plan, Jones said he anticipates that his conference, which includes roughly 700 churches in east Texas, would also vote on which denomination to join. Prior to that, he said, there would be an aggressive campaign to inform churches how leaving or staying might affect them. I want the choices to be as clear and comprehensive as possible, he said. But, he added, nothing has been decided until the UMCs General Conference adjourns. The pastor of one gay-friendly church in Houston said she supported Jones endorsement of the plan, which she also said is imperfect but provides a path forward. This is not perfect, but its a way to stop the harm so that we can create a space where people are fully included, said the Rev. Diane McGehee. We are harming people at a soul level. McGehees church, Bering Memorial, has been particularly supportive of LGBTQ causes. In January, the Montrose church blessed same-sex unions, a celebration that Jones said at the time is allowed under our practice of being in ministry with lesbian and gay persons. Jones has previously avoided taking an official stance on the various proposed plans, but has also been critical of churches that have performed marriages for same-sex couples, which he believes contradicts the UMCs official stance on homosexuality. The church has had disputes over social issues for decades. In 1972, at the behest of a Texas attorney and layman, the UMC approved language stating that gay people were equal in Gods eyes and deserving of equal rights, but that homosexuality was nonetheless incompatible with Christian belief. Since then, the so-called incompatibility clause has routinely been challenged by more progressive UMC members, who say it alienates gay clergy and congregants. Polling shows that Methodists in the United States hold views on homosexuality that mirror broader trends in America, with younger people generally supporting same-sex marriage. The UMC has continued to expand in Africa, Asia and other parts of the globe that hold more conservative views on social issues. That has shifted power away from progressives in the United States while empowering opponents of same-sex marriage. The impasse was complicated by the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States in 2015, which forced ministers to decide whether to perform gay marriages and for the first time confront how the United Methodist Church understands sexuality, Methodist historian Ashley Dreff said recently. Rather than reconcile opposing views on sexuality in the 1970s, she said, the UMC adopted language that allowed room for differing opinions. It was a good idea in theory, she said, but made a fracture foreseeable. I like to say it is the beauty and the bane of United Methodism because its beautiful in concept, but it does not work in practice, especially when it comes to sexual ethics, she said. Because when you are creating a sexual ethic within a theologically plural society, someones going to be left out. robert.downen@chron.com The man, said to be mentally unstable, came in front of the mini Vidhan Soudha (a complex housing government offices) at around 10 am and shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' several times. Mangaluru: A 43-year old man was on Monday arrested and slapped with sedition charges after he allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans in front of the mini Vidhan Saudha at Kundapur in neighbouring Udupi district in Karnataka, police said. The man, said to be mentally unstable, came in front of the mini Vidhan Soudha (a complex housing government offices) at around 10 am and shouted "Pakistan Zindabad" several times. Then he moved on to the corridor and continued shouting the slogan, police said. A video of the incident recorded by locals became viral within minutes. On being alerted by locals, police personnel reached the spot and arrested the man. Police said they registered a first information report (FIR) based on a complaint lodged by Kundapur tahsildar and he has been booked under sedition charge. There was no coherence in the statements made by the man during his questioning, police said. Udupi ASP Kumarachandra told reporters that police do not want to make any comment on his mental state as of now. Once the medical report was ready, detailed investigation will be conducted, he said. The man was said to be mentally unstable and currently under treatment. He was working as teacher and had lost his job eight years ago on account of the 'illness'. Family sources said the man, who regulary watches television, may have been influenced by the news items telecast on such slogans raised by some persons elsewhere. Three students from Kashmir studying at a private engineering college in Hubballi were arrested on sedition charges last month for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and posting a video of it on a messaging platform on the first anniversary of the Pulwama terrorist attack. On 20 February, a young woman, later identified as Amulya Leona, had raised "Pakistan Zindabad" slogan thrice at an event in Bengaluru against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Besides, "Pakistan Zindabad" graffiti had been found on the wall of a house and a school in different places in the state in recent days. When the generators failed, Leslie Comardelle and his workers carried 2,200 containers of organic peroxide through 5-foot floodwaters at the Arkema plant in Crosby, moving them to refrigerated trailers to prevent them from combusting amid the historic rainfall of Hurricane Harvey. But when it became clear one of the trailers was going to fail, law enforcement officials evacuated the facility and everyone within a 1.5-mile radius of it. Several of the trailers ignited and emitted dangerous chemicals - something Arkema tried to prevent but ultimately couldnt because of the unprecedented circumstances of the storm, defense attorney Paul Nugent said Monday. Arkema had a hurricane plan, he said. Nobody had a Harvey plan, because nobody expected Harvey. Lawyers on Monday concluded the second day of opening statements in the criminal trial against Arkema, Inc., Comardelle, and two of the companys executives before moving into the first witnesses in the case. Prosecutors and two defense attorneys presented their statements on Thursday, but the remaining were cut short because of a sudden closure of the criminal courthouse from an unrelated water issue in the city. Prosecutors on Thursday claimed that reckless behavior by Arkema and its senior level employees threatened public safety. They opted not to move the organic peroxides off site, instead leaving them at the plant which sits in the middle of a floodplain, special prosecutor Michael Doyle said. The first witness took the stand immediately after opening arguments Monday, testifying to the risks of handling organic peroxides, which are used to make everyday plastic materials. They are supposed to be kept at freezing temperatures, or else they begin to combust. If the temperatures arent being monitored, people monitoring the organic peroxides should be focused on protecting human life and property, chemical engineer Marco Kaltofen said. That is unenviable, he said. That is a bad place to be. In Arkemas case, some of the trailers with organic peroxides werent able to be monitored for temperature and both legal sides debate whether Arkema fully disclosed that with emergency response officials. Defense attorneys argued that they took extreme care to prevent the incident, but Hurricane Harvey was an act of God that they couldnt prepare for, making them not liable for the damage that resulted from the emissions. More than 200 residents were evacuated from the area for about a week, and two sheriffs deputies fell ill. In all, 23 people were briefly hospitalized. Arkema and its then-vice president for logistics, Michael Keough, face charges of assault on the two peace officers. The state is also pursuing felony reckless emission charges against the company, CEO Richard Rowe and plant manager Comardelle for releasing toxic chemicals. Keough, who was based in Pennsylvania in 2017, announced his retirement around the time he was indicted, after 30 years of working for Arkema, attorney Dan Cogdell said. Some people get a gold watch, the lawyer said. He got indicted for a crime they didnt commit. While bringing criminal charges in environmental cases is rare, especially at the local level, said Victor Flatt, an environmental law professor at the University of Houston, Harris County is also unique in being home to the largest petrochemical complex in the country, if not the world. He noted that industry-related incidents are increasing. "I'm not surprised this case was brought as we are seeing it happen more and more, Flatt said. Civil penalties are not doing their job clearly. You can't have your whole community be endangered." While the outcome of the trial remains to be seen, the filing of the charges is a wakeup call for the industry, said Flatt. "Currently, most major industry in the environment and health safety realm assume the worst thing that can happen is some enforcement by OSHA or EPA," he said. "Nationally, under this administration, or in Texas within the last two decades, we have not seen a particularly strong enforcement strategy," he added, "but now you can't assume you are off the hook because the government is not doing as good of a job we think they should be doing." Perla Trevizo contributed to this article. samantha.ketterer@chron.com Israelis will vote for the third time in a year to elect a prime minister. According to CBN News, Israel is headed into its third election because the winning candidate has been unable to form a government in Israels 120-seat Knesset. In Israel, President Reuven Rivlin chooses a leader to form a government. That leader has six weeks, but if he fails, another candidate has 28 days to try to form a government. Following that, anyone in the Knesset can try to form a government in a two-week window. If all of these efforts fail, Israel heads to another election. Previously, both current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and challenger Benny Gantz have been unable to form a government by the deadlines. Monday, some 4 million Israelis are expected to vote. In Septembers election, nearly 70 percent of eligible Israelis voted. Officials also said they were not worried about fears of the coronavirus affecting turnout. "The corona thing is completely under control. Today we've taken all the precautions that are necessary, people can go and vote, with complete confidence," Netanyahu said, after casting his vote in Jerusalem. Some political experts are already predicting another stalemate, but leading up to the election, Netanyahu stressed the importance of voting. About 300,000 Likud supporters, the party that backs Netanyahu, did not vote in the last election. We're two mandates away from victory. If you don't go out and vote, we'll get a fourth election or a Gantz leftist government, Netanyahu told supporters. Meanwhile, Gantz, who is a retired military chief, has campaigned against Netanyahu, saying the long-standing prime minister cannot be Prime Minister because of corruption charges against him. In us being able to be more (united) with one another, more patient with one another, more acceptance to one another, whether it's Jews or an Arab, religious or secular, Gantz said. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Amir Levy/Stringer Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:52:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Palestinian protester throw stones at Israeli soldiers during clashes, following a protest against Israeli settlement activity in al-Erma, in the West Bank village of Beta, near Nablus, March 2, 2020. Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that at least 10 Palestinians were injured with rubber coated bullets and at least 50 others broke their bones and suffered from tear gas grenades fired by Israeli soldiers in the village of Beita, near Nablus city. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Monday, during clashes with Israeli forces in the northern West Bank, according to medical sources. Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that at least 10 Palestinians were injured with rubber coated bullets and at least 50 others broke their bones and suffered from tear gas grenades fired by Israeli soldiers in the village of Beita, near Nablus city. Ghassan Daghlas, head of the Israeli settlement activity watchdog in the northern West Bank, said that the clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians during a protest against Israeli settlement activity in al-Erma hill south of Nablus. Daghals told reporters that settlers aim at taking over a historical site on top of al-Erma hill. Integrated travel services company Thomas Cook India Ltd said on Monday its Women's Travel Trends Report 2020 highlights a strong 32 per cent growth in travel demand, across leisure and b-leisure trips. Displaying a clear shift from conventional to the off-beat, India's women are travelling as a means to disconnect, unwind and enrich themselves, it said ahead of International Women's Day. "From culture-rich experiences to adrenaline-infused outdoor adventures, they are setting out to discover the world." The desire to explore new destinations-unique experiences is a significant driver across 35 per cent of women, with Thomas Cook India's report highlighting appetite for non-standard destinations and stay experiences. Outdoor and adventure experiences are seeing a surge of 33 per cent from India's women travellers with the report showing their strong interest in adrenalin highs of sky diving. Apart from family breaks, a rising trend is the 25 per cent growth in demand for girl gang travel. While metro cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru are key contributors, tier two and three cities of Chandigarh, Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad are emerging well. With a demand of 15 per cent from solo women travellers, the report highlights interest primarily from millenials (72 per cent of the pie), driven strongly by experiences, the freedom of planning their trip their way and self-discovery. With a 26 per cent growth in demand for wellness tourism, women travellers are investing in self-care holidays to rejuvenate or take a break. Wellness tourism is also emerging as a preferred option among travellers in the 30 to 55 years age group. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japanese electronics maker Sharp will start making surgical masks to help contain the coronavirus outbreak in a plant that usually makes TV displays. Sharp said mask production at its Mie Prefecture plant in central Japan will start by the end of this month, at 150,000 masks a day, rising to 500,000 a day. Electronics displays are generally made in sterilised plants that prevent small particles from contaminating the manufacturing process, making it well suited to mask-making. The Sharp factory in Taki, Mie Prefecture, Japan. The facility mass-produces full-colour thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal displays for TVs Surgical masks are in high demand because of the coronavirus outbreak, which has registered 84,000 cases and killed nearly 3,000 people to date. Sharp, which is owned by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, said it 'would like to use the available space in the factory to help prevent the spread of infection'. The company will initially introduce three production lines in dust-free clean rooms at a plant in Mie Prefecture that is usually used to build liquid crystal display panels, according to Kyodo News. The prices, sales channels and other details of the Sharp-made masks are still undecided. Masks are hard to find on store shelves in many places and, in Japan, long lines form outside some drug stores even before they open. A man with a mask walk through torii gates at the Hie Shrine In Tokyo, Sunday, March 1, 2020. The coronavirus has claimed its first victim in the United States as the number of cases shot up in Iran, Italy and South Korea and the spreading outbreak shook the global economy Japanese people have long worn face masks to prevent spreading colds or alleviate allergies. That practice has grown more widespread since the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus that causes the disease known as COVID-19. Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to ensure 600 million masks will be made available in Japan every month. The government has said it will provide subsidies of up to 30 million yen ($275,000) for any company investing in mask production, Kyodo News said. However, US Surgeon General and anesthesiologist Jerome Adams tweeted on Saturday that the masks are ineffective against the virus. 'Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!' A massive white dwarf star bigger than the Sun has been discovered orbiting the Milky Way. Scientists believe the entity formed when two white dwarfs merged around 1.3 billion years ago and failed to explode as a supernova. The unique star has "unusually high" levels of carbon and showed "something we had never seen before", scientists behind the discovery said. Dr Mark Hollands, from the University of Warwick's department of physics, said: "We have a composition that we can't explain through normal stellar evolution." He added: "The only way you can explain it is if it was formed through a merger of two white dwarfs." Amazing NASA Space Images - In pictures 1 /80 Amazing NASA Space Images - In pictures Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 NASA This 1969 photograph of the eclipse of the sun was taken with a 16mm motion picture camera from the Apollo 12 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey home from the moon. The fascinating view was created when the Earth moved directly between the sun and the Apollo 12 spacecraft NASA Astronaut Bruce McCandless II photographed 320 ft from the Space Shuttle Challenger during the first untethered EVA, made possible by his nitrogen jet propelled backpack (Manned Manuevering Unit or MMU) in 1984 NASA The brilliant tapestry of young stars flaring to life resemble a glittering fireworks display in the 25th anniversary NASA Hubble Space Telescope image NASA Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2011. This lift off is the last in the 30-year-old shuttle program Getty Images The first teklevision image of Earth from a weather satellite taken by the TIROS-1 satellite in 1960 NASA The Echo 2 satellite in 1960. Once the balloon was launched into orbit, a prerecorded message from President Dwight Eisenhower was transmitted from California and heard with clarity in New Jersey NASA The original seven Mercury astronauts and pioneers in human space exsploration pose in their silver spacesuits in 1961 NASA President John F. Kennedy calls for a moon landing in 1961 durning Congress NASA Astronaut John Glenn climbs into his Friendship 7 space capsule in the Atlas rocket in 1962. Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth NASA A close-up view of an astronaut's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the moon in 1969 NASA Man's first landing on the Moon. Lunar Module, "Eagle," touched down gently on the Sea of Tranquility on the east side of the Moon. Astronauts Edwin Aldrin and Neil Armstrong wre the first men to walk on the Moon in 1969 NASA After an 8 month voyage to Mars, Mariner 4 makes the first flyby of the Mars (the red planet) in 1965 and became the first spacecraft to take close-up photographs of another planet NASA Astronaut Edward H. White II, pilot on the Gemini-Titan 4 spaceflight, is shown during his egress from the spacecraft. His face is covered by a shaded visor to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun. White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. He remained outside the spacecraft for 21 minutes during the third revolution of the Gemini-4 mission in 1965 NASA The X-15 completed 199 flights to the edge of space from 1959-1968. Neil Armstrong was one of it's budding young pilots NASA Earthrise over the moon from Apollo 8 in 1968 NASA American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins lift off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in the mammoth-sized Saturn V rocket on their way to the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. saluting the US flag on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969 NASA Home View of Moon limb with Earth on the horizon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission NASA Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin laugh with President Richard Nixon aboard the USS Hornet in 1969 Richard Nixon Foundation via Getty Images Lunar mission Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the United States flag at the Descartes landing site during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA) in 1972 NASA First image of Viking 1's foot plantid on martian soil foot in 1976 NASA The first ever long distance image of the Earth and Moon together. The image photograph was taken by Voyager 1 in 1977 NASA A dramatic view of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and its surroundings in 1979 NASA The first space shuttle launch Columbia lifts off in 1981 NASA Astronaut Sally Ride on the flight deck of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. She became the first American woman in space NASA One of the most celebrated images taken by the Hubble called 'Pillars of Creation' NASA Space shuttle Challenger destructs after lift off in 1973 NASA NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope aboard ESA's SOHO spacecraft took this image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence in 1999. Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona NASA Trailing a column of flame and smoke that dwarfs it, Space Shuttle Endeavour leaps into the clear blue Florida sky on mission STS-99 in 2000 Space Shuttle Atlantis clears the tower as it roars into space on mission STS-106 after a perfect on-time launch in 2000 NASA 2004 The deepest view of 10,000 galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope called the Hubble Ultra Field Deep (2004) NASA 2005 A new view of the Eagle Nebula, one of the two largest and sharpest images Hubble Space Telescope has ever taken (2005) NASA International Space Station pictured by the crew of Atlantis in 2008 NASA The rim of Gale Crater is visible in the distance, through the dusty haze, in this view of NASA's Curiosity rover of a sloping hillside on Mount Sharp NASA Taken on June 03, 2008 and released by NASA on June 4, 2008 shows US space shuttle Discovery Mission Specialist Michael Fossum being photographed by US Mission Specialist Ronald Garan (reflected in Fossum's face shield) as they work outside The International Space Station during the first of three planned space walks. AFP/Getty Images In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA's Great Observatories -- Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory -- have produced a matched trio of images of the central region of our Milky Way NASA A striking black and white image showing the detail of the planet Saturn NASA This majestic false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows 'mountains' where stars are born. These towering pillars of cool gas and dust are illuminated at their tips with light from warm embryonic stars NASA The space shuttle Atlantis is seen over the Bahamas in 2011 prior to a perfect docking with the International Space Station NASA Aurora Australis, seen from a point over the southeast Tasman Sea near southern New Zealand. in 2011 NASA NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, appears to touch the bright sun during the mission's third session of extravehicular activity (EVA). During the six-hour, 28-minute spacewalk in 2012 NASA Behold one of the more stunningly detailed images of the Earth yet created. This Blue Marble Earth montage, created from photographs taken by the VIIRS instrument in 2012 on board the Suomi NPP satellite, shows many stunning details of our home planet NASA Numerous recognizable features appear in this detailed view of London, photographed by an Expedition 10 crew member on the International Space Station (ISS). The most striking visual features are green open spaces such as Regent's Park, Hyde Park and St. James's Park east of Buckingham Palace NASA International Space Station image of London at night NASA This image of Tropical Storm Anna taken from the International Space Station in 2015 NASA Pluto's haze layer and its blue colour, taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) in 2015 NASA NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. These dark features on the slopes are called "recurring slope lineae" or RSL NASA Earth observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 49 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016 NASA The moon rises in low Earth orbit by NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik from the International Space Station in 2017 NASA Hurricane Harvey is pictured off the coast of Texas in 2017 NASA The International Space Station continues its orbit around the Earth as Expedition 50 astronauts captured this night image of sparkling cities and a sliver of daylight framing the northern hemisphere in 2017 This composite image made from a series of 2018 photos shows a self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover in the Gale Crater NASA US. National Parks From Space. Mt Saint Helen's looking spectacular from above NASA SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft as it lifts off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in 2018 NASA NASA's Juno spacecraft captures Jupiter's southern hemisphere, as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter in 2018 NASA The stunning iamge was shared on social media by astronaut Paolo Nespoli NASA The Bailey's Beads effect is seen as the moon makes its final move over the sun during the total solar eclipse NASA The Moon is seen passing in front of the Sun during a solar eclipse from Ross Lake, Northern Cascades National Park, Washington NASA Swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter's northern hemisphere picture taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft as it performed it's 13th flypast. Juno was about 9,600 miles (15,500 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops. NASA The findings, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, reveal an atmospheric composition never seen before by astronomers, the researchers added. White dwarfs are the remnants of stars that have burnt out all their fuel then shed their outer layers. Most are around 0.6 times the mass of our Sun. However, the astronomers found this one to have 1.14 solar masses. This is despite it being only about two-thirds the size of the Earth. This star, called WDJ0551+4135, was discovered while astronomers were going through survey data from the European Space Agency's Gaia telescope that was launched into space in 2013. The team then used the William Herschel Telescope located in the Canary Islands to analyse the light emitted by the white dwarf. This allowed them to identify its chemical composition. They found the star's atmosphere had an unusually high level of carbon. Dr Hollands said: "This star stood out as something we had never seen before. "You might expect to see an outer layer of hydrogen, sometimes mixed with helium, or just a mix of helium and carbon. "You don't expect to see this combination of hydrogen and carbon at the same time as there should be a thick layer of helium in between that prohibits that. "When we looked at it, it didn't make any sense." The researchers judged the stars age based on its orbit around the Milky Way. Commenting on the gravitas of the discovery, Dr Hollands added: "Maybe the most exciting aspect of this star is that it must have just about failed to explode as a supernova - these gargantuan explosions are really important in mapping the structure of the Universe, as they can be detected out to very large distances. "However, there remains much uncertainty about what kind of stellar systems make it to the supernova stage. "Strange as it may sound, measuring the properties of this 'failed' supernova, and future lookalikes, is telling us a lot about the pathways to thermonuclear self-annihilation." New Delhi: The Central government on Monday (March 2, 2020) said that a total of 157 terrorists were neutralized in Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2019. The government further informed that there have been 138 cases of infiltration by terrorists along Line of Control/International Border during the year 2019. "There have been 138 cases of infiltration by terrorists along Line of Control/International Border during the year 2019. Due to concerted and synergized efforts of security forces, 157 terrorists were neutralized in the year 2019 in Jammu and Kashmir," Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Naik informed the upper House of Parliament in a written reply. Last month, Army Chief General MM Naravane had said there has been an increase in the ceasefire violations on the Line of Control as Pakistan is trying to push terrorists from there. "There has been an increase in ceasefire violations on Line of Control. It was expected as he (Pakistan) is trying to push terrorists from launchpads and various camps. Because of winters, they are finding it difficult and resorting to ceasefire violations," said the Army Chief. Close 'Has he no shame?': Biden slams Trump over coronavirus The US reported at least six deaths from the coronavirus on Monday as officials warned of a substantial outbreak in the state of Washington and states of emergency were declared in various parts of the country. Both patients were being treated at the same health centre in Kirkland, east of Seattle, where six of the states 12 cases have now been confirmed and 50 others are being tested for the virus. As the number of nationwide cases approaches 100, sales of face masks have surged among the general population. Meanwhile, at least one patient was mistakenly released by the CDC and later tested positive for the deadly Wuhan coronavirus, with the mayor of San Antonio describing the development as unacceptable in a statement. Health officials in Washington state meanwhile said on Sunday night that a second person had died from the coronavirus a man in his 70s from a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus. Researchers said earlier the virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected in Washington state. 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 In a statement, Public HealthSeattle & King County said the man died Saturday. On Friday, health officials said a man in his 50s died of coronavirus, the first death from the virus in the US. Both had underlying health conditions, and both were being treated at a hospital in Kirkland, Washington, east of Seattle. Washington state now has at least 13 confirmed cases. State and local authorities stepped up testing for the illness as the number of new cases grew nationwide, with new infections announced in California, Florida, Illinois, Rhode Island, New York and Washington state. Additional reporting by the Associated Press A day after BJP workers raised Goli Maro slogans amidst a rally of senior BJP leader and union home minister Amit Shah in Kolkata, two of the three persons arrested by Kolkata Police were remanded to two days of police custody by the local court. On Monday, Kolkata Police produced the three BJP workers identified as Surendra Tiwari, Dhruba Basu and Pankaj Prasad at the local court. The police sought their police custody stating that their role must be investigated. While the court granted Surendra Tiwari and Pankaj Prasad two days of police custody till March 2, 2020, the third BJP worker Dhruba Basu was granted bail on grounds of his elderly age. In the wee hours of Monday, Kolkata Police had arrested the three BJP workers from different parts of the Kolkata city after an FIR was registered by the New Market police station for raising the Goli Maro slogans. BJP workers were seen raising controversial slogans, Desh Ke Gaddaro ko, Goli Maaro Salon ko on Sunday. Around 2pm, a BJP rally coming from South Kolkata was on its way from to the venue of the public meeting- Shahid Minar when suddenly they saw that on the opposite flank some anti-CAA protestors were raising slogans against Shahs visit. The BJP workers immediately started raising slogans, Desh Ke Gaddaro ko, Goli Maaro Salon ko. The officials from Kolkata Police rushed in to prevent BJP workers from advancing towards the anti-CAA protestors. The anti-CAA protestors were put inside a barricade to prevent them spilling outside and advance towards the BJP supporters. Later, the BJP supporters were escorted back to the original route of the rally leading to the Shahid Minar. Unsuccessful Laois-Offaly General Election candidate, Pippa Hackett, has been selected by the Green Party to seek re-election to the Seanad. An outgoing senator, Ms Hackett will run on the Agriculture panel. She was elected to the Seanad for the first time last year just a few months after winning a local election seat on Offaly County Council in Edenderry. The Geashill woman's husband, Mark, was co-opted to her council seat when she entered the Seanad in 2019. As the Green Party's Spokesperson on Agriculture, Heritage and Animal Welfare, I am delighted to get my party's nomination to contest the Seanad election for the Agricultural Panel. I am a mother, a wife, a farmer, a community campaigner, and a busy person who gets things done. Farming beef and sheep in Co Offaly close to the Laois border, I know first-hand the difficulties faced by farming and rural communities. In the Midlands, in particular, we face unique problems which require action at a national level, and at a scale never seen before. How we protect our environment and deal with the climate and biodiversity crisis, will be the defining issue of this decade, and the Seanad needs informed and practical voices on this issue. Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan said: We need Green thinking in the Seanad now more than ever. The next decade will be critical to delivering the kind of change we need to tackle climate breakdown, nature loss and growing inequality." Ms Hacket ran for the Greens in the five-seat Laois Offaly constituency in the General Election. She was the last candidate standing coming in sixth and missing out on the seat She received 3,494 and end with more than 7,000 votes at the eleventh and final count. Missing persons in Mexico are estimated to be more than 61,000 since 2006 and families of disappeared persons gathered together to search for their loved ones who are believed to be victims of the country's ongoing war against illegal drugs. It is estimated that there are more than a dozen who went missing every day because of the government's drug war in Mexico. The number of missing persons continue to increase until today and this becomes one of the pressing issues in the country. Moreover, it is very difficult for relatives to search for their loved ones because there were no traces of their bodies or remains. Just a month ago, more than 300 Mexican families gathered together in Poza Rica to participate in the National Brigade for Disappeared Persons. Mexico City's Red de Enlaces Nacionales or Network of National Links organized the national brigade and brought together the families of disappeared persons coming from the 21 Mexican states. The brigade was held from Feb.7 to 22 in the hope to search for their disappeared loved ones. It was observed that the increase of the disappearances or missing persons began during the time of former President Felipe Calderon who declared a big war against illegal drugs in 2006. It was also found out that many disappearances were tied directly to Mexican Security Forces. In an article published on the website of Deutsche Welle, it was reported that some Police forces most especially in the state of Veracruz are working with the notorious Zetas drug cartel. However, the search for the disappearances of persons in Veracruz was very difficult. They erased any traces of a person by destroying it through an acid which has become a practice in a decade. This erases the DNA of the victims which is supposed to help identify the identity of the person through its remains or corpses. The brigade who searches for the missing body also found out that they systematically burned the bodies through an acid or an oven. Moreover, they found out an extermination camp in other regions known as the "kitchens" which is supposed to help the investigation but unfortunately, the chemicals used to exterminate the body have devoured many of traces like DNA. Meanwhile, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador made a promise earlier this year that his administration will give aid to search for the missing persons. However, critics said that the government has failed to back up its promise with action. Many of the families of the disappeared persons were not able to attend this year's National Brigade because they did not receive partial or coverage for their travel. This was not the same in the previous brigade where the National Registry for Victims covered all travel expenses of all family members of the missing persons. Even though there were still many who attended the National Brigade it is still lesser compared to the expected number of attendees. During their final day, the family members marched toward the Poza Rica bringing with them photos of their disappeared loved ones and they installed in the city's Civic Square Noe Amezcua a plaque of remembrance. Likewise, one of the members of the coordinating team read out a sort of their findings. He said that they are calling for the implementation of a holistic search policy in the region. [March 02, 2020] 10th Aegis Graham Bell Awards for Innovation Announces its Winners and Finalists in New Delhi NEW DELHI, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chief Guest Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways ; Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India ; Guest of Honor Shri. Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Hon'ble Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries and MSME and Special Guest Shri. R.P. Singh, National Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), felicitated the award winners and the finalists at the grand ceremony of the 10th edition of Aegis Graham Bell Awards on 27th Feb 2020 at NDMC Convention Centre, New Delhi. Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) was initiated in 2010 by Aegis School of Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecom to recognize young top brains who has potential to grow as technology leaders; start-up founders; innovators; entrepreneurs; intra entrepreneurs who are transforming the lives of millions of Indians by their work in the fields of education, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data science, Internet of Things (IoT), Smart city, Telecom, Mobile, Health, eCommerce, Blockchain, Fintech, Cloud, social good, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Governance, MSME, Transportation, Retail, Cyber Security, and many more. AGBA is supported by NITI Aayog, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCOE) and powered by mUni Campus. Shri Nitin Gadkari Minister for Road Transport & Highways ; Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) the Chief Guest of the event commended, "Congratulations to the winners, finalists and also the Aegis team for encouraging the innovators and their work. I would like to reiterate the innovators to concentrate more on rural, agricultural, tribal areas and on the world's import substitute and improve the export. There is no dearth of innovation in India, and so in the world market I want our talent to be highlighted in innovation, skill, technology and entrepreneurship. To make India super economic and to achieve the 5 trillion economy goal we need to concentrate on the research and development." At the event, Hon'ble Minister Shri. Nitin Gadkari recognized 20 talented students, who were provided with a 100% scholarship to study Post Graduate Program (PGP) in Data Science; PGP in Applied AI, Machine Learning & Deep Learning and PGP in Cyber Security from Aegis School of Data Science & Cyber Security in association with IBM. The winners were selected through Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) National Talent Hunt from across the country who has the potential to grow as leaders in Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security. Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), the Guest of Honor for the evening said, "This award is named after Graham Bell and it is recognition to young talents who inspire other entrepreneurs, scientists, and technocrats to work and strive hard towards excellence." He also appreciated the technocrats by saying, "You are all experts and so all your expertise should be put together to achieve the national goal and to achieve the 5 trillion common goal we should make all efforts in the same direction" The award day started with 'Innovators Talk' and a keynote address by Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, an Indian engineer, innovator and education reformist. He is the founding-director of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), as well as panel discussions and key talks around the theme 'India at the power of innovations' by various innovative pioneers and learned orators. The winners and finalists for the 10th AGBA: Winners Finalists Innovation in Artificial Intelligence Innovation in Artificial Intelligence LivNSense Technologies Analyttica Datalab Playment Innovation in Data Science Innovation in Data Science Intelligence Node Course 5 Intelligence Quantiphi Innovation in Cyber Security Innovation in Cyber Security WiJungle Seclore Technologies Volon Cyber Security Innovation in Internet of Things Innovation in Internet of Things LetsTrack Sixth Energy Tata Communications Innovation in Robotics Process Automation Innovation in Robotics Process Automation Hethi Inc Vodafone Idea Quantiphi Innovation in Managed Services Innovation in Managed Services Wipro Spectra Innovation in Digital Transformation Innovation in Digital Transformation Porter IFTAS Sigmoid Analytics Innovative Enterprise Solution Innovative Enterprise Solution Idea Bridge Cisco Locus Innovation in Cloud Innovation in Cloud Parallel Wireless ESDS Cloud4C Innovation in Blockchain Innovation in Blockchain Wipro Wipro Siemens Innovation in eCommerce Innovation in eCommerce Niki Meesho Ntex Transport (Elastic Run) Innovation in Health Tech Innovation in Health Tech Xcellence in Bio Innovations and Technologies HCL MetFlux Research Innovation in Clean Tech Innovation in Clean Tech Mudita & Radheshpvt.ltd. Lithion Power Private Limited Innovation in EdTech Innovation in EdTech Odo Technologies The Prayas India Simplilearn Innovation in Transport Tech Innovation in Transport Tech Yulu Lithium Urban Technologies Shadowfax Innovation in Governance Tech Innovation in Governance Tech NxtGen Datacenter & Cloud Technologies Param Paisa Innovation in FinTech Innovation in FinTech Finnew Solutions Pay1 Bharti Airtel Limited Innovation in Consumer Tech Innovation in Consumer Tech Bobble AI Bharti Airtel Limited Comviva Technologies Innovative Mobile App for Consumer Innovative Mobile App for Consumer Uber Data Xgen Technologies ShareChat Application for Social good Application for Social good Reliance Foundation Bliss and Style Mobility Vodafone Idea Innovation in Telecom Infrastructure Innovation in Telecom Infrastructure Ramboll India Parallel Wireless STL Technologies Innovative Telecom Product Innovative Telecom Product C-DOT Neron Informatics Huawei Innovative Smart City Solution Innovative Smart City Solution Bharti Infratel Cisco Ramboll India Bhupesh Daheria, CEO of Aegis School of Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecom and Founder of Aegis Graham Bell Awards said, "Congratulations to the AGBA winners and finalists. It's very important for India to recognize the innovators as they are the major drivers of the economic growth. Participating firms alone at AGBA and innovators contributed hugely by employment generation of over 8 lakhs+; 65000+ crores revenue and raised investment over 6000+ crores." He also congratulated the 20 talented students who were selected through AGBA National Talent Hunt and who will get a 100% scholarship for courses in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. He said, "With the AGBA talent hunt we want to identify and nurture the future technology leaders." Aegis School of Business Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecommunication: Aegis School of Business, Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecommunication was founded in the year 2002 with support from Bharti Airtel to develop cross functional technology leaders. In 2015, Aegis and IBM collaborated to launch, India's first Post Graduate Program (PGP) in Data Science, Business Analytics and Big Data and later in 2017 PGP in Cyber Security. These programs are jointly certified and delivered by Aegis School of Business in association with IBM. Aegis is the number One School of Data Science. Aegis takes up various industry projects, research and consulting assignments in the field of data science under its initiative 'Data Science Delivered' and 'Data Science for social good', and helping organizations for devolving skills on data science, ML, DL, Big Data, Analytics etc. For further information, please visit: www.aegis.edu.in or www.bellaward.com Media Contact: Shweta Chavan, [email protected] +91-8433969263, Corporate Communication, Aegis School of Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecom Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097751/AGBA_NITI_Aayog_Aegis_School.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Coronavirus panic has caused a spike in demand for hand sanitiser, with supplies running low in supermarkets and chemists around the world. The World Health Organisation has advised the public that they can help to protect themselves and others from the outbreak by frequently washing their hands. But is plain soap or hand sanitiser more effective? Plain old soap and water will "do the trick". Credit:Getty Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, an infection control expert from UNSW, says hand sanitisers are important for hospital staff to protect against the spread of germs and viruses among vulnerable patients. The rest of us should opt for plain soap and water where possible. Since Huawei cannot license Google Mobile Services (GMS) for new devices, the company is working on creating its own alternative, aptly named Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). The latest development in this regard is that Huawei is now beta testing the Huawei Search app, its alternative to the Google app. The Chinese tech giant is hiring users in the UAE to test the new app, a Redditor has confirmed to XDA-Developers. The Redditor, who goes by the username /u/beingnull, even provided the APK file of the Huawei Search app. XDAs Max Weinbach could run the app on his Huawei Mate 30 Pro and see how it works. Advertisement Huawei Search enters beta testing Huawei Search is a basic search app that does exactly what it is supposed to. Unlike the Google app, which also includes elaborate features such as Google Assistant, Google Lens, and more along with the search functionality, Huawei Search just lets you search the Internet for webpages, videos, news articles, or images. Added features include a weather widget that shows a 24-hour weather forecast powered by Huafeng-AccuWeather. It sources data from the China Meteorological Administration. There are also shortcuts for sports, unit conversion, and calculator. Advertisement You can view your search history in the Settings and even turn history-saving off. The app also offers a safe search mode and supports EMUI 10s dark mode. You can also change the apps search scope, which controls what Huawei applications it can search through. Huawei Search also lets you change your search region and language. As per the User Agreement, users must have a Huawei ID to use this app. The User Agreement also reveals that the app is operated by Aspiegel Limited, Huaweis subsidiary based in Dublin, Ireland. Advertisement Interestingly, Huawei Search is not publically available on the web, unlike Googles search service. It is only available in Huawei devices as an app or embedded search filed in Huawei services, such as Assistant. Its unclear which search engine powers Huawei Search, as there are no matching search results with Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, and others. XDA suspects it may not be using any third-party engine, as Huawei seems to be able to delist search results on users requests. With limited functionalities, Huawei Search is still far from being an alternative to Google search or Microsoft Bing. That said, a lot can still change in the future. Well have to wait and see what Huawei does with its search app from here on. DRDO, IISc jointly develop new explosive detection device Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have jointly developed a new explosive detection device. Called RaIDer-X, the new device, unveiled at the National Workshop on Explosive Detection (NWED-2020) in Pune on Friday, is capable of detecting explosives from a stand-off distance. The data library can be built in the system to expand its capability to detect a number of explosives in pure form as well as with the contaminants. Bulk explosive in concealed condition can also be detected by the device. RaIDer-X has been co-developed by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) Pune and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The NWED-2020 was inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development and chairman, DRDO, G Satheesh Reddy. The two-day workshop has been organised by HEMRL Pune on its diamond jubilee celebration. HEMRL Pune is a premier laboratory of DRDO. It provides a platform to scientists, technocrats and users to share knowledge, experience and updated information on the technological advancements made in the recent past. The workshop will help in the further development of explosive detection devices and keep abreast on the recent development and advancements in the field of explosive detection. In his address, the DRDO chairman emphasised that detection of explosives is a compelling need of the hour. He said, security agencies are continuously monitoring vulnerable targets with the help of intelligence agencies to thwart the attempts of anti-social elements. Reddy appreciated the joint pursuit of academia and DRDO in developing portable devices, which can now be safely and effectively used by security agencies. He also released a souvenir comprising of abstracts from eminent speakers of DRDO laboratories, IITs, Advanced Centre of Research in High Energy Materials, University of Hyderabad, other universities and delegates. A total of 250 delegates from different DRDO laboratories, Army, CRPF, CISF, state police, academic Institutes, industries and other security agencies are attending the workshop. Medical members wearing protective gear talk as they check drivers with suspected symptoms of the novel coronavirus, at a "drive-through" virus test facility in Goyang, South Korea, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images) Novel Coronavirus Cases Soar in South Korea, Surpassing 4,000 South Korea now has over 4,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, after the government reported nearly 600 new cases on March 2. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 476 new cases on Monday morning, before logging 123 more cases in the afternoon. The Korean government also announced four additional deaths due to the virus, including an 87-year-old woman and an 82-year-old man, according to local outlet Yonhap News Agency. Currently, South Korea has a total of 4,335 known cases of coronavirus and 26 deaths. Among them, 31 have recovered from the virus and been discharged from hospital. South Korea is now one of the hardest-hit areas by the virus outside of mainland China, having seen its known cases spike dramatically from 104 on Feb. 20. In the Korean city of Daegu and the broader North Gyeongsang province, the epicenter of South Koreas outbreak, there are now 3,081 and 624 cases, respectively. About 57 percent of all confirmed cases in the country are linked to the Shincheonji Church in Daegu, according to Yonhap. Daegu, home to a population of about 2.4 million people, is located about 186 miles southeast of the capital Seoul. Many of those cases related to the church have been traced back to a 61-year-old female follower of the church who tested positive for the virus on Feb. 18 as the countrys 31st confirmed case. On March 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government stated that it had filed a lawsuit against Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji Church, and 11 others associated with the organization. They are accused of committing crimes including homicide and inflicting injury. On Tuesday, Lee held a press conference and apologized to the public, while voicing support for efforts by local health officials to control the outbreak, according to Yonhap. Lee himself has tested negative for the virus. Among all the cases in South Korea, Seoul has 91 cases and the coastal city of Busan has 88 cases. Also on March 2, Yoo Eun-hae, South Koreas education minister, announced that the opening day for all kindergartens and elementary and secondary schools is to be delayed for two more weeks, according to Yonhap. The new school year will now begin on March 23, three weeks later than the initial opening-day schedule. Federal Judge Rules Cuccinelli Unlawfully Appointed to Lead Immigration Agency A federal judge has ruled that Ken Cuccinelli, who previously led the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), was unlawfully appointed to serve in that role. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington said in a ruling on Sunday that Cuccinellis appointment as the agencys acting director had violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA), a 1998 law governing the appointment of officers to an executive agency before a permanent replacement is appointed. As a result, two policies issued by Cuccinelli have also been suspended. The Court concludes that Cuccinelli was not lawfully appointed to serve as acting Director and that, as a result, he lacked authority to issue the reduced-time-to-consult and prohibition-on-extensions directives, Moss, an Obama appointee, wrote in his opinion (pdf). The remedy for that deficiency, moreover, is compelled by the FVRA and the [Administrative Procedure Act]: the Asylum Directives must be set aside. Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general, was named for the role after his predecessor at USCIS, Lee Cissna, resigned in June 2019. Moss said under the USCISs order of succession at the time, Deputy Director Mark Koumans should have become the acting director. But the judge said acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan then created a position for Cuccinelli, giving him the title as the principal deputy director, a role that did not exist prior to Cuccinellis appointment. McAleenan then reorganized the agencys structure to put Cuccinellis role above the deputy director, effectively allowing Cuccinelli to displace Kouman as the agencys acting director. Cuccinelli may have the title of Principal Deputy Director, and the Department of Homeland Securitys order of succession may designate the office of the Principal Deputy Director as the first assistant to the Director, Moss wrote. But labelswithout any substancecannot satisfy the FVRAs default rule under any plausible reading of the statute. A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to The Epoch Times that the department obviously disagree[s] with the courts decision and will be looking closely at the decision. The USCIS website currently shows Cuccinellis job title as senior official performing the duties of the deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. The case came before the federal court after a coalition of immigration and civil rights groups sued the Trump administration to challenge the implementation of the two immigration policies issued by Cuccinelli. One of the directives shortens the time for asylum seekers to prepare evidence to substantiate their fear of persecution claims. The other directive prohibits asylum seekers from obtaining a continuance except in extraordinary circumstances, according to Democracy Forward, a legal organization representing the asylum seekers. In reaction to the ruling, Cuccinelli said on Monday on Fox and Friends that he will not leave his role as acting deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. The succession for the deputy secretary of homeland security ties back to my official position as the principal deputy at USCIS, theres not a problem with me at my current position, he said. The only issue in the case is related to being the acting director at USCIS. And this ruling is really something of an outlier. This is a methodology thats been used in the past. Its been thought of as legal on apretty broadly, he added. An appeal is expected, Cuccinelli said, adding that the agency will take any intermediate steps necessary to avoid any challenges. Cuccinelli also added that the policies that were voided in the ruling will be efficiently reissued as a precautionary measure while an appeal goes forward. So itll be business as usual until this is played all the way out, he said. It is now officially a crime to spread rumours on social media, at least if you live in China or are a Chinese citizen. The new cyberspace regulations have gone into effect in the country as China continues to battle the Coronavirus, or COVID-19 outbreak. Among the long list of dos and donts released by the Cyberspace Administration of China in the Regulations on the Ecological Governance of Network Information Content, one guideline that truly stands out is the one that reads spreading rumors and disturbing the economic and social order under Article 6 which headlines Producers of online information content may not produce, copy or publish illegal information containing the following contents. This comes at a time when there is a growing line of thought that social media provides a deeper glimpse at what is really happening inside China, something the Chinese media it is believed doesnt do, as users post videos on various social media platforms including Weibo, and they then get circulated across platforms including Twitter. According to the latest numbers, there are 89,074 confirmed Coronavirus cases around the world. The global death toll has crossed 3,000 and the Coronavirus cases have been reported in 60 countries. The worst hit is China, with 80,026 cases reported in Mainland China as well as 98 in Hong Kong and 10 in Macau. After China, the worst hit is South Korea with 4,212 confirmed cases followed by Italy clocking 1,694 confirmed Coronavirus cases and 978 reported cases in Iran. Social media is what has shown us how life is inside the Chinese cities that are under lockdown, including Wuhan, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak. There are numerous videos of how checkpoints inside and outside the cities are being managed, how people are being locked inside their homes with doors welded shut and how the police are arresting anyone who isnt wearing a mask when outdoors. Equally, there is a lot of misinformation on social media about the Coronavirus, what measures China is taking and the possible reasons behind the spread. These rumours and misinformation can lead to panic, and in cases, much worse. A lot of the mistrust with official reports emerging out of China perhaps stem from the fact that the initial warnings by Dr Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan at the time, had warned of the upcoming epidemicthat was later confirmed, much to the worlds horror. The doctor received more than a severe reprimand with authorities accusing him of spreading false information and seriously disrupting social order. Dr Li Wenliang passed away in February, killed by the same virus he wanted to warn the world about. A lot of this eventually boils down to what Chinese authorities consider a rumour worth punishing. And what they may feel is disturbing the economic and social order of the country. It could be anything and everythingyour guess on the exact definition is as good as anyone. And the crackdown had started even before these rules became official. In January, the US-based advocacy group Chinese Human Rights Defenders had released data which indicated that the Chinese authorities had punished 416 netizians in China for spreading rumours. Human rights must not be a casualty of the governments work to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has killed nearly 200 people and affected millions. Free flow of information in the press and on the Internet, participation of civil society, and facilitated movement of supplies and first responders, are necessary for an effective response to this global health emergency, the CHRD had noted at the time. The South China Morning Post reports that among the new rules, it is now also illegal for netizians to threaten people, insult people or publish the person information about anyone else on the internet. It is now also illegal for anyone to use new technologies such as deep learning and virtual reality (VR) to break the law. Advertisement Amanda Knox sported a bright yellow patterned outfit as she arrived for her wedding to long-term boyfriend, poet Christopher Robinson, in front of similarly bizarrely dressed friends. Pictures obtained by DailyMail.com show Knox, 32, arriving for the ceremony at Elk's Lodge in Washington State. Family and friends had been promised a space-themed celebration - though it is not clear if the husband and wife were channeling any specific sci-fi characters. Guests seemed equally stumped by the theme, with some seemingly misinterpreting galactic for flapper and toga-style costumes. The bride did not wear white, instead opting for the retro loose-fit pants, a blouse and gold waistcoat. Knox, who was convicted and exonerated twice for the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy, wore her hair pinned up with flowers woven in and had glitter jewels on her face. Amanda Knox tied the knot in an out-of-this-world wedding ceremony on Saturday wearing a galactic-themed costume, DailyMail.com can reveal Pictures obtained by DailyMail.com show the convicted - and then exonerated - murderer, 32, arriving at her wedding to long-term boyfriend Christopher Robinson at Elk's Lodge in Washington State The bride did not wear white, instead opting for yellow patterned loose-fit pants, a blouse and gold waistcoat. Her hair was pinned up with flowers woven in and she had glitter jewels on her face The groom matched his accessories to his bride, in an equally departure from tradition, donning shiny gold shoes and and a glasses and a yellow bow tie Robinson was pictured at the venue in a long grey jacket with black fur lapels and face jewels. He also appeared to have shaved his beard into stripes for the occasion The groom matched his accessories to his bride, in an equally unusual departure from tradition, donning shiny gold shoes and glasses and a yellow bow tie. Robinson was pictured at the venue in a long grey jacket with black fur lapels and face jewels. He also appeared to have shaved his beard into stripes for the occasion. The space-themed nuptials followed on from their engagement, after Robinson staged a bizarre, ET-themed proposal at their home in Seattle. And the guests for their wedding went all-in on some bizarre outfits of their own. One woman was pictured in a 1920s flapper style dress and headband, while another seemed to be channeling the 18th-century French Revolution-era finery, donning a wig, coat and breeches. Another male guest opted for an Egyptian costume, complete with sandals, headdress and heavy eyeliner. And another guest was channeling the Viking look, with pigtails, a horned headband and fur cape. One guest joins the celebrations. Family and friends had been promised a space-themed nuptials - though it is not clear if the husband and wife were channeling any specific sci-fi characters Guests seemed equally stumped by the theme, with some seemingly misinterpreting galactic for flapper and toga style costumes One guest seemed to be channeling the 18th-century French Revolution-era finery, donning a wig, coat and breeches Another male guest seemed to opt for an Egyptian costume, complete with sandals, headdress and heavy eyeliner One guest was channeling the Viking look, with pigtails, a horned headband and fur cape The departure from a traditional wedding style was to be expected from the quirky couple Another kept things more traditional - or perhaps didn't get the memo - donning a simple smart black suit while walking alongside a guest in a toga Guests arrived earlier in the day before changing into costumes One guest was pictured keeping things more traditional - or perhaps he didn't get the memo - as he donned a simple smart black suit, while strolling along next to a guest in a toga. Robinson was pictured earlier in the day carrying ice into the venue, which was decorated with a gold and white balloon arch. As night fell, the newlyweds and their guests carried on the celebrations, with the couple staying in their unusual outfit choices. They were pictured laughing and joking with guests outside. Guests could be seen in gold, suggesting this was a key color scheme for the day. Later in the night, Knox and Robinson were then seen heading out of the venue to a nearby car. A gold and white balloon arch welcomed guests to the venue in Washington state A guest at the wedding ceremony at Elk's Lodge in Washington State The couple had dropped more than a few clues about the theme in the lead-up to their nuptials Robinson arriving at the venue earlier in the day Men were pictured earlier in the day carrying ice and a storage box into the venue The bridal party arrives laden with bags and garments The wedding car was perhaps the most traditional thing about the day Their wedding website was a bizarre affair, describing their union as 'The Knox Robinson Coalescence' and dripping in a sci-fi theme 'What is certain is that on 45629.81z8.q14 Galactic Time (or November 11th, 2018, Old Earth Solar), Knox and Robinson were shocked into a matrimonial fervor by the future fact of their union,' it read The pair were slammed last year after the website asked for donations to pay towards their big day - only for records to emerge showing they had secretly already wed in 2018 Records emerged showing they had secretly already wed in 2018 King Country records in Washington, where the couple live, showed a marriage certificate was issued on December 1, 2018 in both their names The departure from a traditional wedding style came as no surprise from the couple, after they had dropped more than a few clues in the lead-up to their nuptials. Their wedding website was a bizarre affair, describing their union as 'The Knox Robinson Coalescence' and dripping in a sci-fi theme. 'What is certain is that on 45629.81z8.q14 Galactic Time (or November 11th, 2018, Old Earth Solar), Knox and Robinson were shocked into a matrimonial fervor by the future fact of their union,' it read. 'They learned their fate from a data-crystal shard of this Encyclopedia Galactica that rocketed back in time and landed in their backyard. This mind-boggling event was captured on film.' The pair were slammed last year after the website asked for donations to pay towards their big day - only for records to emerge showing they had secretly already wed in 2018. King Country records in Washington, where the couple live, showed a marriage certificate was actually issued on December 1, 2018 in both their names. Their registry is full of galaxy photos and as a reward for giving money for the nuptials, donors were promised a copy of the couple's love poems book The Cardio Tesseract. Those who become 'temporal patrons' and donate large amounts to the event will receive a 'special video' from the couple as a thank you for their generosity As a reward for giving money for the nuptials, which appeared to be space themed, donors were promised a copy of the couple's love poems book The Cardio Tesseract= The newlyweds are pictured laughing and joking with guests outside More guests are seen in gold suggesting this was a key part of the color scheme The celebrations of the nuptials went on into the evening The bride and groom stayed in their unusual wedding attire for the evening event Knox seems to be bidding farewell to guests later in the night As the party winds down, photos give a glimpse of some of the other unusual outfit choices A lady with blue hair has gone all out on the outfit front One woman is pictured in a gold floor length gown and white gloves Knox and Robinson are no stranger to unusual themes Knox previously shared a video of Robinsons bizarre alien-inspired proposal at their home in 2018. In the proposal video Robinson staged a fake meteor crash that held a 'data crystal' inside. That crystal read: 'No other pre-singilarity union produced as much cerebral-empathic heat as the joining of Amanda Marie Knox and Christopher Gerald Robinson.' After leading her out to their front yard to propose, Robinson got down on one knee and asked her: 'I don't have a ring, but I have a big rock. 'Amanda Marie Knox, will you marry me?' After saying yes, the pair kissed passionately while the camera rolled. Earlier this month, the couple donned American frontier-style clothing as they celebrated their Old West-themed couples shower. The Seattle-based author and Robinson posted a snap, saying: Being the time travelers that we are, our couples shower was in old west. I suspect we may be many years in the future come nuptials, he joked. She wore a floor-length skirt and ruffled blouse, while Robinson sported a gun holster, waistcoat and rimmed hat in the style of settlers in the American West in the the 19th century, an era associated with frontier life and cowboys. Knox and Robinson are no stranger to unusual themes Knox previously shared a video of Robinsons bizarre alien-inspired proposal in 2018 Earlier this month, they donned American frontier-style clothing as they celebrated their Old West-themed couples shower Knox and Robinson had been dating since 2015 when she reviewed his book while she was still engaged to someone else. They have kept quiet about honeymoon plans, with their website reading that 'there are conflicting accounts' about where they plan to go. Knox was found guilty alongside her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito of the brutal murder of her roommate in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. The couple were seen heading out of the venue later that night They seemed to be heading to a nearby car They have kept quiet about honeymoon plans, with their website reading that 'there are conflicting accounts' about where they plan to go Knox puts her hand on her new husband's shoulder British exchange student Meredith Kercher was found dead in the flat she shared with Knox. The 21-year-old had been sexually assaulted and stabbed in the throat. Knox, who became dubbed by the press 'Foxy Knoxy', and Sollecito were convicted of her murder and spent four years behind bars in Italy before they were acquitted on appeal in 2011. Knox returned to the US and vowed to never return to Italy. She was convicted for the crime again in 2014 before being exonerated for a second time in 2015 after it was overturned by the Italian Supreme Court, bringing an end to the legal saga. Drifter Rudy Guede was jailed for 16 years for Kercher's murder and sexual assault and remains behind bars. Knox denies any involvement in the murder. Knox, who became dubbed by the press 'Foxy Knoxy', and Sollecito (pictured together left) were convicted of the murder of Meredith Kercher (right) and spent four years behind bars in Italy before they were acquitted on appeal in 2011. Knox was convicted for the crime again in 2014 before being exonerated for a second time in 2015 after the Italian Supreme Court overturned it, bringing an end to the legal saga She has written a memoir and taken part in a Netflix documentary about the case, and also writes articles advocating for people wrongfully convicted of crimes. Her ex-fiance Sollecito recently announced he is also engaged to his girlfriend Andreea Burtea. While the two exonerated individuals celebrate their nuptials, Kercher's family suffered yet more heartache as the murdered student's father John, 77, died in February after being involved in a suspected hit-and-run in London. Newly trained archaeologists' aim to search for the long lost Nuestra Senora del Juncal. More than 400 years have already passed after the storm surge that hit Spain's greatest treasure ship that resulted in the ship sinking to the bottom of Mexico's nearest sea. Trained archaeologists of the two countries renewed and set off their journey as they hoped to find the cargo that was full gold, silver and jewels. According to stories, days before the ship sailed a bad omen kept happening as Nuestra Senora del Juncal's return voyage in October 1631 was not in a good situation. A day before the ship departed the commander died. The ship was also forced to sail even if it appeared unrepairable as it took on its venture in the ocean. As the storm took control of the seas, the ship could not contain its loads. The crew tried to lighten the mass of the ships' load, but it still did not survive. Of all the 300 people who were aboard the ship only 39 survived as they climbed into a small launch part of the ship. In the month of May, a 10-day search will be happening as trained underwater archaeologists' will start their journey. They hope that the search will work as it is the beginning of a two decade long scientific and cultural collaboration between Spain and Mexico. The joint project of Spain and Mexico was signed after a six year memorandum of understanding of the shared underwater cultural heritage. The project does not only aim to locate and protect the treasure, but also to train a new generation of archaeologists'. The director of Spain's National Museum of Underwater Archaeology, Dr Ivan Negueruela, works in collaboration with deputy director of underwater archaeology at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, Roberto Junco. They also reported that their team calculated the chances of finding the ship and their chances are very high. They stated that the galleon had valuable treasure with it, it carried ingots that had authorities wrote a detailed inventory. The survivors were also questioned individually and their statements on helping the team reconstruct what exactly happened and locate the possible place on where the ship sank had a high degree of accuracy. The ship was also thought to carry a range of 120-150 tons of precious materials and the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes who was also involved in a shipwreck that was found in 2017 carried 14 tons of cargo. Negueruela also added that the juncal was also transporting resources from the New World. Within the cargo are cacao, dyes and animal hydes. The priority of the archaeologists' are securing the site and also carrying out methodical, exhaustive and transparent excavation. He also added that when you find a cargo that is full of resources and extraordinary riches you have to be transparent about it. They also want to train underwater archaeologists' from Latin America so that pirates and other treasure hunting companies won't find it themselves. There will be grants to two-three young archaeologists' to train every year. Their vision is that in eight to ten years there will be 10 new trained archaeologists' in each country where they are needed. He also added that the old team of trained archaeologists' are adding up ages and that they need to leave the seabed in the new generation. For Negueruela's belief the true treasure are not the cargo in it but the vessel itself and they want to get the ship before any treasure will do. Hubei officials are facing an investigation after a Wuhan prison released a coronavirus-infected inmate, who then travelled some 760 miles to Beijing. The 61-year-old prisoner, known by her surname Huang, was freed by a prison guard despite having high temperatures during the quarantine. She was diagnosed with the disease three days after managing to leave Wuhan, which has been under lockdown for over a month. The news comes after the virus broke out in multiple prisons across the country. A group of police are pictured taking a resident's temperature at an entrance in Wuhan, Hubei Experts suspected that doctors had not given the patient appropriate virus tests. The picture shows a medic records a patient's condition at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan on February 16 A team led by the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and Ministry of Public Security was sent to Wuhan last Friday after reports of Ms Huang's diagnosis emerged. Hao Aimin, the party secretary and head of the provincial prison administration bureau, has been removed from his post, the National Supervisory Commission announced today. 'It is a case of serious dereliction and neglect of duty to have let someone with fever symptoms leave Wuhan,' a statement read. The picture shows police and medical workers stopping vehicles at a highway road blockade for a health check as a precaution against the novel coronavirus in Guangzhou Province, China Medical workers are pictured checking people's temperature at a highway check in Wuhan Security guards are seen checking body temperature of the people passing through in China Ms Huang served her time at Wuhan Women's Prison, where 279 coronavirus cases have been confirmed. She was scheduled to be released upon completing her 10-year sentence on February 17. Before her release, Ms Huang had close contact with a prison guard who was confirmed to be infected with the virus on January 29. People with surgical face masks cross the street in Central, following the coronavirus threat. The new coronavirus is still spreading worldwide, the World Health Organisation has warned People are seen wearing protective masks in South Korea, one of the most-affected countries The inmate remained in prison under quarantine after her release day as her family couldn't come to collect her due to travel restrictions. She had her temperature taken 13 times during the quarantine period. There were twice when she showed a high temperature. On February 21, a prison guard handed over the inmate - despite her symptoms - to her daughter and ex-son-in-law outside a highway toll-gate of Wuhan. The coronavirus has claimed at least 3,060 deaths and infected over 89,600 people globally A medical staff member is pictured checking a patient infected by the coronavirus in China Ms Huang and her family then drove back to Beijing and went through a virus checkpoint before leaving the motorway. One of the two officers at the checkpoint left his post for a toilet break when Ms Huang was having her temperature taken. She was let through without being asked for ID. A line of officials from the Hubei bureau, the women's prison and the local public security bureau are facing removal or investigation, the government said. Patients are seen staying in a makeshift hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus The local government in Beijing also followed suit, firing a team of checkpoint officers who negligently let the inmate pass and enter the city. The National Supervisory Commission said today the investigation team will continue to look into the incident and impose punishment accordingly. More than 500 cases of the killer coronavirus have been detected in prisons across China, fuelling fears about the infection's ability to spread rapidly in confined areas. Seven guards and 200 inmates tested positive for the virus at Rencheng prison in eastern Shandong province, the provincial health commission confirmed. Another 34 cases were found at Shilifeng prison in eastern Zhejiang province, leading to the ouster of its director and another official. Pictured: People wearing face masks ahead of the St David's Day Parade in Cardiff today as fears continue to sweep Britain while the coronavirus crisis unfolds Travellers are seen wearing protective masks at the airport in Brazil amid coronavirus outbreak The novel coronavirus has claimed at least 3,060 deaths and infected over 89,600 people globally, with the majority of cases in China. Wuhan has suspended public transportation networks since late January in a bid to curb the viruss spread. Cities across China have ordered their residents to remain quarantined, with limited access to enter or leave their homes. The killer virus has affected dozens of countries across the globe, with South Korea, Iran and Italy being the most-affected. The number of people infected with the deadly virus in the UK jumped from 23 to 36 on Sunday, marking the biggest rise in a single day after 12 new cases were recorded in England and Scotland announced its first patient. Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted the virus which has infected almost 90,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000 was a 'significant challenge'. The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the curative petition filed by Pawan Kumar Gupta, one of the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, challenging the May 2017 Supreme Court verdict confirming his conviction and death sentence. He was the last among the four convicts to file a curative petition in the case. He can now file his mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind. The three other convicts have already exhausted all their legal remedies. We have gone through the curative petition and the relevant documents. In our opinion, no case is made out within the parametres indicated in the decision of this court in Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra, the court said in its order. A curative petition is the last judicial resort available for redressal of grievances. It is a remedy established by the Supreme Court through its judgment in Rupa Asok Hurra v Ashok Hurra and is decided by the judges in-chamber. The four convicts are scheduled to be executed on March 3. However, since Gupta is yet to file his mercy petition, there is a chance that the hanging might be postponed. This is because, as per the existing practice, all convicts in a given case are executed simultaneously and not separately. Hence, even if one of the convicts has not exhausted a legal remedy available to him, the hanging of all the four convicts gets deferred. Additional Sessions Judge, Patiala House had on January 7, 2020, issued the death warrant against four convicts and scheduled their execution on January 22. The execution date was postponed twice, first to February 1 and then to March 3 due to the convicts not having exhausted their remedies. The way the petitions are being filed by the convicts has come under criticism from several experts and the Union government, on January 22, filed an application in Supreme Court seeking changes in the manner in which the remedies can be exercised by imposing deadline for death row convicts to file curative and mercy petitions. The central government had also moved the Delhi high court seeking permission to hang those convicts who have exhausted all their legal remedies separately. The Centre argued that the law does not mandate that all death row convicts in a given case should be executed simultaneously. The Delhi high court had turned down the plea citing a Supreme Court verdict in an unfortunate case where after one convict was executed, the co-accuseds death sentence was commuted to life. The appeal against the Delhi high court verdict is pending before the Supreme Court. In December 2012, five men and one juvenile had raped and brutalized a young para-medic student in a moving bus in Delhi leading to nationwide outrage. The victim later died from the injuries received. One of the accused committed suicide in Tihar jail during the trial while the juvenile accused was sent to a reform house and released three years later. The four remaining accused were convicted and sentenced to death by the trial court in 2013. The conviction and sentence were confirmed by the Delhi high court in 2014 and the Supreme Court in May 2017. Subsequently, the review petitions filed by three convicts, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma against the Supreme Court judgment were dismissed in 2018 and the review petition by Akshay Thakur was dismissed in December 2019. The curative petitions filed by two convicts, Mukesh and Vinay were dismissed by the top court on January 14. The curative petition filed by a third convict, Akshay was dismissed on January 30. After their curative petitions were dismissed, they had filed mercy petitions before the President. President Kovind rejected Mukeshs mercy petition on January 17 just four days after it was filed. Vinay Sharmas mercy plea was rejected on February 1 while Akshays mercy plea was rejected on February 5. State auditors said they were called into the case by Portage. Former Mayor James Snyder first appointed a committee of city investigators to look into allegations of misconduct in Stidham's office three years ago. Former Mayor John Cannon resumed the investigation last year. The mayors committee discovered records showing Stidham had made questionable use of public funds to three vendors: Keeping the Books, E.R.G Advisors and Paramount Technology Solutions all established under the name of Rachel Glass without the approval of the Board of Public Works, a panel of the mayors advisers. City investigators contend the three vendors were shell corporations with Valparaiso addresses for two houses and a United Parcel Service store. State Board of Accounts auditors concluded from their own probe Stidham paid vendors, associated with his wife, $8,000 in 2016 to assist the city in routine confirmation of the accuracy of the citys financial records by comparing them to bank account records. But state auditors found the bank reconcilements for which the city paid $8,000 in 2016 werent performed until 2018, two years later. The Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee plans to issue the first subpoena related to the committees probe of Hunter Biden and Ukrainian energy Burisma Holdings. Senator Ron Johnson said that it is his intention to schedule a business meeting to consider a committee subpoena, in a letter the Wisconsin Republican sent to members of the committee on Sunday. Johnson plans to subpoena former Ukrainian embassy official Andrii Telizhenko, who worked as a consultant for the Washington-based Blue Star Strategies, a firm Burisma hired to combat accusations of corruption within the energy company. As part of the committees ongoing investigation, it has received U.S. government records indicating that Blue Star sought to leverage Hunter Bidens role as a board member of Burisma to gain access to, and potentially influence matters at, the State Department, Johnson wrote in his letter. Internal State Department email exchanges reported last year showed that Blue Star leveraged the Biden name to secure a meeting between the gas company and State Department officials and then brought his name up again during that meeting. The meetings were part of a longstanding campaign to rehabilitate Burismas reputation in Washington following a corruption probe. Biden obtained a lucrative position on the board of Burisma in 2014 after his father, Democratic 2020 candidate Joe Biden, became vice president. In that role, court records suggested he earned at least $50,000 a month advising the energy company on transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities, as his position was described by Burisma. Biden resigned from the board in April of last year, and it is unclear whether he was aware his name was being used by Blue Star in discussions with the State Department. More from National Review Open Lending, a leading provider of loan analytics, risk-based pricing, and automated decision technology for credit unions and other lenders, is pleased to announce the addition of Brice Beard as VP of Captives and Finance and Alan Coursey as Regional Vice President of Sales in the northwest region to their rapidly growing team. As the new VP of Captives and Finance, Brice Beard brings with him over 25 years of experience in the auto finance space, most recently as the major account executive at TransUnion. Although the first half of Beards career was spent in the lender side of the business, his recent roles have focused on selling into and managing auto lender accounts with a focus on credit data and technology platforms. In his new role at Open Lending, Beard will be using his expertise to lead sales efforts in relationship to captives and finance companies. Beard says, I am very excited to join Open Lending so that I can educate the Captive/Bank/FinCo space on the benefits of the Lenders Protection Program. Alan Coursey joins Open Lending as the Regional Vice President of Sales in the northwest region after 5 years at State National Company. While there, Coursey was named Salesperson of the Year two out of the last three years. In addition to his success at State National, Alan has previous experience working for several fortune 500 companies in sales and management positions. Courseys leadership and tremendous relationships in the northwest will be key in expanding Open Lendings presence and market share moving forward. Coursey is equally eager for his new role saying, I am extremely excited to join the Open Lending team. This organization is best in class at transcending the near and non-prime auto lending industry. I look forward to working alongside financial institutions in the West/Northwest and providing the platform that will allow them to approve more auto loans. Open Lendings president and CEO, John Flynn, reiterates Beards and Courseys many strengths stating, Both have extensive backgrounds in the automotive industry and bring a wealth of knowledge and information to the company. We are glad to have them on board. ABOUT OPEN LENDING, LLC Open Lending, LLC works exclusively with automotive lenders by providing loan analytics, risk-based pricing, risk modeling and automated decision technology. Based in Austin, Texas, the company serves more than 400 financial institutions nationwide. Through its proprietary technology, the Lenders Protection Program, financial institutions leverage powerful tools and customized analytics to underwrite direct and indirect loan approval decisions in seconds. Lenders are empowered to increase near and non-prime automotive loan volumes and yields with the protection of A-rated insurance carriers, preventing additional risk to their loan portfolio. Founded in 2000, Lenders Protection, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Open Lending, LLC. Over the past five days, Syrian opposition forces have gained ground in northwest Syria with the help of Turkish air support. Since December, Syrian government forces backed by Russia and Iran have advanced on the northwest province of Idlib, the last stronghold of the Turkish-backed opposition. But after last week, Turkey deployed dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones), as well as heavy artillery in the area, and opposition factions managed to take back some territory. Opposition commanders told Al Jazeera their forces took control over a number of villages in the area of Jabal al-Zawiya in southern Idlib province, stopping the advance of government forces towards the M4 highway, linking Latakia to Aleppo. According to Yousef Hamoud, spokesperson of the opposition Syrian National Army, the fighters arrived on Monday on the outskirts of the city of Kafranbel, which was taken by government forces on February 25. In the east, after the opposition took back the town of Saraqeb and the government lost control over the strategic M5 highway linking Damascus to Aleppo. 200227211119672 Hamoud said government forces with new reinforcements of Iran-backed militias and Russian regular forces and mercenaries have launched a counter-offensive and managed to enter Saraqebs eastern neighbourhoods. The Russian defence ministry said in a statement posted on its Facebook page that it has deployed Russian military police units to the city. Another opposition commander told Al Jazeera clashes in Saraqeb continue, but rebels were holding their ground with the support of Turkish drones. On Sunday, Turkey announced it was launching operation Spring Shield targeting Syrian government forces in northwest Syria, but opposition commanders told Al Jazeera the actual offensive started as early as Thursday and intensified after the killing of 34 Turkish soldiers in southern Idlib. On Saturday, a deadline given by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad to withdraw from areas it had taken over in northwest Syria since December expired. A game-changer Although Turkey has supported the Syrian opposition in its fight against the Syrian government, this is the first time it has deployed UAVs in the battle against Damascus. That along with air raids by fighter jets flying along the Syrian-Turkish border and heavy artillery has changed significantly the dynamics on the ground. Turkish drones flying over Syrian airspace is a tactical game-changer, said Can Kasapoglu, director of Security and Defence Studies Program at Istanbul-based think-tank EDAM. There are some high grounds and some choke points that can change the overall military balance [such as] Saraqeb, Neirab, Atarib. Turkish drone power can make a tactical difference in these flashpoints of the Syrian [war], he explained. 200228164901966 According to Kasapoglu, Turkey had previously used armed drones in Syria during its 2018 operation Olive Branch against the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG). But this is the first time the Turkish army has used its Turkish-made ANKA-S and Bayraktar-TB2 on such a scale and with such intensity, he said. In his estimate, dozens of UAVs have been deployed. The drones have not only hit positions and convoys of the Syrian government forces and its allies along the front line, but they have also penetrated deep into Damascus-controlled areas and reportedly targeted military airports near the cities of Aleppo and Hama. According to Kasapolgu, they also managed to destroy a number of anti-aircraft systems the Syrian government deployed. On Monday, the Turkish news agency Anadolu quoted the Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as saying that Turkish forces destroyed two Syrian Su-24 fighter jets, two drones, 135 tanks, and five air defence systems and neutralised more than 2,500 fighters loyal to the Syrian government. The term neutralised is used for the killing, wounding, or capturing of pro-al-Assad forces. Turkish drones have also successfully targeted high-ranking officers in both Syrian government forces and allied militias. Sources told Al Jazeera Arabic that on Saturday at least 10 high-ranking commanders of the Syrian governments forces and its ally, Hezbollah, were killed by a Turkish drone while meeting near the town of Zerba in southern Aleppo province. In a separate incident, in the Talhia area near the town of Taftinaz, at least nine Hezbollah fighters were killed along with dozens of others from militias supported by Iran, as well as a number of Syrian soldiers and officers, Lebanese media reported. Turkey has confirmed the downing of one of its drones. The Syrian news agency SANA reported at least three have been shot down. Erdogan-Putin summit Although the Turkish drone power has enabled the Syrian opposition to launch a counter-offensive against the Syrian government and stop its advance, it may not be enough to change significantly the status quo on the ground in northwest Syria. Assad lost the psychological advantage after the deployment of the Turkish drones and artillery. The regime forces cannot fight under such fire, which temporarily paralysed them, said Kirill Semenov, a Moscow-based Middle East analyst. But its unlikely that the opposition will be able to re-capture the positions it lost. He expressed doubt about the numbers of casualties and destroyed military assets released by the Turkish ministry and said al-Assads losses are big but not critical. 200301183652600 One of the factors that seems to have enabled the Turkish drone-led offensive has been Russias decreased military activity in the northwest. A Syrian opposition commander confirmed to Al Jazeera that Russian air raids have been relatively few over the past few days. Last week, pro-Iranian media has accused Moscow of effectively abandoning Syrian government forces and Iranian militias on the Saraqeb front line. According to Semenov, Russia and Turkey have an agreement, according to which the Turkish army can use drones over the de-escalation zone in Idlib, which is why Russian forces have avoided taking action against them. It is also possible that Russia wanted to avoid a major escalation with Turkey at this point, he added. The Turkish government has also been explicit in its public rhetoric, saying it will target only Syrian regime forces and avoid a confrontation with Russia. Kasapolgu pointed out the Turkish army has focused its artillery and drone power on the front in eastern Idlib, where Syrian government forces and Iranian militias have been fighting; at the same time, the offensive has been less intensive in the south where the Russian-backed Fifth Division has been deployed. The deployment of Russian military police to Saraqeb, however, could force the Turkish army to hold back on its fire. These developments come as Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Moscow on March 5 to discuss the situation in Syria. In recent weeks, there have been multiple meetings between Turkish and Russian delegations and phone calls between members of the two governments. According to Marwan Kabalan, the director of policy analysis at the Arab Centre for Research and Policy in Doha, Qatar, with its latest escalation in Syria, Turkey wants to pressure Russia into a new deal on northwest Syria before the March 5 meeting. The Turks are going to the summit with a much stronger position on the ground than they had a few days ago, he said. My understanding is that the Russians and the Turks will reach a new deal. In his view, Ankara is afraid of the Syrian government taking over the M4 and M5 highways and leaving a small strip of land for the three million displaced Syrians devoid of economic prospects and infrastructure, effectively turning it into another Gaza that would have to be financially supported by the Turkish government. For this reason, Erdogan will likely pressure Putin to agree to a new de-escalation zone and a joint administration of the M4 and M5 highways, Kabalan said. If such agreement is reached, the Turkish offensive will likely subside after March 5, he added. Follow Mariya Petkova on Twitter: @mkpetkova Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), the India chapter of global Peoples Health Movement (PHM), has accused government hospitals of serious legal and ethical violations in the aftermath of Delhi violence. In a report released on Monday, JSA, a network of organisations, including NGOs working in the area of health, women's organisations, peoples' science organisations, service delivery networks and trade unions, asked the state government to put a series of emergency care and follow-up healthcare services to avoid such lapses in future. The report titled "The Role of Health Systems in Responding to Communal Violence in Delhi" on March 2, highlights the challenges faced by victims in accessing and seeking healthcare during the violence and in its aftermath and the urgent steps that the Delhi government needs to take to ensure that the system plays a constructive role in helping survivors heal from trauma and get justice. According to the report, far from providing healing from the trauma that victims have faced, the public health system itself has ended up inflicting secondary trauma through acts of commission and omission. The report documents the inability of the injured to reach healthcare facilities during the violence; in many instances mobs prevented ambulances from reaching hospitals. "This was compounded by a deep-seated sense of fear and insecurity in government-run hospital institutions that took root among the injured and their families. Eventually private and charitable health institutions became the port of first call for injured Persons," it said. It also alleged that instead of being co-operative, hospitals have been withholding information and instead asking families to go from ward to ward, and room to room to check if their missing family members are admitted. Injured persons who did reach government hospitals such as Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital reported feeling intimidated by police presence in the premises given that several reports indicate the direct role played by the police themselves in the violence. The dismal level of care reported by some injured persons included negligent care where treatment was provided hurriedly; patients were discharged without proper treatment and sent back to areas where violence was continuing. The report noted that a common reason for denial of care was the lack of a Medico-legal Case (MLC) number and treatment record being provided to injured persons. "No record of injuries or treatment were given to families. In many cases, no details of history were recorded - such as where the violence took place, with what weapon, who the assailant was etc. Injuries were recorded in a cursory manner and some gross injuries such as fractures were not recorded at all. At the community level, the violence has led to large-scale displacement of families; access to routine treatment for chronic illnesses has been disrupted. In areas that saw the most violence Mohalla clinics do not exist and primary healthcare centres in some are lying shut since the violence started," it points out. Terming it as an apparent abdication of the government in its responsibility in providing emergency and follow-up healthcare services, JSA called for station-hospital liaisons in all government hospitals attending to injured persons to intervene if they or their families are facing issues in accessing care or treatment records. It wanted the establishment of a toll free number for people to report instances of denial for treatment/admission for quick and appropriate action. It asked the government to issue written orders to public and private hospitals to ensure injured people are not denied care or treatment records including MLC records. Operationalisation of primary healthcare services at all affected areas through Mohalla clinics or Urban PHCs, posting of paediatricians, gynaecologists and surgeons in such centres, availability of surgical facilities, mobile vans for affected areas and a team of medics and paramedics to provide healthcare outreach and referral services to injured people were the other demands. The documentation of the health systems response happened after the communal violence engulfed several localities of North-East Delhi since 24 February 2020. It documents the first-hand experience of JSA volunteers that have been on the ground since February 25 as well as accounts of injured persons and their families. Also read: Delhi violence: Schools in North-East Delhi to remain closed till March 7, exams postponed Also read: Delhi violence: Justice Muralidhar who slammed Delhi Police, transferred Morning broke on Monday, and, with the news that Pete Buttigieg has dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary, it apparently became smart to say that the race is now between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden and no one else. Heres a dissenting view: Thats absurd! Forty-six states have yet to vote, including the 22 most populous states; 96.1 percent(!) of the convention delegates that Democrats will vote to award remain unawarded. As Bidens performance in South Carolina shows, a candidates narrative momentum can be reversed in a single day. No one is out of the race until they are out of the race. Advertisement One of the other people who are still in the race, fatalistic over-extrapolation of very recent trends aside, is Elizabeth Warren. If you are a Democrat and polls are correct, you would probably be OK with her becoming the nominee. It might also be relevant to you that shes not a nearly 80-year-old man who has recently experienced heart problems, evident cognitive decline, or being embarrassed by Elizabeth Warren on national television. So why not vote for herwhich, again, if polls and on-the-ground reporting are correct, is probably something youve already considered doing? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That this feels like a contrarian thing to suggestvoting for the famously well-prepared presidential candidate to be president, as a hot takegets at Warrens weird status as a public figure. Since she came to prominence in the Obama years, her real reputation and identity havent changed at all, as far as most Democrats are concerned: Shes an advocate for public accountability and an enemy of unethical corporate executives. More or less via force of will alone, sheas a private citizen!created an entire new arm of the government that protects consumers and borrowers and helped make sure that the Troubled Asset Relief Program (i.e., the bank bailout) wasnt a boondoggle. As a senator, she shamed the rest of the government into holding Wells Fargo accountable for some of its many crimes. As a candidate, she has laid out ambitious but practically achievable ideas for a department of public integrity and a system of day care subsidies, just to name two of many. Advertisement Advertisement Despite this consistency, her candidacy has been a roller coasternot of accomplishments and defeats, or of sudden shifts in positions and style, but of meta-indecisiveness regarding her perceived potential strength in an election that is still eight months off. In a race that has been defined by voters changing their minds about who could best persuade other voters to vote against Donald Trump, she has been extra-volatile. Advertisement For years before she even entered the race and for months thereafter, there was concern that Trump would caricature and destroy Warren by belittling her past claims of Native American ancestry, or that she would be perceived as too leftist, angry, or nonmale for the general electorate. So despite being one of her partys most well-known, enthusiasm-inspiring figures, she launched her campaign with little support from her peers, and her poll numbers stayed in the single digits for months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From summer through early fall of 2019, though, she rose steadily to become a front-runner. This surge coincided with a heap of positive if backhanded profiles that basically asked why she wasnt doing better, given how appealing her platform seemed to be and how evident her level of competence was. Why not support Warren, the media asked, and voters, as if embarrassed that they couldnt think of a good reason, started doing it. For a while, her nerdy enthusiasm became cause for affection rather than charisma-related concern, and her tenaciousness became an asset for taking on Trump rather than a shrill thing. Her age and gender turned into attributes that would help seal a connection with rank-and-file female voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But when Warrens advocacy of single-payer health care got hammered in debates and ads, her support dropped once again. According to voter interviews and polls, it was not necessarily single payer itself that was the problemexit polls in each of the four states that have voted so far have found majority-or-greater support for Medicare for All among Democratsbut the perception that her stance on the issue made her too polarizing for other people. Her careful, defensive debate performances and introduction of a hedged phase-in M4A plan succeeded only in helping other candidates. Sanders got a bump among voters who arent worried about how polarizing his agenda may be. On the other end, Pete Buttigiegwhod done a full heel turn away from his own support of Medicare for All to describe it as an attack on freedomand Amy Klobuchar picked up Warren supporters with messages of inclusion and compromise that were as much responses to Warrens popularity (especially in Buttigiegs case) as they were authentic original positions. Michael Bloomberg swept into the picture on a wave of money, voter panic, and the perception that an omni-capable no-nonsense persona would provide the best possible contrast with Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, in Las Vegas, Warren showed everyone what being capable and nonsense-averse can look like in the heat of a campaign. It was probably the best single performance by any candidate in any of the 11,000 debates that have been held, and in another indication of her campaigns solid fundamentals, it helped her raise nearly $3 million from small donors in a day. But she lost Nevada badly, got nowhere in South Carolina, and is fourth in national polls. Theres a clear front-runner (Sanders) and a clear challenger (Biden). So the morning before Super Tuesday, the take writers assume that its too late to bother voting for her. Her time has passed. Right? Or maybe its just time to ask this: Which Democrat would one most want as president making decisions about, lets say, how to handle a viral pandemic? The 78-year-old to whom the big picture is more important than the details, or the 77-year-old who literally cannot remember details any longer? Or the person whose entire thing is being prepared to handle complicated problems? Advertisement Maybe you think Bernie Sanders broad message and proven power to inspire young voters are what the next president most needs to guide the nation with confidence into a more humane future. Maybe you sincerely believe Joe Bidens commitment to positivity and his long-standing institutional connections are essential to stabilize and rebuild a collapsing political system. Great! Those arent terrible reasons to make your choice, all things considered, if you want to choose those particular people. But if you believe Warren would do the best job of leading the country through its multiple interlocking crises, you still have the chance to give her that job. Advertisement Advertisement Dont end up like this guy whom Slates Jeremy Stahl interviewed in Nevada: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gustav Lukban and Carmelita Lukban, who sat in the back of the five-sixths empty outdoor amphitheater, both had already caucused early. They had voted for Buttigieg, with Warren as their second choice. It was pretty close, Gustav said. I kind of second-guessed myself after I went with Pete. I was thinking, Warren really was my first choice, but at the last minute I switched. Gustav Lukban voted for a candidate who dropped out before 96 percent of the votes were counted because hed become convinced that that candidate was more likely to win than the one he wished would win. That is a self-checkmate. Gustav Lukban played himself. Dont play yourself! If other people dont like the candidate you like, let them vote that way on their own time. Its still too early to give anyone else control over your vote. Aspire to full participation in a political system where whatever the most people ask for is what they get. A democracy, if you will. Will you? A married nursery worker who had sex with a boy, 13, and had his baby sent the teen 'I love you' messages on WhatsApp, a court has been told. It is alleged that Leah Cordice, of Windsor, Berkshire, first seduced the boy by pulling down his trousers while he was playing video games. Since then, the 20-year-old had met up with the boy twice a month for sex, the jury at Reading Crown Court heard. Married nursery worker Leah Cordice, of Windsor, Berkshire, who had sex with a boy, 13, and had his baby sent the teen 'I love you' messages on WhatsApp, a court has been told She allegedly gave him 'little treats' like money for fish and chips to keep him sweet so the affair could continue. Cordice also sent the boy messages complaining that he did not speak to her enough and she thought his new social media picture looked 'cute'. Her husband had found out what was going on and shouted at the boy but the affair continued, prosecutors claimed. It is alleged that Cordice first seduced the boy by pulling down his trousers while he was playing video games Cordice became pregnant with what a DNA test would later confirm was the child's daughter. The boy was the first person she told about the pregnancy, the court heard. Grace Ong, summarising the case for the prosecution in a closing speech, said: 'She was going around to the home address and staying and she was trusted to do so by the boy's mother. 'Sometimes the boy's mother had to work late. There was undoubtedly the opportunity for this to take place. 'She gave him 10 to buy fish and chips. You may think that this is her giving him little treats as part of their ongoing sexual relationship. 'Leah Cordice wanted to see the boy, she wanted to strike up conversation with him. She was concerned that he was not really talking to her.' In her defence, Cordice had claimed sexual activity only occurred because she had been continually raped by the boy over a period of just over a year. However, the prosecution said she sent him messages vying for his attention and questioned why she would have done that if the rape claim were true. Reading from WhatsApp messages between the pair, Ms Ong told the court that Cordice had said to the boy: 'I want to talk to you. I want a conversation. 'You do not talk to me. You just always take blunt with me. I just want our friendship back. Cordice, 20, had met up with the boy twice a month for sex, the jury at Reading Crown Court heard 'Your profile picture is cute by the way. It is cute.' A witness, the boy's father, had also told the jury how they had seen a message from Cordice to the boy saying 'I love you, I love you'. Rumours about Cordice sleeping with an underage boy had been circulating around her friendship group. The jury heard her former best friend give evidence about what was said. After being arrested when the boy's mother raised the alarm, Cordice had refused a police offer of a DNA test on her daughter during her first interview, the jury was told. The DNA test was only carried out after an order from the family court and it concluded that it was 14 million times more likely than not that the boy was the father of Cordice's daughter. Cordice also sent the boy messages complaining that he did not speak to her enough and she thought his new social media picture looked 'cute' Cordice had denied the boy was the father of her child and did not mention being raped until she submitted her defence case statement in court, the jury of seven men and five women was told. She had since accepted the boy was the father, but said he raped her. Cordice's defence lawyer, Tara McCarthy, had cross-examined the boy on his version that Cordice had had consensual sex with him, beginning in January 2017. According to the prosecutor, the boy, who was still underage, had said: 'I am just going to sit down now because you are putting suggestions to me which I just do not agree with.' Cordice, who sat in Reading Crown Court, denied five counts of sexual activity with a child, three which were said to have taken place while she was aged 17 years and two while she was 18 years old Ms Ong said: 'Is this the kind of person who is a violent rapist, as Leah Cordice would have you believe? 'This case you may think is about, unfortunately, a manipulative liar. That manipulative liar is Leah Cordice. 'She did not lie because she was scared of getting the boy into trouble, she did not lie because of her husband, because he already knew she was having sex with the complainant. 'But she has lied to you, members of the jury. In doing so, she has accused the complainant of what is a horrendous crime against her, of a 13 and 14 year old boy committing rape.' Cordice, who sat in court, denied five counts of sexual activity with a child, three which were said to have taken place while she was aged 17 years and two while she was 18 years old. The trial continues. One person has been shot and at least 30 others are being held hostage after a shooting at a shopping mall in Manila, Philippines on Monday (March 2). The shooter, believed to be a disgruntled security guard, opened fire at the V-Mall in the San Juan City area of Metro Manila shortly before noon. He is said to be carrying firearms and a grenade. Police said that the hostages were employees and they were being held inside an admin office in the building. SWAT teams are now surrounding the building. Eastern Police District director Brigadier General Johnson Almazan said several gunshots were heard. While San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said that at least one person had been shot and was rushed to hospital. ''We are currently negotiating with this person,'' Zamora said. Andrew Brunson: US 'increasingly hostile' to Christianity; following Jesus will come at personal risk Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment NASHVILLE American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was imprisoned for his faith in Turkey for two years, warned that being a Christian in the U.S. may soon come with great personal risk as the culture becomes increasingly hostile to believers. "There is a price to following Jesus," said Brunson told hundreds gathered at the National Religious Broadcasters Christian Media Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, last week. "There is a price in other countries. We hear about that. But increasingly, I think that there will be a price to be paid here." According to Brunson, the media, political, the business classes, most of academia are becoming increasingly hostile to those who identify publicly with Jesus Christ and with His teaching. "I feel a sense of urgency in my heart for this generation in my country, the pastor stressed. I feel it especially for my children's generation that they're not prepared to stand. I'm not sure that everyone in this room is ready to stand for Jesus without apology." We need to prepare ourselves now. We need to make decisions now about our commitment to Jesus because otherwise, the natural tendency when difficulty comes is to fear. And when were afraid, the natural instinct is to run away, is to compromise. It is normal to be afraid, he added. The issue is, will you stand in spite of your fear? Will you remain faithful? In the end, people are going to pay a price for the sake of the Gospel. Overseas, yes, but also here ... there is a cost to following Jesus. Brunson, a Christian missionary who lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, was taken into custody by Turkish officials along with his wife, Norine, in October 2016. Norine was released soon after, but Brunson was thrown in prison, accused of plotting to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government. Following two years in detention, Brunson was released last October after the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the country. Brunson shared details about his imprisonment in Turkey, revealing he experienced a crisis of faith while in detention. I was actually very afraid, he admitted. The issue, actually, is what we do when were afraid. There are things to be afraid of. Despite severe persecution, Brunson said he believes God is moving powerfully in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern regions. I believe that millions of Muslims will begin to follow Jesus Christ, he said. What God has shown us is that this powerful move will come in difficult circumstances. God allows the things of the foundations we trust in to be shaken to get our attention. He allows it in our country, and He allows it in other places. There is going to be a harvest in the most dangerous and the most difficult places, and this means that there is risk to those who are going to gather the harvest in those places. Many young Muslims now have access to the Gospel thanks to the rise of smartphones, Brunson explained. The wind of God is going to sweep through that area and many are going to turn to the Lord. Whos going to follow them up? Who is going to disciple them? A lot of that is going to have to be done through media until churches can be established in those places. The pastor warned that if we dont stand here, this will have repercussions far beyond the U.S. If the U.S. hurdles in the darkness, there will be grave consequences for many other countries because the U.S. has been one of the main mission-setting basis in the world, he said. Great blessing has flowed from the American church to other countries. So the choices we make that we make here now will have consequences both for us here, for our generations here, but also or the coming generations and for many others around the world. What will motivate us to stand? he asked. The answer is found in the First Commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is what fuels endurance, what fuels perseverance, he said. Loving God, he declared, also means standing for God, and intentionally pursuing Gods heart positions us to receive assignments from Him. "He is worthy and He is worth it," the pastor concluded. In the end, you will never regret whatever you place at risk because of your love for God." The Assam government on Monday proposed to change the name of Gauhati Municipal Corporation to Guwahati Municipal Corporation to remove "dissimilarity and dichotomy" between English and Assamese script. Introducing The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Assam Assembly, the Guwahati Development Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya said that 'Guwahati' instead of 'Gauhati' is used in numerous rules and bylaws framed under the original Gauhati Municipal Corporation Act, 1969. "There is apparent dissimilarity and dichotomy in the same prefix in their English versus Assamese letters/script. The people residing in the state are entitled as a matter of right to call, depict, use and refer to the name of state capital 'Guwahati' without any lingual distortion," he said. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2020 will correct the nomenclature of 'Gauhati' used in the principal Act, which is the Gauhati Municipal Corporation Act, 1969, Bhattacharya said in the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill. The tabled Bill also sought to amend that the State Election Commissioner will conduct the municipal polls instead of the Commissioner of GMC. "With the seventy-fourth amendment of the Constitution of India in 1992 (with effect from June 1, 1993), this power now is vested upon the State Election Commission," the minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's auto industry continued facing the heat of low demand as passenger vehicle sales declined in February, at a time when automakers are readying for the transition to BS-VI emission standards as the new fiscal year approaches. The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on March 1 reported a 1.1 percent decline in sales at 1,47,110 units. The company's domestic sales dropped 1.6 percent to 1,36,849 units. Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) reported a 42 percent decline in total sales at 32,476 units in February. In the domestic market, sales were down 42 percent to 30,637 units. Tata Motors reported a decline of 34 percent in domestic sales at 38,002 units in February. Eicher Motors' February total commercial vehicle sales declined 29.2 percent to 4,439 units while total domestic CV sales of the company fell 27.4 percent to 3,875 units. February automobile sales were expected to remain subdued as the industry races towards BS-VI transition as the new fiscal year starts on April 1, 2020. Experts are of the view that once the transition is completed and the health of the economy improves, automakers will begin upward climb. Brokerage firm Motilal Oswal Financial Services gave buy recommendations on Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Eicher Motors after they released their February sales numbers. Automakers have shown remarkable strength to fight the plethora of headwinds which has been aggravated by the outbreak of coronavirus. Veejay Ram Nakra, Mahindra & Mahindra's Chief of Sales and Marketing, Automotive Division, said: "The ramp-down of BS-IV vehicle production has been in line with our plan for February. However, because of the unforeseeable challenges on the parts-supply from China, our BS-VI ramp-up has been affected." "This has resulted in a high de-growth in our billing volume for February and our dealer inventory is, now, under 10 days. Going into March, we anticipate the challenge on parts-supply to continue for another few weeks, before we get back to normalcy, he said. Girish Wagh, President, CV Business Unit, Tata Motors expressed similar views after the release of February sales numbers. "We are on track for the BS-VI migration, with BS-IV stocks being consumed as per plan and BS-VI production initiated. The supply disruptions from the COVID-19 outbreak in China could have some impact on the BS-VI transition and all efforts are underway to mitigate it," he said. "Our BS-IV vehicle stock is well below the targeted level, we are well placed for the BS-VI transition and with the strong customer interest in the NEW FOREVER portfolio and a step up in market activation, we are confident of improving our market competitiveness and volume growth in the coming months," said Mayank Pareek, President, PV Business Unit, Tata Motors. Disclaimer: 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. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Its finally upon us. The week when ministers from the oil producing countries of OPEC and their allies meet to decide on the future of their latest round of output cuts. Having failed to persuade Russia to bring the meeting forward, Saudi Arabia will now hope to convince its biggest non-OPEC ally of the need to make deeper cuts in the face of a demand slump triggered by the Covid-19 virus. Success is not a foregone conclusion and failure will be costly. The looming pandemic has already made its mark on oil markets. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude is now firmly below $50 a barrel and global benchmark Brent briefly followed it on Friday. That is uncomfortable territory for producers everywhere and, without a clear indication of deeper output cuts from this weeks meetings, prices will fall further. As the virus spreads, locking down Italys industrial heartland and prompting Switzerland to ban large gatherings, producers appear to be clinging to overly optimistic demand assessments. OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo, speaking at a conference in Saudi Arabia last week, said that in spite of the new coronavirus, the worlds thirst for energy will continue to grow. While that may be true for energy as a whole, it may not be for oil demand this year if there isnt a quick rebound. Assessments from the three main forecasting agencies still show 2020 oil demand growth running close to a million barrels a day, but that now looks very optimistic. By contrast, veteran energy consultants FGE cut their forecast for growth this year to almost zero. They base their pessimism on the ripple effects of the virus beyond China, where traffic volumes in affected cities have already slumped, according to data from the TomTom Traffic Index. Measured in terms of how much longer journeys take than they would on empty roads, live data show that traffic volumes in Beijing are still well below normal levels, even as the city is reportedly returning to work. Story continues In Wuhan, center of the epidemic in China, there is no such uptick; economic activity remains severely curtailed. But this is no longer just a Chinese problem. The economic impact of the spread of the virus to other parts of the world is clear. Four-week average jet fuel demand in the U.S. has dropped by 18% in the past 10 weeks. Airlines are cutting flight schedules and passenger numbers have collapsed. An acquaintance of mine flew back from Australia last weekend on a plane he reckons was only about one-third full. As people have second thoughts about getting on flights if theres no guarantee those around them arent infected, flight schedules will almost certainly be cut further, with obvious implications for fuel demand. Consultants JBC Energy have cut global demand growth for the fuel to just 50,000 barrels a day this year, little more than a third of what they saw a month ago. And those TomTom figures show the impact of the virus on traffic in Milan after its discovery in northern Italy. Morning rush-hour journey times have been cut by a quarter, as fewer cars clog the roads. A similar pattern is emerging in OPEC nation Kuwait, where the virus has spread from neighboring Iran. Any hopes that demand will rebound last this year in a robust enough way to offset the first-half slump are built on shaky foundations. The flights that have been cancelled are gone, not postponed. The road trips not made this week wont be made up in future weeks. Traffic may return to normal levels once the virus is brought under control, but there wont be a surge beyond that from pent-up demand. This is the situation that will face the oil ministers of the 23 nations in OPEC+ later this week. They need a credible plan that will take actual barrels off the market, even if Russia balks at making further cuts. Its compliance has been poor, but Saudi Arabia seems willing to accept that in return for the perception of added clout that it thinks Russias presence at the table brings. I have no doubt that an agreement will be hammered out in Vienna or via a virtual meeting if the gathering is cancelled. (There are no signs yet that it will be, though OPEC continues to monitor the situation in Vienna). The cost of failure is too great. It would leave the market vulnerable to a short-term swing below $30 a barrel, analysts Emily Ashford and Paul Horsnell from Standard Chartered said in a report. Oil traders will remain hard to convince that producers are doing enough, or reacting quickly enough. Saudi Arabias oil supplies to China are set to fall by a third in March as demand withers. The kingdom is pressing OPEC+ producers to agree to collective production cut of an additional 1 million barrels a day even that may no longer be enough. To contact the author of this story: Julian Lee at jlee1627@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at mpozsgay@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg. Previously he worked as a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies. 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. The 'Monday effect' -- that letdown of returning to work after a weekend -- along with other factors may lead to longer times between ordering and shipping, and more errors in order fulfilment, according to a study. Researchers, including those from Lehigh University in the US, found that process interruptions that occur when operations are shut down over the weekend, along with human factors like the "Monday blues," hurt supply chain performance on Mondays. The study, published in the journal Information Systems Research, is the first to look at the impact of the "Monday Effect" on supply chains, the sequence of processes that move a product or service from creation to customer. The researchers used a dataset of more than 800,000 transaction records gathered during a 12-month period from the US General Services Administration to look at variations in operations performance by days of the week. They also analysed order and fulfilment data from one of the largest supermarket chains in China. The team, including researchers from the University of Maryland and University of California, San Diego in the US, found the "Monday Effect" was prevalent and significant. For example, time between receipt of a purchase order and shipping is 9.68 per cent longer on Mondays than other weekdays, on average, said Oliver Yao, a professor at Lehigh University. Mondays, it turns out, are subject to both process- and human-related impacts, said Yao. The researchers noted that weekends create bottlenecks at distribution centres that are tackled on Mondays as orders are processed, picked, staged and shipped to customers. Humans completing processing activities are impacted by adjusting to returning to work, more prone to errors and less efficient, they said. Most supply chain managers are unaware of this impact, but they can take steps to counteract the "Monday Effect", Yao said. The most effective way to reduce the Monday performance gap, the researchers explained, is integrating technology solutions, such as automated order processing systems. Yao found using electronic markets can improve Monday performance by as much as 90 per cent. For example, technology reduces the Monday performance gap by 94 per cent in order-to-shipping time, 71 per cent in complete orders fulfilled, and 80 per cent in the portion of shipments that have incorrect numbers of products, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI LAHORE: Pakistan will request the British government to deport Nawaz Sharif, a senior official said while alleging that the "absconding" former prime minister was playing a "fixed match" regarding his illness while in London. Casting doubts on the illness of the 70-year-old three-time former prime minister, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan said Sharif has neither undergone any heart surgery nor was he admitted to hospital for any emergency during the last three months. Sharif left for London in November last for treatment after the Lahore High Court allowed him to go abroad on medical grounds for four weeks. ALSO READ: Punjab government refuses to extend bail granted to Nawaz Sharif for treatment abroad According to Sharif's physician, the top leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is suffering from complex multi-vessel coronary artery disease and substantial ischemic and threatened myocardium for which he is due to undergo surgery. But Awan said, "It is time to bring back the VIP prisoner who is having a lavish stay abroad." "The government has decided in principle to write a letter this week to the British government, seeking deportation of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, as he is an absconder not fulfilling the terms and conditions of the bail granted to him on medical grounds," she on Sunday. She said Sharif left for London on November 19 last year for his treatment but was yet to be admitted to a hospital there, indicating that "it was a fixed match played by him, his party and a section of the media on his health", paving the way for his departure to London. Awan claimed that Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz had gone to London to protect the businesses of their children. "Nawaz faked his health condition," she alleged. Last week, the Punjab government refused to extend Sharif's bail, declaring that it had found no "legal, moral or medical ground" necessitating an extension in his stay abroad. The Lahore High Court had, in October last year, granted bail to Sharif on medical grounds for four weeks, allowing the Punjab government to extend it further in the light of his medical reports. The Islamabad High Court had also granted bail to Sharif in the Al Azizia Mills corruption case, in which the former prime minister was serving a seven-year jail term, clearing his way to travel abroad for medical treatment. PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal said if Sharif decided to return to the country, the Imran Khan government will request him not to come. He said the PML-N chief will challenge the government's decision not to give him extension in his stay abroad in the court shortly. PML-N Punjab information secretary Azma Bokhari told PTI that if Pakistan wrote to the British government for Sharif's deportation, the PML-N would also write to the US government seeking opening of a case against Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding his ("illegitimate") child. She said Sharif was seriously ill and had heart-related complications, adding that the former prime minister was going to have a heart procedure shortly. "Prime Minister Khan and his team should stop playing on the health of Sharif and concentrate on governance matters instead," Bokhari said. Two fashion-focused stories spanning 40 years hit the runway stage in "Everything You Touch, the new dramedy at Theatre Vertigo. Imaginative, ambitious and yes, a tad fabulous the struggle to stitch these tales together turns into a two-hour Make It Work moment that just doesnt. Ultimately, the play leaves you with that same disappointment you feel after spending an afternoon trying on separates at Target: You want stronger construction and a better fit. In contemporary New York City, mussed and frumpy millennial coder Jess (Kaia Maarja Hillier) takes a road trip to see her dying mother in Arkansas. On her personal style runway, Jess recognizes she's fashion roadkill. Much of her journey is internal. Jess is finally confronting years of childhood fat shaming from her mother, Esme (Adriana Gantzer), who proves the devil probably wears Chico's. Esme bought chic duds for her daughter but in a size too small to encourage her to lose weight. Jess's travel companion is a ghost, vision or snack-induced hallucination of her dead father, Victor (Aaron Cooper Swor). The second set of scenes flashback to Victor and Esme's fraught relationship in the East Village in the early 1970s. He was a chain-smoking, vainglorious, emerging designer. Esme was his muse, who sparked his inspiration, took all his boorishness and never received a scrap of credit. After a failed spring collection, Esme pushes the designer to do an edgy, military-themed show evoking the Vietnam War. But Victor yearns for mainstream success. He picks another muse, right from Middle America, usurping Esme from his loft and their life. Esme and Victor's multi-textured, colorful thread is the most compelling aspect of "Everything You Touch." Fashion shows punctuate their story. And the looks are dazzling replications of the era, which is pretty impressive considering the small theater company is conjuring couture on a sample sale budget. But then theres Jesss story. For the most part, her road trip with Victor remains a glib, front-seat philosophical parlay that grates and chafes worse than 10-year-old Spanx. Only in the final scene does her narrative begin to cohesively coordinate with the previous 95 minutes. As if knowing she needed to goose-up her heroine's journey, playwright Sheila Callaghan added The Models. The trio of mannequins, played by Wimberley Marshall, Jess Perry and Justin Charles, function as sort of a photo-ready chorus. The Models follow Jess everywhere, becoming bartenders, drinking buddies even furniture. Beyond the savvy practicality of turning people into moving set pieces, The Models also cleverly and wittily humanize Callaghan's themes of objectification and commodification in the fashion industry. The play's bigger body-positive message of empowerment, though, comes off rough and workmanlike, disparate pattern pieces messily pinned together, raw seams and hems badly showing. - Kaia Maarja Hillier as Jess and Aaron Cooper Swor as Victor in "Everything You Touch," running through March 28, 2020, at Theatre Vertigo in Portland.Sleeper Studios Strengths: Dont know a DVF wrap dress from a Vera Wang wedding gown? No worries. The play is packed with enough off-catwalk intrigue to suit non-fashionistas. And that includes those Portlanders who insist that "socks and slides" is an acceptable winter footwear look. As the dueling design duo, Gantzer and Swor dig deep into the gritty, cruel realities behind the glamorous facade of their dream-weaving profession. Weaknesses: Callaghan was a longtime writer and executive producer for the hilarious hit series Shameless. So why isnt this funnier? Example: A monologue where Jess catalogs everything on her path to self-improvement rambles off the rails into dead air. Maybe we Portlanders have been spoiled by the-filmed-in-our-city Hulu series Shrill, which, in tight, 30-minute episodes, better balances just about everything Callaghan tries to juggle. Including laughs. Memorable moments: Director Jessie Hirschhorn stages Victors fashion shows with oodles of attitude and quite a few wearable pieces two camel hair cape-coats come to mind from costumes she and Maarja Hillier created. Takeaway: Pink and orange. Brown shoes and a black belt. Helena Bonham Carter and a well-styled red carpet look. Like the mismatched, fragmented parts constituting Everything You Touch, some things just never quite come together the way we hope. *** Everything You Touch " When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through March 28. Where: Theatre Vertigo at the Shoebox Theatre, 2110 S.E. 10th Ave. Tickets: $10-$20, theatrevertigo.org or 503-482-8655. Lee Williams, special to The Oregonian/OregonLive Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha on Monday as opposition members vehemently protested over the issue of violence in Delhi and demanded resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. As soon as the House met at 2 pm, opposition members started raising slogans from the Well against the government. They then went into the area of treasury benches carrying a black banner, which demanded Shah's resignation, as Speaker Om Birla continued with proceedings of the House. This angered many BJP members, including many from back benches, to rush towards the Congress members. Members from both sides then began pushing and shoving each other following which the proceedings were first adjourned till 3 pm and then again till 4 pm. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By IANS Mumbai: In an effort to raise funds for relief efforts in bushfire-devastated Australia, Bollywood actresses Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, are selling select pieces from their personal wardrobes, starting Monday. The joint wardrobe is available for sale, which went live on Monday through Mi Wardrobe is Su Wardrobe (MiSu), Alia's closet sharing initiative for charity, on SaltScout.com. This is the seventh edition of MiSu. Earlier wardrobes have supported local initiatives such as the Liter of Light program, The Corbett Foundation, Kalote Animal Trust, Being Human - The Salman Khan Foundation and Salaam Bombay Foundation. Affecting millions of hectares of bush, forests and parks, and the health and lives of the people and the native wildlife, the fires had national repercussions and made the world stand in solidarity with the country. This latest initiative, coming from Bollywood, will help "raise funds and aid in the recovery and rehabilitation of the affected wildlife". Asked why she chose to focus on the relief efforts in Australia, Alia Bhatt said, "The bushfires were an ecological disaster and the effects can be seen well beyond Australia's geographical limits. We've all watched the news and seen the images of the animals and birds, bruised and burnt, and it's been heartbreaking. Priyanka Chopra Jonas said she is "happy to participate in this initiative that is working towards supporting the rehabilitation of animals in Australia" and that "we must keep finding ways to come together in support of this global tragedy". Sonam Kapoor Ahuja added, ' Over the last few months, unprecedented bushfires in Australia have turned forests into ashes, destroyed the habitat of the native wildlife and have brought some species closer to extinction. Many organizations are working tirelessly on the ground to rescue and rehabilitate the birds and animals - sharing my wardrobe through MiSu is another small way in which I can continue to support their efforts.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 21:04:27|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close LONDON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Negotiations to forge a new relationship between Britain and the European Union (EU) after Brexit formally started on Monday as trade expert called for creative thinking to narrow the differences between the two sides. The two parties published the negotiating position papers respectively last week, confirming that there are significant differences in aspiration between the two sides about the nature of their relationship, Amar Breckenridge, senior associate at the Frontier Economics (Europe) told Xinhua in an interview. "Superficially, both parties state their ambition to negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA)," said Breckenridge, "but they had very different ideas as to what this means." The former staff economist at the World Trade Organization (WTO) explained that the EU seeks a bespoke agreement with Britain, in view of the deep integration the two parties enjoy. By contrast, Britain's position is notable that the EU should treat it like any non-EU state with which the EU has a FTA. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for a Canada-style deal and rejected alignment with the EU on multiple occasions. In practice, Breckenridge believed Britain's position is a hybrid of the Canada model and the Swiss model. The latter consists of a series of bilateral agreements on specific matters, and Britain's position paper follows that approach on a host of issues, including fisheries, aviation, energy and civil nuclear cooperation. He pointed out that the crux of this divergence is the EU's position that Britain should abide by "level playing field requirements" as a condition for EU market access. For Britain, the expert noted that it would raise two issues, the scope of the requirements and the dispute settlement provisions. He said the latter would provide a role for the EU Court of Justice (EUCJ) to issue rulings on matters of interpretation of EU law. The British side says these two requirements are unprecedented in any FTA outside the EU single market and simply would not be countenanced by any of the EU's non-member trading partners. But the EU argues that Britain is unique and therefore requires special arrangements. "Solving this impasse is going to take a lot of creative thinking by negotiators on both sides,"said Breckenridge. The crucial question, in his judgement, is how far in practice is Britain likely to deviate materially from EU provisions in a way that "undercuts" the EU. Breckenridge suggested it would be better for both sides to address level playing field issues through a more collaborative structure. "It is indeed how jurisdictions usually work together on matters like regulation and competition policy," he said. Nicolas Maduro has appointed four new vice presidents at Venezuelas state oil firm PDVSA and a new president of the unit managing the companys relations with private foreign firms, PDVSA said on Saturday, a week after Maduro declared an energy emergency in the country. At the end of February, Maduro declared emergency for the countrys oil industry, calling for measures to ensure Venezuelas energy security. I declare an emergency situation in the oil industry by constitutional and presidential decree in order to take urgent and necessary measures to ensure the countrys energy security and protect the industry from imperialist aggression, Maduro said. According to Maduros latest orders, German Marquez becomes the new president of Corporacion Venezolana del Petroleo (CVP), the unit handling PDVSAs joint ventures with private firms. The move comes two weeks after the United States stepped up pressure on Venezuelas oil trade by sanctioning a unit of Russian oil giant Rosneft. At the beginning of February, the U.S. warned companies doing business with Venezuela, including Rosneft and even Chevron, to tread cautiously towards their activities in Venezuela, because more sanctions on Maduros regime would be coming. Two weeks later, the United States slapped sanctions on a Geneva-based trading unit of Rosneft, saying that the company Rosneft Trading has been helping Maduros regime to evade sanctions and to continue selling oil to keep the regime alive. Now the U.S. Administration is looking to further increase the pressure on Venezuelas oil industry and exports. The President has made a decision to push harder on the Venezuelan oil sector and were going to do it. And what were telling people involved in this sector is that they should get out of it, Elliott Abrams, U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela, told Reuters in an interview last week. The Trump Administration is considering whether to extend the waiver to Chevron in light of the increased sanctions pressure on Venezuela, Abrams told Reuters, but declined to comment on specifics. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Photo: iStock Missed the most recent top news in Boston? Read on for everything you need to know. Mother, daughter attacked for speaking Spanish, prosecutor says Officials filed felony hate-crime charges against two women accused of assault in a Boston neighborhood. The mother and daughter were walking home from dinner and speaking Spanish when they were attacked on the street by two women, according to prosecutors and the mother. Read the full story on The New York Times. Police seek help in search for missing 14-year-old girl Olivia Hall, 14, was last seen several days ago in the area of District Avenue in Dorchester. She has been reported missing on several other occasions in the past, according to Boston police. Read the full story on 7News - WHDH Boston. Elderly woman robbed while trying to help man she thought was overdosing The woman was robbed of her purse while trying to help a man who appeared to be overdosing, police said. Read the full story on Boston 25 News. House fire displaces 8 adults, 3 children Eight adults and three children have been displaced by a fire in a three-family home in the Hyde Park area of Boston on Saturday afternoon, according to the fire department. Read the full story on WBZ | CBS Boston. This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback. Police were in a standoff Monday with a "disgruntled" former security guard who shot at least one person and took about 30 others hostage at a shopping mall in the Philippine capital, officials said. Workers and customers were evacuated from the V-Mall shopping centre in Manila early Monday after gunshots rang out and officers wielding assault rifles rushed to the scene. "We have confirmed reports of... a hostage-taking of some of our employees by a former... security guard," the mall management said in a statement. The Philippines' malls are centres of life that include everything from restaurants and shops to churches and medical facilities. The building was full when the violence began. The mayor of the section of Manila that is home to the mall told reporters the "disgruntled" ex-guard had a pistol and claimed to have a grenade, but that had not been confirmed. "At present we are unable to determine exactly how many are inside. Our estimate is around 30 people," said San Juan city mayor Francis Zamora. He added the hostages were being held in the mall's administrative offices and at least one person was shot. The victim was rushed to hospital and was in stable condition. Witness John Paul Buenavista told AFP he saw a wounded person -- believed to be a guard at the mall -- being put into a wheelchair and whisked away. "We heard three gunshots. Then we saw people running, saying they saw someone getting shot," he said. Authorities are negotiating with the hostage taker, who has demanded to speak with other guards and the media. "We'll do our best to settle this issue peacefully," Zamora said, adding the hostage taker was upset over his treatment by his employer. Manila was the site of a high-profile 2010 hostage taking that ended in the deaths of eight tourists from Hong Kong. That day-long ordeal started when an ex-police officer, armed with an M-16 assault rifle, hijacked a bus near Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination just a few blocks from police headquarters, in a desperate bid to get his job back. Negotiations broke down after nightfall when the ex-officer began shooting passengers, prompting commandos to lob tear gas inside the bus before storming it and firing dozens of bullets into the vehicle. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I imagine when Perth Festival director Iain Grandage told his team about his twinkle in the eye idea to shut down a major arterial route and roll a series of bands performing on stages on the back of some trucks to remember WAs biggest rock and roll musical export, their eyes must have rolled so far back into their heads they came full circle. Grandage must be a real smooth talker, because 10 months later Perth experienced probably the geographically longest most bizarre concert ever: Perth Festivals Highway to Hell. Osaka band Shonen Knife performing AC/DC hits. Credit:Kelly Pilgrim-Byrne On Sunday Canning Highway was closed to all vehicles except eight trucks that hosted eight different bands all singing their own version of AC/DC songs to commemorate the death of AC/DC frontman and Perth lad Bon Scotts funeral 40 years ago. I was sceptical an event like this, cleverly described by one of WAtodays Instagram followers as the heavy metal Mardi Gras, would find success in Perth. Mumbai, March 2 : Director Sekhar Suri's action drama "Guns Of Banaras" is the last film to feature deceased Bollywood star Vinod Khanna. The late actor plays the protagonist's father. Asked about working with Khanna, filmmaker Suri told IANS: "Yes it is his last film. He was a legendary actor. He was a man of principles and a very disciplined person. Everybody on the set loved and respected him. But I don't want to speak much about this. I don't want to promote my film as Vinod Khanna ji's last film." The film hit the theatres this past weekend. It is a Hindi remake of the critically acclaimed 2007 Tamil release "Polladhavan", starring Dhanush. The Hindi remake has been set in Varanasi and scripted keeping in mind the city's culture and heritage. "We have shot the entire film in Varanasi. This is the first film that I have shot in the city and I loved the experience. I understood the culture and behaviourial patterns of the place and its heritage. The film has been scripted according." What urged him to remake the 2007 Tamil hit? "After watching the film, I felt a great story like this should not be confined to one language. Rather, it should cater to a larger audience. That's why I felt the film should be made in Hindi because the reach is bigger," explained the filmmaker. He also spoke about the points where the Hindi remake differs from the original Tamil flick: "The Tamil film is a dark one and the presentation had to be dark. It's not that the Hindi audience does not watch or appreciate dark films. Anurag Kashyap makes dark films and people love them. But not every dark film reaches the larger audience. 'Polladhavan' in Tamil was a hit among the masses though it was a dark film. I had to make certain changes in the Hindi version in some of the characters and storyline. I have placed the story on the banks of Banaras," said the filmmaker, adding: "I have made it with a great sensibility even though it is a commercial film. It is a realistic story." Sekhar Suri is a popular name in Telugu cinema and is known for directing films such as "A Film By Aravind", "Three" and "Aravind 2" among others. "Guns Of Banaras" is the director's first Hindi film and he is very excited. Even though he works predominantly in Telugu cinema, Shekhar Suri revealed that he is comfortable speaking and writing Hindi. "I can completely speak and write Hindi. My Hindi earlier was very bad but it has improved after marriage because my wife is North Indian," smiled the director. "Guns Of Banaras" hit theatres on February 28. The film stars Karann Nathh, South star Ganesh Venkatram and Nathalia Kaur. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Russia has reported one more confirmed case of the coronavirus as the global cases surpass 88,000 killing at least 3000, with vast majority of cases in mainland China. The Russian national who contracted the COVID-19 returned from Italy late February, Russias health ministry confirmed in the international media report. The 29-year-old man named David Berov is a resident of Moscow and is the first Russian case of coronavirus detected within the country. According to the reports, Russia has stepped up the containment measures and has sealed the entry points along the 4,200 km border with China. It has also imposed travel restrictions on the Chinese nationals from entering the country and has sought to isolate and send its returning citizen on mandatory quarantine. Russias first three citizens contracted the novel coronavirus onboard the quarantined vessel Diamond Princess docked off the coast in Yokohama, south of Japan, after a Hong Conger tested positive to the strain of coronavirus. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Singapore Reports 4 New Cases Bringing Total To 106 Read: 'Can't Shake Hands?': Group Of Friends Tap Foot To Greet Each Other Over Coronavirus Dread Iranians and South Koreans banned The Russian government temporarily banned Iranians and South Koreans from entering Russia and said in the media reports that the restriction was placed because the cases in these countries were rapidly soaring outside mainland China. Moscow authorities deported at least 88 foreign nationals who violated the quarantine measures imposed by the Russian government as a health safety precaution to stem the infection cases, Moscows deputy mayor confirmed in a report. The ministry also suspended visa issuance services for the Iranian and South Korean nationals. Transport Ministry confirmed in the media reports that Russia is going to suspend train services to the southern French city of Nice from Moscow which will be applicable March 4 onwards. It said that the suspension is a part of a wider measure to stem the coronavirus spread in Russia until further notice. Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova told the media that Russias Federal Tourism Agency has recommended all national tour operators to suspend services to Italy, South Korea, and Iran. Read: Man With Coronavirus Symptoms Admitted To Jaipur Hospital Read: Japan Cancels Rakuten Fashion Week Amid Coronavirus Outbreak A former teacher who raised `Pakistan Zindabad' slogans in the corridors of mini Vidhan soudha was arrested and slapped with a sedition case by Kundapur police on Monday. The man who raised slogans hailing Pakistan was identified as Raghavendra Ganiga (42), a resident of Kodi in Kundapur. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Hariram Shankar told DH that Raghavendra appears to be mentally ill. Raghavendra, adopted by an couple, was appointed to teach Hindi language at an English medium School in Kundapur. Police sources said the school had placed him under suspension for misbehaving with students. Raghavendra who was married 15 years ago has a daughter. Raghavendra has been living with his mother, after his wife deserted him and had taken their daughter along with her eight years ago. Parents told police that Raghavendra was being treated for mental illness for past eight years. Raghavendra who had an obsession for the programmes aired on television channels was reportedly inspired by the recent developments surrounding Amulya Leona and engineering students from Kashmir. On Monday, the mother had accompanied Raghavendra for an eye treatment in the government hospital. Raghavendra in the pretext of visiting toilet reportedly had fled from the hospital. Raghavendra on entering Mini Vidhan soudha raised pro-Pakistan slogans. Even when he was being led away by Kundapur police station sub inspector Harish, Raghavendra continued to raise slogan - 'Pakistan Zindabad', sources said. The video clippings of Raghavendra Ganiga shouting slogans in the corridors of Mini Vidhan soudha also went viral on social media. ASP Hariram Shankar told DH that sedition charges have been registered against him under 124 A of IPC at Kundapur police station. The man was also interrogated by Udupi Superintendent of Police Vishnuvardhan. Breaking convention, police had produced Raghavendra before the magistrate and not in the open court to avoid chaos."The court will decide the fate of Raghavendra," the police added. "Police will seek police custody of Raghavendra on Tuesday," ASP Hariram Shankar said. A Polish student pursuing his masters degree at Jadavpur University (JU) here has been asked to leave India by the Union Home Ministry, purportedly over his presence in a rally opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act, a teacher said on Sunday. Kamil Siedcynski, now in the final semester of the comparative literature course, was slapped a notice by the local Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) - an arm of the Home Ministry - about a week ago, Partha Pratim Roy, General Secretary of the Jadavpur University Teachers Association, told IANS. The FRRO ordered him to leave India within 15 days of receiving the notice for his involvement in "anti-government activities", saying it amounted to a "visa violation". The notice did not, however, give any details of the "anti-government activities" he has participated in, but warned that he would be prosecuted under the Foreigners Act, 1946, if the deadline was not adhered to. Roy said Siedcynski had been present during a rally organised in the Ramlila Maidan in the city by intellectuals, artists and students against CAA on December 19. "Kamil appealed to the FRRO to reconsider its decision, saying he had gone to the rally out of curiousity and also to click images. But the officials here said they were helpless and the decision has been taken in Delhi," Roy told IANS. Siedcynski is likely to move the court on Monday against the order. He earlier studied Bengali literature at Visva Bharati, a Central university, and can write and speak in the language fluently. He has also translated a Polish fairy tale into Bengali. "He comes from a poor financial background. So the university has waived his fees. He is a very serious student and not associated with any student organisation," said Roy. Siedcynski was not available for comments. The FRRO earlier issued a similar order against Afsara Anika Meem, a first year Bangladeshi undergraduate student at the Visva Bharati University's Fine Arts department. Meem had posted on social media photos of an anti-CAA agitation. Last December, two other foreign nationals - Jakob Lindenthal, a post graduate student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and Norwegian woman Janne Mette-Johannson received similar orders for taking part in protests against the law. The CAA, passed by parliament in December, seeks to provide Indian nationality to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists who fled religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh till December 31, 2014. IWD More Needs to be Done on Womens Issues There has been an insidious erosion of womens rights over recent decades in line with the ascendancy of the extreme Right and Labors drift from its former social democratic values. Under the Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison governments this process has accelerated, driving increasing numbers of women into poverty, homelessness, and putting them at risk of violent partners. Photo: Josephine Donnolley One woman dies every week at the hands of her partner or former partner. This is not acceptable. One death is too many. The recent tragic death of Hannah Clarke and her three young children by her estranged partner brought home the failure of governments to take the need for preventative measures seriously. Instead, governments have cut funding to womens refuges, legal services, mental health services, safe housing, and other important programs to assist women and their families attempting to escape the terror of domestic violence. Even when they do flee, the obstacles facing them are at times insurmountable due to over-demand on support services and income loss if they take time off work. At present all employees are entitled to five days unpaid family and domestic violence leave per annum under the National Employment Standards. The trade union movement is pushing for paid domestic violence leave and has had some success in the Victorian public sector. Trapped Paid domestic violence leave is an important universal right all workers should have access to, the Australian Services Union (ASU) says on its website. Women need to know that their workplace has a commitment to supporting them through paid leave to speak out, seek help and take action if they are affected by domestic violence. Economic dependency traps people in violent relationships. This important workplace right will save lives. Fear over the consequences if they leave and are tracked down by the abusive partner also traps some women. Women need the full range of support services to be able to leave in safety to safety. Paid Leave Clause 48 of the Victorian Public Sector agreement Family Violence Leave commits the Victorian government departments and agencies to providing support to staff that experience family violence. Leave for family violence purposes is available to Employees who are experiencing family violence to allow them to be absent from the workplace to attend counselling appointments, legal proceedings and other activities related to, and as a consequence of, family violence, the agreement states. The paid leave is for up to twenty days per annum and is flexible as to when it can be taken. The definition of violence includes physical, sexual, financial, verbal or emotional abuse by a family member. The agreement also includes a number of measures that an employer should take to support the person upon a reasonable request. It was negotiated under the Labor Andrews government. Economic Inequality As the ASU pointed out, economic dependence can be a factor in whether women leave for safety. Government payments to single parents are punitive and judgemental, as though it is the fault of the woman who was abused and left for the safety of herself and her children. Women are far more likely to be in casual and other forms of insecure, low-paid work. At the same time, they carry the main responsibility for caring for children. Early childhood education is prohibitively expensive, despite all the hype by the federal government about subsidies. Australias workforce is still highly segregated, with women largely concentrated in low or lower paid jobs womens work which includes some highly skilled professions. As for the much-touted glass ceiling, the majority of working class, single parent, and Indigenous women are more worried about crashing through the rotting floor boards of capitalist exploitation. Erosion of Support Mechanisms The government has cut funding to a number of organisations providing important services to women. The cuts run contrary to an increasing demand for services. At the same time the government is quietly introducing its own perverse notion of equality by redirecting some of the funding from womens programs to organisations to assist men. The Family Court is on the chopping block, waiting to be axed by Parliament. While the Family Court could benefit with some reforms, abolishing it is not the answer. It is women who will be disadvantaged. On paper women might have equal pay but in reality it is far from the truth. In the occupations where women are concentrated, wages are lower for work and skills of equivalent value. Historically, no capitalist state has ever achieved equality for women. Not even the most progressive of them. Inequality is built into the capitalist system at all levels. According to Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), on average the gender gap between men and women working full-time in 2019 was $25,679 or twenty-one per cent. The WGEA also found that the proportion of women in traditionally female-dominated industries (Health Care and Social Assistance and Education and Training) has increased. Within the female workforce, there are also huge inequalities. Indigenous women are the most disadvantaged followed by migrant women and visa workers. Sexism, racism, and xenophobia are all tools of the ruling capitalist class to create divisions in the working class and weaken unity. Racial and sexual discrimination, while in theory are outlawed, in practice are still prevalent. In the workplace women are also subjected to humiliating and offensive practices such as sexual harassment. Unfortunately, the law means little when it is pursued and the victim is the one who loses her job. As Lenin pointed out: Capitalism combines formal equality with economic and, consequently, social inequality. This is one of the principal distinguishing features of capitalism, one that is mendaciously screened by the supporters of the bourgeoisie, the liberals, and that is not understood by the petty-bourgeois democrats. The working womens movement has for its objective the fight for the economic and social, and not merely formal, equality of woman. The main task is to draw the women into socially productive labour, extricate them from domestic slavery, free them of their stultifying and humiliating resignation to the perpetual and exclusive atmosphere of the kitchen and nursery. It is a long struggle, requiring a radical remaking both of social technique and of customs. But this struggle will end with the complete triumph of communism, Lenin concluded. We begin todays column with an apology to a man called Tim Loughton, an obscure MP best known for leading 2016s Leadsom 4 Leader march on parliament, which remains the single stupidest act in British political history. (All kinds of civil rights groups and other protesters have held marches on parliaments, all over the world, for hundreds of years. The idea is that when you get to the gates of said parliament, you then make demands on the people on the other side of them not, as was the case on this occasion, wave your security pass against the electronic barriers and head up to your office to read your emails.) The most senior civil servant at the second largest government department, the Home Office, has resigned and is suing the government for constructive dismissal. The Labour Party was granted what is known as an urgent question on this subject in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon. When the Home Office is clearly in open civil war, the home secretary herself accused of bullying, it is hard to imagine a more appropriate occasion on which the government should be required to explain itself. Loughton, however, disagrees. His searing contribution to the afternoons discussion was to point out that, actually, none of his constituents have even heard of Sir Philip Rutnam, the now ex-permanent secretary at the Home Office (it would be childish to wonder how many of them have heard of Tim Loughton). The Labour Party, he insisted, has absolutely no right to ask whats going on, because of coronavirus and floods. So yes, I apologise to Loughton, for having the sheer temerity even to discuss the former head of the Home Office suing the government for constructive dismissal. Who do I think I am? Recommended Patel bullying investigation launched by Cabinet Office The question of Sir Philips resignation boils down to one of trust. Sir Philip has said he has been the victim of a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign. In a statement broadcast on Saturday, he claimed he was assured by the home secretary, Priti Patel, that she was not involved in said briefing campaign, but added: I regret I do not believe her. So we, the public, for whom the intricate details cannot be known, must simply decide who we believe. Is it the lifelong civil servant of high reputation, or Patel, recently sacked from the government for having clandestine meetings with the Israeli prime minister? And of course, it should fall to none other than Michael Gove to come to the despatch box and defend the transparently indefensible as only Gove can. Patel is a brilliant minister, Gove declared. By his side sat Gavin Williamson, who had just taken education questions, and serving as a convenient reminder that Patel is by no means the only member of the current cabinet to have been sacked for being a danger to national security, only to find themselves back in the cabinet a few months later. It is so very hard to know what we are meant to make of all this. Dominic Cummings has openly told blatantly racist lies and cost the country hundreds of billions in lost economic growth, just to get his hands on the civil service, which he imagines he can rebuild as some kind of tech startup, in accordance with some ideas about maths that he once taught himself in his basement, while unemployed and living off someone else's money. How does little Dommy Robinson himself feel, knowing that the vanguard of his big brain revolution are the likes of Patel, Williamson, Suella Braverman, Dominic Raab... the list goes and on and on and on and on. Does he care how it looks, as he wanders in and out of Downing Street, ostentatiously clutching his latest hardback, while demonstrable idiots smash everything up for no greater reason than the are too straightforwardly stupid to do anything else? Who knows. Who even cares anymore? Theyd had enough of experts long ago, which is convenient, because its even longer since they ran out of them. BUFORD, Ga. - A man accused of stealing a car and shooting at police before he drove into a Georgia lake killed himself, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the death of John James Monahan Jr., 26, was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, news outlets reported. The GBI ruled his death a suicide. Gwinnett County police were pursuing Monahan on Feb. 21 after he was involved in a hit-and-run crash and a subsequent carjacking in Buford, about 35 miles (55 kilometres) north of Atlanta. Authorities said the carjacking victim was unharmed. He fled the scene with an AK-style rifle, Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera previously said. Police followed Monahan through a lakeside park in neighbouring Hall County where he then drove into Lake Lanier, a popular recreational area north of the Atlanta metro area. Monahan shot at police and hit several patrol cars as his vehicle sank into the lake. Officers returned fire. Police said the mans body was later recovered by a dive team near the sunken vehicle. No officers were injured. The GBI said the investigation is ongoing. Lawyers for a convicted murderer who admitted brutally killing a 12-year-old girl a decade ago offered a Louisiana appellate panel multiple reasons on Monday to reverse his death sentence, including his belief that he was descended from extraterrestrials. Attorney Sarah Gannett told a panel of three 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals judges that Thomas Sanders, 61, was clearly not mentally competent to stand trial when he was convicted and sentenced to death in 2014 in the killing of his girlfriend's daughter, Lexis Roberts. She noted his history of brain injuries, mental illness and delusions. Judges questioned whether Sanders displayed any signs during his trial of mental problems that showed him incompetent, noting that there was no formal motion for a declaration of incompetency by his trial attorney. Louisiana death row inmate Thomas Sanders, 61 (left), is fighting to have his conviction and sentence overturned by claiming mental illness. in 2014, he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend and her daughter, 12-year-old Lexis Roberts (right) Gannett said his mental issues were brought up at trial and that the district court had an obligation to order a competency hearing, even without a formal motion. 'Counsel gave the court all the information it needed,' she argued. Prosecutors said in briefs that no concerns about Sanders' mental capacity were addressed until the first day of trial. US Justice Department attorney Vijay Shanker told the appellate panel that if the defense had concerns about Sanders' competency they would have expressed them much earlier. Now facing execution, for 20 years Sanders was thought to be dead. His Mississippi family had him legally declared deceased in 1994, after he had been missing for about seven years. But after hunters found the skeletal remains of the 12-year-old girl in woods in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, in October 2010, the investigation led to Sanders, who was arrested the next month in Gulfport, Mississippi. In 2010, hunters in Louisiana found Lexis' remains. The child was shot four times and had her throat slit. Police later found the body of her mother, Sander's girlfriend Suellen Roberts, 31 Investigators later found the body of the girl's mother, 31-year-old Suellen Roberts, in Arizona. Sanders was arrested and tried in the kidnapping and death of the girl. Prosecutors have said Sanders shot Suellen Roberts with .22-caliber rifle on a Labor Day trip to the Bearizona wildlife park in Arizona, and then drove Lexis to Louisiana, where he shot her four times. When he saw the girl was still alive, prosecutor Bill Flanagan told jurors during Sanders' trial in 2014, he took a knife and slit her throat. FBI agent Glen Kelly testified that at the time of his arrest, Sanders said something along the lines of, 'I'm surprised it took you so long to find me.' After learning how Lexis Roberts' body had decomposed in the woods, Sanders remarked, 'She didn't deserve that.' Court records show he admitted to both killings and aided authorities in finding Suellen Roberts' body. Other issues in his appeal include whether he was illegally questioned after having invoked his right to an attorney. Shanker argued that a review of his interrogations showed he was eager to discuss his crimes and that his statement that he wanted to see a lawyer was, in context, not clear. Sander, who was thought to have been dead for 20 years, was captured in November 2010 in Gulfport, Mississippi (pictured) Attorneys also debated whether a potential juror in the case should have been dismissed without being asked whether she could set aside a religious-based aversion to sitting in judgment of anyone. In briefs, the defense also said that a trial prosecutor improperly suggested to jurors that Sanders might have sexually abused the girl when he alluded to unknown 'horrors' the girl suffered before her death. Prosecutors said there was no reason why jurors would have speculated that that was a reference to sexual abuse. Much of Sanders' past is a mystery ever since he walked out on his family in Mississippi in 1987. He drifted from state to state and didn't buy property or establish many bills in his name - things that create a paper trail for most people, authorities said. His wife, Candice Sanders, divorced him in 1988 for allegedly 'habitual, cruel and inhuman treatment.' In July 1994, Sanders' parents, brother and ex-wife petitioned a Mississippi court to have him declared dead, so his children could claim death benefits. Sanders moved around the country using his real name, though authorities said he sometimes gave his name as Tom or Steve or the nickname 'Spider.' Investigators know he lived in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and Nevada. He worked as a laborer, a welder and a scrap metal collector. He was arrested several times, on charges including possession of drug paraphernalia and for several traffic and motor vehicle violations in Tennessee, according to authorities. He also was sentenced to two years in Georgia for simple battery. State and federal authorities said some of the charges involved minors. The appellate judges - Priscilla Owen, Leslie Southwick and Andrew Oldham - gave no indication when they would rule. Indias rich history of secular pluralism crosses the Rubicon line by Anwar A. Khan As per news reports, the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) amends a 1955 citizenship act prohibiting illegal immigrants from becoming citizens of India. It stipulates that "any person belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, who entered into India on or before the 31st day of December, 2014 (...) shall not be treated as illegal migrant for the purposes of this Act." For these migrants, the requirement of residence in India for citizenship by naturalisation will be relaxed from 11 years to 5 years. Islam is not mentioned among the faiths listed by the bill. Critics say the bill is unconstitutional and discriminatory toward Muslims. Opposition politicians in India are holding protests outside the country's parliament in New Delhi over this controversial law. People from different faiths and backgrounds have united over opposing the law because it is seen as threatening the secular fabric of India. Up to 7 million people have recently joined 620km human chain in India to raise their voice in a louder tone against this law. It was organised by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) across the Southern-Indian states. It is the first time that the country is seeking to grant nationality on the basis of religion. The law, which many coined as 'anti-muslim,' sparked widespread criticism and violent protests, particularly in the northeastern Assam state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government has said the so-called Citizenship Amendment Bill was meant to protect besieged minorities. But critics say it undermines the country's secular constitution by not offering protection to Muslims while others argue it will open India's northern states to a flood of foreigners. The Indian Express newspaper ran an editorial saying that the law unfairly targeted India's 170 million Muslims. It says, "It is a political signal of a terrible narrowing, a chilling exclusion, directed at India's own largest minority. India is to be redefined as the natural home of Hindus, it says to India's Muslims. And that they must, therefore, be content with a less natural citizenship. Sensible and conscientious people look at the bill and the controversies surrounding it as protests are raging in the Southeast Asian nations. The CAB is a dangerous turn in the wrong direction; it runs counter to Indias rich history of secular pluralism and the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law regardless of faith. "This a spontaneous public outburst," said Nehal Jain, a masters student in communications in Guwahati. "First they tell us there are too many illegal immigrants and we need to get rid of them. Then they bring in this law that would allow citizenship to immigrants," she said. She has added, I want to assure them, no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow. But President Modi hailed the passage of the bill and said it was in line with "Indias centuries-old ethos of assimilation and belief in humanitarian values." Other critiques are motivated by the fear of immigration, particularly in Assam state, where a movement against the so-called illegal immigrants from its neighbouring Bangladesh has been going on for a long time. The CAB now only requires Presidential assent to become law. The government has said the new law will be followed by a citizenship register that means Muslims must prove they were original residents of India and not refugees from these three countries, potentially rendering some of them stateless. In last August, a new national Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam left nearly 2 million people off the list, with their fate uncertain. Aman Wadud, a human rights lawyer for illegal immigrants in Assam, told Euronews that the Assam model of register was to be extended to the rest of the country. "Now in the proposed nationwide NRC, this Assam model will be replicated all over India and millions of people will be made stateless, that is the basic intention of the citizenship amendment bill." "This bill is not to protect non-Muslim illegal migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan but rather to target Indian Muslim, Indian genuine Muslims, " Wadud said. Every day new clashes between police and protesters are breaking out in India against this controversial new citizenship law put forward by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the predominantly Muslim district of Seelampur in the east of the capital, fumes from tear gas launched by the police filled the streets. Demonstrators threw stones at the police to strike back. Police crackdowns have been particularly brutal since the protests began when thousands of protesters gathered near Jamia Millia Islamia University. More than 200 were injured in clashes. According to authorities, protesters had torched buses, cars and motorbikes. A witness told AFP police responded with baton charges and tear gas to disperse protesters near the Muslim university. Critics fear a weakening in Indias secular foundations because of the new Citizenship Amendment Bill. Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to strike down the act. He believes that this act is illegal and unconstitutional. "It violates article 21, the right to life, and article 14, the right to equality. Thats why, it must be struck down by the Supreme Court Poonawalla told Euronews. He has further said, The people are protesting peacefully, please remember we are the land of Mahatmah Gandhi, we will not indulge in violence. We fight it legally in court, we fight it in the streets and we fight it on social media. Asked about the petition, Tehseen Poonawalla feels "confident" and believes in the power of this mobilisation: "So many people coming out in the streets, it's amazing". The protestors are demanding the police brutally beat up and sexually harassed Jamia students must be investigated and those responsible prosecuted. Other protests were held in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in southern India. "I want to make it clear, nobody is scared. Like people in Hong Kong are protesting, in other countries they are protesting, and they are not scared. We are not scared too." declared Bhumika Saraswati, a student protester, in New Delhi. To protest is a fundamental right which also includes the right to be heard. With protest against the CAA going unheard at the governments end, protesters were getting increasingly frustrated. The other side was equally frustrated with the anti-CAA protest for causing whatever inconvenience to their daily lives, over controversial and objectionable suggestions made by some of the participants and believing the government that the new law was not against Indian citizens. Simply put, the riot-ready mobs were ready on both sides. When both kinds of rioters hit the roads, police appeared a loser and politics the winner. Critics have repeatedly stated that the amendment Act is unconstitutional. The major opposition political parties state that it violates Constitution's Article 14, one that guarantees equality to all. They allege that the new law seeks to make Muslims second-class citizens of India, while preferentially treating non-Muslims in India. Critics of the Act have also stated that due to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Muslims could be made stateless, while the Citizenship Amendment Act would be able to shield people with Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian identity as a means of providing them with Indian citizenship even if they failed to prove that they were citizens of India under the stringent requirements of the NRC. Some critics allege that it is a deliberate attempt at disenfranchising and segregating Muslims in line with the ethno-nationalist Hindutva ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Act was criticised by various NGOs, students bodies and liberal, progressive, and socialist organisations across the country, with the Indian National Congress and other major political parties announcing their staunch opposition. Protests led by these groups are concerned that the new law discriminates against Muslims, and believe that Indian citizenship should also be granted to Muslim refugees and immigrants. The states of Rajasthan, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh all ruled by political parties that oppose the BJP have announced that they will not implement either the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or the Citizenship Amendment Act. The states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have, however, refused to only implement the NRC, while the state of Punjab and the union territories of Delhi and Puducherry have refused to implement the Act while only expressing disapproval of the NRC. The states of West Bengal and Kerala have also put a hold on all activities relating to the preparation and update of the National Population Register which is necessary for the Census as well as the implementation of the National Register of Citizens. Although some of the states have opposed the Act, the Union Home Ministry clarified that states lack the legal power to stop the implementation of CAA. The Ministry stated that "The new legislation has been enacted under the Union List of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution. The states have no power to reject it." The Indian Union Muslim League and various other bodies have also petitioned the Supreme Court of India to strike down the Act as illegal and unconstitutional. Tavleen Singh, a member of Sikh community, has denounced the Act as India's first Nuremberg Law. -The End The writer is an independent political observer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs. EXHIBITION DATES: March 5, 2020 April 5, 2020 Show opens Thursday March 5th from 6 10pm. OPALESCENCE is a solo exhibition, debuting new works from Dallas artist, Nita Patels 2020 Opal Series. This series examines the shimmer, sparkle, and fire of the Opal and the depth and color variations that naturally occur within the stone. Her new works concentrate on exposing multiple layers of paint and color, thus enhancing 3-dimensional textures, which reflect and intensify the natural play-of-color process. The results are as stunning as the stone and produce a final pseudoachromatic optical effect of flashes of light reflected compositions. Ive always regarded the Opal as one of the most beautiful and intoxicating gemstones. Its full of love, variety, mystery and passion, each stone telling a distinctive story with flashes of light and color said Patel. Nitas Opal Series explores the play-of-color phenomenon specific to this gemstone. Opals shine with the colors of the rainbow as you twist and turn the stone in white light. The compositions contained within Nitas paintings emulate the brilliance of this gems remarkable phenomenon. The opening night reception will be held Thursday, March 5, 2020 from 6-10pm at The FGIII Gallery at Kings Club Dallas: 2218 Bryan Street, Dallas, TX 75201. Wine and hors doeuvres provided by Sunflower Catering with live music performed by Daniela Castro. This exhibition is curated and produced by FGIII Fine Art Productions. ABOUT NITA PATEL Nita Patel is a speaker, author, and artist who believes in modern etiquette as a path to becoming our best selves. Schooled in London and a veteran of Corporate America, she has 20+ years in technology and healthcare leadership, nurturing teams toward confidence and impact. She is currently pursuing studies in psychology at Harvard and her debut book will be published Summer, 2020 exploring the intersection of mindfulness and manners, empowering readers to discover self-confidence and success through the lost art of etiquette. ABOUT FGIII FINE ART PRODUCTIONS We focus on promoting the work of emerging, mid-career and established artists through professional quality fine art shows and exhibitions, art representation, curating, consulting and advising. We provide individual and cutting edge platforms for your brand to reach its target audience through creative public relations strategies, partnerships and social media marketing campaigns. Mumbai, March 2 : Bollywood star Ranveer Singhs famous out-of-the-box fashion sense has a new fan in Hrithik Roshan, it seems. Hrithik, who is currently vacationing in Dubai, shared a couple of photos on Instagram on Monday afternoon. In the photos, he can be seen wearing a red tee along with a white towel that he has wrapped like a lungi. "Fashion inspiration courtesy: I guess Ranveer Singh," Hrithik wrote in the caption. While Ranveer Singh is yet to comment on Hrithik's post, we are sure he is going to love it! Of course, look at Hrithik's pic closely and you understand the probable reason for his quirky dressing. In the photo, the actor has an injury on his right ankle which is covered with a bandage. This did not escape the attention of Hrithik's "Super 30" co-star Mrunal Thakur who expressed concern. Commenting below the actor's post, Mrunal wrote that she loves the funny caption and added: "What happened to your foot?" Commenting on Hrithik's post, a fan called him "Fashion icon" while a user trolled him saying "Sanskaari Krish". Another user suggested that the actor is looking nice in his "lungi" and he should try his luck in South films. -- Syndicated from IANS Mumbai, March 3 : Filmmaker Rohit Shetty, who has created a Bollywood cop universe with films like the "Singham" series, "Simmba" and the upcoming "Sooryavanshi", says he does not believe in showing police brutality in his films. Shetty's assertion came at the trailer launch of his upcoming Akshay Kumar-Katrina Kaif starrer "Sooryavanshi", when he was told that he is often accused of glorifying police brutality in his film, in terms of encounter killings and violence. "Brutality in my films? I have never shown (police) brutality in my films. It's a completely wrong question. You haven't seen any of my films. You must have seen some other films," Shetty said. Also present at the trailer launch were the film's lead stars Akshay and Katrina, co-producer Karan Johar, along with Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh, who enact cameos in "Sooryavanshi" as Bajirao Singham and Sangram Bhalero, their avatars from the "Singham" films and "Simmba" respectively. Akshay Kumar's character was announced towards the end of Shetty's 2018 directorial "Simmba". In "Sooryavanshi", Akshay plays DCP Veer Sooryavanshi, who heads Anti-Terrorism Squad. Did the thought came across in his mind to make "Sooryavanshi" while he was shooting for 'Simmba'? Shetty replied: "I didn't think much about it. I knew it ('Simmba') will work and we will start another film on similar lines. I can show off by giving a long lecture on it but I felt that I should take this franchise forward and people will like it, so that's how I made it." Asked if he took inputs from Maharashta Police while making "Sooryavanshi", the filmmaker said: "We did a lot of research. Many police officers helped us while making this film, and we acknowledge their contribution in the opening credits. I feel like I have created a brand for cop films. We just need to tell them that we are shooting for a certain film and they are instantly ready to help us. "Sooryavanshi" is directed by Rohit Shetty and written by Sajid-Farhad. Produced by Shetty, Karan Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta, the film also features Gulshan Grover, Abhimanyu Singh, Niharica Raizada, Jackie Shroff, Sikandar Kher, Nikitin Dheer and Vivan Bhatena. It is to be theatrically released in India on March 24. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Last Monday, a Sahara dust storm interrupted five flights returning to Ireland from the Canaries with families who had taken a midterm sun break. Fact. Last Monday, a Sahara dust storm interrupted five flights returning to Ireland from the Canaries with families who had taken a midterm sun break. Fact. A record 2.3 million people are now employed in Ireland. Fact. According to a United Nations 'World Happiness Report' last year, Ireland was in 16th place in a table of 156 countries based on how happy citizens perceive themselves to be - ahead of Germany, France and the US. Fact. However, a man from Mars landing in the middle of the election might have expected mass unemployment, emigration queues at ports and airports, and even people rioting on the streets. It was extraordinary how much a 'failed state' narrative was allowed to dominate the three and a half weeks of the campaign. This was to be expected from the left-wing parties, notably Sinn Fein and People Before Profit. But the extent to which the media provided an echo chamber for this was very striking. Of course, this was aided and abetted by the failure of Fine Gael to robustly defend its record, while Fianna Fail was hobbled by its confidence and supply deal, making it all too easy for the left-wing parties to tar them with the same brush they used on Fine Gael. For all the noble reasons that Micheal Martin and his party entered that arrangement in May 2016 - and maintained it despite many pressures - they got very little thanks, from either Fine Gael or the electorate. Of course, there are appalling problems to be resolved in the health services and in housing provision. But perspective is also essential here. Our health spending in overall terms ranks very well in OECD country comparisons. So while putting more money into the Treatment Purchase Fund will help ease some of the waiting lists, the health services require extensive reforms, including more flexible work practices from all health staff, so that very expensive and vital machines can be used 24/7. The housing crisis requires a range of solutions, from rent-freeze measures and restrictions on institutional investors buying up whole new blocks of homes, to incentives for families to move from Dublin to the many empty homes in rural towns and villages. But these and other vitally needed reforms won't be delivered by a repeat of confidence and supply, or a Johnny Fortycoats collection of left-wing parties and independents. It will require a strong, ideologically cohesive government that has the courage to take tough and necessary - but sometimes unpopular - actions over the next five years. There has been understandable focus on the likely composition of the next administration, but little or no discussion on what policies need to be pursued in the interests of the country. We only have to look back at the last five years to see the failings of the very artificial confidence and supply arrangement. It worked on Brexit, where an overriding national interest trumped all ideological differences, but it failed lamentably on domestic economic issues. All we've had since 2016 is a government in stasis, with key decisions shirked. There was the scandalous abandonment of water charges, although up to 65pc of householders had been making some payments. No house built since 2013 has been levied with property tax, which is a massive injustice to all the householders paying this tax. And we're still waiting for the smoky coal ban to be extended to the whole country. These are all by-products of weak, insecure government. Aside from the inevitable posturing and politicking, it is sticking out a mile that if the main parties are even half-serious about putting the country first, the obvious and compelling next administration should be a Fianna Fail-Fine Gael-Green Party coalition. With 84 seats, and the likelihood of support from some of the centrist independents, that holds out the prospect of a coherent, effective and durable administration. While Fianna Fail and Fine Gael can trace their differences back to the January 1922 vote on the Anglo-Irish Treaty in the second Dail, the differences between these parties now are grounded on tradition and personality - not policy. While this will be denounced as not representing the change demanded by Sinn Fein and other left-wing parties, it would be a historic and dramatic outcome. More importantly, it would hold out the prospect of strong, effective centrist government; one that could quickly win over many of the people who voted in protest for Sinn Fein, rather than for any ideological commitment. Micheal Martin should be Taoiseach for the first 30 months, followed by a Fine Gael nominee. Fianna Fail should run the two departments that really hobbled Fine Gael in the election - health and housing. Fine Gael did a superb job on the Brexit Rubik's cube and should be entrusted with that vital national task. While the Green Party involvement is not to be taken for granted, given the compelling importance of environmental sustainability, its participation, with Eamon Ryan taking the environment portfolio, would be a very popular national departure. But what about the voices in both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael that this would leave the opposition field open to Sinn Fein, who would clean up at the following election? Sinn Fein is now the co-equal of the former two main parties, so the reasonable challenge for a Fianna Fail-Fine Gael-Green government would be to govern well and wisely, and tackle effectively the burning issues of housing, health, crime and the environment. Do a really good job over the next five years and be happy to take their chances with the electorate the next time out. Stephen O'Byrnes is a communications consultant and formerly director of policy and press relations with the Progressive Democrats party. Maoists are developing a new base area in the dense Amarkantak forests to operate in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (MMC), just like south Abujhmaar forest, a base area for the CPI (Maoist) in Bastar region, say Chhattisgarh police officials. Amarkantak is where the Vindhya, Maikal and Satpura ranges converge in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is also the source of the Narmada river. Amarkantak is known for Hindu temples and is marketed as Teerathraj (king of pilgrimages) by MP and Chhattisgarh tourism departments. But in the past few years the presence of Maoists has increased in the region which is also home to the Kanha tiger reserve. Police officers privy to the development said Maoists have surveyed the forests to map water bodies, high points to watch movement of troops and police stations in a bid to create a safe zone. Police say the Maoists are focusing on strengthening local intelligence by winning the trust of the tribals of the region, police officers said, adding that the rebels in their internal communications have claimed that the new zone was being created on demand of the local people. Surrendered Maoists including Pahaad Singh have told us the decision for developing Amarkantak as base area was taken in 2016 in which the Central Committee members of CPI (Maoists) including the head of MMC, Deepak Teltumbade, was also present, said a senior Chhattisgarh police officer, who did not wish to be named. Singh surrendered in December 2018 and according to him Teltumbade moves around with 12 bodyguards. He carries a bounty of 1.37 crore announced by the governments of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. A police officer explained that the reason for developing the new zone is strategic as the Amarkantak forests is close to Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and provides them easy passages to these states. Amarkantank is a getaway to Jharkhand from Odisha, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and vice versa, the officer said. Unlike several other tribal dominated areas in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the officer quoted above said, Amarkantak is highly inaccessible because of its tough hilly terrain and provides adequate safe haven for the senior leadership of Maoists, who are under pressure from security forces in Jharkhand and Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The Amarkantak forest in Chhattisgarh is inaccessible for security forces because there are not many roads. Distance between two police stations is about 30 to 40 kilometers. The population there is also very less, which makes tracking the movement of Maoists difficult, said a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The IPS officer quoted above said the rebels are getting support of tribals as their displacement and harassment by lower-rung forest department employees is an issue there. This is some disenchantment among tribals which needs to be addressed, admitted a superintendent of police of a district, in which Amarkantak falls, requesting anonymity. Police officers said this disenchantment was helping Maoists as tribals are supporting them to build cadre for local intelligence, key to control a region. An officer in state intelligence bureau (SIB), who was not willing to be named, said that the exact number of Maoist cadres in the region is difficult to judge. We have information that Vistaar Dalam of MMC zone was active in the region and there number is sizeable. Most of the cadre was recruited from south Bastar, the SIB officer said, adding that a document seized from Maoists in December 2019 suggested that there were about 200 rebels in the MMC. Chhattisgarhs director general of police (DGP), DM Awasthi, said the police in that state and Madhya Pradesh are devising strategies to deal with the Maoists in Amarkantak Hills. A large part of Amarkantak falls in Madhya Pradesh and in two districts of Chhattisgarh and we had a meeting with officers of both the states recently. We are devising a strategy to deal with their presence and SPs in the two states have been alerted about Maoist movement in Amarkantak, the DGP said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai, March 2 : Television actor Karan Tacker shot his audition tape for the upcoming web show "Special Ops" in a public toilet! "The toughest part was to not talk about the show while shooting! I gave an audition from the most unexpected place. I was holidaying in Uttarakhand and there was not enough light in my hotel room to shoot the audition tests. I ended up in a public toilet which has sunlight, shot a self-test and got things rolling," Karan said. Directed by Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair, the eight-episode Hotstar Specials spy action thriller series is based on the role of Indian intelligence in a series of real terror attacks that India has faced over the past 19 years. Karan will be seen in the role of an undercover agent. "Special Ops" also features Kay Kay Menon, Divya Dutta, Vinay Pathak, Muzammil Ibrahim, Vipul Gupta, Sajjad Delafrooz, Parmeet Sethi, Gautami Kapoor, Sana Khan, Sharad Kelkar, and KP Mukherjee. It is slated to go live on March 17 in seven languages on Hotstar VIP. Photo: The Canadian Press Protesters in two regions of Quebec are maintaining their rail blockades for the time being in spite of a draft deal reached Sunday in British Columbia between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers. Kenneth Deer, the secretary of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake, says the community will meet later today to discuss whether to dismantle the blockade they've maintained on their territory south of Montreal since Feb. 8. Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers reached a proposed arrangement Sunday following days of discussions over a pipeline dispute that prompted solidarity protests and transport disruptions across Canada in recent weeks. But details of the draft deal have not been disclosed, and Deer says the Mohawks want more clarification on the agreement before making a final decision. Meanwhile, the president of a regional rail line Quebec's Gaspe region says activists were still maintaining their blockade in the Mikmaq community of Listuguj as of 9 a.m. today. Eric Dube said the company was able to get two trains through the blockade area on Friday but had to stop the following day due to the presence of protesters near the tracks. By Online Desk After a lull, the novel coronavirus has rattled India again. Two Indians - one in Delhi and another in Hyderabad - and an Italian tourist visiting Rajasthan have tested positive for the virus on Monday. Both the Indians are said to be stable. Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said the Italian tourist's first sample had tested negative on February 29, but since his condition had worsened, a second sample was collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune. Both the tests on the second sample came out positive. ALSO READ: Death toll crosses 2,900 in China, global count surges past 3,000 The Telangana government said a further 80 Indians were under watch after the Hyderabad-based software engineer working for a Bangalore-based software company tested positive. The 24-year-old had been sent to Dubai by his company, where, officials assume, he contracted the virus from Hong Kong citizens. He is said to have come in contact with the 80 people after landing in Bangalore on February 19/20, from where he travelled to Telangana in a bus on February 22. All of these 80 are now being tracked. Telangana Health Minister E Rajender said his government had also informed their counterparts in Karnataka. "We are following the Centre's guidelines," Rajender added, while appealing for calm and insisting that the virus will not spread quickly given our tropical climate and high temperatures. "This person will be cured. His condition is stable and every precaution has been taken. We are alert and the state machinery is equipped to handle the situation," he underlined. Dr Prakash Kumar, Joint Director of Communicable Diseases, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare department, confirmed that his department too was on the job. "When the software engineer landed in Bengaluru, he was found to be asymptomatic. So, we kept him under home isolation as per protocol for those travelling from a coronavirus affected country. He left to Hyderabad after two days. There he developed a fever. The authorities in Telangana have taken his sample, which tested positive for the coronavirus and he has been kept in hospital isolation there," he said. "We are tracking the contact persons in places where he travelled, be it Bengaluru or Hyderabad to check on their health, which bus he took and other details," he added. The software engineer had initially checked into a private super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad. From here, he was referred to the government-run Gandhi hospital in the state. ALSO READ: 'India safe and secure', says Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel on Coronavirus The Delhi patient, who tested positive, had a history of travel to Italy. "Both patients are stable and being closely monitored," Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a separate briefing. Three patients from Kerala had previously tested positive for the virus in India and all of them had been cured of it. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Tue, March 3, 2020 02:35 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067d4c6f 2 World US-presidential-race,US-presidential-election,Democratic-party,Amy-Klobuchar Free Amy Klobuchar, a Midwestern moderate, will end her underdog presidential campaign and endorse Joe Biden, her team said Monday, on the eve of the biggest voting day in the Democratic nomination race. "The senator is flying to Dallas to join vice president Biden at his rally tonight where she will suspend her campaign and endorse the vice president," a Klobuchar campaign spokesperson told AFP. The move is a major boost for former vice president Biden, following the withdrawal of another moderate, Pete Buttigieg, on Sunday. After a blowout victory in the last primary, Saturday in South Carolina, Biden heads into "Super Tuesday" with a head of steam as he challenges leftist firebrand Bernie Sanders to see who faces Donald Trump in November's election. Klobuchar, a US senator from the state of Minnesota, had positioned herself as a centrist and pragmatist who has worked across the aisle in Washington and could bring that spirit of unity and cooperation into the Oval Office. Despite a few compelling debate performances, the 59-year-old never registered above single digits in national polling averages and was not expected to deliver a strong showing on Tuesday, when 14 states go to the polls. Her exit leaves two women in the Democratic nomination hunt: Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive from Massachusetts, and the anti-war congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Warren thanked her friend Klobuchar in a tweet. "You've been a champion for working families and women in politics, and I look forward to keeping up that fight by your side," she wrote. An Air India Express flight bound for Singapore from Cochin International Airport (CIAL) travelled with only 10 passengers on board on February 29 due to the coronavirus fear, The New Indian Express has reported. According to the report, the flight, which has the capacity to carry 183 passengers, is no different from the others flying to the Far East countries from Kerala. A senior officer attached to the Air India Express told the newspaper that if the situation continues to be as it is, they would be "forced to stop the service to Singapore for the time being". "For an airline launched to cater to the burgeoning overseas Kerala diaspora, the drop in Singapore market is not that worrying, as their aircraft were chiefly pressed into services to cities in West Asia," the officer said. "However, the evolving situation in West Asia is disturbing as the virus is spreading its tentacles across the globe day by day," the official added. 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 According to Singapore's Ministry of Health, as of March 1, 106 coronavirus cases have been reported in the country, with 32 of them hospitalised and 74 discharged. According to Biji Eapen the national president of IATA Agents Association of India, the coming two or three months will see the airline sector in doldrums. The virus, which originated in China, has now affected over 89,000 people globally and caused more than 3,000 deaths. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 02, 2020 | SMITHLAND By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 02, 2020 | 10:14 AM | SMITHLAND Prosecutors in the 2018 Livingston County triple murder case against Jackie Doom have requested that his trial be moved to another county. Court records show Commonwealth Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins asked Judge C.A. Woodall for a change of venue during a Friday pretrial conference in Livingston County Circuit Court. Doom faces three counts of murder related to events on December 21, 2018. Kentucky State Police say January Stone, Johnny Mallory and Robert Belt were shot at a home on Stringtown Road. Testimony in a January pretrial conference revealed there had been an ongoing feud between Doom and the victims, since he believed Stone, Mallory and Belt sold methamphetamine to his wife, who subsequently lost their child. Police say Doom told them he went to the home to work out differences with the trio, but when one of the men made a sudden move, Doom thought he had a weapon and opened fire. Police said he reloaded his gun, and Stone was shot 11 times, Mallory was shot 19 times and Belt was shot 24 times. Woodall has not yet ruled on the the change of venue request. Doom's trial is scheduled to begin on April 20. A woman charged with murdering a brother and sister admitted she took part in a home invasion that "went too far", a Brisbane court has heard. Danielle Lee Fels allegedly made admissions to friends about her part in a "run in", or robbery, targeting drugs and money. April and Ian Bailey, pictured with April's daughter. Credit:QPS Media The badly charred bodies of Ian Bailey, 31, and his 29-year-old sister, April Bailey, were found inside their burnt-out house at Deception Bay, north of Brisbane, in 2004. - James from Massachusetts was born healthy but became disabled after he was infected with jaundice when he was young - The teenager was able to speak for the first time aged 19 after he underwent a neurology surgery - His mother Beth Bostic was overjoyed when she heard her son's voice for the first time Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in A Massachusetts mother who was unable to communicate with her son for 19 years could not hide her joy after she heard her son say "I love you" for the first time with his own voice. Beth Bostics 19-year-old son, James, was born healthy but became disabled after he was infected with jaundice when he was young. READ ALSO: 10-year-old pastor & musician winning souls for Christ releases music video James was finally able to tell his mother he loves her and she is very happy for him. Photo: Wric.Com. Source: UGC According to a report by Fox 8 news on Saturday, November 30, the teenager was able to communicate after he underwent a neurological procedure. "We have had quite the journey of trying to find different ways for him to be able to interact with the world but when he had the surgery, he has been able to regain his voice back, Bostic said. READ ALSO: Woman celebrates son who accompanied her to interview and prayed until she landed job James was born healthy but became disabled after he was infected with jaundice when he was young. Photo: Myfox8.com. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Rebecca Akufo-Addo meets 3 stunning Ghanaian models living with autism (Photos) "It was nothing short of a miracle. It was amazing, he is no longer going to have to be dependent on me being his voice for him. He literally has his own voice. And that has been mind-blowing," she added. James was finally able to tell his mother he loves her and she is very happy for him. James' mother is studying healthcare policy so she would be able to help other people who have faced similar challenges as her son. Photo: Wavy.com. Source: UGC Currently, Bostic is studying healthcare policy so she would be able to help other people who have faced similar challenges as her son. In other news, a Ugandan lady identified as Victoria Aiko has narrated in a TV interview how she got a thick American accent through her sleep and firmly believes it was given to her by God. The video was sighted by YEN.com.gh on the official Instagram handle of 'Facts and Truths' where the Victoria, who is indicated to be a businesswoman, was asked how she got the thick American accent. In response to the question, Victoria surprisingly made it clear that she had not learnt in America, by watching American movies, or by relating with people from America as most people would think. Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Ghana News Today: Accra Beautification Project causes Ako-Adjei Interchange to sparkle | #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Louisiana, with nearly one million women of reproductive age, now has only three abortion clinics. A woman who chooses to have an abortion as about a quarter of American women do must make her way to one of those facilities, where she will be legally required to sit through counseling intended to discourage her from having the procedure as well as an ultrasound that must be shown and described in detail to her. She then must wait at least 24 hours before returning to the clinic for the procedure. If she is a Medicaid patient, her bill will most likely be hundreds of dollars paid out of pocket. As daunting as these hurdles are, the outcome of a soon-to-be-heard Supreme Court case out of Louisiana could erect even more, and not just for the women in that state. The right to have an abortion, which exists in name only in some areas of the country, could soon be even further whittled away and the justices could do so without overturning Roe v. Wade. The cases outcome could also upend how reproductive rights cases are litigated, making it harder to fight other anti-abortion laws in the future. The case, June Medical Services v. Russo, which will be heard by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, centers on a Louisiana law thats expected to force the closing of all but one of the states abortion clinics. The law requires that abortion providers jump through the medically unnecessary and, for some, impossible hoop of securing admitting privileges at a hospital near their clinic. More than 450 similarly burdensome laws known as TRAP, or targeted regulation of abortion providers have passed in states nationwide over the past decade, closing scores of clinics in the name of protecting womens safety. Its a confounding rationale people are generally made safer with more access to health care, not less. And abortion in particular is one of the safest medical procedures there is. Patients are more likely to land in the hospital after having their wisdom teeth removed than they are after an abortion, and theyre 14 times more likely to die during childbirth. A man in his 40s had to be rushed to hospital after being sprayed in the face in a suspected acid attack on a London bus. The victim was reportedly assaulted in Lewisham High Street at around 9.20pm on Sunday, as a police cordon was set up around a number 54 bus to Elmers End. Witnesses reported hearing the man screaming in agony as a manhunt has been launched to find the attacker. Police and ambulance crews were scrambled to Lewisham High Street after a suspected acid attack A cordon surrounded the number 54 bus, where the assault is believed to have taken place The driver of the bus, who has worked for the company for more than 17 years, said he was very shaken up after witnessing the attack. 'I was driving along and an argument broke out over the use of a mobile phone he didn't like mobile phones being used on public transport,' he said. 'He then started to repeat everything the man was saying. The argument continued and the man got up and started punching the bloke - rain down punching. Officers could be seen carrying a clear plastic evidence bag after being called just after 9pm on Sunday The victim, a man in his 40s, was rushed to hospital but his condition is not described as life threatening Police cars were seen surrounding the number 54 service which was heading for Elmers End 'I could hear the man scream out. I was watching on the camera. As we turned, the man got something out and sprayed the man in the face - he was screaming "my face, my eye I can't see". 'I did what I could, I stopped the bus outside Lewisham fire station and they pulled the man out of the bus and started spraying the mans face with water - he looked in a very bad way. 'Nothing like this has happened to me before. It was all over something very silly. The man who attacked him as I opened the door he just ran off and the police are still looking for him.' Witnesses reported hearing the man screaming in agony as a manhunt has been launched to find the attacker The bus driver said an argument broke out over the use of a mobile phone before punches 'rained down' A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at 9.21pm last night (March 1) to reports of an assault in Lewisham High Street. 'We sent an ambulance crew, our hazardous area response team (HART) and an incident response officer to the scene. 'We treated a patient at the scene and took them to hospital.' Lewisham MPS confirmed no arrests have been made and urged witnesses to call 101, quoting reference 7135/01mar. Buttigieg Ends Historic Presidential Campaign, Urges Unity WASHINGTONPete Buttigieg, who rose from being an Indiana mayor to a barrier-breaking, top-tier candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, ended his campaign on Sunday. The truth is the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy if not for our cause, Buttigieg told supporters in South Bend, Indiana. We must recognize that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and country together. Thank you for inviting me into your homes, sharing your stories, and putting your trust in me. We launched our campaign because Americans are hungry for a new kind of politics that brings us together. And together well beat this president and build the era that must come next. pic.twitter.com/QDajvx1lpL Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 2, 2020 The decision came just a day after one of Buttigiegs leading rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden, scored a resounding victory in South Carolina that sparked new pressure on the partys moderate wing to coalesce behind Biden. President Donald Trump commented on Twitter that while giving Biden a boost, the move would negatively impact current front-runner Bernie Sanders chances to win the Democratic nomination. Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play NO NOMINATION, AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020 Buttigieg had been critical of Biden, charging that the 77-year-old lifelong politician was out of step with todays politics. But his criticism had shifted in recent days more toward Sanders, a polarizing progressive who was benefiting from the sheer number of candidates dividing up the moderate vote. Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden traded voicemails on Sunday but did not speak, according to a source with knowledge of the attempted conversations. Buttigieg made the first call to tell Biden of his decision, then Biden returned the call. The pair missed each other because of travel logistics. Buttigieg, a 38-year-old Afghanistan war veteran and the first openly gay candidate to seriously contend for the presidency, tried to make the case that his party thrived when it embraced candidates who offered generational change. But he ended up being more successful at winning older voters while Sanders, 78, captured the energy of younger ones. Related Coverage Polls Suggest Sanders Will Capture the Most Super Tuesday Delegates The Pete Buttigieg story isnt over. Its just beginning, said Democratic strategist David Axelrod. Hes 38 years old. Hes vaulted himself into the national conversation. He obviously has work to do on some things thatsome weaknesses weve seen in this electionbut whenever there is a conversation again about Democratic candidates, hell be in that conversation. And thats a remarkable achievement, given where he started a year ago. Voters saw Buttigieg in the more moderate lane of the Democratic field, and he flourished early with a top finish in the Iowa caucuses and a close second place finish in New Hampshire. But as the race moved to more diverse states, less dependent on college-educated voters, Buttigieg struggled. Despite robust organizations in Iowa and New Hampshire and supporters who included an influx of former independents and Republicans, Buttigieg failed to overcome daunting questions about his ability to draw African American support key to the Democratic base. He earned just 3 percent of the nonwhite vote in South Carolinas Saturday primary, according to AP VoteCast, a a wide-ranging survey of the electorate. As mayor of a city that is 25 percent black, Buttigieg faced criticism for firing the first African American police chief in the history of South Bend and for his handling of the case of a white police officer who fatally shot an armed black man in June. A Black Lives Matter group from South Bend released a statement saying it was excited that Buttigieg left the race. We hope that he learned his lessonthat neoliberalism and anti-Black policies will no longer be tolerated, the group wrote. After his unexpected rise to contention in Iowa and New Hampshire last fall, Buttigieg became the target of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for the high-dollar fundraisers he was hosting, notably one in a wine cave in California. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar also went at Buttigieg in the months before the caucuses for lacking national experience. She noted that he had lost his only statewide race as a candidate for Indiana treasurer in 2010, while she had won three statewide terms in Minnesota in part by carrying Republican-heavy regions. Buttigieg presented a starkly different figure on the debate stage than the other leading candidatesall septuagenariansand drew admirers for his calm, reasoned demeanor and rhetorical skills that reflected his Harvard-trained, Rhodes scholar background but that some voters and operatives described as robotic. Buttigieg had modeled his campaign somewhat on that of former President Barack Obama, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses largely based on a message of unity and by drawing in a healthy bloc of first-time caucus participants, often the key in a crowded, high-turnout contest. Jim Ward, a volunteer on the campaign in South Bend, said he and others were at the local campaign office training at around 6 p.m. when they learned of Buttigiegs decision. They got word and left rather quickly, he said in a text with the AP, noting that he had mixed emotions. I am so proud the campaign and proud of Pete for making this decision when hes making it and not prolonging the campaign any longer than necessary, Ward said. I am just so, so sad that it didnt work out this time. By Thomas Beaumont, Meg Kinnard, and Steve Peoples Our national security and intelligence experts, and our own Senate Intelligence Committee, have clearly shown that there is a concerted Russian effort to interfere in our 2020 elections, Peters said. We need to take every step to ensure the credibility and resources of the U.S. Senate are not used to advance interference efforts by foreign adversaries that seek to undermine our democracy or put our national security at risk. This photo taken on December 14, 2018 shows the facilities of the port in Sihanoukville, the coastal capital of Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia. Cambodian authorities last week seized a Cameroon-registered ship that is suspected of having taken part in ship-to-ship transfers to North Korea of oil and other banned goods, RFA has learned. In a statement Sunday, the General Commissariat of National Police said the MT-Courageous was found to be illegally anchored in Cambodian waters between Koh Tang and Koh Poulo Wai, uninhabited islands in the Gulf of Siam southwest of the country. The ship had previously been expelled from Taiwan. According to the police statement, the tanker has 16 crew members and had been anchored there since Thursday to await new orders from its owner before it was seized on Friday. The statement also said that the Courageous had violated UNSC resolutions 2375 and 2397 for transferring cargo with North Korean ships. The seized ships crew were sent to the Prosecutors Office in Sihanoukville, where they may face legal action. Their nationalities were not made public. For a period of 24 hours, they didnt communicate with us to try to request authorization to dock or request legal permits from the Cambodian maritime border authorities, Chhay Kimkhoeun, a spokesman for the police, told RFA s Khmer Service Sunday. That tanker was in involved in activities that violated the UNSC sanctions against North Korea, the spokesman added. Deputy National Police Commissioner General Teng Suon confirmed that the tanker violated UNSC resolutions by participating in ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean ships. He did not say when the transfers occurred. RFA was unable to reach the Sihanoukville courts spokesperson Lim Bun Heng, for comment. The United Nations Security Council has over the past decade imposed a raft of economic sanctions on North Korea to deprive Pyongyang of supplies, resources and revenue that could be funneled into its nuclear and missile programs. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Three BJP "supporters" have been arrested for raising provocative slogan -- "desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro ..." (shoot the traitors) -- while heading for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in the city on Sunday, a senior Kolkata Police official said. They were produced in a city court on Monday which sent two of them -- Pankaj Prasad and Surendra Kumar Tewary -- to police custody for three days, while Dhruva Basu was granted bail on grounds of age and ill health, he said. The city police had arrested the trio on Sunday night, hours after Shah's rally, based on the complaint lodged by a person at the New Market police station and after identifying them from the video footage of the Sunday's procession, he said. The video footage was shared with the home department and the arrests were made after getting its nod, he said. The state BJP leadership has denied the involvement of any party worker in the incident and termed it as the "handiwork of the TMC (Trinamool Congress)". The official said the three have been booked for promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, criminal intimidation, committing public mischief and common intention. "This illegal act of passing provocative slogans was done by BJP supporters. It is a cognisable offence," a senior Kolkata Police official said. "We are conducting raids in search of other accused persons who have been identified from the video footage," he added. The West Bengal unit of BJP came under fire after the incident of sloganeering. The men shouted the slogan while they were passing the Maidan Market in downtown Esplanade en route to the rally venue at nearby Shahid Minar ground. The union home minister was on a day-long visit to Kolkata on Sunday. There has been a controversy over raising of such slogans during BJP rallies during Delhi assembly polls and protests in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) due to allegations that they provoke violence. Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma on Monday directed the officers-in-charge of all police stations in the city "to initiate strong legal action against any person who tries to provoke in any way which may lead to a breach in peace", sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Press Release 2 March 2020 Chicago - ASFONA, the hotel industry's only independent non-brand affiliated hotel owner/operator association, held its first Board Member meeting of 2020 in Chicago with a focus on Hyatt Hotels and the company's impressive global brand portfolio. The February meeting, which took place at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Chicago, included a morning session, in which ASFONA Owner Members had an opportunity to meet with management team members of Hyatt Hotels. The Hyatt team was led by Mark Vondrasek, Chief Commercial Officer and the other Hyatt executives included their global brand leaders, information technology executives, SVP global sales, SVP development and owner relations and the global loyalty program SVP's. During the afternoon session, the Hyatt team presented the entire Hyatt brand portfolio, along with each brand's positioning, to the ASFONA Owner/Operator Board members and Associate members in attendance. The ASFONA Owner/Operator Board currently represents over 1,530 hotel properties collectively, with some Board Members operating a number of Hyatt branded properties. Advertisements The meeting with Hyatt is the continuation of ASFONA's "Diversification Strategy" which began with the inclusion of Marriott Hotels at the ASFONA meetings in 2017. This was followed at subsequent meetings by the attendance of executive management from first Virgin Hotels and then Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. "It's wonderful for our group to have the opportunity to meet and to secure firsthand brand-related input from the management teams of these outstanding hotel companies, from which we have developed many mutually beneficial relationships," stated John Shingler, president of ASFONA. Hyatt Hotels Corporation, which is headquartered in Chicago, is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies with a portfolio of 20 premier hotel, resort and spa/wellness brands. Hyatt also operates the World of Hyatt loyalty program that provides distinct benefits and exclusive experiences to its members. As of December 31, 2019, the Hyatt portfolio included more than 900 hotel, all-inclusive, and wellness resort properties in 65 countries across six continents, and has plans to open nearly 200 additional properties in the Americas by 2022. The company's overarching mandate, which they presented at the ASFONA meeting, is to "care for people so they can be their best." "As ASFONA continues to diversify its focus on the hotel industry's leading hotel organizations, it was an honor to welcome the team from Hyatt Hotels to meet our group," said Shingler. "With over 20 outstanding brands in its portfolio, Hyatt represents extensive opportunities for our Owner/Operator and Management Company Members, as we move into 2020 and beyond." In addition to its focus on Hyatt, the ASFONA Owner Board Meeting was also provided with an exclusive overview of the North American hotel market and current market characteristics by Bobby Bowers of Smith Travel Research (STR). Despite some prevailing issues suggesting a possible softening of the hotel market worldwide, the presentation showed cause for optimism in the North American sector. "The 'State of the Nation' for the hotel industry presented at the meeting by the ASFONA Owner/Operator Board Members, together with the STR presentation, is a much-anticipated segment of the meeting, comprising valuable information on market conditions that ASFONA members have come to expect," continued Shingler. "This detailed market-specific performance data and projections provide intelligence and guidance regarding potential business and growth opportunities. Included in the discussion was the recent news that Brand USA has been reinstated and funded through 2027, a decision that will have a significant and positive impact on the future prosperity of the hospitality and travel industry." Shingler continued, "It appears that current global economic indicators are such that we should expect a reasonably robust market, going forward. However, we will continue to face some threats, such as the Coronavirus, which is a serious concern and, although the challenge will pass, the full impact is still unknown at this point in time." For more information on ASFONA, please contact John Shingler at (713) 523-1352 or visit http://www.asfona.com/. Editor's Note: Electronic images are available by contacting Andrea Mane at Plan A Public Relations & Marketing, Inc. Phone: +1 407 905 0608 or e-mail: [email protected]. At least 47 people have died and more than 350 have been injured during riots over a new citizenship bill seen as discriminatory towards Muslims. Days after India experienced its worst violence in decades the death toll is still rising. At least 47 people lost their lives and more than 350 were injured during riots over a new citizenship bill seen as discriminatory towards Muslims. Police are now being accused of enabling mobs and preventing wounded Muslims from getting help. Al Jazeeras Tony Birtley reports from New Delhi. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close A patient undergoing surgery has suffered burns after an electrical fire broke out in an operating theatre at a hospital in Melbourne's north west. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) was called to Sunshine Hospital around 9.20am on Monday, after reports of a fire caused by malfunctioning equipment in one of the surgery suites. A fire broke out in the operating theatre of Sunshine Hospital on Monday morning. Credit:Fairfax Media The 72-year-old woman who was injured in the fire has now been taken to a specialist burns unit at The Alfred, where she remains in a critical but stable condition. The fire was contained to one theatre and no staff were injured. Some non-emergency operations were cancelled at the hospital as a result of the fire. Expressing anguish over a Delhi court's decision to stay the execution of four death row convicts in 2012-Delhi gang rape and murder case, the victim's mother Asha Devi on Monday said that the "entire criminal justice system" supports the criminals. "Why is the court taking so much time to execute its own order to hang the convicts? Repeated postponing of the execution shows the failure of our system. Our entire system supports criminals," said Asha Devi. A Delhi court on Monday stayed the execution of four death row convicts in the case and deferred the matter for further orders. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana had earlier today reserved the order on a petition filed by Pawan Gupta after hearing arguments from all the sides in the matter. The execution of the convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh -- was earlier scheduled to take place on the morning of March 3. During the hearing, advocate AP Singh said that he filed the mercy petition before the President of India on behalf of convict Pawan Gupta as soon as he received the information that the convict's curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier today. Public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, on the other hand, opposed the application and contended that this plea was premature and not maintainable adding that as per the prison rules, the President will seek a report from jail authorities and the execution will be stayed suo motu. Judge Rana had asked Singh how he could afford to ignore the order of the Delhi High Court which granted a week's time to the convicts to avail all legal remedies available to them. The lawyer for the victim's family, advocate Jitender Jha, submitted that the trial court does not have jurisdiction to deal with this situation adding that only the High Court can impose stay as per Section 415 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with the postponement of execution of death sentence in case of appeal to the Supreme Court. Earlier today, the court had also dismissed an application seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrant but slated to hear a petition afresh after advocate AP Singh informed the court that the mercy petition of convict Pawan Gupta was filed before the President. President Ram Nath Kovind had on February 5 rejected the mercy petition of convict Akshay Thakur. So far, mercy petitions of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh have also been rejected. The case pertains to the gang-rape and brutalising of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the aftermath of the communal violence in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday appealed to the people to provide details of the needy for a quick response from government agencies. "We are working 24/7 to make sure relief efforts reach all in need. If u know of anyone who is in need, use #DelhiRelief to reach us. Pl do mention exact address/contact details so that we can reach him. We will ensure a quick response from our agencies," he tweeted. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. Also read: Delhi violence: CM Kejriwal plans to launch WhatsApp number to complain about hate messages Also read: Delhi Riots: 254 FIRs registered, over 900 people arrested Also read: 'Never felt so scared': AAP, Congress, DMK, CPI(M) leaders express concern over Delhi violence The Construction, Forestry, Mining, Maritime and Energy Union and five of its current and former officials have been hit with penalties totalling almost half a million dollars over an unlawful blockade at a Barangaroo construction site. Union members working for De Martin & Gasparini, a subsidiary of construction giant Boral, blocked concrete trucks from entering the building site for three days in February 2015 after the company resisted entering a pay and conditions agreement on the terms the CFMMEU demanded. Former CFMEU NSW senior official Brian Parker speaks to the media in 2017. Credit:Michele Mossop CFMMEU leaflets had called De Martin & Gasparini's offer "an insult to its workers" which the union would fight to make the company improve. On February 14, 16 and 17 striking workers blocked truck drivers from entering the site, despite a police direction to move on the 16th. The state-of-the-art Aqua-Tots Swim Schools location in Gahanna, Ohio, is ready for children of all abilities to learn how to swim safely in their 90 pool. Aqua-Tots Swim Schools has announced its 108th franchise location now open in the Columbus, Ohio, area of Gahanna and New Albany. Located in the new Target shopping center at State Route 161 and Hamilton Road, Aqua-Tots Gahanna officially opened its doors on Tuesday, February 18, 2020. Aqua-Tots Swim Schools has been the leader in the swim instruction industry since 1991, offering comprehensive swim curriculum for children from four months to 12 years old. With over 100 locations in 14 countries, families all over the world can experience the dedicated, year-round, indoor swim facility where their children can become safe and confident swimmers. The 4,800 sq. foot Swim School is the fourth Aqua-Tots location for Franchise Owners Mike and Jill Kallmeyer, who also own locations in Powell, Westerville and Crocker Park, Ohio. The Aqua-Tots family is excited to serve the families of Gahanna, New Albany and other eastern neighborhoods of Columbus, said Mike Kallmeyer. Our mission is to teach children and their parents the importance of water safety, and were proud of the community that we get to serve. According to Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, consistency in formal swim lessons reduces the risk of drowning by 88% among children ages one to four. This is a hopeful reality as drowning is the leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death among children ages one to four, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Gahanna wants to introduce children to the water by offering a free In-Water Evaluation to anyone interested in enrolling in swim lessons. Their confident, AT-WSI certified instructors are well-equipped to teach children of all abilities using the proven Aqua-Tots curriculum. With a variety of class options, Aqua-Tots Gahanna is open seven days a week, offering group lessons (4:1 ratio), semi-private lessons (2:1 ratio) and private lessons (1:1 ratio) as well as the Special Needs Aquatic Program (S.N.A.P.). For those interested in becoming a part of the growing Aqua-Tots family, Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Gahanna is currently hiring swim instructors and front desk team members. To apply, visit aqua-tots.com/contact/careers/. About Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Aqua-Tots Swim Schools serves over 100 communities worldwide, offering dedicated, year-round, indoor swim instruction, community outreach and drowning prevention education to children of all abilities from four months to 12 years old. As the worlds largest swim school franchise, their hand-selected instructors are passionate about teaching children how to remain safer in and around the water, using tried and true curriculum, 28+ years in the making and trusted worldwide to teach 2.9 million swim lessons annually. To learn more, visit http://www.aqua-tots.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 11:22:29|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Pete Buttigieg, Democratic presidential candidate and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, attends a rally at a town hall in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., Feb. 23, 2020. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is ending his presidential bid, reported U.S. media outlets on Sunday. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) WASHINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Sunday night announced he is ending his presidential campaign, just two days before the Super Tuesday primary. "At this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together," Buttigieg told supporters in his hometown South Bend. "So tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency, " the 38-year-old Democrat said. Twelve people who played roles in a family-run major drug ring that sold fentanyl and heroin in Camden as well as built untraceable ghost guns have been indicted on racketeering and other charges, authorities said. The accused ringleader, Wilbert Segarra, 40, of Camden is also charged with being the leader of a narcotics trafficking network as well as attempted murder in a shooting in May that stemmed from an ongoing dispute with a rival drug gang, the state Office of the Attorney General said. Segarra fled New Jersey and was arrested July 23, though authorities say he continued to call the shots for the drug ring while on the lam and in jail. Segarra and the other owners and operators of the drug network - Luis I. Rosado, 28, of Camden and his girlfriend, Meligza Cruz, 32, of Camden, ran the day-to-day operations of the drug network, officials said. All three are members of the G-Shine set of the Bloods street gang, authorities said. Cruz is also charged with child endangerment because she was involved in drug deals while her and Rosados 1-year-old child was in a vehicle, authorities said. Most of the sales the drug ring made were single wax folds of heroin around the 400 block of Grant Street. The ring mainly operated in and around a section of North Camden extending from Grant Street to Elm Street between Coopers Poynt School and Northgate II Park, officials said. Rosado, Cruz and six other were arrested in October when authorities executed search warrants in Camden and Philadelphia. Investigator seized two semi-automatic handguns, $2,960 in cash and roughly 285 wax folds of heroin and fentanyl. Some of the drugs with the stamp SpongeBob, were found when investigators raided a residence on the 400 block of 40th Street in Camden where Cruz and Rosado lived, authorities said. Investigators also seized about 2.5 ounces of pure fentanyl when they executed a search warrant at a residence on Whitaker Avenue in Philadelphia that Rosado called the Office, authorities said. Thats where he and others allegedly packaged heroin and fentanyl in a home equipped with sifters, scales, various cutting agents, wax folds and five rubber ink stamps used to stamp the following brand names on wax folds: Bad Boys, SpongeBob, Glizzy Gang, NS, and Two Guns. Heroin stamped with the brand Bad Boys has been linked to three overdoses, including two deaths, authorities said. Three semi-automatic pistols including one illegal ghost gun assembled from parts bearing no serial number were seized at the Philadelphia heroin mill, along with several large-capacity magazines, including a 50-round drum-type magazine, the Attorney Generals office said. Cops also said they found polymer and schematic plans to manufacture ghost-gun assault rifles and semi-automatic pistols. The others charged with first-degree racketeering are: Maria Morales, 29, of Camden Ramon Saldana, 22, of Camden Rafael Velazquez, 27, of Camden Migdoel Morales-Cruz, 33, of Camden Michael Canales, 23, of Camden Angel Martinez, 34, of Camden Daniel Sanjurjo, Jr., 21, of Camden Emanuel Morales, 25, of Camden Joseph Cooper Jr., 24, of Philadelphia Meligza Cruz, Maria Morales, Emanuel Morales, and Migdoel Morales-Cruz are all related as either siblings or cousins, officials said. Two others - also family members - were indicted on weapons offenses. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. New Delhi, March 2 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police has seized 232 kg contraband drugs with an estimated value of Rs 50 crore. The consignment was being sent to Britain via air courier. Two persons have been arrested in this connection. Delhi Police DCP (Special Cell) Sanjeev Yadav told IANS on Monday: "Arrested men have been identified as Puneet Arora of Gurugram and Vinod Kumar of Delhi's Uttam Nagar". Yadav said: "The police have recovered 76 kg banned drugs, 32.8 kg Tramadol capsules, 123.3 kg Tramadol tablets from them." The smugglers have revealed that Puneet's father runs an Ayurvedic drugs shop in Britain's Birmingham. They were doing smuggling under this pretext, the DCP said. He further said that Vinod runs a courier company since long time and has connections with many custom clearance agents. Hence, Puneet was using his contacts to deliver these banned drugs. The police have also recovered two cars and a scooty from them. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be reached at sanjeev.c@ians.in) When it comes to Ottawa's struggling LRT, last week was the week that appeared to break the backs of some city councillors and no wonder. A record low number of light rail trains were available at one point just seven of the 17 we own and six different train issues in back-to-back rush hours forced some passengers to disembark from their trains and walk along the tracks, including in the tunnel. It's not the first time a Confederation Line snafu has created widespread chaos, but politicians and regular folk alike would really like it to be the last. That's why a number of city councillors are now demanding the city walk away from the 30-year deal with Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM), the Confederation Line contractor or at the very least, take a closer look at what ripping up that contract would entail. Even Coun. Allan Hubley, the city's transit commission chair, told a local radio station he's asked to sit down with the city manager to see if it's possible to recruit another company to do the work that RTM seems unable to manage. With a number of LRT-related documents slated to be released today, we expect to get a better idea of exactly what the options might be. It's unlikely that any of them are very good. City out of leverage The current situation is clearly enraging many. Coun. Catherine McKenney has called the state of transit in Ottawa an "embarrassment," while Coun. Carol Anne Meehan has described the Confederation Line as "a lemon." Coun. Tim Tierney said in his latest newsletter to constituents that if RTM "can't deliver ... it's 'three strikes and you're out.'" The city is playing as much hardball as possible in its efforts to get RTM to offer more reliable service, employing tactics like admonishing them in public, having the mayor call train supplier Alstom in France to lambaste their CEO, and pressuring the group to hire British consultants. Story continues Most importantly, the city hasn't paid RTM yet except, of course, for that surprise multi-million dollar cheque issued for September so what else can it do? CBC Breaking contract the 'nuclear' option Could the city get out of the contract? In theory, yes. "There are provisions in the contract for the city to step in, to remove RTM, to take all kinds of severe action against the consortium and its various holding companies," city manager Steve Kanellakos told transit commission back in November. "But when you go there, you're going basically nuclear. And you're creating another problem for yourself, because there aren't a lot of people around just waiting to step in and take over $2-billion projects." Neither councillors nor the public are privy to the financial details of the arrangement with RTM. But we do know this: RTM is set to make hundreds of millions maintaining the Confederation Line, and it's hardly about to walk away quietly. RTM contract worth $2B over decades RTM has a 30-year contract to take care of the line, worth about $1 billion over its life. Sure, except for the $4.5-million payment, RTM hasn't received a cent so far but we're only on the fifth month of the three-decade deal. And the city has literally doubled-down on RTM. Back in 2017, council agreed to sign a sole-sourced contract with Rideau Transit worth $492 million in capital, for things like expanding the Belfast maintenance yard and buying more Alstom Citiadis Spirit trains (that's right, we've already purchased 38 more of these light rail cars, which are just like the first 34). At the time, council also handed over the maintenance for Stage 2 to RTM, reasoning it would be simpler to have one company look after the entire network until 2048. That extension is worth about another $1 billion. All this to say, it's hard to imagine RTM would allow the city to break a $2-billion maintenance contract without a fight a big one. Remember the old controversial plan to electrify and extend what is now the Trillium Line, and which we used to call the O-Train? Former mayor Larry O'Brien successfully campaigned in 2006 to cancel a signed contract with Siemens and convinced the new council to go along with it. In the end, the city had to pay out almost $37 million in settlements, and that was for a $755-million deal. Imagine what it would cost to get out of a $2-billion contract? Coun. Jan Harder, in fact, has ben considering just that. That's why, in a Friday video update to constituents, she called last week's LRT performance "a disaster a royal mess" but added that those who want to rip up the maintenance contract "have lost their minds." Jean-Sebastien Marier/Radio-Canada Making LRT reliable could take year or more Now, the two situations aren't exactly the same. Siemens was virtually blameless when council walked away in 2006. One can't say the same for RTM, which has arguably not performed as promised. As Kanellakos alluded to, the contract includes scenarios in which the city could kill the deal if RTM hasn't lived up to its part of the bargain. But exactly what those scenarios are, and at what point in the lifespan of this long partnership they kick in, isn't at all clear. The fact is that it will take a year of work, maybe more, to make the Confederation Line truly reliable. And money lots of money. Jean Delisle/CBC Take the so-called arc flashes that are causing power to be cut to trains. Peter Lauch, the CEO of RTM, said last month that although it's found a good hack to mitigate the problem, the long-term solution is to replace a piece of equipment, a process "that's about 12 months away." Last week, Lauch insisted the Alstom Citadis Spirit trains are ultimately "good vehicles". He conceded they are "obviously having issues," but said the fixes RTM has put in place are working. That may be fine in the short term, but RTM has also been unable to tell us what the root cause is for many problems, from door issues to the smell in Parliament station. As taxpayers, do we want to take on the myriad fights to fix the LRT system or do we want to pressure RTM to do it? The first option seems awfully daunting both expensive and time-consuming and the second option is a lot like what the city is already doing, with less than satisfactory results. It's not a great choice, but it's the scenario that council signed us up for when it approved the contract for the Confederation Line back in 2012, and again in 2017 when councillors deepened our financial commitment to Rideau Transit before we had any evidence of the group's performance. And turning back the clock isn't one of the options facing council this week. CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / ????Dear Members of Congress, FDA Commissioner, and HHS Secretary, I received the following email from FDA Ombudsman Desta on Feb. 20: My Response is An Open Letter to the FDA/HHS/Congress Regarding Faulty Heart Devices "Your email to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn dated January 27, 2020, and your email to HHS Secretary Dr. Alex Azar dated February 6, 2020, were forwarded to me for review and response in my capacity as Ombudsman for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The Agency has reviewed the material you provided, and it does not appear that you have provided new information, which was not previously provided to FDA. I respectfully request that you provide any new information relevant to the safety or efficacy of the dETlogix annuloplasty ring, IMR ETlogix annuloplasty ring, or an Atricure device to me in writing at CDRHOmbudsman@fda.hhs.gov so FDA may properly evaluate the information and make a determination on what action, if any, is warranted." Below is the information you requested regarding Edwards Lifesciences' McCarthy Myxo ETlogix Ring Model 5100 (Myxo Ring), including a chronology and links to the evidence submitted to the FDA District office in Minneapolis, MN. I request help for nearly 700 patients who received the device without their consent, prior to FDA registration, clearance and recall. Some have suffered heart attacks, deaths and re-operations to remove the faulty device. Others are still at risk. The new evidence is a public email from device manufacturer Edwards Lifesciences from 2007 that indicates the device didn't need approval, when, in fact, it did: "It appears you are looking for information about authority to market the product. It has been marketed in the US since March 2006 pursuant to the FDA's 510k clearance process. That process does not involve issuance of documentation by the FDA." On June 13, 2019, Edwards Lifesciences testified to the First District Appellate Court of Illinois that the Myxo Ring was FDA approved for use in humans as of 2006, due to the "Justification to File" process - meaning the device had minor changes from an older version and didn't need regulatory approval. This case involved a patient who suffered a heart attack when the experimental Myxo Ring was implanted. The surgeon had invented the device and didn't tell about the heart attack until years later. On December 6, 2019, Northwestern University attorneys testified to the Illinois Supreme Court's Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission that the device was approved as of March 2006, based on that three-line email from 2007. On December 20, 2018, I presented evidence of the Myxo Ring's harm to Minneapolis FDA district office investigators. For 3 1/2 hours, victims and their families testified to the injuries during the safety and efficacy testing. I also presented evidence of 122 safety defects discovered by the company in 2006. The defects required significant device modifications, before the company could announce the official launch onto the US market as disclosed in 2007 to the Security Exchange Commission. On March 12, 2019, the FDA Media Affairs office confirmed that the investigation was closed. "The FDA has looked into this matter recently and previously, and did not identify issues of concern, and the matter is closed," Deborah Kotz Press Officer. FDA Freedom of Information requests regarding why the investigation was closed were refused by the Chicago FDA district office a few days later. The Myxo Ring was tested in humans during open heart surgery as reported by the Daily Northwestern in 2019 and published in the Journal of Thoracic Surgeons for the American Society of Thoracic Surgery. https://www.jtcvs.org/article/S0022-5223(08)00278-X/fulltext The FDA congressional Office confirmed in 2009, to the Senate Finance Committee, that the Myxo Ring was never FDA approved or cleared for use in humans prior to the date of the letter. In fact, it had been pulled off the shelves. In 2009, the FDA congressional office wrote to patient Antonitsa Vlahoulis confirming the investigational status of the device, with a promise that Sen. Richard Durbin would be contacting her. That still has not happened. In 2009, a soon to be FDA employee, Dr. William Maisel testified to the Energy and Commerce Committee, the facts surrounding the testing of the Myxo Ring without Consent and without FDA registration or clearance. In 2017, the FDA Congressional office confirmed that they were not going to report to the patients the changes in the FDA status of the Myxo ETlogix device, which went on recall and was never formally approved for use in humans for the branding and indications used at the time of the clinical trial. These patients have a fundamental right to know, under the Federal Laws 45CFR46 and 21CFR820.30, and the Federal Wide Assurance signed by Northwestern University FWA 1549, that the device, the Myxo ETlogix Ring Model 5100, for myxomatous disease, implanted in their hearts was classified as investigational by the FDA as of March 2009 and on recall. https://www.scribd.com/document/442173802/FDA-July-2017 As a former investigator and an ARRA awardee, I hold a life-long reporting responsibility under Federal HHS reporting laws. The hospital, university, device manufacturer and FDA have a federal responsibility to review the evidence and inform the nearly 700 patients about this device's experimental status and any ongoing risks and harm as recently published in 2019 by the student newspaper the Daily Northwestern. Thank you for your hard work on behalf of the citizens of the United States of America. Respectfully, Nalini M. Rajamannan, MD Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Cardiology and Valvular Institute. Adjunct Visiting Scientist Mayo Clinic Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Dr. Nalini Rajamannan is a heart valve expert in the field of cardiovascular medicine. She earned her undergraduate science pre-professional degree from the University of Notre Dame, her Medical Doctorate from Mayo Medical School and her post-graduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic and Research Fellowship on the NIH training Grant. She also worked at the Mayo Clinic as a staff consultant in Internal Medicine and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University and the Lakeside and Westside VA. Currently, she practices consultative valvular medicine and Osteocardiology at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Cardiology and Valvular Institute, WI. ?Press Contact: Oscar Delgado ??Press Officer for Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Cardiology and Valvular Institute Former NBC Bureau Chief Latin America 773-573-6890 heartvalves@sacredcardiology.com Related Files FDAAffidavit_ Investigation MPLS_FDA and Testimony from the Victims_12-19-2018+JMJ.pdf FDA Recall Documents-2_Heart valves-2.pdf Related Images Related Links The Daily Northwestern Reveals Cover-up Medscape outlines the FDA testing Related Video SOURCE: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Cardiology and Valvular Institute View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578648/Dr-Rajamannan-Replies-to-FDAs-Demands-of-New-Evidence-Surrounding-Harm-to-Patients-in-an-Open-Letter-to-Members-of-Congress-the-FDA-Commissioner-Hahn-and-HHS-Secretary-Azar Photo: (Photo : Pxhere.com) Babies, the younger they are, tend to sleep most of the time and loves to sleep soundly. Parents would adore how cute and comfortable they look when they are asleep. However, did you know there should be the right way to put your babies to sleep? If not, then read on below to know more about it. Although having blankets, comforters, quilts, and pillows on the bed makes it more cozy to sleep in for an adult, it's not the same for babies. Having soft beddings can be vital to a baby and it can cause more danger, especially a risk to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents should be mindful and responsible enough to keep soft objects and too comfortable loose bedding away from babies because this will suffocate them. Moreover, having super soft bedding or having bedding in general, has always been associated with SIDS and is the leading cause of death for babies who are below 1 year old. In a survey where an estimated 19,000 parents who have babies who are younger than 8 months were found to be using soft bedding on their babies' cribs. And this is very alarming, especially to experts. The National Infant Sleep Position Study conducted research in the years between 1993 and 2010 and showed accurate data that was published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday. The good news is, there has already been a decrease in the use of soft bedding over the years. The number of infants that were introduced to risky bedding dropped 31% from 86% in 1993 and 55% in 2010. The reduction in the average number was most rampant during the 1990s. In this decade, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institutes of Health made recommendations and suggestions that babies should be laid flat on their backs when they sleep and should not use any blankets or soft objects. These recommendations have helped parents to be more aware of the causes of SIDS and other sleep-related issues that cause death to babies. After the 90s, the rate of SIDS has dropped down constantly through the years up to 2010. The reduction even reached a drop down to 50%. Also, one thing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found out was between the years 1993 and 2010, 83% of the mom population in the U.S were teenage mothers and moms who are less than high school education. They were also the most likely to use soft bedding for their babies. Also, white mothers were less likely to have high rates of bedding use compared to African-American and Hispanic mothers, which usually uses beddings to their babies. On the other hand, moms who have been in college levels or that have reached a college degree showed 58% on bedding use. This is the lowest statistic that was found after the research. Compared to Hispanic and black mothers, white mothers don't use beddings that much to their babies. Experts and doctors, especially in the pediatrics area, suggested that the reason why parents are mostly unaware of bedding use can cause sudden death to infants is because of the advertisements they see on televisions, radios, or magazines. Most baby companies would advertise more of comfy beddings, pillows, and blankets that will make parents think that it will make their babies cozy, but the truth is, they will only put their baby at risk if they let them use beddings. As an alternative, you can let your baby use blankets that are wearable or even soft fabrics. It is also safest for your baby to sleep on their crib or their bassinet. WASHINGTON The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider a challenge to the Trump administration's ban on bump stocks, a rapid-fire device used in the 2017 mass killing of 59 people gunned down in Las Vegas. The dispute had more to do with the federal government's decision-making process than the weapons ban itself. Challengers contended lower courts allowed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives too much leeway to impose the ban without greater congressional input. For decades, limiting the regulatory power of federal agencies has been a paramount goal of conservatives. The Supreme Court has cut back on agency deference, most recently last June, without stripping agencies of the power to interpret ambiguous regulations. The Supreme Court refused last year to upend the ban on bump stocks, a device that allows rifles to mimic automatic weapons. The ban prohibits owning, buying, selling or "otherwise transferring" bump stocks. A bump stock device that fits on a semi-automatic rifle to increase the firing speed, making it similar to a fully automatic rifle, is installed on an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle at a gun store in Salt Lake City, Utah. The weapon was used in a mass shooting in Las Vegas in October 2017 that killed 59 people and injured 869 others. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. In February 2018, President Donald Trump instructed the attorney general to regulate bump stocks' use, and 10 months later, Justice Department officials issued the ban, giving owners 90 days to either turn bump stocks over to federal agents or melt, shred or crush them. Bump stocks combine two legal devices, a plastic stock and a firearm, that together function like a machine gun. The bump stock harnesses the recoil of the rifle to accelerate trigger pulls, technically bumping the trigger for each shot after it bounces off the shooters shoulder. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bump stock ban: Supreme Court won't hear challenge to agency authority The depressed, dismal Democrats have forgotten how to have fun By David Keene The late Christopher Hitchens once observed that you can tell whos winning in politics by determining which side is having more fun. By that measurement, even a few minutes of the recent Democratic presidential debate proves that todays Democrats are in real trouble. The world, if you listen to them, is a gloomy place indeed; so gloomy as to render them incapable of humor in themselves or in others. Oh, the candidates sometimes think theyre poking fun at their adversaries, but invariably they forget to smile and are far more interested in belittling or even demonizing those with whom they disagree. Laughing at or even with the lineup of foes is unthinkable. And they never, ever make fun of themselves. Maybe its hard to crack a joke when you see everyone with whom you disagree as a Hitler, Pol Pot or Stalin. If you actually believe the Earth is going to implode in fewer than a dozen years, its hard to love life. For whatever reason, the current Democratic field isnt entertaining and certainly doesnt seem to have much fun. Their parties, like their debates, must be dismal affairs. Todays Republicans, on the other hand, are if not joyful at least capable of joking about themselves, their adversaries and the world around them. Even President Trumps most ardent supporters often find themselves laughing at what the man has to say, and attend his rallies not because they are attracted to hour-and-half speeches but because the rallies are entertaining and fun. If depressed Democrats want to go off by themselves to bemoan their political fate or the failure of others to see the wisdom of their nostrums, fine. Perhaps we should feel sorry for them, but acknowledge their right to wallow in their own misery. But they arent content. Instead, they want to make sure that everyone else is just as miserable. Thus, when the organizers of this years Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) announced their showcase production of a play called FBI Lovebirds: UnderCovers the left went berserk. An actress and actor playing FBI agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok will read the text messages the two exchange at the height of their frenzied love affair to keep the loathsome idiot Donald Trump from the White House. According to those who have seen it, the play is not just entertaining, but hilarious and funnier because it isnt fiction. As author Phelim McAleer told a reporter, It is verbatim there are no additions no extra drama. It is the truth and that is why the left hates it so much. And that is why it is so compelling. In the play, as in real life, Mr. Strzok celebrates starting the Russia investigation into candidate Trump as an insurance policy. When Lisa Page considers the possibility that Mr. Trump might actually win the election, Mr. Strzok comforts her by promising that it wouldnt happen because he will stop it. They openly talked about impeachment just days after actual voters elected Mr. Trump. There are thousands of such texts and Trump-haters see them as evidence of the lovers efforts on behalf of the resistance. The idea that thousands of the deplorables would find all this amusing was too much for the boys and girls at the Daily Kos, Esquire and the inhabitants of the fever swamps of the left. The Daily Kos called the play sickening, and Esquire urges readers to join together to prevent the actors, Dean Cain who had played Superman on television and Kristy Swanson of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from ever working again. Not to be outdone, a leftist blogger asked, Can we start a Go Fund Me to send one lucky Coronavirus victim to CPAC? Ive got $100 to start it, and the Daily Kos called on the sites followers to protest at CPAC the very idea that conservatives might find humor in something so serious. Some protesters may actually buy tickets and get in and actually disrupt the performance before being escorted out for their trouble. But they wont be beaten as so many Trump supporters have been for gasp wearing a MAGA hat. Conservatives have not only read, but believe in the First Amendment and have the ability to laugh at the foolishness of their adversaries rather than wish them dead. David A. Keene is an editor at large for The Washington Times. Home By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 25 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on March 2. The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding regions. The Road to 270 is a weekly column leading up to the presidential election. Each installment is dedicated to understanding one states political landscape and how that might influence which party will win its electoral votes in 2020. Well do these roughly in order of expected competitiveness, moving toward the most intensely contested battlegrounds as election day nears. The Road to 270 will be published every Monday. The column is written by Seth Moskowitz, a 270toWin elections and politics contributor. Contact Seth at s.k.moskowitz@gmail.com or on Twitter @skmoskowitz. Tennessee Tennessee has a history of distinguishing itself from its southern neighbors. It resisted secession and the Civil War, was first to break the "Solid South" electoral block, and was home to the first southern city to desegregate. This independent streak goes back to Tennessee's earliest days before it was a state. Statehood and Early Presidential Politics The territory that would become Tennessee was originally part of North Carolina. In 1789, after years of dissatisfaction with North Carolina governance and previous secession attempts, the region broke off to form the Territory South of the Ohio River. Tennessee was admitted to the Union seven years later, in 1796. Like most of the agrarian south, Tennessee reliably cast electoral votes for Thomas Jeffersons Democratic-Republican Party. It did so in each of its first eight elections from 1796 to 1824. The last of these, 1824, featured the Tennessean general Andrew Jackson. Jackson won his home state with 97% of the popular vote and won the plurality of the national popular vote with 41%. He lost that election due to a Corrupt Bargain between John Quincy Adams and Speaker of the House Henry Clay. Four years later, the Tennessean populist ran again under his new Democratic Party the same one we have today and dominated his home state, the national popular vote, and the Electoral College. During his tenure, Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act that forcibly displaced Native Americans out of the Southeastern United States, including Tennessee. The Trail of Tears, as it would come to be known, did little to hurt Jacksons electoral fortunes. He won the popular vote and his home state in a landslide. Unlike its southern neighbors, however, Tennessee broke from the Democratic Party for the next five elections. From 1836 to 1852 Tennessee would vote for the Whig Party, which built an effective infrastructure and tailored message in the state. As historian Jonathan Atkins writes, "The Tennessee Whig Party built its platform on warnings that powerful, demagogic forces conspired to rob republican citizens of the liberty won during the American Revolution. Whigs also argued that the power of government should be used to promote the public good. This tactic proved especially successful during the economic depression of the late 1830s and early 1840s, when Whig supporters recognized that the party's success could enhance their material well-being." Slavery and Civil War By 1856, however, the question of slavery and the survival of the Union overshadowed all other political concerns. In 1856, Tennessee voted for Democrat James Buchanan, and in 1860 for Constitutional Unionist, John Bell. The Constitutional Union Party was formed to hold the Union together and performed best among the states forming the border between North and South. The only three states to vote for it Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky were largely pro-slavery, but wanted to hold the Union together. They had reason to fear that a civil war would be fought within their borders. Displaying its moderate tendencies, Tennessee initially voted against secession. Later, following the attack on Fort Sumter, the state changed tack and joined the Confederacy. The states population, however, was not uniform in its support for secession. The eastern third of the state, made up mostly of homesteads and family farms, favored staying in the Union. The rest of the state, covered with large cotton and tobacco plantations, relied on slavery and supported secession. Tennessee and the Solid South After the war, Tennessees voting patterns reflected these feelings on secession and slavery: whites in the east voted Republican and those in the center and west supported Democrats. In the first post-war election of 1868, Tennessee voted Republican. Many newly freed slaves were able to vote for the first time while some whites were disenfranchised during Reconstruction. As whites regained the franchise and African Americans faced exclusion and voter suppression, Tennessee shifted into the reliably Democratic column. From 1872 through 1916, the state would vote exclusively Democratic. Unlike other southern states, and in particular those in the Deep South, Tennessee regularly gave Republicans over 40% of the popular vote. This moderation would help make Tennessee the first state to break the Solid South, the group of southern states that had voted uniformly Democratic since 1880. In 1920, due to the unpopularity of Woodrow Wilsons foreign entanglements in the isolationist Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Republican Warren Harding would overcome his partys drought in the state. Again in 1928, largely due to an anti-Catholic sentiment haunting Democratic candidate Al Smith, Republican Herbert Hoover would again break the Solid South and carry Tennessee by 8%. With the popularity of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal, Tennessee again shifted back to Democrats. The Tennessee Valley Authority, a state-owned enterprise created as a part of the New Deal helped employ, power, and pull a suffering region out of the depths of the Depression. Though not without its share of controversy and resentment, the TVA and Roosevelts legacy helped solidify Tennessee as a Democratic state. Shifting Rightward After Roosevelts landslide in 1936, however, Tennessee began shifting rightward every election cycle. The trend finally overtook Democrats in 1952, when the moderate Republican Dwight Eisenhower beat out Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson by 0.28%. Eisenhowers victory marks a breaking point in Tennessee presidential politics; after his 1952 victory, no non-southern Democrat would win the state. Republicans would go on to win every election in Tennessee outside of 1964, 1976, 1992, and 1996, when Texan Lyndon Johnson, Georgian Jimmy Carter, and Arkansan Bill Clinton would be the Democratic standard-bearers. A century after the Civil War, Tennessees ancestral voting patterns prevailed. The eastern third of the state remained staunchly Republican while the rest of the state would swing between elections. The once secessionist central and western regions would still sometimes vote for liberal Democrats including George McGovern and Michael Dukakis. Once again, Tennessees course is different than those of than its southern neighbors. Most southern states stuck to their Democratic roots until 1964 when the Civil Rights Act fractured the Democratic Party. As the parties further polarized along social issues including civil rights, abortion rights, gun control, and especially the environment, Tennesseans cut these ancestral ties. In 2000, Al Gore, a former Tennessee Senator and Representative, ran as an environmentalist. The platform played poorly in his home state, which Gore lost by 4%. That year, Gore won 21 fewer counties than Clinton had in 1996. Each subsequent election would see Republicans expand their margin of victory and flip more counties. Economic Development in the Last Century Tennessees economy, though once reliant on farming and agriculture, has shifted away from its agrarian roots. During the mid-20th Century, the Tennessee Valley Authority and World War Two had drawn manufacturing investment and a labor force into Tennessee. The cheap labor drew in more manufacturing jobs including in the textile and chemical industries. The state continued to attract new industries through the 1970s with its skilled labor force, low taxes, loose regulations, and tight restrictions on labor unions. In 1983, Nissan opened a manufacturing plant in Tennessee, kicking off a new era in the states economy. Other automobile companies, most importantly General Motors, also opened manufacturing centers that helped fuel the states economy and built up a skilled workforce that spread to other industries. A vestige of the TVA, Tennessee still produces a significant amount of energy though oil, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric, and nuclear facilities. The state's economy also relies on transportation and logistics, an industry boosted by the states position between the South and the Midwest and Northeast. The tourism industry is healthy, with music lovers drawn to Nashvilles country scene and Elvis Presleys Graceland Mansion in Memphis. Chattanooga in the southeast has become an unlikely tech hub and the state is still covered in farmland, much of which is dedicated to soybeans, hay, and corn. Recent Elections and Political Landscape Downballot state elections lagged behind Tennessees national trends. As recently as 2004, Democrats held a government trifecta holding the Governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. The State Senate was the first to flip in 2005, next was the State House in 2010 and last was the Governorship in 2011. In just 7 years, Democrats lost and Republicans picked up a state trifecta in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Republicans continued to expand presidential margins in Tennessee. George W. Bush won by 14% in 2004, John McCain by 15% in 2008, and Mitt Romney by 20% in 2012. Republicans gained ground in the rural and suburban communities in the central and western portions of the state. Democrats saw improvements in the most dense and diverse Shelby and Davidson Counties that house Memphis and Nashville. In 2016, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton with a 26% margin, the largest since Richard Nixons 49-state landslide in 1972. Trump improved on Romneys margins in 91 of the states 95 counties. Clinton would only carry three counties Shelby (Memphis), Davidson (Nashville), and Haywood, which along with Shelby, is one of Tennessees two majority-black counties. This November, Tennessee will hold elections for president, U.S. Senate and nine U.S. House seats. None of these elections is expected to be competitive. There is, however, a competitive election happening in the state this week. Tomorrow, on Super Tuesday, Tennessee Democrats will have their say in the partys primary. There has been a dearth of polling in the state, but if regional and demographic trends are indicative, Joe Bidens recent success in South Carolina could portend a plurality victory for him here. The Democratic electorate is whiter here than in South Carolina, however, a distinction that is likely to help Bernie Sanders. While Tennessees primary election results are uncertain, those of the general election are not. It is safe to assume a Trump victory in Tennessee this November, likely with a margin approaching 30%. Next Week: Maryland A policeman and a fireman based in Rome have tested positive for the new coronavirus, authorities said, raising the risk of the virus spreading in the Italian capital. Around 90 percent of the 1,694 cases reported in Italy up to March 1 are concentrated in the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia Romagna. Cases in Rome, Italys largest city with 3 million people, had so far been limited to a Chinese couple on holiday and an Italian repatriated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began late last year, on a special flight and hospitalized. All three recovered. Authorities reported late on Sunday that a Rome policeman had tested positive. On Monday, the Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital where he was staying announced that his wife, two children, and sister-in-law were also infected. A fireman living at barracks in the southeast of the city tested positive on Monday. The school attended by the policemans son, in the nearby town of Pomezia, was closed and lessons were suspended in the university faculty at Romes main Sapienza university, attended by his other son. On Monday, the local government in Lombardy said all its members would undergo tests after a councilor tested positive. The national civil protection agency will give an update of cases at its daily briefing around 1700 GMT. Italy, the European country worst affected by the outbreak, has recorded 34 deaths and seen economic sectors from manufacturing to tourism hit by a plunge in orders. Several international airlines including Lufthansa Delta Airlines and countries such as the Czech Republic have reduced or suspended flights to Italian cities, including Milan. Work From Home Milan cathedral reopened to the public on Monday, but schools and universities remain closed and many companies told staff to work from home. The top of UniCredit skyscraper in Milan was lit in red, white and green, the colors of the Italian flag, in a sign of solidarity with people hit by the virus. Lombardys regional governor Attilio Fontana and the councilor responsible for welfare Giulio Gallera, the main public faces of the crisis management effort, are among those who will be tested. Fontana has placed himself in voluntary partial quarantine after an assistant tested positive, isolating himself in a room in his office in the regional government headquarters, an Italian daily reported. As the human toll grows, the government is increasingly worried about the economic outlook. Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri announced the cabinet would this week approve 3.6 billion euros ($3.5 billion) in measures to help companies. An aid package worth 900 million euros was unveiled on Friday for the worst-impacted zones. National statistics bureau ISTAT reported on Monday that the 2019 budget deficit came in at 1.6 percent of national output, the smallest fiscal gap for 12 years. The much lower-than-expected reading potentially gives the coalition of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the centre-left Democratic Party more leeway to spend and borrow this year. By Gavin Jones and Angelo Amante Moscow, March 2 : The only floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) in the world, Akademik Lomonosov, built by the Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom has supplied more than 21 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, Rosatom has announced. The FNPP, built to withstand tsunamis and crashes with icebergs, and which is currently in trial operation in the town of Pevek in Russia's Chukotka Region, has supplied more than 21 million kWh of electricity to the isolated network of the Chaun-Bilibino energy system as on February 26, according to Rosatom Akademik Lomonosov is expected to be commissioned in the summer of this year after additional tests and the permit to be issued by Russia's nuclear energy watchdog Rostekhnadzor. After this, the FNPP will supply thermal energy to Pevek town, which will be fully connected by 2021, the statement added. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 18:03 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067c9a5a 1 City BATAN,Banten,radioactive,radiation,South-Tangerang,Greater-Jakarta,Bapeten,police Free A resident of South Tangerang, Banten, who allegedly kept radioactive substances in his house at the Batan Indah housing complex did so for economic gain, the National Police have said, and had been engaged in business involving radioactive substances. National Police spokesperson, Sr. Comr. Asep Adi Saputra said that the man, a National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) employee identified by the initials SM, had been keeping radioactive substances at his house for a long time. He opened a decontamination service, too, so [the service] was a part of his livelihood, Asep said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com. Police found the radioactive isotope Caesium-137 along with other radioactive substances in SMs house last week. Asep said that the decayed nature of the substances indicated that they had been in the house for a long time. SM is currently still only a witness in the investigation, but the police have said that he could be soon named a suspect and charged under a 1997 law on nuclear energy for illegally storing radioactive materials in his house. If charged, he faces a maximum punishment of two years imprisonment and a Rp 100 million (US$7,154) fine. The Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) first detected high levels of radiation in the Batan Indah complex during a routine check at the end of January. Between Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, a joint Bapeten and National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) team discovered several radioactive fragments in a vacant lot next to a volleyball court in the housing complex. The joint team later traced the radiation to SMs house. (hol) by Eric J. Weiner What is commonsense to most people who received a K-12 public education in the United States is that every formal system of state schooling throughout the modern world is designed to educate its students to develop, what Charles Lemert calls sociologically competencies within whatever ideological system is dominating at the time of their schooling. People correctly assume that children going to school during the Weimar Republic, for example, were educated to function competently within that ideological system. Children who were in school during the reign of Chairman Mao in the Peoples Republic of China were educated to function competently within that system. Children in China today are educated to be sociologically competent in Chinas current government and economic system. Children in France, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Iran likewise are educated to function competently in those systems. In the Soviet Union, children were educated to function within its version of communism. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, children were required to learn different civic knowledge and skills in order to be competent within the newly emerging political ideologies of reformed nation states. For people educated in the United States, the connection to ideology and schooling is obvious except when it comes to their own perception of the kind of public schooling they and/or their children received. At most, people might blame the educational system for being too liberal or too conservative, but to recognize the constitutive connection between schooling and ideology goes too far. Ideology is something that defines other governmental and educational systems, not their own. Ironically, this points to the deep level of ideological indoctrination that state schools have helped to achieve over several generations in the United States. Fueled by the complimentary discourses of choice, individualism, and Judeo-Christian morality, the connection between ideology and schooling is hidden in plain sight behind a translucent veil of American exceptionalism. What we are left with is an education system that teaches students to believe in an illusion of freedom, while disciplining what Michel Foucault famously called docile bodies and obedient minds. This is not to say that there are not examples of schools, teachers and students that arent resisting these ideological forces of schooling. I will address those in another essay. But suffice it to say for now that however determined and important the work of resistance is, it operates more tactically than strategically, making its ideological impact negligible. For at least the past fifty years, public schools in the United States have been preparing their students to function competently, yet blindly within a free-market ideology and a governmental system most accurately described as a neoliberal plutocracy. In spite of the constant attacks from the left and right about public educations supposed failures, in Althusserian terms it is an incredibly efficient and effective ideological state apparatus, refined over the years in large part by educational psychologists, linguists, sociologists, and political scientists to produce a uniquely American subject, one that is unaware of its own civic ignorance and democratic incompetencies, yet is ubernationalistic, overly confident in its cognitive abilities, and morally superior. Aside from some basic understanding of the role of choice as it relates to suffrage, the level of civic knowledge and skills that the average child is taught in public school is almost nonexistent. As a partial consequence of our public-school systems success, we might now be witnessing the last gasps of our neoliberal plutocracy, while the emergence of free-market authoritarianism takes root. These are remarkable times and whether you look upon this transformation in horror, excitement, caution, or boredom, our public schools, having long-ago abandoned the Jeffersonian mandate to educate young people to appreciate and participate in liberal democracy, have played an important role in preparing students over the last several decades to function competently within this emerging ideological formation. This is not to say that curriculum developers, teacher-educators, school administrators, and pedagogical practitioners as well as those professionals mentioned in the last paragraph set out to undermine or eradicate neoliberal plutocracy or could foresee what is now emerging in the United States. In preparing students to be sociological competent in a neoliberal plutocracy they were unintentionally helping to lay the groundwork for the emergence of an even less democratic system. Schools dont create ideological systems and are not the cause of their collapse; they are reactive state apparatuses. Yet they are powerful enough in cooperation with other cultural and political apparatuses to help create the conditions for the emergence of something new as they are, at the same time, working to reproduce the status quo. We might call the unintentional outcomes of this process the collateral effect of schooling. Public schools were designed to ensure that a specific ideology takes root at a hegemonic level and flourishes over time. The fundamental role of public schools has consistently been to socialize young people to function competently in whatever ideological formation was dominating at the time of their schooling. One notable exception to this can be seen in Thomas Jeffersons aspirational goal for public schools; only through a system of public education could liberal democracy come to replace the existing plutocracy of which he was an active member. He argued that schools had to be designed with an eye to the future, the goal being to prepare young people to function competently in an ideological system not yet fully established yet sufficiently imagined. Jefferson understood that if a liberal democratic governing structure was to replace, at a hegemonic level, the existing white-supremacist, patriarchal plutocracy, a public system of schooling would have to be designed to prepare future generations with the civic knowledge and skills demanded by the ideology of liberal democracy. Our education systems connection to ideology, from this historical perspective, is uncontroversial. More controversial and particular to states with free-market economies and democratic systems of government is how states can prepare citizens for democracy while also educating them to function competently within the ideology of free-market capitalism. States that have no commitment or a weak commitment to freedom, liberty, and rights, have a much easier time doing this honestly and without too many contradictions. The Unites States of America, however, runs into trouble because there are some fundamental contradictions between the ideological demands of neoliberalism and the ideological needs of democracy. There are shared needs between the two ideologies, but they are less formative than the contradictions and less pronounced when seen from the vantage point of class interests. It may have been Alfie Kohn who said that equity is a pre-condition of a functioning democracy, not its outcome. Capitalism has no such requirement and indeed, at an ideological level, demands inequality as a measure of its success; inequality is a precondition of capitalism as well as a measure of its health. An ideological education in free-market plutocracies, for everyone but the elite, demands no skills or knowledge in critical thinking, rhetoric, literature, philosophy, history or frankly any other academic discipline. Basic facility with reading and maths in combination with job training is really all this ideological formation requires of its citizens. Obedience more than any other behavior is what is desired, taught, and rewarded. Functioning democracies demand the opposite from their citizens. As such, schools in the United States as well as in other free-market plutocratic ideologies hide their ideological agenda behind official curricular representations of freedom, liberty and rights. Public schools effectively and efficiently have managed to educate a citizenry unprepared to self-govern, but more than ready to follow state mandates, consume voraciously, and celebrate negative freedom (i.e., freedom from) as the ultimate expression of liberty. Because the evolution of ideology happens over long periods of time, it is almost imperceptible to those being schooled in its norms and rules. Unless people are educated to see the specific ways in which their own ideological systems work, then it is likely they will be able to recognize ideological bias in other systems but remain blind to their own. There is no contradiction here; its how ideology and hegemony work. But this does not mean there was/is no push back against this kind of ideological education. There were (and still are) plenty of people who warned of what could happen if schools systematically abdicated their responsibility to educate young people to appreciate democracy and to function as democratic citizens, while, at the same time, schooling them to believe that neoliberalism is the same thing as democracy. Over the past several decades, the people who run our schools have willfully ignored Jeffersons warnings that without an educated citizenry a natural aristocracy would undermine the liberal democratic ideology of which he aspired to develop. They have been equally as dismissive of John Deweys prescient warning that if schools dont teach young people how to be democratically competent they will be susceptible to the promises made by the demagogues of other ideological systems of governance. Noam Chomsky, also dismissed out-of-hand, has been discussing the mis-education of our young people and its implications for our democracy in light of the Trilateral Commissions report on the indoctrinating role of schools since the mid-1970s. Ivan Illichs ideas about the need to de-school our minds and bodies so that we can live democratically has had little impact on the design, content, and pedagogical focus of public education. Paulo Freires work is categorically dismissed as unsuitable and irrelevant to an American context as is the de-colonial work of Franz Fanon and Aime Cesaire. Michael Apple, Jean Anyon, Henry Giroux, and Stanley Aronowitz, among many other critical educators, have written hundreds of books and articles about the hidden curriculum in our public schools. To reiterate, the hidden curriculum refers to those ideas, practices and values that students learn in U.S. public schools, beyond the scope of the official curriculum, that provides them the skills and knowledge they need to function competently within autocratic neoliberal formations. Stanley Aronowitz goes as far to say that in the 21st century the hidden curriculum isnt so hidden anymore. Even Diane Ravitch, the once influential neo-conservative architect of anti-democratic school design, has become a vocal critic of public educations authoritarian tendencies. Although the emergence of free-market authoritarianism was never over-determined, the writing, at least for these intellectuals, was on the wall. These educational and political thinkers, through a critical analysis of democratic principles and schooling understood the fundamental and somewhat obvious implication of not educating citizens to appreciate democracy and function as democratic citizens; without civic knowledge and skills the democratic experiment would eventually wither and die and be replaced by something else. No one has a crystal ball in which they could see the outcome of this kind of ideological education. Social engineering is a historically sloppy science. And because there are always people struggling to teach against the grain of the hidden curriculum, teacher-centered pedagogies, and instrumental literacies, the emergence of free-market authoritarianism from the evolving neoliberal plutocracy was never over-determined. Indeed, even at this writing it remains to be seen as to whether this emerging new governmental structure will continue to grow and solidify or whether proponents of democracy (or some other ideology) will be able to do anything to derail its rise to power. But you dont need a Ph.D. to understand what happens when schools stop educating people about the benefits of democracy and how to live democratically. If young people are schooled to think about education as, first and foremost, a means to a job, then that is what they will think. If they are not taught to appreciate democracy and act democratically then they wont. If they are not taught how to work across their differences to solve common problems, they will look to a leader that promises to fix all their problems. Anecdotally, when I ask my undergraduate students why they chose to go to college, they unanimously say its about getting a good job. When asked about their understanding about democracy generally and their civic knowledge and skills specifically, they know almost nothing. When asked about global citizenship, they typically know even less. When asked if they had to learn these things in elementary, middle or high school, they overwhelmingly say no. If they did learn some basic ideas about these things, they certainly didnt learn them in a way that makes them competent actors in a democratic system of self-governance. Once we go over the many skills and types of knowledge a person must have to responsibly participate in democratic life, they acknowledge they dont know the information and dont have the skills that a functioning democracy requires of its citizens. Many of them, reasonably then, dont participate in democratic activities if/when they are available. More troubling perhaps is their docility in the face of authoritarian expressions of power. Most of these students are good, meaning they do what they are told. Unless hiding behind a veil of anonymity, they dont typically challenge, disrupt, disagree, interrogate, critique, or engage across differences of opinion and experience, even when they are in an environment that encourages this kind of behavior. But they all know how to consume and they all want to be trained to get a good job after they graduate. This is the outcome of the kind of ideological schooling many of our young people have gotten over the last several decades with regards to our current neoliberal plutocracy and it has been incredibly successful. Everyday in public schools across the United States students and teachers acquire and learn the knowledge and skills they will need to be considered competent in a free-market plutocracy. Some of the lessons are explicit, while others are embedded in the hidden curriculum. Some of the skills and knowledge is learned because of what is actually taught, while other skills and knowledge is acquired because of what is not taught. Whether the knowledge and skills translate into some kind of measurable success (happiness, wealth, power, prestige, etc.) will depend a lot on where the students family is on the index of social and cultural capital. But regardless, when in school, choice is constrained, as it always is, by economic, social and cultural capital. Power is hierarchal and intimately tied to knowledge and literacy. Discipline is unleashed through structures of reward and punishment. Inequality is naturalized. Opportunity indexes freedom which references choice. Individualism normalizes atomization. Docility and obedience equates with good behavior while disruptions are criminalized or pathologized. Speech is constrained and managed by rules and regulations that serve the status quo. Morality and country intersect in a form of currency. The medium, as Marshall McLuhan foresaw, is the message. In this transitional moment, what is arising will remain unforeseen until it is more established in some structural way. Yet we must continue to think critically and speculatively using the best intellectual resources we have to anticipate what system is emerging from our free-market plutocracy. We can and should also continue to struggle and organize against any emerging system that appears to be taking the form of authoritarianism even if we are not certain as to the final form it will take. But we cant simply be fighting against these emerging systems; we must also be as diligent in fighting for alternatives. Whether the fight is for liberal, direct, radical, or some other form of a self-governing system, we should be prepared to articulate a defense of this ideology and have a plan for how to educate people to function competently and critically within it. Whether or not free-market authoritarianism or some other autocratic system of governance establishes itself in the United States, I believe we can and should reassert the value of a democratic education in preparing young people to both appreciate democracy and learn the skills that will allow them to function democratically. A democratic education prepares young people to recognize and resist demagoguery when confronted by it. It supports their intellectual and emotional development with regards to diversity and difference. It prepares them to interrogate ideological formations, their own and others. It teaches them civic skills and knowledge so that they not only can participate but are compelled to participate in their communities. It teaches dialogue, debate, rhetoric, argument, critical thought, creative problem-solving, organizing, strategies of resistance, empathy/compassion, and compromise. Democracies require a citizenry educated in literature, philosophy, theology, geography, media, rhetoric, critical/creative thinking, and history. Democracy is not a zero-sum game therefore students should learn that winners dont take all, but have a responsibility to make sure the losers still get some of what they want or need. Democracy requires a level of intellectual maturity and emotional intelligence. A democratic education teaches young people to care for each other, to see themselves in each other. It can be loud, angry, frustrating, and intimidating, but it also demands mutual respect and a commitment to non-violence. Democratic education begins by structuring our schools in a way that requires students and teachers to think and act democratically. Its not so much about teaching about democracy (although thats part of it), but having daily and substantive democratic experiences. This is Deweys major contribution to our understanding of democratic education; we learn how to live in a democracy by living democratically. If a free-market authoritarian system does finally take root, we can thank our system of public schooling for helping to prepare our young people to reflexively act and think in accordance with its ideological assumptions and demands. Three Texas A&M students who died recently will be honored Tuesday at the universitys Silver Taps ceremony. The ceremony will honor the memories of Cameron Christopher McNeff, a junior computer engineering major from Tomball who died Feb. 15; Rod Israel Prado, a sophomore horticulture major from Boerne who died Feb. 14; and Nicholas Joseph King, a junior geophysics major from Waco who died Feb. 7. The first Silver Taps was in 1898 after the death of the universitys president, Lawrence Sullivan Ross, and it has changed little from that time. All campus flags are flown at half-staff on the day of Silver Taps, while a list of the names of those to be remembered is posted at the base of the flagpole in the Academic Plaza. The public is encouraged to write a short letter or note to the families of those being honored and place the notes in boxes at the Academic Plaza and West Campus Library, as well as at the tables on the Quad and in front of the Koldus Building. Indonesia on March 2 confirmed its initial cases of coronavirus after two of its citizens tested positive for the virus, countrys President Joko Widodo said while talking to international media. Widodo added that both the patients contracted coronavirus from a Japanese national. Meanwhile, the deadly virus has killed over 3,000 people and infected nearly 88,000 people across the globe with the majority in mainland China, international media reported. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Thailand Confirms A New Case Bringing Total To 43 Widodo, while addressing reporters at his Presidential Palace on March 2 said that a 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter were tested positive after being in contact with a Japanese national. The Japanese who lived in Malaysia were tested positive after returning from a trip to Indonesia. According to reports, the Indonesian medical team uncovered the cases after they traced the moment of the Japanese visitor. Read: High-profile Energy Summit In Houston Cancelled Over Coronavirus Concerns Read: Cristiano Ronaldo Caught In Coronavirus Lockdown As Juve U23 Players Test Positive: Report Talking further about the infected duo, the President said that several checks revealed that both of them were in a sick state. He added that it was today morning that he got the report that a mother and daughter have beeen tested positive for the coronavirus. According to reports, both the patients are admitted in Jakartas Sulianti Saroso infectious diseases hospital. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Chinese President Xi Jinping Postpones Japan Visit Thailand confirms new cases Meanwhile, neighbouring Thailand has announced one new coronavirus case on March 2. This brings the total number of cases in the country to 43 since the month of January. According to reports, the newest case is that of a 22-year old Thai woman that worked as a tourist assistant with another Thai patient, a driver for foreign tourists. According to reports, the director-general of the Disease Control Department, Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, claimed that authorities had already located the woman for testing and that she had already been admitted to the hospital. As per reports, Dr Wattanayingcharoenchai explained that COVID-19 cases within Thailand were classified into two categories, the first being individuals that had contracted the virus in other countries and the second category comprising of individuals that contracted the virus locally, from people inside Thailand. This category includes Chinese as well. PM Narendra Modi has announced to give up all social media accounts including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube on the coming Sunday, i.e. March 8. However, he didn't open up the reason behind doing so. It seems like Prime Minister Narendra Modi is done with the social media as he announced to give up Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts on coming Sunday, March 8. Although Prime Ministers social media accounts are active for now and he will keep updating the people, a tweet from Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is one of the most popular leaders of the world is followed by 53.3 million people on Twitter, 44 million on Facebook and 35.2 million Instagram users. However, the Prime Minister did not tell any reason behind doing so in his tweet at 8:56 pm. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2020 Notably, social media was the only platform to communicate directly with the Prime Minister as he hasnt held any press conference in the last 6 years. His tweets garner thousands of likes and shares within a few minutes of posting on various occasions. He also faced the heat from the Opposition and critics sometimes for avoiding and being muted on sensitive issues including the recent Delhi riots. 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 Soon after Prime Ministers tweet of giving up the social media, No Sir started trending on Twitter as his followers want him to be in touch with him. A user said Prime Minister sir your presence on social media is the biggest counter-force against all those who are trying 247 to harm civilizational value/ethos, culture & history of Bharat. Calling him the voice & face of Billions, another user asked the Prime Minister not to leave the social media. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Johnny Flynn, one of the stars of Autumn de Wildes new adaptation of Jane Austens 1815 novel Emma, says learning the rules of etiquette of the period made him yearn for a return to simpler times. The British actor, who plays the titular matchmakers neighbor George Knightley in the period dramedy, says he wishes we could resurrect the art of conversation that played a pivotal role in society, during the early part of the 19th century. [Id like to bring back] the private conversations and moments that people are allowed to have in this period, Flynn explains to Yahoo. Because theres no invasion ... outside communication, phones and all that stuff. I just think that we should all throw our phones in the bin, and just go back to spending quality time with one another. Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn star in Emma. (Photo: Focus Features/Universal) Like the source novel, Emma is a comedy of manners that centers around the life of Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) who, as the book describes, is handsome, clever and rich, but cannot resist meddling in the love lives of her nearest and dearest. Etiquette is everything to the people of the fictional country village of Highbury; physical contact is only for the married, and polite conversation is valued above all else. To drill the details of the period into the cast, director Autumn de Wilde put the cast through their Regency paces with a bootcamp of sorts, and employed etiquette experts on set to keep everything accurate to the time. Bill Nighy plays Henry Woodhouse in Emma. (Photo: Focus Features/Universal) There was someone [on set] that would tell you: If you moved in a way that was unacceptable in 1815, theyd say, explains Bill Nighy, who plays Emmas father, Henry Woodhouse. If you didnt honor a woman in a correct manner they would tell you that you cant: No one in 1815 would have done that or everyone in 1815 would have done that. De Wilde, who made her name as a rock photographer and has directed music videos for Beck and the Raconteurs, says the devil and the drama is in the detail when it comes to adapting Austen for the big screen. Story continues Rules, in general, are interesting to me, de Wilde explains. Director Autumn de Wilde on the set with actors Amber Anderson, Tanya Reynolds, Josh O'Connor and Flynn. (Photo: Liam Daniel/Focus Features) Because as soon as there are rules and restrictions, the passion and the desire to break the rules, thats what makes the story more exciting. I told the actors that I wanted them to fully embrace the rules so that their desire to break the rules as certain points in the movie could show. This fastidious attention to detail and adherence to the etiquette rules of the period invests a huge amount of currency into a simple glance, or gentle touch, giving a simple, formal dance a huge charge of passion. At the beginning [the rules] were a bit intimidating, shares Taylor-Joy. Taylor-Joy and Flynn play neighbors and friends in Emma. (Photo: Focus Features/Universal) But if you do it enough times, it really gets into your body and you know how to do it. And learning all of those rules makes it so much more exciting when you break them, because youre breaking them for a specific purpose, and you understand that if the audience has been watching, theres very controlled movement all the way through. Hopefully they get the same exhilaration as the characters get: Oh my god, we touched hands! Emma is in theaters now. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. According to the study, only 30% of Ukrainian labor migrants plan to return to Ukraine. Most of Ukrainians who leave Ukraine for Poland for employment are young with higher or vocational education. Such conclusions were drawn in a sociological study conducted by the Polish Gremi personal outsourcing company in partnership with the Ukrainian VoxPopuli sociological agency. According to the study whose results are given in a press release of the Polish company, 36% of Ukrainian workers have higher education, another 41% have vocational or specialized secondary education. Every fifth Ukrainian held a senior position in Ukraine. Read alsoUkrainians account for largest group of labor migrants in Estonia local media "Most of the migrants, or 60%, come from the central and eastern regions of Ukraine, while three or four years ago, Ukrainians traveled to Poland mostly from the western regions. In addition, Ukrainian migration has significantly rejuvenated the average age of the employee is 34.5 years," the study says. In Poland, Ukrainians primarily work in manufacturing (50%) and in the service sector or in construction (17-18%). Only 10% of Ukrainians are involved in agriculture. "An outflow of qualified and educated Ukrainians will continue. In Poland, they are ready to work below their competence, because very often a welder gets more than a middle manager with a higher education degree in two professions in Ukraine," the press release quoted international employment expert and Gremi personal owner Yevhen Kyrychenko as saying. According to the study, only 30% of Ukrainian labor migrants plan to return to Ukraine. The rest plan to continue working in Poland or are going to work in other EU countries. Germany comes first (51%) among the countries Ukrainians are interested in, while 22% of Ukrainians consider the Scandinavian countries to work, as well as the same consider the Czech Republic. The statistical sample includes 1,034 Ukrainian citizens who work in 25 cities of Poland. The maximum margin of error is 3.1%. The survey was conducted in January-February 2020. Days out from Super Tuesday, when voters in 14 states will cast ballots in the Democratic primary, a professor who predicted the past nine elections says that the United States may well be staring down its first brokered convention in nearly 70 years. Its a prospect that has stirred considerable consternation among Democratic Party officials and voters, many of whom have said their primary concern is beating Donald Trump in November even as an enthusiastic debate over the future of democratic politics has raged on the campaign trail. I think the most likely outcomes are [Bernie] Sanders wins or nobody wins, and for the first time in over 50 years we actually have a convention nominating the candidate, Allan Lichtman, a political science professor at American University who has predicted elections dating back to 1984, told The Independent. Reuters Mr Lichtman noted that his prediction model doesnt make forecasts for primaries, but that there are plenty of signs that a brokered convention could happen: And that would be very interesting, who knows what might come out of that. A brokered convention would occur if none of the candidates in the race win more than half of the pledged delegates by the end of the primary season, a figure that amounts to 1,990 delegates in the race. So far, after three states have voted, Mr Sanders leads the field with 45 pledged delegates, ahead of Pete Buttigieg with 25, Joe Biden with 15, Elizabeth Warren with eight and Amy Klobuchar with seven. Those tallies will all change in the next week, after voters in South Carolina where Mr Biden has been banking on strong support from African Americans to lend some weight to his campaign and then voters on Super Tuesday cast their ballots. South Carolina will award 54 pledged delegates. Super Tuesday, meanwhile, marks the largest number of delegates available on a single day with more than 1,300 delegates at stake nationwide. A contested convention would mean that no candidate had reached that half-way threshold, and that multiple rounds of voting would take place to determine the winner. After each round of voting, a certain portion of delegates are freed up to vote for whomever they want. Campaigns at that point try to convince free delegates to come over to support their candidate. Story continues According to prediction models by FiveThirtyEight, 2020 is shaping up to be such a year. That website gives Mr Sanders the best chance at winning more than half of the pledged delegates by the end of the primary season but just a 32 per cent chance of doing so. The chance that nobody receives that majority of delegates is pegged at 51 per cent, and the only other candidate with a significant chance of doing so being Mr Biden, at 15 per cent. Mr Lichtman, for his part, isnt as worried about the damaging impacts of a brokered convention, nor the damage of a long and bitter Democratic primary that it would necessarily follow after. Internal party fights only count when it is in the party holding the White House, Mr Lichtman, whose prediction model indicates that it is generally speaking the incumbents election to lose, said. The challenging party can fight all they want and it has no impact . Look at the bitter battle by the Republicans in 2016 it was much worse than what is happening with the Democrats this time. They were saying terrible things about each other and they still won. Read more Trump faces outrage over mass closure of anti-pandemic units Michelle Obama petitioned to run as VP to stop Sanders, report says Backlash grows over Trumps response to coronaviru Priest behind viral anti-Trump blog explains why he's voting Democrat Poultry breeders on Monday demanded a relief package from the government claiming that the sector has incurred heavy losses of around Rs 1,750 crore in a month due to fake news that coronavirus was spreading due to chickens New Delhi: Poultry breeders on Monday demanded a relief package from the government claiming that the sector has incurred heavy losses of around Rs 1,750 crore in a month due to fake news that coronavirus was spreading due to chickens. Poultry bird prices have plunged to Rs 10-30 per kg at farm gate level due to a slump in chicken demand while the average cost of production is Rs 80 per kg, the All India Poultry Breeders Association (AIPBA) said in a representation to the Ministry of Animal Husbandry. "The repeated onslaught of social media with wrong information on consumers has shaken consumer confidence and depleted the demand for chicken products," AIPBA Chairman Bahadur Ali said. The loss of broiler farmers, integration companies and breeding companies put together was about Rs 1,750 crore during the third week of January till the third week of February, he said, adding that it has created "massive crisis" and forced poultry sector to "bankruptcy". Expressing concern that the "fake" coronavirus threat spread by social media among consumers has created a massive problem for the poultry sector, Ali said, "If these conditions persist in March going forward a loss of Rs 1,750 crore per month will be additional." This will also impact maize and soyabean farmers because without poultry there is no market for soyabean meal and maize in the country, he said, adding that maize prices have droppped from Rs 25 per kg to Rs 15 per kg in the last few days. Seeking a rescue package, the association requested the government to extend additional working capital and not to consider poultry farmers and companies' accounts receivables of more than 90 days as non-performing assets. It also demanded interest subvention of 5 percent on loans extended to the poultry sector and a grace period of one year for repayment of the current term loans. Besides, the association asked the government to provide wheat and rice to the industry at a subsidised rate of Rs 10 per kg and allot minimum 30 lakh tonne from the government stock. Indian poultry sector employs more than 10 lakh farmers and contributes Rs 1.2 lakh crore to the country's GDP. Oishani Mojumder By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Is Telangana ready if COVID-19 breaks out as an epidemic? Many experts believe that the infrastructure in Telangana is inadequate and that it is our sheer luck so far the virus has not yet looked our way. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is at the cusp of declaring the infection as pandemic since COVID-19 is no longer confined to China. Though authorities are making attempts to prevent the infection from finding its way into Telangana, they appear to be very feeble. Dr Prathap Reddy, president of Indian Medical Association, feels that the State doesnt have enough quarantine centres if an outbreak occurs, which can prove to be very deadly in a country as populous as India is. The central governments step to validate alternative medicines in the face of such a health crisis was irresponsible as Indian alternative medication is not evidence-based. If an outbreak occurs, the unstable political situation of the country can possibly play an adverse role, he said. At Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), authorities have begun screening of passengers with travel history from Iran and Italy. The number of people being screened at RGIA has also increased in the last week. Dr Anuradha Medoju, chief of Airport Health Organisation, said: We are conducting universal screening at the airport. However, with the reports of increase in COVID cases in Iran and Italy, we have started screening of passengers travelling from these countries as well. Dr Rajeshwar Rao, professor at Gandhi Hospitals Department of Microbiology, cautioned: While the incubation period of this virus is 14 days, it takes only hours for a healthy person to contract the virus from an infected person. The microbiology lab at Gandhi Hospital is also testing the COVID-19 samples. The infrastructure is enough in case of an outbreak in the State, as we are working in three shifts. In a single day we can test close to 30 samples, Dr Rao added. Experts feel that the situation is a precarious one and the Central governments recent decision to allow alternative medicine such as Ayurveda and Unani may backfire as they may not be effective. People might prefer them because of the governments approval because they are less expensive, they feel. The citys Unani and Homeopathic clinics are already capitalising on the Centres green signal as large banners with COVID-19 pill advertisements have popped up here. VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI A mother whose 1- and 2-year-old daughters were found in the street 17 hours after she left them alone to go party with friends 60 miles away was sentenced Monday to 300 days in jail. Sydnie Danielle Green, 22, was jailed on one count of second-degree child abuse on March 2 in Van Buren County Circuit Court. Green did not mention either of her children while addressing the court prior to her sentencing. The Hartford woman also received two years of probation. She pleaded guilty on Dec. 16. Green will not be allowed to have any unsupervised visits with her children while she is on probation and all visits with her children will have to be pre-approved by the Michigan Department of Corrections, Van Buren County Circuit Judge Kathleen M. Brickley ruled at the sentencing. You thought a child security gate would be enough to protect a 1- and 2-year-old child while you left them alone for 17 hours, Brickley said at the hearing. You signed up for the hardest job in the world and thats being a mother," Brickley said. It involves days of remorse. It involves days of regret. It involves days of frustration. But it doesnt involve desertion. I have seldom been horrified when I read a pre-sentence report and I was horrified when I read what you had done to your children," Brickley continued. That any parent would leave a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old alone for 17 hours while they go engage in drinking activity with their friends, and sexual activity, and oversleep and come home to have your children out by the roadway and then to stand here at sentencing and never even mention them, and so you still have no concern for them. Greens children, whose names are being withheld given their age, were found by a local postal worker and Pokagon tribal police officers around 4 p.m. Sept. 14, according to a news release issued by the Van Buren County Sheriffs Office in September. The children, found standing in the middle of County Road 687 in Hartford, were dehydrated and wearing nothing but soiled diapers, the release stated. After a 90-minute investigation, authorities discovered where the children lived, found the apartment empty and made contact with Green, who admitted leaving the children alone so she could hang out with friends in Battle Creek. Night time is so boring, Green had posted on her Facebook page the night she left. The post from 10:16 p.m. Sept. 13, was posted shortly before the time she left her children alone. The post has since been deleted. The father of Greens youngest child, Dakota Selby, addressed the court prior to Greens sentence being issued. The past five-and-a-half months have been filled with fear, frustration and anger, Selby said. "I never thought I would be standing here addressing the court through the voice of my daughter. She could have been hurt, kidnapped or even killed walking the streets of Hartford. While we were so fortunate none of this happened, we live every day with the what if. Selby told MLive after the sentencing he was glad justice was given, but that he would have liked to have seen Green receive a stiffer sentence. As long as she is with us shell have a way better life, Selby said of his daughter. She has a unit, a family that loves her and cherishes her to the fullest. Selby has a second child, a 9-month-old daughter, with his fiancee, Jordyn Jones. Jones, who was present at the sentencing as well, told MLive her biggest hope is that Selbys daughter wont have any memory of the event. I just became a mother myself and its hard, Jones said. I understand the stress. I understand the depression. But what I couldnt understand when this happened is how you could do that to somebody who trusts you, who loves you, who depends on you. Its insane. Its truly heartbreaking. Also on MLive: Mother who left young children alone overnight pleads guilty to child abuse Toddlers left alone overnight found in street in Van Buren County "We delayed making our decision on the Fox River versus the DuPage Water Commission in the event that Joliet could theoretically serve our communities as well. Now that Joliet has more firm direction, we believe it is worth adding Lake Michigan via Joliet as a third option for us to consider," Di Santo said. Jennifer Mykytyn has been fighting to honor her son for five years and finally got a hearing to ask South Carolina lawmakers to require inspections for balconies so no one else would die the way her son was killed. Mykytnns trip wasnt successful, but it wasnt fruitless either. Lawmakers asked her to share more information about the bill she was pushing to require inspections of all wooden balconies on all hotels, apartments, time shares, dormitories and other multifamily dwellings and said they would take it up again later. Mykytyn has successfully fought for similar laws in Massachusetts, where her 32-year-old son died in 2008, and in Maryland where she was living at that time. Mykytyn told a Senate subcommittee last month that her son slipped while walking on the second-floor balcony just after watching the Super Bowl, falling into the rotted wood railing, which gave way. His family found out during a lawsuit that the owner of the rental building knew about problems with the balcony, but didnt make it a priority to fix. He always had an excuse about why he couldnt get around to it, Mykytyn said. The South Carolina Labor, Licensing and Regulation Department would be responsible for any new inspections and told lawmakers as written, the bill had a lot of uncertainty. Were not aware of any inventories of all the balconies in the state, said Katie Phillips, the agencys director of governmental affairs. Engineers with the agency said it would be hard to make sure wooden balconies were properly attached to buildings by sight and would need to alter the fastenings to make sure they were adequate, Phillips said. Phillips estimated it would cost around $175,000 to hire the two inspectors and an administrative assistant to run a new inspection program. The subcommittee voted to skip over a vote on the bill, asking Mykytyn to gather more information and stressing that didnt mean they thought her proposal didnt have merit. This is something I want to spend time on, said Republican Sen. Wes Climer of Rock Hill. Other senators told Mykytyn they werent trying to bury the bill and if she could share more information on how the laws she helped create in Massachusetts and Maryland were being implemented, that would help. Republican state Rep. Sylleste Davis of Moncks Corner came to the hearing with Mykytyn and has her own similar bill in the House, which has yet to have a hearing. After the Senate bill was carried over, Davis told Mykytyn to gather all the information and mail it to senators because it was more likely to get their attention than through email. Mykytyn said she spend a few days gathering the information. She said she is still encouraged that the bill can get passed this year. But one thing stuck in her mind from the hearing. When I said what is a life worth, I guess I now know $175,000, Mykytyn said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation South Carolina Bahrain's Ministry of Health has registered six new Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, including three female Bahraini nationals, two male Bahraini nationals and one male Saudi national, arriving at Bahrain International Airport via indirect flights from Iran, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 47. As part of the measures taken to combat the spread of the COVID-19 and safeguard the health of citizens and residents, the Ministry of Health has tested a total of 1,977 individuals returning from Iran and other COVID-19 affected countries. A total of 1,931 individuals have tested negative, whilst 47 individuals have tested positive and are in a stable condition, a Bahrain News Agency report said. The ministry highlighted that all patients that tested positive have been transferred to an isolation centre for treatment and medical care, under the supervision of a specialised medical team. The Ministry of Health further outlined that it is currently implementing a mobile testing process for the 2,292 individuals returning from Iran before the country announced the outbreak, in order to ensure full medical examinations are carried out as per official measures applied to combat the spread of COVID-19, ensuring the continued health and the safety of the community. The ministry reiterated its call for all individuals returning from Iran to isolate themselves immediately and schedule their medical examinations via www.moh.gov.bh/444 or by contacting hotline no. 444, stressing that they should avoid contact with others until the medical examinations are carried out. Princeton, New Jersey, March 2, 2020 Sandoz Inc. has reached a resolution with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division concerning the Departments more than three-year-long antitrust investigation into the U.S. generic drug industry. The Sandoz resolution relates to instances of misconduct at the company between 2013 and 2015 with regard to certain generic drugs sold in the United States. As part of the resolution, Sandoz has agreed to pay USD 195 million and will enter into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA). Sandoz is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars with a broad portfolio of high-quality medicines covering all major therapeutic areas. In the U.S., during the period in question, the company provided patients with over 400 marketed generic medicines. As recognized by the DOJ, Sandoz cooperated with the governments investigation. Individuals implicated in the underlying conduct are no longer employed by the company. Under the terms of the agreement, Sandoz will continue to take steps to enhance its compliance program, employee training, and monitoring. Sandoz will also continue to cooperate with the governments ongoing investigation into the generic pharmaceutical industry. Carol Lynch, President of Sandoz Inc., said: We take seriously our compliance with antitrust laws, and in reaching todays resolution, we are not only resolving historical issues but also underscoring our commitment to continually improving our compliance and training programs and evolving our controls. We are disappointed that this misconduct occurred in the face of our clear antitrust compliance policies and multiple trainings and in full contravention of the companys values. In addition, the company is also in settlement negotiations with the DOJ Civil Division to resolve potential related claims and is taking a provision of USD 185 million for this purpose. Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as will, deferred, portfolio, continue, take steps, to enhance, to cooperate, ongoing, commitment, evolving, purpose, potential, pioneer, ambition, or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the generic and biosimilar products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products, or regarding the resolution, the DPA, the ongoing investigation into the generic pharmaceutical industry, and the compliance, monitoring and training activities described in this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the ongoing and future enhancements to our compliance, monitoring and training activities will be successful, or achieve any particular outcome, or in any particular time frame. Neither can there be any guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding the resolution, the DPA, the ongoing and future enhancements to our compliance, monitoring and training activities, and such products could be affected by, among other things, the possibility that our enhanced compliance, monitoring and training activities may not successfully prevent or detect all future improper activities; regulatory actions or delays or government action generally; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; competition in general, including potential approval of additional generic or biosimilar versions of Sandoz products; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality, data integrity, or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AGs current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Sandoz Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. Our purpose is to pioneer access for patients by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical need. Our ambition is to be the worlds leading and most valued generics company. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2019 sales of USD 9.9 billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany's Greater Munich area. Sandoz is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Sandoz global at http://twitter.com/Sandoz_Global # # # Novartis Media Relations E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com Antonio Ligi Novartis Global Communications +41 79 7233681 (mobile) antonio.ligi@novartis.com Eric Althoff Novartis US Communications +1 646 438 4335 eric.althoff@novartis.com Chris Lewis Sandoz Global Communications +49 174 244 9501 (mobile) chris.lewis@sandoz.com Leslie Pott Sandoz US Communications +1 201 354 0279 (mobile) leslie.pott@sandoz.com Novartis Investor Relations Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944 E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com A federal judge has ordered former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to submit to a deposition by lawyers for the conservative group Judicial Watch over her fateful decision to use of a private email server. Judge Royce Lamberth issued the order in response to litigation by the group that has dragged on for more than five years and seeks the public release of information from Clinton's tenure at the State Department. 'Any further discovery should focus on whether she used a private server to evade FOIA and, as a corollary to that, what she understood about State's records management obligations,' the judge wrote about the federal open records law. A federal judge has ordered Hillary Clinton to be deposed in a lawsuit about her use of a private email server The judge keyed in on what Clinton's own motive might have been for the unusual set-up. 'As extensive as the existing record is, it does not sufficiently explain Secretary Clintons state of mind when she decided it would be an acceptable practice to set up and use a private server to conduct State Department business," Judge Lamberth wrote. She also called out the government for putting out the emails in a 'trickle.' The Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act lawsuit stems from the deadly clash at the the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Clinton and her team have long maintained she used a home email server out of convenience and that they made efforts to honor record-keeping laws by forwarding information to official government accounts. Clinton's email practices became a source of controversy during her failed 2016 presidential campaign The judge keyed in on what Clinton's own motive might have been for the unusual set-up Scrutiny of Clinton's email practices, which Republicans condemned and which she ultimately apologized for, proved to be a major obstacle in her 2016 presidential loss to President Donald Trump. The judge also ruled longtime Clinton aide Cheryl Mills would have to be deposed in the suit. The FBI probed her email practices during the campaign, and in a critical moment former FBI Director James Comey announced the decision not to charge her despite behavior he called careless. The Ronald Reagan appointee previously served as the chief judge on the foreign surveillance intelligence court, as well as chief judge for the D.C. District Court. He wants the depositions to be completed in 75 days. Clinton hasn't been deposed in person and under oath on the subject, although she was grilled in public during media appearances and debates. 'How did she arrive at her belief that her private server emails would be preserved by normal State Department processes for email retention?' the judge wanted to know. The judge ruled Clinton could get asked about recordkeeping as it relates to Benghazi, but not the Obama administration's response. 02.03.2020 LISTEN The Bono Regional wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress have called for the prosecution of the New Patriotic Party's Parliamentary Candidate in the Dormaa West Constituency over an alleged impersonation. Mr Ransford Osei Amponsah, an NPP aspiring Parliamentary Candidate in the Dormaa West Constituency is said to have indulged in forgery in the process of filing his nominations. A petition that was submitted by one Frimpong Martin, an NPP Polling Station Chairman at the Adiemmra-Nzezera of the Asofire Electoral Area accuses the aspiring PC. During the vetting of Mr Ransford Osei Amponsah, the NPP Research Officer of Dormaa West Mr Michael Gyabaah corroborate the claim made by Mr Frimpong Martin. Mr Michael Gyabaah said his further checks at the District Electoral Commission Office shown that the accused person, Mr Ransford Osei Amponsah is not a registered voter. He added that the accused person, per the available information at the Electoral Commission, resulted in using a voter ID which turned out to be that of his brother. The Bono NDC in a statement noted that in view of this and in pursuant to section 134 of Act 29 of the 1960 Criminal Code of Ghana, we demand that, the NPP Regional Vetting Committee which is chaired by the NPP National First Vice Chairperson, Mrs Rita Atalata Asorbayire immediately submits these particulars to the appropriate security agencies to carry out a thorough investigate and prosecute the accused person if he is found culpable of the allegations levelled against him and his accomplices. "Others have been jailed on this same offense of personation and that Mrs Rita Atalata must not sweep this case under the carpet for the obvious reason," the statement emphasised. Below is the full statement: BONO NDC DEMAND FOR THE IMMEDIATE PROSECUTION OF THE ALLEGED DORMAA WEST NPP IMPERSONATOR The Bono Regional Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress has learned with utmost dismay of an alleged petition brought against Mr Ransford Osei Amponsah, an NPP aspiring Parliamentary Candidate for Dormaa West Constituency. According to a written petition by Frimpong Martin, an NPP Polling Station Chairman at Adiemmra which was submitted to the chairman of the NPP Regional Vetting Committee, Mrs Rita Atalata Asorbayire, the petitioner claimed that the accused person, Mr Ransford Osei Amponsah has engaged in forgery and personation and hence must be disqualified at the vetting. The Bono NDC Communication Office is motivated by the inaugural speech by President Akufo-Addo where he admonished us all to be citizens and not spectators. In view of this and persuant to section 134 of Act 29 of the 1960 Criminal Code of Ghana, the NDC is calling on Mrs Rita Atalata Asorbayire, the Chairperson of the NPP Bono Regional Vetting Committee to, immediately handover Mr Ransford Osei Amponsah to the appropriate security agencies for further investigation and prosecution if the accused person is found culpable for the offenses leveled against him. The Communication Office will urge Mrs Rita Atalata Asorbayire not to sweep this under the carpet for any political gains as other Ghanaians have been jailed on same account for personation with the latest culprit being Mr Iddrisu Yahaya who was arrested at the Techiman Circuit Court by the orders of Justice Alexander Graham on Wednesday, 5th February, 2020. Issued Charles Akowuah Tuffour Regional Communication Officer Bono Region 0244472659 The Picture is the Regional Communication Officer Jaipur: Rajasthan's Barmer district is becoming trouble and trouble for the Ashok Gehlot government of the state. After the death of police custody 4 days ago, no Indian Police Service officer (IPS) is refusing to become Superintendent of Police of Barmer. The main reason for this is the change of 7 Superintendents of Police in 20 months. BJP can bet on Uma Bharti in MP Rajya Sabha elections IPS officers believe that the chair of Barmer Superintendent of Police was eclipsed, due to which no officer is able to stay there for long. As many as 3 Superintendents of Police have been waiting for the posting order (APO) due to different incidents. India will contribute to the universe, will look for explosion in supermassive black hole The vacancy of the post of Superintendent of Police and Deputy Superintendent in Barmer district, bordering the border of Pakistan, can bring great problems and difficulties. Keeping the post of police captain vacant amid incursions and smuggling incidents from across the border is putting a question mark on the way the government functions. Turkish attack on Syria intensifies, destroyed fighter aircraft Security of the Dalit youth of Barmer was taken into custody at the police station and the government did not take any hard decision till Sunday after his death. The agencies have asked the government to show activism. The opposition on Monday rejected the Punjab budget and described it as a "jugglery of figures" and "web of deceit" that "failed" to give solutions to raise income sources. During the budget session, Akali Dal MLA Bikram Singh Majithia hit out at Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and said the surplus budget claim was a "lie" as the resources dropped by more than Rs 5,000 crore. He claimed the state's debt went up by Rs 60,000 crore in the last three years. Participating in a discussion on the budget, which was presented on February 28, Majithia said "this budget is just a jugglery of figures and web of deceit. Everyone has been betrayed be it farmers, youth, Dalits and even SC students with no provision being kept for their scholarship, alleged Majithia. As per budget estimates, the state suffered a loss of Rs 4,000 crore in own tax revenues with a loss of Rs 951 crore in VAT, Rs 525 crore in state excise, Rs 250 crore in stamp duty and Rs 345 crore in vehicle registration taxes, said Majithia, adding that the state also suffered a loss of Rs 1,515 crore in state own non-tax revenue taking the entire loss as per budgetary estimates to Rs 5,450 crore. The Akali leader said Punjab was being run only with central funds in the form of grant-in aid and share in central taxes. After Majithia finished, FM Badal took a swipe at the Akali leader, saying rebel SAD legislator and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa was better than him. "I miss him (Dhindsa), said Badal. BJP legislator Arun Narang hit out at the Congress government, saying the previous announcements of setting up horticulture university, Government College in Abohar had not been implemented yet. He alleged the sale of illegal liquor and drugs were rampant in his constituency. Aam Aadmi Party legislator Sarabjit Kaur Manuke said the budget failed to explain how the state government would cut down expenditure and raise income sources. Earlier, the AAP MLA and the leader of the opposition sought permission from the Speaker to bring resolution to condemn violence and arson in Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Snow will hit Britain today as a 900-mile spurt of icy air arrives from Greenland with many residents across the UK preparing their homes and businesses for floods with 232 alerts being in place across the country. London has a 60 percent snow risk today with an 80 percent likelihood in the midlands and north, according to some weather maps. The midlands and south could also see flurries on higher ground throughout the week. Meanwhile, tonight could be the coldest of the winter, with lows of -9C in Scotland, -6C in northern England and -4C in the south. There are 82 flood warnings are still in place for England, Wales and Scotland after the effects of Storm Jorge over the weekend. Ice warnings are also in place for western areas from northern Wales to the top of Scotland, and the western half of Northern Ireland after the storm which helped the UK to its highest February rainfall on record. Birds perch on top of goal posts at a flooded football pitch in Tadcaster, Yorkshire today after recent heavy rainfall in the area The Environment Agency (EA) says 76 flood warnings are in place for England - mostly in the South West, along the Welsh border and in Yorkshire - with a further three such warnings in each of Wales and Scotland. Two people braved the chilly temperatures today and took a stroll on the Swanage Beach in Dorset. Clouds can be seen gathering in the sky Some clouds were seen this morning in Dorset but relatively clear conditions were felt in the area this morning for many A total of 164 less serious flood alerts - advising of potential flooding - remain active for England, Wales and Scotland. Although heavy downpours have eased, authorities have advised of possible traffic disruptions today owing to the continuing flood situation. Speaking to the MailOnline today spokesperson Ollie Claydon said snow had already been falling this morning in the high parts of Scotland. 'Snow this week is confined to the hills of north west Scotland and we wont see it widely. We might get the odd battering in the borders between Scotland and England, but there are no warnings in place for this. 'Snow is falling on the hills at the moment in Scotland but that is nothing unusual for this time of year and this will continue throughout the day.' He added that showers look set to push south overnight and that we could see frost in some places but that the coldest areas would be on top of mountainous areas. 'It will feel chilly overnight, there will be frost on occasion through the night, nothing exceptionally cold and it will be at freezing or only just below. 'This week is relatively settled compared to what we have had and it is a showery picture this week. We have some low pressure that will run across the south of the UK from Wednesday to Thursday and there will be some breezy conditions. Not as severe as the weather we have seen'. He said going into the weekend there will be low pressure and Monday will see showers with highs of 10C in the south and lows of freezing in more northern parts. On Tuesday there will be highs of 11C and lows of -1C with brighter conditions later in the day. Ice warnings (left) are also in place for western areas from northern Wales to the top of Scotland, and the western half of Northern Ireland after the storm which helped the UK to its highest February rainfall on record. There are 82 flood warnings are still in place for England, Wales and Scotland (right) There are still a number of weather warnings in place across the country today after flooding hit many parts of the UK. Pictured above is East Cowick in Yorkshire this morning Perfect for a stroll! Conditions looked balmy today as the water crashed over some rocks on the empty beach at Swanage this morning A ship is dwarfed by Ballard Down on a sunny morning in Swanage today as many Britons prepare for colder temperatures Rail travellers using the West Coast main line have been warned to expect disruptions this week as repairs are made to a section of line near Warrington which was damaged in a landslip on the weekend. The southbound line at Dutton Viaduct has been closed for the repairs and is expected to be shut for several days, NetworkRail said in a statement. Emergency teams have repaired damaged flood barriers in parts of the West Midlands to prepare for high water levels on the River Severn, which are expected to peak at between 5.4 and 5.7 metres on Monday afternoon, the EA said. Snow is set to hit the UK once more this week as icy air arrives from Greenland. Pictured above is the Peak District covered in snow on Friday For the first time since the flooding started, there were no reported evacuations in the worst-hit areas of East Yorkshire on Sunday. Water levels are generally dropping or remaining stable in Snaith, Gowdall, East Cowick and West Cowick, but are expected to remain high for several days, East Riding of Yorkshire Council said. A UK average of 202.1mm of rain fell last month, surpassing February 1990 when 193.4mm fell, the Met Office said. Local authorities will be faced with significant clean-up operations once flooding risks subside and water levels reduce. Thousands of homes and businesses were flooded as areas were deluged by more than a month's worth of rainfall in just 24 hours, while some 127,000 properties were protected by flood defences this winter, authorities said. Some 15 rivers in the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire recorded their highest levels on record and the Environment Agency warned the country needs to brace itself for 'more frequent periods of extreme weather like this' because of climate change. The downpours, which started with Storm Ciara and continued with Storm Dennis and then Storm Jorge, contributed to record river levels which saw hundreds of emergency staff working on flood defences and pumps, clearing debris and repairing damaged defences across the country. The Government has said it is investing 2.6 billion in flood defences by 2021. More than 3,300 properties in England are thought to have been flooded as a result of the combined effects of storms Ciara and Dennis, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said. Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna told The Mirror: 'Cold air coming straight down from Greenland means temperatures close to the coldest of winter from Sunday night to Tuesday night, with down to -9C in Scotland over lying snow, -6C in northern England and -4C in the South. 'Snow in the week is likely in northern England and Scotland, with a chance to lower levels. Central and southern areas may have occasional hill snow, including on the North and South Downs. 'There are ice risks in places and Wednesday into Thursday is forecast more rain and gusts up to 50-60mph in the South. It stays wet, windy and chilly into next weekend.' Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden is joined on stage by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) during a campaign event on March 2, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. How's this for Joe-mentum? On the eve of Super Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden's presidential campaign is rolling out a lengthy and growing list of new Democratic endorsements. More than a dozen politicians and other public figures have endorsed Biden, 77, in the days leading up to the 14-state primary election extravaganza, where more than 1,300 delegates are at stake. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will endorse Biden on Monday, a spokesman confirmed to CNBC, just hours after she dropped out of the 2020 race. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who ended his campaign a day earlier, was also reportedly preparing to endorse Biden before Super Tuesday. Klobuchar and Buttigieg had been expected to join Biden at a rally in Dallas on Monday night. However, a Buttigieg campaign spokeswoman said he would not attend the rally, although the Democratic rising star did appear with Biden at another event. Texas is among the states holding primaries Tuesday. Here are several of the big endorsements Biden locked up: Harry Reid, former Nevada senator Darrio Melton, mayor of Selma, Alabama Bobby Scott, Virginia representative Jennifer Wexton, Virginia representative Don Beyer, Virginia representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida representative and former DNC chair Greg Stanton, Arizona representative Terry McAuliffe, former Virginia governor Barbara Boxer, former California senator Blanche Lincoln, former Arkansas senator Jesse White, Illinois secretary of state Betty Yee, California state controller Walter Burnett, Chicago alderman Carol Alvarado, Texas state senator Billy Richardson, North Carolina state representative Fred Guttenberg, Florida gun safety activist The sudden swell of support from the Democratic establishment comes on the heels of Biden's blowout victory in South Carolina, which looks to have delivered the shot in the arm his campaign needed to remain competitive against current front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist. "I think there's some momentum here," Biden told NBC News on Monday. "I think what people were waiting to see is, 'Well, Joe didn't do well in the first two [primary elections], I wonder whether the second two he could do well and what's going to happen now.'" "I think that the win in South Carolina was consequential," Biden said. The former vice president and senator finished fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and second in Nevada. Biden, who has been a prime target of President Donald Trump's ire throughout the primary campaign, is expected to gain more endorsements before polling centers open Tuesday. Earlier this month, national polling aggregates showed Biden's once-steady lead deflating as rapidly as Sanders' popularity was rising. Biden's at-times fumbling debate performances, and his poor showings in the first two elections in Iowa and New Hampshire, contrasted with Sanders' wins in New Hampshire and Nevada. Many Democratic strategists are quick to call Sanders a risky pick to become the Democratic nominee. His narrow base of support, they argue, may not extend to more moderate or conservative voters, and his candidacy could harm other Democrats down the ballot in November. Sanders has even taken aim at the so-called Democratic establishment a sure sign to his critics that he has less interest in coalition-building than in maintaining an ideologically pure political movement. SANDERS TWEET I've got news for the Republican establishment. I've got news for the Democratic establishment. They can't stop us. Biden's decades of Washington experience, including at the White House under President Barack Obama, and strong support with African American voters make him on paper a candidate with broader appeal. But Biden carries risks, too. His opponents are quick to highlight his gaffes on the campaign trail, and he and his son have a central connection to Trump's impeachment in the Senate that is sure to be weaponized in a general election. Rep. James Clyburn's endorsement last week was widely seen as a difference-making pickup for Biden, giving him an added boost among the high proportion of black voters in South Carolina. "I know Joe. We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us," said Clyburn, the House majority whip and top-ranking African American in that chamber. By the time nearly 100% of results were in, Biden had clinched about 48% of the vote in South Carolina. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Grand Rapids area residents will soon have a new place to grab a taco. Wolverine Tacos, a fast-casual restaurant serving tacos, bowls, soups, salads, appetizers and desserts, is scheduled to open April 15 at 1740 44th St. SW in Wyoming, according to commercial real estate firm NAI Wisinski of West Michigan. After spending over 20 years operating restaurants in Texas and Tennessee, I decided to return to my roots and open a restaurant that I can call my own, said Carol Johnson, the restaurants owner. I have always had a great appreciation for the Grand Rapids area and look forward to serving this community. The restaurant will offer traditional and specialty tacos such as Nashville Hot Chicken, Korean BBQ and Chicken Curry. There will also be vegetarian and vegan options. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Carol will be a great addition to the surrounding tenants and the neighboring community, said Todd Leinberger, a retail specialist at NAI. We are seeing continued growth in the food sector of the retail landscape, and Wolverine Tacos is an example of this continued retail trend. Read more: See first 3 stops on Michigans Best Burger search Mike Bloomberg targeting Macomb County for third Michigan visit of presidential campaign Grand Rapids zoo swears off plastic bottles Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday that he has given the green light to the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan to begin withdrawing American troops from the region, in a showing of good faith after the U.S. signed a historic peace deal with the Taliban on Saturday. The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, has my OK, approval to begin pulling troops out of the war-torn country, Esper said during a press briefing at the Pentagon. We are going to show good faith and begin withdrawing our troops, the Pentagon chief said. My instruction to the commander was: Lets get moving. Lets show our full faith and effort to do that. The Pentagon aims to reduce U.S. troops in Afghanistan from the current number of 12,000 to 8,600 in 135 days. That process will start within 10 days, Esper said. A full withdrawal will follow in 14 months provided the Taliban does not breach the peace deal. This is going to be a step-by-step process, and well evaluate each day, Esper said, adding that the U.S. expects to see violence in Afghanistan decrease over time as we move forward. General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cautioned that the peace agreement does not necessarily mean that theres going to be an absolute cessation of violence in Afghanistan, that is probably not going to happen. On Monday, reports came that fighting had broken out again between the Taliban and Afghan security forces. The Taliban also on Monday continued to refuse to participate in talks with the Afghan government. President Trump has made bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan a priority for his administration and announced last August that the number of troops stationed there would be slashed dramatically. The announcement provoked stern warnings from both Democrats and Republicans, who warned that such a withdrawal was premature for the U.S. presence in the country, which has been roiled by conflict for the last 18 years. Story continues Weve been there for 19 years. Were really serving as policemen, Trump said. We could win Afghanistan in two days or three days or four days if we wanted, but Im not looking to kill 10 million people. More from National Review Bengaluru, March 2 : The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services department is observing 284 people under home isolation across the state for coronavirus symptoms, a health official said on Monday. "We are observing 284 people across the state, including in Bengaluru, for coronavirus symptoms," the department's communicable diseases wing joint director Prakash Kumar told IANS. However, no positive coronavirus case has been reported from Karnataka so far. Currently, one person has been admitted to the hospital for coronavirus symptoms, Kumar confirmed. Five Karnataka districts bordering Kerala -- Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Udupi, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru -- continue to be under surveillance after three positive coronavirus cases were reported in Kerala. Starting January 20 till Monday, 39,391 passengers have undergone thermal screening for coronavirus at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). Of all the people screened at the airport, only three had a history of visiting coronavirus epicentre Wuhan in China. A total of 180 people travelled to China other than Wuhan, while 1,984 people travelled to other coronavirus affected countries. According to the health department's bulletin, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared coronavirus epidemic affecting 28 countries as an 'International Public Health Emergency'. Of the 245 coronavirus symptomatic samples sent for examination, 240 were marked as eligible for testing even as 238 samples have been declared negative from the state so far. The 104 Arogya Sahayavani call centre, assigned to receive calls to provide guidance on coronavirus, has attracted 6,770 calls thus far. "In case people with recent travel history to China and other affected countries develop any symptoms, they are requested to call 104 or health authorities and provide all necessary details in order to take precautionary measures and are requested to be home isolated," the health department said. Meanwhile, 179 passengers screened by the health department have completed the mandatory 28-day observation period. The deadly virus has killed a total of 2,912 people in mainland China, bringing the global death toll to more than 3,000, authorities said on Monday. Regardless of how Super Tuesday shakes out, the race for the Democratic partys presidential nomination will undoubtedly look very different by the time the dust settles. Should Senator Bernie Sanders have an especially strong night, he may prove the be the unstoppable force that some centrist Democrats fear. On the other hand, especially strong showings among other candidates could transform the primary from a game of catch-up to a neck and neck race until the Democratic National Convention. With the nations two most populous states California and Texas holding their primaries on Super Tuesday along with twelve other states, there are 1,617 34 percent of all available delegates on the line. Super Tuesday is particularly fascinating not only due to how much is at stake, but because in many ways it is a make-or-break point for campaigns. Will former New York City mayor Mike Bloombergs strategy to blitz the airwaves with his ads and skip the early primaries pan out? Will vice president Joe Bidens firewall of African American supporters in South Carolina improve his performance in southern Super Tuesday states? Will Mr Sanders secure the nomination by dominating California and Texas? Who will drop out, and what will the results tell us about the general election? Will Mr Bloombergs strategy hold up? Heading into Super Tuesday, Mr Bloombergs strategy isnt looking great. The former New York City mayor essentially hinged his campaign on a strong showing, and despite bursting onto the scene with some impressive poll numbers earlier in the month, his lackluster debate debut in Nevada mixed with a bombardment of negative press coverage including his troubling history with female employees, his implementation of Stop and Frisk and his assertion that a lack of redlining caused the financial crisis and his coziness with bankers and the interests of the ultra wealthy have left him floundering for momentum. 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 Bloombergs strategy to claim the nomination relies on other Democrats particularly Mr Biden to drop out of the race, leaving himself as the preferred candidate of the partys establishment voters. However, Mr Biden has seen a resurgence in support in South Carolina. A decisive victory in South Carolina could put the wind back in the sails of Mr Bidens campaign, keeping the former vice president in the race for the foreseeable future and thwarting Mr Bloombergs aspirations. What does South Carolina mean for Mr Biden on Super Tuesday? It is doubtful that Mr Bidens campaign anticipated their candidates exceptionally weak performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, and despite coming in second in Nevada, he still only managed to pick up nine delegates. However, Mr Bidens campaign strategy has been firmly rooted in a strong showing in South Carolina, where he claims he has a firewall of support among the states African American Democratic voters. IF HE WINS STRONG: With his strategy validated, Mr Bidens campaign may be in a position to win big in other southern states whose Democratic electorate includes a large number of African American voters. Heading into Super Tuesday, Mr Biden is favored to win Alabama and be competitive with Mr Sanders in Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee. His win in South Carolina may renew the confidence of other southern voters and turn the tide in his favor. Should that happen, Mr Biden could gain enough delegates to tighten the race. IF HE DOES OK: Despite not blowing out South Carolina, Mr Bidens success in the state should still be enough to keep his campaign alive and give supporters and donors some confidence that he is still a viable candidate. Whether or not the success translates to Super Tuesday victories remains to be seen. Heading into Super Tuesday, Mr Biden is favored to win Alabama and be competitive with Mr Sanders in Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Without winning at least a few Super Tuesday states it will be extremely difficult for Mr Biden to stay afloat moving forward. IF HE LOSES: Mr Bidens loss in South Carolina would be surprising and doesnt bode well for his campaign. During the South Carolina debate, Mr Biden was asked if he would suspend his campaign if he lost the state. He dodged the question, instead answering I will win South Carolina. Heading into Super Tuesday, Mr Biden was favored to win Alabama and be competitive with Mr Sanders in Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee. However, if South Carolina is any indication of things to come on Super Tuesday, Mr Bidens campaign may have to face the harsh reality that the nomination is outside of his grasp. Can Mr Sanders clinch the nomination based on Super Tuesday results? The short answer is: no. In order to secure the nomination, a candidate must win a minimum of 1,991 pledged delegates by the time of the Democratic National Convention in July 13. Even if Mr Sanders won every possible delegate on Super Tuesday 1,617 he would still be short of the 1,991 mark. However, a series of decisive victories on Super Tuesday especially in Texas and California could give Mr Sanders a virtually insurmountable delegate lead. If no candidate reaches the 1,991 mark by the convention which some Democratic officials believe will be the case due to the crowded field then all delegates, including superdelegates, will vote a second time. During this vote, delegates are unpledged and can vote for whoever they wish. In order to secure the nomination at this stage, a candidate needs 2,375.5 delegates. With reports suggesting many superdelegates are unwilling to commit support Mr Sanders if he doesnt meet the 1,991 mark, his best chance at securing the nomination is winning big on Super Tuesday and scooping up enough delegates by the convention to give him a strong plurality, which would likely reduce the likelihood of having the nomination snatched from him during a brokered convention. Who is likely to drop out? A poor showing in Iowa or New Hampshire doesnt bode well for a candidate, but those states both demographically homogeneous dont reflect the overall diversity of the US. Candidates can survive a rough go in Iowa and New Hampshire. Pair that with a Super Tuesday catastrophe, however, and a campaigns viability becomes significantly less likely. Barring some surprising results, Representative Tulsi Gabbard is the most likely candidate to drop out following Super Tuesday. There is no polling suggesting she has a chance at winning any significant delegates on Super Tuesday, and there would be no viable path to the nomination for her. Senator Elizabeth Warren is lagging behind in delegates, having won only eight across three contests thus far. However, a Super PAC supporting Ms Warrens campaign has contributed $9 million toward buying ads in California, Texas and her home state of Massachusetts. Altogether the group has contributed $14 million to keep Ms Warren in the race. What will the Super Tuesday results mean for the general election in November? Its likely that the most substantial insight Super Tuesday provides into the general election is which candidate is most likely to secure the Democratic nomination. In addition to that more obvious point, Democrats may also have a better idea as to the state of the partys current ideological battle between its progressive wing and establishment wing. Blowouts by Sanders or Warren would suggest the broader Democratic electorate is ready to move left, while exceptional showings by Mr Biden, Mr Bloomberg or any other centrist candidate would ensure the battle over the partys direction will continue until the convention. President Ghani Denies Commitment to Release 5,000 Taliban Prisoners Before Inter-Afghan Talks Sputnik News 09:29 GMT 01.03.2020 On Saturday, the US and the Taliban signed a peace deal in Doha that will see US and allied troops pull out from Afghanistan over the next 14 months. The US will reduce its military presence to 8,600 troops in the next 135 days. The president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, has rejected demands to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners before the inter-Afghan negotiations begin. "This could be part of the negotiations between Afghans, but it cannot be a precondition for these talks," said Ghani, quoted by the Ariana News channel, during a press conference held on Sunday. Speaking about the possibility of a prisoner exchange, Ghani said that it was the responsibility of the Afghan government and not of the United States to release jailed Taliban members. The long-awaited deal inked on Saturday culminated a seven-day cooling-off period that saw a drop in the number of militant attacks in Afghanistan. Pentagon chief Mark Esper said the pact would pave the way for a permanent ceasefire. The deal sets the beginning of talks for 10 March, provided that up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners are released from jail by that time. The Taliban has pledged that the released prisoners will not pose a threat to the security of the US and its allies. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address [March 02, 2020] Intent-Based Networking Pioneer Apstra Opens Revenue Opportunities With New Partner Advantage Program CRN XChange -- Enterprise networks are quickly evolving, and they require a dynamic solution that removes the complexity while maximizing network investments through advanced and predictive analytics for operational simplicity. Apstra is unveiling a Partner Advantage Program that offers partners a strategic solution to solve these network challenges. Members of the Partner Advantage Program can provide customers with a network solution that will dramatically improve operational and cost efficiencies. Apstra AOS achieves this through a vendor-agnostic solution focused on solving data center networking challenges irrespective of the switching hardware platform, including Arista, Cisco (News - Alert), Cumulus, Juniper, or Open Networking, so partners can get right to the business of helping their customer. This unparalleled hardware flexibility provides partners tremendous opportunities to expand and grow their business. Integrated Solutions (News - Alert) Apstra AOS empowers customers to accelerate data center initiatives required for successful digital transformation. According to Joe Skorupa at Gartner (News - Alert), organizations that fail to treat networking as a strategic investment will be three times as likely to fail in digital transformation. Apstra's architecture delivers a comprehensive systematic approach that is necessary for successful network initiatives. This vision is realized by Intent-Based Networking, a solution designed to align the technology with the business demands, coinciding with limited resources and operational scaling challenges facing organizations. Apstra mitigates the technology risk associated with networks by removing the complexity while increasing operational agility through intelligent automation and predictive analytics. Apstra is uniquely positioned to provide partners with a differentiated solution to these network constraints and vision to address business expectations. Apstra enables organizations to rapidly deploy advanced technologies such as overlays and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). These technologies are ephemeral, distributed, and loosely coupled, and how they are built and operated in the "digital age" is more important than ever. A holistic approach to intelligent network automation, from the planning to operational stage, is where Apstra maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness in technologies such as VMWare NSX and Nutanix Acropolis. Program Structure The Partner Advantage Program structure is anchored by three pillars of Simplicity, Flexibility and solution Uniqueness. Simple. The program offers a simple structure comprised of Registered, Gold and Platinum tiers in order to provide all partners with the opportunity to grow and thrive. Once enabled, all members of the program will benefit from product resale, professional services, upsells and renewals that Apstra provides. The program offers a simple structure comprised of Registered, Gold and Platinum tiers in order to provide all partners with the opportunity to grow and thrive. Once enabled, all members of the program will benefit from product resale, professional services, upsells and renewals that Apstra provides. Flexible. Networking vendor options enable choice and flexibility for customers, thereby helping them to minimize vendor lock-in. As a result, partners will have more opportunities to create value-added services which leverage our vendor-agnostic software. Networking vendor options enable choice and flexibility for customers, thereby helping them to minimize vendor lock-in. As a result, partners will have more opportunities to create value-added services which leverage our vendor-agnostic software. Unique. Our unique technology helps partners to differentiate themselves and to become trusted advisors who foster customer loyalty and drive market expansion. Moreover, we understand that profitability is key to a partner's success. As such, we want all partners to succeed by allowing all members of the program to register deals, request joint marketing funds and have access to attractive financial incentivesin order to uncover new revenue opportunities. "Our partners are positioned to sell complete white-glove solutions which are built out of best-of-breed components such as automation software, hardware, NetOS. These are components of a solution which a customer has the flexibility to choose a-la-carte. This is in contrast to partners selling monolithic solutions from an established vendor. With our flexible approach, partners can provide significant value to their customers whilst increasing their margins," said John Atchison, Director, Global Channel Marketing at Apstra. Apstra Intent-Based Networking is deployed by businesses around the world including Fortune 100 enterprises where customers are realizing deployment efficiencies by 99 percent, and reducing OpEx by 83 percent and Mean-Time-to-Resolution (MTTR) by 70 percent, respectively. This competitive advantage contributes to a highly attractive sales proposal. "The key to our success is partnering with market-leading vendor solutions that provide differentiated customer value and market expansion opportunities. That vendor is Apstra. Being part of the Partner Advantage Program provides us with the framework which will foster better collaboration, uncover new opportunities and lead with a solution that will help us to deliver unparalleled results," said Choo Yuh Joo, Managing Director of Starview International Ltd in Singapore. "We are delighted to partner with Apstra to jointly open new revenue opportunities. We believe the Partner Advantage Program will provide us the program framework and financial incentives to enable our VAR community to uncover new opportunities with first and only features that Apstra AOS offers," said Gerard Brophy, Managing Director, Spinnaker, UK Distributor. "We've been working with Apstra since they came out of stealth, and they've always made it easy to collaborate and discover new opportunities together. We're really excited about codifying and expanding this relationship with the new Partner Advantage Program, so that we can continue to expand the revenue opportunities that Apstra AOS opens up for us," said Peter Grundemann, VP Client Success, Myriad360. "Edgecore Networks (News - Alert), the leading contributor in open networking, has been working closely with global network operators worldwide, we understand the economic pressure and application requirement of accelerating the deployment of open, scalable, and automated infrastructure. Through our partnerships with Apstra, we'll further enrich and add value to our partners around the world. We are pleased to be part of Apstra's new Partner Advantage Program," said Powen Tsai, Director/Head of Presales Engineering Team, Edgecore. To find out more about this progressive partnership opportunity click here. To schedule a meeting with us at CRN XChange 2020 in San Antonio, please click here. Join upcoming webinar for Apstra partners on March 25 at 10:00am PT. About Apstra, Inc. Apstra builds, sells, and markets software solutions that simplify IT infrastructure consumption to help businesses innovate and succeed. Apstra pioneered Intent-Based Networking, vendor agnostic software that simplifies the management of the network infrastructure by abstracting network services and automating the delivery of those network services across their entire life cycle - Day 0, Day 1, and Day 2+. Apstra Intent-Based Networking for the Data Center has demonstrated 80 percent improvements in operational efficiency, 70 percent improvements in MTTR (mean-time-to-resolution), and 99 percent improvements in infrastructure agility; and allows organizations to free themselves from hardware vendor lock-in. With headquarters in Menlo Park, California and privately funded, Apstra is a Gartner Cool Vendor and Best of VMworld winner. www.apstra.com Apstra Blog Twitter LinkedIn Tweet This: @ApstraInc Announces Revenue Opportunities for New #Partners #IntentBasedNetworking #Simplify #DataCenter #Automation #Apstra #AOS #SoftwareFirst #ChannelPartner Apstra, AOS and the Apstra logos are registered trademarks of Apstra, Inc., and other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005322/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) The House of Representatives on Monday removed two lawmakers from key posts amid rumors of an ouster plot against Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. Neophyte lawmaker ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Yap is now the chair of the powerful Committee on Appropriations, which handles budget bills. He replaced four-term Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, who was chairperson of both the Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees. Yap told reporters after his election that he had no idea that he would take over the appropriations panel, saying that Cayetano only asked him today to lead it. "Gaya ng ibang responsibilidad na iniatang sa atin, buong puso kong tinatanggap ang hamon na pagiging Chairman ng House Committee on Appropriations," said Yap in a statement. [Translation: Just like the other responsibilities that were given to me, I accept the challenge of being the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations wholeheartedly.] He added that aside from matters of general appropriations, projects like social service delivery programs that need funding, will also go through his committee. Meanwhile, Ungab, who was previously endorsed for Speaker by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte's regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago, said in a statement after his ouster that he has accepted his fate. Ungab, who was previously endorsed for Speaker by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte's regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago, said in a statement after his ouster that he has accepted his fate. Meanwhile, Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo is now the head of the Houses delegation to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, replacing Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Doy Leachon, a stalwart of ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan. No one objected to the movements. Leachon aired his side of the story, saying in a statement that the alleged House coup on speakership is a "self-created scenario." The House Committee on Games and Amusements, previously headed by Yap, is now led by Abra Rep. Joseph Sto. Nino Bernos. Yap stays on as vice chair of the panel. The changes in the two key House posts came amid reports that a leadership shakeup in the chamber will happen soon. Cayetano alleged last week that Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco with whom he has a standing term-sharing agreement is plotting to oust him and had been promising committee chairmanships and unsolicited budget allocations to colleagues in the House. Velasco and his party, however, have belied the supposed coup. "If there is a need that we sign a manifest of support, PDP-Laban is willing to do that just to show our sincerity that we do not know anything about this," said Deputy Speaker Johnny Pimentel, spokesperson of PDP-Laban. Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza, however, believes Cayetano and his allies are only floating the supposed ouster plot either to divert public attention from ABS-CBN's bid to renew its franchise, which is due to expire on May 4, or ditch the term-sharing deal. "Gumagawa ng drama ito (They'll make a scene for now) then he (Cayetano) will be the one to move for a declaration of [all] positions vacant. Why? Because he wants an election now and not to honor the agreement that he entered into," Atienza told reporters. CNN Philippines Correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report. Trump's visit symbolised heightened partisanship and a return to chemistry between leaders defining bilateral ties, notes Kashish Parpiani. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to the crowds during the 'Namaste Trump' event at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad, February 24, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo US President Donald Trump's 36-hour visit was originally set to witness a limited US-India trade deal, amidst the crescendoing (external link) of tensions on the trade front. Ahead of the visit however, negotiations hit a stalemate due to both sides alleging either party of 'changing goalposts', such as the last-minute American insistence of India increasing import of products like pecan nuts. Hence, the Modi government began to tout the 'Namaste Trump' event as the 'key deliverable' of the visit. Although the relevance of the event stood accentuated by the wall-to-wall coverage it received in the media -- albeit mainly from the standpoint of optics -- it signified an untoward trend. Over the past year, there have been rising concerns (external link) over US bipartisan support on India fraying. Certainly, in large parts, that has been so due to the rabid polarisation now seeping into the once iron-clad US bipartisan consensus on most aspects of American international relations. However, on India specifically, that schism has emerged also due to the apparent partisan fervour of the 'Howdy, Modi!' rally and the Democrats's rising apprehensions (external link) on the communications lockdown in Kashmir. With this visit, it was apparent that the Trump administration also has a partisan approach to India. At the 'Namaste Trump' event, for instance, President Trump built on his September 2019 praise of Prime Minster Modi as the 'Father of India'. In Ahmedabad, Trump began his address by describing his host as 'an exceptional leader, a great champion of India, a man who works night and day for his country, and a man I am proud to call my true friend'. Trump didn't stop there, and went on to echo many points that may generally be heard at a BJP election rally. He added, 'Under Prime Minister Modi, for the first time in history, every village in India now has access to electricity. Three hundred and twenty million people -- more Indians -- are right now connected to the Internet. The pace of highway construction has more than doubled.' He went on to also cite figures on households having access to cooking fuel and basic sanitation. At a follow-up press conference, Trump refused to comment on the controversial citizenship law: 'I don't want to discuss that, I want to leave that to India.' All was not lost to partisanship as the second day of the visit saw some policy gains. In exchange for the limited trade deal, India's expectation had been to oversee its GSP beneficiary status reinstated. To recap: In the recent past, trade tensions escalated owing to the US adopting punitive measures. Beginning with levying steel and aluminum tariffs on India in mid-2019, the Trump administration revoked India's beneficiary status under the Generalised System of Preferences programme under which exports worth $5.7 billion to the US enjoyed duty-free status in 2017. However, ahead of the visit, the US pre-emptively closed the door to restoration of India's GSP benefits. A few days after Trump's visit was announced, the US trade representative released a federal notice on removing countries like India from its list of developing countries that 'are exempt from investigations into whether they harm American industry with unfairly subsidised exports.' This effectively rendered India to be classified as a developed country, and thus no longer eligible for benefits under the GSP, which is a preferential arrangement for developing countries alone. With a limited trade deal off the table, the visit's policy gains seemed restricted to impending defence deals. The two sides announced the finalisation of a defence package worth over $3 billion for 24 multi-role MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters and six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. However, there was no word on India finalising the recently cleared $1.867 billion Integrated Air Defence Weapon System, which would possibly help in tempering US apprehensions on India also purchasing the Russian S-400 missile system (external link). The fact that the two sides managed to formalise cooperation on latent avenues like clean energy signified a certain sense of compartmentalisation to have been instituted, unarguably a rare feat under Trump's conduct of US foreign policy, in the US-India bilateral dynamic. However, despite the emergence of this mature understanding, the visit bore another untoward development -- potentially reversing the trend on the gradual institutionalisation of US-India ties. Ahead of Trump's visit, an unnamed high-level source in the Indian government characterised the visit as: "Forget about mathematics or trade or defence. Talk chemistry! Chemistry ab badhega!" (Essentially translating to, an increase in chemistry between the leaders will be a key outcome.) Aside from any increase in that unquantifiable facet of bilateral ties, 'chemistry' between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi was, however, deemed to be a key catalyst of an expected resolution to the current impasse on trade. At their joint appearance in Ahmedabad, Trump expressed his optimism over 'the Prime Minister and I working together towards reaching a fantastic deal that's good and even great for both of our countries.'/p> He jokingly even added a caveat: 'Except that he's (Modi) a very tough negotiator.' Whereas, over the past couple of years, the effort has been to move away from the traditional top-heavy approach of relying on chemistry between the heads of State to inform the US-India bilateral trajectory. In the past, that approach was particularly efficacious in wading through 'conflictual points such as the US opposition to India's nuclear programme' (external link). However, as US-India ties have assumed a multi-dimensional character -- bereft of a comprehensive trade arrangement or a formal security treaty underpinning the partnership, the trajectory has warranted champions (external link) of greater ties on multiple levels of either nation's political, bureaucratic and military leadership. Nascent examples of such institutionalised channels include the US-India 2+2 annual consultative platform (external link) between foreign and defense portfolio chiefs, the India-US Strategic Energy Partnership working group between India's petroleum minister and the US energy secretary, and the hotline instituted between Indian and American national Sscurity advisors. With the recent visit once again according chemistry between the two leaders's central relevance -- this time in context of the stalled trade negotiations, it seems the bilateral trajectory is returning to the era of seeking high-level interventions. Thus, despite some gains on the policy level, Trump's visit to India symbolised heightened partisanship and a return to chemistry between leaders defining bilateral ties. Kashish Parpiani is a Research Fellow, Observer Research Foundation. NEW YORK, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Robotti & Co. ("Robotti") and 100 Women in Finance ("100WF") today announced that they will be hosting this year's Women in Investing event in Omaha during the events surrounding the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting on Friday, May 1, 2020. The theme is inspired directly by Warren Buffett, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment of the US Constitution, establishing women's right to vote. Robotti and 100WF raise a call to action for more women in prominent roles like portfolio manager and other positions of executive leadership within the investment management industry, including on public company boards, as Mr. Buffett forthrightly noted in his annual letter. The event aligns with 100WF's recent announcement of its Vision for 30x40, in which women will perform 30% of investment team and executive roles in the finance industry by 2040. The organization pursues as its mission, the intent to impact the finance industry's demographics by empowering women at each career stage to reach their professional potential and by promoting careers in investing to pre-career young women of diverse backgrounds. On February 22, 2020, Mr. Buffett noted in his annual letter: "During the first 30 or so years of my services, it was rare to find a woman in the room unless she represented a family controlling the enterprise. This year, it should be noted, marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed American women the right to have their voices heard in a voting booth. Their attaining similar status in a board room remains a work in progress." Further, in January 2020, Goldman Sachs's CEO, David Solomon commented to CNBC at the World Economic Forum "Starting on July 1 in the U.S. and Europe, we're not going to take a company public unless there's at least one diverse board candidate, with a focus on womenAnd we're going to move towards 2021 requesting two." "We are very excited to be partnering with 100 Women in Finance to celebrate the centennial anniversary of women's suffrage. When Warren Buffett released Berkshire's annual letter and made specific note that 100 years' later, women are still struggling to be proportionately represented on public boards, our theme became clear," remarked Lindsey Sichel Rubinstein, Managing Director at Robotti. "Our Founder and CIO, Bob Robotti, has long understood the benefits of diverse leadership in the finance industry, and we look forward to this year's event being extra special - and of course extend an invitation for Mr. Buffett to once again share a few salient, informal remarks as he did last year." The women's event will be held on Friday afternoon, May 1, 2020 at the Hilton Hotel in Omaha. Topics will include actionable opportunities that exist to build greater gender inclusion in areas within the finance industry where it matters most. Future-focused discussion amongst investment professionals will address the finance industry's rapid evolution and how women's leadership can be engaged for stronger corporate management, performance and industry growth. "Having met with hundreds of companies' executive management teams and having sat on multiple public company boards over the past 40 years, I am well aware of the dearth of women in executive roles. This is why several years ago Robotti alum, Stephanie Baas, and I decided to host an event during the Berkshire annual meeting weekend to raise awareness and start a conversation," Bob Robotti commented. "I have been sourcing undervalued investments for my entire career, and to me, the vast skill set, integrity and knowledge possessed by the women in this industry as compared to their severe underrepresentation in prominent roles presents a clear undervalued opportunity. As I have also found with my investments, you can't always just wait for change you have to get involved and be a positive catalyst." 100WF's CEO Amanda Pullinger noted, "We are honored to partner with Robotti & Co. on this annual event and anticipate the exchange of smart, real-time ideas about how to gain more ground towards women's representation in executive leadership, in investment roles and on corporate boards. We believe that the realization of our 30x40 Vision will require broad, industry-wide commitment, and we look forward to engagement around how we can get there by setting goals and working together." In addition to this women's event, Robotti also hosts an annual luncheon on the day of the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders' general meeting. Please contact Lindsey Sichel Rubinstein at Robotti or Sarah Dyer at 100WF for more information. Registration for the women's event will begin in mid-March via 100WF's website. Contact information is below. About Robotti & Co. Founded in 1983, Robotti & Co. is a value-focused New York based asset manager, offering private funds and separately managed accounts. The company's approach is guided by the classic tenets of value investing. Inherent to this approach is the belief that the market price of a security does not necessarily indicate its true economic value. Robotti seeks to identify and research companies with solid balance sheets, the ability to generate significant amounts of free cash flow and yet are misunderstood, neglected, or out-of-favor with Wall Street. True and patient contrarians, the company seeks to discover value before the general market. Its investment philosophy has been consistent since inception over 35 years ago with the goal of providing superior risk adjusted returns for our valued long-term partners. About 100 Women in Finance 100 Women in Finance's more than 15,000 members strengthen the global finance industry by empowering women to achieve their professional potential at each career stage. Its members inspire, equip and advocate for a new generation of industry leadership, in which women and men serve as investment professionals and executives, equal in achievement and impact. Through Education, Peer Engagement and Impact, the organization furthers the progress of women who have chosen finance as a career, and enables their positive influence over pre-career young women. For inquiries, please contact: Lindsey Sichel Rubinstein Tel: (646) 442 6715 Email: [email protected] Sarah Dyer Email: [email protected] SOURCE Robotti & Company, LLC Related Links http://www.robotti.com A woman has broken down live on air as she shared a distressing triple-0 call from when her ex-partner tried to hit her with a car. The woman, known as Geraldine, shared her experience of domestic violence with ABCs Q&A on Monday night, just weeks after Hannah Clarke and her three children Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and Trey, 3 were killed at the hands of Rowan Baxter in Brisbane. In the call, Geraldine can be heard saying Oh my God, Oh my God to the operator. The operator asks her to describe whats happening. Hes trying to hit us in the car, she says. Geraldine shares her story of domestic violence on ABC's Q&A. Source: Q&A The operator asks Geraldine to clarify whats going on. Hes trying to hit us in the car, she cries. Geraldine told Q&A the triple-0 call occurred the day after she left her partner in 2015 after he had assaulted her. She had taken out an AVO against him but in tears she explained people like me are often asked why they dont leave their abusive partners. When our options are leave and be faced with those situations and all I can do is wave a piece of paper thats an AVO in the air thats supposed to protect me, thats not an appropriate answer for us, she told the Q&A. And thats not an appropriate protection for people who are trying to just be free. Hannah Clarke, 31, and her three kids were killed on February 19. Source: Facebook Geraldine added she spent years in an abusive relationship. Shes become somewhat used to reading about women being killed by current or ex-partners. But for me personally, when its something to do with a vehicle, and if its something to do with breaching an AVO, those ones really hit me really hard because I honestly feel like it could have been me, Geraldine said. And its just by luck that I have the privilege of sitting here and telling you my story and that Im not a name or a nameless statistic. On Twitter, people applauded Geraldine for sharing her experience. One man tweeted her story was powerful. This should be simple. Domestic violence has to be called out every, single time. No exceptions. No excuses. No victim blaming. Call. It. Out, he tweeted. Story continues ABC has domestic violence on tonight. I watched for a few minutes. There was a time that I thought that I would die. I was lying on the floor, being kicked. I fought back, and survived. But I cant listen to #QandA tonight. I feel panicky now. 20 years later! How much longer? Jane Alcorn (@JaneAlcorn) March 2, 2020 Strong opening with incredible strong women on #QandA Yona (@Isotope_Yona) March 2, 2020 Another said, Is all Australia in tears or just me? It could've been me. There's no sensation more powerful or profound, another man tweeted. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in six women in Australia have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or previous partner. Twenty-five per cent have experienced emotional abuse. Hannah Clarke and her three children were killed by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter on February 19 in Camp Hill. Its believed Baxter doused them in petrol and set them alight before taking his own life. Baxters actions are being treated as murder. Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. 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. New Delhi, March 2 : A news report is doing rounds on the social media which claims that a team of Chinese surgeons has successfully carried out the world's first double-lung transplant on a victim who had been infected with coronavirus (COVID-19), hoping to explore new treatments against the deadly virus. The news was shared by one of the leading media outlet of China along with a photo of medics with the caption: "World's first lung transplant surgery on #COVID19 patient has been a success at a hospital in Wuxi, E China's Jiangsu. Led by Chen Jingyu, the medical team on Sat transplanted a lung for a recovered patient who suffered from severe lung damage", Beijing Youth Daily reported. The picture shows the team of doctors after successfully carrying out the first double-lung transplant on coronavirus patient who was confirmed to be infected with the disease on January 26. As the news came out in the public domain, social media has been abuzz with reactions. A user wrote, "Recovered from #covid19 and needs a new lung. That does not sound like a real recovery. How many 'recovered' needs new lungs in China, any estimations?" "Where did Chinese doctors get their lungs? It may be the lungs of political prisoners," wrote one user. A post read: "Where did they fork out the lung, exactly? U don't take a lung from infected donor right. It must be from healthy donors." "World famous Chinese organ harvesting here. Who was the victim? Uyghur people?" a user remarked. The deadly coronavirus has killed a total of 2,912 people in mainland China, bringing the global death toll to more than 3,000, authorities said on Monday. The overall number of infections in China stood at 80,026 as of Monday morning. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Senegal confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus on Monday, marking just the second infection in sub-Saharan Africa amid concerns over the continent's vulnerability to outbreaks of contagious diseases. A French man who lives in Senegal visited France in mid-February, contracting the virus before returning to the West African country and being quarantined in the capital Dakar, Senegal's Health Minister Diouf Sarr said. "The results of the tests carried out by the Pasteur Institute in Dakar came back positive," Sarr told journalists. "So far the patient's condition has not raised any major concerns." The patient, a father of two who has lived in Senegal for more than two years, stayed in the southern French city of Nimes as well as a unspecified ski resort last month, Sarr said. The man then returned to Senegal on February 26, where he went to a medical centre and registered a fever of 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) as well as a sore throat and headache. The centre contacted the country's coronavirus alert unit and the patient was quarantined, the minister said. "The surveillance and response system for COVID-19 has been bolstered and all measures are being taken to contain the disease," Sarr said. He urged the population to stay calm, adding he was "perfectly confident" in the country's health system. The first case in sub-Saharan African was recorded last week in Nigeria, where an Italian national returned with the virus from his home country. Italy has emerged as the European hotspot for the deadly virus, with more than 2,000 cases, while France has reported the third most in Europe, with at least 130. Before Senegal and Nigeria, the only reported cases in Africa were in Egypt and Algeria. But experts fear the virus spreading to Africa, which struggles with conflicts, poor health infrastructure, crowded cities with inadequate sanitation, rickety governance and porous bordersall of which provide excellent opportunities for the virus to spread. The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged African countries to come together and 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," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week. A 2016 analysis by US thinktank the Rand Corporation found that of the 25 countries in the world that are most vulnerable to infectious outbreaks, 22 are in Africa. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP When Meghan Markle launched a women's workwear back in August 2019, she urged female workers to "unleash their inner Wonder Woman." But today, it looks like the Duchess of Sussex is the one to unleash her inner Super Meghan, Wonder Markle, and Meghan Marvel. Meghan is reportedly asking her agent to help her land a superhero role in some highly anticipated Hollywood film as part of her plans to return to acting after the famous "Megxit." According to a Daily Mail report, the 38-year-old former "Suits" actress is looking forward to returning to her acting job after she and husband Prince Harry turned their backs from the British royal family. A source told the news outlet that Meghan's former agent, Nick Collins, is busy scouting possible roles and particularly looking into securing a superhero role for the Duchess. The source added that the agent -- who came from Gersh Agency and represented Meghan during her "Suits" days -- is actively looking for a movie for Meghan's bombshell Hollywood comeback. "He has said she wants her return to acting to be part of an ensemble cast in something like a superhero film," the insider said. "He's actively seeking such a movie for her. He's saying she is available and open to the best offers." It turns out that the actress-turned-royal is already planning a series of meetings once they settle down in Los Angeles this summer. The source highlighted that after Meghan's voiceover deal with Disney, the Sussex matriarch is looking into landing a superhero role whether onscreen or another voiceover stint. The insider also divulged that Meghan is fully aware that she cannot carry a film with her as the lead actress. "She knows she can't carry a film as an actress. People won't be able to get past the fact she's Meghan Markle," the source said. "But she's determined to act again, and she thinks a big, ensemble film is the way to go... something that pays big but which doesn't put her front and centre." The insider explained that now that there is a different view about female superheroes, Meghan wants to be in line with Hollywood A-listers like Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence and Halle Berry who all became a Marvel superhero. "There used to be a certain stigma attached to Marvel films, but now they are the biggest market in the world. That's what Meghan wants," the source pointed out. Snubbed by Disney? The rumors about Meghan's superhero role interest came after reports that Disney snubbed the Duchess from securing a Disney role due to her controversial personality. According to reports, an unnamed film executive said that the animated film giant has "limited plans" to secure Meghan a Disney role. "Meghan needs Disney more than Disney needs Meghan. She's a controversial figure," the anonymous movie big boss said. The executive also debunked the rumors that the Duchess is set to sign a movie deal with Disney. "There have been reports of a deal, but that's not true beyond the voiceover work," he added, referring to a voiceover deal Meghan reportedly signed for the benefit of an elephant charity. Helping a loved one escape addiction takes time, research, and insight Pattie Vargas saw with frightening clarity that her son Joel, 25 at the time, had a life-threatening drug problem. He came home one day in 2007 high as a kite, went to bed and slept four days straight, Vargas, now a 65-year-old resident of Vacaville, California, recalls. As Joel lay listless, a terrified Vargas realized her son needed help, but she didnt quite know where to start. She searched online and dialed the number of a treatment center she found. The person who answered said reassuring things and walked her through the options, then sent a man to lead an intervention at the familys home in Escondido, California. The intervention ended with Joel reluctantly climbing into the guys car and being whisked away to residential treatment in Laguna Beach, about 60 miles away. Vargas was relieved to see her middle child head off to treatmenteven though the 30-day program cost $39,000. Little did she suspect it was only the beginning of an ultimately fruitless cycle of rehab and relapse. Joels drug of choice back then was methamphetamine, but by the time he died of heart complications a decade later, he was hooked on heroin. As Vargas later realized, there are better ways than the internet to find effective rehab. With the U.S. death rate from drug overdoses more than triple what it was 20 years ago and alcohol misuse among the top preventable causes of death, the need for effective addiction treatment is massive. But finding affordable and reliable care, despite a proliferation of rehab centers in recent years, can be nearly impossible. There are good providers out there. They are few and far between, and its really hard to tell the good from the bad, says Garrett Hade, co-founder of The Voices Project, an addiction recovery advocacy group. The Affordable Care Act, by expanding insurance rolls and requiring insurers to cover the treatment of substance use disorders on par with other medical conditions, has helped spawn explosive growth in Americas rehab industry. Unfortunately, that includes some operators interested more in the money than the welfare of patients. As competition has intensified, some rehab operators have resorted to wily and unscrupulous methods to draw clients. A common practice is to pay body brokers thousands of dollars to troll social media and sobriety meetings for insured people who need treatment. Some facilities fraudulently sign people up for insurance, fly them to treatment centers across the country and bill tens of thousands of dollars for multiple urine tests and other services of dubious necessity. Some operators have even plied their clients with drugs between stints in rehab to recycle them back into the program. Sue Harris, a San Diego resident, sent her son Jameson to a rehab center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on the recommendation of a treatment coordinator. It was the worst decision, she says. Jameson called from Florida and told her, Im going to die here, Mom. There are drugs everywhere, Harris, 59, recalls. He was right: He died shortly afterward from an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin. A less shady practice by treatment facilities is to invest in strategies to push their names to the top of internet search results. So you are not necessarily getting the best person. You are getting the ones who have paid money for search engine optimization, says David Skonezny, who runs a Facebook page called Its Time For Ethics In Addiction Treatment. So, whats a better option for finding a reputable rehab center? Try attending meetings of recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or LifeRing. People who go to those meetings have experienced the same things you or your loved ones are going through and often share tips and advice. But beware of anybody hard-selling a specific program. You can also call the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations 24/7 helpline (800-662-HELP), which provides information on addiction as well as referrals to treatment and support groups. A federal government website, www.findtreatment.gov, also offers referrals. If your child has a substance use disorder, the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids provides a wealth of information and support. Once you have some promising leads, your real homework begins. You must vet them thoroughlynot only to confirm their integrity but to maximize the chance that you or your loved ones will get the personalized care needed. To weed out bad players, search for complaints against facilities you are considering if your state puts them online. Unfortunately, California does notthough you can see the ones with revoked or suspended licenses, as well as those operating without licenses, on the website of the Department of Health Care Services. At this point, Google actually comes in handy: Search the facility by name, paired with red-flag terms such as fraud, indicted or body broker. An alarm should sound if people running a treatment program ask about your insurance and finances right off the bat, says Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, executive director of Alexandria, Virginia-based NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. If Im more concerned about the money and the insurance, dont come to me, she says. And dont be dazzled by dollar signs. Just because it costs a lot of money, dont think its great, says Vargas, whose daughter, Rebekah, also struggles with drugs. It wasnt until her son was years into his meanderings through rehab that Vargas discovered public treatment programs that dont cost anythingthough they are hard to get into. In California, they are run by the counties and mostly funded by Medi-Cal, the government-run insurance program for people with low incomes. You can find a list of county programs and contact numbers on the DHCS website under the individuals tab. How do you know what kind of program is a good fit? An initial assessment is critical. Get it done by a doctor with a specialty in addiction rather than at a treatment center. In California, you can find board-certified addiction-medicine doctors on the California Society of Addiction Medicine website. If you live elsewhere, go to the American Society of Addiction Medicine site. Ask any potential rehab program about the credentials of its physicians, social workers, clinical psychologists, and addiction counselors on staff. You can check the addiction-specific qualifications of rehab counselors and social workers by calling NAADAC (703-741-7686), or the organization that credentials them in your state. In California, check the website of the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals. Another important question, recovery experts say, is whether a program endorses anti-addiction medicationsit shouldand is prepared to administer them in-house or through a competent outside party. Dont let them evade that question. And remember: Addiction is a lifelong battle. Relapses are common. Theres always hope, though for reasons difficult to ascertain, some people are better at recovery than others. Harris says Jameson was not one of those people: He loved his family. He loved life. But he just could not stop himself. Bernard J. Wolfson is the managing editor for California Healthline, which is published by Kaiser Health News. This article was first published by California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation. Two fresh cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported in India, taking the number of people who have tested positive for the respiratory virus in the country to five so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy while the other patient from Telengana travelled to Dubai, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, adding that the government has stepped up its vigil and efforts to detect and prevent the spread of the deadly virus that has killed 2,912 people in China and has spread to at least 58 countries. The three persons, which include two medical students of a university at Wuhan, who had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 in Thrissur, Alappuzuha and Kasaragod districts in Kerela were discharged following recovery. Addressing a press conference here, Vardhan advised people to refrain from non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore. Italy is reeling under swelling cases of the coronavirus infection while UAE has reported 19 cases so far. The infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy, while the other patient from Telengana has travelled to Dubai, the Union Health Minister said. He said both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms like respiratory problems, cough and fever. "They have tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored," Vardhan said. The minister further said the Indian government is in discussion with Iran and Italian authorities to evacuate Indians there. Vardhan, who held a meeting of the Group of Ministers constituted to monitor the current status and actions for prevention and management of novel coronavirus, said India has already suspended e-visas/visas issued to Iranian and Chinese nationals over the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in these countries. "Depending on the evolving situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries," he said. Vardhan said around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance. Authorities are screening travellers arriving from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan at 21 designated airports in the country for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus. A total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far, Vardhan said. He also informed that around 10,24,922 people have been screened in the villages of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim bordering Nepal. Besides, as many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across India while 37 people suspected to have COVID-19 symptoms across the country are currently hospitalised. Their samples have been sent for testing, a senior health ministry official said. Responding to a question on whether there could be shortage of drugs in the country as around 70 per cent of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) come from China, Vardhan said he has spoken to the minister in-charge of the Department of Pharmaceuticals and that he has informed that "we are adequately prepared to deal with the situation as of now". So far, 3,217 samples have been tested out of which five have tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited. Vardhan also urged people to pose their queries on the helpline numbers made available in case they have symptoms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio has sought the government's permission to undertake 5G trials in India using its own technology and design. With this, Jio has emerged as the first Indian telecom major to seek 5G trials based on self-designed technology. Apart from Reliance Jio, three global telecom service providers, Huawei Technologies, Ericsson, and Nokia Networks, are also vying to cash in on India's 5G plan. If trials are successful, this will also end Reliance Jio's dependence on Samsung, which was earlier its sole equipment supplier for 4G technology, a Business Standard report said. Jio had submitted an application to the government to conduct its 5G trials with Samsung earlier. The development comes amid Reliance Jio's long-drawn plan to solidify its design and technology base in the country. From Rancore Technologies to US-based Radisys -- Reliance Jio has been making all-out efforts to step-up its 5G game in India. The launch of 5G-enabled technologies is expected to be transformative in the telco and other industries by unlocking various disruptive new technologies. Global investment in the 5G industrial chain over 2020-2035 is likely to reach $3.5 trillion. Also read: How to make 5G affordable? TRAI, DoT must decode it now During a recent event between India Inc captains and US President Donald Trump, Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani was asked a question about his 5G plans. "Are you going to do 5G too?," Trump asked Ambani to which he replied, "We're going to do 5G. We are the only network in the world that doesn't have a single Chinese component." The government last year had asked the telecom operators to submit their trial proposals. While Vodafone Idea and Airtel have submitted their proposals jointly with Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, and ZTE, Reliance Jio, on the other hand, had submitted an application with Samsung, which is the sole vendor for Jio for its 4G services. On the 5G front, the biggest roadblock for Jio, or for that matter any operator, is going to be steep spectrum prices. The base price of the 5G spectrum (in 3,300 megahertz to 3,600 megahertz band) is highest in India. At TRAI's recommended reserve price of Rs 492 crore per MHz, operators will have to pay around Rs 50,000 crore for 100 MHz pan-India spectrum - that's the minimum spectrum required to deliver 5G services (in sub-6000 MHz bands) as per global body ITU. The government has also said that it's not planning to reduce the base price for the 5G spectrum. Edited by Manoj Sharma Also read: Is Reliance Jio really prepared to launch 5G services? Artificial intelligence can improve the precision of sleep medicines, resulting in more patient-centered care and better outcomes, suggest a new study. The position statement of the study was published in the journal - Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The position statement was developed by the AASM's Artificial Intelligence in Sleep Medicine Committee. According to the statement, the electrophysiological data collected during polysomnography -- the most comprehensive type of sleep study -- is well-positioned for enhanced analysis through AI and machine-assisted learning. "When we typically think of AI in sleep medicine, the obvious use case is for the scoring of sleep and associated events," said the lead researcher Dr Cathy Goldstein. "This would streamline the processes of sleep laboratories and free up sleep technologist time for direct patient care," she added. Because of the vast amounts of data collected by sleep centres, AI and machine learning could advance sleep care, resulting in more accurate diagnoses, prediction of disease and treatment prognosis, characterization of disease subtypes, precision in sleep scoring, and optimization and personalization of sleep treatments. Goldstein noted that AI could be used to automate sleep scoring while identifying additional insights from sleep data. "AI could allow us to derive more meaningful information from sleep studies, given that our current summary metrics, for example, the apnea-hypopnea index, aren't predictive of the and quality of life outcomes that are important to patients," Dr Cathy Goldstein said. "Additionally, AI might help us understand mechanisms underlying obstructive sleep apnea, so we can select the right treatment for the right patient at the right time, as opposed to one-size-fits-all or trial and error approaches," she added. Important considerations for the integration of AI into the sleep medicine practice include transparency and disclosure, testing on novel data, and laboratory integration. The statement recommends that manufacturers disclose the intended population and goal of any program used in the evaluation of patients; test programs intended for clinical use on independent data; and aid sleep centres in the evaluation of AI-based software performance. "AI tools hold great promise for medicine in general, but there has also been a great deal of hype, exaggerated claims and misinformation," said Goldstein. "We want to interface with industry in a way that will foster safe and efficacious use of AI software to benefit our patients. These tools can only benefit patients if used with careful oversight," Goldstein added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jakarta: Indonesia has confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus infections, after weeks of warnings from health experts that the country may not have implemented an adequate testing regime. Two women, a 64-year-old and her 31-year-old daughter, contracted the virus from a Japanese friend who was visiting them in Depok, a city that is part of greater Jakarta. The pair are now being treated in a hospital in North Jakarta. Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Credit:Getty Images In a statement, President Joko Widodo said the country was ready to handle an outbreak of the virus. "There are more than 100 hospitals with isolation rooms. We have equipment up to international standards, we have sufficient reagent [the chemicals used in testing for the virus], we have a joint team consist of the TNI [military], the police and civilians handling this case. We also have standard operating procedures similar to existing international standards," he said. Turkey's military shot down two Syrian government fighter jets over northwest Idlib, hours after forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad brought down a Turkish drone over the region, Al Jazeera reports. In a Twitter post on Sunday, Turkey's defence ministry said its forces struck two SU-24 aircraft in response to the downing of the drone. Syria's SANA news agency confirmed the aircraft were hit over northwestern Idlib province, but said no one was hurt in the attack. The pilots used parachutes and landed safely, it added. The shootdowns came as Turkey announced a full-scale military operation dubbed "Spring Shield" against Syrian targets. The Syrian military's Al-Nayrab airport, on the outskirts of Aleppo city, was hit by air attacks "making it out of service", Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency cited "local sources" as saying. Syrian forces used the airbase for "attacks against the Turkish armed forces and civilians in Idlib", the news report said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 Trend: Rector of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) Elmar Gasimov met with a delegation led by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to Azerbaijan George Deek. During the meeting, exchange of views took place on cooperation between Israeli companies, universities and Baku Higher Oil School, and prospects for future cooperation were discussed. Rector Elmar Gasimov noted that Azerbaijan and Israel are friendly countries and that the two counties give a lot of attention to development of relations between them in the field of education. Elmar Gasimov informed the guests in detail about Baku Higher Oil School. The rector stressed that educated young people with high intellectual potential study at the Higher School, and that all BHOS graduates, without exception, are provided with work. Noting that Baku Higher Oil School provides training on both technical and technological skills, the rector emphasized the importance of implementing new programs and studying foreign experience in this area. In this context, he emphasized the interest of the Higher School in the exchange of experience with Israeli universities and the creation of joint innovative research centers. Ambassador George Deek, in turn, noted that Azerbaijan is an important strategic partner for Israel. He praised highly the conditions created at the Higher School. Speaking about the development of relations with Israel in the field of education, the ambassador emphasized that cooperation in this direction will continue to develop. George Deek also noted that the Israeli embassy will help establish and strengthen cooperation between Israeli companies, universities and Baku Higher Oil School. Then, the guests visited the BHOS campus and got acquainted with the conditions created there. DETROITA campaign aide who was not authorized to speak to the media has told Reuters that former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will suspend his campaign for president on Sunday night. Pete is heading back to South Bend and will give a speech tonight suspending his campaign, said the anonymous campaign aide. Buttigiegs official campaign has not confirmed the media reports, but has put out a message on Twitter announcing that its Dallas rally has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience, and will follow up with our supporters registered to attend with further details, it added, without confirming or denying the media leaks from numerous aides. UPDATE: Our Sunday evening rally in Dallas has been postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience, and will follow up with our supporters registered to attend with further details. Team Pete HQ (@PeteForAmerica) March 1, 2020 It also confirmed that Buttigieg was speaking at South Bend at 8:30 p.m. ET. ANNOUNCEMENT: @PeteButtigieg will be delivering remarks in South Bend at 8:30 p.m. ET. Watch live below. https://t.co/PfsXU8azsq Team Pete HQ (@PeteForAmerica) March 2, 2020 Buttigieg, a 38-year-old Afghanistan war veteran, who would be the first openly gay U.S. president, has sought to unite Democrats, independents, and moderate Republican voters, arguing that his status as a Washington outsider could rebuild the majority needed to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in Novembers election. He entered the race as a relative unknown on the national stage, with two terms as mayor of a small Midwestern city as the chief item on his political resume. His campaign invested heavily in rural and Trump-leaning counties in Iowa in the hope that a win in its first Democratic nominating contest would give him a boost in states to come. He did just that, pulling out a narrow victory in Iowa over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and surprising many in the Democratic establishment with a close second-place finish in New Hampshire. Buttigiegs withdrawal could help Biden, whose much-needed victory in South Carolina on Saturday gave him more momentum heading into the 14-state Super Tuesday nominating contests this week. President Donald Trump said he believed that was the case, taking to Twitter to respond to the unconfirmed media reports that Buttigieg is suspending his presidential campaign. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden, Trump said. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play. Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play NO NOMINATION, AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020 The Associated Press reported that Buttigiegs departure from the race reflected a growing pressuring among more moderate Democrats to consolidate in an effort to blunt the rise of Sanders, who Buttigeig said was too liberal to be elected. The Associated Press and NTD staff contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 12:07:05|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Monday that the United States has cancelled the ASEAN-U.S. summit, which was previously scheduled on March 14 in Las Vegas. Speaking at a university graduation ceremony here, Hun Sen said combating the COVID-19 was perhaps the main reason that U.S. President Donald Trump decided to postpone the summit. "I support President Trump's decision taking this time, because both the U.S. and ASEAN are busy alike, to control the situation relating to this virus," he said. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Meanwhile, Hun Sen called on the Cambodian people to keep themselves clean by washing hands with soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizers frequently and wearing masks if necessary. He also advised health authorities to continue to strengthen thermal scanning at all airports, ports and border checkpoints to prevent the virus from spreading to the country. The prime minister said that so far, there has been no new confirmed case of the virus in the country. Cambodia confirmed the first and only case of the COVID-19 on Jan. 27. The victim was discharged from the hospital on Feb. 10 after fully recovering from the disease. The budget session of the state legislature begins on Monday. It will be the first session after the 15th Finance Commission reduced the states share of central taxes by around 9,000 crore per year, under the new devolution formula. The session will be held up to March 31, with chief minister B S Yediyurappa presenting the budget on March 5. While all eyes will be on Yediyurappas budget, controversial remarks by BJP legislators targeting freedom fighter Doreswamy are expected to rock both the Houses. During the session, the government will also reply to the debate on the Governors address. Governor Vajubhai Vala had addressed a joint session of the two Houses on February 17. Complaints of irregularities in farm-loan waiver scheme, including charges that a lions share of funds allocated for the project was diverted for other works, are also likely to be raised. Doreswamy, a centenarian freedom fighter, was accused of being a Pakistan agent by BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. The latter found support from other BJP legislators in their criticism against Doreswamy. The Opposition parties, apart from seeking an apology from Yatnal, are also likely to demand the annulment of Yatnals Assembly membership. Yediyurappa also faces a major challenge in presenting a budget and indications are that not many new schemes will be announced. Apart from reduced revenue from departments such as Transport, and Stamps and Registration, Yediyurappa will have to come up with means to compensate for the reduction in the states share of central funds, as Karnatakas share went down by around Rs 9,000 crore. Several bills such as Karnataka Municipal Corporations Bill, Karnataka Shops and Establishments Bill and Karnataka Innovation Authority Bill will be debated. A two-day discussion on the Indian Constitution will be held on March 3 and 4. There are indications that a no-confidence motion will be moved against deputy speaker Krishna Reddy of the JD(S). BJP leadership, according to sources, is trying to accommodate one of the disgruntled MLAs as deputy speaker. ARCHIVED - Visitors from the UK to Spain spent almost 1 million euros per hour in January Fewer visitors from the UK and Germany led to slightly fewer coming from abroad during the month Data related to the last few months have provided indications that the level of international tourism in Spain may have reached a peak for the time being, and the latest figures released on Monday in relation to January 2020 show that the number of visitors arriving from abroad could fall this year for the first time in years. During January Spain welcomed 4.14 million foreign visitors, 1.4 per cent fewer than in the first month of 2019 and the seventh year-on-year decrease in the last nine months. In the month leading up to the official departure of the UK from the European Union it would be easy to attribute the drop entirely to Brexit, and indeed there was a sharp decrease of 11 per cent in the number of British visitors, to 718,248. But the UK still accounted for 17.4 per cent of the total as the figures also fell for most of the other major markets, including Germany (down by 4.6 per cent to 494,000) and Scandinavia (9.6 per cent lower at 342,000). The most significant increases, on the other hand, were seen in the figures for the Americas excluding the USA (+20 per cent) and France (up by 7.7 per cent to 480,000). The most eye-catching feature of the breakdown by the six main tourist regions was a fall of 26.8 per cent in the Balearics, doubtless influenced to a large degree by the trend in the German and British markets, while there were rises of between 4 and 6 per cent in Andalucia, the Comunidad Valenciana and Madrid: the Costa Calida falls into the catch-all category of other regions, in which there was a rise of just 0.1 per cent. The number of British visitors in January may have been lower than in 2019, but their importance to the sector is underlined by the fact that they constituted the largest source of foreign visitors to Andalucia (18.7 per cent of all foreign tourists), the Canaries (29.1per cent) and the Comunidad Valenciana (28.4 per cent). On the positive side, meanwhile, the overall decrease in visitor numbers was accompanied by a rise of 2.1 per cent in the amount of money they are calculated to have spent in Spain in January, which reached 4,779 million euros. Again, the figure relating to the UK showed a year-on-year drop, this time of 9.4 per cent, reaching 730 million euros: average daily spending by the British was 7.6 per cent higher than a year previously at 121 euros per person, with the overall decrease being due primarily to there being fewer holidaymakers from the UK and to a shorter average length of stay. January is one of the least active months in the international tourist sector in Spain (although not in the Canaries!), but despite this the importance of tourism to the economy is such that of the 6.42 million euros spent EVERY HOUR in Spain by foreign visitors in January, just under 1 million of them came from the pockets of those coming from the UK! Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/ article_detail --> Vatican City: A coughing Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season. Such retreats are typical Jesuits, an order to which he belongs. The 83-year-old pontiff, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory illness as a young man, has canceled several official engagements this week as he battled an apparent cold. His weekly appearance Sunday to pilgrims from a window high above St. Peters Square was the first time he has been seen publicly since Ash Wednesday, when he was seen coughing and blowing his nose during Mass. Francis paused twice to cough Sunday while addressing the faithful. At the end, he asked for prayers for the spiritual retreat, adding unfortunately a cold prevents me from participating this year. I will be following the meditation from here. Earlier this week, the pope canceled 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. Francis has never previously canceled so many official audiences or events in his papacy. He was, however, continuing to work from his residence at the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel and was 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. He was to have left Sunday for the retreat outside of Rome. The Vatican has described Francis condition as a slight illness," without giving other details. Francis' illness, though, has come amid general alarm in Italy over the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 1,100 people, mostly in northern Italy. There have been just six cases reported in Lazio, where Rome is located, to date. Belfast stage star Rachel Tucker has scooped a gong at the WhatsOnStage Awards for her performance in a musical set in the days following the September 11 attacks. Tucker, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the hit musical Wicked, won Best Supporting Actress In A Musical for her West End role in Come From Away. The 38-year-old plays Beverley Bass, an American aircraft pilot and the first female captain of an American Airlines commercial plane. Come From Away is set in the week after the September 11 attacks and tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The play also won Best New Musical at the awards in London on Sunday night. Tucker, who has now joined the Broadway cast, said she was "delighted" to have won in a pre-recorded video speech. "Thank you so much. I can't believe it," she gushed. "I am delighted to be given this award. Sorry I cannot be there in person to pick it up myself. I hope you have a fantastic evening. "Thanks to everyone who voted for Come From Away and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. I appreciate every vote. Lots of love from over here in New York." The actress's theatre director husband Guy Retallack picked up the award on her behalf. The awards are voted for by the theatregoers. The nights big winner was & Juliet with six awards, receiving Best Actress In A Musical for Miriam-Teak Lee, as well as gongs for set design and costume. Claire Foy, famous for playing the Queen in The Crown, won Best Actress In A Play for her role in Lungs. Her co-star, Matt Smith, who played the Duke of Edinburgh in The Crown, was also up for an award for his performance in Lungs at The Old Vic. Foy and Smith reunited to play a couple once again in Lungs. But Smith walked away empty-handed after Dublin's Andrew Scott triumphed in the Best Actor In A Play category. Fleabag and Sherlock star Scott won for his role in Present Laughter at The Old Vic. The BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical went to the smash-hit Six The Musical. Jamie Lloyd received the Best Direction gong for Evita at Regents Park Open Air Theatre and Best Play Revival for his production of Betrayal. WhatsOnStages chief operating officer Sita McIntosh said: In our 20th year, wed like to say a particular thank you to the audiences who are the lifeblood of our awards, voting in their tens of thousands. Their support and championing of shows is what keeps our industry alive. Its galvanising to see that a play that has never been staged in London has picked up the Best New Play Award, showing how the WhatsOnStage Awards really are decided by audiences across the nation. The 20th WhatsOnStage Awards, hosted by Jodie Prenger and Tom Read Wilson, took place at the Prince of Wales Theatre and the event was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2. Suspected bandits have reportedly attacked four communities in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State and killed about 51 persons. The incident which which took place on Sunday affected Kerawa, Zareyawa and Marina all in Kerawa Ward of the local government. According to a report by Daily Trust newspaper, the attackers stormed the villages around 6a.m.shortly after Muslim morning prayer. The Hausa Service of the Voice of America reported that new born babies, Almajiris and others were not spared by the gunmen. Many residents reportedly fled as the assailants also set many houses ablaze and carted away foodstuffs. The councillor of Kerawa Ward, Dayyabu Kerawa, who confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, said all the 51 victims were buried around 4p.m. on Sunday. He said those who sustained injuries were taken to hospital for treatment. We dont know who they were; they only stormed the villages and started shooting people. As we speak, 51 people have been buried; while the injured were taken to the hospital, he was quoted as saying. He added that the information about the attack came late due to network problems. READ ALSO: Nobody knew about the incident on time because there was no network in the affected villages, he said. Mr Kerawa also said security agencies later visited the scene, but left. PREMIUM TIMES was not able to reach the Kaduna State police public relations officer, Mohammed Jalige, as his phone line was switched off. However, Mr. Jalige confirmed the incident to journalists in Kaduna, stating that he would be briefed on the situation by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the area. The State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home affairs, Samuel Aruwan, was also not reachable as his phone lines were engaged. Kaduna State has for long suffered several attacks by bandits and kidnappers. Dozens have been killed since last year, the most recent on February 12 at Bakali village in Fatika District of Giwa Local Government Area of the state when bandits stormed the village and killed 16 members of the same family and five others including members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF). The bandits stormed Bakali around 4p.m. where they locked up about 16 members of the same family and set the house on fire. A day later, gunmen opened fire at Maro Market in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state in the evening and instantly killed seven people, leaving many injured. One of the most devastating incidents within the last six months took place in Igabi Local Government Area of the state in October 2019 when bandits killed three members of a vigilante group. They surrounded 16 villages and farmlands and ordered the residents to leave their homes or face attacks. The incident saw thousands of women and children relocate to the Local Education Authority Primary School, Birnin Yero for refuge. A Waymo One vehicle. Waymo Waymo announced its first-ever outside funding round on Monday $2.25 billion. Waymo CEO said that the round was an "initial" funding, with potentially more to come, and that a spinofff from Alphabet was "certainly a possibility in the future." The round was led by investors Silver Lake, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Mubadala Investment Company, the company said. Waymo didn't announce a valuation for the company based on the round. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. On Monday, Waymo announced its first-ever outside funding round $2.25 billion led by Silver Lake, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Mubadala Investment Company, the company said in a statement. Waymo added that Magna International, Andreessen Horowitz, AutoNation, and Waymo's holding company, Alphabet, joined the round. "We've always approached our mission as a team sport, collaborating with our OEM and supplier partners, our operations partners, and the communities we serve to build and deploy the world's most experienced driver," Waymo CEO John Krafcik said in a statement. "Today, we're expanding that team, adding financial investors and important strategic partners who bring decades of experience investing in and supporting successful technology companies building transformative products. With this injection of capital and business acumen, alongside Alphabet, we'll deepen our investment in our people, our technology, and our operations, all in support of the deployment of the Waymo Driver around the world." On a conference call with reporters after the announcement, Krafcik define the round as "initial" and said that there had been follow-up interest from other investors. He also said that a Waymo spinoff from Alphabet was "certainly a possibility in the future for us." Waymo didn't announce a valuation tied to the funding round, and Krafcik decline to reveal one when asked on the call. He noted that Waymo's access to Alphabet's technological resources represented a significant advantage. And he said that Waymo was enthusiastic about partnering with companies such as Magna. Story continues The company, formed in 2016 from what had been called the Google Car project, launched its Waymo One ride-sharing service in Arizona in 2018. Waymo's focus has been on developing a versatile "driver" a combination of hardware and software that it put into everything from an electric taxi to a semi truck. After Monday's announcement, Krafcik stressed that aspect of Waymo's mission. "We're not a self-driving car company," Krafcik said. "We're building drivers." Read the original article on Business Insider Senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Monday cautioned YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led state government against mentioning the Decentralisation Bill and Andhra Pradesh CRDA Repeal Bill in the Governor's speech. Ramakrishnudu said that the bills sent to Select Committee by the Legislative Council, but the government is likely to mention the matter in Governor's speech. "The Governor should also take appropriate care. In case the bills are mentioned in the Governor's speech, TDP will propose amendments to it," he said. YSRCP government should not imply its "whims and fancies" in matters which will hamper the prestige of the state, Ramakrishnudu said and added, "TDP has majority in the Legislative Council. There we will use our constitutional rights." The Budget Session of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly will start in a few days. Ramakrishnudu alleged that YSRCP government is doing injustice to the Backward Classes. "Jagan is acting like Tughlaq, Hitler, Mussolini and Nero. Jagan is not bothered of the state though the state's financial condition is in the doldrums. Andhra Pradesh's revenue is dropping day-by-day due to Chief Minister's lack of knowledge. YSRCP government is spending huge amounts on advisors. But the state's brand image is badly hampered with anti-people decisions of Jagan Reddy. His government has failed in getting funds from the Centre," he said. Also, TDP leader Atchen Naidu slammed YSRCP government and stated that they spent Rs 1,600 crore for disbursing pensions on the first day of the month. "But Jagan government, in reality, has removed seven lakh pensions," he said. Naidu added, "Jagan promised during his election campaign that he would give Rs 3,000 pension, but giving only Rs 2,250. Recent beneficiaries of the pension scheme are actually YSRCP workers, but not real eligible people. Only TDP has the right to speak on welfare pensions. What YSRCP is doing is mere show off." Naidu, a former labour minister of Andhra Pradesh, denied allegations on him in ESI scam. He said that he asked to follow the practices being followed in other states, and did nothing wrong. "YSRCP govt is spreading lies on me in ESI scam and I am ready to face any enquiry. Vigilance report did not mention my name in ESI scam. I won't be afraid of cheap criticism," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KYODO NEWS - Mar 2, 2020 - 14:54 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Foreign tourists and residents in Japan are more likely to find multilingual help regarding the novel coronavirus at the tourism agency and local governments than the health ministry, the central government body tasked with stemming the spread of the disease. Although the health ministry offers a toll-free phone number for inquiries about the virus, it is available only in Japanese. For non-Japanese speakers, it has designated websites in English and Chinese. In the English and Chinese pages, a link leads to a page for foreign tourists to call the Japan Visitor Hotline and another link to a page providing a list of medical institutions in Japan. As the ministry does not have a toll-free line for foreigners, it guides foreign residents to other governmental organizations, a ministry official said. In the middle of both pages, it displays information on developments in Japan on the coronavirus. "We update the English and Chinese versions every weekday based on the Japanese version," said the official, who was not authorized to be named, over the phone. However, there were days when the information on the English page appeared not to have been updated. A hotline run by the Japan National Tourism Organization, an external bureau of the Tourism Agency for foreign visitors who need assistance in emergencies, has been made available to field inquiries about COVID-19, the official name of the pneumonia-causing illness. Information is available in English, Chinese and Korean at 050-3816-2787. Although the service is aimed at travelers, "foreign residents are also welcome to use it if public health centers in their prefecture only provide information in Japanese," an official from the organization told Kyodo News over the phone. There has been a surge in calls to the center since the JNTO announced in a Jan. 31 press release it would take coronavirus inquiries, with between 25 to 50 coronavirus-related calls per day compared to just one to four calls before the announcement. The majority of those hotline calls are people seeking recommendations for hospitals due to concerns over virus symptoms, he said. In addition to the hotline, JNTO also runs a website listing almost 2,000 medical institutions across Japan with foreign-language services. Users can filter results based on prefecture, language and medical department, as well as specify a keyword in the search box. On the social media front, the organization operates Japan Safe Travel both on Twitter and Weibo, providing foreign visitors with safety tips and disaster information in English and Chinese, respectively. But posts made on the accounts regarding the coronavirus contained only general announcements and prevention guidelines. "For daily updates on the number of infection cases, people can refer to the JNTO website," the official said. While the advisory site mentioned is linked to the home page, users need to scroll more than halfway down the page in order to find it. The figures are also based on global situation reports released daily by the World Health Organization, rather than developments specific to Japan. "If you are a foreign resident living in Japan, we recommend you call your prefectural government as they ought to have a consultation call center regarding the coronavirus," the health ministry official said. Even so, handling of the coronavirus situation might differ for each prefecture. The Tokyo metropolitan government boosted its capacity at the call center for the coronavirus recently, aimed only at residents in Tokyo and is available at 0570-550571 in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. "We have expanded this because we thought that there were requirements as there are a lot of foreigners living here," said an official from the Tokyo metropolitan government. The Osaka prefectural government provides a phone number of a foundation for foreign residents or visitors. Osaka Foundation of International Exchange will deliver the information in 10 languages, not including Japanese. Those with questions regarding possible infections can consult the foundation at 06-6941-2297. Aichi Prefecture, one of the most populated prefectures, has a phone number for foreign tourists that introduces medical facilities and interpretation for tourists (https://aichi.livecall.jp/en/ipCC/). As the prefecture does not have a phone number for foreign residents, an official said such people should call the Japanese-language coronavirus hotline, asking for assistance from friends or acquaintances to do so if necessary. Foreigners can alternatively turn to their country's government sources for the latest updates on COVID-19. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia referred citizens to its bulletin on the government travel advisory website Smartraveller, and advised those particularly concerned to contact its 24-hour Consular Emergency Center. The U.S. embassy in Japan has an official page dedicated to the coronavirus outbreak with an advisory list for those who are within or are considering visiting the country. Furthermore, it has been updating its multiple social media outlets according to the situation, with links to various local resources around the country for those who require assistance in English. "The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad are the Department of State's highest priority," a spokesperson from the embassy's press office said. And if all else fails, private travel agencies and social news websites can also be a good source of timely information. A coronavirus "megathread" currently pinned to the top of the r/japanlife sub on Reddit is updated daily with links to the latest news from various sources in English. Registered members of the popular news aggregation site can also discuss issues and get advice from other foreigners living in Japan. Russia, Turkey agree to scale down tensions in Syria's Idlib People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:13, March 01, 2020 They would continue to fight terrorists identified by the United Nations Security Council. 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 continued 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jetstar workers have signed off on an enterprise agreement after a lengthy pay and worker condition dispute which led to strikes. The Transport Workers Union called for a minimum of 30 hours work per week, a 4% increase in wages and a guaranteed 12-hour break between shifts. Under the enterprise agreement, workers will get a 3% pay rise over four years and improved rostering conditions. Visit Business Insider Australias homepage for more stories. Jetstar workers have reached an agreement with the company after a year-long pay dispute which resulted in strike action. Jetstar workers held strikes in December and February amid disputes over pay and workers conditions. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) had called for a minimum of 30 hours work per week, a 4% increase in wages and a guaranteed 12-hour break between shifts. In February, Jetstar even proactively cancelled flights due to the strike action. Now, the workers have agreed to a new deal which includes a 3% pay rise over four years as well as improvements to allowances and rostering. Jetstar had been negotiating with the TWU on a new enterprise agreement for Jetstar ground crew for a year. The airline proposed an agreement which included 3% annual pay increases, a year's worth of back pay and rostering benefits. The 3% deal aligns with the same approach in the Qantas Group, and while the union voted "no" to it, the ground crew majority voted yes. The Transport Workers Union says Jetstar used "blackmail" to get workers to support the agreement Transport Workers Union (TWU) National Secretary Michael Kaine praised the Jetstar workers for conducting the strikes. It is not easy to stand up at your workplace along with your mates and say no to your manager," he said in a statement. "Jetstar workers did this for as long as they could but for low-paid workers the prospect of being denied money from a rate increase that was due a year ago was too much." Story continues However, Kaine said Jetstar was using "blackmail tactics" to force workers into the new agreement. "The lack of hours these workers struggle with means many live pay-check to pay-check," he said in a statement. "Jetstar knows this and therefore chose to force this deal on workers using disgraceful blackmail tactics." The TWU also criticised the Federal Government for not holding airports and airlines accountable when it comes to underemployment and poverty wages in aviation. He added that some workers across airports have been underemployed, working on as little as 60 hours a month. "This is happening as it was revealed by the ACCC this week that Australias four main airports made $2.3 billion in profit while Qantas made $771 million in just six months," Kaine said. "Our Federal Government is standing by and allowing this to happen at a time when underemployment and low wage growth is dragging our economy down." Jetstar calls the agreement "an important win" Gareth Evans, Jetstar Group CEO told Business Insider Australia via email that the agreement was "an important win against a campaign of misinformation and inaccuracies by the TWU" which was "part of their broader national fight against airports and airlines." "The unions package equated to a 12% increase in costs in the first year which shows how out of touch they are with the realities of operating a business and how out of touch they are with the broader challenges currently facing the travel and tourism industry," he said. "The TWU tried to dictate how we run our business by pushing us to guarantee some part time workers more hours regardless of what work the airline actually needs. "Weve been very clear that no part of Jetstar or the Qantas Group will do a wage deal of more than 3%, and the TWU knew this because theyd already agreed to 3% deals in other parts of the business." READ MORE: North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into its eastern sea today as it restarts weapons demonstrations after coronavirus may have caused a month-long hiatus. The projectiles were fired near the coastal town of Wonsan and flew around 149 miles, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The South Korean and U.S. militaries jointly analysed the launches but didn't immediately confirm whether the weapons were ballistic or rocket artillery. It comes just two days after Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery drill aimed at testing the combat readiness of units in front-line and eastern areas, according to state media. Experts say the recent lull in North Korea's launches was due to the country holding back its weapons displays while fighting against the coronavirus, which state media has described as a matter of 'national existence.' North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into its eastern sea today as it restarts weapons demonstrations after coronavirus may have caused a months-long hiatus Some analysts speculated that it cut back training and other large gatherings of soldiers to reduce the possibility of the virus spreading within its military. Kim's latest show of force is apparently aimed at boosting military morale, strengthening internal unity and showing that his country is doing fine despite outside worries of how the North would contend with an outbreak. North Korea in previous years has intensified testing activity in response to springtime military exercises between South Korean and the U.S while describing them as invasion rehearsals. But the allies announced last week that they were postponing their annual drills due to concern about the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea that infected soldiers of both countries. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, inspects the military drill of units of the Korean People's Army, with soldiers shown wearing face masks The launches were the latest setback for dovish South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who despite the North's indifference has repeatedly pleaded for reviving inter-Korean engagement. In a speech on Sunday marking the 101th anniversary of a major uprising against Japanese colonial rule, Moon called for cooperation between the Koreas to fight infectious disease amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Asia. Amid the deadlock in larger nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration, Kim has suspended virtually all cooperation with South Korea in past months while demanding that Seoul defies U.S.-led international sanctions and restart inter-Korean economic projects that would jolt the North's broken economy. North Korea has yet to confirm any COVID-19 cases, although state media have hinted that an uncertain number of people have been quarantined after exhibiting symptoms. The projectiles were fired near the coastal town of Wonsan and flew around 149 miles, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff North Korea has shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists, intensified screening at entry points and mobilized tens of thousands of health workers to monitor residents and isolate those with symptoms. South Korea last month withdrew dozens of officials from an inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong after North Korea insisted on closing it until the epidemic is controlled. North Korea likely tested one of its new road-mobile, solid-fuel missile systems or a developmental 'super large' multiple rocket launcher it repeatedly demonstrated last year, said Kim Dong-yub, an analyst from Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies. Experts say such weapons can potentially overwhelm missile defense systems and expand the North's ability to strike targets in South Korea and Japan, including U.S. bases there. Kim Jong Un had entered the New Year vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of 'gangster-like' U.S. sanctions and pressure. The leader used a key ruling party meeting in late December to warn of 'shocking' action over stalled nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. He also said the North would soon reveal a new 'strategic weapon' and insisted the North was no longer 'unilaterally bound' to a self-imposed suspension on the testing of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles. It comes just two days after Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery drill aimed at testing the combat readiness of units in front-line and eastern areas, according to state media But Kim didn't explicitly lift the moratorium or give any clear indication that such tests were impending and seemed to leave the door open for eventual negotiations. Japan said it has not detected any projectile landing in Japan's territory or its exclusive economic zone, and no sea vessels or aircraft had been damaged. 'The repeated firings of ballistic missiles by North Korea is a serious problem for the international community including Japan, and the government will continue to gather and analyze information, and monitor the situation to protect the lives and property of the people,' the Defense Ministry's statement said. Kim and President Donald Trump met three times since embarking on their high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018, but negotiations have faltered since their second summit last February in Vietnam, where the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capability. Following the collapse in Hanoi, the North ended a 17-month pause in ballistic activity and conducted at least 13 rounds of weapons launches last year, using the standstill in talks to expand its military capabilities. Those weapons included road-mobile, solid-fuel missiles designed to beat missile defense systems and a developmental midrange missile that could eventually be launched from submarines, potentially strengthening the North's ability to strike targets in South Korea and Japan, including U.S. bases there. The North in December said it conducted two 'crucial' tests at a long-range rocket facility that would strengthen its nuclear deterrent, prompting speculation that it's developing a new ICBM or preparing a satellite launch that would further advanced its long-range missile technology. For those who think Bernie Sanders is a well-meaning, if misguided, old man, he's not. First, anyone who can still promote hardcore socialism (AKA communism) despite the 100,000,000 dead bodies it left behind in the 20th century is not well-meaning; he's flat-out evil. The fact that Bernie honestly believes in the system (even as he survives the cognitive dissonance living life as a millionaire) is no excuse. Second, the people and organizations Bernie has gathered around him point to a dark new age in America, one of race-hatred, anti-Semitism, and the breakdown of all law and order. This post focuses on that last point, now that Bernie is embracing a group that has as its goal the end of our criminal justice system. The Daily Caller has revealed the latest anti-civilization group that Bernie has gathered into his campaign: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign has embraced a far-left group that seeks to abolish prisons and has promoted a group the U.S. State Department designated as a Palestinian terrorist organization, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation found. Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign website touts an endorsement from the radical group, Dream Defenders, and the group's co-director, Phillip Agnew, is a top Sanders surrogate. [snip] Dream Defenders aims to abolish the use of prisons, according to the group's website and public statements. "Police and prisons have no place in 'justice.' Police and prisons aren't just racist but they work to enforce the separations of rich and poor," Dream Defenders's website states. You can read more about the group's anti-Semitism at the link. This just adds another name to the radical anti-Semites with whom Bernie surrounds himself, people such as Linda Sarsour, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib. Part of the social contract in modern Western society is that people will not seek private vengeance because the rule of law means that the system will protect them from criminals in their midst. Before that social contract came into play, vigilante justice was the norm. From the Stone Age through to the Medieval era, low-level raiding parties, with each party endlessly seeking revenge for its opposite number's predations, resulted in a warfare death rate of about 25% annually. Modern America sees very little in the way of vigilante justice (although, as noted below, it still happens), but vigilantism is common in nations in which citizens believe that the legal system is either unfair or nonexistent. The internet is teeming with stories about people beating to death someone claimed to be a child predator or murderer or arsonist. Here's one example from Mexico: A law student returning home to visit his family was reportedly beaten and burned to death with his uncle after someone posted fake rumors to messaging service WhatsApp that claimed the men were involved in child abduction and organ trafficking. Here's another example, this time from India: An Indian man who held two dozen children hostage at his daughter's birthday party was shot dead by police before locals beat his wife to death as she tried to escape. And, as noted above, this kind of mob mentality occasionally comes to America, too: A 54-year-old man was beaten to death by crowd of onlookers in Philadelphia after he attempted to steal a car with three children inside but was stopped by the parents, police said. One of the hallmarks of a successful society is a reliable criminal justice system, one that provides due process for all who are called before it and that ensures that those who have committed crimes suffer a proportional consequence for their actions. Without that consequence, there is no incentive to avoid crime, with the result that innocent people suffer. Eventually, non-criminally inclined people, if they are plunged into a Darwinian world of survival without a reliable criminal justice system, will come to the belief that they have the righteous obligation to defend themselves, their families, and their community. That's a throwback to a pre-modern world that we do not want to see coming to America but it will if Bernie wins. Ed Davey has called on Boris Johnson to pause post-Brexit talks to fight coronavirus. (PA Images) Boris Johnson has been told to push back his own deadline to agree a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU and focus on fighting the coronavirus. Ed Davey, the acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the prime minister should wake up and do whats wise. He said the government was incapable of dealing with the coronavirus, flooding and complicated trade negotiations at the same time. Read more: Disinfect your phone twice a day to stop spread of coronavirus, expert says Davey called on the government to extend the Brexit transition period meaning the UK would need to continue accepting EU rules put trade talks on hold, and concentrate on dealing with the virus. UK faces a gathering storm of managing #Coronavirus, dealing with ongoing #FloodingCrisis, whilst attempting most complicated negotiations and supply chain restructure for generations. Govt couldnt manage #floods crisis on its own, so how can they tackle all 3 massive threats? Ed Davey MP (@EdwardJDavey) March 2, 2020 The plan is simple... Rather than obsessing with his own self-imposed Brexit deadlines, #Johnson must wake up, and do whats wise now the context has radically changed. Ask to extend Brexit transition period Pause trade talks Focus govt on #covid19UK Lives are at risk Ed Davey MP (@EdwardJDavey) March 2, 2020 His call came as Boris Johnson convened an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss a plan for coronavirus. Story continues The PM, who has been criticised for not calling a Cobra meeting sooner, said the spread of the coronavirus was likely to become more significant for the UK in the coming days. Read more: Should humans limit contact with animals to prevent further coronavirus outbreaks? He said: We have also agreed a plan so that if and when it starts to spread, as Im afraid it looks likely it will, we are in a position to take the steps necessary to contain the spread of the disease as far as we can, and to protect the most vulnerable. We will be announcing that plan not just tomorrow but in the days and weeks ahead as the thing develops. Boris Johnson visits the command centre at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale, north London. (PA Images) Any decisions to close schools and ban mass gatherings will be taken upon scientific advice, he said. All four nations of the UK and the chief medical officers are involved in this and they will be helping us to take key decisions on when and how to take protective steps, he added. Read more: In pictures: Venice deserted as coronavirus fears sweep Italy We cannot forget that the single most useful thing that we can all do to support the NHS is to wash our hands, two times to Happy Birthday with hot water. Its very important that people should continue [doing] that and they should go about business as usual. The total number of UK coronavirus cases is up to 40, with a handful of those people infected having had no recent travel history, raising fears the virus is being passed on more easily domestically. File photo of the Public Works Art Center before renovation. The listening sessions will take place on Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on March 10 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Both sessions will be held at the Public Works Arts Center at 135 West Richardson Avenue, Summerville, SC. The event is free and open to the public. TORONTO, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - In August 2019, the Educator & Leadership Institute (ELI) was in Cap-Haitian, Haiti where they provided a series of courses and workshops focused on supporting the Cap-Haitian teaching and learning community. These sessions were held at the College Regina Assumpta and participants included over 600 school teachers from 70 different school across the country, 200 children, 50 university students and 30 Canadian educators. Cap-Haitian educators and students participated in sessions that included a STEAM Camp, Leadership and Special Education Courses, Science and Math Workshops, ESL (English as a Second Language) Programs, and much more. Throughout these sessions, educators gained effective learning tools and strategies that they can bring back to their own classes and improve the learning experience of their students. Additionally, the STEAM Camp provided many Haitian students with the chance to learn about different math and science related careers and fields of study. The STEAM Camp specifically serves as an opportunity for girls between the ages of 4-14 to develop STEAM awareness and abilities; more than 200 Haitian girls participated. One of the main objectives of ELI's visit to Haiti, was to provide educators with learning strategies that were highly effective, but also sustainable. Imparting sustainable processes and structures which would continue to positively impact the Cap-Haitian learning communities after ELI departed, was a crucial principle which each program followed closely. Emphasis was also placed on the increased importance of new resources to bridge the technology divide that many Haitian educators and students face day-to-day. ELI and its members provided tools and strategies, including USB keys that contain valuable learning material and resources that can be easily shared and replicated, to the participating member in order to help bridge the technological divide. The week was filled valuable learning experiences for teachers, students, and ELI members alike. The end of the week was capped off with a graduation ceremony, where 200 participants completed their three years of training and 50 Haitian University students were recognized for completing a week of ESL classes. ELI has taken place in Haiti each year since its inception in 2016. This year Vretta, a leading educational technology company and recent partner of ELI, was honoured to be invited to support the mission of ELI. Vretta's president, Anand Karat, was invited to give a keynote speech on the importance of the small steps that bring people together to transform the educational landscape of a nation. ELI's vision is founded on a Haitian Creole expression,"Piti piti, ti pay pay, zwazo fe nich little by little, straw by straw, the bird builds its nest." As their partner, Vretta is excited to support ELI's vision for learning communities around the world. About the Educator and Leadership Institute (ELI) The Educator and Leadership Institute (ELI) is an organization that builds teaching and leadership capacity in communities globally through professional courses and workshops. The first ELI was launched in northern Haiti in August 2016 and continues to support educators in science, mathematics, critical literacy, early learning, special education and school leadership. The initial objective of ELI Haiti was to impact the learning outcomes of 100,000 students by directly instructing 1,000 teachers and 100 principals in Haiti by 2020. Since the start of ELI Haiti, other ELI sites have been established in Nepal and Egypt. Future ELI sites are being developed in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana. About Vretta Vretta is an award-winning education technology company that is breaking the mould of teaching and learning mathematics through its engaging, flexible, and affordable resources. Vretta's vision is a world where everyone enjoys mathematics. Through its partnerships with education ministries and academic institutions, Vretta has designed and developed e-assessment and e-learning solutions that are supporting student success in mathematics around the world. Since its inception 10 years ago, Vretta has reshaped the learning experience for primary, secondary, and post-secondary students in Canada, USA, France, Luxembourg, UK, and Australia. These projects have won them numerous awards of excellence in learning and assessment from the prestigious Brandon Hall Group (USA), the e-Assessment Association (UK), and the International Educational Games Competition (France). Jacob Pucar | Account Manager | Vretta Inc. Phone (416) 888-2011115 Email [email protected] SOURCE Vretta Inc. Related Links http://www.vretta.com New Delhi, March 2 : The Congress, after raising the issue of Delhi riots in Parliament on Monday, demanded that the Prime Minister should speak on the issue. Staging a protest at the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises, it said it wanted a full debate before moving on to any other issue. Congress MP Manish Tewari said: "The riots have happened in Delhi and more than 40 people have died... there should be discussion in the house and the Prime Minister should make a statement." To the ruling BJP's allegation that Congress is politicising the issue, he shot back: "Demanding a discussion and statement from the Prime Minister in a democracy is politics?" Parliament resumed on Monday, with opposition parties raising slogans and protesting against the government over the violence that erupted across various localities in northeast Delhi between February 23-25. At least 45 people have lost their lives and more than 300 are injured and many have been left homeless. The violence began following clashes between anti and pro CAA groups. The budget session of parliament began on January 31 and adjourned on February 11 to resume on March 2. It will conclude on April 3. Five Democrats seeking the chance to face President Donald Trump in November will make their pitches to voters on the eve of Super Tuesday, when the outcome in contests in 14 states could substantially shakeup the 2020 race. CNN recently announced it would conduct extended interviews with seven candidates, though two, billionaire and activist Tom Steyer and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, have since dropped out following Joe Bidens convincing win in South Carolina. Heres how to tune in. Who will CNN interview? Sen. Bernie Sanders at 8 p.m. EST Former Vice President Joe Biden at 8:30 p.m. EST Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 9:30 p.m. EST Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 10 p.m. EST Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at 10:30 p.m. EST What channels will air the interviews? CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNN International and CNN Airport Network How can I watch online and listen to the interviews live? The interviews will stream live on CNN.com, CNN apps for AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Samsung SmartTV and Android TV, as well as CNN Mobile apps for iOS and Android. CNNs SiriusXM channels and Westwood One Radio Network will also air the interviews. Whats at stake? More than 1,300 delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday, about a third of the total available as Democrats scramble for the nomination. One-thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-one are needed to secure the nomination. Sanders, coming off wins in Nevada and New Hampshire and a near-tie in Iowa, heads into Super Tuesday as the frontrunner. But Biden has picked up momentum and a hefty delegate count after a convincing win in South Carolina on Saturday. Bidens commanding lead with South Carolinas African American voters, combined with Sanders modest progress in gaining support from black voters since 2016, has let Biden make the case that hes the best candidate to unite a broad base of support needed to win against Trump. Sanders leads with 58 pledged delegates to Bidens 50. Buttigieg earned 26 delegates in the first few contests, and Warren and Klobuchar have picked up eight and seven delegates, respectively. Sanders is also making a push in Warrens home state of Massachusetts on Super Tuesday, holding several rallies here in an attempt to squeeze out the races other leading progressive. Warrens campaign has maintained that she will perform strongly in enough states to pick up a significant number of delegates to make her a viable contender for the nomination. After a fifth-place finish in South Carolina, Warren slammed her top contenders, arguing Biden was too eager to compromise with Republicans, Sanders had good ideas but wasnt as capable as her of getting things done and Bloomberg was simply a billionaire who could buy airtime. Super Tuesday is the first time Bloomberg is on the ballot. The former mayor, whos spent hundreds of millions of dollars on his campaign, has pitched himself as a moderate Biden over the weekend went on the offensive against the independent Sanders and Bloomberg, saying Democrats favored a proud Democrat and not a former Republican" for president. Buttigieg and Steyer dropped out after South Carolina, with both saying they didnt see a clear path to the nomination. Neither has endorsed a candidate, but Steyer has frequently touted Sanders proposals, while Buttigieg had gone on the attack against Sanders, advocating for more moderate approaches similar to Biden. PARMA, Ohio -- Parma may be known for having a lot of bars, but now the seventh-largest city in the state is finally getting its first microbrewery. Schnitz Ale Brewery -- located at 5729 Pearl Road -- is due to open this fall. The visionary for the 9,000-square-foot business is Igor Djurin, whose family owns and operates Das Schnitzel Haus directly across the street. We figured just with the German restaurant and the beer, its a no-brainer, Djurin said. It was always a plan of ours to start a brewery. Weve been looking for something in the area for about two years before this building came on the market about a year ago. Were trying to incorporate the Das Schnitzel Haus, but were also trying to spin it off on its own as well. Well focus more on a variety of homemade sausages, more of a small plate set-up rather than the full dining experience youd get at the restaurant. In addition, well have a tasting room for the beer. Being constructed in two phases, Schnitz Ale Brewery will boast six fermenters brewing everything from IPAs and German-style Kolsch to seasonal offerings, with between eight and 10 taps. Djurin expects the brewery operation and bar to be completed this fall, with the second phase featuring a tasting room and party area to host catered events coming next year. Ward 2 Councilwoman Debbie Lime said that not only is the Schnitz Ale Brewery going to be good for business, its also going to transform the property, which was formerly a customized-glass business. The building right now is an eyesore, Lime said. I cant tell you how many times I turned complaints in about the property over the last couple of years. Im so looking forward to what theyre looking to do to the outside of the building. Itll be beautiful, and a great use for the building. Mayor Tim DeGeeter is excited that Parma is getting its first microbrewery. Its this type of businesses that attract people to our city, DeGeeter said. The owners investment is welcomed, as well as the significant transformation of the building. Itll look amazing when completed. Read more news from the Parma Sun Post. Stocks in the news today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus in Monday's trading session based on latest developments. Auto stocks: Shares of auto companies will remain in focus after they release their February sales numbers. Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and MG Motor India on Sunday said they are facing challenges in terms of component supply from coronavirus hit-China. Adani Gas: Shares of Gautam Adani-led firm will remain in focus after french oil and gas giant TOTAL S A acquired a 37.4 per cent stake in the company for Rs 5,152 crore to create one of India's largest downstream energy partnerships. Maruti Suzuki India: The country's largest car maker reported a decline of 1.1 per cent in overall sales, including domestic and exports. Maruti sold 147,110 units in February 2020 as compared to 1,48,682 units in February last year. Reliance Industries: Mukesh Ambani-led company on Saturday said it has acquired 37.7 per cent stake in textile manufacturer Alok Industries Ltd for Rs 250 crore. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL): The state-owned oil marketing company, has launched its first electric vehicle charging facility. The first of its kind facility is located in the Kareilbag locality of Vadodara, Gujarat. Mahindra & Mahindra: M&M on Sunday reported a 42 per cent fall in total sales at 32,476 units in February. The company had sold 56,005 units in the same month last year, M&M said in a regulatory filing. Dr Reddy's Laboratories: The pharma major has received issued a Form 483 with two observations for Formulations Plant - 3 at Bachupally, Hyderabad by the drug regulator USFDA. Motherson Sumi Systems: The company board has declared an interim dividend of Rs 1.50 per equity share. Sudarshan Chemicals: The company has announced to pay Rs 6.30 per equity share as an interim dividend. National Fertilizers: The company board will meet on March 9, 2020, to consider interim dividend. ONGC: The company board will meet on March 4, 2020, to consider interim dividend. Police in Connecticut and Massachusetts are searching for a man wanted in connection with a hit-and-run incident outside Manchester Superior Court that resulted in injuries to two judicial marshals. Connecticut State Police report they are searching for 42-year-old Jose Antonio Lopez in connection with the incident. According to the Hartford Courant, there was an altercation inside the court around 11:30 a.m. Monday that resulted in two marshals chasing Lopez into the courthouse parking lot. The Courant reports the two marshals were hit when Lopez took off in a white car with a white spoiler. FOX61 reports at least one of the marshals was seriously injured. The Associated Press reports one of the marshals was given CPR before being transported to the hospital. According to the Courant, Lopez was scheduled to appear in court on a sixth-degree larceny charge from December and was wanted on a warrant charging him with violation of probation. According to Connecticut State Police, the car may have front-end damage and Massachusetts license plates. Police were searching both the Hartford and Springfield areas on Monday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to call the Connecticut State Police at 860-534-1000. It has been a nearly 80-year long quest, but scientists have finally discovered how millipedes mate. Using new imaging techniques and blacklights, the team was able to make the different tissues glow and reveal these tiny creatures' complex genitalia to understand their mechanism of insertion. Researchers discovered that the male's gonopods, the specialized pair of legs used to insert sperm into the female, first become covered in blue-ish ejaculate liquid and are then placed into the female's vulvae at this point the two 'lock' together with the legs. After mating, the female's vulvae is sealed up with a gooey secretion that traps the sperm inside until it is released after she lays eggs. A team from the Field Museum in Chicago, which conducted the study, specifically analyzed the Pseudopolydesmus genus of millipedes, a group of half-inch-long brown millipedes native to North America. There are more than 13,000 known millipede species total, and they each mate in unique ways. But Pseudopolydesmus caught scientists' attention because they appear especially eager to have sex. Scroll down for video Using new imaging techniques and blacklights, the team was able to make the different tissues glow and reveal these tiny creatures' complex genitalia to understand their mechanism of insertion Petra Sierwald, an associate curator at the Field Museum in Chicago and one of the paper's authors, said: 'One of the problems with millipedes is that they do a lot of things while they are dug into the ground, and if you take them out, you will disturb them and they'll stop what they're doing.' 'Not Pseudopolydesmus, though. 'They will even mate in the lab in the Petri dish under the light.' 'This paper has been a long time in the making. It started out when I found a pair of this genus, a male and female, in copula, sort of attached. Their legs were obscuring everything.' To solve this problem, Sierwald and her team took dozens of photographs of the creatures while mating at different distances. Researchers discovered that the male's gonopods, the specialized pair of legs used to insert sperm into the female, first become covered in blue-ish ejaculate liquid and are then placed into the female's vulvae at this point the two 'lock' together with the legs And images were snapped in both natural and ultraviolet light, because millipedes' genitals glow in UV lighting. A computer program was then used to stack the images together and combine them so that all the minuscle details were in focus. Sierwald teamed up with Xavier Zahnle at the University of California Davis, the paper's first author, to gain further information about the structure of the millipedes' genitals, who conducted micro-CT scanning. 'You can put these tiny millipedes into test tubes and do CT scanning on them, and you don't have to dissect the specimen, so it remains intact,' explains Sierwald. 'That is the really cool thing. The CT scan takes images of slices, and Xavier worked out the entire complex software program to analyze the slices and put them back together.' After mating, the female's vulvae (pictured) is sealed up with a gooey secretion that traps the sperm inside until it is released after she lays eggs All of these images of the millipedes' genitalia, both on their own and locked together in the act of mating, helped the researchers figure out how the process actually works for Pseudopolydesmus. The team found that the male's gonopods, the specialized pair of legs used to insert sperm into the female, play a key role in the mating process. WHAT ARE MILLIPEDES? Millipedes are arthropods, relatives of centipedes and distant cousins of spiders and insects. They have a lot of legs, but nowhere near the 'thousand' implied by their name. They are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda. Although the name "millipede" derives from the word for "thousand feet", no known species has 1,000. The record of 750 legs belongs to Illacme plenipes. Advertisement These legs, which are the creature's seventh pair, are dug into the male's ejaculation and then make their way over to the female's vulvae. 'He has to ejaculate and then dig his seventh-ring gonopods into that ejaculate,' Sierwald explains. 'It's a blue-ish liquid.' Once the male has gotten his gonopods covered in blue ejaculate, he's ready to insert them into a female's vulvae. 'She has two openings, one on each side between her second pair of legs,' says Sierwald. The microscopic images showed the tiny fleshy part of the male's gonopods that actually enter the vulvae. 'We had no idea for this entire group, which part is inserted and where it is inserted in the female,' says Sierwald. Tiny claws on the end part of the male gonopod hook behind ridges on the female vulva. After mating, the female's vulvae get sealed up with a gooey secretion, trapping the sperm inside. Later, when she lays her eggs, they get coated with the stored sperm on their way out of her body. The new imaging in this study also helps show how that process works. 'Before this study, we had no idea really where the secretions came from. I always thought it came from the male, because I thought the male wanted to seal off the female so that she couldn't mate again,' says Sierwald. 'But now, having seen the glands inside the female's vulvae through the CT-scanning, I think most of that secretion comes from the female. A team from the Field Museum in Chicago, which conducted the study, specifically analyzed the Pseudopolydesmus (pictured) genus of millipedes. A group that makes up of half-inch-long brown millipedes native to North America I don't know whether that is her way of protecting her vulvae or preserving the sperm. Those are interesting fields for further study.' In addition to giving us a better understanding of the mechanics of millipede sex, Sierwald hopes the project will enable scientists to better understand the relationships between different millipede species, which could shed light on how they evolved. 'This study will be important for understanding how millipedes in this genus are related and how they're distributed,' says Sierwald. 'They can tell us about the geologic history of North America. As mountain ranges and rivers formed, groups of millipedes would get cut off from each other and develop into new species.' And, she notes, Pseuopolydesmus is just the tip of the iceberg. 'There are 16 orders of millipedes in the world, and for most of them, we have only faint ideas what the vulvae look like.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 05:15:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Palestinian groom Mohammed Zourab (R) and his bride celebrate their wedding on the rubbles of his house in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, March 1, 2020. A Palestinian wedding took place above the rubbles of one of the houses that was destroyed three months ago by the Israeli warplanes. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua) GAZA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian wedding took place above the rubbles of one of the houses that was destroyed three months ago by the Israeli warplanes. Mohammed Zourab, 27 years old, wanted to express that war will never affect his life by holding his wedding above the rubbles of his destroyed house in Khan Yonis city south of the Gaza Strip. "I am celebrating my wedding here, to show to the world that we are looking forward to a dignity and peaceful life," the groom told Xinhua, while holding his bride's hand. Zourab celebrated the event with his friends and relatives, dancing the national folkloric dance, known as Dabke. On Nov. 12, 2019, Israeli warplanes carried out strikes over Zourab's house, during three days of escalation between Israel and Islamic Jihad movement, after Israel killed Baha Abu al-Atta, a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza. At least 36 Palestinian were killed and dozens of houses were destroyed during the escalation, according to Health Ministry in Gaza. "As Palestinians, we believe that we must continue our life, despite our pain and the continuing Israeli crimes against our people," said the groom, who works as a farmer. The young man who buried his dream with the rubbles of his house said that life does not stop there and he has to continue by starting a new life and having a family. His father, also owner of the house, insisted to celebrate his son's weeding on the rubbles as a message to Israel that the land belongs to them. The father said that he would not forget the moment when he raced the time to leave his house before it was destroyed by Israeli warplanes. A call from Israeli soldiers informed him that he had only five minutes to leave his home before the warplanes targeted it. "It was a race with the death," said the 55-year-old father with a breaking voice, adding that all his family has become homeless. He said that everything is targeted in the Gaza Strip, including stone, trees, and human beings, by Israel. "Israel tries to end our presence by killing or displacing us as well as forcing young people to emigrate from the strip as soon as possible," he added. About 15 rounds of military tension occurred between Israel and Palestinian militant groups since the end of the last large-scale Israeli attack on the strip in the summer of 2014, which left more than 2,000 Palestinians dead. Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, since the Hamas seized it in 2007. This aerial photo taken on February 7, 2020 shows an overview of the Thammasat Urban Farming Green Roof, designed by landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom, at Thammasat University in Pathum Thani. AFP Photo Bangkok's future hangs in the balance. Rising sea levels, unchecked development, groundwater extraction, and rapid urban population growth has left millions vulnerable to natural disasters -- scientists warn the city itself may not survive the century. New analysis by the Nestpick 2050 Climate Change City Index says the Thai capital could be hardest hit by global warming. And while it is not alone facing such a threat -- Venice, New Orleans, and Jakarta are predicted to be underwater by 2100 -- it does have a secret weapon in its battle to negate the impact of a hotter planet: renowned architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom who preaches mindful development over mindless construction. We are talking life and death in this situation, says the 39-year-old who is hoping to bring Bangkok back from the brink, as scientists warn extreme weather -- flooding and droughts -- could ravage the city, leaving as much as 40 percent submerged in the next decade. Kotchakorn says: I don't want to face it with fear. At this moment we have a chance to make change... We have to do it right now to show the coming generations that this is possible. It is not about sitting and waiting and doing the same thing.No one can accuse the Harvard graduate of resting on her laurels: She made her name showing how the effects of climate change can be mitigated by ensuring the issue is at the heart of city planning. She and her firm Landprocess created the internationally acclaimed Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, an 11-acre (4 hectares) space in central Bangkok, which tilts downward at a three-degree angle, allowing rainwater to flow through the flanking grass and wetlands. Water that's not absorbed by the plants runs down to a pond at the base of the park, where it can be stored and filtered for use during dry spells or released gradually. In cases of severe flooding, the park can hold up to a million gallons of water. - Global rising star - ====================== Kotchakorn rails against Bangkok's unchecked development -- more than 10 million live in the metropolis packed with skyscrapers, factories, malls and hotels -- warning that an addiction to growth at all costs is jeopardising its ability to thrive. We think about how we're going to have more growth in our annual development... What if we shift the orientation from growth to really consider our actions on the environment, listen to the land more, she says. It doesn't mean I am against development but I want it to be very meaningful, very mindful, and at the right pace -- so we don't actually kill our future.Today her ideas have been embraced at home, and abroad -- she gave an acclaimed TED talk in 2018, and last year TIME Magazine included her in its 100 Next list of global rising stars. But convincing clients, authorities, and other businesses to see the big environmental picture has not been easy in a mega-city obsessed with economic targets and expansion. Driving change as a woman in a patriarchal society has been an additional challenge, but Kotchakorn insists there is power in being different, particularly in an industry dominated by older men offering only conventional ways of thinking. Many of her ideas were initially dismissed, but she held firm, explaining: I feel that was based on their fear. But it's not my fear.Women offer different kinds of judgement, different kinds of attitude towards problems... We have to bring that diversity to the table and create better decisions, she adds. - Things must change - ====================== A turning point came in 2011, when Thailand endured its worst floods in half a century, which left more than 800 dead nationwide with hundreds of thousands displaced. Bangkok, built on once-marshy land and surrounded by natural waterways, was hard hit. Then came the World Bank warning that 40 percent of it would be inundated by 2030. It was clear then things needed to change, says Voraakhom, who grew up in the capital and says air quality has deteriorated rapidly, as has food quality and security because of the heavy use of pesticides. In 2018, she created Asia's largest rooftop farm, which mimics the region's famed rice terraces where run-off travels down layers of crops, conserving both water and soil. Winding around the 22,400 square-metre (241,111 square feet) rooftop is a jogging path and a lawn. Later this year she will unveil plans to transform a vast, unused bridge crossing the Chao Phraya river into a park with bicycle lanes, bringing more green space to a place with precious little of it. The head of a green dragon bobbed and weaved through a crowd of hundreds of people as they marched through San Francisco's Chinatown on Saturday. "Fight for science, not rumors, the demonstrators cried out, bearing signs with messages uplifting their community while condemning anti-Chinese discrimination as misinformation and fear around the coronavirus continue to fester throughout the city. Though local storefronts have seen a significant drop in foot traffic as a result of rumors arising from the recent outbreak, bold red banners reminded spectators Chinatown was open for business" while urging them to reject fear and racism." Handheld signs brandished with hearts implored observers to fight the disease, love the people. Local officials also showed their support at the march among those in attendance were California State Senator Scott Wiener and San Francisco Assemblyman David Chiu. "As coronavirus fears have intensified, incidents of violence & discrimination against Chinese Americans have increased," Chiu tweeted on the afternoon of the parade, announcing he had joined hundreds of San Franciscans that day in a protest against prejudice and racial profiling. MORE: Video of San Francisco street assault prompts police probe Standing in solidarity with our Chinese American community & against racism & xenophobia, wrote Wiener. Coronavirus is a serious public health threat. Its not an invitation to racial stereotyping." ALSO: Has coronavirus scared people away from SF's Chinatown? Organized by Chinese Americans for Peace, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and the ANSWER Coalition, the 20-minute rally began at Portsmouth Square, continued along Grant Avenue and eventually culminated at Union Square, where public officials delivered speeches. As part of the demonstration, a martial artist smashed a board with a single kick that had "sick man of East Asia" written on it. According to a statement released by the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Grant Colfax, there are no recommendations to cancel social gatherings or avoid restaurants at this time. To combat Chinatown's still-declining clientele, Facebook recently donated $20,000 to the Chinese Newcomers Service Center in an effort to bolster ad funding for local businesses. A Facebook spokesperson told the San Francisco Business Times they are donating another $5,000 in ad credits for shops to promote themselves on the social media platform if they so choose. As of Sunday afternoon, there are 60 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. For updates and resources, visit our complete coronavirus section here. Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett An edgy calm prevails over North-east Delhi with charred remains of broken houses, vandalised shops under a smoke-grey sky. A pall of gloom hangs heavy on the ghostly streets, littered with torched vehicles, rubble and broken glass. Families mourn for their loved ones who will never come back home. Delhi burnt for three days with sordid tales of arson, looting and butchery down the lanes where all the communities have always lived together for long, united in peace and happiness. Coming in the wake of United States President Donald Trumps visit, the mayhem in Delhi appears to be a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy, a wicked design to wreck peace and mar Indias image. Some have also attributed the clashes to intelligence failure of Delhi Police. However, it was fairly evident even to a common citizen that a confrontation between the pro- and anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) groups was building up in the Capital. Voices had been raised for some time against the Shaheen Bagh protests for blocking an important road and causing immense inconvenience to the commuters and residents of nearby areas. Even the Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors could not break the deadlock and pro-CAA elements were getting restive. For decades, Delhi has not witnessed such an incident. Now held in the crossfire of the political blame game, this communal saga has important lessons for the future and it would be wise to pay heed to them. First, the Capital could have been secured better on the eve of Trumps visit. Given the prevailing atmosphere in the city, additional battalions from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) should have been requisitioned and deployed at the protest sites and sensitive areas. For any high-profile visit, the police is on the alert, but more boots on ground shore up the confidence and capability of the force. Second, any sign of communal violence has to be nipped in the bud. This is the first lesson taught in all police training schools. The police should have moved in very strongly and decisively when the clash between the groups had just begun. This would have called for tear-gassing, lathicharge or even firing if necessary to control the situation and dominate the area. A clear message of this kind would have had the desired effect on other areas where miscreants and goons were trying to take advantage of the tense situation.Why did the police hesitate to make the initial strong move? Was the restraint due to Trumps visit to keep the action on a low-key or was it prevarication on the part of the leadership? Third, a strong and decisive leadership is critical in such grave situations. Chiefs of police should be chosen more for their ability to lead and confront difficult situations rather than being just diligent pen pushers. Police chiefs are expected to have a strong connect with their own men and the public. They have to look good, brimming with confidence, and be articulate enough to speak forcefully to motivate their men and the public alike. National Security Adviser Ajit Dovals visit did just that. He moved around in riot-affected areas instilling a sense of confidence in the forces and security among the public. This needed to be done earlier by the police chief. Also it is incumbent upon the chief in grave situations like this to interact with the Press for daily briefings, and address the public to boost their confidence. Fourth, a display of the might of the State is the best deterrent in such situations. Delhi Police has at its command an impressive array of vehicles such as the vajra and others to ferry the forces safely through vulnerable areas. This was the time to showcase them to maximum effect, to parade them through the streets creating awe and fear to ward off any trouble makers. It was sad to see the old, faded riot gear, bamboo shields and helmets carried by the men. Compare it with Hong Kong and we look so far behind. It is time Delhi Police gets the best riot gear equipment with polycarbonate shields and helmets and Kevlar vests so the men feel confident to tackle any situation bravely. Fifth, now, with normalcy returning, the police has to turn its attention towards the post-communal violence drill. The Delhi High Court has already directed them to carefully analyse the hate speeches and see if First Information Reports need to be recorded. Special teams constituted for investigating the riot cases should be expedited under the watchful eye of senior officers and the prosecutors. It is time we encouraged prosecution-guided investigation and bring about closer coordination between the investigation and prosecution wings. The police also must ensure that ghettoisation does not occur as it usually happens after a riot. Those displaced must be rehabilitated as quickly as possible. And, finally, the ministry of home (MHA) affairs has to play a more facilitating role in providing the Capital police with the latest riot gear and other equipment. Men and material required should be provided at the earliest. Besides, it was the MHAs responsibility to ensure that a new police commissioner was already in place a month ago before actually taking over formally. The incumbent officer with a clear tenure of at least two years would have certainly taken a more proactive approach to secure the city better. Yashovardhan Azad is former IPS officer and Central Information Commissioner The views expressed are personal Close Rishi Sunak wrangles with Kay Burley as he admits he has not had a coronavirus test Junior health minister Edward Argar and Tory backbencher Sir Charles Walker are among several MPs self-isolating over concerns about contact with Nadine Dorries, who tested positive for the coronavirus this week. It comes as Boris Johnson is set to move the UK into the delay phase. Criticising the governments staggered response, former regional director of Public Health England John Ashton accused the superficial prime minister of having no grasp of public health. Rishi Sunak has defended his Budget amid warnings of a recession, and questioned the usefulness Donald Trumps move to shut down travel from Europe. The chancellor said the UK would not impose a similar ban, saying there was no evidence such measures work. Days out from Super Tuesday, when voters in 14 states will cast ballots in the Democratic primary, a professor who predicted the past nine elections says that the United States may well be staring down its first brokered convention in nearly 70 years. Its a prospect that has stirred considerable consternation among Democratic Party officials and voters, many of whom have said their primary concern is beating Donald Trump in November even as an enthusiastic debate over the future of democratic politics has raged on the campaign trail. I think the most likely outcomes are [Bernie] Sanders wins or nobody wins, and for the first time in over 50 years we actually have a convention nominating the candidate, Allan Lichtman, a political science professor at American University who has predicted elections dating back to 1984, told The Independent. Mr Lichtman noted that his prediction model doesnt make forecasts for primaries, but that there are plenty of signs that a brokered convention could happen: And that would be very interesting, who knows what might come out of that. A brokered convention would occur if none of the candidates in the race win more than half of the pledged delegates by the end of the primary season, a figure that amounts to 1,990 delegates in the race. 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 So far, after three states have voted, Mr Sanders leads the field with 45 pledged delegates, ahead of Pete Buttigieg with 25, Joe Biden with 15, Elizabeth Warren with eight and Amy Klobuchar with seven. Those tallies will all change in the next week, after voters in South Carolina where Mr Biden has been banking on strong support from African Americans to lend some weight to his campaign and then voters on Super Tuesday cast their ballots. South Carolina will award 54 pledged delegates. Super Tuesday, meanwhile, marks the largest number of delegates available on a single day with more than 1,300 delegates at stake nationwide. A contested convention would mean that no candidate had reached that half-way threshold, and that multiple rounds of voting would take place to determine the winner. After each round of voting, a certain portion of delegates are freed up to vote for whomever they want. Campaigns at that point try to convince free delegates to come over to support their candidate. According to prediction models by FiveThirtyEight, 2020 is shaping up to be such a year. That website gives Mr Sanders the best chance at winning more than half of the pledged delegates by the end of the primary season but just a 32 per cent chance of doing so. The chance that nobody receives that majority of delegates is pegged at 51 per cent, and the only other candidate with a significant chance of doing so being Mr Biden, at 15 per cent. Mr Lichtman, for his part, isnt as worried about the damaging impacts of a brokered convention, nor the damage of a long and bitter Democratic primary that it would necessarily follow after. Internal party fights only count when it is in the party holding the White House, Mr Lichtman, whose prediction model indicates that it is generally speaking the incumbents election to lose, said. The challenging party can fight all they want and it has no impact . Look at the bitter battle by the Republicans in 2016 it was much worse than what is happening with the Democrats this time. They were saying terrible things about each other and they still won. TDT | Manama Fears are growing across the Middle East that coronavirus has infiltrated a main pilgrimage route, which could lead the deadly pathogen to vulnerable refugee populations, causing perhaps unprecedented public health crises across the region. Concern is centred on the Iranian shrine city of Qom, which is thought to be a hub of the disease and the likely source of its spread elsewhere in the country and in neighbouring states, where infected travellers have been diagnosed in recent days. Situation in Iran is much more dire than official statistics suggest, according to a report in the BBC. The report indicates that there have been 210 deaths in Iran due to Corona virus. This would mean the number of coronavirus cases in the country would be more than 10,000. This leads to more cause of concerns for people who returned from Iran in past month. This comes as 2,000 people have already returned to the country from Iran while many more will be brought back soon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that it has begun implementing an evacuation plan for Bahraini nationals in Iran including screening and quarantine procedures, in response to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) across Iranian cities. The ministry has called on all Bahraini citizens currently in Iran to register their details by calling 973 17227555. The ministry has said that in co-operation with relevant entities in the Kingdom, will take all precautionary measures in order to guarantee the safety of Bahraini citizens currently present in Iran before their arrival in the Kingdom. These will include all necessary preventative measures following their arrival at the Bahrain International Airport, including screening and quarantine procedures in order to ensure the safety of citizens and residents and public health in the Kingdom. At least 210 people in Iran have died as a result of the new coronavirus disease, sources in the countrys 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. The 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, the BBC reported. Our balance sheet is essentially free of debt now. As we look at our operations, weve run better on-time operations than we have in quite some time and this year were projected to break even on an operating basis, which would make us the most efficient, government-owned inner-city rail operator in the world, Anderson said in an interview Monday. WA Police are reviewing security at stations across the state after three cop cars were gutted in an arson attack in Fremantle overnight. About 11pm on March 1, three marked police cars parked on Leake Street were torched using an accelerant. Two police wagons and one sedan were destroyed by the fire. Firefighters put the blazes out shortly after police reported them. Police said there were no injuries and moved to reassure the public the Fremantle station remained fully functional. Workers fumigate the Dongdaegu railway station in the RoK's Daegu city on February 29th (Photo: AFP/VNA) The Indonesian Embassy complex and the IIPC office are located near Yeouido, Seouls main investment and financial district, where an employee of state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea was found to have COVID-19 on February 27th. Indonesian Ambassador to the RoK Umar Hadi said the closure is only temporary, and it is also in line with the RoKs policy to reduce the number of people meeting in the same place at the same time. With the office closure, public service counters for the handling of visas, passports and consular services in the embassy will be closed temporarily. Extra safety measures to disinfect the embassy complex and the IIPC office are ongoing, he noted./. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has revealed her children go to the school where the first Irish case of the Coronavirus was confirmed. In a video message posted on Twitter, Ms McDonald said she would be cancelling two Sinn Fein public meetings after it was announced that her childrens school was to close for two weeks. She said it was a very worrying time for the schools pupils, staff and particularly for the family of the child who contracted the virus. Ms McDonald said she wanted to "stay close to home". Obviously we are following all of the chief medical officers advice and therefore the children have to be at home for the next 14 days, she said "I have had to reorganise everything all of my work schedule because of this and so the public meetings in Cavan and Galway this week will unfortunately have to be postponed but we will set a date for them again very very soon, she added She urged people to follow the medical advice and wash their hands as often as possible. Hundreds of pupils in Ms McDonalds childrens secondary school were yesterday told to stay at home for two weeks after a student tested positive for the new coronavirus. Sinn Fein said Ms McDonald would not be self-isolating for the next two weeks. Read More Parents received a letter from the HSE saying the school had been shut with pupils and staff put under active surveillance by public health doctors until March 16. The student, the first person in the Republic to be diagnosed with the virus sweeping the globe, was being cared for in the isolation unit of the Mater Hospital in Dublin last night. He caught the virus during a mid-term visit to one of the areas of northern Italy which has had the biggest infection outbreak in Europe. By Kate Abnett LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Luxembourg abolished fares for trains, trams and buses on Saturday in what the government said was a bid to tackle road congestion and pollution, as well as supporting low earners. All standard-class journeys on public transport in the tiny and wealthy European country are now free of charge, compared to an annual pass worth 440 euros ($485) before. Travelers can still pay for first class, at a cost of 660 euros a year. "For people with low incomes or the minimum wage, for them it's really substantial," transport minister Francois Bausch told Reuters. "The main reason is to have a better quality of mobility, and then the side reason is clearly also environmental issues." Luxembourg has just over 600,000 inhabitants, but 214,000 more travel in for work every day from neighboring Germany, Belgium and France, causing heavy traffic jams as the majority of workers commute by car. More than half of Luxembourg's greenhouse gas emissions come from transport. Alexandre Turquia, a sales manager at a hotel group, drives to work in the capital Luxembourg City from a neighboring village. The trip should take 30 minutes, but traffic means it can last an hour. Still, he says his car is the best option. "If it's a day where I need to visit customers that are far away, I will take my car for sure," he said. But Mia Mayer, an employee at Amazon, has already switched from driving to work to taking the bus to save time and money. "I had the experience on an almost daily basis of trying to get through the city center, getting really stuck in traffic and sometimes taking 45-50 minutes. Luxembourg City is not a huge place so that really is a long driving time," she said. To cope with the many commuters, Luxembourg plans to invest 3.9 billion euros in railways from 2018-28, upgrade the bus network and add more park-and-ride sites on the border. Despite these investments, the government expects 65% of commuters to still get to work by car in 2025, down from 73% in 2017. Luxembourg is the first country to roll out free transport, but some cities, including Estonian capital Tallinn, have also experimented with the idea. (Editing by Gabriela Baczynska and Alexander Smith) WASHINGTON, DC, Monday, March 2, 2020 The American Red Cross has selected Melanie R. Sabelhaus of Naples, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; and Nantucket, Massachusetts as the winner of the 2020 Harriman Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service. The Harriman Award is the highest recognition for American Red Cross volunteer service and recognizes extraordinary contributions beyond local communities and length of service. It is named for the late E. Roland and Gladys Harriman, two lifelong volunteers who served as Chairman of the Red Cross and Chairman of Volunteers of the Red Cross in Greater New York, respectively. Ms. Sabelhaus involvement with the Red Cross spans 15 years and includes volunteer service at the local, national and international levels. Notably, Ms. Sabelhaus was a member of the Board of Governors from 2005 to 2016, including Vice Chairman for Philanthropy from 2011 to 2016, a role in which she provided leadership to help transform fundraising across the organization. In addition, Ms. Sabelhaus co-founded the Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders to encourage and celebrate women in support of the Red Cross mission. Since its founding in 2007, the Tiffany Circle has grown to nearly 1,000 members who have invested more than $122 million in the American Red Cross mission. Thanks in large part to Ms. Sabelhaus leadership the Tiffany Circle has now expanded internationally to Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Ms. Sabelhaus also serves as the Honorary Chair of the National Philanthropic Board, a role in which she works alongside local Red Cross executives and board chairs to develop, share and implement fundraising best practices. In addition to her work at the international and national levels, Ms. Sabelhaus is also a local disaster volunteer including in 2017, following the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma on South Florida when Melanie deployed as a shelter volunteer serving meals, handing out supplies, and providing comfort and compassion to those affected by the storm.. "Im honored to present Melanie with the Harriman Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service, said Red Cross Board Chairman Bonnie McElveen-Hunter. She is a woman of extraordinary gifts and talents, who truly embodies the meaning of philanthropy and service to others. We are thankful for her dedication to our mission and look forward to her continued service. The Harriman Award will be presented at the Red Cross Leadership Awards Dinner in Washington, DC on March 4, 2020. Human rights activists on Monday denounced the Centre and Delhi government alleging that they failed to provide any medical or legal help to violence-affected people in northeast Delhi. The activists, including Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj, Annie Raja, and Harjit Singh Bhatti, also criticised India's poor healthcare system, saying that 'there's no hospital near the affected areas'. New Delhi: Human rights activists on Monday denounced the Centre and Delhi government alleging that they failed to provide any medical or legal help to violence-affected people in northeast Delhi. The activists, including Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj, Annie Raja, and Harjit Singh Bhatti, also criticised India's poor healthcare system, saying that "there's no hospital near the affected areas". Bhatti from the Progressive Medicos and Scientists claimed there was a delay in the treatment of those who suffered gunshot wounds "because police did not allow private medical help to reach the sites of violence". "Police were rude, and because of fear and disbelief, the wounded people were not ready to undergo treatment in government hospitals," the activists claimed. There is still a large number of people who have not received any medical help so far, rights activist Bhardwaj said. "The violence also exposed India's poor healthcare system. Government hospitals are overburdened... The riot-affected areas do not have any hospital ... the nearest hospital is 10 kilometres away," she claimed. Bhardwaj also said that no one from the Centre or Delhi government "established any contact with the people till 29 February." "No one reached them for compensation... And when we asked if we could help them fill the compensation form, the affected people refused, fearing the information may be used for other purposes," she said. The activists demanded that public representatives visit ground zero and meet the violence-hit people which is crucial for confidence building. Shelter and adequate relief be arranged for families who have been forced to leave their houses, they said. "Round-the-clock medical camps are needed... single-window facilitation centres for official documents destroyed in arson needed," they said. Ardshinbank offers more convenient banking services in Goris branch at Tatevatsi 9 street, which officially opened its doors on February 18 after major renovation. The renovated and technically upgraded branch has new queue service system, easing the customers use of services. The branch includes 24/7 self-service terminals, giving the customers the opportunity to carry out various banking transactions at any time, including loan repayments, replenishment of accounts and deposits, utility payments and more. There are five branches of Ardshinbank in Syunik region: Kapan, Meghri, Sisian, Qajaran and Goris, four of which have already been fully renovated and meet modern requirements. *** Ardshinbank is supervised by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia. The Union government has initiated measures to bring back stranded Indian fishermen from Covid 19 hit Iran. The Centre sent experts from National Institute of Virology, Pune to Iran to examine fish workers. The fishermen will be brought back if they are not infected with the killer virus. The Ministry of External Affairs held talks with Iran authorities in this regard. Seventeen fishermen from the fishing villages in Thiruvananthapuram trapped in Iran had sent a video seeking immediate help as they are stranded in the virus hit country without having food, drinking water and other basic needs. Kerala government and Trivandrum MP Shashi Tharoor have taken up the matter with Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar immediately after noticing the video. Fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma said that the Union and state governments will ensure that food and other basic facilities are made available to the fishermen. The fishermen are working in the port towns of Iran. There are hundreds of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat who were stranded in Iran. In the video, the fishermen said that there are many Indians working in different parts of Iran and are now stranded without having basic facilities. Meanwhile, a group of students including Keralites is stranded in Pavia, a city south of Milan in Italy. They approached the Indian High Commission seeking help to return to India. Though they booked flights, all flights have been cancelled, according to a report by regional Manorama News. A total of 34 Covid 19 deaths were reported from Italy and more than 1000 people are under treatment. Flights from Kochi to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia cancelled Covid 19 has affected flight services from Cochin international airport. Several services have been cancelled. Saudi airlines daily flights to Jeddah have been cancelled until March 13. Malindo Air flights to Kuala Lumpur has also been cancelled. However, the airlines authorities are not attributing it to Corona virus. According to the airlines, it is due to technical issues that the flights have been cancelled. Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye is marking his 78th birthday today. His church members who call him Daddy G.O, that is General Overseer (of the Redeemed Christian Church of God) are paying tributes to him. Politicians, captains of industry and many others who admire him will shower praises on him like confetti. In other words, it goes without saying that Adeboye is admired all over because of his pious disposition. He preaches against sin. However, the Pastor is humble and blunt enough to reveal that he was as lustful as every raw young man. He had girlfriends too. This was revealed by Bisi Daniel, journalist, writer, public relations consultant and author of Stories of Pastor E.A. Adeboye, in a tribute (Pastor Adeboye at 78: A journalists experience with him) he wrote for TheNEWS today. In Adeboyes own words: Before I was born again, I was a very rotten boy. I had two things going for me that made it extremely easy to have girlfriends. I was a sportsman and I was also a photographer. Im yet to meet a lady who can say no when you say you want to snap her; I havent met one, particularly if you have the right kind of language. Things like Ahh, whoa! What am I looking at? Where has this sun been hidden? I have never seen this sunshine before. Do you mind if I record you? You know the elders have a saying; they say the mouth of the old woman looks like she never sucked breast. Hmm, when you see Pastor Adeboye you think he was born a saint. No, no, no, Thank God for His power to change. I had so many girl friends that at a stage I didnt even know the number. And for each girlfriend there was a birthday. I had so many birthdays, one birthday for each girlfriend. I am just telling you this to let you know that God can pick one up from the pit of hell and make him or her His servant. Among all these girlfriends, there was one that was closest to me. But after some time we separated: she went her way, I went my way. She got married, I got married. But in the meantime, I had become born again. The lady had a child that was born lame, so somebody told her if she took the child to a certain pastor he would pray for the child to walk. So she came to the mission house. I was in the living room but she saw some people on the veranda who asked for the pastor and was told I was inside. So she opened the door and saw me. Laughter, laughter, laughter. And you know what old flames do, Aaaah long time no see? Where have you been, how has life been treating you, excetra, excetra? When we finished, she said, I want to see the pastor. I said, Yes, I am the pastor. You? She asked, surprised Yes, I said She shouted, You will pray and God will answer? Let somebody shout Hallelujah! I prayed and she got her miracle. The Man, Adeboye Adeboye was born on 2 March, 1942 in Ifewara, near Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. He went to the University of Nigeria, (UNN) in Nsukka but because of the Nigeria Civil War, he completed his first degree in the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) graduating with a bachelors degree in Mathematics in 1967. That same year, according to writings by his admirers on him, he married Foluke Adenike. They have four children namely: Adeolu Adeboye, Bolu Adubi (nee Adeboye), Leke Adeboye and Dare Adeboye. In 1969, he obtained a masters degree in hydrodynamics drom the University of Lagos . He joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 1973 and began interpreting Yoruns to English by Pastor Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi. In 1975, he obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Lagos. He holds a position as Professor of Mathematics at University of Lagos. He was ordained a pastor of Redeemed Church in 1977. He became General Overseer of the church in 1981. For three years, he filled the role part-time at University of Ilorin before giving up his university position to preach full-time. Four media groups will form the content for a Ukrainian TV channel broadcasting in the temporarily occupied territories, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidents Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko has said. He said this during a presentation of the concept of a new TV channel for the temporarily occupied territories held at Ukrinform on Monday. We held negotiations with the following media groups: StarLightMedia, 1+1, Media Group Ukraine and Inter. We reached an agreement with these four media groups and signed the so-called memorandum of cooperation. In the future, we will cooperate with various international broadcasters in order to receive content for the new channel, Tymoshenko said. At the same time, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee for Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturayev noted that the content provided by the media groups would be entertaining. "The media groups will not have an impact on the information policy of this channel. This is exclusively entertaining content," he stressed. ish A teenager was arrested in California after allegedly threatening a "massacre" at his former high school through a post on Instagram, police said. The threat in Montebello, just outside of Los Angeles, was reported to police late Friday night by a mom, said Montebello police. She said her son received an Instagram message from someone who said he "was going to take a gun and start a massacre" at Montebello High School on Monday, March 2, police said. PHOTO: The entrance to Montebello High School in Montebello, Calif., is seen in a Google Maps Street View dated July 2012. (Google Maps Street View) The 18-year-old suspect, Devin Harper, was expelled from Montebello High School about two years ago for making a similar threat, according to police. MORE: 20 years after Columbine, what's changed -- and what hasn't -- for school shootings in America When Harper was confronted by authorities, he allegedly denied posting the threats, police said. When officers asked him to pull up the post, "he told the officers that he was unable to access it," the police department said. Harper was arrested and charged with criminal threats, police said. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. Police said he will appear in court on Tuesday. MORE: 'There's never a safe place': Colorado school training kindergartners to high schoolers to respond to an active shooter Classes at Montebello High School are continuing as normal on Monday but school police officers were dispatched to campus "out of an abundance of caution," principal Horacio Perez said. "These matters are taken very seriously," Perez said in a statement. "Our administration is in contact with Montebello Police, school police, and [the] district office." Teen threatens 'massacre' at former high school through Instagram originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Israel held its third election in less than a year - JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party appeared to have won by far the most seats in Israels election, according to early exit polls, and was just one seat short of the number needed for a majority Right-wing government. The exit polls suggested Mr Netanyahus party had won around 37 seats compared to around 33 seats for Blue & White, the centrist party led by Benny Gantz, a former army general. If confirmed, the results would mark a striking comeback for Mr Netanyahu, who was trailing Mr Gantz for much of the campaign and is due to go on trial for criminal corruption charges in two weeks time. The same polls suggested suggested that Mr Netanyahu and his Right-wing allies won 60 seats in total - one short of the 61 seats needed for a majority. Despite the Likuds strong showing, there may still be weeks of uncertainty ahead as the prime minister tries to assemble a governing coalition. This is a breaking story, more to follow Son Loi Commune in Vinh Phuc Province will return to normal starting Wednesday after a lockdown clamped over the novel coronavirus is lifted. It has been over two weeks since Vietnam's last Covid-19 patient was detected in the northern province. Military, police and medical personnel will soon stop manning the 12 disease control checkpoints in the commune, which is located in Binh Xuyen District, Vu Viet Van, Deputy Chairman of the Vinh Phuc Peoples Committee, said Monday. The commune had became the Covid-19 hub in Vietnam with seven confirmed infections, prompting the lockdown. "As of now, measures to fight the disease in Son Loi have proven to be effective even beyond the standards set by the Ministry of Health. For example, while the ministry has requested a quarantine duration of 14 days, Son Loi would have been isolated for 20 days as of tomorrow (Tuesday)," he said. "In the last 20 days, no new infections have been found in Son Loi. Those who suffer from chronic diseases and use long-term medications are also taken care of," said Nguyen Tuan Minh, director of the Binh Xuyen Medical Center, adding that the center has sent 30 medical teams to perform daily health checks for each household. Even after the lockdown status is lifted, Binh Xuyen District would still send medical workers to monitor the commune, on alert for any new infection, Minh said. Son Loi Commune was locked down on February 13, the same day that a 50-year-old man in the commune was confirmed to be infected with the Covid-19 causing virus. He had contracted it from his 23-year-old daughter, who had returned from Chinas Wuhan City in January. The man was the 16th and last Covid-19 infection case detected in Vietnam so far. He was discharged from the hospital on February 26. Twelve disease control checkpoints were set up in the commune and manned round the clock, checking whoever went in and out. Son Loi authorities also got the area disinfected, informed residents about the virus and the disease it causes, and prevented food, animals, plants and other things potentially capable of spreading the virus from getting out of the commune. Vietnam has recorded 16 novel coronavirus infections of which 11 cases were in Vinh Phuc. All the patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The global death toll of the disease has reached 3,057, mostly in mainland China, followed by Iran at 54, Italy at 41 and South Korea at 26. Community transmission of the new coronavirus is "inevitable," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday, a day after the state confirmed its first case. A woman in New York City is the first COVID-19 infection in the state, health officials said Sunday. More than 80 cases have been confirmed in the United States, including the first two deaths, which were reported this weekend near Seattle. The woman, in her late 30s, is a health worker who returned from Iran on Tuesday and is currently isolated in her home in New York City, officials said. Cuomo said the woman was tested at Mount Sinai Hospital. "We will have community spread," Cuomo told reporters at a news briefing alongside New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. "That is inevitable." Cuomo said the new patient wasn't symptomatic when she landed, and she only recently developed respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19. As a result, he said, he doesn't believe the woman was contagious when she arrived in New York and took a private car to her home even though U.S. and world health officials say the disease can spread before symptoms show. Officials didn't specify the airport or say which New York borough she lives in. They did say her husband, also a health-care worker, was tested for the virus and they expect him to be positive as well. State health officials are reaching out to the other passengers on the plane as well as the driver of the car she took home from the airport, Cuomo said. Another Democratic presidential candidate, Michael Bloomberg, bought prime-time exposure on CBS and NBC on Sunday night to assail Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and to argue that his blend of skills after years in business and as New York's mayor would enable him to do a better job. "At times like this it is the job of the President to reassure the public that he or she is taking all the steps necessary to protect the health and well-being of every citizen," Bloomberg said. "The public wants to know their leader is trained, informed and respected," Bloomberg's speech continues. "When a problem arises, they want someone in charge who can marshal facts and expertise to confront the problem Wary eyes on stocks after global rout Much of the public mood going forward could depend on how stock markets regroup after the worst week since the 2008 banking crisis triggered the Great Recession. The extent of the spread of the disease inside the US will also be important. If it can be contained to hot spots and a trickle of new cases, the political impact may be moderate. But if the disease sweeps through the population, dissatisfaction with the government response could mount. Outlander Free Will Season 5 Episode 3 Editors Rating 3 stars * * * Previous Next Photo: Mark Mainz/ 2019 Starz Entertainment, LLC Well look at this, Outlander fans. It seems that perhaps the powers that be heard our complaints about the dearth of Jamie and Claire at certain points last season. Save for a scene in which Claire explains types of mold to Marsali and a quick peek at Roger and Fergus signing up men to join Jamies militia, this episode is all Jamie and Claire. Now, before you start getting prematurely hot and bothered (I see you, I know you), please know up front that Free Will is one of the least sexy and strangest episodes of Outlander Ive ever peeped my eyes on. And guys, the latter is saying a lot, since this is literally a show about a woman who fell through rocks and travelled through time and space. Its not like there arent some swoon-worthy moments. Jamie comes home from the Hillsborough debacle, tasked with gathering up his men to form a militia for potential war with the Regulators, to find Claire asleep in bed. The Frasers are very happy to see each other and Jamie downloads all of the kooky dramz that went down remember when Knox just straight-up murdered a guy? and explains what hes back here to do. Claire tries to comfort him by reminding him that its likely nothing comes of this conflict because the Regulators arent really a big deal in her time and I guess shes memorized, like, every single history book ever created or something. Theyre hoping that if they get a big enough army together, it will be so intimidating that the Regulators will back off without a deadly confrontation. Regardless, Claire informs Jamie that shes going with him. You need my help, she says. I always have and I always will, he responds. And then I black out because holy hell that was hot. After Jamie has Fergus run off to the printer to make up 18th-century fliers about enlisting Fergus unknowingly writes Jamies decree on the back of one of Claires Dr. Rawlingss Recommends papers, which will probably be important later the gang heads off into the woods, leaving Bree and her sprawling red curls in charge of Frasers Ridge, and honestly, her hair looks so good I totally get why she doesnt want to return to the 1960s. Speaking of Bree, now that Jamie and Claire are off on their own, Jamie tells his wife about Bonnet being in Wilmington. Shes understandably upset, but her silver lining is that Bree doesnt know. Of course, we know Bree knows and now shes all on her own at Frasers Ridge and this whole situation is going to get worse before it gets better. But, we have no time for such drama: Its time to talk about the Beardsleys. In the woods, things get real weird, real fast, as is the Law of The Woods. Remember that hunter with tonsillitis named Josiah who made Lizzie need to dump a bucket of cold water on her head after just looking at him? Okay, so the gang catches someone stealing the food from their camp who looks exactly like Josiah, but hes deaf. Jamie finds the actual Josiah out in the woods too, and he explains: This is his identical twin brother Kezzie. After their entire family died on the boat ride over here, they were both sold into indentured servitude for 30 years to an abusive trader named Mr. Beardsley. This guy is the Worlds Worst, and Josiah, who escaped a year ago, just went back to free his brother. Jamie human, ginger, angel promises not to send the brothers back, but he will need to buy their indentured servant papers so that Beardsley cant lay claim on them in the future. Josiah is like, thank you and good luck with that. While the rest of the group continues on toward Hillsborough, Jamie and Claire head over to the Beardsley house for what can only be described as Outlander Makes a Horror Movie. But seriously: Weve got a run-down house in the middle of the woods, weve got leaves blowing in the wind, weve got a creepy woman in the window, weve got jump scares, weve got goats in cabinets, weve got bodies upstairs, and weve got people making really, really stupid decisions. See? Horror movie. When Jamie meets Mrs. Fanny Beardsley she tells him her husband is dead, he can have the twins, and slams the door in his face. Claires like, whew, easiest adventure the two of us have ever been on! But Jamies like, no, lets make this harder than it has to be. He wants those papers to ensure Josiah and Kezzies freedom, you see. This man! So noble! So dumb sometimes! The second time around, Fanny lets them in. This is a true house of horrors, guys. Its disgusting, and the smell alone has Jamie and Claire choking. Fanny has no idea where the papers are and eventually Jamie is just like pointing to places where papers could be and asking her to look. It goes on for way too long and shes being very strange about the whole thing. And then Claire spots a stain on the ceiling, realizes the smell is not coming from those aforementioned goats its coming from whatever is causing that stain. You guys, like a co-ed in a horror movie, Claire GOES UPSTAIRS. And then we find Mr. Beardsley. The man has seen better days. And by that I mean he looks like an actual corpse. Hes alive, barely. Claire deduces he had a stroke, or an apoplexy as they called it back then, and has been up here rotting for a month or so. Even worse: She sees a bowl of food by his decrepit side. Its clear that Fanny has been keeping him alive JUST TO TORTURE HIM. At one point Claire utters the sentence: At least the maggots have kept his wounds clean. Its so Claire Fraser it hurts. Heres the deal: Beardsley legit murdered his first four wives and was beating Fanny, his fifth, when he fell over and had his stroke. Shes been torturing him for how he treated her ever since. None of this is cool, but even Jamie and Claire are like, okay, in theory, we get that. When Fanny sees Claire trying to help Beardsely Claire took an oath to heal, remember? the woman flips and tries to strangle him to death. She gets in a tussle with Jamie, and hi, hello, could you have guessed this? SHE GOES INTO LABOR. So now Claire has to deliver a baby. Remember when they couldve just left without the papers? Things were so simple then. Instead, we now have to watch a birth scene and yes, get a very graphic sound effect signaling the afterbirth spilling out of this woman. I did not need that sound in my brain, but I guess this is payment for that sex montage we were gifted in the premiere. Its clear from the baby girls skin color that Beardsley is not the father and Fanny is beyond happy. Of course, it means this child was born of her sin, but the babys father is a good man who she loves. Thats not nothing, Claire tells her. Still, Fanny knows this child will need more than love to survive in this world. Now, if this entire excursion feels a little extraneous to you, you are not alone. This is a lot of time to spend away from the main action driving this season thus far, but it does provide a catalyst for Claire and Jamie to have two big conversations. The first one comes after the baby is born, and Claire hears about the horrors Fanny has had to endure. What kind of world is this to bring a baby into? Claire asks Jamie. And then she finally tells him that she thinks Bree, Roger, and Jemmy need to go back to their own time, where its safer. Jamie knows it might be safer, but then theyd be without their family. They cant go. Listen, Jamie might be looking all nice and hunky standing by that fire and tenderly touching Claires face, but thats not a real argument and I doubt Claire will drop this one. The next morning, Claire and Jamie awake to find that Fanny has fled in the night and left her baby daughter there with them, along with the deed to the house and the trading business, as well as Josiah and Kezzies papers. Theyll have to take the baby into town to find a nursing mother and someone who can take her, but first they have to deal with Mr. Beardsley. The man is horrible, but they dont want to leave him there to suffer Id do it for a dog, Jamie says, ordering Claire to take the baby outside the house. Beardsley also wants to be put out of his misery. Jamie prays for their souls, and then outside, Claire hears a shot ring out. Jamie did what needed to be done. Beardsleys fate leads these two to their second important heart-to-heart: Jamies father died of apoplexy, and he always thought it was a quick, painless death. Now he wonders if Jenny lied to him about the details of their fathers passing. Hes also worried that the same thing might befall him one day. He makes Claire promise that shell put him out of his misery. Tearfully, she responds, I will do what must be done. I mean, of course we know Jamie isnt going to die any time soon there are so many books left! but nonetheless, it all feels very ominous. Claire and Jamie cant get away from that wretched house fast enough. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 2 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: Uzbekistan expects to receive special testing equipment for detecting possible coronavirus infection, said Chief Doctor of the Republican Center of State Sanitary-Epidemiology Surveillance of Uzbekistan Bakhrom Almatov, Trend reports via Uzbek media. The country has already received such equipment from Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) and has signed an agreement for another batch. Moreover, Uzbekistan has negotiated with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which has promised to provide its own equipment. Uzbekistan has also held talks with China on the matter. Research Institute of Virology in Tashkent has direct agreements with the Institute of Virology in Wuhan (the origin of coronavirus spread). Uzbekistan has 16 virological laboratories capable of detecting coronavirus. They are provided with the necessary diagnostic systems and facilities for rapid diagnosis. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 3,000. Over 89,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. Chinese health authorities say that the majority of the people who have died were either elderly or had underlying health problems. Aside from Mainland China, the cases of coronavirus spreading have also been confirmed in at least 65 countries. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini Young ethnic minority workers are more likely to be in unstable work, according to new research. (Getty) Young people from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be in unstable employment, new research has found. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) millennials are 47% more likely to be on a zero-hours contract, according to the research from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Carnegie UK Trust, and Operation Black Vote. The study found that young ethnic minority workers are 10% more likely to have a second job, 5% more likely to be doing shift work, and are 4% less likely to have a permanent contract compared with white people of the same age. Millennials from BAME backgrounds were also 58% more likely to be unemployed than white peers. The researchers looked at the experiences of 25-year-olds in England from different ethnic backgrounds including people who are white, mixed-race, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African and Caribbean, and other minority ethnicities. The work also drew upon UCL's Next Steps study, which follows the lives of about 16,000 people in England born in 1989-90. Young people in unstable employment also suffered from poorer mental health, according to the study. The authors are calling on the government to take action to tackle racial inequalities in access to good work including government action on the pay gap suffered by BAME employees, as the report is launched in parliament on Monday. Read more: 'Ethnicity gap' exposes large inequalities in income for ethnic minority pensioners The report also calls on employers to carry out internal audits of racial inequality in pay, employment terms, and promotions. Developing guidance for mental health services on how to improve access for ethnic minority groups is an urgent priority, it said. Douglas White from Carnegie UK Trust said: Good work can have a really positive impact on people's wellbeing but we need to tackle the inequalities in who has access to good quality jobs. "This report highlights that young people from BAME communities are particularly likely to enter into precarious forms of work. We need policy and practice to recognise and respond to this to ensure that good work is available to all. Story continues The report found that although BAME workers on the whole had more trouble finding stable employment than their white peers, experiences in the job market varied for different ethnic groups. Black African 25-year-olds are more likely to be doing shift work and had lower odds of being in a permanent role than their white counterparts; but mixed-race, Indian and black Caribbean millennials had similar chances of being in these types of jobs. This report must be a serious wake-up call for the government, industry and our mental health practitioners," said Lord Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote. The race penalty in the work space is further exacerbated by mental health issues. It's a double hit if you're from a BAME community. We can, however, turn this around, but we need collective leadership. Read more: Poor mental health costs UK employers 45bn a year The findings come as separate research from the Parker Review Committee found 31 of 83 FTSE 100 companies have no ethnic minority representation on their boards. Representation at board level was even lower across FTSE 250 companies, where 119 out of 173 had no ethnic diversity. Terrorists rely on you and me and the way we speak about their crimes to increase the impact, the virtual blast radius, massively, from a small town to the whole nation. Once again in America, we are waking up to horrifying news. Mass shooting with casualties. In El Paso, Texas, new details about the carnage at a Wal-Mart. The Shooting in El Paso, Texas, was one of several deadly attacks in the U.S. last year and beyond. We have a power and responsibility to save lives, but it means changing the way we talk in the aftermath of an attack. You see, Im a cognitive scientist, and Ive spent the last seven years interviewing radicalized people members and supporters of groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS. My colleagues and I carried out a bunch of psychological tests, including the first-ever brain scans of radicalized people. We didnt find any evidence of mental illness, but what we did find were clues to what makes people willing to fight and die for their beliefs. To show you how, I need to tell you about these brain scans, and that means taking you here. [MUSIC PLAYING] This is where our fieldwork began, looking for young men between the ages of 18 and 40, all on the path to radicalization. And under the promise of anonymity, they agreed to step inside an MRI machine. I need to stop here for a second, because its important that you know about what cognitive scientists call sacred values. We all have beliefs that we care so passionately about that wed be willing to go to extreme lengths to defend them. Well, guess what? Jihadists also have sacred values, and theyre willing to use violence to defend them. And white nationalists have sacred values, too. [MUSIC PLAYING] It starts with one of these. We put some of our participants, the less radicalized ones, into a virtual ballgame with three other players. They threw the ball to each other like this. After a couple of rounds, half the players were excluded from the game. The other players ignored them. And thats when we put them into the MRI scanner. We know from previous research that when people are processing their sacred values, this part of the brain right here is very active. And when our subjects were thinking about their sacred values, sure enough, it lit up. But after they were ejected from the ballgame, something weird happened. It lit up for non-sacred values, too. In other words, when they felt excluded, the list of things theyre willing to fight and die for got longer. Of course, people dont commit terrorist attacks just because nobody plays ball with them. But our research shows that if someone is at the early stage of radicalization, excluding them can make them more willing to use violence. [MUSIC PLAYING] In the next study, we took 30 highly radicalized supporters of an Al Qaeda associate and showed them a scale like this. We asked them to rate their willingness to fight and die for a series of sacred values, and then we showed them where their peers other Muslims in the community fell on the scale. And while they were doing this, we scanned their brains. We found that when our subjects were highly willing to use violence, this part of the brain was deactivated. And thats a problem, because it could mean that theyre not as open to negotiation or persuasion. So how do we reopen this persons mind? Well, when we told our participants that their wider social group were not as willing to commit violence as they were, this part of the brain reactivated. And get this they lowered their explicit willingness to fight and die for these values just to match their peers. The lesson here is that people can be turned away from violence if they believe that a wider social group disapproves. This is only the first glimpse into the minds of radicalized people, but I do think it tells us something important about the role we play in preventing terrorism. In the days after the El Paso shooting, I saw a lot of tweets like this prominent figures saying Trumps base is white nationalist, or if you support Trump, you support terrorism. Now, Im not saying you shouldnt call out racism, but in a case like this, blaming all conservatives risks making someone out there feel more excluded. And if theyre at the early stages of radicalization, it could push them closer to violence. At the very least, it creates divisions in society, which is exactly what terrorists want to achieve. No. 1, dont blame whole groups. And if you see or hear friends, family or people you follow online talking that way, challenge them. And number two, seek out and amplify voices on the right who are condemning violence. I still remember this tweet from a Trump supporter urging him to make a statement about white nationalism. He said, We have to tell them we do not want them to be part of us. Voices like this have the power to turn someone away from violence. Were not responsible for the actions of terrorists, but we all have the power to limit the blast radius of an atrocity and maybe even prevent the next one. Lawrence Zettler has suffered for his career. Ive been stung by scorpions, bitten on the neck by giant water bugs, and bitten by giant spiders in trees, Zettler said. Ive licked my wounds, but overall its been a wonderful experience. The 56-year-old Zettler is the Hitchcock Professor of Biology at Illinois College and since 1996 has inspired Hilltop Campus students to look at the smaller parts of the natural world, including those that bite and sting. Some bite harder than others. Theres some crazy show on one of the TV stations where they get bit by things, and one of the insects on the show was one that I have been bitten by, a giant water bug, Zettler said. The ones they were trying to get bitten by on the show were puny compared to the one I got hammered by on my neck. The pain is excruciating, Zettler said. If one lands on you and you try to push it off, they will grab you with their front pincer-like legs, bring their beak up to your skin, and deliver a saliva that feels like someone has taken a hot poker and held it on your skin for a minute. And then it itches for about a week and feels hot. Zettler said that like anything else in life, a few bad, biting bugs can ruin the reputations of the numerous beneficial and simply beautiful insects that pollinate crops, help to feed other animals, and control pest species. To emphasize his point, Zettler proudly displayed the colleges butterfly and moth collection that contains some of the most stunning colors on earth. This combination of danger, beauty and purpose has fascinated Zettler since childhood, spurred by parents who encouraged their young son to explore and appreciate the natural world. I would just run outside and see things and catch things with nets, and I would drag them home and show my folks, Zettler said. So this kind of happened naturally, its sort of been in my DNA. Zettler was born in Ithaca, New York, and grew up near Gainesville, Florida, where his father was a professor of plant pathology and virology at the University of Florida. South-central Florida was a great place to find insects of all varieties, and rather than trying to kill every insect, his parents encouraged Zettler to understand the creatures miniature world. That appreciation determined Zettlers career path. Zettler earned a bachelors degree in agriculture with an emphasis on insects from the University of Florida, where as an undergraduate he was privileged to work with the dragonfly expert of North America for three years drawing dragonflies that they would catch in canoes. The color drawing technique that Zettler learned from his mother led to a book that was published in 2000, Dragonflies of North America, that contains his illustrations. Zettler earned his doctorate from Clemson University and spent several years there, doing groundbreaking work on rare orchids that continues to place him in the national spotlight. Zettler was a visiting professor at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, when he received a phone call from Illinois College in the mid-1990s asking if he would like to interview there. Its nice here at Illinois College because you can develop the courses the way you want, like the courses we teach in Costa Rica and Cuba inspired by travels I took years ago, Zettler said. Its rewarding when students see something for the first time and they get confidence in understanding what it is, they learn to respect it, and a lot of them end up doing very good work for the natural world after they graduate. The students appreciate Zettlers field trips, even the ones that go just a few blocks away from campus, like the grounds of the Bob Freesen YMCA. I told my students they might want to lift up some decomposing logs, and sure enough, there was whats called a Pleasing Fungus Beetle, Zettler said. They are beautiful, they are black and red and shiny, almost like somebody took nail polish and coated the wings. It was rather large, as big as your thumbnail, and the students got excited. Catching dragonflies is almost a sport. They circle over your head and they see very well, and if youre not fast the first time, theyll learn from their mistakes and fly away, Zettler said. You have one shot, but occasionally a student will bag one, and when they look at the abdomen its an incredible blue and the students really do see the beauty of these insects. Zettlers bug bucket list includes seeing a rare predatory caterpillar in Hawaii and the spectacular Birdwing Butterfly in New Guinea, and he feels privileged to have seen rare and unusual insects all over the world, including some incredible insects in Madagascar. He said theres a little-known secret to encountering the insects you seek. You really cant go out looking for them, they come and find you, Zettler said. And then you just say, there you are. Zettler wants his students to realize that there is an extinction going on all over the world with respect to insect and plant diversity, and its a chain reaction because when the insects start to fall, the other dominoes will start to fall, Zettler said. But the good news is that nature is very resilient if you give it a chance to come back. Zettler hasnt identified any new insect species, but has discovered two new fungi species, one of which he will name after his daughter because its culture is pink, which is his daughters favorite color. His daughter, by the way, has been bitten by the insect bug and also likes to collect the tiny creatures. If his undergraduate focus on insects hadnt panned out, Zettler planned to join the U.S. Air Force because he loves flying and was a young member of the Civil Air Patrol. But hes never looked back, unless you include that encounter with the insect he dislikes the most. I was paddling in a canoe, heard a slight spritzing sound, and then my eyes started to go numb and got very blurry, and I had to put the paddle down and just drift, Zettler said. About 30 seconds later I began to see a little bit better, so I went back, and it was a six-inch walking stick. They have the very good ability to shoot a jet of spray off the sides of their bodies toward eye spots as a defense against predators. I just happened to be the victim, I got close to it in a canoe and I didnt know it and it got me, Zettler said. To this day, when I see a walking stick, I just dont want to bother them. . If you have a suggestion about someone who should be profiled, send their name and any contact information available to communitynews@myjournalcourier.com. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday completely rejected the judgement of the Kogi State High Court, which unlawfully voided the partys validly conducted primary for the Kogi State Governorship election. PDP at a press conference in Abuja by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary, declared that the judgment is a classical example of judicial rascality and scandalous travesty of justice which cannot stand, and for which the party will stop at nothing in exploring all legal avenues to immediately set it aside at the appellate courts. The PDP held that the judgment has heavily detracted from the integrity of the Kogi High Court, threatens the reputation of the entire institution of the judiciary if not immediately quashed. It is completely unimaginable that a court of law will allow itself to be railroaded into a voyage to the void, to the extent that it stood the law on its head by importing and pronouncing reliefs on matters that were not before it or even pleaded by any of the parties; to wit, a declaration on the validity of PDP Kogi State governorship election primary. The conduct of the judge only confirmed widespread stand that the court had been externally induced, ethically challenged and politically compromised to undermine the case of the PDP at the Kogi governorship election tribunal. Already, our party has been fully made aware of how the All Progressives Congress (APC) and agents of Governor Yahaya Bello administration had mounted pressure on the Court to corrupt itself by twisting a matter, which had nothing to do with the validity of our primary, to assist the APC in its obnoxious plots against the PDP. For the avoidance of doubt, Nigerians are all aware that our great party, on the 3rd and 4th of November 2109, duly conducted our primary for the Kogi governorship election, which was monitored and certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and which produced our candidate, Engr. Musa Wada, who fully participated in the November 16th 2019 governorship election. It is, therefore, instructive to state that the pre-election suit filed in the Kogi High Court by only one of our many aspirants in the primary, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim, only sought the court to declare him the winner of PDP primary election, PDP declared on Sunday. The National Publicity Secretary further said that all the parties agreed that the primary was valid and concluded. The only contention between Engineer Musa Wada and Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim was to determine who the actual winner was and nothing more, he clarified. The PDP further declared: In determining the matter, the judge found that Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim did not establish his case that he won the primary. Instead of stopping at that, which is within the ambit of the reliefs sought and opposed in the court, the judge strangely went ahead to sacrilegiously deliver the script of the APC, to wit; declaring that the PDP Kogi State Governorship primaries was invalid and that PDP had no candidate for the Governorship election of 16th November, 2019. This is, indeed, another sad commentary for the judiciary. How on earth can a judge engage in a deliberate public rape of the Lady Justice, in her own temple, just to please the pillagers of our democracy? The PDP, therefore, noted that the following questions are pertinent; Why did the trial Judge proceed to declare the PDP primary invalid when there was no such prayer before the court? Why did the trial Judge declare that the PDP had no candidate for the Governorship election of 16th November 2020 when there was no such prayers before the court? Is the trial Judge a Santa Claus to award judgments that were not sought for? The PDP protested that the conduct of the judge is completely unethical, a direct abuse of the law and powers of the court to satisfy the interest of the APC and Governor Yahaya Bello, in their failed bid to frustrate the retrieval of our governorship mandate at the tribunal. The PDP insisted that it will take the matter to the very legitimate end and get redress at the appellate courts and we have instructed our lawyers accordingly. Our party believes that the ignoble conduct of the trial court does not represent the overall attitude of our judiciary. He acted on his own and must be seen in that light. The PDP therefore intends to send a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) against the trial judge as his conduct amounted to gross misconduct, which our judiciary must not condone. Such judicial officer should not be allowed to continue to bring the institution of our judiciary to disrepute, Kola Ologbondiyan declared. PV: 0 - One Collins Omondi drew Steve Harvey's portrait and shared it on social media appealing to Kenyans to help him reach Harvey - Kenyans came out in large number and shared Omondi's portrait widely which caught attention of the celebrity - The two got in touch and Harvey expressed interest in the artwork promising to meet the artist soon Renowned comedian and US media sensation Steve Harvey is set to meet Kenyan pencil artist who made him an impressive portrait. The comedian reached out to Collins Omondi who had drawn his portrait and shared it on social media appealing to his followers to help him reach Harvey. READ ALSO: Tanasha Donna bids Diamond Platnumz's family goodbye, returns to Kenya Collins Omondi's drawing of comedian Steve Harvey. Photo: Collins Omondi Source: UGC READ ALSO: Kenya si nchi ya reggae na uganga, Ruto amwambia Raila Harvey told the artist he will be in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Botswana and would like to meet him so that he gives him the portrait. "Now Im looking for you it would be my honour to have this...what size is it and Ill be in Johannesburg and Botswana soon, lets hook up then," Harvey tweeted. Omondi was quick to inform him that he is in Kenya and would so much love to have him in the country for a Safari trip to enjoy the magical Kenya. READ ALSO: William Kabogo admits things are different on ground after mass walkout during BBI rally in Meru "Thank you so much Steve, and God bless you and expand you. I am actually in Nairobi, Kenya not so far from Jo'Burg or Botswana. If possible, I would be proud to invite you over to Kenya for a Safari to experience #MagicalKenya as I present this portrait! How do I reach you?" posed Omondi. Harvey replied to him saying his team will contact him soon for appropriate directions on how to meet up. Kenyans on Twitter were cheering on the artist with some suggesting tips on how best to lure the celebrity into extending his trip to Kenya. 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 Source: TUKO.co.ke Bill Kristol has a simple case for a Joe Biden presidency. In a post for his conservative site The Bulwark posted Monday, the neoconservative turned President Trump critic carefully broke down the remaining 2020 Democrats for the so-called "normal American." If "you don't like demagogues of the right or the left," you want someone who can win the Democratic nomination, and you're voting in a Super Tuesday state, then you should opt for the former vice president, Kristol wrote. Kristol opens his piece with his definition of a "normal American:" Essentially, you don't want the U.S. to have to choose "between [President] Donald Trump and [Vermont Independent Sen.] Bernie Sanders in November." That leaves you with a "complex" situation, but "the answer actually is simple," Kristol continues. Neither Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) nor Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will be the nominee "despite the flashes of electoral strength each has shown," and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg isn't viable either. So "if you're inclined toward American constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and a free economic order," you'll vote for Biden, Kristol finishes. Biden also secured a wave of new endorsements after his Saturday victory in South Carolina's presidential primaries, including from former DNC Chair and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.); Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), one of the freshman Democrats who unseated a Republican in 2018; and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who was considering a 2020 run of his own. More stories from theweek.com The end of Chris Matthews The 3 most likely Super Tuesday outcomes Elizabeth Warren tells Jimmy Kimmel a coronavirus epidemic is a bad time for a president 'who believes in magic' Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 17:52:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China is in a nationwide mobilization to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Here are the latest developments: -- China's daily new confirmed and suspected cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have seen an overall downward trend for two weeks. The number of newly discharged patients nationwide continues to show an upward trend, fluctuating around 3,000 in recent days. The rapid rise of the epidemic in Wuhan has been contained, with the local outbreaks in Hubei outside Wuhan brought under control. -- A team of doctors in a hospital in central China's Hunan Province successfully 3D printed the model of the nidus of a patient infected with the coronavirus on Monday. Compared with computed tomography (CT) images that are two dimensional, 3D models offer a more vivid reconstruction of a patient's arteries, veins and bronchi, which can be of great help in clinical therapy, according to He Yucheng, a doctor with Chenzhou No. 1 People's Hospital and the head of the team. -- As of Sunday, 260 troops and 130 transport vehicles from the Central Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had transported 8,500 tonnes of household goods and 23,600 pieces (sets) of protective materials and equipment to Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic. Helicopters sent by the Central Theater Command had also transfered 6.5 tonnes of medical supplies by Sunday. -- Nearly 3,000 beds have been set up by 63 military hospitals designated to treat patients with the novel coronavirus disease, with over 10,000 military medics working at the front line. As of Sunday, the designated hospitals of the armed forces and military medical teams dispatched to Hubei had treated 4,450 COVID-19 patients with 1,000 cured, said Chen Jingyuan, a health official with the Logistic Support Department of the Central Military Commission. Three military-led hospitals in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, had admitted 3,467 severe COVID-19 patients and cured 689 patients. -- China's daily output of face masks reached 116 million units as of Saturday, 12 times the figure reported on Feb. 1, as production expansion moves into top gear, official data showed Monday. By the end of February, the daily production capacity of masks in China more than quintupled from Feb. 1 to 110 million units that came in medical and non-medical calibers, the National Development and Reform Commission said. -- The National Health Commission said it received 202 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 42 deaths on Sunday on the Chinese mainland. All the deaths were in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Also on Sunday, 2,837 people were discharged from hospital after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 255 to 7,110. The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,026 by the end of Sunday, including 32,652 patients who were still being treated, 44,462 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 2,912 people who had died of the disease. -- Hubei Province reported 196 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection. The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in the hard-hit province to 67,103 and that of total deaths to 2,803. Wuhan, the provincial capital, reported 193 confirmed cases and 32 deaths on Sunday. In total, the city has registered 49,315 confirmed cases and 2,227 deaths. The province also saw 2,570 patients discharged from hospital after recovery on Sunday, bringing the total number of discharged patients in the province to 33,757. -- The temporary hospital with the most beds in Wuhan had discharged a total of over 1,000 people as of Sunday. The Jianghan temporary hospital, converted from Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, started receiving patients from Feb. 5. It is equipped with 1,564 beds and over 1,100 staff. North Korea has fired two 'unknown projectiles', South Korea's military said, the first such launch in nearly a month, as nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington remain deadlocked with both parties at a standstill. A short statement from the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) last Thursday revealed that Pyongyang shot two rockets, from South Hamgyong Province where the rockets crashed into Japan's maritime territory, or the East Sea. Sources reveal that the twin rocker launch was done at 16:59 local time (07:59 GMT), in Thanksgiving Day during early morning in the United States, on its biggest holidays during the year too. The rocket launch is the second anniversary of North Korea's initial test of the 'Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), that military analyst thinks can hit the US mainland if desired by Pyongyang. Japan's defence ministry said the rockets were 'ICBM-like', though it did not hit any part of Japan's exclusive economic zone, which would be have been otherwise. One of the United Nations Security Council resolutions is the prevention of Pyongyang from firing any ballistic missiles, as a ban is made known to them by the members of this council. According to reports on Thursday's ballistic missile launch by Pyongyang, it is a two' super-large multiple rocket launcher' systems a month ago. This concern all parties involved, especially with launch violating the ban on North Korea. President Donald Trump just ignores the provocative rocket launches, instead cited the prevention of nuclear and ICBM missile launches, that were victories for his administration on the matter. So far, everything is at a deadlock and status quo, for both Washington and Pyongyang as no progress is evident. Also read: US and Korean Military Training Under Review Amidst Coronavirus US and North Korean talks are at a stalemate. One topic in the talks got highlighted between Trump and Kim Jong Un, that is 'complete denuclearization' in Korea, but it was not given much substance in the first Singapore summit, on June 2019. Since then no development is registered and both parties have been silent. On the second summit in Hanoi on February, the negotiations with both Washington and North Korea with no results still has no progress, no deal was met in the summit. One of the disagreements is that North Korea is under several sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program, Pyongyang is intent on the lifting of that ban in the Hanoi Summit. Moreover, the joint US and South Korea military exercise draws the ire of Pyongyang Trump and Kim settled on reviving working-level negotiations at a brief meeting in the Demilitarized zone, in between north and south Korea in June, later had a failed summit in Sweden on October, with North Korea leaving the table. Earlier in the month, Seoul and Washington decided to stop the joint military exercises to be held to appease Pyongyang that was not taken seriously by the north. Holding joint drills with South Korea has been long seen by Pyongyang as provocative gestures towards them. These exercised were criticized as practice for invasive actions later on. Carrying out missile launches during summer is a protest which demonstrates their capabilities. By firing 'unidentified projectiles', North Korea is demonstrating its capacity to lob ICBMs into surrounding territories. That does not help the talks with the US either. 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. With their trial set to start in a few days, the United States has called on Russia to hand over suspects in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a disaster that cost the lives of all 298 people on board. "It is long past time for Russia to comply, to reveal what it knows and to turn over those individuals who have been indicated in these cases," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Christopher Robinson said in an interview with RFE/RL during a visit to Prague on March 2. Russian citizens Igor Girkin, Oleg Pulatov, and Sergei Dubinsky, and Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko have been charged by Dutch prosecutors with shooting down the Boeing 777 with a Russian-made BUK missile as it flew over territory held by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The men are unlikely to be present at their first hearing scheduled for March 9 at a high-security courthouse near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The men are all believed to be hiding in Russia, which does not extradite its citizens, or in separatist-controlled territory in Ukraine. A fifth suspect, Volodymyr Tsemakh, was among 35 prisoners sent to Moscow from Kyiv in the September 7 swap of 70 people captured during the conflict in eastern Ukraine. A Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has concluded that Russia's 53rd Antiaircraft Missile Brigade had transported the Buk in 2014 to and from Ukraine. Robinson said the array of public information available indicates that the MH17 downing happened in an area under Russian control. Russia denies involvement in the incident. "This is another case where Russia engages in aggression, Russia fails to reveal the truth, it puts out disinformation and lies and tries to distort the truth," Robinson said. "I think Russia has behaved reprehensibly in this issue." The JIT had pleaded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to keep Tsemakh in Ukrainian custody. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly insisted that Tsemakh be included in the exchange, or the swap would be called off. MH17 took off from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. About two-thirds of the passengers were Dutch nationals. Election Interference, Whelan Incarceration Robinson also said that the United States has repeatedly warned Russia not to interfere in U.S. elections and called on the Kremlin to release Paul Whelan, a former Marine held in a Moscow prison on espionage charges. U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded in March 2019 following a two-year investigation that Russia carried out a broad campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, including through hacking into the Democratic National Committee computer system. U.S. intelligence officials last month told the Trump administration and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders that Russia is interfering in the elections to support them, The New York Times and Washington Post reported. However, the intelligence officials did not say how Russia was interfering and did not give any evidence. Russia has also been accused of interfering in other nations elections. The Kremlin has denied the accusations. "There can be no improvement in the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship until Russia ceases its broad campaign to support malign activities around the world, not just against the United States but against our allies and partners," Robinson said. Russia arrested Whelan in Moscow in December 2018 for possessing a flash drive that contained state secrets, according to local media. Whelan said he was given the drive by a Russian acquaintance in an apparent setup. A Moscow City Court recently extended his detention until March 29, 2020. "They have not produced evidence [of his guilt]," the deputy secretary said. "It is long past time to let Paul Whelan go." With reporting by Mike Eckel in Prague Clinical applications of wide-field imaging systems include, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, pediatric retinal diseases, hemoglobinopathies, uveitis, chorioretinal diseases, retinal detachment, and macular diseases. The global widefield imaging systems market is estimated to account for US$ 477.7 Mn in terms of value in 2019 and is expected to reach US$ 901.5 Mn by the end of 2027. Global Widefield Imaging Systems Market: Drivers Increasing prevalence of ophthalmic disorders is expected to propel growth of the global widefield imaging systems market over the forecast period. For instance, according to The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 80 million people are expected to suffer from glaucoma by 2020 compared to 20 million since 2010. Request Free PDF Research Report Brochure @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-pdf/3375 Global Widefield Imaging Systems Market: Opportunities Increasing demand for faster diagnosis of ophthalmic disorders is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities for players in the market. Widefield imaging systems offer several benefits such as enhanced resolution, faster image processing time, faster image acquisition, an ease of image duplication and manipulation, which are expected to lead to their high adoption for diagnosis of ophthalmic disorders. Global Widefield Imaging Systems Market: Restraints In widefield imaging systems, out-of-focus burring degrades image and reduces visibility of final detail. The system is also more time consuming for deconvolved image output. These drawbacks are expected to hinder growth of the market. Key Takeaways: Instrument segment in the global widefield imaging systems market was valued at US$ 364.5 Mn in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 770.1 by 2027 at a CAGR of 8.5% during the forecast period. Manufacturers in the market are focused on product launches which is expected to boost growth of the segment over the forecast period. For instance, Carl Zeiss launched ZEISS CLARUS 500 Ultra-widefield system in the U.S. in 2017. The diabetic retinopathy segment held dominant position in the global widefield imaging systems market in 2018, accounting for 34.4% share in terms of value. Browse Press Release: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/widefield-imaging-systems-market-2740 Increasing prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is expected to support growth of the segment over the forecast period. For instance, according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 2016, one in three people having diabetes have high chances of getting affected by diabetic retinopathy. Moreover, according to the article published in The Lancet, 2018, the annual incidence of diabetic retinopathy ranges from 2.2% to 12.7%, globally. The standalone systems segment held dominant position in the global wide field imaging systems market in 2018, accounting for 56.9% share in terms of value, followed by portable segment. Number of manufacturers offer standalone systems in the market which is supporting growth of the segment. For instance, Optos launched Monaco ultra-widefield retinal imaging system in European market in 2018 Market Trends Major players in the market are focused on adopting M&A strategies to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in October 2018, Phoenix Technology Group acquired FocusROP, a telemedicine platform for retinopathy of prematurity screening, from InterVIEW Medical Systems. Major players in the market are also focused on adopting collaboration and partnership strategies to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in October 2018, LumiThera Inc. announced a distribution agreement with Optos Plc to exclusively distribute the Valeda Light Delivery System for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 12 European countries. Global Widefield Imaging Systems Market: Competitive Landscape Major players operating in the global widefield imaging systems market include, Clarity Medical Systems Inc., Heidelberg Engineering, Inc., Visunex Medical Systems, Inc., Centervue SpA, Optos Plc. (Nikon Corporation), and ZEISS International. Purchase a copy of Widefield Imaging Systems Market Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/buy-now/3375 Global Widefield Imaging Systems Market: Key Developments October 2018: OD-OS announced to launch a new widefield objective, which brings non-contact panretinal photocoagulation with access to the far periphery (ora serrata) to the Navilas 577s Laser System June 2018: Optovue announced an expanded FDA 510(k) clearance for non-contact, quantitative measurements of the epithelial and stromal layers of the cornea, ETM or epithelial thickness mapping. The company also made ETM available on the Avanti Widefield OCT system Segmentation By Component Instrument Software Image Viewing Software Data Analysis and Interpretation Software By Indication Diabetic Retinopathy Retinopathy of Prematurity Pediatric Retinal Diseases Retinal Vein Occlusion Ocular Oncology Uveitis Chorioretinal Disease Glaucoma Others By Modality Standalone Portable By End-User Specialty Clinics Hospitals Ambulatory Surgical Centers By Region North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East Africa About Coherent Market Insights: Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity. Contact Us: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com U.S. Office: Name: Mr. Shah Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154, U.S. US : +1-206-701-6702 UK : +44-020-8133-4027 JAPAN : +050-5539-1737 Schneider Electric is set to build centers to improve quality of electricity feeding and optimize the use of information technologies and smart systems to provide better services for citizens Egypt has reached an agreement with French Schneider Electric Company to establish modern control centers for electricity distribution networks in the country, a statement by the Presidency read. The deal was reached on Sunday during a meeting between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Schneider Electric President Luc Remont in the presence of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker. Per the deal, the company is set to build centers to improve quality of electricity feeding and optimize the use of information technologies and smart systems to provide better services for citizens. El-Sisi welcomed cooperation with the company in light of special ties between Egypt and France, the statement said. Remont said the company is keen to double its investments in Egypt, praising unprecedented achievements made in Egypt in the fields of development and infrastructure. Search Keywords: Short link: (Bloomberg) -- TurboTax has long been the leader in do-it-yourself tax-filing software. But it has faced increasing competition from a nimble startup, Credit Karma Inc., which has become one of the preferred financial apps for young people by giving out free credit scores and helping them find auto loans and credit cards. And since 2017, it has offered a completely free tax-filing service. Intuit Inc., the parent company of TurboTax, took note and agreed to spend $7.1 billion to buy Credit Karma last week. Several legal experts say the deal raises serious antitrust concerns, and see parallels to a 2011 attempt by H&R Block Inc. to acquire another DIY tax software company that regulators blocked.The prospect for tech deals may be even weaker now, amid calls for greater federal scrutiny. Increasingly, legal experts are flagging concerns about the harms posed by large companies buying smaller ones before they develop into serious threats.Intuit is the biggest provider of DIY tax filing software in the U.S., splitting about 80% of the market with H&R Block, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Julie Chariell. Credit Karmas market share is only 3%, but its growing fast. Founded in 2007, the San Francisco-based company has attracted more than 100 million users, including about half of all U.S. millennials. Thats twice as many as Intuit. Credit Karmas free tax-preparing business grew by about 50% last year, according to the company.There's no question the acquisition could and should face scrutiny, said Aaron Edlin, a law and economics professor at the University of California at Berkeley. There's a huge concern when the leading firm in an industry such as tax software buys another firm that is competitive, particularly that's offering free tax software. Eleanor Fox, a law professor at New York University, said regulators wouldnt just be looking at the companies size, but could also be concerned about whether the deal is cornering a market.Intuit has told investors the Credit Karma deal should be finalized by the second half of the year, a sign that its optimistic it can pass an antitrust review. The company argues that taxes are only one part of Credit Karmas offerings, which mostly revolve around selling financial products based on the data it collects from free services, including tax filings. Intuit says the deal isnt about stifling competition and that the two companies would operate separately. When asked on a conference call about market consolidation, Chief Executive Officer Sasan Goodarzi said, This is all about playing offense and delivering for customers.Representatives for the Justice Department, Intuit and Credit Karma declined to comment.In Intuits latest annual financial report, it lists Credit Karma as a primary U.S. competitor. Some customers certainly see it that way. One person complained on Twitter about TurboTaxs charges. My kids make like 2k last year but because she made 401k contributions she has to pay $80 to get a $200 refund. No thanks, @creditkarma to the rescue.Matt Stoller, the director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, called it embarrassing that Intuit even proposed the merger. These kinds of mergers are obviously illegal and enforcers just don't uphold the law, he said.In 2011, a court sided with the Justice Department and prevented H&R Block, the second largest player in digital do-it-yourself tax preparation software, from buying its third-place rival, the creator the software TaxAct. In that case, Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the proposed merger would give H&R Block and Intuit a combined 90% control over the tax market.Barak Orbach, a law professor at the University of Arizona, said he believes the Credit Karma acquisition will be approved since it could help create competition with the tech giants, who are moving further into financial products. And, despite the tough stance taken by regulators against big tech companies, T-Mobile US Inc. recently won approval for its $26.5 billion takeover of Sprint Corp. after a state-led lawsuit that sought to block the deal. Story continues Even before the Credit Karma acquisition, the government was scrutinizing Intuits actions. The company is facing lawsuits and regulatory inquiries into its approach to the Internal Revenue Services Free File tax program. That federal program -- not to be confused with software thats advertised as free -- is meant to provide low-income people truly free tax software. ProPublica has reported that Intuit hid its federal free file program in search results and redirected people to its commercial service. Intuit subsequently agreed to stop the practice.The antitrust review of Credit Karma will likely hinge on a few points, said James Tierney, who supervised the case against H&R Block at the Justice Department: "Is this company restraining Intuit's pricing? If you got rid of Credit Karma, could Intuit raise prices? That's one question and the other question might be, is Credit Karma driving innovation in the market?"Tierney, now an attorney at Orrick, said the Justice Department was unlikely to take Intuit by its word that Credit Karma would operate independently. "The fact of the matter is that Intuit will control Credit Karma and they have the ability to do whatever they want with it," he said. (Updates with comments from law professor in sixth paragraph. A previous version of the story corrected the formal name of the Internal Revenue Service in third paragraph from the end.) --With assistance from Julie Verhage. To contact the author of this story: Eric Newcomer in New York at enewcomer@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Molly Schuetz at mschuetz9@bloomberg.net, Joshua Brustein 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 Congress and other Opposition parties plan to corner the Union Government in both Houses with demands for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah over the Delhi riots. New Delhi: As the second half of the Budget Session of Parliament begins on Monday, the Congress and other Opposition parties plan to corner the Union Government in both Houses with demands for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah over the Delhi riots. The Congress party is likely to submit adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha seeking a discussion on the widespread violence in Delhi last week. RSP leader N.K. Premachandran said he would give an adjournment motion demanding a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian Union Muslim League and CPI and CPI(M) will also give notices under rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha. The government has miserably failed to maintain law and order. I think there must be some sort of a nexus between the rioters and a section of police officials which resulted in gruesome killings and arson that has tarnished our image across the globe. This is a matter of serious concern for us, Congress Leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary said. He said that the Congress will keep demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the floor of the House. Senior lawyer and Congress Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party will take up in both Houses of Parliament in the strongest possible terms the destruction of democratic values in this country. The manner and form of protest inside or out of Parliament is a matter of coordinated strategy and not an issue to be publicly aired. But the country is assured that we will discharge our responsibilities vigorously and without fear, despite extreme and illegal intrusion and harassment, Singhvi said. Opposition parties led by the Congress have already approached President Ram Nath Kovind demanding that Shah be removed as he is in charge of the Delhi police which was totally unable to control the riots. The Budget Session of Parliament commenced on January 31 and continued till February 11. The second half will continue till April 3. Somrita Ghosh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: From providing medical kits, medicines, bandages to food, Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti and his band of eight doctors are crowdfunding medical camps in riot-affected northeast Delhi to help victims of communal violence. Standing true to Hippocratic oath, these doctors risk their lives while accessing the worst affected areas without thinking twice often at odd hours. We are crowdfunding to continue our camps and to purchase medicines and kit. Although many medical shops have opened, we will continue to offer help for some more days. Shops have started opening in riot-hit areas in the city | Parveen Negi We had to purchase many medicines on our own, said Bhatti, president, Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF). Over 30 PMSF members shuffled their work hours without taking leave to serve the riot-hit. We started out on February 25. We were scared. The situation was volatile. But we managed to contact Al-Hind Hospital at Mustafabad on February 26, Bhatti said, It is the sense of responsibility that acted as the driving force. As news spread of our presence at Al-Hind, patients started flocking. We took bikes to traverse the lanes and ghettos which ambulances couldnt reach. Bhatti first got a call around 12pm on February 25 from Al-Hind Hospital. An ambulance dispatched with essential drugs was stopped by rioters. Late night, we tried again, only to be stopped by the police at the Signature Bridge saying that private ambulances were not allowed in Mustafabad. We called in the state government CATS ambulance service but got no help, he stated. By the evening of last Tuesday, the Al Hind was receiving more patients with gunshot and severe injuries. But the team had no ways to reach the spot. On Wednesday morning, they managed to reach Al-Hind. The hospital doesnt have facilities to accommodate so many critical patients. But the patients were reluctant to leave. They had lost all hope in the police... We convinced a very critical patient to shift to GTB and accompanied many, but we were stopped by police two-three times, Bhatti recalled. Rumours fly thick and fast Panic gripped several parts of the west, southeast and northwest Delhi on Sunday evening after rumours of violence spread on social media even as the Delhi Police denied any such incident and appealed people to remain calm. In the evening, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had tweeted about shutting down the entry and exit gates of seven metro stations Tilak Nagar, Nangloi, Surajmal Stadium, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Uttam Nagar west and Nawada without giving any reason. The stations were later reopened. New Delhi, March 2 : The Delhi Police have begun an extensive probe into the riots that took place in the northeast areas last week, registering 335 FIRs out of which 40 are related to murder and arresting more than a thousand people. The Delhi Police have maintained a studied silence on the investigation into the riots. Two Special Investigation Teams (SITs), which include one additional commissioner of police, 2 deputy commissioners of Police, 8 assistant commissioners of police, are probing the riot cases. However, even after multiple raids, the police have not been able to nab Shahrukh who brandished a pistol in front of Delhi Police head constable Deepak Dahia and AAP corporator Tahir Hussain from whose house acid pouches, stones and slingshots were recovered. New Police chief S.N. Shrivastava, special commissioner Satish Golcha, Joint commissioner Alok Kumar, DCP Ved Prakash Surya, spokesman M.S. Randhawa, Additional spokesman Anil Mittal have however refused to share details about the ongoing probe into the riots. The toll in the riots in northeast Delhi that took place last week has risen to 45 with four more bodies brought to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. According to sources, some concerned citizens are planning to approach the court to seek a probe into the role of the police in fanning violence. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in) Trump trade deals By Dr. Robert Owens President Trump campaigned on his ability to revoke, revise, or replace the bewildering myriad of trade deals previous administrations negotiated which worked primarily to the benefit of everyone except US. Finally, after twenty-eight years of politicians selling American workers and entrepreneurs out President Trump is putting America first. A case in point: After dragging their feet and the nation through their impeachment/election campaign ploy the House recently passed the United States Canada Mexico Agreement (USMCA). The Senate quickly followed suit and President Trump signed the new and improved trade deal replacing the job killing NAFTA. This is the upgrade 21st-century America needs. This is such an obvious improvement that even normally virulently anti-Trump labor leaders led by the AFL-CIOs Richard Trumka have come out in support of the new deal. In an op-ed for CNN Trumpka said, Because of our patience and perseverance, the USMCA now includes strong labor rights and a viable mechanism to enforce them. We also secured a separate enforcement mechanism that allows for inspections of factories and facilities that dont live up to their obligations. This was an important priority for the labor movement because it ensures that working people in all three countries have greater protections under this new agreement. The deal isnt perfect, but that it is a far cry from the original NAFTA, and that is a huge win for working people in North America. United Steelworkers President Thomas Conway said, The revised deal is better than the original USMCA and certainly better than NAFTA. It should be adopted. The leaders of all three countries must diligently enforce the provisions, however, and we intend to hold them accountable to ensure that workers, the environment and consumers are protected. Outsourcing wont end as companies continue to search the globe for places where they can profit off of the hard work of others, spoil the environment to improve their balance sheets and raise prices for basic needs. The fight for fair trade wont end with this agreement, but its an agreement worth passing. And it isnt just labor leaders expressing their appreciation for the types of trade deals President Trump is working to secure, which replace the giveaways previous administrations imposed on us that transfers American wealth overseas. Lori Wallach of the left-wing Public Citizen organization which tracks globalizations impact on American workers, referred to USMCA saying, It sets the floor from which we will fight for good trade policies that put working people and the planet first. When comparing Trumps USMCA to former President Obamas failed Trans Pacific-Partnership (TPP) Wallach said, The unusually large, bipartisan vote on the revised [USMCA] shows that to be politically viable, U.S. trade pacts no longer can include extreme corporate investor privileges or broad monopoly protections for Big Pharma and must have enforceable labor and environmental standards, in contrast to the 2016 Trans-Pacific Partnership, which never got close to majority House support. Breitbart News sums up the situation this way, Decades-long free trade deals, NAFTA, and Chinas entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) eliminated about five million American manufacturing jobs and 50,000 U.S. manufacturing plants since 1994. American manufacturing is vital to the U.S. economy, as every manufacturing job supports an additional 7.4 American jobs in other industries. John Binder of Breitbart added, Free trade advocates, such [as] former Vice President Joe Biden, claimed at the time that NAFTA would create a million U.S. manufacturing jobs in the first five years. Instead, nearly a million American jobs have been certified by the federal government as being lost directly due to NAFTA, according to data gathered by Public Citizen. These are only the U.S. jobs that the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program recognizes as being lost to free trade and does not indicate the actual number of jobs lost. Moving from the general to the specific lets look at an example of how one American entrepreneur looked at the USMCA agreement and why he thought it was so vital to his industry and his state. Before the passage of USMCA Jason Wilburn, president of Foerster Instruments, a manufacturer of equipment for the nondestructive testing of materials and components, along with other manufacturers from around the country converged on Washington to tell lawmakers to support and ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. In an editorial published on Triblive.com Wilbur stated, Just like the unseen parts used to make automobiles and airplanes work, the contributions of the Keystone State are often experienced even if not always seen every day around the world. The products manufactured in Pennsylvania help make the world function, but all of that could slow down if a critical trade agreement with our North American neighbors is not approved by Congress. While saying previous agreements providing for free trade throughout North America have been beneficial Wilburn added, NAFTA is now more than 25 years old and in need of an update. Thats why the leaders of the U.S., Canada and Mexico negotiated a new and modern agreement to replace it. He went on to explain the importance of tariff-free trade to my business and how the USMCA would build on previous trade deals and provide less onerous requirements to ship manufactured goods to our North American neighbors. In addition, the small manufacturer from Pennsylvania made this ringing cry for a level playing field, that, without tariff-free trade across North America protected by a strong trade agreement, our states manufactured exports to Canada and Mexico could be hit with as much as $1.7 billion in extra taxes. Costs like that are enough to devastate any business. As a result, many of Pennsylvanias manufacturers and the workers and communities they support would lose sales as competitors from Europe and Asia swoop in on our missed opportunity, steal our business and, along with it, the American dream. Ending his well-stated and impassioned plea for the passage of USMCA as the House dithered away the year in its relentless efforts to impeach President Trump Mr. Wilburn wrote this, We need to cut the red tape and the arduous regulations that make it harder to do business. The USMCA does this for small manufacturers. If the USMCA is ratified, businesses like mine will be able to continue doing what we do best: create highly sophisticated components and provide constant innovations in products to our global customers. Thats good for Pennsylvania and its good for our country. And there you have it. President Trump works tirelessly to make America great again. Now its up to us to see through the fog machine of artificial scandals and baseless charges and cast our votes to keep America great. Dr. Robert Owens teaches History, Political Science, Global Studies, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com 2020 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens or visit Dr. Owens Amazon Page / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens Home Political strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday targeted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who addressed a rally in Patna a day before, and said its bad on Kumars part to not say a word on Delhi violence. The toll in last weeks violence has risen to 46. Nitish Kumar promised the workers of JD(U) at a rally in Patna that he will win 200 seats, but didnt talk about why Bihar is the most backward and poor state even after 15 years of his good governance? Kishor said in the first part of his tweet in Hindi. Also it was bad on his part not to say a word on #DelhiViolence, he concluded in English. JDU workers " " @NitishKumar 200 15 "" ? Also it was bad on his part not to say a word on #DelhiViolence Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) March 2, 2020 Kumar had said at the Patna rally that migration of people from one state to another should not be seen as a problem as he asserted that the nation is one and people are free to move from one place to another. The Bihar Chief Minister also challenged his political opponents to have a look at the various measures taken by his government which have resulted in creation of jobs. Migration of Bihari youth to other states and unemployment were recently flagged as a major political issue for the state by Kishor and CPIs Kanhaiya Kumar. Kishor, the JD(U)s national vice-president, was expelled from the party by Kumar in January, after he raised question on the Bihar Chief Ministers support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, passed by Parliament in December last year. Kishor parted ways after stinging attack on Kumar, who he called was a father like figure for him, and vowed to work for the betterment of Bihar. He has since launched Baat Biar Ki programme to connect with youths in the state where elections are due later this year. The campaign will start the registration of like-minded youths who want to join hands with Kishor to develop Bihar in the next 10-15 years. Kishors Baat Bihar Ki programme is aimed at making Bihar one of the 10 best states in the country. The noted strategist is also said to be in talks with different political parties ahead of the Bihar assembly polls. President Donald Trump and President of the Republic of Colombia Ivan Duque Marquez address the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 2, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) Trump Asks Pharmaceutical Companies to Accelerate Coronavirus Vaccine Development President Donald Trump on Monday asked pharmaceutical companies to accelerate development of vaccines for the new coronavirus. Trump, speaking in Washington, will meet with executives from the companies later on Monday at the White House along with members of his Coronavirus Task Force. The discussion will center around a vaccine or a cure for the new virus, which causes a disease called COVID-19. Twenty-three new cases were reported in the United States over the weekend, including the first two deaths from the new disease. Weve asked them to accelerate whatever theyre doing in terms of a vaccine, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The meeting was prescheduled and originally intended to be about drug prices, the president said. His administration, he said, has brought drug prices down for the first time in 51 years. 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) Trump and other top officials told Americans on Saturday that the risk to the American public from the new virus remains low. The American public needs to go on with their normal lives, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said. Healthy individuals are likely to recover, Trump said. Federal officials and some companies are working on creating vaccines for the virus, with several in development. Trials for a vaccine are expected to start in about six weeks, a top official said on Feb. 25. Moderna, a U.S.-based company, sent the first batch of an experimental vaccine earlier that day. Development of a vaccine takes time, with a phase one trial of around three months followed by a wider phase two trial of at least six months. If a vaccine passes the trials, it takes additional time to scale up for major distribution. Supporters wear medical masks, as fears of coronavirus increase in California, during a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California on March 1, 2020. (David McNew/Getty Images) Testing is also being done in other countries on possible vaccines, including in Australia. Clinical trials are being done on potential therapeutics, or treatments, for the virus, drawing from existing medicines. A top candidate is Gilead Sciences remdesivir, which is being tested in the United States, Japan, and China. World Health Organization (WHO) officials told reporters in Geneva on Monday that containment of the virus is still the focus, with the hope of breaking chains of transmission. Even if transmission isnt ultimately avoided, the strategy lets countries train workers, obtain more equipment, and otherwise prepare for spread of the virus, Dr. Mike Ryan, WHOs director of emergencies program, said. At the very least, by doing that we give all the health systems in the world a chance to prepare and, potentially, develop therapeutics and vaccines to prevent it. This is about containment and buying time, and in doing that we can save a lot of lives. Other efforts revolve around studying the virus and the COVID-19 disease, and trying to figure out how exactly it behaves, Ryan said. Questions remain around its transmission and case fatalities, as well as its origins. Its not influenza and its not behaving like influenza. It is behaving like COVID-19. The problem is, we dont know exactly how COVID-19 behaves, he said. The fact that its transmitting differently than the flu offers a chink of light that the virus can be contained, Ryan said. Marsupials such as kangaroos or wallabies are known for their very different reproductive strategy compared to other mammals. They give birth to their young at a very early stage and significant development occurs during a lengthy lactation period in which the offspring spends most of its time in a pouch. Although in some marsupials new ovulation happens only a few hours after giving birth, the regular consecutive stages of ovulation, fertilization, pregnancy and lactation are respected - with one exception: Reproduction specialists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), Germany, and the University of Melbourne, Australia, recently demonstrated that swamp wallabies ovulate, mate and form a new embryo before the birth of the previous offspring. They thereby continuously support embryos and young at different development stages before and after birth. These findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Using high-resolution ultrasound to monitor reproduction in swamp wallabies during pregnancy, Prof Thomas Hildebrandt (Leibniz-IZW and University of Melbourne), Dr Brandon Menzies and Prof Marilyn Renfree (both from University of Melbourne) were able to confirm what has been suspected for a long time: swamp wallaby females ovulate, mate and form a new embryo whilst already carrying a full-term fetus that they will soon give birth to. The new embryo enters embryonic diapause until the new-born offspring leaves the pouch nine months later. Thus, when the embryonic diapause is included, females are continuously pregnant throughout their reproductive life, a unique reproductive strategy that completely blurs the normal staged system of reproduction in mammals. This phenomenon is made possible by two anatomically completely separated uteri and cervices connected to ovaries by their oviducts. "This is true for all marsupials, but the unique overlapping reproductive cycles seem to be a special feature of the swamp wallabies", says Renfree. Normally, ovulation alternates between the two ovaries. "All female macropodid marsupials - essentially kangaroos, wallabies and a few other groups of species - except the swamp wallaby have an oestrous cycle longer than the duration of their pregnancy, so females come into oestrus, ovulate and mate within hours after birth." It has been suspected for some time that swamp wallabies might conceive during an active pregnancy, because the oestrous cycle of the swamp wallaby is shorter than the duration of their pregnancy and there have been reports about mating before the birth of the previous offspring. Such a "superfetation" has previously been only described (by Leibniz-IZW scientists) for the European brown hare where females copulate again three to four days before the birth of the incumbent young, forming new conceptuses during an active pregnancy. In order to confirm superfetation in swamp wallabies, the scientists removed the pouch young of ten females to reactivate the dormant blastocysts (early stage embryo). They then monitored the development of the blastocyst in four of these ten females using high-resolution ultrasound. All females gave birth at around 30 days after the young had been removed. Parallel to the embryo development in one uterus, the scientists closely examined the opposite ovary. There, follicles started to appear and grow. At day 26 of the pregnancy the ultrasound examination showed that the conceptus had developed into a fetus with the head, limbs and heartbeat clearly visible - and at day 28 and 29 the largest follicle in the opposite (contralateral) ovary had ovulated and a new corpus luteum was evident. The other six females that were not scanned with ultrasound were regularly examined for sperm. Sperm was identified in the urogenital tract one to two days before birth but at no other time. "These results clearly demonstrate that swamp wallabies ovulate and mate one to two days before birth, during an existing pregnancy", says Hildebrandt. Pregnancies of eutherian mammals (most mammals, i.e. the most taxonomically diverse of the three branches of mammals) greatly exceed the length of the oestrous cycle, so during mammalian evolution, there has been selection pressure to extend the duration of pregnancy. Among marsupials (who form a second taxonomic branch of mammals), gestation in most macropodids encompasses almost the entire duration of the oestrous cycle. The swamp wallaby takes this one step further with its pre-partum oestrus, allowing this marsupial's gestation length to exceed the oestrous cycle length. Sadly, many of these unique animals have been lost in the current disastrous bushfires in Australia this summer. ### COLUMBUS, Ohio - Backers of a campaign seeking to expand Ohios voter access laws were dealt a blow on Monday, after a state panel voted to break a single proposed ballot measure into four separate parts. In a party-line 3-2 vote, the Ohio Ballot Boards Republican members ruled the proposed constitutional amendment was actually four separate topics and that each should be a separate ballot question: elections administration, voter registration, voting rights for citizens with disabilities and a requirement for a post-election audit. They sided against the campaign backing the measure, and with the Ohio Republican Party, which sent an attorney to Mondays ballot board meeting to argue in favor of splitting the amendment. That ruling means the amendment campaign now would have to collect more than 1.7 million valid voter signatures or four times the 442,958 required for a single issue from 44 of Ohios 88 counties, by July to get on the November ballot. The signatures could be from the same voters though, since voters would be allowed to sign petitions for multiple issues. Don McTigue, an attorney for Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections, the campaign group backing the measure, said his group will consider appealing the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court. The ACLU is backing the campaign, which also has landed endorsements from the NAACP, Planned Parenthood and other progressive groups. What really happened today is the Ohio Republican Party came in and got three Republican members to break this into multiple issues, because thats a strategic decision. It costs several million dollars to circulate one petition statewide, and now theyve quadrupled the cost," he said. He added: It becomes cost-prohibitive. And this is how you strategically reduce the opportunity for the citizens of Ohio to be able to vote on expanding their voting rights. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican who chairs the ballot board, said the panels decision wasnt a partisan one. On the merits of what was presented to us, to me, it was clear that these were four separate matters, LaRose said. Under the initial proposal, Ohioans would automatically be registered to vote upon applying for or renewing a drivers license or other state-issued ID. It also would allow eligible Ohioans to register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day throughout the early voting period. This would reinstate and expand what previously was referred to as Golden Week, which the Republican-controlled state legislature eliminated in 2014. It also contains language ensuring disabled Ohioans have full and equal access to register to vote and to voting and requiring a post-election audit for accuracy. Anne Marie Sferra, a Columbus attorney appearing on behalf of the Ohio Republican Party, said the amendment as designed was an example of logrolling -- that is, adding unrelated, noncontroversial elements to a controversial proposal to try to gain public support. She urged the ballot board to consider splitting the proposal into four, five or six parts to reduce voter confusion. It might be that a voter would be in favor of access to disabled voters for registration and to vote, but might not be in favor of same-day registration. Yet, they could not be able to vote for one without the other, she said. Democratic ballot board members said Mondays decision flew in the face of two recent, major precedents. One, a 2010 Ohio Supreme Court ruling that kept an anti-Obamacare amendment intact, that said the ballot board has a clear legal duty to liberally construe amendment proposals as long as the citizen-initiated proposed amendment bears some reasonable relationship to a single general object or purpose." And two, 2017s Marsys Law, a constitutional amendment with multiple components that expanded rights for victims of crimes. While youre delineating this as different subjects, I see it as one, which is very simply the right of an eligible voter to be able to vote in an election, and the method by which that person is able to vote," said state Rep. Paula Hicks Hudson, a Democratic ballot board member. The proposed automatic-voter registration amendment is similar to a proposal, also backed by the ACLU, that was approved in 2018 by Michigan voters by a 2-to-1-margin. That measure was backed by a $4 million campaign, funded by the ACLU, labor unions and other progressive groups. The Michigan proposal was supported by the states Democratic candidates and was opposed by Republican candidates, who particularly criticized the same-day registration and voting component. Having these separate and unique issues tied up into one ballot issue would lead to confusion at the polling location," said Evan Machan, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party. "We felt strongly that this was more than one issue and are happy with the Ballot Boards decision. Toni Webb, campaign manager for Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections, said she is extremely disappointed by the decision. We are reviewing all our options on how to proceed. Today the ballot board chose politics over people and demonstrated why it is necessary for us to go directly to the voters to approve of common sense updates to Ohios laws to make voting more secure, fair and accessible, she said. Read other recent state news: JobsOhio reports lower jobs numbers, larger staff for 2019 If recreational marijuana became legal in Ohio, what would happen to the medical marijuana program? Ohio Democrats ask for investigation into Trump allies Cleveland cash giveaway Gov. Mike DeWine signs new law legalizing earplug use for Ohio motorcyclists Ohio BMV considering allowing online document submission in Real ID applications, following DHS ruling New Delhi, March 2 : The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court the reason for detention in the dossier on Omar Abdullah indicates existence of "live and proximate link" in the events that occurred in the past, and that there is a strong possibility of activities of Abdullah causing prejudice to the maintenance of public order, especially due to the geographical proximity with Pakistan. The Jammu and Kashmir administration, which is a Union Territory, in its response said former chief minister Omar Abdullah has been a vocal critic of Article 370 even before its abrogation before August 5. "It is submitted that considering very peculiar geopolitical position of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and its proximity to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the concept of public order needs to be examined contextually," said the affidavit filed in the top court. The Centre also emphasized that Abdullah "squarely fell within the realm of public order, as it was calculated to disturb public peace and tranquillity. It is needless to emphasise that the incitement of public at large, pertains to public order." After a brief hearing on the matter, the Supreme Court said: "Matter pertaining to liberty can be entertained", and agreed to hear a plea by Sara Abdullah Pilot, challenging detention of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and her brother Omar Abdullah. Pilot had filed a habeas corpus in the top court. Attorney General (AG) K.K. Venugopal, representing the Jammu and Kashmir administration, contended before a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra that no reason has been produced by the petitioner for not moving the High Court in the matter. "Even in detention matters, one is supposed to move the High Court at the first instance", said the AG, citing data on petitions of similar nature filed before the High Court and the progress made on them. The administration also cited there is enough material and grounds to continue Abdullah's detention considering the "past conduct and the possibility of such conduct being repeated on release and thereby prejudcing the public order in the Union Territory." "Matter pertains to liberty can be entertained", said Justice Mishra listing the matter for final disposal on Thursday this week. The court also took on record the response of the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Justice Mishra observed that there is another similar matter -- a plea filed by daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. The court indicated the listing of the matter for hearing on Tuesday, but the AG cited his inability to attend, as he has a special bench. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is also representing the Jammu and and Kashmir administration, contended before the court that his reply is ready and that he has shared a copy of it with the petitioner. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Pilot, said the reply was handed over before the beginning of the hearing, but then there is no issue with it. Abdullah has been detained under Public Safety Act since February 5. The Budget has changed the rules for Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin visiting India. Instead of 182 days, the number of days has been reduced to 120. You will be treated as a resident of India for tax purposes if you stay in the country for more than 120 days in a financial year and 365 days in the past four years. One consequence of the change will be that people of Indian origin who reside outside India will be able to spend a smaller number of days in the country if they wish to keep their non-resident status intact, points out Sanjay Kumar Singh. In Budget 2020, the residency rules that determine how a person's income is taxed, were changed. Experts say that it has become very crucial for a person who spends a limited amount of time in India to keep track of how many days he has been residing in the country. If he fails to do so, and does not comply with the tax-filing provisions, he could fall foul of the income tax authorities. Change in the 182-day rule Residency rules determine how a person is taxed. And residency depends on the number of days that a person is physically present in India. Those who are non-residents, and those who are resident-not-ordinarily-resident (RNOR) are liable for taxation only on their India-sourced income (or income that arises in India). On the other hand, once a person becomes resident-ordinarily-resident (ROR), he becomes liable for taxation on his global income as well. A person is considered to be a resident of India if he stays in the country for 182 days or more, or if he stays in India for 60 days in one year and cumulatively for 365 days in the past four years. If a person fulfils either of these two conditions, he is considered a resident of India. And if he does not fulfil both these conditions, he is considered a non-resident. In the case of Indian citizens who leave India for the purpose of employment, only the 182-day condition applies. They are not tested on the 60-cum-365-day criterion. The same holds true for Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin settled outside India when they visit the country. They, too, are tested only on the 182-day condition. The Budget changed the rules for Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin visiting India. Instead of 182 days, the number of days has been reduced to 120. You will be treated as a resident of India for tax purposes if you stay in the country for more than 120 days in a financial year and 365 days in the past four years. One consequence of the change will be that people of Indian origin who reside outside India will be able to spend a smaller number of days in the country if they wish to keep their non-resident status intact. Experts say the change was made because the government felt that people were misusing the 182-day provision to manage their residency. In last year's income-tax forms, the tax authorities had introduced a column. Persons of Indian origin, who are non-resident, have to mention their number of days in India. The immigration department also captures this information. "The details that you file in your income tax form about your stay in India could be validated against the information available with the Immigration authorities, hence make sure that you make the correct disclosure," says Kuldip Kumar, partner and leader, personal tax, PwC India. The 730-day clause removed Based on the above mentioned two conditions, a person could be deemed a resident of India. He is deemed to be RNOR if he fulfils either of two criteria: During the past seven financial years, he should have stayed in India for less than 730 days, or he should have been a non-resident in nine out of the past 10 years. Now, the 730-day criterion has been removed altogether. A person will now become RNOR if he has been non-resident in India in seven out of the past 10 years. This change will have an impact on expatriates who come to work in India. Earlier, they used to become resident ordinarily resident (ROR) in the third or fourth year. Now they will become ROR only in the fifth year, which means that they will get an extra year before their global income is taxed in India. "The government has relaxed the rules for expatriates," says Rupali Singhania, Partner, Areete Consultants LLP. Concept of deemed residency introduced For the first time, the Indian government has introduced the concept of deemed residency. If a person is not liable to pay tax in any overseas jurisdiction by virtue of his domicile or residence, then he will be considered a deemed resident of India. Suppose that a person goes to work in the UAE. He has stayed in India for less than 182 days that year. He becomes a non-resident in India and a resident in UAE. But UAE does not levy personal income tax on residents. By virtue of the deeming provision, such a person will be considered a resident of India. A large number of families from India go to work in UAE. They would have become liable to pay tax in India on their global income. After there was a hue and cry, the government issued the clarification that it does not intend to tax such people on their overseas income. The details of how the new deeming provision will work have not yet been provided. The impact Many people who run businesses that span multiple geographies tend to spend a lot of time outside the country. They could become non-resident because of the change of rule from 182 days to 120. Persons going out of the country on work assignments will need to plan their schedules better to deal with this change of criterion. Many NRIs, especially older ones, who live in parts of Europe or America that tend to have very harsh winters, spend almost half the year in India. Such people will have to reduce the amount of time they spend in the country if they wish to retain their non-resident status for tax purposes. When a person's status changes from non-resident to resident, then besides the change in the way he is taxed, he also has to make changes to his finances. "Interest income on NRE (non-resident external) and FCNR (foreign currency non-resident) accounts, which are tax free when you are a non-resident, will become taxable once your status changes to resident," says Vishal Dhawan, chief financial planner, Plan Ahead Wealth Advisors. You also have to convert these accounts into resident accounts. Some financial products, which are not accessible to non-residents, become available, such as the 7.75 per cent Savings (Taxable) Bonds from the Reserve Bank of India. In case of Public Provident Fund (PPF), persons who become non-resident can continue to hold their accounts for 15 years, but they cannot extend them. They will be able to do so once they become residents. The income-tax rate applicable could work either to a person's advantage or disadvantage, depending on the country that he lived in as a non-resident. "In the Middle East, there is no taxation, so tax rates in India will be higher for such a person. On the other hand, certain countries in Europe have even higher tax rates than in India, so the rates prevailing in India will appear more attractive to such a person," says Dhawan. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said Dhaka expects New Delhi to understand his country's concerns about the recent developments in India over the amended citizenship act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India in December over the prevailing situation following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the Indian Parliament. Dhaka was also apparently upset following the roll out of the NRC in Assam even though India repeatedly conveyed to it that the issue was an internal matter of the country. During a meeting with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Momen said Dhaka expects Delhi to understand Bangladesh's concerns about the recent developments in India over the CAA and the NRC. He also expressed his fears if the developments could weaken India. Shringla said the current unrest in India over the CAA were "temporary" and will be settled soon. He reiterated New Delhi's assurance that NRC and CAA would have no impact on Bangladesh. "This (NRC) is a process that is entirely internal to India...You have our assurance on that count," he said. Dhaka is worried over reports that India may send back thousands of Bangladeshi immigrants under the new citizenship law according to which members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had taken up the issue of NRC with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their bilateral meeting in New York in September. Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh tweeted that Shringla conveyed to Momen that "India is looking forward to a successful visit" of Prime Minister Modi for 'Mujib Borsho (Year)'. The Bangladesh government will observe 'Mujib Borsho (year)' from mid-March to March 2021 across the globe. Modi is expected to visit Dhaka on March 17. According to a bdnews report, Momen also aired concerns over killings of Bangladeshis by India's Border Security Force (BSF) and said these do not go with "friendship". Shringla assured Momen of steps to stop the killings, the foreign minister was quoted as saying by the report. Earlier in the day, Shringla met his Bangladeshi counterpart during which the two leaders held discussions on the plans for Modi's upcoming visit to Dhaka to inaugurate the birth centenary celebrations of the country's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "Foreign Secretary of #India, Harsh Vardhan Shringla met his counterpart Foreign Secretary of #Bangladesh Mr. Masud Bin Mamun on March 2. Warm and friendly discussions on the #IndiaBangladesh partnership and plans for PM Narendra Modi's visit for #MujibBorsho," the High Commission tweeted. Shringla also met Awami League Secretary General and Minister of Road, Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader, it said. The two leaders agreed that the relation between the two countries is of highest priority for both sides. They focussed on the need for efforts to continue to strengthen the partnership, the High Commission said. Earlier, addressing a seminar on 'Bangladesh & India: A Promising Future', Shringla, who previously served as India's high commissioner in Dhaka, said, "It is a pleasure to be in Dhaka, a city that always feels like a second home." He said his tenure as India's High Commissioner in Dhaka "was one of the most fulfilling postings" of his career. Noting that Prime Minister Modi has been specially invited to participate in the inaugural ceremony of 'Mujib Barsho', Shringla said, "We are looking forward to this visit, both because of the priority the Prime Minister attaches to this relationship, and even more so, because Bangabandhu is just so iconic - as a globally-recognized statesman and iconic symbol of liberation for Bangladesh and for our subcontinent." "For us in India, there is a special resonance to his name. He is as revered and as remembered in India, as he is here in Bangladesh," he added. The Foreign Secretary said in India too, there is a special resonance to Bangabandhu's name. He is as revered and as remembered in India, as he is in Bangladesh. "As Prime Minister Modi has said, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is our national hero too. We are honoured to be part of the celebrations, including through the joint production of a special feature film on the life of Bangabandhu," Shringla said. Bangladesh has taken a series of initiatives to celebrate the 'Mujib Year', including to make a film on the Bangabandhu by noted Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MARCH 2, 2020 With the computer science industry continuously growing and evolving, UTSA is giving students a space to create and innovate to help add more skills to their toolbelts for the future. For 24-hours, the H-E-B Student Union will turn into a tech hub as the university hosts its annual RowdyHacks event March 2829. RowdyHacks is a 24-hour hackathon that our club, the Association for Computing Machinery, puts on every year that we've been doing for five years, said Anna Arroyo, a UTSA senior who is ACM vice president and RowdyHacks manager. If youre unfamiliar with what a hackathon is, its like a coding competition, where students will get in teams, and theyll try to build some kind of product by the end of the 24-hour cycle. Theyll then demo whatever they created at the end and compete for prizes. One thing that weve been trying to do over the past couple of years is integrating more majors. Unlike other hackathons that are geared toward people with computer science backgrounds, RowdyHacks is a program for people from all walks of life. One thing that weve been trying to do over the past couple of years is integrating more majors than just computer science into the hackathon, said Matt Moore, ACM president and a senior at UTSA. We want to get rid of the stigma that its just for people that know how to code. We want people of all skill levels and backgrounds to be part of our event. By bringing in different college disciplines, a good foundation is created, said Mark Robinson, ACM faculty sponsor and assistant professor of practice in the Department of Computer Science. Leaders on the RowdyHacks Competition We want all college disciplines to participate: art, business, engineering, language, science. A great idea can come from anywhere and great ideas are the foundation of a good hackathon, Robinson said. In the past few years, engineering teams have done very well at RowdyHacks, in addition to science. Art and music students have been on some of those teams. Students have the opportunity to compete in three different categories: cybersecurity track, learners track and the general track. Last year we saw a lot of cyber-focused projects, so with San Antonio kind of being like a cyber hub we thought itd be a good idea to offer its own track, Arroyo said. Its for students who want to do projects focused on security-related topics or make some kind of security tool. Then if youre not really a first-time coder and youre not really interested in securitybut you do want to make something elsewe just have our general track. You can make a website, or you can make an app. Thats pretty much where everything else fits. For those who have never coded, theres the learner track, Arroyo added. This year were offering a special learner track for students who have never coded before or they dont feel comfortable in other competitions competing with people who are like senior-level CS majors, she said. They have their own like separate workshops at the event to kind of walk them through how to get started with making their own project. Explore what the Association for Computing Machinery at UTSA. Learn more about RowdyHacks. Similar to the variety of participants the event attracts, the same goes for the projects created. Last year the judges saw anything from a glove that helps deaf people feel music to a smart trash can that utilizes artificial intelligence to separate garbage from recyclables. During the event, students also have the opportunity to mingle with companies present at RowdyHacks. Over the last five years ACM, an organization run fully by UTSA undergraduate and graduate students, has made it their mission to evolve RowdyHacks from a single classroom event to something that expects as many as 400 participants from all over the county to attend this year. Were really proud of how far weve come, Moore said, and we just want to keep on improving on how we can make it better. The hard-liners victory in Irans parliamentary election Feb. 21 seemed clearly predictable, but this did not stop them from celebrating and bragging about how they delivered a big blow to the Reformists. Perhaps they still felt the sting of previous elections. In 2013, after Reformist-backed Hassan Rouhanis presidential victory, the Reformists and moderates set their sights on also taking over the parliament in 2016 and they succeeded. They won all 30 seats in Tehran province, which was a major disappointment to hard-liners and conservatives, who were striving to obstruct Rouhanis attempt to ink a nuclear deal with world powers. The 2016 parliamentary race inspired a respectable 62% turnout to pave the way for Rouhani and the Reformists to bring about fundamental change in the country. But neither the Reformists nor Rouhani fulfilled the publics expectations, angering people as they witnessed how their elected officials caved in and gave up on their promises. Rouhani and the Reformists sought to carry out change, especially in the area of Iran-US ties, but their efforts were blocked by radicals in Tehran to a large extent. And then, following his election as the US president in 2016, Donald Trump quickly delivered a death blow to the reform current and much of Rouhanis influence. This year, voter turnout was a disappointing 42.6% the lowest since the 1979 revolution and only about 25% in the capital. Many possible reasons are being given, from dispirited voters, to calls for a boycott, to the coronavirus. The hard-line Guardian Council no doubt discouraged many Reformists from voting. The council holds veto power over legislation and determines which would-be candidates actually reach the ballot. This year the council disqualified dozens of Reformist hopefuls. The Guardian Council, along with the Expediency Council which resolves the formers disputes with parliament have undermined parliaments power. For instance, in the past year, Irans parliament passed four bills presented by Rouhanis administration regarding demands by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) pertaining to money laundering and terrorist funding but the Guardian Council and Expediency Council blocked all four. The Reformists knew months ago that much of their base was adamant about boycotting this years election, especially after the Guardian Council stacked the electoral deck with nearly all hard-line and conservative candidates. But some Reformist party leaders thirst for power led them to ignore calls for a boycott. Instead, party leader Mohammad Khatami voted right in front of cameras to encourage his base to show up at polling stations. It did not work. Khatami is usually a cautious figure. He makes minimal demands, not willing to cross the redlines of the Islamic Republic establishment. He has always tried to lead the reform current based on an uncontentious platform. As Khatamis image appears tarnished now, some observers suggest the Reformist currents days are numbered. But a new seed seems to be growing in the minds of the Reformists. There is talk they are looking at former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi to become the sole leader of the fragile movement. Mousavi has been under house arrest since 2011, after he, as the Reformist presidential candidate in 2009, stated the ballots were rigged. In the meantime, we are going to witness a change of game in Irans politics: The scene is limited to competition among the various groups inside the hard-liners camp, with the Reformists fully excluded from the field. This kind of scenario has occurred before. In the 1980s, the far-left Followers of the Imam (Khate Emami), who are the current Reformists, plotted against religious nationalist groups, including the Nehzat-e Azadi party, and Mahdi Bazargan, the first prime minister of Iran after the 1979 revolution. Their attempt was fruitful. But the Reformists have regretted their past behavior, as they believe the liberal views of the pro-democracy Bazargan were correct and rational. Now the ground is set for the hard-liners to once again see their dream come true: chairing the executive branch in 2021, while they already have the parliament and judiciary under their control. In this vein, former top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and newly elected parliament member Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf a former mayor of Tehran who is expected to become parliament speaker along with a number of other hard-liners appear to be in the race to ascend to the presidency. Ultraconservatives domination over the three power branches in Iran would have a slim silver lining for their rivals: Hard-liners and radicals would no longer be able to blame the countrys dire economic situation on Rouhani and the Reformists. Might it even be possible that the Reformists would welcome such a day, as they are fed up with the far-right obstructing their desired choices for parliament and president, and want to see how their rivals fare running the country based on their radical views? Some voices propose that the power should be given fully to the radicals so they can enjoy complete authority with no possible obstacles. In a recent interview with local media, Ali Motahari, an outspoken parliamentarian, argues that having radicals rule the legislature and administration would make them realize that they cant run the country based solely on their extreme views. It is crystal clear to many people that the hard-liners constant criticisms stem from their desire to kick the liberals out of the power centers forever. Nonetheless, in spite of their loud voices, the hard-liners may soften their policies and political positions when they encounter reality. They might even seek ways to save the 2015 nuclear deal and improve foreign policy. A member of a council that advises Iran's supreme leader died on Monday after falling sick from the new coronavirus, state radio reported, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness that is affecting members of the Islamic Republic's leadership. The death of Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi came as Iran announced the virus had killed 66 people among 1,501 confirmed cases in the country. Iran has the highest death toll in the world after China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Mirmohammadi died at a north Tehran hospital of the virus, state radio said. He was 71. The council advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as settles disputes between the top cleric and parliament. His death comes as other top officials have contracted the virus in Iran. Those sick include Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar, better known as "Sister Mary," the English-speaking spokeswoman for the students who seized the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and sparked the 444-day hostage crisis, state media reported. Also sick is Iraj Harirchi, the head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus who tried to downplay the virus before falling ill. Iran has reported 978 confirmed cases of the new virus with 54 deaths from the illness it causes, called COVID-19. Across the wider Mideast, there are over 1,150 cases of the new coronavirus, the majority of which are linked back to Iran. Experts worry Iran's percentage of deaths to infections, around 5.5 per cent, is much higher than other countries, suggesting the number of infections in Iran may be much higher than current figures show. Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei, himself addressing journalists by teleconference over concerns about the virus, acknowledged the challenges remaining for the Islamic Republic. "We will have two difficult weeks ahead," he said. Trying to stem the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Iran also on Monday held an online-only briefing by its Foreign Ministry. China as well has held similar teleconference briefings. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi opened the online conference addressing the outbreak, dismissing an offer of help for Iran by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iran and the US have seen some of the worst tensions since its 1979 Islamic Revolution in recent months, culminating in the American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and a subsequent Iranian ballistic missile counterattack against US forces. "We neither count on such help nor are we ready to accept verbal help," Mousavi said. He added Iran has always been "suspicious" about America's intentions and accused the US government of trying to weaken Iranians' spirits over the outbreak. Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi acknowledged some people had begun stockpiling medical supplies for profit in the country, urging prosecutors to show "no mercy for hoarders." "Hoarding sanitizing items is playing with people's lives and it is not ignorable," Raisi said. Raisi also urged officials to grant maximum leave to prisoners. Activists have raised concern about the spread of the new coronavirus in Iran's prisons. The British Embassy meanwhile has begun evacuations over the virus. "Essential staff needed to continue critical work will remain, the British Foreign Office said. "In the event that the situation deteriorates further, the ability of the British Embassy to provide assistance to British nationals from within Iran may be limited." While Iran has closed schools and universities to stop the spread of the virus, major Shiite shrines have remained open despite civilian authorities calling for them to be closed. The holy cities of Mashhad and Qom in particular, both home to shrines, have been hard-hit by the virus. Shiites often touch and kiss shrines as a sign of their faith. Authorities have been cleaning the shrines with disinfectants. Police have arrested one man who posted a video showing himself licking the metal enclosing the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, the most-important Shiite saint buried in the country, according to reports by semiofficial agencies. In the video, the man said he licked the metal to "allow others to visit the shrine with peace of mind." Meanwhile on Monday, the virus outbreak saw itself dragged into the yearslong boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations over a political dispute. A prominent columnist at Dubai's government-owned Al-Bayan newspaper on Twitter falsely described the virus as being a plot by Qatar to hurt the upcoming Expo 2020 world's fair in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Noura al-Moteari later described the tweet as satire" to The Associated Press after it gained widespread attention. The Dubai Media Office similarly described the tweet as being written in a cynical style while distancing the Arabic-language daily from al-Moteari. Noura is a freelance writer and is not an employee of Al-Bayan nor does she represent the publication's views, it told the AP. "That being said, this has no relevance to any social media policy being practiced by the publication nor the state." The tweet comes after Qatar expressed disappointment on Sunday that nearly all of its Gulf neighbours snubbed invitations to attend the weekend peace signing ceremony between the US and the Taliban. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amy Klobuchar is dropping out of the presidential race and planning to endorse Joe Bidens bid for the Democratic nomination, according to multiple news reports. Klobuchar, the U.S. senator from Minnesota, had pitched herself as someone who could attract not only moderate Democrats but independent voters. She drops out the day before Super Tuesday, when 14 states will hold contests. She will endorse Biden, the former vice president and native of Scranton, according to Politico, The Associated Press and other outlets. Biden is coming off a big victory in South Carolina and hoping to position himself as the chief alternative to Bernie Sanders, who leads in national polls among the Democratic contenders. Klobuchar outlasted some rivals for the nomination who entered the contest with higher name recognition. She had a strong showing in the New Hampshire primary, where she finished third, behind Sanders and Pete Buttigieg and ahead of Biden and Elizabeth Warren. Klobuchars move comes a day after Buttigieg ended his campaign. On Saturday, Tom Steyer dropped his bid for the White House, as the Democratic field is starting to thin out. Buttigieg also plans to announce his endorsement of Biden later today, the AP and other outlets reported. However, Klobuchar faced a tough battle in the Super Tuesday states, including her home state of Minnesota, where polls showed her in a tight race with Sanders. More from PennLive Will Pennsylvanias primary election finally matter? Super Tuesday may provide an answer 1995-2022 Hospitality Net All rights reservedHospitality Net is powered by Hsyndicate Forbes Vietnams 2020 list of the 30 most outstanding faces under 30 includes Nguyen Van An born in 1992 from Bac Giang province. As one of five co-founders of Sach va Hanh Dong (Books and Actions) the project kicked off in 2013 and An became the manager of the project in 2018. Nguyen Van An (in white shirt) Under the project, 260 book clubs with more than 5,000 members from universities, junior colleges and high schools have been established in 29 cities/provinces. In 2014-2018, the project created a community library with over 40,000 books for reading and lending, free of charge. When I was a schoolboy, I was quiet and shy. Though my learning records were quite good, I was among top 5 or top 10 students of the school (Yen Dung 2 High School reporter). As my friends, the excellent students, could get the awards from the school and shake hands with the principal, I felt a bit envious, Dung recalled the school days. Later, at university, Dung said to his friends that he will do something special to be able to go back to the school and shake hands with the principal. Forbes Vietnams 2020 list of the 30 most outstanding faces under 30 includes Nguyen Van An born in 1992 from Bac Giang province. An began doing something special when he was a third-year student of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology. He and the other four university students drew up an ambitious plan. After some events, including the cross-country jogging integrated with the message of encouraging reading and the call for building a free library, in November 2013, they successfully built a Books and Actions Club at a university in Hanoi. In 2014, the first Books and Actions club at a high school was established. An said the first phase of building book clubs was the hardest period for An and his co-workers. We visitedevery high school and university to ask for permission to set up book clubs. However, we were refused by many schools, An related. The teachers said that the club model wont be able to exist at high schools. Some teachers refused the project because the students of the school dont like reading books. However, An and his co-workers did not give up. Finally, the first Books and Actions Club at general school was built at Yen Dung 2 High School, where An went to. After contacting nearly 500 schools, An and volunteers managed to build nearly 260 book clubs. There are two major activities for each club. First, encouraging students to read books and have the habit of reading books. Second, calling students to donate books and raising funds by picking up bottles, selling goods, jogging, organizing events and training programs. In the future, the man from Bac Giang hopes he can set up 1,000 book clubs nationwide. Le Huyen Hanoi student wins scholarships to five US high schools A Vietnamese student has just won scholarships to five high schools in the US. SALINAS (BCN) Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced Friday that Salinas resident Juan Ramos Loma was sentenced to 16 years in prison for child molestation. Monterey County Superior Court Judge Carrie Panetta handed the sentence down Thursday just over a month after Loma, 38, pleaded guilty to felony charges of forcible child molestation of a child under 14 years and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 years. According to Pacioni's office, both offenses are considered strikes under California's so-called three strikes law. The victim in the case, an anonymous woman, reported in April 2018 that Loma had molested her both on top of and under her clothes on several occasions when she was between the ages of 11 and 14 years old. Jane Doe said the incidents occurred while she and Loma were in a room with other people who were asleep at the time. Jane Doe said she made various efforts to stop Loma's advances but was not always successful. She also said she did not immediately report the assaults out of fear of getting Loma in trouble. Loma pleaded guilty to the charges Jan. 16 and, as part of his sentence, will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He will also be barred from contacting the case's victim for 10 years, the maximum time allowed for a restraining order. 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. STROUDSBURG, Pa. - A Monroe County judge will decide whether to accept a plea from a man accused of killing and shooting a worker inside the Paradise Township Municipal Building in 2018. David Green is expected to plead guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder on Monday. Green, 72, is accused of killing Michael Tripus, a codes and sewer enforcement officer in Paradise Township. Man accused in deadly Paradise Township shooting appears in court A man police say was involved in a deadly shooting at the Paradise Township, Monroe County municipal building in November 2018 appeared in cou The two had been in talks since Green had been having problems with mold and sewage problems in his home and was seeking permits prior to the incident. According to court records, Green told investigators he pulled the trigger and killed Tripus while he was at work in the township building. They also indicate Green said he wanted to meet with Tripus because he was under a lot of pressure, but that he also doesn't know what happened. Green, at one point after he was arrested, showed remorse leaving court. Suspect in Paradise Township shooting: 'I'm really sorry' A community in the Poconos is in shock after a deadly shooting at their municipal building. "I'm very sorry for what I did," he told reporters. A judge will decide whether to approve or deny Green's guilty but mentally ill plea Monday. A third degree murder charge comes with a sentence of 20 to 40 years behind bars. The vast majority of people will find it barely comprehensible that it costs 55,000 a year to house one prisoner in a jail in Northern Ireland The vast majority of people will find it barely comprehensible that it costs 55,000 a year to house one prisoner in a jail in Northern Ireland. This figure, which was released to Jim Wells MLA after he put down an Assembly question, is equivalent to 150 a day - a sum which would pay for a night's lodging in all but Northern Ireland's ritziest hotels. The overall cost of keeping prisoners behind bars was 69m in 2018-19, which was down slightly from 73m in 2016-17. Even though Justice Minister Naomi Long said that the cost per prisoner here in 2019-20 was expected to fall by almost 11,000, this figure is well above those of England and Wales (43,000) and Scotland (40,000). The fact that the individual prisoner costs can be reduced here by 20% in just one financial year suggests that the 55,000 figure contained considerable padding, and this reduction may hold out hopes for the future. The hard reality is that imprisoning people is always going to be an expensive business. If incarceration is to be about anything more than denying prisoners their liberty, and also about education and rehabilitation for example, then that will come at a cost which people will have to judge in its overall context. Clearly, public safety is another key aspect of penal policy. Society requires ongoing protection from a certain class of violent criminal, and it would seem an eminently sensible way of spending tax revenues to provide this. While this is understood, as well as the question of who deserves to be in prison, there is also a clear corollary question - namely who are the people who should not be in our prisons? A disproportionate number of young female prisoners are in jail for non-payment of fines for not having a TV licence. The Government's mooted scrapping of this outdated practice would be a welcome boon to the Prison Service budget - and hence the taxpayer - while also satisfying the wider principles of justice. The whole question of justice is itself complex, not only in terms of financing those who are sent to prison, but also in determining legally that our justice system is transparent and is fair. The BBC licence is coming under scrutiny, but it does seem that imprisonment for non-payment is unduly harsh. There must be a better way to handle this situation. The police has registered 369 FIRs including 44 cases of Arms Act and arrested or detained 1,284 persons in connection with the violence. New Delhi: Death toll in the Delhi violence rose to 47, on Monday, with the police fishing out another body from a canal in the riot-affected Northeast Delhi. Lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal visited the riot-affected areas to take stock of the situation and interacted with the locals. He also briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the prevailing law and order situation in the national capital. The police, which got over 1,880 distress calls on Sunday from people panicked over riot-related rumours like violence, arson, and stone pelting, arrested 40 people on charges of spreading fake reports. The police has registered 369 FIRs including 44 cases of Arms Act and arrested or detained 1,284 persons in connection with the violence. Seven days after the violence, the Delhi Minority Commission visited the riot affected areas. Zafarul Islam Khan, the chairman of the commission, said: It is a planned attack and was allowed to happen. We will provide everything to the victims. He further said, The compensation provided by the government is not enough and we will urge the government to increase it. We will be meeting the ministers in the coming days. The police has claimed to have arrested and detained 21 miscreants from Northwest Delhi and one in Rohini. Action has been initiated against 18 persons in South Delhi. Meanwhile, the Delhi police said that 21 cases were registered under cyber-crime, which includes cases related to spreading of hate messages.Acting Delhi police commissioner S.N. Shrivastava appealed to people to not spread rumours and disturb communal harmony and peace in the national capital. His remark came a day after panic gripped residents of several parts of Delhi following false rumours of violence. Six cases have been registered in connection with rumour mongering and investigation is underway, he said. The crime branch will probe the 47 murder cases. However, the department is facing some difficulties in the investigation as it is unable to trace the eyewitnesses of the incidents. We met several people in the riot hit areas and no one has come forward to give us authentic and credible evidences so that we can proceed with our investigation. It is feasible to fish out or detain some people for rioting after analysing CCTV footage but not so easy for the murder cases, sources added. According to sources, sulphuric acid known as vitriol might have been used by rioters. The police has gone into a tizzy as this acid, which was recovered from Tahir Hussain factory, is sold only through licensed dealers. (Photo : Pixabay) NASA's quake-hunting InSight mission discovers that Mars has an extraordinarily vibrant inner life despite having a dry, dusty look. The red planet, according to the lander, has numerous seismic action, and surprisingly strong neighborhood attractive field and around 10,000 tornadoes brushing off the Martian land. The discoveries, filed Monday in a suite of six papers in the journal Nature Geoscience and Nature Communications, will help researchers with causing the privileged insights of Mars' inner life and recognize why it seems to be so unique from Earth. ALSO READ: Mars InSight Lander Is Covered In Orange Dust But Scientists Say It's A Good Thing Is Mars a functioning planet? "What these outcomes truly are demonstrating us is that Mars is a functioning planet today," said Bruce Banerdt, the strategic's examiner, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada-Flintridge, California. NASA's InSight is located in a 27-yard-wide crater in the western Elysium Planitia, a volcanic plain whose floor material tiers ranging from 2.5 million to 3.7 million. Around 1,000 miles away lies Cerberus Fossae, a volcanic district brimming with shortcomings, evidence of old magma streams, and shows that liquid water once ran superficially. Bandert, who also serves as the co-author of the study, said anything dynamic in the last couple million years could be active on Mars today. The lander is provided with an arch secured seismometer to quantify shakes in Mars' top layers. The shake detecting device likewise accompanies tiny escort of excellent weight, wind, and temperature sensors to sift through the "commotion" produced through storms and different wonders. The seismometer recorded 174 marsquakes through Sept. 30. These earthquakes wouldn't have felt like intensity three or four on Earth as they started ways deeper than such tremors usually do on this planet. ALSO READ: Marsquake: NASA'S InSight Lander Detects First Tremor In Planet Mars One has to be close to the epicenter to feel the tremor Suzanne Smrekar, the strategic's central agent who is based in JPL, said one has to be very close to the epicenter to feel a quake like those in California. The lander is equipped with an arch secured seismometer to quantify shakes in Mars' top layers. The shake detecting tool likewise accompanies a touch escort of appealing weight, wind, and temperature sensors to sift through the "commotion" produced by way of storms and other wonders. As a rule, tectonic movement on Mars is brought about by the top layers of the planet cracking and breaking. However, there are various reasons for individual marsquakes, and researchers stated they'd get more good sized amount of them - especially the larger ones - to make feel of the cause for any single occasion. The larger shudders seem much less consistent than researchers expected, and no "great ones" over intensity four have shown up. ALSO READ: Scientists Detect 'Mini-Tremors' On Mars Mars used to have a 'thicker atmosphere' Researchers believe the red planet once had a thicker atmosphere that might have mists inside the sky and flowing water superficially - a nearly Earth-like condition with the possibility to help life. However, that atmosphere would just have been there to a certain field to guard it against the harming effects of the sun. "That's one of the reasons why we're really pursuing these questions of a magnetic field on Mars, especially in its early history," Banerdt said. Researchers stated the Martian surface has proven shockingly precise despite the generally negligible surroundings that remaining parts. InSight has picked up evidence of at least 10,000 whirlwinds termed as 'dust devils' - if they had whipped up enough dust to be seen and felt. Understanding the nature of the dust devils could assist scientists with expertise in the planet's weather. It will take every other Earth year or so of readings for InSight to assemble more pieces of records approximately the planet's inward and external elements, NASA researchers stated. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Talk to anyone on the street about the virus and you will be met with confusion and a complete misunderstanding of the disease. The coronavirus that is slowly spreading across the world has instilled fear in the global community. As a result, there is a lot of misinformation about the disease - where it comes from, what it does, what can be done to prevent and cure it. Thanks to social media and messengers, the myths have become an infodemic. This is a worrying situation because if the virus becomes an issue in India, the public will not know how to protect itself. The cornerstone of public health is disseminating simple, accurate information. Talk to anyone on the street about the virus and you will be met with confusion and a complete misunderstanding of the disease. To start with, coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in humans and animals. Common colds and respiratory issues are often caused by types of coronaviruses as well. COVID-19, which was first seen in China in December last year, is scary because there is no known treatment or vaccine available yet. The common cold has a mortality rate of 0.1%, whereas COVID-19 is at around 2.5% - though it is still a little early to state this with certainty. COVID-19 is a zoonotic virus and has been tracked to a wet market in Wuhan, China. It is suspected that bats were the primary carriers, but the intermediary species has still not been determined. The symptoms are similar to the common cold - coughing, sneezing and a fever. In some cases, there is gastrointestinal distress as well, and in severe cases, the lungs are weakened due to pneumonia-like symptoms. The WHO has maintained that the best way to prevent infection is to regularly and thoroughly wash your hands especially before eating and practising respiratory etiquette such as sneezing into your elbow, instead of your hands. The infection is spread mostly through droplets that are inhaled or can lie on surfaces and be transmitted to the body on coming in contact with them. Lets take a look at some common misconceptions about the virus. We went through Whatsapp forwards and spoke to people in a south Delhi locality about their knowledge of the disease. We then called the National Coronavirus helpline at +91-11-23978046 and cross-checked these claims. Myth 1: The coronavirus is caused by chicken and fast food. This was the most commonly believed myth. It was claimed that chicken and eggs can cause coronavirus so it is best to not eat any meat for a while. The helpline said that this is untrue. It is believed that the consumption and handling of raw animal meat may have caused the virus to be transmitted to humans. What this means is that if your meat is thoroughly cooked and made in a clean environment, there will be no risk of you getting the coronavirus through it. The WHO recommends using separate chopping boards and utensils when handling meat. The other precautions are routine - if you choose to eat out, make sure the place follows hygiene standards and is clean. Myth 2: Keep the throat moist, since a dry throat will harbour the virus. This message was very popular on messaging apps. The thinking is that a well-lubricated throat will transport the virus to the stomach where it will be destroyed by stomach acid. The helpline said that this claim was false and holds no merit. While you must stay hydrated, dont expect drinking water to keep you safe from the coronavirus. Instead, maintain distance from anyone who appears to be sick and sneezing - stay at least six feet away since germs can spread in an aerosol form. Myth 3: Drink garlic water to avoid getting the coronavirus. This is an age-old home remedy for colds and fevers. Garlic is believed to work as a mild analgesic and bring relief from aches and pains. The helpline said that there has been no documentation in the medical literature about the effectiveness of garlic on coronavirus. So while it may have some ameliorative effects, dont expect garlic to be a silver bullet against the disease. As for cures, currently, no drug has been confirmed to combat the novel coronavirus. Drug trials are taking place, and some existing drugs that are used for HIV treatment and Ebola may prove to be useful as well. Myth 4: Buying products that originated in China will lead to the disease. Unless you are involved with illegal wildlife trade, this should not be an issue for you. The virus is unlikely to survive on packaging material such as cardboard or plastic for too long, according to the WHO and US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that you will get the infection if you receive a Chinese package. It is good practice to wash your hands after handling the package anyway, though. Myth 5: Pets can spread the disease as well. So far there is no evidence that cats and dogs are transmitting the disease. Having said that, you must wash your hands after playing or grooming your pets to stop the spread of other kinds of infections. Myth 6: If you get the coronavirus, you will die. It is understandable to expect this, but initial studies have shown that the mortality rate for the disease is around 2.5%. Older men and those with preexisting conditions and compromised immunity are more likely to succumb to the disease, but 81% cases so far have been mild. There is indeed no cure yet, but assistive medical care plays a lifesaving role. Myth 7: Face masks can prevent the disease. This point is a little controversial. For starters, health organizations and experts across the world are urging people not to hoard masks since there is a global shortage and this prevents those who need them the most from getting them. As for preventive capability, masks do provide a degree of protection, but this is by no means complete. Aerosols can penetrate spaces in the masks and infect the person. Further, research has shown that the disease can also be spread through the eyes. However, if you are coughing, it is a good idea to wear a mask since you will be less likely to spread the infection this way. For more information, read our article on Coronavirus. Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. Allena Hansen A woman still experiencing the aftermath of her injuries nearly 12 years after she was mauled by a bear has put her support behind presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, largely because of his position on health insurance in the US. Allena Hansen, now 68, was on her secluded ranch in the southern part of California's Sequoia Mountains in 2008 when she was mauled by a black bear. The attack, which left her with extensive facial injuries and pain, was not the hardest moment for Ms Hansen. Instead, she said dealing with her private insurance company, Blue Cross, to cover medical bills was the most debilitating. "Literally, as I was being eaten by a wild beast, I wasn't thinking about Jesus or my family or my son. I was thinking my insurance was not going to pay for this," she told The Independent. "I had to make this calculus as I was being eaten, 'Do I want to survive this?' Not, 'Can I survive this?' Not, 'What am I going to look like?'" She added: "I think that speaks volumes to the American healthcare system." Ms Hansen, who comes from a family of doctors, said health insurance, and what she dealt with in the aftermath of her bear attack, is a substantial reason why she's put her support behind Sanders for the 2020 election. "I would like to see a standardised single-payer system and I am, have been for a long time, supporting Bernie Sanders because of that," she said. "People don't realise that there's a public benefit to providing reasonable healthcare." Sanders' Medicare for All plan would eliminate private health insurance and instead create a public health system for all Americans to use and pay into. The plan would reportedly eliminate premiums, deductibles, copays, and "surprise bills". Then, to expand on the current Medicare system, Sanders plan would also include dental, vision, and hearing coverage. The candidate's Medicare for All plan does not detail how it will be paid for, which concerns voters who don't want the burden to land largely on the middle class. But it would eliminate insurance companies sitting in between Americans and them receiving healthcare for different ailments, an idea supported by Ms Hansen. Story continues "Americans don't want good healthcare insurance, they want good healthcare," she said. "There is no reason whatsoever for the insurance industry to be in our public health system, zero." Many of Ms Hansen's injuries from the bear attack involved facial reconstruction and ophthalmological work, a majority of which went uncovered by her private insurance plan. "My face was ripped off. You couldn't even tell that I was a human being," she said. "I had very extensive facial injuries and head injuries." The woman lost 14 teeth when the bear attacked, and the animal destroyed a large part of her face that included her nose, eye sockets, and upper jaw. Allena Hansen, now 68, was attacked by a black bear on her California ranch. Nearly 12 years later, she says dealing with health insurance costs was the worst part of the attack (Dr Kimberly Lee, Allena Hansen) Ms Hansen remained in the hospital for only one day, but the larger battle occurred once she returned to her 70-acre ranch and had to implore her insurance company to pay for her treatments. "They make their money by denying services, not providing it," she said. "Their reasoning was 'this is not reasonable or customary treatment.' No, I was mauled by a bear. It tore my face off. That is neither reasonable nor customary." Nearly 12 years later, Ms Hansen is still paying hefty insurance costs, and she estimates she's paid upwards of $250,000 for her bills. Her health insurance denied covering most of the costs for her ophthalmological care, rebuilding her upper jaw, and other treatments. "It went through all of my retirement savings, my IRAs, my assets. I am now living on a social security pension. Period," she said. Some of Ms Hansen's treatments were paid for by doctors who volunteered their time to her cause. She's currently on Medicaid and has to pay an estimated $300-400 per month out of pocket for her ophthalmological care, such as eye drops and special contact lenses. But Ms Hansen has halted fixing other areas of her health, like as lip implants to improve her ability to eat and teeth that are more functional than her current pair, because of how each would cost her. "I've long since ceased trying to get anything fixed," she said. Read more Jack Welch, former GE CEO, dies aged 84 Can you vote for someone on Super Tuesday who's already dropped out? Greta Thunberg responds to cartoon depicting her being assaulted Coronavirus: CDC mistakenly releases US patient The screening of the 1970s Italian classic horror film Suspiria at Hamer Hall on Sunday night would have seen such purists squirm. Some hold that a score should subtly create atmosphere for its film. Suspiria's score was reimagined by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. The original score was replaced by a live and lavish performance by the guitar, drum and bass trio of psychedelic rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard joined by a melange of Melbourne musos including a choir singing Gregorian chants, and a harpist. In an old-school overture, Fia Fiell pumped out waves of retro synth. A shower of cymbals and rolling tom toms were followed by driving bass guitar and a lick of electric. Minutes passed before the screen lit up, the opening title accompanied by a hysterical scream. The tone was set: this would be a night of schlock and horror. So loud was the music during the first few scenes it drowned out the rainstorm lashing the German city into which our New York heroine, dancer Suzy Bannion, arrives. OPPO has just announced a new smartphone, the Reno3 Pro. This is the companys brand new mid-range smartphone, and it got announced in India, but its coming to a number of other markets. More on that later. The OPPO Reno3 Pro is a part of the companys Reno series of smartphones, and its different than the Chinese variant. Some of you may know that OPPO introduced the Reno3 series in China at the end of last year. This is the global variant of the OPPO Reno3 Pro Well, the OPPO Reno3 Pro is the global variant, and thus the variant that you should pay attention to if youre not living in China. This phone is made out of metal and glass, and comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner. Advertisement The phone features four cameras on the back, and those cameras are vertically-aligned. All four cameras are a part of the same camera module which is placed in the top-left corner of the phones back. The back side of the device is curved, and OPPOs logo lies there as well. The Reno3 Pro includes really thin bezels, while its bottom bezel is the thickest. The device includes a pill-shaped camera hole on the front. That camera hole is placed in the top-left corner of the device, and includes two camera sensors. It includes a large Super AMOLED display, and MediaTeks newest processor The device features a 6.4-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Super AMOLED display. That display is protected by the Gorilla Glass 5, and were looking at a 20:9 display aspect ratio here. Advertisement The phone is fueled by the Helio P95 64-bit octa-core processor by MediaTek. This is a 12nm processor, which includes the IMG PowerVR GM 9446 GPU. The device also packs in 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and 128GB / 256GB of expandable storage. There are also two SIM card slots included in the phone, and you can use the second one to expand the phones storage (hybrid setup). A 4,025mAh battery is a part of the offering as well, and it supports 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0. The device includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, and it has Dolby Atmos support as well. Advertisement Android 10 comes pre-installed on the device, along with OPPOs ColorOS 7 skin. OPPO has included 64, 8, 13, and 2-megapixel cameras on the back of this phone. 44 and 2-megapixel units are placed on the front. The device includes four cameras on the back, and two on the front A 64-megapixel camera (f/1.8 aperture) is the main camera on the back. It is accompanied by an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera (f/2.2 aperture, 119.9-degree view angle lens, EIS), and a 13-megapixel telephoto camera (f/2.4 aperture, 2x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom, 20x digital zoom). The last camera on the back is a 2-megapixel one (monochrome lens, f/2.4 aperture, 1.75um pixel size). A 44-megapixel camera (f/2.4 aperture) sits on the front, along with a secondary 2-megapixel (f/2.4 aperture) unit. An LED flash is available on the back only. The phone has been announced in Auroral Blue, Midnight Black, and Sky White color variants. Its pricing starts at Rs. 29,990 ($412) in India, and it will go on sale from March 6. OPPO said that the phone will arrive to countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East, North Africa, and East Europe soon. Wet'suwet'en hereditary leader Chief Woos, also known as Frank Alec (C), Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relation, Carolyn Bennett (L), and B.C. Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser arrive to address the media in Smithers, B.C., onMarch 1, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward) Wetsuweten Hereditary Chiefs, Feds Reach Draft Arrangement Over Pipeline SMITHERS, B.C.Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers reached a proposed arrangement Sunday following days of discussions over a pipeline dispute that prompted solidarity protests and transport disruptions across Canada in recent weeks. Details of the draft deal, which centres on Indigenous rights and land titles, were not disclosed, however, and work on the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline at the heart of the dispute was set to resume Monday. Federal CrownIndigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and British Columbia Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser said the talks have helped address the land rights and title of the Wetsuweten. We, I believe, have come to a proposed arrangement that will also honour the protocols of the Wetsuweten people and clans, Bennett said in a news conference in Smithers, B.C. What weve worked on this weekend needs to go back to those clans and then we have agreed as ministers that we will come back to sign if it is agreed upon by the Nation. She said the proposed arrangement is about making sure that this never happens again, that rights holders will always be at the table. Chief Woos, one of the Wetsuweten hereditary leaders who were opposed to the pipeline, said the draft deal represents an important milestone for everyone involved but noted more work needs to be done. He also stressed that the hereditary chiefs who were against the project remain opposed to the pipeline in their traditional territory. We are going to be continuing to look at some more conversations with B.C. and of course with the proponent and further conversation with the RCMP out on the territory, Woos said. Its not over yet. We are just looking at more work in that area. Shortly after the proposed deal was announced, Coastal GasLink issued a statement saying it would resume construction activities in the Morice River area, which is near the Unistoten Healing Centre, on Monday. Coastal GasLink appreciates that a path has been identified to address significant issues of Aboriginal Title and Rights of the Wetsuweten people while recognizing that Coastal GasLink is fully permitted and remains on track for a 2023 inservice date, president David Pfeiffer said in the statement. He added the company remains committed to dialogue and engagement with all Indigenous groups along its route, including the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs. We are encouraged by Chief Woos statement that he is open to dialogue and look forward to an opportunity to meet with the hereditary chiefs, he said. The company had agreed to pause construction during the talks between the hereditary chiefs and the ministers, which began Thursday. RCMP had also pledged to cease patrols along the Morice West Forest Service Road during the discussions. The Mounties could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday. The dispute over the pipeline has spurred solidarity protests that have disrupted passenger and freight train service over the last three weeks. Police recently moved to dismantle some of the blockades. The Wetsuweten are governed by both a traditional hereditary chief system and elected band councils. A majority of its councils have approved the pipeline, but some of the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs oppose it running through their traditional territory. The dispute also involves other unsettled land rights and title issues, including who has the right to negotiate with governments and corporations, the fact that the land is not covered by a treaty and remains unceded, and a 1997 court case that recognized the hereditary chiefs authority and the exclusive right of the Wetsuweten peoples to the land but did not specify the boundaries. Lawyer Peter Grant, who represented the Wetsuweten and neighbouring Gitxsan First Nation, said the proposal is not a treaty. Its a draft arrangement, but I think its very powerful, he said. (Natural News) A 14-year-old girl from Zhejiang, China found herself in a sticky situation after a recent computed tomography (CT) scan revealed over 100 tapioca pearls lodged in her abdomen. She reportedly complained about intense stomach pain and constipation for five days straight. Doctors used a CT scan to determine the cause of stomach pain. The X-ray showed more than 100 small circular shadows in the girls digestive tract. The teenager insisted she had only had one bubble tea five days prior after doctors asked about what she had eaten. However, doctors believe she would have had to consume more than one bubble teas worth of tapioca pearls to accumulate the amount found in her abdomen. Dr. Zhang Louzhen, who treated her, suspected that she was afraid of being reprimanded by her parents. He treated her with laxatives and sent her home. Can drinking bubble tea lead to constipation? According to Dr. Lina Felipez, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Nicklaus Childrens Hospital in Miami who wasnt involved in the case, consuming too many tapioca pearls can lead to constipation. However, she clarified that in such cases, tapioca, by itself, isnt to blame. Tapioca pearls are made from the cassava root, a very starchy ingredient. This means that tapioca pearls are mostly made of carbohydrates. By itself, tapioca would not cause digestive problems. The link between bubble tea and constipation, she added, lies with the additives that the balls contain. Guar gum the primary ingredient that makes the pearls sticky is a fiber and additive found in many processed foods like cheese, ice cream and sauces. Guar gum can also be used to treat constipation and diarrhea in some cases. As an additive, it expands upon contact with water. This helps give cooked tapioca pearls their soft and squishy texture. According to Dr. Felipez, guar gum could induce constipation. In high doses, guar gum could even cause serious problems like a blocked esophagus, a blocked intestine and even death. On the other hand, Dr. Ryan Marino of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center reminds people that dehydration plays a role in constipation. If you are drinking something with sugar it is probably not hydrating, he said. The doctors who examined the 14-year-old girl were baffled with the successful detection of the tapioca pearls. In the U.S., tapioca and guar gum are ingredients typically used in bubble tea, and they are not supposed to show up on a CT scan because they do not block the radiation used in X-rays. This led doctors to speculate that perhaps a different additive was used in place of guar gum. While the fate of the 14-year-old girl may have been extreme, this doesnt mean that boba (the bubbles in bubble tea) consumption is completely healthy in normal doses either. Due to its high carbohydrate content, there is very little to no nutritional value in tapioca pearls, no thanks to the cup of sugar it swims in. Additionally, raw tapioca is highly toxic because it contains cyanide. Linamarin a toxic compound naturally found in cassava root is transformed into hydrogen cyanide upon entering the body. When ingested, cyanide can cause headaches, nausea and paralysis. There have even been recorded cases of cyanide poisoning in bubble tea-related deaths. This is why tapioca requires proper handling, preparation and cooking. Healthy alternatives to boba The risks of boba far outweigh the few benefits it offers. Here are two alternatives you could try to satisfy your sweet tooth: Green tea Arguably the most popular tea, green tea is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Green tea extract helps aid weight loss, boost metabolism and improve physical performance and brain function. If youre looking for a sweeter version, you could simply add a tablespoon of raw honey or a slice of lemon. Arguably the most popular tea, green tea is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Green tea extract helps aid weight loss, boost metabolism and improve physical performance and brain function. If youre looking for a sweeter version, you could simply add a tablespoon of raw honey or a slice of lemon. Turmeric If youre looking for more flavor, you could always try creating a tonic, juice or smoothie with turmeric. This spice, known for its vibrant yellow color, contains medicinal properties that increase the bodys antioxidant capacity. Turmeric helps prevent diseases and slow down aging by helping prevent inflammation and treating blood conditions. Sweeteners.news has more stories on healthy drinks and artificial sweeteners to avoid. Sources include: LiveScience.com AsiaOne.com EatThis.com Today.com Healthline.com 1 SeattleTimes.com Healthline.com 2 Since the introduction of new rules on March 1, 2020, about 7,000 people crossed the border and 15 received refusals to enter the Russian Federation. Spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service Andriy Demchenko told this to an Ukrinform correspondent. "There were 15 refusals to Ukrainian citizens to cross the border to entry Russia. They did not have international passports. The total number of crossings to entry the Russian Federation made up about 7,000," he said. As reported, starting from March 1, 2020, new rules require international passports for Ukrainians to enter the Russian Federation. : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday rejected the Opposition demand for a CBI probe into the recent findings of the CAG that rifles and live cartridges were missing from the Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB) here. Rejecting the demand of the Congress-led opposition UDF, he told the state Assembly that an "effective" and "comprehensive" Crime Branch enquiry is going on into the issue and so there was no need for investigation by any other agency. "There is no relevance for CBI probe right now. An effective investigation by our own agency is progressing...let its report come first," the Chief Minister said. This was for the first time Vijayan was reacting on the controversial findings of the CAG on the missing rifles and cartridges and allegations of corruption in Kerala police, which kicked up a huge political storm in the southern state. The Comptroller and Auditor General report had stated that 12,061 live cartridges were found missing in a joint verification in the Bell-of-Arms of SAPB, along with the Assistant Commandant. There was shortage of 250 9-mm Drill Cartridges, which was "covered up" with dummy cartridges, the report on General and Social sector for the fiscal ending March 31, 2018 had said. The CAG had also come down on state police chief DGP Loknath Behera for purchasing bullet-proof vehicles for VVIP security, violating guidelines. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. For example, the Bank Of Ireland Group plc (ISE:BIRG) share price is down 41% in the last year. That's disappointing when you consider the market returned 2.0%. We wouldn't rush to judgement on Bank Of Ireland Group because we don't have a long term history to look at. Furthermore, it's down 27% in about a quarter. That's not much fun for holders. We note that the company has reported results fairly recently; and the market is hardly delighted. You can check out the latest numbers in our company report. View our latest analysis for Bank Of Ireland Group While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. Unfortunately Bank Of Ireland Group reported an EPS drop of 38% for the last year. This proportional reduction in earnings per share isn't far from the 41% decrease in the share price. So it seems that the market sentiment has not changed much, despite the weak results. Rather, the share price is remains a similar multiple of the EPS, suggesting the outlook remains the same. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). ISE:BIRG Past and Future Earnings, March 2nd 2020 It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. This free interactive report on Bank Of Ireland Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. A Different Perspective Story continues While Bank Of Ireland Group shareholders are down 39% for the year (even including dividends) , the market itself is up 2.0%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. With the stock down 27% over the last three months, the market doesn't seem to believe that the company has solved all its problems. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Bank Of Ireland Group that you should be aware of before investing here. If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on IE 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. Iraqs Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi has withdrawn his candidacy for the post, accusing members of the countrys fractured parliament of standing in his way and prolonging a months-long political crisis. Allawis move on Sunday came hours after legislators failed for the second time this week to approve his cabinet of independents amid political infighting in a country that has been rocked by months of anti-establishment protests that forced the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. I tried with all possible ways to save our country from sliding into the unknown and to solve the current problem. But during the negotiations, I ran into many things unrelated to the countrys interests, Allawi said in a statement presented to President Barham Salih. Some sides negotiated with the mere aim of making gains without paying any attention to the national cause or heeding the blood of the martyrs who fell during protests seeking the change of conditions, he added. More than 500 people have been killed and 30,000 wounded since the mass protests seeking an overhaul of the countrys political system began in October in the capital, Baghdad, and several southern cities, with rights groups accusing security forces of using excessive force against demonstrators. Allawis resignation a month after he was selected for the post and two months after Abdul Mahdi, who remains a caretaker prime minister, stepped down plunges the country into more uncertainty. Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for prime minister within 15 days. But Iraq could end up without a prime minister in the meantime if Abdul Mahdi also quits on Monday. Late on Sunday, he issued a statement denying social media reports that he wanted to stay on, saying he would announce his intentions on Monday, which would have been the last day for Allawi to get his proposed cabinet approved by parliament. The weeks leading up to Sundays parliament session was marred by delays and political infighting as Allawi insisted he would select his own ministers a move that alienated Kurdish and Sunni parties in particular and sparked threats of boycott. What Allawi set out to do was form an independent and technocratic cabinet that would be able to address some of the protesters demands and to try to pass some of the reforms that are seen as necessary to put an end to this crisis, Al Jazeeras Simona Foltyn, reporting from Baghdad, said. But such a cabinet would really go against the way the Iraqi system has functioned for the past 17 years, one that is largely beholden to the political parties. Known as muhasasa, the system was introduced in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003 to provide proportional government representation among Iraqs various ethno-sectarian groups. The way it works is that the ministerial positions are divided up between the major political parties that represent the Shias, the Sunnis and the Kurds and there are unwritten rules about how this should happen, Foltyn said. For example, the Kurds tend to get the finance ministry, the Sunnis the defence ministry and the Shias the interior ministry. What Allawi tried to do is appoint candidates who arent from these political parties, who are not beholden to their interests, and that was something that wasnt accepted. Finding a successor The anti-government demonstrators demanding an end to corruption and better economic opportunities had rejected the choice of Allawi for prime minister, saying he is too close to the elite against which they have protested. They have backed instead Alaa al-Rikaby, a pharmacist who has emerged as a prominent activist in the protest hotspot of Nasiriya south of Baghdad. Iraqs president, however, intends to propose intelligence chief Mustafa al-Kazimi as prime minister, political sources told AFP news agency. Populist Shia Muslim leader Muqtada al-Sadr, regarded as a backer of the protest movement before he rescinded his support last month, hailed Allawis decision as one taken for the love of Iraq. He condemned other corrupt politicians for holding the country hostage. Allawis successor will inherit the daunting task of reconciling the government, as well as bridge major rifts between rival factions over ties with the United States and Iran, two longtime foes who are also the Iraqi governments main allies now and vie for influence there. Parties representing the Shia majority approved a non-binding motion in parliament in January demanding the departure of all 5,200 US troops stationed in Iraq. Amid the latest political twist, two rockets landed in Baghdads Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign missions, said the Iraqi military. The rockets landed near the US embassy, a security source told Reuters news agency, in the 20th attack against US assets in the country in four months. None of the attacks since October targeting either the US embassy or its troops stationed across Iraq has been claimed but Washington has accused Iran-backed groups within the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) of being behind them. On January 3, a US air raid assassinated top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani near Baghdads international airport, sparking fears of all-out war with Iran. The attack also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the PMFs deputy commander. Five days later, Iranian missiles hit two bases in Iraq housing US troops but caused no fatalities. 'Going bananas' has taken over a whole new meaning for this man in New Zealand who attacked a fruit vendor over the price of the yellow fruit. According to News18, the 43-year-old man was produced in a Wellington district court. The report says that the man, whose name is Cesar Robert Scanlan, visited Jimmy's Fruit Mart on November 25, 2019, where an argument broke out between him and the fruit vendor regarding the price of the bananas. Pexels Scanlan lost his temper and attacked the fruit vendor, Dinesh Patel, with some bananas - he fell to the ground and got injured in the process. Once the attack was over, the angry man was charged with 'assault', a charge which has a punishment of one year behind bars. However, Scanlan should be thanking his stars, because public prosecutor, Sergeant Mike Stonyer, agreed to reduce the charges from 'assault' to 'disorderly behaviour'. The latter has a fine of $1,000 (Rs 45,000). Pinterest Scanlan has pleaded guilty to the charges. Wellington District Court judge, Tim Black, was taken aback by the whole case and stated that this was the first time he had heard about someone attacking somebody with bananas. Pexels However, the reason the 'banana fight' broke out in the first place was the price of the fruit, which has not been specified in the reports that have emerged. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for an extraordinary parliamentary session to be held on March 4 to discuss law enforcement and anti-corruption matters. Parliamentary speaker Dmytro Razumkov told journalists February 28 that officials from the Interior Ministry, Security Service, State Bureau of Investigations, National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and Prosecutor-General's Office will present themselves to lawmakers. He did not give further details. Shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian president added to parliament's agenda "certain issues regarding the Cabinet of Minister's legislative projects" as well as the desire to learn "about the activity of law enforcement bodies." Zelenskiy, a political novice, won a landslide victory in April 2019 on a promise to fight corruption, an endemic problem that has hampered economic growth. The United States and Europe have encouraged Zelenskiy to use his popularity and majority in the parliament to push through reforms to fight corruption and reduce the influence of oligarchs. Security: A Pakistani health official checks the temperature of a pilgrim returning home from Iran. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus has entered a new stage in Britain in which it can no longer be contained and public health efforts must move towards delaying the spread, experts warned as cases rose sharply yesterday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the Government was establishing a "war room" in the Cabinet Office, bringing together experts to respond to the growing crisis. He indicated the situation would get worse before it gets better, and said there would "clearly" be more cases as the virus "spread a bit more". A further 13 people tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, including the first case in Scotland. It brings the total to 36 - a 57pc increase and the largest rise to date. Two of those diagnosed over the weekend had not come into contact with people from abroad, leading officials to fear the spread could be worse as patients are harder to trace. Scientists said it may be too late to "stem the tide" and warned that preventing a concentrated epidemic was looking "increasingly unlikely". Matt Hancock, the UK health secretary, suggested entire cities could be closed to halt the spread and police could be used to force people to self-isolate in their homes. The virus has now spread to 60 countries, infecting more than 88,000 people and killing more than 3,000, including one British man quarantined on a cruise ship in Japan. Yesterday, US President Donald Trump said passengers from countries with a high risk of coronavirus would be screened before being allowed to travel to the US and again on arrival. He announced the move on Twitter after the administration came under fire over its response to the outbreak. Mr Trump tweeted: "In addition to screening travellers 'prior to boarding' from certain designated high-risk countries, or areas within those countries, they will also be screened when they arrive in America." Such is the level of alarm in the US - where 74 cases have been confirmed - that Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, tweeted: "Seriously people - stop buying masks." "They are not effective in preventing [the] general public from catching coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk." Meanwhile, Iran said yesterday that its number of cases had risen by more than half - but experts say the real figure could be more than 18 times higher. Kianoush Jahanpour, a health ministry spokesman, put Iran's death toll at 54, with 978 confirmed cases. However, it is claimed the real number of infections could be as high as 18,000. Many cases have been traced to the pilgrimage city of Qom. In Europe, the tourism industry is reeling from the effects of the virus. Cases have surged in Italy, and France closed the renowned Louvre Museum yesterday. The number of countries hit by the virus has climbed past 60. New fronts in the outbreak opened rapidly over the weekend, deepening the sense of crisis that has sent financial markets plummeting, emptied the streets in many cities and rewritten the routines of millions of people. Australia and Thailand reported their first Covid-19 deaths yesterday, while the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic recorded their first infections. Italian officials said the number of people infected in the country soared 50pc to 1,694 in just 24 hours, and five more people died, bringing the death toll there to 34. France raised its number of reported cases to 130, an increase of 30 from the day before, and said it has seen two deaths from the virus. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] A man working with a railway construction company was killed on Monday after being hit by loose debris at an under-construction tunnel in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. Parkash Chand, a resident of Danda Anj village in Himachal Pradesh, was on duty when he came under the debris of rocks inside the tunnel in Kari area, following which he was immediately rushed to the sub-district hospital Banihal, a police official said. He said Chand died on way to the hospital, where he was referred for a specialised treatment. In another incident, the official said 27-year-old Umar Shafi of Anantnag died on the spot and his another associate Adil Ahmad suffered serious injuries when their truck skidded off the road and fell into 200 feet deep gorge near Mehar along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway Monday afternoon. The body of the deceased was recovered, while the injured was shifted to a hospital, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Essentially the reason he is suspending his campaign is the reason he started the campaign: His goal is to defeat the president and bring a new kind of politics to our country, a Buttigieg aide said. He thought his candidacy would be best vehicle to do that. And when it became clear his candidacy was not the most viable vehicle to do that, he stepped aside to make sure [Democrats] could still achieve those things. Legislation that would create the Oklahoma Hazard Mitigation Assessment District Act has passed out of committee and moved to the full House for consideration. The House County and Municipal Government Committee passed House Bill 2776, authored by State Rep. Lonnie Sims (R-Jenks), which provides the framework for residents in each county to identify, elect and invest locally in hazard mitigation. After weeks of meetings over the summer, hours of testimony at the capitol and input from hundreds of stakeholders across the state as part of the 2019 Arkansas River Flood Event interim study, Sims said in a media release. We learned that Oklahoma doesnt have a flooding problem, we have a Natural Disaster problem. According to records from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Oklahoma ranks 5th in the nation for federal disaster declarations. Its not just floods our state is literally under assault year after year from every form of disaster Mother Nature can muster, Sims said. This is especially true in our rural counties where disaster fatigue has stifled recovery and renewal. If we are ever going to break this unfortunate tradition of tragedy, we have to empower our local communities with the ability to fight back, Sims added. HB 2776 is a creative and fiscally responsible lifeline to Oklahoma to finally go on offense against the future natural disasters we know are coming. Sims held several interim studies in the fall to conduct a comprehensive review of the historic Arkansas River Flood of 2019. HB2776 is the first piece of legislation in response to the historic storm season of 2019 and is supported by the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG), Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma (ACCO), Oklahoma Emergency Managers Association (OEMA) and the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency (TAEMA). The bill passed the House County and Municipal Government Committee by an 8-2 vote and is now available to be heard on the House floor. Topics Legislation Flood Oklahoma Sirius Minerals shareholders face a do-or-die vote tomorrow on the 405million takeover by Anglo American. The Yorkshire-based firm, which is developing a huge potash fertiliser mine under the North York Moors, has pleaded with investors to back the bid by the FTSE 100 giant. Sirius shareholders face a vote tomorrow on the future of the company Sirius bosses claim there is only enough money to last until the end of the month and the company will collapse if Anglos rescue is not given the green light. But there is a growing backlash that could see the 5.5p-per-share offer rejected by many of the 85,000 private retail investors. A year ago Sirius shares were trading at around 20p. On Friday, they fell another 11 per cent to 4.44p. This man was a teacher, not an activist, nor affiliated to dissent groups Udupi: The Karnataka police have arrested a man and booked a sedition case against him for shouting 'Pakistan zindabad' at a government office this morning. Raghavendra Ganiga (43), a resident of Kodi village in Kundapur taluk, mingled with applicants and petitioners at the Kundapur mini Vidhana Saudha (taluk office) and suddenly at about 10 am started shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' and 'Jihad Zindabad.' Most of the people around him were startled, but some took up positions to videograph the curious incident. The tahsildar was told about it and he called the police. Raghavendra Ganiga continued to shout his slogans even while being driven away by the police. The video of Raghavendra shouting pro-Pakistan slogans and police taking him away has gone viral on social media. This incident is the latest in a sequence of several in which dissenting slogans and acts have taken place for no apparent reason in Karnataka. It started with the Shaheen School in Bidar staging a play that allegedly insulted prime minister Narendra Modi. Then three Kashmir students made a video in which they sang along to a song with the refrain Pakistan zindabad at an engineering college in Hubballi. Even more bizarrely, a young woman named Amulya Leona suddenly took up Pakistan zindabad slogans in the midst of a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Bengaluru. The very next day a young woman named Arudra held up a pro-azaadi placard at a rally at the Town Hall in Bengaluru. In each of those cases, the police have slapped sedition cases. Those close to Raghavendra Ganiga said he is neither an activist nor a person affiliated to any militant organization. He is allegedly mentally ill, separated from his wife and child and living with his parents. Raghavendra's father Shama Ganiga told reporters, He has been under treatment from doctors in Kundapur and Mangaluru for eight years. Today I had brought him here for treatment for an eye ailment. He said he would go to the toilet and left without telling me. After sometime this has happened." Raghavendra Ganiga is said to be a well-educated person who also worked as a teacher for some time. However, he could not continue in the profession due to his mental ailment. Beijing, March 2 : China's daily output of face masks has reached 116 million units, 12 times more than the figure reported on February 1, as production continued amid the coronavirus outbreak, official data revealed on Monday. By the end of last month, the daily production capacity more than quintupled from February 1 to 110 million units that came in medical and non-medical calibers, Xinhua news agency quoted the National Development and Reform Commission as saying. The consistent rise in both capacity and output further narrowed the supply deficit. As of February 29, the daily output of N95-rated medical masks reached 1116 million units to ensure medical staff at the forefront of the battle against the novel coronavirus are well-equipped, the commission said. China produces about half of the world's masks with a daily output of 20 million units before the epidemic. The country had to launch massive production expansion to secure supply given the explosive growth in demand due to the outbreak that has so far killed 2,912 in the mainland. In south China'sGuangdong province, Guangzhou Xingshi Equipments Co., Ltd, a manufacturer of diapers and sanitary napkins, converted one of its lines for fully-automated mask production. With a capacity of assembling 1,000 medical masks per minute, or 1.4 million per day running non-stop, the ultra-fast line is believed to be among the world's fastest, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, since January 24, China's armed forces have dispatched over 4,000 medical professionals in three groups to Wuhan, the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak. The first group of 450 people left for Wuhan on January 24, the Chinese New Year's Eve, while the second group of 950 persons left on February 2, and the third group of 2,600 personnel left on February 13, a health division official said on Monday. In addition, more than 160 people and 130 vehicles have been dispatched from the armed forces stationed in Hubei province to assist with transportation of supplies for the epidemic prevention and control. The Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has told the Supreme Court to nullify the election of Senator Hope Uzodinma a... The Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has told the Supreme Court to nullify the election of Senator Hope Uzodinma as Imo Governor and order a fresh governorship election in the State. Kanu, in a broadcast via Radio Biafra on Sunday, warned that nothing short of a fresh election would be acceptable by the people. The IPOB leader said the apex court judges should respect the wishes of the people and reverse itself in the judgement or cancel 2019 election in the State. No matter what their plan is, Imo (Supreme Court ) judgment must not stand. We are warning the whole world, I do not know who Emeka Ihedioha is; frankly speaking, I do not care, but what happens in Imo affects everybody. It must not be allowed to stand to avoid disaster and chaos. According to Kanu, who has been broadcasting from abroad, the only reason the Federal Government wants to have Imo at all cost is to have the governor as stooge to perfect its secret plans in the state. It is very clear why they are not looking for any other place in Biafra land, but Owerri, Kanu added. What they wish to occupy Owerri for is spiritual. Those of you who are blind in spirit cannot see that the caliphate needs Owerri very much, they believe they can strangle us. Bayelsa is not important to them, what they are looking for is Imo. I do not want people to be led astray by the judgment that was obtained in Bayelsa case, he said. New Delhi, March 2 : "Once again lie has won and truth has lost. The court and the government are supporting the convicts," Nirbhaya's mother said after the hanging of the four convicts was deferred indefinitely by a Delhi court on Monday. "Once again lie has won and truth has lost. Crime was committed with my daughter. The court and the government are supporting the convicts. The execution has been postponed for the third time. It shows the lacunae in our system. Till the time mercy is rejected, we will not be satisfied," Asha Devi told mediapersons. The convicts were scheduled to be hanged on Tuesday at 6 a.m., but the court on Monday deferred their execution indefinitely. "Despite stiff resistance form the victims' side, I am of the opinion that any condemned convict must not meet his creator with a grievance that the courts of this country have not acted fairly in grating him an opportunity to exhaust his legal remedies," Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana said. "I am of the opinion that the death sentence cannot be executed pending the disposal of the mercy petition of the convict. It is hereby directed that the execution of death warrants against all the convicts scheduled for March 3 is deferred till further order," the judge said. One of the convicts, Pawan Gupta, had sought stay on the grounds that his mercy petition is pending before the President. The case pertains to the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl, dubbed later as Nirbhaya, in the national capital in December 2012. Six people, including the four convicts and a juvenile, were named as accused. Ram Singh, the sixth accused, allegedly committed suicide 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 new loan was sourced by mortgage broker Epstein Canarick of Roslyn, NY (www.epsteincanarick.com). Murray Epstein, one of the firm's principals, said, "We have been sourcing loans for Mr. Belfonti for close to 30 years. He has always been able to close transactions successfully and quickly, and he is one of our most valued clients." Hunt Companies of New York will serve as the loan servicer. "It was a pleasure working with the Belfonti team. They were very helpful in closing this loan expeditiously," said R.J. Guttroff, the Managing Director of the Hunt Companies. (www.huntcompanies.com.) Renovations are scheduled to begin immediately. About Belfonti Companies: Belfonti Companies, LLC, headquartered in Hamden, Connecticut, actively pursues real estate development and investment opportunities throughout the United States and internationally. Belfonti Companies is a family of organizations that focus on investment, development and management of real estate, thus playing a significant and multi-faceted role in the real estate market. Michael Belfonti, the company's founder, president and CEO, has always believed in acquiring real estate on the basis of its profit- making potential, and it is precisely this philosophy that has enabled Belfonti Companies, LLC to successfully own and manage millions of square feet of real estate over the years. From its modest beginnings in 1980, Belfonti Companies, LLC has grown to become a solid and highly esteemed company, successfully completing billions of dollars' worth of transactions. At the present time the group's portfolio contains a wide variety of assets, including approximately 3,000 residential apartment units and nearly one million square feet of office buildings, retail centers, and industrial parks. Belfonti Companies, LLC 2319 Whitney Avenue, Suite 1A Hamden, CT 06518 Phone: (203) 230-1600 Fax: (203) 281-3366 SOURCE Belfonti Companies, LLC Wouldnt it be great if Pennsylvanias primary election actually mattered? Then voters in one of the most pivotal states in electing the president would play a similarly significant role in determining the Democratic and Republican nominees. Congress Lacy is proven conservative August Pfluger seems to be a good man with an attractive resume but is that enough to justify his election to Congress? My answer is: definitely not. The fact that he never registered to vote until last fall is disqualifying information for me. Added to that concern is the near certainty that he is a candidate recruited by Washington insiders. As evidence for the latter opinion, he got out of the U.S. Air Force early, got a short-term appointment to the National Security Council and is raising huge sums from outside the district. Finally, why would people in Midland and Odessa want to elect someone to Congress who has not lived in the district for more than 20 years and who now lives in Tom Green County, when there are several very qualified candidates who have lived in Midland or Odessa for many years. State Rep Tom Craddick used all his political expertise to achieve a district that could result in a Midland or Odessa congressman. Why throw it all away now? My choice is J.Ross Lacy, a life-long Midlander, a successful oil and gas operator and a proven conservative. Ernest Angelo, Jr. Former mayor of Midland Faircloth will uphold nations values I am supporting J.D. Faircloth for Congress. He is a CPA and a real conservative. He and his family are Christians. He will uphold the values this great country was founded on. He will help our government reign in run-away spending and prepare a balanced budget every year. Please join me in electing J.D. to Congress. Steve Castle PAC seeks those willing to cross the aisle Asked which congressman hed model at the forum, Pfluger named Dan Crenshaw. Representative Crenshaw was funded by the very same With Honor PAC when running for Congress. Crenshaw endorsed Pfluger. Has Crenshaw crossed the aisle? Fact is, Crenshaw supported a form of red flag laws after he was elected. Texas Republican stance? Crenshaw released a video insulting Republicans and supporters of the Second Amendment who were upset with Crenshaw for supporting such laws. Crenshaw also said, There is a big difference between the current understanding of red flag laws, and the kind of laws that conservatives could support.You automatically assume that we are just agreeing with the lefts version of that law, and we all know that the lefts version would not be good, it would not protect due process. At its heart, what were talking about is the ability to confiscate weapons when there is clear evidence that violence is about to be committed. Sounds like the movie Minority Report. Any such law steps toward eliminating our Second Amendment. Instead, Crenshaw should be investigating deep state programs leading to false flags, etc. The PAC seeks those willing to cross the aisle on issues. Think on it all. Kelley Sivalls Faircloth is not obligated to special interests I am writing to express my support for J.D. Faircloth for Congress. JD. is a certified public accountant with significant business and financial experience. We need someone with that background representing our area in Congress, especially as our federal government is spending more than $1 trillion a year than it has in revenue. Each year that we dont take action is just additional long-term debt piled on myself and my kids. I also like that his campaign has not taken any PAC contributions or received funding from any third party or out-of-state groups. We need someone who is not obligated to these special interests so they can focus on representing those of us in the Permian Basin. J.D. has been very involved as a volunteer in the local Republican Party, served on several boards of local organizations and has a long history of voting Republican in the district. While some candidates look at this as a great career opportunity, I think J.D. just sees it as a way to give back to his community. and thats why he has my vote. Julie Donnelly District judge Rogers has experience in criminal, civil law I have known David Rogers for more than 25 years. I hired David as a young attorney to work at Brockett & Lindemood. While at my law firm, David worked primarily on civil cases, and he gained civil trial experience in a wide variety of cases. In 2006, David left my law firm to open his own practice in which he focused primarily on criminal and family cases. David became board certified in criminal law in 2007 a difficult feat to accomplish as an attorney. If elected as the 142nd istrict Court judge, David would be the only Midland County judge having earned such certification. I have had an active civil and criminal law practice for more than 40 years, and I know the 142nd District Court hears primarily criminal cases. Midland County needs a specialist to handle the increasing criminal caseload and an attorney with a broad experience in civil trial law. David has the experience, expertise and temperament needed to serve as a district court judge. Consequently, I am asking the residents of Midland County to vote for David G. Rogers for 142nd District Court judge in the Republican primary on March 3. C.H. (Hal) Brockett, Jr. Baker has experience in oil-and-gas law I have been an attorney practicing in Midland in both private practice and in-house roles for more than a decade, and I have lived in West Texas for more than 30 years. I, like many of you, am keenly aware of the importance of the oil industry to the economy of our city and the area at large. Throughout my career, I have noticed the great impact that our district courts have on the oil industry. Oil- and-gas issues make up a large portion of the civil lawsuits that are filed in our district courts. Those issues vary anywhere from breach of contract and insurance disputes to wrongful death and employment issues. The two key things that almost all those lawsuits have in common are that they 1) impact dozens, if not hundreds, of jobs and 2) involve extraordinarily large sums of money. They can profoundly impact our economy and, by extension, each one of us. Having a judge on the bench who is well-versed in oil-and-gas law will benefit all of us. Accordingly, I am voting for Mary Baker and ask you to consider doing the same. Justin Nichols Rogers has knowledge, experience to sit on bench cast my vote for David Rogers for judge of the 142nd District Court for both sensible and sentimental reasons. First, the sentimental: My father, the late Pat M Baskin, served as judge of this court for 12 years. He revered the law, cherished justice and loved the court. He saw his judicial service as a high calling. So, Im nostalgic about the 142nd and sentimentally invested in its future. Now, the sensible justification for my vote for David Rogers: David holds a certification in criminal law as awarded by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. That rare specialization seems important because the majority of cases heard before the court are criminal cases. David has tried more than 135 jury trials, more than 100 appeals and more than 300 bench trials. Davids knowledge and experience make him the best choice to serve as our next judge of the 142nd District Court. Becky Baskin Ferguson County would be lucky to have Baker as a judge I met Mary Baker 11 years ago in a Bible study group that our church sponsored. Within six months of our Bible study, we both found that we were pregnant. Our oldest children are nine days apart, and three years later we both had another child. Our kids went to the same day care and now go to the same elementary school. During the past 11 years, Mary and I have developed a friendship around our kids, faith and both being working lawyer moms. We have spent many mornings, after-school drop-offs and play dates talking about our kids, work, family and our futures. What have I learned about Mary during these past 11 years? Mary is a devoted mom, wife, friend and one of the hardest-working individuals I know. She is honest, efficient with her time, meets deadlines and is a highly skilled lawyer. Midland County would be lucky to have Mary as a district court judge because of her character, time management, hard work ethic and intelligence. Greta Braker Rogers has real-life experience in criminal matters For the last 20 years, I have had the privilege of working with, and against, David G. Rogers, your candidate for the 142nd Judicial District Court. As an opponent in civil matters, I witnessed Davids fierce advocacy. As an associate in criminal matters, I observed the deep passion and commitment that David has in assuring that the law is followed and constitutional rights upheld. As of January, the 142nd Judicial District Court has approximately 1,300 open cases, with approximately 70 percent criminal-related cases and 30 percent civil cases. Less than 1 percent of the total cases pending are oil-and-gas cases. The court's calendar posted outside of the courtroom shows that 32 weeks in 2020 are designated as criminal court weeks. Criminal and civil cases are assigned to district courts on a rotating basis, yet the 142nd Judicial District Court is the only court that has pending capital murder cases. The next judge needs real-life experience in state court criminal matters. David is board certified in criminal law and has practiced daily in state court matters for more than 20 years. He has my vote and endorsement, and I hope that he has yours, as well. Raymond K. Fivecoat Rogers has necessary tools to serve as district judge First off, I would like to thank Judge Jody Gilles for his service and dedication to the 142nd District Court here in Midland County. Judge Gilles leaves quite a legacy and no doubt big shoes to fill. In my opinion, the one judicial candidate that can fill those shoes and continue Judge Gilles legacy is David G. Rogers. David embodies all the characteristics necessary to preside over the 142nd District Court. David is fair, competent, patient, thorough, and most important he is experienced. David Rogers has spent his entire professional career in the courtroom. No other candidate in this judicial race has the experience, qualifications and legal certifications that David carries. After nearly three decades of trial work, David has gained the necessary tools needed to take this next step in his career. I have known David for almost 25 years. I am honored to call him my friend. I ask that you join me and vote David G. Rogers for Midland County judge. Kevin Petty Rogers has credentials, experience to be judge As a Midland resident and voter, I am casting my vote for David G. Rogers for 142nd District Court judge. Davids credentials as a dedicated board-certified criminal law specialist have been well- documented during his 25 years of practice. David has a solid background for this position with more than 135 jury trials, more than 100 appeals and more than 300 bench trails. Its not just Davids legal experience; its his personal qualities that give me confidence that he would be a great judge. Its his work ethic and values, his passion for the profession and his compassion for all those involved in court cases that define him as truly exceptional. I have firsthand knowledge of how tirelessly he works, how his compassion can influence lives and how dedicated he is to the community. Please join me and many others and vote for David G. Rogers for 142nd District Court judge. Please vote on March 3 in the Republican primary. Vote for the sole candidate who is board-certified, a leader with experience, knowledge, integrity and work ethic that will keep our community safe. Lucy Johnson Rogers can get to the heart of any issue I have known David Rogers for 19 years. and I am supporting him for 142nd District Court judge. David understands the important role the district court plays in keeping our community safe and sound. The demand for experience and knowledge could not be greater. David meets and exceeds the criteria. David has demonstrated through his 25 years of practicing law that he has the temperament, experience and the open mind requisite to serve as our judge. He has respect for all human beings, he has experiences in life issues and experience in judicial issues. David is a man of unquestioned character and integrity; he is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has a track record to quickly get to the heart of any legal issue. David has a reputation of fairness and treats lawyers and clients with respect and is committed to following the law and finding justice in every situation. Accordingly, I wholeheartedly support David G. Rogers as the best candidate for 142nd District Court judge. Cheyenne Snapp Rogers is committed to the law, passionate about court system I have worked in the legal field since 2009. David Rogers has been an admired and well-respected attorney by his peers in the Permian Basin for 26 plus years. I met him in 2011, and I immediately gained the same respect for him. His knowledge of the law is impeccable. Anytime I have legal questions or am unsure of something, David is always the person I call. I have also had the pleasure of working for David as his paralegal for over a year now. I have never worked for someone so committed to the law and or with such a passion for the court system as David. He is the most ethical and knowledgeable attorney with whom I have ever worked, and he is the most even-tempered person I have ever met. His knowledge of the law, experience, character and demeanor are what the 142nd District Court needs in a judge. I know that he will make a great judge, as he will not only uphold the law, he will also be fair and compassionate. This is your judge, and I encourage you to vote for David G. Rogers for the 142nd District Court. ELois Strong Rogers can base decisions on his experience I have been a practicing lawyer for more than 40 years. I primarily practice criminal law. I appear weekly in the 142nd Judicial District Court. I can tell you from experience that a vast majority of the cases heard in that court on a weekly basis are criminal. It is important to elect a judge with actual trial experience and specialized knowledge. David has both. He has been practicing both civil and criminal law for 26 years and he is board-certified in criminal law. Midland needs a judge who can base decisions on a lifetime of experience in representing people before the court. David has both the experience and temperament to be a great judge. I ask you to vote for David Rogers for the 142nd Judicial District Court. H.W. (Woody) Leverett, Jr. Rogers has specialized knowledge to be on bench I have been a practicing attorney for 21 years. I am a board-certified specialist in family law. Midland has a great opportunity to put a specialist on the bench. David is board-certified in criminal law and has earned the right to be called a specialist. I can attest to the difficulty in becoming specialized. A majority of attorneys do not obtain a specialization in any field. I can also attest to Davids temperament. I am a certified mediator. I have mediated many of Davids family law cases. In these cases, he is representing people at one of the lowest points in their lives. David has never lost his temper with me or any of his clients. He patiently listens to his clients concerns and works toward a peaceful solution to their issues. He always seeks to resolve the issues and not to create additional problems. David possesses the specialized knowledge and temperament for the bench. I ask you to vote Dave G. Rogers for the 142nd District Court judge. Charles Myers District attorney Nodolf works to stay within offices budget The people of Midland should be proud of Midland County District Attorney Laura Nodolf and the office she runs. Laura Nodolf cares about right and wrong. With her knowledge, ability and integrity, Laura continually works for all residents, all local law enforcement agencies and is an asset to the district and county courts. Officers will call her any time of the day or night asking for assistance, whether it is a simple over-the- phone question or in needing assistance at a crime scene. Victims are given the utmost professional service, thought and concern. Laura Nodolf has been an employee of this office for almost 20 years. She works very hard to keep the budget she is given, making sure she does not ask for anything more than what the office needs. The people that work for, and with, Laura Nodolf are dedicated to the quality of work, have a great rapport with her and appreciate her open-door policy. I -- as a resident of Midland County since 1981 and as an employee of the Midland County District Attorneys Office since 1997 -- ask that you vote to keep Laura Nodolf as your district attorney. T. Patrick Bostick Precinct 1 Ramsey has background, conservative principles to serve The residents of Midland County are very fortunate to have Scott Ramsey's integrity, intelligence, and willingness to serve as Midland County commissioner, Precinct 1. I have known and worked with Scott for more than 30 years. I have observed first-hand his business acumen and sound judgment in making decisions that provide beneficial solutions to the parties involved. His background in accounting and finance and his conservative principles are prerequisites to working on and managing a balanced and fiscally responsible county budget. Scott has done a tremendous job in his first term, listening to the concerns of citizens, showing his leadership and reducing the tax burden for Midland County businesses and residents. We need Scott Ramsey, and I hope you will join me in supporting his re-election as county commissioner, Precinct 1. Tracy K. Elms Ramsey says there still is work to be done My wife, Karen, and I have known Scott Ramsey and his wife, Ellen, socially, and I have also worked with Scott professionally on several occasions during that 25-year period. When Scott first indicated he wanted to seek the position of Precinct 1 commissioner, he stated that he felt he should give back to the city and county of Midland where he and Ellen have lived, worked, worshipped and raised their two children. It is my opinion that Scott has demonstrated very well, by his input and work on such projects as the downtown Library at the Plaza, the probation building, repair of roads in Precinct 1 and his input having to do with the Horseshoe Complex, as well as other Midland County business, his understanding of the problems, needs and financial responsibilities as well as other tasks and nuances of his position as commissioner of Precinct 1. Scott has indicated to me that he feels there is still work to be done, and he wants to be remain involved. Therefore, I would like to encourage you to vote for the re-election of Scott Ramsey as commissioner Precinct 1. Ron J. King Sheriff Reader favors Hain, Criner We voters have two very competent candidates for Midland County sheriff. Tom Hain and David Criner are both highly qualified and have the necessary administrative experience. On the other hand, there is a candidate and currently highly placed Midland County Sheriffs Office employee who advertises that he will have an openly transparent agency. His ad finishes by saying his ears are always open. Chief Deputy Rory McKinney has been sued by one of his employees for illegally wiretapping her phone more than 200 times; is this is what he is referring to about transparency of the sheriff's department? The Texas Rangers reportedly are investigating the same violation of other employees phones being tapped. They are also investigating MCSO evidence room thefts. Reuben Richardson The first known extraterrestrial protein has been found inside a meteorite named Acfer 086 that fell to Earth in Algeria 30 years ago, a study has found. The protein hemolithin contains iron and lithium, suggesting that the building blocks of life could already exist out in space. Meteorites containing hemolithin could therefore play a role in seeding life on habitable planets like the Earth by delivering proteins to their surfaces. Scroll down for video The first known extraterrestrial protein has been found inside a meteorite named Acfer 086 that fell to Earth in Algeria 30 years ago, a study has found. Pictured, an artist's impression of meteorites entering the Earth's atmosphere ACFER 086 STATS Acfer 086 is a meteorite that landed in one piece in Algeria. It was found in 1990 and weighed 6.1 ounces (173 grams). The space rock sample was previously found to contain amino acid polymers. Now, researchers have discovered that Acfer 086 also contains the first known extraterrestrial protein, hemolithin. Advertisement Hemolithin is a relatively small protein, composed mainly of the amino acid glycine with caps of iron, lithium and oxygen at its ends. While all of these elements are familiar to scientists, this is the first time that such a configuration has been seen on the Earth. Although the molecule's presence isn't necessarily indicative of life, it could have played a role in starting creating such with the iron oxide tips at the ends of the hemolithin molecules known to use light to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. 'It is a good candidate molecule to split water,' paper author Julie McGeoch of the PLEX Corporation, a superconductor X-ray source supplier, told New Atlas. This, she added, means it could 'represent a first energy source to chemistry, going on to biochemistry on the surface of planets like Earth in terms of their mass and distance from their sun.' 'This could apply to planets throughout the Universe.' Although hemolithin is structurally similar to the proteins with which we are familiar, the protein's ratio of hydrogen to isotope deuterium did not match anything found on Earth. However, the ratio did bear a similarity to the composition of comets from the Oort cloud, the sphere of icy planetesimals that surrounds the solar system. According to the researchers,, this suggests that the hemolithin in Acfer 086 may have formed in the proto-solar disk, some 4.6 billion years ago. Acfer 086, pictured, is a meteorite that landed in one piece in Algeria. It was found in 1990 and weighed 6.1 ounces (173 grams). Researchers have discovered that Acfer 086 contains the first known extraterrestrial protein, hemolithin Hemolithin is a relatively small protein, composed mainly of the amino acid glycine with caps of iron, lithium and oxygen at its ends. Pictured, representations of of the hemolithin molecule, seen in space-filling mode (top) and ball and stick (middle and, in close-up, bottom.) White spheres are helium, grey is carbon, blue is nitrogen, red is oxygen, green is iron and orange is lithium. The close-up shows the iron oxide ends that could split water into its component parts It is not entirely clear how a complex protein like hemolithin might have formed in the Acfer 086 meteorite, although finding simple amino acids and their precursors like sugars and organic materials in space is not unprecedented. Individual molecules of glycine, however, have been predicted to form on the surface of dust grains which could potentially have linked up to eventually form proteins if exposed to the right conditions in warm molecular clouds. A pre-print of the researchers' article, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, can be read on the arXiv repository. Acfer 086 is a meteorite that landed in one piece in Algeria. It was found in 1990 and weighed 6.1 ounces (173 grams). Researchers have discovered that Acfer 086 also contains the first known extraterrestrial protein, hemolithin People queue up for face masks at Hanaro Mart in Jongno District, Seoul on Saturday. Hanaro Mart headquarters distributed 550,000 masks to its 319 stores in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province over the weekend. Consumers were allowed to purchase up to five masks each. / Yonhap Information gap between Korea, abroad about face mask benefits By Kang Hyun-kyung On Saturday, when I entered the fenced site that houses two grocery stores Hanaro Mart, one of the biggest grocery stores in my city, Gimpo, and the aptly named Local Food store, I was struck by a surprising scene. People had formed a long line near the front gate of Hanaro Mart. It was 8:55 a.m., five minutes before the store's opening time. Wondering what it was all about, I asked a young man wearing a Hanaro Mart uniform why there was such a long queue. "Masks," he said. "People began to wait here from early in the morning for masks." I had seen people in long lines waiting to buy face masks in photos and TV footage of the southeastern city of Daegu, which was hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. However, it was surprising to see a long line of people anxious to buy face masks right in front of my eyes in my neighborhood. The long queue for face masks illustrates how truly nervous people are. The coronavirus has triggered a paradigm shift in the lifestyle of Koreans. Once bustling shopping streets and theaters are suddenly empty. But when you do see people out they are almost all wearing face masks. People have been staying at home and shunning public gatherings. Many choose to order online when purchasing groceries and other necessities rather than going out to the shops. Some are hoarding commodities, in preparation for the worst. On a personal level, the most striking characteristic that distinguishes my life before and after the coronavirus outbreak is the disappearance of "weekend tranquility." Hanaro Mart and Local Food, which sells locally-grown vegetables, fruit and other products, are two of my favorite places that I always visit on the weekend. I like the idea of locally-grown products as it brought back fond memories of an organic personal care shop I dropped by in Carmel-by-the-sea, California, years back. The owner proudly told me that all the products in his shop were made with ingredients extracted from certified organic plants grown in California. Whenever I go to Local Food, I think of that shop and its proud owner who was eager to expand his business in Korea. As an early morning person, I would usually go to Local Food to get supplies for the week ahead. Before the coronavirus, few people were around in the morning. I liked the wide selection of products Hanaro Mart offered to its customers. Once done there, I would move to the next store, Local Food, for locally grown vegetables. But the luxury of my weekend grocery shopping disappeared with the arrival of the coronavirus outbreak. The two grocery stores are now crowded with panicked shoppers at all hours. People have started hoarding instant food, ingredients and other products, particularly those for sanitization. A week ago when I was there, I saw a shelf in which several 1-liter plastic bottles of disinfectant were stacked. All of them were gone and had been replaced by more expensive spray-type sanitization products. I heaved a sigh of relief, because I bought five of them a week ago. I found overall prices of vegetables went up potatoes, onions and tomatoes were more expensive than they had been the previous week. As expected, the shelf for face masks was empty with a note telling customers what happened. It reads, "There are currently no masks today. We are sorry for the inconvenience. We don't know when we will have them back in stock. We'll do our best to have them as soon as possible." Outside Hanaro Mart, there was a makeshift face mask sales area from Saturday as the headquarters has managed to procure 550,000 face masks per day and distribute them to its 319 stores in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Each person can purchase up to five masks. Of course, they were sold out in minutes. A sheet of paper on a shelf at Hanaro Mart in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, informs customers that all masks are sold out and it is not known when they will be restocked. / Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyung Pioneer Cement signs limestone development agreement in Georgia 02 March 2020 Raysut Cement's UAE subsidiary, Pioneer Cement, has signed an agreement for the development of a limestone mine in Georgia. Under the 10-year deal SFL International will pay a royalty to Pioneer Cement for mining the limestone deposits. Pioneer Cement owns the concession to limestone mines in Georgia where it is currently set to construct a 1.2Mta cement plant. The plant will be located near Tbilisi, adjacent to the limestone mines. The value of the project is estimated at US$200m. Georgia provides Pioneer Cement an opportunity to diversify from the Middle East into a market with large infrastructure growth and shortage of clinker and high-quality cement, the company said in a statement. Published under Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. A Colorado man whose son was repeatedly abused before being found encased in concrete in a Denver storage unit has been sentenced to 72 years in prison for the death. UPDATE: Kalamazoo community mourns loss of Taco Bob Ketteman KALAMAZOO, MI -- The founder of local Kalamazoo Mexican restaurant chain Taco Bobs died Sunday. Bob Ketteman, affectionately known as Taco Bob, died Sunday, March 1, according to a statement from the business. For over 30 years, Bob grew his legacy not only through his beautiful family and their restaurants, but by teaching and sharing his signature Taco Bobs Attitude of success, the statement reads. Through intentional positivity and joy, he was able to inspire in our community of thousands a better day, a better view, and a better life one smile and one taco at a time. Related: Kalamazoo community mourns loss of Taco Bob Ketteman Ketteman, 60, and his wife, Nancy, started in the taco business with a Taco Grande franchise they bought from his brother in 1985, Nancy Ketteman told the Kalamazoo Gazette in an article published in 2010. The couple later opened their first independent restaurant, named Taco Bobs, in 1988. Friends and family of Taco Bobs, we are deeply saddened to share news of the passing of a legend in our community. This... Posted by Taco Bob's on Monday, March 2, 2020 Today, the business has six locations including stores in Kalamazoo, Portage, Vicksburg and Mattawan. The latest location opened in August on South Westnedge Avenue. The restaurant is planning a public celebration of life and will post details as soon as they are available, office manager Leslie Moore said. Thank you for your support and respect during this difficult time of grieving, Moore said on behalf of Kettemans family. Also on MLive: Taco Bobs opens new drive-thru location on Westnedge Michigans Best Taco search gets a little funny at Taco Bobs in Kalamazoo Algiers, 2 March 2020 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, has received a congratulatory message from his Algerian counterpart, H.E. Abdelmajid Tebboune, on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. It is my pleasure, as the brotherly Sahrawi people commemorate the 44th anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, to extend to you, on behalf of Algerian people and government and on my own behalf, my warmest congratulations and sincerest wishes for good health and well-being, said President Tebboune. President Tebboune renewed Algeria's unwavering and unconditional support for the legitimate right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination through a free and fair referendum, and to stand by its side to reach a permanent solution to its just cause in accordance with international law and legitimacy, in line with the United Nations doctrine of decolonization. (SPS) 062/SPS/T A church in St. Stephen is striking off on its own after disagreements with its head organization over performing same-sex marriages. Peter Fitch, head pastor of the St. Croix Vineyard Church, said his congregation is being forced out of the conservative Christian fellowship in Canada. Fitch said the beginning of the end was when national leaders of the Vineyard Movement told all its churches to stop performing same-sex marriages in 2014, something he couldn't abide by. "I was always troubled by [it] because I have a gay brother, and something about exclusion just seemed so wrong to me," he said. "I think we feel a little bit of freedom because we have been trying our best to practice dissent from within but we don't like being a part of a movement that we believe still harms people." CBC Fitch said after years of butting heads against Vineyard management, they've now been asked to leave the association. He said the ultimatum is forcing them out of the community they love. "It was sad, there's no question about that," he said. "We had really longed for [change] because we know there's tons of pastors in the movement that wanted to be a little bit more open. It broke our heart." A journey toward change The St. Croix Vineyard is one of the founding members of the Association of Vineyard Churches Canada, a group which has 45 churches across the country, and over 2,400 around the world. The St. Stephen branch was founded in 1992 as an independent church, and joined the 'Vineyard Movement' in 1995. I feel the church really favours homogeneity instead of diversity. When you're a little too diverse, that's when you realize you've crossed a line. - David Hayward, former Vineyard pastor Fitch said Vineyard churches are a little less formal than most church groups, and tend to be very welcoming, using music during their service as a way to connect. In 2014, Fitch went against the church's recently mandated ban, and performed a same-sex marriage the first of three the church have performed over the years. Story continues "We left [the discussion] that time with the determination to see if it was possible to create a place where churches that weren't affirming and churches that were could share the same table," he said. After back-and-forth between the two groups, Fitch and the rest of the Association's churches got an answer in January: all 'affirming' churches must give up the Vineyard name. An amicable break-up Fitch says although they were "heartbroken" by Vineyard's final decree, there aren't any hard feelings between the two groups. "We think that church history is littered with ugly separations, and we just didn't want to do that," he said. David Ruis, national director of Vineyard Canada, said he understands Fitch's decision and the St. Croix Vineyard has his blessing to leave the denomination. "It's not about fighting or right or wrong or anything, they just need to flourish," he said. St. Croix Vineyard Church/Facebook "We feel the separation but we really want them to flourish, and we bless that." Fitch says he hasn't heard directly from the Vineyard Association yet, but expects to have conversations with them in early March. An outpouring of support When the decision came down that St. Croix Vineyard had to leave the Vineyard Movement, Fitch says they wanted to find a way forward that could be rooted in creativity, one of the pillars of his congregation. That's when Walter Thiessen, a professor at St. Stephen University and a part-time pastor with the church, had the idea to launch a website, where people could submit their photos and comments about what the church has meant to them. CBC It's been a week since the website has been live, and Thiessen says they've gotten over 1,100 responses from all around the world. David Hayward, a comic artist and a former Vineyard pastor knows the journey the St. Croix church is going on all too well. David Hayward/Twitter In 2010, he too left the church because he felt it was holding him back. "I feel the church really favours homogeneity instead of diversity. When you're a little too diverse, that's when you realize you've crossed a line," he said. Hayward says the way Fitch has handled the situation will inspire hope in other Vineyard churches. "I think it's going to be a blow to the wider Vineyard...I don't think St. Croix Vineyard is going to be the only one required to leave. I think there will be quite a few across Canada," he said. A new beginning Fitch says underneath the sadness is excitement, and a plan to "go out with a bang." On March 15, they're holding a celebration at the church that will reflect on the past and give a hint toward the future. "Kind of like a funeral, and a rebirth. So we'll intersperse lament, and we'll intersperse stories of people in the church, with music," he said. Fitch says they'll also be revealing the church's new name that day. Fitch is hesitant to say if this will start a mass exodus from the Vineyard Movement, but it's not out of the question. "I think that this message will grow," he said "And I think that it won't be too long before they have to face this again." BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 3 By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend: Azerbaijani goods worth $8.2 million were exported through a "single window" system in January 2020, which is 31.7 percent more compared to same period last year, Trend reports referring to the Export Review published by Azerbaijans Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication. The total export value of Azerbaijan's products through a "single window" in 2019 amounted to $140.4 million, which is 6.4 percent less compared to 2018. Switzerland leads among the countries importing Azerbaijani products through a "single window"; the country accounted for 60 percent of all exports. Switzerland is followed by Georgia (14 percent), Russia (13 percent), Kazakhstan (4 percent), Turkey and the UK (2 percent each). The total share of the remaining countries was 7 percent. The total amount of Azerbaijan's exports via the "single window" amounted to $140.4 million in 2019, which was 6.4 percent less compared to 2018, when this figure was $150 million. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis Facebook today launched a new consumer marketing campaign in India, More Together, to showcase how people across the country can do more together by harnessing the power of their connections on the platform. The campaign marks many firsts for the company. India is the first country in the Asia Pacific region where such a campaign is being rolled out. It is also the first time that Facebook is rolling out a high decibel campaign of this stature in India. Consumer marketing is a new strategic area of focus for Facebook and is part of the companys priority of transparently communicating the role its services play in the world. More Together is the marketing campaign for the Facebook App, to share stories that celebrate and highlight the power of connections. It is built on the core belief that people can do more together, than alone. Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, comments, India is at the heart of Facebook and one of our focus areas this year is to tell the exciting story of a service that is deeply embedded in the fabric of India. While at the company level we remain focussed on building trust, we want to showcase the many ways that Facebook is intertwined in the lives of Indians - from connecting with loved ones, to growing businesses and supporting local communities, to finding ways to come together to learn and share and celebrate. I could not be more excited that we are telling our story it is a story that is lived by people across the country every day. The campaign for India has been conceptualized and executed by Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India. It will have multiple campaigns going on air, across India, over the next few weeks, in 8 languages. This is a 360 degree campaign that will span mediums like Digital, Out of Home, Radio & Cinema. In the words of Agnello Dias, Co-Founder, Taproot Dentsu and Creative Chairperson, Dentsu Aegis Network India, says, Taproot Dentsu is delighted to develop such an important campaign for one of the most loved services in the country. The world of Facebook represents a canvas of connections thats huge, vibrant and full of serendipitous outcomes and surprises. To celebrate all users and to inspire more of them to benefit from the power of connections, our creative team led by Pallavi Chakravarti, wrote stories with all these unexpected, wonderful outcomes, which are inspired by real people and their real journeys. The first TVC is directed by Shimit Amin, of Chak De! fame, and aired on Saturday, February 29th. It is themed around Holi and it personifies the More Together campaign, as it shows young people across geographies sharing the festive spirit, using the power of their connections built on the Facebook app. Shimit Amin spoke about the TVC set in the context of Holi, I think there was this wonderful opportunity to resonate culturally. And that was incredibly motivating to do the best we could do. It really pushed us naturally without feeling like a chore. There was something really organic about it. And I think that shows. The feelings are genuine. And emotionally, it unexpectedly takes you to high not felt before. The out-of-home ads have been created by Bharat Sikka and feature people like Sanjyot Keer from Your Food Lab, Kamiya Jani from Curly Tales, Madhura Bachal from Madhuras Recipe, Paula McGlynn and Sarang Sathaye from BhaDiPa, Chhavi Mittal and Mohit Hussein from SIT, Varun Pruthi and Maithili Thakur, who leveraged the power of Facebook to fuel their aspirations. This campaign was preceded by the updated branding for the Facebook company that was announced in November 2019. It introduced a new company logo to further distinguish the Facebook company from the Facebook app. The company also recently announced the appointment of Avinash Pant as the Marketing Director for India operations, to drive the consumer marketing efforts across the family of apps. Agency credits: Mikaela Spielberg, the daughter of filmmaker Steven Spielberg, appeared teary-eyed in the booking photo for her weekend arrest. The adult film star, 23, was picked up Saturday in Nashville for domestic assault with bodily injury, a misdemeanor, after a fight with her 47-year-old fiance, Chuck Pankow, Yahoo has confirmed. In her mug shot, her mascara was smudged and her eyes and cheeks were red, apparently from crying. According to the criminal complaint, on Saturday at about 4 a.m., police responded to a domestic dispute between Mikaela and Pankow. They had been drinking at a bar and got into an argument, which escalated when he made a rude comment about her. Police said she started to throw objects at him and one struck him in his hand, causing a clear and observable injury. Mikaela Spielberg, the daughter of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, was arrested during a fight with her fiance early Saturday morning in Nashville. (Mikaela Spielberg via Nashville Police Department) While both parties admitted to a physical dispute, based on Pankows statements and observable signs of injury it was determined that she was the primary aggressor. Pankow refused to prosecute her, so officers decided to prosecute on the victim's behalf. Mikaela was arrested and taken to the Hill Detention Center. Someone paid her $1,000 bond and she was released. Shes expected back in court on March 9. Pankow confirmed to Fox News that Mikaela was arrested amid "a misunderstanding."He also said that "no one is hurt. Steven Spielberg and daughter Mikaela George Spielberg arrive at the 81st Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (Photo: AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Mikaela has been in the news recently for an interview she gave to The Sun about how shes pursuing a career as an adult film star. She said she also hopes to become an exotic dancer. She told the tabloid that her parents the iconic filmmaker and his wife, actress, Kate Capshaw, who adopted her were aware of her new career path and supportive. According to the New York Posts Page Six, a source close to Mikaelas parents said that while they are supportive of her, Obviously, though, theyre embarrassed by her sudden public admission of entry into the sex worker world. In the interview, Mikaela also spoke about suffering years of mental health issues, including anorexia, borderline personality disorder and alcoholism. Story continues Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. Lab work: Researchers work with samples during a coronavirus analysis simulation at the Malbran Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo: REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian In the 19th century, Ignaz Semmelweis was vilified when he tried to make doctors wash their hands after doing autopsies on women who had died from childbirth fever before going straight upstairs to deliver more babies. We have come a long way since then in public health, but we can go much further still. The pandemic panic of stock markets, tourism, international sport and global trade, even before there is an actual pandemic, tells us that global society, for all its medical know-how, is vulnerable. Pandemics are more likely to kill millions or disrupt the world economy than climate change. But if we learn the lesson that we must be more authoritarian, we'll have got it wrong. Culture and practice can change without putting Big Brother in charge. The Covid-19 coronavirus may yet peter out, but it looks unlikely after what has happened in Italy and Iran. It seems to be killing mainly old people and its mortality and infectivity may eventually be no higher than flu, but that is cold comfort. Flu kills thousands a year, yet we treat respiratory infections fatalistically, like our ancestors thought of consumption or smallpox. It should not be like this: we can do much more to stop these viruses spreading. China has apparently got Covid-19 under control with brutal measures: drones shouting at people in the street, violent arrests, and a total ban on travel. This has gained admirers among the instinctively bossy. "China's uncompromising and rigorous use of non-pharmaceutical measures to contain transmission of the virus in multiple settings provides vital lessons for the global response," said the World Health Organisation this week. There has long been a streak of China envy among those on the statist Left who yearn for authoritarian measures. But autocracy has its drawbacks too. Lack of challenge from civil society allows live, wild animals to be sold in markets in China, providing a way for new viruses to jump into the human species. Violent enforcement of public health would not survive legal and political challenge here. And it should not be necessary anyway. Society is reacting: conferences and rugby matches are being cancelled and people are self-isolating voluntarily. For those who refuse to go along (a doctor friend mentioned a patient who ignored advice not to board a connecting flight after falling ill on a flight from China), shame will be a powerful weapon. I hope what emerges from this episode is a cultural shift to change our habits so as to defeat not just future lethal diseases, but also ones as harmless as the common cold. It's outrageous that we treat viruses as acts of God to be borne with patience, and mock as wimps those who stay at home. It's mad that we send our children with runny noses to nurseries where they amplify infections. It's idiotic that many persist in believing you only get a cold because you're "run down", as if Louis Pasteur had never lived and the germ theory of disease was still up for discussion. A few weeks ago, I had a bad cold so I delayed a trip to London, then refused to shake hands with anybody for 10 days. It was hard. People kept saying things like: "Oh, I don't get colds, I take vitamins", or: "I've had it already", when there are 200 kinds of virus that cause the common cold and immunity is often temporary anyway. Wearing a face mask when you have a cold or flu should be the norm as it is in Japan. Let's use this epidemic, however bad it gets, to change our habits for good. With 7.7 billion people on the planet, we are a tempting target for new viruses and we are still subject to lots of respiratory infections that can occasionally kill us. We don't need Big Brother to force cultural change on us; better that we do it voluntarily. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Senator Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) cancelled a rally in her home state on Sunday night after dozens of Black Lives Matter and Minneapolis NAACP protestors stormed into the event and took over the stage to protest Klobuchars prosecutorial record. A Klobuchar spokesperson said the senator offered to meet with the protestors privately, a request reportedly turned down by the civil rights activists, who delayed the event by around 40 minutes before it was cancelled. The campaign offered a meeting with the senator if they would leave the stage after being onstage for more than an hour, the spokesperson said. After the group initially agreed, they backed out of the agreement and we are canceling the event. But protestors contested the narrative, saying they had never backed out of a deal to meet with Klobuchar. We thought that Amy Klobuchar speaking about Myons case with Myons family onstage was a reasonable request and a good way to let attendees know why we were there, Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and Black Lives Matter activist, tweeted. Instead of responding to this request, Amys team decided to cancel the event. We didnt know until media told us. The activists chanted, Klobuchar has got to go, and Free Myon a reference to Myon Burrell, who was sentenced to life in prison following the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl, when Klobuchar was the top prosecutor in Hennepin County, Minn. ST. LOUIS PARK, MN Protesters in Senator Klobuchars home state have stormed the stage at her campaign rally, with dozens chanting, Free Myon! and Klobuchar has got to go! pic.twitter.com/n0MLZK3mO7 Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) March 2, 2020 Calls for Klobuchar who participated in a civil rights event Sunday with other 2020 candidates to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Selmas Bloody Sunday to end her campaign have intensified in recent weeks over the Burrell case, after an extensive report from The Associated Press highlighted a number of inconsistencies in the case. Burrell, his family, and activists say he was wrongfully convicted, and while Klobuchar has said the case should be reviewed if the lack of evidence warrants it, activists say she is complicit in the case. Story continues This is a tale of two cities. Theres a real distinction between how we see Amy Klobuchar, and its because she keeps hiding behind her progressive background or values, but shes actually not as progressive as she comes across, Leslie Redmond, president of the Minneapolis NAACP, told USA Today. More from National Review Doha, March 2 : The US-Taliban negotiations that culminated with a peace deal signed in Doha began with former US President Barak Obama's administration, but remained a secret, the spokesperson for Talibans political office in Doha said. The Taliban hopes to reach an agreement with the Afghan government before the total withdrawal of the international troops within 14 months, the spokesman, Suhail Shaheen told Efe news in an interview on Sunday. "It took a long time to reach a deal with the US because they started a few years back but it was away from the eye of the media so it was only in the time of the Trump administration that we openly talked with them and all the details were told to the media," he said. Although he did not reveal when the talks exactly began, but he pointed out that it got underway "during the Obama administration". The talks were "hidden behind closed doors" in Doha, where both parties signed the historic peace agreement on February 29. The deal lays out a roadmap for the full withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan starting with the removal of 8,600 soldiers, in a period of 135 days after the signing of the peace agreement. Currently, some 14,000 US troops are deployed in the country. During the process, the group remained united with leaders in the field following orders thanks, in part, to the political office Shaheen has been working at for eight years. The seven-day reduction in violence implemented by the Taliban before the signing ceremony was a good example of that, he told Efe news. After reaching a future intra-Afghan peace deal that ends the war, Shaheen hopes that "all" Taliban members, including its leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, will be able to return to Kabul. Hibatullah succeeded former leader Mullah Mansour who was killed in a 2016 drone attack in Pakistan. The intra-Afghan talks are scheduled to begin on March 10 in Oslo, where the Taliban will be represented by the same delegation, he said. "The sooner we resolve the Afghan domestic issue, the better because we have to call a government before the completion of the withdrawal of the foreign forces from Afghanistan," Shaheen added. During these talks, both parties would address the formation of an "Islamic" government, its form and participation, without revealing whether his group will take part in elections. Sectors of Afghan society and activists fear the return of the group that ruled the country with an iron fist between 1996 and 2001. The Taliban has also been criticized over its stance towards women, who were locked up in their homes under the Islamic regime. "There was propaganda against us by our hostile groups, our enemies," he said. "Regarding women's rights, if they want to have education we have no problem with that, if they want to work, we have no problem with that," he added. He did not reveal whether they planned to implement the Islamic Sharia law, saying that following intra-Afghan talks, a scholar committee will be formed to present suggestions. For now, the signing of a deal with the US has been a historic step after nearly two decades of war. Although pundits and analysts think there is a long road to cover, Shaheen deemed it a "very joyful moment for all our members and all the Afghan people". "We hope to reach during intra-Afghan negotiations, another success and that is to form a government that will be another joy for us and then we say farewell to war," he concluded. ALTON A judge Friday sentenced an Alton man to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to his sixth case of domestic battery. Bura L. Robinson, 49, allegedly punched a woman in the mouth, causing a laceration, while she was leaving Eunice Smith School in Alton, where she worked. Assistant Madison County States Attorney Phil Voss said that Robinson assaulted several different family members over the years, including two domestic batteries in 1993, plus one each in 1994, one in 2014 and one in 2017. The most recent one was on Feb. 26, 2019. One family member was reluctant to cooperate Voss said. Hell kill me, he reported her as saying. Voss played a recording of the most recent case in which Robinson came running up to his victim as she was entering a car and immediately punched her twice in the face. They then left in the same car. His other domestic battery charges included punching, threatening, stomping and pushing. Voss asked for 30 years in prison. Because of Robinsons lengthy history of domestic violence, the case was treated as a Class X felony, punishable by a prison term of between six and 30 years. Under the plea agreement, Robinson may get a year off for every good day he serves in prison. Associate Judge Ron Slemer said Robinson actually deserves a 20-year sentence but imposed a lighter sentence because of the defendants age. In addition to the domestic battery charge, Robinson has conviction for two counts of theft, battery, two counts of burglary, three counts of possession of a controlled substance, aggravated with a weapon other than a firearm, receiving or possessing a stolen vehicle, aggravated battery great bodily harm and state benefits fraud. Voss said Robinson has been charged with 41 misdemeanors and convicted of 19 of them. He has been charged with 26 felonies and convicted of 17 of them, Voss said. He has been charged 57 times and has spent 45 percent of his adult life, or 45 years, in custody, the prosecutor argued. It has been life in prison on the installment plan, Voss said. He was on parole or probation when many of the charges were filed, he said. Clearly, it is time to send a message to the community that enough is enough, Voss argued. He said the defendant has been charged with almost every crime but murder. Robinson apologized for his crime but said his life of crime is because of drug problems. He said cocaine is his drug of choice, but he has indulged in several other drugs. He said his family does not support him, but he has forgiven himself. His attorney, Harry Anderson, argued that none of the violence his client inflict resulted in injuries that required medical care, only black eyes and bruises. Panic has descended upon the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US as first responders go under quarantine, schools close and a church even refuses to give out Holy Communion. The majority of cases appear to be linked to a nursing facility, the Life Care Center of Kirkland, in Washington, where about 50 residents and workers have reported feeling ill. Nearly 30 firefighters and police officers in the city of 90,000 people have been placed under quarantine after they had been to the nursing facility to help transport patients to hospitals. Dozens of schools were closed on Monday, including one community college that disinfected its campus after students visited the nursing home last week. It comes as health officials report that the number of coronavirus deaths has risen from two over the weekend to six on Monday - all of them in Washington. Panic has descended upon Kirkland, Washington, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak linked to a nursing facility, the Life Care Center of Kirkland. Pictured: Healthcare workers transfer a patient on a stretcher to an ambulance at the Life Care Center, March 1 About 50 residents and workers are being tested - several confirmed - and there is fear the virus will spread to anyone who visited the building. On Monday, health officials revealed that 103 people across the US have been infected with coronavirus and that six people, all in Washington state, had died Although Life Care Center, which has 108 residents and 180 staff members, has been closed to visitors, there is fear the disease will not only spread quickly among older residents but to anyone who stopped by the building. To control the spread of the virus, King County is currently moving to buy a hotel to house isolated patients. Additionally, 25 Kirkland firefighters - one-quarter of the city's force - and two police officers who were exposed to the virus at the facility are under quarantine. They've not shown any symptoms but will need to be kept under close watch for the next 14 days. According to Kellie Stickney, a city of Kirkland spokesperson, the quarantine is 'out of an abundance of caution.' Several elementary, middle and high schools in the Seattle area voluntarily closed on Monday and/or Tuesday. Also shut down was Lake Washington Institute of Technology, which is closed for two days as campus is disinfected. It's not clear if the 16 nursing students and four faculty/staff members that visited the nursing home last week will need to go under quarantine. 'The health and safety of our students, faculty and staff are top of mind as we work our way through this emergency,' said Lake Washington president Amy Morrison said in a statement. 'Our faculty have been in contact with those students, as well as college administration. Currently, the college is awaiting guidance from King County Public Health in order to provide information and guidance to our faculty and students.' Panic even reached a church that canceled Holy Communion on Sunday and banned handshakes and hugs among its congregation. Staffers at Northshore Community Church wiped down door handles and urged anyone who didn't feel well to stay home. Twenty-five firefighters - one-quarter of the city's force, and two police officers are under quarantine after helping to transport patients to hospitals. Pictured: An ambulance transports a patient from the Life Care Center of Kirkland to a hospital Northshore Community Church (pictured) refused to give out Holy Communion on Sunday and discouraged parishioners from hugging or shaking hands Several schools have closed, including Lake Washington Institute of Technology, which had nursing students visit the facility last week (above) 'We are gathered together today amidst news that can make us anxious or fearful. I'm sure all of our hearts are thinking about that word "coronavirus,"' senior pastor Scott Scruggs said as he addressed the crowd, reported The Washington Post. 'We're doing what we can and we want to invite you to do the same.' At a press conference on Monday, public health officials in Washington say they now predict they will see more cases of coronavirus than of the flu. 'This disease will pose a significant challenge to the healthcare delivery system across the country and across the world,' said Jeffrey Duchin, a public health officer for King County. Worldwide, more than 90,000 people have been infected and more than 3,000 people have died. In the US, 92 people have been infected with the virus and six have died in Washington - five in King County, where Seattle is located, and on in Snahomish County. Inside Hook James Lipton, the host of Bravos Inside the Actors Studio known for his effusive interviewing style, has reportedly passed away in his Manhattan home at the age of 93 after a battle with bladder cancer. Lipton hosted Inside the Actors Studio for 23 years, stepping down in 2018 when it moved from Bravo to Ovation TV. The show was nominated for 21 Primetime Emmys, winning in 2013 for Outstanding Informational Series or Special. Lipton also received the Critics Choice Television Award for best reality show host in 2016. The media routinely call Trump divisive and controversial, forgetting that they are the ones stirring up the divisions and the controversy. Looked at objectively, Trump's presidency is consistent with the American mainstream through Reagan. Indeed, even though some values have changed since Reagan's time, Trump is still well within American norms. It's the media that are advocating for divisive and controversial policies, both at home and abroad. Mostly, the media's name-calling has been merely irritating. After all, people who wish to do so have been able to separate the wheat from the chaff. The habit, however, went from irritating to dangerous with the coronavirus's appearance on the scene. From the first day, the media decided to use the coronavirus as a way to destroy Trump's re-election chances. To that end, the media have consistently lied about how Trump has handled the disease. American Thinker detailed some of those lies on Sunday. That post, however, pales in the face of an epic Twitter thread that Steve Guest, the GOP's rapid response director, wrote on the same day. It's a long thread because there are so many instances of the left's rank dishonesty in politicizing the coronavirus, so this post will repeat only some of it. However, you really should read the entire thread if you want to understand how badly the Democrats and the media are gaslighting the American people: Thread. NBC's Chuck Todd is misleading the American people. It's Democrats & the MSM who are politicizing coronavirus, not Republicans. So @chucktodd, you asked for it, I'll name some names of Democrats and the media who are trying to score political points with coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/irL26YtP2O Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 From the beginning, @GOPChairwoman and @DonaldJTrumpJr have been calling out the Democrats for politicizing coronavirus. Example: Schumer & Warren have falsely accused the president of having no plan, despite CDC having a 52-page planned response. https://t.co/hyxz8nsfa0 Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 Michael Bloomberg purchased 3 minutes of commercial air time on CBS and NBC to run an ad for his campaign about coronavirus. Reminder: A month ago, President Trump issued travel restrictions for people coming from China. That's the preparedness @realDonaldTrump has brought. Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 Regarding the media, Politico is publishing false stories about President Trump. Reminder: President Trump did not call coronavirus a hoax.https://t.co/6VT5E4Ejom Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 The New York Times published this bonkers headline: "Let's Call It Trumpvirus." Not subtle at all in their attempt to link coronavirus to Trump. The subhead: "If you're feeling awful, you know who to blame." pic.twitter.com/9DMvBv8MyT Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 The New York Times also published this disgusting headline: "Trump Makes Us Ill." pic.twitter.com/S9liK5Uzyd Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 Not to be left out, The Washington Post has published this unhinged article. pic.twitter.com/80TPa1x7bS Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 Back to Democrat politicians... Joe Biden is lying about the Trump administration's response to coronavirus. No officials were muzzled. https://t.co/HwTIp4L3Ds Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 Earlier this week, Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden were called out by the AP for lying about President Trump cutting funding to the CDC and NIH. The facts from the Associated Press: Financing has increased to the CDC and the NIH.https://t.co/DZ7549XNL0 Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 1, 2020 You can find the entire Twitter thread here. The Democrats and their media handmaidens are lying to you because they can. There are no consequences for what they're doing. Democrat politicians keep collecting votes from hardcore supporters or from credulous members of the public, and media figures keep their jobs. Indeed, the only thing that will make a leftist lose his job is daring to oppose leftist convention wisdom. Once that happens, the mob comes calling. Don Surber provides a microcosm of how this works in his analysis of the efforts to remove MSNBC's Chris Matthews for daring to liken the Democrat Party to the failed French military at the start of World War II. When you're on the left, you're always dancing on the backs of crocodiles. Miss a step, and they will eat you. That kind of viciousness toward their own is nothing compared to the viciousness directed at Trump and his supporters. Just remember that you are being lied to, openly and consistently, and that will help you in your search for the truth. It doesn't hurt to have Steve Guest lend a guiding hand for that search. New Jersey probably leads the nation and the world in strip malls. You cant drive a block here without running across one. A half-dozen or more stores and shops nestled neatly next to each other. Oh, we forgot about the restaurants. Strip mall food doesnt get much respect, even if many of us go the strip mall route when it comes to dining out. Whats New Jerseys best strip mall for food? I eat all over the state, and often in strip malls, which have served up many of my most memorable meals of the past two decades. Picking one was tough. Theres New Road Plaza in Parsippany. Stella Plaza in Toms River. Festival Plaza in Edison. Village Square Mall, Warren. Magnolia Court Plaza, Vineland. Among many others. Theres probably a good one in the town you live. But I kept coming back to one place, in a town that may come as a surprise to many. Belmar. Yes, that quintessential Jersey Shore summer playground. Belmar Mall includes, in one savory strip, 10th Avenue Burrito, Hoagitos, Jersey Shore BBQ, Kotta Sushi Asian Fusion, Simply Southern, Sonnys Grille and Domesticated Dad. (There are eateries on the other side of the parking lot, but they are not part of Belmar Mall). For my money, no other strip mall in the state boasts the diversity and dining excellence of Belmar Mall. None of the restaurants qualify as fine dining, but dont hold that against them. Not one is part of a chain. Theres a soul/Southern food restaurant. Sushi/Asian fusion. Tacos and burritos. A hot dogs and burgers joint. A mini-sub/sandwich shop. A barbecue joint. A breakfast/lunch spot with good pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches and cayenne-spiced pickles. The latter is Domesticated Dad, the new kid on the block, which opened just a month ago. Youll meet all the restaurant owners below. Theyll talk about their food and how they ended up on what folks here call "Restaurant Row.'' I call it the best strip mall for food in the state. Brian Katz, owner, 10th Avenue Burrito Co., Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 10th Avenue Burrito Co. The godfather of this strip mall is how Marc Spagnuolo, co-owner of Hoagitos, describes Brian Katz (photo), owner of 10th Avenue Burrito Co. The restaurant opened as a four-seat carry-out place on 10th Avenue in Belmar in 2003 (monthly rent: $700), then re-located to Belmar Mall in 2010 in the space now occupied by Simply Southern. It moved to its current space in 2012 when a liquor license became available. Katz has been in the restaurant business since he was 13. Business at 10th Avenue Burrito "blew up,' he says, when an episode of Food Networks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'' was filmed at the initial Belmar Mall location in 2010. A sign outside cautions: "We will not serve bar crawls before 10:00 PM without prior notification.'' Asked about the sign, Katz replies, "Were not that place people come in and punch holes in the wall.'' Exterior, 10th Avenue Burrito Co., Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) The menu goes well beyond burritos and tacos. Apps include buffalo cauliflower, chipotle mashed potato pierogies and tequila spiked creamed corn. Entrees include seared red snapper, grilled skirt steak and pollo de Jose grilled chicken breasts set atop roasted peppers, onions and corn tortilla strips and topped with chipotle cream sauce and melted Jack cheese. The wings try the guajillo and chile arbor sauce are highly recommended. They made my list of N.J.'s best wings. Rasheed Simmons and Rita Simmons, owners, Simply Southern, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Simply Southern My first taste of Rita Simmons cooking came in 2008 at the Englishtown Flea Market, where she and her sons ran My Two Sons, a first-rate eatery operating in the unlikeliest of locations. Her crab cakes took first-place honors at several food events at Monmouth Park. The big guy in the kitchen at My Two Sons? Ritas son, Rasheed, a former linebacker with the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. Simply Southern opened in 2015. Renovations include a new coat of paint. "I told my son, We are not having a greasy spoon,'' Rita says, laughing. "What we offer is for middle-income people of other nationalities to explore Southern food. This is Southern cuisine: White Southerners cook it. Black Southerners cook it.'' They do a brisk business in catering. On the day I visited, Rasheed had just returned from a catering job in Manhattan. When we finished talking, he headed back to Manhattan for another job. Seafood gumbo with blue crab, lobster, shrimp, scallops, whiting, catfish, tilapia, okra, tomato, corn, yellow rice, Simply Southern, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Theres a banner outside advertising the seafood gumbo, and its a stunner (see photo). Blue crab, scallops, shrimp, lobster, whiting, catfish, tilapia, okra, tomato, corn and yellow rice add up to crazy-good comfort food, seafood style. Other dishes? The fried chicken, marinated in buttermilk and drizzled with honey, is good. The mac n cheese and sweet potatoes? Better. The fried catfish sandwich? The best Ive had in years. For a sweet liquidy treat, try the raspberry hibiscus tea. Simply Southern made my list of N.J.'s 25 best fried chicken spots. Terence McGill and Marc Spagnuolo, owners, Hoagitos, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Hoagitos Hoagitos story begins on the Asbury Park boardwalk, where the mini-sandwich shop opened in 2013. Owners and brothers-in-law Terence McGill and Marc Spagnuolo (photo) wanted to offer subs and sandwiches, but instead of the typical meat, lettuce and cheese-packed Jersey sub, theyd offer scaled-down sandwiches, with quality ingredients and top-notch bread. Hoagitos "itos'' means "little'' in Spanish left the boardwalk, opening a storefront in Belmar Mall on Memorial Day weekend, 2016. The space had been a dry cleaners, and renovations took five months. Chicken sandwich, Hoagitos, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Hoagitos still offers meatball, turkey, sopressata and other subs, and their classic pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich made my best Taylor ham/pork roll sandwich list. But the owners like to talk about the four fried chicken sandwiches on the menu. The Dude Ranch corrals a panko-fried breast, bacon, arugula, pickles, tomato, onion and buttermilk ranch dressing, while the Finger Licker is a buttermilk-dredged thigh with honey butter glaze, lettuce, pickles and roasted garlic mayo. Last Thanksgiving, its Turkinator fried turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce was a big hit. Hoagitos also made my N.J.'s best fried chicken list. Fried chicken sandwiches are buy one, get one free every Monday after 4 p.m., whether takeout, delivery or dine-in. Doug Walsh, owner, Jersey Shore BBQ, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Jersey Shore BBQ Jersey Shore BBQ opened in Belmar in May 2010. Owner Doug Walsh (photo) came by barbecue the roundabout way: The Middletown native was doing tech consultant work in Texas when he "fell in love with the food brisket, ribs, intense smoking.'' Back in Jersey, he started doing barbecue cookouts in his backyard. That led to catering, which led to the Belmar storefront. Walsh opened a second Jersey Shore BBQ location in 2017 in East Brunswick. After Hurricane Sandy, Walsh turned the Belmar location into a soup kitchen for first responders, locals and "anybody who wanted a meal.'' Corned beef, Jersey Shore BBQ, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) The ribs, wings and brisket are all highly recommended at Jersey Shore BBQ. The ribs made my N.J.'s best BBQ list, and the wings made my N.J.'s best wings list. The wings are plump, and there are seven sauces, including Texas BBQ, jalapeno honey, Benny (roasted garlic and cherry pepper butter) and habanero apricot, the latter packing some nice fruity heat. The menu also includes fried pickles, smoked pork belly, burgers and something called the Oink-a-Dilla a quesadilla stuffed with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled onions and jalapeno honey sauce. Why is there corned beef in the photo? Because it looks so pretty, and is juicy perfection besides. Its on the menu now through the end of March. Kotta Sushi Tiffany Weng, owner of Kotta Sushi, Belmar, with her sushi chef, Sam (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Kotta Sushi is a family affair. Tiffany Weng (right in photo) is the boss, but family members help run the restaurant. Kotta Sushi opened in 2009, and get this theyve never raised their prices. "We havent changed anything the menu, same price.'' She was attracted to the Belmar location for one reason. "I like the beach, the ocean.'' Itll take a while to go through the menu: There are 29 classic rolls, 18 special rolls, plus Asian wok/grill items, noodle dishes, bento boxes, Thai curry, teriyaki and tempura. Sushi, sashimi, Kotta Sushi, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) The most popular rolls at Kotta Sushi are the Valentine (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna and avocado wrapped in soy bean paper) and the Kotta Roll (shrimp tempura and avocado topped with spicy crab and dry seaweed powder). Theres a Spider Man 3 Roll (soft shell crab tempura and cucumber topped with mango and avocado) and even a Twitter roll spicy, crunchy salmon topped with avocado and tobiko (flying fish roe). I took the easy way out (I pay for all the food on all my food missions) and ordered the Sushi Lunch (six pieces, plus a California Roll) and the Sashimi Lunch (10 pieces of assorted raw fish). Mike and Jennie Young, owners, Domesticated Dad, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Domesticated Dad If there were an award for best new N.J. business name, Domesticated Dad would surely win it. The dad in question is Michael Young, a Johnson & Wales graduate. In 2013, he and his wife Jennie (photo) started the Domesticated Dad Brown Bag School Lunch Delivery Service, providing lunches to local schoolkids (parents would place orders on Facebook). The venture had an unlikely inspiration their daughter, Millana. "I was putting her to sleep one night. She said, Daddy, you should make food for all my friends, '' Mike said. Young used Jersey Shore BBQs kitchen after-hours to make the lunches. The couple then opened what Jennie called a teeny tiny'' storefront in Oakhurst in 2015, then a hole in the wall'' spot in Asbury Park in 2017. This January, they opened the Belmar Mall location, with its skull-shaped tea dispensers, an "Order Here'' sign above a vintage typewriter and a plate that reads, "everything tastes better in a brown bag.'' Formerly in the space: a vegan restaurant. Cooking breakfast, Domesticated Dad, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) The Domesticated Dads menu includes pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches and egg dishes (the Hen in the Henhouse features eggs, chipotle grilled chicken, mozzarella, avocado and basil). Other dishes: 5 Rounds in the Ring (skirt steak and pepperjack on semolina bread); the Spicy Bird (shredded grilled spicy chicken, bacon, cheddar) and grilled cheese sandwiches. Dont forget their "crazy good'' crumb cakes; flavors include traditional, triple fudge and chocolate chip cookie crumb. They make a mighty fine pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich, and I really liked the fried chicken, with homemade pickles, enlivened with cayenne pepper. Dave La Tempa, Sonny's Grille, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Sonnys Grille Those who remember the riotously kitschy interior of Sonnys Grille in Neptune will be glad to know all the photos, signs, jerseys and assorted knicknacks can be found in the Belmar location. Sonnys, named after owner Dave La Tempas late father, is a hot dog joint with 19 kind of dogs, from the Jersey dog (kraut, pickles, chili, mustard, sport peppers) and the Springsteen (chili, red cherry peppers, jalapenos, cayenne peppers) to the Belmar Dog (deep-fried dog, cheese sauce, chili, red cherry peppers). Interior, Sonny's Grille, Belmar (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) But the hottest item at Sonnys are not the hot dogs but the burgers. My burgers are flying out of here like crazy, says La Tempa, who worked in the Jersey City water department for 20 years. There are 16 burgers on the menu, from a blue cheese bacon burger and turkey burger to the meaty monster known as the Friday Night Lights, two half-pound burgers topped with provolone and American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon and onions. And dont sleep on the wings; they made my most recent N.J.'s best wings list. Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @petegenovese. 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. Resident of Sogakope in the Volta Region are in a state of shock over the alleged killing of the Assembly Member for Sogakope South, Marcus Mawutor Adzahli, by unknown assailants. It is alleged that the assailants broke into Adzahlis house in the wee hours of yesterday and shot him repeatedly, after which they made away with an undisclosed amount of money. The deceaseds wife and one of his two children are said to be in critical condition from the attack. The woman has been transferred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, while a scan on the daughter has revealed that there are some pellets imbedded in her body. The incident, which comes on the heels of similar incidents in recent months, infuriated some youth of the town, leading to the blockage of the main Sogakope-Accra road in protest against what they described as insecurity in the area. The situation led to a pile up of vehicles at both ends of the Sogakope Bridge for more than four hours. The youth were eventually persuaded to remove the road block about 2 p.m. yesterday, following interventions by some opinion leaders of the town, including Mr Maxwell Lukutor, a youth leader. The agitated youth later converged on the Sogakope District Police Station to register their displeasure. Incident Efforts to get the police to give details about the incident had proved futile as of the time of going to press. The District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Michael Zaa, declined to speak to the Daily Graphic when contacted. The deceaseds sister, Selorm Adzahli, claimed that she had watched a movie with her brother, after which they both retired to their respective rooms. After some time, according to her, she heard gunshots and rushed out, only to meet some suspected armed robbers, who ordered her to go back to her room or she would be killed Another witness, who declined to give his name, said residents around the assembly members house alleged that they were woken up by gunshots from the deceaseds residence, but said they were scared and defenceless and so could not intervene. According to him, about eight armed men broke into Adzahlis house around 1 a.m. and shot him several times, after which they made away with some money. The youth of Sogakope have appealed to the police to beef up security in the area to help curb the recent spate of robberies and killings. Everybody is afraid for his life. The police must step up their game and help put a stop to this state of fear and panic, they said. The incident is about the fifth in Sogakope in the last three years. The casualties include a worker of the now defunct hotel, Nanas Lodge, who was shot at dawn by unknown assailants. Some nurses in the town also suffered attacks from armed men. A young man, whose name has been given as Cyril, was also shot in the thigh at Tefle Tademe, near Vume. Cyril, who is currently on admission at the Dzodze Hospital, was saved by residents, who rushed to his rescue, causing the assailants to run away. Deceased Adzahli, who is said to be in his 30s, was an entrepreneur and leading mobile money and Vodafone cash agent in the Volta Region. The deceased, whose body has since been deposited at the South Tongu District Hospital in Sogakope, was elected assembly member for the Sogakope South Electoral Area in the last local level elections in 2019. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Photo: The Canadian Press Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chief Woos, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Carolyn Bennett, left, and B.C. Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser address the media in Smithers on Sunday. Work is expected to resume today on a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia that has been at the centre of protests that have disrupted both rail and road traffic in many parts of the country. It follows a proposed arrangement that was reached Sunday during talks in Smithers, B.C. involving Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior ministers of the federal and B.C. governments. The agreement still needs the approval of the Wet'suwet'en people. Details of the draft accord, which centres on Indigenous rights and land titles, were not disclosed, however, a joint statement by representatives of Wet'suwet'en Nation, the province and the federal government acknowledged they had not come to an agreement on the pipeline. Chief Woos, one of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders, called the draft a milestone for everyone involved, though he added the "degree of satisfaction is not what we expected." The Wet'suwet'en are governed by both a traditional hereditary chief system and elected band councils. A majority of its councils have approved the pipeline, but some of the hereditary chiefs, including Woos, remain staunchly opposed to it running through their traditional territory. After the proposal was announced, Coastal GasLink issued a statement saying it would resume construction activities in the Morice River area on Monday. That work was put on pause while the talks, which began on Thursday, continued. Meanwhile, Kenneth Deer, the secretary of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake, said Sunday that activists had decided to maintain their rail blockade on the territory south of Montreal, at least for now. Deer said the Mohawks want more clarification on the proposed arrangement before making a final decision. New Delhi, March 2 : A policy advisory NGO, CUTS International, has said certain key terms such as "personal data", "sensitive personal data", "critical personal data" and "harm" are not adequately defined in the Data Protection Bill which can lead to ambiguity among consumers and service providers (data fiduciaries) alike. The bill is currently with the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). As of December 17, 2019, the Bill is being analyzed by the JPC in consultation with various groups. The Bill covers mechanisms for the protection of personal data and proposes a data protection authority (DPA) of India. It has also sought public consultations over the Bill. According to government sources, the JPC panel will issue an advertisement inviting the general public and the stakeholders to send in their suggestions. The stakeholders will be given four weeks to respond. "Considering the elaborate changes made from the draft bill of 2018, coupled with the suggestions given, we urge the JPC to hold extensive and inclusive open house discussions on the Bill before finalising its report. Also, recommendations received by it from various stakeholders must be made public," said a source. There are many loopholes as per CUTS International. It said the Bill does not prescribe any time limit to set up the DPA. This, coupled with the absence of transitional provisions as given in the draft bill, may lead to uncertainty for service providers. It may become difficult to interpret if all the provisions of the bill will come into force with immediate effect upon enactment, or in a phased manner. According to the NGO, the bill goes beyond its objective of 'personal data protection' and runs the risks of regulatory overlaps. It empowers the government to gain access to non-personal data and anonymised personal data, governance of which is already being deliberated by a separate committee. The Bill, it says, requires social media intermediaries to provide consumers with voluntary account verification options. Intuitively, this aims to solve the menace of inappropriate posts/misinformation, which is also being dealt under the draft intermediary amendment guidelines. CUTS has recommended removal of both these provisions from the Bill, which it says, has lack of independence of the DPA. The selection committee prescribed by the Bill for appointing members of the DPA, consists only of government executives. Also, certain powers given to the DPA under the draft bill of 2018, have been transferred to the Central government, such as notifying more categories of sensitive personal data. Such issues weaken the independence and effectiveness of the DPA. CUTS recommends setting up a neutral selection committee comprising members from the judiciary, civil society organisations and subject experts. The Bill should reinstate powers given to the government to the DPA, along with mandating it to undertake cost-benefit analysis while exercising the same, it said. [March 02, 2020] Health QR code in China's Hangzhou lends steam to safe, orderly work resumption HANGZHOU, China, March 2, 2020 /CNW/ -- Hangzhou launched a health QR code system on Feb. 9 as a regional "traffic permit" to ensure orderly population flow during an epidemic. The smart practice is gaining popularity across the country with over 200 cities promoting the health QR code system. According to Hangzhou Municipal Government, the health QR code is the city's latest digital efforts to fight the epidemic. Based on related laws and rules, residents have to declare their conditions online via third-party platforms and government service apps. In turn, they will be assigned codes marked by green, yellow or red based on the information they offer. Only residents with a green code are allowed to move around the city freely. Those with a yellow and red codes must quarantine for certain days. Holders of yellow and red codes are required to log in every day during quarantine before their codes can turn green. Such a health QR code helps ease public concerns over travel and acts as a trustworthy guarantee for residents' health during trips. "Fundamentally speaking, health QR code is one of the most important ways from closed control to precise and smart management in the epidemic prevention and control. It's also a very important intellectual tool to facilitate the resumption of work and production," sad Yu Jianxing, professor and dean of the School of Public Administration of Zhejiang University. The health QR code can be used in production and daily life once declared, enabling scientific, accurate and efficient epidemic prevention and control as well as the safe resumption of work and production for enterprises. Lisa from Belgium is an English teacher and is going to work in east China's economic hub Zhejiang Province this year. Lisa arrived in Beijing three weeks ago, but her trip to Zhejiang was delayed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Lisa came to Zhejiang on February 24, and upon her arrival at the Hangzhou East Railway Station, she applied for a green health QR code under the guidance of on-site staff. "I am going to meet a friend at the hotel and then go to school," she put that travel plan via the digital platform. Lisa is very happy to apply for the green QR code, which functions as a real-time proof of her health conditions. She hopes that the epidemic will end as soon as possible so that the school can resume classes in March. In Hangzhou, people returning to work are subject to classified and targeted epidemic management and control, which cuts the approval procedures of enterprises and avoids the inconveniences brought by "one-size-fits-all" measures. Therefore, the speed of work resumption of enterprises is significantly accelerated. Data showed that about 94.9 percent of the city's enterprises are in normal operation, with 85.9 percent of their employees back to work by 18:00 on February 25. On February 10, China's well-known silk enterprise Wensli Group was officially approved for work resumption. It is the standard action for all employees returning to work to show their green health QR code, take temperature and clock in their health conditions online daily. About 90 percent of the Zhejiang-based firm's employees have returned to work, with more than 1,000 employees with a green health QR code. As a digital health assessment management measure empowered by big data, the health QR code is an effective permit for personal safe travel and a scientific tool for empowering epidemic prevention and control as well as economic development. The purpose is to make production and daily life resume as much as possible and in an orderly manner while ensuring effective epidemic prevention and control, according to a local official. SOURCE Hangzhou Municipal Government [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Netflix has reportedly cast an actor to play Prince Andrew in season four of The Crown. The royal hits fourth series is expected to cover events during Margaret Thatchers years as prime minister, between 1979 and 1990, when the Duke of York was in his 20s. According to The Sun, an inside source confirmed that newcomer Tom Byrne has been cast in the role. They told the paper: Tom probably couldnt believe his luck when he landed a part playing a senior member of the royal family. After all, hes yet to land a major TV role and the Netflix show is one of the most-watched dramas on the planet. But his heart might have sunk when he found out he would be playing a man who is now known as being the pal of a notorious paedophile. Prince Andrews friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has come under scrutiny in recent months and his disastrous Newsnight interview on the subject has been widely mocked since it aired last November. US federal investigators have since accused the Duke of York of providing zero cooperation in their investigation into Epstein and his co-conspirators. Byrnes previous credits include small parts in A Discovery of Witches and Black Mirror. Netflix declined to comment on the report of his casting when contacted by The Independent. Woody Allen will release his memoir next month and the book has been described as a 'comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional'. A book from the 84-year-old movie director has been rumored for years and was once thought unpublishable in the #MeToo era. But Apropos of Nothing will be released April 7, Grand Central Publishing, confirmed Monday. 'The book is a comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs and print,' according to Grand Central. 'Allen also writes of his relationships with family, friends and the loves of his life.' Financial terms were not disclosed for the book, which Grand Central quietly acquired a year ago, and a spokesman declined to provide further details about the book's contents. A memoir by Woody Allen is coming out next month, a division of Hachette Book Group announced Monday 'The book is a comprehensive account of his life, both personal and professional, and describes his work in films, theater, television, nightclubs and print,' the publisher said. Pictured, Allen speaks at the 74th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in 2002 Allen 'writes of his relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life,' according to the division of Hachette Book Group. Actress Mia Farrow, left, and her son, Ronan Farrow, who played an integral role in exposing #MeToo scandals, are pictured in April 2015 In addition to the U.S., Apropos of Nothing will be released in Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Spain, followed by releases in 'countries around the world,' the division of Hachette Book Group said. Allen will do 'several interviews' for the book, Grand Central announced. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for such works as Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo, is among the most influential comedians of his time. This cover image released by Grand Central Publishing shows 'Apropos of Nothing,' an autobiography by Woody Allen, to be released on April 7. (Grand Central Publishing) But allegations by daughter Dylan Farrow that he molested her as a child in the early 1990s have effectively idled his movie career in the U.S. Amazon Studios backed out of a production and distribution deal with Allen, and numerous actors have said they won't work with him anymore. His A Rainy Day In New York was released in Europe last year but not in this country. His current production, Rifkin's Festival, starring Christoph Waltz and Gina Gershon, was shot last summer and is seeking distribution. Allen has denied any wrongdoing, and he was never charged after two separate investigations in the 1990s. But Dylan's allegations have received new attention in the #MeToo era. An Allen memoir nearly came out more than a decade ago. He had reportedly reached a multimillion-dollar deal with Penguin in 2003, but changed his mind. In 2018-19, several publishers, citing #MeToo concerns, reportedly rebuffed an Allen representative who was seeking a deal for his memoir. In May 2019, the New York Times reported: 'In the last year, Allen quietly tried to sell a memoir, according to executives at four major publishing houses, only to be met with indifference or hard passes.' Evan Rachel Wood pointed out in 2016 that she worked with Allen 'years before I read Dylan's letter. Unfortunately, I can't say that I would again'. Allen and actress Evan Rachel Wood attend the Whatever Works Paris premiere at Cinema Gaumont Opera on June 19, 2009 in Paris, France But according to a Grand Central spokesman, a deal was reached in March 2019 after publisher and senior vice president Ben Sevier read a completed draft of the book. His previous books include the essay collections 'Without Feathers' and 'Getting Even.' Allen's agreement with Hachette means he shares a publisher with one of his literary heroes, J.D. Salinger, and one of his biggest detractors, his son Ronan Farrow, whose 'Catch and Kill' was released last year by the Hachette division Little, Brown and Company. In 2018-2019, several publishers, citing #MeToo concerns, reportedly rebuffed an Allen representative who was seeking a deal for his memoir Farrow won a Pulitzer Prize for his #MeToo reporting on producer Harvey Weinstein, and for years has been estranged from his father, as is Ronan's mother, Mia Farrow, who starred in 'The Purple Rose of Cairo,' 'Hannah and Her Sisters' and other Allen movies. Allen's personal life has been heavily criticized. His wife Soon-Yi Previn was 21 when she began a relationship with Allen, who was then 56 years old. Soon-Yi was the adopted daughter of Allen's former partner, actress Mia Farrow. The news of their relationship in 1992 shocked the entertainment world and they married in 1997. Dylan Farrow wrote a highly-publicized open letter in The New York Times in 2014, reiterating that the abuse took place. She continues to stand by her allegations. As a result, Allen's career has slowed in recent years, with several actors who had appeared in his films saying they would not work with him again. This includes Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig and Natalie Portman. Evan Rachel Wood pointed out in 2016 that she worked with Allen 'years before I read Dylan's letter. Unfortunately, I can't say that I would again'. Woody Allen and Mia Farrow circa 1990 with their children, including Allen's future wife, Soon-Y Previn, right Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow, was 21 when she started a relationship with Allen, who was then 56 years old. The news of their relationship in 1992 shocked the entertainment world and they married in 1997. But Scarlett Johansson says she has no regrets about working with Allen on three movies in the mid-2000s - Match Point (2005), Scoop (2006) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). Jeff Goldblum has also said he would work with Woody Allen again. Allen has won three Academy awards for his screenplays and has been a published writer for decades, his comic essays appearing in The New Yorker and elsewhere. This fall, a division of Macmillan will publish Dylan Farrow's debut novel, 'Hush,' billed as a 'powerful feminist fantasy full of surprising insights.' I've tried, really I have. However, I can't picture anyone with a lick of sense thinking allowing anyone over 21 to freely own a gun. And someone claiming to have over 20 years in law enforcement has even less of a lick of sense and should have that space between their ears checked for logic, common sense and basic reasoning. They'll just sit back smirking and enjoying their handiwork while the rest of the population devour one another. The politicians who sign on with these laws aren't the ones who expect to be most negatively impacted by them.They'll just sit back smirking and enjoying their handiwork while the rest of the population devour one another. Unfortunately, many people will read into these laws what they want to see. Believing these laws are for their use and not 'that' other guy. The same as the SYG bill signed into law first in Florida then many states adopted same or similar laws, including the state of Tennessee I believe. Not many expected to find themselves on the receiving end and outcome of such ill thought out laws. While others mistakenly thought they couldn't be prosecuted no matter how in the wrong they were when they shot someone. Now we might expect to have more mysterious drivebys that will easily be blamed on gangs-and no one will be the wiser as to "who was that masked vehicle driving by spraying bullets?" More toddlers looking for candy pulling a parent or Nanna's gun from a purse shooting either themselves, the parent or Nanna. Dad roughhouse playing with his four year old with his gun down the backside of his pants falling out, mortally wounding the toddler who was shot in the head. The child would survive but later die. Toddler reaching into mama's purse at a super-store, pulling the gun out, shooting mama dead. A neighbor getting into a cat fight over some minor issue, one whipping out a gun, shooting, wounding or even killing the other neighbor. And don't forget those road ragers, or getting into an argument over a parking space when both whip out a gun shooting and killing one another. This is not a movie. There are no reruns. No one gets to walk away and star in another movie. This is reality. Real life people. It's not as much about those individuals who, even without proper training, can responsibly handle a gun. It's about those who cannot but believes this law protect and allow them to just go out and purchase a gun without any checking. It's about the reality that over time people often have the tendency to become so complacent and lax they tend to treat their guns like their car keys. Forgetting and leaving them around most anywhere. On a chair, coffee table, couch. The backseat of their vehicle where children sit, or under the seats of their vehicle. There's already been a few similar/same even tragedies closer to home. The human mind isn't designed to be on 24/7 constant alert, and always in precaution mode. It's in those down moments, seconds even, that tragedies will strike, forever altering for the worst families and entire communities. The Wild Wild West really wasn't at all wild. In fact, it was very tamed, sensible and there were strict laws. So that comparison can't continue to be made. These laws today creeping upon us are very deceptive and diabolical even. The realization, impact and generational consequences they will leave just haven't yet caught up with most if they ever will. Brenda Washington * * * In her letter to the editor (Permit-less Guns), Brenda Washington was DEAD right. Franklin McCallie * * * Both Brenda Washington and Franklin McCallie are right in their opinions that the absurd legislation allowing the carrying of a weapon with no permit is dangerous and irresponsible. I grow very tired of selfish people and vote-seeking politicians who determine that their rights are more important than anyone else's rights. I support the protection of constitutional rights for all citizens; however, I do not believe for one minute that the authors of the Constitution intended the second amendment to allow anyone to carry a weapon with no oversight whatsoever. Perhaps the governor's association with the National Rifle Association has muddied his thinking about the right to "keep and bear arms." The Wild West....listen to the local news about the number of shootings in Chattanooga each week and you will realize that the Wild West is already returning. The legislation allowing a "no permit carry" will only hasten that undesirable return. Tim McDonald * * * I agree with Brenda, Franklin and Tim. Well, never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would type the words above. Has the Republican Legislature completely lost its mind? Anyone over 21 can carry a gun without a permit? Geez I thought it was pretty stupid to let people take an online course to obtain a permit. Douglas Jones Ooltewah Addressing a special lower house sitting held on Monday to discuss the current situation regarding coronavirus, PM Mateusz Morawiecki and Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski called for not using it for political aims and said that there was no confirmed case in Poland. "I am calling for mindfulness and seriousness regarding coronavirus and for not using it for party struggles," the PM said, adding that Poland was prepared in the best possible way for a potential occurrence of the virus in Poland. "The justified anxiety of Poles could be easily aggravated by hasty and irresponsible comments on the Internet. Let us not do this. Keep calm and be professional," the prime minister said and appealed for not spreading false information that the virus was already present in Poland. The prime minister admitted that it is highly probable, almost certain, that a case of coronavirus will occur in Poland and informed the Sejm (lower house) that three cases had already been recorded in the Czech Republic. "Our uniform approach to this issue, a calm, toned-down, and cross-party-based dialogue is extremely important to properly prepare society for the emergence of this epidemic," Morawiecki said, adding that each effective and wise strategy had to be preceded by dialogue and best practices implemented into the system. Referring to the current Sejm sitting, Morawiecki said it was the best proof of how seriously the authorities approached this problem and thanked President Andrzej Duda for the initiative of convening an extraordinary Sejm session on the issue. The prime minister also said that the Polish government has initiated a number of activities on the EU forum, including a meeting of the EU Council, requested by Polish Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski. He added that he has also discussed the problem with European Council President Charles Michel and the prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Hungary, Andrej Babis and Viktor Orban. Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said that to date, no case of a disease caused by coronavirus had been reported in Poland. He also informed the lower house that 121 persons have been hospitalised and are undergoing tests, 237 have been put in quarantine while over 3,600 are under epidemiological supervision. He admitted that the coronavirus will surely appear in Poland but added that it was our response that mattered. "The results of coronavirus tests have been constantly monitored. If there is a positive result (...), the public opinion will be immediately informed," he declared. The health minister underlined that honest information, conveyed also by politicians, was of key importance for the security of Poles. "I believe that no one sitting in this hall will use fear of the epidemic for the sake of direct party struggles," Szumowski said, adding that he wanted to inform the authorities and the public that "Poland is prepared for coronavirus." The new virus first detected in China has infected more than 89,000 people globally and caused over 3,000 deaths. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. The ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) announced on Monday that the risk level has risen from moderate to high for people in the European Union, and that the virus continued to spread. Health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said on Monday 2,100 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in 18 of the 27 EU states, and 38 EU citizens had died because of the disease. (PAP) at/mf/ A case has been registered against MNS leader Harshwardhan Jadhav for allegedly threatening a Dalit paan shop owner in Maharashtra's Aurangabad city, a police official said on Monday. The former MLA, however, blamed the Shiv Sena for the complaint against him. The complainant, Nitin Ratan Dabhade (30), told the police that he had set up a temporary paan (betel) booth in Krantinagar area of the city. Jadhav came there on Saturday and asked him to remove the booth. He also allegedly used rude words against Dabhade's religion and threatened to kill him, the official said quoting the complaint. A case has been registered by the Kranti Chowk police against Jadhav under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said. Jadhav, who earlier represented Kannad Assembly seat in Aurangabad district, resigned from the Shiv Sena in 2018 after being miffed with the party leadership over the issue of reservations for the Marathas, Dhangars and Muslims. He contested the last year's state Assembly polls as an Independent and lost to Uday Singh Rajput of the Shiv Sena. When contacted, Jadhav, who recently joined the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), alleged that the Shiv Sena was behind the complaint against him. "The Shiv Sena is behind this complaint. I demanded removal of the booth and the police acted on it. The matter was over there. But, I later got to know that some Shiv Sena workers accompanied the complainant to the police station," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Frankfurt success model turns 25. The world's leading Internet exchange operator DE-CIX celebrates a quarter of a century of Internet history "Made in Germany" this year. 1995 heralded the birth of DE-CIX (German Commercial Internet Exchange) in the old post office in the Gutleut quarter of Frankfurt. This was the moment when three Internet service providers - MAZ from Hamburg, EUnet from Dortmund, and XLink from Karlsruhe - connected their networks. The aim was to promote global digital interconnection and establish efficient and cost-neutral data exchange via Internet Exchanges. Today, DE-CIX - with over 20 locations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America - is an important element of the global interconnection infrastructure, and DE-CIX Frankfurt is the largest Internet exchange in the world. "Back in 1995, Frankfurt was already the telecommunications capital of Germany, and in the meantime, it has developed into Europe's largest Internet hub. In the mid-nineties, data streams between different providers had to cross the Atlantic twice - even if the sender and recipient were actually only a few kilometers apart. With the idea of the interconnection of networks, we were dead right. DE-CIX was in the right place at the right time, because high-speed information exchange was exactly what we could offer our customers. It heralded the birth of a worldwide success model", said Harald A Summa, DE-CIX CEO. From then until today: Technical innovations during live operations The technological progress at DE-CIX can be seen, among other things, in the development of the speed of data transmission. 25 years ago, the standard connection to DE-CIX was still 10 Mbit/s via Ethernet. Today, this has increased by a factor of ten thousand to 100 Gbit/s, and thanks to the DE-CIX Apollon platform up to 400 Gbit/s is even possible today in DE-CIX in Frankfurt. Today, DE-CIX in Frankfurt achieves peaks of up to 8.1 Terabits per second data throughput. There is no Internet Exchange (IX) in a world where more data is exchanged. In the meantime, DE-CIX uses patch robots in the data centers in order to connect customers. One initial success story for these robots - to date the only ones of their kind in the world - was the largest migration in the company's history. "In 2018, we achieved an important milestone with the new location in the Kleyerstrasse Campus in Frankfurt", said Harald Summa. "It was an enormous migration of over 450 customers during live operations - equivalent to open-heart surgery", added Summa. Through the use of the robots, a port can be provisioned in just a few minutes, without the need for a technician to actually be physically present. During the migration, a total of more than 15 kilometers of fiber-optic cable was laid. From Frankfurt to the world - the international expansion of the DE-CIX success model In parallel to the expansion of DE-CIX in Frankfurt to further locations and the expansion of further Internet Exchanges in Germany, DE-CIX opened its first international Internet Exchange, UAE-IX in Dubai, in 2012. With that, the starting gun was fired for rapid expansion, which experienced another highlight in 2015 with the setting up of DE-CIX New York. "We brought our trailblazing model into the US market filled with motivation and passion. The fact that today we are already the largest neutral Internet Exchange in the New York metropolitan region has exceeded our expectations", said Ivo A Ivanov, CEO DE-CIX International, reminisces. The international expansion continued in 2016 with DE-CIX Madrid, the fastest-growing IX in the world. With the opening of interconnection hubs in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Delhi, the company enjoyed an exceptionally successful entry into the Indian market in 2018, followed in 2019 by entering South East Asia, with DE-CIX Malaysia. Today, DE-CIX operates more than 20 IXs in Europe, the Middle East, India, South East Asia, and North America, with close to 1900 connected networks from over 100 countries. The digital triangle: 5G, artificial intelligence and IoT as drivers of digitalization As a result of the continuing digital transformation of companies, the migration of data and processing workloads to the cloud, streaming content in higher and higher resolution, and new technology areas like 5G, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, data traffic is currently growing massively. What is especially important for future-oriented technologies is the lowest possible latency, and having the data close to the customer. "Here, it is more about quality than volume. The more local the set-up, the shorter the data packet transit times are. Our goal is to further improve the Internet ecosystem, and to simplify access to it", said Ivo A Ivanov. DE-CIX is working on the development of solutions based on the consideration of the three key factors 5G, AI and IoT. "Software-defined Internet Exchanges may well be a solution not only to fulfill these requirements efficiently and rapidly but also to enable fast and inexpensive expansion of the interconnection sector with less dependency on hardware. Software-defined infrastructures will also bring more growth and encourage greater productivity. The DE-CIX success story will continue", concluded Ivanov. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian Alumni Singapore (AAS) stations vending machines in hospital staff lounges to offer freshly brewed coffee for medical staff who who are in the frontline of the Covid-19 fight From L-R: Mr Rennie Sng, AAS Management Committee | Dr Angela Takano Senior Consultant, SGH Department of Anatomical Pathology | Mr Joseph Kwok, AAS President | Ms Iris Koh Co-Founder, VendShare | Mr Raymond Ng Founder, VendShare With the outbreak of corona virus in Singapore since Jan and DORSCON being raised to orange on 7th Feb, our medical staff have been busy attending to patients and suspected persons. These frontline fighters have been working tirelessly to defend Singapore against this epidemic. Australian Alumni Singapore (AAS) in recognising the hard work and dedication of our frontline fighters and expressed their gratitude and appreciation. AAS is working with VendShare to station its vending machines in staff lounge of hospitals to offer freshly brewed coffee / beverage 24-7 for medical staff who needs a caffeine shot. V endshare will be offering its coffee / beverage at cost price and sponsoring the machines for this project. The 1st vending machine was stationed in Singapore General Hospital on Fri, 28th Feb and more machines are planned in other hospitals with an aim to deploy 3-4 machines ultimately. aas AAS said it received strong support from corporations with sponsorship from Lendlease and Centurion Corporation Limited for this initiative that gets the initiative started. We are grateful for this opportunity to express our thanks and appreciation to our healthcare workers, working tirelessly on the frontlines in this battle against COVID-19. Ms Ng Hsueh Ling, Managing Director Singapore and Chief Investment Officer Asia, Lendlease Centurion is honored to join the Australian Alumni Singapore to recognize and support our medical workers, who are on the frontline of our fight against the COVID-19. We deeply appreciate your heroic efforts in safeguarding our national well-being Centurion Corporation Limited Story continues Many other corporations have also expressed interest to contribute to this. AAS members have also generously chipped in to support this meaningful initiative. All of them hope to contribute to show our appreciation for all these dedicated and hardworking frontline fighters. AAS welcomes members of the public to be a part of AAS Family and join them in showing appreciation for all the dedicated and hardworking frontline Covid-19 fighters by registering here. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a press release on Feb 14 that it welcomes the recent announcements from banks and insurers in Singapore to support their customers who may be facing financial difficulties brought about by the impact of the ongoing 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The support announced by financial institutions thus far include moratoriums on repayments for affected corporate and individual customers, extension of payment terms for trade finance facilities, and additional financing for working capital. MAS noted that the measures are in line with guidelines on corporate debt restructuring by the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS). Insurers in Singapore have clarified that Integrated Shield Plans (IP), IP riders and most other personal and group health insurance policies will cover hospitalisation expenses related to COVID-19. Some insurers have extended additional benefits to life insurance policyholders diagnosed with COVID-19, such as complimentary lump sum payments upon diagnosis, as well as daily cash payment for the duration of hospitalisation. MAS said it supports these efforts by financial institutions to work constructively with customers affected by COVID-19 while adhering to prudent risk assessments. The various measures by financial institutions will help corporates and individuals facing short-term cash flow constraints and provide timely insurance coverage for policyholders affected by COVID-19. Taken together, these measures by financial institutions should help to buffer some of the impact on corporates and individuals from the COVID-19 outbreak, said MAS. Mr Paul Ho, Founder& Managing Director at IcompareLoan and the treasurer of AAS said, Many are already extending efforts to show their appreciation and kindness to these frontline Covid-19 fighters. The efforts by AAS are commendable in recognising the selflessness of these heroes. Colliers International, in research reports published last month said that Covid-19 poses near-term risk to property sectors in Singapore. Ms Tricia Song, Head of Research for Singapore at Colliers International, said, We expect rents to stabilise and recover gradually as new supply pipeline eases over 2020-2024. Nonetheless, retail sales remain fragile. Excluding motor vehicles, the retail sales declined 1.2% in 2019In the near-term, the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) could dampen consumer sentiment and delay a recovery. The situation is evolving, and no one really knows how this will turn out at this point; the outbreak could be the proverbial black swan that will hurt the retail sector. Mr Dominic Peters, Senior Director of Industrial Services at Colliers International, said, The COVID-19 outbreak could hit manufacturers with disruption to the global supply chain in the near-term. Coupled with ample new stock, factory rents would likely remain under pressure. In general, we forecast continued two-tier performance between older lower-specifications and newer higher-specifications facilities. Centrally-located business parks and high-spec buildings with good amenities should continue to attract healthy demand while those older and further away from MRT stations or in suburban areas could face more pressure. The economic impact of the Coronavirus issue is expected to be short-lived based on the current situation, says a note from Cushman & Wakefield (C&W). The report said that the Singapore government has tried to put in place multiple lines of defence to minimize the chances of the virus spreading further. Any disruption to market activity is expected to be short-lived and so the real estate impact will be minimal said Ms Christine Li, C&Ws Head of Research for South East Asia. The post AAS salutes and cheers Singapores frontline fighters with freshly brewed coffee / beverage 24-7 appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma, who lost his life in the northeast Delhi violence last week. However, the move was criticised by journalists and other Twitter users as a 'populist and selective' measure. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma, who lost his life in the northeast Delhi violence last week. However, the move was criticised by journalists and other Twitter users as a "populist and selective" measure. "Ankit Sharma was a brave officer. He was brutally murdered in the riots. The country is proud of him. The Delhi government has decided that his family will be given an honorarium of Rs 1 crore, and a job to one person of his family. May his soul rest in peace," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. IB 1 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 2, 2020 The AAP government under Kejriwal and the Delhi Police have come under fire for their handling of the three-day riots that broke out over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), with citizens and activists accusing the authorities of inadequate action to quell the violence that resulted in the deaths of 47 people so far. The families of others killed in the violence will be given a compensation of Rs 2 lakh, Kejriwal had announced in a press conference last week. Meanwhile, people who have been seriously injured will be given a relief amount of Rs 50,000, reports said. Slamming the compensation for Sharma's family, Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha said that Kejriwal must announce a compensation of Rs 1 crore for all the people who have been killed in the riots. "Unless, of course, selectivity and populism is your mantra now," he added. Hello @ArvindKejriwal, have you heard of the person who died after being beaten-up by police? Kindly announce the compensation of 1 crore for all those who have been killed in the riots. Unless, of course selectivity and populism is your mantra now. https://t.co/IaJfTA0BK0 Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) March 2, 2020 On Monday afternoon, Kejriwal retweeted a post by a journalist, mentioning that the Delhi government has given Rs 1 lakh to Faizan, one of the victims, and will give another Rs 9 lakh after a detailed report. Faizan was allegedly forced by the police to sing the national anthem while he was lying grievously injured, and later passed away. Some others have also accused Kejriwal of being "selective" and demanded that families of other victims should also be given equal compensation as the family of Sharma. Baakiyo ko bhi dedo - don't be selective Kejriwal ji. Mana polticians se ladte ladte aap bhi bade wale politician ban gaye ho. https://t.co/4nLtYfA7kH Danish Khan (@DanishKh4n) March 2, 2020 What about Faizan who died after being shot and then beaten by Delhi Police? What about the remaining 40 or so victims? Family of Ankit Sharma deserves as much compensation as the state can give but so do the others. All lives are equal Kejriwal. Don't divide the dead also. https://t.co/9HHjSBGZtw Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) March 2, 2020 Muslims who lost their family members, the compensation is Rs 5 lakh. But for Upper Caste Hindu, the compensation is Rs 1 crore. Baniye Kejriwal life of a muslim is as equal to a life of a Hindu but you want to play petty your Politics. https://t.co/eLsGxpTPGD Harsh (@_ambedkarite) March 2, 2020 What about other 47 people killed mr Kejriwal @ArvindKejriwal https://t.co/6YWCKaUKO1 mohammed yousuf (@iyousuf) March 2, 2020 You should be ashamed Kejriwal, instead of finding killer, you are trying to throw tax payer's money. https://t.co/TFNG9iwqrO Gunjan Mishra (@GunjanMishra4) March 2, 2020 Last week, Kejriwal was also criticised for the Delhi government's approval for the prosecution of former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, former JNU students Umar Khalid, and Anirban Bhattacharya, among others in the 2016 JNU sedition case. While the government called it a "purely procedural matter", politicians, and others, and the JNUSU slammed the move. With inputs from agencies Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Joseph Ax and Trevor Hunnicutt (Reuters) Selma, United States Mon, March 2, 2020 06:38 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20679eeab 2 World #USA,#Elections,Democratic-party,michael-bloomberg Free Joe Biden, fresh off a victory in South Carolina propelled by black voters, on Sunday commemorated a landmark civil rights march in Alabama, where some worshippers at an African-American church turned their backs on his rival Michael Bloomberg. Biden and the others competing for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in November hit the campaign trail before Super Tuesday nominating contests in 14 states including Alabama. Biden, whose win in Saturday's South Carolina primary galvanized his campaign, and the current front-runner, Bernie Sanders, traded jabs on Sunday news shows. Bloomberg, a former New York mayor, received a chilly reception at the historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma after pastor Reverend Leodis Strong told the gathering the billionaire businessman initially had turned down the invitation to speak. "I was hurt, I was disappointed," Strong said as Bloomberg looked on stonily. "I think it's important that he came, and it shows a willingness on his part to change." About 10 people stood up and turned their backs on Bloomberg as he spoke about racial inequality. Black voters are a key constituency of the Democratic Party. "I think its just an insult for him to come here. Its the disrespect for the legacy of this place," Lisa Brown, who traveled to Selma from Los Angeles, told Reuters later. She said the idea to protest Bloomberg's remarks had circulated but she stood as an individual, not an organized group. The quiet protest suggests Bloomberg may have an uphill climb with some African-American voters, who have supported Biden in large numbers and carried him to a resounding victory in South Carolina. Biden and Bloomberg are trying to present themselves as the party's best choice to take on Trump, arguing that Sanders is too far to the left to win the general election. At church in Selma, the vice president to the country's first African American president, Barack Obama, was clearly the favorite. Biden was seated in a place of honor with the pastor, facing the pews where Bloomberg sat, and got a glowing introduction from U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, a black Alabama lawmaker who supports him. "Most importantly, he has earned the right to be in this pulpit and to address you now," Sewell said. Democratic contenders Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar sat on folding chairs at the margins of the church audience. The pastor yelled at Tom Steyer, who dropped out of the race after finishing third in South Carolina, to sit down. "This is a house of God, this is not a political rally," he chided. The candidates were in Selma to mark the 55th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," when civil rights marchers were beaten by state troopers and local police while crossing a bridge in Selma. Bloomberg skipped the first four state nominating contests including South Carolina but has blanketed the nation with about $500 million in advertising and will be on the ballot for the first time on Tuesday, when the biggest prizes are California and Texas. He has made a concerted effort to reach out to black voters, including apologies for overseeing an increase in the use of a police practice called "stop and frisk" in New York City that disproportionately affected black and other racial minority residents. A federal judge found the practice was an unconstitutional form of racial profiling. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of registered Democrats and independents, conducted Feb. 19-25, showed Bloomberg garnering the support of 20% of black voters, third among the Democratic candidates behind Sanders (26%) and Biden (23%). At least five Super Tuesday states - Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Virginia - have big blocs of African-American voters. 'NOT A SOCIALIST' Biden won overwhelmingly in South Carolina, drawing 48% of the votes cast compared to 20% for Sanders. Edison Research exit polls showed Biden with 61% of African-American support there to Sanders' 17%. The victory led the former vice president to assert himself as a viable moderate alternative to Sanders, an independent U.S. senator from Vermont and self-described democratic socialist. Sanders' calls for a political revolution have rattled a Democratic Party establishment worried he is too far to the left to beat Trump. "I think the Democratic Party is looking for a Democrat - not a socialist, not a former Republican, a Democrat - to be their nominee," Biden told "Fox News Sunday." Biden's reference to a former Republican appears to have been aimed at Bloomberg, who switched parties. Sanders attacked Biden for taking contributions from political organizations called Super PACs and billionaires, courting wealthy donors at what he said was the expense of working-class, middle-class and low-income people. "I don't go to rich people's homes like Joe Biden," Sanders said on CBS's "Face the Nation." Biden lags Sanders in fundraising and organization in Super Tuesday states and beyond. Sanders planned to campaign on Sunday in heavily Democratic California, where he leads opinion polls. The Sanders campaign announced overnight it had raised $46.5 million from more than 2.2 million donations in February, a huge sum dwarfing what any other Democratic candidate had raised last year in any three-month period. Biden reported his February haul was $18 million. Warren's campaign said she raised more than $29 million last month. Bloomberg, meanwhile, continues to spend. He purchased three minutes of commercial air time during on broadcast networks CBS and NBC on Sunday evening to address the coronavirus outbreak. As world economic growth falls to its lowest level since the 2008 global financial crisis, the wages, jobs and conditions of the working class are under escalating attack in country after country. The rich, who have profited from inflated stocks and property investments, remain insulated from the effects of the crisis. In New Zealand, a wave of job cuts that began towards the end of last year has accelerated dramatically due to the coronavirus, which has greatly disrupted trade with China, New Zealands largest export market. The Labour Party-led government boasted about unemployment falling from 4.2 to 4 percent in the last quarter of 2019. However, while the number of unemployed people officially fell by 3,000 to 111,000, in the same period labour force non-participation increased by 18,000 peoplewho are not counted as unemployed because they are not actively looking for work. The economic outlook has sharply deteriorated in recent weeks. The spread of the coronavirus internationally, combined with the US-China trade war and the Ardern governments ban on inbound travel from China, could trigger a recession. Finance Minister Grant Robertson told Radio NZ on February 26 that growth will be hard to come by in the first half of 2020, due to the impact on tourism, forestry, education and other export industries. Economist Shamubeel Eaqub estimated that 15,000 tourism jobs and another 15,000 export sector jobs are most exposed to the current China shock and some 45,000 jobs are exposed directly to a decline in imports. The tourism industry, which employs 8.4 percent of NZs workforce and accounts for 20 percent of export earnings, is suffering a significant downturn. New Zealand Chinese Travel and Tourism chair Simon Cheung told Stuff an estimated 300 tour bus drivers were temporarily jobless due to the travel ban, with many resorting to Uber driving, which pays less than the minimum wage. Air New Zealand is asking staff to take unpaid leave due to reduced flights. Restaurants and other businesses are also cutting staff and reducing hours. Forestry Industry Contractors Association CEO Prue Younger told the Otago Daily Times on February 26 that were about a week away from the industry really falling to bits. NZs third largest export is severely affected by the slowdown in China and increased competition from Europe. Around 1,500 workers in logging businesses could lose their jobs. Most are low-paid, living week-to-week, and have no savings. Wood processors are also axing jobs. Carter Holt Harvey will close its Whangarei sawmill in April with around 111 job cuts. The towns economy is expected to lose about $5 million annually. Pacific Pine Industries closed its sawmill in Putaruru in December with 60 job losses. Workers were told over the phone the plant would not reopen after 30 years of existence. Spectrum Group Ltds RH Tregoweth sawmill in Te Kuiti has confirmed 35 job cuts. In the education sector, Massey University announced plans this month to stop offering science courses at its Albany campus, in a restructure aimed at saving $18 million. About 50 staff could lose their jobs and hundreds of students would be affected. The university also wants to stop teaching computer science and engineering at its Palmerston North campus. Albany-based Professor Dianne Brunton told the New Zealand Herald she had seen staff members in floods of tears, because they dont want to see their colleagues go, and see what weve built here destroyed. More cuts are likely. Universities and other training providers face multi-million dollar losses due to 11,000 Chinese students barred from entering New Zealand. Auckland University and Victoria University of Wellington have announced a hiring freeze. Retailers are also cutting back, mirroring a wave of store closures in Australia. Bunnings Warehouse closed two stores in Waikanae and Te Aroha on December 27 with 35 redundancies. Last month Cotton On gave 12 staff less than two weeks notice of two store closures in Porirua. FIRST Union didnt oppose the closures and only criticised the multinational clothing company for not tak[ing] the time to close two small stores properly. Other recent announcements include: * General Motors will end sales, design and engineering operations in Australia and New Zealand and retire its Holden brand of vehicles. Thirty-one dealerships in NZ will close, with 600 job cuts across Australia and NZ and up to 1,500 in Thailand. Worldwide, auto companies are competing ferociously to cut costs and are planning 100,000 layoffs in 2020. * Mars Petcare will close its factory in Whanganui, which employs 150 people, at the end of the year, moving production to Thailand. Last October, Manufacturing and Construction Workers Union general secretary George Larkins told Stuff the union had previously supported flexible rosters to maintain company profits and would now explore the current redundancy provisions to ensure smooth layoffs. * Imperial Tobacco will shut down its cigarette manufacturing plant in Petone, Lower Hutt, axing 122 jobs, due to a decline in smoking. The E tu union accepted the closure, promising to guide workers through the process. Petone has been hit hard by de-industrialisation, including the loss of 114 NZ Post jobs and the closure of Unilevers washing powder factory that employed 100 people in 2015. * Healthcare NZ, which is contracted by the public health system to provide care for disabled people, is considering cutting 200 jobs. This has sparked protests by workers in several towns, with the Public Service Association appealing for the proposal to be reconsidered. The Labour-led governments response to the crisis has been marked by indifference to the plight of workers. It announced that an unspecified number of forestry workers could take up jobs in the Department of Conservation, but no details are confirmed. The government has refused to scrap the 13-week stand-down period before someone made redundant can get the poverty-level Jobseeker Benefit, forcing workers to rely on charity or apply for emergency grants from the Ministry of Social Development. In almost every case, the trade union bureaucracy, which supports the Labour Party, has accepted layoffs and factory closures without calling industrial action, let alone seeking to mobilize the working class nationwide against government and corporate austerity. As they did following the 2008 financial crash, the pro-capitalist unions are enforcing cuts to maintain profitability and global competitiveness. This underscores the urgent need for workers to rebel against the unions and form new organisationsrank-and-file committees controlled by workersto unify their struggles across different industries and internationally. The fight for decent jobs, wages and conditions requires a new political perspective, in opposition to Labour and every other party, to put an end to the capitalist system and reorganise society on the basis of socialism. The authors also recommend: The coronavirus pandemic and the need for global socialized medicine [27 February 2020] Even when edited (as in this production), it's a mammoth role to learn, and Gordon-Anderson began with the soliloquies. What she especially admires in "To be, or not to be" is Hamlet's expression of his fear of death, the afterlife and not knowing. "It's a pretty stunning human articulation that I feel very privileged to explore and to speak," she says. "That fear is what stops us from just taking away the heartache and taking away the pain with a nice, simple solution, which is incredibly heartbreaking Within that he speaks about some of the most beautiful things to stay alive for, like love." While the role was on Gordon-Anderson's bucket-list, she was hardly expecting it to happen. Now she joins a proud history of women playing the Danish prince, dating back to 1661, and including Sarah Bernhardt and Maxine Peake. She and director Peter Evans briefly considered performing the part as a woman, before deciding that would distort too many relationships. Nor does she mimic a young man, however. "I am really not making any attempt to enact anything gendered in my performance," she says. "I'm just being there, and just being a Hamlet." Harriet Gordon-Anderson, playing Hamlet in Bell Shakespeare's new production, admits that even saying them in rehearsal can be intimidating. When we speak, three weeks into a five-week rehearsal period, she still wants to explore different approaches and eliminate the echoes of other voices in her head. Her goal is to just say the words, "and the text will hold you and do it for you". "To be, or not to be" The most famous six words in drama are also probably the most anticipated by audiences. When Berlin's Schaubuhne theatre company brought Hamlet here 10 years ago, the production began with that speech, as if to say, "There. We've got that out of the way. Now we can get on with the show." Her other favourite parts of the text include Hamlet's explanation of his malaise to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, containing, "I have of late, by wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth." "I think it's a really beautiful expression of acknowledging beauty, but not being able to feel the positive effects of it, which of course we would now understand as a symptom of clinical depression," says Gordon-Anderson. She's also alive to the powerful sense of Hamlet as an actor in his own play. "It's a big theme: the differentiation between role and self," she says. "That's something he's very interested in. It's no accident that there's a play within a play; that that's the way he chooses to confirm the guilt of his uncle. He has such a love of acting and actors that it really feels to me like Shakespeare's love for the theatre that beautiful thing to be a part of." When Hamlet returns to Denmark in Act V his need to express internalised thoughts has disappeared. "I think that Hamlet is very distrusting of words, themselves which is ironic: he uses them so much and so well," says Gordon-Anderson, "but they're not enough to express all the things in his heart. And so one of the tracks of the journey that we see him go on is from having nothing but words, to finding they're not enough." She watched some filmed versions last year, reckoning she had time to forget them before starting rehearsals. From these she learned how she didn't want to do it least as much as how she did. "I guess I take comfort in the fact that I'm just never going to be able to, no matter how hard I try and if I wanted to! achieve those Hamlets," she says. "It's only ever going to my Hamlet." She shares the production with two actors, Robert Menzies and James Lugton, who have played the role before, and therefore know the scale of the task. "I think you just have to be comfortable that you can only chip away at it as best you can," she says. "Peter [Evans] keeps telling me, 'Just look after the seconds, and the minutes will look after themselves.' You cannot take on this whole universe at once. It's just too big, and it will swallow you whole, so you just have to go scene by scene, line by line, relationship by relationship and let it take you on this sort of roller-coaster." CERAWeek, an oil and gas industry conference that will bring thousands of international visitors to Houston March 9-13, is taking precautions to protect attendees amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in China. Organized by the global energy data firm IHS Markit, the conference attracts more than 4,000 high-level politicians, company executives and journalists. But this year's gathering is taking place amid the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak that began in China and has killed more than 2,100 people and infected 75,000 more around the world. So far, there have been no confirmed cases in Houston and the overall risk for Texans remains low but CERAWeek organizers announced that they have partnered with Houston Methodist Hospital to ensure the safety of attendees, including providing 24-hour access to hospital staff and services. Further details weren't available. "The safety and health of CERAWeek participants is our highest priority," organizers said in a statement. "We will continue to follow national and international guidance regarding the situation. As in previous years we are coordinating with all relevant agencies, including local and national public health officials, to ensure a safe and productive environment at the conference." Outbreak: Mobile World Congress canceled due to coronavirus concerns CERAWeek is moving forward with its conference as fears about the virus have prompted others to be canceled. Just last week, Facebook canceled its 5,000-person Global Marketing Summit in San Francisco because of concerns about the virus. Organizers of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona did the same days earlier. Under a Jan. 31 presidential order, foreign nationals who have traveled to China 14 days before arriving in the United States, won't be allowed to enter the United States. American citizens and lawful permanent residents and their families who traveled to China within a 14-day period will be allowed into the country, but they'll be redirected to one of 11 airports to undergo health screening. China is the largest buyer of oil and gas in the world, so the travel restrictions will no doubt affect some CERAWeek visitors. The conference normally receives a large number of delegates from the Asian superpower but this year, with participants from China not being allowed into the United States, they might have to watch panel discussions, speeches and other events online. "We do regret that delegates from China will not be able to attend this years conference due to travel measures already in place in the United States," conference organizers said. "We are exploring solutions to provide expanded virtual engagement options for those delegates and look forward to their participation again next year." Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Experts from Cybaze/ Yoroi Zlab spotted a new sample of the Karkoff implant that was employed in past campaigns associated with Iran-linked APT34 group. Experts from Cybaze/ Yoroi Zlab spotted a new sample of the Karkoff implant that was employed in past campaigns associated with Iran-linked APT34 group. Introduction In November 2018, researchers from Cisco Talos tracked and detailed a DNSEspionage campaign against targets in Lebanon and UAE. At the time of the report, the threat actor carried out a cyber espionage campaign by redirecting DNS traffic from domains owned by the Lebanon government to target entities in the country. In April 2019, Cisco Talos discovered evidence of the link between APT34 ( codename Helix Kitten or OilRig ) and the DNSEspionage operation. Talos analysts discovered several overlaps in the infrastructure employed by attackers and identified common TTPs. They tracked this new implant Karkoff. Experts from Cybaze/ Yoroi Zlab, as part of ordinary Threat Intelligence activities, spotted a new sample which they believe to be an update of the Karkoff implant. It could prove that APT34 is still active and threat actors used it in a new campaign that appears to be active at the time of writing. The APT group made some changes in its technique, tactics, and procedures, but the target is the same, the Lebanon Government. In this campaign, the APT group may have compromised a Microsoft Exchange Server belonging to a Lebanon government entity, in fact, we found some evidence in the communication logic. This new implant has some similarities with the samples of Karkoff involved in past campaigns, including: similar Macro structure .NET modular implant with similar logic exploit Microsoft Exchange Server as communication channel Moreover, the new Karkoff implant implements a new reconnaissance logic in order to drop the final payload only to specific targets, gathering system information, the domain name, hostname and running Operating System. Update A few hours before this report has been publicly disclosed, malware researchers at the Italian cyber security firm Telsy also published their analysis. Both reports are related to the same sample, but let me suggest reading both analyses to have a clear vision of the threat actors and all the technical details related to the implant. The report published by Telsy is available here: LINK. Technical Analysis Hash 59cbc7e788425120c2dde50f037afbf3b1d2108c0b7e27540e924cad2463fe5b Threat APT34 Karkoff macro loader Brief Description Malicious Excel macro Ssdeep 24576:zLNkxqHOPi1K5sLMKd2rVIehO/KBhjPyVuVX/+2PPbK:wl4E Table 1. Sample information The Malware is an Excel Document with a malicious macro embedded. The following image (Fig:1) shows the highlights of the extracted code. Fig.1. Malicious Macro: drop and execute monitor.exe The macro extracts a custom base64 code from the body of the file and, after a decoding routine, it downloads an executable file into the following path C:\Users\public\.Monitor\monitor.exe. Persistence is assured by scheduling a new task named SystemExchangeService. The following image shows the task ubiety. Fig.2.Persistence with SystemExchangeService The extracted payload is summed up as follows: : Fig.3.Static details of monitor.exe The extracted payloads were not obfuscated at all. This made a simple and quick analysis. As shown in the above figure, the creation date is on Fig.4. details of compromised mail exchange server parameters As the first step, as shown in Fig 4, the sample tries to connect to its own command and control server, which happens to be an Exchange mail server belonging to the Lebanon government. Once it connects, the C2 answers back with the list of available commands as attachments in a replied e-mail. Fig 5 shows the GetList function from where we might appreciate the eMail body decoding process. From the body, a custom encoded string is decoded and later it is interpreted as a command . Fig.5. detail of GetList function responsible for getting the list of available commands as mail attachments Following our analysis, we noticed the malware tries to connect back and forth to its C2 to get authorization and to share detailed information about the infected system. It used UserAgent of the exchange client. Fig 6 shows details on what is hijacked from the victims side. Fig.6. details of Information stolen on the victims machine Another evidence is the domain registration of the second command control: it has been registered on January, 27, probably indicating the date of the beginning of the new attack. Fig.7. details of domain registration godoycrus[.com Conclusions APT34 is still active, and this campaign against the Lebanon government demonstrates it. The new version of the Karkoff malware is the demonstration that the Iran-linked APT34 cyberespionage group continues to improve its arsenal. The sample involved in this campaign implements new reconnaissance capabilities, it implements a covert and effective C2 communication channel through the use of the Microsoft Exchange Protocol. The Group likely exploited or brute-forced a Lebanon related mail account with another tool of its arsenal, the JASON tool. The Jason tool was leaked at the end of 2019, it could be used by attackers to carry out bruteforce attacks on exchange servers. Technical details about the Karkoff implant, including Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) and Yara rules, are reported in the analysis published by researchers at Cybaze-Yoroi ZLab . Pierluigi Paganini Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his party leaders on Monday weighed in on Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeting his thoughts on exiting his social media accounts that are followed by millions of people including world leaders. Give up hatred, not social media accounts, tweeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, minutes after the prime minister stunned his fans. PM Modi said he was thinking of giving up his social media accounts from Sunday. Randeep Surjewala, the chief spokesperson of the Congress, also tweeted a jibe at the prime minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party. WATCH | PM Modi mulls giving up social media: Congress mocks; fans say #nosir The Prime Minister, however, he did not reveal the reason behind his surprising move. Give up hatred, not social media accounts. pic.twitter.com/HDymHw2VrB Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 2, 2020 This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube, PM Modi tweeted. Will keep you all posted, he tweeted. Modi, one of the most-followed political leaders in the world on Twitter, is followed by over 53.3 million people on the microblogging site. He is the most followed leader on Facebook and Instagram, with 44 million following his page on Facebook and 35.2 million following him on photo and video sharing app Instagram. On YouTube, he has 4.5 million subscribers. United Airlines boss Oscar Munoz has said that the US airline will likely need to cut more flights as fears over the rapid spread of coronavirus are leaving planes empty. In an email sent to employees late on Sunday, Munoz said the airline had been hit by sagging demand for flights, as passengers avoid travel due to the coronavirus outbreak. 'We are strategically managing our Atlantic and domestic service, mindful of travel directives from the federal government, fluctuating demand and of course, the advice of public health experts,' the chief executive wrote. 'Based on current trends, it is likely that additional schedule reductions will be necessary.' United Airlines boss Oscar Munoz (pictured) sent an email to employees late on Sunday saying the airline will likely need to cut more flights as it had been hit by sagging demand for flights, as passengers avoid travel due to the coronavirus outbreak United had already cut flights to Asia and suspended services to mainland China and Hong Kong through April 30 and on Friday slashed flights to Japan and South Korea United had already cut flights to Asia and suspended services to mainland China and Hong Kong through April 30. On Friday, it then sharply slashed flights to Japan and South Korea. Munoz did not specify which routes would next face the chop. However, the Chicago-based company revealed last Monday that short-term demand for its trans-Pacific routes was down by 75% - excluding China where demand has almost disappeared. Among US airlines, United has the biggest international exposure, drawing about 40 percent of its revenues from overseas flights. The Chicago-based company revealed last Monday that short-term demand for its trans-Pacific routes was down by 75% - excluding China where demand has almost disappeared On Friday, United canceled its investor day that was set for March 5, saying it is not 'practical to expect that it can have a productive conversation focused on its long-term strategy next week.' That same day, it ended the day down 5.2 percent on Friday and down more than 22 percent over the last week. This marks the latest blow for the industry as industry analysts warned last week that the global coronavirus outbreak had left airlines some of the hardest hit. The reduction in global airline capacity, measured by how many seats remain grounded, is now greater than after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, according to the industry group IATA. After 9/11, airline revenue dropped an estimated $19.6 billion in 2002 dollars. The coronavirus crisis could cost the industry an estimated $29.3 billion in lost revenue for 2020, analysts said on Friday. This marks the latest blow for the industry as industry analysts warned last week that the global coronavirus outbreak had left airlines some of the hardest hit. A flight attendant from Denver with Frontier Airlines posted this photo of an empty plane on Wednesday as passengers avoid flying amid the global virus outbreak A traveler posted this picture from an empty flight on Tuesday They said countries with confirmed virus cases in excess of 90 China, Italy, Iran, Japan, Singapore and South Korea represent 25 per cent of global airline passenger numbers and 20 per cent of global passenger revenues. 'Back after 9/11 at the end of 2001, it really took about nine months before we saw the industry recover from the impact of the events,' said Wall Street Journal aviation correspondent Benjamin Katz. 'Now, with the coronavirus, it's a very different situation and it's difficult to give an assessment, but analysts are expecting with the coronavirus this could actually last quite a bit longer,' he continued. With the extent of the crisis still unknown, experts cautioned that the full impact on airlines remains to be seen. 'If we look back in ten years time, will this be seen as a blip or a game changer?' IBA Aviation Consultancy CEO Phil Seymour told the Journal. Several other airlines have been forced to cancel flights as the spread of coronavirus ramps up across the globe. Last week, Delta cut its South Korea flights in half, citing the outbreak and plummeting demand. Airlines have been forced to cancel flights as the spread of coronavirus ramps up across the globe. Last week, Delta cut its South Korea flights in half, citing the outbreak and plummeting demand Los Angeles International airport looks eerily quiet on February 27 as workers and passengers alike continue to take perecautionary measures against the spread of the virus South Korean soldiers wear protective gear spray disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus on March 2. Airlines are even feeling the squeeze on domestic US flights as companies reconsider the need for business travel and conferences. On Friday, Amazon deferred all non-essential travel, within the US and beyond, and Google set new restrictions for travel to South Korea and other places, as corporations moved to protect their employees from the spread of coronavirus. Canada's TD Bank Group told Reuters it was suspending all non-essential business travel to China, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Its peer Bank of Nova Scotia has also reportedly halted non-essential travel. JetBlue which flies in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America, became the first US airline to offer waivers for all travel on Wednesday, announcing it would suspend change and cancellation fees for new flight bookings between February 27 and March 11 this year. Facebook also said it would cancel its annual developer conference in May because of the virus. Coronavirus fears have intensified in recent days as the US has recorded its first two deaths from the disease and more than 89,000 people have been infected worldwide. If they werent, Mr. Welch applied a simple edict: Fix, sell or close. The businesses that survived were slimmed down severely. The G.E. work force fell from 411,000 at the end of 1980 to 299,000 at the end of 1985. Of the 112,000 workers who left the company, about 37,000 were in operations that had been sold off. But, Mr. Welch wrote in his autobiography, 81,000 people or 1 in every 5 in our industrial businesses lost their jobs for productivity reasons. The moniker Neutron Jack appeared in Newsweek magazine in 1982 and soon picked up everywhere. Mr. Welch said he hated the label. But he always insisted the pruning was necessary, if painful. And by acting before trouble surfaced, he said, G.E. could afford to give the people it let go advance notice and comparatively generous severance pay. Those early payroll cuts, critics say, were a byproduct of Mr. Welchs emphasis on delivering a rising share price and higher profits. He was considered, as The Financial Times wrote, the father of the shareholder value movement. In fact, it was a term Mr. Welch rarely used, but its origin as a guide to management practice is generally traced to a speech he gave in 1981, laying out his plans for shedding slow-growth businesses and cutting costs. Years later, in 2009, after the financial crisis hit, he repudiated the concept in an interview with The Financial Times, calling it a dumb idea and adding that shareholder value was a result of actions taken rather than a strategy in and of itself. Shareholders Above All But G.E.s consistently rising returns and how Mr. Welch achieved them made him a standard-bearer of the shareholder value ethos, said Robert B. Reich, the former labor secretary in the Clinton administration and now a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. And that ethos, said Mr. Reich, led to the shredding of the old, tacit contract between corporations and their workers, in which employees shared in the companys prosperity in good times and were laid off only in bad times. Throughout the Welch years, G.E. remained the nations largest manufacturer, producing everything from jet engines to power generators to medical-imaging equipment. Mr. Welch invested in those operations and personally championed projects to improve their efficiency and performance, like Six Sigma, a statistical quality-control system for greatly reducing product defects. Public health officials, desperate to contain the coronavirus outbreak, are emphatically urging workers to stay home if theyre feeling sick. Oregon is among a handful of states that require companies to give workers time off for illness. State law requires employers with at least 10 workers to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year (1 hour of paid sick time for each 30 hours they work, up to 40 hours), according to Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle. Workers can start taking paid leave after they have been on the job for at least three months. Employers with fewer than 10 workers must abide by the same rules, but dont have to pay their workers for the time off. (In Portland, the law requires employers with at least six employees offer sick leave.) Just 10 states have paid sick leave laws, according to a Henry J. Kaiser Foundation study cited by Hoyle. Of course, even 40 hours of sick leave isnt enough to cover the 14-day quarantine health officials have asked of people possibly exposed to the coronavirus. Since the start of the outbreak officials have told close to 400 Oregonians being monitored to stay home though most were ultimately cleared. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The headquarters of Germany's Deutsche Bank are photographed in Frankfurt FRANKFURT (Reuters) - British regulators have criticized Deutsche Bank's anti-money laundering and compliance controls, warning that the bank's access to the UK market was at risk after withdrawal from the European Union, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The Financial Times, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, reported that the Bank of England was requiring monthly, rather than quarterly, updates from Deutsche. Deutsche Bank declined to comment on its interaction with regulators but said in an emailed statement: "We have tripled the number of staff" combating financial crime since 2015. "Risk and controls are an area of on-going focus for all financial institutions. We continue to invest heavily in these areas," the bank said. The Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of normal business hours. Over recent years, Deutsche Bank has faced mounting regulatory scrutiny from authorities in the United States, Germany and elsewhere over lapses in anti-money laundering and other controls. Though Deutsche was warned about losing access to the UK market, "this outcome is still a remote possibility", the FT said in its report citing the unnamed people. In a recent compliance breach, Deutsche Bank on Jan. 16 sent data relating to 12,500 transactions of 500 clients to Amazon, the FT reported, but the bank was tardy in reporting the breach to affected clients and regulators. (Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Himani Sarkar) Two men were severely burned and another was injured after an explosion in a textile building rocked downtown Los Angeles, fire officials said. The explosion happened at approximately noon on March 1 at a textile building within a row of other businesses on the 700 block of South Kohler Street, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Fire Department. In all, three men were injured in the blast. One is in fair condition after sustained unspecified injuries. It took fire crews roughly an hour to extinguish the blaze, according to the fire department. 'Firefighters encountered three men, two of them burned critically, injured as a result of the fire,' Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Brian Humphrey, told LAist. 'L.A. firefighters were able to hold the fire to the building of origin in roughly 60 minutes. The building however was destroyed in the fire.' The roof of a textile building in downtown Los Angeles exploded on March 1 at about noon The plume of smoke from the blast could be seen by many people around the area A man in the parking lot next to the building walked away from the explosion The fire department called it a 'major emergency' as they deployed 137 firefighters to the blaze in 'fully defensive mode'. Witnesses reported the massive blast shook the area and created a billow of smoke that could reportedly be seen from a distance. 'The firefighters were not able to make immediate entry due to the fact that there was such heavy fire involvement, and there were subsequent smaller explosions going on ... So they immediately went into defensive operations to protect the adjoining business,' Capt. Branden Silverman, told KTLA. None of the adjacent buildings sustained any serious damage. While it hasn't been confirmed, reports said a sign on the outside of the building read Radix, which is name of a wholesale textile company. 'I've never been in an explosion before,' A man named 'Angel' who owns a nearby tattoo parlor, told KTLA. 'The impact blew me back several feet. I felt the glass shatter and hit me. I even felt the heat from the explosion, the fireball, hit me and kind of singe my arms a little bit.' Following the explosion, he said he sprinted from his shop and saw a man lying at the entrance of the building that exploded. The building is approximately 50-feet-by-100-feet, according to descriptions. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Krispy Kreme Australia and Maltesers have joined forces in a collaboration like no other to launch the ultimate doughnut. The one-of-a-kind dessert comes complete with the famous Original Glazed doughnut, hand-dipped in gooey milk chocolate ganache, topped with a piping of malted creme and finished with the crunch of the Maltesers on top. With both brands being well-loved since launching in 1937, the power-collaboration will be one that chocolate fans won't want to miss. Krispy Kreme Australia and Maltesers have joined forces i to launch the ultimate doughnut The limited edition range of doughnuts will be available at all Krispy Kreme venues from Tuesday, March 3 and 7-Eleven stores from March 6. 'Together with Maltesers, we set out to create the ultimate chocolate doughnut,' Krispy Kreme's food technologist Tasha Kaur said. 'After plenty of product trials and taste testing, we're thrilled to finally share our creation with the chocolate lovers of Australia. Mars marketing manager Nicole Villari said: 'Our collaboration with Krispy Kreme really celebrates Australia's love for Maltesers. The one-of-a-kind dessert comes complete with the famous Original Glazed doughnut, hand-dipped in gooey milk chocolate ganache, topped with a piping of malted creme and finished with the crunch of the Maltesers on top 'It's been incredible to see the flavour profile of our delicious Maltesers being transformed in a new and exciting treat experience.' The Malteser Doughnuts are available for $3.60 each or $28.95 for a dozen. To find your nearest location, or to order online, visit the website. Ukraine's Finance Ministry explains failure to meet budget revenue target in Feb 15:40, 02.03.20 3017 Low gas prices and decreased volumes of domestic gas output affected relevant royalty income, the report said. Kerner, who was 17 at the time of the killings, reportedly told an informant he shot Grill after Grill tried to rob him during a drug deal. "Grill fell to the ground and was begging for his life," according to police records. "Kerner advised that he panicked due to being out of bullets in the gun. Kerner then beat him (Grill) with a pipe wrench until he died." Kerner then showed Grill's body to Lanham, court records allege. Kerner warned Lanham not to say anything about the death, and as she turned to leave, Kerner shot her in the head, police said. The young man has pleaded not guilty to the two counts of murder and felony counts of intimidation and arson. Defense attorney James Voyles reiterated the claim Monday that there has been too much public hostility against Kerner and media coverage of his case for him to receive a fair trial in Porter County. He also cited public outrage over the alleged offense and "speculative opinions as to his personality and character," according to the motion. The defense blames the attention the case has received on social media. Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Reuters On Monday, March 2, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, as the press service of the Presidents Office. The report notes that Andriy Yermak thanked for the support from the Swedish government and for the "consistent position of Sweden in support of the restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine. Yermak and Linde discussed the security situation in the Donbass. In particular, the Swedish Foreign Minister assured that her country will maintain sanctions against Russia until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented. We discussed the Swedish chairmanship of the OSCE in 2021. They also talked about the possibility of expanding the activities of Swedish investors in Ukraine and trade and economic cooperation. As we reported before, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk confirmed the fact of the meeting with the Presidents Office Head Andriy Yermak at Kyiv restaurant. He stated that there was nothing special in the conversation. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Monday donated 150 tables and chairs for students to the city-based Government Inter College. The energy company donated required furniture to the college located at Guniyal Gaon under its corporate social responsibility, its principal B K Sharma said. Sharma thanked the ONGC for the gesture and area MLA Ganesh Joshi for his constant support to the institute. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Slate's Who Counts? series is made possible by the support of Slate Plus members and readers like you. The Iowa caucuses debacle was a reminder of some of the most important principles in election security, among them that transparency in elections is important, paper ballot backups are crucial to ensuring an accurate count, voting should not take place on smartphone apps, and running elections should be left to professionals. But missing from the round-the-clock media coverage was another valuable lesson from Iowa: Private tech companies are central to our elections, and our failure to engage in real oversight of their practices leaves our elections vulnerable to breakdown and attack. Advertisement The reporting in the aftermath of Iowa identified a 6-month-old private tech company called Shadow as the supplier of the failed app at the root of the mess. In an attempt to help precinct captains report out three separate sets of results, the Iowa Democratic Party had paid Shadow $60,000 to develop an app to convey the vote totals. Precincts would take and upload pictures of results, which would go to party headquarters. But on caucus day, the app failed, as did backup phone lines. This prompted many to ask how something as important as reporting vote totals in a presidential election could be left in the hands of a shoestring tech company. The follow-up question should have been: What are the controls on private vendors that sell the equipment and technology that run our elections? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Election officials from across the country buy much of their election infrastructure from private vendors. These companies build and maintain registration databases. They create election websites that explain how to register and where to vote. They manufacture and configure voting machines. Yet unlike vendors in sectors the federal government has designated as critical infrastructurelike defense and energycompanies in the election technology space operate under very little federal regulation. While voting systems face some functional requirements through voluntary submission to federal testing and certification, vendors themselves are largely free from oversight. That leaves the publicand election officialsin the dark about key information. For example, vendors dont have to disclose whether or not theyre controlled by foreign nationals, share information about the supply chain for parts they use, or reveal their employee screening and cybersecurity practices. Vendors arent even required under federal law to report if theyve been hacked. Advertisement There needs to be more oversight of these critical players in our elections. While state and local governments are primarily responsible for running elections, only the federal government has the resources and constitutional responsibility to ensure that the more than 8,000 local election jurisdictions can safeguard federal elections from insecure vendor practices. Advertisement Unfortunately, comprehensive federal oversight is not likely to happen in the next nine months. So what can be done to protect our elections in 2020? A lot. Most important of all, state and local election officials must double down on resiliency plans to detect and recover from cyberattacks or malfunctions with critical systems like electronic poll books and voting machines. Consider the elections happening on Super Tuesday. In many polling places, poll workers will use electronic poll books, laptops, or tablets (generally built and maintained by private vendors) instead of paper lists to look up voters as they arrive. When they function properly, electronic poll books expedite the administration process and shorten lines. But when they fail, they can bring polling locations to a standstill. Of the 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday, 11 use electronic poll books. (The exceptions are Maine, Oklahoma, and Vermont.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every state that uses electronic poll books should ensure that paper backups are required in the polling place. That way, if the electronic poll books fail or show inaccurate information, poll workers can turn to the backup to process voters, instead of forcing them to wait hours for the problem to be fixed, or turning them away, as happened in Indiana in 2018 and Durham County, North Carolina, in 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Voting machines also need contingency plans in case of failure. Three voting system vendors control about 90 percent of the voting machine market, and these and other private companies program the files needed for those systems to function. Most jurisdictions use optical-scan voting machines as their primary polling place equipment. For these systems, voters fill out a paper ballot by hand. So even if the scanner that reads the ballots goes down, voters can still vote, and poll workers can store their completed ballots until machines are fixed or count them after the polls close. Advertisement Thats not true in the 20 states where a significant number of voters use electronic voting machines to directly mark or cast their ballots. In those states, including many counties in the Super Tuesday states of Arkansas, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah, voting machine breakdowns mean voters have no way to fill out their ballots if election officials havent supplied the polling place with emergency paper ballots. Thats why the Brennan Center, where we work, has recommended such states require emergency ballots for two to three hours worth of peak voting activity. It is critical that all polling places in these states that use such machines have enough emergency paper ballots to get them through system failures; too many have failed to make that a requirement in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, all states should conduct postelection audits that can spot software errors in vote tallies and fix them. These audits entail a manual check to ensure that the voting machines recorded votes accurately, performed before certifying election results. Officials compare some percentage of paper records to the vote tally reported by the voting system software. Half of all states require such audits. Nearly 90 percent of Americans vote on paper ballots or systems that produce redundant paper records of their votes, and that includes voters in all Super Tuesday states except Texas and Tennessee (where some but not all voters will vote on paper). But paper ballots only add security if we use them to check and correct the software on the voting machines that report vote totals. None of these resiliency recommendations cost much money or require new technology. Given everything we knowfrom the warnings of intelligence officials to the lack of vendor oversightthese preparations are the least we can do to ensure all Americans can vote with confidence this year. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Correction, March 2, 2020: Due to an editing error, this piece originally misidentified Alan Beards first name in the byline. According to an announcement made on Friday by the Health Department of Mexico, a new case of the COVID-19 was confirmed in Mexico City. This brings the total of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus epidemic to two in the country, said an article from KRGV. The other confirmed case was in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Mexico's New Confirmed Case of the Coronavirus Miguel Riquelme Solis, the northern border state of Coahuila's governor, stated on Saturday that the health officials of the country had revealed that the second case in Mexico of the illness was in Torreon city. The fourth case was a 20-year old female who was reported to have traveled to Europe. It was found out that she traveled to Milan, Italy in Europe last January and February. She recently returned to Mexico in the past few days before he found out that he was one of the confirmed cases of the disease in the country. According to Riquelme, after two days, the woman was reported to have shown symptoms of the novel coronavirus. According to the Health Secretary of the State Roberto Bernal, the female was in good health. She and her family members are under quarantine for 14 days. Two other people who traveled with her had contacted the authorities. According to Mexico's health officials, the country is currently not in a state of national emergency for the COVID-19. According to Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the Assistant Health Secretary of Mexico, there is no need to employ intense measures such as the cancellation of mass events as long as Mexico is only experiencing isolated cases of the COVID-19. In the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 virus or the swine flu, Mexico was ground zero. Many people in the country of Mexico had clear memories of those trying times. Other Recent Cases of the COVID-19 in South America Ecuadorian officials confirmed on Saturday the country's first case of the COVID-19 in South America. Brazil had also reported another one. According to the Health Minister of Ecuador, Catalina Andramuno Zeballos, there is a woman in her 70s who lives in Spain and arrived in Ecuador last February 14. Upon her arrival in the country, she had shown no symptoms of the illness. However, after a few days after her arrival in the country, she felt really bad and had a fever. The woman was later taken to a medical center. After being tested for the virus, the National Institute of Public Health and Investigations in Ecuador confirmed that she was positive for the new coronavirus. Julio Lopez, the deputy minister of health in Ecuador, stated that the patient is currently under 'critical' condition. This was the next case reported in South America after Brazil reported one case on Wednesday last week. On Saturday, another case was reported by the Sao Paulo state health department from Brazil. It was reported that the new case in Brazil went to Italy before going to Brazil. The president of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno took social media to calm the residents. The Interior Ministry of Ecuador revealed that it will be prohibiting mass events in the cities of Guayaquil and Babahoyo. Faithfuls listens to Pope Francis speech as he delivers the Sunday Angelus prayer from his studio window overlooking St. Peters Square, at the Vatican. AFP Photo The Vatican unseals the archives of history's most contentious popes on Monday, potentially shedding light on why Pius XII stayed silent during the extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust. Award-winning German religious historian Hubert Wolf will be in Rome on Monday, armed with six assistants and two years of funding to start exploring documents from the private secretariat of the late pope. Wolf, a specialist on the relationship of Pius XII with the Nazis, is anxious to discover the notes of the his 70 ambassadors -- the pontiff's eyes and ears during his time as head of the Catholic Church between 1939 and his death in 1958. There should also be records of urgent appeals for help from Jewish organisations, as well as his communications with the late US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The unsealed archives additionally cover a post-World War II era in which writers were censored and some priests hounded for suspected communist sympathies. The Vatican first published the essentials covering the Holocaust four decades ago, an 11 volume work compiled by Jesuits. But some crucial pieces are still missing, including the pope's replies to notes and letters -- for example, those about Nazi horrors. The Jesuits already published documents the pope received about the concentration camps, but we never got to see his replies, Wolf said in an interview. Either they do not exist, or they are in the Vatican, he told AFP. There is no doubt that the pope was aware of the murder of Jews, Wolf said. The Christmas message On December 24, 1942, Pius XII delivered one of history's most debated Christmas radio messages. Buried in its long text was a reference to hundreds of thousands of people who, without any fault of their own and sometimes for the sole reason of their nationality or race, were doomed to death or gradual extermination. Was his message -- delivered in Italian and aired just once, and which never explicitly mentioned either the Jews or Nazis -- heard and understood by German Catholics? The only ones who heard it were the Nazis, said Wolf, noting that the radio waves were scrambled and that the pope could have spoken German -- if he had really wanted to reach the German faithful. After the war, Pius XII told a British ambassador: 'I was very clear.' And the ambassador will say in reply: 'I did not understand you', the historian said. Quite a few Jews were saved in convents, David Kertzer, an American historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for a book about the era, told AFP. But why were they murdered by people viewing themselves as Christians?For Kertzer, the reasons behind the silence of the pope are key. He wasn't happy about mass murder. He seemed upset. He knew by 1941, said Kertzer. And yet never uttered the word Jew. Wolf, the German historian, added that Pius XII remained very withdrawn after the war, saying nothing about the Holocaust. He also never recognised the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Four things to know about Pope Pius XII's archives Published Holocaust archives Archives covering World War II have already been widely published by the Vatican. Now researchers will have direct access to an even greater number of documents -- including some of the most sensitive ones. And none of the pope's post-war papers have previously been released. Prudent expectations Suzanne Brown-Fleming, international programmes director at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, urged caution. It strikes us here at the museum as imprudent to suppose one way or the other what we might find, especially knowing we're talking about 16 million pages and dozens of languages, Brown-Fleming told AFP. And the most interesting archival materials are often in hidden folders, or not hidden, that's the wrong word, in unexpected folders. Let's say ones labelled 'miscellaneous'.Philippe Chenaux, a Pius XII biographer and professor of modern and contemporary Church history at Rome's Pontifical Lateran University, agreed. It is not certain that the opening of the Vatican (archives) is likely to bring an end to the controversy over Pius XII's 'silence', he said in an interview. The major contribution of the documents made available concerns the post-war period, or if you prefer, the Cold War, marked by the antagonism between the Christian West and the great Soviet Satan, said Chenaux. The end of the 1940s and 1950s have so far been a blind spot in the history of the pontificate. Church defends 'just man' The Catholic Church has always argued that Pius XII helped rescue several thousand Jews by having them hidden in religious institutions in Rome during the Nazi occupation. It also believes the Pope's refusal to verbally attack the Nazis avoided reprisals against Catholics in Europe. The process for the beatification of Pius XII began in October 1967. Then-Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed him venerable in 2009, the first step towards sainthood on condition that a miracle be recognised -- a decision that spurred an outcry among Jewish organisations. Critics attack his silence Pius XII -- a moral voice likely to have been heeded by German Catholics -- is vilified by many historians for never having explicitly condemned the extermination of the Jews by the Nazi regime. The member of the Roman nobility is also criticised for having remained silent when on October 16, 1943, over a thousand Roman Jews were rounded up in their ghetto not far from the Vatican. Following the roundup, some Jews were hidden in Catholic institutions, but critics point out that no written document exists to prove that Pius XII was responsible. TDT | Manama Carrefour, operated in the Kingdom of Bahrain by Majid Al Futtaim, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bahrain Agricultural Co-operative Society to enhance the diversity and sustainability of Bahrains agricultural sector. Through the agreement, Carrefour aims to use its network of stores and industry know-how to increase support for local farmers and help them develop and promote their products across the country and abroad, ultimately maximising the reach of the Bahrains farmed products. This initiative further demonstrates Carrefours commitment to creating an improved sales and marketing platform for Bahraini agricultural products which include vegetables, fruits, herbs, and plants, among others. Carrefour is also using its cooperation with Bahraini farmers and its partnership with the National Initiative for Agricultural Development to spread awareness about food security with all members of society, while actively promoting sustainability and environmental preservation. In a statement, Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, the Secretary General of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development said: The demand for local production has recently increased and consumers have begun to distinguish between the quality of local produce and other imported products. The National Initiative for Agricultural Development seeks to support Bahrains diverse agricultural production and its local farmers by opening new outlets, and sales and marketing channels to meet the current demand of locally produced vegetables and fruits. She continued: The agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors; it contributes to achieving food security, while the agricultural sales and marketing processes are integral when it comes to production development and ensuring consumers have access to agricultural goods. We are proud to partner with one of largest retail giants in the region, Carrefour, alongside the Bahrain Agricultural Cooperative Society. We hope that this cooperation will encourage farmers to keep improving and developing their products while ensuring farms continue to work towards sustainable agricultural production in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Jerome Akel, Country Manager of Carrefour in Bahrain at Majid Al Futtaim Retail said: This initiative embodies one of our long-term strategic goals here at Majid Al Futtaim retail, which is to work hand in hand with the communities that we operate in and to take agricultural sectors to new heights. Our partnerships with the Bahrain Agricultural Co-operative Society and National Initiative for Agricultural Development showcase our dedication to developing and implementing a result-driven project for national food production in line with the vision of the Kingdom. This includes allocating sites for plant production, raising the proportion of local output, and developing national capabilities in the food sector. Akel added: We are delighted that this collaboration gives us the opportunity to promote and market Bahraini produce at our stores while giving our customers the opportunity to enjoy local foods during their shopping experience. After signing the agreement, Shaikha Maram and the Bahraini farmers were accompanied on a tour of Carrefour Hypermarket, where they visited several departments inside the store and the areas displaying fresh Bahraini agricultural products from local farmers. She praised Carrefours efforts in enabling the national agricultural sector, supporting local production, and promoting and marketing local Bahraini products. University of Montana students interested in using centuries of ecological stewardship knowledge of Indigenous people to address sustainability issues can now earn a certificate in the subject. The new certificate, Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Sustainability, is a 12-credit program made up of classes already offered at UM in addition to a required internship in the field. Rosalyn LaPier, an environmental studies professor and faculty mentor for the new certificate, said gaining the certificate will be invaluable to anyone hoping to work in environmental stewardship in the West. Any job you get in the Rocky Mountain West doing this kind of work, youre going to be working with Indigenous people and the biodiversity that Indigenous people maintained for centuries, said LaPier, who is Blackfeet and Metis. Whether it is directly working with tribes or for an NGO (non-governmental organization), this knowledge can be used to solve 21st century problems. The certificate requires only one specific classroom course, Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, as well as a native plant stewardship and ethnobotany internship. The rest of the credits are fulfilled with mentor-approved electives in the environmental sustainability and Indigenous knowledge fields. LaPier said while the certificate is aimed at undergraduates, she expects there to be significant interest from local community members who want to gain certification in the field for professional reasons, or simply because it is valuable knowledge for maintaining property and the local landscape. With it being just 12 credits, its possible to space this out over a year, and take one class in the fall, two classes in the spring and an internship in the summer, for example, and have it done, she said. Many students who have already taken one or two of the classes can also be grandfathered into it, and fulfill the other needed requirements for it. Marilyn Marler, UMs natural lands manager, biologist and one of Missoulas statehouse representatives, co-teaches the ethnobotany stewardship internship. She said the program is a success story in UMs effort to offer more cross-discipline degrees and certificates and allows students of any major to easily add this certificate to their portfolio. I was talking with a young woman the other day, an exchange student from Germany, who is interested in Indigenous perspectives and really interested in ethnobotany, but shes just coming here for one academic year, Marler said. Having the certificate will make this host of classes more visible, but its also something that is attainable in a short amount of time. LaPier said the courses focus on studying how Indigenous peoples are restoring Native landscapes and returning to traditional food systems, as well as strengthening traditional ecological knowledge of long-term land-use sustainability. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: Iran continues its exports to Iraq on all borders, said the chairman of the Joint Chamber of Commerce of Iran and Iraq Yahya Al-Ishaq, Trend reports citing TASNIM news agency. According to Al-Ishaq, trucks that export Iranian products daily enter Iraq through the customs checkpoints. The official added that since the beginning of the current Iranian month (beginning February 20), from the Shalmacha border 749 trucks have entered Iraq, from the Chazzaba border - 321 trucks, from the Mehran border - 659 trucks, from the Sumar border - 355 trucks, and from the Khosravi border - 129 trucks. "The main products exported to Iraq were fruits and vegetables, chemicals, metal products, household items, ceramics, building materials, food, beverages," he said. He said that Iran exported $13 billion worth of goods to Iraq last year (March 21, 2018 - March 21, 2019). During the first 10 months of this year (March 21, 2019 - January 20, 2020) $9 billion worth of goods were exported. Iran is one of the recent countries, affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 978 people have been infected, 54 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 Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:15:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Researchers from China's armed forces have been carrying out emergency scientific research for the battle against the novel coronavirus, mainly in terms of virus detection and source tracing, epidemic control and patient treatment, as well as drug development, a Central Military Commission (CMC) official said Monday. Chen Jingyuan, health division director of the Logistical Support Department of the CMC, made the remarks at a press conference on the armed forces' help in the country's epidemic prevention and control. Health research organizations of the military have taken the lead in undertaking emergency scientific research projects commissioned by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and sent military medical experts to Wuhan, the epicenter city of the virus outbreak, to conduct scientific research and advise on epidemic prevention and control, Chen said. Among the progress, a nucleic acid test kit co-developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences was granted a medical device registration certificate following an emergency examination and approval on Jan. 28 by the National Medical Products Administration, the official said, adding that a newly-developed express antibody detection kit passed production registration review Sunday and was put into clinical application. A health center affiliated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital has adopted a method of integrating traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine for treating novel coronavirus infections, which is safe and effective according to preliminary research, he said. Researchers with the military are fast-tracking work relevant to drug and antibody development, vaccine research and virus source tracing, according to the official. Photo: The Canadian Press Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg attends a rally at the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley An Alberta energy services company says it deeply regrets pain caused by a decal bearing its logo beneath a sexually suggestive cartoon appearing to depict 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. X-Site Energy Services says in a statement posted to its website that it recognizes it's not enough to apologize for the image that unleashed a torrent of online outrage last week. It says it's committed to recovering and destroying all the decals it distributed and says it hopes everyone stops republishing the image. The company adds that management takes full responsibility and organizational changes have been made to reflect this. It also says it intends to hold sessions about respect in the workplace for all of its staff. A call to Doug Sparrow, who was listed as X-Site's general manager last week, went straight to voice mail and he did not immediately respond to a message seeking further clarification. At a Glance Experts Rating Pros Excellent speeds Enough features to appeal to power users and novices No-logs policy Diskless servers Cons Expensive Our Verdict NordVPN offers a lot with its service. There are specialized servers for multi-hop connections, P2P file sharing, and dedicated IP addresses at an extra cost. It also offers a ton of country connections, and the ability to drill down to a specific server if you want. It also works with Netflix and has malware and ad blocking. NordVPN is expensive, but you get a lot of value. NordVPN in brief: P2P allowed: Yes. Dedicated servers Yes. Dedicated servers Business location: Panama Panama Number of servers: 5,000+ 5,000+ Number of country locations: 59 59 Cost: $59 (first year only, billed annually) $59 (first year only, billed annually) VPN protocol: NordLynx (default, based on WireGuard) NordLynx (default, based on WireGuard) Data encryption: ChaCha20 ChaCha20 Data authentication: Poly1305 Poly1305 Handshake: ECDH/curve25519 NordVPN has long earned top marks among the VPNs Ive reviewed. Its notable for its incredible speeds, a generous country and server count, and the choice of WireGuard or OpenVPN protocols. It has also removed the hard drives from its servers to increase privacy and security. And in its aim to be more than just a VPN, the service is but one product under the larger umbrella organization Nord Security, alongside other services such as the NordPass password manager, NordLocker for secure file storage, and business tools like NordLayer and NordWL. Note: This review is part of our best VPNs roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them. Features and services When you first open NordVPN on Windows, you get a very user-friendly interface. The left-hand rail includes a list of all available countries in alphabetical order. This section also has quick links to NordVPNs specialty servers, such as Onion over VPN and P2P-friendly servers (for NordLynx and OpenVPN), as well as dedicated IP (for an extra cost) and double-hop VPN when using OpenVPN. The rest of the app window contains a map that you can drag around to select a specific country. NordVPN with an active WireGuard connection. Both the list and the map let you quickly decide where to connect. Two interface options are a bit redundant, but this approach accommodates both power users and novices. The list in the left-hand rail is where most of the power user advantages reside. Hover over a country listing and click on the three dots to the left of the country name. This reveals a pop-up window where you can choose the region of a country (if applicable), as well as any of the servers listed in that region. If you choose to connect to the U.S., for example, youd pick the region, which is really one of a number of major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, or Phoenix. Then you can pick any of the servers listed there; each server in the list displays its current load. If you dont want to drill down that deep, NordVPN picks the fastest connection for you based on your country of choice. Dipping into settings, there are a number of features worth knowing about. The first is CyberSec under Settings > General, which blocks ads and protects against malware and phishing. Its turned off by default, but is well worth using. Theres also an internet kill switch, and an app kill switch under Settings > Kill Switch. The latter stops any app from connecting to the internet if an active VPN connection drops, while the former does that for the entire PC. NordVPNs general settings. There are also options to go invisible on the local area network, and a specialized auto-connect feature. Auto-connect not only connects you to the VPN automatically but lets you customize that connection. You can, for example, automatically connect to a double VPN or a specific country. You can also choose whether to connect whenever the app starts or only on unsecure networks. The ability to customize the automated connection is an awesome little power-user feature that you dont often see on other VPNs. You can also set your own DNS provider if you like, as well as use obfuscated servers if youre trying to use NordVPN in a place that blocks it. Nord also has a split-tunneling feature to specify which apps should (or should not) use the VPN connection. NordVPN advertises that its compatible with Netflix, and it worked well this time around in my tests, though in the past there have been issues. This is not uncommon as theres a continual cat-and-mouse game between the the long arm of Netflixs anti-VPN enforcement and VPN service providers that oppose it. Privacy, anonymity, and trust Selecting a granular connection with NordVPNs advanced features. To create an account, NordVPN requires an email address. It accepts payments via credit card, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and cryptocurrencies. NordVPN costs $59 as an introductory price for the first year, and the current renewal price is $99 for a year. There is also a first-time deals for a two-year subscriptions: $89, and a month-to-month option of $11.95. NordVPN has come a long way in identifying its leadership. After years of not publishing the names of its owners, the information is out there. This happened around the same time that NordVPN became just one product in a larger portfolio of products under the Nord Security brand. Nord Security doesnt have an official head office, or at least the company declined to say where it was, but it does have offices in Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the U.S. Officially, Nord Security doesnt own NordVPN. That honor belongs to a company called nordvpn s.a. based in Panama. Despite all that legal stuff, the management team of Nord Security effectively runs NordVPN and the other products, as far as we understand it. Whether those people are acting as employees of Nord Security or nordvpn s.a. when they make business decisions is irrelevant for our purposes. Nord Security lists 10 people on its management team all with links to their LinkedIn pages. The management listing includes the three founders Tom Okman, Eimantas Sabaliauskas, and Jonas Karklys. Okman is based in the U.K., while the other two are in Lithuania, according to their LinkedIn profiles. NordVPNs privacy policy says it has a strict no-logs policy, meaning it does not store time stamps, browsing data, used bandwidth, traffic logs, IP addresses, and so on. Third-party audits in 2018 and 2020 confirmed this. Nord does keep some information for very short periods of time. It keeps the username and timestamp of the last session to monitor simultaneous connection limits. This information is deleted 15 minutes after a session is terminated. It also logs whether a user has logged on in the last 30 days. The company says it needs this data to prevent abuse and to be able to dispute unfair chargebacks. NordVPN also harvests some data about usage such as app diagnostic data, but you can opt out under Settings > Advanced. It also takes in telemetry data such as opening push notifications, search, and so on. This can also be opted out of by turning off the setting mentioned above. Those who are concerned about the privacy implications of the CyberSec feature can read about it in the privacy policy under Threat Protection feature. NordVPN also jumped on the trend of running diskless production servers similar to companies such as OVPN and ExpressVPN. Diskless servers dont store any information on them at all. They are controlled and booted from a remote server and everything then runs in RAM. That makes it mighty difficult to pull any user data from these servers. Landing page for the VPN Trust Initiative. Another step NordVPN takes to increase trust is the VPN Trust Initiative, an effort that includes ExpressVPN, Golden Frog, IPVanish, Ivacy, PureVPN, (of VyperVPN fame), SaferVPN, Strong VPN, and others. The VPN Trust Initiatives goal is to strengthen trust and mitigate risk for VPN users. The company also published a blog post detailing how it prevents vulnerabilities like the one that occurred in 2018 (it was only reported in 2019). The plan includes penetration testing, a bug bounty program, the new infrastructure audit, vendor assessments, and the aforementioned diskless servers. Thats a lot of effort to get users to trust NordVPN, and were happy to see the company finally revealing its top leaders. Its also being more transparent about the company structure, but to be honest theyre still being a little cagey about the details and the organization seems to be more complicated than necessary. Regardless, anonymity for the people running a company that is supposed to be all about trust just never sat well with us, and were glad to see this change. Performance NordVPNs speeds are excellent. In our tests using default settings over multiple days and multiple connect locations, NordVPN was able to maintain 49 percent of the base speed. Thats fast enough to qualify among the top five speediest VPNs. Were certain that NordVPN is fast enough for doing pretty much anything reliably. Conclusion NordVPN is a fantastic service that keeps getting better. The price is on the high side, but you get a lot more for that money than with other services. Nevertheless, while NordVPNs excellent service cant be ignored, there are better options, like Mullvad, if maximizing your anonymity is a priority. But if you want something that appeals to power users, has multi-hop, solid speeds, and works with Netflix, then NordVPN is a solid choice. Editors note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article. COLORADO SPRINGS, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE American: GORO) (the Company or GRC) today announced a ninth consecutive year of profitability, reporting net income of $5.8 million or $0.09 per share. The Company also confirmed its previously announced 2019 consolidated annual production record of 40,318 gold ounces along with 1,732,604 silver ounces. The Company announced its 2020 consolidated precious metal Outlook targeting 54,000 gold ounces and 1,700,000 silver ounces plus or minus a 10 percent range. Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, U.S.A. The Company has returned $113 million to its shareholders in monthly dividends since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010 and offers its shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. 2019 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS Achieved its ninth consecutive year of profitability; Record consolidated annual gold production; Achieved 2019 Oaxaca Mining Unit gold production outlook range with 29,435 ounces; Achieved 2019 Oaxaca Mining Unit silver production outlook range with 1.72 million ounces; $135.4 million consolidated net sales, an increase of 17%; $5.8 million net income, or $0.09 per share; Oaxaca Mining Unit $264 total cash costs (after by-product credits) per precious metal gold equivalent ounce sold; Oaxaca Mining Unit $646 total all-in sustaining cost per precious metal gold equivalent ounce sold; Completed construction and commenced production at the Nevada Mining Unit, producing 10,883 gold ounces; 100% increase in annualized dividends from $0.02 to $0.04 per share, $1.5 million distributed in shareholder dividends, totaling over $113 million since 2010. 2019 Overview I am very pleased to report Gold Resource Corporation delivered record gold production and its ninth consecutive year of profitability for 2019, stated Gold Resource Corporation CEO and President, Mr. Jason Reid. In addition to these achievements, just ten months after ground breaking we brought our Nevada Mining Unit online in April producing first gold from our Isabella Pearl Mine. We plan to continue ramping up production through 2020 to a targeted annual rate of 40,000 gold ounces for the full year 2021. Our production models expect a significant increase in gold grade the second half of 2020 which is expected to boost gold production and reduce costs. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Companys Oaxaca Mining Unit sold 41,062 precious metal gold equivalent ounces at a total cash cost of $264 per gold equivalent ounce. Realized 2019 average sales prices were $1,418 per ounce for gold and $16.31 per ounce for silver. The Companys Nevada Mining Unit sold 10,272 gold ounces at a total cash cost of $1,040 per ounce. The Company recorded consolidated revenues of $135.4 million, and net income of $5.8 million, or $0.09 per share. Base metal production generated $75.8 million in revenue for 2019. The calculation of our cash cost per ounce contained in this press release is a non-GAAP financial measure. Please see "Management's Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations" contained in the Companys most recent Form 10-K for a complete discussion and reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures. The following Production Statistics table summarize certain information about our Oaxaca and Nevada Mining Unit operations for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018: Oaxaca Mining Unit Three months ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Arista Mine Milled Tonnes Milled 160,701 149,494 629,868 560,191 Grade Average Gold Grade (g/t) 1.77 1.82 1.73 1.69 Average Silver Grade (g/t) 78 65 82 95 Average Copper Grade (%) 0.37 0.35 0.38 0.37 Average Lead Grade (%) 1.79 1.72 1.88 1.66 Average Zinc Grade (%) 4.41 4.45 4.64 4.29 Aguila Open Pit Mine Milled Tonnes Milled 7,367 10,705 31,343 36,435 Grade Average Gold Grade (g/t) 1.31 2.02 1.65 2.08 Average Silver Grade (g/t) 77 38 53 41 Mirador Mine Milled Tonnes Milled 9,422 3,800 31,962 15,044 Grade Average Gold Grade (g/t) 0.82 1.52 0.91 1.43 Average Silver Grade (g/t) 179 222 195 174 Combined Tonnes milled 177,490 163,999 693,173 611,670 Tonnes Milled per Day (1) 2,017 1,885 1,980 1,764 Metal production (before payable metal deductions) (2) Gold (ozs.) 7,554 7,974 29,435 26,838 Silver (ozs.) 417,877 330,605 1,722,852 1,672,034 Copper (tonnes) 452 446 1,859 1,652 Lead (tonnes) 2,286 2,006 9,202 7,280 Zinc (tonnes) 5,734 5,572 23,683 19,808 Based on actual days the mill operated during the period. The difference between what we report as "ounces/tonnes produced" and "payable ounces/tonnes sold" is attributable to the difference between the quantities of metals contained in the concentrates we produce versus the portion of those metals actually paid for according to the terms of our sales contracts. Differences can also arise from inventory changes incidental to shipping schedules, or variances in ore grades and recoveries which impact the amount of metals contained in concentrates produced and sold. Nevada Mining Unit Three months ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Ore mined Ore (tonnes) 164,277 - 934,723 - Gold grade (g/t) 1.09 - 0.76 - Low-grade stockpile (tonnes) Ore (tonnes) 57,839 - 529,959 - Gold grade (g/t) 0.46 - 0.51 - Waste (tonnes) 1,557,021 - 4,504,360 - Metal production (before payable metal deductions) (1) Gold (ozs.) 5,502 - 10,883 - Silver (ozs.) 5,293 - 9,752 - The following Sales Statistics tables summarizes certain information about our Oaxaca and Nevada Mining Unit operations for three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018: Oaxaca Mining Unit Three months ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Metal sold Gold (ozs.) 6,966 6,142 24,167 22,886 Silver (ozs.) 372,729 285,859 1,468,860 1,529,951 Copper (tonnes) 436 420 1,656 1,521 Lead (tonnes) 2,073 1,892 8,034 6,754 Zinc (tonnes) 4,933 4,596 19,322 16,123 Average metal prices realized (1) Gold ($ per oz.) 1,484 1,214 1,418 1,259 Silver ($ per oz.) 17.39 13.70 16.31 15.65 Copper ($ per tonne) 5,938 5,871 6,003 6,345 Lead ($ per tonne) 2,072 1,741 2,001 2,119 Zinc ($ per tonne) 2,382 1,825 2,576 2,770 Precious metal gold equivalent ounces sold Gold Ounces 6,966 6,142 24,167 22,886 Gold Equivalent Ounces from Silver 4,368 3,226 16,895 19,018 Total Precious Metal Gold Equivalent Ounces 11,334 9,368 41,062 41,904 Total cash cost before by-product credits per precious metal gold equivalent ounce sold $ 1,864 $ 1,858 $ 2,109 $ 1,722 Total cash cost after by-product credits per precious metal gold equivalent ounce sold (2) $ 220 $ 42 $ 264 $ 84 Total all-in sustaining cost per precious metal gold equivalent ounce sold $ 565 $ 426 $ 646 $ 655 Average metal prices realized vary from the market metal prices due to final settlement adjustments from our provisional invoices when they are settled. Our average metal prices realized will therefore differ from the market average metal prices in most cases. Total cash cost after by-product credits are significantly affected by base metals sales during the periods presented. Nevada Mining Unit Three months ended December 31, Year ended December 31, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Metal sold Gold (ozs.) 5,097 - 10,272 - Silver (ozs.) 4,186 - 8,332 - Average metal prices realized (1) Gold ($ per oz.) 1,482 - 1,468 - Silver ($ per oz.) 16.89 - 17.04 - Total cash cost before by-product credits per gold ounce sold $ 1,110 $ - $ 1,054 $ - Total cash cost after by-product credits per gold ounce sold $ 1,096 $ - $ 1,040 $ - Total all-in sustaining cost per gold ounce sold $ 1,096 $ - $ 1,049 $ - Average metal prices realized vary from the market metal prices due to final settlement adjustments from our provisional invoices when they are settled. Our average metal prices realized will therefore differ from the market average metal prices in most cases. 2020 Production Outlook The Company is targeting 2020 consolidated annual production (with ranges based on plus or minus 10%) of 54,000 ounces gold and 1,700,000 ounces silver. The Company remains focused on mining tonnes based on net smelter return (NSR) values per tonne of all metals to maximize cash flow. The Company will continue to focus on its overall margin from both precious and base metal production. Base metal production results in lower production costs per tonne and per ounce when used as a credit against production costs. Year-End 2019 Proven & Probable Reserve Update The Company recently updated its 2019 Nevada and Oaxaca Mining Units Proven and Probable (P&P) Reserve Reports as of December 31, 2019. Year-end 2019 Nevada Mining Unit proven and probable reserves totaled 2,247,400 tonnes grading 3.05 g/t gold. Gold grade increased year-over-year by 33.8%, which increased contained gold ounces by 5,300 to 220,100. Mine life at the Companys Nevada Mining Unit is estimated at four and one-half years. The Company also updated its 2019 Oaxaca Mining Unit Proven and Probable (P&P) Reserve Report as of December 31, 2019, reporting 2,831,600 tonnes grading 1.97 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 122 g/t silver, equating to 179,300 gold ounces and 11,096,400 silver ounces. The reserve report also includes significant base metals from the Arista Mine consisting of 11,600 tonnes of copper grading 0.4%, 45,400 tonnes of lead grading 1.7% and 133,100 tonnes of zinc grading 4.8%. Mine life at the Companys Oaxaca Mining Unit is estimated at four years based on an estimated mill throughput of 2,000 tonnes of ore per day. For additional details on the updated reserve report, please view the P&P press release dated March 2, 2020. The updated full reserve report will be available on the Companys website in the near future. Projects Update Oaxaca Mining Unit During 2019, the Company continued development of the Arista underground mine, including the Switchback vein system. Bulk tonnage mining techniques were utilized at Switchback, while also processing a large amount of development ore. The Company also completed construction of three capital projects in 2019, the paste fill plant, the tailings lift, and the power grid project. The paste fill plant will improve the Arista Mines safety, allow for more efficient extraction of stope pillars when possible, and provide for tailings storage underground which will lessen the demand for surface tailings facilities. The third phase of the surface tailings impoundment lift was completed in February 2019. The Company also successfully switched from diesel power generation to lower cost grid power at the Aguila project. For 2020, the Company anticipates spending approximately $12 million to construct a dry stack tailings facility near the Aguila mill. Dry stack tailings facilities are more environmentally friendly as water can be recycled and dry tailings can be stacked in disturbed areas such as the Aguila pit and original tailings impoundment areas. Nevada Mining Unit The Company produced first gold dore at the Isabella Pearl mine in April 2019, made initial gold sales of dore in May 2019, and reached commercial production levels in October 2019. In December 2019, the Company completed construction of the ADR plant and commenced producing dore at the Isabella Pearl Mine site. During 2020, the Company targets the production of 27,000 gold ounces (plus or minus 10%) at Isabella Pearl. Gold production is expected to increase the second half of 2020 and when the Company expects to access the upper portions of the high-grade Pearl deposit. The Companys Nevada Mining Unit now consists of four properties covering more than 7,358 hectares (18,191 acres) in south central Nevadas Walker Lane Mineral Belt. The flagship Isabella Pearl mine is currently in production, while the additional three properties are in various stages of exploration. Exploration Program Oaxaca Mining Unit exploration activities during 2019 focused on underground exploration drilling at the Arista and Switchback vein systems in the Arista Mine. The Switchback drilling program continued to target further expansion and delineation of the multiple high-grade parallel veins for reserve definition, expansion and mine plan optimization. The Switchback strike length is now over one kilometer and remains open on strike and vertical extent. In 2019, the Company continued to expand the high-grade ore zone at the Mirador mines Independencia vein with 18 step-out and in-fill diamond drill holes totaling 2,327 meters. Nevada Mining Unit exploration activities in 2019 included a successful 110-hole, 8,096-meter reverse circulation drilling program targeted to explore and expand mineral reserves at the Isabella Pearl Mine. This program included in-fill and step-out drill holes on the Pearl, Civit Cat North and Scarlet targets. In 2020, the Company anticipates spending approximately $7 million for exploration activities for both the Oaxaca and Nevada Mining Units. Exploration expenses may be modified depending on exploration results, metal market conditions and available capital. Dividends The Company increased its instituted monthly dividend in October 2019, boosting the dividend from $0.02 per share per year, to its current $0.04 per share per year. Total dividend distributions for 2019 totaled $1.5 million. The Company has now distributed more than $113 million in dividends back to shareholders since July 2010. See Accompanying Tables The following information summarizes the results of operations for Gold Resource Corporation for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, its financial condition at December 31, 2019 and 2018 and its cash flows for the years ended December, 31 2019, 2018 and 2017. The summary data as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 is derived from our audited financial statements contained in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, but do not include the footnotes and other information that is included in the complete financial statements. Readers are urged to review the Companys Form 10-K in its entirety, which can be found on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The calculation of our cash cost per precious metal gold equivalent per ounce, total all-in sustaining cost per precious metal gold equivalent per ounce and total all-in cost per precious metal gold equivalent per ounce contained in this press release are non-GAAP financial measures. Please see "Management's Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations" contained in the Companys most recent Form 10-K for a complete discussion and reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures. GOLD RESOURCE CORPORATION CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts) December 31, December 31, 2019 2018 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 11,076 $ 7,762 Gold and silver rounds/bullion 4,265 3,637 Accounts receivable, net 8,362 1,744 Inventories, net 24,131 14,342 Prepaid taxes 786 1,126 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 2,032 2,745 Total current assets 50,652 31,356 Property, plant and mine development, net 125,259 111,242 Operating lease assets, net 7,436 - Deferred tax assets, net 4,635 7,372 Other non-current assets 5,030 361 Total assets $ 193,012 $ 150,331 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 14,456 $ 12,429 Loans payable, current 879 765 Finance lease liabilities, current 446 412 Operating lease liabilities, current 7,287 - Mining royalty taxes payable, net 1,538 1,926 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 3,366 2,030 Total current liabilities 27,972 17,562 Reclamation and remediation liabilities 5,605 3,298 Loans payable, long-term 782 1,378 Finance lease liabilities, long-term 435 831 Operating lease liabilities, long-term 160 - Total liabilities 34,954 23,069 Shareholders' equity: Common stock - $0.001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized: 65,691,527 and 58,850,431 shares outstanding at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively 66 59 Additional paid-in capital 148,171 121,602 Retained earnings 16,876 12,656 Treasury stock at cost, 336,398 shares (5,884) (5,884) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,171) (1,171) Total shareholders' equity 158,058 127,262 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 193,012 $ 150,331 GOLD RESOURCE CORPORATION CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 (U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts) 2019 2018 2017 Sales, net $ 135,366 $ 115,308 $ 110,156 Mine cost of sales: Production costs 83,340 66,672 53,436 Depreciation and amortization 22,812 14,616 14,554 Reclamation and remediation 99 330 51 Total mine cost of sales 106,251 81,618 68,041 Mine gross profit 29,115 33,690 42,115 Costs and expenses: General and administrative expenses 9,949 9,325 8,122 Exploration expenses 3,652 4,703 4,349 Other expense, net 632 3,111 1,166 Total costs and expenses 14,233 17,139 13,637 Income before income taxes 14,882 16,551 28,478 Provision for income taxes 9,050 7,263 24,328 Net income $ 5,832 $ 9,288 $ 4,150 Net income per common share: Basic and diluted $ 0.09 0.16 0.07 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 63,681,156 57,534,830 56,854,670 Diluted 64,032,990 58,369,666 57,594,993 GOLD RESOURCE CORPORATION CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 (U.S. dollars in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 5,832 $ 9,288 $ 4,150 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities: Deferred income taxes 2,940 (501) 14,991 Depreciation and amortization 23,318 15,169 14,998 Stock-based compensation 1,932 1,497 1,192 Other operating adjustments 322 2,535 1,285 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (6,618) (220) (2,254) Inventories (7,846) (2,820) (2,797) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,443 (417) (448) Other non-current assets (3,603) 130 (7) Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities 3,802 1,489 1,636 Mining royalty and income taxes payable, net (106) (3,894) 2,887 Net cash provided by operating activities 21,416 22,256 35,633 Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures (39,474) (40,076) (25,432) Other investing activities 2 6 (257) Net cash used in investing activities (39,472) (40,070) (25,689) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from the exercise of stock options 98 1,261 - Proceeds from issuance of stock 24,449 4,319 - Dividends paid (1,491) (1,149) (1,137) Repayment of loans payable (812) (596) (184) Repayment of capital leases (419) (383) (73) Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 21,825 3,452 (1,394) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (455) (266) (326) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 3,314 (14,628) 8,224 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 7,762 22,390 14,166 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 11,076 $ 7,762 $ 22,390 Supplemental Cash Flow Information Interest expense paid $ 157 $ 177 $ 65 Income and mining taxes paid $ 3,743 $ 7,068 $ 3,102 Non-cash investing activities: Change in capital expenditures in accounts payable $ (550) $ 3,302 $ 1,041 Change in estimate for asset retirement costs $ 2,172 $ 271 $ 366 Equipment purchased through loan payable $ 330 $ 526 $ 2,397 Equipment purchased under finance leases $ 56 $ 26 $ 1,686 Common stock issued for the acquisition of mineral rights $ - $ - $ 1,300 About GRC: Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and Nevada, USA. The Company targets low capital expenditure projects with potential for generating high returns on capital. The Company has returned $113 million back to its shareholders in consecutive monthly dividends since July 2010 and offers its shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. For more information, please visit GRCs website, located at www.goldresourcecorp.com and read the Companys 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors involved. Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this press release, the words plan, target, "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding Gold Resource Corporations strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to Gold Resource Corporation on the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the Companys 10-K filed with the SEC. Contacts: Corporate Development Greg Patterson 303-320-7708 www.goldresourcecorp.com Workers, Students and Unionists launch the May 1st Movement On Wednesday, 19th February an audience of over sixty people constituting workers, students, unionists, and socialists gathered in the meeting room of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) Sydney offices to launch the May 1st movement. The May 1st movement is a workers united front for winning political strikes by broad sections of the working class and community on the 1st May every year. May first is the international workers day, and is a day of remembrance, celebration, and struggle across the whole world. This movement is emerging in a context of workers, particularly from the maritime and construction industries, taking unauthorised strike action on 1st May in Sydney for the first time in decades in recent years. The May 1st movement aims to build working class power and unity to win demands around thematic titles of workers rights, social justice, and climate action. This room was addressed by a panel of speakers from the union, environment, and First Nations movements. Rita Malia, the President of the NSW CFMMEU construction division said Our members will be going on strike on May 1st, they wont be going to a picnic, referencing the demobilising practice by Unions NSW of recognising May 1st on a weekend with a procession and picnic. Dennis McNamara, a delegate of the Construction division of the CFMMEU outlined the historical difficulties of bringing the union movement to a militant position of striking on May 1st. He said, It has taken us a long time to get to this point, and we wont give it up [] this isnt a lunchtime rally, it is illegal industrial action. He outlined the threats made to construction workers by the Australian Building and Construction Commission, a union busting body of the state, where they threatened to fine workers at the 2019 May 1st strike rally, but which reneged on this threat in the face of the massive defiant turnout by construction workers. Dennis encouraged workers to organise at work and within their union to strengthen them, saying if your union leadership is weak, you must organise to make them strong and also called for a reclamation of the Eureka flag by the working-class movement. Paul McAleer, Secretary of the MUA Sydney Branch and member of the CPA outlined the aims, objectives, and purpose of the May 1st movement. He denounced in the strongest terms the anti-people and criminal capitalist system we live in, and legislation that aims to undermine the capacity of unions to serve the interests of their members. He said The Fair Work Act is an act of criminality. You cant be constrained by the law unless you accept the status quo. He outlined the various ways in which the capitalist status quo is immoral, indefensible, and unsustainable saying It is criminal to accept this. He noted the divisions within the working class and among activists, and made the case that these divisions have undermined the working class for decades and facilitated the imposition of neoliberalism saying We havent been able to build a movement that embraces all of the working class [...] The working class is the only force to deliver radical change. Radical change was declared to be needed urgently to save humanity from catastrophe, and the May 1st movement is about building the links and strength within the working class to enable political general strikes to occur that will facilitate the radical change workers here and across the world urgently need. Other speakers included the Gadigal Elder, Aunty Rhonda, who welcomed the audience to country and India from School Strike for Climate, who declared that high-school students supported the May 1st movement and 1st May strikes and also that the students had chosen 15th May as the date of the next school climate strike. Discussion occurred between the audience and panellists on how to build class unity and power and how to make the May 1st movement a success. At the conclusion of the evening a resolution endorsing the May 1st movement and calling for unity in struggle was read and endorsed by the audience. The 2020 1st May rally in Sydney will start at 11 AM at Belmore Park near Central station. All CPA members in Sydney and surrounds are called on to be part of the 1st May strikes and to participate in activities to build 1st May at work and in the community. The two new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) disease in travellers who developed symptoms days after landing in Delhi and Hyderabad have increased the chances of community transmission of the virus (called Sars-Cov-2) in India. One of the cases is that of a 45-year-old man who has been admitted to an isolation ward in Delhis Safdarjung hospital along with four other members of his family who are awaiting test results. With instances of infected people with no symptoms spreading the infection to others being reported, the health ministrys surveillance team is now visiting and calling up everyone the man travelled with or came in contact with since his return on February 26. In most people, the virus causes symptoms such as fever, fatigue, dry cough, muscle pain and difficulty breathing. A few get headaches, dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Those without symptoms will be quarantined at home and asked to call if they develop symptoms, while those with symptoms will be isolated and tested, according to the health ministry. But it is near impossible to track all the strangers the man may have come in contact with over the past week. Also Watch | Coronavirus: 2 more found infected in India; had travelled to Italy, Dubai Till Monday night, 3,245 samples have been tested at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) labs, of which five tested positive (including the three cases that did in Kerala). Another 23 samples where the disease is suspected are being tested, with 15 labs under ICMR equipped to test for Covid-19. India can make another 19 labs functional within 2-3 days, and even take the number to 50 labs, according to Union health Minister Harsh Vardhan. SCREENING NOT ENOUGH With some infected people having no symptom, others developing symptoms several days after being infected, and some others using medicines to lower fever to avoid a 14-18 days quarantine, the World Health Organizations updated travel advisory on Sunday said temperature screening alone at ports of exit or entry is not an effective way to stop the international spread of the virus. ...It is more effective to give prevention tips to travellers and to collect health declarations at arrival, including the travellers contact details, for risk assessment and possible contact tracing if someone falls ill, said Dr Dileep Mavalankar, director, Indian Institute of Public Health. India must work in an emergency mode to stop infection by training hospital staff on quarantine protocols, ensuring adequate stock of protective gear and supporting drugs, scaling up testing, and be equipped to set up isolation wards, especially in underserved states, say experts. The virus spreading more easily than other coronaviruses... India must stay vigilant..., said Professor G Arunkumar, director of the Manipal Institute of Virology, Manipal, Karnataka. YOUNG AND OLD The international team of experts on the ground and a new paper from China with detailed data on more than 44,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 indicates that 80% of patients have mild disease and recover. Around 14% people have severe disease. The virus has killed between 2-3% of reported cases, mostly older patients. None of the three patients from Kerala received antiretroviral drugs. They got better on their own, said Preeti Sudan, Union health secretary. Indias regulator, Drug Controller General of India, has approved the use of antiviral drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir, to treat coronavirus. Both drugs are in adequate stock, said Sudan. Apart from isolation wards for diagnosed and suspected cases set up in government hospitals in all major cities, the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police are equipped to create mass make-shift quarantine facilities in case of an outbreak. The challenge will be treating those who need hospitalisation and ICU support, given the huge shortage of health workers. The average Government allopathic doctor to population ratio is 1: 10,926, according to the National Health Profile 2019, with there being just 20,48,979 Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives in 2017 to treat 1.35 billion people. There are not enough ICU beds in India, which is needed for about 5% of Covid-19 cases..., said Dr Arunkumar. WAY AHEAD The WHO recommends testing of all clusters of pneumonia cases in hospitals with unusual or unexpected clinical course. But this may not work in underserved states may not have the baseline data for pneumonia cases. Once community transmission begins and people with no known contact to an infected person test positive, the case definition of a suspected case must be changed to test all pneumonia cases for Covid-19..., said Dr Arunkumar. A preventive vaccine is unlikely to be ready before 18 months. Till then, old-fashioned containment measures ...are the only shield against the infection, said Dr Mavalankar. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Congress on Monday accused the government of not allowing a debate in Parliament on the issue of communal violence in Delhi, while also alleging that one of its Dalit MPs was assaulted by a BJP lawmaker. The opposition party said it will continue to protest in Parliament over the communal violence in Delhi as it is its duty to uncover the "conspiracy" behind the riots. BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha on Monday as opposition parties vehemently protested over the issue of violence in Delhi and demanded resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. Speaking to reporters after Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day, Congress' leader in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the party demanded that the violence in Delhi should be discussed in the Lok Sabha as it was a very important issue and the world was talking about it. The party demanded that there should be a debate on the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah participating as all Indians want it to happen, Chowdhury said. "The government should put forward its views on it. We were trying to make this request, but the government did not allow us to do so and kept making one excuse after another," he said. "What is surprising is that when Delhi was burning, the ruling party thought that 'Vivaad Se Vishwas' Bill should be brought. Without asking us, the bill started being discussed," the Congress leader alleged. Chowdhury said "democracy was torn to shreds" as the Opposition party was not allowed to air its views. "The sad part is that a Dalit MP of our party from Kerala was assaulted by ruling party MP. She also started crying and said 'if this happens inside the House to Dalits what will happen outside'," he said. "Our protest will continue. It is our duty to uncover who makes hate speeches, who indulge in killings and what is the conspiracy behind the violence," Chowdhury said. Congress MP Ramya Haridas on Monday lodged a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that she was assaulted by BJP MP Jaskaur Meena inside the Lower House of Parliament and sought immediate action over the matter. Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that for three days riots continued unabated, but Union ministers did not make any statement and did not visit the riot-affected areas. "Because of that police also did not act," he said. "The central government wanted that those who are dying, let them die and those who are being burnt alive, let it happen. Hate speeches were given by leaders of the ruling party which meant that the central government was behind the riots," he alleged. All business in Parliament should be adjourned to discuss the issue of Delhi violence, Azad said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, March 2 : The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a PIL by former Bombay High Court judge Michael Saldanha, seeking directions for donation of organs by four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, saying "death is the saddest part and the organ donation has to be voluntary." A bench headed by Justice R. Banumathi rejecting the petition asked the petitioner to "have human approach". Saldana in the petition contended that the apex court may pass directions to the Tihar jail authorities, where four death row convicts are currently lodged, to give them an option to offer their bodies for medical research and also donate their organs, which could help in saving lives of critically ill people. The top court said, "The execution of a person is the saddest part for the family. You (petitioner) want their body to cut into pieces... have some human approach....organ donation has to be voluntary". The petitioner also urged the apex court to consider the desirability of making it as a condition in cases where convicts are on death row. All four death row convicts have exhausted all the legal remedies available for death row convicts. Earlier today, the top court rejected a curative petition by Pawan Gupta, one of the four convicts, a day before the four convicts are scheduled to be executed. Gupta, 25, was the lone convict in the case who had not exhausted his legal options of a curative petition. Gupta has also filed a mercy plea before the President. Akshay Singh has not yet challenged the rejection of his mercy petition. A death warrant was issued against Kumar along with three other condemned prisoners for the execution of death sentence on March 3. Advocate A.P. Singh, representing Kumar, said he was a juvenile during the time of the commission of the offence, and the death penalty should not awarded to him. Singh also sought a stay on the execution of the black warrant on the hanging issued by the trial court. He is the only convict who is yet to exhaust all legal remedies -- the curative petition, which is the final legal remedy available, and the filing the mercy petition before the President. Speaking to media persons, Singh had said there have been many errors in the previous judgements and he expected through this curative petition those errors are amended. "Our main contention is that at the time of the commission of the offence, Pawan was attending a musical programme", said Singh. The top court had earlier dismissed separate pleas filed by Mukesh and Vinay challenging the decision of the President to reject their mercy petitions. Akshay is yet to challenge the rejection of his mercy petition. A fresh date of execution of death warrant was issued by the trial court on February 17. The trial court fixed the execution on March 3 at 6 am for the four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Singh (31) -- in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. The President has rejected the mercy petitions of three convicts -- Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay. 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 mother of a one-year-old girl who has a port wine stain on her face has shared sweet images of her daughter putting glittery makeup on the birthmark to 'make it shine'. Beauty therapist Marianna Bowering, 27, shared the wholesome photos in a Facebook group, showcasing her little girl Angelica's unique charm. 'This is a bit of a different post but my daughter loves playing with makeup... so today we got out my Morphe "Such a Gem" palette and their Brow Highlight Stick and glittered her birthmark,' the Adelaide-based mother said. 'She absolutely loved looking at it.' Beauty therapist Marianna Bowering, 27, shared the wholesome photos in a Facebook group, showcasing her little girl Angelica's unique charm 'This is a bit of a different post but my daughter loves playing with makeup... so today we got out my Morphe "Such a Gem" palette (left) and their Brow Highlight Stick (right) and glittered her birthmark,' the Adelaide-based mother said. What is a port wine stain birthmark? * Port wine stains, also known as capillary malformations, are permanent red or blue-coloured birthmarks that are present from birth. * They occur most often on the face but can appear anywhere on the body, particularly on the neck, upper trunk, arms and legs. * They can cause health problems later in life so children need to be monitored from birth. Advertisement Thousands of makeup enthusiasts 'liked' the post and others, who also have birthmarks, spoke about how embracing the facial feature was the best thing they'd ever done. 'I have a dark brown birthmark on the side of my face. I fell in love with it after years of bullying when I spoke to a holocaust survivor that came to talk to us at school,' said one woman. 'She told us a story of a woman who lost her little girl during the war who also had a birthmark on her face. She walked past her daughter many years later and saw the birthmark on her face and knew it was her. They were reunited because of it. Thousands of makeup enthusiasts 'liked' the post and others, who also have birthmarks, spoke about how embracing the facial feature was the best thing they'd ever done Marianna (left) and her partner Corey (right) encourage their daughter Angelica to be proud of her birthmark 'I hope she grows up knowing how truly beautiful and unique she is.' 'What a beautiful way to teach her self love at a young age. Way to go mumma,' said another. A third added: 'Mine runs the length of my right arm and I feel like I can appreciate this post a little deeper than most'. Marianna is a long-time advocate of promoting acceptance for her child's birthmark after receiving a number of cruel comments about it Marianna is a long-time advocate of promoting acceptance for her child's birthmark after receiving a number of cruel comments about it. Some people suggested that Angelica had her face 'pushed into a skillet' and would find it extremely difficult to 'find a boyfriend' when she was older. But Marianna is confident that her 'strong' girl will have nothing but confidence as she grows older and the understanding of the general public will increase. Women wear face masks near an information banner on the new coronavirus at a train station in Jakarta, March 2, 2020. A woman and her mother in Indonesia have tested positive for the new coronavirus, making them the countrys first confirmed cases of the disease, President Joko Jokowi" Widodo announced Monday at a news conference with the nations top health official. The 31-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, after contact with a Japanese citizen in Jakarta in mid-February, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said. She was believed to have then transmitted the disease to her mother. "This morning I received information from the health minister that a mother and her daughter have tested positive for the coronavirus," Jokowi told reporters. Before Monday, officials in the most populous nation in Southeast Asia had insisted that it had no cases of the coronavirus, although its immediate neighbors had detected multiple cases, and other countries had reported infections from people who had recently traveled to Indonesia. The patients from Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta were being treated in isolation at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in the capital and were in stable condition, Terawan said. The daughter was believed to have contracted the disease after meeting a Japanese woman at a night spot in Jakarta, he said. The minister said the Japanese woman had tested positive for the virus in Malaysia on Feb. 28 and relayed the news to the Indonesian woman. The woman and her mother sought care at a hospital in Depok on Feb. 26, more than a week after they began showing symptoms of the virus, Terawan said. The Health Ministry is monitoring 48 people in Depok who are suspected of having come into contact with the two patients, said its directorate general for disease prevention and control, Anung Sugihantono, adding that they all appeared to be in good health. Anung told reporters that laboratory tests were required for people who had close contact with the woman and her mother. Terawan said his ministry had ordered dozens of workers at the first hospital where the women were treated to isolate themselves at home after making contact with the two patients. "Contact must be traced from the moment they left the house, anyone they spoke to," he said. The Ministry of Health has prepared 100 hospitals across 32 of the countrys 34 provinces to care for patients with the coronavirus. International standard Jokowi said Indonesia was ready to deal with an outbreak of the coronavirus, saying that the countrys health care was up to international standards, despite concerns expressed by some that the country might be ill-prepared. "We also have the budget. If we are not serious about tackling this, its going to be very dangerous because this is a disease we need to watch out for," said Jokowi. Indonesians on social media have criticized the government for what they perceived as official preoccupation with the economic consequences of the virus instead of informing the public about how to deal with an outbreak. A member of the Indonesian Public Health Expert Association (IAKMI), Hermawan Saputra, said it was likely that some cases of the coronavirus in the country had not been detected. "Its possible that some people were infected and died. But, because they did not receive treatment and their families refused autopsies, they were not recorded," Hermawan said. Indonesia is considered vulnerable due to its 10 international airports and direct flights to Wuhan, the capital of Chinas Hubei Province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. Singapores Ministry of Health announced Sunday that two citizens and a Myanmar national living in the city-state had tested positive for the coronavirus after visiting Batam, an Indonesian island nearby, from Feb. 21-23. Authorities in Batam were monitoring 15 residents known to have come into contact with the Singaporeans. The global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 3,000 on Monday, with the number of people infected reaching more than 89,000. The vast majority of cases and deaths are in China, but the number of cases and fatalities connected to COVID-19 outside China have surged in three countries Iran, Italy, and South Korea. In the last 24 hours there were almost 9 times more cases reported outside China than inside China, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters at a media briefing in Geneva. On Sunday, Thailand reported its first death from the virus, a 35-year-old man who worked as a subcontractor for Thai duty-free giant King Power. Meanwhile, 69 Indonesian crew members from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in the Japanese city of Yokohama arrived home Sunday and started a 28-day quarantine period on an uninhabited island off Jakarta Bay, Human Development Minister Muhadjir Effendy told reporters over the weekend. Eight other Indonesian workers on the ship were being treated in Japan after testing positive for the virus, he said. The arrival of the 69 followed the return of 188 Indonesian crew members from the Hong Kong-based World Dream cruise ship on Friday. The World Dream crew would be quarantined for 14 days in a separate block on the same island, officials said. Two fresh coronavirus cases reported from Delhi, Telangana Two confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported today from India. One of the patients is from New Delhi while the other one is from Telangana, the ministry of health and family welfare said. It said that both the patients are stable and are being closely monitored. The person from Delhi has a travel history from Italy and is now being treated at RML Hospital while the one from Telangana has a travel history from Dubai. The union health ministry today said two more positive cases were reported in India, one in Delhi and another in Telengana. One positive case of COVID-19 has been detected in New Delhi, and one has been detected in Telangana. The person from Delhi has a travel history from Italy, while the one from Telangana has a travel history from Dubai, the ministry stated in a release, adding that further details of the patients travels are being ascertained. The ministry further said both the patients are stable and being closely monitored. This is not the first positive case of the disease in India. Earlier, COVID-19 was confirmed among 3 students from Kerala but later on all of them were discharged from hospital after treatment. Coronavirus has infected almost 90,000 people globally and caused more than 3,000 deaths, including 2,912 in China so far. The rapid spread of the coronavirus has increased fears of a pandemic, with the World Health Organization (WHO) raising its global spread and impact risk alert to "very high" on Friday. In Italy, the number of deaths from the illness rose to 29 and the accumulated total of cases reached 1,128, authorities said. Schools and universities will stay closed for a second consecutive week in three northern Italian regions. China, where the epidemic began in December, reported only 202 new cases over the previous 24 hours with another 42 deaths. That brings the country's total number of reported cases to 80,026 with 2,912 deaths in all. The city of Wuhan accounted for most of the new cases, but also saw 2,570 patients released. Monday's increase was China's lowest since 21 January. China still has about three-fourths of the nearly 89,000 cases worldwide, but outbreaks were surging in other countries, with South Korea, Italy and Iran seeing sharp increases. South Korea confirmed 813 more coronavirus cases on 29 February, the biggest increase to date for the country and taking the national total to 3,150 infections with four additional deaths. Authorities also reported the country's first case of relapse - a 73-year-old woman who tested positive for a second time after her recovery and release from hospital last week. The United States counted 80 cases as of Sunday and two deaths, both men with existing health problems who had been hospitalised in Washington state. The US total includes evacuees from a virus-stricken cruise ship and from Wuhan, but new cases among California health workers, in New York, Rhode Island and Washington raised concerns on both US coasts. Getty NORFOLK, VirginiaTo different people, President Donald Trump is a lot of different things. But to Alta Moorehead, a 74-year-old resident from Norfolk, hes primarily just two. The man is a villain! said Moorehead, who showed up to see former Vice President Joe Biden, riding the first true wave of electoral momentum hes ever received, the night after his landslide victory in South Carolina. Then she offered her second description of the president. Hes the devil. I think women should be able to make a lot of their own decisions, she added about ousting him from the White House and her role in helping to do that. You know what Im talking about. At his rally in Norfolk, just a few miles outside of Virginia Beach, a vast area thats both suburban and swingy in nature, Biden was speaking to a lively audience bordering one of the most conservative parts of the greater Hampton Roads region. But women here share a similarity with those in solidly bluer swaths of suburbs: a firm acknowledgement of their influential rule in attempting to wrest political power away from Trump. Where they differ is in their ideas of how to do that. Im just a one-issue voter, said Jody McGarry, a self-described moderate from Arlington, Virginia, of removing Trump from office. Im right in that demographica sweet spot of voters who could help achieve that goal in 2020she recognized. But just days before her home state, which awards the fourth largest delegate haul on Super Tuesday, was set to vote, McGarry remained torn among Democrats. She isnt alone. The overwhelming sense that the president must be defeatedblue no matter whoone woman said, repeating a favorite catchphrase among Democrats was echoed in interviews with some two dozen female voters across two critical Super Tuesday states. ABT another woman put it: Anyone But Trump. For much of the primary, Biden remained a shaky national frontrunner who had consistent fumbles on the stump and was routinely mocked by Trump and his Republian allies. After severely underperforming in Iowa and New Hampshire, his electability case was even more sorely bruised, with voters from both early statessometimes even at his own campaign eventsroutinely asking if he was up to the task of running against the president. Story continues But by the weekend, Biden had officially swung in the opposite direction: having won South Carolinas primary by double digits, he revived talk among voters that hed be the best Democrat to nominate. In Virginia on Sunday night, Biden declared himself very much alive on stage. And he was. Showing up well over an hour late for his own event, the crowd seemed visibly unfazed, happy even, to wait for the newly energized candidate. The prior day, Biden picked up two top endorsements, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who spoke before him at Booker T. Washington High School. You came here to hear Joe, Kaine said after delivering a lengthy speech, before introducing... not Biden. Seconds later, McAuliffe appeared on stage. ARE WE FIRED UP FOR JOE BIDEN? the former governor screamed into the microphone. You look at whats happened to the Democrats in power here over the last several years, McAuliffe said before listing off several state-specific party accomplishments from recent elections. Bidens ultimate success may very well depend on turning out the demographic of voters in the primary that Democrats are looking to lean on in the general. Thats evident in Virginia, where immediately following the 2018 midterms, reporters pointed to an increased number of Hispanics and a growing college-educated white population in shifting the traditional swing state away from Republicans. Biden is hoping those shifts will lift him too. And on Sunday, he got another boost along those lines when Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) threw her weight behind his candidacy. Wexton represents the states 10th District, which, prior to her more than 12-point victory in 2018, had been held by Republicans for 38 years. But Biden hardly has the field to himself. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), fresh off of victories in New Hampshire and Nevada, is poised to take home several prizes on Super Tuesday. And as of now, Sanders and Biden are in close contention for pledged delegates, with 58 and 50, respectively. No other candidate is within close distance. That narrowing of the field is factoring into womens calculus for choosing candidates ahead of Tuesday. Unfortunately this year my biggest concern is beating Trump, Theresa Newbill, who showed up in Virginia Beach to hear Sanders speak on Saturday night, where he held a sizable rally the night before Biden held a smaller-scale event. I wish my biggest concern was health care, or education, or any of the planks of the Democratic Party, she said. Newbill remains undecided. While both Biden and Sanders represent ideologically opposite sides of the Democratic Party spectrum, several women who live in suburban areas conceded that they liked aspects of what each have to offer, and could vote for either one against Trump. But their perceived negatives (a self-averred democratic socialist in the case of Sanders, and broad doubt about whether he is up to the challenge in the case of Biden) led some to ponder a third option: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Ive looked at all candidates [and] I came down to two: Biden and him, Dewita Soeharjono, a Democratic activist said about Bloomberg. I cant have two boyfriends, she joked, before listing several of the most important issues to her community: climate change, health care, and gun control, top issues that helped Democrats win the House majority in 2018. Others pointed to a broad feeling that the countrys governing norms have descended into a state of chaos under Trump. Im very, very concerned about the situation in our democracy, said Cindy Hoffmann, a health care executive from Leesburg, suburb of Washington, D.C. with about 50,000 residents. I believe its becoming unraveled. I want to stand up and hold it together. Lois Silberberg, a 76-year-old resident of Falls Church, agreed. I cant think of a more dangerous time for our society. Another term of Trump will take two generations or three to undo, she said. That gnawing feeling led both women to a Bloomberg event targeted specifically to women in the wealthy suburban area of McClean, Virginia just three days before the primary. Bloomberg has invested heavily in Super Tuesday, where he will make his much-anticipated electoral debut. Having only recently made two appearances on the national debate stage, which largely fell flat, the bulk of the billionaires strategy has hinged on a strong showing in the 14 states set to vote. And if the approximately $500 million he has spent on advertising didnt make that case, it was crystalized by his heavy travel schedule. The same day as Bloombergs McLean event, a few hundred miles away, a healthy crowd gathered at a rally for him in Wilmington, North Carolina, a fast-growing city on the coast. Residents described the city itself as solidly Democratic but surrounded by GOP-dominated rural areas inland. In between are sprawling, tree-filled neighborhoods like the one Bloomberg was rallying in. North Carolina, which has long been dominated by conservatives, is slated to be a top-tier battleground state this yearlargely on the strength of growing suburbs and newcomers from elsewhere. Many of the dozen or so women who spoke to The Daily Beast here had recently moved to the state. Like in pockets of Virginia, nearly all had the same goal: defeating Trump in the fall. Most said they came to see the billionaire Democrat because they felt he could be best positioned to make that happen. But that doesnt mean they believe hes the only one who can. Much has been made of the possibility that Sanders in particular turns off the suburban voters who powered House Democrats to victory just two years ago. In Wilmington, only one said they wouldnt be able to pull the lever for Sanders. I think Ill write in Bloomberg, said Valerie Maitrie, a 63-year-old local resident. Bernie has no credibility. Ashley Cooksley, a 45-year-old voter from the same area, said she likes the Vermont senator but worries about his prospects for winning. I dont think Bernie could win North Carolina, but Bloomberg could. 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. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Social media is being flooded with misinformation about coronavirus, and the World Health Organization joined TikTok on Friday in an effort to stop some of it. Since the outbreak began, people have shared false information through coronavirus-related memes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Some of the online posts claim that vitamin C can "stop" the illness. Another says garlic will help. Each of which has been debunked. The U.S. has started human testing of a drug to treat the virus, but so far there isn't a cure, according to the Centers for Disease Control. "We are joining @tiktok to provide you with reliable and timely public health advice! Our first post: How to protect yourself from #coronavirus," the public safety organization wrote in its first post on the platform. In the video, Benedetta Allegranzi, the organization's technical lead of infection prevention and control, explained how people can slow down the spread of coronavirus. She also directs viewers to the organization's website for more resources and information. Allegranzi tells viewers to wash their hands, cough and sneeze into their elbows and avoid close contact with sick people. WHO previously announced social media efforts to combat what it calls an "infodemic" or "an over-abundance of information ... that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it." The organization uploaded a second video over the weekend explaining how to properly wear a respiratory mask. The agency doesn't advise most people to go out and buy them. "If you don't have respiratory symptoms, such as fever, cough, or runny nose, you don't need to wear a medical mask," WHO notes in the video. It's been widely reported that medical masks are in short supply as coronavirus spreads across the globe. Coronavirus has killed nearly 3,000 people across the world, mostly in China. There has been just one reported death in the United States, which had less than 80 confirmed cases as of Sunday night, but experts predict a "boom" is on the way. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: (c)2020 U.S. Today Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Analysts around the world slashed their 2020 economic forecasts as the coronavirus continued to spread beyond China and weak Asian data offered an early hint at the infections cost to business. One major multinational group warned global growth could be cut in half if the infection spreads widely. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said that if the outbreak sweeps through the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and North America, global growth could fall to just 1.5 per cent in 2020, far less than the three per cent it projected before the virus surfaced. This scenario would put Japan and Europe in recession, and the U.S. close to zero, Laurence Boone, the organizations chief economist, told reporters during a conference call Monday. She added, This is not a worst-case scenario. The effect could be even more dire if the outbreak spreads beyond Asia, Europe and the United States and into the southern hemisphere, she said. Even if the outbreak is mild and mostly contained outside China the OECDs expected scenario global growth could be lowered about half a percentage point relative to previous forecasts, according to an update that the group released Monday ominously titled, Coronavirus: The World Economy at Risk. The spread of the coronavirus has sent markets reeling as investors anticipate painful economic fallout. Economists across Wall Street revised their 2020 outlooks sharply downward. Goldman Sachs economists expect global growth to slump to around two per cent for the full year, down from their previous three per cent forecast, but said in a note Friday that there are risks of a worldwide recession if the virus becomes a more severe global pandemic. They also expect the virus to drive the U.S. economy to zero growth in the second quarter before shaving about one percentage point from growth for the year as a whole, using a measure that looks at the fourth quarter versus the prior year. Its economists said in a note Sunday that while the U.S. economy avoids recession in our baseline forecast, the downside risks have clearly grown. Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a note Monday that in a good scenario, global growth will fall to 2.5 per cent this year the weakest pace since 2009. In a bad scenario, it could shrink by 0.5 per cent, a contraction on scale with the financial crisis. Analysts from the OECD, a forum of 36 countries meant to foster co-operation and trade, stopped short of forecasting an all-out global downturn. But they stressed that there was potential for the economic effect to become much worse and said that governments should already be pouring resources into health care and taking measures to support businesses hit by slumping sales. Regardless of how the virus spreads in coming days and months, we call on governments to take action now, Boone said. The economic risks posed by the coronavirus are unpredictable. It is unclear how far and fast infections will spread, making it hard to estimate the economic fallout from such actions as widespread quarantines and supply chain disruptions. Outbreaks in China, Japan, Iran, Italy and South Korea have already closed many factories and slowed or halted tourism. Even in the United States, which has had few cases, major companies like Twitter and Amazon have told their employees to avoid nonessential travel. Chinese data already suggest unexpectedly large economic costs. Two gauges of manufacturing activity slumped in February, with the Caixin manufacturing index falling to the lowest level in its history in data released Monday. Real-time trackers of Chinese activity, from coal consumption to property sales, remain severely depressed. Central banks have signalled that they stand ready to act as the damage mounts, and investors have begun looking to the Federal Reserve and its global counterparts for relief. The Fed chair, Jerome H. Powell, released a statement Friday pledging that the central bank would act as appropriate to protect growth. The Bank of Japan and Bank of England issued statements of their own Monday, signalling preparedness. The Fed-led pivot reflects the global spread of the virus and its economic disruptions, sharp equity market weakness and an emerging realization that corporate cash flow problems could create strains in credit markets, Krishna Guha and Ernie Tedeschi at Evercore ISI wrote in a note following the announcements. Boone said that she welcomed expressions of resolve by central banks but that the onus was also on governments. For example, political leaders could provide incentives for companies to shorten work hours rather than lay people off, or delay tax payments for small businesses suffering from plunging sales. Boone said it would be a very positive signal if the United States and China were to drop the tariffs they had imposed as part of a trade war. This is not a shock that central banks alone can address, Boone said. It really, really needs to be accompanied by fiscal measures. The French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said Monday that the government would unlock whatever it takes to help French companies. We will show complete solidarity vis-a-vis all contractors that today are on the front line, he said. Even under the OECDs main scenario, in which the virus is quickly contained, its economists anticipate that Chinas central bank and many of its global counterparts would lower interest rates a quarter percentage point or more. That said, the report went on, There is limited need for further reductions in policy interest rates in the United States unless the risks of a sharper growth slowdown rise. Should the virus spread more widely, countries that have room to cut rates are likely to lower them by one percentage point on average in 2020, according to the report. But central banks in South Korea, the United Kingdom and Australia all have limited room to lower borrowing costs, which are already low and would hit zero in the reports scenario. The increasing constraints on monetary policy suggest that a swift and sizable discretionary fiscal response would be needed in event of a scenario of this type occurring, the OECD said. This reinforces the need for stronger global policy co-operation. The sharp drop in stock markets last week adds to the persisting financial vulnerabilities from the tensions between slower growth, high corporate debt and deteriorating credit quality, including in China, the report said. These developments raise the risk of significant corporate stress if risk aversion intensifies from already high levels. Boone said she was concerned that the outbreak could undermine businesses confidence and prompt companies to cut back on hiring and investment at a time when global growth was already weak. All in all, the global economic situation before the virus hit was not that robust, she said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 Trend: Azerbaijans Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a decision to allocate 10 million manat to the Reserve Fund from Azerbaijans 2020 state budget to purchase medicines and medical supplies, Trend reports. The decision was signed by the countrys Prime Minister Ali Asadov. In accordance with the first part of this order, the Ministry of Finance has been instructed to ensure the proper distribution of allocated funds. The decision shall enter into force upon signature. Whenever we speak about evangelicals and politics, a historic image that often comes to mind is the culture wars emanating from the Moral Majority of the 1980san association of influential conservative fundamentalists and evangelicals who played an indispensable role in politically mobilizing the American evangelical community. At the time, I was a teenager, and many of Christianity Todays current readers were not even born. Many see the Moral Majority as the political awakening of evangelicals, but it was not the beginning of evangelicals political involvement. Rather, it was the latest iteration in a two-millennia-old relationship with the public square. We have always been guided by Scripture to engage with the political culturewhether in rendering unto Caesar what is Caesars (Mark 12:17) or by the examples of the Apostle Paul using his Roman citizenship to escape Jerusalem or Esther entering a complex relationship with the Persian king. Both the Old and New Testaments are intensely political and deal with the gray areas of life. The moral pronouncements of Scripture are generally clear for ones personal life, but when that moral life intersects with broken, worldly systems, there are hard ethical choices to be made. Two moral catalysts hang heavy over the era that began with the Moral Majority. The first was a revisionist view of our First Amendment-guaranteed freedom of religion, which resulted in the removal of prayer from public schools. The second was the Supreme Court decision in 1973, Roe v. Wade, that legalized abortion in all its forms and at all times. The first threatened the dismantling of our First Amendment and the second threatened the dismantling of our constitutional right to life. Evangelicals are accused of only supporting politicians who supersede constitutional limits and legislate belief, or of refusing to support politicians who do not align with their values even if they support other policies they find valuable. Our best political engagement avoids fixating on political personalities and stays focused on policies with a sometimes shifting group of alliances to advance them. Within political philosophy, this concept has been labeled co-belligerency,and its popularity was inspired by the late theologian Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer defined a co-belligerent as a person who may not have any sufficient basis for taking the right position but takes the right position on a single issue. And I can join with him without any danger as long as I realize that he is not an ally and all were talking about is a single issue. Co-belligerency means you are not morally compromising if you work together on an area of mutual agreement with someone with whom you have grave disagreements in other areas of policy or in their personal lives. Co-belligerency was the biblical practice of people such as Joseph, Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah, and Paul. With co-belligerency, moral issues take preeminence. Was the Apostle Paul complicit with the evil of Romes vicious occupying forces when he appealed to Roman justice in Acts 16? Or was Jesus complicit with the sin of tax collectors (government agents) when he chose to spend time in their presence over joining the religious scholars in the ritual study of Scripture? Nehemiah would have been accused of being a court evangelical for standing at the right hand of the king, but instead he followed longstanding Jewish teachings on the reverence afforded to all imperial leaders. Nehemiah became the kings cupbearer, making him privy to confidential and private information that likely involved execution of innocent people, war crimes, and other sinful activities. Yet it was Gods plan for Nehemiah to live in the uneasy gap between heaven and earth where politicians try their hand at ruling Gods world. Evangelicals make a mistake when they view the public square through a fundamentalist theological lens, whether that fundamentalism be conservative or liberal. Fundamentalists refuse to accept the inevitable tension that arises whenever faith meets the public square. Over the past two decades, I have worked with the administrations of presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump to advocate for the reform of our immigration and criminal justice systems. Had I been unwilling to work with those different than meincluding those with different values than I have as a theologically conservative, Hispanic evangelicalI would have never succeeded in my work to make comprehensive immigration reform a central tenet of both political parties in the United States. More than onceand on the same afternoonI have received phone calls from the West Wing and the Speaker of the House when the two sides were at an impasse. Why? Because I was willing to engage with everyone. My faith requires it. What if the righteous religious leaders of the civil rights era had refused to engage with John F. Kennedy or Lyndon B. Johnson, presidents whose moral compromise was not only well known but took place within the walls of the White House? We evangelicals must never be subservient to the donkey or the elephant. We must embrace Billy Grahams message of righteousness and Martin Luther King Jr.s mission of justice. Ours is a vertical and horizontal faith, which stands for whats true and stands in the gap for whats right. We must also be wise as serpents, recognizing when were being hoodwinked by partisans into their charades. But as gentle doves, we must also accept that compromise can be ethical in pursuit of a righteous cause. This means taking a seat at the table, if you have it, and never leaving your mantel at the door. In 2017, over dinner at the White House on the eve of the National Day of Prayer, Bishop Harry Jackson, the Rev. Johnnie Moore, and I began a consequential and passionate discussion with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump about the shortcomings of our criminal justice system. That conversation eventually led to Trump signing the most comprehensive criminal justicereform legislation in 30 years. I have similarly sat in meetings on other issues leading to expansive pro-life policies unprecedented in our nation, the most robust commitment to religious freedom we have ever seen in a presidential administration, and the virtual remaking of our federal judiciary in alignment with our founding, constitutional principles. I have seen the economic effect of record-low unemployment numbers in our Hispanic and African American communities, and I have watched as immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, and Central American nations ravaged by cartels and traffickers have rejoiced over actions taken by our government. Have there been policies I havent liked? Of course. Yet when I have expressed my dissatisfaction either publicly, or privately, I have never found a lack of opportunity to continue engaging. We must remember that the vast majority of our brothers and sisters around the world do not have the privilege of living in countries where they can elect anyone close to aligning with their values. Six in 10 evangelicals live in the global south, many in countries where they are minorities with absolutely no choice but to work with others who hold completely different beliefs and moral convictions. When election season comes around, they are not thinking about whether a candidate is a real Christian or not; they are asking themselves who will afford them the opportunity to live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Tim. 2:2). As for me, I will engage with whomever is in power for the good of our community. As evangelicals, we must never be married to the agenda of the donkey or the elephant. We must be married exclusively to the agenda of the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Samuel Rodriguez is the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and chairman of The Congress of Christian Leaders. A 19-year-old construction worker was arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Monday on charges of impregnating a teenage girl student on the pretext of marrying her. According to police, the worker and the 15-year-old girl were staying at Koundanpalayam in the city and in a relationship. However, when he refused to marry her, the girl narrated the incident to her mother. Based on the complaint, police arrested the worker. He has been remanded to judicial custody. In another case, three youths hailing from Uttar Pradesh, all construction workers, were arrested when they allegedly tried to sexually abuse a 12-year old girl at Podanur here, police said. The trio noticed that the girl was alone at home and tried to molest her on Sunday evening. Hearing her screams, the neighbours rescued the girl and handed the three youths to police after thrashing them. They have been remanded to judicial custody. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joe Biden was always expected to do well in the South Carolina Democratic primary, but the sheer scale of his victory there by more than two to one over his nearest rival, Bernie Sanders is important. It means that as we approach Super Tuesday, where 14 states will vote, a clearer idea of the shape of the presidential election in November is forming. First, South Carolina shows that it is far too early to write off Mr Biden, a doughty and determined campaigner, if a sometimes forgetful speaker. Mr Biden makes a claim, as a former vice president to Barack Obama, that he enjoys especially strong support among black voters, something that would pay a dividend as soon as the southern states start to come into play. The impressive result in South Carolina would seem to verify that, but also that Mr Biden could build the kind of broad coalition needed to wrest the presidency from Donald Trump, in what will be an unusually brutal contest later this year. The second lesson is that the Democrat race seems to be narrowing sharply down to Mr Biden and Mr Sanders, given Mr Sanders previous relatively strong showing in Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire. Thus far, Mr Sanders leads on delegates selected for the summer Democratic convention to choose a candidate; Mr Biden is ahead on the popular vote behind those delegate selections. Both are narrow leads, but they are pushing out the others. Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund manager, has pulled out of the Democratic race, as well as Pete Buttigieg. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, previously prominent, look to be running out of road. The rest of the Democratic hopefuls have secured their places in the footnotes of history, or else laid a marker down for the future. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Disgruntled ex-guard opens fire, takes dozens of hostages in Philippines mall Philippine police on Monday surrounded a shopping mall in an upscale section of Manila after a recently dismissed security guard opened fire and took dozens of people hostage, an official said. Read more Nitish Kumar plays his cards deftly, lays down contours of Bihar politics The workers meet of the JD-U at Gandhi Maidan in Patna in the midst of the ongoing Budget session of the Bihar legislature is set to hot up politics in the state, for it has clearly laid down the contours of alliance. Read more Five bikers killed as mini truck overturns on them Mumbai-Pune highway Five motorcylists were killed after a speeding mini truck overturned and crushed them in Khandala Ghat on old Mumbai-Pune highway late Sunday night, police said. Read more 3 held for raising goli maro slogan during Home Minister Amit Shahs rally in Kolkata Three people were detained this morning for raising incendiary shoot the traitors slogan during home minister Amit Shahs rally in Kolkata on Sunday. Read more India vs New Zealand: Batsmen didnt do enough for the bowlers - Virat Kohli reacts after series loss India had 4 wickets in the bag when day 3 started, they were leading by 97 runs and there was still hope that the lower order would drag the lead to close to 200. Read more Apple iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 8 prices in India increased Apple has increased prices of its iPhones in India following the revised import duties on smartphones as per Union Budget 2020. Read more Neha Dhupia: Mehr is the love of my life, and the life of my love She is a busy professional but apart from her work, what keeps Neha Dhupia occupied is her and husband Angad Bedis one-and-half-year old bundle of joy, Mehr. Read more There's always something interesting happening around the world. Preparations for the competitive exams require regular revision of GK questions and knowledge of current affairs. The following daily quiz questions will help the candidates appearing for competitive exams like UPSC, MPSC, Railways and other government jobs. Also Read: GK Questions February 28, 2020: National And International Affairs Here are the questions: 1. Mukesh Ambani has been ranked at the _____ spot in the Hurun Global Rich List? 3rd 5th 7th 9th 2. Which of the following country has decided not to sign the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) with the US Government? Sri Lanka China UAE India 3. In February 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the _____ reform agenda to provide smart, tech-enabled public sector banking for aspiring India? Fast 2.0 Shakti 2.0 New 2.0 Ease 3.0 4. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has partnered with _____ to provide financial support for installation and commissioning of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations(CAAQMS) Microsoft NTPC BHEL SBI 5. Recently, Harsimrat Kaur Badal launched the Market Intelligence and Early Warning System (MIEWS) Web Portal. MIEWS portal is related to _____ . Real-time monitoring of price of tomato, onion and potato Information about soil salinity Real-time monitoring of PM 2.5 pollutants Monitoring of crude oil prices 6. Which of the following has become the first non-life insurers to introduce policy documents, renewal notices and claim intimation for its customers by using Whatsapp chatbot? Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Oriental Insurance Bharti AXA General Insurance HDFC General Insurance Also Read: Current Affairs 2020, 28th February: National And International Questions 7. Who among the following has been appointed as Indias next Ambassador to Venezuela? Rohit Chaudhary Rahul Nandan Abhishek Singh Mohit Singh 8. Mr. _____ has received the Sahitya Akademis translation prize, 2019. Ambika Dutt Ashok Vajpeyi Baldev Singh Susan Daniel 9. In February 2020, who among the following dethroned Virat Kohli to regain top spot in ICC test rankings? Kane Williamson Babar Azam David Warner Steve Smith 10. Ritesh Agrawal, who was named as the worlds second-youngest billionaire, is the founder of which Indian start-up company? Zomato Swiggy Oyo Hotels Byjus Also Read: Current Affairs 2020, 27th February: National And International Questions Answers: 1. Answer - 9th Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, has retained the top spot for the third year running in the Hurun Global Rich List. Reliance Industries (RIL)Chairman Mukesh Ambani was the only Indian to make into the top ten list in the 9th position. 2. Answer - Sri Lanka The Sri Lanka Government has decided not to sign the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) with the US Government. 3. Answer - Ease 3.0 The banking sector is improvising by applying tech-enabled due to which it can gain maximum profits. EASE stands for Enhanced Access Serviced Excellence. 4. Answer - NTPC NTPC has formed in the year 1978. Headquarters of NTPC is in New Delhi and the chairman of the company is Gurdeep Singh. 5. Answer - Real-time monitoring of price of tomato, onion, and potato MIEWS is the first-of-its-kind platform for real-time monitoring of the price of tomato, onion, and potato. It also generates alerts for intervention under the terms of the Operation Greens (OG) scheme. 6. Answer - Bharti AXA General Insurance Bharti AXA General Insurance is the first among non-insures in India to introduce policy documents, renewal notices and claim intimation for its customers by using Whatsapp chatbot. 7. Answer - Abhishek Singh Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. Currency is bolivar, petro. Venezuela is an independent colony of Spain. The country received independence in 1811 and GDP is 2500 dollars. 8. Answer - Susan Daniel Susan Daniel has received the Sahitya Akademis translation prize,2019. 9. Answer - Steve Smith 10. Answer - Oyo Hotels According to the Hurun Global list of billionaires, Ritesh Agarwal the founder of the Oyo Hotels named as the worlds second-youngest billionaire. Also Read: Current Affairs 2020, 27th February: National And International Questions To the Editor: Re Democratic Race Resets as Biden Rides a Victory and Buttigieg Falls Out (front page, March 2): Kudos to Mayor Pete. He has amazing talents, as everyone has seen, and his future is even brighter than it would have been had he waited until after Super Tuesday to graciously step aside. He was willing to accept (as some others have yet to accept) that remaining in the race could take votes from candidates who have a viable path to nomination. In this year, when the stakes are higher than any presidential election in my lifetime of 60-plus years, that is truly a valuable gift to our nation. Mark Keller Portland, Ore. To the Editor: Re Amy Klobuchar Drops Out of Presidential Race and Plans to Endorse Biden (nytimes.com, March 2): There was no other choice for Senator Amy Klobuchar except to drop out of the Democratic race. She did the right thing after running an admirable race. She conducted herself masterfully at the debates, showing calm, respect toward other candidates and knowledge. I salute her. She won my heart and my deep respect. She is a jewel in the Democratic Party. It should not lose her talent. She would make an excellent vice president. This will prepare her to run for the presidency when the next opportunity arises. By Akbar Mammadov The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) director of Energy Eurasia for Sustainable Infrastructure Group, Aida Sitdikova, has said that the partnership with Azerbaijan on the oil and gas sector has led to new cooperation in other areas of the energy sector. Aida Sitdikova made the remarks during the meeting with Deputy Minister of Energy Samir Guliyev on the sidelines of the sixth sitting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Board held on February 27. Minister Guliyev spoke about the implementation of the pilot projects held jointly with ACWA Power (Saudi Arabia) and Masdar (UAE) on Azerbaijans renewable energy sector. Deputy Minister Samir Valiyev said that seven working groups are working on land allocation, purchase of electricity, the connection of power plants to the electricity grid, preparation of state guarantees and other contracts for these projects. For the projects, the allocation of plots of land is already finishing. It is planned to start the phase of construction in September. Guliyev reminded that after the adoption of new renewable energy law in the country, new power generation projects will be put up for auction. He added that effective cooperation had been made with EBRD in this process. During the meeting, the satisfaction was expressed about the partnership level with EBRD on the energy sector. The Bank's involvement in the financing of the Southern Gas Corridor Project was highly appreciated. The sides discussed ways of strengthening network for the formation of the normative-legal base regulating auctions to be held together with EBRD and reinforcement of renewable energy projects. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Medical emergencies can happen to the healthiest horses, receiving the best, highly regulated care, Ms. Hansen said. A spokesman for the citys health department, which oversees working horses, said the agency had responded to reports of Aishas collapse and monitored the situation, and that the horse did not respond to treatment and was humanely euthanized. Including Aisha, three carriage horses have died so far this year, according to the health department, two of them euthanized after contracting colic. Ms. Birnkrant said Aishas death was representative of what she called a low standard of care for the citys carriage horses. Just like anyone else, any other living being having a medical emergency, whether they live or die, depends on the care given immediately after, she said. There was not a qualified vet on the scene; there were unqualified people trying to get her into a trailer. The videos reopened the debate over the citys carriage-horse industry, which animal-rights activists have long called inhumane and abusive. Supporters have said the horses are treated humanely and that the carriages are a romantic link to New York Citys past that provides jobs and appeals to tourists. While campaigning in 2013 to become mayor, Mr. de Blasio vowed to ban the horse-drawn carriages on his first day in office. But in the face of opposition from drivers and their allies the horses have remained popular with New Yorkers he scaled back. 80,000 people from the ethnic minority interned in Xinjiang camps reported to have been transferred to factories supplying global brands A representative image of a protest over allegations that Apple supply chains used sweat shop labour to make their products (Photo | Flickr - Annette Bernhardt) Sydney: Top global brands such as Apple, Sony and BMW have been accused of using the forced labour of Chinas Uighur detainees, after an Australian think tank said on Monday that the government has transferring 80,000 or more inmates from internment camps in Xinjiang to factories that manufacture products for some of the worlds leading brands. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said, Some factories across China are using forced Uighur labour under a state-sponsored labour transfer scheme, the think tank said. The oppressed Chinese minority Uighurs work in the supply chains of 83 well-known global brands in technology, clothing and automotive sectors, the think tank said. The brands, it added, included Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen. Companies using forced Uighur labour in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labour or mandate disclosure of forced labour supply chain risks, the report said. The companies listed in this report should conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labour in China, including robust and independent social audits and inspections. Volkswagen and Apple, when contacted by AFP, gave the news agency boiler plate statements about commitment to their responsibility to ensure everyone in their supply chain is treated with dignity. As expected, Chinas foreign ministry on Monday slammed the ASPI report as baseless and accused the institute of attempting to smear Chinas efforts to oppose terrorism and fight extremism in Xinjiang. The Xinjiang measures have achieved good results and all participants undergoing anti-extremism education have graduated and achieved stable employment, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijiang said at a regular press briefing. An estimated one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held in internment camps in Xinjiang. After initially denying their existence, Beijing cast the facilities as vocational education centres where students learn Mandarin and job skills in an effort to steer them away from religious extremism, terrorism and separatism. Rights groups and witnesses accuse China of forcibly trying to draw Uighurs away from Bioinformatics scientists from ITMO University have developed a programming tool that allows for quick and effective analysis of genome data and using it as a basis for building the most probable models of demographic history of populations of plants, animals and people. Operating with complex computational schemes, the software can, with a very high degree of likelihood, predict what history a particular group of living organisms has gone through in the past thousands of years, what periods of mass extinction or mass population growth a population has experienced, and how long it has been in contact with other populations of the same species. The scientists' article dedicated to this methodology has been published in GigaScience. How to find out when exactly the modern tigers' first ancestors appeared on Earth? When did the two elephant populations split? Is there a difference between the Dama and the Moroccan gazelle? When did the division of the African and the Eurasian homo sapiens occur? The answers to all these questions can be found in the population's demographic history - in other words, the scenario that shows what stages the population went through in the course of its history, whether it underwent any mass extinctions, migrations, or sharp spikes in its numbers. Apart from solving fundamental questions, this data can help us in the matters of applied research in the field of ecology and environmental protection. For instance, if some region only has some 800 walruses left, scientists have to understand whether it constitutes a critical decrease or it is a natural population size which has remained constant for several thousand years now, and answer the question of whether valuable resources have to be spent on protecting and saving this species from becoming extinct. The creation of a population's demographic history on the basis of genetic information is a complicated task which requires population geneticists to possess not only knowledge in the field of biology but also programming skills. Such scientists have to garner data and write a code for computing possible models of a population's evolution which could have led to the vast multitude of the genetic information we can witness in this population's representatives today. Up until recently, this was a long process the end result of which relied very heavily on the researcher's initial hypothesis. If it had any defects or the research failed to take some aspect into consideration, the software couldn't correct this initial error and calculated the probability of particular demographic events only within the boundaries predefined by the researcher. The software developed by a group of ITMO University scientists as part of the Project 5-100 grant programs and with support from JetBrains Research aims to solve this problem. The researchers proposed a programming product which independently and automatically predicts the most probable model of a population's demographic history. At that, it is significantly less dependent on the initial research hypothesis, doesn't require advanced programming skills and produces more accurate results. What is more, the software has the advantage of flexibility, meaning that if the obtained result somehow diverges from archaeological or historical data, you can easily introduce additional limitations into the underlying algorithm to update its hypothesis. "Using genetic data, our software automatically computes the model it considers optimal," shares Vladimir Ulyantsev. "It looks at the entire volume of the scenarios available. As a scientist, I'll consider the scenarios I deem the most likely, there can be three, five, maybe ten of those. The software, on the other hand, will test all of the models it estimates as probable, this is a much bigger amount. That's why the solutions it comes up with are better than those proposed by people working on the basis of the initial methods. The most beautiful thing here is the method - a genetic algorithm inspired by how evolution happens: species multiply, mutate, with those with the least ability to adapt dying out. In the place of the species we have demographic models and their parameters, and their adaptability is measured on the basis of their similarity with the studied data." After obtaining this data, the scientists can present it on a map and compare the information indicating that during a particular period a population underwent a migration with archaeological findings and other evidence. These algorithms were used to check a large number of hypotheses and research by evolutionary geneticists. In many cases, the obtained result was much more accurate than that of the initial works. ### CHEYENNE, Wyo., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Encore Green Environmental (the Company) applauds the Environmental Protection Agencys newly announced plan to reuse industrial produced water, but calls for a clear plan for water safety. A leader in this sector, created their patent-pending Conservation By-Design method to safely test, treat and land-apply produced water from an oil well. CBD allows the company to clean produced water to match the surrounding soil. We have to make sure that the water is safe and the public has access to know the waters makeup going out onto the land, said Company co-founder Marvin Nash. Our method was designed to fulfill the needs of both the energy community, to keep drilling, and the needs of the environmental community, to protect the land. We are the only people standing in the middle, trying to join hands with a go-forward solution. Oil wells typically produce three to six barrels of water to every barrel of oil. In places such as the Permian Basin of New Mexico and Texas, this amounts to billions of barrels of produced water per year. Without a safe way to dispose of this water, drilling will need to cease. Encore Green Environmental has been granted the first-ever permit in Wyoming from the states Department of Environmental Quality to clean oilfield water and apply that water to the surrounding land, which increases vegetation. Increased vegetation will sequester more carbon dioxide, which will improve air quality. This solves more than just the problem of too much produced water, Nash said. With this method, the arid West can have a new source of clean water thats publicly available. This will create a total ecological solution. For more information on Conservation By-Design, visit: EncoreGreenEnvironmental.com/cbd Contact: Jeff Holder 818.470.0285 Jeff.Holder@EncoreGreenEnvironmental.com In February, the State Tax Service exceeded the plan for revenues from taxes and fees to the general state budget fund by $100 million, or 7.1%. The total revenue for the administration of which the STS is responsible amounted to $1,5 billion, as the STS press service reports. In late January, I promised that the tax would fulfill the plan for budget revenues for February. The result that we demonstrated speaks for itself. I want to assure everyone that we are not going to rest on our laurels, so we will continue to keep the high bar that we ourselves have set. Whatever happens around us, the tax one will do its job more efficiently," Serhiy Verlanov, chairman of the STS, said in connection with this. Also, the State Tax Service emphasized that in February the state budget received 27.6%, or UAH 8.0 billion, more than in February 2019 It is noted that last month, the main source of overfulfillment of revenues was VAT revenues due to increased administration efficiency and the introduction of an updated tax risk monitoring system when registering tax invoices. They amounted to $100 million, which is $77 million, or 9.8%, more than in February 2019. In addition, the tax authorities noted that in February, as part of the fight against the shadow market of excisable goods, the indicators on alcohol (142.2%), alcoholic beverages (111.3%), beer (127.0%) were fully implemented ) and tobacco products (100%) As we reported before, The law #440-IX has come into force on introduction of the new format of work of customs and tax service within the administrative reform. The law imposes the new format of the activity of the State Customs and Tax Services of Ukraine as a single legal entity. Due to this fact, their territorial bodies will hold the activity not as legal entities of public law but as distinct detachments. Credible information reaching peacefmonline.com says the government has released 30 million Ghana Cedis for the Health Insurance Service Providers Association of Ghana (HISPAG). The amount is expected to defray the debt owed by the government. HISPAG threatened to go cash and carry if the government refused to settle their debt to enable them to run their various facilities. According to them, the various debts were crippling their hospitals and almost collapsing them. Though they have mutually agreed to provide services whilst they continue negotiations with the government, they still expect that the government will settle their debt arrears in full. However, the finance minister is expected to release an amount of 30 Million Ghana cedis to settle the service providers to enable them to be able to serve their clients. Background The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has asked the government to promptly pay National Health Insurance claims to health facilities across the country. The GMA says the failure of the government to pay the arrears can lead to a return of the cash and carry system. Last week, the Health Insurance Service Providers Association of Ghana (HISPAG) threatened to withdraw some services from March 2020 if arrears owed its members are not paid. HISPAG advised the public and NHIS cardholders to carry cash alongside their cards to meet the cost of any service that they may not be able to provide immediately when visiting health facilities. The GMA in a statement signed by its President, Dr. Frank Ankobea, said: The Ghana Medical Association has noted with great concern the failure of the NHIA to pay health facilities (Public and Private Hospitals) for services rendered from or about March 2019 to date, resulting in some providers threatening to withdraw services to national health insurance cardholders. GMA calls on government and the NHIA to as matter of urgency pay all monies owed these facilities with immediate effect to ensure that they are not forced to initiate cash and carry as a mode of payment in their quest to ensure continuous service delivery as well as forestall their collapse and also for health insurance policyholders get all the health services and benefits of the policy, the statement added. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video NAPLES - Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) will adopt in March a regional mechanism to monitor progress on women's rights in the area, evaluating the gender gap and providing recommendations to local legislators, the Union for the Mediterranean announced. The organization explained that the project involves 20 countries in the area, which has different development rates on the issue: the European side of the Mediterranean has a 76.7% estimated gender equality while the Middle East and North Africa (MENA area) 61.2%. The project is in line with UfM's statement in 2017 that vied to strengthen women's role in society followed by a process that lasted three years of study with experts and members of national governments. The mechanism provides for the adoption of concrete indicators that allow to monitor gender equality and to work to accelerate the full participation of women in the area's economic and social life. ''This mechanism - explained the vice secretary general of UfM Marisa Farrugia - offers concrete means to monitor progress that has been made. It is conceived to increase awareness on challenges that the gender gap poses and opportunities to reduce it. Building inclusive societies, based on equality, is one of the keys for economic growth and well-being''. After the signature of an agreement with Norway, UfM will kick start a number of projects to improve women's participation in the economic sector in Albania, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, France and Spain. Inside The Actor's Studio's creator and longtime host James Lipton has died, aged 93. Lipton, who died peacefully early Monday at his New York home, was suffering from bladder cancer, his wife Kedakai Turner told The Hollywood Reporter. In his 22 seasons hosting his iconic Bravo show, Lipton interviewed the greats of Hollywood, with nearly 300 stars joining him to answer questions about their craft in front of an audience of student actors. From Angelina Jolie to Al Pacino, Halle Berry to Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep, Lipton was remarkably never turned down by an invited guest - bar the reclusive Marlon Brando. Inside The Actor's Studio host James Lipton has died from cancer age 93; he is pictured in 2017 'There are so many James Lipton stories but Im sure he would like to be remembered as someone who loved what he did and had tremendous respect for all the people he worked with,' his wife told TMZ on Monday. Starting with Paul Newman, each hour-long show featured Lipton quizzing his guest in his own unique style about their work, in what doubled as a masterclass for Lipton's students at the Actors Studio, where he was dean. Many otherwise media-shy actors were willing to appear on Inside the Actors Studio because Lipton focused on their art and not the usual celebrity chatter or project promotion. Lipton did all his own research, noting his questions on blue cards. His intricate and distinctive questions - he would ask 'What is your favorite curse word' and 'If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates' - made him ripe for parody. Throughout the 2000s he was regularly spoofed on Saturday Night Live by Will Ferrell, who held a stack of notecards a foot long. Lipton was amused, telling CNN in 2012: 'I love it. It's very flattering. I think he's got me cold.' One notable guest was Bradley Cooper, who first appeared on the show as a student in 1999, on Sean Penn's episode. Cooper then returned in 2011, for his own interview. 'The night that one of my students has achieved so much that he or she comes back and sits down in that chair would be the night that I have waited for since we started this thing,' Lipton told Larry King in 2016. 'It turned out to be Bradley Cooper.' Famous guests: Lipton interviews Angelina Jolie in 2005 Starting with Paul Newman, each hour-long show featured Lipton quizzing his guest about their work, in a masterclass for Lipton's student audience and viewers at home; here he is seen with Matthew McConaughey Sharing her craft: From Gwyneth Paltrow to Al Pacino, Halle Berry to Ben Affleck, Lipton was remarkably never turned down by an invited guest; here he is seen with Scarlett Johansson Throughout the 2000s he was regularly spoofed on Saturday Night Live by Will Ferrell; here he is seen with Steve Carrell Never turned down: Lipton with the actor Tom Cruise in 2004 One notable guest was Bradley Cooper, who first appeared on the show as a student in 1999, on Sean Penn's episode. Cooper then returned in 2011, for his own interview, as seen here Talking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2016, Lipton said he never imagined that his show would be grow to be so popular. 'If you had put a gun to my head and said, "I will pull the trigger unless you predict that in 23 years, Inside The Actor's Studio will be viewed in 94 million homes in America on Bravo and in 125 countries around the world, that it will have received 16 Emmy nominations, making it the fifth most-nominated series in the history of television, that it will have received an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series and that you will have received the Critics' Choice Award for best reality series host predict it or die," I would have said, "Pull the trigger."' In 2018 Lipton stepped down from hosting the show, which moved from Bravo to Ovation, where it continues today. While most well known for his work on the show, Lipton was also an accomplished writer and actor. Paid tribute: Lipton is survived by his second wife, Kedakai Turner, a former model he wed in 1970; the two are seen in 2017 After serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Second World War, Lipton began training as a lawyer, while taking acting lessons on the side. After realizing his passion lay in acting, he gave up his legal studies and found work in a series of television shows, including The Guiding Light, a Broadway play, and on the big screen in the 1953 film The Big Break. Next, Lipton transitioned to writing, finding more success behind the screen. He was head writer on television shows including The Doctors, The Best of Everything, Another World, Capitol and Return to Peyton Place. He also wrote Broadway shows and for a variety of television shows, including Bewitched and The Goldbergs. When Inside The Actor's Studio made Lipton a household name, he returned to his first love - acting. He found roles in popular television shows such as Arrested Development, Glee, and Suburgatory, appeared in the film Bewitched, and his animated image was seen in The Simpsons and Family Guy. Tribute@ Bravo's Andy Cohen shared his appreciation for Lipton As Lipton's death was reported on Monday, tributes flooded in. Fellow Bravo host Andy Cohen wrote on Twitter: 'James Lipton was a warm, meticulous man with a great appreciation of the arts and wicked sense of humor. He was the face of Bravo who delivered us one-of-a-kind interviews with a breadth of superstars. He was always so kind to me. 'When he found out how much I love Diana Ross, he insisted on taking me to see her in concert. He really cared about what he did. If you got booked on his show, it meant youd made it, and had the talent to back it up. What a good guy. James Lipton will be missed.' Ovation television, which has broadcast the show since 2019, said on Twitter: 'We'll miss him dearly, but we wish him peace as he arrives at those pearly gates.' Lipton is survived by his wife of 50 years, Kedakai Turner, whose photo depicts Miss Scarlett in the Clue board game. He was previously married to Oscar nominee Nina Foch, from 1954 to 1959. Unique style: Jon Donahue quoted one of Lipton's regular questions 'A great gentleman': Geralo Rivera was among those paying tribute 'Thanks for the inspiration, sir': The acting industry flooded social media with tributes Remembered: The host was an inspiration to many 2020 Honda CR-V Chicago-land Review by Larry Nutson +VIDEO 2020 Honda CR-V One of the best gets better By Larry Nutson Executive Editor and Bureau Chief Chicago Bureau The Auto Channel My last drive in a Honda CR-V was the 2017 model which at that time was all-new. Riding on a new platform with longer wheelbase and wider track the CR-V had been completely redesigned with more style and flair. The interior had been revised and made more spacious, and there was a new turbo engine. Now for 2020 this fifth-gen CR-V has been freshened with a new look up front featuring a new grille and fascia. In back theres new taillights, and new 19-inch wheels as well as new designs for the 18-inch wheels to round things out. Four trim levels continue to be offered, namely LX, EX, EX-L and Touring and all are powered by the same 190-horsepower 1.5-L turbo engine mated to a CVT automatic. Either front-wheel or all-wheel drive are offered in each trim. Also new is the standardization of Hondas suite of automatic driver-assist safety (ADAS) features, under the moniker Honda Sensing. A recent addition to the lineup is the 2020 CR-V Hybrid, the first electrified SUV from the Honda brand in America. The CR-V's advanced two-motor hybrid powertrain, shared with the current Accord Hybrid, combines two electric motors with a 2.0-liter, 16-valve DOHC Atkinson cycle engine for 212 total system horsepower. The CR-V Hybrid is offered in all-wheel drive only. CR-V prices range from $25,050 to $34,750. The CR-V Hybrid starts at $27,750 and goes up to $37,950. Destination charge for all is $1,120. EPA test-cycle ratings for the CR-V AWD are 29 mpg combined, with 27 city mpg and 32 highway mpg. Front-drive models are rated one mpg higher in city and two mpg higher in highway. The CR-V Hybrid is all about low fuel consumption. EPA combined rating is 28 mpg, with 40 city mpg and 35 highway mpg. As you can see, the big hybrid benefit is in lower speed city-type driving. For my revisit with the 2020 CR-V I drove a top-line AWD Touring model finished in an attractive Aegean Blue Metallic. In my jaunts around my Chicago home the 190-horsepower made its presence known with the CR-V delivering decent acceleration as well as good mid-range passing ability. The entire powertrain combination worked well together to provide balanced all-around performance. Ride comfort is also decent too, with good suspension compliance and overall well balanced handling. Theres good NVH control providing an overall comfortable driving experience, although I did notice a bit of wind noise at higher highway speeds. The cabin is nicely finished with good looking material and trim bits. The leather trimmed seats, heated front seats as well as heated steering wheel, power moonroof, hands free power rear hatch, and 9-speaker audio all make for a pleasant driving experience. I thought the faux woodgrain trim a bit too faux for my taste. But, thats a subjective observation. Ive driven many new vehicles and experienced the many new design approaches for selecting automatic transmission gears. Some of the rotary and push button selects are quite good. That said, I was a bit startled by the pure mechanical lever selector on the CR-V. It does work just fine. I guess I was expecting something more refined. That said, the new CR-V Hybrid has a push button selector that might just make its way into the non-hybrid. Front seat comfort is good and theres adequate room. The rear seat is nicely large for grown adult size people. Storage cubbies, trays and pockets abound on the CR-V. A combination of mechanical and digital controls are used for audio, HVAC, Nav system and the like. Steering wheel controls make it easier for the driver. The CR-V has 39.2 cu.ft. of rear cargo volume the increases to 75.8 cu.ft. with the rear seat folded. A 2-tier cargo floor allows for versatility in providing some hidden storage or space for a taller object. More details and specifications on the 2020 CR-V can be found at www.automobileshonda.com. Theres not a lot of choices beyond selecting trim levels and colors but there is an accessory program that allows for some customization. Hondas CR-V is one of the original compact SUVs and America's best-selling crossover of the past two decades. The freshened 2020 Honda CR-V and all-new CR-V Hybrid have been named the 2020 Green SUV of the Year by Green Car Journal, the second time Honda has won Green SUV of the Year, and the sixth time a Honda vehicle has earned recognition from Green Car Journal. Honda has said that by 2030 they want two-thirds of their global vehicle sales to come from electrified products, as part of their effort to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions. 2020 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday withdrew the FIR he had lodged against his former chief minister of the BJP Raghubar Das for allegdly making some 'objectionable' remarks against him during electioneering during Assembly polls in 2019. Ranchi: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday withdrew the FIR he had lodged against his former chief minister of the BJP Raghubar Das for allegdly making some "objectionable" remarks against him during electioneering during Assembly polls in 2019. In his withdrawal letter, Soren asked Jamtara Superintendent of Police not to take forward the complaint as "after a thorough review I have decided to withdraw the FIR". The FIR was filed with the Mihijam police station in Jamtara district under IPC section 504, 506, and 404 and under the Scheduled Tribes (ST)/Scheduled Caste (SC) Act. In a statement, Soren said, "Hurt by the remarks during the election meetings, I had filed the FIR. But now that election is over, I dont want to take forward the matter and there is no reason for difference of opinion. "We have to develop the state and move forward with a constructive thought. Now the time has come to take the state forward on the right path," he said. Soren added that the government would not do anything out of vendetta or revenge. After the fiercely fought election in November and December last year, the JMM-Congress-RJD government came to power in Jharkhand under Hemant Soren. Das himself lost to his former ministerial colleague Saryu Roy from Jamshedpur East constituency. As if Bernie Sanders's extremist positions alone weren't enough to give one pause, a look at how he intends to enact them is even more disturbing. According to the Washington Examiner: LOS ANGELES, California Addressing a crowd of thousands, Sen. Bernie Sanders gave a glimpse of what his first days as president would look like. The Vermont senator pledged executive orders effectively legalizing marijuana in all fifty states as well as expunging the records of many of those who have been arrested for possession of the substance. "We are going to end the destructive war on drugs. It turns out that you can legalize marijuana in every state in this country by executive order," he said. "We will move forward to expunge the records of those arrested for possession of marijuana." He also said his administration would ensure that 1.8 million illegal immigrants would be protected from deportations. "We will end ICE raids that are terrorizing people," he said, adding that he would also "end a border policy that allows federal agents to snatch babies from the arms of their mothers." Sanders's remarks were some of the first detailing how he would use the tools of the presidency to implement his agenda. According to the Washington Post, his whole governing plan is premised on executive actions: Mr. Sanders's team has helpfully provided some indication of what the early days of his administration would look like, in the form of a list of possible executive actions, first reported by The Post's Jeff Stein and Sean Sullivan on Jan. 30. Many of them are similar to what other Democratic candidates might do, and, on the merits, laudable such as raising the number of refugee admissions and halting construction of President Trump's wasteful border wall. But in one key policy area, a measure Mr. Sanders is contemplating would simultaneously harm the U.S. economy and help the dictatorships of Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. We refer to his reported plan to declare climate change a national emergency and, using that as legal authority, reinstate the ban on U.S. crude oil exports that Congress and President Barack Obama lifted on a bipartisan basis at the end of 2015. When the United States adopted the ban back in the mid-1970s, it had at least a plausible policy basis. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had firm control of world oil markets, so it made sense to, in effect, force U.S. producers to sell to domestic refiners so that the latter would be less subject to OPEC price-gouging. In today's world, however, OPEC has been weakened by its own divisions and by the emergence of the United States as the world's largest producer. Much U.S. crude is ill-suited, chemically, for U.S. refineries but works well abroad; eliminating exports, now approaching 3 million barrels per day, would eliminate these efficiency benefits. It would also cost billions of dollars; crude oil sales abroad earned $65.3 billion in 2019. So much for "democratic socialism." Sanders isn't bothering with that if he becomes president. Instead of governing through the legislative process, he intends to govern like a dictator, pen and phone in hand, enacting extremely sweeping diktats through one-man rule. This is pretty much what his heroes, such as Fidel Castro of Cuba, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, and Nicaragua's Sandinistas did: proclaim the democratic bona fides, quiet the critics and fool the New York Times and then move in for the kill, going all in on the maximo leader dictatorship model, proclaiming it in the name of "the people." You want to know how all socialist regimes end up as dictatorships? This is how, and we all know who Sanders's heroes up to now have been. Hint: It's not the Danish. It's as if Sanders is dreaming of enacting socialism through dictatorship and then proclaiming it all "democratic," same as the Sandinistas did. That ought to be a warning to any Democrat planning to vote for Bernie: the democratic socialist thing is a smokescreen. Sanders's plan is to use the current tools out there to remake the U.S. into something its voters, legislators, and courts never wanted it to be. Sanders could move in on private property, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and the right to a non-woke education with ease so long as he plans to govern in large part by executive order. He could take executive orders to a whole different level. Some of the most radical of leftist presidents Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt took executive orders to new heights in quantity. Barack Obama, meanwhile, took the quality of executive orders, such as enacting DACA even after Congress rejected it, to new heights. Worse still, leftist federal judges have made it all but impossible for President Trump to reverse it. It's all very easy to get into such socialist setups, it seems but just ask a Venezuelan or Nicaraguan how easy it is to get out. Sanders could act in both traditions and really get the Castro thing going in the States. It's a warning to anyone planning to vote for him that it's all too easy to be angry at the Democratic establishment and cast a vote for Sanders as a protest, but turning the party over to a man with totalitarian designs and Castro as his model would be a disaster. Image credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. (Alliance News) - Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from G7 countries will hold talksA Tuesday amid rising global uncertainty over the coronavirus epidemic, the US Treasury said Monday. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell "will lead a call with their G7 counterparts tomorrow morning," the department confirmed in a statement. The G7 countries includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Governments have been scrambling to respond to the outbreak which has now killed more than 3,000 people and infected almost 90,000 as it spreads to more and more countries, inflaming fears of widespread economic disruption. G7 and eurozone finance ministers will hold conference calls to "coordinate their responses" to the impact of the coronavirus's impact, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced earlier Monday. "We will have that meeting by phone a because you need to avoid traveling too much a for the G7 to coordinate its response," Le Maire said on France 2 television. A similar meeting of eurozone finance ministers will be held on Wednesday, he said.A "There will be coordinated action," he said. The head of France's central bank said governments rather than central banks should take action for the moment. Banque de France chief Francois Villeroy de Galhau told BFM Business television the outbreak has mostly caused disruptions for businesses, which are better addressed with "targeted measures" from governments rather than monetary policy from central banks. De Galhau said monetary policy was already very accommodative with ample low-rate funds for banks to support firms. "If we need to do more and we believe that it will be effective, we could do it, but we're not there yet," he said. The Bank of England, for its part, said it was monitoring the situation and working closely with domestic "as well as our international partners to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect financial and monetary stability." And Powell on Friday issued a statement pledging the Fed would "use our tools and act as appropriate to support the economy." Le Maire pledged the French government would provide the necessary support for domestic companies. "We will demonstrate total solidarity towards entrepreneurs who are on the front line," he said, noting that the government already had decided to let suppliers out of their contracts due to the coronavirus. While the outbreak has yet to shutter or slow many factories outside of China, it has already hit the transportation and tourism sectors and seen companies scale back travel and cancel conventions. France's famed Louvre museum, a key attraction in one of the world's top tourism destinations, closed Sunday and the US called off the ASEAN leaders summit set for April. Le Maire said that the economic impact of the coronavirus on France's economy will be greater than previous estimates. "Now that the epidemic has hit many more countries, in particular France, the impact of the coronavirus on French growth will be much more significant" than if it had been contained to France, he said. Le Maire declined to be more specific. Powell in his statement Friday acknowledged the epidemic poses a risk to growth, and a closely-watched US industry survey Monday showed the manufacturing sector slowed sharply in February due to the virus, having only just shown signs of recovery from the impact of the US trade war with China. The International Monetary Fund has warned the already-fragile global economy will see slower growth as a result of the virus. Until now, the French government has forecast 1.3% growth for this year, and two weeks ago Le Maire said he expected the coronavirus to shave 0.1 percentage points off that. Meanwhile, the EU's Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, said the coronavirus could tip Germany and Italy into recession. "It's too early to say for certain, but some are beginning to say it isn't out of the question for a recession maybe in Italy and Germany," Breton said on BFMTV/RMC radio. Germany's economy narrowly escaped recession with flat growth in the final quarter of last year.A With exports of manufactured goods, in particular to China, a considerable part of its economy, Germany will feel a larger impact from the economic disruption in China than its eurozone peers. By Chris Stein with Richard Lein source: AFP Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Your browser does not support the audio element. The first test run of Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 1 is expected to be carried out in the third quarter of this year. About 71 percent of the metro line No. 1 project, which connects Ben Thanh Terminal in District 1 with Suoi Tien Terminal in District 9, has been finished. The southern metropolis is now expediting the remaining construction to prepare for its completion in late 2021, Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee, said at a recent meeting with Umeda Kunio, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). On February 17, two underground packages of the metro route were joined as workers tore down a wall that separated the construction sites, marking an important milestone in the implementation of the project. According to Huynh Hong Thanh, deputy head of the citys Management Authority for Urban Railways, two trains for the operation of the metro line will be imported into Vietnam in June. Necessary steps are being taken to prepare for the test run in the third quarter of 2020, Thanh continued. The metro route will have a total of 17 trains, each having three cars, all of which are manufactured by Japans Hitachi Company. Funded in part through an official development assistance loan from the JICA, the metro route No. 1 runs 19.7 kilometers through District 1, District 2, District 9, Binh Thanh District, and Thu Duc District, as well as neighboring Binh Duong Province. Since construction began in 2012, it has faced a multitude of problems including slow capital disbursement, delays, and personnel-related issues. Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are also finalizing preparations for the construction of the 11 kilometer metro line No. 2, whose capital investment is VND47.8 trillion (US$2 billion). The project is expected to begin in 2021 and complete in 2026, a representative from the Management Authority for Urban Railways said. Experts believed that the completion of these metro lines will help provide better transportation for local residents, alleviate traffic jams, and encourage people to use public transportation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) headquarters in Naju, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of KEPCO By Nam Hyun-woo Korea Electric Power Corp. CEO Kim Jong-kap The source of the leaks in Stanmore Bay Schools pool, which have kept the pool closed for this summer as well as most of last summer have yet to be determined. Both the school and the Ministry of Education are investigating the school has commissioned reports from civil, geotechnical and structural engineers. The geotechnical report is not in yet, but principal Matt Sides suspects its findings will be key. He suspects that movement in the clay soil, which has affected other parts of the school, could be the underlying cause. He says initial inspections indicate there is plenty of movement. Once all the information is available, the schools board will assess it. Its been very disappointing to have the pool closed, Matt says. While swimming is not part of the NZ curriculum, we want our kids to have water skills. Its also of course a place to cool off. Currently students are using the Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre pool, and also have water instruction at local beaches. Matt says the cost of any repairs will be critical. Once we have all the information, the board will have to decide whether fixing it is achievable or affordable bearing in mind it sits unused for two-and-a-half terms each year, he says. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:59:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with researchers during his visit to the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2020. Xi on Monday inspected the scientific research on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as well as the diagnosis and treatment of the disease in his visit to two institutes in Beijing. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday inspected the scientific research on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as well as the diagnosis and treatment of the disease in his visit to two institutes in Beijing. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and the School of Medicine at Tsinghua University Monday afternoon, learning about the progress on the vaccine, anti-body, medicine and fast testing kit research and application. Xi expressed regards to experts and researchers and chaired a symposium to listen to the views and advice from officials of relevant departments and researchers. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 08:02:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China has issued a circular to encourage online vocational skills training to improve workers' professional skills from 2020 to 2021. The circular was released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Finance. The goal for 2020 is to choose more than 50 high-quality online vocational skills training platforms and provide training for about 1 million people with digital training resources covering over 100 types of work. The goal for 2021 is to further optimize the management mechanism for online vocational skills training, expand the scale and boost the quality. Advertisement At least three people died and dozens were injured in a pileup involving more than 100 vehicles amid blowing snow that closed part of Interstate 80 in Wyoming, officials said Monday. The pileup and another one nearby around the same time involving 40 vehicles happened in snowy, blustery weather Sunday about 180 miles west of Cheyenne. About 30 people were taken to the emergency room at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in the small city of Rawlins, hospital spokeswoman Stephanie Hinkle told the Casper Star-Tribune. Officials at the 25-bed hospital expected more injured people to arrive Monday. The image above released by the Wyoming Department of Transportation shows mangled trucks involved in one of the pile-ups on Interstate 80 in Wyoming on Monday Trucks involved in the accident are seen in the photo above which was posted to social media on Monday The accident took place on an interstate located some 180 miles west of Cheyenne, Wyoming They called in three extra doctors and set up a temporary patient holding area in a cafeteria. The smaller pileup, on I-80 just four miles away from the larger pileup, injured at least seven people, including one person who was hospitalized in critical condition, Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jason Mower said. Mower said that four people died in the larger pileup but the Wyoming Highway Patrol could could only confirm three deaths, patrol spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Beck said. 'Of course that number could increase,' Beck said of the fatalities, 'but that's the number (three) we're being told.' The image above shows the extent of the damage incurred to trucks in the pile-up on Monday Mangled pieces of metal are seen protruding from trucks involved in the pile-up in snowy Wyoming on Monday Dozens of motorists were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment after the horrific pile-up on Monday The image above shows three of the 100 vehicles involved in the massive pile-up on Interstate 80 in Wyoming The pile-up forced authorities to seal off the highway on Monday as more motorists are expected to be admitted to a hospital The images above show an overturned truck along the side of the interstate in Wyoming on Monday Authorities could not say if they could remember a previous 100-car pileup. A 200-mile stretch of westbound I-80 from Laramie to Rock Springs was still closed Monday and Wyoming Department of Transportation officials did not expect it to reopen until early Tuesday. Forecasters predicted snow driven by wind up to 50 mph would continue affecting travel until Tuesday. Mower said that it 'is just a disaster' for two pileups of this scale to take place at the same time. 'It required a huge response,' he said. Local authorities requested help from at least a dozen other agencies throughout the state, including the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office; Sweetwater County medics; Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1; Castle Rock Ambulance; Carbon County Memorial Hospital; Wamsutter Fire Department; Carbon County Fire Department; and ambulances from Baggs, Green River, Wamsutter, Saratoga and Hanna. Those injured in the crash were rushed to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in Rawlins, according to Hinkle. The hospital said that three people were pronounced dead and 30 were taken to the emergency room. Two others were hospitalized. The pile-up was so extensive that authorities needed to call for help from various state agencies The above image shows mangled trucks involved in the pile-up on Interstate 80 in Wyoming on Monday Local officials in Wyoming said on Monday they could not remember seeing a pile-up of this size and scope Local officials said it would take several hours before they could clear the road and traffic could resume to flow The hospital, which has just 25 beds, set up a temporary holding area in the cafeteria to deal with influx of patients. Three additional doctors were called to the hospital to help treat the overflow of wounded drivers. At the time, there were just two physicians on duty. 'We were completely full,' Hinkle said. The hospital expects more patients to be admitted over the course of the afternoon. After some patients were discharged, ambulances drove them to area hotels. Our staff really went above and beyond to help those individuals, Hinkle said. As most of you are aware, the 2020 General Election will take place on September 19 alongside the cannabis and end of life choice referendums. Until then, I will be busy holding the Government to account and advancing the issues important to my electorate. At the time of writing, I have just finished the first sitting block back at Parliament for the year and will spend the next week in my electorate running clinics with constituents. This edition of Hibiscus Matters signals my last Viewpoint column before the election. In light of this, I want to take the opportunity to highlight some of the changes that will be occurring in our electorate and clarify my position on Penlink. Towards the end of last year, the Representation Commission released its proposed electorate boundaries for the 2020 and 2023 General Elections (HM December 4, 2019). Rodney is one of 35 electorates affected. Under the proposed changes, we will lose the northern part of our electorate, effectively Warkworth and the Kowhai Coast, to the current seat of Helensville. The southern part of our electorate will be comprised of the Hibiscus Coast and Coatesville. Although it is a bitter blow for me to lose the northern part of the electorate, I remain committed to advancing the projects I am involved in alongside the new MP Chris Penk who took over from John Key in 2017. I am happy to welcome Coatesville to our electorate as my Grandfather owned a farm on Glenmore Road where I spent many hours clearing manuka and grubbing thistles. I still have family living on the original farm, even though it has long been developed, and enjoy strong links to the Coatesville community. In our area, there have been three major infrastructure projects that I have dedicated myself to: The Puhoi to Warkworth Road of National Significance, the Hill Street roundabout and Penlink. I was able to deliver the Puhoi to Warkworth in my first term and you can see the results with construction well underway. I was able to solve the Hill Street roundabout by forming my Transport Forum, which brought the community together, alongside Auckland Transport and NZTA. We were able to secure the initial design funding which was then carried on through the Community Action Group. I am pleased to report that a final plan for the construction of the Hill Street roundabout has been delivered and the consenting and property acquisition process is underway. Regarding Penlink, at the last general election I announced at a local candidates meeting that we would start Penlink in 2018 but that it would be two lanes. The Labour, NZ First and Greens candidates at the same meeting would not commit to building Penlink. Unfortunately with the change of Government, important infrastructure projects, like Penlink, took a back seat. The Government stopped or stalled virtually all of the former Governments plans to keep NZ moving and growing. After two years of relentless pressure from the opposition, the Government announced an infrastructure package just a day after setting the election date. The good news is this package includes a two lane Penlink. The bad news is the start date isnt until the end of 2021. Penlink is one of the few projects in Auckland ready to go now. We have already lost the last two years and an end of 2021 start date means we are five years behind where we should have been. I am aware that people in our community are tired of the endless cycle of promises on Penlink. That is why I have always been careful not to set false hope or expectations until I was sure that I could deliver. This year I will be reaffirming that if we return to government, we will start work on a four lane Penlink immediately. The city of Perth in Western Australia. (Photo: AFP/Greg Wood) His 79-year-old wife was also infected with the disease during the cruise and remains in a Perth hospital, a spokeswoman for the Western Australian state health department told AFP. The couple were among about 160 Australians evacuated from the Diamond Princess last month and they tested positive for the coronavirus during their flight home. They were immediately transferred to isolation units in the Perth hospital on Feb 21 while the rest of the evacuees were quarantined in a former miners' camp near the northern city of Darwin. Andrew Robertson, Western Australia's chief medical officer, said the couple initially seemed to have only a mild version of the illness, but that the man's condition subsequently deteriorated. He insisted both had been isolated early and that their cases posed "no risk to the general community or (medical) staff". Earlier Sunday, health authorities in New South Wales state confirmed a 26th case of coronavirus in Australia after a man in his 40s who had travelled from Iran was diagnosed with the disease. He was the second Australian infected in Iran. All other cases of the disease in Australia other than the Perth couple involved people who had come from China's Hubei province, where the virus was first reported. On Saturday, Australia said it would deny entry to all foreigners travelling from Iran because of the spreading virus in the Islamic republic. There have been more than 85,000 virus infections world-wide, the majority in China, the World Health Organisation said. Outside China, it has spread to 53 countries, with more than 6,000 cases and 86 deaths. The New Jersey College Student and Parent Consumer Information Act requires each New Jersey four-year public college and university to display on its website comprehensive information on the cost of attendance, the graduation rates of admitted students, and the faculty of the institution. It also requires the Secretary of Higher Education to establish the guidelines, criteria, and format in reporting the information prepared pursuant to the Act. The statute specifies certain required data for inclusion and calls for the Secretary of Higher Education to create a comparative profile of the student consumer information reports for the New Jersey Higher Education website (Note: Pursuant to Governor Christie's Reorganization Plan 005-2011, The Commission on Higher Education has been abolished, and the duties and authorities have been transferred to the Secretary of Higher Education.) Graduation and Transfer Information Four- & six-year graduation rates Four- & six year graduation rates by demographic group (racial/ethnic categories and gender) Four- & six-year graduation rates for student athletes (as defined by the NCAA) Student transfer information Overview of institutions receiving transfer students Total Cost of Attendance Information Total current year cost of attending institution Total projected cost for graduates in 4 years by resident and commuter Total projected cost for graduates in 6 years by resident and commuter Financial Aid Information Description of financial aid programs offered by institution to athletes & non-athletes Percentage & average amount of financial aid for athletes & non-athletes Average student loan indebtedness for graduates in 4 years by resident and commuter Average student loan indebtedness for graduates in 6 years by resident and commuter Average student loan indebtedness for students who withdraw Course and Faculty Information Overview of institutions faculty (breakout by full-time tenured/non-tenured/part-time faculty Percentage of courses taught by faculty categories (breakout by full-time tenured/non-tenured/part-time faculty) RSL FIASCO AND THE ANZAC MYTH Between 1899 and 1902 around fifty skilled Australian Indigenous trackers were sent to South Africa to aid the British and Australian troops fighting the Second Boer War to protect the British Empires interests in the region. Once the war was over, rather than being rewarded in any way for their service, they were abandoned there, and what became of them remains unknown. It is during this war that the federation and foundation of Australia as a nominally independent state was declared. At the time of this foundation, Indigenous people were not recognised as citizens, and would not be until sixty-six years later. How far have we come? On the 21st February this year, a decision of the WA branch of the Returned and Services League (RSLWA) to ban Indigenous flags, languages, and ceremonies from all ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day events made a stir in the media. Within a few days, the great public backlash forced them to renounce this policy. However, no proper apology was made. RSLWA apologised for any misunderstandings that resulted from their failed policy. But what is the misunderstanding, and what is the correct understanding? What forces led to this attempted change in policy? Clearly not public opinion, as public opinion is what has, with uncommon swiftness, blocked it. Instead it is the right-wing leadership of the organisation, pushing a particular narrative of Australian history. Let us make our own analysis of history. The First World War, the typical focal point of the right-wing narrative, was an inter-imperialist conflict between mainly European powers. There were no principles at stake, only territory and power. There was no compelling native reason for any Australian involvement. But despite the fact that Australia had been theoretically independent from the British Empire for thirteen years, pro-British sympathy was amplified by the remaining strong British control over, and interference in, Australian politics, and our country was pushed into this brutal conflict. The lack of respect and callous disregard of the British military commanders towards Australian troops in the war is well documented. The British treated our troops as disposable cannon fodder, and thousands of our people were killed to further their military aspirations. None can deny that it is important to commemorate these sacrifices made by our people. However, from the facts, it is difficult to arrive at a positive appraisal of these events, one that constructs a coherent narrative of the birth of the Australian nation the so-called ANZAC legend. Instead the facts depict a great tragedy, and a proof of the importance of the struggle for independence that continues to this day. The ANZAC myth has been a longstanding trope of the Australian right. It constructs a view of Australian nationhood which is fundamentally tied to British heritage, and erases Indigenous people. This is despite the fact that in the two World Wars approximately 6,000 Indigenous people served in the Australian military. It is of note, although shamefully unsurprising, that the RSL at that time barred the returned Indigenous soldiers from membership. The RSLWAs attempted policy is a clear attempt to further this erroneous notion of Australian nationhood. The lesson of WWI should be to avoid such tragedies by pursuing an independent national policy, proceeding from a concept of Australian nationhood that is a reflection of facts and thus upholds Indigenous heritage, rights, and sovereignty at the core. Instead the RSLWA attempted to invert the facts and exclude Indigenous people and culture from their portrayal of the Australian spirit. This is a continuation of the colonialist outlook that still lies at the heart of the dominant culture and politics in our country and must be overcome. We demand that RSLWA issue a decent apology that acknowledges the wrong that they have committed. There is no misunderstanding; we understand perfectly what they tried to do. The people have spoken and will no longer stand for it. While it must be observed that in practice the average non-Indigenous Australians respect for and understanding of Indigenous people has a long way to go, the facts in theory have become all too clear, and so, increasingly acknowledged by the majority of the people. How far have we come? The people have come much further than our mainstream political leaders. We need leaders who will take us forward, not hold us back, and overcome old injustices that had no right to ever exist and still less today! [March 02, 2020] Lifted Made Signs Exclusive Agreement to Manufacture CBD Products for American Top Team, the International Leader in MMA Training LAKE FOREST, Ill., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lifted Made ( ww w.LiftedMade.c om ), a wholly owned subsidiary of Acquired Sales Corp. (OTC Pink: AQSP ), today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement to manufacture CBD-infused products for American Top Team, the leader in MMA (mixed martial arts) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu training. Founded by Dan Lambert in 2001, American Top Team, headquartered in Coconut Creek, Florida (www.AmericanTopTeam.com), is internationally renowned for its MMA pro team and kids training camps. Dan Lambert, President of American Top Team, said, We are excited to work with Lifted Made in offering the American Top Team brand of hemp and CBD products in our gym. Of all of the manufacturers that we considered, we are confident that Lifted Made offers the best hemp and CBD products for our clients and team members. We look forward to working with Lifted Made to bring hemp and CBD products to the exciting and growing MMA world!" Brian Werner of Lifted Made, said, "American Top Team has the best people, the best training, and the best pros in MMA. Their choice of Lifted Made as their exclusive manufacturer of hemp and CBD-infused products offered at American Top Team's gyms is a huge vote of confidence in the quality of Lifted Made's products." Nicholas S. Warrender, CEO of Lifted Made, said, "This is the first of several important CBD-infused product rollouts and contract signings that Lifted Made expects to make over the next few months. We're rolling." Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this document are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such information includes the growth and profitability strategies, and future plans of Lifted Made and Acquired Sales Corp. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause or contribute to the actual results of Lifted Mades and Acquired Sales Corp.s operations or the performance or achievements of these companies differing materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Acquired Sales Corp. undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of certain other factors, including those set forth in Acquired Sales Corp.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CONTACTS: Lifted Made Attn: Nicholas S. Warrender, CEO Phone: 224-577-8148 Email: [email protected] Website: www.LiftedMade.com Acquired Sales Corp. Attn: William C. "Jake" Jacobs, CPA, President and CFO Phone: 847-400-7660 Email: [email protected] Website: www.AcquiredSalesCorp.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] WASHINGTON, DC With the rapid spread of the Coronavirus outbreak in many more countries outside of China and problems with testing kits in the United States, infectious disease expert, Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan , has expressed concerns about the quality of Coronavirus testing kits which were sent to African countries and other developing countries from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Speaking with reporters in a recent skype interview, the Liberian scientist, Dr. Nyan, said as many laboratories in the United States have reported trouble with the Coronavirus test produced by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), we are very concerned about the accuracy and other diagnostic characteristics of Coronavirus COVID-19 Test-Kits sent to African countries during this outbreak. He explained that African countries using any of these faulty testing kits from the US CDC could be at very high risk of misdetection, and therefore possible spread of the virus in the population if positive cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections are missed. According to reports, some test kits presently used in Liberia, for example, were supplied from the US CDC to aid in monitoring the Coronavirus transmission which has already totaled over 80,000 cases worldwide and killed more than 2,500 people. South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran have reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases outside of China where the outbreak began in November 2019. The Washington Post and LiveScience recently reported that testing kits sent by the CDC to state laboratories across the United States are unusable due to faulty reagents component that cause the test to return inconclusive results. In a recent press conference, the US CDC Director of National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Dr. Nancy Messonnier confirmed that the CDC test wasnt working as expected, specifically some public health labs at states were getting inconclusive results and what that means is that test results were not coming back as false positive or false negatives but they were being read as inconclusive. Dr. Nyan, in a communication to medical and public health authorities, expressed concerns about the possibility of misdiagnosing COVID-19 in Liberia and other African countries if the reported US CDC faulty test kits are the ones being used for monitoring and surveillance. He commented that a missed positive case could begin the rapid spread of coronavirus in a population already living under weak and struggling public health systems which rely heavily on NGO donations. Dr. Nyan further stated that my concern is particularly heightened about any inability of the US CDC test to discriminate other phylogenetically related Coronaviruses such as the Sever Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which share similar onset clinical symptoms with COVID-19 and caused epidemics in Asia and the Middle East around 2003 and 2015. The Nyan Test was at the center of discussion during the recent Mzuzah African Healthcare Innovation and Sustainability Conference held at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health where he presented. Dr. Nyan is winner of the 2017 African Innovation Prize for Social Impact and also awarded a Patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for his invention of the rapid multiplex pathogens diagnostic test, which can simultaneously detect and identify multiple infections, including Coronaviruses. Dr. Nyans team has offered to help African countries develop a rapid test for Coronaviruses that will function as a parallel or second test for surveillance, validation and evaluating persons under investigation for COVID-19 infection. Already, some hospitals and laboratories in the United States are pushing for developing their in-house tests for COVID-19, while awaiting the US Center for Disease Control to correct the problem with its test. MULAN, Mulan (left, voice: Ming-Na), Shang, (center, voice: B.D. Wong), 1998. Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection. Disney's live-action version of Mulan was finally released on Sept. 4, but there is one character who doesn't make an appearance: Li Shang. While the character serves as Mulan's commander-turned-love-interest in the original animated film, he is not in the reboot. Instead, the character is split into two parts with Donnie Yen playing Commander Tung and Yoson An playing a soldier named Chen Honghui, who acts as Mulan's love interest. So, what is the reason for the switch-up? The film's producer Jason Reed said the #MeToo movement heavily influenced their decision to reimagine the character. "We split Li Shang into two characters. One became Commander Tung, who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui who is her equal in the squad," he told Collider in February. "I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn't think it was appropriate." Related: Everyone Is Combat-Ready in Disney's New Character Posters For the Live-Action Mulan Just as Mulan and Li Shang's characters start off on the wrong foot in the animated film, Chen Honghui's relationship with Mulan in the live-action movie is a slow burn. "As they progress through the training together, they kind of have this unspoken bond about it because they recognize each other's warrior spirit," the New Zealand actor said about his character. "That's how they kind of build their friendship up, to begin with, through the training and acknowledging each other." Be sure to tune into the film on Disney+ to see how their relationship pans out. A study led by the University of Southampton, funded by Cancer Research UK, has shown a new drug - originally developed to tackle the scarring of organ tissue - could help to significantly improve the success rate of cancer immunotherapy treatment. Scientists have shown in mouse cancers, that GKT137831 (Setanaxib) can help break down the 'barrier' which makes many cancerous tumours resistant to immunotherapy drugs. GKT137831 is a drug currently undergoing clinical trials for treatment of organ fibrosis. The team's findings are published in the journal Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Immunotherapy treatment harnesses the power of the body's own immune system to fight cancer. Its success depends on 'killer' lymphocytes penetrating into a tumour to combat malignant cells. However, most patients fail to respond, often because the lymphocytes are blocked at the edge of the tumour, preventing their attack. The scientists behind this latest study believe they have found why this happens and identified a way to overcome it - potentially improving immunotherapy treatment for many patients with different types of cancer. The team found that normal cells called cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are hijacked by cancer cells to protect them from immune attack. Fibroblasts are healthy cells that normally maintain the structure of tissues, but when they are corrupted by cancer cells, they become CAFs and shield tumours from lymphocyte attack and stop immunotherapy from working effectively. A significant proportion of many solid cancers are CAF-rich and associated with poor survival, including more than 50 percent of cases of head and neck, esophageal, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Previously, the group had identified that CAF formation depends on an enzyme called NOX4. In this study, they found that blocking NOX4 in mouse cancers, either genetically or with the drug GKT137831, could prevent and reverse CAF formation, allowing lymphocytes to infiltrate tumours and kill cancer cells*. Combining immunotherapies with GKT137831 was effective in treating tumours that were previously resistant, significantly improving survival**. The findings could form the basis for making cancers respond better to existing immunotherapy drugs and demonstrate the potential for greatly improved clinical outcomes in a significant number of cancers. Cancer Research UK is currently funding the Southampton scientists to see if this approach improves immunotherapy in breast cancer. Study author Professor Gareth Thomas, of the University of Southampton's Centre for Cancer Immunology, comments: "Immunotherapy for cancer has been a very exciting development, but still doesn't work in most patients. Our results suggest that in many cases, treatment resistance is caused by CAF, and we think this can be overcome by targeting NOX4. GKT137831 hasn't yet been tested on cancer patients, but we hope may give immunotherapy drugs a much better chance of fighting cancer cells effectively; this technique could hugely improve the success rate of cancer immunotherapy." Liz Allaway, from Cancer Research UK says: "Immunotherapy is a promising cancer treatment that boosts the power of the body's immune system against cancer, but unfortunately it doesn't work for everyone. This exciting study showed that a drug, currently being tested for the treatment of another disease could make tumours in the lab more sensitive to immunotherapy. The next step would be to see if the drug has the same effect in people, which would open up immunotherapy as a treatment option for more people with cancer." Ongoing work with Cancer Research UK will now investigate how best to progress these findings. ### Notes to Editors 1) For a copy of the paper and interviews with Professor Gareth Thomas, please contact Peter Franklin, Media Relations, University of Southampton. Tel +44 23 8059 3212 Email p.franklin@soton.ac.uk 2) The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world's challenges. We are among the top 100 institutions globally (QS World University Rankings 2019). Our academics are leaders in their fields, forging links with high-profile international businesses and organisations, and inspiring a 22,000-strong community of exceptional students, from over 135 countries worldwide. Through our high-quality education, the University helps students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential and join our global network of over 200,000 alumni. http://www.southampton.ac.uk 3) About Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Cancer Research UK's pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives. Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on vital donations from the public. Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last forty years. Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK's ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses. Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org * mice with different types of cancer (TC1 - lung; MC38 - colon) were treated with GKT137831 to inhibit NOX4; this reduced tumour size by >50% and led to a 5-10-fold increase in CD8+ T-cell infiltration into tumours ** mice were tested with different immunotherapies (TC1 - DNA E7 (HPV) vaccination; MC38 - anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibition) combined with GKT137831; the combination treatments reduced tumour size by >50-75% and approximately doubled survival times For more information see the paper published in the journal Cancer Research: https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2020/02/28/0008-5472.CAN-19-3158 LOS ANGELES The first black woman to lead the largest local prosecutors office in the U.S. apologized for her husband pointing a gun at Black Lives Matter demonstrators who came to their Los Angeles home before dawn Monday. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said she and her husband, David, were awakened and frightened. She said he ran downstairs and she heard him talking to someone and that when he came back, he said there were protesters. I pulled my gun, and I asked them to leave, she said he told her. The district attorney said they were both sorry it happened. In a video posted by Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah, a man pointing a gun opens the door and says, Get off. Get off of my porch. The encounter came a day before a primary election where Lacey is seeking a third term. Lacey has clashed repeatedly with Black Lives Matter protesters. They say she is too protective of law enforcement and doesnt prosecute officers who fatally shoot suspects. Abdullah told KTTV the protesters rang Laceys doorbell to meet with her. Her husband met us at the door with a gun, Abdullah told the station. We heard him cock it, he pointed the gun as he opened the door and then when he saw me, he pointed the gun directly at my chest. The Los Angeles police were called to a home around 5:40 a.m. regarding about 50 protesters, Officer Lizeth Lomeli said. Lomeli said there have not been any arrests, but police did not immediately confirm the report of a man brandishing a gun. The district attorneys office referred media inquires to Laceys campaign, which did not immediately comment. Lacey, a two-term incumbent, is facing George Gascon, the former San Francisco district attorney, and former public defender Rachel Rossi. The race is nonpartisan and will be decided if one of the candidates receives more than half the votes Tuesday. If no one achieves a majority, the top two will face off in November. Rossi, whose spokeswoman Jasmyne Cannick also posted the video on Twitter, criticized Laceys reluctance to meet with the protesters. As district attorney, I will never run from the community, Rossi said in a statement Monday. Stefanie Dazio is an Associated Press writer. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 16:31:19 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 537 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 /Newswire customers have expressed their feelings about their experience on G2 Crowd by sharing rave reviews about the best-in-class platform and service. For the third year in a row, Newswire is No. 1 in customer satisfaction, according to the highly acclaimed peer-to-peer platform review website G2 Crowd. Customers who have utilized the platform shared their insight on its ease of use and incredible value.A user who works for an agency in marketing and advertising writes, "Great value for SEO. I love how it gives a lot of domain authority value for my clients. I use this for every new client that we have." The customer service and success Newswire has to offer has been one of the main reasons why customers have switched and committed to the company's services. G2 Crowd has positioned Newswire with a No. 1 rating in customer satisfaction for the third year in a row based on reviews left on the website.Lori B., a writer/press coordinator, said, "The thing I love most about Newswire is the team. They are 100% committed to their craft, which means they will ensure your press goes out when it is perfect. They are flexible; they offer all the services needed to supplement my PR business with just the right amount of boom'.""These reviews are a true testament to the dedication each Newswire team member puts in on a daily basis," said Patrick Santiago, VP of Customer Success at Newswire. "Our customers are our number one priority. As long as we keep listening to their feedback, the team will keep prospering as a leader in the industry." Customers can now transform owned media (press releases) into the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, greater return on media spend and increased sales. As a result, customers can lower their costs of press releases, increase the value of each release and lower paid-media costs while shortening the journey for the Earned Media Advantage.The journey is designed to empower the Earned Media Advantage by developing a plan that is based on a media communications survey that defines press release content value and distribution. Customers are also provided a media communications calendar, services to set up, operate and manage media databases, media monitoring alerts, statistical analysis, reporting and media room news collection and sharing to ensure Customer Success.Download How the Earned Media Advantage is Transforming Business and discover how to empower your go-to-market strategies with the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, generate greater return on media and marketing communications spend and increased sales.About NewswireNewswire delivers press release and multimedia distribution software and services (SaaS) that empower the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, greater return on media and marketing communications spend and the competitive edge. With over a decade of experience, Newswire continues to provide its customers with the ability to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through the right medium. To learn and experience Newswire, visit http://www.newswire.com CONTACT:Charlie TerenzioDirector of Earned Media StrategyNewswireOffice: 813-480-3766Email: charlie@ newswire.com Related ImagesSOURCE: Newswire For months, users of Googles Home and Nest speakers have been complaining that their devices cant hold a steady Bluetooth connection to a phone or an external speaker, and now Google says its looking for a fix. Android Police spotted a reply to one of the Bluetooth complaints from a Google Nest support rep, who said that Google is working on finding a solution. I know how annoying and challenging it can be...to not have such an important feature work properly, the Nest support rep wrote. Our team is aware of this issue and are currently investigating for a fix. The problem arises when you try to stream music to a Google Home or Nest speaker from your phone or another device via Bluetooth, or when you want to stream audio from a Google smart speaker to a paired Bluetooth speaker that youve designated as a default speaker for music playback. Users on the Nest support thread say that when streaming audio to a Home or Nest speaker, the device often drops the connection after only a few minutes or so. I tried streaming some Spotify tunes to my Google Home Mini speaker via Bluetooth on my iPhone XS, and indeed, the Home Mini lost the connection after a minute or two. Google Home and Nest Mini users have also complained that their speakers have trouble maintaining a connection to an external Bluetooth speaker, with the Google devices frequently disconnecting and reconnecting to their designated default Bluetooth speaker, or losing the connection entirely, forcing the speakers to be paired again. In some cases, users have reported that their Bluetooth speakers started beeping in the middle of the night after theyd lost their connection to the Google Home speakers. Because most Google Home and Nest speakers (with the exception of the Google Home Max) lack a 3.5mm audio jack, youll have to stream your tunes wirelessly if you want to hear music over an external speaker. Luckily, Wi-Fi audio streaming seems to be working fine for Home and Nest devices, although youll need a Chromecast-enabled speaker to make it work. If you've been having Bluetooth trouble with your Google Home or Nest speaker, just say "Hey Google, send feedback," and then say "GHT3 Bluetooth IN keeps on disconnect" when Google asks what needs to be improved. Im told I was a born performer. When I was a young kid I had some crazy dreams of being the president or a marine biologist but then I realised the only thing I was any good at was acting. Im not from an acting family, at all. Mam works in Trinity, doing catering, and dad has his own business, Cliffords Fireplaces. They made sure I knew I was choosing a precarious type of career. But once Id set my mind to it, they encouraged me every step of the way. I started acting classes when I was eight, in Clondalkin Drama Group; then I joined Dublin Youth Theatre. After school, it was straight to acting college at The Lir Academy for a four year course the foundation, and then the BA. We had to pay for it, of course, so it was a big decision. It was thanks to Lir that I got my big break, playing Sharon in Roddy Doyles The Snapper. I do believe in fate. Because, although I was still only a third year student, I emailed The Gate Theatre loads, begging to be considered for the part. After theyd auditioned many experienced actors, they decided that the girl they were looking for was still in college. Which was lucky for me as it meant they answered my email and invited me to audition. Once Id played Sharon, I got an agent and my career took off.At the end of day, whether you go to acting school or not is your choice. But I cant imagine how Id have broken into the business otherwise. And, I learnt things at Lir that I didnt even know I needed to know about voice development and movement. The biggest challenge Ive had to face so far is feeling that Im not good enough. Ive had to learn how to handle rejection being continually turned down for parts and realising that its OK to fail.My idea of misery would be losing my passion for acting. It is the only thing I feel Im able to do well. I honestly dont think I could do anything else. If I could be someone else for a day Id be Stevie Nicks so that I could sing Dreams over and over. The best advice I ever received was from my mother that whats for you wont pass you by. My biggest fault is that I tend to burn the candle at both ends and I can get very stressed. I try to put things in place for my mental and physical health. I always make sure to get to the theatre with plenty of time to spare for warm ups and relaxing as I can get into a bit of a blind panic before I go out there once Im on stage, Im fine though. I also keep physically fit by eating healthy food and getting regular exercise when Im not working. Its hard to keep up a routine when youre resting as an actor but I do try. Im not religious and dont really believe in any kind of after life. I suppose we just return to nature when we die. The trait I most admire in others is openness. The trait that irritates me most is not listening to what others are saying. The thing that makes me good at this job is that I dont mind making a fool of myself. Im fine with being outrageous and loud. My advice to those who think they are too self conscious to even try any kind of acting or performance, is that its important to try things that take us outside our comfort zone.Im so thankful to the brave women who began the #MeToo movement. It is making this industry a safer environment for female actors. And maybe its increasing the opportunity for us to play interesting, strong female leads too. Like the part Im doing now playing pioneering Irish scientist Kathleen Lonsdale who was a real trailblazer and even spent time in jail for her pacifist beliefs yet Id never even heard about her until I auditioned for the part. So far life has taught me not be so hard on myself. Hazel Clifford stars in Super Pauas new play about the life of pioneering Irish scientist Kathleen Lonsdale in The Lonsdale Project which premieres at Riverbank Arts Centre (March 14) and Smock Alley Theatre (March 19 - 28) http://www.superpaua.org/lonsdale-project/4594468094 The Dillsburg couple who had been in quarantine for nearly a month after someone on their cruise ship tested positive for the coronavirus wont be coming home Monday as originally planned. Bill and Colette Smedley will have to stay at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas a little while longer. Devastation, Smedley wrote on his Facebook page. We are not being released today. Its not because theyre sick, though the Smedleys have tested negative for COVID-19 twice already. Smedley said they are being kept there because another person who had been under quarantine by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Antonio tested positive for the virus after being released. According to CNN, a person who had previously tested negative twice for the coronavirus, and was released by the CDC, is now back in quarantine after a subsequent test came back positive. This person was not on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship where the Smedleys and 3,700 others had been quarantined Feb. 3 before being flown to Texas Feb. 17. This individual was an evacuee from Wuhan, China, where officials say the virus originated, reports indicate. The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement. At the time of discharge from the facility, the patient was asymptomatic and met all of CDCs criteria for release, officials with the CDC statement. The patient is once again in isolation at a local medical facility, the statement read. But Smedley said the individual who was released and later tested positive was not associated with his group, leaving him wondering why they are not being released Monday as scheduled. According to 5 NBC DFW of Forth Worth, Texas, Nirenberg is calling for the 120 former passengers of the Diamond Princess and now in San Antonio to be tested a third time before they are released. None of us scheduled to leave today has ever tested positive, he said. How much more of this can we take? This post has been updated with additional information. To read the latest coverage on the coronavirus, visit PennLive.com/coronavirus. 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. London, March 2 : Anti-racism campaigners have urged the UK government to outlaw a British neo-Nazi Satanist group as a terrorist organisation, a media report said on Monday. The anti-racist Hope not Hate group said in a report on Sunday that the occult Order of Nine Angles (ONA) organisation, thought to have been founded in the 1970s, has become increasingly prominent online, noting that its "terminology and trappings have taken on lives of their own, adopted into the lexicon of the wider terroristic far-right", the BBC reported. In court, prosecutors have described the organisation as "self-consciously, explicitly malevolent" and the "most prominent and recognisable link between Satanism and the extreme right". Meanwhile, the anti-racist campaign group, which investigates violent extremism, argues that the group's "sick ideas have drawn in young extremists in the UK and elsewhere, and have helped nourish a dangerous culture of unprecedented depravity amongst the extreme right, which has none of the moral constraints that previous generations of far-right activists had". Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said Home Secretary Priti Patel "should immediately" refer the ONA to the government's proscription review group. "The combination of Nazi-Satanism, extreme violence and sexual abuse makes it particularly troubling and action needs to be taken to prevent them grooming and radicalising other people," the BBC report quoted Cooper as saying on Sunday. A Home Office spokesperson said action was being taken to "root out and dismantle the groups that promote extreme right-wing views and we are giving police the tools and resources they need to tackle this threat". "We keep the list of proscribed organisations under review." MONTREAL - A Quebec court has given the federal government more time to amend its assisted-dying legislation. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti speaks with the media following a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, February 25, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld MONTREAL - A Quebec court has given the federal government more time to amend its assisted-dying legislation. Ottawa was facing a March 11 deadline imposed last September by Quebec Superior Court Justice Christine Baudouin when she ruled it is unconstitutional to limit medically assisted death to those whose natural death is "reasonably foreseeable." Justice Minister David Lametti filed a motion Feb. 17 requesting a four-month extension, acknowledging the government would not be able to meet the deadline, and Baudouin agreed in a ruling Monday. She has extended the deadline to July 11, noting the government has shown "diligence" on the file by leading a public consultation on the subject and tabling legislation last week. In her ruling Monday, Baudouin creates a provision for those who had been hoping to access medically assisted death as of March 11. The judge said people who meet the other criteria for the procedure but whose natural death is not "reasonably foreseeable" can apply to a court for an exemption to receive an assisted death before the July 11 deadline. For people experiencing intolerable suffering, she wrote, the four-month delay "also prolongs the violation of their rights to life, liberty and security and equality of the person." The plaintiffs in the case, Jean Truchon et Nicole Gladu, two Quebecers suffering from incurable degenerative illnesses, received such exemptions in her initial ruling last September. Commenting on the extension Monday, a spokeswoman for Lametti called medical assistance in dying "a complex and deeply personal issue for many Canadians across the country." Rachel Rappaport said the government looks forward to "robust parliamentary debate" on the bill tabled last week. The bill scraps the provision that only those already near death can receive medical assistance in dying. But those whose death is not imminent would face more restrictive conditions under the law. They would face a minimum 90-day period for assessment of their requests, which could be shortened if loss of mental capacity is imminent. One of the two medical practitioners who assesses a request would have to have expertise in the patient's particular medical condition. And the patient would have to be able to give final consent immediately prior to the assisted death. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020. Medallion GPS PRO to offer fleet management and maintenance services to 700 Counties across the USA MURRIETA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / IGEN Networks Corporation (OTCQB:IGEN, CSE:IGN), a leading innovator of cloud-based and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for the protection and management of mobile assets, today announced the signing of its three years exclusive partnership agreement with the County Executives of America. With the recent launch of its Next Generation "Medallion GPS PRO" product line targeted for Light Commercial Fleets, IGEN will enable the Counties to improve productivity, safety, and protect their diverse fleets across the USA. Medallion GPS PRO is a Commercial Fleet Management Platform designed for the Light Commercial Fleet owner, with compelling features and services at lower costs and with emphasis on ease-of-use. The system is organized around both asset and driver with dispatch capabilities, automated reporting, maintenance, diagnostics reporting, driver behavior scoring, and video tutorials on demand that are built on AWS Cloud-based infrastructure. Medallion GPS PRO incorporates the patented "Digital Telematics Signature", which offers greater accuracy in measuring and scoring driver behavior across diverse fleets providing a powerful tool for assessing actuarial risk of assets and their drivers. "This exclusive partnership with the County Executives of America represents an opportunity for IGEN to offer fleet management solutions for an estimated 350,000 assets utilized across 700 Counties in the USA," said Neil G Chan, CEO of IGEN Networks Corp. The diversity of these assets along with the self-insurance of these assets creates an excellent fit with the capabilities of the Medallion GPS PRO Platform. Mr. Michael Griffin, Executive Director of the County Executives of America announced the IGEN partnership at their Board of Directors Meeting held on February 28, 2020. Director Griffin said: "The County Executives of America that represent over 700 Counties and Consolidated City/Counties across America's Heartland endorses IGEN's Medallion GPS PRO Platform with its innovative features that will offer significant improvement in productivity, management, and safety for the Counties, their drivers and mobile assets." Mr. Griffin continued with the statement "The Counties and Consolidated City/Counties have some of the largest fleets of automobiles, trucks, motorized equipment and school buses in the United States. The care for this equipment is a very large expense to the taxpayer and it's our duty to help secure and maintain these valuable assets." About IGEN Networks Corporation IGEN Networks Corporation provides peace-of-mind to automotive consumers and their families through direct access to Internet-of-Things (IoT) cloud-based services that include Stolen Vehicle Protection, Real-time updates on asset health and Driver Behavior. IGEN is a fully reporting company in both Canada and the United States. It is publicly traded on the OTCQB under the symbol IGEN, and listed on the CSE under the symbol IGN. For more information, please visit: www.igennetworks.net About County Executives of America County Executives of America's mission is two-fold: To help county governments serve the American people in the most responsive, most efficient way by acting as a national voice for its leaders and representing its interests on all levels of government. To develop, promote, and preserve the core philosophy of federalism and devolution. CEA began as a league formed by county executives who believed that the job as the chief elected officer of a county was too important to overlook. Their initial desire to create an alliance that would assist county officers in executing their duties sparked a dramatic evolution that produced today's association. CEA's current membership includes County Executives, County Judges, Parish and Borough Presidents, City-County Mayors, Commission Presidents and Chairs, and all county leaders elected at-large by the public constituency. A long-time affiliate group of the National Association of Counties, CEA has operated as an independent organization since 1994. With its headquarters in Washington D.C., CEA brings together top-level local officials to discuss and determine policy on wide-ranging issues that affect local governments and the people they serve. CEA also provides a voice at the national level among the various policy making representatives including members and staff of the United States Congress, officials in the Executive Branch at both the federal and state government level and various interest groups and associations based on Capitol Hill. CEA is governed by a Board of Directors and selected Executive Officers. The Board President is elected and serves two-year terms. For more information, please visit: www.countyexecutives.org Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities law. The terms and phrases "goal", "commitment", "guidance", "expects", "would", "will", "continuing", "drive", "believes", "indicate", "look forward", "grow", "outlook", "forecasts", "intend", and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by IGEN in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that IGEN believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to statements regarding investment liquidity, financing options and long term goals of the Company, general economic conditions, IGEN's expectations regarding its business, customer base, strategy and prospects, and IGEN's confidence in the cash flow generation of its business. Many factors could cause IGEN's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to competition; IGEN's reliance on key personnel; IGEN's ability to maintain and enhance its brand; and difficulties in forecasting IGEN's financial results, particularly over longer periods given the rapid technological changes, competition and short product life cycles that characterize the mobile application industry. These risk factors and others relating to IGEN that may cause actual results to differ are set forth in the under the heading "Risk Factors" in IGEN's periodic filings with the British Columbia Securities Commission and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on IGEN's forward-looking statements. IGEN has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Contact: IGEN Networks Corporation Neil Chan 1(844)332-5699 SOURCE: IGEN Networks Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578637/County-Executives-of-America-Announces-Nationwide-Partnership-Agreement-with-IGEN-Networks-Corporation (Natural News) The New York Times has published dangerous misinformation about how to prepare for the coronavirus. The recent article said, wash your hands, keep a supply of medicine, and GET A FLU SHOT. This might be one of the most illogical pieces of medical advice ever doled out by the mainstream media. The article assures readers that getting a flu shot is a practical tip offered by experts. Meanwhile, the rest of the world rolls their eyes. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the source of the fake news The article cites Dr. Keith Klugman, director of the pneumonia program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He says that infectious disease specialists strongly recommend flu vaccination for coronavirus and pneumonia. The best protection for older people against bacterial pneumonia, he says, is to vaccinate children. According to David Brownstein, M.D., this is FAKE NEWS propaganda. The flu vaccine has never been shown to protect against pneumonia, he iterated. And obviously, the flu viruses used in the flu vaccine do not resemble coronaviruses and will not prepare the immune system in any way. According to the CDCs annual flu vaccine statistics, the flu vaccine is not effective at all for controlling the circulating flu strain each year. In fact, the flu shot has been found to cause mutations in flu viruses from the previous flu season, making people more susceptible to infection the following year. So, to think that inoculation with flu viruses is going to prepare the immune system for coronaviruses is illogical, to say the least. Even a coronavirus vaccine will be a risky, as evidenced by previous attempts to develop a vaccine for SARS. Flu vaccines increase hospitalizations for flu-like illnesses three-fold Furthermore, researchers from the American Thoracic Society have found damning evidence surrounding the flu vaccine that many people wont want to hear. Instead of preventing influenza-related hospitalization in children, the trivalent inactivated flu vaccine actually increases hospitalizations three fold! Children who are subjected to the flu vaccine year after year are at an increased risk for hospitalization when compared to children who are not subjected to the vaccine. Children with asthma suffer the worst. This research shows theres no efficacy to the vaccine; in fact, the flu vaccine poses net harm to children. The research is to be presented May 19, at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego. This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the TIV in children overall, as well as the children with asthma, to prevent influenza-related hospitalization, said Joshi, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The study examined 263 children who were thoroughly examined at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, aged six months to 18 years. Each of the children had experienced laboratory-verified influenza infection at some point between 1996 and 2006. The Mayo Clinic evaluated each child, whether they were subjected to the flu vaccine, whether they had asthma and finally, whether they needed hospitalization for influenza-related illnesses. The results are not what vaccine manufacturers want to hear: Children who dont get the flu vaccine recover from flu and other infections more effectively, rarely requiring hospitalization. Children who are subjected to the annual flu vaccine are three times more likely to suffer complication to infection, more likely to be hospitalized, and put on breathing treatments and other drugs. The risk of hospitalization post vaccination is even higher for children who already have inflamed airways and constricted breathing due to asthma. This is partly due to the fact that flu vaccines contain thimerosal, a mercury compound that depletes intracellular glutathione production and causes oxidation of the mitochondria pathway of cells. Glutathione is the master antioxidant for the cells in the body. When it is depleted, a persons immune system is weakened and they become more susceptible to complications from infections. CDC fails to publish peer-reviewed science on how to strengthen the innate immune system The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program all recommend the flu vaccine for all children six months to 18 years. To decrease influenza-related hospitalization in children, its time for these organizations to rescind their flu vaccine recommendations. Its also time for public health authorities to provide information and effective resources that can help children overcome infections naturally. On the CDCs page for preparing for coronavirus, there is no mention of practical solutions for preparing the immune system. Tools that actually help a childs immune system overcome infection include, but are not limited to: elderberry syrup, whole food zinc and vitamin C supplements, proper hydration, no sugar or foods that generate mucus, a healthy fever response (not suppressed), sweet licorice root extracts, vitamin D supplements, colloidal silver, raw manuka honey, garlic-leek-onion-rich soups, and real fruit juices. Not everyones immune system is the same and some children suffer from asthmatic conditions caused by environmental factors. Because asthmatic conditions are made worse, according to this study, by the annual flu vaccine, its important to learn how to reduce inflammation in the airways. Extracts of mullein herb, elecampane, turmeric root, marshmallow root, black cumin seed, and schisandra berry, are effective anti-inflammatory solutions for the respiratory tract and beyond. In order to avoid complications and hospitalizations from infections, families should avoid artificial perturbation of the immune system via flu vaccines and instead accentuate the bodys innate immune defenses. Keep up with the latest on the coronavirus outbreak and Pandemic.news. Sources include: HealthImpactNews.com NYTimes.com NaturalNews.com ScienceDaily.com Journal.Plos.org CDC.gov LivePureBodyCare.com ScienceDirect.com NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov LivePureBodyCare.com NaturalNews.com Indian-American writer Vikram Chandra co-founded the Silicon Valley startup Granthika Faizal Khan The newest technology product from Silicon Valley owes its origins to the birth pangs of a book. Granthika, a new application to help writers negotiate the air pockets of creativity, is a startup co-founded by Indian-American writer Vikram Chandra. The app, whose first seeds were sown when Chandra was writing his third novel, Sacred Games, is turning heads in the technology world. The first investor to come on board was Bloomberg Beta, the American venture capital firm from the stable of billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg, a candidate in the US Democratic presidential primaries. Founded in California in 2016, the official version of Granthika was released in November 2019. The app, which combines writing tools from word processing to editor to timeline-maker to database, is available on MacOS, Windows and Linux. The company offers a free trial for 14 days. Granthika, says the company website (https://granthika.co) ", intelligently manages all story elements for you, freeing you to be even more creative". A Long Journey The story of Granthika goes all the way back to the mid-90s. "It occurred to me just as I was starting Sacred Games (now a Netflix series)," says Chandra, who teaches creative writing at University of California, Berkeley. There were several things he had to keep up with---pictures, photos of location, enough to fill up several notebooks. "It is a manual bookkeeping that you end up with," he adds. There were mistakes to avoid in facts and chronology. "People are forgiving in fiction. They are very kind and will email you about the mistakes," he says. "But it drives me nuts." How much can human beings do? That was the question he was grappling with. He soon started looking around for software that could help organise writing tools. "Nobody had it," says Chandra. In 1999, during a visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, Chandra was introduced to Microsoft Project Management Software. Its applications were in areas like building big bridges, but the author saw that the software had the ability to attach characters like workers to products and materials. "I came home and started using the software," recalls Chandra. Sacred Games was published in 2006, and the writer had all the time to pursue matters of technology. Art Meets Technology "I have a hacky programmer's brain," jokes Chandra. When he was a student in America and writing his first novel, Red Earth and Pouring Rain, Chandra worked as a programmer. It all came back to aid his exploration of a writer's software. Sacred Games took ten years to come out. "I thought about it (the software) for another ten years," he adds. Then, suddenly one day in his home, Chandra saw a glimmer of hope. A way to attack knowledge to text. "I started talking about it in a boring way to people," he says. One person who heard it was Paul Vidich, author of trade spy novels An Honourable Man and The Good Assassin. Chandra and Vidich were at the same writers' conference. "Write up a software proposal," Vidich, who had worked with AOL, told him. "I wrote 40-odd pages while on a tour for Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, Code of Beauty (Indian title Mirrored Mind published in 2014)," says Chandra. He first sent the proposal to Akash Kapur, Indian-American writer of India Becoming and Auroville: Dream and Reality: An Anthology. "Akash is a tech guy. He is friends with Roy Bahat (head of Bloomberg Beta that would later invest in Granthika)," he adds. Bahat now knew about Granthika and was interested. Though the proposal was ready, Chandra still needed somebody to work with. "Cutting edge engineering is way ahead of my brain," he jokes. He found the ideal partner in Borislav Lordanov, an American software professional and entrepreneur. Lordanov would become Granthika's co-founder and president. Lordanov had developed an open source database called HypergraphDB. "It seemed almost too perfect," says Chandra. "It is like a foundation on which to build (the writer's app)." Chandra soon emailed Lordanov asking him a couple of tech questions. Lordanov emailed back saying what Chandra wanted to use them for. "I sent him the (Granthika) proposal." The response was quick: "If you have funding, I want to work with you," Lordanov replied. Six months later, the two met in California, thanks to Bahat. "I want to see the two of you in the same room," Bahat told Chandra. The Way Ahead "Venture capitalists believe writers are poor people. And that is true," says Chandra. "Almost 99.9 percent of writers have a day job." Bahat saw the potential of the app. "He is a visionary guy," says Chandra about Bahat, who would become Granthika's first investor. The new company hired programmers and started the work, releasing the Granthika app in November 2019. "We are a small team with scarce resources," says Chandra. The company is focusing on educating users. "A lot of writers are appreciative of the new app," he says. "We want to show people how it works. We are pushing very hard." The company gets many queries from India. Recently, one such was from Odisha seeking help for working on Granthika for the retelling of The Ramayana in Oriya language. "We have to make Granthika (which is available in English) multilingual," he says. "Hopefully in the future we will be able to acquire resources." Chandra, who believes new technology is taking ancient ways and giving us new ways to work, drew from Sanskrit for naming his startup. "The pre-modern etymology of Granthika is very interesting," he says. Granthika is a Sanskrit word derived from Sanskrit verb root granth, which means 'to fasten, to connect" and Sanskrit noun Grantha (composition, book in prose or verse). Granthika means narrator. A decade and half after he wrote Sacred Games, Chandra is now writing his new book, "two-three novellas", in Granthika this time. Granthika, a super-app for writers combining writing tools from word processing to editor to timeline-maker to database, was released in November last year The super-app owes its origins to the times when Vikram Chandra was writing his third novel Sacred Games, now a Netflix series American software entrepreneur and innovator Borislav Lordanov is co-founder and president of Granthika Vice President Venkaiah Naidu expresses displeasure after 95 out of 244 MPs absent from all meetings India oi-PTI New Delhi, Mar 02: As many as 95 MPs did not attend even a single meeting of the parliamentary standing committees that reviewed allocations for different ministries post-presentation of the Union Budget for the 2020-21 fiscal, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said on Monday. The two dozen department-related parliamentary standing committees, with 244 MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, considered Demands for Grants of all the ministries during the three-week recess following the Budget presentation. Giving an account of the meetings of these panels on the opening day of the Rajya Sabha after the recess, Naidu said, "95 members, accounting for 39 per cent of the total 244, did not attend any meeting on the Demands for Grants. Only 28 members had zero attendance last time". Of the 78 Rajya Sabha MPs on these committees, 23, or 29 per cent, did not attend any meeting as against 11 such members in the last review in December. Out of 166 Lok Sabha MPs, 78, or 47 per cent, were absent in all meetings of these panels against 72 MPs in the last review, he said. Naidu said since the introduction of department-related parliamentary standing committees in 1993, substantial work of Parliament is being transacted by these panels which have members from all parties and work in a nonpartisan manner. The meetings of these panels make up for the about 30 sittings of Parliament and fill the void created by the decline in the number of days when the Parliament meets -- on 60-70 days in a year from earlier 100 or more, he said, adding that the three-week recess was meant for 24 department-related parliamentary standing committees to consider Demands for Grants of all the Ministries as proposed in the Budget presented on February 1. "The total number of members who skipped two or more successive meetings has increased from 100 last year to 106 now. These include 28 members from Rajya Sabha as in the case of last review and 78 members from Lok Sabha, with an increase of six from the last time," he said. Naidu said the exercise was to bring in more accountability and transparency in the system so that Parliamentary functioning can improve. "I would like to reiterate my appeal to leaders of all parties, floor leaders and members to ensure better attendance in the meetings of Parliamentary Committees so that they do justice to the mandate with which they have been conceived. This warrants qualitative and quantitative improvement," he said. "In all, the work put in by the total 24 DRSCs in examining the Demands for Grants of all the Ministries equals to 30 days of the functioning of the Parliament, which is quite significant. That alone takes the total sittings of the Parliament during a year to over 100 days," he said. As many as 87 MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha out of the 244 members of the panels attended all the meetings as compared to 36 MPs last year. "The number of Members of Rajya Sabha with full attendance has increased from 18 last time to 28 now. In the case of Lok Sabha members, the increase in this regard has been from 18 last time to 59 now." "The first part of the Budget Session has largely been purposeful with 96 per cent productivity," Naidu said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 16:06 [IST] Although the government is optimistic about its tax revenue target, wider opinion points to the contrary. Sensex and Nifty had a bad day after two new coronavirus patients - one in New Delhi and another in Telanaga - aired epidemic fears. SBI Cards IPO was subscribed 39% on its first day. Read for more top stories from the world of business and economy: 1. Modi govt confident of achieving tax target, but numbers belie that confidence Despite a sharp downward revision from Rs 24.61 lakh crore to Rs 21.63 lakh crore, analysts believe government will be hard-pressed to meet its gross tax collection target for the current fiscal. 2. Sensex loses 1,298 points from day's high after 2 new coronavirus cases surface in India Both indices opened higher on Monday, snapping six-session losing streak as domestic investors turned bullish on account of a sharp recovery overseas. 3. SBI Cards IPO subscribed 39% on day 1 SBI Cards IPO received 3.91 crore bids in comparison to the issue size of 10.02 crore shares. A total of 2.73 crore bids were received at a cut off price of Rs 755 per share. 4. Vistara planning to enter bidding race for Air India, says Chairman Bhaskar Bhat "Which company would not be interested in evaluating a sovereign airline of the country," said Vistara Chairman Bhaskar Bhat on being asked whether his airline was interested in Air India. 5. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das pulls up govt banks for poor credit growth RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das enquired as to why bank credit growth was not picking up, asking bankers to get out of branches and develop connect with enterprises to push credit. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) talks to media after the closing arguments of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 3, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Grassley Seeks End to World Bank Funding for China Its time to stop the World Bank from giving loans to China, said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has introduced legislation to block the organization from issuing more funding to the worlds second-largest economy. As the United States is the largest contributor to the World Bank, its all the more important to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars arent funding Beijings abuses of human rights, Grassley said at a recent event sponsored by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Congress under the Clinton administration. Amnesty International and several news organizations have reported that 1 million or more Muslim Uyghurs are being held by the Chinese regime and forced into re-education programs, which are designed to detach them from Islam and reorient them psychologically to accept a fully secular Chinese identity. While the regime has said that facilities widely documented as camps of mass detention in Xinjiang Province are just ordinary vocational and training centers, Grassley, who serves as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said this claim is nonsense. Referring to secret documents that have recently come to light, Grassley said that these centers had purchased barbed wire, body armor, and tear gas, using other funds. Meanwhile, the World Bank continues to operate a technical and vocational educational project in Xinjiang, he said at the event on Feb. 23. Just having such an ongoing project in Xinjiang with that name, and the seal of approval of the World Bank, lends legitimacy to Chinas disingenuous claim to be concerned about vocational skills for local Muslims. He also said that giving loans to China, the second-largest economy after the United States, doesnt align with the World Banks mission. The World Bank was created to help economic development in the worlds poorest countries, he said. China ought to be embarrassed claiming it is a developing country. Grassley noted that China passed its graduation date from the World Bank in 2016, when its income level exceeded the World Banks own threshold for loan qualification. Chinas Influence Kyle Bass, founder and principal of Hayman Capital Management and longtime China critic, questioned the World Banks ties with China. Over time, and especially under the supervision of World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank has grown to be under the increasingly outsized influence of China, he said. The World Bank, Bass noted, was created in 1944 for the purpose of aiding war-torn and poor nations to rebuild and to develop. Why does the world continue to lend development money to China? he asked. How can we fight [the Chinese Communist Partys] infiltration and exploitation of the World Bank? In January 2019, the World Bank appointed Hua Jingdong, a Chinese national, as its treasurer. Hua oversees a US$200 billion debt portfolio and an asset portfolio of nearly US$200 billion as well as a derivatives portfolio of US$600 billion and annual cashflows of over US$7 trillion equivalent, according to his official profile. Yang Shaolin, a Chinese national, serves as managing director and World Bank Group chief administrative officer. According to the World Banks biographical data, Yang previously served as Director General for International Economic and Financial Cooperation at the Ministry of Finance of China, in charge of economic and financial cooperation between China and foreign governments as well as international financial institutions. Such senior Chinese government positions are almost invariably filled by members of the Chinese Communist Party. Since fiscal year 2016, when China should have no longer been eligible for loans, Beijing has received $8 billion in World Bank funding. Public World Bank documents detail the Procurement Plan for the Xinjiang project identified by both Grassley and Bass. The project, known as the Xinjiang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project, revised on Jan. 3, 2020. Line items for school-based reform and innovations include a comprehensive training center for an actual amount of just over $5 million. According to the World Bank document, goods to be procured include a Xinjiang Uygur medical college new campus network campus construction plan for nearly $2 million, nearly $143,000 for a virtual reality training room of Urumqi Vocational University and school-enterprise cooperation, as well as close to $24,000 for a Xinjiang Uygur medical college students mental health and counseling center. About $83,000 is designated for a development of national common language teaching platform, while $111,000 goes to Urumqi vocational university students large original stage musical. A national common language teaching platform refers to Chinese Mandarin language teaching, required throughout China as the language of instruction, bypassing local languages. Production of plays and musicals promoting CCP propaganda are common political tools that have been used for decades in schools and workplaces. All media in China are supervised and censored by Party authorities. Ending Funding Grassley has introduced two bills to end World Bank funding for China. Senate Bill 3018 is a bill to require the United States Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to oppose assistance by the Bank for any country that exceeds the graduation threshold of the Bank and is of concern with respect to religious freedom. That speaks directly to Grassleys concerns that China is ineligible to receive World Bank assistance, and that the illegitimate assistance it is receiving is going directly to programs to deny a population of its religious freedoms. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and its sister organization, the International Development Association, are collectively known as the World Bank, as they share personnel. Senate Bill 3017, the Accountability for World Bank Loans to China Act of 2019, is designed to pursue the expeditious graduation of the Peoples Republic of China from assistance by the IBRD. The bill notes that the IBRD examines a countrys potential graduation when the country reaches the Graduation Discussion Income (GDI), which amounts to a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of $6,975, and that the World Bank calculates Chinas GNI per capita as equivalent to $9,470, showing that China is 35 percent above World Banks own graduation guidelines. New Delhi, March 2 : Both the Houses of Parliament were on Monday adjourned for the day following unrelenting protests by Opposition MPs who vociferously demanded Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation over Delhi riots. The protesting MPs rushed to the wells of both the House, with placards demanding resignation of Amit Shah. In the morning, the Lok Sabha was adjourned within minutes of the start of the proceedings. Even as Speaker Om Birla requested the MPs to maintain order, the protesting MPs continued to shout slogans, saying "Home Minister must resign". The BJP-led treasury benches hit out at the Congress with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi saying, "The same people who didn't take any action even after 3,000 people were killed in 1984 are today creating a ruckus here. I strongly condemn this attitude." The government also raised Sonia Gandhi's speech of December 14, 2019 from Ramlila Ground calling for 'aar-paar ki ladai', terming it provocative. When the Lok Sabha reassembled post-lunch, there was no relief from slogan-shouting following which the House was adjourned. Earlier, the Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned after protests by Opposition MPs over Delhi violence. On Monday, Congress, Trinamool and AAP MPs staged separate dharnas near the Gandhi statue in Parliament, demanding answers from the government on the Delhi riots on the first day of the second half of the Budget Session. Following noisy scenes, the Rajya Sabha was adjouned till Tuesday. At least 45 people have so far died and more than 263 injured in the deadliest violence in north-east district of the Capital. Around 80 houses, more than 100 shops, five schools and some petrol pumps have been partially or fully gutted. The violence started on February 23 when clashes between pro and anti-CAA protesters turned violent. About this data Sources: State and local health agencies (cases, deaths); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (tests, hospitalizations). The seven-day average is the average of the most recent seven days of data. Currently hospitalized is the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 reported by hospitals in the state for the four days prior. Dips and spikes could be due to inconsistent reporting by hospitals. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government. Tests represent the number of individual P.C.R. viral test specimens tested by laboratories and state health departments and reported to the federal government by the 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Hospitalizations and tests are counted based on dates assigned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are subject to historical revisions. Cases and deaths data are assigned to dates based on when figures are publicly reported. For case and death seven-day averages, if there are days within that range with no data reported, the period is extended to older days until at least seven days of data are included. Data from days following non-reporting days is averaged over that day and the non-reporting days that precede it. When calculating rolling averages, these days representing multiple day's worth of data are always included together, which means that in instances of irregularly timed reporting, the seven-day average may be an average over more than seven days. Certain days with anomalous total case or death reports are excluded from the average or have a portion of their cases and deaths which correspond to data backlogs removed from the average calculation. For the U.S. national case and death count averages, the average is the sum of the average number of cases and deaths in all states and territories each day. This average may not match the average when calculated from the U.S. case and death total in order to account for irregularly timed case and death reports at the state level. (Photo : Derek Read on Flickr) The Oklahoma Education system is now adding biological evolution to its curriculum as an expansion of its initiative to battle climate change. This proposal for the new state scholastic standards is a first in Oklahoma. Just last week, the approval of the new standards for fine arts and science came from the Oklahoma State Board of Education. Relatively, other academic standards will be endorsed by the governor and Legislature before the next school year's implementation. However, as The Oklahoman reports, evolution will not be addressed as life's sole origin when introduced in school. This was according to the director of curriculum and instruction for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Tiffany Neill. Instead, high school students taking up biology will discover how organisms change and adapt to their surroundings over time. Neill added that this scientific theory is fundamental to biology courses for college, as well as each Advanced Placement course. How Biological Evolution is Taught and Applied As the educators were developing the new standards they expressed their intention to teach the students how biological evolution is applied to mutations in bacteria and viruses. This would then relate to either agricultural or medical concepts like viruses becoming resistant to medicines, specifically, antibiotics. Already included in the standards of the state are ancestry and natural selection, which were already passed in 2014. Despite the strong proposition, teaching biological evolution directly is optional, and not compulsory. Essentially, academic standards undergo thorough review and revision every six years. According to Neill, the Board directs schools on which core ideas students should be able to demonstrate understanding. Aside from this, schools, teachers, and districts will independently decide the manner of teaching those standards. Neill also boasted of the hundreds of university and public school science teachers in Oklahoma who helped in the development of the 2020 revisions. Incidentally, biological evolution is said to have accounted for three of the most essential features of the world around every human being--the similarities among the diversity of life, living things, and many traits of the physical world people inhabit. Expanding Lessons on Climate Change Additionally, scientific standards expand lessons on climate change, as well, into middle schools. Earth science requirements in high school already mention human impacts on long-term climate. As soon as the latest revisions get approved, public schools will be able to start including climate change in their seventh-grade classes. Also, earth science students will be able to study records of change in worldwide temperatures along with the effects imparted by humans towards the environment. An expert on the standards said that the weather happens every day, every month or every year. However, the climate is quite a longer duration and perceivably, there are still individuals who will confuse them. The science expert also added that for the students to be "scientifically literate in a global market", it should be guaranteed that they are aware of that. Remarkably, only 35 percent of the students in Oklahoma have advanced proficiency in science. This was reported by the latest Oklahoma State Report Cards. The Walley's Quarry landfill site in Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme. (James Morris) A towns landfill site smells so strongly of rotten eggs that homeowners have been left unable to open their windows. People who live near Walleys Quarry in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, told Yahoo News UK the stench is harming the towns reputation. Local MP Aaron Bell is among those who have called for action, telling Parliament that constituents have been left retching from the smell. The site, which is in the built-up area of Silverdale, opened in 2007, but homeowners have reported the smell worsening in the past year. 'We actually have friends who have moved because of the smell.' Walley's Quarry in Newcastle-under-Lyme. (James Morris) Owner Red Industries, which can use the site until 2026, said the landfill has passed its health and air quality tests. However, campaigners are calling for the Environment Agency to be given greater powers to enforce against foul odours. The gassy, rotten egg smell was present as Yahoo News UK spoke to neighbours on Monday. Jose Paul, 51, said: I dont even know how to describe it [the smell]. I just know nobody likes it. Its really awful. Afternoons and evenings are the worst. Sometimes it comes into the house. I sign petitions but nothing changes. Hillary Beech, 53, said: Its embarrassing when you have friends round. In the summer youll be having a barbecue and its difficult to be honest with them when they ask what the smell is. Apparently it [the waste pile] is going to become a tower so we will soon be able to see it as well as smell it. We actually have friends who have moved because of the smell. Her husband Nicholas, 59, said the stench gets in the house easily if they leave a door or window open even for a short amount of time. Red Industries owns the landfill site, which was formerly a clay extraction quarry. (James Morris) He said he was recently working in nearby Stoke-on-Trent when he overheard people talking about Newcastle-under-Lyme and how it is exposed to these smells. They said: I would hate to live round there! It is giving the whole area a bad reputation. Paul Copeland, 63, said: Weve been here 11 years. They tended to do something about it [the smell] at first but recently they doubled the capacity going into the place. Story continues Since they did that, you get this smell every day. You cant open the windows unless you want it inside your house. Jason Charnier, 21, said: When you wake up, you want that fresh air in the morning when you open your window. Were not getting that at all. You just get a sudden blast of that smell. On certain days it can get really bad me and my housemates are complaining about it all the time. Barry Procter, 79, said: Its been there a number of years. It all depends on the wind direction whether it hits you or not. If I open my bedroom window in the morning, by the end of the day its filled with a very unpleasant egg smell. Ive worked in the chemical industry long enough to know hydrogen sulphide when I smell it. Newly elected Conservative MP Bell used a debate in Parliament last week to criticise Red Industries for being unwilling to concede it smells. Bell said that even though the air quality levels are legal, the odour is affecting peoples quality of life and can even harm business in Newcastle town centre, one and a half miles away. He claimed some of his constituents asthma has been made worse from the smell, and that the fallout has made surrounding communities feel powerless. We should be taking residents concerns much more seriously and odour, I believe, can cause significant mental health concerns among residents as well, he said. Red Industries said in a statement: Red Industries operate a compliant landfill site in Silverdale. We echo the facts presented by environment minister, Rebecca Pow, in her thorough response to Mr Bell. The site operates under an environmental permit regulated by the Environment Agency and we have a detailed site management plan in place. The Environment Agencys report into air quality in Silverdale is publicly available and shows emissions from Walleys landfill to be within all relevant health and air quality limits. The statement added it engages with the local community by posting newsletters and inviting neighbours to visit the site. OTTAWA - National protests sparked by the opposition of some Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to a pipeline project in B.C. are also sparking debate in Conservative circles about the party's own relationship to Indigenous communities. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Conservative MP Jamie Schmale speaks before a meeting of the House of Commons Natural Resources committee in Ottawa, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. National protests sparked by the opposition of some Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to a pipeline project in B.C. are also sparking debate in Conservative circles about the party's own relationship to Indigenous communities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - National protests sparked by the opposition of some Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs to a pipeline project in B.C. are also sparking debate in Conservative circles about the party's own relationship to Indigenous communities. Though the main focus is on resolving the current conflict, Conservatives need to start thinking about how they'll lay groundwork for a relationship when their party next comes to power, said Jamie Schmale, the party's Crown-Indigenous Relations critic. "For me, and others within the caucus, they do see an opportunity to have a bigger conversation about First Nations and how we can all prosper together," he said. Earlier this year, Schmale invited several Indigenous leaders to brief Conservative MPs and senators ahead of the return of the House of Commons for the winter session, as part of a chance to begin a dialogue. He acknowledged tensions between his party and Indigenous groups have simmered for years. Current leader Andrew Scheer was once booed by First Nations chiefs for failing to differentiate himself from his predecessor, Stephen Harper. With the Conservative leadership race underway, Schmale said he is looking for what candidates have to offer on the file. "The next conversation needs to be where do we go from here, how do we provide off ramps to those communities that want to get away from the Indian Act," he said. "How do we have a financial conversation with these communities that want to go their own way in certain aspects, with the pipelines or contribution agreements." One candidate, Marilyn Gladu, has already offered up some policy. So far, Gladu is promising that as prime minister, she'd work with Indigenous leaders to set a timeline to resolve outstanding treaty disputes, and measure the implementation of recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. She also promises to eliminate Indigenous child poverty by 2035, and all boil water advisories on reserve by 2025. The Liberals have promised to end all long-term advisories by next year, one of many pledges they made to First Nations during the 2015 election campaign. Their commitments followed years of mixed results by the Harper government. Harper apologized on behalf of the Canadian government for the residential school system, and launched the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But also under his government, frustrations within First Nations communities resulted in the launch of the national protest movement Idle No More, echoes of which continue to be heard in the current national protests. In the Harper government at the time Peter MacKay. Now running for Conservative leadership, he was justice minister when the government refused to hold an inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women, saying dozens of studies had already been completed. MacKay infamously tried to prove the point by tossing reams of paper onto the floor of the House of Commons. Last week at an event in Thunder Bay, Ont., MacKay was greeted by protesters accusing him of anti-Indigenous rhetoric. He had suggested on Twitter that people who dismantled a blockade in Alberta set up in support of the Wet'suwet'en had done more for the economy than Trudeau. MacKay told reporters he stood by his comments, despite having deleted the tweet. He said, however, he is meeting with Indigenous leaders as part of his campaign. Another candidate, Erin O'Toole, has advanced the idea that those blocking critical infrastructure ought to be deemed terrorists, and treated more harshly by the law. His tone has been adopted by some Tories in the House of Commons, where current leader Andrew Scheer has been thunderously demanding a stronger police response. Tim Powers, a Conservative strategist who worked on Indigenous files during his years in government, said such statements don't help the problem or the party. "This click bait rhetoric, it's appalling and it belies a lack of leadership and maturity on the complexity of the issues at hand related to Indigenous-Canadian relations," he said. "In the short term it may drive up your poll numbers, but it's going to do shag all for the country." For voters to take the Conservatives seriously, the party will need to do better, Powers said. One place they could look for ideas is the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, launched in 1991 under Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney. The final report contains many ideas for how to more positively structure the relationship between the federal government and Indigenous communities, Powers said. "If resource development and economic development is a priority of the Conservatives, which it is, then that also means you have to have an evolving approach when it comes to Indigenous policy," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 2, 2020. Eric Gay, STF / Associated Press When Texans go to the polls on Tuesday if they havent voted early, of course theyll decide which Democrats and Republicans face off against each other in the contested races in November. These are important choices that will begin or end political careers and sow the seeds for laws that will affect all of us for years to come. Unfortunately, this very serious business is also mixed up with partisan gamesmanship from both parties, the so-called propositions tacked on at the end of the ballot. Democrats have 11 of them while Republicans have 10. If these propositions were legitimate efforts to gauge the opinions of Democrats and Republicans on vital issue, they would have value. And in theory, thats what they are. But the wording on them is mostly one-sided and exaggerated. The clear intent is for party officials to be able to claim that 95% of their primary voters want secure borders or affordable health care, which of course every Texan wants in some regard. We have nothing. We dont have that kind of money they are asking for. Those were the words of one of the nephews of couple Narine Maraj, 62, and Mattie Maraj, 52, who were kidnapped on Saturday evening after leaving their Madras, St Helena, home to tend to their animals at a family-owned farm in Piarco. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In a widely-circulated video on social media, a carriage horse can be seen collapsing in Central Park Saturday afternoon, causing the animal to later be euthanized. The 12-year-old horse, Aisha, suffered an apparent cardiac emergency at the 7th Ave carriage stand, according to Christina Hansen, spokesperson for the NYC carriage industry, adding that the animal did only one ride during her shift before its driver noticed the animal appeared to be having an issue. The horse which was previously considered to be healthy was detached from her carriage to assess its condition; however, the animals legs buckled and it could not stand up, Hansen said. Within approximately 10 minutes, the horse was pulled into a horse trailer and then taken to her 52nd street stable, where she was checked by a veterinarian. Due to a cardiac insufficiency in her hind end, her owner, in consultation with the vet, made the difficult but humane decision to put her to sleep, Hansen said, adding that bloodwork for the horse is still pending. Multiple politicians, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for an investigation into the matter on Twitter. Council Members Mark Levine, Justin Brannan, Helen Rosenthal and Comptroller Stringer joined the chorus of voices, including animal rights activists, calling for justice in the matter. The video of a horse collapsing and dying in Central Park yesterday is painful and says so much about a persistent problem. Weve made real progress in animal welfare but we must go further. The NYPDs Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad is on the case and WILL get answers. Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 1, 2020 The video of a horse collapsing and dying in Central Park yesterday is painful and says so much about a persistent problem, de Blasio wrote on Twitter. Weve made real progress in animal welfare but we must go further. The NYPDs Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad is on the case and WILL get answers. New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), an animal rights organization, tweeted a video of a protest held on Sunday morning for the horse that died, and suggested the animal was tied up and pushed in the trailer instead of being observed by a vet on scene. Massive Central Park NYCLASS DIE-IN to mourn the horse who died so brutally yesterday, and the countless others who will suffer & die as long as horses are forced to pull carriages on NYC streets, the NYCLASS post said. Hansen said NYCLASS and politicians are exploiting this tragedy to further their anti-horse agenda during our time of grief and shock. NYCLASS is saying all types of ridiculous things that arent true, Hansen said, suggesting we shouldve left the horse in the middle of the street. Its really sad, its tragic, Hansen said. While de Blasio suggested the NYPDs Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad is investigating the case, in addition to the citys Department of Health, Hansen said theres no evidence of cruelty here, which she said makes an investigation unnecessary. Unfortunately, these things happen," Hansen said. This medical emergency appears to be something that could happen to any horse, any time, anywhere, for any number of reasons, under a wide variety of conditions. The reality is that any where there are animals - or people - medical emergencies happen, Hansen added. Living and working with horses - and loving and caring for them - means that sometimes your heart gets broken when you have to say goodbye, especially far too soon. Our condolences most of all to Aishas owner, drivers and friends who knew her. Serving those who serve our country is a deep commitment to proudly serve our nations military, veterans, and their families. It is a commitment every credit union in the United States shares as military members are included in virtually all fields of membership. The Defense Credit Union Council thanks each of you for your steadfast commitment to these members. However, we need your help in reaching many of our nations unbanked veterans. While there are many root causes and thought experiments on the growing number of unbanked veterans, this article is simply a call to action. It is a call for all U.S. credit unions to participate in a new VA program aimed at these veterans. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) exists to provide many benefits and services for our nations veterans in return for their service in defending our country. One of the more obscure programs is the VAs Direct Express card. This card is essentially a prepaid debit card payment option for federal benefit recipients who dont have a bank or credit union account. The good news is, these cards allow unbanked veterans the ability to make purchases at stores, pay bills, purchase money orders, and even obtain cash from an ATM or financial institution. The VAs Direct Express program mails thousands of these cards each month. In addition, the VA spends millions of dollars distributed through this means. Unfortunately, there is also a high level of fraud, identity theft, denial of access to their accounts, oppressive fees, and extended call center waiting times that accompany the issuance of these cards. For many veterans, there is not a good backup plan in place and therefore, they are unable to use this benefit. As a result, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) was directed to search for alternative ways to distribute monetary benefits to these veterans. After some deliberation, the Veterans Benefits Administration recently launched the Veterans Benefits Banking Program (VBBP). This program is intended to identify financial institutions that can provide veterans safe, reliable and inexpensive ways to receive and manage their VA monetary benefits. As such, the Defense Credit Union Council met with the Veterans Benefits Administration late last month to discuss how to open this program to all credit unions around the country. This program allows credit unions to offer a mainstream financial product a checking account that both meets the needs of these veterans as well as avoids the problems they are encountering with pre-paid debit cards. It also furthers the credit union mission to serve the underserved. What the program asks of any joining financial institution: You must accept direct deposits A promise to work with any veteran who walks in or calls your credit union to try to make them eligible for membership If your credit union would like to join the VBBP, here is what we need from you to get started: Your verbal commitment to serve veterans to the best of your ability, especially those who may not qualify automatically Your high-resolution logo A short description of your credit union and its commitment to the military/veterans The landing page for your link on Veteransbenefitsbanking.org For further details on this program and if you would like your credit union to be included, please contact me at ceo@dcuc.org to get started. Exclusive: Probe was sparked by allegations of harassment against two bosses A charity chief is set to face calls to resign over claims that female staff were not protected from sex pest bosses. Save the Children will be accused of 'comprehensive failures' in a report by the Charity Commission on Thursday. The damning charges follow a two-year investigation sparked by allegations of sexual harassment against two former bosses of the organisation. Justin Forsyth, who had been its chief executive, was forced to quit a senior post with Unicef when the claims emerged in 2018. His former deputy Brendan Cox, widower of Labour MP Jo Cox, also had to stand down from a charity launched in her name. Insiders say the watchdog's report is likely to lead to calls for a fourth resignation that of Mr Forsyth's successor, chief executive Kevin Watkins (pictured) The scandal claimed a third scalp when the charity's chairman, Sir Alan Parker, quit. Insiders say the watchdog's report is likely to lead to calls for a fourth resignation that of Mr Forsyth's successor, Kevin Watkins. He was a trustee of the charity during the time it allegedly covered up misconduct. Female employees claimed in 2018 that Mr Watkins was the fourth member of the 'cosy club of men' responsible for a 'culture of complicity that led to the mistreatment of women'. Mr Forsyth, 54, was accused of sending a barrage of 'unsuitable' text messages to female staff at STC. Mr Cox, 44, faced similar claims and was accused of sexually assaulting a senior female government official in the United States. Former chairman of Save the Children Alan Parker (left), Samantha Cameron and Former CEO Justin Forsyth (right) at Save the Children's Secret Winter Gala, London, in November 2014 They joined STC after working in Downing Street for Gordon Brown. Both left the charity in 2015, Mr Cox after harassment allegations. Mr Forsyth denied quitting for similar reasons. However both had been accused of misconduct allegations that were swept under the carpet. Mr Forsyth landed the plum post at Unicef, which was not told about the complaints against him. But he came under pressure when Mr Cox was forced to resign from the Jo Cox Foundation. It emerged there had been three complaints against Mr Forsyth from female STC staff between 2011 and 2015 and he resigned from his UN job. The commission's investigation focused on the charity's failure to support women staff and claims that it protected Mr Forsyth and Mr Cox. Former deputy Brendan Cox (centre), widower of Labour MP Jo Cox (left), also had to stand down from a charity launched in her name A source said: 'STC let down women employees very badly and there were comprehensive failures in the way management dealt with the matter throughout. Mr Watkins has questions to answer.' Mr Watkins has always denied any wrongdoing and says major changes have been introduced at STC to safeguard female employees. Mr Forsyth, who was paid 160,000 a year at STC, admitted to 'personal mistakes' over sending three young women a large number of over-familiar text messages in his five years at the helm. Female whistleblowers said he commented on their appearance, their clothes and how he felt about them. If they didn't reply to text messages, he would send them a follow-up email and even call them in for a chat, it was claimed. A leaked email from the time recommended that Mr Forsyth should not be alone with female employees. The allegations of misconduct against Mr Cox included a claim that he grabbed a woman by the throat outside a bar, telling her 'I want to f*** you'. In February 2018 it emerged that he had been accused of sexually assaulting a senior female US government official at Harvard University. The US police file said Mr Cox 'grabbed (the woman) by the hips several times ... and forced his thumb into her mouth in a sexual way'. He allegedly touched her inappropriately in a restaurant and tried to push her into drinking more than she wanted. The alleged incident occurred in 2015 shortly after Mr Cox had left STC and nine months before his wife was murdered by a far-Right fanatic. US police took no action and Mr Cox denied the claims. But in a highly emotional interview he admitted making mistakes while he was at STC. He said: 'I want to apologise deeply and unreservedly for my past behaviour and for the hurt and offence that I have caused.' The STC's annual income plummeted by 100million to 303million last year in the wake of the scandal. The Department for International Development withdrew its 16million grant and public contributions dropped by around 1million. In a separate charity scandal it was revealed in 2018 that Oxfam staff used prostitutes in earthquake-hit Haiti in 2010. 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. She was a composer and a pioneering conductor the first woman to lead performances by top orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. And she was one of the most influential music teachers of the 20th century, shaping a roster of composers including Aaron Copland, Quincy Jones, Astor Piazzolla and Virgil Thomson. Now, Nadia Boulanger is posthumously breaking another barrier: This summer she will become the first woman whose work is explored by the three-decade-old Bard Music Festival. Image Nadia Boulanger, the composer and pioneering conductor, will be the focus of the Bard Music Festival. Credit... Centre international Nadia et Lili Boulanger This summers festival, Nadia Boulanger and Her World, will explore the life and legacy of a woman the BBC once called the greatest music teacher who ever lived. A Parisian who lived from 1887 to 1979, Ms. Boulanger was so influential in molding a generation of American composers that one of her students, Mr. Thomson, described her as a onewoman graduate school so powerful and so permeating that legend credits every U.S. town with two things a fiveanddime and a Boulanger pupil. Chhattisgarhs chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over multiple searches by the income tax department in the state. Bhupesh Baghel said the raids were an affront to the idea of cooperative federalism and reflects coercive and insecure centrism. Under the raids, which started on Friday, houses of senior bureaucrats and politicians of the ruling Congress party have been searched by the I-T officials. On Monday, officials searched the home of deputy secretary in the chief ministers office, Saumya Chaurasia, in Bhilai under Durg district on alleged charges of tax evasion. Her home was seized by I-T officials on Saturday. She is an official of the Chhattisgarh Administrative Service (CAS). The actions of agencies of the government of India border on political vendetta on one hand and threaten the very core of our democracy on the other, for, as former CM, you should agree that law and order is the state subject and central forces cannot be deployed in the state without the consent of state government, Baghel said in the letter. If each one of us fails to adhere to this cardinal principle of constitutional democracy, we would become undemocratic anarchy, he said. Baghel said it is an intriguing coincidence that the timings of these raids coincide with the decision of the state government to initiate criminal investigations into the alleged acts of corruption committed under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The central governments deployment of a central force to assist in motivated income tax raids undermines every word of Dr Ambedkars caveat and the scheme laid out in List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, Baghel claimed. I take this opportunity to reiterate the availability of the police machinery or any other assistance in the quest to find and prosecute the corrupt, he said. Reacting over the letter, BJP state unit spokesperson Gauri Shankar Shrivas said the raids have nothing to do with the states politics. Why is the Congress party rattled over the raids? These are routine raids and were conducted under the BJP rule also, Shrivas said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The ground started to shift in Joe Biden's favor even before his landslide win in South Carolina. Two days before the make-or-break primary, Monmouth University released a poll showing the former vice president with a staggering 20-point lead. That followed a critical endorsement from powerful congressional leader Jim Clyburn. Biden's campaign for months beset by a comedy of errors, low enthusiasm and lackluster fundraising knew what this likely meant. So did a slew of Democrats sitting on the sidelines. Biden was hurtling toward something no other candidate had achieved: demonstrable support from African Americans, the keystone of the Democratic electorate. He could back that up with a distant second-place showing in Nevada, the best gauge of Latino support so far in the primary. The floodgates have opened, a Biden confidant said last week, in reference to both fundraising and promised endorsements that were rolling in after that poll but before South Carolina voters went to the polls. On the eve of Super Tuesday, the shift in the 2020 race was in full force. Money gushed in: $10 million in 48 hours. The Biden campaign enjoyed a windfall of support from members of Congress, influential African American leaders and elected officials across pivotal states. It was capped by the rapid withdrawal of two other moderate top-tier contenders in the race Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. They, along with a third former 2020 candidate, Beto ORourke, swiftly turned to back Biden. Buttigieg, Klobuchar and ORourke joined Biden at a Dallas rally Monday evening. All day Monday, the campaign pushed out one endorsement after another: 100 leaders in Massachusetts, 30 officials in Virginia, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, major congressional leaders in Texas and California, local leaders in North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. Biden's sudden resurgence his ability to at least partially clear the field and coalesce support could prove to be a major turning point in a volatile 2020 primary. Story continues The rush to get off the sidelines to back Biden came after his resounding South Carolina win, which signaled to the Democratic establishment that Biden would soon become the last standing moderate poised to attract a diversity of voters and credibly position himself as the alternative to Bernie Sanders. For backers, it was the final chance before Super Tuesday to help Biden build much-needed momentum. His dearth of fundraising meant his organizational infrastructure, not to mention TV advertising, was greatly lacking across 14 states, even as an outsize number of delegates were at stake. Running against the Super Tuesday clock, the behind-the-scenes chatter quickly moved into full pledges of support from members of Congress, African American leaders and elected officials. The campaigns play was to roll them out in dramatic fashion, to maximize the bounce out of South Carolina with another day of headlines. Its raining endorsements right now, from every corner of the country, so much so that its like drinking out of a fire hose, our vetting machine is having a difficult time keeping up, a Biden adviser told POLITICO. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks at a rally, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Aiding Bidens newfound chances, ironically, was self-professed party savior Mike Bloomberg. After Bloomberg bombed in his first debate, pressure began growing behind the scenes for the billionaire to make way for Biden. Part of the pitch from pro-Biden surrogates was that Bloomberg's past policies would prevent him from gaining on Biden among minorities. The bigger part of the pitch: Bloombergs past as a Republican meant he didnt belong at the top of a Democratic ticket any more than Sanders did. A source with knowledge of the conversations said staff-level talks between the two camps have been ongoing since last week. A different source said high-level donors who had been persuaded to hold back on Biden following devastating losses in Iowa and New Hampshire had started pushing back, telling Bloomberg's team they were likely to shift back to Biden. Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn told POLITICO on Monday that the campaign doesn't think it's in a position to tell other candidates what to do. However, she added, "Given the stated purpose to get into the race was to nominate a Democrat who could beat Trump and not move the party too far to the left, it would seem like the choice is very clear between two candidates," Dunn said of Bloomberg. "[Bloomberg] is a man who has made and built his fortune on metrics and is clearly someone who can judge the metrics for himself." Bidens super PAC has stated outright that Bloombergs candidacy is boosting Sanders. Bloombergs $500 million in advertising is basically serving as the Bernie Sanders Super PAC, dividing the large share of Democratic voters who do not identify in the super-liberal lane of the party, a memo from Unite the Country, the pro-Biden PAC, states. His entire argument for existence was Joe Biden stumbling and after four states, Joe Biden has received more votes than anyone. Mayor Bloomberg should decide soon if he wants to be the reason why Bernie Sanders is the nominee of the party. A Bloomberg campaign adviser indicated Bloomberg would remain in the race at least through Tuesday. Im in it to win it, Bloomberg told reporters on Monday. According to Advertising Analytics, as of Monday afternoon Bloomberg had yet to book TV ads after Super Tuesday. A representative with the TV ad tracking firm later said a Florida-only booking came in Monday evening. Sanders, who is stumping in California, is still expected to come out on top in delegates on Super Tuesday. He is attracting hordes of supporters at rallies in the state. And still in the mix is Elizabeth Warren, who recently announced her campaign raised $29 million in February alone. Warren also has a separate super PAC thats spent heavily in Super Tuesday states. A memo from her campaign manager said she expected a delegate haul on Tuesday. Sean Shaw, Buttigiegs top African American campaign surrogate and a former state representative from Tampa, Fla., said Buttigiegs interest in backing Biden had to do with stopping Trump and making a statement against Sanders proposed policies. Joe Biden needed to show he could win the nomination by winning big in South Carolina and he won big, Shaw said. Pete wants to stop Bernie Sanders. This isnt about him. Its about the future of our country and the nomination. Marc Caputo, Christopher Cadelago and Maya King contributed to this report. A 13-year-old autistic boy has been banned from Carnival Cruises after he bit an employee on board four years ago. Nathaniel's mother Annette McKinnon was forced to cancel her wedding plans at sea after learning her son had been blacklisted by the international cruise line. Ms McKinnon tried to book a cruise to marry the love her life when she was told her son couldn't board the ship, throwing her big day into disarray. 'He was going to walk me down the aisle... I can't not have him there,' she told A Current Affair. Nathaniel, a 13-year-old boy who has autism, has been banned from Carnival Cruises after he bit an employee at a kids club Nathaniel was being cared for in the vessel's kids club when his grandparents Terry and Paul Young (pictured) disembarked for a day of sightseeing in the Pacific Islands The teenager, who loves Lego and video games, was nine years old when he cruised to Fiji and back for 10 days aboard a P&O Pacific Aria in 2016. Nathaniel was being cared for in the vessel's kids club when his grandparents Terry and Paul Young disembarked for a day of sightseeing in the Pacific Islands. But they were phoned back to the boat after their grandson lashed out at a staff member. 'We registered him. On the registration form I put his diagnosis and I even spoke to one of the staff about what can trigger him,' Ms Young said. Nathaniel's behaviour 'started to escalate' as he was told to move into the dining area for lunch. He then bit a staff member after they touched him. Ms Young said she believes her grandson is being treated like a 'criminal' over the incident and he is a 'different boy' now. Nathaniel said he has 'definitely' changed in the four years that have passed and he would never bite anyone again The now-teenager said he was 'pretty sad' to be banned by all Carnival-owned cruises, as his mum was going to marry her partner on a P&O cruise. It was only during planning for the big day that the family learned about Nathaniel's ban. Ms McKinnon said she was 'dumbfounded' by the revelation, as the altercation happened years ago. CARNIVAL AUSTRALIA STATEMENT IN FULL We are sympathetic to the family's position but we also remain concerned that a crew member on a previous cruise suffered a significant injury and, with the safety of guests and crew in mind, we do not wish to see such an incident repeated. While we believe it is too soon to accept a further booking, we do not rule out the possibility of a review of this position in the future when the passage of time and maturity might have improved the situation. Advertisement Nathaniel said he has 'definitely' changed in the four years that have passed and he would never bite anyone again. 'When I was about 10, I used to get angry very easily. I've learnt from my mistakes and I didn't really know any better,' he said. A Carnival Australia spokesperson said they were sympathetic to the family but did not want the incident to be repeated. 'While we believe it is too soon to accept a further booking, we do not rule out the possibility of a review of this position in the future when the passage of time and maturity might have improved the situation,' they said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia. China welcomes the signing of a US-Taliban agreement as a positive step in achieving a political solution of the Afghan issue, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday. Representatives of the United States and the Taliban on Saturday signed the long-awaited deal in Qatar's capital city of Doha, calling for a gradual withdrawal of US troops if the Taliban negotiates with the Afghan government and cuts ties with terrorist groups. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing that China welcomes the agreement and firmly supports the broad and inclusive peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. The spokesperson expressed the hope that the deal can facilitate a lasting peace on the land of Afghanistan. Zhao said foreign troops in Afghanistan should withdraw in an orderly and responsible way to ensure a smooth transition in the Afghan situation and avoid a security vacuum, which terrorist organisations may take advantage of. Meanwhile, he said, the international community should continue to support and participate in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. "China calls on the Afghan Taliban and all parties in the country to grasp the opportunity to start the intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible, and to negotiate for political and security arrangements acceptable to all so as to realise lasting peace and stability of Afghanistan," said the spokesperson. He said China is willing to work with the international community to continually provide support and assistance to the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. The US side and the Government of Afghanistan also released a joint declaration on Saturday in Kabul. When asked for comments, Zhao said that China will continue to work as a supporter, mediator and convenience provider of the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, and play a constructive role on the basis of respecting the will of all parties in Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Story Highlights 33% favorable rating of China shows decline among all party groups For first time since 2000, Americans say U.S. is leading economic power China ties for first as greatest U.S. enemy, as mentions of Russia fall WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new Gallup poll finds Americans' favorable rating of China has declined further in the past year, sinking to a record-tying low. For the first time in more than a decade, Americans regard the U.S. rather than China as the world's leading economic power. And with fewer Americans than in 2019 naming Russia as the United States' greatest enemy, Russia and China now tie for first on that list. Thirty-three percent of Americans currently have a favorable opinion of China, a 20-percentage-point decline since 2018 and an eight-point drop in the past year. China's current favorable rating ties prior readings from 1997 and 2000 as the lowest in Gallup's trend, dating back to 1979. It is similar to the 34% reading in 1989, taken after the Chinese government's crackdown on student protestors in Tiananmen Square. The latest poll, conducted Feb. 3-16, follows recent news about ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and disputes over China's territorial claims in international waters. The coronavirus outbreak, recent allegations of spying by Chinese students and scholars at U.S. colleges, and the ongoing battle with Chinese tech company Huawei over the alleged theft of U.S. technology may also be contributing to the decline in China's favorable rating. Historically, Americans have tended not to have positive views of China. Just three times in Gallup's trend have a majority of Americans rated it positively, including the initial measure in 1979, the pre-Tiananmen Square rating of 72% in early 1989 and a 53% favorable rating in 2018. Opinions of China have deteriorated among each of the major U.S. party groups over the past two years, including a 14-point decline among independents, a 24-point drop among Republicans and a 25-point slide among Democrats. Democrats typically have had more positive opinions of China than Republicans have, and that remains the case today, with 35% of Democrats and 23% of Republicans rating it favorably. Thirty-nine percent of independents have favorable views of China. Americans Return to Viewing U.S. as Leading Economic Power More Americans regard the U.S. (50%) rather than China (39%) as the world's leading economic power, with relatively few choosing the European Union (4%), Japan (4%), Russia (2%) or India (1%). Throughout the past decade, Americans consistently named China as the leading economic power, including by roughly 20-point margins between 2011 and 2014. As the U.S. economy continued its expansion in recent years, China still led, though by smaller margins. Now, with Americans' economic confidence the best it's been in two decades, they once again believe the U.S. is the leading economic power. The only other time Gallup found the U.S. leading on this measure was in 2000 during the dot-com boom, the first time the question was asked. At that time, 65% of Americans said the U.S. was the leading economic power, with only 10% choosing China, putting it third behind the U.S. and Japan (16%). Americans also name the U.S. over China, by 53% to 30%, when asked to predict which country will be the world's leading economic power 20 years from now. Since 2016, Americans have been at least marginally more likely to predict the U.S. would be the leading economy over China. In 2008, 2011 and 2012, more thought China would be than the U.S. Americans Name Russia, China as Greatest U.S. Enemies China typically has been among the more common answers Americans give when asked to name the United States' greatest enemy in the world. This year, China ties with Russia for first, as mentions of Russia have declined nine points to 23% while mentions of China are steady at 22%. Iran is a close third at 19%, after mentions of it more than doubled from 9% a year ago. Between 10% and 23% of Americans have named China as the United States' No. 1 enemy since Gallup first asked the question in 2001. China was named more than any other country once, in 2014. That year, mentions of China were steady at 20%, but it ranked first because fewer Americans mentioned Iran after it agreed to an interim nuclear deal with the West in 2013. In prior years, Americans have also considered Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Russia as their country's greatest enemy. Americans Most Likely to Name China, Russia, Iran as Greatest U.S. Enemy (Recent Trend) What one country anywhere in the world do you consider to be the United States' greatest enemy today? 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2020 % % % % % % % Russia 2 9 18 15 19 32 23 China 23 20 12 12 11 21 22 Iran 32 16 9 14 7 9 19 North Korea 10 16 15 16 51 14 12 Iraq 5 7 8 5 2 2 7 Afghanistan 7 5 3 4 * 2 1 Other 8 16 23 20 3 8 9 No opinion 12 11 13 15 5 10 8 *Less than 0.5% Gallup Partisans have very different views of the United States' greatest enemy. Democrats name Russia (43%) by a wide margin over any other country. Republicans are most likely to name China (31%) or Iran (30%). Independents split their vote among China (23%) and Russia (22%). Republicans were also most likely to name China or Iran as the United States' top enemy in 2019, but more now choose each than did so a year ago (an 11-point increase on Iran and nine points on China). There has been no meaningful change in the percentage of Democrats naming Russia as the United States' greatest enemy (46% in 2019 vs. 43% today). But fewer independents now name Russia than did so a year ago (down 12 points), and more name Iran (up 11 points). Bottom Line Americans' views of China have rarely been positive over the past four decades, but they have never held the country in lower regard than they do today. In just two years, the percentage of Americans rating China favorably has dropped by 20 points. With the two nations embroiled in a major trade battle, among other issues, Americans likely will continue to view China unfavorably until tensions subside on some fronts. While many Americans may not see China as an imminent military threat to the U.S., some combination of its economic power, military strength and controversial policies compel about one in five U.S. adults to consider it their country's greatest enemy today, on par with Russia and Iran. View complete question responses and trends. Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. LAGOS, Monday, March 2, 2020: The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC) today joined the league of errant public institutions inducted into the Enhanced Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame and will now face litigation aimed at compelling it to perform its statutory duties, according to Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which upbraided the Commission for failing to perform its obligations under the FOI Act. In a statement in Lagos announcing the induction of NMEC into the Hall of Shame, MRAs Project Director, Mr. Segun Fatuase, described as unfortunate the fact that the institution failed to appreciate the correlation between its principal mandate of eradicating illiteracy and the objectives of the FOI Act, which in part are to facilitate the free flow of information and eliminate ignorance. He said: The disposition of the Commission towards the FOI Act has been an unfortunate one, which unwittingly undermines its mandate of eradicating illiteracy to enhance national development. This stance also negates both the requirements of the Law and the expectations of citizens that their public institutions would implement laws and comply with the express provisions of the Law, in accordance with the principles of the rule of law. NMEC was established by Law in 1990 as a Federal Government parastatal tasked with making educational opportunities available to nomadic illiterate people, out-of-school youths (Almajiris), street children, women in purdah, migrant fishing folk as well as victims of teenage motherhood, among other disadvantaged people in the society. It was set up to monitor and standardize the implementation of mass literacy delivery in Nigeria. Mr. Fatuase contended that as an agency that receives funding from the federal budget, local government councils as well as other sundry sources, NMEC has a duty to be transparent and accountable as well as to operate in strict compliance with its duties and obligations under the FOI Act. He noted that although it is almost nine years since the enactment of the FOI Act into Law in 2011, NMEC has not submitted any implementation report to the Attorney General of the Federation, when it should by now have submitted nine annual reports, as required by Section 29 of the FOI Act. According to him, Such level of impunity, as exhibited by NMEC, which has failed in the last nine years to submit even a single annual implementation report to the Attorney-General of the Federation in blatant violation of the mandatory provisions of the FOI Act, should not be tolerated in any decent society. The conspicuous absence of NMEC in the list of public institutions that have submitted Annual Compliance Reports since the enactment of the Act only goes to show the levity that has characterized the attitude of the Commission towards to the implementation of the Act. Mr. Fatuase also pointed out the failure of NMEC to proactively publish the 16 categories of information that Section 2(3) and (4) of the FOI Act requires all public institutions, including the Commission, to proactively publish, even without anyone making a formal application for the information, saying it was further evidence of its total disregard for the Law. In addition, he said, NMEC has not designated an FOI Desk Officer to whom requests for information should be sent by members of the public, as required by the FOI Act and the Implementation Guidelines for the FOI Act issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation. Mr. Fatuase argued that this was evident from the fact that the database of FOI Desk Officers for public institutions maintained by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, which has oversight responsibility for the implementation of the FOI Act, does not contain information about any such official of the Commission. Noting that NMEC does not have a website of its own, besides the webpage dedicated to it on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education, its supervisory ministry, he said: It is inexcusable that an agency like NMEC, which is expected to play a pivotal role in ending illiteracy in the Nigerian society and whose impact cuts across all sectors, does not have a website of its own. It is quite shocking that an institution whose primary function is in the field of information and knowledge sharing has no platform to which the public can turn for information about the organisation or its activities. Mr. Fatuase said since the relevant authorities have failed to act to ensure respect for and the full implementation of the FOI Act, MRA has taken it upon itself to use the judicial process to enforce the provisions of the Act. He said MRA would be taking legal action against NMEC to compel it to comply with its duties and obligations under the Act. For further information, please contact: Idowu Adewale Communications Officer Media Rights Agenda Email: [email protected] The third victim was identified as Uphas Uddin, 37, who hailed from Ass-am, said security sources adding that Uddin was attacked by three miscreants at Paikan village in Shillong at around 3 am on Sunday. Guwahati: Violence continued to rock Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya on Sunday with death of one more person in the sporadic incidents of ethnic violence which broke out on Friday after a clash between Khasi Students Union (KSU) members and non-tribals during a rally on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and inner line permit (ILP) in the state's East Khasi Hills district. The third victim was identified as Uphas Uddin, 37, who hailed from Ass-am, said security sources adding that Uddin was attacked by three miscreants at Paikan village in Shillong at around 3 am on Sunday. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead. Another victim, who lost his life has been identified as 29-year-old Rupsang Dewan, who was residing at Laban Jumma compound and originally from Barpeta, Assam. He was working in a shop at Iewduh. Following the sporadic incidents of violence in parts of Shillong, the district administration of East Khasi Hills on Sunday re-imposed curfew from 8 am until further orders. Areas under Lum-dengjiri Police Station, Sardar Police Station and entire areas of the Cantonment Beat House of Shi-llong city are under curfew. In the violence that broke out after the death of a Khasi youth in Ichamati on Friday, more than a dozen people are reported to have been wounded in clashes as a group of masked men went on a stabbing spree in different parts of Shillong. Some of the injured persons, who survived the attack, recalled that the incident happened within minutes when they just opened their shops. Most of the injured were from the turmeric line inside Iewduh. The East Khasi Hills SP Claudia Lyngwa told reporters that the police was focusing in most sensitive and vulnerable areas like Motphran and Harijan Colony. Adel Abdul Mahdi will walk away from his role as Iraq's caretaker prime minister and will not conduct most of his official duties, he said in a statement on Monday, deepening a political crisis in the oil producer. Abdul Mahdi called on parliament to call early elections on Dec. 4, the statement said, which came a day after lawmakers failed to approve a cabinet of his designated successor Mohammed Allawi, who later then withdrew his candidacy. Search Keywords: Short link: Getty Americas top doctor has urged people to stop buying face masks, insisting they are not effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus among the general population. Dr Jerome Adams, the surgeon general of the US, has echoed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in warning the public that they do not need to wear a mask if they are healthy or not caring for someone who is ill. Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS! Dr Adams said in a tweet over the weekend. They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk! In another tweet, he said the best way to protect against coronavirus, otherwise known as Covid-19, is to wash hands regularly, and for those who are feeling ill to stay at home. The warning comes amid a surge in demand for face masks across America, in particular the N95, which is thicker and fits more tightly around the mouth and nose. Amazon users have searched for the N95 mask more than 862,000 times in the last 30 days, according to data released by Helium 10, a software company that assists retailers. In December, only 4,500 searches were made for the mask over the space of 30 days. Increasing demand has also seen prices rocket. Mike Bowen, the executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech, an N95 manufacturer in Texas, described the mask as cheap as a gumball, but Amazon sellers have been advertising them for at least 7 each. Theyre cheap. Theyre automated. Theyre not handmade, Mr Bowen added. According to Dr William Schaffner, a preventive medicine professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the urge to go out and buy masks was a psychological thing. The coronavirus is coming, and we feel rather helpless, he told CNN. By getting masks and wearing them, we move the locus of control somewhat to ourselves. Vice president Mike Pence, who is coordinating the governments response to the coronavirus outbreak, said on Saturday during a press briefing with Donald Trump that the administration has contracted the manufacturing giant 3M to produce 30 million more masks a month. Story continues But as Dr Adams outlined, the concern among officials is that rising sales of face masks will deprive health workers of the equipment needed to effectively and safely treat patients. There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world, Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the health emergency programme at the World Health Organisation, said on Friday. Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs. There are limits to how a mask can protect you from being infected. The most important thing everyone can do is wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face and observe very precise hygiene. To date, the US has counted 80 cases of coronavirus and two deaths, both men with existing health problems who had been hospitalised in Washington state. The total includes evacuees from Wuhan and the virus-stricken cruise ship in Japan, but new cases among California health workers, in New York, Rhode Island and Washington has raised concerns on both coasts. Read more UK sees coronavirus infections spike as global death toll hits 3,000 File Image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The top management taking a pay cut, staff having been asked to go on leave without pay and budgets being lowered...airlines around the world are looking at ways to lessen the blow from a dramatic slump in demand due to the coronavirus outbreak, with some terming it as the worst in 12 years. Airlines have been hit by the speed with which the damage has come about. Many of them, including Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Lufthansa, have written to employees or made announcements on the adjustments needed. "The aviation industry globally is facing an unprecedented impending crisis. Not since the 2008 recession has aviation seen such a downturn. Almost all international airlines are already operating at reduced and unsustainable capacities," says a flying officer who goes by the Twitter handle @FlyingMariner. "Recovery now depends not just on a cure for the virus but also on the global economic situation, which is already in an uncontrollable tailspin. Indicative that the worst is yet to come," the officer added. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show While the International Air Transport Association, in February, estimated the loss for the aviation industry at $30 billion, this may further increase as the virus has now spread much beyond China. More than 3,000 people have died and 90,000 have been infected. The infection is now spreading faster outside China, with South Korea reporting 400 more cases in a day. The cuts In India, Air India and IndiGo have cancelled flights to China. Others like Vistara and GoAir have been forced to curtail operations in countries that may be at risk of the virus. But, overall, the disruption in China may not dent Indian carriers as much as their international peers, many of which have asked a section of their employees to go on leave without pay. Vietnam Airlines, for instance, has asked all its expatriate pilots flying A321 planes to go on a leave of 15 days. The only solace for the pilots is the annual bonus that would come with the February salary. Emirates, too, has offered voluntary unpaid leave to its employees. But, to lessen the blow, the Dubai-based airline has assured employees that they will keep accommodation and allowances that cover education and medical costs. The top management at Singapore Airlines has set an example for the rest of the staff by taking a pay-cut. Announcing actions to reduce manpower costs, CEO Goh Choon Phong said that he will take a pay-cut of 15 percent. The whole board of the airline is also taking a similar cut. "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," he said. The slump has also pushed airlines to cancel training for new joinees and put a freeze on recruitment. German carrier Lufthansa said that not all planned flight attendant and station personnel training courses would be carried out. "For the time being, the participants of the courses that are already in progress will not be hired," the airline said. It added that it has lowered 'budget for material costs by 20 percent. The Iranian authorities continue to update the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak across the country. According to officials, in the last 24 hours there have been 523 new cases and 12 deaths. So far there has been a total of 1,500 verified cases, 66 deaths and 291 recoveries. The hardest hit provinces are Tehran, Qom and Gilan. Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said that 22 testing centers have been set up across the country. He said that high numbers of individuals afraid they have the virus are visiting hospitals across the country but that 80% of those infected just need rest and do not need special medical treatment. During a video press conference today, spokesman for the administration Ali Rabei said that schools will remained closed this week and that a decision on next week will be made soon. A number of Iranian authorities have vowed strong action against hoarding medical supplies and price gouging. Attorney General Mohammad Jaffar Montazeri asked the Health Ministry to prosecute anyone hoarding medical supplies or disrupting their availability to health care professionals. Montazeri said offenses that hinder efforts to combat the coronavirus would be charged with corruption on Earth, a crime that carries the death penalty in Iran. Head of the judiciary Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi told prosecutors across the country to show no mercy to those hoarding medical supplies and medicine. The statements came after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence agents discovered a storage unit full of medical supplies in Tehran. According to their statement, the storage unit contained masks, gloves and other medical equipment worth up to $2 million. The IRGC also announced it has formed a task force to fight the coronavirus. The statement said that the IRGC group as well as the Basij Organization will be mobilized until complete dominance is established over the virus and a return to normal circumstances. Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi also asked the Intelligence Ministry to take action against those who are hoarding or price gouging on medical supplies. Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi responded today to a US offer of help to fight the coronavirus. President Donald Trump has offered short-term sanctions relief and Secretary of State Pompeo said the United States has offered Iran humanitarian assistance. In another video press conference, Mousavi said, If they had good intentions, they would not have propagandized it. Mousavi continued, We are suspicious of Americas help and in previous situations we have seen them not do anything other than making noise. We dont need their verbal support. Mousavi added that he has not seen any messages from the United States and doubts Iran will need US help in fighting the virus. Air New Zealand has sold out of its NZ$9 (4.40) airfares within an hour of them going on sale. The airline launched a cheap tickets promotion at 9am (local time), offering 1,000 flights across 32 routes for under 5 one-way. However, despite coronavirus fears seeing a drop in demand for travel, the cut-price fares sold out incredibly quickly. The Kiwi flag carrier had seen some softness in demand for certain routes amid the outbreak of Covid-19, according to the airlines chief revenue officer Cam Wallace. We now have some empty seats due to travellers mainly from Asian destinations not connecting between New Zealand and Australia, he told the New Zealand Herald. Kiwis and Aussies are going to be able to head away for holidays or to see family and friends or do business for cheaper than a nights accommodation at most hotels, he added of the sale. It follows Air New Zealand cutting fares across the Tasman (the sea between New Zealand and Australia) to as little as NZ$69 (34) to try to boost sales. The airline joins Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia in being forced to reduce capacity for routes between the two countries as coronavirus fears and travel advisories hit sales. Air New Zealand has halved its flights to Samoa after the island to the north-east of New Zealand said all passengers must carry a medical certificate confirming they are fit to travel. Samoas health officials insisted the certificate must be dated within three days of travel in order for travellers to be allowed into the country. The move is aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus. Air New Zealand isnt the only carrier to try to entice passengers with bargain flights. Airlines in China are also drastically cutting flight prices amid the coronavirus outbreak, including Shanghai-Chongqing one way for just 29 yuan (3.20). Chinese carriers are struggling, with two thirds of scheduled daily flights cancelled throughout February. Recommended Rocks and bottles thrown at cruise ship over fears of coronavirus From 25 January to 14 February, Chinas aviation industry confirmed that average daily passenger traffic was 470,000 a 75 per cent drop year-on-year. Airlines are now hoping to boost domestic traffic by offering cut-price deals, reports the South China Morning Post, including the 3.20 fare, offered by Spring Airlines for the three-hour, 870 mile flight as a special offer for its frequent flyer club members. Spring Airlines is also offering Shanghai to Harbin, a journey of 994 miles taking just over three hours, for 69 yuan (7.60). Other airlines are running offers too, including Shenzhen Airlines, part of state-owned carrier Air China, which has Shenzhen to Chongqing fares from 100 yuan (11). This is around 5 per cent of the usual price of 1,940 yuan (214). Another company based on the gig-economy model is looking to hire in the Birmingham area. Moving company Bellhops is seeking more than 100 workers. The service provides a photo and star-ratingof the clients movers, similar to Uber, 24 hours prior the move. According to the company, Bellhops team members earn on average $21 an hour, including tips and bonuses, and receive extra compensation for referrals and performance. Potential Bellhops may get started here. The company began in 2011 as a service for college students at Auburn University looking to move into dorms. Now it serves 60 cities nationwide and is backed by more than $50 million in venture capital. To find Bellhops jobs, workers can enter their schedules in the Bellhops app to be matched with people who need help moving. The app matches movers and professional drivers for each particular job, based on location, home size, items to be moved and time frame. The company also tracks each movers performance, based on customer feedback and overall performance, ensuring that high-scoring workers are matched to jobs. According to the company, Bellhops has carried and transported more than 4.6 million boxes and logged more than 375,000 miles. B enjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in Israel's election but exit polls showed that he was one seat short of a majority. The Prime Minister was ahead of his main rival in the countrys third election in under a year, Monday nights predictions showed. Despite this, it was unclear whether he could clinch the majority needed to claim victory. Mr Netanyahu wrote on Twitter: "We won thanks to our belief in our path and thanks to the people of Israel." Exit polls aired by three TV stations saw Mr Netanyahu's Likud party and like-minded parties taking 60 of parliament's 120 seats - shy of a governing majority. Actual results are due to be released on Tuesday. Polls on Israel's main TV channels showed Mr Netanyahu and his nationalist and religious allies winning 60 seats, one short of a parliamentary majority. The centre-left bloc, led by former military chief Benny Gantz, was projected to win 52 to 54 seats. If the official results match the exit polls, Mr Netanyahu would receive a major boost ahead of his trial on corruption charges, set to begin on March 17. Mr Netanyahu, the longest-serving leader in Israeli history, has been a caretaker prime minister for more than a year. The divided country has weathered two inconclusive votes and prolonged political paralysis. He faced a stiff challenge again from Mr Gantz, whose centrist Blue and White party ran on a campaign message that the PM is unfit to lead because of the serious charges against him. Mr Netanyahu is due in court on 17 March to face charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three separate cases. Both parties appear unable to form a coalition with their traditional allies. With the prospect of a unity government between them seemingly off the table after a particularly nasty campaign, the vote may turn into a preamble to another election. "I hope that today marks the start of a healing process, where we can begin living together again," Mr Gantz had said while casting his ballot in his home town of Rosh Ha'ayin, warning voters not to "get drawn in by the lies or by the violence" after the acrimonious campaign. There was little fanfare ahead of the vote, with a noticeable absence of campaign posters on the streets and public rallies that typically characterise the run-up to Israeli elections. Israel had set up 15 stations to allow voting by hundreds of Israelis ordered to remain in home quarantine after possible exposure to coronavirus. "The corona thing is completely under control. Today we've taken all the precautions that are necessary. People can go and vote with complete confidence," Mr Netanyahu said after casting his ballot in Jerusalem. He sought to portray himself as a statesman who is uniquely qualified to lead the country through challenging times. Mr Gantz has tried to paint him as divisive and scandal-plagued, offering himself as a calming influence and an honest alternative. He says he favours a national unity government with Likud, but only if it rids itself of its longtime leader because of the corruption charges against him. It will be months before the coronavirus hits its peak in the UK, experts have told the government, as an action plan was agreed. Ministers are working on the assumption that the outbreak will continue to worsen into the summer, despite hopes that warmer temperatures would curb its spread. Emergency legislation will not be put in place until the end of March, because the government does not believe it will be required until then. You are talking about months rather than weeks before you reach the peak of this, a government source told The Independent. The legislation to give the government extra powers to help control the spread of the virus will be published next week, but will take several further weeks to clear parliament. Recommended Tui to start repatriating UK nationals quarantined in Tenerife hotel It is likely to include the power to cancel large public events or restrict travel in and out of areas with large numbers of cases, the health secretary has hinted. However, the source said: We don't want to have to take decisions before we have to. As much as possible we want people to carry on with their daily lives. The timescale emerged as Boris Johnson sought to prepare the public for the situation deteriorating, ahead of the action plan being published on Tuesday, and as the number of people infected climbed to 40, The four new cases among people from Hertfordshire, south Devon and Kent had all travelled recently to Italy, which is experiencing the biggest outbreak in Europe. 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 We have also agreed a plan so that if and when it starts to spread, as I'm afraid it looks likely it will, we are in a position to take the steps necessary to contain the spread of the disease as far as we can, and to protect the most vulnerable, the prime minister said. Mr Johnson said closing schools and banning mass gatherings would only be taken on scientific advice, adding: The most important thing for people to understand is that [measures] will be guided by scientific advice. All four nations of the UK and the chief medical officers are involved in this and they will be helping us to take key decisions on when and how to take protective steps. We cannot forget that the single most useful thing that we can all do to support the NHS is to wash our hands, two times to Happy Birthday, with hot water. Earlier, Professor Paul Cosford, medical director of Public Health England, warned that widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK has become much more likely as not all cases could be traced to overseas. At the moment, the vast majority of cases we see in the UK are still linked to countries where there is more widespread infection, either in Italy or South East Asia, he said. "It is true to say there is a small number now where it is much more difficult to find that link, and that is leading us to think we may well see more widespread infection in the UK fairly soon. It could happen in the next few days or it could take a little longer. Prof Cosford said most people would only suffer mild infection, and that children and healthy adults seem to be at much lower risk of serious complications The health status of the two people diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus in Romania, who are still hospitalised at the specialist facilities in Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara, is good and they have no fever, the Strategic Communication Group reported on Monday. "In Romania so far, 3 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, one of whom was declared cured after the tests performed according to the medical procedures were negative." The centres in Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca tested examined samples from people who returned from the affected countries or had contact with possible persons carrying the virus, but all results were negative. The Strategic Communication Group says 52 persons are quarantined in health care facilities nationwide and 8,167 persons are monitored at home. "We recommend the citizens who are monitored at home to respect the isolation rules, not to leave the established spaces and to keep in permanent contact with the health officials in the area where they are located." On Sunday, the toll-free phone line dedicated to informing about the new coronavirus registered 646 calls from people who called to find out details about how the condition manifests itself and how to prevent its spread. At the same time, 80 calls were made to the 112 emergency phone number. Both the number of calls to the toll-free number and 112 have decreased from the previous days. The Strategic Communication Group reminds citizens to consider only the information verified through official sources (Government, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Department of Emergencies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and to call free-toll 80000 08 358 for recommendations and other information . Romanian nationals abroad can request information about virus prevention and control by calling the dedicated line +4021.320.20.20. AGERPRES The trial, which ended on Monday, was the first in Iraq to specifically address the Islamic States crimes against the Yazidis or at least one militants crimes. It was also the first in which a Yazidi victim personally confronted her attacker. I want my story to reach the whole world, so my message is heard by my friends and gives them the courage to do the same thing that I did, so that they can get revenge on Daesh, she said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. The chief judge in the case expressed a similar wish. We hope that if people hear about this case, others will come forward, said Judge Haider Jalil Khalil of the Kharkh Criminal Court in Baghdad. He said the judiciary had been hampered in bringing this kind of case by the reluctance of victims to testify in public. In Iraqi society, it is especially difficult for women to speak out in public about rape, as Ms. Haji Hamid did, for fear that they will be accused of having allowed the men to rape them and that they will tarnish their family name. But perhaps if they see that the judiciary will give them their rights, they will come forward now if they hear about this case, Judge Khalil said. The Swedish teen is known for her climate and environmental activism. Source: Getty Images Greta Thunberg has responded to a cartoon that appears to depict the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist being sexually assaulted. A photo of the sticker has been shared widely on social media. The image shows a female with plaited pigtails being pulled and Greta scrawled across her naked back, above the logo of X-Site Energy Services, an energy company based in Alberta, Canada. Thunberg responded to the sticker at the weekend, saying: They are starting to get more and more desperate. This shows that were winning. They are starting to get more and more desperate... This shows that were winning. https://t.co/NLOZL331X9 Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 29, 2020 The sticker appears to have first become widely known on social media after a woman from Alberta shared an image of it to her Facebook and called it disgusting. This company represents everything that the O&G (oil and gas) industry needs to fight against, Michelle Narang, who had cried when she saw the sticker, wrote on Facebook. Calls for X-Site executives to step down After widespread condemnation of the sticker, a petition was launched calling for the executives of the company to step down. HuffPost Canada was told by an oil industry worker that the sticker had been distributed as promotional material at job sites. Together, we can show that this disgusting and deplorable behaviour will not go unnoticed in Canada, the petition says. X-Sites general manager Doug Sparrow has denied being involved with the stickers. Its not from X-Site or any employee, someone has done this. Thats all I know, he told local news outlet CityNews. The stickers were brought to the attention of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who consulted with experts in the sexual exploitation of children. It was investigated but the Alberta RCMP did not find the image was enough to constitute a criminal offence. Story continues Alberta oil and gas industry apparently needs to be reminded of the definition of child pornography in Canadian law. Making and disseminating child pornography is an indictable offence. #ableg pic.twitter.com/v55HfopK3a Lise Gotell (@LiseGot) February 27, 2020 The image reportedly did not include components necessary for it to be child pornography, nor does it show a non-consensual act that would be a direct threat to the person. The petition had more than 3,000 signatures at time of publication, and is also calling for legal action. RCMP must take action on this issue and hold those responsible accountable, an update on Change.org reads. Yahoo News Australia The Met Gala is one of the most exclusive events of the year with a guest list handpicked by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. But the event could have a Royal Family addition this year as the Duchess of Sussex is reportedly set to attend. According to The Sun, Meghan is set to step out on May 4 at the Met Gala this year. Getty Images A source said she was one of the first names on the guest list." Meghan has strong Vogue connections as she worked closely with the British edition as guest-editor on a special September issue celebrating powerful women. Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, said working with her was an honour, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise. Meghan will reportedly be attending the Met Gala with Enninful, where she is said to be donning a glamorous androgynous look. The source continued, Edwards team are excited that the two will go together. Getty Images Prince Harry is not expected to join her, as the source said, Meghan is keen to step out occasionally without Harry so that she can establish herself once more in Hollywood. Anna Wintour is a fan of the Duchess and previously defended her approach to life after joining the Royal Family. I read somewhere that there were members of the royal household that were confused and upset that she woke up so early at 5 a.m" Wintour said in a video interview for Vogue, "Shes a normal California girl who gets up early and does yoga and meditates, and also sends a lot of text messages. I mean, what did they expect? That she was going to send messages via pigeon? So, I think shes amazing. The Duchess would not be the first royal to have attended the Met Gala, if she does go. Princess Beatrice attended the event in 2018, wearing a purple dress for the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination theme. Princess Diana is the only other royal to have attended in 1996, donning a navy Dior slip dress. This years Met Gala exhibit is named About Time: Fashion and Duration and is inspired by the 1992 Sally Potter film Orlando, based on Virginia Woolfs book of the same name. Met Gala curator Andrew Bolton described it as a re-imagining of fashion history thats fragmented, discontinuous and heterogenous. Prince Harry and Meghan are set to formally step down as senior royals on March 31, after announcing that they would be stepping away from the Royal Family and splitting their time between the UK and Canada. Prince Harry said at a charity event that he felt that there really was no other option and that the decision was not one I made lightly. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. By Delana Isles THE GOVERNMENT has voted to reinstate JAGS McCartney Day, now known as National Heroes Day. This was done by way of the Public Holiday (Amendment) Bill 2020 tabled in the House of Assembly on Monday, February 24, by Premier Hon. Sharlene Cartwright Robinson. The two-part bill sought to reinstate the day by renaming the National Heroes Day as JAGS McCartney Day, and by changing the day observed for the National Thanksgiving Day from the fourth Friday in November, to be observed on the last Friday in November. The premier stated that while the intent is not to diminish the valuable contributions of other members of society, as it relates to the reintroduction of JAGS McCartney Day on the last Monday of May, they are not breaking any new territory. "This is not unusual in other countries, to name a day for your countrys first. "We are trying to do nothing different - he is the countrys national hero, he was the entire countrys chief minister. She said it is only right that they show McCartney the same homage - him being the countrys first elected chief minister and the first named national hero and who, for the greater portion of his adult life, was a political activist working to empower the people of the Islands. Deputy Premier, Hon. Sean Astwood in support of the bill, remarked that his support is reflective of a "profound appreciation of the dedication, determination and sacrifice of a great man like JAGS...who had a vision for our country and our people. "My support for this amendment is to ensure future generations will always be reminded of JAGS vision, Hon. Astwood stated. Opposition appointed member, Hon. Royal Robinson in his contribution said he does not know what is being achieved by the change, as McCartney was always celebrated by the entire country for his contributions. The first governors appointed member, Hon. John Phillips agreed with the bill and all of the views expressed, stating "if we find another... [national hero] somewhere down the line, we can come back and do this debate bill over. As it relates to the Day of Thanksgiving, the premier said the intent of the amendment is to move the day to coincide with the Black Friday weekend observed in the United States, following their own Thanksgiving holiday, observed on the last Thursday of November. (By Delana Isles) By Dan Williams and Stephen Farrell JERUSALEM, March 1 (Reuters) - Israelis head to the polls on Monday with a sense of deja vu after trying and failing twice in the past year to break the country's political deadlock. WHY SO MANY ELECTIONS? In late 2018, Benjamin Netanyahu, veteran leader of Israel's right-wing Likud Party, seemed to be at the peak of his powers. The dominant political figure of his generation, Netanyahu was about to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister. But he had a precarious one-seat majority in parliament, and called a snap election for April 9, 2019. The immediate reason given was the vulnerability of his ruling coalition after the resignation of Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman. More hawkish than even Netanyahu, Lieberman quit, accusing the prime minister of being too soft on Palestinian militants in Gaza. But many Israelis saw it as a ploy by Netanyahu to gain a renewed public mandate to ward off prosecutors who were then in the final stages of drafting charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust against him. Once re-elected, the theory went, Netanyahu could say an indictment was not in the national interest. He denies wrongdoing, accusing his enemies of a witch-hunt. WHAT WENT WRONG? If that was the plan, it backfired. No single party in Israel has ever won an outright majority in parliament, and Netanyahu failed to get enough seats. He struggled for weeks to put together a government. Then, rather than let his principal rival - former armed forces chief Benny Gantz - have a chance to form a government, Netanyahu triggered another election, on Sept. 17. WHAT HAPPENED IN ELECTION NUMBER TWO? Again Netanyahu fell short. Likud and Gantz's centrist Blue and White Party ended in a virtual tie. That left Lieberman a king-maker. But Lieberman cited policy differences with both men to avoid anointing either. After months of horse-trading in which Netanyahu and Gantz both failed to win enough support, the outcome, much to the dismay of the jaded Israeli electorate, was Monday's election. IS THIS TIME ANY DIFFERENT? Story continues Yes. Since the previous election, formal criminal charges have been filed against Netanyahu. Prosecution is now a reality, not a possibility. His trial is due to open on March 17, just two weeks after the election. Also, both previous elections were fought without the electorate knowing the contents of U.S. President Donald Trump's long-delayed Middle East peace plan. That was published in January, and would grant U.S. recognition to Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians were furious, saying it gives away land they seek for a future state. Netanyahu pledged to annex the settlements after the election. COULD NETANYAHU WIN THIS TIME? Yes. But Netanyahu will need to win support from other parties if he is to form a coalition government with at least 61 of the parliament's 120 seats. The court hearings will prompt rivals to demand that he resign, even before sentencing. A verdict is likely to be months away, and the appeals process could take years. COULD NETANYAHU LOSE TO GANTZ? Opinion polls have shown Liked and Blue and White virtually neck and neck, with Netanyahu's party edging slightly ahead in the final stages of the campaign. Netanyahu is a known quantity. But Gantz also has problems - barring an unexpected surge in centrist voters he would have to bring together rightists and those representing Israel's Arab minority, which are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. COULD THERE BE A FOURTH ELECTION? Yes, if Monday's prolongs the deadlock. But some Israeli politicians regard this as unacceptable. Aside from political instability, it would mean further fiscal paralysis for Israel under a continuing caretaker government. That could lead to the defection of some former Likud partners to a Gantz-led coalition. WHAT ABOUT A "NATIONAL UNITY" GOVERNMENT? Many Israelis would like Netanyahu and Gantz to unite, to end the bickering. But Gantz says he will not partner with Netanyahu now that an indictment has been filed. (Writing by Dan Williams, Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Timothy Heritage) Open source Fraudsters call their victims as representatives of the operator and ask for the last three numbers they called; then, they use these numbers to make new SIM cards. With their help they write off the money from bank cards, as the press service of the police of Ternopil region reported. A resident of Ternopil became the victim of such scammers. According to her, an unknown woman called her and called herself a representative of the network operator. In order not to lose the SIM card, she asked the woman to dictate the last three numbers to which she called, and the last three from which she received calls. The woman ended the conversation, and after a while the SIM card was blocked. For some time, the woman was convinced that the inconvenience arose due to repair works. But after a while, I went to the service center of the mobile operator and found out that the card was blocked and a duplicate was made on it. In addition, almost $600 were withdrawn from her bank credit card. A woman reported the incident to the police. The fraudster is now on the wanted list. As we reported before, the national police has classified information about the investigation of the criminal proceedings on the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet. "During the pre-trial investigation in order to ensure a complete and impartial investigation so that everyone who has committed a criminal offense is held accountable to the best of his guilt, the necessary investigative actions are being conducted," - the department said. A 98-year-old woman has recovered from the novel coronavirus after being diagnosed with severe lung infection and heart failure. The former patient, Hu Hanying, was discharged yesterday along with her 54-year-old daughter, known by her surname Ding, who was also infected with the virus. They were treated at the Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, an emergency coronavirus hospital built from scratch in the space of 12 days. Previously, the oldest Chinese coronavirus patient to recover is 96 years old. A 98-year-old woman has recovered from the novel coronavirus after being diagnosed with severe lung infections and heart failure. She is pictured leaving the hospital yesterday Hu Hanying, was discharged yesterday along with her 54-year-old daughter, Ms Ding, who was also infected with the virus. They are pictured being interviewed outside the hospital 'We didn't think we would make it,' Ms Ding tearfully told the press as she was leaving the hospital with her mother. Hu Hanying was in critical condition when the mother and daughter were transferred to the makeshift hospital on February 13. 'She had a high fever with burns on her skin when she came in,' a medic told The Beijing News. The 98-year-old patient is pictured being treated at the makeshift Leishenshan Hospital Hu Hanying was in critical condition when the mother and daughter were transferred to the makeshift hospital on February 13. She is seen with her daughter inside the hospital yesteday A team of medical workers are pictured with Hu Hanying and Mr Ding outside the hospital The elderly patient was also diagnosed with severe lung infections and heart failure. Her condition gradually improved after being given round-the-clock care and a series of anti-virus treatment, according to reports. She was allowed to leave the hospital after two consecutive nucleic acid tests came back negative. As of yesterday, nearly 200 people had reportedly recovered after being treated at the Leishenshan field hospital. Ms Lu (pictured), a 96-year-old woman from China's Zhejiang Province, has recovered from the novel coronavirus after being treated in the ICU for three days at a hospital in Hangzhou The pensioner, from the city of Ningbo, is believed to be the oldest person in the country to have contracted and recovered from the deadly disease, which has killed at least 1,383 people Hu Hanying is two years older than the previous record holder, who had a full recovery after being treated in intensive care units for three days. The patient, known by her surname Lu, was discharged in February from the Zhejiang branch of The First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, eastern China. She had been transferred there from a local hospital and taken to intensive care units directly due to her severe symptoms and advanced age, the hospital in Hangzhou said in a social media statement. The novel coronavirus has claimed at least 3,060 lives and infected over 89,700 people City authorities around China have demanded citizens wear masks while out as a basic measure to prevent coronavirus. The picture shows people travelling on the train in Shanghai The picture shows a medic records a patient's condition at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, China Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured visiting Public Health England's laboratory in London The novel coronavirus has claimed at least 3,060 lives and infected over 89,700 people globally. The killer virus has affected dozens of countries across the globe, with South Korea, Iran and Italy being the most-affected. The number of people infected with the deadly virus in the UK jumped from 23 to 36 on Sunday, marking the biggest rise in a single day after 12 new cases were recorded in England and Scotland announced its first patient. The EU has raised its coronavirus risk level from 'moderate' to 'high' as Boris Johnson agreed to a UK-wide action plan. Ankara, March 3 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey hopes for a ceasefire deal in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib during a planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. "On Thursday, I will go to Moscow to discuss developments and steps to be taken in Syria," the Turkish leader said during a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara, semi-official Anadolu news agency reported. "I hope that during our discussions, Putin will take the necessary measures there, such as a cease-fire, and we will be able to find a solution to this matter," Erdogan pointed out. His remarks came amid a sharp escalation of tension in Idlib where Turkey suffered severe casualties last week in an air raid, following which Ankara launched a major counter-offensive against the Russian-backed Syrian army which was trying to recapture the province since last December. On Sunday, Turkey announced that it had launched "Operation Spring Shield," a full-scale offensive against Syrian government forces. "Turkey is not in Syria for oil or land, but to secure its borders," Erdogan said. The Syrian Army's offensive in Idlib has caused over 1 million displaced people to amass at the border with Turkey. The NATO country is already hosting some 3.7 million Syrians and said that it cannot take any more. Islamabad: Pakistan has announced that it is going to request the British government to deport former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. At the same time, the Pak government has decided to write a letter to the British government this week demanding the deportation of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif. The Pakistani government says that he was allowed to go to Britain for medical treatment, but he has been declared absconding for not fulfilling the bail terms and conditions. Delhi's second budget session will start today PM's special assistant Firdaus Ashan told a press conference here that Sharif went to London on November 19, 2019, under the pretext of his treatment. While looking at this, Firdaus said that this game plan was planned by his party and media in a very planned way. He claimed that Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz had gone to London to protect their children's business. Last week the Punjab government has refused to extend Sharif's bail. Pawar's attack on Central Government, says "Rhetoric spread tension in society" The government had said that no legal, moral or medical basis was found for Sharif to live abroad. In October last year, Lahore High Court had allowed Sharif to go to Britain on medical grounds for four weeks, due to which the Punjab government further increased it in the light of its medical reports. SP in the border district can become trouble for Gehlot The first depiction of humanitys obsession with curing death is The Epic of Gilgameshwhich, dating back to at least 1800 B.C., is also one of the first recorded works of literature, period. Centuries later, the ancient Roman playwright Terentius declared, Old age itself is a sickness, and Cicero argued we must struggle against [old age], as against a disease. In 450 B.C., Herodotus wrote about the fountain of youth, a restorative spring that reverses aging and inspired explorers such as Ponce de Leon. But what once was a mythical holy grail is now seemingly within tantalizing reach. As humans understanding and knowledge of science and technology have increased, so too have our life spans. Until the 1800s, life expectancy across Europe averaged between 30 and 40 years, and now the average life expectancy in the U.S. is just under 79 years; in Japan and Hong Kong, its more than 84 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maybe the ancients werent wrong, and aging can be not only delayed but cured like a disease. Over the years, the movement to classify aging as a disease has gained momentum not only from longevity enthusiasts but also from scientists. In 1954, Robert M. Perlman published a paper in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society called The Aging Syndrome in which he called aging a disease complex. Since then, others have jumped on board, including gerontologists frustrated by a lack of funding to study the aging process itself. A 2015 publication by a team of international researchers declares, It is time to classify biological aging as a disease. In 2018, the World Health Organization added an extension code in the latest version of the International Classification of Diseases for ageing-related diseases, which it defines as those caused by pathological processes which persistently lead to the loss of organisms adaptation and progress in older ages. In other words, diseases that occur and worsen as we age, like cancer and arthritis. That decision may pave the way for defining aging itself as a disease. Advertisement Advertisement However, labeling aging itself as a disease is both misleading and detrimental. Pathologizing a universal process makes it seem toxic. In our youth-obsessed society, ageism already runs rampant in Hollywood, the job market, and even presidential races. And calling aging a disease doesnt address critical questions about why we age in the first place. Instead of calling aging a disease, scientists should aim to identify and treat the underlying processes that cause aging and age-related cellular deterioration. Old age isnt abnormal, so why would aging be pathological? Medical understanding of that cellular deterioration began in 1962, when Leonard Hayflick, professor of anatomy at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, made fundamental breakthroughs to understanding aging: He discovered a limit to how many times typical human cells divide before they become senescent, or exhausted. Before then, scientists had assumed human cells were immortal. Hayflick also figured out that telomeres, which cap the ends of chromosomes and prevent them from fraying, much like plastic tips preserve the ends of shoelaces, shorten each time a cell divides. When the telomeres get short enough, a cell stops dividing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Questions about the underlying processes of aging and its relationship to specific diseases endure. In 2013, a team of international researchers identified nine hallmarks of aging: disrupted communication between cells, genome mutations (associated with cancer), telomere shortening, changes in DNAs chemical structure (apart from the genetic code), degradation of cellular proteins, diminished cellular ability to identify and adjust to nutrient levels, impaired mitochondrial functioning, cellular senescence (when cells stop dividing and growing due to age), and nonrenewal of stem cells. While each hallmark has symptoms, there are no biomarkers to describe aging overall, according to Chuck Dinerstein, senior medical fellow at the American Council on Science and Health. These hallmarks occur in every human, and because many of them occur simultaneously, its difficult to tease out each individual process or to identify causal relationships. We know that the net effect is aging, but theres a lot scientists dont yet know about the processes that causes these hallmarks. Hayflick has argued that differentiating between aging and age-associated diseases is crucial, and that the lack of distinction between them is the most serious impediment to our understanding of the aging process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Semantics and subjectivity add to the difficulty. Old age isnt abnormal, so why would aging be pathological? If aging is a disease, then all 7.7 billion people on Earth have it, and everyone over the age of 65 has an advanced case. If you bristle at that notion, you have a sense of the designations damaging stigma. Suresh Rattan of Denmarks Aarhus Universitys Laboratory of Cellular Ageing believes that a condition everyone experiences cant by definition be a disease. Yes, aging is associated with numerous health issues: heart disease, Alzheimers, and many types of cancer and diabetes. But while those diseases become more common as people age, not every aging person acquires them (and sometimes, younger people do). Peter Boling, director of geriatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School, noted in a panel at the 2019 Gerontological Society of America conference that such conditions are not directly linked to aging as a biologic phenomenon per se. In other words, while these conditions are associated with aging, they arent necessarily triggered by aging itself, but rather by the biological processes of aging, or the cause of those nine hallmarks. Biological processes are the cause, while age-related diseases are the effect. That means that treatments that appear to slow aging overall might actually only be addressing one symptom, and doctors and patients might not realize that limited efficacy for a long time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Classifying aging as a disease also suggests that it could be preventable and/or curable. Perhaps at some point, if scientists can figure out what causes the underlying process of aging, this could be the case. However, nothing can prevent humans from getting older, and that misleading notion opens the door to snake oil treatments. A position statement prepared by Hayflick and more than 50 other scientists warns that claims made by companies producing anti-aging drugs, supplements, hormones, and other treatments are intentionally false, misleading, or exaggerated for commercial reasons. Such marketing leads not only to fruitless consumer spending but also makes it difficult for the public to separate corporate propaganda from scientific research. Societys obsession with youth coupled with humans susceptibility to wishful thinking and magic bullet promises ensures demand for these products, which dubious and disingenuous suppliers will happily meet. Advertisement The claims that various treatments fight aging havent been vetted, because the Food and Drug Administration does not currently regulate any practices or products designed to address aging. Boling points out that even if someone created a drug to mitigate the cellular processes underlying aging, it could not find a pathway to market. This is the most compelling reason for the disease classification, and the reason some gerontologists support it. In addition to greater regulatory guidance, aging research would likely receive far better funding. Congress allocates money to researching age-related conditions such as Alzheimers, but getting Congress to fund research into a process that is not an actual disease is an uphill battle. Advertisement Advertisement However, according to G. Alexander Fleming, former FDA supervisory medical officer, the FDA has long approved products that prevent chronic disease. The issue here seems largely semantic, but it underscores the importance of addressing not just the effects of aging but the underlying causes of those symptoms. Given that aging is the biggest risk factor for chronic diseases, treatments that focus on the underlying aging process could, according to Fleming, in one fell swoop, intervene in several or many chronic diseases of aging. Furthermore, the processes underlying age-related diseases likely overlap, so if researchers can figure out what biological processes make people more susceptible to heart disease or Alzheimers, they could potentially treat multiple conditions at once. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The distinction between aging and its underlying causes also affects research funding. Jamie Justice, an assistant professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest, said during the GSA panel that she doesnt think Is aging a disease? is the right question. The better question, she said, is Why do we have to force aging to be a disease in order to get clinicians, regulatory officials, and stakeholders to do something about it? Part of the answer, according to Hayflick, is that what policymakers dont know about aging dictates their decisions: policy makers must understand that the resolution of age-associated diseases will not provide insights into understanding the fundamental biology of age changes. They often believe that it will, and base decisions on that misunderstanding. Advertisement Advertisement Because of that misconception, funding for research into age-related diseases such as cancer and Alzheimers far exceeds funding for research into biological aging processes. If old age is a risk factor for nearly all of the conditions likely to kill us, Hayflick asks, why then are we not devoting significantly greater resources to understanding what increase[s] vulnerability to all age-associated pathology? Understanding the underlying processes would allow scientists to work on treatments that address the causes of aging, not just its effects. Rattan articulates concerns with enemy-oriented rhetoric, such as the war against aging, defeating aging, and conquering aging. Even in medicine, language matters. Aging is not our foe, nor is it categorically negative. If we embrace the idea of vanquishing this enemy, we may not only encourage ageism but also lose sight of ways we can improve our health and quality of life as we get older. Advertisement Many gerontologists distinguish between health span and life span, the length of time someone enjoys relative good health versus the length of someones life. Longevity while in poor health, pain, or with limitations that sap quality of life makes little sense. Fleming urges regulators and public policy makers to embrace healthspan as an organizing focus for facilitating the development of medicine that target aging and chronic diseases. This shift would promote research on disease-causing processes, which could help us prevent more age-related diseases, not just manage them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As gerontologists Sean Leng and Brian Kennedy put it, Aging is the climate change of health care. The Population Reference Bureau predicts that 100 million Americans will be 65 or older by 2060. How will we care for this population? Its daunting to think about ones own aging, let alone the 16 percent of the worlds population who will be seniors citizens by midcentury. A big-picture approach focused on the processes of agingprocesses we share with nearly all living organismswill put us on a path not only to longer lives but to healthier ones. This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from the Gerontological Society of America, Journalists Network on Generations, and the Commonwealth Fund. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Two people in Florida have presumptive positive tests for coronavirus, health officials announced. Both of the cases are in adults: one in Hillsborough County and the other in Manatee County, both in the southwestern part of the state. Both individuals are isolated and being appropriately cared for, according to the Florida Department of Health. Floridas public health system is well prepared to handle COVID-19. Our health care professionals throughout the state are implementing the appropriate protocols and are ready to respond, the department said. Fox 35 in Orlando reported the Manatee County resident sought healthcare after showing symptoms but does not have a travel history in areas with coronavirus outbreaks. The Hillsborough County resident had traveled to Italy, the site of the greatest number of cases in Europe. A presumptive test is one that has tested positive by a public health laboratory but is pending confirmation through the Centers for Disease Control. Eight other cases are pending test results; 15 Florida residents tested negative for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. More than 180 people are under public health monitoring, including those who are at risk of being exposed to the virus or have returned from China in the past 14 days. Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order declaring a public health emergency and engaging statewide response for control of coronavirus. DeSantis has two press conferences scheduled for today to discuss the states plans to coronavirus. Tomorrow I will be in Tampa and Miami with Surgeon General Rivkees and other officials to discuss our continued statewide response on #COVID19. https://t.co/sMrWkQlyoi Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 2, 2020 You can see a map of global coronavirus cases here. Six of years of careful planning and earnest preparation was realised as David Beckham's Inter Miami played their inaugural MLS game in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday afternoon. But as the family took their place in the stands at a packed Lockhart Stadium ahead of the eagerly anticipated match, son Brooklyn and girlfriend Nicola Peltz only had eyes for each other. The pair were side by side as Inter narrowly missed out on a point against rivals Los Angeles FC, with a single Carlos Vela goal proving to be the difference between the two teams. Smitten: Brooklyn Beckham and girlfriend Nicola Peltz couldn't keep their hands off each other after watching Inter Miami play their inaugural home game in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday Taking to Instagram later that day, Brooklyn, 20, shared a snap of himself and 25-year old Nicola locked in an embrace, with the caption: 'What's Mine Is Yours Baby.' The young photographer's choice of words - the latest in a series of romantic gestures aimed at the American actress - suggest he has fallen hard for his current girlfriend. Only 24-hours earlier Brooklyn, who started dating Nicola following his split from model Hana Cross, shared several romantic snaps from their recent Paris Fashion Week trip. In attendance: Brooklyn and Nicola were side by side as Inter narrowly missed out on a point against rivals Los Angeles FC, with a single Carlos Vela goal proving to be the difference between the two teams In one image the pair are seen sharing a kiss while Nicola stretches a leg across Brooklyn's lap. Another snap captures Nicola glancing at Brooklyn as they sit in a car, with David and Victoria's son smouldering for the camera. An enamoured Brooklyn captioned the snap: 'I promise to always take care of you and to love you with all my heart.' Cute: Brooklyn Beckham made another declaration of love to Nicola Peltz on Saturday, as he shared several romantic snaps with her from their Paris Fashion Week trip Good looking pair: Another snap captures Nicola glancing at Brooklyn as they sit in a car, with David and Victoria's son smouldering for the camera Declaration: Brooklyn showed the depth of his feelings for his girlfriend of four months in a gushing caption 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. The pair have been heavily documenting their blossoming romance on social media, with Brooklyn previously calling Nicola the 'love of my life.' Brooklyn had been linked to a string of women before meeting Nicola, including Canadian actress Natalie Ganzhorn, 21, and brunette actress Phoebe Torrance, 25. Besotted: Brooklyn shared a snap of the couples cuddling up on the sofa and captioned it 'love u' (sic) earlier this month Most recently it was claimed he and Lottie Moss enjoyed a 'secret fling' before he embarked on a relationship with now ex-girlfriend Hana. Earlier this month, American actress Nicola declared that she and Brooklyn were looking long term as she stressed the strength of their relationship alongside a steamy photograph shared to Instagram. Sharing a snap of the pair cosied up together, he wrote: 'Me and u xx,' with Nicola adding 'Forever' in an accompanying comment. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 9F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight Scattered snow flurries and snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low 9F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph, becoming E and decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:33:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Despite some promising signs, the epidemic situation remains grim and complicated, with great uncertainty and pressure. While the rise of new confirmed COVID-19 cases has been halted, the overall battle is not over. By Xinhua Writers Chu Yi, Yu Pei and Yue Wenwan WUHAN, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Despite a raft of strict measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, hundreds of daily new confirmed cases are still reported in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, which was put on lockdown in late January. The Chinese mainland reported 202 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection on Sunday, down from 573 the previous day, the National Health Commission said Monday. 196 of the 202 new cases in China were reported in Hubei Province, while 193 of the 196 cases in Hubei were in Wuhan, the provincial capital. On Friday and Saturday, Hubei reported 423 and 570 new coronavirus cases, respectively. Where are Wuhan's new COVID-19 cases from then? Staff members work at a novel coronavirus detection lab in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) SUSPECTED CASES, CLOSE CONTACTS "About 80 to 90 percent of the newly confirmed infections in Wuhan were previously suspected cases," said Liang Wannian, head of the Chinese expert panel on outbreak response and disposal. "These cases are all under our control," Liang said. Some new infections are also related to close contacts of the confirmed cases. The China-World Health Organization (WHO) joint expert team said about 1 to 5 percent of close contacts have later been confirmed to have the disease. As the nucleic acid tests have been expanded to close contacts, some infected people showing no symptoms have been found, said an administrative worker in a quarantine spot in Wuhan. Community workers record residents' health information in Caidian District of Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) On Feb. 22, Wuhan said it has conducted nucleic acid tests for all backlogged patients, including those confirmed or suspected to be infected with the virus, close contacts of confirmed cases, and patients with fever. A total of 40 nucleic acid testing institutions in the city can test an average of 14,000 samples per day, with its daily testing capacity reaching 20,000 samples, said the city's epidemic prevention and control headquarters. Meanwhile, a considerable number of the recent new cases are asymptomatic infected patients found in special places such as the detention centers, as the city has launched a "blanket search" to leave no coronavirus patient unattended, according to the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. PROMISING BUT STILL GRIM "The number of newly confirmed infections in Wuhan on Sunday hit a new low of 193, and the number of suspected cases has also slipped," said Chen Erzhen who leads a Shanghai medical team to assist Hubei, calling it a "promising change." A community worker informs residents of a health check in Caidian District of Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) Wuhan now 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 outbreak, Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, told a press conference Friday. According to Ma, the daily number of patients discharged from makeshift COVID-19 hospitals, designed for patients with mild symptoms, has greatly exceeded the number of new cases. The city has so far built 16 public-facility-turned temporary hospitals with more than 13,000 beds, having treated a total of 12,000 patients, or one in every four patients of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, according to the official. "About seven quarantine spots in Qiaokou District have been switched into rehabilitation places and the number is expected to grow as more patients recover," said Luo Jun, head of a quarantine spot in the district. As of midnight March 1, 7,250 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported in Qiaokou, ranking third among the 13 districts in Wuhan. Volunteers carry out disinfection work in Jiang'an District of Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) More than 40,000 medics from across the country have joined the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the hardest-hit province of Hubei. As of Sunday, Hubei had reported 67,103 COVID-19 cases and 2,803 deaths. A total of 33,757 coronavirus patients in Hubei have been cured and discharged from hospitals and 26,901 are still receiving treatment in hospitals. Despite some promising changes, the epidemic situation remains grim and complicated, with great uncertainty and pressure, Liang Wannian said. "We can't be blindly optimistic," Liang said, adding that Hubei Province and Wuhan are still "the centers of the epidemic." According to Zhou Jiaxi, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the situation in Wuhan is "fluid," though "the growth of COVID-19 cases is subsiding undoubtedly." "While the rise has been halted, the overall battle is far from over," Zhou said. Grid-based management in Wuhan has been running at full speed since Feb. 11, when the city's headquarters for epidemic prevention and control required all residential areas to implement closed-off management. Grid-based community worker Li Wenli (L) knocks on the door of an apartment during a health screening campaign at Qingheju Community in Qingshan District of Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) Wuhan has 8,700 grid-based community workers. Each worker takes care of 300 to 500 households, according to Luo Ping, deputy secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Municipal Committee of Wuhan. Last week, the Hubei provincial headquarters for COVID-19 control stressed all cities, prefectures and counties in the province should continue to implement stringent restrictions on outbound transport channels to resolutely prevent the spread of the virus within and beyond the province. "We must not relax our efforts in implementing strict prevention and control, administering medical treatment, carrying out combing and admission, ensuring prevention at special venues, providing material support and maintaining overall social stability," said the CPC Hubei Committee. (Li Laifang, Liao Jun, Liang Jianqiang, Tan Yuanbin, Wang Zuokui and Li Changzheng also contributed to the story) (Video reporters: Rao Rao, Wang Siban, Pan Zhiwei and Fang Yadong; video editor: Liu Yuting) The hanging of the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case scheduled for Tuesday was deferred for the third time in six weeks by a court in yet another twist in the case marked by apparent delaying tactics by the condemned prisoners. Postponing the execution till further orders, Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana on Monday said the hanging cannot be carried out pending disposal of Pawan Gupta's mercy plea before the President, observing any condemned convict must not meet his "Creator" with grievance against courts for not acting fairly on the opportunity to exhaust legal remedies. Earlier in the day, Pawan(25) moved a clemency plea before President Ram Nath Kovind, shortly after his curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The curative plea for commuting the death sentence was heard in chamber by a five-judge bench. It is the last legal remedy available for a convict to get any reprieve. The hanging of the four men--Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan, who are lodged in Tihar jail, was fixed for March 3 in Tihar jail. Barring Pawan, the other three had in the previous weeks moved curative petitions and mercy pleas which were all dismissed. The first date of execution--January 22--fixed on January 7 was postponed by the court to February 1. But on January 31, the court indefinitely postponed the hanging. On February 17, the court again issued fresh date for execution of death warrants for March 3 at 6 am. The court in its orders observed that the four convicts cannot be hanged since a mercy plea of one or the other convict was pending. Going by the precedent set by President Kovind while dealing with the earlier three mercy petitions in the Nirbhaya case, Pawan's plea is also likely to be dismissed setting the stage for the possible execution of the four in the second half of this month. According to Delhi Prison Rules, if a mercy petition is submitted, a 14-day period has to be given to the convict after the dismissal of the mercy plea. The case has witnessed a series of twists and turns right after a Delhi court on September 13, 2013 awarded the death sentence to the four convicts, less than one year after 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. Review petitions and curative petitions were then filed in a staggered manner in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order on March 13, 2014 confirming the death sentence. The last option of mercy petition before the President to escape the gallows was exercised by the convicts one by one. "This shows the failure of our system. The whole world is watching how justice is being delayed in India," Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi told reporters. Asha Devi said she "loses hope every day" but the convicts will be hanged no matter what they do. "I lose hope every day but I stand tall everyday. They would have to be hanged. There could not have been a worse case than Nirbhaya but still I am struggling to get justice. The courts are sitting and watching the drama." Judge Rana passed his order on Pawan's plea seeking to stay the execution as he has filed a mercy petition before the President. "Despite stiff resistance from the victim's side, I am of the opinion that any condemned convict must not meet his Creator with a grievance in his bosom that the courts of the country have not acted fairly in granting him an opportunity to exhaust his legal remedies," the judge said. "As a cumulative effect of the discussion, I am of the opinion that the death sentence cannot be executed pending the disposal of the mercy petition of the convict. It is hereby directed that the execution of death warrants against all the convicts, scheduled for March 3 at 6 AM, is deferred till further orders," the judge added. In its 6-page order, the judge said, "I have no hesitation in holding that mercy petition is an important constitutional legal principle 'Ubi jus ubi remedium', i.e., where there is a right, there is a remedy, I am of the opinion that the application(of Pawan) is very much maintainable." While it was reserving the order on Pawan's fresh plea, the judge rapped the convict's lawyer A P Singh for acting so late in filing the curative and mercy pleas. "You are playing with fire, you should be cautious" and added "one wrong move by anybody, and you know the consequences". In the apex court, a five-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana, also rejected Pawan's application seeking stay on the execution of the death sentence "The application for oral hearing is rejected. The application for stay of execution of death sentence is also rejected. The curative petition is dismissed...," said the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra, R F Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Chairman of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Bohdan has resumed his practice of law. "Hello everyone. I have resumed my practice of law, so I invite businesspersons, politicians and other clients to cooperate. It will be fun, hold on," Bohdan posted on Facebook. As reported, on February 11, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Andriy Yermak as the Chairman of the Office of the President of Ukraine, having previously dismissed Andriy Bohdan from this post. Prior to his appointment to the Administration of the President (later reformed into the Office of the President), Bohdan had worked as a lawyer for oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. ol By Barani Krishnan Investing.com - Oil prices jumped 5%, rebounding sharply from last weeks crash, on hopes of deep production cuts by OPEC to offset crude demand lost to the coronavirus and amid signs that major central banks and finance ministers were coordinating action to prevent a global economic collapse. * By 12:40 PM ET (17:40 GMT), West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. crude benchmark, was up $2.30, or 5.1%, at $47.06 per barrel,. WTI fell 5% Friday and 16% on the week, its most in a week since mid-December 2008, the era that spawned the Great Recession. WTI rebounded as Wall Streets three major stock indexes all surged about 2% each. * Brent, the London-traded global benchmark for crude, was up $2.54, or 5.1%, at $52.21. Brent lost 4.8% on Friday and 15% on the week. * OPECs 13 members open their regular twice-yearly meeting on Thursday before a special session on Friday with 10 producing allies led by Russia, who are collectively known as OPEC+. Saudi Arabia, which dominates the group, is trying to push for an agreement to cut another 1 million barrels per day in on top of 2.1 million bpd already agreed in December. Russia, whose cooperation is vital for a cut, hasnt given an emphatic yes to the Saudis. * As for rate cut expectations, fed funds futures are pricing in a 100% chance that the Federal Reserve will cut rates by 50 basis points at its meeting March 18, Investing.coms Fed Rate Monitor Tool showed. The Bank of Japan and Bank of England have also said they ready to take steps to stabilize financial markets, stoking investor hopes of coordinated action. The Group of Seven finance ministers will, meanwhile, hold a teleconference Tuesday to coordinate response to the coronavirus outbreak, Frances Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday. Related Articles Gold Climbs as Bond Yields Tumble OPEC February oil output sinks on Libyan unrest, cuts Oil Prices Manage Gains as Rate-Cut Hopes Rise The Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA track and kill Osama bin Laden has launched a hunger strike from his prison cell, his lawyer and family said Monday. Shakeel Afridi has been languishing behind bars for years since his fake vaccination programme helped US agents track and kill the Al Qaeda leader in 2011. It is to protest the injustices and inhumane attitudes being committed against him and his family, his brother Jamil Afridi told AFP after meeting with Afridi in a prison in central Punjab province. ALSO WATCH | No blacklisting for Pakistan at FATF again: Implications and way forward His attorney Qamar Nadeem also confirmed the hunger strike. Afridi was jailed for 33 years in May 2012 after he was convicted of having ties to militants, a charge he has always denied. His sentence was later reduced by 10 years. Some US lawmakers have branded the case as revenge for his help in the search for the Al Qaeda chief. The 2011 killing of Bin Laden caused massive embarrassment for Pakistan and particularly its powerful military. For years Afridi has had no access to his lawyer, while his appeal against his prison sentence has stalled with scheduled court appearances repeatedly delayed. His family has also complained of being targeted and harassed by authorities over the years. US President Donald Trump vowed during his election campaign that he would order Pakistan to free Afridi, but since taking office has been largely silent on the issue. The comments sparked a blistering rebuttal from Pakistan, whose interior minister at the time branded Trump ignorant and stated that the government of Pakistan and not Donald Trump would decide Afridis fate. In recent years Pakistani authorities have cracked down on nonprofits and forced them to leave the country, which analysts say was largely tied to the Afridi case due to the security establishments fears that NGOs have provided cover for spying. By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 02, 2020 | 01:16 PM | PADUCAH Paducah Police were called to an apartment complex near the 2600 block of Perkins Creek Drive for a report of shots fired just before midnight on Saturday. Officers say they spoke to 26-year-old Camron G. Siener of Carson Way, and said he was intoxicated and playing with his gun when it went off. The bullet reportedly ricocheted off the floor and lodged in the apartment wall, near one of the witnesses who was there. Police said both neighboring apartments were also occupied. Siener allegedly admitted he fired the weapon, and was arrested for first-degree wanton endangerment. He was taken to McCracken County Jail. A Paducah man was arrested Sunday morning after a gun was discharged in an apartment building. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Bengaluru, March 2 : A three-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard at Karnataka's Baichanalli village in Tumkur district, a police official said on Monday. Tumkur is 70 km north west of Bengaluru. "The girl was playing in front of her house around 8 p.m. on Saturday when the leopard carried her away and mauled her to death," Tumkur district Superintendent of Police Vamsi Krishna told IANS. The girl's family found her body around 10.30 p.m. with bite marks on her hands and face. Krishna said state Forest Minister Anand Singh visited the family of the deceased girl and promised compensation. "The minister has also ordered the forest department to capture the leopard. On Saturday, a leopard was captured, making it the third leopard to be caught in the last four months," said Krishna. The forest department also set up 25 traps to capture the leopard, including cameras. Krishna said the police department is also helping the forest department in capturing the big cat. A team from Bandipur tiger reserve had visited Tumkur in January to help the district officials in averting leopard kills. "We are planning to call the Bandipur team again," said Krishna. The three-year-old girl's death was the fourth fatal leopard attack in Tumkur in the last four months. Earlier, 60-year-old Lakshmamma from Kuppe village, 60-year-old Anandiah from Doddamaralavadi and a 5-year-old boy were killed between October and January. New Delhi, March 2 : SBI Cards IPO subscribed 18 per cent so far on day one and its bidding will close on March 5. SBI Cards and Payment Services' initial public offering or IPO opened for subscription on Monday and till 1.45 p.m., it was last subscribed 18.38 per cent on the first day of the issue, as per the NSE data. The company has already raised Rs 2,769 crore from 74 anchor investors, including 12 mutual funds. The IPO received 1.84 crore bids by 1.45 p.m. compared with the issue size of 10.03 crore, data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) showed. SBI Cards and Payment Services - the credit card arm of the country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) - aims to raise around Rs 10,350 crore through the IPO, including new shares worth Rs 500 crore and an offer for sale of 13.05 crore shares. SBI Cards is the second largest credit card issuer in the country with a market share of 18 per cent. SBI Cards and Payment Services has fixed a price band of Rs 750-755 per equity share for bidding under the IPO. The biggest strength of the company is the SBI's parentage, whose brand is highly trusted. The credit card-to-debit card ratio for SBI Card stands at 3.7 per cent for SBI Card compared with 45 percent of HDFC Bank, 28 per cent for Axis Bank and 18 per cent for ICICI Bank, which suggests scope for SBI Card mining SBI customers. Bharti Airtel pays Rs13,004 cr of AGR dues, says complied with SC order Telecom operator Bharti Airtel is reported to have paid Rs10,000 crore as the second installment of its AGR dues, early this month, in addition to the Rs3,004 crore paid last month, taking the overall payment to the telecom department to Rs13,004 crore. In addition to Rs13,004 crore, Bharti Airtel has also paid Rs5,000 crore as an ad-hoc payment subject to subsequent refund/adjustment" to cover differences arising of any arising from the reconciliation exercise with the DoT. The company also on Saturday said it has finished assessing dues related to adjusted gross revenue (AGR) that it owes the government. As per the company's self-assessment exercise, the dues amount to Rs13,004 which it has already paid off, the telecom major said. Besides Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices is also reported to have submitted their self assessment figures on AGR, which though are subject to Department of Telecommunication (DoT) reconciliation. DoT will ask Vodafone Idea also give self assessment figures of their AGR dues. For Tata Tele which paid Rs2,197 crore, the figure stood at a little over Rs14,000 crore. Based on the aforesaid payment we have now complied with the AGR judgment and the directions in the order of Supreme Court dated 24 October, 2019," the company said in an exchange filing on Saturday. The company now claims it has complied with the October verdict of the Supreme Court which directed companies to pay AGR related dues for the last 14 years. However, as per government calculations, the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led company owed over Rs35,000 crore to the DoT. The company said the assessment of dues was done for the period 2006-07 to February 2020. Vodafone Idea is now under pressure to pay off dues, although it has repeatedly told the government that it will be forced to shut shop in the absence of urgent relief measures. Vodafone Idea so far has paid Rs3,500 crore, its figure as per government is Rs53,000 crore and VIL is currently doing self assessment and is yet to give full and final figure as per its own calculations. On Friday, the governments highest decision-making body had met but did not take a decision on relief measures to help telecom operators pay AGR dues, saying it needed more details to reconcile the amount owed. 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 on Friday after the meeting of the Digital Communications Commission. Earlier this week, DoT had asked all operators to speed up their self-assessment of AGR dues and submit documents backing their calculations, even after Bharti Airtel Ltd, Tata Teleservices Ltd 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 calculations made by the government and telcos, The Mint reported last month. Last October, the Supreme Court had upheld the governments definition of AGR, by which it calculates levies on telecom operators. The order dealt a blow to the telecom industry, which had for years argued that AGR should only include revenue from core telecom operations. Telecom operators now have to pay dues of the past 14 years with interest and fines. Vodafone Idea has been the worst hit by the verdict, as its past dues have soared to over Rs50,000 crore. It has so far paid Rs3,500 crore to the government. With the recent AGR judgment, the situation has become even more critical," the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said in a letter to DoT on 26 February, adding that the industry requests support from the government to take steps to make the telecom sector sustainable". The industry body, which represents Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, has also urged the government to set a minimum price for mobile services starting 1 April, and reduce licence fees and spectrum usage charges to alleviate the financial stress in the sector. This is over and above the 14.33 per cent increase in bundled prepaid tariffs announced by the three telecom operators in the country - Airtel, Vodafone-Idea and Reliance Jio in December. 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 By Ben Christopher | CalMatters If you're a voter in east Los Angeles County, there's a chance there's a glossy ad sitting in your mailbox right now that touts Sylvia Rubio, a candidate in one of the hottest races for the state Assembly, as a "passionate advocate for women and children" who has "lived our life" and "shared our stories." Read the mailer carefully and you'll see in the fine print at the bottom that the "our" refers to the inoffensively named "Hope & Heritage" committee, which paid for the ad. But here's what you won't see: Hope & Heritage is primarily funded by an industry group that includes the pharmaceutical industry and one of the largest dialysis clinic operators in the state. California legislators tried to cast some sunlight on anonymously funded dark money groups in 2017 when they passed a law requiring these independent expenditure committees to list their major donors on the political ads and mailers they pay for. YOUR GUIDE TO THE RACES FOR: Such committees, generally funded by major corporate or labor organizations with business before the state, can legally raise and spend unlimited sums to boost or tear down a candidate so long as they don't coordinate with a campaign. But three years after passage of the "Disclose Act," a number of the bill's fiercest supporters now say the law contains a loophole big enough to drive a $50,000 truck through. Here's the catch: These committees are required to list a funder as a "top donor" on their ads only if that contributor has given at least $50,000. If donors give, say, $49,000, then their names need not be disclosed on the ads. So far, the top contributors to Hope & Heritage, the committee backing Rubio, are the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America and Fresenius Medical Care, one of two major operators of dialysis clinics across the state, and a long-term target of unionization efforts. The drug manufacturers gave Hope & Heritage $49,500, just $500 shy of the disclosure threshold. Fresenius gave $45,000. The origins of Hope and Heritage trace back to yet another independent expenditure group that sponsored its creation -- a committee called Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy. It gave Hope & Heritage $49,500 in late January, but three weeks later Hope & Heritage for some reason refunded that contribution. Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy has been a long-lasting backer of moderate Democrats -- it's already spent more than $300,000 to back Rubio, helping make her the single largest beneficiary of independent expenditure of any legislative candidate, Who's funding Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy? Primarily big business interests, including Sempra Energy (parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric), Chevron, PhRMA and Walmart. Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy has already spent more than $300,000 to back Rubio. Trent Lange, president of the California Clean Money Campaign that spearheaded the drive for the 2017 transparency law, said that's the problem. Contributions coming in just shy of the threshold are "obviously a cynical ploy," he said. While an earlier version of the bill did not include the $50,000 minimum, he said the exemption was carved out as a necessary compromise to get it through the Legislature, over the objections of both labor and business groups. "These examples of deceptively named campaign committees hiding their top funders by having them contribute $49,000 shows that we might have to revisit that threshold for local and legislative campaigns," he said. David Townsend is the political consultant who runs Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy. Asked whether the Hope & Heritage committee was established to obscure the mailer's financial ties to politically unpopular industries, he said that "that's probably accurate," -- but also stressed "if it's under $50,000, you don't have to disclose who they are." He referred additional questions to his colleague, Chris Tapio, who he said is running the committee. Tapio responded to a series of questions by emailing a link to a political advertising disclosure fact sheet published by the Fair Political Practices Committee, the state's campaign finance watchdog. 'IT'S A CLASSIC SHELL GAME' It's easy to see why some of the groups backing Rubio might be eager to keep their names off of mailers associated with the candidate. She's in a crowded race to replace Assemblyman Ian Calderon, who is retiring. Her most formidable candidate is the incumbent's stepmother, Lisa Calderon, who has been aided by hundreds of thousands of dollars from organized labor. In recent weeks that spending has taken the form of mailers drawing attention to some of Rubio's friends in industry. "You can tell a lot about a candidate by the support they get," read one mailer. "Sylvia Rubio is supported and funded by oil companies, oil refineries, & billion dollar drug companies." Channeling money from one committee to another and setting contributions below the $50,000 disclosure limit is a common "branding maneuver," said Doug Morrow, a Democratic political researcher who runs DSM Analytics. "What's the advantage of spinning off the separate PAC (political action committee) unless you want to insulate some of your donors?" he said. "It's a classic shell game." Hope & Heritage is certainly not the only independent expenditure group not publishing a full list of its top donors on its ads, as a result of contributions just below the legal limit. In two of the most fiercely competitive state Senate races, a committee called Californians Allied for Patient Protection has spent more than $300,000 opposing two Democrats: Sally Lieber, a liberal former member of the Assembly in Silicon Valley, and Katrina Foley, the mayor of Costa Mesa. The committee is backed by health industry groups hoping to protect a 40-year-old law capping the damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice suits. Pitting health care industry groups against trial lawyers, the battle over the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act is likely to be one of the fiercest of 2020. The committee's ads feature a single major donor: the California Dental Association, which has poured $125,000 into the committee's coffers. Other donors include the Cooperative of American Physicians, a medical malpractice insurance provider, a committee sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and the California Medical Association, a trade group for the state's physicians. Each contributed $49,000. 'THAT'S HONESTLY NOT OUR MOTIVATION' Anthony York, a spokesperson for the California Medical Association, said there was no significance to the group's $49,000 contribution. He pointed out that the association has already spent well above the mandatory disclosure threshold in support of Shelly Masur, one of Lieber's Democratic opponents in the race. "We are not shy about our political support and activity," he said. "Can't speak to other groups but that's honestly not our motivation in our political decisions." Lisa Maas, executive director of Californians Allied for Patient Protection, did not respond to a series of messages. Another committee, Driving California's Economy -- this one funded by the California New Car Dealers Association -- chipped in $40,000. "I think most of these special interests, if they can avoid putting their name on a piece, they will," said Lieber, one of the committee's targets who is running to replace Sen. Jerry Hill. She added that she would support amending state law to require committees to publish the names of their top three contributors, regardless of contribution size. Allowing committees to "game the system" by concealing who is funding what breeds cynicism among voters, she said. "It's such a trip down the rabbit hole that the oil companies can say that 'you're a fake environmentalist' and the pharmaceutical industry can say that 'you're in the pocket of the drug manufacturers,'" Lieber said. "Everyday people that have busy lives just give up after a while and think, 'How do I know about any of these people?' That's what the corporations are betting on." It isn't just corporations who are taking advantage of California's campaign finance loophole by making donations that slide just under the amount triggering the state's disclosure requirement. The East Bay city of Livermore is the center of a particularly fractious campaign over whether to approve a downtown development plan with a hotelier. (How fractious? In late January, an unknown vandal stunk up a "Yes on P" campaign with a "fart bomb.") According to campaign finance documents filed with the city, the four largest backers of the "No on P" campaign are Joan Seppala, publisher of the local weekly the Livermore Independent; her husband Lynn; Jean King, chair of the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center board; and Barbara Sweet, a New Hampshire resident. All four gave $49,000. Jim Stearns, a San Francisco political consultant hired by the campaign, said there wasn't anything remarkable about that choice of contribution size. "The most common contribution in the world is right under the disclosure requirement," he said. "Who the hell would want their name on a f--ing mailer? The state makes the rules. They're following the rules." CalMatters reporter Laurel Rosenhall contributed to this story which was originally published on CalMatters website on March 1. The deputy head of the Iranian Judiciary for international affairs, Ali Bagheri, said Feb. 15 that Iran and Iraq are following up on the judicial dossier relating to the assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike that hit his vehicle Jan. 3 along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander in the Popular Mobilization Units. Bagheri said, There is a joint action with Iraq, and judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi spoke to his Iraqi counterpart over the phone. Al-Monitor tried to communicate with the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq and the spokesperson for the council to learn about how Iraq is responding to Iran in this regard and how serious the Iranian statements are. It is seemingly a sensitive topic that the council refuses to raise. The Iraqi judges and legal experts that Al-Monitor contacted also refrained from making any comments. The spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, Gholam Hossein Ismaili, said Feb. 4, Soleimani's family will file a lawsuit against those involved in his assassination, and that a file that reached a serious stage was already prepared in Iraq. This statement consists of another affirmation that Iran is seeking to put Iraq on its side in the judicial file. Ihsan al-Shammari, director of the Iraqi Center for Political Thought, told Al-Monitor, International law, Article 51 of the UN Charter and the UN-Iraq agreement against the Islamic State (IS) give the countries, including the US, the right to act to defend themselves in the event of an imminent armed attack. He said, In case the US claims turn out to be true, and that it was actually defending itself to ward off any attacks, then such a type of measures is deemed acceptable. Shammari said, In order to categorize the US raid as legitimate under international law, Washington is required to provide evidence that future attacks were being planned against it. He addewd, The US will more likely argue that the call to cooperate against IS is a type of consent by the Iraqi government. That [subsequently] grants Washington the right to protect its interests inside Iraq. Shammari also said, In order for Iraq and Iran to cooperate in the investigation, there should be a judicial agreement that the Iraqi parliament approves of. Such an agreement is, however, unavailable. Shammari pointed at Iran's political influence on the dossier, with the pro-Iran Adel Abdul Mahdi government allowing a special team from the Embassy of Iran in Baghdad onto the scene 30 minutes after the strike in order to retrieve belongings and a diplomatic bomb-proof pouch that was not blown up and was ejected some 20 meters [65 feet]away from the scene. Shammari also spoke of an important variable involving the assassination file, the transition from a pro-Iran premiership, represented by Abdul Mahdi, to a prime minister who we hope will steer [Iraq] back to the circle of balance and sovereign decisions, and who will avoid any escalation cause by involving Iran in the investigation file. This is because such a thing will be provocative for Washington and will suggest that the future government is under Irans influence as well. He said Iraq's protesters, who generally oppose Iranian influence in Iraq, likely will push against Irans interference in the Iraqi judicial file, particularly since Iraq completed the investigation. He said, Has Iran allowed foreign parties to investigate into the crash of the Ukrainian plane? It did not even hand over the planes black box. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps mistakenly shot down the airliner Jan. 8. Raheem Al Ugaili, a judge and former head of the Federal Commission of Integrity, told Al-Monitor, Announcing a judicial cooperation agreement in Soleimanis killing could be related to the information and evidence exchange. Ugaili said, From a simplified perspective of the Iraqi penal code, Soleimanis killing could be classified as premeditated murder. Yet there are international and political dimensions preventing the issue from being seen as ordinary murder. This is because it tends to be more like killings in the course of military operations, in accordance with legal mechanisms and constitutional prerogatives. Ugaili said he believes that there is no chance for any accountability or prosecution in the case, as long as it is a state that claimed responsibility for the incident. This is because states are immune to prosecution. Legal expert Tariq Harb focused on the fact that the assassination took place on Iraqi terrtory. Under the states territorial jurisdiction in criminal cases, such as killings, established by the Iraqi, Iranian and international law, the [competent authorities] in this file are limited to the Iraqi judicial sides and courts, Harb told Al-Monitor. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Jan. 3 that the court has no jurisdiction to investigate the assassination of Soleimani. Ali al-Tamimi, a former judge, told Al-Monitor, The Iranian investigators cannot get into the country, because they are not allowed to take part in the investigation under Iraqi and international law, unless the Iraqi government, the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq and the general prosecution consented to such a participation. Although it is in the interest of Iran to involve Iraq in the judicial investigation into Soleimanis assassination, such an Iranian desire clashes with an Iraqi popular and elitist rejection of any foreign interference in Iraq's judicial affairs. Also, Baghdad is well aware that such cooperation does not serve its relations in Washington. Photo credit: d3sign - Getty Images From Women's Health Now that cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK and it's spreading throughout Europe, the UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the public from low to moderate. Austria and Croatia have reported their first cases, while several towns in the northern Italian region of Lombardy have been placed on lockdown after a spike in incidences - resulting in a reported 19 deaths. Understandably, this has got the public concerned about everything from if they should be wearing a face mask, to seeking advice on whether they can travel internationally. Here's what you need to know about going abroad amid the Coronavirus scare, according to travel and health experts. Is it safe to travel amid Coronavirus? While the spread of Coronavirus may feel worrying, the World Health Organisation (WHO) have not declared a pandemic. Nor have the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) imposed any travel bans from the UK beyond that of travel to Hubei Province, and against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China, as well as parts of Italy. They advise: "The FCO advise against all but essential travel to 10 small towns in Lombardy (Codogno, Castiglione dAdda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano) and one in Veneto (Vo Euganeo), which have been isolated by the Italian authorities due to an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19)." Iran and South Korea have also been placed on red alert. Beyond these locations, the Foreign Office are not currently advising against going on any international trips, so you could go ahead as planned. It's worth keeping a close eye on the latest advice from the Foreign Office website, to see if anything changes. What happens if you do want to travel amid Coronavirus? The general advice is to be as vigilant with protection from germs as possible. Keep yourself clean, wash your hands, and hold your hand over your mouth if you cough. The NHS still maintains 'the risk to individuals remains low' and insist 'people can continue to go to work, school and other public places', which technically includes tourist attractions too. Story continues 'Coronavirus exhibits flu like symptoms and the average healthy person will recover after self-quarantine,' qualified health practitioner Jason Briggs at health brand ShoeHero insists. 'The elderly and those with underlying health conditions such as respiratory diseases are more at risk and should take higher precautions. Everybody should be washing their hands on a regular basis. If you sneeze, catch it and bin it and then wash your hands.' Is it safer to travel in the UK? At this stage, it's uncertain whether booking a holiday in the UK is safer than going abroad - especially as schools are starting to close in areas where Coronavirus cases have been suspected. There's no evidence to suggest visiting a destination closer to home is any safer than visiting somewhere further afield that isn't on the FCO's restricted travel list. So essentially, as far as official advice goes, providing you're vigilant with germs, you can travel anywhere other than quarantined areas. Can you claim back cancelled holidays on insurance? It depends. According to Which? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has only issued travel advisories for China and Italy, meaning only people travelling there or through there will be eligible for refunds. British Airways has said that passengers with bookings to some airports in the north of Italy - including Milan, Turin, Bologna, Venice, Bergamo and Verona - will now be able to rebook their flights for a later date, though will not be eligible for a refund. Not wishing to travel to other destinations due to your own concerns is not covered by most travel insurance companies, meaning you're unlikely to be able to claim back these costs due to the coronavirus. 'Unfortunately, choosing not to go on holiday due to fear of contracting Coronavirus or any other illness, is not something that your travel insurance would provide cover for,' Stuart Lloyd, Travel Insurance Expert at Columbus Direct, comments. 'So, if you are due to travel to a country or region that the FCO has not advised against travelling to, but cancel the trip anyway, this will definitely not be covered. 'If youre unsure, check your travel insurers website to see if they have added some FAQs about the cover provided. Alternatively, contact the travel insurance provider for more information. It is worth remembering that you should also reach out to your travel agent, tour operators, airlines, holiday accommodation providers etc. in the first instance, to see what costs you can recover. Many companies, especially where the holiday is sold under an ATOL Licence, will have a duty of care to the customer to return costs or to reschedule/reroute the trip.' Like this article? SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER to receive your weekly dose of features. You Might Also Like Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 22:32:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BERLIN, March 2 (Xinhua) -- German Health Minister Jens Spahn said at a press conference that 150 infections with coronavirus have been confirmed as of Monday morning in Germany. The confirmed cases were recorded in 10 out of Germany's 16 federal states. The most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, where a large number of people had caught the coronavirus during a Carnival event last week, confirmed 86 cases alone. "People with symptoms should use the hotlines before visiting a doctor," said the minister. The risk level in Germany was set to "moderate". Spahn did not consider it necessary to close German borders and stressed that the cancellation of major events or the closure of companies was generally not advisable. "Dangerousness is not a simple number," Christian Drosten, director of the Institute of Virology at the Charite Berlin, an academic hospital in Germany, said at the press conference. He also criticized scaremongering on social media as well as companies making profit with the fear of citizens. The United States has urged Ethiopia to sign in the shortest possible time a deal with Egypt and Sudan about the giant dam it is building on the Nile. According to Steven Mnuchin, the US treasury secretary, the final testing and filling of the dam should not take place without an agreement. The government of Ethiopia has expressed disappointment over the statement. Ethiopia as the owner of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will commence first filling of the dam in parallel with the construction of the GERD in accordance with the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization and the causing of no significant harm as provided for under the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoP). Ethiopia does not accept the characterization that the negotiation on the Guidelines and Rules on the First Filling and Annual Operation of the GERD (Guidelines and Rules) is completed, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy on Saturday said in a joint statement. Last week Ethiopia failed to attend what was meant to be the final signing of an accord. Egypt and Sudan fear the $4bn dam will deprive their populations of water. The Grand Renaissance Dam is at the heart of Ethiopias manufacturing and industrial dreams. When completed it is expected to be able to generate a massive 6,000 megawatts of electricity. Congress, Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party MPs staged separate dharnas on Monday near the Gandhi statue in Parliament, demanding answers from the government on the Delhi riots on the first day of the second half of the budget session. IMAGE: Trinamool Congress leaders protest over Delhi violence at Parliament during the ongoing budget session. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Covering their eyes with black bands and holding a finger on their lips in an apparent imitation of the Gandhi's Three Monkeys, MPs like Mohua Mitra, Sukhendu Shekhar Rai were part of the protest. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Shashi Tharoor and others held placards demanding answers on the Delhi riots and the resignation of home minister Amit Shah. Another protest, this time by four AAP MPs -- Sanjay Singh, Bhagwant Mann, N D Gupta and Sushil Gupta -- was held in front of Gandhi statue of Parliament against violence in Delhi. They raised slogans of "BJP murdabad". The Congress MPs held placards reading 'Save Our India', 'Prime Minister Must Answer' and 'Shah Must Resign'. "When Delhi was burning, our home minister was playing the host in Ahmedabad. Playing a host is fine, but when Indians were being killed, that should have been the priority," Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Chowdhury said referring to the 'Namaste Trump' programme in which Shah had participated. "There should be an investigation into the violence. The prime minister speaks after three days, the home minister does not say anything, Ajit Doval is sent to look into it, this is their failure," he told reporters outside Parliament. IMAGE: Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others raise slogans during a protest over Delhi violence near the Gandhi statue in Parliament. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Speaking to reporters, Tharoor said the Congress wants a debate over what happened in Delhi. "The home minister has a big responsibility as the law and order is under him. The home minister must resign as he could not fulfil his responsibilities," he said. The Congress and other opposition parties have accused the police of bias and inaction in the Delhi violence. At least 42 people died and more than 200 were injured during the communal riots in northeast Delhi. Opposition MPs have also given notice in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the Delhi riots. Those who gave notice include Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran, Indian Union Muslim League MP PK Kunjalikutty, Communist Party of India-Marxist MP Elamaram Kareem, and CPI MP Binoy Vishwam. A Congress delegation, including party chief Sonia Gandhi, urged President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday to call for home minister Shah's resignation over his alleged "abdication of duty" during the communal violence in Delhi and remind the Centre of its "raj dharma". IMAGE: Aam Aadmi Party MPs Sanjay Singh, Bhagwant Mann, N D Gupta and Sushil Gupta raise slogans during a protest over Delhi violence. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo The Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, had also deliberated on the issue last week and passed a resolution, demanding answers from both the central and Delhi governments, while also urging the people of Delhi to "reject the politics of hate". The Congress president on Friday had deputed a five-member team to visit the riot-affected areas in northeast Delhi and submit a report to her after assessing the situation there. The delegation comprised All India Congress Committee general secretary Mukul Wasnik, AICC in-charge for Delhi Shaktisinh Gohil, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja, former MP Tariq Anwar and Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev. The budget session of Parliament commenced on January 31 and continued till February 11. After a break, it commenced on March 2 and will continue till April 3. tragic Reply Thread Link Good. Maybe that means the line will be shorter now.. but probably not. Reply Thread Link Eh Costco is overrated. Reply Thread Link YOU BITE YOUR TONGUE Reply Parent Thread Link I don't have a membership but sometimes I go with my mom and I literally never buy anything when I go. They don't have anything spectacular and I don't need to buy large amounts of food. I remember I once was going to get bagels but you HAVE to buy 12 bagels (2 packs of 6) and I was like naw. Edited at 2020-03-01 11:39 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link there's a lot of blasphemers here Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I prefer BJs. Reply Parent Thread Link i only have a membership for the gas. i use premium and it can be anywhere from 50 to 70 cents per gallon cheaper than even the cheap gas stations Reply Parent Thread Link Not for its gas it's not. Reply Parent Thread Link Never knew they even allowed non-members into the store. I'm glad though. Maybe now the lines will be a little shorter and the dining area will be cleaner. Reply Thread Link Ive never seen the dining area not be packed, it stresses me out lol Reply Parent Thread Link The food court at mine is outside so non members could go there. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah. I never saw an inside food court til I moved up here Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah. The Costco near my old job at the Citadel Outlets was outside so grabbing a cheap lunch was fast and easy. Ah, memories. Reply Parent Thread Link do you live in a warm location? Canada could never! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This thread is news to me, in FL ours is indoors. Reply Parent Thread Link same in san diego. Reply Parent Thread Link I think actually here in Michigan, even if you don't have a membership, you can get in to buy liquor. I don't know if that's a state to state thing or universal. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I can't believe there were enough non-members eating there for this to be an issue they had to address, lol. I'm not a member, but I live in a two-person household in the middle of a city and don't even know where one is, so I am probably not the target audience. I hear they're cool though! Reply Thread Link Burbank is our closest location I think. When I lived in the Hollywood Hills Id always go there and leech off my roommates membership. Not so much anymore. I havent been there in years. Reply Parent Thread Link AHHH I'm in Burbank too! Hi neighbor! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link all my locations recently installed touchscreen kiosks to order, so now there's not even a lineup huddled around the food area (except I guess people waiting for their order to be called) Reply Parent Thread Link I didn't even know you could. Reply Thread Link COSTCO POUTINE IS UNEXPECTEDLY AMAZING I don't have a membership but mooch off people who do Reply Thread Link hell yes i had it the other day it was great Reply Parent Thread Link fuck, now I need a new budget date spot Reply Thread Link lol irl Reply Parent Thread Link I think Costco food is gross anyway. It's funny but after my transplant, I was specifically told to avoid Costco food. I feel like that was a preference thing but fine by me! Costco is too overwhelming too. There's just TOO MANY PEOPLE and too much to choose from but nothing that you really NEED. Reply Thread Link There's probably a shit ton of salt in their food. I only really get a churro from them, and only rarely now Reply Parent Thread Link I'm annoyed by the families who travel in packs of 8 as a grand outing. They bring kids, aunt, uncles, grandma, grandpa.... it's not needed. Reply Parent Thread Link How dare you call out my huge Latino familia like this. Its true tho. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link They do that here if they live really rurally, like 50 miles from the 'city'. They treat tire shops like Disney World. Reply Parent Thread Link I save a lot of money getting some of my basics there, but, seriously, my fight or flight reaction is triggered in there sometimes. So many people. So many things. The ceiling is really tall and it echoes in there. Like, I have to take deep breaths and some cbd before entering lol. Damn them for saving me money or I would NEVER go in there. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I had no clue they let randoms into the food court in the first place. I'm like 1 of 3 people at work with a membership so I wonder if people will ask me to get them in (which tbh I'm all for it) Reply Thread Link No, Ive done a one year membership two different times and there was really just a small handful of things that I got (dove soap big pack was great) so it really wasnt worth the hassle I do not have fun going to Costco its always so busy One slice of their pizza is good but I get over it fast Reply Thread Link My mom just gave me a year long membership. I upgraded to get a 20 dollar gift card and then downgraded yesterday, getting 60 dollars back...so thanks for the extra 20, Costco! Likely only using it for gas for this year. Reply Parent Thread Link This is rude and anti-poor Reply Thread Link it really is Reply Parent Thread Link It is :/ Reply Parent Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link IA Reply Parent Thread Link Yes it is. Reply Parent Thread Link you're right and you should say it Reply Parent Thread Link That $1.50 hot dog and drink combo Reply Parent Thread Link FOR REAL Reply Parent Thread Link But shorter lines!!!!! /s Reply Parent Thread Link no, it isnt. Costco makes the majority of its profits from membership fees, $60 per year which is $5 a month, less than Netflix. Because of this they are able to provide a good job to people without degrees offering extremely affordable healthcare, paid sick time, maternity leave, 401k, stock options, vacation time etc to full time and part time employees. Cashiers make over $50k per year. As a company they actually contribute to the communities they open in. Reply Parent Thread Link right Reply Parent Thread Link I'm talking about the kind of poor where you have to choose between food and your prescription meds Or, say, homeless people Maybe this is a way to keep out the homeless Reply Parent Thread Expand Link https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/25/letter-costcos-food-court-policy-hits-low-income-families/ I'm not the only one saying it Reply Parent Thread Expand Link my first thought Reply Parent Thread Link Exactly. I really doubt it was cutting into their bottom line. They just don't want poor people in their store, and their members probably don't either. You have to be well-off financially to begin with to be able to pay a store like Costco for the privilege of shopping there. Poor people aren't able to spend a lot of money at once so they can save money in the long-run like middle class people are. Reply Parent Thread Link I have a membership but I rarely ever use it. All I honestly think about costco is those giant ass bears people sometimes buy. I wonder if furries ever bought them for other purposes?? Reply Thread Link i better get on a piece of pizza soon, then. lol Reply Thread Link yes you should! i had a slice yesterday, so delicious and always hits the spot! Reply Parent Thread Link A number of major Egyptian landmarks were lit up in red on Sunday evening in solidarity with the Chinese people over the coronavirus epidemic, a statement by the cabinet read, as fears over the outbreak globally continues to mount. The landmarks included the Cairo Citadel, the Temple of Karnak in Luxor and Philae Temple in Aswan. On Sunday Egyptian authorities announced the second confirmed case of the virus in the country, saying a foreigner had tested positive. Last week the countrys first positive case, also a foreign national, was released from quarantine after fully recovering. In the past weeks, Egypt has upped preventive measures at all entry points, conducting health examinations for travellers from areas associated with the virus. The epidemic has killed over 3,000 people worldwide, the vast majority in mainland China. Cases have reached 88,000 globally, with infections on every continent except Antarctica. Troy In 1979, when Iranian militants took over the U.S. Embassy in the country's capital, Westley Williams was among the Americans taken hostage. Like the others, he was blindfolded, beaten and tortured. Today, most of the former hostages are set to receive up to $4.4 million in compensation for the ordeal they suffered roughly equal to $10,000 for every day they were held. But not Williams. Black and female former hostages, who were released early, are getting nothing. "I was there and got my ass beat and everything else," Williams told me. "But I guess my service isn't good enough for them." Williams is 60 years old and lives in a small apartment along Burdett Avenue in Troy. He's wiry, without a hint of paunch. He speaks rapidly, almost aggressively, with a voice that's as sandpaper rough as the life he's led. Back then, Williams was a young Marine who had escaped, at least for a time, the tough streets of Albany's Arbor Hill. He was an elite guard who had been in Tehran for only two weeks when the embassy fell amidst a geopolitical firestorm. "They overwhelmed us," Williams said of the militants. "Bum-rushed us." More Information Contact Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse Williams caught a break when, 20 days later, the Iranians released only the 13 black and female hostages as part of a publicity move designed to draw attention to the hypocrisy of American discrimination. The other hostages would be held for an additional 424 days and there's little doubt they suffered far more. Still, Williams says his life has been haunted by his experience in Tehran. "It was horrible," he said. "They did what they did. There was no sexual stuff, but there was a lot of hitting, a lot of interrogation and a lot of abuse." Williams stressed that he did not want to leave the other hostages, including fellow Marines, behind. Doing so went against the Marine Corps credo, but the Iranians left no choice. They forced him on the plane at gunpoint, he said. Nevertheless, the hostages who were released early faced whispered insinuations that they had earned their freedom by betraying their country's secrets. And decades after the end of the crisis, the two groups of hostages remained largely in distinct camps. While both groups sought compensation for their suffering, and each fought for decades to receive it, they did so largely on separate tracks that included distinct lawsuits. That helps to explain how Williams' group was left out of the fund created last December. The language of the bill was based on a lawsuit filed against the Iranians by the larger group of hostages, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, who agrees that the legislation, as passed, is unjust and flawed. "Paul believes that anyone held for any amount of time, including Mr. Williams, should receive compensation for being held hostage," a spokesman said. The money is coming from a $8.9 billion penalty paid by BNP Paribas, a French bank, for doing business with terrorist nations under sanction. The fund will also compensate other victims of state-sponsored terrorism. But it won't help Williams and the 12 other Americans released with him. "Why are we not included?" Williams asked. "I don't understand how they could do this." I don't either, but the fix should be easy. Just amend the legislation or pass a new bill. Still, it is unclear whether Tonko or anyone else in Congress will work to address the issue. Williams, who has a six-year-old daughter, isn't shy about his main motivation: He needs the money. His life since he left the Marines in 1983 has not been easy. He has struggled with demons, including drug-and-alcohol addictions and a violent temper. He has been jailed more than once, but said he has worked to clean up his life after being diagnosed with PTSD related to his time in Iran. Williams' military disability payments are his only income. If Williams were compensated at the same daily rate as the other hostages, he would be due $200,000. In fact, all 13 of the black and female hostages could be compensated for nearly $2 million less than the money due to just one of the 53 other victims or their families. Williams refused to blame racism or sexism for Congress excluding the black and female hostages. But he did note that his Iranian captors repeatedly told the black hostages that they didn't matter to the U.S. government and that America didn't care about them. Williams dismissed the claims as mind games then, he said. But now, he's wondering if the Iranians were right. By Laman Ismayilova Foggy weather is expected in Baku on March 4. Northwest wind will be followed by southern wind in the daytime. The temperature on the Absheron Peninsula will be 3-5 C at night, 11-14 C in the daytime, the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry reported. In Baku, the temperature will be 3-5 C at night, 11-13 C in the daytime. Atmospheric pressure will rise from 767 to 770 mmHg. Relative humidity reach 75-85 percent at night, 60-70 percent in the daytime. Rainy and foggy weather is expected in in country's regions. Snow will fall in the mountainous areas. Western wind will blow. The temperature will be 3-6 at night, 11-16 in the daytime. In the mountains, the temperature will be 0-5 C, 2-6 C in the daytime. As for medical and meteorological forecast, the day will be favorable for weather-sensitive people. The Ministry of Ecology warns that unstable weather will be observed in Azerbaijan until the morning of March 3. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Flash Armenia, the Dominican Republic, and the Czech Republic joined the list of countries reporting their first cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, while the worst-hit countries have been strengthening their efforts in the fight against the epidemic. The first confirmed case in the Dominican Republic is a 62-year-old tourist from Italy, now in a stable condition in a military hospital, the country's health authority said. The Czech Republic reported the first three confirmed cases, two of which are in Prague's Na Bulovce Hospital, and the third is in Masaryk Hospital in Usti nad Labem. The two men and a woman have all traveled to Italy recently, said Health Minister Adam Vojtech. The first confirmed case in Armenia is a male Armenian citizen, who returned on Friday on a repatriation flight from Iran and on Sunday tested positive for COVID-19. As a precautionary measure, 30 others are to be quarantined, according to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Many countries facing new confirmed cases have been stepping up their efforts against the disease. In the United Kingdom, local government on Sunday reported the first confirmed case in Scotland, bringing the total number across the UK to 36. The patient, who recently returned from northern Italy, is being treated in isolation, and clinicians have begun contact tracing. In light of the situation, the British government has arranged a meeting of its emergency committee, to be chaired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday. The U.S. state of New York confirmed its first case on Sunday, a woman in her late 30s who contracted the virus while traveling in Iran. Meanwhile, Washington State reported its second coronavirus death on Sunday evening, one day after it declared a state of emergency after the first death caused by the disease in the United States was reported in the state. More cases of COVID-19 of unknown origin have been reported in western U.S. states, triggering concern about local person-to-person spread of the infectious disease. Oregon reported a confirmed case of a patient with no travel history nor close contact with infected individuals. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned the public of an inevitable outbreak of coronavirus within the country. The Irish Health Department said Sunday that a secondary school in the east of Ireland will be closed for 14 days, after links with the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the country were discovered. Meanwhile, the governments of some of the worst-hit countries have rolled out extra measures to contain a further spread of the disease. South Korea confirmed 476 more cases on Monday, taking the total number of infections to 4,212 and the death toll to at least 22. With virus infections soaring over the past two weeks, the country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest level, and designated Daegu and its neighboring county in the south Cheongdo as "special care" zones. Daegu, about 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, is the epicenter of the viral spread in the country. The Daegu outbreak has been closely connected with the homegrown religious sect Sincheonji, with 2,113 infections linked to the group as of Sunday morning. South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed Sunday to overcome the outbreak through national unity at home and in cooperation with neighboring countries such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, China, Japan, and nearby Southeast Asian nations. Japan has reported more than 900 domestic cases of infection as of Friday, with over 700 related to the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship previously quarantined near Tokyo. The government has said that the coming two-week period is crucial to containing the spread of the virus. Many large public events have been canceled, as per the government's requirements, while popular theme parks such as Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan have been temporarily shut. The government has also asked all elementary, junior-high and high schools to temporarily close beginning March 2 for around a month. Hokkaido has declared a state of emergency in the northernmost prefecture, where at least 66 infections have been confirmed as of Friday. Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education said Sunday that the outbreak has affected 987 people and killed 54 in the country. In the central Yazd city, the construction of a hospital for the exclusive use of treating COVID-19 patients kicked off on Sunday morning, and is expected to be finished within days. Meanwhile, people showing symptoms have been barred from leaving the city of Qom, where the country's first two cases were reported, while educational centers have been shut down in cities and provinces seriously hit by the virus. Iran's parliament also said Friday it would stop working temporarily. Italy on Sunday reported a total of 1,577 confirmed cases and a death toll of 34. A total of 15 regions and one autonomous province have seen infections, with most of those infected in the northern part of the country, including Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto. Giovanni Rezza, head of the Italian High Institute of Health's Department of Infectious Diseases, said peak acceleration in Italy was still several days away, while most containment measures were put into place a week ago. The cabinet passed a first package of measures to support households, companies, and economic sectors in the worst affected areas on Friday, and a second package to contain the impact on the overall domestic economy was announced. By 1500 GMT on Sunday, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that 87,161 cases have been confirmed in 60 countries, and death cases have increased to 2,980. On Friday, the WHO raised the risk assessment of COVID-19 from "high" to "very high" at the global level, as an increasing number of cases in more countries were reported over the last few days. Long term investing can be life changing when you buy and hold the truly great businesses. While the best companies are hard to find, but they can generate massive returns over long periods. To wit, the China Aoyuan Group Limited (HKG:3883) share price has soared 783% over five years. This just goes to show the value creation that some businesses can achieve. Anyone who held for that rewarding ride would probably be keen to talk about it. See our latest analysis for China Aoyuan Group There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. During five years of share price growth, China Aoyuan Group achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 39% per year. This EPS growth is lower than the 55% average annual increase in the share price. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. That's not necessarily surprising considering the five-year track record of earnings growth. The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). SEHK:3883 Past and Future Earnings, March 2nd 2020 We know that China Aoyuan Group has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? Take a more thorough look at China Aoyuan Group's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, China Aoyuan Group's TSR for the last 5 years was 1095%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective It's nice to see that China Aoyuan Group shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 73% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 64%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Given the share price momentum remains strong, it might be worth taking a closer look at the stock, lest you miss an opportunity. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand China Aoyuan Group better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with China Aoyuan Group . Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings. 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. Hillary Clinton, Former First Lady and U.S. Secretary of State, speaks during a visit to Swansea University on November 15, 2019 in Swansea, Wales. Yup, her emails. A federal judge Monday ordered Hillary Clinton to testify at a deposition for a lawsuit related to her use of a private email computer server for official business while working as secretary of State in the Obama administration. The order to answer questions from lawyers for the conservative advocacy group Judicial Watch pours yet more fuel on the longstanding fire of controversy over Clinton's private server. That controversy arguably dealt her Democratic candidacy for the White House in 2016 a fatal blow, and helped elect Donald Trump president. "It is time to hear directly from Secretary Clinton," Judge Royce Lamberth said in his order issued in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., where Judicial Watch is suing the State Department over its handling of searches for Clinton's emails. "As extensive as the existing record is, it does not sufficiently explain Secretary Clinton's state of mind when she decided it would be an acceptable practice to set up and use a private server to conduct State Department business," Lamberth wrote. Lamberth's order on Monday limits questioning of Clinton to "her reasons for using a private server and her understanding of State's records management obligations." The judge barred Judicial Watch's lawyers from questioning Clinton and her former chief of staff at State, Cheryl Mills, about the preparation of talking points for then-United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice's Sept. 16, 2012, media appearances about the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. No date has yet been scheduled for Clinton's deposition. Clinton's lawyer, David Kendall, declined to comment. The mass outreach programme was launched with an eye on the upcoming municipal polls and the 2021 Assembly elections Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a mass outreach programme 'Banglar Gorbo Mamata' (Bengal's pride Mamata), with an eye on the upcoming municipal polls and the 2021 Assembly elections. Over one lakh Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers would fan out across the state as part of the campaign and make people understand how Banerjee is key for the development and growth of West Bengal and preserving its communal harmony, sources in the party said. The first phase of the programme will be for 75 days. Banerjee in July last year had launched a helpline number and a website as part of another outreach programme on the advice of poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who was appointed by the TMC after its Lok Sabha election reverses. The outreach programme, 'Didi ke Bolo' (Tell Didi), had received a huge response in its first month with more than 10 lakh people registering their grievances, the sources said. Telangana has registered its first positive case of COVID19 disease, from a passenger with recent travel history to Dubai. The announcement of the Cornavirus disease in Telangana came from the Union Ministry of Health which tweeted an announcement to this effect.

Update on #COVID19:

Two positive cases of #nCoV19 detected. More details in the Press Release.#coronoavirusoutbreak #CoronaVirusUpdate pic.twitter.com/kf83odGo8f

Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) March 2, 2020
The ministry also said a second positive case was also detected, this one in New Delhi, a person with recent travel history to Italy. Earlier, 3 Kerala students who returned from Wuhan were tested positive for coronavirus, but were later discharged after being treated. A travel advisory has also been issued to Indians travelling to Italy, South Korea and Singapore, heakth minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said in a press briefing. The virus that is believed to have originated in a fish market in Wuhan in the Hubei province of China has affected 89,006 people across the world and has claimed 3,000 lives so far. More than 60 countries have reported the virus outbreak, with South Korea having most number of cases outside China Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country is not going to go to war with anyone, and that it would seek to deter any other country that considered an armed conflict with Russia. "We are not going to fight against anyone. We are going to create conditions so that nobody wants to fight against us," Putin told Russian news agency TASS in an interview published Monday. "Moreover, our annual expenditures are falling. In contrast, other countries' [military] spending has been rising," he said. Putin's comments come against a backdrop of rising tensions in Syria between government troops who are backed by Russia and Turkish forces and rebel groups in the northwestern Idlib province, which is now the center of a battle for control between opposing sides. Government forces under President Bashar al-Assad want to wrestle the region, which borders Turkey, back from Syrian rebel groups and Jihadist forces. Idlib is seen as the last major province still largely under rebel control. Turkey, meanwhile, backs some rebel groups opposed to Assad and does not want to give up control of the border amid fears of being over-run with refugees fleeing the conflict. There are already over three million Syrian refugees in Turkey and the country says it cannot cope. Tensions between Turkey and its neighbor Syria escalated further last week when 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike carried out by Syrian forces. On Sunday, when Turkey launched a retaliatory operation, called 'Operation Spring Shield,' 19 Syrian soldiers were killed in Turkish drone strikes on Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Sunday. There are now concerns over how far Russia could get involved in the dispute, which marks another chapter in Syria's nine-year civil war. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart have been communicating regularly over the escalating tensions, with both stressing "how important it is to improve the effectiveness of coordination between the Russian and Turkish defense ministries," the Kremlin noted, of a phone call that took place on Friday. BEIJING, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Chamber of Commerce in China ("AmCham China") today released the results of a flash survey that measures the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on its member companies. With over 150 companies responding to the survey, these results provide the first look at how the Chamber's members have been affected and what government measures they would most like to see. As expected, the impact has been significant. Travel disruptions and reduced staff productivity present the most significant challenges for AmCham China member companies, while nearly one-third of respondents say they are facing increased costs and significantly reduced revenue. There remains a delicate balancing act between containing the epidemic and restarting the economy, but the effects of delaying a return to normal operations could be costly: nearly half of respondents expect 2020 China revenue to decrease if business cannot return to usual before April 30, while close to one-fifth say 2020 revenue will decline more than 50% if the epidemic extends through the end of August. In terms of economic outlook, nearly one-third of respondents expect a return to normal business operations by the end of March, while 12% project delays to extend through the summer. Meanwhile, more than half of respondents say it is too soon to determine the estimated cost of delays, though about 10% report they are losing at least half a million RMB per day. "AmCham China member companies, like much of society here, face a large number of uncertainties in combating COVID-19," said AmCham China Chairman Greg Gilligan. "There is, in the short term, a clear and significant negative impact to member company operations, through travel disruptions, reduced staff productivity, increased costs, significant drops in revenue, and more. However, for most of our members, it is still too early to tell how significant the long-term impact will be. 43% of respondents say it is too soon to determine COVID-19's 2020 impact on market growth, half feel it is too early to determine impact on still-planned investments, while one-quarter report plans to maintain existing investment plans." In other responses: 44% say uncertainty around the epidemic has negatively impacted their outlook regarding the US-China bilateral relationship. 49% of respondents hope the Chinese government will provide tax alleviation to help foreign business; additionally, more than one-third are seeking clear, consistent policies, while 35% ask that transparency be prioritized. More than half of respondents hope the US government will relax travel restrictions into the US, while a majority are seeking further information both on implementation of the Phase 1 Trade Deal and COVID-19-related business policies. 80% of the companies say they have provided some form of assistance to China to fight the COVID-19 epidemic, and another 14% are planning to do so, with data collected so far showing that AmCham China member companies have contributed more than RMB 540 million ( $77 million ) in cash and in-kind donations. This flash survey was conducted between February 17 and 20, 2020, and 169 member companies completed the majority of the questions. Survey respondents represent large, medium and small sized enterprises, including many with global operations and some with operations in Hubei, China and/or provinces surrounding the center of the COVID-19 outbreak. To download the full report, please click here. About AmCham China The American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China (AmCham China) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose membership comprises 4,000 individuals from 900 companies operating across China. The Chamber's nationwide mission is to help American companies succeed in China through advocacy, information, networking, and business support services. In addition to our headquarters in Beijing, AmCham China serves Tianjin, Central China, and Northeast China through our Chapters in Tianjin, Dalian, Shenyang, and Wuhan. Across the five offices, AmCham China has more than 30 working groups, and holds more than 150 events each year. SOURCE AmCham China A Supreme Court bench on Monday recused from hearing the plea challenging the Allahabad High Court order granting bail to former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand in a rape case lodged by a law student. A separate plea seeking transfer of the case to a Delhi court from Uttar Pradesh also came up for hearing before a bench of Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna. "List both the matters before some other bench where Justice R Banumathi and Justice A S Bopanna are not members, after obtaining orders from the Chief Justice of India," the bench said in its order. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioners, told the bench that these matters should be heard urgently. The bench directed its registry to obtain appropriate orders for urgent listing of both the matters. The high court had on February 3 granted bail to Chinmayanand who was arrested in a case of sexual exploitation of the woman studying law at a college run by his trust at Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. "Both parties crossed their limits and at this stage, it is very difficult to adjudicate as to who exploited whom. In fact, both of them used each other," the high court had observed while granting bail to Chinmayanand. Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where the woman studied, was arrested on September 20 last year under section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape. The section is applied when someone in authority takes advantage of his official position to "induce or seduce" a woman to have sex with him. In a parallel case, the woman was charged with allegedly trying to extort money from Chinmayanand, whom she had accused of rape. The high court had granted her bail on December 4 last year. The Supreme Court had stepped in after the 23-year-old law student went missing for a few days in August last year after posting a video clip on social media, alleging sexual abuse. A special investigation team of Uttar Pradesh Police, formed on the directions of the apex court, arrested Chinmayanand about a month later. The SIT also arrested the student after a complaint that she and her friends had tried to extort Rs 5 crore from Chinmayanand, threatening to make public videos showing her giving massages to him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) According to the New York City Board of Elections, Ms. Trump made the change on Oct. 22, 2018, just ahead of the midterm elections. I am a proud Trump Republican, Ms. Trump said in an interview on Monday, discussing her political evolution and the role her father played in it. I believe hes broadened the reach of the Republican Party, which is really important to me. That the daughter who has never strayed far from her fathers side would officially register as a Republican might seem obvious. But it was a change from her original West Wing role, when she was viewed by some Democratic elites more as a bridge to moderates because of her more progressive positions on issues like climate change, pay equity and parental leave. Most Democrats were skeptical of Ms. Trump from the beginning. But the fact that she lobbied her father to keep the United States in the Paris climate accords and helped kill a proposed executive order that would have scrapped Obama-era L.G.B.T. protections in the opening days of the administration gave her a slightly different image than the rest of the Trump family. Since then, she has become a prominent senior adviser to Mr. Trump, focused on issues related to women in the workplace. But as her father becomes increasingly engaged in his re-election campaign, Ms. Trump has made clear where she stands politically. The Delhi Police has registered 369 FIRs and arrested or detained 1,284 persons in connection with the northeast Delhi violence, a senior officer said on Monday. Forty-four of the cases were registered under the Arms Act, police said. According to police, 21 cases were registered under cyber crime. These included cases related to spreading of hate messages, they said. Seventy-six meetings were held by the Delhi Police along with peace committees in areas of northeast Delhi. The situation in the riot-affected areas is under control, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gwyneth Paltrow proved she still has love for ex/co-parent Chris Martin as she wished him a happy 43rd birthday on Monday. The Goop founder didn't hide her feelings in the tribute, calling the Coldplay frontman a 'hilarious, joy seeking, musical genius.' Her sweet message came a full six-years after the pair 'consciously uncoupled' in 2014. Happy day! Gwyneth Paltrow sent love to ex Chris Martin in honor of his 43rd birthday on Monday Paltrow shared a photo of her and ex Chris during a ski trip with son Moses, 13, along with a sweet message that read: 'Happy Birthday to this hilarious, joy seeking, musical genius who gave me that guy in the middle there (and apple, too). 'We [heart emoji] you,' she finished the message along with the tag '#CAJM.' Gwyneth and Chris married in 2003 and had two kids. They split in 2014, but didn't finalize their divorce until two years later. Funny enough, Paltrow spent yesterday celebrating with current love Brad Falchuk, who just turned 49. The lifestyle queen founder commended the Glee co-creator for being 'a man of infinite kindness, integrity and love' on his 'first day of 49' in a thoughtful caption of a photo of Falchuk smiling in front of beautiful, mountain landscape. Amicable exes: Gwyneth and Chris (above 2014) married in 2003 and had two kids. They split in 2014, but didn't finalize their divorce until two years later Birthday boy: Paltrow commended her husband Brad Falchuk for being 'a man of infinite kindness, integrity and love' on his 'first day of 49' in a lengthy caption of a photo of him smiling in front of beautiful landscape on Sunday While finding just the right words to express her affectionate for his unique qualities, the Oscar winner spoke about his abundance of 'true rationality and patience.' She added: 'I have never met anyone with his level of curiosity (especially about WWII) and interest in the world and in others.' While she didn't tag the photo's location, the photo of him appears to be taken in front of the red rocks in Sedona, Arizona. Before concluding the post, she wrote: 'I love him more today than I ever have, but not as much as I will tomorrow. Happy birthday my love.' Blissful: While finding just the right words to express her affectionate for the number of qualities she admires of his, she also pointed to his abundance of 'true rationality and patience' 'I love him more today than I ever have, but not as much as I will tomorrow. Happy birthday my love,' she wrote in the birthday homage to her second husband While Paltrow, who was previously married to Chris Martin from 2003 to 2016, stole the show with her tender words on Sunday, Falchuk was quite the wordsmith when he celebrated his wife's birthday in September. 'She's the greatest human being ever,' he captioned a picture of The Politician star smiling into the camera in front of the ocean on her birthday. 'She's a relentless mother and step mother, the BEST wife, all of her friends know she's their champion and no one wears clothes as well as she does.' He added: 'She's endlessly fascinating, succeeds at everything she does and drinks whiskey and eats fried food yet still manages to look like that...I know I'm not the only person to say, thank God you were born. I love you.' Online love: While Paltrow stole the show with her tender words on Sunday, Falchuk was quite the wordsmith when he wished his wife a Happy Birthday in September In January, Falchuk admitted in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, he is still completely 'struck by' his other half's 'real' persona behind her public one. 'She's stunning and she's charming and she's completely disarming,' the producer revealed. 'We had similar enough backgrounds - a little bit Jewish, a little bit East Coast, her dad was a TV producer - and so we just sort of developed this really lovely friendship.' He added: 'There's a public Gwyneth Paltrow, and there are all these ideas about who that is. And the reality is, the real Gwyneth Paltrow is so much more amazing, so much more than that, and that's the one that I keep getting struck by and can't believe I'm married to.' The couple became engaged in 2017 after more than three years together after meeting on the set of Glee. They exchanged vows at her East Hampton, New York, home in September 2018. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 07:51:07|Editor: Liu Video Player Close NEW YORK, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A ban on single-use plastic bags officially took effect in the U.S. state of New York on Sunday, though the state will wait until April 1 to penalize stores that violate the ban. Shoppers can now carry their own reusable bags, or pay a five-cent fee on a paper bag, according to the new law. Some plastic bags, including those used for take-away food, uncooked meat, and prescription drugs, are exempt from the law. A similar ban has been in effect in the states of California and Oregon. All counties of the island state of Hawaii also ban plastic bags, although it's not state-mandated. On Friday, New York's Department of Environmental Conservation said that the state has agreed to delay the enforcement with monetary penalties till April, after a lawsuit was filed challenging the new law. An association of small bodegas and a manufacturer of plastic have lodged the lawsuit, calling the ban unconstitutional, local media reported. The state legislature passed the ban last April as the annual consumption of plastic bags statewide has amounted to some 23 billion, clogging up landfills and accumulating in streets and seas. Early this month, Yes Bank had appointed Anshu Jain-headed global investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and two domestic entities for its fundraising plans. The government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are reportedly preparing a bailout plan for the crisis-hit private lender Yes Bank, said a news report. The reported move is in case the proposed $2 billion capital infusion is delayed beyond 14 March, 2020 According to sources in the know, RBI intervention may include a sale of pooled assets to public sector banks (PSBs) or, as a last resort, sale of a small stake to a PSB to pave the way for further capital raising, said a report in Mint. Yes Bank expects that it can tie up the funds by 14 March though there is a possibility that a major state-run bank may be asked to step in as an interim measure if the investors fail to come up with funds, said the report quoting people in the know of the matter. Early this month, Yes Bank had appointed Anshu Jain-headed global investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and two domestic entities for its fundraising plans. Other merchant bankers appointed by the capital-starved lender include IDFC Securities and Ambit Capital. Jain is the ex-colleague of Yes Bank's current Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ravneet Gill, who has made the capital-raising as his top priority after taking over last March. Jain was the co-chief executive of German lender Deutsche Bank globally, while Gill was heading the India operations. Recognition of sour bets taken under Gill's predecessor Rana Kapoor has depleted Yes Bank's capital buffers, and also forced it to reduce its loan book. It has, however, been struggling to raise the required capital for the past three months. It initially announced a plan to raise $2 billion, and had last month announced a new round of Rs 10,000 crore in fresh capital. On 10 January, the bank's board had decided that Canadian investor Erwin Singh Braich's $1.2-billion offer will not be pursued further, and also hinted that a $500-million offer from Citax Holdings and Citax Investment Group, which was being favourably considered, is facing headwinds. The bank's liquidity coverage ratio was 114 percent at end-September as against the regulatory requirement of 100 percent. It also said that the bank's business model could evolve and may settle at lower non-interest income levels. Yes Bank had initially planned to raise capital of over $1.2 billion in the current fiscal, but its board has rejected the binding term sheets of $1.2 billion offered by Canadian investor SPGP Group/Erwin Singh Braich. In January this year, rating agency India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) had said Yes Bank continued to remain in discussions with potential investors but raising sizeable capital in the near-term could be challenging. The rating agency had maintained 'Rating Watch Negative (RWN)' on the private lender. RWN indicates that the rating will be either affirmed or downgraded. Ind-Ra had said it continues to await developments on Yes Bank's equity raising, which in the rating agency's opinion is critical for providing sufficient cushion to the possible credit cost impact from the stressed asset pool on regulatory capital requirement in the short- and medium-term. With PTI inputs Exports: In Naples, three days with Med food and wine brands Mediterranean Wine&Food pushes internationalisation of network (ANSAmed) - NAPLES, MARCH 2 - The first edition of Mediterranean Wine&Food, an international trade fair to promote brands from the Mediterranean basin and other foreign countries, will take place in Naples from May 23 to May 25 at the Mostra d'Oltremare convention centre. The three-day fair - together with the Italian agriculture ministry, the regional governments of central-southern Italy, various chambers of commerce and the Italian Trade Agency ICE - will bring together a network of companies that have been experiencing significant growth in recent years in Italian exports in the agroalimentary sector. Trade fair participants will include major international buyers, importers, distributors and trade agents, as well as wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channel targets, all of whom will be able to visit and meet with exhibiting companies for B2B trade meetings, workshops, seminars, training courses, and conventions on the global-level production chain. In addition, three events are planned: "Big Wine Awards 2020", an international wine competition authorised by the agriculture ministry with an international jury; "Agri-Coture 2020", an international high-fashion competition inspired by nature with international designers; and "Mediterraneo Cooking Show 2020", an international high-cuisine award with chefs from around the world.(ANSAmed). A private survey showed China's manufacturing activity slumped in February, as the coronavirus outbreak hit the world's second largest economy. On Monday, the Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) came in at 40.3 for February the lowest reading since the survey was launched in early 2004. "China's manufacturing economy was impacted by the epidemic last month," said Zhengsheng Zhong, chief economist at CEBM Group, a Caixin subsidiary. "The supply and demand sides both weakened, supply chains became stagnant, and there was a big backlog of previous orders," he said in a press release. Economists polled by Reuters had expected it to come in at 45.7. January's reading came in at 51.1. PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion, while those below that level signal contraction. The numbers come as China continues to grapple with the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 2,900 people and infected at least 80,000 others in the mainland. The virus has spread to some 60 countries around the world, but most of those infected and died were from China. The disease, formally known as COVID-19, has severely impacted business activity in the mainland as the government locked down cities for weeks and enforced wide-scale quarantines to contain its spread. "Supply chains came to a standstill as businesses extended the Lunar New Year holiday and multiple local governments implemented restrictions on transportation and the movement of people in efforts to control the epidemic," said Zhong. The gauge for new export orders remained in negative territory and slumped to its lowest point since January 2009, Zhong said. (The) Feb. 26 editorial Lowlights Continue questioned items in House Bill 349, the 2020 capital outlay funding for projects across New Mexico. You write the governor should seriously consider vetoing unless she gets a great explanation. Here is the explanation for the ($220,000 for a) Steinway Model D concert piano for the New Mexico Philharmonic, (or) NMPhil, which Bernalillo County has included for capital outlay funding. This piano will be in service to the orchestra and the community for the next several decades. The concert grand piano will directly serve 13,000-plus fourth- and fifth-grade public school students who attend NMPhils free youth concerts. The 600-plus Albuquerque Public Schools students who attend NMPhils annual Symphony for Autism will see and hear this piano. The 4,000 public school children who will attend small, intimate recitals and concerts of the NMPhil will be able to interact with the piano up close and personal. Plans are being developed to extend similar opportunities for additional constituencies within and around Bernalillo County. This piano will serve adult residents in and around Bernalillo County through free concerts at the public libraries across the county. Opportunities will include free educational seminars presented by NMPhil for all interested residents to learn the history of the piano as an instrument, how pianos are made and maintained, and related topics featuring the new piano. Also, there will be small-group and individual engagement opportunities, including playing time. Albuquerque and New Mexico are very piano-centric, loving local, national and international pianists, and supporting concerts and events associated with them from the Music Guild of New Mexicos Young Artists Competition for local young pianists to the Olga Kern International Piano Competition for international superstars, (and) from the music schools piano recitals serving hundreds to NMPhils piano-centered concerts serving thousands. Having a high-quality, sustainably durable piano for concerts and other low- and no-cost events large and small is essential to serving the community. NMPhil is New Mexicos largest professional orchestra, serving over 40,000 paying audience members and 20,000 public school students at no cost to students or families. NMPhil provides employment for over 100 members of our community, and is a key part of the performing arts and culture here, a culture that is an economic driver. A concert grand piano is essential to the performance of any symphony orchestra, and NMPhil has never owned one. The last one available for rent failed completely in spring 2019. Regular audience members, most of whom are residents of our county and state, will benefit from the piano by experiencing the performances of internationally recognized pianists, such as Olga Kern, who will continue to want to perform for NMPhil as visiting artists because they will know they will be able to perform to their best on a piano that is the recognized standard for professional pianists. Thank you for sharing this explanation with our community, the story of how this piano will consistently and significantly benefit our community well into the future and be an important investment of the peoples money. Help India! AUQIB JAVEED, Twocircles.net SRINAGAR: This year marks a new beginning for 42-years-old Zamrooda. A resident of Batamaloo area of Srinagar and originally a homemaker, now has a new daily schedule. Support TwoCircles She leaves home early every morning, visiting charity and philanthropic organizations in the city to raise money for her travel to Agra. Her early morning expeditions are driven by her urge to see her incarcerated son, imprisoned in a jail in Agra city, Uttar Pradesh. Zamroodas son, Asif Ahmad Khushoo, 22, was arrested on August 5 last year and booked under the repressive Public Safety Act (PSA) and transferred to a jail 1600 kilometres away from his home. Asif was arrested along with thousands of other youth, political leaders and activists when Hindu right-wing BJP-led Indian government quashed Article 370 of the Indian constitution that granted limited autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, bifurcating the state into two federally ruled territories. The Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978, of Jammu & Kashmir is an administrative detention law that allows detention of any individual for up to two years without a trial or charge. But in some cases, the Act makes provisions for the detained person to be informed about the reason of custody, and also gives them an opportunity to make a case against their detention to the government. However, the detaining authority is not required to reveal any facts which it considers being against the public interest to disclose. This Act which extends to the whole of Kashmir has been described as Lawless Law by Amnesty International, that has further accused India of misusing it on Kashmiris. Following the scrapping of the semi-autonomy status of Kashmir, the Union government of India had expected a widespread protest from the people and in their attempt to keep everything under control, the government snapped all means of communication including the internet. The government simultaneously placed restrictions and detained anyone whom they saw as potential threat to public order. As reports suggest, more than 5000 people have been detained during the lockdown across the region. We dont have any money to travel such a long distance to meet Asif. Ever since I came to know that my son shivers in cold in jail, I have had sleepless nights, says Zamrooda. She lives in a single-storied house and doesnt even have money to finish the construction of their house, explains a sobbing Zamrooda. It is her first time that she is struggling across charity and welfare organizations, holding a letter signed and stamped by the local committee certifying her poverty. It was through her neighbour, whose son is lodged in the same jail as Asifs, that Zamrooda came to know about her sons condition in jail. I just want to meet my son once. He needs warm clothes, she adds. It has been six months since she has seen her son and every morning she runs from pillar to post to collect money for her trip to Agra, often traveling on foot to different areas in Srinagar seeking monetary help from ordinary people. Asifs parents had collected warm clothes to send him across but havent been able to do so yet. The travel to Agra costs nearly INR 25000 and as of now, Zamrooda has managed to collect only INR 9000. Asif is a school dropout whose familys poor economic conditions compelled him to join his fathers work of selling shoes on a makeshift cart in Srinagar. On the best days, the father-son duo would make 1000 INR, which is roughly 20 USD. Today, with Asifs detention and no work for many months after August 5, his family is helpless. Asif PSAs dossier, a copy of which lies with TwoCircles.net, describes him as a threat to law and order, invoking old cases registered against him in 2016 when a massive public uprising erupted in Kashmir following the killing of popular militant leader Burhan Wani. Un-ending Tragedies seriess other parts are here: Un-ending Tragedies I- Abrogation of Article 370 Aftermath: How a Kashmiri mother struggles to meet her son in jail Un-ending Tragedies II: How Kashmiris are struggling to meet their kin detained outside Un-ending Tragedies III: aWe embraced and wepta, Father on meeting jailed son after 60 days Since then, he hasnt participated in any protests, says Mushtaq Ahmed Khushoo, Asifs father. Denying all charges against his son, Mushtaq says that the current detention is based solely on six old FIRs filed in 2016.He informed TwoCircles.net that his son was arrested under PSA during the 2016 summer unrest in Kashmir and had spent eleven months in Kathua jail in Jammu. Struggles of Asifs family to meet their son in faraway jails in India are not unique to the region. Scores of families whose children have been detained since August last year have been unable to meet them due to their poor economic conditions escalated due to the lockdown. Hundreds of these detained youths who are sent to jails outside the Valley, have rendered it impossible for their families to meet them or, initially inquire of their well-being due to a communication blockade that persisted for nearly six months. While several political leaders have been released since then, the youths booked under PSA are still lodged in jails thousands of kilometres away from home. Government says they detained 444 people under PSA since 5th August, out of which 389 are still behind bars. A recent report by the regions prominent Human Rights groups reveal that nearly 37.4 percent of the detainees in PSA related cases have been shifted to jails in various states across India. The report concludes that the decision to shift hundreds of detainees to jails outside Kashmir was done to break the will of the people. Prominent Human Rights activist, Khurram Parvez argues, The intent of the government was to persecute them. Through this persecution they created fear among the masses so that there is no scope for public mobilization against the abrogation of Article 370. Human Rights lawyer Mir Urfi, who works at Srinagar District Court, explains that it is difficult for lawyers in the region to fight those cases of detainees lodged outside the Valley. Its difficult to contest the cases because we are unable to talk to them. We contest cases on the narratives of their families. But its important for the case to hear the account from the detainees themselves, says Urfi. She adds that many families cant afford legal aid. Even if some may afford, the detention outside Kashmir affects the process of redress. New Delhi, March 2 : On the backdrop of COVID-19 spread in Iran, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar assured Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday to rescue Indian fishermen of his constituency, stranded in Iran. Taking it to Twitter Jaishankar said: "Working on the issue of Indians in Iran anxious to return due to #COVID19. Have seen many tweets in this regard. We are collaborating with the Iranian authorities to set up a screening process for return of Indians. I Am asking our Ambassador @dhamugaddam to keep all those concerned updated of the progress. I Am also tracking this personally." This has come after Congress MP from Thiruananthapuram Shashi Tharoor wrote to the Minister on Sunday, expressing his concern over around 30 fishermen of his constituency being stranded in Iran amid novel coronavirus spread there. Tharoor in his letter said that he had received SOS videos from fishermen and informations of those from their family members. In the letter, Tharoor said: "It appears around 30 fishermen from Kerala including those belonging to fishing hamlets of Kovalam and Pozhiyoor in my constituency, are currently stranded in Iran and confined to their rooms with limited access to food and water. Some reports suggested that as many as 23 individuals are being forced to live in a single room. This is a situation that developed overnight as part of the larger quarantine and containment measures implemented by the Iranian administration to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country". Tharoor urged Jaishankar to give his appeal "most urgent consideration" and urged to provide "critical goods as well as the larger goal of rescuing the stranded fishermen at the earliest...as you did so effectively for your compatriots in China," he said. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Thao Nguyen, San Antonio Express-News / Contributor WASHINGTON With one day left to make up their minds, most voters still have no clue who they're going to pick to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the crowded Democratic Senate primary, according to the latest polling on the race. Its been the story of the primary, where the dozen Democrats in the race have struggled to differentiate themselves and undecided has held the lead all along. The latest example is an Emerson College poll released on Monday one day before the election in which 39 percent of very likely Democratic primary voters said they still didnt know who theyd vote for. The coronavirus has now spread to almost 70 countries around the world and health officials are scrambling to stop people spreading the virus among themselves. But with many patients not realizing they're ill, and others carrying on with normal life until they are diagnosed, the fast-spreading infection is proving difficult to contain. Avoiding an infection with the virus, which causes a disease called COVID-19, may be as simple as sticking to usual good hygiene, according to scientists. Wash your hands properly with soap and hot water The World Health Organisation's hand-washing method has six distinct steps (two to seven) which involve washing different parts of the hands to get rid of as much bacteria as possible The World Health Organisation's advice is for people to wash their hands at least five times a day with soap and water or hand sanitizer. Friction, experts say, is the key to scrubbing off any signs of infection. Proper hand-washing involves rubbing the palms together, rubbing the backs of the hands, interlocking fingers both backwards and forwards, scrubbing the thumbs and washing the fingertips. People should clean their hands after coughing or sneezing; when looking after ill people; before, during and after preparing food or eating; after going to the toilet; after handling animals and whenever they look dirty. 'Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses,' the WHO said in its official advice. Avoid hugs and handshakes The French government has urged people to avoid 'la bise' the traditional greeting of kissing someone on either cheek and not to shake hands to reduce the spread of the virus. Health minister Olivier Veran said: 'The reduction in social contacts of a physical nature is advised. That includes the practice of the bise,' Bloomberg reported. Resort to 'air handshakes' The handshake is becoming a taboo greeting among workers, as employees and clients fear the spread of coronavirus in the workplace. A motivational speaker and presentation coach has now devised the 'air handshake' because of the 'unfolding coronavirus situation'. Richard McCann hosted an event in Leeds on Saturday and later posted a video that showed him greeting a man with an air handshake. Posting to his social media accounts, Mr McCann questioned whether was being paranoid for not shaking the hands of those attending his 300 per-ticket event. Richard McCann is seen above miming a handshake with an attendee at his event in Leeds before walking off stage Don't touch doorknobs and handrails Experts say the most common way the coronavirus is thought to spread is by people touching surfaces which have been contaminated by an infected patient. This works by somebody who has got the disease coughing or sneezing onto their hand, then touching a surface while they have the viruses on their hands. Regular and thorough hand-washing is thought to be the best protection against the virus Gunter Kampf of the University of Greifswald in Germany said disinfectants can kill the viruses but many things we touch every day on transport or in public buildings are not frequently disinfected. The virus can live on hard surfaces which are touched by a lot of people for hours at a time, scientists say, with one study suggesting it could last for up to nine days. For this reason, things like door knobs, should be considered a danger zone, as well as handrails on buses or trains. Use a pen to push buttons instead of your fingers Professor Kampf said that a lift was a particularly high risk place because everybody is trapped breathing the same air and having to press the same buttons. A lift is a particularly high risk place because everybody is trapped breathing the same air and having to press the same buttons One tip he saw on social media suggested pushing lift buttons, which can also harbour viruses, with a pen rather than a finger. Be careful what you touch in public toilets Professor Kampf said: 'The lifts and the public toilets, these are the places where I would be very, very careful about touching any surfaces to not risk a coronavirus infection.' Stop touching your face According to Alistair Miles, an Oxford University researcher, everyone should stop touching their faces. He said in a tweet: 'Stop touching your face. Especially stop touching your eyes, nose or mouth. This is much much harder than it sounds, and takes practice. According to Alistair Miles, an Oxford University researcher, everyone should stop touching their faces 'But if you start practicing now, you will quickly get a lot better at it.' The viruses survive on surfaces and are picked up by the next person who touches it, who then touches their face and transfers the virus into their mouth, nose or eyes. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick. Avoid large gatherings Keeping people apart is one of the main ways governments can attempt to stop the spread of the virus what officials call 'social distancing measures'. In Italy, France and Switzerland, for example, public gatherings of large groups of people such as football matches have been cancelled or banned. Wear gloves in public and wash hand-held objects Science writer Laurie Garrett, who travelled around China during the SARS outbreak in 2002/03, said her top piece of advice is to wear gloves in public. Keep them on when using public transport or spending time in public spaces, she wrote in Foreign Policy, and when opening or closing doors. Science writer Laurie Garrett, who travelled around China during the SARS outbreak in 2002/03, said her top piece of advice is to wear gloves in public She said: 'If its possible to open and close doors using your elbows or shoulders, do so. Wear gloves to turn a doorknob or wash your hands after touching it. 'If anybody in your home takes sick, wash your doorknobs regularly. 'Similarly, be cautious with stairway banisters, desktops, cell phones, toys, laptops any objects that are hand-held.' Don't share towels and open windows in your house Ms Garrett also recommends not sharing towels and opening windows at home, where possible, to ventilate the house. This can also be done in cars, where people are in 'close contact', as defined by Public Health England within six feet of someone for 15 minutes or more. Catch coughs and sneezes and bin tissues straight away... People should also cough or sneeze into a tissue, which they should bin immediately afterwards, and avoid spitting in public. Ms Garrett also recommends not sharing towels and opening windows at home, where possible, to ventilate the house ... Or sneeze into your elbow If they don't have a tissue at hand, sneezing or coughing into the crease of the elbow is better than doing it onto hands. Stand a few feet away from anyone who coughs or sneezes 'When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus,' the WHO says. 'If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.' If they don't have a tissue at hand, sneezing or coughing into the crease of the elbow is better than doing it onto hands When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or simply talks, tiny droplets of moisture are expelled into the air, carrying the virus out of the body up to approximately seven feet. Professor Wang Lin Fa, an infectious disease expert at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, told Straits Times: 'You have to be very unlucky to get it from the droplets in the air. 'It means that the person coughed directly at your face, or very near you, or if an infected person coughed in the lift about 30 seconds before you went in.' Don't trust face masks they won't stop you getting the virus Although people have been pictured wearing them all over the world since the outbreak began, face masks are probably not any good at protecting people from catching COVID-19. Face masks are no good at protecting people from catching COVID-19 University of Reading scientist Dr Simon Clarke said individual viruses are so small they could pass through the filters on most masks people would buy from shops. Researchers tend to agree with this. But they may reduce the risk of an infected person passing it on... But scientists do also say anyone who is already infected could reduce their risk of passing the virus on by wearing a mask. They may be able to block droplets carrying the virus from being coughed out into the air around them. The virus infects someone by taking hold in flesh inside their airways and lungs after it is breathed in. Because of this, mucous and saliva contain the viruses and are infectious. Assembly polls: PMs photo wont be on vaccine certificates in 5 states PM Modi to inaugurate 11 new medical colleges in Tamil Nadu on Jan 12 25th National Youth Festival to be inaugurated by PM Modi Twitterati abuzz over Modi's tweet about giving up social media accounts India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Mar 02: In a cryptic tweet, PM Narendra Modi on Monday said he is thinking of giving up his social media accounts this Sunday. "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted", he said in a tweet. Within minutes, the tweet had been retweeted thousands of times, with comments pouring in. Check out some of the tweets: All time popular PM Modi dropping social media be like: pic.twitter.com/ra65Z5mAyj Akshay Kashyap (@Liberal_Tiger) March 2, 2020 No FB posts, No Tweets, No YouTube videos, No Press conferences. Aise kaise chalega bhaiya! Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 2, 2020 Right wingers who were Not followed by Modi pic.twitter.com/pt2zuPHyb6 Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 2, 2020 Every student during exam season: https://t.co/zmvAnnq3zz Sagar (@sagarcasm) March 2, 2020 Nahi ho paayega. Main khud 3-4 baar try kar chuka hun Sagar (@sagarcasm) March 2, 2020 Is Modi ji fed of toxicity here on twitter? His social media app idea would be like his radio show #MannKiBaat ie more stories than outrage. More meaningful engagement of ideas than meaningless memes.@narendramodi Ram (@TheChakravartin) March 2, 2020 please don't leave from Social media ,Dear Modi Dadaji,from Gujarat https://t.co/VWQ4UeHT2i Dineshsingh Kushwah (@Dineshs51369825) March 2, 2020 Every Modi ji lover in social media right now... pic.twitter.com/KfaGzjPgXw IN_Akash (@InAkashLuv) March 2, 2020 Lol, our PM is succumbing to Social Media trolling. Be strong, we need you Mr Modi https://t.co/NDxnRDpq20 Sunder (@SunderjiJB) March 2, 2020 We will become China. We will ban all western propaganda social media or Mainstream media. Modi Ji on his way to become Modi Xi. Kunal Mishra (@kunalcps7) March 2, 2020 Modi is known for his active presence on social media. His online activity has been unlike any other Indian Prime Ministers who were rarely active in online, especially social media space to this extent. PM Modi has 53.3 million followers on Twitter. THERES been a lot of talk recently about meat alternatives, but dairy alternatives are also becoming more popular. And when it comes to dairy in Canada, given our quotas and high tariffs, the stakes are significantly higher. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion THERES been a lot of talk recently about meat alternatives, but dairy alternatives are also becoming more popular. And when it comes to dairy in Canada, given our quotas and high tariffs, the stakes are significantly higher. Dairy alternatives can be seen everywhere, from grocery stores to coffee shops. These products are no longer confined to the dusty shelves of specialty food and health stores, or located in some obscure places in major grocery stores. They are now quite visible. Rice milk, soy milk, and other substitutes such as oat, almond, cashew, coconut and even hemp milk are widespread. Its happened fast, and their emergence certainly spells trouble for the dairy industry. For the last 50 years, supply management has allowed Canadas dairy industry to produce the milk needed to meet demand. It means access to fresh, high-quality supplies and prices that are as constant as they can get. But recent trade deals with Asia and Europe will allow more dairy products into the Canadian market tariff-free. This created a breach in Canadas supply-management system, which is why the federal government is throwing almost $2 billion at dairy farmers, spread over eight years. But the real menace may be on the domestic front, with consumers clearly longing for choice. Alternatives will likely chip away at some of the Canadian dairy industrys market share, and as domestic demand for milk and some other dairy products drops, so will the number of farms and processing plants. Saputo recently announced the closure of two plants, in New Brunswick and Trenton, Ont. Agropur, the largest dairy co-operative in the country, faces major financial headwinds. Difficult decisions loom as the market flirts with plant-based alternatives. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, retail sales of oat milk in the U.S. soared from US$4.4 million in 2017 to US$29 million in 2019, surpassing almond milk as the fastest-growing dairy alternative. The same market reaction is being reported in Canada. And Starbucks recently announced it will heavily promote dairy alternatives in its stores as part of its sustainability ambitions. Even if milk scores well on nutrition, the alternatives are getting traction for two fundamental reasons. The first is the environment: an increasing number of consumers see the planet in their glass or on their plate. A University of Oxford study published in 2018 suggested dairy alternatives rate better than cows milk when it comes to carbon emissions, and how much land and water they use. The study, however, didnt consider the energy required to move products to points of sale. Almond milk, for example, can be very taxing on the environment if purchased in Canada, since we dont produce almonds. But the study is helping to convince consumers to consider alternatives. The other hot-button issue is animal welfare. Most Canadians dont understand how dairy production works. And given that many people barely have the time to even cook, most city dwellers wont invest the energy to visit farms and talk to farmers. So dairy farming is a mystery. As soon as they catch a glimpse of dairy genetics and how cows are impregnated, for example, concerns are raised for uninformed consumers. In fact, 24 per cent of Canadians under 39 question the ethics of dairy farming practices. With those in their 20s, that number goes up to 30 per cent, according to a study to be released soon by Dalhousie University. Some of these younger Canadian adults probably believe dairy farming should be outlawed. The dairy industry is slowly being trampled by a wave of consumers who see it as just one of many options, for a variety of reasons. To make things even more complicated for the sector, some lab-grown milk and dairy products are already being sold in the United States. Only 26 per cent of Canadians would be willing to taste a product made in a laboratory, based on a recent survey. But with clear environmental benefits and no impact on animal rights, the case for lab-grown proteins is being built. The Dairy Farmers of Canada seems oblivious to whats happening. The groups aggressive advertising campaign is trying to make the case that dairy farming is ethical and responsible. But as consumer choice broadens, this campaign shows how dairy farmers have lost touch with what buyers want. 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 inability of dairy farmers to engage in new-media platforms to help shape the conversation is astoundingly short-sighted. The industry has rarely shown willingness to listen to consumers, and its paying for it now. International markets could use some Canadian dairy, but for that, our dairy programs will need some serious rethinking. Dairy farming is in trouble, and the current supply-management regime is not helping. The sectors infatuation with farm-gate price fairness needs to give more space to innovative solutions to keep milk viable. Food innovation is about finding the unknown while providing an intuitive, valuable solution to a changing marketplace. So what else can we do with milk? Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University. Troy Media New Delhi/Dhaka, March 2 : India on Monday reassured Bangladesh that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam will have no implications on its people and the government. During his visit to Dhaka on Monday, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the process of updating the NRC in Assam, which has "taken place entirely at the direction and under the supervision of the Supreme Court of India", was completely "internal to India" and will have "no implications for the government and people of Bangladesh". The Indian leadership, he said, has repeatedly confirmed this at the highest level to the Bangladesh government. "You have our assurance on that count," Shringla added. In his address at the Bangladesh Institute for International Studies (BIISS), Shringla said the two countries were the "closest of neighbours" with a shared history, culture and sacrifice "just as much as we are joined by shared waters, the same cherished soil and by our fraternal ties". Addressing the issue of the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar's Rakhine state, the Foreign Secretary said that India was deeply appreciative of humanism that motivated Bangladesh to offer shelter to nearly one million displaced people at an enormous burden. Shringla said, as the only neighbour of both Bangladesh and Myanmar, India was committed to offering the fullest support for any mutually-acceptable solution that will enable the earliest possible return of displaced persons to their homes and a dignified life in Rakhine state. "This should be done in a manner that is safe, secure and sustainable," he said. India has provided five tranches of aid to the camps in Cox's Bazar area through the Bangladesh government, and is prepared to do more. Simultaneously, India is investing in the socio-economic development of the Rakhine area, including housing, so that there is an incentive not only for people to return, but for all communities to focus on cooperative solutions for economic development, rather than compete for limited resources. The Foreign Secretary said India is consistent in its interventions with the government of Myanmar at all levels, on the importance of closing Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps, facilitating socio-economic development projects, and in offering a conducive environment to encourage displaced persons to return to their homes in Myanmar from Bangladesh. Shringla emphatically claimed that India and Bangladesh were on the same page regarding the way forward on the issue of Rohingya refugee crisis. Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been specially invited to participate in the inaugural ceremony of 'Mujib Barsho', the centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the freedom fighter and the first President of Bangladesh, later this month. A pack of over-priced meat spotted for sale in a remote indigenous island community has sparked outrage and gone viral on social media. The internet has gone into meltdown over the photo of a $82.27 pack of nine lamb chops at Warwick Meats on Palm Island, a remote indigenous community in north Queensland. The $38.99 a kilo price is almost double the average price of the item in mainstream supermarkets. Palm Island local Sondra Gorringe posted a photo on Facebook to express her disgust. A pack of frozen lamb chops was selling for $82.27 at Warwick Meats on Palm Island last week 'The price on this meat, f**k that, could get a meat pack for that price,' she captioned the photo of expensive frozen meat. Her post was quickly inundated with comments. 'Bugger that paying too much! No wonder everybody goes to Townsville for meat shopping + grocery cheaper to feed the whole family,' one friend commented. One relative added: 'That meat made out of gold!' Palm Island is an island community off the coast of Townsville and has a population of almost 2,500, according to the 2016 Census. Sondra Gorringe (pictured) says she could buy a week's supply of meat for that price Ms Gorringe gets most of her groceries and supplies from the mainland to avoid being ripped off on the island. She said many locals 'struggled to get by' because of the hiked up prices on basic necessities on the island. 'I work full-time so I'm okay and I normally get a $100 meat pack from Townsville and get it sent over on the plane and get groceries, but I reckon it would be hard for people still on Centrelink,' Ms Gorringe told NITV News. 'For shampoo and conditioner, they're about $9.00 each here and then in Townsville they're only like three or four dollars.' Fellow local Raymond Sibley added: 'My thoughts is around the families who are on Centrelink, you know, some of them might get like $200 to $300 a fortnight.' Ms Gorringe later posted on Facebook she hoped growing media attention over the lamb chop saga would would result in prices being slashed on the island. Many Palm Island locals in the remote community (pictured) struggle paying for the hiked-up prices of basic necessities The Warwick Meats store on Palm Island is owned by Community Enterprise Queensland. The non-profit organisation states on its website that its stores are committed to providing essential services, economic development, employment opportunities, environmental solutions and health and wellbeing options to remote communities Daily Mail Australia contacted Community Enterprise Queensland on Monday but was told no one was available to comment on the matter. The organisation has since stated an error was made on the packaging and apologised for any inconvenience caused. 'The lamb meat pack identified by a Palm Island customer was incorrectly labelled by our supplier and as soon as our Palm Island store staff identified the issue, the item was removed from display and withdrawn from sale,' a spokesman said. Sondra (pictured) hopes the online outrage will force the store to lower its prices He added the organisation recently did a basket comparison between CEQs Everyday Low Price Basket on 40 common household items and the same items in Coles. The CEQ basket was $30 more expensive. 'We are very proud of this result when considering the higher ongoing costs associated with running a remote store, including increased freight, power, maintenance, and staffing costs,' the spokesman added. 'CEQ is a not-for-profit organisation that receives no recurrent government funding, and as such our job is to be sustainable while meeting community expectations and providing affordable pricing for goods sold in our stores.' Pete Buttigieg announces the end of his campaign for president in South Bend, Indiana (Santiago Flores/South Bend Tribune via AP) Pete Buttigieg, who rose from relative obscurity as a mayor in Indiana to a barrier-breaking, top-tier candidate for the Democratic US presidential nomination, has ended his campaign. The decision by the first openly gay candidate to seriously contend for the presidency and among the youngest ever came just a day after leading rival Joe Biden scored a resounding victory in South Carolina. That sparked new pressure on the partys moderate wing to coalesce behind the former vice president. The truth is the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy if not for our cause, Mr Buttigieg told supporters in South Bend, Indiana. We must recognise that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and country together. He did not endorse any of his former rivals, though he and Mr Biden exchanged voicemails on Sunday. Mr Buttigieg has spent the past few weeks warning that nominating progressive leader Bernie Sanders to take on President Donald Trump would be risky. The 38-year-old called on supporters to ensure that a Democrat wins the White House in November and that the partys success carries over to races for the House of Representatives and Senate. During previous debates, Mr Buttigieg said Mr Sanders could threaten Democratic seats in Congress. More broadly, Mr Buttigieg urged Americans to move beyond the divisive politics of the Trump era to embrace a more inclusive, unifying approach. Politics at its worst is ugly, he said. But at its best, politics can lift us up. It is not just policymaking. It is moral. It is soulcraft. Thats why were in this. Pete Buttigieg with his husband Chasten (Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune via AP) Mr Buttigieg kissed his husband Chasten as he walked on to the stage and offered a message for children who might be watching. We send a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than, Mr Buttigieg said. To see that someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband by his side. Voters saw Mr Buttigieg in the more moderate lane of the Democratic field, and he flourished early with a top finish in the Iowa caucuses and a close second place finish in New Hampshire. But as the race moved to more diverse states, less dependent on college-educated voters, Mr Buttigieg struggled. Thank you for inviting me into your homes, sharing your stories, and putting your trust in me. We launched our campaign because Americans are hungry for a new kind of politics that brings us together. And together we'll beat this president and build the era that must come next. pic.twitter.com/QDajvx1lpL Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 2, 2020 Despite robust organisations in Iowa and New Hampshire and supporters who included an influx of former independents and Republicans, Mr Buttigieg failed to overcome daunting questions about his ability to draw African American support key to the Democratic base. He earned just 3% of the non-white vote in South Carolinas Saturday primary, according to AP VoteCast, a wide-ranging survey of the electorate. As mayor of a city that is 25% black, Mr Buttigieg faced criticism for firing the first African American police chief in the history of South Bend and for his handling of the case of a white police officer who fatally shot an armed black man in June. A Black Lives Matter group from South Bend released a statement saying it was excited that Mr Buttigieg left the race. We hope that he learned his lesson that neoliberalism and anti-Black policies will no longer be tolerated, the group wrote. Pete Buttigieg on the campaign trail (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) After his unexpected rise to contention in Iowa and New Hampshire last autumn, Mr Buttigieg became the target of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren for the high-dollar fundraisers he was hosting, notably one in a wine cave in California. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar also went at Mr Buttigieg in the months before the caucuses for lacking national experience. She noted that he had lost his only statewide race as a candidate for Indiana treasurer in 2010, while she had won three statewide terms in Minnesota in part by carrying Republican-heavy regions. Mr Buttigieg presented a starkly different figure on the debate stage than the other leading candidates all septuagenarians and drew admirers for his calm, reasoned demeanour and rhetorical skills that reflected his Harvard-trained, Rhodes scholar background but that some voters and operatives described as robotic. He had modelled his campaign somewhat on that of former president Barack Obama, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses largely based on a message of unity and by drawing in a healthy bloc of first-time caucus participants, often the key in a crowded, high-turnout contest. Democratic strategist David Axelrod said the Pete Buttigieg story isnt over. Whenever there is a conversation again about Democratic candidates, hell be in that conversationDavid Axelrod, Democratic strategist Hes 38 years old, Mr Axelrod said. Hes vaulted himself into the national conversation. He obviously has work to do on some things some weaknesses weve seen in this election but whenever there is a conversation again about Democratic candidates, hell be in that conversation. And thats a remarkable achievement, given where he started a year ago. Two evolutionary spaces illustrate how a small change in environmental conditions with few immediate effects opens up a gradual path toward regime change. Credit: Andre de Roos When a grassland becomes a desert, or a clearwater lake shifts to turbid, the consequences can be devastating for the species that inhabit them. These abrupt environmental changes, known as regime shifts, are the subject of new research in Nature Ecology & Evolution which shows how small environmental changes trigger slow evolutionary processes that eventually precipitate collapse. Until now, research into regime shifts has focused on critical environmental thresholds, or "tipping points," in external conditionseg when crossing a certain temperature threshold triggers a sudden shift to desertification. But the new model by Catalina Chaparro-Pedraza and SFI External Professor Andre de Roos, both at the University of Amsterdam, reveals how a small change in the external environment, with little immediate impact, can induce slow evolutionary changes in the species that inhabit the system. After what the researchers call a "considerable delay," wherein species slowly evolve a new trait or behavior over generations, the regime shift manifests as a delayed reaction. "Instead of looking for a straightforward relationship between environmental tipping points and ecosystemic collapse, our work brings evolution into the picture," Chaparro-Pedraza explains. "Even though the outcome is the same, we think it's critically important to map out different paths that lead to regime shifts so we can predict and eventually prevent them." In their model, the researchers demonstrate how these evolution-induced, delayed regime shifts arise in communities of salmon. At different stages of their lives, salmon live in freshwater and marine ecosystems, which both have entirely different biological communities. When a slight change in the marine environment reduces the mortality exposure of the saltwater salmon population, the immediate effects are minor. However, it initiates an evolutionary process that slowly drives individual character traits, like the optimal body size for migrating from the river to an open ocean, to a critical threshold where a regime shift occurs. Remarkably, this regime shift produces dramatic changes in community composition in both the freshwater and marine communities simultaneously, even though nothing changed in the environmental conditions of the freshwater community. Understanding the role of evolutionary processes in regime shifts could also shed light on other complex, interdependent systems. De Roos and Chaparro-Pedraza also examined data from the 2008 financial crisis, which, according to de Roos, "seem pretty much in line with the adaptation-induced regime shift we report in this paper." In this example, the 2008 crash can be seen as the delayed regime shift. The deregulation of the financial system in the 1970s and 1980s would be the environmental change with a negligible immediate effect, and the documented trend of banks changing their debt-to-asset ratio would be analogous to the evolutionary process triggered by the environmental change. "Regime shifts don't just happen in ecosystems," says de Roos. "They also appear in systems like stock markets. Our model shows the evolutionary mechanism by which a sudden changelike an ecosystem or financial collapsemay be the result of a small environmental change in the distant past." Explore further Mathematical models provide a snapshot of the human gut microbial community More information: P. Catalina Chaparro-Pedraza et al. Ecological changes with minor effect initiate evolution to delayed regime shifts, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2020). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution P. Catalina Chaparro-Pedraza et al. Ecological changes with minor effect initiate evolution to delayed regime shifts,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1110-0 Moscow has participated in war crimes connected with deadly air strikes in Syria, UN investigators said Monday, warning that Ankara could also be responsible for similar crimes against Kurds there. The charges come as tensions soar between Turkey and Russian-backed Syrian forces following escalating clashes in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib, but predates the latest unrest. The UN Commission of Inquiry on the rights situation in Syria said in its latest report that it had evidence that Russian planes participated in two air strikes, in Idlib and in rural Damascus last July and August, which killed more than 60 people. The report, which covers the period from July 2019 to January 10 this year, said there was evidence to prove Russian planes took part in both attacks, and that since the attacks were not directed at military objectives they amounted to a war crime. The investigators also said Turkey might be held criminally liable for serious violations by its allies, the Syrian National Army rebel fighters. Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies overran a swathe of northern Syria last October, after a military campaign against Kurdish forces resulted in tens of thousands fleeing their homes. Criminal responsibility The UN investigators referred to allegations that Ankara-backed Syrian rebels had carried out executions, home confiscations and looting. They highlighted in particular the case of Hevrin Khalaf, the 35-year-old leader of the Future Syria Party, who on October 12 was pulled from her car and executed along with her driver. They had been travelling from Qamishli when members of the Syrian National Armys Brigade 123 pulled Khalaf from the car by her hair and mutilated her body before the executions. The Commission said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian National Army fighters committed several war crimes, including murder. If it could be shown they had acted under the effective command and control of Turkish forces it could entail the criminal responsibility for such commanders who knew or should have known about the crimes, it warned. While the investigators acknowledged they had not uncovered evidence the Turkish forces gave orders leading to the violations, the report pointed out that liability could also fall on those who failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent or repress their commission. The investigators also referred to an air strike on a civilian convoy the same day as the Khalafs murder and in the same region that killed 11 people and wounded 74. And they highlighted the apparent targeting of non-military sites such as strikes near the Aluk water station that cut the water supply to 460,000 people. Ankara has denied involvement, but the commission urged Turkish authorities to launch (their) own investigations and make the findings public. Children freezing to death The UNs Syria commission, set up in 2011 shortly after the civil war began, has repeatedly accused the various sides of war crimes and in some cases crimes against humanity. Mondays report was the 19th to date. It also indicated a range of violations by Damascus-backed forces, including targeting civilian sites such as schools and medical facilities in western Syria. The investigators expressed alarm at the growing humanitarian tragedy at Syrias border with Turkey, where they said some 1.5 million people displaced by violence around Idlib had become stranded in desperate conditions. It is scandalous that the international community has not been able to deal with the situation, commission chair Paulo Pinheiro told reporters. You have children in open air with their families, without a tent, without shelter, without blankets, he said, lamenting that children are freezing to death. In nearly nine years of conflict, more than 380,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced from their homes. ANN ARBOR, MI As they ponder a new cleanup plan for the Gelman dioxane plume, Ann Arbor officials have detected the toxic chemical in the citys drinking water again. Tests in February showed trace levels of dioxane 0.039 parts per billion in the treated drinking water and 0.036 ppb in the raw intake water from Barton Pond on the Huron River, according to results posted on the city website. Theyre similar to results from a year ago when the city detected dioxane in its drinking water for the first time. This is the second time. City officials said theyre not overly concerned about the low levels and theyre not sure the latest results are even reliable, so theyre doing more followup testing. We have seen very low levels consistent with these results from the Huron River and the drinking water before, so it is not surprising to see very low detections from these sample locations, said Brian Steglitz, city water plant manager. The levels are 10 times lower than the Environmental Protection Agencys lifetime risk level of 0.35 ppb, Steglitz said. I think that this is such a small amount, its not alarming, said City Council Member Kathy Griswold, D-2nd Ward. But at the same time, it reinforces the fact that weve got to continue to work to clean up the dioxane plume, because it is a threat to our community. With the plume spreading for miles through the areas groundwater, local residents and officials have been watching for years to see if dioxane might eventually contaminate Barton Pond, the citys main drinking water supply. Some have worried trace detections could be just the tip of the iceberg, with much larger concentrations hundreds and thousands of parts per billion spreading from the former Gelman Sciences complex off Wagner Road. Theres no way to prove the dioxane thats been detected in the citys drinking water is from Gelman Sciences, though the filter manufacturer did discharge large amounts of it into the environment between the 1960s and 1980s. The city alerted the public when tests in February 2019 showed 0.030 ppb in the citys treated drinking water and 0.061 ppb in the raw intake water from Barton Pond. Dioxane is classified by the EPA as likely to be carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure. It also can cause kidney and liver damage, and respiratory problems. Just a few parts per billion in drinking water, with longterm exposure, poses a 1 in 100,000 cancer risk, according to EPA. The city has been testing monthly for dioxane in its drinking water. Aside from occasional trace levels in Barton Pond of 0.080 ppb or less, there were no detections in the treated drinking water for the last 11 months until now. I think that we need to emphasize how small those numbers are, and we have to applaud our staff in being so transparent in reporting it, said Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward. Im glad that we have the water staff that we have because theyre on top of this. Were never going to be in danger as long as these guys are working on our behalf. Explaining why the latest results may not be reliable, Steglitz said dioxane was detected in a blank a quality-control sample where it should be non-detect. That indicates samples may be contaminated and suggests the results may not be accurate, he said. Steglitz also said the detections are below the reporting limit, the level at which the analytical lab can detect and report a substance with confidence and meet the analytical methods required quality control. A resolution calling for a federal Superfund cleanup of the Gelman plume is on City Councils agenda Monday night, March 2. Council has postponed action on it multiple times and its expected to be postponed again while officials wait to see how legal negotiations go with the polluter. We keep kicking this can. I dont know if were going to need a new can, Council Member Ali Ramlawi, D-5th Ward, said at councils caucus session Sunday, March 1. The city, Scio Township, Washtenaw County, Huron River Watershed Council and state of Michigan are co-plaintiffs in pending litigation against the polluter in Circuit Court. Gelman has spent several years doing pump-and-treat remediation that local officials say isnt doing enough to clean up the pollution. Gelman is removing water from the ground using extraction wells, treating it to remove some dioxane, and then discharging treated water with lower levels of dioxane to Honey Creek, which flows to the Huron River upstream of Barton Pond. Council Member Jeff Hayner, D-1st Ward, said hes concerned about the potential for contamination of the citys primary water supply and believes the polluter should be required to treat the contaminated groundwater to a non-detectable level. Ongoing discharges may be to blame for dioxane in Ann Arbor drinking water The parties in the litigation are trying to negotiate a settlement a new cleanup plan and are due back before Judge Tim Connors for a status conference March 9. Eaton offered a written update last week, some of which he reiterated at Sundays caucus session. Connors issued an order Feb. 5, setting a Feb. 24 deadline for Gelman to provide a written response to the plaintiffs, and Gelman met that deadline, Eaton said, noting the documents are still confidential under court orders. Council is expected to go into closed session with the city attorney Monday night to discuss the matter. On March 9, the parties will discuss a proposed consent judgment with the judge, Eaton said, and its possible theyll ask the judge then to allow releasing the settlement documents to the public for review ahead of public hearings on them before officials vote on accepting any settlement. Additionally, city, county and township officials, who have been trying to decide whether to pursue a federal Superfund cleanup or settle, likely will hold another joint session and closed session to discuss next steps, Eaton said. I would prefer that we have a unified approach, he said of the various parties moving forward together. It seems obvious the polluter doesnt want them to seek EPA intervention, Eaton said. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Ann Arbor considering worst-case scenario for Gelman dioxane plume Gelman plume legal case costs add up to more than $1M Were really, really slow, EPA tells local officials seeking pollution cleanup Ann Arbor officials hopeful after meeting with judge in Gelman plume case * 'Left behind' towns promised investment boost in March 11 budget * Support from former Labour-voting areas key for PM Johnson * Regeneration of shuttered Teesside steel works shows challenges By David Milliken MIDDLESBROUGH, England, March 2 (Reuters) - Looming over the skyline of Teesside in northeast England stands the rusting hulk of what used to be Europe's largest blast furnace, which shut in 2015 with the loss of more than 2,200 jobs. Attempts to bring investment and employment back to what was once one of England's industrial heartlands will be a test for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to help 'left-behind' areas. His government's first budget on March 11 will make increased infrastructure spending in the north of England, and other underperforming regions, a focal point of Britain's post-Brexit economic strategy. While most workers from the SSI blast furnace have found new jobs, they had to accept big cuts in pay or move away, said Paul Warren, a former steelworker and national organiser for the trade union Community. "Some people haven't recovered still. It has torn families apart," he said. "You had a job for life, a good pension. Then, that's it, gone." Johnson swept to victory in December's election with votes in areas such as the Tees Valley that historically backed the Labour Party, but switched to the Conservatives because of his pro-Brexit policy. The area's mayor, Conservative Ben Houchen, said the party will not hold on to the region unless it improves living standards. "The Conservatives have been lent the votes of local people, and if we don't get it right - and if Boris Johnson doesn't get it right - I absolutely believe that they'll all go Labour again in five years' time," he said. The Tees Valley has received 360 million pounds ($470 million) in extra public funds since Houchen became mayor in 2017, mostly to help buy and clean up land around the old steelworks and attract new businesses. Houchen is asking for another 80 million pounds from Johnson's first budget to revamp nearby Darlington train station. It has a direct high-speed link to London, but can only handle two trains an hour to the rest of the Tees Valley, partly following the route of the world's first steam railway. Story continues After years of austerity, Johnson has already given the green light to a high-speed rail project between London, Birmingham and further north at more than 100 billion pounds. There is speculation that in his budget next week Chancellor Rishi Sunak will relax fiscal rules to fund the spending Johnson has promised. But reducing inequalities between Britain's regions by some measures the worst in western Europe - is likely to require more than new railways, roads, bus services and broadband as pledged by Johnson. Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane says regional differences in wages are as wide as they were a century ago, and a major academic report on Thursday said an extra 200 billion pounds in spending over the next 20 years was needed. REDEVELOPMENT Middlesbrough's median full-time wage of 26,200 pounds a year is 14% below the national average and in the Tees Valley economic output per person is 25% below the national level. Unemployment at 6.8% is much higher than the national rate of 3.9%, while Middlesbrough's male life expectancy at 75 years is below the national average of 79. For an area already in decline, the closure of the SSI steelworks in 2015 was a blow to its core. Former Conservative prime minister David Cameron refused to save the plant after its Thai owners went bankrupt. It shut so fast that molten steel solidified in the blast furnace instead of being drained out, making the cost of a restart prohibitive. "It was industrial vandalism," says Community's Warren, who had worked in the industry since he was a 16-year-old trainee in 1987. Steelworkers, who earned around 35,000 pounds a year plus overtime, were lucky to find new work locally that paid 24,000 pounds as employers slashed salaries, he said. Almost five years on, there are no new jobs on the SSI site, bar a few security guards and safety workers. Local mayor Houchen hopes this will change soon. Two weeks ago, the South Tees Development Corporation, a public body he chairs, acquired the SSI site from the firm's creditors. The development corporation now has control of 7 square miles of mostly former industrial land on the south bank of the River Tees, the largest such site in Britain, and it is moving ahead with possible new investments and job creation. On Friday a group of European oil companies led by BP said they would evaluate the technical and commercial case for a plant on the site to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from the region's chemical industry and a new gas power station. This could create or safeguard 5,500 local jobs, and add 450 million pounds a year to the area's economy, by the middle of the decade, subject to government support. Houchen also wants to bring back steelmaking jobs as part of Teesside's rejuvenation, and is planning to attract a new electric arc furnace, which melts scrap metal. RISKS But some fear the days are already numbered for Teesside's steel industry. British Steel, which has had multiple owners since its heyday as a state firm that made 90% of the country's steel, runs a mill near Middlesbrough that made beams used in London's Shard skyscraper and the new World Trade Center in New York. Now the company is in liquidation, with its wage bill funded by the government while it tries to secure a buyout from China's Jingye Group. Like SSI, its collapse would have a major impact on local businesses such as AV Dawson, which operates a port, rail yard, warehouses and a haulage business in Middlesbrough. "That is a massive concern for us," says Charlie Nettle, commercial director of AV Dawson. Broadly, Nettle supports Houchen's efforts to boost the profile of the Tees Valley area and strengthen transport links, including by taking the loss-making local airport into public ownership. "He's got a lot to live up to, to make sure he delivers," says Nettle. For others, including Middlesbrough's Labour member of parliament, Andy McDonald, progress has been too slow. "We've been promised lots of shiny things and massive investment in infrastructure.... But the substance is where are the jobs? Somewhere over the hill." (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Giles Elgood) 25 years ago: Nick Leeson arrested for Barings Bank collapse Bank of England On March 2, 1995, Nick Leeson was arrested at the Frankfurt airport for his role in the Barings Bank collapse. A 28-year-old school dropout who failed mathematics, he rocketed to the front of the line of Barings traders after he was sent to Singapore to assist in technical operations in the local derivatives market. He then became the principal floor trader for Barings at the Singapore International Monetary Exchange (SIMEX). The collapse of the British merchant bank was a further demonstration, following the Mexican peso crisis, of the deepening instability of the capitalist world financial system. Barings was liquidated February 26 by the Bank of England after posting losses of nearly $1.4 billion in speculative trading in derivatives after the Kobe earthquake struck Japan, causing market turmoil. During the first week following the spectacular collapse, capitalist media and banking industry officials portrayed the failure of the oldest British merchant bank as the result of the activities of a single rogue traderLeeson, who had handled derivatives trading for Barings on the floor of the SIMEX. SIMEX authorities revealed that they had met with two top officers of Barings on February 8, who assured them that they were aware of Leesons heavy trading in derivatives and had the money to cover his positions. Banks in Tokyo and Singapore confirmed that Barings paid out more than $890 million in the first two months of 1995 to meet margin calls on Leesons trading positions, $130 million in the final week alone before the collapse. Much of this sum was borrowed from Japanese banks. So well-known were Leesons huge bets on the movement of Japanese stock, bond and currency markets that many Tokyo investment advisers had urged clients to place bets on a movement in the opposite direction, anticipating the collapse well in advance. Besides a $7 billion bet that Japanese stocks would rise, Leeson also made the equivalent of a $22 billion bet that Japanese bonds and the value of the yen would fall, losing an additional $150 million. On March 6 a British court approved the sale of the remains of Barings to the Dutch firm ING in an effort to avoid takeover by American or German banks. 50 years ago: White-ruled Rhodesia breaks from UK Rhodesian soldier interrogating villagers, 1977 On March 2, 1970, leaders of the British colony of Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe) dissolved Parliament and declared the African country to be a republic. The decision intensified a civil war between fighters drawn from the majority black population, which was largely disenfranchised from political participation, and the government, which was controlled by the minority white population. The entire aim of Rhodesian independence was to maintain white rule. Since the early 1960s, political leaders in Rhodesia like Clifford Dupont and Ian Smith, who after independence would become the countrys first president and prime minister, respectively, had been in discussion with the British government over plans for the transition to independence. The UK had implemented a policy of no independence before majority rule in its colonies working towards sovereign status. Rejecting the idea of granting black Rhodesians political rights, in 1965 the Rhodesian government issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence declaring their intent to govern the African country as they saw fit. After further negotiation failed to bring about any agreement, the Rhodesian republic was established in 1970, as a de facto apartheid regime. Suffrage was granted only to those who met property requirements, essentially limiting the franchise to whites, who made up about 5 percent of the total population. The declaration of independence deepened a civil war that had begun in 1964, when two rival black nationalist movements began waging a guerrilla war against the minority-led government, and against one another. The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) had formed out of a split within the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) in 1963. The split was colored by the Soviet-Sino political split in the early 1960s, with the Soviet Union backing ZAPU and Maoist China throwing its support to ZANU. After formal independence in 1970, the fighting exploded into what became known as the Rhodesian Bush War. The Rhodesian government, backed by the United States, launched a ferocious anti-communist campaign against ZANU and ZAPU. While the two nationalist organizations both waged a struggle against the Rhodesian government, they also frequently fought against one another. By the end of the conflict upwards of 30,000 would be killed, many of them civilians. The war would continue until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement, which declared a ceasefire and re-imposed temporary British rule until national elections could be held. ZANU would come out the victor of the elections and would officially establish an independent capitalist Zimbabwe, with Robert Mugabe serving as the first prime minister. 75 years ago: US military defeats Japan in battle of Manila US soldiers in the Battle of Manila On March 3, 1945, the US Army and allied local guerrilla fighters secured control of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, marking a decisive blow to Japans occupation of the strategically critical southeast Asian country. The victory followed some of the bloodiest fighting in the Pacific theater of World War II, characterized by brutal urban warfare and the mass killing of civilians. The US had launched an invasion of the Philippines in late 1944, amid a mounting crisis of imperial Japan throughout the region, and of the fascist powers internationally. The aim was to isolate Japanese forces in Asia, force the countrys government to divert military resources, and reestablish American control of an archipelago that had previously been a colony of American imperialism. On January 31, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur issued an order to US troops: Get to Manila! Free the internees at Santo Tomas. Take Malacanang Palace and the Legislative Building. On the same day, the Eighth US Army landed without opposition at Nasugbu, before rapidly advancing towards the capital. The Japanese planned their defence by shifting the bulk of their army to neighboring, and heavily-fortified, Baguio City. American troops were able to march into the outskirts of Manila in early February, prompting MacArthur to declare US control of the capital. Over the following week, however, brutal fighting broke out. US artillery bombardment of Japanese defensive positions resulted in uncontrollable fires that destroyed much of the wooden city. The Japanese responded with mass civilian killings and desperate rearguard actions that had no prospect of success. By February 18, Japanese forces in the city were reduced in number to just 6,000. They were cut off from escape and controlled only the small neighborhood of Intramuros. The US assault, concluded on March 3, destroyed almost the entire neighborhood, and resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians. Over the course of the battle for Manila, an estimated 100,000 to 240,000 Filipino civilians were killed. More than 1,000 Allied troops perished, while Japanese casualties were at least 6,000. Japanese General Yamashita would, at the conclusion of World War II, be tried by the victorious Allies, convicted of war crimes offenses and executed. 100 years ago: Abortive Arab Kingdom of Syria declared Faisal at Versailles, during the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 On March 8, 1920, the Syrian Arab Congress proclaimed the establishment of the Arab Kingdom of Syria, a constitutional monarchy with Faisal bin Hussein as its ruler. The kingdom encompassed an area known as Greater Syria, which included most of what is now the modern state of Syria, as well as Palestine, Lebanon and parts of Iraq. The kingdom was the first of many attempts by Arab nationalists to establish states independent of the direct control of British and French imperialism. By the end of World War I, the Allies had defeated Turkish and German troops in the Middle East with the assistance of Arab armies led by feudal-monarchical elements. In 1918 the British and French began to administer the provinces of the former Ottoman Empire, now known as Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine, under the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration. In 1919 Faisal, the son of the Sharif of Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia, attended the Paris Peace Conference as a representative of the Arabs, where he had negotiated a secret agreement with the French Premier Clemenceau that put him in charge of a nominally independent Syria under French trusteeship. When Faisal returned to Damascus in January 1920, more radical nationalists were unwilling to accept any French role at all. The Syrian National Congress declared that it was ready to go to war with France and Britain. It was on this basis that the Arab Kingdom of Syria was declared. Faisal agreed to be the ruler of the new state, but behind the scenes he worked with the wealthiest and most conservative elements among the Arabs, especially the ruling elements in Damascus, who had remained loyal to the Ottomans during the war. Like Faisal, this section of the Arab ruling class generally supported imperialist interests, including the settlement of Palestine by Zionist immigrants. Faisal allowed the Arab military to attack the French and sought an alliance with Turkish nationalists, who were fighting the French in Turkey, but simultaneously sought support from the British. The British, who had made the secret Sykes-Picot agreement in 1917 dividing up the Middle East with France, had been at odds with the French after 1919, and to some extent had protected the Arab insurgents of the Kingdom of Syria from French armies. But by the spring of 1920, the French had made a new agreement with the British and signed a truce with the Turkish nationalists. In June the French General Gouraud gave an ultimatum to Faisal. Faisal offered an unconditional surrender despite riots in major Syrian cities, and by July the French entered Damascus and proclaimed that Syria belonged to France, the whole of it, and forever. The number of persons who died of influenza this year in Romania has reached 49, the National Centre for Supervision and Control of Communicable Diseases of the National Public Health Institute informed on Monday. The last two persons who died of influenza were two men - one aged 75 from Harghita County and the other one aged 69, from Ilfov, both of them were confirmed to have had type A influenza. The two men had preexisting medical conditions and had not been vaccinated against the flu. AGERPRES So starting in 2010 Mr. Wolinsky had a PSA test and digital rectal exam every six months and an annual biopsy of the prostate, which was eventually lengthened to every three years. Its now been four years since the last biopsy and chances are, unless a worrisome rise in the PSA occurs and other tests indicate an aggressive cancer, he may never need another. Given the now rapidly changing methods of monitoring and diagnosing the lethality of prostate cancer, it behooves every man told he has cancer in this gland to explore the most currently available management options before deciding on treatment. There are now even support groups to help reassure men with a low-risk cancer who choose active surveillance. The field is on fire, said Dr. Laurence Klotz, a leading expert on urological cancer and pioneer of active surveillance. Within a few years, well have urine and blood tests that are so reliable well know which men dont even need a biopsy. Instead of a biopsy, there are now at least five biomarkers and more being developed that can be used as an initial test. Even the process of biopsy has changed. For decades, when a possible cancer was suspected based on the PSA test or digital rectal exam, doctors blindly took 12 core samples from the prostate to search for a malignancy. Now an M.R.I. can be done first and a biopsy performed only if and when a potentially serious lesion is revealed. High-resolution ultrasound may even become a simpler and less expensive alternative to an M.R.I., Dr. Klotz said. To avoid the need for a biopsy altogether, Dr. Klotz is leading a large Canadian clinical trial, called Precise, to determine if an M.R.I. is sufficiently accurate in detecting dangerous cancers and distinguishing them from harmless ones. He estimates, based on early data, that as many as 250,000 men a year in Canada and the United States could avoid unnecessary biopsies without compromising the ability to identify clinically significant cancers. This approach results in the diagnosis of many fewer indolent cancers that would likely never threaten a mans life, said Dr. Klotz, a professor of surgery at the University of Toronto and a mentor in the field of prostate cancer diagnosis. With an M.R.I. we find fewer of these low-grade cancers, and fewer men will be overtreated, he said. If Dr. Eggener had his way, he would not even call it cancer for men who are given a Gleason score of 6 or lower, because it fails to meet the clinical definition of cancer: the ability to cause symptoms, metastasize or lead to death, he wrote in an email. Removing the cancer label has been done in other cancers, most notably a subtype of thyroid and bladder cancers. I predict this will eventually happen for Gleason 6 prostate cancer, and in my opinion will be reason for celebration. GLENDALE, Calif., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- California Credit Union has expanded into Orange County, opening its first full-service branch in Santa Ana, California. With its new branch, the $3 billion credit union has grown its regional footprint across Southern California, with 25 branches extending from Los Angeles through San Diego counties. "Expanding our regional footprint to connect our Los Angeles and San Diego service areas has been a key strategic goal, and we're excited to take this first step in growing our retail presence in Orange County," said California Credit Union President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "We now have a cohesive service network extending across the southland, allowing us to better support our loyal Orange County members and educators as part of our commitment to providing an extraordinary banking experience. "We look forward to serving the needs of our new Orange County communities as well as offering a full suite of products and services tailored to educators in the market. We hope our new neighbors in Orange County will visit our branch to experience the California Credit Union difference with comprehensive financial products, competitive rates, and our own brand of truly personal service." The credit union's new Santa Ana branch uses a contemporary design, integrating technology to enhance face-to-face service with interactive tablet technology stations and full-service financial specialists. The cashless branch has an open floor plan, offering free Wi-Fi, member lounge area, and 24-hour ATM services. Located at 1313 West 17th Street in Santa Ana, the branch is open Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm. California Credit Union currently operates with dual headquarters in Glendale and San Diego, and serves members under its North Island Credit Union brand in the greater San Diego area. About California Credit Union California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of $3 billion, California Credit Union has 25 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Visit ccu.com for more information, or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @CaliforniaCreditUnion. SOURCE California Credit Union Related Links http://www.ccu.com The Cultural Affairs Department on Monday announced an award in the name of late veteran actor Shriram Lagoo. The award 'NatSamrat Shriram Lagoo' will be awarded for significant work in the Marathi theatre. The Cultural Affairs Department presents 12 Awards for significant work in 12 different categories for the significant contribution in cultural field each year. On February 27, 2020, the government of Maharashtra Government finally decided to title the award in the name of the late veteran actor. Shriram Lagoo passed away at a private hospital in Pune on December 17, 2019.The actor who was also an ENT (ear, nose, throat) surgeon passed away at the age of 92.Lagoo worked in Hindi and Marathi Cinema, he was also a director and a theatre artist. Shriram has directed over 20 Marathi plays. Lagoo was born on November 16, 1927, in Satara, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was known for his roles in movies including Gharaonda (1977), Gandhi (1982) and Swayamvar (1980). The director also played Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor's father in the blockbuster movie Kishen Kanhaiya. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Armenian Odyssey: The Color of Pomegranates Festival was launched in Freer Gallery, Washington, DC on February 29 with A Tribute to Sergei Parajanov event. Advocating for dissemination of Armenian culture abroad, Ameriabank acts as the Main Corporate Sponsor of the festival. The Armenian Festival is produced by PostClassical Ensemble and the Embassy of Armenia to the USA. The program includes Armenian movie screenings and concert programs. The central event of the Festival is scheduled on March 4, at 7.30pm at Washington National Cathedral. Jivan Gasparyan, the legendary duduk virtuoso, along with Jivan Gasparyan Jr, and, world-renowned cellist, Narek Hakhnazarian will perform. PostClassical Ensemble, conducted by Angel Gil-Ordonez, will also perform a world premiere piece composed specially for this event by the eminent composer Vache Sharafyan. Kevork Mourad, a Syrian-Armenian artist, will illustrate in real-time to the music. The events in Washington will be attended by cultural, public and political figures from Armenia. The festival will be closed on March 14 at the National Gallery of Art with screening as a tribute to Rouben Mamoulian, famous Armenian-American film and theater director. For more details about the Festival events you can follow the link here: https://postclassical.com/performances/pomegranates/ Ameriabank CJSC Ameriabank is a dynamically developing bank and one of the major and most stable financial institutions in Armenia with clearly formulated digital agenda. The first investment bank in Armenia, Ameriabank is a universal bank offering innovative corporate, investment and retail banking services in a comprehensive package of banking solutions. Ameriabank is the leading bank in Armenia as measured by all key financial indicators (assets, liabilities, loans portfolio, net profit and equity) according to the 2019 year reportable data. For further information, please visit www.ameriabank.am Genetic Testing Market Analysis Genetic testing helps to identify the sequence variations that play a significant role in confirming a genetic condition and also helps to determine the chances of developing a disease in the future. The test results help people to make decisions about managing their health and support timely intervention to the clinical translation of disease onset. The benefit of getting a chance to avoid potential risks of developing genetic disorders, more and more people are opting for genetic tests nowadays. Resultantly, the global genetic testing market has been witnessing a constant rise over recent years. Also, the growing awareness about the befits of genetic testing has impacted the growth of this market positively. Moreover, the rising prevalence of genetic disorders escalates market growth further. According to Market Research Future (MRFR), the global genetic testing market is poised to touch a valuation of USD 22,834.19 MN by 2024, registering 11.50% CAGR throughout the assessment period (2019-2024). Get a FREE Sample Copy of Report with Complete TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2009 Changing trends from service-driven to product-driven industry and increasing government initiatives aiming at enhancing genetic testing capabilities are primary growth drivers of the market. Additionally, increasing R&D activities, funds allotments for R&D, and program launches are anticipated to present high growth opportunities for the players. Besides, the rising R&D expenditures and rapidly evolving biotechnology sector impact the market growth, positively. Conversely, the high cost of these tests and inaccuracy are the major factors impeding the growth of the market. Also, the market growth is restricted by the limitations of genetic testing, such as limited information about an inherited condition that often cant determine if a person would show symptoms, how severe the symptoms would be, or whether the disorder would progress over time or decrease. Additionally, the lack of treatment strategies for many genetic disorders once they are diagnosed, is estimated to restrict genetic testing market growth. Nevertheless, growing funding from the public & private sector and rising technological advances would support the growth of the market throughout the review period. There have been some phenomenal advances in the field of genetic testing, such as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into medical diagnostic technology, which has made the process of obtaining an individuals entire genome fast and cost-effective. Genetic Testing Market Segmentation The report has been segmented into four major dynamics. By Type: Prescribed Genetic Testing and Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing By Method: Molecular Genetic Tests/ DNA Tests, Chromosomal Genetic Tests, and Biochemical Genetic Tests. By Application: Reproductive Health (Prenatal Screening, Newborn Screening, and Carrier Screening), Ancestry, Predictive, Pre-Symptomatic Testing, others), Cancer Screening (Breast Cancer, Hereditary Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Colon Cancer, others), and other applications. By Regions: Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Rest-of-the-World. Reproductive health is the largest application segment. In 2018, the segment had reached a valuation of USD 3,993.67 MN, holding the largest as in 33.61% of the market share. On the basis of type, the prescribed genetic testing holds the major share of the overall genetic testing market. The segment is further estimated to reach a valuation of USD 21653.91 MN by the end of 2024. Whereas, based on the method, the molecular genetic test/DNA tests segment accounts for a major share. It is expected that the segment would grow at 11.78% CAGR during the forecast period. Global Genetic Testing Market Geographical Analysis North America dominates the global genetic testing market, holding the largest share of the market. The region enjoys the presence of several well-established players who make substantial interments continually. The US market, backed by the high healthcare expenditure, accounts for the key growth contributor in the region. Cumulatively led by these trends, the North American genetic testing market is likely to retain its dominance throughout the review period. Europe is another lucratively growing market for genetic testing. The market is predominantly driven by the rapid adoption of new technologies and growing awareness about genetic testing. Additionally, increasing per capita healthcare expenses and the well-established healthcare sector in the region are some of the key driving forces behind the regional market growth. Germany and France are the major markets that are driving the regional market on a large scale. The Asia Pacific genetic testing market is growing rapidly, offering more opportunities to market players. The market growth attributes to improving economic conditions and advancing medical technologies. China, India, and Japan, with their huge population, provide a huge impetus to the regional market growth. Moreover, advances in the medical field and increasing numbers of genetic testing activities in the region are impacting the market growth positively. The APAC genetic testing market is projected to register a phenomenal CAGR during the forecast period. Global Genetic Testing Market Competitive Analysis Highly competitive, the genetic testing market appears to be well established with the presence of several notable players. To gain a larger competitive advantage in this market, players adopt strategic initiatives such as collaborations, mergers & acquisitions, and product launch/innovations. These players invest substantially to drive R&D and expansion plans. R&D helps them to bring about novel products while investments in acquisitions & partnerships, help them to increase their global footprints. Genetic Testing Market Major Players: Players heading the global genetic testing market include PerkinElmer Inc. (US), Myriad Genetics, Inc. (US), Abbott Laboratories (US), Illumina Inc. (US), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (US), QIAGEN (Germany), Eurofins Scientific (US), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (US), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Blueprint Genetics (Finland), and BGI Genomics (China), among others. Genetic Testing Industry/Innovations/Related News: January 22, 2020 - Quest Diagnostics (the US), a clinical laboratory, announced the acquisition of a Finnish genetic testing company Blueprint Genetics for the expansion of next-generation sequencing capabilities in rare diseases. Blueprint Genetics has been expanding its footprints in the US market and is active in gene variant interpretation using bioinformatics technology & next-generation sequencing. Quest is one of the worlds largest lab-testing companies and is currently focusing on improving its next-generation sequencing capabilities. The acquisition would help Quest to improve genetic testing for rare and genetic diseases. Browse the market data and information spread across 150 pages with 149 data tables and 19 figures of the report Genetic Testing Market: Information by Type (Prescribed Genetic Testing and Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing), Method (Molecular Genetic Tests/ DNA Tests, Chromosomal Genetic Tests and Biochemical Genetic Tests), By Application (Reproductive Health (Newborn Screening, Prenatal Screening and Carrier Screening), Cancer Screening (Hereditary Cancer, Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer and Colon Cancer), Ancestry, Predictive and Pre-Symptomatic Testing and others) and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa) Global Forecast till 2024 in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/genetic-testing-market-2009 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Akash Anand Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com By Aisha Jabbarova President Ilham Aliyev has praised political and economic ties with Poland, saying that the cooperation between the two countries has strategic importance. The president made the remarks while receiving newly-appointed Polish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rafal Poborski on March 2. Addressing the ambassador, Aliyev said that the ties between our countries are developing and we have been able to establish very strong political ties. Poland is a very important partner and friendly country for us. Friendly ties between our countries have developed over the years. We have had many contacts over the past years. I am glad that we are now seeing progress not only in the political sphere, but also in the economic sphere. As you know, our regional trade office for Central Europe is located in Poland. This fact shows that we consider your country as our main trading partner in this region. I am convinced that our relations will develop in the upcoming years. Together with President Duda, we discussed our future plans in January this year. I wish you success, Aliyev said. The president reminded that he met Polish counterpart President Duda during the Davos Forum in January where we once again confirmed the strategic importance of our partnership. For his part, Ambassador Rafal Poborksi said that both Azerbaijan and Poland are important countries in their regions. We are in a very good position to take advantage of transportation connections. We are very pleased to see the progress in your energy policy. I know that our companies are holding a dialogue on this. We hope that this will result in successful projects and benefit both parties. The ambassador expressed hopes that Baku and Warsaw will launch direct launch very soon and the ties will further be enhanced. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. EDIRNE, TURKEY - MARCH 02: Irregular migrants are seen with their belongings as they continue to wait near Evros River in Edirne, Turkey to reach Greece on March 02, 2020. The number of irregular migrants leaving Turkey for Europe has reached 100,577 as of Sunday evening. Thousands of migrants flocked to Pazarkule, a border gate with Greece after Turkish officials announced Friday they would no longer try to stop irregular migrants from reaching Europe. Anadolu Agency A new influx of migrants has led Greece to implement new measures at its border with Turkey, with concerns that the situation could eventually lead to a repeat of the 2015 crisis. Turkey announced last week that it would no longer prevent refugees from reaching the European Union, despite a 6 billion euro ($6.7 billion) deal in 2016 when Ankara agreed that any migrants hoping to cross into Greece would be sent back. Turkey's decision to open its borders last week would technically allow any economic migrants and refugees to attempt to enter the EU. "Most of those on the move are men," the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday, adding that there are also "many family groups traveling with young children" heading to the Greek border. Migrant group with a large majority from Afghanistan are stranded between Greek and Turkish borders, at Kastanies borders crossing in Greece and Pazarkule in Turkey at the neutral zone. The migrants and refugees are trying to enter Europe via Greece. They throw stones and tear gas towards Greek security forces, police and army who respond with teargas and flash grenades. March 1, 2020. NurPhoto Ten thousand people at Evros, the Greek region that borders Turkey, were prevented from entering into Greece over the weekend, the Greek ministry for foreign affairs said Sunday. More than 1 million refugees and migrants arrived in Greece in 2015 and early 2016 the height of the crisis and before the deal with Turkey came into place, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Greece has now decided that it will not be accepting any new asylum applications for one month. "Once more, do not attempt to enter Greece illegally you will be turned back," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece said Sunday. Some migrants are also looking to arrive in Europe by crossing the Turkish border with Bulgaria. Others have been seen boarding a rubber dinghy to arrive in Greece through the island of Lesbos, Reuters reported. European foreign affairs ministers are due to have an emergency meeting in Brussels this week. "The European Union needs to redouble efforts to address this terrible human crisis with all the means at its disposal," the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement. Syrian war The large influx of refugees into Europe in recent years has had its origins in the many conflicts taking place in the Middle East, in particular in Syria. Since 2011, rebel forces have fought against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The latest escalation of this civil war is taking place in the region of Idlib, where Syrian government forces, supported by Russia, have been trying to regain control of the area from jihadist groups and Turkish-backed rebel factions. According to the BBC, 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes in the Syria province of Idlib last week by Syrian government forces. President Tayyip Erdogan said that European countries were failing to support Turkey in this conflict. IDLIB, SYRIA - FEBRUARY 29: Syrian women cook at a shop as civilians fled from Hama due to attacks of Assad Regime and its supporters, take shelters in shops at Um Zubair village of Jisr al-Shughur in Syria on February 29, 2020. Anadolu Agency Conventional wisdom says that a detailed understanding of the unique business functions of a particular industry is required to translate cybersecurity threats into the business risk language that other public and private sector executives expect or even demand. For example, a solid background in banking, including financial controls, processes and related regulations, is usually required to be a CSO or CISO at a large bank. This line of thinking has led many security leaders to not even apply for CSO roles in other industries. But why? To dig deeper into this topic and get answers to help others, I asked a series of questions to two experts who have successfully navigated senior security leadership roles across multiple industries over many years. Cheri McGuire From 2016-2019, Cheri McGuire served as global group chief information security officer (CISO) at Standard Chartered Bank based in London. She has held senior roles at Microsoft, Symantec, US Department of Homeland Security Cyber Division/US-CERT, and Booz Allen Hamilton. Cheri currently sits on the Monetary Authority of Singapore International Cyber Advisory Panel, the Board of Directors for Entrust Datacard Corporation, and the Executive Advisory Board of Tenable. She is also a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace advising on their Financial Cyber strategic initiatives. Cheri is a recognized expert on cyber risk management and resilience, policy and information sharing, and public-private partnerships, and has testified numerous times before the US Congress. Previously, she served on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Cybersecurity and the board of The George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. Mark Weatherford Mark Weatherford is the Global Information Security Strategist at Booking Holdings, a Fortune 250 company representing six global brands that include Priceline.com, Kayak.com, Bookings.com, OpenTable.com, Agoda.com and RentalCars.com. He has more than 20 years of security operations leadership and executive-level policy experience in some of the largest and most critical public and private sector organizations in the world. Previous roles include Chief Cybersecurity Strategist at vArmour, Principal at The Chertoff Group, Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity at DHS, CSO at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, CISO for the state of California and CISO for the state of Colorado. I first met both Cheri McGuire and Mark Weatherford when they worked in senior government security roles, and their experiences illustrate how government service can be a great training ground in cybersecurity. Here, these two industry-leading CSOs offer career advice and provide guidance for aspiring industry-hoppers to follow. Digital has magnified the marketers playground, providing both new tools and new channels for reaching audiences. Despite the innovation, there remains a constant: Marketing abhors a vacuum. The truth is, if youre not occupying at least some of the space in your market, its guaranteed someone else will, says Terrill Herbig, president of The BA Group, a credit union marketing firm based in Northfield, Minnesota. Big banks, community banks and fintechs all are occupying the space of current and potential members, and the competition is only going to get stiffer. Currently, the financial services sector accounts for 12% of digital ad spending, or around $15.65 billion, according to a 2019 report by eMarketer. This investment makes it critical for credit unions to find their digital focus, one that not only embraces their brand but helps to define and support overarching goals and communicate relevant messages with target audiences, says Herbig. Without a share of the digital pie, its difficult for credit unions to elevate their brand, let alone give back to members. Achieving digital focus will also help a credit union to sharpen its goals and service objectives. These can vary by credit union and segmentfor example, brand affinity, product adoption or enhanced relationships. But it requires understanding the tools available and differentiating between the strategic and tactical processes, stresses Herbig. Strategic activities will define your goals over time as well as the key, measurable objectives to achieve them. Tactical actions, however, are task-related and will provide guidelines on how to best use specific channels and resources, based on their respective strengths. When the 12 China-based employees of private-label sock manufacturer Pacific Manufacturing return to their office on Monday after a two-week quarantine of the city of Haining, things will be a little different. Buses and trains are hot spots for transmission of the coronavirus, so the company has conscripted its in-house driver to pick up car-less workers and ferry staff around the city for quality-control inspections. Pacific Manufacturing also will hand out ear thermometers and require employees to report their temperatures through a new company social media group. Even the bathroom has changed. Most sinks in China dispense only cold water. Pacific Manufacturing just installed a water heater to amp up the disinfectant power of hand washing. The coronavirus, which is pummeling stock markets and kinking supply chains worldwide, is particularly dangerous for small-to-midsize businesses, which tend to operate on shorter lead times and have all their manufacturing eggs in the China basket, says Hitendra Chaturvedi, a professor of supply chain management at Arizona State University. "I believe if the coronavirus impact goes beyond March, many SMEs will have to shut shop," Chaturvedi says. Even small companies without direct exposure to Asia are threatened as the epidemic rushes west and the potential for employees to get sick increases. So now smart small-and-midsize-company leaders are trying to mitigate the coronavirus risk with a variety of tactics, such as conserving working capital, crafting work-at-home policies, and communicating frequently with vendors and customers. Some businesses have designated point people--coronavirus czars, in effect--to oversee their efforts. At Pacific Manufacturing, which in addition to its China workforce employs six people at its San Diego headquarters, that person is the assistant to CEO and founder Harold Robison. The CEO's assistant "is looking at anything we can do to reduce exposure that doesn't affect mission-critical work--even if there is a little extra cost," says Robison, who anticipates the epidemic will ding 2020 revenues by about 15 percent. "We are expecting to overreact the first month." Director of technology Ryan Dolley acts as coronavirus specialist at PMsquare, a 33-employee data and analytics company in Oak Brook, Illinois. Dolley posts updates about the virus's spread on Slack; another employee created a dashboard there tracking such data as rates of infection and mortality, to keep staffers informed. On Dolley's recommendation, the leadership team recently drew up a list of infectious disease outbreak policies, such as the temperature above which employees must stay home (100.4 degrees) and what to do if someone falls ill while traveling. The team also created an additional benefit allowing for sick days that don't count as paid time off. Employees are required to check off every item on the list to indicate they've reviewed it. "We used CDC's guidelines and customized them for our business," says Dustin Adkison, PMsquare's managing partner. "We've also bought hand sanitizers for the whole office and asked the cleaning crew to begin doing surface area sanitation instead of just wiping things down." Of course many companies already have work-from-home policies. But those aren't helpful when staffers are too groggy to peck at a laptop. MBX Systems, a 180-employee company in Libertyville, Illinois, which makes hardware for applications ranging from flight simulation to surveillance, got a taste of that months ago during a two-week period when 15 engineers succumbed to the flu. Fortunately the company has a well-thought-out contingency plan that chief strategy officer Justin Formella says should protect it if the coronavirus breaches its walls. Leaders at MBX have assessed the minimum staffing levels required for each department and identified employees who have been cross-trained to fill in for those functions. The company also determines what work will be eliminated or deferred if staffing levels drop. "You might decide to cut new initiatives and go into a sustaining posture," Formella says. "It should be automatic that if today we only have five people instead of 10, everyone knows that these are the things we will focus on." Maintaining supply Supply chains, which take time to diversify, present a more daunting problem. MBX sources raw materials and components from many vulnerable countries in Asia. Starting in mid-January, the company began rapidly building up inventory and working with customers to do the same, urging them to forecast out to the second quarter and beyond. MBX has also been firm with suppliers about reserving its spot in line to buy new inventory as it is produced. "We have to do this in advance of the shortages, which at this point are anywhere between now and four weeks away," Formella says. A 25-year-old, $100 million company like MBX has sufficient sway with suppliers to get much of what it needs. A fragile startup with no employees does not. Mike Bradford, founder of Pflugerville, Texas-based Wonderffle has been producing irons customized to make stuffed waffles out of two factories near Shanghai for less than a year, and selling out each run. He was waiting until March to place his next order and now is not sure whether the manufacturers will accommodate his scant volume. Bradford says he will consider moving operations should problems spill into the summer. Fortunately he arranged Chinese production through a contract manufacturing service that has partnerships in India and other countries. That should make any transition easier. "If it looks like there will be significant delays, they will help me as far as moving materials to another location," Bradford says. "But I have spent a year learning how things work in China, and in India I would have to rebuild." Jennifer Randklev can't afford to wait and see what happens. Randklev is CEO of the second-generation family business Penguin Patch Holiday Shop, a Fort Worth, Texas, company with revenue under $10 million that provides materials for gift-selling events at schools. With 100 percent of revenue dependent on a few weeks in December and 100 percent of products coming from China, the business has no margin for error. Randklev had planned to visit China in February to finalize packaging and approve production samples at many of the 15 factories in Ningbo where she manufactures. But the factories told her not to come. Things were bad. Production in China typically takes 60 days for a company like Penguin. Randklev anticipates that stretching to 90 days or longer. Worried about future delays and complications, she decided to move her entire production process up six weeks. "I have dropped all other aspects of my business just to work on placing my orders with China" as soon as possible, she says. Those orders are based in part on Penguin's existing inventory, comprising thousands of items not sold in its holiday shops last year. Normally employees have until the end of March to conduct a count of all those products, but this year Randklev had to hire additional workers to get it done faster. With staffing agency fees, the 10 or so extra hands cost her at least $50,000. But they finished the inventory early this week, increasing the odds she'll get the shipments in time for holiday customers. Keeping customers informed Anticipating shortages for Cool Beauty Consulting, a 22-employee supplier and consultant serving salons and barbershops, founder Bennie Pollard has been padding his usual 45-day inventory of hair colors, shampoos, and shears to 60 days. His other Louisville, Kentucky-based business, Nova Salons, faces a different problem. "Hairdressing is a very intimate and touchy industry," Pollard says. "So you have to let the customer base know you are very much involved in increased sanitation." To do that, last Thursday Nova emailed several thousand customers talking up his two salons' existing cleanliness practices, which are being reinforced with beefed-up training, and enhancements like additional hand-sanitation stations. The note includes a list of personal best practices ("Don't share food or drinks. Cough and or sneeze into your elbow") and also politely asks anyone who feels ill to reschedule their appointments, to "protect our staff and all our lovely clients." "Service businesses already do some preventative measures around things like cleanliness well," Pollard says. "So there is a slight marketing benefit to reminding customers: We care." Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the city where waffle iron maker Wonderffle is based. More coverage March 20, 2020: How Business Owners Are Working to Maintain Sales and Avoid Layoffs as the Economy Grinds to a Halt Boko Haram have killed 10 people in a raid on a village in northeast Nigerias restive Borno State, burning homes and looting food supplies, civilian militia sources said Sunday. Suspected Boko Haram insurgents in trucks fitted with machine guns stormed into Rumirgo village in the Askira Uba district at 6.40pm on Saturday, shooting indiscriminately and sending residents fleeing into the surrounding countryside. They killed 10 people in the indiscriminate shooting which made residents run into the bush civilian militia member Adamu Galadima said. The militants burnt a dozen homes, carted away food supplies and two trailers loaded with foodstuffs, another militiaman, Peter Malgwui said. Askira Uba lies close to the Sambisa Forest where Boko Haram enclaves dwell and has suffered repeated attacks. Yet in recent months an Islamic State group-aligned faction of Boko Haram has been waging attacks. Last month three Nigerian soldiers were killed in clashes with fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction in Askira Uba town. A decade of Boko Haram violence has killed 36,000 people in the northeast and displaced around two million from their homes, creating a severe humanitarian crisis. The conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military response to combat the jihadist groups. Seven years after a woman in Odisha disappeared from her village leading to the arrest of her husband over allegations that she had been murdered for dowry, the woman was found living with another man in Puri district. The police in Kendrapara district on Monday found Itishree Maharana alias Jhilirani living with her auto driver husband Rajiv Maharana at a rented home in Pipili area of Puri district, 7 years after she had left her husband Abhay Sutar. Police officials said Itishree Maharana from Jagatsinghpur district had been married to Sutar of Chaulia village in Kendrapara district in February 2013. Sixteen days after their marriage, Itishree went with her husband to her parents place in Samagola village of Jagatsinghpur, but was reluctant to come back to her in-laws place alleging that she was being tortured for dowry. The womans father Prahallad Maharana, however, managed to send his daughter back to her in-laws place in Chaulia village and even accompanied her there. Soon after she came back, the woman complained of stomach ache and went to a nearby river. I accompanied her to the river bank so that she could attend natures call. There I spotted a car and asked her about it. She then came back home and slept. But early in the morning I did not find my wife at home, said Abhay Sutar. Later, the womans father lodged a complaint with the Patkura police station alleging that his daughter was murdered for dowry following which police arrested Sutar under Sections 307 and 498(B) of Indian Penal Code. Sutar spent around 3 months behind bars before he could get bail. His family managed to get bail from the court after fighting a long legal battle. Patkura police station inspector Sujit Pradhan said after getting reports about the woman living in Pipili area of Puri, a police team raided her house. We nabbed the woman and then recorded her statement under Section 164 of CrPC. She had left her husband to be with one Rajiv Maharana. They went to Gujarat and got married. The couple have two children from their marriage. Recently, Rajiv came back to Odisha and started working as an auto driver in Bhubaneswar, said Pradhan. Police said they had closed the case against the womans former husband after she was found. The womans former husband said he suffered mental and financial strain because of the evil designs of his wife and carelessness in the investigation. If I had killed my wife, why could the police not find her body. My wifes father and brother must be arrested for filing false cases as they knew that I did not torture her or kill her, he said. Meanwhile, an activist named Pratap Chandra Mohanty of Kendrapara on Monday lodged a complaint before the National Human Rights Commission demanding action against police officials for their careless investigation. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip During an inspection tour in the West Bank village of Susya, Palestinian Minister of Local Government Majdi al-Saleh said Feb. 19 that his ministry is to start issuing construction permits for Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank and that the Ministrys Higher Planning Council is to approve next month structural plans for these areas. Saleh said that the Palestinian government will protect these Palestinian permits from the Israeli authorities and will proceed to rebuild houses that Israel demolishes. About 400,000 Palestinians live in Area C, which accounts for about 61% of the West Bank and is subject to Israeli security and administrative control, as stipulated in the Oslo II Accord between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel in 1995. Israel rejects the majority of Palestinian construction requests in this area. According to a report issued in February 2019 by the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B'Tselem, Palestinians submitted 5,475 requests to the Israeli authorities to obtain construction permits between 2000 and mid-2016, but only 226, or about 4% of the requests, were approved. Israel proceeds to demolish Palestinian houses built with no Israeli permits. The same report indicated that from 2006 until the end of 2018, the Israeli authorities demolished at least 1,401 Palestinian houses in the West Bank, thus leading to the displacement of at least 6,207 Palestinians, including at least 3,134 children. And a report issued by the Israeli Peace Now movement in October says Israel agreed in 2014 to the building of 8,337 new settlement units in the West Bank, an increase of approximately 50% compared with 2018. Saleh told Al-Monitor that the government is to start issuing construction permits in mid-March in response to the Israeli demolition policy adopted in PA areas. The decision is a continuation of the governments decision to revoke the Palestinian recognition of the regional classifications in the West Bank. In response to Israel's earlier demolition of Palestinian houses in areas under the PA administrative control in East Jerusalem, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced during a Cabinet meeting in Ramallah on July 22 that the PA will no longer abide by the classification of the West Bank areas as stipulated in the Oslo Accords. He explained that his ministry will grant house construction licenses to more than 28,000 Palestinians in Area C. These are requests that Israel had refused in recent years. Saleh pointed out that in recent years, the PA submitted to Israel 116 structural plans to expand Palestinian villages and towns in Area C, but Israel has yet to approve such plans. He added, After the Palestinian government decided not to recognize the classifications in the West Bank, we no longer need Israeli approval to expand our villages and towns in Area C, and we have called on all municipal councils in Area C to start expanding structural plans in the Palestinian villages and towns there based on the Palestinian population growth needs. Hanna Issa, a professor of international law at Al-Quds University, told Al-Monitor that the decision of the Palestinian government to grant construction permits to Palestinians in Area C is consistent with international law and all international decisions that consider these lands as part of the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. All Israeli demolitions in these areas are illegal under international law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention, which stipulates the need to protect civilians in times of war and occupation. These are deemed war crimes that require accountability, Issa added. Abdel-Raouf Salah, 68, has been living with his wife and five children in a cave for eight years now. The cave sits on his 110-dunum land, located in Salfit in the West Bank. Israel, he said, has been preventing him from repairing the run-down house his father had built on their land before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. Salah told Al-Monitor, I lived in this house for many years until it was run-down. Some of its parts are uninhabitable, and when I applied for a permit to rebuild my house, Israel refused it on the grounds that my land was within a closed military zone. He pointed out that four of his children have the intention to get married but are incapable of building a house on their land without an Israeli permit. Salah is very happy about the Palestinian government's decision to grant construction permits to Palestinians in Area C, but he expressed fears that the Israeli authorities would demolish the house once it is built. The governments pledge to rebuild any Palestinian houses that Israel demolishes in Area C does not seem to reassure Salah. Given the difficult financial crisis plaguing the Palestinian government due to the decline in foreign grants, I think it will be difficult to honor this commitment, he added. Walid Assaf, head of the PLO-affiliated Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee, told Al-Monitor, The decision marks a new phase whereby Palestinian rights will be respected in Area C. Assaf indicated that this decision has been taken because Palestinians there need to build and expand their towns in light of the increasing population growth. He noted that the number of Palestinians has tripled in these areas since the signing of the Oslo Accords. He expected Israel to demolish the houses built with Palestinian permits, but said, This will not stop us from using our right to build houses in our Palestinian lands. The Ministry of Local Government, in cooperation with the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, will create a fund for the reconstruction of Palestinian houses that Israel destroys in Area C. He said this fund will be financed by contributions from the government, municipalities and local councils in these areas in order to allow owners of demolished houses to cover reconstruction expenses. We are pleased to recognize Dr. David Anderson as a UroLift Center of Excellence for his commitment to providing consistent care to BPH patients using the UroLift System treatment, said Dave Amerson NeoTract, a wholly owned subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX) focused on addressing unmet needs in the field of urology, today announced that David Anderson, MD, CoxHealth in Springfield, MO, has been designated as a UroLift Center of Excellence. The designation recognizes that Dr. Anderson has achieved a high level of training and experience with the UroLift System and demonstrated a commitment to exemplary care for men suffering from symptoms associated with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), also known as enlarged prostate. Recommended for the treatment of BPH in both the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology clinical guidelines, the FDA-cleared Prostatic Urethral Lift procedure using the UroLift System is a proven, minimally invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH. The UroLift permanent implants, delivered during a transurethral outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction and open the urethra directly without cutting, heating, or removing prostate tissue. The UroLift Center of Excellence program is designed to highlight urologists who are committed to educating their patients on BPH and the UroLift System as a treatment option and consistently seek to deliver excellent patient outcomes and experiences. We are pleased to recognize Dr. David Anderson as a UroLift Center of Excellence for his commitment to providing consistent care to BPH patients using the UroLift System treatment, said Dave Amerson, president of the Teleflex Interventional Urology business unit. This achievement has helped many patients experience durable, longterm relief from the burdensome symptoms of BPH while preserving sexual function*1,2. Over 40 million men in the United States are affected by BPH, a condition that occurs when the prostate gland that surrounds the male urethra becomes enlarged with advancing age and begins to obstruct the urinary system. Symptoms of BPH often include interrupted sleep and urinary problems and can cause loss of productivity, depression and decreased quality of life. Medication is often the first-line therapy for enlarged prostate, but relief can be inadequate and temporary. Side effects of medication treatment can include sexual dysfunction, dizziness and headaches, prompting many patients to quit using the drugs. For these patients, the classic alternative is surgery that cuts, heats or removes prostate tissue to open the blocked urethra. While current surgical options can be very effective in relieving symptoms, they can also leave patients with permanent side effects such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and retrograde ejaculation. About the UroLift System The FDA-cleared UroLift System is a proven, minimally invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The UroLift permanent implants, delivered during a minimally invasive transurethral outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction and open the urethra directly without cutting, heating, or removing prostate tissue. Clinical data from a pivotal 206-patient randomized controlled study showed that patients with enlarged prostate receiving UroLift implants reported rapid and durable symptomatic and urinary flow rate improvement without compromising sexual function*1,2. Patients also experienced a significant improvement in quality of life. Over 100,000 men have been treated with the UroLift System in the U.S. Most common adverse events reported include hematuria, dysuria, micturition urgency, pelvic pain, and urge incontinence. Most symptoms were mild to moderate in severity and resolved within two to four weeks after the procedure. The Prostatic Urethral Lift procedure using the UroLift System is recommended for the treatment of BPH in both the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology clinical guidelines. The UroLift System is available in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Learn more at http://www.UroLift.com. About NeoTract | Teleflex Interventional Urology A wholly owned subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated, the Interventional Urology Business Unit is dedicated to developing innovative, minimally invasive and clinically effective devices that address unmet needs in the field of urology. Our initial focus is on improving the standard of care for patients with BPH using the UroLift System, a minimally invasive permanent implant system that treats symptoms while preserving normal sexual function*1,2. Learn more at http://www.NeoTract.com. About Teleflex Incorporated Teleflex is a global provider of medical technologies designed to improve the health and quality of peoples lives. We apply purpose driven innovation a relentless pursuit of identifying unmet clinical needs to benefit patients and healthcare providers. Our portfolio is diverse, with solutions in the fields of vascular and interventional access, surgical, anesthesia, cardiac care, urology, emergency medicine and respiratory care. Teleflex employees worldwide are united in the understanding that what we do every day makes a difference. For more information, please visit http://www.teleflex.com. Teleflex is the home of Arrow, Deknatel, Hudson RCI, LMA, Pilling, Rusch, UroLift and Weck trusted brands united by a common sense of purpose For Teleflex Incorporated: Jake Elguicze, 610.948.2836 Treasurer and Vice President, Investor Relations Media: Nicole Osmer, 650.454.0504 nicole@healthandcommerce.com *No instances of new, sustained erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction 1. Roehrborn, J Urology 2013 LIFT Study 2. McVary, J Sex Med 2016 MAC00968-01 Rev A The prominent media affiliated civil Rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked World leaders to intervene so President Muhammadu Buhari orders his officials and security forces to halt the harassment and physical attacks targeting journalists for writing stories considered as politically injurious to the federal government. HURIWA has also asked media owners and the professional bodies such as Nigerian Guild of Editors, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Newspapers/Media Houses Proprietors Association of Nigeria to immediately activate mechanisms to implement transparent and accountable Life Insurance policies for media workers so as to cushion the pains of the immediate family members losing their breadwinners in the line of duties just as the Rights group said the recent killing by police in Abuja during a public demonstration of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria of Journalists is totally condemnable just as it expressed sadness that even the media owners and professional bodies representing the interests of journalists have moved on even when the armed police that shot and killed these reporters including Precious Awolabi of Channels Television; Alex Ogbu. "Apart grom the FCT chapter of NUJ that has been at the forefront of the campaign for justice for the murdered journalists the national body and all other affiliate unions have done nothing to ensure that the vicious circles of KILLINGS of Journalists by police are brought to an end rapidly". Besides, HURIWA has absolutely condemned the alleged invasion by Department of States Services (DSS) operatives of the official residence of the Editor-in-chief of Premium Times, Muskiliu Mojeed and the intimidation and harassment of his wife Mrs. Haulat Mojeed. The Rights group said the attempt to force the reporters of The Premium Times to disclose their sources of the exclusive story on the riffs between the NATIONALSECURITY Adviser and the Chief of Staff to President over the ongoing counter terror war was UNCONSTITUTIONAL abd smack of a return to the dark days of dictatorship and military regimes. The media practitiobers must never be compelled to disclose their sources because that is contrary to the professional ethics of the media practice. The moment a Journalist is forced to disclose his source of a news story which in any event is factual marks the end of MEDIA FREEDOMS. If the DSS or the Presidency feels bad about how the letter got leaked then let it go to Court. By the way, the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT permits the Journalists to ask and receive such information in the national interest whether in form of a written REQUEST or verbal. On no accoynt SHOULD PREMIUM TIMES or indeed any mrdia house be harassed for doing what the Constitution in section 22 tasked then to do. The media reporter who got that story of the disagreements in the Presidency regarding alleged interferences of a civilian like the Chief of staff to the President in military matters should be awarded a national award for bringing such a useful information to the open. He could have accepted huge bribes to kill the story but he was professionally efficient enough to circulate the story. So why the man hunt? Those whobshoyld be sacked are either the National Ssecurity Adviser or Chief of staff to the President who have reportedly constituted a cig in the wheel of any sort of prifress in the counter terror war which the brave military operatives are majing supreme sacrifices to protect us from TERRORISTS." We totally condemn the reported attacks on the premises of one of the most vocal independent online media houses in Nigeria. The Premium Times and the reported man-hunt of Mr. Samuel Ogundipe. We have read that some Men suspected to be officers of the State Security Service (SSS) on Sunday morning breached the security of the Abuja residence of Muskilu Mojeed, the Editor-in-Chief of the PREMIUM TIMES. As the story goes, the two plain-clothed men who drove in a Camry car (Muzzle brand) arrived the house on Sunday morning and told Haulat, the wife who answered the knock on the gate, that they had a message for her journalist husband, requesting that she opened the gate to receive the message. The strangers had told Haulat that they knew that the husband was not at home but insisted that they had a very important message to deliver to him and persuaded her to open the gate to receive it but she instead asked them to pass the message through the opening in the gate. Again we learnt that three vehicles were sighted parked by security operatives parked near the PREMIUM TIMES office in Wuse, Abuja. The two men, one wearing a T shirt and the other in a corporate suit, pressed further, insisting that she had to open the gate and sign for the message they came to deliver but Haulat maintained she could receive and sign for the message without opening the gate. We ask World leaders in USA; UK; AUSTRALIA; CANADA AND EUROPEAN UNION to save the Nigerian media from the pervasive climates of fear. The National Assembly; the Nigerian Police Force; and some rogue and compromised judges have conspired together to spread fear around the media industry in Nigeria. The use of intimidation, arbitrary arrest and obnoxious sentencing for carrying out the duties of informing and educating Nigerians have made the practice of media profession a highly dangerous job and the good journalists have become endangered species including civil society practitioners in Nigeria". HURIWA notes that under the Constitution of Nigeria there are a plethora of laws to protext journalists such as Section 22 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) which states: The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people. Also, Section 39(1) provides thus:: Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. Section 35: Every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty save in the following cases and in accordance with a procedure permitted by law. Section 36: In the determination of his civil rights and obligations, including any question or determination by or against any government or authority, a person shall be entitled to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in such manner as to secure its independence and impartiality. HURIWA therefore expressed shock that even with all the laws in place, press freedoms are under constant government attacks. The International community needs to act now. HURIWA also noted that even University's based journalism platforms have come under physical attacks for writing stories considered political detrimental to some selfish interests of some dictatorial government officials of all hues. A man who tried to smuggle three Vietnamese nationals into the UK in a luggage box on the roof of his car has been jailed. Robert Rooney who was jailed for three years. Photo UK Home Office Robert Rooney, 35, admitted the offence and was sentenced to three years in prison at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday. The Vietnamese, including a 15-year-old girl, were found in October last year at Coquelles, France when officers from the UK Border Force stopped Rooneys car. The court was told when he was asked to open the luggage box he told officers he had lost the key. The box was part opened by force and the three people discovered crammed inside. Rooney, from Ireland, was searched and the key to the luggage box was found. Dan Scully, Border Force regional director, 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. Three Vietnamese nationals were found crammed into a luggage compartment on the top of a car roof as they tried to enter the United Kingdom. Photo UK Home Office 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. 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. The three Vietnamese inside the luggage box were handed over to the French authorities. Last year, 39 Vietnamese nationals died in the back of a lorry as they tried to enter the United Kingdom. A number of people from both Vietnam and the UK, have been arrested in connection with incident. VNS Paul Kennedy 39 truck deaths in UK: Vietnamese Embassy will take citizen protection measures The Vietnamese Embassy in the UK has said it is ready to take citizen protection measures if any of the 39 people found dead in a container at Waterglade industrial park in Essex on October 23 are confirmed to be from Vietnam. Ukraine's government allocates US$183,000 for evacuation of Ukrainians from Wuhan 21:55, 02.03.20 3317 The evacuees arrived in Ukraine on February 20. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 By Fidan Babayeva Trend: The visit of buyer missions will be organized to Azerbaijan in mid-May 2020, Acting president of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) operating under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy Yusif Abdullayev said. Abdullayev made the remark in Baku at the press-conference dedicated to the activity of AZPROMO in Azerbaijan in 2019, the promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand and upcoming tasks, Trend reports. The buyers from the European countries, namely, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, intend to visit Azerbaijan, acting president said. Up till now, the research has been conducted in the markets of the UAE, UK, Russia, China, Georgia, Germany, Ukraine, Switzerland, Belarus and the Baltic countries. "We exported mineral water, fruit juices, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, hazelnuts, uniforms, home textiles, ice cream, motor and lubricating oils, paints and varnishes, industrial products and etc, in 2019" Abdullayev said. Problem solving skills and language abilities are far more important for learning to code than being good at math, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Washington found that people with a natural aptitude for learning languages and communicating ideas found it easier to learn the coding language Python than those with numeracy skills. The data contradicts common stereotypes surrounding coding and computer science and could help encourage more women into the STEM subjects, the researchers said. "Many barriers to programming, from prerequisite courses to stereotypes of what a good programmer looks like, are centred around the idea that programming relies heavily on math abilities, and that idea is not born out in our data," said Chantel Prat, lead author of the study and associate professor of psychology at the University of Washington. "Learning to program is hard, but is increasingly important for obtaining skilled positions in the workforce. Information about what it takes to be good at programming is critically missing in a field that has been notoriously slow in closing the gender gap." Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty Governments, corporations and organisations around the world have made efforts to address the so-called digital gender divide, with the issue a key focus on International Women's Day in 2019. The initiatives highlight the need to empower girls with the necessary computer and STEM skills in order to prepare future generations for the workforce and fix the imbalance. Code.org, a non-profit coding organisation, said the stereotype that coding is only for "nerdy boys" is "a prime reason girls avoid computer science". College-level programming courses typically require advanced math qualifications in order to apply. Previous studies have shown that such requirements reinforce stereotypes that coding and programming is a masculine field. The latest study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that the the cognitive skills required are linked more to language learning aptitude and a person's working memory than math knowledge, which the researchers hop could help dismantle gender misconceptions. Dr Prat said: "Ultimately, [the results of the study] might be uses culture-free measures of how someone learns." Women now account for 47% of buy-to-let investors in the UK. (Getty) The number of women investing in buy-to-let properties in the UK has increased slightly to almost half the total, a new study has found. Women now account for 47% of the 2.5 million buy-to-let investors in the UK up from 46% the year before, narrowing the gender gap in the investment class, according to the research by London estate agents Ludlowthompson. The number of female residential property landlords rose by 5% to 1.2 million for the 2016/17 tax year, up from 1.1 million the previous year, according to the latest available HMRC data. The narrowing of the gender gap in buy-to-let investment reflects how property has become an increasingly popular investment among women Ludlowthompson said. The company cited research from Kings College London that suggests that women are generally less likely to make high-risk investments. The relatively transparent business model, regular pay-outs, and low price volatility associated with buy-to-let property as opposed to shares has contributed to the rise in popularity of the asset class among women. Number of female buy-to-let investors in the UK. (ludlowthompson) The narrowing of the gender gap among buy-to-let investors stands in contrast to the gender split across other asset classes such as cryptocurrency where women represent just 8.5% of investments, and stocks and shares ISAs where women account for only 43%, owning 957,000 shares ISAs compared with 1.2 million men. Read more: Millions of UK women dream of turning their 'side hustle' into a full-time career Stephen Ludlow, chairman of Ludlowthompson, said: The buy-to-let sector has a reputation of providing stable, long-term returns. Whilst some investors have become distracted by more speculative investments, buy-to-let continues to build increasing interest amongst investors who value income and long-term growth. It may not be long before we see a 50/50 gender split amongst buy-to-let investors, which is significant given the much wider gaps in other asset classes, such as equities. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Brad Brooks and Andrea Shalal (Reuters) Washington, United States Mon, March 2, 2020 09:50 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067a858d 2 World #USA,#coronavirus,death-toll,New-York-City Free Health officials in Washington state said on Sunday a second person infected with the coronavirus had died there, while New York's governor said his state confirmed its first case of the illness. The Washington death was in the Seattle area and was reported on the website of the Seattle and King County public health department. On Saturday, the same officials reported the first death from coronavirus in the United States. New York state confirmed its first positive coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday night. He wrote on Twitter that a woman in her 30s contracted coronavirus during a recent trip to Iran and was in quarantine in her home. He did not say where the woman lived, but the New York Times, citing unnamed state officials, said the woman was in New York City. "The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York," Cuomo said. Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team, including (L-R) John Lynch, Santiago Neme, and Krista Reitberg 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, Washington, U.S. February 29, 2020. (REUTERS/David Ryder) At the federal level, President Donald Trump's administration scrambled on Sunday to reassure Americans as the disease spreads and businesses cancel conferences and flights. Administration officials tried to calm market fears that the coronavirus could cause a global recession, saying the public had overreacted and that stocks would bounce back because of the underlying strength of the US economy. Washington state on Sunday confirmed two other cases at a long-term care facility where a resident and a worker also tested positive forcoronavirus and 50 residents and staff were showing symptoms. Over 70 cases have been reported in the United States, with most on the West Coast but new cases in the Chicago area and Rhode Island, aside from New York. Stock markets plunged last week, with an index of global stocks setting its largest weekly fall since the 2008 financial crisis, and more than $5 trillion wiped off the value of stocks worldwide. A key energy conference in Houston that brings together oil ministers and energy firms was canceled on Sunday with the organizers of CERAWeek noting that border health checks were becoming more restrictive and companies had begun barring non-essential travel to protect workers. A world economy conference with Pope Francis due to take place in Italy later this month was also canceled. U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions ftom the audience during a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts) 'WE'RE READY' Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and on arrival, without specifying which countries. Delta Air Lines Inc said on Sunday it was suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday. The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number "radically" in coming weeks, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. Vice President Mike Pence said the government had contracted 3M Co to produce an extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell International Inc is the other major US mask producer. He also told Fox News that clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine would start in six weeks but that a vaccine would likely not be available this season. Democrats, who will challenge Trump for the presidency in the Nov. 3 election, have criticized his administration for downplaying the crisis and not preparing for the disease to spread in the United States. Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases but that the "vast majority" of those who contracted the disease would recover. "Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We're ready," Pence told NBC's "Meet the Press." The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. Trump said on Saturday that the United States was also considering shutting the country's southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus, adding: "We hope we won't have to do that." Mexico has reported four coronavirus cases. Its Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that both governments were in "close and effective communication, especially the health authorities." The state of emergency, which also allows the city to request state resources from the governor, will last until Mar. 9. More than 120 evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship will be released from quarantine Tuesday through a modified protocol The filing came after the city declared a local state of disaster and public health emergency because an evacuee from China who tested "weakly positive" for the coronavirus following her release from quarantine visited the North Star Mall before returning to isolation. The visit triggered the mall to shutdown Monday for a deep cleaning. In its court filing, the city argued that allowing those quarantined to leave Monday, as scheduled, would threaten public safety. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez denied the request, noting that the federal governments current determination that a 14-day quarantine and two negative tests for the virus are sufficient to prevent transmission or spread of COVID-19. The city of San Antonio went into court Monday and unsuccessfully sought a temporary restraining order to stop the federal government from releasing more than 120 coronavirus evacuees from quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The evacuee was out in the San Antonio community for slightly over 12 hours after she was released from quarantine, said Anita Kurian, assistant director of the Metropolitan Health District. After her release, the evacuee checked into a Holiday Inn hotel near the airport. She took a hotel shuttle to North Star Mall, one of the region's busiest retail outlets, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Kurian said. READ MORE: Timeline of where coronavirus patient went in San Antonio during release from quarantine Officials said the evacuee was browsing and spent very little time in stores or talking to anyone. She spent much of her time at the mall eating alone at the food court. "We are making every effort to identify any exposures at the mall and based on what we have at this time, those exposures are pretty low risk," Kurian said. North Star Mall announced Monday afternoon that the shopping center would be closed for 24 hours, out of an abundance of caution, for a deep cleaning. Thus far, Metro Health has identified 18 people at the Texas Center for Infectious Disease and three people at the hotel as potential exposures. They are all considered low risk except for two health workers at TCID who were in contact with the evacuee and are considered "medium risk." The patient had been in isolation while being treated in a San Antonio medical facility for several weeks after being flown from Wuhan, China, to the United States aboard a State Department-chartered plane. She arrived at Lackland along with 90 other evacuees on Feb. 7. She was the only person infected from that group, and the remaining were released from quarantine Feb. 21. "At the time of discharge from the facility, the patient was asymptomatic and met all of CDCs criteria for release resolution of any symptoms and two consecutive sets of negative test results, collected more than 24 hours apart," officials for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday. "Following the patients release, results of a subsequent sample were received and determined to be weakly positive. Out of an abundance of caution, CDC decided to bring the individual back into isolation at a local medical facility." The emergency proclamation Nirenberg signed Monday ordered 122 evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were scheduled to be released Monday, to stay at JBSA-Lackland. "As mayor of this city, I find it totally unacceptable the CDC would release a patient prior to receiving all test results and potentially expose the public to this harm," Nirenberg said. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox The CDC recommends common preventive measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus and other respiratory diseases. They include: Avoiding close contact with people who are sick. Not touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Staying home when you are sick. Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throwing it in the trash. Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. The CDC says you should not wear a face mask to protect yourself from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Masks should be used only by those who show symptoms of coronavirus to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. Taylor Pettaway and Madalyn Mendoza contributed to this story. Mark Dunphy is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read him on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mark.dunphy@express-news.net | @m_b_dunphy Medical regulators seized 3.5million unlicensed erection pills worth more than 10million at UK borders last year. Photos show thousands of packets of fake drugs piled high - and the blue diamond shaped pills look almost identical to the real deal. Viagra has been available over the counter or from a registers online pharmacy without a prescription since 2017 for around 4 a dose. But men are still turning to websites which are not licensed because they sell pills which keep the penis erect for at a lower cost - as little as 1. Copycat versions could be cut with toxic chemicals and have potential lifelong consequences, health chiefs warned. Medical regulators seized 3.5million unlicensed erection pills worth more than 10million at UK borders last year. Pictured, packets of fake pills with the blue diamond shape of Viagra Photos show thousands of packets of fake drugs piled high Viagra has been available over the counter without a prescription since 2017 for as little as 4. But men are still turning to unregulated sources online because they are cheaper Fake versions of impotence pills may look real, but fail to work in practice Often illegal traders lure customers in with packaging almost identical to that on pharmacy shelves, posing as legitimate providers with better prices The Government's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are warning men to steer clear of fake impotence pills. Erectile problems in general affect up to one in five men in the UK, which is equivalent to 4.3million men. Research suggests around 44 per cent of men with erectile dysfunction (ED) aged 40 and over have not sought medical help. They may be buying replicas of drugs online that are readily available over the counter in pharmacies or given by prescription, the MHRA fear. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF ERECTION PILLS ARE FAKE? The signs to look out for are: Dodgy websites: Poor design, pop-ups, spelling and grammar errors are all signs of dodgy websites. Check for genuine product reviews when buying online. Unauthorised suppliers: Make sure you are buying from a registered pharmacy or website. Resources to help identify legitimate suppliers are available at gov.uk/fakemeds. Bad packaging: Look out for poor packaging, spelling mistakes and broken seals. If there is no packaging at all and no patient leaet it is very likely your medicine is fake. Suspicious URLs: Check the URL - legitimate websites will not use product names as their domain names. Too good to be true: Claims like 100% safe, no side effects or quick results, are often signs a site is dodgy. Cut prices and extra speedy deliveries can also expose you to fake medicines even identity theft and fraud. Source: MHRA #FakeMeds Advertisement Since generic versions of sildenafil, the active ingredient in the well-known Viagra pill, became accessible to anyone in 2017, there has been an exponential rise in the online sale of unlicensed copies. Ingredients can vary between versions, and some may contain harmful chemicals. The MHRA said they have not conducted on illegal products, however. For the average consumer, there is no way of knowing what is in them nor the negative health effects they can have. They are sold for as little as 1 in comparison to the 4 per pill in pharmacies such as Boots, Lloyds and Superdrug. Often illegal traders lure customers in with packaging almost identical to that on pharmacy shelves, posing as legitimate providers with better prices. But it does appear there are less fake version circulating in the UK than previous years. In 2018, 4.3million doses of unlicensed and fake medicines for erectile dysfunction were seized, worth around 13million. The MHRA are focusing on counterfeit ED pills as part of their #FakeMeds campaign, which warns more than half of all medicines and medical devices bought online are fake or counterfeit. Mark Jackson, head of enforcement, MHRA, said: 'Any medication bought from an unregistered website may be fake and will not meet quality and safety standards. We encourage people not to take a chance fake medicines make sure you are buying from a legitimate source.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) Actor and Philippine Army reservist Matteo Guidicelli was named as National Youth Commission (NYC) ambassador Monday. NYC announced that Guidicelli is designated as youth Ambassador based on the Commissions Resolution No. 26, series of 2010, recognizing his significant contribution to the youth. Mr. Guidicellis patriotism and nationalism, initially manifested by being a military reservist, is expected to serve as inspiration and encouragement for the Filipino youth in the fulfillment of their role in nation-building, the Commission said in a Facebook post. Guidicelli, who ranks as second lieutenant, thanked the NYC on Twitter, saying that it is an honor and privilege. The NYC is mandated by the government to involve the youth in nation-building by virtue of Republic Act 8044. Instead, such flights will land at Van Don (Quang Ninh province) and Can Tho international airports. Flights carrying goods from the RoK could still land at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports as scheduled. Passengers at Noi Bai International Airport (Photo: VNA) Earlier, the Ministry of Transport had instructed the CAV to direct airlines to divert flights from epidemic areas of the RoK to land at Van Don, Phu Cat, and Can Tho airports. Airlines are responsible for notifying all passengers traveling from the RoK to Vietnam to fill in the health declaration form and recommend passengers who are Vietnamese living, studying or working in the RoK consider buying tickets to Vietnam as they need 14-day quarantine. According to the CAV, the number of passengers from the RoK to Vietnam has increased over the past few days with thousands of people every day. On February 28th, it issued an urgent notice to domestic and foreign airlines operating flights to/from Vietnam, Vietnam Airport Corporation (ACV), Van Don International Airport, northern, central and southern airport authorities on the suspension of visa exemption for RoK nationals. So far, Vietnam has confirmed 16 COVID-19 patients, all of whom fully recovered. The country hasn't recorded any new cases since February 13th./. 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 Vanessa Bryant on Sunday denounced as "inexcusable and deplorable" reports that Los Angeles County first responders shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash site where husband Kobe, their 13-year old daughter and seven others were killed. Bryant, 37, posted the statement issued by her attorney on Instagram, where she has more than 13 million followers. She has used the social media platform to communicate with the public since making her once private account public shortly after the deadly crash on January 26. The statement says she is devastated by allegations some L.A. County Sheriff's deputies at the Lost Hills station and some L.A. County firefighters publicly shared crash site photos. "This is an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families," the statement said. The allegations were first reported last week by the Los Angeles Times. Bryant's attorney, Gary Robb, says she personally went to the sheriff's office the day of the crash to request the site be designated a no-fly zone and protected from photographers to preserve the diginity of victims and their families. Robb says the sheriff assured them all measures would be taken. The Sheriff''s Department on Friday launched an investigation into the allegations in the Times report. Bryant is demanding an Internal Affairs investigation and wants those responsible to face the harshest possible discipline. Investment funds had poured $410 million into Vietnams fintechs as of the end of September 2019, according to a report of PricewaterhouseCoopers, United Overseas Bank and Singaporean Fintech Association. The figure was 150 times higher than the whole year of2018. However, the investments mostly went to e-wallets, including $300 million to VNPay and $100 million to Momo Pay. Fintech not only are e-wallets but also money transfers, finance and budget planning, savings and investments, lending and insurance. Fintech has developed as a result of decentralization of the financial market, the rapid development of micro and small businesses, dynamic young generation of consumers, as well as freelancers. Vietnams mobile telecommunications infrastructure with Internet connection has been recognized by GSMA as making the biggest improvements in 2014-2018. GSMAs Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI) showed that Vietnam had 65 score in 2018 with 59.8 score for infrastructure, 64 for affordability, 73.2 for consumers readiness and 63.5 for service and content. GSMAs Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI) showed that Vietnam had 65 score in 2018 with 59.8 score for infrastructure, 64 for affordability, 73.2 for consumers readiness and 63.5 for service and content. The high index in affordability and consumers readiness show the great potential of the Vietnamese market in using mobile internet. Moreover, the demand for using convenient payment services keeps increasing. The obstacles in using traditional bank accounts do not exist in using e-wallet. The advantages of e-wallet over traditional bank account can be compared with the advantages of mobile telecommunication over fixed line. As for other fintech apps, though the current infrastructure conditions can satisfy the requirements, many problems still exist, including the demand for apps, ecosystem and risks in law enforcement. New demand for fintech apps will be increasing, but the development of ecosystem, especially human resources, is still a huge challenge. Meanwhile, the legal framework and policies still have not been adjusted to catch up with the strong development of the market. The regulations on capital control, compliance with KYC (Know Your Customer), and the conditions for establishing and supervising fintechs are still unclear, hindering startups to compete with other regional countries, especially Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Analysts warn that the delay will cause Vietnams fintech firms to lose opportunities to businesses from other countries. The risks in law enforcement have led both businesses and consumers to hesitate to develop and use fintech apps. Since they do not have confidence in the judicial system, they dont know what to do to settle disputes if they appear. Chi Mai Banks, fintech firms promote cashless payments during epidemic To prevent the spread of the new strain of coronavirus in Vietnam, customers are encouraged to adopt cashless payment methods. In view of the violence in Delhi and protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Mumbai Police have denied permission to depositors of the troubled Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank for staging a protest outside the RBI Bank's office here on Monday. "They approached us, but we denied permission... gathering or protest is not allowed," Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade said. No one can gather without permissionunder provisions of the Bombay Police Act. Such an order is issued by police every 15 days as a routine, Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranay Ashok said. A delegation of PMC Bank depositors had approached the police seeking permission for a 'peaceful protest' outside the RBI office in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) on Monday morning. Hundreds of account holders of the bank were likely to participate in the protest. Vishal Vashisth, who was part of the bank depositors' delegation, said, "We approached the police and met DCP Datta Nalawade as well as Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Manoj Sharma, who briefed us that due to violence in Delhi and the anti-CAA protests, no one is allowed to protest or assemble." He said the police informed them that there is prohibition on any assembly or procession since the last three days under the Bombay Police Act. "We gave them an undertaking that if anything happened, then we will be responsible, but they did not give us permission. The officials said if they will allow us, then other people may also approach them for permission and in the current situation, it is not feasible," he said. The PMC Bank has been put under restrictions by the RBI after an alleged fraud came to light following which the deposit withdrawal was initially capped at Rs 1,000, causing panic and distress among depositors. Subsequently, it was raised to Rs 10,000 and later to Rs 50,000 by the RBI. It was placed under an RBI administrator on September 23 for six months due to massive under-reporting of dud loans. The bank, over a long period of time, had given over Rs 6,500 crore in loans to HDIL, which is 73 per cent of its total advances, and which turned sour with a shift in the fortunes of the now bankrupt company. Its total loans stand at Rs 8,880 crore and the deposits at over Rs 11,610 crore. There have been massive protests by the depositors following the RBI action. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) France, Germany and Britain are to give Iran five million euros in aid to help fight the coronavirus outbreak as well as sending emergency equipment to the country with the highest number of deaths outside China. The World Health Organization on Monday sent its first planeload of assistance to help fight coronavirus in Iran as the death toll rose by 12 to 66. Iran's confirmed cases leapt by 523 from the previous day to 1,501, said Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom express their full solidarity with all impacted by Covid-19 in Iran," the three countries said in a joint statement, adding that material including laboratory test equipment and protective body suits and gloves would be sent by plane later Monday. China has sent personnel to help stem the spread of the virus. The Foreign Ministry said an expert team from the Chinese Red Cross arrived Saturday in Tehran "to provide what assistance it can in terms of epidemic prevention and control and medical relief". The WHO's first aid package includes six medics with tonnes of medical equipment and test kits aboard a UAE military aircraft. US President Donald Trump has also offered Washington's help: "If we can help the Iranians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so... All they have to do is ask." However, Tehran rejected the offer from Trump -- who has heaped sanctions and a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran -- charging he had made it "for propaganda purposes". Regional countries are especially worried about Iran's coronavirus outbreak. In the Gulf region, some 129 cases have been confirmed across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar -- many of them pilgrims returning from Iran, especially the Shiite holy city of Qom. Saudi Arabia also announced on Monday evening its first confirmed cases of coronavirus. (with AFP) Election strategist and former JD(U) national vice-president Prashant Kishor on Monday slammed Nitish Kumar, saying it was "bad" on the Bihar chief minister's part to not mention the Delhi violence in his over an hour address to party workers. Kishor, who was expelled from the Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) in January, was referring to the chief minister's speech on Sunday at a party 'karyakarta sammelan' here. "It was bad on his (Nitish Kumar) part not to say a word on the Delhi violence," Kishor tweeted. The last week communal riots in northeast Delhi left at least 42 people dead and over 200 injured. Latching on to claims by opposition parties in Bihar that the sammelan saw a less than impressive turnout, Kishor took a swipe at Kumar, saying the event saw "bhaari bheed" (huge crowd). At a press conference held a couple of days ahead of the event, Bihar JD(U) president Vashishtha Narayan Singh had predicted a turnout of about two lakh people. "While addressing a 'bhaari bheed' of JD(U) workers Nitish Kumar claimed that the NDA will win more than 200 seats (in the assembly polls) but did not explain why despite 15 years of his 'sushasan' (good governance) Bihar continues to be the most poor and backward state in the country", Kishor said in a tweet in Hindi. Kumar had on Sunday exhorted JD(U)workers to strive towards ensuring the NDA's win in "more than 200 seats" when elections to the 243-member Bihar assembly are held this year. Claiming that there was a poor turnout at the event, Kumar's rivals have asserted that it reflected the waning popularity of the ruling JD(U) in the state. RJD leader Rabri Devi, who is a former chief minister of Bihar, told reporters outside the state assembly premises that "it was a test for Nitish Kumar and his party". "They failed miserably and will end up finishing third in terms of seat tally when the assembly polls are held," she said. On Sunday, Rabri Devi's son Tejashwi Yadav, who the RJD's chief ministerial candidate in this year's Bihar polls, had termed the 'karyakarta sammelan' a "maha nukkad sabha" (a big street corner gathering). However, JD(U) leader and state minister Ashok Choudhary said that "it was not a public rally but a meeting of workers". "The turnout was more than what we had expected. Though we admit that there were some shortcomings in making arrangements," he said. "Marquees should have been put up as the sun was harsh and people felt uncomfortable standing in the open. There should have been more chairs for participants. Vehicles should not have been made to stop far from the venue, due to this people had to walk a long distance", Choudhary said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A driver who fatally stabbed two people guarding a virus-control roadblock in southwestern China was sentenced to death Sunday Beijing: A driver who fatally stabbed two people guarding a virus-control roadblock in southwestern China was sentenced to death Sunday, a state news agency reported. The report was a rare sign of public defiance of sweeping anti-disease controls that suspended access to several major cities and shut down much of China's economy starting in late January. Ma Jianguo arrived at the roadblock in Honghe County in Yunnan province on 6 February, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Intermediate People's Court of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. A passenger in Ma's minivan tried to remove the roadblock, Xinhua said. It said Ma stabbed a member of the checkpoint team who used a cellphone to film the incident and a second member who came to defend him. The passenger was tried separately, Xinhua said. Chinese authorities are trying to revive commercial activity but many controls on movement still are in effect. A Patiala House court has put a stay on the March 3 hanging on Nirbhaya gangrape and murder convicts till the next orders. Although, the Court rejected a curative plea from 3 convicts and the Supreme Court dismissed a plea to harvest the convicts' organs. Also, President Kovind rejected their mercy pleas. A Patiala House court on Monday put a stay on the execution of the Nirbhaya case convicts Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, and Mukesh Singh. The 3 convicts and Vinay Sharma were due to be hanged by 6 am on Tuesday, March 3, after President Ram Nath Kovind rejected their mercy petitions but the Delhi court halted the execution till next hearing. Earlier today, the Supreme Court rejected a curative petition of Pawan Gupta, following which the convict sent a mercy plea to President Ram Nath Kovind. The prosecution said the convicts are exercising all legal options to delay their execution for the crime. Pawan Gupta also moved the Patiala House court following which the counsel for Nirbhayas mother, who has been questioning the undue delay in the hanging to the law, welcomed the end of the legal road for the convicts and hoped they would be finally hanged on Tuesday but that has been postponed. In another development, a 5-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice NV Ramana refused to involve itself in deciding if the convicts organs should be harvested for donors. The bench said organ donation has to be voluntary while dismissing the petition filed by judge MF Saldanha, who had asked for a direction to Tihar Jail authorities to offer the convicts if they wanted to donate their organs upon their execution. The petitioner had also asked the court to consider making it a condition on future executions. On December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya, a physiotherapy intern, was gang-raped and left to die on a south Delhi thoroughfare by 6 men of whom one was a minor. One of the remaining 5 was found dead in his cell I Tihar Jail. The others Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh Singh have a death warrant against them which is executable on March 3. This is the third date for their execution. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures jumped more than 2% on Monday as investors went bargain-hunting after a steep drop last week, and expectations grew for a pick-up in global edible oil demand ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. A rapidly spreading coronavirus epidemic across the globe, however, capped the gains in the tropical oil. The benchmark palm oil contract for March delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange was up 49 ringgit, or 2.11%, at 2,367 ringgit ($564.51) by 0253 GMT. Palm oil prices fell 11.5% last week, the sharpest drop since October 2008, pressured by sell-offs in global equities, commodities and bonds amid fears the coronavirus epidemic could develop into a pandemic. FUNDAMENTALS * Ramadan demand is picking up as prices fell to around 2,300 ringgit, and there are expectations of an improvement in exports in March, said Marcello Cultrera, institutional sales manager at Phillip Futures in Kuala Lumpur. * Ramadan is the holy Islamic month when Muslims worldwide fast and pray. It is expected to start on April 23 this year. * Malaysia and India will work on improving ties that soured under former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and badly affected palm oil trade between the countries, officials from both nations said. * Malaysia's February palm oil exports fell between 12.2% and 12.9% from the month before, cargo surveyors said on Saturday. * Dalian's most-active soyoil contract traded 0.67% lower, while its palm oil contract fell 0.63%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade gained 1.5%. * Palm oil is affected by price movements in related oils as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market. * Palm oil may fall more, to 2,236 ringgit per tonne as it has broken a support at 2,320 ringgit, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao said. MARKET NEWS * The rout in world stocks deepened, with investors rattled by weekend data from China that showed its fastest ever contraction in factory activity, raising fears of a global recession from the coronavirus. Story continues DATA/EVENTS 0030 Japan Jaibun Bank Mfg PMI 0145 China Caixin Mfg PMI Final 0500 India IHS Markit Mfg PMI 0855 Germany Markit/BME Mfg PMI 0900 EU Markit Mfg Final PMI 0930 UK Markit/CIPS Mfg PMI Final 1445 US Markit Mfg PMI Final 1500 US ISM Manufacturing PMI ($1 = 4.1930 ringgit) (Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu) Chicago police and prosecutors announced Sunday that they will drop charges against a man who was shot by officers during a struggle Friday afternoon in a transit station. Chicago Police Superintendent Charlie Beck asked Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx not to charge Ariel Roman with resisting arrest and criminal narcotics charges, according to Chicago PD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. A witness recorded and later tweeted a video of two officers trying to apprehend Roman inside the Grand Red Line station Friday, where they ultimately fire shots at the man. Roman was in critical condition as of Saturday night and the shooting is under investigation by Cook County State's Attorney and the FBI, according to the Chicago PD. MORE: Suspect steals ambulance in Philadelphia, sets off 90-minute police chase "Given the totality of circumstances and the department's significant level of concern around this incident, it would be insensitive to advocate for these charges," Guglielmi said in a statement. PHOTO: Charlie Beck, chief of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), speaks before the new Ford Motor Co. Police Responder hybrid vehicles are unveiled during an event outside of LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles, April 10, 2017. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images) The Cook County State Attorney's office said Sunday afternoon it agreed to the police's request and would dismiss the charges, according to a spokeswoman. Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office did not immediately return messages for comment. She tweeted Friday night that she found the video "extremely disturbing and the actions by these officers are deeply concerning." "I view this video with the eye of someone who has personally investigated numerous police-involved shootings and reviewed evidence of many more," Lightfoot, the former chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force, tweeted. Michael McDunnah, who recorded the footage of the incident, told ABC station WLS that he heard one of the officers yell "Shoot him" before another sprayed Roman with pepper spray. Roman was then shot twice by officers. PHOTO: Ariel Roman was shot by police at the Grand CTA Red Line station in Chicago, Feb. 28, 2020. (Michael McDunnah/Twitter ) "He was resisting but he was not violent, as far as I could see, and he was unarmed," McDunnah said. Story continues MORE: Gunman who killed 5 at Molson Coors brewery identified as 51-year-old employee Anthony Ferrill Chicago Lodge No. 7 of the Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing the officers, slammed the mayor and department in a Facebook post Saturday for their responses to the shooting. Union president Kevin Graham argued that all the facts needed to be gathered. "Why has the superintendent and the mayor not commented on the fact that not one individual assisted these officers during the struggle to place the offender clearly engaged in felony resisting into custody, an offender who once again failed to comply with police orders?" he asked in the post. Chicago police drop resisting arrest charges against man shot by officers in transit station originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Whether for or against the pension reform under debate in parliament, French unions have all reacted in shock and dismay to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe's decision to push the bill through without a vote, after opposition MPs introduced tens of thousands of amendments to slow down the process. Edouard Philippe said Saturday that the government would use Article 49-3 in the French constitution to bypass parliament and approve the law without a vote, after opposition lawmakers introduced some 40,000 amendments, making it impossible to properly debate the legislation. That trade unions called the move unjust, scandalous and incomprehensible. The head of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, said the decision went against social justice. The moderate union has not been against the reform, which the government says will simplify pensions in France and make them fairer across the board, but had asked for changes to the bill. The union had called for a recognition of difficult jobs, to allow people to retire earlier. Pushing through the law without debate and no modifications means the government will not deliver on its promise to take changes into account, according to the CFDT. For the hardline CGT union, which has consistently called for the reform to be dropped entirely, the decision to use Article 49-3 is profoundly scandalous, according to its head, Philippe Martinez. The move is typical of this government, which forces when it cannot convince. The head of the far-left Force Ouvriere union, Yves Veyrier, tweeted that the government's decision is incomprehensible and unacceptable in the current context of a country needing national solidarity, in the face of a growing threat from the coronavirus. New demonstrations Martinez said that the CGT, FO and other unions against the pension reform, will meet Monday to organise a new national day of protest as early as next week. The unions had planned a day of mobilisation for 31 March, but Philippe's announcement has raised the urgency to move it earlier. Unions organised ten general strike days between 5 December and 20 February, to accompany a historical transport strike against the pension reform. Already on Saturday night, a few hundred people gathered near the National Assembly in Paris to voice their opposition to the government's decision to resort to Article 49.3. And the headquarters of Edouard Philippe's campaign for mayor of Le Havre in local elections later this month were painted with slogans overnight, by demonstrators angry at the decision. As many as 14,591 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra between October 2014 and August 2019, state Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said on Monday. He also said that 1,286 farmers ended their lives in 2019 in 11 districts falling under the Nagpur and Amravati revenue divisions. The minister gave this information in the state Legislative Council while replying to a question raised by Congress MLC Sharad Ranpise. "From October 2014 to August 2019, as many as 14,591 farmers have committed suicide, of which 5,430 cases are disqualified for any help, while another 214 cases are pending for enquiry," Wadettiwar said in a written reply. He also informed that there has been a special package for six districts in Maharashtra where farmer suicides have been reported in large numbers. Responding to another question raised by BJP MLC Parinay Fuke, the minister said, "Eleven districts of Nagpur and Amravati divisions have reported 1,286 farmer suicides during 2019 calendar year." The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government recently announced a loan waiver scheme for farmers. GST officials have arrested three persons involved in floating 17 fake firms and wrongfully availing credit on taxes paid on input worth Rs 436 crore by issuing fake invoices. Officers of the Central GST Delhi East Commissionerate detected that the fraudulently availed input tax credit by these firms was used to file refund claims to the tune of Rs 11.55 crore, an official statement said. "During the investigation, it came to light that a major Hawala operation was being run by the accused persons in connivance with certain bank employees (under investigation)," the statement issued by CGST Delhi East said. During the investigation, it was found that the 17 firms existed only on paper and had been floated for passing on input tax credit by generating fake invoices. The three accused -- Asif Khan, Rajeev Chhatwal and Arjun Sharma -- were arrested on March 1 and remanded to judicial custody till March 13. The trio, operating a total of 17 fake firms, procured invoices without actual supply of goods and availed and passed on input tax credit fraudulently to the tune of Rs 436 crore. The accused are related to each other and were evading investigation for the last one month. Also Read: Slowdown over? Indian economy grows at 4.7% in December quarter Also Read: Centre expects worse Q4 GDP growth at 4.6% The Health Ministry says their preliminary test results are negative. Two citizens of Ukraine who have recently returned from Italy that is currently facing a coronavirus outbreak have tested negative for COVID-19. Both Ukrainians had symptoms of acute respiratory infection, Ukraine's Health Ministry said. Read alsoUkraine may seek other countries' help with further evacuation of its citizens from China Prystaiko "Preliminary tests of samples obtained from both patients that were conducted at virology laboratories of regional laboratory centers with the use of a polymerase chain reaction method have produced a negative flu virus result. Samples for further research were sent to a reference laboratory," the ministry said. One of them is now in Ivano-Frankivsk region, the other is in Kirovohrad region. In Ukraine, not a single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 has been recorded. As of Sunday evening, the total number of deaths from the novel coronavirus, whose first outbreak was reported in China in late December 2019, was 2,990 cases with the total number of confirmed cases being 87,470. As many as 42,670 people have recovered from COVID-19, according to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases dashboard by the CSSE at Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed cases in Italy was 1,128. Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters Mike Bloomberg faced a small but tense protest at the historic Brown Chapel in Selma, Alabama, on Sunday, a handful of people standing and turning their backs on the former New York mayor as he spoke from the pulpit. Even before Bloomberg began speaking, it was clear his presence at the black church, which was the epicenter of the civil rights movement in Selma, was controversial. Pastor Leodis Strong prefaced the mayors speech by saying that when he first invited Bloomberg, he rebuffed the invitation only to later change his mind. It shows a willingness on his part to change, Strong said, adding that he wanted Bloomberg to come to Selma to listen to people. But several in the audience could be heard whispering in contempt referencing the stop-and-frisk policing policy he pursued in New York and his immense wealth. One of the people who turned his back to the mayor was Ryan Haygood, president and chief executive of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. As Bloomberg spoke, Haygood said, he thought about the kind of police brutality the civil rights organizers faced in the chapel 55 years ago as they protested for equal voting rights. Bloomberg, Haygood said, presided over the same kind of tactics as mayor of New York. As he realized the Democratic candidate was not planning to address that issue, Haygood said, he decided to turn his back. Former vice-president Joe Biden speaks during a commemoration ceremony for the 55th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma on Sunday. Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters I thought this would be the place where he could finally say once and for all, Let me own what I did, let me atone for it, Haygood said. He didnt even touch it which is more disrespectful. And some of the foot soldiers were in the building, who were brutalized. Bloomberg, who apologized for stop-and-frisk in November, was one of several high-profile figures to attend a nearly four-hour service Sunday, including former vice-president Joe Biden, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate and voting rights campaigner Stacey Abrams. Story continues Biden and Warren were fresh off the South Carolina primary, which Biden won handily, confirming his strength with the black community. Related: In Selma, 55 years after Bloody Sunday, concern rises over voting rights He earned a warm welcome at the chapel, where he spoke about the legacy of the civil rights movement and the need for healing in the face of division. When I get up in the morning sometimes I wonder whether its 1920 or 2020, he said. Im serious, think about it. Biden evoked Barack Obama, congressman and civil rights veteran John Lewis and the importance of the church, which continues to be a key force in politics in Alabama. He also playfully suggested that Abrams, the keynote speaker who rose to national attention in 2018, could be president or vice-president to come. Abrams closed the service with a speech about voting rights in the south and her decision to fight for them through the Fair Fight 2020 campaign. Car smashes Calif. home: A man sleeping in his bedroom was pinned against a wall when a car smashed through a house in southern California, authorities said. The man suffered only minor injuries after the vehicle barreled over a power pole, through two yards and into the home in Riverside about 1 a.m. Saturday, fire officials said. The car almost completely entered the structure, rendering it uninhabitable, the Press-Enterprise reported. Nothing was between the wall and the car except the resident, Fire Department Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst said. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life, a tool normally employed to cut open smashed vehicles, to free the man. Police arrested the driver of the car, a 22-year-old man. He could face charges including driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and DUI with a blood alcohol level higher than .08 causing injury, both felonies, the newspaper said. Damage to the house was estimated at $200,000. Four adults were displaced and went to stay with relatives. The question is, is this a kind of local outbreak, or is this the first signature of a much larger outbreak? said Aubree Gordon, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigans School of Public Health. I think its going to be very important that local public health officials and the government react quickly and appropriately to try to stop the spread. Since the nations first coronavirus case was found in Washington six weeks ago, health officials have conducted sporadic testing, limited by narrow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for who was at risk, as well as difficulties with testing kits. On Monday, the state increased its testing and was now handling about 200 requests each day, said Dr. Kathy Lofy, the health officer of Washington State. Much of the focus has been in the Seattle area, but Dr. Lofy said that could change. Given the movement of people around the state, it is possible the virus is spreading in other counties, too, she said. Dow Constantine, the executive of King County, where officials were trying to buy a motel as a possible isolation facility, said it could be open as early as the end of the week. He said he also hoped to repurpose modular housing units, initially destined for the regions homeless crisis, to be used to help isolate people and free up space at medical centers. We need that hospital capacity for treatment, Mr. Constantine said. A woman has died and a man is in a critical condition in hospital following a two-vehicle crash in Co Tyrone. The crash happened on Pomeroy Road near Pomeroy at around 2.45pm on Monday. It's believed the female victim, who was in her 30s, was the driver of a black Vauxhall Vectra car and the injured male was a passenger. The 64-year-old driver of the other vehicle involved, a blue Seat Exeo, sustained minor injuries. PSNI Inspector Brown said: "I am appealing for any witnesses to the collision to please make contact with police. We are also keen to hear from anyone who may have seen either vehicle travelling along the Pomeroy Road prior to the crash, or anyone who captured dash-cam footage. "Officers can be reached at Dungannon police station by calling 101, quoting reference 1097 02/03/20." Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) canceled her Sunday night rally after dozens of protesters shouting "Black Lives Matter" and "Free Myon" took over the stage. The Democratic presidential hopeful's rally was supposed to be held at a high school in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. A Klobuchar spokesperson said the campaign offered protesters a meeting with the senator "if they would leave the stage after being on stage for more than an hour. After the group initially agreed, they backed out of the agreement and we are canceling the event." Minnesota votes on Tuesday, and Klobuchar is hoping to improve upon her sixth-place finish in Saturday's South Carolina primary. She has been fielding criticism for her part in the case of Myon Burrell, a black teenager who was convicted of murder in 2002. Burrell, now 33, was tried while Klobuchar was Hennepin County Attorney, and sentenced to life in prison. Several people have since recanted their testimony, saying they were coerced into giving up his name, and there was never any DNA or prints connecting Burrell to the crime. In February, Klobuchar said new information in the case should be reviewed, since "what we know now was not the same as what we knew then." More stories from theweek.com Coronavirus czar Mike Pence is now apparently bundling tweets praising his, Trump's coronavirus response L.A. County sheriff ordered 8 deputies to delete graphic photos of Kobe Bryant crash 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's coronavirus response Huddersfield senior research fellow Dr. Muhammad Usman Ghori will be working with Pakistani officials to bring clean, affordable drinking water to the people of South Punjab A FRESH, clean water supply will be a reality in Pakistan, particularly in South Punjab, following the announcement of an international partnership spearheaded by the Pakistan government, alongside other key stakeholders, and driven by the University of Huddersfield. The initiative, led by University of Huddersfield Senior Research Fellow Dr Muhammad Usman Ghori, will transform the water supplies in the region into affordable drinking water for the benefit of the whole population and also will provide a sustainable option of raw material to fabricate healthcare products. It is an initiative that is much needed by a considerable population of Pakistan. In a recent study, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) found that a sizeable portion of the supplied water was not suitable for human consumption. The contaminated water was contributing to significant number of deaths every year and a large part of Pakistan's GDP was spent on health care of people who suffer from water borne diseases. However, a solution to providing a clean water supply is present in abundance in the region's Koh-e-Suleiman mountain range in the form of a raw nanoclay with properties that can be targeted for a number of health-giving applications. A recent University of Huddersfield-led research article, published in NATURE: Scientific Reports, explored a new source of montmorillonite in the Koh-e-Suleiman mountain range located in South Punjab, Pakistan. The project lead Dr Ghori explained that this raw clay required a sophisticated purification protocol to remove any undesirable substances from the clay, such as lead, arsenic and crystalline silica, which could impede industrial potential and have adverse health effects. The area of South Punjab has a large dependence on agriculture and relatively low levels of industrialisation and consequently currently faces higher levels of poverty and unemployment compared with the rest of the province. An abundant supply of this largely untouched raw clay could help with economic conditions in the region so, in addition to physicochemical characterisation, this study investigated the practicality and economic feasibility of its extraction and purification for large-scale industrial applications by comparing the properties of the small-scale extracted clay to the large-scale extracted clay, and by conducting a techno-economic analysis. It is anticipated that the findings in this study will improve the economic condition of the region by providing employment opportunities to locals and a valuable resource for exportation. Further work in collaboration with Pakistani universities and research institutes is now under way to use this natural resource for the benefit of the local people, not just in purifying the water supply, but for further industrial applications that would expand the economy of the region and provide work and industry for its people. To establish this strategic partnership, Dr Ghori first shared his vision and initiative with the High Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom His Excellency Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, who played an instrumental role in establishing research links in Pakistan. Now, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed that will initiate a strategic partnership to develop a network led by the University of Huddersfield with the support of the Pakistan government which will also include universities in Pakistan. The High Commissioner Mohammad Nafees Zakaria expressed his pride at the work and congratulated Dr Ghori and the team on their achievement and expressed gratitude to University of Huddersfield's leadership. Dr Ghori had met with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, through the good offices of High Commissioner Zakaria, during the Foreign Minister's official visit to the United Kingdom. Dr Ghori briefed the Foreign Minister on the on-going research activities, who welcomed the potential of the research project. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi congratulated Dr Ghori, the team and University's senior management. He said that the Government was cognisant of Pakistanis' talent abroad and therefore many of Government's policy initiatives are aimed at galvanising and providing direction to young scientists and tech professionals for their constructive engagement in the country's mainstream economic activities. "The UK is among Pakistan's very close friends," said Mr Qureshi. "The relationship has its roots in pre-independence period and the 1.5 million Pakistani Diaspora in the UK is a strong bridge between the two countries. Cultivating deeper and diverse partnership with the UK is a priority in our foreign policy. I am delighted to learn that the University of Huddersfield's researchers and scientists have taken such an initiative. "The Government welcomes them and will extend every support in their endeavours in Pakistan, the University of Huddersfield's engagement with Pakistan has come at the most propitious time" he added. Pakistan's Minister for Science and Technology, Mr Fawad Hussain Chaudhry applauded the Huddersfield team over attaining a milestone in the field of industrial science. He expressed his "contentment and happiness at the signing of the memorandum by University with Pakistan Council for Research on Water Resources (PCRWR) and five Pakistani universities. He sees it as a significant step towards collaboration between educational institutions of Pakistan and the United Kingdom involving research. While commending Dr Ghori's work, Minister Fawad urged Pakistani scientists, technology professionals and scholars to look towards Pakistan, which holds enormous opportunities in diverse areas. "Under Prime Minister Imran Khan, high importance has been attached to the emerging technologies and many policy initiatives have been taken," 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 Young voter turnout has increased in the last two election cycles. So what's driving them to the ballot box in California? In interviews on campuses around the region, young voters were galvanized by progressive issues such as tackling climate change, racial and social injustice, and the high cost of housing. But there's also ample support for more conservative views -- and both are energizing 18-to-24-year-olds. "We are expecting to see high turnout from young people in California and throughout the United States," said Mindy Romero, director of the California Civic Engagement Project at USC. "A lot of that is because of the political context that we're in... we're seeing a lot of young people kind of galvanized, interested, following politics." There's a palpable nervousness among some young voters when they talk about some of those issues, especially climate change. "It's like we have 10 years before it's irreversible, we have nine years, we have eight years, and so that's really scary," said Chapman University freshman Emma Charles. "Especially because, like, we're going to want to have kids and families and stuff and you don't want to bring someone into this world when it's irreversible damage." Poster for a voter engagement event at California State University, Northridge. (Adolfo Guzman-Lopez) BEING RED IN A BLUE STATE Students on the opposite side of the political spectrum sometimes find it difficult to find a forum for their views. "It's hard in a state like California to be young and to be conservative," Romero said. "We forget that we have young conservatives in this state, which is really unfortunate for the larger public dialogue. It's unfortunate for young people who are conservative who want to hear from candidates who want their opinions and their voices to be recognized." Back at Chapman, along a walkway with busts of conservative icons Ronald Reagan, Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand, some students were eager to discuss their point of view. "I think that President Trump has done a fantastic job at building a robust economy for the United States in his past term," said freshman Matt Cotti, who says he's a fiscal and social conservative but expresses enough political flexibility to vote for a Democrat. "Just because I'm a registered Republican by no means, means [that] I can't vote across the line or hear what everybody else has to say," he said. About 30 minutes away, at Golden West College, another student described a very different kind of personal political conservatism. "I'm a Christian," said business major Damaris Samano. Abortion is one of the biggest issues for her. "It's hard to talk to people about it because they're so centered in [that] it's a woman's body, it's a woman's choice," she said. "But it's not really their choice if it affects another person's body like the body inside of their own body." That view comes from her family and the apostolic church she attends in Santa Ana. She sees herself voting for President Trump because he's opposed to abortion. But she can't stand Trump's vitriol against immigrants and his push to build a wall at the border. "Both my parents are Mexican. They're from Mexico. I'm first-generation here," she said. She, too, is open to voting for a Democrat. CSU Northridge students Mayra Rendon Lopez and Alan Molina attend a campus voter engagement event. (Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist) She didn't say who that might be, but it's doubtful conservatives will back the preferred candidate among many students -- Bernie Sanders. "He's created a narrative around him, that he's a trusted candidate, that he is a sincere candidate, that he's the only candidate that really thinks about working class or low-income voters," Romero said, recounting what young supporters have told her. During a voter engagement event at Cal State Northridge, senior Mayra Rendon Lopez explained why she's backing Sanders. "I think for me, it's a lot of civil rights and also a lot of transparency and not just with government officials, but also corporations and companies," she said. Jenna Newman, a Beverly Hills High School graduate who is attending Chapman University, wasn't sold yet on a particular candidate, but she does plan to vote for the first time on Tuesday. "There's never a perfect candidate but I think we do have some good options, and I like talking to friends about it, family, hearing everyone's opinion." YOUR GUIDE TO THE RACES FOR: And fill out your sample ballot through our Voter Game Plan>> KYODO NEWS - Mar 2, 2020 - 21:11 | All, Coronavirus, Japan Nearly all prefectures began shutting schools Monday in a bid to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus in Japan, four days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe surprised many with a request for schools to be closed countrywide until early April. As confusion spread among many local authorities across Japan, some schools held their final classes or left facilities open for children who cannot stay home alone while their parents are at work. More than 970 infections have been confirmed in Japan, with Ehime Prefecture reporting its first case Monday -- a woman in her 40s. The tally includes more than 700 people who were aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that was quarantined near Tokyo. According to the Ehime prefectural government, the woman, who works for a local bank, is not displaying symptoms such as fever or coughing. She visited a music venue in Osaka in mid-February, where a few others had tested positive for the virus. Shimane in western Japan, one of the prefectures not to have any reported cases of the virus, is the only prefecture to say it will not yet close schools. Around 600 students headed to Koshibara Elementary School in the Shimane prefectural capital Matsue as usual. A 35-year-old mother of two who dropped her children off voiced mixed feelings. "I'm grateful that the school is open, but I'm also worried that it may become the source of an infection," she said. The city of Saitama, north of Tokyo, closed all its elementary schools Monday but said they would be open for children who cannot stay at home alone. Of its 945 students, the city's Tokiwa Elementary School accepted 72 whose parents were unable to work from home. They kept busy with calligraphy lessons or by doing arts and crafts. "I want to see my classmates," said a seven-year-old student who was making decorations for a graduation ceremony. The school's principal, Kimio Mishima, said, "Schools were closed quite suddenly, but we would like to think of the children first and provide a place for them (to go)." Suzaku No. 4 Elementary School in Kyoto, western Japan, said it plans to close from Thursday. "We're going to get ready in three days and provide educational and general guidance during the closure," its principal, Tomohiro Hirano, said. Meanwhile, one elementary school in Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, will hold only morning classes through to the end of the school year in late March. Teachers there on Monday taught students how to wash their hands properly and how to use alcohol to disinfect surfaces. Koyo High School in Nagoya, central Japan, held a short graduation ceremony which limited the number of attendees to graduates, guardians and teachers, and did not include current students. The city initially canceled graduation ceremonies in line with the prime minister's announcement, but later said they could go on as long as the schools took measures, such as shortening the event. "Some schools weren't able to hold them, so I'm relieved that it's over," graduating student Nanami Yogo, 18, said. Some schools will close from Tuesday or later. Hokkaido, which has the largest number of coronavirus cases in the country, on Monday confirmed another five people between their 40s and 60s have tested positive, bringing the total to 77. Young people with a low risk of developing a serious condition are likely one of the causes of the rapid virus spread in Hokkaido, according to a government panel of experts. Those with mild symptoms may be infecting others without realizing it, they said at a meeting Monday. But as long as people limit person-to-person contact whenever feasible, "it is possible to swiftly return things to normal," they said. Abe announced the school closure plan last Thursday, calling for them to remain shut through the end of the spring break in early April when the new school year starts in Japan. The education ministry subsequently issued the request to local education boards. The prime minister said parents who need to take time off and look after their children until schools start the new academic year will receive financial support. On Monday, the health ministry said it will provide a subsidy for firms that created their own paid leave systems over the outbreak and made parents with children attending elementary and special schools or children suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus take leave. By paying up to 8,330 yen ($77) a day per worker for paid leave between Feb. 27 and March 31, the ministry hopes to help companies compensate workers for income losses. The Cabinet Office also decided that the subsidy payment for working parents using babysitters will be raised from a monthly maximum of 52,800 yen to 264,000 yen for the whole of March. With the service often costing a few thousand yen per hour, the move was made in consideration of parents with young children who will have to rely on sitters for the whole day. The town of Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, said it would extend a subsidy of 3,500 yen per child of elementary school age in a bid to ease the financial strain on parents who will have to provide lunches and send children to be supervised elsewhere. There are 666 registered elementary school students in the town, with the subsidized amount set to total 2.3 million yen, it said. Furthermore, the criteria for employment subsidies have been eased for those that have been affected by the pneumonia-causing virus to include nonregular employees as well. Supermarket operator Life Corp. shortened its operating hours for its approximately 280 stores nationwide due to possible staffing shortages. The supermarkets will open at 10 a.m., around 30 minutes to an hour later than normal, while some will also close one to two hours earlier, effective until March 31. After months of antigovernment protest and civil unrest in Hong Kong, Ms. Lo, an English major, said she had been eager for her semester abroad and her first trip to Italy. She flew to Bologna nine days before she was scheduled to, worried that her exchange program might be suspended because of the virus. I thought coming to Italy would mean that I could actually go out for a bit, she said. Instead, she says she got long, hard stares at the Bologna airport, and wondered if it was because of her face mask, which she had worn for the entire 16-hour flight. She took a bus to central Bologna and soon after she got there, someone slashed her backpack open and stole her wallet, she said. A passer-by took her to a police station to file a report. But when she presented her Hong Kong passport, she said she was asked to wait outside, where she began to shiver in her thin sweatshirt. Ms. Lo said she was eventually allowed to file a report, but has not heard back about her wallet, though she was given a phone number to call if she developed symptoms of the coronavirus. A spokeswoman for the Bologna police said that controls on people from countries considered at risk for the coronavirus had begun the day that Ms. Lo came in, and that the officers at the desk were required to make sure she had been checked. Ms. Lo was also taken aback by her treatment at Intesa Sanpaolo, a bank where she tried to open an account so her parents could wire her money. At one branch, a teller told her that she could not open an account because she did not speak Italian. At another, she said she was escorted out by an employee who told her, apologetically, that she had to leave because she was from the zone of the coronavirus. Hammond Police issued a Silver Alert Feb. 28. The girl was last seen leaving Hammond High School around 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13 with friends, Kellogg said in an earlier statement, but her family hadnt seen or heard from her since. NRC won't have implications on Bangladesh: India assures International oi-PTI Dhaka, Mar 02: India on Monday assured Bangladesh that the updation of the National Register of Citizens will have no implications for its people, asserting that it is a process that is entirely internal to the country. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India in December over prevailing situation following passage of the new citizenship bill. Bangladesh was also apparently upset following the roll out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam even though India conveyed to it that the issue was an internal matter of the country. Assam NRC data back online after 10 days: Report Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had taken up the issue of NRC with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their bilateral meeting in New York in September. "Updation of National Register of Citizens is a process that is entirely internal to India," Foreign Secretary Shringla said on Monday. "India assures Bangladesh that NRC will have no implications for the country and its people," he said at a seminar 'Bangladesh & India: A Promising Future' held in Dhaka. Shringla, who previously served as India's high commissioner in Dhaka, is in Bangladesh on a visit during which he would meet Prime Minister Hasina and Foreign Minister Momen. According to the he Citizenship Amendment Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 13:53 [IST] Fans of locally brewed beers have a new, old spot to quench their thirsts. Bangor Trust Brewing reopened Thursday at 50 Broadway in Bangor, which is a couple hundred feet away from its former home. The bar and restaurant first opened three years ago at 15 Broadway. The original location was the former home of Bangor Trust Co., which was a bank that built the building around 1905. Co-owner Traci McGinty said she and co-owner Leo Bongiorno were unable to renew their lease and closed shop in October. Bongiorno said the new place at 50 Broadway has slightly less square footage than the former location but the new area is now one large room instead of split in two. "It's a better set up for more bodies," Bongiorno said. On tap for the opening is Weizenheimer Hefeweizen, an unfiltered Bavarian-style beer. Three more in-house brews will be available as they set up more brew tanks, McGinty said. The kitchen is not scheduled to be running until the end of April when ovens are set up and inspected but food will still be available for patrons. Washington Township-based Little Creek BBQ was in the kitchen providing food for guests opening night. The bar also serves wines, spirits and ciders from local businesses Social Still Distillery, Franklin Hill Vineyards, R.A.W., and Tolino Vineyards. A stage will feature live music. The bar is open to the public Thursday and Friday starting at 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday starting at noon. John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Piazza San Marco looks vast, grey and empty. Normally one of the most visited squares in Italy, today only a handful of tourists saunter in the square home to Venices basilica, under the drizzle. Elsewhere in Venice, the canals are also quiet, with many gondolas kept tied to the docks. Its surreal, theres nobody around, says Natalia Spolador, a 56-year-old resident. Express News Service BENGALURU: The safety of Indias first astronauts Gaganauts who will be on the countrys first-ever manned space flight, rests on the experiments being conducted at the 61-year-old wind tunnel facility at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here. The facility is conducting experiments in aerodynamics for Indias first manned space mission Gaganyaan, and the scientists are checking if the model will behave as per plan during the mission with astronauts in it. These mission development experimental studies will help understand the aerodynamic configuration of all regimes of flight (from launch to landing), and will alert designers if any external design changes are to be made before the prototype launch. To ensure mission safety, scientists at the Open-Circuit Wind Tunnel facility at IISc, established in 1959, are holding the simulation and experimental studies on the scaled-down flight model. V Surendranath, Principal Research Scientist, Aerodynamics, IISc, told The New Indian Express that each phase in the Gaganyaan mission will be tested separately to its maximum safety limit and the operational capability (of the rocket) will be proven. The first crucial stage, the ascent, is when the rocket cuts off from from the umbilical tower that stands next to it before launch. The two structures must not crash into each other and hence their interaction is being understood through rigorous tests at the facility. To study the next cruising phase, which is when the rocket moves towards outer space, a six-component strain gauge is used on the model in the wind tunnel to provide aerodynamic force at various cruise angle conditions of the spacecraft. The model is rotated at 45 degrees and tested for the force of the wind that will act on the body of the rocket. The third stage is when the crew module (capsule where the astronauts live) is separated from the main rocket. The phase is evaluated particularly in terms of crew safety, according to the scientists. And this is critical due to dangers of tumbling motion, where the module could bump against its parent. In an alternative scenario, a negative axiom force can cause the crew module to get sucked back into the parent and crash, scientists said. Hence, we are trying to understand and evaluate the interactions between the mother and child (crew module), they added. Damp test Toward the end of the mission, the crew module just drops back into gravity while descending to Earth, and at a certain speed, the parachute opens up. During this phase, it is important that the module does not oscillate. Hence, the disturbance has to be dampened. It is also important that the parachute does not open up in a knotted manner. The parachute opening dynamics are tested at the facility to reach minimum impact, added the scientists, who are running the tests. National news agency Australian Associated Press is facing mass job cuts and the prospect of closure as its shareholders confront one of the toughest media markets in history. Sources close to discussions about AAP's future, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the operation has been under immense financial pressure and major shareholders Nine Entertainment Co and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp were assessing all options. Nine is the owner of this masthead. The future of AAP is in doubt. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer AAP executives will meet with Nine and News Corp Australia executives this week to make a final decision about the operation's future. As many as 180 jobs could go as a result of the planned changes representing the entirety of AAP's remaining editorial operations. Media companies are facing rising financial challenges from the weakest advertising market since the global financial crisis and the rise of global digital giants which have drawn audiences and revenues away from incumbents. The Foreign Minister of Iran Javad Zarif on Monday condemned the recent 'wave of organised violence against Indian Muslims' in Delhi. Zarif took to his official social media handle where he wrote that Iran and India have shared close frienship for centuries, urging Indian authorities to ensure the wellbeing of all citizens and 'not let senseless thuggery prevail'. Zarif further added that peaceful dialogue and rule of law is the only way forward. Iran condemns the wave of organized violence against Indian Muslims. For centuries, Iran has been a friend of India. We urge Indian authorities to ensure the wellbeing of ALL Indians & not let senseless thuggery prevail. Path forward lies in peaceful dialogue and rule of law. Javad Zarif (@JZarif) March 2, 2020 Delhi violence Clashes between broke out in Delhi last Sunday, claiming more than 40 lives and injuring over 300 others. According to reports, the epicentre of the violence is believed to be the northeastern part of the city where a series of riots and violent incidents began on the night of February 23. Read: LG Baijal Visits Delhi's Riot-hit Areas To Take Stock Of Situation As per reports, BJP leader Kapil Mishra on February 23 demanded the Delhi Police to clear out the roads blocked by anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh and Jaffrabad area of the city. Mishra allegedly threatened to end the protest forcefully if Delhi police failed to do so. The speech reportedly sparked off several clashes in Delhi which by next day turned into a riot. Videos of people vandalising properties and chanting communal slogans also went viral on various social media platforms. Read: After Violence, Delhi Police Present Roses To Students Appearing For Board Exams Protest in Delhi and different parts of India began after the passage of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act in December last year. In Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area demonstrations had been going on for the past two months, which also became a major talking point in the recently concluded elections in the national capital. Read: Pralhad Joshi Calls Opposition's Attitude Over Delhi Violence 'strongly Condemnable' Anti-CAA protesters want the government to withdraw the act which they feel is discriminatory against one particular section of the society and can be used to marginalise them if combined with the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The union government has long reiterated that the act will not affect the citizenship status of any citizen residing in the country as it is only meant to give citizenship to people who have come to India before 2014. The government of India has also said that there have been no talks on a nation-wide NRC yet. The Citizenship Amendment Act states that religious minorities facing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh can seek Indian citizenship. Read: Never Thought Anything Like This Would Happen After 1984: Parkash Badal On Delhi Violence Image Credit: AP By IANS NEW DELHI: The Congress, after raising the issue of Delhi riots in Parliament on Monday, demanded that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on the issue. Staging a protest at the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises, it said it wanted a full debate before moving on to any other issue. ALSO READ: Kapil Sibal 'thanks' PM Narendra Modi for 'speedy response' to Delhi riots Congress MP Manish Tewari said: "The riots have happened in Delhi and more than 40 people have died... there should be discussion in the house and the Prime Minister should make a statement." To the ruling BJP's allegation that Congress is politicising the issue, he shot back: "Demanding a discussion and statement from the Prime Minister in a democracy is politics?" Parliament resumed on Monday, with opposition parties raising slogans and protesting against the government over the violence that erupted across various localities in northeast Delhi between February 23-25. At least 45 people have lost their lives and more than 300 are injured and many have been left homeless. ALSO READ: Mustafabad's Al-Hind Hospital - Home to many injured in Delhi riots The violence began following clashes between anti and pro CAA groups. The budget session of parliament began on January 31 and adjourned on February 11 to resume on March 2. It will conclude on April 3. COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Senate could vote on a bill that would ban abortions performed through telemedicine Wednesday, after a committee last week passed the measure. Cleveland.com reporter Laura Hancock discussed Senate Bill 260 with Spectrum News 1s Curtis Jackson in a new politics segment previewing cleveland.coms Monday edition of Capitol Letter -- our weekday newsletter on Ohio government news and politics. They also talked about a soon-to-be unveiled proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana and a coronavirus summit that will be held in Columbus on Thursday. The Ohio Department of Health will talk with representatives of the states 113 local public health agencies. You can watch the segment above. And you can subscribe to Capitol Letter here. Homeowners across Australia are praising an innovative household product designed specifically to leave rubbish bins smelling fresh, saving you trips to the curb and reducing the number of bin bags used. Priced at $9.95 from Woolworths, Bin Buddy powder contains a natural insecticide that not only eliminates bad odours, but also kills flies and certain insects and absorbs liquid. After one mum shared images of the product to the Mums Who Clean Facebook group, others were quick to comment on how handy the low priced item is. 'It's amazing, just put a little bit into your bin or bin bag and eliminate bad smells and blowfly maggots,' the woman said in the Facebook caption. Mums around Australia are praising Bin Buddy (pictured above) for its ability to eliminate bad smells from bins, kill flies and certain insects and absorb liquids The product's natural ingredients break down in the environment, allowing it to be used inside without harming people or pets. Available in two fragrances including Fresh Citrus and Fresh Berry, Bin Buddy is the inventive product of British brand Challs International as is sold around the world. 'We exist to help you sit back, relax and smell the roses, not the contents of your bin,' the business said on their website. To use simply shake one and a half teaspoons of the mixture into your bin or bin bag when the bin is either empty or half-full. Not only does the product leave your bin smelling fresh, it also kills flies and certain insects, eliminates smells and absorbs liquid Other impressed mums shared their opinions with one woman saying the product is 'absolutely fantastic', and is always on the shopping list. 'Yes this is amazing stuff. I personally like the pink one,' another said, referring to the Fresh Berry Bin Buddy. 'They are awesome especially here in Queensland after all the rain and high humidity that have bought out so many flies,' a third added. Another also mentioned the product surprisingly works to repel ants nests too as well as in wheelie bins. Bin Buddy also sell two nappy bin fresheners including a spray and a powder. The Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC), in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), has organised a creative-writing workshop for some selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra Region. The workshop which took place on February 14, 2020, at Accra Girls Senior High School, was geared toward generating interest in reading and creative writing among students in the senior high schools. It was also to equip them with the necessary skills set to enable them strengthen their respective reading clubs as well as set up reading and creative writing clubs in schools where such clubs do not exist. Speaking at the opening of the workshop, on behalf of the Executive Director of Ghana Book Development Council, the Literacy Promotion Manager of Ghana Book Development Council, Mr Daniel Ofosu- Asamoah, recounted some of the interventions made by the Council at the Basic school level to ensure that pupils and students cultivate a life-long reading culture. According to him, the Council undertakes year-long reading activities for Primary and Junior High schools and also provide them with assorted reading books to enable them cultivate the habit of reading for recreation. All these, he said, were done from its coffers and in collaboration with both government and non- government agencies. In his concluding remarks, the Assistant Headmaster of Accra Girls Senior High School, Mr. Prince Agortey, who also doubled as the Chairperson of the programme, encouraged and also admonished the students to translate the knowledge that they have acquired into practical realities. He further urged them to ensure that they replicate whatever that they have learnt during the programme in their respective schools so that those who could not get the opportunity to participate in the programme would also benefit from the exercise. Participating Schools Eight senior high schools, totalling 181 students, participated in the Creative Writing Workshop. The schools include Presec Senior High School (Legon), Accra Girls Senior High School, GHANATA Senior High School, Presec Tema Senior High School, Accra Academy Senior High School, St Aquinas Senior High School, Amassaman Senior High School, and Kwabenya Senior High School. Workshop Sections The workshop which was under theme, Nurturing Reading and Writing in Schools, comprised three sections: Fiction Writing, Essay/Article Writing and General Writing. The students were made to join sections that were of interest to them. The workshop was interactive and practical. This was followed by a session where all the students were briefed on all the topics discussed. The students were also made to write on topics that were chosen by their respective resource persons. The Council looks forward to organising similar programmes for senior high schools in other regions in the country in the course of the year. It thus calls on all organisations both government and non-government- with the same vision to partner the Council with the view to reaching as many schools as possible. 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 Ramniklal Solanki, a giant of Gujarati journalism and the pioneer of the British Asian media, passed away in India after a brief illness, his son said here on Monday. He was 88 and is survived by his wife, two sons, one daughter and 11 grandchildren. Solanki was in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city when he suffered a stroke last week. He was admitted to a hospital there and passed away peacefully on Sunday surrounded by his family, his son Shailesh told PTI. Solanki was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of UK-based 'Garavi Gujarat' newsweekly and the Asian Media Group (AMG), which is Britain's biggest and one of the most successful Asian media businesses. Solanki's contribution was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II, who honoured him with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997 a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007. OBE is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. CBE is the highest ranking Order of the British Empire award. Solanki's long and distinguished career in journalism began more than six decades ago when he first wrote for local papers in Gujarat and as the London correspondent of Janmabhoomi Group of newspapers headquartered in Mumbai. But it was his arrival in England in 1964 that set him on the path to building what would become one of country's most reputable ethnic media publishing houses. Today 'Garavi Gujarat' is published in the UK and US, and has become the biggest selling Gujarati newspapers outside India. (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) North Tapanuli, North Sumatra Mon, March 2, 2020 20:09 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067ce545 1 National Indonesian-Military,National-Police,North-Sumatra,attack,police-station,North-Tapanuli,Bukit-Barisan Free Bukit Barisan Military Command (Kodam) 1 has removed Capt. Ridwan, company commander of Infantry Battalion (Yonif) 123/Rajawali, from his post following an attack on Pahae Julu Police station in North Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra. Commander of Bukit Barisan Kodam 1 Maj. Gen. Sabrar Fadhilah said the decision to remove Ridwan from his position showed the Indonesian Military's (TNI) commitment to punishing its members who commit crimes or breach discipline. "Do not doubt [our commitment], we will definitely enforce disciplinary sanctions on our military personnel who are found guilty [of misbehavior]," Sabrar said during his visit to Pahae Julu Police headquarters on Sunday. Sabrar said Second Sgt. Salahuddin Hasibuan would replace Ridwan in the position of commander of Yonif 123/Rajawali. During his visit, Sabrar also handed over aid to seven victims of the assault, which comprised six police officers and one civilian. "I'm sorry for the incident. I apologize, I hope such an incident will never happen again," he said. He said Bukit Barisan Kodam 1 and the North Sumatra Police had cooperated to make sure that the assault would not cause further trouble. "We've taken preventive measures. Alhamdulillah [thank God] the situation is now under control," Sabrar said. Read also: Military personnel allegedly attack a police headquarters in North Sumatra, injuring six Sabrar also said the assault did not represent the actions of the TNI. "As an institution, it is our duty to maintain solidarity and synergy," he said. Sabrar explained that the incident started on Thursday afternoon when several police officers were controlling traffic on the trans-Sumatra road at Silangkitang village in North Tapanuli, following a truck accident in the area. A minibus carrying military personnel from Yonif 123/Rajawali forced its way through the police barricade. The police officers responded by trying to stop the minibus and a dispute ensued. "Our personnel were in a hurry so they drove against the traffic, that was the cause of the misunderstanding. Hearsay about the dispute then provoked other personnel, resulting in the attack on the police station," said Sabrar, adding that he had reported the assault to his superiors. He also claimed that he had instructed the perpetrators to apologize to the victims and repair any damage from the attack on the Pahae Julu Police station. North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Martuani Sormin Siregar said he hoped no such incident would recur in the future, and that both personnel of the National Police and the TNI could strengthen their solidarity. "Such an incident should never happen again in the future. I hope we can strengthen the solidarity between the TNI and the National Police. We may have different uniforms but we both serve Indonesia," Murtani said. (nal) ALBANY New York has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Sunday evening. The patient is a woman in her late 30s who contracted the virus while traveling in Iran. She has respiratory symptoms and is currently isolated in her New York City residence, but is not in serious condition, according to the governor's office. "There is no reason for undue anxiety the general risk remains low in New York," Cuomo said in a release. "We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available." The patient has been "in a controlled situation" since arriving back in New York state, the governor said. The positive test was confirmed at the state's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, a day after the federal government granted New York the ability to conduct its own coronavirus tests. The news comes as Cuomo will ask the state Legislature this week to approve $40 million in funding for the state Department of Health to hire additional staff, obtain new equipment and otherwise prepare to combat the illness. Cuomo will also put forth legislation that grants authority to health department Commissioner Howard Zucker to respond to the outbreak as he sees fit. "There is no cause for surprise this was expected," Cuomo wrote Sunday. "As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if, there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York." The announcement follows news over the weekend confirming 83 cases of the coronavirus in the United States, including two deaths in Washington state. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. It also follows the state's admission on Sunday that the economic impact of the coronavirus is unknown as elected officials begin annual budget negotiations. Amid global fears over the illness, U.S. stocks last week suffered their worst five days since the 2008 financial crisis, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 12.4 percent, the Wall Street Journal reported. The state anticipates $700 million in additional revenue in fiscal years 2020 and 2021, but that could change as the coronavirus continues to spread, state officials said in a report Sunday. "The uncertainty surrounding the spread and impact of the coronavirus is an exceedingly significant downside risk to the economic and revenue forecasts as it directly impacts the financial markets, global supply chains and trade and could severely restrain global and domestic growth," the state's economic and revenue consensus report reads. "In contrast, a quick resolution of the coronavirus outbreak will lead to a rebound in the growth of the Chinese economy with stronger growth overseas that could result in stronger growth in employment, wages and corporate profits than reflected in the consensus forecast." While the risk of contracting coronavirus is still low, health officials have urged the public to wash their hands frequently, avoid touching their face and stay home if they feel sick. Symptoms of the virus can resemble regular seasonal influenza, with patients experiencing a fever and dry cough. RTHK: N Korea fires two unidentified projectiles: Seoul North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles on Monday, the South's military said, weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over. The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. "The military is monitoring for additional launches and maintaining readiness," the statement added. The North carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems, although others called them ballistic missiles. It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December. At a party meeting at the end of that month, leader Kim Jong-un declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon. The move came with nuclear negotiations with the US at a standstill and as a unilateral deadline Pyongyang set Washington to offer it fresh concessions on sanctions relief expired. Pyongyang has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates. It is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes from the United Nations Security Council, US, South and other bodies. Heightened tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington, including three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump, but little tangible progress was made. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. NASA faces a difficult choice: What does the agency want to select as its next big space telescope , the instrument that will shape scientists' research in the 2040s? The answer is still years in the future , but NASA has funded detailed analyses of four potential projects so the agency can better understand the possible risks and opportunities of each proposal. One of those mission concepts is called the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR). If it's built, the telescope could tackle a host of science topics, but its specialty would be giving scientists the most realistic view yet of exoplanets that are superficially "like Earth" but actually like well, nobody knows. "Success in this endeavor would be the birth of a brand-new field of comparative astrobiology," Aki Roberge, an astronomer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and the study scientist for the LUVOIR mission concept analysis, told Space.com. Related: Lego 'LUVOIR' space telescope debuts at astronomy conference If LUVOIR becomes a reality, the instrument's core contribution to that field would be to produce a detailed view of planets that currently fit scientists' bare-bones criteria for Earth-like planets. These worlds mimic our home in terms of size, mass and orbit when scientists know even that much about them. But with LUVOIR observations of just 28 of those worlds, Roberge said, scientists should be able to start understanding how precious our vibrant planet really is. "Exoplanets are small, black shadows to us, not pale blue dots," Roberge said. A mission like LUVOIR would change that by gathering enough data for scientists to start looking at so-called Earth-like exoplanets in a statistical, population-wide way. That's a similar change in perspective to what the Kepler Space Telescope mission did for exoplanets in general: It identified so many new worlds that astronomers could begin to understand the relative quantity of, for example, massive planets orbiting very close to their stars as opposed to small, rocky worlds. LUVOIR would zoom in on such small, rocky worlds and tell scientists what proportion of superficially Earth-like planets are actually like Earth, with surface water, an atmosphere and growing organisms. "We have no idea what the diversity of terrestrial planets is going to be like," Roberge said. "In the solar system, we've got Venus, Earth and Mars. But they're very different from each other, first of all; second of all, I'm sure there's other options out there, too." For each of the worlds it studies, LUVOIR would produce not images but spectra breakdowns of the amount of light of various wavelengths coming from the object. Those spectra would allow scientists to identify the compounds on that world, revealing more about what's happening on the surface. The LUVOIR team has calculated that if scientists can conduct those analyses on at least 28 small, rocky worlds that turn out to have atmospheres and they see no signs of life , that should be enough information to tell them that less than 10% of planets with the size and orbital characteristics of Earth host life. If such an analysis does identify life, scientists can begin working on an even larger puzzle, Roberge said: understanding the laws of life. "We have a glimmer of one; it's evolution as mediated by natural selection," she said. "There probably are more, but we're never going to figure out what they are unless we have more examples of independent evolution." Related: How rainbow-chasing chemists put the twinkle in modern astronomy's eye Beyond habitable worlds LUVOIR's main objective would be to discover and examine alien planets to understand the ubiquity of life, but the telescope would find plenty of other worlds as well. "For every habitable planet candidate we discover, we get 10 times as many other exotic exoplanets just coming along for the ride," Roberge said. To be a flagship mission concept, however, studying exoplanets won't be enough; the LUVOIR team also needed to make the telescope's design relevant to many different subfields of astrophysics . That meant the concept team needed to hone the proposed instrument suite to be as flexible as possible. "All of our instruments play together; we don't have any instruments that are one-trick ponies," Roberge said. The mission concept team also designed a dozen sample science projects spanning the scale of the universe to include in the mission concept spanning the scale of the universe. Those examples are not an ironclad plan for LUVOIR should it be built, but the team wanted to show off the work the telescope could do, ranging from studying dark matter, to showing how galaxies work, to monitoring icy moons in the outer solar system for plumes of water gushing out through their frozen shells. A Lego model of the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR), a proposed mission concept that NASA might launch in the mid-2030s, was on display at the 233rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle from Jan. 6 to 10, 2019. (Image credit: Space.com/Hanneke Weitering) If NASA decides to select LUVOIR as its next massive space telescope project, the mission would follow a complicated history of proposals. Its predecessor, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), has been canceled repeatedly in budget requests from President Donald Trump's administration and reinstated by Congress. Another predecessor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is long delayed and far over budget, at best launching in March 2021 . The scientists and engineers behind LUVOIR have turned that experience with Webb into 10 recommendations they believe will keep their project on track. Not all of those strategies are fully within the control of the team; some would require NASA to revisit its agency policies. And the LUVOIR team believes that, if NASA selects the project, the recommendations will help them avoid meeting a similar fate. But Webb, which astronomers also refer to as JWST, is still looming over LUVOIR, Roberge said. "JWST has been a challenge for us the whole time," she said. "I have spent the last four years listening to everybody and their cousin tell me what went wrong with JWST." Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Within barely 24 hours of the US government and the Taliban signing the so-called Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, Washingtons puppet government in Kabul, which was excluded from the negotiations that produced the deal, has rejected one of its provisions. The president of the Kabul government, Ashraf Ghani, announced that he would not accept an exchange of prisoners that was to have served as a confidence-building measure. The exchange was to be carried out on March 10, the date set for the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations involving the Taliban, the Ghani regime and potentially other Afghan political actors. The agreement states that these talks are to produce a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, along with a future political roadmap of Afghanistan. While the deal proposed the release of 5,000 Taliban prisonersroughly half of the number held by the US and its puppet regimealong with 1,000 prisoners held by the Taliban, Ghani told reporters on Sunday, The government of Afghanistan has made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, adding, It is not in the authority of the United States to decide; they are only a facilitator. U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader shack hands after signing a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed) This defiance by a titular head of state, who could not remain in power for a week without US backing, is a measure of the puppet regimes concern that it has few bargaining chips in the intra-Afghan talks, and the fact that it is not willing to give up one of them, the fate of imprisoned Taliban fighters. The success of such talks is one of the conditions attached to the agreement signed by Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday. The main basis of the deal is the promise of a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for a commitment by the Taliban to deny the use of Afghan soil to Al Qaeda or any other group that could threaten the security of the United States and its allies. The signing of the agreement, presided over by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, constitutes an unmistakable admission by Washington that the nearly 19-year-long war it has waged in Afghanistan, the longest war in US history, has produced an unmitigated debacle. After sacrificing the lives of nearly 2,400 US troops, along with the wounding of tens of thousands more, and spending well over $1 trillion, Washington is signing a deal it could have reached with the Taliban 18 years ago without sending a single soldier. The deployment of some 800,000 US troops in Afghanistan over the course of two decades, the dropping of vast quantities of munitions on the impoverished nation, and the killing of at least 175,000 of its people have left the US and its puppet government in control of less than half the country, while the Taliban holds sway over more territory than at any time since it was overthrown by the illegal US invasion of October 2001. The Taliban had demanded an immediate pullout of all US troops, but the Doha agreement calls for a phased and condition-based withdrawal, with a promise that their number will be reduced by July of this year from the current level of approximately 14,000 to 8,600, roughly the same number that were deployed there when Trump took office in 2016. The agreement states that this will be followed by a complete withdrawal of all remaining forces by April of next year. The deal has no doubt been crafted at least in part to serve the electoral interests of President Donald Trump, who campaigned in 2016 on the claim that he would call a halt to Washingtons endless wars. A partial draw-down of troops in the run-up to the vote in November would allow him to claim fulfillment of this campaign promise, while leaving sufficient forces in place for a potential continued occupation or even another buildup to be carried out after the elections. Unconfirmed reports state that secret clauses in the agreement include the retention of a US Special Forces and CIA contingent on the ground in Afghanistan. In an op-ed column published in the Washington Post Sunday, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper wrote that the United States will continue its financial and military support to the Afghan government and its security forces. He continued, There are other details to the plans implementation, and the administration looks forward to briefing them to Congress in the coming days. Esper had flown to Kabul for a ceremony with Ghani on Saturday as the deal was being signed in Doha. Further complicating the proposed intra-Afghan negotiations are sharp differences within the Kabul regime itself. Just last month, results were announced for a presidential election held last September, with Ghani proclaimed the winner amid charges of wholesale fraud. Ghanis principal opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, who was given the position of CEO after the last fraudulent election, has refused to accept Ghanis victory, threatening to set up a parallel government. Abdullah denounced Ghani for secretly sending a delegation to Doha for talks with the Taliban on upcoming negotiations. Sending a team from the Presidential Palace to Doha, without consulting with other people in Afghanistan, as representatives of Afghanistan these were the issues which caused the absence of a big number of politicians in [Saturdays] ceremony in Kabul, Abdullah said. Among those absent were the Afghan warlords Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hizb-e-Islami, and Abdul Rashid Dostum, who holds the post of first vice president. Also staying away were former president Hamid Karzai, the head of the High Peace Council, Mohammad Karim Khalili, and the second deputy chief executive, Mohammad Mohaqiq. These divisions raise the prospect that any negotiations with the Taliban will be carried out by rival political factions jockeying for positions in a post-Ghani government. Until now, the Taliban has refused to negotiate with the Kabul government, describing it as a puppet regime, a characterization that has been confirmed by Washingtons signing a deal with the Islamist movement without any participation by Ghanis administration. The Taliban has proclaimed the Doha agreement as a victory over the US military occupation. Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a statement Saturday calling on his followers to uphold real Islamic law and for the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate to become more active and stronger. The Trump administration has jettisoned the hypocritical human rights justifications for the imperialist war put forward by the Democratic administration of Barack Obama, which raised troop levels in Afghanistan to 100,000 to no avail. Professed concerns about the Talibans retrograde Islamist ideology, which led during its rule to girls being barred from schools and women from working, have given way to a view that the Taliban leadership, which is staunchly anti-Iranian and had entered into negotiations with US oil companies in the 1990s, are men with whom the US can do business. The prospects for the agreement signed in Doha leading to a US withdrawal from Afghanistan are far from certain. US imperialisms catastrophic intervention in the country dates back more than four decades to the CIA-orchestrated war by the mujahideen against a Soviet-backed government in Kabul. That war ultimately claimed a million lives and turned millions more into refugees. The war begun in 2001, launched on the pretext of combating terrorism and capturing Osama bin Laden, had been prepared well in advance. It was aimed at projecting US military force into the energy-rich region of Central Asia in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Washingtons drive for hegemony in the country, which borders Iran and China and is in close proximity to Russia, will continue. Also continuing to drive the Afghan conflict are the conflicting interests of the regions two nuclear-armed powersIndia, which has backed the Kabul government, and Pakistan, whose military Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provided sanctuary to the Taliban leadership. Saturday saw Indias foreign minister attend the ceremony in Kabul, while his Pakistani counterpart was at the signing in Doha. Far from inaugurating peace, any retreat from the US debacle in Afghanistan would help pave the way for a far more dangerous eruption of US militarism, as Washington shifts its global strategy from the war on terror to preparations for war against its great power rivals, in the first instance, nuclear-armed China and Russia. (Natural News) The Communist Chinese government is seeking to pull the wool over the worlds eyes again regarding the severity of the Wuhan coronavirus as if purposely undercounting the number of sick and dead wasnt enough. Specifically, the government is instructing factory owners to begin turning on their machines and making it appear as though production is ramping up, despite the fact that most workers have still yet to return to their jobs amid the still-serious virus outbreak. As reported by Zero Hedge, the idea is to pretend the Chinese economy has recovered in order to, most likely, calm global jitters and markets. Natural News reported in mid-February that analysts who know where to look to get a clearer picture of Chinese economic activity without relying on official government statistics (which are seldom accurate) had reported that despite Beijings claims that the countrys economy was not taking a huge hit because of the virus, the opposite was true. Notably: Over the past few days, these analysts have been able to piece together a number of indicators suggesting that a) the spread of the virus is much more profound and widespread than the government in Beijing is saying; and b) mass quarantines and other actions aimed at controlling population movement are having such a significant negative impact on economic activity that the demand for power needed by factories and other business enterprises has fallen off dramatically. In particular, the analysts noted that Chinese power usage was down dramatically, which of course meant that Chinas industrial output was also suffering as was the Chinese economy. If factories dont operate, goods are not produced and workers dont get paid. Initially, the analysts estimated that the drop-off in Chinese industrial power consumption only amounted to about 1.5 percent throughout the country. But, as Zero Hedge notes, the fact that Chinese government officials are instructing factories to turn on machines just so they use more power only gives the impression they are functioning when they are not really producing anything. The regime is in self-defense mode now And thats because Chinese economic output is really far, far less than anyone can imagine as in, close to zero, according to ZH. So why fool the world? In reality, the fake-out has less to do with global investors in China and more to do with the Chinese people themselves. [W]hile Beijing may report any fabricated data it wants whether coronavirus-related or economic in hopes of easing the mistrust and social panic, Chinas population still has absolutely no confidence in either Beijing, in Beijings ability to contain the coronavirus, or especially in Beijings apparent willingness to sacrifice its population in order to reopen some mothballed factories to give the impression that the economy is on the mend, Zero Hedges Tyler Durden reported. It must said that while China is ruled with an iron fist, per se, the countrys shift decades ago to a market-and-capitalist-based economy has provided the Chinese people with wealth and personal advancement only dreamed about by prior generations. And now that the Chinese population has grown accustomed to earning a better living, for the most part, most are not about to see the country return to the bad ol days of low wages, low opportunity, and raw tyrannical oppression. So the Communists who run things out of Beijing have got to make it appear as though they have a handle on this coronavirus thing and that so much forward progress has been made the economy is recovering and times are going to be good again. But its a ruse, Zero Hedge notes, and one that the worlds economic analysts who know what to look for true economic indicators that cant be faked by the Chinese government know reveals the countrys true economic health, or lack thereof. Chinas not racing against the clock to contain coronavirus. The government is racing against time to get things back to normal or suffer widespread unrest which would endanger the regime. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com Moises Rodriguez, center, pleaded guilty Monday for his role in operating a heroin ring hidden in the basement of a home on a suburban street in Warminster. Read more Moises Rodriguez on Monday admitted his role in overseeing a clandestine heroin mill inside a modest split-level house in Bucks County, and a county judge berated him for a torrent of poison [he] unleashed into the community. But Judge Brian T. McGuffin accepted the unusually light sentence recommended by prosecutors and credited Rodriguez with time served, allowing him to walk out of a Doylestown courtroom with seven years probation. I recognize that I have gone substantially below the sentencing guidelines on this case, McGuffin said. While Im not thrilled with this outcome, I understand why it had to occur. Prosecutors, led by Deputy District Attorney Christopher Rees, said Rodriguez cooperated with their investigation immediately upon his arrest during a dramatic late-night raid on the Warminster heroin operation in December 2018. He did so, prosecutors said, despite threats against him and his family. Rodriguezs help, Rees said, led to eight codefendants pleading guilty. Without it, the prosecutor added Monday, the county would have had to contend with a long, intricate criminal proceeding. What were looking at right now is just about 50 total years of imprisonment for all involved, Rees said. Thats a significant amount of time, and if we did not have the responsibility that has been accepted by this defendant, who has set himself profoundly apart from his codefendants, we would not be able to guarantee that time. Rodriguez, 46, of Paterson, N.J., pleaded guilty to racketeering, drug manufacturing, and conspiracy charges. For those offenses, all felonies, he could have faced several years in state prison. Instead, McGuffin sentenced him to nine to 23 months, crediting him for the time he spent in county jail between his arrest and release in September after making bail. Through an interpreter, Rodriguez said he was profoundly sorry for the role that he played in the drug ring. Im an adult. I know I participated, but I let myself be influenced, he said. And I feel really bad for what happened, and I want to apologize to my family and to society for the harm I caused. Still, McGuffin was clear in his message to Rodriguez. Dont do this again, Mr. Rodriguez, McGuffin said. Or you will be warehoused in a state correctional facility. Prosecutors have said Rodriguez was one of two leaders of the heroin ring, hidden inside a home on Cheryl Drive in Warminster. The other, Dariel Vasquez, is serving a five-to-10-year sentence in state prison. The operation began in April 2018, and distributed the narcotic as far as Pittsburgh, according to investigators. In the homes basement, police found a sophisticated assembly line for preparing and packaging heroin. Investigators estimate the operation earned millions each week and paid its 11 members weekly salaries between $1,000 and $1,500. All but two of the members arrested have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to state prison. Bench warrants have been issued for the others, Jose Luis-Morales, 36, and Luis Torres, 32. Torres is on the run after cutting off the GPS monitor given to him by the countys probation and parole department. Luis-Morales, who was living in the country illegally, was deported to the Dominican Republic shortly after he posted bail. After Rodriguezs guilty plea Monday, prosecutors revealed that another, more senior member of the heroin operation has not been arrested and is being pursued by investigators. They declined to offer details. CHICAGO A fourth Illinois resident has tested positive for COVID-19, health officials with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) announced Monday. The individual is a woman in her 70s and is the spouse of the third case, a man in his 70s being treated at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. Health officials said the fourth case was quarantined at her home and was complying with health officials. Both cases are reported to be in good condition. The tests conducted in Illinois resulted in presumptive positives for COVID-19, but the positive test results will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab, according to state health officials. On Monday, the death toll from coronavirus in the United States rose to six as Washington state officials announced four new deaths. The new figure comes as health officials worked to contain the virus and officials urged people to remain calm and stressed there is still time to limit the spread in the United States. The new deaths all elderly individuals who died at the EvergreenHealth hospital were from a nursing home in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Wash. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 89,000 people and killed more than 3,000. In the United States, there have been approximately 80 cases of the virus. While most cases were relatively mild, quarantines, supply-chain disruptions and reductions in tourism and business travel are wreaking havoc on the global economy. Public health officials are working to identify and actively monitor people who were in contact with both patients in an effort to prevent additional transmission. Public health officials will reach out to individuals who may have been exposed. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has requested hospitals across Illinois implement additional testing to improve surveillance for COVID-19. Illinois was the first state to provide COVID-19 testing and Pritzker announced two more IDPH labs in central and southern Illinois that will be able to test specimens this week. Illinois previously confirmed two cases of COVID-19; both patients made a full recovery. Symptoms reported among patients have included mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Right now, the virus has not been found to be spreading widely in the U.S., and the risk to the general public remains low. Public health officials are encouraging the public to not alter their daily routines and remain vigilant about keeping germs from spreading, by covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands with warm soap and water, and staying home when sick. Northwest Community Hospital on Monday issued a statement confirming it is following all associated protocol, including examining who the patient may have had contact with and treating the patient in isolation. NCH is closely following recommended guidelines outlined by these officials. At the moment we are implementing all associated protocols, including an exposure investigation, to identify those who might have had contact with this patient in order to treat them accordingly. Along with this patient, our top priority will remain to keep our staff and community safe at all times, the statement said in part. The Chicago Tribune contributed to this story. NEW HAVEN Mayor Justin Elicker has proposed a $569.1 million general fund budget for fiscal 2021, a package that increases taxes by 3.56 percent and cuts 80 positions without layoffs. The general fund budget represents a 2.24 percent increase over the current fiscal year budget of $556,641,051; the tax rate is proposed at 44.51 mills versus the current 42.98 mills. The elimination or defunding of positions is the largest in many years, Elicker wrote in the budget document. Our team took care not to lay anyone off and to ensure that the currently vacant positions we defunded minimized any reduction in service levels. Nevertheless these were very difficult decisions, Elicker said. The cuts hit almost all departments, but the majority are in the Police Department with the number of sworn positions dropping from 434 to 406 for a $3.5 million savings as vacancies are cut. There currently are 342 filled positions, after retirements and resignations exploded prior to a new contract being reached. The budget also cuts 12 firefighter positions by shifting paramedic services to an outside agency, while adding three captains and one lieutenant; both items were agreed to in a new contract signed late last year. Elicker also is proposing a new department alignment to give priority to customer service andimprove the connection between Youth Services and Parks and Recreation. Elicker said there will be a new Department of Parks and Public Works and separate Department of Youth and Recreation that should result in some financial savings, but he said more importantly, there will be efficiencies. A coordinator position will also be added to connect residents with volunteer opportunities. For the Board of Education, the budget contains an increase of $3.5 million, while that department requested $10.8 million. Interim Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey, who attended the press conference, did not comment at this point on the proposed figure as the long budget process begins. She said the school district has shared contingency plans on what it could do in the event of cuts. Elicker addressed the proposed funding for the school budget in his press conference. This is a tough decision ... especially given last year where we were closing schools and cutting librarians and guidance counselors that it is important to help support our school system and to increase funding. They too are dealing with a lot of very challenging financial situations, Elicker said. He characterized the $10.8 million as too heavy a load for us. After he detailed a number of other cuts and the reason for the $45 million gap between revenues and expenditures, the mayor made a point of calling out Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, telling them they need to contribute more to help the citys fiscal situation. He called it the most important takeaway of his budget message, which included a reference to the violent death of a young man. We cut so much of the city budget that already cant provide a nurse, a guidance counselor, a social worker for every kid in our schools. On Friday I went to attend the funeral of an 18-year-old boy who was killed because of gun violence. And while that boy, Im sure he made some (decisions) he should not have made in life, Im also sure we could have done more as a city to invest in him when he was young, to provide the right resources to keep him on track, to support his family. ... We continue to raise taxes and we have done our part and I look at our partners, the state of Connecticut, Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital and I am asking you to do your part, Elicker said as an aide put up graphs showing the wealth of the two private institutions. He directed his remarks to Gov. Ned Lamont on the state level, as the city is working with its state delegation on possible changes that would provide more sustainable funding, rather than a one-off boost, although neither are guaranteed at this point. Elicker said he feels Lamont should do much more for cities that are struggling. Yale New Haven Hospital has an annual revenue of $3.1 billion, but contributed $2.8 million to the city, the mayor said. Yale University has revenue of $4.1 billion and this year will voluntarily contribute $13 million to New Haven. Yale Universitys exempt properties now are worth $3.5 billion, which would have generated $144.9 million in taxes if taxed. Yale New Haven Hospital owns property assessed at $1.3 billion, a figure that would have generated some $52 million in taxes, according to the city. Yale, as the third-highest taxpayers because of the commercial property it owns, also paid $5.6 million last year. Elicker made a point of calling out the size of the contribution by the hospital. There is not a mistake on these graphs. You literally cannot see on the graph the contribution that the hospital makes, because the revenues are so large that the amount is so minuscule that the computer wouldnt even put it on the graph. He told the two institutions: This is your home. This is the town you are succeeding in. ... The very things that your mission says that you do, improve the health of New Haven residents, improve the education of New Haven young people, so Im calling you to do your part; the taxpayers have done their part; through cuts and efficiencies, we have done our part and there is a lot of talk at the national level and the state level and yes, in the halls of the hospital and the university, about economic and social justice. This is the question of our time and it is time that you step up and make sure that you contribute to this city so that everyone in New Haven can have the opportunity to thrive, Elicker said. It is a message he carried through in the run-up to the election against incumbent Mayor Toni Harp and earlier this month in a keynote address to a conference at Yales School of Management. Vincent Petrini, senior vice president for public affairs at the hospital, said in a statement in response, We respect Mayor Elicker and understand that the budget pressures he is facing are real. However, today Yale New Haven Health is the largest taxpayer in Connecticut, paying more than $300 million a year. At the same time, we have provided $30 million in voluntary payments to New Haven over the last decade. In addition, we pay nearly $6 million in property taxes to the city annually, contribute to critical community programs like New Haven Promise and we are working collaboratively to drive down employee health care costs, Petrini said. While imposing additional voluntary payments is not the answer, we remain open to working on creative approaches with the city. Elicker said Yale New Haven Hospital posted a $352 million surplus, according to its 990 nonprofit filing, in September 2018. That is a surplus. That is additional money. ... They clearly have the capacity to pay more than $2.8 million, he said. He characterized the hospital as a regional asset that the city of New Haven subsidizes. Yale University President Peter Salovey, in an op-ed in the New Haven Register, said the university was ready to contribute in new ways to what I think is the only viable way forward: a concerted effort to stimulate vibrant economic growth in our city. Toward this end I offer the mayor the full support of this university and I would be very eager to explore novel, bold measures that the city, the business community and Yale could take together. He said Yale speaks from a position of strength through the creation of new companies, such as Arvinas, Quantum Circuits and BioHaven. Also, some 60 biotech startups in New Haven are based on Yale faculty research that raised $12 billion. Salovey said they employ more than 1,000 people in the city. The Yale president, however, said a large increase in its voluntary payment is not the answer. I do not believe that New Havens current financial problems are the result of a lack of generosity from Yale. We will continue to increase our voluntary payment over time, but not at the rate the mayor has suggested, Salovey wrote. Prior to the election, Elicker had suggested that the university should increase its payment to $50 million. Salovey said he applauded the mayor for addressing the budget deficit head-on. But he did not believe that New Havens books should be balanced largely by Yale University writing dramatically bigger checks. He said the current payment this fiscal year was the highest from a university to a host city anywhere in the United States and boosts the payment 44 percent from what it was three years ago. The Board of Alders, which ultimately has to approve the budget, sent a statement after the press conference. Now that the mayor has submitted the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020-2021, it will go through the aldermanic public process where we look forward to receiving more details from city departments and hear community input before our final vote, aldermanic Majority Leader Richard Furlow wrote. In the proposed budget, the city has reduced funding for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Tweed New Haven Regional Airport and the Downtown Green Special Services District, and eliminated funding for Market New Haven, while also no longer offering free parking for hybrid vehicles. Fees will go up, including building permit fees for large developers, with voluntary payments from the Parking Authority boosted from $2.6 million to $4 million, paid for with increased parking fees. Fee increases generally will generate some $725,500 more in revenue; rents and fines will bring in an estimated $704,500 more; while other revenue anticipated for the current fiscal year was down by $1.5 million in the next budget. Revenue from the state for education is flat, estimated at $146,276,545, while state aide to the city is expected to increase by $969,397 to $68,802,834 million. Embed 4111891Z-1583166739158 Elicker budget report As he has already said, Elicker blamed the $45 million gap between revenues and expenditures on debt borrowing by previous administrations that brought in short-term relief to cover general fund expenditures at the expense of adding to the cost of servicing debt. He specifically referenced the $160 million refunding the city did under former Mayor Toni Harp in 2018-19. Elicker said debt service payments artificially dropped to $30 million that year and this fiscal year the amount is $44 million in debt service. For fiscal 2021 it will grow to $57 million, a $13 million increase in one year. We faced a very challenging situation when we started to work on this budget. Elicker said at the press conference Monday on the proposal, given the debt service increase, which helped set up the $45 million gap. In a video message on the citys website, the mayor explained that refinancing debt that added costs, rather than generating savings with lower interest rates, has gone on for decades, while the pension promises for retirees are costing more and more. Some $1.66 billion also was borrowed for infrastructure, mostly for schools, a debt now being paid back. In short, I inherited a mess, he said on the video. This budget begins to fix that problem. He also called out the $30,000 in newspaper subscriptions that the city will eliminate. Elicker said instead of borrowing to replace police vehicles, which need to be replaced every two to three years, the city will include $450,000 for rolling stock in the general fund. He said his guide in working on the citys finances was to produce an honest budget, an accurate budget, with no one-time sale of assets, no debt refinancing and no budget gimmicks, all of which were done in the past. He said he was trying to not impact basic services for the schools and other departments as much as possible; minimize the amount of taxes residents pay; and preserve support for the most vulnerable. I think we have accomplished that with this budget. Elicker said he drew the line at cutting services for such things as homeless shelters and support for youth programming. In the end, halting more cuts necessitated the tax increase, he said. This is not an easy decision. New Havens taxes are already very high. Natalie and I pay them, the mayor said of himself and his wife. He made a point of explaining that the budget shifts two lead inspectors to special funds, but it keeps the commitment to 8 inspectors to reset the lead program where cuts brought multiple suits that the city continued to lose. The increase in taxes is expected to realize $11.6 million more in revenue. If the city had funded services as they stand this year, it would have necessitated taxes going up 16 percent to close the budget gap. The mayor, who has only been in office for 62 days, said he and his budget team will continue to look for more cuts, but he feels I have worked hard to strike the right balance between the level of taxes and our ability to provide services. He said he was deeply appreciative of the city staff that worked on this and the cuts in vacancies that many wanted to fill, but agreed to cut, decisions that will will make it difficult for them in fiscal 2021 and in the years to come. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 3.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Pete Buttigieg is suspending his presidential campaign after he failed to attract African-American support and has no path to the nomination. The New York Times reported: Pete Buttigieg, the former small-city Indiana mayor and first openly gay major presidential candidate, has decided to quit the Democratic race, a person briefed on Mr. Buttigiegs plans said on Sunday, following a crushing loss in the South Carolina primary where his poor performance with black Democrats signaled an inability to build a broad coalition of voters. Mr. Buttigieg, 38, narrowly won the Iowa caucuses early last month and came in a strong second place in the New Hampshire primary, exciting liberal white Democrats with his cool, hyper-articulate manner. But he never broadened his breadth of support in a party with a nonwhite base, and one that has veered leftward since 2018. Mayor Pete ran a historic campaign. He was the first openly gay presidential candidate to win a primary or caucus. Buttigieg raised $76 million, but he burned through it in Iowa and New Hampshire and was unable to recapture his momentum after Nevada. Buttigieg couldnt attract a coalition of support that looks like the majority of the Democratic Party. Buttigiegs suspension wont impact Super Tuesday in states like California where most of the vote is in already, but his departure from the race is great news for Joe Biden, who has more room to consolidate the support of non-progressive Democrats. Buttigieg has a very bright future ahead of him that one suspects includes a longer and more successful presidential campaign. Mayor Pete is out, and now all eyes turn to Amy Klobuchar as the next moderate with no chance to win to exit the race. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations Bright Wireko-Brobby says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has created 2.2 million jobs since 2017. In total, since we came into office, 2,204,397 employees have been added in the employment space. Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) accounts for about 1,593,000, he revealed. The Deputy Minister was contributing to the debate in parliament on President AkufoAddo's state of the nation address delivered to the house on February 20. He said the majority of jobs created since 2017 have been in the informal space. 85% of the workforce is in the informal sector. Formal space accounts for 611,000, he noted. When you get a president who has been able to reduce unemployment and still promising us of the need to create more jobs, then you must be sure that we are in safe hands, the member of parliament for Hemang Lower Denkyira in the Central Region added. Quoting the president's statement to the house, he said the latest Ghana living standards survey has shown that unemployment in the country has reduced from 11.9% in 2015 to 7.3% in 2019. He praised the president for the jobs created noting, he came in 2017 when we had International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities that restricted employment in all sectors. But by the dint of hard work by his excellency, we have weaned ourselves of IMF and all our security agencies have beefed up personnel. And we are safe. Breaking down the figures, Mr Wireko-Brobby said on the education front, 67,000 teachers have so far been employed. He said more than 65,000 people have gotten jobs in the health sector. The other sectors that have created jobs include the free SHS programme, creation of new districts, recruitments in the aviation sector, the Planting for Export and Rural Development programme, one village one dam initiative, the National Builders Corps (NABCO) programme, the Community Mining Initiative, among others. Four thousand youth have been trained in collaboration with University of Mines1,107 have been given start-up kits. All these are employments. 20,000 people are earning a decent living in community mines, Mr Wireko-Brobby said. Several thousands of indirect jobs have come as a result of free SHS. Previously, between May and August, you go to Cape Coast, and people don't have money. Because it's an educational hub. As we speak, due to double track, the entire year is seen with economic activities. And I believe it is the same in all parts of the country, he added. The employment that we have created is not just a mouth talk. But something that can be buttressed, and is evidence-based. So, everybody who wants documents can come and we will give it to them from the employment ministry, the minister said to applause from his colleague NPP MPs whilst NDC MPs watched on. This is to assure Ghanaians that job search is not just a one-day affair. And those youth who are discouraged in looking for jobs must not be discouraged as per the assurances from the president and the interventions which are here for all of us to see, the MP noted. The deputy minister assured more jobs are coming soon citing the launch of the automotive policy which will see Nissan, Toyota and VW building plants in the country. So everyone should be assured that once you complete school, there is hope for you in the employment space, he said. He said with 181 factories under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative at various stages of completion whilst 58 are already operational, more jobs will be created soon. 1D1F will generate 2,228,866 direct and indirect jobs, he disclosed. He also said the hosting of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat in Ghana will also come with more jobs. The minister explained people with disabilities have also been catered for by the government. 5 million has been dedicated to women entrepreneurs with disability850 people have so far been assisted, he said. Four years ago, disability fund at district level was 2% of Common Fund. Now its 3% that is going. Then, money was given as a handout. This government is helping them make a living. They are being resourced to get business, he added. Myjoyonline Former Chairman and CEO of General Electric Jack Welch has died at 84, his wife Suzy, 61, confirmed on Monday. Welch died from renal failure at home in Massachusetts Sunday and was surrounded by his beloved family and his dogs. President Donald Trump led tributes Monday, calling him a 'friend and supporter' and saying 'there was no corporate leader like "neutron" Jack'. 'Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of GE, a business legend, has died.' Trump tweeted. 'We made wonderful deals together. He will never be forgotten. My warmest sympathies to his wonderful wife & family!' Welch led GE for 20 years from 1981 to 2001, growing it from a $14billion company that made light bulbs and appliances to a financial services and consulting conglomerate valued at $410billion. In 1999, he was dubbed the manager of the century by Fortune magazine and at one point the conglomerate was the world's second most valuable company, behind Microsoft. Former Chairman and CEO of General Electric Jack Welch died Sunday from renal failure at 84. He's pictured in 2005 with wife Suzy 'He was my friend and supporter,' President Trump paid tribute to him in a tweet. 'We made wonderful deals together. He will never be forgotten' Trump (L) greets former General Electric CEO Jack Welch at the beginning of a policy forum in the State Dining Room at the White House February 3, 2017 in Washington, DC Piers Morgan called him: 'One of the world's greatest ever business leaders & such a smart, amusing, charismatic guy' 'Today is a sad day for the entire GE family. Jack was larger than life and the heart of GE for half a century. He reshaped the face of our company and the business world,' H. Lawrence Culp Jr., GE's chairman and CEO, told DailyMail.com in a statement. 'Jack was a strong and constant influence throughout my career despite never having worked directly for him. When I last saw him, what I remember most vividly was when he asked me, "So how exactly are you running the company?" Jack was still in it committed to GEs success. And to have Jack Welch ask me how I am running GE is pretty humbling.' Culp Jr. added: 'He will be deeply missed by me and the entire GE team. And well continue to honor his legacy by doing exactly what Jack would want us to do: win. 'We extend our thoughts and sympathies to Suzy and his family during this time.' Piers Morgan called him a class act'. The DailyMail.com Editor-at-Large tweeted: 'RIP Jack Welch, 84. One of the world's greatest ever business leaders & such a smart, amusing, charismatic guy'.Interviewed him often on my old CNN show & unlike many others, he was very kind to me when I left. I judge people how I find them - Jack was a class act.' In a January 2012 interview with Morgan, when asked how he persuaded Wetlaufer to marry him, Welch replied, 'My charm and probably my wallet.' 'We had a little scandal at the beginning,' he continued. 'And it's been the greatest 10 years of our lives.' Welch and Wetlaufer met in October, 2001, while Suzy was working on a story about Welch for the Harvard Business Review. That year he received a $417million severance package from GE. They married at Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts on April 24, 2004. He was 68 and Suzy was 45. Left, Welch (pictured at 68), walks down the steps of Park Street Church with Suzy Wetlaufer, then 45, after their wedding in Boston, Massachusetts, April 24, 2004. The couple met in October, 2001, while Wetlaufer was working on a story about Welch for the Harvard Business Review. Welch was surrounded by his beloved family and his dogs when he died, his wife Suzy (right in 2017), 61, confirmed on Monday He is survived by his wife Suzy and four children from his first marriage. Suzy Welch shared a shot of her husband (bottom left) and their family on mother's day 2019 Suzy has four children from a previous marriage. He is survived by his wife Suzy and four children from his first marriage to Carolyn B. Osburn. Welch and Osburn split in April 1987 after 28 years together. Welch was married to Jane Beasley from 1989 to 2003. Welch was believed to be worth $750million in May 2018. He rose from humble beginnings. Welch was born John Francis Welch Jr. on November 19, 1935 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was the son of a railroad conductors and started at General Electric in 1960 as a chemical engineer. He worked his way up to vice president by 1972 and was vice chairman seven years later. But during that time Welch's detractors were environmentalists who were bitterly critical of GE for its role in contamination of New York's Hudson River with cancer-causing PCBs. Welch was 45 when he succeeded Reginald H. Jones as CEO and Chairman in 1981. He became known for saying 'Fix it, close it or sell it' as he transformed the way GE worked. His motives were helped by lower taxation and pro-business policies of the Ronald Reagan era. Under his tenure revenue increased five-fold to $130billion and the Financial Times hailed GE the world's most respected company in 2000. After his 2001 retirement the New York Times wrote that his legacy 'changed American corporate ethos'. Welch went on to become an author, commentator, and Executive Chairman of the Jack Welch Management Institute. In his 2001 book Jack: Straight From the Gut, he describes why he was nicknamed after a neutron bomb. 'From the day I joined GE to the day I was named CEO, 20 years later, my bosses cautioned me about my candor,' Welch wrote. 'I was labeled abrasive and consistently warned my candor would soon get in the way of my career ... and I'm telling you that it was candor that helped make it work.' In the first seven years in the CEO job he expanded GE into financial services and consulting. Thornton Bradshaw, chairman of RCA (right), is photographed December 12, 1985 in New York City at a press conference to announce General Electric Corporation will purchase RCA Corporation, parent of the NBC television network, for $6.28billion In the first seven years in the job he expanded GE into financial services and consulting, medical equipment, and jet services as part of hundreds of acquisitions. Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phil Condit (R) holds up a model of the Boeing 777-200X in February 2000 Welch led GE for 20 years from 1981 to 2001, growing its market value from $12billion to $410billion. Pictured, he speaks at a press conference in New York in this October 23, 2000 announcing GE's purchase of Honeywell, a manufacturer of aircraft electronics. The merger, approved in the United States, would be blocked by by the European Commission in July of 2001 In the first seven years in the job he expanded GE into financial services and consulting, medical equipment, and jet services as part of hundreds of acquisitions. Under his leadership GE Bank was founded and GE acquired brokerage firm Kidder Peabody. GE purchased RCA in 1986 - the parent company of NBC - for $6.28billion. NBC went on to form cable network channel CNBC dominate financial markets news coverage. The workforce was cut from 411,000 to 299,000 after Welch invented the 'vitality curve', which encouraged mass lay-offs in his first five years as CEO in order to maintain bottom line earnings. Welch split the managerial force into groups A, B, and C, considering the top 20 percent 'passionate' and the ones who made things happen, the next 70 percent essential employees who encourages group A and the group C the bottom 10 percent 'under-performers' who 'generally had to go'. In his 2001 book Jack: Straight From the Gut, he describes why he was nicknamed after a neutron bomb. Under his helm the GE workforce was cut from 411,000 to 299,000 'He's quick on the trigger - sometimes too quick,' Noel Tichy, the author of a 1993 book on Welch and a former leader of GE's vaunted training programs, said in 2001. 'He'll make snap judgments. He's a human being that has temper tantrums. 'With all that, I think he's the greatest business leader I ever met.' And Welch freely acknowledged his mistakes. One was Calma, a computer design firm that GE bought in 1981. The company wound up losing $50million annually until GE sold it in 1988. In 1995, Welch suffered chest pains and underwent heart bypass surgery. The setback led to speculation that GE could be seeking a quick successor to Welch, but he remained at the helm another six years. In October 2000 he announced GE's $41billion purchase of Honeywell, a manufacturer of aircraft electronics. But the merger, approved in the United States, would be blocked by by the European Commission in July of 2001. But the firm's market capitalization increased 30-fold under his helm. After his retirement, Welch remained a prominent business figure. He became a senior adviser with private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2001. But Welch found himself defending his retirement compensation the following year. Amid a wave of corporate scandals, details of Welch's GE perks emerged in court papers during his 2002 divorce from his wife of 13 years, Jane Beasley. He received millions of dollars in benefits, including unlimited personal use of GE's planes, office space and financial services. After the perks became public, Welch reimbursed the company for many of them, and paid for use of aircraft and other services. With his wife Suzy, Welch wrote a regular column, called The Welch Way, in Business Week magazine for four years. They also wrote management books. He taught a course on business leadership at MIT's Sloan School of Management in 2006. In 2009, Welch founded the Jack Welch Management Institute, an online MBA program that is now part of Strayer University. Welch said in his 2005 book Winning that he'd like to be remembered as an 'advocate of candor and meritocracy' and 'trying to make the case you can never let yourself be a victim' The Welches resumed writing a regular column in 2012, this time for Reuters. They used the column to dole out advice for business and political figures, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whom they supported. Welch was also active on Twitter, where he opined on everything from politics to business to sports and had 1.4 million followers. What is renal disease? Chronic kidney disease is a long-term condition where the kidneys do not work as well as they should. The main role of the kidneys is to filter waste products from the blood and convert them to wee. If the kidneys lose this ability, waste products can build up, which is potentially life-threatening. This loss of kidney function, known as end-stage chronic kidney disease or kidney failure, is the most common reason for needing a kidney transplant. There are usually no symptoms of kidney disease in the early stages. It may only be picked up if blood or urine tests carried out for another reason detect a possible problem with your kidneys. When it reaches a more advanced stage, symptoms can include: tiredness swollen ankles, feet or hands shortness of breath feeling sick blood in your urine. Kidney disease is usually caused by other conditions that put a strain on the kidneys. Often it's the result of a combination of different problems. Causes can include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or kidney infections. There's no cure for CKD, but treatment can help relieve the symptoms and stop it getting worse. Sources: NHS Advertisement Some of those opinions generated controversy. He questioned a monthly jobs report in October 2012 that showed the unemployment rate had fallen below 8% for the first time in three and a half years. The report came two days after President Barack Obama had performed poorly in his first debate with Romney and a month before the election. He accused Barack Obama's economics team of making up employment figures. 'Unbelievable jobs numbers..these Chicago guys will do anything..can't debate so change numbers,' Welch tweeted October 2012. Obama hailed from Chicago. While some Republican members of Congress echoed his views, his criticism was mostly derided by economists and by former Labor Department officials from the Bush administration, who vouched for the accuracy of the data. Welch was an outspoken Republican. In February 2017 Welch attended a policy forum in the State Dining Room at the White House alongside leaders from the automotive and manufacturing industries, financial and retail services and other powerful global businesses. He was among guests invited to meet with Trump, his advisers and family. In the 2005 book, Winning, Welch wrote: 'Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.' Welch wrote that he would like to be remembered 'as a huge advocate of candor and meritocracy, and believing everyone deserves a chance. And I'd like to be remembered for trying to make the case that you can never let yourself be a victim.' Welch is pictured during a ceremony for students at the Jack Welch Management Institute, June 11, 2016 in Washington. His online MBA program is now part of Strayer University Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 10:26:22|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close WELLINGTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Export prices for meat, including beef and lamb, rose to their highest-ever level in the December 2019 quarter, boosting overall export prices, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Monday. "Meat export prices have risen for three quarters in a row, on the back of strong demand towards the end of last year," business prices manager Bryan Downes said in a statement. Meat volumes rose 3.2 percent, and values rose 12 percent in the December 2019 quarter, Stats NZ said. "Over the year, meat prices also rose, with both beef and lamb prices up," Downes said. "Exports of meat and logs increased towards the end of 2019, before the outbreak of coronavirus in China," he said, adding China is New Zealand's biggest trading partner. Downes said any impact of the novel coronavirus on prices for New Zealand goods and services, mainly because of disruptions to global trade, could be reflected in the March 2020 quarter. The merchandise terms of trade rose 2.6 percent to its highest level, as export prices rose more than import prices. The terms of trade are a measure of the purchasing power of New Zealand's exports abroad. An increase means New Zealand can buy more imports for the same amount of exports, according to Stats NZ. Published on 2020/03/02 | Source Military vehicles spray disinfectant on a street near a Shincheonji church in Daegu on Sunday. /Newsis Followers of the secretive sect that has become a hotbed of coronavirus infections in southeastern Korea did visit China's Wuhan in January, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday. Advertisement Wuhan is thought to be the source of coronavirus that spread across the globe. The Justice Ministry on Saturday said 42 people of the Shincheonji sect visited Wuhan from July last year to February this year, according to an exhaustive search of the travel records of 244,743 followers. Kwon Joon-wook, deputy head of the KCDC, said, "We're seeing some instances [of Shincheonji sect] followers visiting China, including Wuhan, in January. We're looking very closely into the route of infection that led to the widespread outbreak". The first case of mysterious pneumonia was reported in China on Dec. 12 last year, while the first case in Korea was reported on Jan. 20, two days before the Chinese government locked down Wuhan. The Korean government banned visitors from Wuhan on Feb. 4, and the first infection in Daegu on Feb. 18 was a Shincheonji follower. Since then the virus has spread like wildfire among sect followers in Daegu and South Gyeongsang Province. Shincheonji continues to deny that followers visited Wuhan, where the sect had a branch. "As we revealed already, none of the 350 followers of our church in Wuhan, China came to Korea since December". It added, "We would like the government to reveal the accurate travel dates of the 42". As of 2 p.m. Sunday, 2,113 Shincheonji followers and their families or friends had tested positive, accounting for 59.9 percent of confirmed cases in Korea. Among followers in Daegu, 73.1 percent infected, probably through a follower who was Korea's 31st confirmed case and worshipped at one of its churches. They also account for more than half of the infections in Gwangju (77.8 percent) and Ulsan (52.9 percent), and virtually no region is free from the risk of contracting the virus from Shincheonji followers as they travel across the country to proselytize. Cooperation by the sect in revealing the exact size of its membership and their whereabouts has become a crucial element in preventing a further spread of the virus. But health officials are unable to contact around 4,000 followers. After suspicions mounted that the sect is trying to stonewall the investigation, its leader, Lee Man-hee (89), who had gone into hiding, on Saturday volunteered to be tested. The sect said Monday he tested negative but it did not reveal where and how he was tested. He is reportedly somewhere in Gyeonggi Province. He promised to make a public announcement this afternoon. The Turks launch "Spring Shiel" operation in response to the offensive by the Syrian military in the northeast. A Damascus military base and a convoy hit. Syria closes airspace in the Idlib region. 13 thousand people massed in terrible conditions on the border between Greece and Turkey, including women and children. Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Ankara has launched a massive cross-border military offensive in northwestern Syria against President Bashar al-Assad's army. The operation kicked off yesterday and is a response to the attacks of Damascus soldiers in the previous days, which inflicted heavy losses among the ranks of Turkish allies of the rebel (and jihadist) groups that control Idlib. Analysts and experts point out that, for the first time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to have declared open war on Assad, while ensuring that he does not want to clash with the Russian forces (ally of Damascus), present on the ground. The Turkish defense minister stressed that "the 'Spring Shield' operation is proceeding successfully" and is a response to the "vile attack" of February 27 in Idlib, the last Syrian stronghold still in the hands of the opposition and fundamentalist Islamic militias. The offensive "will continue", he added, "we dont intend to confront Russia". According to reports from the British-based NGO Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a drone attack launched by Turkey yesterday led to the killing of at least 19 Syrian soldiers. A military convoy to a Syrian army base was also targeted. Also yesterday Ankara shot down two enemy fighter jets. In response, the Syrian army closed the airspace with drone aircraft on the north-western part of the country, with particular reference to the Idlib area. "Any aircraft that violates our airspace - reports the military command of Damascus - will be treated as hostile and must be shot down". The forces of the "Turkish regime", concludes the Syrian communique, continue "to carry out hostile acts against our armed forces". Moscow warns that it cannot guarantee the security of Turkish planes in Syrian airspace. And in a context of growing tensions, Erdogan is expected to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin next week in an attempt to find an agreement to stem the violent drift of the conflict. In the background, the refugee crisis is becoming increasingly serious, which Ankara threatens to bring to Europe if there is no joint intervention to stop the Damascus offensive towards Idlib. The situation worries international NGOs and human rights activist groups, who denounce up to a million people fleeing the violence. The condition of the civilian population was again the focus of a public appeal by Pope Francis, who yesterday expressed "sadness" over the situation of the civilians and refugees who are being rejected. In all likelihood, he was referring to what is happening in Turkey and Greece. Numbers and news coming from the border testify to an alarming situation. According to the World Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 13 thousand people, including women and children, amassed on the border and forced to live in unspeakable conditions. The Athens government reports that in the last 24 hours it has repelled about 10 thousand migrants, who were attempting to cross the border illegally. People walk inside the Yaba Mainland hospital compound where the first Nigerian victims of the COVID-19 virus are being treated in Lagos Nigeria Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Nigeria's health authorities have reported the country's first case of a new coronavirus in Lagos, the first confirmed appearance of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. (Photo/ Sunday Alamba) Nigerian Officials Contact 100 People Who Might Have Been Exposed to Coronavirus Patient Nigerian health officials have contacted about 100 people who might have been in contact with the West African nations first COVID-19 coronavirus patientidentified as an Italian manin an attempt to prevent an outbreak. The Italian man arrived in Lagos, the most populous city, from Milan on Feb. 24 on a Turkish Airlines flight that connected in Istanbul, said officials in a Reuters report on Monday. The Federal Ministry of Health said it confirmed a coronavirus case in Lagos State Nigeria and was confirmed on Feb. 27, according to a post on Twitter. The head of Nigerias Center for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, wrote that one case is not a sign of failure and called on residents to avoid rumors and not to panic. Lagos state Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi told the news agency that about 100 people have been contacted so far by health authorities, but that number is increasing every minute. He said the patient works as a vendor for a cement firm in Ogun state. The number is going up all the time as we find people who were on the flight. We found people who were on the journey to Ogun, in contact with him at the factory and people at the hotel, Abayomi continued. The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed a coronavirus(Covid-19) case in Lagos State Nigeria. The case which was confirmed on 27/02/2020 is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak in China in January 2020 @WHO @BBCWorld #CoronaVirusUpdates pic.twitter.com/uF79NYzvAz Federal Ministry of Health, NIGERIA (@Fmohnigeria) February 27, 2020 The Italian patient is being treated at a hospital in the Lagos district of Yaba. Namely, he works for Lafarge Africa Plc., which said on Sunday that its operations are still going, adding that 39 people who came into contact with the man have been quarantined. The World International Health Organization (WHO) last week stated that Nigeria was one of 13 countries identified by experts as high priority. WHO experts were already on the ground in the country. Experts have sounded the alarm after the first case, as it was reported in the most populous African nation and one where health care systems are already burdened with malaria, Ebola, measles, Lassa fever, and other diseases. With the first case of COVID19 in sub-Saharan Africa confirmed in Nigeria, the virus is no longer a threat but a reality in the Region, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHOs regional director for Africa, said in a statement last week. Now is not the time for fear, but solidarity, cooperation & collective commitment from all. The virus emerged late last year in mainland China, sickening tens of thousands of people and prompting officials to implement harsh controls in outbreak epicenter Wuhan, located in Hubei Province. Since then, outbreaks have been reported in Iran, South Korea, and Italy. YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. The Republic of Artsakh is taking precautionary measures to prevent the novel coronavirus infection in the country. Minister of State Grigory Martirosyan and Healthcare Minister Arayik Baghryan toured the medical facilities of Stepanakert and Shushi to review the hospital conditions and capacities. Hospital executives told the officials that the clinics are fully equipped. Minister Baghryan said they are in constant contact with authorities of Armenia over the matter. So far, no coronavirus cases have been reported in Artsakh. The Artsakh authorities are considering a special facility meant for isolation of patients in the event of recording cases of the COVID19. The Minister of State called on healthcare authorities to continue the heightened actions and the awareness campaign for preventing the disease among the general public. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan WASHINGTON The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a third major challenge to the Affordable Care Act, setting up likely arguments this fall in a case that could wipe out President Barack Obamas signature domestic achievement. The court granted requests from Democratic state officials and House members who wanted to thrust the fate of the Affordable Care Act into the public eye just as Americans prepare to vote this November. The Supreme Court did not say when it would hear the case, but under its ordinary practices, arguments would be held in the fall and a decision would land in the spring or summer of 2021. Democrats, who consider health care a winning issue and worry about possible changes in the composition of the Supreme Court, had urged the justices to act quickly even though lower courts had not issued definitive rulings. They wanted to focus political attention on the health laws most popular provisions like guaranteed coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, emergency care, prescription drugs and maternity care and to ensure that the case was decided while justices who had rejected earlier challenges to the law remain on the court. In the meantime, the law remains almost entirely intact but faces an uncertain future. The case the justices will hear was brought by Republican state officials, who argued that when Congress in 2017 zeroed out the penalty for failing to obtain health insurance, lawmakers rendered the entire law unconstitutional. The Trump administration sided with the state officials, arguing that the rest of the health care law could not survive without a penalty for flouting the requirement that most Americans have health insurance, sometimes called the individual mandate. A domestic violence survivor has broken down in tears listening to the frantic Triple-0 call she made when her former partner attacked her with a car. Geraldine Bilston shared her horrifying tale on Q&A on Monday night in the wake of the murder of Hannah Clarke and her children Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey in Brisbane last month. Ms Clarke and the siblings were doused in petrol and set on fire in their car by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter before he killed himself in a crime that shocked Australia. The horrific incident sparked a national conversation about family violence and the systems in place to protect women from their partners. Ms Bilston told the program the murder had hit close to home and said she was lucky to be alive after her traumatic incident where her partner tried to run her down in his car. Geraldine Bilston shared her horrifying tale of domestic violence on Q&A in the wake of the murder of Hannah Clarke and her children Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey in Brisbane last month 'I lived for many years in an abusive relationship and I guess I've gotten somewhat used to reading about and seeing the weekly murders of women by their current or ex-partners,' she said. 'But for me personally when it's something to do with a vehicle and breaching an AVO those ones really hit me really hard.' Ms Bilston became emotional while recounting her ordeal. 'I honestly feel like it could have been me,' she said. 'It's just by luck that I have the privilege of sitting here and telling you my story and I'm not a name or a nameless statistics and I just feel so deeply for everybody thats lost their life, as well as everybody thats still hurting in this crisis that were in.' Part of Ms Bilston's confronting triple-0 phone call was played on the program, where she can be heard screaming 'oh my God, he's trying to hit us in the car.' Ms Bilston (pictured with a black eye) told the program she had been in an abusive relationship for years Hannah Clarke with Rowan Baxter and their children Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey Ms Bilston, who had an AVO against her partner at the time, said there needed to be greater protection for people who are subject to domestic violence. 'I think so many people want to ask people like me why didnt you just leave, if its that bad, leave earlier? I had been assaulted the day before, I had gone to the police, I had an AVO in place, and people would ask those questions and pass those judgements on me or other victims,' she said. 'When our options are leave and be faced with those situations and all I can do is wave a piece of paper thats an AVO in the air thats supposed to protect me, thats not an appropriate answer for us. 'And thats not an appropriate protection for people who are trying to just be free.' Baxter doused Ms Clarke and their three children in petrol before he set them on fire in their car before stabbing himself in the chest Ms Bilston said all people deserve the right to be able to leave any relationship. 'I guess what I want people to know is that thats something that I lived through and Im very, very lucky that I did live through it,' she said. 'And that I had the help and support that I got at that time and following on from that. And its the privileges in my life that got me to this point and gave me my freedom. Ms Bilston said she was lucky to be alive following her ordeal and that we needed greater protection for people subject to domestic violence 'And I guess I just want people to know that everybody deserves that and deserves that whether they are with a partner that is kind and looks after them or whether they find themselves in a relationship where its not occurring and they should have the right to choose to leave that person freely. 'And if they need help, then we have to find a way to help them.' Ms Bilston's bravery was commended by host Hamish McDonald and many commentators online. 'What a courageous woman,' one comment reads. 'So horrible that anyone has to go through that,' another post reads. Q&A host Hamish McDonald left the stage to join Ms Bilston in the crowd and sat by her side for her emotional recount Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 2, 2020) - AIM3 Ventures Inc. (TSXV: AIMC.P) ("AIM3" or the "Company"), AIM3 Merger Sub Cayman Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company ("Subco"), and SilverStream SEZC, dba Vox Royalty ("Vox") are pleased to announce that they have entered into a business combination agreement dated February 26, 2020 (the "Business Combination Agreement"), pursuant to which Vox and Subco will merge under the laws of the Cayman Islands with Vox continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly-owned subsidiary of AIM3 (the "Merger"). The proposed transaction (the "Qualifying Transaction") will constitute an arm's length qualifying transaction for AIM3 (as such term is defined under Policy 2.4 (the "Policy") of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") Corporate Finance Manual). Upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction and subject to the approval of the shareholders of AIM3 and the TSXV, AIM3 will change its name to "Vox Royalty Corp." (the "Resulting Issuer") and will trade on the TSXV. Shareholder Meeting The Qualifying Transaction is not a Non-Arm's Length Qualifying Transaction (as such term is defined in the Policy) and as such, the Company will not be required to obtain shareholder approval of the Qualifying Transaction. In addition, the Qualifying Transaction is not a "related party transaction" as such term is defined by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions and is not subject to Policy 5.9 of the TSXV. As a result, no meeting of the shareholders of the Company is required pursuant to the Policy or securities law. However at the upcoming annual and special meeting (the "Meeting") of shareholders of AIM3 (the "AIM3 Shareholders") various corporate matters connected to the Qualifying Transaction will be put to the AIM3 Shareholders for approval including, (i) a consolidation (the "Consolidation") of the issued and outstanding common shares of AIM3 (the "AIM3 Shares") on the basis of up to 15 pre-Consolidation AIM3 Shares for one post-Consolidation AIM3 Share (the "Maximum Consolidation Ratio"); (ii) an amendment of AIM3's articles to effect a name change to "Vox Royalty Corp." or such other substantially similar name as determined by the board of directors of AIM3 as directed by Vox (the "Name Change"); and (iii) a continuation of AIM3 to the Cayman Islands (the "Continuance"). AIM3 Shareholders are encouraged to read the management information circular of AIM3 dated February 26, 2020 to be mailed in connection with the Meeting and posted under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Story continues The Qualifying Transaction and Business Combination Agreement Under the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, as consideration for the Merger, each shareholder of Vox (the "Vox Shareholders") will be entitled to receive one post-Consolidation share of the Resulting Issuer (a "Resulting Issuer Share") for each share of Vox (a "Vox Share") held by such Vox Shareholder immediately prior to the completion of the Qualifying Transaction. It is anticipated that 26,666,667 Resulting Issuer Shares will be issued to current Vox Shareholders in connection with the Qualifying Transaction. Each outstanding warrant of Vox (a "Vox Warrant") to purchase a Vox Share and will be exchanged for one Resulting Issuer warrant (a "Resulting Issuer Warrant") immediately prior to the completion of the Qualifying Transaction with the Resulting Issuer Warrants being issued on substantially the same terms and conditions as the applicable Vox Warrants, all on a post-Consolidation basis. Finally, each outstanding option to purchase a Vox Share (a "Vox Option") will be exchanged for one Resulting Issuer option (a "Resulting Issuer Option") immediately prior to the completion of the Qualifying Transaction, with the Resulting Issuer Options being issued on substantially the same terms and conditions as the applicable Vox Option, all on a post-Consolidated basis. Completion of the Qualifying Transaction is subject to a number of conditions including, but not limited to: (i) the completion of the Consolidation; (ii) the completion of the Offering (as defined below); (iii) officers, directors and promoters of AIM3 arranging for persons investing not less than C$500,000 under the Offering; (iv) Vox providing a president's list of persons purchasing not less than C$3 million under the Offering; (v) the completion of the Name Change; (vi) requisite shareholder approvals; (vii) the delivery of lock-up agreements from certain directors, officers and significant shareholders of each of AIM3 and Vox; (viii) AIM3 having assets of not less than C$700,000 of cash as of the closing of the Qualifying Transaction (ix) receipt of all requisite regulatory and board approvals relating to the Qualifying Transaction, including, without limitation, the TSXV; (x) the receipt of resignations and the entering into of a mutual release from and with each of the current officers and directors of AIM3; (xi) the preparation by each of Vox and AIM3 of the required financial statements; and (xii) no material adverse changes. Upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, assuming the Maximum Consolidation Ratio and the completion of the Maximum Offering (as defined below) at a price of C$3.00 per Subscription Receipt (as defined below), the Resulting Issuer will have approximately 31,321,111 Resulting Issuer Shares issued and outstanding (after giving effect to the Consolidation and the conversion of the Subscription Receipts) on an undiluted basis, approximately 30,611,111 Resulting Issuer Shares to be held by current Vox Shareholders and approximately 710,000 Resulting Issuer Shares to be held by current AIM3 Shareholders, which represents ownership of the Resulting Issuer of approximately 98% by current shareholders of Vox and approximately 2% by current AIM3 Shareholders on an undiluted basis. Concurrent Private Placement In connection with the Qualifying Transaction, Vox intends to complete a non-brokered private placement (the "Non-Brokered Offering") and a brokered private placement (the "Brokered Offering" and together the Non-Brokered Offering, the "Offerings") of subscription receipts of Vox (the "Subscription Receipts") for aggregate gross proceeds of a minimum of C$7,000,000 and a maximum of C$12,000,000 (the "Maximum Offering"). It is anticipated that each Subscription Receipt will be issued at a price of C$3.00. Vox intends to engage an agent in connection with the Brokered Offering, with such agent to receive a cash commission in connection with the closing of the Offering. Details of the arrangement between the agent and Vox will be detailed in a subsequent news release. Upon satisfaction and/or waiver of certain escrow release conditions, to be set out in a subscription receipt agreement to be entered into among Vox, the agent and the subscription receipt agent, which conditions shall include all conditions precedent to the closing of the Qualifying Transaction (other than the filing of the requisite documents to give effect thereto) being satisfied, each Subscription Receipt will be automatically converted, without any further consideration or action by the holder thereof, into one Vox Share and one half of one Vox Warrant (each such whole Vox Warrant, an "Underlying Warrant"). Each whole Underlying Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Vox Share at a price of approximately $4.50, until the date that is 24 months following the closing of the issuance date of the Underlying Warrants. The Vox Shares and Underlying Warrants will be exchanged for Resulting Issuer Shares and Resulting Issuer Warrants upon closing of the Qualifying Transaction as set out above. The gross proceeds of the Non-Brokered Offering and the Brokered Offering, less any fees and expenses payable upon the closing of the Brokered Offering to the agent, will be held in escrow by the subscription receipt agent. The funds held in escrow by the subscription receipt agent, together with all interest and other income earned thereon, are referred to herein as the "Escrowed Funds". Provided that the escrow release conditions are satisfied and/or waived prior to the escrow release deadline, the Escrowed Funds will be released from escrow by the subscription receipt agent to: (a) the agent, in an amount equal to the agent's commission plus any expenses incurred by the agent and not already paid by Vox in connection with the Brokered Offering; and (b) the Resulting Issuer, in an amount equal to the Escrowed Funds, less the foregoing deductions. If the escrow release conditions have not been satisfied and/or waived prior to the escrow release deadline, the Escrowed Funds, together with any interest accrued thereon, will be returned to the holders of the Subscription Receipts on a pro rata basis and the Subscription Receipts shall thereafter be cancelled. Sponsorship The Qualifying Transaction is subject to the sponsorship requirements of the TSXV, unless an exemption from the sponsorship requirement is available or a waiver is granted. About Vox Vox was incorporated under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands as a Special Economic Zone Company on January 22, 2014. Vox has a portfolio of ten royalties and streams and it has entered into binding letters of intent and agreements to acquire 22 more, covering over 15 underlying commodities altogether. Voxs commodity interests span seven jurisdictions, including Australia, Canada, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, the United States and Madagascar. Vox has royalties or agreements to acquire royalties over producing mines and royalties over several long-life, development-stage assets with reliable operating counterparties. Recognizing the upside potential of exploration success, a portion of Voxs portfolio is made up of royalties over exploration-stage assets. In addition to a portfolio covering precious and base metals assets, Vox also participates in the battery and specialty metal space. Vox has royalties and binding agreements in place over production-stage lithium and graphite operations and development-stage nickel sulfide, cobalt, copper and vanadium projects. Recently, Vox's portfolio has grown to include industrial minerals, with an agreement in place to acquire a royalty over a production-stage iron ore mine. There are no relationships between any non-arm's length party of AIM3 and Vox or its assets. Significant Financial Information of Vox The following table sets out selected financial information for the periods indicated. The selected financial information of Vox for the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 has been derived from Vox's audited annual financial statements for such period. The selected financial information of Vox as at and for the nine month period ended September 30, 2019 has been derived from Vox's condensed unaudited interim financial statements for such period. As at December 31, 2018 US$ As at September 30, 2019 US$ Total Revenues: Nil Nil Loss from continuing operations (1,066,095) (843,508) Net Income (loss) - Total (1,868,764) (958,796) - Per share: basic and diluted (0.17) (0.08) Total Assets 5,188,030 5,763,287 Long-term financial liabilities 261,624 258,321 Management and Insiders of the Resulting Issuer Upon completion of the Qualifying Transaction, it is anticipated that the current directors and officers of the Company will resign and that the management team of the Resulting Issuer following the completion of the Qualifying Transaction will be comprised of Kyle Floyd as Chief Executive Officer and Pascal Attard as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary. It is anticipated that the directors of the Resulting Issuer following the completion of the Qualifying Transaction will be Kyle Floyd, Rob Sckalor, Scott Greenberg and up to two other directors to be identified prior to the closing of the Qualifying Transaction (the "Board Nominees"). The relevant experience of the proposed officers and directors of the Resulting Issuer is set out below. Further information on the Board Nominees will be provided in the filing statement to be filed with the TSXV in connection with the Qualifying Transaction. Kyle Floyd is a founder of Vox, former investment banker and instrumental in financing and advising nearly $1 billion in transactions. He studied MSc Mineral Economics (Colorado School of Mines) & BBus in Corporate Finance (University of Washington). Pascal Attard was the Chief Financial Officer of Delivra Corp. until November 2019. During this time, Pascal successfully guided the company through the sale of its business. Pascal also held the positions of Vice-President of Finance and Corporate Controller over the course of his 4 years at Delivra. Prior to joining Delivra, Pascal was the Corporate Controller for Red Tiger Mining Inc. Pascal also held a number of positions at McGovern Hurley LLP from 2006 to 2012, where he most recently served as Manager, Audit and Assurance. Pascal holds a Bachelor of Accountancy, with Honours, from Brock University and holds the designations of Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant. Rob Sckalor is the co-founder and President of Capital Instincts. He oversaw the company's worldwide operations trading in various European, Asian and North American equity markets. He is also the former General Counsel and Director of Liquid Capital, Europe's largest fixed income and derivative market maker. Scott Greenberg is a founding-partner and CEO of Capital Instincts. He oversaw the firm's growth to become one of the largest market makers on the Korean Stock Exchange and carried out over $200 billion in arbitrage opportunities across US, Asian and European markets. He has over 31 years of trading and arbitrage experience with his prior roles including COO and Director of Liquid Capital Markets and Global Head of Business Development at IDEA Global. About AIM3 Ventures AIM3 was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) on February 20, 2018 and is a Capital Pool Company (as defined in the Policy) listed on the TSXV. AIM3 has no commercial operations and no assets other than cash. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" ( "forward-looking information") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information contained in this press release includes, without limitation, statements regarding: the terms, conditions, and completion of the Qualifying Transaction and the Offering; the anticipated size and structure of the board of directors of the Resulting Issuer; the management of the Resulting Issuer and the business and operations of the Resulting Issuer. In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions, including that: the Offering will be completed on acceptable terms; all applicable shareholder, and regulatory approvals for the Qualifying Transaction will be received. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: availability of financing; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. All information provided in this press release relating to Vox has been provided by management of Vox and has not been independently verified by management of the Company. Completion of the Qualifying Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance. There can be no assurance that the Qualifying Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Qualifying Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Qualifying Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Qualifying Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information contact: Zachary Goldenberg AIM3 Ventures Inc., Chief Executive Officer 647-987-5083 zach@libertyvp.co Kyle Floyd SilverStream SEZC, Chief Executive Officer kyle@silverstreamsezc.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52964 Just a day before the four members, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Akshay Kumar Singh and Vinay Sharma were to be hanged, a court in Delhi has deferred the execution of the Nirbhaya rape case convicts. Interestingly, President Ram Nath Kovind had only minutes ago rejected the mercy plea of one the Nirbhaya convicts Pawan Kumar Gupta. Also, the Patiala House court too had dismissed the pleas of two Nirbhaya convicts, Pawan and Akshay who had sought a stay on their execution. Early Monday morning, the Supreme Court had dismissed a curative petition filed by convict Pawan Kumar Gupta who was sentenced to death in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Meanwhile, Asha Devi, Nirbhaya's mother said the convicts on death row were misleading the courts. However, she said that she had faith in the judiciary. Supreme Court no to organ donation of Nirbhaya convicts The Supreme Court Monday dismissed the petition filed by a former high court judge seeking a direction to Tihar jail authorities here to give an option to four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case to offer their bodies for medical research and donate their organs. By way of PIL you can't seek such direction. If they (convicts) want to do it they can express such things by themselves or through their family members, said a bench comprising Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna. When the counsel for petitioner Justice (Retd) Michael F Saldanna, former judge of the Bombay High Court continued with the submission, the bench said the petition by a former judge was misconceived. To execute a person is the saddest part for the family. You (petitioner) want their body to cut into pieces, the bench said, adding that have some human approach. Organ donation has to be voluntary, it further said. The petitioner had asked the apex court to consider the desirability of making it as a condition precedent in the case of all executions. (TNS) When Rudy Altergott dropped by an early voting location in Chicago, he encountered technology he hadnt seen before: a touch-screen device that allowed him to make his selections for the presidential primary with a tap of the finger.The machine printed a receipt that included a QR code a type of bar code that contains a digital summary of Altergotts ballot and a written list of the candidates he chose, including the races he left blank. After he reviewed the paper slip, he fed it into a scanner to store the results.I thought it was a little bit more user-friendly, said Altergott, 29, who lives in the Gold Coast neighborhood. I felt more comfortable with it, and I felt like it was easier to use and more pragmatic.As election authorities in Chicago and Cook County unveil the new touch screens ahead of the March 17 primary election, polling locations are becoming more high-tech than ever before. The costly equipment was rolled out to combat the risk of election interference and to make voting more accessible for those who have difficulty filling out a ballot by hand.Polling locations in Lake, McHenry and DuPage counties also use voting machines, known as ballot marking devices, but those are made by different vendors.While some applaud the changes, they have prompted one citizens group that focuses on election integrity to boycott early voting, saying that residents should wait to vote on primary election day when paper ballots will be supplied. Most early voting sites dont offer paper ballots and require voters to use the electronic devices.The group, called Clean Count Cook County, raised concerns that the QR codes, which voters cant review for themselves, are susceptible to tampering. Citing similar cybersecurity considerations, the state official overseeing elections in Colorado decided in September to ban the use of such codes on their ballots But election officials in the Chicago area dismissed the concerns, saying there is no evidence that bar codes are getting hacked. Jim Allen, a spokesman for the Chicago Board of Elections, said the touch screens used by the city have been certified through a series of state and federal tests to ensure accuracy. In addition, he said, the scanned paper receipts capture the image of the ballot, which can be used to verify results in the event of a recount.This has been tested four different ways, Allen said. This isnt some sort of app that was created three weeks ago like Iowa."Election security has become a top priority in municipalities across Illinois since Russian hackers gained access to the states voter registration database in June 2016 . While the hackers were able to view personal information for about 76,000 Illinois voters including names, addresses and partial Social Security numbers theres no evidence of voting results being manipulated. Early voting continues through March 16 . Starting Monday, an additional 52 early voting sites in the city and 50 in suburban Cook County will open. Heres what else you need to know about the early voting period and the ballot marking devices.On primary day, each local precinct carries ballots that are specific to that precinct and to each political party. Those ballots contain local, state and federal race based on geographic boundaries.But during early voting, when far fewer polling sites are in use, voters can cast ballots at any active polling place, so officials must have all the different ballot variations on hand.The machines enable officials to properly store and easily generate all the different ballots, Allen said. They also allow voters to access ballots in six languages, he said.We cant have a library of 1,100 ballot styles on the shelves, unsecured, at night, after we close and know which voters are going to come from which neighborhoods (during early voting) ... Its physically impossible, Allen said.Voters who want to beat the rush of primary day and still use a paper ballot can vote by mail as long as they register for the process in advance. For Chicago residents, the deadline to register for vote by mail is March 12. Check your local election authority for more information.McHenry County Clerk Joseph Tirio said a number of safeguards are in place to ensure ballot marking devices produce accurate results. In addition to running numerous random tests on the machines, the scanning devices have uniquely coded seals that cant be easily infiltrated. The machines in McHenry use bar codes, not QR codes. When asked about whether bar codes could be altered prior to being scanned, Tirio said theres no evidence of that happening.In many ways, he added, the machines are preferable because they eliminate the human error that can result from counting ballots manually.The machines and the bar codes are far more accurate, he said. I understand the distrust ... but I dont believe its well founded given the equipment and process that we have today.The touch screens in Cook County and Chicago were obtained from Dominion Voting Systems, a private vendor, at a significant expense.The Cook County Board approved a 10-year, $31 million contract for the new machines with Dominion in 2018, according to James Scalzitti, a spokesman for the Cook County clerks office. For Chicago, the city paid $22 million for a 10-year agreement with Dominion that includes ballot scanners, touch screens, booths, related equipment and software upgrades, according to Allen.Elections officials in Lake and McHenry counties use a different vendor, Election Systems & Software, and DuPage uses a different type of ballot marking device.Lake has been using its equipment since 2016, said Todd Govain, a chief deputy at the clerks office. Containers at the Kim Thanh Border Gate No.2 in northern Lao Cai Province. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. Fifty percent of businesses in Vietnam say their revenues could fall at least 16 percent this year due to the coronavirus impact. A quarter of respondents said damage could be over 20 percent of revenue, according to a survey by Infocus Mekong Research, a Ho Chi Minh City-based market research company. Last years top concern - environmental pollution - was replaced by the coronavirus outbreak this year, according to 67 percent of respondents, consisting of 242 business leaders nationwide across various sectors. Fifty five percent said the overall economy would worsen this year due to the virus, a figure three times more than the 18 percent recorded last year. Only one in five businesses expect economic prospects this year to be better than in 2019. "I have been living in Vietnam for over 26 years and have never seen such a huge plummet in overall confidence, not even during the 2010-2011 real estate bubble burst," said Ralf Matthaes, managing director of Infocus Mekong Research. Some businesses have reported dwindling figures. Stephen Wyatt, country head of real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Vietnam, said businesses in the hospitality sector have seen trading down between 20-50 percent from before the outbreak. "Early indications suggest the sectors of hospitality, retail, food and beverage, manufacturing and logistics are among the hardest hit." Fred Burke, partner of law firm Baker & McKenzie Vietnam, said 2020 will see challenges for many businesses that may not be strong enough to withstand the shocks to the supply chain. "Manufacturing for export is starting to feel the pain as imported components from China are getting held up in China's shut down," he said. But the short-term impacts will be followed by speedy recover, industry insiders anticipate. Andy Ho, chief investment officer of asset management company VinaCapital, said when China finally contains the outbreak, Vietnams capital markets would recover and could surpass levels seen last year. Recent surveys of American and German businesses in Vietnam have shown a majority of companies expect damage from the coronavirus in 2020. Fitch Solutions has lowered its growth forecast for Vietnam from 6.8 percent to 6.3 percent this year because of the epidemic. JERUSALEM - Israeli forces on Monday fired a missile at a car on the edge of Syrias Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, after the vehicle was allegedly used in an attempted sniper attack from inside Syria. There was no immediate word on casualties. Syrian state TV described the Israeli missile attack in the village of Ein Tinneh, near the town of Quneitra, as an aggression. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the car belonged to a pro-government militia, and was destroyed. The strike took place on election day in Israel, where voters will decide whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power. Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as a statesman who is uniquely qualified to lead the country through challenging times. The missile attack came days after an Israeli drone hit a car in southern Syria and killed one person, according to Syrian state TV. The Observatory said the targeted man was an anti-Israel operative. In recent years, Israel has repeatedly carried out airstrikes in Syria against targets belonging to Iran and its regional proxies. One airstrike last month killed two members of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which is backed by Iran. Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut was in for a pleasant surprise when she returned home after a long shooting schedule in Chennai; her pet dog Pluto welcomed her and even cried with happiness. Kangana was shooting for her ambitious project - AL Vijays Thalaivi which is the biopic of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. A video from Kanganas return was shared on her teams official page and the caption read, #KanganaRanaut just returned back to Mumbai, after completing the second schedule of #Thalaivi. Pluto, her lil girl, couldnt control herself and started crying with happiness. What a heartwarming video!! In the video, Kangana is seen in a light yellow dress, holding her dog in her arms as the pup happily enjoys the hug. Also read: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt dance on Brahmastra song in leaked video, fans heart their chemistry Kangana was recently seen in the critically appreciated movie, Panga directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari. Jassie Gill played Kanganas husband while Neena Gupta essayed the role of her mom in the film that also had Richa Chadha in an important role. In the movie, Kangana is seen making an inspiring comeback to Kabaddi with the support of her family and friends. On the professional front, Kangana is working on the ambitious film - a biopic on former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Titled Thalaivi, the film is slated to be released in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil on June 26. At a media interaction, Kangana had told IANS about the film, It is a big challenge to fit into Jayalalithaas shoes because she was a glamorous actress like Aishwarya Rai, which I am not. But I do find a common point. She was a reluctant actor. It is the same with me. I never wanted to be an actor. I think she always felt that she was worth much more than just being a glam doll (in films), and she became a politician. Like how I became a filmmaker because I felt that being an actress was very limiting for me. So, I think there are parallels, she said. Next up, Kangana also has Tejas - where she plays an IAF pilot, and Dhaakad - where she essays the role of a fighter. Follow @htshowbiz for more Three years ago, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf tapped Anne Kirkpatrick to lead a Police Department mired in a series of scandals that included sexual misconduct allegations involving a teenager and the exchange of racist text messages and emails. Kirkpatrick cast herself as a truth teller who could transform a troubled police force. Schaaf said she hoped the new chief could spark a cultural change and could exemplify the professional standards I want all my officers to exhibit. Throughout Kirkpatricks tenure, Schaaf stood by her side with seemingly unwavering support. Schaaf said the chief was doing an excellent job after police shot an armed homeless man in 2018, a case that drew sharp rebukes from the Oakland Police Commission and a federally appointed court monitor. But on Feb. 20, Schaaf joined the commission in its decision to fire Kirkpatrick a dramatic turnabout for the mayor and a major shakeup for a department lacking stable leadership as it enters its 17th year under the monitors watch. Now, the city must find its ninth police chief in 10 years. The mayors move surprised some council members, who said she had signaled to them that she would always fight for the chief. But Schaaf remains steadfast in her decision: Kirkpatrick had lost the trust of key stakeholders and the commission, and she needed to go. Ultimately, (the mayor) determined the loss of trust would prevent Oakland from moving forward, said Justin Berton, a spokesman for Schaaf. Losing support from key stakeholders is a serious issue. If the Police Commission does not have trust in a police chief, they are not going to be successful in the position, and that will keep Oakland from moving forward. Commission Chairwoman Regina Jackson said the oversight board had determined the chief was withholding information and failing to increase compliance with federally mandated court reforms. A day after the firing, Schaaf told a graduating class of police recruits that Kirkpatricks dismissal was personally difficult but was in the best interest of Oakland. The Police Commissions unanimous vote signals a shift in power as the group, created after Oakland voters approved a 2016 ballot measure by an 83% margin, has grown in strength over the past year. It has gained the backing of many of Kirkpatricks critics, who began calling for her firing almost a year ago. Kirkpatrick remained popular with the police rank-and-file. The chief can be fired by the mayor, court-appointed federal monitor or Police Commission. A no-cause firing by the commission, as occurred in Kirkpatricks case, requires the support of the mayor. That type of firing means no reason needs to be given in the dismissal. If the commission had chosen to fire with cause, the seven-member civilian panel could have done so without Schaafs support as long as it had five votes. A for-cause dismissal requires a reason to be stated. Schaafs support for the dismissal came as a surprise to some council members. In the past, (Schaaf) always told me not to worry, that she had the chiefs back, said Vice Mayor Larry Reid. And that is why I was surprised. Other council members said it was clear Kirkpatrick had lost the confidence of the commission, putting the mayor in a tough spot. I think Libby was in a difficult position, said Councilman Dan Kalb. Given the choices she had, I am not surprised that she made the choice she did. Joe Tuman, a member of the citys Public Ethics Commission, echoed Kalb and said Schaaf faced a challenging choice. She is conflicted because this chief is a good person and doing a very difficult job, Tuman said. If she had gone against the Police Commission, we would be having an additional difficult conversation right now because there would be this question of whether the mayor was not supportive of the commission. In August, Schaaf told a federal judge the department was working to find and fix performance lapses and hold people accountable. Her comments came after an internal audit by the departments inspector general that found officers failed to report use of force against a suspect in more than a third of the incidents studied in 2018, and every one of the unreported incidents was against a racial minority, either black or Latino. In court, she always spoke very highly of the chief and was totally supportive of her, said Jim Chanin, a plaintiffs attorney in a police corruption case that has prompted nearly two decades of federal court oversight. I think at one point she might have said that she is the best chief we ever had. It was incredibly flattering. Ultimately, Schaaf is no longer in control of the process of hiring and firing the chief. Still, the no-cause firing left some council members bewildered. If the commission had fired Kirkpatrick for cause, then the public would know specifically why the commission took that action, said Council President Rebecca Kaplan. Whats not clear is why (the) mayor didnt want for cause process to happen, Kaplan said. I respect that people have questions about why the mayor decided to fire the chief for no cause, and I would also like to know. Several weeks before the announcement, commissioners contacted Schaaf and met with her to discuss their decision to fire Kirkpatrick. Initially, Schaaf was shocked, Jackson said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Many observers say Schaafs agreement with the commission shows that she was able to take decisive action amid political pressure. In December, Robert Warshaw, the court-appointed federal monitor, issued a scathing report that accused the department of falling out of compliance in reviewing use-of-force incidents. The police force administration is in a 17-year struggle to reform the department after the Riders scandal, in which officers allegedly beat up and planted evidence on residents in the citys poorest neighborhoods. I think it probably just raised the temperature a little higher than Mayor Schaaf really felt like it could go, said Larry Kamer, a political consultant, referring to Warshaws latest report. Sometimes mayors, like CEOs, need to show that they are willing to be decisive, that they are willing to do a public hanging, a very visible separation even though the perception is that the person theyre getting rid of is a loyalist or a person of their pick. Some city leaders take issue with Warshaws findings. The department must check off more than 50 tasks and numerous subtasks before reaching compliance. At the start of 2019, only three tasks were left unfinished. But the police force finished out the year with eight partially or fully opened tasks after Warshaw said the department backslid on some reforms. We have a monitor that doesnt want us to be in compliance, Reid said. The monitor never calls any of the members of the council to sit down and talk to us based on the reports that he generates. But (he) always finds fault in our Police Department. This is a different Police Department than it was 17 years ago. If Schaaf had stuck by the chiefs side, she could have faced political heat. Ultimately, her move allies her with the commission as it picks the next chief, said Jim Ross, a political consultant. The commission is tasked with selecting four candidates for the mayor to choose from. Jackson said she hopes to first look at internal candidates and wants to hire a progressive leader who will prioritize building trust with the community. Its the politics of it, Ross said. Yes, there are four candidates, but now she can pick the one she really wants and not the one she thinks is going to be supported by the commission. Reid said whatever Schaafs reasons are for leaving Kirkpatricks side, it will probably not attract a top candidate for what is widely perceived as a difficult, if not impossible, job. If any other potential candidate was interested in becoming the chief of police, I think they would have to have their head examined, Reid said. Editors note: The story has been corrected to note that police shot an armed homeless man in 2018. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani The population of the United States will get older, even if the nation has high levels of immigration, suggest two reports from the U.S. Census Bureau. One of the reports predicts that by the year 2060, around one fourth of the U.S. population will be over the age of 65. That same year, life expectancy could reach an all-time high of 85 years, the report notes. The other study suggests that even by 2030, around 20 percent of the population will be 65 years of age or older. Census Bureau researchers expect the growth in life expectancy over the next 40 years to be slower than it has been over the past 40 years. Between 1970 and 2015, life expectancy rose by almost 8 years. But researchers predict it will rise only about 6 years between 2017 and 2060. One report notes that preventable health risks such as smoking, obesity, and, more recently, opioid-related overdoses could play a role in slowed gains in life expectancy. The United States could grow from about 332 million people today to around 404 million people by 2060. By 2028, the percentage of foreign-born people will be 14.9%, the Census Bureau predicts. That would be the highest percentage of foreign-born people since 1850. U.S. immigration policy will play an important role in population growth, notes the Census Bureau. With high levels of immigration, defined as an increase of 50% over a 10-year period, the population could grow to 447 million people by 2060. But with no immigration, the country could lose population after 2035. Immigration will also determine the nations diversity by 2060, said William Frey of The Brookings Institution research group. By 2045, white people will represent less than half of the population under current projections, he said. If immigration was stopped, then we will stay majority white until 2060 but barely at 51.1 percent, Frey said in an email. But the story is different for the young under age 30 population. Under current projections, that age group will become minority white in 2024. Without immigration, whites under age 30 will be in the minority by 2032, Frey said. Starting in 2030, international migration will be the biggest cause of population growth in the country. Im John Russell. Mike Schneider reported on this story for The Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story obesity n. being overweight or fat opioid n. a drug (such as morphine or codeine) that is made from (or related to) opium and that is used to reduce pain or cause sleep role n. an activity or part performed as part of an operation or process determine v. to be the cause of or reason for (something) diversity n. the condition of being made up of different parts or groups projection n. an estimate of what might happen in the future based on what is happening now We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Karnataka Minister BC Patil on Monday repeated his earlier statements that he will approach the Centre to bring a law to "shoot at sight" anyone who raises anti-India slogans. "I am not going back on my statement as I have not said anything wrong. I had said that I will ask the central government to bring a law to shoot at sight those who shout slogans against India. Nowadays it has become a fashion for some youths to get popularity this way which spoils the country and patriotism," Patil told reporters here. "There is nothing wrong in asking for a law. I have not said that I will myself shoot someone who shouts slogans against India. If the same thing happens in Pakistan, they will be beheaded. But we are not so brutal, we book a case and send them to judicial custody," he added. Patil also said that there was no need for holding discussions over the amended Citizenship Act, but added that the ruling BJP will defend it if the opposition raises a stir in the state Assembly. The budget session of the Karnataka Assembly began on Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) Senators have agreed to seek the Supreme Court's guidance on whether it needs to concur with the government's decision to end treaties. Resolution 337 was adopted Monday by the chamber with 12 yes votes and seven abstentions. This would pave the way for the Senate to file petitions before the high court to clarify the process, which will determine the fate of the controversial military deal with the United States. The resolution would prompt the chamber to ask the high court whether it is necessary for the Senate to concur with a decision to abrogate a treaty. "The ambiguity of the concurrence of the Senate in the abrogation of treaty involves an issue of transcendental importance that impact on the country's constitutional checks and balances," the measure read. "It presents a constitutional issue that seriously affects the country's legal system as well as the country's relations with the international community." President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddyboy" Locsin Jr. to send to the US Embassy on February 11 an official notice of termination of the VFA, which becomes effective after six months or 180 days. The US government has received the notice, but President Donald Trump simply shrugged it off, noting that "they would save a lot of money." 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. Under the military accord, the US has provided military assistance and financial grants to the Philippines, aside from providing deterrence against possible attacks from other countries. READ: Basing VFA termination on Dela Rosa's canceled visa a 'serious mistake' Tatad The 1987 Constitution requires the Senate to vote on any treaty which the Philippines will enter into, but says nothing if the same rule applies when leaving an agreement. Duterte's close allies Senators Lawrence Christopher "Bong" Go, Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, and Francis Tolentino abstained, saying there was no need to ask the judiciary to settle the issue. "Wala akong nakitang probisyon dito na kasama ang Senado sa pag-abrogate ng isang tratado. Igalang po natin ang kapangyarihan ng Pangulo sa pagpasok sa tratado. Dahil ang Saligang Batas ay walang sinasaad tungkol sa abrogation at shared power, sa aking palagay ay dapat hindi tayo makialam," Tolentino said. [Translation: I don't see a provision in the Constitution that the Senate is involved in abrogating treaties. Let us respect the power of the President in entering treaties. Since the Constituion does not say anything about abrogation and shared power, I think we should not interfere anymore.] Senate President Tito Sotto III was among those who voted in favor of the resolution. He said the petition is almost ready, and will ask the high court for two things. The Senate will seek declaratory relief, which will allow magistrates to render their legal opinion on whether or not the Senate also needs to concur with the VFA termination. READ: Majority of senators also against VFA abrogation, Sotto says A petition for mandamus is also being sought. Sotto said this would be useful if ever the SC rules that the Senate needs to act on the termination of the military deal. The mandamus would then compel the Executive to transmit the intent of the President to pull out of the VFA. Tolentino and Sen. Imee Marcos also questioned the format of the petition, saying it would not look good for the case to be docketed as "Senate of the Philippines versus President Rodrigo Duterte," or even his deputy, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. But Senator Franklin Drilon said he was dismayed to see the voting split over a simple issue. "All we're asking the Supreme Court is to define our Constitutional boundaries nothing else, nothing more. We are not dictating on the Supreme Court. For all you know, the Supreme Court may rule that the Senate's concurrence is not necessary and that settles the issue," he said. Apart from Drilon and Sotto, Senators Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Miguel Zubiri, Joel Villanueva, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Richard Gordon, Ralph Recto, and Lito Lapid voted in favor of the resolution. Those who abstained are Marcos, Go, Tolentino, Dela Rosa, as well as Senators Cynthia Villar, Koko Pimentel, and Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. Deputy of Armenia's ruling My Step Alliance Hovhannes Igityan today told reporters that closed discussions on the situation regarding the coronavirus were held with Members of Parliament, government officials and Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan on Sunday. According to him, they discussed all the possible scenarios and the governments actions in this period. The deputy assured that the government will be ready to take appropriate measures in case of possible escalation of the situation. We dont know what will happen tomorrow. We might have to cancel all massive events. In some countries, parliaments stopped holding sessions. I believe Armenia also has to be ready to respond to all the challenges properly, Igityan said. When asked if the authorities might temporarily refuse to hold the campaign for the referendum for constitutional amendments in order to avoid accumulation of people and the spread of the coronavirus, Hovhannes Igityan said the situation can change at any moment and all possible scenarios were considered during the meeting on Sunday. On Sunday, Armenia confirmed the first case of coronavirus. The patient is a 29-year-old citizen of Armenia who traveled from Tehran to Armenia on February 28. Thirty-one people who have interacted with the infected persons have been isolated at Golden Palace Hotel in Tsaghkadzor. On Sunday, the Prime Minister of Armenia asked people not to leave Tsaghkadzor and panic and informed that there was information that people were leaving the city. The authorities failed to clarify why the infected citizens werent transferred to an infection hospital. Kimberley McRae (pictured) was murdered in her Sydney apartment in early January A South American student who fled Sydney after allegedly murdering a sex worker has been arrested in the Caribbean. Kimberley McRae, 69, was found dead inside her apartment in Coogee, in Sydney's east, on January 14. The transgender woman's murder shocked residents of Coogee, where she was a well-known local who was regularly seen exercising in the area. She had also written a book on her battles of being transgender. Daily Mail Australia can reveal police have made a significant breakthrough in the case with the arrest of a 20-year-old Colombian national on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean. NSW Police confirmed they are in the process of having the student extradited to Australia. Her close friend Presley Hunter (right) paid tribute to Ms McRae (right) and described her as one of the kindest people A 20-year-old Columbian student was arrested in Aruba, a Dutch island in the Caribbean, last week in relation to her murder. He is expected to be extradited back to Australia in the coming weeks (Pictured is the unit block on Mount Street, Coogee, where Ms McRae lived) 'Detectives from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad are working with Commonwealth agencies to seek the man's extradition to Australia,' a NSW Police spokesperson said. 'The priority for all Australian authorities is seeking the return of the man to face justice.' NSW Police homicide detectives will fly to Aruba to bring the man back to Sydney to face court. Intricate details about how police tracked down and arrested their suspect can now be revealed, more than six weeks after he fled Australia in the days after Ms McRae's death. The body of Ms McRae was discovered inside her unit on Mount Street at Coogee, in Sydney's east, on January 14. She is believed to have been lying dead for up to four days, only being discovered by a real estate agent when her Melbourne-based sister raised the alarm. A post-mortem also indicated Ms McRae was strangled to death in her final moments. Within days of Ms McRae's death, the man had caught a flight out of Australia - so by the time her body was discovered, he had returned to Colombia. Police believe Ms McRae's body had been lying inside her apartment for several days before she was found The inside of Ms McRae's unit was thoroughly dusted for fingerprints in the days after her body was found. By this time her alleged killer had fled overseas, with NSW Police finally tracking him down over the weekend Ms McRae had lived at the current apartment block for the past six months, and prior to that in another building on the same street for almost 12 years (Pictured is the door to Ms McRae's unit after being dusted for fingerprints by police) NSW Police quickly identified him as a suspect and found him in South America. However while continuing to investigate the man, they soon became aware he had plans to travel to Aruba to visit a relative. Homicide detectives then liaised with the Commonwealth Attorney General's office who coordinated the operation with Aruban authorities. The man had been in Aruba for several days when local authorities finally pounced last Wednesday. Ms McRae had lived at the current apartment block for the past six months, and prior to that in another building on the same street for almost 12 years. She lived alone and did not own a vehicle, but was known to walk and exercise in the area and had 'distinct personal style with recognisable features'. Ms McRae murder shocked the beachside suburb of Coogee (pictured), where she was a well known local identity who was regularly seen exercising in the area Police said they were aware Ms McRae was working in the sex industry at the time of her death. Under the name Isabella Lawson, Ms McRae wrote a book last year titled 'Hey Boys, She's Got a Gash and other Tales of Gods - A Memoir' - which detailed the struggles of being transgender. A friend Presley Hunter paid tribute to Ms McRae and described her as one of the kindest people. 'She was certainly an icon of Coogee for over a decade. She was 'out there' but she's the kindest person I've known,' she said. LISBON, March 2 (Reuters) - Portugal registered its first two cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, both in people who had recently returned from abroad, Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference. Both men were taken to hospital in Porto and were in a stable condition and in good general health, Temido said. She said one case was discovered in a 60-year-old man who had recently travelled to Italy, the site of Europe's worst outbreak, and another one in a man aged 33, who had returned from Valencia in Spain. The minister said Portugal would expand tracing of passengers and their contacts to include flights arriving from Italy, in addition to those arriving from China that have been monitored for some time. In another possible case, a Chinese tourist had to be taken off a train during the night after complaining of fever, cough and throat pain, and officials said passengers on the train would be traced and monitored. (Reporting by Andrei Khalip and Patricia Rua Editing by Ingrid Melander and Alison Williams) A mother-of-three whose husband died of cardiac arrest nine years ago has spoken out to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking even one energy drink - as she revealed a doctor told her it is 'like playing Russian roulette with your life'. Cassondra Reynolds, 49, from California lost her 'soul mate', husband of ten years and the father of her three children when he suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest in 2011, aged 41. As a mechanic John Reynolds often worked nights and would reach for an energy drink at the beginning of every shift to keep him alert - not realizing the dangers. Cassondra said: 'He was my only family, he was my everything and he was my soul mate and now he's gone.' Cassondra Reynolds, 49, lost her 'soul mate' and the father of her three children when her husband of ten years John (pictured together) suffered a cardiac arrest in 2011, aged 41 She woke up on February 5, 2011, to hear her husband gasping for breath as he suffered a cardiac arrest in bed. Cassondra had to move him on to the floor where she performed CPR before the emergency services arrived three minutes later. As this was happening, her three children walked in asking, 'What's wrong with Daddy?', and she had to send them to their rooms. 'I just couldn't believe that it was happening. I was in a state of panic and shock because I had no idea what was happening to my husband,' she said. She has released a heartbreaking photograph of the last time her children saw their father, in a medically-induced coma, in a bid to draw attention to the risks of energy drinks 'I saw him turn from blue to grey and I was just praying that nothing would happen to him.' The couple's three sons were five, six and eight at the time their father's life support machine was switched off 14 days later. When John, who the doctor said had the heart of a 25-year-old, was brought to hospital he was put into a medically induced coma at the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. The couple's three sons were five, six and eight at the time their father's life support machine was switched off 14 days after his cardiac arrest (pictured together on holiday) Cassondra said: 'John was healthy, he worked out every day, he had had a full physical examination the month prior and all his results came back fine. 'When he went to the hospital, the doctor told me that his sugar levels were sky high and were asking me all sorts of questions about his lifestyle, whether he took drugs and if he had any health issues. 'He was put in a medically-induced coma and a therapeutic state of hypothermia to try and prevent any further damage to his brain caused by a lack of oxygen.' By February 19 John was pronounced brain dead and Cassondra was left with the heart-wrenching decision to turn his life support off. Cassondra, pictured with her husband, says watching him take his last breath was the most painful thing she had ever experienced 'Eventually, the doctor asked me if he drank energy drinks which I replied yes, but only once a day. He immediately explained that it only takes one energy drink to throw off the rhythm of your heart causing a heart arrhythmia,' she said. 'When he was pronounced brain dead, I let my children come and visit him to say their goodbyes. I asked the nurse to remove as many wires as possible so that they wouldn't be scared. The mother-of-three (pictured recently) woke up on February 5, 2011, to hear her husband gasping for breath as he suffered a cardiac arrest in bed 'He was a really good dad and the best husband, watching him take his last breath was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I felt like my heart was physically breaking. 'He was the love of my life and my soul mate. You can't move on when your heart belongs to someone else.' Nine years on from her husband's death Cassondra is raising awareness of the damage even one energy drink can do - because the mix of sugars and caffeine with other additives can be too much for the heart. She has released a heartbreaking photograph of the last time her children saw their father, in a medically-induced coma, in a bid to draw attention to the risks. She said: 'I want people to know how dangerous these drinks are, and I need people to speak out about losing their loves ones because it happens all the time, you just don't hear about it. 'The doctor told me that drinking energy drinks is like playing Russian roulette with your life and that really stuck with me.' When John (pictured right with Cassondra and one of their sons) was brought to hospital he was put into a medically induced coma at the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Cassondra said: The head cardiologist came out and told me: 'Your husband is a very fit man and his heart is strong like that of a 25-year-old. 'It's not normal for a healthy 41-year-old who doesn't drink or smoke, who has what appears to be a strong heart and just had a physical with no findings, to suffer a cardiac arrest. We need to find what caused this.' He asked Cassondra about the kind of foods John ate and what medication he was on. Finally he asked whether he drank energy drinks. She added: 'I told him that yes he does, but only once a day before he goes to work because he has to work night shifts. The doctor asked Cassondra (pictured with John) about the kind of foods John ate and what medication he was on. Finally he asked whether he drank energy drinks 'They began to put the pieces together, but I still couldn't believe that one energy drink could cause this much pain.' After four days of being in the hospital, Cassondra was told that her husband had an anoxic brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain and had a long road of recovery ahead of him. 'During those two weeks, I didn't allow the boys to visit because I didn't want them seeing their dad in that state,' she said. 'He was linked up to so many wires and I just didn't want them to have that image in their head.' Cassondra Reynolds and her husband John. After four days of being in the hospital, Cassondra was told that her husband had an anoxic brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain John's brain continued to seize and 14 days after he was first admitted into the hospital, he was pronounced brain dead. It was time for their three sons to say goodbye to their father. 'I told them three days prior he was going to be going to heaven and not able to come back home to us. 'They knew they were going to say goodbye, but they were too young to really process and understand it all. 'Telling them that their Dad had passed away was the second hardest thing I've ever had to do, the first being turning off his life support. Cassondra on holiday in Antigua with her husband John. She said that he was perfectly healthy and his heart was that of a 25-year-old when he suffered a cardiac arrest caused by energy drinks 'I sat there squeezing his hand and kissing him for 31 minutes as I watched all signs of life slowly leave this beautiful man's body. This man who was my everything.' And to add insult to injury Cassondra found out that despite being an organ donor, a nurse had forgot to contact the relevant organisations. 'My husband was supposed to be an organ donor and I thought at least his death would mean something,' she said. 'I found out a few weeks later the nurse never contacted the proper people to harvest his organs when he expired. 'He had the most beautiful blue eyes and I just wanted to be able to see them again but that chance was taken from me.' Almost a decade later Cassondra has launched the Awareness Project which aims to educate people on the dangers of energy drinks and pre-workout supplements. 'If you suspect that your loved one has had an adverse reaction to these drinks, report it to your governing food agency,' she added. 'These drinks are not tested enough and there is no age limit in the US for who can buy these drinks. 'It's important people understand the dangers do not lay solely with the high caffeine and sugar content. 'It's the synergistic effect when these substances are combined with the additional stimulants contained in energy drinks that appears to be causing so many cardiac issues. 'I have heard so many horror stories from parents whose children have died as a result of these drinks yet less than one per cent of energy drink related adverse effect and deaths are reported. 'I don't want anyone to go through what me and my children have had to go through these past nine years, it doesn't get any easier you just learnt how to cope with it'. The group that Cassondra started, 'Energy Drink and Pre-Workout Awareness', currently has 11,000 members on Facebook. This still from an Spadre.com video shows SpaceX's Starship SN1 booster as it appeared to burst during a pressure test at the company's Boca Chica, Texas test site on Feb. 29, 2020. Elon Musk seems to be taking SpaceX's recent Starship setback in stride. On Friday night (Feb. 28), the second full-size prototype of SpaceX's Mars-colonizing Starship vehicle, a variant known as the SN1, was destroyed during a pressurization test . SpaceX had been aiming to launch the SN1 on a test mission relatively soon. In late December 2019, Musk said via Tw itter that the prototype's first flight, which would stay firmly within Earth's atmosphere, was "hopefully 2 to 3 months away." Related: SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy rocket in pictures Musk didn't immediately tweet about Friday night's incident. But the billionaire entrepreneur posted a few items early Monday morning (March 2) that suggest he's not dwelling on the SN1's demise. "So how was your night?" read one tweet , which accompanied a video of the prototype's death. This was followed by "It's fine, well just buff it out," and then another tweet that said, "Wheres Flextape when you need it!?" And in yet another Monday-morning tweet, Musk said that SpaceX has shifted its focus to the next prototype iteration, the SN2, which is already under construction. "We're stripping SN2 to bare minimum to test the thrust puck to dome weld under pressure, first with water, then at cryo. Hopefully ready to test in a few days," Musk wrote . Were stripping SN2 to bare minimum to test the thrust puck to dome weld under pressure, first with water, then at cryo. Hopefully, ready to test in a few days.March 2, 2020 See more It shouldn't be surprising that Musk isn't more broken up about the SN1; he has stressed, after all, that SpaceX will go through many prototype iterations on its way to an operational Starship. In a tweet on Dec. 27 , 2019, for example, Musk explained that "each SN will have at least minor improvements, at least through SN20 or so of Starship V1.0." And the SN line itself represents a redesign spurred at least in part by a November 2019 pressure-test incident involving SpaceX's first full-size Starship prototype, the Mark 1. The Starship spacecraft is half of SpaceX's planned Mars-colonizing transportation system, which also includes a huge rocket known as Super Heavy. Both vehicles are designed to be completely and rapidly reusable. Super Heavy will launch the 100-passenger Starship to orbit, then come back down to Earth for a vertical landing. The 165-foot-tall (50 meters) Starship, meanwhile, will head from Earth orbit to the moon, Mars and other distant destinations. And the spaceship will return to Earth's neighborhood when its journeys afar are done; Starship is powerful enough to launch itself off the surface of the moon and Mars, both of whose gravitational pulls are much weaker than that of Earth, Musk has said. Musk envisions a fleet of 1,000 Starships departing for Mars once every 26 months, when Earth and the Red Planet align favorably for interplanetary missions. Such flights will eventually help establish a million-person city on Mars, if all goes according to SpaceX's plan. It's unclear when that ambitious goal may be achieved. But SpaceX plans to get Starship and Super Heavy up and running soon. Company representatives have said that Starship could start launching communications satellites to Earth orbit by 2021. And SpaceX has one crewed Starship mission on the docket already: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa booked the vehicle for an around-the-moon flight that's scheduled to launch in 2023. 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 . Recognised at the prestigious 1st Sheikh Zayed International Awards For TCAM 2020 ceremony Dr. Mukesh Batra, Padma Shri recipient (Homeopathy) & Founder - Dr Batra's Group of Companies, was honoured for his outstanding service in the field of Homeopathy internationally and in the Middle East at the 1st Sheikh Zayed International Awards For TCAM 2020 ceremony, under the patronage of Ruler and Founder of UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The 1st edition of the prestigious awards ceremony recognized and rewarded excellence in Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) by honouring esteemed scientists and medical practitioners for their distinguished contributions to improve the quality of life for humanity, advance knowledge and benefit humanity in the field of TCAM. The evening featured the success stories from many healthcare providers that have set an example and provided inspiration to budding brands through their legacy of success. Dr. Batra was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the field of Homeopathy by Mr. Hamad Salem bin Kardous Al Ameri, Director-General of the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation and Mr. Tariq Al Haidan, Ex Foreign Minister UAE. A pioneer of modern homeopathy, Dr. Mukesh Batra has passionately advocated the healing power of Homeopathy across the world. A first generation entrepreneur and visionary, he has brought standardization and formalized a largely informal homeopathy market by bringing modern technology and protocols to the science. He started Dr Batra's Homeopathy, the world's first branded and computerized homeopathy clinic, in 1982. Since then, his 225 clinics in 130 cities in 6 countries including Harley Street, London and Dubai Health Care City, Dubai have changed the lives of over 10 lakh people. Dr Batra's Homeopathy provides safe and effective treatments without side effects for varied disorders including allergies, child health, hair loss, preventive health (male/female/child), skin disorders, stress management, weight management, women's health and sexual health. On receiving recognition for his contribution to the field of Homeopathy, Dr. Mukesh Batra, Padma Shri recipient & Founder, Dr Batra's Homeopathy, said, "It is an honour to be recognised at the 1st Sheikh Zayed International Awards For TCAM 2020 ceremony. It's recognition of the growing acceptance of homeopathy globally and the hard work put in by the team at Dr Batra's to popularise the science across the world. We have been serving people in the Middle East for over 13 years and hope to take homeopathy to more regions in MENA in the future." Written By:Marisa Cohen Thanks to increased screening rates and improvements in early detection and treatment, the death rate for colorectal cancer has been dropping for decades. Still, colorectal cancer, which includes cancers that start either in the colon or the rectum, is the second leading cause of deaths from cancer when men and women in the US are combined. A little more than 4% of men and women in the US will develop colorectal cancer at some point in their lifetime. To help lower both the death and diagnosis ratesand to help those who develop colorectal cancer survive and thrivethe American Cancer Society (ACS) funds the research of scientists across the country who use the latest evidence and cutting-edge technology to help prevent and treat CRC. Here are two of their stories. Working on the First Vaccine to Prevent Colorectal Cancer There are several FDA- approved vaccines that help protect against viruses that are known to cause certain types of cancer. For example a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) helps protect against 6 types of cancers, and the hepatitis B (HBV) vaccine helps protect against certain types of liver cancer. There isn't a vaccine to protect against colorectal cancer. Mary L. Disis, MD, is using her 5-year ACS Clinical Research Professor Award to further her efforts toward developing a vaccine that could stop colorectal cancer before it starts. Creating a vaccine to prevent cancer itself has its own set of difficulties, Disis says. When a virus enters the body, its fairly easy for the immune system to recognize it as a foreign invader and attack it. But the immune system has a harder time knowing a cancer cell is a foreign invader because its often not as easy to recognize the part of it thats not normal. In a cancer cell, the proteins look very similar to healthy proteins, so the immune system doesnt know to attack them. Nora Disis, MD - American Cancer Society Research Grantee In a cancer cell, the proteins look very similar to healthy proteins, so the immune system doesnt know to attack them, she said. In earlier research, Disis found that breaking a cancer cells protein into smaller pieces allowed her to identify certain fragments that the immune system could recognize as foreign. Those are the fragments weve brought into our vaccine in the lab, she said. Disis and her team tested their vaccine in mice. We found if we give the vaccine before giving mice a chemical that caused the development of polyps (and eventually colon cancer), we could prevent 80% of the polyps from becoming colon cancer, Disis said. In another trial, with mice whose genes had been changed to make them develop polyps and then colon cancer, the vaccine was able to prevent 50% from developing the pre-cancerous polyps, she said. Right now, shes preparing an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to study the vaccine in humans. In a clinical trial, our plan is to first give the vaccine to people who have a high risk for colorectal cancer, Disis said. Then, if over time, were able to provide enough evidence about its long-term safety, in the future, the vaccine has the potential to become more widely available. Our dream is to make colorectal cancer largely a disease of the past. Using Genetic Engineering to Develop Better Treatments Lukas Dow, PhD, once thought hed head back home to Australia after he finished his postdoctoral fellowship. Instead he decided to stay in the US and start his own cancer research lab at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, where hes an assistant professor. Dow is studying why some cancer cells respond well to certain drug therapies while others dont. Hes specifically looking at a subtype of colorectal cancer that involves a defect where two unrelated genes fuse together. Its called an RSPO fusion. Dow says only a small percentage of people with colorectal cancer have this defect. But because about 1.8 million people around the world are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, tens of thousands of people could be affected, he said. When the genes fuse together in RSPO fusion, it increases the activity of a family of proteins called WNTs, which help tumors grow. Thats why researchers are developing drugs that kill cancer cells in these tumors by blocking the production of the WNT proteins. Some of these WNT protein-blocking drugs have been tested in phase 1 trials, the first level of human clinical trials, which test the safety of new treatments. But Dows team recently discovered that these drugs dont permanently stop the tumors growth. My lab found that WNT-targeting drugs cause an immediate and dramatic lessening of disease, but the tumors can grow back when treatment stops, he said. We predicted that a significant number of patients in clinical trials would develop drug resistance and tumor relapse, Dow said. We didnt want to wait until we saw that. So, were trying to solve the problems proactively rather than waiting for them to arise. The research team believes having treatments that are more precise and long lasting may improve many lives. We use mice to explore how the tumor grows and responds to drugs in a whole organism, and we use cells from biopsies to make miniature intestines in the lab that are called 3D organoids." Lukas Dow, PhD - American Cancer Society Research Grantee Since the specific gene fusion is fairly rare, his group has had to find creative ways to study this cancer. They use mice to explore how the tumor grows and responds to drugs in a whole organism, and they use cells from biopsies to make miniature intestines in the lab that are called 3D organoids. In both approaches, his team uses a genetic engineering tool called CRISPR to precisely edit the DNA to mimic the fusion defect that contributes to the formation of some colon cancers. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 11:58:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's armed forces have dispatched over 4,000 medical professionals in three groups to assist with the battle against coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, since Jan. 24. "They have formed a relief force comprising a battlefront leading group, joint logistic support units and frontline medical worker units," said Chen Jingyuan, health division director of the Logistic Support Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), at a press conference in Beijing Monday. The first group of 450 people left for Wuhan on Jan. 24, the Chinese New Year's Eve, with the second group of 950 people leaving for Wuhan on Feb. 2, and the third group of 2,600 people leaving for Wuhan on Feb. 13, Chen said. In addition, more than 160 people and 130 vehicles have been dispatched from the armed forces stationed in Hubei Province to assist with transportation of supplies for the epidemic prevention and control, said Zhao Haifei, deputy director of the planning division of the CMC Logistic Support Department. He added that the armed forces will stand by and follow commands to send more support to the epidemic prevention and control work. A Delhi court Monday dismissed the pleas of two of the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case which sought stay on the execution of their death warrants, scheduled for Tuesday morning. The court decided however to hear the lawyer of one of the two convicts, Pawan Kumar Gupta, after it was informed that he has filed a mercy plea before the President after his curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier in the day. Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana asked Pawan's lawyer, A P Singh, to come post lunch to argue on why stay of execution be granted. The court dismissed the applications for stay moved by Pawan and co-convict Akshay Kumar Singh. After the order was passed, Pawan's lawyer informed the court that he has filed a mercy plea before the President and the execution be stayed. Akshay, in his application for stay, had said that he has filed a fresh mercy petition before the President of India, which is pending. He contended that his earlier mercy petition which was dismissed by the President did not have complete facts. Pawan had taken the ground that he has filed a curative petition before the Supreme Court. He had also said that he had an option to file a mercy petition. Both the convicts told the court further 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 Singh (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. 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.) : Gold worth Rs 64.56 lakh and foreign currency valued at Rs 5.18 lakh has been seized by customs officials from passengers, including two Sri Lankan women at the airport here on Monday. In the first instance, gold concealed in the inner garments of the two women were recovered by air intelligence wing officials on their arrival from Colombo The value of the gold seized was Rs 54.61 lakh and they were arrested, a press release said. In the second seizure, the officials recovered the yellow metal hidden in the baggage of a passenger who arrived here from Singapore. The gold rods were found concealed in air pumps in the baggage. The gold rods were worth Rs 9.95 lakh, the release said. In the third seizure, the sleuths recovered 7,300 USD worth Rs 5.18 lakh from a passenger bound for Kuala Lumpur. The passenger had concealed the foreign currency in his pant pocket and another bundle in his rectum. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Instead, Democrats and a handful of Republicans have coalesced around the omnibus environmental bills that have passed both the Senate and the House of Delegates and are headed for a conference committee. Supporters argue that the legislation is so far-reaching, it could only have been achieved with Dominions cooperation. Few lawmakers have expertise in the complicated topic, and this years session has been nearly overwhelmed with a record number of bills. Shincheonji Church Founder Lee Man-hee bows on his knees to apologize during a press conference at a church facility in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday./ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul No. of patients reach 4,335, with 26 deaths By Kim Se-jeong The head of the Shincheonji Church apologized Monday for causing "grave concerns" to public health as the religious group's members account for nearly 60 percent of confirmed coronavirus patients in Korea. In a rare press conference, Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee said, "As the founder of the church, I apologize for what is happening. We didn't mean to create this mess, but a large number of patients are members of my church or those who came into contact with them." "I did what I could do, but couldn't stop it all from spreading. I seek the forgiveness of citizens," he said before stepping aside from a dais and bowing while kneeling down. "The government has done its utmost to prevent the virus from spreading from the Shincheonji Church in Daegu. We are fully cooperating to help it and will continue to do so by offering our resources. I never imagined this would happen. I don't know why this is happening. We are aware of our faults," Lee said. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 599 new COVID-19 infections Monday, pushing the total number of patients to 4,335 with 26 fatalities as of 10 p.m., Monday. Vice Health Minister Kim Gwang-lip said the National Training Institute of Education, Science and Technology (NTEST), located in Daegu, was now ready to accept and treat coronavirus patients exhibiting minor symptoms. The NTEST has 160 rooms and 17 medical service providers, including four doctors, who will reside there and provide full care to the patients. Kim said two more such facilities the Samsung Educational Research Center in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province, and Seoul National Hospital Training Center in Moonkyeong City, North Gyeongsang Province would house similar patients from sometime this week. The two can host a respective 203 and 100 patients. Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province have insufficient hospital beds, and the health authorities there have been sending patients with minor COVID-19 symptoms home. According to Daegu City Government, more than 2,000 patients are at home, waiting to be admitted to medical facilities. Patients with serious conditions are treated in specialized negative pressure areas to prevent any further spread of the virus within hospitals. Experts said the number of the new coronavirus patients is likely to grow in the coming days as the authorities are still testing 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church. On Monday, the government said one Shincheonji member entered Korea from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus Jan. 8, contradicting the church's statement that no members from Wuhan had entered Korea since December last year. On Sunday, Seoul Mayor Park Won-sun filed a complaint against church leaders and Lee with the prosecution, claiming that they had committed willfully negligent homicide. Other members of the public have also asked the prosecution to act. A petition to forcibly disband the church sect on a Cheong Wa Dae website has attracted more than 200,000 signatures, the threshold to get an official response from the presidential office. Number of COVID-19 Cases in Japan Exceeds 940, Death Toll at 12 - Reports Sputnik News 06:32 GMT 01.03.2020 TOKYO (Sputnik) - The latest data from Japan's Health Ministry and local authorities demonstrate that the current number of the infected with the novel coronavirus in the country has reached 947, with the death toll of 12, NHK broadcasting company reported. Most of the infected, 705, are the passengers and the crew members of Diamond Princess cruise ship, other 14 are among those evacuated from China via charter flights, and the last 228 are the ones who have got infected in Japan or Japanese tourists who have returned from China, according to the broadcaster. Japan has already canceled public events and will close most of its schools starting Monday. Tokyo and Osaka will not hold traditional cherry blossom viewing events. Disneyland and other theme parks are closed from Saturday to mid-March. On a global scale, to date, the coronavirus disease has infected over 85,000 people, of whom 2,900 have died and nearly 40,000 have recovered. It has already spread to other 50 countries across the world. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WILMINGTON, N.C.On a stretch of highway just north of the Cape Fear River Saturday, hundreds of people joined a line snaking around the parking lot of a local high school to hear Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg make his pitch in advance of Super Tuesday. Id like to hear what Michael Bloomberg has to say, said Paul Kasper, a local resident who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and is considering doing so again in 2020, but has his mind open to Democrats Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders. The big issue is health care, as far as Im concerned. Id like to hear how his plan affects Medicare, because it affects me personally. In the school courtyard where a stage and risers are set up, the campaign is serving a free buffet of fried chicken and pulled pork and people bop their heads to Jay-Zs Empire State of Mind. The rally had been front page news in the local paper, and organizers moved it out of the gym and into the courtyard to accommodate the size of the crowd. Bloomberg will hope the big crowd is a good sign. On Tuesday, he appears on the presidential ballot for the first time, here in North Carolina and in 13 other states including California, Texas and Virginia. After spending more than $500 million (U.S.) of his own money already on advertising in the campaign, hell find out very soon if his investment has yielded anything at all. Because of the size of the one-day stakes on Super Tuesday with Joe Bidens campaign apparently resurgent and after a disastrous debate performance less than two weeks ago its possible he could wash out of the contest on the day he officially enters it. In Wilmington, after an introduction in which one of his staffers who has been with him since he was mayor of New York emphatically stressed how excellent she found him to work for as a woman, he led off with a joke poking at neighbouring South Carolina for putting mustard in its barbecue sauce. and then he went into the pitch hes settled on as his best Super Tuesday argument: his executive experience as mayor of New York as preparation for a crisis like the spread of the coronavirus. The fact of the matter is, President Trump was briefed on the coronavirus two months ago, but he buried his head in the sand. And his failure to prepare is crippling our ability to respond. This is not a joke, Bloomberg said. In times like this, we need strong and proven leadership in the White House. We need somebody who really understands the crisis. I dont mean to be self-serving, but you need somebody who believes in science to invest in prevention and preparation and who listens to experts. The same day, listeners in North Carolina can hear radio ads making the same pitch highlighting his time managing crises as mayor rebuilding lower Manhattan after 9/11, managing the spread of swine flu, handling the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis. His campaign launched a three-minute televised speech on the crisis as a commercial on Sunday. He has always been a bit of an awkward fit for the Democrats while gun control and fighting climate change have been passions of his as a philanthropist, and his willingness to open his giant wallet to campaign against Donald Trump are obviously pluses for the party, he was a Republican when he ran for mayor of New York, and hes a Wall Street billionaire with a friendly attitude to the world of finance. In his three terms as mayor of New York, sometimes celebrated by leftist urbanists for the pedestrianization of much of the city, among other things, he was famous for being a data-driven, imperious technocrat. And clearly he feels thats a quality that might seem attractive amid an unfolding pandemic. His mayoral experience cuts both ways, though, as the stop-and-frisk policy police used under his leadership had the effect, he has acknowledged, of terrorizing innocent young black and brown men. Im very familiar with stop-and-frisk, as a mother, an African American woman named Brenda, who lived in the New York City area when Bloomberg was mayor before moving to North Carolina. It was terrible, she said. However, shes planning to vote for him. Because he did apologize. He got bad advice. But the one thing I like is when you make a mistake, and you admit that it was a mistake, and you apologize for it. She said, in general, she thought he was a good mayor, and appreciates that he extended contracts to minority-owned businesses. One man in the crowd is wearing a Maple Leaf on his cap Carmelo Moro, who was born in Italy and grew up in Montreal before moving to North Carolina and becoming a U.S. citizen 30 year ago. He said hes leaning toward voting for Bloomberg, Only because I think thats the best way to defeat Donald Trump a priority, he says, to save social security and extend the health-care insurance system. When I go back and look at what Canada has for Medicare, at least I dont see anybody in Canada going bankrupt because theyre sick. Onstage, Bloomberg says hes campaigning as the unTrump, a claim he has backed by pledging to spend $2 billion or more to defeat the incumbent president. Hes promised hell spend the money on anti-Trump campaigning even if someone else wins the nomination. So no matter what happens Tuesday, voters here and across the U.S. will be hearing a lot more from Bloomberg in the months to come. The only question is whether hell be running for president, or just working to defeat one. The bodies of two ethnic Rakhines and one Rohingya Muslim civilian were discovered Monday in Mrauk-U township in western Myanmars war-ravaged Rakhine state, a local relief group said, following two days of clashes between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army that left 11 villagers dead. The Rakhine Ethnics Congress (REC), a group tallying the number of civilians displaced by armed conflict in the state that intensified in late 2018, told RFAs Myanmar Service that the bruised bodies were found under a bridge near Shantaung village after a battle near Myaungbwe village on Feb. 29. There are bruises and dark spots on the bodies, [and] it looks like they were beaten, he said. We found gunshot wounds on one, and another had cut marks on the neck. Tun Thar Sein, a lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, said whichever armed group took the civilians away and killed them should explain why they are now dead. Some said these civilians were taken by the military after they were interrogated on the street, he told RFA. Some say they had been taken from their homes. The authorities concerned should provide an explanation of what happened if they were still alive while in detention or died during interrogation. RFA was unable to reach either Colonel Win Zaw Oo, spokesman for the Myanmars militarys Western Command responsible for Rakhine state, or Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier Gen Zaw Min Tun for comment. Area residents said the fighting began after a landmine planted by the AA exploded when it was triggered by a military convoy on Feb. 29. Seven civilians were killed in the same day, including two who died of heart attacks, they said. One villager who saw the three bodies under the bridge said one was that of a Rohingya. Another corpse was discovered on the farm near the village on Sunday, bringing the total death toll to 11, residents said. AA spokesman Khine Thukha accused Myanmar soldiers of taking away the three civilians and killing them. The REC said a total of 15 Rohingya and three Rakhine villagers were injured during the fighting near Myaungbwe village, while six Rohingya and seven Rakhine villagers are missing. Both Muslims and Buddhists live in the village. Unilateral cease-fire extended On March 1, the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic armies the AA, the Taang National Liberation Army, and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) announced that they were extending a unilateral cease-fire for 25 more days to help create a peaceful environment in the run-up to general elections in November. They also said the extension is meant to implement peace talks to enable them to sign the governments nationwide cease-fire agreement and to provide collective assistance to overcome the coronavirus outbreak. The TNLA and MNDAA are active in northern and eastern Shan state and oppose the Myanmar Armys ongoing military operations in territory they control. In a statement, the groups called on Myanmar forces to immediately end its attacks on them. The Myanmar Army is urged to stop all of their one-sided offensive assaults against the revolutionary organizations of ethnic nationalities immediately and to sign a truce agreement with the revolutionary organizations of ethnic nationalities as soon as possible by showing [the] political will to carry out negotiations and [a] cease-fire declaration, the statement said. It also said that the three rebel armies will take defensive action if they are attacked by government soldiers. Dozens of civilians have died in fighting in Rakhine state since December 2018. The REC estimates that about 110,000 villagers have been displaced since the beginning of the year. A brutal military-led crackdown on Muslim communities in Rakhine in 2017 left thousands of Rohingya dead and forced more than 740,000 others across the border and into neighboring Bangladesh. United Nations investigators have said that the violence was carried out with genocidal intent, though Myanmar has denied that charge. Some of the 600,000 Rohingya still living in Myanmar, including tens of thousands who reside in internal displacement camps, have been caught up in hostilities between Myanmar forces and the mostly ethnic Rakhine and Buddhist AA, which seeks greater autonomy in the region. Reported by Phyu Phyu Khine for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a Central Committee meeting on, March 2, 2020. The Central Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday at 14.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. Representatives from the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten will be present. The agenda point is: Presentation on Economic Developments by the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (IS/609/2019-2020 dated February 24, 2020) Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten. Sebastian Vettel does not think he will still be racing in Formula 1 when he turns 40. The oldest driver on the grid is 40-year-old Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel is just 32, but a slide in form in recent years has triggered speculation he may soon retire. The German looks set to sign a new deal for 2020, with Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto calling the quadruple world champion a "great leader". "There are no signs and no reasons why I couldn't or shouldn't continue," he told Sport Bild. Vettel said that over the winter break, he "came to the conclusion that I definitely want it and that I still enjoy it". "I don't think I have to be afraid that I can't or won't be there next year." He said he is also targeting a new deal with Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc. "I believe that it is simply the most important team in Formula 1. Winning here feels different to winning anywhere else," said Vettel. However, he doubts he will still be on the grid at 40. "Not in Formula 1," he told Sport Bild. "You should never say never, but the main thing is that I am happy. We will see when that is." Vettel said his main goal in life is that his family is also happy "and that I am doing something that I enjoy and that fulfils me". "I currently have that with my job, but I don't imagine I'll be in Formula 1 in eight years." (GMM) The coronavirus has been spreading in Washington state undetected, according to a new analysis, as health officials nationwide increasingly fear there are far more cases of the deadly virus that have not yet been confirmed. Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, spearheaded a genetic analysis of two virus samples after multiple cases of the mysterious illness were confirmed throughout Washington in recent weeks. His findings suggested the state was already facing a substantial outbreak that had not been previously detected because initial tests for coronavirus were limited to people who had recently visited China. The virus samplings came from two patients living in the state, according to Washington Post: one of the patients, who was the first person identified to have coronavirus in the US, had recently travelled to China before returning to Snohomish County. The second patient had not recently travelled and was not known to have any exposure to the coronavirus. 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 Such findings indicated that cryptic transmission had been occurring in Washington over the last six weeks, according to Mr Bedford. In announcing his findings on Twitter, Mr Bedford wrote: I believe we're facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China." An official with the US Centre for Disease Control told the Washington Post the centre was in contact with Mr Bedford and that more analysis would need to be done to determine how the virus has spread throughout Washington, calling the findings far from definitive. Still, the genetic similarities between both strains assessed in Mr Bedfords findings could suggest the virus had been spreading in Washington ever since the first patient returned to Snohomish County in January. Both patients involved in the assessment were not known to have contact with each other before testing positive for the virus. At least two people in the US died as a result of the coronavirus, as the death toll surpassed 3,000 worldwide, with the majority of those occurring in China where the coronavirus originated. US health officials have meanwhile said the virus spreading throughout the country was all but inevitable, as the White House and federal agencies prepared for the outbreak to substantially impact everything from the strength of the economy to everyday life. Follow live updates on the coronavirus outbreak here. Police on Monday filed a charge sheet against two men for allegedly making provocative speeches at the funeral of a militant in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. Police presented a charge sheet against Mohammad Rafiq Shah and Bashir Ahmad Lone for their involvement in a case pertaining to delivering a provocative speech at Chunduna in Ganderbal district, a police spokesperson said. In 2018, the duo had made the speech at the funeral of Mohammad Rafiq Bhat, a professor at Kashmir University who was killed within two days of joining militant ranks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shabista Khan, wife of suspended paediatrician Dr Kafeel Khan, has said that she fears that her husband's life is in danger. She has written to the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court and senior government authorities seeking security for her husband who is lodged in Mathura jail after he was arrested in Mumbai by the SIT of UP Police. BCCL "My husband is being mentally tortured in jail and is being subjected to inhuman behaviour," Shabista wrote in her letter to the chief justice of Allahabad High Court, additional chief secretary (home) and director general (jail), among others. She said that she apprehended that an attempt could be made on her husband's life in jail and demanded adequate security for him. She also demanded that her husband should be kept away from active criminals and lodged with common prisoners. BCCL Shabista also alleged that the former paediatrician is not even being provided with food by the jail authorities. "We went to meet him in Mathura jail. He told me that when he was brought to the jail after being arrested, he was not given food for five days straight. The barrack he is staying in is very small and around 100-150 people have been lodged there. His life might be in danger there," Shabista told ANI. Dr. Khan was arrested from the Mumbai airport in January for allegedly delivering a provocative speech during the anti-CAA protest at Aligarh Muslim University in December He was later brought back to UP and was lodged in the Mathura jail. On February 14, a day after he was granted by the court and was about walk free, the stringent National Security Act (NSA) was slapped on Khan. The NSA allows preventive detention for several months if the authorities believe the person is a threat to national security or law and order. AFP Dr. Khan first shot into fame during the death of over 60 children in one week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in August 2017, allegedly due to a short supply of oxygen at the children's ward. Khan was hailed a hero after he arranged oxygen cylinders and saved many lives. However, the Yogi Adityanath government suspended Kjna accusing him of negligence and corruption. About two years later, a state government probe cleared Kafeel Khan of all major charges, prompting him to seek an apology from the Yogi government. The UP government, however, maintains that Dr. Khan has not been given a clean chit yet. By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court this week gets its first chance to consider new curbs on abortion rights with President Donald Trump's two conservative appointees on the bench as it examines the legality of a Louisiana law that could force two of the state's three clinics that perform the procedure to shut down. The court, with a 5-4 conservative majority, is scheduled on Wednesday to hear arguments in an appeal by Shreveport-based abortion provider Hope Medical Group for Women seeking to invalidate the law. Chief Justice John Roberts may be pivotal in deciding the outcome, with Trump's appointees Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch also in the spotlight. The clinic sued to block the 2014 law, which requires that doctors who perform abortions have a difficult-to-obtain arrangement called "admitting privileges" at a hospital within 30 miles (48 km) of the abortion clinic. A federal appeals court ruled against the clinic and upheld the law. The Supreme Court struck down a similar Texas requirement in 2016 when conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired in 2018, joined the four liberal justices to defend abortion rights. Trump has tightened the conservative grip on the court with his 2018 appointment of Kavanaugh, who replaced Kennedy, and his 2017 appointment of Gorsuch. In their prior stints as federal appellate judges, neither Kavanaugh nor Kennedy ruled directly on abortion rights. But Trump promised during the 2016 presidential race to appoint justices who would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized a woman's constitutional right to an abortion and legalized it nationwide. The Louisiana case will test the willingness of the court to uphold Republican-backed abortion restrictions being pursued in numerous conservative states. Roberts, a conservative, cast the deciding vote when the court last year on a 5-4 vote blocked Louisiana's law from going into effect while the litigation over its legality continued. When the Supreme Court in 1992 reaffirmed Roe v. Wade, it prohibited laws that placed an "undue burden" on a woman's ability to obtain an abortion. In the Texas case, Roberts concluded that an admitting privileges requirement did not represent an undue burden, but he was in the minority in the ruling. Known to be concerned about the court's institutional reputation and integrity, Roberts may be wary about reversing such a recent precedent even though he was one of the dissenters in the 2016 case. "Everyone is looking to the chief justice to see what he is going to do," said Nicole Saharsky, a lawyer who regularly argues at the Supreme Court. Baton Rouge-based U.S. District Judge John deGravelles cited the undue burden precedent when he struck down Louisiana's law in 2016, prompting the state to appeal to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 5th Circuit upheld the law despite the 2016 precedent, concluding there was no evidence any Louisiana clinic would close due to the admitting privileges requirement. 'OPEN DEFIANCE' Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights legal advocacy group representing the Hope clinic, said the justices must know that Louisiana's law was in "open defiance" of their 2016 precedent. "The real issue for the court in this case is: are they going to follow their own precedent from four years ago?" Northup said. Louisiana Solicitor General Liz Murrill, who is defending the law, said "big differences" between the Texas and Louisiana laws mean the justices do not need to treat them the same way. "The state has a significant and compelling interest in showing there's a safe environment. We can't rely on them to do it," Murrill said, referring to the clinics. The Hope clinic has said implementation of the law would force it and another facility in Baton Rouge to shut, leaving a single clinic, located in New Orleans, for the entire state of about 4.6 million people. The state disputes that finding. The Hope clinic, in a windowless brick building in Shreveport often with anti-abortion protesters outside, draws women not just from northwestern Louisiana but also eastern Texas and southern Arkansas. Abortion remains one of the most divisive social issues in the United States, with Christian conservatives among those most opposed to it. A Supreme Court ruling in favor of Louisiana's law could lead other states to pass similar measures. Abortion rights advocates have argued that restrictions such as admitting privileges are meant to limit access to abortion not protect women's health as proponents say. Anti-abortion activists are hoping the Supreme Court, with Gorsuch and Kavanaugh and perhaps additional Trump appointees on the bench if he wins re-election on Nov. 3, will scale back or even overturn Roe v. Wade. Amanda Nottingham, an activist with the Louisiana Right to Life advocacy group that supports Louisiana's law, said the court is "far more favorable now than it was a few years ago." "Obviously our goal is to see the end of abortion," Nottingham added. Louisiana's law, Nottingham said, "makes a statement to the rest of the nation that Louisiana is pro-life and we are here to protect women, and we want the highest level of care and safety for them." [For a graphic on U.S. state abortion laws, see tmsnrt.rs/2WZuiVP] (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The problem isnt with the Constitution. The problem is that, as a practical matter in the current political environment, the House of Representatives does not have other effective tools it can use to enforce its subpoenas. It has no power over the presidents nominees (thats the Senates job, and besides, this president prefers acting officials anyway). The House cannot block the presidents desired legislative agenda because at the moment there isnt one. And for President Trumps one prized project the wall he already executed an end-run around the annual congressional appropriations process by declaring a national emergency at the southern border. In theory, the House could try to deny funding for the executive branch more broadly, or parts of it. But you can imagine Mr. Trump welcoming such a move because it would offer an opportunity to paint House Democrats as extremists bent on bringing him down. The House could try to embarrass noncompliant officials by censuring them or holding them in contempt. But such measures would rightfully be viewed as toothless. Indeed, in a political culture that rewards conflict and punishes compromise, you can imagine the president encouraging his supporters to view a contempt citation from the House of Representatives as a badge of honor and proof of victimhood. In theory, the House could seek to enlist the Senate in supporting its oversight efforts. But a Senate whose leadership and majority is politically dependent on the presidents approval like Mitch McConnell and Republicans in the Senate wont act to protect institutional prerogatives. The House could try to rely on its inherent contempt power to send the sergeant-at-arms of the House, Paul D. Irving, to physically take Mr. McGahn into custody and detain him somewhere in, say, the Capitol Police headquarters. If Mr. McGahn did not wish to be detained, he could visit his old boss and let the Capitol Police and the Secret Service fight it out on the grounds of the White House. Sounds pretty ugly, doesnt it? If the sergeant-at-arms did manage to detain Mr. McGahn, the courts would almost certainly find they have jurisdiction to consider a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Thats a court order demanding that a public official (such as the sergeant-at-arms) deliver a detained individual to the court and show a valid reason for that persons detention. In that context its possible the court could decide the merits of the testimonial immunity issue. Nevertheless, its hard to say exactly how this case ends. Fridays court decision could be appealed by the committee and the case then receive whats known as an en banc hearing where all the judges on the District of Columbia Circuit Court hear and decide the case. That could drag on for months. The case could be rendered moot by the November election, or in theory be decided by the Supreme Court sometime in 2021. If the case is rendered moot, the opinion would not have any legal effect, strictly speaking. But that doesnt necessarily mean this decision goes away. Unless it is overturned, it will remain on the books and be used as a cudgel by any president that wishes to defy congressional subpoenas. And that could alter the balance of power for a generation or more in favor of secrecy, a lack of accountability and even lawlessness within the executive branch. After the super success Oh! Baby, filmmaker Nandini Reddy has signed a film with the Mahanati producers. Nandinis style of writing is what impressed the them, big time. Now, we have learnt that they have decided to collaborate with Naga Chaitanya. The producers feels Nandinis uncanny knack in penning realistic drama, and bringing forth natural emotions from actors is something thatll work big time in their favour. Hence, they felt her forthcoming script will be apt for someone like Naga Chaitanya, informs a source. The director is currently in the US on prior commitments. After she returns, the producers are expected to make an official announcement. The fact that Iran reported deaths on the same day as its first coronavirus infections right before its parliamentary elections "can compel anyone" that there has been a cover-up, a senior research fellow said this week. Iran reported its first two coronavirus-related deaths "out of (the) blue" on Feb. 19, Asif Shuja from the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute said. The country confirmed the cases earlier that day, and citizens went to the polls two days later. "That is what can compel anyone that there has been cover-up, as far as infection is concerned," Shuja told CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Monday. The World Health Organization's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Sunday told CNBC's Hadley Gamble that the WHO has its "own mechanism" for checking facts and has not seen problems with Iran's reported figures. The coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019, but has since spread to nearly 60 countries. Iran has been one of the worst-hit countries apart from China. Reuters reported that 978 people have been infected and 54 have died. An alternative theory to the possible cover-up is that authorities were too busy with the elections that they did not realize the virus had reached its borders, Shuja said, noting that senior Iranian officials tested positive. "Once it came in the full force, there also, they had a lot of compulsion to restrict the information related to that because they still had two days for the election," he said. "That is why one can safely assume that the information that is coming out of Iran is not entirely to be trusted," he added. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Iranian sanitary workers disinfect Qom's Masumeh shrine on February 25, 2020 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus which reached Iran, where there were concerns the situation might be worse than officially acknowledged. MEHDI MARIZAD | AFP | Getty Images WASHINGTON, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy: This week, AIPAC is holding its annual policy conference under a cloud of controversy to pitch dangerous U.S. policies. But there is hope. The following expert analysts are confirmed speakers at the only national conference challenging the Israel lobby's repressive agenda while proposing better alternatives for America: Legendary rock musician Roger Waters discusses the results of artist boycotts of Israel and how artists can educate their fans. Gideon Levy, Haaretz columnist and "Dean of Israeli journalism," examines the nature of democracy in Israel, questions about human rights, the occupation and apartheid, and gives his views on the trajectory of Israeli and U.S. news media. Professor Joseph Massad addresses the prospects of the global movement for justice for Palestinians. Reverend Don Wagner provides insight into the misleading promises and teachings Christian Zionist leaders are making in concert with Israel lobby operatives to compel Christian evangelical support at the ballot box. Professor Juan Cole analyzes the Israel lobby's push for the U.S. to attack Iran and proposes better alternative paths for U.S. engagement. Professor Stephen Walt, co-author of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, provides an update on the Israel lobby's influence over U.S. foreign policy, and advances more sensible, productive alternatives. Media expert Sut Jhally analyzes whether American news organizations are getting better or worse in the quality, balance and accuracy of their Middle East reporting. Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb reveals why Zionism is now a failing ideology among the younger generation of American Jews. Writer and activist Sumaya Awad discusses Canary Mission blacklisting and other grave threats facing college students fighting for human rights in Palestine. Student activist Aman Aberra examines efforts by the Trump administration Department of Education to quash free speech on college campuses by equating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. For more information, visit IsraelLobbyCon.org . Tickets for the May 29 conference and May 28 gala fundraising dinner at the National Press Club are available at Eventbrite . Tell your representative in federal or state government to request a free ticket . Students may apply for free admission and travel stipends . News media can now apply for credentials . IsraelLobbyCon is solely sponsored by the American Educational Trust, publisher of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs , and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep). SOURCE Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy Related Links https://www.irmep.org The Grenfell Inquiry recommences today with witnesses from the corporations and organisations whose actions caused the deaths of 72 people granted immunity from any prosecution that might result from their testimony. Phase two of the proceedings were halted on January 29, when representatives of the architects of the Grenfell Tower 2014-16 refurbishment, Studio E, flammable cladding providers and installers Rydon and Harley Facades, and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) petitioned inquiry head Sir Martin Moore-Bick to ask the Attorney Generals office for an undertaking that they would be given immunity from self-incrimination. During the intervening period, published letters exchanged between the Attorney General and the Inquiry shed light on how the attempts of the corporate wrongdoers to shield themselves from justice were being facilitated by the Inquiry and government. Solicitor to the Inquiry, Caroline Featherstone, contacted the Attorney General to express concern that some witnesses were so closely identified with their corporate entity that it might be more expedient to provide corporate immunity as well as individual protection against self-incrimination. On February 18, the Attorney Generals office was forced to ask Featherstone, How could a witness give oral evidence to the Inquiry in a corporate capacity, rather than in their individual capacity, and why does the Inquiry consider it is necessary to receive evidence in that form? ... In our view uncertainty over these issues has the potential to create practical challenges for the investigation and potential prosecution of any criminal offenses arising out of the events which the Inquiry is considering. Two days later, Featherstone insisted, There is a risk that some individuals may be so closely identified with a corporate entity that their answers to questions may be capable of being attributed to the corporate entity itself, which would be entitled to make an independent claim to privilege against self-incrimination. Including companies would simply ensure that, if and insofar as they could be regarded as having given evidence, they would also be protected against self-incrimination to the same extent as under the general law. Last Wednesday, new Attorney General Suella Braverman granted the request for individual witness immunityunder which no oral evidence can be used in any future criminal prosecution. Braverman said this was vital to discover the truth about the consequences of the fire. The fact sheet by the Attorney Generals office explaining the ruling was a damage limitation exercise. Granting such an undertaking of immunity has been central to many other inquiriesand is a tried and tested mechanism of the ruling elite to manage their crises. It names the the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, the Ladbroke Grove Inquiry, the Robert Hamill Inquiry, the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry, the Baha Mousa Inquiry, the Al Sweady Inquiry, the Azelle Rodney Inquiry, the Iraqi Fatalities Investigations and the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The statement declares that the undertaking does not provide immunity from prosecution against anyone (whether individuals or corporates) and the Attorney concluded it will not jeopardise the police investigation or prospects of a future criminal prosecution. It concludes, Only oral evidence is covered by the undertaking. Any documents considered by the Inquiry are not covered and so can be used in any future prosecution. Also, as noted above, the undertaking does not cover corporates which means that oral evidence given to the Inquiry can be used against them in any future prosecution. The decision applies to critical issues being raised in Phase 2, including the examination of refurbishment and cladding in the combustible panels and accompanying insulation, testing, certifying, and marketing of the cladding, and how the Conservative-run Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO)that managed the tower on its behalfcommunicated and handled complaints. No-one should accept the weasel words of the Attorney General. Individuals involved in terrible crimes are being made immune from prosecution. That is what it means to rule that any individual who gives evidence to the Inquiry (in Phase 2, Modules 1 to 3) cannot have that evidence used in any prosecution against them in the future. Moreover, all reassurances from the Attorney General and Inquiry about not granting corporations immunity, as entities, are a red herring. A month after the fire in July 2017, the Metropolitan Police sent a letter to survivors saying that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that each organisation may have committed the offence of corporate manslaughter, under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. As the WSWS noted last year, The police considering charges under the 2007 Act means that no individuals responsible will be brought to justice. The Act stipulates that only corporations as an entity can be found guilty of such a charge, not those leading the companies. The most that will happen, if the council and/or KCTMO are found guilty of corporate manslaughter, is that they will receive a fine and carry on with business as usual. As public entities, the taxpayers will foot the bill. The use of the 2007 legislation by the police has been critical in allowing the guilty to evade justice. The Met letter made clear that no individuals may ever be arrested or charged. It stated, The legislation under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 does not provide a power to arrest any individual. If at some point in the future the police bring any charges against the Grenfell corporations under the Act, the companies will be confronted by some of the most toothless legislation ever committed to the statute books. The Act was specifically written to protect corporations and individuals within them from being brought to justice. Section 18 of the Act headed No individual liability states: (1) An individual cannot be guilty of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of an offence of corporate manslaughter. It adds: (1A) An individual cannot be guilty of an offence under Part 2 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 (encouraging or assisting crime) by reference to an offence of corporate manslaughter. (2) An individual cannot be guilty of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring, or being art and part in, the commission of an offence of corporate homicide. The WSWS warned, The Corporate Manslaughter Act has had no impact at all on punishing the criminal activity carried out by major corporations in the decade since its introduction. All the prosecutions brought under the Act have targeted small and medium sized firms, resulting in only 21 convictions and the largest fine of just 1.2 million. In December 2013, a firm convicted of the death of a worker who was crushed while trying to repair a street-sweeping truck was fined just 8,000. The Act enables corporations to bypass the Common Law offense of gross negligence manslaughterunder which those convicted can go to prisondue to its guarantee of individual impunity. Responding to the decision granting immunity, a spokesman for the relatives support group Grenfell United observed, We cant help worry about how this will impact prosecutions later. It is clear that corporate lawyers are playing every dirty trick from the book. The group insisted, Truth at the inquiry must not come at the expense of justice and prosecution. For our continued participation the government must make sure the inquiry process does not undermine prosecutions. If prosecutions are affected by this decision, we will hold the government accountable. Grenfell was a tragedy, but it was not an accident. The people responsible for knowingly encasing our families in a death trap and the people that allowed them to do it must face the full force of the law. We expect criminal prosecutions at the end of this and will not settle for anything less. Fire Brigades Union (FBU) General Secretary, Matt Wrack, said that firefighters who had provided testimony earlier would be appalled by the decision. It seems there is one rule for them and another for those doing the bidding of the profiteers who turned Grenfell into a death trap. The truth must now come outand those responsible must be finally held to account. Yet Wrack and the FBU continue to back and facilitate an inquiry and police investigation that are mechanisms through which those guilty of social murder are being protected. Moore-Bicks Inquiry was convened under the Blair Labour government 2005 Inquiries Act, which states, An inquiry panel is not to rule on, and has no power to determine, any persons civil or criminal liability. Moore-Bick proposed, with former Prime Minister Theresa May rushing to agree, that any issues of a social, economic and political nature, should be barred from the inquiry. The Grenfell families and all those seeking justice must end collaboration with the inquiry and instruct their legal teams to withdraw. The arrests, charging, and criminal prosecutions of all those responsible must begin immediately. The author recommends: Inquiry issues cover-up report on Grenfell Tower fire disaster [31 October 2019] Official inquiry cover-up of Grenfell Fire begins second phase [27 January 2020] Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has lashed out at New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for challenging Australia's controversial deportation laws. Last week, Ms Ardern used a joint press conference with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to attack the policy, which has seen about 2000 criminals sent back to New Zealand. 'Do not deport your people and your problems,' she said. Mr Dutton said her comments were 'regrettable' but he did not resile from the policy. Speaking at a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Mrs Arden criticised controversial deportation laws, which have seen 2000 criminals sent back to New Zealand, no matter how long they have lived in Australia 'New Zealand obviously is in an electoral cycle at the moment,' he told Sky News on Monday. 'It is, I think, regrettable that she made the comments but that would have played well domestically for her.' Australia's policy of deporting foreign-born criminals has placed deep strain on trans-Tasman relations for several years. 'I think for Australia we act in our national interest and her job is to act in the national interest of New Zealanders, so I don't think there is any surprise there,' Mr Dutton said. 'But I don't have any regrets about the numbers of visas we've cancelled, particularly the people who have committed sexual offences against women and children.' Mr Dutton is not taking a backward step and has 'no regrets over the number of visa's cancelled' for foreign born criminals Ms Ardern raised the example of a woman who had left New Zealand at the age of one but was kicked out of Australia regardless. Mr Dutton is not taking a backward step. 'If you're born in Australia and you commit an offence in any part of the world, you can expect to be deported back to Australia, and that's the responsibility of any sovereign nation,' he said. 'But for us, we have 99 per cent of people who come here who do the right thing. 'But if you're a non-citizen coming to our country and you're assaulting an Australian, you're breaking in, you're stealing ... then you can expect to have your visa cancelled and be deported.' GRANDVILLE, MI -- First responders were en route to rescue two adults who fell through the ice on Whispering Springs Lake in Grandville when a third adult fell through, police say. Grandville Police and Fire Department got the call at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1 and were on their way with American Medical Response when a Good Samaritan also fell through the ice trying to help, according to a press release. Officers and firefighters were able to use the boat of a nearby resident to rescue all three adults, according to the press release. Two of the victims were taken to a local hospital for observation but did not show life-threatening injuries, according to the press release. The Grandville Police Department credited the successful rescue to the quick 911 response and the assistance of nearby residents. The department is also reminding people of the dangers associated with venturing on to frozen bodies of water. Also on MLive: Driver swerves for deer, causes head-on collision Children ejected from van hospitalized after I-96 rollover Traffic backup from I-96 rollover causes fatal crash Kalamazoo police search for suspect involved in Portage Street shooting Feb. 21 At 2:08 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of Bissonnet in regards to damaged property. It was reported that an unknown person/s had broken a window with a slingshot. A criminal mischief report was generated. Feb. 22 At 8:58 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 3500 block of Albans in regards to a report of criminal mischief. It was reported that an unknown person/s had spray painted the side of a residents home. A criminal mischief report was generated. At 9:46 p.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling westbound in the 3200 block of Wroxton and turned in to the 5300 block of Buffalo Speedway with a flat front right tire with no hazards lights on. A welfare check was conducted on the vehicle in the 5200 block of Buffalo Speedway. After further investigation the driver was found to be intoxicated. The driver (Robert Brian Sweetland) was arrested for the Suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated. Feb. 23 At 3:21 a.m., an Officer observed a male in the 5600 block of Kirby picking up blocks of cement and throwing it toward windows causing damage. Officers attempted to make contact and the subject became combative. Officers were able to subdue the subject by using minimal amount of force necessary and upon further investigation, the subject qualified for a mental health diversion program. Subject was transported to the Harris County Diversion Center without further incident. At 12:54 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 3900 block of Amherst in regard to a report of a minor accident that had already occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered that one of the vehicles involved was a parked unoccupied van, and the other vehicle left the scene without providing any information. A report for a minor accident, and a report for failure to stop and give information was generated. Feb. 24 At 10:28 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 4200 block of Rice in regards to found property. The officer took custody of the found property. The property was transported to the West University Place Police Department for safe keeping. At 11:11 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a parking lot located in the 1600 Block of S Loop W in order to obtain custody of a subject who had multiple West University Place capias warrants for her arrest. Upon arrival, the subject (Candi Leigh Richardson) was taken into custody and transported to West University Place without incident. Feb. 25 At 8 a.m., an officer was disatched to the 3900 block of Oberlin for a report of criminal mischief. On arrival, the victim said she parked her car in her driveway on 2-24-20 at about 7:30 a.m. and saw a window on the rear drivers side of her vehicle was not shattered. She returned on 2-25-20 and discovered the window was shattered. At 9:41 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the West University Place Police Department in reference to a case of identity theft. The victim said an unknown person(s) used his personal identifying information to add a person to his credit card account. At 3:17 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the PD lobby to meet with a resident concerning a fraudulent cell phone account. The Officer met with the complainant obtaining required information. Feb. 26 At 6:52 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 6400 block of Vanderbilt in regard to a theft that had already occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered that an unknown person had stolen several wheels and tires from a vehicle. A report for theft was generated. At 5:38 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 3400 block of Tangley to speak with a complainant, in regards to their identity being stolen by an unknown person(s). A report for Identity Theft was generated. At 11:16 p.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling southbound in the 6700 block of Buffalo Speedway with an expired registration. A traffic stop was conducted in the 6800 block of Buffalo Speedway. After further investigation, the officer discovered the driver to be in possession of marijuana. The driver chose to participate in the Misdemeanor Marijuana Diversion Program and was issued a written warning for Expired Registration. The driver was released from the scene without incident. Feb. 27 At 5:55 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 3800 block of University in reference to a burglary of a motor vehicle that already occurred. Upon further investigation, it was discovered an unknown person(s) entered the owner's vehicle and removed item(s) without the owner's effective consent. A burglary of a motor vehicle report was generated. TORONTO - More than 100 people protested outside a mining convention Sunday in downtown Toronto, where they blocked traffic on multiple roads and stood in front of entrances to the event. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Protesters gather outside the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada mining industry convention in Toronto on Sunday, March 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO - More than 100 people protested outside a mining convention Sunday in downtown Toronto, where they blocked traffic on multiple roads and stood in front of entrances to the event. Organizers said they were demonstrating against the harmful effects of resource extraction to the environment and to Indigenous lands. At one point, protesters attempted to enter the convention but were stopped by police. "We want to make our voices heard and our presence seen because there are communities that this conference is directly impacting," said Vanessa Gray, a protest organizer who's Anishinaabe Kwe. "The industry is doing mare harm than good for our future, our environment." Daniel Huizenga, who attended the protest with his son, said the issue has been in the spotlight due to recent demonstrations in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs in British Columbia, who oppose a pipeline project in their traditional territory. Those demonstrations have involved road and rail blockades, though police have recently moved to dismantle some of them. "There's a lot of things coming together at the moment," said Huizenga. "Canada's continued refusal of aboriginal title and rights is getting too much for people, they don't want to see it anymore." Organizers for Sunday's protest in Toronto said many of the companies who provide economic support for the Costal GasLink pipeline project in B.C. also take part in the mining convention. They said the protest was raising concerns about the impact of resource extraction projects both in Canada and around the world. Protesters pointed to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada, which decided that Vancouver-based mining company Nevsun Resources could be sued for alleged human rights abuses overseas, including modern slavery. The ruling came after three refugees from Eritrea in eastern Africa alleged they were forced to work at a gold, copper and zinc mine. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2020 When asked about changes that the candidates would be in favor of with regard to health care, Trevor spoke about her experience in the health care industry and expressed support for the Affordable Care Act. She made the point that it provided health insurance for many who could not get it before. The resin -- hardened unter water. Credit: TU Wien Within seconds the new material can be completely transformed. Initially, the material is transparent and either in liquid or paste form; then, when any part of it is irradiated with the appropriate light, the entire resin begins to solidify and takes on a dark colour. The special epoxy resin formula that makes this possible has been patented by TU Wien. Now, researchers have even successfully carried out the process underwater. This means that the new epoxy resin can be used for jobs that, up until now, had been very difficult to carry out, such as filling underwater cracks in bridge pillars or dams, or repairing pipes during ongoing operation. As a further novelty, the special formula can be applied in combination with carbon fibres and carbon fibre mats. Many possibilities arise for applications in aerospace engineering, wind turbines, shipbuilding or the automotive industryin every field where the highest mechanical properties need to be combined with lightweight design. Ordinary material with an extraordinary addition Epoxy resins are standard materials that are used in the industrial sector for many different purposes, such as insulating electronic components or securing mechanical parts. The research group headed up by Professor Robert Liska (Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, TU Wien) develops additives that are added to ordinary epoxy resin in order to adjust its properties and enable targeted curing at the touch of a button. "We are developing special compounds in which light triggers a chemical reaction," explains Robert Liska." This can be a bright flash of visible light, but we also have compounds which only react to UV light." At the point where the light strikes the resin, a reaction is started that releases heat. This heat spreads and initiates a chemical cascade elsewhere until all the resin has been cured. The new resin is hardened under water. Credit: TU Wien "The key advantage of this method is that it isn't necessary to illuminate the entire resin as with other light-curing materials," explains Liska. "It's sufficient to irradiate any part of the resin with light. The rest then cures even if it's situated deep in a dark crack that you want to fill." "Furthermore, it has to be mentioned that the whole formulation has a nearly unlimited storage stability, which makes processing significantly easier compared to state of the art materials" Partner companies from industry have enquired whether this process would also be possible in presence of "dark" fillers or fibres as self-curing epoxy resin would be extremely useful for some of these more difficult applications. "On the surface, this idea contradicts all theories," thinks Liska. "The light has a very low penetration depth into the material because it is strongly absorbed by the carbon fibres," still, experiments at TU Wien impressively showed the working process. Also the efficient underwater curing contradicts the theory. "Initially we didn't think it would be possible. One would first expect that the water would chemically react with the components of the resin, and also that it would remove the heat required to sustain the reaction." Surprisingly, however, it was still possible for the light-triggered self-curing process to take place underwater. "A key reason for this is that the chemical reaction brings the water to the boil," explains Dr. Patrick Knaack, senior scientist at the same institute. "A thin protective layer of water vapour then forms between the hardening resin and the surrounding water." Researchers are now looking for further users from industry to explore the potential of this special resin. There is currently financial support from the Austria Science Fund FFG in the framework of the "Spin-off Fellowship" program with the aim to create a start-up company in late summer 2020. Besides the application of glass- and carbon fibre-reinforced composites in aerospace, shipbuilding and automotive manufacturing, the restoration of buildings is a particularly interesting area. For example, you could fill cracks in buildings that are built in water with viscous resin and then cure them with a flash of light. The maintenance of pipelines is another job that is often difficult to carry outthe use of the new resin could also be suitable here. "There are many possibilities and we are hoping for some interesting new ideas," says Patrick Knaack. Explore further Curing at the touch of a buttoncarbon fiber composites and underwater adhesives More information: Anh Dung Tran et al, Radical induced cationic frontal polymerization for preparation of epoxy composites, Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing (2020). Anh Dung Tran et al, Radical induced cationic frontal polymerization for preparation of epoxy composites,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2020.105855 A Chinese clinic's deputy head has dropped dead after fighting the deadly coronavirus on the front line for 33 days straight, according to China's state media. Dr Zhong Jinxing, 32, died of a heart attack in his dorm room in the wee hours of Friday, reported Xinhua News Agency through its social media account. It is said that the medic had volunteered to work without a day off since January 26. He left behind his wife and their six-year-old daughter. Dr Zhong Jinixng from Guangxi Province in southern China had volunteered to work without a day off since January 26, according to reports. He was the deputy leader of a team of medical workers who were in charge of the control and prevention of the virus in Lingfeng Town Clinic He devoted himself to a series of tasks, including paying door-to-door visits to conduct health checks. A picture released by Guangxi News shows Dr Zhong (middle) visiting the locals According to local Guangxi News, Dr Zhong was the deputy director of Lingfeng Town Clinic in Guangxi Province, southern China. He also served as the deputy leader of a team of medical workers who were in charge of the control and prevention of the new coronavirus in Lingfeng Town Clinic. He devoted himself to a series of tasks, including paying door-to-door visits to families to conduct health checks, supervising the quarantine situation of the residents who had returned from Hubei Province and taking the body temperature of drivers and passengers on the highway, the report said. He allegedly started a meeting with his colleagues at around 11pm on Thursday to discuss how to prevent the spread of the virus when the locals returned to work. After he went back to his dormitory in the wee hours, he collapsed and died. Originating in Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has killed at least 2,912 people and infected more than 80,000 inside China. The picture shows a family wearing face masks and plastic raincoats walking at the Hongqiao railway station in Shanghai on Monday Overnight, the Hubei health officials reported 196 new cases out of a nationwide total of 202 and all of the 42 new deaths nationwide. This picture shows travellers wearing face masks sitting on benches at Changsha railway station in Changsha, Hunan Province, on March 2 Globally, the coronavirus has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,600 The family of the 'heroic' doctor will be paid 818,000 yuan (91,400) after the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau ruled his case a 'workplace injury', said Guangxi Daily on Twitter-like Weibo. The news came as a 55-year-old doctor in Wuhan the centre of the coronavirus outbreak died after contracting the disease from patients. Dr Jiang Xueqing, who worked at the Wuhan Central Hospital, died in the wee hours yesterday at Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital following 'all-out rescue efforts', said a statement from Wuhan Central Hospital. Since the outbreak started last December, 25 Chinese medical workers who dedicated themselves to curbing the epidemic have died, including 12 of them who died after contracting the disease, according to Chinese news outlet Caixin. Dr Liu, the head of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, died of the disease at around 11am on February 18 after catching it at work, health officials confirmed Dr Liu Zhiming, the head of Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, died on February 18 at the age of 51 after being infected with the virus at work. Dr Li Wenliang, who was punished for sounding the alarm over the coronavirus outbreak before it spread, succembed to the deadly contagion on February 7, sparking outpourings of grief and fury on social media for the whistle-blower. Originating in Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has killed at least 2,912 people and infected more than 80,000 inside China. Overnight, the Hubei health officials reported 196 new cases out of a nationwide total of 202 and all of the 42 new deaths nationwide. Li Wenliang, 34, succumbed to the deadly contagion in the early hours of February 7 local time, despite attempts to resuscitate him. The ophthalmologist caught the public's attention after he was reprimanded by police and accused of spreading 'fake news' for warning on social media of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market'. His hospital initially denied reports of his death Mourners pay their respect to deceased Chinese doctor Li Wenliang during a vigil ceremony in Hong Kong on February 7. The public have accused Dr Li's hospital of trying to cover up truth While the virus crisis seems to have slowed down in China, outbreaks outside of China have escalated in the past week. Dozens of nations are now battling the contagion, with South Korea, Italy, Japan and Iran among the worst-affected. Virus cases in South Korea surged and millions of children in Japan stayed home from school today as officials struggled to contain the epidemic in more than 60 countries. South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at Dongdaegu railway station in Daegu on February 29. Coronavirus cases in South Korea have surged in the past week People wearing face masks ahead of the St David's Day Parade in Cardiff on Monday as fears continue to sweep Britain while the coronavirus crisis unfolds in more than 60 countries Coronavirus fears have also hit Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, with people wearing masks as they walk through the city Three women wear face masks as they walk through Banda Aceh, a city on the Indonesian island of Sumatra Portugal registered its first two cases of the new coronavirus today, both in people who had recently returned from abroad, the country's Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference. Meanwhile, Public Health England (PHE) warned that widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK was 'highly likely' as the Prime Minister gathers ministers for an emergency Cobra meeting. Health officials in Washington State in the United States said that a second person had died from the coronavirus - a man in his 70s from a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus. Globally, the coronavirus epidemic has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,620. Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more Motorolas new foldable Razr phone has been garnering mediocre notices from early reviewers. If this phone didnt fold in half, it would be a solid mid-tier Android phone, Patrick Holland wrote for Cnet. Even harsher was Adam Ismails verdict in Toms Guide: Between the Razrs questionable build quality, underwhelming performance, middling camera and awful battery life, the folding gimmick neat though it may be isnt enough to save this device. Most reviewers found the Razrs performance underwhelming for a phone priced at US$1,500. To get it so thin, and for it to be able to work without overheating, the company made too many compromises on performance, Sascha Segan wrote for PCMag. Everything here is subordinate to the design, he added, resulting in a phone that looks and feels like a $1,500 statement piece, but sure doesnt perform like one. Although the Razr wasnt as peppy as he would have liked it to be, Motorola found a good power-to-performance ratio with the Razr, Cnets Holland maintained. A Phone With Personality Despite its deficiencies, Holland said, the Razr has something most phones these days lack: personality. And as Jules says in Pulp Fiction, Personality goes a long way,' he wrote. The Razr feels more personal than any phone Ive used. Personality can go a long way in the smartphone market, agreed Bob ODonnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research, a technology market research and consulting firm in Foster City, California. Weve reached an era where phones are incredibly personal. Thats why I think youre going to find a bunch of people who like the Razr. Its radically different from all the other phones that are out there, he told TechNewsWorld. A D V E R T I S E M E N T In an era when people like to reflect their personality in their phones, this phone does that, ODonnell added. Nagging Durability Issue Although Motorola has assured the public that it thoroughly tested the Razrs durability, doubts remain. Are these things going to last three years like people expect them to? asked Frank E. Gillett, principal analyst at Forrester Research, a market research company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The target audience seems small to me people who value a tiny phone in their pocket above all else, he told TechNewsWorld. The only way to know is to use it for months on end, Holland acknowledged. The best evaluation of the phones durability will come once it has been in the hands of consumers for a significant time, said Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research, a high-tech research and advisory firm based in Phoenix, Arizona. The mechanical repetitious testing of the phone does indicate some care should be taken with it, he told TechNewsWorld. I expect it is more fragile than most phones, but there are people excited by the new form factor that are willing to take a chance on it. Undersized Battery The Razrs battery life disappointed reviewers. For a phone its size, the battery is on the small side. Ultimately, the Motorola Razr battery size means it has a lower potential maximum battery life compared to other phones, regardless of how you use it, Nirave Gondhia wrote for Android Central. Although he could get through most of day on a single charge, Holland noted, he had to plug in around dinner time. A D V E R T I S E M E N T PCMags Segan got six hours, 54 minutes, of video playback time on his review unit. More scarily, though, other applications consumed more energy than the video player, he added. Thirty minutes of playing Asphalt 8 hit the battery by 10 percent, working out to just five hours of gaming on a charge. Quacking Noise Reviewers also were annoyed by the noise made by opening and closing the phone. How bad is this sound? Holland asked in his review. Its not record skip loud, but its not great either. If I bought this phone, Id think something was wrong and want to swap it. Segan performed his own durability tests on the Razr, opening and closing it 1,000 times without damage. But after a mere 200 flips and to this moment the phone now makes a loud creaking noise when its opened or closed, he wrote. It didnt do that at the start; it opened and closed quietly and smoothly. Now it practically quacks, to the point that I want to get out some WD-40. Screen Divot While reviewers raved over the engineering behind Razrs flexible display, the screen itself received mixed assessments. The Razrs display quality is good, Holland wrote. Colors pop nicely and the contrast is crisp without looking overly sharp. According to Android Centrals Gondhia, the Razrs display lacks the punchiness or peak brightness of a Samsung phone, and opts for a more neutral profile vs. vividly displaying colors like other displays. Toms Guides Ismail knocked the screens brightness. At a peak brightness of just 386 nits, the Razrs screen is far too dim compared to leading flagships from Apple and Samsung, which routinely achieve nearly twice that these days, he wrote. Motorola says bumps and lumps are normal, and youll certainly feel them when scrolling, Ismail added. Our unit has a circular depression right in the center of the top half, and whenever I ran my index finger over that divot, it was never a great feeling. Camera Criticized The 16 megapixel, f/1.7 camera in the Razr was another sore point for reviewers. Photos taken in good light are sharp with impressive contrast. But as soon as youre in medium-to-low light things start to fall apart, Holland wrote. Without optical image stabilization, the Razr compensates with a longer shutter speed, which leads to motion blur, he continued. Video is there. Its fine. No one will be making a film for Netflix with the Razr. Segan described photos he shot with the Razr as soft and indistinct enlarged versions of lower-resolution pix taken with a Pixel 4 or iPhone 11. As the light goes down, he wrote, the Razrs performance declines further, with photos getting dim and noisy. Ultimately, I felt like I was taking pictures with a $250 phone, not a $1,500 one. Foldable Wave Coming Shortcomings aside, the Razr is breaking new ground for the smartphone market. I believe that the Razr is helping to open the way for foldable devices that previous efforts largely failed to do, said Charles King, principal analyst atPund-IT, a technology advisory firm in Hayward, California. However, the Razrs use of older components could hurt it in the very near future, as Samsung readies to launch its own flip phone, the Z Flip. Unless a substantially upgraded Razr is in the works, the Z Flips introduction is likely to present significant challenges to Motorola, King told TechNewsWorld. Meanwhile, consumers can expect more foldables in their future. Foldables will eventually become mainstream, Technalysis ODonnell predicted. They will be what most people will have, because people are looking for larger screens in smaller physical spaces, and the only way to do that is with a foldable display, he said. Folding form factors and dual screens are hot design innovations, noted Tirias Krewell, for not just phones, but for PCs this year, too. Virus continues to spread around world with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Indonesia among countries reporting first cases. Six people have died in the United States from the coronavirus with researchers warning the virus could have been circulating in the community for weeks, as more countries around the world reported their first cases of the disease on Monday. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Tunisia reported their first confirmed coronavirus cases, while the death toll in Iran rose to 66 the highest outside China. The Czech Republic, Scotland, and the Dominican Republic also confirmed their first cases. Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim majority nation, also announced its first patients. More than 89,000 people across 58 countries have now been diagnosed with the infection, while the death toll globally has exceeded 3,000. This is Hamza Mohamed taking over from Virginia Pietromarchi. Here are the latest updates: Monday, March 2 20:05 GMT Oman bans visitors from virus hit countries Visitors from countries where coronavirus has spread are banned from entering Oman, the countrys foreign ministry said, without specifying countries. This is a precautionary procedure and will be applied on all ports including land, sea and air, the ministry added. 19:50 GMT Six people die from coronavirus in Washington state Six people have died from coronavirus in the US state of Washington, according to health officials, in an outbreak centred around a nursing home in Seattle. The total number of infections in the state was now 18, according to officials. The virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected in the state, researchers say. More on the story here. 19:30 GMT German minister rebuffs Merkels attempt to shake hands Awkward moment in Germany as interior minister rebuffed Chancellor Angela Merkels attempt to shake hands with him on Monday as the number of coronavirus cases in the country rose to 150. When Merkel reached out to greet Horst Seehofer at a meeting on migration in Berlin, he smiled and kept both his hands to himself. Horst Seehofer [R] smiled and kept both his hands to himself [Omer Messinger/EPA] They both laughed and Merkel then threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat. 19:00 GMT Senegal confirms coronavirus case Senegal became the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to confirm a coronavirus case. Health Minister Diouf Sarr said a French man who lives in Senegal visited France in mid-February, contracting the virus before returning to the West African country. The patient, according to the minister, is now in quarantine in the capital, Dakar. 15:20 GMT Italian coronavirus deaths rise to 52 The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy jumped by 18 over the past 24 hours to 52, the Civil Protection Agency said. The accumulative number of cases in the country, which has been hardest hit by the virus in Europe, totalled 2036, up from 1,694 on Sunday. The head of the agency said of those originally infected, 149 people had recovered. The contagion came to light 10 days ago and is focused mainly on a handful of hotspots in the north of Italy, with isolated cases reported in many other regions. 16:40 GMT Saudi Arabia announces first coronavirus case Saudi Arabias health ministry announced its first coronavirus case. The victim travelled from Iran to the Gulf kingdom through Bahrain, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. A test confirmed the man was infected with the virus. Samples were taken from those in contact with the person, and results were expected soon, the health ministry said. 16:15 GMT Number of cases jumps to seven in Qatar Four new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Qatar, state news agency (QNA) reported on Monday, taking the total to seven. Two Qatari citizens and two domestic workers who accompanied them to Iran were diagnosed with the virus, QNA quoted the health ministry as saying. They were among a group of citizens who were evacuated by the government on a private plane from Iran on February 27, the ministry added. The victims did not have any contact with the community since their arrival. The three earlier coronavirus patients were in stable condition and recovering, it said. Ministry of Public Health announces that following further screening, four additional cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been recorded in Qatar, bringing the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in the country to seven cases #QNA pic.twitter.com/BJFBA7AEnY Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) March 2, 2020 15:30 GMT Tunisia confirms first coronavirus case In North Africa, Tunisia has confirmed its first case of coronavirus. Abdelatif el-Maki, the health minister, said the patient is a Tunisian man, 40, who returned from Italy last week. Tunisia is the second country in North Africa to announce a confirmed case after Algeria. 15:20 GMT Jordan reports first case of coronavirus Jordan announced its first case of coronavirus, the latest country in the Middle East to be hit by the outbreak. The kingdoms health minister said the infected person arrived back in Jordan from Italy two weeks ago. A medical specialised team is checking now the family of the infected person, and sterilising their house, and also checking whether they are infected or not, and putting those not infected in house quarantine for at least 14 days, and transferring the infected cases to the hospital, Saad Jaber said. 15:05 GMT Nigeria quarantines dozens amid coronavirus fears In Africas most populous country, Nigeria, 58 people who came into contact with an Italian infected with the virus have been quarantined, health officials said. On Friday, Abuja confirmed the first case of the virus in sub-Saharan Africa after the patient was diagnosed in the economic hub, Lagos a city of 20 million people. The Italian had arrived from Milan on a business trip a week ago and travelled to a company in neighbouring Ogun state before being diagnosed. Nigeria is viewed by many as highly vulnerable to viral spread given its weak health system and high population density. 14:20 GMT UK coronavirus cases jump to 40 There are four more confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United Kingdom, health officials say, taking the total to 40. The newly infected people had recently travelled to Italy, according to Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer of England. On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country needs to be prepared for the spread of the disease. 14:10 GMT Virus outbreak to hit global economy: WTO chief The coronavirus outbreak will have a substantial impact on the global economy, according to the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The effects on the global economy are likely to be substantial and will start to show up in the trade data in the weeks to come, Roberto Azevedo said on Monday. Also on Monday, the European Central Bank (ECB) called off a joint event with the European Commission that was to take place on Tuesday. Several cancellations by conference participants forced the ECB to cancel the event as the region is hit by the coronavirus outbreak. 13:40 GMT France reports two more deaths from coronavirus The death toll from coronavirus in France has jumped to four following the death of two people in the countrys north, Le Parisien newspaper reported, citing the mayor of Compiegne. 12:05 GMT Indian fishermen stranded on Iranian island seek help More than 400 Indian fishermen stranded on the Iranian island of Kish are calling for the Indian government to airlift them home. The fishermen, who sent out an SOS video, are reportedly running out of food, fuel supplies and fear for their health as they do not have protective masks in coronavirus-hit Iran, reported Indian TV channel NDTV. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Indias minister of external affairs, tweeted that he is currently collaborating with the Iranian authorities for their return. Working on the issue of Indians in Iran anxious to return due to #COVID19. Have seen many tweets in this regard. We are collaborating with the Iranian authorities to set up a screening process for return of Indians. (1/2) Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 1, 2020 11:40 GMT Virus risk in EU rising from moderate to high The risk level of coronavirus in the European Union has increased to high, EU Commissions President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference in Brussels. The ECDC [European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control] has announced today that the risk level has risen from moderate to high for people in the European Union. In other words, the virus continues to spread, von der Leyen told reporters. Europe registered 2,199 cases and 38 deaths, most of them in Italy. Follow the conference live here. 11:35 GMT China closes first makeshift hospital, keeps strict control As China marked its lowest number of infected cases since January 22, authorities closed the first of 16 hurriedly built makeshift hospitals after it discharged the last recovered patients, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Despite a sharp decline in new cases in Hubei province and the provincial capital Wuhan, controlling the outbreak remains at a crucial stage and strict prevention must be maintained, said Premier Li Keqiang during a meeting. Chinese cities with high population mobility such as the capital, Beijing, must control channels and prevent the spread of the epidemic, the government said in a statement on its website. Workers wearing face masks are seen in front of a makeshift hospital that is closed following the discharge of its last patients [Reuters] 11:02 GMT Virus greatest danger to global economy: OECD Coronavirus presents the world economy with its greatest danger since the global financial crisis in 2008, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A sharp slowdown in global growth is expected in the first half of 2020 as supply chains and commodities are hit, tourism drops and lower confidence grows. #COVID19 presents the economy with its greatest danger since the #FinancialCrisis, raising the risk of: Restrictions on movement (people, goods & services) Lower business & consumer confidence Slowing production Interim #EconomicOutlook https://t.co/Ur8AjvAzzy pic.twitter.com/kD2dWTXQUz OECD Better policies for better lives (@OECD) March 2, 2020 The global economy is set to grow only 2.4 percent this year, the lowest since 2009 and down from a forecast of 2.9 percent in November, according to the Paris-based policy forum. However, if the virus spreads throughout Asia, Europe and North America, global growth could drop as low as 1.5 percent this year. 10:45 GMT Iran reports increasing number of deaths Sixty-six people have died and 1,501 have been infected by the coronavirus in Iran, Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi announced on state television. The definite latest numbers we have are 523 new infections and 12 new deaths so the total number of those infected is 1,501 until now and the number of deaths is 66, he said. 10:15 GMT Israelis head to the polls with face masks and gloves As voters in Israel head to the polls for the third time in less than a year, 16 dedicated voting booths have been set up across the country for about 5,500 people who have been placed in home quarantine after travelling to areas considered outbreak hotspots. Paramedics dressed in head-to-toe protective gear are standing next to the polling stations to assist possibly infected voters. The situation is under control, said Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, director-general of Israels Health Ministry, urging citizens to not hesitate to go out to vote. Read more about the Israeli election here. A paramedic in a protective suit helps a man as he prepares to vote in a special polling station set up for people under home quarantine [Amir Cohen/Reuters] 10:03 GMT More countries confirming cases Andorra, Iceland and Portugal reported their first cases. In all three countries which registered one, three and two cases, respectively the people who tested positive had recently travelled to Italy, which is the epicentre of the virus outbreak in Europe. 09:03 GMT Irans member of Expediency Council dies State radio announced that Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, a member of the Expediency Council, has died after contracting the coronavirus. Other prominent members infected in the country include Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar and Iraj Harirchi, head of the countrys task force on COVID-19. 08:02 GMT Kuwait reports 10 new cases A health ministry official in Kuwait announced 10 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number to 56. In comments made during a news conference broadcast on state television, the official called on citizens to avoid gatherings to stop the spread of the virus. A man wears a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Kuwait [Stephanie McGehee/Reuters] 07:54 GMT France sees much more significant growth effect The French government warned the effect of the coronavirus will be larger than previous estimates and promised to provide the necessary support to companies. Speaking on France2 television, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the impact from the virus will be much more significant than the 0.1 percent reduction in growth that his ministry had forecast two weeks ago. The countrys travel and tourism sectors have already been hit as companies scaled back travel and cancelled conventions. 07:44 GMT First community transmissions in Australia Officials in Australia said a woman and a male doctor have contracted coronavirus, becoming the countrys first cases of community transmissions in the country. New South Wales states Minister for Health Brad Hazzard said a 31-year old doctor has tested positive for coronavirus, though it is not clear whom he contracted the virus from. State officials said a 41-year-old woman was tested after her brother returned to Australia from Iran, a country that has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot in the Middle East. 07:12 GMT Nike temporarily closes Europe HQs in Netherlands Dutch news agency ANP said Nikes European headquarters in the Netherlands would be closed on Monday and Tuesday following the infection of an employee with coronavirus. ANP said the patient was staying home in isolation for 14 days while the office in Hilversum would be disinfected. The place is on lockdown, a security guard at the location told Reuters news agency, which said roughly 2,000 employees from 80 countries work at the facility. 06:30 GMT South Korean church leader issues apology The leader of a church linked to about half of South Koreas more than 4,000 coronavirus cases apologised for the spread of the virus I would like to offer my sincere apology to the people on behalf of the members, Shincheonji head Lee Man-hee told reporters in Gapyeong in a breaking voice. 04:45 GMT China counting methods may underplay extent of outbreak Caixin A report from Caixin on the way China counts coronavirus infections has analysed data from the province of Heilongjiang in the northeast. Since the beginning of last month, the National Health Commission has required that local authorities include asymptomatic infected individuals in the coronavirus data but it seems not all are doing so. Caixin says there were 104 asymptomatic cases in Heilongjiang on February 25 but they were not included in its 408 confirmed cases. Caixin reporter David Yin has more on his Twitter feed. Caixin is an independent financial media and research group. https://twitter.com/yindavid/status/1234339065136320514?ref_src=twsrc^tfw 04:20 GMT Indonesia confirms first two cases Indonesias President Joko Widodo says two Indonesians have tested positive for the coronavirus and are in hospital. There has been speculation about the absence of cases in Indonesia since a Chinese tourist who returned from the holiday island of Bali was confirmed to have the infection. 04:15 GMT Australia warns cannot stop spread of coronavirus from overseas Australias chief medical officer has said it is no longer possible to completely prevent people with the coronavirus from entering the country. It is no longer possible to absolutely prevent new cases coming in, Brendan Murphy, Australias chief medical officer, told reporters in Canberra. We have got concerns about Japan and South Korea. They are working hard to control their outbreaks but we are still concerned that people in those countries and other high-risk countries may present with an infection. Australia has confirmed 29 cases of coronavirus. 03:30 GMT Kazakhstan to bar Iranian nationals The government in Kazakhstan has announced it will bar Iranian nationals from the country from March 5 as part of a range of measures to tackle the coronavirus. It is also reducing the number of flights to and from Azerbaijan, which borders Iran, according to Reuters, and will no longer issue work permits to people from countries hit by the virus. 02:50 GMT Murder probe sought for S Korea church at centre of outbreak Officials in the capital, Seoul, are accusing the Christian church at the epicentre of South Koreas growing coronavirus outbreak of murder. A case has been filed with prosecutors, claiming the leaders of Shincheonji the church where the first cases were reported are liable for the outbreak because they did not cooperate with efforts to stop the disease. Park Won-soon, mayor of Seoul, said if Lee and other leaders of the church had cooperated, effective preventive measures could have saved those who later died of the virus. The situation is this serious and urgent, but where are the leaders of the Shincheonji, including Lee Man-hee, the chief director of this crisis? Park said in a post on his Facebook page late on Sunday 02:25 GMT US state of Washington reports second death The state of Washington on the west coast of the US has reported its second death from coronavirus. Ian Morse, who is reporting from the area for Al Jazeera, says the person who died was a resident in the same nursing home where two cases of the virus were previously reported. The man was in his 70s, according to Reuters, citing local health officials. A handout picture from the National Institutes of Health showing a transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, or 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient [NIAID/National Institutes of Health via EPA] 02:05 GMT South Korea reports nearly 500 new cases, four deaths The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released the first of its twice-daily updates on the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea the largest outside China. The KCDC says four people died overnight and 476 new cases of the virus were confirmed. In total, 22 people have now died from COVID-19 in South Korea and 4,212 people are infected. 01:25 GMT Worldwide death toll from the coronavirus passes 3,000 China has announced its latest data on the coronavirus outbreak, reporting 42 new deaths. That takes the death toll in China to 2,912, and worldwide to more than 3,000. The National Health Commission says the latest deaths were all in the worst-hit province of Hubei and most were in its sealed-off capital of Wuhan. Officials said there were also 202 new infections, the lowest number since the end of January. 01:20 GMT New York state confirms first case Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, said the US state had confirmed its first case of coronavirus in someone who had recently returned from Iran. Cuomo said there was no reason for undue anxiety and the risk remained low. We have learned of the 1st positive case of COVID-19 in NY. The patient contracted the virus while in Iran & is isolated There is no reason for undue anxietythe general risk remains low in NY. We are diligently managing this situation &will provide info as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/rLnObvrg3R Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 2, 2020 Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras live updates on the new coronavirus as it continues to spread from its epicentre in central China to countries around the world. Im Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur, taking over from my colleague Mersiha Gadzo. Click here to read updates from Sunday, March 1. Ghani: It is not in the authority of United States to decide, they are only a facilitator. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has rejected a Taliban demand for the release of 5,000 prisoners despite it being a condition of a peace deal between the US and the Islamist militants. "The government of Afghanistan has made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners," Mr Ghani said, a day after the deal was signed in Qatar to start a political settlement aimed at ending the United States' longest war. US negotiators face difficulties in shepherding the Afghan government and Taliban toward intra-Afghan negotiations, according to Western diplomats. Under the accord, the US and the Taliban are committed to work quickly to release combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, with the co-ordination and approval of all relevant sides. The agreement calls for up to 5,000 jailed Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10. On the issue of the prisoner swap, Mr Ghani said, "It is not in the authority of United States to decide, they are only a facilitator." Mr Ghani told CNN that US President Donald Trump had not asked for prisoners to be freed. He added: "The political consensus... that would be needed for such a major step does not exist today." He warned that key issues to be discussed first including the Taliban's ties with Pakistan and other countries that had offered it sanctuary, its ties with what he called terrorist groups and drug cartels, and the place of Afghan security forces and its civil administration. On behalf of fifth graders at Blessed Sacrament School in Midland, Sen. Jim Stamas this week introduced legislation to name the gray tree frog as Michigan's official state amphibian. "I am working with Mr. Bevier's fifth grade class at Blessed Sacrament to help them learn about state government," said Stamas, R-Midland. "The students were introduced by their teacher to the gray tree frog, which is common in Michigan, and they keep two of them as class pets. As they learned about the frog and state government, they discovered Michigan doesn't have a state amphibian. When I visited their classroom, they proposed making the gray tree frog as our official state amphibian." The global death toll from the new coronavirus topped 3,000 on Monday, as airlines cancelled or reduced flights and stock markets swung wildly. Andorra, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Jordan, Latvia, Portugal, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia were among countries that confirmed their first cases, along with Senegal, which became the second sub-Saharan African country to do so. Africa is feared to be particularly vulnerable with its widespread conflicts, poor health infrastructure, porous borders and crowded cities with inadequate sanitation. More people died in China, Iran and the United States from the virus, which has now infected nearly 90,000 people with cases in more than 60 countries. With fears of a pandemic on the rise after the virus first emerged in China late last year, the World Health Organization urged all countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms. The UN health agency announced on Monday that in the last 24 hours there had been almost nine times more COVID-19 cases reported outside China than inside the country. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a "window of opportunity" remained to contain the outbreak, noting that "more than 130 countries have not detected any cases yet". In the countries with cases, the situations in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan are currently "our greatest concern", he said. In Brussels, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) increased its risk assessment for Europeans to a range of "moderate to high". Hours later, Italy announced that its deaths from the virus had jumped 18 to 52. The virus has raised fears for the world economy, with the OECD slashing its global growth forecast by half a percentage point to 2.4 percent, the worst performance since the 2008 financial crisis. Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from G7 countries will hold talks Tuesday amid rising global uncertainty over the epidemic, the US Treasury said Monday. Stock markets were exceptionally volatile as investors tried to pinpoint the likely cost of the coronavirus crisis for world business. But strength on Wall Street -- which rebounded from sharp losses last week to post gains of more than two percent Monday -- helped European markets emerge from the red after governments and central banks said they would step in if needed to soften the blow. China's economy has ground to a halt with large swathes of the country under quarantine or subject to strict travel restrictions. Other countries have started to enact their own containment measures, banning arrivals from virus-hit nations, locking down towns, urging citizens to stay home and suspending major events such as football matches and trade fairs. The Louvre -- the world's most visited museum -- was closed on Sunday and Monday after staff refused to work because of fears about the virus, which has now claimed three lives in France. In Geneva, the UN headquarters said it was closing its doors to visitors and curbing some activities linked to the UN Human Rights Council. In Italy, tourist hotpots including the Duomo in Milan reopened to visitors but access was limited to avoid overcrowding in a bid to contain the virus. Italy is Europe's worst-affected country with around 1,700 infections. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said there were more than 2,100 confirmed cases across 18 member states. Elsewhere in Europe, Sweden barred flights from Iran -- where cases have rapidly ballooned -- while France, Germany and Britain said they would send medical and financial aid to the Middle Eastern nation struggling to contain the outbreak. Iran reported 12 more deaths on Monday, raising the country's toll to 66, the second biggest after China's. It also reported more than 500 new cases, raising its total number of infections to 1,501. - South Korea sect - China reported 42 more deaths on Monday -- all in central Hubei province, bringing the death toll to 2,912. The pathogen is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei's capital Wuhan. China's National Health Commission reported 202 new infections on Monday, the lowest daily rise since late January, bringing the nationwide total to over 80,000. In a sign of an apparently improving situation, authorities in Wuhan closed on Sunday one of 16 makeshift hospitals built or repurposed from public buildings to treat the city's huge number of patients. The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit people over the age of 60 and those already weakened by other illnesses. It has a mortality rate of between two and five percent. Infections are now rising faster abroad than in China, as the country's drastic measures, including quarantining some 56 million people in Hubei since late January, appear to be paying off. South Korea, the worst affected outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000. Four more people died there, taking the country's toll to 22. Half of South Korea's cases are linked to a sect whose leader Lee Man-hee apologised Monday for the spread of the disease. Seoul's city government has asked prosecutors to press murder charges against him for failing to cooperate in efforts to contain the virus. South Korea's cases are expected to rise further as authorities test more than 260,000 people associated with the group. Meanwhile, a second person died in the northwestern US state of Washington as President Donald Trump, who has played down the risk of a major outbreak, faced criticism over his administration's preparedness. He was due to hold talks with pharmaceutical executives on the response to the outbreak. New York reported its first case, in a woman who had visited Iran, and the governor said he expected the virus to spread in the global financial hub. burs-jv-gd/bmm Press Release March 2, 2020 De Lima to AFP: Stop Duterte's treasonous subservience to China Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to make a strong stance against Mr. Duterte's treasonous foreign policy of subservience and the surrender of the country's sovereign rights to China. De Lima said she is astounded at how the AFP has not minced a word at Duterte's recent "most treasonous statements" that if the Philippines cannot be self-reliant, it should choose between a United States territory or a Chinese province. "It is astounding how the most treasonous of statements coming from the President himself can be made on national media without the Malacanang-payrolled AFP brass batting an eyelash," she said in her recent Dispatch from Crame 726. "But Duterte's policy of subservience and surrender to China, without China having to fire a single shot, is high treason, plain and simple. We do not need our AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) generals to tell us that," Last Feb. 26, Duterte declared that the Philippines should opt either to be a United States territory or a Chinese province if it cannot defend its territory as he defended anew his decision to end the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). His spokesman, Salvador Panelo, hinted that the Duterte administration might also dissolve the existing 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the US. De Lima, however, put to task the AFP to defend the territorial integrity of the country under the 1987 Constitution and stop tolerating Duterte's kowtowing to Beijing and remaining tight-lipped when he goes on-air with treasonous vitriol. "The generals not telling us that Duterte's actions smack of treason does not make said actions any less treasonous, it only makes the generals accomplices to his treason," she said. "The AFP is the protector of the people and the defender of our country's territorial integrity.That it has all but become an accomplice in Duterte's treason by silence, acquiescence, or even affirmation by continuing to receive wads of cash in monthly payola in exchange for shutting their mouths is already a testament to their own role in this administration's capitulation to China," she added. According to the lady Senator from Bicol, the Filipino people should also step up in ending what she referred to as "treasonous buffet" by exercising their right to self-determination, especially in the next presidential elections in 2022, by voting for leaders who will "uphold the Constitution and defend the nation". "But more than all these, it is public opinion that is crucial in ending this treasonous buffet in our highest executive and defense offices. As long as Duterte remains popular, we are all party to this treason," she pointed out. "Today's Filipino race cannot even be bothered to protest the treason of its officials and reject their surrender to a foreign power. Napakatanga na lang ng sambayanan na sa yugto na ito ng ating kasaysayan, ay Tsina pa ang pipiliin na bagong among pagsisilbihan," she added. Out of the 19 entrants to the M Life Rewards Ladies Series first leg at Yonkers Raceway Monday (March 2), Lovin Cocoa is the least experienced. She has just nine pari-mutuel starts under her belt. However, Travis Alexander hopes she will make up for it on speed and talent. The four-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven mare enters the M Life Rewards Ladies off of an eight-length victory in a local $14,000 overnight on February 11, an effort that caught even her trainer by surprise. Lovin Cocoa had bar shoes on in that start, a move Alexander was sure was a mistake after she warmed up that night. To be honest, before the race I was absolutely petrified because I had put bar shoes on her and she was absolutely terrible warming up, to the point where we almost scratched her, Alexander said. I told Matt (Kakaley) just to be careful, that it was my fault, not hers, she doesnt like these bars, she doesnt like the frog pressure. Shes not lame, she just doesnt like the shoes. Lovin Cocoa raced in fifth early, nine and a half lengths off the pace. She moved to the outside straightening away the first time and advanced without cover. Reaching the backstretch, rival Thaneeya pulled the pocket, forcing Lovin Cocoa three-wide approaching the three-quarters. Passing the six-furlong marker, she glided past the leaders effortlessly and opened up a pair of lengths. Lovin Cocoa kicked clear in the stretch under Kakaley pistol grips to post the dominating score at 1-9. Although Lovin Cocoa enters the M Life Rewards Ladies as a first-leg morning line favourite, last summer she was a longshot to race at all. A homebred for Mark and Leslie Wassermans Fiddlers Creek Stable, Lovin Cocoa is out of Scrapping Beauty, the first horse the Wassermans and Alexander had together in 2008. Lovin Cocoa and DD Delicious, Alexanders other M Life Rewards Ladies entrant, grew up together in the same field. Prone to making breaks at two, Lovin Cocoa was unraced as a juvenile. Last year at three, Lovin Cocoa had one qualifier on June 5 before starting in the New York Excelsior B Series over a sloppy track at Tioga Downs on June 10. She finished sixth, beaten six and three-quarter lengths, and came out of the race with an injury, which forced her to the sidelines. She bowed both front tendons in the mud at Tioga. She hurt both tendons that night, Alexander said. Its a kick in the butt because that day, DD Delicious won the sire stakes and then two races later, that happens. Highs and lows. It wasnt terrible, but it was enough to where we had to shut her down. We just did the right thing and Lovin Cocoa is one of Mrs. Wassermans favourite horses. Thats been her filly since she was born and so we did what we had to do to go forward. We healed her tendons and lo and behold, here we are. Honestly, she shouldnt be racing. Her legs were bad. We didnt give up, we gave her time, healed her up. Her caretaker (Armando Barragan) does an amazing job. He works hard on her legs. She wants to race, shes fast enough, its just a matter of keeping her sound and happy. Lovin Cocoa qualified back at Yonkers on November 15. She paced her mile in 1:55.4 with a :28.2 final panel. The effort took Alexander and Kakaley by surprise. Once we had the legs set up and the ultrasounds were good, I knew we were looking good. I didnt know if shed get around the half and I didnt know how much speed she truly had and how much she would have lost due to injury, Alexander said. I qualified her the first time at Yonkers and she paced 55. To be honest, I was mind-blown. Matt and myself were like, where did this come from? What in the world? Despite the encouraging result, Lovin Cocoa made breaks in her next three starts, all at the Hilltop. Alexander regrouped and sent the filly to the Meadowlands Racetrack. With Alexander in Florida training babies, Roy Marohn drove Lovin Cocoa to a qualifying win at the Swamp in 1:55.3 on December 21. Six days later, she finished third in a $15,000 overnight, where she was individually clocked in 1:52.4 with :27.2 on the end. She has a temper. Thats why she was making those breaks early. I had too big of a head pole and I was trying to make her do it our way instead of letting her do it her way, Alexander said. I took her to the Meadowlands to get her mind right and I took everything off. Roy Marohn did an amazing job getting her qualified and going. After that 52 mile at the Meadowlands, I knew, Alexander continued. Shes always had speed, her whole family has had speed. The colts of that family have the same temper, but theyre a lot tougher to deal with. I knew shed be more than competitive in this series. Once we got her racing good, we set her up for that. Lovin Cocoa enters the M Life Rewards Ladies first leg off nearly three weeks rest. Alexander was forced to make adjustments after her outing with bar shoes and then prepped her for this start. I had to take the shoes off because the day after, she was sore, so we had to adjust again, Alexander said. Young horses or lightly raced horses are a learning curve. You have to find what they will tolerate. You have to find a balance. We went back to the drawing board and Im very happy with what we came up with. Shes missed two weeks on purpose just to get her right, the trainer continued. Shes trained up very well. I expect a big effort on Monday and going forward. Four weeks in the series, I didnt want to race her, so were managing her and we have high hopes for her. Lovin Cocoa will start from Post 4 with Matt Kakaley in Mondays fourth race, the third division of the M Life Rewards Ladies Series. The series will kick off in Race 2, where Alexander will send out DD Delicious. DD Delicious started her career last year with two consecutive overnight wins before jumping into New York Sire Stakes competition. She won a leg at Tioga on June 10 and placed in five others to earn a berth in the $225,000 NYSS Final at Batavia Downs on September 14. After having drawn Post 8, she earned a cheque when she finished fifth, which boosted her earnings to $140,470 for Fiddlers Creek Stable, and was pointed to the M Life Rewards Series. Shes special. Shes a very nice mare. We had some issues last year with some sickness, unfortunately a couple bad posts in the wrong stakes races, Alexander said. It worked out because now she fits this series. As soon as she didnt win the sire stakes final, I shut her down and aimed her just for this series because its a good starting point for her four-year-old year. DD Delicious spent a couple months turned out in Ohio before shipping to Alexanders Florida stable to train back. She qualified a winner in 1:56 at Pocono Downs on February 12 and prepped for the M Life Rewards Ladies with one start at Yonkers on February 18, where she finished second in a $16,000 overnight from Post 8 with Kakaley in the bike. We sent her down to Florida and she prepped as well as any horse could. Her first start, that was beautiful, Alexander said. He sat as long as he could, she sprinted home, had pace on the end of it. She trained very, very well (Friday), couldnt be happier. Unraced at two, DD Delicious had 14 starts at three. Now entering her four-year-old season, Alexander feels DD Delicious is coming into her prime. Shes much stronger. She grew. She put on a lot of muscle. I could tell all winter in Florida and when we qualified her at Pocono, that was the first time (Matt) drove her and he even said he could feel shes just stronger than last year, Alexander said. They race the first year at three, not having those starts at two does hinder them a little bit as far as strength goes. DD Delicious is the 5-2 morning line second choice behind Tom Milicis North Star Ideal, who enters off of three consecutive wins. Alexander will also send out two starters in the M Life Rewards Gents Series first leg Tuesday (March 3). Marco Beach will start from Post 4 with Joe Bongiorno and is the 5-2 morning line favourite in the first division. Despite his 6-for-19 record and $51,400 in earnings, Alexander doesnt feel Marco Beach has lived up to his potential yet. Hes probably one of the smartest horses Ive ever had, but hes the hardest horse Ive ever broke, Alexander said. Hes been a challenge to get to this point. He would notice any change. If a tractor moved, he would stop and try to figure out what was different. If somebodys truck was parked on the side of the hill and then the next lap was gone, he would sit there for 20 minutes and try to figure out what was different, and you couldnt make him move. He would sit there and just stare, Alexander explained. Last year, there was a race where he was crossing over to the front and he saw the starting gate and went to the outside of the track to go behind the starting gate again, Alexander continued. It was bad. Thats why John Kakaley drove him a lot last year because I needed someone that I could get every start that would educate him. Hes so fast. I havent even scratched the surface. I cant train him by himself. His mind wanders. Mentally, hes a tough horse. Alexander has seen improvement in Marco Beach from three to four. He qualified in 1:56.4 at Pocono Downs on February 12 and won his seasonal debut at the Wilkes-Barre five-eighths-mile track by a neck in 1:53.4 with a :27.3 final quarter on February 23. The M Life Rewards Gents first leg will be Marco Beachs first start on a half-mile track. I dont know how hell get around the half because hes never seen a half. Not that hes bad-gaited, hes very good-gaited, but you just never know. He is a big horse. Thats the only thing that concerns me is him not being on Yonkers before the series started, Alexander said. The reasoning was just more the way things fell in place as far as timing, Alexander explained. I shipped him north and qualified him at Pocono and I didnt want to short rest him and race him at Yonkers with the series coming up. It was better to race on Sunday at Pocono. It was scheduling. Alexanders final series entrant is Tellitsabb, a four-year-old Tellitlikeitis gelding who recently came to Alexanders stable for owner Brian Carsey. After going 3-for-13 last year in Ohio with Ernie Gaskin, Tellitsabb is 3-for-3 with $24,000 earned already this season. Hes a fantastic horse. The Gaskins did a great job with him. When they sent him out, he was ready to go. I liked him, so Brian Carsey bought him because I liked him so much, Alexander said. Tellitsabbs victories have each come by at least two lengths and hes paced his miles in 1:53.1, 1:53.4, and 1:54 with Matt Kakaley and Joe Bongiorno alternating drives to this point. Despite the impressive results, Alexander sees room for improvement. Hes a horse that wants to lean in on the turns. The last two starts, Ive tried to help with that and its made him worse, so I have to take everything off and go back to how it was the first start, Alexander said. I dont know how fast he is. Joe and Matt are both very high on him. Its just how he is on the turns and the more you rig him, the more he tries to fight you, Alexander continued. Ill have to leave it to the drivers, let them earn their money a little bit. Speed wise, hes extremely fast. Tellitsabb is a 5-1 morning line with Matt Kakaley set to drive. He drew Post 8, but with valuable points at stake, Alexander expects the gelding to leave. Weve got to go forward. I dont know how forward were going to go, but we cant just duck and sit and wait, he said. Weve got to race, so well see. Ill leave that to Matt though. Alexander hopes to build on early-season success in the M Life Rewards Series. His stable is 11-for-44 at Yonkers this year with an additional 14 seconds and thirds. He credits his wife, Alaina, and caretakers Wilder Allverz (Marco Beach), Lucia Sanchez (Tellitsabb), and Barragan (DD Delicious and Lovin Cocoa). Weve had a very good start to the year. Weve had a lot of horses fit the right spots. That always helps. Nice diversity from non-winners of two up to non-winners of $30,000 trot. Its been a very good winter and hopefully it keeps going, Alexander said. My crew has done a tremendous job. I have to thank them. Ive been going back and forth between here and Florida. My wife Alaina, shes amazing. She runs the northern barn. I have no worries when shes up north. She treats these horses like theyre her kids and it shows. Shes the reason theyre all racing the way they are. She does an amazing job. Yonkers Raceway features live harness racing Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The M Life Rewards Ladies Series begins Monday night, March 2 while the M Life Rewards Gents Series kicks off Tuesday, March 3. The Blue Chip Matchmaker Series will return Friday, March 13 and the Borgata Pacing Series starts Saturday, March 14. First-race post time will be at 7:05 p.m. (SOA of NY) When the news broke that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would feature the return of Emperor Palpatine, it didnt take long for Star Wars superfans to come up with a plausible backstory to explain how he got there. Heres the basic timeline: A few years after Palpatine fell down a shaft on the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor at the end of Return of the Jedi, a growing ethnofascist movement on Earth figured out how to harness fan culture and the rise of social media to recruit and train a new generation of Nazi stooges. After honing their powers during Gamergate, this ragtag band of white supremacist morons turned their attention on the Star Wars franchise, and were such relentless shitheads about the whole thing that they convinced senior management at the Walt Disney Company that Star Wars fans were liddle widdle babies who just wanted to be told the exact same stories about the exact same space wizards over and over and over again, which made Emperor Palpatines resurrection at the hands of Sith cultists on the planet Exegol more or less inevitable. That explanation made a certain amount of sensemore than most fan theories, anyway!but over the weekend, Screen Rant broke the news that the fans somehow got it wrong. It turns out that Emperor Palpatine was a clone! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The definitive explanation for Sheev Palpatines long journey from middle-aged senator from the Planet Naboo to physical embodiment of a corporation that has run out of ideas is found in Rae Carsons upcoming novel The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition (Star Wars), which includes all-new scenes adapted from never-before-seen material, deleted scenes, and input from the filmmakers. The book isnt officially out until March 17, but it was on sale over the weekend at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, and it contains a scene in which Kylo Ren draws on his superior knowledge of Star Wars canonhes the ultimate fan, after allto come to the conclusion that the Emperors spirit has been transferred into a clone body. Heres the relevant passage: Advertisement Advertisement All the vials were of empty liquid save one, which was nearly depleted. Kylo peered closer. Hed seen this apparatus before, too, when hed studied the Clone Wars as a boy. The liquid flowing into the living nightmare before him was fighting a losing battle to sustain the Emperors putrid flesh. What could you give me? Kylo asked. Emperor Palpatine lived, after a fashion, and Kylo could feel in his very bones that the clone body sheltered the Emperors actual spirit. It was an imperfect vessel, though, unable to contain his immense power. It couldnt last much longer. Advertisement Well, that settles that: The most ludicrous part of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker actually has a perfectly reasonable in-world explanation, and the Walt Disney Company will be glad to tell you all about it for just $28.99 in hardcover. Its a valuable reminder that its foolish to form an opinion about a movie if all youve done is watched the movie. Youve got to make sure youve attended all the Fortnite fan events and purchased all the premium add-ons, because a baseline economy-class movie theater ticket is woefully inadequate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is clearly how the economy is supposed to work these days, but its not how Star Wars books are supposed to work. The way theyre supposed to work is simple: Your parents buy you a copy of Return of the Jedi: The Storybook Based on the Movie, and instead of clearing up your lingering questions about whether or not the Emperor is still alive and hiding in your basement, the book includes pictures from a deleted scene in which Luke tries to escape the Rancor pit by climbing out through the ceiling grate, only to have spectators gleefully stomp on his fingers until he tumbles back to certain doom. This has several advantages over the Clone Emperor approach: It gives young Star Wars fans a whole new genre of nightmare, while subtly suggesting that the very idea of a Star Wars canon is absurd, because industrialized culture inevitably produces these sorts of inconsistencies as stories written by one person become products designed by committees. Trying to puzzle out how and why Return of the Jedi: The Storybook Based on the Movie included a photograph of something happening in the movie that didnt happen in the movie couldhypothetically speaking!be a formative experience that permanently colored the way a young moviegoer understands storytelling, film production, copyright law, marketing, and the best method to escape from a Rancor pit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the other hand, elderly Star Wars fans are a superstitious and cowardly lot, and they seem to take a lot of comfort from the idea that a fiercely hierarchical organization like the Walt Disney Company can use a top-down management approach to tell interesting stories, then go back in and fix those interesting stories based on feedback from enraged customers whenever they screw up. Its a simple model, and its easy to understand its appeal: Story Groups have direct control over their franchises, while fear keeps local screenwriters and directors in linefear of the Star Wars fan community Disney has constructed, a technological terror whose power to destroy mentions makes it the ultimate power in the universe. If only someone would make a movie that explored these ideas! Will Nirbhayas killers hang tomorrow? Unlikely India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 02: A five judge Bench of the Supreme Court has rejected the curative plea filed by Pavan Gupta, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya case. The hanging as per the death warrant issued by the Delhi court is scheduled for tomorrow. However, it is unlikely that the hanging may take place as another convict Akshay Singh has filed a second mercy petition. Moreover, another plea seeking a stay on the hanging has been moved by Akshay and Pavan before the trial court. Further the Supreme Court is also set to deliver its verdict on a plea by the Centre to hang the convicts separately. Legal experts are of the view that if these issues are pending, the hanging is unlikely to take place on March 3. Nirbhaya: SC rejects curative plea filed by Pawan Gupta In the plea before the trial court, Singh has said that he has filed a fresh mercy plea before the President and the same is pending. Hence the hanging cannot take place until the President decides on the issue. Gupta on the other hand had said that he has filed a curative plea. However that plea would become infructuous in the wake of the SC dismissing the curative petition, earlier today. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 Gupta on the other hand has not filed a mercy petition. He has the option of filing a mercy petition now and again challenge it in the Supreme Court in the form of a curative petition. The trial court on the other hand has sought a report from the authorities today. If this time the hanging is put off, then it would be the fourth time that it would be postponed. The first date was set for January 22. The next date was fixed for February 1 and then another date was set for March 3. If it is put off again, then the trial court would need to issue a fresh death warrant. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 11:42 [IST] One of the world's most widely used glyphosate-based herbicides, Roundup, can trigger loss of biodiversity, making ecosystems more vulnerable to pollution and climate change, say researchers from McGill University. The widespread use of Roundup on farms has sparked concerns over potential health and environmental effects globally. Since the 1990s use of the herbicide boomed, as the farming industry adopted "Roundup Ready" genetically modified crop seeds that are resistant to the herbicide. "Farmers spray their corn and soy fields to eliminate weeds and boost production, but this has led to glyphosate leaching into the surrounding environment. In Quebec, for example, traces of glyphosate have been found in Monteregie rivers," says Andrew Gonzalez, a McGill biology professor and Liber Ero Chair in Conservation Biology. To test how freshwater ecosystems respond to environmental contamination by glyphosate, researchers used experimental ponds to expose phytoplankton communities (algae) to the herbicide. "These tiny species at the bottom of the food chain play an important role in the balance of a lake's ecosystem and are a key source of food for microscopic animals. Our experiments allow us to observe, in real time, how algae can acquire resistance to glyphosate in freshwater ecosystems," says post-doctoral researcher Vincent Fugere. Ecosystems adapt but at the cost of biodiversity The researchers found that freshwater ecosystems that experience moderate contamination from the herbicide became more resistant when later exposed to a very high level of it - working as a form of "evolutionary vaccination." According to the researchers, the results are consistent with what scientists call "evolutionary rescue," which until recently had only been tested in the laboratory. Previous experiments by the Gonzalez group had shown that evolutionary rescue can prevent the extinction of an entire population when exposed to severe environmental contamination by a pesticide thanks to the rapid evolution. However, the researchers note that the resistance to the herbicide came at a cost of plankton diversity. "We observed significant loss of biodiversity in communities contaminated with glyphosate. This could have a profound impact on the proper functioning of ecosystems and lower the chance that they can adapt to new pollutants or stressors. This is particularly concerning as many ecosystems are grappling with the increasing threat of pollution and climate change," says Gonzalez. The researchers point out that it is still unclear how rapid evolution contributes to herbicide resistance in these aquatic ecosystems. Scientist already know that some plants have acquired genetic resistance to glyphosate in crop fields that are sprayed heavily with the herbicide. Finding out more will require genetic analyses that are currently under way by the team. ### About the study "Community rescue in experimental phytoplankton communities facing severe herbicide pollution" by Fugere V., Hebert M.-P, Costa N.B., Xu C.C.Y., Barrett R.D.H., Beisner B.E., Bell G., Fussmann G.F., Shapiro B.J., Yargeau V., and Gonzalez A. is published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1134-5. The authors acknowledge support and operating funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec - Nature et Technologies (FRQNT), the Canada Research Chair Program (R.D.H.B., A.G., B.J.S.), the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science (QCBS), and the Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie et environnements aquatiques (GRIL). The Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Liber Ero Chair in Biodiversity Conservation provided funding to A.G. to construct the LEAP mesocosm facility. About McGill University Founded in 1821, McGill University is home to exceptional students, faculty, and staff from across Canada and around the world. It is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with research activities spanning two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. McGill's commitment to sustainability reaches back several decades and spans scales from local to global. The sustainability declarations that we have signed affirm our role in helping to shape a future where people and the planet can flourish. http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/ http://twitter.com/McGillU Joy Ranch reopens under new ownership Joy Ranch near Watertown has reopened under new ownership. by R. Passov Recently, I watched a YouTube of a talk given by Jennifer Doudna. This past May, in front of some her UC Berkeley colleagues, Doudna shared, a story about some research that led in an unexpected direction producing some science that has profound implications going forwardbut also makes us really think about what it means to be human and what it means to have the power to manipulate the very code of life It all started, Doudna explains, when she got a call from someone at Cal who said you dont know me but youre doing the type of research thats connected to my work. Her colleague had noticed that many types of bacteria in their chromosomes have a sequence of DNA that is a storage site for sequences that come from viruses that infect those cells. These are the CRISPERS a record of the DNA from all prior infections, a genetic vaccination card for bacteria. Doudna is generous with praise, never missing an opportunity to share credit. One lucky lab member collected soil samples, then sequenced DNA from bugs in those samples looking for alternative CRISPER pathways. The result uncovered different flavors of the CRISPER-Cas immune system. Which got Doudna to thinking about the difference in the type of CRISPER systems in nature While ruminating, at a conference she had a chance encounter with a fellow researcher, Emmanuel Charpentier, whose lab was on the brink of discovering that one CRISPER flavor, the Cas-9 flavor, is an amazing enzyme that can recognize the DNA at sites that match a twenty letter sequence in the guide RNA. By then, scientists had realized that the CRISPER-Cas immune system comes in two classes. Class 1 requires multiple proteins to perform its immune response function, while the Class 2 systems each consist of a single large gene that encodes a big protein that protects the cell. Working with Charpentier, Doudna investigated the function of the gene encoding the strange and powerful protein known as Cas 9, the one protein she said while waiving her hands, that does everything. Together they figured out that Cas 9 has the ability to recognize segments of DNA at sites that match a twenty letter sequence in the guide RNA and remember that this would be an RNA molecule coming from and derived from integrated pieces of DNA in the CRISPER locus that record a past viral infection so by definition these RNA are able to recognize matching DNAs that come from those viruses. The protein is able to unwind the DNA duplex, then generate a break in the double stranded DNA. Through the work in Doudnas lab, scientists are now able to use this system to delete genetic material from human DNA, as well as to insert new genetic material into both somatic (any biological cell from any organism) and germ-line cells (cells that pass on their genetic material.) Doudnas cartoons (her chosen term) are clear, her words rise and fall over the hills of a wonderful journey. But after almost twenty years in and around the life sciences industry I have come to appreciate the limits of my ability to understand a good life science story. __________________ True to her word, Doudna left ample time for questions. Many centered on the same themes how things could go wrong. However, one seemingly elderly questioner (off camera) was very particular. He wanted to know whether the tool could be used to replace the faulty gene that results in macular degeneration and if so, where would scientists find the new, working gene. For all of these sorts of questions, Doudna offered professional patience and a knowing smile. Audience members were full of good questions almost all of which require us to think hard. But thankfully, a lot of her colleagues are already thinking hard, along with various regulators. Toward the end of her talk, one questioner, in halting English, inquired as to her thoughts on whether the VCs gushing interest in this area was a positive or negative thing. This question touched on a very important point Doudna responded, one that she hadnt given enough time to in her talk. Yes, she acknowledged, theres tremendous interest from the biotech and investor communities that will enable all sorts of commercial activities that will lead to important advances. But there will also be conflicts between the research and business opportunities of those companies things which will need close attention and transparency. Doudna was careful to mention the very exciting ways of advancing technology that involves partnering with companies and this is something that I really didnt know anything about until a few years ago my work never had any commercial implications what so ever. Now it seems shes up to speed as, just after the formal talk had ended and before the questions began, Douda profiled her commercial experience: She is a founder of four biotech companies, a strategic board advisor to three additional companies and a member of the Board of Directors of Johnson & Johnson, by some measures, the worlds largest bio-pharmaceutical company. Fortunately, shes benefited from experts at Cal who have spoken with her about different kinds of partnerships. But, she added, I think there are times when research in academic labs has potential commercially but for various reasons really cant be explored by an academic lab because we dont have the resources and frankly because we dont have the desire or the expertise to take the work in that kind of direction so by partnering we can do things together that neither of us can do alone. The eighth question came from a gentleman, again speaking off camera, in one of those voices that comes in after the battle scene in a Ken Burns documentary. This questioner wanted to touch on eugenics given the dark history In particular, the questioner wondered, do you envision the government taking a harsh stance early on, or do you see the challenge as one that will be left to the market place. Well I guess, answers Doudna, I imagine its likely to move forward in the way that in-vitro fertilization has unfolded. So Im old enough to remember when my parents would sit at the dinner table and debate the morality of test tube babies ya know and (making faces to convey how fraught these issues were) talk about was it right for people to be conceived in a test tube and ya know it seemed really weird but then over time we had family friends who benefited from IVF and so over time in a very grass roots way people came to accept that technology and I almost wonder if well see a similar thing with human germ-line editing that perhaps it will start to be used in some IVF clinics then if the those uses result in perceived benefits to kids and to families then you could imagine that will start to be more widely adopted. now does that mean were likely to be entering into a period of eugenics I, I, I dont see that happening its likely to be more sporadicly utilized and I would hope that initial uses would be limited to really medical need rather than what we might consider to be enhancements. __________________ At this point in the talk I was reminded of an article that I had read almost fifteen years ago, which in turn brought me back to a conversation that I had had several years prior. I was flying from London to New York, back when seats were comfortable. Back when the experience of riding at 35,000 feet above the Atlantic in pure-pitch black, opened travelers to wonder, stripped veneers, randomly turning some into listeners, others to talkers. That night, as the wine poured, I became a listener. My seat mate was a young English tech executive on his was to do something in New York. I, a moderately young life sciences executive (though in full discloser, on the finance side of things) back from visiting the new R&D facilities in Sandwich, facilities that would be shuttered not long after the paint dried. My companion told me this: His wife had just given birth. But, congratulations werent in order. His new child, the second in the family, was born severely premature, then a relatively common occurrence with IVF. Medicine has cures to treat the symptoms of its marvels. The doctors rushed in and miraculously saved that babys life. Which would have been good except that the first child, then just under two, also an IVF-child, having arrived so frighteningly early, tested the bounds of miraculous intervention, such that what was saved was severely developmentally disabled. Severely. If we had known, my seat mate said, if we had known. He was alone in his guilt in a way that only a first mover can experience. I found the article that had caused me to think back on that conversation. It appeared in the February 2006 edition of the Harvard Business Review. Debora Spar, then President of Bard, argues that the best solution to regulating usage of the then still relatively new technology of IVF to meet the demands from the wealthy who desire to procure offspring, is to acknowledge that the course of the technology would be best driven by market forces. Trying in other ways to shunt progress or restrict access will, Spar reasoned, lead to less desirable outcomes. The demand wont go away; any restrictions will be subverted with consequences worse than whatever open access would result in. But to make a market, Spar writes, requires assignable property rights: Something that can be defined, then encoded in law, thereby allowing growth to be within rails. Some lament the very existence of this baby trade, insisting that reproductionlike love or honorshould never be sold But the absence of a market with its well defined property rights, reveals an unfortunate unwillingness on societys part to wrestle rules of nature. However, Spar notes, Defining these rights would not resolve the deep moral issues that this market raises. A system of property rights would be a vital intermediate step but would not tell us which pieces of this emerging technology are acceptable or for whom. A far better approach, Spar adds, would be for Americans to decide, as a society, just what we consider acceptable in the baby trade. Are we comfortable allowing commercial exchange in the pursuit of procreation? Are we willing to permit parents and their doctors to manipulate the embryos that will become their offspring? How will we determine which procedures push the trade too far? Any one personthis author includedis likely to have strong views on each of these questions. But the process here is far more important than any single set of conclusions. Americans need to debate these questions. For without such a process, we will never be able to arrive at a regulatory strategy that sticks. Doudna, to the best of my understanding, is not suggesting that some form of property rights be assigned to facilitate a market for choice-driven gene editing. But just how capable are we is society of wrestling these issues, now coming one after another. And even if we were to wrestle them, where would that take us? In the old days, first there was science, then after many years came the technology. In the new world of bio-tech, the technology is the science, leaving little space for reflection. __________________ Toward the end of her prepared remarks, Dr. Doudna asks a rhetorical question: What about editing the human germ-line? That is, instead of inserting genetic material into a fully developed human cell, what about an edit or insertion of new DNA into a germ-line cell such that that particular edit will remain in the DNA so that [it] can be passed on to future generations. In November of 2019, Dr Doudna received an email from Jua Juan who had visited Berkeley a couple of times Jua Juan is not an MD and though he had not been directly involved in the research that lead to the ability to manipulate the CRISPER Cas-9 system, because the technology is not that difficult Jua Juan was able to find various partners who helped him implant into the germ-line of infant twins changes that have never been tested. Through a twitter feed, a professor at the University of Massachusetts published a careful analysis of the evidence. That feed revealed that although the stated purpose was to remove the CCR5 receptor for the HIV virus, the actual edits were changes that have never been seen in humans The response from the global scientific community was swift. The response inside China, severe: Jua Juan was sentenced to three years in prison. But what do we know about this sentence? Did Jua violate a law? Or did he prematurely reveal ongoing efforts to explore the CRISPER Cas-9 system? __________________ Braden Allenby writes about the challenges facing our regulatory infrastructure, how the slow grind of public discourse is no match for the pace of science, and how the yawning gap between a regulatory body and the issues its tackling is likely never to close. Allenby arrives at a MAD-like thesis: Cultures that attempt to block technology for reasons that appear desirable will, all things equal, eventually be dominated by those that embrace it. This obviously poses an unhappy dilemma: if a culture wishes to maintain dominance, must it develop all technologies where it is capable of so doing? If this is the case, does it imply that ethical judgments about technologies move over time to the lowest common denominator? There are no good answers to these questions, but they do indicate the likelihood that in a highly competitive global environment, where many cultures are jostling for position, technological evolution will be difficult, if not impossible, to stop. References: Dr. Jennifer Doudna discusses gene-editing at the Institute for International Students, UC Berkeley: https://youtu.be/9Yblg9wDHZA Where Babies Come From: Supply and Demand in an Infant Marketplace, by Debora Spar, HBR, February 2006 Issue Innovative Governance Models for Emerging Technologies, Braden Allenby, et al., Edward Elgar, 2013. (pg. 33) The current political climate of India is anything but calm. The ongoing Delhi violence has left the entire nation worried and disturbed. It all started with the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and now the clash between the protesters and the supporters of CAA has disturbed Delhi's peace . Amidst all the violence and riots, actress Sonam Kapoor's latest tweets hint that she is not happy with the celebrities who're tight-lipped over the ongoing political fiasco in Delhi. Sonam tweeted, "Silence is not always golden, it can be a sign of moral ambiguity, cowardice and thus destructive." She further tweeted, "Karma is going to bite you so badly you have no idea what is going to hit you. Remember my words." Sonam Kapoor To Star In A Sujoy Ghosh Film Titled Blind? The Neerja actress also urged her followers to be on the right side of history and tweeted, "Be on the right side of history. This is an appeal. You will forever regret it otherwise." Many netizens reacted to her tweets and slammed the actress for igniting her followers. Although touted as a pilot and trial, it turns out that the installation of two tsunami alert sirens in Orewa will be permanent, according to Auckland Emergency Management. The entire process involved in importing, testing and installing two sirens, one in Centreway Road and another in West Hoe Road, will cost ratepayers around $250,000. The cost includes upgrading Auckland Councils systems to work with the new technology as well as testing the sirens before they are installed and Emergency Managements principal science adviser, Angela Doherty says that is where the trial lies. The trial is about testing Councils systems and the final success will be judged on whether the new sirens can be integrated into those systems and operate with the rest of the regional tsunami siren network, Ms Doherty says. The sirens will be thoroughly tested to ensure they are fit for purpose, and if not they wont go in. But once they are installed, they become a permanent addition to the network. The sirens, which include a loud alert and voice messaging, are currently on their way to New Zealand and Angela says it is hoped they can be tested and installed in time for the April changeover in daylight saving. This is the time when tsunami sirens are traditionally tested throughout the region, and if they are in place, the Orewa sirens will be sounded for the first time then. However, Ms Doherty says Emergency Management has a number of tests to put the sirens through before installation, to ensure they are fit for purpose, and this cannot be rushed. If they are not ready for April, they will be sounded another time. A small group of residents, keen to find out more about the tsunami sirens, attended a meeting held by Auckland Emergency Management on February 18. Around 35 people gathered for the meeting in Orewa Community Hall, including Hibiscus & Bays Local Board member Andy Dunn. At the meeting, Ms Doherty told the group that one reason the sirens are being trialled in Orewa is that it has the largest population density in living in an area with significant risk of tsunami. There is also potentially a large distance to travel from the beach to the safe zones in the hills. She said the trial also needs to take place on Council owned land and to meet health and safety requirements so that the sirens are loud enough to reach 90 percent of the buildings in the evacuation zone, without damaging peoples eardrums. Traffic management in an emergency was one question raised. In response, Ms Doherty said that the message Emergency Management will promote is for residents to stay out of their cars as they head to the safe zone, unless they have no other choice. The sirens are in addition to the system of alerts sent to mobile phones in a civil defence emergency. They can only be activated by the Auckland Emergency Management duty team. More info, including a Hazard viewer that shows the evacuation zones for various types of emergency, can be found at www.aucklandemergencymanagement.org.nz Israelis are voting in their third election in less than 12 months. The polls are aimed at breaking the political deadlock, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unable to shake off the challenge of armed services chief Benny Ganz of the Blue and White party. It was a deja vu for many Israelis, says Ephraim Inbar, President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. We had the third elections within the span of a year. It seems that this time it was a bit dirty, and personal. Although I wouldn't say that this is exceptional or unusual in Israeli politics." The elections took place under the shadow of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. Currently, Israeli health authorities have registered ten people who are affected by the disease. But it didn't deter voters from going to the polls. The voting went as usual. It must be said that the health services have exerted tremendous efforts to make sure that those infected by the virus or who are carrying the virus were able to vote. No big difference Opposition leader Benny Ganz of the Blue and White party has presented himself primarily as an anti-Netanyahu candidate. The truth is that there is no big difference between the parties headed by Netanyahu, Likud, and the party Blue and White that is headed by Benny Ganz, says Inbar. There are hardly any differences in many policy issues like Iran, or the Palestinians. Both parties see Iran as an existential threat, both parties think that everything should be done to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear. "On the Palestinian issue, both parties are supporting the Trump peace plan the Deal of the Century that Palestinians unanimously reject." Anti-Bibi Blue and White Inbar doesn't see big differences between the two rivals' social and economic policies either. Both believe that Israel needs to continue to be a good capitalist economy, and to develop. We don't have any Bernie Sanders around in Israel, he muses. The main issue is Netanyahu. The main campaign of Blue and White is basically anti-Bibi, says Inbar, using the popular abbreviation for the name of the PM. On 28 January, Netanyahu became the first-ever sitting Prime Minister to be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The issue which is at stake is whether a Prime Minister who has been accused of bribery and misconduct can continue to serve as Prime Minister. It is basically a referendum on Netanyahu, he says. But in the week preceding the elections, Netanyahu's Likud party performed well in the opinion polls. In the last couple of days, Likud seems to have had the momentum, but it is not likely either party will win the 61 seats necessary to form a majority in the 120 seat Knesset. The bad news is that we may face again a deadlock, with none of the large parties being able to form a coalition without the other, says Inbar. MONTREAL - Rail blockades in Quebec remained in place on Monday in spite of a draft deal reached Sunday in British Columbia between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Supporters arrive at the entrance to the blockade of a commuter rail line, Monday, March 2, 2020 in Kahnawake, Que.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz MONTREAL - Rail blockades in Quebec remained in place on Monday in spite of a draft deal reached Sunday in British Columbia between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers. Kenneth Deer, the secretary of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake, said the community would meet Monday evening to discuss whether to dismantle a blockade that protesters have maintained on their territory south of Montreal since Feb. 8. "We have to consider the situation and what happens next, and we'd like to do that in a community meeting so everyone can share common information and come to a consensus," Deer said Monday in a phone interview. Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and senior government ministers reached a proposed arrangement Sunday following days of discussions over a pipeline dispute that prompted solidarity protests and transport disruptions across Canada in recent weeks. But details of the draft deal have not been disclosed, and Deer said Sunday the Mohawks wanted more clarification on the agreement before making a final decision. On Monday afternoon, Montreal police confirmed they had been called to assist CN Rail in response to a new blockade at a rail bridge in Montreal's Pointe-St-Charles neighbourhood. In a press release, the protesters said the action was one of several being organized around the country to force the government to accept the demands of the hereditary chiefs. "We support Indigenous sovereignty and recognize the urgency to end the resource extraction projects that threaten future generations," they said. "The Wet'suwet'en demands were not accepted: the RCMP and (Coastal GasLink) are still occupying the territory." Images broadcast by Radio-Canada at around 3:30 p.m. showed a small group of people standing in the rain near the tracks in front of a banner expressing support for the Wet'suwet'en. The protesters cleared from the tracks at around 5 p.m. Meanwhile, the president of a regional rail line in Quebec's Gaspe region said activists were still maintaining their blockade in the Mikmaq community of Listuguj as of Monday morning. Eric Dube said the company was able to get two trains through the blockade area on Friday but had to stop the following day due to the presence of protesters near the tracks. He expressed frustration at the ongoing blockade, which he has said is jeopardizing the rail line's future. "We feel like we've been taken hostage, because now there was an agreement in principle over there (in British Columbia)," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020. With files from Pierre Saint-Arnaud Are you visiting Egypt for the first time? Well, we have something to offer you that can help you plan your trip greatly so that you do not miss out on any of the interesting places. You must be excited about going for a cruise ride on the Nile. To make a lifetime experience, make sure that you make the cruise plan properly with help of your guide. The Egypt Vacation is worthy of the incredible ruins that the city has to offer from the ancient times. Also, if planning to spend most of the time sailing, look for a good cruise guide that offers comfortable and great cruising experience in the most luxurious cruises. However, in this regard, you can look forward to You Movenpick MS Royal Lily Cruise which makes your cruise experience a great one. Also, you can also try five-star deluxe cruise options from The Jaz Jubilee Cruise that offers easy online booking. Things to see when traveling to Egypt When traveling to Egypt, beach lovers are sure to opt for a cruise ride at Luxor. The Nile cruise vacation should be planned correctly so that you do not miss out famous highlights like Luxor and Aswan. List of some famous highlights is given below. Aswan It is among the tranquil towns of Egypt that is set on the beautiful curves of Nile. Here, you can take the river ferry from Elephantine Island through the colorful streets of Nubian village. You can spend some relaxing and quality time sipping your favorite drink in the famous riverboat restaurants. Nile cruising - most exciting part Planning for Egypt Nile Cruises is the most exciting, and for this, you have to look up for the best cruise service providers. Some of the suitable options include Radamis II Nile Cruise and Dahabiya Nile Cruise that offer pre-booking facilities at a low rate. It also offers luxurious cruise riding options. Cruising between the route of Aswan and Luxor and enjoying sunrise and sunset is something that you should not miss out when traveling to Egypt. Make sure you visit Temple of Kom Ombo and Edfu's Temple of Horus as these are among the top-rated tourist sights on Nile cruise. Cruise rides will start from Luxor whereas you can get feluccas for multiple trips only from Aswan. Luxor It is the place of Egypt's interesting facts where Valley of Kings is found. Many tombs have been discovered while there are plenty of hidden gems yet to be found. Here, some of the well-known temples include Luxor temple, Karnak Temple, Temple of Queen. Do not miss out on the hot balloon ride during the sunrise. Explore the beauty of EDFU This temple of God Horus is among the must-visit one in Egypt. The temple has managed damage from the floods of Nile. Moreover, it is known that the carvings of the temples are important for archeologists to learn about the ancient temple rituals. This temple is a good evidence of ancient ruins of Egypt. The Maharashtra government will ramp up the number of the subsidised lunch plates served daily to the poor under its 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme to one lakh from the current 100, the Legislative Assembly was told on Monday. Speaking in the Lower House, Food and Civil Supplies Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said that more such lunch plates need to be served per day considering population in cities. "My department aims to provide one lakh thalis every day across Maharashtra under the 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme. At present, 100 thalisare being provided in select places. The scheme needs to be expanded considering population in cities," he said while replying to the debate on supplementary demands. Bhujbal said the Food and Civil Supplies department has sought allocation of Rs 150 crore for the scheme in the upcoming Budget, which will be tabled on March 6. He said the scheme will soon be started at the taluka level, and gradually the daily servings of the lunch plates will be increased to 150 to 200. The minister further said the government was exploring whether quota of Kerosene for the people using LPG connections can be restricted to the minimum quantity. Kerosene is generally used for cooking on stoves by Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme was launched by the Shiv Sena-led state government on January 26. Under the sceme, a meal is provided to the poor for just Rs 10. The 'thali' consists of two chapatis, one vegetable, rice and dal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Moscow, March 2 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a working visit to Moscow on Thursday to discuss the situation in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Monday. Over the last two weeks, Erdogan at least twice publicly suggested meeting Putin, but the Kremlin denied that Putin agreed to the proposal, Xinhua news agency reported. On Friday, Putin and Erdogan held a telephonic conversation and agreed to consider the possibility of holding a top-level meeting in the near future. The Syrian army, backed by Russian airstrikes, succeeded in recapturing the strategic city of Saraqeb in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Monday, four days after losing it to Turkish-backed rebel groups, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Tensions in Idlib have flared up recently as the Syrian government forces, which are launching wide-scale offensives against the rebels in the area, exchanged fire with Turkish troops, causing multiple deaths on both sides. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the current situation in Idlib, saying that it would become clear after the meeting between Putin and Erdogan, adding the Russian and Turkish militaries have maintained close contacts. He also said Moscow is committed to the Sochi agreement on Syria reached between Russia and Turkey in 2018. Peskov said Russia's position during the upcoming talks "will be absolutely consistent and unchanged" from what was "stated at various levels by both President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as an interdepartmental delegation that has worked with Turkish colleagues in recent days". The management of Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, has debunked claim by Lafarge Plc that the Italian who brought Coronavirus to Nigeria first slept at the hotel before coming to the company in Ogun State. The Lagos Airport Hotel management described the report as a lie and untrue, as no Italian ever visited the hotel as claimed by Lafarge. Lafarges Industrial Director, Segun Soyoye had said in a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that The Italian came for a business visit. He was in Lagos on Monday and slept at Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Our driver took him there, and when we observed abnormal temperatures and symptoms, we quickly instituted an Emergency Response Team which is led by the Companys CEO; we have to find a way of analysing and identifying not only the Italian but also the other contacts. But the Managing Director, Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja, Kayode Bakare, told newsmen on Monday that it was shocked to read such report online, saying that it was not true. The management of Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja, wishes to state categorically that at no time did the Italian who was in Nigeria on a business meeting to Lafarge Plc lodged at Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, Ikeja. The hotels manifest for Monday, 24th, February, 2020, when the Italian arrived Nigeria and in deed for the entire week is there for anyone to crosscheck, he said. Bakare showed newsmen the manifest for that day which had 21 customers who lodged in the hotel and they were all Nigerians. We therefore want to seize this opportunity to debunk any rumour that the said Italian man was accommodated in our hotel on the said date, Bakare said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As the deadly coronavirus continues to spread, colleges and universities across the United States, including Staten Island campuses, are taking precautions to protect students traveling and living overseas. The City University of New York (CUNY), which oversees the College of Staten Island (CSI) in Willowbrook, and St. Johns University, which has a campus on Grymes Hill, have already canceled some study abroad programs located in areas with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) level 3 travel health notices. As of Monday, Wagner College hasnt curtailed any study abroad, exchange programs or other college travel overseas, according to a spokesman. The first case of coronavirus was confirmed in New York City by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday. The woman lived in Manhattan, according to a state official. The CDC is recommending that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to destinations at level 3, including China, Iran, Italy and South Korea. According to CUNY, students currently studying abroad in these countries will be permitted to stay there on a case-by-case basis. Graduate students planning travel to countries at a level 3 warning may petition for a waiver, but are urged to consider the CDCs advice to avoid all nonessential travel. Information sent to students and staff at CSI stated that there are no reported cases of the coronavirus at the Willowbrook campus. A cross-divisional team has been convened to monitor the progression of the virus, formulate strategies for maximizing campus health and safety, ensure student success, and maintain operations. Coronavirus: Full coverage on SILive.com St. Johns University, which has a campus on Grymes Hill, announced Sunday it has discontinued academic programs on its Rome, Italy, campus until further notice. The college said there have been no identified coronavirus cases in the St. Johns community, including the Rome campus, and locations in Paris, France, and Limerick, Ireland. The colleges notice said it is making preparations for the travel guidance possibility so it can quickly facilitate the safe return of students and employees. University spokesman Brian Browne told SILive.com on Sunday that all students based on the Rome campus will return home in the coming days. The university is working to assist students in Italy to return to their permanent home residences in the U.S. or abroad (for international students) for the remainder of the semester, Browne said. The university has contingency plans to ensure that students can continue with academic courses online with minimal interruption and with no financial penalty related to tuition. St. Johns said U.S. Department of State and CDC guidelines havent changed in France or Ireland since the start of the semester and academic programs are continuing. The school is continuing to monitor the locations carefully. If travel advisories for France and/or Ireland move to a level 3 warning, it will proceed as it has in Italy, according to the school. The college said each study abroad program is reviewed on an ongoing basis -- up to the point of program departure. To date, we have made the difficult decision to cancel some short-term programs and semester opportunities, said the school in its notice. We understand that these changes are disruptive to students and employees; however, the safety of all is of the utmost importance." The Archdiocese of New York informed staff and students that anyone returning from international travel is required to submit written medical clearance before returning to the school or any administrative building -- in effect beginning Monday. ABOUT CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has since resulted in 3,000 deaths worldwide, as the number of confirmed cases rose to almost 90,000 over the weekend. According to the CDC, illness with this virus has ranged from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of infection include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, and, in some patients, a sore throat or diarrhea. The CDC said risk factors for severe illness arent yet clear, although older adults and those who have chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Standard recommendations to prevent infection include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. A family have been left heartbroken after a their pet guinea pig was killed and eaten by a huge carpet python. Pictures posted to the Sunshine Coast Snake catchers Facebook page showed the huge reptile curled up inside the guinea pig's cage. Snake catcher Stuart McKenzie issued a warning to Australian pet owners to take extra care and to make cages snake proof. Pictures posted to the Sunshine Coast Snake catchers Facebook page showed the huge reptile curled up inside the guinea pig's cage The post read: 'Make sure your pets enclosures are snake proof! 'This goes for chicken coops, bird aviaries, guinea pig enclosures, cat runs and any other pet you may have in an enclosure!' 'This carpet python got into the enclosure and ate the family's guinea pig.' 'It's not the snake's fault, he is just getting himself an easy feed.' On Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, President Donald Trumps handling of the novel coronavirus was the focus of Olivers ire. For starters, Oliver took issue with the appointment of Vice President Mike Pence to head the coronavirus task force, not only because of Pences history managing the HIV crisis in Indiana, but also because Oliver believes that experts, not Pence, should be the ones informing the public. But government health officials have been banned from speaking about the virus without Pences approval. In a global health emergency, you want to hear from the many trained experts who were lucky enough to have working in our nations public health agencies, Oliver said. You do not want to hear from politicians. Even the press conference at which Pence was announced as the head of the task force, according to Oliver, was another debacle. Putting aside Pences, to put it mildly, extremely mixed record as governor of Indiana on managing public health issues, Oliver said, even the announcement that he would be leading the task force was a debacle. On top of that, Trump has referred to the media coverage of the coronavirus as the new Democrat hoax and repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the virus, despite experts warning that it could spread rapidly. Your experts just said cases will go up, and you said they will go down, Oliver said. You cant just ignore real numbers and make up ones that you like better. This is the problem with a president whose entire life has been a series of low-stakes lies. Oliver also took aim at misinformation being spread, like economic advisor Larry Kudlow saying the virus was all but contained when it clearly wasnt, and the information presented about the virus on Fox News. The presidents favorite channel has been a particular offender here, Oliver said. Fox anchors and guests have repeatedly amplified false claims, from the idea that the virus was created in a Chinese bioweapons lab, to the baseless internet rumor that it came from Chinese people eating bat soup. Story continues Last Week Tonight With John Oliver airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on HBO. Check out why John Oliver says Laura Ingraham is right about Trumps relationship with Barr: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved the Punjab Lokayukta Bill, 2020, for passage in the ongoing session of the legislative assembly in its bid to improve governance and curb corruption. The bill seeks to replace the existing Punjab Lokpal Act, 1996, and, once passed, will cover all public functionaries, including the chief minister. However, the prosecution of a sitting chief minister, ministers and members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) would require the approval of two-third members of the House, an official spokesperson said. A senior officer of the Punjab government, who worked on the bill, told HT on condition of anonymity that the institution of Lokayukta has been empowered and could prosecute even the sitting chief minister unlike its earlier avatar of a toothless entity that could only make recommendations. Lokayuktas in some states, such as Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra, have the powers to prosecute sitting chief ministers, but under certain conditions. To be sure, a Lokayuta has seldom recommended action against a sitting chief minister. The new law gives the Lokayukta will enjoy all the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and also provides for prosecution of a complainant in case of a false complaint, he added. The bill is an extension of a central act passed by the Modi government in its first term, which mandated the states to bring a legislation on similar lines, giving more power to the institution of Lokayukta. Mondays Punjab cabinet nod comes three years after the ruling Congress had promised to bring in a similar act in its manifesto for the 2017 Punjab assembly election. The official said that the bill bars a parallel probe into a complaint against any officer or public functionary, if an inquiry is being conducted into the matter by the Lokayukta. Similarly, under its provisions, the Lokayukta will not have the authority to conduct a parallel inquiry if the matter is already under investigation by the state government. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) The country's outstanding debt rose further in January as the government borrowed more money abroad. National government debt reached 7.76 trillion in January, up 3.6 percent from the 7.49 trillion in unpaid dues a year ago, the Bureau of the Treasury said Monday. The figure also climbed compared to the 7.73 trillion outstanding loans as of end-2019. One-third of the debt is owed to foreigners, which has climbed by 2.1 percent to 2.64 trillion. The increase came as the government borrowed 33.51 billion as additional funding offshore. The government raised 1.2 billion euros (about 68 billion) through euro-denominated bonds offered to foreign investors in early January. A weaker exchange rate also padded the value of unpaid dues, the Treasury said, with the peso trading at 50.855 versus the US dollar compared to the 50.802 per dollar rate in December 2019. On the other hand, bulk of the loans were sourced locally, which inched higher to 5.12 trillion by end-January. The figure slipped slightly compared to a month ago as the state paid about 3.86 billion worth of maturing debt papers, the Treasury said. READ: Treasury eyeing 30B from retail bond float As a developing economy, the Philippines borrows from both local and foreign sources to fund new programs and projects and manage debt payment periods. The government set aside 488.29 billion for debt payments for the month, slightly lower from December. This year, the state plans to borrow 1.4 trillion, with 75 percent of the amount to be raised locally. China's central bank has ordered banks to disinfect cash and destroy cash received from hospitals to curb the spread of the coronavirus, 26 February. (PHOTO: Feature China/Barcroft Media via Getty Images) By Mohamed A. El-Erian (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Look for this week to be full of news about governments and central banks signalling their whatever it takes willingness to take additional policy measures to fight the contractionary impact of the coronavirus on virtually every economy around the world. Already, the Federal Reserve signalled on Friday readiness to loosen monetary conditions in the United States while Italy announced on Sunday a shock therapy of fiscal measures. As more announcements materialise during the week, it will be crystal clear that the question will not be about the willingness to act but about the effectiveness of those actions. For the most part, the answer will be only partly satisfactory in the short term until two underlying health conditions change. Less obvious will be the need to weigh immediate benefits partial and as necessary as they are against the possibility of longer-term unintended consequences associated with the inevitable use of ill-suited policy tools for the task at hand. Those include more borrowing of growth from the future and even greater reliance on activities bolstered by central bank liquidity injections. An increasing number of sectors and countries are experiencing sudden-stop dynamics as the economic effects of the coronavirus spread more widely around the world. Both demand and supply are being hit hard and in multiple ways. For example, News Corp., the owner of the Wall Street Journal, banned nonessential travel for its employees this weekend; more conferences are being cancelled around the world; airlines are reducing flights; and companies are asking employees to work from home. Its a dynamic that builds on itself in the short term, fuelled by a fear virus and other behavioural traits that engender paralysis and insecurity. It also promotes self-reinforcing vicious economic cycles with adverse social, political and institutional spillover effects, amplified by the considerable risk of pockets of financial market malfunctioning. Story continues The impact of all this will be a repeat internationally of what I called on Friday the shock number out of China: The manufacturing purchasing managers index for February not only came in well below expectations 35.7 compared with the consensus estimate of 45.0 but was also the worst reading on record. Several countries now face a high likelihood of recession, including Germany, Italy, Japan and Singapore, to name just a few, and some of the more financially stressed ones will experience a rise in credit risk and increasing threats of outright credit rationing. With that, a growing number of companies will again be forced to revise downward their earnings guidance for the year or withdraw it altogether because of the exceptional uncertainties. Some, with limited cash cushions and maturing debt like their sovereign counterparts, will also have to worry about their refunding prospects, with mounting risk of higher defaults for the most exposed sectors. In light of all this, it should come as no surprise that a growing number of countries will be announcing emergency stimulus measures. Indeed, those already signalled contain important information: Fridays rare four-line statement by the Fed pointed to the evolving risks facing the U.S. economy and the central banks readiness to deploy tools and act as appropriate to support the economy. Just like the Feds dramatic 180-degree policy turn a year ago from a multiyear path of raising rates to one of immediate cuts during the year, this opens the door for other central banks to loosen financial conditions. If not coordinated, it will be another year of correlated monetary policy stimulus, in which central bankers respond to the same economic conditions but do not cooperate. Italys announcement highlights not just the more targeted policy focus tax credits for companies suffering large hits to revenue and additional help to the health sector but also the willingness of a government to act even in the context of prior fiscal constraints and potential tensions with Brussels. But the considerable willingness of governments and central banks to act should not be confused with effectiveness. For the reasons I have detailed before, countering an economic sudden stop, such as the one connected with the coronavirus, is a lot harder in the immediate term than resolving a financial sudden stop. It requires not just well-targeted national and local responses but also internationally coordinated, and not just correlated, efforts. (Think, for example, of the April 2009 G-20 meeting in London.) And, given the use of rapidly designed and poorly suited policy tools, it inevitably involves some collateral damage and unintended consequences, especially for longer-term economic well-being and financial stability. The best that fiscal and monetary policy interventions can realistically hope for in the next few weeks and months is to: Support sectors critical to a holistic recovery, medical services in particular. Target the most vulnerable, responsive and highly consequential contracting sectors. Provide focused relief to corporate and household balance sheets. Bolster emergency assistance to countries overwhelmed by this exogenous and external shock. Counter pockets of market malfunctioning through timely direct liquidity injections. Provide increasing clarity as to what lies ahead for the global economy, national responses and global policy coordination. These efforts, however, will not be able to engineer in the short term a generalised global and sustained recovery of the three main drivers of economic activity: consumption, investment and trade. Consumption will be curtailed by households lack of confidence to interact in the economy. Weak demand prospects, as well as disrupted supply chains, will limit corporate investment spending. Trade in goods and services will languish as more countries impose restrictions in their quest to protect the health and safety of their citizens. To decisively turn the corner, the global economy needs evidence of two health accomplishments: success in containing the spread of the virus, particularly when it comes to community transmission; and sustained success in illness recovery and avoidance, with the latter best done through the availability of a new vaccine. As for financial markets, look for significant price and liquidity swings as traders navigate the tug-of-war between deepening economic and corporate damage on the one hand and central bank liquidity injections, policy announcements and health news on the other. The immediate opportunity for investors will differ depending on whether they favour highly tactical drivers (that is, day trading and exploiting arbitrage opportunities because of indiscriminate behaviour in markets) or secular and structural ones (those looking for longer-term portfolio positioning that can withstand the considerable volatility ahead). 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Kerry Washington has said the lack of gender balance on film and TV sets has allowed women to be dismissed as crazy, difficult or a diva. The Scandal actress, who will next be seen starring opposite Reese Witherspoon in an adaptation of Celeste Ngs novel Little Fires Everywhere, said the Times Up movement has developed female creative partnerships that have disproved these notions. The actress told digital magazine Porter: That was never our intention. That was always secondary Our actions had to be working for the protection, the safety, the equity for women in all industries. The incredible @kerrywashington talks to #PORTER this week about power, protecting womens voices and her must-watch new TV show with @ReeseW, #LittleFiresEverywhere. Read the full interview and see the shoot, featuring this seasons closet classics https://t.co/c8Yx14qIPE pic.twitter.com/BHcFW2g7sn PORTER (@PORTERmagazine) March 2, 2020 When we brought all of those amazing activists with us to the Golden Globes, we knew this wasnt about just us. She added: One thing that a lot of us have talked about is this idea that, because of the imbalance of power and the delineation of who gets to be the protagonist, so often in our careers, there was one woman on a set. We were siloed. And so we were told about each other. And the story was often, Shes difficult. Shes needy. Shes crazy. Shes unpredictable. Shes a diva. Now we talk to each other, we work together and we know that not to be true. Like even with Little Fires Everywhere, it deals with the nuances of womanhood and motherhood regardless of outward identity. Video of the Day The actress, who has also starred in Django Unchained and The Last King Of Scotland, also addressed whether she would ever consider taking lighter roles, saying: I did one but, even to do a Nora Ephron comedy, because Im black, it is political and it means something. Which is OK with me because Im happy to be doing that work. I think the interesting thing is that, as a black woman, any time I put myself at the centre of the story, it is a political act whether I want it to be or not. Bay Area health officials announced five new coronavirus cases Sunday, reinforcing warnings from the Centers for Disease Control that the outbreak may become a pandemic. The diagnoses include two East Bay health care workers who probably have the virus, public health officials in Alameda and Solano counties said. The workers, employees at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, are considered presumptive positives, meaning local tests administered by the California Department of Public Health found they have the virus, officials said. Officials said theyre awaiting test results from the CDC to make a positive diagnosis but that theyre treating the cases as if theyre positive. Its the first reported case in Alameda County. In Santa Clara County, officials with the Public Health Department identified three new cases Sunday, bringing the countys total number to seven. One case is an adult woman with chronic health conditions who is hospitalized, the county said in a statement. The other two are a husband and wife who recently traveled to Egypt. Both individuals are hospitalized, and the husband has chronic health issues. The couple were exposed to someone who had the virus during their travels, a spokesman said. He did not specify where exactly the contact took place. All three individuals sought medical help and displayed symptoms of the virus, the county said. The announcements came on the same day that the countrys second fatality from the virus was reported in Washington state, and days after the CDC warned people of a possible pandemic of the coronavirus known as COVID-19. Spokeswomen for the Alameda County Public Health Department and Solano Public Health declined to give details on the hospital employees Sunday but said they were exposed to an individual with the virus who is now hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The patient the first diagnosis in the U.S. of an individual who had neither traveled to Asia nor had known contact with travelers from abroad was initially hospitalized at VacaValley before being transferred to Sacramento after symptoms worsened. Our two health care workers who tested positive have been in isolation at home since the day we learned they had contact with the patient who had contracted the virus, said Aimee Brewer, president of NorthBay HealthCare Group. We took immediate and comprehensive measures intended to stop any further spread of the virus, including working with public health officials to trace the contacts the two workers may have had. We remain in close contact with national, state and local public health authorities to ensure we are following the most up-to-date protocols and procedures for dealing with this evolving situation. 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 hospital staff has identified all of the health care workers who came into contact with the patient at VacaValley. They remain in isolation, according to public health officials, who said there may be additional cases. It is important to remember that the patient did not meet the CDCs criteria for COVID-19 testing nor the high-risk threshold for use of specific protective personal equipment by people providing care, the counties said in a joint statement Sunday. The workers one is a Solano County resident, the other an Alameda County resident are in isolation in their homes, health officials said. They declined to share details on how the workers came into contact with the patient but said the virus is contracted through close contact. The virus itself requires close contact for spread, so its not that they happened to be in the same building, said Neetu Balram, spokeswoman for Alameda County Public Health. Its close contact. Alameda County declared a public health emergency Sunday after announcement of its first case. Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez THREE young Dublin women have been charged in connection with cocaine and heroin seizures with an estimated combined value of more than 400,000. Nicola Griffin (22), Kirsty Cummins (18) and Kaci Devereux (18), are all facing drug sale or supply charges after searches of a car and a flat. Judge Ann Ryan granted them bail subject to conditions and adjourned the cases for a week at Dublin District Court. Ms Griffin, of Oatfield Avenue, Clondalkin and Ms Cummins, of Cooley Road in Drimnagh, are both charged with possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to sell or supply at Ballyfermot Road last Friday, February 28. Ms Devereux is alleged to have been in possession of cocaine and heroin for sale or supply at her home address at St Michan's House, Greek Street in the south inner city on the same date. The three were arrested by officers from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and detained before being charged and brought before the court. Dublin District Court heard today there were no garda objections to bail subject to conditions. Judge Ryan granted bail in each accused's own bond of 200, but with with independent sureties required. Conditions are, that the accused sign on three times per week at their local garda stations and notify the gardai of any change of address. They are also to observe curfews, surrender their passports and provide gardai with mobile phone numbers at which they are contactable at all times. The court heard the DPP's directions were not yet available. Gardai have said a car was intercepted in Ballyfermot on February 28 and heroin worth an estimated 175,000 was seized, along with 70,000 worth of cocaine. Two women in the car were arrested and a follow-up search was carried out at an address, where a further estimated 140,000 worth of heroin was seized, along with 40,000 worth of cocaine and a third woman aged 18 was arrested. The total combined estimated value of the drugs is subject to analysis, gardai said. A 17-year-old boy who was in the car was arrested but later released without charge. Senator Amy Klobuchar will end her presidential bid on Monday and will endorse Joe Biden, a campaign aide told CNN. The Klobuchar campaign confirmed that the senator is flying to Dallas to join former vice president Biden at his rally. This comes a day after South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg suspended his campaign over the weekend and is expected to endorse Biden. Recently, Klobuchar posted sixth-place finishes in Nevada and South Carolina. Klobuchar launched her campaign pledging to focus on the "nation's heartland", hoping to use her status as a Midwesterner to convince Democrats that the best way to defeat President Donald Trump is to nominate someone who could bring back disaffected voters in places like Michigan and Wisconsin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As organisations become increasingly more complex, there are now more moving parts in your business than ever before. Mark Wilson, managing director at SYSPRO Are you losing track of operations? Should my business move into the cloud? Are my customers satisfied? Have I invested in my employees? Should I automate distribution channels? Interdepartmental flow has become vital for decision making, accounting systems more complex and management of inventory and distribution of goods is happening on a faster and larger scale than ever before. The previous systems which were in place may not be able to keep up with these changes and it may be the time to upgrade your systems and how you operate.Whatever type of business you operate, one can quickly become accustomed to keeping things the same.However, the questions you must ask yourself is; Are we keeping up with the times? Are we growing too quickly? and most importantly, Are we satisfying our customers?Mark Wilson, managing director at SYSPRO answers some of the questions that are keeping industry leaders awake at night and how they can do things differently to gain the biggest advantage.Businesses have had to find ways in which they are able to future-proof themselves by constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of customers and partners. As your business grows, operations become more and more complex, which unfortunately increases the opportunity for costly mistakes to be made.Disruption to inventory, raw materials, and other supply chain elements can bring production to a grinding halt. There are applications to help automate business operations cross-departmentally, to gain accurate, real-time information to everyone utilising the solution, all while eliminating manual duty, which often has the potential to lead to errors.Cloud computing is becoming more popular and being widely adopted across different businesses and industries. With cloud-enabling access from anywhere with a connection, a business can now be conducted and monitored from the comforts of your own home. Business owners can now operate from any device connected to the internet, adding a level of convenience and allowing them to work smarter.One of the biggest benefits of upgrading to cloud is that it offers superior platform integration, which enables organisations to derive more business value out of other cloud technologies. With on-premises systems, organisations must buy and use different products separately, which contributes to a highly siloed architecture.Organisations also have a variety of choice when it comes to cloud platforms. Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google, IBM dominate the public cloud. However, there are much smaller and niche providers who satisfy geographical and business needs that the large players do not cover.Every organisation has different requirements which will influence the cloud solution you deploy. An in-depth evaluation of your companys unique needs is vital before choosing your cloud solution.While every organisation is focussing on customer experience, many do not understand the fundamentals or how to measure its effectiveness. Measuring return on experience (ROX) has become more important than return on investment (ROI).Organisations are still struggling to overcome the challenges of system integration and varying data formats. As a result, channels are managed separately, with tracking done individually resulting in a lack of visibility of the customer experience journey across channels. Being able to efficiently track the products market entry success rate is an integral part of any organisation, regardless of industry.Much like your business, customer expectations are changing and advancements in technology are making the biggest impact on organisations. To adapt and remain competitive, businesses need to strategically navigate the challenges of the digital age by finding new ways to generate economic value, and drive growth.According to recent research which focused on the manufacturing sector by SYSPRO, the Fourth Industrial Revolution should see the loss of 75 million jobs by 2025. However, the development will create 130 million jobs across the globe. The main assets of the company are its employees and any business should understand their importance.Creating an environment that is ripe with opportunities for employees include tackling any issues that might arise and upgrading their knowledge on the latest technologies that will assist your business to thrive. It is crucial in sectors where automation is becoming unavoidable such as the mining and manufacturing sectors.This will also work well towards having your employees contribute majorly to your businesses advancement. Once upskilled open opportunities for dialogue on how the business can improve or operate better. Not only will they feel empowered, but it will create a tight-knit work environment where everyone is heard and not just seen.The demand for distribution services is escalating rapidly due to the increasing complexity of supply chain operations. Emerging trends such as technological innovation and automation of processes are requiring new business and delivery models, setting the stage for exceptional growth in the fast-moving market space for distribution services.To ensure a seamless flow of information and prompt delivery of goods and services across the value chain, distribution companies must understand and incorporate the emerging trends.Having an ERP system that uses proven technology as a platform, with proprietary business processes including the Internet of Things (IoT) and a simplified user interface, will help businesses create unique business models to change the industry to their benefit. [March 02, 2020] MBA Taps GovCon Veteran Mark Colturi to Lead Next Phase Operations and Growth CHANTILLY, Va., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Booz Allen Hamilton and Salient CRGT Executive, Mark Colturi mission-critical MBA Consulting Services, Inc. (MBA) as Chief Operating Officer. Colturi is a senior information technology leader who has nearly 35 years of professional experience. He will lead MBA's delivery of solutions that solve mission challenges with agility, experience, and innovation. Colturi will report to MBA President and CEO, Lou Coleman. "Mark will play a critical role in leading, designing, and implementing MBA's next phase operations and growth strategies," said Coleman. "Mark's ability to direct multiple departments, solve complex problems, and lead and inspire a diverse team to innovate and improve/create services offerings is unmatched. These are all essential components of our ability to meeting current and future customers' mission critical needs." "I'm excited to work alongside MBA's talented leadership team," said Colturi. "I look forward to being a change agent for our customers and employeesto spearhead new initiatives and strategies that elevate both MBA and our customers. It's important to our customers thatMBA continues to provide innovative solutions that address their mission challenges both today and in the future. The majority of Colturi's career includes 25 years with Booz Allen Hamilton, a premier management and technology consulting company. He has progressively provided leadership in a variety of roles from application development programmer, to program/account manager, and business development principal. Colturi has additional experience serving as Senior Vice President of Operations for Salient CRGT managing a portfolio of $200M in annual business. Recently, he worked as Executive Vice President with Sevatec managing both the federal civilian and defense business. MBA Consulting Service, Inc. (MBA) is a federal government IT systems integrator and solutions provider committed to delivering solutions that solve mission challenges with agility, experience, and innovation. As a mission-focused integrator, we provide a comprehensive range of information technology, engineering, professional services, and facilities management solutions. We have proven expertise in delivering custom data analytics, digital services, systems engineering, human factor engineering, and infrastructure solutions. Our industry-leading agile workforce offerings enable our customers to maximize the productivity of their human capital investment. Additionally, our multi-disciplinary facilities management expertise provides our customers with efficient, safe, compliant, and cost-effective infrastructure solutions. MBA is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, has more than 350 employees, and is in 46 locations worldwide. With proven leadership and a 20-year heritage, our reputation has been forged by acquiring and developing the best talent in a values-driven culture of integrity, respect, and quality solutions. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mba-taps-govcon-veteran-mark-colturi-to-lead-next-phase-operations-and-growth-301013175.html SOURCE MBA Consulting Services, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The changes we are seeing in the energy sector are immense and inherently political. Understanding the political economy of the energy transition is essential for investors, companies, and governments to secure their future in the new world." - Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group president Eurasia Group is launching a new Energy, Climate & Resources practice that significantly expands on the issue areas covered by the Global Energy & Natural Resources practice, founded in 2006. The transition of the energy systemfrom one fueled mostly by fossil fuels to one with a wider range of sources, including renewablesis the most significant development in the energy and natural resources sector in the past 50 years. As new energy technologies become cost-competitive with traditional ones, new business models are taking hold and new producer-consumer relationships are being established. The changes we are seeing in the energy sector are immense and inherently political, said Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group. As the sources, flows, and uses of energy change, so do the global and national politics that have been built around them. Understanding the political economy of the energy transition is essential for investors, companies, and governments to secure their future in the new world. To help our clients navigate the energy transition, we have added new capabilities, in addition to our coverage of traditional energy issues, including: Deep expertise in the politics of climate change A politics-first view of the move to incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues into investment strategy and operations A specific focus on the role of gas in the energy transition, particularly in Asia We are also pleased to announce that Gerald Butts, former principal secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will be joining Eurasia Group as a senior advisor to help shape our expanded offering and advise our clients. Butts has successfully led Canadian and global organizations in the public and private sectors for 20 years and has developed deep expertise on climate change, trade, energy, sustainable finance, and artificial intelligence. Together with Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, former Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and Chair of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, the two will drive our coverage of sustainability issues at the Senior Advisor level. The practice will continue to be led by Robert J. Johnston, managing director and former CEO of Eurasia Group. Rohitesh Dhawan, co-head of the firms Europe, Middle East and Africa business will spearhead regional, climate, and ESG subject matter coverage out of London, with Henning Gloystein covering global gas markets and Asian energy issues out of Singapore. Mikaela McQuade also joins the team to cover North American energy, climate, and sustainable finance issues based in DC, supported by Coco Zhang in New York. Click here for more on Eurasia Groups Energy, Climate & Resources research team. ************ Eurasia Group is the world's leading global political risk research and consulting firm. By providing information and insight on how political developments move markets, we help clients anticipate and respond to instability and opportunities everywhere they invest or do business. Our expertise includes developed and developing countries in every region of the world, specific economic sectors, and the business and investment playing fields of the future. With our best-in-class advisory and consulting offerings and GZERO Media, the Eurasia Group umbrella provides the marketplace with a complete political risk solution. Headquartered in New York, we have offices in Washington DC, London, San Francisco, Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Singapore, and Tokyo, as well as on-the-ground experts and resources in more than a hundred countries. "Politics first grounds our work: Politics is the lens through which we view the world, and we are committed to analysis that is free of political bias and the influence of private interests. Dont hold your breath for big climate policy changes even if a Democrat wins the White House. Why it matters: Congress is likely to remain gridlocked on the matter, leading to either more of the same with President Trumps re-election or a regulatory swing back to the left no matter which Democrat wins but far short of a legislative overhaul. The big picture: Climate change is reaching a new high-water mark as a political concern for American voters, and Democratic presidential nominees are promising aggressive policies. That in and of itself is a sea change from prior elections. Even still, these worries and pledges are unlikely to translate into any major new laws in the next few years (at least). Heres why, with potential scenarios mapped out. Trump wins re-election While Trump is uniquely unpredictable in presidential history, he's made it clear since moving into the White House that hes not interested in pursuing any sort of actual climate legislation on Capitol Hill. More of the same is most likely, in two important ways: More curtailing of environmental regulations and defending them in court. More pressure on other actors like companies, states and other countries to take bigger action on their own as the void of U.S. presidential leadership grows. Any Democrat wins All Democrats have aggressive climate plans, but its an open question whether any would first push climate legislation over other priorities especially health care. Sanders, for instance, has campaigned more on Medicare for All than he has on the Green New Deal. We could face a rerun of 2009, where newly inaugurated President Obama chose to first pursue a health care bill before climate change. Running out of political capital after that grueling fight was one of many reasons the climate bill failed. Regardless of congressional priority, any Democratic president would swing Washingtons executive-action pendulum far back in the other direction. This includes rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, but most candidates have promised to go much further with regulatory agencies. Obama swung out aggressively in the pro-regulatory direction after Congress failed to pass a climate bill. He was responding to inaction on the regulatory front by his predecessor, George W. Bush. Today, we have Trump swinging the pendulum back closer to where Bush was (and in some ways going further). And so the swinging goes Reality check: This pendulum dynamic is classic Washington. Its inefficient and ingrains uncertainty for everyone involved, including corporate executives (who hate uncertainty), the environment itself and all of us affected by that environment. A progressive Democrat wins ... like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. These senators are among the most progressive in the Democratic Party. They have pledged to ban fracking and push sweeping legislation using the Green New Deal moniker. They have endorsed the nonbinding Senate resolution that calls for drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions and incorporates broad socioeconomic measures, like federal guarantees for jobs and housing. They portray oil companies and Republicans as the enemy, indicating bipartisanship and industry buy-in wont be part of any dealmaking. This type of all-encompassing and hyper-aggressive legislation is unlikely to get universal support among Democrats (to say nothing of universal Republican opposition) which makes them extremely unlikely to get through the Senate. This is because Democrats with more moderate ideologies or those representing energy-intensive states are unlikely to support the broader socioeconomic measures and such aggressive moves away from fossil fuels, partly because many of those jobs are represented by unions. That means even in the scenario where legislative rules are bent or changed altogether to make GOP support irrelevant, relying on just Democratic votes is unlikely to be enough. A more moderate Democrat wins ... like Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar or Michael Bloomberg. I anticipate these politicians would be (relatively) more open to trying to work with Republicans on climate change than their progressive counterparts. Research shows that bipartisanship is almost always essential to pass big policy through Congress. So this is the most likely scenario where a genuine climate bill could prevail, though the overall chances are still low. The intrigue: A path to passage of, say, a clean energy standard or a carbon tax would require a grand bargain-type bipartisan compromise like we saw in 2015 when Congress paired renewing clean-energy subsidies with lifting a ban on oil exports. Oil companies got access to global markets, and renewable-energy producers got tax breaks. Their respective congressional allies were correspondingly supportive. A climate bill would require bargaining on a far bigger and more complicated scale. Yes, but: The holdup comes from both sides. Although Republicans are coming back around to acknowledging climate change and are proposing (rather narrow) proposals, so far very few are publicly supporting anything bigger, like a carbon tax. More Democrats want ever more aggressive policies since climate change is a bigger problem than it was a decade ago and because of the partys overall leftward turn. What Im watching: To what degree narrower policies, like a bipartisan Senate bill introduced last week, gain more congressional support given this landscape. Off the Hill, my focus is shifting to actions by states and corporations. By Diao Daming The United States and theTaliban signed a historic Afghanistan peace agreement in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on February 29. According to the agreement, the US will reduce its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 in the coming 135 days, and the Taliban will hold peace talks with the Afghan government while meeting Americas counter-terror demands. If everything goes well, all US troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan within 14 months. The negotiation between the Trump administration and the Taliban has lasted a year and a half.Given the progress in the past few months, even though the final inking of the deal came as no surprise to the world, it is after all a significant step toward ending 18 years of conflicts in Afghanistan. Objectively speaking, the patience and eagerness demonstrated by both parties during the negotiation aremore because of their recognition that there is no way to continue fighting with each other than out of their common wish for peace. For the US, the mire of Afghan war has made history for lasting longer than the Vietnam War, costing far more money, materials and deaths than the September 11 incident that caused the war in the first place. Keeping up military operations of such a large scale is just not worth the candle anymore. As for the Taliban, although it has staged all kinds of attacks to warn the US, it has hardly ever got the upper hand in the confrontation with the well-equipped American troops. Besides, being in a wartime state for so many years has prevented the organization from achieving its political goals. The new peace deal is obviously a political achievement that president Trump needs most with the reelection looming in eight months. This is also why he made a sudden visit to Afghanistan during last years Thanksgiving and reaffirmed his commitment to taking American soldiers home after having to call off the Camp David meeting in the last minute in September 2019 due to Taliban attack. However, the current timetable for troops withdrawal uses a noticeable President Trump's playbook despite the actuarial calculations in some way. The 14-month-long period of withdrawing troops covers the election in November and is therefore tantalizing enough for the voters. Meanwhile, its long enough for the Trump administration to have comprehensive observation and judgment of the situation inside and outside of Afghanistan, so it will have the chance to make adjustments 14 months later if it wins the reelection. This means the first challenge to restoring real peace through the deal is how Afghanistans internal mediation will go in the next 14 months or a shorter period. As a matter of fact, it was a hidden danger that the US was so eager to have the peace talks directly with Taliban without engaging the Afghan government from the beginning. Later the Afghan government, barely able to hang on due to the deep-rooted internal strife, had no choice but follow in Americas steps in the peace talks and had more engagement with the Taliban. The Taliban, on the other hand, has expressed its wish to promote the talks and stop violent conflicts in various ways. On February 20, Sirajuddin Haqqani, deputy leader of the group, published a signed article on New York Times, saying if they could reach a deal with a foreign enemy, they were definitely able to resolve Afghanistans internal divergences through dialogue. The problem is that thiscentral Asian country was established on the basis of different clans with fragmented state or national recognition. Under such circumstances, its not hard to drive away a foreign enemy that doesnt belong there at the early beginning, but reaching a suit-all reconciliation among different forces on the land is bound to be more challenging. It requires a strong and common wish, great courage and exceptional political wisdom of both parties. It has to be admitted that the US still plays a critical role in this arduous process. While the Trump administration, with the upcoming reelection, will impose great pressure on both parties, especially the Afghan government, the latter may well seek help from the Democrats like Pelosi on the excuse of human rights and other topics in order to protect its own interests, thus counterbalancing the Taliban through Washington. Actually, Pelosi squeezed time to meet with Afghan President AshrafGhani on the sideline of the 56thMunich Security Conference in Germany in mid-February. The peace deal marks a new beginning, but more like the beginning witha long way to go. Unlike the over-optimism expressed by US president and Secretary of State for political considerations, the US Defense Secretary Esper reflected the Pentagons calm by saying, 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. Yet thisis only half-right. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan will require the united efforts of all Afghan and international parties. The only thing it does not need is the engagement and interference of any form conducted by the US to serve its own hegemony and interests. Diao Daming, a researcher at the National Academy of Development and Strategy, Renmin University of China (RUC) MANILA A disgruntled security guard who lost his job at an upscale mall went on a shooting rampage in Manila on Monday, injuring at least one person and holding up to 30 other people hostage, the police and news reports said. One person was shot and had been taken to a hospital, Francis Zamora, the mayor of the San Juan district, where the mall is, told ANC television. The malls electronics and clothing stores were sealed off as shoppers were safely evacuated, but the gunman was still holding hostages as of Monday afternoon. The incident began at about 10 a.m. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will be raising issues of human rights abuse in Saudi Arabia and the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen during his first official visit to the Gulf this week. Mr Raab will meet his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and the Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in Riyadh before travelling to Oman to meet the countrys new ruler, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. The talks in both the countries will also include a wide range of other subjects, including security and trade, said the Foreign Office. The situation in the region continues to be extremely tense following the assassination of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Solemani by the US, the seizure of oil tankers and drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The UK has strong defence ties with Oman, with British Special Forces carrying out annual exercises. At the same time, London is pushing for post-Brexit trade in the Gulf and has proposed an agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain as well as Saudi Arabia and Oman. The crisis over the spread of coronavirus is also likely to be discussed. Saudi Arabia has closed the two holiest shrines of Islam, Mecca and Medina, to foreign travellers following the outbreak, while Oman has banned entry to the country for nationals of Iran, which has seen a rising number of infections and deaths from the disease. Britain has condemned acts of human rights abuse in Saudi Arabia, such as the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi and imprisonment of activists. But civil rights groups have charged the government with muting its criticism in order to get commercial deals after leaving the European Union. Recommended Western powers are protracting the war in Yemen for profit The UK is the penholder for Yemen in the UN Security Council, a term designating three of the permanent members France, UK, US leadership role in certain situations. Yemen tops the watchlist of countries most likely to face humanitarian catastrophe in 2020. The long running conflict in which the Saudi- and Emirati-backed Yemeni government is fighting Houthi rebels means 24 million people, 80 per cent of the population, will need urgent assistance this year, according to aid agencies. Mr Raab said ahead of his visit that he will also seek to push for a political solution following the recent surge in Houthi violence and constraints on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. He continued The Gulf is important to UK security, but its also a region of enormous opportunity. Both Oman and Saudi Arabia want to grow in sectors such as health, education and culture where the UK leads the world. I look forward to discussing trade, regional security, climate change and human rights in this pivotal region. Innovative Construction Technology (ICT), a Saas company delivering innovative and empowering solutions for construction, announced its participation in the New York Build Expo being held in New York City on March 3rd and 4th. New York Build is the leading construction and design show for New York and the Tri-State area. New York Build covers the latest projects, opportunities, investment and innovation in the built environment of the region. The show brings together thousands of professionals from across the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and real estate industries under one roof to collaborate, upskill, and do business across two exciting days of networking and learning opportunities. ICT will be on hand to present its flagship product, ICT Tracker. ICT Tracker automates construction project progress tracking and reporting. By utilizing augmented reality or 3D Model View for data capture using existing project models, ICT Tracker enables construction teams to benchmark field installation status and productivity rates with real-time data. ICT Tracker delivers an innovative and empowering mobile app to streamline work processes and enable technology for construction. Stop by booth #658 to meet Lisa Duncan, ICT co-founder and CRO along with Robert McKinney, ICT Business Development. They will also be demonstrating the power of ICT Tracker during the show. For more information on the New York Build Expo, visit https://www.newyorkbuildexpo.com. To learn more about ICT Tracker, visit http://www.icttracker.com About Innovative Construction Technology Innovative Construction Technology (ICT) is a Saas company that delivers innovative and empowering products to easily solve problems and transform the use of technology in the construction industry. ICT is built on knowledge through experience and the desire to foster authentic and genuine relationships by sharing the outcome in partnership with our customers. http://www.icttracker.com/about A high-level group of ministers (GoM) reviewed current status, and actions for prevention and management of novel coronavirus in New Delhi on Monday. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who chaired the meeting, said that adequate measures are being taken to combat COVID-19. The deadly virus has claimed 2,912 lives in China alone, and more than 3,000 worldwide. He advised people to take precautions, and report to the nearest public health facility or call the Health Ministry in case any symptoms arise. Speaking to media after the meeting, Harsh Vardhan said that Indian citizens need to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore, Republic of Korea, Iran and Italy. People coming from Republic of Korea, Iran and Italy or having such travel history since February 10, 2020 may be quarantined for 14 days on arrival to India, Vardhan said. "We are monitoring the evolving global scenario. Restrictions may be further extended to other countries, as per the situation," he added. In the meeting, a presentation of the status of the COVID-19 was made to the ministerial group. The preventive steps and measures taken for management of COVID-19 disease in India were presented, which included information about the various travel advisories in view of the evolving global situation regarding COVID-19. Harsh Vardhan informed that universal screening is being done for the travellers from 12 countries for all the flights from China, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Indonesia, Iran and Italy at the earmarked aero-bridges. He added that the passengers are being screened at 21 airports, 12 major seaports and 65 minor seaports and land crossings particularly bordering Nepal. "So far 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at the airports, and 12,431 at the seaports. Passengers are further monitored under community surveillance through IDSP network on a daily basis. Also, 25,738 passengers are under community surveillance of the IDSP network. 15 labs are functional and 19 more will be made operational soon," he mentioned. Reagents to test up to 25,000 samples have been made available. Total of 3,245 samples were sent out for testing, of which 3,217 were found negative, 5 samples positive and 23 are under testing, he added. Earlier in the day, two more cases of coronavirus were detected in New Delhi and Telangana. The patients had travelled to Italy and Dubai before they were tested positive. Apart from this, three students from Kerala were tested positive for COVID-19, but they were later discharged from hospital after treatment. The central government has constituted the GoM to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness and measures taken to tackle the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. By Chitranjan Kumar Also Read: Coronavirus updates: Two new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Delhi, Telangana Also Read: Coronavirus in Delhi: How to stay safe? In a huge relief for the transgender community, a first-of-its-kind home, spread across 3 grounds(7200 square feet) that would offer shelter, livelihood training, support and care is to come up within a year at Poonamallee, in the outskirts of Chennai city. This is the first in the series of homes that are being planned in other Indian cities including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Tamil Nadu has had a vibrant transgender community where many are employed as lawyers, police officers, doctors, television personalities etc. However, when it comes to shelter there arent many facilities available to them. We usually hire rooms on a rental basis and there are time restrictions as well. While there are a few homes provided by the government for our community, they are relatively small and house the elderly transgender people and also serve as learning centres for the younger members of the community. But our new home will have three buildings and can accommodate over 150 members. We will be having the bhumi-puja and foundation stone laying within 20 days and hope to have it ready for occupation within a year Jaya, transwoman and General manager of Sahodaran, an NGO that works for the LGBTQ community, told WION. The home is aimed at supporting the teenagers who are ostracized from society and shunned from their own homes after their sexual identity is revealed. During our youth we found it very difficult to find a place to stay, we couldnt continue our studies and were often misled. For the coming generations, a home like this would make a huge difference and can prepare them for the challenges of life. Not only can they continue their education, but they can also be imparted skills such as dance, handicrafts, sketching etc. They can stay at home until they feel they can live independently. We intend to make it open to transgenders from across India said Renuka Devi from Snehidhi, an organization that works for the community. The home is not just meant to include transgenders, but would also have two additional buildings for children and the differently-abled, who would be cared for by the transgenders. We transgenders can't have children but will raise them there and take care of them like our own. This would be the first of its kind facility, where we would be able to take care of children and the differently-abled. We would be abled to live a peaceful life here as there are no fixed limits to how long we can be here. Most homes have a limit of three months, but here we allow people to stay until they feel they can sustain on their own Priyanka, a transwoman and cultural team leader at Sahodaran told WION. The idea of the home had come up during a discussion between Tamil Actor Raghava Lawrence and Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar during the filming of Laxmmi Bomb. Lawrence was speaking to Kumar on his Charitable Trust that has been initiating various projects for education, home for kids and the differently-abled. Our trust is now entering into its 15th year. So during Laxmmi Bomb shoot I was talking to Akshay Kumar sir about the trust projects and transgenders home, immediately after hearing this without even me asking he told he will donate 1.5 cores for building transgenders home Lawrence who is directing the Akshay Kumar-starrer, posted on Facebook. Ever since his film Kanchana, actor Raghava Lawrence has interacted with the transgender community and his perception has changed. Lawrence offering us the land and Akshay Kumar helping with the funds for construction is the largesse and kind-heartedness of a group of people who believe in our work. When our people went to meet Akshay Kumar in Mumbai, they just wanted to express the challenges faced by the community, but he handed a cheque without batting an eyelid. Full credit to Raghava Lawrence for helping the transgender community and also reaching out to Akshay Kumar to get the work going in full swing Sunil Menon, the founder of Sahodaran told WION. Laxmmi Bomb is an upcoming Hindi-language comedy-horror film written and directed by Raghava Lawrence in his Hindi directorial debut. It is a remake of the Tamil film Muni 2: Kanchana and stars Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani. Mexico, March 2 : Relatives of the Mormons massacred last November in Mexico, joined a march for justice in Puebla. Commemorating Family Day on Sunday, they raised their voices and demanded justice in the face of these crimes in Mexico, where 34,582 murders were reported in 2019 alone while 61,637 persons remained missing, reports Efe news. Dressed in white and holding banners demanding justice, the protesters urged the government to implement security strategies that guarantee peace. "They say that young people, by nature, believe that they can make a change, that they can make a difference, that they can improve things. And it turns out that at the end of the day it always happens, so I have immense confidence in our youth. My hopes are all on our youth," said Adrian LeBaron, one of the Mormon relatives. In November 2019, six children and three women in their community were killed in an organised crime attack on the border of the northwestern states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Adrian said that these types of marches are fundamental in joining forces because no fight is overcome individually. (Newser) Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and will endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice president's White House bid, per the AP. She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally Monday night. Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire. But she couldn't turn that into success elsewhere, as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in the next contests. story continues below Klobuchar argued that her record of getting things done in Washington and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency. She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates. But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April, starting as a front-runner and remaining there. Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Pete Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely unknown mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top contender on a mix of intelligence, strong oratory and youthful optimism. Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday, saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination. (Read more Amy Klobuchar 2020 stories.) Myanmar army kills five Rohingya Muslims, including a child, in Rakhine Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 4:31 PM At least five Rohingya Muslims, including a child, have been killed and several others injured during clashes in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, where state-sponsored violence has prevailed in recent years. A regional lawmaker and residents said on Sunday that the five members of the persecuted Muslim minority were killed in Mrauk U town a day earlier. A 12-year-old boy was among them. There were conflicting accounts of the number of Rohingya injured, which ranged from six to 11. Media reports citing an unnamed Rohingya villager said that the deceased bodies had bullet wounds. "Five Muslims died as their bodies were found," Reuters quoted the villager as saying, adding, "Their funeral was held today." "We can't go out and we can't go anywhere," he added. "We are just staying safe in our village. If this keeps happening, I feel like there is no hope." The regional MP, Tun Thar Sein, said that Saturday's fighting broke out after Arakan Army -- a predominantly Buddhist ethnic group -- attacked a military convoy passing the area. Troops responded with gunfire and shelling two villages of the troubled region, the lawmaker added. Myanmar military claimed that the forces from the ethnic militant group that recruits mostly from Rakhine's Buddhist majority were responsible for the death. Contradicting the military's claim, Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the militants, who want more autonomy for Rakhine State blamed Myanmar's government troops for the civilian casualties. Saturday's attack was one of several to kill Rohingya this year. In early January, four Rohingya children died in a blast the military and rebels blamed on each other. On January 25, Myanmar troops shelled a Rohingya village, killing two women, one pregnant, and injuring seven people. The Hague-based International Court of Justice earlier this year ordered Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims against further atrocities and preserve evidence of alleged crimes. The region came to global attention in 2017 when more than 750,000 Rohingya, mostly women and children, fled to neighboring Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown that UN investigators have said was carried out with "genocidal intent." Bangladesh was already hosting some 200,000 Rohingya when the exodus began. Hundreds remain in Myanmar and now live under apartheid-like conditions, confined to camps and villages and denied access to healthcare and education. The Rohingya have inhabited Rakhine State for centuries, but the state denies them citizenship. Bangladesh refuses to grant them citizenship too. The United Nations has already described the Rohingya as the most persecuted community in the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WASHINGTON: Amazon.com Inc said late on Sunday that two employees in Milan, Italy, have contracted the Covid 19 coronavirus and are under quarantine. Were supporting the affected employees who were in Milan and are now in quarantine, company spokesman Dan Perlet said. The worlds biggest online retailer said it was unaware of any U.S. employees who had contracted the virus. On Friday, Amazon told employees to stop non-essential travel, within the United States and beyond. The company also confirmed on Sunday it is moving some recruiting interviews to video rather than in person. The United States on Saturday hiked its travel advisory and urged U.S. citizens not to travel to the Veneto and Lombardy regions of Italy because of the coronavirus outbreak. Milan is the capital of the Lombardy region. Phuket Poll: Should tourists cancel their holiday in Phuket? PHUKET: With news of the COVID-19 coronavirus dominating headlines worldwide and Thailand suffering its first death over the weekend, fears of the virus spreading have been as contagious as the virus itself. tourismhealthChineseeconomicstransportCoronavirusCOVID-19 By The Phuket News Monday 2 March 2020, 04:51PM Tourists are screened on arrival at Phuket International Airport. Photo: PR Dept While government agencies around the globe take steps to assure their citizens that appropriate measures are in place, officials in Thailand in particular have come under fire for lack of clear preventative action. Even the lack of clarity in the information disseminated to the public about the virus situation in Thailand has come under attack, especially for its impact on the confidence people have in such reports. To this, The Phuket News asks readers the simple question, Even if Phuket had one or more confirmed cases of people infected with the coronavirus, if those people were quickly identified and moved to isolation, should this affect tourists in their decision to come to Phuket? Responses available to the poll are: Yes, tourists should cancel their trips to anywhere for now to help stop the virus from spreading. Yes, tourists should cancel their trips to Phuket and elsewhere in Thailand, as there is little confidence in measures taken to contain the spread of the virus. No, the virus is already everywhere. It should not affect their decision at all as long reasonable precautions are taken. It depends on whether the people contracted the virus while in Phuket. If your preferred response is not available above, feel free to add it in the comments below. To vote in the poll, click here. The poll will remain open to votes until midnight Sunday night (Mar 8), Phuket time. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said that the state government will do whatever is needed for the Dhangar community. "This matter (Dhangar reservation issue) is in court. Earlier also, an affidavit has been given to the court about this. Now, technically we have to see what report has been submitted, how much budget was sanctioned," said Thackeray in the state Assembly. "Dhangar community is my community, all communities are my community. I will not let them face any scarcity. Till the time they are legally recognised, they are responsibility of this government, you need not to worry about that . Whatever is needed to be done and is possible for us to do, we will do," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Relegate will bid to earn both herself and trainer Colm Murphy a return to the Cheltenham Festival winners enclosure when she lines up for the Pertemps Final next week. It is 14 years since Murphy claimed Champion Hurdle glory with the popular Brave Inca, since when he has also tasted success at the showpiece meeting with Big Zeb in the 2010 Queen Mother Champion Chase and Empire Of Dirt in the 2016 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate. After making the difficult decision to relinquish his licence in September of that year, it appeared Murphys days of saddling Festival winners were over. However, he returned to the training ranks last May and has high hopes of adding to his tally in the Cotswolds with Relegate a Festival winner herself, having landed the 2018 Champion Bumper for then trainer Willie Mullins and amateur rider Katie Walsh. Empire Of Dirt was our last runner and last winner in Cheltenham, said Murphy. I probably didnt expect to be have another runner so soon after coming back its nice to be going back with a horse with a chance. Having been off the track for a year, Relegate made a highly encouraging return to action and debut for Murphy when fourth in a Pertemps Qualifier at Punchestown last month. With the British handicapper handing her a revised mark of 137 last week, the daughter of Flemensfirth is guaranteed a place in the field for the Final and is prominent in the market at around 7-1. Murphy said: Shes seems in good form, so fingers crossed its all systems go. Shes entered in a few races in Cheltenham, but the Pertemps looks the race for her. We were delighted with her run in Punchestown. Wed had a few little stop-starts, and it wasnt ideal to be running her over three miles on heavy ground on her first run back, but we had to start somewhere and she ran a good race. Weve been happy with her since and on the best of her form she doesnt look badly handicapped, obviously. Donald Trump is pushing a weeks-old poll conducted before a stock market drop about the US government's response to the coronavirus outbreak while also accusing Democrats of "fearmongering" about the flu-like ailment. The president on Sunday cited what he said was a New York Post survey that he claimed "says that 77% of 'US adults have confidence in their government's ability to handle the Coronavirus (Number One), compared to other health threats.'" "Others way down on list," he wrote, seeming to mean previous presidents' responses to other health crises. "Our professionals are doing a great job!" The latter claim could well be proven true if more Americans do not die from coronavirus, but the source of Mr Trump's claim about public confidence in his administration is unclear at best and possibly outright fraudulent. A Google site search of NYPost.com turned up no article on such a poll. 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 White House spokesman was unable to provide The Independent with a link to a Post news product showing the 77 per cent confidence level. The president might be incorrectly crediting the right-leaning New York tabloid. That's because a Gallup survey that wrapped up on 16 February did show a 77 per cent confidence level. The White House spokesman responded to an email seeking clarity by providing just a link to the Gallup survey. But that poll was conducted before last week's stock market drop that reflected global markets' concerns about the Trump administration's plan to contain the mysterious virus. What's more, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted around the same time also before the market drop found 60 per cent of Americans believed then the federal government was doing enough to counter the virus. (KFF is a non-profit organisation that focuses on health policy.) As he does with just about every issue or controversy, the president has tried to describe himself as a sort of indirect coronavirus victim. He has used remarks in the White House briefing room, at reelection rallies, and other public events to accuse Democrats of trying to use the outbreak which claimed its first American death over the weekend to hurt him politically. "I was criticised by the Democrats when I closed the Country down to China many weeks ahead of what almost everyone recommended. Saved many lives," he claimed in a Monday tweet before throwing down the victim card. "Dems were working the Impeachment Hoax. They didn't have a clue! Now they are fear mongering. Be calm & vigilant!" he wrote. On Saturday, Mr Trump was asked during a press briefing to explain his use of the word "hoax" when talking about the virus and Democrats during a campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, the previous night. Mr Trump delivered an impassioned response, telling a reporter he meant Democrats' criticisms of him and his public health team amount to a "hoax" he puts on the same level as the Justice Department's Russia 2016 election meddling probe or House Democrats' Ukraine investigation that led to his impeachment. A slew of congressional Democrats and that party's presidential candidates have sharply criticised the Trump administration for responding to the virus too slowly, and Mr Trump for a serious of questionable moves, including putting Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the federal response. Mr Pence is a science skeptic and has been hammered for what critics call his callous and slow response to a HIV outbreak in Indiana when he was governor of that state. One moderate southern Democratic senator who is vulnerable in his reelection bid, Doug Jones of Alabama, said Monday he thinks the federal health system can prevent a major outbreak. "I've got a good bit of confidence in the CDC," Mr Jones told CNN. "I hope that the people will listen to the scientists, and not the politicians." Mr Trump and Mr Pence are scheduled to meet with drug manufacturers Monday afternoon, a meeting long on the books to discuss bringing down prescription drug prices. The group also will discuss a potential coronavirus vaccine, with the president claiming Monday morning "good progress" is being made on that. Senior administration officials said Friday a possible vaccine would be months away, if an effective one can be cleared for distribution. Mr Pence will brief reporters on the government's response and the situation with the virus at 5pm ET. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 17:02:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's overall crime figure in 2019 rose by 9.2 percent compared to the previous year, despite a downward trend for the previous 12 consecutive years, the head of Hong Kong police said on Monday, warning against the increasing participation of young people in crimes and the weakening law-abiding awareness of the public. The overall crime figure increased by 5,000 cases, or 9.2 percent, to 59,225 cases in 2019 compared with 2018, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Commissioner of Police Tang Ping-keung said at a media briefing. The overall law and order situation in Hong Kong had shown a downward trend for 12 consecutive years, with the number of crimes falling from 80,796 in 2007 to 54,225 in 2018, according to statistics provided by Hong Kong police. The law and order situation in Hong Kong remained stable in the first half of 2019, with the overall crime figure falling by 4.7 percent from the same period in 2018. However, the continued violent and illegal activities in the second half of 2019 not only offset the 4.7-percent decline but also led to the 9.2-percent whole-year increase, Tang said. The crimes that increased remarkably include those directly derived from the radical demonstrations, such as criminal damage, arson, obstruction of public security and doxxing. They also include crimes such as robbery and burglary, which increased as the police crime prevention effort and resources were diluted due to the unrest, he added. Tang pointed out that about 40 percent of those arrested in connection with the violent and illegal protest activities claimed to be students, and the percentage of people aged under 18 among the arrested has shown an upward trend, warning against the trend that more young people are taking part in crimes. He also warned that the law-abiding awareness of the public tends to be weakening due to the justifying and glorifying of violent and illegal acts by some people in the community, especially those with legal background. During the past nine months, the radicals have been upgrading their acts from blocking traffic and hurling bricks to setting fires and throwing petrol bombs, even using firearms and bombs, Tang said, warning that condoning or glorifying these violent and illegal acts may lead to a "disaster for the rule of law." The police have seized multiple explosives and five real firearms in the past months, and have found four remote-controlled bombs placed in public places after the Chinese new year, the police head said, condemning the radicals' acts as "terrorism." The first school has been forced to close for two weeks because of a coronavirus case, and parents will be wondering if more will follow suit over the coming weeks. Let's face it, it must be a logistical nightmare for many of those who are affected, because it came out of the blue. But it's probably not a bad idea for us all to put contingency plans in place if we have children at primary and secondary level. It's a case of hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. In this particular case, it's a secondary school which has been affected, so presumably there won't be the same desperate scrambling for childcare to mind the kids, who are a little bit older than if it was a primary school closing. Pupils and teachers are being asked to restrict their movements, so that is straightforward enough. But if more schools have to shut, which is an unknown factor at the moment, it is the 'grey' areas that many parents will be wondering about, as health authorities seek to contain the number of cases. For example, what happens if you have children in more than one school? If you have a teenager with no symptoms but whose school has not been shut for the 14-day incubation period, should you drop your other kids to their schools? Should you let them do all their after-school activities? The virus can be transmitted "usually after close contact with an infected patient". But the HSE's website points out: "Because it's a new illness, we do not know how easily the virus spreads from person to person. We do not know if someone can spread the virus before they show symptoms." Meanwhile, pity the parents who will be faced with having to isolate one of their children if they show symptoms of infection, which can include fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, in a different room from the rest of the family with the door closed. Let's not forget too that in modern-day Ireland, many families are living in cramped conditions, and in some cases entire families are living in one hotel room, so that could potentially pose problems. The other great unknown for parents is how flexible employers will be. It is one thing to ring in and say that you can't come to work because you have been told to isolate yourself. But what if you want to take time off work with your kids whose school is shut, but they are entirely symptom free? You may want to keep an eye on them. Another issue arises for exam students where a school is shut. They can study at home, but they are losing class time compared with their peers, so this will have to be examined. Ultimately though, the focus must rightly remain on the health and wellbeing of our school communities. A Nigerian public analyst, Dr. Joe Abah has commended the Federal government for taking prompt precautions in detecting the possible spr... In the last 2 weeks, I have used the Abuja International Airport twice, London Heathrow Airport four times and Washington Dulles Airport twice. I also used the London Underground trains twice. I only saw precautionary preventive efforts against #COVID19 was in Nigeria. Thread... March 1, 2020 Traveling out of Abuja Airport, you are screened by a thermal imaging machine, which you may not notice. Coming back into Abuja, you are given a form to fill while still in the plane. The form collects your contact details, where youve been and your recent health status. pic.twitter.com/HbT4RqU7N6 March 1, 2020 When you land, a health worker checks that you fully completed the form. If you didnt, you are pulled aside and made to fill it. Once you pass the heath worker, there are signs asking whether you have been to China recently. Another health worker is watching the thermal images. pic.twitter.com/EoeySoAgW6 March 1, 2020 The public analyst took to his verified Twitter handle on Sunday, saying that the Nigerian airport is doing what the saner climes, the US and UK are not doing in terms of addressing the scourge, which has spread to at least 48 countries.Based on his findings, Dr. Abah believes that Nigeria is more prepared against the Coronavirus than the United States of America and United Kingdom.While narrating his experience, he pointed out that throughout his travels and stay in the United States and the UK since the outbreak of the deadly virus, he had not come across any scanning exercise.He said contrary to many peoples expectations, Nigeria had taken more precautionary measures against the virus than the more developed countries. The government has taken several steps to secure coking coal supplies for the domestic steel industry and is making efforts to diversify the raw material's import sources, Parliament was informed on Monday. While output of iron ore, another key raw material for the steel industry, in the country is sufficient to meet the current demand, the entire demand of coking coal is not met from domestic production as the availability of high-quality coking coal (low-ash coal) in the country is limited and, thus, no option is left but to resort to import of coking coal, Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a reply to a query in the Lok Sabha. Pradhan also said the government has taken several steps in order to secure coking coal supplies for the Indian steel industry. Efforts are being made to import coking coal from the US, Russia and Mongolia to diversify the coking coal import sources, he said. "During 2018-19, the total demand of coking coal for the steel industry was 58.37 million tonne (MT). Out of this, 51.83 MT was met through imports, 1.6 MT was provided by Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) and Coal India Ltd (CIL) and the remaining was catered by captive collieries of SAIL and Tata Steel," he said. Two coking coal mines Rohne and Rabodih were allocated to steel central public sector enterprises, NMDC and RINL. Long-term linkage of raw coking coal was granted to Steel Authority of India Ltd from BCCL and lease of Tasra coking coal block was extended in favour of SAIL. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People wait in line outside a post office in Namyangjoo, Gyeonggi Province, to buy masks, Monday. /Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong The government is planning to use convenience stores to sell protective masks which are in high demand amid the new coronavirus outbreak. While a detailed plan was not available Monday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said a continued shortage of masks despite government intervention had moved it to consider utilizing convenience stores. On Feb. 26, the government announced the decision to have mask producers distribute their masks to 2,200 of Nonghyup Bank's Hanaro Marts, 1,406 post offices and 24,000 pharmacies across the country for just under 1,000 won per mask. Pharmacies receiving the masks are located in big cities such as Seoul, while the Hanaro Marts and post offices are in Daegu, Cheongdo in North Gyeongsang Province and other small counties in other parts of the country. The daily production capacity of Korea's local mask manufacturers is 13 million. Despite these initiatives, a mask shortage continued over the weekend as deliveries were delayed for many outlets. The masks were not available for sale at post offices until Monday morning. On Saturday, President Moon Jae-in pushed government officials to quickly solve the delay. "Find all solutions to the mask problem. Government workers need to go out in to the field to see if the masks are really arriving and to solve any problems," he said during a meeting. Convenience stores are especially widespread in cities, and expected to provide a more effective solution to the shortage. In Seoul, Monday, there were lines of people waiting outside pharmacies to buy the masks, with a limit of five per person. The government had initially considered convenience stores as an emergency outlet for mask sales, but ruled them out for reasons unknown. Convenience store owners this week welcomed the idea of being a temporary outlet for mask sales. The mask shortage over the weekend gave the government no choice but to force local schools to hand over their stocks of the in-demand item. On Sunday, the Ministry of Education said it had told schools across the country to give up 5.8 million masks. The military said it will dispatch its staff to production lines, and to deliver the masks to the outlets to meet deadlines. A hacker gained access to an Indian call centre's CCTV footage to reveal the scammers laughing as they fleeced their weeping British victims. The cyber vigilante, who uses the alias 'Jim Browning', went through hundreds of hours of video footage from the office in Gurugram, near Delhi, and listened to 70,000 phone calls. Footage given to the BBC shows a British caller chatting with one of the scammers - who used the name 'Chris Lawson' and claimed he was based in San Jose, California. The victim, who told the scammers he suffered from depression, said he felt 'sick' when he was told to hand over 1,295 to have his computer 'fixed'. The cyber vigilante, who uses the alias 'Jim Browning', went through hundreds of hours of video footage from the office in Gurugram, near Delhi, and listened to 70,000 phone calls The caller says: 'Oh bloody hell, I'll have a heart attack.' The fraudster says: 'Hey, why you crying, man? You're a very good man. Why are you crying?' Another call involves a British victim - who says he has just 90 in his bank account - being told it would cost 150 to get his machine repaired. 'I was going to use the 150 to buy some shopping with today so that's buggered that and all sir,' he tells the fraudster. Footage obtained by the hacker showed the fraudsters laughing at their call centre in India. The scam - which reportedly brought in around $400,000 a month - operated through fake pop-up warnings that would appear on computer screens of unsuspecting victims. Unsuspecting Brits would then be told to call 'Microsoft', but the number provided really directed them to the scam centre, where fraudsters would ask for four-digit payments to 'repair' the problem. The call centre's boss Amit Chauhan was filmed laughing as he told his team 'we don't give a **** about the customers' The cyber vigilante, who uses the alias 'Jim Browning' (pictured left), gave the footage he uncovered to BBC's Panorama The call centre's boss Amit Chauhan was filmed laughing as he told his team 'we don't give a **** about the customers'. Jim Browning, who hacked into the CCTV cameras in May 2019, called in himself, asking if the person on the other end is in the UK. How the scam works Pop-up warnings that appeared on the computers of unsuspecting British victims would tell them to call 'Microsoft' to repair their computer. The phone number provided has nothing to do with the tech giant - and instead directs calls to fraudsters based in Gurugram, near Delhi. After building a rapport with the callers, the scammer would tell them that in order to fix their device, money would have to be transferred. Advertisement The fraudster responds saying he is located in San Jose. 'Jim' asks him: 'Can you name me one restaurant in San Jose?' 'What kind of question is that, sir?' the scammer responds, telling the vigilante to 'book your ticket to California and you will find me'. 'Jim' pokes fun at the scammer who then starts using Google to search for an answer to the question. The evidence of the scam was handed to BBC's Panorama, where victims revealed their stories of being ripped off by the call centre fraudsters. Dave Matika told the programme how the scammers told him nine people had been using his identity to watch child abuse content, which 'scared the life' out of him. Speaking about person who defrauded him, Mr Matika said: 'I could strangle the geezer, I really could.' Dave Matika, speaking about person who defrauded him, said: - 'I could strangle the geezer, I really could' Pauline Nicholls said: 'I feel angry. Angry and upset. Angry that someone could do that knowing that there's nothing wrong with the computer, just to extort money from you - and upset with myself that I fell for it' 'Jim' phoned the call centre and asked the fraudster if he could name one restaurant in San Jose - where he claimed to be - and poked fun at him when he then starts using Google to search for an answer to the question Pauline Nicholls was asked by the scammers if she had been looking at pornographic material which might have infected the computer, and she responded saying that she had only used it to look for pet insurance. She said: 'I feel angry. Angry and upset. Angry that someone could do that knowing that there's nothing wrong with the computer, just to extort money from you - and upset with myself that I fell for it.' 'Jim' said that he does not attempt to gain access to someone's computer unless they try to scam him first. He said that once fraudsters' base of operations are discovered, they will often simply change buildings and continue as before. Lawmakers attend a Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Feb. 26. / Yonhap By Anna J. Park Various finance-related bills pending at the National Assembly face an uncertain future, as many committee meetings and questioning sessions have been canceled or postponed due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. On Feb. 26, a Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting was held to vote on three bills regarding the prevention of the epidemics 48 days after its last meeting to proceed on the bills. However, other previously-scheduled deliberations and reviews of pending bills on that day at the committee were delayed until early March. Some of the bills include three ones on finance, that have been pending at the Assembly for some time. One of the pending financial bills is the Financial Consumer Protection Act, which has been stuck in the Assembly in various resubmitted forms for the past decade. The bill aims to provide a higher level of protection to consumers of financial products, as the law imposes obligations upon companies, such as the duty for detailed explanations and a prohibition on undue recommendations when selling products to consumers. Under the bill, consumers can also demand the annulment of contracts up to a maximum of five years from the signing, under certain circumstances. Officials disinfect areas in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Jan. 24 / Yonhap As a result, people came up with wicked renderings and some even started out building their own version of the Cybertruck. In this article, however, were going to be looking at whether a police Tesla Cybertruck would make sense in real life, given that some U.S. police departments are already acquiring and modifying Tesla Model 3s for patrol and other duties and weve also caught word of interest in the Cybertruck too, albeit from more exotic parts of the world. We dont have to tell you just how polarizing the Cybertruck has been in the wake of its controversial unveil back in November 2019. But the wave it sent to all online mediums has been of an unseen magnitude and thats the best marketing strategy Tesla could ever wish for. Well tell you this much, the Cybertruck has a lot of potential for more than police work LISTEN 07:19 Why Would the Tesla Cybertruck Make a Good Police Vehicle? Back in December 2019, we reported on an interesting twist saw by the Westport PD in Connecticut regarding Teslas new Sentry Mode. Essentially, after doing some number crunching, the PD figured that a Tesla thats fitted with Sentry Mode doesnt need additional aftermarket cameras as your regular patrol car, so less money spent on conversion. Whats more, the safety of the PDs officers would be better protected since the Sentry Mode continuously monitors the vehicle continuously, a feature that could discourage vandals and protesters from damaging the vehicle. But how about a vehicle that can withstand hammer blows and (allegedly) bullets? Can a Tesla Cybertruck police car make sense, then? Well, for some, it certainly does. And were not talking Average Joes, but actual police forces that have shown a firm interest in enrolling the Cybertruck as part of their fleet. And by firm interest we mean placing down an order. For example, the municipality of Ciudad Valles in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, has reportedly ordered 15 Tesla Cybertrucks that will be used by the citys police forces, according to El Imparcial Edicion Mexico. The citys mayor, Adrian Esper Cardenas, already ordered 10 dual-motor AWD Cybertrucks and five tri-motor AWD ones for which Ciudad Valles will pay roughly 20 million pesos (thats roughly $1 million). Dubai police tease they will add Tesla's new Cybertruck to their fleet of cars in 2020 https://t.co/vyvlbGC1sM pic.twitter.com/RuWWgAMy8d CBS News (@CBSNews) November 28, 2019 In addition, Dubai has expressed its interest in adding Teslas Cybertruck to its exotic police car lineup due to the pickup trucks enhanced security presence, and Clean Technica reports that the Kansas Highway Patrol has signalled the intention of enrolling the Cybertruck once it becomes available. What Police Departments Could Use a Cybertruck Police Car? Lets start with what we know. The Cybertrucks outer shell is made of extra-strong 30X cold-rolled stainless steel. Tesla says it provides maximum passenger protection, its resistant to dents and chips and also to long-term corrosion. But a Tesla Cybertruck that serves the general police department, SWAT teams, fire brigades, or riot control units will also need shatter-proof windows. The Cybertruck can (theoretically) deliver on that too, thanks to a polymer-layered composite that sucks the impact force of a give projectile, thus offering an impenetrable barrier to complement the exoskeleton. The first argument here is that the Cybertruck makes sense financially for the above-mentioned arms of the law, since it doesnt need a lot of conversion work. Sure, itll still need communications gear, sirens, specific lights, and so on, but the toughening up has already been done from the factory. Secondly, its the trucks highly-trumpeted roughness alone that acts as selling point. Departments that have to deal with and defuse violent altercations, riots, or armed incidents would benefit most from the Cybertrucks solid build. A SWAT team could get to an armed robbery, lets say, in no time inside a Cybertruck and it could use the car itself as shield. Heck, we can even imagine a water cannon mounted on top of a Cybertruck that flattens out dangerous aggressive protesters. Thirdly, the trucks 3,500-pound loading capacity could store a lot of tools for firemen or emergency first-responders. Beach patrol cars could be Cybertrucks, or even better, the Coast Guard could use the Cybertruck too, just like any other search and rescue party out there. Whats more, the trucks 14,000-pound towing capacity could be used to carry extra trailers with food, water, and other supplies to hurricane-, tornado-, or earthquake-struck areas. Final Thoughts Like it or not, the Cybertruck will be perhaps the only mass-produced vehicle that can carry out police, fire, or any other similar duties without undergoing heavy modifications. The hard body shell is there, so are (hopefully) the bulletproof windows, as is the overall visual badassery of the truck. With the right graphical and hardware additions (think decals, water guns, lights, bull bars, and whatnot) a police Cybertruck, let say, will act on two dimensions. Number one, its imposing stature should make perpetrators think twice about engaging in illegal shenanigans and number two, if the do, then theyre not going to like whats coming. Sure, people will still say the Cybertruck cant chase cars for too long on the highway, and thats true. On the other hand, the chase doesnt need to be long. Imagine trying to escape the police and seeing a road block made of Cybertrucks up ahead. What would you feel like? By Abdul Qadir Sediqi KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban militants will not take part in intra-Afghan talks until the Afghan government releases about 5,000 of their prisoners, a spokesman said on Monday, presenting a major possible barrier to ending the war. The statement came as a reduction of violence period came to an end, and the Taliban said a resumption of operations against Afghan government forces could now take place. Under an accord between the United States and the Islamist Taliban signed on Saturday, the two sides are committed to working toward the release of combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure. The agreement calls for up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to be freed in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, not involved in the talks, has rejected that demand. "We are fully ready for the intra-Afghan talks, but we are waiting for the release of our 5,000 prisoners," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by phone. "If our 5,000 prisoners - 100 or 200 more or less does not matter - do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks." The United States has said that after more than 18 years of war, it hopes negotiations toward a permanent political settlement and ceasefire can start in coming days, but Western diplomats and analysts see stark challenges ahead. Ghani said on Sunday U.S. President Donald Trump had not asked for prisoner releases and that this issue should be tackled as part of a comprehensive peace deal. "The Afghan government has not made any commitment to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners before the start of any potential negotiation," Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for Ghani, said in response to the Taliban's statements on Monday. A joint U.S.-Afghan government statement says the Kabul government will take part in discussions on the "feasibility of releasing significant numbers of prisoners on both sides" but does not mention the specific number or time frame. Story continues U.S.-led forces ousted the hardline Islamist militants from power in 2001. REDUCED-VIOLENCE PERIOD ENDS The Taliban's Mujahid said a deal on a reduction in violence in the seven days leading up to Saturday's pact had formally ended. "As we are receiving reports that people are enjoying the reduction in violence, we don't want to spoil their happiness, but it does not mean that we will not take our normal military activities back to the level that we were before," he said. "It could be any time, it could be after an hour, tonight, tomorrow or the day after." Two Taliban leaders who declined to be named said the group had initially decided to extend the reduction in violence period for two days beyond Saturday. At a meeting on Monday, the Taliban decided the arrangement would continue to apply to U.S. forces but would end for Afghan government forces, they said. A senior NATO defense source told Reuters that the reduction of violence period was indeed technically over, meaning technically the Taliban could attack Afghan forces. But U.S. General Scott Miller, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, said that the United States expected the Taliban to "be very serious" about their obligations. "The reduction in violence was a confidence builder...The United States has been very clear about our expectations - the violence must remain low," he said in a tweet. An explosion at a football field in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Khost killed at least three civilians and injured 11 on Monday, the interior ministry said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Mujahid issued a statement denying any Taliban involvement. The Afghan war has been in stalemate for more than 18 years, with Taliban forces controlling or contesting more territory yet unable to capture and hold major urban centers. A full withdrawal of all U.S. and coalition forces would occur within 14 months, a joint statement said. The withdrawal depends on security guarantees by the Taliban. (Additional reporting by Anwarullah Mohabbat in Khost, Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar and Rupam Jain in Mumbai; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Mark Heinrich) On February 26 when communal riots in north-east Delhi had already claimed 27 lives (which later climbed to 46), the high court bench of justice S Muralidhar and justice Talwant Singh said it wont let another 1984 scenario happen under its watch. Not only the high court judges, anyone who had the faintest memory of the 1984 carnage could not help recall the worst bloodbath Delhi had witnessed since Independence. More than 2,700 people were killed in the city in the aftermath of the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh security guards on 31 October 1984. What followed were targeted attacks on Sikhs who were waylaid, pulled out of their homes, shops, gurdwaras and killed in the streets. Although my neighbourhood was relatively safe, my family still remembers the rioting mob that vandalised one house down our lane. As a child, I watched my mother rush to stock essential supplies and frantically remove the Singh nameplate. Some of my closest friends were Sikhs. From them, I heard the most horrific incidents how rioters put burning tyres around the necks of young men and how terrified families went sleepless for nights. Time barely heals such scars. Even for those who did not suffer directly, Delhi would never be the same again. In the months following November 1984, wooden gates gave way to iron ones in many houses in my neighbourhood. As the memories of those unspeakable horror stories remained etched in our mind, few of us imagined that Delhi would relive ever again such violence made possible in 1984 by an administration indifferent, inefficient and complicit in equal measure. In the aftermath of the Babri demolition in 1992, Delhi witnessed riots in Seelampur. At least 25 lives were lost but the police did impose curfew and open fire (for longer than necessary, say critics) to exert control. In 2014, Trilokpuri, an east Delhi neighbourhood that had seen the killing of 350 Sikhs in 1984, was on the boil again but no deaths were reported. Nothing, however, brought back the memories of 1984 like the free run of rioting mobs in Jafrabad, Maujpur, Brijpuri, Bhajanpura, Shiv Vihar, Mustafabad, Brahmpuri, Kardampuri, Gokalpuri, Jyoti Nagar, Babarpur, Karawal Nagar and parts of New Seelampur and Khajuri Khas last week. This spate of violence was certainly not as one-sided as witnessed in 1984 but the capitulation of the state machinery was just as unnerving. As many as 42 were killed and at least another 350 suffered injuries. Over a hundred properties were damaged or gutted. A vast stretch of Delhi reeled under waves and counter waves of most brutal mob violence as the law and order machinery took three long days to make any impact on the ground. While scores of media reports have underlined the abject failure of the intelligence apparatus and the law and order machinery, equally unmistakable is the depth of hatred evident in the nature of violence on the ground. From mutilated, charred bodies with amputated limbs or countless stabbing wounds, to every switch smashed individually on switchboards inside burnt properties, the vengeance is stark and dehumanizing. Fortunately, residents of different faiths have come together in parts of what are a largely mixed neighbourhoods. But these stories of resistance and hope cannot dispel the obvious distrust on display. As I walked the alleys, a number of residents claimed that Hindus were claiming victimhood by showing off as their own several destroyed properties abandoned by Muslims. Others insisted that a school owned by a Muslim bore marks of only cosmetic damage while another owned by a Hindu suffered total destruction. Coming from neighbourhoods that have lived in relative harmony all these decades, such sentiments reveal a manufactured polarisation, fuelled by irresponsible communal rhetoric unleashed in the poll season and revved up in the context of the CAA-NRC politics since. As failure of the administration stares us in the face, those shocked that a part of the Capital could be ravaged with such impunity for so long probably relied too much on a law-and-order remedy for the ills of divisive politics. Delhi did not stand together in November 1984, and February 2020 is a dark reminder of the horror and violence of 35 years ago. That should be lesson enough, if we are not to relive our worst nightmares. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 02:06:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ZAGREB, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Croatia has plans to deal with a possible new migrant wave, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic told Xinhua on Sunday. "Croatia is in constant contact with the European Commission, and as we are holding the Presidency of the European Council, we have the initiative if more immigrants move to Western Europe," Bozinovic said. The minister said that this situation will not be surprising to Croatia and that all services are in full operational function all the time. He called on the EU member states to agree on a concrete EU-wide policy as soon as possible, because the current situation does not benefit anyone, from the countries through which migrants pass to the countries they want to reach. Croatia is on the "Balkan Route" for the movement of migrants from the south of Europe, through Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina towards Slovenia and countries of Western Europe. In 2015, hundreds of thousands of people crossed the "Balkan Route" to reach Western Europe in a major migrant wave. On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 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 is hosting over 3.7 million Syrian refugees on its territory. Regional Economic Development Minister, Shane Jones says the Povincial Growth Fund will be investing $79.4 million in the project to help unlock the full aquaculture potential on Opotikis doorstep. This decision from central government is the culmination of 15 years of hard graft by the council, Whakatohea, private businesses and the wider community to bring this vision to reality, says Opotiki Mayor Lyn Riesterer. Our figures and planning have held up under intense scrutiny and we are thrilled that this is on the cusp of becoming a reality. We are what we like to call spade-ready. Short of having money in our account to start spending on people and materials, we are ready to go. We have the contracts and consents and the project plans. This funding is our green light. The harbour and its associated industry is a game changer for Opotiki. This is the start of a new era for our district new jobs, new industry and a new way forward. And we are more than ready to grab this opportunity with both hands get our rangatahi into real, long term and meaningful work. I cant wait to see the innovative future we build for ourselves with this kick start. The $79.4 million funding announcement was made by Ministers Shane Jones and Stuart Nash at the Infrastructure Conference in Auckland. The funding comes from the Provincial Growth Fund. This funding is in addition to $20 million pledged by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council in 2013 as part of its Regional Infrastructure Fund. This funding established the local and regional commitment to the project. In the years since, the Eastern Bay councils have continued to work closely and align the areas long term vision and regional funding projects. Former Mayor, John Forbes, has advocated for this outcome for more than 20 years and says it is a proud moment for the whole community. This project is an excellent example of central, regional and local government working together in partnership with iwi, industry and private businesses to bring the best outcome not just for us here in Opotiki, but also for the region and for the nation. It is conventional infrastructure like a road or a railway line or high speed internet it underpins our economy. Where infrastructure goes, it enables new industry, new opportunities and growth. This project will boost New Zealands growing aquaculture industry and make us world-leaders in sustainable, high-value protein production. All in an area of provincial New Zealand that has a recent history of high deprivation and under employment. Opotiki is using this exciting piece of infrastructure to transform the social and economic future for the district. Lyn says the community is ready to celebrate. Im sure well be taking a moment to celebrate this historic announcement and then well get down to the brass tacks of making ourselves a harbour entrance. Dr. Joseph Raccuglia Being a solo physician in this market, bucking the merger trend by earning a reputation as a respectable and knowledgeable family medicine physician, has brought me the greatest pleasure and professional pride. NJ Top Docs has reviewed and approved family medicine specialist, Dr. Joseph Raccuglia for 2020. Dr. Raccuglias Family Medicine practice was founded with a mission to provide consistently high-quality care to patients at each and every interaction. In this era of mergers and acquisitions, Dr. Joseph Raccuglias practice is like a breath of fresh air. Being a solo physician in this market, bucking the merger trend by earning a reputation as a respectable and knowledgeable family medicine physician, has brought me the greatest pleasure and professional pride, he says. It has also been beneficial to his patients. Whenever you come to my office, Dr. Raccuglia explains, you always see the same physician, the same person who knows your history every time. Thats the consistency that you deserve in family medicine. While he prides himself on independence, he stays well-informed on the industry by discussing trends among peers. Dr. Raccuglias family practice offers a personalized experience and is on the cutting edge of technology. To learn more about Dr. Raccuglia and his Freehold, New Jersey based practice, please visit: https://njtopdocs.com/nj-doctors/drjosephraccuglia/ --- About Us NJ Top Docs is a comprehensive, trusted and exclusive healthcare resource featuring reviewed and approved Top Doctors and Dentists in New Jersey online in an easy to use format. NJ Top Docs only reviews and approves providers based on merit after they have been extensively vetted. NJ Top Docs is a division of USA Top Docs which allows patients to meet providers online before making their appointment. For more information, please click here to contact us or visit http://www.NJTopDocs.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. Marks & Spencer is extending its bring your own container scheme that encourages customers to buy and refill produce. Last year, the supermarket chain started selling items such as cereals, pasta, coffee and rice in large dispensers as part of an initiative to help reduce the amount of plastic packaging waste. Now the scheme, which began at the retailers Hedge End store in Southampton and offered a total of 44 packaging-free products, is being expanded to include a second store in Manchester city centre due to consumer demand. Highlighting the popularity of its refill scheme at the Southampton store, Marks & Spencer revealed that 25 of the 44 fill your own products were outselling the packaged alternatives. Bestsellers include its triple chocolate crunch cereal, whole porridge oats, basmati rice, milk chocolate raisins, single-origin Brazilian coffee and fiorelli pasta. Recommended Lidl launches packaging made from recycled plastic bound for the ocean The expansion follows a recent survey conducted by Marks & Spencer which showed that more than three-quarters of customers said they were trying to reduce the amount of plastic packaging they use. Furthermore, 38 per cent of consumers cited the main barrier to using refill schemes is finding retailers that offer them, followed by 18 per cent who highlighted the need to carry containers around and the inconvenience of doing so. Participants also mentioned having the perception that unpackaged items are more expensive. Paul Willgoss, director of food technology at Marks & Spencer, told The Guardian: Our fill your own concept is one area were focusing on as part of our action to reduce plastic packaging and support our customers to reuse and recycle. Were keen to better understand refill across the entire store process from behind the scenes operations to working with our customers to encourage behaviour change. Marks & Spencer isnt the only supermarket looking to introduce fill-your-own models. In August 2019, Waitrose extended its bring your own container trial to include four stores in Oxford, Cheltenham, Abingdon and Wallingford after it was met with a positive response from shoppers. Products included in Waitroses refillable section are roughly 15 per cent cheaper than packaged items so as to encourage customers to make the most of the eco-friendly initiative. Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Show all 6 1 /6 Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic water bottle for a reusable beverage container Instead of continually buying drinks in plastic bottles you can switch to a reusable beverage container and reduce your single-use of plastics. Selfridges' Bobble 550ml filtered water bottle costs 12.95 and includes a replaceable carbon filter that filters water as you drink, removing chlorine and organic contaminants in the process. You can buy it from selfridges.com Getty/Selfridges Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee cup for a Travel coffee mug It is estimated that the UK throws away around 2.5bn disposable coffee cups a year and almost all are incinerated, exported or sent to landfill because their plastic lining makes them expensive to recycle. The new Latte Levy in the UK means there will now be a 25p charge on every disposable coffee cup bought by consumers. Pret A Manger announced that it will double its discount to 50p in an effort to reduce waste. By swapping to a reusable cup you will be able to help cut the cost of disposable coffee cups. This Keep Cup Brew, cork edition, travel cup in Fika is just one of the many available to purchase. It fits under most commercial coffee machines, is splash-proof and ideal for transporting your coffee whilst on the go. You can buy this particular cup for 19.99 from trouva.com. Getty/Trouva Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic bags for reusable cloth bags An eco-friendly alternative to an ordinary plastic bag is this lightweight shopping bag. It comes with a practical pillowcase pocket and features a black and white ink splatter design. Convenient and durable it also has a matte black spring clip to attach it where you need it. You can buy this from paperchase.co.uk for just 5.00. Getty/Paperchase Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee pods for a pot of coffee Cut your plastic coffee pod usage with a cafetiere. This Barista and Co, 3 Cup Gold Cafetiere, from Habitat offers a simple way to brew and serve in style. Made from borosilicate glass and plated stainless steel with an ergonomically designed handle, the cafetiere is built to last and a pleasure to use; a fine metal filter produces a smooth coffee that retains its natural oils. You can buy it for 30 from habitat.co.uk. Getty/Habitat Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Balloons for eco-friendly decorations Instead of using plastic balloons at your party try swapping them for some eco-friendly bunting. Handmade in Scotland, the bunting comprises thirteen brightly coloured pennants which spell out the words 'Happy Birthday', and uses lettering that has been printed onto 100 per cent recycled card. Included is 11ft of natural jute twine to hang the pennants on, and everything comes packaged in a cello bag. You can buy this bunting from Little Silverleaf on notonthehighstreet.com for 12.50. Getty/notonthehighstreet Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic straw for a reusable bamboo one Swap plastic straws for reusable ones made of bamboo. These straws are handmade in Bali and crafted by local balinese artisans. Made of organic and natural materials they are the best eco-friendly alternative to plastic, steel or glass straws. You can purchase them from Bali Boo on Amazon.co.uk for 13.99. PA/Bali Boo/Amazon Elsewhere, Asda has announced plans to launch a new sustainability store where customers can refill containers with food products including coffee, tea and cereal in its Middleton, Leeds, branch from May. When consumers bring their own containers to the store, they will be able to fill them up with Asda own-brand coffee, rice and pasta, in addition to Kelloggs cereals and PG Tips tea. New Delhi, March 2 : The Congress on Monday alleged that the government had bulldozed the Opposition and did not allow it to raise the Delhi riots issue in Parliament. "The government doesn't want the conspiracy angle in Delhi riots to come out," said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the party leader in the Lok Sabha. "We had conveyed to the business advisory committee that we would raise Delhi riots, but we were not allowed as the government introduced the 'Vivad se Vishwas Bill' in the House. We wanted to speak on this bill too, but the government, in a hurry, didn't want the truth behind Delhi riots to come out," said Chowdhury. "We will continue to raise the issue and oppose the government," said the Congress leader. The Congress alleged that its MP from Kerala Ramya Haridas was heckled and that she cried. On Monday the party raised the issue of Delhi riots in both the House and demanded resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. The party also sought a statement of the Prime Minister in the House which has not been accepted by the treasury benches. The Opposition staged protest outside Gandhi statue where Rahul Gandhi led the protest and oter party MPs demanded that the truth of the Delhi violence should come out. The Punjab Police arrested 7 criminals including 3 most wanted gangsters after an over two-month-long, 1500 km chase that spanned four states, DGP Dinkar Gupta said on Monday. Addressing a press conference, DGP Gupta said: "These arrests show that a large number of criminals had moved out of Punjab due to relentless and continued pressure from the police" "The Punjab Police have arrested these criminals, after an over two-month-long, 1500 km chase that spanned four states, to solve a spate of heinous crimes, including the recent murder Gurdeep Singh, ex-Sarpanch of village Umarpura in district Amritsar (Rural)," he added. DGP Gupta said: "It was a flawlessly executed intelligence-led operation, which covered the states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The trio were finally arrested from Sojat of Pali District in Rajasthan, on the basis of a tip-off provided to Rajasthan Police by the Punjab Police team. The accused had been changing their locations and creating various fake identities while being on the run." The three most wanted criminals have been identified as Harman Bhullar residents of Punjab's Amritsar, (R), Balraj Singh resident of Punjab's Gurdaspur, and Harwinder Sandhu resident of Punjab's Amritsar (Rural). Other arrested criminals have been identified as Gurpreet Singh resident of Meerut, UP, Gurwinder Singh resident of Bazpur, Uttarakhand, Arwinder Singh of Punjab's Chandigarh and Balbir Singh of Punjab's Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. They were all members of a criminal gang operated by Pavittar Singh, a gangster-criminal now based in the USA. The entire gang is involved in many cases of extortion, attempt to murder, murder, rioting, said the DGP. The police have seized one.30 bore Pistol, two .32 bore Pistols, one Springfield Rifle, and 18 cartridges, 12 bore Gun with 40 live cartridges, two .315 bore Pistols, 2 cars (one i20 and one Swift), and 3 fake Aadhar Cards. Gurdeep Singh, (55), former Sarpanch of village Umarpura, was shot dead by a group of armed assailants led by Harman Bhullar, when he was returning home from a village Gurudwara on January 1, said the DGP "The chase, which started from Amritsar-Chandigarh on January 28, culminated successfully on March 1, as a result of the perfect inter-state coordination and cooperation between the police forces of the four states. I had personally taken DGP Uttrakhand on board before the launch of the operation from Rudrapur in Uttrakhand. Later, senior officers of the UP Police and Rajasthan Police were also taken in the loop," DGP Gupta added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Good morning and welcome to On Politics, a daily political analysis of the 2020 elections based on reporting by New York Times journalists. Sign up here to get On Politics in your inbox every weekday. Joe Bidens thumping win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday didnt just throw him back into the race on the eve of Super Tuesday. It was also enough to knock two candidates out of it. Tom Steyer quit that same night, laid low by a distant third-place finish in the state where hed pinned his hopes. And on Sunday night Pete Buttigieg announced that he would drop out of the race. Tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency, the former mayor told a hometown crowd in South Bend, Ind. In a field in which more than two dozen Democratic candidates ran for president senators and governors, billionaires, a former vice president we achieved a top-four finish in each of the first four states to hold nominating contests, and we made history winning those Iowa caucuses. Buttigieg, who would have become the countrys first openly gay president, and its youngest, finished strongly in both Iowa and New Hampshire, drawing support from a mix of younger and older white voters, liberals and moderates. But when the race moved into the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina, he failed to catch on. He did not have a clear path to victory in any of the 14 states that will vote on Tuesday. The strength of Bidens victory in South Carolina was bad news for Bernie Sanders, too. Biden captured almost half the states Democratic voters and three-fifths of the black vote, beating pre-election polls by a long shot in both cases. Sanders had hoped that after his blowout win in Nevada where he trailed Biden among black voters by only 10 points, according to entrance polls he might cut into Bidens strength in South Carolina. That didnt happen, in part because Representative Jim Clyburn, the states most influential Democrat, endorsed Biden just ahead of the primary, helping him shore up support among African-American voters. Another reason: South Carolina Democrats are as likely to be moderate or conservative as they are to be liberal. And they are far more apt to favor a return to the policies of President Barack Obama than Democrats in the rest of the country. Biden won both moderates and Obama revivalists by huge margins on Saturday. A half-dozen Southern states will hold primaries on Tuesday, a potential advantage for Biden heading into the most delegate-rich day on the primary calendar. But hell also be confronting Michael Bloomberg, who did not compete in the first four contests but will be on the ballot in all the Super Tuesday states. Mr. Bloomberg is polling fairly well among many of the same groups as Biden, particularly moderates and voters of color. Bloombergs campaign is not exactly coasting, though. He gave lackluster performances in the two most recent debates, and he has struggled to escape the long shadow of stop-and-frisk, the policing strategy that disproportionately targeted black and Latino people in New York during his mayoralty. At an event in Selma, Ala., commemorating the violence of Bloody Sunday in 1965, Biden got a warm reception but Bloomberg was met with demonstrators who stood up and turned their backs while he spoke. Also on Sunday, Amy Klobuchar had to cancel a rally in Minnesota, her home state, after a group of protesters commandeered the stage for over an hour, calling attention to the story of Myron Burrell, a black man convicted of murder as a teenager while Klobuchar was the Hennepin County attorney. News reports have raised questions about the case, and Klobuchar has called for a review, but has not apologized for how she handled it. Throughout the campaign, Bloomberg has seemed less interested in going toe-to-toe with his rivals than in positioning himself as an alternative to President Trump. On Sunday night, in an ad buy that probably cost well over $1 million, Bloomberg ran what you might call a proto-presidential address on CBS and NBC that lasted three full minutes, describing how he would handle the coronavirus outbreak without mentioning Trump by name. File image A UN delegation on Palestine will visit New Delhi to seek India's political and diplomatic support for a peaceful resolution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. India, which shares good relations with both Palestine and Israel, believes in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully. The two-state solution envisions independent Israeli and Palestinian states coexisting side by side peacefully. The Palestinians see East Jerusalem as their future capital. The delegation of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and senior officials in the ministry, as well as political leaders and think tanks during the 2-day visit from Monday. The delegation intends to engage India in looking for ways how it could play a more proactive role in the settling of the question of Palestine, an official statement said. The visit would also focus to enhance the coordination of the Committee Bureau and India on capacity building projects for Palestine, including within the context of South-South and Triangular Cooperation, it said. The focus of the visit is on enhancing the political and diplomatic support of India for a peaceful solution of the question of Palestine and engaging Indian counterparts on synergies in capacity building for staff and institutions of Palestine, the statement said. The delegation will include UN ambassadors and representatives of Senegal (Committee Chair); Indonesia and Malaysia (Committee Members); and the State of Palestine (Committee Observer). Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Israel in July 2017 to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, becoming the first Indian Premier to do so. During his visit to Israel, Modi did not travel to Ramallah. His standalone visit to Israel had led many analysts to question the future of the Indo-Palestine ties. In February 2018, Modi made a historic visit to Palestine and skipped Israel, in a clear message that India is de-hyphenating its ties with Israel and Palestine. The CEIRPP was founded on November 10, 1975 by the United Nations General Assembly in order to formulate a programme to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination, to national independence and sovereignty, and the right of Palestine refugees to return. Alabama pastor who shot wife, then turned gun on himself, struggled with mental illness, family says Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An Alabama pastor who fatally shot himself after shooting his estranged wife at a local church struggled desperately with mental illness, his sister claimed. On Sunday, Unice Woodard, owner of Alabamas famous Big White Wings and twin sister of the late Elder Ulysses Woodard, who led the True Word of Deliverance Church of God in Prichard, revealed in a statement on Facebook that her brother had been struggling with mental illness for a while and had reached out to his pastoral community for help but none came. To set everyone straight, my brother was a True Mighty Man of God. He gave and did so much for other people but when he needed help where were yall? He begged for his pastor friends or so called Christian friends for help before it came to the point of him taking his own life. There so many stories, lies and rumors going around about him, she wrote. Since yall know so much then why didnt yall know Buck was suffering from Mental Illness, Depression, Pain all day every day and the separation from his wife!!! But yall want to say well if he was a pastor then why did he take his own life. You BASTARDS wouldve last a day in his shoes, she said. Last Wednesday, Pastor Derek Scott Gandy and his wife Kula of True Cornerstone Church in Mobile, Alabama, recounted to The Christian Post how his friend, Ulysses Woodard, shot his wife, Prophetess Alisha Woodard, after a womens conference outside their church on Feb. 21. Pastor Gandy told CP that what happened on Feb. 21, 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. He noted that 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. Unice Woodard accused Pastor Gandy and his wife who witnessed the tragedy unfold along with their three young daughters, of trying to profit from the tragedy and blamed them for not doing more to prevent the attempted murder-suicide from happening at their church. For the pastor and his wife that spoke out from Cornerstone Church. Yall will burn in HELL trying to get a monetary come up off this sad encounter. I hold yall responsible because yall shouldve been prayed up and your grounds shouldve ran them damn Demonic Spirits away, Unice Woodard said. While she was not at the scene of the crime when it unfolded, she also claimed that the reason her brother took his life was because he thought he killed his wife after his gun accidentally went off. He was trying to take her to get help but no one bothered to mention that. He couldnt bear the fact that he thought he killed his wife and then he took his own life. So what yall need to do is STFU talking bout my brother. I have been quiet for too long and I will no longer sit back and watch social media SLANDER my brothers name. I AM MY BROTHERS KEEPER!!!! she said. The Mobile Police Department said in a statement that at approximately 11:23 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, they responded to True Cornerstone Church on Halls Mill Road after receiving a report about a person being shot. When they got there, they saw a woman, later identified as Alisha Woodard, on the ground. She had been shot. The suspect, later identified as Ulysses Woodard, reportedly fled the scene as police arrived. He was pursued by authorities and subsequently returned to the church. As officers approached his vehicle, however, he 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. Unice Woodard did not immediately respond to requests from CP for further comment Monday. When asked to comment further, Kula Gandy noted: "The only thing that I can testify of is what happened Friday night on our church grounds." In his sermon on Sunday, Pastor Derek Gandy responded to critics accusing him of trying to profit from the tragedy. This is a tragedy You know whats really peculiar about that and people expressing condemnation of our church and yalls pastor, those same people never reached out and say How are your children? We had our three daughters here. Our sons had left, Pastor Gandy explained. Our three daughters were here and they have not enquired about the well-being of our daughters who visually witnessed what was going on, he said. Youre mad because were rebuilding the wall? Youre the devil, he said further in addressing his critics. Thats the spirit of anti-Christ. Youd rather that the work of God stop for you to get in your feelings? But you have no concern for them who are still alive and whats happening with them. That was personal in this regard. Our daughters witnessed what happened. He noted that he and his wife did not pray to God asking for the tragedy to happen. It just happened, he said. I was here. I know what I heard, I saw, he said. While noting this part of his message was not connected in any way to the Woodards' relationship, Pastor Gandy also called on pastors in his sermon to stop abusing their wives. I do know that we have pastors who are abusive toward their wives. I know that. There are preachers, pastors, stand behind the pulpit after you cut the church up then you want to go home and beat on your wife. We ought not to beat on our wives, he said. A court here on Monday sentenced 11 convicts to life imprisonment for raping a 25-year-old law student in Ranchi last year. The court of Judicial Commissioner Navneet Kumar, which had found the 11 guilty on February 27, sent them to jail for the remainder of their natural lives and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each of them. One among the 12 apprehended in connection with the case is facing trial before the Juvenile Justice Board. Jharkhand DGP K N Choubey, DIG A V Homkar, Senior Superintendent of Police (Ranchi) Anish Gupta and other senior police officials were present in the courtroom when the sentence was pronounced. On November 26 last year, nine of them abducted the student when she was talking to a friend at Sangrampur under the Kanke police station in Ranchi, a police note had said then. The other three joined them later to perpetrate the crime at a nearby brick kiln. All the 12 had been arrested soon after and a car, a motorcycle, a pistol, eight mobiles and the mobile phone snatched from the victim and other materials were seized. The convicts are Kuldeep Oraon, Sunil Oraon, Sandeep Tirkey, Ajay Munda, Rajan Oraon, Naveen Oraon, Basant Kacchap, Ravi Oraon, Rohit Oraon, Sunil Munda and Rishi Oraon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Swarms of locusts land and feed on shea trees, which are a big source of food and income for local farmers in Otuke, northern Uganda on February 17, 2020. China could face a desert locust invasion as they enter from neighboring Pakistan and India. China could face a desert locust invasion, a government body warned on Monday, urging local authorities to prepare for the possible arrival of the voracious insects from neighboring Pakistan and India. The risk of swarms entering the country is low, although China will be hampered in tracking the locusts by a lack of monitoring techniques and little knowledge of migration patterns, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administrations said in a statement on its website. Locust swarms could enter the Tibet region from Pakistan and India, or the southwestern province of Yunnan through Myanmar, depending on climate conditions, the notice said. Swarms could also fly across Kazakhstan and into China's western Xinjiang region. The desert locusts have already ravaged crops and pastures in several countries in east Africa and swarms have spread into India and Pakistan. Locust swarms can fly up to 150 km (90 miles) a day with the wind, and adult insects can consume roughly their own weight in fresh food per day. Beijing has set up a task force that will meet this month to monitor and act on any locust invasion, the government body said. Local forestry and grassland administrations "must be fully aware of the extreme importance of prevention and control work against locusts," it said. They should store pesticides and equipment and have personnel ready to take immediate and effective measures once locusts are detected, it added. GETTY Canadians are receiving sextortion emails demanding cryptocurrency and threatening the release of explicit videos, and two victims say more education and outreach is needed. On February 13, Kiran Bains was sifting through her junk mail when she noticed an email titled I Know. I know theres a lot of scams, we get calls and emails, but the first line in this email I saw was my password, the 37-year-old Brampton, Ont. woman said in an interview. The email said Bains computer was infected with malware, giving the scammer access to her accounts, her computers camera, and microphone. I collected all your private data and I RECORDED YOU (through your webcam) SATISFYING YOURSELF! the email read, which was obtained by Yahoo Finance Canada. I can send the video to all your contacts, friends, post it on social network, publish on the whole web! it read. The scammer demanded Bains transfer $900 in DASH cryptocurrency. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) the cost of mass marketing fraud (fraud by phone, the internet, mass mails, and email) is approaching $130 million, which represents a 30 per cent increase from 2017. Bains said she called the police first, who advised her to change her passwords immediately and monitor her accounts. What really had me shuffling is that it was my real password, she said. When you see your password sent to you from somebody, some unknown person, you dont know who it is, where theyre from, what theyre monitoring... I felt a bit scared. Bains said that while she did a quick Google search of the type of scam and did her due diligence, she still felt that there wasnt enough information to educate her on extortion email scams. You hear about the [robocalls] on the news, you hear about it on the radio, but nothing like this where someone tells you what your password is, she said, adding that a lot of senior citizens or younger Canadians could easily be a victim of these scams. Story continues Robert Rochefort, an intelligence research profiler at the CAFC, explained in an interview it is difficult to definitively know how scammers get information like passwords, but that it can be found from a database breach. For example, if customers sign up for services or do a survey with a company that later incurs a data breach, that would allow scammers access to personal information. He added that the CRTC did implement the anti-spam legislation but the difficulty is trying to stop all the emails. It only takes five minutes to create a new email account. Once an account is created, especially with different free online email sources, you knock one down, a brand new one starts up and theyre going to continue spamming, he said. Rochefort said that to crack down on email scams law enforcement has to get to the root cause and that involves police from many jurisdictions, and sometimes working with law enforcement agencies in other countries. It does make it extremely difficult to try and stop, he said. This is far from the first case of sextortion email scams to occur to a Canadian. Nicholas McDougall, a 34-year-old Ottawa man, said in an interview he received the same scam email about a year ago. Similar to Bains, McDougall said he knew the email was a scam but was caught by surprise when he saw it included the password he was using at the time. I was like geez, they know my password, he said. The main thing that upset me or made me worry is that a lot of my important information is attached [to the email]. McDougall posted on an Ottawa subreddit page to get some answers and said he was reassured when many other individuals responded to his post stating that the email he got was a scam. Like Bains, McDougall immediately changed his password and said while he felt he could research and get information about email scams, he didnt know if it was enough for older citizens or young people. I dont want anyone to get scammed out there but the thing is I dont know how to help those people. A lot of people are stubborn about things. You know, you try to help them with things and they say they know that or they dont care, he said. CAFC works with government, non-profits to disseminate information Rochefort said the CAFC works with the Competition Bureau, the Ontario Provincial Police, and non-profit organizations to bring attention to these scams to Canadians. It is through media releases, through online social media. There will be aspects brought forward through Twitter, Facebook, in order to try and reach out to as many people as possible, he said. The difficulty at the end of the day is, of course, we just cant reach everybody. Matthew Johnson, director of education at MediaSmarts, noted that cybersecurity should be included in school curriculums so that all generations know what to do when they get email scams. We need to be doing a better job of teaching in the school system. But we also need to make sure that adults are getting training and updates, particularly if they are using computers at work, he said, adding that younger people are more susceptible to online scams. MediaSmarts is an Ottawa-based non-profit organization that focuses on media literacy programs. A new survey from Equifax said 60 per cent of millennials wouldnt know what to do if someone committed fraud using their name. It added that 43 per cent of those millennials have accidentally clicked on a scam email or text message. In that survey Equifax said it surveyed 1,515 Canadians ages 18-65 from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan has handed over keys of the 100th house built by Aster Volunteers, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Aster DM Healthcare, for the flood victims of 2018 at an event held at Kochi Municipal Corporation Town Hall. This marks the completion of the first set of handovers out of the 250 Aster Homes which was announced as a part of the Rebuild Kerala initiative to help thousands of people who have lost everything that they possessed. The Chief Minister has also felicitated Rotary International, partners of the project, and the people who donated land for the project at the function presided over by Soumini Jain, Mayor, Kochi Corporation. Speaking on the occasion, Pinarayi Vijayan, commended that Aster Group has set an example for others with the initiatives taken by it in the area of social services. He added that as Dr Azad Moopen is a philanthropic businessman such initiatives have received an added advantage. He also lauded the role played by Aster Volunteers in the flood rescue activities. "We at Aster Volunteers, are extremely happy today on being able to fulfill our promise to provide shelter for a large number of the devastated victims of Kerala floods 2018. Out of the 250 Aster homes we promised, when the state was hit by the unprecedented tragedy, we have completed 100 plus Aster homes," said Dr Azad Moopen, Managing Trustee of Aster DM Foundation. "We are humbled and honoured to be a part of the Rebuild Kerala Mission under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who has handed over the keys to the beneficiaries of Aster Homes at the function in Kochi. Aster Volunteers express sincere thanks to all those who supported this humanitarian initiative through various means. We hope to complete the mission to build 250 Aster Homes in a year's time. The next phase of construction of the remaining houses is in progress," added Dr Moopen. He added that with the success of the initial phase, many philanthropists have come forward to be a part of the initiative and they were also honored at the event. Aster Volunteers is building a total of 250 houses for the flood victims under the 'Aster Homes' project. In the first phase, Aster Volunteers have completed 45 houses in Wayanad district, 33 in Ernakulam, seven each in Alappuzha and Kottayam, five in Pathanamthitta and four in Kozhikode among others. Dr Azad Moopen further said that Aster Homes will also build houses for the flood victims of 2019 on land donated by the local government bodies, organizations and individuals in places such as Kavalappara in Malappuram district and Puthumala in Wayanad district. Hibi Eden MP; MLAs TJ Vinod, S Sarma, V D Satheesan, Ibrahim Kunju and Anwar Sadath; S Suhas IAS, District Collector, Ernakulam; G Shankar, Chairman, Habitat Group; Dr Harish Pillai, CEO, Aster India, Aster DM Healthcare; Cdr Jelson Kavalakkat, CEO, Aster Medcity and Latheef Kasim, Senior Manager, Aster DM Foundation were also present on the occasion. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chandigarh, March 2 : At least 20 students of the Akal Ashram Academy were injured on Monday when their school bus skidded off the road on the Kharar-Morinda road in Mohali district of Punjab, police said. A mechanical snag is believed to be the cause of the accident. The driver escaped from the spot after the accident. He was later arrested. "Prima facie it seemed that the steering wheel of the bus got jammed and the brakes didn't apply," a police official said. The children were discharged after first-aid. Assumption College in Worcester has suspended operations at its campus in Rome, Italy for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester amidst growing concern over the coronavirus, the college said in a news release Monday. Arrangements are currently being made to fly students and faculty back to the United States. There are a total of 17 students and two faculty members leaving the Rome campus. The college anticipates their arrival by the end of the week. The college plans to resume operations at its Rome campus for the summer semester, pending the status of the coronavirus in Italy. The safety of our students and faculty in Rome is paramount, said Assumption President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. This decision was not one made in haste, rather, it was thoughtfully, thoroughly and exhaustively discussed over a number of days. While we hoped for students to complete the semester in Rome, an unprecedented global health crisis has intervened. More than 1,600 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Italy have been reported. Level 3 and 4 Travel Advisories have been issued, urging individuals to reconsider travel and not travel to certain areas of the country. The college is handling all travel coordinations for the students and faculty, including covering all fees and expenses. Once the students have returned to the U.S. from Italy, they are instructed to self-quarantine at home for a minimum of 14 days, and are not permitted on the Worcester campus during the 14 days. The college is exploring options for students to return to the Worcester campus, if they choose to. Related Content: Medical doctors in the employ of Anambra Government, under the aegis of Conference of Civil Service Doctors (NAGGDMP), have embarked on an indefinite strike over governments alleged failure to implement its agreement with the group. Addressing journalists at the General Hospital, Onitsha, on Monday, the state Chairman of the conference, Livinus Chukwuma, expressed sadness that doctors in the state were the least paid in the country. This strike was necessitated by the failure of the state government to adhere to the agreement signed with NAGGDMP and Nigerian Medical Association on one hand and the state government on the other. The doctors in the state are disheartened to note that they are the least paid in the country as the state government has failed to keep its part of the bargain, Mr Chukwuma said. He recalled that doctors in the state went on strike for more than 13 months in 2011 over the non-implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure approved by the Federal Government as the standard for all doctors in government service. He said the strike was called-off after interventions from eminent persons and a fresh agreement reached with the state government. Mr Chukwuma said the agreement stipulated that the government would periodically review the salaries until 100 per cent was achieved, starting from 50 per cent. This is in spite of all the efforts made to make the government see reason, including a warning strike in 2019. All the other states are either paying 100 per cent of the 2014 template or something very close to that, Mr Chukwuma said. He expressed dismay that doctors in the state were getting about 40 per cent of what their counterparts in other states were receiving. He regretted that the situation prevailed, in spite of the fact that the federal government in 2014 further reviewed the CONMESS upwards. READ ALSO: Mr Chukwuma said the salary disparity made doctors in Anambra a laughing stock in the comity of doctors. The doctor in the state service is a frustrated one. Many have left the service for other states or institutions where they are accorded better wages and many are preparing to go. The doctors in the state are very much aware of the dire consequences of this strike on the health needs of the people and wish it were avoidable. But we had been pushed to the limits. We want to state clearly that there is still room for discussions and, therefore, implore our citizens of goodwill to prevail on the government to attend to the demands of doctors, he said. (NAN) A culinary student from Dundalk IT is getting ready to compete at this years Knorr Professional Student Chef of the Year Competition 2020. DkIT will be represented by second-year culinary arts student, Van Phuoc Le. This years competition takes place in TU Dublin Tallaght on Tuesday, March 10. The college has a fantastic reputation in the competition with students from the college winning the last two years competitions. Now in its 23rd year, the students represent different colleges and institutes across the island of Ireland. The theme for this years competition is 2020 The Future of Foods. Van and the other eight students have been challenged to create two dishes taking inspiration from global challenges of sustainability and driving positive change. By using the Knorr Professional Future 50 Foods Report, students will have the opportunity to showcase their skills, creating two dishes inspired by sustainable sourcing, zero waste and efficient cooking methods to create great tasting, nutritious dishes that will improve the planet. This years judging panel is joined by Audrey Crone, Executive Head Chef with Unilever Food Solutions, Darina Brennan, Group Executive Chef of Dalata Hotel Group, Annette Sweeney, Co-ordinator of the culinary arts programmes at TU Dublin Tallaght Campus and special guest judge Food Journalist, Dee Laffan. The role of Commander in Chief is among the many responsibilities of the US president. Many past presidents have had the military experience to back up this important duty. Here is a list of 12 presidents who fought for their country. 12. Richard Nixon - US Navy Lieutenant Commander Richard Milhous Nixon. Image credit: Naval History and Heritage Command / Public domain Although he could have opted for draft exemption as a birthright Quaker, Richard Nixon joined the US Navy Reserve in 1942. He received a Navy Letter of Commendation for his bravery in the South Pacific during World War II. He left active duty in 1946 when he would start his political career with a successful run for Congress. 11. Gerald Ford - US Navy The Gunnery officers of USS Monterey. Ford is second from the right, in the front row. Image credit: US Navy / Public domain As many young men of the time did, Gerald Ford enlisted in the Navy after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was assigned as an assistant navigator to the USS Monterey, an aircraft carrier. After numerous commendations, Ford left active duty in 1946. Several years later, he entered his political career as a member of Congress. 10. George H.W Bush - US Navy George H. W. Bush, United States Navy Portrait. Image credit: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum / Public domain Right after graduating Phillips Academy, George H.W. Bush enlisted as one of the Navy's youngest aviators. He served on various missions in the Pacific Theater during World War II. After completing more than 1,000 flight hours, Bush left active service in 1945 with many commendations for his bravery and achievements. 9. John F. Kennedy - US Army John F. Kennedy joined the Naval Reserve in 1941. Image credit: Pinterest.com After a failed attempt to enter the Army's officer candidate school due to lower back problems, John F. Kennedy joined the Naval Reserve in 1941. He commanded numerous patrol torpedo boats in Panama and then in the Pacific Theater. He was honorably discharged in 1945 after having been awarded the Purple Heart and other commendations for his acts of heroism. 8. George W. Bush - Air National Guard Bush is shown climbing the steps to his Texas National Guard fighter plane in this undated photo. Image credit: Flickr.com George W. Bush received a commission to the Texas Air National Guard in 1968. After a two-year training program, he flew at bases in Houston and later in Alabama. His record as a pilot was less than stellar, prompting critics to state that he won favor as the son of George H.W. Bush. 7. Theodore Roosevelt - First US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Theodore Roosevelt and officers. Image credit: Underwood & Underwood / Public domain Theodore Roosevelt was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by President McKinley in 1897. At the start of the Spanish-American War the following year, Roosevelt stepped down to start the First US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, dubbed "The Rough Riders" by the newspapers. He led the famous charge up Kettle Hill in Cuba in 1898. Roosevelt was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2001. 6. Abraham Lincoln - Illinois Militia Lincoln with officers after the Battle of Antietam. Image credit: National Archives at College Park / Public domain While Abraham Lincoln played an instrumental role in the Civil War during his presidency, he also served his country as an active serviceman. During the Black Hawk War in 1832, Lincoln served in the Illinois Militia as a captain. 5. Jimmy Carter - US Navy President Jimmy Carter and Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, USN (far right) aboard the submarine USS Los Angeles in 1977. Jimmy Carter graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1946. As an ensign, he was deployed in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. In 1953, he was set to join the crew of the nuclear submarine, the USS Seawolf. However, his father died, and so Carter left active duty later that year to take over his family's peanut farm in Georgia. 4. Dwight D. Eisenhower - US Army Eisenhower as a major general, 1942. Image credit: Official photographer / Public domain A 1915 graduate of West Point, Dwight D. Eisenhower had an illustrious military career before being elected to the presidency. He served at home during World War I and abroad during World War II. After Germany's surrender in 1945, Eisenhower served in Southern Germany as military governor of the American occupation zone. Several years later, he was appointed the Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe while simultaneously serving as president of Columbia University. Eisenhower retired from active duty in 1952 and was elected president later that year. 3. Ulysses S. Grant - US Army Surrender of General Lee to General Grant at Appomattox Court House during the Third Battle of Petersburg. Image credit: Thomas Nast / Public domain Ulysses S. Grant was an 1843 graduate of West Point. During the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Grant was a regional quartermaster. He eventually entered combat and built an impressive military record. He was awarded the rank of captain in 1853. Unhappy about being separated from his family, Grant resignedallegedly in a drunken statein July 1854. 2. George Washington - Colonial Militia, Continental Army Washington leads the retreat from Long Island. Image credit: James Charles Armytage / Public domain Years before he became the country's first president, George Washington served in the Colonial Militia from 1752 to 1758. In 1775, he was nominated as the first Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, where he served until 1783. Even after he finished his second term as president, Washington served as Commanding General from 1798 until he died in 1799. 1. Ronald Reagan - US Army Captain Ronald Reagan in the Army Air Force working for the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California. Image credit: First Motion Picture Unit / Public domain Already a well-known Hollywood actor, Ronald Reagan joined the Army Enlisted Reserve in 1937. He began active duty in 1942, though his weak eyesight kept him from any overseas missions. Instead, Reagan served at home, mainly in the First Motion Picture Unit in California. He and his men created hundreds of Air Force training videos. Reagan left active duty in 1945, having achieved the rank of captain. Press Trust of India Eleven chairs in the names of women scientists, including renowned anthropologist Iravati Karve, will be established at institutes across the country to honour their contribution in the field of science, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said on Friday. Irani, in a series of tweets, said the decision has been made on the occasion of National Science Day. She said these 11 chairs will not only honour and recognise women scientists' contribution to the field of science but also inspire women and encourage greater participation of young girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). "On National Science Day, the Women and Child Development Ministry is pleased to announce establishment of 11 chairs in the names of Indian women scientists at institutes across the country," Irani tweeted. "I thank Harsh Vardhan (Minister of Science and Technology) and everyone at the Ministry of Science and Technology for their support and pro-active approach towards the cause. I also compliment them for commemorating achievements of our women scientists at this year's National Science Day celebrations," she said in another tweet. I thank @drharshvardhan ji & everyone at Ministry of Science & Technology for their support & pro-active approach towards the cause. I also compliment them for commemorating achievements of our women scientists at this years National Science Day celebrations. Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 28, 2020 The 11 eminent women scientists are -- cytogeneticist Archana Sharma, botanist Janaki Ammal, organic scientist Darshan Ranganatham, chemist Asima Chatterjee, doctor Kadambini Ganguly, anthropologist Iravati Karve, meteorologist Anna Mani, engineer Rajeshwari Chatterjee, mathematician Raman Parimala, physicist Bibha Chowdhuri and biomedical researcher Kamal Ranadive. Irani also gave details of the institutes in which the ministry plans to establish the chairs. A Chair in cytogeneticist Archana Sharma's name will be established in any institute of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to encourage research activity in this area, she said. A renowned cytogeneticist, Dr. Archana Sharmas technique of studying chromosomes enabled a new way of classification. A Chair in her name will be established in any institute of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to encourage research activity in this area. pic.twitter.com/lbftTUyRO9 Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 28, 2020 Irani said a Chair in Janaki Ammal's name will be established in the field of biotechnology as a tribute to her contribution. Do remember Dr. Janaki Ammal every time you consume sugar . Leaving behind a flourishing career on foreign shores, Dr. Ammal returned to India in 1951 & continued to serve her motherland till last breathe. Chair in the field of Biotechnology is our tribute to her contribution. pic.twitter.com/rmwO67lF86 Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 28, 2020 She said organic scientist Darshan Ranganatham's Chair will be established in the field of immunology at several institutes to honour her work for reproducing natural biochemical processes. Dr. Darshan Ranganathan Chair in the field of Immunology will be established at several institutes to honour her work for reproducing natural biochemical processes. I hope young girls take inspiration from her and make our Nation proud. pic.twitter.com/GSN1A6tjWz Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 28, 2020 "I hope young girls take inspiration from her and make our nation proud," Irani said in a tweet. Asima Chatterjee's Chair will be established in her name in the area of Phytomedicine and the Chair of Irawati Karve will be established in her name in social sciences institutes, Irani said. First woman to receive a Doctorate of Science from an Indian University, Dr. Asima Chatterjees research led to development of an epilepsy drug. Her work in organic chemistry & phytomedicine has been noteworthy. Chair will be established in her name in the area of Phytomedicine. pic.twitter.com/maEErJXTuk Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 28, 2020 Rajeshwari Chatterjee's chair will be established in engineering institutes and Kamal Ranadive will be established in her name in the field of biomedical research. Investors in Bank of America Corporation BAC need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Mar 20, 2020 $18.00 Put had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today. What is Implied Volatility? Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy. What do the Analysts Think? Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Bank of America shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Bank of America is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) in the Banks - Major Regional industry that ranks in the Top 11% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, four analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while none have dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 72 cents per share to 74 cents in that period. Given the way analysts feel about Bank of America right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected. Looking to Trade Options? Check out the simple yet high-powered approach that Zacks Executive VP Kevin Matras has used to close recent double and triple-digit winners. In addition to impressive profit potential, these trades can actually reduce your risk. Click to see the trades now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Bank of America Corporation (BAC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has called on employers to take account of HSE advice on coronavirus when introducing measures to stop the spread of the infection. It comes as the Dublin Chamber of Commerce advised businesses to adhere to a business continuity planning check list issued by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. ICTU said that firms should communicate with staff on actions that might be taken in their workplace to protect workers from Covid-19 while also ensuring that employees' incomes are protected. General Secretary Patricia King said: Employers must engage with staff and union representatives before decisions are taken regarding working arrangements as a result of the virus." Noting that the Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, Dr Tony Holohan, has said he believes the risk of Covid-19 infection spreading in Ireland is low, Patricia King called on the Workplace Relations Commission to develop an agreed response to the infection. In a statement Dublin Chamber of Commerce said: Preparatory actions can be taken to respond to (covid-19). Assign responsibility for planning and preparedness to a senior executive and a deputy, consult within the company, with workers and worker representatives, suppliers on measures they are taking and on potential disruptions to supply chains and establish authorities, triggers and procedures for implementing plans. Many of the actions are the same as you would have prepared during any type of similar threat such as preparations for influenza pandemics. Organisations should consider appointing a planning coordinator and/or team with defined responsibilities and budget for planning and for preparedness. A deputy should also be appointed. If an organisation already has a business continuity planning process, addressing Covid-19 within that process should be considered. It is particularly important that an organisation uses the national resources, posters and guidance that are available and updated on a regular basis to reflect the rapidly emerging situation. Some of the key advice from the Chamber and the Department includes; preparing policies on hygienic behaviour for employees and visitors to premises as guided by national recommendations. Adhere to respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene policies. Plan to provide for hand washing, hand hygiene, tissue disposal and other facilities as per national recommendations and frequent and effective cleaning of the workplace as per national recommendations Prepare policies as per national recommendations to advise those who are infected, or are suspected to be infected with Covid-19, plan measures to reduce face-to-face contact with customers / suppliers and between employees from different sites. Other guidelines are; identifying work organisation measures that can be taken to reduce potential for employees who are in the workplace to infect each other, preparing policies on flexible work locations such as teleworking and flexible working times and the provision of telecommunications infrastructure to support teleworking and remote customer interaction. According to Ursula von der Leyen, a special working group was created in order to mitigate the effects of the outbreak of disease On Monday, March 2, the Head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the "moderate" level of risk of coronavirus for the population of the European Union had risen to "high". She did that during a special press conference in Brussels, Interfax-Ukraine reports. "In other words, the virus is still spreading," von der Leyen said. Together with her, the press conference was attended by members of the European Commission responsible for health, crisis management, the economy, internal affairs and transport. The Head of the European Commission said that such a change in an assessment was recommended by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. She also announced the creation of a special working group on the coordination of the situation with coronavirus. As we reported earlier, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced a decision to declare the highest possible threat level for the epidemic of coronavirus. He wrote about it on his Twitter page. In my briefing today, I informed media that based on latest #coronavirus developments we have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of #COVID19 to very high at a global level, he wrote. Coronavirus concerns are bound to rise after the Health Ministry on Monday confirmed the first case in the national capital. A person from Delhi, who has a travel history of Italy, has been tested positive for coronavirus, in the first confirmed case in the national capital region. The person is being treated at RML Hospital. This was the fifth positive case of the disease in India. Earlier in the day, one more confirmed case of coronavirus was reported from Telangana. The patient has a travel history of Dubai. Apart from this, three students from Kerala were tested positive for COVID-19, but they were later discharged from hospital after treatment. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has advised Indians to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, Korea and Singapore. While India has already banned all India-bound airlines from boarding any passengers from China on an e-visa, the government may impose fresh travel restrictions, depending on the global evolving scenario. Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Big international events cancelled so far Here are some of the basic protective measures against the coronavirus suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO): Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. This would kill viruses that may be on your hands. Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease. Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick. Also Read: Coronavirus updates: Two new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Delhi, Telangana Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19. Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections. Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. YEREVAN. A group of citizens are protesting outside the Russian Embassy in Armenia, and they are demanding a fair trial in last years murder of Russian former special detachment member Nikita Belyankin, in Moscow region. Nine Armenians are charged in this case. According to preliminary investigation, on the evening of June 1, 2019, Belyankin, while walking with his girlfriend, saw two groups of people fighting with each other near a beer pub, and he decided to intervene. He fired several warning shots from a gas pistol, but he was stabbed in the heart. Russian citizens of Armenian origin Sergey Khojoyan and Suren Markosyan, as well as Armenian citizens Narek Stepanyan and Sahak Sahakyan were arrested along the lines of the criminal case that was opened into this incident. Khojoyan is charged with murder, while the other threewith hooliganism. But none of them pleads guilty. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, for his part, had said the death of Nikita Belyakin was a great tragedy. But at the same time, he had emphasized that criminals have no nationality, and this case should not affect Armenian-Russian relations. At the same time, the nation's high court did permit a separate provision of the law to go into force requiring abortion providers to pay to bury or cremate any embryonic or fetal remains in their possession. Pratt said she took that partial win for the state into consideration by not requiring the attorney general reimburse the Indiana ACLU for another $84,853.02 in legal fees connected to that portion of the case. Hannah Brass Greer, PPINK's chief legal counsel, said the health organization is glad the court recognized its attorneys were entitled to reimbursement of their fees. "If the state of Indiana continues to pass unconstitutional legislation we will continue to challenge them in court and it will continue to be the taxpayers left paying the bill," Greer said. The attorney general's office declined to specifically address the judge's order to pay PPINK's legal fees in its statement on the case. "In light of the fetal remains discovered in Illinois, we are especially grateful that the Supreme Court reversed the district court's earlier decision that purported to invalidate Indiana's fetal-remains law." An analysis of state spending records by The Times shows Indiana paid more than $3 million to the ACLU between 2011 and 2020 following the group's successful challenges to unconstitutional state laws. Love 18 Funny 6 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 10 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. No gasoline stations been fined yet for failing to post the Progressive Conservative governments mandatory gas-pump stickers attacking federal carbon-pricing measures. Energy Minister Greg Rickfords office said scofflaws have not faced any penalties over the compulsory decals that state the federal carbon tax will cost you. The government is taking a progressive approach to enforcement. The purpose of the gas stickers is to educate the public, not to create a burden for hardworking small business owners, Rickfords office said. Fines are administered by the TSSA (the Technical Standards and Safety Authority), to date no fines have been laid, the ministers office said. As of Nov. 30, the most recent date for which statistics are available, the TSSA reported that 240 gas stations had been inspected and 92 per cent of these retailers were compliant. But the 20 or so stations in the inspection blitz that werent in compliance with the controversial law were not sanctioned. The Star revealed last September that the stickers easily peel off because they were apparently designed for indoor use with an adhesive meant for metal instead of the vinyl cladding found on pumps. Premier Doug Ford, who ran his familys decal business before entering politics, said last year he was unhappy the stickers werent sticking. Can you believe that? Its like the shoemakers daughter not getting shoes? They have to pull me off the ceiling when they hear the stickers are coming off, the premier said last summer. But vandalism is also a problem. Last weekend, the Star visited several gas stations in the Greater Toronto Area including in Fords Etobicoke neighbourhood and found blank splotches where the stickers used to be. The government paid Astley Gilbert $4,954 for the 25,000 stickers, one for every pump in the province. Rickfords office said Publications Ontario continues to fulfill online orders from gas station retailers and (the government) is monitoring online sticker stock. The stickers became the law of the land Aug. 30 on the eve of the federal election campaign. Results of the Oct. 21 vote suggest they did not help federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer unseat Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberals in Ontario. The Liberals won 79 of Ontarios 121 federal seats to 36 for the Tories. According to Queens Park, there are minimum daily fines of $150 for gas stations that do not post the Tory-blue stickers. Both the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, which represents gas stations, have criticized the Conservatives for burdening businesses. As well, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association launched a constitutional challenge about the legality of forcing private companies to post political slogans. Thats because the decals do not explain any benefits from carbon pricing. Read more about: YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on bestowing diplomatic ranks on the occasion of the Diplomats Day, his Office told Armenpress. According to the Presidential decree, the following diplomat has been bestowed with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary: Vahagn Atabekyan Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Lebanon According to another decree, the President bestowed the rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the following diplomats: Yuri Babakhanyan advisor at the department of Middle East and Africa in Armenias foreign ministry Vahe Gevorgyan advisor to the Armenian foreign minister Anahit Harutyunyan Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Canada The President signed the respective decrees based on the prime ministers proposal. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan A high school teacher who was told he could return to the classroom after allegedly using a racial epithet in class will have his case heard by a new arbitrator after a Superior Court judge overturned the initial ruling. Superior Court Judge Robert P. Becker, Jr., sitting in Gloucester County, issued a ruling Thursday stating the arbitrators decision involving Penns Grove Middle School teacher Bruce Bassetti is vacated and will be reheard with a new arbitrator that is selected by the Commissioner of Education, according to a copy of the judges order. Becker also added the statements made by Bassetti without having union representation during the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School Districts investigation into the matter can not be used in the new arguments. The order, however, did not explain Beckers decision. Bassetti was accused of allegedly using the N-word to describe students in a seventh-grade class he was teaching in February 2019. Four students who were in the classroom went to the assistant principals office to report the alleged incident, three of whom said he used the n-word and another saying he used a bad word. The Penns Grove-Carneys Point School Board initially suspended Bassetti for 120 days without pay, and said tenure charges would be filed against him. Bassetti appealed the decision, and Arbitrator Peter Adomeit reversed the boards decision, stating firing him is not warranted because he was muttering to himself and never intended to be heard by students. The New Jersey NAACP filed a lawsuit on behalf of the school district to overturn Adomeit's decision. Baker ruled that use of the "n-word" in a classroom full of seventh graders was considered conduct unbecoming of Bassetti's position. NAACP State Conference Legal Redress Chair Gregg Zeff participated in the oral argument against Bassetti. "The NAACP's involvement in this matter is to make crystal clear to this court that the community abhors the comment and that the fact it was said by a teacher in the classroom is something that cannot be tolerated," Zeff said. "Contrary to Arbitrator Adomeit's opinion, children in our community are harmed by racism." Salem County NAACP President Nelson Carney Jr. said he is pleased with Thursdays decision. I thank the school boards attorney and NAACP State Conference Legal Redress Greg Zeff for assisting us in this case, Carney Jr. said. I also want to thank the students for having the courage to speak up on this. Bassetti remains suspended with pay. NJ Advance Media reached out via email to Bassettis attorney Keith Waldman. However, our request for comment was not immediately returned. Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Subscriber content preview TULSA, Okla. (AP) American Airlines said Friday it will invest $550 million in a seven-year overhaul of its largest maintenance base, including a new hangar to service the airline's biggest planes. The base in Tulsa is American's largest maintenance operation and handles nearly half of the airline's maintenance work. American has more than 5,500 employees at the base, including 600 jobs added last year. . . . India is now the fifth largest market by volume for Coca-Cola globally and the company aims to double the business size in five years. Coca-Cola India became the fifth largest market as it reached the milestone of selling 1-billion-unit case in 2019," James Quincey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said at an event in Mumbai on March 2. The US is the biggest market for the company followed by Mexico, China and Brazil in that order. It took 21 years for the company to achieve the mark of 1 billion case unit sales in a year in 2019, and now our target is to take the number up to 2 billion units in five years, Quincey said. India has been contributing to "solid growth" and presents a promising opportunity to become one of the top three markets for the company soon, he said. NYSE-listed Coca-Cola is the worlds largest beverage company with more than 500 brands sold across 200 countries. Coca-Cola has made strong value share gains with contribution from both sparkling and non-sparkling offering. However, Quincey did not share any numbers. As a part of the companys refreshed approach, Coca-Cola India will continue to grow its core brands by rolling out new variants across Thums Up, Limca, Fanta, Sprite and Maaza, including no-sugar extensions. Quincey said the company will also look to diversify its portfolio by entering new beverage categories like enchanted hydration, nutritious dilutable and beverage-plus at affordable price points. The company plans to market Coca-Cola Indias homegrown brand Maaza, globally, he said. In 2017, Coca-Cola had committed $1.7 billion (Rs 11,000 crore) towards the Indian agri-ecosystem for the next five years under its Fruit Circular Economy Initiative, and we will stick to that target, Quincey said without specifying the total investment. On the current slowdown in the economy, he said the company has not been affected much. There is neither an uptick or downturn in sales, he said, adding that 2020 may, however, witness a sales surge. The company, Quincey said, has so far not seen any significant impact of the coronavirus outbreak on its supply chain but it may hurt if it prolongs. Three helpless brown bear cubs cry for their lost mother after their den was destroyed by tree-cutters in Russia in heartbreaking footage. A heartwrenching clip shows the young cubs huddled together and wailing in a hallowed stump of a tree chopped down in the Leningrad region. The bears were miraculously rescued hours before they froze to death in the cold Russian forest. Footage shows the saved cubs being fed with a bottle amid concern they were on the point of starvation. Three helpless brown bear cubs cry for their lost mother after their den was destroyed by tree-cutters in Russia in heartbreaking footage But later they were plaintively crying for their missing mother after being taken to a bear shelter in Tver region. The six-week-old orphan cubs were left in the den when their hibernating mother was woken by the noise of loggers cutting down nearby trees - and fled. The female bear abandoned her three male cubs who were heard crying, too scared to return. Without her warmth, the littles ones can survive only a matter of hours. Carers are minimising human contact and warmth with the bear cubs because the aim to eventually release them into the wild. The young cubs huddled together and wailed in a hallowed stump of a tree chopped down in the Leningrad region The female bear abandoned her three male cubs who were heard crying, too scared to return. Without her warmth, the littles ones can survive only a matter of hours The saved cubs were fed with a bottle amid concern they were on the point of starvation Wildlife expert Alexander Fedotov is shown in a video feeding the little wild animals on a gruelling 11 hour road journey to the shelter. 'The cubs ate once every three-and-a-half hours,' he said. 'One had to be fed by force. He was sluggish, and obviously lagging behind in weight. I had to forcibly feed him, otherwise there was a chance that he would die. 'The main task of the cubs at this age is to sleep, eat and sleep.' He said: 'A bear never returns to an abandoned den. They abandon their babies. The bears were miraculously rescued hours before they froze to death in the cold Russian forest The six-week-old orphan cubs were left in the den when their hibernating mother was woken by the noise of loggers cutting down nearby trees - and fled Carers are minimising human contact and warmth with the bear cubs because the aim to eventually release them into the wild 'These three were lucky that they were warming each other, otherwise they would not have survived. They would have frozen to death.' The Tver sanctuary set up by bear expert Valentin Pazhetnov, 82, specialising in rehabilitating animals to the wild. It comes after two bear cubs froze to death after their mother was woken up by 'drunks' who attacked the adult bear with a chain saw, forcing it to flee their den. The cubs were found by hunting experts who were patrolling a forest in the Anuchinsky district in the Far East of Russia. The young animals were abandoned by their mother who got scared off by a group of woodcutters. Police have established the identities of the men who disturbed the bear, but not released their names. The dead cubs (pictured) were found by hunting experts who were patrolling a forest in the Anuchinsky district in the Far East of Russia An administrative investigation has been started. It is not clear how many men were responsible for disturbing the animals. One of the locals familiar with the case spoke to VladNews website and claimed that the woodcutters were drunk. 'The guys got drunk after cutting logs and went for a walk about the woods,' said the source. Police have established the identities of the men who disturbed the bear, but not released their names. Pictured: A Himalayan bear in the Far East of Russia 'They came across a den and thought it would be a great idea to wake up the bear. 'They didn't succeed at first, but then the mother bear woke up, got out and lashed aggressively at them. 'The men defended themselves with a chainsaw, wounding the bear which fled the spot.' The regional department for Wildlife Control, Protection and Regulation have said that the mother bear survived the encounter. Pictured: A Himalayan bear in the Far East of Russia The Siberian Times was told by Dmitry Pankratov from the regional department for Wildlife Control, Protection and Regulation that the mother bear survived the encounter. 'We confirm that these two cubs were abandoned by their mother who got scared by the woodcutters. 'The mother bear is alive, but she never came back to the den', he said. Ultrasonic sensors that can follow a single fish along the seafloor, submersible cameras, satellites, big data tracking put it all aboard a center console fishing boat with five engines that can cover 75 miles of sea in an hour. The result: Any weekend warrior angler leaving Charleston with gear like that can return time after time to that same rock swarmed with snapper-grouper, then come back with coolers full of tasty seafood favorite fish that regulators are struggling to keep from being overfished. Rapidly advancing technology is raking the ocean clean as conservationists and regulators plug in to keep up the chase. "GPS navigation can put you within inches of a fishing spot, and with the advances in sonar and use of inexpensive submersible cameras, its possible to see, not just schools of fish, but individual fish in great detail," said Tom Swatzel, director of the South Carolina-based Council for Sustainable Fishing, which represents both commercial and recreational fishing interests. Nearly a half-million people have saltwater fishing licenses in South Carolina, and tens if not hundreds of thousands of them own boats capable of cruising out of sight of land. It's been estimated more than a half-million trips are run offshore each year. The numbers alone make it problematic to count how many fish get caught, much less enforce catch or season limits. Unlike commercial captains, recreational anglers don't have to report their catches. A half-million coolers can carry off a lot of fish. "The biggest challenge, in my opinion, is just the sheer numbers of folks who are out there. There's just a lot more people out there and that's thanks to technology," said Mel Bell, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources fisheries management director and a member of the South Atlantic Fish Management Council that recommends federal catch rule changes. "It's beyond what we could have contemplated 20 years ago," said Kim Iverson, the fishery management council spokeswoman. The problem is worldwide, and regulators are still catching up. A 2016 study found the global fishery probably already passed the peak harvest it can catch while sustaining the stock, because of advancing technology. The high-tech gear poses a threat to fisheries that could be greater than climate change, it concluded. "There's no reason to think that people are going to suddenly stop innovating, or that existing technologies are going to stop spreading to the parts of the world they've not yet reached," said Eric Galbraith, an Autonomous University of Barcelona researcher and the study's lead author. In South Carolina and the Southeast, the regulations are continually being reworked to keep pace. But NOAA Fisheries continues to struggle to improve sampling data while trying to manage catch restrictions for any number of species that existing data suggest are overfished. That includes nearly all the snapper grouper species, as well as other popular ocean dwellers, such as the black sea bass. Among other regulatory advances, federal fish managers survey recreational anglers to track their catch. The analysts regularly refine the survey and include a large error percentage in reports to the fish council. Computer programs that estimate and project catches continue to improve. The council keeps looking at new controls like real-time reporting and onboard cameras. Mandatory catch reporting by charter fishing captains, long a requirement in the state, will be required across the region starting Sept. 1. State and federal wildlife officers now use smart tracking technology similar to what anglers use, as well as a little more, including aircraft. The council checks with officers about how enforceable proposed regulatory changes would be. But across the vast ocean, it often comes down to a matter of feet and hands. You can mark off on maps a preserve for fish spawning, but some anglers can and do set up right off the edge. And, on a busy weekend, you could have tens of thousands of boats out there with only a handful of officers patrolling, Bell said. "Anglers could be anywhere out there," he said. "In South Carolina, there's 10 or more inlets for them to come in or out. You've only got so many officers." The number of boats out there and the ability to position over fish has put more pressure on the fishery, said charter Capt. Mike Illig, of Avid Angling Fishing Charters. He's seen an overall decline in both the size and numbers of fish. "There is a love for the water here in Charleston, and it deserves responsible stewardship from us," he said. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 2, 2020) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following update on the Kibi Gold Project: The Company has purchased a second diamond drill rig (the "New Rig") to expand its drilling activities. With the recent increase in gold prices, management views the purchase of the New Rig as an important step in accelerating the Company's exploration efforts with the goal of significantly expanding the Maiden Discovery. Following input from the Company, the New Rig, was custom designed and manufactured by Odyssey Drill Rigs of North Bay, Canada. incorporates an Atlas Copco CS1000/P4 model drill mounted on a Morooka MST800 crawler and is projected to be able to drill to a depth of approximately 700 meters. (Picture of New Rig) Xtra-Gold is also pleased to announce that on February 25, 2020, 885,000 share purchase warrants were exercised at a price of CDN$0.50 for gross proceeds of CDN$442,500. These funds will be used for the purchase of the New Rig (including spare parts and consumables). After the exercise of these warrants, the Company has no other warrants outstanding. The working capital position of the Company is now approximately CDN$7 million in cash and liquid assets which is sufficient to fully fund current exploration activities with its two in-house drill rigs for 2020 and 2021. About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area. Forward-Looking Statements The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Contact Information For further information please contact: James Longshore Chief Executive Officer Tel.: 416-628-2881 E-mail: info@xtragold.com Website: www.xtragold.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/53012 Medical personnel in protective suits prepare traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for patients of the novel coronavirus with an intelligent dispensing equipment at a pharmacy of Wuhan Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, in Hubei province, China March 2, 2020. The number of new coronavirus cases outside China was almost 9 times higher than that inside the country over the last 24 hours, World Health Organization officials said Monday. As epidemics spread across other continents, new cases in China are falling, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing at the agency's headquarters in Geneva. It reported just 206 new cases of the coronavirus, COVID-19, on Sunday, the lowest number of new cases in that country since Jan. 22, he said. Outside China, the total number of cases now tops 8,739 across 61 countries, including 127 deaths, Tedros said. About 81% of cases outside China are from four countries, he added. "The epidemics in the Republic of Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan are our greatest concern," Tedros said, adding that world health officials arrived in Iran on Monday to deliver supplies and support. "This is a unique virus, with unique features. This virus is not influenza. We are in uncharted territory." Of the other 57 affected countries, 38 have reported 10 cases or fewer, Tedros said. Nineteen countries have reported only one case, and some countries have contained the virus and haven't reported in the last two weeks, he said. Tedros said health officials would not "hesitate" to declare the outbreak a pandemic if "that's what the evidence suggests." On Friday at a press briefing, he said that most cases of COVID-19 can still be traced to known contacts or clusters of cases and there isn't any "evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities." That's one reason why WHO hasn't declared the outbreak a pandemic, Tedros said Friday. The following reflects the opinion of The Flint Journal Editorial Board. Twenty years since Kayla died, and weve seen nothing but more bloodshed and broken promises. Nothing significant has been done to curb Americas access to guns, including the one used by a 6-year-old to shoot another 6-year-old inside a Beecher, Michigan elementary 20 years ago. Thats a shame. Weve got to find solutions that keep guns out of kids hands, away from the mentally unstable, that prevent school and mass shootings. The nation was shocked when Kayla Rolland was gunned down in the hallways of an elementary school by a first-grade classmate. The boy found the .32-caliber handgun in a Puma shoebox with loose change and candy at the house where he was living. The shooting took center stage in the national gun debate at the time, less than a year since the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. President Bill Clinton met with Kaylas mother and attempted to get broad gun control legislation passed, but it lost traction in Congress, just like the majority of gun control efforts put forth in the years since. The assault weapons ban came and went from 1994 to 2004 but there was never any political will to renew it. Universal background checks have been talked about for years, but again no will to implement them. At a state level, various bills have surfaced in the Michigan Legislature, but if anything, in recent years, the trend has been to loosen restrictions on firearms, not tighten them. In the two decades since Kayla was killed, the debate has become so toxic, it feels like weve given up. The will to get anything done has been lost. In that time, weve become desensitized to school shootings. Images of kids running scared from gunmen in our schools (and yes, the majority are males) on the evening news used to shock us. Now, sadly, it feels like just another day in America. The shooting of Kayla Rolland was not an aberration. Sadly, it was just at the beginning of a new era of school shootings. Since 2000, theyve become more frequent and more intense Parkland, Sandy Hook, and on and on. From 2000, when Kayla was shot and killed, to 2018 there were nearly 40 active shooting incidents at schools, resulting in 69 deaths and 133 injuries, according to FBI statistics. In the school shootings that have happened since 2000, the gun lobby, and the politicians who prop it up, generally respond with thoughts and prayers, then argue that mental illness was the culprit. But that argument falls flat when youre talking about a 6-year-old. After that morning in Buell Elementary School, the boy who shot Kayla Rolland was taken to the police station. He played on a typewriter, drew pictures and showed off his counting abilities for the detectives. He ate a Happy Meal and confessed hed shot Kayla with a gun he found at his uncles house. I met that little kid, then-Genesee County Prosecutor Art Busch told The Flint Journal recently. He had no front teeth. He was coloring and talking about the Easter Bunny. This kid wasnt born to be a killer. Clearly, if the boy didnt have such easy access to the gun, Kayla Rolland might still be alive today. The sheer number of guns in our country makes situations like Kayla Rolland being shot and killed by a 6-year-old classmate possible. There are enough guns to arm every man, woman and child in America, according to a recent report. Americans own 393 million guns, which includes legal and otherwise, out of a worldwide total of 857 million firearms, according to a June 2018 report from the Small Arms Survey. It begs the question: Is having a gun in every American cupboard necessary? Perhaps Michigan needs to consider universal background checks and making guns harder to get on school property, not easier, like the latest bills circulating the state House would do. Maybe Michigan should consider a gun buyback program like theyve done in Australia. We should be open to all options to keep our kids safe. Meanwhile, gun violence continues to plague Flint and other cities across the country. Just this week in Milwaukee, a gunman just shot and killed five people at Molson Coors. Its the latest large-scale shooting. Every week seems to bring a new one. Theres got to be a better way. We need to continue to search for creative solutions. But first we need the will. Theres got to be a solution that takes into account the rights of individuals to responsibly bear arms, but also curbs the horrific gun violence that has claimed so many American lives in the past 50 years, including Kayla Rollands. We elect our leaders to come up with solutions to our problems, not just offer thoughts and prayers. Weve had 20 years to talk about it. Lets not wait another 20 years for a solution. RELATED STORIES: 20 years after Kayla Rolland: The fatal first grade shooting that sparked a national gun debate First-grader Kayla Rolland was fatally shot at school 20 years ago. Heres how it happened. Michigan House bills would make CPLs optional, allow gun owners to carry in gun-free zones Fewer penalties for concealed carry in gun-free zones under House bills Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 05:46:56|Editor: Liu Video Player Close A migrant kid cries at Skala Sikaminias, on the island of Lesvos, Greece, on March 1, 2020. 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. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) MYTILENE, Greece, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Greece on Sunday decided to increase the level of deterrence at its borders to the maximum, as the country is facing a forthcoming increased refugee and migrant influx recently. The Greek government also criticized Turkey for allegedly "directing and encouraging" the increased refugee and migrant flows to its borders in the past few days. "This movement is directed and encouraged by Turkey. These actions are taking place in violation of its obligations under the EU-Turkey joint statement," Greek government spokesperson Stelios Petsas said on Sunday night after a meeting of the Government Council for National Security, referring to the agreement launched in 2016 aimed to stem the refugee and migrant influx. The council took the decision to increase the level of deterrence at Greece's borders to the maximum, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted, announcing that on Tuesday he will visit Evros land border in the north with European Council President Charles Michel. "The borders of Greece are the external borders of Europe. We will protect them..." the prime minister said. In Sunday's meeting, it was also decided that from now on Greece will not be accepting any new asylum applications for one month by people entering the country illegally and will be immediately returned to their country of origin if possible, spokesperson Petsas announced. In addition, Greece was formally requesting European Border and Coast Guard Agency's (Frontex) increased presence in the region and EU's full support to Greece with concrete measures, the spokesperson said. More than 13,000 people have gathered at the land border between Greece and Turkey, according to International Organization for Migration, after Ankara's message in the past few days that Turkish authorities can no longer prevent people from reaching Europe's borders. For a third consecutive day, on Sunday, Greek police and army forces guarded the land border, briefly clashing with groups of people attempting to cross the borderline, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. The Greek Foreign Ministry tweeted Sunday that some 10,000 people were "prevented from entering Greek territory (all along Evros) from yesterday morning to this morning." "No one can cross the Greek borders. All those attempting illegal entry, are effectively prevented from entering," read a second tweet. At least six inflatable dinghies with 300 refugees and migrants landed on the shores of Lesbos and another 200 in two other islands on Sunday, according to AMNA. In at least one case on Lesbos, groups of locals prevented their disembarkation and Coast Guard vessels transferred the people to another site, Xinhua witnessed. Other groups of islanders blocked the streets to Moria, Lesbos' refugee camp which currently hosts about 19,400 people, while its capacity is about 2,800, according to official data provided by Greece's Citizen Protection ministry. More than 42,000 refugees and migrants are currently on five Greek islands in reception facilities which have been overflowing for months, according to the figures provided by the Greek government. Locals request the central government to transfer part of them to the mainland, protesting that local communities can no longer shoulder the disproportionate burden. More than one million people reached Greece, with about half landing on Lesvos, since 2015. Most continued their journey to other European countries until the closure of borders along the Balkan route in the winter of 2016. Sen. Amy Klobuchar canceled a campaign rally Sunday night in her home state of Minnesota after dozens of protesters occupied the stage for more than an hour, demanding that the Democratic presidential candidate drop out of the race over her past involvement in a controversial murder conviction of a black teenager. The rally, scheduled for 8 p.m. CST in St. Louis Park, was derailed when protesters affiliated with Black Lives Matter, the Minneapolis NAACP and other civil rights organizations stormed the event, as seen in videos uploaded to social media. Toting signs and banners, the activists chanted "Klobuchar has got to go" and "Free Myon," in reference to Myon Burrell, who was sentenced to life in prison following the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl. A campaign spokesperson told reporters that the rally was eventually canceled after the protesters, who wanted Klobuchar to acknowledge Burrell in her Sunday remarks, refused to leave the stage despite the senator offering to meet with them, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "The campaign offered a meeting with the senator if they would leave the stage after being onstage for more than an hour," the spokesperson said. "After the group initially agreed, they backed out of the agreement, and we are canceling the event." Questions over Klobuchar's prosecutorial record, namely her handling of the Burrell case when she was the top attorney in Hennepin County, have dogged the senator since she announced her presidential bid last year. Klobuchar also has faced criticism for declining to prosecute cases involving police accused of using excessive force against black suspects, The Washington Post reported March 21. Burrell was 16 when he was first convicted in the death of Tyesha Edwards, who was hit by a stray bullet while doing homework at her dining room table. That conviction was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court, but Burrell was found guilty again following a second trial in 2008 that came after Klobuchar had left the prosecutor's office. Burrell, his family and activists maintain that he was wrongfully convicted, accusations that have only increased in recent weeks following an Associated Press report that revealed a number of flaws and inconsistencies in the initial police investigation. In the aftermath of the AP's probe, Klobuchar has repeatedly called for the case to be reviewed. Activists, however, say that isn't enough. "Amy Klobuchar has the power and the influence - if she wanted to actually help us to free him she could, and she doesn't want to," Leslie Redmond, president of the Minneapolis NAACP, told USA Today. "This is a tale of two cities. There's a real distinction between how we see Amy Klobuchar, and it's because she keeps hiding behind her progressive background or values, but she's actually not as progressive as she comes across." The outrage over Klobuchar's prosecutorial record was on full display at the Sunday rally in suburban Minneapolis ahead of Super Tuesday - when 15 states, including Minnesota, and one territory will hold their Democratic presidential primaries. Videos of the event showed tense scenes as the protesters onstage faced off against hundreds of Klobuchar supporters who had gathered inside the gymnasium at St. Louis Park High School to hear the senator speak. "Black lives matter!" the protesters shouted while people in the audience could be seen waving "Amy for America" signs and chanting, "Amy! Amy!" An announcement came over the gym's loudspeaker about 40 minutes after the rally was supposed to begin that elicited cheers from the protesters and scattered boos from the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming tonight and for your patience," the announcer said. "We're sorry to say that tonight's event has been canceled. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Please remember to vote on Tuesday." Justin Buoen, Klobuchar's campaign manager, said he was "disappointed" by the cancellation, according to a transcript of his remarks to reporters at the rally emailed to The Post. Buoen said the campaign had arranged for the activists to meet with Klobuchar on-site. "She was in the room ready to meet with them, and then they changed the terms and decided that they didn't want to meet with her," he said. "Really wish we would have been able to, one, do the meeting, and listen to the protesters but also have the event." But the protest's organizers pushed back against the campaign's version of events. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and Black Lives Matter activist, tweeted that protesters "did not back out of a deal to meet with the Senator." "We thought that Amy Klobuchar speaking about Myon's case with Myon's family onstage was a reasonable request and a good way to let attendees know why we were there," Armstrong wrote in a follow-up tweet. "Instead of responding to this request, Amy's team decided to cancel the event. We didn't know until media told us." Redmond told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that it was never the protesters' goal to shut down the rally. "We're disappointed too," Redmond said. Klobuchar has struggled to attract voters of color since her third-place finish in New Hampshire last month, The Post's Amber Phillips reported. The candidate recently came in at a distant sixth place during the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, garnering just over 3 percent of the votes. According to exit polls, Klobuchar won 0 percent of the black vote in South Carolina. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI) - Health care providers are breathing a sigh of relief after a controversial amendment was amended out by the Indiana Senate on Monday. Dozens of health care professionals from across the state came to the statehouse to protest House Bill 1004. The previous version would have reduced payment from insurance companies to off-site hospital facilities for procedures. The original purpose of the bill, which remains intact, was to make medical billing more transparent. Dr. Jim Bien from IU Health Arnett was one of the hospital workers who attended. He explained that hospitals and their off-site centers offer complex and necessary treatments that are expensive. "The way this bill was amended will reduce the way those services are paid for," he said. He said procedures and treatments done at hospitals are more expensive because large hospitals have more costs. He said they operate 24/7 and off all types of medical services needed by patients, so a chest x-ray done at a hospital will naturally be more expensive than if someone got it done at a doctor's office. He said services that happen at a hospital are negotiated at a higher rate by insurance companies and Medicare, and the off-site facilities that are operated under large hospital umbrellas have the same set contracts. "They meet the regulatory requirements of the hospital, they meet the staffing requirements, the investment and the infrastructure and importantly they are close to where our patients are," he said. State Representative Chris Campbell and State Senator Eddie Melton from Gary were among the legislators who were against the amendment. "We have to be very mindful that this could have a devastating impact on rural and urban hospitals," said Melton. Dr. Bien said places like the IU Health Arnett Cancer Center would have been impacted by this amendment. It would have made it too expensive for the center to provide necessary procedures, most likely forcing it to shut down. "This has a direct impact on access to essential services for patients and their ability to continue to provide them," he said. The controversial amendment was amended out by State Senator Ed Charbonneau. His new amendment passed successfully with a voice vote. If the original author of the bill agrees to the new language, it will go to the governor's desk for his signature. If the author does not agree, it will go to conference committee. Pete Buttigieg a history maker in the 2020 presidential race in multiple ways ended his campaign on Sunday night after a series of disappointing finishes curdled his early successes. He made the announcement before a crowd of supporters in South Bend, Indiana, where the Harvard grad, Navy veteran and corporate analyst had been the mayor until January. The first major openly gay presidential candidate and the first openly gay candidate to win a presidential nominating contest, Buttigieg, 38, was the campaign cycles breakout: an unknown 12 months ago who triumphed at the Iowa caucus (albeit by a razor-thin and controversial margin) and came in a close second place in the New Hampshire primary. I certainly still have that sense of how improbable this all is, Buttigieg told PEOPLE in January. Again, thats part of the point. I think, in an odd way, thats also part of why were succeeding. But that strength did not carry him far enough. Buttigieg placed third at the Nevada caucus last week and then came in a more distant fourth in Saturdays South Carolina primary, failing even to earn delegates in the latter vote. Today is a moment of truth, he said Sunday. After a year of going everywhere, meeting everyone, defying every expectation, seeking every vote, the truth is that the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy if not for our cause. He continued: We have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race any further. Our goal has always been to help unify Americans to defeat Donald Trump and to win the era for our values. And so we must recognize that at this point in the race the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together. RELATED: Who Has Dropped Out of the 2020 Presidential Race So Far Pete Buttigieg Elsewhere in his remarks, Buttigieg reflected on the importance of representation what he meant to someone he might never even meet. Story continues In a viral moment during the Iowa caucus, a woman was recorded saying she wanted to take her vote back after learning Buttigieg was gay. Weeks later, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said American voters werent ready to elect a gay man president. We sent a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than to see that someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband at his side, Buttigieg said. He was introduced by his husband, middle-school teacher Chasten, who left his job last year to campaign for Buttigieg. After falling in love with Pete, Pete got me to believe in myself again, Chasten, 30, told the crowd. And I told Pete to run because I knew there were other kids sitting out there in this country who needed to believe in themselves, too. Pete Buttigieg | DEREK HENKLE/AFP/Getty RELATED: Inside Pete Buttigiegs Exhilarating, Exhausting, Wonderful World Buttigiegs exit narrows the 2020 field even further and, to many observers, leaves the race essentially to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who won in New Hampshire and Nevada (and came in second in Iowa), and former Vice President Joe Biden, whose double-digit victory in South Carolina revived his campaign. On Sunday, Buttigieg took an implicit swipe at Sanders platform bold or risky, depending on the view but did not endorse another candidate by name. Buttigieg said his supporters should look to those who could lead a successful Democratic majority. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar also continue to press their case, with somewhat strong showings in select states so far. But neither has won a primary or caucus. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg will first be on the ballot on so-called Super Tuesday, in two days, after unusually choosing to bypass the early voting states. Billionaire Tom Steyer also left the race this weekend, in the hours after South Carolinas primary results came in showing him in third. Prystaiko says Ukraine welcomes the agreements reached between the U.S. and Taliban. Ukraine will continue taking part in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, says the country's foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko. "Ukraine remains a trusted US and NATO partner and we support the peace and stability settlement in Afghanistan by taking part in NATO's Resolution Support Mission for as long as the Afghan people need help," Prystaiko wrote on Twitter. In a separate tweet, the top diplomat noted that Ukraine welcomed the U.S.-Taliban agreements reached in Afghanistan. Read alsoUkraine may be granted Enhanced Opportunity Partner status in Oct defense minister "After many years of war the path to a peaceful resolution is now open," the foreign minister wrote. As UNIAN reported earlier, on February 29, 2020, in Doha, Qatar, the United States and the Islamist group Taliban signed an agreement aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan. The agreement has four points, according to Al Jazeera: a timeline of 14 months for the withdrawal of all U.S. 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 U.S.; the launch of intra-Afghan negotiations by March 10; and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. The U.S. deployed its troops in Afghanistan almost 19 years ago, following the 9/11 terror attack. This is the longest military campaign in U.S. history. New York Marriott Marquis New York, New York, United States Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 16:58 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067c5602 1 City COVID-19,coronavirus,novel-coronavirus,Jakarta-administration,anies-baswedan,Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,health Free The Jakarta administration has established a fast-response team to handle the fast-spreading and fatal respiratory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the wake of two confirmed cases of Indonesians infected with the virus. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said that he established the team over concerns about the spread as Jakarta serves as both capital city and center of economic activities. "[Jakarta] has a great deal of international interaction. Therefore, we started to discuss the concerns of a COVID-19 spread in Indonesia and especially in Jakarta in mid-January," he said in a press conference at City Hall on Monday. Read also: 136 people observed for COVID-19 in Jakarta: Anies The team, headquartered at the Jakarta Health Agency office on Jl. Kesehatan No. 10 in Gambir in Central Jakarta, consists of the Jakarta Health Agency head, the Jakarta Communications and Information Agency head, the Jakarta National and Political Unity Office, the Jakarta Education Agency head, the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency head and the Jakarta Economic Bureau chief. As of Monday, the administration was monitoring 21 people in both homes and hospitals, and supervising 39 people at hospitals for showing the symptoms and having traveled to countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Previously, it monitored 115 people but they were declared to be free from the disease on Monday. "We are vigilant and doing our best. The Jakarta administration will keep you updated in a transparent manner," Anies added. "The Jakarta Health Agency has conducted an epidemiological investigation to see the interaction pattern of all the monitored people, where they have been and when." The COVID-19 outbreak, originating in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province in China, has hit more than 50 countries, and neighboring countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam have reported confirmed cases. The disease had infected 87,137 people with 2,977 deaths worldwide as of Sunday, according to the World Health Organization. President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced on Monday Indonesias first confirmed case with two Indonesians, a mother and daughter, testing positive for the novel coronavirus. The two women are being treated at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital (RSPI) in North Jakarta. The women, a 64-year-old and her 31-year-old daughter who both live in Depok in West Java, reportedly contracted the virus from a Japanese citizen who was tested positive in Malaysia on Feb. 27, after visiting Indonesia in early February. Anies recommended the public stay on alert and contact the call center at 112 or 119 if they encounter someone showing the symptoms. He also issued a gubernatorial decree on Friday urging officials including mayors, agency heads, district and subdistrict heads to raise public awareness about the risk of the disease and its prevention. "We are coordinating with the Health Ministry and other related agencies in conducting the monitoring and supervision," Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti said in a statement released on Friday. The central government recently decided to use Sebaru Kecil Island, a 16.5-hectare, uninhabited islet in the Thousand Islands regency, as a center to observe 188 evacuees from the World Dream cruise ship for 14 days from last Friday. They actually had tested negative for COVID-19 during a quarantine in Hong Kong but authorities decided to run tests and observe them further as part of precautionary measures. Epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia (UI) Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono, said the risk of COVID-19 spreading to Jakarta was high as there were direct international flights to the capital. Therefore, the gubernatorial decree was necessary to enhance Jakarta's "epidemic preparedness." "Indonesia's risk [of the spread of the disease] is huge given the number of supervised and monitored cases in the country, he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. To assess the risk, he suggested the administration analyze the number of people entering and leaving the city between January and February. (dfr) Over 1 lakh kg beef had been seized from Gujarat in the last two years, the Legislative Assembly was told on Monday, prompting the opposition Congress to question the efficacy of the amended cow slaughter law that was brought in the year 2017. The amended Gujarat Animal Preservation Act hands life imprisonment as the maximum punishment for slaughtering the cow and its progeny. During Question Hour, state Home Department stated that 1,00,490 kgs of beef had been seized from different parts of the state in the years 2018 and 2019. With the recovery of 55,162 kg of beef Surat topped the list, followed by Ahmedabad (18,345 kgs) and Dahod (5,934 kgs). Responding to questions raised by Congress MLAs about the issue, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who also handles Home portfolio, told the House that 3,462 cows and its progeny, such as bullocks and calves, were recovered alive from the accused. Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar said the BJP government was doing only in the name of cows. "It appears that the (2017) law is not implemented effectively. That is the reason why over 1 lakh kgs of beef had been seized in the last two years. You are doing only in the name of cows," said Parmar. He said a vehicle impounded recently for transporting beef belonged to a BJP leader, as it carried a sticker of the party symbol. At this, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said the Opposition was doing of appeasement. "It's painful that politics of appeasement is being done over this issue. Do you want to save the accused? Are you with cows or those who slaughter them? That BJP sticker on the vehicle was a conspiracy to defame the party," he said. Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani said India has become the number one country in exporting meat under the BJP rule at the Centre even as cows are dying in shelters due to starvation. "Seizure of 1 lakh kg beef shows there are loopholes in the implementation of the (2017) law," he said. Jadeja assured the House that the BJP government was committed to stop slaughter of cows. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Finian Cunningham March 01, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The persecution of Julian Assange is one of those breakthrough moments when suddenly people realise that almost everything they have been told to believe is not true. This week the Australian-born journalist and publisher has been subjected to a show trial in a British court with the threat of extradition to the United States looming. If he is extradited, the 48-year old is facing 175 years a death sentence in prison on wholly contrived espionage charges. Assange is being persecuted for the sole and simple reason that he exposed war crimes and systematic corruption by the US government and its Western allies. His years of arbitrary detention and the torture endured over the past year while in solitary confinement in a British dungeon are a grim warning to all citizens. The warning is that their supposed democratic rights are non-existent as far as the powers in Washington and London are concerned. If you dare speak truth to power, then this fate will also be yours. Thus, when it gets down to it, the harsh reality is that there is no such thing as democracy in the US or Britain. Elections and media are but window-dressing to hide the brutal truth that fundamental, basic democratic rights of free speech and due legal process are not inalienable principles, but rather are dispensable privileges whenever the powers-that-be ordain so. Julian Assanges incarceration and pillorying is like an inquisition from medieval times happening in the year 2020. He dared expose the rampant, systematic crimes of so-called authorities through his Wikileaks site. His blasphemy was to expose the charlatans and mass-killers who masquerade as pious leaders. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Those revelations showed the public that the pretensions of democracy and rule of law by the American and British governments are nothing but hypocritical, empty posturing. Assanges courageous publishing work demonstrated how those governments have waged criminal wars and committed genocidal crimes; how they have made a mockery of international law and democratic rights. And for that heroic service to public truth and empowerment with the truth, Assange is being pilloried like a rebellious serf by overlords posing as governments and judges. Assanges show trial is also powerfully revealing of the real nature of Western so-called news media. Not one of the major US or British news outlets have given any coverage, let alone comment, regarding his week-long extradition trial. A journalist and publisher is being whipsawed in the court as if he is a dangerous terrorist. He is denied elementary due process by being confined to a glass-cage dock, not able to communicate with his defence lawyers, unable to even hear what his accusers are claiming. His extradition, to be determined at a future court hearing, seems like a foregone conclusion, such is the bias and hostility towards Assange from the presiding British judge, Vanessa Baraitser. Given the international outcry from hundreds of doctors and UN representatives over Assanges torture endured while in British custody, and given the grotesque abuse of legal process by the American and British so-called authorities, the case should be thrown out immediately if there were any modicum of justice. The vendetta against Assange tells us what kind of societies citizens (or rather subjects) are living under in the US and Britain. These states are oligarchies where democratic rights are strictly conditional on subjects not stepping out of line, such as criticising war crimes or illegal global spying. Julian Assange has torn through the largely invisible matrix of propaganda and power that people really live under. The saccharin myths of democracy and free speech are shown for the ugly, putrid reality that they are. And the Western corporate-controlled media in their silence about what is going on are also condemned for the lying servile machines that they are. We must not accept the fate being prepared for Assange as if it is inevitable or as if we are powerless to overthrow it. The first step towards freedom is truth, and thanks to Julian Assange, we have the power to be free. We know the tyrannical nature of the governments that presume to rule over us in our names. There must be a popular uprising in defence of Assange. Because no-one is free until he is. A final note by way of testimony: anyone who has been enlightened by Wikileaks revelations over the past decade will know that the current escalation of conflict in Syrias Idlib is due to NATO powers illegally occupying that country. They will know that NATO powers have for years covertly sponsored terror groups to carry out a criminal regime-change war. By contrast, anyone who relies on Western governments and mainstream media for information will have no idea whatsoever about what is really going in Syria. A wider war could erupt any day and those who are brainwashed by Western regimes and their media are impotent to stop it. The empowerment of citizens by Julian Assange and Wikileaks over the years is the difference between ending wars or fueling them. The vendetta against Assange tells us what kind of societies citizens (or rather subjects) are living under in the US and Britain. These states are oligarchies where democratic rights are strictly conditional on subjects not stepping out of line, such as criticising war crimes or illegal global spying. Julian Assange has torn through the largely invisible matrix of propaganda and power that people really live under. The saccharin myths of democracy and free speech are shown for the ugly, putrid reality that they are. And the Western corporate-controlled media in their silence about what is going on are also condemned for the lying servile machines that they are. We must not accept the fate being prepared for Assange as if it is inevitable or as if we are powerless to overthrow it. The first step towards freedom is truth, and thanks to Julian Assange, we have the power to be free. We know the tyrannical nature of the governments that presume to rule over us in our names. There must be a popular uprising in defence of Assange. Because no-one is free until he is. A final note by way of testimony: anyone who has been enlightened by Wikileaks revelations over the past decade will know that the current escalation of conflict in Syrias Idlib is due to NATO powers illegally occupying that country. They will know that NATO powers have for years covertly sponsored terror groups to carry out a criminal regime-change war. By contrast, anyone who relies on Western governments and mainstream media for information will have no idea whatsoever about what is really going in Syria. A wider war could erupt any day and those who are brainwashed by Western regimes and their media are impotent to stop it. The empowerment of citizens by Julian Assange and Wikileaks over the years is the difference between ending wars or fueling them. Chinas experience helpful in global epidemic control Mask Panda, a public welfare action group organized by overseas Chinese, distributes free masks to people in Tokyo over the weekend. The group seeks to return kindnesses shown by Japanese to Chinese during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia. Photo: cnsphoto.com China is extending aid and support to other countries facing severe COVID-19 outbreak as the situation is gradually stabilizing within the country, reciprocating favor it received from other countries in the earlier stage of fighting COVID-19 and playing the role as a responsible power, Chinese experts noted on Sunday. Such actions included donating medical equipment to Japan and sending professional medical team to Iran. As the country that suffered the epidemic first and has achieved significant progress battling the disease, China can help other countries with its valuable experience and capability, they noted. The novel coronavirus outbreak appears to have entered a new stage with new infection cases continue rising outside of China, raising fears of a worldwide pandemic, while the situation has been largely brought under control inside China. The World Health Organization (WHO) increased its COVID-19 risk assessment to "very high at a global level" last week as nearly 54 countries and regions reported cases within their borders. It is now also a daunting challenge for China to prevent infection cases imported from foreign countries. "At the early stage, China looks like the only victim of the emergency," said Jin Canrong, associate dean of Renmin University of China's School of International Studies in Beijing. "The whole nation was in great risks and knew very little about the virus, plus facing unfair judgments and baseless accusations from the West, especially the US." Many countries offered help to Chinese at that time, Jin said. "Now it is time for us to return the favor." COVID-19 doesn't target specific countries or races, the Chinese experts said. The virus represents a non-traditional security challenge requiring joint international efforts. As the first country that was hit by the virus and also sacrificed hugely for containing the outbreak, China has accumulated valuable experiences and knowledge that could help other countries in virus control and this is what a "responsible great power" should do, they said. China has always been transparent and cooperated with WHO on information and knowledge sharing, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. WHO has on multiple occasions praised China for setting "a new standard" in fighting the virus. A team of Chinese medical experts arrived in Tehran on Saturday along with a shipment of donations from China to support Iran's anti-epidemic effort. (Photos via Ambassador of China to Iran) Returning favor China has sent a group of medical experts to Iran, which is suffering the most serious outbreak in the Middle East, to help combat COVID-19, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday. China has also donated 5,000 nucleic acid test kits and medical supplies including 250,000 medical masks, to Iran, the Iranian Embassy to China said via its Chinese Twitter-like Weibo account. Previously Iran donated millions of medical masks to China despite harsh US sanctions imposed on the Middle East country. Japan is also receiving Chinese donations as the situation Tokyo is facing grows more critical. China and Japan agreed Friday to step up public health cooperation to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the Xinhua News Agency reported. China will donate 5,000 protection suits and 100,000 medical masks to Japan, according to the website of the Chinese Embassy to Japan on Sunday. "An important tradition of China's diplomacy is to remember and return the favor to others," said Jin. "No matter how big or small the favor that others provided, especially when China was having a hard time, China will always remember and often will return more." The US shortfall of 270 million masks could be solved by China in four days if the US asks for the help, noted Jin. "After China has gradually stabilized its situation, it is totally capable of supplying medical masks to all countries around the globe," he said. No lecturing China's epidemic control approach has been scrutinized by foreign countries, now on Chinese social media, there are some Chinese netizens who critically view virus control measures in some other countries, such as allowing infected person to move freely. Zeng Guang, a chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, called for mutual support rather than blaming or poking fun at each other. The international community was together in the war against the COVID-19 epidemic, Zeng told the Global Times on Monday. Other countries face different situations and have different political systems, which means different measures are to be adopted, the experts said. The virus might flow back into China through imported cases if the epidemic worsens in other countries and regions, according to Zeng. But to those obvious mistakes and misconducts appears in other countries, the people around the globe, including Chinese, do have rights to expressed concerns, Chinese experts noted. Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - Faced with the risk of the Covid-19 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday advised the Congolese government in Brazzaville to take necessary measures, especially at borders and airports, the public radio announced A special formula for epoxy resins has been developed at TU Wien, which can be used for fibre-reinforced composites in aerospace, shipbuilding and automotive manufacturing, or even for underwater renovation. This is achieved merely by irradiating any part Within seconds the new material can be completely transformed. Initially, the material is transparent and either in liquid or paste form; then, when any part of it is irradiated with the appropriate light, the entire resin begins to solidify and takes on a dark colour. The special epoxy resin formula that makes this possible has been patented by TU Wien. Now, researchers have even successfully carried out the process underwater. This means that the new epoxy resin can be used for jobs that, up until now, had been very difficult to carry out, such as filling underwater cracks in bridge pillars or dams, or repairing pipes during ongoing operation. As a further novelty, the special formula can be applied in combination with carbon fibres and carbon fibre mats. Many possibilities arise for applications in aerospace engineering, wind turbines, shipbuilding or automotive industry - in every field where highest mechanical properties need to be combined with lightweight design. Ordinary material with an extraordinary addition Epoxy resins are standard materials that are used in the industrial sector for many different purposes, such as insulating electronic components or securing mechanical parts. The research group headed up by Professor Robert Liska (Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, TU Wien) develops additives that are added to ordinary epoxy resin in order to adjust its properties and enable targeted curing at the touch of a button. "We are developing special compounds in which light triggers a chemical reaction", explains Robert Liska." This can be a bright flash of visible light, but we also have compounds which only react to UV light." At the point where the light strikes the resin, a reaction is started that releases heat. This heat spreads and initiates a chemical cascade elsewhere until all the resin has been cured. "The key advantage of this method is that it isn't necessary to illuminate the entire resin as with other light-curing materials", explains Liska. "It's sufficient to irradiate any part of the resin with light. The rest then cures even if it's situated deep in a dark crack that you want to fill." "Furthermore, it has to be mentioned that the whole formulation has a nearly unlimited storage stability, which makes processing significantly easier compared to state of the art materials" Partner companies from industry have enquired whether this process would also be possible in presence of "dark" fillers or fibres as self-curing epoxy resin would be extremely useful for some of these more difficult applications. "On the surface, this idea contradicts all theories", thinks Liska. "The light has a very low penetration depth into the material because it is strongly absorbed by the carbon fibres", still experiments at TU Wien impressively showed the working process. Also the efficient underwater curing contradicts the theory. "Initially we didn't think it would be possible. One would first expect that the water would chemically react with the components of the resin, and also that it would remove the heat required to sustain the reaction." Surprisingly, however, it was still possible for the light-triggered self-curing process to take place underwater. "A key reason for this is that the chemical reaction brings the water to the boil", explains Dr Patrick Knaack, senior scientist at the same institute. "A thin protective layer of water vapour then forms between the hardening resin and the surrounding water." Researchers are now looking for further users from industry to explore the potential of this special resin. There is currently financial support from the Austria Science Fund FFG in the framework of the "Spin-off Fellowship" program with the aim to create a start-up company in late summer 2020. Besides the application of glass- and carbon fibre-reinforced composites in aerospace, shipbuilding and automotive manufacturing, the restoration of buildings is a particularly interesting area. For example, you could fill cracks in buildings that are built in water with viscous resin and then cure them with a flash of light. The maintenance of pipelines is another job that is often difficult to carry out - the use of the new resin could also be suitable here. "There are many possibilities and we are hoping for some interesting new ideas", says Patrick Knaack. ### Contact: Prof. Robert Liska Institute for Applied Synthetic Chemistry TU Wien Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Vienna T: +43-1-58801-163614 robert.liska@tuwien.ac.at Viplab Rai closed his register, stood up and gently asked the people in front of his desk to form a queue. It was around 2pm on Sunday, and a large crowd had gathered outside the makeshift tent set up as a help desk for residents of riot-hit areas in north-east Delhi at the district administration headquarters in Nand Nagri. The people in the crowd were riot victims who sought help from Rai , an official deployed at the Nand Nagri help desk, and his colleagues in filing applications for the ex gratia compensation announced by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal last week. But a challenge confronted them: what documents would they verify? Several applicants said they lost all documents when their houses and shops were ransacked and set on fire by armed mobs that were on a rampage for over three days in a full-blown communal riot, which has left at least 42 persons dead and over 350 injured. By 2pm on Sunday, the help desk in Nand Nagri had received 72 applications from those whose relatives were injured, houses set ablaze, shops ransacked and vehicles torched. From across Delhi, more than 100 applications for ex gratia relief were received, officers involved in relief work said. A statement issued by the chief ministers office late on Sunday evening said 69 applicants had received Rs 25,000 as an immediate relief measure. All 69 had applied on Saturday, and the verification was done on Sunday, after which the amounts were given. For the relatives of the dead and the ones recovering from injuries in the hospitals, the verification will be easy. In the absence of any documents, hospital papers such as medical reports, the diary entries of police officials in emergency rooms and discharge slips will suffice. The challenge is with verifying applicants who fled their homes and shop when those were ransacked and set on fire, said an official in the north-east district magistrates office. Rai and his colleagues recalled how the first set of applicants who had approached the help desk were the ones who were lucky enough to have some of their documents intact voter ID cards, ration cards, Aadhaar cards, drivers licenses and electricity bills were the most common papers people produced. Some people even produced partially damaged documents, which we accepted as long as the details were decipherable, Rai said. But then came a large number of people who had lost it all, he said, adding, Many people who could produce phone numbers that were linked with Aadhaar could not recall the date of birth they mentioned on official documents. This is a very common problem, especially in poor and backward localities. But the officials did not lose hope. A quick meeting was organised late on Saturday evening, some briefings followed, and the candidates were back at the help desks, they recalled. One of the things they decided was to ask for the unique numbers assigned to electricity meters. The unique number (known as CA number) discloses details of persons to whom the separate connection was issued and helps establish the link between claimant and residence. Every household which has a power connection will have a meter, and every meter has a unique number. People said they lost their power bills. So, the idea was to send a civil defence volunteer with them and get the meters checked, said a district official. The idea, however, did not work out after a first few successful cases, said an official engaged in the relief drive. In most houses that were torched, the damage was so intense that electricity meters were blown into smithereens, said a sub-divisional magistrate who was on a field survey in riot-hit areas on Sunday. He further said, There will be review meetings in which challenges faced, like the one regarding documents, will be discussed, and alternatives proposed. We have to help people in such bad times. District magistrate (north-east Delhi) Shashi Kaushal said relief measures and compensation are priority issues and she will chair a review meeting with all officers to find solutions on each issue. On Thursday, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to families of those killed in the violence, wherein Rs 1 lakh ex gratia will be given to the family immediately and Rs 9 lakh after due documentation. For damage suffered by residential units, compensation of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 1 lakh to be divided among tenants and Rs 4 lakh for house owners) was announced. For substantial damage to residential units, the compensation was Rs 2.5 Lakh (Rs 50,000 to be divided among tenants and Rs 2 lakh for house owners). For minor damage to residential units, victims will be given Rs 15,000; for uninsured commercial units, a maximum compensation of Rs 5 lakh was declared. Kejriwal further said the immediate relief of Rs 25,000 will be released to a household in case of substantial or total damage to property. This amount shall be adjusted from the final compensation payment, he had said. The government also set up nine relief camps and on Sunday sent relief materials such as packaged water and essential food articles packed in trucks in some riot-hit localities. ITV's gripping drama Liar returns to screens tonight, after leaving viewers on the edge of their seats with the cliffhanger of serial rapist Andrew Earlham's murder in 2017. And series two kicks off three weeks after damning evidence was uncovered proving Andrew Earlham sexually assaulted nineteen women, before his body was found in the Kent marshes. Rape victim Laura Nielson's relief at the news is soon replaced by shock, as a murder investigation is launched by out of town DI Karen Renton, rocking the seaside community. Together with DS Rory Maxwell, they begin to unpack the events of the three crucial weeks leading up to Andrews death and look at the possible suspects, and their motives. Laura Nielson Rape victim Laura Nielson's relief at the news is soon replaced by shock, as a murder investigation is launched. Laura, played by Joanne Froggatt, is a prime suspect given her motive as a victim ITV's gripping drama Liar returns to screens tonight, after leaving viewers on the edge of their seats with the cliffhanger of serial rapist Andrew Earlham's murder in 2017 Laura, played by Joanne Froggatt, is a prime suspect given her 'motive' as a victim. In the first series the teacher was seen tying him up and spiking his drink to gain a confession, before he escaped. Laura may have followed him and murdered him in fear of not getting retribution in court. DS Rory Maxwell DS Rory Maxwell, played by Danny Webb, could have murdered him in revenge for the rape of his colleague DI Vanessa Harmon Despite his role in uncovering his murder alongside DI Karen Renton this season, Rory, played by Danny Webb, could have murdered him in revenge for the rape of his colleague DI Vanessa Harmon. The detective had full access to Earlham's case, and may have decided to take matters into his own hands in fear of losing the court case. Luke Earlham Earlham's son Luke, played by Jamie Flatters, was seen breaking down when he discovered the nature of his father's horrendous crimes Earlham's son Luke, played by Jamie Flatters, was seen breaking down when he discovered the nature of his father's horrendous crimes - which even saw him being questioned over the rape of one of his teachers. Along well as battling the trauma of his mother's death, could this have pushed him over the edge to murder his own father? Jenn Robertson Jennifer Robertson, played by Jill Halfpenny, was furious upon discovering her partner DI Harmon had been raped Jennifer Robertson, played by Jill Halfpenny, was furious upon discovering her partner DI Harmon had been raped. As a former soldier in Iraq, she is no stranger to murder and shows no remorse upon discovering Earlham has been murdered. Vanessa Harmon DI Harmon, played by Shelley Conn, was another one of Earlham's victims, in a particularly troubling twist after she was raped as she investigated Laura's assault DI Harmon, played by Shelley Conn, was another one of Earlham's victims, in a particularly troubling twist after she was raped as she investigated Laura's assault. Vanessa was there when Laura cornered Earlham and drugged him in a bid to extract a confession. She witnessed his escape - and could have pursued him. Katy Sutcliffe Katy Sutcliffe, seen far left, is the sister of rape victim Laura, and as a nurse had access to tools that could have been used for murder Katy, Zoe Tapper, is the sister of rape victim Laura, and as a nurse had access to tools that could have been used for murder. After having an affair with Laura's ex-boyfriend PC Tom Bailey, which led her husband Liam to leave her, her guilt may have been motive enough to commit the murder. Rhinoceros in Kenya could face a new threat: bacteria. Scientists recently found that some rhinos have developed surprisingly high levels of resistance to antibiotic drugs. The researchers studied rhinos in Ruma National Park, a wildlife area near Lake Victoria. They said the animals appear to have become victims of the overuse of antibiotics. The researchers findings appeared in EcoHealth, an academic publication based in the United States. Antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide for many reasons. Sometimes, people take the drugs for non-bacterial diseases. Other times, people do not finish taking their medicine, giving bacteria time to recover and adapt. And in many cases, farmers overuse antibiotics on their cattle and other livestock. In Kenya, antibiotic use and abuse has been common for many years. This overuse has led to growing levels of drug resistance among people, livestock and wildlife. To study resistance levels, the team of scientists took samples from 16 black rhinoceros. Researchers examined E. coli bacteria genes in both rhino and human waste and studied how resistant they were to eight of the most commonly used antibiotics. Rhinos and human beings had comparable resistance levels for four of the antibiotics. Rhinos were more resistant than humans for two of them. Antibiotic resistance is a problem because rhinos can get the bacterial disease bovine tuberculosis, according to researchers in South Africas Kruger National Park. Antibiotic resistance could make treatment harder. Collins Kipkorir Kebenei was a member of the research team and a co-author of the report. If they (rhinos) are sick, they need to be treated and so what kind of medication can be used on these animals? he said. Kebenei is a student at Kenyas Maseno University. Rhinos are already critically endangered. There are only about 29,000 alive, according to the International Rhino Foundation. Around 5% of the animals are in Kenya. It is unclear how the rhinos are getting exposed to the bacteria. It could be through drinking at the Lambwe River, which runs through Ruma National Park and carries waste containing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Or it could be through contact with the park rangers protecting them from hunters. Patrick Onyango, a co-author of the report, said that antibiotic resistance was a new and serious threat to rhinos. There are people who are hawking antibiotics in bus stations, added David M. Onyango, another co-author of the report. Onyango teaches at Maseno University. He suggested that a lack of rules surrounding antibiotic use might be part of the problem. There is no proper policy and regulation on their use, he said. Im John Russell. Ayenat Mersie reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story academic adj. of or related to a school or study program adapt v. biology to change so that it is easier to live in a place or situation livestock n. farm animals (such as cows, horses, and pigs) that are kept, raised, and used by people according adv. as stated by or in author n. a writer of a report or work hawk v. to offer (something) for sale especially by calling out or by going from one person to another regulation n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The World Health Organization said Monday that the number of new coronavirus cases registered in the past day in China was far lower than in the rest of the world. "In the last 24 hours there were almost nine times more COVID-19 cases reported outside China than inside China," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. To date, more than 3,000 people have died from the new virus, while nearly 90,000 have been infected around the world, according to AFP's latest toll based on official sources. In China, where the deadly new virus first appeared last December, the number of new cases being registered each days is meanwhile continuing to decline, with only 206 new cases reported to WHO on Sunday. That marks the lowest number of daily cases reported since January 22, Tedros said, adding that all but eight of those cases were reported in Hubei provincethe epicentre of the outbreak. Outside of China, however, 8,739 cases have now been registered across 61 countries, including 127 deaths, according to WHO's latest count. Tedros said a "window of opportunity" remains to contain the outbreak, noting that "more than 130 countries have not detected any cases yet". In the countries that are seeing cases, he said the situations in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan are currently "our greatest concern". Iran reported 12 more deaths on Monday, raising the country's toll to 66, the second biggest after China. A WHO mission to support the Iranian response to the outbreak arrived in the country on Monday, bringing with it "protective equipment to support over 15,000 health care workers". The team also brought "laboratory kits enough to test and diagnose nearly 100,000 people," WHO said. South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000. Half of South Korea's cases are linked to a sect whose leader apologised Monday for the spread of the disease. Tedros said he was encouraged to see that most of the South Korean cases were linked to "five known clusters", indicating "that surveillance measures are working." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Kuwait has reportedly announced 10 new cases of the coronavirus as of March 2 soaring the total count to 56, confirmed the Health ministry official at a news conference. The official urged the citizens to avoid large assembly as a precautionary measure to assist the Gulf State in its fight against the spread of the disease. According to the reports, majority cases that have emerged in Kuwait, including the recent ones, are the people that have a travel history to Iran. Kuwait had earlier warned its citizens against travelling to the nations that are excessively impacted and had a widespread outbreak from the disease. The ministry had announced that was going to test the foreign nationals coming from Egypt and Syria on all the airlines for coronavirus upon their arrival and departure within the country. The undersecretary of the Ministry of Health told the media that as a containment effort to stem the further spread of the deadly virus, the government would not allow passengers with high temperature and flu-like symptoms to board the flights headed to Kuwait. He said that such passengers would be quarantined until their condition returned to normal and they cleared the health screening procedures. Read: Sensex Ends 153 Pts Lower Amid Fresh Coronavirus Cases In India Read: British PM To Hold Emergency Meeting As Coronavirus Cases Surge In UK Kuwait suspended flights Kuwaits civil aviation authority imposed travel restrictions suspending all flights with Singapore and Japan earlier over coronavirus fears. The measure was enacted in accordance with Kuwaits health ministry instructions, as per the media reports. Kuwait had later announced that it suspended all operational flights with South Korea, where the largest number of coronavirus cases have been reported outside mainland China. Kuwait also revoked scheduled flights to and from Thailand, Italy, and Iraq in subsequent announcements. As per the media reports, the Gulf state evacuated at least 800 citizens from Iran on a chartered plane from the Wuhan City in Hubei province, the epicenter of coronavirus. Kuwaits foreign ministry urged all its nationals to contact Kuwait's embassy for assistance in case they were stranded in countries where the coronavirus epidemic was uncontrollable. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Vietnam To Temporarily Suspend Visa-free Entry For Italians Read: EU Raises Coronavirus Risk Level To 'high' The man accused by Lekoil of being a fake representative of the QIA has been found on social media (Andrew Milligan/PA) A man accused of pretending to represent the Qatari sovereign wealth fund to scam investors at a London-listed oil firm, uses social media to show off his jet-set lifestyle. But a cursory internet search for Rilk Dacleu-Idrac, who Lekoil said acted as a purported representative of the Qataris, shows he was also caught up in a money laundering case in Senegal. French language reports speak of his ten months in a Senegalese prison while awaiting trial on allegations that were later dismissed in court. I am fine wearing a 50 dollar Casio watch as well as wearing a 1.2 million dollar Vacheron ConstantinRilk Dacleu-Idrac on Facebook Lekoil still seemed happy to do business with Mr Dacleu-Idrac, who it says was the purported representative of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund QIA. Lekoil thought it had secured a 184 million dollar (144 million) loan from the Qataris, but it later turned out to be bogus. On Monday the oil firm admitted that it should have been able to spot that it was a scam. Local press reports said that Mr Dacleu-Idrac was arrested in Senegal for alleged connections to the son of a former Senegalese president. Karim Wade, the presidents son, was jailed for graft and corruption in 2015 before heading into exile in Qatar in 2017. In July the same year Mr Dacleu-Idrac was arrested by Senegalese customs and spent ten months in prison before the charges against him were dismissed. The PA news agency has been unable to independently confirm these reports. I am not involved in illicit or other activities, Mr Dacleu-Idrac said in an interview with the Senegalese Le Quotidien newspaper after his release. Mr Dacleu-Idrac certainly lives the life of a millionaire financier. In the 2018 interview with Le Quotidien he revealed that he always carries 5,000 US dollars (4,000) in cash. The publication reported that he had amassed more than 100 million US dollars (78 million). Pictures on his Facebook page reveal a taste for expensive-looking watches and bespoke suits. He is also pictured with his arm around a man who appears to be Prinz Marcus von Anhalt, a famous German nightclub owner. I am fine wearing a 50 dollar Casio watch as well as wearing a 1.2 million dollar Vacheron Constantin, he said in a Facebook post. A picture posted to his Facebook page appears to show two men who appeared in pictures posted to Seawaves website. They are with three other men, one of whom is wearing a thawb, a traditional form of Arabic dress. On the wall behind them is a map of Madagascar. In late August at least four articles about Mr Dacleu-Idrac appeared on Indian news sites. One headline, from August 29, read: Meet Rilk Dacleu-Idrac the businessman who is making the internet jealous with his extravagant lifestyle and elite company. The article also says he is a big-hearted philanthropist who donates millions of dollars to charity. Another article, posted on August 27 in the International Business Times India reads: Inside the Fabulous World of Rilk Dacleu-Idrac. Two other articles appeared in the Deccan Chronicle and the Asian Age, also on August 27. They show a picture of Mr Dacleu-Idrac with Steve Aoki, a world-famous American DJ, claiming they were working together in a new collaboration. Both articles are identical. Anything is possible when Rilk sets out to pursuit [sic] it!, they read. When asked about Lekoils allegations by the PA news agency on Facebook, Mr Dacleu-Idrac said: I believe it is important to state I never had contact with this company expect [sic] having briefly ket [sic] its CEO once which [sic] introduced to me had a plan which I expressed no interest at the time. A Baltimore man is awaiting extradition to Hudson County after being charged with a November homicide in Jersey City, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Members of the HCPOs Homicide Unit and the Baltimore County Police Department arrested Tavon Parker, 35, on Friday in Windsor, Maryland on charges he fatally shot Sirheen Walker on Nov. 2, Suarez said. Walker, 30, died at Jersey City Medical Center shortly after gunfire was reported at Bergen and Lexington avenues in Jersey City at around 12:30 a.m. The cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was determined to be homicide, Suarez said. According to police radio transmissions, a person walked up to a group of people, fired a gun and then fled. Parker, who is being held in Maryland pending an extradition hearing, has been charged with murder and weapons offenses related to a firearm. Piramal Enterprises on Monday said it has received $900 million (around Rs 6,500 crore) on completion of divestment of stake in its healthcare insights and analytics business to US-headquartered Clarivate Analytics New Delhi: Piramal Enterprises on Monday said it has received $900 million (around Rs 6,500 crore) on completion of divestment of stake in its healthcare insights and analytics business to US-headquartered Clarivate Analytics. The company in January this year announced an agreement for sale of its Decision Resources Group (DRG) business to Clarivate Analytics for $950 million, and had said it would use the money to reduce debt and to explore organic and inorganic growth opportunities. PEL DRG Dutch HoldCo BV, a 100 percent subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Ltd (PEL) and the holding company for DRG, had signed the definitive agreement for sale of DRG business. "... the transaction has closed on February 28, 2020, and the company has received the consideration amount of $900 million pursuant to the closing. The remaining $50 million would be received at the end of 12 months from the closing as per the agreed terms," Piramal Enterprises said in a filing to BSE Shares of Piramal Enterprises were trading at Rs 1,419.85 per scrip on BSE, up 8.61 percent from their previous close. Access Bank says it will no longer accept cheque books with the logo of the defunct Diamond Bank. Access Bank said the decision to... Access Bank says it will no longer accept cheque books with the logo of the defunct Diamond Bank. Access Bank said the decision to discontinue accepting cheque books bearing the logo of its merger partner is to increase efficiency in service delivery. It said customers who want to get new cheque books should visit any of its branches and apply for one. In order to process your transactions more efficiently, we wish to inform you that effective March 1, 2020, we will discontinue honouring all cheques bearing the logo of the former Diamond Bank, an email to customers read. This means that from the 1st of March, the Bank will no longer honour all cheques bearing the old logo of former Diamond. This is to enable us to process your transactions faster and more efficiently to ultimately serve you better. We are committed to making this process easy for you. You can walk into any branch You can also contact your relationship officer. You will receive an SMS notification from your preferred pickup branch. Please visit this branch to collect your new Access Bank cheque book. Last Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lifted the ban on Bandhan Bank opening new branches. Accordingly, the bank now plans to open 250 branches by the end of CY20. While the news seems to have helped Bandhans stock which is down 2.6 per cent since last Tuesday, versus a 5.3 per cent fall in the Sensex it is still down by over 22 per cent year-to-date because of concerns over slowing growth and asset quality. Signs of these were visible in its December quarter (Q3) results. Though still high, growth in assets under management or AUM (excluding Gruh ... Children who handwrite fluently in their first year of school are likely to be better readers a year later, prompting researchers to urge caution about relying too heavily on technology in the classroom. The Australian study of 154 students followed children from kindergarten to year 1, to see whether fluency in writing letters in kindergarten was linked with being better able to write longer texts in year 1. "It did, and it also predicted their reading abilities," said one of the authors, Anabela Malpique of Murdoch University, whose work was published in the journal Reading and Writing. Children who hand-write fluently in their first year of school are likely to be better readers in year 1. Credit:Louise Kennerley "Our findings are really well aligned with what's coming now in terms of neuro-imaging studies, showing that indeed reading and writing are connected, and especially handwriting via paper and pen," she said. "Reading and writing share the same network in terms of brain development, and this research actually adds more information by saying that handwriting by paper and pen has major advantages when compared with handwriting on a tablet with a stylus." The scope of childhood malnutrition has decreased since 2000, although millions of children under five years of age are still undernourished and, as a result, have stunted growth. An international team of researchers analysed the scope of global childhood malnutrition in 2000 and 2017, and estimated the probability of achieving the World Health Organization Global Nutrition Targets by 2025. According to a UN report, in 2018, one out of nine people in the world experienced hunger. The total number of hungry people exceeded 821 million globally, of which almost 514 million lived in Asia, over 256 million in Africa, and 42 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. World Health Organization data as of 2018 show that almost half (45%) of mortality among children under the age of 5 is due to malnutrition. 3.1 million children die of hunger annually. Malnutrition leads to child growth failure (CGF), which is expressed as stunting, wasting, and underweight. In addition to risks of literally dying of starvation, CGF causes cognitive and physical developmental impairments that can lead to later cardiovascular disease, reduced intellectual ability and school attainment, as well as reduced economic productivity in adulthood. 'Childhood malnutrition is an essential reason for children's vulnerability to infections and, accordingly, their high mortality,' said Vasily Vlassov, Professor in the HSE Department of Health Care Administration and Economics and one of the study's authors. 'This is not a temporary suffering in childhood, but a tragedy for the whole future life. Malnutrition decreases an individual's ability to learn.' CGF is spread unevenly, with 99% of hungry children living in 105 low- and middle-income countries, most of which are located in Africa and Asia. Russia, as well as many other countries with average-high income, was not included in the study, since, according to Prof. Vlassov, serious childhood hunger is rather a rare phenomenon and is not a threat to public health. Severe malnutrition leads to stunting. Even though estimated childhood stunting prevalence decreased from 36% to 26% over 17 years in the countries analysed in the report, in 2017, more than 176 million kids were shorter than medical standards presume for their age. Half of them lived in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and China. In the 21st century, countries of Central America and the Caribbean, North Africa, and East Asia achieved the most progress in fighting childhood stunting. In these regions, estimated stunting prevalence of at least 50% in 2000 had reduced to 30% or less by 2017. In sub-Saharan regions, Central and South Asia, as well as Oceania, up to 40% of children under five were affected by stunting in 2017. Wasting, or low body weight indices, were diagnosed in 58.3 million children in the 105 countries in 2017. This is 2% less than in 2000. On average, about 6.5% of children in these countries suffered from wasting. Most of them live in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. The highest shares of children with wasting (up to 20%) are in Africa, in areas of countries stretching from Mauritania to Sudan, as well as in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. According to data for 2017, 13% of children are underweight for their age. In 2000, their share reached almost 20%. Researchers observed the most significant improvements in this indicator in Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Southeast Asia Central Asia and Central Africa remain troubled regions. The World Health Organization aims to reduce childhood stunting by 40% by 2025. According to the researchers, this is quite achievable in Central America and the Caribbean, South America, North Africa, and East Asia, despite regions in some of these countries continuing to have high shares of children who suffer stunting and wasting. Meanwhile, in many countries analysed in the study, the probability of achieving the WHO targets is low, especially as it relates to stunting and wasting. This primarily concerns sub-Saharan regions, South Asia, and Oceania. The global community joins forces to fight malnutrition within the framework of international organizations. The World Food Programme (UN WFP), which distributes 12.6 billion meals in 80 countries every year, is considered one of the leaders. In addition to direct food aid, WFP carries out projects aimed at development and restoring living conditions in areas suffering from conflict and natural disasters. The UN goals for 2030 include achieving a zero level of hunger. To do so, money is being invested in agricultural development and production. In particular, small farms capable of providing food for local markets are being created. In addition, the UN is implementing technologies that allow crop yields to be increased by means of conserving soil and water resources, protecting plants from pests, and using new breeds of plants that are resistant to disease and are enriched with essential vitamins and minerals. ### Full text: https://iq.hse.ru/en/news/345629104.html The Aligarh administration, on Saturday, managed to get anti-CAA protesters to vacate the Quarsi bypass Anoop Shahar Road in Jeevangarh area. The protesters had blocked the road since the past one week, a day after violence broke out between them and the police, leaving eight persons injured. Though the tents and barricades were removed from the road and the women protesters had also cleared the way, they reassembled at the site. Later, all the protesters were convinced by their local community leaders to vacate the area and they themselves cleared the road. District magistrate, Chandra Bhushan Singh said the protesters wanted to give a memorandum, with some local demands, including an assurance of no harassment if they end the protest and financial help to the person injured in the violence on Sunday night. He said that the administration will look into their demands. Aligarh SSP, Muniraj G, said police will not allow anyone to disturb the city's law and order. Meanwhile, internet services have been restored in Aligarh after almost a week. WASHINGTON With the country distracted by a spreading coronavirus and a Democratic primary battle, President Donald Trump appears to have boxed in the Senate on the crucial question of who will lead the intelligence community in the months leading up to the November election. At issue is the job of director of national intelligence, which is coordinating the information-gathering about, and response to, foreign interference in American politics. Through a series of moves, Trump has presented senators with what many see as an unpalatable choice, multiple congressional aides of both parties told NBC News: Either confirm a conservative Texas congressman who misrepresented his background, or leave in place as acting director a political firebrand with no experience in the intelligence world. "We're damned if we do and damned if we don't," one Democratic aide said. "It's a terrible dilemma." It began when Trump pushed out his acting director of national intelligence retired Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Maguire over a classified election security briefing that Trump did not like, multiple current and former officials told NBC News. The president then installed as the acting director his ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist without significant intelligence experience. Image: United States Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell attends a reception in Berlin on Jan. 14, 2019. (Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa via AP file) On Friday, Trump announced that his pick to permanently fill the Senate-confirmed post is Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Tex. Ratcliffe was also Trump's choice last year, but he withdrew from consideration amid revelations he had inflated his credentials. His web site said he had "put terrorists in prison" as a federal prosecutor in Texas, but there is no record of him ever prosecuting a terrorism case. Ratcliffe, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, was among the fiercest critics of special counsel Robert Mueller during televised hearings in July, just before Trump picked him to manage the spy agencies. Story continues "I think the president is in a completely different position today than he was in July," said John Brabender, a Republican political consultant. "He came through impeachment stronger than ever and hes seen as much more likely to be re-elected. I think the president can write the rules to a greater extent than he could back months ago." Since the job of DNI was created , it has been filled by people with deep intelligence experience. Trump's first DNI, Dan Coats, was the first who hadn't served in a national security job, but he had spent years as a Republican senator overseeing national security agencies. Ratcliffe, first elected in 2014, first joined the intelligence committee last year. Senate Republicans had privately balked at the Ratcliffe nomination in July, Congressional aides said. But this time might be different. The reason: By nominating Ratcliffe, Trump extended the legal limit on the time Grenell can remain acting director by another 210 days, which would leave him in place through the November election unless Ratcliffe is confirmed. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a statement in response to Trump's announcement Friday that neither endorsed nor criticized Ratcliffe. "There is no substitute for having a permanent, Senate-confirmed Director of National Intelligence in place to lead our [intelligence community]," said Burr. "I look forward to receiving Congressman Ratcliffe's official nomination and ushering it through the Senate's regular order." Some Democrats assumed that Trump's intent by nominating Ratcliffe was to allow Grenell to remain in place through the election. "Ratcliffe's nomination is not a serious nod," Ned Price, a former Obama national security aide and NBC News contributor, wrote in a message to Democratic activists last week. "It was clear last summer based on his scant intelligence experience, hyper-partisanship, embrace of conspiracy theories, and embellishment of his resume that Ratcliffe's nomination would not survive the Senate. ... This is nothing more than an effort to reset the clock on Ric Grenell's term as Acting DNI." But some Democrats are starting to wonder whether it's the other way around Trump is counting on their distaste for Grenell to boost Ratcliffe's chances. Ratcliffe, meanwhile, is defending his record. "I've been handling national security issues as far back as 2005," he told Catherine Herridge of CBS News. "I haven't served in an intelligence agency. I think that bringing a different kind of experience today is really going to be vitally important. You know all of the experience in the world isn't helpful without judgment, and I think what we've seen is that some of our most experienced intelligence officials have gotten it wrong with respect to important issues." The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Hanoi, March 2 : Samsung Electronics Co. said on Monday that it has started building a research and development (R&D) centre in Vietnam. Samsung said it will invest $220 million to complete the R&D centre in Hanoi by the end of 2022, Yonhap news agency reported. The R&D centre in Hanoi, a 16-storey building, will be the largest R&D facility in Southeast Asia, the company added. Once the centre is completed, Samsung said its R&D workforce in Vietnam is expected to grow to 3,000 people. Since establishing a mobile phone manufacturing plant in Bac Ninh, north Vietnam, in 2008, Samsung has been aggressively investing in the country. The Samsung Group is one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam, with an investment totalling $17 billion. Samsung was supposed to hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the centre on Saturday but decided to cancel the event due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. is looking at the possibility of canceling or postponing more joint military exercises with other nations to contain the coronavirus threat, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said Monday. Last week, U.S. Forces Korea canceled an exercise in South Korea, where the largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported outside China. Those cases include a 23-year-old U.S. soldier and a 61-year-old female military dependent. "Right now, the overall broad impact to the uniformed military is very minimal," Milley said at a joint Pentagon news conference with Defense Secretary Mark Esper. "We have modified some of the exercises on the Korean peninsula," he added. "We're taking a look at some other exercises" worldwide for possible cancellation or rescheduling. Related: Weekend Rush Leaves Japan Commissary, Exchange Shelves Short on Toilet Paper, Hand Sanitizer However, the Cobra Gold joint exercise with Thailand already underway will continue. "We don't see any significant impact on that," Milley said. U.S. Northern Command remains the primary coordinator of the military's response to the epidemic, Esper said. The main goal is to deal with the disease, formally known as COVID-19, while maintaining the ability to defend the nation. "Obviously, we're doing testing" for the coronavirus among the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, he said, adding that the military is working to get more test kits and equipment to the region. Milley and Esper said they are relying on regional and combatant commanders "to make good judgments" on their responses to the epidemic. In Italy and South Korea, access to some bases is being restricted, and troops' travel has been curtailed, Milley said. Defense Department research labs are coordinating with other government agencies to work on a vaccine, he added. In Italy, U.S. bases in northern areas of the country entered a second week of school, day care and gym closures as the country's cases of COVID-19 doubled over the weekend, rising to 1,694, according to local health officials. In Washington state, where officials have reported at least five deaths among civilians from the coronavirus, commanders at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, about 36 miles from Seattle, "have shut down some widely attended gatherings, but nothing else," Milley said. In the U.S., two more cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the Tampa Bay area, where Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, has declared a public health emergency. As of Monday morning, there were at least 88 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also Monday, the World Health Organization said there were more than 89,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide and 3,000 deaths, the vast majority of them in China. At a briefing in Geneva on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that South Korea "has now reported more than 4,200 cases and 22 deaths, meaning it has more than half of all cases outside China." "We are in uncharted territory," he said. "We have never before seen a respiratory pathogen that is capable of community transmission, but which can also be contained with the right measures." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: Coronavirus Quarantine at US Base: No Booze, Movies or View But 'Safer' Than Cruise Ship GETTY If new investment is put towards network infrastructure upgrades, analysts suggest the Canadian rural broadband services company Xplornet might be able to reduce the prices of broadband services. Xplornet signed an agreement on February 27 to be acquired by New York-based private equity firm Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, a press release said. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the coming months. The release said Stonepeak will acquire a controlling stake in Xplornet, and that the current chairman and his fund will remain material investors in the business. A source familiar with the deal confirmed in an interview the deals value is about $2.6 billion. Yahoo Finance Canada is not identifying the source because they are not authorized to speak while the deal is being reviewed by regulatory authorities. The source noted that existing investors want to maintain shares in the company. Innovation, Science and Industry Canada will review what percentage of ownership Stonepeak will hold in the company. Xplornet is a New Brunswick-based carrier that uses fibre and satellite to offer internet and voice services across Canada. According to the release, the acquisition would help Xplornet accelerate investment in its national hybrid fibre wireless and satellite broadband network for rural Canadians. James Maunder, vice-president of public affairs and communications at Xplornet, said in an interview that the goal of the acquisition is to double speeds from 50 megabits per second and to roll out 5G networks. In order to do this, its all about equipment, so it requires massive upgrades... deployments of all kinds of capital to fund the equipment for existing facilities, he said, adding that Allison Lenehan intends to stay on as the CEO, and existing senior leadership will also remain. Reza Rajabiun, a competition policy and industrial regulation expert, said in an interview that Xplornet has a strategic advantage in growing its subscriber base if the investments are put towards expanding the technology of existing infrastructure that includes fibre and satellite. Story continues They have a large number of subscribers... and if there are new investors that can invest in accelerating technological change... so expanding the reach of the fibre closer to the rural user, then there is a strategic advantage given the market that Xplornet has developed in rural Canada, he said. Rajabiun said wireless services are pretty widely available and satellite is pretty ubiquitous, in rural and remote areas, but prices are high and the quality is very low. The more advance technologies they adopt they can reduce the prices, he said. Brian Beaton, a telecom expert with over 30 years of experience and co-founder of First Mile Connectivity Consortium, argued that the acquisition isnt going to benefit rural and remote communities in New Brunswick. Beaton said that while Xplornet has been growing, residents are still waiting for quality to improve. There are communities right now that are stuck with their satellite services, which is really oversubscribed, and people are getting frustrated with it, he said. Theres no benefit to Canada, no benefit to the rural sector, the guys in New York, theyre going to take what they can get. Theyre far away from the realities in Canada. Ministry wont have issues with the transfer of ownership: Stephen Zolf Stephen Zolf, a telecom and competition lawyer and partner at Aird Berlis, said approvals for the acquisition should be completed without any issue because the private telecom company meets the Telecom Act rule of having less than the 10 per cent threshold of total annual revenue in Canada. Zolf said that if the company's annual revenue goes over that threshold, then it would have to divest its non-Canadian ownership. This would be done "to go back to the current rules that govern large telecom providers." In that circumstance, Zolf said the company could have a non-Canadian entity hold up to a one third voting interest through a holding corporation. It would also mean that Xplornet would have to ensure that the facilities part of the company would be Canadian owned, while other assets could be owned by a foreigner. But you would have to restructure if and when you got to that point and thats probably a long way away, he said. Zolf explained that whenever a transfer of ownership occurs, the federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry will review what types of assets the new company will hold. In this case, the ministry will review how much spectrum and fibre Stonepeak would own. I think [the ministry] would be agnostic as long as its not going to an incumbent who has a lot of spectrum, he said. For example, if Xplornet was transferring control to a big player like Telus, Bell or Rogers, Im sure that [the ministry] would look at that under their current spectrum concentration policies and they might [question it.] The issue is they need to see whos acquiring and I think as long as it doesnt trigger their concerns under their spectrum concentration framework, they would likely check if off and approve the new owner. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. Now Open 2 March 2020 Continuing its aggressive expansion in the GCC, Swiss-Belhotel International has announced the soft opening of Swiss-Belinn Muscat in Oman that also marks the group's debut in the country. Defined by youthful and fresh vibes, Swiss-Belinn Muscat is a contemporary 3-star hotel. Boasting 128 well-appointed rooms, the property enjoys an outstanding location within a 10 minutes radius of the Muscat International Airport, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. Mr. Gavin M. Faull, Chairman and President of Swiss-Belhotel International, said, "Oman is an exceptional destination and we are thrilled to debut in the Sultanate with a unique property like Swiss-Belinn Muscat. The addition of this hotel to our diverse and distinctive global portfolio demonstrates that we on track to continue our success in the Middle East. We are extremely thankful to our partners for the trust and opportunity extended to us and look forward to a rewarding journey together." Mr. Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, Swiss-Belhotel International, said, "We are delighted to announce the opening of Swiss-Belinn Muscat at this exciting time when the market is in need of more mid-scale hotels. Being the closest hotel to the airport as well as having the city's prime attractions at its doorstep, it is the ideal address for business and leisure travellers. As part of our growth strategy in the GCC we are eager to expand our presence in new and existing markets and we are confident that Swiss-Belinn Muscat will become a preferred address for visitors to Oman offering a unique brand experience at an affordable price point." Elaborating on the accommodation options, Mr. Paul Uglesic, General Manager for Swiss-Belinn Muscat, stated, "The accommodation choices at the Swiss-Belinn Muscat include Superior Rooms, Superior Seaview Rooms, Premium Rooms, Suites and Family Rooms as well as a specially appointed room for the disabled. All rooms and suites are superbly equipped with an array of amenities and comforts along with free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet access. The trendy interiors provide all the essentials with up-to-date technology for the new generation of travellers." The dining facilities at the Swiss-Belinn Muscat are equally impressive and designed to suit the lifestyle of today's busy travellers in a relaxed ambience. Guests can enjoy local and international dishes in a casual atmosphere at the Swiss-Cafe - all-day-dining restaurant. Catering to intimate meetings and workshops is a boardroom as well as a co-working space ideal for nomadic workers. The Ohio Harness Horsemens Association is looking to hire a Publications, Marketing and Outreach Assistant. The Publications, Marketing and Outreach Assistant will be a full-time, at will integrated position. Benefits include health insurance, vacation and Simple IRA participation. The Publications, Marketing and Outreach Assistant will work in a supporting role, closely with the Associations Team of Coordinators. The individual will assist in the development and execution of the Associations public relations, publications, marketing, events, and outreach initiatives, to promote Harness Racing in Ohio. Please send resume, including salary requirements, by 5:00 p.m. March 13, 2020 to, [email protected] incomplete resumes or resumes submitted without salary requirements will be discarded and not considered. For a full job description visit OHHA.com. (OHHA) New Delhi, March 2 : Airline body, the International Air Transport Association, on Monday called upon global aviation regulators to immediately suspend the rules governing the use of airport slots for the 2020 season, due to the impact of coronavirus. According to IATA, around 43 per cent of all passengers depart from over 200 slots coordinated airports worldwide. At present, the rules governing the use the airport slots provide that airlines must operate at least 80 per cent of their allocated slots under normal circumstances. "Failure to comply with this means the airline loses its right to the slot the next equivalent season," IATA said in a statement on Monday. However, in exceptional circumstances, regulators can relax this requirement. "The COVID-19 crisis has had a severe impact on air traffic. Airlines are experiencing serious declines in demand," the statement said. "Given these extraordinary circumstances as a result of the public health emergency, the collective view of the airline industry is that the application the 80 per cent rule during the upcoming season" is inappropriate, the IATA said. Currently, regulators have been waiving the slot rules on a rolling basis during the COVID-19 crisis primarily for operations to China and Hong Kong SAR. "However, given the recent further outbreaks, this is no longer contained to the Asian markets. Without certainty that these waivers will continue for the summer season, airlines are unable to plan ahead sufficiently to ensure efficient rostering of crew or deployment of aircraft," the statement said. "Suspending the requirement for the entire season (to October 2020) will mean that airlines can respond to market conditions with appropriate capacity levels, avoiding any need to run empty services in order to maintain slots. Aircraft can be reallocated to other routes or parked, and crew can have certainty on their schedules." HAMDEN Diving into a new budget cycle, the town has bolstered its finance office to do the work. Mayor Curt B. Leng recently hired Curtis Eatman to fill the finance director role and take charge of Hamdens financial affairs. Eatman is the former deputy commissioner of finance for Schenectady, N.Y., and a former senior fiscal analyst for the New York State Senate. Im excited about this opportunity and the opportunity to work with the council and for this mayor and being part of the team, working on putting this town in a better financial position, Eatman said. The town also rehired Rick Galarza as deputy finance director. Galarza has been the finance director for the Hispanic Health Council and was the director of management and budget for Hartford for almost 20 years. Galarza became Hamdens acting finance director after Salvatore DeCola retired in July 2018, serving in two roles until the mayor appointed Myron Hul as the interim finance director in August. Galarza resigned in October, leaving the top two finance positions vacant since. I am really thrilled to welcome Mr. Eatman, someone with fresh perspective and experiences from both State and Local government and to welcome back Mr. Galarza, who I greatly enjoyed working with and who helped the Town through some very challenging financial times. I know they are going to make a dynamic team working together, Leng said. Hul will continue to serve the town as a contract auditor and financial adviser, the details of which are forthcoming. Eatman said that as the deputy commissioner of finance for Schenectady, he was responsible for looking at the fiscal health of the city and managing its budget and day to day operations. In working with the state Senate, he was tasked with helping members understand finances of New York and was responsible for forecasting state financials. All those valuable experiences have prepared me to come to the town of Hamden to be able to see whats going on and tackle the issues, Eatman said. Im really humbled and gracious the mayor has allowed me the opportunity to serve. Mr. Eatman has proven leadership in financial management, extensive experience in the development of fiscal forecasts and models, is experienced with the MUNIS financial system used by the Town and has a wealth of long and short-term strategic planning and government operations knowledge, Leng said in a written statement. Hamden has suffered from recent credit downgrades in addition to still dealing with a large debt burden and underfunded pension, though the town has contributed more to that fund in recent years. All municipalities are challenged and have their issues, but not all municipalities have great leadership and a great vision, Eatman said. Not all municipalities have an opportunity to see growth. Not all municipalities have a great staff and a great team to work with that allow you to mitigate some of the challenges that can be present. With less than two weeks on the job, Eatman said his focus has been getting to know Hamden, his team and whats going on financially in town. Im fortunate to have a great team to help me get up to speed, particularly a great deputy, Eatman said. And they can advise me on whats the best course of action. Eatman said he also values what the community will have to say going into next years budget. Having a community thats engaged in the budget process is something that many towns wish they had, he said. Its always good to have citizen participation in the budget process and it makes it more transparent. One of his main priorities has been learning Hamdens budget process and the values reflected in it. At the end of the day its a priority document and a list of your values, he said. I learned that at graduate school at Syracuse Universitys Maxwell School so thats where Im focusing my attention. Eatman received his bachelors degree in political science and communication and rhetorical studies from Syracuse University in 2009 and a masters degree of public administration from Syracuse in 2011. Since moving to Hamden, Eatman said the community has welcomed him and residents are generally friendly. mdignan@hearstmediact.com A young woman has opened up about her ongoing battle with bulimia and revealed the simple question a doctor asked that almost destroyed her. Jade Ebony Morris, 25, from Cairns, has worked hard to overcome her eating disorder, which she says began when she was 19. During the past two years the disability support worker has managed to change her thinking to focus less on what the scales say and more on her health and fitness. However, two weeks ago, while visiting her GP for a medical certificate, the doctor mentioned that she looked like she had put on weight. The comment sent her spiraling and she started restricting how many calories she was consuming. She also began weighing herself every day. Jade Ebony Morris, 25, from Cairns, has worked hard to overcome her eating disorder, which she says began when she was 19 During the past two years the disability support worker has managed to change her thinking to focus less on what the scales say and more on her health and fitness 'I'd seen this doctor once before, he took one look at my file and I don't know what he saw, it must've had a comment about having an eating disorder and he must've just thought weight gain was a positive,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Literally his first words were ''oh, you've out on weight''. 'I was like ''oh, have I? I've just been on holiday for three weeks''.' The doctor then grabbed a set of scales and made her weigh herself. 'I knew it was going to make me feel unconformable but I did it. And it just made me feel so small. 'I couldn't even believe what happened. I have not stopped thinking about.' Ms Morris, who has battled bulimia for the past six years, admits her eating disorder is an ongoing struggle. Two weeks ago, while visiting her GP for a medical certificate, the doctor mentioned that she looked like she had put on weight The comment sent her spiraling and she started restricting how many calories she was consuming. She also began weighing herself every day She said food still controls her life, it even controls if she goes to social events but she has had to learn techniques to manage the issue. Ms Morris said she doesn't weigh herself anymore as it can be triggering. 'I've been very weight focused and it's only in the past two years that I started got educated with the importance of eating and my focus is no longer weight base.' She said when the doctor commented on her weight, it sparked her old bad habits. Ms Morris said she cried on her way home from the doctors office and spent the next two weeks starving herself in the hopes of seeing the number on the scale drop. 'It's just amazing how one comment can make it feels like it's all undone.' Ms Morris says her eating disorder started when she was 19. She had just broken up with her long-term boyfriend Ms Morris said she cried on her way home from the doctors office and spent the next two weeks starving herself in the hopes of seeing the number on the scale drop 'I'm in a better mind frame now but I still have that thought in the back of my mind', she said After speaking to friends about what had happened she said she managed gain perspective and is now back to eating a healthy amount of food. However, the thought that she has gained weight still lingers in her mind, she said/ She believes the doctor thought what he was doing was positive but said he had gone the wrong way about it. 'I think they need to consider everyone on a multi-dimensional level, people need to be more educated about the sensitivities to prevent this from happening further.' *If you need help or support for an eating disorder or body image issue, please call Butterfly's National Helpline on 1800 334 673 or e-mail support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au* South Korean people in a quarantined area in the northern city of Hai Phong are being served well-prepared meals. Well-prepared meals for South Korean people at a quarantine area in Hai Phong City 46 South Korean people were moved to Viet Tiep Friendship Hospital in An Duong District for 14-day quarantine starting from February 26. They are working at local businesses and have just returned from Daegu City and Gyeongsangbuk Province which are hardest hit by the Covid-19 outbreak. The meals are prepared by staff at the Viet-Tiep Friendship Hospital During the 14-day quarantine, they will be served three meals a day by the hospital's Nutrition Department. A staff member at the department said that they change the menus for each meal to ensure enough nutrition. "As they are South Korean, we also consider their dining habits to give them suitable food," the staff said. "They have lived in Vietnam for a long time so many of them enjoy local food. There are two children who will be given milk and rice gruel following parents' wish. The Viet-Tiep Friendship Hospital also previously quarantined nearly 400 people who come from virus areas in China. Lao Dong/Dtinews Close to 700 people placed into quarantine in Hanoi due to COVID-19 fears As many as 752 recent arrivals in Vietnam from China and South Korea have been put into quarantine at a military school of the Hanoi Capital High Command in Son Tay town, just outside of the capital. Automakers Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and Tata Motors said their supply of parts from China had been hit, as fallout from the coronavirus outbreak mounts. Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and MG Motor India on Sunday said they are facing challenges in terms of component supply from coronavirus hit-China. M&M has reported a 42 percent decline in total sales at 32,476 units in February. "...because of the unforeseeable challenges on the parts-supply from China, our BS VI ramp-up has been affected," Veejay Ram Nakra, Chief of Sales and Marketing, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd said in a statement. This has resulted in high de-growth in billing volume for February and dealer inventory is now under 10 days, he said. "Going into March, we anticipate the challenge on parts-supply to continue for another few weeks, before we get back to normalcy," he added. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors Ltd said the outbreak of COVID-199 in China and a recent fire incident at one of its strategic vendors affected the vehicle production and wholesale volumes. MG Motor India too reported lower retail sales of 1,376 units in February, hit by component supply constraints from China and other locations. "The MG ZS EV has received a stupendous response in its debut month, with over 150 units delivered to our customers already," MG Motor India Director - Sales Rakesh Sidana said in a statement. The unforeseen coronavirus outbreak has severely affected the company's European and Chinese supply chains, disrupting its production and impacting sales in February, he added. The disruption in sales will continue through March, Sidana said. "We are working towards stabilizing the situation and are hopeful that reasonable normalcy will be restored by the end of March," he added. Tata Motors reported a decline of 34 percent in domestic sales at 38,002 units in February. The company had sold 57,221 units in the same month last year. Pareek of, Tata Motors Ltd said the outbreak of Covid-19 in China and a recent fire incident at one of the strategic vendors affected the vehicle production and wholesale volumes. "Multiple actions are being taken to reduce the impact, staying close to our customers by providing transparency of the delivery situation," he said. Girish Wagh, President, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors Ltd said that commercial vehicle domestic sales in February were 35 percent lower than last year. The supply disruptions from the COVID-19 outbreak in China could have some impact on the BS-VI transition and all efforts are underway to mitigate it, he added. Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai see no slide in production However, major automobile manufacturers Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Toyota Kirloskar Motor do not see any immediate impact on their production schedules due to disruption in the supply of components from plants located in China. The companies, however, said they continue to monitor the situation closely, especially the operations of their major suppliers, in order to face any adverse situation that may crop up in the future. The companies, however, continue to monitor the situation closely, especially the operations of their major suppliers, in order to face any adverse situation that crops up in the future. "We do not foresee any problem as of now. We will keep in touch with our suppliers and will inform if there is any issue", a Maruti Suzuki India spokesperson told PTI when contacted over the issue. A Hyundai Motor India spokesperson said, "We are closely monitoring the situation. However, at the moment there is no impact on the functioning of the company." Similarly, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said there has been no immediate impact so far on supply of parts and its production from the outbreak of coronavirus in China. "Our tier-I and tier-II suppliers are not yet effected. However, we are continuously monitoring the operations of tier-III and tier-IV suppliers to grasp any possible slowdown that may come forth due to the slowdown in logistics flow in China, especially Wuhan," TKM Senior Vice President (Sales and Service) Naveen Soni said. The company focuses on increasing the supply base through localisation of parts and components, thereby providing an opportunity for local suppliers, he added. TKM remains committed to effectively contribute towards government's 'Make in India' mission, and has developed a global supplier base and supply chain in India in a period of 20 years, Soni said. "These localisation efforts have also ensured a smooth transition of our manufacturing plant to 100 per cent BS-VI manufacturing facility from January 2020 without any significant supply roadblocks. Simultaneously, our dependency on multi-sourced parts has allowed us flexibility of sourcing from other countries when China has an impact," he added. Kia Motors India said its production has also remained unaffected so far. "The coronavirus hasn't impacted us till now, but we are keeping an eye on the development for gauging the future impact," a company spokesperson said. MG Motor India, however, reported disruption in supply chain which impacted its production and sales performance in February. "The unforeseen coronavirus outbreak has severely affected our European and Chinese supply chains, disrupting our production and impacting our sales in February and will continue through March," MG Motor India Director Sales Rakesh Sidana said. The company is working towards stabilising the situation and is hopeful that reasonable normalcy will be restored by the end of March, he added. Tata Motors declined to comment on the issue, but its CEO and Managing Director Guenter Butschek had earlier this month said that clarity about supply constraints of components from China will only emerge when workers in the coronavirus-hit country rejoin work. The company imports certain components for both Nexon EV and other traditional models from China. Auto industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) had earlier said that it will collect information and data from its members to understand if there could be disruptions, and to what extent, if any. Two-wheeler makers Hero MotoCorp and TVS Motor Company had said earlier this month that coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in China would hit their production by around 10 per cent in February. Citing disruptions in automotive supply chains due to coronavirus outbreak, rating agency Moody's has already lowered its global auto sales forecast. Similarly, the Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI) said that disruption in supplies due to the coronavirus outbreak in China has hit domestic forging industry along with automobile and auto component manufacturing sectors. The domestic automobile industry, which has been riding through the worst slump in two decades, is likely to be negatively impacted and its supply chain disrupted if the coronavirus outbreak in China and South-East Asia persists longer, rating agency Icra had said last week. Around 3,000 people have lost their lives in China due to the disease so far. Cases of coronavirus have also emerged in various other countries, including South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy and Singapore. Liam Hemsworth took to Instagram to share the still poster of his next film Arkansas. The poster also included names of the people in pivotal roles. Clarke Duke has directed as well as acted in the film and the release date is May 1, 2020. Liam Hemsworth will be seen in a film after Killerman that was released in 2019. He will be essaying the role of Kyle in Arkansas. Also Read | Liam Hemsworth's Pranks On Miley Cyrus In The Past That Left Netizens In Splits; Watch In the poster that was shared by Liam Hemsworth, there were names of the several actors participating in the creation of the thriller drama. Apart from Clarke Duke, Michael Kenneth Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Eden Brolin, John Malkovich, Vince Vaughn and Chandler Duke will also be seen. The poster is graphically vibrant with bright red and white aesthetics. There is a small portion in the poster which displays two men digging up the ground. Liam Hemsworth is in the lead role in the film. His character will be dealing with drug lords and the mafia. Furthermore, Clarke Duke will be in a role which will be in a close alliance to Liams character in the film. Arkansas tells the story of men involved in the low-level distribution of illegal substances. The film is based on a best selling book with the same name. Also Read | Liam Hemsworth Says He's 'unbothered And Does Not Think About' Miley-Cody Romance Reportedly Arkansas will be out in theatres on May 1, 2020, in select locations. It will also be available on paid OTT platforms like Amazon, Apple and On Demand. The Hunger Games actor seemed ecstatic about the film. He wrote an emotional comment, Fun lil film I did called Arkansas out May 1st. Directed by my good friend and tagged Clarke Duke as well. Clark Duke replied, It was a rare pleasure and I cannot wait for everyone to see how great you are in it. Liam Hemsworth movie poster with Clarke Duke Also Read | Lindsay Lohan Is Liam Hemsworth's Not-so-secret Admirer; Read Full Story Also Read | Here Are The Posts That Prove Liam Hemsworth's Love For Adventure, Check Them Out Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. Jammu, March 2 : The historic City Chowk in the heart of Jammu has been renamed as the Bharat Mata Chowk after a resolution was passed by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC). The JMC had won 43 of the 75 wards in the Jammu Urban local bodies elections last year. "Every year when flag hoisting ceremonies are held at the Chowk on the Republic and Independence days, with people chanting Bharat Mata ki Jai, the name change reflects the aspirations of the people," Purnima Sharma, Deputy Mayor JMC told media in Jammu. She said, "The House moved a resolution on September 6, but it got adjourned, and now the resolution has been passed with a voice vote." She said similarly the Circular Road Chowk has been named as the Atal Chowk. This intersection in the centre of the city is the main commercial hub of Jammu. The Jammu Municipality has installed a sign board to announce the change in the name there. The crowded junction has been the centre of political activity in the city. Many prominent politicians in the past have given speeches at this chowk. It is also one of those prominent places in Jammu where Tricolour is hoisted on the Independence and Republic days. Unruly scenes were witnessed in Lok Sabha on Monday (march 2) as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress MPs pushed and shoved each other after several members of opposition parties trooped into the well of the House to protest over the issue of violence in Delhi. Congress MP Ramya Haridas later submitted a written complaint to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla saying that she was manhandled by BJP MP Jaskaur Meena. Haridas said that she was assaulted because she is a Dalit and a woman. "I am a Dalit woman. Today when the Parliament session started at 3pm, I was moving towards the well of the House to raise the issue of Delhi violence. That time the BJP MP hit me on my shoulder. Parliament is not secure for women Parliament members," she told the media. BJP MP Meena, however, rejected claims of physical assault and said that the allegations leveled by Congress MP Ramya are false. Meena stressed that she did not hit or push the Congress MP. "Allegations are false. As she opened the banner in LokSabha, it hit me on my head. I asked her to move ahead.I didn't hit or push her. If she says she is using 'Dalit' word ,then I'm also a Dalit woman," said the BJP MP. Later, Meena also complained to Lok Sabha speaker Om Prakash Birla against the Congress MP accusing the latter of manhandling her. Meanwhile, the Congress has slammed the BJP, saying it is a matter of shame that MP Ramya Haridas was physically assaulted inside the parliament by a BJP MP. "It is a matter of shame that Congress MP Ramya Haridas was physically assaulted inside the parliament by BJP MP Jaskaur Meena. Sansad se sadak tak, BJP se Beti Bachao," tweeted Congress. Work began today on a $750,000 conservation and stabilization of the convento at Mission San Jose, a section of ruins behind the mission church that includes three one-story rooms and two-story walls with arches that form a rectangular courtyard. The project, funded by the National Park Service and guided by a University of Texas at San Antonio study, is expected to be completed by June, to help preserve one of the most prominent structures in the site known as the queen of missions. It is the first major conservation project of the convento since the park service began managing the structure in 1983, according to the NPS. Susan Snow, archaeologist with the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, said it will take about a week to get the work fully under way. Some areas of the convento will be closed to the public for short periods while work is being done. On ExpressNews.com: Mission celebrates its tricentennial Its one of the most important structures in the whole park, with some of the missions significant Spanish colonial architectural fabric, Snow said. The work includes repairs and stabilization of the walls in the one-story rooms, which the study by UTSAs Center for Cultural Sustainability determined were in very bad shape, she said. The Gothic-style arches on the east portion of the conventos north wall also will be stabilized, and new masonry caps will be placed on the top of the walls of the ruins, helping preserve the walls and directing rainwater away from historic plasters and other sensitive features. The project is unfolding as the Catholic parish at Mission San Jose is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the missions original founding in 1720, about 2 miles to the north along the San Antonio River. According to a 2014 nomination document for the missions as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the load-bearing masonry walls of the convento are of similar tufa limestone and sandstone as the church and are punctuated by the segmental-, round-, and lancent-arched openings, some with 19th century brick modifications. On ExpressNews.com: Work helping preserve Mission Concepcion church Despite more than a century of exposures to the elements, the convento walls retain numerous remnants of original colonial lime plasters, particularly on the second story, the nominated stated. Snow said the conservation project has been in the pipeline for over a decade and will address high-priority needs identified in the UTSA study, including the structural stabilization of the door and window openings of the one-story rooms that are accessible to the public. They need to be addressed before they become safety issues, 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 PHOENIX A landscaper once charged in freeway shootings in metro Phoenix during 2015 alleged in his false-arrest lawsuit that theres a high likelihood that a car belonging to a man later charged in nine killings had been near the scene of two of the highway shootings, according to court documents filed Monday. An attorney representing Leslie Merritt Jr. said in the documents that license plate readers picked up a plate matching six of the seven characters from killing suspect Aaron Juan Saucedos BMW near two of the shootings on Interstate 10 on Aug. 29, 2015. The lawyer, Jason Lamm, theorized in the documents that Saucedo could have carried out both freeway shootings during the 16 minutes between when he bought 50 rounds of ammunition at a pawn shop and the back-to-back interstate shootings. Lamm contends authorities should have examined Saucedo further. A notice of claim filed on behalf of Merritt that served as a precursor to his lawsuit against the state of Arizona sought $10 million in damages, though the lawsuit does not specify the amount of damages being sought. Lawyers defending the Arizona Department of Public Safetys arrest of Merritt in the freeway shootings asked a judge last week to prohibit claims about Saucedo at Merritts upcoming March 30 lawsuit civil trial, saying the information would be unfairly prejudicial and mislead jurors. Phone and email messages seeking comment on the documents from Thomas Glow, one of the lawyers defending Saucedo, were not immediately returned. The claim about the license plate data came nearly three years after it was revealed that officers investigating the freeway shootings had seized the gun that police have said Saucedo used to carry out his first killing. Investigators test-fired Saucedos gun, but they never conducted ballistics tests comparing it to evidence recovered in the freeway shooting investigation. Merritt was jailed for seven months until his charges were dismissed in 2016 at the request of prosecutors after the ballistics evidence came under heavy criticism. There were 11 shootings on Phoenix-area freeways from late August until September 2015. No one was seriously injured when eight cars were hit with bullets and three others were struck with projectiles such as BBs or pellets. The only injury occurred when a 13-year-old girl was cut by glass. The shootings sparked so much fear that motorists avoided driving on freeways, school buses took different routes and signs were posted telling drivers to be careful. Investigators said Merritts handgun was linked to four of the shootings, but Merritt has insisted he is innocent. In his lawsuit, Merritt says authorities pursued charges even though they knew his handgun was at a pawn shop during the last of the four shootings with which he was charged. He accused Arizonas Department of Public Safety of changing the timeline of the shooting to fit a theory that a bullet from Merritts gun got lodged in the sidewall of a cars tire. The agency has denied both allegations. No one else has been arrested in the freeway shootings. Saucedo, a former bus driver, was arrested on charges that he killed nine people during a dozen nighttime shootings from August 2015 until July 2016 that unnerved residents of a largely Latino neighborhood. Saucedo has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Saucedo was connected by Phoenix police to those killings after he became a suspect in the August 2015 fatal shooting of 61-year-old Raul Romero, who had a relationship with Saucedos mother. While Merritts attorney said its important to consider the facts that investigators chose to ignore, attorneys for the state said mentioning Saucedo at Merritts civil trial could confuse jurors. The Romero murder is the only Saucedo shooting that involved a Hi-Point 9mm gun, attorney Ed Novak, one of the lawyers defending the public safety department said in court documents filed last week. There is no evidence that officers knew of this fact as of September 18, 2015, when Merritt was arrested. Accordingly, its introduction would be done to confuse the jury. Novak declined to comment on Mondays filing by Merritt. Evidence from the freeway shootings showed that the culprit used a Hi-Point 9-mm handgun. Investigators began seizing that type of gun from pawn shops around Phoenix in the hope of finding a match to the freeway case. Police have said Saucedo sold a Hi-Point 9-mm pistol to the same pawn shop where Merritt also pawned his weapon. Shortly after Saucedo was arrested in 2017, Phoenix police refused to comment about what efforts, if any, they undertook to investigate Saucedo in the immediate aftermath of the first killing. Phoenix police have said he left behind bullet fragments, shell casings and knew the victim, but they didnt examine his weapon until 20 months later. The Phoenix Police Department declined to comment Monday on Merritts claim. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) A hostage standoff involving around 60 to 70 employees of V-Mall in Greenhills Shopping Complex in San Juan City ended Monday after ten hours, with the hostages released following the apology and resignation of the hostage-takers' bosses. Alchie Paray, 40, emerged from the mall along with his hostages at around 8 p.m. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora spoke with him prior to his surrender, promising him protection if he leaves behind his gun and grenade. He was allowed to address the media without handcuffs for more than 20 minutes before being tackled from behind by a man and then getting arrested by authorities. He is now under the custody of San Juan police. Zamora told reporters that Paras' address to the media was part of their agreement for him to release the hostages and for him to surrender. The hostages, initially estimated at around 30, are now being debriefed before they are sent home, Zamora said, adding that the city government has vowed medical assitance for them. A security guard was earlier injured when Paray opened fire at around 10 a.m. Zamora said that guard is in stable condition. Paray was disgruntled over what he believed to be his unjust termination. However, Oscar Hernandez, the general manager of the security company that employed Paray, said the hostage-taker was not fired but was only supposed to be transferred to a different assignment as part of their company's policy of rotating security guards. Zamora vowed that the city government will investigate Paray's claims, including his allegation that corruption was involved in his termination. "Hindi pwedeng maulit ito sa San Juan. So makikialam na ang San Juan City government sa security agency na ito at sa Greenhills Shopping Center. Ang nangyari ngayon ay nakataya ang buhay ng napakarami dahil sa sinasabi niyang mga hinaing niya," Zamora said. [Translation: This can't happen again in San Juan. The San Juan City government will intervene with the security agency and Greenhills Shopping Center. A lot of people's lives were put on the line because of his grievances.] By Delana Isles THE HURRICANE ravaged, historically beautiful island of Salt Cay is poised for some major developments in the foreseeable future. This week, Invest Turks and Caicos announced plans for a "world class cruise port on the island. A statement from the investment agency revealed that, with the approval of the Government, they are in detailed negotiations with Sea-T Adventures for them to establish operations in Salt Cay in early 2023. According to the press statement, Sea-T Adventures approached the Government with the idea to construct an open fixed pier on the picturesque and strategically located island destination of Salt Cay to accommodate cruise stops to the island. "Invest TCI received a Cabinet directive on December 5, 2019, to enter into negotiations with Sea-T to develop terms for a Development Agreement for the open to all lines cruise ship pier. The release clarified that Sea-T Adventure is a registered TCI company with its primary charter to construct "one of the most ecologically sensitive cruise destinations in the Caribbean. The company has assembled a core team of Caribbean experienced engineers, financiers and architects consisting of PND Engineers, Bazarian International Financial Associates and Conservative Architects, it added. "Salt Cay is a brand new destination that allows the development team and highly qualified consortium members to implement the best business practices for protection of the environment and sustainability, to incorporate the history of the island including its strategic historical importance of salt production, and to assure that the quality guest experience is not compromising the needs of the local community, InvestTCI stated. Efforts to procure an artist rendering of the cruise port from the investment agency were unsuccessful, up to press time. Local reaction to investment The Weekly News reached out District Commissioner of Salt Cay, Almaida Wilson, to get a sense of how the people of the family island are responding to the incoming development. "I can speak for the indigenous Turks and Caicos Islanders, and as far as I am concerned and what I gathered from the actual community is that they are in favour of a development. Wilson said she gathered this from town hall meetings held with residents of the community and the developers, who met with them twice. "Those residents want to see something happen, now we dont want a development that will probably crush the island, but from the talks that the developers gave we appreciate that they dont want to change the island. She added that the concept, from what she gathered from these meetings, is that the developers will leave the islands historic beauty untouched, using this as the attraction for cruise tourists. "We want to see tourists on the islands from the cruise port, Wilson said, adding, "we want them to come and visit our little island and see the beauty. However, the district commissioner acknowledged that some residents of Salt Cay are not for the development. "The expatriate residents are not for it, but I dont really think thats their concern, as far as Im concerned the project is for Salt Cay communitys development. She added that while she appreciates the concern of those residents, the island needs more in terms of revenue earnings. Wilson stated that the community will play an active role in ensuring that procedures are put in place to retain the beauty and natural attractions of the island, and ensure they are protected. Many online reactions to the project from indigenous Islanders were similarly encouraging, with one poster expressing the hope the new development will see a return of people to the island to live and work. "I can vividly recall the days when Salt Cay was a bustling community. I am certain that many that had to leave their home in order to find work would love the opportunity to go back and rebuild. Other comments pointed to the continued doggedness of the Government to expand the tourism product of the territory while seemingly ignoring the need to diversify the economy, and the need to build proper infrastructure for the family islands. A massive white dwarf star with a bizarre carbon-rich atmosphere could be two white dwarfs merged together according to an international team led by University of Warwick astronomers, and only narrowly avoided destruction. They have discovered an unusual ultra-massive white dwarf around 150 light years from us with an atmospheric composition never seen before, the first time that a merged white dwarf has been identified using its atmospheric composition as a clue. The discovery, published today (2 March) in the journal Nature Astronomy, could raise new questions about the evolution of massive white dwarf stars and on the number of supernovae in our galaxy. This star, named WDJ0551+4135, was identified in a survey of data from the European Space Agency's Gaia telescope. The astronomers followed up with spectroscopy taken using the William Herschel Telescope, focusing on those white dwarfs identified as particularly massive - a feat made possible by the Gaia mission. By breaking down the light emitted by the star, the astronomers were able to identify the chemical composition of its atmosphere and found that it had an unusually high level of carbon present. Lead author Dr Mark Hollands, from the University of Warwick Department of Physics, said: "This star stood out as something we had never seen before. You might expect to see an outer layer of hydrogen, sometimes mixed with helium, or just a mix of helium and carbon. You don't expect to see this combination of hydrogen and carbon at the same time as there should be a thick layer of helium in between that prohibits that. When we looked at it, it didn't make any sense." To solve the puzzle, the astronomers turned detective to uncover the star's true origins. White dwarfs are the remains of stars like our own Sun that have burnt out all their fuel and shed their outer layers. Most are relatively lightweight, around 0.6 times the mass of our Sun, but this one weighs in at 1.14 solar masses, nearly twice the average mass. Despite being heavier than our Sun, it is compacted into two-thirds the diameter of Earth. The age of the white dwarf is also a clue. Older stars orbit the Milky Way faster than younger ones, and this object is moving faster than 99% of the other nearby white dwarfs with the same cooling age, suggesting that this star is older than it looks. Dr Hollands adds: "We have a composition that we can't explain through normal stellar evolution, a mass twice the average for a white dwarf, and a kinematic age older than that inferred from cooling. We're pretty sure of how one star forms one white dwarf and it shouldn't do this. The only way you can explain it is if it was formed through a merger of two white dwarfs." The theory is that when one star in a binary system expands at the end of its life it will envelope its partner, drawing its orbit closer as the first star shrinks. The same will happen when the other star expands. Over billions of years, gravitational wave emission will shrink the orbit further, to the point that the stars merge together. While white dwarf mergers have been predicted to occur, this one would be particularly unusual. Most of the mergers in our galaxy will be between stars with different masses, whereas this merger appears to be between two similarly sized stars. There is also a limit to how big the resulting white dwarf can be: at more than 1.4 solar masses it is thought that it would explode in a supernova though it may be possible for that these explosions can occur at slightly lower masses, so this star is useful in demonstrating how massive a white dwarf can get and still survive. Because the merging process restarts the cooling of the star, it is difficult to determine how old it is. The white dwarf probably merged around 1.3 billion years ago but the two original white dwarfs may have existed for many billions of years prior. It is one of only a handful of merged white dwarfs to be identified so far, and the only one via its composition. Dr Hollands adds: "There aren't that many white dwarfs this massive, although there are more than you would expect to see which implies that some of them were probably formed by mergers. "In the future we may be able to use a technique called asteroseismology to learn about the white dwarf's core composition from its stellar pulsations, which would be an independent method confirming this star formed from a merger. "Maybe the most exciting aspect of this star is that it must have just about failed to explode as a supernova - these gargantuan explosions are really important in mapping the structure of the Universe, as they can be detected out to very large distances. However, there remains much uncertainty about what kind of stellar systems make it to the supernova stage. Strange as it may sound, measuring the properties of this 'failed' supernova, and future look-alikes, is telling us a lot about the pathways to thermonuclear self-annihilation." ### The research was funded by the European Research Council and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). * 'An ultra-massive white dwarf with a mixed hydrogen-carbon atmosphere as a likely merger remnant' is published in Nature Astronomy, DOI: 10.1038/s41550-020-1028-0 Notes to editors: For interviews or a copy of the paper contact: Peter Thorley Media Relations Manager (Warwick Medical School and Department of Physics) | Press & Media Relations | University of Warwick Email: peter.thorley@warwick.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)24 761 50868 Based on observations made with the William Herschel Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC). The ING is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC-UKRI) of the United Kingdom, the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) of the Netherlands, and the IAC in Spain. IAC's contribution to ING is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Israeli premier pledges to annex more lands of West Bank 'within weeks' if re-elected Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 3:11 PM In an apparent attempt by Israel's scandal-hit premier to secure votes on the eve of a decisive general election, Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annex further parts of the occupied West Bank "within weeks" provided that he is re-elected. Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving premier, made the campaign pledge in an interview with the regime's public radio on Sunday, stressing that annexation of the strategically important Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank have been his top priority among "four major immediate missions." "That will happen within weeks, two months at the most, I hope," he said, 24 hours before polls were scheduled to open for vote-weary Israelis to cast their ballots for the third time in 12 months. Final polls showed yet another tight competition between Netanyahu-led right-wing Likud party and the centrist Blue and White party, led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz. The incumbent prime minister has already been accused of making last-minute plays to invigorate his right-wing base. However, he has failed to secure enough votes, in the two previous parliamentary elections, to win sufficient seats in the 120-member Knesset and form a majority government. He has also failed so far to form a coalition government. Netanyahu was particularly emboldened in annexing more Palestinian lands by US President Donald Trump in January, when the latter unveiled his much-delayed and self-proclaimed "deal of the century" during an event at the White House alongside the Israeli premier. Palestinian groups have unanimously rejected Trump's one-sided plan, which largely meets Israel's demands in the decades-old conflict with the Palestinians while envisioning a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders. The so-called "peace plan" enshrines Jerusalem al-Quds as "Israel's undivided capital" and allows the regime to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. The plan also denies the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland, among other controversial terms. Trump's plan has triggered waves of protest rallies both across the Palestinian occupied territories and around the globe. "The joint US-Israeli mapping committee started work a week ago," Netanyahu further said on Sunday, hoping to emerge victorious in Monday's election. However, many fear that the upcoming election fails to break the current political deadlock in the occupying regime and likely turns out to be inconclusive just like the two elections held in April and September, extending a painful political stalemate deep into 2020. Shortly after Netanyahu's pledge on Sunday, former Israeli minister of military affairs Avigdor Lieberman, Netanyahu's ex-ally, publicly lambasted the premier for engaging in empty political rhetoric. Lieberman said that he had "ironclad information" that the Israeli prime minister comments on the Jordan Valley had been at least partly insincere. "A few days ago, it became clear to me that he (Netanyahu) sent a message to (Jordan's) King Abdullah, (saying) 'Don't worry, it's just elections, there will be no annexation of the Jordan Valley'," Lieberman said in a TV interview. Many experts believe that a unilateral move by Netanyahu to annex the valley would definitely trigger further regional tensions and damage ties with neighboring Jordan, one of only two Arab countries that agreed a peace deal with the Israeli regime. On Friday, the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell condemned Tel Aviv for its plan to build thousands of settler units in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds, warning that such construction would sever territorial contiguity between the area and the rest of the occupied West Bank. "The EU reiterates its call on Israel to halt settlement construction, to suspend the publication of tenders and to refrain from any measures aimed at the advancement of such construction plans. Settlements are illegal under international law," Borrell added. His call came three days after Netanyahu announced that he had ordered the promotion of a plan for construction of some 3,500 illegal settler units in the so-called E1 area, which is located between the occupied al-Quds and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement. The move is widely believed to be an obvious attempt aimed at securing votes in the Monday's election. Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinians state, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital. However, the continued expansion of Israeli settlements is one of the major obstacles to the establishment of peace in the Middle East. The occupying regime seized East Jerusalem al-Quds in the 1967 Six-Day War. It later annexed the territory in a move never recognized by the international community. Around 600,000 Israeli settlers now live in over 230 settlements built in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has already severed ties between the Palestinian Authority, which he leads, and the Israeli regime as well as the US in reaction to Trump's highly-provocative scheme. Apart from the Palestinian leaders, many other international blocs and organizations, including the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the African Union, have rejected Trump's plan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address But for many victims of crime, zero tolerance, broad criminal prohibitions and harsh sentences are not a possible or an even desirable response. Stefanie Mundhenk Harrelson went to the police after she was raped in college by a classmate in 2015. Like an overwhelming majority of reported sexual assaults, her case was never referred for prosecution. Ms. Harrelson came to view the criminal justice system as inadequate. Even if her case had been pursued and resulted in a prison sentence, she said, it would not have helped her heal. Restorative justice, she wrote, paraphrasing a book by Danielle Sered, is preferable because it holds the offender accountable through an acknowledgment of responsibility and expression of remorse for ones actions. The criminal justice system often incentivizes offenders to do the opposite. Sujatha Baliga, who was recently awarded a MacArthur Genius grant and directs a restorative justice program at the nonprofit Impact Justice, said in a radio interview that she did not report the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. I did not want my father to be arrested and locked up. I didnt want potential immigration consequences for my family, she said. I did not want child protective services to become involved and potentially remove me from my home. It is important to listen to these voices. In the #MeToo era, there is a widespread presumption that the best way to reckon with sexual misconduct and serve victims interests is through the criminal system. #MeToo has done away with the risible idea that some level of unwanted sexual touching must be tolerated because it is simply not serious enough to report. But as more people have been prosecuted for an array of sexually inappropriate conduct, the criminal justice systems shortcomings have become more pronounced. Criminal prosecutions expose victims to a toxic level of stress, if not trauma. The benefit is a potential pound of the offenders flesh. But even in rare cases where perpetrators are convicted and punished severely, many victims report that their experience was retraumatizing and disempowering: Their story was confined to the rigid strictures of a prosecutors narrative and raked over on cross-examination. Of course, advocates argue that the process should be reformed so that victims do not face such scrutiny. But sex offenses carry some of the highest penalties under the law; rape trials will never simply be rubber stamps for the prosecution. Any fair criminal process will subject the victim to unavoidable scrutiny the kind of invasive cross-examination experienced by Mr. Weinsteins accusers. The problem with the millers is that they are working on the new price. They have the mealie-meal; they should be announcing the new prices to retailers. I think that is what has caused the shortage, the mealie-meal is there but what is left is for is the new price. Up to last week, it was going on very well. There was a lot of mealie-meal around up until the last two days because of the new GMB prices, he said. Two police officers are being investigated over alleged dangerous driving while responding to the Streatham terror attack. One of the men was driving an unmarked police car towards the incident when it was involved in a crash with two other vehicles, injuring him and another person. The other man was driving a marked armed response vehicle nearby and carried on to the scene of the attack in south London on 2 February. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said both officers had been served notices of investigation for dangerous driving and gross misconduct. The watchdog said the second car was in close proximity to the unmarked vehicle but not involved in the collision. Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Show all 22 1 /22 Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police officers on Streatham High Road. The Metropolitan Police warned people to stay away from the Streatham area boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings The man was shot dead by police after two stabbed in 'Islamist-related' terror attack in London boguta37/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Sudesh Amman, the attacker, has been named as a convicted terror offender who was released from prison days ago Metropolitan Police/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road Isis supporter Amman was just 18 when he was jailed in December 2018 after police found a stash of bomb-making manuals and other propaganda. Now 20, he had declared his own wish to carry out a terror attack and stockpiled a combat knife, air gun and black flag at his family home in London PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings He was being monitored by undercover police and being followed as part of a proactive counterterrorism operation when he started the rampage in Streatham AP Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Amman was able to stab two people before being shot dead by armed officers outside a busy row of shops Gabriel Video/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A woman reacts as police officers interview people near to the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings An armed police officer on Streatham High Road Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said Amman was wearing a fake suicide ves Gully/PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers work outside of a Boots store AFP via Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers at the scene Getty Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police forensic officer works at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Items left on the pavement at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A police officer on the scene Dave Chawner/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers are seen near the site Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police officers on the scene outside an Iceland supermarket Andy Bullemor/SWNS Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police are seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A policeman secures the site of the incident EPA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Megan Tobeck Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Armed police at the scene in Streatham High Road PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A view of the scene Michael Owens Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings Police forensic officers at the scene PA Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings A Police officer is seen near a site where a man was shot Reuters The Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, called the investigation a "complete joke". "These officers and their colleagues put their lives on the line that day to protect the public," said chairman Ken Marsh. "Now potentially their careers are on the line. Its absurd. "The the last thing officers responding to a terrorist attack should be worrying about is whether their prompt response and bravery will put their livelihoods in danger." The IOPC is separately investigating the circumstances around the fatal shooting of attacker Sudesh Amman, who was being monitored by security services following his released from prison. The watchdog previously revealed that police bullets went through the windows of a supermarket and a pharmacy after officers opened fire, causing one woman to be injured by flying glass. Amman, a 20-year-old Isis supporter, was being followed by undercover police on foot when he grabbed a knife from inside a shop and started attacking people. Two victims, a man and a woman, were stabbed before Amman was shot dead. Both survived. The IOPC said no individual officers were under investigation in relation to the shooting, but said it would assess the actions and decisions, including the use of lethal force of those involved. It will examine what information police had and the action they took following Ammans release from prison on 23 January, where he had been serving a sentence for terror offences. IOPC director for London Sal Naseem said: It is important that we establish what information the police had and how they responded to it in the days after Ammans release and prior to his death. Sadiq Khan warns Streatham attack was 'preventable' The Metropolitan Police commissioner previously defended the undercover officers who were following Amman when he launched his attack. When questioned on whether it could have been prevented, Dame Cressida Dick said covert surveillance did not equate to man-to-man marking. It is inevitable that there could be a time delay before somebody totally unexpectedly does something, she added. I wish I could assure the public that everybody who poses a risk on the streets could be subject to some sort of thing that would stop them being able to stab anybody ever, but it is clearly not possible. Amman had grabbed the knife from inside a shop, but was already wearing a fake suicide vest in apparent preparation for an attack. Scotland Yard previously said the device had been concealed under his clothes, suggesting the officers did not see it until after he started stabbing people. Police said Amman was inside the shop for less than a minute, and that he was shot dead within 60 seconds of starting the attack. The attack came little after a week from when he was automatically released from prison, halfway through a sentence for collecting and distributing material useful for terror attacks. Amman had originally been arrested on suspicion of planning an attack in May 2018, after writing that he was armed and ready online, declaring support for Isis and encouraging his girlfriend to behead her non-Muslim parents. But he was charged with lesser offences on advice from the Crown Prosecution Service and received a sentence of three years and four months. The Streatham stabbing was the third terror attack in little over two months to be committed by a convicted terrorism offender, following the incidents at Fishmongers Hall and inside HMP Whitemoor. It caused the government to bring in emergency legislation to stop the automatic release of terror offenders and ensure they are assessed by the Parole Board, amid fears over radicalisation and extremist networking inside prisons. The last time 35-year-old Firoz Ahmed, a resident of Karawal Nagar, called his wife was eight days ago when rioters went on the rampage on the streets of north-east Delhi. For Ahmeds wife Shahana, 31, her husbands last phone callhe has been missing sincehis voice, have become her life source. His family has been visiting the mortuaries of nearby hospitals every single day with the hope of some news, even if it means finding his body. On Monday, they went to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital in central Delhi, where the police had sent five newly found bodies for post-mortem. Firoz was a salesman at a shop in Chandni Chowk and was returning from work when rioters attacked him. He had called his wife on Monday (February 24) evening around 6 pm to say he was caught in the violence but will find his way home. When he didnt until Wednesday, we filed a missing complaint in the police station. We also published missing pamphlets, said Mohd Ashraf, a relative, who lives in nearby Loni in Ghaziabad. Around 10 pm the same day, Ashraf said, somebody called up to say they had saved Firoz and that he was beaten up brutally. After about an hour, we tried calling up the number again to check on him but both his and Firozs numbers had been switched off. His wife is inconsolable. He was the sole breadwinner. We have looked everywhere, we just hope we find his body soon so that we can perform his last rites, Ashraf said. Four unclaimed bodies were lying at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospitals mortuary. Since Sunday, at least 20 families had come forward to identify these. At least 11 people are still missing from riot-torn areas, according to a log maintained by a group of volunteers who had been helping people coming over to GTB hospital to find their family members. For some, the search ended at the hospitals mortuary, for others it is still far from over. Despite many calls, Joint commissioner of police Alok Kumar and additional commissioner of police (crime) Mandeep Singh Randhawa could not be reached for comment neither did they respond to text messages. We have been keeping a record of all families who have been coming here to search for their members as well as those died in the riots. It is tougher for people who still dont have a clue as to what happened to their relatives. We help them identify the bodies and reach out to police to file a missing complaint, said Mumtaz, a volunteer. Momina Hussain,57, was camping outside GTB hospitals mortuary till 12pm, with her three-year-old grandson Akhtar, to find her son and his wife when the volunteers told her that all newly found bodies were being taken to RML hospital. Mominas 29-year-old son Shahzad and his 23-year-old wife Sultana had gone out to meet a relative in Shiv Vihar on Monday and did not return. There are times when I feel relieved he (Akhtar) did not go with his parents. But then how will be his life now? His parents must be dead, otherwise we would have got some news, Momina said. Sheila Shukla reached Delhi from Agra on Friday after her relatives failed to provide any concrete information about the whereabouts of her husband, 42-year-old Prabir Shukla, . She was seen waiting patiently outside the mortuary but unlike others she believed her husband was alive. This is just a formality. He must have got caught in the middle of the violence and had taken refuge somewhere. We will hear from him, she said. Her husband has been missing from Gautam Vihar since Tuesday. In nearby Hussain Vihar, Shehbaz, 22, has been missing since Tuesday. His brother Matloob Alam said he had last spoken to Shehbaz around 2.30 pm that day . He was returning home from an eye hospital, as he used to do welding work and was hurt. He reached Khajoori Khas from where he could not find any conveyance. He called to say a mob was stopping everyone to check their identities before attacking them but that he will walk back home by the back alleys. We kept calling him after that but his phone was switched off. My mother has lost all hope. He was the youngest of six siblings, Alam said. The family is now depending on a DNA test of an unidentified body at GTB hospital, hoping it is of Shehbaz, his brother said. SAN FRANCISCO The Silicon Valley venture capitalist Keith Rabois, onstage in January at a tech conference, said his first choice for president was a Democrat, Pete Buttigieg. And, sure, it would be a close call for Joseph R. Biden Jr. over President Trump. But Bernie Sanders? At that, Mr. Rabois, who has been a top executive at or invested in LinkedIn, Square, Yelp and PayPal, balked. Speaking to the crowd, he drew the line at democratic socialism. (Mr. Buttigieg ended his campaign on Sunday night.) I would certainly vote for Trump over Sanders, Mr. Rabois declared. When it comes to the 2020 Democratic primaries, with California poised to allocate hundreds of delegates this week on Super Tuesday, many tech leaders in Silicon Valley have a plea: Anyone but Sanders. Travellers in Europe and worldwide are facing increasing difficulties as nations and organisations respond to the coronavirus. The Louvre in Paris is closed for a second day, as a result of staff concerns. The greatest art museum in France has not opened since Saturday evening, as staff seek reassurances from management about minimising the risks of contagion. A sign for visitors on Monday morning read: Today the opening of the Louvre is delayed. We will inform you about a potential opening time as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding. The biggest airline grouping in Continental Europe, Lufthansa, has announced another wave of flight cuts. Flights from Munich to Hong Kong will be suspended from 6 March to 24 April, with passengers rebooked via Frankfurt or Zurich. Some individual flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Seoul will also be cut over the next two months. The German airline is also cancelling some flights to Italy and cutting back frequencies on many domestic routes from Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich. Under European air passengers rights rules, travellers booked on the flights can opt for refunds or ask to be rebooked as closely as possible to the original schedule. Jordan has announced a ban on anyone who has visited Italy in the previous two weeks. The Foreign Office travel advice says: Travellers, except for diplomatic passport holders, will not be allowed to enter the country, if they have travelled to China, South Korea, Iran and Italy within 14 days prior to their arrival. The ban does not apply to Jordanian nationals, their spouses and children. In countries close to Iran, including Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the shutters are coming down, and the British Embassy in Tehran is moving some staff and families out. The Tenerife tourism authorities are claiming the coronavirus outbreak at a hotel in the south of the island is already in its completion phase. Hundreds of guests had been confined to the H10 hotel in Costa Adeje after five Italian tourists tested positive for the coronavirus. They are in good health in isolation in hospital on the island. More British tourists who were confined to the hotel are being allowed home. As the coronavirus spread, apprehension is increasing about prospective travellers. Coronavirus: Matt hancock refuses to rule out shutting down cities But Abta, the travel association, said: Most destinations do not have any British Government advice against travel. If there is no advice against travel to your destination, if you don't want to go, youre free to make that choice, but there's no obligation on your holiday company to give you a refund. Normal cancellation charges will apply. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to claim any cancellation charge on your insurance as there isnt normally cover for disinclination to travel but you can check the terms of your policy. Late on Friday night, the worlds leading travel trade event, ITB Berlin, was cancelled. But at least one delegate is on his way to the German capital. John Potter, publisher of the European Rail Timetable, tweeted ERT still going to Berlin (non-refund rail, hotel). Hoping to see a few other contacts and more of Berlin that wouldnt normally be possible in the time. Then to Stuttgart to visit brother + family. Born and raised in Chicago, Neville, 71, became the first African American to clerk for a Cook County Appellate Court judge in 1974. As an attorney, he focused on employment and civil rights litigation, ultimately establishing his own legal practice. Among the cases on which he worked was the 1992 Chicago ward remapping case, in which he argued that Chicago wards had been unfairly drawn to stifle the voting power of black and Latino residents. Celebrated Ghanaian pilot Captain Solomon Quainoo has advised the youth to seize the opportunity to live their dreams by directing their energies into useful ventures. According to Captain Quainoo, being optimistic and putting effort into working hard can lead one to achieve greater heights. 'I have always wanted to become a pilot since I was a child. Unfortunately, the journey became murkier along the line. From a very poor background, it was not easy for me at all but with perseverance and good faith, I never gave up my dreams," he added. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Peace FM's Emmanuel Bekoe at the Headquarters of Emirates in Dubai, Captain Quainoo bemoaned it is quite worrying to see a section of the youth give up their dreams easily when they are faced with "complex challenges. Whenever you quit, you have less knowledge of what you could achieve". Touching on the much talked about Dubai Expo 2020 that seeks to connect 193 countries in Dubai, Captain Quainoo mentioned that it was a rare opportunity for him to fly participants and visitors to Dubai. 'The advantages and opportunities of Dubai Expo 2020 is huge and I am looking forward to discharging my duties creditably. Fortunately, here at Emirates the work gets easier as a result of our hardworking team," he concluded. Captain Quainoo rose to prominence when he became the first Ghanaian to fly the world's largest passenger aircraft, Emirates Airbus A380 to Ghana. Source: Emmanuel Bekoe 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 With all eyes on the Democratic presidential race, its difficult for candidates running in down-ballot primaries on Super Tuesday to get much attention. Its even more challenging when there are eleven candidates running for their partys nomination in one congressional race, as is the case in the Republican campaign to succeed retiring North Carolina representative Mark Meadows. Basically, what the local papers have all said is theres too many people running and they want to try to give people equal coverage, said Dan Driscoll, a young Republican Iraq War veteran running to replace Meadows, in a phone interview on Sunday. With the local media not particularly interested in the race, Driscoll has instead relied on grassroots campaigning: We have 25 guys who deployed with me to Iraq . . . making calls to voters. The good news for Driscoll, as he tours VFW halls and those who served with him call voters across the district, is that he has a winning story to tell: After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, the North Carolina native attended Army Ranger school and was then deployed to Iraq. When he got home, he attended Yale Law School on the G.I. bill. He graduated from Yale in 2014 and has worked for the last several years investing in businesses across his home state. The bad news for the political newcomer is that he faces formidable candidates in tomorrows primary. State senator Jim Davis has an advantage as the only elected official in the race. And realtor Lynda Bennett has the backing of the outgoing Meadows, a powerful Trump loyalist who announced his surprise retirement just 30 hours before the filing deadline in what some saw as a (failed) attempt to help her a friend of his wife by keeping other strong candidates from entering the race. A recent report showed that Bennett has had the most money spent on her behalf by outside groups, including House Freedom Action, which backs members of the House Freedom Caucus that Meadows used to chair. But spending on Driscoll hasnt lagged too far behind, thanks in part to support from the With Honor super PAC, which backs veterans from both parties. Driscoll has also earned the support of other veterans in Congress, including Arkansas senator Tom Cotton and Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger. Story continues As is the case in many Republican primaries, the candidates are trying to tie themselves as closely to President Trump as possible. For Driscoll, that has meant rolling out a TV ad hailing the presidents decision to authorize the targeted killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani while highlighting his own service in the Army. When I served in Iraq, our unit encountered IEDs the work of terrorists like Qassem Soleimani. The men I led all came home. We were lucky. President Trump killed Soleimani when others wouldnt, saving American lives and keeping our country safe, Driscoll says in the ad. Asked Sunday what he makes of the presidents newly announced deal with the Afghan Taliban, Driscoll was diplomatic. Putting American soldiers lives at risk is a difficult decision that President Trump has had to make during his time in office. I appreciate why it could feel like a win to de-risk that situation. I think the worry that I would have is that a strong American military abroad keeps America safe at home, he said. Driscoll can look toward the experience of Texas representative Dan Crenshaw for hope as he heads into tomorrows primary. Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, was written off in 2018 by most political observers because he was running in a Republican primary against a self-funding multimillionaire and a popular state representative, but he made it to the runoff by edging out the former by 145 votes. Of course, being a young veteran with an impressive biography isnt a surefire way to win a Republican primary: Just last month, Purple Heart recipient Jason Church lost a primary to state senator Tom Tiffany in the northern Wisconsin race for GOP representative Sean Duffys House seat. Although the campaign-finance numbers have been encouraging for Driscoll, there has been no public polling in the eleven-way race to succeed Meadows, so its hard to say where things stand heading into tomorrow. What is certain is that if no candidate gets at least 30 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will head to a runoff election on May 12. Driscolls had to navigate a crowded field to get this far, and his quest for the partys nomination may not end on Super Tuesday. More from National Review NC school district to investigate survey asking kids their sexual orientation, gender identity Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A school district in North Carolina announced that it will investigate how a controversial survey got distributed to kids asking them about their sexual orientation and gender identity. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Earnest Winston told local media outlet WSOC Channel 9 that the school district was looking into who was responsible for the survey. I am very concerned with the timing and the way in which I was informed about the actual survey, said Winston to WSOC. It did not occur to the expectation that I have. I have expressed that to staff, and it is an active human resources matter. The questions on sexual orientation and gender identity were part of a Title IX survey and were pulled following outcry from several parents, according to WSOC. When asking for gender identity, the options included Male, Female, Non-Binary, and Gender-Fluid. The sexual orientation question included options like Pansexual, Asexual, and Questioning my sexual orientation. We want to be fully transparent about this process, added Winston. We are going to work as hard as we can to avoid a similar occurrence from happening in the future. We have an obligation to our families, to our students. We have an obligation to our staff and to our schools to communicate effectively to our families when dealing with sensitive matters such as these. The Rev. Franklin Graham, head of the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, saw this as proof that parents needed to pay attention and stay involved. Im sure many of these young students didnt even know the meaning of some of the orientation categories listed as optionsprobably some teachers didnt either, posted Graham to his Facebook page. A number of parents were upset, and Im glad that Superintendent Earnest Winston was quick to say he was going to get to the bottom of how it happened. Graham also stated that he believed whoever was responsible should be fired, dismissed, terminatedperiod. They obviously dont have discernment about what is the right thing to do for children. In 2016, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools attempted to implement a policy allowing students to use the public facilities of their chosen gender identity rather than their biological sex. Criticized by conservative groups, the measure went against state law on public restrooms and gender identity. In August 2016, the school district decided to backtrack on the policy. New Delhi: In the Nirbhaya rape and murder case, Supreme Court on Monday (March 2) dismissed the curative petition of death row convict Pawan Kumar Gupta, who sought the commutation of his death penalty to life imprisonment. The top court dismissed Pawan's plea a day before the scheduled execution of the four convicts in the case. Pawan Gupta is the fourth convict in the case to file a curative petition. Notably, another convict Akshay Singh has also filed a fresh mercy petition before the President, which is pending. The five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice NV Ramana along with Justice Arun Mishra, Justice RF Nariman, Justice R Banumathi and Justice Ashok Bhushan heard the plea today. The apex court has already rejected the curative petitions of the three other convicts. The petition comes in the wake of a fresh death warrant being issued for the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, and Mukesh Singh, for their hanging at 6 am on March 3 at Delhi`s Tihar Jail. On Saturday, a Delhi court had asked Tihar jail authorities to file a report on an application moved by convict Akshay Kumar Singh, seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrant. Advocate AP Singh, the lawyer of the convict, had informed the court a "complete" mercy petition of the convict Akshay Kumar Singh has been moved before the President of India claiming that the earlier one, which was dismissed, did not have the "complete facts". Meanwhile, the SC has also slated for March 5 hearing on a petition filed by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), seeking directions to separately execute the convicts. The case pertains to the brutal gang rape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. Luxembourg yesterday became the first country in the world to offer free public transport, as the small and wealthy EU country tries to help less-well-off workers and reduce road traffic. Some cities elsewhere have already taken similar, partial measures. But the transport ministry said it was the first time such a decision covered an entire country. The free transport, flagged as an important social measure, affects approximately 40 percent of households and is estimated to save each one around 100 euros ($110) per year. Not all passengers were aware of the change, which was brought forward one day ahead of schedule. Its free? I didnt know, said a woman in her 50s who gave her first name as Dominique as she waited at Luxembourgs main train station. Transport workers were concerned about what impact the measure would have on their job security. We dont yet know what will happen to their positions, said one ticket seller at the station who declined to give his name. All the public transport workers are worried. Its not yet clear. Traffic woes The measure is part of a plan intended to reduce congestion. Private cars are the most used means of transport in the Grand Duchy, accounting for 47 per cent of business travel and 71pc of leisure transport. With more than 200,000 people living in neighbouring France, Germany and Belgium who work in Luxembourg and most of them driving in, that makes for major traffic jams at peak hours. The population of the tiny country is just 610,000 and those cross-border workers account for half the total employees. The capital city of Luxembourg has invested in its public transport network, notably by building a tram network, but commuters complain it is still patchy. It will be some years before the network links to the northern airport, for instance. Theres been an enormous delay to the development of public transport, said Blanche Weber, head of the Luxembourg Ecological Movement pressing for better links on environmental grounds. Systematic and continuous investment is a sine qua non (essential) condition for promoting the attractiveness of public transport, admitted transport minister Francois Bausch. Sales of tickets on the domestic network -- which cost two euros per journey -- previously covered just eight percent of the 500-million-euro cost of running the transport system. That shortfall will now be met from the treasury. Ticket machines are to be gradually removed from stations, but offices selling tickets for international train trips and for first-class seating in Luxembourg -- which continues to be a paying service -- will remain. Everi Holdings Inc. (NYSE:EVRI), which is in the hospitality business, and is based in United States, saw significant share price movement during recent months on the NYSE, rising to highs of US$14.46 and falling to the lows of US$10.40. 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 Everi Holdings's current trading price of US$10.40 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 Everi Holdingss 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 Everi Holdings What's the opportunity in Everi Holdings? According to my valuation model, Everi Holdings seems to be fairly priced at around 9.7% below my intrinsic value, which means if you buy Everi Holdings today, youd be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe the companys true value is $11.51, then theres not much of an upside to gain from mispricing. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Everi Holdingss share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility. What does the future of Everi Holdings look like? NYSE:EVRI Past and Future Earnings, March 2nd 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. With profit expected to more than double over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Everi Holdings. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in EVRIs positive outlook, with shares trading around its fair value. 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 the stock? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below its fair value? Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on EVRI, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for the company, which means its worth diving deeper into 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 Everi Holdings. You can find everything you need to know about Everi Holdings in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Everi Holdings, 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. MOLINE (AP) Orin Rockhold of Milan was leafing through his Feb. 7 New York Times when he turned to a full-page obituary for internationally acclaimed American artist Beverly Pepper. Rockhold knew that name well. His mind leaped back 40 years to 1981 when he and co-workers at the John Deere Foundry in Silvis spent months helping Pepper create more than a dozen monumental (big) metal sculptures ranging from nine to nearly 24 feet in height. Pepper was working as a resident artist under the auspices of the Visiting Artists Series, and Deere & Co. turned over nearly its entire foundry to Peppers to help create her art. This included the services of its engineers, draftsmen, pattern makers, foundry men, machinists, welders, assemblers and technicians. I think thats about all the foundry did when she was there, Rockhold, a pattern maker, said days after her death was announced, still sounding somewhat surprised. This was no cheap project. Under the chairmanship of William Hewitt, the unprecedented collaboration was Deeres contribution to art and the community. Other companies that contributed were Williams White Co., Keller Pattern Shop and Frank Foundries. Four of Peppers pieces remain in the Quad-Cities; other locations include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, the Albertina Museum in Vienna and the Power Institute of Fine Arts in Sydney. In Silvis, Pepper made sketches, draftsmen transferred them to graph paper with dimensions, then pattern makers used those specifications to make wood scale models. From there, molds were made and molten iron was poured into sand casts. It helped that Pepper knew how to weld not a common skill for women or artists of the time and she thoroughly understood the casting process. But production had many challenges. Producing the larger than usual castings required improvisation where standard equipment and processes were not adequate, according to an article by Robert S. Lee in the March 1982 issue of Modern Casting Magazine. Larger than existing flask (the frame for a mold of sand) equipment was needed. Ladle capacities required pouring at times with two and three ladles. Artistic, structural, molding and capacity requirements were sometimes in conflict. Assembling the works brought more challenges, according to Lee. Portability required disassembly into components that could be transported in freight elevators to indoor exhibitions. This called for hidden machined joints and fasteners, Lee wrote. In addition to Silvis, Pepper also had projects underway in New Jersey and Texas, so she would come and go. While here, she stayed at the homes of company executives, or at Rockholds home, or hotels, Rockhhold said. As part of her residency, groups could visit the foundry to watch her work, and she gave talks in the community. Photos and videos were taken as her art progressed and were made available for showing in schools. There were times when workers were surrounded by cameras, lights, interviewers and just the curious, according to Modern Casting. At the end of her residency, 10 pieces made at the foundry were exhibited at the Davenport Art Gallery, the predecessor to the Figge Art Museum, Aug. 20-Oct. 4, 1981, under the title The Moline Markers. When the show was over, they went to her New York gallery. Four others that were made in Silvis but were not part of The Moline Markers stayed in the Quad-Cities. Peppers work is what a layperson might call abstract. The pieces dont look like people or animals, although several casts in Silvis resemble giant tools, including a file, with serrated edges, and a screwdriver. In an exhibit catalog accompanying the show in Davenport, art gallery director Larry Hoffman noted that her sculptures exhibit linear edges, clean planes and intervals of negative space combined with a sensuous tactile surface which command artistic authority. Phyllis Tuchman, art historian and critic, wrote that the pieces seem to function as beacons, sentinels or totems. She also noted that they appear thin and reedy, and if one were to categorize these structures, one would dub them a type of archeological minimalism. The exhibition catalog is among the considerable memorabilia Rockhold collected about this once-in-a-lifetime project. As he talked about his role, he unpacked a large plastic storage tote filled Peppers sketches and notes, the graph-paper designs, newspaper clippings and photos. They put me as the lead man to get it done the way she wanted it done, Rockhold said. Pepper was real easy to work with, he added. I just followed her (direction), you know? I had a good understanding of what she wanted and she knew that. The feeling of camaraderie apparently was mutual. In a letter to William Hewitt, chairman of the board, dated Aug. 27, 1981, Pepper wrote that, I certainly could not have overcome countless obstacles, initially unseen, which came upon us in the development of the work, were it not for the special and generous help from the marvelous men and women with whom I worked. At the end of the catalog accompanying the exhibition, Pepper wrote her thanks to the men who turned her sketches into living, breathing art. Id like to speak of the foundry men who worked on the project and of those in particular who became eating and drinking buddies as well as guardian angels, she wrote. She identified 14 by name, including Rockhold. Rocky, as she called him, worked closely with me, overcame the seeming impossible, followed through when I wasnt present and understood what inner realities I was searching for, she wrote. The catalog concludes by saying that we (the people behind the project) are hopeful that this collaborative project has served as a model for expanding cultural endeavors of the major arts organizations within the community It has been an ambitious and noteworthy project. A second person is dead from the Seattle area's novel coronavirus and more suspected cases of the disease have arisen in Washington State, authorities said Sunday evening. Government health officials in King County, Washington, said that a man with underlying health problems in his 70s died Saturday at Kirkland's Evergreen Health facility. It is the same facility where authorities confirmed the country's first death from coronavirus on Saturday- a man with underlying health problems in his 50s. Authorities in the county have reported three new confirmed cases of coronavirus, all at Evergreen Health. They have included a woman in her 80s, a 90s woman and a 70s man. They were all in serious condition, with ongoing health complications. The four reported cases were citizens of a Kirkland nursing facility where two others- a patient and a worker- had recently tested positive. Also on Sunday, the county had previously reported two other patients, unrelated to the nursing facility, who were in critical condition at hospitals in Renton and Seattle. The county also reported previously two additional patients on Sunday, both unrelated to the care facility, who have been in critical condition at Renton and Seattle hospitals. As of Sunday night in the United States 88 cases of coronavirus were reported. The first of those cases was reported on Jan. 21 but a noticeable increase in the rate of diagnoses was seen this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday twenty-two U.S. cases were confirmed, including that of the country's first two deaths, both in Washington State. The cases found over the weekend included a combination of people who had flown to countries at high risk and claimed to have the infection in their homes. The cases were reported in Connecticut, Californian, Illinois, Rhode Island, New York, Florida and Oregon. A Manhattan woman is New York State's first confirmed case. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced New York State's first coronavirus case on Sunday, claiming that while flying to Iran a woman contracted the virus, she's now isolated from her home in New York City. The positive case in Manhattan was said by a state official from New York. The 32nd case was checked in New York City. All the cases before were negatively checked. Apparently, there are no exceptions. Saturday after a request from Governor Cuomo, New York State Laboratory has been given the ability to test for the novel coronavirus. Florida declares a public health emergency. There have been two cases of the virus in Florida late Sunday night which have led to a state declaring an emergency of public health. Gov. Ron DeSantis said in an executive order that two "presumptive positive" cases had been discovered in the country's Gulf Coast: one in Manatee County, home to Sarasota, and another in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa. Two health care workers in California test positive Two medical workers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area screened the coronavirus positively after being exposed to an individual already being treated for the virus at a Sacramento hospital, officials said on Sunday. Conditions for the employees weren't really available immediately, but officials of public health in Alameda County and Solano County said during a press release that the employees were isolated at home. The rate of infection has increased to over 88,000 globally. China registered an estimated 202 infections and 42 viral deaths, increasing its total number of reported infections to more than 80,000 and the total number of viral deaths to more than 3,000. Syria State Media: Turkish Forces Target 2 Syrian Planes By VOA News March 01, 2020 Syrian state media (SANA) said on Sunday that Turkish forces targeted two Syrian planes over the Idlib region. SANA reported pilots landed safely and got out of the warplanes in parachutes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the two jets went down over regime-held territory, likely after being targeted by Turkish F-16 planes. Turkey's Defense Ministry said the planes were targeted after one if its aerial drones was downed. The Syrian government announced it was closing its airspace for any flights or drones across the country's northwest. Syria's military said aircraft that try to enter Syrian airspace are expected to be treated with hostility and "shot down." "Any jet that violates our airspace will be treated as a hostile target that must be shot down and prevented from achieving its goals,'' the Syrian military statement said Syria's Idlib province is part of the last remaining Syrian territory held by Turkey-backed rebels. In February, 55 Turkish soldiers died in the area. The latest confrontations in Syria come amid increased tensions between Turkey and Russia-- the countries that support opposite sides of the Syrian civil war. On Sunday, Turkey's defense ministry said though the country is "successfully" continuing its military operation in northwestern Syria against the Russian-backed regime in Damascus, the Turkish government does not "desire or intention to clash with Russia." Via Operation Spring Shield Turkish military forces disclosed an intensification of their Operation Spring Shield military operation after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in a Syrian air strike in the Idlib region. "Following the heinous attack on February 27 in Idlib, Operation Spring Shield successfully continues. We don't have the desire or intention to clash with Russia," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, according to state news agency Anadolu. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on February 29 that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation saying that Moscow should let Turkey deal with the Syrian government forces. The continuous fighting in northwest Syria triggered a humanitarian debacle and reports say the single largest wave of displacement in the nine-year Syrian civil war. The United Nations said Sunday about 13,000 people traveled to Turkey's border with Greece, after Turkey officially announced its borders were open to migrants and refugees hoping to make their way into the European Union. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Over the last 30 years, habitat loss for imperiled species in the U.S. was more than twice as great on non-protected private lands than on federally protected public lands. The idea behind protected natural areas is simple: Protect them in perpetuity from those oh-so destructive ways of humans. These lands run the gamut from National Parks and National Forests to National Monuments and the National Trails System, among many other designations, such as public lands. Are protected public lands always protected? One might assume that once protected, always protected. But you know they say about assuming things ... and as it turns out, the current administration appears to see "protected" a bit differently. According to an article in Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, a study in the journal Science found that the Trump administration is responsible for "the largest reduction of protected public lands in history. Three months after taking office, Trump issued an executive order that led to dramatic reductions in the size of two national monuments in Utah Bears Ears National Monument, shrunk by 85 percent, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, shrunk by 51 percent."And that's just for starters. Theres a quiet, almost covert, effort to dismantle the public lands management infrastructure, Jim Lyons, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Interior Department in the Obama administration, told Yale. Its very effective. I call it evil genius. And really, is it any surprise? The acting director of the Bureau of Land Management is William Perry Pendley, who has long been a champion against federal control of public lands. Meanwhile, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt whose agency is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources has a curious CV for the position. His last job was as an industry lobbyist with a law firm that represents clients like Rosemont Copper Mine, Halliburton Energy Services, and the Independent Petroleum Association of America none of which would seem to be all that interested in preserving wilderness. Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah was established to protect one of most significant cultural landscapes in the U.S. BLM Federally protected lands preserve habitat for imperiled species So anyway, why does it matter? The answer to that question lies in more than 30 years of data (1986 to 2018) analyzed by scientists at Tufts University and the conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife. What they discovered is this: Habitat loss for imperiled species in the U.S. over this period was more than twice as great on non-protected private lands than on federally protected lands. As we are facing the extinction of species across the board, the study proves that federal land protection and the U.S. Endangered Species Act are effective ways for decreasing losses in species habitat. The study, US imperiled species are most vulnerable to habitat loss on private lands, was published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. And that's not important just for saving cute animals; losses in biodiversity have far-reaching effects. "Habitat loss and modification are the primary drivers of global losses in biodiversity, leading to reductions in population size and reproductive rates for many common and endangered species," notes Tufts University in a statement on the study. While there has been plenty of research looking at habitat loss around the globe, the study authors point out that most research has had limited geographic scope or looked at only one or a limited range of species. Which prompted them to attempt an understanding on a national level "how land jurisdictions and conservation policies translate to habitat protections on the ground." With this in mind, they gathered large scale data on habitat for 24 vertebrate species, all from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. The species have ranges both in federal and non-federally owned lands, covering nearly 50 percent of the country from coast to coast and including all major ecosystems in the continental U.S. Species included in the analysis: Gray wolf; aplomado falcon; Florida scrub jay; Utah prairie dog. D Avery; Burian; J Gallagher; Thaller. Species included in the analysis: Gray wolf; aplomado falcon; Florida scrub jay; Utah prairie dog. (Photos: D Avery; Burian; J Gallagher; Thaller.)/CC BY 4.0 Tracking habitat change for those species over time, they found that: Imperiled species lost the least habitat (3.6 percent) on federally protected lands. Imperiled species ost the most habitat (8.6 percent) on private lands lacking any protections. Meanwhile, state lands and lands protected by non-governmental organizations had losses of species habitat similar to one another (4.6 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively) still greater than losses on federal land. The authors explain what's going on, noting that "individual property rights are highly protected in the US ... and conservation laws like the ESA include exemptions for private actors." They say that these inefficient protections outside of federal lands will undermine past, present, and future conservation work. "Even where laws do apply, a lack of visibility and the voluntary nature of conservation initiatives on private lands mean that regulations may still fail to provide protections to habitat (eg oil development within the geographic range of the lesser prairie chicken). In addition to the lack of oversight over private actors, landowners may engage in preemptive habitat destruction to avoid perceived ESA landuse restrictions..." Since the study scanned 30+ years, the team was able to discern other information as well, such as the relative impact that ESA or Red List designations have in protected versus non-protected lands. Not surprisingly, they found that the ESA contributed to habitat protections on federal lands, with species losing less habitat after they were listed than before. Habitat loss (red areas) for the Red-cockaded woodpecker listed as endangered in the Gulf state region. (Adam Eichenwald, Tufts University) "By zooming out to the national level, the study provided us with a unique opportunity to examine whether certain regulations and jurisdictions were more effective in protecting habitats of endangered species," said Michael Evans, senior conservation data scientist at the Center for Conservation Innovation at Defenders of Wildlife and co-author of the study. "For example, we found that habitat preservation was linked more closely to federal protected land status and ESA protection, regardless of agency-specific regulations. Regulations for protection are different outside of federal lands, where reporting of environmental impacts is required, but minimization of these impacts may not be required." Another interesting thing the authors explain is that even when a species' range was entirely within federally protected land, what goes on around that land can have an impact. "We know from research conducted by other scientists that development surrounding protected areas can reduce the effectiveness of those protections for animals," said Adam Eichenwald, biology graduate student in the laboratory of professor Michael Reed at Tufts and first author of the study. "Not only that, but global climate change can force species to move, which we worry may eventually result in areas designed to protect species without any of their protected occupants." "At a time when the planet faces a looming extinction crisis, we need every tool available to protect species and their habitats," said Jacob Malcom, director of the Center for Conservation Innovation at Defenders of Wildlife and a co-author on the study. "This research illustrates the critical importance of America's federal lands system for conserving wildlife habitat and the urgent need for better protections on other land ownerships," he adds. "Biodiversity and the services it provides to society can be conserved through concerted effort and transformative change; protecting habitats must be an essential part of that effort." A recent study reveals that 2020 is a good year for Hispanic entrepreneurs as they expect growth and robust expansion among the Hispanic-owned businesses in the years to come. Hispanics and Latinos play a very important role in the economy of the United States. In a previous report of Latin Post it was mentioned that there is a substantial growth of Latino-owned small businesses in the U.S. The news outlet also mentioned that Latino-owned businesses have contributed $2.3 trillion to the economy since 2017 and has helped to create more than three million jobs. According to the fourth annual report of Bank of America Business Advantage 2020 Hispanic Business Owner Spotlight, Hispanic owners of small businesses in the United States are expected to have a brighter future in the years to come. It is also expected that there will be a robust expansion and growth this year. Moreover, in the report they presented, it was a survey that was participated by more than 1,000 entrepreneurs in the country and they found the following significant data according to a published article in AZ Big Media: In the next 12 months, 89 percent of Hispanic entrepreneurs plan to expand, which is two percent higher compared in 2019. An estimated 79 percent of Hispanic entrepreneurs expect a four-year high or increase in their revenue. One of the most interesting parts of their report is that it was also reported that 45 percent of the Hispanic entrepreneurs are planning to hire more jobs as their industry or business is booming. Elizabeth Romero, Small Business Client Management and Specialty Support Management, of Bank of America, said that Hispanic entrepreneurs are entering a new decade with positive signs in their industry. They found out that many of them already have a plan in the next coming year and in the years to come. The good thing is even though Hispanic entrepreneurs continue to face struggles in their business, Romero said that the Bank of America is still committed to helping Hispanic entrepreneurs to fuel the growth of their business. Why 2020 is a good year for Hispanic entrepreneurs? 2020 is a good year for Hispanic entrepreneurs because it was revealed in the study that 92 percent of the Hispanic entrepreneurs believe that small businesses will help to strengthen the Hispanic business community in the next five years. The majority of them also believed that their business will advance and grow in the decade. These are there five goals in the next 10 years: Increase their revenue Prioritize the presence of digital marketing in their business Expand into new markets Increase staff by hiring more employees Automate their business automation This is the year of the decade where Latino and Hispanic entrepreneurs are expected to establish more small businesses and help the economy of the United States. The presence of Latino and Hispanic communities in the country is now greatly acknowledged because of their big impact. Meanwhile, 62 percent of the Hispanic owners are confident that the local economy will improve in the year to come and 53 percent believed that there will be a significant improvement in the national economy in the next 12 months. FT. MYERS, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / NeoGenomics, Inc. (NEO), a leading provider of cancer-focused genetic testing services, announced today that the company has been awarded a three-year contract with HealthTrust Purchasing Group (HPG). Effective March 1, 2020, NeoGenomics will serve as the cornerstone laboratory for HPG's Specialized Reference Laboratory for Oncology & Cancer Genetics, a newly-created category for oncology diagnostics in personalized medicine. "We are honored to be awarded this contract to provide our testing services for all HPG-affiliated hospitals, cancer centers, pathology groups, and oncology/physician providers nationwide," said Douglas M. VanOort, Chairman and CEO, NeoGenomics. "This agreement gives NeoGenomics the distinction of being the first specialized oncology laboratory to become a preferred in-network lab option to help HPG members diagnose and treat cancer." The agreement secures standardized corporate pricing for all HPG-affiliated facilities and health care providers nationwide, and it provides access to the extensive portfolio of NeoGenomics' cancer diagnostic and oncology genetics testing services and emerging informatics solutions. About NeoGenomics, Inc. NeoGenomics, Inc. specializes in cancer genetics testing and information services. The Company provides one of the most comprehensive oncology-focused testing menus in the world for physicians to help them diagnose and treat cancer. The Company's Pharma Services Division serves pharmaceutical clients in clinical trials and drug development. Headquartered in Fort Myers, FL, NeoGenomics operates CAP accredited and CLIA certified laboratories in Ft. Myers and Tampa, Florida; Aliso Viejo, Carlsbad, Fresno and San Diego California; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and CAP accredited laboratories in Rolle, Switzerland, and Singapore. NeoGenomics serves the needs of pathologists, oncologists, academic centers, hospital systems, pharmaceutical firms, integrated service delivery networks, and managed care organizations throughout the United States, and pharmaceutical firms in Europe and Asia. For additional information about NeoGenomics, visit http://www.neogenomics.com/. Story continues About HealthTrust HealthTrust (HealthTrust Purchasing Group, L.P.) is committed to strengthening provider performance and clinical excellence through an aligned membership model and the delivery of total spend management advisory solutions that leverage operator experience, scale and innovation. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, HealthTrust (www.healthtrustpg.com) serves over 1,600 hospitals and health systems, and more than 43,000 other member locations including ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, long-term care and alternate care sites. Twitter @healthtrustpg. Forward Looking Statements Certain information contained in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as the result of the Company's ability to continue gaining new customers, offer new types of tests, integrate its acquisition of the Genoptix business and otherwise implement its business plan, as well as additional factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 26, 2019, amended by a 10K/A filed with the SEC on May 8, 2019. As a result, this press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's periodic filings with the SEC. In addition, it is the Company's practice to make information about the Company available by posting copies of its Company Overview Presentation from time to time on the Investor Relations section of its website at http://ir.neogenomics.com/ . Forward-looking statements represent the Company's estimates only as of the date such statements are made (unless another date is indicated) and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's estimates as of any subsequent date. While the Company may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if its estimates change. For further information, please contact: NeoGenomics, Inc. William Bonello Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer Director, Investor Relations (239) 690-4238 (w) (239) 284-4314 (m) bill.bonello@neogenomics.com SOURCE: NeoGenomics, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/578510/NeoGenomics-Announces-Three-Year-Contract-to-be-Cornerstone-Oncology-and-Cancer-Testing-Laboratory-for-Large-National-Group-Purchasing-Organization Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 17:49:46|Editor: yhy Video Player Close RABAT, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan security forces arrested on Monday four people with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) terror group. According to a statement by the ministry of interior, a pro-IS terror cell of four people aged between 23 and 51, was dismantled Monday in the city of Sidi Sliman western Morocco. Electronic devices, bladed weapons, a military trellis, several manuscripts proving the adherence of the suspects to IS ideology, were seized, the statement added. KYODO NEWS - Mar 2, 2020 - 17:18 | All, World South Korea's military said Monday that North Korea fired from its eastern coast two projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles, its first such launches this year. The projectiles were launched from near Wonsan at around 12:37 p.m. toward the Sea of Japan and flew about 240 kilometers after reaching an altitude of about 35 km, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that it is on the lookout for any additional launch. No ballistic missiles have landed in waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone, the Japanese Defense Ministry said, adding that it has received no reports of damage to aircraft or ships that were in the area. "Given the flying distance and altitude of the projectiles, they seem, for now, to be short-range ballistic missiles, the same ones that North Korea fired last year," a South Korean military official said in a briefing. In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, "The government has been in contact and close coordination with the United States and South Korea since right after the launch." The top government spokesman declined to give details, saying at a regular briefing that a "comprehensive and technical" analysis is necessary. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday that leader Kim Jong Un guided a "joint strike drill" of units in the military in the country's east the previous day. The report seems to suggest North Korea is ready to proceed with the training of military personnel and the development of weapons with talks between the United States and North Korea on the latter's denuclearization stalled. "The joint strike drill that started on Feb. 28 seems to be continuing," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said after Monday's launches. The United States and South Korea have postponed their annual joint military exercises planned in the spring due to the coronavirus outbreak. The North opposes U.S.-South Korea military exercises, viewing them as preparations for a potential invasion. North Korea conducted multiple test firings of projectiles between May and November, including short-range ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Related coverage: North Korea's Kim oversees military drills amid fears over virus spread China fires over 100 missiles in 2019, far more than U.S. Coronavirus cases continue to surge in South Korea, top 4,200 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. On a hot summer day in July 2018, Matthew McLaughlin was the target of an errant bullet that wound up killing an innocent 67-year-old bystander on a New Brighton street. Less than three months later, on Oct. 3, McLaughlin had a gun in his hand. In a hail of bullets, he and another man traded shots on a busy Stapleton street, sending bystanders scrambling for cover, said authorities. Fortunately, no one was hit. And while McLaughlin managed to dodge the bullets, he couldnt avoid a felony conviction. The 21-year-old Stapleton resident has pleaded guilty to a weapon charge that will put him behind bars for up to four years. The events unfolded at around 2:46 p.m. on Oct. 3 near the intersection of Targee Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, said a criminal complaint. McLaughlin and Anthony Robinson tacitly agreed to engage in a gun battle in an area occupied by numerous bystanders, said court documents. The location is near a deli and across from a row of stores often bustling with customers and area residents. A Home Depot outlet is nearby. A criminal complaint for McLaughlin said he fired in the direction of heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic. A separate criminal complaint for Robinson said surveillance videotape showed multiple people running for safety. McLaughlin, whose address police listed on Gordon Street in Stapleton, was busted on Oct. 11. He was indicted on charges including first-degree assault, criminal weapon possession and criminal firearm possession. Robinson, who is also known as Quashawn Stephens, was arrested two weeks later on Oct. 26, said court records. He was indicted on a number of charges, including attempted murder, assault and criminal weapon possession. Last March, Robinson, then 25, pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to second-degree criminal weapon possession to resolve his case. He was sentenced the next month to 42 months in prison and an equal amount of post-release supervision. On Thursday, McLaughlin pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal weapon possession to satisfy all charges against him. In exchange, hell be sentenced on March 19 to two to four years behind bars. Court records said McLaughlin has a prior felony conviction for attempted second-degree criminal weapon possession. He was sentenced in August 2017 to a year in jail, said those records. My client is such a young man, said defense lawyer Mark J. Fonte. It is my hope that he has learned from this and will use the remainder of his life to be a productive and law-abiding citizen. In a statement, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said the resolution of the case ensures that this defendant will serve many years in prison and, while doing so, the people of Staten Island will be safe from his dangerous and senseless conduct. This office will continue to hold those who carry illegal firearms and endanger the safety of our streets accountable, said McMahon. The D.A. also praised Assistant District Arda Ozdinc for his work on the case. While McLaughlin twice escaped being shot, Frances Williams wasnt as lucky. Williams, affectionately known as Miss Franny, was fatally struck on July 10, 2018, while standing at a bus stop on Jersey Street near Pauw Street. At the time she was hit, Isaiah Kelson, an alleged West Brighton gang member, and another man were firing at McLaughlin, who was running down Pauw toward Jersey Street. McLaughlin, an alleged rival gang associate known as Fiji, managed to escape. Last week, Kelson was convicted at trial of murder and other charges stemming from Williams death. He faces up to 25 years to life when sentenced on March 12 in state Supreme Court, St. George. People coming from South Korea undergo health checks at Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam, March 1, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Cuong. After Vietnams two biggest airports banned the entry of people arriving from South Korea on Covid-19 fears, nearly 1,000 have entered through smaller airports. On Sunday three flights from South Korea carrying 600 passengers landed at Can Tho Airport and two others at Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh Province, home to world-famous Ha Long Bay, with 369 people on board. Earlier the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) announced that Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, the countrys two main airports, banned flights from South Korea with effect from 1 p.m. Sunday. People coming to Hanoi have to land at Van Don Airport, four hours away by road, while those coming to HCMC will have to travel a similar distance from Can Tho. Of the 600 arriving in Can Tho, 85 were from Daegu and North Gyeongsang, South Koreas main Covid-19-hit areas. After their temperature was checked and health declarations were obtained, all were placed under 14-day quarantine at the military school in O Mon District. Of the 369 people landing in Quang Ninh, 21 were foreigners. The Vietnamese passengers were taken by military vehicles to Military Region 3 bases for isolation while the foreigners were quarantined in Cam Pha and Ha Long towns. South Korea is the worst-hit country after China with over 4,212 cases so far, mostly in Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang. As of Monday morning 22 people have died of the disease. Around 200,000 Vietnamese citizens study or work in South Korea, 8,285 living in Daegu and 18,502 in North Gyeongsang. In the last few days Vietnams two main airports Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat have been receiving a large number of passengers from South Korea, overloading quarantine facilities. HCMC received over 6,800 between February 23 and 29 while Hanoi received around 2,000 on February 27 and 28 alone. Airlines are required to inform all passengers traveling from South Korea to Vietnam to be truthful when filling in their health declarations and take the 14-day quarantine period into consideration when booking flights. The Vietnamese government has deployed various measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including canceling many flights to and from South Korea and suspending visa-free entry for South Koreans starting from Saturday. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered Tuesday last week to suspend entry for everyone coming from epicenters in coronavirus-hit countries and territories, including South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy. Those who have to enter Vietnam for state affairs or exclusive matters must follow the nations health declaration procedure and stay in quarantine for 14 days. Vietnam has recorded a total of 16 Covid-19 patients, all of whom have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The country has reported no new infection case since February 13. The global death toll from the Covid-19 epidemic amounted to 3,059 on Monday. A man in Beijing, where everyone is told to stay home due to the coronavirus, visited a mall and took a video camera. It's all but deserted: you can get served, but you're not allowed to hang around. Jump a third of the way in for the "action". P.S. This is basically every mall in Pittsburgh on a weekday except the one nice one with the Nordstroms. Boris Johnson has said he is 'absolutely delighted' about becoming a father again with new fiancee Carrie Symonds - but his second wife Marina is reportedly 'crushed' and their four children 'furious' about his news. Ms Wheeler, who recently beat cervical cancer, is divorcing Mr Johnson after throwing him out in 2018 amid claims he was having an affair with Ms Symonds. She is also said to be aggrieved that Boris became engaged and tried for a baby while they are divorcing. A friend told the Daily Mirror: 'Marina has had a tough year with her health scare and the divorce and is very worried about how the kids are handling it too. She's just in pieces over it all' - another insider added the 55-year-old QC was 'crushed' by the news. Mr Johnson is thought to have told their four children Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, Cassia Peaches, 22, and Theodore Apollo, 20, last week that he and Carrie are having a baby. But not all of his children reportedly bothered to turn up for their father's announcement and are said to be 'furious' because they believe Carrie and Boris got together after an affair. Boris Johnson's second wife Marina (pictured together in 2015) is reportedly 'crushed' and their four children 'furious' about his decision to marry again and have another child - his sixth Carrie announced they were engaged and having a baby on Saturday night - Boris told his children last week but not all of them turned up to hear it in person, it has been reported Boris, pictured with his four children from his marriage to Marina, right, pictured together in London when she became a QC in 2016 On discovering his relationship with with Carrie, who is 24 years Boris' junior, Lara told friends he was a selfish b*****d and all the children are said to have been supporting their mother through the divorce. How many children does Boris Johnson have? 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. 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. 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. It is not known if Boris has any more children - but his baby with Carrie will be his sixth, officially. Advertisement Boris has a fifth child from an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Boris and Carrie's announcement was made just 11 days after his divorce settlement with Marina Wheeler was agreed in court. The couple had been married for 27 years and have four children, with Ms Wheeler - a successful barrister - reportedly in line to receive 4million from her husband. Reports have suggested that Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds might 'slip away quietly abroad to marry in private' but their plans are unknown. Ms Wheeler was granted a decree nisi by the courts more than a year ago - but it is not yet confirmed if a decree absolute has been issued. The Prime Minister, 55, and Carrie Symonds confirmed they were engaged and expecting a baby, following months of rumours inside Westminster. Asked about the pregnancy yesterday, he smiled as he responded: 'Absolutely delighted, I'm absolutely delighted, of course.' However, Mr Johnson has not revealed if he intends to take paternity leave and the baby is believed to be due at the time of a series of crucial foreign summits. Miss Symonds, 31, has told friends she is around five months' pregnant, meaning she is likely to give birth in June. Mr Johnson is due to attend key events including the G7 summit in the US and the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Rwanda that month. He is also expected at a high-level Brexit summit in the days before a crucial European Council meeting in Brussels, meaning he could be away from Britain for at least 11 days in June. Boris' daughter Lara (together in 2012) reportedly branded her father a 'selfish b*****d' after allegations he had an affair with Carrie surfaced in 2018 Mr Johnson is thought to have told their Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, (left) Cassia Peaches, 22, (centre) and Theodore Apollo, 20, (right) last week that he and Carrie are having a baby Mr Johnson is believed to have proposed to Miss Symonds during their Christmas break in Mustique, but the pair kept the engagement quiet while his divorce from his second wife was agreed. The couple met when Miss Symonds worked on his successful bid for a second term as London Mayor in 2012, but were only linked romantically in 2018, shortly after his split from Miss Wheeler. The wedding will be Mr Johnson's third and he has at least five children already four with Miss Wheeler and a fifth from an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre. He will become the first prime minister in history to get divorced, and married, and have a baby while living in Downing Street. David Cameron and wife Samantha had their youngest daughter Florence in 2010, three months after he entered Downing Street. Tony Blair and wife Cherie had youngest child Leo when he was PM in 2000. Mrs Blair revealed in her memoirs that he was conceived on a visit to Balmoral. The timing of Miss Symonds' announcement prompted speculation that she also could have fallen pregnant at the Queen's estate in Scotland. She and Mr Johnson spent a night at the castle but returned to London the next day. It has also been suggested that the baby was conceived during the Conservative Party conference in Manchester in October his first as PM. Carrie Symonds was pictured in public for the first time in more than two months, on February 14. Boris Johnson's partner was spotted leaving through the more-discreet back entrance to No 10 Downing Street in central London Sir Charles Wheeler and Dip Singh after their Delhi wedding on March 26, 1961 Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018 and have four children together Bookmakers have begun offering odds for the name even though the gender is not yet known, with Charlotte and James early favourites. Winston and Emmeline have also been popular, because of the Prime Minister's wartime hero and Miss Symonds' support for women's rights. Stanley has been mooted as a tribute to Mr Johnson's father. Stanley Johnson, 79, hinted at the latest addition to his family in an interview for this month's edition of Saga magazine. He spoke about enjoying time with his grandchildren and said there may be 'more on the way'. Miss Symonds confirmed her pregnancy on Instagram, alongside a photograph of Mr Johnson kissing her cheek, apparently taken during their Mustique holiday. 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. Feel incredibly blessed.' Two weddings, three affairs, at least five kids, and a pole-dancing tech guru: The very busy love life of Boris Johnson The news 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. 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. 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. This approval will expedite wait time and improve New Yorks ability to more effectively manage the coronavirus situation as it unfolds, Mr. Cuomo said in a statement.For many, Sunday night, life was continuing as usual with some small adjustments. Some said they were reducing handshakes and hugs, while others said they were contorting themselves on the subway to keep from touching the poles. Street entertainers were asking to be paid by credit card rather than with cash. Meryam Khodja, 27, a regular commuter into New York who was at the Port Authority on Friday, rattled off a list of people who were worried about the disease: My sister, her boyfriend, my boyfriend, his mom, my parents, she said. Ms. Khodja had hoped to see Aladdin on Broadway, she said, but that plan was abandoned after her boyfriend said that sitting in a packed room with strangers was too much of a risk. And then there was Keyur Patel, 21, who runs a newsstand near Herald Square in Manhattan. Mr. Patel keeps hand sanitizer and a bowl of water for washing his hands inside his stall. When a sneezing customer makes a purchase, Mr. Patel said, he makes sure to wait until that person has walked away before vigorously washing his hands. I dont know if theyre sick or not, but they do buy Kleenex, he said. This one, Kleenex, has been selling a lot. Some museums have seen a dip in the number of visitors. Attendance is only slightly below what we modeled for the year during the past couple of weeks, although we are mindful that the rapidly changing environment may deter some travel plans, said Kenneth Weine, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All over the world, the rate at which humans consume fresh water is now approaching or surpassing the rate at which water sources are being naturally replenished, creating water shortages for people and ecosystems. In the western US, water shortages are becoming more frequent and more severe, and are putting many species of fish inhabiting western rivers at risk--but the scarcity of water is also risking the growth of cities in the region like Los Angeles and Phoenix. An important new study published this week in Nature Sustainability finds that irrigated crop production accounts for 86 percent of all water consumed in the western US--and of all the water used on western farms, by far the largest portion goes to cattle-feed crops such as alfalfa and grass hay. To alleviate the severe shortage of water in the region--especially in the Colorado River basin--the study's authors suggest that rotational fallowing farmland, leaving the land uncultivated for a period of time, could be a simple and affordable means of dramatically reducing water use in the region. Study co-author and principal investigator Ben Ruddell, who is also director of NAU's School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, leads the FEWSION project, a multi-institutional team effort launched in 2016 and funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF), to assess the nation's food, energy and water systems. The broader FEWSION research team contributed the data-intensive maps it has produced of these coupled human-natural systems. NAU assistant research professor Richard Rushforth, the lead data scientist on FEWSION, also co-authored the study. Beef and dairy production depleting water supply The study set out to assess river flow depletion across the US, identify the factors driving this depletion and evaluate options to reduce vulnerability to water shortages. The researchers estimate that two-thirds of the cattle feed being irrigated from western US rivers ends up as beef products, with the remainder going to dairy products. "The groundbreaking maps produced by FEWSION made it possible to link river depletion through the supply chain to irrigated alfalfa and hay and to beef and dairy production, then to urban consumers of beef and dairy in each city and county in the US," Ruddell said. According to the study, the team's findings "led to closer examination of the water use and ecological impacts associated with irrigation of cattle-feed crops. We pinpointed locations where these crops were being grown and modelled their associated depletion of river flow in local sub-watersheds. We then conducted an international supply-chain analysis to identify the locations where cattle-feed crops are transported and where the resulting beef products are consumed, thereby specifically linking end consumers of beef to effects on rivers. We subsequently explored the benefits and consequences of reduced feed-crop production and beef consumption through the lenses of water security, river ecosystem health, food security and agricultural economies." "We're using a lot of water to grow the cows that are the source of our burgers, steaks and milk," Ruddell points out. "In the Colorado River basin, that cattle feed water use is nearly three times greater than all the water used for urban, industrial and electrical power purposes combined." Along with the study's lead author and FEWSION contributor Brian Richter, Ruddell was surprised by some of their findings. "I can hardly believe that such a large fraction of our western water problems are linked to irrigation of cattle feed, or that such a large fraction of our western water problems could be fixed with a single prescription--fallowing. It's rare that science clearly finds a 'silver bullet' that solves such a big problem so well, and so affordably," Ruddell said. "Although the idea for this study of the US food energy and water system was proposed as part of the FEWSION project," he noted, "the roots of the ideas go back decades and involve many of the pioneers of river science and environmental sustainability--including Brian Richter, who is one of the founders of the science of river management for environmental flows. It takes a long time, generous research funding, and a broad team with diverse interdisciplinary skills for synthetic ideas like this to become a reality." Water security will depend on collaboration, choice, policy Scientists from 12 universities worldwide collaborated on the study, including Columbia University, Baylor University, the National University of Singapore, Nanjing Audit University and the University of Twente. Ultimately, they conclude, "Water security and river health in the western US will depend on the willingness of urban and rural water users to collaborate in design of demand-management strategies, the ability of political leaders to secure funding to implement those strategies and the willingness of beef and dairy consumers to reduce their consumption or select products that do not depend on irrigated cattle-feed crops. "My favorite food is cheeseburgers!" Ruddell admitted. "Individual choice, in addition to collective politics and policy, are important here. We need to be willing to pay a little more for more sustainable beef and dairy products, and we must strongly support politicians and policies that are willing to invest in solutions to the western water problem--including infrastructure, environmental flows and smart economic solutions like fallowing. Act with your votes and with your dollars. This is a problem we can afford to solve!" ### FEWSION was funded in 2016 by a grant from the Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems program (#INFEWS ACI-1639529), which is funded by the NSF and the US Department of Agriculture. CHARLESTON -- The Congressional Black Caucus Institute has announced a scholarship to honor the Rev, Clementa C. Pinckney, former state senator and senior pastor at Emanuel AME Church, who was killed with eight others in a racially motivated massacre in 2015. The CBCI seeks to continue his legacy of excitement and enthusiasm for political activism and empowerment by funding a scholarship to their political boot camp training for future leaders in his honor. The scholarship will fully fund the costs for an aspiring future political leader from the Charleston area to attend the CBCIs annual Boot Camp, an intensive weeklong political training held in Washington, D.C., each summer. The selected scholarship recipient will go through a rigorous application review process to demonstrate the passion, energy and commitment that will be required to be an effective future leader. The scholarship recipient will become one of more than 600 CBCI political training alumni whove gone on to serve their communities in diverse capacities from a local school board to the U.S. Presidents Cabinet. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Telecom gear maker Nokia on Monday said its board of directors has appointed Pekka Lundmark as President and CEO to succeed Rajeev Suri. Lundmark is expected to start in his new role on September 1, 2020 and will be based in Espoo, Finland, the company said in a statement. It added that Suri, Nokia's current President and CEO, had indicated to the board earlier that he was considering stepping down from his role at some point in the future, provided a solid succession plan was in place. "Nokia's board of directors has conducted a structured process for CEO succession and has been working closely with Suri to develop internal candidates and identify external candidates. That process culminated today, March 2, 2020," it said. Suri will leave his current position on August 31, 2020, and continue to serve as an advisor to the Nokia board until January 1, 2021, as per the statement. Lundmark is currently President and CEO of Fortum, an energy company based in Espoo, Finland. Prior to Fortum, he has served as President and CEO of Konecranes. Between 1990-2000, Lundmark held multiple executive positions at Nokia, including Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Nokia Networks. "With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia," Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia board Chairman, said. Lundmark has deep experience in telecommunications networks, industrial digitisation, and key markets such as the US and China; and a focus on strategic clarity, operational excellence and strong financial performance, Siilasmaa added. "After 25 years at Nokia, I have wanted to do something different. Nokia will always be part of me, and I want to thank everyone that I have worked with over the years for helping make Nokia a better place and me a better leader," Suri said. A surgeon found guilty of murdering his wife has died aged 99 - more than ten years after his release from prison with terminal cancer. Dr. Charles Friedgood injected his wife, Sophie, 48, with a deadly dose of the painkiller Demerol in 1975. He was released from prison in December 2007 and died in May 2018 in Florida. His death had not been previously reported. Sophie had suffered a stroke at the age of 33 which left her invalid. She died in the 18 room family home, where the couple bought up their six children, in Great Neck, New York. Friedgood is said to have been found with $450,000 of his wifes cash, bonds and jewelry when he was arrested at JFK airport. He was allegedly heading to his Danish lover, a nurse who had cared for Sophie and with whom he had two children. Dr. Charles Friedgood injected his wife, Sophie, 48, with a deadly dose of the painkiller Demerol in 1975. He is pictured at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in 2007 Dr. Charles Friedgood is escorted by Nassau County sheriff's deputies in Mineola in 1976. He was released from prison in December 2007 and died in May 2018 in Florida Friedgood signed his wifes death certificate, stating that the cause of death was stroke but a suspicious prosecutor ordered an autopsy. It was then determined that Mrs. Friedgood had been injected with a deadly dose of Demerol, a painkiller. Friedgood was handed a 25-years-to-life sentence. Friedgood told a parole board in 2007: 'I cant even at this time believe that I would do such a stupid thing, and its lust for another woman, greed for money. I can assure you Id never repeat such a crime. 'What you are seeing today is an 89-year-old man that is altogether different than he was 35 years ago. 'What good is it doing the government to have me here in the prison? I feel that I am rehabilitated with remorse and the realization of what I did was wrong.' His brother-in-law, Sidney Klemow, said that same year: 'I knew he was guilty the minute it happened.' Friedgood died in West Palm Beach in May 2018 and was buried in Lake Worth, according to The New York Times. He had earlier told the paper he was remorseful for 'not taking better care of her [Sophie] and that I should have watched and been more diligent with the injections'. Asked if he was glad she was dead, he added: 'Not glad, but I felt, you know, sometimes I used to say when a person was in terminal malignancy and suffering: Sometimes its better you die and you not suffer so much.' At the time of his release from prison in December 2007 he had been the oldest inmate in New York States correctional system. He had served 31 years and had seen his requests for parole rejected multiple times before his eventual release. Commissioner Thomas P. Grant wrote: 'During your interview, you repeatedly cited your status as a senior citizen. It is important to recognize that your actions deprived your wife of the ability to enjoy such status.' On Saturday afternoon, Portage la Prairie RCMP arrested a 16-year-old male from Long Plain First Nation based on the strength of a Brandon Police Service-endorsed warrant, which had the man wanted for taking a motor vehicle without consent and failing to appear in court. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us On Saturday afternoon, Portage la Prairie RCMP arrested a 16-year-old male from Long Plain First Nation based on the strength of a Brandon Police Service-endorsed warrant, which had the man wanted for taking a motor vehicle without consent and failing to appear in court. The male was eventually released from custody over the weekend and is scheduled to appear in court in April. The Brandon Sun The leadership in Africa of King Mohammed VI, who is in charge of migration was highlighted at a meeting of Western Mediterranean countries in Marrakech (5+5). The King received the leadership following the success of Moroccos migration policy, which was commended as ground breaking in the continent, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita told participants. The 8th Ministerial Conference of the 5+5 dialogue on Migration and development, held in Marrakesh March 1-2, centered on migration policies, regular migration and development, integration of migrants and the fight against illegal migration. The King led actions to debunk myths surrounding migration as part of his efforts within the African migration agenda and contributed to invalidating stereotypes about African migrants, Bourita said. In his latest report to the African Union, the Moroccan Monarch drew attention on the characteristics of migration in Africa, which takes place primarily within the continent largely dwarfing migration to Europe as stereotypes tend to portray. Understanding migration characteristics and trends in Africa requires an African Observatory which the King called for its setting up in the African Migration Agenda. The Observatory, hosted in Morocco, will act as a regional data gathering, analysis and information exchange platform that will equip Africa with an instrument to promote coordination between African countries on migration issues. Morocco is also pushing for a multi-dimensional approach that breaks away with the exclusively security approach to the issue while encouraging a bi-continental commitment. Morocco ambitions that the 5+5 group acts as a lever for such an effort and becomes the driving force in favor of migration, Bourita said. Bourita reiterated Moroccos call for migration policies that promote regular migration including seasonal migrations and to coordinate actions against the root causes of forced migration. He also urged establishing an inter-connection between the already existing migration observatories or centers in order to promote data collection and sharing. There is also a need for a regional cooperation on migration on the basis of a political consensus between countries in the Western Mediterranean, he said. Afghan President Opposes Aspect of USTaliban Peace Deal Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said March 1 that he wont free thousands of Taliban prisoners ahead of all-Afghan peace talks, aiming at a provision outlined in the recently signed U.S.Taliban deal. The Taliban later said it wouldnt take part in the intra-Afghan talks unless the prisoners were released. According to the agreement, up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners would be released by March 10, when intra-Afghan peace talks are scheduled to start. The Taliban would release up to 1,000 prisoners. But Ghani said at a news conference in the Kabul that the United States couldnt promise the release of prisoners, adding that the decision was one for the Afghani people. He wouldnt release any before intra-Afghan peace talks start March 10. The request has been made by the United States for the release of prisoners, and it can be part of the negotiations, but it cannot be a precondition, said Ghani, who also called on the Taliban to sever their ties with all terrorist groups after the group committed to cutting ties with Al Qaeda. The Taliban responded on March 2, with a spokesman saying militants wouldnt take part in the intra-Afghan talks until the prisoners are released, according to Reuters. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, signs an agreement with Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan, at a signing agreement ceremony between members of Afghanistans Taliban and the U.S. in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Mohammad Ismail/Reuters) The proposed release of prisoners was near the top of the U.S.Taliban agreement. 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, it stated. Any Taliban prisoners released would 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. Asked about Ghanis comments on March 1 during an appearance on CBS Face the Nation, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to the document. It says that we will work with all relevant parties to build on confidence, to create confidence-building measures amongst all of the parties, the Afghan government, non-Taliban, and others in the Afghan. We want this to be an inclusive process, he said. Referencing past prisoner releases from both sides, Pompeo said the United States will know the identities of the militants released when asked if theyd stay off the battlefield if theyre released. Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani (C) speaks as U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper (R) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, (L) look on during a joint news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Mohammad Ismail/Reuters) The United States has focused on the Talibans responsibility, tying the slated withdrawal of U.S. troops to efforts by the group. All of our decisions moving forward are conditions-based and require the Taliban to maintain the ongoing reduction in violence. If the Taliban fail to uphold their commitments, they will forfeit their chance to engage in negotiations with the Afghan government, and will not have a say in the future of this country, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told troops in Afghanistan last week. The ultimate goal, he said, is to reduce the U.S. presence in Afghanistan down to zero. The initial reduction would see the troop level drop from 13,000 to 8,600. President Donald Trump told reporters over the weekend that hed be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-too-distant future. He didnt say where the meeting would be held, and Pompeo said he wasnt sure when or where the meeting would take place. I really believe the Taliban wants to do something to show that were not all wasting time. If bad things happen, well go back, Trump said. I let the people know: Well go back, and well go back so fast, and well go back with a force like nobody has ever seen. And I dont think that will be necessary. I hope its not necessary. Associated Press NEW YORK Nicolas Vandenberghes company has 42 staffers scattered among 36 cities in 15 countries. As technology makes it possible for people to be in constant touch while working remotely, businesses like Chili Piper are becoming the norm. We have Zoom, Slack, and a myriad of other collaborative tools do we really need the in-person water cooler meetings? asks Vandenberghe, whose business makes software to help companies manage meetings. Vandenberghe himself is continually remote, splitting his time among Brooklyn, New York; Los Angeles; and France. Whether it means a parent working from home while caring for a sick child, a staffer who logs into a company computer daily from a coffee shop or an entire law firm that operates online, remote working is gaining momentum at small businesses. Technology that makes communication and meetings easy is a big factor in the growth of remote working, but so is the shrinking labor pool that accompanies an unemployment rate below 4% for over a year. Many companies no longer look for help close to their home base. Its hard to find definitive statistics on how many people work remotely. Gallups most recent survey in 2016 showed that 43% of employees worked remotely in at least some capacity; that was up 4 percentage points from 2012. But even as remote working grows, business owners find managing off-site staffers involves more than giving them the latest technology. Communication, for example, cant be left solely to videoconferencing and messaging apps like Slack. Three of Jazmine Valencias seven staffers are in her Los Angeles office, three are in New York and one is in Chicago. Her company, JV Agency, does marketing for the music industry. Valencias remote staffers can feel left out when the on-site team discusses issues. I have to over-communicate and make sure everyone is on the same page. This might mean more one-on-ones, more calls and sometimes just being constantly emailing or private messaging the remote team, Valencia says. I need to give them a sense of security. Owners say a remote operation cant work without trust between a boss and staffers, especially because it can be difficult for an owner to know what an employee is doing during a workday. Tyler Forte recalls that when he first managed staffers remotely, it was me checking on them probably too frequently. He worried about staffers at his real estate brokerage spending time on social media. But, over time, you develop trust with the employee, that were all working toward the same goal, says Forte, CEO of Felix Homes, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company has staffers in Los Angeles. Even if Im not overseeing every move, I believe they are doing their best to advance the goals of the company. Forte has found that project management software, an aid many owners use, helps him keep track of what everyone is doing. Sometimes the problem is very different from staffers goofing off. People have this idea that if you have a remote team, they wont work, says Emma Rose Cohen, CEO of Final Straw, a maker of reusable straws that has a hub in Seattle. Its the opposite if you hire the right people, theyre self-starters, and self-starters are often people who work too much. Shes alert to signs that any of her 15 staffers are spending too much time on the job, and when they tell her they feel burned out, tired or stressed, Cohen says its time to take a break. And shes very public about the fact she blocks off time for non-work things she needs to do. One reason employees take remote jobs is their bosses give them flextime; they can make their own hours, take time off for childrens activities or to go to the gym or walk the dog. That perk can help a small business attract and retain staffers. But remote work is a bad fit for some employees because it often is isolating; staffers can feel disconnected and even alienated from co-workers. That can be countered to some extent through messaging channels that allow everyone to chime in on a fun discussion. Cohen has gone further, creating channels devoted to specific topics such as pets or podcasts. When Andrew DeBell hires remote staffers, he flies them to his companys home base for interviews; thats one way to increase the odds theyll work well with the team at Water Bear Learning, a Ventura, California-based company that creates educational materials. Some owners find remote work can have a stifling effect on a teams creativity there are no light-bulb moments as staffers pass each other in the hallway, no riffing in a meeting, no break room chats that are unexpectedly productive. Youre able to feed off each other and brainstorm ideas better in person than when youve got several people on the phone, DeBell says. His company has one staffer in Denver and two in Ventura. It also has a network of freelancers in the eastern U.S. Vandenberghe encourages staffers to go to coworking spaces so they can avoid isolation. When he needs a brainstorming session, he flies staffers to where he is so they can meet in person. Saili Gosula has a remote administrative staffer and several onsite employees at her Synergy HomeCare franchise in San Mateo, California, and all of her caregivers work out in the field. Gosula has some of the same issues as owners whose work is computer-based; she does a lot of communicating and informing, trying to be sure that all her office staff is on the same page. As it turns out, Gosula uses some of the same skills with her caregivers, who are all working in sensitive, emotional situations as they care for elderly or sick people. We talk to them often, ask them how its going, Gosula says. We ask them questions every time we interact with them. Ever since it was founded on October 24, 1945, the UN Security Council was tasked with one main mandate, the maintenance of international peace and security. It does this by investigating the situations that seem to threaten peace, calls the parties involved to settle the dispute peacefully and gives recommendations on the same. In severe cases, the council imposes sanctions on member states, authorizes the use of the military and also calls for the severance of diplomatic ties and relations with the offending state. Formation And Member States In 1944, the Dumbarton Oaks Conference took place in Washington, DC. In attendance were delegates from the UK, China, the Soviet Union, and the US. The main agenda was the discussion of the United Nations' structure. The first five permanent members of the Security Council were selected, France, the Republic of China, the UK, the US, and the Soviet Union. The US attempted to have Brazil as part of the council but the suggestion was declined by the Soviet Union and United Kingdom's delegates. The five permanent members have the veto powers to block a resolution, but not to stop member states from debating on the said resolution. The first-ever Security Council meeting was held on January 17, 1946, in London. After the disbandment of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia took the spot on the permanent members. In addition to the five permanent member states, as of January 2020, there are 10 non-permanent members. The temporary members hold their positions for two years and are elected by the UN General Assembly. Niger, Tunisia, and South Africa represent Africa, Vietnam and Indonesia represent the Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe is represented by Estonia, Belgium and Germany represent Western Europe, and Latin America and the Carribean is represented by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Dominican republic. Each of the members holds the presidency of the council for a month in a year and is tasked with chairing meetings, overseeing conflicts and setting agendas. Role Of The UN Security Council In addition to maintaining international peace and security, the security council has a few other roles to play as the most powerful organ of the United Nations. It recommends new member states to the General Assembly. The Security Council also recommends the secretary-general of the United Nations appointment. Together with the General Assembly the council also appoints and elects judges for the International Court of Justice. Cold War During the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, the council was largely paralyzed. After the dissolution of the USSR, the council has become active in the peacekeeping endeavors. Conflict Resolution The Security Council has been instrumental in some of the world's biggest conflicts. In 1950 it authorized American involvement in the Korean war. In 1956, the first-ever UN Peacekeeping force was deployed to settle the Suez Crisis. It has also overseen the UN operations in Congo, the Salvadorian Civil War, the Namibian War, the Sierra Leone Civil War, the War of Darfur, Sudan, and several others. Despite all this, the council failed in some instances like in the Rwandan Genocide and in Bosnia. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Srilankan Civil War seemed to question the council's powers and effectiveness. Dividend paying stocks like Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology Company Limited (HKG:1289) 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. On the other hand, investors have been known to buy a stock because of its yield, and then lose money if the company's dividend doesn't live up to expectations. In this case, Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology likely looks attractive to dividend investors, given its 5.2% dividend yield and five-year payment history. We'd agree the yield does look enticing. Some simple analysis can offer a lot of insights when buying a company for its dividend, and we'll go through this below. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology! SEHK:1289 Historical Dividend Yield, March 2nd 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. As a result, we should always investigate whether a company can afford its dividend, measured as a percentage of a company's net income after tax. In the last year, Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology paid out 81% of its profit as dividends. Paying out a majority of its earnings limits the amount that can be reinvested in the business. This may indicate a commitment to paying a dividend, or a dearth of investment opportunities. Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. The company paid out 85% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is adequate, but reduces the wriggle room in the event of a downturn. 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. While the above analysis focuses on dividends relative to a company's earnings, we do note Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology's strong net cash position, which will let it pay larger dividends for a time, should it choose. Story continues Consider getting our latest analysis on Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology'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. Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology has been paying a dividend for the past five years. During the past five-year period, the first annual payment was CN0.15 in 2015, compared to CN0.05 last year. This works out to a decline of approximately 67% over that time. We struggle to make a case for buying Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology for its dividend, given that payments have shrunk over the past five years. Dividend Growth Potential With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS are growing. Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology's earnings per share have shrunk at 46% a year over the past five years. With this kind of significant decline, we always wonder what has changed in the business. Dividends are about stability, and Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology's earnings per share, which support the dividend, have been anything but stable. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. First, we think Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology is paying out an acceptable percentage of its cashflow and profit. Earnings per share are down, and Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology's dividend has been cut at least once in the past, which is disappointing. In summary, Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology has a number of shortcomings that we'd find it hard to get past. Things could change, but we think there are a number of better ideas out there. Are management backing themselves to deliver performance? Check their shareholdings in Wuxi Sunlit Science and Technology in our latest insider ownership analysis. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Read the full article on Motorious The Mach-E First Edition is already sold out, but here's your chance to win one while supporting a great cause. Love it or hate it, the all-electric 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E is coming, and it's going to be one of the most talked-about vehicles to come out this year. If you're in the "love it" group, here's a unique chance to win a limited-production First Edition and help a charitable organization at the same time. Ability Connection Colorado a non-profit organization serving people with disabilities is giving away a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition, and the drawing will take place on November 18, 2020. As a dedicated Motorious reader, you can increase your chances of winning a First Edition Mach-E by using promo code M3 at checkout to get 25 percent more tickets for free! For over 74 years, Ability Connection Colorado (formerly Cerebral Palsy of Colorado) has been helping people with disabilities and other life challenges live a life of inclusivity. This organization helps individuals and families with education, provides pathways to employment and provides statewide family support programs. Last fiscal year, Ability Connection Colorado served more than 40,000 individuals (children, youth and adults) using a team of 162 employees and close to 1,200 volunteers. Use Promo Code: M3 for the code to get 25% more tickets. Reservations of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition filled up in just 10 days, which means this sweepstakes is your last chance to get one of these limited production models. The First Edition stands out with distinct features such as red brake calipers, metallic pedal covers, contrasting seat stitching and "First Edition" scuff plates. Exterior colors will be limited to just three colors including the exclusive Grabber Blue Metallic color shown above. The First Edition will come with the Mach-E's base tune, but the Mach-E Performance Edition will be the top performing version with an expected output of 459 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque. Story continues Since Ability Connection Colorado is a non-profit organization, the donations for this sweepstakes could be tax deductible, although you would need to consult your tax professional to find out. Any donation amount is surely appreciated, but there are several packages set up starting with three sweepstakes entries for $25. Higher donation amounts include bonus entries, and don't forget to use promo code M3 at checkout to get 25 percent more entries at no extra charge. A minimum of $150,000 must be raised in order for the Mach-E to be given away; if that doesn't happen, the winner will split the net money raised with the Ability Connection Colorado. Sign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Protest-torn Iraq on Monday faced more political gridlock after prime minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew overnight, accusing lawmakers of obstructing his attempt to form a government. Oil-rich but poverty-stricken Iraq has for five months been rocked by the biggest wave of anti-government demonstrations since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled former dictator Saddam Hussein. The mostly youthful protesters demand the ouster of Iraq's entire political elite, which they accuse of being inept, corrupt and beholden to powerful neighbour Iran. Allawi's departure plunges Iraq deeper into uncertainty and leaves President Barham Saleh 15 days to propose a new candidate -- likely intelligence chief Mustafa al-Kazimi, according to political sources. But Kataeb Hezbollah, a hard-line paramilitary faction backed by Iran, warned against such a choice, with a spokesman on Monday saying al-Kazimi's appointment would amount to a "declaration of war." "He is one of those accused of helping the American enemy assassinate" top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who helped found Kataeb Hezbollah, spokesman Abu Ali al-Askari said on Twitter. The two died in a US drone strike near Baghdad two months ago. Iraq has been in legal limbo since outgoing premier Adel Abdel Mahdi stepped down in December, as the constitution makes no provisions for such a resignation. Allawi's withdrawal a month after his appointment marks another first for Iraq, which has never seen a premier-designate fail to secure parliamentary backing for a cabinet line-up. Iraq's bitterly divided parliament had on Sunday failed for a third time to convene a confidence vote on Allawi's proposed government. In a letter to the president, Allawi charged that some factions were "not serious about reform or fulfilling their pledges to the people". One Iraqi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that "political leaders are living in a bubble" and dealing with the crisis "as though nothing has happened in the country". - 'Holding Iraq hostage' - Allawi's withdrawal raised fears of a protracted political void, as Abdel Mahdi had pledged to formally step down by March 2, the constitutional deadline for parliament to approve a new government. But with Allawi out of the picture, Abdel Mahdi backtracked on Monday, saying he would stay on as premier until a new government is formed. "The most dangerous thing that we currently face is the prospect of a constitutional and administrative vacuum," he said in a statement. Allawi had been nominated as a consensus candidate among Iraq's divided political parties and had emphasised that his cabinet would be made up of technocrats and independents. Anti-government demonstrators had nonetheless rejected him as too close to the political elite. The protesters have backed Alaa al-Rikaby, a pharmacist who has emerged as a prominent activist in the southern protest hotspot of Nasiriyah. Many celebrated Allawi's departure as a victory. "We have already removed Abdel Mahdi and now Allawi," said Roqiya, a 20-year-old student demonstrating in Baghdad. Political commentator Hamid Abou Nour said Allawi's demise came precisely because he tried to reconcile the interests of political parties with those of the street, telling AFP that "he failed on both counts". - Rockets hit Green Zone - Allawi's successor will inherit the daunting task of reconciling the government with an angry street movement after months of demonstrations that have left nearly 550 dead and 30,000 wounded, most of them protesters. The new candidate must first secure the backing of the most divided legislature in Iraq's history and then lead a government until early parliamentary elections, which Abdel Mahdi said could take place in 10 months. Forming an Iraqi cabinet is a difficult task at the best of times, as quotas apportion posts to key Kurdish and Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities. This time around, political factions have again squabbled over how to share power, with ministries "up for sale", according to political sources. Compounding the situation, Kurdish lawmakers are expected to hold back support until they receive assurances on their share of the federal budget and of Iraq's oil revenues. Kurdish and Sunni MPs are meanwhile at odds with Shiite lawmakers, who since Soleimani's killing have angrily called for the expulsion of 5,200 US troops stationed in Iraq. Tensions soared further after rockets were fired at bases hosting US forces in attacks Washington blamed on Iranian-linked Iraqi Shiite paramilitaries, with further attacks reported in recent weeks. Most recently, two rockets were fired overnight into Baghdad's Green Zone, where the US embassy and American troops are based, in the 20th attack against US assets in Iraq in four months. A teacher at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan has immortalised some of the heroic moments of the citys battle against COVID-19 through a series of 30 pen drawings. Chen Huawen and his family have been living in the university compound since Wuhan launched its epidemic prevention and control drive in late January, which Chen himself also actively participated in. Deeply moved by the selflessness and dedication of the people around him, starting from Feb. 14, Chen decided to make use of his talent for drawing and sketched a series of pen drawings themed on Wuhans courageous battle against COVID-19. In order to improve his artwork, Chen always posted his completed pictures on social media and sought advice and comments from his friends. A lot of people are also cheering for Wuhan, said Chen. The subjects of Chens pen drawings are medical staff, People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers, hospital builders, community workers, volunteers, couriers and photojournalists, among others. "The characters in the paintings all wear masks. This has never been seen in my previous paintings, which also signifies that these pen sketches are special and monumental, he said. According to Chen, each figure in his work represents not a single individual, but a group of people, and he will continue to draw them and publish a collection of his pictures once the epidemic is over to show his respect both for Wuhan and the heroic people who are protecting it. For the first time in 14 years, both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly will consider eliminating the civil statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse and, for that matter, a range of sexual misconduct against children and adults. House Bill 1296 comes in the wake of an October report from the Attorney Generals Office detailing the extent of childhood abuse from Catholic clergy in Colorado and follows other scandals involving the Boy Scouts of America, USA Gymnastics and perpetrators outed through the #MeToo movement. The proposal would allow unlimited time for victims of sexual assault, sex abuse and unlawful sexual contact to sue their perpetrators or the institutions that harbored them, but only for future cases. Currently, survivors generally have six years to sue their abuser after they turn 18, and two years to sue an institution. Colorado Politics spoke to half a dozen people involved in creating the bill, whose final form was kept closely guarded until its introduction on Feb. 12. Many participants were aware of a similar proposals high-profile defeat in the 2006 legislative session. At the time, the Catholic Church and other affected institutions railed against the bills as unfair, and against the sponsors as being, in the words of then-Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, angry, disaffected Catholics. #MeToo slowed effort in 2016 Anne Marie Woodward said she had no idea of that history when she began researching the statute of limitations elimination in the spring of 2016. Im an OBGYN and Ive had a lot of patients who have been raped, she recalled. I also got the idea because my home church had a sexual predator for a pastor and they kept him there, despite me talking to him. Woodward turned to advocacy groups for sex assault survivors, including the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and The Blue Bench. They advised her that it would be difficult to introduce a bill in time for the 2016 session, and recommended she engage additional parties. She said she began to hold meetings every one to four months on the subject. Around 2018, Woodward approached a legislator about sponsoring a bill. At the time, the General Assembly was grappling with its own sexual misconduct problem. The House expelled Rep. Steve Lebsock, D-Thornton, over sexual harassment accusations, and Senate Democrats attempted to expel then-Sen. Randy Baumgardner, R-Hot Sulphur Springs, over his own sexual harassment complaints. The timing wasnt good, the legislator told Woodward about her proposal. In 2019, there was a breakthrough. The spotlight was on the prevalence of sexual misconduct, including from USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, multiple television personalities, politicians and celebrities. CCASA, which in past years had focused its advocacy on other victim-centered measures, would now get involved. We decided this is the year to bring it forward, Woodward said. And there was enough time between all the accusations within the Colorado Legislature that had time to die down. We hate to bring in a bill when its an emotional time. In early summer, CCASA polled its membership, asking which policies they wanted the organization to back in the 2020 legislative session. Elimination of the civil statute of limitations for behaviors to now be defined as sexual misconduct made the cut. Quickly, the organization had found three willing sponsors: Reps. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, and Matt Soper, R-Delta; and Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver. The lobbyists who know the statehouse better than any of us provided guidance, said Jeb Barrett of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and a childhood sex assault survivor . We finally determined that Michaelson Jenet would be a very good person because shes very enthusiastic and people listen to her. Raana Simmons, the director of policy for CCASA, approached Soper, who was inclined toward the bill from personal experience. In 2017, Soper attended a talk at New York Universitys building in Washington, D.C. Cindy McCain, who would soon become an ambassador-at-large for the Trump Administration, and then-U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., took questions about global sex trafficking. At that point in time, it really became apparent to me just how, by the time the victim is able to tell their story of being sexually assaulted, theyre usually in their 40s and 50s, even if they were assaulted as teens or in their 20s, Soper recalled. And by that amount of time, the statute of limitations had run. So that was already in the back of my head. Monthly meetings Into the summer, the group of coalition members met roughly once per month, with Simmons meeting more frequently with individual contributors. Approximately eight different victim advocacy groups were represented. Calls were made to CHILD USA, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that chronicles efforts to reform sex abuse statutes of limitations. When the attorney generals report on clergy abuse came out in October, the group speculated whether it would affect their work, making it seem that the bill was, like its 2006 counterpart, aimed at the Catholic Church. The victims groups were more of the perspective that this (report) is the right step forward. It highlighted in the news and in the public eye that now is the time to push forward, Soper said. Into the New Year, Simmons secured the final bill sponsor: Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose. His district included Pagosa Springs, the headquarters of Rise Above Violence, another CCASA member. Unlike in 2006, when three statute of limitations bills were sponsored solely by Democratic legislators, there would be one Democrat and one Republican in each chamber leading the bill. That, said everyone interviewed, was purposeful. We wanted to do everything we can to get the bill across the finish line and passed and signed by the governor, said Soper. We had several objectives. The bill had to be bipartisan in both chambers. That was number one. Number two, the sponsors ... all agreed to commit to each other that we were all going to be working hard to get this bill passed. A debate over 'lookback' On Jan. 16, Michaelson Jenet and Soper met with approximately 15 of the individuals involved whom Barrett termed the SoL Coalition. Pamela Maass, a plaintiff's attorney involved with drafting the bill, had been researching one of the highly controversial provisions from the 2006 legislation: a lookback window waiving the statute of limitations and allowing anyone whose time had expired to file a lawsuit. California first adopted such a provision in 2003, and other states have since opened their own windows. Maass found a 1980 case where the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that a statute of limitations provides a vested right which cannot be taken away or impaired by subsequent legislation. She talked to other lawyers, asking if the lookback was constitutional. The overwhelming feeling amongst the stakeholders is that the different pieces of legislation that they have tried to move forward over the years did not get through because of this desire to do this lookback window, said Michaelson Jenet. She mentioned in the meeting that the progress had to be incremental, and that the path was clearer by omitting the lookback window. Around Feb. 3, the decision was final: there would be no lookback provision. Simmons and the legislators kept the final version of the bill under wraps, such that some group participants saw its ultimate form only upon its introduction. The day of the bill's introduction, Simmons emailed the group. Despite our strong advocacy, however, the bill does not contain a revival window provision, she informed them. Many factors contributed to this result and ultimately, the decision was made to carry a meaningful policy forward this year while alternative options, outside the scope of the Legislature, continue to be explored. She added, I am disappointed that the bill does not contain the revival provision but truly believe that what is in the bill will have a significant impact on survivors in our state. The House Judiciary Committee will consider the bill at a Thursday hearing. Looking for ways to prepare for the coronavirus? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued bulletins and guidelines with information on how to deploy prevention strategies for coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. As of now, there is no vaccine to prevent the disease. The first coronavirus death in the United States was reported Feb. 29 in Washington state. The first confirmed case in New York was announced Sunday night. Heres a rundown of information for how to prepare and best practices, according to the CDC: First, one of the most important measures is to stay home when youre sick with respiratory symptoms, even if you suspect the flu. If public health officials or doctors recommend staying home when a family member shows symptoms, do so. The CDC refers to this strategy as voluntary home quarantine. Regularly wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds each time you sneeze, cough or blow your nose, before eating and after going to the bathroom. Officials believe the virus spreads from droplets when those infected sneeze or cough, much like the flu. Here are the CDC guidelines for washing your hands: 1. Wet your hands with warm or cold water, turn off the water, then dispense soap into your hands. 2. Lather up your hands, including the backs of your hands, under your nails and between your fingers. 3. If you need to gauge how long you should wash your hands, sing the Happy Birthday song in your head or hum it twice. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is another option (it should have at least 60% alcohol). Avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose. Sanitize countertops, tables and any household objects people frequently touch using cleaning spray or wipes. Use tissues and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Make sure those tissues go in the trash. Contact your doctor if you think you or anyone in your family is at high risk for complications due to the coronavirus. People buy water, food and toilet paper in Los Angeles as they begin to stockpile essentials to prepare for a coronavirus outbreak.Mark Ralston | AFP via Getty Images If you are out and about and theres an outbreak in the community, try to limit direct contact with others, including face-to-face meetings. You may choose to take part in social distancing, meaning working from home instead of meeting in person or canceling group gatherings. The CDC says you should also stay away from pets and animals if you are showing symptoms of coronavirus, and have someone else help with your pets. Here are some household items you can have at the ready: What else might you need in the event of a coronavirus quarantine? According to the Department of Homeland Securitys ready.gov: 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. Advertisement Anxiety in an exclusive Surrey market town at the centre of Britain's coronavirus crisis is heightening today as health officials still hunt for the mystery 'super-spreader' whose infection has been passed on to at least four people in the stockbroker belt. Haslemere, an affluent commuter community of 10,000 people nestled in the Surrey Hills where George Eliot penned the classic novel Middlemarch, is at the epicentre of a major outbreak that has seen its GP surgery and pub closed and children sent home from the local school. Today the nearby Hindhead Royal British Legion Club closed for deep cleaning after they found a customer who visited last Tuesday tested positive for coronavirus'. There is also growing anger and upset among Haslemere residents about the lack of information from Public Health England about who is ill - with one concerned resident saying in an online blast: 'Just name the person - and those who've been in contact can come forward. Easy!'. Another critic who fears her daughter could have been in contact with a coronavirus patient said: 'I do believe they should clarify the person in question'. Angela Turner, 39, said: 'If we know who it is then we can avoid their home. If we know their identity then it will stop all the speculation on social media. It cant be pleasant for them but at least they are isolated from everyone. And Stephen Howatt said: The more information we have the better. My main concern is that whoever has the Coronavirus stays indoors - as long as they follow all the advice were okay. Sunday shoppers in the town's upmarket Waitrose were seen wearing face masks and today a staff member told MailOnline that more than 30 people had called in asking to buy germ-killing hand sanitiser this morning. At the towns nearby Lloyds Pharmacy they have sold out of hand gel and the empty shelf has been filled with packs of tissues. Homemade posters have also appeared in the town declaring: 'Haslemere, twinned with Wuhan' with one resident admitting on the town's community Facebook page: 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't - but if I don't laugh i'll cry'. In an ironic twist, Haslemere was chosen just two years ago as the setting for a BBC documentary titled 'Contagion!' looking at how a flu outbreak might spread across Britain. Scientists monitored the movements of hundreds of 'infected' locals to work out how they might be able to stop a pandemic - and the war gaming exercise found it spread to 43 million people across the UK and led to the deaths of 900,000. It came as the number of UK coronavirus cases exploded from 13 on Friday to 40 today and senior doctors have warned the country will certainly see 'more widespread transmission' of the deadly illness including increasing numbers of 'quite challenging cases'. Haslemere is at the centre of the latest coronavirus outbreak in Britain - but some have teased that the affluent town should be 'twinned with Wuhan' The mystery 'Patient X' has not been found but he or she has passed on coronavirus to Britain's 'Patient zero' - the first person to get the illness without travelling abroad - who passed it on to three relatives. The Hindhead RBL club was the latest local venue to close today Shoppers in the Haslemere Waitrose (pictured today) have been wearing face masks as four people linked to the town fell ill Anti-bacterial hand wash and hand gel is sold out in Haslemere's Boots today and Lloyds Pharmacy on the same high street has packed empty shelves with tissues Haslemere Health Centre in Surrey (pictured) is at the centre of the town's coronavirus outbreak where four people have fallen ill but the source of the infection remains unknown What we know about the 16 new coronavirus cases confirmed in the UK since Friday The Department of Health confirmed three more cases of the coronavirus in England on Saturday, February 29. What do we know about them? One of them was a member of staff at St Mary's Primary School in Tetbury in Gloucestershire. They caught the deadly infection in Italy. Another was a women who worked at Willow Bank Infant School in Woodley, Berkshire. She also caught the virus in northern Italy. It is believed the third case was a worker at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood, Hertfordshire. They caught the infection in Asia. ---------------------------------------------------- Health chiefs then confirmed 13 more cases of the deadly infection on Sunday, March 1 including the first case in Scotland. What do we know about them? Health chiefs said one case was in Essex, warning they had not travelled to any country battling an outbreak suggesting it had spread in the UK. Three of the patients were contacts of a man in Haslemere, Surrey, who caught the virus in Britain. One is from Surrey and two are from West Sussex and are part of an 'adult family cluster'. Of the other eight cases in England, six were infected in Italy and two were struck down in Iran. The DoH said the cases were scattered across London, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire. The Gloucestershire case was one of the six who became infected in Italy, and are thought to have went on the same trip as the county's first case. The Greater Manchester case was thought to be a man in Bury, who also caught the virus in Italy and flew home from Milan. Two cases were in Leeds and one was in Bradford. The Leeds pair caught the virus in Iran, while the Bradford patient was infected in northern Italy. One case was a member of staff at Wimbledon College who tested positive after travelling to Italy. The other two cases are spread between London and Hertfordshire and will have caught the virus in Italy. Scotland also confirmed its first case, in a patient in Tayside who caught the infection in northern Italy. Advertisement Haslemere's upmarket Waitrose store saw shoppers wearing masks over the weekend and witness Natalie Newman told SurreyLive: 'I was surprised. I am just telling the kids: 'Make sure you sanitise your hands'.' Its first confirmed case of coronavirus is believed to be a patient at Haslemere Health Centre who become Britain's first person to become infected inside the UK without travelling abroad to a hotspot such as Italy, Iran or China. They are known to have created a 'family cluster' of three more people who have tested positive - one in Surrey and two in neighbouring West Sussex. There are also fears that staff there including a GP were also infected - after local MP Jeremy Hunt sent best wishes to the doctor suffering with symptoms - but 72 hours on PHE has not confirmed if the rumour is genuine. One local said today: 'I phoned the health centre today as recently have been talking to friends that have been speaking to the staff there I was told it was definitely a doctor and his wife I was told by another it wasn't a doctor, so I got them to clarify and she said they can categorically say it's none of the GPs that work there and have been tested, as my daughter came into contact with the said doctor's wife and I have been stressed all weekend because of there unprofessional behaviour but I do believe they should clarify the person in question'. England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, revealed three 'close contacts' of the confirmed patient, believed to be his family, had also contracted coronavirus. But Prof Whitty added it is not clear if the patient contracted the virus 'directly or indirectly' from somebody who had recently returned from a foreign trip. Surrey's so-called 'patient zero' remains untraced and may not even be aware at being a carrier if his or her symptoms were mild. In Haslemere the health surgery has now reopened after being shut down for a deep clean. But a mile away the Prince of Wales pub as a 'precautionary measure' after a drinker tested positive. The landlord said no staff had any symptoms. Haslemere's Camelsdale Primary School has told parents that family linked to the school will be in self-quarantine until Friday after spending time with one of the town's confirmed cases last month. But headtacher Sarah Palmer said the school, which has 215 pupils aged four to 11, would remain open after heeding the Health Secretary's warning to UK schools to stay open. Yesterday, rumours swirled around the wealthy town - where house prices cost on average of 500,000 - that the original spreader may be a commuter. With trains taking just 52 minutes to London Waterloo, Haslemere is a convenient location for city workers and has one of the highest percentages of first-class rail season ticket holders in the UK Footfall in high street stores and coffee shops trade was down by at least 50 per cent. 'The place is so quiet and we are suffering,' said one shop owner. 'Usually there would be far more people out and about, but its deadly quiet.' The Lloyds Pharmacy had sold out of hand sanitiser days ago. One worker said: 'There was a bit of panic when it came out the health centre had closed down, but people are coming in as normal. We sold out of hand sanitiser a few days ago.' Haslemere (pictured today) is a quintessentially English commuter town - so much so it was chosen as the setting for a BBC documentary titled 'Contagion!' looking at how a flu outbreak might spread across Britain. The project suggested 48million Anti=bacterial gel has run out at the Lloyds Pharmacy and the empty shelf has been packed with tissues instead The Prince of Wales pub as a 'precautionary measure' after a drinker tested positive The landlords have said they are carrying out a full 'deep clean' in a reassuring message for customers outside Haslemere residents Dan and Grace Grottick, who discovered the health centre was shutting for cleaning while trying to get a prescription Dan Groittick revealed he had called at the Haslemere Health Centre on Friday to pick up his wife Grace's prescription only to find it in the process of closing down. 'When they told me what had happened I called the NHS 111 telephone line and they said to wait and see what happens,' he said. 'I think people might have been a little afraid, but we have moved on from that.' His wife added: 'We will just go about our normal life.' Not all appeared worried about the outbreak - with several joking online they were more concerned about the 'avocado and brioche shortages' in local supermakets. Others on community groups teased that Haslemere Health Centre - which was opened again after a 'deep clean' - suddenly had 'loads of availability'. However, many older residents who are most at threat spoke of their concern over the potential outbreak in the town. Francis Lipscomb, 85, said: 'Where does it all end? My wife, my daughter and my son decided we wouldn't go out. I rang 111 and they couldn't really tell me anything. 'I'm at risk if I were to catch it, and so is my wife because she's the same age as me.' In little over a month more than 10,000 people have been tested for coronavirus in Britain, of which 40 came back positive The coronavirus outbreak, which is teetering on the edge of becoming a global pandemic, has so far infected almost 90,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,000 Boris Johnson today (left) insisted the country is 'very very well prepared' for a pandemic after his Health Secretary Matt Hancock (right in Downing Street today) admitted nothing is off limits including putting communities on lockdown if needed to stop coronavirus' spread James Ham, 74, said: 'I didn't even know anything until I got to the health centre and read the sign on the door. My wife couldn't collect the prescription as she has really bad asthma, so I've come to pick it up. 'I don't think young people have much to worry about, but elderly people like me are vulnerable.' Dennis Smart, an 85-year-old local man, said: 'On Friday morning I came and rattled on the door [of the health centre] but I found it was closed. 'I phoned up and they said it is closed, if you need anything urgent go to A&E in Guildford or phone the NHS on 111. It would have been useful if they had told me the pharmacy was open. 'It is strange because about two weeks ago my wife came here and there was a sign on the door saying: 'Coronavirus. Keep out'. My wife saw the notice so she turned around and walked away. I spoke to the staff about it when I visited yesterday and they had had no idea it was there. 'It appeared to be a prankster. I do not know who it was. Someone's got a warped sense of humour'. Mr Smart was one of many visitors on Saturday who successfully collected their prescriptions unperturbed by the news of the coronavirus. One local woman said: 'My husband was telling me, 'don't go there, there is coronavirus', but the health centre has been deep cleaned. It is probably the safest place in the country.' With the coronavirus outbreak worsening in Britain and teetering on the edge of becoming a global pandemic causing more than 3,000 deaths, it has also emerged: Widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK is 'highly likely' - but not yet 'inevitable', Public Health England (PHE) has warned; Swathes of Britain including cities and towns could be put on lockdown to try to stop the spread of coronavirus; The Bank of England hints it could cut interest rates to help stabilise financial markets as FTSE 100 drops again; Schools across the UK continue to close - the latest being Catholic Wimbledon College in south-west London after a teacher tested positive; A Chinese woman diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK after going to London's Lewisham hospital in London in an Uber has been discharged after recovering; Prince Harry's Invictus Games - a charity event for wounded armed services personnel being held in The Hague - may be called off due to the outbreak; Swathes of Britain including cities and towns could also be put on lockdown to try to stop the spread, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has admitted, while Boris Johnson has vowed to take charge of the Government response after being accused of acting like a 'part-time Prime Minister' as the number of cases jumped upwards. Mr Johnson warned today: 'It's very important to stress that this is a problem that is likely to become more significant for this country in the course of the next days and weeks. We'll be making every possible preparation for that and this country is very, very well prepared'. He added: 'We cannot forget that the single most useful thing that we can all do to support the NHS is to wash our hands, two times to Happy Birthday with hot water and soap'. There were 13 new cases yesterday alone and there are fears for scores of cancer patients with compromised immune systems after a clinician at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood tested positive - forcing at least 10 colleagues into self-isolation, MailOnline understands. DUBLIN, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Light Vehicle Leasing Market in Ireland, Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This study sheds light on the market size across passenger vehicle (PV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV) segments and provides sales/parc data for the total market and fleet and company car (true fleet) segments. The Irish vehicle leasing industry is experiencing headwinds amid the uncertainties associated with Brexit. Consumers are changing their preferences in acquiring new vehicles as a result of falling residual values of old vehicles. This trend has curtailed vehicle trading; however, the effect on fleet registration is different when compared to retail sales. Brexit is expected to impact the future of the fleet market in Britain. It is also set to impact the tariffs imposed on goods crossing the EU border, resulting in increased import costs. Thus, as trading between Ireland and Britain has become more restrictive after 2019, confidence levels among retail and corporate customers in Ireland are expected to be impacted and reflect in total new vehicle registrations. Vehicle leasing is seen as a solution to the growing number of challenges faced by companies with regard to their mobility needs. Amongst others, these include challenges associated with vehicle funding, fleet maintenance, and more importantly, residual risk handling. Businesses in the present market conditions are focused on their core products/services and seek to outsource all other support activities. Mobility is a significant department - starting from fleet purchase to remarketing at a competitive price - and for each segment in the value chain, unless an expert team is on the job, issues such as cost spikes, utilisation mismatches, irregularities in fleet maintenance, and risks of dips in residual value can crop up. Leasing the fleet enables hassle-free mobility, on-demand mobility, and fleet after-service facilities amongst other benefits. This has driven the growth of the leasing market, given it a structure, and regulated the ecosystem. Study Coverage The company car segment is discussed in detail, with a focus on the actual development and the growth potential of financial leasing, operational leasing, and outright purchase. The analysis takes into account historical data and current market conditions and insights and opinions from market participants to provide a five-year outlook on growth opportunities. In addition to market data (PV and LCV) for new registrations and portfolio, the study provides actual competitor data (portfolio) for the leading leasing service providers in the country. Competitor data is available for both the leasing segments (operational and financial) for the base year, 2018. The evolution of any industry depends on factors such as transformational trends that are linked to the macro-economic factors of the region and the emerging business models that reflect innovation in mobility solutions, such as rental, car sharing, integrated mobility, and alternative powertrains. The study covers these evolutionary trends that are expected to shape the market. For leasing providers and other companies that share the leasing ecosystem, interest lies in the growth opportunities that they need to leverage and the strategic imperatives that aid in their pursuit of growth and success. Overall, the study provides a 360-degree understanding of the leasing space (region-specific) and offers a detailed account of the key trends, market overview, and outlook. Key Topics Covered 1. Executive Summary Key Findings Market Engineering Measurements - New Fleet and Company Car Registrations Market Engineering Measurements - Fleet & Company Car Parc 2. Research Scope and Definition Research Scope, Objectives, and Methodology Market Definitions Market Structure Fleet Segmentation Car Sharing 3. Drivers and Restraints - Light Vehicle Leasing Market Market Drivers Drivers Explained Market Restraints Restraints Explained 4. Total Market for Fleet and Company Cars Total New Fleet and Company Car Registrations Total New Fleet and Company Car Parc 5. Total New Company Car Registrations and Parc Analysis by Funding Type Total New Company Car Registrations Total Company Car Parc 6. Competitor Market Shares Operational Leasing Market Financial Leasing Market 7. Analysis of the Total Private Leasing Segment (New Registrations and Parc) Total Private Leasing - New Registrations Total Private Leasing - Parc 8. Growth Opportunities and Companies to Action Growth Opportunities Strategic Imperatives 9. Key Conclusions and Future Outlook For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/couj1k Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Prince Harry's former girlfriend Chelsy Davy has opened up to Tatler about her life after her relationship with Prince Harry and her jewelry line, which is inspired by her upbringing in Zimbabwe. Davy, 34, now splits her time between her home in South Kensington and Cape Town . Davy reportedly met Harry when he was in South Africa on a gap year. After they started dating, she became part of the "Glosse Posse," filled with other socialite twentysomethings with regal ties. Kate Martin But after dealing with constant attention from the press (Davy called it "scary and uncomfortable") the couple called it quits in 2010 after six years of dating. But it seems the breakup was amicable, as Chelsy attended Prince Harry's Windsor Castle wedding to Meghan Markle. AFP via Getty Images Davy opened up about the media attention in 2016, saying, "If you go out once, they take a picture, but not of you going to work every morning, its of you falling out of a nightclub at 4am." Chelsy Davy arrives at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle / PA And while she's tight-lipped about her former beau, she tells Tatler she's happy now. "Im very happy with where I am right now. Im happy with everything. Im doing something in Africa that Im passionate about and Im excited for what my vision is and what that will create. Everything is falling into place," she said. Kate Martin These days, she's focused on expanding her jewelry brand, Aya. The jet setter founded the brand after studying Gemology at the Gemological Institute of America in California. She previously pursued a career in law. On the brand's website, it explains that Aya is inspired by "the different cultures of many countries like Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania," and that every gemstone is ethically mined. Getty Images The brand also has a philanthropic component, as it works to improve the "quality and accessibility of schooling in the local communities." Morelli Brothers Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal When she started running a group home for people with mental illness in 2014, caretaker Anais Cruz-Hernandez said she never thought it would end this way. Two days before Thanksgiving a fire sparked at the West Side home and left two men dead and another critically injured. Im not going to be able to recover from that, she said. They are a part of your family. Cruz-Hernandez said mental illness hits close to home for her and pushed her to pursue the role of a caretaker with her husband. I have a brother with schizophrenia, he lives in Cuba, she said. Doing that, I think I feel close to my brother. Cruz-Hernandez said each of the men pay a monthly rent of $600 and, in return, she and her husband feed them three times a day, clean up after them and give them medication for their varying illnesses. Its a rollercoaster, she said. They have good days, they have bad days. Since 2014 police had been called to the home at least 129 times. Those calls resulted in at least 52 police reports. Officers made arrests, paramedics took men to the hospital for mental health evaluations or injuries and in at least one case someone was dead. Those reports and evidence photos paint a portrait of a sparse home with quiet stretches punctuated by outbursts of turmoil. Many of them involve the residents hearing voices, becoming paranoid and wanting to kill themselves. In the reports, often, the men seem, at most, a danger to themselves. In one instance, police were called out to calm a resident who had previously pulled his eyeball out with a pen because he believed there was a chip implanted in his head and believed an unknown government entity was watching him. In another, a man was throwing rocks at neighbors and running around the home naked. In September 2017, a caseworker called police after one of the men accused another man of forcibly putting his genitals into the mans mouth. The accused was not home at the time and the accuser did not want to press charges, leaving the case to dead end. In April 2018, officers went to the home after Cruz-Hernandezs mother found a 56-year-old resident dead on the couch. A roommate, and friend, told police the two had been drinking sanitizing soap the night before but he only had a few sips and went to bed. When officers found the sanitizer bottle, it was almost empty. In January 2019, a dispute over money between two residents led to one of them hitting the other in the head with a makeshift weapon a wooden pole with a fan blade attached to the end. The attacker was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In February 2019, officers responded to a domestic dispute at the home after one of the residents allegedly broke down a bathroom door and punched his girlfriend in the nose when she refused to leave. The man was taken to jail on charges of battery against a household member but the charges were later dropped. Days before the fire, a woman called 911 to report her estranged ex-husband had threatened to kill himself and sent her a picture of his arm cut and bleeding. The man told police he planned to overdose on insulin to kill himself, and a large amount was kept in the freezer of the group home. Since the fire, Cruz-Hernandez said she still cares for the remaining four men, who have since moved into a home a few blocks away. They have a house, they have meals, they have everything, we do the same thing, she said. I cant let those guys down, they dont have no family, no friends. The caretaker said she has started therapy to cope with the loss, and she has been questioning whether she can do this anymore. I told them they need to find a place to go. They dont want to move. They say they dont want to go nowhere, she said. Armenia will restore the visa regime with neighboring Iran and tighten controls at the partly closed Armenian-Iranian border in an effort to prevent more cases of coronavirus in the South Caucasus country, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Monday. One day after Armenian authorities reported the first such case, Pashinian also urged Armenians to avoid nonessential travel to Italy and Turkey. The infected person, a 29-year-old male, was among 130 or so Armenian nationals airlifted from Tehran to Yerevan last week amid a rapid spread of coronavirus in Iran. The Islamic Republics official death toll from the virus reached 54 on Sunday evening. We have decided to extend and tighten restrictions on communication through the Armenian-Iranian border, Pashinian said at a meeting of an interagency task force coordinating coronavirus-related measures taken by the Armenian government. We will start a process of temporarily restoring the visa regime with Iran and the visa regime will be restored within five days. Of course, we remain in constant touch with our Iranian partners, he added. We want to express our solidarity with the friendly people and government of Iran in the task of overcoming this difficult situation, and we will assist them to the best of our ability. The Armenian government decided on February 24 to essentially close the Iranian border for individual travel and to cancel regular flights between the two states for at least two weeks. The border, which serves as one of landlocked Armenias two conduits to the outside world, remains open for cargo shipments. Pashinian indicated that his government will impose additional restrictions on the cargo traffic mostly carried out by Iranian trucks. He did not elaborate. Speaking at the meeting, Health Minister Arsen Torosian said that Iranian trucks entering Armenia are already escorted by police and officials from his ministry. Ministry officials are also monitoring the health condition of their drivers, he said. Pashinian also called on Armenians to limit as much as possible trips to coronavirus-hit Italy as well as Turkey. But he spoke out against suspending flights from Yerevan to Milan, Rome and Istanbul, saying that Armenia must not isolate itself from the outside world. The prime minister went on to urge citizens to avoid panic buying of foodstuffs and to pay much greater attention to personal hygiene. To be honest, this is a good opportunity to give up some not-so-pleasant habits, he said. As has been recommended by the health minister, we can now end the practice of greeting each other by kissing each other. A stilt-walking 70-something and a lady just shy of 90 who just can't stop practising her juggling skills - those are just some of the people benefiting from circus lessons for older people in Belfast. The weekly circus workshops aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of older people, are rolling out to other parts of Northern Ireland with the help of a National Lottery grant worth almost 200,000. Nicholas Watts (71) is delighted, as he and wife Rosemary will be able to attend each week - both in Belfast and in their home village of Tamlaght, Co Fermanagh. "The Age-ility Project has really changed my life. I've got a completely new interest and it has given me a real sense of improved mental wellbeing, which filters through into the rest of my life," said Nicholas of the programme managed by Streetwise Community Circus. The circus has been awarded 195,520 from the National Lottery Community Fund to pay for the programme and its expansion over the next four years. "In addition to the physical activity and circus skills part of it, we thoroughly enjoy socialising with the rest of the group," Nicholas said. "We love the craic, everyone is always laughing and enjoying themselves while trying to get things right. It is something different for people to try and I am so glad that I did." The funding for the circus project for over-55s is part of more than 2m to be disbursed to various groups in Northern Ireland. Close to 50 grants from 500 to 500,000 have been awarded to a range of projects, from children with cancer, independence learning for the disabled, a community cinema, even a ploughing match. The Streetwise Community Circus project aims to "improve the physical and mental health of people who may be isolated or vulnerable, by bringing them together to learn circus skills," according to the group. "We have been running a really successful group for older people in Belfast where there's a woman in her late 80s who's gone from thinking she couldn't juggle to constantly practising ball tricks and a 70-year-old who now enjoys stilt-walking," said Jim Webster from Streetwise Community Circus. "We knew how much the older people got from the Belfast group and we wanted to benefit others, particularly those who may be isolated in more rural areas. Social benefits are important, as people can become very isolated in later years, especially if they are caring for a loved one. "We work with people with dementia and their carers as part of the project, and while people can be nervous at the start, soon they're laughing and making friends." Kate Beggs, The National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland director, said: "Our experience of working with communities is that when you listen, people have amazing ideas to make things better and to change people's lives in their own area. "It is great to see the diverse work being done through projects funded by National Lottery money." Among the major awards are 471,540 to CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children and just over 497,000 to the 'Together We Thrive' youth mentoring project in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon run by Reconciliation Education and Community Training (REACT). When it comes to climate action, Freiner said, Zurichs reasoning behind its commitments is twofold. Firstly, she said, it is a risk management decision as climate risk is no longer a long-term emerging risk but a current threat and the capital losses incurred by climate change are already extreme. She outlined how 30% of the total cat losses during the past 30 years happened in 2017 and 2018 and that Zurich has a role in actively managing this. The other reason, she said, is simply that it is the right thing to do and insurance companies have an essential role to play in the move away from a carbon-centric economy. Its not about finger-pointing at the thermal coal industry, its about saying you have to move first because you are one of the most carbon-intensive industries, she said. And of course, its going to be harder with conventional fossil fuels because we are going to need them in the energy mix for a very long time. Freiner outlined how, though primary insurers are moving very fast when it comes to addressing divestment from carbon-intense products such as thermal coal, oil sands and oil shales, there has not been the same movement among brokers. Brokers see their role differently, she said, but it is important that as an industry we find common ground around the bigger role we have to play. One area of common interest is how to provide more climate risk knowledge and advisory services to customers and how to better manage climate risk, Freiner said. She can see that brokers are starting to look at climate action with a view to the business opportunity side of the conversation which, she said, will be constructive when it comes to developing new products and solutions. Looking to the future of the workplace, Zurich is focused on evaluating how this is changing not only within the insurance sector but also across other industries, she said. In November of 2019, Freiner stated, Zurich committed to initiating work sustainability processes for its employees. This meant providing employees with personal and professional growth opportunities and a well-being focus, Freiner said, aimed at making them fit to be part of the next generation in the life of an insurance company. Of course, we started on the internal side first, she said, but we also see this as being a very important topic when it comes to workers protection, and for the life and pension side of our business. We need to ask how we can adapt our products to the changing workforce that we see. With more gig economy workers and more flexi-time work than ever before, and with people working from all over the world, Freiner said, the question that needs to be asked is what does this mean for the types of life and pension protection that are on offer?. The third pillar of Zurichs sustainability efforts is one which the business is very excited about, Freiner said, and focuses on raising awareness about the potentially negative consequences of digitization in the insurance industry from the perspective of data privacy and data protection. In September 2019, she said, Zurich made a public commitment to its customers to manage their data in a responsible way and never to use that data for anything that they have not made clear to the customer. This, she outlined, is essential to helping create a genuinely trusting relationship between insurance and the end-user. The reality is that weve always depended on data as an industry, but now we have much more of it, and at the same time there have been scandals where data is being used for things it shouldnt be used for, she said. So, we feel very strongly that we need to be very transparent and honest with our customers around what we do with the data that they trust us with. This links into making sure that the right structures and processes are in place to allow this to occur, she said, and Freiner believes that this is an exciting area for the entire insurance industry as it goes beyond cyber risk to the whole concept of data privacy and data protection. This is an area which must be viewed by the industry as a governance concern, she said. We have responsibility from the get-go when we engage with a customer. And when we see the bigger societal and environmental issues where we know the risks, then we have a role in informing our customers about it, she said. I think that is what sustainability is about. Its about [recognizing that] our long-term growth as a company and the future of society need to go hand in hand. The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the curative petition filed by Delhi gangrape convict Pawan Gupta. The 25-year-olds curative petition pleads his death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment. The petition will be considered by a bench of justices N V Ramana, Arun Mishra, R F Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan in the chamber of Justice Ramana, news agency PTI reported. In the plea, Gupta has pleaded that his age on the day of offence in 2012 was 16 years and two months as per the school records last attended by him and the age has not been determined in accordance with the procedures laid down under the Juvenile Justice Act, PTI reported. Guptas curative petition is likely to cast a fresh shadow on the death warrant signed for execution of all the four convicts including Gupta on March 3. The convicts execution has already been deferred on two previous occasions due to the pendency of legal proceedings in the case. Pawan Gupta was the only one out of the four convicts to have not exhausted all his legal remedies, despite a seven-day deadline granted by the Delhi High Court for the purpose. Gupta hadnt filed either a curative petition or a mercy petition till Friday and his counsel had argued that he wasnt aware of the time frame set for doing so. Guptas petition comes at a time when Centre is seeking Supreme Courts approval for hanging the Delhi gangrape convicts separately in its challenge of a Delhi high court order that ruled against it. Centre has accused the convicts of defeating the ends of justice by adopting delaying tactics. The four convicts were first supposed to be hanged on January 22 but the execution of the death warrant had to be stayed. The second death warrant set the date of hanging as February 1 but had to be stayed, too, in light of mercy petitions and appeals by one or the other convict. Finally when a seven-day deadline given to the convicts by Delhi High Court to utilize legal options lapsed, a fresh death warrant was issued on February 17 to hang all the four convicts Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Thakur at 6 am on March 3. The infusion of funds will be ready for the villages next round of parkway tree plantings scheduled for the spring, officials said in a statement. Officials have been replacing parkway trees affected by the invasive beetle in specific neighborhoods based on the order that the trees were removed. Its week three of the American Idol auditions and Katy Perry is feeling the love. It turns out that the location of the Los Angeles auditions is also where Orlando Bloom proposed to our judge. This room is blessed! she yells after contestant Jordan Jones (who does a cool rendition of The Cures Lovesong) proposes to his girlfriend after getting a ticket to Hollywood. In fact, theres a whole montage dedicated to Katy making peoples dreams come true because shes full of love and joy in that room. It helps get teen Erin Kirby a pass to the next round and an artist named Amelia who I wish had gotten more than just a montage appearance. She does Yesterday on the piano and it is QUITE good. But the love doesnt last forever. Eventually, the pendulum swings in the opposite direction and Idol gives a ridiculously harsh cut to a male model that is uncomfortably long and mean even for this show. Maybe one day American Idol will realize it doesnt need these kinds of moments. Just give us the good stuff! Speaking of, lets take a look at who else will be making the trip to Hollywood this season: Kimmy Gabriela, 17, Lakeland, Fla. Lets Hurt Tonight by OneRepublic I love when the judges are so blown away by someone auditioning in front of them that the only critique they can muster is something like she doesnt really miss notes, like Luke Bryan does here. Music is in Kimmys blood her father is a musician and shes learned everything from him. She sounds super professional and in control for a 17-year-old and her voice is so good she doesnt even need all the runs she adds in. Katy tells her shes Top 10 material while throwing that golden ticket at her, so yeah, Id say the judges like Kimmy Gabriela. Lauren Mascitti, 27, Nashville, Tenn. If I Can Lose You by Lauren Mascitti & Renee Martin Lauren walks in the room with her fiance, who also happens to be famous Nashville songwriter Shawn Kemp, to accompany her, so you know this girl is a professional. And a little Google search confirms that shes all over Nashville. It makes sense because she is extremely good. Luke compares her to last seasons Laci Kaye Booth, in that she isnt going to be up there belting, but that shes great at drawing people in to the story shes telling. Katy was struck by the emotion that comes through her voice. I would like to download her original song IMMEDIATELY. Story continues Courtney Timmons, 22, Harris Neck, Ga. Rise Up by Andra Day In case people dont know, the typical way Idol works is that a contestant at an open call will perform for producers several times before getting to audition for the judges. This is apparently not the case with Courtney, who missed the initial open call, but decided to hang around outside the building, hoping there would still be a chance for her to get in front of the judges and sing. That chance comes by way of Ryan Seacrest, who brings her up directly from the street and introduces her to the judges. Theres a chance she could be awful but shes not! The judges are moved. You can tell she hasnt been rehearsing and isnt as polished as some of our other auditioners, but she easily earns three yeses and all of Ryan Seacrests tears. Lauren Spencer-Smith, 16, Vancouver Island, British Columbia What About Us by Pink Lauren here is a teenager from a small town in Canada with big dreams and dang does she crush this Pink song. Luke cant even speak when shes done. Eventually, he composes himself enough to tell Lauren that he loves the tone of her voice and finds her intriguing. She sounds much more mature than her 16 years. That voice is 1,000 years old, Katy tells her, moved by her gift. She compares her voice to Leona Lewiss and advises her to work on figuring out who she wants to be as an artist moving forward. In Hollywood. Because shes an easy yes. Dewayne Crocker, Jr., 23, Pensacola, Fla. Dont Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin Sure, were all here for Dewayne and his extremely odd but sort of cool song choice, but the big draw is his hilarious 78-year-old great-grandmother who is obsessed with Lionel Richie. Dewayne has a nice voice and hell get through on that, but the judges all tell him to work on finding an emotional connection. Be less trick-sy and more connected says the Lady Perry. But once his yeses are out of the way, the real show starts: Great-Grandma gets to meet Lionel. She and her husband met dancing to Lady and walked down the aisle to that song at their wedding. So, Luke hops on the piano and starts to play and Lionel serenades Dewaynes great-grandma while dancing with her. The stuff dreams are made of! Dillon James, 26, Bakersfield, Calif. Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan Oof, this story, guys. Dillon is a recovering addict and talks about his struggles, about how he ended up sleeping out on the streets, and then eventually made his way back to his family to ask for their forgiveness. This man has been through it, and that pain is completely present in his voice. Its not a big performance, but its a powerful one. He makes some really smart choices as to what to show off and hi, hello, his falsetto makes me cry. Luke applauds him for coming in and singing with such authenticity, Lionel calls him a preacher and tells him hed go to [his] church, and Katy calls him a country Post Malone. Hes definitely someone Im looking forward to seeing again in Hollywood. Geena, 27, Los Angeles, Calif. Dont Want You Back by Geena Geena is a Katy Perry superfan, and has taken Katys be confident in who you are attitude to heart. By which I mean, she shows up at the audition in an iridescent bucket hat. I honestly thought we were gearing up for a joke audition, but Geena sings an original on her guitar and even has the judges join in on the chorus (Katy improves it wildly by instantly harmonizing), and she charms them over. They like her personality and her character and are into her vocal chops. Well see if she drops the gimmicks in Hollywood and really lets her talent shine through. Shannon Gibbons, 20, Bellport, N.Y. Id Rather Go Blind by Etta James What do you want to know? I teared up within the first three notes this girl sings. Shannon is a working musician in New York, and has dealt with mental health issues her entire life. Music is what saved her. Her voice is smoky and immediately gives me an Amy Winehouse vibe. This is why I keep coming back to this show, says Katy as soon as Shannon is done. The judges vow to not let anyone who isnt as good as Shannon is through to Hollywood from now on. WELL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT. Regardless, I have high hopes for Shannon. Genavieve Linkowski, 20, Goodrich, Mich. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You by Michael Bolton Genavieve was a contestant in season 16 who was cut after Hollywood Week. Since then, she tragically lost her 18-year-old sister Corinn in a car accident. The loss kept her from wanting to sing for a while, but now shes back and dedicating her performance to her sister. Its an emotional audition, knowing Genavieves story, but it isnt exactly the most dynamic one. She basically just belts the chorus of the song the entire time. Of course shes moving on, but itll be interesting to see what other tricks she has up her sleeves as she tries to survive the Hollywood Week round this season. Okay, now that all the business is taken care of, I have one deadly serious question for you all: Is Luke Bryan the biggest Lionel Richie fan on the planet? Related content: Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 22:37:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close An exhibitor demonstrates a robot in an exhibition held during the national mass entrepreneurship and innovation week in the Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone in Beijing, capital of China, June 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) Statistics show that by the end of 2019, China had registered the world's largest number of invention patent applications for the ninth consecutive year, and the largest number of trademark registration applications for the 18th consecutive year. BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- With growing efforts in intellectual property (IP) protection, China has ranked first in the world for several consecutive years in terms of the number of patent and trademark applications it holds, winning high praise from the international community. Statistics show that by the end of 2019, China had registered the world's largest number of invention patent applications for the ninth consecutive year, and the largest number of trademark registration applications for the 18th consecutive year. According to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) from 2017 and 2018, China was the second largest applicant for international patent applications submitted through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and the third largest for trademark registration under the Madrid System. Hailing the rapid development of IP cause in China as remarkable, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said the country has recognized that IP protection is critical to improving economic competitiveness and has made IP an important driving force for innovation. Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), attends a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, March 21, 2018. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) Renata Righetti Pelosi, president of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, pointed out two reasons for the rapid development of IP cause in China. On the one hand, the needs of economic operators in China have increasingly overlapped with those in the world, and the two sides have reached more consensuses on IP protection, Pelosi said. On the other, China has many IP talents with a global vision, who are leading the rapid growth of this sector, she added. Bastiaan Koster, former president of the Bureau of Federation of International IP Attorneys, said it is not easy to make such great achievements in IP in a large country like China. "Given the success story of the IP system in China and the very short time it was obtained, I am confident that the IP system will continue to improve at its current pace. The rest of the world can be assured that their IP rights will be well protected and enforceable in China," Koster added. A staff member works at the Beijing Internet Court in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 9, 2018. The internet court was opened as authorities stepped up measures to protect business transactions, personal information, and intellectual property online. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) Beate Schmidt, president of the German Federal Patent Court, said China has achieved great development in the field of IP since it established its own intellectual property system in the 1980s. No other country embraced the idea of IP protection and its importance for economic development so quickly and consequentially as China did, Schmidt said. Since the first ever Chinese patent act came into force in 1985, China has continuously developed and improved its IP protection, said Joseph Straus, a professor of law at the University of Munich, adding that its efforts can stand scrutiny compared with the development of IP in some developed countries. "In my view, China is changing significantly on the IP landscape front and China is a market that I think is just too big to ignore," said Randall MacEwen, president and CEO of Ballard Power Systems, a leading high-tech fuel cell provider. Around 12 million university graduates are produced every year in China, providing a very large educated workforce, MacEwen said at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, adding that the country ranks among the top countries for the number of international patent filings, as well as annual research and development expenditures. In addition, China is now enjoying a highly entrepreneurial environment in terms of the number of incubator companies and companies that are moving to high scale volumes in a relatively short period of time, he noted. A woman walks past a poster at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling) Some media and professional organizations believe that China's effective efforts in IP protection have created a favorable business environment, making the country a magnet for global innovation. In an article titled "China's Record on Intellectual Property Rights Is Getting Better and Better," U.S. news magazine Foreign Policy wrote last October that China's IP regime has made significant strides in just a few decades. "China's world leadership in patent quantity signals its commitment to develop a robust innovation ecosystem at home. Minimum damage payouts for violations have continually increased, as have durations of patent protection," the magazine said. Harvard Business Review, a general management magazine, wrote that "in some ways China's IP regime is actually more optimal for IP-intensive businesses -- including foreign ones -- than the IP regimes in prominent rich nations." The waiting time to grant patents in China is shorter than those in European and American countries, and invention patent examination appears to be of higher quality in China than at some national offices in Europe, it added. In the 2019 Global Innovation Index rankings published by the WIPO and other institutions, China rose from 35th in 2013 to 14th in 2019, and ranked first among middle-income economies. It also has the fastest progress in the world in this regard. According to the 2019 China Business Environment Survey, released by the U.S.-China Business Council, 58 percent of U.S. companies believe that China has strengthened IP protection in the past year, the highest level since the survey was launched in 2011. A doctor who contracted coronavirus in one of the first cases of person-to-person transmission in Australia is in a stable condition and "going quite well", the NSW government says. Health Minister Brad Hazzard said it still wasn't clear if the man had infected others after becoming contagious. NSW Health Ministry and the local health districts are busy talking to various people he might have come into contact with. "We are making sure we get in contact with them and make sure they don't have symptoms," the minister told Nine's Today program on Tuesday. "It's a bit of a worry." NSW has now had nine confirmed cases of COVID-19, with five being diagnosed in the past week. The latest three were confirmed on Monday. The other four have recovered. Two of those cases include the doctor, 50, and the 41-year-old sister of an infected man who had recently returned from Iran where the virus is rampant and were person-to-person transmissions outside of China, where the outbreak began. The doctor had not recently been overseas leading experts to conclude he may have contracted the virus while working in a clinical environment or while in the community, although it was not yet clear which. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the case of the health worker raised the question: "Was there a case that was missed?" "Our key focus at the moment is to contact staff or patients that may have been close contacts of this gentleman," she said on Monday. The third new case in NSW is a 31-year-old man who flew into Sydney on Saturday from Iran and developed symptoms 24 hours later Mr Hazzard on Tuesday again cautioned NSW residents to be cautious and make sure they wash their hand regularly, not shake hands and to sneeze into their elbow if a tissue wasn't available. "Perhaps it is time to forget handshaking at the moment because that's a very easy way to transmit the virus," he added. "If you are out and about and you put your hand on a banister on a train or railway or bus, it is possible you end up with the virus on your hands." Asked about cases of people stockpiling non-perishable goods and toilet paper, Mr Hazzard said everyone should remain calm. "I think we should be very cautious, washing our hands, but not rushing out and buying up," he said. The state government is also warning of a likely convergence of a COVID-19 pandemic with the annual winter flu season and announced a lowering of the age at which pharmacists could administer flu jabs to 10. Shane Jones's combat tour in Afghanistan ended in 2005. But the war followed him home. The retired corporal's family including his teenage daughter have had to walk on eggshells often in the years since. An armoured vehicle rollover left Jones with a traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress, injuries that changed him forever. "My husband is not a violent man," said Veronica Jones, Shane's wife. "My husband suffers from severe PTSD. "And for our daughter, growing up ... If you live by the cesspool, everybody gets splashed." The Eastern Passage, N.S., family is among many affected by Veterans Affairs' move to tighten access to department-sponsored mental health services for veterans' family members. The crackdown was prompted by the embarrassing revelation almost two years ago that a convicted killer the son of a former soldier received PTSD counselling for the murder he committed. Veterans Affairs issues a denial In an appearance before a House of Commons committee last week, a senior Veterans Affairs official denied that any families had been "cut off" from counselling services. That comes as startling news to Jones and other veterans' families, whose therapy bills are now being paid out-of-pocket after initially being covered by the department. Those relatives now want the opportunity to plead their cases before the Commons veterans committee when it reconvenes next month for hearings on the restrictions. Veronica Jones The public debate over the last several years has been limited to whether former soldiers are getting adequate help and treatment, said Veronica Jones. "There needs to be an actual conversation about what the families are going through and how the families need support," she said. Her 14-year-old daughter Ruth was diagnosed with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder by two doctors, who have attributed her condition to the stress of living in a home with someone who has a severe brain injury. Story continues Veterans Affairs paid for her counselling then cut her off in September as part of a sweeping reinterpretation of its guidelines. 'I am heartbroken' She no longer fits one of the criteria for receiving funded treatment that treatment be "short-term." Veterans Affairs also questioned her diagnosis. Her parents are now paying $600 per month for counselling and hoping the backlog in the provincial system eases. "I am actually heartbroken," said Veronica Jones. "I think the department is disconnected from the reality of what goes on in injured veterans' households." The couple has fought repeated battles with Veterans Affairs for the better part of a year over the support provided to Shane Jones. Their confrontations with the bureaucracy have been heated at times. Shane Jones's family says his file was red-flagged: Veterans Affairs staff filed a complaint with the RCMP that went nowhere. Now, the Canadian Human Rights Commission is looking into a claim of discrimination filed against the department by Shane Jones. A scandal triggers a policy shift If the department knows "there are minor children living in the house with someone who has severe PTSD, then they should be covering the children," Veronica Jones said. The department tightened the rules governing when families can receive subsidized counselling after facing a firestorm of criticism in the summer of 2018 over the case of convicted killer Christopher Garnier, the son of a former soldier who was given taxpayer-funded PTSD treatment because of the murder he committed. CBC Former veterans minister Seamus O'Regan, blindsided by the revelation, asked for a review. That's when the bureaucracy kicked into gear. The current minister, Lawrence MacAulay, has asked his officials to be as flexible as possible in deciding whether family members qualify. As part of a year-long review, the department has notified 133 families, in writing, that their counselling benefits may be discontinued, according to numbers from MacAulay's office. Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press The figures do not include, however, the number of families who were informed directly by case workers or counsellors that their mental health services had been cut off. That's a very different picture from the one Michel Doiron, the department's assistant deputy minister of service delivery, offered MPs last week when he told the Commons veterans affairs committee that no one had been cut off. "When people say they've been cut off, nobody has been cut off," he said on Thursday. "Some individuals did receive information saying that we're giving you an additional year and working with you to say either you stay in the program, or, if you're no longer eligible based on the criteria of the program, we will work with you to find a mental health practitioner." Challenged during the hearing by Conservative MP Dane Lloyd, Doiron later said he wanted to "clarify" the remark. He confirmed that "some people had been refused" coverage but said he could not tell the committee whether the individuals' bills had been covered by the department previously. In the cases where family members were cut off, Doiron said, the mental health services they were receiving could not be linked to a veteran's recovery. According to the department's guidelines, taxpayer-funded treatment for family members must help a former soldier a rule that clearly was not followed in Garnier's case. Kim Davis of Lawrencetown, N.S., found out she had been cut off when she arrived at her counsellor's office for a session in mid-February. She said she was astonished that Doiron would say what he said before the Commons committee. "Oh my God, I've met him," said Davis, whose husband, Blair, is a former soldier who has struggled with mental health issues since returning from Bosnia. "He knows my husband is a veteran with PTSD. He knows I receive counselling as a result of my husband's PTSD." Davis has spoken out on behalf of veterans' families in the past and has appeared before Commons committees on three other occasions. She has even pointed federal officials to international research on the impact a soldier's PTSD can have on spouses and children. Veterans Affairs "constantly touts that their decisions are based on research and backed up by research," she said. "Well, this policy ... goes against every research paper out there." Ghanaian rapper and CEO of AMG Business, Criss Waddle, has taken to social media to mourn the death of Cameron Amissah McCoy. Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Criss Waddle released his last conversation with the AMG Business member before his death. The series of chat confirm that Cameron Amissah McCoy was rushed to the Narh-Bita Hospital at Tema after he suffered an attack and fell to the ground. He reportedly died in February 2020, after battling a possible stroke attack for his life. READ ALSO: Brilliant SHS graduate with 7As and no GETFund support 'begs' for help to pay university fees Criss Wadlle shared his last chat with Cameron Amissah McCoy prior to his death. ''Rest In Peace Cameron Amissah Mc'Coy our last chat a day after your news broke out feels like you knew you were going to die,''AMG Business CEO said. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the AMG Business members death has left friends and family completely shattered after his death was announced on social media. Heart-breaking images of the young energetic man were splashed on social media by German-based Ghanaian blogger Biscourt Nana Prempeh to mourn his demise. In other stories, YEN.com.gh previously reported that when rapper Medikal took the stage at MTN Pulse/4 Stye TV Pent Hall Week Celebration at the campus of University of Ghana, he was mainly expected to capture the hearts and imaginations of the crowd with his performances. Until Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie stormed the stage at the event, Medikal did not just captivate the crowd with riveting performances but also gave the students and fans something to talk about. Prior to his performance at the MTN Pulse/4 Stye TV Pent Hall Week Celebration, a wedding invitation card which had the names of rapper Medikal and actress, Fella Makafui surfaced online Friday, February 28, 2020. READ ALSO: Patapaas white girlfriend buys him first-ever BMW car as birthday gift (video) Faces of Ghana: Ghanas 1st Female Police Bemoans High Rate of Police Indiscipline | #Yencomgh Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news! Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh PHOENIX The Satanic Temple has appealed a judge decision ruling the city of Scottsdale did not discriminate against the temple when city officials blocked the group from giving an invocation before a council meeting in 2016. U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell ruled earlier this month that the city did not deny the temples request because of its religious beliefs, the Arizona Republic reported. The city spent much of the trial arguing that the temple could not have experienced religious discrimination because it is not a religion. Temple Attorney Matthew Kezhaya argued that then-acting City Manager Brian Biesemeyer was influenced by thousands of emails against letting the temple speak, and some campaign materials by city leaders who publicly expressed concerns about the invocation. Biesemeyer denied the allegations saying it was city practice to permit invocations only by organizations with substantial ties to the community. The emails did not prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Biesemeyer acted on the basis of plaintiffs religious beliefs, or even that those beliefs were a substantial motivating factor in his decision, Campbell said. The city did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. I was really expecting to win this, Kezhaya said. But its still government, and government is still a popularity contest. A power outage and fluctuations in supply across Venezuela 1 March 2020, knocked out approximately 35% of the countrys telecommunications infrastructure. The NetBlocks internet observatory, which tracks disruptions and shutdowns, reported that yesterday (March 1, 2020) a massive power outage across Venezuela that knocked out a large part of the countrys connectivity to the Internet. Confirmed: A major power outage has knocked out internet connectivity in large parts of #Venezuela; real-time network data show 35% fall in national connectivity from 5:45 p.m. local time; incident ongoing #1Mar #Apagon #SinLuz https://t.co/zscaM2NYhM pic.twitter.com/Rqm4dsAMCF NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) March 1, 2020 The power outage impacted several states of Venezuela, mobile networks were also partially affected by the incident, but the organization reported that they were rapidly restored after the fluctuations. This is not that the first time that the countrys power grid is impacted by a massive outage. On March 2019, Venezuela suffered a major blackout and Nicolas Maduro immediately blamed on opposition sabotage of a hydroelectric dam. They [the US] carried out a cyberattack on [Guris] automatic control system. Everything shows that it is a multiformat and violent attack against all of Venezuela, Rodriguez told the countrys state television. At the time, the Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Jorge Rodriguez declared that the blackout has been caused by a cyberattack against the Guri hydroelectric power plant. The plant provides over 70 percent of the nations electricity. Additional technical details are reported in the post published by NetBlocks that will continue to follow the situation in the country. Pierluigi Paganini Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLAs on Monday protested outside the Bihar Assembly over several issues including a demand to withdraw the sedition case against party leader Kanhaiya Kumar. CPI(M) legislators carried banners and raised slogans outside the Assembly on Monday morning. "A false sedition case has been filed against Kanhaiya Kumar. Court had dismissed the case. However, Delhi Chief Minister was pressurised to grant sanctions to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar. We demand that the case should be withdrawn," CPI(M) MLA Mehboob Alam told ANI here. Alam, who is an MLA from Balrampur, also raised the issue of teachers' protest in the state. "Over four lakh teachers in Bihar are on strike. However, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has suspended over 500 teachers. The exams are being conducted without teachers. And the papers are also being checked by officers instead of teachers," he said. The CPI(M) MLA urged the Bihar Government to withdraw the suspension of striking teachers and hold talks with them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Elon Musk has told a top US Air Force General the fighter jet era has passed, predicting wars will soon be fought using unmanned drones and space-based technology. Speaking with Lieutenant General John Thompson at the AirWarfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida, the SpaceX chief executive praised the US Space Force, which was unveiled last year by Donald Trump. The latest branch of the US Military has been widely mocked, with detractors pointing out the similarities between the Space Force logo and that of Star Trek, as well as the terrestrial camouflage used for the uniform. The role of the new command is to protect satellites and other space-based infrastructure, while also conducting space operations to assist troops on the ground. I think its actually cool that the creation of the Space Force is happening, Mr Musk said. It makes sense that theres a major branch for every domain... I have zero doubt that if the United States does not seek great innovations in space, it will be second in space, as sure as night follows day. So its a big deal. SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Show all 15 1 /15 SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Space X Dragon departs from the International Space Station and heads for earth AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Space X Dragon undocks from the International Space Station NASA SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX Crew Dragon is pictured about 20 meters (66 feet) away from the International Space Station Nasa/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifts off on March 2 2019 Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Astronauts aboard the Space Station preparing to open hatchet to the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying a instrumented dummy after it successfully docked with Space Station Nasa TV/EPA SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A dummy(L) named Ripley onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard after the opening of the hatch during the Demo-1 missioN Nasa TV/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission The SpaceX team watches as the SpaceX Crew Dragon docks with the International Space Station Nasa/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket docked with the International Space Station during the Demo-1 mission Nasa/AFP/Getty SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Astronaut David Saint-Jacques taking a look inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying a instrumented dummy Nasa TV/EPA SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft lifts off on an uncrewed test flight Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifts off on an uncrewed test flight Reuters SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a demo Crew Dragon spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission SpaceX's new crew capsule approaches just before docking Nasa TV/AP SpaceX Dragon heads back to earth after ISS mission Astronaut Eric Boe, assistant to the chief of the astronaut office for commercial crew, left, and Norm Knight, deputy director of flight operations at Nasa's Johnson Space Center watch the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft Nasa/AP Mr Musk said he hoped the US Space Force would result in a fleet of space craft, similar to that found in Star Trek. Weve got to make Starfleet happen, he said. When the public hears Space Force, thats what they think. Its like, OK, were going to have some sweet spaceships and pretty good uniforms and stuff. Space Force uniform was unveiled to derision (United States Space Force) Mr Musk said innovation in air warfare systems would soon see autonomous aircraft replace current piloted craft, saying if you dont push for radical breakthroughs, youre not going to get radical outcomes. He said: The fighter jet era has passed. Drone warfare is where the future will be. Its not that I want the future to be, its just, this is what the future will be. He claimed the Pentagons most expensive weapons system Lockheed Martins F-35 jet should have a competitor in order to prevent the US military from falling behind other countries like China. Mr Musk provided more details of what this F-35 competitor should look like on Twitter following the event. The competitor should be a drone fighter plane thats remote controlled by a human, but with its manoeuvres augmented by autonomy, he wrote. The F-35 would have no chance against it. Recommended Elon Musk responds to Twitter time travel conspiracy Other Twitter users pointed out that the need for a human pilot increased costs and limited performance of modern fighter jets, as it adds the requirement of ejection seats, pressurized cockpits, and other features. A remote-controlled jet would also not be restricted by the amount of G-Force the human body can withstand, however it may be more vulnerable to being hacked or interfered with by malicious actors. Aerospace firms are already working on self-piloted jet fighters, with Boeing developing a windowless warplane that could be ready for operational use by the mid-2020s. She is known for having a passion for fashion and regularly shows off her sartorial prowess with her legions of followers on social media. And Christine McGuinness looked every inch the bronzed beauty as she shared a snap of herself soaking up the sun from a recent trip to Athens, Greece. The Real Housewives of Cheshire star, 31, cut a glamorous figure as she posed on a rooftop area in a green and white plaid crop top and matching flared trousers. Glamour: Christine McGuinness, 31, looked every inch the bronzed beauty as she shared a snap of herself soaking up the sun from a recent trip to Athens, Greece The TV personality displayed her taut midriff while she added height to her frame with white, open-toed heels. Styling her tresses into voluminous curls, Christine added to her ensemble with a pair of large sunglasses. Christine shared a further look at her outfit with restroom snaps uploaded to her Instagram stories. The star appeared to be enjoying her trip away with a group of gal pals as she shared another photo of herself along two friends, captioning it: 'Girls trip'. Dazzling: The Real Housewives of Cheshire star cut a glamorous figure as she posed on a rooftop area in a green and white plaid crop top and matching flared trousers Sensational: Christine shared a further look at her outfit with restroom snaps uploaded to her Instagram stories Party: The star appeared to be enjoying her trip away with a group of gal pals as she shared another photo of herself along two friends, captioning it: 'Girls trip' Beauty: Christine looked every inch the blonde bombshell as she styled her tresses into voluminous curls It comes after Christine looked radiant as ever as she recently went for an early morning gym session in Cheshire. The blonde bombshell displayed her jaw-dropping figure as she donned a baby blue crop top and a matching pair of leggings. The model also sported a pair of box-fresh white trainers along with a matching hoodie. Carrying a white handbag, Christine styled her platinum blonde locks into a ponytail and also wore a pair of shades. Looking in good spirits as she left the gym, the mother-of-three completed her look for the day with a turquoise headband. Shortly after her workout, Christine headed straight to the airport as she told her followers she was going on a 'business trip'. Wow: It comes after Christine looked radiant as ever as she recently went for an early morning gym session in Cheshire Outfit: The TV personality displayed her jaw-dropping figure as she donned a baby blue crop top and a matching pair of leggings The star cut a glamorous figure for the day, donning a nude sleeveless top along with a pair of mauve trousers. Adding height to her frame with a pair of beige boots, Christine wrapped up in a matching cardigan as she posed in the airport lounge. Letting her blonde tresses fall loose down her shoulders, the model captioned the snap with: 'Nipped off'. Casual: The Real Housewives of Cheshire star also sported a pair of box-fresh white trainers along with a matching hoodie The trip comes after Christine emotionally revealed she has no one to talk to after she discovered that her youngest daughter, Felicity, three, has autism three years after her twins, six, were diagnosed. In a candid new interview, the star also spoke about her marriage to presenter Paddy McGuinness, 46, and how there's 'no time' for them as a couple. Christine admitted that her 'heart breaks for all her children' but that Felicity and twins - Penelope and Leo, inspire her every day. Travel: Shortly after her workout, Christine headed straight to the airport as she told her followers she was going on a 'business trip' Marriage: In a candid interview, the RHOCH star recently spoke about her marriage to presenter Paddy McGuinness, 46, and how there's 'no time' for them as a couple The model also revealed that Paddy found Felicity's autism hard after he previously admitted that he is 'never happy in himself' since their twins were diagnosed. Speaking to OK! Magazine, Christine said it was 'heartbreaking' but clarified that it didn't mean Paddy wasn't happy with her or the children. She explained: 'There's no time for us as a couple, no quality time, no date nights. Not even time to have a laugh together. 'We're full-time carers and the kids come before everything. But we have to stay strong as a unit for our kids.' Christine also revealed that she found husband Paddy's vasectomy over the summer 'heartbreaking' as they always wanted four children but agreed that their family was 'too stretched' for another baby. Gardai investigate a collision between two cars on the M1 at Carrickarnan in Co Louth where three people died A teenage girl was the latest victim on a weekend of "appalling" carnage on Irish roads that claimed seven lives in less than 48 hours. Roisin Hession (16), from Tuam in Co Galway, was a passenger in a car that crashed into a wall and ended up on its roof in a single-vehicle crash at Porridgetown near Oughterard at 1.15am yesterday. Her body was removed to the mortuary in University Hospital Galway, where a post-mortem was due to take place. The male driver of the car (21) suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries. Gardai in Salthill, Co Galway, are appealing to road users who may have travelled the route and can assist them, or drivers who may have dash cam footage, to call them at Salthill Garda Station (091 514720), the Garda Confidential Line (1800 666 111) or any garda station. Loss Expand Close Brian McGill (pictured) and mother and son Mary and Kevin Faxton were killed in a two-car collision on the N1 at Carrickcarnan in the early hours of Saturday / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brian McGill (pictured) and mother and son Mary and Kevin Faxton were killed in a two-car collision on the N1 at Carrickcarnan in the early hours of Saturday The fatality followed six deaths on the nation's roads between Friday night and Saturday morning. The loss of life has been described as "an appalling level of carnage" by the Road Safety Authority. In the worst single loss of life, three people were killed following a two-car collision in Co Louth in the early hours of Saturday morning. The crash happened at about 2.15am on the N1 at Carrickcarnan, south of Junction 20 on the main Dublin to Belfast road near Dundalk. A mother and son, Mary (88) and Kevin Faxton (58), from Bessbrook in Newry, were pronounced dead in one car. In the second car, Brian McGill (25), also from Newry, was killed. Their bodies were removed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. A man in his 20s in the second car was also seriously injured in the crash. He was also taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital for treatment. Gardai investigating the two-car collision yesterday arrested a man in his 20s. It is understood he is being detained under the provisions of Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act and was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death. The detained man has an address in the North. A man and a woman in their 60s died in a collision with a 4x4 in Cavan on the N55 in Ballinagh, Co Cavan, around 7pm on Friday. They were named as Ian Kennedy (67), the driver of the car, from Co Tyrone, and his passenger Margaret McAllister (68), from Portadown. The death toll rose when a male pedestrian in his 20s died after being hit by a lorry in a separate incident in Co Monaghan on Saturday. It happened on the N54 between Monaghan town and Clones in the townland of Bandrum. He was named locally as Ericks Caune (27), from Cootehill Road in Monaghan. Gardai are appealing to witnesses to contact them at Monaghan Garda Station on 04777240, the Garda Confidential Line or at any garda station. STAMFORD Police have charged Ricardo Horton, 25, of Stamford, with second-degree strangulation, second- and third-degree assault, threatening, unlawful restraint and cruelty to persons for alleged domestic violence-realted offences. Horton, of Hope Street, is being held at the Bridgeport Correctional Center in lieu of a $100,000 court appearance bond. According to his four-page arrest affidavit, on November 11, 2019 Stamford police were contacted by a Chicago police officer who told them her 23-year-old niece in Stamford had suffered at the hands of Horton, and been taken to Stamford Hospital where she told a social worker that Horton had bitten her on the face and had repeatedly assaulted her. The woman was not identified by police in order to protect her identity. The woman then met with police and told them she moved in with Horton and his mother in May, at which time Horton became very possessive, blocked friends from calling her prevented her from going out alone, the affidavit said. The woman said since August the two had been living at various motels around Stamford and Horton made her give up social media, the affidavit said. One day in November, while the two were staying at the Holiday Inn Express, Horton forced his way into the bathroom and put his arm on the womans neck and held her down, while threatening to hold her head under the hot water, the affidavit said. Also in November, when the two were staying at the Super 8 motel in Stamford, the woman began feeling pain her abdomen and was vomiting, the affidavit said. The woman told Horton she needed to go to the hospital, but he refused to let her go, the affidavit said. Horton eventually did text the womans parents on her phone, as though it was her talking, and told them she needed to go to the hospital, the affidavit said. It wasnt until hours later, after the woman had been throwing up and crying, that he texted the parents again, telling them they could pick up their daughter at the Shell gas station next to the hotel and take her to the hospital, the affidavit said. But when she tried to leave the room Horton would gab her hair and pull her back into the bedroom and begin assaulting her, the affidavit said. One time he threw her on the bed and bit her cheek and head butted her, causing her to strike her head on the wall, the affidavit said. During another attempt to leave she said he threw her onto the ground and held her down with his foot on her neck, the affidavit said. Eventually she was allowed to leave and met her parents at the gas station. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com El Paso County Sheriff's Office The stepmother of Gannon Stauch, an 11-year-old who has been missing for five weeks in Colorado Springs, was arrested in South Carolina and charged with first-degree murder, Colorado authorities confirmed Monday. Letecia Stauch, who was the last person to see the boy, faces several other charges including child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a body, and tampering with physical evidence. The El Paso County Sheriffs Office, which has been leading the search for the 11 year old, announced the charges at a press conference in Colorado Springs on Monday. As you can see by the arrest, we no longer believe that Gannon is alive, Lt. Mitch Mihalko said. Sheriff Bill Elder said that investigators will remain steadfast and diligent until the final prosecution. Letecia Stauch is being held without bond and has been extradited to Colorado, he added. Justice will be served because my boy does not deserve this, said Gannons biological mother, Landen Hiott, standing alongside the boys father, Albert Stauch, at the press conference. She will pay 100 percent for this thing that she did, Hiott added, because I want to live on this Earth knowing that justice will be served for my little boy. Gannons father said in a statement that was read aloud during the press conference, The person who committed this heinous, horrible crime is one that I gave more to anyone else on this planet, and that is a burden that I will carry with me for a very long time. Letecia initially reported Gannon missing, telling authorities that he walked over to a friends house at 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 27 and never returned. She told El Paso County police that she believed the child had been abducted. But a video provided by the familys neighbor in Colorado Springs called her story into question, as it appeared to show the child entering his stepmothers truck and leaving with her on the day he disappeared. The video apparently shows Stauch returning home without her stepson. Story continues It was later revealed that he did not attend school that Monday. Come Home: Search Is on for Colorado Boy Who Vanished Two Weeks Ago In February, El Paso County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Sgt. Deborah Mynatt cast doubt on Gannons alleged kidnapping, saying, We are really trying to also ensure that the community knows if there was a threat of some sort of public safety statement, if there was an abduction of some sort, if that information was revealed to us we would absolutely put that out, according to People magazine. Landen Hiott said in a video statement released earlier in February, I dont even have answers for my feelings, other than Im afraid, adding, Afraid that I will never hear his voice, that I will never hear him run and say, Mommy!, that I will never hear those corny jokes that he always tells. I am afraid I will never see that again or hear it. 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. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Writing in iScience, zoologists have shown that insects have the cognitive abilities to perform so called numerosity estimation, allowing them to solve simple mathematical problems. Zoologist Professor Dr. Martin Paul Nawrot and doctoral student Hannes Rapp from the "Computational Systems Neuroscience' research group at the University of Cologne demonstrated these abilities in a computational model inspired by the honeybee. "Experiments showed that insects such as honeybees can actually 'count' up to a certain number of objects. For example, bees were able to compare sets of objects and evaluate whether they were the same size or whether one set was larger than the other," said Hannes Rapp, explaining the underlying question of what is known as numerical cognition. For example, the bee recognized that six diamonds are more than four circles. "So far, it has been unclear how the neuronal network for this cognitive ability is constructed. Earlier theoretical models had assumed a firmly implemented circular circuit with four involved neurons for the four arithmetical operations 'equal to,' 'zero,' 'more than' and 'less than,'" explained Professor Nawrot. "However, our computer model showed that not four, but only one neuron is sufficient. The action potential of a single neuron varies depending on the math problemand this can be trained on the neuron. As a result, the researchers identified a comparatively simple model with which a neural network can learn to solve numerical cognition tasks." According to Nawrot, this model also helps the neural networks of an artificial intelligence to learn: "A lot of money has already been invested into training artificial neural networks to visually recognize the number of objects. Deep learning methods in particular to enable counting by the explicit or implicit recognition of several relevant objects within a static scene," Nawrot added. "However, these model classes are expensive because they usually have to be trained on a very large number of patterns in the millions and often require cloud computing clusters. Our honeybee-inspired approach with a simple model and learning algorithm reduces this effort many times over." Explore further Designing artificial brains can help us learn more about real ones More information: Hannes Rapp et al, Numerical cognition based on precise counting with a single spiking neuron., iScience (2020). Journal information: iScience Hannes Rapp et al, Numerical cognition based on precise counting with a single spiking neuron.,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100852 LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) - The British government will lift its block on subsidising new onshore wind farms, four years after support was scrapped, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper on Monday. The newspaper said plans to renew support for onshore wind will be announced officially by the government later today. (Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) A 69-year-old Italian national in Rajasthan tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Monday, state health minister Raghu Sharma said on Monday. The man was shifted to the isolation ward of the SMS Medical Hospital in Jaipur even as the health department officials went into a huddle to discuss the development. A note from the hospital said the Italian came with a group from Udaipur on February 28 and checked into a hotel in the capital city where he complained of breathlessness and cough. He was taken to Fortis Hospital the same night and he was kept there overnight. On February 29, around noon, he was shifted to SMS Hospital and kept in medical ICU, principal of the SMS Medical College Dr Sudhir Bhandari said. The principal said he was screened for H1N1 and coronavirus. After he tested negative for coronavirus, he was shifted to Sethia H1N1 ICU for observation. Today the second screening test came out to be positive and the man was shifted back to the ICU of the isolation ward. All due precautions were taken and sample for confirmation is being sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, Dr Bhandari said. Following the development, the state health minister said he had ordered screening of all patients in the ICU in which the Italian man was kept for two days. The case from Rajasthan was reported few hours after the Union health ministry announced two new cases of coronavirus - one in Delhi and the other in Telangana . One positive case of Covid-19 has been detected in New Delhi, and one has been detected in Telangana, the Union Health Ministry said in a release, referring to the official name of the disease. The person from Delhi has a travel history from Italy, while the one from Telangana has a travel history from Dubai, the ministry said. Watch: Coronavirus: Over 60 countries hit by the deadly virus globally, toll reaches 3000 Earlier, in January, one suspected case of coronavirus in Rajasthan had tested negative. The blood report of the MBBS student who was suspected to have contracted the virus was received on January 29 and tested negative, said Rohit Kumar Singh, additional chief secretary, health. A total of 18 people from four districts of the state who had returned from visits to China have all been screened and none had any symptoms of the virus. However they will be monitored for 28 days as per the protocol, said Singh. He said the health department is doing screening at the international terminal at the Jaipur airport. The department has deployed thermal scanners at the airport for scanning. With fresh cases being reported in the country, the health ministry has increased screening and advised people to avoid non-essential travel to countries where most coronavirus infections are being reported from. The screening of passengers is being conducted at 21 airports, 12 major seaports and 65 minor seaports. 5,57,431 passengers have been screened so far at airports and 12,431 passengers have been screened on minor and major seaports, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said at a press briefing in New Delhi on Monday. We advise Indians to avoid non-essential travel to China, Iran, Korea, Singapore, and Italy. As the situation develops, the travel restrictions may be further extended to other countries also, he added. He also said that the country is already prepared in advance and are closely monitoring other countries. Of the cases in India so far, the first three were reported from Kerala. The state was successful in restricting the virus and discharged all three after their treatment. The death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday as more people died in China, Iran and the US and Europe raised its state of alert. The virus has now infected more than 89,000, spread to over 60 countries and threatens to cause a global economic slowdown -- after first emerging in China late last year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Three elite soldiers from the Queen's elite Grenadier Guards have been jailed for a total of 24 years after holding up seven convenience stores in just three days. Kristopher James-Merrill, 20, Dillon Sharpe, 23, and Elnur Bracegirdle, 21, used a stun gun and knives to terrorise shop owners across south London. The Grenadier Guards regiment is one of the most senior in the British Army with soldiers recognised by the scarlet tunic and bearskin uniforms they wear while on ceremonial duty at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Together with former QPR youth player Marlon Wright, 26, the trio were convicted of carrying out a wave of armed robberies after a trial at Kingston Crown Court. Kristopher James-Merrill (left) Dillon Sharpe (right) and Elnur Bracegirdle, 21, used a stun gun and knives to terrorise shop owners across south London Sharpe, from Dulwich, and Bracegirdle, from Preston, burst into a Brixton off licence at around 1am on January 10 last year. As Bracegirdle guarded the door, Sharpe activated his stun gun - causing sparks to fly - and shouted 'open the door' at the cashier. The victim saw Bracegirdle holding a knife by the door and did as he was told, opening the till and stepping back. Sharpe began filling a blue carrier bag with cash. Both suspects then fled the scene and the victim immediately called police. On their way to the scene, officers saw two men matching the suspects' descriptions and detained them. Sharpe was still wearing his balaclava when he was arrested, and was in possession of the blue bag of cash, gloves and the stun gun. He was behind 11 previous robberies in February and July 2018 - seven involving James-Merrill and Wright. Officers attempted to arrest James-Merrill, from Brixton, at his barracks, but he was not there. He then handed himself in at Wandsworth police station later the same day. In his bedroom police found a fake gun identical to the one used in one offence in Brighton Road on 24 July 2019, with the victim's DNA on it. The three men, who were soldiers in the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, were believed to have been based at the Lille Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire. Judge Timothy Lamb QC, said: 'This sentencing exercise involves 12 robberies and 13 supplementary offences for firearms and bladed articles. Together with former QPR youth player Marlon Wright (left) the trio were convicted of carrying out a wave of armed robberies after a trial at Kingston Crown Court (Pictured right: Elnur Bracegirdle) 'With the exception of Wright each was a serving guardsman at the time. I imagine the army will express their concern at the disgrace which the three soldier defendants have generated but that is not my concern. 'The principle difficulty for the court is that Sharpe falls to be sentenced for 24 offences and so totality comes into play in his case. 'But then it is also necessary to distinguish the relative seriousness of the four defendants. 'Sharpe, armed with an imitation or disguised firearm and on one occasion accompanied by Bracegirdle, would burst into a convenience store late at night demanding items of high value. 'Although some shopkeepers put up resistance mercifully no long-lasting injury was inflicted. 'As for the psychological effects these remarks of one of the store keepers are perhaps typical: "I'm very scared because of this incident. When people walk into the shop I fear they might want to attack me. "I could not sleep in the night, I'm getting nightmares and I don't want to come to work."' Pictured: Marlon Wright, who was jailed for five years The judge noted that 'isolated shopkeepers closing up at the end of the day' had been targeted because of their vulnerability. Judge Lamb went on: 'Sharpe is making the most of his time in custody. He is involved in a violence reduction program and was assessed as being low risk. 'James-Merrill though only 18 at the time of his offending he had been in the army for a couple of years and had tasted adulthood. 'Wright has written a letter. He was effectively of good character and devoted some of his time to helping others with problems. He is deploying this side of his character in custody. 'Some might think that for seven robberies i ought to be more harsh than in the event I am going to be. 'However as I have already said I have to mark the relative seriousness of the four defendants' criminality. As for James-Merrill and Wright the personal mitigation might lead to a minimal adjustment. 'I am satisfied that looking at the overall picture of this sentencing exercise I am right to treat them both in the same way. 'There is much to be said for [Bracegirdle]. It was a spur of the moment decision to take part in the robbery. 'He has shown empathy for the victims of his crime evidenced by a letter to the shopkeeper but for me it is the horrifying nature of the robbery which puts him into a different category of seriousness from Wright and James-Merrill. 'Some shopkeepers felt able to tackle Sharpe while he stood alone with his gun but what were they to do with two armed attackers?' Sharpe was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment because of his violent role in the attacks. James-Merrill and Wright were both jailed for five years. Bracegirdle was locked up for six years. The judge praised the bravery of the shopkeepers in his final remarks and said he would nominate them for a High Sheriff award. Sharpe (pictured) and Bracegirdle, from Preston, burst into a Brixton off licence at around 1am on January 10 last year He added: 'I can't leave this case without praising those shopkeepers who were able to find within themselves the strength to fight back and I will be recommending to the High Sheriff that he consider making award to them.' Fraser Coxhill, prosecuting, said: 'Over a three day period between the 24th and 26th of July 2018, the same hooded and masked man entered seven small convenience shops and robbed or attempted to rob the shop keepers of cash. 'On each occasion he threatened them with what appeared to be a firearm. 'These defendants together with another male, Dillon Sharpe, each played a role in these offences. 'There isn't any dispute that the defendants were known to each other, they were serving Grenadier Guardsmen, Mr Wright was good friends with both of them.' In February 2018, Sharpe robbed three shops - a convenience store on Upper Tulse Hill on February 10, a newsagent in Leigham Vale on February 12 and another newsagent on Tulse Hill also on February 12. He attempted to rob a shop on Norwood Road on February 9. And in July, this time accompanied by James-Merill and Wright, he committed seven more offences. The group robbed two shops in south Croydon and Merton on July 24, and in Streatham Vale on July 25. They also attempted three robberies on July 26 - two in Kingston and one in West Molesey, as well as an attempted robbery in Wallington on July 24. James-Merrill and Wright were convicted by a jury of three counts of robbery, four of attempted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence. Sharpe admitted 12 robberies, 11 counts of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and one count of possessing a prohibited weapon. Bracegirdle admitted one count of robbery and one count of possessing a bladed article in public place. Detective Sergeant Jamie Witts, from the Flying Squad, said: 'This case is both shocking and somewhat disheartening in that these men who were in positions of responsibility and trust - three of whom have served their country in the armed forces - resorted to targeting hardworking shopkeepers late at night.' TUCSON, Ariz., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Endangered Ink Laser Tattoo Removal is hosting their grand opening event on Saturday, March 14, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at their Tucson, Arizona location. The up-and-coming clinic uses the state-of-the-art Astanza Duality laser, revolutionary DESCRIBE PFD Patch, complimentary potent numbing ointment, and comforting Zimmer Cryo cooling machine to provide fast, safe, and effective laser tattoo removal treatments. "As a medical professional and enthusiast and owner of tattoos, I was immediately drawn to the science of laser-skin interaction as well as helping others find a solution for their tattoo regret," said Patrick Mares-Ziehmn. "I'm confident that our Astanza Duality technology and DESCRIBE PFD Patch treatments will deliver the best tattoo removal results in the fewest number of treatments throughout Tucson." The Astanza Duality laser is a powerful Q-switched Nd:YAG laser that boasts strong peak power and ultra-quick pulse durations for intense ink shattering and fast removal. The Duality's dual wavelengths, 1064 nm and 532 nm, target and remove a wide variety of tattoo colors and are safe to treat all patient skin types. Endangered Ink also uses the DESCRIBE PFD Patch to deliver faster, safer, and more effective results compared to treatments without the Patch. The Patch is a transparent silicone patch infused in a special nontoxic ingredient, Perfluorodecalin (PFD), that significantly speeds up the tattoo removal process by allowing up to four passes in a single treatment compared to traditional one-pass treatments without the Patch. Furthermore, this revolutionary accessory minimizes the risk of unwanted side effects, reduces thermal injury, and decreases the healing time between treatment sessions. "We're so excited to partner with Endangered Ink to bring cutting-edge laser tattoo removal to the greater Tucson area featuring our flagship Duality laser and the DESCRIBE PFD Patch," said Bryce Fisher, Astanza Sales Representative. "Patrick and his team are hard-working, passionate people who want nothing more than to create a comfortable, welcoming environment and positively transform people's skin." To celebrate their grand opening, Endangered Ink Laser Tattoo Removal is offering 10% off initial laser tattoo removal treatments to customers that book an appointment before or at the grand opening event on March 14th. About Endangered Ink Laser Tattoo Removal Endangered Ink Laser Tattoo Removal specializes in laser tattoo removal treatments, including complete tattoo removal, tattoo lightening for cover-ups, selective tattoo removal, and permanent makeup removal. All treatments are performed by owner, Veterinarian, and Certified Laser Technician, Patrick Mares-Ziehmn, DVM, and medically supervised by medical director Dr. Edward Eades. Patrick received hands-on and academic training from both an Arizona state approved program in Tucson and New Look Laser College, the world's leading laser tattoo removal training program, and received the designations of Certified Laser Specialist and Laser Safety Officer. Endangered Ink offers complimentary laser consultations for new and existing clients as well as a unique affordable per-treatment pricing structure that does not change if one or more tattoos are treated during a session. To schedule a free consultation, call (520) 222-6587 or visit www.endangeredinklaser.com. Endangered Ink Laser Tattoo Removal is located at 2940 N. Swan Road, Suite 130, Tucson, AZ 85712. About Astanza Laser Astanza is the leader in lasers for tattoo removal, hair removal, and additional aesthetic procedures. In addition to developing cutting-edge medical laser devices such as the Duality, Trinity, MeDioStar, and DermaBlate systems, Astanza offers its customers a complete range of training, marketing, and business consulting services specific to achieving success in this growing field. Astanza Laser is headquartered in Dallas, TX with customers throughout North America and Europe. For product, investor, or press information, call (800) 364-9010, or visit https://astanzalaser.com/. SOURCE Astanza Laser Related Links http://www.AstanzaLaser.com Afghan men celebrate in anticipation of the U.S-Taliban agreement to allow a U.S. troop reduction and a permanent ceasefire, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020.REUTERS/Parwiz - RC25AF9H1N2E Finally, after months of back and forth the United States has a deal in Afghanistan. The US managed to strike a deal with the Taliban which can potentially lead to the withdrawal of foreign troops from the war torn Afghanistan over the next 14 months. This much-talked about pact was signed in Doha by the US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar following a week-long partial truce as a confidence building measure between the two sides. The ceremony saw the presence of diplomats from Afghanistan, the US, India, Pakistan among others. Under the agreement, the US would reduce its military footprint to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three-four months, with the remaining US forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete draw down of forces would be a function of the Taliban holding its side of the bargain by renouncing Al-Qaeda and others as well as ensuring that Afghan soil is not used to plot attacks on the US or its allies. The US has pledged to lift sanctions against the Taliban and help in lifting multilateral sanctions against the group as well. This pact also provides for a prisoner swap with the provision that around 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 Afghan security force prisoners would be exchanged when talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are to commence in Oslo on March 10. In a sign of the careful balancing act by the US, even as this deal was being signed in Doha, US Defence Secretary Mark Esper was in Kabul with Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani reiterating his support for the Afghan government and making it clear that though this was a hopeful moment it was only the beginning, and that achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan will require patience and compromise among all parties. For US President Donald Trump, this is an important agreement in an election year. In his presidential campaign last time, he had pledged to bring an end to Americas endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he can go back to his base arguing that he has managed to deliver on his promise. Not surprising, therefore, that he tried to put this deal in the best possible light, saying that the Taliban had been trying to reach a deal with the US for a long time. He underlined his optimism that the Taliban wants to do something to show we're not all wasting time, but underlined that if bad things happen, we'll go back with a force like no-one's ever seen. The culmination of these talks is an important milestone in the 18-year-long Afghan war, which has seen America spend more than $1 trillion on fighting and reconstruction, and the death of around 2,400 US soldiers, along with tens of thousands of Afghan troops, civilians and insurgents. This deal was made possible by the realisation on both sides that an outright military victory is not really on the horizon for either side. The toll for the US has been heavy and there is an undercurrent of resentment in the American body politic about this. Trump, in particular, has been insisting that other countries need to do more. This was reflected in his statement after the signing of the deal too when he underscored that the US troops have been killing terrorists in Afghanistan by the thousands and now it was time for someone else to do that work and it will be the Taliban and it could be surrounding countries. For the Taliban too, there has been a growing realisation that negotiations remain their fastest route to a political role in Afghanistan. The stage has now been set for the intra-Afghan talks now, which are going to be more intractable and difficult. Fissures are already out in the open with Ghani contradicting the terms of the US-Taliban deal on prisoner swapping and suggesting that such a prisoner release cannot be a prerequisite for talks, but must be part of negotiations. He is trying to put his own authority on these talks and trying to garner further concessions by making it clear that a prisoner release was not in the authority of the US but in the authority of the Afghan government. The challenges are only going to become more severe from now on. There are two different political visions in contestation in Afghanistan the Talibans Islamic Emirates and a democratic Afghan State that has emerged since from the ruins of 2001. They are difficult to reconcile and the memories of the Taliban rule still remain strong. Ordinary Afghans, especially women, who have come of age in the last two decades would worried about their freedoms, making it difficult for them to trust the intentions of the Taliban who have declared victory in this deal to their supporters. Indias concerns regarding the Taliban are well-known and have not been diluted. Indians reaction the deal was also cautious when it underlined that its consistent policy has been to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and ensure end of terrorism. India has also said that it will continue to extend all support to Afghanistan as a contiguous neighbour, referring to Indias claims on the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir belongs to it. Trumps recent visit to India has allowed New Delhi to share its concerns with Washington and there is now greater synergy between the two sides. However, India will have to be extra nimble in its response as the situation on the ground will evolve rapidly in the coming days and month. While the Indian strategic community was content to advise the US from the sidelines over the last two decades to craft a credible policy vis-a-vis Afghanistan, time has now come to shape Indias own policy more proactively. WASHINGTON, D.C., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MCI is pleased to announce that, as of March 1, 2020, Colonel Michael Rutkowski will serve as the Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer of the MCI Federal Services Division (MFS). On the heels of his recently completed tour with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as the Secretarys Senior Military Advisor and Deputy Director of the Electronic Healthcare Records Modernization, Rutkowski will expand MCIs highly tech-enabled business services for clients of the United States federal defense and civilian agency. Over the past 29 years, Rutkowski served in the United States Army as a highly decorated UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter pilot, an acquisition and contracting expert for the Department of Defense (DoD), and Senior Military Advisor to the VA. Throughout his impressive career, he has provided leadership in Army Aviation, the Joint Staff, and in modernizing healthcare. In Rutkowskis words: Im extremely excited to be helping lead the MCI Federal Services Team. Throughout my career Ive learned the value of bringing people and technology together to solve the governments toughest initiatives and modernization challenges, whether in the air or on the ground. I look forward to working with our talented team and helping MFS clients take full advantage of the cutting-edge services and professional products MCI offers. We thank Colonel Rutkowski for his impressive three decades of honorable military service. His reputation within the DoD and the VA as a proven performer and leader is exemplary and shows our deeply-rooted commitment towards hiring veterans and bringing best in class C-suite personnel like Colonel Rutkowski, said Anthony Marlowe, CEO and Founder of MCI. Mr. Marlowe added, For two decades we have proven to be a leader in providing IT and BPO services to the commercial sector, and the time is right to expand further into the public sector. Many government agencies, either directly or via their prime contractors, need our suite of traditional and digital services. This is based on the evolution of the IT and business process services market, which sees continuous advancement at a robust pace to address an increasingly complex process environment. Changes in technology (such as digital/social, automation and analytics), regulations and polices, and growing expectations from customers and citizens are creating new opportunities and challenges for public sector buyers. To deliver on this new Federal Services Division, MCIs President and CIO, Camilo Sandoval, believes the federal IT Services and BPO landscape is well-positioned to bridge legacy services with agile providers, like MCI. The latter can help optimize and leverage data and technology, adapt to change, automate processes (including redesigning), improve competitive advantage, and identify sustainable growth opportunities among federal customers. These are exciting times for MCI, as we leverage our successful commercial practices into the federal market. I couldnt be happier with our continued growth and commitment to excellence in everything we do, and this is another example of the value MCI brings to the entire marketplace. Sandoval added, I am very happy to have Colonel Rutkowskis expertise to assist me in leading our newest division MCI Federal Services and we thank him for his distinguished and honorable service to our great nation. First and foremost, Mike is a proven leader. His program management background is second-to-none, operating at the highest levels inside two of the largest federal agencies in DoD and VA, with distinction and honor. About MCI In 2019 Marlowe Companies Inc. (MCI) was named by Inc. Magazine as Iowas Fastest Growing Company in the State of Iowa and was named the 452nd Fastest Growing Privately Company in the USA, making the coveted top 500 for the first time. MCIs subsidiaries had previously made Inc. Magazine's List of Fastest Growing Companies 15 times respectively. MCI is headquartered in Iowa City, IA, and has nine customer contact management centers, IT services, and business process outsourcing service delivery facilities in Iowa, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, and South Dakota. Driving modernization through digitalization, MCI ensures clients do more for less. MCI is the holding company for a diverse lineup of tech-enabled business services operating companies. MCI organically grows, acquires and operates companies that have a synergistic products and services portfolios, including but not limited to Automated Contact Center Solutions (ACCS), customer contact management, IT Services (IT Schedule 70), and Temporary and Administrative Professional Staffing (TAPS Schedule 736), Business Process Management (BPM), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Claims Processing, Collections, Customer Experience Provider (CXP), Customer Service, Digital Experience Provider (DXP), Account Receivables Management (ARM), Application Software Development, Managed Services, and Technology Services, to mid-market, Federal & enterprise partners. MCI now employs 2,500+ talented individuals with 150+ diverse North American client partners across the following MCI brands: GravisApps, Mass Markets, MCI Federal Services (MFS), The Sydney Call Center, OnBrand24, and Valor Intelligent Processing (VIP). MCI provides products and services under the following NAICS Codes: 511210 Software Publishers, 518210 Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services, 519190 All Other Information Services, 524291 Claims Adjusting, 524292 Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds, 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services, 541512 Computer Systems Design Services, 541519 Other Computer Related Services, 541519 Information Technology and Value Added Resellers, 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, 541613 Marketing Consulting Services, 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services, 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 561110 Office Administrative Services, 561320 Temporary Help Services, 561330 Professional Employer Organizations, 561421 Telephone Answering Services, 561422 Telemarketing Bureaus and Other Contact Centers, 561431 Private Mail Centers, 561440 Collection Agencies, 561499 All Other Business Support Services, 561990 All Other Support Services, 611430 Professional and Management Development Training. For more information, please visit or https://www.mci.world/ Email: info@mci.world A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/584bc34c-0dab-41d8-ae1f-4055fbecdd46 The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:44:56|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Sunday night announced he is ending his presidential campaign, just two days before the Super Tuesday primary. "At this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together," Buttigieg told supporters in his hometown South Bend. "So, tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency," the 38-year-old Democrat said. "I will no longer seek to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January," the former mayor said. He won the most delegates in the contentious Iowa Democratic caucuses, the first nominating contest of the 2020 U.S. presidential primary. However, he made a poor showing in South Carolina's Democratic primary on Saturday. According to NBC News exit polls, Buttigieg won the support of just 3 percent of black voters in South Carolina. Buttigieg launched his presidential bid in April 2019. He was the first openly gay candidate to mount a major run for U.S. president. The upcoming Super Tuesday will see 14 U.S. states across the nation, including populous California and Texas, as well as unincorporated territory American Samoa and Democrats living overseas, hold a primary or a caucus for voters to select their preferred presidential candidates this year. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is currently leading with most pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden. Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton has falsely accused fellow bride Natasha Spencer of having sex with her 'husband' Mikey Pembroke's father. Stacey, 26, claimed to New Idea that Mikey had told her during filming that he suspected his 'wife' had seduced his dad, Dr Andrew Pembroke. 'Mikey said, "I'm pretty sure [Natasha] hooked up with my dad or at least I'm pretty sure she's hooking up with my dad,"' she alleged. Wild claims: Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton has falsely accused fellow bride Natasha Spencer of having sex with her 'husband' Mikey Pembroke's father. Pictured: Natasha and Mikey at Sunday night's commitment ceremony 'He was pretty certain. It wasn't a joke,' Stacey added. According to New Idea, it was falsely claimed Natasha 'hit it off' with Dr Pembroke, a Sydney anesthetist, after meeting him at her and Mikey's wedding in September. Dr Pembroke is single, having separated from Mikey's mother, Mary, years ago. Allegations: Stacey (pictured) claimed to New Idea that Mikey had told her during filming that he suspected his 'wife' had seduced his father, Dr Andrew Pembroke Family drama: According to New Idea, it was falsely claimed Natasha 'hit it off' with Dr Andrew Pembroke (bottom left) after meeting him at her and Mikey's wedding in September Natasha has denied these rumours in an official statement. 'The accusation that I slept with Mikey's dad is completely untrue. I cannot believe that anyone would start such a horrible rumour,' she said. 'The only times I've met Mr Pembroke was on the show during the wedding and on parents day. I'd ask that the media please respect the Pembroke family and stop spreading this vile and inappropriate gossip. It's not fair to bring Mikey's family members into these unfounded stories.' Hitting back: When approached for comment, Natasha insisted the rumours were completely false and said Stacey was a 'gross individual' for claiming otherwise Setting the record straight: Mikey also weighed in on the scandal, telling Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa on Monday the speculation was 'ridiculous' Mikey also weighed in on the scandal, telling Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa on Monday the speculation was 'ridiculous'. 'My dad would never do something like that, it would be completely weird, but it's just so far fetched,' he said. He clarified that his father had no contact with Natasha outside the experiment. 'Let me clear his name. I know [with] 100 per cent absolute certainty that he would never, and has never, slept with Natasha or done anything like it, messaged [her] or anything. I completely have his back,' he said. The 29-year-old operations manager confirmed he had spoken to his father about Stacey's false claims and said Dr Pembroke was 'not happy' about the situation. 'Let me clear his name': Mikey clarified that his father (right) had no contact with Natasha outside the experiment Not happy: Mikey confirmed he had spoken to his father about Stacey's false claims and said Dr Pembroke was 'not happy' about the situation 'He's like, "Why am I getting involved in this stuff?" He was against me doing [MAFS] in the first place. The last thing I want to do is get my family involved,' Mikey said. The scandal will apparently play out at the upcoming reunion dinner party when Stacey yells at Natasha, 'You slept with Mike's dad!', in front of the whole group. Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine New Jersey-based retailer Bed Bath & Beyond announced last week it will cut 500 jobs in light of plans to restructure the company. Bed Bath & Beyond will reduce annual expenses by about $85 million, the statement said, as part of a realignment to enhance the customer experience, drive sales and position the company for long-term success." We do not take this action lightly but, while difficult, these measured and purposeful steps are necessary, President and CEO Mark Tritton said in the statement. "This will reset our cost structure, allowing us to re-invest where it matters most to our customers, to re-establish our authority in the home space. Bed Bath & Beyond, based in Union County, announced in 2019 it was closing 40 underperforming stores, along with 20 of its other concept stores, which include Harmon Face Values, buybuy Baby and World Market. Last month, the struggling retailer announced two New Jersey stores would close: locations in Newton (17 Hampton House Road, Ste. 8) and Sewell (141 Tuckahoe Road). There are currently 35 Bed Bath & Beyond locations in New Jersey. The company was founded in 1971. Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips MORE RETAIL AND SHOPPING COVERAGE: Falafel restaurant franchise opens in Paramus, eyes additional N.J. locations Pier 1 Imports files for bankruptcy: Here are some of the best online deals right now Sandwich franchise Cosi files for bankruptcy a 2nd time The biggest day of the Democratic presidential primary so far will be Tuesday, March 3. Thats because its the day 14 states will be holding nominating contests simultaneously. This is why its called Super Tuesday. Heres a guide to the critical election day to answer some questions that voters might have. What is Super Tuesday? Its perhaps the single most important day in the presidential nominating contest before the Democratic National Convention this summer. Roughly a third of all delegates for Julys convention will be at stake on Super Tuesday. Its also a key test of each Democratic candidates national appeal, because of the sheer number of states involved. Why is it important? Its a critical day for the candidates, who have the chance to grab a share of the 1,357 delegates who can be won on Super Tuesday. To put that number in perspective, the first four nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina were worth only 155 delegates in total. A candidate needs to win 1,991 delegates to go into the Democratic convention with a majority. So while its not possible to win the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday alone, it will show which candidates have a shot and perhaps force some others out of the race. That is especially significant this year given that there are still several Democratic candidates who could potentially win the nomination. Joe Biden, in particular, is coming off a big win in South Carolina, while Bernie Sanders had strong performances in the first three contests and is leading the polls in several key Super Tuesday battlegrounds. Joe Biden speaks at his South Carolina primary night rally in Columbia, S.C. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) With voting contests taking place across the country, Super Tuesday also tests a candidates national appeal, as candidates must court a wide swath of voters from a group of geographically and demographically diverse states. Historically, candidates who perform well on Super Tuesday generally go on to clinch their partys nomination, and those who dont are forced out of the race. In 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump won the majority of delegates on Super Tuesday, and each went on to secure their respective partys nomination. Story continues While some Republicans will also have the chance to vote on Super Tuesday, President Trump faces only token opposition for the GOP nomination. The only major candidate facing him is former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, and he is not considered a serious contender. Which states vote on Super Tuesday? This year, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia will participate. American Samoa, meanwhile, will be holding caucuses. Poll closing times vary by state. Vermont will finish earliest with polls closing at 7 p.m. ET, while Californias will close at 11 p.m. ET. Diverse and overwhelmingly Democratic California, the most populous state in the U.S., will have the most delegates at stake with 415, about a third of those to be awarded on Super Tuesday. But dont expect full results from the Golden State immediately mail-in ballots need only to be dropped in the mail by March 3 and will likely take days to count. In 2016, it took a month for Californias presidential primary votes to be officially counted, although its likely that well have a sense of who did well in the state in the hours after the polls close. What should I watch for on Super Tuesday? Will Michael Bloombergs Super Tuesday gamble pay off? The billionaire and former New York City mayor skipped the first four contests. Instead, he has poured a massive amount of his self-funded campaign resources into Super Tuesday states. If he fares poorly after spending close to $200 million in TV ad spending in the Super Tuesday contests, it becomes harder to imagine how he could possibly become the nominee. Will a moderate alternative to Bernie Sanders emerge? Despite Bidens big win in South Carolina on Saturday, the Vermont senator has emerged as the frontrunner for the nomination. He has benefited from a loyal fan base, but if Democrats who are wary of the democratic socialist senator begin to coalesce around a clear alternative, the field could shrink. Biden has pitched himself as the more moderate and electable alternative to Sanders. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren has tried to position herself as the candidate who can bring together more moderate voters as well as the progressives who have so far rallied around Sanders. Bernie Sanders takes the stage to rally with supporters in Springfield, Va. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst) Will home turf advantage pay off? Massachusetts, the state Warren represents in the Senate, will be one of the states in play on Super Tuesday. After a string of disappointing finishes in the first four contests, however, Warren will have to fend off Sanders to claim victory in the Bay State. Sanderss Vermont will also be voting on Super Tuesday. If a candidate cant win in their home state, it will be hard for them to convince voters elsewhere that they have what it takes to win the nomination. What are the other big voting dates remaining on the primary calendar? On March 10, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington all vote, with a total of 352 delegates at stake. A week later, St. Patricks Day brings the race to Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio with a total of 577 in play. The next major primary date isn't until April 28, when election day comes to six states, including delegate-rich New York and Pennsylvania. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The cruise ship Diamond Princess was quarantined for over two weeks resulting in more coronavirus infected passengers than if they would have disembarked immediately. Rather the opposite to what was intended. This according to 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 with 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 onboard 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, as far as possible, separated from other passengers onboard. When the quarantine in Yokohama in the end 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 onboard, another 2,300 people would have been infected. Georgia United Credit Union team members volunteer at their chosen charities. All our team members have servants hearts and recognize the great responsibility we have to give back to our local communities, stated Georgia United Credit Union President and CEO, Debbie Smith. Georgia United Credit Union actively supports programs and charitable organizations that help improve the lives of their members and strengthen the community. This year, over 370 Georgia United team members selected 25 local 501(c)(3) organizations they wished to serve. The credit unions Foundation allocated funds for each of the charities and encouraged their team members to leverage the resources in a manner they felt would make the biggest impact. Team members provided a variety of support to their chosen charities such as building personal care kits, donating gifts, purchasing items for household use, serving meals, and providing a day of fun and enjoyment to those who have fallen on desperate times. More importantly, team members formed relationships with both those in need and those who provide the services that better the lives of others. Every year our team members volunteer their time to support our School Crashers, Junior Achievement, Can Hunger and Wish Tree programs, as well as causes that are important to them individually. All our team members have servants hearts and recognize the great responsibility we have to give back to our local communities, stated Georgia United Credit Union President and CEO, Debbie Smith. Service is built into the business strategy and culture at Georgia United, with the goal of positively impacting the lives of their members, team members and communities they serve. The credit union encourages civic participation through their Service Day Program, where team members receive three paid days of community service every year. In 2019, Georgia United team members were provided 8,688 hours to give back to their communities. The credit unions dedication to serve has been recognized by industry leaders such as Forbes and by team members as illustrated by their sixth consecutive Top Workplaces in Atlanta award. To learn more about Georgia United and the programs funded by their Foundation, visit gucu.org and gucufoundation.org. Follow the credit union on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to see the difference Georgia United Credit Union team members made in partnering with 25 local charitable organizations. Posts are all tagged with the hashtag #bethedifference. For questions regarding the selected charities or for future partnerships, please reach out to Georgia United Community Development Officer, Liz Riffert, at Liz.Riffert@gucu.org. About Georgia United Credit Union Georgia United Credit Union is an award winning financial leader and partner in education. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia United is ranked as one of the states largest credit unions with $1.4 billion in assets, over 165,000 members and 19 branch locations. As a full-service financial institution, they offer competitive products and services for every stage of life. About Georgia United Foundation Georgia United Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for children and families in the communities they serve through impactful programs funded and delivered through volunteerism by way of corporate contributions, team members and community efforts. The Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is the philanthropic arm of Georgia United Credit Union. For details on volunteering, participating or donating, visit gucufoundation.org. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 02:05:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Illegal migrants cross the Meric river by boat to enter Greece in Edirne Province, Turkey, on March 1, 2020. Over 80,000 illegal migrants have so far crossed into Europe from Turkey's northwestern borders, Fahrettin Altun, communication director of the Turkish presidency, said in a statement on Sunday. (Photo by Yasin/Xinhua) ISTANBUL, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Over 80,000 illegal migrants have so far crossed into Europe from Turkey's northwestern borders, Fahrettin Altun, communication director of the Turkish presidency, said in a statement on Sunday. "This number may increase in the coming days," Altun added, noting that "humanitarian suffering, unprecedented displacement and migration challenge in Syria" is not only Turkey's problem, but that of the region, Europe, and the entire world. Altun also noted that Turkey is open to "serious and robust" cooperation, and it will do its part, but other countries must do their part as well on the issue. Meanwhile, thousands of refugees, including Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians, and Pakistanis, seeking better living conditions, have been forcing Turkey's northwestern province of Edirne to cross into Europe. After Turkey announced on Thursday that it would no longer stop the migrants from going to Europe, refugees have gathered near the Pazarkule border gate. Refugees have mostly started to cross the border to the Greek side via the Evros River in either fishing boats or inflatable boats over the last two days, according to local journalists. "Turkish villagers, those with fishing boats, have been carrying refugees to the other side of the river," Yasin Akgul, a photojournalist, told Xinhua. The price of this journey for one person varies between 35 and 70 U.S. dollars, Akgul said, noting that no fee is required for children. Many refugees are spending days and nights along the river to bargain with the fishermen for a more affordable price, Akgul said. "The villagers here told us that those who could manage to cross the river to the other side have to walk approximately 1.5 km in the buffer zone, trying not to be caught," he added. Those who were captured by Greek security forces were pushed back to Turkey, Akgul continued, saying that Greek soldiers were often seen covering the different parts of the river shore with barbed wires. Turkey decided to open its border gates for illegal migrants after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed 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 also 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 Syrian refugees in its territory, the Turkish government earlier announced that it could no longer cope with a new flow of refugees alone. Cape Breton Island's population grew in 2019 after more than 20 years of declines and the unemployment rate dropped, largely due to the international student population at Cape Breton University. Thomas Storring, director of economics and statistics for Nova Scotia's Finance Department, said the latest Statistics Canada numbers show the university students had a significant impact, mostly in Cape Breton Regional Municipality. "There was an increase of 2,249 in net non-permanent residents in CBRM and, just to put that in context, the increase in Halifax was 1,481, so it's a very large jump," Storring said. Non-permanent residents generally include temporary foreign workers and international students. Last year, CBU's international student population grew by about 3,500. "That's how much this means to the overall population in Cape Breton, that that's actually pushing the population up," Storring said. The island's total population rose by 1,491 people last year to 134,850 driven mostly by growth in CBRM, Storring said. Nova Scotia Department of Finance "In the other three counties, there had been population declines ongoing for many years, but particularly in Richmond and Victoria Counties, the pace of population decline has really slowed," he said. "It's not rising, but it's not declining as fast either, and a similar pattern is observed in Inverness, though there's a little bit of decline in population there, as well." At the same time, the unemployment rate fell from 15.1 per cent to 13.3 per cent, its lowest level since 2008. "In this case, in 2019, the improvement in the unemployment rate happened because Cape Breton's employment grew faster than its labour force," Storring said. Nova Scotia Department of Finance Last year was the first time since 2008 that the number of jobs and the available workforce grew in the same year, he said. Employment increased by 5.6 per cent and the labour force grew by 3.4 per cent in 2019. Story continues Storring said those numbers were also driven by the economic impact of thousands of international students. "Just the fact that they are in the community and they require services and housing, as well, so they can have employment impacts beyond their own employment," he said. Strain on services The rapid population growth has not been without its challenges. Cape Breton Transit has had to add buses, drivers and routes to accommodate new riders. Meanwhile, the Cape Breton Partnership reported this week that the number of immigrants permanently calling the island home also grew last year. According to the organization, 385 new permanent residents moved to Cape Breton, with 315 of those in CBRM. That is nearly double the number of immigrants who moved to the island in 2017. Whether last year was a blip or the start of a trend depends on immigration and international students, Storring said. Norma Jean MacPhee/CBC Becky Chisholm, director of communications for Cape Breton University, said total enrolment is about 5,500 and that's expected to remain stable for now. "I think right now we're focusing on investments to stay competitive in the market, both internationally and domestically, so I think that's the priority, and then to maintain a target of between 5,000 and 5,500," she said. A recent study showed international students each add about $36,000 to a local economy. So, for Cape Breton, that impact has been about $128 million, Chisholm said. "I think CBU has always had a role within the community," she said. "We're deeply connected to Cape Breton Island so that ripple effect is definitely a positive." MORE TOP STORIES Indiabulls Housing Finance jumped 9.89% to Rs 307.35 after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in an affidavit to the court said that the company has not violated any law in its lending business. In a regulatory filing, the company said the RBI affidavit has highlighted the details of loans taken by the borrowers mentioned in PIL and the repayment dates of such loans, the RBI affidavit has mentioned no violations of any nature or kind regarding Indiabulls Housing Finance. The RBI affidavit stated The Writ Petition is not maintainable either on facts or law as against this Respondent, the Reserve Bank of India, and hence liable to be dismissed as such. Indiabulls Housing Finance's primary business activities are to carry on business of investing and finance related activities (investing in various subsidiaries, financing of loans and credit activities) and fee income, which mainly consists of financial service related fee income from services, selling of insurance products as a licensed corporate agent, and other related ancillary services. The company's consolidated net profit fell 44% to Rs 551.70 crore in Q3 December 2019 as compared to Rs 985.51 crore reported in Q3 December 2018. Total income stood at Rs 3369.76 crore in Q3 December 2019, down by 24.7% from Rs 4477.97 crore in 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.) Opelikas City Council wants to annex the land on which CreekWood Resources is hoping to operate a granite quarry. City attorney Guy Gunter has prepared legislation for the council to take up Tuesday night that would ask Alabamas Legislature to let the city do just that. Since Lee County doesnt have zoning regulations, theres no local control over how the land north of the city can be used. The council intends to ask for state permission to add the property to its city limits. Gunter told the Opelika-Auburn News on Monday that the main purpose of the bill is to protect the watershed of Saughatchee Lake. The threat of pollutants from the quarry getting into the lakes watershed has been at the forefront of the citys opposition to the quarry. In addition to being Opelikas main source of water, the lake also supplies water to rural areas of Lee County and is a secondary water source for the city of Auburn. Its a critical resource and we want to make sure the watershed is properly maintained, Gunter said. Marilynn Hancock McNulty, beloved wife, sister, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully at home on the morning of Friday, February 28, 2020 at the age of 62 after a long battle with breast cancer. Marilynn was born on November 23, 1957 in Washington, DC to Herman Elmer and Eileen Anne (Casey) Hancock. She was a proud graduate of La Reine High School, class of 1975. After graduation, she worked for a short time at the Census Bureau. She then spent many years working from home as a court reporter and transcriber while simultaneously raising six children. In 2001, she embarked on a career with SMECO, where she spent 19 years working as an administrative assistant. During her tenure there, she spent time in many departments throughout the company and made countless friends. In the spring of 2014, Marilynn graduated from the College of Southern Maryland with her Associates degree in Business. She loved learning and continued to take classes even after receiving her degree. Marilynn and Frank joined St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Prince Frederick when they moved to Calvert County in 1994, and Marilynn has volunteered in various capacities over the last 25 years. Marilynn enjoyed spending time with family, game shows, cross-stitch, and her trips to Ireland in 2015 and 2017. Marilynn is survived by her husband of 35 years, Frank; six children: Casey (Justin), Irene, Karen (Ryan), Michael (Taylor), Kathleen, and Colleen (David); a sister, Eileen, and half- brother, Frank; three grandchildren: Aidan, Riley, and Colton; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by both of her parents, as well as her in-laws, Richard B. and Anne E. McNulty. The family will receive friends at Lee Funeral Home Calvert, 8200 Jennifer Lane, Owings, MD 20736 on Wednesday, March 4, from 2:00-4:00 pm and 6:00-8:00 pm. An additional visitation will be held at St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church, 105 Vianney Lane, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 on Thursday, March 5 from 10:00-11:00 am where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am. Interment will be private. A repass will follow immediately in the church fellowship hall. Memorial contributions can be made in Marilynn's memory to Calvert Hospice, P.O. Box 838, Prince Frederick, MD 20678. The clinics Kim visited and his seafood restaurant were listed online and shut down for disinfection. His family and customers at his restaurant have been tested for the virus. No relatives have turned up positive. Neither has anyone who visited the restaurant, he says, as far as he knows. A theatreland institution which has supplied costumes for shows, Hollywood blockbusters and partygoers since 1840 faces the final curtain as a West End landmark today. Over the decades Angels fancy dress shop, in Shaftesbury Avenue, has dressed Christopher Lee, the Beckhams, Nicole Scherzinger and even Charles de Gaulles Free French Army. Costumes from the family-owned store have included Sir Alec Guinnesss Star Wars robe, Kit Haringtons Game Of Thrones outfit and Claire Foys dress for the Queens coronation scene in The Crown. But today the firm, as a secondhand clothes business supplying West End actors, moves out of its historic five-storey home to the companys warehouse in Hendon, blaming rising West End rents. Its director, Emma Angel, said: I grew up with this building and it is such a quirky space with such heart and soul. It is really upsetting because we have been here for so long. I have so many memories here, like the time I was about eight and my dad asked me if I wanted to meet Dracula. I came out and there was Christopher Lee, and all I could do was gawp at him because he was so tall. The business was founded in 1840 by Ms Angels great-great-great-great grandfather Daniel Angel, who arrived in London from Frankfurt as a penniless tailor in 1813. It has passed through seven generations of the Angel family. Current chairman Tim, 70, was last year awarded a CBE for services to theatre, film, television and the arts. Ms Angel works alongside her brothers Daniel, 42, and Jeremy, 38. Ms Angel said: Weve had all sorts of people walk through the doors over the years, and Halloween is always a great draw. Victoria Beckham and all the kids came in a couple of years ago to get all their bits and pieces for trick or treating, and Victoria and David had some items made when they got married. She said she still hadnt given up on finding a new home in the West End, adding: While our business can continue online and physically from our Hendon warehouse, as of now the curtain comes down on Angels presence as a West End landmark and a rite of passage for party-going Londoners. In Libya, losses from the shutdown of major oil fields and terminals had surpassed $2bn, the National Oil Corporation of the war-torn nation said. Production has dropped from 1.2 million barrels a day before January to about 120,000 this week, the corporation said in a statement. The standoff over Libyas main source of income has threatened to cripple the already battered economy and deprive the country of fuel supplies, according to Africa news. Rival Libyan politicians met last week for UN-sponsored political talks in Geneva aimed at ending the latest round of fighting over the capital, Tripoli, but no tangible progress was scored. The resumption of political negotiations, one of three ongoing UN-mediated diplomatic tracks, followed an agreement between military officials to formalize a shaky ceasefire around Tripoli. Eastern Libyas foreign minister said that his government, parallel to the internationally recognized administration in Tripoli, could not force eastern tribesmen to lift an oil blockade that he said was a popular decision. Since April, Tripoli has been under an assault by forces loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, who is aligned with the rival administration based in the countrys east and backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Russia. Last month, militants and activists loyal to the Libyan warlord Haftar blocked oil exports from the countrys key ports, despite a temporary truce between Haftars forces and the rival GNA. Sweden's transport authority Monday halted direct flights to and from Iran on the advice of health officials who said Tehran was "not in control" of the outbreak of the new coronavirus on its soil. The Swedish Transport Agency announced it was temporarily suspending the flight permits of Iran Air -- currently the only airline flying directly between Iran and Sweden -- saying they were responding to a request by Swedish health officials. "We trust in the competence and expertise of the Public Health Agency of Sweden," Simon Posluk, head of the department for maritime and air traffic at the transport agency, said in a statement. Sweden has 14 confirmed cases of the virus, including two who had travelled to Iran and four cases traced to those two travellers, according to newspaper Expressen. The Middle Eastern country has reported 1,501 cases, including 66 deaths in total. "To continue to take in large groups of passengers from Iran under present circumstances would severely complicate the work to limit the spread of COVID-19," Johan Carlson, director of the Public Health Agency of Sweden, said in a statement. It added that "responsible authorities in Iran are not in control of the situation" and it feared the spread of the virus in Sweden. Speaking to AFP, Carlson said the agency was not planning any similar measures for other airlines flying to other heavily affected countries. The agency did not ask for any bans of flights to and from China, which Carlson said was because they had better working relationships with Chinese authorities and airlines. "This is a very exceptional situation and it goes back to that we are not really confident in what's happening in Iran today," Carlson said. Iran Air had until been flying weekly to Gothenburg and two flights a week to Stockholm. Stockholm last week advised against all non-necessary travel to Iran. Swedish health authorities also raised the risk assessment level for a general spread of the virus from "low" to "moderate" on Monday, and said the risk that more cases would emerge was "very high." Search Keywords: Short link: KALAMAZOO, MI More than 40 paintings were stored away in the late Dwayne Lowders attic, slated to be tossed before former colleague and friend Jack Carney got his hands on them and donated the artwork to Western Michigan University. Lowder, who died in 2018, was a professor in the WMU art department from 1966-1982. He is one of the best artists I have ever personally known and maybe the best and most talented faculty member that Western has ever had, professor emeritus Jack Carney said. An exhibit of the work found in Lowders attic, titled I bet you wouldnt give it to me even if I asked, is on display at the Monroe-Brown Gallery in WMUs Richmond Center for Visual Arts. If he kept these paintings, then he liked these paintings," Carney said. He may have thrown more of his work away than he ever kept. After his time as a professor, Lowder and a friend moved to a rural area in Virginia. They built a sheep shed and greenhouses and Lowder had space to be an artist, Carney said. He loved the freedom of being an artist, he said. He turned the property into this magnificent landscape of a variety of shrubs, trees and flowers. It was really gorgeous. Carney traveled to Virginia to visit Lowder in 2012, and learned his health was declining. Lowder did not put a price on his artwork or include it in his estate, Carney said. He was good at throwing things away, he said. He was very critical about his work an may have thrown away more than he kept. Portraits of the late Dwayne Lowder in a book of his artwork titled "I Bet You Wouldn't Give it to me Even if I Asked" captured by colleague Jack Carney. Lowder's artwork is on display at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan until March 8, 2020. (Kendall Warner | Mlive.com) Kendall Warner | MLive.com There was a market for Lowders art in Kalamazoo, Carney said. But he did not find such a favorable market for his work in Virginia, he said. After Lowder died in 2018, items from his estate were sold. His artwork was not sold as part of that auction due to its size. There was 300 running feet of artwork stored away, Carney said. Anything left on the estate was considered residue, so all his work was set to be taken to the dump, he said. The Realtor realized that this really looked like good stuff, Carney said. He met a faculty member from Radford University and he came over and said, 'This is work by a professional. The work was moved to the nearby Radford University. It did not stay long, because so many paintings were stacked up that they were blocking doors, and the fire marshal said they had to go. The university considered having a sidewalk sale for the artwork. "So, again, they were in jeopardy, Carney said. He hired someone to transport the artwork back to Michigan, and donated 40 of the paintings to WMUs art collection, he said. We dont have all the work because theres just so much of it, but it is a major sampling of this collection that was rescued, Carney said. I think his talent was enormous. The exhibition includes over 30 pieces on display from Lowders attic, said Indra Lacis, director of exhibitions for the Richmond Center for Visual Arts. The pieces on display range in color and medium. Most of them were unnamed and untitled, so they were arranged in loose thematic and chronological groupings, Lacis said. This show builds exactly the kinds of relationships that we want," Lacis said. "This exhibition has a lot of personality and genuine closeness to Western and a time gone by. The exhibition remains on display until March 8. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Also on MLive: Historic Nazareth motherhouse demolished in Kalamazoo Where else in Michigan can you see tropical butterflies? I never anticipated this,' says owner of Michigan theater chain now in bankruptcy In every public school, a nurse is nearby with a first aid kit, ready to tend to cuts and scrapes and check fevers when students are sick. But for students experiencing mental health issues, help might not be so easily available. At Union Ridge School District 86, administrators are making sure students can turn to teachers and staff for help with their mental health, as well as their physical health, through a new mental health first aid training. Afghan Leader Rejects Prisoner Release in US-Taliban Deal By Ayaz Gul March 01, 2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Sunday his government has made no commitment to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners as part of a landmark peace deal the United States signed with the Islamist insurgent group Saturday. Ghani told a news conference in Kabul the demand for the release of insurgent prisoners cannot be a prerequisite for opening intra-Afghan peace talks with the Taliban. He insisted the insurgent demand could be included in the agenda of the upcoming dialogue. "The authority to release prisoners rests with the Afghan government and not the United States," Ghani said, adding his government would not accept any pressure on the prisoner swap issue. The U.S.-Taliban deal sealed Saturday in Qatar, witnessed by senior representatives of around 20 countries, requires Afghan parties to the conflict to open direct negotiations on or around March 10 to agree on a nationwide permanent cease-fire and future power-sharing. However, some of the steps required to be taken in the run-up to the dialogue include the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners from Afghan jails and of 1,000 government security forces, who are held by the insurgents. "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," reads the text of the pact. Senior Taliban leaders, while speaking to reporters at the deal-signing ceremony in the Qatari capital of Doha, said Washington has committed to facilitate the prisoner swap, insisting intra-Afghan talks will begin only after Taliban prisoners are freed. The Afghan president stopped short of criticizing the U.S.-Taliban deal, saying "an agreement that is signed behind closed doors" faces fundamental problems in its implementation. The Ghani government was kept out of the 18-month U.S.-Taliban peace talks and was not part of the Doha accord. US troops to come home Under the pact with the Taliban, Washington has committed bringing American troops home from Afghanistan in 14 months, with first reduction, down to 8,600 from 13,000, to take place in the first 135 days. The deal binds the insurgent group to deny sanctuary to transnational terrorist organizations and fight Islamic State militants on Afghan soil. President Donald Trump has defended the deal, saying it fulfilled one of his campaign promises to end America's longest war. Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday he believed the Taliban would deliver on its counterterrorism pledges, but the president went on to warn that "if bad things happen" U.S. troops would swiftly return to Afghanistan. "I will be meeting personally with the Taliban leaders in the not too distant future and we will be very much hoping that they will be doing what they say they are going to be doing; they will be killing terrorists, they will keep that fight going," Trump stressed. The initial seven-day reduction in violence truce in Afghanistan that culminated in the signing of Saturday's landmark deal in Qatar is expected to continue until intra-Afghan negotiations start with a goal of turning it into a nationwide cease-fire. The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan nearly 19 years ago to punish the Taliban rulers at the time for harboring al-Qaida leaders blamed for the September 2001 terrorist strikes against America. The war has since killed more than 150,000 people and caused more than 100,000 Afghan civilian casualties in the last 10 years alone. The military intervention has cost Washington around $1 trillion and the lives of 2,400 U.S. military personnel. Critics of the deal Some in Washington are critical of Trump for striking the deal with the Taliban, but he defended the agreement: "I am surprised that anybody would be against something where we're trying to end a 19-year-old war," he said. "We've had tremendous success in Afghanistan in the killing of terrorists but it's time after all these years to go and bring our people back home. We want to bring our people back home." John Bolton, a former assistant to the U.S. president for National Security Affairs, was among those who slammed the pact. "Signing this agreement with Taliban is an unacceptable risk to America's civilian population. 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 tweeted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fort Bend ISD trustees reviewed new demographic reports and later administrators detailed rezoning adjustments needed to alleviate overcrowding at campuses and plans to prepare for future growth during the Feb. 24 board meeting. According to Population and Survey Analysts (PASA), the Districts independent, third-party demographer, districts student population is expected to grow to 90,000 students by the year 2029. Currently, more than 78,000 students are enrolled at the Districts 81 campuses, with more schools yet to build as part of the 2018 Bond Program. During a demographic report presentation, PASA consultants told trustees the area with the districts highest growth over the next ten years remains in the far southeastern portion of the District focused in large part on the southern Sienna Plantation and the FM 521 Corridor from Texas Highway 6 to the Brazoria County line. Administrators proposed a number of measures to manage overcrowding at several different campuses. Sienna Crossing Elementary: Future enrollment would be limited to kindergartners and only students in first through fifth grade who live within two miles of the school. Students outside of this two-mile area would attend Schiff Elementary. A future elementary school, Elementary 55, will relieve over-utilization of Sienna Crossing Elementary and would be funded in a future bond program. Heritage Rose Elementary: Administrators recommend limiting future enrollment to kindergartners and students in first through fifth grade who live within two miles of the school. Students outside of this two-mile area would attend Scanlan Oaks Elementary. A future elementary school, Elementary No. 54, is expected to relieve some over-utilization of Heritage Rose. Land for this school has been identified in Sienna and the purchase is currently under negotiation for purchase. Commonwealth Elementart: New enrollment: New enrollment will continue to be limited to kindergarteners and students in first through fifth grade who live within two miles of the school. Students outside of this two-mile area attend Settlers Way Elementary. Ridge Point High School: Administrators now propose limiting enrollment to new students who live within two miles of the school, with students outside of the two-miles to be zoned to Hightower High School. Incoming freshmen students (currently enrolled eighth graders who reside within the RPHS attendance boundary) who live inside and outside of the two-mile walk area will attend Ridge Point High School. knix@hcnonline.com Opinion Article 2 March 2020 The rise of Chinese travel in the last two decades means that the proportion of travelers affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has surpassed the 2003 SARS health crisis. But the hospitality industry has been through crises before - and proved that hotels that made smart strategic decisions can come out winners in the long-term. Many hotels, especially those in Asia, are having to make urgent adjustments in their strategies as they try to shore up their profits. But it's hard to know where to make changes without jeopardizing your revenue post-crisis. That's why we've collected the best advice from hoteliers around the world on how they've responded to crises in the past, and how they're adjusting strategies to win in the time of coronavirus. How to optimize your digital marketing spend to capture existing demand Hotels that spend significantly more on marketing in the downturn can get 18.5% higher RevPAR compared to hotels that cut their marketing spend. Whilst all hotels in crisis can expect lower occupancy, data shows that there is a strong positive relationship between marketing expenditures and performance in times of crisis. Investing your digital marketing budget in revenue drivers as metasearch and retargeting can help you achieve a payoff not only in the tough times but also in the long term. "The crisis often means there will be limited demand for your rooms. That's why you shouldn't invest in the upper-funnel marketing activities aimed at brand awareness and demand generation. Instead, try to capture any demand that already exists," says Chetan Patel, VP Digital and CRM at ONYX Hospitality Group. "If a user is looking at your property on metasearch, they already have the intent to book. Invest more on search and metasearch to capture as many of these high-intent customers as possible and lead them to your hotel website." In our Hotel Metasearch Handbook, we've used the data from over 10,000 hotel partners to find best practices and give you tips on how to optimize your bidding strategy. Download our free guide. To capture more business amongst the existent demand, you can focus on converting hot leads - customers that have already visited your hotel website. Retargeting is an incredibly effective way to do this - by showing adverts to people who have already been on your direct website, you can try to convince those who are likely to stay at your hotel. Blessy Townes, Hotel Hero and VP & Head of Digital Marketing and Branding at Discovery Hotels, shares that Discovery is "aggressively targeting users who, despite the situation, exhibit travel intent or trip consideration on their digital channels." To better understand how you can dramatically increase return on investment with retargeting, watch our Retargeting Webinar Series. Contact our team to talk about Triptease Metasearch and Retargeting. How to reassure your customers - and reduce the number of cancellations To discourage cancellations and generate high volumes of new business, you need to at least be able to persuade hesitant customers to keep their travel plans - and encourage new ones to book. Use various communication methods, such as website messages, emails and phone calls, to let them know that: You care about their health and take extra measures at your property You offer a refund if they choose to cancel their trip Here's a great example of a message communicated on the website of our partner hotel, The Peninsula Bangkok: "Whilst this current crisis is ongoing, we would like to reassure our guests from around the world that their safety and security and that of our staff remains our highest priority. (...) In all our hotels, we are strictly adhering to the advice of local government authorities, following stringent health and safety guidelines and taking the highest level of preventative measures to keep our guests and staff safe." For hotels outside of Asia-Pacific, it's just as important to recognize the general increase in nervousness around travel - even among non-Asian guests. "We currently aren't allocating our digital spend to promotions and offers for generating demand," Justyn Hornor, Hotel Hero and Director of Product Management at MGM Resorts International. "Instead, we're ensuring our guests are aware that we're doing a lot to ensure their health and safety at our properties." "This includes internal communications to employees, reinforcing healthy grooming habits and spreading general awareness of what symptoms to watch out for. Our approach is to acknowledge the situation and publicly communicate the health measures taken at our properties." Telling customers about your efforts around keeping them safe can help reduce the general nervousness around traveling to your destination, but reassuring that they can cancel is what can persuade them to book. The rules around cancellation and refund should be clear and easy to find both on your website and booking engine. Read on to find out how you can adjust your cancellation policy without risking losing on revenue in the long-term. How to adjust pricing and cancellation policies without jeopardizing your future revenue "I personally don't believe in reducing prices to attract business in times of crisis," says Sunish Sadasivan, Hotel Hero and Vice President of E-Commerce & Revenue Management at Chroma Hospitality. "In the 2008 Financial crisis, we panicked and dropped our rates significantly. When the time came to analyze results, we found that we lost in terms of RevPAR compared to some of the competitors who stuck to their rates." "But it can be case-sensitive. We have to reduce rates for some of our hotels to ensure that we are still competitive. However, in markets where our hotels had a better brand reputation, we maintained our normal rates and added on special packages - such as specific targeted offers for domestic travelers." Lower-tier hotels were most aggressive in lowering their room rates during the SARS outbreak. Driven by uncertainty, some hotels extended their special rate contracts with corporate clients into the peak season - but this brought down the average room rate even after the removal of the World Health Organization (WHO) travel advisory. "To be in line with your competition, monitor what's happening in the market. If you drop your rate too low, you'll be leaving money on the table - and it can be hard to recover post-crisis!" warns Chetan Patel of ONYX Hospitality Group. "Focus on getting the price right and offer flexible cancellation conditions. If your customers have confidence that they can cancel, they'll be more open to booking at your property." The impact of high cancellation volumes over the next few months can be mitigated with more flexible rebooking policies. Consider waiving change penalties for stays due in the upcoming few months, and allow guests to postpone their stay free of charge. "In terms of our approach to cancellations, our hotels in China and associated regions have been given the most flexible cancellation and amendment options," says Sunish. "We've handled our other markets on a case by case basis, with most of them allowing guests to amend their stays up to the end of November. In some cases, we've even allowed guests to postpone to 2021." The crisis also impacts hotels globally, with Chinese outbound air departures at a nearly 60% decrease compared to the same period last year. "Las Vegas has been hit especially hard by the impact of coronavirus," says Justyn of MGM Resorts International. "We've seen large events cancel and our typically large contingent of guests from Asia has dropped to near-zero." The US hotels suffering from a significant decline in Chinese travel can also adjust their revenue-driving strategies to compensate for the loss of business due to cancellations. "Those properties that are seeing cancellations could adopt a domestic strategy utilizing non-refundable discounts. You could also try to bundle your rates - and layer on as much non-refundable business as possible," suggests Katherine Solomon, Hotel Hero and Corporate Director of Revenue Management at Arlo Hotels. How to drive more business opportunities in alternative markets? The steep drop in outbound Chinese travel is forcing hotels to look for other opportunities to fill vacant rooms. The hotel occupancy declined by 75% in mainland China over the usually lucrative Chinese New Year holiday period. But it's not just Chinese hotels that have been affected: even excluding China and Hong Kong, outbound travel from the rest of Asia has declined by over 10% compared to last year. But the outbound travel drop is an opportunity for hotels in Asia to attract customers from their local markets: "At Discovery Hospitality, we rely on the local market to replace lost business," shares Blessy. "We reassure our hesitant guests that it's safe to travel locally. We also 'soft-sell' on social media to project sensitivity and provide inspiration to our followers. Surprisingly, despite the decline in other segments, our direct bookings for January remained strong!" "We expect the locals to be more resilient - and we expect to be able to attract more of them to book and experience our hotels," adds Sunish of Chroma Hospitality. "That's why we shifted our digital advertising spend to the domestic market." He suggests that participating in local travel fairs and mall sales can also help drive more business locally. "Locals will still be willing to travel, but there are also some other markets that are less sensitive to this crisis situation. For example, at ONYX Hospitality we still see a flow of tourists from India," says Chetan. To capture these markets, work out an easier pricing gear towards this market and create extra perks targeted towards these people that you can add on to your direct channels." Creativity and entrepreneurship is the key to succeeding in driving more business opportunities in the domestic market. Consider partnering up with local tour operators, adjusting your offers to appeal to locals and using paid media to target local traffic. On your website, ensure that your messages are segmented to target domestic traffic or visitors from less crisis-sensitive countries. In these messages, your direct booking perks should be tailored to appeal to these different audiences. To get you started, we outlined some best practices and examples. How to come out winners in the long term? While it might be tempting to cut all costs, history taught us that smart digital marketing budget allocation can help you gain in the long run. Listed above are just some of the building blocks of effective crisis management. The key is to learn from the past, be creative in locating your business-driving opportunities, be flexible with your digital spend. "While there is little we can do in the way of stopping the cancellations, we've been heads down planning for the rebound, " says Justyn of MGM Resorts International. "We're watching closely what virologists are saying regarding the spread of the coronavirus so we can anticipate the point when sentiment shifts." The hotel industry has gone through crises before - and recovered. After the SARS epidemic was officially defeated, Ctrip reported 82% increase in flights bookings in just one month. If history is to repeat itself, hoteliers in Asia might see a dramatic uptake in Chinese outbound travel when the ban is lifted. When making urgent decisions, remember that your hotel needs to be ready for this rebound period. "We need to remember that when the market bounces back, it will be more difficult to push the rate up especially when the discounting has been too high in the crisis period," says Sunish of Chroma Hospitality. "This is the time for hotels in Asia when each department needs to think of new initiatives to drive revenue and commit not only to surviving but also coming out winners." One of the reasons that we can share the best crisis management practices today is thanks to our experts who share their knowledge with the hotelier community. On 15th - 16th July in Bangkok, members of our Hotel Heroes panel and hundreds of hoteliers in Asia-Pacific will come together to discuss their tried-and-tested direct bookings strategies, share industry insights, take part in interactive workshops and much more. Join us at the Direct Booking Summit: Bangkok! Hyderabad: High drama followed,when Congress MP A. Revanth Reddy and former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy tried to hold a press conference in front of a private farmhouse allegedly owned by a prominent TRS leader, in Janvada village under Cyberabad police limits on Monday. Both the Congress leaders took mediapersons to the farmhouse and held a press conference at an open place adjacent to it. As soon as both leaders reached the place, the Narsingi police asked them to vacate the place. At this juncture, lots of jostling followed between the police and the Congress leaders, along with their followers, when Mr Vishweshwar Reddy sustained minor injuries to his leg. Mr Revanth Reddy alleged that a prominent TRS leader had constructed a mansion in the land, which falls under the GO MS number 111, which prohibits permanent constructions within 10 km radius of the Himayatsagar and Osmansagar lakes. The Congress MP from Malkajgiri alleged that this TRS leader and minister had constructed a three-storeyed mansion, spread over one lakh square feet, under survey numbers of 301, 302, 312, 313 in Janvada. The Congress leader said that this leader built the mansion over 25 acres of land, registered in the name of some of his friends and family members. Mr Revanth Reddy said that the Firangi canal reaches Gandipet from the Chinna Samudram Cheru-vu, which is adjacent to the mansion. Mr Reddy further alleged that this TRS leader had threatened Manipal Reddy, and some other land owners, and forcibly took their lands. Revanth, Konda arrest comes during a presser Mr Revanth Reddy said that despite repeated orders from the High Court and the Supreme Court over the demolition of illegal constructions in the areas that fall under GO MS 111, none of the officials had dared to touch the mansion owned by this young TRS leader. While the Congress leaders were mediapersons, police reached the location and asked them to leave. They asked the police what their objection was when they were holding a press meet at a private place. The police replied that there was a security problem given whose mansion it was. the leaders asked the police who they were providing security to. After arguments, the police took away both leaders and their followers. WATERLOO Stopping by The Courier on a snowy morning, one Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate laid out the promises he intended to keep, including his top priorities of tackling climate change and improving the countrys health care system. Cal Woods, 63, a contractor who works with chain link and cedar fencing, grew up on a hog farm in Mount Vernon. He joined the U.S. Navy after high school, completing two tours of duty aboard the U.S.S. Chicago, a guided missile cruiser, in the western Pacific Ocean. He graduated the University of Iowa and worked as a news reporter in newspapers and television for 16 years. He is one of five Democratic candidates running to unseat U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican who will be defending her seat for the first time since getting elected in 2014. Though he didnt make his candidacy official until mid-December, Woods said hes been actively campaigning since June because he didnt see a sense of urgency and passion from the Democrats in the race. We have some existential challenges ahead of us, Woods said. Describing himself as a former skeptic of humankind having anything to do with global warming, Woods was encouraged by a friend to do research into the scientific evidence of fossil fuels contribution to the changing climate around eight years ago, and spent much of his interview with The Courier describing what he found and the challenges climate change poses to the world. For the sake of those coming generations, we need to tackle our climate crisis now, Woods said. Because if we dont and we need to tackle it with all sense of urgency the next generation and the one after that, theyre going to see some really bad things. If elected, Woods would vote for the Energy Innovation Carbon Dividend Act, a bill in the House of Representatives that would tax producers and importers of fossil fuels. He would also phase out billions in subsidies to natural gas, coal and oil industries and transfer that money to research and development of renewable fuel technology, as well as provide monetary incentives for farmers to plant trees and cover crops to battle erosion and help remove carbon dioxide from the air. It is a looming climate crisis, and for any candidate to run for federal office and not make that a prime concern, I think, is a dereliction of duty, Woods said. Were failing the taxpayer, were failing the voters and primarily were failing little kids. ... Its a problem we can solve, but we have to start now. Woods other big issue is health care, and though he prefers a public option he said if the political will was there to get it done immediately, he would vote for a Medicare for All plan instead. Anything, he says, to address the number of uninsured. People are literally dying because theyve now been denied care thanks to our Republican-controlled Senate and people like Joni Ernst who voted against requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, Woods said. Its shameful and its wrong and people are literally losing their lives over it. He also puts blame on private insurance companies, who he said take 20 cents out of every dollar to pay for advertising, marketing and CEO pay, and said there was a shortage of nurses and doctors because they spend too much time on insurance paperwork. I was naive I was under the impression doctors and nurses spend all of their day taking care of patients. Apparently, thats not the case and its not like that in other countries, he said. Woods said hell file his first financial report this quarter and has been knocking on doors and speaking at events locally, trying to gain name recognition. Ive got some ground to make up as far as meeting folks and raising funds, but were staying positive and optimistic, Woods said. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. (Note - This article is part of an on-going, occasional series about some of the most frequently asked questions about wine. If you have a question about wine, please feel free to contact the author and suggest a question for consideration.) Previous FAQ About Wine articles Whats the difference between red wine and white wine? This weeks question might seem strange to many people. I cant think of any other food or beverage where we sometimes have to wait an hour or more to consume something after opening the package. Imagine opening a beer or a bag of potato chips and then letting them just sit there. But thats exactly what some people do with certain wines. They open the bottle, pour the wine, then wait. And theyre smart to do so. Why? And how come you should do this with some wines and not others? Allow me to try to explain. Why do I need to wait to drink certain wines after opening the bottle? The short answer is you dont have to wait. There are no set rules and regulations when it comes to drinking wine, contrary to what some so-called wine experts might claim. If you want to pour your wine and drink it right away, go for it. No ones stopping you. But theres a reason why some people choose to wait to drink certain wines. Thats because certain wines get better (again, a purely subjective opinion) the longer they sit in the glass. And if you dont believe me, try it sometime with almost any wine. The flavors often change as the wine sits in the glass. What happens to a wine when it sits in a glass? The main reason the flavors in wine change as they sit in the glass is because the wine is being exposed to oxygen. Oxygen can be good or bad for wine. If wine is exposed to oxygen in the bottle, that can be terrible. Wine absorbs oxygen. If oxygen gets into the wine bottle (often due to a bad cork), the wines wonderful flavors are released and lost before the bottle is opened. These wines are corked wines and taste like copper pennies. But oxygen and wine can be a great combination. If a wine is in good shape (nothing wrong with the cork), opening certain wines and exposing them to oxygen often slowly releases beautiful flavors in the glass. Thats why it pays to wait to drink certain wines after opening the bottle. Which wines do I need to wait to drink after opening the bottle? Again, there are no set rules or regulations. And I have had this discussion many times with different people who think that certain wines dont need extra time in the glass before drinking them. Thats why I would advise you to taste a wine right after opening the bottle to decide whether or not to wait to drink the rest of the wine. In general, certain older red wines (especially from Europe and mainly from Frances Bordeaux or Burgundy region) benefit from a little extra time in the glass. By extra, I mean 30 minutes to one hour. However, leaving a wine too long in a glass can be risky since all the great flavors may evaporate and disappear. Thats why I recommend this next step. Is there any way to reduce the waiting time for a bottle of wine? If you open a bottle of older red wine and the wine tastes big or sharp, this could be a tell-tale sign that the wine needs a little extra time before drinking the wine. And one of the best and safest ways to do this is to decant a wine. What is decanting? Decanting a wine means basically pouring the same wine twice. Sometimes, I do this by pouring the wine into a glass, then pouring the wine from the glass into another glass. Another way to decant a wine is to pour the wine into a decanter. A decanter is a special glass bottle specifically designed for decanting wine. Many decanters often have a glass stopper to place in the opening on top. This way, you can control how much oxygen comes into contact with the wine. Why do some wines need to be decanted? The main reason why certain wines should be decanted is because they taste better after being decanted. Again, this is a very subjective opinion and I have spent hours with friends and family members debating whether or not a wine tastes better after being decanted. Another reason why you might want to decant certain older, red wines is to filter out any sediment in the wine. Sediment looks like small pieces of dirt at the bottom of the bottle. In reality, sediment is often formed by small bits of grape seeds and skins during fermentation. Sediment is completely natural. So dont be alarmed if you see small, dirt-like bits in the bottom of a bottle of older red wine. In fact, you should be thrilled. In my experience, sediment often produces great, flavorful wines. You just need to wait a bit longer to truly enjoy these wines. Cheers! Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republicans weekend section every Thursday. Follow Ken Ross on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook. By AFP XINJIANG: China is transferring tens of thousands of Uighur detainees out of internment camps and into factories that supply some of the world's leading brands, an Australian think tank said Monday. Top global brands such as Apple, BMW and Sony have been accused of getting supplies from factories using the forced labour, an explosive allegation that could reverberate in boardrooms across the world. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the Chinese government has transferred 80,000 or more Uighurs out of camps in Xinjiang and into factories across the country. "Uighurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors," the think tank said. "Some factories across China are using forced Uighur labour under a state-sponsored labour transfer scheme that is tainting the global supply chain." The brands, it added, included "Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen". "Companies using forced Uighur labour in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labour or mandate disclosure of forced labour supply chain risks," the report said. "The companies listed in this report should conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labour in China, including robust and independent social audits and inspections." When asked about the report Volkswagen spokesman Nikolas Thorke said: "We are committed to our responsibility in all areas of our business where we hold direct authority." "None of the mentioned supplier companies are currently a direct supplier of Volkswagen," he added. Apple referred AFP to an earlier statement it issued, which said the firm was "dedicated to ensuring that everyone in our supply chain is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve." "We work closely with all our suppliers to ensure our high standards are upheld," the statement said. China's foreign ministry on Monday slammed the ASPI report as having "no factual basis", and accused the institute of attempting to "smear China's efforts to oppose terrorism and fight extremism in Xinjiang." The Xinjiang measures have "achieved good results" and "all participants undergoing anti-extremism education have graduated and achieved stable employment," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijiang said at a regular press briefing. An estimated one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held in internment camps in Xinjiang. After initially denying their existence, Beijing cast the facilities as "vocational education centres" where "students" learn Mandarin and job skills in an effort to steer them away from religious extremism, terrorism and separatism. Rights groups and witnesses accuse China of forcibly trying to draw Uighurs away from their Islamic customs and integrate them into the majority Han culture. Officially, the Chinese government says it is transferring "surplus" Xinjiang labour to other regions in the name of poverty alleviation. According to official news agency Xinhua, more than 25,000 workers from Xinjiang were slated to be transferred "inland" in 2019. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei greets participants during a meeting in Tehran, Iran on January 08, 2020. Khamenei said on Wednesday that his country's attack was "a slap in the face of the U.S.," and said the military action is still "not enough." A member of a council that advises Iran's supreme leader died Monday after falling sick from the new coronavirus, state radio reported, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness striking both citizens and leaders of the Islamic Republic. The death of Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, came as Iran announced the virus had killed 66 people among 1,501 confirmed cases in the country. In two days, the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled, showing the spiraling crisis of the outbreak as Iran says it is preparing to mobilize 300,000 soldiers and volunteers to confront the virus. Iran has the highest death toll in the world after China, the epicenter of the virus that causes the illness called COVID-19. Across the wider Mideast, there are over 1,680 cases of the new coronavirus, including Iran. The majority of regional cases are linked back to Iran. Experts worry Iran's percentage of deaths to infections, now around 4.4%, is much higher than other countries, suggesting the number of infections in Iran may be much higher than current figures show. Mirmohammadi died at a north Tehran hospital of the virus, state radio said. He previously served as the head of the presidency under former Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ali Khamenei, now the country's supreme leader. Mirmohammadi's mother had died of the coronavirus in recent days as well, Iranian media reported. The Expediency Council advises the supreme leader, as well as settles disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council, Iran's constitutional watchdog that also oversees the country's elections. The 45-member council, which also includes former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and officials close to Khamenei, last met in February with Mirmohammadi on hand. Mirmohammadi's death comes as other top officials have contracted the virus in Iran. Those sick include Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar, better known as "Sister Mary," the English-speaking spokeswoman for the students who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and sparked the 444-day hostage crisis, state media reported. Also sick is Iraj Harirchi, the head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus who tried to downplay the virus before falling ill. Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei, himself addressing journalists by teleconference over concerns about the virus, acknowledged the challenges remaining for the Islamic Republic. "We will have two difficult weeks ahead," he said. Health Ministry spokesman Ali Reza Raisi, who gave the new figures for the virus Monday, said that Iran's armed forces and its Basij, the all-volunteer arm of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, stood ready to mobilize 300,000 troops to help combat the virus. Already, Guard vehicles have been spraying disinfectant on streets in major cities. Those troops would help sanitizing public areas, as well as running down leads on who infected people had contacted before falling ill, Raisi said. Trying to stem the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Iran also on Monday held an online-only briefing by its Foreign Ministry. China as well has held similar teleconference briefings. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi opened the online news conference addressing the outbreak, dismissing an offer of help for Iran by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iran and the U.S. have seen some of the worst tensions since its 1979 Islamic Revolution in recent months, culminating in the American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and a subsequent Iranian ballistic missile counterattack against U.S. forces. "We neither count on such help nor are we ready to accept verbal help," Mousavi said. He added Iran has always been "suspicious" about America's intentions and accused the U.S. government of trying to weaken Iranians' spirits over the outbreak. Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi acknowledged some people had begun stockpiling medical supplies for profit in the country, urging prosecutors to show "no mercy for hoarders." "Hoarding sanitizing items is playing with people's lives and it is not ignorable," Raisi said. Still, a second juror said the similarities between the attacks lent credibility to the womens accounts. Each act happened the same way, the juror said. Each person said the same thing. The three jurors thought Mr. Weinsteins decision not to testify or to have his brother or close associates vouch for him probably hurt his case. The one friend who did testify, Paul Feldsher, did not help the defense, two jurors said. Mr. Feldsher, a writer and former talent agent, said Mr. Weinstein was a sex addict whose appetite for women was to put it mildly voracious. He threw him under the bus, the second juror said. That didnt help his case at all. Though the jurors said they were aware of the trials importance to the #MeToo movement, they said they concentrated on the evidence. The deliberations went on for 26 hours, exhausting them physically and emotionally, they said. By the third day, the jury table was strewn with snacks a box of Dunkin Donuts, takeout boxes of coffee, Sour Patch Kids, chocolates. Every day, the jurors, unable to go out for lunch during deliberations, ordered from the same deli. They took short breaks to venture outside, to smoke or just to get some fresh air. They drew timelines on a second whiteboard. An oversized pad was brought in to write notes on. They scribbled down a partial verdict, then ripped it up, worried it might leak. On the first day, the jurors settled on a system. First, they sought to understand the legal definition of each charge. Within the first hour, they asked the judge for an explanation of the law and definitions of several terms, including consent and forcible compulsion. A similar plea is pending before the Delhi High Court, which will be taken up for next hearing on 13 April. On 27 February, the bench comprising Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar deferred the hearing by four weeks based on the submission of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Delhi Police. "We can't handle that," said Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, while hearing a plea demanding FIR against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma for their hate speeches. Asserting that the task to control violence during riots is that of the Executive and not the judiciary, Bobde said, "We cannot stop things from happening. We cannot give preventive reliefs. We feel a kind of pressure on us. We can only deal with the situation after it occurs, the kind of pressure on us, we cant handle that. Its like Court is responsible. We are reading newspapers, we know the kind of comments are made. Courts come on to the scene after the thing is done and courts have not been able to prevent such a thing." The Supreme Court agreed to hear the plea on today. Bobde further added that the apex court wishes for peace but has its own limitations, where it only comes into the picture when something has happened and can pass appropriate orders. The statements were made by the CJI on Monday when the Supreme Court agreed to hear plea by victims of Delhi violence, which led to the killing of 47 people. The petition sought immediate FIRs against BJP leaders who delivered hate speeches, which the petitioners have claimed added fuel to the Delhi riots which began on 23 February. Among other things, the petitioners have also demanded a Special Investigation Team be formed, with officers from outside Delhi to probe the riots, deployment of Army to maintain law and order and constitution of an Inquiry Committee headed by a retired judge to probe the alleged involvement of Delhi Police personnel in the violence. Other demands include: Award of exemplary compensation to all victims; Direction to make public the full list of persons detained by the police and paramilitary; Direction for ensuring that the State provide access for those detained to legal counsel; Directions to provide cooked food to affected families in riot-hit areas, and in hospitals and detention areas; Direction to preserve all CCTV footage of riot affected areas; Direction for the immediate release of postmortem reports; Direction for a probe by a retired judge into the communal riots, and for the identification of policemen involved in rioting and criminal conduct so that they may be dismissed from service in accordance with law. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioners, urged the Supreme Court bench to intervene in the matter without undue favour being meted out to "influential" persons, Bar and Bench reported. Gonsalves also told the bench that the Delhi High Court has deferred the pleas on Delhi violence for four weeks despite the fact that people are still dying. "When people are still dying then why can't the high court hear it urgently," he said, urging the apex court to list the plea for urgent hearing. 'Courts not equipped to control riots': CJI SA Bobde Replying to Gonsalves, CJI Bobde remarked that court wanted to broker peace even though there are limitations on its functioning. He said that the court's responsibility lies in passing appropriate orders once the event has happened. The CJI also sad that courts are not equipped to control riots and it is the job of the executive. Hearing the plea, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde remarked that the Supreme Court wishes for peace but has its own limitations, whereby it only comes into the picture when something has happened and passes appropriate orders. However, Gonsalves argued that the court can prevent the situation from deteriorating, Live Law reported. The plea also sought directions to make public the full list of persons detained by the police and paramilitary and preserve all CCTV footage of riot-affected areas besides the immediate release of postmortem reports of the deceased. 'Condition not conducive for FIRs': Delhi High Court A similar plea is pending before the Delhi High Court, which will be taken up for next hearing on 13 April. On 27 February, the bench comprising Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar deferred the hearing by four weeks based on the submission of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Delhi Police that the "situation was not conducive" for registration of FIR. Mehta was quoted as saying, "The condition is not conducive at this moment. FIRs will be registered at an appropriate time." However, the previous day on 26 February, another division bench comprising Justices Dr S Muralidhar and Talwant Singh had directed the Delhi Police to take a "conscious decision" within a day whether an FIR was to be filed with respect to inflammatory speeches allegedly made by BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma. Day after the bench headed by Justice S Murlidhar castigated the Delhi Police for its 'inaction', the Centre on 27 February transferred the advocate to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, about two weeks after the recommendation by the Supreme Court collegium on 12 February. With inputs from PTI Women protest near the venue of the Cesar awards ceremony, the French equivalent of the Oscars (Credit: AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh) Director Roman Polanski's win for Best Director at the Cesar Awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars, prompted walk-outs and angry protests outside the venue in Paris. Several actors walked out on the announcement of Polanski's name, who was nominated for 12 awards for his latest movie An Officer and A Spy. Read more: Cesar board resigns en masse in Polanski protest Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, and has since been accused by other women of rape and sexual assault, though he has denied the allegations. Adele Haenel, star of the movie Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, was among those who stood and walked out when Polanski's name was read out. Actress Adele Haenel arrives to attend the Cesar award ceremony, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in Paris (Credit: AP Photo/Christophe Ena) She appeared to be shouting 'shame' as she did so, and in the lobby of the Salle Pleyel was heard to shout 'Bravo, peadophilia!' According to French newspaper Le Monde, 'very few' in attendance applauded Polanski's win. Adele forever. pic.twitter.com/Fhe9xSLxCK Portrait of a Lady on Fire (@Portrait_Movie) February 28, 2020 Celine Sciamma, director of Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, which was also nominated for a number of awards, also left the venue, as did actress Noemie Merlant and the cinematographer Claire Mathon, according to reports. Bravo, pedophilia! Adele Haenel, star of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and the films director Celine Sciamma walking out after child rapist Roman #Polanski won the best director award at the Cesars, #Frances equivalent to the Oscars. h/t @alucarda pic.twitter.com/u4oI2N0c30 Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 29, 2020 Polanski's nominations have been the subject of much scrutiny this year, with entirety of the 21- person board of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema, which runs the Cesars, resigning last month in protest of Polanski's nominations. Story continues Read more: Outrage over Polanski nominations The director, who is 87, said he was pulling out of appearing at the ceremony last week, saying in a statement to AFP: We know how this evening will unfold already. Activists are already threatening me with a public lynching, with some saying they are going to protest outside. Roman Polanski (Credit: AP Photo, File) What place can there be in such deplorable conditions for a film about the defence of truth, the fight for justice, blind hate and antisemitism? Many protested outside the Salle Pleyel, with French police reportedly using tear gas to try and disperse the crowd. In an interview with The New York Times last month, Haenel said: Distinguishing Polanski is spitting in the face of all victims. It means raping women isnt that bad. THE BACHELOR WINTER GAMES Is love the universal language? Find out as 14 international bachelors and bachelorettes from such countries as Switzerland, Japan and Australia compete and, hopefully, find love with 12 of Americas Bachelor Nation favorites. These singles will go head-to-head in winter-themed challenges, including the toughest sport of all love. Chris Harrison hosts this highly anticipated, four-episode series, complete with the usual dose of tears, drama, romance and laughter, as The Bachelor Winter Games, a global celebration of unity and love, premieres on TUESDAY, FEB. 13 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on The Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network. (Lorenzo Bevilaqua via Getty Images) CLARE CRAWLEY This morning, 38-year-old California native Clare Crawley was announced as the next Bachelorette. The 2020 season will be far from Crawleys first time at the Bachelor Nation rodeo: She first appeared on Juan Pablos season of The Bachelor in 2014, then went on to two rounds of Bachelor In Paradise before 2018s Bachelor Winter Games (where she was proposed to and later briefly engaged). But when shes not busy being an ABC regular, Crawley is a colorist at Sacramentos De Facto hair salon and, according to her Instagram, has been a professional hairdresser for over 10 years. Would you be shocked if I told you I became a hairstylist over a decade ago, not because of hair?! she wrote in a 2019 Instagram post. I did it because I love connecting with people and being able to make a difference in their day, even if just for the few hours they sat in my chair! Crawley went on to share that, when she was in school learning to be a stylist, an instructor told her she would never make it in the field. I specifically remember one of my beauty school teachers telling me Id never be successful because I care too much what the client thinks, she wrote. Well, here we are years later, and Im still obsessed with my job and surrounded by some of the most amazing clients and friends ever! While the last time Crawley was behind the chair is unclear (rightfully so, as she tries to find love in front of America), the Hair highlights section of her profile showcases her work from over 80 weeks ago, from balayage highlights to color-correcting and dramatic haircuts. (She also does a mean fishtail braid.) Love her as your new Bachelorette or not, you cant deny girls got skills in the salon. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here? A man waves an Israeli flag in front of a giant Likud Party election poster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Likud's electoral headquarters in the coastal city of Tel Aviv on March 2 after polls closed. JERUSALEM Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party won the most votes Monday in the country's third election in 12 months, partial results showed, although it was not clear if it will be enough to break the nation's political deadlock. With more than three-quarters of the votes counted, Netanyahu appeared a few seats short of a majority in Israels parliament. Netanyahu needs 61 seats out of 120 to form a government possible if he enters into an alliance with religious and nationalist parties. Full results are due Tuesday. Coalition governments are a mainstay of Israeli politics. Former commando Netanyahu hopes to secure a record fourth consecutive term in office, and fifth overall, with support from nationalist, right-wing parties. Netanyahu is fighting for his political survival after being charged in November with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three separate cases. He denied any wrongdoing and called the prosecution a "witch hunt." Netanyahu's trial will take place March 17. Netanyahu tweeted the word "Thanks," along with a heart emoji. "What a joyous night," Netanyahu later told a crowd of supporters in a speech at Likuds election headquarters in Tel Aviv. "This victory is especially sweet, because it is a victory against all odds ... We turned lemons into lemonade." His main challenger, Benny Gantz from the centrist Blue and White Party, is a retired military chief who said Netanyahu is unfit for office because of the charges. Partial results gave Gantz 52 to 54 seats. "I will tell you honestly, I understand and share the feeling of disappointment and pain because it is not the result we wanted," he said, late Monday. The Arab Joint List party, comprised of Arab Israelis, emerged as the third-largest party, according to exit polls and the votes already counted. After the official results come in, attention will shift to President Reuven Rivlin who is responsible for choosing a candidate for prime minister. He is supposed to select the leader who has the best chance of putting together a stable coalition. Story continues The honor usually goes to the head of the largest party, but equally important is the number of lawmakers other than a party's leader who recommend him or her to the president. Rivlins selection will have up to six weeks to form a coalition. If that fails, another candidate will have 28 days to form an alternative coalition. If that effort fails, new elections would be held. "This is usually a holiday, but to be honest, I have no festivity in me, just a sense of deep shame before you, the citizens of Israel," Rivlin said as he cast his ballot Monday. "We dont deserve this. We dont deserve another horrible and filthy campaign like the one that ends today, and we dont deserve this endless instability. We deserve a government that will work for us." Turnout was projected to be the highest since 1999 more than 70% of registered voters cast ballots, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee. Ultra-Orthodox Jews vote in Israel on March 2, 2020. Before the first two votes in April and September last year, Netanyahu's leadership credentials were buoyed by President Donald Trump's pro-Israel actions that include moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as part of their future capital; recognizing the Golan Heights as belonging to Israel instead of Syria, in defiance of international law; and pulling out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that Israel, Iran's sworn enemy, opposed. In January, the Trump administration released its plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The plan, which Palestinians rejected even before its release because of its perceived pro-Israel slant, calls for Israel to be able to annex Israeli settlements built on West Bank land claimed by Palestinians. There was a new complication for Monday's vote. Election authorities created several polling stations for the more than 5,000 eligible voters under quarantine for the coronavirus. Hundreds of voters arrived at the stations wearing face masks and gloves. Election officials sat behind a clear plastic curtain. "The corona thing is completely under control. Today, weve taken all the precautions that are necessary. People can go and vote with complete confidence," Netanyahu said after casting his ballot in Jerusalem. Some attempted to lighten the national mood. Eretz Nehederet, the Israeli equivalent of "Saturday Night Live," urged Israelis to send selfies of themselves voting to the television show, to be included in an Instagram roundup. Families took advantage of the rare nonreligious legal holiday to vote, then shop. To encourage commerce and promote some fun, the Jerusalem municipality teamed up with ice cream parlors to offer a free ice cream to anyone who spent 20 shekels about $6 in a store and brought a receipt. Estie Palmer, who was leaving a Jerusalem polling station with her husband and two toddlers, said she voted for the centrist Blue and White Party "because I dont want the government to pander to the ultra-Orthodox parties." Netanyahu's Likud Party has relied on the ultra-Orthodox parties to form governments. Palmer hopes the next government will negotiate with the Palestinians. Peace would be nice, though I dont know what that means practically, she said. Gerald Steinberg, a professor of political science at Bar Ilan University, predicted Netanyahu's trial will be "very, very slow" and if he returns as prime minister, he will seek to introduce a law that would exempt him from being tried while in office. Nimrod Novik, an expert on Israeli political affairs at the Israel Policy Forum, a New York-based American Jewish organization, said that if the final election results match the exit polls and Netanyahu wins, he will seek to annex the West Bank. He said extending sovereignty over the West Bank would present Israelis with a dilemma: "If we grant the Palestinians equal rights, we risk losing our identity as a Jewish state. If we dont grant them equal rights, we lose our democracy," he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel election: Benjamin Netanyahu holds narrow lead A British Indian World War II spy, Noor Inayat Khan, has been chosen as the subject of a major new interactive digital exhibition in the UK. Noor Inayat-Khan: A Woman of Conspicuous Courage will be launched by the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF) at Runnymede Air Forces Memorial in Surrey, south-east England, on Saturday, a day before International Women's Day. It is planned as a celebration of the life and legacy of the war heroine, who was the daughter of Indian Sufi saint Hazrat Inayat Khan and a descendent of the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. I am delighted that the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation is organising this exhibition as a permanent legacy to her bravery, which will ensure that her story continues to inspire the next generation, said Shrabani Basu, the author of Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan' and Chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust (NIKMT). It is a fitting tribute to a World War II heroine on International Women's Day, she said. Khan was an agent for Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the war and was captured and killed by the Nazis in 1944 at just 30 years of age. She has gone down in history as the first female radio operator to be sent to Nazi-occupied France, armed with a false passport and a pistol. The new digital exhibition has been developed with the help of young women from the Girlguiding Association in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, who have turned Noor's story into a learning resource for young women. Noor's story is an inspirational one and we believed it important, as the custodians of the memorial on which her name is inscribed, to help give it greater prominence, said Julian Evans, Director of International and Community Engagement at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). "We hope that the exhibition will encourage more people to visit the Air Forces Memorial to explore the story of Noor and the 20,000 other members of the Commonwealth Air Forces who are commemorated here, he said. The CWGC commemorates the 1.7 million Commonwealth service men and women who died during the two World Wars alongside an extensive and accessible records archive. It operates in more than 23,000 locations in over 150 countries, with the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation as its charitable arm. Through the new exhibition on Noor, funded by the AIM Biffa Award History Makers Scheme, the public will be able to put their code-breaking skills to the test and discover the scientific and technical skills of a wireless radio operator needed for the field. Jasmine Theti, a 15-year-old member of Girlguiding Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, said: We must never forget her and the sacrifice she made. I loved learning the Morse Code; it was good fun. Although I wouldn't have liked sending messages in a cold Parisian park whilst looking over my shoulder all the time. Noor was an inspiration. As a young refugee living in London, Noor faced many prejudices throughout her life, even as she was being trained and prepared for her work as a secret agent. The exhibition uncovers how Noor's SOE assessors initially had little faith in her abilities but she went on to overcome these and break new ground as a Muslim female operative. Gillian French, Biffa Award Head of Grants, notes: It is extremely important that we continue to support projects like this that remind people of some of the inspiring people who came before us and who played such significant and courageous roles in our history. Visitors to the CWGC's Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, about 23 miles from London, will be able to self-guide themselves around the iconic memorial in honour of more than 20,000 Air Forces personnel killed in World War II who have no known grave, Khan being one of them. Historical records show that despite being repeatedly tortured and interrogated, Noor revealed nothing and was executed by a German officer and her last word was recorded as Liberte or freedom. She was later awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian decoration in the UK, in recognition of her bravery. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 02, 2020] Mastercard and Diane von Furstenberg Partner to Deliver Curated Shopping Experience for Consumers and Insights for Store Associates Mastercard and Diane von Furstenberg today announced a new partnership focused on enhancing the in-store experience for consumers, as well as delivering intelligent insights to store associates through the integration of technology that provides informed product recommendations, store performance analytics, as well as digital discovery and engagement through QR codes. The effort will also encompass a shared focus on women's empowerment through both the DVF InCharge platform and the Mastercard Her Ideas Start Something Priceless initiative. "Connecting is really important, especially if you want to be a brand that stands out to consumers today," said Diane von Furstenberg. "With this technology, DVF has the unique opportunity to bring our customers on a journey, allowing them access to content that brings them closer to our brand story. We are thrilled to partner with the team at Mastercard to create a truly unique experience within our flagship store." Mastercard Technology Empowers Storytelling Behind People & Product Consumers today want to be immersed in the shopping journey in an innovative manner that provides them value and benefit far beyond the purchase itself. With the integration of Mastercard digital retail technology at DVF, visitors will be taken on a storytelling journey sharing details on the curation of her gallery and the featured women, as well as insights into the products and designs showcased. This includes: A Picture Says a Thousand Words : Those exploring the in-store art gallery can leverage computer vision technology to learn of the custom curated stories on the selection of the woman and their contributions spotlighted in the DVF gallery. : Those exploring the in-store art gallery can leverage computer vision technology to learn of the custom curated stories on the selection of the woman and their contributions spotlighted in the DVF gallery. Shoppers Get the Full Story : Discovery within the store based on QR codes shared throughout the store enable shoppers to discover the story behind the print, design and recommended styling methods, as well as additional product information. : Discovery within the store based on QR codes shared throughout the store enable shoppers to discover the story behind the print, design and recommended styling methods, as well as additional product information. Intelligent Tols for Store Associates: Store associates are given visibility on overall performance against specific commercial KPIs, object recognition via device to more easily share product information, and recommendations based on time of day, day of week, product demand and other variables When Women are Empowered to be In-Charge, Their Ideas Start Something Priceless Together, DVF and Mastercard will kick off their partnership as Diane Von Furstenberg opens the studio doors for their 3rd annual celebration of International Women's Day. With an open invitation to the community, this day-long series of events and panel discussions provides a platform for empowering conversation from female thought leaders including Diane herself. Cheryl Guerin, executive vice president of North America Marketing and Communications at Mastercard will speak on a panel at the event and a full schedule can be found here: www.dvf.com/events. From there, the partnership will continue to drive dialogue and engagement through The InCharge Conversations presented by Mastercard which will include an event series to be held at the DVF Flagship throughout the year, as well as the launch of the DVF InCharge podcast on Spotify (News - Alert). The effort will amplify female voices across important topics including entrepreneurship, career, philanthropy, health, family and finances, while also providing networking and mentorship. As part of the larger partnership, Mastercard is honored to welcome Diane von Furstenberg to Mastercard's Women Business Advisory Council, aimed at advancing the mission of women founders across industries with the support, mentorship and insights they deserve. Mastercard will bring other advisory council members to the In-Charge stage to address the challenges and solutions women entrepreneurs face. This partnership is part of Mastercard's ongoing commitment to women small business owners and entrepreneurs, continuing to spotlight their ideas that are driving impact. About Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005634/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Nokia Corp.s Rajeev Suri is stepping down as chief executive, amid the Finnish telecom-equipment makers struggle to take advantage of a global shift to the newest generation of mobile networking. Mr. Suri will be replaced by Pekka Lundmark, who starts his new role on Sept. 1, the company said. Unlike Mr. Suri, who is a 24-year veteran of Nokia, Mr. Lundmark comes from outside the company. He is currently chief executive of Finnish energy company Fortum. Nokia has been battling Ericsson AB of Sweden and Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. to provide equipment powering the latest generation 5G mobile networks to telecom companies globally. 5G promises faster connection speeds and the ability to connect troves of new devices to the internet. But its rollout has been challenging for Nokia. Last October, Nokias shares dived 20% after the company announced it would halt its dividend to help cover the growing costs of developing, building and selling 5G equipment. In February, the company warned of flat demand for telecom equipment and rising competition for 5G deals in the year ahead. Nokia and its closest competitor, Ericsson, have fought to take advantage of a recent campaign by U.S. officials to pressure other countries not to integrate Huawei into their systems, alleging its gear poses a national security threat. Huawei has denied any spying threat from its devices. Picking up any business that falls away from Huawei has been seen as critical in the separate turnaround efforts at both Nokia and Ericsson, which are the No. 2 and No. 3 telecom-gear makers by sales, respectively, with Huawei at No. 1. Nokias wider difficulties stem in part from digesting its $16.6 billion (U.S.) acquisition of Alcatel Lucent S.A., a deal Mr. Suri oversaw in 2015. Though the deal was aimed at growing Nokias communications products and creating a one-stop shop for telecom companies, it also made it more challenging for the company to accelerate its own efforts in 5G, according to one Nokia executive. Nokias chairman, Risto Siilasmaa, alluded to the Alcatel issue on Monday in an official statement announcing Mr. Suris departure, saying, With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia. Nokia, which started life in 1865 as a paper mill concern, has made dramatic changes to its business over the course of its history. It was the worlds biggest mobile-phone vendor by sales through the early 2000s before becoming usurped by Apple Inc.s iPhone and other manufacturers like Samsung Electronics Co, which were aligned with the Android operating system made by Alphabet Inc.s Google. After selling its smartphone business to Microsoft Corp. in 2014, Nokia put Mr. Suri in the top job in April that year, refocusing the company on becoming a wireless-only business. Mr. Suri, 52 years old, was born in India and became a Singaporean citizen. He had replaced Stephen Elop, a Canadian executive who joined the company from Microsoft in 2010, until Nokia sold its handset business to the Redmond, Washington-based company. It has served ever since as their base of social media operations, and as a channel for direct communication with the world. It was where, at the start of this year, Harry and Meghan posted their surprise announcement they intended to "step back" from the British royal family. It was where, in the wake of the hectic negotiations that followed, they posted a screenshotted statement from Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to show that she expressed support for their decision. In the latest development, the couple will be required to relinquish use of the word "royal" in their branding, commercial and charitable activities, and presumably, Instagram handle; that change in status is scheduled to take effect on April 1. But let us back up a year, to when one royal brand was cleaved into two. That's when things got weird. ACT I. Two households, both alike in dignity From the outset, @SussexRoyal was runaway popular. It set a Guinness world record for reaching 1 million faster than any account in Instagram history in 5 hours and 45 minutes. (Only Jennifer Aniston has improved on that time, when she created an Instagram account later in 2019.) Tabloid writers and royal reporters began to forecast the moment that @SussexRoyal's follower count would overtake @KensingtonRoyal's, thus crowning Harry and Meghan the definitive winners of an unofficial couples' popularity contest. It seemed inevitable; already, when it came to Google search interest, Harry and Meghan towered over William and Kate. (From November 2017 until the end of January 2020, Harry-and-Meghan-related searches accounted for 83 per cent of the world's curiosity in the two couples.) The Instagram eclipse would happen in April or perhaps May, with the birth of the couple's first child, royal watchers speculated. It happened in neither, it turned out. Nor in June. Nor July. Every day, without exception, from April 2, 2019, until January 21, 2020 through Guinness world record growth, the birth of Harry and Meghan's baby Archie, and the seismic rupture that was their public departure from royal life the size of Harry and Meghan's Instagram audience failed to exceed that of William and Kate's. Was it coincidence that Instagram popularity appeared to align so unwaveringly with monarchical hierarchy? Or was there invisible mischief afoot? A conspiracy was at play, conspiracy-minded corners of the Internet murmured. A cross section of social media analysts, researchers and product developers disagreed about the degree to which the British royal family's two most prominent Instagram accounts invite suspicion. Some felt the growth and engagement patterns between the accounts could be explained by the unknowable workings of Instagram, which regulates the spread of content with the invisible force of a deep ocean current. Others saw in the data a possible shadow campaign, perhaps intended to inflate the appearance of one couple's popularity over the other. Representatives for both royal houses denied strenuously any suggestion that their social media teams had manipulated follower numbers. Here is what we know: April 2019, the month @SussexRoyal announced itself on Instagram, marked eight years since the first royal wedding of this generation: that of the first brother Prince William, to Kate Middleton. In those eight years, a trio of births had knocked the second son, Prince Harry, down the ladder of succession to his current spot, sixth in line to the throne. But the public's longstanding affection for Harry (as indicated in public polls) remained. It combined with the sparkling addition of his new romantic partner meant that, since their engagement, Harry and Meghan, whom the younger prince met in 2016, had been channelling public energy and enthusiasm like palms on a plasma ball. To wit, the day before Meghan first appeared on @KensingtonRoyal in November 2017, the account gained 981 followers, bringing its audience to just under 2.27 million. The day Meghan's engagement was announced (her debut appearance on the account), it gained 104,092. It kept gaining, steadily and in occasional frenzied bursts. Over the three-day period that consisted of Meghan and Harry's wedding weekend in May 2018, plus the Monday morning release of their nuptial portraits, @KensingtonRoyal acquired more than 1.5 million new followers. In the period after Meghan was effectively incorporated into @KensingtonRoyal, that account's following more than tripled in size. For the remainder of 2018, the two couples surfaced on their single account smiling radiantly or, on the prescribed days, staring off in solemn remembrance in an easy rhythm. The impression was of companions casually interspersed throughout one another's lives, locked in a perpetual couple's staycation behind the walls of their shared palace, with participants slipping out now and then to pursue their philanthropic passions. In 2019, however, Harry and Meghan began a process of gradual separation. They extricated themselves from their joint "royal household" arrangement with William and Kate, moving their administrative offices out of Kensington Palace, and hiring new staff. They formed a charitable foundation separate from the one William and Harry had founded in 2009, which had been the locus of both couples' philanthropic efforts. And, most visibly, on April 2, they introduced a stand-alone Instagram account. Though Meghan was by no means a global star before her marriage, she had maintained an active and successful personal Instagram account, its profile buoyed by her regular role on a moderately popular American cable legal drama. That account boasted around 2 million followers before its deletion following her engagement (not far from the approximately 2.27 million followers @KensingtonRoyal had when the engagement was announced). From its very first post, Harry and Meghan's new Sussex account was distinct from @KensingtonRoyal and seemed unmistakably the work of an Instagram veteran. It established a signature colour palette (royal blue) and typography (a hybrid of caps-locked roman and lowercase italics). These kinds of personalised elements were absent from @KensingtonRoyal. Over the next several months, the two accounts would diverge even further in style and tone. ACT II. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny According to data provided by CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool that, like Instagram, is owned by Facebook, nine of the 10 most-liked posts ever shared by either @KensingtonRoyal or @SussexRoyal showcase some combination of Harry and Meghan (and/or their son). The single outlier is an image of William and Kate's two eldest children taken on Princess Charlotte's first day of school in 2019. (It came in eighth.) Data generated by media-monitoring software Cision, which tracks online media mentions, found that, from the date of the announcement of Harry and Meghan's engagement in November 2017 to January 2020, Harry and Meghan received vastly more global online attention than did William and Kate. (Recall, too: They crushed them in Google searches.) Loading (William and/or Kate did receive more online attention than Harry and/or Meghan on a handful of dates, such as: the day Kate wore a green gown to the BAFTA awards ceremony; the period immediately before and after the birth of William and Kate's third child.) Thus it is perhaps not surprising that, from the date of the @SussexRoyal debut until Harry and Meghan's bombshell announcement this past January, @SussexRoyal's Meghan-and-Harry-centric posts received more total likes than @KensingtonRoyal posts centred on Kate and William. According to CrowdTangle data, the Sussexes came out around 13.5 million likes ahead. Of course, on Instagram, likes are only one measure of engagement. Another is comments. Harry and Meghan won that by an even bigger margin: In the same time frame, their account received more than double the number of comments that @KensingtonRoyal did, despite @KensingtonRoyal laying claim, perpetually, to hundreds of thousands more followers. Likes and comments are a quick way to eyeball an account's success. Divide that combined figure by an account's number of followers, and you can calculate an interaction rate. A high interaction rate suggests a highly engaged following, which suggests high popularity or at least a lot of interest. @SussexRoyal's interaction rate was nearly twice that of @KensingtonRoyal's. Its audience was rapt, active and, within a month and a half of the account's creation, numbered more than 8 million users a figure it had taken @KensingtonRoyal more than four years to amass. With good reason, perhaps. Unlike @KensingtonRoyal, @SussexRoyal established early that it operated largely independently of the British press. While @KensingtonRoyal released coveted family images in concert with members of the media, @SussexRoyal surprised its followers with images royal reporters could not get. From time to time, it even broke news. Yet it seemed, from the outside, that no matter how many followers @SussexRoyal gained, it could never quite catch up; rather, it appeared eternally on the cusp of doing so. On the date @SussexRoyal was created, @KensingtonRoyal had an audience of about 7.3 million. But the older account's prolonged dominance cannot be attributed to its head start. Accounts created later often overtake popular "partners." Furthermore, follower growth for one account does not necessarily portend a comparable increase for a similar one. ACT III. All are punish'd It is a quirk of digital popularity that social media accounts with large followings can reasonably expect to lose a very small percentage of followers immediately after sharing new content. The appearance of said new content, regardless of format or platform, will inevitably lead some portion of followers to conclude they don't care about it. It will inspire decisive action to unfollow. It is therefore not unusual that, when @SussexRoyal posts a photo of Harry, a typically well-performing subject on horseback at about 2.40 p.m., London time, on a Friday it will lead to a brief exodus of followers. In this case, of something like 420 accounts in the first hour, according to timestamped data. A successful post will quickly make up this difference as new users discover it and elect to follow the account. In this case, the horse post resulted in a net gain of about 1,200 new followers in the first five hours, plus more than 420,000 likes. It is less explicable that when, for instance, @KensingtonRoyal shares a low-resolution image of a painted portrait of the late Queen Victoria who is neither a common nor immediately recognisable subject for the account at 6.47 a.m. the same day, it should immediately gain over 730 followers in the first hour. It is even less explicable that it should experience a net gain of roughly 3,500 new followers in the first five hours, especially considering it garnered only around 283,000 likes total. That means that although the somewhat obscure portrait of Victoria was apparently enchanting enough to draw droves of new followers to @KensingtonRoyal, it received far fewer likes than a photo of Harry on @SussexRoyal a photo that, paradoxically, despite receiving hundreds of thousands more likes than Queen Victoria, enticed far fewer people to follow the account. Curious! Before Harry and Meghan's account existed, @KensingtonRoyal might gain something like 1000 followers on an average good (but not astronomically good) day. But between January 1 and March 31 of last year, its following shrank by nearly 10,000 accounts. The creation of @SussexRoyal seemed to reinvigorate it and then some. On May 12, the day @SussexRoyal posted a photo of Meghan's hands holding newborn Archie's cute tiny baby feet, the account of Archie's aunt and uncle, @KensingtonRoyal, gained more than 42,000 followers. This despite the fact @KensingtonRoyal had posted no content, as well as the fact that the Sussex post was in honour of a holiday few in Britain were observing: US Mother's Day. For comparison, the day @KensingtonRoyal shared its hugely popular for it first day of school post, which featured Charlotte and George hugging adorably in impeccably clean uniforms, it gained slightly more than 40,000 followers. (@SussexRoyal, which shared no post that day, gained about 10,400.) May 21 marked the first time @KensingtonRoyal's growth rate began regularly outpacing @SussexRoyal's. The differences were slight often hundredths of 1 per cent but they appeared to manifest irrespective of the content posted. On back-to-back dates when neither account posted anything, Kate and William's account growth rate might inexplicably increase from 0.06 per cent to 0.11 per cent. Or, on a date when @SussexRoyal content received roughly 10 times the number of likes and comments as @KensingtonRoyal content, Kensington's growth rate might still outpace it by 0.01 per cent. From May 21 on, CrowdTangle data showed the accounts' followings growing in lock step with @KensingtonRoyal permanently ahead. Matt Navarra, a British social media consultant, was unconvinced that either account exhibited suspicious follower activity. "I don't think there's anything in it," he said but added, "I wouldn't put my life on it." Samuel Woolley, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin whose research focuses on social media political propaganda, said that while manipulation was impossible to confirm without more account information than is publicly available, the CrowdTangle data is "pretty damning if we are looking for inauthentic activity." Others consulted were in agreement that several scenarios could explain the follower gap: Scenario 1: Despite @KensingtonRoyal's prior lacklustre performance and oddly low engagement rate relative to @SussexRoyal, it maintained its follower advantage with no manipulation. More real people simply elected to follow William and Kate over Harry and Meghan. Scenario 2: @KensingtonRoyal was given better placement on Instagram's "Who To Follow" list, a curated selection of accounts presented to new users a variable known to drive tremendous numbers to specific accounts with virtually no effort from account owners. Scenario 3: @KensingtonRoyal was the beneficiary of a concentrated fan-driven campaign to keep its numbers high. (No evidence of such an effort could be found.) Scenario 4: @SussexRoyal's initial follower takeoff was supplemented by bot followers, and its growth slowed when no new bots were bought to replace them. (This would not seem to explain Kensington's sudden and sustained increase in popularity relative to Sussex unless, perhaps, Kensington began acquiring followers at the same time as Sussex, and for several months after.) Scenario 5: @KensingtonRoyal was receiving follower boosts in the form of bots. ACT IV. A plague o' both your houses Several researchers observed that some inauthentic activity is bound to plague any prominent social media account: Following popular users is one tactic bots use to mimic humans. While no one consulted knew of a reliable way to keep numbers artificially low by suppressing genuine follower activity, all agreed that it's easy to make them appear artificially high with bots. As part of a recent NATO study, researchers acquired more than 3500 comments, 25,000 likes and 5000 followers, all for roughly $330. It is also possible to use bots to inflate social media accounts even if you are not the owner. Anyone can buy bots on behalf of anyone else, or send them to an account with which they have no affiliation. Loading But inauthentic activity is somewhat unverifiable. One of the biggest challenges of unearthing fake followers, for the layman, is that many of the tools for doing so have disappeared. Alex Taub, a founder and former CEO of social media analytics company SocialRank, described the current social media landscape as "like a black box." It stems from the spring of 2018, when TechCrunch reported that Instagram had abruptly limited the amount of user data developers outside the company could access. The move impaired the ability of third parties to perform widespread data analysis. In so doing, it granted all Facebook and Instagram users more privacy including those accounts operating as bots. "Overnight, almost all audience tools were killed," Taub said of the Cambridge Analytica fallout. "It's very hard to see who follows who, on the granular level, unless you manually go into the account and click on followers." Taub said: "If it was 2016 and you said, 'Hey, Alex, I want to analyse the Duchess in Essex and all this whatever,' it would take probably a day or two, and I could come back to you and show 'These are the followers they share in common. This is the percentage of fake followers this one has. This is the breakdown of locations. This is the amount of fake followers in a location.'" Now, the only people with access to such information work inside Instagram. Jay Owens, a social media researcher in London who evaluated the CrowdTangle data, said she was "certain to a 95 per cent confidence interval" that there was no mass follower purchase on behalf of @KensingtonRoyal since April 2019 in part because a graph of its follower counts did not feature hallmarks of bot acquisition. (Those hallmarks include large, inexplicable surges of thousands of followers, and plateaus of growth that suddenly drop off.) Woolley was less deterred by the lack of obvious indicators of bot activity. "Most people leveraging fake followers these days especially at the behest of well-resourced groups or individuals are being very careful to avoid suspicion, detection and deletion," he said. The new goal is not sudden popularity, but mathematical untraceability: In a sophisticated campaign, fake followers are more likely to be added more frequently, in smaller quantities. "It's been a long time since we've seen accounts gain 50,000 followers overnight," said Woolley. "That doesn't really happen anymore unless it's organic." To him, @SussexRoyal's initial explosive growth seemed genuine. But the fact that @KensingtonRoyal's follower count grew by large numbers on days of popular @SussexRoyal posts the day @SussexRoyal shared the shot of their baby son's feet, for instance made him suspicious of the older account. Then there was the matter of the fans. Anna Gebremedhin, a data analyst specialising in Instagram commerce, found that, when William, Kate, Meghan and Harry shared one Instagram handle, their respective Instagram fan accounts grew in ways that largely mirrored @KensingtonRoyal. But after @SussexRoyal was created, that pattern collapsed. Followings of Meghan and Harry fan accounts rose in proportion to @SussexRoyal's following, but @KensingtonRoyal's numbers grew faster than William and Kate's fan pages. On January 21, 2020, there was a breakthrough: @SussexRoyal, at last, surpassed @KensingtonRoyal's follower lead two weeks after the Sussexes' semi-departure from the royal family. ACT V. These violent delights have violent ends Direct comparison of the accounts is hindered by a final peculiar fact. @SussexRoyal is classified as an Instagram "creator account" a free designation that grants owners (and, to a more limited extent, other users) the ability to view some account metrics. @KensingtonRoyal, on the other hand, is designated a "personal account" a setting a celebrity digital media strategist who was granted anonymity by The Times to protect client accounts called "bizarre." These accounts do not have access to advanced publishing capabilities and other account management tools. "Why would the most prominent figures in the world, basically or among the most popular and prominent not have that? With dedicated social media teams, it doesn't make sense," the strategist said. The mystery remains; the parties of suspicion, neither condemned nor excused. Of course, any bots present could have come from anywhere. They could have been purchased by someone in another country, with no connection to the royal family. Californias utilities regulator has proposed an increased $2.14 billion fine on PG&E Corp for its role in causing the devastating 2017 and 2018 wildfires in Northern California. The decision raises the penalty by $462 million and would be the largest ever imposed, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said. It would become final if PG&E agrees within 20 days, and will modify a multi-party settlement reached by the company with the CPUC and union representatives in December. The new settlement also requires that potential tax savings in excess of $500 million be applied to the benefit of PG&Es customers, CPUC said. PG&E did not respond to Reuters requests for comment but told local outlet San Francisco Chronicle that it was disappointed by the decision. The San-Francisco based utility filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January last year, citing potential liabilities in excess of $30 billion from major wildfires sparked by its equipment in 2017 and 2018. State fire investigators in May determined that PG&E transmission lines caused the deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record in California, the wind-driven Camp Fire that killed 85 people in and around the town of Paradise in 2018. Earlier this month, the company proposed an updated reorganization plan, aimed at addressing concerns raised by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who criticized its previous plan for lacking major changes to governance and tougher safety enforcement mechanisms mandated under a recent state wildfire statute. A U.S. bankruptcy judge in December approved PG&Es $13.5 billion settlement with victims of Californian wildfires. The company needs to exit bankruptcy by June 30 to participate in a state-backed wildfire fund that would help reduce the threat to utilities from wildfires. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. India to now screen flyers from Italy, Iran for coronavirus The government said on Monday passengers coming from Italy and Iran would also undergo thermal screening for coronavirus after two more people tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day. Flyers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are already being screened at airports. Read More Our system supports criminals, says Delhi 2012 gang-rape victims mother The mother of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder victim said on Monday the delay in the execution of the four convicts in the case was the failure of the system and government. Her comments came after a local court in Delhi stayed the execution of the convicts for the third time, hours before the four were scheduled to be hanged at Tihar Jail at 6am on Tuesday. Read More Ensuring peace in Delhi will remain a challenge | HT Editorial While Delhi Police must be praised for acting quickly on Sunday night to quell rumours, which, as one senior police officer correctly said , is the biggest enemy at this point of time for the city, the force must not slide into complacency. Read More Numbers that matter: How have Indias batsmen fared on away tours since 2018 Indias latest 0-2 series loss to New Zealand has brought the performance of batsmen under scrutiny as the teams failure to win away from home can be pinned down to their inability to adapt and adjust to playing conditions.So, how have the batsmen fared since the beginning of 2018 in series played outside India? Read More Rishi Kapoor says tareekh pe tareekh as court stays execution of Delhi gang-rape convicts Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor was reminded of his own film Damini after the Delhi High Court stayed the execution of Delhi gangrape convicts on Monday as the mercy petition of one of the convicts is still pending. He tweeted on the development on Monday evening. Read More Kim Kardashians latex head-to-toe bodycon Balmain suit is not for the faint-hearted Beauty mogul and social media star, Kim Kardashian was spotted in two different latex head-to-toe Balmain suit looks from the collection, one in a shade of deep garnet and one in spicy tan tone. Read More PUBG Mobile Lites next big update will bring these key features If the rumour mill is to be believed then a new PUBG Mobile Lite Update will soon hit the stores. The update, which will most likely be named PUBG Mobile Lite 0.16.0, may have a few widely anticipated features such as a new lobby and night mode. Read More Is it Narnia? Elsas snow castle? New York homes turn into igloos overnight. Startling pictures of houses covered in massive snow have been shared across social media. And they look like something out of winter wonderland. A naturally occurring phenomenon called lake-effect snow near Lake Erie in New York made houses in the area look like a scene out of Frozen. Read More One way of thinking about the difference between Scott Morrisons vastly different responses to the two crises of his prime ministership is the simple passing of time. He stuffed up his response to the fires. When the coronavirus arrived, he had both learnt from his mistake and knew he couldnt stuff up again. But an equally illuminating way of thinking about it is to consider what the barriers to action were in each case. What did a tough response to the coronavirus look like? Border control in other words, something that emphasised Morrisons political strengths. Who was complaining the most about the travel ban? The universities, a group the Coalition has always been more than happy to pick a fight with. The government didnt act for these reasons it acted because it was the right thing to do. But doing the right thing was easy. The coronavirus crisis allows the Prime Minister Scott Morrison to play to his strengths. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen On bushfires, the opposite applied. Taking the meetings Morrison should have had, making adequate preparations, speaking truthfully about what the country was facing and why would have meant conceding the heightened danger posed by climate change, annoying his colleagues and encouraging his opponents. Every politician thinks about politics. Thats fine. But so far nobody has managed to pin down what else drives this prime minister. And that is worth keeping in mind, because it remains the best guide we have to how he is likely to act in any given situation. health-and-fitness Reporter's Take | COVID-19 could be Indias chance to end reliance on China for drug raw material Moneycontrol's Shraddha Sharma talks to Viswanath Pilla to understand the problem of drug shortage in Indian pharmacy due to slowdown in China production. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 17:21:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi President Barham Salih began Monday consultations with parliamentary political blocs to choose an alternative candidate to task him to form a new cabinet after the apology of Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi. A statement by the media office of the presidency said that Salih called on the lawmakers to work seriously to achieve a true national agreement on choosing alternative prime minister-designate within 15 days, in accordance with the constitution, to form a new government. "The alternative candidate who would be designated to form the interim government should be acceptable by both people and lawmakers. The interim government should abide by its obligations toward citizens, and should be entrusted with holding early parliamentary elections," Salih confirmed. Late on Sunday, Allawi apologized for forming a new Iraqi government, hours after the parliament failed to hold a session to vote on his cabinet lineup. In a letter sent to Salih, Allawi said that he apologized because he was "in front of an equation, the position of prime minister in exchange for lack of honesty with my people and continuing the position at the expense of their suffering." He said that his choice was "simple and clear, which is to be with my people, especially when I saw that some political parties were not serious about reform that they promised the people with." On Feb. 1, Salih appointed Allawi as the prime minister-designate to form a new cabinet, and according to the Iraqi constitution, the new prime minister-designate has 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval. Google's parent company, Alphabet, wants to throw the power of its AI behind a mission to monitor sea life around the ocean. According to a blog post, a project called Tidal - part of Alphabet's 'X' division that develops 'moonshot' projects - is creating a computer vision system that uses AI to monitor thousands of fish. The goal, says the company, is to help glean understanding of how over-fishing and other human impacts of fish populations affect sea life across the globe. With that information, Alphabet hopes that people will not just understand what happens beneath the ocean's surface, but help fix the problems that plague ocean life and habitats. 'One of the biggest barriers to protecting the ocean and our future is that we dont know much about whats going on under the water. Even though it covers around 70% of the planet, most of it remains unexplored,' writes Neil Dave, Tidal's general manager in a blog post. '... today were announcing Tidal: a team at X working on a moonshot to protect the ocean and preserve its ability to support life and help feed humanity, sustainably. Our initial area of focus is on developing technologies that bring greater visibility and understanding of whats happening under the water.' Specifically, Tidal's cameras system is designed to use computer vision to help people, for instance a fish farmer, to monitor environmental factors like temperature and oxygen levels that may affect the populations and well-being. It is also being positioned as a way of discerning harder-to-judge factors like eating habits, Alphabet says. 'This kind of information gives farmers the ability to track the health of their fish and make smarter decisions about how to manage the pens like how much food to put in the pens, which we hope can help reduce both costs and pollution,' writes Dave. Alphabet, Google's parent company, has reportedly been working on Tidal for three years and hasn't yet released any information on when it will be available With Tidal, Alphabet hopes that farmers would be able to better adapt to and understand changing ocean environments that have been roiled be acidification and pollution. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, a whopping 3 billion people currently rely on either wild-caught or farm raised fish as their primary source of protein. While it's unclear when Tidal might be released to farmers and other interested parties, the Financial Times reports that the project has already been active for three years and has deployed cameras in Europe and Asia to track Salmon and Yellowtail. 'As we validate our technology and learn more about the ocean environment, we plan to apply what weve learned to other fields and problems, with the help of ocean health experts and other organizations eager to find new solutions to protect and preserve this precious resource,' writes Dave. Home Minister Amit Shah waves during a public meeting of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporting a new citizenship law as supporters prepare to garland him in Kolkata. (Image: AP) Health official: 'Regardless of variant, the protective measures are the same' local Three people were detained this morning for raising incendiary shoot the traitors slogan during home minister Amit Shahs rally in Kolkata on Sunday. The BJP has decided to extend all legal help to the accused. The men shouted the slogan while they were passing the Maidan Market in Esplanade en route to the rally venue Shahid Minar ground. The police on Sunday had registered a suo motu case under sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups), 505 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. They will be produced before a city court in the afternoon, said a senior officer of Kolkata Police south division, requesting anonymity. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh found nothing objectionable in mouthing such slogans. He, however, was not happy with the use of a certain word in the slogan. There is no wrong in demanding that the traitors of the country be shot. I myself had demanded that anti-national elements should be shot dead. However, while making such a demand, one needs to maintain decency and avoid the use of slang, Ghosh said. There has been a controversy over raising of such slogans in BJP rallies during Delhi polls and demonstrations in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The slogan shouting BJP supporters came close to Congress and Left Front members who chanted Go Back Amit Shah on the other flank of the Jawaharlal Nehru Road, but a showdown was averted as a large number of police personnel posted nearby intervened and took control of the situation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 17:50:06|Editor: yhy Video Player Close HELSINKI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Finnish telecoms equipment maker Nokia's president and CEO Rajeev Suri will step down, while Pekka Lundmark, the outgoing president and CEO of Finnish energy firm Fortum, will replace him, Nokia said Monday. Suri will leave his current position on Aug. 31 and serve as an adviser to the Nokia board until Jan. 1, 2021. Noting that he has been serving Nokia for 25 years, Suri said now he wants to do something new, adding that Lundmark is an excellent choice for the company. In a written statement, Lundmark described Nokia as a "unique company that has much potential and talented people." Lundmark, 57, held executive positions at Nokia between 1990 and 2000 and become the CEO of Fortum in 2015, and is also the chairman of the board of the Confederation of Finnish Industries. FLINT, MI -- Flint Community Schools high school graduates walking to receive their high school diplomas in 2020 will don their caps and gowns for free thanks to grants from Flint-area community foundations. The Crim Fitness Foundation announced two $2,000 grants from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and United Way of Genesee County Monday, March 2. The contributions will cover all costs of caps and gowns for graduating Southwestern Classical Academy students. The Flint Community Education Initiative, led by the Crim Fitness Foundation, engages community partners to provide support to students, according to a foundation news release. Paying for students caps and gowns aims to remove a barrier for some graduates, helping the whole 2019-2020 Flint Jaguars class to celebrate graduation together. Increasing graduation rates is one of the four key goals of the Flint Community Education Initiative, so making sure that students dont have to worry about costs related to graduation is extremely important to us," said Lauren Holaly-Zembo, Crim Fitness Foundations vice president of community impact. After a need to assist students with graduation costs was identified, community-based organizations, including staff from the Genesee County office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, reached out to support Flint students, according to the release. The Flint Community Education Initiative simultaneously received an outpouring of support from community members. We are so thankful to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and the United Way of Genesee County for supporting our graduating seniors," Superintendent Derrick Lopez said in a statement. "As we launch these students into the next chapter of their lives, I am confident that they will not soon forget this generous donation and pay it forward into the lives of others. After seeing the outpouring of support, the Crim Fitness Foundation has decided to establish the Flint Community Education Graduation Fund, which will annually seek donations to cover graduation costs for Flint seniors, the release states. Costs covered through the fund would include caps, gowns, senior dues, prom tickets, yearbooks and more. Your browser does not support the audio element. A ship carrying almost 700 European and Australasian passengers arrived at a port in Vietnam on Sunday, having visited Indonesia and Singapore. The ship, Vasco da Gama, now docks at the Phu My Town port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, located in the southern part of the country. It brought 699 passengers, including over 300 Australians, 320 Britons, and tourists from New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden. The passengers were asked to have their body temperature checked and to wash their hands to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, before carrying out entry procedures. No infection was detected among the passengers. Tens of cars and 100 tour guides were present to take them around Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho City, located in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. They had had their body temperature monitored and their hands washed before picking up the tourists, with the cars also disinfected. The ship Vasco de Gama docks at the Phu My Town port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam, March 1, 2020. Photo: Dong Ha / Tuoi Tre The Vasco de Gama had visited Indonesia and Singapore. She is scheduled to leave Vietnam for Cambodia on Monday afternoon. On February 22, the MSC Splendida also brought nearly 1,400 passengers from Europe and the Americas to the Phu My Town port. The novel coronavirus has infected nearly 89,000 people and killed over 3,000 others around the world, mostly in China. Infections have been confirmed in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Australasia, with major outbreaks recorded in South Korea, Japan, Italy, and Iran. Vietnam reported 16 positive cases and succeeded in treating them all. There is no confirmed infection in the Southeast Asian country at present. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor was reminded of his own film Damini after the Delhi High Court stayed the execution of Delhi gangrape convicts on Monday as the mercy petition of one of the convicts is still pending. Refering to the development, Rishi tweeted Monday evening, Nirbhaya case. Tareekh pe tareekh,tareekh pe tareekh, tareekh pe tareekh- Damini. Ridiculous! Nirbhaya case. Tareekh pe tareekh,tareekh pe tareekh, tareekh pe tareekh- "Damini". Ridiculous! Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) March 2, 2020 Justice Dharmendra Rana on Monday stopped the execution of the four Delhi gang-rape and murder convicts, barely 13 hours before the four were to walk to the gallows at Tihar prison on Tuesday morning. The judge ruled that a last-minute mercy petition, filed by Pawan Gupta - the last of the four to file the plea, is still pending with Rashtrapati Bhavan. The death warrant against four convicts was initially scheduled for January 22. The execution date was postponed twice, first to February 1 and then to March 3 due to the convicts not having exhausted their remedies. Also read: Thappad: Eight moments from Taapsee Pannus film that make it a must watch In December 2012, five men and a one juvenile had brutally raped a young para-medic student in a moving bus in Delhi, leading to nationwide outrage. The victim later died from the injuries received. One of the accused committed suicide in Tihar jail during the trial while the accused juvenile was sent to a reform house and released three years later. Rishis 1993 film Damini featured Meenakshi Sheshadri, Amrish Puri and Sunny Deol in lead roles. The film traced the struggles and journey of Damini (Meenakshi), a girl from a humble background who marries a rich man (Rishi) but witnesses a gang-rape inside her in-laws house and decides to fight for the victim - a domestic help. Sunny plays a lawyer who fights for Damini while Amrish essays the role of the opposing lawyer. Directed by Rajkummar Santoshi, one of the most iconic scenes from the film features Sunny in the courtroom where he slams the judicial system. He says the lines tareekh pe tareekh which eventually became very popular.. Follow @htshowbiz for more The jars at Vine Street Vinegar are, so far, the only indication that Renningers Farmers Market in Maxatawny Township will soon be the permanent home to a two-day annual festival whose purpose is to evangelize for the blessings of cannabis, the plant of many nicknames pot, reefer, grass, weed, bud, spliff, ganja and many uses, not all of which involve getting high. Update: Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the first case of coronavirus in New York. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- St. Johns University has discontinued academic programs on the Rome Campus until further notice amid rising concern for the coronavirus in Italy, according to an email sent to students and faculty. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its level for travel guidance to the country advising individuals to avoid nonessential travel the university decided to pull students from the Rome campus, the email said. While the there has been no identified coronavirus cases in the St. Johns community, including the Rome campus, the universitys decision comes at a time when Italy has over 1,100 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization. Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the first case of the virus in New York on Sunday night. Hieu Pham, a sophomore student on the Rome campus, said students were notified on Saturday, Feb. 29 to return to the Rome campus and cancel plans for the rest of the week before being told academic programs were being canceled entirely. People are all frustrated from the situation because most of the coronavirus outbreak is from the North and we dont want to leave Rome over this inconvenience, Pham said in an email to the Advance, referencing reports that the majority of coronavirus cases are centralized in northern Italy. Despite the disruption, Pham said the students response to the decision has been mostly positive." He said the school booked flights back to the United States for students. Dr. James OKeefe, the vice provost of the Staten Island campus, said the university has faculty on the ground in Rome to assist students with their return home, adding that dorm rooms are available for students returning to the country. The students will be able to continue their courses without a wrinkle, OKeefe said, adding that many will be able to utilize online courses to complete classes. Due to the change in CDC guidelines for Italy, St. Johns University is discontinuing academic programs at our Rome Campus until further notice," said university spokesman Brian Browne. All students based on the Rome Campus will return to their homes in the coming days. The university is working to assist students in Italy to return to their permanent home residences in the U.S. or abroad (for international students) for the remainder of the semester, Browne said. "The university has contingency plans to ensure that students can continue with academic courses online with minimal interruption and with no financial penalty related to tuition. New York state has confirmed its first case of coronavirus Sunday evening. We have learned of the 1st positive case of COVID-19 in NY, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Twitter. The patient -- a woman in her 30s -- contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran, according to an official statement from the governors office Sunday night. The woman is now isolated in her home. Although the governor did not say where the woman lives in the state, the New York Post reported shes from Manhattan. There is no reason for undue anxiety -- the general risk remains low in NY, Cuomo tweeted. Last month, state health officials asked about 700 people across the state to self-isolate after returning from places with coronavirus cases, according to the Department of Health. That included eight people in Onondaga County, county spokesman Justin Sayles said last week. President Donald Trump has assured Americans that the country is very, very ready to face whatever threat the disease poses head on. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that its not a matter of if, but when. CDC officials suggested that quarantines may become necessary as more COVID-19 or novel coronavirus cases are detected. There are now 76 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the United States, according to reports Sunday night. The woman in New York state who tested positive for coronavirus has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition, Cuomo said in his statement. The governor also said the woman has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York. The positive test was confirmed by New Yorks Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround, and is exactly why I advocated for the approval from Vice President Pence that New York was granted just yesterday, Cuomo said. There is no cause for surprise -- this was expected, he continued. As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York. Cuomo asked the state Legislature to approve a $40 million emergency management authorization last week as the state prepares to respond to the possibility of the spread of coronavirus in New York. The money will allow the New York State Department of Health to hire additional staff and procure equipment and any other resources necessary to respond to the virus. Cuomo said legislative leaders had indicated they supported the request, but they have yet to approve it. Cuomo said state officials are working with hospitals and other healthcare officials to prepare for the appearance of the virus. "The threat you dont take seriously is the one that becomes serious, he has said. On Sunday, Cuomo said that although someone in the state has now tested positive for coronavirus, there is no need to panic. We are diligently managing this situation, Cuomo said, "and will continue to provide information as it becomes available. We have learned of the 1st positive case of COVID-19 in NY. The patient contracted the virus while in Iran & is isolated There is no reason for undue anxietythe general risk remains low in NY. We are diligently managing this situation &will provide info as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/rLnObvrg3R Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 2, 2020 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 or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call (315) 470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook On Feb. 17, he said, there was a shootout in Casas Grandes, in Chihuahua state, where he has a home, followed by a couple of apparent grenade detonations and then more gunfire. The next day, he called police to ask about it, and an officer said they didnt know that anything at all had happened. They argued, and the officer hung up on him. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is said to be preparing for Donald Trump to declare coronavirus a national emergency. An 'infectious disease emergency declaration' would allow FEMA to free up disaster relief funding and provide federal assistance, NBC News reports. The president would have to enact the 1988 Stafford Act, last used by Bill Clinton in 2000 in New York and New Jersey for outbreaks of the West Nile virus. It would mean mobile hospitals and military transport could be provided by FEMA using the $34 billion they have in their disaster relief fund. President Donald Trump, right, speaks to the press during a meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque in the Oval Office on Monday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is said to be preparing for Trump to declare coronavirus a national emergency Michael Coen, who was FEMA chief of staff during the Obama administration, told NBC: 'To me this is another indication that the president and the White House are finally aware of the gravity of the situation. They need to consider all tools available to them and have contingencies for action.' Tim Manning, a FEMA deputy administrator under President Barack Obama, added: 'I actually find this reassuring. I hope this discussion has been happening continuously over the last couple of months.' Florida, parts of California and Washington state have all already declared a state of emergency over the outbreak. FEMA spokesperson Lizzie Litzow said: 'At this time, there isn't anything additional to the HHS public health emergency.' New York confirmed its first coronavirus case on Sunday as a female healthcare worker in her 30s who returned from Iran last week and is now being quarantined in her Manhattan home. It came as a New York doctor warned coronavirus cases in the United States will surge into the thousands by next week. Dr Matt McCarthy, who is a staff physician at the busy New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, claimed he doesn't have the tools to properly care for patients because of the lack of coronavirus tests being made available to hospitals. Panic buying hit New York and other parts of the country over the weekend with anxious shoppers clearing supermarket shelves as they stock up on food and medical supplies. Pictured is a Costco in Brooklyn on Monday Shoppers at Costco in Brooklyn panick buying Water, tissue and Clorox product Scott Gottlieb, who is the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, also told CNBC that three critical weeks were lost in trying to contain the spread of coronavirus in the U.S. because of the faulty tests. Over the weekend, authorities confirmed that two people had died in Washington state after contracting coronavirus. The total number of US cases has now soared to 103. The spread of the disease, which began in China, has now seen more than 89,000 cases worldwide and over 3,000 fatalities. The coronavirus appeared poised for a spike in the United States in part because of more testing to confirm cases. Florida's governor Ron DeSantis disclosed late Sunday that two people had become the first in his state to test positive and ordered his top health officer to declare a statewide public health emergency. Two people who returned to Rhode Island from a trip to Europe have also tested positive for coronavirus. A cluster of cases is centered on a nursing home near Seattle. The Seattle and King County public health department confirmed late Sunday that a man in his 70s who was a resident of the LifeCare long-term care facility in Kirkland and had coronavirus had died the day before. Healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Kirkland, Washington. Dozens of staff and residents at Life Care Center of Kirkland are reportedly exhibiting coronavirus-like symptoms, with two confirmed cases associated with the nursing facility reported so far A woman wears a face mask as she waits on the subway after the first confirmed case of coronavirus was annoucned in New York On Saturday, the department had reported the first death of a coronavirus patient in the United States, a man in his 50s who was living in Kirkland - the same city where the nursing home is located. Six of the 10 confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state have been residents or workers at LifeCare. Trump administration officials worked on Sunday to soothe nerves and calm fears that a global recession was looming, arguing that the public and media were over-reacting and saying that stocks would bounce back because the American economy was fundamentally strong. It came as panic buying hit New York and other parts of the country over the weekend with anxious shoppers clearing supermarket shelves as they stock up on food and medical supplies. Mr David Parker, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, New Zealand said that India and New Zealand need to further strengthen their socio-economic relations. We both need trade to help us address the most significant global issues to access the international market. We need to support the economic growth and development and avoid environmental damage impacting the people, he said. Mr Parker added that New Zealand is engaging with various states in India to provide latest technology in agriculture, food storage and supply chain infrastructure to reduce food wastage. He said that New Zealand companies have started working with Indian businesses under the Make in India program. He also emphasized on the need to adopt newer technologies to encourage innovations and bridge the gap between the two nations. "Trade policies play an important role. There is lot that we can do together," said Mr Parker. Highlighting the role of greater women entrepreneurs to nation's GDP, Mr Parker said that New Zealand is working to increase the number of women entrepreneurs in the overall trade. "According to IMF, greater female participation boosts growth by up to 35 percent of the GDP," he said adding that there are equal opportunities for women in India which will also contribute significantly to India's GDP growth. New Zealand's Trade and Export Growth Minister also invited Indian companies to invest in New Zealand in potential areas like aviation, tourism, IT, ICT, education. "We have developed new 'Trade for All' trade policy to ensure sustainable economic development and inclusive growth." Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Neighbor for Neighbor Food Pantry and Families First of Monroe County will be the featured area charities recognized and supported at this years Marilyn School of Dance Student Choreography Showcase and Charity Fundraiser, Saturday March 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Tomah High School auditorium. Audience members have the opportunity to vote for their favorite young choreographer/performer. Tomahs Neighbor for Neighbor and Families First split the tickets sales of this event to each receive $676. Last years winner was Courtney Hale with her contemporary solo to Bullet in a Gun. Hale choose the Neighbor for Neighbor Food Pantry to receive the additional funds raised from voting. adding $1,001 to the donation. Hale personally received a $50 scholarship to the dance workshop of her choice to advance her technical training. More than 30 budding choreographers and dancers will hit the Tomah High School stage. Young choreographers have worked to create pieces using varying levels, space, tempo and floor patterns. The pieces being presented include jazz, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical, ballet, Irish, tap and musical theatre. The emcees for the evening will be MSD graduating seniors Ellie Eswein and Natalie Zeps. Both will be spotlighted in their senior solos. Eswein will perform a lyrical piece to Gone, Gone, Gone, and Zeps will perform to Stay, which she previously performed as the retiring Miss Dance Masters of Wisconsin 2019 at its November pageant. The other choreographers include Bella Arne, Addison Berry, Samantha Blazek, Trinity Brach, Aly Brookman, Laney Champlin, Whitney Draeger, Jessica Dreier, Ellie Eagleson, Glynnis Fleming, Emma Gearing, Kaitlynn Gigous, Macie Goldsmith, Evie Haldeman, Shelby Hale, Klara Hall, Addy Hammer, Ruby Joyce, Lucy Miller, Briahna Piepenburg, Livia Rezin, Makenna Roose, Olivia Rumsey, Kyla Schreck, Allison Schroeder and Natalie Schroeder. The award-winning Dance Stars from MSD will also feature their 2020 competition concert. The Dance Stars are a not-for-profit performing dance company sharing their love of the art of dance by performing as a community service group. They have performed at Disney World Florida, opened for the Harlem Globe Trotters at the La Crosse Center, performed for the Good Sams RV Club National Convention, rocked the Carnival Cruise Ship Destiny and have opened for Tomah Night at the Loggers games in La Crosse, conducted a cultural exchange in Barcelona, Spain, and will tour Ireland this summer. The Dance Stars, under the direction of Suzanne Swanson Wagner and Alumni Abby Skowronski, range in age from 13-17. They include Trinity Brach, Whitney Draeger, Jessica Dreier, Emma Gearing, Shelby Hale, Livia Rezin and Natalie Zeps. The MSD NOVA Dance Company under the direction of Natalie Zeps will perform Up All Night and Sing, Sing, Sing. NOVA members include Samantha Blazek, Aly Brookman, Laney Champlin, Glynnis Fleming, Kaitlynn Gigous, Macie Goldsmith, Ruby Joyce, Allison Schroeder, Natalie Schroeder and Brooke Wagner. The NOVAS are a community service-based group performing for nursing homes and area events. Joining in the spotlight will be The Elation Dance Company from Delafield directed by MSD alumni and Tomah High School graduate Marja (Martalock) Finnigan. This is the 11th year the two studios have united in a dance exchange. The Dance Stars traveled to Delafield in February for a joint performance and now the Elation Dancers return the favor in March. Also appearing will be the Tomah MSD teaching assistants under the direction of Lauren Patterson, previewing their spring performance production number to The Evolution of Dance. The MSD assistants include Isabelle Arne, Aly Brookman, Laney Champlin, Whitney Draeger, Alauna Eckelberg, Glynnis Fleming, Kaitlynn Gigous, Shelby Hale, Lucy Miller and Makenna Roose. Tickets are availableat Marilyn School of Dance, LLC and at the door. For more information, call at 608-372-7488. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Thousands of migrants were trying to find a way across Turkeys western border with Greece Monday, with only dozens managing to pass through either border fences or fording the river there, after Turkey opened its side of the frontier to migrants and refugees to leave the country for Europe. Greek police made use of tear gas against the crowds trying to push through. Holding white flags, the crowd of several hundred shouted peace, peace, asking to be let through into Greece. Other migrants were trying to reach Greek islands from the Turkish coast, with one dinghy capsizing, leaving one child dead, Greek authorities said. Turkey declared its borders open to pressure the European Union into helping it handle the fallout from the war in neighboring Syria. Thousands of Turkish troops are supporting the last rebel forces holed up there in the northwestern province of Idlib against the onslaught of Russian-backed Syrian government forces. The offensive into the last Syrian rebel areas has driven almost one million civilians to flee toward the sealed border with Turkey, threatening that country which hosts already 3.5 million Syrian refugees with a new and dramatic influx of displaced people. Thousands of migrants have massed at the Turkish-Greek border since Ankara declared its side open, and hundreds more crossed from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in dinghies over the weekend. The Greek coast guard said 48 migrants on one dinghy heading to the island of Lesbos Monday morning, accompanied by a Turkish patrol vessel in Turkish waters, deliberately overturned their boat once in Greek waters, triggering a rescue operation. The coast guard said they rescued 46 people, while two children who were pulled from the water were transported to hospital, one of them unconscious. Resuscitation efforts on the unconscious child failed, the coast guard said. The other child was hospitalized and was considered out of danger. Greek authorities said that in the 24 hours from 6a.m. local time Sunday, they thwarted 9,877 attempts to cross the northeastern land border, either through the river or through the border fence. Authorities arrested 68 people and charged them with illegal entry into the country. Therose Ngonda, a 40-year-old woman from Cameroon, made it into Greece by wading across the Evros river that runs along the two countries border. Speaking in the morning, her feet still wet from the river crossing, she said she had been told migrants had 72 hours from Friday to leave the country. She got on one of dozens of buses and minibuses that have been ferrying people from Istanbul to the border, among about 2,000 people, including families with young children and Syrians. Ngonda said she was put into the river on the Turkish side of the border. They told me go that way. Greece says it is faced with what has all the markings of an organized campaign by Ankara to push people through its borders. The government has sent Greek army and police reinforcements to its northwestern land border with Turkey, saying it was suspending all asylum applications for a month, and would return those entering the country illegally without registering them. The army announced a 24-hour live fire exercise along the Greek border for Monday, declaring the area dangerous and banning any movement of people or livestock during the exercise. Police said migrants were concentrated at 10 parts of the border Monday morning, after a relatively quiet night. Over the weekend, Greek authorities used tear gas, water cannon and stun grenades to push back efforts by the crowd to push through the border. They also said Turkey had fired tear gas at Greek authorities on the Greek border. Afghan university student Karimi Khalmahammad, 22, also managed to make it across the frontier. He said he had spent time inside a Taliban prison in Afghanistan, and now hoped to make it to Germany. But many of the new arrivals were being picked up by Greek authorities shortly after they crossed the border, and were being driven away in white vans. Greek islands near the Turkish coast also saw a major increase in arrivals from Turkey. The coast guard said that in the 24 hours until Monday morning, 977 people had reached the islands in dinghies, most of them on Lesbos but also on Chios, Samos and some of the smaller islands. On Lesbos, local anger at the migration situation boiled over, with some residents preventing people, including young children and babies, from disembarking from a dinghy that reached a small harbor. Elsewhere on the island, they prevented buses from taking new arrivals to Lesbos massively overcrowded migrant camp of Moria. The new arrivals spent the night on the beach. Turkeys communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said Sunday the fighting in Idlib was directly linked to Turkeys decision to open the gates for refugees to Europe. He said Ankara had changed its focus to preparing for the possibility of new arrivals from Syria instead of preventing refugees who intend to migrate to Europe. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov is heading to Ankara on Monday to discuss with Erdogan the migrant situation following recent events in Syria. Borissov said that a new migrant wave would threaten stability in the region as Europe is struggling to deal with the new coronavirus. So far there is no direct migrant pressure on Bulgarias border with Turkey, its Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said. He added that some 400 troops are ready to be deployed immediately at the border with Turkey or Greece in case of attempted illegal border crossings. Bulgaria has beefed up security at its 250-km (155-mile) long border with Turkey, deploying additional forces of the national guard and border police to stave off a possible migrant influx. BOSTON and San FRANCISCO, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Edgewood Healthcare Advisors, a division of EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, announced that Dan Joyal has joined the Boston healthcare team as a Vice President. Joyal has a decade of insurance industry experience with both retail and wholesale brokerages. Prior to joining EPIC, Joyal was with HUB International where he consulted and placed all lines of coverage in their healthcare vertical. His clients included physician groups, allied healthcare facilities and life sciences organizations. Prior to Hub, Joyal spent five years with CRC Swett & Crawford focused on professional liability; executive liability; and cyber/privacy liability. Joyal earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. He is a licensed Property & Casualty broker and is currently pursuing a Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU) designation. Said Susan Tewhill, National Practice Leader, Edgewood Healthcare Advisors, "We are fortunate to have Dan join our growing national healthcare practice. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will benefit our clients and our organization." "The Boston Healthcare team is excited to welcome Dan as a healthcare broker. His track record of excellent client service and healthcare knowledge will bring added value to our clients," said Julie Buckley, Managing Principal, Edgewood Healthcare Advisors. Dan Joyal can be reached at: [email protected] 508.212.4071(m) 617.531.6870(w) About EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants EPIC Holdings, Inc. is the corporate parent overseeing investments across the entire EPIC platform. The firm's core retail insurance brokerage business, EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, now has more than 2,600 team members operating from more than 80 offices across the U.S., providing Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs, and Private Client solutions to EPIC clients. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally. EPIC ranks among the top 15 retail insurance brokers in the U.S. Backed and sponsored by Oak Hill Capital Partners, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country. For additional information, please visit https://www.epicbrokers.com/. *PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0302s2p-dan-joyal-300dpi.jpg This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants Related Links https://epicbrokers.com Thats going to require testing periods, Dr. J. Joseph Kim, the chief executive of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, said in an interview after the White House meeting. Obviously were working at warp speed on this. Just think we didnt even have coronavirus in our vocabulary until early January. Dr. Kim said that his company would begin human trials of a vaccine next month, but that it would take until the end of the year or early next year to be ready for the broader public. We can produce as much as one million doses by the end of this year using our existing capacity and resources, he said. But we need help from the U.S. government and resources it could bring to scale. If we have a successful vaccine, we need to make hundreds of millions of doses. But Dr. Kim said he was upbeat after the meeting about the prospect of help from the government and collaboration with other drug companies. I walked away feeling very optimistic about our own work but also our comrades in arms, he said. Democrats remained unimpressed by the Trump administrations efforts. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, took to the Senate floor to assail Mr. Trump for his handling of the crisis. Even now, President Trump seems to be spending more of his time blaming the media, and blaming the Democrats, than being constructive, Mr. Schumer said. In fact, he blames everyone not named Donald Trump. The president is downplaying he is downplaying the threat of coronavirus to a dangerous degree, and his chief of staff, amazingly, said to Americans, Turn off your televisions. Mr. Trumps meetings on the issue came before he flew to Charlotte, N.C., for a campaign rally on Monday night. He told reporters before leaving that it remained very safe for him and his Democratic opponents to hold such large campaign events even as businesses and nonprofit groups were canceling large conventions. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:55:48|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close Photo taken by a cellphone shows the gunman talking to the media via a video call during the hostage-taking and shooting incident in San Juan City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on March 2, 2020. A gunman took around 30 hostages at a shopping mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila and one person was shot, a government official said on Monday. (Xinhua/Yang Ke) MANILA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine police ended a 10-hour hostage incident in Metro Manila on Monday, convincing the gunman to free all the hostages and surrender himself to the authorities. The hostage-taker identified as Archie Paray, an ex-security guard of the V-Mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila, exited the building and surrendered to the policemen at around 8:18 p.m. local time (1218 GMT). The gunman released all hostages before he left the mall and agreed to leave his pistol and grenades in the shopping mall. Paray entered the mall at around 10:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), shot a mall guard and took around 30 people as hostages. WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Cory Booker told the nations largest gathering of pro-Israel activists that their tradition demanded they support an independent Palestinian state alongside the Jewish one. Bookers unambiguous support for the Jewish state brought participants at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference Monday to their feet, standing and cheering his calls for finally realizing Isaiahs prophesy that swords would be beaten into plowshares and for Israel and the U.S. to be lights among all nations. He invoked Torah in calling for a two-state solution as the only pathway to a lasting peace. Those of us who gather together here know today we stand for Israels safety, security and the right to exist as a Jewish state, said Booker, D-N.J., who studied Torah while at Oxford University. "We know we must also therefore stand for the human dignity, the human rights, the safety and self-determination of the Palestinian people. This, you know, are Jewish values, the love of neighbors, he said, echoing the themes of unity that dominated his unsuccessful quest for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Those were the same Jewish values, Booker said, that sent Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner to join African-American James Chaney to Mississippi to register blacks to vote. This value is why they died together in Mississippi, Booker said, as he quoted Rabbi Hillel and King Solomons Song of Songs and used the Hebrew words for charity and kindness, tzedakah" and chesed, to applause from the audience. Lasting peace will be achieved when we renounce hatred and terrorism and we sit down with our neighbors, Jew and Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian, and forge a pathway to that which has been dreamt of for generations, Booker said. Booker was one of four New Jersey Democratic lawmakers on the agenda this year, joining U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., and Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist. There is so much Jersey in this room, Booker said. The Democrats showed up even after one of the front-runners for their partys presidential nomination, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chose not to. As president, I will support the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians and do everything possible to bring peace and security to the region. 2/2 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 23, 2020 Sanders is one of two Jewish candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. The other one, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, preceded Booker on stage on Monday and criticized Sanders. Senator Sanders has spent 30 years boycotting this event, Bloomberg said. And as youve heard by now, he called AIPAC a racist platform. Well, let me tell you, hes dead wrong. Two other Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar, who dropped out of the race Monday, addressed the conference by video on Sunday. Elizabeth Warren joined Sanders in not participating. Vice President Mike Pence also took aim at Sanders for claiming AIPAC provided a forum for bigotry while ticking off the accomplishments of President Donald Trump. Trump moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, and released a peace plan that gave much of the West Bank to Israel and required Palestinians to meet certain conditions to gain limited sovereignty over the remaining territory. The bipartisan consensus that once supported our most cherished ally that has been so nobly ably championed by you here at AIPAC is actually beginning to erode in one of Americas two major political parties, Pence said during his address. But Trump was accused of using anti-Semitic memes during his presidential campaign; said there were very fine people among the neo-Nazis and white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017; and falsely accused Jewish financier George Soros of funding a caravan of immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. In his address, Booker decried those trying to make the U.S.-Israel relationship a partisan issue. Americas partnership with Israel has never been and must never become a Republican issue or a Democratic issue, Booker said. It must always be an American issue, a bipartisan issue, our issue. It is this deep bond between the United States and Israel that has always derived its power from the facts. It has very little to do with party or which person is in power in either country. Booker was the biggest congressional recipient of pro-Israel money in 2013-14 when he ran special election and then general election campaigns. He broke with many in the pro-Israel community when he backed President Barack Obama and endorsed the deal to curb Irans nuclear program in exchange for relaxing economic sanctions. Trump unilaterally withdrew from the multilateral agreement even though independent monitors said Iran was fulfilling its responsibilities. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Photo credit: Carlos Fernandez - Getty Images From Red Online With its clear night skies and epic location above the Arctic Circle, Norway is arguably the world's best place to see Northern Lights displays. As well as the mesmerising celestial light show, this seafaring nation has a vibrant restaurant scene, where you're promised fresh catch presented in delicious and imaginative ways, while those who love adventure will be drawn to its dramatic mountains and fjords. TAKE ME TO NORWAY Its an unbeatable combination, which is why weve put together an exclusive five-day Northern Lights experience in Norway, just for Red readers. You'll chase the Lights, have a soak in a hot tub, taste top-notch food and explore the fjords. Heres everything you need to know before you go. Where is the best place to see Northern Lights in Norway? Northern Norway is the top destination and when it comes to cities, Tromso is your best bet. It's one of the prime spots for Northern Lights spotting in Norway, along with Kirkenes on the Russian border. Photo credit: Krzysztof Baranowski - Getty Images Despite its cold weather, Tromso is a bustling city, with a fantastic food culture thanks to the bountiful North Sea lapping up against its shores and acres of forestland encircling it. On our Northern Lights break youll spend a night in Tromso and head out of town on your second night to a remote aurora camp, where youll dine under the stars and observe the night sky. Where else in Norway is a good place to spot the Northern Lights? One of the best places for watching the Aurora Borealis is Lofoten, an archipelago which is often cited as one of the most beautiful places on earth. The islands remote location means that youll be undisturbed by artificial light pollution, and the dramatic fjords and seascapes that surround you provide a magnificent backdrop to the show. Photo credit: RelaxFoto.de - Getty Images Other Arctic islands are similarly suited to travellers seeking clear views of the Northern Lights, or you could head to mainland Europes most northerly point, the North Cape. Story continues When is the best time to see Northern Lights in Norway? Northern Norways unusually extreme variations in sunlight hours mean that the Northern Lights are only really visible during winter and autumn when youll get long nights and very short days. Photo credit: Stian Rekdal - stianrekdal.com - Getty Images The peak season occurs from the start of October to the end of March. At the height of summer, the sun barely sets, creating another mesmerising natural phenomenon, known as the midnight sun. How can you see them off the beaten path? Small fishing villages offer a rustic opportunity to see the Northern Lights while enjoying the peace and tranquility of unspoilt landscapes. Up in the Arctic wilderness, places like the island of Senja are home to quaint fishermens cottages, with mountains and fjords rising up in the distance. On our exclusive Red trip there, youll spend an evening in The Lighthouse, a traditional kota (a type of wooden hut), which has a 360-degree view over the fjord. What else can I do on a trip to Norway? Adventure enthusiasts and adrenalin junkies are spoiled for choice when it comes to outdoor activities in Norway from snowmobiling to husky sledding, crab fishing or sea eagle spotting. Photo credit: GSO Images - Getty Images Theres also plenty to keep culture vultures busy. Pay a visit to the impressive Arctic Cathedral to see striking modernist design, or learn about some of the science behind the Northern Lights at the Tromso University Museum. Why should I experience the Northern Lights in Norway with Red? On Red's tour of Norway, you'll get the very best Northern Lights experience, taking in the likes of lively Tromso and peaceful Senja. You'll spend two nights in and around Tromso, before you head even further north to experience more Northern Lights spotting opportunities. Photo credit: reisegraf - Getty Images Youll have plenty of free time to explore the city and countryside on this break too, giving you the chance to experience Norway both at your own pace and with an expert guide who will help you make the most of your trip. TAKE ME THERE Sign up to be the first to know about new tours, cruises, trips and offers from Red Escapes. SIGN UP You Might Also Like He made a name for himself as a stoner of legendary proportions. Despite that, Seth Rogen has taken his Instagram page in a surprisingly wholesome direction in recent weeks as he's started showing off his new pottery-making hobby. Still, the 37-year-old comic actor has used his very specific skill set to create a number of creative ash tray designs for his copious joints. Jack of all trades: Seth Rogen, 37, has taken his Instagram page in a surprisingly wholesome direction as he's started showing off his new pottery-making hobby; shown Saturday Seth looked like a proud papa in a post from earlier this month showing off a light brown pot with a small plant growing in it. 'Smooth egg shaped pot. I find it bizarrely gratifying to put plants in pots I make,' he wrote. Another photo from January featured him with a more angular black pot. 'I made this little black pot,' he wrote matter-of-factly. Smooth: Seth looked like a proud papa in a post from earlier this month showing off a light brown pot with a small plant growing in it Back in black: Another photo from January featured him with a more angular black pot But Seth seemed even more proud of his unusual cup-like ashtrays, based on how many he posted on social media. One design featured a tall cup with a little holder for a joint. 'Simple little ashtray with a coaster,' he dubbed it. Another yellow ashtray was reminiscent of a Russian Matryoshka doll. The yellow cup fit neatly into a base and had a similar joint holder, but Seth popped it out to ash in the base instead. Figures: The actor and filmmaker has used his very specific skill set to create a number of creative ash tray designs for his copious joints Intricate: One yellow ashtray was reminiscent of a Russian Matryoshka doll, or nesting doll Clever: The yellow cup fit neatly into a base and had a similar joint holder, but Seth popped it out to ash in the base instead The Long Shot star showed off another experiment with a multi-part ashtray back in August. The beige and blue cylinder feature a divot for his joint, and the top of the cup could be removed to easily empty out the ashes. Though Seth often posts photos of her own handiwork, he has also showed off some of his favorite ashtray acquisitions. One beloved item was an ashtray with an illustration by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, best known for his sweet yet disturbing illustrations of children, including the one on the tray who was smoking a cigarette. Seth also had what appeared to be a vintage ashtray featuring President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Complicated: The Long Shot star showed off another experiment with a multi-part ashtray back in August. The blue top featured a divot to rest a joint Secret compartment: the top of the cup could be removed to easily empty out the ashes Creepy: Seth also shared his favorite pieces by others, including an ashtray by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, best known for his sweet yet disturbing illustrations of children Different times: Seth also had what appeared to be a vintage ashtray featuring President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis On Saturday, Seth was joined by his wife Lauren Miller, 37, as he had a conversation with Martha Stewart at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. The Sausage Party star has been with the actress, writer and director since 2004, when they met after he was hired as a staff writer on Da Ali G show. The two were engaged in September 2010, and they married in October the following year in the wine country of California's Sonoma County. Lauren has had small roles in numerous films, many of them starring her husband, but she took a lead role in the comedy For A Good Time, Call..., which she also wrote and produced. She wrote and directed the Netflix comedy Like Father, starring Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammar and Rogen, about an overworked woman (Bell) who tries to bond with her father on her Caribbean honeymoon cruise after she's left at the altar on her wedding day. Cute couple: On Saturday, Seth was joined by his wife Lauren Miller, 37, as he had a conversation with Martha Stewart at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan The media is happy to report on the chaos there now; less so on what caused it in the first place. By Ted Galen Carpenter March 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - A new report from the United Nations bluntly conveys the extent of the continuing chaos in Libya and the suffering it has caused. Yacoub El Hillo, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Libya, stated that the impact on civilians of the countrys nine-year internecine war is incalculable. That horrible situation is the long-term outcome of U.S. and NATO actions, and it is well past time that guilty officials are held accountable for their disastrous policies. Libya has been an arena of strife ever since the United States and its NATO allies helped insurgents overthrow Moammar Gaddafis regime in 2011. But the U.N. report suggests that matters have grown noticeably worse over the past year. In the spring of 2019, the Benghazi-based Libyan National Army (LNA), led by one-time CIA asset Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar (sometimes spelled Hifter), launched a military offensive against the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli. Haftars attack initially seemed likely to prevail, but it soon bogged down and a bloody stalemate ensued. The Libya conflict has increasingly become a proxy war involving Middle Eastern powers and Russia. Haftar receives weapons, funds, and other backing from several countries, most notably Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. In addition to the diplomatic and financial support it gets from the U.N. and most Western governments, the GNA is obtaining ever-stronger backing from Turkey. Earlier this month, Ankara significantly escalated its involvement when its parliament authorized the deployment of Turkish forces to Libya. Russian mercenaries are already fighting there on behalf of Haftar. The stakes are higher than just a mundane struggle for political power. Libya sits atop Africas largest supply of oil and natural gas, worth tens of billions of dollars. Both the LNA and GNA have maneuvered to use that oil as a weapon against the opposing side. U.S. policy seems muddled and ambivalent. Washington still recognizes the GNA as Libyas legitimate government, but the Trump administration has sent mixed signals. After a telephone call between Trump and Haftar in April 2019, the U.S. seemed implicitly to back the LNAs offensive against Tripoli. More recently, U.S. officials called on Haftar to halt the offensive. Yet when peace talks between the GNA and LNA broke down, the administration sent U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland to meet with Haftar even before contacting the Tripoli regime it officially recognizes. There is little question that todays Libya is a chaotic mess. Once again, however, Western news outlets are trying to portray a complex foreign conflict as a contest between good and evil. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Journalists are intensifying their hostility towards Haftar, designating him as the villain. The Guardian warns that Libyas ugly violence will continue so long as outside governments continue to back Haftar. (Apparently, external meddling on behalf of the GNA and its allied, often Islamist militias does not have a similar effect.) The New York Times appears to have seized the lead in the media campaign to discredit Haftar. In recent weeks, several prominent stories in the Times have highlighted his authoritarianism and brutality. The one thing most members of the Western media establishment remain unwilling to do, however, is explain how the current chaos in Libya beganmuch less who was responsible for the tragedy. Such convenient amnesia continues a long-standing pattern. In late 2017, Western reporters belatedly discovered that a slave trade of captured black Africans had become a feature of liberated post-Gaddafi Libya. A devastating account by Ben Norton, an analyst with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), documented the mainstream medias ongoing willingness to minimize American and NATO responsibility. In particular, Western journalists largely ignored that wars connection to the resumption of slave trading. The American and British media have awakened to the grim reality in Libya, where African refugees are for sale in open-air slave markets, Norton observed. Yet a crucial detail in this scandal has been downplayed or even ignored in many corporate media reports: the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in bringing slavery to the North African nation. NATO supported an array of rebel groups in Libya, Norton noted, many of which were dominated by Islamist extremists and harbored violently racist views. Yet journalists have largely forgotten about the key role NATO played in destroying Libyas government, destabilizing the country and empowering human traffickers. Moreover, even the few news reports that acknowledge NATOs complicity do not go a step further and detail the well-documented, violent racism of the NATO-backed Libyan rebels who ushered in slavery after ethnically cleansing and committing brutal crimes against black Libyans. Norton singled out a 2017 CNN report for criticism. Despite the flashy multimedia features, he noted, something was missing: The 1,000-word story made no mention of NATO, or the 2011 war that destroyed Libyas government, or Muammar Qadhafi, or any kind of historical and political context whatsoever. The same omission occurred in a series of subsequent CNN news stories about human trafficking in Libya, as it did in plenty of stories in other publications. Recent news accounts about instability and repression in Libya show a similar desire to avoid discussing the destructive impact that NATOs policies have had. The otherwise excellent, detailed article in the February 20, 2020 New York Times, which documented the oppression of Haftars forces, devoted only one sentence to NATOs role: [Libya] has been in turmoil since an Arab Spring revolt and NATOs intervention toppled Colonel el-Qaddafi nine years ago. And that was in a nearly 2,000-word article. When they participate in this conspiracy of silence, journalists shirk their duty as watchdogs alerting the public to government incompetence and misconduct. Whatever the Obama administrations motives and goals in launching the military intervention that ousted Gaddafi, the results have been indisputably catastrophic. Yet Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and key advisers such as Susan Rice and Samantha Power still refuse to acknowledge their blunders or apologize to the suffering Libyan people. It is time for the media to stop aiding and abetting such an evasion of responsibility. Stories about the current turmoil in Libya need to provide a clear picture of the shameful historical context. Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in security studies at the Cato Institute and a contributing editor at The American Conservative, is the author of 12 books and more than 850 articles on international affairs. His 2019 book, Gullible Superpower: U.S. Support for Bogus Foreign Democratic Movements, contains a chapter on the 2011 U.S.-led regime-change war in Libya and its consequences. " Source " The Centre and provocative statements by leaders are behind the violence which broke out in parts of Delhi, said the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on Monday. "The government, the ruling party and repeated provocative statements like 'goli maaro..' are behind this. Even today these slogans are being raised from Delhi to Kolkata," Chowdhury told reporters here. "Is this the country we wanted? Who all will they shoot, will they kill all the Indians? It has already led to arson and violence in 3-4 areas of Delhi, bodies are still being recovered, is this 'Acche Din'? This has happened due to the incompetence of the Home Ministry, and it has tarnished India's image around the world," he added. Earlier, following the adjournment of both Lok and Rajya Sabha on Monday without a discussion on the Delhi violence, Congress leaders had staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises. Led by Rahul Gandhi and Chowdhury, the Congress MPs carried banners and placards that read "Shah Must Resign", "Save Our India", "Pradhan Mantri Jawab Do" and also raised the same slogans. At least 46 people lost their lives and more than 200 others sustained serious injuries in the violence that rocked north-east Delhi for four days last week. The Delhi Police has registered 254 FIRs, including 41 cases under the Arms Act, in connection with the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German healthcare enterprises are increasingly interested in the Vietnamese market, particularly with the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) expected to come into effect this summer, a survey has revealed. The rising demand for healthcare has made Viet Nam a promising destination for domestic and foreign investors. Photo congthuong.vn A survey conducted online by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Viet Nam (AHK Viet Nam) in January revealed that sixty-six per cent of German medical and healthcare businesses said they intended to set up business in Viet Nam. The majority of German enterprises answered that they would consider using their brands and prestige as an effective way to access the Vietnamese market or co-operate with local businesses, according to the survey. However, 54 per cent of surveyed businesses said they lacked knowledge of market entry; 37 per cent of them faced challenges in searching for local partners and personnel; 43 per cent met obstacles in contacting local authorities and 37 per cent encountered challenges in language and culture. The survey which was released last week with 39 reputable companies in the healthcare sector aims to identify specific interests and needs of German companies while researching and entering the Vietnamese market. Germany is one of the most important suppliers in the field of healthcare technology and medical equipment in Viet Nam. Eleven per cent of medical and healthcare equipment products imported to Viet Nam originates from Germany. The rising demand for healthcare has made Viet Nam a promising destination for domestic and foreign investors thanks to an aging population, fast economic growth, changing lifestyles, and rising demand for health insurance, according to analysts. The middle class was flourishing, people also increased their spending, leading to the mushrooming of private medical establishments in big cities, they said. VNS EVFTA opens wide spectrum of healthcare opportunities Vietnam is growing as a manufacturing location for medical device producers, and exports have been posting consistent growth. By Online Desk NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he is contemplating giving up social media presence. "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted," he tweeted from his official twitter handle. The tweet created a flutter as within minutes #NoSir started trending with social media users urging Modi not to give up his social media accounts. The Congress took a swipe at the prime minister, with Rahul Gandhi tweeting "Give up hatred, not social media accounts" after tagging Modi's post. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2020 The prime minister is one of the most-followed world leaders on social media. He has 53.3 million followers on Twitter, 44 million on Facebook and 35.2 million on Instagram. The Twitter handle of Prime Minister's Office has 32 million followers. In September 2019, PM Modi was the third most followed world leader on the microblogging site, behind only US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama. The Prime Minister was the first Indian to cross the 50-million followers' mark on Twitter. Reacting to PM's tweet, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala posted, "Respected Modi ji, Earnestly wish you would give this advice to the concerted army of trolls, who abuse-intimidate-badger-threaten others every second in your name! Sincere Regards, Citizens of India. The word "No sir" has started trending on Twitter since the time this tweet was put out by the Prime minister. The Congress on Monday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his tweet, with Rahul Gandhi saying "give up hatred, not social media accounts". Give up hatred, not social media accounts. pic.twitter.com/HDymHw2VrB Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 2, 2020 Reacting to the PM's tweet, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted, "The PM's abrupt announcement has led many to worry whether it's a prelude to banning these services throughout the country too. "As @narendramodi knows well, social media can also be a force for good & for positive & useful messaging. It doesn't have to be about spreading hate." Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged Prime Minister Modi's "new ploy" of leaving social media is to "divert the attention of the nation from burning issues". Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' wife Amruta on Monday said she would follow Modi, hours after the latter tweeted that he was contemplating giving up his social media presence. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Preeti Sharma Menon has expressed "doubt" whether the PM will leave social media. "Sometimes it's the smallest decision that can change our life forever!I will follow the path of my leader!!" tweeted Amruta. Amruta had courted controversies with her tweets in the past. In the latest such row, she had termed Shiv Sena leader and state cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray a "worm". AAP national executive member Preeti Sharma Menon tweeted: "A leader should remain connected to the people and should not leave social media, anyway I doubt he will. But what he could do this sunday, which happens to be women's day is to stop following those who give rape threats to women". Within minutes the hashtag #NoSir started trending with social media users urging the PM not to give up his social media accounts. (With PTI Inputs) EU Council president to visiy Greece-Turkey border Turkey had announced the opening of the borders and said that they would no longer try to stop irregular migrants from reaching Europe. European Council President Charles Michel will visit the Greek-Turkish border Tuesday with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. HE DECLARED SUPPORT FOR GREECE TO "PROTECT" EU BORDERS In a Twitter post Sunday, Michel hailed Greece for its "efforts to protect" the frontiers of Europe. "Support for Greek efforts to protect the European borders. Closely monitoring the situation on the ground. I will be visiting the Greek-Turkish border on Tuesday with @PrimeministerGR Mitsotakis," he said. On Feb. 27, 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred and tens of others injured in an airstrike by forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Idlib province, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria just across Turkeys southern border. Meanwhile, migrants have gathered at the Turkish-Greek border in front of the Pazarkule border point -- a buffer zone surrounded by a barbed wire barrier set up by Greek security forces. Greek border security occasionally uses tear gas and rubber bullets to prevent migrants from entering its territory. Some migrants have moved to border villages in order to cross via the Meric River, while others are waiting in the buffer zone, hoping the border gate will be opened. Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari on Monday wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat criticising the BJP's opposition to the Maharashtra government's move to grant five per cent reservation to Muslims in education. In his letter, Tiwari, also a farm activist, stated that the BJP was becoming the "Frankenstein Monster" of the RSS and"polluting"the Sangh. Maharashtra Minorities Affairs and NCP leader Nawab Malik told the Legislative Council last Friday that a law will be enacted to give five per cent quota to Muslims in education. However, a senior Shiv Sena minister had said that no such decision had been taken. "Please intervene to stop the BJP from becoming a Frankenstein monster and going out of your control," wrote Tiwari. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Birthday Special: We Bet You Didn't Know About Tiger Shroff And Hrithik Roshans 19 Year Old Connection Leo Varadkar said questions around Sinn Fein funding was one of the main reasons for not having talks with the partys leader Mary Lou McDonald. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has called for an investigation into Sinn Fein's finances, claiming some of its politicians "appear to live way beyond their means". Mr Varadkar said the questions surrounding Sinn Fein's political funding were one of the main reasons he would not engage in government formation talks with the party's leader, Mary Lou McDonald. Writing in the 'Sunday Independent', he said: "Sinn Fein public representatives claim to earn only the average industrial wage, yet their salaries are not returned to taxpayers or donated to the party." "Many appear to live way beyond their means," he added, before calling for an investigation into their finances. Mr Varadkar's intervention comes as Sinn Fein continues to surge in the opinion polls. Ms McDonald's party is up a massive 10 points to 35pc, with Fianna Fail (20pc) and Fine Gael (18pc) both trailing behind them. The 'Sunday Times'/Behaviour and Attitudes opinion poll also has Ms McDonald as the country's most popular political leader. Her personal satisfaction rating is up 13pc to 53pc, while Mr Varadkar (27pc) and Micheal Martin (31pc) have both dropped points. Yesterday, Mr Varadkar insisted there were "fundamental differences" between Fine Gael and Sinn Fein that would make the two parties "incompatible" in government. He accused Sinn Fein of failing to embrace "constitutional democracy" and refusing to recognise Ireland as a "legitimate sovereign state". And he said Sinn Fein "operate differently" when it comes to political fundraising. The acting Taoiseach said the party held "lavish" fundraising events in America and money was then "routed through Northern Ireland". He also claimed that the party bought office space using "front companies" and said Sinn Fein MPs collected 4.5m from Westminster without taking their seats. "These irregularities cause us real concern and deserve further scrutiny and a proper investigation. Sinn Fein owes it to all of us to clear up these matters once and for all," he added. A Sinn Fein spokesperson said last night that Mr Varadkar's comments were a "disgrace" and beneath the office of the Taoiseach. "These comments are completely fabricated and this is outrageous mud-slinging on the part of the caretaker Taoiseach who is clearly struggling to get to grips with the election results and this weekend's opinion poll," he said. "These disgraceful and baseless comments discredit the office of Taoiseach and Leo Varadkar really should reflect on them." In his newspaper article, Mr Varadkar also said Sinn Fein was responsible for a rise in online "hate speech". "Every day, we see an online assault against anyone who dares question or criticise them," he said. "Sometimes this is even aimed at people from other political parties, who have the temerity to post a positive message about their work." "Most recently it manifested as racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism - the latter not even considered worthy of sanction of disciplinary action," Mr Varadkar added. This was in reference to comments made by newly elected Sinn Fein TD Reada Cronin, who likened Israeli embassy staff to monkeys and said the country had taken "Nazism to a new level". Sinn Fein councillor Paddy Holohan was criticised during the election campaign over comments he made about Mr Varadkar's family background and sexuality. Mr Holohan said that he wanted a "family man" to be Taoiseach and added that Mr Varadkar's "blood obviously runs to India". The Fine Gael leader accepted an apology from the former mixed martial arts fighter. Mr Holohan was subsequently suspended from Sinn Fein for comments he made about young women. A 67-year-old San Francisco woman was fatally struck by a city public works truck Sunday morning in the Tenderloin, authorities said. Officers responded around 7:30 a.m. to a traffic collision in the area Taylor and Geary streets and took the woman to San Francisco General Hospital, police said. The woman was later pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said. The San Francisco Medical Examiners office identified her as city resident Rui Xai Zhen. Police said the truck was traveling north on Taylor Street when it tried to make a left turn onto westbound Geary Street and struck the woman. The driver of the truck remained at the scene and was cooperating, police said. Public works officials identified the employee as a street cleaning worker who was driving a pickup truck. In a statement, the agencys director, Alaric Degrafinried, called the womans death tragic and said officials plan to continue working with authorities while reviewing internal safe-driving procedures and training. On behalf of San Francisco Public Works, I want to extend our profound condolences to the family and friends of the person who was fatally struck by one of our vehicles in the Tenderloin, Degrafinried said. The safety of members of the public and our employees is our No. 1 priority at public works. 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 incident marks the second pedestrian fatality in as many weeks, said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of the pedestrian advocacy group Walk SF. On Feb. 21, 80-year-old San Francisco resident David Chow was fatally struck by a car while crossing the street at the corner of Polk and OFarrell streets. We mourn another life lost on San Francisco streets, Medeiros said in a statement. Its a devastating reminder that we have a crisis on our streets with traffic safety. Alejandro Serrano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alejandro.serrano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @serrano_alej The Opposition moved a privilege motion against the police officials who summoned two RLP legislators for investigation into a case when the state assembly is in session. Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore moved a motion for the breach of privilege, accusing the police officials of summoning its coalition partner Rashtriya Loktantrik Patry's Bhopalgarh MLA Pukhraj Garg and Merta City legislator Indra Bawri for a probe in a case related to obstructing public servants in discharge of their duty. "The House is in session and as elected public representatives, the members are participating in the discussion. See the daring of the police. They have summoned the members in a case," Rathore said. "I want to move the breach of privilege motion and would want the House to discuss it and seek protection from the chair," Rathore added. The RLP legislators said police were threatening their children and harassing them. Last year, both legislators were booked for obstructing public servants from discharging their duty when they were allegedly protesting against a demolition drive in the Tausar area of Nagaur district. Cabinet Minister B D Kalla said the motion was moved without giving a notice and presenting relevant document before the House. He said it is a legal action and a fresh date can be asked to appear before police if the legislators were busy in the House proceedings. Kalla, however, said the matter can be put up before the Chair with documents and a decision can be taken on the basis of merit. Speaker C P Joshi said it is a serious issue raised by the members as "efforts are being made to deprive them from participating in the proceedings of the House". He said it is expected from the government that its officials do not deprive the members from participation in the House. "After the government version in the matter, I will decide whether to move it to the privilege committee or to discuss it in the House. I will definitely give a decision after getting the version of the government," Joshi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A young woman has been charged with murder after a man's body was found in the middle of the street with stab wounds. Jason Adams, 27, was stabbed to death in Raymond Terrace, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales. His body was found in the street on Saturday morning with a single stab wound, sparking a two-day search for a woman known to him. Police arrested a 21-year-old woman at a North Haven motel, around 200km north of Raymond Terrace, at 12.30am on Monday. Jason Adams, 27, was stabbed to death in Raymond Terrace, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales She was initially arrested on an outstanding warrant but then taken to Port Macquarie where she was interviewed by police. Detectives from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District have travelled to Port Macquarie Police Station and charged the woman with murder. She has been refused bail to appear before Port Macquarie Local Court on Tuesday. Mr Adams' body was found in the street on Saturday morning sparking a two day search for a woman known to him The woman and Mr Adams were known to each other but were now in a romantic relationship. According to the Daily Telegraph, further arrests are expected. Originally from Aleppo, Amour came to Turkey in 2014 when he was 15. When the migrant wave was at its high point the following year, his parents didnt let him go. They told me to wait, to be patient, that maybe things will get better, that maybe well return. But after six years of barely piecing a life together in a country where he feels unwanted, he jumped on the opportunity to leave. In support of DEFENDER-Europe 20, the 405th Army Field Support Battalion-Benelux issued Army Prepositioned Stocks 2 (APS 2) to the 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in Zutendaal, Belgium, from Feb. 25-27, 2020. Sgt. Alleea Oliver reports. U.S. Army Pvt. Patricia Luera, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to the 504th Composite Supply Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade, conducts equipment inventory during an Army Prepositioned Stock draw in Zutendaal, Belgium, Feb. 27, 2020 (Picture source: U.S. Army/Sgt. Alleea Oliver) DEFENDER-Europe 20 is the deployment of a division-sized, combat-credible force from the United States to Europe, the drawing of APS-2, and the movement of personnel and equipment across the theater to various training areas. During DEFENDER-Europe 20, the largest deployment of U.S.-based forces to Europe for an exercise in the last 25 years, units will draw a total of 13,000 pieces of equipment from four APS-2 sites in Germany, Netherlands and Belgium. Out of the four sites, 405th ASFBn-Benelux led the first APS-2 draw of DEFENDER-Europe 20 by issuing over 1,000 pieces of military equipment to U.S.-based soldiers participating in the exercise. The APS-2 sites are critical elements of the DEFENDER-Europe 20 exercise, a long-planned exercise that will improve relationships, strategic readiness and interoperability between U.S. forces and their NATO allies and partners. "The logistical operation here is the essence of what the NATO alliance is all about," said U.S. Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium Charge d'Affaires Nicholas Berliner. "Allies working together and each bringing unique capabilities to this shared effort that makes everyone one of our countries stronger and more secure." Utilizing the APS-2 sites during DEFENDER-Europe 20 will not only test the U.S. military readiness, it will also enhance the system of NATO allies and partners. "This facility, APS Zutendaal, plays a pivotal role in providing necessary equipment and capabilities to support not only the U.S. Army but all of our NATO allies," said Berliner. "This exercise will test our military's capabilities to train our Soldiers and demonstrate the enduring commitment of the United States to the security of our friend and ally, Belgium, and also to our fellow allies and partners in NATO." Each day of the APS-2 draw, soldiers assigned to the 553rd CSSB received, inventoried and conducted preventive maintenance checks and services on military equipment such as tactical trucks and trailers, material handling equipment, sustainment equipment and armament support equipment to ensure each piece of equipment was fully mission capable to conduct movement throughout DEFENDER-Europe 20. "This will lay the foundation as we go forward and also lay the foundation for interoperability with our [allies and] partners," said Lt. Col. Torrance Cleveland, 405th AFSBn-Benelux commander. "NATO nations have committed to ensuring Defender is a success." DEFENDER-Europe 20 will conclude with the redeployment of U.S.-based forces and equipment. U.S. service members will clear the training areas, return prepositioned stocks, move to ports and return to home stations, fulfilling the U.S. military's commitment to the NATO agreements. New Delhi: Condemning the recent riots that scarred northeast Delhi, Opposition parties have raised the issue during the second part of the Budget Session in Parliament that began on Monday and demand home minister Amit Shah's resignation over alleged police lapses. The Congress has given a leave of motion notice in the Lower House of the Parliamnet, stating that the "unprecedented violence" during the riots dented India's secular credibility and tarnished the image of the country globally. On Sunday H-E-B put a notice up on its website that it was limiting the amount of disinfectant products such as hand sanitizers that are flying off the shelves over coronavirus concerns. Stores across town are also seeing an increase of these items being snatched up and causing some products to even be sold out or hard to come by. The Texas-based retailer shared the following notice on its website Sunday, March 1st that states: "To be fair to all customers, we are placing a limit of four on many hand sanitizers, wipes and similar items." ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Coronavirus fears disrupt Rice University, cancel CERAWeek Lisa Helfman, public affairs director with H-E-B Houston had the following to share about the notice, "To ensure the availability of product for all customers, the purchase of hand sanitizer and hand soap is limited to 4 bottles each per transaction in one shopping trip. This precautionary measure will ensure that all customers find the products they need." When asked why there was a limit put on these product the spokesperson shared that H-E-B is committed to having products available to customers who need them. Occasionally they will limit product purchases to make sure customers can find the items they need. Some may wonder if these restrictions are due to the coronavirus concerns. The H-E-B spokesperson shared that "Product limits are typical at H-E-B to ensure our customers are able to find what they need. Limits are part of H-E-B being prepared and protecting product availability." CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS: How can you tell if you have a cold, the flu, or coronavirus? Experts weigh in If your worried that there may be a shortage the spokesperson responded by sharing the following: "No, our team replenishes our shelves daily. Our Partners work around the clock to bring products to the shelf. If you cannot find what you need, please check back with us." STAY INFORMED: Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. While China recently sent a duck army to Pakistan to rescue it from locust infestation problem, a Chinese government body has now reportedly warned that it could face a desert locust invasion itself. According to an international media outlet, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administrations urged local authorities to prepare for the possible arrival of the voracious insects from neighbouring Pakistan and India. According to a statement on China's National Forestry website, the risk of swarms entering the country is low, however, China will be hampered in tracking the locusts by a lack of monitoring techniques and little knowledge of migration patterns. Further, the statement read that the locust swarms could enter the Tibet region from Pakistan and India or the southwestern province of Yunnan through Myanmar. There is also a possibility that that swarms could fly across Kazakhstan and into China's western Xinjiang region. READ: China To Send 'duck Army' To Assist Pakistan With Locust Infestation Although, according to reports, Beijing has set up a task force that is expected to meet this month to monitor and act on any locust invasion. Furthermore, the Chinese government body reportedly said that the local forestry and grassland administrations must be fully aware of the extreme importance of prevention and control work against the swarms. It further added that the administration should store pesticides and equipment and have personnel ready to take immediate and effective measures once locusts are detected. READ: Questions Raised About Of China Anti-locust duck Army 'Waves and waves of swarms' The locusts have already ravaged crops and pastures in several countries in East Africa and now they have reportedly spread into India and Pakistan. The swarms reportedly migrated to Kenya from Ethiopia and Somalia, which have not seen an invasion at this high level in over two decades. Pakistan was invaded by the locust swarm in 2019, which proceeded to lay waste to the country's cotton crop and is now menacing the wheat harvest. Last month, a UN official reportedly also said that the 'waves and waves of swarms' are spreading further across the region and destroying crops. The United Nations Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock in a press conference also warned that the locust crisis has the potential 'to be the most devastating plague of locusts in any of our living memories if we don't reduce the problem faster than we're doing at the moment.' READ: East Africa's Huge Locust Outbreak Now Spreads To Congo READ: Rajasthan: Central Team Visits Barmer To Assess Loss Of Vegetation Due To Locust Attack When officials at Cumberland-Goodwill EMS saw rising rates of coronavirus in China, they made the decision to purchase extra supplies. Their timing will now cost them about $8,000. Telecom gear maker Nokia on Monday said its board of directors has appointed Pekka Lundmark as President and CEO to succeed Rajeev Suri. Lundmark is expected to start in his new role on September 1, 2020 and will be based in Espoo, Finland, the company said in a statement. It added that Suri, Nokia's current President and CEO, had indicated to the board earlier that he was considering stepping down from his role at some point in the future, provided a solid succession plan was in place. "Nokia's board of directors has conducted a structured process for CEO succession and has been working closely with Suri to develop internal candidates and identify external candidates. That process culminated today, March 2, 2020," it said. Suri will leave his current position on August 31, 2020, and continue to serve as an advisor to the Nokia board until January 1, 2021, as per the statement. Lundmark is currently President and CEO of Fortum, an energy company based in Espoo, Finland. Prior to Fortum, he has served as President and CEO of Konecranes. Between 1990-2000, Lundmark held multiple executive positions at Nokia, including Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Nokia Networks. "With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia," Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia board Chairman, said. Lundmark has deep experience in telecommunications networks, industrial digitisation, and key markets such as the US and China; and a focus on strategic clarity, operational excellence and strong financial performance, Siilasmaa added. "After 25 years at Nokia, I have wanted to do something different. Nokia will always be part of me, and I want to thank everyone that I have worked with over the years for helping make Nokia a better place and me a better leader," Suri said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haiti - FLASH : First case of COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic Sunday, President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bocchit Edmond and the Minister of Public Health, Greta Roy Clement, participated in a videoconference with all the leaders of the Caribbean in order to adopt a common strategy to address the threat posed by coronavirus. The Caricom Governments, through this approach, are mobilized for an effective and concerted response to this virus which is becoming more and more a real health challenge for the area. As with many other Caribbean countries, Haiti is directly threatened by the entry into its territory of cruise ships which transport, through the port of Labadee thousands of tourists 721,000 in 2019 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29873-haiti-tourism-721-000-cruise-passengers-in-labadee-in-2019.html Caricom leaders have agreed on a protocol to protect their respective populations through the adoption of prevention measures and emergency actions in the event of contamination. Note that the Director General of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) also took part in this important videoconference Furthermore, Sunday March 1, 2020, Rafael Sanchez Cardenas, the Dominican Minister of Public Health confirmed the first case of imported coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Dominican Republic. He said he was a 62-year-old Italian tourist from Pesaro (Marche region, central Italy) who arrived at La Romana airport on a direct flight from Milan. Was asymptomatic (had no symptoms), but 2 days later he showed symptoms of mild flu and the next day a moderate fever. After the tests, he was confirmed as suffering from a mild form of COVID-19 and placed in solitary confinement at the Ramon de Lara military hospital (San Isidro). After investigating the displacement of this Italian, the medical authorities did not detect any other case. COVID-19 epidemic: Global report March 2, 2020 : Monday March 2, 2020, the number of people infected worldwide with the Coronavirus COVID-19 (laboratory confirmed cases, official source) amounted to 89,197, up 2,211 cases (+39.9%) compared to the previous day (1,580 ), https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30158-haiti-news-zapping.html ; 3,048 deaths (+1.9%) or 69 more than the day before (2,979). Average mortality rate 3.4%. 45,146 people healed, 2,774 more than the day before. Note that the cure rate is higher than the number of new confirmed cases. To date, there are 9,171 cases of confirmed infected people outside China (+ 28.1%), i.e. a increase of 2.011 more than the previous day, for a total of 67 countries (+4 countries compared to the previous day). Note that South Korea and Italy alone account for 6,029 cases (65.7% of all cases outside China) 128 deaths outside of China have been reported to date since the start of the epidemic (December 2019), i.e. 28 more than the previous day: 54 in Iran, 26 in South Korea, 1 in Taiwan, 1 in the Philippines, 2 in Hong Kong, 6 in Japan, 2 in France and 34 in Italy. 1 Australia. 1 Thailand, 2 USA (86 confirmed cases). HL/ HaitiLibre The UN's envoy to war-plagued Libya, Ghassan Salame, on Monday announced his resignation citing health reasons nearly three years after taking up the post. "I tried to unite the Libyans and restrain foreign interference... but for health reasons I can no longer continue with this level of stress and therefore I have asked the (UN) secretary general to relieve me of my duties," Salame tweeted. A source close to the UN envoy confirmed to AFP that Salame was stepping down. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Houses along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Lake Erie beach houses are encased in ice after a winter storm over the weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 29, 15-foot waves on Lake Erie coupled with gale-force winds covered beach houses with ice. Associated Press photographer Jeffrey T. Barnes visited Hoover Beach in Hamburg, New York, to capture the ethereal scene. Ice hangs from roofs and railings, covers windows and doors, and even clings to the siding of houses in the path of lake spray. It has been estimated that it could take until May for the ice to melt. As temperatures began to rise in Michigan over the weekend, New York was dealing with a winter storm that saw blowing snow throughout the state. Continue scrolling to see photos of Lake Erie's "ice houses." Don't Edit Don't Edit A house along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit A house along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach are covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Don't Edit A house along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit A house along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach are covered by ice from high winds and fifteen foot Lake Erie waves, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit A house along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach are covered by ice from high winds and fifteen foot Lake Erie waves, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Houses along Hoover Beach are covered by ice from high winds and 15-foot Lake Erie waves, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Don't Edit Don't Edit A house along Hoover Beach is covered by ice from high winds and from the waves from Lake Erie, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Hamburg N.Y. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday, though the heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) READ MORE: Spring to get its earliest start in more than a century Michigan ice conditions may prompt early removal of fishing shanties Pink unicorn caught on video snow blowing South Lyon driveway East Jordan gets $2.2M state grant for waterfront project Michigan 2020 hunting, fishing licenses on sale Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that he will give up his social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. One of the most followed global leaders on social media, Modi is fairly active on social media and posts frequently on his Instagram and Twitter handles. "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted," the Prime Minister stated in a tweet. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for reaching out to masses through social media, is the first Indian to have over 50 million followers on Twitter. He is the third global leader to achieve the milestone after US president Donald Trump and his predecessor Barrack Obama. Modi joined Twitter in January 2009, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. At that point of time, only a few politicians, including Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, were active on the micro-blogging site. Taking a jibe at PM Modi's plan, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi suggested him to give up hatred, rather than social media accounts. Give up hatred, not social media accounts. pic.twitter.com/HDymHw2VrB - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 2, 2020 Meanwhile, Amruta Fadnavis, wife of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said she will follow in the footsteps of her leader. Sometimes its the smallest decision that can change our life forever ! I will follow the path of my leader !! https://t.co/D7l1iZcosS AMRUTA FADNAVIS (@fadnavis_amruta) March 2, 2020 Narendra Modi has huge fan base on all social media platforms. He is amongst the most followed global leader on photo sharing platform Instagram, with over 35 million followers. He has 44.7 million followers on Facebook, and 4.51 million followers on Youtube. He is most followed world leader on Instagram, followed by US President Donald Trump with 14.9 million followers. Trump's predecessor Barack Obama has 24.8 million followers on Instagram. In less than 30 minutes, more than 18,000 twitterites retweeted PM Modi's post, while over 56 million people liked his post. Adding to it, PM Modi's tweet had evoked more than 36,000 replies. His tweet celebrating the BJP's victory in Lok Sabha Elections was the most retweeted was the most retweeted and liked tweet of the year. As a result of this, it was acknowledged as India's 'Golden Tweet' of 2019. + + = Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 23, 2019 Trump, who visited India last week, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "number two" on Facebook in terms of followers and that he is number one as told to him directly by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. By Express News Service BENGALURU: A businessman was hacked to death by a gang of 10 miscreants in DJ Halli on Saturday evening. The incident was recorded on CCTV cameras. The deceased is Bhatti Amjad alias Bhatii (40), a furniture shop owner. The police said that at 7.30pm, an armed gang attacked Amjad and killed him at a spot near Charmada Mandi. Passersby alerted police. The officials arrived on the spot and shifted the body to Ambedkar hospital for postmortem. Amjad was allegedly involved in many cases including a 2016 murder case of one Idris in Shivajinagar police station limits. A special team has been formed to nab the assailants and the motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained. Police said that based on CCTV footage, two accused have been identified as Unis and Shahi. Recently, one Vinod alias Gunda, was stabbed to death in a moving autorickshaw in the area. Later, the assailant Raju was arrested in this connection. The residents of DJ Halli are in fear due to the number of crimes in and around the area. The residents alleged that police are not patrolling properly and hence crimes took place. The local police inspector was not available over calls. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-03 00:15:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector edged up in February, following a rebound in the previous month, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported Monday. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) stood at 50.1 percent, down 0.8 percentage point from the January reading. Any reading below 50 percent indicates the manufacturing sector is generally contracting. The PMI contracted for five straight months from August to December last year. "Comments from the panel were generally positive, with sentiment cautious compared to January," Timothy Fiore, chair of the ISM's manufacturing business survey committee, said in a statement. "The PMI remained in expansion territory, but at a weak level." "Global supply chains are impacting most, if not all, of the manufacturing industry sectors," said Fiore. A business executive from the fabricated metal products sector noted that "coronavirus continues to be front and center as a major supply chain risk to our company." "The past relationship between the PMI and the overall economy indicates that the PMI for February (50.1 percent) corresponds to a 2.1-percent increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) on an annualized basis," said Fiore. U.S. GDP growth slowed to 2.3 percent in 2019, compared to 2.9 percent in 2018, primarily reflecting decelerations in nonresidential fixed investment and the personal consumption expenditures and a downturn in exports, according to the Commerce Department. Enditem 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!) A devout Christian GP who made unwanted amorous advances towards female patients is to keep his job after he blamed his conduct on being a 'friendly enthusiastic' doctor who 'goes the extra mile.' Dr Stuart Creed, 51, had faced career ruin for sexual misconduct after he told one woman: 'Your husband's really lucky - you are perfect the way you are' and saying: 'I think your hair looks nice' to another. The married dermatology specialist who was treating the women for skin conditions at surgeries in Cambridge was said to have became too 'over familiar' with them. Dr Stuart Creed, pictured outside a tribunal hearing in Manchester, has kept his job despite making unwanted advances towards female patients He hugged the first woman known as Patient A during a home visit in which he said: 'Maybe I shouldn't say that but I really like you as a person. I know this is wrong but you're very hot - can I give you a hug?' The second woman, known as Patient B, who was suffering from psoriasis, claimed the doctor told her: 'I don't know what you're worrying about, you look just fine' and said she was 'lovely and just right' during a consultation at his surgery. She also claimed he would drive his car slowly past a car showroom where she was working whilst looking at her through the window. She said he turned up unannounced at her workplace, sat on her desk, crossed his legs and declared: 'Hi, how's your head? I really tried to fix it.' At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Creed, who teaches the bible to children in two local church groups, faced being struck off after being found guilty of sexually motivated misconduct towards Patient A and attempting to engage in an inappropriate emotional relationship with Patient B. But he escaped with a suspension for 12 months, and could be free to return to work next year after he handed in testimonials which detailed his 'clumsy and impulsive communication' skills and his ability to 'accidentally rub others up the wrong way.' The incidents occurred as he worked at the York Street Medical Practice (pictured) and the Buckden Surgery in Cambridge between 2015 and 2018 Creed, who has since attended courses on maintaining boundaries, admitted hugging Patient A and turning up unannounced Patient B's work place but denied making sexually charged remarks and advances. Panel chairman Linda Lee said: 'It was not clear to the Tribunal if Dr Creed fully understood the impact of his actions on Patient A and Patient B. He appeared to be primarily concerned about the impact of his actions on himself and his family. 'Whilst it is clear is that Dr Creed has reflected on some aspects of his behaviour, the Tribunal questions if the strategies he has put in place will be effective in the future. 'He needs to develop his insight in order to fully remediate and reflect on the impact his behaviour had on Patient A and Patient B. There is a risk of repetition but it is a low risk and there is a good prospect that the doctor could remediate.' The incidents took place between February 2015 and 2018 whilst Creed was working at the York Street Medical Practice and then the Buckden Surgery in Cambridge. Patient A had been signed off work with anxiety but had also suffered hair loss. During consultations at the surgery, it was alleged Creed told the woman: 'You look really fit' made various comments about her physical appearance and said she would find another partner 'very easily.' On March 30, 2017 he was said to have 'insisted' on visiting Patient A at home when she said it was 'not needed' and it was claimed he tried to hold her hand and sat down down next to her on the sofa. The 51-year-old told one patient: 'Your husband's really lucky - you are perfect the way you are' and said: 'I think your hair looks nice' to another He told her: 'You should stop worrying, you are perfect the way you are. I have tried to let you know I feel something but it is difficult to say. I really care about you, you know that. Maybe I shouldn't say that but I really like you as a person.' He also asked her 'how many times a week' she had sex before he left her home 30 minutes later. The hearing was told Patient B claimed Creed complimented her during visits to his surgery and alleged when she told him she had split from her boyfriend the GP replied: 'oh well, I think he's an idiot because you look lovely.' He also said he would 'pop in' to her workplace and later turned up at the showroom in March 2018 and told he had 'been by to see her at work a few times but every time she had been busy.' He subsequently left voicemail messages on her mobile phone. Creed, who lives in the village of of Stapleford, Cambridge, denied wrongdoing and said: 'I'm just a doctor who goes the extra mile and who has a long history of patient positivity about me. 'Part of my role as a doctor is to try to reassure patients and when they are upset about something it seems to me to be an appropriate thing to say: 'your hair looks fine to me'. 'I'm a doctor who had had 25 years of patients thanking me, praising me and appreciating me for going the extra mile. 'I'm providing reassurance with no other motive here and I'm trying to give my patient the benefit of the doubt but obviously my mindset is wrong and it needs to be much more aware. What's happened has been a massive wake up call for me - but I'm not a stalker. Dr Creed, who worked at the Buckden Surgery in Cambridge (pictured) blamed on his conduct on being a 'friendly enthusiastic' doctor who 'goes the extra mile' He added: 'I have consequently set firm boundaries for myself around visiting patients at home or interacting with them in the community or any other setting. 'I will never visit a female patient aged 15-50 without a chaperone present even if they give their consent to such a visit and I will never deliberately engage with a patient in the community or other setting beyond a polite 'hello' if I pass them in the street. 'I need to extend my learning regarding how to more carefully communicate in the consultation setting to ensure that I do not elicit a friendliness that causes unease in patients and I need to spend more time reflecting on how a patient may be feeling as a result of their interaction with me, particularly if the consultation is perceived in any way to have been difficult for either me or especially the patient.' A character reference submitted on Creed's behalf from a church colleague said: 'Occasionally, his friendly enthusiasm can cause him to communicate clumsily and slightly impulsively on a topic, but my observation is that he often recognises this or is happy to be picked up on it and quickly seeks to clarify his thoughts or apologise as appropriate.' Colleague Dr Paolo Fargnoli said in a statement: 'Dr Creed said his training had always been to put patients first but had failed to adapt to patients' change in culture when it came to their interaction. 'The boundary course had helped with this and that he understands the necessity to follow strict pathways to the letter. He appreciated that he had been slow to learn and that he has made mistakes.' The merged entity of Allahabad Bank and Indian Bank will have around 10,000 branches, with combined business of Rs 10 trillion in the next two to three years, according to a top official of Allahabad Bank. At the end of December 2019, the total business of Allahabad Bank was around Rs 3.9 trillion, while that of Indian Bank was close to Rs 4.5 trillion. Thus, the combined business stood at about Rs 8.4 trillion. Meanwhile, the bank is awaiting government notification on the merger, and is prepared to meet April 1 deadline, said the official. It is basically a horizontal merger. It ... It started for me with a pretty severe sore throat. I started to feel symptomatic five days after traveling. Its different than the bronchitis that Ive gotten before. Everything had kind of settled in my lungs. And I was just coughing a ton. I had a headache and felt feverish. It felt like I had a bowling ball on my chest. Nobodys willing to see me, and nobody has the test kit and even C.D.C. is refusing to test me. I traced back, you know, my wife, she works at Amazon. They had a confirmed case. Four different planes in four different airports. So I dont know who sat next to me or who I was in contact with. Its one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. Its going to be just fine. Were going down, not up. Were going very substantially down. Not up. Anybody that needs a test, gets a test. Theyre there. They have the tests. And the tests are beautiful. We have a president saying anyone who wants tests can get a test. And Im thinking, That is so not true. It was just interesting, because there was this kind of gray area for a while of people who felt like they were really sick and should have been tested just as, even as a rule out. And the state of Washington just did not have the capacity to do that, because the government had not supported us at that point essentially. I got through to public health after about an hour, and they told me that I did not meet the criteria for being tested. They said, Theres no way to get tested. We dont have tests right now. Theres nothing set up in Delaware. I looked at the C.D.C. website and it said, call your doctor if you have the symptoms. So I called the doctors office and they told me to go to an urgent care facility. I called an urgent care facility and they said that theres nothing that they can do. And they dont have the tests. And they told me to go to the E.R. And I called a hospital, and they told me that they dont have the test either. I just felt like I was getting the run-around. It was clearly obvious that they just are under capacity, and theyre not able to test. I eventually just gave up because, at that point, the testing criteria was so strict. It was, you travel to China or have you been in contact with someone known diagnosed Covid. And I didnt meet any of that. As a nurse in an E.R., its pretty vital if I have an infectious disease that I know what it is because I could be spreading it to people who are really vulnerable. I actually work in a building thats a fairly public place. Theres people of every generation coming in there. Theres a private school there. Theres a senior center. Southwest Florida is full of elders. There is a lot of snowbirds coming here. Theyre all in their 70s and 80s. I cannot get myself, like I cannot convince my conscience to leave the house just thinking about that, Hey you went grocery shopping and now like five people died. So I just self quarantined myself and basically started working from home. We stocked up on food items as much as possible. I bought a 25 pound bag of rice. We bought beans. We got ready basically just to hunker down for those two weeks. At this point, Im telling people like make if you have a decision to make, think about survival and make the decision based on survival for yourself, your family and your community. We knew this was coming. The federal government is just completely bungling this, and our lives are at stake. I feel like theyre just leaving us here to die in Seattle. The most overwhelming feeling was you are on your own. Im just really concerned for those that this is going to affect the hardest. And I think we pretty much failed at early testing, early containment. We had more time than other governments. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during a campaign rally on the Boston Common in Boston, Mass., on Feb. 29, 2020. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images) Democrats Have No Good Options With Bernie Sanders Commentary Its not a good look for your political party when youre heading into one of the most critical elections in U.S. history and your lead presidential candidate is a 77-year-old, self-proclaimed socialist, who just had a heart attack only months prior to regaling his followers on the campaign trail with fanciful stories about the supposed good side of some of the worlds most brutal communist dictators. Yet thats exactly the candidate the Democratic Party has with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a man who represents the same thing that impeachment of President Donald Trump did for the partyan unmitigated disaster. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, hear constant warnings from allies about congressional losses in November if the party nominates Bernie Sanders for president, wrote Lisa Lerer and Reid J. Epstein for The New York Times, in a piece titled Democratic Leaders Willing to Risk Party Damage to Stop Bernie Sanders. Dozens of interviews with Democratic establishment leaders this week show that they are not just worried about Mr. Sanderss candidacy, but are also willing to risk intraparty damage to stop his nomination at the national convention in July if they get the chance. Damned if they do, damned if they dont. Should Sanders win the nomination, it does seem that Democrats stand to lose decisively at the polls this November. I think, you know, if we run under a democratic socialist banner in 50 states, I think we lose the industrial Midwest. I think we lose 48 states, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) told Fox News. I think we lose working-class union voters who have negotiated their private health care and want to keep it, and they dont want to be forced into a public health care system. You lose those voters, and I think some of the other issues as well. I think that would be disastrous for us. Journalist Tim Pool presented additional information on his Feb. 13 podcast showing that its likely that Trump will take as many as 520 Electoral College votes if Sanders is the nominee. Additionally, having a socialist at the top of the ticket would essentially rebrand the entire party, meaning down-ballot candidates would suffer as well. Democrats would likely lose their majority in the House of Representatives while they watch Republicans keep the majority in the Senate. As early as January of this year, Democratic National Committee insiders were already discussing ways to stop Sanders from winning the nomination. But, as it stands, Sanders is the front-runner and could potentially have enough votes to secure the partys nomination at the July convention. If he only wins by a plurality after the first round of votingnot securing 50 percent of the overall votessuperdelegates would step in to vote in the second round. While Sanders enjoys much support from a young, energetic base of voters around the country, he and his far-left socialist policies are considerably less liked by establishment Democrats. The likelihood that superdelegates will hand the nomination to Sanders is slim-to-none. The New York Times reported that only nine of the 93 superdelegates interviewed said that Mr. Sanders should become the nominee purely on the basis of arriving at the convention with a plurality, if he was short of a majority. This scenario would almost certainly make Sanders supporters furious, especially considering superdelegates failed to hand him a win in the 2016 election. Besides, if a candidate did win through a brokered convention, it would be a disaster for the Democrats in November. Millions of Sanders supporters would be enraged at having the nomination snatched from them and might defect to a third party, Nathan Robinson wrote in a column for The Guardian. The Democrats might be able to stop Sanders, but in doing so, they would destroy their partys own electoral prospects. Adrian Norman is a writer and political commentator. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Turkish forces attack Syrian forces, Turkey claims to have destroyed a chemical warfare facility, Syria fights back against Turkey in Idleb. Catch up on everything that happened over the weekend. 1. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Turkish ground and air strikes on Syrian regime forces and their allies in northwest Syrias Idlib have killed 48 pro-Damascus soldiers, including Hezbollah members, in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday. Among those killed in the strategic eastern Idlib city of Saraqeb are 12 members of Lebanons Hezbollah and two of its commanders, the Observatory said. But a commander in the regional alliance backing the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, said that the Turkish strikes on northwest Syria late on Friday killed nine Hezbollah members and wounded 30 others. 2. A Turkish official said Turkey destroyed a chemical warfare facility in Syria on Saturday after dozens of its soldiers were killed by Syrian regime fire in the last-rebel enclave of Idlib province, reported al-Araby al-Jadeed. 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. 3. A military source affirmed on Friday that Syrian Arab Armys units are continuing to respond firmly to repeated attacks by Turkish-backed terrorist organizations on direction of Saraqeb in Idleb. The source said, as per SANA,that in order to cover failure to achieve what Erdogan boasted in Idleb after the armys recent victories over terrorist organizations, focus is placed on exaggeration , intimidation and doubling size of losses of the army when responding the double attacks by terrorists and Turkey , as well as ignoring the heavy losses 4. Syria affirmed that misleading campaigns carried out by Turkish regime and West countries against it over the past few days, have shown the extent of the great support which these countries have been and still are providing to armed terrorist groups, as well as the great investment they wagered on to achieve their hostile schemes to Syrian peoples aspirations. A source at Foreign and Expatriates Ministry told SANA in a statement on Friday that exaggeration by Turkish and West media outlets regarding losses inflicted upon the Syrian Arab Army in the battles taking place on direction of Saraqeb city and their boasting about them constitute an attempt to raise the collapsing morale of terrorists, and represent an official acknowledgement the involvement by Erdogans forces in the fight alongside the terrorist groups, as well as Turkeys lack of commitment to its obligations under Sochi agreement. 5. The Turkish army is retaliating with artillery fire at regime targets in Syria after an airstrike killed 33 Turkish soldiers in the northwestern Idlib province, two Turkish security officials said on Friday. All known Syrian regime targets are under fire by Turkish air and land support units, Turkeys communications director Fahrettin Altun said separately, according to Anadolu news agency. Turkey has decided to respond in kind to the attack by the Syrian regime, Altun added. Turkey will no longer stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe, a senior Turkish official said late on Thursday as President Tayyip Erdogan chaired an emergency meeting. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Channel Nine political reporter Airlie Walsh spent a relaxing day at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday. The television journalist slipped into a black bikini while enjoying a dip in the ocean at the tourist hotspot. Airlie took advantage of the unseasonably warm autumn weather as she soaked up the sun in her swimwear. Weekend vibes: Channel Nine political reporter Airlie Walsh spent a relaxing day at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday Airlie looked cheerful during her solo swim, before returning to her towel on the beach to dry off. She slicked back her wet hair and wore a pair of stylish white sunglasses. Taking to Instagram to share a selfie on the day, she wrote: 'Sunday sans makeup. With all pigmentation, rosacea and freckles on display.' Black to basics: The television journalist slipped into a black bikini while enjoying a dip in the ocean at the tourist hotspot No filter: Taking to Instagram to share a selfie on the day, she wrote: 'Sunday sans makeup. With all pigmentation, rosacea and freckles on display' Channel Nine viewers will be familiar with Airlie, who's had more than a decade of on-screen experience with the network. She began on Weekend Today in 2010, before joining the Nine News team in 2013. In 2014, Airlie was one of two journalists broadcasting live from the CBD as police stormed the Lindt Cafe during the Sydney siege. In 2019, she secured a one-on-one interview with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Christmas Island. Familiar face: Channel Nine viewers will be familiar with Airlie, who's had more than a decade of experience with the network. Pictured interviewing Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) on Christmas Island last year Airlie was a guest at fellow Nine journalist Jayne Azzopardi's baby shower in January. 'It was a no to storks, but a yes to scones,' she captioned an Instagram photo from the event. She had also attended Sylvia Jeffrey's baby shower the previous month. Today, the UK government published its negotiating objectives for a UK-US trade agreement. We have waited a while for this - the US published its detailed, 18-page objectives over a year ago. However, it is better late than never and we now have more of an idea about what the UK government actually wants from a US deal - something which it has championed since the Brexit referendum without providing much detail. Here are some key take-aways: 1. Food standards A lot of media attention has centred around chlorinated chicken, but there are many other US farming practices which are illegal in the UK. These include the use of genetic modification, regulations on pesticides, hormone-feeding meat, the use of sow-crates and numerous other animal welfare regulations. While the Government has repeatedly said that the UK will not lower its own farming regulations, they have not ruled out importing food from the US that is made to these lower standards. This will not reassure UK farmers, who fear being undercut, or consumers, who are concerned about the quality of products on our supermarket shelves. 2. Corporate courts The US insists on corporate courts - known as Investor-State Dispute Settlement - in many of its trade agreements. These courts have been used by US firms to challenge many important environmental and health regulations. For example, US fossil fuel companies have used these courts to challenge a ban on fracking in Canada, and tobacco giant Philip Morris challenged plain-packaged cigarette regulations in Australia. The UK has not said that no ISDS is a red line in its objectives, which could mean US firms bring similar cases against our government in the future. 3. Climate change commitments The UK government wants the UK to be a global leader in tackling climate change, and will be hosting the COP climate change conference later this year. However, in documents leaked last year, which detailed preliminary negotiations between the UK and US, US officials demanded that the trade deal would include no reference to climate change, and that the UK would seek regulatory cooperation with the US. While the objectives state that climate change remains a priority for the UK, they also state a willingness to cooperate on regulation with the US - which may hinder climate ambition. 4. No democratic scrutiny This afternoon MPs have a very brief - and unscheduled - opportunity to debate the objectives in Parliament, as Liz Truss (the trade secretary) makes a statement to the House. Rather worryingly, this may be the only chance they get to debate the deal, despite the impact it could have on many areas of policy. Unlike their counterparts in the US Congress and the EU Parliament, MPs have no guaranteed vote on trade deals and are not updated on the progress of negotiations. One ironic impact of Brexit is that our elected representatives will now have less say over trade policy than they did when we were EU members. David Lawrence is senior political advisor at the Trade Justice Movement, a network of 60 civil society organisations campaigning for trade rules that work for people and planet. Glen Emerson has not yet indicated how he will plead A man accused of producing a pair of scissors during a row in a shopping centre has been served with a book of evidence and sent forward for trial. Glen Emerson (26), of Cranogue Terrace, Ballymun, was charged with the offence that allegedly took place at Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan, last September 7. He faces trial on indictment. The book of evidence was served on the accused at Balbriggan District Court, and Judge Dermot Dempsey made a return for trial order at the request of the DPP. After he was sent forward for trial, the accused was told by the judge that he had 14 days to notify the State if he intended to use an alibi in his defence. He is due to appear at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on March 13. He did not address the court and has not yet indicated how he will plead. Curfew Under the terms of his bail on his own bond of 400, the accused has to sign on at a garda station, obey a curfew and provide gardai with his mobile phone number. He must also remain contactable 24 hours a day. His solicitor was assigned one junior counsel and a Section 56 order of a copy of the accused's garda interview recording was also granted. Ruckus prevailed in the Haryana Assembly on Monday after senior Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian made a mention of the RSS to take a swipe at the BJP-led government in the state alleging that it was the Sangh which was pulling the strings. Kadian was participating in the general discussion on the budget estimates for the year 2020-21, which were presented by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the Finance department, in the assembly on Friday. The Congress legislator from Beri attacked the state government on mounting debt, pointing out that it had risen to Rs 1.98 lakh crore from nearly Rs 71,000 crore five years ago and appeared dissatisfied by Khattar's explanation that part of it was to absorb the debt liability accumulated by the state's power utilities over more than a decade. He said revenue and fiscal deficit was increasing. Kadian then made a remark on the BJP-led coalition government in the state, alleging that it was the RSS which was pulling the strings. As soon as he said this, the BJP members launched an attack on him, with Education minister Kanwar Pal telling the opposition legislators that it was the RSS which teaches how to treat all as equals. As Pal kept speaking, his voice was lost in the din as opposition members were indulged in a verbal duel with BJP benches. Kadian again took a dig at the BJP, saying the chief minister had taken out a "Rath Yatra" before the October 2019 as the saffron outfit had set a target of winning more than 75 seats in the 90 member House, but ended up getting just 40. The Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government in Haryana with the support of the Jannayak Janta Party, which won 10 seats. Six Independents are also supporting the coalition government. Again, the two sides indulged in a verbal duel and someone from the opposition members made a mention of Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area, triggering heated exchanges between the two sides. "Country is moving towards controlled dictatorship and the common man is feeling terrifi ed in this atmosphere," Kadian said without elaborating as the Speaker interrupted him asking the Congress MLA to restrict himself to speaking on the budget. Speaker Gian Chand Gupta had to repeatedly tell the members to maintain the decorum of the House and not stand up frequently and interrupt the proceedings. Earlier, Kadian said the state government is borrowing more to service the old debt. "Even if the government's reasoning is accepted for a moment that after absorbing the debt liability of over Rs 27,000 crore of power utilities, still Rs 1 lakh crore debt is huge over five year period of their rule. "What we are asking is that where has the money gone because no new major project, no new railway line or metro line, no new university or hospital or any major development work has been done during the past five years," he said. Taking part in the budget discussion, Congress legislator from Rohtak, B B Batra alleged a scam in allotment of land for multi-level parking in his assembly constituency. As former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, demanded that the chief minister should order a probe into it, the CM agreed to have the matter investigated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hathras gangrape case: 4 men with PFI links arrested in Mathura for plotting to create unrest UP: Set on fire after failed gangrape attempt, says college student who was found naked with severe burns Maharashtra: 15-year-old girl gangraped multiple times in Thane; 33 booked, two minors among 26 held so far 12 year old raped, hanged from tree: Seven class 10 students apprehended India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Tezpur, Mar 02: Seven boys, who had appeared for their class 10 board examinations, were apprehended on Sunday for allegedly raping and killing a 12-year-old girl in Assam's Biswanath district, police said. The girl was hanged from a tree after the crime. The incident happened on Friday in Chakla village under the jurisdiction of Gohpur police station, they said. A senior police officer said the culprits, all of them High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examinees, were on the run, but were nabbed by a police team. Over 160 rape cases reported on railway premises, on board trains from 2017-2019 The accused after the examination had called the victim to a house on the pretext of organising a party and raped her, the officer said. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 It is suspected that the girl was raped on Friday night and then hanged from a tree in a forest near the house, the senior police officer said. The body was found on Saturday. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 11:28 [IST] Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is urging stakeholders in media to support the fight against misinformation to preserve confidence in democracy and public institutions. He made the call at the launch of Dubawa Ghana, a local chapter for independent verification and fact-checking in public discourse and journalism. Speaking on the theme stemming misinformation to advance democracy and good governance in Ghana, the Minister warned that citizens will lose confidence in the countrys democracy should they be consistently be served with false narratives about the countrys body politic. If consistently you keep reading or hearing whether it is fake news or false narratives about our body politic, about our institutions and about our democracy over a period, citizens begin to lose confidence in the democracy, in public institutions and in the governance systems, he said. The advent of the countrys 2020 general elections has heightened the political atmosphere and fuel various forms of misinformation which in some situations affect public institutions and individuals negatively. Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said, if you clearly monitor what is happening in some part of the world, extremism maybe not necessarily violent extremism but political extremism is beginning to gain hold because of all of these false narratives of blatantly fake materials that are being churned out into eco chambers that now begin to make people take some very intransigent positions on matters that we could have hitherto easily agreed upon. The Minister also indicated that Dubawa as a fact-checking platform comes at the right time since the country is heading to the polls, indicating that the electoral process will be a major exercise for the platform. He acknowledged that the presence of a platform that can readily verify fact from politicians and public office holders will help the country a great deal. The stakes are a bit higher in the 2020 elections and it is, therefore, heartwarming that it is at this time that Dubawa is being rolled out to help us combat this threat of misinformation he added. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah who is also the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi constituency encouraged the media and the general public to lead the fight against misinformation. He challenged the traditional media to amplify truth and not necessarily add to the challenges in the statuesque citing an example of a recent happening in Northern Ghana where security officers were grappling with a security situation as a result of misinformation peddled by some unknown people meant to destabilize the situation further. Dubawa is a non-partisan institution that is bent on fostering a culture of truth and verification in public discourse and journalism through strategic partnerships between the media, government, civil society organizations, technology giants and the public. As a fact-checking institution, Dubawa upholds the values of accuracy, balance, transparency, verification, independence and accountability in its operations which is in line with the five principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). citinewsroom A French woman who terrorised a couple after posing as a man on a gay dating app was today jailed for 13 months. Yannick Glaudin, 31, stalked the man and his then boyfriend - sending their families, friends and colleagues the intimate pictures and films using a number of fake identities, Inner London Crown Court heard. She warned the man she had put 'a price' on him and that she wanted him castrated, before sending intimate photos and videos of him to his family, employer and friends. Police or Crimestoppers were contacted on multiple occasions over false claims, including of assault and paedophilia, against one man, while friends were warned he had a bounty on his head. Glaudin, who admitted her crimes but had evaded justice for over a year after fleeing to France, was sentenced to 13 months in prison at Inner London Crown Court on Monday. Yannick Glaudin (seen here on cctv on the London underground) posed as a man on gay dating app Grindr In mitigation, her lawyer said shew as depressed at the time but gave no motive for her actions. Sentencing, Judge Silas Reid said Glaudin was driven by 'revenge' after her initial victim broke off contact, describing her behaviour as 'designed to cause maximum upset'. Prosecutor John McNamara told the court that in May 2017 Glaudin, using the pseudonym Steven St Pier, met her first male victim over the Grindr app. The pair exchanged phone numbers, email addresses and even the victim's CV as he was job-hunting. 'During the period of contact, (the victim) sent to the defendant a number of intimate and personal pictures and videos,' Mr McNamara said. But the victim had doubts over Glaudin's true identity and ended their online-only contact in December 2017. This triggered months of harassment by Glaudin, beginning with her sending the sexual images to the victim's stepfather, his friends, and even friends of friends. Glaudin, who worked as a construction draftsman and chef, escalated the harassment from February 2018 when her victim started a new relationship with another man. The now ex-boyfriend's friends were contacted by Glaudin, using pseudonyms such as Harry Wars and Nick Guel on Facebook and Instagram, making false allegations about him. In March 2018, a false report was made to Crimestoppers claiming the boyfriend was 'abusing a young boy and was linked to a known prostitute', Mr McNamara said. On another date, a fake report was made to police pretending to be from a victim's boss, 'stating that he had seen videos of underage sex on a laptop'. Yannick Glaudin, 31, stalked the man and his then boyfriend. (Glaudin seen here on cctv on the London underground) Other messages sent suggested there was 'a price' on the boyfriend's head of 1,000 euros in Barcelona and London, the court was told. Photos of the first victim using the London underground were also sent to him over email. Meanwhile, several men 'looking for sex' tried to visit their then shared flat after being in contact with someone using the first victim's name. Speaking in court, the former boyfriend said the experience had been 'hell on earth'. 'I suffered the extreme shock of constant, insidious daily harassment at home, work and on every online channel I was registered on, by someone completely anonymous, using multiple aliases,' he said. He added: 'The perpetrator has accused me personally of being a paedophile, impersonated me and my partner online via dating applications, sent multiple strangers to my home demanding anonymous sex, followed me... home, and taken photographs of our front door and taunted us about it.' The court heard that after pleading guilty to her offences in July 2018, Glaudin fled to France, with a European arrest warrant later issued. She was extradited in January, with Metropolitan police officers travelling across the Channel to bring her into custody. She sent their families, friends and colleagues the intimate pictures and films using a number of fake identities, Inner London Crown Court heard Representing Glaudin, Ricky Yau said she returned to France to see two terminally ill relatives. Mr Yau said she believed: 'What I've done to them is nasty, cruel and stupid and I regret it.' Sentencing, Judge Reid questioned why Glaudin had not faced more serious charges than those put by the prosecution. 'It's difficult to understand why you did what you did other than that during the period of your offending you were consumed by jealousy and a desire for revenge,' he told Glaudin. He said her 'disturbing campaign of harassment' saw her ignore pleas from her victims to stop and use fake social media accounts to 'inveigle' her way into their circle of friends to track their lives. Glaudin, who has no previous convictions, claimed she was depressed at the time of the offences, but no motive was advanced for her behaviour. While on the run she saw a psychiatrist in France who did not reach any specific conclusions about her mental state. Glaudin was also made subject of a restraining order banning her from contacting the victims or their friends. Kathryn Iyer, from the CPS, said: 'This was a sustained and frightening campaign of harassment mounted against an innocent young couple. They implored Glaudin to stop stalking and harassing them, but she continued anyway. She even followed one victim home on the underground and later sent him photos of himself on the journey, causing him distress. 'Glaudin was a stranger having never personally met either of these men. But she was relentless in her pursuit, particularly with the use of social media, which led these victims to take down their social media accounts. 'The CPS takes stalking and harassment extremely seriously and will prosecute perpetrators where there is evidence to do so.' Glaudin, who has no previous convictions, was sentenced to 12 months for a charge of disclosing private sexual photos and films with intent to cause distress, four months for one count of harassment without violence and four months for one of stalking without fear, alarm or distress. These will be served concurrently, with a further one month sentence for breaching bail to be served consecutively. Glaudin is also subject to a lifelong restraining order preventing her contacting her victims and other individuals. Link PAN with Aadhaar by this date, if not your PAN could become inoperative Here is why PAN card holders could be fined Rs 10,000 for not linking it with Aadhaar by Mar 31 India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 02: If you fail to link your PAN card with Aadhaar card within the deadline of March 31, then be ready to cough up a fine of Rs 10,000 on providing inoperative PAN for a financial transaction. The income tax department had earlier announced that all unlinked PAN cards will be declared as "inoperative" and now it has issued a new notification saying that such PAN card holders shall face consequences under the Income Tax Act for not furnishing PAN. Section 139 AA (2) of the I-T Act stipulates that every person having PAN as on July 1, 2017, and eligible to obtain Aadhaar, must intimate their Aadhaar number to tax authorities. PAN card linkage with Aadhar: How punctuations, initials are a virtual nightmare It also said that an amendment has been made to the Income Tax rules with the insertion of Rule 114AAA, stipulating the "manner of making permanent account number inoperative". If you were to miss the deadline to link the two, you will also be liable for all the consequences under the IT Act for not furnishing, intimating or quoting the PAN, which includes paying higher income tax. Further, as per rules, any person who quotes a cancelled or inoperative PAN is liable to pay a fine of up to Rs 10,000 under section 272B of the Income Tax Act. While Aadhaar is issued by UIDAI to a resident, PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the tax department to a person, firm or entity. The same set of information is required to get a new PAN. Pan-Aadhaar linking deadline: Why you must do it before March 31 As per data, over 120 crore Aadhaar numbers have been issued in the country and about 41 crore PAN numbers have been generated. Out of these, more than 22 crore PANs are linked with Aadhaar. Steps to link Aadhaar with PAN Just go to incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and click on the link on the left pane - Link Aadhaar Provide PAN, Aadhaar no. and ENTER NAME EXACTLY AS GIVEN IN AADHAAR CARD (avoid spelling mistakes) and submit. After verification from UIDAI which is the government website for Aadhaar, the linking will be confirmed. On logging in to the site, a pop-up window will appear prompting you to link your PAN card with Aadhaar card. If you don't see the popup, go to the blue tab on the top bar named 'Profile Settings' and click on 'Link Aadhaar'. Details such as name, date of birth and gender will already be mentioned as per the details submitted at the time of registration on the e-Filing portal. Verify the details on screen with the ones mentioned on your Aadhaar card. Now get instant e-PAN based on Aadhaar from this month: Here is how If the details match, enter your Aadhaar card number and captcha code and click on the "Link now" button. A pop-up message will inform you that your Aadhaar card has been successfully linked to your PAN card. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 13:42 [IST] Alaska Airlines confirmed Monday it will drop its sponsorship of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Alaska's most famous sporting event. The Seattle-based airline, which got its start in Alaska decades ago, said in a statement that the decision to end sponsorship after this year's race was made as the company transitions to a new corporate giving strategy. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the most vocal critic of the thousand-mile sled dog race across Alaska, praised the decision. 'When dogs used in the Iditarod aren't being forced to run until their paws bleed and their bodies break down, they're chained alone in the bitter cold,' PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. Nicolas Petit arrives in Unalakleet, Alaska, in the lead of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race last year Alaska Airlines announced on Monday that it will pull sponsorship of the sled dog race after this year. The above image shows Alaska Airlines planes parked at a gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle last year 'PETA and every kind person opposed to cruelty to dogs is flying high over Alaska Airlines' decision to stop sponsoring the Iditarod.' Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. PETA has pressured race sponsors for years and taken credit for companies like Wells Fargo and Jack Daniels from dropping financial support of the race. The company is now urging American car giant Chrysler to follow suit and pull its sponsorship of the race. PETA officials have also said they met with airline representatives and conducted protests outside Alaska Airlines' headquarters. Alaska Airlines spokesman Tim Thompson said in an email that 'PETA did not play a role in our decision.' People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claimed victory on Monday, saying that the decision by Alaska Airlines was the result of 'YEARS of PETA pressure' PETA is now urging Chrysler to follow suit and pull its sponsorship of the Iditarod race 'We have been proud of our history and support of the Iditarod, especially travel for the veterinarians that are focused on the safety and health of the dog teams,' Thompson said. Donors that give to the race are listed by the Iditarod on its web page in four different tiers, based on how much they give. The airline appeared three years ago on the Iditarods sponsorship page as a second tier donor, went to third tier in 2018 and was not listed last year or this year. A PETA activist in Los Angeles is seen above protesting Chrysler for its support of Iditarod last year 'We have been part of the Iditarod for more than 40 years and are proud of our sponsorship, which was focused on dog health and safety,' the Alaska Airlines statement said. ' The statement added that the airline's new corporate giving strategy will have 'an emphasis on creating opportunities for young people in the communities where we fly.' Thompson said the Iditarod was told last year about the company's decision and that it is continuing its sponsorship through the 2020 race, giving the races parent organization, the Iditarod Trail Committee, time to find new sponsors. The Iditarod has its ceremonial start on Saturday in downtown Anchorage. The race starts Sunday about 50 miles north of Anchorage, with the winner expected to arrive about 10 days later in the old Gold Rush town of Nome, on the Bering Sea coast. Hyderabad: Telangana on Monday recorded its first case of coronavirus, with a young male, employed in a software company confirmed as being infected by it. The 24-year-old man is currently in an ICU of the isolation ward at the Gandhi General Hospital (GGH), where his condition, according to health minister Etala Rajendar, was stable. The states first Covid-19 patient is a resident of Mahendra Hills in Secunderabad and lives with an extended joint family, Mr Rajender said. According to the minister, the man flew from Dubai to Bengaluru and then came to Hyderabad by bus. The news was first announced by the Union ministry of health about the positive Covid-19 case in Hyderabad. Confirming this, Mr Rajendar told a press conference in the city on Tuesday that there was no cause for alarm because of the case. The state government is on top of the issue and has taken every possible precaution. We are taking more steps to prevent the spread of this disease. All those known to have come in contact with the patient are being monitored for their health and steps are being taken to test them too. There are enough facilities in hospitals to deal with more cases, if need be, he said. The health minister said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has reviewed the development and instructed all departments related to health, transport, education and others that deal with matters involving large gatherings of people to take strict measures to control the disease. He said the Chief Minister has assured that funds would not be a problem in fighting the virus. After repeated prodding from reporters, Mr Rajendar said, We have a total of 80 people who are being tracked as those who were in close contact with the patient. These include members of his family, 20 staffers from Apollo Hospital in Secunderabad, where he was admitted for four days before being referred to the Gandhi Hospital, and 27 people who travelled with him in a bus from Bengaluru to Hyderabad. The Covid-19 patient zero for Telangana, according to the health minister, caught the disease during his trip to Dubai in the middle of February. The man went to Dubai on February 15 and stayed there for four or five days meeting with his colleagues, including some from his companys Hong Kong office. Telangana had no case of the virus that was locally transmitted. This man acquired it in Dubai from where he flew to Bengaluru. He stayed there for two days and came to Hyderabad in a bus on February 21, Rajender said. On arrival at Bengaluru from Dubai on February 20, the man was apparently asymptomatic for five days and spent the next two days visiting his companys office in Bengaluru. On February 22, he travelled to Hyderabad in a bus and was at home for five days. He visited Apollo Hospital as an outpatient for a check-up, because he had developed a fever and other symptoms. Following couple more visits as an out-patient, he was admitted in Apollo. He was there for two days February 27 and 28 before being referred to the Gandhi Hospital on Sunday, Mr Rajender added. DZ Bank AG: Post-Stabilisation Notice Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. DZ BANK AG (contact: Ralph Ockert; telephone: +49 69 7447 7051) hereby gives notice that no stabilisation (within the meaning of Article 3.2 (d) of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014) was undertaken by the Stabilising Managers named below in relation to the offer of the following securities. The security to be stabilised: Issuer: Belfius Bank Guarantor (if any): ISIN: BE0002682632 Aggregate nominal amount:EUR 500m Description: 0.125%, due 28th of January 2030 Offer price: 99.604% Other offer terms: Payment 28. January 2020, Listing Euronext Brussels Denominations: 100k/100k Maturity 28. January 2030 Stabilisation: Stabilising Manager(s): Belfius, Citi, DZ Bank, LBBW, Natixis Stabilisation Coordinator: DZ BANK AG Stabilisation period commences 28. January 2020 Stabilisation period expected to No later than 30 days after the proposed end on: issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and The Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot conditions of use of over-allotment the securities to the extent permitted in facility. Accordance with applicable law. This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction. This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the "Prospectus Directive") before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State. Chateaudardenac.fr scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 15 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the chateaudardenac homepage on Twitter + the total number of chateaudardenac followers (if chateaudardenac has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the chateaudardenac homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if chateaudardenac has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the chateaudardenac homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the chateaudardenac homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the chateaudardenac homepage on StumbleUpon. Basic Information PAGE TITLE Chateau de dardenac I Dardenac le chateau DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS risus, donec, aliquam, aliquam erat volutpat, aliquam erat, erat volutpat, volutpat The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Strict CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache/2.2.X (OVH) (PHP/5.3.16) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of chateaudardenac.fr as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for chateaudardenac.fr by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The NSW government has paid more than $37 million in disaster relief grants to primary producers affected by the state's unprecedented bushfire season, the agriculture minister has revealed. But of the 10,000 NSW farmers affected by bushfires over the summer, just 1200 have applied for a grant. The federal and NSW governments in January announced a scheme enabling bushfire-impacted producers to apply for recovery assistance for infrastructure, equipment and labour costs. They are eligible for grants of up to $75,000 per farming enterprise, meaning farmers owning more than one property can apply for multiple grants. The NSW government has paid more than $37 million in disaster relief grants to primary producers affected by the state's unprecedented bushfire season, the agriculture minister has revealed NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall told a budget estimates hearing on Monday more than 10,000 primary producers had been fire-affected. 'A lot have lost boundaries and internal fencing, sheds, other structures, some, unfortunately, have lost their homes and others have lost absolutely everything including any stock they had,' Mr Marshall said. So far, 1205 primary producers have applied for the special disaster grant with 618 approved and 190 rejected. Some $37.7 million has been provided to those 618 producers, suggesting each producer received an average grant of $61,000. Mr Marshall said primary producers who had not applied were likely wary of receiving government funding or currently incapable of finishing the application. 'There are many primary producers out there that have a philosophical view of not wanting any government assistance,' he said. 'Also a lot of farmers are probably not in a position to apply yet, in that they've got other priorities or (are not) in the head-space at the moment where they're ready.' Mr Marshall said he would approach the federal government to extend the July 31 grant application deadline if necessary. Department of Primary Industry staff were also on the ground encouraging farmers to apply, he said. So far, out of 10,000 NSW farmers affected, just 1200 have applied for a grant, Out of the 1205 farmers who applied only 618 were approved and 190 rejected Meanwhile, Mr Marshall said just 11 NSW primary producers had applied for special disaster relief concessional loans of up to $500,000. Of the 160 loan applications, 142 were made on behalf of small businesses. 'The fact the applications have been low could be an indication of all sorts of things including there might not be an appetite to take on more finance or they're already accessing the finance they need through the (drought-related) farm innovation fund,' Mr Marshall said. NSW Labor primary industries spokeswoman Jenny Aitchison said in a statement that farmers were under pressure amid drought and the August 4 loan application deadline should be extended. 'Anyone who thinks that six months is enough time to sort through the devastation of fires and fill in a mountain of paperwork is kidding themselves,' Ms Aitchison said on Monday. A strange disease has killed 200 cows at Margadu Fulani community in Guri local government area of Jigawa State, an official has said. Sanusi Doro, the local government information officer in Guri, quoted the head of department of agriculture, Guri local government council, Kabiru Haruna, as confirming the incident. Mr Haruna said the issue was reported a week earlier after the disease started ravaging the Fulani communities The official linked the outbreak to the influx of migrants cows allegedly from Niger Republic. He said the community where the cows reportedly died shares border with Machina local government in Yobe State. The local government in Yobe shares border with Niger Republic. The official also said the outbreak only affected the animals that allegedly skipped the routine vaccination exercise conducted by the government. READ ALSO: Meanwhile, a resident told PREMIUM TIMES that the outbreak was reported a month ago but official at the local council treated the information with kid gloves. We succeeded in slaughtering and sold off to butchers many of the cows that developed the disease symptoms while others died unnoticed. Its now that they are responding after some of us lost their entire cows from the outbreak, the resident who requested not to be named, said, Mr Doro said the council chairman, Barkono Jaji-Adiyani, had on Monday approved the release of N600,000 for the procurement of drugs to be administered to the cows. 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. Ministers today claimed a Transatlantic trade deal could add 3.4billion a year to the UK economy - as they dismissed fears over Donald Trump raiding the NHS or chlorinated chicken hitting the shops. The UK is pushing for a Transatlantic deal at the same time as negotiating a new relationship with the EU - in a bid to increase pressure on Brussels to offer good terms. The mandate for talks says an agreement could boost UK workers' wages by 1.8billion and 'lower prices on key consumer goods'. Scotland could be the biggest winners, with whisky and salmon exports expected to rise, while the North and Midlands could see more car trade and Wales send more lamb to America. But critics have pointed out that the estimated long-term boost of 0.16 per cent for UK PLC is far less than what it is forecast to lose from looser ties with the EU. The government says it wants to open up opportunities for British businesses and investors in the US through a free trade pact, but insists the NHS will not be up for grabs. It also stressed food standards will be maintained. The British team also wants to guarantee high standards and protections for British consumers and workers, including on animal welfare. Boris Johnson (pictured left yesterday) has been warned not to 'cosy up' to Donald Trump (right at the White House yesterday) in looming trade talks The government said a deal with the US could add to the economy in all areas of the UK. Scenario 1 refers to tariff liberalisation, while Scenario 2 would be a deeper trade deal As the mandate was formally revealed, Trade Secretary Liz Truss said: 'In a trade deal with the US, we will not diminish our food safety standards and we will also not put the NHS on the table. 'If we don't get the deal we want we will be prepared to walk away.' Mr Johnson said: 'We have the best negotiators in the business and of course, we're going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry. 'Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers. 'Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the unique closeness of our two great nations.' The talks will take place in parallel alongside the bartering with the European Union over a post-Brexit relationship. The UK's approach to a Transatlantic trade deal was revealed today Ministers have repeatedly faced demands to rule out chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef being imported from the US in any deal, with animal welfare and environmental concerns raised. The 184-page mandate published today say an agreement with the US could help productivity and competition. Scotland would be among the areas to benefit most, with boons for Scottish salmon and whisky, and lowering tariffs on cashmere, clothing, and high quality meat. 'DIT's own analysis suggests productivity gains from a UK-US FTA could contribute to wage increases of up to 1.8 billion for UK workers in the long run,' it said. 'Lowering tariffs could also both reduce the price of key consumer goods imported from the US in addition to reducing the cost of imported goods used as inputs for domestic production, with total annual tariff reductions on goods imported from the US of up to 493 million per year. 'The US should remove the punitive tariffs imposed following the WTO's ruling on Government subsidies to Airbus. US deal could boost EVERY UK region, claims Government Britains dream of a bumper trade agreement with the US envisions economic boosts for each region of the UK. In todays blueprint for the upcoming talks the Department for International Trade sets put how it believes each region and nation would see a boost to wages and a cut in consumer prices. Northern Ireland: Growth in pharmaceuticals, machinery and furniture manufacturing exports. Growth in pharmaceuticals, machinery and furniture manufacturing exports. Scotland: Increased trade in home-grown salmon and whisky and lowering tariffs on exports of cashmere wool, clothing and high quality meat. Increased trade in home-grown salmon and whisky and lowering tariffs on exports of cashmere wool, clothing and high quality meat. Wales: More market access for its famed lamb, plus reduced tariffs and export burdens on steel and ceramics. More market access for its famed lamb, plus reduced tariffs and export burdens on steel and ceramics. The Midlands: Lower tariffs on cars, ceramics and drinks Lower tariffs on cars, ceramics and drinks The North: Increased exports of machinery, road vehicles and manufactured products, exports of luxury clothing and access for lamb and dairy producers to the US market. Increased exports of machinery, road vehicles and manufactured products, exports of luxury clothing and access for lamb and dairy producers to the US market. South West: Lower tariffs on emerging technology, plus machinery, dairy and beef meat exports, as well as easing US customs procedures for ambitious SMEs exporting luxury sports equipment, marine equipment and beverages. Lower tariffs on emerging technology, plus machinery, dairy and beef meat exports, as well as easing US customs procedures for ambitious SMEs exporting luxury sports equipment, marine equipment and beverages. East: Increased exports of medicinal products and life sciences, plus lower tariffs on food and drinks Increased exports of medicinal products and life sciences, plus lower tariffs on food and drinks London and the South East: Benefits for business services firms, and tech firms via agreements on digital trade and copyright frameworks. Advertisement 'The UK continues to support a negotiated settlement to the Airbus and Boeing. For example, some 62 per cent of all US goods imported into the UK and 42 per cent of all UK goods exported into the US are used in supply chains, where extra gains could also be found from lowering barriers.' A post-Brexit trade deal with the US is estimated as having the potential to grow the UK economy by 0.16 per cent, according to the Government's negotiating objectives. The 3.4billion yearly increase outlined in the document published on Monday was predicted under the best-case scenario where the UK eliminates import tariffs with the States. But if only 'substantial tariff liberalisation' is achieved, then the increase estimated in 15 years was put at 0.07 per cent, or 1.6billion, in the Governments' preliminary assessment. While the US trade blueprint contained an assessment of the possible economic impact, the outline for talks with Brussels published this month did not contain any such assessment. Downing Street said that was because 'we are at a more typical start point for a free trade agreement negotiation' whereas with the EU 'we are starting from a position of alignment and co-operation which goes beyond the typical starting point for an FTA'. The Government has said it will 'invite contributions about the economic implications of the future relationship' with the EU from a 'wide range of stakeholders' in a public consultation. Mr Johnson has committed to obtaining a Canada-style deal with the EU, which previous Treasury analysis suggested could shrink the UK economy by 4.9 per cent. The best scenario outlined on Monday was where a 'deeper trade agreement' with 'full tariff liberalisation' and a 50 per cent reduction in non-tariff measures is struck. Under this, real wages for workers were expected by the Department for International Trade (DIT) to increase by 0.2 per cent, or 1.8billion. The scenario predicting a smaller boost to the economy was based on a 25 per cent reduction of non-tariff measures and a 'substantial tariff liberalisation'. Liberal Democrat international trade spokeswoman Sarah Olney accused the PM of being 'seemingly hellbent on risking UK prosperity'. 'Boris Johnson has repeatedly claimed that negative impacts of Brexit will pale in comparison to the benefits,' she said. 'But today's analysis is clear: the gains from the best-case trade deal with Donald Trump will not come close to outweighing what we expect to lose from leaving the EU.' Treasury analysis predicted that a trade deal with the EU similar to Canada's would damage the UK economy by 4.9 per cent of GDP by 2035, compared with remaining in the bloc. Leaving without a trade deal in place was estimated in the November 2018 study at having a 7.6 per cent blow. Labour MP David Lammy, a prominent Remain voice in the party, cited the analysis and said: 'So now you admit the potential economic benefits of a UK-US trade deal are just plus 0.2 per cent of GDP. 'In what planet does this boost wages or create jobs for anyone except the Tory Cabinet?' Labour accused ministers of making 'false promises' over commitments to protect the NHS and standards. Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said: 'This is a Government that has sought, at every opportunity, to resist efforts to lock in our high standards and to ensure robust protections for our NHS. 'Their false promises are meaningless - they have said they won't undercut our food standards while briefing that chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef are perfectly acceptable. 'That is why there must be a full and proper scrutiny process for this and all trade agreements.' The Department for International Trade (DIT) said it expects manufacturers of ceramics, cars, food and drink, and professional services to be among the British industries to benefit the most from tariff-free access to the US market. Crawford Falconer, DIT's chief trade negotiation adviser and formerly New Zealand's chief negotiator, will oversee talks on the UK side. Negotiating rounds will alternate between the UK and US. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said: 'Striking ambitious free trade agreements with our partners around the world is one of the key opportunities of Britain becoming an independent trading nation once again. 'This deal with our biggest single trading partner will cut red tape for our small businesses, cut tariffs for our great products from dairy to cars and increase growth in all four nations.' TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said the Government should be 'focused on getting a good trade deal with the EU - not cosying up to Donald Trump'. 'A bad trade deal with the US will put working people's jobs and rights on the line,' she said. 'And it will undermine our vital public services, environment and food standards. 'Nobody voted for chlorinated chicken or for US corporations to have more access to our personal data.' International Trade Secretary Liz Truss (pictured today) said striking trade deals was one of the main benefits of Brexit The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said it was 'encouraging' to see overarching ambitions in the negotiation mandate, due to be published in full on Monday, to make it simpler for skilled workers to cross the Atlantic for work. CBI director general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said: 'The UK is beginning a brand-new chapter in its global future, and a good trade deal with the US is a vital part of that story. 'It's encouraging to see the Government's ambitions to make it easier for skilled people to move between the UK and US, support small business exporters and future-proof any agreement around industries of the future. 'The US and UK already share the world's largest bilateral investment relationship; now is the time to use it as a springboard for new jobs and investment here at home.' The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said a great deal of its members were 'enthusiastic' about the prospect of closer trading ties with such a major economy. Following Britain's divorce from Brussels in January, it is now free to strike global trade deals. Foreign Office Minister Wendy Morton was dispatched to Uruguay and Argentina on Sunday, with trade one of the items on the agenda. by Michael Liss He is an enigma. He sits up there in his marble chair, set in a Greek temple, literally larger than life, and he defies us to understand him. Many have tried. More than 15,000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln, to say nothing of countless columns, essays, Masters and Doctoral theses. So familiar is the recitation of his story that there is an unmistakable sense of deja vu when you pick up yet another, turn to a random page, and, after a few words, half-wonder whether the author was unconsciously participating in a form of soft plagiarism. Yet, if there is any guide to the inner Lincoln, the double-minded Lincoln, the one who could prosecute an incredibly destructive war while engaging in countless acts of mercy, it has to be in the Second Inaugural Address, the one we remember mostly for its closing paragraph, with malice towards none. In this speech, barely 700 words, is the distilled essence of what Lincoln learned through the wrenching years of seeking, and then possessing, the Presidency. He exposes his own inner anguish as he reconciles it. In doing so, in taking responsibility, accepting nuance, and embracing a broader vision, he sets a standard for Presidential. He does all this in about seven minutes. We know that Lincoln could argue at great length, and brilliantly. We can see that in the transcripts of his debates with Stephen Douglas and his Cooper Union speech. But at his absolute best, here, and at Gettysburg, he is a miniaturist, each word having meaning. The Second Inaugural begins with just two: Fellow Countrymen. Because it is merely a salutation, it is easy to overlook, but this particular choice of words is surely deliberate. In his First Inaugural, he began with Fellow Citizens, and used citizens a total of six times. Citizenship involves an exchange of rights and obligations, and the First Inaugural, through most of the text, is largely about law and duty. Only in the closing sentences, when Lincoln is appealing to emotion and shared experience, did he switch to Countrymen. In the Second Inaugural, when the very idea of who is a citizen has been the subject of a brutal and intense war, Lincoln reaches beyond the formal framework of Citizen to a single use of the more inclusive Countrymen. Fellow-Countrymen: At this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured. You have to be a little flabbergasted at this opening. It is astoundingly prosaic, and certainly could not have been anticipated by the audience. No exulting in the victories of Grant, Sherman, and Farragut, no extended praise of the fighting man in the field, no applause lines. It is both an expression of Lincolns self-confidence in his ability to hold his audience, and a foreshadowing, by omission, of the broader message he intends to convey. On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. Again, Lincoln surprises. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. The people, his countrymen, whether of the North or South, didnt want war, but the decision was not altogether theirs. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without warseeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Lincoln is looking towards the future. He does not want to label all Southerners bellicose secessionists and make reconciliation more difficult. So he separates them from the insurgent agents already in the city (Washington). Lincoln doesnt name names, but he doesnt need to. Many prominent Confederate political leaders had influential roles in Washington before Lincolns election, some in Buchanans Cabinet. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. To Lincoln, this was an absolutely critical point. There was more than one moral difference between the sides; slavery, of course, but also a political one. Lincoln is stating what to him was obvious: Not only were the secessionists unwilling to accept his election, but they were planning to resist it by force. The Second Inaugural is a remarkably generous speech, yet on the democratic process and the peaceful transition of power, while Lincoln recognizes imperfections on each side, he will not concede moral equivalence. One might reasonably point out that Lincolns formulation seems to have been a little self-serving, and that the choice was not really binary. Why couldnt Lincoln and the North simply let the South leave? Or why didnt they offer even more concessions in an effort to save whatever semblance of the Union they could? Certainly, there was no shortage of plans advanced by well-meaning men trying to bridge the gap. But here you can see Lincoln holding his ground, because he had grasped something from the beginning that many others missed. He understood the difference between mere political opposition, even intense political opposition, and secession. If he had accepted either a compromise that betrayed the issues he had run on, or secession, he would have confirmed the impermanence of the Union for all time. He had to stand firm. As he had said in the First Inaugural, In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. They could choose the Constitutional process, introducing legislation while waiting for the next election. Or, they could opt for force. The next move would be up to the seceding States. And the war came. One of the most powerful phrases of the entire speech. Its simplicity, finality, and sense of the preordained is a thunderclap. The war came as a result of bad choices people of influence made even if they made them with the best of intentions. Those people included himself. Did he know in 1861 what he was acknowledging in 1865? He partially answers that in the next paragraph. One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. All knew, yet Lincoln himself maintained for a very long time that preserving the Union was his first, even his only, motivation. He went so far as to make it clear in the First Inaugural that he would accept a Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing that slavery could continue in the Souththis, despite his long-held aversion to the institution. Lincoln (to the endless frustration of the Abolitionists) was a man of law, and the Constitution was law, even when it clashed with his sense of right and wrong. All knew is an acknowledgement of an internal contradiction. He would abide by his Oath of Office, but he hadnt really changed his mind since his House Divided speech in 1858. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new North as well as South. If Lincoln knew, if all the language of compromise (even from those who devoutly hoped for compromise) was whistling past the graveyard, then its reasonable to assume that he may also have known his election, and not later secession, was a point of no return. The war would come. What type of war? A war that shattered illusions: Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. How revealing a paragraph. Both sides had thought it would be simple, a few skirmishes, bloody the other sides nose, and it would be over. You can see this jaunty confidence in the editorial pages of newspapers from both regions. Part of what fueled this was arrogance, the North in its sense of material superiority, the South in believing it had better men and better generals. Neither grasped it would be a fight to the finish, Shermans total war. And neither grasped that slavery itself could be eradicated. Both assumed a status quo afterwardsthey would fight over the political question, there would be a winner and a loser, but slavery was there to stayit was simply a question of whether it would spread, and when. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just Gods assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other mens faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh. If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Something important has happened here. Weve moved from the secular to the religious. Lincoln shifts language into what almost amounts to a sermon. There is a lot of controversy about this in the academic community. Did this profoundly tested man finally turn to the consolations of religion to soothe his personal pain? We know that virtually every Protestant denomination claimed him for their own. Did he see himself as part of any one of them? Or was he using the then-near universal language of the Bible as a means of communicating civic virtue? There is no easy answer, but whatever his true feelings, the symbolism was potent. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just Gods assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other mens faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. It is an extraordinary statement, since the obvious response to judge not seems self-evident. Of course we judge, and of course its wrong. But Lincoln, however deeply felt his moral convictions, is not willing to take this step. Judge not, because the guilt lies upon all, and parsing out who deserves more is beside the point. Judge not, because slavery did not begin with the Confederacy. It was a disease transmitted to this country in the first boats of the first European settlers. Judge not, because it was present, at some point, in every colony, and the benefits flowed not just to slave owners, but also those who directly or indirectly profited from it. Secession was a political sin that could be laid at the door of the Southern leadership. Slavery was the original sin that all shared, either directly, or as an inheritance. He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came. The rendering of an account, vengeance, if there is to be any, is not for the North to give to the South. It is permitted to only the morally blameless, those who have suffered the lash. Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-mans two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether. With this, Lincoln brings us to the doorstep. He has searched himself and recognized his own frailties and failures, put aside his personal prejudices and found an emotional framework that informs and even comforts him. He believes he can impart that to his audience, both at the Inauguration, and those as a distance. The duration and cost of the war, in lives and in treasure, will be decided not by battles amongst men, but by simple justicejust what is the price for 250 years of suffering? When that price has been paid, but not until it is paid, the war will be over. Then, his majestic final words: With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nations wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. He says, let us strive on to finish the work we are in. What is the work? Here, I believe, we have arrived at the heart of Lincolns sense of history and duty. It asks for more than just the surrender of Southern armies, it demands the North forbear retribution and begin the healing. Bind up the nations wounds, repair the breach between all aggrieved parties, and care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan. Just as he had acknowledged the Norths complicity, he now embraces the Southern people, if not the Confederacy. Lincoln makes no distinction between either Northern and Southern soldiers, or Northern and Southern non-combatants. They are countrymen, and it is the duty of the victor to care for both. He closes with an even more compelling imperative, greater than military success or political goals. We have offended God and humanity, and to restore our wounded nation fully, we owe a final duty. We must do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations. With all nations is not a throwaway. The world has seen the brutality and the appalling loss of life. They have watched, with concern, the North grow as an economic and military power. They are wondering what this comparatively new nation, one they have dismissed as crude and uncultured, will do as a newly muscular young adult. At this crucial moment, Lincoln has told them: a lasting peace, with all nations. With that he is done. Historians have long debated whether Lincolns reputation could have survived a contentious Reconstruction. We might also ask in what light this speech might be considered if Lincoln had lived to see his hopes for reconciliation thoroughly rejected. It was not to be. In one of the great but tragic ironies, in the audience that day, just yards from the podium, was a young actor, John Wilkes Booth. Less than six weeks later, he rendered both questions moot. Lincoln, and the Second Inauguraleach became one for the ages. The Almighty has His own purposes. Montgomery County voters head to the polls Tuesday in the Republican and Democratic primaries. Among the contested races on the Republican primary slate, a field of five candidates for the new 457th state District Court bench bring a wide range of experience and qualifications to the race for the court that will focus solely on civil cases. Vying for the Republican nod are Chris Buck, Robert Bobby Kasprzak, Vince Santini, Bruce Coulson Tough and Eric Yollick. Introduced in February by state Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, Toth said he requested the new judicial district at the behest of the Montgomery County Commissioners Court and county judges in light of a caseload growth. In other contested races, Robert Walker and Billy Graff will face on for Precinct 1 Commissioner to fill the spot of 26 year commissioners court veteran Mike Meador; Precinct 2 Constable Gene Deforest is being challenged by Clyde Vogel, Daniel Pena and David Eason; Precinct 4 Constable Rowdy Hayden is facing King Merritt and Bryan Skero; Precinct 5 Constable Chris Jones is facing Brian Clack; and John Bouche and Bryan Christ will vie to fill the role of GOP county chair for long time leader Dr. Wally Wilkerson. On the Democratic ballot, Montgomery County voters will have only one contested race. Amy Hamrick Lewis, Chris Powell and Demetria Nelson-McNaulty are hoping to get the bid to fill the party chair currently held by Marc Meyer who is running for the new 457th state District Court Judge and will face the Republican party bid for the bench in November. Early voting in the Republican primary didnt outpace 2016 numbers with 35,930 voters casting ballots this year during the two-week period which ended Friday. In 2016, the last presidential election cycle, there were 41,888 GOP votes cast early, according to a previous Courier article. That significantly outdistanced 2012 early voting where only 22,538 were cast in the Republic primary that year. Election Day Voting in today's party primary election takes place from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at 100 voting locations across Montgomery County. On Election Day, voters must vote in precinct where they are registered to vote. For voting information, visit www.montgomeryvotes.org or call Election Central at 936-539-7843. Follow The Courier at yourconroenews.com for voting results after 7 p.m. See More Collapse However, there were 10,670 Democratic voters who made their way to the polls this year. In 2016, only 4,641 cast early ballot votes on the Democratic side of the ticket. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday on Election Day. The Republican ballot has several contested races including the new 457th state District Court bench, constable precincts 2, 4 and 5, Precinct 1 commissioner, Republican Party chairman and a handful of precinct chairman races. On the Democratic side, the only contested race is party chair. Republican primary numbers Totals for the eight voting locations were Willis with 3,368, Magnolia with 3,206, The Woodlands 7,888, East County with 3,994, Montgomery with 4,197, Mitchell Library with 2,268, Conroe with 4,719 and the Magnolia Event Center with 1,974. Democratic primary numbers Totals for the eight voting locations were Willis with 477, Magnolia with 393, The Woodlands 4,072, East County with 781, Montgomery with 630, Mitchell Library with 1,485, Conroe with 948 and the Magnolia Event Center with 314. For information on voting locations and precincts, visit www.elections.mctx.org. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Nothing so extreme was required for The Perplexed. Still, over the course of three weeks and 23 previews, monologues were scrapped, blocking was restaged, 50-cent words were replaced with accessible synonyms and a final bow featuring the actors holding champagne glasses was tried once then promptly trashed. For me, its all about figuring out what people are getting, said Greenberg, whose Tony Award-winning play Take Me Out is being revived by Second Stage Theater in April. Until you get into rehearsal, youre talking to yourself, he explained. In the studio with a director and actors, a playwright has the benefit of clarifying his intentions, but all that changes in previews. Then you get in front of a bunch of strangers, and you can hear when something is mystifying. Greenberg is as versed in the citys educated, upper-middle class as a sommelier who knows his wine list, its undertones, its hints and everything else that gives nuance. His most recent works, Our Mothers Brief Affair (2016) and the Tony-nominated The Assembled Parties (2013), were both directed by Meadow. The Perplexed is a drawing-room play, literally it is set in a lavish home library of an unseen, Jewish billionaire host, Berland Stahl and figuratively. Like some characters from Greenbergs previous works, the members of the wedding party here belong to a privileged, insular world, yet feel adrift amid changing cultural tides. While the countdown to a midnight ceremony ticks on, they hash out drama old and new. We meet the bride (Tess Frazer) and her parents, City Councilwoman Evy Arlen-Stahl (Margaret Colin) and Joseph Stahl (Frank Wood), who is the billionaires disinherited son. Evy goes way back, both in business and pleasure, with the lawyer Ted Resnik (Gregg Edelman), the father of the groom (JD Taylor). Teds self-righteous, do-gooder wife is Natalie Hochberg-Resnik (Ilana Levine). Also in the mix are Evys son, Micah (Zane Pais), a medical student who stars in gay adult films on the side; her writer brother (Patrick Breen); a former rabbi from South Carolina (Eric William Morris) dealing with some meshugas of his own; and one working-class character, Berlands Guyanese aide Patricia Persaud (Anna Itty). An analyst fell off his chair during a LIVE TV debate show on a Pakistani news channel, the video of which is going viral on various social media platforms. The incident occurred on a Pakistani TV channel Dunya News during a show hosted by anchor Syeda Ayesha Naaz with four other guest panelists. The panel members in the show were discussing the newly released survey by Gallup that shows at least 66% of Pakistani citizens have expressed dissatisfaction with the current ruling dispensation led by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Analyst falls off chair on live TV In the video, one of the analysts, Salman Ghani can be seen making his point on the survey when his chair breaks down abruptly in the middle of the discussion and he falls down off his chair, leaving the anchor and other panel members in shock. The host, Syeda Naaz immediately steps in and calls for an advertisement break. To watch the exact moment when the analyst fell off his chair, skip to 5:17 minutes in the debate. Read: Javed Miandad Threatens Legal Action Against Pakistani Channel For Mocking His 1992 WC Act However, this is not the first time when an analyst fell off his chair during a live debate on a Pakistani news channel. In September 2019, during a debate on Kashmir's issue, an analyst fell off his chair triggering a flurry of reactions on social media. When the analyst fell off his chair the reaction of the news anchor is what tickled netizens' funny bone and made the video viral as he was seen biting his tongue to express his shock. Read: Netizens Laud Heena Sidhu's Befitting Reply To Divisive Pakistan Neta, Tell Her She 'hit The Bullseye @mazhar_barlas sir ap kay lagi tw nahi ziada ??@GTVNetworkHD jani wtf pic.twitter.com/iNY0Yfc7HM A S A D I S H A Q (@IamAsadIshaq) September 17, 2019 Read: Pakistan Need Malik And Hafeez's Experience, Says T20 Captain Babar Azam As far as the Gallup survey is concerned, 59 percent of people in Pakistan believed that the ruling PTIs performance was worse than that of the previous governments. Further, 62 percent of Pakistanis have opposed the policies of the current government, whereas 35 percent of people feel that the country is heading in the right direction. Read: Pakistan Neta 'waiting' With Duck-hunt Gun And Joggers For Indian Army In PoK; Trolled She's carved out a career helping other people find love, which makes Married At First Sight relationship expert Mel Schilling's own love story all the more surprising. In a November 2017 interview with podcast Honey Mums, the 49-year-old 'love guru' revealed she 'was single for my whole 30's'. She eventually met her now-husband Gareth Brisbane through dating website eharmony, with the couple marrying in Bali in July 2018 after a six-year engagement. Late bloomer: In an interview with podcast Honey Mums, Married At First Sight 'love expert' Mel Schilling revealed she 'was single for my whole 30's' 'ONE YEAR AGO TODAY. I got to marry this guy - my best mate, my love, my bloke, my mentor, my rock,' she wrote on Instagram for their first anniversary. 'What an incredible first year it has been... I love growing with you & can only imagine what the next year holds for our family - I love your guts.' The couple also share a five-year-old daughter Maddie, who they conceived through IVF. Perfect match: She eventually met her now-husband Gareth Brisbane through dating website eharmony, with the couple marrying in Bali in July 2018 'ONE YEAR AGO TODAY. I got to marry this guy - my best mate, my love, my bloke, my mentor, my rock,' she wrote on Instagram for their first anniversary Speaking to Honey Mums, Mel confessed she had almost given up on finding love and starting a family when she met Gareth. 'I wanted a relationship, but every time a man came near me, you should have seen my body language,' she said, as reported by 9Honey. 'It said, "Don't touch me or I don't need you or don't come any closer or you're going to get your head bitten off."' The single life: Speaking to Honey Mums, Mel confessed she had almost given up on finding love and starting a family when she met Gareth 'I wanted a relationship, but every time a man came near me, you should have seen my body language,' she said, as reported by 9Honey She added: 'We've all got history and I think I was carrying it around pretty heavily,' Mel said she used to spend every Saturday night at home on the couch by herself, 'eating Magnums', and while she was happy with her life, she was also lonely. 'It wasn't until I was 39 that I met Gareth - and kids were just not on my radar at all,' she admitted. Happy family: The couple also share a five-year-old daughter, Maddie, who they conceived through IVF Loss: After falling pregnant naturally, Mel tragically suffered a miscarriage, describing the experience as 'really painful' But she said that during a drunken night out with Gareth, she realised just how much she wanted to be a mum. After falling pregnant naturally, Mel tragically suffered a miscarriage, describing the experience as 'really painful'. She eventually turned to IVF, falling pregnant with Maddie after just one try. Brave: In an interview with Stellar Magazine on Sunday, Mel confessed she could never imagine herself as a participant on MAFS, but has respect for the people who do it The family resides in Bali for most of the year, but returns to Sydney when Mel has to film MAFS. And in an interview with Stellar Magazine on Sunday, Mel confessed she could never imagine herself as a participant on MAFS, but has respect for the people who do it. 'I really admire the way they put themselves out there and take a very public chance on love. I wouldn't have the gumption!' she admitted. Swedish health officials on Monday urged transport authorities to ban flights from Iran over coronavirus fears, saying Tehran was "not in control" of the outbreak on its soil. Sweden has 14 confirmed cases of the virus, including two who had travelled to Iran and four cases traced to those two travellers, according to newspaper Expressen. The Middle Eastern country has reported 1,501 cases, including 66 deaths in total. "To continue to take in large groups of passengers from Iran under present circumstances would severely complicate the work to limit the spread of COVID-19," Johan Carlson, director of the Public Health Agency of Sweden, said in a statement. It added that "responsible authorities in Iran are not in control of the situation" and it feared the spread of the virus in Sweden. Speaking to AFP, Carlson said the agency was not planning any similar measures for other airlines flying to other heavily affected countries. The agency never asked for any bans of flights to and from China, and Carlson explained this was because they had better working relationships with Chinese authorities and airlines. "This is a very exceptional situation and it goes back to that we are not really confident in what's happening in Iran today," Carlson said. A spokeswoman for the transport agency said it would look into the matter and would likely announce a decision later Monday. Iran Air is currently the only carrier offering direct flights between Sweden and Iran, with a weekly flight to Gothenburg and two flights a week to Stockholm. Stockholm last week advised against all non-necessary travel to Iran. Swedish health authorities also raised the risk assessment level for a general spread of the virus from "low" to "moderate" on Monday, and said the risk that more cases would emerge was "very high." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Trevor Lunn has resigned from the Alliance Party and will become an independent MLA, the party has announced. A spokesperson said they were sorry to learn of the Lagan Valley MLA's resignation and that the reason for it remained unclear after a meeting with Alliance leader Naomi Long. Mr Lunn (73) has been MLA for Lagan Valley since 2007 and is a former mayor of Lisburn. Late last year, he apologised after video footage was posted on social media appearing to show him slapping a dog. He previously made headlines for backing gay marriage after having voiced his opposition for a period of time. In July 2018, he paid tribute to the NHS after a stay in hospital. "He had said for some time he intended to stand down from politics at the next election. It is sad he has chosen to end his political career outside the Alliance family," the party spokesperson said. "We recognise his contribution to the party. We wish him well for the future." Mr Lunn said the move was a "sad decision for me", which was caused by "internal difficulties". / -- Simplilearn has won the 10th annual Aegis Graham Bell Award in the category Innovation in Edtech. Simplilearn earned the award for its innovative Technology-driven Blended Learning solution. Simplilearn shares the award with Odo Technologies, a provider of smart classroom solutions. Aegis School of Business, Data Science, Cyber Security, and Telecommunication established the Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) as a tribute to the father of telephony, Alexander Graham Bell. The AGBA promotes innovations in the IT, Telecom, and SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud) domains and in Exponential Technologies. The award recognizes outstanding contributions by the honorees. The AGBA jury members are a blend of industry veterans, academicians and investors who evaluate the nominations on the criteria of innovativeness, market potential/impact, social impact, sustainability, and interoperability. Simplilearn's signature innovation in blended learning offers a combination of self-paced and instructor-led online components that allows learners to access the entire program from anywhere. Today Simplilearn has helped more than one million professionals and 1,000 companies across 150 countries to upskill, get trained, and prepare for the digital future, along with the support of the dedicated support team who address learner's queries round the clock. "This Aegis Graham Bell Award for Innovation in Edtech is recognition of Simplilearn's leadership and innovation in the edtech field," said Mr. Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer of Simplilearn. "The AGBA is a tribute to the outstanding work of our architects, developers, product managers, teaching assistants and instructors, and especially to their dedication in helping our learners achieve their dreams." "Simplilearn's Edtech innovation is a true 360-degree learning approach much needed in this era where only the classroom or online learning isn't enough. I congratulate the team of Simplilearn for their efforts which gives a holistic approach to the field of Edtech," said Mr. Bhupesh Daheria, CEO of Aegis School of Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecom and Founder, Aegis Graham Bell Awards. Some of Simplilearn's other significant achievements driven by this innovative learning solution: Achieved a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 82 across all customer touchpoints, including the end of consumption of our long delivery cycle. Achieved a course completion rate of 77%, versus the elearning industry average which stands at 10%. Won the 2019 Stevie Award for Customer Service Success Won the esteemed "EC-Council ATC Circle of Excellence Award" for two consecutive years Named "2018 Top 20 Online Learning Library Companies" by Training Industry Magazine. Won the "Paul Writer's Bangalore's Hot 50 - Innovative Use of Technology" award in 2018. About Simplilearn Simplilearn enables professionals and enterprises to succeed in the fast-changing digital economy. The company provides outcome-based online training across digital technologies and applications such as Big Data, Machine Learning, AI, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, and other emerging technologies. Based in San Francisco, CA, Raleigh, NC, and Bangalore, India, Simplilearn has helped more than one million professionals and 1,000 companies across 150 countries get trained, acquire certifications, and reach their business and career goals. The company's high-engagement curriculum blends self-paced online learning, instructor-led live virtual classrooms, hands-on projects, student collaboration, and 24/7 global teaching assistance. Simplilearn is a GSA IT-70 contract holder and was recognized by Training Industry as a Top 20 Online Learning Library Company of 2018. For more information, visit Simplilearn.com. Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097797/Simplilearn_Aegis_Graham_Bell.jpg Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/535442/Simplilearn_Logo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:19:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military said on Monday it attacked a vehicle in the Golan Heights near the Israel-Syria disputed border after snipers in it attempted to shoot at Israeli troops. "IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops identified an attempted sniper attack in the northern Golan Heights area," an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement. "In response, IDF troops targeted the vehicle involved in the attempted attack," the statement read. Earlier, Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported a missile struck a civilian vehicle outside Quneitra in south-western Syria, attributing the attack to Israel. The incident came as Israel was holding a national parliamentary election for the third time in less than a year. Israel has carried out "hundreds" of airstrikes in Syria, claiming the attacks target Iranian sites in the war-torn country. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain unveiled its mandate for trade talks with the United States on Monday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowing to drive a hard bargain in negotiations that are set to test the special relationship between the two countries. After leaving the European Union in January, Johnson wants to pursue a trade deal with Washington to try to not only champion Britains new independence but also to put pressure on the bloc in separate talks on a future relationship. As a negotiating team heads to Brussels to start those discussions, the government set out its mandate for talks with the United States, warning that London would walk away if its demands are not met. Britain said it wanted to achieve huge gains by removing barriers to trade but that its much-loved National Health Service (NHS) would not be on the table in talks, and that its food standards would be maintained. That could set the two sides on a collision course, putting additional pressure on a relationship already strained by Londons decision to allow Chinas Huawei a limited role in its 5G mobile network and a proposed digital services tax. We have the best negotiators in the business and of course, were going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry, Johnson said. Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the unique closeness of our two great nations. The negotiating mandate hinted that Britain could reconsider the introduction of a digital tax in April which has been criticised by Washington. The government said its analysis showed a deal with the United States could boost transatlantic trade by 15.3 billion pounds ($19.61 billion), and add 3.4 billion pounds to the British economy. Britains overall economy is worth around $2.7 trillion. The United States is currently Britains biggest trading partner after the EU, accounting for nearly 19% of all its exports in 2018 and 11% of imports. By comparison, the EU accounted for 45% of all UK exports and 53% of UK imports. SCOTTISH SALMON FOR STETSON HATS The government said manufacturers of cars, ceramics, food and drink, and professional services including architects and lawyers, would be among the biggest winners from the trade deal. Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers, Johnson said. Both sides hope a deal can be reached as soon as this year, but there are many hurdles. The government reiterated that the NHS was not for sale addressing criticism that a deal could let private U.S. healthcare providers into Britains state-funded health system. It also vowed to uphold high standards on food safety and animal welfare amid fears from farmers that the government is ready to allow U.S.-produced chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef into Britain. In a trade deal with the U.S., we will not diminish our food safety standards and we will also not put the NHS on the table, British trade minister Liz Truss said. If we dont get the deal we want we will be prepared to walk away. Washingtons negotiating objectives, published last year, include pressing for full market access for U.S. pharmaceutical products and medical devices, which would require changes to the NHS pricing restrictions and could increase the cost of drugs. Britains Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser, Crawford Falconer, who previously worked as New Zealands chief negotiator, will represent the government in the talks. Britain also plans to begin negotiating deals with Japan, Australia and New Zealand in the coming months, alongside talks with the EU on future relations. The government said its aim is to have 80% of external trade covered by free trade agreements by 2022. "Weve built a retrofitted sampling model for products that are too expensive to give away but are too new and too good not to try before buying," said nok co-founder/CEO Bobby Wann. With consumers increasingly basing their purchasing decisions on word of mouth and first-hand knowledge, nok is pioneering a new model of retail supply chain and commerce through circular on-demand free trials. Using noks services, people can try a range of products from leading brands, at no charge, for three days before buying or returning them with no commitment. nok recently completed a round of investor funding led by Moonshots Capital and Greycroft with follow-on from Village Global, bringing noks total capital to $4 million. With this infusion, the company is accelerating its growth in the New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco markets. nok is the first to successfully offer consumers seamless and worry-free trial experiences, while solving the logistical challenges, high costs and inventory reductions traditionally associated with product trials and returns. The company was founded in 2017 by CEO Bobby Wann and COO Renato Anselmi Ricci, two technology entrepreneurs committed to redefining the relationship between brands and consumers. Easy and immediate access to information has made consumers savvier and turned many off to the effects of advertising, branding and even influencer marketing, Wann said. They know all the gimmicks and dont want to spend hours reading fake reviews. They would rather build trust through service and they find nothing more refreshing than putting their hands on something and seeing the evidence for themselves. Weve built a retrofitted sampling model for products that are too expensive to just give away but are too new and too good not to try before buying. nok operates as a white label hosting and check-out service, with no need for a brand to design or integrate any new technology into its e-commerce functions. Although customers need to submit their credit card information to begin the trial experience, there is no card authorization conducted or charges processed enabling a 100% free home tryout activation with no buyers remorse. The companys successful and profitable approach is attractive to investors as well as partner brands. Any new investment opportunity of course has to make business sense but, more importantly, we also look for demonstrated leadership and extraordinary vision, said Kelly Perdew at Moonshots. The nok founders deliver on both criteria. Dana Settle at Greycroft added, This is a massive market opportunity to not only meet changing consumer behaviors, but to also transform how companies have thought about their supply chain for decades. The most recent clients to launch with nok are TUMI, the leading international travel and lifestyle brand, and coffee products manufacturer Lavazza. In our experience, customers expectations have evolved faster than retailers have been able to keep up with, said Charlie Cole, Chief Digital Officer, TUMI. We used to debate offering free shipping with a threshold, and then Amazon Prime came along. The lesson learned is dont wait for someone else to exceed your potential customers expectations. Partnering with nok allows our customers to test out a product before making a purchase, letting the TUMI product speak for itself. Brands are promoting the nok service by building new landing pages for their websites or simply adding the hook into their existing advertising and channel marketing campaigns. Once products are ordered, delivery is completed within three hours using on-demand couriers and nok uses environmentally sustainable delivery options like bicycles or electric scooters whenever possible. If a product is returned, nok will pick it up at the customers door, take it to their warehouse and get it ready for the next customer to try within 48 hours. In the United States, nok has established warehousing and delivery infrastructures in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles and the company has run hundreds of test trials for three new clients which are expected to go live in the coming weeks. The company has the capability to rapidly expand and reach 30 major U.S. metropolitan markets. nok can do for high-end products what free samples have done for consumer packaged goods and beauty brands for the past 50 years, Wann said. For almost all large brands, nothing is more difficult to maneuver than their supply chains and more are realizing it makes sense to let us do it for them. We see ourselves as a new high-engagement channel, turning what used to be heavy losses from returned products into sales and profitable long-term customer relationships. 1995 25 years ago Telephone customers in the Red Wing telephone exchange were mailed ballots this week to vote on whether their telephone calls to the Minneapolis-St. Paul calling area should be local calls. If approved, extended area service would allow local, instead of long-distance, calling between Red Wing and the metro area. 1970 50 years ago Retail coffee prices are expected to soar this year. Prices jumped to a national average of 82 cents a pound. Adult Americans drink an average of 3.12 cups per day. KOLM radio station transmissions went dead about 11:30 a.m. when a fire broke out in the basement of the building at 114 S. Broadway. The fire department responded, confining the fire to the lower level. The fire was started by defective 220-volt wiring. After a two-hour interruption broadcasting was resumed. ADVERTISEMENT 1945 75 years ago The names of 34 Olmsted County schools qualified to fly the Schools-at-War flag were announced today. Many of the schools had an excellent showing in the selling of war stamps and bonds. The flag indicates that 90 percent of its students participated in a given month. Mayo Clinic officials said today that Harry Hopkins, presidential assistant, would be under observation at Saint Marys Hospital for several days. Hopkins was flown here in an army transport after attending the Yalta conference with President Roosevelt. 1920 100 years ago The great revival that has been in progress at the Salvation Army for the past three weekends came to a close. Sixteen individuals fought the powers of evil and knelt at the altar when the invitation was given to accept Christ as Savior. The annual meeting of the county school officers was held in the Rochester Armory. At least one representative from each district must attend. Officers attending will get per diem expenses for mileage. Public pool rooms have become an agency of evil, permitting a convenient gathering place for criminals to plot their evil deeds and often-times serve as a school for teaching young men the way of the wrong-doer. Public dance halls are termed as a "menace to the morals of the city." Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Monday visited riot-affected areas in northeast Delhi to take stock of the situation and interacted with locals. An official said the lieutenant governor, accompanied by senior police officials, visited Shiv Vihar, one of the worst-hit areas, and Karawal Nagar, Chand Bagh and Brijpuri areas. "We all should prioritise bringing back peace and tranquillity to restore normalcy," Baijal said during his visit and directed police to continue deployment and take effective measures to counter rumour mongers. "Police need to work closely with Aman Committees to build bridges between communities. All agencies including police, municipal corporation should work together to restore damaged infrastructure and improve civic amenities to instil confidence among the residents," Baijal said in a statement. The Lt Governor reviewed law and order in the violence-hit areas with Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi, before his visit. He was accompanied by Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shirvastava and other officers during his visit. Interacting with locals, he observed that the situation is gradually improving day by day, and urged them not to pay attention to rumours and avoid circulating unconfirmed messages. He directed Delhi Police to continue flag marches in the affected areas and take effective measures to counter rumour mongers. "Delhi Police should keep strong vigil on social media and ensure timely and effective action against rumour mongers. Any attempt to spread false and malicious news should be nipped in the bud itself," he said. Any news, images or videos which spread hatred between communities should be reported to police on helpline nos (100, 112, 011-22829334, 011-22829335) or official twitter handle @DelhiPolice. Police has been instructed to take strict action against those spreading false news, the statement said. Baijal also directed East Delhi Municipal Corporation to take up an extensive cleanliness drive and repair of damaged civic infrastructure in the area on a war footing, it added. The communal violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas in northeast Delhi last week claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. (Alliance News) - Zenith Energy Ltd on Monday announced an exclusivity pact for buying working interest in an undisclosed oil asset in Tunisia and said it would handover the contract rehabilitation area in Muradkhanli-Jafarli-Zardab block of oil fields in Azerbaijan to state oil firm SOCAR. Shares in the Canadian oil & gas company were 14% higher at 1.03 pence in London. Zenith said the Tunisian asset produces at a rate of 700 barrels of oil per day, generating gross annual revenue of USD15 million. The company is in advanced negotiations with an unnamed international oil major for the signing of an offtake agreement for the asset's future production, in order to fund the acquisition. Zenith said it has no plans to issue any equity to fund the Tunisian acquisition, and expects the deal to be completed by the end of March, should due diligence activities be completed. In a separate statement, the company said the contract rehabilitation area in Azerbaijan is part of the rehabilitation, exploration, development and production sharing agreement signed over the Muradkhanli-Jafarli-Zardab block, and features areas where existing production needs to be improved. Zenith will continue to operate the CRA and maintain oil production activities in Azerbaijan until the handover is completed. Afterwards, the company expects to achieve a near total reduction in operating expenses from the country. In addition, Zenith is owed USD700,000 from sales of produced oil through a local subsidiary, which it is expected to collect in the near future. The CRA's current production stands at around 180 barrels of oil per day. Looking ahead, Zenith said once the CRA handover is completed, its sole operational focus in Azerbaijan will be to perform exploration activities. "The transformational development oil production and revenue generation opportunities we are currently completing in Africa require a strategic review of our focus to optimise the deployment of our financial resources and management attention," said Chief Executive Officer Andrea Cattaneo. "Zenith has deployed significant financial and technical resources since the beginning of the Azerbaijan project in order to achieve material increases in oil production. Results have underwhelmed management and market expectations for a number of reasons including the complexity of the geological formations and oil reservoirs, the poor condition of many existing wells, as well the inaccuracy of historical well records," Cattaneo added. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A nurse walks near an isolation room at a HCMC field hospital that serves as a novel coronavirus quarantine center, February 7, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nhu Quynh. Over 2,000 Vietnamese and foreign citizens are currently in quarantine after returning to Hanoi and Saigon from South Korea, with more field hospitals planned. In HCMC, Vietnam's southern metropolis, about 220 people are quarantined at Cu Chi field hospital. The facility has 300 beds and divides quarantine rooms by sex, according to Nguyen Tri Dung, director of HCMC Center for Disease Control. Quarantine areas are equipped with TVs and free Wi-Fi connection. "Three free meals are served a day while clothes are washed following medical protocol. The hospital has also installed a guidelines in both Korean and Chinese," Dung said. Doctors use Google Translate in communicating with foreigners currently in isolation. Dung said HCMC is establishing a second quarantine zone to hold additional arrivals from coronavirus-hit areas. City authorities said they would continue to require those entering Vietnam from South Korea or having passed through the country to submit a health declaration. Vietnamese citizens arriving from South Korea who have registered their temporary residence in HCMC will be brought home and monitored there. Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director of Hanoi Department of Health, said the city has placed 1,764 people returning from South Korea in quarantine zones managed by the capitals military command. Among them, 12 people have shown signs of coughing and have been transferred to the Hospital for Tropical Disease in Dong Anh District. Hanh said if the outbreak explodes, medical facilities in Hanoi could provide 5,000 beds to treat Covid-19 patients. General hospitals across Hanoi have established 40 quick response teams to assist smaller facilities in need. "The Department of Health and the capitals military command have submitted the plan to build two field hospitals with a capacity of 600 beds each to city authorities," it was added. There are about 22,000 Vietnamese working in South Korea, where the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is second only to China. More than 4,212 people in this country were diagnosed with Covid-19 as of Monday. A Vietnamese living in South Koreas Daegu, the local epicenter, has been infected with the novel coronavirus. Vietnam has reported 16 infection cases of the coronavirus, including three in HCMC. All have recovered and left hospital. The country has reported no new infections since February 13. The global death toll on Sunday climbed to 3,044, mostly in China, followed by 54 in Iran, 34 in Italy and 22 in South Korea. The U.S., Australia and Vietnam's neighbor Thailand reported their first deaths over the weekend. Messianic Jewish Lobby Blasts UN Anti-Israel Blacklist Urgent Call for Action to Christians Who Love Israel NEWS PROVIDED BY Alliance for Israel Advocacy (AIA) March 2, 2020 WASHINGTON, March 2, 2020 / Christian Newswire / -- The Alliance for Israel Advocacy (AIA) ( www.israeladvocates.org ) today strongly condemned the recently released United Nations blacklist of companies that engage in economic support of West Bank settlements. The first of its kind report from the UN in its 75-year history, issued Feb 12, lists 112 companies it claims are involved in supporting and facilitating settlement activity and is recommending the boycott of their goods and services. Joel Chernoff, Executive Director of AIA said, "This 'blacklist' is unprecedented and an outrage. It includes companies that provide basic goods and services to both Jews and Arabs working and shopping together in West Bank settlements as well as companies that help to protect civilians from terror attacks. This is the United Nations' anti-Semitic and bigoted views laid bare." Rabbi Dr. Joel Liberman, President of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) added, "This unprecedented resolution was designed for one reason - to undermine Israel's right to exist. There are many disputed territories across the world, yet there is nothing like this resolution pertaining to any of those locations. This is just the latest example of long running discrimination by the UN against Israel and the Jewish people." Urgent Call for Action "For this reason," Chernoff adds, "the Alliance for Israel Advocacy urgently calls on all pro-Israel Christian organizations, denominations and individuals to come to the defense of the Jewish people and Israel by encouraging the Trump Administration and Congressional leaders to take concrete disciplinary action both in aid and finances against the UN and countries supporting the anti-Israel blacklist." Chernoff continued, "Anti-Semitism is growing and increasingly brazen. Talk is cheap. Real action on behalf of Israel is what is now needed to stem the rising tide of anti-Semitism here in the U.S. and around the world." The Alliance for Israel Advocacy (AIA) seeks to activate and organize American support for Israel by articulating Israel's biblical claim to the Land. AIA is the public policy arm of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America which is the largest organization worldwide representing the Messianic Jewish community. AIA seeks to equip the Christian church, policy makers and the media with resources to foster greater understanding of the biblical case for Israel's claim to the historic Land of Israel, her right to self-determination, and for her role in world redemption. SOURCE Alliance for Israel Advocacy (AIA) Related Links Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Johannesburg, South Africa Mon, March 2, 2020 10:05 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067a8f0d 2 Entertainment Netflix,Africa,Queen-Sono,streaming-service Free Online streaming giant Netflix's first made-in-Africa production, Queen Sono, a spy thriller starring South Africa's leading actress Pearl Thusi, launches on Friday. The new series, one its first investments on the continent, premiered in Johannesburg on Thursday night. Created and directed by leading local satirist and actor Kagiso Lediga, Queen Sono is part of Netflix's broader "Made in Africa, Seen by the World" strategy. Shot at more than 37 locations including in Kenya, Zanzibar, Nigeria and South Africa -- Queen Sono is the first original script-to-screen series from Africa. Read also: Netflix announces $1 million partnership with Education and Culture Ministry Netflix's Africa manager Dorothy Ghettuba describes the movie as "a gripping action pact thriller (that) ... follows the life of Queen Sono, a highly trained secret spy who works for South Africans". "I have always been the face of a strong African woman; it's not new to me but I'm now representing a character on screen who is, I think reflecting all the women in Africa that are strong, black African women," said Thusi, who is also a star of US FBI thriller series "Quantico". The production shows "exactly what we wish to do which is telling stories about Africa by Africans," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix. For creator and director Lediga "there are so many stories, there are so many great film makers on the continent, I can't wait to see what comes up after this". After attending the premier Lufuno Mutheiwana, 48, who works at a retail store, said it was time Africa tells its own story. "It shows that we as Africans we can to do things by ourselves, we dont need Europeans or Asians or anyone to tell our own stories. We understand ourselves and we can actually tell our story better than anybody else". Zoryana Skaletska turned to all Ukrainian citizens who still hasn't chosen their family doctors, urging them to do so; the second stage of the healthcare reform in Ukraine will begin on April 1 So far, 29 million Ukrainian citizens have signed declarations with their family doctors. Healthcare Minister Zoryana Skaletska posted this on her Facebook page. "It's March 1, which means the next step in changes in the medical assistance provision will commence in a month. The program of medical guarantees will start working. With the appointment card, one will be able to get the state-paid outpatient treatment and secondary health care, surgical interference, medical examination, get inoculated, tested and diagnosed, and get medications. Currently, 29 million Ukrainians already signed declarations with family doctors. I urge all those who still hasn't - choose your family doctor", she wrote. The reform of the medicine's primary section (family doctors and pediatricians) kicked off in Ukraine in 2018. By the estimates of Health Index survey conducted in 2019, 73 percent of respondents are fine with their doctors. The second stage of the healthcare reform in Ukraine will begin on April 1. The National Healthcare Service reports almost full readiness of Ukrainian hospitals to this particular stage; the changes will now concern the services of profile specialists, secondary healthcare and palliative care. Russia is ready to cooperate with its OPEC+ partners to support the world oil market, even though its comfortable with current crude prices, President Vladimir Putin said. The OPEC+ mechanism has already established itself as an effective tool in ensuring long-term stability in global energy markets, Putin told a meeting with ministers in Moscow on Sunday. The fact that Russia has large financial reserves to cushion the impact of turbulence in the market doesnt eliminate the need for action, including in cooperation with our foreign partners, he said. Putin commented ahead of the March 5-6 OPEC+ meeting in Vienna where Saudi Arabia is pushing for swift production cuts to compensate for the drop in oil demand due to coronavirus. Russia, the most important non-OPEC partner in the producers coalition, has so far rebuffed those entreaties, underscoring the dominant role that Putin has played since forging an alliance with the Saudis three years ago. FUEL FIX: Get our energy news in your inbox each weekday Current oil prices are acceptable for the Russian budget and economy, though it is difficult to predict how long-term the trend will be, the president said, adding that he intended to meet later Sunday with Russian oil producers. Brent futures swung between gains and losses around $50 a barrel in early Asian trade on Monday. Front-month prices collapsed by 13.6% last week. The past week was the worst for the oil market since the 2008 financial crash and we need to be prepared for a variety of scenarios, Putin said. The spread of the virus -- and governments efforts to contain it -- has raised questions about whether the OPEC meeting would take place in the usual format in Vienna, particularly after a major energy conference in Houston, known as CERAWeek, was canceled. OPEC delegates insisted on Sunday their meeting would go ahead as planned, but some said privately that there were ongoing discussions about how to proceed. The cartels members include Iran -- one of the countries hardest hit by the virus so far. --With assistance from Javier Blas and Grant Smith. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The FBI is investigating the police shooting of a man they targeted for arrest after he illegally moved between two train cars as it moved along tracks in Illinois on Friday. Two Chicago police officers were filmed at the Red Line L station after another cop called in backup over the city ordinance violation by Ariel Roman. Video shows that after appearing to deploy tasers and pepper spray to subdue Roman - who repeatedly says, 'I didn't do nothing to you guys' - a female officer opens fire. The video shows a male officer on top of the suspect at the base of an escalator on the platform of the CTA station in the Chicago's River North neighborhood. They stand up, and a female officer appears to try to pepper spray the man's face before telling him to show his hands. The man refuses to be handcuffed. With the man still struggling to get away, the female officer shouts, 'Give him your hands,' and a gunshot rings out. Roman then makes a break for the escalator where the officers pursue him before another shot is fired. Ariel Roman is pictured with his dog. Roman, who was shot and seriously wounded by a Chicago police officer in a downtown train station, won't face charges, as prosecutors on Sunday dropped the criminal case stemming from an incident captured on bystander video and shared widely Ariel Roman is seen making a break for the escalator at Grand subway station in Chicago on Friday. The female officer fires a shot as it goes up the stairs. The officers pursued him and he was shot again Roman, who had surgery for bullet wounds to the abdomen and buttocks, is in a stable condition and won't face charges, Cook County prosecutors said Sunday. 'Given the totality of circumstances and the department's significant level of concern around this incident, it would be insensitive to advocate for these charges,' police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. 'While we will not rush to judgment, the level of concern over the tactics used in this incident is significant. 'We are cooperating fully with the independent use of force investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the underlying criminal review being conducted at our request by the Cook County State's Attorney and the FBI.' Roman's attorney, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, has said he will likely require further operations after his initial surgery. He remained hospitalized Sunday but was no longer in critical condition. Roman's family was pleased with the decision to dismiss all charges, said Schmidt Rodriguez. In a statement, she said Roman 'remembers everything about the incident that took place and is fully committed to cooperating with the various investigations.' Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office said they agreed with Chicago police's request to drop the charges. The police officers, who have not been named, have both been assigned desk duties pending an investigations. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said footage of Friday's shooting was 'extremely disturbing'. Lightfoot tweeted that although 'one perspective does not depict the entirety of the incident, the video is extremely disturbing and the actions by these officers are deeply concerning.' 'To ensure full transparency and accountability, I support Superintendent (Charlie) Beck's decision to contact the State's Attorney due to the potential criminal nature of this incident,' she tweeted. The officers attempt to subdue Roman on the ground, appearing to deploy stun guns and pepper spray The male officer is seen with his hand in Roman's face during the struggle while the female cop stands over them Roman gets to his feet (left) as the officers stand off him while he can be seen pulling taser wires off himself The shooting came the same day that Lightfoot and the department announced a safety plan for the city's rail system amid a spike in crime, including more officers on trains and at stations. A spike in crime on Chicago's rail system and some recent high-profile outbursts of violence prompted the city's police department to put 50 more officers in trains and on platforms and assign four detectives to investigate nothing but Chicago Transit Authority crimes. The number of officers now assigned to the Mass Transit Unit is 250. Days before the announcement riders began seeing more police SWAT officers boarding trains and manning platforms on the nation's second largest public transit system. The department also announced it will this spring open a Strategic Decision Support Center devoted to the CTA, similar to the ones it already has in police districts around the city. The technology centers allow law enforcement to respond to crime scenes quicker and develop crime-fighting strategies based on the data that's collected. Four detectives and a crime analyst will be assigned to the CTA center. They will be able to monitor in real time more than 32,000 cameras installed on every train and bus, in rail stations and elsewhere on CTA property. The department said such focus will allow officers to respond to violent crimes and thefts far quicker than they can now. A spike in crime on Chicago's rail system and some recent high-profile outbursts of violence has prompted the city's police department to put dozens more officers in trains and on platforms and assign four detectives to investigate nothing but Chicago Transit Authority crimes, officials announced Friday (file image) Beck said in a statement that the 'technology-based policing' that has helped reduce violent crime in Chicago over the past three years will do the same for the CTA. 'With more than 1 million daily riders, the safety and security of the traveling public are extremely important to us,' he said. Last year, the number of violent crimes, including assault and robbery, on public transport climbed significantly. According to an analysis by the Chicago Tribune, the number of violent crimes on the CTA rail system jumped from 447 in 2018 to 590 last year. And in recent weeks, concern about passenger safety has only grown in the wake of a shooting in a downtown CTA tunnel that left one person dead and two wounded. Separately, a man was shot in the back at a train stop near the University of Illinois-Chicago, and another man was stabbed at a CTA stop on the city's South Side. Driver who flees scene of accident arrested after rolling his car Jose Maria Morelos, Q.R. UPDATED: A driver who fled the scene after hitting a motorcyclist, ended up in police custody after overturning his own vehicle during a police chase. The incident happened in the town of Dziuche around 5:00 p.m. Sunday when a male driving a Neon car hit a motorcyclist then fled the scene. An alert was put out by local police who began a pursuit of the Neon driver. For more than 20 kilometers, the man tried to outmaneuver police, however, when entering the municipality of Jose Maria Morelos, he was met by a team of waiting police. A miscalculation saw his car leave the highway and overturn. The car, which landed on its roof in highway brush in the municipality of Jose Maria Morelos, was quickly attended to by police and paramedics who rushed the driver to hospital under police custody. UPDATE: The male driver of the Neon was rushed to hospital with serious injures after rolling his car. He later died. Police have identified him as Renan Raul A.C. Leh Leh Win appears in an undated photo that hangs on a wall of her house in the town of Pantanaw in southwest Myanmar's Ayeyarwady region. Leh Leh Win, a 30-year-old businesswoman from Pantanaw in Myanmars Ayeyarwady region, was the breadwinner of her household. She enjoyed a fairly comfortable life because of her astute business skills. But it wasnt to last. Leh Leh Win was standing outside her downtown house talking to a female acquaintance on the night of Oct. 24, 2019, when two people on a motorcycle pulled up and doused her face with acid. We were under an electricity pole, and two people arrived and parked their motorcycle, she told RFAs Myanmar Service. The one in front was a young boy who had brown skin and a sharp jawline. In the middle was a basket. In the back was a woman, I think. Suddenly they threw acid from two plastic bags into Leh Leh Wins face. Neighbors rushed out of their homes to help her as the liquid burned her, destroying nearly all the skin on her upper body. Leh Leh Win was hospitalized and underwent several rounds of surgery as medical personnel tried to keep her alive. She lost sight in her right eye, but doctors were able to save her left eye. Acid attacks are unusual in Myanmar, although they occur occasionally in other South and Southeast Asian countries. Leh Leh Win doesnt know who attacked her, but she suspects one of her assailants was woman with whom she had quarreled on social media. Because Leh Leh Win sometimes lends money to people and charges them interest, she said there are those who do not get along with her as well as those who hate her. But she believes the acid incident occurred over discord with a former friend with whom she had a disagreement on Facebook. We wrote things against each other, Leh Leh Win said. After that, she came to my house and threatened to report me. I reported her and asked Police Second Lieutenant Min Zaw Oo to arrest her, [but] he said he couldnt do it because she knew higher authorities. Leh Leh Win reported the threat to the Naypyidaw Council Office. Three days later, the acid attack occurred. On the third day after reporting this, I arrived at a point where a life that was white became one without any light, she said. Im dead even though Im alive. Leh Leh Win used to be vivacious, but now she cant do anything for herself and must rely on family members to help her get out of bed, bathe her, eat meals, take medicine, and change her clothes. Because the acid melted part of her nose, she must take medicine to help her breathe through narrowed nostrils. Its been almost four months now, and I have not looked in the mirror, she told RFA. Sometimes, I wonder if my life is a dream. When I wake up, I try to feel the one eye that Ive lost, and I feel sad. I don't want to live in this life where I cannot go back to the way I was born, she added. Sometimes, I want to give up my life and kill myself. Rare kind of attack Others who live in downtown Pantanaw where the attack occurred have expressed concern that no arrests have been made in the case and say they feel insecure knowing that anyone there could be the victim of such a brutal assault. Leh Leh Win said that no other acid attacks had occurred in the town before. If they throw acid, and the case cannot be solved it will continue to go on like this, she said. Ultimately, it has been life-threatening for me. Even though there are times when Leh Leh Win says she feels dejected and as if she cant go on, the woman is hopeful that surgery can restore her right eye and the rest of her face. I would like to get back my life, she said. I have this thought all the time, and I feel very sad. I do not want to go through life like this either. I will have facial surgery and get my eye replaced. After that, I will wear glasses. I will cut off my hair and become a [Buddhist] nun. Authorities at the Pantanaw Myoma Police Station have yet to make any arrests in the case. RFA called the station several times for comment, but no one answered. Taking matters into her own hands, Leh Leh Win sent reports of the incident to Myanmar President Win Myint, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, Home Affairs Minister Soe Htut, and Social Welfare Minister Win Myint Aye, other relevant government departments, and the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, hoping that someone will see that her attackers are brought to justice. But nothing has happened since then, and Leh Leh Win says all she can do in the meantime is pray that the police will find her assailants and that no other woman will become a victim of such a violent attack. Reported by Thant Zin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Than Than Win. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. By PTI NEW DELHI: Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel on Monday said the government is aware that the whole world is worried about the coronavirus outbreak, but assured that India remains safe and secure. Speaking at an event, Patel said the government is taking all necessary steps and maintaining vigil at all international airports. ALSO READ: Avoid travel to Iran, Italy, S Korea, Singapore, says Centre after two more test positive for coronavirus "We know the whole world is worried about coronavirus but India is still secure and safe and we are maintaining vigil on all international airports," he said. The deadly virus has killed 2,912 people in China and has, according to a WHO situation report, spread to at least 58 countries as on Monday. Two fresh cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- were reported in India on Monday, taking the number of people who have tested positive for the respiratory virus in the country to five so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. Three people who were detected positive earlier have now been discharged. At least 13 people died and another 28 are thought to be missing after a passenger ferry sank in the northern Brazilian state of Amapa, the state government said on Monday. Another 46 people were rescued after the sinking of the Anna Karoline III on Saturday about 62 miles from the municipality of Laranjal do Jari in the Amazon rainforest. The Amapa Fire Department said there were 60 to 70 passengers and crew members on the ferry. Amapa state officials said the confirmed victims include five men, five women and three girls between the ages of seven and 11. Two of the victims have been identified as Sudelma Araujo, 44, and Marlene Souza Alves, 67. Survivors of Saturday's deadly ferry accident in Brazil embrace after arriving on a tarmac in Macapa, a city in the northern state of Amapa. At least 13 people, including three girls, have been reported dead, and 28 others are thought to be missing Rescuers gathered at the Jari River in northern Brazil and continued to look for victims of Saturday's ferry accident. The Anna Karoline III sank 62 miles from the municipality of Laranjal do Jari in the Amazon rainforest The Amapa Fire Department said there were 60 to 70 passengers and crew members on the ferry when a distress call was placed 5am about 62 miles from the municipality of Laranjal do Jari in the Amazon rainforest Local news website G1 reported that Araujo, a school teacher, was traveling with her fiance and her two nephews, aged three and five. Souza Alves was on the ship with 17 families members on their way to celebrate a relative's wedding anniversary. The vessel departed from Santana, Amapa, at about 6pm on Friday for a near 36-hour journey to Santarem, a city in the neighboring state of Para. Survivors said it was rainy and windy at the time of the deadly accident. A ferry commander told the Brazilian Navy that strong wings knocked several people out of the vessel. River transportation is common in the Amazon, where overland travel is often impossible. Sudelma Araujo, a 44-year-old school teacher, is one of the two victims that have been identified by Brazilian authorities. She was traveling with her fiance and two nephews, ages threes and five, who were still missing as of Monday Survivors of Saturday's ferry accident that killed at least 13 people arrive in Macapa, a city in the northern state of Amapa Survivors were transferred to a barge after a ferry with at least 70 crew members and passengers sank in northern Brazil. Government officials reported at least 13 people dead and 28 others are thought to be missing Paramedics load a casket with the remains of one of the 13 people killed after the Anne Karoline III ferry sank in northern Brazil state of Amapa on Saturday. Authorities continued the search Monday for 28 people feared to be missing A cellphone video shows the moment water started to filter inside the Anne Karoline III before the ferry sank Saturday The Anna Karoline III was scheduled to arrive in Santarem at 6am but a distress call was placed at 5am near the Aruas Island and the Rio Cajari Extractive Reserve. A rescue helicopter did not arrive until about 2pm Sunday. One of the survivors, Vanderleia Mendes Monteiro, was traveling with her husband, Nilson Rocha Monteiro, 49, and their 11-year-old son Nicolas. The 45-year-old woman said she was returning from the bathroom around 4am when she overheard the vessel going underwater. Mendes Monteiro recalled having to exit through a window and climb on the side of the boat. 'We went out through the boat's window and slipped on the wall outside,' she said. 'As it was turning, we were going up. It looked like a movie scene. That was when this other boat took us, rescued us and took us to another ferry.' The Brazilian Navy is investigating the incident and has not announced what caused the ferry to sink. Former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr. Alex Mould, says the comments made by the Ministry of Energy (MoE) in their response to his earlier article on Aker clearly indicates their little or lack of knowledge in the management of the petroleum industry. A press statement issued by Mr Mould on Saturday said it is truly sad to think that the Energy Ministry and for that matter, President Akufo-Addos government genuinely has so little understanding of this industry. The MoE in a response to Mr Mould last Monday said the amendments to the Petroleum Agreements of Aker Energy and AGM were to provide regulatory certainty and incentives to support the realization of Aker's Pecan Project and increase investment in the AGM block respectively. "These incentives have already yielded positive results for the country as AGM recently announced crude oil discoveries following an accelerated drilling campaign," the MoE statement said. But the former GNPC Boss in another opinion piece released today said he noted that government does not achieve regulatory certainty by amending a single petroleum agreement. It does so by amending the regulations that have industry-wide application. This was pure favouritism. However, it will lead to a stampede of International Oil Companies looking for similar treatment (and perhaps that is what MoE wants). The rules were clear; the problem was simply that Aker sought special extra-legal treatment and MoE was willing to bend over backwards to please Aker. When it talks about incentives to support the realisation of Akers Pecan Project Government is either unforgivably naive or disgracefully dishonest (or both), he emphasized. According to him, there was little chance that Aker would walk away from the DWT-OCP Block because the government refused to give it extraordinary exploration rights. If Aker did walk away it would simply lose its rights and would not be entitled to compensation. Any moderately seasoned negotiator would have called Aker's bluff immediately. Addressing governments claim that the amendments were intended to achieve an "increase [in] investment in the AGM Block, he said that again was false. If the intention was to increase investment, then the SDWT Amendment agreement would capture Akers enhanced work and expenditure commitments. No such commitments are given in the Amendment Agreements. MoE is claiming (with no shame) that amendments to a Petroleum Agreement ratified on 22 December 2019 led to an oil discovery 6 months earlier in June 2019?! Even if MoE is referring to the Amendments it presented to Parliament in April last year the claim makes no sense. At the time that Aker started drilling in June, Parliament had not ratified any amendments. I should also point out that the 2 wells Aker drilled in June were not in any way accelerated. They were wells due in the Initial Exploration Period under the original PA. And since MoE is promising an accelerated drilling campaign it should tell the public when the next well is expected. Can MoE deny that Akers current programme does not include any new drilling before the third quarter of 2021? Is this the acceleration he quizzed. Touching on local content, Mr Mould, who is also a former Executive Director of Standard Chartered Bank said per the amendment, Aker can rewrite the Development Plan (Including the local content provisions) without reference to the Minister. It can (for example) reallocate costs and contracts away from local to Norwegian subcontractors as long as this does not increase overall costs. How then can MoEs power to approve Development Plans be said to protect local content? This surrender of policymaking power by a minister is truly extraordinary. I cannot imagine that Aker would enjoy such treatment in Norway. I cannot believe that Aker would dare to suggest to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MPE) in Norway that it should be entitled to unilaterally override the terms of ministerial approval. What then is the point of the Minister approving a development plan? How could any minister propose such self-emasculation to Parliament? How can we the people entrust the protection of our national commercial interests to a minister who is so subservient to private companies?) he bemoaned. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Nancy Steffan knew her thrifty husband wouldnt have wanted her to splurge on a fancy casket for his funeral. So she rented one for the much lower price of $2,000. I was trying to honour Gregs memory and make the nicest send-off possible but not breaking the bank, says the GTA widow, whose 41-year-old spouse died suddenly in 2014. Even so, she had to hand over $9,000 to the funeral home and $4,000 to the cemetery for his cremation, urn and interment. I do remember thinking holy cow, thats a lot of money, Steffan says. Death can be expensive, as the families of 100,000 deceased Ontarians discover each year. Final arrangements can range from $1,500 for a basic cremation to tens of thousands for a grand-scale tribute with all the trimmings. The average funeral tab is $8,500. Cost and convenience are driving more people to choose cremation over burial, says Carey Smith, CEO and registrar of the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO), the funeral industrys watchdog. He puts the cremation rate at 70 per cent, up from the 50 per cent recorded by the Cremation Association of North America in 2003. The trend now is direction cremation with a memorial service or celebration of life later, Smith says. A simple cremation, which can cost about a third of the cost of a funeral and burial, comes with money-saving opt-outs such as embalming, viewing, casket and grave. In addition, remains can be easily transported and kept in any container or scattered. Scattering ashes but not burying is allowed on designated sites, crown land or water, public parks where permitted, and private property with the owners permission. Green burials, in which an unembalmed body is interred in a biodegradable container or shroud, are also more affordable than traditional funerals. Steffan says her late husbands money mindfulness spurred her and her in-laws to try to keep costs down, albeit while still in a state of shock. She recalls pulling things together quickly in lets get it done mode. The $9,000 price tag (including tax) on his final farewell, attended by 400 mourners, included: embalming ($400), ceremony facilities ($820), funeral director ($1,565), newspaper death notice ($700) and hearse ($400) important for symbolically driving away with the casket, Steffan says. In hindsight, she thinks setting aside a death budget when Greg was still alive would have been helpful. The subject of finances frequently comes up at meetings and discussion groups on death and dying hosted by Toronto social worker Linda Hochstetler. While its a hard thing to talk about, pre-planning can save a lot of money as well as spare your family additional anguish, she says. Its your decision, your money and your financial and emotional responsibility to your loved ones. Grieving family members often spend way too much in the mistaken belief that it shows their love, says Hochstetler, whos also a psychotherapist. Most people just dont want that $20,000 funeral, adds the west-ender, whos set aside $2,000 for her own cremation. Tom Niebuhr dug deep into the cost of dying while planning numerous faux funerals for his website called InMemory. The Surrey, B.C. resident, family members and associates visited funeral homes posing as the soon-to-be-bereaved so they could collect prices and fees for a cost-comparison database of almost 700 funeral homes across Canada, including 86 in the GTA. Niebuhr, who left a 25-year career in banking in 2017, says as mystery shoppers they experienced aggressiveness, pressure and upselling tactics at some establishments. He says vulnerable loved ones may also be guilted into overspending or paying unnecessary expenses such as embalming before immediate cremation or burial. While Niebuhr acknowledges there are some really good (funeral homes) out there, others really gouge families on casket purchases. Just look at the markups, he says, citing 30 per cent to 350 per cent from his lengthy online casket guide. He suggests looking for better prices at online retailers such as Costco or third-party suppliers. One Toronto-area outlet, for example, offers savings of between $1,000 and $5,000, with prices ranging from $890 for a pine cremation box to $3,590 for a solid mahogany model. Funeral homes are not allowed to charge a handling fee for a customer-supplied casket but the casket must meet safety and suitability requirements specific to funeral homes, cemeteries and crematoriums. For example not all caskets are appropriate for cremation. Renting a casket with a removable interior for $1,000 to $2,000 saves money while still allowing the body to be present for a viewing or funeral, Niebuhr says. Costs and options for every aspect of a funeral vary wildly so it pays to shop around as well as weigh package prices against customized plans, he advises. Donating a body to research or medical students also saves a lot in funeral expenses, with the family typically paying only for transfer and documentation. The BAOs Smith points out that funeral homes are required by law to offer a full range of casket options as well as provide a price list of products and services at any time, and an itemized contract to sign once arrangements are made. He advises people discuss their wishes with family and spell everything out in a will that the executor can access immediately after death. Someone has to be in charge talking to the funeral director, Smith says. Three funeral options with three different costs Heres a guide to three options with sample costs of key items compiled from online sources. Low-cost Direct cremation is a simple alternative allowing a memorial service or celebration of life to be held later. Package price typically covers transfer of the body, cremation fee, container and documentation. Total: $1,500 to $3,500 Midprice A pared-down version of a traditional funeral consists of cremation followed by a memorial service at a funeral home. Cremation: $600 Cremation container: $400 Basic services: $2,000 Facilities: $500 Transfer and vehicles: $800 Funeral service: $900 Celebrant/religious leader: $250 Stationery: $250 Total: $5,700 RELATED STORIES Canada Funeral home sales practices place high cost on grieving families High-end* A full-service traditional funeral with all the trimmings is the most expensive way to go. Basic services: $3,000 Facilities: $500 Transfer and vehicles: $900 Embalming: $600 Visitation: $1,500 Funeral service: $1,400 Hearse: $500 Solid hardwood casket: $9,000 Outer burial container: $900 Celebrant/religious leader: $500 Stationery: $300 Total: $19,100 *Doesnt include costs of reception, interment, burial plot, crypt, monument or marker. Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan has filed a federal lawsuit against 43 manufacturers of generic drugs he alleges have engaged in a price-fixing scheme that has cost taxpayers millions. Ryan said the companies sought to limit competition and increased prices of at least 181 generic drugs, including those used to treat heart failure, seizures, bacterial infections, high blood pressure, epilepsy and asthma. The defendants include Teva Pharmaceuticals, Actavis Holdco, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals and Mylan Inc. These prices skyrocketed at unprecedented rates, many by more than 1,000 percent, Ryan said. Since 2013, the county has paid $25 million for the generic drugs involved. Drug manufacturers are granted patents with a period of exclusivity, meaning their products can be sold at high prices during the initial years on the market. After that period ends, other manufacturers are allowed to make the same drug, and Ryan said prices should drop by 75 to 85 percent. Ryan alleged the firms conspired to make sure a drug has only one manufacturer, even when others are permitted, keeping prices high. Clomipramine is one such drug, Ryan said. He gestured to a chart that showed how the price of the substance, used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, increased 3,482 percent over a four-year period. Other drugs made by the accused manufacturers include the generic equivalents for Celebrex, Synthroid, Adderall, Lipoderm, Relafen and Prozac. Teva Pharmaceuticals and Mylan Inc. did not respond to requests for comment. The county attorneys office is asking a judge to prohibit the companies from keeping prices high and order the firms to reimburse Harris County. We intend to hold these pharmaceutical companies accountable for one of the most egregious and massive price fixing conspiracies in the history of the United States, Ryan said. Ryan, who is seeking a fourth term, faces a difficult Democratic Party primary on Tuesday against Christian Menefee and Ben Rose. The timing of the news conference on the eve of Election Day was coincidental, Ryan said, adding he had planned to make the announcement last week. The county also sued a trio of insulin manufacturers in November, alleging the companies colluded to set artificially high prices for the medicine and other diabetic treatments. Ryan said that case is ongoing. Two years ago, the county sued 21 pharmaceutical companies it said are manufacturing the painkillers fueling the nations opioid crisis. zach.despart@chron.com Pictured in this 1934 yearbook, J. Roswell Gallagher, then the school physician at the Hill School in Pottstown, stopped an outbreak of measles by treating students with serum that he extracted from one of their schoolmates who had been infected. Read more In January 1934, officials at the Hill School learned that a student had been exposed to measles over winter break and confined him to the infirmary. This was no idle precaution by J. Roswell Gallagher, the staff physician at the private boarding school in Pottstown, Montgomery County. Back then, the highly contagious disease killed hundreds of people each year in the United States. (A vaccine would not be developed for decades.) Yet it was not enough. The student, identified only as C.Y. in a medical journal at the time, developed symptoms and infected two schoolmates who were being treated for other illnesses in the infirmary. And before those two developed symptoms, they were discharged to their dorm rooms, exposing dozens more students. Gallagher then took a decisive step that has relevance for how the world responds to another infectious disease in 2020: the new coronavirus. He extracted serum from the blood of the initial patient reasoning that it contained antibodies produced by the boys immune system then infused it into the bodies of 28 other students who had not previously had the measles. None of them got sick. Gallagher was not the first to try this approach against viruses, but his effort was unusually successful, providing important clues about the proper dosage and timing of such infusions, said Arturo Casadevall, chairman of microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It makes perfect sense, Casadevall said of the underlying concept. But this is really forgotten history." Serum also was used to prevent and treat bacterial infections, in some cases extracted from the blood of animals, but the practice largely fell out of favor by the mid-20th century with the advent of vaccines and antibiotics. This year, Chinese physicians have revived the concept to help fight the coronavirus, with promising early results, Reuters reported. Instead of using serum to treat the infection, physicians used blood plasma that had been extracted from recovered patients. (Serum and plasma both consist of fluid that remains after blood cells have been removed, but they are prepared differently.) Mike Ryan, the head of the health emergencies program for the World Health Organization, called the approach a very important area to pursue. Casadevall, who described the Hill School episode in a recent commentary piece for the Wall Street Journal, said he had heard preliminary discussions among U.S. infectious disease specialists about whether to try the approach against the coronavirus here. A key determinant will be how well the coronavirus can be staved off with other measures, such as antiviral drugs and isolation of patients, he said. Even better would be a vaccine, but none is ready for use. Administering antibody-laden plasma or serum to nurses, physicians, and ambulance workers would be a reasonable idea, the Hopkins scientist said. The treatment would not confer the lasting protection of a vaccine but would enable recipients to fight off an infection for several weeks, he said. Other likely candidates for such a treatment would be family members of infected people. You could sort of create a ring of immunity, he said. In 1934, Gallagher was operating at a distinct disadvantage to physicians of the 21st century. He had no way to measure the levels of antibodies in the blood of the three infected students at the Hill School. Nor did he have modern equipment to screen their serum for viruses. Drawing from the experience of others who had tried serum therapy, Gallagher extracted blood from the initial patient on the 10th day after his temperature had returned to normal, reasoning that the boys serum would still have a high level of antibodies from fighting off the disease yet no virus. But the doctor needed more serum than what he was able to obtain from the initial patient, he reported in the American Journal of Public Health. He identified a total of 66 students who needed serum because they met two criteria: They had never had measles and had contact with students who did. So he ordered additional serum from a New York laboratory. The lab serum was administered to 37 students, while 28 were treated with serum extracted from the initial patient. One student was not treated, for undisclosed reasons. The 28 students with the patients serum all emerged unscathed. Three of the 37 students who got the New York serum suffered mild cases of the disease. Gallagher speculated that lab serum contained a lower level of antibodies than the serum from the patient, likely because the latter was only 24 hours old. Without advanced laboratory equipment, he would never know. But with the tools he had available, Gallagher earned a place in public health history. Gallagher went on to a long career at what is now called Boston Childrens Hospital and later Yale University. He is credited with pioneering the field of adolescent medicine, arguing that teens should be treated differently from children and adults. Philadelphia immigration Judge Charles Honeyman had intended to work a few more years after turning 70, but grew disappointed with what he saw as Trump administration pressures on the courts. Among his concerns: unrealistic docket demands and quotas to quickly clear cases, a lack of concern for meaningful due process, and the continuing transformation of the immigration appeals bureau into a Politburo-like rubber stamp. I love what I did, Honeyman said in an interview, but at some point I was just not comfortable. He retired in January, planning to devote his time to writing, speaking and teaching. But now hes heading back into the fray, on the other side of the bench, joining the immigration law firm of Solow, Isbell & Palladino LLC, which has offices in Philadelphia, Camden, and Chadds Ford. I got to know the partners [and] I was really impressed with the quality of their advocacy, and the growing reputation of the firm, Honeyman said. It gives me a thrill to be able to contribute. Hell be of counsel, providing strategic litigation advice to help clients, especially those facing deportation. Hell also work with foreign nationals seeking other forms of relief, consult with lawyers, speak at events, and generally help grow the firm. Judge Honeyman is one of the most highly respected and learned immigration judges in the nation, said law-firm partner Ricky Palladino. We are honored to work alongside Judge Honeyman in a collaborative pursuit of excellence in immigration law and advocacy. READ MORE: A 2-year-old boy is getting cancer treatment in Philly. His parents may be deported to Mexico. Immigration Court is not like other courts. Its part of the executive branch, not the judicial, governed at the top by the nations chief law-enforcement officer, the U.S. attorney general, a political appointee who can declare that judges must follow his decisions. That causes the courts to be vulnerable to the political whims of the executive, according to the National Immigrant Justice Center, a Chicago-based advocacy group. The Justice Department says its the law, and it expects immigration judges, including Honeyman, to follow it. Immigration judges who disregard the laws passed by Congress and interpretations of those laws by the attorney general simply because they dislike them undermine the integrity of the proceedings over which they preside, a department spokesperson said. We wish him well with his retirement. The Justice Department told judges in 2018 that they must clear at least 700 cases a year, and have less than 15% of their decisions overturned, to receive a satisfactory rating on their job reviews. That came as the backlog of immigration removal cases surged, surpassing one million in 2019, a figure thats quadrupled during the last decade, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Last month, the head of the judges union which the Trump administration seeks to de-certify said it was urgent for the courts to become independent from the Justice Department. America needs an immigration court that is free from improper influence, union president and Judge Ashley Tabbador told the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. Philadelphia became a battleground over judicial independence in 2018, when the Justice Department removed and replaced a judge who had delayed the deportation of a Guatemalan immigrant. The judges union said the removal of Judge Steven Morley from the case subverted the judicial process in order to obtain a particular outcome. Honeyman has said he wants future administrations, and Congress, to consider immigration judges as true judges, with real independence. READ MORE: From 2018: In Philly immigration court, a judge is replaced after delaying mans deportation The only way to do that, he told NPR, is to create an independent court where the judge makes a decision and the judge isnt afraid of how many cases he has to complete for the year or whether some political actor is going to be looking over his shoulder and say, I dont agree with that decision; were going to find a way to put pressure on you. Honeyman grew up in Havertown, graduated in 1967 from public Haverford High School, earned a bachelors degree from Roanoke College, and then two masters degrees in political science from Penn State and in public policy from the University of Michigan. He received his law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1981. He practiced immigration law in Baltimore and in Philadelphia, and in 1995 was appointed an immigration judge, serving in New York. In 2001, he was assigned to the Philadelphia Immigration Court. Among immigration judges most crucial decisions are whether to grant asylum, which confers the ability to legally stay in the United States, and which can mean life or death. The Trump administration contends that many claims are fraudulent, and asylum seekers are held in detention or sent to dangerous Mexican cities to await hearings. From fiscal 2014 through 2019, Honeyman decided 411 asylum claims on the merits, granting 266 and denying 145, according to the Transactional Records Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. That means he granted 64.7% and denied 35.3%. Philadelphia judges overall denied 51.1%. Nationally, immigration judges denied 63.1%, according to TRAC. Honeyman said he decided cases by applying the law to the facts. I wanted to treat each case as an equal playing field, he said. I knew the importance of really understanding the impact that I would have on individuals, families, businesses, for years and generations to come. In a thousand years, somebody could trace back the lineage of their familys history to a decision I made in my court. Hes looking forward to speaking more freely about immigration, and accepting engagements at churches, synagogues, and conferences. On Friday, he was in University City to address the Continuing Legal Education Conference of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. I come from Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe, Honeyman said. Just for a quirk of good fortune or good luck, a decision one way or the other, I might have been that person that didnt make it out of there. Tokyo's contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows it to postpone the Games until the end of the year, Japan's Olympics minister said on Tuesday, amid concern the coronavirus outbreak could force the IOC to cancel them. "The contract calls for the Games to be held within 2020. That could be interpreted as allowing a postponement," Seiko Hashimoto said in response to a lawmaker's question in parliament. The Tokyo Olympics could be postponed, rather that cancelled completely. Credit:Getty Images Under the hosting agreement, the right to cancel the Games belongs to the IOC. Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, last week said his organisation was "fully committed" to holding the Tokyo Olympics on schedule despite the coronavirus spread. Hashimoto said Japan's government and Tokyo were still committed to hosting the sporting event, due to begin on July 24. "We are doing all we can to ensure that the Games go ahead as planned," she told parliament. Any halt to the Games would be costly. The latest budget is 1.35 trillion yen ($19 billion AUD), with Japan's government providing 120 billion yen to build the Olympic Stadium and 30 billion yen toward the cost of the 2020 Paralympics, Hashimoto said. Reuters HELSINKINokia has rehired former executive Pekka Lundmark from energy group Fortum to lead the Finnish telecoms companys efforts to revive its faltering 5G business. Lundmark, who will succeed Rajeev Suri as Nokia chief executive in September, will team up with Sari Baldauf, the incoming chairman, in a move that reunites two figures from the era when the Finnish company dominated the mobile handsets business. Baldauf and Lundmark have also worked closely in recent years, as Baldauf chaired Fortums board between 2011 and 2018. The leadership change at Nokia comes as uncertainty mounts over the future of Europes telecoms vendors, with speculation surfacing last week that the group could be set for a tie-up with more profitable Swedish peer Ericsson. Chinas Huawei Technologies dominates the European market for telecommunications gear but the United States wants a global ban on Huawei from 5G networks on fears that its equipment could be used for spying, allegations the group has strongly rejected. In a highly unusual move, the U.S. Attorney General William Barr said last month that the United States and its allies should consider taking a controlling stake in one or both of Nokia and Ericsson to counter Huaweis dominance. But Nokias outgoing chairman Risto Siilasmaa told a news conference on Monday Nokia has no plans to assess its strategic options. The new CEO after coming in will do his normal review on our strategy and may then propose changes to the board. But at the moment, we have no such actions underway, Siilasmaa said. Nokias shares, which in October lost a third of their value when the group admitted to some delays in its 5G development and issued a profit warning, were originally up 4 percent on the news, but had dropped back to nearly flat by 11:40 GMT. Lundmark, CEO at Fortum since 2015, held executive positions at Nokia between 1990 and 2000, including vice president of strategy and business development at Nokia Networks. By 1998 Nokia had grown into the worlds largest mobile phone manufacturer, a position it maintained for more than a decade. His appointment will reunite him at the top of the company with Baldauf, another key executive from that period, who headed Nokias networks unitnow the groups main businessbetween 1998 and 2005. This is clearly a choice of Mrs. Baldauf due to their common history at both Nokia and Fortum, Nordea analysts said. A new era will start at Nokia and could include strategy and portfolio revisions announced in H2. We welcome this change and view Mr. Lundmark as a good choice for the job given the situation, they said in a note to clients. Need for Redirection Lundmark led Fortum to embark on a bold attempt to gain control of its German rival Uniper, resulting in a power deadlock between the companies that has yet to be resolved. Before his time at Fortum, Lundmark led Finnish cranemaker Konecranes for 10 years until 2015. We view the change of CEO positively due to the fact that in its current situation Nokia needs a greater redirection which embarks from changing the management, said analyst Mikael Rautanen of Inderes. At the same time, the news strengthens our earlier assessment that the company has more than just temporary problems, he added. Nokia halted dividend payouts after the October profit warning. While Huawei has suffered from U.S. authorities decision last May to blacklist the group, Nokia has struggled to capitalize on those restrictions. One of the firms main headaches has had to do with delays and additional investments in its 5G system-on-chip (SoC) development, which allows a single chip to carry an entire computer system and enables Nokia to produce its network technology more cheaply. A Reuters report revealed last month that Europes biggest telecoms operator Deutsche Telekom had dropped Nokia as a provider of radio gear from all but one of its dozen markets in the region, telling it to improve its products and service. Nokia shares rose last week after Bloomberg News reported that the Finnish telecom network equipment maker was considering asset sales and mergers. However, a source close to the company told Reuters there was no truth to the report. Nokia declined to comment at the time. By Anne Kauranen India had last week said it is closely monitoring the situation in Iran, Italy and South Korea that have seen a lot of coronovirus cases. New Delhi: India and Iran are engaged in hectic parleys after New Delhi is believed to be exploring ways to evacuate Indians stranded in Iran after the outbreak of the coronavirus infection there. There are apparently 2,000 Indians in Iran who may have to be evacuated in case New Delhi decides to do so. Similarly, about 2,700 Iranians may want to return from India after the reported travel restrictions by India on flights between the two countries. Iran is battling a severe outbreak of the dreaded coronavirus which is believed to have spread from Iranians who returned recently from China. New Delhi is working to facilitate the return of those Indians wishing to go back home and discussions (are) underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements. Iran is reportedly keen that New Delhi facilitates transportation of Iranians stuck in India who wish to return home. India had last week said it is closely monitoring the situation in Iran, Italy and South Korea that have seen a lot of coronovirus cases. The MEA had pointed out that advisories to Indians had been issued earlier advising them not to travel to these three countries. India had also temporarily suspended visas-on-arrival for Japanese and South Korean citizens due to the coronavirus outbreak in those countries. LAS VEGAS, NV, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE International Spirits & Wellness Holdings, Inc. (OTCMKTS: ISWH) (ISWH or the Company), a top-tier brand incubator in the Spirits, CBD-Infused Products, and Home Healthcare markets, announces that the Company is expanding its home healthcare segment to multiple new major metropolitan areas. The Company currently offers home healthcare services in several major cities in Texas, including Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. It has now begun the process of establishing home healthcare operations in Nevada (Las Vegas and Reno), New Mexico (Santa Fe), Arizona (Phoenix), and Florida (The Villages). "Home Healthcare has been responsible for the bulk of our revenues over the past three quarters, and we are uniquely well-positioned to expand further to meet this dramatic new need," commented Alonzo Pierce, ISWH President. "The emergence of COVID-19 as a burgeoning pandemic, now beginning to surge as an outbreak in the US, represents a critical opportunity for this Company to step up the plate and deliver much-needed services to a wider consumer base. This is a move we had been planning as of late 2019. But the anticipated jump in demand for home healthcare due to the COVID-19 outbreak has moved up our timeline and we are working to get up and running in these new communities as rapidly as possible." According to management, demand for home healthcare services is set to surge to unprecedented levels over coming months, propelled by three main groups: People with healthcare needs unrelated to COVID-19 who want to avoid the risk of contracting the disease through exposure to traditional healthcare locations (hospitals, urgent care clinics, doctors offices, etc) that present a higher risk of contagion due to treatment of other patients suffering from the disease, People in high-risk demographics (such as the elderly and/or those with heart disease, diabetes, or hypertension) who have not yet contracted COVID-19 and would like support, counseling, and prevention services, and People who have tested positive for COVID-19 and need experienced healthcare support to manage and care for symptoms during incubation and recovery, where symptoms are not severe enough to warrant inpatient care. According to leading Harvard epidemiologist, professor Marc Lipsitch, as expressed in The Atlantic on February 24, as many as 40 to 70 percent of the world's population may become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 within the next 12 months. Other leading epidemiology experts have made similar predictions, implying a dramatic jump in the number of cases of COVID-19 across most communities in the US over the next 12 months before an effective vaccine can be created, tested, approved, and mass manufactured. The Company currently has a staff of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) capable of providing basic care to patients outside of traditional medical care facilities across Texas. In the course of this expansion to new locations, the Company plans to seek out and hire many additional CNAs who live in and around these new areas of service in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida. We believe we can get up and running in someplace like Reno or Phoenix, or any of these new areas, very quickly, continued Pierce. We selected these areas in part because we know they come ready-made with a sufficient established population of trained and certified healthcare workers motivated to engage additional employment and provide more care in their communities. By tapping these workers and expanding our operations, we will be able to drive value for our shareholders by delivering much-needed care and services as the coronavirus outbreak intensifies. About ISWH: ISWH is a diversified brand incubator with diverse operational interests, including commercial-stage operations in the spirits, CBD, and home healthcare markets, and development-stage operations in the logistics and supply chain and renewable energy markets. Based in Nevada, the Companys expertise lies in the strategic development and aggressive early growth of its brands and the establishment of these brands as viable and profitable as an incubator. ISWH has established itself as a health and wellness leader with a focus on reshaping the CBD products and home healthcare markets through state-of-the-art technology and execution. The company has also partnered with Bengala Technologies to develop and commercialize enterprise and B2B software technology products targeting the logistics and supply-chain marketplace with VOLUM. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology including "could", "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential" and the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggested in this report. Except as required by applicable law, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements so as to conform these statements to actual results. Investors should refer to the risks disclosed in the Company's reports filed from time to time with OTC Markets (www.otcmarkets.com). Delhi gang-rape victim Nirbhaya's mother Asha Devi on Monday expressed hope that the curative petition of Pawan Kumar Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the case, will be rejected by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear today Gupta's curative petition seeking commutation of his death penalty to life imprisonment. Speaking to ANI Asha Devi said, "Supreme Court will hear the curative petition of Pawan Kumar Gupta and I hope that the petition is rejected by the court." "The case is clear before the court the plea will be rejected today," she said. Asha Devi said that the law has been misused and how many times the court will postpone its own decision. "They are misusing the law and government should look into it, how many times the court will postpone its own decision?" she asked. She said that the process of execution is making an impact on the society and people are losing hope in the judiciary. "The way the execution of the convicts is getting delayed, it is making an impact on society and people now are somewhere losing hope in the judiciary," she said. She requested that all the mercy pleas pending with the President of India and all the petitions in the court be rejected "without any further delay" and the convicts be hanged on March 3. The Supreme Court will today hear the curative petition filed by Pawan Kumar Gupta, seeking commutation of his death penalty to life imprisonment in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. The case pertains to the brutal gang rape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sofitel Mexico City Reforma Hotel is the first Sofitel-branded, and the first luxury hotel, in Mexico City in more than a decade according to a published article in Forbes. The new luxury hotel in Mexico City is located in Paseo De La Reforma. It offers French and local cuisines in the world's most exciting city. The Sofitel in Mexico City has 40 floors with 275 rooms and 56 of these are suites. All rooms can view the city below and anyone planning to stay in the hotel can also access and avail the Club Millesime luxury room which serves breakfast, snacks throughout the day, and cocktails every evening. The property was launched to integrate Mexican and French aesthetic impulses. With this, Sofitel hired four artists to create street murals that reflect Mexican culture through urban graffiti in the neighborhoods of Condesa and Roma. Guests of the hotel have two choices to enjoy the murals in the streets. It is either to hire a tour guide who can give them the history of each mural or walk by themselves. Moreover, this is the hotel where every traveler can enjoy both French and Mexican cuisines. Guests and travelers who stay in the Sofitel can experience the French cooking techniques that are applied in local ingredients by Chef Luis Escamilla in Bajel restaurant which is inside the Sofitel. The design of the restaurant both incorporates the new and old together and everyone will definitely enjoy Tequila and Mezcal which are the specialties of its newly installed bar. Guests and travelers who plan to stay here will not only enjoy the amenities of the hotel. Aside from letting everyone see the city below, guests and travelers can also overlook some tourist spots like The Angel of Independence and Castle of Chapultepec which are known as two of the iconic sites in the city. Just a short walk from the hotel, travelers and guests can visit some museums like the world-class National Museum of Anthropology, Museo Tamayo, and some small contemporary art museum. Aside from the Bajel restaurant in the hotel, you can also enjoy your stay by experiencing eating cuisines that are produced through wood-cooking in the Balta restaurant that is still inside the Sofitel. The most interesting part of the luxury hotel is its rooftop bar, the Cityzen, that will let you experience having a view of the city at night and at present, this is one of the hottest nightlife spots in the city. If you get tired because of roaming around the city, have visited the museums, went to the iconic spots, and spent a night at the rooftop bar then you surely want to take a rest after without being disturbed. The hotel rooms in the hotel are perfectly made for every traveler and guest to relax after a day spent outside and inside the hotel. Rooms are very tranquil and you can enjoy dipping yourself in its soaking tubs that overlook the city. Staying in the hotel is not difficult most especially for foreigners because they have staff who speak English, Spanish, and French. Everyone is welcome here and their staff is very friendly. You can also call them at any time of the day. As mentioned that this hotel combines both Mexican and French culture. The Spa Sofitel With L'Occitane is a combination of pre-Hispanic traditional therapies with well-regarded French skincare through its products. This is the best hotel that every guest and travelers can enjoy while staying in Mexico City. Manama Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT), His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, chaired SCICTs 14th meeting, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. The meeting reviewed the shift towards digital economy as a national strategy adopted the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA), which was commissioned to prepare a study on this important field and future directions for its development through adopting the best practices and seeking international expertise. The committee approved the report on the achievements and statistics of the e-government 2019 programme, which highlighted the development of 40 online services and completion of seven governmental systems, in addition to activating new payment mechanisms using the eWallet, as well as activating cash payment. The report also indicated that payments through all online channels exceeded 1.6 million transactions, worth more than BD56 million, as the number of visits to the national portal reached about eight million, and the number of smart applications users rose to about 184,000 per month and over nine million transactions during the past year. Regarding the results of the measurement of customer satisfaction with electronic services carried out by iGA in co-operation with the University of Bahrain, the committee was informed that the general awareness on online services had reached 93 per cent, the level of their use 74pc, and customer satisfaction 77pc, according to the the American standard, which exceeds the global average in the field. HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa expressed his appreciation to the Information and eGovernment Authority on the positive accomplishments achieved during the last period, stressing the need to achieve the goals and aspirations of the government in this vital and important filed. Subduction zones -- places where one tectonic plate dives beneath another -- are where the world's largest and most damaging earthquakes occur. A new study has found that when underwater mountains -- also known as seamounts -- are pulled into subduction zones, not only do they set the stage for these powerful quakes, but also create conditions that end up dampening them. The findings mean that scientists should more carefully monitor particular areas around a subducting seamount, researchers said. The practice could help scientists better understand and predict where future earthquakes are most likely to occur. "The Earth ahead of the subducting seamount becomes brittle, favoring powerful earthquakes while the material behind it remains soft and weak, allowing stress to be released more gently," said co-author Demian Saffer, director of the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences. The study was published on March 2 in Nature Geoscience and was led by Tian Sun, who is currently a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada. Other co-authors include Susan Ellis, a scientist at the New Zealand research institute GNS Science. Saffer supervised the project and was Sun's postdoctoral advisor at Penn State when they began the study. The researchers used a computer model to simulate what happens when seamounts enter ocean trenches created by subduction zones. According to the model, when a seamount sinks into a trench, the ground ahead of it becomes brittle, as its slow advance squeezes out water and compacts the Earth. But in its wake, the seamount leaves a trail of softer wet sediment. The hard, brittle rock can be a source for powerful earthquakes, as forces generated by the subducting plate build up in it - but the weakened, wet material behind the seamount creates an opposite, dampening effect on these quakes and tremors. Although seamounts are found all over the ocean floor, the extraordinary depths at which subduction occurs means that studying or imaging a subducting seamount is extremely difficult. This is why until now, scientists were not sure whether seamounts could affect the style and magnitude of subduction zone earthquakes. The current research tackled the problem by creating a realistic computer simulation of a subducting seamount and measuring the effects on the surrounding rock and sediment, including the complex interactions between stresses in the Earth and fluid pressure in the surrounding material. Getting realistic data for the model involved conducting experiments on rock samples collected from subduction zones by scientific ocean drilling offshore Japan. The scientists said the model's results took them completely by surprise. They had expected water pressure and stress to break up material at the head of the seamount and thus weaken the rocks, not strengthen them. "The seamount creates a feedback loop in the way fluids get squeezed out and the mechanical response of the rock to changes fluid pressure," said Ellis, who co-developed the numerical code at the heart of the study. The scientists are satisfied their model is robust because the earthquake behavior it predicts consistently matches the behavior of real earthquakes. While the weakened rock left in the wake of seamounts may dampen large earthquakes, the researchers believe that it could be an important factor in a type of earthquake known as a slow slip event. These slow-motion quakes are unique because they can take days, weeks and even months to unfold. Laura Wallace, a research scientist at UTIG and GNS Science, who was the first to document New Zealand slow slip events, said that the research was a demonstration of how geological structures in the Earth's crust, such as seamounts, could influence a whole spectrum of seismic activity. "The predictions from the model agree very nicely with what we are seeing in New Zealand in terms of where small earthquakes and tremors are happening relative to the seamount," said Wallace, who was not part of the current study. Sun believes that their investigations have helped address a knowledge gap about seamounts, but that research will benefit from more measurements. "We still need high resolution geophysical imaging and offshore earthquake monitoring to better understand patterns of seismic activity," said Sun. ### The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and was conducted as part of the Seismogenesis at Hikurangi Integrated Research Experiment (SHIRE), an international project co-led by UT Austin to investigate the origin of earthquakes in subduction zones. The study was also supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and GNS Science. Conservatives still waiting for anchor babies aweigh By Michael R Shannon Three years into the Trump administration seemed like a good time to evaluate progress on the number one issue for Trump voters: Illegal immigration. Unfortunately progress is nil. There is no wall and no one is paying for it. There is no deportation force and Trump hasnt even made a dent in the 22 million illegals already in the USA. DACA isnt ended. Sanctuary cities, counties and states are going strong and suffering no penalty for entering into a conspiracy to obstruct justice and undermine the rule of law. There is no tax on remittances sent by illegals here to their relatives in their home countries. There is no nationwide requirement for the use of EVerify in hiring. There were even 300,000 anchor babies born to foreigners either just stopping in for a visit or hiding in the shadows. In case youre not up to speed on immigration loopholes that always work to benefit outsiders and never citizens, anchor babies are the GPS theory of national allegiance. Lets say your pregnant wife was sitting in the stands at Lambeau Field and she got so excited she gave birth. The resulting baby would not be entitled to Packers season tickets for the rest of his life. But if your wife was an illegal alien named Consuela, who gave birth in a Green Bay maternity ward, your new child would be a Yankee Doodle Dandy. An instant US citizen with all the welfare rights that come with the birth certificate. That last on the list of Trump immigration failures is the most curious of all, since Trump promised us in November 2018 that he was going to end birthright citizenship (the correct name for anchor babies) with a stroke of his pen. Fifteen months later either Trumps pen ran out of ink or the executive order is interred somewhere in Anonymous inbox. Thats a real shame because Trump could have fulfilled this promise on his own. After the predictable lawsuit failed in court, one immigration scam would have been over. The left and their stenographers in the Opposition Media who claim ending birthright citizenship is unconstitutional are simply lying, as usual. Mark Levin said, Not until the 1960s [was] the Constitution interpreted to convey birthright citizenship on the children of illegal aliens. And not due to any congressional statute or court ruling, but decisions by various departments and agencies of the federal bureaucracy. Decisions that can be countermanded by the president. The federal bureaucracy is at least intermittently controlled by Trump, so he can tell the executive branch to close the border in the maternity ward. The question is, why hasnt he? Now that Trump has gotten rid of the handwringing Kirstjen Nielsen as secretary of Homeland Security and shown the door to the obstructionist who replaced her, he may be returning to immigration just in time for reelection. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has been appointed acting director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service and Trump is eyeing him as the next DHS secretary. And for a change Cuccinelli appears to support Trumps immigration policy. (I remain amazed that out of the 63 million Americans who voted for Trump he couldnt find a thousand or so to hire for his administration. What a difference he could have made if he hadnt opted for cocktail conservative retreads.) Cuccinelli made the news when he issued a new rule that would exclude people on welfare from getting a green card. A law passed during the immigration crackdown inferno known as the Clinton administration already made it illegal to collect welfare and a green card, but squishes in the bureaucracy ignored this so they could feel noble spending your money. Cuccinelli just made policy conform to the law. Currently being law-abiding is blocked by angry Obama judges, but they will lose in the end. Whats appalling about Cuccinellis tenure so far surfaced in an interview he gave during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast. Naturally the question was framed by the OpMedia operative built around a lie. Cuccinelli was asked what was he going to do on changing birthright citizenship, or automatic citizenship for almost anyone born in the U.S., as enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution: He rejected the amendment lie and then depressed Trump supporters around the nation when he said changing anchor baby policy hasnt come up much in his work at USCIS. Changing that flawed, unjustifiable policy is one of the easiest immigration reforms on the table for the Trump administration. It would send a message around the world that the USA is finally taking control of its border and will implement immigration policies that benefit citizens first. And so far, doing it is 15 months and a broken promise late. Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He can be reached at mandate.mmpr (at) gmail.com. He is also the author of Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!). Home Delhi minister Gopal Rai visited a relief camp in violence-hit northeast Delhi on Monday and assured people that more such facilities would be opened if needed. The labour and employment minister visited the relief camp at Mustafabad which has a capacity to accommodate 1,000 people. The relief camp was set up by the Delhi government to give shelter to the families affected in the communal violence, which broke out in parts of northeast Delhi last week. There are provisions for food, water and medicines in the camp. It also has a helpdesk to facilitate processing of compensation forms filled by the riot victims. "We will set up more relief camps in other affected areas too if needed," Rai said. The minister said after speaking to the local MLAs of Seelampur and Mustafabad, he got to know that some "innocent" persons have also been picked up by police. "Their relatives are running here and there in hospitals and police stations looking for them. We hope that this issue will be sorted out immediately. The guilty must be punished but at the same time, the innocent should not be harmed," he added. Rai said he would meet the Delhi police commissioner in the evening to discuss this issue along with the problems caused due to rumour-mongering on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The rebound in domestic markets, which had seen a 7 per cent fall in the past six sessions, was stopped in its tracks after the health ministry reported two new coronavirus cases on Monday. Besides, an Italian tourist also tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur, according to the Rajasthan government. Supported by gains in Asian markets, the benchmark indices opened sharply higher, with the Sensex climbing as much as 785 points or 2 per cent only to reverse all gains in the last hour of trade. At one point, the Sensex was down 511 points over its previous close of 37,785. After a ... Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment I am a Christian. I am deaf. I am hurt. Last week, you (CP) posted an article related to Francis Chan healing of a deaf boy and girl in rural Myanmar. It came across my Facebook. At first, I ignored it because frankly I got a bit tired of that kind of spotlight that deaf people usually get in the Christian community. We are always viewed as a target group for people to come and pray for healing for our deafness; it is hard to be seen as equals. Several more articles also circulated after yours so I decided I could not ignore it anymore. I wanted to find out what the hype was about. I opened up your article and read I was heartbroken. Francis Chan says he healed deaf boy and girl in Myanmar. Oh how that is music to the ears of the Christian people who are not deaf. But, why would I be heartbroken? Dont I think healing can happen? Yes. Of course. It is not the result, but the mindset behind the result. First thing that came to mind, did you even ask the deaf children? As a deaf person myself, I have been approached one too many times by people who can hear, wanting to pray over me for my ears to be healed. Actually, I have another part of my body that I really need prayers for instead, but they never asked me. As a deaf person, I honestly never really liked being around hearing Christian people. Why? I am always seen as a target of a hopeful miracle. I grew up with Christian people telling me what Jesus could do for my ears based on the story in the Bible of Jesus healing a deaf man. Sadly, no Christian person has ever approached and ASKED me how they could pray for me. I think most, if not all, people who are not deaf, have forgotten one very important part about the story related with the deaf man in the Bible- Jesus ASKED and He did it in private. I am frustrated. The deaf children were not empowered to speak for themselves. Instead, they became an internet sensation and it is likely they did not know that. What many of us do not realize about deaf children in developing countries is that most of them are illiterate and suffer a great deal of language deprivation. With that being said, what is going to happen to them now since they have new identities as hearing individuals? Dont get me wrong. I believe Jesus is able. He is our healer. He restores us. Its not about whether I think Jesus can do this or not. He is capable of doing anything. It is more about your perspective on us, deaf people. If you get to know us better, you will see that there are more options to show Gods kingdom and not limited to healings only. You see our deafness as the first sign of brokenness. We have stories, heartbreaks, and sorrows. We also have joys, triumphs, and successes. You would have never known any of this. Why? You are clouded with a perspective that every deaf person you meet needs to hear. You missed an opportunity. By not getting to know us, you are missing an opportunity to have an authentic relationship with us. That was what Jesus was all about. We are not your trophy of testimonies. We are not your plaque on your wall of miracles. We are humans, like you. See us. Ask us. Include us. Four more deaths reported in Washington state, where officials had previously said two people had died from the virus. Four more people have died in the US state of Washington after being infected with the coronavirus, bringing the death toll in the state and country to six, authorities said on Monday. Dr Jeff Duchin, chief health officer for the Seattle and King County Public Health agency, announced the increase in fatalities from COVID-19 at a news conference on Monday, as authorities across the country scrambled to prepare for more infections with an emphasis on ratcheting up the number of available test kits. Researchers had previously said that the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks in Washington state. After the first death, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency. Eight of the 18 total cases in the state and four of the deaths are linked to a nursing facility in the Seattle area, Duchin said. At least four of the six people who have died were elderly or had underlying health conditions, he added. We expect the number of cases will continue to increase in the coming days and weeks, and we are taking this situation extremely seriously, he said, adding that, like in most of the world, the vast majority of diagnosed patients have mild to moderate disease and do not require hospitalisation. As of Sunday, the number of cases in the US had risen to 91, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier on Monday. So far, 10 states, including California, New York, Oregon, Florida, and Rhode Island have confirmed or presumed coronavirus cases. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose state has one confirmed case, welcomed a CDC decision that allows state authorities to test for the virus, vastly reducing testing time. I would like to have a goal of 1,000-tests-per-day capacity within one week because, again, the more testing, the better, Cuomo said at a briefing on Monday. Since the virus first appeared in the city of Wuhan, China, in December it has infected over 89,000 people worldwide, killing over 3,000. US government prepares Government military laboratories have been working to develop a vaccine for virus, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Mark Milley, told a news conference on Monday. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said that his administration has asked pharmaceutical companies to accelerate work on the development of a coronavirus vaccine, but provided no details. Top US health officials have said any vaccine is up to 18 months away. There is currently no treatment for the respiratory disease, although patients can receive supportive care. The US Congress is expected to take up a spending measure in coming days that could allocate billions more dollars for the virus response. Christchurch, March 2 : New Zealand progressed on their way to an emphatic 2-0 series win after they bundled out India for mere 124 runs in their second innings on Day Three of the final Test at the Hagley Oval. Chasing a target of 132, New Zealand openers put the hosts in a commanding position and were 46/0 at Lunch on Monday. Earlier, starting the day at 90/6, the Indian lower order, unlike that of the Black Caps, failed to show any resistance. The last four batsmen could add just 34 runs. Overnight batsman Hanuma Vihari was the first one to perish on the third morning as he was sent back after scoring just nine runs by Tim Southee. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, also could stay long and was caught behind after contributing with four runs. Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah also couldn't contribute much while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hit a couple of boundaries till he fell short of partners. He stayed unbeaten at 12 as Bumrah was run-out at 4. For New Zealand, Trent Boult, who had wreaked havoc in the final session of Day Two, was the star performer as he returned with figures of 4/28 from his four overs. Southee was equally destructive as he picked three wickets while Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme picked up a wicket each. Later, Tom Latham and Tom Blundell provided the hosts with a solid start to their chase and took the team in a winning position. With no Shami in their arsenal after he got hit on the shoulder while batting, the Indian pace attack couldn't create much trouble for the New Zealand openers. At Lunch break, Latham and Blundell were unbeaten on 16 and 23 with New Zealand needing 86 more runs to complete the series sweep. Brief scores: India 242 and 124 all out (Cheteshwar Pujara 24; Trent Boult 4/28), New Zealand 235 and 46/0 at Lunch (Tom Blundell 23*,Tom Latham 16*). Sugar Prices Under Pressure on Signs of Stronger Global Output Barchart - 27 minutes ago March NY world sugar #11 (SBH22 ) on Monday closed down -0.22 (-1.22%), and March London white sugar #5 (SWH22 ) closed down -4.50 (-0.93%). Sugar prices on Monday extended their 3-week long decline, with... SBH22 : 17.83s (-1.22%) SWH22 : 481.30s (-0.93%) Cocoa Prices Mixed on Strength in the British Pound Barchart - 29 minutes ago March ICE NY cocoa (CCH22 ) on Monday closed up +10 (+0.40%), and March ICE London cocoa #7 (CAH22) closed down -7 (-0.41%). Cocoa prices on Monday settled mixed. Cocoa prices are underpinned by optimism... CCH22 : 2,521s (unch) CAH22 : 1,698s (-0.41%) Sentiment Speaks: Are We Ready To Drop To 4400SPX? ElliottWaveTrader.net - 42 minutes ago The market will likely be revisiting the 4400SPX region over the coming months, with the only question being if we can stretch to one more higher all-time high before we begin the pullback to 4400SPX. AUDUSD Forecasting The Decline After Elliott Wave Double Three Pattern ElliottWave-Forecast - Mon Jan 10, 11:50AM CST Hello fellow traders. In this technical blog were going to take a quick look at the Elliott Wave charts of AUDUSD Forex Pair published in members area of the Elliottwave-Forecast . As our members know,... ^AUDUSD : 0.71722 (-0.09%) Polygon (MATICUSD) Should See Further Downside Short Term ElliottWave-Forecast - Mon Jan 10, 11:48AM CST Polygon (formerly Matic Network, MATICUSD) is a Layer 2 scaling solution backed by Binance and Coinbase. The project seeks to stimulate mass adoption of cryptocurrencies by resolving the problems of scalability... Corn Futures Red Out of Weekend Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 11:35AM CST Corn is trading weaker through midday coming out of the weekend back below $6. New crop futures are down 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 cents as well. Mexico booked 132k MT of corn via a large private sale. Of the total,... ZCH22 : 599-6s (-1.15%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.8672 (-1.13%) ZCK22 : 601-2s (-1.07%) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7930 (-0.49%) Beans Weaker through Midday Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 11:35AM CST Coming out of the weekend soybeans are down by double digits with 23 1/2 cent to 27 3/4 cent losses. That has old crop back below the $14 mark. Meal prices are $5.70 to $9.50/ton weaker. Soybean oil is... ZSF22 : 1374-6s (-1.91%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.4388 (-1.88%) ZSH22 : 1384-6s (-1.81%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.3270 (+1.90%) Cattle Red through Midday Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 11:35AM CST Midday cattle prices are down $0.80 to $1.07 so far. There were some light catch up sales on Friday for $136. USDA reported the bulk of the weeks activity has been near $138. Feeders are trading red... LEG22 : 136.250s (-0.78%) LEM22 : 136.225s (-1.07%) GFF22 : 160.925s (-0.72%) GFH22 : 165.350s (-0.79%) New Delhi, March 2 : A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking direction for a court-monitored SIT into Delhi riots, murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, destruction of places of worship, and also incidents of acid-throwing on CRPF. The plea also wants an SIT probe into destruction of home of a BSF jawan and failure of police officers to prevent the riots. The petition has been filed by a Delhi resident and social activist Yogita Bhayana represented by advocate Utsav Singh Bains. "Issue an appropriate writ, order or direction directing the respondents (Delhi police and Centre) to immediately take action against police officers under IPC for destruction of evidence by damaging CCTVs at various riot-hit places and submit an action taken report to this court", said the petition. The petitioner contended the top court to issue direction to Centre to set up a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) of officers with impeccable integrity to investigate all deaths of persons in the Delhi riots, including the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, vandalisation of places of worship in Ashok Nagar and elsewhere in Delhi. The petitioner also sought investigation into the incidents of throwing of acid on CRPF and destruction of home of a BSF Jawan and failure of police officers to prevent riots and also those officers who failed to provide necessary help to victims despite receiving such information on police helpline No. (112). The petition wants an appropriate writ, order or direction asking the respondents to immediately preserve the Call Detail Record/tower locations of all police officers posted in riot-hit areas and their superiors in the chain of command under the supervision of a judicial officer. The petition also sought the top court to issue direction to provide adequate compensation for loss of life and injury, medical aid, essential relief supplies and repair of damaged private properties of riots-affected persons under supervision of a judicial officer. The petitioner also wants the Centre to hold legal aid camps for victims with Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA). The commercial minibus driver [trotro] said to have killed a policeman by running his vehicle over him near the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra last Friday in an attempt to escape arrest over an alleged traffic offence has been identified as Osei Bonsu. He has since been declared wanted by the police. The conductor of the bus [mate], Emmanuel Agyekum who was arrested last Friday evening (February 28, 2020), has since been granted a police enquiry bail. Agyekum, a resident of Madina Zongo in Accra was handed over to the police at East Legon on Friday evening. Information gathered by Graphic Online indicates that, Agyekum told the police that after the incident, the driver [Osei Bonsu] asked him to run so he also complied and took to his heels. He said someone saw him running barefooted and accosted him to find out what had happened. He told the police that, when he informed the person what had happened, the person took him to the East Legon Police station. The owner of the vehicle, a Ford Transit bus, according to the police also showed up at the police station last Friday and has been asked to provide the documents covering the vehicle by Monday, March 2, 2020. The owner has also been asked to provide the driver, Osei Bonsu within one week or would be sent to court as an accomplice. What happened? Last Friday, around 10 am the bus driver, Osei Bonsu, and his conductor [mate] were said to be soliciting for passengers at an unauthorised area around the Madina Zongo junction. In an attempt to avoid arrest, he allegedly fled the scene with the vehicle when he was approached by the police. Two policemen from Madina Unit of the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD), Sergeant Moses Appiah and a colleague, Corporal Joshua Azure pursued the driver of the Ford vehicle from the main Legon-Madina road and eventually caught up with him on the Trinity Theological Seminary route. The two policemen got out of their vehicle and tried to stop the driver from moving his vehicle further according to some eyewitnesses, but the driver in an attempt to drive away, hit Sergeant Moses Appiah and as he tried to drive away, dragged the knocked down Sergeant Appiah under the vehicle. Sergeant Appiah was dragged for 54.50 metres under the Ford bus when the police later took measurements at the scene of the incident. The badly injured Sergeant Appiah was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital for emergency treatment but he was pronounced dead later. Following that the body was taken to the Police Hospital Mortuary. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Travelers wear protective masks as they walk through terminal 5 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on March 1, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo) 91 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed in the US: CDC There are 91 cases of the new coronavirus as of Monday morning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency released updated figures after at least 23 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the United States over the weekend, including the countrys first two deaths from the new disease it causes. New cases were announced in five states: Washington, Oregon, California, Rhode Island, Florida, and New York. The two deaths were both in Washington, where a nursing home is on lockdown over dozens of residents and staff members showing symptoms. Thirteen people have tested positive for the virus in the state10 in King County and three in Snohomish County, state officials said. Ten of those infections were new over the weekend after two were reported on Friday. Florida reported two cases, the first in the state, over the weekend, prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a public health emergency. One Florida resident traveled to Italy, which has reported an explosion of cases in recent days. U.S. officials said over the weekend that Americans shouldnt travel to parts of Italy or South Korea and should reconsider going to the rest of the countries. The second Florida resident has no travel history. Rhode Island also announced that two patients tested positive for the virus, the first cases in the state. The patients both traveled to Europe on a high school field trip. And New York reported its first case, a woman in her late 30s who became infected while in Iran. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday morning that the woman, who is in her 30s, contracted the virus during a recent trip to Iran and was in isolation at her house. A man blocks the view as a person is taken by a stretcher to a waiting ambulance from a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for COVID-19 in Kirkland, Washington, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Elaine Thompson/AP Photo) California reported six new cases, including four in Santa Clara County, upping the total in the state to 16. The first new case there was reported on Saturday. The adult woman is a household contact of a previously confirmed case and is not hospitalized or ill, the countys Health Department said in a statement. The county on Sunday said there were three new patients including a husband and wife who recently traveled to Egypt. Oregon reported its second case on Sunday after an elementary school worker tested positive late last week, prompting the closure of the school at which he or she is employed. The new patient is an adult household contact of the first patient, the Oregon Health Authority said in a statement. Illinois over the weekend recorded its third case, the first in weeks. The patient is currently hospitalized. With the figures reported over the weekend, the national tally appeared to be 88. The CDC reported that another case was confirmed among those evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. It wasnt immediately clear where the other cases were from to make 91 total in the country. There are now 45 cases confirmed among those evacuated from the ship, as well as three patients among those flown from Wuhan, China. The new virus emerged in China late last year and has spread to dozens of countries since. Experts say the best ways to avoid the illness include frequently washing hands, avoiding sick people, and not touching ones nose, mouth, or eyes with unwashed hands. The Delhi Police welcomed the students who appeared for their board exams in violence-hit Northeast Delhi with roses on Monday. The novel initiative was carried out at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Khajoori Khas area of Northeast Delhi. More than 40 people have been killed in the violence which broke out last week. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked the school principals to provide the list of the students, who would not be able to appear in the board exams. The board has decided to hold exams for these students at a later date. Considering the difficult situation that continues with some of the candidates, the CBSE is prepared to hold examinations at a later date for such candidates, who would not be able to appear for the examinations up to 7th March, said the CBSE in a statement on Sunday. The CBSE had cancelled the examinations scheduled for February 28 and 29, but had said that the ones from March 2 onwards will be held as scheduled. The Delhi High Court had on Friday said that shifting the examination centres at this time is not a viable option and asked the Delhi Police to ensure proper security at the centres in the Northeast district of the national capital. Meanwhile, the situation was peaceful but tense in the area on Sunday as four more bodies were fished out from drains in Gokalpuri and Shiv Vihar, news agency PTI reported. Heavy police deployment is continuing in these localities. The Delhi Police said it has registered 254 FIRs and arrested or detained 903 persons in connection with the violence so far. Forty-one of the cases were registered under the Arms Act. Last weeks violence in Jafrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi claimed 46 lives and left over 200 injured. A ban on subsidies for new onshore wind farms is to be lifted by the government, reversing a four-year ban introduced by David Cameron. Environmental groups welcomed the policy change, which followed a 2015 Tory manifesto pledge to halt the spread of subsidised onshore wind farms. The ban resulted in a significant drop in onshore wind development, just as advancing technology meant the price of onshore wind energy dropped sharply. An official announcement of the policy change is expected to be made by Alok Sharma, the business and energy secretary. This is great news for anyone who pays an energy bill, and its great news for our climate, said John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK. Onshore wind and solar are not only some of the cheapest sources of energy, reducing costs for everyone, but they are a vital part of putting the UK on track to net zero as quickly as possible. The government now needs to engage with local communities in order to get large amounts of onshore wind and solar off the ground. Leading by example, by tripling the UKs wind and solar by 2030, is a prerequisite for successful UK leadership at this years global climate talks in Glasgow. This is an important measure to clean up our power system, but action is needed across the board, including delivery of the governments offshore wind target and upgrading the grid for electric vehicles and storage. The subsidy ban was brought in to placate critics of the turbines visual impact on the landscape. The government said at the time that around 250 planned wind farms were cancelled as a result of the move. David Cameron banned subsidies for wind power as prime minister (PA) A large number of projects were rushed through ahead of the subsidy ban, with a record generating capacity coming online in 2017, representing 2.6GW and doubling the previous record. Onshore wind power is now the cheapest renewable way of generating electricity in the UK, undercutting other modes like solar power. While offshore wind has also reduced in price, its inherent engineering challenges means costs are higher for turbines out at sea. Environment news in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 Environment news in pictures Environment news in pictures Davos 2019: David Attenborough issues stark warning about future of civilisation as he demands practical solutions to combat climate change Sir David Attenborough has issued a stark warning about climate change to business figures gathered in Davos, telling them that "what we do now...will profoundly affect the next few thousand years". On the eve of this year's World Economic Forum, the renowned naturalist told the audience that the worlds of business and politics should "get on with the practical solutions" needed to prevent environmental damage. "As a species we are expert problem solvers. But we've not yet applied ourselves to this problem with the focus it requires. "We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy, and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan," he said. The broadcaster made his speech after receiving a Crystal Award, which is awarded by the forum to "exceptional cultural leaders". AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures At least 60% of wild coffee species face extinction triggered by climate change and disease Two decades of research have revealed that 60 per cent of the worlds coffee species face extinction due to the combined threats of deforestation, disease and climate change. The wild strain of arabica, the most widely consumed coffee on the planet, is among those now recognised as endangered, raising concerns about its long-term survival. These results are worrying for the millions of farmers around the world who depend on the continued survival of coffee for their livelihoods. As conditions for coffee farming become tougher, scientists predict the industry will need to rely on wild varieties to develop more resilient strains Alan Schaller Environment news in pictures Warming Antarctic waters are speeding the rate at which glaciers are melting The Antarctic ice sheet is losing six times as much ice each year as it was in the 1980s and the pace is accelerating, one of the most comprehensive studies of climate change effects on the continent has shown. More than half an inch has been added to global sea levels since 1979, but if current trends continue it will be responsible for metres more in future, the Nasa-funded study found. The international effort used aerial photos, satellite data and climate models dating back to the 1970s across18 Antarctic regions to get the most complete picture to date on the impacts of the changing climate. It found that between 1979 and 1990 Antarctica lost an average of 40 gigatonnes (40 billion tonnes) of its mass each year. Between 2009 and 2017 it lost an average 252 gigatonnes a year. This has added 3.6mm per decade to sea levels, or around 14mm since 1979, the study shows Nasa/Getty Environment news in pictures Greater Manchester to ban fracking, paving way for confrontation with government over controversial industry Greater Manchester is to effectively ban fracking, raising the prospect of fresh confrontation with the government over the controversial industry. All of the regions 10 councils are to implement planning policies which create a presumption against drilling for shale gas in their areas, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced. Campaigners said the move was the latest sign that the tide was turning against fracking, which has been the subject of multiple legal battles across the country. Critics of fracking say it poses environmental and health risks. Drilling at the UKs only operational fracking site, run by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, has repeatedly been halted due to earth tremors. But ministers support the industry and last year unveiled plans to accelerate the development of new drilling sites Ross Wills Environment news in pictures Japan confirms plan to resume commercial whaling in its waters from next year Japan will resume commercial whaling next year for the first time in more than three decades, in a move that has provoked strong criticism from campaigners and the international community. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said his nation would leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting the marine mammals in Japanese waters. However, he stated the activity would be limited to Japans territory and the 200 mile exclusive economic zone along its coasts. This means controversial scientific trips to Antarctica in which Japanese vessels killed hundreds of whales, as well as activity in the northwest Pacific, will stop in 2019 AP Environment news in pictures COP24: Environmental groups criticise morally unacceptable climate deal reached after major Poland summit Diplomats from around the world have agreed a major climate deal after two weeks of United Nations talks in Poland. But climate campaigners warned the deal effectively a set of rules for how to govern the 2015 Paris climate accord agreed between almost 200 countries lacked ambition or a clear promise of enhanced climate action. Activists cautiously welcomed elements of the plan, saying important progress had been made on ensuring that efforts to tackle climate change by individual nations can be measured and compared. But environmental groups were also highly critical of the agreement, warning it lacked ambition and clarity on key issues, including financing for climate projects for developing countries. The COP24 deal, which is aimed at providing firm guidelines for countries on how to transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions and their efforts to reduce them, was confirmed on 15 December, after talks overran Reuters Environment news in pictures Unprecedented changes needed to stop global warming as UN report reveals islands starting to vanish and coral reefs dying Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities, a landmark UN report has concluded. Drawing on more than 6,000 scientific studies and compiled over two years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings, released this morning, warn enormous and rapid changes to the way everyone on Earth eats, travels and produces energy need to be brought in immediately. Though the scientists behind the report said there is cause for optimism, they recognised the grim reality that nations are currently nowhere near on track to avert disaster AFP/Getty Environment news in pictures Africas three biggest elephant poaching cartels exposed using DNA from illegal ivory shipments DNA taken from massive shipments of ivory has been used to identify the three largest wildlife trafficking gangs operating at the height of Africas elephant poaching epidemic. Ivory tends to be shipped around the world from African ports in bulk, and scientists have used genetic evidence gleaned from intercepted batches to reveal their origins. Led by Dr Samuel Wasser from the University of Washington, they traced a number of these shipments to three cartels operating out of Kenya, Uganda and Togo. Evidence collected by Dr Wasser has already helped convict ivory kingpin Feisal Mohamed Ali, and as his team joins the dots between shipments they plan to shore up the cases against more of the continents most prolific smugglers Art Wolfe Dr Alan Whitehead, Labours shadow minister for energy and climate change, said: After years of Labour calling on the government to remove its ban on funding onshore wind and solar, it has finally relented. We need every tool at our disposal to fight the climate crisis, but for years the governments obstinate resistance has forced us to fight with one hand behind our back. We now need to catch up on five lost years, remove the planning barriers to onshore wind energy this government put in place and look at the eye-watering business rates they put on solar energy. Pakistan has announced that it will request the British government, led by Boris Johnson to deport Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif as he is an "absconder". Imran Khan's government said that Nawaz Sharif had gone to London on November 19, 2019, for his medical treatment, however, has not been admitted to the hospital yet, thus, calling it a "fixed match" played by the former Pakistani Prime Minister "The government has decided in principle to write a letter this week to the British government, seeking deportation of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, as he is an absconder not fulfilling the terms and conditions of the bail granted to him on medical grounds," Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan told a press conference here on Sunday evening. READ| Hypocrite Imran Khan refuses to admit China's detention of Uighurs She said Sharif had gone to London on November 19 last year for his treatment but was yet to be admitted to a hospital there, indicating that "it was a fixed match played by him, his party and a section of the media on his health", paving the way for his departure to London. The Pakistan government further claimed that Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz had gone to London to protect the businesses of their children. "Nawaz faked his health condition," Awan alleged. PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal said if Sharif decided to return to the country, the Imran Khan government will request him not to come. He said the three-time premier will challenge the government's decision not to give him an extension in his stay abroad in the court shortly. PML-N Punjab information secretary Azma Bokhari told PTI that if Pakistan wrote to the British government for Sharif's deportation, the PML-N would also write to the US government seeking opening of a case against Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding his ("illegitimate") child. She said Sharif was seriously ill and had heart-related complications, adding that the former prime minister was going to have a heart procedure shortly. "Imran Khan and his team should stop playing on the health of Sharif and concentrate on governance matters instead," Bokhari said. READ| Pakistan & Terrorism: 6 Freudian slips by Pak leaders on Osama, Hafiz Saeed & Masood Azhar that give it all away Last week, Pakistan's Punjab government had refused to extend Sharif's bail, declaring that it had found no "legal, moral or medical ground" necessitating an extension in his stay abroad. The Lahore High Court had, in October last year, granted bail to Sharif on medical grounds for four weeks, allowing the Punjab government to extend it further in the light of his medical reports. The Islamabad High Court had also granted bail to Sharif in the Al Azizia Mills corruption case, in which the former prime minister was serving a seven-year jail term, clearing his way to travel abroad for medical treatment. Sharif Declared absconder Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been declared an "absconder" by the government for violating the bail requirements by not presenting his medical report from his doctors in London, according to a media report on Wednesday. According to Sharif's physician, the three-time prime minister is suffering from complex multi-vessel coronary artery disease and substantial ischemic and threatened myocardium for which he is due to undergo surgery. The government on Tuesday decided not to extend the bail of Sharif and declared him an absconder for violating the bail requirements by not presenting his medical report before a board formed on the order of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Dawn Newspaper reported. The decisions were taken at a meeting of the federal Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Imran Khan. "After Nawaz Sharif failed to submit his medical report of any hospital in London, the medical board rejected a medical certificate sent by him and (the government) declared him an absconder," Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan said at a post-Cabinet meeting press conference. "From today Nawaz Sharif is an absconder according to the law of land and if he does not return to the country he will be declared a proclaimed offender, Awan said. WATCH: Analyst falls off chair during live TV debate in Pakistan Photo: The Canadian Press Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., addresses supporters during a town hall in San Antonio, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Joe Biden said Sunday he can "unite this country, the whole country after scoring a comeback victory in South Carolinas Democratic primary that could force moderate rivals out of the race and blunt the rise of progressive leader Bernie Sanders. Biden vowed he would improve his campaign operation, his fundraising haul and even his own performance as the race pushes toward Super Tuesday. He warned of a stark choice between him and Sanders, while making the case he is the candidate that can win up and down the ballot and in states beyond those voting next week. I feel good, Biden said on ABC's This Week. I can win and I can bring along Democratic victories. Biden saturated the airwaves with back-to-back interviews after Saturday's win, which came on the strength of African American support and at a perilous moment in his 2020 bid. He needed an emphatic rebound after underwhelming performances in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. The race now pivots to the 14 states from Maine to California that vote on Tuesday in what in effect will be a national primary in a race increasingly becoming a match-up between the two powerhouses representing divergent paths for the party. Sanders led in fundraising hauls announced Sunday with an eye-popping $46.5 million for February, his campaign said. The senator said its not the total amount that should impress but the enthusiasm of working people fueling his candidacy. No campaign out there has a stronger grassroots movement than we do, Sanders said on CBSs Face the Nation. "That's how you beat Trump." Pressure is mounting to prevent a prolonged battle that could stretch into summer as seven candidates remain in the Democrats quest to find the strongest possible nominee to take on President Donald Trump in November. The lagging candidates are being pushed to justify their campaigns or step aside so Biden can engage in a more direct match-up against Sanders, who heads into the coming week eager to surpass his rivals in amassing delegates for the nomination. There were few signs that anyone was leaving the race. Billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who will be on the ballot for the first time next week, said Sunday hes not going anywhere before Tuesdays primaries. Im optimistic," he told voters in Selma, Alabama, where many of the White House hopefuls gathered for ceremonies commemorating civil rights heroism. He has spent more than $500 million advertising in the states set to vote this month. Bloomberg received a mixed reception as he spoke from the pulpit of Selma's Brown Chapel AME Church. Ten parishioners stood and turned their backs to the New York billionaire as he talked about his desire to increase black home ownership and wealth. That was after the pastor told the congregation that Bloomberg initially said he was too busy to attend because he had to beat Donald Trump. Elizabeth Warren's team spoke brazenly of pushing into a floor battle at the Democratic National Convention this summer if no candidate emerges from primary season with a majority, as seems increasingly likely. The convention in Milwaukee is the final play, wrote campaign manager Roger Lau in a memo. Warren brought in $29 million last month and Biden trailed with $18 million, but the former vice-president said he raised $5 million in the last 24 hours, which is more than any previous day in his bumpy campaign. Other dimming candidates Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar appear to be pressing forward. Buttigieg said only that his campaign will be assessing at every turn the best steps for defeating Trump. Our country cant take four more years of this, he said on NBC's Meet the Press. Biden declined to ask rivals to bow out. Its not for me to tell another candidate to get out of the race, Biden said on "Fox News Sunday. Even with the victory, the shortcomings of Biden's campaign remain, including a lack of robust funding and organization that have drawn concern from top allies. He is barely running any television advertising in Super Tuesday states. Bloomberg announced his own plan to deliver a three-minute prime-time address Sunday night on two television networks. He didn't say how much he paid for the air time, which is unprecedented in recent decades. And both Sanders and Bloomberg have many more staff and volunteers than Biden. Levelling his own direct attack on Sanders, Biden declared, The people aren't looking for revolution. They're looking for results. Biden won about three times as many delegates in South Carolina as Sanders, his nearest rival, giving a momentary respite to anxious Democrats who feared that the democratic socialist would finish February with four consecutive top finishes that would make it difficult for anyone to overtake him. The Associated Press declared Biden the winner just after the polls closed in South Carolina. The AP based the call on data from AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate conducted for the AP by NORC at the University of Chicago. The survey showed a convincing win for Biden. But Biden made an aggressive round of media appearances on Sunday in an effort to counter Bloomberg's massive spending. He's also working to secure endorsements from prominent Democrats and, shortly after the Saturday results were in, he got the backing of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Biden downplayed the lack of an endorsement from former President Barack Obama, whose name he often invokes on the campaign trail to voters nostalgic for his administration. Biden said on ABC he has to earn this on my own. The South Carolina primary was the first major test of the candidates' appeal among black voters. That courtship continued Sunday in Selma. A number of states that vote on Super Tuesday, including Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia, have substantial black populations. One of the candidates who spent recent weeks wooing black voters, billionaire activist Tom Steyer, ended his campaign on Saturday after a disappointing third-place finish. He spent more than $24 million on television advertising in South Carolina -- more than all of his rivals combined -- but never found a clear lane in the crowded contest. Trump weighed in on Twitter early Sunday, taunting Bloomberg as he often does potential rivals. The president suggested the billionaire's advisers are simply on a gravy train leading him down a dark and lonely path" without hopes of winning the nomination. Aides to Bloomberg's campaign said earlier they still believe the former New York mayor can win in a handful of states that vote on Super Tuesday, including Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Virginia and North Carolina. Through four contests, Sanders has a healthy, but shrinking, delegate lead. The AP has allocated at least 58 delegates to Sanders, including two added Sunday as South Carolina's remaining votes dribbled in. Biden vaulted past Buttigieg into second place with at least 50 delegates shrinking Sanders' lead from what had been 30 delegates before South Carolina to eight. Buttigieg, Warren and Klobuchar remain stuck at 26, eight and seven, respectively. Trump was paying close attention to the Democratic race. How could you be easier to beat than Joe? That guy cant put two sentences together, Trump told attendees Saturday of the Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington. But you know he is more down the middle. Everyone knows hes not a communist and with Bernie there a real question about that. Biden won 64% of the votes cast by African Americans. He also did well with older voters, women, moderates and conservatives and regular churchgoers, according to AP VoteCast. Sanders earned the support of roughly 14% of African American voters, while billionaire businessman Tom Steyer won 15%. There was also evidence that Bidens status as Obamas two-term vice-president helped him win over African Americans. VoteCast found that 45% 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 the Obama presidency. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez cautioned Democrats that its still early in their presidential primary. Speaking at a North Carolina Democratic Party fundraising gala, Perez noted that to win the nomination, a Democrat must win 1,991 delegates and only a fraction of those have been allocated in the partys first four primaries. We have a long way to go, he said. HALIFAX - As Canadian communities brace for rising risks of spring flooding related to climate change, a non-profit group has published findings suggesting preserving wetlands and forests can be key to reducing adaptation costs. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A New Brunswick flag floats in floodwater from the Saint John River in Waterborough, N.B., on May 13, 2018. As Canadian communities brace for the heightened risks of spring flooding due to climate change, a non-profit group has published findings on how preserving wetlands and forests are key to reducing adaptation costs. The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative released its second set of findings recently on how forests, creeks, wetlands, ponds and other natural features help avoid costly infrastructure projects. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese HALIFAX - As Canadian communities brace for rising risks of spring flooding related to climate change, a non-profit group has published findings suggesting preserving wetlands and forests can be key to reducing adaptation costs. The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative released its second set of results recently on how forests, creeks, wetlands, ponds and other natural features help cities avoid costly infrastructure projects. The approach has been applied to the New Brunswick communities of Florenceville-Bristol, Riverside-Albert, and Riverview; Oshawa, Ont. and the district of Sparwood and City of Courtenay in British Columbia. The report dated Feb. 21 estimates savings ranging from $200,000 to $414 million for preserving or improving so-called "natural assets," with results including improved drainage of stormwater and purification of drinking water. The initiative was originally pioneered by the Town of Gibsons, B.C. which conducted the first similar projects and is primarily funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the local governments involved in each project, and with support from Smart Prosperity Institute and the Suzuki Foundation. One of the areas considered was how conservation helps adapt to flooding. Last year's Canada's Changing Climate Report, a summary of climate science by federal researchers, concluded the effects of widespread warming are becoming evident in many parts of Canada and "are projected to intensify in the future," including earlier spring peak streamflow and rising sea levels. The 2019 document also concluded a warmer climate will intensify weather extremes, "while ...more intense rainfalls will increase urban flood risks." The natural assets report says in Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., protecting 182 hectares of forested area along the St. John River helps avoid costly human-engineered systems that would be required for a one-in-100 year rain storm. It estimates forest conservation would save the creation of a $3.5 million stormwater management pond system. In Riverview, N.B., adjacent to Moncton, protecting four wetlands that cover 14,000 square metres in the Mill Creek Watershed would avoid the $2.3 million needed to create stormwater management ponds to handle a 1-in-100 year flood, as predicted under a climate change scenario. In Oshawa, Oshawa Creek which drains an area of about 119 square kilometres and surrounding lands were studied as the key natural system for handling more frequent rain storms. According to the group protecting seven kilometres of natural area in the watershed, including steps to guard against erosion of lands around the creek system, would save about $18.9 million that it would cost to build a concrete channel with similar flow rates to handle runoff. If full protection measures are taken for the entire length of the creek and its surrounding floodplain, the financial benefits increase to $414 million by avoiding construction of alternative, human-made water channels. The consultant calls for additional study of the water system to fully define ways to help it absorb precipitation. In Courtney, B.C., the study looked at several potential flooding scenarios from the Courtney River, one based on the 2009 flood conditions and another on a 1-in-200 year storm. The project identified four options including widening the Courtenay River banks, converting a sawmill site to a natural foreshore, bringing back the river's natural path and "gradually removing properties from the flood plain and allowing only land uses that are compatible with flooding in the flood plain." The study found these measures would not solve the flooding problems, but they would reduce flood damage by between $723,000 and $2.4 million, depending on the extent of the flooding. Roy Brooke, director of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, said in an interview the information being gathered for municipalities can be used for their planning. "Natural assets are providing vital infrastructure to communities, and the services have a value and often increase over time because they are adaptable in the face of climate change," he said. "This becomes information the communities can leverage ... to start treating nature for what it is: a vital asset and a core part of any resilient system." This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 1, 2020. Hundreds of pupils in a Dublin secondary school have been told to stay home for two weeks after a student tested positive for the new coronavirus. Parents were thrown into panic yesterday after receiving a letter from the Irish health service saying the school has been shut, with pupils and staff put under active surveillance by public health doctors until March 16. The student, who is the first person in the Republic to be diagnosed with the virus sweeping the globe, was being cared for in the isolation unit of the Mater Hospital in Dublin last night. He caught the virus during a mid-term visit to one of the areas of north Italy which has seen the biggest outbreak in Europe. Staff and students in the 400-pupil school have been told to restrict their movements and isolate themselves for the next 14 days. Parents received letters from the Health Service Executive yesterday informing them that "a person" in the school had been identified as having the virus and it would be closed for two weeks "as a precaution". The letter provided information on how to reduce the risk of transmission but did not say that it was a pupil who had the virus. They will receive daily texts from public health doctors and told to report any potential symptoms of the virus. The decision by the Irish Department of Health not to reveal the school was slammed on social media last night. Some public representatives named it on Twitter. But chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the school would not be named for patient confidentiality and the need to reassure other people who may have the infection they can come forward without a breach of privacy. Without saying a pupil was involved the letter to parents said "a person" in the school had been identified as having the virus and it would be closed for two weeks as a precautionary measure. It is the second case on the island of Ireland in the space of a few days and follows news that a woman in Northern Ireland has the virus following a trip to northern Italy, returning to Dublin airport and travelling to Belfast by train. Dr John Cuddihy, head of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said yesterday that not all the contacts of the person who tested positive from the Dublin school had yet been traced and this was ongoing. The case has again heightened the risk of more people being diagnosed with the virus in the Republic with particular fears about visitors who were recently in the 11 towns in north Italy. The parents are to receive a briefing from HSE officials at the school this morning. Finance Minister Paschal Donohue said he "completely understands" the level of local public concern and worry about the school but he had the best guidance from public health doctors. Asked what restricted movement meant for the pupils, Mr Cuddihy said: "They need to limit social interactions, not go to school, work or sporting events." The financial services sector is no stranger to data analytics, but subjective, gut-based decision-making is still the norm in some areas. Take equity capital markets (ECM) bankers, who specialize in helping clients raise capital through initial public offerings (IPOs) and the like. Traditionally, ECM bankers have relied on relationships with investors and their expertise of the financial and industry landscape to identify investors who are most likely to participate in an upcoming deal. Bank of America is looking to turn that tradition on its head with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). When you look at financial services and the use of technology to advance financial services, not every line of business and every product is as contemporary as the other, says Elif Bilgi Zapparoli, co-head of global capital markets at Bank of America Securities. The consumer side of the business tends to be very contemporary, she says, because the user base is all on the cloud, the internet, or mobile. On the more corporate-focused side of the house, technology lags, often because clients themselves are on the lagging side of the technology curve. Even when you look at our parts of the business, markets is more advanced than banking because the markets clients, the buy side, have been electronified for decades now, Zapparoli says. Bank of America is aiming to change all that. Its taking cues from advancements in quantitative trading, like the use of market signals to predict price movements and seeking to apply those ideas and technologies to the ECM business. Were using the same mindset and same methods, and, in many cases, similar algorithms, but of course our input is different and what we want to predict is different. We want to predict the match, if you will, Zapparoli says. Predicting the best investors for the deal Over the past two years, data scientists and engineers at Bank of America have been creating Predictive Intelligence Analytics Machine (PRIAM), an AI deal prediction system that uses a network of supervised machine learning algorithms to understand relationship trends between ECM deals and investors. David Reilly, CIO for global banking and markets and the enterprise risk and finance technology executive at Bank of America, says experts collected, cleaned, and organized more than 150 million data points both publicly available data and proprietary data to train the AI model. The data included information from more than 50,000 historical ECM deals, investor data, and market data. Were bringing data and analytics to the table, Reilly says. Not to replace anything, but to supplement that rich relationship and market intelligence data our banking partners have when theyre out in the field. Reilly explains that PRIAM now helps maximize demand for ECM transactions by predicting the best investors for a deal based on the equity offering details, historical deal participation, trading and client touch point information, and market data. It can score a thousand investors in seconds, identifying the high signal investors with better than 80 percent accuracy. The banks ECM bankers incorporate that analysis and insight into their strategy. That data allows us to make a very targeted, very one-of-one pitch that, on its own, wouldnt be enough, but as an additional asset to bring to the table we think it will differentiate us, Reilly says. Because we can do it so quickly, now we can update the model and then we can run it again based on market events. A merger of data and expertise PRIAMs secret sauce is bringing together data and analytics with what has traditionally relied largely on bankers relationships and subject matter expertise, Reilly says. Its that marriage of that deep, sometimes decades worth of business and market experience, married to the data and analytics that are constantly being updated, that make the difference with this particular product, he says. Via automation, the project, which has earned Bank of America a FutureEdge 50 Award for applications of emerging technologies, has helped the bank save hundreds of hours that it previously spent manually analyzing and collecting anecdotal data. Reilly notes that it also has the potential to help the banks syndicate team revolutionize the way it manages risk by providing more information in near-real time. Zapparoli says the key to success has been internal cooperation leveraging expertise found throughout Bank of Americas groups to think differently about an existing business. In building PRIAM and then updating PRIAM, what we found is that it required a number of different disciplines or groups, internal to the bank and external to the bank, to come together to really create an added value proposition for the client, Zapparoli says. Expertise from both banking and markets, as well as machine learning and AI expertise gleaned from areas such as quantitative trading all played a role. Thats why it ended up on a successful path in my view, because we didnt reinvent anything, Zapparoli says. We just said, Okay, if this works in markets, lets start with that and see what domain expertise dictates in terms of what other inputs go in.' More on data science: Davenport University announced it has been selected as a 2020 Michigan Performance Excellence Award recipient by Michigan Performance Excellence (MIPEx). This is the highest honor given to organizations in Michigan that demonstrate outstanding performance, leadership and operational excellence. Davenport is the first university to earn this distinction in Michigan. MIPEx is one of more than 30 state and regional Baldrige-based performance excellence award programs. It serves all organizations and industries including healthcare, nonprofit, education and others across Michigan. Using the Baldrige criteria as its framework, MIPEx utilizes an extensive business review process to determine top recipients. This rigorous evaluation process takes months to complete. There have not been any other recipients between 2012 and 2019. "This recognition represents the culmination of a lot of hard work by Davenport's faculty and staff," said Dr. Richard J. Pappas, president of Davenport University. "But more than that, it is tangible proof of our commitment to Davenport's mission to achieve the highest level of education and business outcomes for our students." Davenport University completed a 50-page application before MIPEx examiners spent 12-15 weeks evaluating the organization. Nearly half of Davenport's full-time employees were part of the interview process prior to selection. Organizations recognized at this level demonstrate effective, systematic and well-deployed approaches to process evaluation and improvement, organizational learning and innovation. As a result, these organizations see improved effectiveness and efficiency of key processes. "Davenport has exhibited well-deployed processes that answer the questions of the criteria," said Geri Markley, executive director for MIPEx. "The leadership team uses a systematic strategic planning process to deploy an intense focus on students -- first understanding student needs and then addressing them systematically." Using the Baldrige Framework, Davenport has deployed effective management programs that have improved several key initiatives for the university. For example, its student graduation rates have substantially improved over the last 10 years. The university has seen a 158% increase in student graduation rates -- achieving both regional and national industry standards. In fact, Davenport student graduation rates went from 19% in 2008-09 to 49% in 2018-19. "Formed in 1994 as the Michigan Quality Council, MIPEx exists to improve the competitiveness of Michigan organizations that will, in turn, enhance the quality of life in the state," Markley said. "The organization is not funded by the state and all award evaluations are performed by volunteer examiners, with award decisions made by an independent panel of judges." Amy Hunter on Twitter: @Amy10506 OutFront Kalamazoos website: OutFontKzoo.org Chris Savage at Eclectablog: LGBTQ Forum shocker: Proven voter model shows support for civil rights ballot initiative in Michigan at only 42% Chris Savage at Eclectablog: ERRATA: Correcting a misstatement in my reporting from Monday nights LGBTQ forum in Ann Arbor The ACLU Michigans compendium of the Trump administrations assaults on protections for LGTBTQ people, created by Jay Kaplan, LGBTQ Staff Attorney, with assistance from Amy Hunter can be found HERE. Progressives Everywhere on Twitter: @Progressives50 Help Progressives Everywhere elect progressives everywhere by clicking HERE. Progressives Everywheres website: ProgressivesEverywhere.org Support Progressives Everywhere by becoming a Patreon donor HERE. Jordans important project: Election-Calendar.com Give us a five-star review at iTunes! The GOTMFV Show Facebook page is HERE! Music clips Intro and transition music: You Dress Like an Asshole by Not The 1s Progressives Everywhere intro/outro: Theyre Everywhere by Jims Big Ego Outro music: Complain (from the movie Bob Roberts) by David Robbins & Tim Robbins STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO) is holding an event Monday night for houses of worship and schools that need assistance applying for security grants. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Young Israel of Staten Island, located at 835 Forest Hill Rd. The workshop, which will be hosted by David Pollok, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council New York (JCRC-NY), is open to all borough houses of worship and school. The NYPDs new Manhattan/Staten Island Security Manager Terrence Byrne will also educate attendees on crime prevention. The new customs clearing system, known as Uni-Pass, will go live at all Ghanas entry points, except the Tema Port. This follows a directive by the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, that from March 1, 2020, importers will be required to clear their imports through the new customs management system at the entry points. A list of 49 entry points expected to implement the Uni-Pass a paperless (electronic) customs management system was attached to the directive, which also urged freight forwarders or their representatives to take steps to obtain their access codes. Please let all freight forwarders or their representatives take steps to procure their access codes as demonstrated during the training and as outlined in the material, it said. While soliciting the cooperation of freight forwarders, it said the aim was to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Ghanas customs management regime. The directive, dated February 26, this year and signed by the Senior Minister, followed a meeting among the leadership of freight forwarders, officials of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Service (GRA) and a Deputy Minister of Finance at the Nick Royal Hotel in Tema on February 12, this year. The meeting, it said, engaged the port users and associations on the new customs management regime and demonstrated how it would be used. Uni-Pass Explained The Uni-Pass is a new port clearing system that processes documents and payments through one window. This, implementers say, will be a departure from the previous system where valuation and classification and risk management and payment were handled by different entities. The system, being spearheaded by Ghana Link Services Ltd, in collaboration with Customs Uni-Pass International Agency (CUPIA) of the Korean Customs Service, the designer of the system, will replace the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAARS) and the Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS) jointly operated by the Customs Division, the Ghana Community Network Services (GCNet) Ltd and West Blue Consulting. CUPIA Korea, which is assisting the Customs Division to implement the Uni-Pass system, has described it as an enhanced single window system for trade facilitation. Further Notices The directive explained that imports through all other points of entry shall be processed through the existing PAARS and the GCMS, adding: We will inform you about the date and time when the new system will be fully deployed and when imports will no longer be processed through PAARS and GCMS. With the Takoradi Port said to be hooked onto Uni-Pass since February 21, this year, and the addition of the 49 points of entry, the only places left for the roll out of the system are the Tema Port and the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). The directive also said system-user manuals and audio-video training materials would be dispatched to freight forwarders and other port users through a committee formed for the purposes of the engagement. That was to have been done by last Friday (February 28, 2020). Copies, the directive said, would be published on the website of the GRA to complement the training that Customs had provided for the stakeholders so far. A well-equipped call centre is also ready to address the concerns of users and give a feedback to the Customs Division and the developer, it added. Entry Points Affected It listed the points of entry to include six in the Western and the Western North regions, namely, Elubo, Half Assini, Jewi Wharf, Omanpe, Dadieso and Yakaase; 15 in the Volta and the Oti regions, including Aflao, Ho, Havi, Kpoglu, Akanu, Shia, Nyive, Honuta, Batume Junction, Likplevi Dafor and Wli Agorviefe. Other areas in those regions are Menuso, Tinjase, Kpetoe and Agortime Afegame. In the Upper East Region, there are eight entry points for implementing the new system, namely, Bolgatanga, Kulungugu, Paga and others, with Wa, Tumu and Lawra all being in the Upper West Region. In the North East, Savannah and Northern regions, the entry points are Tamale, Bole, Bunkpurugu, Tatale, Yendi and Wonjuga. The Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions have Sunyani, Kofi Badukrom, Gonokrom, Yaakrom, Osei Kwadwokrom, Sampa, Atuna, Kwame Seikrom and Nkrankwanta listed. Reaction Meanwhile, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has expressed misgivings at the directive by the Senior Minister for the take-off of the Uni-Pass single window. According to the group, the decision was a slap in the face, considering that no successful pilot had been undertaken to independently test the systems robustness to accept the about 20,000 declarations that might be going through it daily. Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Tema last Friday, the President of GIFF, Mr Edward Akrong, questioned the rationale behind the whole arrangement and wondered what the freight forwarders would do with the said access codes. You want us to get access codes: from who and onto what system? How are they going to operate? Mr Akrong asked rhetorically. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Meteorologists are closely monitoring two storms that could potentially come together and yield a big snowstorm in the northeastern United States late this week -- or skip over coastal areas altogether once again, continuing the mostly snowless pattern this winter. Two cities - Baltimore, Maryland, and Islip, New York - did not experience any snow during the entire month of February for the first time ever. A trace of snow snuck in right at the end of the month in other cities like Philadelphia, but seasonal snow totals in the City of Brotherly Love are still pacing well below normal at 0.3 of an inch, or 2% of normal. Washington, D.C., has only picked up 0.6 of an inch of snow this entire winter thus far, or only 4% of normal. The potential storm will follow a spring preview in the Northeast during the first part of this week -- and regardless of the exact scenario that plays out, AccuWeather meteorologists are expecting a nosedive in temperatures that will bring a sudden return of winter's cold. The two storms, one tracking into Pacific Canada and another storm over the southern-central United States on Tuesday, will eventually merge over the northwestern Atlantic Ocean late this week. This image over the Pacific Ocean and the western United States was taken on Tuesday morning, March 3, 2020. Swirls of clouds near the southeastern arm of Alaska and the portions of northwestern Mexico and the southwestern U.S. represent the two storms being watched for possible phasing into one big storm along the Atlantic coast on Friday. (NOAA / GOES-West) How fast and how close to the U.S. coast that merge occurs to form one powerful storm will determine how far west heavy, accumulating snow and strong winds extend in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. The first scenario is that these two storms merge, but they would do so too late and too far away from the Northeast coast to produce a substantial snowfall. Even in this scenario, some snow would still sweep through parts of the Northeastern states as one weak storm shifts eastward. Story continues The Pacific storm, which will essentially become an Alberta clipper system by midweek, is forecast to roll into the Great Lakes region on Thursday and then the Northeast on Friday. "Regardless of how the two storms later merge, the clipper storm will produce snow showers as it moves along," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. The Upper Midwest to the central Appalachians and interior Northeast will face snow showers from the clipper, which may produce enough accumulation to create slippery travel, especially where snow falls from the late afternoon to the early morning hours. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP The clipper storm will bring a batch of cold air with it, bringing an end to the spring preview the Northeast is feeling early this week, and winds will increase as the cold air infiltrates the region. Temperatures will plunge by 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit Thursday into Friday. The cold air and gusty winds will sweep in regardless of whether or not the two storms phase into one big storm. If it were not for the clipper storm in the first place, then air probably would not become cold enough for snow in the coastal Northeast. "At this time, the most likely scenario is for snow showers to sweep from the Great Lakes toward the Interstate 95 corridor of the Northeast during Friday and Friday night," Rayno said. "Steady snow may develop over southeastern New England, even with the delayed-phasing idea," he added. In a second scenario, the storms could phase together quickly near the coast. This near-coast storm scenario could bring nor'easter conditions with high winds, coastal flooding and major travel disruptions. In this case, heavy precipitation could be thrown westward to the I-95 corridor from Philadelphia to New York City and Boston, where a snow drought has kept a firm grip thus far. "Even if the two storms stay relatively separate into Friday, an arm of precipitation, in the form of rain and snow, may extend westward from the storm at sea and could brush the upper mid-Atlantic and southeastern part of New England," Rayno explained. In any case, the storms may produce significant snow over part of Canada from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland early this weekend. AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor both storms as they move across North America for any signs of phasing near the Atlantic coast this week. One key component for the big, near-coast storm scenario has been missing all winter. That is the lack of an area of persistent high pressure at most levels of the atmosphere near Greenland. This setup, known as the Greenland block, when present, assists in explosive strengthening of storms close to the Northeast coast of the U.S. When not present, storms may still strengthen, but they tend to move along very quickly and may not have time to bring the big snow scenario to the I-95. During most of this winter, the polar vortex has remained strong and contained near the Arctic Circle. It is during episodes when the polar vortex weakens that the jet stream becomes convoluted and patterns such as the Greenland block can develop. These same episodes can bring widespread severe cold weather outbreaks. Even if this particular setup late this week does not bring about the big storm scenario, there may be another opportunity or two as the month progresses. The upcoming pattern suggests that a similar setup could develop a week later as the jet stream develops large buckles over the Lower 48 states. These big buckles, referred to as closed-off storms in the jet stream, are not uncommon during March and April and can produce heavy snow in localized areas. Such a pattern can occur even if the polar vortex remains strong and well to the north. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. The Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu Constituency, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to return to Ghana to help in educating Ghanaians on the Coronavirus; COVID 19. President Akufo-Addo is currently on a 12-day working visit to Scotland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Belgium. He is set to return to Ghana on March 4, 2020. However, the NDC MP, during a panel interaction on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', urged the President to cut short his trip immediately. "We need to prepare well; I thought by now there should be a major awareness creation ongoing so that everyone will know what to doI think the president must come back to Ghana and lead the campaign," he said. He further asked religious leaders who are playing "religion with this to please leave it alone; this is not lotto numbers, this is a serious health matter; leave it to the health professionals." COVID 19 Meanwhile, according to the BBC, the number of deaths worldwide is now more than 3,000 with more than 90% in Hubei and China. However, there have been deaths in 10 other countries. The European Union has raised its coronavirus risk level from "moderate" to "high", EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana; Additional files from BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 22:28:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Members of a volunteer group named "Mask Panda Action Team" hand out masks to local people in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 29, 2020. "Mask Panda Action Team" is a volunteer group initiated by local Chinese community and later joined by more people in Japan. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi) The government will assist overseas Chinese citizens to return if their health is under severe threat, said Cui Aimin, head of the consular affairs department with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government attaches great importance to the health and safety of overseas Chinese and students in virus-hit countries and regions, said a Chinese diplomat Sunday. The government will assist overseas Chinese citizens to return if their health is under severe threat, said Cui Aimin, head of the consular affairs department with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference in Beijing. Cui called on overseas Chinese to strengthen self-protection and cooperate with the epidemic prevention and control measures in host countries. Overseas Chinese should ask for help from local administrations and contact Chinese embassies or consulates in case of emergency, said Cui. Noting that the foreign ministry has coordinated 10 civil flights to brought 1,314 Chinese citizens back, Cui said the ministry also assisted the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region and the Macao Special Administration Region in bringing back nearly 200 residents on the Diamond Princess cruise ship from Japan. The Chinese embassies and consulates have called for all-out efforts of local authorities to treat overseas Chinese citizens confirmed with COVID-19, Cui said, adding that the consular protection hotline "12308" is in 24-hour service to help compatriots abroad. British and EU trade negotiators held the first day of what could be months of talks aimed at forging a new post-Brexit relationship on Monday, with timing tight and the sides far apart on key issues. The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier and UK counterpart David Frost met in Brussels, launching several months of intense closed-door negotiations involving around 100 officials on each side. "We approach these negotiations in a constructive spirit. We want to agree an ambitious and fair partnership," Barnier tweeted after the talks, at which the negotiators did not shake hands because of fears of the novel coronavirus. "We will respect our prior joint commitments. We will close the round on Thursday and I will debrief the press afterwards," he said. A UK spokesman said Frost and members the UK delegation met Barnier and his task force for around two hours. "The UK will engage constructively to reach a free trade agreement which fully respects the UK's political and regulatory autonomy," he said. The negotiations began just over a month after Britain left the EU, and are meant to wrap up by the end of this year -- an exceedingly tight timeframe that few see as feasible for anything but a bare-bones accord. The deadline is effectively December 31, the end of the UK's current transition period during which it trades like an EU member with no tariffs or other barriers. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out extending the transition and both sides are looking to an EU-UK summit in June to decide whether talks are worth continuing. The negotiations have been clouded by mistrust and weeks of chest-beating as each side has accused the other of reneging on high-ambition goals set out in a political declaration struck last year. This week's talks in Brussels are to end on Thursday, after two days in which the teams will divide to cover 11 key topics for the future relationship. The next round is to take place in London, and thereafter alternate between the two capitals. Mandates published last week highlighted the EU's aim of securing a "level playing field" to prevent Britain from undercutting European standards on labour, tax, environment and state subsidies. Meanwhile the UK is insisting on setting its own rules in the name of "economic and political independence". The acrimony pushed the British pound 1.3 percent lower against the euro on Monday owing to fears that Britain's hard-line stance would hurt the economy. - 'Drift away' - Experts warned that the two sides are on a collision course, with a deal highly unlikely without concessions. "A deal between the EU and the UK by the end of the year is still possible, but it will require both parties to drift away from their opening positions," said Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. "In practice, it requires the UK to move a lot, and the EU to move a little," he said. Underlining tensions, Barnier, in an uncharacteristic display of podium-thumping, has warned Britain that any backsliding on its EU divorce terms would torpedo trade talks. The Brexit deal notably requires checks on British goods crossing the Irish Sea into the UK territory of Northern Ireland that Johnson now says are unnecessary. "Clearly, at the beginning of any negotiation, there's a bit of posturing. Both sides want to state the strongest possible case," said Fabian Zuleeg, head of the European Policy Centre. Experts see a deal limited to goods as the most likely outcome, but that would still require customs checks for products crossing the Channel and lacks the ambition called for by businesses. But fishing -- of relatively minor economic importance but of totemic significance to Britain and EU states such as France and Spain -- could be the flashpoint that scuppers a deal. Barnier has emphasised that fishing is "inextricably" linked to the whole agreement. The EU demands that its fishing boats continue to have access to British waters in return for British fishermen being able to sell their catches to their biggest and closest market. - Trade dependent - If there is no broad trade deal, economic pain will be felt on both sides -- but especially in Britain and in Ireland, the EU member most dependent on trade with the UK. Without a deal, UN economists calculate the UK would lose export revenues of up to 29 billion euros ($32 billion) a year. The EU buys nearly half of all British exports. Sources said UK Brexit negotiator David Frost and his EU opposite number Michel Barnier did not shake hands because of fears over the coronavirus Key Brexit points as London and Brussels negotiate new arrangements, including a trade deal, to guide future relations. Read his lips: No extension to the transition Fishing could be the flashpoint that scuppers a deal Britain will issue blue passports for the first time in almost three decades Representative Max Rose (D., N.Y.) praised the Trump administration for its 100 percent correct decision to sign a peace deal with the Taliban and said that ending the Afghanistan war was deeply personal for him as a veteran of the nearly two-decade long campaign. Rose, appearing on MSNBCs Morning Joe Monday morning, argued that the war would continue in perpetuity without the Trump administrations decision. The peace deal, singed Saturday by the U.S. and the Taliban, would see all American troops withdrawn from Afghanistan by May 2021. This decision by the administration is 100 percent correct, Rose said. We have got to focus on politics now in our longest-standing war . . . this wars got to end. Rose also pushed back on claims that a withdrawal could result an ISIS-like rise to fill the power vacuum. I do have confidence, albeit cautious optimism, that the Taliban is and can proceed as an entity that does want peace, he stated. We have seen 18 years of war. And I think that forcing them to the negotiating table, albeit with conditions going forward, we owe it to our soldiers to do this. The freshman Democrat closed by suggesting the U.S. would be prepared in case of a terrorist organization rising in Afghanistan. We should always keep in precautions and keep in a capacity to respond . . . but we should have that same level of capacity for any other country in the world that poses a threat to American security, he explained. In December, Rose voted against curtailing Trumps war powers vis-a-vis Iran, breaking with his caucus to oppose the resolution led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.). More from National Review Kaydence pictured before she went missing. She was the middle sibling of five children The mother of a two-year-old girl who has been missing for four years has been charged with her murder. Kaydence Dawita Mills was last seen in 2016, but police did not start searching for her until last year after members of her family expressed their concern to a guidance counsellor at the local school in Chinchilla, regional Queensland. Her mother Sinnitta Dawita, 28, and her partner, Tane Desatge, 40, were both charged with murder, torture and interfering with a corpse. The pair will face Dalby Magistrates on Monday. The charges come after police moved their search to the banks of the Condamine River on Sunday. Desatge is not the toddler's father but was in a relationship with Dawita at the time of the alleged murder. Police also searched a Chinchilla home, where they excavated the backyard. Cadaver dogs were used in the search, but Kaydence was not found. Pictured: Kaydence Mills before she went missing 'Investigators are searching the property and speaking to a number of persons who may be able to assist with the investigation,' a police spokesman said. Some of Kaydence's family members described her to the Courier Mail as a 'beautiful little girl' who walked with a limp. Kaydence was the middle sibling of five children. 'There's a little girl and she's missing and we don't know what's happened to her,' the family member previously told the Daily Mercury. 'It needs to be brought out of the dark because it's been hidden in the dark for too long.' The man and woman charged in relation to her disappearance will appear in the Dalby Magistrates Court on Monday. Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party is projected to win the most seats in Israel's election, according to exit polls. All three updated polls show his right-wing bloc with 59 seats, two short of a majority. Why it matters: The exit polls are not official results, but they project a strong performance from Netanyahu in Israel's third elections in 10 months despite a looming corruption trial. Both Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, his centrist rival, failed to form coalition governments following elections in April and September. Both Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, his centrist rival, failed to form coalition governments following elections in April and September. Netanyahu has vowed to annex parts of the West Bank within weeks if elected. By the numbers: All three exit polls show Netanyahu's Likud party winning 3637 seats, to 3234 for Gantz's Blue and White. All three show Netanyahu's right-wing bloc with 59 seats and Gantz's center-left bloc with 52-54. The remaining seats go to Avigdor Lieberman's nonaligned party. Lieberman has resisted calls to line up alongside Netanyahu, but could possibly stand aside to allow a minority government. Where things stand: There were no signs of voter fatigue in this rerun election. Turnout was 71%, an increase from the past two contests. This is a remarkable turnaround for Israel's longest-serving prime minister, and it likely means the political obituaries that had been in progress will be shelved for now. Despite three indictments for bribery, fraud and breach of trust, millions of Israelis continue to put their faith in Netanyahu. But if he doesn't manage to cobble together 61 seats the political deadlock could continue and another election could be just months away. What they're saying: Gantz said he wanted to wait for the final results, but that no matter what happens Netanyahu is about to go on trial. "The verdict for criminal charges is only determined in court," he said. He said tonight's result would not get Israel back on track. What to watch: Netanyahu has stayed on as caretaker prime minister during the current political deadlock, but he hopes for a new government backed by a right-wing bloc with at least 61 seats. That coalition could disrupt the legal proceedings against him, or at least allow him to continue as prime minister during the trial, which begins March 17. Gantz has ruled out a unity government, citing Netanyahu's trial. If Netanyahu again fails to form a government, Israel could be forced into yet another election in the coming months. Netanyahu has vowed to annex parts of the West Bank within weeks if elected. The backstory: Likud recently took a narrow lead in opinion polls ahead of Blue and White, which had previously led most polls since September. Netanyahu's recent trips to Washington, for the unveiling of President Trump's peace plan, and Moscow, to secure the release of an Israeli woman held on drug charges, helped boost the prime minister's image as a foreign policy maestro. At the same time, Netanyahu ended his quest for parliamentary immunity from the three corruption indictments against him. That kept Gantz from centering his campaign around Netanyahu's immunity hearings. The bottom line: No Israeli prime minister has governed while defending himself against criminal charges. But to paraphrase Netanyahu's campaign slogan, theres no one else like him. Young Indian shuttlers Tasnim Mir and Mansi Singh won a bronze medal each in the girls' singles event at the Yonex Dutch Junior International 2020 in Haarlem, Netherlands. It was the first time India won two bronze medals in girls' singles at this BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament. Mir put up a gritty show against the third seed So Yul Lee but it was not enough as the Korean pulled off a 19-21 10-22 win in 36 minutes in the semifinals on Sunday. The 11th seeded Mir, gold medallist at the Dubai International Series last year, has had a sensational run at this tournament and showed exceptional fighting spirit against higher-ranked players, a release from the Badminton Association of India said. Mansi was the other Indian who stood out. She had won both the selection tournaments in the run-up to the Dutch International and carried that momentum to make it to the semifinals, where she lost to Indonesia's Saifi Rizka Nurhidayah 11-21 16-21. Mansi had earlier toppled fifth seed Amy Tan 22-20 21-14 in the third round. The Indian contingent will now look to continue their heroics at the Yonex German Junior 2020 to be held in Berlin from March 4 to 8. Meanwhile, India's rising stars Aakarshi Kashyap and Anupama Upadhyaya won gold and silver medals respectively in the girls singles at the Kenya International held in Thika, Kenya. The sixth-seeded Kashyap needed 36 minutes to beat Haryana girl 21-15, 21-6 who had reached the final after toppling second, third and fifth seeds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of top news as of 02.03.2020: Armenia has recorded the first case of coronavirus, PM Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook. The patient is a 29-year-old male citizen of Armenia who arrived from Tehran on February 28. Thirty-two citizens from Iran have been isolated and are located at Golden Palace Hotel in Tsaghkadzor, health minister Arsen Torosyan told reporters Sunday. The PM later on Monday noted there are 9 suspected cases of coronavirus in Armenia and we will inform the public once the results come in. Meanwhile, the government has decided to stop classes in educational institutions for a week. By the way, 54 coronavirus deaths and 978 infections have been reported in neighboring Iran. And the Armenian PM noted Monday that the visa regime with Iran will be reinstated within five days. There are 3,069 coronavirus deaths and 89,806 confirmed cases globally. Meanwhile, amid the coronavirus issue in Armenia, the Board of the Civil Contract Party has made a decision to cancel the march dedicated to the memory of the victims of the events that took place on March 1, 2008, in Yerevan. Back in 2008, clashes occurred between the police and opposition members protesting against the results of the presidential election, leaving 8 demonstrators and 2 servicemen killed. Thus, Armenian PM, his wife, and 3 daughters paid tribute to the victims and laid flowers near the statue of Myasnikyan. Several members of government and high-ranking officials also paid their respects. A group of citizens is protesting outside the Russian Embassy in Armenia, demanding a fair trial in last years murder of Russian ex-special detachment member Nikita Belyankin. Nine Armenians are charged in this case. According to a preliminary investigation, on June 1, 2019, Belyankin saw two groups of people fighting with each other near a beer pub and decided to intervene. He fired several warning shots from a gas pistol but was stabbed in the heart. Russian citizens of Armenian origin Sergey Khojoyan and Suren Markosyan, as well as Armenian citizens Narek Stepanyan and Sahak Sahakyan, were arrested over the case. On the night of February 29, Azerbaijani armed forces bombarded the bordering Voskepar village of Armenias Tavush Province with machine guns of large caliber, said the head of Voskepar village Serob Makhsudyan. According to him, there are no victims, a bullet only struck and damaged the wall of the house of one of the residents. The village has been bombarded for nearly two hours, Makhsudyan added. India has secured a deal in Armenia to supply locating radars, India Today reported citing government sources. The contract worth over USD 40 million to supply four Swathi weapon locating radars has been signed with Armenia and supplies have also started. The radars provide fast, automatic and accurate locations of enemy weapons like mortars, shells, and rockets in a 50 km range. T he UK and European Union are facing their first round of post-Brexit trade talks with the two sides well apart on a final agreement. David Frost, the Prime Ministers Europe adviser, and his team of negotiators will kick-start the nine-month process of vying to secure a new trade arrangement with the EU in Brussels on Monday. Both sides published their negotiation mandates last week, revealing that they are at odds over Boris Johnsons push for a comprehensive Canada-style free trade deal, as well as demands over fishing, state subsidies and standards. The EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said a deal like Canadas, which would eliminate most import taxes but still require some border checks, was not suitable for Britain due to its close proximity and links to the continent. Instead, he wants Britain to agree to sign up to a number of level-playing rules set by Brussels. The bloc is also arguing for little to change in terms of fishing quotas and access to British waters for European boats a continuation of the status quo that ministers in Westminster are vehemently against. A high-level meeting to take stock of progress is scheduled for June, by which time it should be clear whether the Canada-like agreement sought by Mr Johnson is possible by the end of the year. The EU wants to see progress on both fishing and financial services at that summer marker. Michael Gove, the Cabinet minister responsible for Brexit preparations, said the UK would not trade away its newly recovered sovereignty during the talks. Our aim is to secure, through a fair and measured approach, a comprehensive free trade agreement, and also find common ground on questions such as fisheries, internal security and aviation, said the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in an article on Sunday. I believe we can secure a great new deal for an exciting new era. But it is important that we are clear from the start that these negotiations are taking place in new times. Yes, we want the best possible trading relationship with the EU. But we will not trade away our newly recovered sovereignty. French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin warned the Prime Minister that the tight December 31 deadline would not pressure the EU 27 into agreeing fresh terms. She told the BBCs Andrew Marr programme: If we need six more months we, as Europeans, are very clear that we want a good deal, a fair deal, a deal that can last for many generations to come, and we will not sign for the sake of having a deal. It would make no sense. The outbreak of coronavirus is said to be complicating cross-Channel relations as negotiators prepare to start bartering. The Telegraph reported that Downing Street and the Department of Health and Social Care are involved in a stand-off over whether Britain should retain membership of an EU pandemic warning system used to stem the Sars and bird flu outbreak. It comes after a further 13 coronavirus cases were confirmed in the UK on Sunday the largest jump in a single day. According to the newspaper, No 10 fears continued membership of the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) could hamper trade negotiations. As a result, Downing Street is said to have prevented Health Secretary Matt Hancock from travelling to meet counterparts to coordinate a Europe-wide response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Liberal Democrats have called for the trade talks to be postponed and the deadline to be extended to allow ministers to focus on stopping coronavirus. Acting leader Sir Ed Davey said: Then the NHS and local communities can get the funds and the focus they deserve, and the UK can talk to our European neighbours about how we can cooperate against the coronavirus which does not recognise national borders. Australia and Thailand reported their first fatalities from the novel coronavirus infection on Sunday as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the window to contain the epidemic, which has killed 2,990 and affected over 87,000 people globally since its outbreak in China in December, was narrowing. A 35-year-old Thai retail worker, who also had dengue fever, died from the infection in a Bangkok suburb, in the countrys first death from the disease, officially called Covid-19. In Australia, a 78-year-old man who was evacuated from the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise liner in Japan died at a Perth hospital on Sunday, local officials said. The deaths came a day after the US recorded its first fatality: a man in his 50s in Washington state. President Donald Trump announced more aggressive screening of travellers bound for the US in a tweet on Sunday. In addition to screening travelers prior to boarding from certain designated high risk countries, or areas within those countries, they will also be screened when they arrive in America. China on Sunday reported a slight uptick in new cases over the past 24 hours to 573, the first time in five days that the number exceeded 500. They remain almost entirely confined to the hardest-hit province of Hubei and its capital Wuhan the epicentre of the outbreak. Chinese officials, however, reiterated that efforts to curb the outbreak are achieving positive results, with the number of daily new cases trending lower in recent weeks. South Korea which has the second largest number of infections outside mainland China --reported 210 additional cases and two more deaths from the virus, raising its total to 3,736 cases and 20 fatalities. Authorities in the country scrambled to rein in public gatherings in the country while many churches remained closed, holding online services instead. Irans death toll from Covid-19 climbed to 54 as the number of confirmed cases jumped overnight by more than half, to 978 people. The new figures represent 11 more deaths than reported a day before. Italy is suffering the worst outbreak of the virus in Europe, registering more than 1,100 confirmed cases since the contagion came to light on February 20. There have been 29 confirmed deaths and 105 people were receiving intensive care treatment in hospital - all of them in three adjacent northern regions near the business hub of Milan. On Sunday, the Vatican quickly shot down speculation that the Pope himself had come down with Covid-19 after he was seen coughing a couple of times during his weekly Sunday appearance. The spread of the virus also shut down Frances iconic Louvre Museum on Sunday, with workers who guard its famous trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the flow of visitors from around the world. The chief of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Riyadh on Sunday that the window is narrowing to contain the outbreak, but while countries need to prepare for a pandemic, facts show theres no such threat yet. We shouldnt abandon the containment strategy because we see its working in some countries, he added. Celebrities share the stories behind their favourite snaps this week its Countdown host Nick Hewer, 76. Countdown host Nick Hewer (pictured), 76, shares the stories behind his favourite snaps 1952: Im in the middle here aged eight, with my mother Patricia, older brother David and cousin Patrick, whos holding my first dog, Pitch, a spaniel cross. It died of distemper at less than a year old, which was terribly upsetting. To help me overcome my grief, a friend of my parents gave me a neurotic corgi, Ricky, which I later palmed off onto my brother, because what young boy wants a corgi for a pet? 1955: Our family home was in Swindon, but aged 11 I was sent to Clongowes, a boarding school near Dublin. Its been called the Eton of Ireland mainly by those who dont know much about Eton. I was a keen rugby player (Im on the left here) but the things that stick in my mind were the ritualised corporal punishment and the fact they sold cigarettes in the tuck shop! 1984: At the age of 22 I joined a London PR agency, within eight years I was a director, and finally I bought out the boss. One day I got a call from the Amstrad electronics company asking me to oversee the launch of its first home computer. So began my association with its boss, Alan Sugar. Here I am celebrating that first PCs successful launch at a boozy dinner. 2007: Margaret Mountford and I are still very close, having worked together on The Apprentice for four years [2005-2009]. Were at a funfair here during filming for a spin-off of the show for Comic Relief. The Apprentice was very tiring because youd work all day, every day, for weeks, and have to be on your toes all the time. But its extremely entertaining and teaches young people the basics of business. 2008: I took part in the Mongol Rally, a 10,000-mile drive from London to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, and it was such an adventure into the unknown. My beaten-up old car, a 1989 Renault 4L bought for 1,700 from a bloke in France was one of 300 old bangers taking part, but it did me proud. I drove through 15 countries in 55 days and raised quite a lot of money for the charity Hope And Homes For Children. There were some worrying moments but it reinforced my belief that people are very kind wherever you go 2011: The request to present Countdown came totally out of the blue. I suppose the producers must have liked what theyd seen of me on The Apprentice. Ive done about 2,000 episodes now, with Susie Dent [left] and Rachel Riley [right]. We shoot five shows a day in three-day blocks so you have to keep your energy levels up 2012: Alan Sugar is now a good friend, and he and his wife Ann have often generously invited my partner Catherine and me to join them on their boat in the Mediterranean although this photo was taken on a charter boat he hired while his was being refurbished. As you can see, Alans a keen cyclist and in good shape. Last year, after I had a slight health scare as a result of being a smoker in years gone by, he made me buy an exercise bike. Its done wonders my lung capacity has increased enormously and I feel much better 2018 My appearance on The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer wasnt my finest hour, as you can see from my disastrous choux pastries which turned out more like biscuits. Prue Leith said I was probably the worst contestant theyd ever had on the show. Ill admit Im not a great cook, but despite being humiliated in front of millions I have no regrets about taking part, because I helped raise money for cancer research and as a patron of Pancreatic Cancer Action that makes me happy Countdown, Mon-Fri, 2.10pm, Ch4. Nick is a patron of Fairtrade (fairtrade.org.uk) and is promoting Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs until 8 March. The big picture: Despite the odds, the Call of Duty franchise remains remarkably popular, having staved off fatigue for far longer than many expected. Innovative features like the aforementioned zombie mode, the trendy new battle royale mode and a continued focus on multiplayer components have no doubt contributed to its staying power. Treyarch Studios co-head Jason Blundell recently revealed his departure from the studio after 13 years. The retreat seems amicable although a specific reason for his decision wasnt given. As PC Gamer recounts, Blundell served as a producer on Call of Duty 3 but is best known for overseeing the franchises zombies mode, a gig he inherited after directing two maps for the mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. He served as director for the campaign mode and zombies in Black Ops III and led the zombie mode in Black Ops 4 (that game, if you recall, didnt have a solo campaign). Blundell assumed the role of studio co-head in late 2016. We wish to thank Jason for his many contributions to Treyarch. Weve enjoyed our journey together and wish him the very best going forward! pic.twitter.com/Tb8o36VWb2 Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) February 28, 2020 On Twitter, Treyarch thanked Blundell for his contributions, adding that they enjoyed the journey together and wished him the best going forward. Treyarch is said to be working on Black Ops 5 for a late 2020 launch. That wasnt the original plan but seems to be the way forward after problems at Raven and Sledgehammer. That no doubt makes the timing of Blundells departure all the more difficult but such is life at a game studio. If history is any indicator, Black Ops 5 could arrive at the tail end of the year, just in time for next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony. Celebrity nutritionist Gabriela Peacock has hinted she might be involved in helping close friend Princess Beatrice to look and feel her best on her wedding day. London-based Gabriela, 40, founder of GP Nutrition, counts the royal bride-to-be among her inner circle and is poised to lend a hand in the lead up to her wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at The Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, on 29 May. Speaking to Hello!, Gabriela said: 'I love to help my friends prepare for big occasions. Beatrice is one of my closest friends and we're all very excited for her. She's very happy. Gabriela Peacock, 40, counts Princess Beatrice among her inner circle and is poised to lend a hand in the lead up to her wedding. The nutritionist reportedly helped Eugenie ahead of her 2018 wedding. Pictured, Gabriela, Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at an event in 2016 'She's a wonderful girl with an amazing heart, and she and Edo are the perfect match and so in love.' Gabriela has an excellent track record in working with royals, and reportedly helped Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie ahead of their 2018 weddings. She also counts Ellie Goulding, Millie Mackintosh and close friend James Blunt among her clients. Gabriela lives in a trendy Notting Hill townhouse with her fund manager husband David, their eight-year-old daughter Maia and twins Caspar and Iris, three. Princess Beatrice is godmother to Iris and as such the adorable toddler is hotly tipped to be part of the royal's bridal party on her big day. Gabriela and David were guests at Princess Eugenie and the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' 2018 weddings and are a sure bet for the upcoming royal nuptials. Gabriela also counts Ellie Goulding, Millie Mackintosh and James Blunt among her famous clients. Pictured, Gabriela is elegant in black and silver at a charity event in London last year Princess Beatrice is godmother to Iris and as such the toddler could be a bridesmaid. Gabriela shared this playful snap of Beatrice holding Iris on her Instagram account It comes after the Daily Mail's Richard Eden revealed that Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, has asked his son, Christopher [who is known as Wolfie], to be best man at their wedding. 'I can confirm that Wolfie will be best man,' a spokesman for the couple confirmed. Not only will he have to hand his father the wedding rings in front of the Queen and other members of the Royal Family, but he will play an important role at the reception. Wolfie will be the youngest person to have performed a role at a royal wedding throughout the course of British history. A friend of Bea and Edo says they have asked Wolfie to carry out the role because they want to show that he is loved and embraced by his stepmother. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 Trend: The captain of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-011, heading from Baku to Dubai at 10:12 local time, decided to turn around and requested a landing at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Trend reports. The unplanned landing of the aircraft was caused by technical reasons. At 10:44 Baku time, the plane made a safe landing at the airport. Harvey Weinstein's accusers are furious that the former Hollywood mogul remains in a New York hospital a week after he was immediately ordered to jail following his conviction on rape and sexual assault charges. Images have surfaced that allegedly show Weinstein watching television while sitting in a leather chair next to a wheelchair. Weinstein was brought to the Bellevue Hospital Center on 24 February after he was found guilty of third-degree rape and a criminal sex act in the first degree, based on two assaults in the New York area He was handcuffed and removed from the courtroom after a judge immediately ordered him to jail to await sentencing. He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced on 11 March. After his verdict, Weinstein left the courthouse in an ambulance to be taken to the medical wing of Rikers Island, but he instead was placed in Bellevue's secure ward. Doctors had examined him for heart palpitations and high blood pressure. He was seen entering and leaving the court relying on a walker after undergoing back surgery in December. Images reportedly show Weinstein wearing a hospital bracelet and a white shirt while seated in the hospital's prison ward. Lysette Anthony, who accused Weinstein of raping her twice, said: "Is this the 'soft landing' we heard he'd been assured of?" She shared another tweet asking: "Why the f*** is Harvey Weinstein still in the hospital and not in jail where he belongs?" Sharing reports that Weinstein was going "stir crazy" while in custody, Rosanna Arquette - who also alleged Weinstein's sexual abuse - said: "Yes, this is what rape survivors filled with horror and trauma have felt like for years. It's not a good place to be. Acknowledge it." He is reportedly under strict supervision of the New York Department of Corrections' Emergency Service Unit. In a statement, the agency said that Weinstein is "currently in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction and health care is provided as appropriate." Story continues EXCLUSIVE: First images purported to be of #HarveyWeinstein post conviction inside Bellevue Hospital. @PIX11News (thread) pic.twitter.com/AkHwBIpXrw Dan Mannarino (@DanMannarino) February 28, 2020 Reports say that the former producer - whose empire had crumbled following dozens of allegations that the producer had forced himself on women over several decades - has struggled to come to terms with his guilty verdict. As his New York trial began earlier this year, prosecutors in Los Angeles announced a separate investigation following reports that the producer had assaulted two women there in 2017. At the current toll of 3,066 Trinidad and Tobago now has the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the Caricom region, both numerically and number of deaths per million people. This unenviable standing could quickly change, depending on when new variants take hold and the impact they have on any given country. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: Joe Biden scores a lopsided victory in South Carolina, prompting Pete Buttigieg to drop out and potentially resetting the race for the Democratic nomination. Alex Burns on how Biden did it, and what his victory could mean for Super Tuesday. Its Monday, March 2. Alex, lets talk about what happened on Saturday night. Ill tell you what happened to me. The polls closed at 7 p.m., meaning thats when the results were supposed to start trickling in. archived recording (george stephanopoulos) Good evening. We are coming on the air now with breaking news in the race for the White House. michael barbaro And I went to The Times homepage and the race had already been called. archived recording 1 It is now 7 oclock on the East Coast, and the Fox News desicion desk can now project archived recording 2 CBS News projects archived recording 3 CNN projects that Joe Biden is the winner in South Carolina. michael barbaro Which is a little strange. alex burns Well, thats what happens when theres really not much suspense involved on election night. [music] archived recording The fact that we could make a projection right as the polls closed, its going to be a significant win for the former vice president. alex burns We only see it in races where the people who make these analyses and assessments archived recording This is overwhelming what were looking at. We have talked alex burns believe that there is really virtually no doubt at all about the outcome, and, in fact, where the outcome looks like its going to be really lopsided in the direction of one candidate. archived recording Numbers coming in, the raw vote total. But we can project that it is going to be big. Itll be dominant. alex burns This was one of the biggest victories weve seen for any candidate in this campaign. archived recording This was a blowout. And Biden is winning in almost every category. alex burns Biden carried the state by almost 30 percentage points, Bernie Sanders way behind with about 20 percent. Third place candidate Tom Steyer with 11 percent, and nobody else in double digits. joe biden Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, South Carolina! [CHEERING] michael barbaro Dominant, dominant, dominant win. joe biden Thanks to all of you, the heart of the Democratic Party, weve just won, and weve won big because of you. [CHEERING] michael barbaro I want to break down exactly how Biden won so big. What actually happened in South Carolina in terms of who showed up? And for which candidate? alex burns So South Carolinas primary electorate on the Democratic side is always majority African-American. And Biden carried black voters basically in every age group, especially older black voters, who he carried by an enormous margin. When you look at black voters who were younger, its somewhat more even its a lot more even than with Bernie Sanders. But Bidens still very much holding his own, which is usually not the case with Joe Biden and young voters. We also saw higher turnout, higher participation in the Democratic primary among suburban, moderate, white voters in South Carolina. They also favored Joe Biden. This was not a situation of the kind weve seen in other states where Biden does very, very well with African-Americans, much less well with white voters. In South Carolina, you were looking at an electorate that was largely African-Americans and moderate whites. And those two groups are very, very Biden friendly. michael barbaro So lets start with the black vote. We had talked on Friday about how black voters have tended to align behind a single candidate behind Barack Obama, behind Hillary Clinton which helps explain why the black vote can become so decisive. But there was talk this year that there would be a more fragmented black vote, particularly along generational lines. It sounds like thats not exactly what happened. alex burns Well, its not what happened in South Carolina. Bernie Sanders did not do a whole lot better with black voters in South Carolina this time than he did four years ago. And the question going forward is going to be whether Sanders can improve upon his performance with African-Americans outside the South in a way that right now it doesnt look like he is doing in the South. Its a more conservative black electorate in the South, although African-American primary voters everywhere do tend to be more moderate. michael barbaro And what is the significance of that high rate of white suburban turnout for Joe Biden? alex burns If Joe Biden is going to end up as the Democratic nominee, it has always been clear that he has needed to join his strong support with black voters with a couple other big constituencies in the Democratic Party, including a good chunk of white voters. He has so far done far better with less educated, lower income, and older white voters than with the sort of suburban soccer mom white vote that probably characterizes a lot of these suburban areas. If he can going forward think about the suburbs outside of large cities as places where he can do really well, and join that with his support from less affluent and perhaps more rural areas, as well as heavily African-American parts of the electoral map, thats actually a pretty encouraging picture for Joe Biden nationally. He has been trying to make the case to Democrats in this race that he is the candidate who is best equipped to reassemble the coalition that has won them such a series of electoral victories in the Trump era, in the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats pieced together strong turnout among their core base constituencies with moderate voters in those suburbs. If Biden can, week after week, point to the results of primary elections and say, look at what Im doing. Its what we did in the midterms. Its what we need to do in November. That gives him a strong moral case to make for the nomination. michael barbaro So Bidens basically saying, think of me like these House freshmen in the purple districts who won in 2018 and helped the House flip to Democrats. alex burns Right. And in South Carolina we saw the first real glimmers of hope that he might be able to do that. michael barbaro Mhm. alex burns The question is whether South Carolina is a turning point. And now that there has been a big win for a moderate candidate in a diverse state, whether that triggers a coalescing of moderate constituencies across the political map, or whether we are still going to see Bernie Sanders recording victory after victory on the strength of his very intense, hardcore coalition on the left, while the moderate vote remains splintered. Because in South Carolina, the moderate constituencies are really, really well aligned for Joe Biden. He is deeply familiar with the politics of South Carolina, has decades-long relationships with many of the most important political figures in the state. Hes not going to be able to say that everywhere. And what we will see as the primary proceeds is how much what we saw in South Carolina is a result of Joe Bidens distinctive relationship with that state. And you can easily see the race reverting to the pattern that weve seen in other states so far, where Bernie Sanders has his very energetic plurality coalition, and Joe Biden is still jockeying for support against folks like Klobuchar, to some extent Warren, and, as of the next round of primaries, Mike Bloomberg. [music] Bernie Sanders has a huge head start organizationally, financially in a lot of the contests around the country. He has had the momentum from Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada at his back. Biden needs to turn around his campaign in a very, very short period of time. Its not impossible by any stretch, but I dont think that anybody close to Joe Biden looks at him today as anything besides something of an underdog. michael barbaro Mm. Well be right back. So Alex, lets talk about how all of this helps inform whats going to happen tomorrow, Super Tuesday. 14 states are going to vote on the same day. And if Im not mistaken, something like 30 percent of that electorate will be African-American. First of all, what do you think matters about what happened in South Carolina in terms of what might happen on Super Tuesday? alex burns So the Super Tuesday map is enormous and enormously diverse. And there are states like South Carolina, where black voters could end up playing a decisive role. Up to this point, we have seen that electorate divided between a couple different options, most importantly between Biden and Bloomberg. michael barbaro And why are they choosing between Biden and Bloomberg? alex burns Well, especially older African-American voters entered this primary season really favorably disposed towards Joe Biden. You had this enormous reservoir of goodwill based on Bidens service as Barack Obamas vice president. And then he had a bunch of really weak debates. And he got clobbered in Iowa, and he got clobbered even more in New Hampshire. And suddenly, voters across the board, including African-American voters, started to wonder, is this guy really the strongest option for the general election? And at exactly the moment that those doubts were starting to really percolate in earnest. archived recording A great president, and an effective mayor. Leadership that makes a difference. archived recording (barack obama) Hes been a leader throughout the country for the past 12 years, Mr. Michael Bloomberg alex burns Mike Bloomberg shows up with $500 million in television ads, many of them showing him side by side with Barack Obama. archived recording (barack obama) I want to thank the mayor of this great city, Mayor Bloomberg, for his extraordinary leadership. alex burns And talking about his record on issues like gun control that are very, very important to black voters in Democratic primaries. The hope for Joe Biden going into Tuesday is that those voters who were with him at the start, and drifted away, and were drawn in by Mike Bloomberg will look at his own win in South Carolina and at Bloombergs pretty rocky couple weeks on the trail and sort of go home. Right? And to look at Biden and say, you know what? I had my doubts about this guy. But theres a reason I liked him at the beginning. And Im going to vote for him now. michael barbaro So lets talk about this white suburban voter that weve been discussing on Super Tuesday. This is someone who will be decisive in states like Virginia. Right? alex burns Right. michael barbaro And whats the dynamic been there? alex burns So this is another constituency where at the start of the race Biden was doing pretty well in those areas. Youre talking about a sort of educated white professional class that certainly isnt interested in Medicare for all, and definitely wants to beat Donald Trump. And if Joe Biden had come into this race as a swaggering, dominant front-runner and had blown away the competition in debates, I think he would be rolling in those areas. Thats obviously not what happened. And for most of the last year, you have seen those voters feel pretty drawn to a sequence of alternatives Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, briefly Amy Klobuchar, even Kamala Harris when you look back to last summer. These are people who are looking for a winner. And theyre looking for somebody whos not necessarily super ideological. And there is a hunger, I think especially among a lot of high information white voters, people who follow the news really closely, to sort of glom onto whoever the hot new thing is. That has been Pete Buttigieg for much of this race. Recently you have seen a lot of interest in Mike Bloomberg, people who just feel like they are new and different and look like winners. Right now, Biden has, again, a narrow window to look to those people and say, listen, your choices are me and Bernie Sanders. Who are you more comfortable with? michael barbaro I was on the subject of Mike Bloomberg. Ever since the results started to come in from South Carolina, it has occurred to me that Bloombergs original rationale for entering the race was that Biden had to collapse. And he was collapsing. Right? And he was doing very badly in those first few primaries. And the thesis for Mike Bloomberg was, the reason they keep spending all this money is to emerge as the alternative to Biden out of the ashes of the Biden campaign. But there are no ashes at this moment in the Biden campaign. Hes doing quite well. So is this a Super Tuesday in which Mike Bloomberg has no real rationale? alex burns Well, were going to find out on Tuesday. I do think his rationale is a lot more strained right now than it was a week or two weeks ago. You know, part of it is about Biden being more resilient than I think a lot of the Bloomberg folks expected. Part of it is about Bloomberg himself having had such a rough couple of weeks on the campaign trail. archived recording This is how you describe your policing policy as mayor. Quote, We put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods. And you explained that is, quote, Because thats where all the crime is. You went on to say, And the way you should get the guns out of the kids hands is to throw them against the wall and frisk them. Youve apologized for that policy, but what does that kind of language say about how you view people of color or people in minority neighborhoods? alex burns Bloomberg had really set himself up as this imposing alternative for moderate voters, and for even non-moderate voters who are mostly just interested in beating President Trump. And a lot of those people saw him on the debate stage and concluded, this guy is actually not so imposing after all. michael bloomberg Well, if I go back and look at my time in office, the one thing that Im really worried about, embarrassed about was how it turned out with stop-and-frisk. When I got into alex burns And that probably needed to happen in order for Biden to make the kind of comeback that he is attempting now. michael barbaro OK. So tell us about the other key voters that were going to be seeing on Super Tuesday, the other demographics. alex burns When you look at the eastern and southern states, it is mostly about the moderate whites and African-Americans that weve been talking about so far. michael barbaro Mhm. alex burns And then when you start to move further west, thats when Latino voters become extremely important, and Asian-American voters as well. The biggest states on the Super Tuesday map are Texas and California. And if any candidate wins either of those states, and certainly if any candidate wins both of those states, it gives them an enormous claim to lead the Democratic Party nationally. It potentially establishes them with a huge lead in the national delegate count. And right now, the only candidate who looks like theyre in a solid position to win both of those states is Bernie Sanders. Now, there is a strong case to make right now that someone like a Biden, or maybe even a Bloomberg has the chance to pull off an upset in Texas. Thats a state that has a more moderate electorate overall, where Latino voters are more moderate than they are in California, and where you do have a ton of those moderate, white-collar suburbs that are so wary of Bernie Sanders. When you move into a state like California, it is just a much, much more liberal primary electorate from top to bottom. And every poll that we have seen out of California so far has suggested that Bernie Sanders has a pretty solid, and maybe even dominant lead in the state. michael barbaro Mhm. alex burns So we could end up in a really unusual kind of situation on the night of Super Tuesday, where, for much of the night, it looks like Joe Biden or Mike Bloomberg or another candidate is doing pretty well, because of the makeup of the states that are in the Eastern time zone and the Central time zone. And then as we move closer to the West Coast, suddenly Bernie Sanders leaps out ahead and it becomes clear that actually he is the guy who has had the upper hand all along. michael barbaro And thats what we will discuss at 4 a.m. with you on Wednesday morning. alex burns Im looking forward to it. michael barbaro So Alex, what youre describing, in the broadest terms, sounds like a Super Tuesday evening, in which as we move across the country from east to west, we go from states that are likely to break for moderates, and are more testing the question of Biden versus Bloomberg, than they are Sanders versus all the moderates left in the race. And then we head to states, as we head west, that are likely to break for Sanders and are demonstrating what sort of coalition he has built and how strong its going to be. alex burns I think thats basically right. I think in the east there still is the dynamic of Sanders versus all the moderates. And the very fact that there is a realistic chance that Bernie Sanders can win states like Virginia and North Carolina is a testament to just how fragmented the moderate vote has been for most of this race. And it is entirely plausible that from start to finish on Super Tuesday, Bernie Sanders dominates from coast to coast. That moderate voters in the east are split between Biden and Bloomberg, and moderate voters in the west are split between them as well. And Bernie Sanders, by varying margins, with coalitions from 25 percent of the vote to 40 percent of the vote, just dominates the night. That is a real possibility. It is also a possibility that Sanders is going to find that having a hardcore base that makes up about a quarter of the Democratic vote in a lot of these more moderate and diverse states is actually not enough to win in a scenario where somebody, most likely Joe Biden, has emerged as a standard bearer for folks closer to the political middle. michael barbaro Thats interesting. So the version of this, Alex, where Sanders essentially walks away with the nomination after Super Tuesday, is the version of this where the question facing voters of Biden versus Bloomberg actually costs both Biden and Bloomberg the win in the east and the south by splitting the vote. The version of this where its much less clear, and theres really no clear winner coming out of this, is if Biden manages to pull together the moderate vote in those places. alex burns I think thats right. I think we should think about Super Tuesday in terms of sort of two big questions. The first is, does Bernie Sanders become a dominant front-runner? Does he manage to just roll over the divided moderate wing of the Democratic Party and run up the kind of delegate lead that would make him a prohibitive favorite to go into the Milwaukee convention with a wide lead in the delegate count? If that happens, then everybody else in this race, including Joe Biden, is going to need to really assess what kind of path forward they think they have, and whether its really worth waging a 50-state war against Sanders in order to try to take away the nomination at a convention where Sanders will enter as the clear leader. michael barbaro Mhm. alex burns If the answer to that question is no if Bernie Sanders is not an overwhelming favorite after Super Tuesday then I think the second question is: Is Joe Biden the clear runner-up or the clear alternative to Bernie Sanders? Because that is what has eluded Biden and every other moderate candidate in this race so far, is a moment of clarity that signals to the entire country this is a two-person race between a left-wing candidate and me. Biden hopes that South Carolina has set that process in motion. It needs to come to fruition in very, very short order on Super Tuesday. And then, from there, this narrows to a Biden-Sanders race. And then the campaign moves to places like Michigan and Arizona and Georgia and Florida that will really test the mettle of these two guys as head-to-head candidates in states that are super important in a general election. michael barbaro Thank you, Alex. alex burns Thank you. pete buttigieg Today is a moment of truth. After a year of going everywhere, meeting everyone, defying every expectation, seeking every vote, the truth is that the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy, if not for our cause. michael barbaro On Sunday night, during a speech from his hometown of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg said he was ending his presidential campaign because he was concerned about the impact of staying in the race. pete buttigieg We have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race any further. Our goal has always been to help unify Americans to defeat Donald Trump and to win the era for our values. [CHEERING] michael barbaro Without mentioning Sanders, Buttigieg said it was time for the Democratic Party to coalesce around a single moderate alternative. archived recording (pete buttigieg) We need leadership to heal a divided nation, not drive us further apart. We need a broad-based agenda that can truly deliver for the American people, not one that gets lost in ideology. We need an approach strong enough not only to win the White House, but to hold the House, win the Senate and send Mitch McConnell into retirement. [CHEERING] michael barbaro Buttigieg was the second Democratic candidate to drop out of the race since the South Carolina primary. Tom Steyer quit the race on Saturday night. Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. Washington State has declared a state of emergency after multiple cases of the coronavirus were detected near Seattle, where a man died from the virus, becoming the first U.S. fatality from the epidemic. Researchers studying infections in Washington said that the coronavirus may have been spreading there for weeks undetected, raising the possibility that up to 1,500 people may have been infected. archived recording (alex azar) We cannot make predictions as to how many cases well have, but we will have more. And we will have more community cases. Its simply just a matter of math. michael barbaro So far the United States has tested very few Americans for the virus. But during an interview on Sunday with CBSs Face the Nation, the secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar, said that testing would begin to dramatically expand. archived recording (alex azar) In terms of testing kits, weve already tested over 3,600 people for the virus. We now have 70 the capability out in the field to test 75,000 people. And within the next week or two, well have a radical expansion even beyond that of the testing thats available. archived recording In Washington State, places that have [music] michael barbaro By Kim Martin, Mayfield Independent Schools Mar. 02, 2020 | 05:50 AM | MAYFIELD Mayfield High School's Riley Sheridan has been named as a Finalist in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), Sheridan met all requirements to advance to Finalist standing in the competition. In order to progress from Semifinalist to Finalist, Sheridan and school officials had to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included an essay along with his "academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and other awards achieved." In addition to being named a National Merit Scholar Finalist, Sheridan has also been named as a University of Kentucky Rising Scholar and is a Valedictorian candidate. As a member of the MHS academic team, Sheridan has won numerous Governor's Cup Awards. He is active in Beta Club, Interact Club, and Key Club, serves as Mayfield-ATC FBLA Historian, and is a Mayfield Rotary Club Student of the Month. Sheridan was also a member of the MHS Saxophone Quartet and Marching Band, where he was a featured soloist. He can currently be found working with the MHS Drama Club as an audio engineer and technician. Mayfield High School Principal Billy Edwards praised the Sheridan for the accomplishment, "Riley is one of the top students that we have ever had here at Mayfield High School. He is not only a great student that seeks out leadership positions but is a role model for his peers. He has always sought out challenges and taken challenging courses." He added, "The sky is the limit when it comes to what he wants to do with his future after high school. We are blessed to have Riley here at Mayfield High School." The National Merit Scholarship Program "honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies." All Finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarships to be offered in 2020. The selection of 7500 Merit Scholarship winners from the group of more than 15,000 Finalists is now in progress. Riley Sheridan is the son of Dr. Donise Sheridan, Adam Elliott, and the late Dr. Jim Sheridan. TORONTO, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dealnet Capital Corp. ("Dealnet" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: DLS) announced today the implementation kick-off of a major new contract at One Contact which will require over 100 new positions at its Toronto and Reno contact centres this year. The Company has already increased its seating capacity at its Toronto contact centre by 25 percent and will be making further infrastructure investments at its Reno, Nevada facility. "One Contacts back office solutions bring unique value to our clients who struggle to be fully served by traditional call centre operations, said Brent Houlden, Dealnet's Chief Executive Officer. About Dealnet Capital Corp. Dealnet operates its Call Centre segment in Canada and the U.S. under the One Contact banner, offering customer support and back office services on a contract basis to third party institutions. Dealnet also operates a specialty finance company serving the $20 billion Canadian home improvement finance market. The Company develops and supports consumer sales financing programs for approved dealers and distributors under agreements with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that supply a wide range of home improvement products to the retail market. The Company runs its Consumer Finance segment through the operating business, EcoHome Financial Inc. Through a dealer network, the Company underwrites, originates, funds and services the prime quality loans and leases that homeowners need to finance the acquisition and installation of capital assets that improve the quality, comfort and safety of their homes. For additional information please visit www.sedar.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking Statements This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Companys Managements Discussion and Analysis. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Contact Information Brent Houlden Michael Koshan Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (905) 695-8557 ext.1145 (905) 695-8557 ext. 1113 bhoulden@dealnetcapital.com mkoshan@dealnetcapital.com 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 seven-judge bench. 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, had reserved its order on reference of the case to a larger bench on January 23. The central government had scrapped Article 370 in August last year, which ended special provisions accorded to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one. At least 23 petitions have been 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 Supreme Court 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 had 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 in August, 2019, when hundreds of politicians and activists were detained to prevent protests against the move. 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. By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's $1 trillion wealth fund will exclude four companies for their vast emissions of greenhouse gases, or at least put them on probation to force them to change, the chairman of its ethics watchdog told Reuters. By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's $1 trillion wealth fund will exclude four companies for their vast emissions of greenhouse gases, or at least put them on probation to force them to change, the chairman of its ethics watchdog told Reuters. The fund's ethics body is, separately, opening a new front, said Johan H. Andresen: investigating whether technology companies' tools are being used for "improper surveillance", with their makers held to account regardless of their intent. The world's largest sovereign wealth, which has massive market influence because it owns 1.5% of the world's listed shares, operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament. Andresen, chairman of the fund's Council on Ethics, said it had recommended the fund divest shares in the four polluters, after probing the oil, steel and concrete industries. The four companies were "worst in class" compared with peers in the same sectors but also compared with other sectors, he said. The Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, should make announcements about the firms imminently, the 58-year-old added. Companies to be excluded are not named until the fund has sold the shares, to avoid the stock falling in value beforehand. "All of them were recommendations to exclude because we felt it was needed: they were cases that stood out," Andresen said in an interview ahead of the publication of the council's annual report on Sunday. The central bank typically follows the council's recommendations to censure companies but sometimes, rather than immediately excluding them, it puts them on a watch list to give them a set period of time to come up with a plan to significantly change their behaviour, or face exclusion. CARBON, NUKES, TOBACCO The fund is forbidden by parliament from investing in companies that produce nuclear weapons, landmines, or tobacco, or violate human rights, among other criteria. Emissions became a criterion for exclusion in 2016. In 2017 the Council on Ethics recommended a handful of companies be excluded but, since then, work had been suspended while the central bank asked for clarification from the finance ministry about the interpretation of the criterion. This has now happened, enabling the council to proceed. To avoid blacklisting, companies should have a plan showing how they intend to adapt to climate change, with specifics crucial, Andresen said. "We will look at speed, time, capital spend dedicated," he added. "We want to see if they are walking the walk." A fifth company will now be assessed by the central bank for possible exclusion for using too much coal in its activities, Andresen said. 1984: BIG BROTHER'S WATCHING YOU The council is also investigating a new area for possible human rights violations - whether tech products are used for "improper surveillance". "We are not looking at intent but whether the products of companies are being used improperly," he said. "Artificial intelligence can be used to find cancer but it can be used for other things ... We are looking for documentation as to whether companies know what their products are used for." Andresen, who also owns private investment vehicle Ferd, said he expected the fund to announce possible exclusion decisions in this area this year as the council had already concluded investigations in "several cases". "We are looking at the sharper end, where the norm violations are the most visible and where it is easier to establish the facts," he added. "George Orwell's 1984 is, to some extent, here. These are scary developments." Andresen said he also expected a decision to be published this year about a company that causes severe environmental damage, as well as several companies in the textile industry for labour condition violations that breached human rights. Some 65 companies have been excluded by the fund, on various grounds, on recommendations from the Council on Ethics. Another 68 companies have been excluded directly by the central bank based on their dependence on coal. The fund, created from the proceeds of Norway's oil industry, gradually sells shares in any company it wishes to drop. The main aim is to remove the ethical risk. (Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Pravin Char) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. (Newser) North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into its eastern sea on Monday, having apparently resumed weapons demonstrations after a months-long hiatus that could have been forced by the coronavirus crisis in Asia. The launches came two days after North Koreas state media said leader Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery drill aimed at testing the combat readiness of units in front-line and eastern areas, the AP reports. Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles fired from an area near the coastal town of Wonsan flew about 149 miles northeast on an apogee of about 22 miles. It said the South Korean and US militaries were jointly analyzing the launches but didnt immediately confirm whether the weapons were ballistic or rocket artillery. story continues below Kim entered the New Year vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of "gangster-like" US sanctions and pressure, using a key ruling party meeting in late December to warn of "shocking" action over stalled nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. He also said the North would soon reveal a new strategic weapon and insisted the North was no longer unilaterally bound to a self-imposed suspension on the testing of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Japan said it did not detect any projectile landing in its territory. The recent lull in North Korea's launches had experts wondering whether the North was holding back its weapons displays while pushing a tough fight against the coronavirus. (Read more North Korea stories.) MINNEAPOLIS Its been more than 91 years since the last crop was pulled from the soil of an old farm field that, hidden away in a science reserve just north of the Twin Cities, has been left to grow wild. But the soil still hasnt recovered. Now that field is being studied by researchers from the University of Minnesota who are trying to understand the remarkable underground biology that once made North Americas grasslands one of the worlds richest ecosystems. And, in the process, understand what it would take to restore that lost ecology. What theyve found so far is that former farmland is only half as productive growing native grasses and wildflowers in half the abundance, numbers and total weight as corners of the property that were never plowed. Many native plant species have never returned and likely never will. The researchers found that even now, nearly a century after the field went fallow, the soils complex web of microbes, fungi, bacteria, nutrients and carbon, which are fundamental to plant life, are still so depleted from the fields relatively brief time as a farm that it would take another 700 years to fully recover. The system doesnt just bounce back, said Forest Isbell, the studys co-author and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. The study, published in a recent issue of the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, highlights the immense challenge that conservation advocates in Minnesota and much of the Midwest face as they try to retire farmland and restore prairies. Farmland retirement programs are at the heart of the bulk of Minnesotas efforts to capture carbon to combat climate change and to restore habitat to stem the collapse of bee, pollinator and other wildlife populations. But it turns out that the fertility and richness of that soil took centuries to build through hundreds of species of plants living, dying and decomposing. Once the fertility is gone, there is no quick way to bring it back. Conservationists are only beginning to understand the importance of soil health and plant diversity in recovery programs. For years, starting in the 1980s, the thought behind hugely popular government conservation efforts, such as the Conservation Reserve Program, was to just get grass in the ground period, said Greg Hoch, prairie wildlife team leader for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In the haste to restore grasslands, it wasnt uncommon to plant prairie grasses that had been harvested from other parts of the Midwest. People were so desperate to find grass theyd look anywhere, so youd see seeds from western Nebraska get planted in central Illinois, Hoch said. Well, there is just so much more moisture in Illinois and the grass went crazy. State programs started requiring landowners to plant native grasses along with one or two types of wildflowers. Still, many of the fields failed to thrive. Native plants would die out or lose in competition to exotic species that are better suited for the fertilizer that can blow in and rain down from other farms. Grasses would strangle out wildflower seeds brought in from hundreds of miles away rather than grow with them. Only in the last decade have restoration efforts turned to what is happening below the ground, Hoch said. That research became especially urgent, he said, because of public concern over the drastic fall of native bee and pollinator populations in the past few years. Minnesotas honeybee and native bee populations have been cut to a fraction over the past 20 years, while monarch butterflies have fallen by at least 70% across the continent. Up the food chain, once-common prairie birds such as redheaded woodpeckers have been nearly wiped out of Minnesota, along with hibernating bats and other species. The main culprit is some combination of a loss of habitat, a loss of food along with increased pesticide use or an introduction of disease. Grasslands dominated by one or two species of grass simply arent enough for Minnesota wildlife to flourish. Pollinators alone rely on dozens, if not hundreds, of species of wildflowers that bloom at different points throughout the year, Hoch said. It takes a robust soil to support that kind of plant diversity. Its still something of a mystery exactly what it takes to restore soil health, but the surest path to success seems to be to rely on hyperlocal plants and seeds that have stood the test of time in a particular climate, he said. Restored farms that tend to be the most resilient are those planted with as wide a variety of seeds as possible from the nearest pockets of native prairie or grasslands. The problem is that in places such as south central Minnesota, any pockets of natural grasslands have long since been plowed over. Hyperlocal seeds are nearly impossible to find. UMs findings show that passively waiting for plant and animal life to return is a missed opportunity, Isbell said. Less plant life means fewer nutrients are being captured and retained in the ground, he said. Those nutrients instead run off the land with rainfall or snowmelt and pollute water and air. With fewer species, the grasslands become more vulnerable to extreme weather, when the remaining species are unable to bounce back from drought, flooding or pests. The lack of food is one more stress on pollinators and all the benefits they provide to crops and will only support fewer of them. All of the many, many benefits we get from nature are enhanced by diversity, Isbell said. We have these huge areas of the Earth and in the state that are slowly recovering from agriculture and were just not getting as many benefits as we could. Greg Stanley of the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) wrote this story. 2020 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 13:13:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Bastiaan Koster, an accomplished South African expert in intellectual property (IP) law, finds it regrettable that many people in his country have little idea about how much progress China has made in improving IP protection. "When I tell some people in my country that China has one of the most sophisticated IP systems and files the most patents and trademarks in the world, it comes as a surprise to them," Koster said. The former president of the Bureau of Federation of International IP Attorneys is among many experts in the world's IP law community who feel China's progress in IP protection deserves more credit and acknowledgment. RAPID DEVELOPMENT "I believe China has done an excellent job with an excellent IP system given the fact that the country only adopted its first patent law in 1984," Koster said. China has achieved "very rapid" development in IP protection since the 1980s when the country started to establish its IP protection system, Beate Schmidt, the president of the German Federal Patent Court, said. Today, just 40 years later, China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has become the largest IP Office in the world, receiving the highest number of applications worldwide, with further growth expected over the next few years, she added. In order to guarantee effective enforcement of IP rights, China established an increasing number of specialised IP courts all over the country in the last 10 years. It also established an IP court under the Supreme People's Court in 2019. "No other country embraced the idea of IP protection and its importance for economic development so quickly and consequently as China did," Schmidt added. "The development of intellectual property in China over the past 30 years is as impressive as the country's economic growth," said Renata Righetti Pelosi, president of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property. INNOVATION-DRIVEN The rapid development of IP protection in China reflects the Chinese government' commitment to transforming the economy from manufacturing-driven to innovation-driven, Pelosi said. As Chinese companies invest more in innovation, their need for IP protection also increases. As a result, patent filing grew exponentially, boosting the growth of the IP sector. Chinese companies like Huawei, Oppo, ZTE and BOE Technology ranked among the first 100 patent filers at the European Patent Office in 2018, with an impressive second place for Huawai, falling just a little behind the first filer Siemens, Pelosi said. "This is a sign that Chinese companies are taking the lead in innovation in particular in the tech sector, not only domestically but also worldwide," she added. Pelosi sees Chinese IP professionals as another factor that contributed to China's rapid development of IP protection. "China has many talented IP attorneys, with a truly global vision, that are leading the impetuous growth of this sector; these professionals have opened up the industry to increasingly sophisticated legal issues," Pelosi added. CONFIDENCE IN FUTURE China is strongly committed to the introduction of new and increasingly stringent rules in IP protection. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that any shortcoming, if any, will be resolved in a not too distant future, Pelosi said. Koster is also impressed by the Chinese government's dedication to building a strong intellectual property system. "To process the large number of patents, utility patents and trademarks annually being filed in China is no easy task." Given the success story of the IP system in China and the very short time it was obtained, Koster is confident that China's IP system will continue to improve rapidly. "The rest of the world can be assured that their IP rights will be well protected and enforceable in China," he said. The bottom line is, nothings really changing. Thats how Marc Brooks, executive director and acting chief engineer of the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, described the multi-year rehabilitation project currently taking place at the Round Valley Reservoir in Clinton Township. The project, overseen by the New Jersey Water Supply Authority and expected to be completed by summer of 2022, will make improvements and renovations to an over half-a-century old reservoir in order to secure its long-term future as the states largest source of drinking water. Were really just doing this rehabilitation to make sure (the reservoir) lasts another 50 or 100 years. And Im sure in 50 years theyll probably look at it again, Brooks explained. The Cushetunk Trail bordering the reservoir has been rerouted to accommodate construction but remains open, as do both the reservoir itself and its recreation area. Cushetunk Trail signCourtesy - New Jersey Water Supply Authority County Route 629, which parallels the north side of the reservoir between Old Mountain Road and the boat launch area, will likely be closed until March 2021, Brooks said. The rehabilitation project entered its third and largest phase at the end of January, the main component of which is the installation of a chimney drain -- or layer of sand and gravel -- in the dike on Prescott Brook, as well as in the North and South Dams, which Brooks said will not aesthetically change the structures. As the sand and gravel layer is going back in, youre placing the same material that you took off the dam right back on the slope, so its really going to look the same," Brooks explained. "Its going to have this sand and gravel layer on the inside that Im going to know about -- but its not going to be anything that anyones going to see. The first and second phases of renovation, which involve construction work entirely separate from the implementation of the chimney drain, will be substantially completed within the next week, Brooks confirmed. Phase one of the project, headed by Keller Construction of Rockaway, began approximately one year ago. It involves the grouting of the abutment, or the point at which the constructed embankment meets the original valley, of the North and South Dam of the reservoir. Theyre drilling down through the soil, and into the rock. And theyre pumping cementitious grout under pressure to fill existing cracks and voids in the rock," Brooks explained. North Dam facing Lebanon BoroCourtesy - New Jersey Water Supply Authority Brooks said the grouting project will help to reduce the seepage of water out of the reservoir through the bedrock and below the embankments. When the reservoirs full, theres a lot of pressure thats being exerted on the embankments itself and on the bedrock below it. And there is seepage (through or around) the dams ... but were trying to limit that seepage as much as we can," Brooks explained. Phase two of the project, which Brooks labeled the smaller of the two phases, is being facilitated by Mount Construction, Inc. of Berlin and involves dredging in front of the South Dam Tower, or the cleaning out of the bed of the reservoir in the area by scooping out silt and rock with a dredge. The dredging, which has been underway for approximately two months, will clear out the sediment build-up created by the pumping of water from the South Branch of the Raritan River into the reservoir. When we pump, oftentimes the sediment in the water and the river ... tends to settle out there in front of the tower (of the South Dam)," Brooks explained. "Weve also had some erosion take place there, and the amount of sediment was getting to the point where it was actually obstructing and not allowing us to fully use the tower. Its piling up right in front of the tower, and we had to get rid of that. Phase three, or what Brooks referred to as the main part of the multi-phased project, was initiated in January by general contractor Thalle Construction Company, based out of Hillsborough, North Carolina. This phase involves the installation of the chimney drain in both the North and South Dams as well as in the dike of the reservoir. Dike and County Route 629Courtesy - New Jersey Water Supply Authority Brooks explained the layer of sand and gravel being installed is designed to move water seepage that may come through the embankments away from the structures. Were putting the sand and gravel layer downstream, on the dryer side of the clay. So any water that does seep through the clay, because its not perfectly impervious, and it never was expected to be, gets captured by the sand and gravel layer and gets transported away from the dam," Brooks said. Theres lots of dams in the country and the world that still dont have these (chimney drains), but were thinking were trying to bring (the dams and dike) up to more current standards," he added. Brooks said he expected the implementation of the drains in the dike, followed by the North Dam, to be substantially completed" in 2020. He estimated near-full completion of its installation in the South Dam in 2021. At present day, the contractor has started to mobilize their equipment, submit shop drawings, and began clearing trees located near the North Dam and South Dam, to be followed by the dike. Brooks particularly emphasized the importance of the clearing of trees in the area, explaining that the action creates room to place the material of the top layers removed from the dams and dike. Were excavating all of this earth off of the dams. Between all three dams, its 675,000 cubic yards. So, thats a lot of space, so you need a place to put that, Brooks said. With the excavation, all of which is taking place on the downstream side of the embankments, de-watering devices will be installed to lower the pressure of the reservoir and increase the efficiency of the construction process. Other ancillary work accompanying phase three of the construction process includes renovations to and roof replacements of the towers of the North and South Dams, the rehabilitation of sluice gates or valves that control the flow of water in and out of the reservoir, and the replacement and grouting of piping located near the South Dam. North Dam TowerCourtesy - New Jersey Water Supply Authority To further move forward the multi-faceted project, the capacity of the Round Valley Reservoir has been lowered by approximately 25 feet. The reservoir currently contains a total of 36.7 billion gallons, or two-thirds of its maximum of 55 billion gallons. Despite the diminished capacity of the reservoir, Brooks confirmed the boat ramp of the park remains open. Obviously theres less water, but 36.7 billion gallons is still a lot of water to use for the reservoir," Brooks said. Brooks expressed his hope that individuals acknowledge the necessity of the rehabilitation project, as well as its overall purpose to preserve the 180 foot deep and 2,350-acre wide state icon that draws thousands of swimmers, boaters, fishermen, picnickers and campers to Clinton Township each year. Its a great state resource, and its been 50 years since it was built in the 1960s," Brooks said. This is a huge resource, for all these people that use it for drinking water, and we just want to maintain it as such. Caroline Fassett can be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips A view from Clwyd Souths Assembly Member This article is old - Published: Monday, Mar 2nd, 2020 Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. This is his first in this new series! Clwyd South AM Ken Skates writes Its been a busy start to 2020 in Clwyd South and the Senedd. We have recently seen the UK Government give the go-ahead to HS2, which is estimated to cost as much as 106bn. This is hugely expensive and, because responsibility for rail infrastructure is not devolved, decisions about funding railway lines, signalling and stations remains in the hands of Westminster. Here in Wales we have 11% of the track and 20% of level crossings, yet weve had only 2% of the funding over the last 5 years. This under-investment of railways in Wales must end and if HS2 is to deliver for all of the north, then it must be accompanied by electrification of the lines from Crewe to Chester and Chester to Holyhead. First Minister Mark Drakeford has written to Boris Johnson calling for HS2 services to be extended into Wales and for the funding our country is entitled to initially an extra 5bn over 20 years. This money would guarantee the transformation of railway lines and stations that so many people rightly demand. We await the Prime Ministers response. We have 11% of the track, 20% of level crossings, and weve had only 2% of the funding over the last ten years @MarkDrakeford pic.twitter.com/LFgxlGcHh6 Welsh Labour (@WelshLabour) February 12, 2020 Last week we also saw the UK Government once again refuse to match-fund the Welsh Governments commitment to Ruabon Station. The Welsh Government is now exploring whether it can proceed with this project alone to deliver for Ruabon. Were disappointed that so many Welsh stations will miss out on this investment.@KenSkatesMS Unfortunately it is another example where passengers are set to feel the effect of the UK governments continuing underinvestment in Welsh railways.https://t.co/pfTczSR6th pic.twitter.com/M5PY3QxONm Welsh Government Economy and Transport (@WGEconTransport) February 27, 2020 Locally, I welcome the recent cross-party talks about Kronospan and look forward to continuing to work with Wrexham Council, Natural Resources Wales, Unite the Union and Simon Baynes MP on this important local issue. This is a serious matter and we need to work together to address the fears and frustration of residents and to safeguard the livelihoods of 600 people. The meeting was very constructive and Wrexham Council is organising a follow-up meeting over the coming weeks. I have also held further talks with Natural Resources Wales. On another local note, I visited Overton Playcentre to catch up with the team and hear how the Welsh Governments ground-breaking childcare scheme is helping parents. When the Welsh Government implements policies like this we always believe they will help those who most need it, but its amazing to see and hear first-hand just what a difference they are making. I held an advice surgery at Chirk Parish Hall on February 14. For upcoming dates please visit my website (here: http://www.kenskates.co.uk/en/surgery-dates/) or email ken.skates@assembly.wales. I have also held recent street surgeries in Johnstown and Penley, with more planned soon. Since the General Election, there has been a marked increase in the number of people contacting me with problems related to PIP, Universal Credit and other benefits. Im extremely worried about how vulnerable and disabled people in Clwyd South are being treated. If you are having problems, please get in touch and Ill do my best to help. Last week my constituency engagements included meeting local farmers to discuss what the Welsh Government is doing to stop the spread of bovine TB, which I know is causing a great deal of concern and anxiety. I also met with police, Wrexham Council, local residents and Simon Baynes MP to discuss plans to improve the protection of Llyweinion Woods in Rhos, which has been targeted by fly-tippers and off-road drivers. New figures announced this month show that around 7.2m has been invested in Clwyd South businesses since the launch of the Development Bank of Wales. The DBW was set up by the Welsh Government in 2017 to make it easier for businesses to get the finance needed to start up, strengthen and grow. Wholebake in Corwen is one of 38 businesses in Clwyd South to have benefited so far. In addition, 336 jobs in Clwyd South have been created or safeguarded by this investment. Finally, I was proud to stand alongside my fellow North Wales Labour AMs in the Senedd to support Heart Unions Week earlier this month. Its an initiative to highlight the good work trade unions do to offer everyone a voice at work. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 09:31:15|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close TRIPOLI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman of the forces of the UN-backed Libyan government said on Sunday that they killed more than 20 soldiers of the rival east-based army in Aziziya city, some 30 km south of the Libyan capital Tripoli. "Our forces spotted nearly 70 military vehicles of the invading gangs (eastern-based army) trying to sneak into Aziziya city," Mohamed Gonono said in a statement late Sunday. "Our ground troops waged a wide attack and captured a number of the invading gangs, killing 8 of them and destroying 6 of their military vehicles," the statement said. Another 15 soldiers of the army were killed by government forces near Aziziya city, the statement added. On Saturday, the army launched an extensive attack on government forces in Aziziya. The east-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government. The rivals agreed to cease-fire on January 12. However, they have accused the other of breaching the truce. A North Carolina company claims that their disinfectant can kill the coronavirus that's now spread to nearly 90 Americans. Enviro-Master, based in Charlotte, says that its Virus Vaporizer bathroom cleaning product is 'proven' to kill the virus, according to CBS17. Virus Vaporizer is hospital-grade disinfectant that purports to kill everything from MRSA to H1N1 flu because it can attach to any surface. Electrostatic sprays have long been used to ensure that liquids thoroughly coat surfaces, but it's unclear that Virus Vaporizer has ever been tested against the new coronavirus. And the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 'hospital-grade' designation only requires the cleaning solution to be tested against two pathogens: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. No products have gotten full approval for use against the newly-emerged coronavirus, but Virus Vaporizer isn't even included on the 'pre-approved' list compiled by the American Chemistry Council. Virus Vaporizer is sprayed onto surfaces from a gun-like device - but hasn't been pre-approved as likely to be effective against coronavirus Officials are not recommending wearing masks and using hand sanitizer is better than nothing, but not equal to soap and water. Still, that hasn't stopped Americans from panic-buying stores across the country out of both products as well as household cleaning products. Evidence so far suggests that the new virus that's infected nearly 90,000 people world wide and killed more than 3,000 can survive on surfaces for about two hours. That's particularly worrisome for hospital workers like the 95 who are now in isolation in Solano County, California after interacting with a patient who tested positive for coronavirus. They were not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when they first crossed paths with the woman. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that bleach is not likely to get rid of the virus. Many high-grade cleaning products have been shown kill viruses, including known coronaviruses. Making sure they do so requires that the be left on surfaces for a sufficient amount of time before being wiped away, up to several minutes. In this sense, Enviro-Master's Virus Vaporizer might have an advantage over other cleaning products because spray's positive charge ensures it sticks to any surface, giving the disinfectant a better chance to act on pathogens there. 'It contains a hospital-grade germicide that attacks the virus,' Matt Berry with Enviro-Master told CBS17. 'It kills all of the germs in all of the areas that you touch,' he claimed. But in actuality, we don't know that for sure yet. Technicians are nonetheless spraying their product in restaurants and restrooms where business owners hope to prevent the spread of coronavirus No products have gotten full approval for use against the new coronavirus, but the American Chemistry Council has given pre-approval to more than 100 chemicals. Enviro-Master's product does not make that list. Its product may have been tested against flu viruses like H1N1 and even other known coronaviruses that cause the common cold. Even though the new belongs to the same family as other coronaviruses, this is not a guarantee that it will kill the new coronavirus, too. The virus spreads primarily via tiny droplets of saliva that may spray when a sick person coughs or sneezes. Surfaces are a less effective mode of transmission, but should still be kept clean. The CDC does encourage keeping high-traffic surfaces clean. 'Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily (e.g., tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles) using a regular household detergent and water. If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent and water prior to disinfection,' its site says. A full list of the virus-killing products pre-approved to get rid of coronavirus is available at the American Chemistry Council's website. Enviro-Master did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. A woman goes to her GP for some routine matter and tells him while there that she is anxious about the coronavirus. Are we all going to die? The doctor tells her that she shouldn't worry. It is really just like flu and, sure, you've had that before. There are very few people dying from the new virus and they are all people who are already vulnerable, so away on home and don't bother your wee head about it. But do wash your hands often and don't be shaking hands with people, or kissing them. I'm paraphrasing and reimagining a real incident which was relayed on Facebook last week. The woman who had received this comforting reassurance from her GP was passing it on to her social media contacts - "friends" - in the hope of putting their minds at ease, too, and countering a general alarm that is taking hold. I think if I had been this woman's GP I would have given her exactly the same advice. It's just a pity that, when it gets passed on to social media, it is interpreted as, "Nothing to worry about, panic over. I have it on the soundest authority, blah blah." Several other people have been on Facebook stressing the same point. Sure, hardly anyone has died, what's the fuss about? The fuss is about a spreading viral infection which kills a lot of people and which experts in the World Health Organisation warn us is highly dangerous. People who are not normally known for putting compassion before pragmatism - I am talking about the Chinese authorities - were not overtaken by some kind of unfounded moral panic when they shut down cities the size of London to slow the spread of the virus. If your bag is human evolution then you may fall into the trap of thinking that just another pathogen is not big news compared to - say - mass deaths that occurred when we - most of us lactose-intolerant - started farming and drinking cow's milk But we are living in a time in which it is cool to disregard expertise. At least three times in the past week I have heard someone say, "See! Brexit! What was that all about then?" Their argument is that Brexit has happened now and the sky hasn't fallen, so all the doom-mongers were wrong. Except that Brexit has not happened yet. We are in a transition phase without any clarity yet about the final terms on which we will go our own economic way. The argument that we are all in a flap about nothing was made in another article I ran into on Facebook, based on evolutionary psychology. If your bag is human evolution then you may fall into the trap of thinking that just another pathogen is not big news compared to - say - mass deaths that occurred when we - most of us lactose-intolerant - started farming and drinking cow's milk. On the scale of the routine crises that shape our organism over hundreds of thousands of years, a little erosion of population levels and a further adaptation, or burden, of the kind we are used to, like another flu, is a petty concern. But it still entails potentially huge numbers of deaths. There are silent indicators, though, that people are taking the virus seriously. Try buying hand sanitiser in Belfast and you'll see there has been a run on the stuff Granted, those deaths are more likely to be people like me, over 60 and prone to coughs, rather than the spry and bright young. One of the arguments in the psychology article is that we are all too prone to imagining the worst. I don't believe that. All the evidence I see is to the contrary. There are more people on social media poo-pooing the whole crisis than spreading alarm. Gregory Campbell offered what he called a "perspective update", that people actually die in their thousands from flu, but that no one in Britain had died from the coronavirus yet. Thank goodness he isn't the health minister. He is about as focused on the reality of the threat as his party colleague Sammy Wilson was on man-made global warming. Does he need it drummed into his head that the worry is not about what is happening now, but what is about to happen? Would Gregory sleep on a train track and comfort himself with the knowledge that no one had died there before, so there was no reason to suppose anyone ever would? There are silent indicators, though, that people are taking the virus seriously. Try buying hand sanitiser in Belfast and you'll see there has been a run on the stuff. I am a bit alarmed, however, by the advice not to touch my face without first washing my hands. I don't think I can master the necessary degree of self-awareness. Perhaps I should just keep a supply of plastic gloves about me, the type that they use in sandwich bars for handling the red onion and chicken bits. In India, there are ancient traditions based around hygiene. The standard greeting is a little bow with hands joined as if in prayer. I can't see that catching on here. In my own lifetime, I have seen the French practice of kissing people of a different gender on the cheeks become common here. We haven't quite caught up with the Arab custom of men kissing each other on the cheek and, presumably, the fear of coronavirus will set back our evolution towards that. India is giving up its traditions and you see people kissing cheeks there too now. Men holding hands was always common. And there was the abhorrent custom of "untouchability", which had the practical value of avoiding physical contact with people who did dirty work, but extended to refusing contact with people of other castes and barring them from using the village well reserved for the upper-caste people. We may be about to experience for ourselves that customary greeting practices are conditioned by the threat of infection. I am going to one of those "mwah darling" parties in London next week organised by my publisher and I suspect there will be a lot less "mwahing" than usual. I'll let you know. And the woman who took assurance from her kindly GP that she had nothing to worry about knows surely that, as soon as the doctor was finished with her, he swabbed his hands with sanitiser in preparation for the next patient. It wasn't his job to explain to her the maths of exponential growth, how a virus that cannot be resisted will accelerate in its spread until it starts running out of people to infect. From a small outbreak among a few people in Wuhan in January, it has reached nearly 80,000 people there and that despite lockdowns and people staying in their homes, urged not to go to work and denied the right to travel. That's a fair indication of how this thing spreads. And still people will tell us that this is all a fuss over very little. Manila, March 2 : A gunman took around 30 hostages at a shopping mall in Manila's San Juan City and one person was shot, a Philippines government official said on Monday. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said a former security guard of the V-Mall, with firearms, held hostage up to 30 employees of the sprawling shopping centre, reports Xinhua news agency. "We are currently negotiating with the hostage-taker," Zamora said. Zamora said the gunman shot and injured one person who was taken to a nearby hospital, he added. Initial news reports said the attack happened at around 10 a.m. and was still ongoing. Entry to the mall was sealed. NANJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's new-generation space tracking ship Yuanwang-7 is sailing to the Atlantic Ocean for a satellite maritime monitoring mission. The ship departed from a port of the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Controlling Department in Jiangsu Province Thursday. It is the first time for Yuanwang-7 to carry out a mission in the Atlantic. Only one ship of China's Yuanwang fleet, Yuanwang-3, so far has conducted missions in the ocean. "This time the designated maritime area is remote and the route is new. We estimate that the vessel will sail in waves higher than 4 meters for over 10 days, a tougher journey than before," said Ni Liuguo, captain of the ship. Before setting out, crew members were quarantined on the vessel and cabins were disinfected to prevent the novel coronavirus infection. They completed the preparation of medical supplies and examined facilities to ensure the success of the mission. Yuanwang-7 was developed with the latest technologies in shipbuilding, space measurement and control, marine meteorology and shipping power. Since it was put into use in 2016, Yuanwang-7 has made 13 voyages and performed 21 tasks in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, including maritime tracking of China's second space lab Tiangong-2, the Chang'e-4 lunar probe and BeiDou satellites. China will have more than 40 space launches this year, and the Yuanwang fleet is expected to carry out intensive maritime monitoring missions. RICHMOND, VA. (Reuters) - In his brief three-month campaign for president, Michael Bloomberg poured nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars into building an advertising and data-mining juggernaut unlike anything the political world had ever seen. But a big part of the strategy hinged on a wildcard named Joe Biden. Bidenss resurgence after a dominant victory on Saturday in South Carolina has upset that calculation in the critical do-or-die sprint before Super Tuesday, when Democrats in 14 states vote for the candidate to challenge Republican Donald Trump in Novembers election. It wasnt supposed to be this way. The billionaire former New York City mayors strategy was partly based on expectations that Biden would falter in the first four states. Bloomberg, who skipped the early contests, would then become the moderate alternative to frontrunner Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist. Although Biden underperformed in Iowa and New Hampshire, he did better in Nevada and bounced back in South Carolina on a wave of African-American support to end Sanders winning streak and establish himself as the races top-tier moderate Democrat. Meanwhile, Bloombergs once-ascendant campaign has struggled after he came under fire in debates over past comments criticized as sexist and a policing policy he employed as New Yorks mayor seen as racially discriminatory. He has apologized for the policing policy and for telling bawdy jokes. Advisors and people close to the Bloomberg campaign say they are still in the race and rebuff criticism that hes splitting the moderate vote and making it easier for Sanders to win. The campaigns internal polling showed that Bloombergs supporters have both Biden and Sanders as their second choices, contrary to the perception that he was mostly peeling off Bidens support, one campaign official said. If Bloomberg dropped out, Sanders would be on a stronger path to victory, the official said. Bloomberg has hovered around 15% in national polls, suggesting he will earn some delegates on Tuesday. If those polls are correct, he will likely earn fewer delegates than Sanders and Biden. Another moderate, Pete Buttigieg, dropped out on Sunday, driven in part by a desire not to hand the nomination to Sanders, a top adviser said. Pete was not going to play the role of spoiler. Bloomberg, however, has vowed to stay in the race until a candidate wins a majority of delegates needed to clinch the nomination. His campaign has spent heavily on advertising in states that vote on Tuesday, when a third of the available delegates that help select a Democratic nominee are awarded in a single day. And its pinning some of its hopes on Virginia, the fourth-biggest state at stake on Tuesday and a key testing ground for Bloomberg. He made his first campaign visit here last November, and has visited another six times since. Last week, his campaign had hopes he could win or come close. But even that plan is facing new headwinds. After Bidens win in South Carolina, the former vice president picked up endorsements from former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, the 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate underlining how Bidens comeback is drawing establishment Democrats who might have otherwise backed Bloomberg. Dan Blue, a prominent Democrat in the North Carolina State Senate who endorsed Bloomberg last week, said Bidens strong showing in South Carolina reset the race. But he said he still believes that Bloomberg can win by playing the long game and gradually accumulating delegates. Theres no question in my mind that this thing is very fluid and not absolute, he said. HUGE NATURAL EXPERIMENT Bloombergs heavy advertising spending, however, makes him a uniquely powerful candidate even if he lags in opinion polls. He has spent more than half a billion dollars on ads ahead of Tuesday, more than four times the combined ad spending of his four remaining main rivals - Sanders, Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Amy Klobuchar, according to data from ad tracker Advertising Analytics. The biggest chunk was spent in Super Tuesday states, $214 million through Feb. 25, including more than $63 million in California and $50 million in Texas, where one analysis said 80 percent of the ads were Bloombergs. Already, Bloomberg has spent more on television ads than Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton did in their entire 2016 campaigns. Its truly astonishing, said Michael Franz at Bowdoin College in Maine, a leading researcher on political advertising. He is giving us a huge natural experiment. Many of his ads feature Trump, mocking the president as a bully. Others introduce his life story. When he drew criticism for sexist comments and past treatment of women on the job, one ad countered with endorsements from longtime women employees. The campaign also has pushed beyond old frontiers with digital spending. More than $106 million have been poured into Google and Facebook ads, according to disclosures by the social media giants. Without a young network of enthusiasts on social media like the one enjoyed by Sanders, Bloomberg has tried to boost his online presence by paying for one: he has hired influential meme accounts to post messages on Instagram, and paid others $2,500 a month to share pro-Bloomberg messages on texts and social media. Inside his campaign headquarters in New York, the staff of Hawkfish, a start-up digital analytics company, sift through huge tranches of voter data to help chart his campaign strategy. Bloomberg decided Hawkfish was necessary because Democrats havent kept up with Trumps ability to target voters and bombard them with messages, said Dan Kanninen, the campaigns states director. Its a very potent, very difficult-to-overcome weapon. HOW MUCH CAN IT BUY HIM? His unprecedented spending has likely fueled his rise in public opinion polls from just around 5% when he entered the race on Nov. 24 to about 16% in recent polls. The question is, how much can it buy him, and theres definitely a ceiling, said Amanda Wintersieck, a political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. In South Carolina, where he was not on the ballot but had still spent $2.3 million on advertising through Feb. 25, two thirds of the primary voters said they viewed Bloomberg unfavorably, according to Edison Research exit polls. About 77% and 51% of these voters had favorable views of Biden and Sanders, respectively. The spending has also provided a target for opponents who say Bloomberg is stark proof that the wealthy wield too much influence over U.S. elections. In conversations with dozens of mostly Democratic voters across seven states last week, Reuters found that Bloombergs spending blitz had won him a little enthusiasm, and some respect. He might be the one, said Garolyn Greene, 41, as she waited at a bus stop in Houston where Bloomberg held a rally on Thursday. Others were less forgiving. Bloomberg has apologized for overseeing an increase in the use of a police practice called stop and frisk in New York City that disproportionately affected black and other racial minority residents. On Sunday, as Bloomberg started to speak about racial inequality at a chapel in Selma, Alabama one of the 14 Super Tuesday states about 10 people, mostly black, stood up and turned their backs. Biden was seated in a place of honor with the pastor at the same church. I think its just an insult for him to come here, said Lisa Brown, who is black and a consultant who traveled to Selma from Los Angeles, referring to Bloomberg. The incident underlined Bloombergs continued struggles to win over black voters a core constituency for the Democratic Party. A VIRGINIA BATTLEGROUND Bloombergs supporters say they hope his spending will deliver dividends in battleground states that favor moderates like Virginia, where some polls put him ahead of Biden but at a close second behind Sanders. Bloomberg made friends in Virginia long before his campaign, spending millions to elect Democrats to state offices and congressional seats, culminating with Democrats taking control of the state legislature last November. Last week, those legislators gave final approval to a sweeping set of gun control laws - a signature cause for Bloomberg. I think people are appreciative, said Lori Haas, Virginia director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and a Bloomberg supporter. Bloomberg has opened seven field offices in the state, part of a national network of offices and paid staff that has far outpaced his rivals. The campaign had more than 2,000 paid workers and 214 offices in 43 states, not counting the several hundred in his New York headquarters, said Kanninen, the campaigns states director. Whatever happens on Tuesday, Bloomberg and his campaign staffers have been stressing that he will keep spending into the fall to defeat Trump, whether hes the candidate or not. Someone said you shouldnt be spending all that money, Bloomberg said on Saturday at a get-out-the-vote rally aimed at women in McLean, Virginia. I said, Yes, well Im spending it to remove Donald Trump, and he said, Well, spend more. Last Friday, February 28, teachers in Salt Lake City, Utah, staged a one-day walkout and marched at the state capitol to demand improved schooling conditions. The half-day rally at the capitol was called by the Salt Lake Education Association (SLEA), part of the National Education Association, to vent rank-and-file anger over the dismal lack of funding for the states public educational system. Teachers, students, and families of students gathered at the capitol, where SLEA speakers made timid appeals for funding and described deteriorating conditions in Salt Lakes public schools. The crowd was much larger than the union had anticipated. Utah, where per pupil spending is $6,953 a year, ranks last in student spending among all the 50 states. Because of this the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) is facing declining enrollment, which has been used to justify further cuts to faculty and staff. Nearly 59 percent of the districts students qualify for free or reduced-price school breakfast and lunch. For children in Utah ages 11 to 17, suicide is the leading cause of death. Teachers protesting in the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City While the state is governed by a Republican governor and Republican-controlled legislature, Salt Lake City, the states capital, along with school board, is dominated by Democrats. The SLEA is demanding the hiring of more mental health professionals and asking for money to hire more temporary workersin other words, to expand the pool of super-exploited, low-paid educators. It is seeking neither raises for full-time teachers nor an expansion of full-time positions. The walkout follows a January school board meeting at which the superintendent of the Salt Lake City schools, Lexi Cunningham, announced she would retire at the end of the school year, leaving a job that pays $208,000 annually. Teachers, on average, receive between $47,741 and $63,128 a year. According to a report aired by the local television station KSL in December 2019, when taking into consideration the costs associated with housing, food, transportation, health care and taxes, a family of four living in Salt Lake County would need more than $81,000 per year to survive. This breaks down to nearly $6,800 per month. Salt Lake Citys Democratic administration has used the citys abundance of low-paid workers and offers of tax breaks to court Amazon, UPS and FedEx, which have all built warehouses in the area in the past two year. Amazon was recently rewarded with a $5.6 million tax cut for its SLC-1 facility. FedEx, which has been laying off workers around the country while speeding up production to match Amazon, recently gave a paltry 250 coats to elementary school students in the Salt Lake District. Citing the fact that a quarter of families in the city live below the poverty line, KUTV2 cited a FedEx sales manager who stated, We had an option of three schools we could [choose] but this was the school with the best test grades [...] so we wanted to make sure to reward them. According to an SLCSD high school support worker who spoke with the WSWS, there are many students who compromise their education in order to assist with family responsibilities or bring in household income. One student I help is afraid that his entire family will be stuck working at Walmart. His brother graduated high school but couldnt apply for college, and now works at Walmart with their mother. Theyre both frustrated and it makes it hard for him to complete schoolwork at home or focus at school, the worker said. Other students skip school to provide daycare for younger siblings while their parents work. We have military recruiters come around oftenUtah has Hill Airforce Baseand a lot of kids commit to the military because it might help them afford college. Students are also subject to right-wing, antidemocratic policies imposed on Utahs curriculum. The Utah State core standards for history classes expect students to engage in dialogue regarding American exceptionalism, in the sense of the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty. Teachers and support staff are advised against discussing anything that could be construed as a political topic with students, the school support worker added. I was advised to be careful about discussing evolution with a student who asked me about creationism, and in trainings [professional development] teachers are warned not to engage or support a student who comes out to them regarding their sexuality. The issues faced by the teachers in Salt Lake City are the same as those confronted by teachers across the US and internationally. Over the past two years, anger over low pay and inadequate funding have provoked strikes on six continents. In Ontario, Canada, on February 21 two hundred thousand educators staged a one-day strike in defense of public schools. There is an ongoing wildcat strike of graduate students and teaching assistants at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where educators are demanding a cost of living increase in area of the country with some of the most expensive housing. A retired university lecturer who claims to have suffered a knee injury after slipping on breadcrumbs on the vinyl floor of an Emirates flight is suing the airline for $12,000. Desley Bartlett was on a 14.5-hour flight from Brisbane to London last year when she slipped on the vinyl floor on her way to the business class bathrooms. She was assisted by a flight attendant who she said told her that a similar incident involving breadcrumbs occurred about a month before. Desley Bartlett is suing Emirates after she claims to have slipped on breadcrumbs and injured her knee on one of their flights (stock) Ms Bartlett claims to have slipped on bread crumbs on the vinyl floor on a flight from Brisbane to London (stock) 'About half way through the 14.5 hour flight to Dubai, I got out of my seat and walked down the centre aisle heading to the business class toilets beyond the bar area,' she told Courier Mail. 'As I stepped onto the floor area of the bar, my right foot slipped on the high gloss vinyl floor of the bar and I fell and hit something hard with my left knee.' Upon leaving the bathroom, she claims to have seen a flight attendant sweeping breadcrumbs off the floor. Ms Bartlett says her knee pain increased during the flight and only lessened when she was lying down, the publication reported. Ms Bartlett left the flight in Dubai in a wheelchair and underwent an X-ray and CT scan. No obvious fractures were spotted by the doctor. However, she didn't want to spend the rest of her holiday in a wheelchair and cancelled her 'trip of a lifetime' and returned to Australia. Ms Bartlett is suing the airline for $12,000 in compensation for cancelling her 'trip of a lifetime' She also claims the airline has been 'extremely uncooperative and disinterested in my situation'. 'I was incapacitated to the point where I needed a walking stick to help me with mobility. I am now able to walk without the stick but I still have pain in my knee and cannot fully bend it,' she told the publication. Emirates customer affairs supervisor Charleston Peters rejects Ms Bartlett's claims that breadcrumbs caused her to slip and that the doctor had cleared her to travel in a wheelchair but she decided to return to Australia. He also said that the flight attendants recorded the incident and there was no report of breadcrumbs on the floor. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Emirates for comment. Once upon a time, primaries were limited to registered members of a given party. The theory was that, in the spring, when only people obsessed with politics are paying attention, the base would get to choose the candidate most likely to win while representing their values. Then, in the fall, when all Americans are paying attention, the parties would have their chosen representatives face off against each other while articulating why their respective parties' values were the best for America. The open primary system changed all that. Now people from any party can vote for any candidate. The theory is that this will force candidates to play to the middle, not to the base. The reality is different. First, candidates have to be even more extreme to grab their base. Second, people from the opposite party try to game the system by voting for the worst person to represent the other party in the fall election. In other words Operation Chaos. This is a terrible way to choose presidential candidates. This statement is true even if the Democrats' version of Operation Chaos was part of what elevated Trump, arguably one of America's greatest presidents, to become the Republican candidate. The problem with an Operation Chaos tactic, as Democrats discovered to their horror, is that the person they think will lose might actually end up winning. Just to refresh your recollection, here's footage showing Democrats begging Trump to run and hoping that he would prevail in the primaries because they were certain that Hillary would destroy him: The Democrats stopped laughing late in the evening on November 8, 2016. Bernie Sanders is currently tagged as the candidate who cannot possibly become president. He's a socialist, for goodness's sake! The American people would never vote for a socialist except that across America, that's precisely what American people are doing. We are seeing the effect of the leftists' 50-year march through America's educational and media institutions. Moreover, for the last three years, the American people have been told that Trump is evil. We want to think they're smart enough to see through the lies, but the reality is that a sense of revulsion can sink into people's psyches and anchor itself there. So there's every reason to believe that Sanders might indeed be able to win. It's not as if Joe Biden, who is now trailing Bernie for the Democrat nomination, is a scarily unbeatable opponent. As noted here on Sunday, Biden has a long, painful track record of corruption and stupidity. His only fixed principle is that he has few principles, and he's showing escalating signs of mental confusion. Michael Bloomberg also is not a formidable candidate. He's certainly rich enough to buy advertising and campaign headquarters, but he's charmless and boorish. As mayor of New York, he showed a decided tyrannical streak when it came to micromanaging people's lives. His fierce support for abortion and his opposition to guns will not endear him to many Americans. In other words, of Biden, Bloomberg, and Bernie, all are possible winners and possible losers but it's only Bernie who has the potential to destroy America and turn it into Venezuela. So should people really be playing chaos games with the election based on their belief, an unfounded one, that Bernie is certain to lose? By the way, Tucker Carlson shares a concern that Bernie is a more effective and dangerous candidate than Republicans, including Trump, give him credit for being: If you're a Republican and there's a primary in your state, vote for Donald Trump. The more people who vote for him now, the more momentum he has going into November. That matters. And let the Democrats chose their candidate for better or worse. If it's to be a showdown with socialism, so be it, but it's not our job to force the issue. After all, we might end up as unhappy on November 3, 2020 as the Democrats were on November 8, 2016. As Rohit Shetty is all set to drop the much-awaited four-minute-long trailer of his next cop universe flick 'Sooryavanshi', the cast of the flick arrived in style wearing the 'Aa Rahi hai Police' T-shirts at the event. Team 'Sooryavanshi' launched the trailer of the flick live in Mumbai and as they reached the event location, they started loading social media with the pictures from the event. Ditching the helicopter, the lead star of the flick, Akshay Kumar arrived on his Honda CBR bike wearing a black coloured jacket and posted the picture on Instagram. Like other cast members of the flick including Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and director Rohit Shetty, Akshay later changed to the cheeky 'Aa Rahi hai Police' T-shirt. "Veer Sooryavanshi ditched the helicopter for a bike to beat the Mumbai traffic for the #SooryavanshiTrailer launch today," he captioned the picture. Kumar will be seen in the flick opposite Katrina Kaif who was seen slaying in an orange bodycon dress. The cop thriller's star cast also includes Gulshan Grover and Sikander Kher among others. The cop action flick 'Sooryavanshi' will hit the big theatres in the evening of March 24. This comes against the backdrop of the Maharashtra government's decision to keep multiplexes, restaurants, and malls open 24X7. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vietnams immigration laws will undergo a radical shake-up this summer in an effort to widen the doors for tourists while protecting the country from foreign criminals and illegal workers. Foreign tourists by Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi. Under new immigration laws, visitors on a tourist visa will need to do more paperwork for a trip longer than 30 days. Speaking exclusively to Viet Nam News, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Minh from the Department of Immigration said major changes would include temporary permits for tourists, visa exemptions and changes to visa statuses. Starting July 1, visitors entering Vietnam will be granted a temporary residence stamp upon arrival with the duration of stay matching their visas, said Minh. This will lessen the burden for foreigners who have visas valid for over 12 months because under current laws, they need to apply for a permit extension even though their visas are still valid. But visitors here on a tourist visa will need to do more paperwork if they want to stay longer than 30 days. For tourist visas which are valid for more than 30 days, tourists are only given a 30-day temporary residence stamp, Minh said. Foreign tourists can still get three-month visas, but they need their passports stamped every 30 days, which will cost US$10 (VND230,000) each time. Tourists can apply for an extension once or multiple times, but the maximum stay is 90 days. After this period, they must leave the country and if they want to return to Vietnam, they will have to apply for a visa again, Minh said. The new regulation is aimed at preventing crime and illegal workers. There are foreigners who have taken advantage of the three-month tourist visa to engage in activities that violate Vietnamese laws, such as high-tech crime and working illegally, Minh added. He also advised tourists to apply for electronic visas instead of the traditional paper ones as it was a much easier and quicker". Currently, electronic visas are available for citizens of 80 countries. The new laws will also address concerns of many citizens from the 13 countries under Vietnams unilateral visa waiver programme, especially South Koreans and Japanese, according to Minh. A regulation requiring people from these countries entering Vietnam without a visa to wait for at least 30 days to be able to come back will be removed. They will be able to come back anytime, Minh said. Another major change is for the first time, eligible foreigners are now allowed to change their visa status without leaving the country. They include foreign investors or representatives of foreign organisations that invest in Vietnam and their families, and foreign workers who receive job offers in Vietnam or enter the country on e-visas as long as they have a work permit or confirmation they are exempt from a work permit, Minh said. To prevent the misuse of current rules, the new laws also regulate that foreign investors with capital of less than VND3 billion (US$130,000) can only obtain a one-year visa while those investing from VND100 billion can get a 10-year temporary permit. At the moment, all certified foreign investors can obtain a five-year visa regardless of their investment. All the changes are part of the amendments to the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners, approved by the National Assembly late November last year. The thirteen countries eligible for Vietnams unilateral visa waiver programme are: Belarus, Denmark, Japan, Norway, Italy, Finland, France, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Germany, UK. VNS Vu Thu Ha Visas options open up for overseas investors Non-nationals with differing investment scales in Vietnam will be granted different visas in the country, making it more favourable for authorised agencies to apply incentives to certain initiatives. Foreigners allowed to change visa status while in Vietnam: NA The National Assembly (NA) on Monday voted for amendments to the immigration law, for the first time allowing visitors to change their visa status and prolong their stays in Vietnam without having to fly out of the country. Schools are obliged to inform authorities if parents cannot provide proof their child has been vaccinated. Berlin, Germany German parents must now prove their children have been inoculated against measles before they can be admitted to schools,under a new law which seeks to boost vaccination rates. The legislation, which came into effect on Sunday, requires children to have documented proof they have been vaccinated, or schools and nurseries will be obliged to inform local health authorities. We tried for many years to get a better rate of vaccination without laws but it hasnt helped, so this is the last step, Berlin-based paediatrician Jakob Maske told Al Jazeera. I dont know if it will help to make the rates better, but we will see in the next two to three years. The number of cases in Germany is not worryingly high at present, but any measles epidemic could lead to deaths, Maske said. We want to stop this. Measles, a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that poses a high risk to young children, kills more than 140,000 people per year, primarily in developing countries, according to the World Health Organization. Recent years have seen a resurgence of the disease where it was previously considered eliminated as increasing numbers of parents forgo vaccinating their children, in part due to debunked research linking the jab with autism, which has inspired a worldwide anti-vax movement. 190813142655803 Under the new law, parents could face fines up to 2,500 euro ($2,800) if their children are not vaccinated, while older children already in education will have until July 31, 2021 to provide evidence of immunisation through a medical certificate. The vaccination requirement also covers workers in state-run institutions such as hospitals, schools, care facilities and refugee centres. The German parliament approved the law in November after months of debate, with support from the conservative Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party and the liberal Free Democratic Party. Measles are too often underestimated, health minister Jens Spahn said in November. It is highly contagious and can even have fatal consequences. This infectious disease primarily endangers those who cant protect themselves: our children. At least 95 percent of individuals need to be given two doses of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccination to ensure community protection and to prevent outbreaks, according to advice from WHO. However, a report published last year by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germanys federal agency for disease prevention, found that just 93 percent of children starting school in the country have received both inoculations. 190829071033053 After a period of sharp decline in the early 2000s, the number of cases in Germany has been growing in recent years, increasing the risk of major outbreaks. Germany recorded more than 500 cases of measles between January and October last year, according to the RKI, an increase on the same period in 2018. The new law has been controversial, with opposing politicians, parents and doctors questioning the level of bureaucracy required, or painting it as an example of government overreach into the private lives of German families. The German Ethics Council, an independent council of experts who assess public policy, objected to the proposed law in June, calling it not justified. It recommended less drastic measures to reach the 95 percent goal, and said fines and school exclusions would hit socially disadvantaged families the most. Several parents have already launched a legal case with Germanys constitutional court, claiming the new law violates the physical integrity of their children, and their right to raise their children as they choose. Further legal complaints from parents and campaign groups, some of which represent doctors, are expected. Sixteen European countries have experienced measles epidemics, according to WHO, which declared the situation a grade two, or moderate, emergency last year. More than 100,000 cases of measles were reported in Europe between January and October in 2019, a significant jump from 2018, and more than triple the number of cases identified in 2017. Mandatory measles vaccinations have already been introduced in several European countries, including France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Others are mulling similar measures, such as in Britain, where Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in September that he was looking very seriously at compulsory inoculations. [March 02, 2020] Data Center Rack PDU Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2020 - 2025) NEW YORK, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Data Center Rack PDU market was valued at USD 0.88 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 1.61 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 9.57% over the forecast period 2020 - 2025. Datacenter management teams continuously look for ways and approaches to increase energy efficiency, while providing a modular and highly adaptable IT environment to support the service-oriented architectures and the rapid changes in demand parameters. Although software, systems, and storage have become highly adaptable, none of these matters in the data center, unless the power infrastructure is also adaptable. These basic needs have driven the market for data center rack PDU. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05867464/?utm_source=PRN - IT equipment in the data center is evolving at a much higher rate than the typical life expectancy of the data center. Data centers are typically designed with a life expectancy of 10-15 years, whereas most IT equipment refresh cycles hover around 2-5 years. - More powerful equipment often results in an undersized power supply system, driving the need for updating these PDU units. Different power requirement drives for PDU demand for different power needs, for instance, for medium density need PDU in range of 5-10 kW/rack and for high-density demand, PDU in range of 15-30 kW/rack equipment may be used. - Such multiple factors drive the demand for PDU, and different electrical supplies and equipment designs also result in product differentiation based on design parameters and impact the market. Key Market Trends Increasing Deployment of Data Center Facilities - The growing deployment of data centers around the world is the major driving factor influencing the demand for data center racks PDU. The increasing demand for technology services and increasing investments in data center installation capabilities from major companies are also influencing the growth of the market. - With evolving technologies and the adoption of high-density servers, rack infrastructure has become an important aspect in data centers, with the need to effectively host servers, manage cables, and facilitate power availability for the uninterrupted optimum performance of data centers and drives the demand for rack PDU. - The growing deployment of dta centers around the world is the major driving factor influencing the consumption of data center racks. Multiple critical business units require the data centers to be on all the time. Even the datacenters are distinguished based on their uptime as a significant parameter. The increasing demand for technology services and increasing investments from major companies are also influencing the growth of the market. Asia-Pacific Region to Record a Significant Growth Rate - The APAC region is expected to be the largest contributor to global demand, as the region is experiencing huge investment for bigger and faster IT infrastructure. For instance, Australia alone makes up 4% of the global data center market, according to Cisco Systems, with large multinational players, like Equinix and AirTrunk, building hyper-scale data centers in Sydney and Melbourne . Such developments are expected to drive the PDU market. - The key factor pushing the growth of the market in the region is the explosive digital needs from the emerging economies with huge populations, such as China , India , Singapore , and Indonesia . Service-based industries, e-commerce growth, and the governments' push for digitization are augmenting the demand. Moreover, the rising complexities within the IT infrastructure brought by virtualization and consolidation, coupled with cost constraints, are encouraging enterprises to look into adopting data center technologies, thus, driving the market. - As the data center ecosystem becomes more complex, the demand for data center infrastructure management also increases, helping the market demand. This is especially prevalent in more technologically-advanced countries, such as Japan . Ultimately, a rise in data center infrastructure may drive the data center racks PDU market. Competitive Landscape The data center rack PDU market is moderately fragmented. With changing technologies and the adoption of high-density servers, rack infrastructure has become an important aspect in data centers, with the need to effectively host servers, manage cables, and power distribution and monitoring for ensuring optimum performance of data centers. Overall, the competitive rivalry among the existing competitors is high, given the fact that data center solutions are offered as one complete solution. Some end users in the stage of agreement ask for specific supplier parts used in their data centers, and thus, intensifies the competition for vendors to vouch for the market pie. Merger and acquisition is an important strategic tool in the market for improving market presence. - May 2019 - Vertiv successfully completed the NTT Europe Online's deployment of the Avocent ACS advanced console server and Power Management Distribution Unit. The solution allowed the company to manage its data center operations centrally and remotely, in order to minimize the number of on-site engineering personnel, streamline administrative efficiencies, and respond faster to the needs of its customers. - August 2018 - Legrand announced the purchase of Shenzhen Clever Electronic Co. Ltd, the Chinese leader in intelligent PDUs4 for data centers. Shenzhen Clever Electronic Co. Ltd, thus, rounds out Legrand's existing product offering in a high added-value segment, where Legrand is already number one in the United States with its Raritan and Server Technology brands. Reasons to Purchase this report: - The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format - Report customization as per the client's requirements - 3 months of analyst support Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05867464/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/data-center-rack-pdu-market---growth-trends-and-forecast-2020---2025-301014269.html SOURCE Reportlinker [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The winners of the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards have been announced. Andrew Scott and Claire Foy reigned supreme in the play categories, picking up the Best Actor and Best Actress awards for their respective shows Present Laughter and Lungs, both at the Old Vic. Scott's co-star Sophie Thompson was also recognised for her supporting performance in the Old Vic's revival of Noel Coward's comedy, while the Best Supporting Actor Award was given to Hammed Animashaun for his side-splitting performance in the Bridge Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Brand new musical & Juliet, which features the songs of music maker legend Max Martin, won the most awards on the night six including one for Best Actress in a Musical for star Miriam-Teak Lee. Following closely behind is Broadway hit Come From Away, which won five awards from five nominations, including the coveted Best New Musical. One of the show's stars, Rachel Tucker, picked up the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Award, her second after previously winning in 2011 for Best Takeover in a Role (Elphaba in Wicked). The winner of the inaugural BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best West End Musical (shortlisted shows must have run for longer than a year in the West End) was Six the Musical, which continues its run at the Arts Theatre and is now booking into 2021. Lolita Chakrabarti's adaptation of the seminal novel Life of Pi, which premiered at Sheffield Theatres last year, won the Best New Play award: audiences in London will be treated to the piece when it transfers to the capital in the summer. Director Jamie Lloyd was a big winner on the night, with his West End production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal with Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox winning Best Play Revival. Lloyd himself won the Best Direction Award for his Open Air Theatre revival of Evita, which heads to the Barbican Theatre later this year. Tony Award-winning titan Dear Evan Hansen won two awards Best Actor in a Musical for its breakout star Sam Tutty, and Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for Jack Loxton. The Equity Award for Services to Theatre was awarded to ERA 50:50, a movement set up by actors Lizzie Berrington and Polly Kemp that campaigns to see women represented on screen, in television and in theatre in equal numbers to men. For the first time this year, the Awards were broadcast live on BBC Radio 2, with Elaine Paige and Paddy O'Connell having first chats with winners, guests and more. WhatsOnStage's COO Sita McIntosh said: "In our 20th year, we'd also like to say a particular thank you to the audiences who are the lifeblood of our Awards, voting in their thousands. Their support and championing of shows is what keeps our industry alive. It's galvanising to see that a play that has never been staged in London has picked up the Best New Play Award, showing how the WhatsOnStage Awards really are decided by audiences across the nation. "For Lolita Chakrabarti to win is equally exciting, in a category dominated by diverse and cutting-edge voices. Working alongside BBC Radio 2 this year has taken the Awards onto a whole new level, and to have new kids on the block SIX the Musical pick up the inaugural Audience Award for Best Musical shows just how much West End theatregoers can welcome bold and brilliant shows with open arms." The full list of winners (in bold) and nominees: The Equity Award for Services to Theatre ERA 50:50 The BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical Six the Musical Best Actor in a Play, sponsored by Edwardian Hotels Tom Hiddleston Betrayal Harold Pinter Theatre Andrew Scott Present Laughter The Old Vic Matt Smith Lungs The Old Vic Wendell Pierce Death of a Salesman Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre Laurie Kynaston The Son Kiln Theatre / Duke of York's Theatre Best Actress in a Play, sponsored by Tonic Theatre Claire Foy Lungs The Old Vic Zawe Ashton Betrayal Harold Pinter Theatre Hayley Atwell Rosmersholm Duke of York's Theatre Sharon D Clarke Death of a Salesman Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre Juliet Stevenson The Doctor Almeida Theatre Best Supporting Actor in a Play Alexander Vlahos Peter Pan Park Theatre Charlie Cox Betrayal Harold Pinter Theatre Hareet Deol My Beautiful Laundrette A Curve Leicester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production Hammed Animashaun A Midsummer Night's Dream Bridge Theatre Giles Terera Rosmersholm Duke of York's Theatre Best Supporting Actress in a Play Ria Zmitrowicz The Doctor Almeida Theatre Isabella Pappas Appropriate Donmar Warehouse Monica Dolan All About Eve Noel Coward Theatre Sophie Thompson Present Laughter The Old Vic Indira Varma Present Laughter The Old Vic Best Actor in a Musical, sponsored by Dewynters David Hunter Waitress Adelphi Theatre Sam Tutty Dear Evan Hansen Noel Coward Theatre Jac Yarrow Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The London Palladium Oliver Tompsett & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Charlie Stemp Mary Poppins Prince Edward Theatre Best Actress in a Musical, sponsored by Cafe de Paris Lucie Jones Waitress Adelphi Theatre Katharine McPhee Waitress Adelphi Theatre Miriam-Teak Lee & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Tracie Bennett Mame Hope Mill Theatre Zizi Strallen Mary Poppins Prince Edward Theatre Best Supporting Actor in a Musical Joe Sugg Waitress Adelphi Theatre Jack Loxton Dear Evan Hansen Noel Coward Theatre Jordan Luke Gage & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Oscar Conlon-Morrey Only Fools and Horses the Musical Theatre Royal Haymarket Jason Donovan Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The London Palladium Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, sponsored by Newman Displays Laura Baldwin Waitress Adelphi Theatre Marisha Wallace Waitress Adelphi Theatre Cassidy Janson & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Melanie La Barrie & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Rachel Tucker Come From Away Phoenix Theatre Best New Play, sponsored by Ticketmaster The Doctor Robert Icke Almeida Theatre The Son Florian Zeller Kiln Theatre / Duke of York's Theatre My Beautiful Laundrette Hanif Kureishi A Curve Leicester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production Life of Pi Lolita Chakrabarti Sheffield Theatres Appropriate Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Donmar Warehouse Best Play Revival, sponsored by JHI Marketing Betrayal Harold Pinter Theatre Death of a Salesman Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre Present Laughter The Old Vic A Midsummer Night's Dream Bridge Theatre Lungs The Old Vic Best New Musical, sponsored by h Club London Waitress Adelphi Theatre & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre and Opera House, Manchester Dear Evan Hansen Noel Coward Theatre Come From Away Phoenix Theatre Only Fools and Horses the Musical Theatre Royal Haymarket Best Musical Revival, sponsored by Concord Theatricals Mary Poppins Prince Edward Theatre Evita Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The London Palladium Mame Hope Mill Theatre 9 to 5 the Musical Savoy Theatre Best Off-West End Production, sponsored by Les Miserables Fiver Southwark Playhouse The View UpStairs Soho Theatre High Fidelity The Turbine Theatre Preludes Southwark Playhouse Falsettos The Other Palace Best Regional Production, sponsored by MTI Europe Mame Hope Mill Theatre The Color Purple A Curve Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome co-production Life of Pi Sheffield Theatres My Beautiful Laundrette A Curve Leicester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production West Side Story Royal Exchange, Manchester Best Choreography Fabian Aloise Evita Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Matthew Bourne Romeo and Juliet UK tour Kelly Devine Come From Away Phoenix Theatre Jennifer Weber & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Nick Winston Mame Hope Mill Theatre Best Costume Design Lez Brotherston Romeo and Juliet UK tour Katrina Lindsay Small Island National Theatre Rob Howell Present Laughter The Old Vic Philip Witcomb Mame Hope Mill Theatre Paloma Young & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Best Direction, sponsored by LOVEtheatre Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell Death of a Salesman Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre Robert Icke The Doctor Almeida Theatre Jamie Lloyd Evita Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Matthew Warchus Lungs The Old Vic Matthew Warchus Present Laughter The Old Vic Best Graphic Direction, sponsored by Hexagon Print & Juliet Dewynters Captain Corelli's Mandolin Muse Creative Communications Equus Feast Creative Evita Feast Creative Rosmersholm Bob King Creative Best Lighting Design, sponsored by White Light Jon Clark Evita Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Ben Cracknell Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The London Palladium Howard Hudson & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Jessica Hung Han Yun Equus UK tour Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone Present Laughter The Old Vic Best Musical Direction, sponsored by AKA Ian Eisendrath, Alan Berry and team Come From Away Phoenix Theatre Kimberly Grigsby The Light in the Piazza Southbank Centre Alex Parker Mame Hope Mill Theatre John Rigby Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The London Palladium Alan Williams Evita Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Best Set Design, sponsored by Sine Digital Soutra Gilmour & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Soutra Gilmour Evita Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Rob Howell Present Laughter The Old Vic Robert Jones The Light in the Piazza Southbank Centre Rae Smith The Night of the Iguana Noel Coward Theatre Best Sound Design, sponsored by Stage Sound Services Ben Harrison Mame Hope Mill Theatre Nick Lidster Evita Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Gareth Owen & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre Gareth Owen Come From Away Phoenix Theatre Mick Potter The Light in the Piazza Southbank Centre Best Video Design, sponsored by PRG Jon Driscoll Small Island National Theatre Will Duke Grief is the Thing With Feathers Barbican Theatre Andrzej Goulding & Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre P J McEvoy Falsettos The Other Palace Ewan Jones Morris A Very Expensive Poison The Old Vic BERLIN - Frankfurts international airport, Germanys busiest, was shut down for nearly two hours Monday after a drone was spotted near the facility, German federal police said. A pilot reported the drone over the southern part of the airport around 11:15 a.m. and the airport was shut as police searched the area with the support of a helicopter. Police tweeted that the airport was reopened at 1 p.m. but the investigation was continuing. Several flights were cancelled or rerouted, among them a plane with the governor of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, who was returning from a visit to Israel. Only a few weeks ago, Frankfurt airport had to be shut down for about an hour because of a drone sighting and in 2019, some 28 drone sightings were reported there, the dpa news agency reported. The Left Democratic Front government in Kerala has expanded the scope of Article 21 of our Constitution the right to life with dignity when it completed the first phase of LIFE (Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment) Mission on Saturday constructing 2,14,262 houses for people living below the poverty line. Each eligible family was sanctioned Rs 4 lakhs to complete the project and the total expenditure was about Rs 6,000-odd crores. The state government tapped every resource to complete the houses - as many as 65,092 houses were built using funds from the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Rs 1.5 lakhs each for 48,445 urban homes and Rs 72,000 each for 16,647 rural homes. Local self-governments bore half the total estimated cost for each house. The beneficiaries were fully spared the financial burden. There are a lot of takeaways from such an impressive project. One is the extra mile the government walked to help complete those 50,000-odd partly-constructed houses. They had their foundations done; some even had walls but the residents had no financial means to complete them and had given up hopes on them. With a small but significant help, the government fulfilled their dreams of living in a fully done home. The other was the thought went into the planning. The 420-sq ft houses do not look similar; they are not built in colonies; they bear no government stamp. They look like any other Kerala home. The families get them as their right and not as an offering of the state. This is not a common feature of a government-aided programme anywhere in the country, even in Kerala. As per LIFE Mission data, there are 4.32 lakh homeless families in the state, of which 1.58 are landless homeless. The first phase was aimed at them. In the next phase, the government is planning to cover the entire homeless population. It's an endeavour every state can think of emulating. Language skills are a stronger predictor of programming ability than math knowledge, according to a new University of Washington study. Here, study co-author Malayka Mottarella demonstrates coding in Python while wearing a specialized headset that measures electrical activity in the brain. Credit: Justin Abernethy/U. of Washington Want to learn to code? Put down the math book. Practice those communication skills instead. New research from the University of Washington finds that a natural aptitude for learning languages is a stronger predictor of learning to program than basic math knowledge, or numeracy. That's because writing code also involves learning a second language, an ability to learn that language's vocabulary and grammar, and how they work together to communicate ideas and intentions. Other cognitive functions tied to both areas, such as problem solving and the use of working memory, also play key roles. "Many barriers to programming, from prerequisite courses to stereotypes of what a good programmer looks like, are centered around the idea that programming relies heavily on math abilities, and that idea is not born out in our data," said lead author Chantel Prat, an associate professor of psychology at the UW and at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. "Learning to program is hard, but is increasingly important for obtaining skilled positions in the workforce. Information about what it takes to be good at programming is critically missing in a field that has been notoriously slow in closing the gender gap." Published online March 2 in Scientific Reports, an open-access journal from the Nature Publishing Group, the research examined the neurocognitive abilities of more than three dozen adults as they learned Python, a common programming language. Following a battery of tests to assess their executive function, language and math skills, participants completed a series of online lessons and quizzes in Python. Those who learned Python faster, and with greater accuracy, tended to have a mix of strong problem-solving and language abilities. In today's STEM-focused world, learning to code opens up a variety of possibilities for jobs and extended education. Coding is associated with math and engineering; college-level programming courses tend to require advanced math to enroll and they tend to be taught in computer science and engineering departments. Other research, namely from UW psychology professor Sapna Cheryan, has shown that such requirements and perceptions of coding reinforce stereotypes about programming as a masculine field, potentially discouraging women from pursuing it. But coding also has a foundation in human language: Programming involves creating meaning by stringing symbols together in rule-based ways. Though a few studies have touched on the cognitive links between language learning and computer programming, some of the data is decades old, using languages such as Pascal that are now out of date, and none of them used natural language aptitude measures to predict individual differences in learning to program. So Prat, who specializes in the neural and cognitive predictors of learning human languages, set out to explore the individual differences in how people learn Python. Python was a natural choice, Prat explained, because it resembles English structures such as paragraph indentation and uses many real words rather than symbols for functions. To evaluate the neural and cognitive characteristics of "programming aptitude," Prat studied a group of native English speakers between the ages of 18 and 35 who had never learned to code. This graph shows how the skills of study participants, such as numeracy and language aptitude, contribute to the learning of Python. According to the graph, cognition and language aptitude are greater predictors of learning than numeracy. Credit: Prat et al./Scientific Reports Before learning to code, participants took two completely different types of assessments. First, participants underwent a five-minute electroencephalography scan, which recorded the electrical activity of their brains as they relaxed with their eyes closed. In previous research, Prat showed that patterns of neural activity while the brain is at rest can predict up to 60% of the variability in the speed with which someone can learn a second language (in that case, French). "Ultimately, these resting-state brain metrics might be used as culture-free measures of how someone learns," Prat said. Then the participants took eight different tests: one that specifically covered numeracy; one that measured language aptitude; and others that assessed attention, problem-solving and memory. To learn Python, the participants were assigned 10 45-minute online instruction sessions using the Codeacademy educational tool. Each session focused on a coding concept, such as lists or if/then conditions, and concluded with a quiz that a user needed to pass in order to progress to the next session. For help, users could turn to a "hint" button, an informational blog from past users and a "solution" button, in that order. From a shared mirror screen, a researcher followed along with each participant and was able to calculate their "learning rate," or speed with which they mastered each lesson, as well as their quiz accuracy and the number of times they asked for help. After completing the sessions, participants took a multiple-choice test on the purpose of functions (the vocabulary of Python) and the structure of coding (the grammar of Python). For their final task, they programmed a gameRock, Paper, Scissorsconsidered an introductory project for a new Python coder. This helped assess their ability to write code using the information they had learned. Ultimately, researchers found that scores from the language aptitude test were the strongest predictors of participants' learning rate in Python. Scores from tests in numeracy and fluid reasoning were also associated with Python learning rate, but each of these factors explained less variance than language aptitude did. Presented another way, across learning outcomes, participants' language aptitude, fluid reasoning and working memory, and resting-state brain activity were all greater predictors of Python learning than was numeracy, which explained an average of 2% of the differences between people. Importantly, Prat also found that the same characteristics of resting-state brain data that previously explained how quickly someone would learn to speak French, also explained how quickly they would learn to code in Python. "This is the first study to link both the neural and cognitive predictors of natural language aptitude to individual differences in learning programming languages. We were able to explain over 70% of the variability in how quickly different people learn to program in Python, and only a small fraction of that amount was related to numeracy," Prat said. Further research could examine the connections between language aptitude and programming instruction in a classroom setting, or with more complex languages such as Java, or with more complicated tasks to demonstrate coding proficiency, Prat said. Explore further Brain pattern predicts how fast an adult learns a new language Amway Vietnam general manager Huynh Thien Trieu This year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and US. How have the two countries relations affected Amways business in Vietnam? Amway Vietnam is a business arm of Amway Corporation headquartered in Michigan, US. In 2006, Amway decided to invest directly in Vietnam and we are overjoyed by the fast and outstanding development of the bilateral relations between Vietnam and the US. The two countries have already placed their relations on the basis of a comprehensive partnership and senior leaders from both sides have conducted 10 visits to each other, delivered eight joint statements, particularly the one stepping up the bilateral comprehensive partnership in 2013. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is the first leader of an ASEAN country to have paid an official visit to the US right after the election of President Donald Trump and vice versa, President Trump was the first US president to visit Vietnam twice in a single tenure. As the ties between our two countries grew tighter, Amway Vietnam has proven right in its sustainable development strategy as well as strong commitment for long-term investment in Vietnam. 2019 has been a particularly successful year for Amway Vietnam What opportunities do you see in the coming times? Compared to the 60-year history of Amway Corporation, Amway Vietnam is still in its adolescence with its 12 years of operation. However, Amway Vietnams sustainable development and human-oriented strategy is what made us the most successful direct selling model in the country. According to the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, direct global retail sales increased to $192.9 billion in 2018 from $166.88 billion in 2012. More and more customers prefer direct selling and this will expand significantly in the time coming. Along with positive new consumption trends, the Vietnamese health, beauty, and homecare market is said to turn even more vibrant due to a growing young population. Moreover, the plethora of free trade agreements Vietnam is now party to pave the way for the evolution of Amway and US investors in Vietnam to gain a larger market share and enhance their contributions to the development of the countrys economy. Additionally, ranking first in sales for six consecutive years in our industry worldwide, we believe that Amway will continue to grow across the globe and in Vietnam alike. What is Amways strategy for the future? Amway pledged to pour $500 million this year into digital transformation to boost global growth and support distributors to meet rising customer demand. This cutting-edge technology will be deployed in all markets where Amway operates in order to keep in step with global trends and encourage the development of Amway over the world. In Vietnam, we are interested in new trends of physical and mental healthcare, and are developing community activities related to health and beauty. We also invest into 4.0 digital equipment to provide new, improved customer experiences in shopping and enjoying our services. Last year was one of our most satisfying years so far, and we could not have reached so far without commitment and hard work of all our stakeholders. The year has been heavy in awards and certificates, such as the prestigious Top 100 in Vietnams Corporate Sustainability Index 2019, HR Asias Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2019, and the Minister of Healths merit for educating and improving community health during 2008-2018. The 27-year-old son accused of killing his mother and stabbing his stepfather inside an Amesbury home Saturday will undergo a mental health evaluation, according to The Salem News. John Brittan was arraigned on murder and assault charges in Newburyport District Court Monday. Brittan was held after his appearance in court and was committed to Bridgewater State Hospital where he will undergo a mental health evaluation, The Salem News reported. He will return to court on March 20. Brittans father told NBC10 Boston that his son lived with his mother and stepfather in Amesbury. He told the television station that Brittan suffers from schizophrenia and does not use medication. The Essex District Attorneys office said Brittan stabbed his 65-year-old mother, Barbara Diehl-Peirce, a 23 Chester St. home in Amesbury Saturday. Brittan is also accused of stabbing his 65-year-old stepfather. The stepfather was recovering at a New Hampshire hospital. Police were called to the home around 4:05 p.m. Saturday for a report of a stabbing. Officers found the couple injured. Diehl-Peirce died at a Boston hospital Saturday night. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:10:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Health Ministry on Monday announced two new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 21. The two new confirmed cases were detected in the eastern part of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the ministry said in a statement, adding the two cases are for people who returned earlier to Iraq from the neighboring Iran. The two people were admitted to temporary quarantine wards in hospitals, where they were tested positive and transferred to the quarantine site in accordance with the international procedures, the statement added. The latest two cases bring the number of infected people in Baghdad to 10, while the other 11 cases are five in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, four in Sulaimaniyah, one in Babil and one in Najaf. Recently, the Iraqi authorities have been taking a series of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus after cases were confirmed in the country. As an invited speaker for the Women of God Through Promise Conference, Alisha Woodard delivered a strong message to the faithful gathered inside the True Cornerstone Church in Mobile, Alabama. Drawing her lesson from 2 Kings in the Bible, Woodard 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 gonna be there, just keep on pressing toward it, Pastor Derek Scott Gandy told the Christian Post. When the February 21 service concluded, Gandy says his friend, Woodards estranged husband Ulysses Woodard, approached him. He just said, Pastor, can I talk to my wife please? And I said, Sure, thats your wife,' said Gandy. And he never said anything to anyone. He did not stress anyone. He did not disrespect anyone. He never raised his voice at all. But as Gandy watched, the conversation between the Woodards grew heated. Ulysses grabbed the arm of his wife, who started screaming, hollering let go, stop,' said Gandy. He managed to keep her in his grasp and he managed to get to his car, and thats where he had his weapon. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLEs free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Mobile police say they responded at 11:23 p.m. to find a female victim on the ground suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, according to a news release. With police in pursuit, the suspected shooter fled, only to return to the location. As officers approached the suspects vehicle, the suspect fired one self-inflicted shot, police said. Officers returned fire and struck the vehicles rear bumper. Alisha Woodard, at left, and Ulysses Woodard | Facebook The suspect then pointed the firearm back towards himself and pulled the trigger which ultimately caused his demise, according to the police statement. His vehicle then crashed into a church in the area. Story continues The car went right into the door, Gandy told Mobile TV station WPMI. All of that was destroyed, and it was just rubber burning. I thought the church was on fire. Alisha Woodward, who with her husband led the True Word of Deliverance Church of God in Prichard, Alabama, was taken by ambulance to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, police said. She still needs a lot of prayer. She is in pain, but her faith is still strong, Gandys wife, Kula, told WPMI. Gandy said the Woodards estrangement was very fresh, reports the Christian Post. Ulysses, an elder in the Woodards church, had vented to his friend about the couples struggles but Gandy observed nothing that would lead to this, he said. I didnt see this coming. I didnt see this coming, he said. He wasnt a monster, at least not that Ive ever seen. Tracy testified that while the two were at Smileys Los Angeles-area home, Smiley asked her for oral sex. She declined and left. She said as she was driving home, Smiley telephoned her and told her to call him when she arrived at her home. She refused. Smiley, she said, then reminded her that he was her boss and that she had refused a request from her supervisor. A day or so later, Tracy said, she was fired. Several hundred smartphones were discovered in the Armed Forces and the Military Police of Armenia during the past two days. Artsrun Hovhannisyan, Spokesperson of the Defense Minister, wrote about this on Facebook. "They will all be handed over to the parents of servicemen," he added. We once again urge the servicemen and their relatives to refrain from providing unauthorized phones to the servicemen. They endanger their lives, question the security of the unit, [and] create an unregulated atmosphere." Houston police are searching for the gunman who shot and killed a man at an apartment in the citys east side. Neighbors heard a single gunshot around 11:45 p.m. at the Verandas Apartments in the 600 block of Maxey Road, according to Houston Police Department Lt. Christopher Bruce. When they went to see what happened, they found the victim lying nearly lifeless on the ground, Bruce said. MP: 25 BSF personnel among 618 COVID-19 cases found in Indore district in one day MP government bans aviation academy from using Dhana airstrip India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Bhopal, Mar 02: The Madhya Pradesh government has banned private aviation academy, Chimes Aviation, from using Dhana airstrip here, two months after one of its trainer aircraft crashed here, killing two persons on board. The ban came after the Sagar collector found Chimes allegedly flouting the flying norms in the wake of the fatal aircraft accident, an official said. "We got the state government order on February 29 (imposing a ban) following which we have suspended our flying activities immediately from Dhana airport," Rahul Sharma, Manager Chimes Aviation Academy, Dhana, told PTI on Sunday. NPR not to be implemented in Madhya Pradesh, says CM Kamal Nath "Our nine trainer aircraft remain grounded at the airstrip," he added. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 On January 3, the aircraft Cessna 172 crashed in a field close to the airstrip after its pilot was trying to land it around 10 pm. Trainer Ashok Makwana and trainee Piyush Singh were killed in the mishap. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 8:57 [IST] Eleven chairs in the names of women scientists, including renowned anthropologist Iravati Karve, will be established at institutes across the country to honour their contribution in the field of science, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said on Friday. Irani, in a series of tweets, said the decision has been made on the occasion of National Science Day. She said these 11 chairs will not only honour and recognise women scientists contribution to the field of science but also inspire women and encourage greater participation of young girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). On National Science Day, the Women and Child Development Ministry is pleased to announce establishment of 11 chairs in the names of Indian women scientists at institutes across the country, Irani tweeted. I thank Harsh Vardhan (Minister of Science and Technology) and everyone at the Ministry of Science and Technology for their support and pro-active approach towards the cause. I also compliment them for commemorating achievements of our women scientists at this years National Science Day celebrations, she said in another tweet. The 11 eminent women scientists are -- cytogeneticist Archana Sharma, botanist Janaki Ammal, organic scientist Darshan Ranganatham, chemist Asima Chatterjee, doctor Kadambini Ganguly, anthropologist Iravati Karve, meteorologist Anna Mani, engineer Rajeshwari Chatterjee, mathematician Raman Parimala, physicist Bibha Chowdhuri and biomedical researcher Kamal Ranadive. Irani also gave details of the institutes in which the ministry plans to establish the chairs. A Chair in cytogeneticist Archana Sharmas name will be established in any institute of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to encourage research activity in this area, she said. Irani said a Chair in Janaki Ammals name will be established in the field of biotechnology as a tribute to her contribution. She said organic scientist Darshan Ranganathams Chair will be established in the field of immunology at several institutes to honour her work for reproducing natural biochemical processes. I hope young girls take inspiration from her and make our nation proud, Irani said in a tweet. Asima Chatterjees Chair will be established in her name in the area of Phytomedicine and the Chair of Irawati Karve will be established in her name in social sciences institutes, Irani said. Rajeshwari Chatterjees chair will be established in engineering institutes and Kamal Ranadive will be established in her name in the field of biomedical research. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WUHAN, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Thanks to the unprecedented measure taken by the Chinese government in imposing large-scale quarantine, the COVID-19 outbreak in China has now been brought under effective control initially. According to the official data released by the National Health Commission of China, the total number of new confirmed cases in China is falling gradually from the peak of 15,152 on February 12th to 406 on February 25th. In other Chinese provinces than Hubei, the daily number of new confirmed cases has been on a decline from the peak of 890 on February 3rd to 5 on February 25th. However, the epidemic has begun to spread worldwide. The number of confirmed cases has reached 322 so far in Italy amid the appearance of new cases in a number of other European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain. For the past few days, the number of persons infected by COVID-19 has been on a rise in South Korea and Japan. By 9 a.m. on February 26th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases already reached 1,146 in South Korea, where the epidemic has developed from the stage of overseas inflow to infection within communities. According to the reports of NHK, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased to 861 by 8 p.m. on February 25th local time. These data seem to be proving the warning given not long ago by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: The COVID-19 outbreak outside China may be just a tip of an iceberg. Faced with the outbreak, all countries need to take active measures. Since the situation in China has taken an obvious turn for the better, the effective measures and experience of China in responding to the outbreak are worth learning and drawing on. COVID-19 broke out during the Spring Festival, thus causing a grim situation. The 34 provincial-level administrative regions of China launched level-1 response one after another. Under the government publicity, the common Chinese people have taken the matter very seriously. They gave up the reunion with relatives and friends, stopped recreational activities and chose to stay at home to watch the epidemic prevention programs. They urged their own family members to wear masks, take preventive measures and strengthen the idea about a healthy life. On Twitter, netizens joked that, by living in home quarantine, they "could make contributions to the state while lying in bed". Additionally, many people worked as volunteers and took part in the prevention and control efforts, e.g. sterilization, persuasion and provision of help to the field workers. They also cooperated with the government by rationally criticizing and supervising its work. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has achieved again nationwide coordination in prevention and control of the epidemic by leveraging its capability for efficient organization and execution. To ease the tight supply of medical resources in Hubei, 217 medical teams including 25,633 members were sent to Hubei from all the other parts of the country by 24:00 on February 14th, excluding those from the PLA. The figure is in addition to 3 mobile P3 laboratories. Specifically, there are 181 medical teams including 20,374 members are in Wuhan, plus 36 teams including 5259 members in the other cities of the province. (Source of data: http://live.weibo.com/show?id=1042152:01a1cf8e90721664531ae9c7bfb014d6) In Wuhan, the outbreak center of the epidemic, the number of confirmed cases reached 37,448 by 24:00 on February 20th. To realize the complete acceptance of confirmed patients, suspected patients, fever patients, and close contacts, Wuhan built two regular hospitals in just a dozen days, set up 13 mobile cabin hospitals and opened a number of centralized quarantine sites throughout the city. By doing so, Wuhan ensured to provide 24,104 beds in designated and increased hospitals, 12666 beds in the cabin hospitals and 69351 in the quarantine sites. In the future, the city will increase the number of cabin hospitals by 19 to resume the normal work of the other departments of its hospitals. (Source of data: https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1659053261184193759&wfr=spider&for=pc) China is sparing no effort to control the global spreading of COVID-19. Its Ministry of Finance has set up the system for the everyday reporting of the funds spent on the prevention and control of the epidemic by the national financial sector and the tracking of local funds. By February 13th, the financial expenditure at all levels has reached 80.55 billion yuan, including 17.29 billion yuan from the Chinese Government. (Source of data: https://m.21jingji.com/article/20200214/herald/eb907f1fd41787629d243c8cc22678ea.html) Given today's globalization, the countries of the world form a closely linked community. Epidemic prevention and control as well as emergency management constitute a cross-border challenge and require all countries to make a coordinated response. We believe that a favorable turn will be just around the corner by drawing on the effective experience already accumulated and the initiatives already taken by China. Contact: Global News Online Cathy Concord +1 (321) 800-3487? SOURCE: Global News Online View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578639/What-experience-has-China-provided-to-the-world-in-the-effective-curb-of-the-spreading-of-the-Corona-Virus-Disease-2019-COVID-19 Over the past week, sections of the elite looking to continue a policy of race-based crony capitalism carried out a political coup in Malaysia as the ruling coalition collapsed in infighting and betrayals. Attempting to put an end to the machinations and impose a government by fiat, the Malaysian king declared one of the leading coup plotters, former Interior Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, as the new prime minister. Muhyiddin, whose break with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) ruling coalition a week ago set the political crisis in motion, now stands at the head of an ethnic Malay political alliance that brings the widely detested United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) back to power. Mahathir Mohamad, who resigned as prime minister a week ago, is contesting the installment of Muhyiddin. The crisis in Malaysia remains unresolved, but the illusions fostered in the 2018 election that hope and change could be achieved through Pakatan Harapan are shattered. UMNO-led alliances ruled Malaysia from its formal independence in 1957 until it was ousted by Pakatan Harapan in 2018. Playing on anti-Chinese chauvinism, UMNO served the interests of a thin layer of Malay crony capitalists allied to the ruling coalition, through a range of monetary controls and preferential government subsidies. Its leading representative was Mahathir Mohamad, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003, who implemented the racist New Economic Policy which established preferences for Malays, who comprise a majority of the population. The policy covering jobs, business and education systematically discriminated against the countrys substantial Indian and Chinese minorities. The victory of Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) in the May 2018 election brought to power a multi-racial coalition, with the promise of putting an end to the discriminatory racial policies of UMNO and its Barisan Nasional coalition. The current political crisis is the result of the unstable and unprincipled character of the PH, which brought together the ethnic Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the People's Justice Party (PKR) of Anwar Ibrahim with the United Malaysian Indigenous Party (Bersatu) of Mahathir. In 1998, then Prime Minister Mahathir and his deputy Anwar had a vicious falling out as a result of the political turmoil in the country in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis. Mahathir had insisted on maintaining his policy of currency and capital controls to defend Malay capitalists, but Anwar, who was also finance minister, supported the IMF demands to open up the economy, measures which would have bankrupted Mahathir's cronies. Mahathir expelled Anwar, who responded by leading protests against the Prime Minister's corruption. Mahathir had Anwar arrested. He was savagely beaten by the police, causing him permanent physical harm, then tried and convicted on trumped-up charges of sodomy and corruption. Support for the opposition parties of PKR and DAP grew, particularly among urban Malays based on the peninsula and among the ethnic Chinese. In the 2013 election the opposition won the popular vote, but lost the election as a result of a longstanding UMNO gerrymander. Najib Razak, who had become the head of UMNO, remained prime minister. In 2016, under a great deal of pressure from Washington, Najib signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which required him to carry out some liberalization measures. Mahathir, seeing in this an attack on his pro-Malay policies, broke with UMNO and founded a new party, Bersatu. However, Bersatu was an inadequate political vehicle for the national aspirations of Mahathir and he needed to form a new coalition to regain power. As the 2018 elections approached, Najib and UMNO had become widely despised as a result of the 1MDB corruption scandal. Billions of dollars in government money had gone missing, and Najib was alleged to have personally pocketed hundreds of millions. Under the leadership of Anwar, the PKR and DAP struck a devils bargain with Mahathir to form the PH, making Mahathir their proposed Prime Minister. Mahathir, they calculated, would take Malay votes away from UMNO and the Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS). As part of the bargain it was agreed that he would pardon Anwar, who had been convicted for a second time on bogus sodomy charges. This would pave the way for Anwar to return to parliament and take over as prime minister from the 92-year-old Mahathir half way through the term of office. The majority of the votes secured by PH came from DAP and PKR, which received 89 seats compared to the 32 which went to Mahathir's allies, but Mahathir stacked his cabinet with a majority of people loyal to him. Among those he appointed from the DAP and PKR were Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP) and Minister of Economic Affairs Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR). He made his ally in Bersatu, Muhyiddin Yassin, Interior Minister. Mahathir secured a pardon from the king for Anwar, and in October 2018 Anwar took office as an MP. A significant factor contributing to the downfall of UMNO was mass social anger at skyrocketing prices and low wages. The PH government entered office with great illusions, particularly among young people, that the new multi-racial coalition government would extend democratic rights and improve living conditions. The coalition between Bersatu, looking to continue and expand policies of race-based cronyism, and DAP and the PKR, looking to implement IMF measures on the economy, was inherently unstable. None of the members of the coalition sought to defend the interests of the working population. The alliance with Mahathir split the PKR. Anwar began pushing Mahathir more aggressively to honour his promise to step down. Mahathir was scheduled to step down in the latter half of 2020, but Anwar was demanding a firm timeline. Economic Affairs Minister Azmin began angling for control of the PKR. In 2019 a video of two men in bed was circulated on the internet and Azmin was accused of having sex with a man. Anwar, himself the victim of bogus sodomy charges, rather than defend Azmin publicly, suggested that he should resign. By December, their supporters were engaging in a massive brawl at the PKR youth congress. Bersatu began to push back against the role played by the DAP Finance Minister, who was working to undo the race-based preferential policies of UMNO. Mahathir delivered a speech at the Malay Dignity Congress and openly played the race card claiming that it was Malay disunity that had allowed DAPpart of his own coalitionto take power. On February 21, Bersatu threatened to pull out of the PH if Anwar continued to pressure Mahathir. Anwar backed down. Bersatu, the minority member of the PH, was looking to rule without the PKR or the DAP. Azmin reached out to Interior Minister Muhyiddin, offering the services of his faction of the PKR, in the formation of a new alliance. On Sunday, February 23, they staged what the Straits Times called a series of highly choreographed meetings with UMNO and PAS. Bersatu, the PKR faction, UMNO and PAS would constitute a new majority and Azmin arranged for them to meet with the king to recognize their coalition with Mahathir as their head. Mahathir, however, wanted nothing to do with UMNO and Najib Razak. Presented with Muhyiddin and Azmins coup, he resigned as head of Bersatu and as Prime Minister. Mahathir has a history of using dramatic resignations to mobilize support and maintain his hold on power. Declaring that there thus was no government, the king installed Mahathir, the resigned Prime Minister, as interim Prime Minister. The king stated that he would poll the MPs to determine where the true majority lay. Mahathir sought to use his unelected office to hold together a government entirely loyal to him until the next election, and on Wednesday he held a press conference to declare his non-partisan unity government. Mahathir spoke minutes before Anwar staged a press conference to announce that he had secured the majority needed to form a government. Confronted with their rival claims, Anwar instructed everyone to abide by whatever decision the king would reach. The king declared that his personal poll had been unable to discover a clear majority. Mahathir announced that he would call a special session of parliament to determine who in fact had a majority. EveryoneMahathir, Anwar, the king, the coup plotterswas scrambling to avoid calling an election. On Friday the alliances shifted again. UMNO and Anwarseeing the summoning of parliament as a means for Mahathir to stay in powerdeclared that his move was unconstitutional and disrespectful to the king. The parliamentary speaker declared Mahathir's special session had not been legally summoned. The Malaysian king is a sultan serving as the monarch on a rotational basisevery five years another one of the countrys nine sultans is made king. The current king summoned an emergency session of the Conference of Rulers, to consult with the other eight sultans, and then declared that he would meet with each of the party leaders to determine who had a majority. As Mahathir refused to ally with UMNO, Muhyiddin put himself forward as the front man for the coup plotters, and with the backing of UMNO, PAS, Bersatu and Azmins section of the PKR he had the support of a total of 96 MPs, trumping Anwars 92. The PH responded by abandoning Anwar on Saturday, hoping that if they restored Mahathir as Prime Minister that he would bring in the small parties of Sabah and Sarawak loyal to him and they would outnumber Muhyiddin. Anwar accepted his sidelining, declaring I will be taking a step back ... so that we can avoid the country being further dragged into this power struggle and into an old system which has been rejected by the people. As Mahathir came forward to declare that the reconstituted PH had secured a majority, the king intervened, abruptly declaring that he had determined that Muhyiddin had a majority and swearing him in at 10.30 in the morning on Sunday March 1. The king issued a statement that His Highness hopes this political crisis would end. Najib Razak, disgraced head of UMNO, publicly extended his congratulations to Muhyiddin. Whatever the immediate twists and turns, the political crisis in Malaysia will only sharpen. Every section of the ruling elite is engaged in a vicious, frantic game of political backstabbing. The machinations on all sides have a fundamentally authoritarian and anti-democratic character. Regardless of who wins out, the government that is being formed is in no way a reflection of the democratic will of the people, not even its limited and distorted expression in the 2018 elections. Fuelling the desperate manoeuvres on all sides is the awareness in the ruling class of the mounting social anger in the working population of all races in Malaysia, amid an international resurgence of the class struggle and rapidly worsening crisis of the global economy. The ruling elites are engaged in a bitter struggle to defend their narrow interests and how best to suppress working class opposition. FORT KENT, Maine - A Canadian musher crossed the finish line 35 seconds ahead of his closest competitor Monday to win the Can-Am Crown, a 250-mile dog sled race across the wilderness of northern Maine. Denis Tremblay, of Saint Michel des Saints, Quebec, was the Can-Am Crown runner-up four times before notching his dramatic victory. Second-place finisher Katherine Langlais, of Glenwood, New Brunswick, was 12 minutes behind at the start of the final 43-mile sprint, but she closed the gap to 35 seconds for the closest finish in race history, said Can-Am President Dennis Cyr. Andre Longchamps, of Pont Rouge, Quebec, came in third. Neither Tremblay nor Langlais knew how close they were because the hilly course prevented them from seeing each other. Tremblay was surprised after crossing the finish line when he turned to see Langlais coming down the hill behind him, Cyr said. She was equally surprised to see that Tremblay was still at the finish line, he said. The 250-mile Can-Am Crown kicked off Saturday in Fort Kent with mushers from Maine, Minnesota, Iowa and several Canadian provinces. The grueling course took mushers to Portage Lake and then to the town of Allagash before looping back to Fort Kent. Ten-time winner Martin Massicotte, of St. Tite, Quebec, wasnt in the race. He is participating in the 1,000-mile Iditarod across Alaska. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Andre Longchamps hometown is Pont Rouge, Quebec, not Point Route, Quebec. Motorbike drivers on Hanoi Highway in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran. Vietnams leading auto firm THACO has set up a company to make motorbikes, signaling its entry into a crowded market dominated by foreign players. THACO Motorcycle Manufacturing Llc, with a charter capital of VND10 billion ($432,900), is based in the Chu Lai Economic Zone in the central province of Quang Nam, the same location as its auto business, according to a company filing. Its registered businesses are manufacturing and selling of motorbikes and parts, and its legal representative is Tran Ba Duong, THACO chairman. THACO produces buses and trucks, assembles Peugeot, Kia and Mazda cars and distributes high-end BWM motorbikes. Vietnams motorbike sales last year were second only to Indonesias in ASEAN and fourth globally at 3.27 million units, according to Italy-based market research firm Motorcycles Data. Honda accounted for 78 percent of the market, with its closest rivals being another Japanese brand, Yamaha, and Taiwans SYM. Secretary of State William Galvin projects up to 1.85 million voters will participate in the 2020 primaries, lower than the turnout during the last presidential primary season. Galvin estimates up to 1.5 million voters will participate in the Democratic primary, including early voters and absent ballot voters. Thats more than the 1.2 million voters who cast their ballots when former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders vied for the Democratic nomination. But Galvin also expects to see fewer ballots cast in the Republican primary. He estimates 350,000 Massachusetts voters will participate. Galvin doesnt see the combined turnout reaching the 2016 primary total of 2 million. I think this ones a little different. Its been a little twisting contest in terms of whos on top and whos down, he told reporters Monday morning. The unifying factor on the Democratic side is a concern about making sure President Trump is not re-elected. Primary elections typically draw a portion of registered voters to the polls. Massachusetts has 4.5 million registered voters. Roughly 1.4 million of those are Democrats, a little more than 462,000 are Republicans and another nearly 23,000 are affiliated with another party, according to state enrollment figures. More than 2.5 million people are registered as unenrolled voters, and they can also participate in one of Tuesdays primaries. Fourteen states hold primaries on Tuesday, including Massachusetts. The field is much more crowded than in 2016. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and billionaire activist Tom Steyer dropped out during the weekend, but U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are running for the Democratic nomination. Recent polls show Sanders edging past Warren in her home state. A WCVB and UMass Amherst poll have Sanders Sanders capturing 24% of likely Democratic voters while Warren had 23%. Sanders spent multiple days in Massachusetts trying to capture votes in his rivals state. Were gonna win this election because the American people are tired of a corrupt political system, Sanders said during a rally Saturday in the Boston Common. Previous polls either had Warren trailing farther behind the Vermont senator or tied with him. Related Content: Health Minister Simon Harris has confirmed that there is still only one confirmed case of the coronavirus in Ireland. Mr Harris described the spread of the virus as a "fast-evolving global situation" and denied that the government are not giving enough information to the public about the outbreak. Speaking on RTE News, he also emphasised that nobody has contracted the case in Ireland, that there was "one imported case". The Minister said the country was still in the "containment phase" with regards to the virus and that he is being briefed "many times a day". EU coronavirus risk level up from moderate to high; McDonald reveals her children attend shut-down school The European Commission raised the coronavirus risk level from moderate to high for those in the European Union and the UK. It comes as a Dublin school has been closed for two weeks after a confirmed case of the virus. More than 400 students of Scoil Chaitriona in Glasnevin, Co Dublin are today beginning two weeks off after public health officials ordered it to shut to prevent the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, Northern Irelands health minister has warned of the risks stemming from undue panic or hysteria in reaction to the outbreak of coronavirus. Northern Ireland health minister Robin Swann Robin Swann said it is vital to keep a balanced, proportionate approach to dealing with the possibility of coronavirus spreading in Northern Ireland. He confirmed to the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday that 150 people have been tested for the disease to date, with one testing positive last week. He said that Northern Ireland has planned for worst case scenarios, adding that Stormont has also contributed to a UK-wide action plan due to be published on Tuesday. "It is vital that we keep taking a balanced, proportionate approach at all times with our actions based on the best scientific advice," he said. Complacency is our enemy but so too are panic and hysteria. Mary Lou McDonald reveals her own children attend coronavirus-hit school Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has revealed that her children attend the Dublin school that is closed due to a case of the coronavirus. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald She made the announcement in a video posted on the party's Twitter page this afternoon. We're at home with the kids after a confirmed case of the coronavirus at their school. Im postponing meetings in Cavan + Galway as Id like to stay close to home but Ill be back at work tomorrow. Stick to the medical advice, wash your hands with warm soapy water. Stay safe. pic.twitter.com/32SLFfLiDn Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) March 2, 2020 More than 400 students of Scoil Chaitriona in Glasnevin, Co Dublin are today beginning two weeks off after public health officials ordered it to shut to prevent the spread of the disease. She also added that as a result of the case she would be unable to attend public meetings organised by Sinn Fein in Cavan and Galway and that as a result they will be postponed and rescheduled for a later date. "We are following all of the chief medical officer's advice and therefore the children have to be at home for the next 14 days," she said, adding it was a "worrying time" for parents and pupils of the school, "particularly for the family of the person affected. We wish them a speedy recovery." "Remember to follow all of the advice, to listen to the medical advice and wash your hands with warm soapy water and them wash them again, to take case of yourselves and take care of your children," the Sinn Fein leader added. Meanwhile, the States chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan has defended the HSEs handling of the countrys first confirmed case of the virus. Additional reporting Press Association Setting the BJP's line of campaign against the Trinamool Congress, Union Home Minister Amit Shan on Sunday targeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abishek Banerjee for indulging in "dynastic politics" while calling for an end to "the nephew's corruption" and sought to allay fears of the refugees and the Muslims about the CAA. Addressing a huge public rally here on a day's trip to the city amidst protests by the Left and the Congress and some "political groups", Shah, however, kept mum about the recent Delhi violence, even as he accused Mamata Banerjee of instigating riots and torching of trains and railway stations in Bengal during the violent anti-CAA movement in the state in December. With Banerjee having carried her campaign against the Citizenship Amendment Act to a shrill pitch, Shah hit back by alleging that she was "disrespecting" the founding fathers of the Constitution as also tribal and scheduled caste leaders by opposing and spreading fear about the law. With the public rally - the first by Shah in the state since the Lok Sabha polls - being held ahead of the state-wide civic polls, which is considered a semi final before the all-important Assembly elections next year, Shah raised issues like 'syndicate raj' (cartels of muscle-flexing youth enjoying political patronage who force promoters and people to buy substandard building equipment), Banerjee's appeasement of minorities, poor law and order and the state government's refusal to let the people enjoy the fruits of Central schemes. Shah dwelt at length on the CAA, which has generated much political acrimony in Bengal, with the Banerjee-led Trinamool, as also the Left and the Congress, going all out to oppose it. In fact, one of the prime reasons for Shah's rally was to give a boost to his party's campaign backing the law. Political observers feel the CAA could be a game-changer either way in the civic and assembly polls. Shah said not a single member of any minority community would lose citizenship because of the legislation, which seeks to provide Indian nationality to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists who fled religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh till December 31, 2014. "The opposition is terrorising minorities... I assure every person from the minority community that CAA only provides citizenship, doesn't take it away. It won't affect your citizenship. "No minority community member from Kolkata or West Bengal will lose citizenship because of the CAA," Shah said, addressing the large rally at the Shahid Minar Maidan here. He alleged that the refugees are being made to fear that they will have to produce documents. "Nothing of this sort will happen. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains do not need any documents." "I want to ask Mamata didi -- why are you hurting the interests of our refugees?" he said. Lashing out at Banerjee, he wondered why she always sided with infltrators. "She opposed the CAA and instigated riots, torching of trains and railway stations in Bengal. Why are you only fond of infiltrators?" Shah said. Shah said by opposing CAA, a law passed by parliament, Banerjee was disrespecting the commitments given to refugees by Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and showing scant regard for B.R. Ambedkar - the father of Indian Constitution - by opposing a law passed by parliament. "You are also disrespecting the likes of Harichand Thakur, Guruchand Thakur (founders of Matua sect) and Panchannan Barma (a leader of Koch and Rajbanshi people)," Shah said during his aggressive speech. He categorically said the centre would give citizenship to all refugees and "not stop until and unless all of them get it". Targeting Banerjee and Abhishek, Shah said a son of the soil would become the Chief Minister after next year's assembly polls, in which the BJP would get a "two-thirds majority". Taking on Banerjee for promoting 'parivarvad' (family rule) by 'trying to anoint' Abhishek - now a Trinamool MP and one its prominent leaders - as her successor, Shah said such things cannot be done in Bengal. "No shehzada (prince) will become the next Bengal Chief Minister. A son of the soil will be the next Chief Minister," said Shah, without naming Abhishek. In yet another indication of the party's campaign in the coming days, he called for an end to "the nephew's corruption". "Corruption has spread across the party - from the nephew to the sarpanch (chief of panchayat)." Shah also launched a new BJP mass outreach campaign 'Aar Noe Anyay' (No more injustice). "It is a campaign to change the government in Bengal," he said, and made public a mobile number on which party supporters can give missed call to be a part of the programme. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 16:05:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have intensified crackdown on wildlife crimes in accordance with the law amid the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic, the Ministry of Public Security said Monday. Police across the nation have seized 92,000 wild animals and more than 5,300 kg of illegal products made of wild animals, according to the ministry. They have investigated 948 criminal cases and 2,147 administrative cases involving wild animals as part of efforts to stem the spread of viruses originating from wildlife, the ministry said. The ministry pledged greater contribution to containing the ongoing coronavirus epidemic as it will escalate its crackdown on wildlife crimes to root out criminal networks and gangs. - An online article has claimed that March 2, 7, and 31, 2020 are declared special non-working days - However, it has been reported that the headline of the article was misleading the netizens - The said dates were declared by the Malacanang as special non-working days but it only applied to selected provinces in the country - The proclamations were signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea with the power and authority bestowed by President Rodrigo Duterte PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed An online report has claimed that the Malacanang has declared March 2, 7, and 31, 2020 as Special non-working days. However, KAMI learned that the headline of the report was misleading the people. In a report by Rappler, website philnews.ph published an article on February 28 regarding the said holidays. "#WalangPasok: March 2, 7, & 31, 2020 Declared as Special Non-Working Holidays, it read in the headline. Screenshot from philnews.ph Source: Facebook While it is true that March 2, 7, and 31, 2020 were special non-working holiday, it is not a nationwide holiday and it only affects selected provinces in the Philippines. As reported by the Manila Bulletin (authored by Erwin Beleo), the Malacanang declared March 2 as a special non-working holiday in La Union. According to Proclamation No. 911 signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, the holiday is meant to celebrate the provinces 10th founding anniversary. Screenshot taken from Official Gazette Source: Facebook Meanwhile, in Proclamation No. 912 published by the Official Gazette, the Palace declared March 7 as a special non-working day in the province of Basilan to celebrate its 46th founding anniversary. Screenshot taken from Official Gazette Source: Facebook As stated in Proclamation No. 913, the government declared March 31 a special non-working day in Panabo, Davao Del Norte. The city of Panabo will be marking the celebration of its 19th founding anniversary on the said date. Screenshot taken from Official Gazette Source: Facebook PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! According to the Official Gazette, the next regular and nationwide holiday in the Philippines will be on April 9, the celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan and observance of Maundy Thursday. Please like and share our Facebook posts to support KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinion about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts! Celebrity Tricky Questions: In this video, we asked random people to guess the celebrities by their eyes only. Let us see if you can recognize your favorite Pinoy star by his/her eyes on KAMI HumanMeter Youtube Channel! Source: KAMI.com.gh Major markets in Asia attempted to bounce back on Monday after sharp losses last week, even though Chinese manufacturing data released over the weekend and on Monday came in much worse than expected. Mainland Chinese stocks surged on the day as they attempted to recover from Friday's steep fall. The Shanghai composite was 3.15% higher at about 2,970.93. The Shenzhen component added 3.65% to 11,381.76 while the Shenzhen composite gained 3.769% to approximately 1,869.65. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index also advanced 0.75%, as of its final hour of trading.. The moves upward on the mainland came despite a private survey released Monday that showed factory activity in China slumping to a record low in February. The Markit/Caixin manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dropped to 40.3, much lower than expectations of a reading of 45.7 in a Reuters poll. The figure had come in at 51.1 in January. The 50-point level in PMI readings separates growth from contraction. The survey release came on the back of data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday, which showed the official PMI falling to 35.7 in February the lowest level on record, according to Reuters as compared to a reading of 50.0 in January. Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected the official February PMI to come in at 46.0. "China's February manufacturing PMI at 35.7 is comparable to the sort of outcomes seen during the financial crisis," Richard Yetsenga, chief economist at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, wrote in a note dated Mar. 2. "While businesses are restarting operations in China, the vast majority are operating well below capacity, and many restrictions on the movement of people remain. Elsewhere, the Nikkei 225 in Japan recovered from an earlier slip to rise 0.95% on the day to 21,344.08. Shares of Sharp were up 2.2% following reports from Japanese media late last week that the firm is set to start making face masks amid a shortage caused by the coronavirus outbreak. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.78% to close at 2,002.51. Stocks in Australia, however, continued to decline on Monday, with the S&P/ASX 200 down 0.77% to close at 6,391.50 after tumbling through last week. Meanwhile, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index slipped 0.44% in afternoon trade. That followed the shock appointment of a new prime minister after the country's former premier Mahathir Mohamad unexpectedly resigned last week. Indonesia's Jakarta Composite also declined more than 1% after the country confirmed its first two coronavirus cases, Reuters reported citing the country's President Joko Widodo. Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index was 1.06% higher. OCBC's Vasu Menon told CNBC on Monday that the market rebound was due to "a case of bad news being good news." "Markets are saying that you know the bad news, the fallout in the markets might lead policymakers to launch stimulus and stimulus is seen as good news for the markets at least for the short-term," Menon, who is executive director of investment strategy, wealth management Singapore at OCBC Bank, told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Monday. Menon said markets are now pricing in a "aggressive move" by the U.S. Federal Reserve, following the central bank chairman's comments on Friday about taking "appropriate" action to support the economy. Meanwhile, the "bad" Chinese PMI numbers have also raised expectations that the People's Bank of China could take action, he said. "Will the kind of policy stimulus we're talking about, in terms of monetary policy, take care of a virus problem?," he said. "I'll be cautious, I wouldn't be too aggressive at this juncture." Web Toolbar by Wibiya Vision impairment is our great leveller, it can affect anyone. But dealing with it isnt. Depending on where you are in the world, you may benefit from early detection that stops you from going completely blind. You may get regular check-ups and access to spectacles that keep you in society and the workforce. Or you may struggle to find a qualified ophthalmologist who can screen for common eye conditions early on -- which means you go blind and suffer the long-term economic and social impact alongside your inability to see. The scale of the problem At least 2.2 billion people globally suffer from some form of vision impairment or blindness. Over a billion of those cases could have been prevented with early intervention and more timely, educated care. Notably for conditions that can be easily rectified, like short and farsightedness, glaucoma and cataracts. This trend is worsened by ageing populations across the globe and changing lifestyles that are leading to contributing factors like diabetes. In low and middle-income countries, limited access to eye care is the main driver of people living with vision impairment. Social and financial hardship As Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, explains, Eye conditions and vision impairment are widespread, and far too often they still go untreated. People who need eye care must be able to receive quality interventions without suffering financial hardship. Those with visual impairments can struggle to find work or retain it, raise their family and take part in social activities. It can be isolating and push someone into financial hardship. Plus, preventable blindness disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable in society: those on low incomes, women, the elderly, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and indigenous populations. For example, Indigenous Australians often suffer from preventable blindness. The Fred Hollows Foundation, an eye-care charity founded by surgeon Fred Hollows, targets this population with eye health education in communities and specialist training for surgeons, technicians and nurses. Lack of work 28% of people with visual impairments are in their working years. Yet, because of accessibility issues and workplaces failing to adapt to their needs, many struggle to lead a productive life. 1.4 million children are blind. Preventing them from fully participating in their education and leading fulfilling work lives in the future. Because of this, and given that half of all childhood blindness can be avoided or treated, there is a global programme across 30 countries to restore sight in children. Working together Collaboration is key. Individual organisations can have a big impact, as is the case with The Tej Kohli Cornea Institute which, so far, has treated 5,736 individuals with severe visual impairments and blindness. But much more can be done at scale with governments, public bodies, private institutions and philanthropists like Tej Kohli working together to share knowledge and innovate. Take, for instance, the bio-gel developed by The Tej Kohli Cornea Institute to replace corneal transplantation. The gel was created via a collaboration between researchers in Canada, Londons Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. On the national agenda Stronger integration of eye care within national health services is also needed. Including at primary care level where early detection can make the difference between sight and blindness. This must be emphasized in developing countries, where many patients dont have the resources to attend check-up and rehabilitation services - and where those facilities may not even exist in some areas. Furthermore, at some point in our lives, we are all likely to need eye care. As Peter Holland, chief executive of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) states, Ultimately, we will all need eyecare at some point in our life. Eye health should be universal. The good thing is that theres been a transformational shift in recognising that we have a significant global population health and eye issue. Becoming independent Plus, if people living with visual impairments and blindness are equipped with the right solutions, studies have shown they can live largely independent lives. Tools like optical magnifiers, Braille, canes and smartphone way-finders can assist people in their daily lives. Reducing the pressure on health services and increasing the economic potential of the country. Improving economic outcomes In the U.S. the total economic impact of blindness is estimated at $51.4 billion every year. This covers treatment and care as well as a loss of productivity. Globally, the potential cost of productivity losses associated with visual impairments stands at $244 billion. South-East Asia, South Asia and East Asia are particularly hard hit in terms of the productivity losses in proportion to economic activity. Treating visual impairments effectively and early-on will, therefore, significantly improve the economic outcomes of South, East and South-East Asian countries - and productivity worldwide. It can also help with issues of low self-esteem. If someone cannot access gainful employment or a fulfilling social life, their participation in life is severely limited. Their social status and self-esteem can be impacted, alongside the quality of life for the patient and their family. The wider familial impact Indeed, the impact on the family of a blind person must be considered as they account for a lot of informal care carried-out for the patient. Informal support from relatives and friends were found to be the most important resource for blind and visually impaired patients in Germany. The knock-on effects of this should be addressed, as, when helping a patient, the informal carer will be less productive and able to contribute to the workforce. Plus, they are more likely to take early retirement. Everyones problem Visual impairments affect us all. From being directly impacted through loss of vision, or caring for a patient, to living with the economic impact of productivity losses and the cost of treatment. So it requires a cross-country, cross-industry approach to rectify. In a world that can see, we cannot overlook the people who cannot participate because they are blind. Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor laments the fact that a film with Irrfan Khan, where she was supposed to play writer-poet Amrita Pritam and he was supposed to essay the role of legendary rebel poet Sahir Ludhianvi, did not happen. However, she is happy she could finally work with him in their upcoming film Angrezi Medium. Kareena told Mid Day in an interview, I wish the Sahir film had happened. But then again, I believe when such great movies dont work out, its for a reason. Every movie has its destiny, and that one will take its own course. Under the circumstances that Irrfan and I met, it was surreal. He is so respectful and charming, and I was in awe of him. Also read: Sooryavanshi trailer: Akshay Kumar saves Mumbai, Ranveer Singhs Simmba, Ajay Devgns Singham weigh in. Watch I was accompanying Saif Ali Khan; he was shooting for Jawaani Jaaneman at that time. So, I was in London for two months anyway and I had to devote 12 to 15 days to the shoot. That was my chance to work with Irrfan. Thank God it worked out! Choosing this film was an easy decision. The greed of wanting to work with Irrfan made me go for it. I have wanted that box ticked for a long time. When Homi (Adajania, director) read the part to me, I was game, she added. She also elaborated on her role and told the tabloid, My character is gritty and dark. Her backstory is crackling. In the few scenes that I have, my character adds depth to the film. Angrezi Medium, which was scheduled for release on March 20, will now hit theatres on March 13, a week earlier. Directed by Homi Adajani, the film revolves around the relationship between a single doting father and his daughter who wishes to study abroad. In a bid to make her dreams come true, the father tries everything he can to support her financially, including conning a few people. The film also stars Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Tripathi, Deepak Dobriyal, Ranvir Shorey in important roles. Follow @htshowbiz for more The cost of keeping a prisoner in jail in Northern Ireland is 55,000 per year - 14,000 more than in Scotland and more than 11,000 dearer than England and Wales. (stock image) The cost of keeping a prisoner in jail in Northern Ireland is 55,000 per year - 14,000 more than in Scotland and more than 11,000 dearer than England and Wales. While costs are falling, it still works out at just over 150 per day per prisoner. The average cost of a hotel room here in 2017 was just over 90. Staying in a local prison is also considerably more expensive than a night in some of Belfast's leading hotels. According to travel website booking.com, a room for one at Malmaison is 98 per night, while at the Bullitt hotel a single room costs 95 per night. Details of prisoner costs were revealed after South Down MLA Jim Wells submitted a question through the Stormont Assembly. In its response the Department for Justice gave figures for prisoner costs for the year 2018/19 across the UK. In Northern Ireland it was 54,893, in Scotland 40,175, and in England and Wales the cost per prisoner per year was 43,213. According to statistics on the DoJ website, the average daily number of prisoners in jail in Northern Ireland in 2018/19 was 1,448, 57 of them female. The cost of keeping prisoners in jail has reduced substantially over the past decade. In 2010 the annual average cost for each prisoner here was 77,000 - more than double the England and Wales average of 34,000. Mr Wells said that the figures released on Friday showed the Prison Service had been working hard to reduce costs, and he hoped the gradual downward trend toward the UK average would continue. Director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service Ronnie Armour said it faced challenges in narrowing the gap with the rest of the UK. "Since 2012 we have delivered ongoing reforms including the introduction of new grades and new more efficient staff deployment arrangements," he explained. "The implementation of the recommendations of the Prison Review Team, along with the impact of, for example new more efficient accommodation (Davis House) have helped NIPS to become more efficient. "A projected cost per prisoner place of 44,000 means that the gap between NI and the rest of the UK is now at the lowest level ever. NIPS is determined to continue to narrow the gap but with our prisoner population rising - the number has increased by 153 since March 1, 2019 - this will be challenging," Mr Armour said. Quinn Cement fined GBP2000 or emissions breach 02 March 2020 Quinn Cement was fined GBP2000 (US$2554), having pleaded guilty to failing to limit gas emissions from its Ballyconnell plant in Ireland. The breach ocurred between 2018-19 and was monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have surpassed permitted levels for Hydrogen Chloride release. In total, there were 36 breaches recorded between 5-7 October 2018, which the EPA demanded Quinn Cement investigate. A further breach was recorded on 5 February 2019 that was four times the permitted level, reports The Impartial Reporter. Caroline Kelly, an inspection officer with the EPA, said Quinn Cement had looked to install corrective measures, but the work would not be completed until the end of March 2020. Quinn Cement released a statement saying, "Though independent assessment confirmed there were no material environmental impacts arising, best practice environmental safety procedures were followed and production ceased on each occasion. Since then significant work and expenditure has been completed to prevent a recurrence. Quinn Cement takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and has cooperated fully with the EPA since self-reporting this matter. The company is committed to ongoing vigilance and to continuously enhancing our environmental standards." Published under Kwon Joon-wook, deputy head of the KCDC, said, "We're seeing some instances [of Shincheonji sect] followers visiting China, including Wuhan, in January. We're looking very closely into the route of infection that led to the widespread outbreak." Wuhan is thought to be the source of coronavirus that spread across the globe. The Justice Ministry on Saturday said 42 people of the Shincheonji sect visited Wuhan from July last year to February this year, according to an exhaustive search of the travel records of 244,743 followers. Followers of the secretive sect that has become a hotbed of coronavirus infections in southeastern Korea did visit China's Wuhan in January, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday. The first case of mysterious pneumonia was reported in China on Dec. 12 last year, while the first case in Korea was reported on Jan. 20, two days before the Chinese government locked down Wuhan. The Korean government banned visitors from Wuhan on Feb. 4, and the first infection in Daegu on Feb. 18 was a Shincheonji follower. Since then the virus has spread like wildfire among sect followers in Daegu and South Gyeongsang Province. Shincheonji continues to deny that followers visited Wuhan, where the sect had a branch. "As we revealed already, none of the 350 followers of our church in Wuhan, China came to Korea since December." It added, "We would like the government to reveal the accurate travel dates of the 42." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, 2,113 Shincheonji followers and their families or friends had tested positive, accounting for 59.9 percent of confirmed cases in Korea. Among followers in Daegu, 73.1 percent infected, probably through a follower who was Korea's 31st confirmed case and worshipped at one of its churches. They also account for more than half of the infections in Gwangju (77.8 percent) and Ulsan (52.9 percent), and virtually no region is free from the risk of contracting the virus from Shincheonji followers as they travel across the country to proselytize. Cooperation by the sect in revealing the exact size of its membership and their whereabouts has become a crucial element in preventing a further spread of the virus. But health officials are unable to contact around 4,000 followers. After suspicions mounted that the sect is trying to stonewall the investigation, its leader, Lee Man-hee (89), who had gone into hiding, on Saturday volunteered to be tested. The sect said Monday he tested negative but it did not reveal where and how he was tested. He is reportedly somewhere in Gyeonggi Province. He promised to make a public announcement this afternoon. The Case for Live Stream Monitoring Learn more about streaming quality monitoring at Streaming Media's next event. Watch the complete presentation from Streaming Media West, DT102a. Monitoring Live OTT Services is Critical for Service Assurance, in the Streaming Media Conference Video Portal. Read the complete transcript of this clip: Anupama Anantharam: Why monitor? Firstly, we all know that OTT is well on its way to become the dominant delivery platform. Most of us are already subscribe to some streaming media services, and there is not only that, now, the demand for live events is also increasing. People are spending lot more time and a lot more money on watching live events. Just this year, we've heard so many big media companies announce their streaming packages, so basically, there is a boost in the demand for live-streaming. And along with all these needs of the customers, one of the main requirements for them is that the quality of the content should be very good. They are used to broadcast TV-quality video, and they expect the same thing in the streamed content, as well. There is pretty much consensus in the industry. There is so much retail research that's been done now that basically says that yes, interesting content is very important, but even more important than that is the quality of the content. So no matter how good the program that you're watching is, if the video does not look good, if the picture quality's not very good, if there are audio/video sync problems, for example, audio lags a video or visa versa, or the closed captions that accompany the video is not properly aligned with the speech, all these make for a very bad user experience, and the people are going to be put off. Your content is not going to be watched as much. So the video quality of your content is extremely important. And that's why the media companies that are now beginning to offer streamed services are wanting to make sure that they offer a really good quality of service experience to their customers. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Companies and Suppliers Mentioned The Chinese government has made rumour-mongering a crime in China. This decision comes as rumours and false information about the COVID-19 or Coronavirus are on a rise across the world. New cyberspace regulations first unveiled last year went into effect Sunday, banning internet users from spreading rumours, as well as insulting, threatening and doxxing people. The regulations also ban the use of VR or deep learning to defy these new regulations. Social media has proved to be the biggest challenge for the Chinese authorities as it is the major source of misinformation. The regulations are however unclear on what classifies as a rumour and officials often go wrong. In December, Li Wenliang, a doctor was accused of publishing "false information" and "seriously disrupting social order" by the police because he warned his medical colleagues about an emerging disease, which was later confirmed as coronavirus. He was the first one to detect the virus. He got infected with the virus and later died. His death has resulted in severe mistrust and anger against the Chinese government. The government itself accepted that their response had not been adequate regarding the virus. Also Read: Coronavirus impact: Big international events cancelled so far The Chinese authorities are known for going hard after rumours, not always based on evidence. The government was accused of trying to keep the new virus a secret during the initial days of the virus outbreak. Wuhan Police had arrested eight doctors on the accounts of spreading false information regarding the virus. In 2003, a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in China killed hundreds of people, but the government faced a similar backlash. While China is going hard against false news on the virus especially on WeChat, the rest of the world is trying to cope up with false information across different social media websites, that has stemmed up from confusion and paranoia over coronavirus. Also Read: Coronavirus updates: Two new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Delhi, Telangana (Newser) The stepmother of Gannon Stauch, the Colorado 11-year-old missing since Jan. 27, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the boy. No body has been found, but authorities say they believe Gannon Stauch is dead. Letecia Stauch told investigators she last saw her stepson at home before he left in the afternoon to visit a friend. Surveillance video later surfaced that allegedly shows Letecia and Gannon Stauch leaving the home together in a vehicle in the morning and Letecia Stauch returning alone some four hours later. She subsequently released a lengthy statement insisting Gannon had returned home with her and simply couldn't be seen on the recording. Deputies would not comment on the video and blasted "misinformation" circulating social media about the case. story continues below Letecia Stauch was arrested in Myrtle Beach, SC, on suspicion of first-degree murder and will be extradited to Colorado, 9 News reports. "Justice will be served because my boy does not deserve this," Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, said during a press conference announcing the arrest, per CBS Denver and WPDE. "Please hold off questions until we know that this person, this stepmom that I even trusted, that she will pay 100% for this heinous thing that she did." Heavy reports Letecia Stauch, who married Al Stauch in 2015, previously lived in South Carolina. Al Stauch shared custody of the child with Hiott, who currently lives in South Carolina. That's where Al Stauch initially served in the Army National Guard; he now does so in Colorado. (Read more missing child stories.) A woman who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder after getting drunk and knifing her partner in the heart during an argument has spoken of the moment she had to tell her young son she was behind bars for killing his father. Tonight's episode of Channel 4 show Prison, featured Lexi Heckles, 40, from Bradford, who knifed former boxer Scott Dunne in a row after she said she was going on holiday to Spain without him on January 18 2014. She was arrested after neighbours heard her screaming and shouting and furniture being upturned and called 999 - and his blood was found spattered bank card hidden in her bra. Now, Lexi, who is also mother to a 21-year-old and has been behind the walls of HMP Foston Hall for five years, has told of her struggles of having to tell her six-year-old son what she is in prison for. 'Now he's getting older he's started to ask me loads of questions,' she explained. 'He wants to know why I'm here.' Lexi Heckles (pictured), 40, from Bradford, told of her struggles of telling her six-year-old son she killed his father in tonight's episode of Channel 4's Prison Lexi Heckles got drunk then knifed Scott Dunne in the heart during a row. She was arrested after her neighbours heard her screaming and called 999 (pictured together) She continued: 'It's not that easy to just tell him, "Mummy's working." He's not having that now. He's too bright and he's getting too old to be told that.' During the programme, which explored the emotionally charged difficulties of being a mother and in prison, Lexi told how she and her partner were in a destructive relationship fuelled by alcohol which came to a violent end six years ago. 'We started drinking and the rowing developed,' she said. 'He pushed me, I pushed him. It got really nasty, but it wasn't unusual.' 'I had no reason to think it wasn't going to be like any other night because maybe two nights out of seven we would argue, so it wasn't unusual. But, it was quite nasty. Lexi (pictured) told how on the night of the murder, she had no reason to think it wasn't going to be like any other night, because maybe two nights out of seven she and Scott would argue Lexi said it had become increasingly difficult to explain to her son why she's away from the family (Pictured: Lexi during a visit with her son) Lexi revealed how if it was something less complex, she could have just told her son she was in prison for being 'naughty' She continued: 'About half past 11 I decided I'd had enough and I got up and left and went into the bedroom. The door burst open and he had two knives. He threw the smaller one, and the instinct part of me just went towards him.' The arrest of Lexi Huckle Alexia Heckles got drunk then knifed former boxer Scott Dunne in the heart during an argument after she said she was going on holiday to Spain without him. Police found her so hysterical and aggressive officers had to restrain the mother of two with handcuffs. She was searched and was found to have her boyfriends s blood spattered bank card hidden in her bra. Mr Dunne, 41, a father of three - who had been in a relationship with Heckles for three years and had a child with her - suffered fatal injuries in the attack and died at the scene. She was jailed for life for his murder in July 2014. At Bradford Crown Court Heckles denied murder but was convicted after a week long trial. She refused to enter the dock to listen to the unanimous verdict being returned by the jury. The court heard she had 41 previous convictions, and served three jail terms for offences including, robbery, intimidating a witness, wounding and assault. Ordering her to serve a minimum of 12 years in jail the judge Mr Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith said the killing occurred after Mr Dunne had the knife and dropped it. Advertisement 'When I grabbed hold of him he pushed me with his right shoulder and I went back onto the bed. I came straight back up and at that point I went to grab hold of his arm again and he dropped the knife.' 'Without a second's thought, I lent down and grabbed the knife. As I'm coming up from the bed he's still coming towards me and I just struck him once. I behaved on instinct. I didn't think about it. There was no thought process.' 'I put my hands over it and was trying to talk to him. I'm saying, "Scott, speak to me, speak to me." And he didn't...he couldn't speak.' Lexi went on to say how as her son got older, she became increasingly aware there were only so many stories she could fob him off with. 'I used to tell him I was looking after the donkeys and he was like, "Mum someone else can look after them now,'' she said. 'If it were something less complex you could say, "Mummy's in prison because she's been naughty. It's a lot more complicated than Mummy being naughty. Mummy and Daddy have been naughty.' 'This isn't because I feel shame telling him, it's because I want to protect him. I think it'd be easier if his mum weren't in prison for killing his dad.' Throughout the programme, Lexi tried to impress with her good behaviour in a bid to be eligible for parole in four years, and told of her hope of getting permission to use Folston Hall's new family bonding unit - a converted house within the prison grounds. Lexi went on to say how as her son got older, she became increasingly aware there were only so many stories she could fob him off. Pictured, with her pet budgie 'Because he's starting to ask more questions now, I think any conversation that takes place around that needs to be somewhere safe, more private and somewhere relaxed,' she explained. The unit allows families time and space to have more sensitive conversations, and Lexi's efforts to get access to it was motivated by her son's increasingly searching questions. And the big day with her family in the bonding unit arrived on her son's sixth birthday - marking the first time Lexi was with him away from other prisoners in five years. Lexi's parents Teresa and Barry became her youngest son's legal guardians just weeks after his birth. But after six hours in the unit, Lexi and her family had to separate, and the day passed without Lexi and her youngest son talking about her conviction. Instead, Lexi opted to have a private moment between the two of them to tell him about her past. Prison concluded tonight 9pm on Channel 4 Lexi (pictured) and her family had to separate after spending six hours together in the unit, she opted for a private moment to tell her son about her past Stepmom of Missing Boy Gannon Stauch Charged With Murder: Officials The stepmother of missing 11-year-old Colorado boy Gannon Stauch was charged with murder as officials are still looking for the child, according to authorities on Monday. Gannon was reported missing on Jan. 27 after disappearing from his Colorado Springs home. Letecia Stauch, his stepmother, told officials that he ran away from home, and authorities said she was the last person to see him. All the evidence points to Gannons disappearance being the result of foul play, FBI agent Dean Phillips told reporters at a news conference on Monday in announcing her arrest. The El Paso County Sheriffs Office said that Stauchs charges include first-degree murder of a child under 12, child abuse, tampering of a body, and evidence tampering, reported Fox21 in Colorado Springs. A detective who didnt identify himself said in the press conference that authorities do not believe Gannon is alive. This is the worst news and the best news, Gannons biological mother, Landra Hiott, said in the news conference. Its the best news because justice will be served, she said before adding that Leticia Stauch will pay 100 percent for the heinous thing that she did. Hiott said she trusted Stauch and added: I want to leave this earth knowing that justice was served, reported ABC News. The person who committed this heinous, horrible crime is one that I gave more to than anyone else on this planet, and that is a burden that I will carry with me for a very long time, father Albert Stauch said in a statement, as reported by ABC. But Leticia Stauch told KKTV that she wasnt responsible for the childs death. I would never, ever, ever hurt this child, she said. Researchers report an advance in the development of a blood test that could help detect pathological Alzheimer's disease in people who are showing signs of dementia. This approach could be less invasive and less costly than current brain imaging and spinal fluid tests. The blood test detects the abnormal accumulation of a form of tau protein known as phosphorylated-tau-181 (ptau181), which is a biomarker that suggests brain changes from Alzheimer's. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published on March 2 in Nature Medicine. Over the past 15 years, research advances in the development of biomarkers like tau protein have enabled investigators to more accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease, select research participants, and measure response to investigational therapies. Tau and other biomarkers can be detected with PET scans of the brain and lab tests of spinal fluid. However, PET imaging is expensive and involves radioactive agents, and spinal fluid tests require spinal taps, which are invasive, complex and time-consuming. Simpler biomarker tests are still needed. "The considerable time and resources required for screening research participants with PET scans and spinal taps slow the pace of enrollment for Alzheimer's disease treatment studies," said Richard J. Hodes, M.D., director of NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIA), which funded much of the study. "The development of a blood test would enable us to rapidly screen a much larger and more diverse group of volunteers who wish to enroll in studies." An international team of researchers led by Adam Boxer, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of California, San Francisco, used the new test to measure the concentration of ptau181 in plasma, which is the liquid part of blood that carries the blood cells. The samples were collected from more than 400 participants from the University of California, San Francisco Memory and Aging Center, part of the NIA-funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Center; the NIH-supported Advancing Research and Treatment for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ARTFL) consortium; and a research study sponsored by Eli Lilly. Their analysis demonstrated that the ptau181 in plasma could differentiate healthy participants from those with Alzheimer's pathology, and differentiate those with Alzheimer's pathology from a group of rare neurodegenerative diseases known collectively as frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). "It has become clear that there are many possible biological pathways to dementia," said Roderick Corriveau, Ph.D., program director at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which also supported the study. "Finding a blood test that specifically identifies the presence of Alzheimer's pathology in the brain should greatly help researchers develop better treatments for the many who suffer from dementia." In addition, the results with the plasma ptau181 test mirrored results with two established biomarker tests for Alzheimer's -- a spinal fluid ptau181 test and a PET brain scan biomarker known as amyloid protein. The research team, which includes the NIH's ARTFL-LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ALLFTD) research consortium that was announced last year, is now aiming to refine and improve the ptau181 blood test method. "Because of NIH's investments, we are poised to make dramatic advances in biomarker development for Alzheimer's disease, FTLD, and related neurodegenerative disorders," said Eliezer Masliah, M.D., director of NIA's Division of Neuroscience. In the future, improved biomarkers like ptau181 may help not just researchers but also physicians to detect and diagnose Alzheimer's and related neurodegenerative disorders earlier, when interventions are more likely to be effective. "This research is an example of how studies on rare diseases, in this case FTLD, may provide important insights into common disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, which affects millions of people," said Tiina Urv, Ph.D., program officer in the Office of Rare Diseases Research at the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), which also supported the study. A different international team, this one led by Oskar Hansson, M.D., Ph.D., at Lund University in Sweden and supported in part by NIH, reported similar findings. Using the same plasma ptau181 test, these researchers were able to differentiate between Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative diseases nearly as well as they could with a spinal fluid ptau181 test and a PET brain scan for tau protein. In addition, they followed participants for several years and observed that high levels of plasma ptau181 among those who were cognitively normal or had mild cognitive impairment may be used to predict later development of Alzheimers dementia. These results were also published today in Nature Medicine. ### The research led by Adam Boxer at the University of California, San Francisco was funded by multiple NIH grants, including LEFFTDS (U01AG045390) and the Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Clinical Research Consortium (U54NS092089). U54NS092089 is part of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), an initiative of the NCATS Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), and is funded through collaboration between NCATS and NINDS. Other grants include P01AG019724, U24AG21886, R01AG045611, P50AG023501, P50AG016574, R01AG045611, R01AG038791, K08AG052648 and K24AG053435. The research led by Oskar Hansson at Lund University was funded in part by NIH grants U24NS072026 and P30AG19610. Reference: Thijssen EH et al. Diagnostic value of plasma phosphorylated tau181 in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Nature Medicine. March 2, 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0762-2. Janelidze S et al. Plasma P-tau181 in Alzheimers disease: relationship to other biomarkers, differential diagnosis, neuropathology and longitudinal progression to Alzheimers dementia. Nature Medicine. March 2, 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0755-1. About the National Institute on Aging (NIA): NIA leads the U.S. federal government effort to conduct and support research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. Learn more about age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative diseases via NIA's Alzheimer's and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center website. For information about a broad range of aging topics, visit the main NIA website and stay connected. About the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): NINDS is the nation's leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. About the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS): NCATS conducts and supports research on the science and operation of translation -- the process by which interventions to improve health are developed and implemented -- to allow more treatments to get to more patients more quickly. For more information about how NCATS is improving health through smarter science, visit https://ncats.nih.gov. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit the NIH website. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 22:32:51|Editor: zyl Video Player Close Watchmaker Lamija Saracevic is seen at her watch shop in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Feb. 25, 2020. There are few female watchmakers in the world. Lamija Saracevic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is one of them. She is also the only female watchmakers in this Balkan country. (Photo by Nedim Grabovica/Xinhua) SARAJEVO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- There are few female watchmakers in the world. Lamija Saracevic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is one of them. She is also the only female watchmakers in this Balkan country. Lamija is the third generation of watchmakers in her family. Her grandfather learned the trade before the World War II, as BiH was a part of Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Her grandfather opened his workshop in a small town called Jajce, some 150 km northwest of BiH's capital of Sarajevo. Sabahudin, Lamija's father, succeeded his father's business after the World War II, when BiH was one of six republics forming former Yugoslavia. Lamija was still in elementary school when she decided to join her dad in his workshop one day. "To me it came natural, since I often visited my father's workshop as a child. No one believed I am serious until I finished elementary and chose the High School of Metalwork Professions," she says. It was a highly unusual choice for a girl, who also had a good elementary school grades. People in BiH often look down on hand crafts and look at it in a bad way, as if it's the last resort when everything else fails. Even the clerk at her high school told her that she can choose better school considering her grades, she recalls. "They just couldn't grasp that I already knew what I want," she says. In early 1990s, BiH became an independent country with complex political system. Lamija hasn't drifted of her course. Sabahudin moved his business to Sarajevo and opened his workshop in a suburb called Svrakino selo. Lamija welcomed her first customer in this workshop in 2004, before her 18th birthday. Lamija says she never regrets her career choice. "I am 33 years old with more than 15 years of professional experience. I live a great life and love my work. I don't know why I would regret it." An hour-long visit is often briefly interrupted by customers. One of them, a tall man in his late 50 entered the small premises, saying he was hoping to get served by Sabahudin. "Sorry if you don't trust women can fix your watch, but I am the boss here," Lamija says, getting up and taking the watch out of customer's hands. "Yes. She is the boss and I'm just a slave worker who replaces batteries," Sabahudin says laughing loudly. After the customer left, Lamija says that occasionally she still has to fight prejudice but not that often as in the early days. "When I just started working, people didn't trust I could repair watches and be a craftsman because I am a woman." Lamija says she is aware that woman watchmakers are highly uncommon not just in BiH but globally. Lamija says she has been in contact with watchmakers around the world, but still hasn't met another woman watchmaker. An evacuee from Wuhan, China, who had been in isolation at a San Antonio health facility was released over the weekend but then turned up positive for the coronavirus after having had contact with the public, possibly exposing them, the San Antonio Express-News has learned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that the patient met the criteria for release, including two negative test results, and left the facility Saturday. That patient was later returned to isolation after a pending, subsequent lab test came up positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. The patient was a woman and was in contact with about a dozen people at a hotel, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said. The discharged patient had some contact with others while out of isolation, and CDC and local public health partners are following up to trace possible exposures and notify them of their potential risk, CDC said in a statement issued to the Express-News. Its important to remember that this is a new virus and we are learning more about it every day, the agency continued. The cycle of infection with COVID-19 is not yet well understood, but the amount of virus is typically highest when the person is sickest. As the illness resolves, the amount of virus falls. WIN TICKETS: Spurs Nation is giving away four box seat tickets to the March 22 home game The CDC statement did not say how many people may have been exposed or where contact with the coronavirus patient took place. The patient had been in isolation while being treated in a San Antonio medical facility for several weeks after being flown from Wuhan, China, to the United States aboard a State Department-chartered plane. At the time of discharge from the facility, the patient was asymptomatic and met all of CDCs criteria for release resolution of any symptoms and two consecutive sets of negative test results, collected more than 24 hours apart, CDC stated. Following the patients release, results of a subsequent sample were received, and determined to be weakly positive. Out of an abundance of caution, CDC decided to bring the individual back into isolation at a local medical facility. Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Wolff, along with local health professionals, had expressed grave concerns over, among other things, the federal protocol of transporting evacuees from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to area hospitals and increasing the risk of exposing the public to the virus. The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable, Nirenberg said Sunday night. We will hold the CDC accountable to providing complete transparency for the public. This situation is exactly why we have been asking for federal officials to accept the guidance of our medical community. On ExpressNews.com: Two more Diamond Princess evacuees at Lackland test positive for coronavirus, bringing confirmed cases to 8 The mayor added that he is not critical of the local congressional delegation. Wolff said local officials concerns have not been addressed. Time and time again, I have raised issues concerning evacuees, inappropriate accommodations, the risk of exposure during transporting and the need for additional monitoring and extended quarantine periods, he said Sunday night. On Feb. 7, 91 evacuees from Wuhan were brought to Lackland for quarantine. One became ill and was moved to a medical facility; the others completed their 14-day quarantine and were released Feb. 20. sigc@express-news.net New Delhi, March 2 : The central GST Delhi East Commissionerate has busted a racket involving circular trading and use of fake invoices for claiming refunds of input tax credits (ITCs) worth Rs 436 crore. As many as 17 fake firms were floated by the fraudsters for circular trading, a modus operandi used by many tax evaders to procure invoices without actual supply of goods and availing the ITC. The authorities have arrested three persons in connection with the case under Section 69(1) of the CGST Act, 2017. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody till February 13 by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Court. "Asif Khan, Rajeev Chhatwal and Arjun Sharma, operating a total of 17 fake firms, procured invoices without actual supply of goods and availed as well as passed on ITC fraudulently to the tune of Rs 436 crore. The fraudulently availed ITC was used by them to file refund claims to the tune of Rs 11.55 crore under Inverted Duty Structure," a Finance Ministry statement said. As per the preliminary details, the accused are related to each other by marriage and were evading investigation for the last one month. During investigation, it came to light that a major hawala operation was being run by the accused persons in connivance with certain bank employees (under investigation). The 17 firms floated to game the system existed only on paper and had been used for the express purpose of passing on ITC by generation of fake invoices. Companies on both sides of the transactions, recipient as well as supplier, were found to be non-existent. "Certain businessmen are also under investigation for taking entries from the accused persons for the purpose of money laundering. It was further learnt that Asif Khan was running a similar operation even during the erstwhile VAT regime. It came to light that the accused persons were planning to spread their operations to other states at the time they were apprehended," the official statement said. Helen Ross McNabb Center will soon complete construction on Therapeutic Preschool, which will provide intensive early intervention services to children ages two-five who have been abused or neglected, or who have experienced trauma of any kind. "Each year, thousands of children living in East Tennessee are subject to trauma and abuse, which can lead them to struggle to succeed in school or lead a healthy life. It is especially important that these children receive the treatment they need to address their Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in a safe and therapeutic environment," officials said. We are excited to begin offering this service to children in need in our community, said Gayle Lodato, Helen Ross McNabb Centers senior director of services in the Chattanooga region. Children affected by ACEs have special emotional needs that many childcare and school facilities are not equipped to accommodate. Children enrolled in the Therapeutic Preschool program will attend three hours per day, three days per week for 10 weeks. During this time the children will learn to identify emotions and how to effectively express them in everyday situations. The children will also learn how to identify safe adults to utilize in a time of crisis. Chattanoogas Therapeutic Preschool program was made possible by Helen Ross McNabb Foundation fundraising, including private philanthropy, United Way funds, Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga grants, Robert F. Stone Foundation grant, First Horizon and UNUM. Helen Ross McNabb Center expects the program to enroll its first class in April and will celebrate the new program with a ribbon cutting. For more information, visit www.mcnabbcenter.org or call 1-800-255-9711. It didnt have to be this way. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion It didnt have to be this way. After four days of meetings between Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett and British Columbia Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser, an agreement appears to be reached to acknowledge Wetsuweten traditional leaders as rights holders over their territory. The dispute over the Coastal GasLink pipeline isnt over by any means the majority of the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs still oppose the project and the agreement must be presented to their nation but this is the first step to reconcile what had become a national stalemate between traditional Indigenous peoples and the Canadian state. The implications of Canada and B.C. recognizing a traditional Indigenous government are enormous. This not only ratifies the 1997 Supreme Court Delgamuukw decision (which also determined the Wetsuweten hold title over 22,000 square kilometres of territory) but opens the doorway for First Nations traditional forms of government virtually gutting one of the most central tenets of the Indian Act: the Chief and Council system. Now, Canada and B.C. must invite the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs to treaty negotiations over land. The future role of the Wetsuweten Indian Act chiefs and councils most of whom signed "benefit agreements" to receive money and jobs as a result of the pipeline is now uncertain. In fact, the future of the Indian Act may be in doubt too. For decades, consecutive federal governments have promised to remove the 148 year-old legislation intended to assimilate "Indians" into Canada. Now, pressure will be on as some First Nations may refuse to govern themselves according to the chief and council model. This, above the pipeline project itself, may be the lasting legacy of Sundays agreement. Recognizing Indigenous traditional governments also represents an ironic moment where Canada and B.C. will follow the "rule of law." Not only did the Supreme Court recognize Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs in 1997 but last November the province of BC unanimously adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples via Bill 41, "The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act." If B.C. follows through on implementing the Declaration, they must reconcile that Indigenous peoples "have the right to self-determination" (Article 3), "have the right to autonomy or self-government" (Article 4), and "the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social, and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the State" (Article 5). In this, Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs may have shown Canada what reconciliation could look like. The immediate question though is whats this mean for the Coastal GasLink pipeline? The agreement doesnt address that question directly and Coastal GasLink announced Sunday "construction will resume." Well Canadas "duty to consult" under section 35 of the constitution is fulfilled, this will end in the courts. This could be found through B.C.s Bill 41, which directs the provincial government to appoint a member of the B.C. cabinet to "negotiate and enter into an agreement with an Indigenous governing body" over any use of Indigenous lands and resources, with the purpose to obtain "the consent of the Indigenous governing body before the exercise of a statutory power of decision." These negotiations could even include Indian Act chiefs and councils appeasing political opponents and even some Wetsuweten who believe in them but this will take time, energy, and resources. This may be exactly what Canada, B.C., and the Wetsuweten need as cooler and calmer airs will likely be found. 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. Time, however, may be up for the Coastal GasLinks $6.6-billion 670-kilometre pipeline project (190 kilometres cross Wetsuweten territory). The cost of building the project is already exponentially increasing and if an alternative route is agreed upon this will add hundreds of millions more. Meanwhile, the price of oil and gas is dropping (especially with the coronavirus), the pipeline will consume a huge share of B.C.s carbon budget, and fracking for gas and the burning of fossil fuels are lacking wide-scale public support. Soon, the only argument for the pipeline will be within the subsidies, grants, and commitments Canada gives to the corporate sector who will, in the end, choose profits over the jobs and money the project promises. Sundays agreement may have come from discord, blockades, and a loss of investment but may result in a new relationship with Indigenous nations, the law being followed, and long-term savings due to the cancellation of an unsustainable project with much fewer benefits than advertised. The journey may be worthwhile but the path was divisive and it didnt need to be. niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- As Syracuse lawmakers granted permission to seize nearly two dozen tax delinquent rental properties, one landlord tried in vain to stop them. Despite the objection from the landlord, Common Councilors on Monday unanimously approved selling 22 properties to the Greater Syracuse Land Bank, clearing the way for the city to seize those houses for unpaid taxes. All of the properties are rental houses owned by absentee landlords. Combined, those properties owe $150,000 in back taxes and more than $3.5 million in code violations and fines. The city hopes to send a message to bad landlords that theyre no longer welcome to let their houses rot while collecting rent checks from afar. The councils vote is the beginning of the seizure process, which takes several months. Three of the houses eligible for seizure stand in a row on Butternut Street with broken windows and garbage strewn everywhere. As the council voted on those properties, a man at the back of the council chamber interjected with what sounded like a loud grunt. The city clerk told him he could not speak to the council because it was not a public hearing. The man identified himself to a reporter after the meeting as Saul Salah. He would not name the properties owner, who lists an address in suburban Houston, Texas. He said its his cousin. The cousin, Salah said, has been in Dubai getting treatment for an illness and therefore hasnt received multiple notices from the city about the delinquent taxes. Salah said the three Butternut properties are under contract to be sold in 30 days. Once the properties are sold, he said, the owner would use the proceeds to pay the back taxes. He said a tenant destroyed one of the houses last summer and owes the owner back rent. Salah spoke with Councilor Latoya Allen after the meeting and asked how he could keep the city from seizing the properties. She told him to pay the taxes. Those three properties are nearly $20,000 behind on taxes and havent paid in about two years. Afterward, Allen was skeptical of Salahs promise to pay the taxes after the properties are sold. She said the city will move ahead with the seizures unless the taxes are paid. The mystery Texas owner has been down this path before. The three Butternut properties have twice gone through seizure proceedings before paying enough to stave off the taxman at the last minute. Syracuse properties for seizure Address Owner Address Taxes owed Occupancy 326 Apple St. Lapworth Holdings USA LLC PO Box 216, Clay, NY 13041 $7,366 Rental Occupied 122-124 Berwyn Ave. Androit Landstyle LLC 20110 Callioppe Knolls Dr, Spring, TX 77379 $10,604 Rental Occupied 1220 Butternut St. Androit Landstyle LLC 20110 Callioppe Knolls Dr, Spring, TX 77379 $7,377 Rental Occupied 1222 Butternut St. Androit Landstyle LLC 20110 Callioppe Knolls Dr, Spring, TX 77379 $6,290 Rental Occupied 1224 Butternut St. Androit Landstyle LLC 20110 Callioppe Knolls Dr, Spring, TX 77379 $6,194 Rental Occupied 205 Cannon St. RDM Global LLC 140A Metro Park, Rochester, NY $933 Rental Occupied 1127 West Colvin St. Moshe Rosen 299 E 2nd St., Brooklyn, NY 11218 $13,029 Rental Occupied 105 Commonwealth Ave. Jacob Schlaff 1142 54th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 $2,955 Rental Occupied 146 Corning Ave. W. 146 W Corning LLC 1142 54th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 $6,638 Rental Occupied 102 Elmhurst Ave. Mendy Kletzky 1615 41st St., Brooklyn, NY 11218 $10,359 Vacant Residential 257 Hudson St. 257 Hudson LLC 1142 54th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 $4,829 Rental Occupied 231 Kellogg St. RDM Global LLC 140A Metro Park, Rochester, NY $3,364 Rental Occupied 207 Kirk Ave. 207 Kirk Ave LLC 1745 50th St., Brooklyn, NY 11204 $9,381 Rental Occupied 321 Pacific Ave. Moshe Rosen 299 E 2nd St., Brooklyn, NY 11218 $11,285 Vacant 313 Pleasant Ave. W. Honeywealth LLC 20110 Callioppe Knolls Dr, Spring, TX 77379 $8,646 Vacant 104 Pond St. Vivid Empire LLC & A&M of CNY Properties 835 N. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13208 $2,384 Rental Occupied 215 Rich St. Barnes Tranter USA LLC PO Box 216, Clay, NY 13041 $7,056 Vacant 355 Valley Dr. Honeywealth LLC 20110 Callioppe Knolls Dr, Spring, TX 77379 $8,564 Rental Occupied 101 Wall St. Wall Street House LLC 1142 54th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 $5,108 Rental Occupied 105 Wall St. Wall Street House LLC 1142 54th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 $5,680 Rental Occupied 111 Wall St. Wall Street House LLC 1142 54th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 $5,479 Rental Occupied 123-125 Warner Ave. MYB Ventures LLC (Bernard Isaacson) 1976 52nd St., Brooklyn, NY 11204 $6,017 Vacant Chris Baker is a public affairs reporter for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact him via email at cbaker@syracuse.com or follow him 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. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Monday spoke about hate speech allegations against BJP leaders like Anurag Thakur and stated that be it Anurag Thakur or anyone else, all those found guilty of making hate speech should be punished. While interacting with a news agency the BJP MP said, " The speeches by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi should also be examined. Everyone who has been alleged of making hate speech should be investigated. Let Anurag Thakur's speech also be examined. If you and I start deciding who is responsible for hate speech, then there will be riots on the street. I appeal to the court to decide who's speech comes under the category of hate speech. All those found responsible for making this kind of instigating speeches should be punished." READ | WATCH: Anurag Thakur breaks silence on Delhi riots, ducks question on Goli Maro remark Manoj Tiwari slams Opposition for politicising riots When asked about the Opposition's demand for Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation, Manoj Tiwari stated that the Opposition just wants to politicise everything. "First they instigate people and then they play blame games. Ashok Gehlot had stated that even after riots in the National Capital, why was President Trump's visit not cancelled, this shows that the Opposition has issues with the growth of India. People of Delhi and India will respond to those who are politicising the Delhi riots," he said. READ | Delhi Court seeks report from police against Anurag Thakur & Parvesh Verma Delhi HC issues notice on FIR against hate speech Earlier on February 28, the Delhi High Court Bench bench comprising of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notices to the Union government, Delhi government and the Delhi police regarding multiple PILs seeking FIR against hate speech given by political leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Asaduddin Owaisi, Waris Pathan, Amanatullah Khan, and other political leaders. These pleas along with the previous plea seeking FIR against hate speech given by BJP leaders- Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma, and Kapil Mishra will be heard together on April 13. READ | 'Why no action against BJP leaders who made hate speech?': Jaiveer Shergill READ | 'You are lying,' says Anurag Thakur confronted over 'Desh Ke Gaddaron ko...' controversy Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) The Bureau of Customs is set to launch a probe with the Anti-Money Laundering Council on the huge amounts of cash brought into the country by alleged foreign syndicates. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez has ordered the two agencies to closely coordinate with each other in investigating the influx of foreign currencies in the past months, the department said in a statement Monday. BOC earlier reported that in 2019, an estimated $370 million or 18.8 billion was brought into the country by two groups one of which supposedly involved Chinese nationals, BOC reported. The BOC chief recommended to Dominguez the creation of an interagency body to keep tabs on the inflow of foreign currency into the country via the countrys ports of entry, and to recommend measures to deter the use of these funds for illegal activities, the statement read. The Senate is also set to conduct its own investigation on the issue, which was first brought into the limelight by Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Richard Gordon. The lawmaker earlier revealed that some Chinese visitors who arrived in the Philippines from December to February brought in a total of $180 million or roughly 9.1 billion. READ: Gordon wants probe on big bucks brought in by Chinese The money has been declared for gambling and investment purposes, but Gordon raised concerns over the amount and intent of the Chinese visitors. Magca-casino lang sila at investments. Ang nakakapagtaka, bakit malaki, Gordon told CNN Philippines Balitaan. Nakikita ko rin, namimili sila ng bahay, condo(minium). Nakaka-base sila dito. [Translation: They said they will just gamble and use the money for investments. Whats surprising is the huge amount. I can also see some of them are living here, at condominiums. They are now based here.] Billions brought into PH by POGO Senator Risa Hontiveros meanwhile said she and her colleagues in the upper chamber believe the huge sum of money may have been funneled into the country by Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) workers. I think sense naming lahat ng paglabag sa ating bansa ay kaladkad ito ng mga POGOs. Nagmumukha na itong invasion dahil bukod sa tax evasion at national security threat, dala-dala pa ang paglabag sa karapatan ng kababaihan at mga bata, Hontiveros said in a chance interview with reporters. [Translation: I think we have all sensed that this was brought in by the POGOs. This now seems like an invasion because aside from tax evasion and national security threat, there are also violations in the rights of women and children.] RELATED: Chinese POGO workers can now order prostitutes online, Senate panel reveals Hontiveros also renewed her call for the suspension of all POGO operations, as authorities look into the numerous issues hounding the gaming industry. Gordon added the proliferation of POGOs should be a cause of concern, adding the government may have become too friendly and accommodating to the Chinese community. Hindi naman sinasabing kaaway natin, but dapat (were not saying we should go against them, but instead), we must be careful of our strategic interests. It's a national security concern here, and there are economic implications, he added. Malacanang, for its part, said it would wait for the investigations of law enforcement authorities and the Senate. China last week began its crackdown on its nationals working illegally for POGOs. The Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality has also begun dissecting the alleged violations committed by some Chinese nationals and POGO workers, including the supposed airport pay-off or "pastillas" scheme and online sex trafficking schemes. The Prince of Wales Theatre played host to the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards this evening and we pulled out all the stops to mark the occasion. Acting royalty began arriving on the red carpet from 6pm before heading into the auditorium to see who the public had crowned this year as their WhatsOnStage winners. Loading... Stars including Susan Wokoma, Laurie Kynaston and Lucie Jones were at the event to see if they would be heading home with a prized WOS gong. The evening will see performances from all five nominees for Best New Musical Only Fools and Horses, Come From Away, & Juliet, Dear Evan Hansen and Waitress. The cast from The Color Purple, which is nominated in the Best Regional Production category, are also performing on the night. Make sure to follow all our live updates on the night here or listen to BBC Radio 2 for live coverage of the event! BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal's "derogatory" comments against centenarian freedom fighter H S Doreswamy rocked the Karnataka Assembly as it met for the budget session on Monday with the ruling BJP and opposition crossing swords. Opposition parties thronged the well of the House, demanding that they be allowed to raise the matter and forcing repeated adjournments. The ruling BJP opposed attempts by the Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah to raise the issue, without any prior notice. The House also witnessed Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa replying to the debate on motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint sitting of the state legislature, and also the motion getting adopted with voice vote, amid sloganeering by opposition members from the well. Yatnal's recent comments against Doreswamy calling him a "fake freedom fighter" and "Pakistani agent" has sparked a row with opposition parties up in arms against him in the last few days. The Congress has even been demanding revocation of his assembly membership. According to Congress leaders, Yatnal's comments are in violation of the constitution as by disrespecting a freedom fighter like Doreswamy, he had disrespected the freedom movement, which is in "violation of our fundamental duties." Yatnal has made it clear that there was no question of him withdrawing his statements against Doreswamy and even called him a "mouth piece" in favour of the JD(S) and Congress. Several BJP legislators have come out in defence of the Vijayapura city MLA, questioning the Congress and the freedom fighter for their alleged comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Veer Savarkar. As the House met for the day, the first day of the budget session, soon after the obituary reference to departed personalities, Siddaramaiah tried to raise the issue by terming it as a matter of "urgent public importance." He said the Speaker can allow him to raise the matter under residual powers that the Chair has. However, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, disallowing him, said he will go by the agenda, according to which, Chief Minister's reply to the Governor's address has been listed, and only after it is completed, he will consider the issue that Siddaramaiah was trying to raise. Siddaramaiah, however, continued to raise the issue and alleged that Yatnal has made derogatory remarks against Doreswamy and has even reiterated it. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai then asked the Chair as to under which rule Siddaramaiah was raising the issue. Siddaramaiah said Doreswamy is a freedom fighter, which is known to the country and Yatnal's "derogatory comments" against him, were an "insult" to freedom fighters and freedom movement of the country. Minister C T Ravi questioned Siddaramaiah and Congress legislators supporting him, about comments made against the Prime Minister and freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar. Several members from the treasury benches too objected to Siddaramaiah trying to raise issues, without giving prior notice. Responding to it, Siddaramaiah said the Speaker has certain inherent and residual powers, exercising which he can permit him. He continued to refer to comments made by Yatnal and the ruling side again objected to it, leading to heated exchanges. The Speaker then intervening, allowed the Chief Minister to reply to the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address and said he will look into the matter raised by Siddaramaiah only after that. Protesting against this, Siddaramaiah led his party members to the well of the House. JD(S) members too followed. Slogans like "jai to freedom fighters", "save democracy and constitution", "down down British agents" reverberated in the House, as Yediyurappa read out his reply to the Governor's address. After Yediyurappa concluded his reply, the motion of thanks was put to vote and adopted, amid sloganeering by the opposition. The Speaker then adjourned the House for 30 minutes. With opposition members continuing to protest from the well when the House met again, Speaker Kageri adjourned the House for lunch, saying he will speak to floor leaders to discuss how the stalemate could be resolved. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (SYH.V) (SYHBF) (Frankfurt:SC1P) (the Company) is pleased to announce it has appointed Joseph Gallucci to the Companys Board of Directors. Mr. Gallucci is a capital markets executive with over 15 years of experience in investment banking and equity research focused on mining, base metals, precious metals and bulk commodities on a global scale. Joseph is currently the Managing Director and the Head of Mining Investment Banking at Laurentian Bank Securities Inc. His career has spanned across various firms including BMO Capital Markets, GMP Securities, Dundee Securities, and he was a founding principal of Eight Capital where he led the Mining Investment Banking Team. In his previous roles he has acquired experience in corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, business and operational development, financings and corporate strategy. He played a key role in raising several billion dollars for mining companies with a focused expertise on Canadian base metal companies. Prior to investment banking, Mr. Gallucci spent over a decade in equity research with a focus on global mining at both GMP and Dundee Securities. At Dundee Securities, he was a Managing Director and Head of the Metals and Mining Research Team where he oversaw the complete mining franchise. He has traveled extensively visiting well over 100 mining properties across the globe. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and an MBA in Investment Management from the Goodman Institute of Investment Management. The Companys CEO, Jordan Trimble stated: We would like to welcome Mr. Gallucci to the Skyharbour team as a Director of the Company. Mr. Gallucci has years of experience as an investment banker and research analyst with a focus on Canadian exploration and mining companies including working with several uranium companies. His expertise in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and capital raising will be invaluable to the company as we look to create shareholder value through new uranium discoveries and the advancement of our projects in the Athabasca Basin where multiple drill programs are currently underway. Story continues Mr. Gallucci stated: I am excited to join the Board of Directors and begin working with management and the team at Skyharbour Resources. In my previous roles in mining capital markets, uranium was a key component of the mining franchises I oversaw. I believe Uranium has a key role to play in the global energy picture as we continue to pursue alternative energy sources, and global electrification. Further, Skyharbour is well positioned in the Athabasca basin, which is one of the most significant uranium rich jurisdictions in the world. I am looking forward to contributing to the Companys growth and success. About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.: Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium and thorium exploration projects in Canada's Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with six drill-ready projects. In July 2016, Skyharbour acquired an option from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, to acquire 100% of the Moore Uranium Project which is located approximately 15 kilometres east of Denison's Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco's McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced stage uranium exploration project with high grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick Zone. Drill results have returned up to 6.0% U 3 O 8 over 5.9 metres, including 20.8% U 3 O 8 over 1.5 metres at a vertical depth of 265 metres. Skyharbour has signed option agreements with Orano Canada Inc. and Azincourt Energy whereby Orano and Azincourt can earn in up to 70% of specific segments of the Preston Project through a combined $9,800,000 in total exploration expenditures, as well as $1,700,000 in total cash payments and Azincourt shares. Preston is a large, geologically prospective property proximal to Fission Uranium's Triple R deposit as well as NexGen Energy's Arrow deposit. The Company also owns a 100% interest in the Falcon Point Uranium Project on the eastern perimeter of the Basin which contains a NI 43-101 inferred resource totaling 7.0 million pounds of U 3 O 8 at 0.03% and 5.3 million pounds of ThO 2 at 0.023%. The project also hosts a high-grade surface showing with up to 68% U 3 O 8 in grab samples from a massive pitchblende vein, the source of which has yet to be discovered. The Company's 100% owned Mann Lake Uranium project on the east side of the Basin is strategically located adjacent to the Mann Lake Joint Venture operated by Cameco, where high-grade uranium mineralization has been identified. Skyharbour's goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions. Skyharbours Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin: http://skyharbourltd.com/_resources/SYH_Landpackage_2014.jpg To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (SYH.V) visit the Companys website at www.skyharbourltd.com . SKYHARBOUR RESOURCES LTD. Jordan Trimble Jordan Trimble President and CEO For further information contact myself or: Simon Dyakowski Corporate Development and Communications Skyharbour Resources Ltd. Telephone: 604-639-3850 Toll Free: 800-567-8181 Facsimile: 604-687-3119 Email: info@skyharbourltd.com NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. Five new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been registered in Ecuador, the countrys Health Minister Catalina Andramuno announced a day after the country reported its first case, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "The patients are isolated in their homes," Andramuno told reporters on Sunday, as broadcast online by the El Comercio daily. The health minister said that the patients were only showing mild symptoms. All of them had come into contact with the first coronavirus-infected person in Ecuador. The first coronavirus case in Ecuador was confirmed on Saturday. According to Andramuno, the first patient is a 70-year-old Ecuadorean woman who came back from a trip to Spain on February 14. She is currently in intensive care. Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic have also reported COVID-19 cases this week. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 7,160 coronavirus cases have been registered outside of China, where the outbreak started in December. Monday, March 2nd, 2020 (11:50 am) - Score 668 A number of readers noted to us this morning that the West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) appeared to have announced new funding to help high speed broadband spread across more of the county, which was said to form part of the local authoritys 44m budget for 2020/21. But this is not the correct context. The report, which first surfaced in the Oxford Mail, had us searching through a years worth of council meeting documents and yet not a single one mentioned any new plans or funding for broadband; at least nothing beyond the existing Gigaclear contract (i.e. Gigaclear were contracted in 2017 and are extending full fibre FTTP to around 11,000 premises in West Oxfordshire by Q1 2020 a mix of publicly funded and commercial roll-out). The bad news is that the broadband funding mention in the local newspaper isnt new money and relates to that existing Gigaclear contract. The local authority clarified to ISPreview.co.uk today that the way their contract with the ISP is structured, the milestones which trigger payment from the council are towards the end of the build (the earlier milestones trigger BDUK payments which have been defrayed). In other words, even though the project is said to be progressing well, WODC have not actually defrayed any of their funds yet but this process will begin during the new financial year (hence the mention of broadband funding). Just for the record, the council and Building Digital UK (BDUK) committed about 3.1m of public funding to Gigaclears 8m contract. The ISP has separately invested another 8m into their commercial roll-out in the county. Health specialists at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, where a resident and an employee were confirmed as having the coronavirus: AFP via Getty Images The coronavirus has been spreading in Washington state undetected, according to a new analysis, as health officials nationwide increasingly fear there are far more cases of the deadly virus that have not yet been confirmed. Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, spearheaded a genetic analysis of two virus samples after multiple cases of the mysterious illness were confirmed throughout Washington in recent weeks. His findings suggested the state was already facing a substantial outbreak that had not been previously detected because initial tests for coronavirus were limited to people who had recently visited China. The virus samplings came from two patients living in the state, according to Washington Post: one of the patients, who was the first person identified to have coronavirus in the US, had recently travelled to China before returning to Snohomish County. The second patient had not recently travelled and was not known to have any exposure to the coronavirus. Such findings indicated that cryptic transmission had been occurring in Washington over the last six weeks, according to Mr Bedford. In announcing his findings on Twitter, Mr Bedford wrote: I believe we're facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China." An official with the US Centre for Disease Control told the Washington Post the centre was in contact with Mr Bedford and that more analysis would need to be done to determine how the virus has spread throughout Washington, calling the findings far from definitive. Still, the genetic similarities between both strains assessed in Mr Bedfords findings could suggest the virus had been spreading in Washington ever since the first patient returned to Snohomish County in January. Both patients involved in the assessment were not known to have contact with each other before testing positive for the virus. Story continues At least two people in the US died as a result of the coronavirus, as the death toll surpassed 3,000 worldwide, with the majority of those occurring in China where the coronavirus originated. US health officials have meanwhile said the virus spreading throughout the country was all but inevitable, as the White House and federal agencies prepared for the outbreak to substantially impact everything from the strength of the economy to everyday life. Follow live updates on the coronavirus outbreak here. Read more Coronavirus: CDC mistakenly releases US patient On Jan. 1, 2002, the richest man in New York City became its chief executive. For the next 12 years, Michael Bloomberg would lead an administration widely regarded as one of the most consequential in the citys history. And though he entered electoral politics as a complete novice, New York Citys 108th mayor would go on to build a political apparatus the likes of which the city had never seen. But can the playbook that succeeded in New York City be replicated nationwide? Can his vaunted political operation be scaled? With Bloomberg now emerging as a top-tier contender in the 2020 presidential race, these are multibillion-dollar questions. Despite being the richest man in the city, Bloomberg was not particularly well known to ordinary New Yorkers in 2001. Nor did he possess the oratorical gifts that one would expect to see in a winning candidate. When the newly minted Republican got behind a microphone, he looked like a stiff billionaire, and sounded like one too. The year before, however, he had broadened his philanthropic footprint, donating more than half a billion dollars to hundreds of organizations, including 79 first-time beneficiaries located within the five boroughs. Bloomberg also opened up his pocketbook for some of the best talent in the business, including the pollster Doug Schoen, who had worked on Bill Clintons presidential campaigns, Kevin Sheekey, who had served as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Patrick Moynihan, and the legendary political strategist David Garth. New York City is a proudly Democratic town, and the path to City Hall for a Republican is typically narrow. Rudy Giuliani, Bloombergs predecessor in office, had leaned heavily on white support in his successful mayoral runs, but from the outset Bloomberg signaled a clear intent to fight for votes within traditionally Democratic constituencies. The first ad that he put on television was actually a Spanish-language ad, recalled Bill Cunningham, a top adviser to Bloomberg in the 2001 campaign. It was a way of announcing that he intended to compete for every vote in the city. No self-funding businessman had ever launched a serious mayoral bid in New York City, nor had one Republican mayor ever succeeded another, and early polls showed Bloomberg trailing potential Democratic rivals by huge margins. He didnt start off strong with any group, recalled Jerry Skurnik, a Democratic consultant who worked in the Koch administration. He did what a lot of campaigns do, but I guess he did it on steroids. A lifelong Democrat, who switched party affiliation in order to circumvent a crowded primary, Bloomberg now reaped the benefits of that decision. He was already running a November campaign in May and June, Skurnik said. While the Democratic candidates competed among each other, Bloomberg was able to boost his name recognition through paid advertisements that touted his business and philanthropic record. But even for a campaign looking ahead, there are some events that cant be foreseen. The morning of the Democratic primary, two commercial airliners struck the twin towers. Even before the terrorist attacks, the citys economy had shown signs of weakening, and now, amid fears of a recession on the horizon, Bloombergs business credentials became a compelling rationale for his candidacy. "He did what a lot of campaigns do, but I guess he did it on steroids." - Jerry Skurnik, political consultant In the aftermath of the tragedy, Giuliani saw his popularity skyrocket, but entering the final stretch of the campaign, Americas mayor had still not given an endorsement. David Garth, in the end, persuaded the sitting mayor, who had been reluctant to support a losing candidate, and the Bloomberg campaign began flooding the airwaves with ads trumpeting his endorsement. Throughout the campaign, Bloombergs paid media had been omnipresent. Even during the week of the runoff between former public advocate Mark Green and Bronx Borough President Freddy Ferrer, his campaign spent more on advertisements than those Democratic rivals combined. It was dismaying that after years of raising money the hard way, ad rates rose so much in response to (Bloombergs) massive spending that it diminished the impact of my expenditures, Green told City & State. Green, who had accepted public financing, would end up spending $16.6 million on the race. Bloomberg would drop $74 million $99 per vote the most ever spent on a nonpresidential campaign at that time. To the disbelief even of his own inner circle, the political rookie would eke out a 2-point win in November. Green would later attribute Bloombergs victory to a perfect storm, including a racially divisive Democratic runoff, which likely factored into his Republican rival improbably winning almost half of the Latino vote, as well as quarter of the black vote. Bloomberg, to be clear, was not the first New York Republican to woo Latino voters. Rudy (Giuliani) tried by appointing Hispanics to posts in his administration, but lets face it: There are a hell of a lot of advantages in having unlimited amounts of money, said Serphin Maltese, a former Republican state senator who is now a Donald Trump supporter. Bloomberg would spend more than $250 million of his personal fortune on his three mayoral elections. Between cycles, however, he would dole out at least another $200 million in charitable donations to civic and cultural groups, which at times served to offset budget cuts and, other times, provided a support structure to advance his political goals. In the year leading up to his first reelection campaign (against Ferrer this time), Bloomberg donated between $10,000 and $100,000 to 200 local groups. In addition to his vast wealth, Bloomberg now enjoyed the power of incumbency. Mailing a $400 property tax rebate to homeowners in an election year likely didnt hurt his standing among a constituency of reliable voters. The mayor also negotiated a new contract with DC 37, the largest public employees union in the city, which would endorse him in the upcoming election, a considerable blow to the eventual Democratic nominee. "Rudy tried appointing Hispanics, but let's face it: There are a hell of a lot of advantages in having unlimited amounts of money." - Serphin Maltese, former Republican state senator Within the mayors adopted party, however, a primary challenger emerged in Thomas Ognibene, a former New York City councilman who sought to galvanize the faction of conservatives that had never warmed to the former Democrat in City Hall. Bloombergs campaign would eventually challenge his petitions and knock Ognibene off the ballot, a tactic that Bloomberg had denounced a few years earlier. (Ognibene did himself no favors by collecting an unusually small number of signatures for a mayoral race.) With the Republican nomination all but assured, Bloomberg found himself in a position not unlike 2001: looking ahead to the general election while the Democratic contenders battled amongst each other. Suzanne Plunkett/AP/Shutterstock It was during his first reelection bid that Bloombergs political operation became a powerhouse. The mayor invested more than $5 million compiling voter profiles in a database that included information on income, occupation, religious affiliation as well as personal interests, which enabled his campaign to identify issues that resonated with narrow slices of the electorate and tailor their message accordingly. Bloombergs mayoral campaigns were known for cutting edge work in the infancy of microtargeting work by campaigns, said Bruce Gyory, an Albany-based political consultant. The campaign began airing ads in Polish, Russian, Greek, Yiddish, Chinese, Haitian Creole and Korean, and its website could be accessed in multiple languages as well. Bloomberg also purchased ad space on a scale unprecedented in the community and ethnic media, a strategy that drove the mayors message deeper into the electorate and, in some instances, garnered him some additional support. Theres no question that when you commit ad dollars to a sector that is in dire financial straits you are buying good will, and especially in a market where ethnic media has been routinely excluded, who wouldnt be appreciative? said Sandy Close, the founder of Ethnic Media Services, an American nonprofit that promotes media in languages other than English. Along with its microtargeting, the Bloomberg campaign was carpet-bombing all media with paid ads. When I would get up at five in the morning to look at the newspapers online, I would have to muddle through 10 to 15 ads from Bloomberg before I even got to a story about the campaign, recalled Roberto Ramirez, a top adviser to the Ferrer campaign. "Bloomberg's mayoral campaigns were known for cutting edge work in the infancy of microtargeting work." - Bruce Gyory, political consultant Prior to the race, Bloomberg hired Stuart Loeser, who had run opposition research for Green in 2001. Loeser would take the lead in leaking negative stories to the media about Ferrer, which successfully kept the former Bronx borough president on the defensive while dominating news cycles. (Bloomberg) assembled a talented group of operatives who werent afraid to spill blood, said Matt Epperly, a Democratic strategist who served as an adviser to New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, a Democratic primary contender that year. They skillfully fed the beast of New York dailies with hit pieces, and used unprecedented oppo research and data analytics to define competitors and shape the contours of campaigns early. In 2001, Bloomberg won by the narrowest margin in a mayoral race since the city consolidated a hundred years earlier. In 2005, he would notch a nearly 20-point victory the widest margin ever secured by a Republican even as Democrats prevailed down the ballot. What made the victory all the more impressive were the headwinds coming from the nations capital. President George W. Bush, whom Bloomberg had warmly embraced during his 2004 reelection campaign, was a deeply unpopular figure in the city. Somehow he was able to have Republicans think of him as Republican, but everyone else think of him as being more nonpartisan, Skurnik said. He didnt really govern much as a Republican. The 2005 cycle was the first in which non-Hispanic whites did not constitute the majority of the citys electorate, and Bloombergs support among black voters rose to 47%, more than double Giulianis best performance. He also received 30% of the Latino vote, despite running against a Puerto Rican candidate. Ferrer spent $14 million on his campaign compared to Bloombergs $85 million or $112 per vote a figure that does not include the private philanthropy that likely boosted the mayors support in demographic groups that Ferrer needed to sweep. The Latino charities and nonprofits became very beholden to Bloomberg for their budgets, so he was able to get some of these people to do some of the mobilizing for elections, said Jose Sanchez, chair of political science at Long Island University Brooklyn, adding, It was like a parallel political machine. After dropping his Republican registration in 2007 and flirting with a presidential run, Bloomberg decided to seek a third term as mayor. There was just one problem: New Yorkers had twice voted in 1993 and 1996 in favor of term limits. Even Bloombergs own inner circle opposed the idea, but the mayor succeeded in convincing editorial boards and other key stakeholders that the aftermath of the 2007-2008 financial crisis called for continuity. His political team, meanwhile, mobilized cultural and advocacy groups that had benefited from his philanthropic largesse over the years. One path toward obtaining his desired third term would have been via referendum, but the mayor instead opted to go through the New York City Council, where many members would benefit from a term-limit extension for themselves. The leadership class of the city of New York folded like an accordion, said Richard Brodsky, a former Democratic assemblyman from Westchester. That was a consequence of years of benefits and threats in the way (Bloomberg) conducted his giving, and the way he extended his influence through the deployment of his resources. As a state legislator, Brodsky faced off against the mayor over congestion pricing and the proposed West Side Stadium, and would witness the modus operandi of a mayor whose not-so-secret sauce was colored green. (Bloomberg) used his charitable giving in ways that were clearly and explicitly connected to his political agenda, Brodsky said. It doesnt make him a bad person, but its a rich mans view of how you get to where you want to go. "Somehow he was able to have Republican's think of him as a Republican, but everyone else think of him as being more nonpartisan." - Jerry Skurnik, political consultant People tend to notice when the most powerful man in the city demonstrates time and again a readiness to invest untold millions in the service of his political aspirations. There are all the people who engage in what I call anticipatory genuflection, said Green, who is now an Elizabeth Warren supporter. Anybody who deals with Mike Bloomberg is aware though he would never say anything explicitly that at some point in the future he might hire them or harm them with the weight of his money, which includes, by the way although its unspoken some journalists. With a one-time term limit extension in the bag, the mayors political team got to work undercutting the opponent that it believed posed the greatest threat in a general election. During the 2005 Democratic primary, the Bloomberg campaign had not been shy about planting opposition research on potential foes in the media, but in 2009 the campaign didnt even wait for the primaries to kick off. Anthony Weiner was another Jewish guy with an Italian first name, Bradley Tusk, Bloombergs 2009 campaign manager, would later write. The Democratic congressman, moreover, enjoyed a following among liberals and, through his wife-to-be, Huma Abedin, access to the Clinton donor network. You have to pick your enemies whenever you can, Tusk wrote. You have to strangle the baby in the crib. The Bloomberg campaign began leaking negative stories to the press about Weiners congressional voting record, campaign contributions he had received from foreign fashion models, and a favor that the Democrat had allegedly delivered to a donor. It is just every single day, Weiner at the time vented. Its surreal. Tusk, moreover, told The New York Times that the campaign would drop an extra $20 million on negative advertising should Weiner run. In the end, the would-be rival stood down, having never even declared his candidacy. In his reelection races, they used his advantage in resources to define opponents before they were as well-known and scare away would-be competitors, Epperly said. Some of the campaigns that didnt make it to the general let out a collective sigh of relief. Bottomless resources poured against you in negative ads could have career-altering implications for your candidate when they come out at the other end of the buzz saw. In anticipation of a general election against Bill Thompson, the citys African American comptroller, the Bloomberg campaign began hiring seasoned consultants who had previously worked for Thompson, notably Howard Wolfson and Hank Sheinkopf. In January, Bloomberg had also poached Democratic strategist Basil Smikle Jr. away from Weiner. Not only did the mayor starve his Democratic opponent of top talent, he succeeded in denying him critical support within his core constituency. Through city contracts, political appointments and administrative assistance, Bloomberg had managed to forge, over his two terms in office, strong ties to a number of prominent black ministers. Some influential clergymen, who would give the mayor their endorsement, had accepted large charitable donations from him. If you are the leader of some sort of institution cultural, religious or otherwise and you are falling on hard times, and you just get an anonymous donation that is specifically timed, I think a lot of people made assumptions that they knew where the donation was coming from, and they could link it back to Mayor Bloomberg, said Christina Greer, an associate professor of political science at Fordham University. That obviously decreases the number of detractors if youre the mayor, and so we saw just a lack of, I would say, real dissent for 12 years from a lot of leaders in the city." Suzanne Plunkett/AP/Shutterstock Throughout his two terms in office, Bloomberg had been credited with easing racial tensions in New York, and changing the tone coming from City Hall, following the more racially polarizing Giuliani administration. Two days after the 2001 election, Bloomberg famously shook the hand of civil rights activist Al Sharpton. In 2009, Sharptons National Action Network reportedly received a $110,000 grant from a Bloomberg-funded nonprofit. Sharpton would support Thompson that year, but maintained an amicable tone with the mayor. Bloomberg would ultimately win over 23% of black voters and 43% of Latinos en route to a 5-point November victory. The mayor would outspend Thompson 14 to 1, shelling out $174 per vote. Cultivating key allies in communities of color again helped Bloomberg cut into his rivals vote total among those traditionally Democratic constituencies. Thompsons fundraising woes, as well as the low voter turnout that year, may be traced, in part, to the aura of invincibility that the Bloomberg campaign has been known to cultivate. The perception that Bloomberg was a sure winner definitely helped him a lot, Skurnik said. With a net worth estimated at more than $60 billion, Bloomberg is vastly richer today than he was in 2001. In its first three months, his presidential campaign spent $400 million, a sum easily exceeding the price tag of his previous races combined. But campaign expenditures only constitute one part of the Bloomberg political operation, and in recent years his philanthropic spending has grown in both volume and geographic scope, topping off at more than $3 billion last year. (Bloombergs entire net worth was estimated at around $4 billion in 2001.) And that does not account for campaign contributions to elected officials a tactic straight out of the Bloomberg mayoral playbook. In the 2018 election cycle, Bloomberg was the largest Democratic donor. His $110 million helped flip the U.S. House of Representatives as well as the Virginia state legislature, which had been under Republican control for decades. The massive scale of his giving has likely aided Bloomberg in assembling a national network of supportive mayors and community leaders, including among critical Democratic constituencies. Bloomberg has now received endorsements from more than 100 mayors across the country, according to his campaign. Much was made of Bloombergs late entry into the Democratic field, and his decision to skip the early primary states, a plan that hinges upon the race remaining fluid until March, and leaves him with little margin for error on Super Tuesday. Whether by design or not, the strategy mimicked, to a certain degree, the dynamic of his previous mayoral races, in which Bloomberg never faced a serious primary challenger, a luxury that allowed him to look ahead to the general election while outspending all the battling Democrats combined. And the present race started in much the same manner: Bloomberg was able to flood the zone with ads while building out his campaign organization in the delegate-rich prizes of Super Tuesday. He avoided direct confrontations with other Democrats while outspending all of them combined, with the exception of fellow billionaire Tom Steyer. As his name recognition and poll numbers improved, however, Bloomberg started taking flak from the other Democratic contenders (not to mention the incumbent in the White House). "Mike has 10 to 20 times as much money as Trump, so there is nothing he can do to hurt Bloomberg." - Bill Cunningham, 2001 Bloomberg campaign adviser With a rise thus far fueled by media both paid and earned questions remain as to whether Bloomberg will be able to connect with voters once he stands directly before them. His performance in his first presidential debates last month, for example, were widely panned. Yet even though Bloomberg is generally pedestrian behind a microphone, there are those who push back on the standard take that the former mayor of New York cant do retail politics. One thing that people forget about him is that hes a salesman, said Eleanor Randolph, a former New York Times editorial board member and Bloomberg biographer. He was the one who really sold the Bloomberg Terminals. He went around to all the businesses and talked them into trying out this new gizmo that turned out to make him a very, very rich man and also did a lot to change Wall Street. So he likes selling people on whatever it is that he thinks is important, whether its climate change or Michael Bloomberg. In a normal election year, a billionaire interloper looking to leverage his personal fortune into the presidency might be too much for the Democratic rank and file to take. But in 2020, many Democrats only care about evicting Donald Trump from Pennsylvania Avenue, whatever the cost. And Bloomberg who has always run superbly equipped and organized campaign operations has been positioning himself as the only candidate capable of competing with the presidents fundraising juggernaut, narrowing the digital edge that Trumps reelection campaign holds over the Democrats, and appealing to persuadable moderates. It would make for riveting theater to say the least: one Manhattan billionaire with a win-at-all-costs mentality literally and figuratively versus another Manhattan billionaire with a norm-flaunting, no-holds-barred approach to politics. Back in 2009, the Bloomberg campaign played mind games with Anthony Weiner: They sent canvassers to his neighborhood in April and bought up the entire inventory of digital advertising that the congressman would see when browsing the web from his home. According to TV journalist Katie Couric, the Bloomberg campaign is now hiring an expert on narcissism to pair with a comedy writer, just to get in the presidents head. On the stump, Bloomberg has said, Ive beenprettyblessed and theres nothing Donald Trump can do or say that can hurt me. His former communications director, Bill Cunningham, agrees. Mike has 10 to 20 times as much money as Trump, so there is nothing he can do to hurt Bloomberg. Early in his first mayoral race, when asked if he would consider spending as much as $30 million to win the election, Bloomberg replied:At some point you start to look obscene. But maybe obscene is no longer a liability. And, in 2020, maybe a candidate lacking innate oratorical talent can get by carefully packaging his image across media platforms. Maybe a Wall Street-friendly, former Republican champion of stop and frisk can sell himself to the Democratic base as a data-driven technocrat and national leader on climate change and gun control. It will not be easy: In New York City, Bloomberg never faced the level of opposition research and media vetting that surely awaits him. But at the very least the former mayor has the financial standing to compete in the race as long as he wants. He wont have to leave the campaign trail to fundraise or end his presidential bid due to lack of resources. Whats different is that in his mayoral races, (Bloomberg) had to create a reality, but by circumstance reality is coming his way right now, and by virtue of his money and his political skills he is now credibly arguing that hes the best shot at beating Trump, Brodsky said. And hes going to use the same playbook thats always worked for him: buy as much as you can buy, be clear as to what you are going to do, and dont get deflected by anything. A man from Zimbabwe is searching for sound recordings and photographs his late father might have left in Nova Scotia so that his own children can hear and see the grandfather they never knew. Munyaradzi Mufambisi's father, Eric, earned his master of education at Dalhousie University between 1993 and 1996. "He spoke very fondly of it," his son told CBC's Information Morning Monday. "I remember he used to speak about how close it was to the water and how he loved going close to the water; how warm the people were, and how he made a lot of friends." When he travelled 12,000 kilometres home to Africa, he amazed his nine-year-old son, Munya, with stories about mobile phones and computers. Brought a computer home "He told us how you could type something on a computer and within a few seconds the letter is across the globe. I didn't understand what he was talking about." He also brought a computer home, sparking an interest that led his son to his career in IT. But Eric died in a car crash in Zimbabwe in September 1996. Submitted by Munyaradzi Mufambisi Munya Mufambisi said the death devastated him. He was young and he recalls throwing out some photos in his grief. "It was just too painful for me to deal with," he said. Other photos were lost in family moves. He has only a few photos of his father, including two from Halifax. "I've migrated to Australia now and I've got kids. I've tried to explain to them that they have cousins back home (in Zimbabwe) and I've got nothing to show them." He has strong memories of his father, which have been strengthened by the memories of people who knew him. "People would just say, 'Oh! You look like Eric Mufambisi. You're his son, aren't you? We'll take care of you. Your dad was a good guy.' It really warms my heart when I hear people say that. He was a very caring guy, a very thoughtful guy. Strict at home, but a loving father nonetheless." Story continues Submitted by Munya Mufambisi Munya Mufambisi hopes people in Halifax will remember his father and have photos of him, or the audio recordings he made of the interviews he did during his research. Reddit to the rescue He first reached out on Reddit, and talked to people at Dalhousie, who are digitizing his thesis so that his son and grandchildren can read it. A Reddit user identified the street Eric lived on in Halifax and took photos of the house. "That really warmed my heart." Someone else found a copy of the convocation program, featuring his father's name, and the 1995 yearbook. He found two other Zimbabweans who knew him in Halifax and they both shared memories of his father. He thinks his father may have submitted the tapes with his thesis. Anyone who remembers Eric Mufambisi or has photos of him can reach Munya Mufambisi at munya.mufambisi@originenergy.com.au. MORE TOP STORIES Three police cars have been doused in an accelerant and set on fire parked behind a Fremantle police station. The fire destroyed three marked police cars at 11:12pm on Sunday in Leake Street. The West Australian reported that other police cars outside the station have been the targeted by vandals in recent months. Commander Greg Knott described the incident as a brazen attack and confirmed at a press conference today that a review into security at Fremantle police station was underway. The fire destroyed three marked police cars at 11:12 pm on Sunday in Leake Street. Source: 10NewsFirst Im disturbed that someone would do this to police property, he said This is hard taxpayers money that pays for these items so an attack on our premises is an attack on all West Australians. Police released CCTV footage of a man who appears to be carrying a gasoline can who they want to speak to in connection with the incident. The man is described as around 25-years-old, with a thin to medium build, short dark hair and a goatee. He was wearing a light blue coloured t-shirt, dark blue shorts and dark coloured runners. Commander Knott said a large amount of police equipment including clothing, medical kits and radio equipment was destroyed in the cars. This is not an ordinary vehicle, he said. This person has destroyed quite a significant amount of equipment. Fremantle police want to speak to this man in connection to the fire that destroyed three police cars. Source: WA Police Nobody was injured during the fire and Fremantle police station remains fully functioning. Police have requested anyone with dash cam or CCTV footage of the incident submit it to police. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a report online. 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. A growing cyber book could present a risk to a (re)insurer's financial strength if not managed appropriately. While cyber risk has gained significant attention in recent years following a number of high profile hacks and breaches, the aggregate loss potential of cyber and its implications for the London insurance market are less clear because insurers have not yet experienced a systemic cyber event from which they can draw robust conclusions. In a new Best's Market Segment Report, "Scrutiny of Management Approach Increases as London Cyber Insurance Market Grows", AM Best notes that, as one of the world's leading hubs for insurance expertise and innovation, the London market plays a fundamental role as a capacity and knowledge provider for complex cyber insurance and reinsurance. Valeria Ermakova, associate director, analytics, AM Best Europe Rating Services, said, "With its underwriters participating in this segment since the late 1990s, the London market benefits from a unique pool of talent, as well as the presence of an array of specialised insurance law firms, advisers and loss modelling companies." Demand for cyber insurance is growing as the increased interconnectedness of infrastructure is changing customer needs. The ability to provide a whole range of insurance products, including innovative cyber solutions, helps carriers retain customers and remain competitive, and in turn benefits their business profiles. However, the potential for high-severity aggregate losses and the lack of sufficient claims history to support pricing and reserving decisions mean that cyber is a high-risk line of business. Additionally, the lack of an established legal framework for cyber liabilities means that policies can be open to interpretation. High-risk business lines bring with them potential for volatile performance and consequent adverse effects on the financial stability of an insurer. In that context, underwriting expertise and the approach of senior management to these products become crucially important considerations. Catherine Thomas, senior director, analytics, AM Best Europe Rating Services, adds: "For those insurers with sizeable or rapidly growing cyber books, AM Best will discuss the management's philosophy towards this business line, as well as the company's pricing and data quality. AM Best may look at whether the company has accumulated a credible amount of claims data relative to the risks and limits it accepts, and whether this is complemented by any external data sets. The ability of a company's management to respond proactively to evolving market conditions, such as litigation trends or regulatory developments, and to support its performance expectations, is particularly important." To access a complimentary copy of this special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=294942. To view a video interview with AM Best Europe Rating Services Associate Director Valeria Ermakova, on this report, please visit http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=cyber1119. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data provider specialising in the insurance industry. The company does business in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Oldwick, NJ, AM Best has offices in cities around the world, including London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com Copyright 2020 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200301005060/en/ Contacts: Valeria Ermakova Associate Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0269 valeria.ermakova@ambest.com Catherine Thomas, CFA Senior Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0281 catherine.thomas@ambest.com Edem Kuenyehia Director, Market Development Communications +44 20 7397 0280 edem.kuenyehia@ambest.com Jim Peavy Director, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644 james.peavy@ambest.com Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he has given the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan the go-ahead to begin the initial withdrawal of U.S. troops. Shares of Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. EXPD have lost 6.5% against the industry's decline of 4.8% loss in a years time. The below -par performance was primarily caused by declining revenues in the Airfreight Services segment and the coronavirus outbreak in China. Lets take a detailed look into the factors hurting the stock. High operating expenses due to higher fuel costs and labor has proved to be a setback for Expeditors. The coronavirus outbreak in China has proved to be a huge bane especially because the company has significant Chinese exposure. The extended closure of factories in China due to the virus outbreak might dent freight volumes in the March-end quarter. Global supply chains are likely to be affected owing to shortages of raw materials, parts and supplies. Declining revenues in the Airfreight Services segment (2019 revenues down 10.5%) due to weakness pertaining to China operations have dented Expeditors' performance. Since Expeditors operates globally, it is exposed to currency exchange rate risks. Notably, foreign currency losses increased more than 100% in 2019 on a year-over-year basis. Negative Estimate Revisions and Lackluster Momentum Score The negativity revolving around the stock is evident from the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year earnings being revised downward by 6.7% in the past 60 days to $3.48. The companys Momentum Score of D further highlights its short-term unattractiveness. Additionally, Expeditors carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Stocks to Consider Few better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Transportation sector are Azul S.A AZUL, Frontline Ltd. FRO and Costamare Inc. CMRE , sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Shares of Azul, Frontline and Costamare have rallied 1.7%, 23% and 25.8%, respectively, in a year. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Frontline Ltd. (FRO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Costamare Inc. (CMRE) : Free Stock Analysis Report AZUL SA (AZUL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The sun is blazing down on Hampton Court Palace, horses are swishing flies away with their tails and Tamsin Greig is looking rather regal, sporting a cream parasol as she saunters past in a carriage. Trussed in a velvet embroidered bonnet over her rag-curled hair and a tight-fitting corset beneath a striped silk dress, the Olivier-winning stage actress, star of TV's Episodes, Black Books and Green Wing, appears as Anne Trenchard, a mother who tragically loses her beloved daughter, in ITV's sumptuous new 19th-century period drama Belgravia, from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. With Anne in the carriage is her daughter-in-law Susan (Alice Eve), and the pair are deep in hushed conversation. 'That scene is ostensibly about two women going out for a ride in a carriage, but lots of other stuff is going on under the surface as well,' says Tamsin. Lisa Sewards met the cast of Julian Fellowes' ITV drama Belgravia. Pictured from left to right: Anne Trenchard (Tamsin Greig), James Trenchard (Philip Glenister), Lady Brockenhurst (Dame Harriet Walter), Charles Pope (Jack Bardoe) and Lady Maria Grey (Ella Purnell) Viewers will soon be treated to the delights of Belgravia, pictured, from Julian Fellowes 'In fact it's an amazingly touching scene about two women tiptoeing around the reality of the inability to have children, or dealing with the loss of a child. 'It's so thrilling that Julian has put two women at the heart of the story because it was a very patriarchal century. 'But actually, what he's interested in is what happens to families when they're devastated by emotional turbulence. 'It's the women who manipulate things to their ends, so the men are the reactors to it. I thought that was very interesting. 'For me, the challenge of playing a woman when she's 25 and then when she's 60 is intriguing, just to see what happens to a person. 'To see how different they become, through experience or tragedy, and how they continue to grow when a part of them has been lopped off emotionally.' Tamsin Greig as Anne with Alice Eve as her daughter-in-law Susan enjoying a carriage ride Anne and Susan are two of the key players in the sparkling six-part adaptation of Julian's 2016 novel of the same name, a story of secrets and dishonour in the early 19th century, for which Downton Abbey's award-winning creative team have been reunited once more. It opens at the opulent and now legendary ball that was hosted by the Duchess of Richmond in Brussels on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras during the Napoleonic Wars. My fake mutton chops Philip Glenister plays James Trenchard From Poirot to Vanity Fair and Cranford, Philip Glenister, who plays James Trenchard, is no stranger to period drama. 'It seems to be that every ten years or so I do one,' he says. 'They're great. When I was shooting Outcast in America a couple of years ago, if I got a little bit miserable I'd stick Downton on. 'I also seem to have a habit of being in shows that require big sideburns,' he adds, twiddling his mutton chops. 'We had them in Life On Mars too so I might get all my contracts to say, 'He has to have big chops.' These aren't real. I tried growing them but I would have needed a couple of years. And people started making fun of me, so I shaved.' How else does Philip prepare for the role? 'I go out and buy a hogget of lamb and a bucket load of claret and I dress like this on Sundays,' he jokes, referring to his heavy black overcoat and waistcoat. 'We've got a couple of etiquette experts who've been incredibly helpful on the detail, like how would I hold my top hat. 'And when you've finished eating, where do you put your knife and fork? If you've finished and you're talking, you don't put them on the side of the plate, you leave them in the middle. 'Everything's quite ordered quite the opposite of me at home where I eat my dinners with my hands.' Advertisement The cream of British society gathered here ahead of the fighting, and many of the men then left the dance floor to go straight to the battlefield; some of the young officers were still in their dress coats when they died in the battles ahead. 'I've always been interested in the Duchess of Richmond's ball, which actually featured quite a lot in my version of Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon,' explains Lord Fellowes, 70. 'I think the image of all those glamorous young people dressed up and dancing, with the duchess entertaining them, and then a couple of days later half the young men are dead, some still in the costumes they'd worn for the ball, is very powerful. 'It's a contrast between great privilege and great tragedy, with no real bridge in between.' Among the fictional guests at the ball are nouveau riche businessman James Trenchard (Philip Glenister), chief supplier of provisions to the Duke of Wellington's troops, his wife Anne and their daughter Sophia (Emily Reid). There Sophia catches the eye of Edmund, Lord Bellasis (Jeremy Neumark Jones), son and heir to the Earl of Brockenhurst, head of one of the most influential families in England. Within a year both Edmund and Sophia are dead he killed in battle and she in childbirth but the ill-fated union between the young cross-class couple will create scandal for generations to come. The plot then jumps 25 years into the future and follows the power struggles between families as secrets unfold among the upper echelons of London society, who reside behind the porticoed doors of Belgravia, then and still now one of London's grandest postcodes. In a key scene we see Anne, whose husband is hiding his own dark secret, weeping over a newborn baby while confessing, 'We chose a life of lies, and now those lies have returned to haunt us.' 'I think it's intriguing how people live with secrets and lies,' says Tamsin, 53. 'It's fascinating how you adapt to news and how that affects your relationships. 'But both Anne and her husband are capable of hiding information. Anne is described by Julian as "opaque", which I think is a telling adjective. 'She's someone who has a lot going on with the secret information she hides. It's about how you live as the seams of that fabrication are unpicked and you are then required to keep more secrets, and so the difficulties continue. 'If you're not open, you are sowing new seeds of potential devastation.' As with Downton Abbey, there's no hiding secrets from the staff below stairs, some of whom are on the make because in those days they had no pensions so they had to try to build up some money. Alice Eve as Susan, wearing the fashion of the day and carrying a mint green parasol to offer shade from the sun. She is one of the key players in Belgravia Salad for lunch... of CORSET is! Anne with Ellis (Saskia Reeves). Tamsin, who plays Anne, described the end of a day's filming as a relief because wearing the corset was so uncomfortable There has been much corset agony among the cast on the set of Belgravia so much so that at the end of each day's filming there would be a communal cry of relief. 'Wearing a corset is very hard work because you can't breathe, so you can't do anything strenuous,' laughs Tamsin Greig, who plays Anne Trenchard. 'You can't raise your arms, it's very difficult to go to the loo and you can't eat much because there's no space. 'But they do give you great posture! I have a dresser who loosens off the corset at lunchtimes, even though I only have salad. 'What's interesting is that in the bedroom scenes that I have with Philip [Glenister, who plays her husband James] there's a lot of sitting up and then lying down, and I realised that without the corset she can actually move. Something new comes out when you haven't got that physical constraint.' Producer Colin Wratten, best known for producing Killing Eve, recalls, 'On Downton they used to have a little cry of relief at the end of the day. 'If they'd had a day of dinner scenes they'd all go back to base, take their corsets off and have this little moment together. Belgravia's just the same.' Advertisement 'They're thinking how they can manipulate the information and allow it to work for themselves,' says Tamsin. 'Paul Ritter, who plays the butler, has this line where he says, "I'm not a rich man." That's the whole motivating force for him. He's pulled into, "What can I do with this information?" because he knows his days are numbered. 'It's not that he doesn't like his employers, he's just trying to survive.' The well-bred daughter of a country teacher, Anne loves her husband and enjoys his success without sharing his social ambitions. James is a self-made man and social climber of mountaineering proportions. He started out as a market trader but grasped the opportunity that war with Napoleon presented, becoming one of the principal suppliers to the Duke of Wellington. Anne (Tamsin Greig) is one of the key players in the sparkling six-part adaptation of Julian's 2016 novel of the same name, a story of secrets and dishonour in the early 19th century After the war, he joins master builders Thomas and William Cubitt in their construction of a new 'City of the Rich' in London Belgravia born out of the prosperity the Napoleonic Wars delivered. But while Belgravia is a byword for wealth, the aristocracy must now rub shoulders with their new neighbours, the middle classes, such as the Trenchards. 'Anne doesn't care about social climbing, she's not interested in status,' says Tamsin. 'Yet the Trenchards are upwardly mobile, part of this new echelon of the nouveau riche. Birth of the real Belgravia Originally a marshy area known as Five Fields, Belgravia in central London centres on an elegant enclave of squares and terraces close to Buckingham Palace comprised of white stucco-fronted townhouses fronted by black iron railings. It was built as an entire design concept by master builder Thomas Cubitt, who knew aristocrats would happily pay a small fortune to live on the doorstep of royalty. 'It's rather interesting to me that the Duchess of Cornwall is Cubitt's great-great-great-granddaughter, so it sort of ties it into the modern day,' says Julian Fellowes. 'Belgravia itself is unusual in London because it doesn't overlay any buildings from a more ancient time. 'Mayfair had reached its limits and here was the potential for a new, rich area. 'So they just mapped out and built Belgravia more or less as a single entity in the space of a few years. 'That gives it a uniformity that few other places in London can match. 'It was an instant city of the rich that was just plonked down in some marshy fields. 'And that is, in a sense, at the centre of the story. You had the palaces of Belgrave Square, but then you had the houses in Chapel Street leading into it that were basically for upper servants and managers who also had to be housed. 'So must the horses, so must the carriages, so must the staff who run the horses and the carriages.' However, because Belgravia today is largely occupied by embassies, the production crew had to film in other areas to accurately replicate it, such as Edinburgh's Georgian New Town. Advertisement 'Anne is trying to deal with a broken heart, and status and value don't give her enough to let go of that pain. I found that very compelling.' So what does she see in James? After all, she has, technically, married below her status. 'I discovered that, at that time, there were about half a million more women in the country than there were men, for various demographic and war-based reasons,' explains Tamsin. 'So I found it interesting that she's married this man, who some would say is not good enough for her. 'Philip brings ebullience, natural warmth and energy to the role, and if that's the sort of man he was when she met him as a teenager she would have been swept along by it.' Philip, 57, star of Life On Mars, Mad Dogs and Cranford, agrees with Tamsin. 'Basically, I'd say that Anne Trenchard is quite happy to have the OBE but James won't stop until he gets the knighthood. 'He's become a very successful property dealer and is rather enjoying the excesses that brings. Fortunately his wife keeps him in check. 'On the eve of Waterloo, Wellington refers to him as 'the magician', which is the sort of thing James will let everyone know about.' But it doesn't necessarily win him social acceptance with people like Lady Brockenhurst (Dame Harriet Walter) in the upper levels of society. Once a great beauty, Lady Brockenhurst hides her sadness about losing her son Edmund behind a carapace of aristocratic hauteur, which feeds her sense of superiority. Together with her husband Peregrine, Lord Brockenhurst (Tom Wilkinson), she's lived her life according to an unquestioned code. 'When James comes across people like Lady Brockenhurst it becomes a bit sticky, because he's fawning up to her and she just sees him as coarse,' says Philip. The Trenchards' son Oliver, played by Richard Goulding (who appeared as Prince Harry in the first two series of The Windsors), desires everything his father has but is not prepared to work for it, and his marriage to the beautiful but petulant Susan is an unhappy one. The ball where it all begins The first episode opens at the opulent and now legendary ball that was hosted by the Duchess of Richmond in Brussels on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras during the Napoleonic Wars (pictured) Sophia Trenchard and Edmund, Lord Bellasis, pictured, fall for each other at the Duchess of Richmonds ball on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo. Its the legacy of their doomed romance that sets in motion the events of Belgravia Advertisement 'Oliver's got a temper and he flies off the handle, so I spend most of my time storming out of rooms and slamming doors,' says Richard. THE LADY CAUGHT IN A TUG OF LOVE The stunning Lady Maria Grey (Ella Purnell) Another central plotline is the love affair between the stunning Lady Maria Grey and dashing young entrepreneur Charles Pope. Maria's mother Lady Templemore is determined that a good marriage is made, and has identified John Bellasis heir to an earldom as an eligible match. But Maria dislikes John's pompous pride and selfishness and sees Charles as a soulmate. 'She's trying to figure out her own heart,' Ella Purnell explains. 'She doesn't care about social expectations and the class system. 'She meets Charles and falls in love with him after her engagement to John has been verbally agreed. 'Her mother becomes very suspicious as marrying John is like winning the jackpot. It would mean financial security for life so there's a lot of emotional blackmail.' Good-hearted Charles is wrong-footed by Maria's interest, though. 'He falls head over heels in love with her quite quickly,' says Jack Bardoe. 'He's completely in awe of her. But because she's from a completely different strata of society he doesn't want to sacrifice her reputation by pursuing a romance. 'So these two elements create a nice little bit of dramatic conflict.' Handsome Charles Pope (Jack Bardoe) Advertisement 'But I try to do it differently every time! I think he'd like to be a serial womaniser if he had the confidence, but Susan is quite fierce and wears the trousers. They've been married 11 years and they're still living with his parents. There is no child yet but they need an heir.' It seems Susan is unable to have children. 'She has extra-marital sex and tries to have a baby with someone else, but because it was a very class-driven society and he's above her in station he could make or break her,' says Alice Eve, who has appeared in Black Mirror and Agatha Christie's Ordeal By Innocence. 'Julian explained to me how, for women like Susan, society was a career for them. It wasn't just a game, it was actually the way they kept themselves housed. 'This story is about the birth of a new industrial class, and new money infiltrating society, and how they covered up the sex and the illegitimate children that occurred when a whole new bunch of people started coming to the grand parties. 'Susan has a lot of respect for Anne and James because they lost a child, and there's no greater tragedy than that. 'The relationship with Anne is the meat of the character. It's so complex and so female, and there's so much being exchanged between them that's really juicy to play.' Meanwhile, Oliver is preoccupied with his rival in his father's business affairs, the dashing young entrepreneur Charles Pope (Jack Bardoe), who's determined to make his mark in this new world. 'Oliver's got no instinct for his father's business and he's lazy, all he wants is to live in the country, ride horses and go shooting,' says Richard. 'Charles is his rival and Oliver is vying with him for his father's attention.' Julian Fellowes is thrilled with the new series. 'I felt six hours was a lovely space to tell this story in,' he says. 'I'm always interested in periods of great social mobility and the years after Waterloo, into the beginning years of Queen Victoria's reign, were a time of tremendous change. 'There was the expansion of empire and certain industries and the coming of the railway. 'The whole country was in a state of flux, and that's what this story is about. You've got the Trenchards, part of the new people, and on the other side you've got the Brockenhursts, part of old society. 'They would have been great a hundred years before, but in a sense the Trenchards are ahead of them. 'They're part of the developing country whereas the Brockenhursts are looking back to a less complicated time for their own kind. 'So we exploit this, because there's a relationship between the Trenchards' daughter and the Brockenhursts' son at the time of Waterloo, and the consequences of that relationship are what the story is about.' Does he think viewers will make comparisons with the success of Downton Abbey? 'They can if they wish, but it's a very different period of history. I have a sort of scattergun policy in that I try and do a lot of things, and I hope some of them land. 'I don't expect everything to win prizes, but I think you just have to bang on and keep going and keep doing your best.' Belgravia will air next month on ITV. Healthcare workers transfer a patient at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, into an ambulance as tests continue for the coronavirus: Getty Images A woman in her late thirties who recently travelled to Iran has been confirmed as New York's first coronavirus case. A statement from Governor Andrew Cuomo's office confirmed the case on Sunday night but did not reveal the exact location of the woman. However, The New York Times reported the woman is being quarantined in her home in Manhattan raising fears the epidemic will take hold of the city. Governor Cuomo tried to urge calm and said the case did not come as a surprise to the authorities. He added residents have "no reason for undue anxiety". "This evening we learned of the first positive case of novel coronavirus - or COVID-19 - in New York State," the statement said. "The patient, a woman in her late thirties, contracted the virus while travelling abroad in Iran, and is currently isolated in her home. The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York. "The positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround, and is exactly why I advocated for the approval from Vice President Pence that New York was granted just yesterday. "There is no cause for surprise - this was expected. As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York. "Last week I called for the Legislature to pass a $40 million emergency management authorization to confront this evolving situation - I look forward to its swift passage. "There is no reason for undue anxiety -- the general risk remains low in New York. We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available." His statement came as two further cases of the flue-like respiratory illness were confirmed on the West Coast. Story continues Two health workers tested positive in the San Francisco Bay Area after being exposed to a sick patient. They were also being quarantined in their homes. More than 70 cases have now been reported across the country with new cases confirmed in Chicago and Rhode Island earlier on Sunday. Stock markets plummeted last week in reaction to the crisis with more than $5 trillion wiped off the value of stocks worldwide. Read more Steve Bannon: Coronavirus is Trump's 'Churchill moment' Inside the town where the first US coronavirus victim died Rhode Island treating 'presumptive' coronavirus patient 'Has he no shame?' Biden slams Trump over coronavirus 'hoax' claim Can I be sent home due to coronavirus? We will all suffer thanks to Trump's attitude towards coronavirus US could see more coronavirus deaths, admits Pence The recently appointed Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) director-general Rachel Noble has appointed Abigail Bradshaw as the new head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). Noble was previously ACSC head and left at the end of January for the ASD role replacing Mike Burgess, who departed in September to take on the leadership of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). Bradshaw began her career as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy and has served in a range of other senior roles in Home Affairs and in the National Security Division in PM&C. Ms Bradshaw has deep experience in crisis management and incident response, having served as the Deputy Commander Maritime Border Command at the height of the people smuggling trade, as well as her current role as the Deputy Coordinator of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, Noble said. Cyber threats in Australia continue to increase in sophistication. Ms Bradshaw has the proven experience to continue the ACSCs commitment to ensuring Australia is the safest place to connect online. Bradshaw said she was delighted to be returning to the Defence Portfolio, bringing my crisis management experience, and domestic and international connections to this exciting role in ASD. Meanwhile, Linda Geddes has been appointed deputy director-general SIGINT and network operations effective 16 March. Ben Staughton has been the acting deputy director-general since January. She is currently the Commonwealth counter-terrorism coordinator and brings counter-terrorism and national security experience to the role. She has previously held senior roles with Home Affairs, PM&C and ONI, has served in ASD, New Zealands GCSB, and served for 11 years in the Australian Army. I am very excited to be returning to ASD. I have had the privilege of working in this great organisation twice before, both as a member of the ADF and as a public servant, and I look forward to renewing old relationships and making new ones. I also look forward to working with Director-General Noble once more, Geddes said. Both candidates in the Labour leadership contest have said the party has "lost the trust" of voters and "failed to present clear and coherent solutions" to the issues that most affect Irish society. Alan Kelly and Aodhan O Riordain were speaking at the first of five head-to-head debates in Cork last night to decide who will replace Brendan Howlin as leader of the party. Mr Kelly said that "in the crowded environment of opposition of the left, many people simply no longer know what we stand for and dont factor us in". The Tipperary TD said that a "discerning electorate" and that it was an electorate that "only nine months ago, solidly rejected Sinn Fein". "We have failed as a party to seize those key moments because we failed to present clear and coherent solutions to the issues that society is feeling most anxiety about; housing, health, education and public services." "These are the moments when the electorate is open to persuasion and you have to be in there with passionate spokespeople presenting solutions that are supported by Councillors and party representatives on the ground. In order to be in a position to capture those moments, we have to be relevant. Currently, we simply are not," he said. On a similar theme, Mr O Riordain said that the party had "lost the trust and confidence of voters" and was "hamstrung by the sense that the public has about out party". "The political landscape is changing quickly, and our proud history no longer guarantees us a place in the future. We have lost the trust and confidence of voters, and we must fight to win back that trust." We want the Irish people to trust us again. We cant do that if we merely come up with the same answers Ive heard ever since I first became a member of the Labour Party. Knock on more doors; work harder; get back into the communities. Of course we need to build on our values, but working harder on its own is not enough," he said. The party suffered its worst ever general election result last month, winning just six seats. Exports fell to 46,000 tonnes in the week of February 22-28, from 200,000 tonnes a week earlier. Ukraine, the worlds top exporter of sunflower oil, increased its seaborne exports of the commodity by around 63% so far in the 2019/20 season, preliminary data from the APK-Inform consultancy showed on Monday. Seaport exports of sunflower oil totaled 2.483 million tonnes so far in the 2019/20 season, which runs from August to September, up from 1.521 million tonnes in the same period the previous season, Reuters reports citing the consultancy. Exports fell to 46,000 tonnes in the week of February 22-28, from 200,000 tonnes a week earlier, the consultancy said. Read alsoUkrainian farmers export over 40 mln tonnes of grain since July 1 Ukraine exported 6.063 million tonnes of sunflower oil in the previous crop season in 2018-19, according to the Ukrainian sunflower oil producers' association. As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine in 2019 updated its historical record of agri-exports, having supplied to foreign markets agricultural products worth US$22.4 billion, which was almost 20% up from 2018. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 22:41:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, March 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 people were killed when a bus overturned in Eastern Cape Province on Monday morning, authorities said. The bus was travelling from Chebe to Butterworth when it went down the gravel road to a ravine, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said. The driver reportedly lost control of the bus in the bushes down a steep area, RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said. The exact cause of the crash was still under investigation, said Zwane. Rescuers were retrieving bodies from the scene where at least 10 bodies were scatterd, appearing to have been thrown from the bus when it rolled. As the rescue operation was still going on, the death toll was expected to rise, rescuers said. The accident was believed to be the worst in South Africa in years. Road accidents are common in South Africa which has the poor road safety records. ALBANY Tall smokestacks loom over Sheridan Hollow, a predominantly black, low-income neighborhood, emanating clouds of steam from the burning of energy-producing fuels that to heat and cool the nearby Empire State Plaza. Since the Sheridan Hollow Steam Plant was built in 1911, advocates say, the neighborhood has been exposed to extreme pollution from the burning of everything from coal to garbage to natural gas and diesel fuel, all of which has contributed to disproportionate rates of serious health issues, such as cancer and asthma, in the small community. "What's the impact of having daily ingestion of the burning of carcinogenic material?" asked Merton Simpson, Albany County legislator and co-chair of the Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy (SHARE). "The levels of cancer for people who live close (to the plant) is devastating. We want to give people a graphic, granular understanding of exactly how extensive the problem is, but also the fact there are things that can be done if only people are conscious of the seriousness." A demonstration of the health issues Sheridan Hollow residents face is coming to the Albany Barn on Friday with an exhibition on climate injustice. Put together by the Humanities Action Lab, a coalition of universities that produces projects on social issues, the exhibit will showcase 22 cities in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Mexico that suffer from environmental racism. Albany's Sheridan Hollow neighborhood a narrow strip sandwiched between Arbor Hill and Capitol Hill is one of the communities to be highlighted with a short documentary and installation produced by Skidmore College students. "The exhibition is a good next step to our continued advocacy to the Governor to move toward the environmental goals he verbally staged for himself," Simpson said, referring to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act signed into law last year which lays out goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in New York. "Our larger agenda is to use the Empire State Plaza Effort ... to be an example of sustainability for the rest of the state and the world." The fight for cleaner air is a familiar one to Sheridan Hollow residents. The steam plant neighboring their homes has billowed out toxic fumes from burning various fuels for over a century. Beginning in 1981, the neighborhood was routinely covered with black soot from the newly installed ANSWERS facility at the plant, which incinerated garbage. It wasn't until the yard at the Governor's Mansion was coated with the same soot that the part of the plant was finally shut down in 1994, despite rallying cries from advocates for years prior to find an alternative, clean energy option. And when the New York Power Authority came forward in 2015 with a proposal to burn natural gas from fracking in the power plant, residents and environmental activists pushed back. "From then to now we've been advocating on a monthly basis that (Gov. Andrew Cuomo) consider viable alternatives," Simpson said. SHARE was formed in 2017 and delivered a petition with 3,500 signatures to Cuomo and the power authority by the following year to consider alternative energy options. The state came back in September with a plan to get half of the necessary power for Empire State Plaza through a remote solar array built on state-owned land near the former Oneida County airport, while also upgrading the systems currently in place. But SHARE says that's not enough, and is pushing for the use of 100% renewable energy resources to power the plaza. "This is energy segregation communities that produce the energy and are separate from the people who benefit," said Andrew Schneller, assistant professor of environmental studies and sciences at Skidmore who led students on the SHARE project. "Residents' health has suffered greatly over the last 100 years. This new proposal.... to put more fossil fuel infrastructure into the neighborhood was just another insult to an existing environmental injustice community." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The students produced a 12-minute documentary that chronicles the neighborhood's struggle with the power plant. They interviewed 10 community members in Sheridan Hollow who have been affected by cancer, either directly themselves, or through a family member. Also part of their installation is a 5-by-5 panel that includes virtual reality and immersive experiences in sound. "So you're basically going to be transported to these sites of environmental injustices around the world to learn that climate injustice is not just happening in Albany, but what's happening in Detroit, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, Newark, Los Angeles," Schneller said. "We're going to have groups of high school and college students, the media and decision makers coming to see Albany is within this larger theme of cities that are trying to adopt more renewable energy projects in order to protect our climate and marginalized communities." Schneller and Simpson both said they hope putting the struggle in that larger, global context will motivate policymakers to take more affirmative action. On the final day of the exhibition, March 21, a group of student researchers will give decision makers more inspiration by presenting a proposal on how the Empire State Plaza could be powered with 100% renewable energy resources such as solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal sources. "We've lost enough lives," said one community member interviewed in the documentary. "How many more do we need to lose before (Cuomo) decides to say it's not a go?" By Express News Service KOCHI: In a major development in the beauty parlour firing case here, underworld don Ravi Pujari has admitted that he awarded the contract for threatening actress Leena Maria Paul and extorting money from her, according to the Crime Branch (CB) officials. Pujari, who is currently under the custody of Karnataka Police in Bengaluru, had been interrogated by the CB officials for the past three days. He is the first accused in the shooting case. The underworld don has admitted that he conspired to extort money from the actor, who had allegedly amassed a big sum of money from hawala deals in Kochi, and his gang had opened fire after she ignored his earlier warnings. The task had been assigned to Saleem of Changanassery who is still on the run. Recently, the CBI had issued a lookout notice against Leena Paul for attempting to extort money from a Hyderabad-based businessman. A team led by Crime Branch ADGP Tomin J Thachankary reached Bengaluru to interrogate Pujari. According to the officials, they received crucial information on the involvement of the underworld don in the case. The team left Bengaluru on Sunday. However, bringing Ravi Pujari to Kochi for evidence collection as part of the inquiry will be delayed. Currently, the Karnataka Police are interrogating the don who is booked in at least 46 cases registered in Bengaluru alone. Pujari, who was brought to India on February 24, has been remanded in police custody till March 7. The Karnataka Police are likely to seek extension of his custody. Besides, the gangster has cases against him in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Hence, the evidence collection in the beauty parlour shooting case might be delayed, according to the officers. We had interacted with the Karnataka Police. Currently, Pujari is under their custody. We have received vital clues and the details will be disclosed later, said Tomin J Thachankary. According to the prosecution case, on December 15 last year, two unidentified persons had fired shots at the beauty parlour situated in the high-end Panampilly Nagar locality here. Later, it emerged that underworld don Pujari was behind the act. The Crime Branch, after taking over the probe, identified and arrested Bilal of Aluva and Vipin of Kochu Kadavanthra who had fired the gunshots. With two positive cases of the new coronavirus in the country, Maharashtra legislators on Monday expressed concerns over the outbreak and rumour-mongering over its transmission. State public health minister Rajesh Tope assured the legislators there was no need to panic. There is no reason to be afraid of coronavirus. In Maharashtra, no one is affected with it. We have started screening passengers at vulnerable points such as airport. More than 61,939 passengers from 12 countries have been screened at airports alone, the health minister said in the state Assembly. The state has set up a control room in Pune to deal with any situation. People can dial 104 to get all details about the epidemic. We have also set up isolated wards in each district and our health workers are using N95 mask which is effective in protecting people from getting affected with coronavirus, he said. Meanwhile, the state animal husbandry department has filed a complaint with the cyber police against rumours related to the coronavirus. The poultry industry is badly impacted with a rumour that consuming chicken may lead to coronavirus. The government is trying to check who started this rumour, said animal husbandry minister Sunil Kedar, in the lower House. The legislative Council will conduct a special sitting on Tuesday morning to discuss measures the state can take to prevent the outbreak and take stock of the preparations by the state. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Congress legislators Praniti Shinde, Amin Patel, NCP legislator Rohit Pawar and other legislators raised concerns over the epidemic. Patel claimed the screening of passengers at airports is not satisfactory and requested the health minister to visit the Mumbai airport, which Tope agreed to. Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, chairman of the Council, said, A special sitting of 30 minutes is scheduled for Tuesday morning to discuss Maharashtras preparedness. He made the announcement after senior Congress legislator Sharad Ranpise moved a point of propriety to discuss the issue on Monday. Hong Kong: Smooth return of public services The Government announced that departments and bureaus resumed more public services today in a smooth and orderly manner. Secretaries of departments and directors of bureaus visited departments under their purview to learn more about targeted measures implemented to protect their staff and the publics health. Flexible working hours have been introduced for staff using public transport during peak hours to minimise social contact. A roster system has been adopted to reduce the number of staff working in an office at any one time and staggered lunch hours have been arranged. With regard to the COVID-19 situation, the Government has implemented various infection control measures at government buildings and offices to reduce the risk of infection and the spread of the virus. Such measures include enhanced cleansing of public facilities, such as lifts and escalators, checking the body temperature of people entering government buildings, and providing alcohol hand sanitiser. Bureaus and departments have also restricted the number of visitors at any one time via scheduled appointments, quota system and drop boxes. The Government said it will stay vigilant as fighting the epidemic remains its top priority. It added that bureaus and departments will continue to implement strategies to reduce social contact and encourage infection control as it gradually resumes more public services. This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Monday, March 2nd, 2020 (12:23 pm) - Score 3,378 The Leeds City Council in Yorkshire has today signed a new 20.3m partnership with BT (Openreach), which will see the latter build a new local full fibre network to connect hundreds of schools, NHS and other public sector sites across the city. A new fund will also be setup to support community broadband initiatives. We had originally expected that Cityfibre might pick-up the related Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) contract for this, not least since they already have a 117km long Dark Fibre network in part of the city and are currently investing 120m to roll-out a new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to local homes and businesses (due to complete by 2025). On the other hand Openreach (BT) also has a significant FTTP roll-out in Leeds and Virgin Media have similarly spent the past few years extending their own hybrid fibre coax and full fibre network in the area. In fact we recall that the the council already spends around 1.2m per annum on Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity under the current PSN contract with VirginMedia Business, but that only delivers sub-Gigabit speeds. The local council is understood to have engaged with all three operators (and possibly some others) but in the end they awarded it to BT, which now aims to make Leeds the largest gigabit and 5G capable city outside of London. All of this will be done without increasing what the council currently spends on network services. As a result of this deal the new gigabit speed full fibre network will work to reach every school in the district (around 285 sites), as well as extending the technology to 293 council-owned buildings and 156 NHS buildings. Local council housing across the city is also expected to be connected by the new network. Tom Riordan CBE, CEO of Leeds City Council, said: We are committed to combating the digital divide experienced across the city, and recognise the importance of getting the right technology and infrastructure in achieving this. We are therefore pleased to announce our collaboration with BT today, with plans of a wide-reaching, future-proofed 5G eco-system to improve digital connectivity. By helping to accelerate the wider roll out of full fibre networks across the city, we will be encouraging major organisations and businesses to continue to see Leeds as an extremely attractive location for inward investment. Sarah Walker, BT Enterprise Director (North of England), said: Our world-class full fibre network will establish Leeds as one of the UKs digital leaders, by bringing ultrafast broadband speeds to people and businesses across the city as well as underpinning the widespread roll out of 5G mobile services. We are pleased to be providing further support to local residents and businesses through a series of initiatives aimed at equipping those people most in need with the essential digital skills needed to get fit for the future. Digital technology is transforming every element of the way we live. In a world where everyday life and work increasingly depend on technology, digital skills can be the difference between getting ahead or being left behind. The Leeds Full Fibre Programme will apparently use these new sites to help accelerate the wider roll-out of faster, more reliable broadband to nearby residential and commercial properties (obviously that will form part of a separate commercial investment). On top of that, from 2023, the 5G mobile infrastructure that BT (EE) plans to deliver will support the roll-out of 5G mobile coverage to 70% of Leeds and approximately 81% of the citys council houses. The council also intends to explore new 5G products and services, which can be rolled out across the city to take advantage of the improved connectivity. Finally, BT said they will create a flexible fund, co-governed by the council, to support community initiatives across the city and will also support residents by exploring low-cost connectivity options for households most in need, with a focus on council housing. A second man has died from coronavirus in the United States, officials have confirmed. The victim a man in his 70s died in Washington state on Saturday, the same state where the countrys first victim also died. Researchers fear the covid-19 virus may have been circulating in the Seattle area for weeks, with two more men in their 60s also in critical condition. Authorities said both victims had underlying health conditions and were treated at a hospital in Kirkland, Washington. Two healthcare workers in California have also been diagnosed with the disease, while elsewhere, authorities announced a third case in Illinois and the first cases in New York state. Worried Americans have swarmed shops to stock up on basic goods such as bottled water, canned foods and toilet paper. US Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar sought to reassure the American public that the federal government is working to make sure state and local authorities are able to test for the virus. Both said during a round of TV talk show appearances on Sunday that thousands more testing kits had been distributed to state and local officials, with thousands more to come. They should know we have the best public health system in the world looking out for them, Mr Azar said, adding that additional cases will be reported and the overall risk to Americans is low. As Americans prepared, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre and the University of Washington said they had evidence the virus may have been circulating in the state for up to six weeks undetected. This could mean there are hundreds of undiagnosed cases in the area. They posted their research online but it was not published in a scientific journal or reviewed by other scientists. Trevor Bedford, an associate professor who announced the preliminary findings on the virus in Washington state, said on Twitter on Saturday that genetic similarities between the states first case on January 20 and a case announced on Friday indicated the newer case may have descended from the earlier one. The January 20 case was the first known case in the US and Mr Bedford said: I believe were facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China. There are now more than 80,000 cases of Covid-19 worldwide and about 3,000 deaths. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the Cobra committee later on Monday to discuss the outbreak in Britain. GARDAI have been granted court orders allowing them to destroy two cars which were seized a number of years ago and whose owners have not come forward to claim them. Both cars have been in the possession of gardai since they were seized and the granting of the orders clears the way for them to be disposed of. Making an application under the provisions of the Police Property Act, Garda Sean Buckley told Limerick District Court that one of the cars was seized in the Dooradoyle area of the city on November 29, 2017. He said the vehicle, which is not registered in Ireland, was abandoned near the entrance to Kilteragh and had to be towed away by gardai as it was causing an obstruction to traffic entering the estate. Inspector Padraig Sutton said efforts to locate the registered owners have proved unsuccessful and that the vehicle is no longer roadworthy and has a nominal value. Making an application in relation to the second car a high-powered Volvo S60 Garda Shane Graham said it was seized in 2018 during investigations into a series of theft offences which occurred around that time. He told Judge Marian OLeary it was subsequently established the car was falsely registered and that it has not been possible to identify or locate the owner of the Volvo since. No further details relating to the investigation or the the circumstances surrounding the seizure were disclosed in open court. We dont know who the owner is, said Insp Sutton who added that the Volvo is not roadworthy. There were no objections. A week after deadly communal riots in the national capital claimed the lives of at least 46 people, filmmaker Rohit Shetty has said that the best thing for Indian to do in this situation is stay silent. He was speaking at the trailer launch of his upcoming cop drama, Sooryavanshi, in Mumbai. Shetty was quoted as saying by PTI, Its a very serious issue and a lot of people are talking about it. The best thing right now for all of us would be to stay calm. Our officials, the government, our people are there... Its easy to talk about what people have gone through there while doing an event here. So, the best thing, right now, for entire India would be to stay silent. In the violence that broke out in the north-east region of Delhi between February 23 and February 25, at least 46 people were killed. The Delhi Police has registered 254 FIRs and arrested or detained 903 persons in connection with the violence so far, according to PTI. Shetty said that riots were scary, but said that the chief minister and others were doing all that they could to control the situation. Everyones been talking and the chaos is increasing. If we stay quiet, things will fall in place. Theres a chief minister, others are there. Has anyone seen riots? Youll be s**t scared. One should never engage in it. I can give a lecture, people will praise me on social media. But right now, we all should stay silent about it for a few days... Until it is sorted, lets us not speak, he said. Also see: Ranveer Singh falls at Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgns feet as he is late for Sooryavanshi trailer launch, watch video At the trailer launch, Shetty was also asked whether his Singham films and Simmba glorified police brutality and encounters. However, he denied the allegations and said that his films did not contain any police brutality. Police brutality hai hi nahin meri film mein. Tu galat film dekh ke aayi hai (Theres no police brutality in my film. You have watched the wrong film). Wrong question, he told reporters. Sooryavanshi features Akshay Kumar in the eponymous role, as Anti-Terror Squad chief DCP Veer Sooryavanshi. The film will see him trying to prevent a deadly attack in Mumbai, with the help of Ajay Devgns Inspector Bajirao Singham and Ranveer Singhs Inspector Sangram Bhalerao. Katrina Kaif plays a doctor and Akshays wife in Sooryavanshi. The film will hit the theatres on March 24. Follow @htshowbiz for more Some places are still waiting for the full impact. Chile counts China as its biggest trading partner, with copper its largest export. But the South American country has tried to diversify, and cherries have become important exports. During the Lunar New Year holiday, Chilean farmers ship large containers of cherries to China, catching a window when the United States is out of season. The agri-food sector has been, up to date, the most exposed one, said Rodrigo Yanez, vice minister for trade in Chile. Copper exports have already been hit by the trade war between the United States and China and the lower commodity prices that resulted. For all its growing purchasing power, China remains a force in manufacturing, the industry that propelled it to prosperity. Mr. Smerling, who owns the travel gear company LCI Brands, has long depended on China as a supplier, even though the trade war between the United States and China made it more expensive to buy from there. His company was hit by three rounds of tariffs last year. Now Mr. Smerling cant even reach some of his suppliers. Information is sparse, he said, and he doesnt trust everyone is being forthcoming. We dont know what is truth, what is propaganda and what is bald-face lies, Mr. Smerling said. He believes at least one supplier is misleading him so that he will put down a deposit with the company. Everyone, he said, is desperate for money. When he is able to gather information, the news is not good. Some workers have returned to their factories as the Chinese government tries to get the economy restarted, but they are under 14-day quarantines in their dormitories. Some factories say they will be online by March 15. For others, April looks more realistic, he said. Artificial intelligence (AI) may help improve the efficiency and precision in sleep medicine, resulting in more patient-centred care and better outcomes, according to researchers. The data collected during polysomnography -- the most comprehensive type of sleep study -- is well-positioned for enhanced analysis through AI and machine-assisted learning, according to a statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "When we typically think of AI in sleep medicine, the obvious use case is for the scoring of sleep and associated events," said lead author and committee Chair Cathy Goldstein. "This would streamline the processes of sleep laboratories and free up sleep technologist time for direct patient care," said Goldstein, an associate professor at the University of Michigan in the US. Because of the vast amounts of data collected by sleep centres, AI and machine learning could advance sleep care, resulting in more accurate diagnoses, according to the statement published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. AI could also boost prediction of disease and treatment prognosis, characterisation of disease subtypes, precision in sleep scoring, and optimisation and personalisation of sleep treatments, the statement said. Goldstein noted that AI could be used to automate sleep scoring while identifying additional insights from sleep data. "AI could allow us to derive more meaningful information from sleep studies, given that our current summary metrics, for example, the apnea-hypopnea index, are not predictive of the health and quality of life outcomes that are important to patients," she said. "Additionally, AI might help us understand mechanisms underlying obstructive sleep apnea, so we can select the right treatment for the right patient at the right time, as opposed to one-size-fits-all or trial and error approaches," Goldstein said. The researchers noted that important considerations for the integration of AI into the sleep medicine practice include transparency and disclosure, testing on novel data, and laboratory integration. The statement recommends that manufacturers disclose the intended population and goal of any programme used in the evaluation of patients. They should also test programmes intended for clinical use on independent data, and aid sleep centres in evaluation of AI-based software performance, the researchers said. "AI tools hold great promise for medicine in general, but there has also been a great deal of hype, exaggerated claims and misinformation," Goldstein explained. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Antakya, Turkey Amid heavy Russian bombardment, clashes are continuing between Syrian government forces and armed opposition groups in the strategic northwestern city of Saraqeb in Syrias Idlib province. On Monday, Syrian state news agency SANA said government forces had wrested control of the city back from the rebels and pledged to confront the flagrant Turkish aggression. The town has changed hands more than once. Syrian forces, backed by Russia, entered Saraqeb and established control over it on February 8, before being pushed out by Turkish-backed armed opposition groups on February 27. According to a SANA correspondent, government forces entered Saraqeb on Monday after fierce clashes with terrorist organizations backed by the Turkish regime and are working to comb the city of what have been left behind by terrorists. However, Al Jazeeras correspondent in the nearby town of Binnish, Adham al-Hussam, said the situation in Saraqeb had not been decided yet, with street battles continuing and neither side able to hold the city. Its a very fluid situation, al-Hussam said. The rebel groups are in control of the western area of Saraqeb and cant get to the area on the eastern side known as the industrial zone where Syrian government forces have positions and have been in control. Street battles in Saraqeb, where neither side is able to hold the city, continued [Ghaith Alsayed/AP Photo] Battles very fluid In the three months since President Bashar al-Assads forces intensified their military push on Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria, Saraqeb has emptied of its residents and resembles a ghost town today. Across northwest Syria, more than 950,000 civilians have fled the offensive, seeking shelter in overcrowded camps or struggling to put together woefully inadequate shelters near the Turkish border. Turkey which hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees and is wary of admitting in any more sent its troops into Idlib to stop the Syrian government forces rapid advance in the province. Idlib was designated a de-escalation zone in a 2018 agreement between Turkey and Russia, who back opposing sides. Ankara has repeatedly demanded that al-Assads forces withdraw beyond a line of Turkish observation points set up under the deal. On Sunday, it launched a military operation against al-Assads forces following the killing of dozens of its soldiers in the previous days. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Tariq Solaq, a first lieutenant and commander of the opposition fighters Saraqeb operations, said: Overall, the situation is under control. Most of the battles are taking place east of Saraqeb near the industrial area, he said. The battles are very fluid and sometimes the regime forces succeed in advancing and taking control of one area before losing it again after an hour or so. Control over the highways can shift the dynamics of the conflict [Izzeddin Idilbi/Anadolu] Strategic importance Saraqeb lies at the junction of the vital M5 and M4 highways; the former connects the capital, Damascus, to the countrys second city and economic hub of Aleppo. The latter connects Aleppo to the pro-Assad coastal city of Latakia. Both roads are considered important commercial and trade routes and, under the 2018 Sochi agreement, were supposed to be free of military activity by armed opposition groups and Syrian government forces. They were also meant to be patrolled jointly by Russia and Turkey, to allow trade to continue. Control of the highways by the government forces or opposition fighters can shift the dynamics of the conflict in their favour. Capturing Saraqeb will mean that whoever is in charge of the highways will be able to determine whether the other side can use it, Haid Haid, a senior researcher at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera. For that reason, the Syrian regime has, for the past few weeks, captured most of the M5 highway between Damascus and Aleppo and has been trying to recently capture the M4 that goes all the way to Latakia. Such strategic gains would give the controlling side political leverage and the ability to impose conditions in future negotiations at the international level. Haid said the Syrian governments recent gains in Saraqeb are the result of the mobilisation of regime forces from other areas to focus on fighting in Saraqeb and Russian air support. That was not the case in the past two days, he explained. There wasnt any significant Russian air support for the Syrian regime and thats why the regime was losing. Whether that support will remain active will determine the ability of regime forces to advance or at least maintain whatever they have achieved. Erdogan said he has no interest in a conflict with Russia [Ahmet H Hatib/Anadolu] Ramping up the fighting Cautious diplomatic outreach between Turkey and Russia has seen them discuss the situation in Idlib several times. On Monday, Turkeys presidential office confirmed an upcoming meeting between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to discuss developments in Syria. Speaking at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan said he has no interest in a conflict with Russia and expressed his hope that Ankara and Moscow will find a solution. In a statement, the Kremlin stressed that Russia attaches great importance to cooperation with our Turkish partners. According to Haid, the leadup to the Erdogan-Putin meeting will see fighting in Idlib ramp up as both sides seek to cement or add to gains. If you look at whats happening on the ground right now, it seems like both actors are trying to make as many gains on the ground as possible in order to increase their leverage before the summit takes place, he said. This indicates that there is no clear understanding of what the outcome of the summit will be like, but that if Turkey fails to reach an accepted outcome then they will not only lose domestic support but also their reputation as a regional power. CHEYENNE A Wyoming senator is objecting to a trio of nominees to the states Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics and the state Board of Medicine on the grounds they dont embody Wyoming values. One of the nominees responded by saying the objection might stem from his LGBTQ advocacy work and the commissions decision to censure a judge who stated an unwillingness to perform a same-sex marriage several years ago. In a hand-written letter to Gov. Mark Gordon this week, Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, singled out all three of the governors nominees to the commission on the grounds they have demonstrated the inability to remain impartial in the areas they would oversee, according to a copy of the letter obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Star-Tribune. Those nominees included Cheyenne-area OB-GYN Dr. Rene Hinkle to the Wyoming Board of Medicine and Keren Meister-Emerich and Ryan McConnaughey to the Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics. Meister-Emerich is a Wyoming League of Women Voters member and educator, and McConnaughey is a former legislative spokesman and staffer for Rep. Cynthia Lummis who currently works for the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. It is my hope that you would consider replacing them with candidates more in step with Wyoming values, Steinmetz wrote. Those three were the only of the 79 nominees to be objected to prior to Mondays vote. Ahead of Monday evenings confirmation vote, Gordon contacted all three nominees to alert them that some potential controversy could arise in the Senate regarding their nomination hearings, including the possibility of a potential debate over their nominations a rarity for a process often considered to be a formality in filling dozens of vacancies on the states volunteer boards and commissions. He wanted them to be aware so that if they were uncomfortable with that, they could withdraw their names, said Betsy Anderson, legal counsel for the governors office. At no point, a spokesman for the governor said, did he directly ask any nominee to withdraw their names. I stand strongly behind each of the men and women I have nominated to state offices, boards and commissions, Gordon said in a statement to the Star-Tribune. Reached in the Capitol on Monday morning, Steinmetz declined to elaborate on her reasons for opposing the nominees or to offer an explanation of the phrase Wyoming values, referring all of a reporters questions to the text of her letter. Exactly what I said in my letter, she said. Youre welcome to read it, and Im not going to infer anything else into it. But youre welcome to read it. In a phone interview Monday morning, McConnaughey who previously acted as a spokesperson for Republican House and Senate members said he has not recently spoken to Steinmetz, though he speculated she objected to his pursuit of one of six citizen roles on the board due to his LGBTQ advocacy work. The first hed heard of the letter, he said, was when the governor called him about it on Sunday night. Id be interested to see what the reasons are for saying I dont represent Wyoming values, McConnaughey said. From what I understand, its apparently my radical LGBT agenda, and I dont know what that is. But apparently, I have one. The opposition to his nomination, McConnaughey said, likely stemmed from a 2015 decision by the commission to file a complaint against a judge in Sublette County for a statement to a local news reporter about their unwillingness to perform a same-sex marriage, a decision that has still left sore feelings with many in the religious right. Steinmetz was a vocal supporter of the judge at the time, writing in a blog post for the Wyoming Pastors Network that the decision by the commission violates her rights to the free exercise of religion and free speech under both the Wyoming and U.S. Constitutions. Under the Wyoming Constitution, the Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics which includes six members of the public in addition to six members of the legal community would be in charge of recommending judges for disciplinary action in cases of misconduct. McConnaughey, who has no legal experience and has never served on the board, said he has been working to gain a seat on the board since Gov. Matt Meads administration on the recommendation of the boards executive director, Wendy Soto, whom he met while attending Leadership Wyoming. For me, it was about being able to do some service to the state and give back, he said. Most people dont even know this commission exists. Like, its not that big of a deal. He said he was unsure of any indication that he would be unable to serve an unbiased role in that commission. I dont know why they would be opposed to me, he said. We had a good working relationship when I worked for them at the Legislature. Steinmetz, however, declined to comment on whether her objections had anything to do with that case. Hes welcome to his speculations, Steinmetz said. But all I have to say is in my letter. It is unclear why Steinmetz opposed Meister-Emerich, who has been contacted for comment. Hinkle, however, has recently testified against a number of bills to limit access to abortion, including one sponsored by Steinmetz requiring all aborted infants born alive to receive the same life-saving medical care any other compromised infant would. For Hinkle who is already a member of the Board of Medicine her objections to the bills were not ideological but medical, she said, adding that many issues involving abortion are not even covered under the boards purview. We uphold the medical practice act, Hinkle said. None of these are covered by the medical practice act. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 5 Sad 3 Angry 21 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. [March 02, 2020] Harris Williams Advises NSi Industries, LLC on its Sale to Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces that it advised NSi Industries, LLC (NSi), a portfolio company of Blue Sea Capital, on its sale to Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC. NSi is a leading provider of branded electrical products, components and tools. The transaction was led by John Arendale, Tim Webb, Brandt Carr and Dan Savage of the Harris Williams Industrials Group. "Together with Blue Sea Capital, the NSi team has built a truly impressive platform, transforming the business into a market leader and go-to supplier for the largest distributors in North America," said John Arendale, a managing director at Harris Williams. "The sale of NSi represents another marquee transaction for Harris Williams and strengthens our track record of exceptional results in the highly engineered components space." "We are honored to have worked with Blue Sea Capital and the NSi team on this transaction, and we wish NSi continued success as they embark on their next chapter," sai Brandt Carr, a vice president at Harris Williams. "We see a bright future for NSi and believe they are poised to achieve even greater success with their new partners." NSi is a leading provider of branded electrical products, components and tools, covering over 20 product categories to address the needs of electrical contractors and their customers. NSi has many innovative and respected products and brands, including the following: Polaris, the original insulated connector; Bridgeport fittings and accessories; WarriorWrap electrical tapes; and TORK mechanical and digital time switches, photocontrols and occupancy sensors. Providing over 40 years of innovative, profitable and quality solutions to its distributor partners, NSi's sustained level of success is attributable to a constant focus on its distributor partnerships and a commitment to helping them find new sources of success. Blue Sea Capital is a private equity firm based in West Palm Beach, Florida that invests in growth-oriented lower-middle market companies valued up to $200 million. The firm has over $500 million in assets under management and invests across three industry verticals: aerospace and defense, healthcare, and industrial growth. Blue Sea Capital's strategy is to partner with talented managers and differentiated companies, typically as the first or second institutional investor, and deliver strategic and operational value-add that drives growth acceleration, industry outperformance and business transformation. Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC, with offices in New York and Los Angeles, is a leading middle market private equity firm with more than $5 billion under management. Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC primarily makes majority, controlled investments typically in established middle market companies in a variety of industries. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). The Harris Williams Industrials Group has experience across a variety of sectors, including advanced manufacturing; smart cities; building products; chemicals and specialty materials; environmental industrial technology; and packaging. For more information on the firm's Industrials Group and other recent transactions, visit the Industrials Group's section of the Harris Williams website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 5th Floor, 6 St. Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AE, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: [email protected]). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. For media inquiries, please contact Katie Langemeier, associate brand manager, at +1 (804) 648-0072. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302006026/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A Queensland coroner has called for the state's fire service to consider the mandatory installation of smoke alarms in all moveable dwellings after an army veteran died in a caravan park blaze west of Brisbane. Police and fire services were called to the Atkinson Dam Caravan Park, near Lowood, in the early hours of August 19, 2016, after fire tore through a converted bus. Deputy Coroner John Lock said he accepted there would cost implications for caravan park owners, but these needed to be balanced with public safety. Lee Edward Parker, 47, was found dead inside, with an autopsy later confirming the fire had killed him. Though the caravan park's owners, Samantha Savidge and James Arthur Lapham, had stated most dwellings at the site had smoke alarms fitted before the fire, Deputy Coroner John Lock found this "unlikely", based on witness evidence. It is a cliche to say that certain eras "end not with a bang, but a whimper," but the old trope is true in Afghanistan. U.S. and Taliban officials signed an agreement over the weekend that should lead to the withdrawal of American troops from that country a development mostly overshadowed by the spread of coronavirus and developments in domestic presidential politics. That shouldn't be the case. Attention must be paid. Along with the war in Iraq, the Afghan experience defines the U.S. interactions in the world in the 21st century a righteous display of might that ultimately devolved into an unending, unsolvable, exhausting slog. The war began on 9/11, when hijackers flew passenger planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon another plane crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside killing 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers. More than 2,300 American servicemembers have died in Afghanistan over the last generation, while estimates say that 157,000 people died there during the war including more than 43,000 civilians. Everything about the war has been a tragedy. The invasion of Afghanistan is the only U.S. military offensive that I have wholeheartedly rooted for during my adult life. A few weeks after 9/11, I drove from my home in Kansas to New York via the Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania to witness history for myself. Smoke was still wafting from the bowels of the Twin Towers. Like Americans everywhere, I wanted revenge. I didn't believe for one second that the Al Qaeda terrorists hated us "for our freedom," the easy explanation offered Americans during the early days of "why do they hate us?" questioning after the attack. But thousands of civilians had been killed in the first days after 9/11, it was widely believed that tens of thousands of civilians had been killed and in the heat of the moment, it seemed that such massive violence must be met with equally massive violence. When Vice President Dick Cheney went on TV the next weekend to hint at the likelihood of torture in the coming conflict promising U.S. personnel would work on "the dark side, if you will" even that seemed to make sense to a nominal pacifist like myself. Story continues I was wrong. We all of us who cheered the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan were wrong. We were wrong because we ignored world history. There was a reason that Afghanistan occupied over the years by the British, then by the Soviets was already known as "the graveyard of empires." For cultural and geographic reasons, no would-be conqueror of the country has ever fully subdued its people. Responding to the 9/11 attack was not necessarily America's big mistake. Staying and trying to recreate Afghanistan in something like our own image was the crucial error, both hubristic and well-intentioned we thought we could be the conquerors who left the country better than we found it. We are not. We were wrong, too, because we ignored our own history. By the time 2001 arrived, the memories of America's misadventures in Vietnam had mostly faded, pushed down the memory hole by the end of the Cold War and U.S. battle victories over a series of weaker foes, including Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991. The military establishment turned its attention in the late 1970s and 1980s to the task of confronting the Soviet Union, forgetting whatever it had learned about counterinsurgency wars. America's leaders were prepared for tank battles and seizing capitals and were less ready to deal with guerilla warfare. The tactical lessons of Vietnam might have helped had they been implemented earlier, but Americans also ignored the bigger strategic lesson: that it doesn't ultimately serve U.S. interests to get bogged down, thousands of miles from home, fighting rebel guerillas on their own land. We're bad at it. We were wrong, finally, because the real enemy the stateless terrorists of Al Qaeda were not the opponents we wanted or were prepared to fight. When Pearl Harbor happened, the United States conquered Japan. When the USS Maine sunk in Havana Harbor, Americans went to war with Spain and ended up governing Cuba and the Philippines. Al Qaeda terrorists roamed from Saudi Arabia to Germany to, yes, training camps in Afghanistan in preparing for the 9/11 attacks. But there was no chance the United States was going to invade Riyadh or occupy Hamburg. We invaded and occupied Afghanistan because 9/11 felt like war, so we responded like we always do in war we took over somebody else's land. And then, for good measure, we stupidly went and did the same thing in Iraq. That was never the wisest strategy against Al Qaeda, which could melt away from the battlefield and reorganize somewhere else. Indeed, Osama bin Laden wasn't brought to justice for nearly a decade he was hiding out in Pakistan when U.S. troops found and assassinated him. American forces have remained in Afghanistan since then, fighting and dying for nearly another decade. It has long been clear that it is time for America to cut losses and come home. Most U.S. veterans say the fight hasn't been worth it. Me? I no longer want revenge not when it comes at the costs of more dead and injured, not when so many of the new dead and injured weren't even born when 9/11 occurred. But we should not fool ourselves. The end of American involvement in Afghanistan will not mean the end of that country's civil war. There are probably calamitous days ahead for the people of Afghanistan. That is to be deeply lamented, but there is not much the United States can do to solve that problem. The tragedy there will continue. After a generation of losses, the least-bad thing we can do is end our role in it. Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here. More stories from theweek.com 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's coronavirus response Coronavirus czar Mike Pence is now apparently bundling tweets praising his, Trump's coronavirus response Joe Biden and Beto O'Rourke celebrated Biden's big Dallas rally at a Whataburger Surprises have become part of our election process. We often hear in presidential elections about the October surprise a story that could turn the tables of a close presidential contest. There have been some convinced that the Midland County sheriffs election has been impacted by surprises, and we agree. Investigations and lawsuits get peoples attention. Its natural. But did it have to be that way? That is a different and more difficult question to answer. What we know is that the Texas Rangers picked one heck of a time to decide to respond to media organizations about investigations involving the Midland County Sheriffs Office. And as a media group that has made its fair share of requests to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers, we know one thing is for sure. The Rangers operate on their own timeline. For about five years we have repeatedly requested results of a Texas Rangers investigation involving a Midland Police Department officer and an apparent murder-suicide. And each time the request is made, we have been told that the investigation continues. So why did the Texas Rangers -- known for being impartial -- announce during the beginning of early voting that MCSO was being investigated? If they had released the results of the investigation, that would have been understandable. Knowing the outcome could provide context for voters. It made us wonder if a highly placed someone had convinced the Rangers to respond. We think the process deserves better than someone trying to get enough information out to the public to raise questions that could allow the electorate to jump to its own conclusions. The same could be said about a lawsuit filed last week. It was not unexpected that word was going to get around about that civil suit. In both cases, this newspaper reported about the facts released up to that point. We had no choice. A decision not to report on it would make it look as though we are taking sides. But it doesnt mean the selective release of information for political gain is appropriate or ethical. It isnt. The ends dont justify the means in either case. Let us be clear. If any a candidate or elected official is found to have broken the law or committed violations of their office, this newspaper would be the first to call for proper punishment, including the removal from office. But we have seen no evidence from the Texas Rangers that we are close to that point. Still, we hope that on Election Day, Republican primary voters can look at candidates for sheriff and make an informed decision based on the mens records and the information out there. If one needs help, the Reporter-Telegram has provided candidates the opportunity to make their case on three different occasions leading up to Election Day. Mind you, we arent telling you to vote for one candidate or another. In the end, Midland County voters may decide on a person not involved in any of the investigations or legal proceedings. and collectively, they might do so based on a persons resume and other information not injected into the race at the last minute. If that happens, we will have no problem with the outcome. We want Midland County Republicans to feel confident that the winner of the sheriffs race was based on the legitimate news and information out there. Because of a pair of well-timed political moves, there will be some questions, and that isnt fair to the candidates or those needing the best information so they can cast a vote for the top law enforcement official in county government. The electoral process deserved better. I am not an infectious disease expert but I have a PhD in financial economics and I am really good at analyzing data. Coronavirus pandemic is at the top of investors' minds these days. Iranian authorities slept at the wheel and now the country has the highest number of deaths outside of China. Insider Monkey estimates that the new coronavirus' fatality rate (read our article why our calculation is more accurate than WHO's calculations) is around 0.5% which implies that there are more than 10,000 undetected coronavirus infections in Iran at the moment. The new coronavirus infections are spreading uncontrollably in Iran. As a result, Iran also exported coronavirus to several Middle East countries. Egypt identified only 2 cases of coronavirus infections so far. The first case was confirmed on February 14th and the second case was reported today. Both patients are foreign nationals. It is mind-boggling because no Egyptians are reported to have contracted the new coronavirus whereas French and Canadian authorities reported 7 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from travelers coming from Egypt. Moreover, yesterday a California couple also tested positive for coronavirus after traveling from Egypt. There is no coronavirus in Egypt. We will not hide anything, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said. If we believe Egyptian authorities nearly a dozen foreign nationals who were in Egypt contracted the virus, whereas no Egyptian contracted the virus. This is probabilistically next to impossible. We believe that Egypt doesn't want to scare travelers from visiting the country and hiding information from the public and WHO regarding total number of infections in the country. I don't have any physical evidence of this, I am just using math to infer this. Yesterday Qatar banned travelers from Egypt over coronavirus fears. Considering that Egypt didn't report any coronavirus infections in her citizens, Qatar doesn't seem to believe Egyptian officials either. If you are investor in VanEck Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE:EGPT), you should take into consideration the probability that Egypt could turn into next Iran in terms of coronavirus infections. China and Iran tried to cover up coronavirus infections initially and enable the virus to spread free in their countries. It looks to me that Egypt will follow the same path. We estimate that there are more than 500,000 total coronavirus infections around the world and most of these infections aren't detected yet. As a result, we are bearish on the market in the short term. We don't recommend Americans travel to Egypt at this point in time and urge US authorities to ban travelers from Egypt. Donald Trump is quick to complain about Federal Reserve, but he isn't doing enough to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Disclosure: No positions. Olivia Cotes-James wants us to talk about menstrual health. Properly. No more euphemisms, no more opaque marketing, no more superstitions, and no glossing over cramps, bleeding, or pain: Reframing current attitudes is vital for female empowerment and health, as well as the environment, says the 29-year-old founder of LUUNA Naturals, which hails itself as Asia's first period care company with an all-female leadership team. She is not alone in wanting to change the conversation: Last year the UN warned that taboos around menstrual health were "disempowering" women worldwide, calling for action to end it. "Period stigma is the biggest barrier to the global advancement of women," agrees Cotes-James, adding: "Periods can still cause us to feel dirty, ashamed and frustrated. If menstrual taboos persist and society continues to devalue our fundamental female biology, what hopes do we have of ever being seen as equal?" On average women will spend up to eight years of their lives on their period, according to UNICEF. They are vital to the continuity of the human race, but myths and misconceptions still dominate worldwide. The arrival of menstrual cups, period underwear, which can remove the need for products entirely, and apps that track your cycle have led to a new culture of openness in a generation keen to verbalise the long-hidden realities of the female experience and reproductive rights -- from #MeToo and #ShoutYourAbortion, to miscarriage awareness campaign #Iamthe1in4 and #Trustaftertrauma, where women share their stories of obstetric violence. Bloggers and vloggers lay bare the realities of how period products work on social media. There is even a period emoji in the pipeline. - Myths and Misogyny - Normalising menstrual health can only be good for women's overall health, says Cotes-James, whose firm sells organic cotton pads, liners, and tampons, as well as medical grade silicone menstrual cups, but also works to help low income communities across Asia who don't have access to safe, hygienic products. She explains: "Instead of seeing menstruation as a powerful indicator of well-being we are taught to shun it. In doing so, we ignore vital signs of underlying health issues. For example, around 1 in 10 women have endometriosis, yet it still takes almost a decade on average to diagnose. "A huge part of this is the fact that we don't pay attention to telltale signs like how much blood we lose every month, or dismiss painful menstrual symptoms as normal because society has led us to believe that they are." Using a menstrual cup, could help women gauge if the amount of blood they lose falls within the normal range, she says, adding that open discussons about cramps, nausea, or pain, will help us understand whether there is an issue within our bodies. In parts of Asia, the situation is even more complex for women as deeply ingrained cultural and religious beliefs often add another layer of restrictions on them. In rural Nepal, women are still exiled to outhouses during their periods, despite the practice being illegal and resulting in deaths from exposure as well as sexual and animal attacks. In parts of South Asia, menstruating women are seen as unclean, spreading disease, and are forbidden from touching communal food, while across the region having a period renders people too impure to visit temples. - Period plastic pollution - Even among tech-savvy professionals in city centres, myths persist -- some fear using tampons is akin to a sex act, others believe virgins cannot use menstrual cups or believe they cannot swim or exercise during their period. LUUNA takes a multi-pronged approach to tackling this: With offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as London, the company hosts workshops, myth-busting meet-ups and frank discussions about period products, fertility, and menstrual health for women and men. Its social impact arm, The LUUNA Period Collective, collaborates with a network of local initiatives. For every cup sold, it donates one, but it also provides education in disadvantaged communities where poor sanitation, a lack of clean water, and restrictive cultural norms, add to the stigma. "For us social impact is not a seasonal campaign, it's at the core of what we do. Encouraging the use of plastic pads in low income communities does not solve period poverty, and it exacerbates another urgent issue -- plastic waste," she says. In the developed world, the average woman uses 11,000 disposable menstrual products over 30 years, according to the Women's Environment Network. Switching to a cup, which could last up to ten years, would potentially save billions from landfill where they can take centuries to decompose. - Fight for gender equality - Born in New Zealand but raised in the UK, Cotes-James now splits her time between Hong Kong and Shanghai. She's clear that while there are pronounced issues in Asia, universally women have been let down by inequality and archaic approaches to female reproductive health. There is five times more research into erectile dysfunction than Premenstrual Syndrome, for example, according to science forum ResearchGate, despite the latter affecting far more people. A 2005 study by the University of Pennsylvania found female pain is more likely to be underestimated. Cotes-James says it took her years to realise the painful symptoms she was experiencing during her period were actually an allergic reaction to the viscose and polyester found in some sanitary pads and tampons. For decades men have decided everything about periods -- from helming companies that make menstrual products and overseeing advertising of them, to setting legislation that taxes them as a luxury item and failing to require firms to declare what period care items are made of, she says. Growing public anger at such gender inequality is driving change -- India, Canada, and 13 US states have abolished the so-called tampon tax, while MPs in Scotland are backing a bill that will make period products free. But Cotes-James warns: "Our bodies are still subject to decision making by predominantly male-led governments. We deserve the final say over our bodies -- that includes everything from feminine care companies being required by law to disclose ingredients on packaging, to overcoming restrictive reproductive rights. That is one of the biggest challenges we face in the fight for gender equality and we are still a long way from that being the reality." WESTPORT Its almost time for residents and visitors of Westport to vote for their favorite soup, that is. March marks Soup Month in Westport, with 19 venues in town participating for the right to have their respective soups voted as the best. Sponsored by the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce and Berchem Moses PC, Soup Month features The Great Westport Soup Contest. Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe proclaimed March as Soup Month at the opening day of the monthlong event at a ceremony at Mystic Market Kitchen & Eatery on Monday afternoon. Soup Month is a latest in a series of food months in Westport. Pizza was the theme last year, and hamburgers was the food of choice in 2018. This event helps drive business to our restaurants, Marpe said. It is a great opportunity to get residents and visitors to try our restaurants and get some nourishing food. Each year weve had it, they have all been great. Soup is one of those foods that all societies have in common. Mystic Market, Rye Ridge Deli Westport, Joes Pizza & Italian Restaurant, Golds Delicattessen and Match Burger Lobster are just several of the venues involved in Soup Month. According to Matthew Mandell, executive director and president of the Chamber, each participating Westport eatery enters seven different soup categories: beef, vegetable, Asian, chicken, matzo ball, onion and chowder. There will be seven different winners, and everyone who votes is entered into a lottery to win soup from the winner, said Mandell, who came up with this years soup theme. So if you vote for chicken soup, you are in competition to win chicken soup from the winner. To vote for which venue has the best soup in a certain category, visit westportwestonchamber.com/soup. Its a friendly competition, and they are all working together to promote the business aspect of the town, Mandell said. The goal is to have people come to the different places, buy the soup, check it out and then vote for who makes the best soup. Since we started, we had over 3,500 people vote the last two years and we hope to get another 1,000 to 1,500 voters this year. As for Mandells favorite soup? My wifes matzo ball soup, Ill be seeing which place in town makes it the best. For Westport resident Nancy Axthelm, Mystic Market is her go-to stop for soup. Im here almost every day for soup, Axthelm said. I love the veggie combos and they have a Rhode Island clam chowder and carrot ginger soup that are delicious. On Monday, Mystic Market displayed three tasty soup samplers smoky beef chili, carrot ginger and gluten free vegan spicy chicken vegetable. Im going to vote. I think the chef here at Mystic Market is amazing, Axthelm said. Ashley Boucaud, the executive chef at Mystic Market, especially enjoys preparing soup each day. Our soups are very popular. We prepare six fresh soups every day and we sell out of at least two each day, Boucaud said. For the month of March, we are going to feature beef, chicken, vegetable and chowder soups on Fridays and a different variety every day. Customers can come in and sample the soups. I love to cook soup, its very comforting. Charles Spathakis, the owner of Mystic Market, said, Soup is one of the highlights of our business. I think a month like this brings people together. Friendly competition is always fun. dfierro@greenwichtime.com The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a lawsuit that threatens the the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obamas signature health care law thats consistently under fire by the Trump administration. The court on Monday said it would hear an appeal by 20 mainly Democratic states of a lower-court ruling that declared part of the statute unconstitutional and cast a cloud over the rest. The decision likely wont come until after the 2020 election. Defenders of the Affordable Care Act argued that the issues raised by the case are too important to let the litigation drag on for months or years in lower courts and that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans erred when it struck down the health laws now toothless requirement that Americans have health insurance. The case will be the third major Supreme Court battle over the law popularly known as Obamacare since its passage in 2010. The court has twice upheld the heart of the law, with Chief Justice John Roberts memorably siding with the courts liberals in 2012, amid President Barack Obamas reelection campaign. The majority that upheld the law twice remains on the court, Roberts and the four liberal justices. The Trump administration supports the total repeal of the law, including its provisions that prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against people with existing health ailments. The entire health care law is in effect pending the ongoing court case. The Democratic states had asked for a fast-track review with a decision by late June, before the 2020 elections in November. Instead, the justices probably will hear arguments in the fall, with a decision likely in the spring of 2021. The high court action takes the case out of the hands of a federal district judge in Texas who had previously struck down the entire law. Americas top doctor has urged people to stop buying face masks, insisting they are not effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus among the general population. Dr Jerome Adams, the surgeon general of the US, has echoed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in warning the public that they do not need to wear a mask if they are healthy or not caring for someone who is ill. Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS! Dr Adams said in a tweet over the weekend. They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk! In another tweet, he said the best way to protect against coronavirus, otherwise known as Covid-19, is to wash hands regularly, and for those who are feeling ill to stay at home. The warning comes amid a surge in demand for face masks across America, in particular the N95, which is thicker and fits more tightly around the mouth and nose. 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 Amazon users have searched for the N95 mask more than 862,000 times in the last 30 days, according to data released by Helium 10, a software company that assists retailers. In December, only 4,500 searches were made for the mask over the space of 30 days. Increasing demand has also seen prices rocket. Mike Bowen, the executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech, an N95 manufacturer in Texas, described the mask as cheap as a gumball, but Amazon sellers have been advertising them for at least 7 each. Theyre cheap. Theyre automated. Theyre not handmade, Mr Bowen added. According to Dr William Schaffner, a preventive medicine professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the urge to go out and buy masks was a psychological thing. The coronavirus is coming, and we feel rather helpless, he told CNN. By getting masks and wearing them, we move the locus of control somewhat to ourselves. Vice president Mike Pence, who is coordinating the governments response to the coronavirus outbreak, said on Saturday during a press briefing with Donald Trump that the administration has contracted the manufacturing giant 3M to produce 30 million more masks a month. But as Dr Adams outlined, the concern among officials is that rising sales of face masks will deprive health workers of the equipment needed to effectively and safely treat patients. There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world, Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the health emergency programme at the World Health Organisation, said on Friday. Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs. There are limits to how a mask can protect you from being infected. The most important thing everyone can do is wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face and observe very precise hygiene. To date, the US has counted 80 cases of coronavirus and two deaths, both men with existing health problems who had been hospitalised in Washington state. The total includes evacuees from Wuhan and the virus-stricken cruise ship in Japan, but new cases among California health workers, in New York, Rhode Island and Washington has raised concerns on both coasts. TAMPA, Fla. - Florida officials tried to reassure residents Monday that the risk posed by a new strain of coronavirus remained low, despite revelations that two people had become the first in the state to test positive for the virus. Florida officials said Sunday they were declaring a public health emergency after announcing two cases, a woman in her 20s who recently returned from Italy and a man in his 60s who had not travelled to any countries of concern. Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Monday in Tampa that the state was doing all it could to respond to the growing health crisis, and that he was seeking emergency funding from state lawmakers to help combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Despite these cases, the overall threat to the public remains low, the governor said. With that said, we do anticipate that more will test positive. State health officials said they were identifying people who had contact with the two patients now under isolation. The governor said Monday that at least 795 people in Florida have been monitored for the virus, but did not elaborate. Dr. Scott Rivkees, Floridas surgeon general, said the man in his 60s had not travelled in any of the countries currently identified for restricted travel by federal authorities, including South Korea, Iran, Italy and China, where the virus originated. It is not known how this individual was exposed to COVID-19, Rivkees said at the news conference. This is a rapidly evolving situation. He directed anyone who has travelled to any of the high-risk countries to self-isolate for 14 days and notify public health officials. Health officials said that samples from the two patients who tested positive for the virus in Florida have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. Florida has three labs that can test for the virus in Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. During a tour Monday of the Tampa lab on the University of South Florida campus, officials showed two beige machines that look like printers and which analyze samples from patients suspected to have the virus. A few people in white coats worked inside the quiet, cool room that housed the PCR machines, which amplify segments of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction. For weeks, Florida health officials had declined to release information about possible infections, citing privacy concerns, but reversed themselves Friday amid mounting questions and political pressure. ___ Calvan reported from Tallahassee, Florida. By Olivia Rose A DELEGATION from the Turks and Caicos Islands has visited Bermuda to study approaches taken to tackling serious crime including gang violence. Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson led a team of officials from the territory on a two-day fact-finding mission organised by the Ministry of National Security in Bermuda. During the visit from February 19 to 22, the premier and her team met with key stakeholders in the national security and education sectors. The delegates paid a courtesy call on the governor of Bermuda John Rankin and the premier of Bermuda David Burt. The premier and Rankin spoke about best practice exchange between Bermuda and the TCI including in policing, and the wider relationship between the territories. Among topics discussed during the meeting were criminal rehabilitation, action against gang-related offences, effective crime reduction and prevention methodology in small islands. A statement from the Office of the Premier issued on Tuesday (February 25), said the premier and delegates met with the minister for national security, commissioner of police and other key stakeholders in the national security sector. In the statement the premier said: "Bermuda is a valued partner of the TCI because of our shared relationship with the United Kingdom as British overseas territories. "They have a wealth of knowledge in dealing specifically with gang-related crimes, crime prevention, reduction and criminal rehabilitation. Cartwright Robinson stressed that these methods have been tested and proven successful in Bermuda, and the TCI can achieve the same results. "Although the TCI still remains one of the safest countries in the region we must continue focused efforts in ensuring citizen safety, she said. She added: "through this visit to Bermuda we were able to discuss possible effective approaches to crime reduction and prevention in the TCI and we able to see first-hand the success of these working models. The delegation included Hon. Karen Malcolm, Minister of Education, Youth, Culture, Social and Library Services, Director of Education Edgar Howell, probations officer Jaron Harvey and Assistant Commissioners of Police Darron Williams and Kendall Grant. Ronlee James, Executive Director at the Office of the Premier, Local Government and Community Affairs, and Lareesa Robinson, Executive Administrator at the Office of the Premier were also part of the delegation. The team received presentations from Bermuda Police Service officials and conducted site visits at various government institutions in Bermuda. These included the Department of Court Services which oversees probations, CedarBridge Academy Highschool, West Pembroke Primary School, the Gang Violence Reduction Team, the Redemption Farm Project, Westgate Correctional Facility, the Ministry of National Security, the House of Assembly of Bermuda and Bermuda Police Service Headquarters. Governor John Rankin who welcomed the delegation to Bermuda said: "It was a pleasure to meet Premier Cartwright Robinson and to welcome her to Bermuda. "The links between Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands are important from both a historical and present-day perspective. The premier thanked the governor and premier of Bermuda for their hospitality "and their willingness to pass on knowledge and expertise. She added: "The TCI Government looks forward to continued collaboration with Bermuda to ensure the prosperity and longevity of both nations. Last October, three Bermuda Police Service officers were deployed to the TCI following a request from the commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The officers were deployed to lend assistance and investigative support to the local force, of which costs were met by the TCI Government. During a conference on October 15, Acting Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams said: "These officers will be placed where they are needed the most, and coupled with our officers working around the clock will transform the TCI into a place where criminals think twice before breaking the law. Under the new rules, social media companies will have to disclose any information or data to a designated investigation agency, when sought (Photo | Pexels) Islamabad: More than 100 rights organisations and media groups in Pakistan have boycotted talks with the government over the new online censorship rules and demanded their withdrawal, a media report said on Monday. Under the new set of rules, approved by the government on February 11, social media companies will have 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. This has prompted Google and popular social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, to threaten suspension of their services in the country due to the fresh regulations. While Cabinet approval for the rules remains in place, there can be no engagement or consultation. This only shows the government's intent to use the consultation as a smokescreen while intending to implement and enforce the rules already prepared and approved, a statement signed by the rights groups said. The government has refused to clarify the legal status of the rules without which any consultation is merely a token to deflect criticism and not a genuine exercise to seek input, it said, demanding withdrawal of the rules. Facing flak over the rules, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced consultation with stakeholders over the Citizens Protection Rules 2020. For the purpose, the Ministry of Information Technology formed a committee on February 29 headed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman Amir Azeem Bajwa to undertake an extensive and broad-based consultation process with all relevant segments of the civil society and technology companies about the rules, the Dawn newspaper reported. The rights organisations that boycotted the talks include Digital Rights Foundation, Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development, Pakistan Bar Council, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Press Foundation, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan and Freedom Network. The groups also objected to the selection of members of the committee formed for consultation as not a single representative of civil society, industry and stakeholders has been nominated in it, the report said. In a letter written to Prime Minister Khan 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. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. West University Place has scheduled a final public meeting on the upcoming Buffalo Speedway Reconstruction Project. The meeting is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, at the West University Place Community Center Auditorium, 6104 Auden St. in West University Place. The purpose of the meeting is to inform adjacent property owners about the plan and impending impacts. This meeting is open to the general public. According to the city, the design phase for the Buffalo Speedway project has passed the 90 percent plateau. The rest of the projects schedule includes: June 2020 Final design submittal to TXDOT and city. December 2020 TXDOT Advertises bid for contractors. November 2020 TXDOT awards contract. January 2021 Construction activities begin. The project has several components, including the removal and replacement of pavement from Bissonnet Street to West Holcombe Boulevard. Also planned is installation of box culverts to mitigate drainage from Bissonnet to West Holcombe, connecting to Poor Farm Ditch, which according to the Harris County Flood Control District is a man-made drainage channel constructed more than 55 years ago that carries stormwater from surrounding neighborhoods in southwest Harris County to Brays Bayou. The channel provides drainage to portions of the cities of West University Place, Southside Place, Houston and Bellaire. Other portions of the Buffalo Speedway project include the replacement of traffic signals at Rice, Sunset and University boulevards. The reconstruction of the road itself is being funded 80 percent by a federal grant and 20 percent by the city of West University Place. The drainage project is currently 100 percent funded by the city of West University Place but applications have been submitted to get federal fund assistance. Anyone unable to attend the meeting but would like to provide comments cane email buffalospeedway@westutx.gov (reference Buffalo Speedway 90% design comments in subject line.) All comments must be submitted by Thursday, March, 19, 2020. For more information or to sign up for Project Alerts, visit www.westutx.gov/buffalo. rkent@hcnonline.com A woman still experiencing the aftermath of her injuries nearly 12 years after she was mauled by a bear has put her support behind presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, largely because of his position on health insurance in the US. Allena Hansen, now 68, was on her secluded ranch in the southern part of California's Sequoia Mountains in 2008 when she was mauled by a black bear. The attack, which left her with extensive facial injuries and pain, was not the hardest moment for Ms Hansen. Instead, she said dealing with her private insurance company, Blue Cross, to cover medical bills was the most debilitating. Blue Cross did not respond to a request for a comment. "Literally, as I was being eaten by a wild beast, I wasn't thinking about Jesus or my family or my son. I was thinking my insurance was not going to pay for this," she told The Independent. "I had to make this calculus as I was being eaten, 'Do I want to survive this?' Not, 'Can I survive this?' Not, 'What am I going to look like?'" She added: "I think that speaks volumes to the American healthcare system." In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Show all 5 1 /5 In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie Sanders and his wife Jane, triumphant at hearing of Nevada Caucus win. in San Antonio Texas on 22 February 2020 Reuters In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie Sanders embraces his wife Jane at rally in San Antonio Texas on 22 February 2020 REUTERS In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win REUTERS In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie support raises sign and a thumbs-up to the news of Senator Sanders' win REUTERS In pictures: Bernie Sanders celebrates Nevada caucus win Bernie supporter cheer at the news of Sanders' win REUTERS Ms Hansen, who comes from a family of doctors, said health insurance, and what she dealt with in the aftermath of her bear attack, is a substantial reason why she's put her support behind Sanders for the 2020 election. "I would like to see a standardised single-payer system and I am, have been for a long time, supporting Bernie Sanders because of that," she said. "People don't realise that there's a public benefit to providing reasonable healthcare." Sanders' Medicare for All plan would eliminate private health insurance and instead create a public health system for all Americans to use and pay into. The plan would reportedly eliminate premiums, deductibles, copays, and "surprise bills". Then, to expand on the current Medicare system, Sanders plan would also include dental, vision, and hearing coverage. The candidate's Medicare for All plan and how Americans will pay for it remained largely unclear until Sanders released an outline of funding last week. He estimated on 60 Minutes his plan will cost $30tn over the next 10 years, but his funding outline sets aside just $17.5tn for the insurance. The funding outline was later updated to include "current federal, state and local government spending over the next 10 years" would cover the rest. If the plan passed, it would eliminate insurance companies sitting in between Americans and them receiving healthcare for different ailments, an idea supported by Ms Hansen. "Americans don't want good healthcare insurance, they want good healthcare," she said. "There is no reason whatsoever for the insurance industry to be in our public health system, zero." Many of Ms Hansen's injuries from the bear attack involved facial reconstruction and ophthalmological work, a majority of which went uncovered by her private insurance plan. "My face was ripped off. You couldn't even tell that I was a human being," she said. "I had very extensive facial injuries and head injuries." The woman lost 14 teeth when the bear attacked, and the animal destroyed a large part of her face that included her nose, eye sockets, and upper jaw. Allena Hansen, now 68, was attacked by a black bear on her California ranch. Nearly 12 years later, she says dealing with health insurance costs was the worst part of the attack (Dr Kimberly Lee, Allena Hansen) (Allena Hansen) Ms Hansen remained in the hospital for only one day, but the larger battle occurred once she returned to her 70-acre ranch and had to implore her insurance company to pay for her treatments. "They make their money by denying services, not providing it," she said. "Their reasoning was 'this is not reasonable or customary treatment.' No, I was mauled by a bear. It tore my face off. That is neither reasonable nor customary." Nearly 12 years later, Ms Hansen is still paying hefty insurance costs, and she estimates she's paid upwards of $250,000 for her bills. Her health insurance denied covering most of the costs for her ophthalmological care, rebuilding her upper jaw, and other treatments. "It went through all of my retirement savings, my IRAs, my assets. I am now living on a social security pension. Period," she said. Some of Ms Hansen's treatments were paid for by doctors who volunteered their time to her cause. She's currently on Medicaid and has to pay an estimated $300-400 per month out of pocket for her ophthalmological care, such as eye drops and special contact lenses. But Ms Hansen has halted fixing other areas of her health, like lip implants to improve her ability to eat and teeth that are more functional than her current pair, because of how each would cost her. "I've long since ceased trying to get anything fixed," she said. The Labour and Social Development Ministry has stressed the importance of cooperation and complementarity between various official and private parties in order to fight and prevent Coronavirus (COVID-19), out of the national responsibility to preserve Bahraini society. The Labour Ministry held meetings with the representatives of the embassies of expatriate workers countries, and informed them about the precautionary and preventive measures taken to ensure the safety and health of everybody. In this regard, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs, Ahmed Jaffar Al-Hayki, met representatives of the embassies of India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nepal, and discussed with them the measures in force. The Labour Ministry also formed a work team, including engineers and inspectors from the Professional Inspection and Occupational Safety, to carry out field visits to labour accommodation and distribute leaflets and guidance posters, as well raise awareness on the dangers of the Coronavirus and the required preventive and precautionary measures. The Labour Ministry had also placed, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, banners and announcements about COVID-19 in many languages near the workers accommodation and in industrial areas in various regions of the Kingdom. It has also communicated with expatriate workers through text messages to update them about the latest developments and procedures required to protect them, as well as about the measures taken to combat the virus, including the allocation of a special medical centre with qualified medical teams. Representatives of the embassies lauded the practical steps and preventive measures taken to prevent the spread of Coronavirus at production sites. They also praised the kingdoms keenness to provide healthy and safe work environment for workers at the private sectors establishments. Then he added: Im all focused on making sure we beat [President] Trump. Lets get through that, and then we may hear something in November or right after that. We gotta get him out of the White House 21 is a long way off. We as Democrats got to prioritize. Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday told the Supreme Court that former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been "very vocal critic" of abrogation of Article 370 and his presence would pose an "imminent threat to public order." The administration also objected to the petition filed by Omar Abdullah's sister challenging his detention under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), 1978. "Omar Abdullah has been a very vocal critic of any possible abrogation of Article 370 prior to its abrogation in August 5, 2019, considering the very peculiar geopolitical position of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and its geographical proximity with Pakistan, the concept of "public order" needs to be examined contextually," stated the affidavit submitted by Srinagar District Magistrate. The affidavit was filed on the petition of Sara Abdullah Pilot, challenging the detention of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978. A bench of Justice Arun Mishra posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that J-K administration has filed an affidavit in the matter. It further added that Omar Abdullah by-passed the effective alternative remedy that is available under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) of filing the representation before the government and/or hearing in person before the Advisory Board. "The detenu (Omar Abdullah) has chosen not to file a representation before the Advisory Board. It is submitted that Omar Abdullah was and continues to be detained in conformity with the Public Safety Act and is kept in Hari Niwas (former palace of erstwhile king, located near Dal lake) which has been temporarily declared as subsidiary jail," the affidavit mentioned. On Omar Abdullah's claim that he has been in custody for the past six months and had no access to any form of public speech and expression and therefore, there could be no reason/material to come to a conclusion that he can act in any manner which is prejudicial to public order, the affidavit stated that the assertion is "fallacious". "The grounds of the detention order and dossier clearly indicate that there exists a "live and proximate link" in the events that occurred in the past, the activities of Omar Abdullah and possibilities of such activities being prejudicial to maintenance of public order, " the affidavit added. Referring to the peculiar situation in J & K, the affidavit cited the number of deaths that have happened in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990. "It may not be out of place to mention that so far that since 1990, 41,866 persons have lost their lives and 71,038 incidents throughout the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. This includes 14,038 civilians, 5292 personnel of security forces and 22,536 terrorists." The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on February 5 invoked stringent PSA against the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other top leaders in the erstwhile state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Left parties and the Congress on Monday organised a protest march against communal riots in Delhi last week which claimed 42 lives, and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The parties, which had also hit the streets on Sunday during Shah's visit to Kolkata, alleged that the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal have an understanding. CPI(M) politburo member and Left Front chairman Biman Bose, state Congress president Somen Mitra and other leaders of the two parties marched down streets of central Kolkata - from Raja Subodh Mallick Square to Esplanade. "We are protesting the carnage which took place in Delhi. I heard that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the Delhi deaths as genocide," Bose said. Earlier in the day, the Trinamool Congress supremo described the communal conflagration in Delhi as "state- sponsored planned genocide". At least 42 people were killed and over 200 injured as frenzied groups of people torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump, and pelted local people and police personnel with stones earlier this week, the worst riots in Delhi in over three decades. Delhi Police is under the Union Ministry of Home. "She (Banerjee) hardly uttered a word when the violence was going on in Delhi. Now that everybody is speaking up against it, she decided to say something," Bose claimed. The senior CPI(M) leader also accused the Trinamool Congress supremo of having an understanding with the BJP. He said Banerjee and Amit Shah had lunch together in Bhubaneswar. Shah and Banerjee had lunch together on Friday at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's residence, where they were also joined by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. The lunch was hosted by Patnaik after the Eastern Zonal Council meeting there. "We demand the resignation of Amit Shah as he failed as the Union home minister," Mitra told reporters. CPI(M) and Congress activists took out rallies in various areas of north, central, and south Kolkata on Sunday during Shah's visit. The activists waved black flags outside the airport. The Union minister's effigies were also burnt in Park Circus area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors in the UK have developed an app capable of detecting jaundice in newborn babies. The condition affects more than half of all newborn babies and causes skin and whites of the eyes to turn yellow. Although most cases are harmless, in severe cases a neurotoxic form can enter the brain, leading to death or disabilities such as hearing loss, neurological conditions such as athetoid cerebral palsy, and developmental delays. Scientists from University College London and University College London Hospitals tested the app on the eyes of 37 newborns and processed images to remove the distorting effects of background light. Matched against their blood test results, they say it successfully identified all cases where treatment would normally be required while identifying cases that would not require treatment 60 per cent of the time. In many parts of the world, midwives and nurses rely on sight alone to assess jaundice, said UCLs Dr Terence Leung, senior author of the paper. However, this is unreliable, especially for newborns with darker skin. Our smartphone-based method provides a more robust assessment, ensuring serious cases do not go unnoticed. While we await the evidence of a larger trial, we believe that this method, used as an app, could help to prevent the deaths of newborn babies due to severe jaundice worldwide. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty The larger trial, involving 500 babies, is currently under way in Ghana. Recommended Artificial intelligence accurately diagnoses brain tumours in minutes Our screening method would require no special equipment apart from a smartphone and is a tenth of the cost of commercial devices used in the UK, said Felix Outlaw, first author of the research, published in the PLOS One journal. Given that smartphones are common even in poor and remote parts of the world, being able to use them to screen for jaundice would have a significant impact. The app is part of a new wave of smartphone-based tools used to detect diseases and conditions, made possible by advances in software and camera technology. In 2017, a similar app was developed by researchers at the University of Washington for adults in the hope of better diagnosing jaundice in cancer patients. Additional reporting by agencies. Turkish drone strikes kill over two dozen Syrian soldiers in Idlib: Monitor Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 2:51 AM Turkish drone strikes have reportedly killed 26 Syrian soldiers in northwestern Syria, in an apparent response to the deaths of 33 Turkish soldiers who were killed on Thursday during a Syrian army offensive against terrorists in Idlib. "Twenty-six members of the Syrian army were killed when Turkish drones targeted positions of the Syrian government forces in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside," the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Saturday. The apparent retaliation came after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike by Syrian forces on Thursday. A 34th soldier later died from his injuries. Earlier on Saturday, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened reprisals for the killing of dozens of Turkish troops in Syria on Thursday. 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. Ankara urges Moscow to step aside The Turkish president says he has asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to stand aside in Syria and let Turkey fight Syrian forces alone. 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. Meanwhile, the Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power, have kept up air strikes in Idlib, attacking the strategic city of Saraqeb which sits on an important road connecting Damascus and Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported. The Syrian army's air strikes are part of a major offensive to cleanse the province, part of the last remaining territory held by Turkey-backed terrorists. Macron calls for ceasefire, urges Turkey to stop flow of migrants French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Russian and Turkish counterparts on Saturday to halt hostilities in Syria and agree to a lasting ceasefire, his office said. Macron told the Russian and Turkish leaders in separate phone calls that he was "deeply concerned about the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe" caused by the Syrian offensive in the province of Idlib. "The President of the Republic stressed that an immediate cease to hostilities was needed and called on Russia and Turkey to establish a durable and verifiable ceasefire as they committed to France and Germany at the four-way summit in Istanbul in the autumn 2018," his office said in a statement. Macron also expressed solidarity with Turkey over the recent deaths of its soldiers in Syria, and urged Turkey to cooperate with the European Union on migrant flows. The remarks came after Erdogan threatened to let thousands of refugees cross into Europe. 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. "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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The monthly survey regularly polls our panel of Party members for their views on major policy issues. But it has never as far as we can see asked them about Climate Change. So here we go as the UK prepares to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow this autumn. The breakdown is clear. Almost two-thirds of those polled say that there is no Climate Change Emergency. And almost a third say that there is. A mere six per cent have no view on the matter at all. Well later be publishing other survey results on the same theme, including about whether Party activists believe that human activity is driving global warming and indeed whether the latter is happening at all. The Trump administration has exposed Americans to the coronavirus through carelessness and negligence. Against the protests of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in January, the administration ordered Americans with coronavirus to fly on the same plane with uninfected people. These Americans were flown to March Air Reserve Base in California, where Health and Human Services had ordered more than a dozen of its federal employees to meet and interact with these coronavirus patients. These federal employees who were given no appropriate protective equipment or special health training raised concern that this was dangerous to do. And, while in California, these unprotected feds moved freely about the military base where the quarantined coronavirus patients were kept. These feds stayed in local hotels, and then they boarded planes to fly back to the cities from where they came to return to work. None of these feds was tested for the coronavirus, and they were told to keep quiet. And now we see the coronavirus has infected someone in California not far from March Air Base. [March 02, 2020] HP DEADLINE ALERT: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $100,000 in HP Inc. to Contact the Firm Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in HP Inc. ("HP" or the "Company") (NYSE:HPQ) of the April 20, 2020 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you invested in HP stock or options between February 23, 2017 and October 3, 2019 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here: www.faruqilaw.com/HP. There is no cost or obligation to you. You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of all those who purchased HP common stock between February 23, 2017 and October 3, 2019 (the "Class Period"). The case, Electrical Workers Pension Fund, Local 103, I.B.E.W. v. HP Inc. et al, No. 20-cv-01260 was filed on February 19, 2020, and has been assigned to Judge Susan Illston. The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by falsely emphasizing that its four-box model was an accurate, reliable tool to determine demand and revenue in the Company's Supplies business, and reassuring investors that, based on the four-box model, HP had a "clear line of sight to supply stabilization." On February 27, 2019, after the close of trading, HP reported that total Supplies revenue was down 3%, with a 9% decline in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa ("EMEA"), for the first quarter of fiscal 2019. On an earnings call held that day, HP management attributed the shortfall to weaker than predicted demand from commercial customers in EMEA driven by an increase in online sales, where HP had a lower market share and faced more competition fom cheaper third-party alternatives than in the US. HP admitted to a larger problem with its four-box model: it had been using incorrect Supplies market share assumptions and, contrary to its previous statements, in fact had limited "visibility into the downstream channel ecosystem" and had failed to accurately predict "a decline in share and, to a lesser extent, pricing," most significantly for Supplies in HP's commercial channels. On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $23.85 per share on February 27, 2019 to $19.73 per share on February 28, 2019: a $4.12 or 17.27% drop. Then, on May 30, 2019, at the Sanford C. Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference, former CEO and named Defendant Dion Weisler disclosed additional detail on the lack of telemetry data, admitting that the consumer segment of the Supplies business had had telemetry data for years, meaning that management had known all along the importance of telemetry data for an accurate model and that the commercial Supplies business lacked this key input. On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $19.14 per share on May 30, 2019 to $18.68 per share on May 31, 2019: a $0.46 or 2.4% drop. Then, on August 22, 2019, after the market closed, HP announced in a press release, also filed on Form 8-K with the SEC (News - Alert), that Defendant Weisler would step down at the end of October 2019 due to a family health matter. HP also announced disappointing earnings results for the third quarter of fiscal 2019, with Supplies revenue down 7% year-over-year. Management also revised Supplies revenue guidance even further down, to 4% or 5% down for fiscal 2019 from previous guidance of 3%. On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $18.93 per share on August 22, 2019 to $17.81 per share on August 23, 2019: a $1.12 or 5.92% drop. Finally, on October 3, 2019, after the market closed, HP announced that it was "departing from the purely transactional Supplies-centric business model" and transitioning to a hardware-driven business. The new business model would give customers the choice between a discounted HP printer that can only function with HP Supplies or a higher-priced HP printer with the option to choose third-party cartridges. Under the new business model, HP would abandon its use of the four-box model as the Company de-emphasized Supplies revenue and instead would focus on "the key metrics [of] service growth and operating profit dollars, which better reflect[] the system profitability." The Company also announced mass layoffs as part of a major company restructuring, in which it expects to cut between 7,000 to 9,000 positions, or up to 16% of its global workforce, over three years. On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $18.40 per share on October 3, 2019 to $16.64 per share on October 4, 2019: a $1.76 or 9.57% drop. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding HP's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005079/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Swiss people should consider dropping the everyday greeting of kissing each other on the cheeks, to avoid spreading the coronavirus, Switzerlands Health Minister Alain Berset said in remarks published on Sunday. In Switzerland, as in neighbouring France, it is common for women and people of opposite sexes to greet each other with alternating kisses on both cheeks.The Swiss version generally involves an asymmetrical three in total, in contrast to the two more usual for la bise (the kiss) across the border. We know that keeping ones distance socially is the best way to slow the spread of the virus. That is why renouncing greeting kisses is a measure that should be seriously taken into consideration, Berset told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, when asked if he was advising against the greeting. French Health Minister Olivier Veran advised on Friday against shaking hands because of the coronavirus outbreak, though he stopped short of saying the same of la bise. Switzerland and France border northern Italy, where Europes worst outbreak has occurred. Regularly washing or disinfecting your hands is central to the advice issued by the World Health Organization and other authorities on how to prevent the spread of the disease. Separately, newspaper NZZ am Sonntag quoted a health official as saying Switzerland would issue new guidelines in the coming days on how to guard against the illness. One will be to immediately stop shaking hands, Daniel Koch, head of the communicable diseases unit at the Swiss Federal Department of Health, told the newspaper. Switzerland has already introduced a ban on events expected to draw 1,000 people or more until March 15 in an effort to combat the coronavirus. It has fewer than 20 confirmed cases, in contrast to the hundreds in Italy, though that number is rising. A historian has warned that the Trump administration is hiding the true scale of Americas coronavirus outbreak and, in doing so, failing to heed the lessons of the 1918 flu pandemic that killed millions of people worldwide. John M Barry, author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, has drawn similarities between the US governments handling of Spanish flu and its current approach to coronavirus, otherwise known as Covid-19. Writing in the Washington Post, Mr Barry said: They [the Trump administration] are clearly trying to put the best possible gloss on things, and are trying to control information. When the influenza pandemic devastated the global population in 1918, there was outright censorship in Europe, the historian said. In the United States, they didnt quite do that, but there was intense pressure not to say anything negative. At the time, president Woodrow Wilson released no public statements regarding Spanish flu while the US surgeon general, Rupert Blue, said: There is no cause for alarm if proper precautions are observed. Another top health official, Mr Barry said, dismissed it as ordinary influenza by another name. But the 1918 strain of influenza was far more deadly and had a mortality rate of two percent much higher than seasonal flu, and similar to some early estimates for Covid-19, which, to date, has infected more than 80,000 people across the globe and killed close to 3,000 people. It also differed in who it killed. Seasonal flu tends to be worst for infants and the very old, whereas the Spanish influenza was deadliest among young adults. The Wilson administrations campaign of disinformation and suppression which saw newspapers threatened by the government for publishing the truth carried grave repercussions for the country. Mr Barry pointed to the example of Philadelphia, where local newspapers refused to print any stories detailing the true threat of the pathogen. Given the absence of information within the public sphere, a large-scale parade was subsequently held throughout the city, which helped spread the flu. More than 12,500 residents subsequently died, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Two men advocating the use of flu masks in Paris during the Spanish influenza epidemic in 1919 (Getty) The 1918 pandemic ultimately killed about 50 million people worldwide, including 675,000 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I think the No 1 lesson that came out of the experience is that if you want to prevent panic, you tell the truth, Mr Barry said. Although he said the current government US was not outright lying, he warned that it was definitely giving you interpretations that seem to be the best-case scenarios. Mr Barry expressed particular concern regarding Donald Trumps decision to hand Mike Pence responsibility for leading the response to Covid-19, instead of a health expert. The historian, who has contributed directly to US policy-making as a result of his research, is one of a number of high-profile figures to criticise the Trump administration for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The president has been notably attacked for sending mixed messages about the growing public health crisis. Before a White House press conference on Saturday, he repeatedly dismissed the issue and, echoing allies in the conservative media, accused his political opponents of overstating the threat in attempts to weaken his leadership. The Democrats are politicising the coronavirus, Mr 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, the president then repeatedly praised what he called the most aggressive action in modern history to confront this disease and rebuffed criticism of his initial dismissals amid a rise in confirmed cases across the US. When asked in the wake of the countrys first reported death if he regretted his language, Mr Trump said his use of the word hoax referred to the action [Democrats] tried to take to try to pin this on somebody because weve done such a good job. He added: The hoax is on them. 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 Americas response to the coronavirus outbreak has not been without controversy. In San Antonio, one patient who was mistakenly released by the CDC from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease later returned a positive Covid-19 reading. The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable, Ron Nirenberg, mayor of San Antonio, said on Twitter. The US Department of Health and Human Services also confirmed over the weekend that it is investigating a manufacturing defect in some initial coronavirus test kits that prompted some states to seek emergency approval to use their own test kits. Former vice president Joe Biden meanwhile accused Mr Trump and his administration of being unprepared for the outbreak. We knew this was coming ... back as far as January, the current Democratic presidential hopeful said on Sunday. They didnt even begin to prepare the testing kits. ... That is kind of elementary. The US has so far counted 88 cases of coronavirus and two deaths, both men with existing health problems who had been hospitalised in Washington state. New study reveals the secret of magmatic rocks consisting of only one mineral Geologists from Wits have come up with an original explanation of how nature may produce a class of magmatic rocks that are made up of only one type of mineral. Geologists from Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa, have come up with an original explanation of how nature may produce an intriguing class of magmatic rocks that are made up of only one type of mineral. The magmatic minerals are stored at great depth in the Earth and are delivered from there into the shallow intrusions close to the planets surface in the form of magmas essentially hot liquids of molten minerals. On cooling, these magmas crystallise to form rocks that are commonly composed of several types of minerals. However, some of these magmas crystallise into rocks that consist of only one mineral. A typical example is anorthosite a magmatic rock that is made up of only one mineral called plagioclase a component that is currently considered to be important for glass fibre manufacturing. Anorthosites occur as very prominent, white-coloured layers in many layered intrusions worldwide and, in particular, are common for the famous platinum-rich Bushveld Complex in South Africa the largest basaltic magma chamber in the Earths crust in which these layers extend for hundreds of kilometres. For years, geologists have been puzzling about how these remarkable layers of pure anorthosites are produced. There were many attempts to solve this issue involving various processes that operate within the shallow magma chambers, but they were not particularly successful, says Professor Rais Latypov from the School of Geosciences at Wits University. However, Latypov and his team have now found an elegant solution to this long-standing petrological puzzle. We took a radically different approach and started searching for a mechanism to generate melts saturated in plagioclase alone outside of the shallow magma chambers, says Rais Latypov. We realised that some melts rising up from deep-seated magma chambers may become saturated in plagioclase alone. This happens in response to decompression as the melts ascend from the depth towards the Earths surface. This research was published a paper in Scientific Reports. When these magmas arrive into a shallow magma chamber and cool there, they may crystallise stratiform layers of pure plagioclase composition like the ones we observe in the Bushveld Complex. Latypov and his team believe that their work represents a significant advance in the understanding of the Earths magmatic systems. This study provides a long-missing bridge between volcanology where we mostly deal with the generation of melts and their ascent and igneous petrology that mainly focuses on crystallisation of these melts within magma chambers, says Latypov. We can now paint a much better picture of how some of Earths valuable minerals are derived from the Earths depth and deposited in the form of monomineralic layers in the shallow intrusions, thus making them much easier to access. Link to the journal paper online: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-60778-w Syria closes northwestern airspace, downs 3 Turkish drone Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 11:36 AM Syria has shut its airspace over the country's northwest, particularly the embattled Idlib province, warning to bring down any aircraft that violates it. Syria's official SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying on Sunday that the army had taken the measure based on its adherence to "constitutional and national duties in defending the sovereignty of the state and protecting its security and territorial integrity." "Any aircraft that breaches the Syrian airspace will be dealt with as hostile aircraft that must be downed and prevented from achieving their hostile goals," he added. The military source also lashed out at Turkish forces for carrying out "hostile acts" against the Syrian armed forces by directly targeting their positions in Idlib and its adjacent areas and providing support to armed terrorist organizations. "These repeated hostile Turkish acts will not succeed in saving terrorists from the strikes of the Syrian Arab Army and they prove the Turkish regime's disavowal of all the previous agreements including the Sochi memo," it added. Syria downs three Turkish drones On early Sunday, Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency claimed Sunday that a Syrian government plane had been downed in Idlib. SANA denied the report and said that the Syrian army had downed a Turkish drone over the strategic city of Saraqib, which lies on the intersection of the M5 and M4 highways. Later on Sunday, Syria's official SANA news agency reported that the country's military had downed two more Turkish drones, increasing the total number of Turkey's drones shot down by the Syrian army to three. Over the past few weeks, tensions have escalated between Ankara and Damascus in Idlib, the only large territory in the hands of terrorists. The Syrian military has managed to undo militant gains across the Arab country and bring back almost all of Syrian soil under government control. Syria launched a counter-terrorism offensive in Idlib and neighboring areas last December after its troops and those of Russia came under increasing militant attacks. Turkey is evidently upset by changing conditions on the ground. It has deployed massive troops and military equipment in recent weeks to stop Syrian troops from ousting terrorists. On Thursday, Turkey said at least 36 of its soldiers were killed in an aerial attack by Syrian forces in Idlib. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Turkish troops who came under fire "were in the battle formations of terrorist groups." Under a deal reached between Turkey and Russia in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in September 2018, Turkish troops were deployed in Idlib and set up observations posts there. The agreement required Ankara to oust Takfiri terrorists from the northwestern Syrian province. But, more than a year into the Sochi deal, foreign-backed terrorists rule supreme in Idlib in close proximity to the Turkish troops. Footage shows Turkish forces beating Syrian soldiers A new video has emerged showing Turkish forces violently beating Syrian soldiers who have been taken captive. Social media users have criticized the behavior which violates the terms of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address / San Francisco Police Department San Francisco police arrested a 51-year-old man on suspicion of aggravated assault in connection to a shocking and unprovoked stabbing in the citys Tenderloin that was caught by a surveillance camera, authorities said Monday. Officers from the Tenderloin station arrested San Francisco resident Timothy Piwowar on Sunday night and booked him in jail on suspicion of aggravated assault and a felony no-bail warrant for burglary, police said. YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenias ministry of education, science, culture and sport has not yet made a decision on restricting the peoples visits to cultural facilities due to the first case of novel coronavirus confirmed in Armenia, deputy minister Narine Khachaturyan told Armenpress. Today we had a consultation with the minister and a decision was made that contrary to the educational institutions, the cultural facilities will not close. In line with this we have information that people cancel their preliminary agreements, return their tickets. At this stage we left it up to the visitors and audience to decide whether they want to visit cultural places or not, she said. The deputy minister also said that today they met with the directors of museums and concert halls and they told them the same. The directors of these facilities state that many tickets are returned back, and many performances were cancelled due to lack of audience. First case of novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Armenia on March 1. The patient arrived in Armenia from Iran. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin appeared to lead his main challenger following elections on Monday, with multiple exit polls putting his right-wing Likud several seats ahead of the centrist Blue and White party. Exit polls by three Israeli television networks, released after polls closed, gave Likud between 36 and 37 seats in Israel's 120-member parliament against Blue and White's estimated 32 or 33. Those projections mark a major improvement on Likud's performance in Israel's last vote in September. Netanyahu tweeted "thank you" in response to the polls. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tonight on ABCs 7:30, Adele Ferguson investigates alleged privacy breaches by Alinta Energy. One of Australias biggest energy companies has put the privacy of its 1.1 million customers at risk due to shoddy cyber security and data protection. A joint investigation by 7.30, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald reveals that Chinese-owned Alinta Energy may be breaching Australian privacy laws by failing to protect its customers personal information including names, addresses, date of birth, mobiles, Medicare and passport numbers, credit card details and, in some cases, individual health records. A series of internal documents, confidential reports and emails by a whistleblower show that almost three years after the former Treasurer Scott Morrison on advice from the Foreign Investment Review Board approved the energy giants sale to Chow Tai Fook, its systems remain inadequate. 7.30 tonight on ABC. Continuing with their crackdown on criminal gangs and gangsters, the Punjab Police have arrested seven accused, including three most wanted gangster-criminals, after an over two-month-long, 1,500 km chase that spanned four states, to solve a spate of heinous crimes, including the recent murder Gurdeep Singh, ex-Sarpanch of village Umarpura in district Amritsar (Rural). Giving details of the meticulously planned and flawlessly executed intelligence-led operation, which covered the states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, DGP Dinkar Gupta on Monday disclosed that the trio were finally arrested from Sojat, District Pali, Rajasthan, on the basis of a tip-off provided to Rajasthan Police by the Punjab Police team. The accused had been changing their locations and creating various fake identities while being on the run. Coming close on the heels of the arrest, from Armenia, of another noted gangster Buddha, these arrests showed that a large number of gangsters-criminals had moved out of Punjab to other States as well as to foreign countries due to the relentless and continued pressure from the Punjab Police and the OCCU, said the DGP. READ: Punjab Steps Up Battle Against Coronavirus, Will Set Up 'Flu Corners' In All Hospitals The three most wanted criminals have been identified as Harman Bhullar r/o Umarpura, Amritsar (R), Balraj Singh @ Buri Basantkotia r/o Basantkot, Gurdaspur, and Harwinder Sandhu r/o Pandori Waraich, Amritsar (Rural). They were all members of a criminal gang operated by Pavittar Singh, a gangster-criminal now based in USA. The police have so far seized one .30 bore Pistol, two .32 bore Pistols, one Springfield Rifle and 18 cartridges, 12 bore Gun with 40 live cartridges, two .315 bore Pistols, 2 cars (one i20 and one Swift), and 3 fake Aadhar Cards. Pavittar Singh s/o Sikandar Singh r/o Chaure, PS Ghumaan Dist Gurdaspur is leading the Chaura Madhra gang. Pavittar Singh is presently suspected to be in USA. Husandeep @ Husna s/o Harvinder Singh r/o Shahbad, PS Ranghar Nangal is one of the close associates of Pavittar and, as per credible inputs, he is also living in the USA. The entire gang is involved in many cases of extortion, attempt to murder, murder, rioting etc, said the DGP. Harman Bhullar, Balraj Singh @ Buri and Harwinder Sandhu had arranged fake Aadhar Cards under the names of Mangal Singh, Ram Dev and Mohinder Singh respectively. Harman Bhullar had also managed to get his fake Passport issued in the name of Harman Singh from the Regional Passport Office, Ambala, with a fake address of Pehowa, Kurukshetra, Haryana. Gurdeep Singh, (55), former Sarpanch of village Umarpura, was shot dead by a group of armed assailants led by Harman Bhullar, when he was returning home from a village Gurudwara on January 1, 2020. Harwinder Sandhu, a member of Pavittar Gang, had also claimed responsibility for the killing of Mandeep Singh, 26, of Village Pandori Waraich, Amritsar (Rural), due to personal enmity. Besides these two murders, the accused were also wanted in the recent attempt to murder case in which they fired gunshots, injuring one Triptpal Singh in November 2019 in village Jijayani in Amritsar (Rural), said the DGP. The accused, who had been on the run for the past several months, had flaunted their involvement in these cases on their social media posts. According to the DGP, Harman Bhullar was involved in as many as 8 criminal cases while Balraj Singh @ Buri Basantkotia was wanted in 10 criminal cases and Harwinder Sandhu in 3 criminal cases. Most of these cases related to serious offences, such as murder, attempt to murder, abduction/kidnapping, rioting, Arms Act etc. Giving details of the joint operation, led by Bikramjit Singh Brar, DSP OCCU, under the supervision of Vikram Jeet Duggal, SSP Amritsar (Rural), the DGP said Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, AIG, Intelligence (OCCU) and RN Dhoke, ADGP Internal Security, were part of the teams, which were drawn from OCCU, SAS Nagar and Amritsar Rural districts. The entire operation was personally monitored by the DGP. The chase, which started from Amritsar-Chandigarh on January 28, culminated successfully on March 1, as a result of the perfect inter-state coordination and cooperation between the police forces of the four states, said Gupta, pointing out that Constable Nasir Mohammad of Uttarakhand Police, in fact, travelled all the way from Rudrapur to Rajasthan during the operation. The DGP said he had personally taken DGP Uttrakhand on board before the launch of the operation from Rudrapur in Uttrakhand. Later, senior officers of the UP Police and Rajasthan Police were also taken in the loop. All these teams first moved to Rudrapur, Uttarakhand and started chasing the criminals, who were travelling in an i20 car no. UK 04T 9229, covering various national highways, Toll Plazas, small village roads, etc. They kept moving continuously, criss-crossing various roads in the remote and interiors of different small towns and villages of various districts of Uttarakhand, UP and Rajasthan. READ: Punjab Cabinet Okays Lokayukta Bill, To Cover All Levels Up To Chief Minister It was only in the early morning of March 01, 2020, that their movement again came to notice in Rajasthan in coordination with Highway authorities and CCTV footage. Chase teams of Punjab Police and the SOG Teams of Rajasthan Police were put on high alert. Finally, after one of the longest chases in policing covering a distance of over 1,500 km, the trio was apprehended from Sojat, Dist Pali with the help of Rajasthan Police. The breakthrough regarding the movement of the accused came when Ranbir Singh @ Lucky r/o Vill. Teeda, PS Mullanpur, SAS Nagar who was admitted in PGIMER, Chandigarh on Feb. 23, 2020, had accidentally shot himself with a countrymade weapon and the subsequent investigations led to the revelation of the weapon being provided by Harman Bhullar and his associate through one Harry Bajwa r/o Sec. 40, Chandigarh. Harry Bajwa had provided a safe house to the accused in Sec. 40, Chandigarh, where the accused have been staying for the last two months. Harry has also been arrested. The arrest of these three criminals further led to arrest, on Monday morning from Uttrakhand, of two of their associates Gurpreet Singh @ Gopi s/o Avtar Singh r/o Tarapur, Dist Meerut, UP and Gurwinder Singh @ Khalsa s/o Lakhwinder Singh r/o Bazpur, Uttarakhand today. Both of them are also involved in various crimes, such as murder, attempt to murder, arms act, etc. Names of the Arrested persons S. No. Name Address 1. Harman Bhullar Umarpura, Amritsar (Rural) 2. Balraj Singh @ Buri Basantkotia Basantkot, Gurdaspur 3. Harwinder Sandhu Pandori Waraich, Amritsar Rural 4. Gurpreet Singh @ Gopi Tarapur, Meerut, UP 5. Gurwinder Singh @ Khalsa Bazpur, Uttarakhand 6. Arwinder Singh @ Harry Bajwa Sec 40, Chandigarh 7. Balbir Singh @ Bira Teeda, SAS Nagar AKRON, Ohio, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy Harbor Corp. announced today its Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, was taken offline at 12:03 a.m. on Saturday, February 29, for scheduled refueling and preventative maintenance. While the unit is offline, about a third of the unit's 177 fuel assemblies will be replaced. Preventive maintenance and safety inspections to ensure continued safe and reliable operations also will be performed on major components including various pumps, valves, reactor vessel, steam generators, and turbine generator. In total, more than 1,200 work activities will be completed during the refueling outage. More than 1,000 temporary contractor workers and Energy Harbor employees will supplement more than 600 Davis-Besse employees during the outage. The additional workforce will provide a multi-million-dollar boost to the local economy as workers stay in area hotels, eat in local restaurants and frequent area stores. The 908-megawatt Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station has operated safely and reliably, generating more than 13 million megawatt hours of electricity since the completion of its last refueling in March of 2018. Energy Harbor is a financially secure independent power producer and fully integrated retail energy provider focused on safe and best-in-class operations and financial performance. With its fleet of reliable generating resources, including substantial carbon-free generation, Energy Harbor is well positioned for long-term value creation and competitiveness in a low-carbon future and is focused on enabling a growing customer and stakeholder base to meet their environmental, social and sustainability goals. For more information on Energy Harbor visit www.energyharbor.com Forward Looking Statements and Further Information This press release contains "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that are included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that Energy Harbor Corp. (the "Company") expects or anticipates to occur in the future (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "intends," "plans," "will likely result," "are expected to," "could" and "will continue"), are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that in making any such forward-looking statement its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such forward-looking statement involves uncertainties and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the discussion of risk factors, including but not limited to important factors described in the following or on our Investor Website referenced below, which among others, could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements: the actions and decisions of regulatory authorities; economic conditions and power pricing within the Company's territories and markets; the Company's ability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits from strategic and financial goals; the uncertainties associated with the deactivation of remaining commodity-based generating units, including the impact on vendor commitments, and as it relates to the reliability of the transmission grid, the timing thereof; the risks and uncertainties associated with litigation, arbitration, mediation and like proceedings, including with respect to the timing and amounts of the capital expenditures that may arise in connection with any such proceedings; changes in customers' demand for power; and weather conditions affecting future sales, margins and operations. Any forward-looking statement included in this press release speaks only as of the date hereof, and except as may be required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them; nor can the Company assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. As such, you should not unduly rely on such forward-looking statements. Further information regarding the Company will be available at www.energyharbor.com under the heading www.energyharbor.com/ir (the "Investor Website"). The Company advises that holders of the Company's securities should review all available information before making any decisions whether to buy or sell any of the Company's securities. Any information in any materials posted on the Investor Website in the future will automatically update and, where applicable, modify or supersede the information contained in this press release and any other information previously posted on the Investor Website. SOURCE Energy Harbor Related Links http://www.energyharbor.com The ceremony will be performed near the Parliament's building in Kyiv every weekend and on holidays Guards mounting ceremony in Kyiv, March 2020 Ukraine's Interior Ministry Ukraine's Interior Ministry and the National Guard of Ukraine began a new custom, which is a feature of everyday life in many countries worldwide. The ceremony of the changing of guards will be taking place every weekend and on holidays. The venue will be the Parliament's building in the Ukrainian capital. The press office of the Interior Ministry reported that on March 1. The first ceremony took place at the Constitution Square, in front of the Parliament on Monday, March 1. The state flag was hoisted, too, as part of the ceremony. The National Guard commanding officer Mykola Balan claims that it's "something new for our state". "But we hope it will become a good custom... From now on, on weekends and holidays, the guards mounting will be taking place - every hour in the wintertime, and every two hours in the summertime. The guards will be serving from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.", Balan said. According to him, the new custom is not just a ceremony, but also a way to pay tribute to the National Guards who deceased due to a hand grenade explosion next to the Parliament building in 2015. New York, NY, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ken Brown, Vice President of Global Solutions at Furnished Quarters, is honored to have received the Tower of Excellence Award for Individual of the Year from the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA). The award was presented on February 26 during the 2020 CHPA Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. Ken has been instrumental in Furnished Quarters expansion during his nearly 10 years with the company. Beginning as a Field Inspector, then Guest Services Specialist followed by Guest Services Manager, Ken eventually spearheaded and grew Global Solutions, Furnished Quarters worldwide division. His out-of-the-box solutions have allowed the company to deliver housing that meets stringent service-level agreements and surpasses client expectations. In addition to his work for Furnished Quarters, Ken has aided in lobbying efforts and served as a spokesperson and advocate for the corporate housing sector. Clients, industry peers and media publications often seek his counsel and subject matter expertise. A CHPA member for over nine years, he holds the designation of Certified Corporate Housing Professional (CCHP) and has been a speaker and panelist at numerous industry events. Ken is a visionary and creative thought leader. Our company would not have achieved the same level of growth without him, said Victoria Yanakos, Executive Vice President of Sales at Furnished Quarters, who accepted the award on Kens behalf at the conference. Hes been a strong advocate for all corporate housing companies and the industry as a whole. Everyone he works with highly values his contributions and service. Im so excited to have received CHPAs award for Individual of the Year. It speaks to the work of the entire Furnished Quarters team, Ken remarked. Were constantly searching for new and different ways to delight our clients, and its wonderful to see that client-centric approach recognized by the leading organization in our industry. About Furnished Quarters Furnished Quarters is the largest independently owned and operated supplier of global temporary housing, offering over 100,000 fully furnished apartments in more than 800 cities around the world. The company, established in 1998 in New York City by brothers Steven and Gary Brown, currently serves more than 5,500 clients, ranging from top Fortune 500 corporations to small businesses. To learn more about Furnished Quarters, visit furnishedquarters.com. Connect with us on Facebook: facebook.com/furnishedquarters Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/furnished-quarters Connect with us on Twitter: twitter.com/furnishedq Connect with us on Instagram: instagram.com/furnishedquarters Attachments If I annoyed somebody or hurt somebody, I apologize. I cant go rewrite history; I can only tell you now it is a different world, says Michael Bloomberg in response to claims about his treatment of some female employees in the early years of his company. https://t.co/4ZO7lInsJM pic.twitter.com/h29KSwjR2j 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 2, 2020 Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg faces a number of criticisms of his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president, high among them sexual harassment claimsconcealed by nondisclosure agreementsat the company hes overseen for decades. As a businessman, the 78-year-old Bloomberg had a documented penchant for profane, sexist comments on business (and life) that have aged particularly poorly. On CBS 60 Minutes Sunday night, Bloomberg was asked about his comments that, in a blind taste test, you would probably attribute to Trump. The off-color Bloomberg-isms were commemorated in a 1990 booklet of personal quotes compiled by staff titled The Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg. Advertisement 60 Minutes Scott Pelley asked the nowpresidential candidate about one saying attributed to him in the booklet, where he describes the Bloomberg terminal, an early financial services information tool, saying: It will do everything, including give you a blowjob. I guess that puts a lot of you girls out of business. In response, Bloomberg apologized, err, sort of. I dont remember saying it, Bloomberg explained. I can tell you that years ago on the trading room floors, things were different. I apologize for that, Im sorry if somebody was hurt. If I annoyed somebody or hurt somebody, I apologize. I cant go rewrite history. I can only tell you now it is a different world. So close to an actual apology, yet. Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and managing body of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), and telecom operator stc Bahrain have signed a five-year concession agreement for the operation of a retail store at Bahrain International Airports (BIA) new Passenger Terminal Building. BAC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah and stc Bahrain Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Nezar Banabeela signed the deal in the presence of Transportation & Telecommunications Minister and BAC chairman, Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed. The store will offer staff and international visitors a range of telecommunications products and services. Al Binfalah said: The launch of the new Passenger Terminal Building will increase BIAs capacity to 14 million passengers a year, many of whom will be international visitors. We are confident that stc Bahrains range of products and services will make it easier for these visitors to stay connected to their personal and professional lives while in Bahrain. We look forward to working with stc Bahrain and delivering a comfortable, convenient, and hassle-free airport experience. Commenting on the agreement, Engineer Banabeela said: stc Bahrain is delighted to become a strategic partner with Bahrain International Airport. With its state-of-the-art facilities and strong retail presence, the new Passenger Terminal Building will offer travellers an improved airport experience with greater convenience. Stc Bahrain continues to invest as an economic enabler, offering the most innovative technologies and services to meet the demands of customers and support Bahrains transition into a key aviation and tourism hub. Alongside stc Bahrain, Batelco and Zain Bahrain will operate retail outlets and offer their services at the new terminal, ensuring broader and faster mobile coverage for travellers and tenants. - TradeArabia News Service Faced with a severe financial crisis, the Andhra Pradesh government has appointed Subhash Chandra Garg, former Union finance secretary, as an advisor to chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to deal with resource mobilisation in the finance ministry. A government order, issued late on Sunday, said the former Union finance secretary has been given the rank of a cabinet minister in the state government. Garg would be in the post for a period of two years. Gargs appointment to look into resource mobilisation comes amid a severe shortage of finances that the Andhra Pradesh government is facing in funding its welfare schemes under the Navaratnalu (nine promises) programme. It had to divert nearly Rs 6100 crore from various departments to fund the flagship programme of Amma Vodi to provide financial assistance to mothers for sending their children to schools. State finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said the state share of Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns from the Centre had come down by about Rs 2500 crore for 2018-19. Moreover, the Centre had paid only Rs 3979 crore towards revenue deficit compensation as against Rs 18,969 crore and only Rs 1050 crore towards development of backward districts, as against the promised amount of Rs 3979 crore. On Monday, the chief minister held an official review meeting on Mission Build programme, aimed at additional resource mobilisation through monetisation of vacant government lands through National Building Construction Corporation. Jagan Reddy directed that the officials identify the government lands and sell them for funding development and welfare schemes. Against this backdrop, the government would utilise the services of Garg in finding methods for additional resource mobilisation. The order said Garg, in the capacity of advisor to the chief minister, shall spend 15 days in a month on the assignment including 7-10 days at the state headquarters. A 1983-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Rajasthan cadre, Garg took voluntary retirement in October 2019, after he was suddenly shifted out of the Union finance ministry and transferred to the department of energy in July for allegedly proposing to raise sovereign bond overseas in external currencies. Garg also pushed for a one-time transfer of the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) reserves to the government in the meetings of the Bimal Jalan committee looking into the capital economic framework. According to an official release from the chief ministers office, Garg has an illustrative career of more than 36 years in areas such as finance, investments, international business, fintech etc. Garg served as the finance secretary of the Rajasthan government and later, moved to the Centre as the director in the department of economic affairs under the finance ministry in 2000. He handled the matters connected with the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) for more than three years. He was Indias executive director in the World Bank Group for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka from November 2014 to July 2017. He made a contribution to refashioning several financing policies of the World Bank. Garg also served as the member of the Central Board of RBI and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). He also served on the board of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi violence: Muslim BJP leaders house set ablaze by the mob India oi-PTI New Delhi, Mar 02: A Muslim BJP leader said his and some of his relatives' houses were burnt down by rampaging mobs during the communal violence in northeast Delhi. Akhtar Raza, the district vice president of BJP's minority cell told PTI that on February 25, a crowd had gathered in his neighbourhood in Bhagirath Vihar in the evening and within a couple of hours mayhem ensued. "The crowd raised religious slogans and began setting houses on fire. There are 19 houses belonging to Muslims in the area including mine and three of my relatives... all were burnt down," he said. Situation under control, say cops after social media posts fuel rumours of violence in West Delhi Raza alleged most of the rioters were outsiders. As he along with 12 of his family members were fleeing their burning home, they were pelted with stones by the mob, he alleged. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 "I sought the help of police but was told that the force was short-staffed. I did not receive any phone call or relief from the party but I have been assured of justice," he said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 9:24 [IST] Ruling and Opposition party members jostled and shoved each other in the Lok Sabha amid furious exchanges in Parliament over the Delhi riots as the budget session resumed after recess on Monday. Three women MPs, two from the BJP and one of Congress, lodged complaints of assault against each other with the Lok Sabha Speaker. Both Houses faced repeated adjournments and no bills could be passed in the commotion as a result. In the Lok Sabha, the government introduced amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and a bill to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. The House started a debate on the Direct Tax Vivaad se Vishwas bill but could not finish due to disruptions. In the Rajya Sabha, the government could only manage to start a discussion on the Central Sanskrit Universities bill. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to move a resolution to take action against Congress MPs and seek their suspension from the House under Rule 374 (A), said people aware of the matter. In the Lok Sabha, 23 Opposition MPs demanded adjournment of all other agenda of the day to discuss the Delhi situation as soon as the House proceedings started. The situation was no different in the Upper House. Both Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla held a series of talks with leaders from both sides but the logjam could not be resolved. Two BJP MPs, Sobha Karandjale and Jaskaur Meena, submitted complaints to Speaker Om Birla against the behaviour of Congress MPs. Meanwhile, Congress MP Ramya Haridas, representing Alathur, Kerala, charged Meena for physically assaulting her. ... repeatedly happened to me just because I am a Dalit and woman? she wrote to Birla. While Meena denied any physical altercation with the Congress MPs and said she merely tried to stop them from coming towards her with banners; Karandjale complained that she was rebuked and physically engaged with by opposition members. Karandlaje also alleged that Haridas pushed another BJP MP who belongs to the Scheduled Caste. Birla held meetings with parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi and Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, among others. Later, disappointed over the days developments, he adjourned the House, saying: I dont want to run the House in such a situation. You all discuss among yourselves to arrive at a consensus and to uphold the tradition and rules of the House. The House should run only in a proper manner and to strengthen our democracy. The Speakers assertion is significant as some of his predecessors have previously sought to keep the House running through protests. The BJP wants action against Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Hibi Eden under the rule that allows the Speaker to suspend for grave disorder occasioned by a member coming into the well of the House or abusing the Rules of the House, persistently and wilfully obstructing its business by shouting slogans or otherwise The Speaker has the power to automatically suspend any disruptive member from the House for at least five days. After the Lower House was adjourned for the first time, Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi staged a protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament complex, demanding the resignation of home minister Amit Shah. Trinamool Congress MPs, too, protested near the statue before the House convened, theatrically wearing blindfolds and with fingers over their lips. The Congress MPs held placards reading Save Our India, Prime Minister Must Answer and Shah Must Resign (a reference to home minister Amit Shah). When Delhi was burning, our home minister was playing the host in Ahmedabad. Playing a host is fine, but when Indians were being killed, that should have been the priority, Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said referring to the Namaste Trump programme. There should be an investigation into the violence. The Prime Minister speaks after three days, the home minister does not say anything, (National Security Adviser) Ajit Doval is sent to look into it, this is their failure, he told reporters. Later, addressing the media, Union minister Smriti Irani said the she will take up the issue of Congress MPs misbehaving with BJP women members. Congress MPs misbehaved with BJP women MPs in Lok Sabha. I would appeal to the Speaker (Om Birla) to take the strongest possible action against them. For the past two to three sessions goonda elements of the Congress are disrupting Parliament proceedings, she said, adding that the action of Congress members in Parliament shows the desperation of the Gandhi family. In the Rajya Sabha, leader of the opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad charged that the Central government slept when violence rocked Delhi for three days. Trump Says U.S. Ready To Aid Iran In Battle Against Coronavirus If Asked By RFE/RL March 01, 2020 U.S. President Donald Trump says he is ready to help Iran deal with its increasingly deadly outbreak of coronavirus if the country he has bitterly criticized and sanctioned asks 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," Trump told the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington on February 29. "We will have great professionals over there," he added, referring to Iran, which has become the hot spot for the disease in the Middle East. The United States, which has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, said it had formally told Tehran of its willingness to assist in the crisis. The was message sent via Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Iran. An Iranian Health Ministry spokesman on February 29 said nine people died from the COVID-19 virus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of reported deaths to 43 amid 593 confirmed infections. Many critics and outside experts have expressed concerns that Tehran is severely underreporting the magnitude of the crisis in the country, allegations the government has vehemently denied. The virus has hit 61 countries, with China -- where the outbreak began -- the hardest hit but with numbers rising elsewhere. The virus has killed 2,870 people and infected 79,24 others in mainland China. Worldwide it has infected more than 86,000 people and killed more than 100. The strongest clusters of the disease outside of China are in Iran, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. Several top Iranian officials have also contracted the virus, including Masoumeh Ebtekar, the vice president for women and family affairs, a deputy health minister, and five lawmakers. Iran has been linked to most of the over 200 confirmed cases of the virus now spread across the region, and many countries in and outside the Caucasus, Middle East, and Central Asia have imposed restrictions on travel to and from Iran in an effort to curtail the disease's spread. On March 1, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in neighboring Armenia reported the small country's first coronavirus case, that of a 29-year-old man who recently returned with his wife from Iran. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, AFP, and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-says-us-assist-iran -coronavirus-crisis-if-asked/30462229.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Normally you would expect the rantings of red-baiting, racism, etc. to come from the new extremist version of the Republican Party, Trump and his hate-mongering base. You would expect Democrats to support their own and to employ their critiques of each other in a judicious fashion. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. Most North Americans do not want to turn the clock back to the days of corporate control of everything, extreme racism, anti-women, anti-LGBT, anti-immigrant discrimination and red-baiting bullying to intimidate people into accepting the extreme conservative agenda. There is a new progressive breath of fresh air coming into the Democratic Party that does not want to go back to the lowest common denominator Clintonian version of the party which was more akin to Republicans-light. The myth of the middle is the poison that has meant stagnation and status quo for the majority of working Americans. Need an example? How about NAFTA and the destruction of the Glass-Steagall Act under Clinton which led to the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs and the banking crisis of 2007-08? It only benefited the elite in our country. The current nervous back-biting of some in the leadership of the Democrats against Bernie Sanders in particular is a sad case in point. Who really cares what Donald Trump says about Bernie? He will call all Democrats socialists while he sits in bed with the former KGB agent who is now president of Russia and bends U.S. foreign policy to Putins benefit, manipulates elections and destroys the most basic division of powers in our country. Meantime most Democrats are smart enough to see the difference between the social-democratic ideas of Bernie Sanders more akin to many of our European allies than the failed command communist states of the former Eastern bloc and Russia. Bernie has worked patiently for dozens of years with both sides of the aisle and produced all kinds of legislation. Bernie is hardly the wild-eyed radical being portrayed in the media and by some disingenuous Democratic Party leaders trying to drag the party back to the good old days of promising reform and more often delivering the status quo. Yammering about his age and then pumping up Joe Biden is more comic relief in this desperate attempt to run to the middle. In the end these same people will glom on to another billionaire like Bloomberg. There is no doubt that what Bernie Sanders wants to accomplish is a monumental task and it is clear that is why he portrays his run as a movement, not just a presidency, because it requires a great deal from us the people. Real change never comes easily. In our country where the cities and infrastructure are crumbling, where college is becoming an unaffordable luxury, where health care and a bloated military budget are bankrupting our economy, where most people are working for substandard wages and many at two jobs, and where our current president denies that climate change even exists, isnt it refreshing to see a movement for fundamental change and a leader who expresses it clearly and without hesitation? Those who mimic the rhetoric of He cant win only help the other side. Thankfully in several states so far, a majority of the Democratic base doesnt agree. Frank Panzarella lives in New Haven. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:55:22|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close MANILA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tourists spent a total of 2,330,491,557.70 U.S. dollars as they visited the Philippines in 2019, the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Monday. DOT data showed that a total of 1.74 million Chinese tourists visited the Philippines in 2019, up 38.58 percent from 2018. According to the DOT, the Philippines' all-time high 8.2 million international tourist arrivals in 2019, contributed 9.31 billion U.S. dollars in visitor receipts, 20.81 percent higher than the 2018 figure of 7.71 billion U.S. dollars. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the constantly rising figures in inbound visitors and the corresponding income earned from their aggregate spend confirms the importance of the tourism sector as a key economic driver. "The Philippine tourism industry's continued impressive performance dramatizes the dedication, hard work and resilience of its stakeholders through a most challenging year. We count on the same enduring qualities to get us through the challenges this year," Romulo-Puyat said in a statement. She said the 2019 numbers show "the fruits of strong collaborative efforts among government, industry and civil society in realizing the goals of the National Tourism Development Program for 2016-2022 (NTDP), the master plan of the country's sustainable and inclusive tourism program designed to spur livelihood of marginal stakeholders and dispersal of benefits to the countryside." Citing data gathered by the DOT Office of Tourism Development Planning, Research and Information Management (OTDPRIM), Romulo-Puyat said that a foreign guest spent 128.35 U.S. dollars average daily while the average per capita expenditure for a whole trip is pegged at about 1,218.04 U.S. dollars on an average length of stay of 9.49 nights. She further said double-digit growth in visitor spending was observed from February to December 2019, with August exhibiting the highest growth at 31.45 percent. Meanwhile, she said the largest volume was recorded in the month of December at 872.13 million U.S. dollars. The country's consistent top visitor market South Korea posted the highest tourist spending of about 2,614,685,263.92 U.S. dollars; followed by China, 2,330,491,557.70 U.S. dollars; and the U.S., 1,208,970,514.75 U.S. dollars. Tuesday is the biggest day of the primary calendar, when 14 states from the Atlantic to the Pacific vote on the Democratic presidential nominee. The USs two most populous states, California and Texas, and nearly one-third of all the delegates at Julys Democratic National Convention are up for grabs. (PA Graphics) Here are some key questions ahead of Super Tuesday: Can Bernie Sanders recapture the narrative? Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has long promised that he could substantially expand the electorate beyond traditional Democratic voters, but that has not happened in the first four contests. Super Tuesday represents his biggest chance to prove his case. He is far better financed and organised than former vice president Joe Biden, who trounced Mr Sanders in South Carolina on Saturday. More than 13 million American children live in poverty. Our childhood poverty rate is among the highest of any major country on Earth. In my view, we should feed the children first, educate the children first, and worry about the military-industrial complex later. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 2, 2020 With five major candidates running, it has been impossible for anyone to claim a clear majority, but Mr Sanders durable base has given him a crucial plurality of the vote, and, more important, a small lead in delegates. Mr Sanders needs as many delegates as possible because his opponents argue the convention itself should decide the nominee should no one secure a clear majority. Tuesday represents Mr Sanders best chance to build a durable advantage in the race. And after Tuesday, the terrain shifts to states that are not as favourable to Mr Sanders. Can Joe Biden emerge as the stop Sanders candidate? Mr Biden dramatically under-performed in Iowa and New Hampshire, part of a collapse among white voters that allowed Mr Sanders to vault into the lead. But Mr Biden regained his footing in South Carolina, propelled by the overwhelming support of black voters. That aided Mr Bidens case that the candidate who prevails among these base voters will win the nomination. Joe Biden (Steve Helber/AP) Mr Bidens campaign hopes that allows him to vastly overperform his polls for Super Tuesday and consolidate the splintered anti-Sanders factions in the Democratic Party. The hope in the former vice presidents camp is that it becomes effectively a two-person race after Tuesday, which may give him an advantage in upcoming states like Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Which candidates can stay viable? Remember 15%. That is the share of votes a candidate has to get to win delegates in primary elections. With five Democrats left in the race Elizabeth Warren and Tom Steyer are also competing, while Amy Klobuchar has dropped out there is a real threat that only one or two will actually grab delegates, with the rest splitting the remaining vote in the low teens. Amy Klobuchar (Patrick Semanky/AP) The risks of that diminished with the exit of former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg from the race Sunday night, but they certainly did not go away. That would be a dream scenario for Mr Sanders, who in some states could grab a far greater proportion of available delegates than his vote share would represent. Some polls have shown it as a distinct possibility in delegate-rich California. Does Michael Bloombergs big bet pay off? Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg bet more than a half billion dollars on Super Tuesday, and we get to see if it was well spent. Mr Bloomberg is a billionaire, and rather than competing in the first four primary states, he decided to spend a huge sum of money on advertisements and campaign organisations in the 14 states voting Tuesday, as well as on other ones voting in the coming weeks. Michael Bloomberg (Matthew Busch/AP) But since he first appeared on the debate stage, his polls plummeted and now he runs the risk of falling into the sub-15% zone in a number of states. Even if he does not, will Mr Bloombergs ultimate impact be to fragment the anti-Sanders vote further and help pave the way for the self-proclaimed democratic socialist whom he says he got in the race to stop? How does the California count affect the race? California is different. It is the biggest prize on the board Tuesday with more than 400 delegates at stake. But California has an unusual voting system that counts all ballots cast Tuesday, even if they were only put in a mailbox that day. It can take weeks to count the entire vote. That could help or hurt Mr Sanders. President Donald Trump will duel with the Democratic nominee for the keys to the White House (Evan Vucci/AP) His campaign has been investing heavily in the state, trying to encourage his supporters to send in early ballots. Virus Kills Member of Council Advising Irans Supreme Leader TEHRAN, IranA member of a council that advises Irans supreme leader died Monday after falling sick from the new coronavirus, state radio reported, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness striking both citizens and leaders of the Islamic Republic. The death of Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, came as Iran announced the virus had killed 66 people among 1,501 confirmed cases in the country. In two days, the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled, showing the spiraling crisis of the outbreak as Iran says it is preparing to mobilize 300,000 soldiers and volunteers to confront the virus. Iran has the highest death toll in the world after China, the epicenter of the virus that causes the illness called COVID-19. Across the wider Mideast, there are over 1,680 cases of the new coronavirus, including Iran. The majority of regional cases are linked back to Iran. Experts worry Irans percentage of deaths to infections, now around 4.4 percent, is much higher than other countries, suggesting the number of infections in Iran may be much higher than current figures show. Mirmohammadi died at a north Tehran hospital of the virus, state radio said. He previously served as the head of the presidency under former Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ali Khamenei, now the countrys supreme leader. Mirmohammadis mother had died of the coronavirus in recent days as well, Iranian media reported. The Expediency Council advises the supreme leader, as well as settles disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council, Irans constitutional watchdog that also oversees the countrys elections. The 45-member council, which also includes former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and officials close to Khamenei, last met in February with Mirmohammadi on hand. Mirmohammadis death comes as other top officials have contracted the virus in Iran. Those sick include Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar, better known as Sister Mary, the English-speaking spokeswoman for the students who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and sparked the 444-day hostage crisis, state media reported. Also sick is Iraj Harirchi, the head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus who tried to downplay the virus before falling ill. Irans Vice President for Women and Family Affairs and Head of Environmental Protection Organization, Masoumeh Ebtekar, meets with French Ecology Minister in Tehran on Aug. 28, 2016. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images) Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei, himself addressing journalists by teleconference over concerns about the virus, acknowledged the challenges remaining for the Islamic Republic. We will have two difficult weeks ahead, he said. Health Ministry spokesman Ali Reza Raisi, who gave the new figures for the virus Monday, said that Irans armed forces and its Basij, the all-volunteer arm of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, stood ready to mobilize 300,000 troops to help combat the virus. Already, Guard vehicles have been spraying disinfectant on streets in major cities. Those troops would help sanitizing public areas, as well as running down leads on who infected people had contacted before falling ill, Raisi said. Trying to stem the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Iran also on Monday held an online-only briefing by its Foreign Ministry. China as well has held similar teleconference briefings. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi opened the online news conference addressing the outbreak, dismissing an offer of help for Iran by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iran and the United States have seen some of the worst tensions since its 1979 Islamic Revolution in recent months, culminating in the American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and a subsequent Iranian ballistic missile counterattack against U.S. forces. We neither count on such help nor are we ready to accept verbal help, Mousavi said. He added Iran has always been suspicious about Americas intentions and accused the U.S. government of trying to weaken Iranians spirits over the outbreak. A pedestrian wearing a face mask crosses a street in northern Tehran, Iran on March 1, 2020. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo) Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi acknowledged some people had begun stockpiling medical supplies for profit in the country, urging prosecutors to show no mercy for hoarders. Hoarding sanitizing items is playing with peoples lives and it is not ignorable, Raisi said. Raisi also urged officials to grant maximum leave to prisoners. Activists have raised concern about the spread of the new coronavirus in Irans prisons. The British Embassy meanwhile has begun evacuations over the virus. Essential staff needed to continue critical work will remain, the British Foreign Office said. In the event that the situation deteriorates further, the ability of the British Embassy to provide assistance to British nationals from within Iran may be limited. While Iran has closed schools and universities to stop the spread of the virus, major Shiite shrines have remained open despite civilian authorities calling for them to be closed. The holy cities of Mashhad and Qom in particular, both home to shrines, have been hard-hit by the virus. Shiites often touch and kiss shrines as a sign of their faith. Authorities have been cleaning the shrines with disinfectants. Police have arrested one man who posted a video showing himself licking the metal enclosing the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, the most-important Shiite saint buried in the country, according to reports by semiofficial news agencies. In the video, the man said he licked the metal to allow others to visit the shrine with peace of mind. Meanwhile Monday, the virus outbreak saw itself dragged into the yearslong boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations over a political dispute. A prominent columnist at Dubais government-owned Al-Bayan newspaper on Twitter falsely described the virus as being a plot by Qatar to hurt the upcoming Expo 2020 worlds fair in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Noura al-Moteari later described the tweet as satire to The Associated Press after it gained widespread attention. The Dubai Media Office similarly described the tweet as being written in a cynical style while distancing the Arabic-language daily from al-Moteari. Noura is a freelance writer and is not an employee of Al-Bayan nor does she represent the publications views, it told AP. That being said, this has no relevance to any social media policy being practiced by the publication nor the state. By Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell The difficulties of the countrys banking system and the lack of dollars have forced people to use the local currency. This, in turn, has devalued wages and income. The "kafala" system, a form of "modern slavery", has made things worse for workers. Many want to go home. Beirut (AsiaNews) Economic migrants face increasing economic hardships in Lebanon today, as the country tries to cope with an economic and political crisis that has almost overwhelmed it in the past few months. One of the migrants is Jasmin Bighoun, 32, a domestic worker from Bangladesh. For her, There are no more dollars and everything is more expensive. It's not the same as before, life is hard. Speaking to AFP, she explained that she used to send up to US0 to her family at home; today she can send less than 150. My 'madame' says she has no more dollars... I can't do anything," she noted, adding that if necessary, she and her husband will pack up and return to Bangladesh. Burdened by a rising debt, Lebanon has been going through the worst financial crisis since the civil war of 1975-1990, with grassroots protests and repeated appeals from the Maronite Church. Many of the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have been without wages or have seen their wages drop. I used to earn 400 dollars ... but today I get my salary in Lebanese pounds," said Mary. "I can't send money to Ethiopia anymore. Lebanese activists and international human rights NGOs have repeatedly called for the abolition of the "kafala" or sponsorship system that exists in many parts of the Middle East and represents a modern form of slavery. In Lebanon as elsewhere, the system traps foreign workers, binding them to their sponsors and depriving them of fundamental rights. Since 17 October, Lebanon has been shaken by massive street protests against corruption and bad governance. The country is home to about 250,00 economic migrants, mostly domestic workers from Ethiopia, Sudan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Some are underage and live in appalling conditions, a situation condemned by activist groups and the governments of the countries of origin. Migrants are among the most affected by the collapse of the local currency, the Lebanese pound, especially restrictions on deposits and banking transactions, due to the lack of dollars which has been the currency of reference currency for locals and foreigners alike for a long time. Those workers who get their wages (and not all do) have seen their purchasing power reduced as they are now paid in Lebanese pounds For immigrants the situation is even more complicated because in order to send money home they have to convert pounds into dollars, losing up to 30 per cent of the value. In short, the lack of liquidity has drastically reduced access to US dollars and triggered a severe crisis for tens of thousands of migrant workers. For Mary, the de-facto devaluation shaved off at least a third of her salary. But she insisted her employees were not to blame. The problem, she said, "is from the state". Before Lebanon's economic meltdown, most migrant workers earned the equivalent of 150 to 400 dollars a month. Now many are thinking of going home and are starting to line up at their embassies and consulates. Last December, more than a thousand Filipinos, mostly female domestic workers, some with children in tow, flocked to their embassy and signed up for a free repatriation flight Time is precious, said Divine, a 38-year-old Filipina, in Lebanon for 15 years. All the sacrifices I have made and patience I deserve my money. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- In January, a total of 3,563 consumers in China bought the Mandatory Liability Insurance for Traffic Accidents of Motor Vehicle (MLI) for Tesla-branded vehicles, according to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission. The China-built Model 3 accounted for 73% of the total volume with 2,605 units registered, versus 578 units for the imported one. On December 30, 2019, Tesla handed over 15 China-built Model 3s to employees, while the scale delivery formally kicked off a week later. Excluding the Spring Festival holiday, there were only 17 days available for the car hand-over. The first round of price cut for China consumers came before the delivery started. Guide price of a homegrown Model 3 Standard Range-Plus would be reduced by RMB32,000 to RMB323,800, Tesla announced on Jan. 4 via its WeChat account. It means that a buyer would get a Tesla Model 3 car with only RMB299,050 since the long-waited model also enjoys China's governmental NEV subsidy of RMB24,750. Additionally, the homegrown Model 3 BEVs have been exempted from the vehicle purchase tax on NEVs, according to a filing released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on December 27, 2019. Tesla's Shanghai plant has resumed production on Feb. 10. Due to the spread of novel coronavirus, Tesla would slow down its new car delivery in China which was supposed to be handled after the Lunar New Year holiday, according to Tesla global vice president Grace Tao, who replied to a Weibo follower on February 4. Ms. Tao said Tesla would strive to speed up the delivery after the epidemic infection is mitigated, in a bid to offset the virus-caused slowdown. Thus, it was hampering out relevant plans. With respect to imported models, the best-seller was still the Model 3. The insurance volume of the imported Model S and Model X amounted to only 13 units and 367 units, lowered than the average monthly level for 2019. Besides, the project of China-made Model Y was launched on the same day as the homegrown Model 3s scale delivery. The all-electric SUV is getting closer to the reach of Chinese consumers. UIA has no plan to reduce flights to Italy, sees no fall in passenger traffic due to coronavirus Ukraine International Airlines (UIA, Kyiv) does not feel a decrease in passenger traffic due to information about the active spread of coronavirus, the airline's press service has told Interfax-Ukraine. "There are passengers with tickets for flights to Italy who requested to re-arrange their flights for later dates. We do this as an exception to a term of two months from the original date. But there are very few of them," the press service said. According to UIA, in total, there were 26 such requests through the airline's Facebook page, of which five returns were issued, and 21 tickets were reissued for other dates. At the same time, UIA does not currently plan to limit the flight program to Italy. As reported, the Hungarian low cost airline Wizz Air reduces the number of flights to Italy from March 11 to April 2, 2020 due to a decrease in demand because of coronavirus. By IANS NEW DELHI: The UN is exploring ways to engage India for mediation between Israel and Palestine to resolve the protracted conflict between the two in the Middle East. A delegation of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was on a two-day visit to New Delhi beginning from Monday. ALSO READ: Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas threatens to cut security ties with Israel, US The team includes UN Ambassadors and Representatives of Senegal (Committee Chair); Indonesia and Malaysia (Committee Members); and the State of Palestine (Committee Observer). According to an official statement, the delegation 'intends to engage India, a country with good relations to both the State of Palestine and Israel, in looking for ways how it could play a more proactive role in the settling of the question of Palestine'. ALSO READ: Israel, Palestine should solve issues through direct talks, says India The UN group will focus on enhancing the political and diplomatic support of India for a peaceful solution of the question of Palestine; and engaging Indian counterparts on synergies in capacity building for staff and institutions of the State of Palestine. The visit would also focus on enhancing the coordination of the UN committee bureau and India on capacity building projects for the State of Palestine, including within the context of South-South and Triangular Cooperation. The UN team will hold meetings with Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, and senior officials in the Ministry, political leaders, and think tanks. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry congratulates the Iranian government on the successful holding of parliamentary elections, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva told reporters in Baku, Trend reports on March 2. We believe that close cooperation between the two countries will continue, the spokesperson added. The 11th parliamentary elections were held in Iran on Feb. 21, 2020. According to the statistics, 24.5 million out of 57.9 million Iranians, who were eligible to vote, used their suffrage in the elections. Cwigasia.com scored 43 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 17 Nov 2015, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the cwigasia homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if cwigasia has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the cwigasia homepage on Twitter + the total number of cwigasia followers (if cwigasia has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the cwigasia homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the cwigasia homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the cwigasia homepage on StumbleUpon. Basic Information PAGE TITLE DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the 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. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Microsoft-IIS/8.5 (ASP.NET) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. 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Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Getty Images Pete Buttigieg has come under immediate pressure to quickly endorse Joe Biden after announcing the end of his own campaign for the Democrat presidential candidacy. Party moderates are said to be desperate for the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to throw his weight behind the vice-president, who is seen has having the best chance of closing the gap on socialist frontrunner Bernie Sanders. Mr Buttigieg, the first openly gay candidate to make a competitive run for the US presidency, dropped out of the race on Sunday after Mr Bidens decisive victory in the South Carolina primary. He told supporters it was time to step aside and help bring our party and our country together, adding in a pointed dig at Mr Sanders that we need leadership to heal a divided nation, not drive us further apart. An adviser told Reuters that Mr Buttigieg had called time on his campaign to avoid helping the odds of the veteran Vermont senator. Mr Buttigieg stopped short of endorsing any of his ex-rivals in his departing speech, but he and Mr Biden were reported to have exchanged voicemails on Sunday night, and his decision to pull out of the race has prompted new pressure on the partys moderate wing to coalesce behind the former vice-president. Dem establishment types in DC want Pete Buttigieg to quickly endorse Joe Biden, said political analyst Howard Fineman. Theyre desperate to get behind Joe; they think hes only one who can stop Bernie Sanders. Not that Pete has much clout, but insiders are pushing him hard tonight. A Democrat official told The New York Times that Mr Biden had asked for Mr Buttigiegs endorsement when they spoke on Sunday night. The former mayor indicated he would consider request and told his own team he would sleep on the decision, according to aides, some of whom are said to want him to quickly back Mr Biden. The official said Mr Buttigieg had also spoken to Barack Obama on Sunday night. The former president is not believed to have specifically encouraged him to endorse Mr Biden, but reportedly asked him to consider how to best use his influence. Story continues Twenty-six per cent of Mr Buttigiegs supporters would opt for Mr Biden as their second choice the same number as Mr Sanders, according to recent polling by SurveyUSA. In an appeal to his former rivals followers on Sunday, Mr Sanders tweeted: I want to congratulate Pete Buttigieg for running a strong and historic campaign, and to welcome all of his supporters into our movement. I urge them to join us in the fight for real change in this country. Read more Buttigieg has dropped out was it because of a back-room deal? There are no living witnesses to exactly what happened in a long, dim stairwell on Feb. 13, 2018, when Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was fatally shot allegedly by a suspect he was chasing. Two years later, that man, Shomari Legghette, will stand trial beginning on Tuesday. He is expected to take the stand on his own behalf and claim self-defense. The coverage on this live blog has ended but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team. All times below are in Beijing time. 7:55 pm: EU coronavirus deaths reach 38, bloc raises risk level to high The president of the European Commission said Monday that the EU's disease prevention agency had raised the bloc's risk level to high, as the coronavirus continues to spread. Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference in Brussels that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had raised its risk level up from moderate, with more than 2,100 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in 18 of the 27 EU states. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides confirmed Monday 38 EU citizens had died as a result of the flu-like virus. Meredith Tourist wearing a protective respiratory mask outside the Coliseum in Rome on February 28, 2020. Andreas Solaro | AFP | Getty Images 6:50 pm: Iran's health ministry says 66 people have died due to coronavirus, infections exceed 1,500 Iran's health ministry said Monday that the total number of those infected with the coronavirus had climbed to 1,501, Reuters reported citing state television, with 66 deaths nationwide. Iran is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East, having recorded the highest number of coronavirus fatalities outside China. Meredith 6:05 pm: India, Iraq and Iceland all report further cases of coronavirus Iceland has confirmed three more cases of the coronavirus, with India and Iraq also reporting two additional infections on Monday. Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management confirmed Monday that three patients had tested positive for the flu-like virus over the weekend. All of them had recently spent time on holiday in northern Italy the epicenter of Europe's outbreak. Meanwhile, India reported two further cases of COVID-19, taking the country's toll to five. One of the new cases was in New Delhi, while the other was in Telangana, the government said. Elsewhere, Iraq's health ministry said Monday that two people had contracted the flu-like virus, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 21. Meredith 5 pm: Nike temporarily closes European headquarters due to coronavirus case Nike's European headquarters (EHQ) in the Netherlands will remain closed for Monday and Tuesday after an employee was found to have contracted the coronavirus. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are conducting a deep cleaning of the EHQ campus," Nike said in a statement to CNBC, confirming it was aware of an employee coronavirus case. "All EHQ buildings and facilities will be closed until Wednesday." Approximately 2,000 Nike employees from 80 countries are estimated to work at the site. As of Sunday, the WHO had confirmed seven cases of COVID-19 in the country, with no deaths. Meredith A picture of Nike's European campus in Hilversum, Netherlands. Robin van Lonkhuijsen | AFP | Getty Images 4:30 pm: South Korea reports 123 further cases of coronavirus, takes the country's total over 4,300 South Korea has reported an additional 123 cases of the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, taking the country's total number of infections up to 4,335. South Korea has the highest number of infections outside mainland China. The dramatic rise in the country's cases stems from the city of Daegu, and specifically, a secretive religious group called Shincheonji. Earlier in the day, (see 1:20 p.m. update), the mayor of Seoul announced he had launched legal proceedings against key leaders of the Shincheonji religious group. Meredith 4:15 pm: Japan confirms five further cases of virus in Hokkaido Japan has confirmed five more cases of the coronavirus in Hokkaido, according to a report from public broadcaster NHK, bringing the country's total number of COVID-19 infections to 77. It comes shortly after the northern island, which has a population of roughly 5 million people, declared a state of emergency late last week. As of Sunday, the WHO had confirmed 239 cases of the coronavirus in Japan, with five deaths. Meredith 3:05 pm: Australia reports first community spread of coronavirus Australia on Monday said a male doctor as well as a woman are the first cases of community transmissions in the country, according to a Reuters report citing health officials. Community spread means there are cases with no relevant travel history or clear link to another infected person or at-risk group. The country on Sunday reported its first death of a coronavirus case. It has imposed travel bans on any foreigners traveling from China or Iran in the two weeks before arriving in Australia. Tan 2:40 pm: 'We're already in a pandemic situation,' says health expert The world is already in a "pandemic type situation" even if the World Health Organization has not classified it as such, a health expert told CNBC on Monday. "As of today, there are already over 60 countries reporting cases of coronavirus disease ... we're already in a pandemic situation, this has gone to many countries," said Syra Madad, senior director for System-wide Special Pathogens Program Office at NYC Health and Hospitals. "Whether the World Health Organization classifies it as a pandemic or not, I think we're already in a pandemic type situation," she said. "We just need to continue to plan for the worst case scenario." Madad said this outbreak is hopefully a "good wake-up call" for countries whose health care systems are not up to scratch. "When the coronavirus disease ends whenever that will be, there's going to be another one right behind it," she said. "We can't predict when they are going to happen, we absolutely know they are going to happen." Tan 2:05 pm: Japan's auto sales down 10% Auto sales in Japan tumbled 10% in February, as the virus outbreak led to production disruptions, according to a Reuters report. That has caused difficulty in acquiring parts from China due to the outbreak, it said. Tan 1:20 pm: Seoul mayor sues South Korea religious group for 'murder' and 'injury' The mayor of Seoul has sued key leaders of the Shincheonji religious group at the center of South Korea's sudden surge in the number of confirmed cases for the new coronavirus. Mayor Park Won-soon said on Facebook he was suing the key leaders of Shincheonji "for murder, injury and violation of prevention and management of infectious diseases," according to a translation from NBC News. A woman wearing a face mask walks in front of the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on February 27, 2020. JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images South Korea has the highest number of infections outside mainland China. Contributing to the exponential rise in cases was the city of Daegu, and specifically, the secretive religious group called Shincheonji, according to the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roy Choudhury 1:05 pm: JPMorgan cuts China 2020 growth forecast to 5.2% JPMorgan cut its 2020 growth forecast for China from 5.4% to 5.2%, pointing to slower-than-expected work resumption at factories. It cited obstacles such as labor shortage and transportation disruptions. "Policymakers face two trade-offs at this juncture: between virus control and production resumption, and between reviving activity and maintaining a disciplined approach to easing," the Wall Street firm wrote in a note on Monday. 12:20 pm: Indonesia confirms first two coronavirus cases Indonesia has confirmed its first two coronavirus cases, according to a Reuters report, citing Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Meanwhile, Singapore reported Sunday that two of its new cases have been to Batam, Indonesia. They did not have any travel history to China or South Korea. Tan 11:30 am: US investigates faulty coronavirus test kits The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that it's investigating a manufacturing defect in some initial coronavirus test kits, according to a Reuters report. That has sparked some states to seek approval to use their own kits, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Saturday said it would allow some labs to use tests they have developed, in order to speed up testing capacity, the report said. In New York, where the first case in Manhattan was just reported, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state has sought approval to begin using its own test kit. Tan 10:38 am: Second coronavirus death in the US Health authorities in Washington confirmed a second death in the U.S. from the new coronavirus on Sunday. The patient was a man in his 70s, who was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth, a hospital in Washington State, according to Seattle and King County Department of Public Health. Tan 10:01 am: First coronavirus case confirmed in New York City The first coronavirus case in Manhattan has been confirmed, a woman who recently traveled to Iran and is currently isolated in her home, according to a person familiar with the matter. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the state's first case on Sunday, without specifying where the patient lives. (see 8:50 a.m. update) In a statement on Sunday night Eastern Time, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said: "From the beginning, we have said it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of coronavirus in New York. Now our first case has been confirmed." He added: "Our health authorities have been in a state of high alert for weeks, and are fully prepared to respond. We will continue to ensure New Yorkers have the facts and resources they need to protect themselves." Kopecki (This post has been updated to include the statement from New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio) 9:50 am: South Korea reports 476 more cases South Korea reported a jump of 476 cases on Monday morning, bringing the country's total to 4,212 cases. There were four more deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 22, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tan 9:40 am: Foreign firms in China still face challenges getting back to work Surveys of foreign businesses released this week indicate many people in China still haven't returned to work, especially in factories, adding to revenue losses. Travel disruptions to the flow of people and goods are a top challenge for foreign companies in China right now, Greg Gilligan, chairman of the Beijing-based American Chamber of Commerce in China, said in a phone interview Friday. "There's still a very large number of people who are still sheltered in place and cannot return to their (city) of residence." Cheng 8:50 am: New York reports first case New York State has its first confirmed case, a woman in her 30s who traveled to Iran, said Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York. The patient "is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York," he said in a statement. Andrew Cuomo tweet California's Santa Clara County also confirmed three new cases, bringing its total to seven. Tan 8:29 am: China reports 202 new cases, 42 more deaths China's National Health Commission reported 202 new cases, and 42 additional deaths, as of March 1. Of those new cases,196 were from the epicentre of Hubei, as were all the 42 additional deaths. That brings the country's total to 80,026 cases and 2,912 deaths. Tan 8:20 am: Australian, Japan shares fall 7:57 am: Macao's casino revenue plunges nearly 88% Macao's gaming revenue plunged 87.8% in February as compared with a year ago, according to Reuters. Casinos in the Chinese territory were shut for two weeks as authorities scrambled to contain the virus outbreak. Macao is heavily dependent on casinos, earning more than 80% of its revenue from gaming, but visits from tourists have practically dried up, according to the report. Tan Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk outside the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau on January 22, 2020. ANTHONY WALLACE | AFP via Getty Images 7:51 am: Asia markets set to continue falling Markets in Asia were set to continue tumbling on Monday after plunging Chinese manufacturing activity and U.S. markets seeing their biggest weekly declines since October 2008 on the back of virus fears. Factory activity in China plunged far worse than expected in February as the country dealt with the economic impact of the virus outbreak, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday. Huang All times below are in Eastern time. 5:26 pm: France's Louvre Museum closed The spreading coronavirus epidemic shut down France's Louvre Museum on Sunday, with workers who guard its famous trove of artworks fearful of being contaminated by the museum's flow of tourists from around the world. Almost three-quarters of the Louvre's 9.6 million visitors last year came from abroad. The world's most popular museum welcomes tens of thousands of fans daily in Paris. "We are very worried because we have visitors from everywhere," said Andre Sacristin, a Louvre employee and union representative. "The risk is very, very, very great," he said in a phone interview. While there are no known virus infections among the museum's 2,300 workers, "it's only a question of time," he said. A short statement from the Louvre said a staff meeting about virus prevention efforts stopped the museum from opening as scheduled Sunday morning. Associated Press 2:43 pm: United postpones new pilot class and warns of additional flight cuts United Airlines is postponing start dates for some new pilots this month and warned about further flight reductions, the carrier confirmed Sunday. A 23-person class of pilots that was supposed to start training this week has been postponed. CNBC had reported the schedule change earlier on Sunday. The delay comes as the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, spreads, prompting United and its competitors to scale back some international routes. Pilot training can take several months before aviators start flying for the airline. The coronavirus is a new challenge for airlines that have been dealing with slower-than-expected growth because of the nearly yearlong grounding of the Boeing 737 Max after two fatal crashes. Josephs 11:22 am: US investigating whistleblower complaint that staff was inadequately protected from virus, health secretary says Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:30:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo shows an ambulance driving on the street of Xiaogan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) The provincial supervision commission said that it is a case of serious dereliction and neglect of duty to have let someone with fever symptoms leave Wuhan, a city that has been locked down for over a month. WUHAN, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Several officials in coronavirus-hit Hubei Province in central China have been removed from their post or put under investigation after a women's prison released an inmate who was then confirmed to have been infected with the virus in Beijing. According to the provincial discipline watchdog on Monday, the prisoner surnamed Huang, who was scheduled to be released upon completing her sentence on Feb. 17, had close contact with a prison guard who was confirmed to be infected on Jan. 29. Huang stayed in prison for observation after her release day and had her temperature measured during the period. On Feb. 21, the prison turned her over to her daughter and ex-son-in-law outside an expressway toll-gate of Wuhan. The provincial supervision commission said that it is a case of serious dereliction and neglect of duty to have let someone with fever symptoms leave Wuhan, a city that has been locked down for over a month. Tan Xianzhen, the Party secretary and head of the provincial justice department, has been under investigation. Hao Aimin, the Party secretary and head of the provincial prison administration bureau, has been removed from his post and under investigation. Other officials from the bureau, the women's prison and the local public security bureau in charge of the expressway toll-gate were also punished. BEMIDJI, Minn. The planned route for this pipeline runs past small Northwoods towns populated with union laborers. It cuts across one Native American reservation, while steering around another. And it slices through the fragile coalition that has delivered Minnesota to Democrats in 11 consecutive presidential elections. Influential Democrats have been among the loudest voices on both sides of a debate over whether to replace an aging pipeline, known as Line 3, which carries Canadian crude oil through the evergreen forests and pristine waters of northern Minnesota. Politicians in the states big cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, environmentalists, and many Native Americans, worried about the possibility of a spill and about climate change, have protested the replacement plan and held it up. Rural lawmakers and labor unions, seeing the potential for high-paying construction jobs, mostly supported it. Over generations, the strength of Democrats in Minnesota was based on uniting the states city-dwellers and its rural residents in common political cause. But as Democrats prepare to vote in the Super Tuesday presidential primary, that alliance is frayed and in flux. [March 02, 2020] SecureTrust Joins Vendorcom to Help Drive Compliance and Risk Assessment Initiatives in the European Payments Community SecureTrust, a leading compliance and risk assessment services provider, today announced that it has become a member of the European membership organisation, Vendorcom. Vendorcom Europe is a multi-stakeholder membership organisation that connects seekers, solvers and shapers in the European Payments Community. Shaping the collaborative and competitive landscape in payments since launching in 2003, it has established itself as Europe's definitive forum for keeping in touch with the what's what and who's who in payments. Through Vendorcom, SecureTrust will connect with the key stakeholders in the European Payments Community to help improve compliance programmes, security strategies, simplify the way organisations manage compliance and risk, and provide industry-leading consulting on Small Merchant PCI (News - Alert) Compliance and Security programmes. Commenting on the membership, Michael Petitti, president at SecureTrust said: "SecureTrust is thrilled to become a member of Vendorcom. With the launch of the SecureTrust brand in the past year, we're excited to continue working with our terrific community of partners and customers while also strengthening our ties in the European market. Vendorcom has a long history of fostering collaboration among the many stakeholders in the payment industry from merchants to financial institutions nd we look forward to being part of the conversation." SecureTrust launched over a year ago as the compliance and risk management arm of Trustwave. Building on a history of delivering security and compliance services for more than 25-years under the Trustwave brand, SecureTrust is continuing the tradition of helping businesses large and small throughout the world achieve and maintain compliance as threats to data and privacy evolve. Vendorcom Chairman Paul Rodgers said: "It's great to have SecureTrust joining the community and demonstrating its collaborative credentials in doing so. For over 15 years, payment security and risk management has been a core theme within the community and I know that SecureTrust, with its international track record of providing consultancy and technology solutions will be able to contribute strongly in the Vendorcom forums whilst gaining the broadest possible perspective on changing trends and market needs." About Vendorcom Vendorcom is Europe's merchant payments forum, founded in 2003 to deliver innovation through collaboration. It offers a hub for providers and users of payments solutions to enable them to keep their finger on the pulse of this rapidly changing environment. It provides current, independent, authoritative, and transformative knowledge and analysis through an extensive community development program of conferences, forums and networking activities for members. About SecureTrust SecureTrust, a division of Trustwave, leads the industry in innovation and processes for achieving and maintaining compliance and security. SecureTrust delivers world-class consulting, compliance and risk assessment services and solutions for the enterprise market as well as tailored merchant risk management programmes and solutions for merchant program sponsors around the globe. To learn more about SecureTrust, visit https://www.securetrust.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005085/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Microscopic images in false colors. (a) One of investigated Itokawa grain. The mineral troilite (FeS, violet) is surrounded by silicate minerals (green). (b) Troilite surface (violet) with iron whiskers (blue). (c) An enlarged image of an iron whisker. CREDIT Toru Matsumoto Itokawa would normally be a fairly average near-Earth asteroid - a rocky mass measuring only a few hundred metres in diameter, which orbits the sun amid countless other celestial bodies and repeatedly crosses the orbit of the Earth. But there is one fact that sets Itokawa apart: in 2005 it became a visit from Earth. The Japanese space agency JAXA sent the Hayabusa probe to Itokawa, which collected soil samples and brought them safely back to Earth - for the first time in the history of space travel. This valuable cargo arrived in 2010 and since then, the samples have been the subject of intensive research. A team from Japan and Jena has now succeeded in coaxing a previously undiscovered secret from some of these tiny sample particles: the surface of the dust grains is covered with tiny wafer-thin crystals of iron. This observation surprised Prof. Falko Langenhorst and Dr Dennis Harries of Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. After all, over the last 10 years, research teams all over the world have exhaustively studied the structure and chemical composition of the dust particles from Itokawa, and no one had noticed the iron 'whiskers'. It was only when Japanese researcher Dr Toru Matsumoto, who is spending a year as a visiting scientist with the Analytical Mineralogy group at the Institute of Geosciences in Jena, examined the particles with a transmission electron microscope that he was able to locate the crystals using high-resolution images. Solar wind weathers celestial bodies This discovery is exciting not only because the tiny iron 'whiskers' - which have since been shown on other particles from the asteroid as well - had previously been missed. Of particular interest is how they were formed. "These structures are the consequence of cosmic influences on the surface of the asteroid," explains Falko Langenhorst. In addition to rocks, high-energy particles from the solar wind also strike the asteroid's surface, thus weathering it. An important constituent of the asteroid is the mineral troilite, in which iron and sulphur are bound. "As a result of space weathering, the iron is released from the troilite and deposited on the surface in the form of the needles that have now been discovered," says the mineralogist Langenhorst. The sulphur from the iron sulphide then evaporates into the surrounding vacuum in the form of gaseous sulphur compounds. From the size and number of the ice crystals detected, the researchers can also estimate how quickly the asteroid loses sulphur. "The process is incredibly fast from a cosmic perspective," explains Toru Matsumoto. The crystals he analysed are up to two-and-a-half micrometres long, which is around one-fiftieth of the thickness of a human hair. "The tiny whiskers have already reached these sizes after around 1,000 years," adds the researcher from Kyushu University in Fukuoka. Over the long term, the analysis of the ice crystals can be used to gain a better understanding of weathering processes on other celestial bodies as well, and to determine their age. To this end, the researchers already have specific asteroids in their sights. NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe is currently preparing to take samples from asteroid Bennu, while JAXA's Hayabusa2 is already on its way back to Earth. The Japanese probe visited the Ryugu asteroid last year and, as with Itokawa, it collected dust particles. The samples should land on Earth at the end of 2020 and the international team of Jena mineralogists and Toru Matsumoto are awaiting them with anticipation. Original publication: Matsumoto T et al. Iron whiskers on asteroid Itokawa indicate sulfide destruction by space weathering. Nature Communications (2020), DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14758-3, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14758-3 Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Ever visited Venice in summer and thought, I wish I could see this place without the crowds? Your vision just came true. Unfortunately, sucking gelato solo is only possible due to a global pandemic that could see you bedridden or dead. Though coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, some 8,477 kilometres away, if youre not already in a wifi-less bunker, youll know Italy has seen an alarming outbreak too. As CNN reported this morning, Italys Civil Protection Authority reported the country now has 1,694 confirmed coronavirus cases, up from 1,128 confirmed cases on Saturday. Thirty-four people have died. Italy has the most coronavirus cases of any country outside of Asia. The worst-affected areas, according to the BBC, are in the industrial north of the country Lombardy, the region around Milan, and Veneto near Venice. As of last Friday, of Italys 650 confirmed cases of coronavirus, about 111 are in the Veneto region, or which Venice is the capital. The outbreak flared last weekend, taking local authorities and the World Health Organisation by surprise. The country had just three cases a week ago, The Sydney Morning Herald wrote on February 28th. The result? As The Wall Street Journal reports, Venices high tides have receded, and now tourism is running dry. As Italy battles the coronavirus, tourists are shunning trips and Venice faces a big loss of business. That hasnt stopped a small number of travellers from going, though, and flaunting their experience on social media. Arrived in venice this morning, so glad we came, only 44 people.on the plane, weather is lovely, all bars, shops cafes open, walked for hours, very quiet, attractions that are closed are supposed to be opening sunday, no one seems to be worried about #coronavirus Paula Battaglia (@PaulaBattaglia5) February 28, 2020 Unique? Certainly. Brave? Some would be more inclined to call it stupid. Only shitebags dont go on hol cause of coronavirus, buzzin for Venice in the morn laura pirrie (@LozzaPee_) February 28, 2020 In any case, it appears there are various travellers living it up in the city of Gondolas and Pigeons. Pictures showing a very empty Venice due to the coronavirus situation in Italy. Hasnt stopped us having the best time though! pic.twitter.com/tHbWIk12T0 Holly (@dailydoseofhols) February 29, 2020 Genius, or rude? On one hand, it seems in poor taste. Especially considering locals like the bakery owner the Sydney Morning Herald recently interviewed, are in anguish: Never had the streets been so quiet, she explained, before tears welled in her eyes and she disappeared into the kitchen. You can and you should if you have been in a quarantine zone in Italy. Aunty Janet #FBPE (@scarlettpeach) February 25, 2020 But then, if youre game (and insured) enough to take the risk, one could argue youre doing Venice a favour by boosting its economy (just make sure you follow the recommended precautions while travelling, and isolate yourself on return). Oh and also: be prepared for judgemental looks from your stay-at-home neighbours who will see your actions as risking the fate of humanity for a 200 euro flight you booked while drunk last year. But we digress Its not on lockdown. Its one small village miles away. djwefc78 (@damienweston) February 24, 2020 St Marks now looks eerie as hell These pictures out of Venice are so striking. St. Marks has emptied out because of the coronavirus outbreak. @annamomi reports on whats going on in the city. https://t.co/B4j0nwxq6i pic.twitter.com/Io9TW16Udk Amy Virshup (@amyvirshup) February 27, 2020 and the traditional Venice carnival masks are more appropriate than they have been for centuries. Venice carnival: People wear the type of masks used by doctors centuries ago to treat patients afflicted with the plague during a procession on the last day of the carnival pic.twitter.com/bN2Pqbfsm2 AFP news agency (@AFP) February 26, 2020 If you had a holiday booked and paid for, what would you do? Read Next They shot to fame on the third series of ITV2 show Love Island. But it appears that Montana Brown and Georgia Harrison have Hollywood in their sights as they took to Instagram this weekend to boast of their unlikely friendship with movie star Rebel Wilson. The girls stunned fans as they shared a series of pictures and images of themselves enjoying a VIP ski break with the Pitch Perfect star, 40. Say what? Montana Brown and Georgia Harrison have Hollywood in their sights as they took to Instagram this weekend to boast of their unlikely friendship with movie star Rebel Wilson Montana's Instagram stories were littered with clips of her cosying up to Rebel as they frolicked in the snow at the resort in Los Angeles, California. The Love Island star was introduced to Rebel by producer Mickey Gooch, who she has been working with closely after signing to a top LA acting agency. Mickey is gearing up for his premiere for Deported on Monday, and before the movie's debut decided to introduce them to each other. Mickey and Rebel have remained on good terms since their split in 2015. Famous friends: The girls stunned fans as they shared a series of pictures and images of themselves enjoying a VIP ski break with the Pitch Perfect star, 40 In one video, Montana, 24, filmed as Rebel blew out the candles on a cake as her pals helped her celebrate her birthday. While other pictures saw her rubbing shoulders with other actors including Brooke Chamberlain and Harry Potter star Tom Felton. Meanwhile, Georgia also kept her fans updated on the trip as she filmed their long car journey to the mountain resort. Look who it is: Montana's Instagram stories were littered with clips of her cosying up to Rebel as they frolicked in the snow at the resort in Los Angeles, California The blonde beauty, 25, also shared videos with Rebel, and even filmed a hilarious clip of her pal Montana taking a tumble in the snow as she slipped over right in front of the actress. The reality star pair also joined the Hollywood star in making a TikTok video in which they strutted through the snow in slow motion. And though it seems that Montana and Georgia are completely at ease with mingling with A-listers, their fans were left baffled, with many rushing to comment on the unlikely friendship. Birthday girl: In one video, Montana, 24, filmed as Rebel blew out the candles on a cake as her pals helped her celebrate her birthday Magical: While other pictures saw her rubbing shoulders with other actors including Brooke Chamberlain and Harry Potter star Tom Felton 'how the f**k do these two know each other?' questioned one person. While another remarked: 'omg just hanging out with @rebelwilson.' 'Sorry whatttttt?!? This is amazing!!!' asked a third, with a fourth echoing: 'WHAAAAAT?!!!' 'Beyond confused but love it' gushed a fifth Instagram user. Cheeky: Montana wasn't afraid to bare all in the cold as she enjoyed her luxury ski trip Holiday: The girls looked like they were having the best time as they posed with Brooke Chamberlain Whoops! The blonde beauty, 25, also shared videos with Rebel, and even filmed a hilarious clip of her pal Montana taking a tumble in the snow as she slipped over right in front of the actress Work it: The reality star pair also joined the Hollywood star in making a TikTok video in which they strutted through the snow in slow motion With another adding: 'What project are you working on with Montana? Such a random pairing.' It comes as it was revealed that Montana has been signed by a top LA agent and is moving to the U.S. to pursue her acting dream. According to her Instagram page Montana was spending time in LA at the Mammoth film festival, however it is unclear when she will move there for good. 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. Confused: And though it seems that Montana and Georgia are completely at ease with mingling with A-listers, their fans were left baffled, with many rushing to comment on the unlikely friendship She attended the premiere alongside the likes of actor Ed Westwick and producer Mickey, who she has been working closely with on her new career. He is a major player in LA and previously dated Hollywood star Rebel 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. Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been accused of making "brazen" and "offensive" comments about Hinduism and other Indian religions in Parliament, according to media reports. Last week, Liberal Party leader Frydenberg made repeated references to the Hinduism and other Indian religions while criticising the Opposition Labor Party's idea of potentially pursuing a New Zealand-style "wellbeing budget", 9News reported on Sunday. "They (Labor) are inspired by their spiritual leader, the member for Rankin (Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers)," Frydenberg was quoted as saying by the report. "I was thinking yesterday, as the member for Rankin was coming into the chamber fresh from his Ashram deep in the mountains of the Himalayas barefoot in the chamber, robes flowing, incense burning, beads in one hand, wellbeing budget in the other, I thought to myself: 'What yoga position the member for Rankin would assume ... to deliver the first wellbeing budget?'' The Hindu Council of Australia on Saturday night described the treasurer's comments as "brazen, racist and Hindu-phobic", the report said. "The comments made by Frydenberg are derisive and very offensive to the Hindu community," the council said in a statement posted on Facebook. The council called on Frydenberg to re-think the statements he made and urged the Liberal Party to consider where it stands on the comments. The Universal Society of Hinduism urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to censure the treasurer. However, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann defended Frydenberg by sharing statements on Twitter from other groups, including the Confederation of Indian Australian Association and the Federation of Indian Associations Victoria, both of which said "no apology" was needed, Australian Associated Press reported. Cormann, addressing Labor, said Frydenberg "appropriately used humour to make a serious point". "The joke is on you @KKeneally & @JEChalmers. @JoshFrydenberg appropriately used humour to make a serious point. Labor can't hide its economically harmful high taxing, high spending, anti-business agenda behind its silly wellbeing budget diversion," Cormann tweeted. Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally said she doesn't think Frydenberg is a racist or a bad person, but that he "exhibited bad judgment". "What I would encourage from Frydenberg today is to read and reflect on the call from the Hindu Council of Australia to consider his actions and fix this mess he has created," she told reporters in Sydney on Sunday. "I would expect Frydenberg to do the right thing." Labor MP Michelle Rowland also slammed Frydenberg for his statements deemed by many Australian Hindus as offensive. "Hindu Australians deserve our respect - not cheap jokes on the floor of the House of Representatives," Rowland tweeted. On Monday, in the House of Representatives, Rowland said she would not let the "offensive" comments "go unchecked". "As a regular feature as my role as the member for Greenway, I spend time with several hundred Australians of Hindu faith every week," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of migrants gathered at Turkey's border with Greece on Sunday (March 1) - seeking entry after Ankara relaxed curbs on their movement. Turkey said on Thursday (February 27) that it would no longer restrain the hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in its territory from reaching Europe after an airstrike on Idlib in neighboring Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers. That announcement prompted a rush to the borders it shares with EU member Greece from migrants like 20-year-old Syrian Mohammed Ali Bilal. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 20-YEAR-OLD SYRIAN MIGRANT, MOHAMMED ALI BILAL, SAYING: "We won't give up. We insist on going through, God willing, because we can't live here anymore. We're working for nothing here, everything is pointless. We can't go to school. We can't do anything." The International Organization for Migration put the number of people along the Turkish border at 13,000 and some are already taking at-times perilous journeys to Greece. The Turkish coastguard reportedly rescued some 50 migrants on Sunday after an overcrowded dinghy sank off Turkey's coast. It was heading for the Greek island Lesbos where a Greek police official said hundreds had arrived on Sunday morning. Further north others are wading across a river near Kastanies on the shared border. That Greek town was the site of clashes on Saturday (Feb 29) as riot police used teargas to repel hundreds of people. Greece has said there was an orchestrated attempt to breach its borders, and has accused Turkey of actively guiding migrants. The country, which was the gateway to Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016, currently hosts more than 40,000 migrants on the Aegean, living in severely overcrowded camps and filthy conditions. It has vowed to keep a mass influx of migrants out and Greece's Prime Minister has called a national security council meeting. The European Union says it is supporting Greece. Those of us whove served this nation in uniform understand just how important it is for the commander in chief to have, not only the depth of experience needed to protect our country, but also the humility to recognize the magnitude of the sacrifices our troops make on their orders, said Duckworth, an Iraq War combat veteran who lost both legs and some use of her right arm after a helicopter she was piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004. An Ashby, West Australia mortgagee home has been listed for $419,000, down from $419,000. It is currently under offer according to RealEstate.com.au. If it sells at or below that asking price it would mark the second consecutive reduction in value for the property. Sheldon Ingham of LJ Hooker is currently marketing the house. Situated at 28 Gausson Turn, the abode is comprised of four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two car garage. Set on 570 square metre, the house was built in 2003. The home last sold in 2012 for $455,000 and previously in 2007 it sold for $475,000. The one story home is located within walking distance of parks and in close proximity to schools, shopping and public transport in nearby Wanneroo. The median sale price for an apartment in Ashby, WA is $445,000, according to the latest CoreLogic data. A NSW coroner has urged drivers with affected Takata airbags to have them replaced immediately due to a "grave risk" of drivers or passengers sustaining "a serious injury akin to a gunshot wound to the neck or head". Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott is presiding over the inquest into the death of Huy Neng Ngo, 58, who was killed at Cabramatta in Sydney's west in July 2017 when a defective Takata airbag inflated in his Honda CR-V in a relatively minor, low-speed crash. Huy Neng Ngo died in 2017 when a defective Takata airbag inflated in his car. The airbag shot out a piece of metal shrapnel about the size of a 20 piece which pierced Mr Ngo's neck, perforated his carotid artery and trachea, severed his spinal cord and shattered three vertebrae. Mr Ngo died at the scene, with his injuries compared to a gunshot wound. He was booked in to have the defective airbag replaced two days before the crash, but his daughter was running late so the car dealership rescheduled the work to October 2017. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday warned party workers against infighting and being arrogant and asked them to be more humble while interacting with the people. Spelling out the do's and don'ts for the party workers, Banerjee said party leaders and workers should be more polite while connecting with the masses. She asked those not comfortable with the party's decision and policies to leave TMC rather than weakening it from inside. "If you want to be a party worker of TMC, then you have to be disciplined. You have to do as party says. If you don't look after your constituency or area for five years, the party would also not look after you when election comes. "Your job is not over after winning election, rather it starts after that," the party supremo said at the launch of "Banglar Gorbo Mamata (Bengal's pride Mamata)" mass outreach programme. She also asked party cadres to counter BJP's "divisive" political agendas in a non-violent and democratic ways. The programme was attended by the top brass of the TMC and more than 25,000 party leaders, elected representatives, key functionaries of various districts. "All of you have to be more humble. Don't forget, you are working for the people. Don't behave as a separate entity, whatever you are it is because of the party. I don't want any infighting, all of you have to work and fight unitedly," she said. During this Banglar Gorbo Mamata programme, reach out to old timers of the TMC and bring them back to the party fold. Address their concerns and bring them back, she said. "If somebody is having problem in abiding by the party's decisions, he/she can leave the party. We will make new leaders," the feisty Bengal politician said. All the local level party workers and leaders should regularly sit at two tea vending stalls in your locality and discuss the achievements of the state government with the people, she said. Banerjee during the day launched an ambitious mass outreach programme 'Banglar Gorbo Mamata' (Bengal's pride Mamata) targeting more than 2.5 crore people, with an eye on the upcoming municipal polls and the 2021 state assembly elections. Under the new campaign, over 75,000 party leaders and five lakh party cadres would fan out across the state covering more than 15,000 populous habitations directly reaching out to 2.5 crore people of the state in next 75 days, TMC sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN investigators warned Monday that Ankara might bear criminal responsibility for war crimes perpetrated against Kurds in northern Syria late last year, including the execution of a popular female politician. The report comes as tensions soar between Turkey and Russian-backed Syrian forces following escalating clashes in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib, but is not directly linked to the latest unrest. The UN Commission of Inquiry on the human rights situation in war-ravaged Syria said in its latest report that Turkey could potentially be held criminally liable for severe violations carried out by its allies, the Syrian National Army rebel fighters. Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies have overrun a swathe of northern Syria since last October, after a deadly military campaign against Kurdish forces that caused tens of thousands to flee their homes. In their report covering the period from July 2019 to January 10 this year, the UN investigators pointed to allegations by displaced Kurdish families and others that Ankara-backed Syrian rebels carried out executions, home confiscations and looting. They pointed in particular to the case of Hevrin Khalaf, the 35-year-old secretary-general of the Future Syria Party, who on October 12 was pulled from her car and executed along with her driver. The pair had been travelling on the M4 motorway from Qamishli when they were stopped by members of the Syrian National Armys Brigade 123, who pulled Khalaf from the car by her hair and mutilated her body before the executions. The Commission finds that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Syrian National Army fighters perpetrated the war crime of murder, Mondays report said, also pointing to a range of other alleged war crimes, including pillaging. If any armed group members were shown to be acting under the effective command and control of Turkish forces, these violations may entail criminal responsibility for such commanders who knew or should have known about the crimes, it warned. Liability could also fall on those who failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent or repress their commission, it added. Turkey should investigate They also pointed to an air strike the same day in the same region on a civilian convoy of up to 80 vehicles, including families with children and journalists. Eleven people were killed and 74 injured. And they highlighted the apparent targeting of objects necessary for the survival of the civilian population, including strikes near the Aluk water station on October 9. The strike destroyed electricity cables and, as a result, water pumping came to a halt and the water supply for 460,000 people, the report said. The Turkish authorities have either denied involvement in or indicated that they have no record of these incidents, it said, urging Turkish authorities to launch (their) own investigations and make the findings public. The UNs Syria commission, set up in 2011 shortly after the civil war began, has repeatedly accused the various sides of war crimes and in some cases crimes against humanity. In nearly nine years of conflict, more than 380,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced from their homes. The report comes after Turkey confirmed Sunday it has launched a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces following clashes in Idlib. The confrontation between the Russia-backed Syrian forces and NATO-member Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels, has prompted worries over a wider conflict and a migrant crisis in Europe similar to 2015. Narendra Modi, Prime minister of India | Though almost all of Indias Prime Ministers have come from the nearly 80% of the population that is Hindu, only Modi has governed as if no one else matters, writes Karl Vick, Time editor. (Image: Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday wished a successful surgery and speedy recovery to his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli, who would undergo his second kidney transplantation procedure later in the week. Oli, 67, underwent kidney transplant in India in 2007 after both his kidneys failed to function. "My dear friend @kpsharmaoli ji, wishing you a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. May Lord Pashupatinath bless you always with good health, happiness and a very long life. Look forward to your continued contribution to taking India-Nepal relations to new heights. Press Release March 2, 2020 Transcript of excerpts from Sen. Francis Pangilinan's comments on Senate Resolution 337 Mr. President, if we pass this resolution, Senate Resolution 337, it will therefore authorize the Senate President to bring the case before the Supreme Court. Just to clarify, Mr. President, for the record, it is incorrect to say that this is the first time that such a case or the Senate would have brought a case before the Supreme Court involving the Executive Department. Mr. President, I was chairman of the Committee on Rules when the EO 464 petition, Mr. President, was brought before the Supreme Court. I was Majority Leader then and I remember -- I recall we even designated Sen. Joker Arroyo as one who would represent and argue before the Supreme Court. Mr. President, EO 464 was the Executive Order of President Gloria Arroyo prohibiting or banning or preventing cabinet officials, military personnel from appearing before the Senate in its exercise of legislative functions without the President's approval. And we felt this is an encroachment on the Senate as a legislative body in terms of being able to do its work. So that's not the first time, Mr. President. We've done this before. And I share the view of the Senate President, Mr. President, that the comparison with the Commission on Appointments would be, I believe, comparing apples and oranges. The CA is a separate body. It does not exercise legislative functions. It is a check on the Executive Department's power of appointment. So, this is not the power to ratify treaties. This is not about -- I mean the CA function is not about legislation but in this case, Mr. President, it is the exercise of our power to ratify treaties and our exercise of legislative powers, Mr. President, that are an issue in terms of Senate Resolution 337. For the record, Mr. President. CHICO, Calif. For election results that are updated every five minutes, Click Here. Tehama County Voters said no to Measure G on Super Tuesday. Measure G asked voters, county-wide, to approve a one-cent sales tax for a period of 10 years. Read More Butte County Clerk-Recorder, Candace Grubbs said numbers for Butte County will be coming later than expected due to the huge turnout of Chico State student voters on Super Tuesday. Numbers throughout our main coverage areas are flowing in. View Now The Associated Press declared Bernie Sanders the winner in California just after the polls closed, basing the call on data from VoteCast, Click Here Action News Now will have continuing coverage on air and online, come back to this article throughout election day for live updates. VOTER GUIDE: Click here to see what will be on your ballot MORE: Find your polling place LIST: Vote-by-mail drop-off locations SEARCH: Check to make sure youre registered to vote RELATED: What do I need to bring to vote? MORE: Read Presidential candidate statements California voters will be deciding on various local measures and one statewide measure, Proposition 13. Read More In Shasta County, Measure B only affects voters in the Burney Fire Protection District. The district needs money for what it calls critical operational funding for health and safety. Click Here Shasta County voters must also decide if theyre willing to pay an extra 1% sales tax in order to fund public safety. Click Here In Trinity County, voters will decide on four local measures. Two of Trinity County's four measures have to do with ambulance service in the county, Measures D and E. Read More Chico voters casting their ballots will decide if the Chico Area Recreation and Park District will get a major financial shot in the arm. Measure A would bring CARD an estimated $3 million per year for capital improvements to parks and other facilities. Read More California voters will be able to change their party affiliation and update their address at polling stations on Election Day under a new law approved in time for the Democratic primary. Read More California joins Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia as the states holding their presidential primaries on March 3 also known as Super Tuesday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:35:37|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close GENEVA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to make greater contribution to international cooperation on intellectual property, said Shen Changyu, commissioner of the National Intellectual Property Administration. Speaking to Xinhua on the sidelines of a special meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Coordination Committee, Shen said China is an active participant in multilateral and bilateral affairs within the framework of WIPO to promote and improve the global governance of intellectual property, Shen said. As the election of the WIPO director-general is approaching, China has nominated Wang Binying, currently a deputy director general of WIPO, as a candidate. "The nomination of Ms. Wang Binying as a candidate for the WIPO director general election embodies China's desire to make greater contributions to international cooperation and development in the field of intellectual property," Shen said. "We hope that all parties will create a fair and just environment for all the candidates, including Wang Binying, in the upcoming WIPO director-general election," he appealed. Responding to doubts that China might exert its influence over WIPO if Wang is elected, Shen said China has always been a follower, participant and upholder of the international rules of intellectual property and works closely with the WIPO and its members, he added. Speaking of China's efforts to protect intellectual property, Shen said "facts speaker louder than words." Since its reform and opening-up, China has seen its efforts to bolster intellectual property advance rapidly, he said, noting that China has so far established a relatively complete intellectual property legal system in line with prevailing international rules, and joined almost all major related international treaties. China has also insisted on equal treatment and protection of the intellectual property rights of both domestic and foreign enterprises, he added. Shen said that China's work in IP protection have been spurred by its global lead in patent and trademark applications for several years running. According to the most recent statistics, the number of applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty from China ranks second and its applications for international trademark registrations under the Madrid System ranks third in the world, he said. China's IP protection work brings huge benefits to foreign IP holders every year, he said, noting that China paid 34 billion U.S. dollars for intellectual property royalties in 2019. In recent years, the international community has recognized China's achievements in protecting IP. According to Doing Business 2020, an annual report published by the World Bank, China jumped to 31st in its ranking for ease of doing business and is among the top 10 improvers for a second consecutive year. Moreover, China rose to 14th among more than 100 economies worldwide in the 2019 edition of the Global Innovation Index, which was jointly released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD. Wang joined WIPO in 1992. She served as the organization's deputy director general for the first time in 2009 and was re-elected for the post in 2014. Shen said Wang is a top-notch expert in intellectual property who developed her career in WIPO and is capable of appropriately managing complicated situations, closing rifts among different parties and coordinating their interests, Shen said. Working as WIPO deputy director general for more than 10 years, Wang has strived to provide transparent, fair and effective services for every member of the organization with her broad international vision and open mind, which has been recognized by the international community, Shen said. Noting that the director general and all his three predecessors are male, Shen said China's nomination of Wang -- a female candidate from a developing country -- meets the expectations of the international community for more female participation in international organizations. "We believe that (WIPO members) will eventually elect the most appropriate leader through a fair and just process," Shen said. A villager in southern China has been sentenced to death for killing two government officials who were manning a coronavirus roadblock. The 23-year-old criminal, named Ma Jianguo, stabbed the pair with a folding knife when they prevented him and his companion from passing a blockade with their van last month, a court said. The court in Yunnan Province found the man guilty of intentional homicide and gave him the death penalty at the first trial of his case yesterday. The 23-year-old criminal, named Ma Jianguo, stabbed the pair with a folding knife when they prevented him and his companion from passing a blockade with their van last month, a court said. The file photo above shows a road blockade made mostly of bicycles in Guangzhou Two local government officials were stabbed to death by the criminal, named Ma Jianguo, after filming his companion removing the obstacles. The file photo shows police and medical workers stopping vehicles on the highway road blockade in Guangzhou on February 18 According to a statement from the Intermediate Peoples Court of Honghe Prefecture, Jianguo attacked the two officials on the evening of February 6 at a checkpoint in the township of Shitouzhai. The local authority had set up the barricade to control passing vehicles the day before. It is said that Jianguo was driving a small van when he and his passenger, Ma Kelong, arrived at the site. Kelong got off the vehicle and tried to move the roadblock, ignoring the officials who urged him not to. As one official, Zhang Guizhou, tried to film Kelongs unlawful behaviour with his phone, Jianguo became enraged. He took out a folding knife, which he had brought with him, and repeatedly stabbed Zhangs abdomen. When another official Li Minguo rushed over to intervene, Jianguo also stabbed Li in the abdomen multiple times. The case took place in Yunnan Province, southern China. The picture shows people with masks scanning a QR code to submit their personal information when security volunteers check their temperatures at an entrance of a grocery market in Kunming, Yunnan Province, on February 24 A medical staff member measures the body temperature of an incoming patient at an entrance to the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University in Kunming on February 1 Zhang was a poverty-alleviation official sent to the region by the finance bureau of Honghe County and Li was an official of the Shitouzhai Township. The court said Jianguo should be given severe punishment because he had ignored the relevant emergency regulations activated by the government in the wake of a public health crisis. It added that Jianguo had been imprisoned for intentionally causing injuries to others and released from the jail less than five years before. Although Jianguo admitted his guilt, his subjectivity was 'extremely evil', the details of his crime were horrendous and the consequences of the case were 'particularly serious', the court explained of its ruling. Originating in Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has killed at least 2,912 people and infected more than 80,000 inside China. Globally, the coronavirus has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,600 Wuhan, a city of 11 million, went into lockdown on January 23 in the wake of the outbreak. The majority part of Hubei then followed suit. Overnight, the Hubei health officials reported 196 new cases out of a nationwide total of 202 and all of the 42 new deaths nationwide. While the crisis seems to have slowed down in China, outbreaks outside of China have escalated in the past week. Dozens of nations are now battling the contagion, with South Korea, Italy, Japan and Iran among the worst-affected. Virus cases in South Korea surged and millions of children in Japan stayed home from school today as officials struggled to contain the epidemic in more than 60 countries. Portugal registered its first two cases of the new coronavirus today, both in people who had recently returned from abroad, the country's Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference. Meanwhile, Public Health England (PHE) warned that widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK was 'highly likely' as the Prime Minister gathers ministers for an emergency Cobra meeting. Health officials in Washington State in the United States said that a second person had died from the coronavirus - a man in his 70s from a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus. Globally, the coronavirus epidemic has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,600. 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. by Gamini Weerakoon 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. Ranil Wickramasinghe 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 ) Property across Syria is being bought up by Shia fighters and for the families of Iran-back fighters in Syria, for huge sums of money reports Sowt al-Asima. Sources working in the real estate sector have told Sowt al-Asima that Shia families related to members of the Iraqi al-Nujabaa militia have bought a number of houses and properties in the city of Qudssaya in the western Damascus countryside over the last few days. The sources said that there had been 20 purchases of houses in the city carried out since the start of the year, with their prices higher than the local market rates. They added that 15 houses were sold to families from Deir ez-Zor province that converted to Shia Islam, and five others to Shia families of Iraqi origin. The sources added that most of the houses that were purchased recently were in the al-Khayateen district on the Qudssaya outskirts, and others were in the al-Jadat district and the al-Amal square in the city center. The sources said that the sales were completed through real estate brokers and middlemen from the city, because the owners refused to sell to these families. According to the source, a house was sold in the al-Khayateen district last week for 50 million Syrian pounds, adding that this was done for the family of Iraqi Nujabaa militia member from Deir ez-Zor city. One Qudssaya resident called Abu Mohamed told Sowt al-Asima that his house was sold at the start of the year to a real estate trader in the area for 55 million pounds, but that after a few weeks it turned out that the sale was for a Shia family of Iraqi nationality, who bought it for 70 million pounds. Abu Mohamed, who had rejected the idea of selling his house to these families, said that buying it through brokers in the city was an open scam. The Shia families in Qudssaya that are swiftly buying property showed its impact on the population, as a number of local sources said that the sound of the Shia call to prayer can be heard in al-Khayateen through the loudspeakers inside one of these houses, as well as the sound of Shia Islamic anthems playing from their cars. The sales of the houses and real estate to the families of Nujabaa fighters in Qudssaya coincides with similar operations in various parts of Damascus and its environs. Sources told Sowt al-Asima that six sales had been documented in Damascus since the start of 2020, to commanders with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia brokered by officers and influential figures in the Fourth Division led by Maher al-Assad. One of the houses in the al-Malakiya district in Damascus was sold for 2.5 million dollars to a Hezbollah commander known as al-Hajj Hassan, of Lebanese nationality, through an officer in the Security Bureau of the Fourth Division. The sale was cleared in a short time and then the Lebanese buyer closed the house and returned to Lebanon after completing the purchase. A commercial space in the same sea was sold for 1.2 million dollars at the start of February to a Hezbollah fighter, and a house near the al-Sham Hospital was sold for 2 million dollars to a Hezbollah commander whose name Sowt al-Asima could not verify. Sowt al-Asima discovered at the end of 2019 that property in Old Damascus had been sold to prominent Damascus Shia figures for sums over a billion Syrian pounds. The Lebanese Al-Modon website at the end of 2018 quoted sources as saying that more than 8,000 properties had been transferred to Iranian figures or those affiliated with them in Damascus and its countryside since the start of the Syrian revolution. It added that the Iranian embassy had played an important role in completing the sales and facilitating the necessary security agreements for sales and purchases and had given the necessary facilitations to obtain the renovation licenses. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Being a woman in a male-dominated industry has been a struggle for Angelica Garcia, a self-made Latina businesswoman who grew her transportation company from scratch. Now shes confident she has what it takes to represent her rapidly changing community in the Texas Legislature. Shes not alone. Following the 2018 year of the woman that saw Democrats elect scores of women to Congress and state legislatures across the country, Garcia is one of 37 Republican women vying to serve in the Texas Legislature. I really do think the party needs more diversity and exclusivity, Garcia told the Houston Chronicle editorial board. Its not the cookie-cutter white male. And I just feel that people want to see something different. From knocking on doors and seeing and talking to people, theyre excited about a new face. Texas Republicans have seen twice as many women running for Congress since 2018, and a strong field of female candidates at the state level is welcome news for a party that has grown increasingly male-dominated and white. Of 83 Republicans in the Texas House, just six are women and one, Houston Rep. Angie Chen Button, is a woman of color. For subscribers: Twice as many Texas Republican women running for Congress in 2020 The Republican Party of Texas has long talked about attracting more diverse candidates. Now that its happening, the party plans to showcase those candidates with a video testimonial about why they are Republicans, according to a strategy memo that was leaked to the press in November. Party Chairman James Dickey has said last year was the biggest ever push to attract and equip potential candidates for 2020. More than half of the partys recruiters urging women to step up into leadership roles are women themselves. But the goal, party officials have insisted, was always to find the best candidates regardless of their gender or race. One thing that were finding this election cycle is a greater interest by female candidates running as Republicans and a greater interest by minority candidates running as Republicans, Gov. Greg Abbott said after a rally in Baytown this week. The Republican Party really is growing from within from all these different people who share conservative values, share the values about freedom, about a strong economy, about individual liberty as opposed to one-size-fit-all government mandates. At stake this year is more than gender parity. Republicans are trying to block Democrats from flipping the nine Texas House seats they need to seize control of the chamber. The timing couldnt be more consequential: state lawmakers will redraw district lines for congressional and legislative districts next year, shaping which party is likely to win those seats for the next decade. Seed money for future With a commanding Republican majority in the Legislature, Abbott spent 2018 trying to defeat Republicans he criticized as not being conservative enough. This year, hes using his $33 million campaign war chest to support 22 of the 97 state legislative candidates who are women, Hispanic, Asian American, Indian American or black. That includes spending more than $23,000 supporting Jacey Jetton, a former party chairman in Fort Bend County who is of Korean descent; paying for more than $11,000 worth of digital ads for Manish Seth in east Fort Bend Countys District 27; expensing $17,000 in ads for conservative activist Lacey Hull in a west Harris County swing district; spending more than $19,000 supporting landscaping company owner Kronda Thimesch in House District 65 in North Texas. For subscribers: GOP primary for House seat in west Houston divides conservative grass roots Garcia is running in one of the most competitive districts in the state, a rapidly changing area of middle-class families stretching from Katy to Cypress, where 40 percent of people speak a second language at home. Democrat Gina Calanni flipped the district in 2018, unseating a longtime Republican by 113 votes. Garcia wants everyone to know she has the governors endorsement: Its on her campaign T-shirts, handouts and yard signs. Abbotts campaign has spent at least $26,000 helping her election bid, namely by airing digital ads on the political newcomers behalf. The Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign fund, supporting moderate GOP candidates, has spent nearly $100,000 supporting her campaign since January. If elected, Garcia says, she would spend her time in office focused on the economy and lowering taxes while reinforcing family-first values in state government. Motivated to win District 132 back after his 2018 loss, Mike Schofield is running against Garcia for the Republican nomination. After serving for four years in the Legislature, he says he has the expertise to be effective on issues such as taxes and flood control. As one of the most conservative Republicans lawmakers in Harris County, he argues he lost the last election because he was trying to help candidates in other races and neglected to focus on his own. Schofield said his message is resonating with voters and has nothing to do with his gender or race. I have knocked on 3,200 doors in this race myself, in addition to what other folks have knocked on my behalf, he told the Houston Chronicle editorial board in January. I have talked to the voters at their door and what theyre concerned about is their property taxes, theyre concerned about the border, theyre concerned about Texas maintaining its traditional values. Not one of them has said, Geez, I wish you were some other race or some other gender. Whether Garcia succeeds in the primary is immaterial, said Rebecca Deen, a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. Win or lose, Garcia provides Latinos and people of color who have conservative cultural values such as opposing abortion and championing the traditional definition of marriage with a candidate they can relate to, she said. Given the attention and support for Garcia, she could have the momentum to run for office again if she loses. Abbotts investment in her is seed money, if you will for her political future, Deen said. Know the candidates: Houston Chronicle 2020 primary election voter guide; San Antonio Express-News 2020 primary election voter guide Its because Ms. Garcia is such an appealing candidate, and shes exactly the kind of demographic the Republicans have longed to get, she said. Republicans say they do not engage in identity politics but confirmed that 55 about one-third of their candidates for the Texas House are women or people of color. Democrats say they dont have a final count of how many of their candidates belong to an ethnic minority. Where Republicans reject identity politics, Democrats celebrate it. Women make up some of their strongest candidates in the U.S. Senate primary and are some of the most aggressive fundraisers in running for Congress, party spokesman Abhi Rahman said. In the Legislature, the party says more than half of its candidates are women. We want candidates to reflect the electorate, he said. The candidates that we have are diverse. They are people who have traditionally been locked out by the Republican establishment. Our candidates represent the now and the future of Texas. Republicans represent the past. It still boils down to who is willing to connect Jetton, one of the candidates for District 26, wasnt supposed to be Abbotts choice, but the governor has spent more than $23,000 supporting him. Abbott originally backed Rep. Rick Miller, a Republican representing Sugar Land and Richmond in District 26 in Fort Bend County, one of the most diverse counties in the nation. Abbott yanked his endorsement when Miller was quoted as saying he thought Jetton and another candidate, Leonard Chan, were running against him because they were Asian. A third candidate, Matt Morgan, is white. Miller later apologized and withdrew from the race. Abbott later endorsed Jetton, a seventh-generation Texan. Jetton said it doesnt matter what ethnicity someone is if he or she can connect with voters. It still boils down to who is willing to go into the different communities and who is willing to connect with them, Jetton said. It doesnt matter what kind of ethnic background you have, you have the ability to connect with people. You have the ability to connect in conversations. Election Day is Tuesday. Jasper Scherer contributed to this report. andrea.zelinski@chron.com [March 02, 2020] Swisscard Improves Early Collections, Reduces Net Credit Losses 40 Percent With FICO Analytics BENSHEIM, Germany, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlights: Swisscard increased its revenue from billable collection expenses by about 50 percent. Account terminations reduced more than 30 percent and net credit losses by more than 40 percent. Swisscard increased Net Promoter Score by more than 11 points. Swisscard won a 2019 FICO Decisions Award for Financial Inclusion. Swisscard AECS GmbH, a leading credit card company in Switzerland, has optimized its early collections using FICO analytics leading to a 50 percent increase in revenue from billable collection expenses, a 40 percent reduction in net credit losses, a 30 percent reduction in account terminations whilst also lifting its Net Promotor Score for customers in collections by 11 points through improved customer interactions. For its achievements, Swisscard won a 2019 FICO Decisions Award for Debt Management. More information: https://www.fico.com/en/products/collections-and-recovery Switzerland has a stable economy and low delinquency levels but Swisscard wanted to pursue a new growth strategy targeted at larger numbers of new and risk-appropriate consumers. To achieve this, a joint team of Swisscard and FICO experts assessed the current state of the collections and recovery process and identified a number of key activities that would increase effectiveness across the debt management lifecycle. FICO recommended the introduction of analytically-driven treatment strategies which led to a more targeted collections focus, including earlier and stronger treatments for high risk accounts. "With over 1.5 million cards in our portfolio and a 28 percent share of the market, our growth strategy meant taking on new customers with an optimized risk/return profile," said Ignazio Provinzano, Head of Risk Operations at Swisscard. "We were concerned about the continuation of current high recovery results and higher collection account volumes as well as maintaining the high levels of service for which we are known, so we turned to FICO to help fine-tune our approach." Subsequetly, a data driven segmentation strategy has been implemented facilitating a more targeted collections focus. This helped to overcome some of the early collections constraints such as collector capacity and limited use of self-servicing mechanisms such as two-way SMS and IVR. Substantial additional productivity gains were made from improvements to existing dialler technology which saw a 60 percent increase in collector efficiency. A better customer experience was also established by better aligning customer communications with non-verbal collection actions such as late fee and card block. "By making improvements across the business, the results have been spectacular," said Jens Dauner, Managing Director DACH & Central Europe, FICO. "The changes are both effective and multi-pronged; Swisscard has collected substantially more revenue, re-designed its customer communications to create a more consistent and positive customer journey and improved collector productivity." "Swisscard had a very clear objective for its business improvement project which helped them remain focused on the analytic techniques that would deliver the best outcomes," said Leslie Parrish, analyst for retail banking at Aite and one of the FICO Decisions Awards judges. "Swisscard has maximized its ROI by letting the call agents focus on the most promising accounts instead of just following a list approach. By doing so, they positively influenced the behavior of their customers while preserving relationships, both of which can be very difficult in the collections context." About Swisscard Swisscard AECS GmbH is a leading card company owned by Credit Suisse and American Express. Swisscard is the only company in Switzerland to offer the world's most important card brands American Express, Mastercard and Visa all in one place. Swisscard customers have the largest selection of card products on the Swiss market. Thanks to the different product ranges, customers can put together a personalized combination of cards. Swisscard manages over 1.5 million cards and the American Express points of acceptance in Switzerland. Swisscard is the market leader in the premium sector, with cards for companies and with the co-branding cards. Swisscard employs approximately 700 employees in Horgen (ZH). About the FICO Decisions Awards The FICO Decisions Awards recognize organizations that are achieving remarkable success using FICO solutions. A panel of independent judges with deep industry expertise evaluates nominations based upon measurable improvement in key metrics; demonstrated use of best practices; project scale, depth and breadth; and innovative uses of technology. The 2019 judges are: Mike Gualtieri , VP and principal analyst at Forrester VP and principal analyst at Sharon Kimathi , editor at FinTech Futures editor at Leslie Parrish , analyst retail banking at Aite analyst retail banking at Denise Sleem , functional specialist at Medscheme/Helios (2018 winner) functional specialist at Alex Woodie , managing editor at Datanami managing editor at Les Yeamans , founder at RT Insights The winners of the FICO Decisions Awards will be spotlighted at various FICO events in 2020 and win tickets to FICO World 2021, the Decisions Conference, April 2021 in Orlando, Florida. About FICO FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956 and based in Silicon Valley, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 195 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 100 countries do everything from protecting 2.6 billion payment cards from fraud, to helping people get credit, to ensuring that millions of airplanes and rental cars are in the right place at the right time. Learn more at www.fico.com . Join the conversation on Twitter @FICO FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the US and other countries. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/swisscard-improves-early-collections-reduces-net-credit-losses-40-percent-with-fico-analytics-301013690.html SOURCE FICO [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Tobacco Market by Tobacco Type (Cigarettes, Smoking Tobacco, Smokeless Tobacco, Cigars & Cigarillos), Region, Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2019 to 2026 Newark, NJ, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global tobacco market is expected to grow from USD 689.4 billion in 2018 to USD 934.5 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period from 2019-2026. Global tobacco Market is witnessing the several challenges from past few years. This is mainly due to rising health consciousness, stringent government policies, increasing popularity and availability of substitutes, and economic concerns. In addition to this, availability of nicotine replacement therapies such as gum, patches, and lozenges, are hampering the growth of market. Tobacco sales are shifting from developed markets such as Europe and North America, where tobacco consumption in mostly ban due to government regulations, to emerging markets, like in Asia Pacific and Africa, where tobacco companies take full advantage of lax regulatory environments, increasing incomes, and growing populations. Tobacco, is a plant native to the Americas and historically one of the half-dozen most important crops grown by American farmers and considered as one of the most widely used addictive substances in the world. More specifically, tobacco refers to any of various plants of the genus Nicotiana native to tropical America and widely cultivated for their leaves, which are dried and processed chiefly for smoking in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. It is also cut to ground to make snuff or dipping tobacco, or form chewing tobacco, as well as other less common preparations. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/385996/request-sample Global tobacco market is expected to witness rapid growth over the forecast period, owing to rising use of automated techniques in manufacturing tobacco products and growing trend of online retailing. Increasing mergers and acquisitions to expand market growth. But continuous restraints put by governments around the world on grounds of health issues, resulting in high taxes and unfavourable regulations which may negatively impact the market growth. However, the increasing popularity of machine-made clove cigarettes is paving way for new opportunities in the market and may lead to growth of the coming years. Story continues Key players operating in the global tobacco market include Hongyunhonghe Tobacco (Group) Co.; British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT), Ltd.; Altria Group, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; Japan Tobacco Inc.; Imperial Brands PLC; and Philip Morris International Inc. among others. To enhance their market position in the global tobacco market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as recent developments, mergers & acquisitions, product innovation, joint venture, collaborations, and partnership. For instance, in April 2018, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International plan to launch vaping products in the United Arab Emirates after the government lifts the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes and vaping devices. In October 2019, Altria announced the launch of Iqos tobacco device in U.S. It heats tobacco, but doesnt burn it, and is designed to give users the same rush of nicotine as smoking with fewer toxins. In September 2017, British American Tobacco announced the acquisition of Reynolds American Inc. to create the worlds biggest tobacco company. In August 2018, Japan Tobacco Inc., announced the acquisition of Akij Group, the second-largest cigarette maker in Bangladesh for 124.3 billion taka (USD 1.5 billion), to accelerate the companys expansion in emerging markets. In January 2020, Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) announced the collaboration with the KT&G, a leading tobacco and nicotine company in South Korea to commercialize KT&Gs smoke-free products outside of the country. The cigarettes segment held the major market share and valued at USD 288.16 billion in 2018 The tobacco type segment is segmented into smokeless tobacco cigars, cigarillos cigarettes, and smoking tobacco. The cigarettes segment held the major market share and valued at USD 288.16 billion in 2018. Cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing psychoactive material, usually tobacco, which is rolled into the thin paper. Cigarette consumption is increasing in the lower income countries and declining in the higher income countries. China is one of the largest cigarette market in the world. In addition to this, development of different kind of flavours in the cigarette, further boosting the adoption of cigarette across the globe. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/tobacco-market-by-tobacco-type-cigarettes-smoking-tobacco-385996.html Regional Segment Analysis of the Tobacco Market North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) The regions analysed for the market include North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific region dominated the global tobacco market in with USD 275.07 billion 2018. This is mainly due to the growing number of organized retailing outlets makes tobacco products easily accessible and available to consumers. This is one of the primary factors that will drive the growth of the tobacco market in this region. Tobacco is increasing popular in the countries such as India, China, and Indonesia in the Asia Pacific region. Furthermore, presence of many key vendors in the region further boosting the growth of market. North America is anticipated to grow rapidly. It can be attributed to rising health consciousness among the people, coupled with rising government initiatives to curb tobacco-related diseases. In addition to this, Middle East and Africa market is anticipated to grow at healthy growth rate in the global tobacco market, owing to adoption of different flavours tobacco in the region. About the report: The global tobacco market is analysed on the basis of value (USD Billion), volume (Kilotons), export (Kilotons), and import (Kilotons). All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. For Instant Purchase: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=385996&type=single Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. Our executives will be pleased to understand your requirements and offer you the best-suited reports. About Fior Markets Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports. Fior Markets deploys a wide range of regional and global market intelligence research reports including industries like technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, food and beverages, chemicals, media, materials and many others. Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. The global market research reports we provide involve both qualitative and quantitative analysis of current market scenario as per the geographical regions segregated and comprehensive performance in different regions with global approach. 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But Putin insisted Russia had no intention of starting a war itself in an interview with state news agency Tass, part of which was released on Monday. The three-hour long interview marks 20 years since Putin first became president and is being divided into 20 parts, released over a period of weeks and each dedicated to a separate issue. In episodes that have already been released, Russia's leader talked about the recent government reshuffle, Ukraine and the use of modern technology. According to Putin, the country's new weapons put it in a unique situation and meant now the rest of the world has to catch up with Russia. A total of 157 terrorists were neutralised in Jammu and Kashmir last year, the government informed Rajya Sabha on Monday. "There have been 138 cases of infiltration by terrorists along Line of Control/International Border during the year 2019. Due to concerted and synergized efforts of security forces, 157 terrorists were neutralized in the year 2019 in Jammu and Kashmir," Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Naik informed the upper House of Parliament in a written reply. Last month, Army Chief General MM Naravane had said there has been an increase in the ceasefire violations on the Line of Control as Pakistan is trying to push terrorists from there. "There has been an increase in ceasefire violations on Line of Control. It was expected as he (Pakistan) is trying to push terrorists from launchpads and various camps. Because of winters, they are finding it difficult and resorting to ceasefire violations," the Army Chief had told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Michael Caterina/Associated Press Early voting can come with a cost, as supporters of Democrats Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer have discovered. With those three presidential hopefuls dropping out after disappointing performances in Saturdays South Carolina primary, Californians who already cast mail ballots for them are stuck with that choice. Benefits from a US trade deal will not make up for the losses of leaving the EU, say analysts. London, United Kingdom A trade deal with the United States under the best-case scenario currently published could help grow the United Kingdoms economy by as much as 0.16 percent, according to Whitehalls negotiating plan. If the UK were to eliminate all import tariffs on goods and services coming across the pond, it would stand to benefit by around 3.4 billion pounds ($4.3bn). Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. The analysis was published as the UK simultaneously begins trade negotiations with the United States and with the European Union. Johnson has frequently said he wanted a Canada-style trade deal with the EU, which the governments own Treasury analysis says could shrink Britains annual economic output as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) by 4.9 percent by 2035. So now you admit the potential economic benefits of a UK-US trade deal are just +0.2% of GDP. And the cost of Brexit is somewhere between -7.6% and -4.9% of GDP. In what planet does this boost wages or create jobs for anyone except the Tory Cabinet? https://t.co/73jvaCT0t8 David Lammy (@DavidLammy) March 2, 2020 Johnson has set the end of 2020 as the deadline to achieve a trade deal with the EU. Negotiators also hope to have the US deal wrapped up within a similar timeframe. By trade negotiating standards, that deadline is ambitious especially for a comprehensive deal, say analysts. It is unlikely that there will be a deal without significant UK concessions on level playing field conditions such as non-regression of labour and environmental provisions, trade expert David Henig, UK director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, told Al Jazeera. This may be possible; we dont know if the UK negotiators really believe their own position. But it will still be a thin deal. A deal this year will be difficult, will also require the UK to accept substantial parts of standard EU text, but is possible. Sovereignty vs trade-offs Michael Gove, the UK minister responsible for Brexit, said it was an exciting new era in a newspaper column published on Sunday. Our aim is to secure, through a fair and measured approach, a comprehensive free trade agreement, and also find common ground on questions such as fisheries, internal security and aviation, he wrote. I believe we can secure a great new deal for an exciting new era. But it is important that we are clear from the start that these negotiations are taking place in new times. Yes, we want the best possible trading relationship with the EU. But we will not trade away our newly recovered sovereignty. The UK, with its desire to escape regulatory alignment with the EU taking back control in the words of the prime minister still refuses to acknowledge the trade-offs inherent in Brexit, said Jon Worth, visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, with European levels of trust in Johnson now lower than they were in November. How high does the cost [of diverging standards] have to be before the UK government says OK, the price of control is too high. We will align there? This is going to have to happen across all sorts of sectors car type approval, aviation safety, food safety, energy markets, he told Al Jazeera. You basically have the EU today going: OK, UK, lets start talking about all of these sectors, and where we can find common ground. And the UK replying: We want to take back control and the EU going Yes but what about all these sectors? Rinse and repeat for months. But agreement between the UK and EU is not impossible, says Worths colleague, Michele Chang. I do think there is scope for compromise, the professor of European politics and governance told Al Jazeera. Neither will get exactly what they want but that is what makes it a compromise. The EU has already shifted from its earlier demands on dynamic regulatory alignment, and there should be further scope to reach a deal with the UK. The UK is seeking a rather loose trading arrangement along the lines of Canada, which should be feasible if the EU lets go of its desire to treat the UK differently because of its geographic proximity. A failure to reach a trade deal would not be a good start to their new relationship. The timeline, however, is very ambitious so that is an additional question mark for these talks. Salmon for Stetsons? While much has been made of the UK and EU positions being at odds since both sides negotiating mandates were published last week, the potential UK-US deal has also sparked passions, notably concerning any threat to Britains beloved National Health Service and food standards. Govt has published its negotiating mandate for a US trade deal. By its own estimates, best case is it boosts GDP, over the long run by 0.16% or 3.4bn. In economic terms thats really negligible. Yet it would be the biggest FTA available. pic.twitter.com/zIFBq9Jh8y Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) March 2, 2020 The NHS is not, and never will be, for sale to the private sector, whether overseas or domestic, the governments trade objectives document stated on Monday. Chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-fed beef have raised concerns among consumers in the UK. Throughout the agreement, ensure high standards and protections for UK consumers and workers and build on our existing international obligations, the document read. This will include not compromising on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. Trade Secretary Liz Truss on Monday warned the UK would strike [a] hard bargain and was prepared to walk away if we need to. Illustration photo Such flights will be redirected to land in designated airports, namely Van Don in northern province of Quang Ninh or Can Tho in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. The move has been taken in accordance with the Governments directions to contain the spread of the epidemic to Vietnam. Meanwhile, cargo flights from South Korea can still land at the Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airport as scheduled, said the CAAV. Earlier, the Ministry of Transport had asked the CAAV to direct airlines to divert incoming flights from South Koreas epidemic-hit areas to Van Don, Phu Cat and Can Tho airports. All the airlines shall have to inform all passengers from South Korea to fill in the mandatory health declaration form and recommend passengers who are Vietnamese living and working in South Korea consider buying tickets to Vietnam as they shall be subject to 14-day quarantine. On February 25, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a directive asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promptly inform South Korea, other countries and territories about Vietnams measures to prevent spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. The measures include temporary suspension of entry into Vietnam of people with recent travel records to the epidemic-affected areas. Vietnamese citizens are advised that they should not travel to affected areas and they shall be quarantined for 14 days upon arriving in Vietnam if they have to travel to the affected areas. Vietnamese who are living and working in South Korea, especially in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk should seriously follow instructions on epidemic prevention and control of the host country. On Sunday, South Korea reported three more coronavirus-related deaths in the southeastern city of Daegu, bringing the nation's death toll to 20 As of 4 p.m., the Northeast Asian country had reported a total of 3,736 confirmed cases. Of the total, more than 70% of the cases are in Daegu, with a cluster of infections linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Pope Francis is slated to visit Hungary Sept. 20, on the closing day of the International Eucharistic Congress, according to public television M1. The announcement has not yet been officially confirmed by the Vatican, the news channel said, but it cited unnamed sources as saying that the pontiffs trip to Hungary was expected in the autumn. President Janos Ader invited Pope Francis during a recent audience in the Vatican. Ader noted that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and the Holy See as well as the 30th anniversary of their re-establishment. Ader said the pope showed keen interest in the programme of the congress, indicating that he would be glad to visit Hungary. His reaction cannot be considered a full commitment but it was more than a polite comment on the invitation, Ader said in mid-February. MTI Photo: Kovacs Tamas (Adds events on Feb 29 and March 1) KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 (Reuters) - Malaysia was plunged into a week of political crisis following the unexpected resignation of 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister on Monday, Feb. 24. Mahathir's move fractured a coalition with his old rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, that had scored a surprise election victory in 2018. The volatile relationship between Anwar and Mahathir helped trigger the current crisis after Mahathir resisted pressure to set a date for a promised transfer of power. FEB 23 Politicians from the coalition hold talks at a hotel near Kuala Lumpur on a possible new alliance with some members of the ousted main opposition United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and other groups, according to sources. That night, Anwar says some colleagues from the coalition are trying to bring down the government and form a new one to deny him the premiership. Mahathir had been angry that he was pressured by pro-Anwar ministers at a meeting of the coalition on Feb. 21 to set a clear timeline for a handover, according to political sources. FEB 24 Mahathir resigns. Sources said he was upset by accusations that he was now willing to work with the same group that he defeated in the last general election amid allegations of corruption. The king re-appoints him as interim leader until a successor is named. Cabinet dissolved. The resignation brings down the Pakatan Harapan coalition. Mahathir's party pulls out of it. FEB 25 The palace says the king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, will meet all the 222 elected members of parliament before deciding on the next step. Mahathir proposes to lead a unity government, inviting lawmakers from across rival political parties to join. But the alliance defeated by Mahathir's coalition in 2018 calls for elections and rejects his idea of a grand coalition. FEB 26 In his first comments since the resignation, Mahathir apologises for the political turmoil his decision brought. Story continues The veteran leader says he would return as full-time premier if he had the support of parliament and that he wanted to form a government that is not aligned with any political party. Anwar opposes a "backdoor government". Three parties in the former ruling coalition nominate him as their candidate for prime minister, setting the stage for a potential showdown between the old political rivals. FEB 27 Mahathir meets the king and later tells a news conference that the king's decision is to call a special session of parliament on March 2 to see who has majority support to become prime minister. Mahathir says there will be snap elections if nobody gets majority support. Doubts are immediately raised about Mahathir's comments and the constitutionality of the process he described. The Anwar-led group says the call for a parliamentary session to elect a new prime minister is a challenge to the rights and powers of the monarch. The palace does not comment. FEB 28 The Speaker in Parliament rejects Mahathir's request for a special session on March 2 without a decree from king. After the king meets all lawmakers, the palace says the monarch does not have confidence that any parliamentarian has majority support to form a new government. The palace says there will be no special parliamentary sitting but it will continue to engage with political leaders to see if any one can muster the majority to be prime minister. Mahathir's Bersatu party nominates former home minister Muhyiddin Yassin as its prime ministerial candidate. UMNO and Islamist party PAS vow to back him. FEB 29 Mahathir says he will stand for the premiership on behalf of the former ruling coalition, Pakatan Harapan, and that he is confident he has numbers needed to garner majority support. The coalition throws full support for Mahathir as candidate. Mahathir and Anwar are allies again. In the afternoon, the king names former Interior Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as Malaysia's next prime minister, on grounds that he possibly has the majority support among lawmakers in parliament. Palace says Muhyiddin to be sworn in the next morning. Muhyiddin, 72, says he hopes Malaysians will accept the palace's decision. His support comes also from UMNO and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), who were defeated in the 2018 elections. After nightfall, Anwar says Pakatan Harapan has majority in parliament with 114 lawmakers backing Mahathir as candidate. Mahathir says plans to inform the king in a letter of the support he has. Around 200 people gather late in central Kuala Lumpur to protest a "backdoor government" being formed, despite police warnings that the rally was illegal. MARCH 1 Mahathir promises to seek an urgent parliament sitting to challenge Muhyiddin's support, but concedes he might not win. Mahathir says the king would no longer see him. Mahathir accuses Muhyiddin of plotting for a long time to take the premiership, and questions if a government involving the former ruling party would be ready to pursue graft cases against its politicians. Muhyiddin is sworn in as Malaysia's 8th prime minister. (Compiled by A. Ananthalakshmi and Liz Lee; Editing by Frances Kerry and Tom Hogue) Many people are concerned about their work entitlements in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The Irish Examiner spoke to Richard Grogan, employment law specialist, and the Department of Social Protection to try to answer some of these questions. What happens if someone is diagnosed with Covid-19 and requires time off work? The Department of Social Protection said: Where an employee is diagnosed as being ill with Covid-19, normal workplace arrangements in respect of sick-absence should apply. Employees can apply for Illness Benefit from the department, subject to means-testing. Mr Grogan said it all depends on contracts and staff handbooks. If there is no provision for sick pay, there is no right to be paid. What if the HSE has told someone to self-isolate? Do they lose out on wages? A department spokesperson said: An employee who is advised or directed by a registered medical practitioner to self-isolate on the basis that they are a probable source of Covid-19 infection can, if their employer ceases to pay their wages, apply for income support from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. A person who self-isolates in accordance with the up-to-date guidelines from the HSE, but does not have a medical certificate from a medical practitioner, may apply for income support in the form of supplementary welfare allowance. My employer has told me to take some time off as a precaution. Will I be paid? Any person who is not advised to self-isolate but is requested to take time off by their employer as a precaution can, in situations where the employer cannot continue to pay wages, apply for Jobseeker Payment. Where do employers stand? Its a matter of health and safety, Mr Grogan said. They have to make sure they dont put employees at risk, he said. Its a matter of common sense. I have to travel for work, but I dont feel safe. What should I do? This depends on the travel guidelines issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs. For example, the department is currently advising the avoidance of all non-essential travel to China. It would be extremely foolish to expect an employee to travel to such an area as a result, Mr Grogan said. However, if there is no identified risk, there is no reason not to go, he said. If, for example, an employee was required to go to Sardinia in southern Italy, there have been no issues there, so there is no reason not to go. I have heard a lot about working from home but that isnt an option for me. What should I do? The reality is that the majority of workers are not in a position to work from home. It shouldnt be viewed as a viable solution for many people, Mr Grogan said. Someone I know has been diagnosed with Covid-19 and I need to take time off to care for them. Will I still be paid? There are several options here, according to the Department of Social Protection. These include compassionate leave, altered shift patterns, and bringing forward annual leave, as well as force majeure leave, where someone is urgently required to attend to the needs of a person who is affected by illness or injury including an actual or probable case of Covid-19. The government last week decided to lift nearly six-month-old ban on onion export as prices are likely to fall sharply due to bumper rabi crop. New Delhi: The government will allow export of onions from March 15 in the interest of farmers, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. The decision will help boost the income of farmers, the minister said in a tweet. The government last week decided to lift nearly six-month-old ban on export of onions as prices are likely to fall sharply due to bumper rabi crop. The ban was imposed after the prices of the commodity skyrocketed. Now, onion prices have stabilised and there is bumper crop also. Expected monthly harvest in March is over 40 lakh MT compared to 28.4 lakh MT last year, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had tweeted on Wednesday. In September 2019, the government banned onion exports and also imposed a MEP of $850 per tonne. The move came after prices started skyrocketing due to supply-demand mismatch. There was shortage of onion as kharif crop was adversely affected due to excess rains and floods in key producing states, including Maharashtra. Currently, the arrival of rabi (winter) crop of onion has begun in small quantities and would increase from mid-March onwards. Exports of onion are expected to arrest sharp the fall in domestic prices. These are terrible times. Delhi has lost the aura of being an island of peace. The national capital was subjected to the worst possible communal violence over the last five days. For five days and nights the violence raged against a particular community that has been on the edge following the promulgation of a bill into law that not just discriminates against them, but also turns them illegal alien in their own motherland when accompanied with the proposed NRC. Dozens of people have lost their lives, an overwhelming majority of them being Muslims. Entire neighborhoods have been torched after being looted and emptied of the valuables. As the issue of citizenship comes into focus, many people are worried that all the documents they possessed have been turned to cinders. The most worrisome aspect of the Delhi riots 2020 is the fact that this happened under the very nose of the police that remained mute spectator as the rioters had a field day. Innumerable footages and video have emerged showing how the police not just allowed the rioters to attack Muslim localities, but actively supported them. How can you forget the viral video where five Muslim men, beaten to pulp, are forced to recite national anthem by the police. One of the five people has been confirmed to have died following gunshot wounds. Faizan, a resident of Kardampuri in northeast Delhi, one of the worst affected localities in North East Delhi succumbed to his injuries this past Thursday. This is going to further scar the already sullied image of the Indian police. But more than that, it has established the police, meant to establish law and order in the country, as a partisan force that will not come to the rescue of the victims and instead support the rioters. Many people have said that the riots wouldnt have taken place had the police acted swiftly against people who incited violence through their inflammatory speeches. Sanjay Singh, a senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member says, A High Court judge had said that why had the DCP not taken action against the Kapil Mishra. That judge himself was transferred. Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Anurag Thakur's name had been taken by the court. When will the BJP take action against them, even their own MP Gautam Gambhir has asked for action against Mishra? Community on its own The Indian Muslim community has lately realized that it is on its own following the ghastly Delhi riots when the courts didnt take any cognizance of what was happening to the community in the heart of the Indian capital. Haji Nayeem, a resident of Maujpur, one of the worst affected localities by the brutal riots told me that for the three days there was no one who came to their rescue. When we made PCR calls and asked for help, what we got was all the more damaging. We faced filthiest of abuses from the police personnel handling the call, says Nayeem. He goes on to add that police would have controlled the riots right away but they didnt act and in many cases supported the riots rather openly. Hapless riot victims continued to call police, but without any help from law enforcement agencies. It is learnt that the Delhi Police received close to 15,000 calls seeking help on its police control room (PCR) helpline in four days of the riots that broke out in northeast Delhi. Had the police fulfilled its responsibilities, dozens of lives could have been saved and hundreds of homes that have been burnt to ashes could have been saved. Court mute spectator People are also critical of how the courts didnt do anything and sat idly while a large section of the city went up in flames consuming hundreds of homes, destroying businesses and taking the lives of many people. There are many people missing even now and the relatives of missing people are not sure they would ever be reunited with their families. The sudden transfer of Delhi High Court judge, Justice S Muralidhar also baffled many. The High Court that had given some hope to riot victims that the people who ignited the violence in Delhi will be taken to task, failed to reassure them when Justice S Muralidhar was transferred. Merely a few hours after judge grilled the Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and Delhi Police officials for negligence and dereliction of duty in coping with Delhi riots, the Central government issued notification for his transfer that was recommended by the apex court on February 12. The Central government notification didnt even mention the usual 14 days given to judges on transfer. Justice Muralidhar left his job at the Delhi High Court the same day. This was a crude jolt to the riot survivors who thought that people like Kapil Mishra who are alleged to have incited the violence in capital will be held accountable for their roles and apprehended. Following the transfer of Justice Muralidhar, the Congress called his transfer amid violence in the capital territory as a "hit and run" move meant to protect BJP leaders accused of making hate speeches. Supreme Court didnt do more than rebuking the police. Justice Joseph in an oral observation said, Lack of professionalism of the police is the main problem here. If you had not allowed people to get away after inflammatory remarks, all this would not have happened. If you act the way law requires to act, you will see the difference. He observed orally when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta tried to hush the judge saying the judges remarks may demoralise the police. The Muslim community has felt baffled over lack of any action on the part of the apex court. Faizan Mustafa says that minorities in India are living in fear today. While writing in a column in the Indian Express, one of the top experts on constitutional law in the country says, By not hearing petitions on the constitutionality of the CAA, not taking cognisance of the inept handling by the Delhi Police of atrocities against the students, the apex court has overlooked the gravity of the situation. The SC had stayed the acceptance of the Mandal Commissions recommendation of reservation for OBCs because there had been protests by upper castes. A stay on the CAA would have ended the nationwide protests. Today, minorities are living in fear. The promises made to them in the Constitution in Articles 25 to 30 are broken with impunity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who talked of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Wishwas has miserably failed to act or even express sympathy with the people affected by the worst riots of the capital in more than three decades. Home Minister, Amit Shah, who controls the Delhi Police, is alleged to have done nothing while Delhi burnt. Had the two leaders acted swiftly, the damage would have been minimized. Psychological scars There is no denying that the psychological scars of the riots will continue to haunt the young children who were directly affected by the riots. The image of a young boy sitting with the dead body of his father who lost his life in the ghastly riots, with a blank expression on his face, will be hard to erase from the collective memory of a community. Even those who were not directly affected, it will badly impact as the sense of vulnerability has deepened among them. Raihan (name changed), a social entrepreneur told me that he was shocked beyond belief when his 16-year old daughter asked him if girls are allowed to take their life if confronted by rioters trying to rape them. My salam to the father who said they should think about killing the rioters by their powerful bare hands instead of even thinking about taking their own lives. There is no denying that these are terrible times indeed and even young girls who shouldn't have more to worry at the moment than trying to perform well in their exams, are confronted by such questions. More Columns by Syed Ubaidur Rahman: Despite muted denials, NRC will target Muslims Bhagwat, Madani meet: End of the maddening divide Ahmadullah Shah: Hero whose head and body are buried Muslim women's entry in mosques: What is the truth? Syed is a New Delhi based author and commentator. His forthcoming book 'Ulema's Role in India's Freedom Movements with Focus on Reshmi Rumal Tehrik will be out in October West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said much importance should not be given to the raising of provocative slogan -- "desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro ..." (shoot the traitors) by some BJP "supporters" while heading for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in the city. Dhankhar said in a country like India which has a huge population, slogans raised by a few people do not matter and the media should play a sensible role while reporting such issues. "If suppose there are 1,000 people and one person says something... that's 100 per cent for him... for me that's .01 per cent. Its a country of great positivity... its a very large country," Dhankhar told reporters here. "I would appeal to the media to be proportionate and get away from sensation. It's time to be very, very responsible in public life," he added. Three BJP "supporters" have been arrested for raising the slogan while they were passing the Maidan Market in downtown Esplanade en route to the rally venue at nearby Shahid Minar ground on Sunday. The septuagenarian also rubbished claims of opponent parties alleging that those who had raised the controversial slogan belonged to the saffron party. He urged people to refrain from having a partisan approach and stressed that the country is "undoubtedly" moving forward. "If we start looking things from a prism or partisan approach that's not going to be helpful. There is a general preposition I've been saying. There has nothing to do with any political party," he said. Apparently referring to the recent violence in New Delhi, Dhankhar said "violence can never contribute to the country's democracy". "Violence in any form in action or thought is against our rituals, culture and democracy. It can never promote democracy... can never contribute to our growth and that's what I've been saying," Dhankhar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The governing body of the state-owned universities said it has met the target for an early retirement incentive for faculty. At least 200 faculty opted for the early retirement program, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education said in a news release late Monday afternoon. The system had warned that job reductions would be considered if less than 200 people opted for early retirement. The deadline to sign up for the retirement incentive was Monday. Facing financial challenges and declining enrollment, the system offered an early retirement incentive to the faculty of the 14 state-owned universities, which serve 96,000 students across Pennsylvania. Dan Greenstein, chancellor of the state system, praised the systems faculty and said the success of the early retirement program helps the system deal with its financial issues. This collaboration created both a meaningful retirement incentive and a practical solution to some of the challenges the State System faces when it comes to keeping college affordable for students, Greenstein said in a statement. The early retirement program offered participating faculty the chance to get paid for more unused sick time. Those choosing early retirement would be paid for up to 125 unused sick days. Typically, faculty can be paid for a maximum of 50 unused sick days. The system said it was still determining eligibility to get the final count of faculty opting for the program. The system said it would report the final number to the faculty union by March 16. The incentive was part of a negotiated agreement with the faculty union - the Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties. But for the program to be implemented, at least 200 faculty members had to opt for early retirement. If less than 200 faculty opted for the early retirement option, the program wouldnt be implemented, system officials said. We acknowledge how personal and difficult the decision to retire can be for someone who has made a career out of connecting with students in a classroom, Greenstein said in the statement. "I want to personally thank each faculty member for their service to our students, their university, and our system. Last week, the system said 165 faculty had opted for early retirement, raising concerns that there wouldnt be enough participants for the program. If the target wasnt met, the system could consider retrenchment and the possibility of cutting positions, a system spokesman said last week. Ken Mash, the faculty union president, said last week he was disappointed the state system was raising the possibility of staff reductions. He said that wouldnt help the systems ability to attract students. Its a very serious thing and we should not be doing anything to discourage our students from attending these universities," Mash said last week. Reducing positions could still be necessary even with 200 faculty opting for the early retirement incentive, David Pidgeon, a state system spokesman, said last week. But he said the possibility of tougher measures to reduce staff would be reduced if enough faculty were willing to take early retirement. More from PennLive Pa. state universities leader calls for not filling vacant posts, limiting use of temporary faculty State universities leader calls on lawmakers to 'set this State System and more importantly, Pennsylvania up for success 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. Avengers: Endgame action star Chris Pratt revealed Sunday night that he's amassed nearly 28M Instagram followers, and he's eager for more. 'Guys I'm sitting here realizing that I'm at 27.9M followers,' the Minnesota-born 40-year-old said via Insta-story. 'If I get just one more follower, I will be at 27.9 million still. But if I get 7 more followers...I don't know the math, but I'm almost to 28 million.' Anyone? Avengers: Endgame action star Chris Pratt revealed Sunday night that he's amassed nearly 28M Instagram followers, and he's eager for more However, if you add in the community college drop-out's 7.6M Twitter followers and his 4.4M Facebook followers, he technically boasts a captive combined 39.9M fans on social media. Chris was particularly interested in more fans in order to better promote Pixar's animated flick Onward - hitting US/UK theaters this Friday - in which he voices teenage elf Barley Lightfoot. Pratt was also bored because he's been on location in Merritt, British Columbia reprising his role as dinosaur researcher Owen Grady on the set of Jurassic World: Dominion. The Minnesota-born 40-year-old said via Insta-'Guys I'm sitting here realizing that I'm at 27.9M followers. If I get just one more follower, I will be at 27.9 million still. But if I get 7 more followers...I don't know the math, but I'm almost to 28 million' Breaking it down: However, if you add in the community college drop-out's 7.6M Twitter followers and his 4.4M Facebook followers, he technically boasts 39.9M fans on social media 84% on Rotten Tomatoes! Chris was particularly interested in more fans in order to better promote Pixar's animated flick Onward - hitting US/UK theaters this Friday - in which he voices teenage elf Barley Lightfoot (R) Original Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill all return for Colin Trevorrow's sixth installment, which hits US theaters June 11, 2021 and UK theaters June 21, 2021. 'I will shoot on and off until July,' the 6ft2in former stripper said on The Ellen Show last month. 'It's probably close to about 100 shoot days. It's a massive movie. We'll be all over the world [in Canada, Hawaii, England, and Malta] and the story is really cool.' 'Day 1 of 100': Pratt was also bored because he's been on location in Merritt, British Columbia reprising his role as dinosaur researcher Owen Grady on the set of Jurassic World: Dominion (pictured Monday) Hitting US/UK theaters June 2021! Original Jurassic Park stars (from L-R) Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill all return for Colin Trevorrow's sixth installment The 6ft2in former stripper said on The Ellen Show last month: 'I will shoot on and off until July. It's probably close to about 100 shoot days. It's a massive movie. We'll be all over the world [in Canada, Hawaii, England, and Malta] and the story is really cool' While Chris is busy globe-trotting, his second wife Katherine Schwarzenegger will keep busy on her 15-date book tour for her tome The Gift of Forgiveness, which kicks off March 8 in Brooklyn. Baby plans will have to remain on hold for Pratt and the 30-year-old USC grad, whom he wed on June 8 at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito a year after being introduced by her journalist mother Maria Shriver at church. The Parks and Recreation alum shares joint legal and physical custody of his seven-year-old son Jack with his ex-wife, Mom star Anna Faris, whom he divorced in 2018 after eight years. Kicks off March 8 in Brooklyn! While Chris is busy globe-trotting, his second wife Katherine Schwarzenegger will keep busy on her 15-date book tour for her tome The Gift of Forgiveness The good news is that we have world-class professionals available to us. Our political leaders should let them do their jobs. The Trump administration stumbled out of the blocks responding to this threat. In a public health emergency, fear and misinformation can spread just as quickly as a virus. The president confused the public with his statements minimizing the threat of coronavirus and his contradictions of the experts. He also submitted a budget proposal just weeks ago that would cut $30 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions funds for public health preparedness and $3 billion more from the National Institutes of Health. If passed into law, these cuts would significantly compound this crisis. The White House should never have suggested such an inadequate budget in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. President Trump also politicized this issue at a campaign rally, although he is not the only one to do so. Some of my fellow Democrats have done the same by pouncing on Mr. Trumps remarks to win political points rather than treating this situation with the gravity and unity it deserves. Now is not the time for political gamesmanship. The American people want politicians in Washington to stop bickering, tone down the talk, and pull together to save lives. We might have different opinions on the effectiveness of the coronavirus response so far, but ultimately, our views are not the ones that matter. The public health experts who are leading this response are the voices we need in this crisis. Coordination and clear communication are critical to reassure the public. Our political leaders need verbal discipline, a respect for scientific findings, a commitment to transparency, and a coherent communication strategy during these times or they will confuse and frighten the general public. We must rely on our outstanding public health experts. I trust the Health and Human Services physician-scientists and public health leaders working on this issue, including Dr. Anthony Fauci at N.I.H. and both Dr. Anne Schuchat and Dr. Robert Redfield at C.D.C. The coronavirus response coordinator in the White House, Dr. Debbie Birx, is also a highly respected expert who has led our global response to H.I.V./AIDS in past administrations. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2 2020 Indonesians may find it difficult to buy garlic during Ramadan this year if the country fails to get imports from China soon, an official has said. Food Resilience Agency (BKP) head Agung Hendriadi said that the country's garlic stock had already fallen to 80,000 tons as of Thursday. With monthly garlic consumption of some 46,000 tons, current stocks would only last until April. So far, the Trade Ministry has only issued import permits for 62,000 tons out of 103,000 tons recommended by the Agriculture Ministry. Agung urged the Trade Ministry to issue a permit for at least 80,000 tons of garlic to fulfill domestic needs. 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 Mobile County health officials dont currently see port traffic as a big source of concern in an emerging coronavirus outbreak. They also caution that testing will be extremely limited and that they dont see stocking up on filter masks as a practical defense measure. State officials held a press conference Monday morning to address the states footing with regard to Covid-19, a potentially lethal respiratory virus that has not yet been detected in Mobile, but which is rapidly spreading worldwide. As they did so, representatives of Mobile County municipal governments, hospitals and public health agencies gathered at the countys new Emergency Operations Center to take in the state message and add a few details of their own. In southwest Alabama, scattered concerns have been raised on social media about goods from China, the source of the outbreak, arriving at the Port of Mobile. Rendi Murphree, an epidemiologist who is the director of the Mobile County Health Departments Bureau of Disease Surveillance and Environmental Services, said the MCHD had been communication closely with port officials and other agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard since the beginning of the outbreak. We dealt with this really early on, said Murphree. For a container vessel to leave mainland China and come here would take, I think, 22 to 24 days or something of that nature. So the fact that its past the 14-day incubation period gave us a lot of comfort that its not going to be coming in in a container. The virus ability to survive on a surface is even shorter than its incubation period in people, she said. Judith Adams of the Alabama State Port Authority confirmed that communications had been ongoing since mid-January. Depending on their ports of origin, ships coming to Mobile can take 30 to 45 days to arrive, she said. Cargo is not a carrier, she said. The risk is rather low that COVID19 would enter through the port, Adams said. All inbound vessels have to declare port of origin, crew, crew origin, if any crew is ill or has been ill during voyage, etc. ... The USCG screens and clears vessels prior to entry into the port. They have a process offshore that they work through the CDC and local health officials if someone is ill. If someone is ill, they dont allow the vessel to enter as a rule. If there is someone in a life threatening condition, then response is coordinated at the federal levels on a case by case basis. To date, weve not encountered ill crew. Adams said port officials are wary of a secondary impact on markets. Supply chains already are backing up overseas, and isolationist measures could further hamper the manufacture and movement of goods. Ultimately this could mean fewer consumer goods on shelves and other problems for domestic businesses. As for more immediate concerns about the arrival of the virus via shipping, Weve felt pretty good about that since the beginning, Murphree said. She added that because the global spread of the virus continues, health and port officials continue to communicate and be vigilant. Murphree said that generally, south Alabamas coastal climate doesnt create special concern. Theres nothing about this virus that we know of that would make it more severe in south Alabama [or] less severe in south Alabama, she said. Murphree reiterated state officials guidance for returning travelers who show common signs of illness, such as coughing or fever. Those people should self-isolate themselves, staying home until the symptoms pass or become severe. Anyone seeking to be tested for Covid-19 is bound to be disappointed: Murphree said that current guidance on testing, as set by the Centers for Disease Control, is that only people ill enough to be hospitalized will be considered for testing. Furthermore, Alabama has only one lab authorized to process Covid-19 tests, a Montgomery facility operated by the state Department of Public Health. Large research hospitals may eventually be able to conduct testing, she said, but its hard to say when. Again echoing state officials, Murphree said that the best defensive measures are the same ones encouraged for flu. People should wash their hands often, stay home if sick and clean household surfaces with common disinfectants and cleaners. Nothing special is required to kill Covid-19 on an exposed surface, she said. Murphree said that hospital-style masks are best saved for sick people, because they do help keep them from spreading a virus by coughing. Hoarding them just makes it harder for hospitals to maintain their supplies. I think right now the biggest thing were trying to battle is, everybody feels like they need to run out and buy a box of N95 masks, she said. Were trying to tell people not to do that, because we want to make sure what PPE [personal protective equipment] we have available is available to our health care institutions. If youre sick, we want you wearing a mask so youre not coughing out things. But if youre not sick, a mask is really not going to do you any good in a community outbreak setting. PIERRE | South Dakota lawmakers wore black attire on Thursday in a playful tradition of mourning the bills that didn't survive this year. Lawmakers have just nine days of meetings left this year to determine what will become law in South Dakota. The Legislature hit a deadline on Thursday to clear all bills out of the chamber in which they were introduced. As lawmakers hit crunch time, here's a look at what's dead, what's clinging to life, and what has a good shot of becoming law. Dead Transgender treatment ban Lawmakers were preoccupied in the first few weeks of the session with a proposal to ban doctors from giving puberty-blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries to children under 16 who want to change their gender. The proposal quickly cleared the House, but was held up in the Senate Health and Human Services committee where moderate Republicans killed the bill. Surrogacy ban The Senate Heath and Human Services committee again proved to be a barricade to House bills supported by conservative Republicans when the committee narrowly blocked a bill aiming to ban commercial surrogacy. The bill would have criminalized agents who facilitate surrogacy contracts, but lawmakers said they would rather regulate the practice and may study the issue before next year's session. Democrat's proposals The handful of Democrats in the House made a last-minute push last week to have their proposals considered by the Republican-dominated House. At a press conference on Thursday, Democratic legislative leaders complained about the difficulty they had in getting their bills scheduled for a hearing. Democrats said the delay in scheduling put them at a disadvantage. It doesn't give us the time that other bills have been afforded to try to work through some of their issues, said House Minority Leader Jamie Smith, a Sioux Falls Democrat. Republicans on Thursday killed several Democrat proposals: allowing people with felonies to vote while they are paying restitution but have completed the rest of their sentence; requiring South Dakota schools to accommodate the educational needs of deaf students; and adding clergy and dental hygienists to the list of professions that are required to report suspected child abuse. Clinging to life Democrat's proposals A couple proposals from Democrats have survived. A bill to add interns to the list of people protected against sexual harassment and discrimination in job applications sailed through the House. The House passed another bill that requires the Department of Education to include all children with hearing loss in its reporting on accommodations for deaf students. Presumptive probation Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has made it his mission to curtail a program that gives certain low-level felons automatic probation rather than prison time. He says the roll back would allow law enforcement to address the state's meth problem. He introduced two bills one bill died, the other survived. A proposal to require people with low-level drug felonies to cooperate with law enforcement in order to qualify for probation is still on the table after passing by three votes in the Senate; the other would have disqualified people from presumptive probation if they have more than two felonies in a 10-year period, but didn't pass a Senate committee. Native American schools A proposal to create four schools that would teach an Oceti Sakowin curriculum centered around Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota language and culture unanimously passed the Senate last week. Senate Minority Leader Troy Heinert, a Democrat from Mission, was visibly moved by the support it received, saying it could mark a historical moment of Native Americans in the state reclaiming education. The governor supports the idea. But supporters still face opposition from education groups and have to convince the House that the schools are a good idea. Alive and well Hemp A bill to legalize the growth and processing of industrial hemp has broad support in the Legislature, but faces a final question from Gov. Kristi Noem will the Legislature pay the $3.7 million she wants to get the program up and running? Some lawmakers argue that figure is way too high. House Majority Leader Lee Qualm, a Platte Republican, said that supporters of the bill are planning to meet with the governor's office on Monday to hammer out a final figure. Faculty union ban Both the House and Senate have passed separate bills that would ban state university faculty from forming a union. Republicans say the union keeps the schools from being flexible, while opponents argue that the initiative threatens the schools' ability to recruit top professors. Large feedlots Noem will turn her attention to the House in pushing her proposal to overhaul how counties make decisions on feedlots and other projects. She has argued that it will bring investment across the state, but opponents argue it takes away locals ability to object to controversial projects. Riot boosting Several Native American tribes have made it clear they don't want to see Noem revamp the state's riot laws ahead of expected construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, but most Republicans in the House supported the proposal. It will now be taken up in the Senate. A few lawmakers have said they will be taking a closer look, especially after a judge found parts of a riot boosting law passed last year to be unconstitutional. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee makes a deep bow before reporters in a show of apology over his followers' contribution to the widespread of coronavirus in South Korea at the Palace of Peace, a training center for Shincheonji believers, in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul The leader of a South Korean sect linked to more than half the country's 4,000-plus coronavirus cases apologized Monday for the spread of the disease. "I would like to offer my sincere apology to the people on behalf of the members," said Shincheonji head Lee Man-hee, 89, his voice breaking. He twice got on his knees to bow before reporters in Gapyeong, his head to the floor. "Although it was not intentional, many people have been infected," he said. "We put our utmost efforts but were unable to prevent it all. I seek the forgiveness of the people. "I am very thankful to the government for its efforts. I also seek the forgiveness of the government." Lee speaks to reporters. The woman next to him was seen sporadically relaying questions from reporters, hinting that Lee, 89, could have a hearing problem. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Lee holds a written statement during the press conference at the Palace of Peace, a training center for Shincheonji believers, in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Activists of the Ukrainian community in Ireland held a flash mob in Dublin city center on Sunday to mark the 6th anniversary of Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea. "The Ukrainians in Ireland met in the heart of Dublin and joined the worldwide flash mob to remind the international community that Ukrainian Crimea had been occupied by Russia already for the sixth year, the Ukrainian community in Ireland posted on Facebook. As noted, the flash mob was initiated and organized by the Association of Ukrainians in Republic of Ireland. Ukrainian and Irish writers Yevhen Khmil and Patrick Adamson attended the flash mob among others. The activists reminded that Crimea is Ukraine, urged to raise the issue of the occupied Crimea at the next Normandy format summit, supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine and stated the need to further convey the truthful information about Russian aggression in Ukraine to the world. The flash mob participants also called for the release of prisoners held in Russia and spoke in support of ATR Crimean Tatar TV channel. ol Equity benchmark indices reversed last week's losses during early hours on Monday as investors got some respite as GDP numbers were slightly ahead of estimates with green shoots on the manufacturing side seeing better traction. The economy expanded by 4.7 per cent in the October to December quarter, a marginal increase from 4.5 per cent in the previous quarter but in line with expectations. At 10:15 am, the BSE S & P Sensex was up by 504 points or 1.32 per cent to 38,802 while the Nifty 50 edged higher by 147 points at 11,349. All sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the green with Nifty realty and metal gaining by 1.9 per cent each, pharma by 1.7 per cent, IT by 1.3 per cent and FMCG by 1.1 per cent. Among stocks, ICICI Bank added gains of 3.8 per cent at Rs 516.15 per share. Metal major Vedanta and JSW Steel were up by 2.6 per cent each while FMCG major Nestle India ticked up by 2.3 per cent. Eicher Motors, Hero MotoCorp, HCL Technologies and UPL gained by over 2.3 per cent each. Meanwhile, Asian shares steadied as investors placed their hopes on a coordinated global monetary policy response to contain the damaging economic impact of coronavirus epidemic. Reports said pandemic fears wiped more than 5 trillion dollars from global share value last week. Chinese shares opened higher with the blue-chip index up by 1.5 per cent. MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan advanced by 0.4 per cent while Japan's Nikkei too climbed up 0.4 per cent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress MLAs staged a protest in the Karnataka Assembly and entered the well demanding BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yathnal's apology for his 'Pakistani agent' remark on freedom fighter HS Doreswamy. Earlier, Congress leaders on February 26 staged a protest on the same issue in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Vidhana Soudha. Yathnal, on February 25, called Doreswamy a fake freedom fighter and a Pakistani agent while addressing the media. His comments triggered a controversy drawing sharp remarks from Congress and other parties. Siddaramaiah, former chief minister, asserted that the "provocative" comments against the freedom fighter were obnoxious. Former KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar said: "Yathnal is a criminal who had mentioned in his election affidavit that he had 27 cases against him. He has made such loose comments against the freedom fighter. He should apologise for his remarks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday flayed opposition parties for questioning the legitimacy of his government and said such criticism is like "ridiculing" the public mandate. He also claimed that his government has in the last seven months boldly faced several challenges and made strong efforts to bring in transparency in administration. Yediyurappa was replying to the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the joint sitting of the state legislature, in the legislative assembly. The Chief Minister's reply was marred by protests and sloganeering by opposition parties from the well of the House, demanding that they be permitted to raise the issue of BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal's "derogatory" comments against centenarian freedom fighter H S Doreswamy. Even as the Chief Minister read out his reply, the Congress and JD(S) legislators shouted slogans like "jai to freedom fighters", "save democracy and constitution", "down down British agents" from the well of the House. Stating that he did not like to talk while speaking on the Governor's address, but will have to reply to opposition's criticism against his government, Yediyurappa said "in democracy numbers matter, and in this number game our party has won." Pointing out that by winning 12 of 15 seats in December bypolls "we have proved that public mandate is in favour of our party", he said it was our "moral victory." "You should be aware that the people of the state are completely with us. In Lok Sabha polls your party had won one seat, we had won 25+1 (one BJP supported independent)," he said, adding that criticism against government's legitimacy is like "ridiculing" the public mandate. He cautioned that if the opposition continues to indulge in such criticism, people will start taking them lightly. "Because of my concern towards you, I'm giving you this advice," he said. Calling the BJP government in Karnataka as "child born illicitly from Operation Kamala", Leader of Opposition in the assembly Siddaramaiah had said the government in the state did not come to power with the people's mandate, but by engineering the defection of 17 Congress-JD(S) legislators. Noting that "sustainable development" is his government's priority, Yediyurappa defended his government's handling of drought and floods in several parts of the state soon after coming to power, and said the administration has managed reconstruction and rehabilitation "transparently." Terming tackling the flood situation as "trial by fire", he asked as to how fair it was to complain about the Prime Minister not visiting the flood-hit areas of the state when Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had undertaken a tour. He said the loss was estimated to the tune of Rs 35,160.81 crore, and according to the guidelines for relief, a proposal has been sent to the Centre for 3,891.80 crore, and under NDRF Rs 1,869.85 crore has been released by the union government. "More relief was expected." Highlighting initiatives taken by his government for relief and rehabilitation, especially housing for those displaced, Yediyurappa said the state government under NDRF, SDRF, Chief Minister's relief fund and various departments has released Rs 4,413 crore for relief work and Rs 3,338 crore has been spent. Citing the government's various pro-farmer initiatives, he declared that priority will be given to agriculture and irrigation sector in the days to come, and steps towards this can be seen in the state budget on March 5. Suggesting that industrial growth had slowed down in the state for the last couple of years, also affecting employment generation, he said the government is taking "bold" steps in addressing this. He said his recent visit to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meet was "fruitful" and in few a months, investors will "flow" to the state. The recent investment summit held in Hubballi has "ensured" investment of about Rs 70,000 crore in north Karnataka region. Noting that renaming of Hyderabad-Karnataka region as "Kalyana Karnataka" will help in implementing developmental projects in the backward region which has been given special status under Article 371 (J) of the Constitution, Yediyurappa said Bidar and Kalaburagi airport in the region will spur development in the region. According to him, the Rs 18,900 crore suburban railways project cleared by the centre will help in easing out traffic congestion in Bengaluru city. The state and centre will invest in 20:20 ratio and 60 per cent will flow in from investors, he said. Yediyurappa described as historic the decision to declare as regular 10,000 houses that were constructed in encroached government land in Bengaluru. A committee has been formed to stop such encroachments in future. Accusing Maharashtra of raking up the Belagavi border issue, he declared that not even an inch of state's land will be given away, and Mahajan report was final on the matter. About allegations of discrimination in allocation of funds to constituencies represented by opposition MLAs and projects sanctioned during previous governments being stopped, Yediyurappa said works have been halted as projects were approved without maintaining financial discipline, and it was inevitable. "Step by step the works will be given clearance." He also said to utilise 'Suvarna Soudha' in Belagavi, where assembly session is held once a year, and to bring administration closer to people, 5-6 government offices will be shifted there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 09:46:18|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close WASHINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is ending his presidential campaign, reported U.S. media outlets on Sunday. Buttigieg, a 38-year-old Democrat, is expected to inform his supporters of the decision on Sunday night, according to ABC News. He will deliver remarks in South Bend at 8:30 p.m. ET (0130 GMT), according to a campaign email. Buttigieg, who launched his presidential bid in April 2019, won the most delegates in the contentious Iowa Democratic caucuses, the first nominating contest of the 2020 U.S. presidential primary. The ongoing climate crisis is on course to destroy half the world's sandy beaches by the end of the century, a new study warns. Sandy shorelines of many high-population areas and tourist hot-spots are threatened by erosion, climate change and surging sea levels. At-risk areas include Surfers' Paradise in Queensland, St Tropez, Honolulu, Copacabana, the Costa del Sol and Weymouth. But researchers offer a glimmer of hope and believe a moderate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could prevent 40 per cent of the predicted loss. Scroll down for video Pictured, the percentage of sandy beach coastline projected to experience critical erosion by country under RCP4.5 by 2100. Deep red is >90%, yellow is ~50% and blue is between five and 15 per cent Pictured, the percentage of sandy beach coastline projected to experience critical erosion by country under the worst-case RCP8.5 scenario by 2100. Deep red is >90%, yellow is ~50% and blue is between five and 15 per cent Sandy shorelines of many high-populated areas and tourist hot-spots are threatened by erosion, climate change and surging sea levels. At-risk areas include Surfers' Paradise in Queensland, Honolulu, Copacabana, the Costa del Sol (pictured, Nerja beach) and Weymouth Researchers from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra in northern Italy analysed 30 years worth of satellite images of sandy beaches. Study author Dr Michalis Vousdoukas, who led the research, said: 'The results indicate around 50 per cent of the world's sandy beaches are at risk of severe erosion. 'Half of the world's beaches could disappear by the end of the century under current trends of climate change and sea level rise. 'The situation can become more critical for small communities highly reliant on tourism.' Sandy beaches occupy more than a third of the global coastline and are valuable in many ways as they provide economic income via recreation and tourism. They are also very environmentally valuable as they provide natural protection from storms and cyclones. However, erosion, sea level rises and changing weather threaten the coast's infrastructure and people. The ongoing climate crisis is on course to destroy half the world's sandy beaches by the end of the century, a new study warns. Australia will be worst affected, including the iconic Surfer's Beach (pictured) British beach hotspots such as Weymouth (pictured) and Dorset are also at risk of being decimated by climate change and erosion. Between a quarter and a half of the UK's sandy beaches will retreat by more than a hundred metres over the next century, one expert warns Researchers from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra in northern Italy analysed 30 years worth of satellite images on sandy beaches. Hawaii (pictured) is one of the places with beach shores that could lose its sands as climate change worsens Some countries will be worse hit than others, with The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau facing the loss of over 60 per cent of their white sandy beaches. Overall, Australia would be worst hit with around 7,500 miles (12,000 km ) of beach at risk. Canada, Chile, Mexico, China and the United States would also be greatly affected. 'Between a quarter and a half of the UK's sandy beaches will retreat by more than a hundred metres over the next century, depending on how rapidly the polar ice sheets melt,' according to Professor Andrew Shepherd, Director of the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds. The researchers used computer modelling systems to forecast how the beaches, in their currently depleted state, would deteriorate as climate change worsens. Two eventualities of 'representative concentration pathways (RCP)' for global warming were predicted, each representing a future of varying severity. RCP8.5 is the highest level of projected greenhouse gas emissions and RCP4.5 features less intense emissions that span over a long period of time. Researchers looked at how human activity and geological processes causes shoreline retreat as well as the damage caused by storms to make their findings. Dr Suzana Ilic at Lancaster University said: 'This new research shows that about 30 per cent and 60 per cent of low lying areas fronted by sandy beaches will be seriously threatened by erosion, due to climate change under the high emission of greenhouse gases by the middle and the end of the 21st century respectively.' Moderate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions may prevent 40 per cent of this loss, the study authors suggest. Dr Ilic, who was not involved in the study, added: 'It is encouraging to see that reducing emissions from a high to moderate level will result in a reduction of the projected shoreline retreat of 22 per cent by 2050 and 40 per cent by 2100.' The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The first confirmed case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Telangana was reported from Hyderabad on Monday where a man, who recently returned from Dubai, tested postive for the virus. The union health ministry announced that two fresh novel coronavirus cases, one in Delhi and another in Telangana, have been reported in India. Telangana Health Minister E Rajender said on Monday that the condition of the man was stable and he is being treated in an isolated ward at the state-run Gandhi hospital in the city. Meanwhile, a woman social activist, who returned from abroad, has also been admitted to the hospital and the test results were awaited, hospital sources said. The 24-year-old man, a software engineer who works in Bengaluru, had worked with people from Hong Kong in Dubai last month where he is suspected to have contracted the virus, Rajender told reporters. The man reached Bengaluru on February 19/20 and later came to Hyderabad in a bus. He took treatment for fever after coming to Hyderabad and was admitted to a private super speciality hospital in the city. As it did not subside, he came to the state-run Gandhi hospital on Sunday evening, Rajender said. According to the minister, the government is tracking all those who came in contact with him, including family members besides those who travelled with him in the bus and the medical staff in the private hospital where he was treated. Replying to a question, Rajender said about 80 people, including members of the patient's family and hospital staff, have been identified. "Identifying them does not mean that they are infected," he said. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was informed about the coronavirus case and he has directed that a meeting of medical and health department officials be organised and all steps to prevent the spread of the virus taken, Rajender said. Official sources said a meeting of Panchayati Raj, municipal administration, police, tourism, revenue and other departments would be held on Tuesday as part of the efforts to deal with the situation. The state government would function as per the guidelines of the Centre, the minister said. The state government has informed its counterparts in Karnataka about the present case, he said, adding, arrangements were being made to ensure that the virus does not spread. The Union Health Ministry said two fresh cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported in India, taking the number of people who have tested positive for the respiratory virus in the country to five so far. The infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy. The deadly virus, COVID-19, has killed 2,912 people in China and has spread to at least 58 countries. The three people, which include two medical students of a university at Wuhan, who had earlier tested positive for the virus in Thrissur, Alappuzuha and Kasaragod districts in Kerala were discharged following recovery. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Niamey, Niger (PANA) - Nigerien NGOs have invested about 133 billion CFA francs in 2018 against the 130 billion in 2017, the Nigerien Minister in charge of Community Development, Amani Abdou, said at a meeting with Technical and Financial Partners, national and international non-governmental organizations and development associations operating in Niger From the Archive Pioneers of Burmese Cartooning Cartoonists U Ba Gale (left) and U Ba Gyan (right) Political cartoons have existed in Myanmar since colonial times, but in the early days the artists were mostly British. In the decades immediately before and after independence, two pioneering local cartoonistsfirst U Ba Gale and later U Ba Gyanintroduced Myanmar newspaper readers to the art form, delighting them with parodies of British colonizers, heroic portrayals of independence figures and satirical critiques of opportunistic local politicians. To mark the 67th anniversary of U Ba Gyans passing recently, The Irrawaddy revisits this article, first published in 2003, remembering the two artists and their legacy.World War II During the popular struggle against the British and civil war, two cartoonists entertained and provoked Burmese audiences with their fiesty sketches. A newspaper without a cartoon is like curry without saltU Hein Sunn, prominent Burmese cartoonist Few people today know that a monkey introduced editorial cartoons to Burma. In 1912, the British publisher of the Rangoon Times ran a drawing deriding a Burmese woman who attended a party held by Westerners. Credit for the cartoon went to Myauk, which comprised half of the common moniker for Westerners, Myauk Phyu, or white monkey. Readers found out soon enough that the artist was not simiannot that they suspected as muchbut a British official posted in Burma. Not all the British who drew for the Rangoon Times felt the need to conceal their identity. Martin Jones, for instance, became renowned for his realistic depictions of Burmese figures. When not creating cartoons he served as a high-ranking official in Burmas railway department. In 1918, Jones and several other Britons, including Professor Kenneth Martin Ward, formed the Burma Art Club (BAC) in Rangoon. Talented young Burmese artists spent many hours at the BAC, learning to draw and paint from the British artists. The list of those schooled at the BAC features Ba Gyan, Hein Sunn, Saya Mya, Ba Zaw, and Ohn Lwin, who all became famous national artists. The BACs most famous alumnus is Ba Gale, also known as Shwetalay. He learned from the British in other ways as well. As a young man he subscribed to Punch, a British comic publication founded in 1841. Ba Gales first published cartoon appeared in a Rangoon college magazine in 1915, when he was 22. Newspaper editors in Rangoon immediately recognized Ba Gales talent. Later the same year, the Rangoon Times ran a Ba Gale piece, making it the first newspaper to publish a Burmese artists cartoon. Earning 10 to 15 kyat per cartoon, Ba Gale set upon making his living as a cartoonist. In addition to the Rangoon Times, his drawings appeared in Thuriya (The Sun), a paper run by young nationalists. Local Burmese newspaper owners also snapped up Ba Gale cartoons for their editorial pages. The Rangoon Times praised its contributor in print. It is recognized by all hands that U Ba Gales cartoons are excellent, wrote the editor. Certainly there is nobody who compares with him in Burma today as a pictorial commentator on current events. Before caricatures became popular among the population, it wasnt easy for Burmese cartoonists to convince conservative Burmese to accept the sketches. Many people unfamiliar with the genre thought the figures looked too much liked goblins, which further detracted from their appeal. To gain popular acceptance, Ba Gales cartoons were often accompanied by long captions or described poetically by editors. During British rule, captions often appeared in English. Respected Burmese literary figure Sayagyi Thakin Kodaw Hmaing edited The Sun and wrote many captions for Ba Gale, contributing to the publics appreciation of the cartoonist who is credited for helping introduce editorial cartoons to the Burmese. Ba Gale routinely parodied the British rulers of Burma, combining his artistic talent with wit and intelligence to challenge the colonial overlords. One of his cartoons, That Loin Cloth, was reprinted in Londons World Review and afforded Ba Gale international exposure. Mahatama Gandhis 1933 visit to London was the subject of the piece. Newspapers in London and Rangoon focused primarily on the Indians loincloth when reporting on his trip to Downing Street. But Ba Gale saw the irony and extreme insincerity of the episode. In his cartoon, he ridiculed the double standards the naked cult practiced in Western countries. Ba Gale lampooned Burmese politicians as well. Those he characterized as opportunists or seat-grabbers at Parliament were a favorite target. The cartoons illustrated Ba Gales belief that independence, not personal gain, should be the goal. Native Burmese were not immune from Ba Gales ridicule either. When some protested the British habit of wearing shoes inside temples, Ba Gale sketched a parody of those who helped carry their British masters on their backs to and from the temple. Portraying the natives as sycophants of the imperialists, the cartoon became one of the masterworks of Burmese art history. Critics say that in the early cartoon era, the objectives of many cartoonists were vague. Though their cartoons criticized the British for wearing shoes in the temple and jeered Indian businessmen for controlling the economy, rarely did the artists directly attack home rule or call for independence. But few doubted where Ba Gales sympathys lied. When Galon [Garuda bird of Hindu mythology] Saya San led a peasant uprising in 1930, Ba Gale portrayed him as a hero. His famous Galon cartoon was published in Bandoola Journal in 1933, and drew the attention of the British officials who asked the magazines editors not to publish similar cartoons. Ignoring the threat of censorship, Ba Gale drew a new Galon cartoon. This time he ridiculed a famous Burmese Sayadaw (abbot) who had urged Saya San to surrender to the British. In the cartoon the British viceroy is depicted pulling strings attached to the abbot. The Sayadaw was upset by the cartoon, but many were amused. The abbot immediately asked Ba Gale for an apology, but got none from the father of Burmese cartoonists. Soon thereafter, Saya San was apprehended and hanged by the British. Ludu Daw Amar, Burmas respected literature laureate, wrote that some people would be surprised at the freedom that Ba Gale and other cartoonists enjoyed under the British rule. But, she added, officials always kept a suspicious eye on Ba Glae. Still, Ba Gale never spent time in jail for his drawings. Compared to the current military rulers in Burma, the British were quite lenient towards artists who challenged their authority. Ba Gale died during World War II after earning fame as a cartoonist as well as a movie actor and director. His vacancy was filled by Ba Gyan, a colleague who also became a household name in Burma. Ba Gyans artistic roots can be traced back to the BAC and Martin Jones. Jones was quick to spot Ba Gyans talent, humor and desire to entertain. In addition to a successful career as an editorial cartoonist, Ba Gyan illustrated many childrens books, took photographs professionally and directed Burmas first animated film. Ba Gyan also influenced his more famous contemporary, according to critics. They write that Ba Gales hard-hitting cartoons challenging British rule softened a bit after Ba Gyan rose in popularity. While some critics think Ba Gyan was mild, others say he was tough as nails and quietly influential. Both government figures, such as Prime Minister U Nu, and insurgents, including communist leader Than Tun, felt the sting of Ba Gyans biting sarcasm. Nontheless, when Burma faced civil war and political turmoil in the 1950s, U Nu asked Ba Gyan to come see him. Nus Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League government was in crisis, controlling only the capital and a few outlying areas. The PM recognized Ba Gyans influence and wanted him to draw cartoons that exhibited peace and unity. Ba Gyan replied that he was too busy to make the meeting. Some cartoons expressing the themes U Nu desired, however, did materialize after the invitation. After independence, both Ba Gyan and Ba Gale were given the highest honor for national artists. And though they passed away many decades ago, their names still live on, as theyve gained universal recognition as the fathers of cartooning in Burma. You may also like these stories: The Forgotten General of Burmas Army On Union Day, Views on Aung San In a weekend endorsement, White, Illinois longest-serving statewide official, said: Joe Biden understands that if we have a prayer of restoring the soul of this nation, we need to start by making sure every child is treated with the dignity and respect that each one of us deserves. ... If were going to bring this country together, we need to begin by bringing Joe Bidens optimism and confidence in the ability of every child to thrive back to the White House. Click here to read that story, also by Ruthhart. Election strategist and former JD(U) national vice-president Prashant Kishor on Monday slammed Nitish Kumar, saying it was "bad" on the Bihar chief minister's part to not mention the Delhi violence in his over an hour address to party workers. Kishor, who was expelled from the Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) in January, was referring to the chief minister's speech on Sunday at a party 'karyakarta sammelan' here. "It was bad on his (Nitish Kumar) part not to say a word on the Delhi violence," Kishor tweeted. The last week communal riots in northeast Delhi left at least 42 people dead and over 200 injured. Latching on to claims by opposition parties in Bihar that the sammelan saw a less than impressive turnout, Kishor took a swipe at Kumar, saying the event saw "bhaari bheed" (huge crowd). At a press conference held a couple of days ahead of the event, Bihar JD(U) president Vashishtha Narayan Singh had predicted a turnout of about two lakh people. "While addressing a 'bhaari bheed' of JD(U) workers Nitish Kumar claimed that the NDA will win more than 200 seats (in the assembly polls) but did not explain why despite 15 years of his 'sushasan' (good governance) Bihar continues to be the most poor and backward state in the country", Kishor said in a tweet in Hindi. Kumar had on Sunday exhorted JD(U)workers to strive towards ensuring the NDA's win in "more than 200 seats" when elections to the 243-member Bihar assembly are held this year. Claiming that there was a poor turnout at the event, Kumar's rivals have asserted that it reflected the waning popularity of the ruling JD(U) in the state. RJD leader Rabri Devi, who is a former chief minister of Bihar, told reporters outside the state assembly premises that "it was a test for Nitish Kumar and his party". "They failed miserably and will end up finishing third in terms of seat tally when the assembly polls are held," she said. On Sunday, Rabri Devi's son Tejashwi Yadav, who the RJD's chief ministerial candidate in this year's Bihar polls, had termed the 'karyakarta sammelan' a "maha nukkad sabha" (a big street corner gathering). However, JD(U) leader and state minister Ashok Choudhary said that "it was not a public rally but a meeting of workers". "The turnout was more than what we had expected. Though we admit that there were some shortcomings in making arrangements," he said. "Marquees should have been put up as the sun was harsh and people felt uncomfortable standing in the open. There should have been more chairs for participants. Vehicles should not have been made to stop far from the venue, due to this people had to walk a long distance", Choudhary said. Michael Evans Behling, who plays Jordan Baker in the CW's "All American," describes the ways in which his character has grown, from being disrespectful to women to helping with a baby that's not his. The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday directed the Dehradun district magistrate to inspect all places under his jurisdiction where slaughter of animals is going on and report to the court whether they have any NOC from the Ministry of and Forest. Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice R C Khulbe of the high court issued the order on a PIL seeking a ban on the import of live animals into Uttarakhand as there are no legal slaughterhouses in the state. The division bench of the high court also asked the Dehradun DM to submit his report on the matter by March 16 when the matter will come up for hearing again. The court has also asked the district magistrate to report whether they are discharging 500 kilo litres of water per day, the petitioner's counsel Kartikey Hari Gupta said. Gupta submitted before the court that there is no legally certified slaughter house in the Doon valley. The Government of India passed a notification in 1989 and 2020 according to which no slaughter house in the Doon Valley can be opened without obtaining an NOC from the Ministry of and Forest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Valladolid (Castilla y Leon), Feb 27, 2020 (SPS) - Within the framework of the work visit to the Autonomous Community of Castilla y Leon, the Minister of Public Health, Jira Bulahi Bad, has held a meeting with authorities from the region to coordinate action of cooperation in the health sector for the benefit of the population residing in the Saharawi refugee camps. During the meeting held at the Ministry of Health, Bulahi Bad and Manuel Mitadiel, manager of Sacyl, addressed the challenges facing the health sector in the Saharawi Republic and the efforts that are implemented to cover the basic needs of the population. The parties agreed to implement an action plan focused on supporting health centers and providing medical attention to cases that need to be evacuated outside the camps. In the area of assistance to Saharawi evacuees, the head of Health has met with the Councilor for Social Services of the City of Valladolid to formalize the granting by the municipality of a house for patients who move to the community to receive medical care. In the field of health personnel training, Jira Bulahi Bad agreed with trade union forces in the region to study the possibility of creating distance training plans. The parties are committed to the use of the internet for the training of nurses and workers in the sector. In the political field, the two-day work agenda ended with the meeting held with political parties and the Intergroup supporting the Saharawi people in the Courts of Castile and Leon. The Saharawi leader explained the current situation and the block to the peace process in Western Sahara. He has also urged all political forces to join forces to enforce international legality in the last territory under the process of unfinished decolonization in Africa. The delegate of the Frente POLISARIO in the region, Mohamed Labat, the Director of the Department for Medical Commissions, Jatra Malainin, and members of the Saharawi people support movement accompanied the minister.SPS 125/090/TRA Flash Luis Lacalle Pou of the National Party (PN) was sworn in on Sunday as the president of Uruguay for the period of 2020-2025. Lacalle Pou took his oath of office at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo at 14:06 local time (1706 GMT) to head an administration that puts an end to 15 years of the leftist Broad Front (FA). "I, Luis Lacalle Pou, swear on my honor to faithfully execute the office that has been entrusted to me, and to guard and defend the Constitution of the Republic," the new president stated in his oath. The oath of office was administered by senator and former president Jose Mujica (2010-2015). The same oath of constitutional loyalty was given by the new vice president, Beatriz Argimon, the first woman ever to hold the office. Chinese device-maker Xiaomi introduced the Redmi K20 series as the most premium offering under the Redmi branding last year. In December 2019, the company unveiled the vanilla Redmi K30 in both 4G and 5G variants in China. Now, the company has confirmed that it has sold over one million units since the December 2019 launch. According to Xiaomi's official Weibo account, the one million units sold include the Redmi K30 and Redmi K30 5G handsets. The number of Redmi K30 unit sold is quite impressive, considering the significant market slowdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak. While Xiaomi is the biggest player in Indias smartphone market, its share in the Chinese market pales in comparison to Huawei and Vivo. However, the demand for 5G smartphones in China has been steadily rising in the past couple of months, and Xiaomis Redmi K30 5G offers an affordable alternative, with a starting price of just CNY 1,999 (Approx. Rs 20,900). The Redmi K30 and Redmi K30 5G officially arrived on December 10, while the former was unveiled earlier this month in India, rebranded as the Poco X2. The Redmi K30 and Poco X2 pack a ton of premium mid-range specs including a 120Hz display, a 64-megapixel quad-camera setup and a 4,500 mAh battery with 27W fast charging support. The one difference between the 4G and 5G models of the Redmi K30 series is that the former packs a Snapdragon 730G chipset, while the latter is equipped with a Snapdragon 765 SoC paired with a 5G modem. The Redmi K30 4G variant is rebranded as the Poco X2 in India at a different price tag, but Xiaomi is not factoring in Poco X2 sales in its one million figure, which means the overall shipments could be even more. Also Read: Xiaomi Redmi K30 Pro coming in March with 5G and ISRO-made NavIC navigation system New Delhi: Intelligence agencies have exposed a conspiracy to spread riots in the national capital using students in Hyderabad, who are being instructed to post fake messages on social media to spread rumours, sources told Zee Media. According to the report, Intelligence agencies have also prepared the list of fake messages which have been used to spread rumours. One Intelligence official told Zee Media that students from Hyderabad are being used to spread such messages. These students are being instructed to post upload or post messages using a particular hashtag. The hashtag which are being used to spread fake messages like #ShaheenBagh, #DelhiPoliceMurders, #JusticeforFaizan, along with other hashtags include #AAPsharamkaro, #AmitShahResign, #AmitShahIstifaDo, #DelhiPogrom, #DelhiViolence2020, and #GoBackAmitShah. The attempt is to make these hashtags trend on social media platforms. The agencies have also divulged the information that Pakistan's official twitter handle is also being used to hatch a conspiracy to instigate Muslims in India. Zee Media has come to know about several such fake messages that are being used to spread rumours. People are advised not to take notice of the messages given below: 1. Faizan, who was brutally beaten up and made to sing the national anthem by @DelhiPolice succumbed to his injuries. We demand justice! 2. The @DelhiPolice needs to be held accountable for the death of Faizan who died in police custody without any medical aid! 3. @DelhiPolice are murderers. #JusticeforFaizan 4. Justice for Faizan. Home Minister @AmitShah must resign. 5. Faizan, one of the 5 men made to sing the national anthem after being brutally assaulted by the police, has died in custody. @DelhiPolice murdered him. 6. No response from @DelhiPolice @HMOIndia @AmitShah over the death of Faizan in police custody. We demand justice! 7. Justice should proceed normalcy. We demand a fair investigation around the recent attacks on Muslim majority areas in Delhi. @DelhiPolice arrest hatemongers like Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra 8. Still waiting for Delhi government's plan of action about the rehabilitation of those who lost their homes in the Delhi Pogrom. @AamAadmiParty 9. @Shaheenbaghoff1 is showing us the way for dissent. Take back the draconian and unconstitutional CAA. 10. It is still a NO from the Indian masses to NRC and NPR @BJP4India @PMOIndia School districts will benefit from a new round of state grant funding announced this week by area legislators. Souderton Area School District received one of the areas largest grants, getting $460,437, according to a release from state Rep. Steve Malagari, D-53rd. The North Montco Technical Career Center received a $150,000 grant award and the North Penn School District received $45,000, as did other districts in Montgomery County. The money comes from the states School Safety and Security grant program. We are very pleased that we were awarded the Safety and Security grant. The grant will be used for a district-wide communications system, state of the art key access system, trauma counselors, and trauma training, said Souderton Area Superintendent Frank Gallagher. An investment this size directly reflects on the hard work of the district and the dedication of its faculty, students and parents, Malagari said in a statement. The administrations award also helps our community build leaders of tomorrow who can attend school knowing that they are being protected and that their needs are their states priority, he said. The grant award comes as part of a total of $60 million in safety grants for the commonwealth approved this week by the states School Safety and Security Committee established within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, according to Malagaris office. The statement from Malagaris office added the funds can be used for performing school safety assessments, purchasing security-related technology and equipment, supporting school safety-related and behavioral health training, preparing all-hazards plans, hiring school resource officers, school police officers, school counselors, social workers and school psychologists; and providing for trauma-informed approaches to education. In Souderton we take safe schools very seriously and this grant will allow us to continue on a safe schools trajectory, Gallagher said. State Rep. Liz Hanbidge, D-61st, announced the grants for North Penn and North Montco Technical Career Center. These grants will greatly enhance our schools ability to protect students through improved security measures and the promotion of trauma-informed services, said Hanbidge. Also receiving a $45,000 grant from the same program was the Pennridge School District, one of six located in the states District 10 represented by State Sen. Steve Santarsiero. Other Montgomery County districts and schools that received grant funding include: Energy 2.0 unconference in March 2020 Energy 2.0 in March 2020 is the unconventional unconference that brings together global energy professionals to discuss the tsunami of change shifting the industry. Pink Petro, the leading global community working to end the gender gap in energy, is marking the start of its fifth anniversary with Energy 2.0, its global energy forum on March 10, 2020. Katie Mehnert, founder and chief executive officer of Pink Petro said, This unconventional unconference brings together global energy professionals to discuss the tsunami of change shifting the industry. Formerly known as HERWorld, the forum was first held in 2016 and has since grown to include diverse speakers inside and outside of energy, and through the power of digital, is broadcast to watch sites globally. Energy 2.0 will take center stage in Houston at the Westin Houston in Memorial City and in Denver at the CU Denver School of Business, University of Colorado Denver. Energy 2.0 will also be streamed online courtesy of Hess Corporation. This year's event will encompass "Equality, Environment, and the New Economy." Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is a Fifth Anniversary Sponsor. Hillary H. Holmes, a partner in Gibson Dunns Houston office and co-chair of the firms capital markets practice group said, Powerful things happen when women come together with a common vision. They turn that vision into reality. Gibson Dunn holds diversity, equality and innovative thinking as core values. We are proud to support Pink Petro and Energy 2.0 a force that moves us closer to making our shared vision of equality in the global energy industry a reality. MORE THAN A FORUM Energy 2.0 is a global experience where participants discuss the energy transition, big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain, geopolitics, and the workforce in a different and inclusive way. The initial speaker lineup in 2020 includes feminist plumber, tradeswomen activist, and keynote Judaline Cassidy. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Judaline was amongst the first three women selected to learn plumbing at the John Donaldson Technical Institute of Trinidad. The lineup also includes Gen Z, Benji Backer, entrepreneur and political activist, named one of RedAlert's top "30 Under 30" conservatives and GreenBizs 30 Under 30. Stephanie Cox will deliver the industry keynote. Cox is chief executive officer of Wood Americas business and is a seasoned energy industry leader with more than 28 years in oilfield leadership roles and diverse global business. Author and journalist Robert Bryce will deliver the keynote in Denver and discuss his sixth book "A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations." Other speakers for Energy 2.0 include thought leaders from a wide range of companies and startups including Total, Cemity Factory, NOV, Sunnova Energy, TPI Composites, Renewable Energy Systems, Schneider Electric Energy & Sustainability Services, Shell and Saudi Aramco. DIFFERENCE IS DRIVING THE ENERGY TRANSITION Since its inception, our company has been built on the firm belief that energy is changing, Mehnert said. The digital component of our offerings from membership to events to our careers service with a deliberate focus on inclusion is what sets us apart. We're about celebrating how different and unconventional ways drive our world forward. "We're in an energy transition and transformation goes beyond gender, generations, nationalities, religion, sexual preference, and energy forms. It goes beyond industries and political affiliations. It gets back to us as humans in our rawest form. We need everyone at this table," says Mehnert on the marking of Pink Petro's fifth year. The other leading Energy 2.0 sponsors in addition to Gibson Dunn also include Baker Hughes; BHP; CU Denver Business School, Global Energy Management Program, Hess Corporation; and Wood Mackenzie. ABOUT PINK PETRO Pink Petro is a social enterprise aimed at creating a new future and ending the diversity gap in energy. Its mission is to elevate and connect individuals, companies, and industries to create an inclusive workforce and supply chain. The community has a presence in 120 countries in nearly 500 companies across energy in oil and natural gas, LNG, renewables, and nuclear. Its sister company is Experience Energy and is the destination careers platform for diverse talent in energy. Jenifer and Don Walsh know there are two things that bring people together a worthy cause and a cold brew. With that in mind, they will host the 15th Annual Team Jenifer Beer Tasting to benefit her 2020 Walk MS fundraising team. For the past 14 years, hundreds of Cheshire residents have gathered to sample the areas finest micro brews at the annual Team Jenifer Beer Tasting. This years tasting will be held Friday, March 6, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Cheshire Academy,10 Main St. Admission to the event, which is sponsored by Cheshire Wine and Spirits, is $25 per person ($30 at the door). Food and more than 30 craft beers and imports will be available. Walsh, 54, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than a decade ago. Since her initial diagnosis, she and her family have worked tirelessly to inspire friends and relatives to help raise awareness and critically needed funds to find a cure. The Walshs walk team has been ranked among the top fundraising teams in the state for many years. On March 1, Don and Jenifer Walsh received the Connecticut Lifetime Achievement Award from the National MS Society for their tireless fundraising over the past 20 years. More than 6,500 Connecticut residents live with the effects of multiple sclerosis, a disease affecting the central nervous system. The cause is unknown and there currently is no cure. Funds raised through chapter events, such as Walk MS ensure ongoing scientific research to find a cure and the continuation of vital programs and services offered by the Connecticut Chapter to residents diagnosed with MS. Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable and life altering disease, I have learned to cope with it and not let it take over my life, said Jenifer Walsh, whose MS has progressed to affect her balance and gait. My MS affects everyone in my family every day. Regardless, we are defiant and are doing all we can to move science forward in the quest for a cure. Tickets should be purchased in advance by visiting www.teamjenifer.com, or at Cheshire Wine & Spirits or Main Street Cafe. The 2020 Walk MS will be held Sunday, May 3 at Cheshire High School., To learn more about supporting Team Jenifer, visit www.teamJenifer.com. To establish a team or register for Walk MS, contact the Connecticut Chapter at (860) 913-2550 or visit www.ctfightsMS.org. TAIPEI, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A passenger evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan was confirmed to be Taiwan's 40th case of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to the island's epidemic monitoring agency Sunday. The latest patient, a woman in her 70s living in northern Taiwan, boarded the cruise ship on Jan. 20 and was originally diagnosed with COVID-19 infection on Feb. 15 after the ship was quarantined off Yokohama of Japan since Feb. 4, even though she did not show any respiratory symptoms, the agency said in a press release. She was hospitalized in Japan from Feb. 16 and then returned to Taiwan on Feb. 26 after two tests showed she was negative for the virus. However, through three tests in Taiwan, the latest result showed that she is still infected. The woman wore a mask the whole time on the flight and was separated from other passengers with nobody sitting within two rows in front of or behind her, the statement said, adding that she was taken by ambulance to be quarantined at a hospital upon her arrival. Since people having contacts with her after her arrival in Taiwan, including the medical and quarantine staff, were well equipped and protected, no further infection tests are needed, the agency said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 02:54:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NICOSIA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Over 40,000 people took part in this year's carnival parade in the southern Cypriot coastal city of Limassol on Sunday, the organizers said. According to Limassol's Town Hall, about 120 groups on float and on foot, some 500-strong, took part in the carnival parade along a central avenue of the city. The carnival procession was led by the Carnival King. Parading behind him for about four hours were thousands of costumed people who danced their way along the crowd-lined venue or frolicked on decorated floats. Limassol, which is high on the list of carnival cities, has a long carnival tradition, which originated in the early years of Christianity. In its present form, the Limassol carnival marks the start of a 40-day fasting leading the most important religious holiday of Greek Orthodox Christians. It started as an organized event with rules set by the city's Municipality over 100 years ago, and departed from the Venetian tradition of elaborate costumes and masks depicting nobility flirting and behaving in a composed manner. Instead, participants in the Limassol carnival mock politicians, events and situations, poke fun at each other and the people watching the parade and make extensive use of foam and confetti. Critics slam a 60 Minutes segment featuring Edward Gallagher, who was charged and acquitted of war crimes in Iraq. A report by the CBS news programme 60 Minutes on Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who had been accused of war crimes while serving with the SEAL force in Iraq in 2017, has prompted a backlash on social media, with some claiming the segment laundered Gallaghers reputation. Navy prosecutors had accused Gallagher of stabbing to death a wounded captive fighter of ISIL (ISIS) in Iraq in 2017, attempting to murder civilians that he randomly fired at from a sniper nest and obstruction of justice. The case took a turn when a key witness and a fellow SEAL testified that he, not Gallagher, had killed the captive, while nevertheless standing by his and other soldiers claim that Gallagher had plunged a knife into the teenage fighters neck. A jury acquitted Gallagher, who had the public support of President Donald Trump, of the most serious charges, while finding him guilty on the lesser charge of posing for a group photo with the body of the dead fighter. The show @60Minutes is glamorizing the murdering war criminal Eddie Gallagher. They have a tweet up celebrating the knife he used to murder a captive. Everyone involved with this episode, including those who greenlighted and oversaw the episode, should resign or be fired. David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) March 2, 2020 The 60 Minutes segment ends with Gallagher at his Florida home showing correspondent David Martin a wall of his service memorabilia and the knife he had been accused of using to kill the ISIL fighter. Critics seized on the clip after it was tweeted by 60 Minutes, with David M Perry, a journalist and historian, saying the programme was glamourising Gallagher. They have a tweetup celebrating the knife he used to murder a captive, Perry wrote. Everyone involved with this episode, including those who greenlighted and oversaw the episode, should resign or be fired. Stabbed a teenage captive to death. Shot & killed a school girl walking with friends and an elderly man. Indiscriminately shot up neighborhoods with rockets & machine-gun fire. Boasted about the number of people he had killed, including women. But sure, lets give him the airtime https://t.co/PWBbEeJU29 Rowaida Abdelaziz (@Rowaida_Abdel) March 2, 2020 Meanwhile, Rowaida Abdelaziz, a national reporter for the Huffington Post who covers Islamophobia, detailed the range of allegations against Gallagher in a tweet, sarcastically writing: But sure, lets give him the airtime. Laundered by the media Gallagher became a cause celebre for conservative media and Trump in the lead up to the trial. Trump has described the soldier as one of the ultimate fighters and a tough guy. Following the trial, Trump twice intervened to undo Navy punishments, first to restore Gallaghers rank and then to prevent his removal from the elite SEAL force. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was eventually fired for his handling of the situation. In the 60 Minutes report, published on Sunday, correspondent Martin also interviewed two members of Gallaghers legal team, as well as his wife, who detailed how she built an online campaign for her husband that eventually caught the attention of the media and the president. During the interview, Gallagher again denied the allegations against him, while calling the photo of him posing with the dead teenage fighter, holding the head up by the hair and brandishing a knife, wrong and distasteful, while adding it was a common occurrence on deployments. He also suggested that the decision by members of his platoon to come forward with the alleged crimes had been sparked by his tough leadership, echoing earlier claims that the allegations against him had been constructed by six disgruntled subordinates who could not meet his standards. Critics, however, further accused the 60 Minutes report of doing a disservice to the SEALs who had spoken out against Gallagher, coming forward to detail accusations that included randomly shooting an Iraqi civilian girl and an elderly man from a snipers nest and spraying rocket and machine-gun fire indiscriminately into neighbourhoods. In investigative interviews leaked to the New York Times after the trial, members of Gallaghers SEAL Team 7 Alpha Platoon described him as evil, toxic and personally okay with killing anybody that was moving. https://twitter.com/JimHeathTV/status/1234463233425068033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw The Eddie Gallagher interview on @60Minutes by @CBSDavidMartin was lopsided, unbalanced & unfair to the brave soldiers who dared testify against him, tweeted Jim Heath, an author and broadcast journalist. You expect Trump & Fox News to try to rehabilitate his image, but not @CBSNews, he wrote. Imraan Siddiqi, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Arizona branch, tweeted that Gallaghers reputation is being laundered by the media. This is a proof of the cheapness of brown, black and especially Muslim blood in the eyes of the Western establishment. This man should go down the annals of history no different than the worst terrorists in the world, yet gets his reputation laundered by the media. https://t.co/97kNH63d4B Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) March 2, 2020 This is a proof of the cheapness of brown, black and especially Muslim blood in the eyes of the Western establishment, he wrote. Others online used #Boycott60Minutes to call on others to quit watching the channel. I said to #Boycott60Minutes when they interviewed Maria Butina, but never even gave #RealityWinner the time of day. Now here we are again with 60 minutes interviewing a war criminal, and continuing to silence the Shero #RealityWinner https://t.co/kubVRqv1EZ (@Trace___65roses) March 2, 2020 A spokesman for 60 Minutes did not immediately respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment. Update, March 9, 2020: The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple changed its How to clean your Apple products webpage on Monday with new language noting that it is fine to clean device surfaces with a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox disinfecting wipes. The company had previously advised against using cleaning products. Original article: The novel coronavirus outbreak has been an occasion to reflect on just how filthy our surfaces are. The handrails on public transit, the buttons in elevators, light switches, grocery cart handlesall potentially teeming with nasty things. Even if you avoid direct contact with these surfaces by slipping your hand into your sleeve as a makeshift glove or jutting out an elbow instead, you should regularly wash your hands and avoid touching your face, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises. But if youre taking the time to do that, it is just as reasonable to regularly clean another surface you touch constantly and bring with you everywhere: your phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While people typically transmit COVID-19 by spewing respiratory droplets with a cough or sneeze, a recent study in the Journal of Hospital Infection found, after swabbing the mobile devices of 250 hospital staff, that coronaviruses can survive on the kinds of smooth glass and plastic found in smartphones for up to nine days. Kenneth Mak, the director of the Singapore Ministry of Healths medical services, told reporters in February that cleaning phones is an even more important anti-coronavirus measure than wearing face masks. Your phone is, as public health professor Peter Hall put it recently in the Conversation, a portable petri dish. Touching an infected surface, or your face, and then a phone is an easy way for the virus to find a home on your screen. The mucus that carries the coronavirus can then dry on your phone, allowing the disease to last longer. A 2019 survey found that people touch their phones 2,617 times per day on average, and experts estimate that the devices generally host 10 times more bacteria than toilet seats, mostly because people dont commonly clean them as often. Wash your hands! Then wash your phone. Advertisement Advertisement The rule of thumb is that you need to clean it when its been exposed to a risk, says Michael Schmidt, a microbiology and immunology professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. When youve been out in public and you return home, thats when I would clean the phone to make certain that the phone is safe in your residence, so you dont have to be washing your hands continuously subsequent to using it. Advertisement Apple instructs users to clean iPhones by first unplugging all cables and then rubbing them down with a microfiber cloth and warm soapy water. Google similarly recommends cleaning the backs and sides of Pixels with cleaning wipes or household soap, and to hand-wash the case fabric with mild soap or laundry detergent. You can also purchase an ultraviolet light device thats specially designed to disinfect phones, though theyre usually at least $60. Youll also need to take a cloth to the crevices in your phone, as the UV light will only be able to sanitize smooth surfaces. Schmidt cautions, though, that while this method has been shown to be effective against many kinds of viruses and bacteria, it has yet to be tested on COVID-19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its possible to go overboard in cleaning your device. Most modern touch-screen phones are covered in an oleophobic (oil-repellant) coating that protects against fingerprints, keeps the screen in good condition, and makes the surfaces smoother. This coating wears off over time as users drag their fingers across it, and rubbing a phone with harsher chemicals like rubbing alcohol, window cleaner, and vinegar only accelerates the degradation. The CDC does recommend using cleaning spray on phones, however, so if youre more concerned about warding off disease than keeping your phone oleophobic, it might be worth the trade-off. Popular Science also notes that if you use very small amounts of these chemicals, the effect on the device should be minimal. And though iPhones 7 and later, Pixels 2 and later, the LG G6 and later, and the Galaxy S7 and later are all water-resistant, its risky to stick the devices under a running faucet because youll have to make sure that the ports are completely free of moisture before charging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apart from cleaning your phone, there are also steps you can take to prevent it from getting dirty in the first place, such as washing your hands before using it. While it might be tempting to kill time on your phone while perched on the toilet88 percent of people admitted to doing so in a 2019 surveyyoull want to avoid taking it out in the bathroom for obvious cross-contamination reasons. In fact, the Chinese Center for Disease Control published a report suggesting that the coronavirus may have been able to spread so quickly because its been transmitted through the potential fecal-oral route. Because of this, Schmidt says, When using public restrooms, I would make certain that your phone is deep in your pocket. If at all possible, dont put your phone to your face since orifices like the mouth and eyes are prime entry points for diseasesperhaps consider using the speaker or headphones that have a microphone. And sharing phones adds another layer of risk since it diversifies the kinds of germs youre coming in contact with. Or if all of this sounds like too much hassle, and if money and time is no object, just buy a new burner phone every day until the coronavirus scare has passed. A court here in Maharashtra has rejected the bail plea of a man arrested for preparing fake election identity cards and Aadhaar cards of some persons. District Judge R R Vaishnav in his order on Saturday said prima facie, there is involvement ofthe accused, Rohitkumar Kailas Yadav, in commission of the crime. The probe is in progress and it could be adversely affected if the accused is released on bail, he said. The police raided Yadav's shop in Navi Mumbai township on January 9. He was arrested the next day and charged under various Indian Penal Code Sections for cheating and forgery. While seeking bail, the accused submitted that he was innocentand falsely implicated in the case, saying he had not prepared any fake ID cards. A substantial part of the probe is completed and nothing remained to be recovered/discovered at his instance, hence hiscustody was not necessary, the accused said. Government pleaderSanjay Londhe in his submission said the accused prepared bogus election ID cards of various persons after accepting money and used those fake poll ID cards for preparing Aadhaar cards. During the raid, the police found some fake ID cards at his shop, he said. There is a possibility that the persons to whom the accusedissued the bogus election ID cards could be either Bangladeshis or Nepalis, Londhe told the court. He also said that if the accused is enlarged on bail, he may abscond and not be available fortrial, and may also threaten the prosecution witnesses. After hearing both the sides, the judge said the persons in whose names bogus election ID cards were prepared are not traced and their whereabouts are not known. Prima facie, there is involvement of the accused in commission of the crime. The investigation is in progress. If the accused is released on bail, theinvestigation will be adversely affected, he observed. "Having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case, this is not a fit case to grantbail to the accused," the judge said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON An hourlong oral argument Wednesday inside the Supreme Court could go a long way toward reversing abortion rights in the USA. Whether they revert by four years or 47 remains to be seen. In 2016, the high court struck down restrictions on Texas clinics and doctors as an undue burden on women. The ruling helped abortion rights advocates beat back similar laws in other states. A nearly identical law in neighboring Louisiana is before the court, and the prognosis for abortion opponents has improved dramatically. State officials contend the facts on the ground, as well as the legal issues, call for a different result. There is another reason: "It's a different court," says Steven Aden, chief legal officer at Americans United for Life, which has fought for abortion restrictions for nearly five decades. This is the court that three Republican presidents built, the latest being Donald Trump. Its newest associate justice, Brett Kavanaugh, replaced Anthony Kennedy, who provided the decisive vote in the Texas case that looked like a landmark in 2016. Not so much now. Anti-abortion forces have mounted a frontal attack against the Supreme Court's precedents, starting with the 2016 decision and dating back to Roe v. Wade in 1973, which legalized abortion nationwide. Anti-abortion demonstrators, as well as abortion rights advocates, will be outside the Supreme Court on March 4 when the justices hear what could be a landmark case from Louisiana. Even as the nation's abortion rate has dropped to its lowest level since Roe was decided, the rapid-fire enactment of state laws imposing restrictions promises to generate more lawsuits headed the high court's way. Disputes focus on the timing and type of abortions, regulations on clinics and doctors, requirements for patients even the sex, race or disability of the fetus. "The Supreme Court could really start to unroll abortion rights," says Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights think tank. That would extend a trend of abortion clinic closures that has slashed the number of independent clinics by one-third in the past eight years, from 510 in 2012 to 344 last year, according to the Abortion Care Network. Five states Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia each are down to one clinic. Story continues Louisiana, which leads the nation with 89 abortion restrictions passed since 1973, has three clinics left, in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport. A federal district court judge determined that the law under challenge, which mandates that abortion providers have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, could force two out of business. Kathaleen Pittman, the longtime administrator of Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, says, "Roe becomes meaningless if there is no access to abortion." 'Two different Americas' Demonstrators on both sides of the issue rally outside the Supreme Court in 2016, when the justices heard a major case from Texas on abortion restrictions. An almost identical case from Louisiana is pending. Access depends on where you live. That's the concern for abortion rights advocates in the South and Midwest. Twenty-five states dominate the statute books when it comes to "TRAP laws," or targeted restrictions on abortion providers. Court challenges are pending in many of them, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Last year, states enacted 58 restrictions and 36 measures making abortion more accessible, the Guttmacher Institute reported. While mostly "red" states sought to block abortions after a certain number of weeks and impose limits on patients and providers, "blue" states went in the other direction. Last week, Virginia repealed decades-old restrictions, including 24-hour waiting periods and mandatory ultrasound tests. The Trump administration is battling California over its requirement that most health plans cover abortion services. New York, Illinois, Washington, Oregon and Maine have similar laws. "What's emerging here is what I think of as two different Americas," says Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder and CEO of Whole Woman's Health, which operates seven clinics in five states and was the winning plaintiff in the Texas case. In that case, the court ruled 5-3 that a law requiring that doctors have hospital admitting privileges and clinics meet surgical center standards imposed hardships on women without serving any medical purpose. When the law was enacted, only six of the state's 44 abortion clinics met the new requirements. A court injunction allowed about 20 to remain open, but even after the high court victory, most of those that closed their doors never reopened. The Supreme Court's decision in the case made it more difficult for other states to impose restrictions without providing medical or scientific evidence. Judges extended the court's reasoning to other restrictions, such as limits on voting rights. In Louisiana, state legislators and government officials argued that the admitting privileges requirement would not have such a severe impact. When the justices refused last February to let the law take effect while legal challenges continued, Kavanaugh said that contention was worth testing. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberal justices in blocking the law. Abortion: Supreme Court agrees to rule on restrictions, setting up contentious election year debate "We have no reason to believe that any clinic would close," says Louisiana Solicitor General Elizabeth Murrill, who will argue the case Wednesday. The state, backed by the Trump administration and scores of anti-abortion groups, contends the law is aimed at improving health and safety measures at abortion clinics. "We shouldn't be substituting safety for access," Murrill says. Julie Rikelman of the Center for Reproductive Rights, who will argue the other side Wednesday, says hospital privileges are elusive for physicians who provide abortions and unnecessary when just 1 in 400 patients needs hospitalization. Abortion rights advocates point out that most of the nearly 10,000 women seeking abortions in Louisiana annually are poor and unable to travel long distances for the overnight stays state regulations require. Anti-abortion appointees President Donald Trump's two Supreme Court nominees, Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch, left, and Brett Kavanaugh, may play prominent roles in deciding a major abortion case from Louisiana that comes before the court March 4. Abortion is among the most emotionally fraught issues to come before the court, which may be why the justices pick and choose cases carefully. It took almost 20 years after Roe v. Wade before the court reinforced both the right to abortion and states' right to impose some restrictions in 1992's Planned Parenthood v. Casey. From 2000 to 2007, the court struck down a state law banning late-term abortions, then upheld a similar federal law. Last term, the justices upheld an Indiana law requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains after an abortion. But they refused to consider that state's effort to ban abortions based on sex, race or disability, as well as Alabama's effort to ban a particular second-term method of abortion. Louisiana's statute was passed in 2014 but struck down by a federal district judge after trial three years later. It was resurrected in a 2-1 ruling by a federal appeals court panel, and the full appeals court voted 9-6 against rehearing the case. Judges appointed by Trump all voted with the majority. Despite Roberts' decisive vote a year ago to delay the law's implementation, the court is likely to side with Louisiana. Roberts sided with Texas in 2016, and since then, Kavanaugh and Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch have joined the court. A ruling in favor of Louisiana would drive home Trump's 2016 pledge to appoint anti-abortion justices. "We think it could be a landmark case," Aden says. "That would reset the table in a huge way across the country." Abortion opponents view Kavanaugh as the crucial fifth vote. He praised Chief Justice William Rehnquist's dissent in Roe, and he dissented as a federal appeals court judge from a decision in 2017 allowing an undocumented teenager in government custody to get an abortion. Even with a 5-4 conservative majority, the court has not shown much interest in overturning Roe. Roberts prefers incrementalism, and Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings in 2018 referred to the high court's abortion rulings as "precedent on precedent." Miller says, "I feel pretty strongly that the Roberts court is not going to reverse Roe." That would be a silver lining for Pittman, but her immediate concern is keeping Hope alive. "So much of my time has become embroiled in fighting the fight," says the 62-year-old administrator, who has worked at the clinic since 1992. "It's become all-consuming. My day-to-day job has taken a back seat." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion: Supreme Court may reverse abortion rights in Louisiana case Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, left, speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly on March 2. Yonhap By Do Je-hae The rapid spread of COVID-19 has prompted the government to draw up a massive extra budget to help communities and businesses deal with the fallout from the virus. The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) agreed to a supplementary budget of over 6.2 trillion won ($5.12 billion) for the nationwide fight against the new coronavirus during a meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. The amount is expected to exceed the fiscal spending that had been set aside for the 2015 MERS epidemic, according to Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, chief of the DPK policy committee. "The government has been moving as fast as we can to submit the bill to the National Assembly by March 5," Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said during the meeting. "We have selected projects that are indispensable for a defense against the new coronavirus and overcoming damage from it." Bengaluru-based IT firm Mindtree has appointed Dayapatra Nevatia as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company effective Monday, March 2, 2020. Before joining Mindtree, Nevatia worked in Accenture as managing director and director of delivery for advanced technology centres in India. Based in Bangalore, Nevatia will support the company into its next phase of growth, Mindtree said in a regulatory filing. The position of a COO was vacant for six months since co-founder Parthasarathy NS resigned in July 2019, a few days after Larsen and Toubro Group acquired the company. Mindtree co-founders Rostow Ravanan, Krishnakumar Natarajan and NS Parthasarathy had resigned from their position as board of directors and also employees of the IT services firm in July last year. "We are excited to welcome Dayapatra to the Mindtree family. His vast industry experience along with proven track record will be a definite asset to Mindtree as we continue to stride on the journey of customer-centric growth," said Debashis Chatterjee, CEO and MD, Mindtree. "This appointment is a testimony of the company's focus on its leadership expansion across the globe," he said. Dayapatra holds decades of industry experience and joins Mindtree from Accenture where he led the delivery for the entire portfolio spanning across system integration, digital, application outsourcing, infrastructure, and security services across industry groups. He holds a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering and a masters' degree in management studies, the company said. In July 2019, L&T had acquired over 60 per cent shares in Mindtree and had been categorised as the promoter of the IT firm. Following this three non-executive directors from L&T -- S.N. Subrahmanyan, CEO and MD of L&T, Shankar Raman, CFO of L&T, and Jayant Patil, Senior VP, L&T's defence business, as well as two additional independent directors -- Prasanna Rangacharya Mysore and Deepa Wadhwa, were inducted on the board of Mindtree. Following the announcement, shares of Mindtree were trading at Rs 977 apiece, up 2.52 per cent, on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Monday. By Chitranjan Kumar Also Read: End of an era! 3 Mindtree co-founders resign as L&T takes control Also Read: Anand Mahindra's M&M to compete with Ola, Uber with launch of cab aggregator service The 19th session of the WCO Integrity Sub-committee was held on 20 and 21 February 2020 with the theme "BUILDING TRUST IN THE DIGITAL ERA". Approximately 160 delegates representing Member administrations and stakeholder organizations took part in the 19th session of the Integrity Sub-committee (ISC). The 19th session of the ISC was chaired by Mr. Carlos Enriquez Montes, from Mexico Tax Administration. In his welcome address, the WCO Deputy Secretary General Mr. R. Trevino Chapa stressed the importance of integrity for the WCO and its Members and informed delegates that integrity is one of the 9 key priorities in the new WCO Strategic Plan. He highlighted the increasingly prominent role played by Customs and said those roles cannot be implemented without a high level of integrity and professional ethics not only inside Customs but also in the entire Customs environment involving stakeholders. Under this years ISC theme, he acknowledged that in the era of new technologies and digitalization, Customs authorities are increasingly faced with integrity challenges with regard to their internal systems and the security of their sensitive data. In this regard, Customs modernization programmes and initiatives should concentrate on ensuring the right legislation, professional skills and financial investments are in place. The Keynote Speaker, Mr. Robert Sinclair, Deputy Head of Mission of Canada to the European Union, set the tone for the ISC by confirming the importance his government places on integrity matters. When discussing how to move from theory into practice he focused on the three important aspects of moral, technical and systemic. He emphasized that technology can play a huge role in re-enforcing integrity but he reminded delegates to remember that behind every piece of technology is a person. Through a series of presentations from public and private sectors and subsequent discussions, the ISC delegates were given useful insight on the importance of building trust with the private sector, data analytics in support of fighting corruption, competency based HRM to enhance integrity, challenges faced by political interference in Customs, and enhancing co-operation and information exchange between Customs and state anti-corruption authorities. Delegates were also informed of the latest activities of the WCO Secretariat on integrity development. Members representatives from Mauritius, Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, China, Gambia, Mali, Liberia, Kenya, Czech Republic, as well as the speakers from International Anti-Corruption Academy, European Affairs Expertise, Basel Institute on Governance and the University of Birmingham, shared their excellent experiences on the abovementioned topics and contributed to the success of the session. Mr. Carlos Enriquez Montes, of Mexico Tax Administration, was re-elected as the Chairperson of the ISC and Mr. Marcellin Djeuwo, of Cameroon Customs, was elected as the Vice-Chair of the ISC. For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org. There have been apparent instances of voting irregularities in parliamentary elections in Tajikistan. In one instance, an RFE/RL correspondent saw a single voter cast 22 ballots during voting on March 1. President Emomali Rahmon's ruling party has been declared the overwhelming winner, while the only opposition party failed to win a single seat. They found 19-year-old Nelson Leon-Umana of Adelphi in a wooded area suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. A heartbroken Russian blogger whose husband was killed in a dry ice poisoning accident at her 29th birthday party has received criticism for continuing to post on social media. Ekaterina Didenko was widowed when dry ice was thrown into a swimming pool to create a 'steam show' at celebrations in Moscow, causing an outpouring of carbon dioxide. The blogger's husband, IT specialist Valentin Didenko, 32, was poisoned. Partygoers Natalia Monakova and Yuri Alferov, both 25, were also confirmed dead at the scene. The heartbroken mother, who has posted videos in the aftermath documenting her grief, saw her followers soar by 500,000 to 1.5 million since the accident on Friday night. Ekaterina Didenko, 29, has seen her subscribers soar from one million to 1.5 million since the accident on Friday night following the dry ice poisoning accident at her 29th birthday party The mother and her friends are also reported to be taking part in a major TV talk show to be broadcast in Moscow tonight. But Russian news outlets and bloggers have slammed her for posting videos following her husband's death, branding her as 'immoral'. Major Russian newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda, headlined its story 'Hype on Blood' and criticised her for continuing to post in the aftermath of the tragic incident. 'In these mournful hours, each of the participants in the tragedy, in order not to lose subscribers, was catching the hype on death as he or she could,' the news outlet wrote. Russian blogger and author Lena Miro blasted the wife as 'immoral' for posting videos from the hospital where her husband died, likening it to broadcasting from a 'morgue'. The blogger's husband, IT specialist Valentin Didenko, 32, was poisoned when dry ice was thrown into a swimming pool to create a 'steam show' Ekaterina Didenko was widowed when dry ice was thrown into a swimming pool to create a 'steam show', causing an outpouring of carbon dioxide Photos show the dry ice being tipped into the pool to create 'steam', resulting in three deaths In a post she wrote: 'The husband dies, and the blogger is fluttering her fake eye lashes in a sad way the Instagrammer is upset because it's on her birthday. 'And if it was on a different day would you be less upset?' Ms Didenko shared a new video showing how she gave her four-year-old daughter a doll, saying it was from her late father. 'Who gave you this doll?' She asked her daughter, who replied: 'Daddy.' Ms Didenko asks her: 'And how did you call her, tell us?', to which she replies: 'Valentina' (named after Valentin, her father). It comes after Ms Didenko shared a video yesterday announcing the loss of her partner - and revealing her daughter Nastya had asked a painful question following her father's death. Ms Didenko shared a new video showing how she gave her four-year-old daughter a doll, saying it was from her late father Ms Didenko, a trained pharmacist, had posted from hospital before being told that her husband was dead, and in a tearful video later confirming that Valentin - Valya - 'is not with us any more'. She has since told her expanding circle of followers: 'I had time to speak to three psychologists and after that I feel better. 'It is much better now. Yesterday I was sobbing all day through.' But she admitted: 'There are still moments when I'm flooded with emotions and crying again.' Ms Didenko is pictured holding balloons for her 29th birthday moments before the tragedy in Moscow She also told how her husband - who emptied the dry ice into the pool - had had a premonition of his death for several years and had asked her to cremate him. She said she had told him: 'Why are you thinking about your death you have your whole life ahead.' She revealed how she planned to throw his ashes to the wind in a field as he wished. But one friend warned her and her friends that they are 'building a career on death' by the constant postings. 'A terrible persecution has begun,' said the blogger called Alexandra. 'Everyone is trying to take advantage of the situation, turn it around to raise ratings, earn money.' Natalia Monakova, one of the deceased, is pictured in an Instagram post before the tragedy Yuri Alferov (pictured), 25, died after Valentin Didenko (not pictured), 32, poured 55lb of dry ice into a swimming pool in Moscow Another said social media had reached 'a new low' with the postings. But one supporter hit back likening Ms Didenko to a poet from the past who wrote about the most traumatic moments in life. Nicknamed Dr Philipp he said: ' A blogger is a vocation. It's like a poet or writer 200 or 300 years ago. 'We live for subscribers. Without them, life makes no sense to us. 'A person shares emotions live with their subscribers - this is normal and expected. The party was for blogger Ekaterina Didenko, pictured last night (right) and this morning (left), who was celebrating her 29th birthday in Moscow Pictured: Guests at Didenko's party in Moscow before the tragedy took place this week Police are pictured arriving at the scene in Moscow after the tragedy, which killed three 'Previously, poets wrote poems about their experiences, which in fact also are not needed by anyone, or from some event like Pushkin's death. 'Now they are broadcasting in the realities of the 21st century. 'Is it so hard to understand?' The boyfriend of another victim Natalia Monakova, 25, was more circumspect, suspending their joint social media. 'I will tell everything but a little later,' posted the grieving Andrey Goiko, 29, who was treated by doctors for carbon dioxide poisoning. The boyfriend of another victim Natalia Monakova, 25, was more circumspect, suspending their joint social media 'I was praying and sobbing all night through in the hospital. 'P.S. Natasha I love you.' A highly qualified pharmacist, Ms Didenko offers tips 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. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide and which produces heavy vapour when put into water. The vapour can cause high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood when released in a poorly ventilated space. Yuri Alferov (pictured), 25, died after Valentin Didenko (not pictured), 32, poured 55lb of dry ice into a swimming pool in Moscow The boyfriend, Andrey Goiko, of another victim Natalia Monakova, 25, was more circumspect, suspending their joint social media Mr Didenko wanted the dry ice 'to create an impressive steam show' as party guests jumped into the pool, it was reported. But as soon as the ice was poured, people started fainting. Moments earlier, guests had been laughing and clinking glasses. Mother-of-two Ms Didenko is a popular Instagram blogger with one million people following her account, which gives advice on medicines for home use. 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 victims were in the pool when the dry ice was released and could not breathe. A patient at the Summerville Medical Center has tested positive for the coronavirus, Trident Health officials said. The new case brings South NEW YORK CITY New York's first confirmed coronavirus patient, a 39-year-old woman from Manhattan, has not used public transportation since she returned to the United States from Iran, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said at New York City news conference Monday. The woman remains at her residence, Cuomo said, because "she doesn't need to be in a hospital." The patient, a health care worker, returned to the United States on Tuesday after working abroad. She "was very aware of the situation and the potential for the situation," and had been traveling with her husband, who is isolated as officials believe he will also test positive for the illness, Cuomo said. She is not believed to have been contagious while traveling on the plane back to New York, or while she took a private car to her home but the state will contact other travelers on the plane and the driver of the vehicle "out of an abundance of caution," the governor said. The overall risk for new coronavirus in New York remains low, Cuomo said, but the state will employ new cleaning protocols in schools and on public transportation to help minimize spread. "They will use a disinfectant, many will use bleach, which is a good protocol in flu season anyway," Cuomo said. The state will also hone in on centers that aid more vulnerable populations, including senior citizens and immune-compromised individuals, the governor said. The biggest challenge going forward will be containing the illness, he said, and community spread is "inevitable." But Cuomo also noted that "the reality [of the new coronavirus] is reassuring." More than 80 percent of people infected with the illness get better on their own, and the overall death rate is estimated to be about 1.4 percent, Cuomo said. By comparison, the mortality rate for the flu is about 0.6 percent, he added. "It is deep-breath time," Cuomo said. "This ... is not our first rodeo with this type of situation in New York." The diagnosis came a day after the state was granted approval by the federal government to conduct its own tests for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19. The New York City case was confirmed by the Wadsworth Lab in Albany. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Its all about reducing the spread, not eliminating the spread," Cuomo said, adding that the state aims to conduct 1,000 tests per day through the Wadsworth Center and volunteer hospitals statewide. The center can currently conduct as many as 200 tests daily, but officials are hoping to expand lab hours and hire additional staff to boost that number. The governor will ask the state Legislature this week to approve $40 million in funding for the state Department of Health to hire additional staff, obtain new equipment and otherwise prepare to combat COVID-19. He will also put forth legislation that would grant authority to health department Commissioner Howard Zucker to respond to the outbreak as he sees fit. Health officials have urged the public to wash their hands frequently, avoid touching their face and stay home if they feel sick. Symptoms of the virus can resemble regular seasonal influenza, with patients experiencing a fever and dry cough. "The most important thing is not to hesitate," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the same press conference. "If you have the symptoms if there's any possibility it may be this disease get to health care right away." The Wadsworth Center has so far received samples from four New Yorkers suspected of having the coronavirus. Two came back negative, one came out positive and another is pending. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously tested 28 New Yorkers for the illness; everyone came back negative, officials said. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A federal grand jury in San Francisco has returned a superseding indictment charging a married couple from Sebastopol who have a joint medical practice with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., federal prosecutors said Friday. Robert Rowen and Teresa Su, who operate an alternative medicine clinic in Santa Rosa, allegedly conspired to evade payment of Rowen's federal income tax liabilities, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. They allegedly concealed Rowen's ability to pay his 1992 through 1997 and 2003 through 2008 federal income tax liabilities, prosecutors said. "Specifically, Rowen and Su allegedly placed his assets out of the reach of the United States Government, placed assets in the names of other persons or entities, deposited Rowen's revenue into nominee bank accounts, used cash to conduct personal and professional business, converted his revenue into gold and silver coins, and provided false information to the IRS," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. The indictment describes methods such as instructing clinic patients to make out checks payable to gold dealers that were used to buy gold and silver coins. It also charges that Rowen established a company, Lotus Management LLC, to funnel revenue from elsewhere, then used proceeds to buy more coins. "Further, the couple allegedly used cash to pay the rent for the medical practice as well as to pay the balance on credit cards used to cover various business and personal expenses," according to the release. The indictment alleges that using various methods, Rowen converted some $3.9 million in revenue to gold and silver coins between Jan. 3, 2007, and April 11, 2014. The indictment charges Rowen and Su with conspiracy to defraud the federal government, and one count each of tax evasion. The couple, who appeared in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday, are free on a $200,000 bond. Their trial is scheduled to begin in February 2021. 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 violent conflict that erupted in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon in 2016 continues unabated. It was triggered by the government's repression of protests over the increasing influence of French in the English-speaking legal and educational institutions, and by the perceived marginalisation of the country's Anglophone regions. Some Anglophones are demanding increased decentralisation, while others are violently struggling for an independent state called Ambazonia . The conflict has had devastating consequences for the Anglophone regions. According to Crisis Group around 3,000 people have died and half a million have been displaced. One in three people in the Anglophone regions are estimated to be in need of humanitarian aid. Attempts have been made, including the involvement of other countries, to resolve the crisis. For example, Switzerland led a mediation initiative in 2019 . But, for its part, the African Union, has been largely silent on the conflict . It supported the Swiss-led initiative. It was also party to a joint statement on a tripartite commitment to supporting Cameroon's ongoing peace and reconciliation process. And the African Union head, Moussa Faki Mahamat, visited Cameroonian President Paul Biya in July 2018 and discussed the need for a national dialogue to resolve the conflict. He visited again in November 2019 . But the conflict is conspicuously absent from the African Union's Peace and Security Council, its decision-making body on the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. This, despite the council being mandated to facilitate timely and efficient response to conflict and crisis situations in Africa. The reason for this, we believe, is that a major part of the struggle in Cameroon is separatist in character. Cameroon's territorial integrity is therefore at stake. In 1963, the Organisation of African Unity, predecessor to the African Union, adopted the principle of the inviolability of borders inherited from colonisation. Since then there has been little support for secessionist movements in Africa. Eritrea and South Sudan were able to become independent states and many African countries support Western Sahara's quest for self-determination. But a host of others including Biafra, Katanga, Bioko, Zanzibar, Darfur, Casamance, Somaliland have not seen much support. Many of Cameroon's neighbours, and a few on the Peace and Security Council, face similar challenges and are, therefore, not sympathetic to this cause. Indeed the African Union chairperson, during his visit to President Biya in 2018 had reconfirmed the African Union's unwavering commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Cameroon. But the African Union is vital to finding a sustainable solution to the conflict in Cameroon. It needs to overcome this difficulty, and step up its lacklustre conflict management response. Who should be doing what The United Nations (UN) is tasked with the responsibility of preventing and managing conflict globally. In 2017, it and African Union signed a joint framework for enhanced partnership in peace and security . It emphasised collaboration and predictability in dealing with conflict in Africa. Regional organisations are tasked, where appropriate, to respond to conflicts in their respective regions. There are many positives about this division of labour. But, there can also be challenges when there is a lack of capacity or unwillingness to respond to conflicts. The UN Security Council attempted to discuss Cameroon in May 2019, but had to be content with an informal discussion after African members blocked a formal tabling of the matter . For its part, the African Union has established a robust peace and security architecture. Besides the Peace and Security Council, it also has the The African Union also has a mediation unit and, more recently, established a post conflict reconstruction centre. The African Union has used these various avenues to resolve conflicts in a number of countries. These have included the Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Somalia, Gambia and Sudan. Its track record in conflicts mixed. It did well in managing the conflict in Sudan , but not so well in Libya or South Sudan. The reasons often cited for the failures include the near absence of regional leadership, reliance on external funding, problems of harmonisation with the regional economic communities and a lack of capacity . There is also a lack of political will on the part of the African Union's peace and security council to get involved in a conflict deemed largely as an internal matter. The fact that an African Union head has visited the country could point to some quiet diplomacy taking place in the background. But, that is not enough. Way forward If the African Union does not become more proactive in resolving the conflict in Cameroon, it risks seeing it escalate, and possibly fuelling instability in the region. For many years Cameroon was considered a haven of peace in Central Africa, one of the more unstable regions on the continent with conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Burundi and Chad. The region does not have a single democratic state . There are a number of different issues that need to be simultaneously addressed in the management of the conflict in Cameroon. Firstly, the African Union and UN need to coordinate their efforts in addressing the humanitarian needs of the refugees and displaced persons. And the African Union Commission on Human and Peoples Rights must investigate the many complaints of human rights abuses in Cameroon, and to take appropriate action. Secondly, the continental body needs to deploy its Panel of the Wise to determine how best to manage the conflict. Thirdly, it must also send a special envoy to the Anglophone region to implement a conflict management strategy that will lead to a sustainable peace agreement. Fourthly, it must settle the disputes over the right to self determination through the appropriate UN structures. Read more: Why Cameroon must move beyond dialogue to solve its Anglophone crisis Cheryl Hendricks is the Executive Director of the Africa Institute of South Africa at the Human Science Research Council which receives funding from multiple sources. Gabriel Ngah Kiven 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 Cheryl Hendricks, Executive director, Africa Institute of South Africa, Human Sciences Research Council And Gabriel Ngah Kiven, PhD candidate in Political Studies at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Johannesburg DEXTER, MI A proposed 24-unit apartment complex aimed at addressing affordable and supportive housing needs in Washtenaw County has caught the attention of many in Dexter, generating some controversy over the need and potential impacts of the development. With the proposed Hilltop View Apartments going before the citys Planning Commission on Monday, March 2, here are some answers to questions surrounding the project. What is the project? Hilltop View Apartments is a proposed 24-unit apartment complex that would have a mix of nine affordable units, nine supportive housing units for families and six supportive units for veterans. Affordable housing is a term used to describe rental housing thats affordable to people who earn up to 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which equates to $60,720 for a family of four. Supportive housing, on the other hand, is a combination of housing thats permanently affordable with wraparound services. Supportive housing helps people who have struggled with homelessness, a disability or substance abuse stay in their homes, according to Avalon. Supportive housing would be reserved for people making 30% of the area median income or less who have housing vouchers about $22,300 or less a year for a two-person household in Washtenaw County, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. What has happened so far? The city reached a sale agreement with Avalon Housing on Jan. 28, 2019, for about 1.75 acres at 7651 Dan Hoey Road for $187,000 to build Hilltop View Apartments. In December 2019, the project was awarded $874,000 in federal funding through the Housing and Urban Development Departments Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. The federal funds would provide 85% of the projects funding, according to Avalon Representatives. What is the affordable housing presence in Dexter? According to the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, the county has 4,239 affordable housing units, making up 8% of its total rental units. The City of Dexter, on the other hand, has 20 units devoted to affordable housing, which accounts for just 4% of the citys total rental units the smallest percentage of any city in the county. In Dexter Township, six of its 159 total rental units (4%) are considered affordable housing. Tenants for the nine supportive housing units will be referred from Housing Access for Washtenaw County (HAWC), which is Washtenaw Countys central intake for individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. In 2019, Faith in Action reported assisting between 25 and 30 families from the Dexter and Chelsea areas to help them get placed on the countys list. Who are Avalon Housing and Faith in Action? Avalon Housing is a nonprofit real estate developer and property manager. It owns and manages 292 rental units in 25 properties across Washtenaw County. It provides support services to its tenants and to individuals and families living in public housing and in units owned by private landlords. Avalon serves individuals, families with children, youth and seniors who have experienced homelessness and face the challenge of a mental or physical disability. In addition to affordable housing, Avalon residents need support services to move beyond homelessness for good. Faith in Action is a community funded assistance and resource center with locations in Chelsea and Dexter. Its services include an emergency food pantry, clothing and household donations, benefits access and employment training, as well as financial assistance with rent and utilities like heat, electricity and water. If approved, Avalon would be the landlord and property manager, while Faith in Action would provide support services with a social worker on site 5 days a week. Hilltop View also would be a permanent home for Faith in Actions food pantry, which serves 40 families in the broader Dexter community. What are the concerns of residents regarding the project? Some residents are concerned Hilltop View Apartments will provide potential exposure of those who struggle with substance abuse being in a close proximity to a pair of elementary schools. Jamie Griffin, the leader of Dexter Citizens for Responsible Government, said she hasnt been shown evidence of Dexters chronic homelessness problem. Her concerns surrounding the project have evolved from the potential conduct of tenants that might live in the supportive housing units to what she perceives as failures by city government to fully vet the sale of its land, favoring the needs of the county over its own residents. What do supporters think? Supporters of the proposed project point to the benefits of providing on-site services to those suffering from chronic homelessness. Those who struggle with substance use would have on site supports to help them address their recovery needs. Supporters have argued the projects proximity to two elementary schools would be a benefit to tenants with families. How does Avalon screen potential tenants? Potential tenants need to provide identification, Social Security cards, birth certificates and proof of any income or assistance they are receiving on their application. Avalon works with referring agencies and with potential tenants to help them obtain documentation before they are able to sign their lease and conducts background checks. Avalon notes it does not accept tenants who have had a recent violent offense on their record. If Avalon does accept a tenant with a criminal offense on their record, it makes an informed decision about whether or not each referral would be a good fit. What happens next? The project will go before the Dexter Planning Commission on Monday, March 2. The commission can either approve the project as-is, deny plans or provide recommendations and conditions for the developer to address. If approved, the project would then go before the Dexter City Council. In the meantime, Griffin has collected around 300 of the 324 signatures necessary to bring a petition to Dexter City Council to consider a charter amendment that would require two-thirds of City Council and a majority of city voters to approve the sale of public property. More: Supporting the vulnerable or welcoming the dangerous? Dexter grapples with housing development question Paul Townend celebrates after winning last years Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase on the Willie Mullins-trained Al Boum Photo. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Cheltenham chiefs have assured thousands of Irish fans that the coronavirus will not see next week's festival cancelled, despite two cases being diagnosed in Gloucestershire. The global spread of the virus has already caused major disruption to sporting events and other mass gatherings around the world, including the postponement of next weekend's Six Nations clash between Ireland and Italy at the Aviva. However, the organisers of this year's Cheltenham festival - which runs from March 10 to 13 - urged the 20,000 Irish fans planning to travel to "forget your worries". The assurance came as the second case of the coronavirus on Irish soil - and the first in the Republic - emerged on Saturday and as the total number of cases in the UK hit 35, including two in Gloucestershire. The first deaths from covid-19 in the US, Australia and Thailand have also been reported. Resolve Cheltenham Racecourse chief Ian Renton described the number of cases in the UK as "tiny". "It will take more than this hiccup to stop racing or stop the Irish from travelling," he said. Mr Renton's resolve to stage the festival followed an earlier statement from the British Horseracing Authority, saying: "Racing continues as usual." In an interview with The Irish Field, Mr Renton would not be drawn on plans to reschedule, or even stage showpiece races such as the Gold Cup without spectators. "We're only looking at the four days from March 10 to 13 at this time," he said. "The British racing industry is in constant contact with the government here and they're doing an excellent job at maintaining the high health status. "We're looking forward to starting the festival on March 10. My message to your readers is to forget your worries and come and enjoy the four days." Commenting yesterday, a spokeswoman for Cheltenham said that despite the two coronavirus cases in Gloucestershire, "the position on the festival is unchanged". Britain's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, has warned that mass gatherings - including sporting events - could face cancellations for at least two months amid the escalating health crisis. If the virus intensifies - as expected - Liverpool FC could lift their first Premier League title in three decades in front of no fans. The urban legend is if you say his name five times in the mirror, he appears behind you and sucks the soul out of your body. Marc Daly. Marc Daly. Marc Daly. Marc Daly. Shhh Stop. Dont say that. Marc. Daly. I just cant figure out if Marc genuinely hates Kenya or just hates being married to someone who is on a reality show. But the real issue is SHE WAS ON A REALITY SHOW BEFORE YOU MET HER, YOU DUMMY. Marc and Kenya both have visions of each other that dont seem to exist. Kenya believes Marc is her Prince Charming, her knight in shining armor riding up in a white Escalade to give her the fairy-tale life she deserves; Kenya never realized that in all those fairy tales, Prince Charming never supported a progressive feminist platform. Marc thinks Kenya is a vessel for his children and the stylist for his eveningwear options. So when the more real versions of Marc and Kenya meet, its all bad. Kenya and Marc have the same passive-aggressive tendencies when it comes to dealing with conflict. Kenya pretends the problem doesnt exist and passes her frustration on to other people, and Marc pretends Kenya doesnt exist. Aaah, newlyweds. Lets get to it. The episode starts on a cute note, with Cynthia organizing Evas baby shower. The theme of the baby shower is Sunflowers. Love & Light which is perfect for Evas hippie self. I just wasnt aware of so much sunflower-themed attire. The baby shower is being held at Evas friend Natashas house, and when NeNe arrives, she says in a confessional that its interesting that no one has ever been to Evas house. Maybe Eva doesnt even live in a house. Maybe Eva lives in a box underneath a bridge like some sort of troll. NeNes path toward enlightenment is really going well for her. The talk of the baby shower is how everyone witnessed Kenyas transformation into Ken. Its all very fun to laugh at our friends gaslighting marriage! NeNe says she tried to reach out to Kenya and extend an olive branch. She reads a text message she sent to Kenya and its a truly wild ride: Life is short, between Greggs illness, going to Kim Porters funeral, and the death of Nipsey Hussle, I have a baby gift for you. Was NeNe or Kenya friends with Nipsey Hussle, or was she just listing important Black History deaths to guilt Kenya into accepting a baby gift? She also says Kenya is an evil person for not returning the message. Cynthia and Eva sit down once all the quasi-sexual baby games have been played and are stunned that everyone is happy and there wasnt any drama. Can you believe it? At the same time, Kandi asks Tanya and Kenya to sit down to put all the drama aside before the trip to Greece. Oh, Cynthia and Eva, you spoke way too soon. Kenya wants Tanya to basically accept her sorry-ass apology that included shock that Tanya has never been called the C-word before. Tanya is still upset that Kenya would bring the Cookie Lady around her, and Kenya says only Tanya thinks the claim is frivolous. KENYA. CAN YOU NOT? Tanya rightfully thinks her husband doesnt want to be around people who dig up bakery women to sling around claims that hes unfaithful. Tanya knows Kenya and Marc just want Pauls good name and good finances at their charity event, and maybe Kenya should be more self-aware in this moment. Unfortunately, Kenya is completely incapable of being self-aware or in any way reasonable. Its a few days until Marcs charity event, and Kenya is running around town using all her connections to bring this event together. Shes doing so hoping Marc will be able to appreciate everything shes doing. Oooooooh, Kenya. No. Before the charity event, Kandi is doing a self-tape for a role on The Chi. Everything about this made me very happy: from Kandis makeup-free face to her plaid blazer representing a soft butch look to Donjuan and Jami giving Kandi acting advice about being manly. Everything in this moment. Kandi is trying to get this role because she wants to be seen as a serious actress in serious roles. Kandi is also expecting her new baby. No one seems to have spelled out for Kandi that The Chi films in Chicago and maybe heading out to play a very sexy, very gruff lesbian isnt exactly the best timing when youre expecting a new baby. But Kandi cant walk away from money to be made and a new industry in which to show her bare ass, so shes taping this audition. Kenya comes over to Cynthias house to chat about Cynthia and Mike trying to figure out counseling. Cynthia, at least, can identify that she and Mike arent the best communicators and arent the best arguers. She explains this to Kenya, and because Kenya is completely incapable of not projecting her own relationship issues onto everyone around her, Kenya starts talking about how Marc can withdraw from their arguments and she doesnt know any of the triggers to avoid setting him off. She asks if Mike can apologize because Marc doesnt know how to apologize. Cynthia says she would want Mike to be honest with her and shes going to be honest with him. Kenya says, People in hell want ice water, but theyre not going to get it, because Kenya lives in the darkest timeline possible. Kenya says her marriage needs intimacy but that doesnt always mean sex. Dear God, someone free this woman from this marriage. Shes realizing that Marcs habits are changing and hes becoming a different person. She doesnt want to be single, because she wants the relationship she had. Maam. You need to run. Before the charity event, NeNe is on the phone with WENDY WILLIAMS, who is a dear friend. She wants to ask Wendy for advice. NeNe wants to see every city in the world, which I believe is physically impossible, but in order to see any city in Greece, shes going to have to be on the trip with Kenya. Kenya doesnt speak to her, and when she does, its short and curt. Why cant NeNe just live with that status quo? Ohhh, I forgot its because NeNe refuses to accept any treatment other than complete deference. Wendy tells her she should only show everyone her best side, even if its her spread hips and ass to kiss. In another completely dark moment, Kenya arrives home with suit options for Marc because he told her the morning of the event that he needs a suit. He insists he told her three days ago because he cant let her win. Marc nitpicks everything Kenya brought him while he holds baby Brooklyn. He also wont let her schedule when each speaker is going to speak or let them know that they have to speak. He also wants to completely change the seating arrangements. Has anyone exposed Marc to an Infinity Stone? Because this motherfucker might be Loki in disguise. Kenya wants tonight to be their introduction as a couple, and Marc wants Kenya to buy him a better fucking tie! Kenya walks out to get dressed and calls him an asshole under her breath. Sweet Christ, GET OUT, PEOPLE. The gals all show up, and Tanya isnt sitting with the rest of the girls so Porsha tries to get her at their table. Kenya flips out and sends Tanya packing in the first of many seat rearrangements. The event starts with a performance of Amazing Grace that you know took no less than 15 minutes. Dennis is fully asleep by the end of the song. Once the men start speaking, Marlo shows up with her nephews in matching silk tuxedos and starts looking for her table. Kenya starts directing them to the back of the room like shes air-traffic control. If in this moment Marc had decided to just thank Kenya for her help with the event, Marlo would have been spared, but Marc aint gonna do that. Marlo insists shes going to take her nephews, the only two children at the event for a charity for black children and teens, and leave. The gals gather around her and convince her to stay. Kenya says Marlo should have been grateful and had a positive attitude that she got a free seat at this charity benefit: Where is your $750? I cant stand these girls. Nasty, entitled women, fake all that. Drama and nasty in front of all these people! If we can all read between the lines, Kenya knows that if there are any mishaps at this event from her Housewives crew, Marc is going to blame her and shell never hear the end of it. Marc is happy that Marlo brought her nephews because hes diametrically opposed to supporting his wife. Later in the evening, Marc is telling a random woman that he hates the ride that comes with marriage and that everyone knows that. Theres some audio footage of Marc talking to production, trying to get them out of the rest of the evening and saying that Kenyas security people hovering is pissing him off. He walks away, saying, Save me from the drama and Its invasive. They cant film forever. They gotta wrap it. If I come back back, its gonna be ugly. End it. End it. As the episode ends, were informed that Kenya and Marc filed for divorce THE DAY AFTER the charity event. To be continued in Greece?! Bhopal: Congress veteran Digvijay Singh on Monday claimed that the BJP was plotting to topple Kamal Nath government. The former Chief Minister alleged that the BJP was offering Rs 25 cr to Rs 35 cr each to Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh to switch sides and pull down the state Congress government, which enjoyed waferthin majority in the house. Shivraj Singh Chouhan (former chief minister and BJP national vice-president) and Narottam Mishra (former minister) are wooing Congress MLAs to split the CLP in MP, he told reporters. Each Congress MLA is being offered Rs 25 cr to Rs 35 cr by BJP. But, they (BJP) should remember that MP is not Karnataka and Congress MLAs in MP are not for sale, he said while referring to the split in Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Karnataka leading to fall of Kumaraswamy government recently. Chouhan, however, rubbished Singhs claim, describing it as outrageous. He (Singh) is adept in spreading canards. He often gives such outrageous statements to remain in news. He may be making such baseless allegations to prove his relevance before the Chief Minister, Chouhan said. Egypt and Algeria reported new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) on Monday, increasing the number of recorded patients in Africa. The Health Ministry in Algeria said a 53-year-old woman and her 24-year-old daughter tested positive for the virus. It said they live in the city of Blida, some 50 km south-west of the capital, Algiers. The ministry said they recently hosted a man, 83, and his daughter visiting from France, who were tested positive for coronavirus after their return to France, prompting the health authorities in Algeria to test the hosts. Only one case had been previously reported in Algeria. Meanwhile, Egypts Health Ministry said a foreigner has tested positive for the new coronavirus, becoming the second case in the country. The ministry did not reveal the persons nationality. It added that the first person has recovered and has been released from the isolation hospital. Nigeria is the third country in Africa that has reported a confirmed case of the new coronavirus. The coronavirus first came to light in China in December and has since been spreading around the world since the general population has no immunity to it. Some afflicted develop the pneumonia-like disease Covid-19, which seems to be especially deadly for those with pre-existing lung problems. (dpa/NAN) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:12:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian court on Monday issued death sentence for 37 people on charges of killing policemen and carrying out terrorist attacks. Cairo Criminal Court's judge Hassan Mahmoud Farid announced the verdict after reviewing the opinion of Egypt's Grand Mufti, the official news agency MENA reported. The defendants have been accused of plotting a failed assassination attempt against a former interior minister, murdering policemen and bombing security buildings since 2013, local media reported. The investigations proved that they were trained inside a camp of the Ezz al-Din al-Qassam brigades (the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas Organization) and contacted one of the al-Qaida leaders for targeting the U.S. ships crossing the Suez Canal. The Grand Mufti, the country's top Islamic jurist, whose non-binding opinion has reduced the court's sentence in many cases, has confirmed the death sentence. A wave of terrorist activities started in Egypt following the military's ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to the mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. Hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians have died in the terror attacks, while Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the anti-terror war launched since Morsi's ouster. US officials say up to three million have been locked up in re-education camps. (stock photo) China's Uighur minority is allegedly manufacturing shoes for Nike and products for dozens of the world's largest brands in factory conditions that "strongly suggest" forced labour, according to an investigation by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). Nike, Apple and Adidas were identified as being among 83 well-known brands that reportedly had a Uighur workforce in their supply chain. Between 2017 and 2019, the institute estimates that at least 80,000 Uighurs were transferred from their homes in Xinjiang province and assigned to factories. The accusations add to the picture of oppression of the Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang, a far-western region in China. Officials from the US say up to three million have been locked up in re-education camps. Researchers from ASPI claim some "re-educated" Uighurs are now being forced to work in factories, identifying plants in nine Chinese provinces that are using Uighurs transferred from Xinjiang since 2017. They claim it is "extremely difficult" for Uighurs to escape these assignments because of constant surveillance and the threat of arbitrary detention. The investigation examines three specific case studies. In the first, a factory in eastern China that reportedly makes shoes for Nike has watchtowers, barbed wire fences and police guard boxes. Uighur workers are said to be unable to go home for holidays. In the second, evidence suggests that Uighur workers were transferred from a re-education camp to a factory in another eastern province that claims to supply sportswear to Adidas. In the third study, ASPI identified factories using Uighur labour allegedly to make components for Apple or its suppliers. There is no suggestion the brands knew this labour was being used in their supply chain. The new research draws on open-source Chinese-language documents, satellite imagery analysis, academic research and on-the-ground reporting, and suggests that foreign and Chinese companies have been drawn into human rights abuses perhaps unknowingly. A spokesperson from Adidas told ASPI that the company did not have an active relationship with the factory in question. Meanwhile, an Apple spokesman, Josh Rosenstock, told the 'Washington Post', which first saw the report: "We work closely with all our suppliers to ensure that our high standards are upheld." Nike told the paper: "We respect human rights in our extended value chain, and always strive to conduct business ethically and responsibly." ( Daily Telegraph, London) Egypt has raised the alert level for the novel coronavirus at all airports, the country's civil aviation ministry said in a statement on Monday, adding that all precautions necessary to confront the outbreak and limit its spread have been taken. In accordance with the precautionary plan set up by the government, a compulsory medical examination will be performed on all passengers coming to Egypt from the countries inflicted with the virus through the quarantine offices, in coordination with the health ministry and all concerned agencies, the statement added. Earlier today, Egypt announced the second coronavirus case of a Canadian employee who works in an Egypt-hosted oil and gas company. The patient has been isolated in a hospital to receive the necessary medical care. The epidemic has killed over 3,000 people worldwide, with the vast majority in mainland China and infected 90,000 globally according to the latest update of the World health organization. Search Keywords: Short link: A toddler has died while a baby and their mother sustained serious injuries after a stabbing at a house in Northern Ireland. Detectives say they are not seeking anybody else in connection with the death at the rural farmhouse some miles outside the Co Antrim town of Larne. A woman aged in her thirties and the infant are receiving treatment in hospital, police said. She is a nurse who had moved to the area in the last few months, neighbours said. A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) statement said: Police can confirm that an investigation has commenced into the circumstances surrounding the death of a young child in the Larne area today. Forensics at the scene of a stabbing in Larne / PA A woman in her 30s and a baby are currently receiving hospital treatment for injuries. The investigation is at an early stage and police are currently not looking for anyone else in connection with the death. A major police and emergency services operation has centred on the property at Bankhill Road throughout Monday. Neighbours say they heard a helicopter and saw police and ambulances on Monday morning and initially thought it had been a farming accident. A toddler died and a baby and their mother are in hospital / PA A laneway to the property has been sealed off by officers and forensics experts are gathering evidence. Neighbour Rhonda Kernohan said: I heard the sirens and the helicopter, the air ambulance, came and it landed up at the back of the farm. We thought it was a farm accident but when we looked out there was a lot of shouting and a lot of police, a lot of ambulances about. She added: This is a quiet, rural, peaceful area. Another neighbour said the woman who lived at the house was a youngish girl. They added: It was very sad. We are feeling absolutely awful, so sad it is terrible. The shock of it, when it happens nearly on your doorstep. The scene is at a house and outbuildings along a narrow lane high on a hillside overlooking Larne Lough, south of the port town of Larne. White boilersuit-clad forensics experts combed the area for clues. By Gemma Handy THE TCI could soon have its own elected MP in the British parliament if a UK-based push to secure an official voice for overseas territories is successful. Campaigners say they are "very confident their written proposals - due to be submitted to key members of the British Parliament within days - will receive vital cross-party support in London. Former Guernsey parliamentarian Anthony Webber told the Weekly News that OT residents were "disenfranchised by the absence of a member of parliament to speak on their behalf. "The UK has treated its overseas territories like 17th century colonies, he claimed. "Currently, if they have a concern, they have to go cap in hand to UK MPs who can only really help them out of the goodness of their heart. "Theres a limit to what the Government of Turks and Caicos and other territories can do. "Its actually crazy when you consider the numerous decisions made by the UK that directly affect the territories. Webber, a member of pressure group the Electoral Reform Society, said a constituency MP would have been "handy during TCIs 2009-2012 period of direct British rule. He also pointed to issues such as the controversy over forthcoming beneficial ownership registers, calls for the introduction of same sex marriage and Britains exit from the European Union. "It seems bizarre that people in the overseas territories dont have a constituency MP to have a say on these matters, Webber said. "They are all affected by Brexit for example but for some crazy reason they were not allowed to vote. OTs presently have informal representation through the All-Party Parliamentary Group, headed by Andrew Rosindell MP who has long called for OTs to be treated as "equal partners in the British family. Rosindell was not available for comment this week but he has previously said the OTs need a greater voice in decisions impacting them, such as defence, use of currency and foreign affairs. He has also criticised the fact that territories are dealt with by Londons Foreign Office, as "they are not foreign. Backbench Conservative and Labour Party members, along with the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, have also endorsed erstwhile calls for OTs to have direct representation. Webber says the proposals drafted by a small group of campaigners, also including political analyst and researcher Ken Westmoreland, will form a private members bill if they are not taken up by the British government. He pointed out that French, Dutch and Danish territories enjoy far greater levels of representation than their British counterparts. "The UK is known for being notoriously slow on certain things and we need to get a move on, he said. The paper will outline various constituency boundaries which recommend the TCI, with its circa 38,000 population, has its own MP. Bermuda and the Cayman Islands would each have their own too. The British Virgin Islands would "team up with Montserrat and Anguilla, while the remaining territories such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands would be combined with small Indian and Atlantic Ocean counterparts. There would be a total of six MPs for the OTs and three for the Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. Collectively, the nine would come under the auspices of one minister. The qualifications for standing as the TCIs MP would be the same as those in the UK. "It could be someone resident in Turks and Caicos. And the Turks and Caicos people would be the ones who would choose, Webber continued. "The election costs would be covered by the UK, and the MPs salaries and expenses would also be the UKs responsibility. "Theres no reason why an MP from the OTs could not become a government minister or a member of an influential committee in London. Webber says the topic has generated increasing discussion over the last decade and he anticipates the forthcoming paper will see it "snowball. He said Britain had been "remiss in "sitting back and waiting for the OTs to demand a parliamentary voice. "Theres been a dereliction of duty by the UK not to bring this about. Having a constituency MP would complete the democratic profile one should have these days. Webber added: "Every day the number of people supporting us grows. In 10 years time, people will wonder how we were even debating the right for territories and dependencies to have MPs. Its a well overdue right. A UK government spokesperson told the Weekly News: "We believe the fundamentals of our constitutional relationship are right but we are open to dialogue on this matter. A new online tool has been launched for farmers wanting to assess emissions from their farm while suggesting ways of reducing them. The Net Zero: Farm Status Indicator was unveiled at the NFU Conference in Birmingham earlier this week. The farming industry is aiming to reach net zero by 2040 - a full 10 years ahead of the UKs wider ambition by 2050. NFU President Minette Batters told delegates: "Every farm will start the journey to net zero from a different place and will need a unique action plan. "It is important to start that journey by assessing the likely emissions sources on farm, which is where the NFU's Farm Status Indicator can benefit, helping members take an initial first step on their own net zero plans." With the UK hosting a major global summit on climate change later in the year, NFU environment forum chairman Phil Jarvis outlined some of the major actions that farming is set to take. The industry's target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions would involve three central pillars: increasing farmings productive efficiency, improving land management and land use to capture more carbon, and boosting renewable energy and the wider bio-economy. UK farming already has a good story to tell; we should be held up as a global exemplar of agricultural systems," he added. Climate scientist Professor Myles from Oxford University stressed that urgent action is needed to address climate change. In a farming context, this could include conserving the carbon already in the UK's pastures and grasslands, and understanding how to store more for the good of society. Turning to the livestock sector, he did, however, stress that 'its not the cow, its the how,' and reiterated that responsible meat and dairy production is compatible with climate goals. He also added that the scientific community had work to do to improve the understanding of both climate data and how emissions, particularly of methane, are calculated. Environment Agency chairman Emma Howard Boyd stressed how important it was to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but also to become more resilient and adaptive to the impact of climate change and extreme weather events. Citing the impact of Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis, she added: As weve seen in recent weeks, we are in unchartered territory with our climate. What we are seeing is not normal both in terms of drought and flooding. "We have to work together to develop the big solutions to the big challenges of climate change. WASHINGTON - Bipartisan negotiators on Capitol Hill are closing in on a $7.5 billion emergency spending bill to fight the coronavirus, two people familiar with the negotiations said Monday. The legislation is likely to be made public on Tuesday and pass the House later this week, before moving to the Senate. The people spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of its public release. Negotiators worked through the weekend to try to finalize the spending bill, working with a sense of urgency as the deadly new virus spreads inside the U.S. and worldwide. On Monday, health officials in Washington State reported six deaths from the virus. The figure being negotiated on Capitol Hill dwarfs the $1.25 billion request the White House sent Congress last week asking for new funds. The White House proposed redirecting an additional $1.25 billion from other programs and using it for the coronavirus response. The new congressional spending bill will contain all new money, whereas the administration's proposal was split between new money and spending taken from other accounts, including a fund to address Ebola. Negotiators are basing the figure on needs assessments from federal agencies and health experts. The bulk of the package will consist of bulked up funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Included will be money for vaccine development, procuring protective and medical equipment, and aid to state and local governments that have contended with the virus. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., both spoke on the Senate floor Monday calling for swift action on the package before lawmakers depart for a one-week recess the week of March 16. "It will be important to past the first benchmark and supply these important funds within the next two weeks," McConnell said. Schumer criticized the Trump administration's response to the virus, accusing the president of proposing insufficient resources and of downplaying the threat the new disease poses. "When it comes to Americans' health, when it comes to our safety, when it comes to dealing with this problem head-on, skimping doesn't make any sense at all," Schumer said. President Donald Trump commented briefly on the congressional negotiations as he met Monday with pharmaceutical company leaders at the White House, where he said they were trying to expedite work on a vaccine and therapies. "We're also working with Congress to ensure that America has what it needs to respond to this challenge, a great challenge but everybody's responding very well," Trump said. "The supplemental is moving along very rapidly," Trump added. "Everyone wants to get that done. It's moving along quickly." Earlier Monday, Trump accused Democrats via Twitter of fear mongering and urged people, Be calm & vigilant!Also Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced she would convene a briefing Wednesday for the top four congressional leaders Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. to discuss the coronavirus response in the Capitol itself. According to a senior Democratic aide, who requested anonymity to reveal details, there have been no discussions of shutting down public galleries or limiting tours, but The focus has and will continue to be on preparedness and keeping the Congress open for the peoples business. Probe into virus death THAILAND: Doubts have been raised over the cause of death of a Thai man who was initially diagnosed with COVID-19. healthdeathChineseSafetyCoronavirusCOVID-19 By Bangkok Post Monday 2 March 2020, 09:06AM Monks from various temples gather yesterday (Mar 1) in the ubosot at Wat Maha That Yuwarat Rangsarit of Bangkoks Phra Nakhon district for evening prayer seeking blessings for the victims of the COVID-19 outbreak and an end to the rapid spread of the virus in all parts of the world. Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool The man, 35, is the subject of a Public Health Ministry probe as information on his symptoms contradicts evidence revealed by a specialist in new emerging diseases. The man died of multi-organ failure on Saturday (Feb 29) night although doctors had detected no coronavirus in his body since Feb 16, Disease Control Department chief Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said yesterday (Mar 1). He was among 42 people who were found to have contracted coronavirus following the viral outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December. The man had been first treated for dengue fever at a private hospital in late January before being transferred to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi province because he had also contracted the COVID-19 virus, Dr Suwannachai said. His lungs had already deteriorated and other internal organs also worked too hard, the department chief said, referring to his condition before his death. We do not know exactly whether they [his symptoms] are [directly] related to COVID-19. The death is being investigated by experts under the national committee on communicable diseases, Dr Suwannachai said. However, his explanation contradicts information unveiled by Thiravat Hemachudha, head of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospitals Centre for Emerging Diseases. The man had not had any other underlying diseases, Dr Thiravat posted on his Facebook page yesterday. His two lungs were affected by pneumonia, which shows he caught COVID-19 from the beginning, not dengue fever. I think the Public Health Ministry probably made some inaccurate assessment of the patients conditions and diseases, he wrote. A lab result found he had dengue fever without detecting dengue virus. This led to a nurse at the hospital also contracting COVID-19 and subsequently suffering severe pneumonia, according to the post. She has recovered, but the disease has severely damaged her lungs, Dr Thiravat said. The man was a product consultant of a company which sells products at a duty-free shop run by King Power at its Srivaree branch in Samut Prakans Bang Phli district. Since he tested positive for the new coronavirus, other employees went through medical checks and the outlet was cleaned and has been closed due to a sharp drop in shoppers, King Power said yesterday. Meanwhile, doctors have detected no virus after testing a male bus driver who suffered severe flu symptoms for about a week, Dr Suwannachai said. The man, who has tuberculosis, is currently being treated under close care, he said. Health officials are keeping a close watch on three foreign air travellers after they were found with high temperatures upon their arrival at Thai airports last Friday (Feb 28), Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said yesterday. Until Feb 29, 2,953 people were kept under surveillance. Most of them had contracted influenza, Dr Suwannachai said, adding 1,748 have been discharged from hospital. Officials also reported 30 of the 42 COVID-19-infected patients have recovered. Yesterday was the first day that new state measures against COVID-19 disease, now listed as a dangerous communicable disease, took effect. This caused the Administrative Court to order its officials not to travel to 11 severely affected countries and territories. However, despite the stronger efforts to curb the viral epidemic, Dr Thiravat said authorities have to do more by intensifying their screening of people suspected to catch the virus. 80% of Thai people who contracted the virus showed little or no symptoms but they can spread the disease, he wrote on his Facebook page. The virus lodges deeply in the lower part of windpipe and lungs, so patients will not cough or have a sore throat when they first develop the disease. This explains why tests on fluids taken from noses and throats often turn out negative, Dr Thiravat said. Authorities fear anti-government rallies will hinder their efforts to control the spread of the disease. Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul denied on his Facebook page yesterday a report that he plans to ask the government to enforce the Internal Security Act to ban street demonstrations. He said he respects rights to expression but needs to raise a warning against mass gatherings. Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old mayor who rose from obscurity to become the first gay candidate in history to win a presidential primary, suspended his campaign Sunday night, saying he saw no path to win the Democratic nomination. Buttigieg fell short in his quest for the nomination, but no Democrat this cycle did more to boost his political career. The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., entered the race with no name recognition, natural constituency or personal wealth. He leaves it as one of the partys brightest young stars. A polished speaker and disciplined performer with a knack for persuasion, Buttigieg built a strong national organization, proved an able fundraiser and rode a message of unity to a surprise victory in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses before faltering in his attempts to build a diverse coalition in later states. The Iowa triumph was a stunning milestone for gay Americans, who won the right to marry nationwide less than five years ago. The last Democratic president did not support same-sex marriage rights until the end of his first term, in 2012. The fact that an unknown mayor and his husband would be considered a potential First Family crystallized just how far and how fast the nation has evolved on marriage equality. Buttigiegs sexuality was never the cornerstone of his presidential bidhe neither emphasized nor shied away from the subject on the campaign trailbut that was by design. His success as a gay politician was most remarkable for how unremarkable it felt. Supporters wait in the rain April 14 for Buttigiegs presidential campaign announcement in South Bend. | Elliot Ross for TIME His campaign was always a long-shot, but for a few fleeting weeks it seemed like a long-shot that just might work. Iowa was Peteland, full of the white Midwestern moderatesand some waffling Trump voters, who he called future former Republicanswho made up the base of Buttigiegs support. If he won Iowa, the thinking went, it might propel him into position as the moderate frontrunner in later states. Story continues The chaotic reporting of the caucus results thwarted that plan. Even though Buttigieg was ultimately certified the winner of the most delegates in Iowa, he was denied the narrative he needed to catapult into New Hampshire. And Amy Klobuchars surprisingly strong performance in New Hampshire ate away at his support in that state, which meant Buttigieg went into the later, more diverse contests without the momentum he needed to overcome his anemic support from voters of color. It has always been the case that Pete needed to achieve escape velocity in Iowa and New Hampshire, and do so well into those states that he would propel himself into the mix in Nevada and potentially South Carolina. He almost did it, says veteran Democratic strategist David Axelrod. But thats the nature of these things. Circumstances conspired against him, and he didnt get the bounce that he needed to get a second look in these later states. The timing of Buttigiegs exit reflected the sense of urgency among Democratic donors and operatives to coalesce around a candidate capable of stopping Sanders momentum. Former Vice President Joe Bidens cemented his position as the likeliest beneficiary with his landslide victory in South Carolina on Saturday night. One high-level campaign staffer said Buttigieg is stepping out now because he believes this is the right thing to do for our country and thought it was the best move to heal our divided nation, defeat this president, and work to fix our broken politics. Buttigieg meets supporters at a Town Hall in Mason City, Iowa, on Jan. 29. | September Dawn Bottoms for TIME But the move was not purely altruistic. Buttigiegs struggles in Nevada and South Carolina laid bare his campaigns central weakness: he was never able to broaden his base beyond educated white liberals and moderates. As a millennial with no national political experience, he relied heavily on his record as mayor of a small Midwestern city, but that record proved to be more complicated than it appeared. The shooting of a black man by South Bend police in 2019 put a spotlight on Buttigiegs failure to diversify his citys police department, and South Bends persistent racial inequality complicated his campaign narrative of rebuilding a struggling American city. After the news broke on Sunday, the South Bend chapter of Black Lives Matter released a statement saying they were excited to hear that he had suspended his campaign. We hope that he learned his lesson, they said, that neoliberalism and anti-Black policies will no longer be tolerated. It was clear Buttigiegs path to the nomination had shrunk to a hairs breadth. In the final days of the race, he shuffled strategies repeatedlycasting himself as a unifier one day, going hard at Senator Bernie Sanders as a threat to the party the next. His always-gauzy rhetoric shaded into borderline Obama plagiarism. Even though Buttigieg was campaigning on a message of generational change, he never won over voters his age, who largely support Sanders. He frequently attracted the mockery of his fellow millennials, many of whom saw him as a technocrat who was more swayed by big donors than grassroots movements. Once he became a darling of the donor class, he deployed his rhetorical skill against the progressive movement he once tried to find a place in, says Waleed Shahid, communications director for the progressive group Justice Democrats. I hope he joins with the rest of his generation powering a progressive movement that will become increasingly essential to the Democratic partys future. Supporters at Buttigieg's rally in Nashua on Feb. 11. | M. Scott Brauer for TIME Just five days ago, Buttigieg campaign manager Mike Schmuhl published a memo describing a definitive path to the nomination, arguing that Buttigieg was the candidate best positioned to beat Sanders. The document outlined a plan to minimize Sanderss wins on Super Tuesday and rack up delegates in the later March contests. But facing the prospect of a dismal showing on Super Tuesday, Buttigieg calculated that it was better to exit now than to stay and play spoiler. One staffer says the decision was made Sunday morning, in the aftermath of the South Carolina results. He gave this a hard look today, and has probably been thinking about this for some time, says another top staffer. He got into this race because he thought the country was truly divided to the point where we couldnt get stuff done. And when his candidacy no longer has a pathway to do that, he is deciding to spend the campaign to lay out whats next and how you do that in a different role. He wants to bring the party together, the country together, and does not see a clear path for him to get the nomination, the staffer says. In the wake of Bidens wide victory in South Carolina on Saturday night, undecided donors had begun to rally around the former Vice President. Most are saying they still love Pete, Elizabeth, Amy or Mike, says Rufus Gifford, a Biden fundraiser who served as finance chair for Barack Obamas 2012 re-election campaign. But after last night, they see the writing on the wall. Thats not to say all Buttigiegs backers were abandoning him: two donors, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, told TIME they were blindsided by the candidates abrupt exit and dismayed to learn of it through media reports on Sunday. Buttigieg speaks at a Town Hall in Ankeny, Iowa, Jan. 30. | September Dawn Bottoms for TIME But Buttigieg is a politician who calculates every word and every move. Though he put his stewardship of South Bend at the center of his campaign, its also true that Buttigieg has for some time been looking for a way to escape his hometown. In 2017, he mounted a losing campaign for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, at the age of 36. One thing is clear: He has a future, says Axelrod. His exit was about preserving it. Buttigiegs candidacywhile groundbreakingshould be seen as a milestone on a march, not something that happened overnight, argues Jerry Birdwell, who made history in 1992 when Texas Gov. Ann Richards appointed him as the first openly gay judge in the state. He was in the crowd for an Elizabeth Warren event on Feb. 6 in Derry, N.H., just talking with the gathering group. I know what I went through as a gay man appointed in politics. Hes done a lot to address peoples fears. What hes done is wonderful, says Birdwell, who now lives on Massachusetts Cape Cod. If he doesnt win, hes paved the way for another gay man to seek that office. Hes done an awful lot for us as gay men. Even on his final day in the race, Buttigieg was busy building bonds in the party. He and his husband, Chasten, had breakfast Sunday morning in Plains, Ga., with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. After that, he traveled to Selma, Ala., to join marchers commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march at the height of the civil-rights movement. A keen political strategist, Buttigieg knew that his failures with black voters doomed him in 2020. It was almost as if his last act of this campaign was the first step toward the next one. With reporting by Alana Abramson and Phil Elliott/Washington STATEN ISLAND -- Year after year, the Staten Island Pride Center has been barred by parade organizers from marching in the annual St. Patricks Parade parade with its banner. This year, a growing number of Island Democrats, Republicans and civic leaders came together to sit out the parade and stand with the Pride Center. Many others were told by parade organizers they could not march because of their visible support of Pride. But looking ahead to next years parade and the future, many are vowing to put pressure on parade organizers to get them to allow everyone to march. After publicly announcing she was bisexual over the weekend, Miss Staten Island 2020, Madison LInsalata, learned parade organizer Larry Cummings, had barred her, all pageant winners and the cars they were set to ride in and the drivers, from the parade for safety reasons. LInsalata said she wants to ensure that never happens again to anyone else. I want to make sure that girls who are Miss Staten Island and Miss Richmond County next year get to be in the parade because it is a great experience and its great to be a part of the community in this way, LInsalata said. I wouldn't want this to end that tradioin of us being in the parade for so long. Im hoping we can mend our ties and also allow the Pride Center to walk, she continued. On Sunday, a petition surfaced calling to remove Cummings from the parade committee. Irish American District Attorney Michael McMahon, who has organized the pre-parade celebration at Jodys Club Forest for years, told parade-goers on Sunday he hoped everyone would be able to march in the parade next year under the banner they want. He told the Advance that many people have committed to having a dialogue over the course of the year with parade organizers to get them to allow the Pride Center to march. But pre-parade co-organizer Democratic Party boss Assemblyman Michael Cusick, a longtime member of the Irish Catholic Fraternal Order, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, has avoided saying whether he has tried to work with AOH to get parade organizers to budge. GOP CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR LEADERSHIP SHAKEUP WITHIN PARADE COMMITTEE On Sunday, Cusick did not want to talk any further about the controversy surrounding Sundays parade, only saying it was unfortunate LInsalata had been prevented from marching and had not yet seen the news about Miss Staten Island being barred from marching. Cusicks reserved response stood in contrast from Chairman of Islands Republican Party, Brendan Lantry, also of Irish descent, who has condemned parade organizers for barring the Pride Center from marching before he ultimately decided not to march Sunday. Lantry wants to sit down with parade organizers to figure out a solution for the coming years and thinks its time for a leadership shakeup within the parade committee. I think its time for a change in the leadership of the St. Patricks Day Parade Committee, Lantry said. Im not sure if thats through certain elements of the Hibernians society, but its time for a change in leadership and I think that needs to be addressed before the next parade." 2021 MAYORAL CONTENDERS VOW TO MAKE PARADE MORE INCLUSIVE IF ELECTED Ahead of the parade, 2021 mayoral contenders Comptroller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams attended the pre-party at Jodys Club Forest and vowed to get the parade to be more inclusive if elected the next mayor. None of these conversations are easy, I dont think on either side there are individuals that are mean spirited, Adams said. I think its about communication and understanding and finding a way that we can hold on to our heritage and allow those who are part of our heritage to also be included as well. I would work very hard to allow this parade to be inclusive, Stringer said when asked if he would be willing to get the parade to be more inclusive if elected mayor. Another mayoral contender, openly gay City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, had urged parade organizers ahead of the march with fellow members of the Councils LGBT and Irish caucuses to allow the Pride Center to march unsuccessfully. He said Sunday that more must be done. Angry as I am, I would continue to try and engage the organizers, Johnson said. For years, it seemed the Fifth Avenue Parade would continue to exclude the LGBTQ community, but we never gave up and it finally happened. I hope the same for Staten Island. I grew up in an Irish Catholic family and so I know how important it is to see the LGBTQ community represented in these kinds of events. Even the Pope has said he is in no position to judge anyone for being gay." Though parade-goers march along Forest Avenue, a public street, cops patrol the event, and Sanitation workers are required to clean up afterward. The police and Sanitation workers are technically only considered city resources designed to benefit parade organizers but are there to protect the public and community, according to New York American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU). The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that private groups can, in fact, determine who can and cannot march in parades if the group wishing to march runs contrary to the message the private group wants to deliver. Because of that ruling, the city cant tell parade organizers who can and cannot march in a parade because it would violate parade organizers First Amendment rights. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. Update: Despite an announcement only days prior, GTC is now being moved to an online only format, due to coronavirus concerns. Original story: NVIDIA has confirmed its annual GPU Technology Conference is on schedule, despite the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus. It has been rumored that this could be the launch place for Ampere. In regard to the virus outbreak, the company says it is taking "precautions" and will monitor the situation closely. 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 Update: After previously announcing that GTC 2020 was still on track, NVIDIA has now announced that the conference will be moved to an online only format. Jensen Huang will still be giving a keynote presentation sometime late in March, though the exact date may change. If one were to speculate, NVIDIA's dedication to delivering this keynote despite the outbreak may lend credence to the rumors that it has something major to announce at the event. The full announcement can be found on the company's website. Original story: In the wake of several cancellations and postponements from other conferences, NVIDIA has confirmed that GTC is still on schedule for March 23rd-26th in San Jose, CA. The GPU giant specified several measures it is taking to help prevent the spread of the disease, which primarily involves the widespread use of disinfectants. The GPU Technology Conference has recently been a place for NVIDIA to focus on AI, data scientists, and automotive, typically putting gaming on the back burner. However, recent rumors have pointed to the potential reveal of NVIDIA's upcoming Ampere architecture and the RTX 3000 series at the event. NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang invited investors to attend in a recent earnings call, saying "you won't be disappointed". If rumors and leaks are to be believed, Ampere will be a major improvement over Turing and could be up to twice as fast. If any announcements are made, we'd expect them on March 23rd when NVIDIA's leather jacket clad CEO will take to the stage for the conference's keynote. NVIDIA's "coronavirus update", including details of the measures the company is taking, can be found on NVIDIA's website. Carmen R. DiRusso, a longtime Teamster and labor coordinator at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, died Thursday of complications from melanoma, more than six years after physicians told him he had just months to live. As an employee of Elliott-Lewis Corp., he oversaw the labor supply for the center, managing the payroll for the stagehands, electricians, laborers, and riggers unions, and serving as a liaison between them and conventioneers. A master at making meatballs, Mr. DiRusso would cook 100 at a time, freeze them, and distribute packages to each household in his extended family, said his daughter, Lea DiRusso. Mr. DiRusso had a burly frame and was widely known as Chubby, a nickname he was given during childhood to distinguish him from his lighter-weight twin brother, Girard. He had a soft heart beneath his imposing figure, his daughter said. When he met someone in trouble, he would offer to help them find a job, once doing so for a stranger whom he overheard worrying about finances while buying a shirt, she said. Mr. DiRusso also was a supporter of the LGBT community, and was welcoming when his son, Carmen J. DiRusso, married a man. And when he learned that his grandson, Ashton, was a transgender male, Mr. DiRusso taught him to shave, his daughter said. He looked like he would be an Archie Bunker kind of guy, she said. He was the complete opposite. Father and daughter shared a grim connection through cancer, both going to Penn Medicines Abramson Cancer Center for regular treatments. Five years after Mr. DiRusso was diagnosed with melanoma, Lea DiRusso was diagnosed in 2019 with mesothelioma, which she attributes to exposure to asbestos from working as a Philadelphia schoolteacher in decaying school buildings. After Mr. DiRussos cancer spread to his brain, he underwent brain surgery and later six treatments with targeted Gamma Knife radiation. He just wanted to keep going, his daughter said. He never complained. He started the Convention Center job in 2003, and was known for rock-solid dependability, said Bill Sautter, president and chief executive officer of Elliott-Lewis. Carmen was truly an institution at the Convention Center, Sautter said. Carmen will be remembered for his personality and, most importantly, his ability to provide the best experience possible for each and every person he interacted with throughout his career. Years earlier, Mr. DiRusso drove a newspaper delivery truck for the Philadelphia Bulletin and later The Inquirer, and ultimately switched to overseeing home deliveries across South Philadelphia. He also owned a newsstand at Eighth and Market Streets, and sold programs at Liberty Bell Park racetrack in Northeast Philadelphia and Brandywine Raceway in Delaware. In addition to his son, daughter, and brother, Mr. DiRusso is survived by his wife, MaryAnn, and grandchildren Ashton and Alysa. Family and friends are invited to a viewing Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Vincent Gangemi Funeral Home at 2232-40 S. Broad St. A funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by Mass at St. Richard of Chichester Church at 3010 S. 18th Street. Germany on Monday confirmed at least 28 new coronavirus cases, bringing the number of infections in Europe's most populous country to 157 from 129 on Sunday, the Robert Koch Institute for disease control said, adding the risk was now "moderate". More than half of the cases - 90 - are in the large western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where several schools and day care centres remained closed on Monday to try to prevent the spread of the virus after staff members tested positive. Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, said that authorities had traced the origin of 140 cases in Germany. Most of the known coronavirus cases in Germany have been mild so far. Authorities have reported no deaths in connection with the new virus. Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Monday it was up to local authorities to decide whether to hold large events in Europe's largest economy after Switzerland on Friday banned events drawing more than 1,000 people due to the disease. "The federal government has formulated some parameters in the crisis committee but...the Infection Protection Act foresees that the decision is in the hands of local authorities," Spahn told a news conference. Germany's ITB Tourism Fair - which was due to take place this week - has been cancelled due to the spread of the coronavirus, organizers Messe Berlin GmbH said on Friday. Vodafone confirmed that one of its German employees was infected with the virus. "We can confirm that several of our employees in the UK have been in contact with a person visiting the office, who has tested positive for the coronavirus," a Vodafone spokesperson added. "As a precautionary measure, we have identified those employees and asked that they work from home." Search Keywords: Short link: People cleaning up the centre following the fires 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 in 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 teenagers remain in police custody. 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 Derry. 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. 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." PSNI Sergeant Michael Hughes appealed for information. SEATTLE, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WCP Solutions celebrates its 90th Anniversary as a company in March 2020; the company has been in business serving customers in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Northern California since 1930. WCP is a privately held, third-generation wholesale distributor that provides products and service solutions by selling paper, packaging, janitorial supplies and equipment. With facilities in Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska, WCP Solutions has released a commemorative video " Proud of our Past, Passionate About our Future " to celebrate 90 years in business. Original WCP Solutions Model A Ford Delivery Truck Circa 1930s. Formerly known as West Coast Paper Company, WCP Solutions was founded by RA (Dick) Abrams on March 1, 1930, and sold basic packaging supplies such as brown wrapping paper, tying twine and bags to the merchants in Seattle's Pike Place and other public markets. He delivered orders out of the back of a Model A Ford to his customers in the Seattle area. Ninety years later, the company is now owned by a third generation of the Abrams family and operates 14 locations throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as in Northern California and Alaska. Today, 90 years after its inception, WCP Solutions is led by Teresa Russell, owner and board chairperson and RA Abrams' granddaughter, and has been family-owned since 1930. Teresa reflects on the company her grandfather started, "My grandfather, I hope, would be very proud of the company. I think he'd be thrilled we're taking care of as many families as we are with the people we employ." Teresa's father, Dick Abrams, the second-generation owner of WCP says "My parents started the company roughly seven years before I was born, so I knew the business from a very young age. For a company to survive in the second generation is somewhat rare, to survive into a third generation is definitely rare. What makes WCP stand out in our line of business is the way we treat our people and our customers." WCP Solutions has released a commemorative video to mark its 90th Anniversary. The video interviews leaders of the company and reflects on both the past 90 years as well as looking to what's ahead for WCP Solutions. "Ninety years is certainly a long time for any company to be in business, but for a company to turn 90 that's still privately held under the same family ownership means that what we're doing is working," says Tom Groves, CEO of WCP Solutions. WCP Solutions is proud to turn 90 by celebrating its relationships with employees, vendors, and suppliers. With customers at the forefront of their business model, Ed Allen, WCP Solutions President says, "When a WCP employee interacts with a customer, it's more than just selling a product. We're providing a solution and developing a long-lasting relationship." As the company celebrates 90 years in business, Dick Abrams, second-generation owner, recalls, "We'll continue to do business tomorrow the way we did it yesterday and the way we're proud to do it today. The company was started as a way to make a living to support a family; now it supports many families." About WCP Solutions WCP Solutions is a wholesale provider of paper, envelopes, packaging supplies, janitorial cleaning and facility supplies, foodservice disposables, and equipment solutions. WCP Solutions is dedicated to providing customer service and product solutions for customers locally in Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. For more information, visit https://www.wcpsolutions.com. Media Contact Nicholas Nieto (877) 398-3030 [email protected] Related Files 2020-02 - 90th Anniversary Press Release.pdf Related Images wcp-solutions-90th-anniversary.jpg WCP Solutions - 90th Anniversary Original WCP Solutions Model A Ford Delivery Truck Circa 1930s. Related Links WCP Solutions 90th Anniversary Video SOURCE WCP Solutions Related Links https://www.wcpsolutions.com Gandhinagar, March 2 : Even though the Gujarat government has claimed to have come out with stringent laws against the slaughtering of cows and illegal beef trade and transportation in the state, over 110 tons of cow meat was seized by the Gujarat Police in the last two years. In March 2017, the state had announced that the slaughtering of cows and transportation of cow meat would be punishable by life sentence. Despite this, after almost three years of the announcement, the Gujarat government disclosed during the ongoing budget session of the Assembly that the Police had seized 100,490 kg cow meat, that is over 110 tons of illegal beef in the last two years. The maximum seizure was from Surat - 55,162 kg. During the same time, the police also caught 3,462 cattle being illegally transported across the state. The maximum number, 747, was seized in Panchmahal district. A number of the BJP-led states, including Gujarat, have tightened laws regarding cow slaughter since Narendra Modi came to power at the centre in 2014. Police responded about 3 p.m. to the 700 block of Quebec Place NW, where they found an unconscious man on the sidewalk who was not breathing. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said police patrol chief Lamar Greene. 8.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said that Democrats should be supporting Trump on the coronavirus as this is not the time for criticism. Grisham said on Fox News, This is not the time to politicize something. This is not the time for media outlets to be using this for clicks and for headlines. For The New York Times to call this the Trump virus, or for Schumer and Warren to falsely claim that there was no plan at all when the CDC had a 52 point page in place, and then Michael Bloomberg as you mentioned using this as a political tool in commercials. Its really disappointing, and it shows a complete lack of leadership, but it shows what this White House is doing, and the focus the White House and this president has. Grisham tweeted above the video a call for supporting Trump: Coronavirus should not be a partisan political issue. It is time for the Dems to support the decisive actions taken by President @realDonaldTrump to ensure the risk to Americans remains low. pic.twitter.com/wn8Z5ZJ030 Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) March 2, 2020 Sarah Jones compiled a list of what Trump has really done: Trump: -closed 37 of 47 Obama anti-pandemic progs in vulnerable countries -got rid of Sr Dir of Global Health Security @ NSC -repatriated infected over objections of CDC -sent fed workers to infected w/o adequate training+protection -got rid of pandemic experts in 2018 https://t.co/de5AWV5VB7 Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 2, 2020 In 2018, Trump called 4 $15b REDUCTION in health spending (previously approved) -w/ funding running out 2018, CDC cut work 2 prevent global disease outbreak by 80% -only 3 labs in entire country had working kits to test month later only 5 states had ability to test Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 2, 2020 Trump doesnt deserve praise for mishandling a pandemic. The White House is demanding that the media not report the truth and that no one in the country is allowed to criticize Trump. None of Grishams comments sound like a democracy where people have the freedom to criticize their government. Donald Trump and his administration have bungled the response to the coronavirus. Instead of preparing the nation for a potential national health emergency, this president is holding press conferences to downplay the problem. The White House has screwed up and they are trying to stop Democrats and the media from telling the American people about it. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the Centre for violence in Northeast Delhi in which 46 people have been killed. Speaking at an event organised by her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday, Banerjee also claimed that she had been told that the violence in Delhi was a planned genocide. I have been told by many persons that its a planned genocide later shown as a riot. Delhi police is under the Centre. There were Delhi police, the CRPF and the CISF. But nothing was done. And BJP is so shameless that they have not even sought an apology, she said while addressing a gathering of party workers at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Monday. Banerjee also asked her party to raise funds to help Delhi riot victims and observed a minutes silence praying for the soul of those killed in the riots. Party workers have been asked to take our rallies condemning BJPs Delhi unit. She also condemned the goli maaro... slogans raised during the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Kolkata on Sunday. The slogan is incendiary, provocative and illegal. All who raised it would be penalised. Its Kolkata, not Delhi. Its Bengal. If we spare a single person, others would be encouraged, the chief minister said. Those who talk about Bengals law and order, tell me why the BJP leader who created the provocations (before the Delhi clashes) have not been booked and arrested. They did it here yesterday and we have picked them up today, she said. Who is a traitor? People will decide. Who are you to decide? she asked. She added that a few persons were already arrested and the police were looking out for the others. She also asked party workers to help identify from media footage others involved in raising the slogan. Identify and inform the police but do not take the law in your own hands, she said. Kolkata police on Monday morning arrested three BJP supporters in connection with the incident of raising the Goli Maaro slogans and booked them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, include non-bailable sections. The TMC had hit back at Shah after he stung the state government on a range of issues and called for its toppling in the 2021 Assembly elections. Rather than coming and preaching #Bengal @AmitShah you should have explained and apologised for failing to save more than 50 innocent lives in #DelhiViolence right under your nose. Mr. Shah, Bengal is better off without bigotry and hatred that BJP is trying to spread, Abhishek Banerjee, the chief ministers nephew and the TMC youth wing chief, wrote on Twitter. The political temperature in Bengal is rising ahead of the April-May civic polls, considered a bellwether for the 2021 assembly polls in the state. Shah on Sunday claimed that the BJP, which has emerged as Bengals second-most-powerful party by bagging 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, against 22 won by TMC, will form the next government in the state with a two-thirds majority. Over one lakh TMC workers would fan out across the state as part of the campaign and make people understand how Banerjee is key for the development and growth of West Bengal and preserving its communal harmony, the party said. The first phase of the programme will be for 75 days. Agartala, March 2 : Sikkim topped among the northeastern states in per capita income with Rs 3.17 lakh while Tripura with Rs 1.54 lakh attained an "excellent increase in per capita earnings", a minister said here on Monday. According to Tripura Law and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath, among the eight northeastern states, Sikkim and Tripura have achieved major success in per capita income and GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product). Quoting the government documents and economists, the minister said that the per capita income in Sikkim is Rs 3.17 lakh followed by Tripura with Rs 1.54 lakh, Mizoram Rs 1.41 lakh, Arunachal Pradesh Rs 1.27 lakh, Nagaland Rs 1.02 lakh, Meghalaya Rs 81,000, Assam Rs 74,000 and Manipur Rs 65,000. "In 2017-18, when the Left Front government ran the state, Tripura's per capita income was Rs 1.05 lakh. Because of the good governance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Tripura rose to 16th position from the previous 21st position among the 37 states and union territories in the country," Nath told IANS. He said that after the completion of the five-year term of the BJP led government, Tripura's per capita income would be Rs 2.26 lakh in 2022-23 and the GSDP would be Rs 95,46,333 crore. According to the minister, the state's current GSDP is Rs 63,466 crore against Rs 44,161 crore in 2017-18, when the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front was in power. He said Tripura's current per year growth is 14.45 per cent. The new government has taken several steps to boost the state's economy by mobilising available resources. "The total tax collection has been increased from Rs 1,915 crore in 2017-18 fiscal to Rs 2,338 crore in the current fiscal year (2019-20), a net increase of 21.82 per cent. "The BJP led government now governing the state had to cope with the Rs 12,902 crore loan burden left by the previous Marxist government. We had to pay Rs 5.56 crore per day to repay the loan and its interest," he added. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb while addressing a function in Agartala said that with the series of pro-active economic measures taken by the BJP led state government, Tripura's per capita income would cross the national average. "The main role of the state government is to achieve self sufficiency of resources and self reliance in vital sectors," Deb said and emphasised on generating income through Self Help Groups (SHGs), cooperatives, micro, small and medium industries. "The state is developing various infrastructure paving the way for increasing employment generation for the common people. Tripura received 13 prizes at the national level in less than two years of BJP governance for its outstanding performance in the field of rural development," the Chief Minister added. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during which they reviewed issues of bilateral interests. Shringla called on Hasina at PM's official Ganobhaban residence here as part of his tour ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned Dhaka visit later this month. "Various issues of bilateral interests featured during their meeting," Hasina's press secretary Ihsanul Karim told the media. Karim said issues of sub-regional connectivity were also prominently discussed at the meeting alongside Modi's upcoming Dhaka trip to join Hasina's father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary celebrations. Shringla lauded Bangladesh's "astonishing successes" in improving socio-economic indices from infant mortality to women's education and from primary health to literacy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 01, 2020] Joint Statement by Mayor of Houston and CERAWeek Chairman on Cancellation of CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2020 A joint statement by the Mayor of Houston Hon. Sylvester Turner and IHS (News - Alert) Markit Vice Chairman and CERAWeek Chair, Daniel Yergin on the cancellation of CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2020: The city of Houston has played host to the annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit energy conference for more than 35 years, attracting thousands of global energy, technology, financial, and environmental executives, as well as senior government officials from around the world. The reason is clear: Houston is the energy capital of the world. Houston is home to CERAWeek and home to one of IHS Markit's main offices, with 500 employees in the greater Houston area. The decision by IHS Markit to cancel CERAWeek 2020 was made after careful consideration following an advisory issued by the World Health Organization about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, a growing concern about large conferences with people coming from different parts of the world and the restriction of travel by a growing number of companies. Nothing specific to Houston led to this decision. The city of Houston reports that there are currently zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the city. The focus of concern was the number of delegates coming to Houston from more than 80 other countries at this particular time of uncertainty. For the same reason, IHS Markit has also cancelled two other international conferences this month scheduled for New Orleans and Long Beach, California. CERAWeek 2020 had been scheduled to begin in one wek. The decision at this time to cancel CERAWeek 2020 and the other two IHS Markit conferences was precautionary to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 in the United States. CERAWeek and IHS Markit are deeply committed to Houston, and CERAWeek 2021 is already scheduled for March 1-5, 2021. CERAWeek benefits from strong partnerships with Houston institutions and companies-ranging from the energy industry to medical centers-and from collaboration with the city itself. Houston will always be the best city to host CERAWeek to discuss the state of the world's energy industry and its future. We look forward to CERAWeek returning to Houston in 2021. Hon. Sylvester Turner Mayor of Houston Daniel Yergin IHS Markit Vice Chairman and CERAWeek Chair About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com) IHS Markit (NYSE:INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 business and government customers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world's leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth. IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd. and/or its affiliates. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners 2020 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved. If you prefer not to receive news releases from IHS Markit, please email [email protected]. To read our privacy policy, click here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200301005065/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Chinese government is threatening to remove visas from journalists as a weapon to intimidate foreign media "like never before", a press group said Monday, following the expulsion of three reporters last month. In its annual report, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said it also feared Beijing was preparing to kick out more reporters, with two journalists this year given working visas of only a single month. At least 12 correspondents received press credentials valid for six months or less -- more than double the number given short-term visas the previous year, in what the FCCC called a record. Resident journalist visas, which are mandatory for all foreign media based in mainland China, are typically issued for one year. "Chinese authorities are using visas as weapons against the foreign press like never before," the report warned, flagging a "continued decline in reporting conditions". Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, China has forced out nine foreign journalists, either through outright expulsion or by non-renewal of visas, the FCCC said. The report also found a majority of journalists surveyed -- 82 percent -- said they had experienced interference, harassment or violence while reporting in China over the past year. Nearly double the correspondents surveyed this year faced difficulty renewing their credentials, and almost all of them believed this was related to their reporting. In late February, Beijing ordered three reporters from The Wall Street Journal to leave the country over what it deemed a racist headline in an opinion piece they were not involved in writing. Deputy bureau chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, both US nationals, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian, were given five days to leave. The reporters had reported on Xinjiang, covering forced labour, surveillance and re-education camps. Last August, China refused to renew the press credentials of Wall Street Journal correspondent Chun Han Wong after he and Wen wrote an article on one of Xi's cousins. The group warned that "hostility toward foreign press is now so pervasive that the most basic elements of journalism are often frustrated in China". The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The 55th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday voting rights march brought most of the Democratic presidential candidates to Selma today, two days before voters in Alabama and 13 other states go to the polls for Super Tuesday. Former Vice President Joe Biden, fresh off winning Saturdays Democratic primary in South Carolina, spoke at the historic Brown Chapel AME Church at its Sunday service. A couple of hours later, a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd jammed downtown Selma for a symbolic march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Four of the top Democratic candidates joined the throng on foot -- former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Biden crossed the bridge in a vehicle. Related: Pete Buttigieg ending his presidential campaign, AP sources say. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, battling cancer, didnt walk the bridge but made an inspirational appearance, hoisted onto shoulders to encourage the crowd. Lewis suffered a fractured skull on the bridge on March 7, 1965, when state troopers and deputies beat and gassed the marchers, shocking the nation and motivating Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. Billionaire and activist Tom Steyer, who dropped out of the race Saturday, spoke at the bridge and assured the crowd he was still determined to see a Democrat elected. Lets show up in November of 2020 and send Donald Trump home to Mar-a-Lago, Steyer said, a reference to Trumps resort in Florida. A crowd packs downtown Selma awaiting the 55th commemoration of the Bloody Sunday march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) Cedric Riley of Montgomery was near the bridge as the dense crowd finally began moving after a long wait on a warm and sunny late winter day. Riley said he hopes the strong turnout for the commemoration carries over into a large turnout at the polls on Tuesday. I hope that something good comes out of it, that the people are really getting a message and just not here for the look and just to go through the motion of doing something, Riley said. Riley said the issues have changed some since 1965 but said the need for civil rights advocacy has not diminished. The way you got it done back then was with the marching of the thousands and thousands of people, Riley said. You may need these thousands and thousands of people now to vote for the people that are for the same causes because theres still a long ways to go. Brown Chapel, the starting point for marchers 55 years ago, beamed its Sunday service onto a large screen atop a trailer outside the church. The crowd filled the street, which was blocked off, and spilled onto both sides. Biden said Brown Chapel was holy ground for all who were involved in the civil rights movement. This was the new cradle of liberty for our nation, the new testament of our American creed, Biden said. And I mean that. Think about it. Blessed by the power and by purpose of those who marched out of this chapel to face whatever awaited them on the other side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Bloomberg also spoke at Brown Chapel and received a mixed reception, the Associated Press reported. Some people in the church stood and turned their backs near the end of his 10-minute speech. Other speakers at Brown Chapel included U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, a Selma native who grew up attending the church, and Stacey Abrams, a former candidate for governor of Georgia. April Mitchell of Alabaster watched the Brown Chapel service from a shady area across the street from the church. Mitchell was there for the commemoration, not to hear the candidates. Im here today because Selma and Bloody Sunday is a historical event and what it means to my race and to my people, Mitchell said. "As it relates to our political candidates, I dont think that you can take one event or one session or one anything to make my decision about who Im going to endorse. So I will take into account who was in attendance. I will take into account what they say. But it wont sway me one way or another. Ill look at the totality of their work. A crowd watched the Sunday service at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma on a large TV screen outside. The church was the starting point for civil rights marchers on Bloody Sunday in March 1965. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was the only major Democratic candidate who did not appear in Selma on Sunday. Daphne Cain of Tuscaloosa was wearing an Elizabeth Warren sticker as she watched the festivities near the bridge. She said it was her first time to attend the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration. It was important to be here because we live here in Alabama. And Selma is so close, for something this historic, we feel like we needed to be here, Cain said. Warren and Klobuchar participated in a candidate forum at George Wallace Community College after the march. The fatal shooting of Jimmie Lee Jackson by a state trooper during a peaceful protest in Marion in February 1965 led to the plan for the march from Selma to Montgomery. Two weeks after Bloody Sunday, marchers started again and reached Montgomery on March 25, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in August 1965. The Associated Press and AL.com reporter Ivana Hrynkiw contributed to this report. The Supreme Court of India (SC) dismissed the curative petition of Pawan Kumar Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, on March 2. A death warrant has been issued against Pawan for execution on March 3 along with the three other convicts. The 25-year-old convict claimed juvenility to seek commutation of sentence to life imprisonment. The curative petition was considered by a bench of Justices NV Ramana, Arun Mishra, RF Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan. Pawan was the last death row convict in the case to move the apex court with his curative petition the final legal remedy available to a person. A 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, who came to be known as Nirbhaya (fearless), was gang-raped and assaulted in a moving bus in South Delhi on December 16, 2012. She died a fortnight later at a hospital in Singapore. The trial court on February 17 issued a fresh date for execution of death warrants for March 3 at 6.00 am for the four convicts Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Singh (31). The mercy petitions of three convicts Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay have already been dismissed by the president. The apex court 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 named as accused. Ram Singh, the sixth accused, allegedly committed suicide 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. (With inputs from PTI) [March 02, 2020] In honor of International Women's Day Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging (SDMI) Launches Women's Imaging Web Page LAS VEGAS, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A Conversation with the Women of Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging (SDMI) is an influential video series where a diverse group of powerful women came together to discuss their opinions on healthcare, business and women. Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging is proud to employ such a leading group throughout their organization and in honor of International Women's Day (Sunday, March 8, 2020), they called on the female doctors, executives, directors and chief technologists, and asked them about the importance of taking a proactive role in your own healthcare, what it means to be a woman in business, who inspires them and more. SDMI was founded by Dr. Leon Steinberg, his son Dr. David Steinberg and business partner Dr. Mark Winkler and from day one they brought in dynamic women, some of which still work at SDMI today, when asked his thoughts on the conversation Dr. David Steinberg was quick to respond, "I am proud to work here," COO, Jerry Hartman echoed his sentiments. ebbie O'Neal-Poole and Lona VanBoven both featured in the conversation series have worked for SDMI for 50 and 41 years respectively, Debbie starting with Dr. Leon Steinberg before SDMI was founded in 1988 and Lona, honored this year with the Healthcare Headliners Lifetime Achievement award, speaks to Debbie O'Neal-Poole as being one of the women in her life who inspires her. Rachel Papka, Chief Health Informatics Officer said in her interview, "Every day I am empowered by the women of Steinberg Diagnostic." Bringing the women together to talk about healthcare will hopefully inspire the women of Southern Nevada to take a more proactive role in their own health and wellness. Many of the women remind us that in order to take care of others we must first take care of ourselves and Dr. Aanshu Shah, Director of Women's Imaging speaks to the advances in medicine, "If we catch it early we can make a significant difference." SDMI offers a wide variety of procedures that are unique to women from annual Screening Mammograms to more advanced procedures like Biopsies. Women can learn about the services offered at SDMI by visiting their new women's imaging section of the website at sdmi-lv.com/womensimaging a page that launched in conjunction with the International Women's Day celebration. The video series can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWFH9X7pVrFM7G3neCdE8o7ZyqV5kUU9F View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/in-honor-of-international-womens-day-steinberg-diagnostic-medical-imaging-sdmi-launches-womens-imaging-web-page-301013795.html SOURCE Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] KC Infrastructure Improvment Guinotte Sinkhole project nears completion The Guinotte Ave. sinkhole project has had Guinotte closed at HighlandAvenue is slated for completion later this week. Contractors werepouring concrete and setting curbs last Thursday and Friday with asphaltwork scheduled to be completed on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. BEST TKC READER SUGGESTED LINK OF THE DAY APPLIES TO KANSAS CITY & EVERYWHERE!!! When states sell out to developers, housing is no longer a human right | Leilani Farha A few weeks ago in Auckland, while getting into a cab, a colleague and I were having an animated discussion about the merits of a capital gains tax. Before greeting us, the driver chimed in with his dislike for any tax on profits from the sale of property. Progressive Panties Panned Shoppers slam Victoria's Secret's 'too late' attempt at diversity The lingerie company has taken a different approach on its social media pages Photos posted this week present a more inclusive tone, with models from diverse racial backgrounds and photos showing size diversity However, bid to become more diverse has been greeted with chagrin by many The brand has faced GET WELL SOON EL PAPA!!! Coughing pope cancels participating in Lenten retreat VATICAN CITY (AP) - A coughing Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. Studios Vs. Strip Malls??? Kansas City Artists Open Storefronts In Neighborhoods So More People Can 'Sit Down And Create' Cynthia Hardeman, a playwright, knew that families along the Troost Corridor enjoyed the Drama Time children's program that she and performer Victoria Barbee created in 2017. The 10-week program, where kids could show up, slip into character and act out a story completely different from their own, was popular. Urban Core Co-work Debuts New shared workspace opens in 18th and Vine District, hoping to attract minority business owners KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City is quickly becoming home to a number of startup businesses and entrepreneurs who are looking to make something big. Now there's a place where they can turn their big ideas and dreams into reality. NextGen Hope This Spring 14 Leap Day babies born at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Fourteen Leap Day babies were born at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission on Saturday. Girls born nearly doubled the boys numbers. Five boys were born compared to nine girls. All babies born received special gifts, onesies and frogs, but a few more need to be ordered, because the number of babies born exceeded expectations. Right nowinspires this quick look at Sunday headlines concerning pop culture, community news and a couple of big picture links:And this is thefor right now . . . Minister of High Technological Industry of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan today received the delegation of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), including Director of the GIZ Private Sector Development and Technical Vocational Education and Training South Caucasus Program Katja Kammerer, newly appointed Program Director Hans-Jurgen Kassens and head of team of the Development of Innovative Tourism and Technologies in Armenia Program Michaela Johanna Weber. As reported the Ministry of High Technological Industry of Armenia, during the meeting, Katja Kammerer presented the programs to be implemented between 2020 and 2023 and to be financed by the European Union. Kammerer also mentioned the SMEDA Support to SME Development in Armenia Program and that the programs that the GIZ will be implementing in the upcoming years will be aimed at enhancing technologies and regional tourism through grants. Minister Arshakyan greeted the guests and expressed gratitude to the GIZ for its activities targeted at the development of technology in Armenia over the past years. Importance was attached to digitization and the development of high technologies. Within the scope of the cooperation with the GIZ, the minister attached importance to the creation of a unified platform for Armenian startups which will provide all beneficiaries, including investors with the opportunity to have a comprehensive picture of the startup eco-system in Armenia. Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg, who turned heads early in the campaign as a fresh face in the race for the White House, has ended his bid for the party's presidential nomination. The 38-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana's run ended two days before Super Tuesday, March 3, a bonanza of primaries in key states ahead of the election. Buttigieg is heading back to South Bend where he will give a speech suspending his campaign, the aide said, following a fourth-place finish in Saturday's South Carolina primary. He narrowly won the Iowa caucuses and finished a close second in the New Hampshire primary. Highlights include: Drill hole SDD-019; 25.2m @ 5.45 g/t gold and 57.8 g/t silver; incl. 13.0m @ 9.38g/t gold and 70.5 g/t silver VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (VLC.V) (Velocity or the Company) announces that it has received results for four additional drill holes for the Sedefche Gold Project (Sedefche), Bulgaria. Velocitys results continue to broadly confirm the grade and tenor of historical results and have identified a number of higher-grade zones like those for drill hole ODD-019 (Figure 1 and Table 1). The results support the potential to fast-track development of the Sedefche deposit along the lines of an existing, permitted Mine Design Plan completed by Bulgarian partner Gorubso-Kardzhali A.D. (Gorubso). Figure 1: Cross Section at Sedefche Gold Project showing results for drill hole ODD-019 and drill holes for which results are pending and planned drill holes. Drill hole locations are shown on Figure 2 below: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/53e87b8e-d448-4257-ae43-df0c9a19727c Velocitys results have returned better grade and tenor than previous results and continue to define a number of higher-grade zones within the existing resource envelope, which were not identified by historical exploration (Figures 1 and 2). Drill hole SDD-019 (Figures 1 and 2) returned a 25.2m intersection grading 6.40 g/t gold (5.45 g/t gold using a 20g/t top cut) and 57.8 g/t silver, including 13.0m grading 11.22 g/t gold (9.38 g/t gold using a 20g/t) top cut and 70.5 g/t silver. Top cutting is done when samples return analysis in excess of 20 g/t gold; in this drill hole being three samples, peaking at a grade of 30.9 g/t gold over 1 meter. Drill hole SDD-018 (Figure 1) returned three significant intersects of 4.0m grading 1.58 g/t gold and 67 g/t silver, plus 6.1m grading 2.17 g/t gold and 92.5 g/t silver, plus 4.7m grading 1.20 g/t gold and 34.8 g/t silver to a depth of 69.1m from surface. Story continues Additional drilling and engineering due diligence is planned with the aim of reaching a decision point on exercise of the Sedefche option in H1, 2020. Table 1: Significant Drill Results at Sedefche Gold Project: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bcd58ca7-32b5-479a-9c2b-6011feb51cec Quality Assurance / Quality Control Velocity have not assessed the Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QAQC) of historical results and as such historical results are not consistent with the standards of disclosure defined by NI 43-101 and may not necessarily be consistent with CIM best practice with respect to reporting. The work program at Sedefche was designed and is supervised by Stuart A. Mills, CGeol, the Company's Vice-President Exploration, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to ALS Global laboratory in Romania. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by fire assay using a 30-gram charge in compliance with industry standards at ALS Romanian laboratory. A sample split of the milled material is shipped to ALS Irish laboratory for multi-element analysis using an inductively coupled Mass Spectrometer. Field duplicate samples, blanks and independent controlled reference material (standards) are added to every batch. Drill intersections in this news release are calculated using a 0.3 g/t gold trigger, a minimum 0.7 g/t gold composite, and a maximum of 1.5 metres consecutive waste. Figure 2: Map of the Sedefche Gold Project, showing the drill traces of completed and planned drilling as well as those for which results are pending. The drill hole locations are displayed on a geological map of the deposit including positions of previous drill collars A section locations is included for Figure 1.: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ca979ec4-7daa-45d8-8697-833b3ed4a414 Qualified Person The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Stuart A. Mills, BSc, MSc, CGeol, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and the Companys Vice President Exploration. Mr. Mills is not independent of the Company. About Velocity Minerals Ltd. Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on southeastern Bulgaria. Velocitys strategy is to develop a low cost centralized Hub and Spoke operation whereby multiple projects within this emerging gold district produce gold concentrates for trucking to a central processing plant for production of dore. The Company envisions staged open pit mining of satellite deposits and processing in a currently operating carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant. Velocity has a 70% joint venture interest in the Rozino gold project and has entered into option agreements to earn a 70% interest in the Obichnik, Makedontsi and Sedefche gold projects, with Gorubso, an established and respected mining company in Bulgaria. Velocitys management and board includes mining industry professionals with combined experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies. About Bulgaria Bulgaria is a member of NATO (2004) and a member of the European Union (2007). The local currency (BGN) has been tied to the Euro since 1999 (1.956 BGN/EUR). The country is served by modern European infrastructure including an extensive network of paved roads. Bulgaria boasts an exceptionally low corporate tax rate of only 10%. The countrys education system is excellent with good availability of experienced mining professionals in a favourable cost environment. Foreign mining companies are successfully operating in Bulgaria. The countrys mining law was established in 1999 and updated in 2011. Mining royalties are low and compare favourably with more established mining countries. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Keith Henderson President & CEO For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Phone: +1-604-484-1233 E-mail: info@velocityminerals.com Web: www.velocityminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future exploration, testing and Initial Drilling and, if applicable, the Additional Drilling carried out at the Project, the exercise of the Option, the entry into of the Joint Venture and any payments in connection with same and the future business and operations of Velocity. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by words such as pro forma, plans, expects, may, should, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, believes, potential or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained gold demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Bulgarian projects, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Companys projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities for Sedefche and the Companys projects generally, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs for the projects, the fact that the Companys interest in Sedefche is only an option and there is no guarantee that such interest, if earned, will be certain, actual results of exploration activities, including the Initial Drilling and, if applicable, the Additional Drilling, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the ability of the Company to obtain access to the CIL Plant and to have ore from the Project (and the Companys other projects) processed at the CIL Plant on profitable terms, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital to fund the Company's business plan, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the TSXV), permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading. "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual management's discussion and analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. Due to the fact that today Ukraine faces challenges in the form of the coronavirus epidemic and the impending global financial crisis, and also does not take the course that the electorate supported in the parliamentary and presidential elections, the Verkhovna Rada needs to systematically and institutionally review what the government is doing, First Deputy Head of the Servant of the People faction Oleksandr Korniyenko has said. "I think that on Wednesday we will have a substantive conversation, ask specific questions: how did it happen that the course that 73% of the population chose and then confirmed it as a great result in the parliamentary elections is the right course and confidence in the president is maintained and trust in the course maintained, but the fact is that people don't feel it in their pockets, people don't feel it in payments, people don't feel it in system reforms," he said at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada's conciliation council on Monday. Korniyenko said he is confident that the government should counter the threats that Ukraine faces today. "Given the security situation that exists: coronavirus, a possible financial crisis, we definitely need to systematically and institutionally review what the government should do. It should turn into a kind of headquarters to eliminate threats," he said. The MP said the idea of enlarging the ministries was unsuccessful and announced a return to the discussion on the creation of a ministry for industrial policy. "The idea of enlarging the ministries did not work out to the end. We've been talking about this for a long time. The idea, in order to remove industrial policy and the economy in general, as a separate line at the level of the deputy prime minister, also didn't work out. We need to return, probably , to the Ministry of Industrial Policy, to such an idea," he said. Korniyenko added: "We will continue to monitor the development of events. Consultations are ongoing. They will be held today. We will gather part of our faction today, maybe the entire faction tomorrow. We will see." Delhi police have denied permission to students for a march from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament against the new citizenship law citing law and order issues, officials said on Monday. The Young India Coordination Committee, which comprises members of various student bodies, had given a call for the march on Tuesday. Police said a request to take out the march was made and it was not granted. "We had submitted the application for permission on February 27 and we were informed today about the permission being rejected. It is a last-minute intimation," said former JNU Students' Union president N Sai Balaji, who was organising the march. "Since many student bodies from other cities are also participating, we will assemble at Ramlila Maidan and see what needs to be done." A senior police officer said the permission has been denied owing to the sensitive situation in the national capital in the wake of communal violence in northeast Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi might have married into the Royal Family, but it's Beatrice who has inherited a title now that the two have tied the knot. The pair secretly wed today at a private ceremony in All Saints Chapel in Windsor, where Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth were present. Princess Beatrice takes a title from the Mapelli Mozzi family, making her a contessa' - the Italian equivalent of a countess. The newlyweds will also eventually inherit Villa Mapelli Mozzi, the sprawling family seat in Ponte San Pietro. Villa Mapelli Mozzi The site is said to have originally held a castle, and the current villa was finished sometime after 1770 by Count Enico Mozzi. It also holds many pieces of the family's artwork. Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi, Edoardo's father, worked internationally as an art curator and also competed in the Winter Olympics as a professional skier. Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi told The Mail On Sunday the pair are very suited to each other and have known each other for a long time" adding he had "never seen him so happy. He continued, Edoardo is the only male descendent taking the family into the next generation. He is a count his wife will be a countess automatically and any of their children will be counts or nobile donna. PA He said at the time that he had not yet met his daughter-in-law saying, "I haven't met Beatrice yet and don't know when I will but I am looking forward to the wedding." He also noted that he had not seen Edo for some time saying, "the last time I saw Edo was briefly last autumn just before the announcement of the engagement. Reuters Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi was previously in a relationship with Dara Huang, and American architect with whom he shares 3 year-old son Christopher Woolf, or Wolfie. A spokesperson recently confirmed that Mozzi had chosen his son to be the best man at the wedding. Highlights Oppo Reno 3 Pro comes with four rear cameras, including a 64-megapixel sensor. It has a 44-megapixel selfie camera alongside a 2-megapixel sensor. The Oppo Reno 3 Pro is priced at Rs 29,990. Oppo Reno 3 Pro is official in India now. The new entrant to the Reno family in India brings a horde of features to the table, including the 64-megapixel main camera and a 44-megapixel selfie camera. The smartphone begins where the Oppo Reno 2 left off but it has got new aspects to it. Unlike the sliding cameras on the Reno 2 series, the Reno 3 Pro relies on the pill-shaped cutout to house the front cameras. The design is also improved but in Oppo's traditional way. Oppo has also announced the launch of the Enco Free and Enco W31 truly wireless earbuds in India that, nearly, take on the Galaxy Buds while with an Apple AirPods-like design. Oppo India also announced that its upcoming Oppo Watch will be launched in India. Oppo also launched its digital money lending and finance platform - Oppo Kash. It is similar to Realme Paysa that was launched last year in India. Oppo Reno 3 Pro Price in India The Oppo Reno 3 Pro has two variants - Rs 29,990 for the 8GB/128GB model and Rs 32,990 for the 8GB/256GB model - in India. The smartphone comes in Auroral Blue, Midnight Black, and Sky White colours. It will be available to buy in India via online channels - Flipkart, Amazon, Paytm Mall, Snapdeal, TataCliQ, and Oppo online store - and offline stores, including Reliance Digital, Sangeetha, Poorvika, LOT, and Croma among others. The base model will be up for pre-orders starting March 2 while its sales will begin on March 6. The top-end variant will be made available later. Oppo had already opened the pre-orders for the Reno 3 Pro a few days back for offline buyers along with some offers from bank partners. These offers will continue with the sale as well - 10 per cent cashback on the purchases made via ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, RBL Bank, and Yes Bank cards. There is also the EMI payment option available on Bajaj Finserv. Oppo Care+ is also bundled with the purchase. Moreover, as many as 1,000 early buyers will get the Enco Free truly wireless earbuds for a discounted price of Rs 2,000 and the wireless speakers for Re 1 with the Reno 3 Pro. There are benefits for Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea customers as well. Oppo Reno 3 Pro Specifications and Features First things first, Oppo phones are synonymous with good cameras, if not the best. This time, Oppo has upgraded its cameras and put them on the Reno 3 Pro. There is a 64-megapixel main f/1.8 sensor on the smartphone, a 13-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto sensor with up to 20x digital zoom and 5x hybrid zoom, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a field of view of 119.9 degrees, and a 2-megapixel monochromatic sensor for portraits. There are two cameras on the front - a 44-megapixel wide-angle sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Oppo has packed features such as the Ultra Night Selfie Mode, AI Noise Reduction, and Dual Lens Bokeh among others. We have talked about that the Reno 3 Pro for India is significantly different from the one that was launched in China back in December last year. Things such as the front cameras and the processor have been changed to lure the Indian customers. Let's see what else the Oppo Reno 3 Pro has to offer. The Oppo Reno 3 Pro has a 6.4-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED display with a dual punch-hole design, although it lacks a higher refresh rate. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P95 SoC, which was recently launched and is marginally better than the Helio P90. The Oppo Reno 3 Pro is the first smartphone to rock the P95 processor. The smartphone packs up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.0 internal storage, along with the option to expand the storage. The Oppo Reno 3 Pro runs Android 10-based ColorOS 7 out of the box. The smartphone is backed by a 4025mAh battery that supports the 30W Super VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 fast charging technology. For connectivity, the Oppo Reno 3 Pro has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 4G VoLTE among others. The smartphone also features Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res audio. The chairman of the Met Police Federation has blasted the decision to probe two officers over alleged dangerous driving and gross misconduct as they 'bravely' responded to the Streatham terror attack. Ken Marsh said the police watchdog's decision to investigate them was 'a complete joke', adding that the two officers had been left 'dumbstruck' by the probe. It comes after the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced today that it will probe their actions following a crash with two other vehicles that injured one officer and a member of the public. Both officers has been travelling in a fast-moving police convoy as they rushed to confront extremist Sudesh Amman after he stabbed two bystanders in south London on February 2. Mr Marsh said it was 'astonishing' that the careers of both officers, who have temporarily been placed on restricted duties, were now 'on the line'. He told MailOnline: 'My colleagues are the bravest people I have ever been involved with, who make split decisions in a second. One of the officers, who was driving an unmarked police car, was involved in a crash with two other vehicles while on his way to the attack, resulting in two injuries Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman was killed after being shot in the neck and abdomen, an inquest heard last week 'The next time you might have 40 dead because they stopped at all the traffic lights and went at 30 miles an hour. These people get up in the morning and go to work to protect the public. They haven't done anything that they shouldn't do. This is beyond anything I have seen in 30 years and if this is the way we want to go, then good luck. We don't run away, we go straight towards it that's what we do. MailOnline understands that both officers were in armed response vehicles which were rushing to the scene following 999 calls made by members of the public. One of the officers, who was driving an unmarked police car, was involved in a crash with two other vehicles while on his way to the attack, resulting in two injuries. The other officer was driving a marked armed response vehicle and was not involved in the crash, instead carrying on to the scene of the attack. Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan and former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan were among those to condemn a watchdog probe into the two officers The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating how counter-terrorism officers came to shoot the Amman, 20, after he stabbed two bystanders on Streatham High Road on February 2 The two officers have been placed on restricted duties and are not allowed to drive police vehicles while the investigation is carried out, with some IOPC probes lasting up to a year. Mr Marsh added: 'The public will be appalled when they hear that brave police officers responding to a terrorist attack can be treated in such a manner. 'What kind of message does this send? These officers and their colleagues put their lives on the line that day to protect the public. Streatham terrorist died of police gunshot wounds to his neck and abdomen Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman was fatally shot by police in the neck and abdomen, an inquest was told last week. Amman, 20, was wearing a hoax suicide vest when he was shot dead by armed cops after he stabbed two people on Streatham High Road, south London on February 2. Moments earlier he had stole a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade from a discount hardware store. He was subsequently shot by surveillance officers, who were monitoring him, outside a Boots store, the inquest opening at Southwark Coroner's Court heard. A post-mortem conducted a day later found Amman died of shock, plus haemorrage caused by gun-shot wounds to the neck and abdomen. The officers approached Amman and saw what appeared to be a suicide belt strapped around him. Specialist officers were called in to examine the vest and it was later confirmed to be a hoax device. Amman had been released a week before after serving half of his sentence of a three years and four months jail term for terror offences. Advertisement 'Now potentially their careers are on the line. It's absurd. A complete joke. 'Our colleagues did not know what danger they were travelling towards as the information emerged in real time about stabbings and threats of a suicide vest and explosives. 'Yet without hesitation they drove towards that danger. Because that's what police officers do. 'And yet now their careers are at risk as the hindsight brigade decide to justify their existence. These people need to understand the split-second and dynamic decisions police officers have to take.' Immediately after the incident, Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid tribute to the 'speed and bravery of the police who responded and confronted the attacker'. Amman, 20, was wearing a hoax suicide vest when he was shot dead by armed cops after he stabbed two people in broad daylight on Streatham High Road. Moments earlier he had stole a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade from a discount hardware store. He was subsequently shot by surveillance officers, who were monitoring him, outside a Boots store. The investigation into the crash is separate to the inquiry into the fatal shooting by police of Amman. A spokesman for watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: 'We are conducting an independent investigation into a road traffic incident involving a Metropolitan Police car which collided with two vehicles while responding to the terror attack in Streatham on Sunday February 2. Two people received injuries. 'On Friday February 28 we served notices of investigation for dangerous driving and gross misconduct on the officer driving the vehicle involved in the collision and on the driver of a marked police vehicle which was in close proximity to the unmarked vehicle but not involved in the collision.' PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 15:53:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 485 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 AGOURA HILLS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Perhaps predictably, since it became an official "Dr. Phil"-preferred facility, the Awakenings Treatment Center has greatly broadened its outreach to those in need of its vital services."Since we've been on the Dr. Phil' show, the calls and admissions from all over the country have picked up significantly," said Dr. Shari Corbitt, founder and CEO of Awakenings Treatment Center, an intensive outpatient care facility that treats people with addictions, eating disorders, chronic pain and other interrelated conditions."With Dr. Phil recommending us on his show, it's bringing greater awareness in general to the neuroscientific treatment that's available for addiction, chronic pain, autism, PTSD and other issues," Corbitt said. "His endorsement of Awakenings Treatment Center is such an incredible boost, to those people struggling out there in their deep need and to us, who are here to help them." Through the "Dr. Phil" affiliation, Corbitt said, "we've been able to help people in the middle of Idaho and in Maryland and in south Florida, just to name a few, who more than likely would not have found us otherwise." Goals in AlignmentThe paths of Awakenings Treatment Center and Dr. Phillip McGraw, the noted TV personality and author, crossed thanks to Dr. Deena Manion. A longtime on-air contributor to McGraw's popular "Dr. Phil" TV talk show, Manion joined the staff of Awakenings Treatment Center last year as its clinical coordinator and began mentioning the Agoura Hills facility and its landmark work on the air with Dr. Phil. In addition, the "Dr. Phil" website lists Awakenings among its preferred facilities, on its treatment resources page.Beyond the notoriety associated with "Dr. Phil," McGraw's knowledge and compassion make Corbitt most appreciative of his support. "Dr. Phil ensures that the right person gets to the right facility, so he's highly strategic in his referral choices," she said.Corbitt also credits Manion for her efforts: "Dr. Deena's critical expertise combined with her presence here and on the show is fundamentally what allows us to partner with Dr. Phil, so we're all working together toward the same goal," Corbitt said. "For all these things, we are so grateful." Awakenings Treatment Center is among the premier addiction treatment centers in Southern California, offering a holistic approach to healing that includes alternative therapies such as breathwork, meditation and mindfulness as well as the latest in neurofeedback, Alpha-Stim and movement therapy. A 13,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, it wends through a full floor of a spacious office building, in a labyrinth of warm, soothing treatment rooms that are individualized to aid each client's needs and path to healing.Awakenings Treatment Center is located at 28720 Roadside Drive, Suite 200, in Agoura Hills. For information on admissions, call 855-717-3268 or visit awakeningstreatment.com/admissions SOURCE: Awakenings Treatment Center The air quality monitoring app is user-friendly, easy to download, install and upgrade. The General Department of Environment under the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has launched application Envisoft to inform environmental indicators on mobile platform, Hanoimoi reported. Some images of Envisoft application. Source: The General Department of Environment The department expects that the new application, which runs on Android and iOS, will be a useful tool to keep the community updated on air quality in their areas of interest. People wanting to learn about the air quality before going out now can do it through Envisoft mobile assistant at their disposal. Besides displaying the air quality index (AQI) updated hourly and providing a graph of the AQI value movement of previous hours and previous days, Envisoft supplies health recommendations in accordance with the AQI value, selects monitoring stations in certain geographic areas, and ranks air quality according to the monitoring stations. First trial experiences have shown that Envisoft is user-friendly, easy to download, install and upgrade. Currently, users can install the Envisoft application by going to the App Store on iPhone or Play Store on Android phones and searching the keyword Envisoft. Or users can also scan a QR code to install the application. Hoang Van Thuc, the departments deputy director, said that Envisoft is a highly-integrated application with many functions such as publishing, monitoring, camera, among others, with a variety of customization options according to users' needs. After being put into operation, Envisoft application will be the official information channel of the central environmental management agency, Thuc added. Hanoitimes Anh Kiet Air quality monitor equipment at schools seeks to raise students awareness of pollution Students of Thanh a Secondary School in HCM Citys Binh Thanh District have greater awareness of air pollution and measures to prevent it after an air quality index monitor was installed in the school a few months ago. There seems to be no end to the controversy generated by the January 14, 2020 Imo State guber Supreme Court judgment. This is as a result of reliable feelers we are getting on the March 2, 2020 Imo State guber Supreme Court review. A source close to the All Progressives Congress (APC) hierarchy has revealed to us a plot to arm-twist the Supreme Court to order a rerun in the controversial 388 polling units where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had maintained that elections did not take place. Recall that INEC had tendered Form EC 40G before the Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal, the Court of Appeal and even the Supreme Court showing that there were no elections in those polling units. But it was surprising to reasonable Nigerians that the Supreme Court ignored INEC's submission and went ahead and allocated 213, 696 votes from these units to Senator Hope Uzodinma who came a distant fourth in the elections. The Supreme Court doesn't have the constitutional powers to allocate votes to candidates in an election. The allocation of these votes increased the total number of accredited voters as published by INEC to 945, 180 which is 121, 437 votes higher than the 823, 743 released by INEC. This is clearly a case of over voting. This also is in addition to the fact that the results of the 388 polling units were apparently wrongfully admitted as it was tendered by a policeman who is not an INEC official. The law says only INEC officials who participated in the very elections in dispute are legally allowed to tender result sheets of the polling units where they worked. However, the Supreme Court also ignored these glaring discrepancies and went ahead to declare Uzodinma winner. According to our source, the APC are mindful of the controversy the flawed judgment had generated both within and outside the country, and as a result have devised a subtle strategy to arm-twist the Supreme Court Justices to give them a soft landing by ordering a rerun in the 388 polling units. In that way, they hope to avoid the imminent sanctions that may follow from the US, EU and the International Community should the judgment go otherwise. However, some prominent lawyers are of the opinion that declaring a rerun would be a worse injustice than the earlier judgment. This according to them, is based on several cogent reasons which includes the fact that the Supreme Court had in an earlier judgment ruled that Hon Uche Nwosu was the authentic APC candidate in the March 9, 2019 Governorship Election. However, he was disqualified for double nomination since he was also nominated by the Action Alliance (AA) as their candidate. The connotation of this judgment is that the APC never fielded any candidate in that election. Therefore on what bases will the Supreme Court order a rerun when the Respondent (Uzodinma) was not a candidate in the election? However, we were also reliably informed by our source that the APC are desperate to retain a State in the Southeast and would try every means possible to pressure the Supreme Court to order a rerun at all cost. According our source, this accounts for the reason Uzodinma visited President Muhammadu Buhari recently to request for a refund of N32bn which he claimed his predecessor and political ally, ex-gov Rochas Okorocha expended on Federal projects in the State. The actual plan is that as soon as the Supreme Court orders a rerun, the Federal Government would release about N10bn to Uzodinma which he will use to fund the rerun election. With N10bn in his war chest, the APC is confident that they would stampede the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and retain their control over the State. Nonetheless many political pundits have advised against the Supreme Court allowing the APC to further drag the noble judiciary in to the pit of ignominy by giving another controversial judgment. They opined that it is pertinent for the Supreme Court to consider the local and international tension which was occassioned by the last judgment and reverse same, so as to douse the tension. Stressing that in failing to do the right thing the Supreme Court may trigger a national and international crisis of high magnitude, which Nigeria may not recover from. They also advised the Supreme Court to refer to late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa's remark that the Supreme Court, though infallible, is still comprised of men who are fallible and as a result prone to mistakes. Oputa also counseled that it is the duty of the Supreme Court to correct such mistakes when identified in order not to legalize what is unlawful. Consequently, it is fit and proper for the Supreme Court to take the path of honour and seize this second chance to redeem it's badly damaged image and save the country further embarrassment, before it is too late. U.S. steel imports dropped year over year in January, but shot up on a monthly comparison basis according to the latest report from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), an association of North American steel makers. According to the AISI, total and finished domestic steel imports are down 9.9% and 33.4% year over year, respectively, in January to roughly 3.14 million net tons and 1.63 million net tons, respectively. However, total and finished domestic steel imports surged 97.7% and 20.4%, respectively, from December 2019. The AISI noted that these figures are based on preliminary Census Bureau data. Finished steel import market share was 17% for the reported month. For December, finished steel import market share was estimated at 15%. The surge in import on a monthly comparison basis was partly due to a significant spike in imports from Brazil. President Trump, in early December 2019, announced that he is restoring tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina. Trump accused these countries of devaluing their currencies which hurt American farmers. The White House had exempted these two countries from the tariffs in 2018 as they continued to negotiate over trade terms. However, the Trump administration later in December backtracked on its decision to reimpose tariffs on Brazilian imports. Brazil is a major exporter of steel to the United States. Tariffs on Argentine steel was also not being enforced. Per the AISI, the biggest offshore suppliers for January were South Korea with 182,000 net tons (up 8% from December), Brazil with 88,000 net tons (up 579%), Japan with 76,000 net tons (up 14%), Spain with 55,000 net tons (up 79%), and Turkey with 51,000 net tons (up 606%). Section 232 Tariffs Drive Y/Y Fall in Imports Notwithstanding the sequential rise in January, imports for the month were still down year-over-year largely reflecting the impact of the 25% tariff on steel imports which the Trump administration had levied in 2018 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The Trump administration, in March 2018, imposed steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, defying a wave of criticism and threats of counter-measures from major foreign trade partners. The tariffs, which have made imports more expensive, are approaching the end of their second year. The tariffs are aimed at rescuing the domestic steel and aluminum industries which had long been reeling under the onslaught of cheap imports and has suffered significant reduction in production and employment. They are, in particular, targeted at countries with which the United States has significant trade deficits. While the tariffs on steel imports badly hit certain major industries including automotive that are key consumers of steel, they provided the long-struggling U.S. steel industry a much-needed shot in the arm. The tariffs boosted production capacity of U.S. steel producers amid lower imports. They have helped U.S. steel industry capacity break above the important 80% level the minimum rate required for sustained profitability of the industry. U.S. steel imports fell roughly 15% in 2019 as a result of the tariffs despite complete exemptions of Canada and Mexico, two major sources of steel imports to the United States. The United States, in May 2019, reached a deal to lift steel and aluminum tariffs from Canada and Mexico. These major trade partners have long been pushing the Trump administration to repeal the tariffs. The deal paved the road for the ratification the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Coronavirus Dampens U.S. Steel Industrys Recovery The U.S. steel industry bore the brunt of a sharp decline in domestic steel prices in 2019. A slump in steel prices and lower demand for the commodity amid the global slowdown hurt bottom lines of U.S. steel companies through the first three quarters of 2019. However, the U.S. steel industry witnessed some recovery in late 2019 on the back of an uptick in domestic steel prices. Driven by consecutive price hike actions by major U.S. steel mills and supply-side actions, U.S. steel prices gained some traction in December. Shares of U.S. steel companies also gained some ground towards the end of 2019 on a recovery in steel prices, after getting hammered for the most part of the year. The de-escalation in trade tensions due to the announcement of the preliminary U.S.-China trade deal also provided a boost to shares of American steel makers. Most of the U.S. steel stocks ended 2019 in the positive territory. However, the lethal coronavirus outbreak has dampened the recovery in the U.S. steel industry. Fears over the epidemic have triggered a broad-based selloff in U.S. steel stocks. Shares of major American steel makers such as United States Steel Corp. X, Nucor Corporation NUE, Steel Dynamics, Inc. STLD and AK Steel Holding Corp AKS have cratered roughly 30%, 27%, 22% and 30%, respectively, year to date. After gaining some upward momentum in December, U.S. steel prices also came under pressure over the past couple of months amid the coronavirus crisis. Coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on China's economy. China is the worlds top consumer of steel. Demand for the commodity in China is expected to remain weak over the near term as the country struggle to cope with coronavirus. The epidemic has slowed down activities in the construction space (a major steel end-use market) in China as workers who returned from the Chinese New Year holidays were being quarantined. Coronavirus-induced panic is also hurting Chinas already weakened automobile sector, another major end-market for steel. Manufacturing activities in the country have also been disrupted due to the shutdowns imposed by the Chinese authorities. The demand environment for steel in China is not expected to get better anytime soon as economic activities in the country are likely to remain subdued through the first half of the year. Nucor, Steel Dynamics and AK Steel each currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), while U.S. Steel has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report United States Steel Corporation (X) : Free Stock Analysis Report AK Steel Holding Corporation (AKS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Nucor Corporation (NUE) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Police in Migori have arrested a 23-year-old woman, who on Thursday, February 27 took to the streets of Migori Town to hawk her two daughters aged 4 and 2 years for Ksh200, 000 each. Shortly before her arrest, Trizah Mossian told K24 Digital that she wanted to raise Ksh400, 000 so that she could buy land in Kampala, Uganda, where her twin sons, who are in Class Five, will build their house later in life. The sons, she said, are being housed by her friend who lives in Kisumu. I am a beggar who occasionally visits the shores of Lake Victoria in Rusinga, Mbita and Migingo islands, where Good Samaritans give me money for upkeep, she said. Once I get the money, I send it to my friend in Kisumu who is looking after my sons, added Mossian. The mother-of-four says her two daughters were sired by two different men, a Kenyan and a Tanzanian man. Mossian further said her twin sons were also sired by a different man. I chose to sell my daughters, and not my sons because I am unable to fend for all of them. I couldnt sell my sons because they are already grown. A witness, Ayub Otieno Omondi, told K24 Digital that the suspect arrived in Migori from Sirare. She sat in an abandoned stall and started hawking her kids, shouting out the price, said Omondi. Police from Migori post arrived and arrested the woman after residents began roughing her up over her decision to sell the children. Mossian is staring at a possible 30-year jail term should she be arraigned and found guilty of attempting to sell her children. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates James Lipton, who plumbed the dramatic arts through perceptive, mostly admiring interviews with celebrity actors as host of the Bravo television series Inside the Actors Studio, died on Monday at his home in Manhattan. He was 93. The cause was bladder cancer, his wife, Kedakai Mercedes Lipton, said. Mr. Lipton was a knowledgeable interviewer who focused on craft while avoiding gossip, winning the trust of his famous guests as well as an international audience. During his 23-season run as host he left the show when it moved from Bravo to Ovation TV in 2019 Inside the Actors Studio became a coveted stop for writers, directors and performers, who would give some of their longest and most unguarded interviews to Mr. Lipton. His manner was sympathetic fawning, to some, and often lampooned but the formula worked, and among the 275 or so stars he interviewed were some of the brightest: Paul Newman, Alec Baldwin, Neil Simon, Sally Field, Dennis Hopper and Sidney Lumet, to name a few and they came along in just the first season. LOS ANGELES March 2, 2020 Saturday, March 28 $400,000 Joyce Lavery Nitin Thakor Los Angeles, CA Tyler Cowart /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions for Healthcare Providers and Payers, announced that it will be a presenting sponsor for the 11th Annual Dancing For Safe Haven along with Community Health Systems and HCA Healthcare/TriStar Health. The charity event will be held on, at the Omni Nashville Hotel, TN. Dancing for Safe Haven is a fun-filled evening of competition, dining and dancing, with last year's event raising overfor Safe Haven Family Shelter.The funds raised last year allowed Safe Haven to reach the organizational milestone of serving more than 300 families. Safe Haven was also able to house 100 families in large part because of the success of last year's Dancing for Safe Haven. For more information about Dancing for Safe Haven, click here."We are truly honored to have GeBBS Healthcare Solutions as a presenting sponsor for this year's Dancing for Safe Haven," said Safe Haven CEO,. "It is inspiring to see so many come together to support Safe Haven Family Shelter in such a meaningful way. The money raised at this event allows us to give more families a place to call home.""We are proud and honored to be part of such a great cause," commented, President and CEO, GeBBS Healthcare Solutions. "Through GeBBS foundation and various client partnerships, we continue to serve those in need with better healthcare, housing, education, and cervical cancer detection."About Safe Haven Family ShelterFor 35 years, Safe Haven has served as the premier shelter-to-housing program in Middle Tennessee that accommodates families experiencing homelessness. Safe Haven leads our community's efforts to house, support, empower and advocate for families, allowing them to stay together. Transformative services focused on housing and employment provide families with the resources to become self-sufficient and successful. For more information, visit http://www.safehaven.org.About GeBBSGeBBS Healthcare Solutions is a leading provider of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) services and solutions in Health Information Management (HIM), Accounts Receivable (AR), and Risk Adjustment outsourcing. GeBBS' innovative technology, combined with its over 8,500-strong global workforce, helps clients improve financial performance, compliance, and patient satisfaction. Headquartered in, GeBBS has won numerous accolades for its medical coding outsourcing and medical billing outsourcing, including being ranked in Modern Healthcare's Top 20 Largest RCM Firms, KLAS, Black Book Market Research's Top 20 RCM Outsourcing Services, and Inc. 5000's fastest growing private companies in the U.S. For more information, please visit http://www.gebbs.com.For more information, press only: Contact, GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, Phone, 310-953-4444 ext. 214 Email: tyler.cowart@gebbs.comSOURCE GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, Inc. Update: North Star Mall re-opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday after closing temporarily Monday for a deep cleaning. A customer who tested positive for coronavirus visited the mall Saturday evening. The shopping center shut down at 2:50 p.m. Monday and had said it would be closed "for approximately 24 hours." Original story: North Star Mall is closing temporarily after its owner learned a customer who tested positive for coronavirus visited the shopping hub Saturday. The mall closed at 2:50 p.m. Monday, and is expected to re-open Tuesday afternoon. On the Express-News: Read more about cleanup efforts at the North Star Mall We were notified this morning by the San Antonio Metro Health of an individual who visited our shopping center and was later found to have tested positive for the coronavirus, said Lindsay Kahn, a spokesperson for Brookfield Properties. Health officials have stated this individual was not exhibiting any symptoms and is considered to be relatively low risk to the public, Kahn added. While the shopping center had been cleaned several times using CDC-recommended products, as an abundance of caution, we made the decision to close North Star Mall temporarily to allow for a further deep cleaning of the center. An evacuee from Wuhan, China, who had been under quarantine was released Saturday from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease after twice testing negative for the virus. The results of a third test showed she was weakly positive for the virus, forcing officials to retrace her steps during the roughly 12 hours she was in the community. The woman told health officials she went to a Holiday Inn near San Antonio International Airport and spend about two hours at North Star Mall. She stopped by Dillards, Talbots and Swarovski, and ordered food from a Chinese restaurant before eating alone in the food court. Metro Health officials said she was not in close contact with anyone at the mall. About two hours before Brookfield announced the temporary closure, employees at the mall wiped down chairs and tables at the food court, and and restaurant managers said they were told janitorial staff would come by to deep-clean the countertops at their stations. The news will likely affect business, but theres nothing you can really do, said Michael Saidi, who runs Opah Greek Flavor, a 30-year tenant at the food court. Another restaurant operator, who asked not to be identified, said he was upset about the malls slow response to potential exposure. We didnt hear anything, and we still havent heard anything from management, he said. I was here on Saturday, all day. There were a lot of people here that day. Madison Iszler covers retail, technology and tourism in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | Madison.Iszler@express-news.net | Twitter: @madisoniszler Industry veteran David Leckie is consulting for Seven in a part-time capacity, according to Sydney Confidential. Leckie was brought into the fold by CEO James Warburton to consult for a few hours a week, last year. Warburton said: Ive been speaking to him regularly since I returned to Seven and have formalised those conversations into a part-time consulting role, where David can act in a mentoring capacity to a small number of key executives in the business. Leckie stood down as Seven West Media CEO in 2012, replaced by Tim Worner, but remained a consultant until 2016. RBL Bank and Zomato on Monday launched a co-branded credit card, powered by Mastercard, in a bid to tap the potential of online food delivery market which has been expanding beyond big cities New Delhi: RBL Bank and Zomato on Monday launched a co-branded credit card, powered by Mastercard, in a bid to tap the potential of online food delivery market which has been expanding beyond big cities. The co-branded card, which comes in two variants -- Edition and Edition Classic, will offer benefits such as Zomato Gold membership, cash back as well as airport lounge access. Customers will get Zomato credits on every use, both online and offline. With this launch, RBL Bank hopes to further scale its operations in the rapidly growing credit card business, while Zomato and Mastercard will reach untapped customer segment, the companies' officials said here at the launch. RBL Bank has over 25 lakh credit card holders currently. The partnership, an addition to the lender's co-branded credit cards business, will be beneficial as online food delivery has witnessed a growing trend, Utkarsh Saxena, Head Products-Credit Cards, RBL Bank said. He said it will be a huge opportunity for the bank to offer an innovative experience for its customers. Pradyot Ghate, Vice President - Product, Payments and Partnerships, Zomato said, "The Edition Cards have been specially made for those who are always exploring food across the globe...a unique co-branded credit card which rewards card holders with every transaction - be it on the Zomato app or at a restaurant." Mastercard's Senior Vice President, Market Development, Rajeev Kumar said the company is increasingly tapping the co-branded space, and more millennials are adopting credit cards in tier-II and III cities. "With evolving lifestyles and preferences, an increasingly large number of Indian consumers are ordering food online. A co-brand card proposition has the potential to provide a significant value to consumers," he said. By Ulf Laessing BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament adjourned a session to approve the cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi for the second time in days on Sunday because not enough lawmakers had turned up to make any vote official. Lawmakers had already failed to agree on a new government on Thursday, prolonging deadlock and delaying attempts to resolve unprecedented mass unrest and has stalled the countrys recovery from years of war By Ulf Laessing BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament adjourned a session to approve the cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi for the second time in days on Sunday because not enough lawmakers had turned up to make any vote official. Lawmakers had already failed to agree on a new government on Thursday, prolonging deadlock and delaying attempts to resolve unprecedented mass unrest and has stalled the countrys recovery from years of war. Political infighting and alleged widespread corruption have crippled Iraqs efforts to recover from two U.S. invasions, sanctions and the war to defeat Islamic State in 2017. The country faces a mass protest movement that broke out in October and brought down former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi two months later. His cabinet has stayed on in a caretaker capacity. The protests, which first demanded jobs and services, quickly turned into calls for the removal of Iraqs entire ruling elite. Protesters oppose Allawi because they view him as part of the system they want to bring down. Lawmakers have until Monday to agree a cabinet or President Barham Salih will need to designate a new candidate for prime minister, according to the constitution. Abdul Mahdi issued a statement late on Sunday denying social media reports that he wanted to stay on, saying he will announce his intentions on Monday after the deadline had passed. Security forces and powerful militia groups have shot dead hundreds of mostly unarmed demonstrators. Around 500 people have been killed in unrest since October, most of them protesters, according to a Reuters tally from medics and police. On Sunday, security forces killed one person and wounded 24 at an anti-government protest in Baghdad, a police source said. The number of protesters has reduced somewhat, but demonstrations continue on a daily basis. Allawi issued a long list of promises when he was nominated this month: to hold early elections, punish people who killed protesters, end foreign interference and check the power of non-state armed groups - an ambitious programme for a prime minister who has no particular party behind him. Abdul Mahdi became beholden to the interests of Iran-backed Shiite Muslim paramilitary groups and other parties that have a strong representation in parliament and control government posts. Government officials say Allawis cabinet selection was heavily influenced by renegade Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has gained from the general chaos in Iraq after the United States killed a senior Iranian commander in Baghdad in January. Sunni and Kurdish political groups who stood to lose portfolios in a cabinet of ostensible independents have vehemently opposed Allawis choices. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing, Ahme Abouleinem and Baghdad newsroom; Editing by Mark Potter) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. For 24 seasons, "Judge Judy Sheindlin has reigned as the stern, hallowed matriarch of what has become the most watched courtroom in daytime television. But this coming 25th season of Judge Judy, Ms. Sheindlin said, may very well be her last. In an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing on Monday, she said that CBS would be airing reruns after the coming season ends next year. She also raised the possibility that she would compete with Judge Judy with a new show. In a statement to The New York Times on Monday, Ms. Sheindlin suggested that her breakup with CBS was not necessarily a smooth one. CBS has been a fine partner for 20-plus years, Ms. Sheindlin, 77, said in a statement to The New York Times. They have decided to monetize their Judge Judy library of reruns. I wish them good luck with their experiment. The Florida Amateur Driving Club hosted its annual Tetrick-Miller Pro-Am competition at Pompano Park on Sunday night (March 1), and it was Team Tetrick that edged Team Miller benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation and New Vocations. Steve Oldford was the star of the evening, as he guided two winners in the three-race competition, while Ron Cusimano kept the Miller team in the ballgame with a win, as well. Representatives from Make-A-Wish and New Vocations were on hand to receive their donations from the Florida Amateur Driving Club in the Miller-Tetrick Pro-Am Competition at Pompano Park. Representatives from Make-A-Wish and New Vocations were on hand to receive their donations from the Florida Amateur Driving Club in the Miller-Tetrick Pro-Am Competition at Pompano Park. Oldford's Mego Moss captured the opening leg of the competition, as he gave his 11-year-old gelded son of Amigo Hall a picture perfect drive. He zipped his warrior out of the cozy pocket with five-sixteenths of the mile remaining, and went on to an insurmountable lead. He coasted to the wire in 1:57, which was a personal seasons best. The victory was the 36th career win for Mego Moss, who has banked $409,482 during his 205-start career. UKnow What To Do, with James Dunn in his sulky, was next, followed by High Blue, driven by Captain David Miller. Mego Moss paid $17.60 to his faithful. About 22 minutes later, Ron Cusimano sent Everyones Talkin off the wings in a hurry and scored a wire-to-wire win in 1:57.1. The duo carved out panels of :28.1, :58 and 1:27.3 along the way. Santini (who was steered by Oldford) was next, followed by the Jamie Marra-driven Glide In The Wind. Cusimano co-owns the Jake Huff trainee with the consortium of Angelillo, Tanzer and Sirianos. The nine year-old gelded son of Donato Hanover won for the 28th time in his career, which sent his bounty to $$285,918. As the even-money chalk, Everyones Talkin paid $4.20 to his multitude of followers. With but one point separating the two teams going into the finale, Oldford took care of business, again. He drove one of his own, Smart Flight, on a wire-to-wire mission, which landed him a scant head up at the wire in 1:58.1. War Cry Hall finished second for Leon Cable, while Skyway Jaguar, driven by Ron Cusimano, was a fast-closing third. As second choice on the board, Smart Flight paid $8.20 to win. After the official sign was posted, the festivities continued in the winner's circle, as Tetrick and Miller helped presented $4,000 cheques to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and New Vocations. Oldford said in the winner's circle that "David and Timmy have been so valuable in making his a yearly tradition and, in doing so, this shows what harness racing can do for the community and far beyond." Miller explained that the Make-A-Wish Foundation is very close to his heart, and said "it's really wonderful that this wonderful organization can fulfill the dreams of children in need. It's a wonderful feeling that our sport can have such a positive influence in our society today." Tetrick, similarly, sung the praises of New Vocations, which has helped thousands of horses find new homes after their racing careers are over. He lamented, "A good example of their wonderful work hits right here as Hurricane Howard and Just Like Lloyd, both that have raced here at Pompano Park, have found new homes after their career in racing." The Florida Amateur Driving Club has donated well over $200,000 to charitable causes since its inception over $50,000 over the past five years, alone. As Spriggs said, "This is only possible due to the generosity of our members who donated all of their earnings from driving so we can have a positive impact in our society through our grand sport." (Florida Amateur Driving Club) She believes authorities should change the way they test applicants' Slovak language skills. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Slovakia needs to change how it tests the Slovak language skills of applicants for Slovak citizenship, the country's ombudswoman believes. The Slovak language test is an integral part of gaining Slovak state citizenship. Ombudswoman Maria Patakyova has drafted a proposal with concrete changes to citizenship law in this area. She believes current legislation does not set unambiguous rules for evaluating the language skills of the applicants. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Related article Related article FAQ: State citizenship of the Slovak Republic Read more "The process and the way the testing is carried out does not adhere to the principle of equality, impartiality and legal certainty," Patakyova opined. Interior Minister Denisa Sakova has rejected the proposed changes, arguing that the current laws are sufficient. The ombudswoman has decided to initiate a wider public discussion about this issue. Ombudswoman proposes changes Nokias Board of Directors has appointed Pekka Lundmark as President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia. Lundmark is expected to start in his new role on September 1, 2020. Lundmark is currently President and CEO of Fortum, a leading energy company based in Espoo, Finland, where he consistently delivered robust total shareholder returns, successfully renewed the companys strategy, and positioned it to be a strong player in the transforming global energy sector. Prior to Fortum, Lundmark served as President and CEO of Konecranes, a global material-handling technology leader, and from 1990-2000 he held multiple executive positions at Nokia, including Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Nokia Networks. Lundmark holds a Master of Science degree from Helsinki University of Technology. He will be based in Espoo, Finland. With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia, said Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia Board Chair. He has a record of leadership and shareholder value creation at large business-to-business companies; deep experience in telecommunications networks, industrial digitization, and key markets such as the United States and China; and a focus on strategic clarity, operational excellence and strong financial performance. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Nokia, an extraordinary company that has so much potential and so many talented people, said Lundmark. Together we can create shareholder value by delivering on Nokias mission to create the technology to connect the world. I am confident that the company is well-positioned for the 5G era and it is my goal to ensure that we meet our commitments to our customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. Strong values, leading innovation and unflinching commitment to our customers have always been core to Nokia and I want to put this even more at our center as we move forward. Rajeev Suri, Nokias current President and CEO, indicated earlier to the Board that he was considering stepping down from his role at some point in the future, provided a solid succession plan was in place. Nokias Board of Directors has conducted a structured process for CEO succession and has been working closely with Suri to develop internal candidates and identify external candidates. That process culminated today, March 2, 2020, when Nokias Board of Directors made the decision to move forward with Lundmarks appointment. After 25 years at Nokia, I have wanted to do something different, said Suri. Nokia will always be part of me, and I want to thank everyone that I have worked with over the years for helping make Nokia a better place and me a better leader. I leave the company with a belief that a return to better performance is on the horizon and with pride for what we have accomplished over time. Pekka is an excellent choice for Nokia. I look forward to working with him on a smooth transition and wish him the best success in his new role. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors I would like to thank Rajeev for his many contributions to Nokia, where he has served with both honor and distinction, said Siilasmaa. Rajeevs loyalty, commitment, and deep personal integrity have served as an example to all of Nokia. I know that Rajeev will, like myself, always have Nokia blue running through his veins. Suri will leave his current position on August 31, 2020 and continue to serve as an advisor to the Nokia Board until January 1, 2021. During his tenure as CEO of Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks, Suri led a significant consolidation of the telecommunications infrastructure sector; a fundamental turnaround of Nokia Siemens Networks including the disposal of multiple non-core assets; massive growth in the companys highly profitable patent-licensing business; the integration of Alcatel-Lucent; and successful diversification into new software and enterprise markets. Under his leadership, Nokia became one of the top two players in telecommunications infrastructure, rising from a number four position, with the scope and scale for long-term success. Pekka is the right person to lead Nokia in the coming years, said Sari Baldauf, Nokia Board Vice Chair and Chair nominee. I look forward to working closely with him and Nokias leadership team to build an even stronger company, one well positioned for the future. I would also like to extend my personal thanks to Rajeev, continued Baldauf. He has been at the heart of a dramatic transformation of Nokia into one of the top players in the telecommunications infrastructure industry. His time at Nokia has been characterized by significant achievements, a relentless customer focus and a clear commitment to building a company culture based on both performance and respect. Rajeev leaves Nokia with my gratitude and appreciation for all he has done for the company. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of being anti-farmer, a day after people in Mirzapur opposed construction on land acquired by the government for a freight corridor. In a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi attaching a video said, "The farmers of Mirzapur had planted their crop with hard work and police in the BJP government crushed their standing crop." "Yesterday, the chief minister and the prime minister had made a lot of false announcements for farmers and not even 24 hours have passed and see the behaviour with women farmers. The BJP is full of anti-farmer feelings," she added. Priyanka's tweet comes after farmers at villages in the Adalhaat police station area on Sunday opposed the construction of the dedicated freight corridor by lying in front of earth-moving machines of the construction agency. Though farmers alleged that police resorted to a lathi-charge, resulting in injuries to nine of them, the district administration has refuted the claims. According to Chunar SDM Jung Bahadur Patel, the land for the project was acquired in 2009 and the compensation was paid to farmers in 2013-2014. "In the revenue records, the Railways has been shown as the owner of the land since 2014," DM Sushil Kumar Patel said. "The farmers had then promised that once the standing crop was harvested, the work on the freight corridor could be started but they sowed their fields again," the DM said. On Saturday, senior district officials had gone to the villages to ask the farmers to allow the construction work but they insisted that they will get the land measured after harvesting their present crop. The company has been insisting that this was delaying the work and the construction cost is rising, SDM Jung Bahadur Patel said. "The farmers' protest on Sunday was led by women and there was no lathi-charge," the SDM stressed. National president of Bharatiya Kisan Sena Ramraj Patel alleged that nine people, including three women, were injured in police action. A delegation of farmers Monday met the district magistrate and handed over a memorandum demanding immediate stopping of work, compensation at the current prevailing rates and government jobs for those whose land has been acquired. Meanwhile, Congress state unit vice-president Laliteshpati Tripathi said police indulged in a lathi-charge on farmers and his party will fight for them at every level. "The project is late by years and there should not have been any problem in waiting for another month," Tripathi added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two more African countries, Senegal and Tunisia have confirmed cases of the deadly Coronavirus. Senegals Health Minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, said on Monday that the country has confirmed its first case of coronavirus. The patient is a French man who lives in Senegal and flew back from France on 26 February, Mr Sarr told a press conference in the capital, Dakar. The patient reported to a private hospital on 27 February with symptoms, including a headache. The authorities are monitoring everyone who travelled on the same flight as well as the patients family. The minister said the country was prepared to deal with the virus, pointing out that Senegal had the facilities to test for the coronavirus. This is the second case in sub-Saharan Africa after one was confirmed in Nigeria last week, BBC reports. Also, Tunisia confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus, the countrys health minister told journalists on Monday. Abdelatif el-Maki said the patient was a 40-year-old Tunisian man, who arrived in the country by boat from Italy on 27 February. He and the other passengers had been advised to monitor themselves. When his fever spiked, he contacted emergency services. In Africa, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Senrgal and Nigeria have all confirmed cases of the virus. Hong Kong: CE visits various departments Chief Executive Carrie Lam today visited the Immigration Departments Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit to thank officers for their work and inspected the gradual resumption of more public services at the Water Supplies Department. Accompanied by Secretary for Security John Lee, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip, and Director of Immigration Tsang Kwok-wai, Mrs Lam learnt about the assistance the unit provided to Hong Kong residents in distress outside Hong Kong, in particular their experience in supporting Hong Kong residents in Hubei Province and on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. She then joined the briefing for officers headed to Hubei Province to help Hong Kong residents catch chartered flights back to the city. Regarding the Diamond Princess cruise ship operation, the Immigration Department sent 70 officers to Japan, of which 23 remain there to provide support for more than 80 Hong Kong residents hospitalised or under quarantine in 11 prefectures or cities across Japan. The remaining officers are there to learn more about the patients hospital situation and arrange their return to Hong Kong. Mrs Lam praised the officers for their bravery and commitment to their duties and Hong Kong people, adding they deserve deep respect. She said immigration officers will continue to help Hong Kong residents still in Hubei Province to return to the city in an orderly manner. With more than 3,000 Hong Kong people in 37 large and small cities in the province where public transport has yet to return to normal, coupled with special circumstances involving pregnant women and seriously ill patients, the operation is more challenging, she added. Noting that some officers helped with the return of Hong Kong people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, Mrs Lam expressed hope that they would make use of their valuable experience to complete the important Hubei Province mission. Mrs Lam, accompanied by Secretary for Development Michael Wong and Director of Water Supplies Wong Chung-leung, also visited the Water Supplies Departments Head Office in Wan Chai to inspect the gradual resumption of public services with preventive measures in place. In addition, Mr Lee visited the Immigration Departments Hong Kong Registration of Persons Office to observe staff carrying out the gradual resumption of public services there. This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Ukraine does not want to delay the next meeting in the Normandy format, but it would like the agreements the leaders of the four countries, i.e., France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine, reached at their meeting in Paris in December 2019 to be implemented as much as possible, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said. "We also believe that as many of the agreements reached as possible should be implemented. Unfortunately, in the Russian system, in which virtually any matter depends on the president, a meeting with the Russian leader is extremely important for further progress. This is exactly why we don't want to delay this meeting. But Russia, perhaps, also understands this when it says that a meeting hasn't been planned thus far," Prystaiko said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Monday. Of the seven agreements reached among the leaders of the countries involved in the Normandy-format talks, only those concerning the exchange of prisoners have been "more or less implemented," he said. "We're very happy that this has happened and hope that the next exchange will return nearly 200 Ukrainians from detention. As for the six remaining agreements, no success has been made, even on a ceasefire, which is evident from the death of another one of our serviceman," Prystaiko said. The leaders did not specify a particular date for the next summit in the communique of the Paris meeting, and this is why there has been regular speculation on the matter, he said. "Therefore, we're making plans and working, but this doesn't necessarily have to happen in April," Prystaiko said. The April 5 referendum for constitutional amendments is the logical continuation of the revolution, and even though this comes late, there will finally be a Constitutional Court that will enjoy the trust of the people. This is stated in the statement issued by the Sweden-based Assembly of Armenians of Europe. The statement reads as follows: Dear compatriots, in the current situation, the only option and opportunity to solve the crisis in the Constitutional Court is to let the people decide through a referendum. Thus, by taking advantage of your right to expression of free will, participate in the referendum in order to achieve one of the major goals of the revolution, that is, the functioning of institutions of a democratic and legal state and the establishment of power of the people. The Assembly of Armenians of Europe CALLS ON showing active participation and liberating the last bastion of the former regime by saying YES to the amendment to the Constitution. We call on citizens of Armenia living abroad to travel to Armenia and participate in the nationwide referendum, if possible. Since, according to the existing Constitution, citizens of Armenia living abroad dont have the opportunity to participate in referenda and elections and since it is impossible to restore their right quickly, we offer the authorities of Armenia to take a symbolic step and provide Armenians in certain large communities of the Diaspora with the opportunity for SYMBOLIC participation in the referendum. Taking this experimental step will create an opportunity and help Armenians of the Diaspora become self-organized and help them be more aware of public and political life in Armenia. The workers meet of the JD-U at Gandhi Maidan in Patna in the midst of the ongoing Budget session of the Bihar legislature is set to hot up politics in the state, for it has clearly laid down the contours of alliance. It came on the heels of the JD-U national president and chief minister Nitish Kumars recent posturing in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha, which flummoxed the Opposition RJD as well as a section of the ally BJP alike as they found themselves on the same page against NRC-NPR and in favour of caste-based census. At the 24th Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Odisha, Kumar also reiterated the demand of special status for Bihar. Kumars meeting with leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav twice in the Assembly also added spice to various political theories doing the rounds, while the RJD leader too, with his somewhat mellowed approach, tried not to refute anything. On Sunday, the birthday of Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi also greeted him and addressed him as Abhivavak. However, Kumars clear assertion on Sunday that not much should be read into his meeting with Tejashwi and that the NDA would win over 200 seats in the Assembly elections is an attempt to put a lid on any more conjectures, but not before snatching the two contentious issues of NRC and caste-based census from the fragmented Opposition. Only a couple of days ago, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi also termed Nitish as the most capable candidate for the CM post. RJD MP Manoj Jha said that he was not surprised. We have always maintained Nitish Kumar has mastered the craft of doublespeak. While under pressure from the movement all over Bihar as well as Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, he agreed for a resolution on NRC-NPR and caste-based census, though his politics and personal do not appear committed to those causes. His only ideology is to retain power. At the end of the day, he will be remembered as a politician with no credibility whatsoever, he added. Though BJP has all along been confident that the alliance was strong and in favour of all the three partners, as demonstrated during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when NDA bagged 39 of the 40 seats, some of the leaders within the party admit that Nitish could be playing his cards well to demonstrate his undisputed position in Bihar politics, which is a reality. JD-U spokesman and Bihar information and public relations minister Neeraj Kumar said, It is a clear reminder to Doubting Thomases that Nitish Kumar cannot be ignored in Bihar, as he is the voice of the masses who have started relishing positive change. It was a workers meet to acquaint them with CMs line of thinking, not a rally as some try to project it, he added. He said that during the 2015-19 period, there has been significant growth in the JD-U vote share and it would show further improvement in 2020 to silence those who said that JD-U has leader, but not enough organisational strength. Between 2015 and 2019, there has been a phenomenal 39% increase in JD-U vote share, he added. However, Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said that the poor attendance at the JD-U workers meet had exposed the parties organisational setup. Against the claim of two-three lakh workers coming to Patna, it was less than 10% of their own claim, he added BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand was also quick to say that a united NDA would once again repeat its 2019 Lok Sabha performance and sweep 2020 assembly polls under Nitish Kumar. BJP is committed to the agenda of national building and it does not need teaching from parties that play politics of caste and Muslim appeasement. They (opposition) tried to create rumour to hide the fight among Grand Alliance partners, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sen. Amy Klobuchar is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race. The Associated Press reports Klobuchar, a Democratic senator from Minnesota, is ending her bid for U.S. president on Monday. The AP also reports Klobuchar plans to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary. Klobuchar joins former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and billionaire Tom Steyer in ending their presidential bids before Super Tuesday. Their departures whittle the Democratic presidential field to five candidates: Biden, Mike Bloomberg, Tulsi Gabbard, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. According to NBC, Klobuchar had success campaigning as a moderate Democrat who would get things done, famously launching her campaign during a snowstorm in February 2019. She finished third in New Hampshire, but did not have similar success in South Carolina, where Biden scored a large victory. Klobuchar is expected to endorse Biden at a rally in Dallas later Monday. Polls will open Tuesday in 14 states, including Minnesota, for Super Tuesday. Klobuchar was reportely projected to perform well in her home state, but not any others. New York presidential primary 2020: What you need to know Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:10:20|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A total of 14 militants affiliated with the Taliban outfit have given up fighting and joined the peace process in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday, said a provincial government statement Monday. According to the statement, the former militants who were involved in anti-government activities in Shirzad, Khogiani and Mohmandara districts of the province over the past couple of years have handed over their weapons to security forces and vowed to contribute in bolstering peace in their areas. Welcoming the former militants, Nangarhar's provincial governor Shah Mahmoud Miakhil called upon more militants to follow the step and give up fighting. The Taliban outfit, which signed a peace deal with the United States on Feb. 29 to pave the way for the withdrawal of the U.S.-led coalition forces and end the war in Afghanistan, have not commented. Protests and riots impact businesses in a society in varying degrees, and India needs to solve problems it is grappling with in a "democratic" manner, global beverages major Coca-Cola's Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Quincey said on Monday. IMAGE: Security personnel inspect the riot-hit areas in northeast Delhi's Bhagirathi Vihar. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo. He added that democracy is a big attribute that makes Coca-Cola look at India as a market with long-term potential. India is currently the fifth-largest market by volume for the company and it is aiming for doubling of sales in the next five years to become the fourth largest, he said. Replying to a question on the recent spate of protests and riots, he said, "If there are disruptions in the functioning of a society, there will be some degree of problems for all businesses." "India is a vibrant democracy and it needs to work out what is going on. It is hoped that things get worked out in an appropriate democratic manner," he added. He told reporters that it took 21 years for the company to achieve the mark of 1 billion case unit sales in a year in 2019, and it is targeting to take the same number up to 2 billion units in five years. There has been a strong growth in India on carbonated drinks in 2019, he said. A company executive added that it has reduced the sugar content in Maaza and Thums Up products over the past eight months. When asked about the slowdown, he said the company does not get affected by a quarter of either uptick or downturn in sales and added that it feels 2020 will see a surge in sales. To a question on the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, he said it does not see significant impact due to supply chain issues but hinted that it can get affected if the issues prolong. There is also resilience in the business because of its localised nature in every geography that it operates in. In recent months, there have been protests in various parts of the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act. There were also riots in the national capital last week. Opposition continues to grow to the decision by University of California officials to fire roughly 80 striking grad students at UC Santa Cruz, who have refused to submit grades until their demands for a cost-of-living increase is granted. Last week the strike spread to graduate students at UC Davis (UCD) and UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), with students in at least one department at UC Berkeley announcing a sympathy strike. There are major protests and grad student assemblies being held today in Santa Cruz, Davis, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Diego and other UC campuses. Last Friday, UC President Janet Napolitano, the former US Secretary of Homeland Security under President Obama, and other UC officials terminated the students, making it clear that their major crime was defying the labor agreement signed by the United Auto Workers last year, which enforces poverty wages and a no-strike clause. The graduate students chief demand is a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), ranging from about $1,400 to $1,800 per month depending on the campus, to cover the skyrocketing cost of rent in California. The majority of graduate students at multiple UC campuses spend over 50 percent of their salary on rent. As support grows on and off the campuses, the unions and the Democratic Party are working hard to contain the strike and prevent it from spreading off campus and triggering a broader movement of the working class. The UAW has publicly stated it will not defend the strikers for any activity not covered by the contract. After the firings, the UAW filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The complaint, however, is not over the unjust and vindictive firing of the grad students. Instead it complains that the administration had agreed to negotiate with the grad students who were acting outside of the legally sanctioned labor-management relationship. The UAW and other unions are complicit in the strikebreaking action of Napolitano, which is backed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, billionaire Richard Blum (husband of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein), and the rest of the Democratic Party-appointed UC Board of Regents. Kaycee, a second-year undergrad at UCSC majoring in literature, told the World Socialist Web Site, I am in solidarity with the strikers because the wages we earn are unfair compared to the amount that the university demands from us. Continuing the strike and spreading it would tremendously increase the odds of COLA demands being met. She explained that she took two days off work at the dining hall in support of the grad students on strike and was written up and penalized for doing so and may lose her job. The grad students are putting their careers on the line to win their demand for COLA, and I felt I had go out in support even at the cost of losing my job. Faced with a potential explosion of popular opposition to the firing of the strikers, various left factions of the Democratic Party and the trade union apparatus are attempting to steer students and workers back into harmless political channels and snuff out the strike. Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders denounced the dismissals as union busting, an absurd term given that the UAW supports the firing. This only demonstrates that Sanders chief concern is that the strike be contained within the official union apparatus. Graduate students must break decisively with the entire trade union apparatus and form rank-and-file strike committees to fight for the broadest mobilization of the working class in their defense. In addition to reaching out to other students, faculty, and workers on campus, they must call on workers off the campuses, e.g. 14,000 northern California Safeway workers who have authorized strike action, and other workers to join the struggle for living wages, the right to high quality, free public and university education. But this means urging workers to rebel against the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA) and other unions, and to form rank-and-file factory and workplace committees too. Preparations must be made for mass demonstrations and strikes to demand the reinstatement of the fired UCSC grad students and to back their demands. Factions of the pseudoleft Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and similar organizations, such as Socialist Alternative, are promoting so-called reform of the UAW through its Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) faction. They are also promoting the AFT or the NEA as a supposedly progressive alternative to the UAW. Both of these perspectives are bankrupt. The UAWD claims that autoworkers can reform the UAW through establishing direct elections of the UAW president and other top officers. However, the corruption scandal that is now engulfing the UAWwith top officials convicted for taking bribes in exchange for signing sweetheart contracts and embezzling millions in workers dues moneyis not the product of a few bad apples. It is the inevitable consequence of the UAWs procapitalist and nationalist program and more than four decades of collusion with corporate management. The "One person, one vote" proposal championed by UAWD was quashed by the UAW bureaucracy, which has a long record of ballot stuffing and collaborating with management in victimizing militant workers and its left-wing opponents. Fundamentally, the UAWDs perspective is the same as that of previous reform movements within the unions, such as Teamsters for a Democratic Union or the UAW New Directions faction. These dissidents, which included anticommunist factions of the union bureaucracy, did nothing to challenge the nationalist and procapitalist program of the unions. In the end, they were incorporated into the top leadership positions, where they continued the same policies of austerity and class collaboration as their predecessors. Similarly, the AFT and NEA are fundamentally no less reactionary than the UAW. Both unions spent the majority of 2018-19 trying to prevent the revolts by teachers in West Virginia, Arizona, Oklahoma, California and other states from coalescing into a nationwide strike to defend public education. Angered over decades of collusion by the AFT and NEA affiliates, West Virginia teachers organized a statewide strike, largely over social media, to fight poverty wages, underfunded benefits, and the planned introduction of charter schools. While the initial impulse was driven by teachersunionized and nonunionacting independent of the unions, various pseudoleft organizations, including the Democratic Socialists of Americahelped the unions reassert their control over the strike. The AFT and NEA promptly shut the strikes down, betraying all of the demands of the teachers. That is why grad students must take the next step and form rank-and-file strike committees, completely independent of the unions. At their assemblies they should pass resolutions and issue open letters to the workers across the UC system, the state of California and beyond to join this fight. Fundamentally, this is a political struggle against the Democratic Party, which defends the corporate and financial aristocracy just as vehemently as Trump and the Republicans. A radical redistribution of wealthwhich is needed to meet the most elemental needs of the population will not be attained through Sanders appeals to the conscience of the rich and efforts to change the Democratic Party, a party of Wall Street and the Pentagon. What is needed is the building of a powerful political movement of the working class, which is opposed to both corporate-controlled parties and committed to the fight for workers power and socialism. Muhammad, a graduate student striker at UC San Diego, told the WSWS, Its important for workers to know we cant depend on the benevolence of bosses or bureaucratic unions or politicians to save us. The combination of an already corrupt and indifferent university administration, with a union structured to quash any rank-and-file movement, has put student workers across the UCs in this position. A general strike is a growing possibility in the US, and something which will undoubtedly play a role in any sort of radical or revolutionary change we may see. Vee, a second-year undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara who has participated in the demonstrations on campus, explained, I used to be in the Navy, so Im attending school with my GI Bill. My tuition is covered, and I get a monthly housing allowance of $2,699 for each month. The allowance that I get isnt even enough to be able to afford housing near campus. I live in Ventura [40 miles away] and commute to campus two times a week. Its absurd that the administrators expect grad students to be able to survive at UCSB without higher COLA. "Our TAs [teaching assistants] are the primary instructors, graders, mentors, advisors on so many levels. They at least deserve to not have to worry about being able to afford housing. Isla Vista [where many UCSB students live] has become an impoverished community. So many students are food insecure and barely making it. I feel like theres a lot at stake, especially in the way the UC president handles the negotiations. There was definitely a sense of anger at the rally today; people were really upset about the police interventions at UC Santa Cruz and you could tell. Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary in December. And the occasion marked a year of the couple serving total marriage goals for their combined 79million followers. They enjoyed a romantic outing Sunday as they hit the beach in Carpinteria, California on horseback. Yee-haw: Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra enjoyed a romantic outing Sunday as they hit the beach in Carpinteria, California on horseback Nick posted some gorgeous snaps from the excursion to Instagram, captioned 'Sunday' with a red heart emoji. The 27-year-old sported a puffy black with a matching hoodie and stetson as he rode a white horse through the sand. Priyanka, 37, followed close behind in a brown Fendi jacket with a tan stetson, riding a brown horse. The couple appeared to have the beach to themselves as they enjoyed a peaceful outing. Romantic outing: Nick posted some gorgeous snaps from the excursion to Instagram, captioned 'Sunday' with a red heart emoji Trotting along: The 27-year-old sported a puffy black with a matching hoodie and stetson as he rode a white horse through the sand In good company: Priyanka, 37, followed close behind in a brown Fendi jacket with a tan stetson, riding a brown horse They recently celebrated Valentine's Day with another romantic outing, this time in Milan. Nick and Priyanka matched in chic black ensembles, her look featuring white polka dots. He shared a set of black-and-white photos from the occasion, as they put on a romantic display. The Camp Rock star recently laughed off their 10-year age difference during his new mentor gig on The Voice. When fellow mentor Kelly Clarkson remarked that she's 'a decade older' than him, he responded: 'My wife's 37, it's cool.' Relationship goals: They recently celebrated Valentine's Day with another romantic outing, this time in Milan Loved-up couple: Nick and Priyanka held hands as they strolled the beach near Santa Barbara on horseback Podemos leader and deputy prime minister of the Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government, Pablo Iglesias, has been invited onto the Intelligence Affairs Commission, the body that directs, supervises and controls the activities of the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (National Intelligence CentreCNI). Last week, for the first time, he took part in its weekly sessions, having been sworn to secrecy. According to the law, one of the commissions functions is to draft the annual Intelligence Directive. This is a critical, secret document delivered to the CNI, which lays out what the CNIs objectives will be. The members of the commission propose these objectives to Socialist Party Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. If he approves them, they are included in the directive. The commission also ensures coordination between the intelligence services and the police, the army and the rest of the state machine. The CNIs main mission is to prevent and avoid any risk or threat that affects the independence and integrity of Spain, its national interests and the stability of the rule of law and its institutions. Thus, Iglesias will instruct the CNI on monitoring and repressing rising social opposition within the working class, reflected in the growing number of strikes and protests against austerity and poverty, police repression in Catalonia, state inaction on the coronavirus and NATOs imperialist wars abroad. His remit will include the CNIs collaboration with Islamist networks in NATO regime-change operations in the Middle East. The integration of Podemos into the planning of state repression of the working class is not a political error or aberration. It is the culmination of the rightward evolution of an entire layer of populist and anti-Marxist organizations that have emerged out of the Stalinist and post-1968 student movements and are rooted in privileged petty-bourgeois social layers. While the corporate media have for decades built up these organizations as left, they are in fact viciously hostile to the working class, not only in Spain but internationally. In Germany, Left Party members sit on the federal Parliamentary Control Committee that oversees Germanys intelligence agencies. The Left Party is also notorious for its defence of the secret services, as after the exposure of their involvement in mass surveillance and collaboration with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The Left Party went so far as to invite former domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen to one of its party congresses. In France, Unsubmissive France (LFI) leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has staffed his party with a considerable layer of trade union executives who occupy top positions in the police and domestic intelligence agencies. These elements help LFI draft its security and international policies, ensuring that LFI supports all of Frances overseas military operations. In Greece, the Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) government imposed four years of austerity and attacks on democratic rightsincluding building concentration camps for Middle Eastern refugeesusing the police, the intelligence services and the army. Yesterday, Iglesias erupted in a foul-mouthed tirade against critics of his participation in Spains spy services, claiming they were in the sewer. Presenting his candidacy for general secretary of Podemos in advance of party elections, Iglesias said, [T]here are some who are annoyed that there will be democratic controls over the CNI, adding that he was proud to belong to a government that ensures that the police and intelligence agencies do their duty, which is simply to protect the citizenry. While Iglesias cited right-wing critics of Podemos as examples, his outburst clearly targeted all opponents of his collaboration with Spains spy agencies, including on the left. Dear friends in the sewer, we are in the government, Iglesias said, claiming that his critics were licking the hemorrhoids of the powerful. Contrasting them to thousands of police and paramilitary police who work to serve the citizenry, Iglesias said his critics are angry that in a democracy there are democratic controls. He baldly threatened, Our democracy will be better when political, police and journalistic leaders of the sewer are where they should be: in prison. Iglesias is not ensuring democratic control of the police state, but joining it. The CNI is not a democratic institution. Founded in 1968 by the regime of fascist mass murderer Francisco Franco as the National Counter-Subversive Organisation (OCN), and repeatedly renamed during the 1978 Transition to parliamentary rule, the CNI compiled death lists of Basque nationalists, who were murdered in Spain and France between 1983 and 1987 under PSOE Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez. More recently, it intensively monitored Islamic State militants, but did not stop them before they carried out the 2017 Barcelona attacks, and it spied on Podemos itself. Now the PSOE is working to entrench Podemos in the CNI. Sanchez has decided to include Iglesias on the intelligence commission even though Iglesias role as deputy prime minister, social rights minister and 2030 Agenda minister does not involve security or defense matters. Sanchez evaded the 2002 law on the CNI, which states that the commission will include the ministers of foreign affairs, defence, interior and economy, as well as the secretary of the prime minister, the secretary of state for security, and the director of the CNI. The direct integration of Podemos into the police state machine is the Spanish bourgeoisies reaction to the growing upsurge of the working class internationally. Strikes and protests have surged since the start of Sanchezs legislature, including farmers protests against the low prices supermarkets pay for their goods; a brief general strike in the Basque country for better jobs and pensions, which paralysed the region; and workers struggles against redundancies by the automaker Nissan in Barcelona, aircraft manufacturer Airbus in Seville, and Canal Sur television in southern Spains Andalusia region. The coronavirus pandemic will intensify class tensions, especially as it hits the manufacturing and tourism sectors. Last week, Spains main stock exchange, Ibex 35, lost more than 60 billion euros, or 12 percent of its stock value. The Catalan nationalist movement is seen as a threat to Spanish territorial integrity. On Saturday, more than 200,000 people (110,000 according to police) flooded Perpignan, Frances bordering region with Catalonia, to hear deposed and exiled Catalan Premier Carles Puigdemont. Since Madrid savagely suppressed the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, Spains political establishment has used the Catalan crisis as a pretext to implement draconian police state measures. The CNI has been one of the chief bodies in charge of monitoring, spying on and suppressing mass protests in Catalonia. Iglesias inclusion in the CNIs commission confirms the warnings by the World Socialist Web Site that Podemos entry into a government of the PSOE, the Spanish bourgeoisies traditional social democratic party of austerity and imperialist war, is for the purpose of boosting the stability of the regime as it carries out its wars abroad and attacks on the working class within Spain. Having lost half of its voters since 2015 as a result of growing social anger against the entire political establishment and the trade unions, Podemos concluded that it could no longer suppress social opposition from the outside and had to fully integrate itself into the state apparatus. This is why Iglesias repeatedly appealed to the social democrats during the elections, even pledging full loyalty to the PSOE on all state questions. Podemos integration into the capitalist state vindicates the struggle waged by the International Committee of the Fourth International against the fraudulent theories of left populism that reject the working class, the class struggle, socialism and revolutionary policies. Chantal Mouffe, the postmodernist writer and associate of leaders of Syriza and Podemos, made such arguments in her 2018 book For a Left Populism. Mouffe declared: What is urgently needed is a left populist strategy aimed at the construction of a people, combining the variety of democratic resistances against post-democracy in order to establish a more democratic hegemonic formation I contend that it does not require a revolutionary break with the liberal democratic regime. Syrizas record of unpopular austerity and concentration camps for refugees has exposed Mouffes charlatanry. In fact, the liberal democratic regime is self-destructing as all factions of the capitalist class support a rapid move to police state measures targeting the workers. In this context, the crowning of Iglesias as a chief of Spanish intelligence only confirms the police state orientation of the pseudo-left populist defenders of capitalism. Coronavirus in India: Another case of coronavirus is being detected in Rajasthan. An Italian tourist who came with a group was found positive while screening. The total number of cases of Coronavirus in India has now shot up to 5, confirmed Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The Rajasthan health department detected a fresh case of coronavirus on Monday, March 2. Reports said the suspect is an Italian tourist whose teste has been found positive after authorities detected symptoms of the virus in him. His first test was negative, but the second one showed the positive signs of coronavirus. However, the third sample result is still pending. Till then the tourist will be kept under observation at a hospital. He came to India with a group of friends that has now gone to Agra. Earlier today, 2 more positive cases of coronavirus were reported from Delhi and Telangana. Both the patients condition is currently stable and are being closely monitored. Reacting to continuously rising cases of coronavirus, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the patients who have been found positive have a travel history from Italy and Dubai. He also informed the media that the total number of coronavirus cases in India now shoots up to 5. The Health Minister added that the screening of all the passengers coming to India via 21 airports, 12 major and 65 minor ports is being done. Sharing the stats, he added that over 5, 57,431 passengers have been screened so far at airports and 12,431 passengers at ports. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan: 2 positive cases of coronavirus in Delhi and Telangana. Their travel history is from Italy and Dubai; Total positive cases in India till now is 5 pic.twitter.com/FnsousuoX8 ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2020 Minister asserted that the Prime Minister is also closely monitoring the situation. Being a doctor himself, Harsh Vardhan also shared some tips to stay safe and healthy. He said people should maintain hygiene, wash hands properly and avoid going to crowded places to avoid coronavirus. The first case of the deadly and communicable virus was reported in Kerala a few weeks ago. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App In any US presidential primary, huge fanfare is given to the contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. But very few presidential nominations are won and lost in those four states. Its when the other states get in on the action that the candidates start to break ahead from the pack - or drop out. As the primary calendar is set for each cycle, several states usually move their primaries forward in the schedule to try and boost their importance, resulting in pile-ups where multiple states end up voting on the same day. And since most states vote on Tuesdays, the day with the largest number of simultaneous contests is dubbed Super Tuesday. This cycles Super Tuesday falls on 3 March, when voting will take place in 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia along with Democrats Abroad (whose voting runs for a week) and American Samoa. In total, 1,357 of the 1,991 pledged delegates a candidate needs to win the nomination outright are up for grabs on Super Tuesday. (Up till then, only 155 delegates will have been allocated.) So depending how many candidates are still in the race and how much they split the vote on the day, this could completely shake up a race thats so far looking very muddled or it could set up a long multi-candidate battle that plunges the Democratic party into chaos. 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 Why it matters Super Tuesday is hugely important for the current frontrunners, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, and could be crucial in deciding the future of Elizabeth Warren. With so many states up for grabs, they each have a chance not just to capture delegates, but also to win in large swing states like Minnesota, Colorado and Virginia and thereby signal that they could be strong national candidates. But the day is perhaps most critical for Michael Bloomberg. Mr Bloomberg hasnt competed at all in the first four contests and has instead ploughed vast sums into the Super Tuesday states, hoping to crash into the top tier by winning millions of votes and hundreds of delegates across the country in one fell swoop. If he fails, itll be a mortifyingly low return on investment. (Reuters) Meanwhile, for those now falling behind, 3 March may be the last gasp. Elizabeth Warren desperately needs a chance to prove she still has a hope. Ms Warrens home state of Massachusetts is voting on the day, giving her a decent chance of netting at least one victory, but shell need to win more widely than that. And if Ms Warren and Mr Biden cant win the popular vote in at least a few states (or at least come close), they will find it hard to keep selling themselves to voters and the media and, crucially, to donors, whose enthusiasm can decide whether a campaign lives or dies. The same principle doesnt apply to Mr Bloomberg, who is bankrolling his hugely expensive primary campaigns with his own funds. It also doesnt apply to Mr Sanders, currently polling ahead nationally, whose campaign is overwhelmingly funded by small donations from his supporters (averaging under $20). How do candidates win delegates? The first crucial thing any candidate must do to start winning delegates is to make sure they reach 15 per cent of the popular vote wherever theyre competing. Any less than that and they wont be allocated any delegates at all. This applies not just at the statewide level, but also across the different districts within states that award delegates congressional districts in some states, state senate districts in others. The system effectively means candidates can only run up a competitive delegate lead if they win in lots of different places. The problem Super Tuesday poses is that with so many places going to the polls at once, the campaigns will have to really stretch their resources to eke out an edge in enough places to make a difference. The nightmare scenario In a nutshell: if too many candidates do roughly as well as each other in too many places, the whole night might do nothing to thin out the field at all. California, for example, awards 495 pledged delegates in total, but distributes them in a complex way that makes it hard for one candidate to gain a real edge there even if they win the statewide vote. Most of the states delegates 271 of them are awarded at the congressional district level, with each district awarding a small number proportionately depending on the result there. (AFP via Getty Images (AFP via Getty Images) Take the states 33rd district, which includes Beverly Hills and Malibu. It awards six delegates, meaning that if three candidates each won 30 per cent of the vote (or close to it), theyd each get two. Assuming they were the last three standing in the primary as a whole, that would make the districts vote essentially meaningless. If this pattern is repeated across the states voting on Super Tuesday, or even in just a few, it could mean that with more than a third of all pledged delegates allocated, nobody would begin to pull ahead. What comes next? Just in case the big night doesnt sort things out, there are two more nearly-super Tuesdays shortly afterwards. On 10 March come six contests at once: the Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington state primaries, as well as the North Dakota caucuses. Michigan has taken on an outsized symbolic importance thanks to Hillary Clintons painfully narrow loss there in 2016, so whoever wins it will benefit from a major boost to their credibility. Then on 17 March, four big states get their turn: Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio. Together they boast 577 pledged delegates, making this the biggest one-day bonanza until the so-called Acela primary on the east coast on 28 April. What if they just keep going? If these primaries dont knock out most of the candidates, the Democrats could be in trouble. Should too many of the candidates stay in the race for the long haul, they could all keep winning enough delegates to prevent anyone from reaching an overall majority. That could leave the party heading into its convention this summer without a guaranteed nominee, forcing the candidates to duke it out for support among the party elite a scenario the Democrats will be desperate to avoid. The last time the primary really went down to the wire was in 2008, when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ran hard against each other right until the final contests. And it was on Super Tuesday, when Clinton and Obama split the available delegates almost evenly, that the closeness of the race became clear. What followed was four gruelling months of campaigning that some feared would leave the party badly bruised. But in the end, Clinton quickly endorsed Obama, campaigned for him, and ended up joining his cabinet as secretary of state. However, 2016 was different. While Hillary Clinton won the nomination decisively, Bernie Sanders and his supporters never fully embraced her candidacy, deeply dividing the partys base and further tarnishing Clintons reputation. Whether this years candidates will share enough goodwill by the primarys end to heal those wounds remains to be seen. A heckler on Saturday at a public event shouted down Governor Muhammadu Badaru of Jigawa State over the failure of his government to complete hospital and road projects in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of the state. The governor was in the area to launch the educational assistance scheme of a lawmaker, Magaji Aliyu, for 5000 students. From the podium, Mr Badaru was listing federal government projects in Jigawa when he was interrupted by the heckler. The voice of the unidentified man rang out clear from the crowd, saying: The road project you promised and the Birnin Kudu hospital project are yet to be executed. The angry man was obviously referring to the dilapidated road in his community and the controversial Birnin Kudu hospital project that has remained under construction for about a decade. A flustered Mr Badaru swiftly responded: Have I ever made a promise that I didnt fulfil? I will fulfil all my promises. Governor blames contractor The governor went on to blame the contractor handling the hospital project, calling the unnamed contractor lazy. Even though, the contract was awarded by the preceding administration, I continued with the project. The project is sluggish because of the laziness of the contractor handling the project, Mr Badaru explained. I have paid all the money needed to complete the hospital project. The contractors certificate never stayed longer than two weeks at my treasury. At a point, I decided to revoke the contract but the processes will be longer than the time needed to complete it. I assure you that the project will be commissioned this year, Mr Badaru said. New Delhi, March 2 : A Delhi court on Monday deferred for April 23 the pronouncement of order in a complaint filed by the CPI-M leader Brinda Karat against BJP lawmakers Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for alleged inflammatory remarks. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja deferred the matter, while observing that the matter is being heard by the high court following which he posted the matter for April 23. On the last date of hearing, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police said that "no cognizable offence is made out" against the two BJP lawmakers for their alleged inflammatory remarks. In the report filed on Wednesday, the police stated, "On the basis of allegations levelled in the complaint, no cognizable offence has been found to be committed." It said that the subsequent violence in the national capital has "no connection to the speeches mentioned in the complaint". Police further sought more time to file a final ATR in the matter. "Situation in Delhi is such that police is busy and, hence we want more time." Karat had filed the complaint against the BJP leaders on charges of outraging religious feelings, intending to provoke, breach of trust and criminal intimidation. "Direct that the investigation into the FIR be monitored by issuing necessary directions to the SHO concerned to investigate the matter fairly, properly and impartially, including arrest of the accused in accordance with the law," Karat said in her application. The application was filed under Section 156 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which empowers a magistrate to direct the police to conduct investigation into any matter. An inflammatory slogan "desh ke gaddaron ko goli maaro s*** ko" (Shoot the traitors) was chanted at a public rally addressed by Thakur on January 27 in Delhi's Rithala area. Thakur had allegedly egged on his audience to respond to the slogan. Verma was reported as saying that mosques and graveyards had come up in over 500 government properties in the national capital, including hospitals and schools. He said that the land where these "illegal structures" have come up belong to the Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporations of Delhi, Delhi Jal Board and many other government agencies. Thakur and Verma were then barred from campaigning by the Election Commission for 72-hours and 96-hours respectively in the run-up to the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls. A delegation, dispatched by renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to discuss cooperation between the two sides in a bid to counter Turkey in Syria and Libya. The delegation, headed by Abdul-Rahman Al-Ahiresh, Prime Minister of the east-based administration backed by Haftar, arrived Saturday in Damascus. The delegation discussed with the embattled Syrian leader cooperation between the two countries in countering the Turkish moves and combating terrorism, Libyan News Agency (LANA) reported. The two sides have been brought together by Turkish military ambitions in their respective countries. The Haftar-backed Libyan administration is opposed to Ankara on several fronts including Turkeys military deployment in Libya to prop up the GNA and the Turkey-GNA maritime agreement signed in November last year. Turkey has reportedly recruited around 2,000 Syrian mercenaries opposed to al Assad to counter Haftars military push to take over capital Tripoli, the seat of the GNA. In Syria, Turkey has been found itself in a full flesh war with the Syrian army, in Idlib, near the Turkish border. The clash between the two armies escalated over the past few days with both sides accusing each other of violating the 2018 Sochi agreement making Idlib a de-escalation zone. CEO since 2014, Suri will be replaced by head of Finnish energy group Fortum, Pekka Lundmark Suri said he wanted to do something different after having spent 25 years at Nokia. (Photo | Nokia) Helsinki: Nokias Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Suri will leave the telecom equipment provider in September, Nokia announced on Monday. He will be replaced by the head of Finnish energy group Fortum, Pekka Lundmark, who will take over on September 1. Suri said he wanted to do something different after having spent 25 years at Nokia. Suri, who has been Nokias president and CEO since April 2014, had indicated earlier to the board that he was considering stepping down from his role at some point in the future, provided a solid succession plan was in place, the company said. Suris successor Lundmark has held various executive positions at Nokia, including vice president of strategy and business development at Nokia Networks from 1990-2000. Afterwards he served as CEO of Konecranes, a global leader in material-handling technology. At Mondays press conference Lundmark said he also had extensive experience in Chinaa market which Nokia last year announced it was backing away from in the light of growing support there for local vendors. Nokia remade itself as a 5G network systems company since its mobile phone business was wiped out by Apple and Samsung a few years into the introduction of smartphones. Suri had been behind Nokias change in strategy and led its acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent and created a standalone software business, apart from bringing the brand back into mobile phones. Apart from mobile technology, Suri also oversaw the launch of internet of things products that played a role in modernising sectors such as agriculture and logistics with soil sensors and tracking systems.. However Nokias attempts to break into the 5G equipment market have faltered in the face of fierce competition from Huawei and Ericsson. Last year Nokia downgraded its 2020 earnings forecast, while chief executive Suri played down the firms delays in delivering some equipment orders. Yet, Nokia went on to beat expectations in a challenging 2019 and last month posted its first full-year net profit since 2015 of 7.0 million euros, and an operating profit of 2.0 billion euros. At Mondays press conference, Suri defended his record, saying that when he took over as CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks in 2009, the years operating profit was 28 million euros. Im not entirely satisfied with last year but we still had 2 billion compared to that 28 million, he said. Public health and human rights experts from around the country have jointly put forward an extensive list of policy recommendations for White House officials to adopt as cases of the deadly coronavirus continue to be reported in the United States. More than 450 public health, human rights and legal experts and organizations wrote to Vice President Mike Pence on Monday, outlining the impacts the virus would have on the health care system, the importance of establishing effective disease control measures and the need to maintain clear, evidenced-based messaging about the infection as it spreads throughout the United States. Were going into uncharted territory, Albert Ko, professor and department chairman at Yale Universitys school of public health, told reporters during a conference call on Monday. Pence was appointed by President Trump to head the governments coronavirus response effort. Ko and other health experts noted that merely trying to contain the virus is not enough, and the officials should look to mitigate its impact on the health care system. Its clear were in the midst of a pandemic due to the coronavirus arriving in the United States, Ko said, noting that its been disseminated to all populated regions of the world. Now were experiencing sustained community transmission, he added. The letter calls upon federal, state and local governments to increase funding to ensure all communities receive the support needed to combat the virus from health care providers and public services. Experts also caution that too much disruption to government operations can prevent citizens from accessing public services needed in the event of sustained absence from work due to sickness. The letter does not underestimate the demands placed on the health care system as a result of the virus spreading. Our healthcare system will face severe burdens under all plausible scenarios, experts write. Hospitals must receive direct funding and adequate resources for enhanced surge capacity in order to handle the front-line response. Experts also emphasize the need for honest, transparent and timely reporting of developments with the virus. Governments should also actively prevent discrimination and scapegoating of individuals or groups falsely portrayed as having caused the pandemic. In New England, there are two confirmed cases of the virus in Rhode Island, one in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire. Related Content: Linda Fairhall, an NHS nurse since 1979, claimed district nurses were being put under an unfair strain due to new duties placed upon them in 2013 A nurse with a spotless 38-year record was unfairly sacked after warning that the crippling workload on NHS staff had led to a patient's death, a tribunal has ruled. Linda Fairhall, an NHS nurse since 1979, claimed district nurses were being put under an unfair strain due to new duties placed upon them in 2013. She warned that asking the nurses to monitor patient prescriptions on top of their existing duties placed them under unfair strain and risked patients' lives. Mrs Fairhall claimed her concerns were vindicated following the 'preventable' death of a patient in October 2016. She began the whistleblowing process but discovered on her return to work from leave that she had been sacked for concerns about her leadership capabilities. However a report by the Care Quality Commission had commended Mrs Fairhall for her leadership qualities the previous year. An employment tribunal today ruled she was unfairly dismissed after 38 years service with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust. A remedies hearing in July will consider how much compensation she should be paid. From 2008, senior nurse Mrs Fairhall was employed as a clinical care co-ordinator for the Stockton region and then transferred to Hartlepool in June 2013. Later that year she raised concerns over the then-new requirement for district nurses to monitor patients' prescriptions. She said it meant a sudden increase of around 1,000 extra visits a month for the service with no extra resources available. Over the next 10 months, she reported 13 instances where she claimed the health or safety of patients and staff was being or was likely to be put at risk. Ms Fairhall, who oversaw a team of around 50 district nurses, was concerned about their workload, employee stress and sickness, as well as risk to patients. The death of a patient in 2016 prompted a meeting where Mrs Fairhall expressed the view that it may have been prevented if any of the 13 cases she had reported had been listened to. From 2008, senior nurse Mrs Fairhall was employed as a clinical care co-ordinator for the Stockton region and then transferred to Hartlepool (pictured) in June 2013 Later the same month, she told the trust's care group director Julie Parks that she wished to instigate the formal whistle-blowing procedure before going on annual leave. But, on her return to work on October 31, she was told she had been suspended over allegations of potential gross misconduct relating to her leadership. She remained suspended for 18 months and during this period she also battled her own personal tragedies, the hearing was told. She was still recovering from breast cancer treatment, her teenage son was also unwell and eight months into the suspension, her partner died from a heart attack. After various investigations and appeals, Mrs Fairhall was dismissed in April 2018. The employment tribunal found the trust's investigation into her alleged misconduct to be 'inadequate and unreasonable in all the circumstances of the case'. The judgment said: 'Witnesses referred to little more than "themes" or "perceptions" by the staff, none of which contained a level of detail which would have enabled Mrs Fairhall to respond. 'The tribunal found that no reasonable employer, in all circumstances of the case, would have conducted the investigation in this manner.' The tribunal also criticised the trust for not giving a 'meaningful or adequate' explanation of why the suspension lasted 18 months. It said it was an 'inordinate and unreasonable length of time for an employee of the claimant's superiority and length of service to be suspended'. The judgment added: 'The trust's decision to dismiss the claimant fell outside the range of reasonable responses open to an employer in all circumstances of the case. 'This was an employee of 38 years unblemished service who was suspended from her role in circumstances where that suspension was unjustified and unreasonable. 'The trust has failed to establish that she committed any act of misconduct which could justify dismissal.' Mrs Fairhall said she was 'absolutely devastated' by the effect it has had on her life. She said: 'I have been utterly humiliated, my life has been left in chaos and my professional integrity has been questioned leaving my reputation irreparably damaged. 'I am devastated that after almost 40 years in a career I have been passionate about, and working in an organisation that I have always been proud to be part of, that I am left in this situation. 'As a result of the impact on my physical and mental health it has been necessary to allow my professional registration to lapse and come to terms and grieve for the loss of my career. 'I will no longer be working as a nurse due to the fear of being able to escalate concerns. 'I would therefore deem myself as being unable to adhere to my professional code of conduct and potentially place patient care at risk.' A spokesman for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust said: 'We acknowledge the ruling and intend to appeal the decision.' Thrive Law, which represented Ms Fairhall, said the impact on their client was 'profound'. 'She no longer is able to work and has lost her career as a nurse,' said a spokesperson. 'This all arose from her trying to protect patient and staff safety and reporting genuine concerns she had.' Politicians aren't known for their punctuality, but former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe had a good excuse Monday morning. He and 10 others - including his wife, Dorothy McAuliffe, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney - got trapped in an elevator on their way to a news conference for former vice president Joe Biden, who is hoping for a big win in the Democratic presidential primary in Virginia on Super Tuesday. After the group was stuck between the first floor and the lower level for about 30 minutes, the Richmond Fire Department came to their rescue. "I was laughing," Terry McAuliffe said in a brief phone call later. "I was trying to keep a jovial mood. Nothing you could do about it." "We knew we'd be rescued!" the former first lady added. The misadventure followed a whirlwind few days for the Biden campaign and the former vice president's growing band of supporters in Virginia that started Friday, when he won the endorsement of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. McAuliffe endorsed Biden on Saturday shortly after Biden's decisive win in the South Carolina primary, and appeared by his side Sunday night at a rally in Norfolk. There, Biden fueled speculation that McAuliffe might seek to recapture his old office in 2021, calling him "the once and future governor of Virginia." Asked about the possibility on Monday, McAuliffe joked that he would return to Richmond only "if they get the elevators working." Then he added: "I'm all focused on making sure we beat Trump. Let's get through that, and then we may hear something in November or right after that. We gotta get him out of the White House - '21 is a long way off. We as Democrats got to prioritize." McAuliffe immortalized the elevator moment in a tweet and selfie featuring himself; his wife; Stoney; Khizr Khan, a Gold Star father who spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and was criticized by President Donald Trump; Virginia House of Delegates Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria; Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington; and a few staff members. The group had been meeting at state Democratic Party headquarters, on the 20th floor of the Sun Trust building. They piled into the elevator, planning to walk the short distance to the Bell Tower outside the state Capitol, where a crowd was waiting. McAuliffe noted -- for the record -- that the group was nowhere near the elevator's 3,500-pound weight limit. The elevator went down, but stopped between floors, said Adam Zuckerman, the direct-mail director for the Biden campaign. When the small space started to heat up, they pried open the inner doors to let in some air. Stoney used is cellphone to call the fire chief. One of the occupants started to feel claustrophobic. McAuliffe snapped the photo. "It's definitely something I'll be telling my kids and my grandkids about someday," Zuckerman said. The firefighters - whose national union has endorsed Biden - arrived quickly and helped the group to safety. "We do it all the time, all day," fire department spokesman Christopher Armstrong said. "It just happened to be a former governor this time." RTHK: US hits back over Chinese foreign press restrictions The United States on Monday slashed by nearly half the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work for their state-run media in the United States, vowing reciprocity as Beijing restricts foreign press. The move comes two weeks after China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters, although the United States said its decision was based on levelling numbers between the countries rather than retaliating over content. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that China has "imposed increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment and intimidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China." "We urge the Chinese government to immediately uphold its international commitments to respect freedom of expression, including for members of the press," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. A State Department official said that five media outlets, which last month were reclassified by the United States as foreign missions, would be allowed to employ a maximum 100 Chinese nationals as of March 13, down from around 160 now. The United States is not explicitly expelling the 60 staff members, who in theory can seek employment elsewhere, although most are expected to be obliged to leave the country. China on February 19 threw out three reporters from The Wall Street Journal -- two US nationals and an Australian -- over what it deemed a racist headline on an opinion piece in its harshest move against international media in years. Chinese citizens who work for other media outlets in the United States are not affected, the official said, and state-run media outlets will not be barred from hiring employees of other nationalities. "The US government has long welcomed foreign journalists, including PRC journalists, to work freely and without threat of reprisal," Pompeo said. "Our goal is reciprocity. As we have done in other areas of the US-China relationship, we seek to establish a long-overdue level playing field," he said. Last year the United States issued 425 journalist visas to Chinese citizens, including family members, according to official data. The organisation most affected by the order will be the state news agency Xinhua, which will be allowed to keep 59 Chinese staff in the United States, according to a State Department official The China Global Television Network will be permitted 30 nationals. The China Daily can have nine Chinese employees and China Radio International will be permitted two. The fifth organisation is the US distributor of the official People's Daily which is not believed to employ Chinese nationals. In reclassifying the five outlets under foreign missions last month, the State Department required them to seek permission to buy property and also to provide lists of their staffs, including the growing number of Americans they employ. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 19:00:12 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 988 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 /Dear Members of Congress, FDA Commissioner, and HHS Secretary,I received the following email from FDA Ombudsman Desta on Feb. 20:My Response is An Open Letter to the FDA/HHS/Congress Regarding Faulty Heart Devices"Your email to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn dated January 27, 2020, and your email to HHS Secretary Dr. Alex Azar dated February 6, 2020, were forwarded to me for review and response in my capacity as Ombudsman for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The Agency has reviewed the material you provided, and it does not appear that you have provided new information, which was not previously provided to FDA. I respectfully request that you provide any new information relevant to the safety or efficacy of the dETlogix annuloplasty ring, IMR ETlogix annuloplasty ring, or an Atricure device to me in writing at CDRHOmbudsman@ fda.hhs.gov so FDA may properly evaluate the information and make a determination on what action, if any, is warranted." Below is the information you requested regarding Edwards Lifesciences' McCarthy Myxo ETlogix Ring Model 5100 (Myxo Ring), including a chronology and links to the evidence submitted to the FDA District office in Minneapolis, MN.I request help for nearly 700 patients who received the device without their consent, prior to FDA registration, clearance and recall. Some have suffered heart attacks, deaths and re-operations to remove the faulty device. Others are still at risk.The new evidence is a public email from device manufacturer Edwards Lifesciences from 2007 that indicates the device didn't need approval, when, in fact, it did:"It appears you are looking for information about authority to market the product. It has been marketed in the US since March 2006 pursuant to the FDA's 510k clearance process. That process does not involve issuance of documentation by the FDA." On June 13, 2019, Edwards Lifesciences testified to the First District Appellate Court of Illinois that the Myxo Ring was FDA approved for use in humans as of 2006, due to the "Justification to File" process - meaning the device had minor changes from an older version and didn't need regulatory approval.This case involved a patient who suffered a heart attack when the experimental Myxo Ring was implanted. The surgeon had invented the device and didn't tell about the heart attack until years later.On December 6, 2019, Northwestern University attorneys testified to the Illinois Supreme Court's Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission that the device was approved as of March 2006, based on that three-line email from 2007.On December 20, 2018, I presented evidence of the Myxo Ring's harm to Minneapolis FDA district office investigators. For 3 1/2 hours, victims and their families testified to the injuries during the safety and efficacy testing. I also presented evidence of 122 safety defects discovered by the company in 2006. The defects required significant device modifications, before the company could announce the official launch onto the US market as disclosed in 2007 to the Security Exchange Commission.On March 12, 2019, the FDA Media Affairs office confirmed that the investigation was closed. "The FDA has looked into this matter recently and previously, and did not identify issues of concern, and the matter is closed," Deborah Kotz Press Officer. FDA Freedom of Information requests regarding why the investigation was closed were refused by the Chicago FDA district office a few days later.The Myxo Ring was tested in humans during open heart surgery as reported by the Daily Northwestern in 2019 and published in the Journal of Thoracic Surgeons for the American Society of Thoracic Surgery.The FDA congressional Office confirmed in 2009, to the Senate Finance Committee, that the Myxo Ring was never FDA approved or cleared for use in humans prior to the date of the letter. In fact, it had been pulled off the shelves.In 2009, the FDA congressional office wrote to patient Antonitsa Vlahoulis confirming the investigational status of the device, with a promise that Sen. Richard Durbin would be contacting her. That still has not happened.In 2009, a soon to be FDA employee, Dr. William Maisel testified to the Energy and Commerce Committee, the facts surrounding the testing of the Myxo Ring without Consent and without FDA registration or clearance.In 2017, the FDA Congressional office confirmed that they were not going to report to the patients the changes in the FDA status of the Myxo ETlogix device, which went on recall and was never formally approved for use in humans for the branding and indications used at the time of the clinical trial. These patients have a fundamental right to know, under the Federal Laws 45CFR46 and 21 CFR820.30 , and the Federal Wide Assurance signed by Northwestern University FWA 1549, that the device, the Myxo ETlogix Ring Model 5100, for myxomatous disease, implanted in their hearts was classified as investigational by the FDA as of March 2009 and on recall.As a former investigator and an ARRA awardee, I hold a life-long reporting responsibility under Federal HHS reporting laws. The hospital, university, device manufacturer and FDA have a federal responsibility to review the evidence and inform the nearly 700 patients about this device's experimental status and any ongoing risks and harm as recently published in 2019 by the student newspaper the Daily Northwestern.Thank you for your hard work on behalf of the citizens of the United States of America.Respectfully,Nalini M. Rajamannan, MDMost Sacred Heart of Jesus Cardiology and Valvular Institute.Adjunct Visiting Scientist Mayo Clinic Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyDr. Nalini Rajamannan is a heart valve expert in the field of cardiovascular medicine. She earned her undergraduate science pre-professional degree from the University of Notre Dame, her Medical Doctorate from Mayo Medical School and her post-graduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic and Research Fellowship on the NIH training Grant. She also worked at the Mayo Clinic as a staff consultant in Internal Medicine and an Associate Professor of Me Germanys interior minister rebuffed Chancellor Angela Merkels attempt to shake hands with him on Monday as the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 150 with Berlin reporting its first infection. When Merkel reached out to greet Horst Seehofer at a meeting on migration in Berlin, he smiled and kept both his hands to himself. They both laughed and Merkel then threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat. Health experts have recommended avoiding handshakes as a way of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.- There are now 150 confirmed cases in Germany, Lothar Weiler of the Robert Koch Institute disease control agency said on Monday up from 129 the previous day. The alert level has been raised from low to moderate to moderate, Weiler said, with authorities saying there was no need for drastic measures such as border closures to stem the contagion. The virus has now spread to 10 of Germanys 16 states, with more than half the confirmed cases in North Rhine-Westphalia. Germanys most populous state emerged as a hotspot after an infected couple attended carnival celebrations there, infecting dozens of people. Amid growing fears over contagion, disinfectants, hand sanitisers and other protective products have sold out in many German shops. In Lower Saxony, 1,200 protective face masks were stolen from a hospital in the town of Sulingen near Bremen, news agency DPA reported on Monday, citing local police. The hospital reported the theft after a stock check revealed that the masks were missing from a storage room. They were probably stolen on Wednesday or Thursday last week, police said. Germany has cancelled several major gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, including this weeks ITB travel trade fair in Berlin. Health Minister Jens Spahn stressed on Monday that it was too early to say whether further public events would be cancelled. SOURCE: AFP The Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) on Monday paid the company's first interim dividend of Rs 136.23 crore for the 2019-20 fiscal to the Assam government. NRL Managing Director S K Barua handed over the dividend cheque, for nine months of the financial year till December, to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at his chamber in Assam Legislative Assembly, an official release said here. The state government holds 12.35 per cent stake in the company. The final dividend will be decided at the NRL's board meeting after the current financial year ends on March 31. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After April 1, if a Niles-Maine Library card holder checks out materials, fails to return them by their due date, and they are not renewed, a block will be placed on the card until the items are brought back, the library said in a press release. With the block in place, the cardholder will be unable to check out additional materials or use online and streaming services, according to the library. Greece struggled on Monday to stop a growing throng of migrants from crossing its border with Turkey, as the UN urged Greece to honour its commitments under international law. Thousands of migrants are massing on the 200-kilometre (125-mile) border -- seeking to cross into the European Union -- with tired and hungry individuals crying out for help as Greek riot police and soldiers tried to seal off a frontier post. "Open the gate," shouted one man in English, his hands gripping the fence. "Help us please." "We have children here. They have no food," another yelled. "We are peaceful," he added, waving a piece of white tissue paper. Turkey hosts around 3.6 million Syrian refugees and many Afghans, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facilitating their exit to pressure the EU to support his forces in Syria. Greece has suspended asylum procedures in a bid to prevent people entering its territory, but the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Athens was in the wrong. "Neither the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees nor EU refugee law provides any legal basis for the suspension of the reception of asylum applications," it said in a statement. It is not only Greek's land border which is attracting the migrants. Some 1,300 arrived at five Greek islands in the Aegean Sea within 24 hours of Turkey easing its restrictions. On Lesbos, the island where most of the inflatable dinghies and other vessels have beached, police fired tear gas at protesting migrants on Monday, an AFP photographer said Sordid conditions in the camp of Moria, one of the most overpopulated in Europe, triggered the latest clashes, with angry migrants demanding to be released. The United Nations had contented itself on Sunday with calling for calm and urging nations to refrain from "excessive" force, after Greek police used tear gas and water cannon on the migrants, some of whom complained that they had been beaten up. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Saturday around 13,000 migrants had gathered along the Turkish-Greek border. The European Union has been largely standing on the sidelines but on Tuesday the three leaders of the bloc's institutions will visit the border area. "I acknowledge that Turkey is in a difficult situation in regards to the refugees and migrants, but what we see now cannot be the answer and the solution," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, on of the three, said on Monday. "The challenge that Greece is facing right now is a European challenge." The EU border protection agency Frontex said it would help Greece cope with the migrants trying to enter. The Warsaw-based agency, on "high alert" over the expected influx, said it would ask EU members to contribute officers and equipment. So far, despite the attempts of Greece, some migrants are still succeeding in crossing the border from Turkey. "We want to get to Athens, after that we'll see," said one young Guinean who was walking with three others after they managed to smuggle themselves across the border. A few hours later the cold and exhausted travellers were arrested by Greek soldiers -- their time as free men in the European Union cut short by a dawn patrol at Sofiko village, in northeast Greece. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (the Hybrid CoE), together with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, will prepare the national regulatory framework for responding to hybrid threats, the ministry's press service has reported. "Today, on March 2, as part of a working visit of the delegation of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry to the Republic of Finland, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Alina Frolova met with Director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats Ms. Teija Tiilikainen. During the meeting, the parties discussed promising areas of cooperation, in particular, the initiative to involve experts of the Hybrid CoE in developing the relevant national regulatory framework in the field of responding to hybrid threats," the report reads. According to Frolova, Ukraine is interested in establishing cooperation with the Hybrid CoE in order to obtain information, familiarize itself with the performance of experts and develop tools to counter hybrid threats. The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats is an international organization of 27 EU and/or NATO member states whose activities are aimed at enhancing EU and NATO capabilities in responding to modern threats to international security. op Authorities have released the name of a Birmingham man shot to death Friday night. Birmingham police on Sunday identified the victim as Jerrell Moultrie. He was 28. The citys South Precinct officer responded just after 9 p.m. Friday to a Shot Spotter notification of gunfire in the 4300 block of 12th Court North. Sgt. Rod Mauldin said the gunfire detection system indicated two rounds had been discharged in that area. When officers got on the scene, they found Moultrie unresponsive inside his vehicle. He was pronounced dead on the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service. Mauldin said evidence at the scene indicated Moultrie was the victim of a homicide. Mauldin said investigators have not yet identified a motive or a suspect. No additional information was released. Moultrie is the citys 16th homicide so far this year. Of those, four have been ruled justifiable and therefore are not deemed criminal. Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Lufthansa airplanes are seen parked on the tarmac at Frankfurt airport, Germany, on Nov. 7, 2019. (Ralph Orlowski/Reuters/File Photo) Lufthansa Extends China, Tehran Flight Suspensions Due to Coronavirus German airline group Lufthansa said on March 2 that it was extending the suspension of flights to China until April 24, to Tehran until April 30, and reducing services to northern Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak. The epidemic, which began in China, is disrupting flight demand and many airlines have suspended or adjusted services in response. After a thorough assessment of all currently available information on the coronavirus, Lufthansa Group has decided to continue to extend the suspension of flights between Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and mainland China by Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines until April 24, Lufthansa said. A man and a girl wearing face masks wait to cross a street in Beijing on Feb. 28, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) It said it was also suspending flights between Munich and Hong Kong between March 6 and April 24, with passengers to be put onto flights via Frankfurt and Zurich where possible. It said it was canceling some flights between Frankfurt and Munich to Seoul too. Lufthansa Group airlines, which include Swiss and Austrian airlines, had already said on Friday that it would reduce the number of short- and medium-haul flights by up to 25 percent in the coming weeks depending on how coronavirus spreads. On Monday Lufthansa gave details of its scheduling changes, including adjusting services to northern Italy, which has become a flashpoint in the coronavirus outbreak. It said Austrian Airlines was slashing its flights to Italy in March and April by 40 percent while Lufthansa subsidiary Brussels Airlines is cutting flights to Rome, Milan, Venice, and Bologna by 30 percent until March 14. A woman wearing a protective mask crosses Piazza Duomo with her bicycle in Milan on March 2, 2020. (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images) Swiss Airlines will probably also cut some services to parts of Italy until the end of April, while Eurowings is reducing capacity to some Italian destinations until March 8. Lufthansa said it was too early to assess the impact on its earnings, which are due to be published on March 19. The airline has already said it would look into economic temporary measures such as a company-wide hiring freeze. By Michelle Martin His Its OK to Feel the Way You Do was awarded the 2018 Australian Book Industry Award for the Small Publisher Childrens Picture Book of the Year. New South Wales-based Big Sky Publishing has published eight of his books, including three picture books for children on topics such as self-acceptance, self-esteem and learning from your mistakes. An award-winning West Australian childrens author, illustrator and speaker has been quizzed about his LGBTIQ agenda by a prospective workshop client. Mr Langley lives in the South West with his partner of 20 years, now his husband, and runs primary school and high school workshops on such topics as mindfulness, creativity, dealing with difficult emotions, how to be resilient in hard times, and how its OK to be different. He has visited more than 60 government and private religious schools over the past four years, from Port Hedland to Albany, Norseman to Geraldton, and everywhere in between. I write these books for my younger self, Mr Langley said. I want to know what I would tell my 8-year-old self what he needs to know to thrive in life ... to feel good, to feel confident and brave because I didnt have a very good upbringing. Mr Langley has never been asked about his sexuality or agenda. A man jailed for his role in selling cloned stolen vans online, which saw unwitting buyers being defrauded out of 50,000, has lost an appeal against the severity of his six-year prison sentence. Tom Reilly (50), with a previous address at 4 Rosebank and 4 Shannon View, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim pleaded guilty to four sample counts of handling stolen property between August 1, 2009 and June 25, 2010. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment by Judge John Aylmer on May 21, 2019, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal today. Leitrim Circuit Criminal Court heard that the sophisticated fraud involved vans which had been stolen in the UK being brought to Ireland where they were sold on to unwitting buyers. Detective Garda Seamus Wallace told the court that UK police discovered stolen commercial vans being cloned in the UK before being exported to Ireland for sale. The UK unit had identified logbooks for vans being obtained fraudulently in order to clone the stolen vehicles. Det Gda Wallace explained how a person would contact the owner of a van similar to a stolen vehicle, in order to get all the details of the legitimately owned vehicle. They then applied for the logbook using these legitimate details and if the registered owner did not reply to a change of owner notification, a logbook would be issued to the person who applied. The stolen vehicle was then changed to fit the particulars of the legitimate logbook, including chassis numbers and security stickers. The vehicles were then imported into Ireland by Reilly and another individual, which were mostly sold on the DoneDeal website on Reillys behalf. In total, 50,150 was lost by unsuspecting buyers in Ireland, as a result of eight purchases. Each car was seized in order to establish its true identity and no monies were recouped by buyers. Upholding the severity of his six year prison sentence today, Mr Justice John Edwards said some 70 vehicles were detected in Ireland as having been cloned, although Reilly was only criminal liable in respect of 11 vehicles. Mr Justice Edwards said the sentencing judge was entitled to have regard to the larger picture and to have the full facts presented in their proper context. It did not mean Reilly was held accountable for handling 70 stolen vehicles. The sentencing judge was justified in selecting eight years as a headline sentence, and a two-year discount afforded for the mitigating factors was open to him, according to the Court of Appeal. Mr Justice Edwards, who sat with President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, said the court could find no error in principle and the appeal was therefore dismissed. Supreme Court on Monday posted for hearing on March 5 the petition of Sara Abdullah Pilot, challenging the detention of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978. A bench of Justice Arun Mishra posted the matter for hearing on Thursday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that J-K administration has filed an affidavit in the matter. Attorney General KK Venugopal told the bench that no reason has been shown for not approaching the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, and added that in detention matters, one is supposed to approach the High Court at the first instance. Justice Mishra said that another petition was filed by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija, challenging her mother's detention under PSA and suggested that both the cases be heard together. Iltija's plea will come up for hearing on March 18 while Sara's petition will be heard on March 5. The plea, filed by Sara Abdullah Pilot, who is Omar's sister and the wife of Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, said the order of detention is manifestly illegal and there is no question of him being a "threat to the maintenance of public order". Sara, filing the habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of Omar Abdullah under the PSA, said that exercise of powers by authorities under the CrPC to detain individuals, including political leaders, was "clearly mala fide" to ensure that the opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution is "silenced". The plea has sought quashing of the February 5 order detaining Omar Abdullah under the PSA and also sought his production before the court. "The intent of exercise of power was to incarcerate not just him (Omar Abdullah) but the entire leadership of the Conference, as well as the leadership of other political parties, who were similarly dealt with, including Farooq Abdullah, who has served the state and the union over several years... stood by India whenever the situation so demanded," the petition stated. The plea said that there could be no material available to detain a person who has already been detained for the last six months. It added that the ground for the detention order is wholly lacking any material facts or particulars which are imperative for an order of detention. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had on February 5 invoked stringent PSA against the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other top leaders in the erstwhile state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) T heres absolutely no denying the fact that the gin shelf in your local supermarket looks like a Dulux colour chart these days, with bottle upon bottle of Flavoured Gin glittering for what seems like miles of aisles. Lurid, eye-catching and often delicious, its no wonder the sweet stuff has accounted for well over half of the growth in the category for the past two years. Flavour can be a choppy sea to swim through, though, especially for those amongst us who really, truly love Gin. Sure, we might be sticklers, but there are rules in place to preserve the spirits place in history and number one is that it should taste predominantly of juniper. Sadly, the majority of todays Flavoured Gins took a DNA test and found out theyd never even been near a forest, with expressions from even the most esteemed distilleries steering away from tradition and towards the icky, sticky and downright ridiculous. Still all hope is not lost. There are some truly amazing Flavoured Gins on offer that even the most die-hards would clamour for, and weve rounded the best of them up here for your delectation Sipsmith Orange & Cacao Gin Sipsmiths Orange & Cacao Gin was initially part of the distillerys subscription service, but it was so popular amongst tasters that it quickly became a regular. It really is a surprising spirit one that is way classier than it has any right to be. On the nose, soft orange and a slightly musty cacao ring out, along with a slightly dusty, spice-cupboard smell. A burst of juicy orange fills the cheeks upon sipping, while the chocolate supplies a sweet, moreish note that helps the spirit glides down the throat like silk. Once the initial flavours fade, all thats left is a stripe of juniper and a warm, citrussy coriander note. Divine! 20 | Amazon | Buy it now Slingsby Gooseberry Gin Slingsby Gooseberry Gin was designed to appeal to wine lovers notably those with a penchant for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It works like a charm! On the nose its crisp and fresh. Bittersweet, too, like not-quite-ripe apples. On the tongue its oh-so-vibrant, with a syrupy texture and a beautiful warmth from the underlying gin. The gooseberry taste is sharp and strong, but it quickly gives way to a rich juniper pine. Try it with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic for a super-charged G&T, or drink it neat over ice to accompany a cheese board. It deserves that kind of treatment! 40 for 70cl | Gin Kiosk | Buy it now Isle of Wight Distillery Mermaid Pink Gin Mermaid Pink Gin is the Isle of Wight Distillerys first foray into Flavoured Gin territory and its a real showstopper, with swathes of island-grown strawberries bubbling up out of the glass. The strawberries arrive first on the tongue, sweet, ripe and redolent of warm summer days. A hit of coastal samphire adds a medicinal touch, mixing with the fruit to bring in a soothing, cough syrup feel. The gin within shines bright, lashing the palate with bright green coriander. Its a superb take on the Pink Gin trend and best served with lashings of ice, lemon and slightly bashed strawberries. 36 | Master of Malt | Buy it now Manly Coastal Citrus Gin This Aussie Gin is more than just a pretty face though youll be excused if you get distracted by the bottles beauty for a quick minute. The team have gone hard on their promise of citrus flavours, with lemon, orange, lemongrass and lemon myrtle in the mix. The citrus blend conspires to form a heady blaze of sherbet sunshine, whilst a dash of sea parsley rings in the salty taste of the coast. This is the perfect gin for beach picnics (but it also makes a great accompaniment to staring out at the rain, praying for any sign of Spring). 38.75 | The Whiskey Exchange | Buy it now Also available at 31Dover (38.70) Boe Violet Gin Boe Violet Gin has a botanical line-up plucked from the history books, with just the right amount of sugar, spice and all things nice to make it as close to classic as they come. A post-distillation infusion of vibrant violet petals, though, not only adds a bold purple colour but a Parma Violet taste. The sugary petals dominate the nose and tongue, so vibrant you can almost see the electric blue of the flowers flutter across your eyes. Once the sweetness calms, the violet transforms, bringing a rocket-like herbal note that beautifully complements the core gin. It works really well with a basic Indian Tonic, but we were feeling particularly extra on the day we tried it so went with Fentimans Rose Lemonade it was a winner. 26 | Master of Malt | Buy it now Caorunn Scottish Raspberry Gin The Scottish distillery behind Caorgunn Gin has crafted a unique spin on the nations seemingly unquenchable thirst for Pink Gin, opting to cram theirs full of pink flavours ahead of distillation so that the end product is as clear as a bell. Its much less sweet than its counterparts, although the raspberry flavour is so ripe and round you can almost feel the berries on your tongue. Theres a real thwack of Scotland, too, with a hefty dose of heather adding a great, warm kick to the back of the tongue. Serve with Indian Tonic and a chunky slice of pink grapefruit for a killer G&T, or opt for complete overindulgence by adding in a touch of cream soda. Raspberry ripple in booze form. 21 | Master of Malt | Buy it now That Boutique-y Gin Company Smoked Rosemary Gin That Boutique-y Gin Company are known for their out there flavours, but this one really leans into weirdness. Its brutally herbal, with the namesake botanical printing so much of its flavour onto the tongue you feel as though youve fallen face first into a rosemary bush. Lapsang Souchong adds a hugely savoury smoky note, while smoked-barley really brings the fire. It carries a great hit of umami that fans of a peaty whisky would covet, and while it might not work in an everyday G&T (it really is a thousand miles from any other Gin on the market), its utterly stunning in a Negroni. 30 | Master of Malt | Buy it now Also available on Amazon (29.95) Keeprs Honey Gin Made by the British Honey company using nectar pulled from hives have dotted all over the Cotswolds, Keeprs Honey Gin is a delectably sweet, soft spirit that soothes the throat and warms the soul. Hugely malty, with a strong, genever like base, this has swathes of juniper throughout and a fierce spice kick. While the honey delivers a delicate taste to the fore, the sweetness really kicks in towards the end of the sip, with a burnt caramel rounding out the profile. It definitely deserves to be shaken up into a Bees Knees, although for a simple serve you could just try coaxing out the pollen with the addition of Merchants Heart Floral Aromatics Tonic. 37.50 | John Lewis | Buy it now *only five in stock online Masons Yorkshire Tea Gin Oh, what a thing of beauty Masons Yorkshire Tea Gin is! Two national icons tea and gin unite to deliver a sharp, dry and delicate flavour that is comfortingly familiar yet brilliantly unique. The tea really works to highlight the gins citrus notes and adds a huge depth to the otherwise dusky spices. Herbal and refreshing, this is a gin youll find yourself reaching for again and again. Try it with a classic tonic and a lemon peel twist to really maximise the flavour. 32 | Amazon | Buy it now Also available from Master of Malt (37.89) Sacred Cardamom Gin It goes without saying that if you arent a fan of cardamom, this gin is very possibly going to make you foam at the mouth. If, however, the beautiful green beads conjure nothing but warm perfume notes and memories of sweet, spiced desserts, youre going to fall head over heels. The spice is present in every sip of Sacred Cardamom Gin; it dominates the nose and paints the tongue with an intoxicating heat and a flavour so deep you feel like you could swim in it. Serve it up with whatever tonic you fancy and a wedge of sweet orange and youre onto a winner. 33.95 | Master of Malt | Buy it now Verdict: The present management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has spent close to GH1.2 billion, till date, as payments to contractors who were awarded road contracts, under the cocoa roads programme, by the companys management under the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government. This is in sharp contrast to the allegations that this governments period of suspension of cocoa road projects a suspension which has since been lifted was also characterised by the non-payment of amounts already owed to contractors. According to Kwame Baffoe Abronye, the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who made the disclosure about the payments at a press conference held today, 2 March, It is false that contractors with genuine claims about their contracts issued by the previous government are not being paid. He provided a breakdown of amounts paid by the present management of COCOBOD during each cocoa season starting from 2016/2017 and it showed that, GH9,603,917.55 was paid to cocoa road contractors during the 2016/2017 cocoa season. GH496,872,500.00 was then paid during the 2017/2018 cocoa season. During the 2018/2019 season, the amount went up to GH550,983,450.00 and so far in the present 2019/2020 season, the paid amount stands at GH123,639,516. This brings the total amount paid by this government for cocoa road contracts issued by the previous government to exactly GH1,181,099,383.55. Mr Abronye said, as Chairman of the NPP in one of the important cocoa-producing regions, the Bono Region, he was very troubled by the falsehoods currently being spread by former President John Dramani Mahama in his visits to cocoa communities as he tours that nation. According to Mr Abronye, the former president is engaging in a Trumpian style spreading of misinformation in the cocoa communities. This is particularly true of the statements he [Mahama] has made about the construction of cocoa roads and on which bases he has launched several attacks on the current government. The NPP Regional Chairman said, contrary to the view that the temporary suspension stopped absolutely all cocoa road projects, it was, in fact, the case that, the suspension which was imposed was not a blanket suspension on all the contracts, as such, several roads at different stages of construction were allowed to continue until completion in 2017 and thereafter. In addition, work has also resumed on several cocoa road construction projects and progressing steadily after the temporary suspension, Mr Abronye said. He provided a list of some 40 roads, half of which were completed after 2017. The current government suspended cocoa road projects for an audit to be conducted after anomalies which resulted in inflated costs of some of the contracts awarded by the previous government were detected. The suspension allowed for a re-scoping and proper alignment of funds to execute cocoa road projects. The government has since cancelled 24 contracts and lifted the suspension. COCOBOD has also already announced the award of 43 new cocoa road contracts and is scheduled to add more. For the first time, an open competitive bidding process was used to choose suitable contractors. Management said it adopted this process to improve transparency and ensure value for money while doing away with the usual secrecy which provided opportunities to award contracts to unqualified persons. 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 1. Adding travel history to patient evaluation could help to prevent spread of coronavirus Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M20-0643 URL goes live when the embargo lifts A commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine recommends adding travel history to the patient evaluation to identify risk for potential exposure to CoVID-19, or coronavirus. Typically, clinicians assess temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure during a physical examination. Adding a fifth "vital sign" could help to prevent spread of geographically-linked emerging infectious diseases, such as CoVID-19. The authors of a commentary from the Division of Infectious Disease and Geographic Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center say that lessons from SARS, MERS, and Ebola suggest that early case identification through ascertaining travel history is critical to protect both patients and those caring from them. In 2014, a patient presented to a Dallas emergency department after returning from Liberia with low grade fever, abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea, and headache. The patient had Ebola, but clinicians did not include travel history in the patient's vitals and the diagnosis was missed. In the first 6 weeks of the current epidemic, the number of cases of CoVID-19 has surpassed those of SARS and MERS, raising questions about strategies to control the spread of infection. Available data specific to CoVID-19 suggest that screening and restricting travelers may have limited impact on containment. The authors argue that patients' vital signs are immediately powerful indicators of how urgently they need care and what path to take. A simple, targeted travel history can help clinicians put symptoms of infection in context and trigger more detailed history, appropriate testing, and rapid implementation of protective measures. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To reach the lead author, Trish M. Perl, MD, MSc, please contact Remecka Owens at remekca.owens@utsouthwestern.edu. 2. Pharmacotherapy ineffective for treating cannabis use disorder Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-1105 URL goes live when the embargo lifts Available evidence suggests that several drug classes, including cannabinoids and SSRIs, are ineffective for treating cannabis use disorder. Findings from a systematic review are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, from 2002 to 2014, the prevalence of daily cannabis use in the United States nearly doubled. The potency of readily available cannabis has also increased, while public perception of cannabis harms has decreased. With increased use among the general population and a high prevalence of cannabis use disorder among current cannabis users, an urgent need exists for more research to identify effective pharmacologic treatments. Researchers from VA Portland Health Care System reviewed published research to ascertain the benefits and risks of pharmacotherapies for the treatment of cannabis use disorder. Across 26 trials, the evidence was largely insufficient to determine whether medication could help treat cannabis use disorder. The researchers found low- to moderate-strength evidence that buspirone, cannabinoids, and SSRIs were ineffective for decreasing cannabis use or improving abstinence. Evidence was insufficient to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of all other drug classes. The researchers noted that overall, the evidence base was limited because small number of studies investigating most drug classes, small sample sizes, nearly universal high attrition rates, and other methodological flaws in nearly half the trials included in the review. They conclude that more research in this area is urgently needed. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. Questions regarding this research should be directed to Dan Herrigstad at Daniel.Herrigstad@va.gov. 3. Flu vaccine may not decrease hospitalization or mortality among elderly persons Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-3075 URL goes live when the embargo lifts Influenza vaccination rates increase sharply at age 65 with no matching decrease in hospitalizations and mortality rates in this population. These findings suggest that current vaccination strategies prioritizing elderly persons may not be as effective as previously thought. Findings from an observational study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Many Western European countries focus influenza vaccination efforts on high-risk groups, such as elderly persons, because they bear much of the burden of influenza-related morbidity and mortality. In contrast, epidemiologic models suggest that vaccinating children - a group likely to transmit influenza - may protect high-risk groups more than vaccinating the high-risk groups themselves. Deciding between the two strategies depends on the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in reducing hospitalizations and mortality among elderly persons. Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Clemson University used an objective observational research design called regression discontinuity (pretest-posttest program-comparison) to determine the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in reducing hospitalizations and mortality among elderly persons. They studied data from patient surveys and administrative records for adults aged 55 to 75 years residing in England and Wales from 2000 to 2014. They found that while turning 65 was associated with a statistically and clinically significant increase in rate of seasonal influenza vaccination, no evidence indicated that vaccination reduced hospitalizations or mortality among elderly persons. The estimates were precise enough to rule out results from many previous studies. These findings suggest that vaccination programs focusing on elderly patients may require supplemental strategies to effectively reduce morbidity and mortality in this population. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with the lead author, Michael L. Anderson, PhD, please contact Julie Gipple julie_gipple@berkeley.edu. 4. Severe fatty liver disease a potential complication of checkpoint inhibitors Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/L19-0635 URL goes live when the embargo lifts Clinicians identified a rare but serious potential adverse event associated with the use of the immune checkpoint inhibitor, nivolumab. Severe fatty liver disease with high blood triglyceride levels may occur, even in patients with normal body weight taking this medication. Findings from a case report are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Giving patients checkpoint inhibitors, which are antibodies directed against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and similar proteins, has revolutionized the treatment of cancer, especially malignant melanoma. However, this therapy is known to cause many serious but treatable immune-related adverse events. Recently, clinicians from the University of Tubingen and the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Germany detected a yet unknown cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a lean woman being treated with nivolumab for skin cancer. The authors believe the immune checkpoint blockade therapy may have triggered inflammation of her subcutaneous fat. The researchers report the case of a 45-year-old woman with malignant melanoma, a skin cancer, effectively treated with the nivolumab. Towards the end of treatment the patient had very high levels of lipids, a newly developed diabetes, and a severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This was completely unexpected, particularly because the patient had lost 31 kg of body weight. Tissue biopsy of her subcutaneous fat and magnetic resonance imaging showed acquired lipodystrophy with a severe form of inflammation of her fat, which may have been triggered by the function of the checkpoint inhibitor. Intensive treatment with pioglitazone resulted in her liver fat, liver enzymes, and lipid levels returning to almost normal values. Clinicians treating patients with checkpoint inhibitors should be aware of this newly-identified adverse event. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF please contact Lauren Evans at laevans@acponline.org. To speak with the lead author, Norbert Stefan, MD, please contact him at norbert.stefan@med.uni-tuebingen.de. https://twitter.com/AnnalsofIM?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Also new in this issue In the Clinic: Managing Patients with Fibromyalgia Matthew J. Bair, MD, MS; Erin E. Krebs, MD, MPH In the Clinic Abstract: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M19-3262 ### A statement issued by F1's governing body late last week poses "more questions than answers". That is the view of La Gazzetta dello Sport, after the FIA shocked the Formula 1 world last Friday by saying it had reached a secret "settlement" with Ferrari. It follows an investigation into the legality of Ferrari's 2019 engine, and could explain why the Italian team has been mysteriously lacking power in winter testing. Auto Motor und Sport claims the FIA may even have seized an entire power unit over the winter, following rival teams' suspicions that Ferrari was breaching the rules. The FIA said that investigation has now concluded with the reaching of a "settlement" whose details "will remain between the parties". Part of the settlement will involve Ferrari helping the FIA with research into "carbon emissions and sustainable fuels", and to "improve the monitoring of all" other engines on the grid. But publications insist the secret settlement, announced on the final day of pre-season testing and amid the coronavirus crisis, has enraged the other teams. An unnamed team boss told Auto Bild: "This decision opens the door for everyone else to cheat. It's a scandal." Another said that with Ferrari's second place in 2019 still standing, every other team has effectively been cheated out of millions in prize money. "We won't put up with that," the team boss said. "It's a distortion of the competition and about lots and lots of money." Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport said: "Now there is a picture of the FIA having no evidence of possible violations by Ferrari, but also the impression that Ferrari was not able to refute all the allegations." Another Italian newspaper, Corriere dello Sport, added: "What consequences will this agreement have for Ferrari? "They seemed very slow in testing, even having to keep an eye on Racing Point. "For now we can only hope that everything turns out fine. A better aerodynamic package may have made the car faster in the corners, but what good is it for the team if the engine is not as powerful as last season?" Even Mattia Binotto admits that the 2020 Ferrari power unit is "not as good as last year". Sebastian Vettel indicated that the situation could mean Ferrari quickly turns its attention to improving for the new rules of 2021. "First we have to find out how much we are missing. Then it will depend on whether we sacrifice something from the 2021 program or whether the gap is so large and it's not worth it," said the German driver. (GMM) Irish tourism is facing more uncertainty after the US issued warnings about travel to parts of Italy and the French authorities closed the Louvre Museum in Paris over concerns for its staff catching the coronavirus from the hundreds of people streaming through its doors. Tourism chiefs here have been on high alert ever since the first of two victims of Covoid-19 were confirmed last week. The Irish outbreaks received widespread coverage in the media around the world. Eoghan O'Mara Walsh, head of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, which represents the Irish tourism industry and the Government tourist boards north and south, is preparing to attend a Department of Health meeting later on Monday. He said that the travel bans announced over the weekend by the US for its citizens to parts of Italy most affected by the outbreak and the closure of the Louvre will cause new concerns fro the prospects for Irish tourism in the coming season. "It is very concerning and alarming for ever sector but travel and tourism is likely to be most affected," Mr O'Mara Walsh said. Companies as diverse as Diageo -- which makes Guinness, Baileys, and Smirnoff; Danone, the foods giant that also makes baby formula in Ireland; and Apple have warned in the last two weeks about financial hits from the coronavirus due to lower Asian sales or the huge disruption to their supply chains that thread across China. Amid last week's huge stock market sell-off, the shares of travel giants and airlines have been particularly badly hit. That reflected fears that American visitors will cancel travel plans to Europe should the outbreak fail to contained in the coming months. Bloomberg reported that the US State Department upgraded its advisory for the Italian regions that include Milan and Venice to do not travel, due to the level of community transmission of the virus and imposition of local quarantine procedures. Those regions include the countrys finance hub, Milan, and Venice. The rest of Italy is still ranked reconsider travel, by the US authorities. Italy has reported more than 1,100 confirmed cases of the infection. The US also issued a Level 4 do-not-travel warning for the Daegu region of southeastern South Korea. Meanwhile, Japan raised its travel advisory for Daegu city and Cheongdo county in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do to level 3, or to a "do-not-travel" level. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also raised the alert for Italys Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna regions to "level 2" from "level 1". Frances Louvre Museum remained shut on Sunday amid concern about the coronavirus. The shutdown followed a government decision on Saturday to ban indoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people. There was better news for the PSA Group, the maker of Peugeot cars, which has been told by Chinese authorities that the company will be able to restart industrial activities in the Hubei province from March 11, chief executive Carlos Tavares said on Sunday. Rising actor Tom Byrne has reportedly been cast to portray a young Prince Andrew in The Crown's upcoming fourth season. The 25-year-old thespian, a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, has been recruited to play the scandal-ridden Royal during his days as a popular pinup, according to The Sun. A source told the publication: 'Tom probably couldnt believe his luck when he was he landed a part playing a senior member of the royal family. Casting: Rising actor Tom Byrne, left, has reportedly been cast to portray a young Prince Andrew, pictured right in 1978, in The Crown's upcoming fourth season 'After all, hes yet to land a major TV role and the Netflix show is one of the most-watched dramas on the planet.' Tom, who has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared on popular anthology series Black Mirror, is said to be playing the young Duke of York as he courts and weds Sarah Ferguson. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Tom Byrne for comment. Prince Andrew was forced to step down from royal life last year after his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Interview: Prince Andrew was forced to step down from royal life last year after a disastrous interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Pictured with Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 Andrew, 60, and Epstein, who killed himself awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges aged 66 last year, became friends through Epstein's ex-girlfriend and 'madame' Ghislaine Maxwell. Virginia Roberts Guiffre, who now lives in Australia, claims she had sex with Prince Andrew three times, including once when she was 17. She says he was groomed by Maxwell and became paedophile Epstein's sex slave. Andrew, a father-of-two, denies having any relationship with her whatsoever and claims a photograph of them together in London has been doctored. Meanwhile, Josh O'Connor was recently seen returning to his role as Prince Andrew's brother Prince Charles as he shot scenes for the drama at London's British Museum. Dad: The scandal-ridden Royal is the father of Princesses Princess Eugenie, left, and Princess Beatrice, right. Pictured in April 2011 The actor, 29, looked dapper for the scene, wearing a dark grey blazer and matching trousers along with a pale blue shirt and a dark, patterned tie. Josh looked well and truly in character for the scene, which comes after his co-star Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana, has been spotted filming in recent weeks. Prince Charles will once again take centre stage in The Crown's fourth series, which will document his meeting and marriage to Lady Diana Spencer. The couple married in 1981 in a lavish ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral and went onto have sons William and Harry. Also starring in the upcoming fourth series of the show are Olivia Colman returning as Queen Elizabeth II, Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Tobias Menzies as Prince Phillip. On location: Josh O'Connor, 29, looked the spitting image of a young Prince Charles as he filmed scenes for the Netflix series at the British Museum in London recently It was recently revealed The Crown will end after its fifth season, with Imelda Staunton taking the throne as the critically-acclaimed show's final Queen. Show creator Peter Morgan confirmed the Netflix drama - currently airing its third season with Olivia in the regal role - would not include a sixth season while revealing Imelda, 64, will take the role 'into the 21st century'. This means that current Royal scandals including the allegations made against Prince Andrew as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'Megxit' drama won't be featured on the Netflix hit. Harry Potter star Imelda said: 'I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan's scripts. Lookalike: Emma Corrin looked sensational as she filmed scenes as Princess Diana in Manchester in early February 'I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.' Peter said: 'I'm absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty The Queen for the fifth and final season, taking The Crown into the 21st century. 'Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.' Peter has also now revealed he decided against making a sixth season of The Crown because there 'has to be distance' between real life and the show. The writer and producer admitted he had initially sketched out storylines for further episodes beyond series five. Stellar: Olivia Colman's performance a Queen Elizabeth II has drawn praise from critics But he explained to the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye: 'You can't fully examine incidents that happened yesterday. There has to be ten to 20 years' distance. And in some instances much longer.' Peter promised the final series, which won't be filmed until 2021 or 2022 will be 'explosive' and will culminate with Britain entering the new millennium. However, the showrunner admitted he would like to visit the royal family again in five to 10 years time, but to examine a different period. He said: 'I don't know yet, but I might go further backwards in time, perhaps before this Queen.' At 29 years of age, Stephen Curry was young, fit and healthy. He and his partner, Chantelle, were engaged to be married and their family had already begun to grow with the arrival of their son Bradley (2) - life was good. So when six months ago the father of one suddenly developed a crippling pain in his chest, he was surprised but didn't imagine that he was suffering from anything serious. But a trip to the hospital soon told a different story as he went from being a healthy young man to someone on the brink of death. "One evening in June of last year, I got up to put the kettle on while Chantelle was putting Bradley to bed," he recalls. "As I was reaching for it, I suddenly got a crushing pain in my chest - it was so bad that I felt like someone was standing on me and I found it really difficult to breathe. "I shouted for Chantelle and she came downstairs immediately and said she was going to call for help. She rang the local out-of-hours doctor but there was no reply, which, in hindsight, was a good thing as she then rang an ambulance which arrived in about 10 minutes." Read More While waiting for the emergency services to arrive, Stephen, who works for Wexford County Council, sat on a chair clutching his chest and, as the pain refused to subside, he began to get worried and thought that he might be having a heart attack. This was also the first thought of the paramedics who began treating him for the same. "When the ambulance arrived, I had my blood pressure checked and an ECG showed something wasn't right so I was given an aspirin, which is good for thinning the blood as they thought I might be having a heart attack," he says. "In actual fact, this was the worst thing I could have been given and the result could have been fatal, but, at this point, the paramedics didn't know what was wrong with me. "I was taken to the local hospital, and, on the way, they continued doing tests on me. Then when I arrived at the hospital, I was seen by one doctor who called for a second opinion from a colleague who ordered a CT scan and this revealed that I was suffering from an Aortic Dissection Type A (a tear in the lining of the aorta) which is hard to diagnose because it often mimics a heart attack." The situation was now very grave but while doctors updated Stephen's family, they kept the stark reality of the diagnosis from him as they didn't want stress to further aggravate his condition as he would need to remain calm while he awaited surgery. "I didn't know what it meant to have an aortic dissection and doctors didn't enlighten me as they didn't want me to worry," he says. "When Chantelle and my dad came back into the room, they both looked like they had been tearful but didn't say anything about it to me. I was just told that I had to be transferred to the Mater Hospital in Dublin and a doctor travelled with me in the ambulance, which should have alerted me to the seriousness of it all - but I was so out of it that I didn't really take in what was happening. "I was taken straight to ICU and told that I had to have open-heart surgery immediately as without it I had less than 24 hours to live. This was a total shock and my father's reaction will always stick in my mind as he turned away and put his hands over his face. I was very scared, more about the general anaesthetic and being put to sleep than the surgery itself as I never thought I was going to die. But I did say my goodbyes and told my fiancee to make sure our son grew up knowing all about me if I didn't make it." Fortunately, Stephen survived the nine-hour operation and after 12 days in hospital was discharged. Expand Close Stephen with his wife Chantelle and two-year-old son Bradley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen with his wife Chantelle and two-year-old son Bradley "When I woke up, I saw my mother, father and fiancee so knew that I had made it," he says. "I was incredibly relieved and also really groggy and kept falling asleep for 10 minutes or so - then when I woke up I would think a day had passed. I was in a lot of pain initially and had a very weird feeling in my chest as if it wasn't part of my body. "After I was discharged, it took about three months for me to start feeling any better and to be able to sleep on my side. Before that, everything hurt, especially when I coughed or sneezed. But I was determined to get better, slowly but surely." Indeed while he was still in recuperation, Stephen and Chantelle went ahead with the wedding they had been planning before he became sick. "We got married six weeks after I had my operation," says the Enniscorthy man. "It might seem mad, but we had everything planned so we decided to go ahead with it as it would give us all something to look forward to and take our minds off everything we had been through. "It was a lovely day and a great distraction from what had been going on. I was still a bit out of it, and, on several occasions, I found myself just sitting in the middle of it all, watching everything going on around me and taking it all in - I kept thinking that I nearly didn't make it and really appreciated the fact that I was there, on my wedding day, with all my family and friends around me." Life has changed somewhat for Stephen, and, while he is now back on his feet, he is very wary about overdoing things but conscious that he needs to keep physically active, and, more importantly, address the mental issues which have undoubtedly arisen from this life-changing experience. "I am doing fine now physically - but it did take me a while to get up on my feet and out and about," he says. "I went on a cardio rehabilitation programme and I do intend to join the gym, but I am still a little nervous of putting any strain on my heart. I do a bit of walking mainly to keep myself sane and sometimes I get very out of breath as I am still recovering, but, apart from that, I have no other physical side-effects - so everything is fine in that sense. "But I do have issues with the mental side of things and have been seeing a counsellor who diagnosed me with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - going from being a fit 29-year-old to someone who was on the edge of death was a very big shock and will take some getting used to. "I would advise anyone else who is at the start of a journey like mine to ask as many questions as possible. I didn't ask anything as I didn't want to know at the time because it made me nervous. But now I do want to know certain things and often need reassurance over aspects I feel anxious about. "I recently found a group online and on Facebook called Aortic Dissection Buddies UK/Ireland - this has been great as it has really helped me with answers and the knowledge that I am not alone. So it is important to get as much information and support as possible, and, aside from that, try to be positive, as it is the best way forward." For more information, check out materfoundation.ie and irishheart.ie Aortic dissection (AD) occurs when an injury to the innermost layer of the aorta allows blood to flow between the layers of the aortic wall, forcing the layers apart. In most cases, this is associated with a sudden onset of severe chest or back pain. Symptoms depend on where the dissection starts and in the majority of cases include a sudden onset of severe pain, which is often described as feeling like a tearing or stabbing sensation. Some people feel the pain spreading but it is usually confined to the aortic chest area. Due to the nature and location of the pain, aortic dissection is often confused with heart attack. It can also be confused with a myocardial infarction if there is chest pain, especially as it can be associated with ECG changes, too. Aortic dissection may occur due to a genetic condition associated with a weakened or enlarged aorta and in some cases chronic high blood pressure may stress the aortic tissue, making it more susceptible to tearing. There are other causes of dissection in addition to congenital causes, such as that associated with a bicuspid aortic valve, Marfan syndrome. It is also associated with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and can occur following trauma, for example, during an RTA etc. A rocket hit an armoured vehicle carrying Turkish customs personnel in an attack near the border with Iran on Friday, killing one person and injuring others, Turkish officials said, adding that clashes were under way in the area. The rocket struck the vehicle's front wheel around 0550 GMT on Monday, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter. He said "the terrorists were followed and cornered", but did not specify who the attackers were believed to be. Shortly after, Turkish Trade Minister Rushar Pekcan said one of the customs agents had been killed in the attack. The office of the governor of Agri province said the vehicle was hit in transit from the Dogubayazit border area to the Gurbulak border gate, causing it to skid off the road and flip over. In did not say who had carried out the attack. The vehicle was near a parking lot for freight trucks, hospital and security sources said. Several ambulances, security teams and search and rescue personnel were sent to the area. Some Turkish media reports said the attack was carried out by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. The PKK are active in southeast Turkey but less so in Agri. Earlier this month, Turkey closed its land and air borders with Iran over an outbreak of the new coronavirus. On Friday, Iran announced nationwide school closures as the death toll from the outbreak rose to 34. Search Keywords: Short link: A recent survey says employees have confessed to having had at least one dalliance with a co-worker. Love is in the air. In workplaces too, says a new survey by the Society for Human Resources Management in the US. After the #MeToo movement sent shock waves across the world, several firms came up with strict workplace-relationship rules. However, according to the survey, of the 696 workers who were surveyed, around one quarter confessed to indulging in at least one dalliance with a co-worker. In the sophisticated era we now live in, the question is, do we need strict rules governing romantic relationships in offices, or should things be more flexible, as managements cant really stop people from falling in love or dating each other? We delve deeper to find out. Kumar Keshaw, a senior Human Resource specialist in a leading MNC, tries to explain the rationale behind the strict rules. He says, Romance at the workplace is nothing new. But most organisations consider it a distraction and cause of loss of productivity. It is essential for millennial human resource professionals as well as organisations to understand basic human nature. In my opinion, scrutinising romance at the workplace could lead to loss of productivity and concentration, instead of achieving positive results. However, it is also important that employees disclose their relationships as well as break-ups (they happen a lot in the current era) to human resource personnel, so that HR can view the relationship status in the light of POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) laws. Stressing that HR professionals should also ensure that romantic relationships in the workplace dont give scope for bias in decision-making, Keshaw says Maybe putting the two persons involved in different teams might work. What I personally feel is, in this competitive world, where everyone is trying to prove themselves, emotional support is required. A manager might not be able to provide that. A romantic involvement can also be a strategy for controlling attrition, he adds. Office romances are undoubtedly products of the fast-paced lifestyle we live in. Those shivers of excitement you get when your crush passes by are what bring the light into the lives of most professionals. Amrita Fernandes found the man of her dreams at her workplace. After 26 years of a successful marriage, she believes that the workplace can be the best place to find your soulmate. She says, Falling in love is a very natural phenomenon, and to find love in your workplace is just a blessing. Rules must be flexible for the current generation, which is so focused on a successful career that their personal life has to take a back seat. So, I believe that falling in love with your colleague is absolutely fine and healthy, as long as theres no conflict of interest and office decorum is maintained. But if you find that its your boss who makes you go weak at the knees, the stars might not favour you. However, there are some exceptions that prove the rule here too! Priya (name changed on request) fell in love with her boss and is now married to him! They made it work, but it wasnt easy. She shares, When my colleagues found out that my boss and I were in a committed relationship, my office life went for a toss. All my accomplishments were tainted, as people thought my boss was doing me favours. I was perceived to be receiving special treatment. The worst part was, my peers resented me and stopped socialising with me. It was hard and I had to quit eventually. Only after that could my husband and I focus better on our relationship. Priyas husband adds, My boss constantly advised me to stop the relationship. I stood up for us and ensured that my work and personal life were kept separate, and I never let one influence the other. However, it was challenging for me to be hard on Priya when she messed up at work. Dating or marrying a subordinate comes with its own challenges too. After spending your whole day together, there wont be much to share when you get back home. There are occasions when we lack the interest to discuss how our days transpired, says Vaibhav Bhasin, a senior analyst at a reputed healthcare firm in Delhi, who is married to his colleague. But theres an upside as well, of course. Vaibhav says, In my opinion there are several advantages. We can strengthen our bond and build the trust we need in the relationship. A happy home always results in a happy and efficient employee. It can also turn out cost-efficient as we travel to the same location. In the end, love conquers all, even the workplace! A plane carrying UN medical experts and aid touched down Monday in Iran on a mission to help it tackle the world's second-deadliest outbreak of coronavirus as European powers said they would send further help. As the official death toll rose by 12 to 66, the Islamic republic turned down a similar offer from arch-enemy Washington, dismissing it as "propaganda". The World Health Organization said a flight arrived from Dubai carrying medical supplies and experts on a fact-finding mission and to "provide guidance on strengthening and scaling up the response to the ongoing outbreak." Germany, France and Britain, for their part, said they would send emergency medical supplies including testing equipment, body suits and gloves as well as five million euros ($5.5 million) to help tackle the outbreak. Iran's confirmed cases leapt Monday by 523 on the previous day, hitting 1,501, said Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi. State news agency IRNA reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 72, a member of the Expediency Council which advises Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It did not specify the cause of death but said he had died at Tehran's Massih Danechvari Hospital, the capital's main centre for coronavirus patients. The outbreak that originated in China has sparked concern among Iran's neighbours, with the Gulf Arab states confirming 130 cases including, on Monday, Saudi Arabia's first case. The health ministry in Riyadh, another key rival of Tehran, said the man had tested positive after returning from Iran. Many of the Gulf's other victims are pilgrims returning from Iran, especially the Shiite holy city of Qom where the country's first case was reported. US President Donald Trump had Saturday offered: "If we can help the Iranians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so... All they have to do is ask." But Tehran rejected the offer, charging that Trump, who has heaped sanctions and a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran, was offering help "for propaganda purposes". "We are suspicious of the intentions of the Americans and do not count on this aid," said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi, quoted by IRNA. Germany, France and Britain, who remain as signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran despite Trump's withdrawal, expressed "their full solidarity with all impacted by COVID-19 in Iran". Beijing, also a signatory to the nuclear deal, said an expert team from China had arrived Saturday in Tehran "to provide what assistance it can in terms of epidemic prevention and control and medical relief". 'Supplies Running Low' The WHO said it had sent Iran "medical supplies and protective equipment to support over 15,000 health care workers, as well as enough laboratory kits to test and diagnose nearly 100,000 people". As the goods worth more than $300,000 -- including gloves, surgical masks and respirators -- were loaded onto an Emirati transport plane in Dubai, WHO's Robert Blanchard warned that global supplies were running low. "What we see now is that demand has greatly exceeded our available stocks... and we are struggling to get access to more supplies." The six-member medical team is made up of doctors, epidemiologists and laboratory specialists to help Iran detect and control the virus, Blanchard said. WHO operations manager Nevien Attalla said the supplies were the "first big shipment which supports the response to coronavirus". "Iran is a challenging country. You don't have always easy approvals to go," she said. The UAE provided the military transport plane for the flight despite having downgraded its relations with the Islamic republic amid fierce rivalry between Iran and close UAE ally Saudi Arabia. Gulf states have announced a raft of measures to cut links with Iran to curb the spread of the virus, cutting off transport links and telling citizens not to visit. "Aid should reach all people regardless of their background," said Sultan Mohammed al-Shamsi, the UAE's undersecretary for humanitarian affairs. IRNA reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 72, a member of the Expediency Council which advises Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It did not specify the cause of death but said he had died at Tehran's Massih Danechvari Hospital, the capital's main centre for patients suffering from the new coronavirus. Search Keywords: Short link: Second, for all the Democrats holding out hope that Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire carpetbagger carrying the weight of his horrific racial history, could muscle his way into the races and force voters into submission and amnesia, South Carolina waved a giant red flag. Bloomberg wasnt on the ballot in the state, but voters at the polls were still asked their opinion of him along with their opinion of the other candidates. A whopping 66 percent said that they had an unfavorable opinion of Bloomberg. That was higher than the unfavorable rating of any other candidate. No other candidates unfavorable rating crossed the 50 percent mark. Only 26 percent of voters in the state had a favorable opinion of Bloomberg. Of course, Bloomberg didnt saturate the airwaves with his propaganda in South Carolina the way that he has done in Super Tuesday states, so results this week could be different. But Democrats should be extremely concerned that when voters are left to discover a candidate on their own, through the press and their own research, they come away with such a repulsed impression. Third, people can like you as a person but simply not believe that you are the best candidate. Pete Buttigiegs candidacy provided an example of this. Before he dropped out of the race Sunday, a plurality of South Carolina voters (49 percent) said that they had a favorable opinion of the former mayor, but only 7 percent thought he best understood the concerns of racial/ethnic minorities. Trying to replicate the Obama victory is a fools errand. That was a lightning strike. It wont hit the same spot twice. Finally, there is a religious split that we should track and deeply consider. In South Carolina, 83 percent of voters said they attend religious services occasionally or more often than that. Biden won a majority of those voters. Sanders won only 17 percent of them. Sanders did, however, win a plurality of the 17 percent of voters who said they never attend religious services. On this metric, South Carolina matches up rather well with the country as a whole. In 2016, 78 percent of voters said that they attended religious services at least a few times a year. The problem was that Donald Trump won those who attended those services most often. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex rang the Peace Bell in the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain (Julien Behal/PA) The Prince of Wales plants a tree during a visit to National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh, Co Wicklow (Chris Jackson/PA) The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a Summer Party at the British Ambassador's residence at Glencairn House, during a visit to Dublin Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the Guinness Storehouse and watch the pouring of a pint on May 18, 2011 in Dublin, Ireland Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge wave to well wishers as they leave after attending the launch of the King's Cup Regatta at Cutty Sark, Greenwich on May 7, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Stansall - WPA Pool / Getty Images) The complexities of organising a royal visit to Ireland go well beyond handshaking and receiving bouquets of flowers. Organising tours for high-profile dignitaries in Ireland is a well-oiled machine by now, but visits from British royals reflect a complicated tapestry of history and extra measures are put in place to ensure an efficient security operation. In the past 18 months, there have been official visits from Sweden's King Gustaf and Queen Silvia and Holland's Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander as Europe's powerhouses banded together in anticipation of life after Brexit, although none attracted the same level of attention as this week's visitors will. As second in line to the British throne, Prince William and future queen consort Kate Middleton will have high-level security in place for their visit which gets under way tomorrow and runs until Thursday. Temporary road closures will be in place to ensure smooth travel for the couple and the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) will be responsible for driving the couple around, although it is expected they will bring their own armoured vehicle. As part of these security measures, prior to their arrival at certain locations, drains will be welded shut on public streets to ensure explosives can't be planted in them, sources have told the Irish Independent. Expand Close Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wave to the public at Trinity College Dublin Photo: Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wave to the public at Trinity College Dublin Photo: Gerry Mooney For all public walkabouts, Garda sniper teams will be deployed on rooftops. The proposed walkabout in Galway, where the couple will meet local business owners and community leaders, is expected to be the biggest logistical nightmare. Gardai notified city traders that road closures will be in place from 6am to 2pm in Williamsgate Street, Williams Street, Shop Street, High Street, Mainguard Street and Abbeygate Street. Vehicles have been banned from parking in the surrounding area to prevent any potential threats. Royal protection officers from the Metropolitan Police will accompany the Cambridges, working in tandem with a team of 12 members of the elite ERU, who will oversee their day-to-day security and are trained in close protection and overseeing security for VIPs. As the official Irish State guesthouse, it is believed Kate and William will stay at Farmleigh House for their visit, following in the footsteps of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, and his brother and sister-in-law Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Video of the Day The total cost of the visit is estimated at being upwards of 1m, according to sources. The queen's security cost an estimated 20m in 2011 in what was considered an unprecedented amount given the level of risk and attention involved. The Sussexes' security cost the taxpayer 300,000 over the course of 36 hours and Prince Charles's May 2017 visit totalled just over 2m. During Prince Charles's myriad visits over recent years, gardai carried out security sweeps of surrounding areas with affected members of the public notified in advance. While much of Kate and William's itinerary is embargoed and the logistics are being kept secret to ensure their safety, all journalists applying to cover their visit have been vetted by gardai. One restriction that has evolved over the years is the dress code imposed on journalists as was the case in 2014 during their visit to the US, when Buckingham Palace informed newsrooms that clothing "should comply with the dress code on formal occasions out of respect for the guests of the queen, or any other member of the royal family". Expand Close Commemoration: President Mary McAleese and Britain's Queen Elizabeth at Dublin's Garden of Remembrance in 2011. Photo: Frank Mc Grath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Commemoration: President Mary McAleese and Britain's Queen Elizabeth at Dublin's Garden of Remembrance in 2011. Photo: Frank Mc Grath Reporters were told via the palace press office that "smart attire for men includes the wearing of a jacket and tie, and for women a trouser or skirt-suit. Those wearing jeans or trainers will not be admitted and casually dressed members of the media will be turned away. This also applies to technicians." However, the only guidelines in place for journalists' wardrobes in Ireland is the recommendation to "bring appropriate all-weather clothing and footwear", adding "appropriate clothing should be worn throughout the visit". Afghan Taliban fighters. AP Photo The Taliban has decided to resume offensive operations against Afghan security forces, a Taliban spokesman told Agence France-Presse on Monday. The decision followed a hopeful call from the Afghan president for a sustained cessation of hostilities and came as the Afghan government bickered over a prisoner-exchange provision in the conditional peace deal the Trump administration and the Taliban signed on Saturday. The Afghan government has refused to release prisoners before negotiations, and the Taliban has said there can be no intra-Afghan dialogue without an exchange of prisoners. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Just two days after the US and the Taliban signed an agreement intended to bring peace to Afghanistan and facilitate the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban said it would resume offensive operations against the Afghan security forces, throwing a wrench into the peace deal. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Agence France-Presse on Monday that the seven-day reduction in violence that preceded the US-Taliban deal signed on Saturday in Doha, Qatar, "has ended now and our operations will continue as normal." Per the agreement, "our mujahideen will not attack foreign forces but our operations will continue against the Kabul administration forces," the spokesman added. The announcement that the militant group intends to continue its operations against the Afghan security forces came one day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he expected that the "reduction in violence will continue with a goal to reach a full cease-fire." It was unclear on Monday what effect a failed truce would have on the US-Taliban agreement already in question as the Afghan government and the Taliban bicker over the deal's prisoner-exchange provision. The agreement signed on Saturday stated that "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." Story continues The prisoner exchange, which would involve about 5,000 captured Taliban fighters and 1,000 Afghan security-forces prisoners, is scheduled for March 10, "the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations," the deal said. The Afghan government "has not made any commitment to release 5K prisoners before the start of any potential negotiation," Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan government, tweeted on Monday, adding that the Taliban first needed to address significant issues, including the need for a cease-fire. "We hope that the Taliban will comply with their commitments made in the agreement with the U.S. signed on 29th Feb, which are cutting ties with al-Qaida, and other terrorists, and sit down with the Afghan government for a negotiation leading to a political settlement," he added. The Taliban has said it will not take part in intra-Afghan talks until its captured fighters have been released. "We are fully ready for the intra-Afghan talks, but we are waiting for the release of our 5,000 prisoners," Mujahid told Reuters on Monday. "If our 5,000 prisoners 100 or 200 more or less does not matter do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks." He said of the end of the truce: "As we are receiving reports that people are enjoying the reduction in violence, we don't want to spoil their happiness, but it does not mean that we will not take our normal military activities back to the level that we were before." Mujahid added that "it could be any time, it could be after an hour, tonight, tomorrow, or the day after." As the US and the Taliban signed their agreement on Saturday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper expressed cautious optimism, saying, "This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning." He added: "For the first time in many years, Afghanistan has a real path toward the future this country deserves. We look forward to the coming weeks and months with great optimism, as we advance these important efforts to finally achieve peace." Read the original article on Business Insider President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared that he hopes to achieve ceasefire in Syrias Idlib after talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 5. The situation in Idlib escalated after terrorists of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a large-scale offensive against Syrian government forces on February 27. In response, the Syrian army opened fire. Based on the information provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Turkish soldiers, who werent supposed to be there, were bombarded. The bombardment took the lives of 34 Turkish servicemen and left more than 30 wounded. Russia took measures to stop fire of Syrian forces right after it received news about Turkeys casualties and ensured safe evacuation of the deceased and wounded Turkish servicemen to Turkey. Report on incidents in G4S-run prison released The Department of Correctional Services has complied with a court order to release a report on incidents at Mangaung Correctional Centre On Friday, 28 February, the Department of Correctional Services complied with a court order to release documents related to a ten month investigation of Mangaung Correctional Centre while it was under the control of private security companies. As expected, the report details a number of disturbing incidents involving officials, health care workers and their treatment of people incarcerated at Mangaung. After almost six years, CALS has finally been given access to a report held by the Department of Correctional Services. The report relates to an investigation into incidents at Mangaung Correctional Centre in the Free State while it was under the control of private companies G4S and Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts in 2013. CALS requested the report as part of our work on prison conditions and our interests in the state outsourcing its constitutional obligations to private companies. As expected, the report details a number of disturbing incidents, including, for example: A person incarcerated at the Centre dying while being held in a cell which is said to have had no lighting or ventilation, with the recording his death as a suicide; Officials injuring people incarcerated at the Centre by assaulting them without apparently receiving sanction to use force, or firing rubber bullets into their faces when breaking up unrest and failing to report the shootings; Officials segregating incarcerated people without proper approval; Taser guns being purchased without any officials having been trained to use these weapons; Health care workers forcibly injecting incarcerated people with anti-psychotic drugs and falsifying records; and Management at the Centre appointing untrained staff. In addition to the report, we also received a response from Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts, which subcontracted the running of Mangaung Correctional Centre to G4S. This response details their various denials either that these incidents took place at all or that either company failed in their duties under the law or the contract to run the Centre. The response frequently claims that they were unaware of certain policies or records the Department has relied on to draw up the report. We are pleased to finally be able to review the full report, says Sithuthukile Mkhize, attorney at CALS. However, to us, the investigation seems incomplete. The report sets out the incidents, with specific dates and times, and invites the companies to give reasons why they should not be held in contravention of the Correctional Services Act or in violation of their contract with the Department. Yet, it does not draw a final conclusion. We only know that control of the prison was handed back to G4S following their response. There is more than enough information here to question why. We are considering pursuing further legal challenges as well as a review of privately-run prisons in South Africa. A redacted version of the report and response are available here. For inquiries, please contact: 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 COLUMBUS, OhioFollowing the U.S. Supreme Courts announcement Monday that it will review whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said hell again push for an answer somewhere in between. The Columbus Republican announced via Twitter that he will file an advisory brief that supports neither side of the court battle. Rather, he stated, it will argue that while the health-care reform laws controversial individual mandate is unconstitutional, other parts of Obamacare can and should remain in place in particular, rules prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. I will file a brief supporting neither faction, but arguing that proper Constitutional analysis protects Ohioans with pre-existing conditions the same argument I made in the Court of Appeals. Supreme Court to Review Affordable Care Act Next Term https://t.co/bN9XgN4eBB Dave Yost (@Yost4Ohio) March 2, 2020 Yost made the same argument last year in a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which in December struck down the now-toothless individual mandate but didnt rule on the overall constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. I agree that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, but I strongly disagree that it justifies throwing out all of ACA and abandoning millions of Ohioans, Yost said in a statement at the time. The impact to Ohioans is far too great to let judicial activism jeopardize our citizens health and well-being. Repealing the entire law, he continued, would result in 1.9 million Ohioans who have a pre-existing condition losing their medical coverage. Yost added that figure does not begin to count the elderly population that would also be impacted. I do not like judicial activism in either its liberal or conservative flavors, Yost said. Dave ONeil, a Yost spokesman, said Monday that the new brief to the U.S. Supreme Court is still being drafted. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine another Obamacare critic has also spoken of the need to keep protections for people with pre-existing conditions. If the courts throw out the entire ACA, DeWine said he will push the Ohio General Assembly to pass a law setting up such protections on the state level. The lawsuit against the ACA was filed by a group of 18 Republican state attorneys general and two GOP governors (none of whom were from Ohio) who argued that because the individual mandate which imposes a fee on people who dont buy insurance was unconstitutional, the entire law should be struck down. The appeal of the case was made by officials from 20 mainly Democratic states. The case will mark the third major test of the ACA in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has upheld the heart of the law twice, and the majority that decided those cases Chief Justice John Roberts and four liberal justices remain on the court. Read more Ohio politics stories: Heres why the Ohio BMV said it needed immigration-related policies a federal judge said were discriminatory Abortion by telemedicine ban could hit Ohio Senate floor this week Joe Biden on the rebound and other Ohio takeaways from the South Carolina Democratic primary Meet Rep. Marcia Fudge and the people whod like to replace her in Congress Trump allies indefinitely postpone planned $50,000 cash giveaway in Cleveland Pune, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Semiconductor Market is projected to reach USD 730.29 billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period. The increasing utilization and consumption of consumer electronic devices will fuel demand for semiconductors during the forecast period. Furthermore, the rising demand for advanced semiconductor chips in the industrial application will contribute positively to the semiconductor market growth in the forthcoming years. In addition, the penetration of smartphones will fuel demand for semiconductors, which in turn will boost the semiconductor market revenue. According to the report, published by Fortune Business Insights, titled Semiconductor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Components (Memory Devices, Logic Devices, Analog IC, MPU, Discrete Power Devices, MCU, Sensors and Others), By Application (Networking & Communications, Data Processing, Industrial, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Government and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 the market size stood at USD 488.07 billion in 2018. To gain more insights into the market with detailed table of content and figures, click here: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/semiconductor-market-102365 The report is aimed at delivering a comprehensive view of the semiconductor market dynamics and structure by identifying and providing information regarding the key market segments. It also focuses on an all-encompassing analysis of leading market players by financial position, product, product portfolio, price, growth strategies, and regional presence. It offers PORTERs analysis and SWOT analysis to record the question of shareholders and highlights the investment potential in the upcoming future. It also showcases different procedures and strategies of companies currently operating in the semiconductor market. It further examines the components, convincing market expansion, growth patterns, restricting factors, and market strategies. Rising Application of Semiconductors in Automotive to Stimulate Market The automotive segment is expected to hold the lions share during the forecast period. The growth of the segment is attributed to the penetration of electric and hybrid cars. The rising demand for semiconductors for the production of conventional cars will also boost the semiconductor market share in the forthcoming years. Furthermore, the industrial application segment is likely to account for maximum share in the market owing to the increasing implementation of Industry 4.0, IoT, artificial intelligence and big data. The implementation of these technologies will improve the manufacturing process and therefore create lucrative business opportunities for the market in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the surge in the use of smartphones and the introduction of 5G technology will have a positive impact on the semiconductor market trends during the forecast period. Request a Sample Copy: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/semiconductor-market-102365 Growing Adoption of Electronics to Enable Speedy Growth in Asia Pacific Asia Pacific generated a revenue of USD 264.14 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period owing to the growing consumption and adoption of electronic devices. Moreover, the increasing use of IoT and LTE is expected to create new opportunities for the market in Asia Pacific in the forthcoming years. North America is predicted to witness high demand for semiconductors during the forecast period. The growth in the region is attributed to increasing R&D investments in the semiconductor. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, the U.S. semiconductor industry expenditures in R&D increased at a compound annual growth rate of about 7.3 percent from 1998 to 2018. Moreover, Europe is predicted to grow substantially during the forecast period owing to the increasing application of semiconductors in telecom & network, as well as the automotive industry. The growing investment by key players in the innovation and advancement of semiconductors to cater to the increasing demand from various industries will aid the expansion of the semiconductor market in Europe. In addition, the rising utilization of electronic goods across various countries such as the UK, France, and Germany will also support the growth of the market in Europe. Some of the Major Companies Operating in the Semiconductor Market Include: Broadcom, Inc. Intel Corporation Qualcomm Samsung Electronics SK Hynix Taiwan Semiconductors Texas Instruments Toshiba Corporation Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. Micron Technology NVIDIA Corporation NXP Semiconductors N.V. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/semiconductor-market-102365 Table of Content: Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities Emerging Trends Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porters Five Forces Analysis Global Semiconductor Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts By Component (Value) Memory Devices Logic Devices Analog IC MPU Discrete Power Devices MCU Sensors Others (DSP, etc.) Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts By Application (Value) Networking & Communications Data Processing Industrial Consumer Electronics Automotive Government Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin America Continued..!!! Request for Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/semiconductor-market-102365 (Have a Look at Reports Trending in Machinery & Equipment Industry) Browse Related Reports: Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Equipment Type (Front-end Equipment, Back-end Equipment), By Dimension (2D, 2.5D, 3D), By Application (Semiconductor Fabrication Plant/Foundry, Semiconductor Electronics Manufacturing, Test Home) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Xenon Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application (Imaging and Lighting, Medical, Satellite, Electronics & Semiconductors, R&D, Black Matter Research and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Industrial Gas Sensors Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Product Type (Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, NOx, Others), By Technology (Electrochemical, Semiconductor, Infrared, Others), By End-User Industry (Healthcare, Building Automation & Domestic Appliances, Automotive, Others) And Regional Forecast 2019-2026 Image Sensor Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology (CCD Sensor, CMOS Sensor), By Processing Type (2D, 3D), By Application (Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Healthcare, Surveillance & Security, Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Virtual Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Solution, Services), By Deployment (Cloud, On-Premises), By End-User (Oil and Gas, Manufacturing and Utilities, Consumer Technology, Automotive, Aerospace and Defence, Healthcare, Chemical, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Automotive Sensors Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Sensor Type (Temperature Sensor, Pressure Sensor, Speed Sensor, Position Sensor, Others), By Application Type (Powertrain, Chassis, Exhaust, ADAS, and Others), By Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, LCV, HCV), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Deployment (On-premise, Cloud), By Application (Administration and Reporting, Customer Support, Data Migration & Capture Extraction, Analytics, and Others), By Operation (Rule-based, Knowledge-based), By Industry (Retail, Manufacturing and Logistics Industry, BFSI, Healthcare, IT and Telecom, Hospitality, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Mechanical and Solid-state), By Deployment (Ground-based and Airborne), By Application (Mapping and Cartography, ADAS (Advanced driver-assistance System), Surveillance, Environment, Exploration and Detection and Others), By Industry (Automotive, Aerospace and Defense, Healthcare, IT & Telecom, Oil & Gas and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Smart Building Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Solution, Services), By Application (Residential, Commercial) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Vertical Farming Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Hydroponics, Aeroponics, and Aquaponics), By Structure (Building-Based, Shipping-Container), By Component (Lighting System, Irrigation and Fertigation System, Climate Control, Sensors, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 3D Printing Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Hardware, Software, and Services), By Technology (Fused Deposition Modeling, Selective Laser Sintering, Stereolithography, Direct Metal Laser Sintering, PolyJet, Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), Others) By Applications (Prototyping, Production, Proof of Concept, and Others), By End-Use (Automotive, Aerospace and Defense, Healthcare, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Smart Home Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product (Home Monitoring/Security, Smart Lighting, Entertainment, Smart Appliances, and Others (Thermostat, etc.)), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 About us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs In the countdown to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Good Morning America and our partner National Geographic present Extraordinary Earth: 20 in 2020. We will visit 20 amazing places around the globe to learn about our evolving planet. This week, ABC News' Will Reeve reports live for "GMA" from the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua to see how one of the worlds most active volcanoes helps our planet. Nicaragua's Masaya Volcano is one of the worlds most active volcanoes. PHOTO: Lava inside the Masaya volcano bubbles from the crater, near Managua, Nicaragua. (Roberto Destarac/Shutterstock) MORE: Volcanic eruption sparked a weeklong thunderstorm, and scientists want to know why In thirty years, its erupted 13 times. PHOTO: A couple looks at clouds erupting from Masaya Volcano, 13 miles from Managua, Nicaragua, April 23, 2001. (Javier Galeano/AP) And just five years ago, an extraordinary lava lake was formed with the fastest churning lava on record. PHOTO: A tourist takes pictures of a lava lake inside the crater of the Masaya Volcano in Masaya, May 19, 2016, in Nicaragua. (Inti Ocon/AFP via Getty Images) It sort of volcanoes within a volcano, said National Geographic Geology Expert Maya Wei-Haas. Its about four miles by seven miles across. And so Masaya actually its one of the few volcanoes in the world that hosts a lava lake, which is essentially a roiling pit of molten rock. MORE: These lava lakes drained catastrophicallyand scientists caught it in action But along with its wonders and beauty, the temperamental volcano, which is dubbed the mouth of hell can also be quite terrifying. PHOTO: A lava lake boils in the Santiago crater of the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua, May 3, 2016. (Barcroft Media via Getty Images) Satellite imaging from Penn State University found that Masaya has a reservoir of magma almost two miles from the crater, which means that it could erupt without any warning. In 2016, scientists installed Wifi throughout the volcano to monitor any signs of eruption in real time. PHOTO: Scientists measure the temperature of the lava lake on April, 2016 in Masaya, Nicaragua, in April 2016. (Barcroft Media via Getty Images) Some experts believe the destructive force of an eruption could stretch almost 19 miles, reaching as far as Nicaraguas capital and putting millions of lives at risk. PHOTO: The lights of the city can been seen from the Masaya Volcano on April, 2016 in Masaya, Nicaragua, April 2016. (Barcroft Media via Getty Images) So monitoring for early warning signs is a high stakes effort. And Jeffrey B. Johnson, a volcanologist and a National Geographic explorer, has pioneered technology that lets experts "listen" to lava. "Volcanoes like to speak in sounds low frequency sounds that humans can't perceive, called infrasound," said Johnson. "So we develop the sensors that we can deploy to listen to the volcano talk to us." Story continues The Masaya volcano emits over 330,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year. In fact, each year the nearly 1,500 volcanoes around the world put 130 to 140 million tons CO2 into our atmosphere. PHOTO: A man on horseback rides past Masaya Volcano, a shield volcano south of Managua, Nicaragua, Sept. 15, 2012. (Kike Calvo/AP) The emissions, along with the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the volcano, have fed into a long-running myth that volcanoes release more damaging carbon dioxide than humans. But according to the Deep Carbon Observatory Program thats not true. PHOTO: Steam reflects the light from hot lava inside the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua. (Tanguy de Saint-Cyr/Shutterstock ) Their report found over the past 100 years that human carbon emissions have been forty to 100 times greater than emissions from volcanoes. PHOTO:Gases rises from the lava lake at the Masaya Volcano, during a day in April 2016 in Masaya, Nicaragua. (Barcroft Media via Getty Images) Its a common misconception that volcanoes somehow drive our current changes in climate, said Haas. Its true that volcanoes do passively release carbon dioxide over time. And theyve been doing this since our planets infancy. But theyre a natural part of the carbon cycle. Surprisingly, in terms of climate impact, volcanic eruptions actually have a temporary cooling effect on the planet by releasing a cloud of ash and dust into the stratosphere that reflects the sun back into space. PHOTO: Tourists pose for photos next to the Masaya volcano crater at Masaya Volcano National Park, Nov. 10, 2012. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images) The same thing happened at Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines after it erupted in 1991. Sulfuric Dioxide got into the atmosphere and spread further out around the world and caused a few degrees of cooling over a couple of years. MORE: Colossal volcano behind 'mystery' global cooling finally found That's one of the many remarkable qualities of volcanoes that makes Masaya such a dazzling and captivating part of our extraordinary Earth. PHOTO: The lava pool glows from the crater of the Masaya Volcano at twilight, Masaya, Nicaragua. (Francisco Blanco/Shutterstock) I think theres a certain thing about volcanoes and volcanic lakes in particular that just kind of capture the imagination, said Haas. These are pretty spectacular systems to take in. MORE: How climate change affects coffee bean production in Nicaragua MORE: The technology that helps keep sea turtles thriving in Nicaragua Extraordinary Earth: How Nicaragua's Masaya Volcano helps cool the planet originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com When Joe Biden won the South Carolina primary on Saturday with nearly 50 percent of the vote, it was his first outright victory in three attempts at securing the Democratic presidential nomination. It was also the beginning of what looks increasingly like an attempt by the partys establishment to designate an official moderate challenger to Bernie Sanders, who is leading the polls in the delegate-rich states of California and Texas ahead of this years Super Tuesday contests. Amy Klobuchar announced on Monday afternoon that she was dropping out and urging her supporters to get behind the former vice president; her announcement was followed quickly by the news that Pete Buttigieg, who ended his campaign on Sunday night, would also be endorsing Biden. Even Harry Reid, whose relations with the vice president under whom he served as Senate majority leader have been strained, has called upon members of his party to unite behind Biden. We can probably expect more of these endorsements soon, though I suspect Barack Obama will continue to remain officially neutral. Meanwhile, some observers are already predicting that Michael Bloomberg may withdraw from the race if he fails to win any states on Tuesday. His departure would leave Elizabeth Warren (who will also face calls to drop out if she loses in her home state of Massachusetts) the only other candidate in what suddenly looks like a manageable-sized primary race. Otherwise, though, for the 77-year-old Biden this is all but a coronation. Why did it take this long for establishment Democrats to start winnowing the field? More to the point, why did they end up settling on Biden, whose garbled responses to debate questions and downright bizarre interactions with voters have looked more like evidence of serious cognitive decline than amusingly folksy personality quirks? The second question is easier to answer than the first. For all his obvious flaws, Biden is still the safest choice in this race, the two-time running mate of a popular living former president and someone who is at least acceptable to everyone except hardcore progressives. Unlike other candidates who might have been ideologically acceptable to party leaders Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar he continues to have an advantage among older black voters, particularly in the South, who still arguably represent the single most reliable segment of the Democratic base. Story continues None of these observations is new. They are arguments that could and indeed have been made for more than a year now. Why has it taken so long for the party to fall in line behind Biden? Among his fellow candidates, the answer is simply vanity, a sense that surely they are entitled to a nomination that Biden could easily have won in 2016. For party bigwigs, I think, there has been and no doubt will continue to be concerns that he lacks the mental and physical stamina to make it all the way through November and beyond. Somewhat more cynically, one can also imagine Democratic leaders believing that the great forced consolidation would be easier to sell to voters if it were delayed as long as possible. What all of this means for Biden is fairly straightforward. Despite his poor showing in previous contests and his lack of fundraising prowess, the former vice president apparently enjoys the full confidence of his party for the moment. For Sanders things are somewhat more complicated. He and his campaign have always known that sooner or later the fix would be in. Now that it looks to have arrived he must decide how he is going to respond to the fairly unsubtle attempts by his adopted partys leadership to strong-arm him out of the nomination. Is he going to begin running a parallel campaign against the DNC itself in an attempt to generate enthusiasm among his own progressive base? Or is he going to grin and bear it in the hope that in exchange for being on his best behavior the establishment will respect what is likely to be at most a plurality of pledged delegates at the convention and not take the nomination away from him? His deference did him no favors four years ago, but in 2016 he was not one of America's most recognizable politicians. Regardless of what eventually happens, it is amusing to think that despite having begun with the largest and most diverse field of candidates in the history of the Democratic Party, the race for the presidential nomination in 2020 will likely come down to a choice between two near-octogenarian, heterosexual white men. More stories from theweek.com The 3 most likely Super Tuesday outcomes The end of Chris Matthews Was Mike Pence exposed to coronavirus? CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat has written to acting city Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava demanding that the names of those arrested in connection with the violence in northeast Delhi be made public. A similar demand was made on Sunday by rights activists who said that it is mandated by law that police stations display the names of those arrested with their addresses. "Despite the express mandate of the law, the names and addresses of all arrested persons are not being displayed at the Police Control Room. Not only this, the details are not being displayed at each individual police station as well," Karat said in her letter to Shrivastava. "In light of the incidents and prevailing circumstances, you would appreciate the need for strict compliance with this provision, as such transparency and compliance of the legal mandate will go a long way towards dispelling rumours and misinformation that are plaguing the lives of all those affected," she said. Section 41-C of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) mandatorily requires that a police control room be established in all districts and section 41-C(2) states that the names and addresses of all persons arrested be displayed on the notice board outside the control room. The Delhi Police has registered 254 FIRs and arrested or detained 903 persons in connection with the northeast Delhi violence, a senior officer said on Sunday. Forty-one of the cases were registered under the Arms Act, police said. Violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi has claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Despite early reports that the Jeep had been stolen and used in an armed robbery in the south suburbs, Rodriguez was only charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass to a vehicle, according to court records. In court, prosecutors did not mention a passenger who was arrested with Rodriguez following the crash. San Antonians are sounding off after city officials confirmed a coronavirus evacuee was released from quarantine into the city Saturday before results from a third test, which was positive for infection, were returned. Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the situation a "screw up" on account of the city's federal partners on Monday during a news conference. He said the woman, who is "weakly positive" for coronavirus, visited North Star Mall Saturday evening. The unidentified patient, who was part of the original 91 evacuees from Wuhan, was staying at a Holiday Inn near the San Antonio International Airport, used the hotel-provided shuttle and browsed for two hours, from about 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the popular mall and ate a Chinese dinner inside the food court, according to Anita Kurian, assistant director of Metropolitan Health District. Officials said the evacuee was exposed to the public for just over 12 hours. She was browsing and spent very little time in stores or talking to anyone at North Star Mall. She spent much of her time at the mall eating alone at the food court. "We are making every effort to identify any exposures at the mall and based on what we have at this time, those exposures are pretty low risk," Kurian added. RELATED: Coronavirus patient released in San Antonio went to North Star Mall before returning to quarantine Metro Health recommends mall officials conduct a deep cleaning of the property and wipe surfaces with disinfectants. The novel coronavirus has killed more than 3,000, mostly in mainland China. Two deaths have been reported in Washington state. Fears of a positive patient being exposed to the mall were evident on Twitter Monday, just after the information became public. Shoppers tweeted about canceling errands at the mall or vented their grievances on the "negligence" and "recklessness." Thus far, Metro Health has identified 18 people at the Texas Center for Infectious Disease and three people at the hotel as potential exposures. They are all considered low risk except for two health workers at TCID who were in contact with the evacuee and are considered "medium risk." The CDC recommends common preventive measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus and other respiratory diseases. They include: Avoiding close contact with people who are sick. Not touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Staying home when you are sick. Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throwing it in the trash. Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. You should not wear a face mask to protect yourself from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Masks should be used only by those who show symptoms of coronavirus to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. Read more of the reactions in the gallery above. Staff writer Mark Dunphy contributed to this report. Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye TWIN FALLS Four candidates have been recommended to the College of Southern Idaho Board of Trustees by the Presidential Search Committee for consideration to become the fifth president of CSI. CSI President Jeff Fox announced in October that he would retire by June. Fox has been CSIs president since 2014. The CSI Board of Trustees contracted with the Association of Community College Trustees to conduct a national search for qualified candidates beginning in November. A search committee representing both the college and community interests was formed to recommend the most qualified candidates to the CSI Board of Trustees. The four candidates announced by the CSI Board of Trustees are Josh Baker, Martin Reimer, Dean Fisher and Dana Young. Public forums to meet the candidates will be from 2 to 4 p.m. March 9 and 10 in the CSI Fine Arts Auditorium where participants can provide additional input. Each of the events will be live-streamed on the CSI website. The forum schedule will be as follows: Dean Fisher 2 p.m. March 9 Dana Young 3 p.m. March 9 Joshua Baker 2 p.m. March 10 Martin Reimer 3 p.m. March 10 We have been incredibly pleased with the large pool of potential candidates and the high caliber of the finalists who have surfaced during an extensive selection process, CSI Board of Trustees Chairwoman Jan Mittleider said. The final decision will be made by the Board of Trustees by the end of March. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sushmitha Ramakrishnan By Express News Service CHENNAI: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear, goes a saying. But these teachers only appear when Anna University inspection committees visit colleges to certify affiliation. Express reached out to private engineering college faculty across Tamil Nadu. Faculty members of 28 colleges revealed that several colleges have employed fake staff to meet the Faculty-Student Ratio (FSR) during the ongoing inspections by Anna University (AU) to get their affiliation certified. AU has begun an inspection of the 552 affiliated colleges to check their compliance with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) regulations. While in the Approval Process Handbook for 2020-21, it had increased the FSR to 1:15, AICTE granted colleges two years to meet the requirement. Colleges have been posting advertisements in newspapers and on social media to hire faculty just for the inspections. Express accessed the messages sent to faculty members by agents asking for eligible staff for inspection purpose. They have also floated advertisements on several chat groups. One of them read: Need one PhD in CSE department for inspection purpose in Chennai, Need one PhD in EEE for inspection. Francis (name changed), a mechanical engineering faculty at a Madurai college, said colleges usually place advertisements in newspapers before inspections asking candidates to apply for vacancies. When they show up at the interview, they are told that it is only for the purpose of inspection, he said. Steps taken to ensure no fake teachers are employed "She asked if I could submit my certificates for a week and show up on the inspection day at her college. She said they would pay me `10,000 for that one day," said Sajani, adding that many jobless graduates take up this work thinking it's easy money.Francis (name changed), a mechanical engineering faculty at a Madurai college, said colleges usually place advertisements in newspapers before inspections asking candidates to apply for vacancies. "When they show up at the interview, they are told that it is only for the purpose of inspection," he said. KM Karthik of All India Private College Employees' Union said, "On record, these staff are shown to work throughout the year, while they are given only a single payment - siphoning government funds into their pockets." A few colleges also involve agents/middlemen to hunt for faculty before inspections. Karthik said he has filed a complaint at the CM's office, flagging the issue. Meanwhile, faculty of the 28 private colleges also indicated that many colleges are struggling to achieve even the previous 1:20 FSR. Whistle-blowers too alleged that some of the colleges have faked up to 150 "faculty members". "My college has displayed about 60 faculty members on its website ahead of the AU inspections. However, nearly half of them are fake," said a teacher from a college in Namakkal district. A teacher from an engineering college in Kanniyakumari said in the past four years of her employment she had never seen more than a third of the total staff listed by name on the college website. "However, the number of fake staff in each department is limited to one or two, making it hard to track," she said, on request of anonymity. MK Surappa, Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, said the varsity has taken steps to ensure no such malpractice is followed. These steps include the formation of an inspection committee. Adding that several complaints were received in this regard, he said, "We are thinking of enabling Aadhaar ID and facial recognition to eliminate the possibility of duplication." BEIRUT - Turkeys president on Monday said he hopes to broker a cease-fire in Syria later this week in Moscow when he meets with his Russian counterpart, after growing alarm over direct clashes in northwest Syria between Turkish troops and Syrian forces backed by Russia. The Syrian governments monthslong offensive into Idlib province, the last rebel-held area in the country, has sparked one of the wars worst humanitarian crises. Almost one million Syrian civilians have fled north toward the sealed Turkish border. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent thousands of troops into Idlib to support the opposition fighters holed up there, but hasnt been able to stop the government offensive. Erdogan, speaking Monday to a gathering of his ruling party in the Turkish capital, said he hoped to reach a cease-fire deal for Idlib when he meets Vladimir Putin on Thursday to prevent further bloodshed. He did not elaborate. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Thursdays meeting. Direct combat between Turkish and Syrian forces had been rare throughout the nine-year civil war. Russia tipped balance in Syrian President Bashar Assads favour after it joined the conflict on his side in September 2015. Turkey and Russia have been closely co-ordinating over the situation in Syria in recent years, even as Turkey continues to heavily back the Syrian opposition. Russia remained largely on the sidelines over the weekend, even as a Turkish-led counter-offensive in Idlib blunted and in some cases reversed Syrian government advances. However, on Monday, Syrian government forces and their allies retook the key northwestern town of Saraqeb, just days after taking it and then losing it again to rebel forces, according to pro-government media and an opposition war monitor. The town lies on the main highway linking Syrias two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo, also known as the M5, making it key to who controls the country. Nearby fighting continued, however, and as a reporter for Syrian state TV was speaking live from inside Saraqeb, a shell exploded behind him causing a mushroom cloud of dust. The journalist and his crew rushed for cover in a nearby building. Later Monday, Russia said its military police units deployed to Saraqeb given its importance for ensuring security and uninterrupted transit of vehicles and civilians. The move appeared to be an attempt to secure control of the town once and for all. Fighting has worsened over the past few days, after Syrian shelling killed more than 30 Turkish soldiers in Idlib. Turkey responded with drone attacks and shelling that killed more than 90 Syrian troops and allied gunmen. The Turkish air force also shot down two Syrian warplanes after Syrias air defences shot down one of its drones. The Syrian pilots ejected safely. Turkey lost 54 soldiers in Syria in February, including 33 killed Thursday in a single airstrike. Outraged, Erdogan then announced his countrys western borders with Europe were open Saturday for thousands of migrants and refugees wanting to cross, as he sought to pressure the EU to help Turkey handle the fallout from the war in Syria. Thousands of migrants have since converged to Turkeys land and sea borders with Greece, trying to enter Europe. Syrias Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the international community should prevent Erdogan from taking advantage of the suffering of Syrians in order to blackmail European countries by releasing waves of migrants toward Europe. On the southern edge of Idlib, intense fighting was reported near the village of Kafranbel, which Syrian troops captured last week, opposition activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops captured the town under the cover of Russian airstrikes. Syrian government forces have captured dozens of villages since they launched the latest offensive in Idlib in early December, leaving hundreds of civilians dead and displacing more than 950,000 people. ___ Associated Press writers Andrew Wilks in Ankara, Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed reporting. Falun Gong practitioners march from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument commemorating the 20th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, in Washington D.C., on July 18, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) China Still Forcibly Harvesting Organs for Transplantation, Independent Tribunal Finds The Chinese regime continues to kill prisoners of conscience and sell their organs for profit, an independent peoples tribunal based in London said in its final judgment on March 1. There is no evidence of the practice having been stopped and the Tribunal is satisfied that it is continuing, the China Tribunal stated in a 160-page report. The document includes an additional 300 pages of witness testimonies and submissions. The tribunal was chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, who previously led the prosecution of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal. The report states that furthermore, the failure of governments to investigate allegations against China about organ harvesting has allowed many people to die horribly and unnecessarily. Crimes The findings reaffirm the tribunals previous conclusion, published in June 2019, that adherents of the spiritual practice Falun Gong have been one of the main sources of human organs for transplant under the Chinese regimes program. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline with meditative exercises and moral teachings based on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The practices enormous popularitywith 70 million to 100 million followers by the late 1990s, according to official estimateswas deemed as a threat by former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin. On July 20, 1999, Jiang began a nationwide campaign to round up and throw adherents into prisons, labor camps, brainwashing centers, and psychiatric wards, in an effort to force them to renounce their faith. Organs harvested from Falun Gong adherents are readily available, based on undercover phone calls to doctors at Chinese transplant hospitals, the report stated. Other phone calls revealed that organ recipients were told the wait time would be about two weeks in China, compared to months or years in countries where legal and transparent organ donations take place. Four methods of forced organ harvesting are currently known: killing prisoners by removing their organs; harvesting organs from prisoners after lethal injection; harvesting from prisoners who werent dead after execution by shooting; and organ harvesting under the pretext of brain death, according to a statement. It is no longer acceptable for Governments, medical bodies, and leading human rights organizations to say there is not enough evidence. The enormous task of assessing all available evidence has now been completed and is available for all to see, said Susie Hughes, executive director and co-founder of the advocacy group International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China in the statement. The time for ignoring the issue has passed. They are crimes against all of humanity. The next step is for humanity to act. The report described forced organ harvesting as the greatest possible breach of a persons human rights. The onus is now on governments to take action against the Chinese regime, the tribunal said. [The report] confirms how all people or organizations interacting in any substantial way with the [Peoples Republic of China] should recognize that they are interacting with a criminal state, Nice said in the statement. People and countries have a duty to protect the right to life, he added. This cannot be done by wilful blindness or deafness, pragmatic silence, and inactivity. Chinese Officials One piece of evidence presented in the report directly implicated former regime leader Jiang, who directly ordered the harvesting of organs from Falun Gong adherents. Jiang issued the order [to take organs], said Bai Shuzhong, a former minister of health for Chinas military, when he was questioned by an investigator during an undercover phone call in 2014. Another evidence of officials direct involvement in forced organ harvesting was revealed during an undercover phone call in 2016 with Zhu Jiabin, who was the head of the 610 Office in Mudanjiang, a city in Heilongjiang Province. The 610 Office is a Gestapo-like secret police force that was established expressly to carry out the persecution of Falun Gong adherents. I am called the butcher specializing in live organ harvesting. Its nothing, just like slaughtering pigs, Zhu said in the phone call, before adding, After scooping the organs out, I would sell them. All phone calls submitted to the China Tribunal and included within the report have been individually validated by independent investigators to ensure credibility [of] origin and content, according to the release. The tribunal also said it is convinced that official Chinese transplantation statistics have been falsified, the report stated, in order to cover up forced organ harvesting. In 2015, the Chinese regime said it would stop sourcing organs from executed prisoners and rely exclusively on a new voluntary donation system. In November last year, a study published in the scientific journal BMC Medical Ethics found that Beijings reported organ donation numbers dont stack up, and there is highly compelling evidence that they are being falsified. The study showed that official Chinese figures didnt appear to be real statistics from donations, but rather data generated using a mathematical equation. Ryanair shares slid by a further 5% as the airline said it will cut a large number of flights to Italy over a three-week period starting from March 17, as the coronavirus crisis leads to a significant drop in bookings. The latest fall brings the losses for the airlines shares to about 20% since the start of the year, meaning the airline has lost around 2.5bn from its market value during the crisis. A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday by a social activist seeking direction for a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe into the Delhi violence. The petition was filed by Yogita Bhayana through her lawyer Utsav Singh Bains. It also sought appropriate orders from the Supreme Court directing Centre to initiate departmental action against police officers for their alleged failure to prevent violence by police personnel. Further, it sought an order directing the respondents to immediately preserve the CDR (Call Detail Record)/ tower locations of all police officers posted in violence-affected areas during Delhi violence and submit the same to the court. "Supreme Court should pass appropriate orders directing the respondents to provide adequate compensation for loss of life and injury, medical aid, essential relief supplies, rehabilitation, reimburse and repair damaged private properties of violence-affected persons under the supervision of a Judicial Officer," read the plea. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A police officer in the Slate Belt trying to give naloxone to a woman was bit on the hand as the woman tussled with authorities and EMTs, according to court records. A Pennsylvania State Police trooper heading to a call Sunday morning in Roseto spotted 22-year-old Katri Reid in an altered mental status" near South First Street and Broadway in Bangor, Acting Bangor police Chief Melissa Sylvester said. Reid, no address was listed in court paperwork, had fallen onto the sidewalk and passed out, police said. Sylvester and Trooper Ryan Seiple tried to give Reid naloxone to combat a potential overdose, when Reid began fighting them, the chief said. Reid spit on both of them, and bit Sylvester on the hand, records say. Eventually Reid was handcuffed and EMS arrived. On the way to St. Lukes Hospital - Anderson campus, Reid allegedly spit on two EMTs in the ambulance as they tried to treat her. Police said they found multiple syringes, four wax packets with suspected heroin residue and two packets with suspected heroin on Reid and with her belongings. Reid was charged Friday with four counts each of aggravated assault - attempt to cause serious bodily injury and simple assault, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a single count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Reid was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. By Express News Service KOLKATA: Three persons have been arrested on Monday for allegedly shouting 'desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro' slogan while heading towards Amit Shahs rally venue near Esplanade yesterday. The three accused, identified as Dhruba Basu, Pankaj Prasad and Surendra Kumar Tiwari, are members of BJPs lawyers cell, according to the police. Bengal chief minister condemned the slogan on Monday. "The slogan is incendiary, provocative and illegal. Lawful action will be taken against all those who raised the slogan. It is Kolkata, not Delhi. If we spare a single person, others will be encouraged. Police have already arrested three persons. Others will also be identified, she said while addressing party workers at Netaji Indoor Stadium. Hitting out at the BJP, Mamata said, "Those who talk about Bengals law and order, tell my why the BJP leader who created the provocation before Delhi violence has not been booked and arrested. They did it here yesterday and police arrested them today. A group of BJP supporters en route to Shahs rally shouted the slogan at Esplanade where a group of Left-leaning students assembled to stage a demonstration against the Union Home ministers Kolkata visit. ALSO READ: All refugees in India will be granted citizenship under CAA, says Amit Shah at Kolkata rally "Police registered an FIR with New Market police station. They procured video footages of the BJPs march and identified the three accused. Raids were conducted in the wee hours and we arrested the trio, said a police officer. The three accused were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153 (indulge in wanton vilification or attacks upon the religion), 505 (incite or which is likely to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community) and 34 (common intention). The BJP has drawn flak since Delhi Assembly elections for use of the slogan at partys meeting and Union minister Anurag Thakur was heard egging a crowd to raise the slogan. Shah, during the course of his speech, had said that BJP would turn West Bengal into "Sonar Bangla" if given an opportunity by the people of the state. He asked people to counter Mamata Banerjee's slogan "Didi Ke Bolo" by saying "Aar Noi Anyay" (no more injustice). "Give BJP five years and we will make the state 'Sonar Bangla'," Shah said while addressing the public meeting at Shahid Minar. The Union Home Minister also claimed that BJP would form the next government in the state. "The BJP will form a government with a two-thirds majority in the next Assembly elections in West Bengal in 2021. In the 2019 general elections, BJP got 2 crore 30 lakh votes as compared to 87 lakh votes that it got in 2014. Due to the blessings of the people of Bengal, BJP crossed the 300 mark in 2019," he added. Remote Work Enables Affordable Lifestyle, Housing Choices Having the ability to work from home may not only lower your commuting costs, but it may pave the way for you to spend less in mortgage or rent payments. Real estate brokerage Redfin surveyed 272 adults who had either moved to a new metropolitan area in the last year or were planning to do so within the next year. Approximately three-fourths of respondents lived in either Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco or Seattle. Redfins goal was to find out how big of a role the ability to work remotely factored into their relocation and found that working remotely allows some employees to move to more affordable areas that may be farther away from work. One in four respondents who had already moved 25% said they were able to work remotely more frequently after they moved to a new metro area. Of those respondents, more than half 51.1% said they have been able to work remotely sometimes or all of the time since the move while only 44% worked remotely before they moved. Younger people had more opportunities to work remotely following a move than older workers, the survey found: 55.5% of respondents 38 and younger worked remotely either sometimes or all of the time after they moved, up from 46.9% who worked remotely before they moved 49.2% of respondents 39 and older worked remotely sometimes or always after they moved, up from 42.7% who worked remotely before they moved Relocation leads to lower costs For a majority of respondents who moved, the new location led to a decrease in expenses. For example, nearly 60% said they were better able to afford non-housing expenses and leisure activities after they moved. Yet, 1 in 7 said they would not have been able to move if they did not have the option to work remotely. The most common reason survey respondents gave for making a move was to find more affordable housing. In fact, 25.7% of respondents cited this factor, followed by: 21.2% moved to be near loved ones 17.9% moved because they were retiring 12.4% moved because they were taking a new job 7.3% moved because their partner got a new job Workers who moved in order to find more affordable communities were more likely to leave San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. The metro areas respondents tended to gravitate toward for affordability reasons included Phoenix, Sacramento, Calif., and Portland, Ore. Moving to a more affordable region not only creates more room in your budget for leisure activities and nonessentials, but it frees up more money that can go toward savings and retirement. If youre planning to buy a house, it naturally makes sense to compare the average mortgage costs in different parts of the country. However, dont overlook other factors that can have a huge impact on your budget, such as public transit expenses and homeowner insurance costs. A senior nurse who took home an electronic leisure device delivered to a residential unit for a vulnerable man, and who concealed she did that for some weeks before eventually returning it, has been censured with conditions attached to her registration. High Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly said the nurse was "lucky" the Nursing and Midwifery Board (NWB) had not asked him to confirm a more serious sanction. This was the second time in two weeks he had had to address dishonesty by nurses, he said. Last week, he had made strike-off orders against another nurse who stole 9,000 from patients. Dishonesty by professionals such as nurses, doctors and solicitors "cannot be tolerated" as it damages not only the individual relationship of trust with a patient or client, it also "strikes at the very heart" of the reputation of the profession involved. It is a serious matter when a vulnerable person in a nursing unit has their property taken, he said. This man did not get the "little bit of enjoyment he was going to get" because a senior nurse decided to take it for herself. The man persisted in asking about the device, the matter was eventually picked up by other staff and the nurse returned the device to him by post some weeks later. If the man had not persisted in asking where the device was, "who knows?" the judge said. While told the nurse was depressed at the time, it was "difficult to see how that could be an excuse for dishonesty of such a specific type," the judge added. He made the remarks when granting an application by a solicitor for the NWB for orders censuring the nurse and imposing conditions on her registration, including requiring her to continue attending for medical treatment and to produce a psychiatric report. Because the nurse was found to suffer from a relevant medical disability, depression, she cannot be identified. The NWB application arose from an incident some years ago when the nurse took delivery of the electronic device and took it home from the unit in her car. The man was to get the device for free under a contract between him and a company. When the man complained he had not received it, the nurse failed to tell him she had taken possession of it. The company confirmed the device was delivered and CCTV was used to establish that. Some weeks later, the man received the device in the post after the nurse sent it back. During a fitness to practice inquiry held in private, the nurse admitted allegations of professional misconduct and non-compliance with the code of professional conduct for nurses arising from the incident. She also admitted, during a conversation with the man about his contract, she failed to treat him with respect and told him he was not entitled to a free device under the contract. She was found guilty of professional misconduct and non-compliance with the code of conduct. It was also found, at the time of the incident, she suffered from a relevant medical disability, depression, which may impair her ability to practice nursing. Mr Justice Kelly was told she has made progress, is no longer clinically depressed and is working in a different facility. He said the NWB had considered the relevant aggravating and mitigating factors and, while he saw no good reason not to confirm the sanction proposed by it, the nurse should regard herself as lucky it was not a more serious sanction. Author Ellen Easton, a lifestyle-industry leader and an authority on the art of Afternoon Tea, will be at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk Sunday, April 26, for an illustrated talk, demonstation and book signing. Easton, author of Afternoon Tea: Tips, Terms and Traditions, is a consultant to the hospitality, food, retail and special event industries, whose clients have included The Waldorf Astoria and Plaza hotels and Bergdorf Goodman. The hour-long talk and demo will start at 2 p.m., followed by refreshments, a book-signing and silent auction. RSVP by Thursday, April 23. LMMM trustee Hunter Arton is chairperson of the event, titled The Artistry of Afternoon Tea: Rituals, Etiquette, Food and Fashion, which is sponsored by Bulova.com and whatscookingamerica.com. What a treat to have a renowned etiquette expert educate and entertain us on the details of tea time, Arton said in a news release. We are excited to offer our guests an opportunity to purchase Ms. Eastons signed book, Afternoon Tea: Tips Terms and Traditions, which she will inscribe with a personal message, upon request, after her talk. Eastons family can trace its tea roots to Austrian Empires Baron Solomon Benedict de Worms (1801-1882), who, with his brothers Maurice and Gabriel, settled in Ceylon, where they developed in 1839 one of the biggest and best-cultivated tea plantations on the island. Eastons lineage includes Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, whose home, Highclere Castle, is now known as the setting for televisions Downton Abbey; and Louis (1888-1940) and Benjamin Hirschhorn, pioneers of the tea bag industry. In 1913, their New York company, The National Urn Bag Co. developed the first industrial tea bag that revolutionized the ancient way of making tea. Eastons credits her mother, Reva Paul, an acclaimed sugar artist whose hand-decorated confections were celebrated in the tea world for over five decades, for introducing her to the world of tea. Coronavirus has been diagnosed in at least 60 countries worldwide (Ben Birchall/PA) Coronavirus has spread from Wuhan in China to countries across the world, with tens of thousands of confirmed cases and thousands of deaths worldwide. Here is all you need to know today. What is the scale of the problem? So far, China has reported more than 80,000 cases and almost 3,000 deaths. Outside China, there have been cases in more than 60 countries. The first Briton to die from the virus had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship which was quarantined off the coast of Japan. He was the sixth passenger from the ship to die after more than 700 tourists contracted coronavirus on board. Whats happening in the UK? There have been 39 confirmed cases in the UK, with more than 13,000 people having been tested. (PA Graphics) The 20th case was the first transmission of coronavirus within the UK and the Department of Health and Social Care said the original source was unclear. Eight of the confirmed UK cases have been discharged from hospital. There have been no deaths. The first diagnosed case in the Irish Republic was reported on Saturday. What is the UK Government recommending people returning from infected regions do? The UK Government said people returning from Hubei province in China, Iran, lockdown areas in northern Italy and special care zones in South Korea in the last 14 days should immediately self-isolate at home and call NHS 111. People returning from a number of other countries including the rest of China and Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore should self-isolate if they develop symptoms of cough or fever or shortness of breath. It also said those returning from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and northern Italy above Pisa should self-isolate if they show symptoms. What about schools? Willow Bank School in Berkshire (Jonathan Brady/PA) Although several schools have sent pupils home over fears of Covid-19 contact, Public Health Englands general advice is for them not to close. Willow Bank Infant School in Berkshire informed parents on Saturday that it would be closing for some days after a staff member tested positive for the virus. And Wimbledon College said on Monday it would be closing until March 10 and undergoing a deep clean after a member of staff was diagnosed following travel to Italy. What will happen if it is declared a pandemic? Health leaders have said if coronavirus becomes a global pandemic then there are a number of contingency plans in place to halt its spread. In the UK, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the Government has a battle plan for tackling coronavirus should a pandemic be declared. The UK is a world leader in preparing for and managing diseases like #coronavirus. Today, @MattHancock sets out an enhanced government approach to pandemic preparation. Here's an outline of the measures we're putting in place pic.twitter.com/h6DrySmr95 Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) March 1, 2020 It is understood new emergency powers will be brought in 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. A war room is to be set up in the Cabinet Office to ensure effective co-ordination of public information. Mr Hancock has said the long-term strategy for ensuring Covid-19 is contained is attempting to delay its peak until the summer when the warmer weather means the virus will not spread so easily. What about a vaccine? Matt Dunn, a researcher for the Centre for Vaccine Research at the University of Pittsburgh, holds dead samples of the coronavirus (Nate Guidry/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP) Vaccines have been developed and researchers are starting to test them on animals. But tests can take months to see if any potential vaccine can be used on humans and there will then have to be trials on humans. The World Health Organisation has convened a group of experts to fast-track promising tests, drugs and vaccines to help slow the outbreak. But experts say it could still be months or even years before any approved treatments or vaccines are developed. The UK Government is putting 40 million into trying to find a vaccine and also aiming to improve treatments for patients who do have the disease. What is a coronavirus? A woman wearing a face mask on the London Underground (PA) 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 WHO. Where did it come from? Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people, the World Health Organisation says. The first cases identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan in China. How is it spread? Coronaviruses can be spread through small droplets from the nose (PA) The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with the virus coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person and can be picked up other people touching them then touching their nose or mouth, it added. How can you stop it? Thorough hand-washing, maintaining distance from others, and avoiding hand-shakes are among the most effective measures for reducing your risk of catching coronavirus. Everyday precautions like carrying hand sanitiser, covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze, rather than your hands, and binning used tissues immediately is also helpful, according to the NHS. Boris Johnson has urged people to wash their hands to the tune of Happy Birthday. What are the symptoms? Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, tightness of the chest and shortness of breath (Jane Barlow/PA) Initial symptoms of the novel coronavirus include fever, cough, tightness of the chest, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. More severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, sepsis and septic shock, which can lead to death. There are no specific treatments or vaccines for a new coronavirus but symptoms can be treated. Can people with no symptoms spread the virus? The jury is still out on this one, although scientists believe there is evidence of asymptomatic transmission. The Department of Health has said it believes the risk of catching coronavirus from someone with no symptoms at all is low. But because many people with Covid-19 experience only mild symptoms, particularly during the early stages of the disease, it is possible to catch it from someone who has mild symptoms. (PA Graphics) Are some groups more at risk? The UK Government says based on current evidence most cases appear to be mild and those who have died in Wuhan appear to have had pre-existing health conditions. The World Health Organisation has said about four in five people who contract the virus get mild symptoms and recover. But it added older people or patients with pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes are more at risk of developing serious illness. A Muslim man who left his wife to die for five days after he said he found her tied up and badly injured in their home has appealed his eight year sentence. Mohamed Naddaf pleaded guilty to the criminally negligent manslaughter of Ashlee Brown, 25, who died in their 'unkempt and dirty' Craigieburn home in Melbourne's north in November 2016. Justice John Champion said Ms Brown was found in the passenger seat of the couple's car after having been subjected to a 'deliberate and frenzied assault' and tied up with clothesline wire. The mother of three children under five had been bashed, stabbed, gagged and had her long strawberry blonde hair cut off. Mohamed Naddaf is escorted from a prison van to the Victorian Supreme Court ahead of his sentencing in January over the manslaughter of his 25-year-old wife Ashlee Brown in 2016 Ashlee Brown suffered more than 100 blunt and sharp force injuries. The mother of three children under five had been bound, gagged and had her long strawberry blonde hair cut off Siobhann Brown, whose daughter Ashlee was found dead in the home she shared with her husband Mohamed Naddaf, told Daily Mail Australia she believed Islam killed her daughter On Monday, Naddaf appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria Court of Appeal via videolink where his barrister protested Naddaf had been treated unfairly. Naddaf was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment and must serve at least eight years before being eligible for parole. His barrister Jason Gullaci argued Justice Champion had got it wrong and asked the court to reduce Naddaf's sentence. He reminded the court that Naddaf had not been convicted of causing the injuries to his wife, but had failed to get her assistance. Supporters of Ms Brown who packed the court room scoffed at the suggestion. 'Rubbish,' one man muttered. 'It should be murder not bloody manslaughter.' Outside court, supporters held placards demanding 'Justice For Ashlee' and branded her death an honour killing. Family friend Ian Sayer described Naddaf's plea to manslaughter as a 'joke'. 'I think it should have been bloody murder,' he said. Ms Brown's mum Siobhann described the appeal process as 'torture'. 'My question is: why aren't we looking for anyone else?' she said. 'Why aren't we looking for who killed Ashlee if he didn't? I think that speaks volumes and I don't think I need to answer that.' Ms Brown called on the courts to start implementing tougher sentences on men who carry out domestic violence. 'If the sentence is reduced, then sorry that is not a win in favour of domestic violence at all. It is not going to give anyone any confidence,' she said. 'I believe this needs to be upheld ... if his sentence is lessened I feel then Justice Champion's words, it undermines his authority. It takes away some of the meaning of his words and I think that would be a big injustice in itself.' The court had previously heard Naddaf had helped Ms Brown to the bathroom, putting her down on a flannelette sheet on the floor, and fed her water through a syringe for five days. He finally called triple zero on November 6 after Ms Brown died from complications arising from more than 100 injuries including internal and external bleeding. Justice Champion said he did not accept Naddaf's claim that Ashlee asked him not to call for help in case their three children were taken by authorities. 'All that was required was a phone call,' Justice Champion said. 'Her death was slow, avoidable and miserable.' Justice Champion said Naddaf's motivation was unclear. The court heard Naddaf had a significant criminal history and was a long-term drug user, taking heroin, marijuana and ice. 'The Crown is not in a position to prove who inflicted the injuries upon Ms Brown,' Justice Champion said. Ashlee Brown and Mohamed Naddaf (both pictured) lived together in Melbourne's northern suburbs. Ashlee was 25 when she was found dead on the bathroom floor of the couple's home Protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court of Appeal in Victoria on Monday in support of Ashlee Brown, whose murder remains unsolved Protesters gathered outside an appeal hearing for Mohamed Naddaf on Monday, who is appealing his sentence over the manslaughter of Ashlee Brown 'It is not possible to say exactly when Ms Brown died but... she suffered to a considerable degree.' Siobhan Brown told reporters after the sentencing she believed Naddaf should have instead faced a murder trial for the death of her daughter, who had converted to Islam and had not spoken to her for five years. 'I am here today to raise awareness to the horrific, torturous death that Ashlee endured,' Ms Brown said at the time. 'My daughter's injuries and circumstances surrounding her death had all the hallmarks of an Islamic honour killing.' Ms Brown told Daily Mail Australia she had not heard from her eldest daughter since a phone call five years before she died. Her daughter told her she was marrying a Muslim man and was three months pregnant with her first child. Ms Brown had met Naddaf when Ashlee visited the family's home in country Victoria when she was about 18. Siobhann Brown wipes away a tear as she prepares to witness the sentencing of Mohamed Naddaf in January Ashlee was a fun-loving girl,' Siobhann Brown told Daily Mail Australia. 'She was giving. She was loving. She loved the sun, the beach. She loved singing, dancing, having fun' 'She introduced him as "Macca",' Ms Brown said. 'It was very brief. 'He seemed like a nice, very polite, young man. It pains me to say that. I didn't see him again after that.' HOW DID ASHLEE BROWN DIE? Ashlee Brown was found dead on her bathroom floor at Craigieburn, in Melbourne's north, on November 6, 2016. Her husband Mohamed Naddaf, 37, told police he had found Ashlee bloodied and beaten in their garage four or five days earlier. Naddaf said he had 'cared' for Ashlee instead of calling an ambulance because she had asked him not to. A post-mortem examination found Ashlee had suffered more than 100 injuries to her head, torso, buttocks and limbs. She had been stabbed in the thighs and had bruising to her right side, including her breast. Naddaf was originally charged with assault and false imprisonment. He was later charged with killing his wife but pleaded guilty to manslaughter based on negligence. Naddaf is not accused of causing any physical harm to Ashlee. Advertisement There was no communication for some time before a phone call came 'out of the blue' that would mean the end of all contact between Ms Brown and her daughter. When Ashlee was about 20 she rang to say she was pregnant and wanted her mother's blessing to convert to Islam and marry Naddaf. 'She said to me, "Mum, I need your blessing to become Muslim". She said "I'm three months' pregnant and I'm engaged to Mohamed. I would really like to marry him, mum, and settle down and have a baby". 'I said to her, "Darling, I don't know anything about the Muslim religion. As long as you know what you're doing". 'I said, "Do you have to wear one of those burqas or hijabs?" I didn't know what they were called. 'She said, "No mum, only when I go into the mosque because it's disrespectful for a woman to show her face before God". 'I said to Ashlee, "As long as you're making a fully informed decision and it's what you really want".' Ashlee said that it was. 'There was a pause after that,' Ms Brown said. 'She said. "Thank you, mum". And then her voice seemed to change and she said, "It's Islam". That didn't mean anything to me at the time. 'We said goodbye to each other and we hung up and I didn't hear from Ashlee again.' Ms Brown said she was convinced the lack of subsequent contact with Ashlee was solely down to her religious conversion and Naddaf controlling his wife. 'I believe Islam killed my daughter,' she said. 'If I could have taken that phone call back I would have not have given her my blessing. I would have said "No, sorry love". On Monday, Ms Brown said she would never accept Naddaf's version of events. 'It's not good enough. It's disgusting. So to hear that in court and to hear feeble excuses made for it, it just makes me want to vomit. But again I have to have respect for the law so we sit there quietly and hope it will play out in justice for Ashlee,' she said. An officer of the Tihar Jail in Delhi said a hangman carried out a dummy execution on Monday, a day ahead of the scheduled hanging of the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder case, according to ANI. The hangman Sindhi Ram, also known as Pawan Jallad, from the Uttar Pradesh prisons department, has been tasked with executing Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) in the December 16, 2012, gang-rape and murder case. The four men were a part of a group of six, including a juvenile, who had raped and brutally assaulted a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in Delhi leading to nationwide outrage. The victim died of her injuries in a hospital in Singapore a fortnight later. The crime had provoked nationwide protest that brought tens of thousands of people on the streets and led to a major overhaul of laws relating to crimes against women. A Delhi court on Monday deferred the execution of four convicts, which was scheduled at 6am on Tuesday. It had on January 7, 2020, issued the death warrant against the four convicts and scheduled their execution on January 22. The date was deferred twicefirst to February 1 and then to March 3 as convicts had not exhausted their legal remedies. Judge Dharmendra Rana also reserved his verdict on Delhi gang-rape convict Pawan Guptas request to stop his hanging over his petition to President Ram Nath Kovind for mercy. The Supreme Court had rejected his curative petition, which he had filed last week, just hours earlier. Judge Rana, however, underlined during the hearing that Pawan Gupta had missed the seven-day deadline that the high court had set last month for the convicts to avail their legal remedies. You are playing with fire...You should be cautious, the judge told Pawan Guptas lawyer AP Singh, according to news agency Press Trust of India. The judge reprimanded AP Singh more than once through Mondays hearing for filing the curative petition and mercy petition at the last moment. A Liverpool man has been penning letters complaining about various things and sending them to the Liverpool Echo newspaper every day for the last 42 years. 70-year-old Bernie Carroll cant even remember what he complained to the local council about in his very first letter, back in 1978. Thats unsurprising, considering that it was the first of over 15,000 letters he sent over the years; it first started as a way to vent about the actions of the militant council of the 1970s and 80s in Liverpool, but once that was over with, he continued sending in letters complaining or offering suggestions about pretty much anything. For example, his most recent letters to the Liverpool Echo newspaper were about his frustrations at the constant fireworks in his neighborhood and dog poo bags being left on park railings. Photo: Pixabay Im the most opinionated man in the UK. Theres nothing I wont have an opinion on, Carroll proudly admits. I know my letters probably wont ever lead to any actual change or solve any issues, but its a cathartic experience for me. Writing gives me closure and I think it helps me cope with all the anger I have. Although there are plenty of things he is unhappy about today, the 70-year-old says that its far better than in the 70s and 80s. He recalls feeling angry all of the time and the letters became an outlet to vent his frustrations. Nowadays, he complains about the most random things, like the rise in popularity of lip fillers and competitive eating. Sometimes in this job you meet people who have a real aura about them and 70 year old Bernie Carroll was one of them. Bernie has written letters to the @LivEchonews every day since 1978, he lives in a cool part of Liverpool and is an absolute #scouser of the highest order pic.twitter.com/naKtkQp92F Dan Rowlands (@Dan_Photojourno) February 27, 2020 There is something deeply unedifying about cajoling young people into undergoing unnecessary cosmetic procedures in the interest of profit and it should be discouraged, the former musician wrote in one of his letters. Paying good money to look slightly like Mick Jagger is a strange way of improving ones physical appearance. Competitive Eating? Whoever invented this obscene abomination and why, when there are people in Yemen eating their pets and living off tree bark? he wrote in another. Bernie Carroll writes a letter to the Liverpool Echo every day, each containing around 250 words, but only three or four of them get published per week. The cathartic habit used to cost him a small fortune in postage stamps every month, but thanks to the internet, he can just email his letters to the newspaper, which he admits has made being angry more affordable. Ive been writing letters longer than Ive been with my wife, and I think writing them probably saved my marriage as I dont have to pester her anymore, Bernie told SWNS. Ive got no children so maybe thats given me more time to write letters. I dont have time for children. I have never been able to commit to doing anything in my life other than the letters and my marriage. From this will the Government procure revenue not only to beautify the garages but also to put in conveniences into all parks and garages in Oyo State. Thats just the simple idea together with the fact that the Management of the Parks Agency will be about to wield the big stick against any member of any union in the Parks that misbehaves. This is to help in enhancing the security of lives and property in Oyo State. Thats simply the summary of our proposal. So, whats different in that and what the State Government is now implementing as OYSG-PMS and our own OYSG-P&GA.? Whats the seeming difference?. Healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) 2 People in Florida Test Presumptively Positive for Coronavirus Two people in the Tampa Bay area have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in a statement on March 1. One of the individuals is an adult Hillsborough County resident who has a history of travel to Italy, which on Sunday saw coronavirus infections rise by 50 percent, prompting the U.S. government to warn Americans against any travel to two regions in the north of the country. The second person is an adult Manatee County resident who has no prior history of travel to restricted countries such as China or Iran, according to the Florida Department of Health. Both individuals are isolated and being appropriately cared for by health officials, and the CDC is currently working to confirm the results for both individuals, the Florida Department of Health said. DeSantis also said in his statement that he will be issuing an executive order taking immediate effect to direct the state health officer and surgeon general, Dr. Scott Rivkees, to declare a public health emergency in Florida. The governor added that he authorized Rivkees, to take any action necessary to protect the public health. State Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees has taken appropriate, decisive action to help affect the best possible outcomes, and I will continue directing our state agencies to do whatever is necessary to prioritize the health and well-being of Florida residents, DeSantis said. The Department is moving forward with the appropriate plans, and we are working directly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local medical providers to ensure these individuals receive the proper treatment and that anyone who has come into contact with them is following the necessary protocols, limiting or stopping any further spread, said Rivkees. DeSantiss statement comes after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed on March 1 the states first positive coronavirus case. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at Bayview Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Oct. 7, 2019. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Cuomo said in a statement that a woman in her 30s contracted coronavirus during a recent trip to Iran and was in quarantine in her home. He did not say where the woman lived. She has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York, he said. Also on Sunday, officials in Washington state announced a second person infected with the coronavirus had died the Seattle area. The man in his 70s had underlying health conditions. The Washington death was in EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland and was reported on the website of the Seattle and King County public health department. On Saturday, the same officials reported the first death from coronavirus in the United States. More than 70 cases of the virus have been reported in the United States, with the majority on the West Coast, but new cases have also been discovered in the Chicago area and Rhode Island. There has been a recent spate of suicides among former British soldiers who fought in Afghanistan, it has been claimed. Some 14 former and serving army personnel are thought to have killed themselves in the past two months, according to The Times. Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans, said he was particularly concerned about recent deaths involving 'a unit that served at a specific time in Afghanistan... the bloodiest time'. Some 14 former and serving army personnel are thought to have killed themselves in the past two months, it has been reported. Dave Jukes (left and right with his wife Jo) was the first serviceman to have his death in October 2018 officially listed as a veteran suicide A 'high proportion' of those who have died are thought to have been veterans of this particular grouping involved in Operation Herrick, Britain's combat mission in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014. MP Mercer, 38, said the Government is now bringing forward plans for new mental health treatments for veterans by two months. These are due to begin next month and complement NHS programmes on issues such as PTSD, addiction, and debt. He also told the paper that he was looking into whether the veterans could have been suffering from delayed onset post-traumatic stress disorder which can develop after 10 years. Although looking to see if there's an event which could be tied to the recent deaths, Mr Mercer said he hasn't seen any 'conclusive' evidence for this yet. It is thought that more than 70 former and current servicemen took their lives in 2018 and at least 50 suicides occurred last year, according to reports. The Government is now bringing forward plans for new mental health treatments for veterans by two months (Mr Jukes is pictured) While last November the former head of the army General Lord Dannatt warned that suicide among veterans has become an 'epidemic of our time'. He also criticised the coroners' service for not keeping a record of the figures. Former Lance-Corporal Dave Jukes, from Birmingham, was the first serviceman to have his death in October 2018 officially listed as a veteran suicide. He had served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Afghanistan and also did two tours of Iraq during his time in the military. He had been sleeping rough before his death. However his wife Jo slammed services available for veterans telling the Mirror: 'Dave fell through the cracks in a system which is not designed to cater for veterans with mental health problems.' Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans, (pictured above with his team) served in Afghanistan Mr Mercer, the MP for Plymouth Moor View (pictured), said he was concerned about recent deaths involving 'a unit that served at a specific time in Afghanistan... the bloodiest time' Last year, the Government said it would give funding to a study examining risk factors in the year leading up to veterans' suicides. It also said the Ministry of Defence's veterans study would be extended to include recent service leavers and would be 'updated on an ongoing basis to provide real-time monitoring of suicides'. 'Combined, these studies will provide increasingly robust data in order to understand whether suicide in the ex-forces community is disproportionate compared to the rest of the UK general population and will identify potential interventions in order to prevent suicide', the Government has said. Mr Mercer welcomed the research and said he wanted to know exactly what stage intervention should have happened. He added that any suicide is 'a tragedy' for families and also for the institution [the army] that I am so proud of.' Lord Dannatt has previously criticised the coroners service for not keeping a record of suicide figures. He said suicide among veterans has become an epidemic of our time British soldiers search in the snow the scene of a suicide bomb attack against British soldiers on January 28, 2004 in Kabul, Afganistan The MoD said Mr Mercer had given the interview in a private capacity. It comes after it was revealed that up to 1,100 British troops in Afghanistan could be home in just over a year after the US-Taliban peace deal. 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, with the first cut from 13,000 to 8,600 soldiers coming in mid-June. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the US-Taliban peace agreement in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday There are still more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner currently. Germany has the next largest contingent after the US, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. It is understood that the first British withdrawals will take place at the same time in mid-June. The remaining troops leaving the region would be dependent on the Taliban keeping up their end of the brokered deal, as reported by the Daily Telegraph. Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary said: 'We should never forget that much of this has been achieved through sacrifices made by the brave men and women of the UK armed forces. 'I know how proud they are to have played their part, and the depth of the bonds that many of them have forged with the people of Afghanistan during their many tours over the last 18 years.' For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details India on Monday reported two new cases of the novel coronavirus, including one from the national capital, the Union health ministry said as the government stepped up its efforts to detect and check the infection which has killed more than 3,000 people globally. IMAGE: Medics outside an isolation ward of coronavirus at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. Two more positive cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported in the country. Photograph: PTI Photo Meanwhile, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said an Italian tourist has tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur. The first sample collected from the tourist on February 29 tested negative but his condition deteriorated so a second sample was collected which tested positive on Monday, the minister said, adding, "Since there is a variation in the reports, samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune for testing". India had earlier reported three cases from Kerala, including two medical students from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus. They had self-reported on their return to the country and tested positive for the infection. They were discharged from hospitals last month following recovery. Giving details of the fresh cases, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, while the other patient who has tested positive for the COVID-19 infection is from Telangana and has a recent travel history to Dubai. "Both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms. They tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored," he told reporters. The person in Delhi had self-reported at the RML hospital after returning to India while the one in Telangana had initially gone to a private medical facility and then was referred to a government hospital in the state, the minister said. As part of the government's contact tracing efforts to control spread of the epidemic, authorities are in touch with the family members and employees in the offices where the two infected persons work. Vardhan also advised people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore and said India was in discussions with authorities in Iran and Italy, two countries badly affected by the infection, to evacuate Indians there. The novel coronavirus, which originated in China, has spread to over 60 countries, including the US, Italy and Iran. The health minister, who held a meeting of the group of ministers constituted to monitor the current status and actions for prevention and management of the virus, said India has already suspended e-visas/visas issued to Iranian and Chinese nationals over the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in these countries. "Depending on the situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries," he said. Asked if there could be a drug shortage in the country as around 70 per cent of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients come from China, Vardhan said he has spoken to the minister in-charge who has informed that "we are adequately prepared to deal with the situation as of now". Vardhan said around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance. Authorities are screening travellers arriving from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan at 21 designated airports in the country for a possible exposure to the virus, he said, adding, a total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far. He also informed that around 10,24,922 people have been screened in the villages of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim bordering Nepal. Besides, as many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across India while 37 people with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 across the country are currently hospitalised and their samples have been sent for testing, a senior health ministry official said. So far 3,245 samples have been tested out of which five have tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited, the minister added. The minister further informed that 112 people including nationals from Myanmar (2), Bangladesh (22), Maldives (2), Chinese (6), South African (1), USA (1) and Madagascar (1) have been evacuated from Wuhan and kept at the ITBP camp at Chhawla. They have tested negative in the first round of tests, he said. He added that 119 Indians and five foreign nationals have also been brought back from Japan through an Air India flight on February 27. They all have tested negative and are kept in the Army Facility at Manesar. Vardhan also advised people to take precautions and in case of any symptoms report to the nearest public health facility. People may pose their queries at the Health Ministry's 24x7 Control Room at 011-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com, he added. FILE PHOTO: An illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), depicts the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (Reuters) - The rapid spread of the new coronavirus has increased fears of a pandemic, sending global markets into a dive last week and prompting governments to step up control measures. - As of Sunday, there have been over 86,500 cases of the virus globally, the majority in China, according to a Reuters tally. Outside of China, it has spread to 53 countries, with more than 6,500 cases and more than 100 deaths. Globally, the illness has killed nearly 3,000 people. - Mainland China had 202 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Sunday, the National Health Commission said on Monday, sharply down from 573 cases a day earlier. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,026. - The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China reached 2,912 as of the end of Sunday, up by 42 from the previous day. - Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday two Indonesians had tested positive for coronavirus after being in contact with an infected Japanese national, marking the first confirmed cases in the world's fourth most populous country. - Churches were closed in South Korea on Sunday, with many holding online services instead, as authorities fought to rein in public gatherings. The tally of cases rose by 586 to 3,736 while the death toll rose to 20. -Iran's death toll has reached 54, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, adding the number of those infected had reached 978. - The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Italy has risen by five to 34 over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said on Sunday, with the accumulative number of cases totaling some 1,694. Amazon.com Inc said late on Sunday two employees in Milan have contracted the coronavirus and are under quarantine. - The United States is considering shutting the U.S.-Mexico border to control the spread, President Donald Trump said. Washington announced new limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. Story continues - New York state has confirmed its first coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter Sunday evening." - A nursing home near Seattle is locked down after a resident and a worker were found to have the coronavirus, officials at the home said, and two other cases in the area were confirmed on Sunday. - Britain announced a jump in cases on Sunday, with 13 new infections taking the total to 36, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he expected the number to rise further. - Israel on Sunday confirmed three more cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of patients who have been diagnosed in Israel to 10. - Qatar, Ireland, Ecuador, Luxembourg, Scotland, the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic reported their first cases of the virus. - A conference on the world economy due to take place in Italy later this month with Pope Francis taking part has been postponed until November because of the coronavirus outbreak, organizers said on Sunday. - Coronavirus concerns prompted organizers on Sunday to cancel the CERAWeek conference, one of the world's most prestigious gatherings of oil ministers and top executives from the energy and financial industries, scheduled for this month in Houston. - The French government put a temporary ban on public gatherings with more than 5,000 people. France now has 100 confirmed cases. Of those, two have died. - Algeria has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infections, the health ministry said on Monday. - Egypt's health ministry announced on Sunday that one foreigner was tested positive for the new coronavirus strain. It is the second case of new coronavirus detected in the country. - Iraq reported six new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases there to 19, the health ministry said. - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked the public to cooperate in a "tough battle" to contain the outbreak in coming weeks as the country prepares to hold the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer as planned. - The virus has prompted numerous cancellations or postponements of sporting events. (Compiled by Frances Kerry and Maju Samuel; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) Credit: CC0 Public Domain A blood test that may eventually be done in a doctor's office can swiftly reveal if a patient with memory issues has Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment and can also distinguish both conditions from frontotemporal dementia. If approved, the blood test could lead to a jump in the number of Alzheimer's patients enrolling in clinical trials and be used to monitor response to those investigational treatments. In a study led by UC San Francisco, researchers measured blood levels of phosphorylated tau 181 (pTau181), a brain protein that aggregates in tangles in patients with Alzheimer's. They found that pTau181 was 3.5-times higher in people with the disease compared to their healthy peers. In contrast, in patients with frontotemporal dementia, a condition that is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's, pTau181 was found to be within the same range as the control group. The study publishes in Nature Medicine on March 2, 2020. "This test could eventually be deployed in a primary care setting for people with memory concerns to identify who should be referred to specialized centers to participate in clinical trials or to be treated with new Alzheimer's therapies, once they are approved," said senior author Adam Boxer, MD, Ph.D., of the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Being able to easily diagnose Alzheimer's disease at early stages may be especially beneficial to patients with mild cognitive impairment, some of whom may have early Alzheimer's disease. Individuals with early Alzheimer's are more likely to respond to many of the new treatments that are being developed." Current Alzheimer's Testing Expensive, Invasive Existing methods for diagnosing Alzheimer's include measurement of the deposits of amyloid, another protein implicated in dementia, from a PET scan; or using lumbar puncture to quantify amyloid and tau in cerebrospinal fluid. PET scans are expensive, only available in specialized centers and currently not covered by insurance, and lumbar punctures are invasive, labor intensive and not easy to perform in large populations, the authors noted. There are 132 drugs in clinical trials for Alzheimer's, according to a 2019 study, including 28 that are being tested in 42 phase-3 trialsthe final part of a study before approval is sought from the federal Food and Drug Administration. Among those phase-3 drugs is aducanumab, which some experts believe may be the first drug approved to slow the progression of Alzheimer's. In the study, participants underwent testing to measure pTau181 from plasma, the liquid part of blood. They were aged from 58 to 70 and included 56 who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, 47 with mild cognitive impairment and 69 of their healthy peers. Additionally, participants included 190 people with different types of frontotemporal dementia, a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes, areas of the brain associated with decision-making, behavioral control, emotion and language. Among adults under 65, frontotemporal dementia is as common as Alzheimer's. Blood Test Measures Up to Established Tool The researchers found that blood measures of pTau181 were 2.4 pg/ml among healthy controls, 3.7 pg/ml among those with mild cognitive impairment and 8.4 pg/ml for those with Alzheimer's. In people with variants of frontotemporal dementia, levels ranged from 1.9 to 2.8 pg/ml. These results gave similar information to the more established diagnostic tools of PET scan measures of amyloid or tau protein, Boxer said. The study follows research by other investigators published last year that found high levels of plasma amyloid were a predictor of Alzheimer's. However, amyloid accumulates in the brain many years before symptoms emerge, if they emerge, said Boxer, who is affiliated with the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "In contrast, the amount of tau that accumulates in the brain is very strongly linked to the onset, the severity and characteristic symptoms of the disease," he said. A companion study by Oskar Hansson, MD, Ph.D., of Lund University, Sweden, published in the same issue of Nature Medicine corroborated the results of the UCSF-led study. It concluded that pTau181 was a stronger predictor of developing Alzheimer's in healthy elders than amyloid. The researchers said they hope to see the blood test available in doctor's offices within five years. More information: Diagnostic value of plasma phosphorylated tau181 in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Nature Medicine (2020). nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0762-2 Journal information: Nature Medicine Diagnostic value of plasma phosphorylated tau181 in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-0762-2 [March 02, 2020] Gotransverse CEO James Messer To Share Insights on Scaling Out Agile Billing for the Enterprise at Monetize 13 AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At Monetize 13 being held in Amsterdam this week, James Messer, CEO of Gotransverse (www.gotransverse.com), a leading provider of enterprise SaaS billing solutions, will join other experts in a panel discussion entitled Scaling Out Agile Billing Solving Large Scale Enterprise Finance Challenges. The session is scheduled for 10:20 on Thursday, March 5 and will review agile monetization strategies and discuss how applying enterprise-scale billing solutions can enable new recurring revenue business models. Weve seen an expansion of new recurring revenue business models in industries across Europe, said Messer. However, like innovators everywhere, thee are struggling to deploy the technology necessary to manage billing and build their businesses. Monetize is the ideal event to discuss those challenges and review new monetization strategies and solutions that can help them build revenue in the coming decade. Presented by MGI Research, Gotransverse also is a Gold Sponsor of the Monetize 13 conference. Monetize is billed as the only event in Europe to focus on monetization, including payments, commerce, billing, and CPQ. In previous years the Monetize conference has attracted thought leaders, business and financial leaders, IT professionals, analysts, investors, and others interested in finance and e-commerce. About Gotransverse Gotransverse provides cloud-based software that enables companies to operate as a subscription business model, including the often-challenging aspects of usage-based pricing and monetization at internet scale. Founded by globally recognized billing experts, the company offers an intelligent billing and subscription management platform that automates the subscription order-to-cash process, including billing, rating, collections, mediation, analytics, and revenue recognition. Founded in 2008, Gotransverse is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit http://gotransverse.com . Press Contact: Tom Woolf Gotransverse 415.842.7398 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Myanmar donates 200 tons of rice to China in fight against COVID-19 YANGON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's government on Sunday donated 200 tons of rice to China as a humanitarian assistance in the battle against the COVID-19 epidemic. The donated rice was handed over to Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai at the Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone (4) in Yangon region. "Myanmar and China have a very long friendship and it has been promoted from one stage to another. Whatever happens in China, we feel the same as we have a fraternal relationship. We believe that China will overcome this outbreak as soon as possible," Aung Htoo, deputy minister of commerce told media. Ambassador Chen expressed thanks to the government and people of Myanmar for supporting China during the battle against the COVID-19 outbreak. The donated rice will be delivered to Hubei province. Credit: Javier Larrea/Alamy Stock Photo On Friday, July 19, 1907, a grand experiment began at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. As the first patients of the day arrived, doctors assigned each of them a unique number and started a medical chart, noting the chief complaint, symptoms, any diagnosis, and occasionally a treatment plan. Patient 004, a 48-year-old woman, complained of pain and tenderness in her abdomen. Having her medical dossier on hand proved useful two months later when she returned to the clinic and had her gallbladder removed. Assigning a patient a number and a collated medical record may sound unremarkable. But in 1907, the creation of a numeric registration system tied to a single dossierin which any clinic doctor could find a patient's entire medical history in one placerepresented a huge innovation in healthcare. Mayo, which traces its roots to 1889, began as a family practice created by Dr. William W. Mayo and his sons. It evolved into one of the world's first integrated group practices, where physicians specialized in particular areas of care and worked together to treat patients; it was this model that made necessary a single record accessible to all of the caregivers treating each patient. The new chart system, conceived by Dr. Henry S. Plummer and his assistant, Mabel Root, became the basis for Mayo Clinic's medical record infrastructure, which now contains more than 9 million electronic health records (EHR) at the Rochester facility alone. And more records are always being generated: more than one million people visit Mayo Clinic every year. Plummer's insight was twofold, says Cris Ross '88, the chief information officer for Mayo Clinic. "If we had a shared ledger that everyone could use, we could improve the care for patientsbut also systematize the data so that we could draw insights from it," he says. As Plummer's system did in the 20th century, EHRs are supposed to revolutionize healthcare in the 21st century by giving each one of us a single dossier containing our entire medical historycomprehensive, portable, accessible, and shareable among patients, physicians, insurance companies, pharmacies, labs, caregivers, and researchers. But the reality is that most of our health records are scattered across disconnected systems. They're often hard to access, riddled with privacy concerns, vulnerable to security breaches, and have the potential to be sold, transferred, or monetized without our knowledge. And despite federal and state laws aimed at improving access and security, the full potential of EHR always seems to be a few years away. The story of EHRs serves as a prelude of to what we're experiencing today in almost every facet of our lives: a utopian promise of ubiquitous data tempered with technical challenges and concerns over privacy. They have proven to be a canary in the coal mine, an early indicator of the complexities of managing the huge amounts of data we produce as we go about our lives in an increasingly digitized world. In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. The main legal instrument for patient healthcare rights, HIPAA had two main purposes: to improve people's ability to maintain health insurance between jobs, and to make healthcare organizations responsible for the privacy of their patients' healthcare data, which was increasingly in digital formespecially in hospitals. At the time, most doctor's offices were still relying on paper records, says Ross. "The ability to share data when it was paperbound was just insurmountable," he says. From 2001 to 2011, the number of EHRs increased 57% percent. The most significant push for EHRs emerged in early 2009 with the passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Obama administration's stimulus package. Since then, HITECH has paid out tens of billions in financial incentives for healthcare professionals to adopt EHRs. It's also bolstered penalties for HIPAA violations. The use of EHRs in doctor's offices nearly doubled between 2009 and 2017, to almost 86%. Hospitals fared even better, with 95% adopting certified EHRs by 2017. Imagine a comprehensive view of your health over a lifetime, with all the records united, accessible, and portable. Every vaccination you got as a baby; the broken arm you got from falling off your bike; the eye exam that revealed your nearsightedness; the blood test that found your thyroid is underperforming; the ER visit for food poisoning; the prescriptions you received for antibiotics, birth control, or high blood pressure. Today, many EHR include not only your personal information but professional guidance for physicians, including best practices, prompts, and checklists. But creating and using effective EHRs is a technical challenge. "Healthcare data is orders of magnitude more complex than might exist around a consumer of some other product or service," says Ross. "Understanding who you are as a customer of a bank, or an airline, or a hospitality company is relatively straightforward compared to the extreme complexity of medical data. We're facing a significant challenge in just explaining the facts about a patient from one doctor to another." One major issue is interoperability, or the ability of different EHR systems to communicate with each other. This issue emerged soon after HITECH began offering incentives; to get these, healthcare providers needed to use a government-certified EHR system. But well over 500 systems were certified. Today, most healthcare providers use the same half-dozen EHR systems, Ross says, and interoperability has improved, but it remains limited. That's why the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has proposed new regulations aimed at improving shareability of EHR. There are some areas of interoperability success. For example, doctors and hospitals can check your prescription history in a national medication repository run by the organization Surescripts, which is especially helpful for the care of patients who have many medications over the years. Recently, Ross relied on Surescripts, where he was executive vice president and general manager of clinical interoperability from 2010 to 2012, to manage his mother's prescriptions. "As my mom moved between different health systems, it was extraordinarily useful to have a single listing of all of her medications, because she couldn't remember them," he says. Rather than holding information about specific prescriptions, Surescripts is a repository of data that points to where the prescription data is kept. "In my mom's case," Ross says, "it pointed to the health system that prescribed the drugs, and it pointed to the pharmacy that issued those drugs. From that they were able to determine what was she prescribed and if she had been refilling those medications, and therefore taking them." As yet, there are no similar national repositories of X-rays, bloodwork, lab results, EKGs, or other common practices. But they would be useful, and some have tried to create them, including Ross. "Imagine that you're admitted to an emergency department, and you're unconscious," he says. "It would be useful to be able to find out more about you. Maybe you're unconscious because of some heart failure. Have there been tests done before? Are there EKGs?" Approaches similar to the one taken by Surescripts "may emerge in other kinds of spaces," Ross says. "It's one of the things that would help improve care and reduce the cost of care if we didn't have to redo tests." Another issue is usability, or how easy the systems are to use for physicians, technicians, and hospitals. "Usability is about making the practice of medicine more effective, efficient or more satisfying to physicians who have really difficult jobs," Ross says. "They expectand they deservesystems that support them." In the rush to digitize records, user-friendliness wasn't always a priority for health IT developers. In 2018, Ross and his Mayo colleagues completed two multi-year projects to "radically change technology" in the system. The first was the consolidation of medical record technology previously split amongst multiple vendors onto one integrated electronic health record system. It's now used in all Mayo Clinic locations across the U.S. The goal was to have doctors, nurses, pharmacists using common technology to provide the same standard of care. The second was the creation of a unified data platformwhich is now being redesigned to operate on Google's cloud-based technologyto manage all of the data in one place. It's a single-stop storage facility for patient care, research, and education. Ross got to see firsthand how these EHR upgrades impacted patients when he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancerand treated at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. (He's now cancer free.) "My treatment started just two months after we had completed our electronic medical records system," he says. "The doctors, nurses and techs were just getting used to it. It was eye-opening to me to see how our doctors were struggling with our particular record." In the years since HIPAA became law, the ever-increasing amount of data has sparked new legislation on the protection and security of patient data. The California Consumer Privacy Act, which puts significant requirements and restrictions on businesses that collect and sell customer data, went into effect on January 1, 2020. A similarly stringent bill was introduced last year to the New York senate, but it stalled in committee. Utah passed a law last year that restricts how government agencies can access data stored with third parties such as Facebook. And in Congress, both Democrats and Republicans introduced data privacy bills in late 2019. Most health providers, including Mayo Clinic, approach EHR privacy in the same wayby de-identifying patient info, encrypting data, abiding by HIPAA regulations, and getting consent from patients to use their data for treatment, research, and payment purposes. Just as significantly, EHRs offer patients a view into their own care. Over the last decade, many healthcare organizations, including Mayo Clinic, have created "open notes," making doctors' notes visible to the patient. "Patients who get treated at Mayo get access to their data via either our patient portal or patient app, and they can see everythingall of their labs, all of their radiology studies, all of the communications from their physicians to them and to colleagues," says Ross. "It allows patients to be pretty empowered with their own medical care and how they can use their data." HIPAA guarantees that consumers can get copies of their medical records, generally within 30 days, and be alerted to who has seen their data. But that doesn't mean these records are necessarily easy to get. A 2019 study by researchers from the Yale School of Medicine found widespread lack of compliance with HIPAA rules at hospitals and doctors' offices; inconsistent, unclear, or missing patient guidelines for record requests; and sometimes exorbitant costs. Older records may not even exist. Medical record retention laws vary from state to state, based on patient age at the time of treatment and whether the records are necessary to ongoing care, among other factors, but most range between three and 10 years. Records dating to childhood are often tossed soon after the patient reaches age 18. The consumer health tech company Ciitizen aims to fill that gap. Two years ago, the company created an online platform for cancer patients to collect, store, and share their medical data in one place. Ciitizen is free, andcruciallyit tracks down medical records on behalf of its users. Its founder, Anil Sethi, left his job as the director of Apple Health to care for his sister, Tania, who was diagnosed with, and later died of, breast cancer. "We use the HIPAA right of access that empowers patients to get all of their medical records, and any records that are used to make decisions about patients, including images, pathology reports, genomic test results, labs, medications, noteseverything that isn't a business record," says Deven McGraw, Ciitizen's chief regulatory officer. From 2015 to 2017, she was the deputy director for health information privacy at the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which enforces HIPAA regulations. Ciitizen users sign a form letter drafted by the tech company so that the records request originates from the patient. Then Ciitizen uses old-school methods to gather records for its high-tech platform: phone calls, mailed letters, emails, even faxes. "I call it doing it the hard way," McGraw says. "It's very old fashioned." Ciitizen has kept track of the HIPAA compliance rate of the medical record providers they've contacted. The result is a "scorecard" of how well about 200 facilitiesincluding a few locations of Mayo Clinicdid in responding to their requests. After compiling the raw data, which is stored on Amazon Cloud Services and can total many thousands of pages for a single person, "we go into the records through a combination of human and natural language processing software, pull out the relevant elements, and standardize them," McGraw says. "So people have this nice cancer summary that they can provide to another physician or to see if they're eligible for a clinical trial." Their data is sometimes sold. "If the Ciitizen user has said, "Yes, I will share my data with this pharma company for this purpose' or has told us, "I'll share my data generally with pharma companies," then that's how we make money. The commitment that we're making to our users is that their data does not go to any third party without their consent." Ciitizen may have its protections in place, but a lot of personal health data is going to third parties without user consent. As a 2019 paper documented, these so-called shadow health records are generated by many sources, including our own digital activityfitness trackers, web searches, shopping histories, social media posts, health apps, and consumer genetic services like 23andMe. Ciitizen isn't covered by HIPAA but by the Federal Trade Commission under the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices. Many of the companies collecting these shadow health records reside in this same gray area. "I'd be happy to be covered by reasonable privacy laws," McGraw says. "We're just trying to empower the patients to have their data so that they too can share it in whatever way works for them." Many in the healthcare industry are sincerely attempting to navigate these uncharted waters. But there are plenty of sharks circling as well. According to reports to the HHS, more than 38 million health records were breached in 2019 alone. Some were the result of hacking, others technical error. Even supposedly legal deals have many on edge: Google's recent "Project Nightingale" partnership with Ascension Health network gave it access to the health records of 50 million Americans, reportedly without their consentand those records aren't de-identified. HIPAA regulators began looking into Project Nightingale and a Congressional committee asked for details about the agreement, even as Google insisted the deal was HIPAA compliant. (As for the Mayo Clinic data stored in Google Cloud, Ross says, "Google doesn't have any right to get to that data for any kind of commercial purpose whatsoever.") Despite its size, the healthcare industry lags behind other industries when it comes to cybersecurity. "There are still places where our systems are not as sophisticated as what you might see in finance, aerospace or retail, or other kinds of tech-leading industries," says Ross. "We obviously are highly concerned about attacks for financial purposes, where someone might want to steal the identity or payment information about our patients. We're also really concerned about nation-state attacks. We know from intelligence, security, and law enforcement organizations that those entities may be seeking data for industrial-espionage purposes. Or they might be seeking information about individuals that they can use for malicious purposes. The cyberdefense and cyberprotection environment is always challenging. Now that healthcare, like other industries, is digitized, we need to step up our ability to defend ourselves." One of Dr. Plummer's many medical innovations at Mayo Clinic was to successfully argue for the installation of a pneumatic system there. It was through this series of tubes that patient medical records could be whooshed to another doctor within the facility. We may no longer shoot capsules of our medical records through pneumatic tubes, but our EHRs are still shooting through our digital systems, for better or for worse. "Everyone should be vigilant about how their data is being used, whether it's their browser history, financial purposes, or health data," says Ross. "I think the healthcare industry is getting a lot more sophisticated and a lot more capable in understanding how to pursue the kind of dual mission of 'more data drives more cures'and yet that basic data needs to stay private." Explore further Startup seeks to hold doctors, hospitals accountable on patient record requests More information: Carolyn T. Lye et al. Assessment of US Hospital Compliance With Regulations for Patients' Requests for Medical Records, JAMA Network Open (2018). Journal information: JAMA Network Open Carolyn T. Lye et al. Assessment of US Hospital Compliance With Regulations for Patients' Requests for Medical Records,(2018). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3014 Thanh Ha is still taking her six-week-old baby outside for a breath of fresh air in Italys northeast region of Lombardy, despite the jump in coronavirus cases there. Photo taken on Saturday shows the empty tables of a restaurant in Milan, Italy. XINHUA/VNA Photo Living in a small town 20km from Bergamo, Ha said life was going on as usual despite new cases reported elsewhere. The current situation is not bad as it sounds. Last Sunday, when many new cases were confirmed, people flocked to supermarkets to stock up on food, including me. Schools were closed for a week while sport and cultural events were cancelled. Bars were closed from 6pm to 6am, said Ha. After a week, it's started to go back to normal. Sharing the same opinion, 25-year-old Vu Hai in Bergamo told Viet Nam News nothing much had changed. Buying food, facemasks and hand sanitiser are among our priorities, said Hai. Most Italian people are pretty chilled. They do not bother to have facemasks and they're still going to bars. Ha said Italys healthcare sector and the government had been clear about the disease and the number of cases recorded. She quoted Professor Walter Ricciardi, an Italian member of the World Health Organisations executive council, as saying that out of 100 infected people, 80 recover, 15 have serious but curable, five are very critical and three die. However, most of the people who have died in Italy had existing medical conditions. Ha said Lombardy had offered free swab tests for more than 10,000 people who had direct contact with infected people whether they showed symptoms or not. Although the media has reported soaring racist and xenophobic attacks against Asian people, Ha said she had not suffered any negative experiences, with or without her Italian husband. I think racist assaults tend to happen in epicentres, said Hai. Since the first case was reported, the attitudes of local people to Asians have slightly changed in Bergamo. I notice people covering their faces when they see me in the street, he added. Ngoc Linh, a masters student in Milan, where 29 infected cases had been confirmed as of Saturday, said COVID-19 had exposed the racism that exists in Italy. Linhs friend was attacked by a local man, proclaiming that Asian people spread the disease. According to Italys Ministry of Health, eighty of the most acute cases are in Lombardy. We try to be calm, keep up to date and stay at home as much as possible, said Hai. I do not have any plans to return to Vietnam because I'm trying to finish my degree and the cost is too high, he added. Bergamo is relatively safe compared to other areas. Linh said she was trying to self-protect because arranging a health examination appointment was quite complicated for an expat. The government has set up a COVID-19 hotline but I am told it is usually engaged and the people only speak Italian, she said. According to Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy hosts some 5,000 Vietnamese people. The countrys number of infected cases on Sunday exceeded 1,100, ranked third among the worlds worst-hit countries following China and South Korea. In France Working as a part-time barista for a coffee chain near the Louvre in Paris, 25-year-old Quynh Pha is not required to wear a facemask. After confirmed cases in France jumped to 100, with two deaths, the company has refused to issue a requirement for facemasks, even in popular locations, said Pha. Her university sent a notice to all students, advising those returning from Singapore, South Korea, China and Italy, to self-quarantine for 14 days. Despite some field trips being cancelled, people around me pay little attention to preventative measures, Pha said. No one is stocking up on food, supplies and facemasks. We are only asked to wash our hands regularly. Huu Khanh, a photographer in Spains capital Madrid, reported a similar situation. Food supplies are sufficient, he said. I feel a bit scared but have nothing to do. Some friends of mine who plan to return to Vietnam are considering staying here as they are afraid of being unable to move back to Spain, added Khanh. A lot of local people who lack access to accurate information show hatred towards Asian people on public transport. Despite this racism, I think the situation where I live is under control, he said. Pham Huyen, a masters student in Malta, said her university had set up an emergency situation team for COVID-19 prevention, after two infected cases were reported in Siliema, 20 minutes walk from San Gwann, where she lives. Huyens school has also asked students to spend two weeks in self-isolation after returning to Malta from infected areas in Italy, including Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Piemonte. People are not worrying, Huyen said. I think it is partly because the local healthcare system is capable and they believe that coronavirus spread is controllable, she added. VNS Khoa Thu Coronavirus cases surge to 400 in Italy Europe's worst-hit country reports a rise of 25% in a day, as the virus spreads fast outside China. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 Since being appointed defense minister in October, Prabowo has visited several countries in an effort to modernize the Indonesian Military and strengthen defense diplomacy in general. His latest destination was the United Arab Emirates, where he signed a defense cooperation agreement with his counterpart Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi on Feb. 24. The visits to various countries, including China, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and France, were meant to fulfill the Minimum Essential Force (MEF) provision by scouting for and procuring weapons systems from those countries. 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 Defence corridor in Tamil Nadu to see Rs3,100 cr investment The five nodes of Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor, viz, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur, Salem and Tiruchirapalli, will see investment of approximately Rs3,100 crore by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)/defence public sector undertaking (DPSUs) and private industries, minister of state for defence Shripad Naik informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply today. The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced plans to set up two defence industrial corridors in the country - one in Uttar Pradesh and another in Tamil Nadu. Till date, six consultation meetings of stakeholders in Tamil Nadu were organised across various nodes, the minister said. Further, the government has also appointed a consultant for the preparation of detailed project report for these two defence corridors, he said. Setting up of Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor would catalyse indigenous production of defence and aerospace related items, thereby reducing the countrys reliance on imports while also promoting export of these items to other countries. This will lead to generation of direct and indirect employment opportunities and growth of private domestic manufacturers, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups, the minister added. Replying to another question in the House, Naik said that as per available figures, defence budget as a percentage of GDP may appear to be decreasing due to increasing trend in the growth of GDP. However, it is increasing in absolute terms, implying higher spending. In the 2019-20 budget, total defence budget (including miscellaneous and pensions) is Rs4,31,010.79 crore, for the year 2019-20, which is 15.47 per cent of total central government expenditure. In BE 2019-20, capital budget of ministry of defence is approximately 31.97 per cent of the total capital expenditure of the central government expenditure. The expenditure on operations/ maintenance and defence infrastructure has been maintained optimally, he said. After hinting that his former on-screen flame Tiffani Thiessen would appear in the Saved by the Bell spin-off in some capacity, Mark-Paul Gosselaar has confirmed their characters will reunite for the first time since 1993. In an interview with TV Line on Sunday, the 46-year-old star confirmed he worked with Thiessen on the reboot for NBCUniversal's steaming service Peacock and said, 'As far as I know, she will be in an episode or two with me.' While her screen time may seem minimal, the former teen heartthrob reminded fans, 'She was, at the time working' on Netflix's Alexa & Katie. Back together: In an interview with TV Line, the 46-year-old star confirmed he worked with Thiessen and added, 'As far as I know, she will be in an episode or two with me. As for his big return to Bayside High, he's just grateful he was able to participate on the NBC reprisal at all. During the interview, Gosselaar pointed out he is a series-regular on a competing network for his role on ABC's hit show Mixed-ish. 'I'm super gracious that they're allowing me to do that,' he stressed, which according to the series' official logline will kick off with his character Zack Morris landing in hot water, as the governor of California. In an interview with TV Line on Sunday, the 46-year-old star confirmed he worked with Thiessen on the reboot and said, 'As far as I know, she will be in an episode or two with me' Spin-off: The reboot will feature the former scheming student, now the governor of California, making Bayside High a much more diverse place, after closing too many low-income high schools While it is unclear whether Zack has remained with his high school sweetheart Kelly Kapowski-Morris, one of the former scheming student's new policies will open the doors to Bayside High, after closing too many low-income high schools. Thiessen, who shot to fame in the late Eighties in the iconic role, played Gosselaar's love interest for four seasons on the popular series that ended in the early Nineties and followed the lovebirds' group of high school students and principal, Mr. Belding. Originally the teen sitcom was confirmed to be moving on without her, and in September, she told Us Weekly, 'I didn't know anything about it.' Leading lady: Thiessen, who shot to fame in the late Eighties in the iconic role, played Gosselaar's love interest for four seasons on the popular series that ended in the early Nineties 'It seems like everyone is doing a reboot, these days. It's, like, popular, I guess,' she told the outlet, before revealing she wouldn't have been into the idea. The You're Missing It! author added: 'I'm a girl that likes the originals. But that's me, though. I'm nostalgic that way. But I'm sure people are going to be excited about it. It seems almost popular to redo a show.' The popular series was actually a spin-off on Good Morning, Miss Bliss (which aired from 1988 to 1989.) Perfect pair: Originally the teen sitcom was confirmed to be moving on without her, and in September, she told Us Weekly, 'I didn't know anything about it' Thiessen was not the only cast member to not snubbed, as Saved by the Bell alum Lark Voorhies also revealed she was excluded. 'I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion, as well as other cast members events,' the actress revealed on The Dr. Oz Show earlier this month. She added: 'With that in mind, I am truly thankful for having had the chance to work on a show that has been so successful.' A paramedic works with a centrifuge to test blood samples taken from patients suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus at a hospital in Tehran, Iran. Testing capacity is still limited in the U.S., but ramping up. (Ali Shirband/Mizan News Agency via AP) Read more In response to blistering criticism about coronavirus testing in the United States, the government has loosened rules to allow public health labs and academic medical centers to design and use their own versions. But gearing up may not happen quickly enough to contain the fast-spreading upper respiratory disease and expanded capacity is complicating efforts to keep an up-to-date national tally of tests and cases. The Association of Public Health Laboratories on Sunday estimated that its members 125 state and local labs could soon be doing 10,000 tests a day. The association was rebuffed last month after asking the Food and Drug Administration to do what it has now done, loosening rules for emergency use authorization." At the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, chief medical officer Neil Fishman said Monday that Penn has been working with several diagnostic testing companies to develop a test. I would guess validation would take two to three weeks, so we probably wont have a test until mid-March, he said. By then, at least one commercial test may be available. Cepheid, a leading diagnostics company based in California, has said its coronavirus test which will have automated components and run on a testing platform already installed in 23,000 sites around the world will launch between April and June. While expanded testing should improve disease surveillance, it could undercut the central role of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Monday, the CDC abruptly and without explanation postponed a scheduled news briefing and also removed data on its website summarizing how many people had been tested across the country. Now that states are testing and reporting their own results, CDCs numbers may not represent all of the testing being done nationwide, a CDC spokesperson emailed to explain the website change. Pennsylvanias state lab expects to be able to do testing by the end of this week, while state labs in New Jersey and Delaware are processing samples, according to state officials. Although none of the states has had a confirmed case, Delaware on Monday announced three negative tests, and two for which results were pending; New Jersey over the weekend tested three people who were negative for the virus, COVID-19. In the U.S., more than 80 cases have been reported in at least 10 states. Four more people have died of the virus in Washington state, raising the death toll in the state and nation to six, health officials said Monday. The nations first positive case was diagnosed in January in Washington state, where the virus has spread to a nursing home. Officials speculate that the virus was being transmitted person-to-person, undetected, in the Seattle area for weeks because of insufficient testing. Until last week, the CDC narrowly defined which people with respiratory symptoms should be tested. It also shipped faulty test kits to state labs in early February. Only about 500 people had been tested in the U.S. by the end of February. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology being used for all coronavirus tests is standard in molecular biology. But obtaining or making the components primers, probes, reagents and validating the accuracy with patient samples is complicated. Under the loosened rules, the FDA is still requiring labs to validate their tests, but they will have an additional 15 days to submit a formal emergency use application. Mrs. Rajavi began by paying tribute to the martyrs of the fight for freedom in Iran and how regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini stole the revolution. Here we will look at what she said on the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and the two recent uprisings against the regime by the Iranian people, which are examples of Iranian societys defiant spirit. Maryam Rajavi began with a brief timeline of the actions of the MEK and the Iranian Resistance, since 1979. She said from the revolution until June 20, 1981, when the regime was still taking place, the MEK represented the Iranian peoples protests against the tyranny. They refused to accept the regimes constitution, which enshrined the policy of velayat-e faqih that makes the Supreme Leader the ultimate authority in Iran. They refused to accept the suppression of freedoms or the mullahs Sharia laws. Then, they rose up against the regime on June 20, 1981, rejecting the mullahs and building the foundations for the regimes overthrow. Maryam Rajavi said: So, where can we witness the crystallization of Iranian societys awareness in this blood-stained confrontation and after the mullahs rule? The answer lies in the MEK, in the National Liberation Army, in the Resistance Units and rebellious youth, and in the numerous uprisings across Iran. She explained that gender equality would be the most important achievement of the people, after the misogynist regime falls, along with the separation of religion and state. Maryam Rajavi said: One can witness the reflection of the consciousness and maturity of Iranian society in the perseverance of a democratic alternative: The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The NCRI is the flag-bearer of the regimes overthrow and the persistent advocate of the most important principles and values needed for the demarcation against this regime and for establishing a future democratic Iran. She then began to speak about the two recent major uprisings that demonstrated the Iranian peoples will to overthrow the mullahs and readiness to burn down the regime Maryam Rajavi said: Khamenei and his murderous IRGC killed over 1,500 rebellious youth (in November 2019). These are the blood-drenched martyrs who bore the promise of daylight and were messengers of freedom and defeat of tyranny. The flames arising from their blood inspired the January 2020 uprising. Now, those uprisings have become the burning fires under the ashes. The flames of these protests are becoming ever more powerful in the heart of Iranian society. She explained that the determination to rebel has gone through all aspects of Iranian society and has manifested in the Resistance Units, who are leading the way for more uprisings. Maryam Rajavi said the uprisings have damaged the regime and the mullahs will never recover from the loss of stability and equilibrium. In our next piece, we will look at the Iranian peoples boycott of the sham parliamentary elections on Friday, February 21. Read More: Maryam Rajavis Speech on the Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution: Part 2 Nepal Government has deferred the international tourism promotional activities planned as a part of Visit Nepal Year-2020 due to the coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 3000 people worldwide. "The cabinet meeting decided on to postpone the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign for the time being. Prime Minister Oli has proposed 2022 to be celebrated as Visit Nepal Year but remained undecided. But with effect from March 7, Nepal will be suspending visa-on-arrival for all the tourists along with the Sagarmatha Sambad (global dialogue forum) planned on for the first week of April also has been suspended," a Nepali Cabinet Minister told ANI on Sunday. It is a major setback for the Visit Nepal Year campaign under which the Himalayan country targeted to attract 2 million foreign tourists, almost double from foreign tourists arrivals in 2019. Nepal had received 1.19 million foreign tourists last year, Xinhua news agency reported after citing the Department of Immigration. "We are postponing the international tourism promotion for the time being," Yogesh Bhattarai, minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation, said here on Saturday. "During this crisis period, we will introduce measures to promote domestic tourism," he added. Bishwombher Ghimire, the program coordinator at the Visit Nepal Year Secretariat, told Xinhua on Saturday that the planned promotional campaign at Berlin Tourism Fair in Germany was cancelled after the fair itself was called off by the organiser. "The planned promotional events in China have also been cancelled," he said. According to Ghimire, the Nepali Government's priority has now shifted to building the necessary infrastructure to handle the possible influx of foreign tourists when the situation gets better. During the Visit Nepal Year, Nepal's biggest hope for meeting the target of foreign tourists' inflow was on arrivals from India and China, the two largest source markets for Nepal's tourism. In 2019, Nepal had attracted 254,150 Indian tourists and 169,543 Chinese tourists, according to the immigration office. However, after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, most of the flights between China and Nepal have been suspended which will affect the inflow of Chinese tourists this year. However, Nepali tourism experts say it is not time to lament about the number of tourists but to express solidarity with people affected by the epidemic. "We should use this crisis period to extend support or sympathy to the Chinese partners and we can also come up with creative ideas to focus on post crisis marketing strategies," said Deepak Raj Joshi, former Chief Executive Officer at the Nepal Tourism Board, the tourism promotion body of Nepal. "At this time, we can focus on the promotion of domestic tourism as we did in the past after the earthquake in 2015," he said. Joshi also suggested that the Nepal Government should provide some incentives to the tourism entrepreneurs to help cope with the losses. Nepal has so far quarantined four people. One of them showed symptoms of Covid-19, while the other three had returned from South Korea and China. Nepal was the first South Asian nation to confirm the viral infection in January. On February 16, the Himalayan nation airlifted its 175 citizens from Wuhan-- epicentre from where the virus orginiated-- including 134 males and 41 females. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The case led to debate amongst Gandhi doctors that in such cases, isolation wards must be in campuses like the Chest Hospital at Erragadda or at TB hospital at Vikarabad. Hyderabad: The Gandhi Hospital doctors fear that the first Covid-19 case will affect their out-patient department and opine that common people are not going to opt for treatment in the hospital. Murmurs in different medial departments began soon after they saw the Union health ministry release on Twitter. Senior, junior, resident and post-graduate doctors started calling each other to check whether the positive Covid19 case was indeed at Gandhi Hospital. There were angry murmurs of protests and hushed voices of anger that the isolation ward must not be in Gandhi Hospital as it was a general hospital. With 1,050-bed strength, there are a large number of patients in the hospital, some said. The hospital gets more than 1,000 outpatients every day along with their family and relatives. The case led to debate amongst Gandhi doctors that in such cases, isolation wards must be in campuses like the Chest Hospital at Erragadda or at TB hospital at Vikarabad. The doctors worried that since Gandhi Hospital was in the heart of Secundera-bad. As this virus had become widespread quickly across China, it would not be ideal to have an isolation ward where so many people frequent. A senior doctor said, The isolation ward on eight floor will not be attended by many. Only those who are on duty will go there. There is already a lot of panic. We have surgical masks for hospital staff. Is it safe? Many coronavirus cases come as suspects but are confirmed later. Till then, they are in touch. What is their safety? A patient who was released from a Texas facility operated by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) later tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, it has been claimed. Ron Nirenberg, the mayor of San Antonio, revealed the news and suggested the development may have caused the public to be exposed to the mysterious virus. Today we learned that the CDC mistakenly released a patient from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease who later returned a positive COVID-19 reading, the mayor wrote. He added: The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable. The new coronavirus was reportedly responsible for at least two deaths in the US and more than 3,000 worldwide the majority of those occurring in China, where the virus was believed to have originated at a market in Wuhan. 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 patient in question had reportedly met guidelines required to be released from the San Antonio Texas Centre for Infection Disease, including two negative test results for the coronavirus. Following their return to the medical facility, the patient tested positive for COVID-19 the official name for the Wuhan coronavirus and was placed back into isolation. Recommended Coronavirus causes iPhone and Samsung factories to shut down The CDC said in a statement that local officials have been tracking where the patient went during their release, including who they interacted with, timeframes outside the federally ordered quarantine and who may have been exposed. Mr Nirenberg also said that his office would hold the CDC accountable to ensure the centre releases more information about the patient to the public, adding: I have asked the CDC to do everything in their power to ensure that those who are released pose no risk to the community. The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Follow live updates about the coronavirus here. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 14:00:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 954 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / POET Technologies, Inc. (OTCQX: POETF; TSX Venture: PTK) the designer and developer of the POET Optical Interposer and Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) for the data center and tele-communication markets today announced the Company will be presenting at the third annual LD Micro Virtual Conference on Wednesday, March 4 at 2:00PM PST / 5:00PM EST. Thomas Mika, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer will be giving the presentation and answering questions from investors.You can access the live presentation at the following link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2019/33427 To register for the event and receive updates,"With this event, POET intends to launch a renewed investor communications program. We have demonstrated the viability of our Optical Interposer, strengthened our balance sheet with the sale of our DenseLight subsidiary, and begun staffing with veterans from the photonics industry to design and develop products in conjunction with major customers and partners," stated Thomas Mika, EVP & CFO of POET. "We believe that we are at a major inflection point in the Company's recent history and I look forward to presenting on Wednesday." "We are delighted to be hosting our third virtual event in order to showcase some of the truly unique names in micro-cap" stated Chris Lahiji, President of LD Micro. "There are many people and companies who are unable to attend our live events, due to any number of reasons, so we are happy to offer an additional way for companies to present to investors without taking a lot of time out of their day-to-day operations. While virtual events will never replace the experience of sitting in the same room as other humans, it is a great format for updating the investor community and getting increased exposure." The conference will be held via webcast and will feature over 40 companies in the small / micro-cap space.View POET Technologies, Inc. profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/PTK.V Profiles powered by LD Micro - News Compliments of AccesswireAbout POET Technologies, Inc.POET Technologies is a design and development company offering integration solutions based on the POET Optical Interposer, a novel platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices into a single multi-chip module using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques and packaging methods. POET's Optical Interposer eliminates costly components and labor-intensive assembly, alignment, burn-in and testing methods employed in conventional photonics. The cost-efficient integration scheme and scalability of the POET Optical Interposer brings value to any device or system that integrates electronics and photonics, including some of the highest growth areas of computing, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles and high-speed networking for cloud service providers and data centers. POET is headquartered in Toronto, with operations Allentown, PA and Singapore. More information may be obtained at www.poet-technologies.com About LD MicroLD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event).In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe.For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com for more information.Shareholder Contact:Shelton GroupBrett L. Perrysheltonir@ sheltongroup.com Company Contact:Thomas R. Mika, EVP & CFOtm@ poet-technologies.com This news release contains "forward-looking information" (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "potential", "estimate", "propose", "project", "outlook", "foresee" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include the Company's expectations with respect to receiving payments in connection with its sale of DenseLight, the success of the Company's product development efforts, the expected results of its operations, and the expectation of continued success in the financing efforts, the capability, functionality, performance and cost of the Company's technology as well as the market acceptance, inclusion and timing of the Company's technology in current and future products.Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, management's expectations regarding the success and timing for completion of its development efforts, financing activities, receiving full payment for its sale of its DenseLight subsidiary, future growth, plans for and completion of projects by the Company's third-party consultants, contractors and partners, availability of capital, and the necessity to incur capital and other expenditures. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, operational risks in the completion of the Company's anticipated projects, delays or changes in plans with respect to the development of the Company's anticipated projects by the Company's third-party relationships, risks affecting the Company's ability to execute projects, the ability of the Company to generate sales for its products, the ability to attract key personnel, and the ability to raise additional capital. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasona The members of the Muslim community continued their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Register of Citizens (NRC) and Population Register (NPR) for 18th day on Monday at Washermanpet, Chennai. The protestors shouted slogans of "Azaadi" and were waving the tricolour flag. The protestors also displayed placards and posters against the central government. 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We are now pleased to offer financing to our residential and commercial customers for new units. Call today for details. Bishop Air is pleased to announce that they are offering air conditioning maintenance, AC tune-ups, and financing for new AC units in Henderson and Vegas for the upcoming summer season. Since its establishment in 1992, Bishop Air has proudly served the residents and businesses of Henderson and Las Vegas and has risen to prominence as the leading HVAC and solar energy company in Southern Nevada. The team at Bishop Air knows that access to dependable air conditioning is a top priority for most residents in Las Vegas and Henderson and strives to provide an unparalleled customer service experience. For the upcoming summer season, Bishop Air is excited to announce that they are offering several specific HVAC services, to help you prepare for the warmer months ahead. Air Conditioning Maintenance Bishop Air prides themselves on offering comprehensive air conditioning maintenance service for residents and businesses in the Henderson and Las Vegas area. If an AC unit is still in good shape and only requires repair, then the team at Bishop Air can provide professional service without delay. Air conditioning maintenance services offered by Bishop Air include (but are not limited to): Calibrating thermostats. Checking electrical connections. Clearing condensate drain lines. System control checks. Air filter inspections and service. Most air conditioning units will benefit from professional attention before the upcoming summer season, then get in touch with the team at Bishop Air today. Their team is also happy to provide both commercial and residential clients with emergency maintenance and repair AC services in Henderson and Las Vegas on a 24/7 basis. AC Tune-Ups The certified technicians and specialists at Bishop Air also provide professional tune-ups of existing AC units. If something is causing an AC unit to function poorly, then a tune-up will save an owner from the cost of replacing it entirely. Even if an AC unit is still in good shape, it is important to have it inspected regularly to ensure that it continues to run at peak performance. In Henderson and Las Vegas, AC tune-ups from the professionals at Bishop Air will keep an AC unit functioning at its best and will help to maximize its life expectancy. Following a tune-up, Bishop Airs technicians will be able to determine whether any maintenance needs to be done. AC units may require a condenser coil cleaning, a drain flush, or the addition of new Freon to keep them working at peak performance. With a reputation for professionalism and courtesy, the team at Bishop Air provides accurate information on what needs to be done with an AC unit. With this information, AC owners will be able to determine whether an AC unit is ready for the summer months or needs more extensive maintenance. Financing For New AC Units Bishop Air is pleased to announce that they are now also provide financing options for customers in Henderson and Las Vegas whose HVAC units need replacement before the upcoming summer season or for those customers who are installing an AC unit for the first time. When AC units break unexpectedly, the cost of replacing them can be prohibitive and the team at Bishop Air is here to help. Commercial refrigeration financing for new AC units is ideal for business clients who need to ensure that their operations are not interrupted by excess heat that is all too common in Henderson and Las Vegas. The Bishop Air team currently works with several restaurant-based clients who need to provide a cool and comfortable atmosphere for their clientele. Bishop Air also provides financing for new AC units for residential clients on a 24/7 and same-day basis. Reliable HVAC Service In Las Vegas And Henderson. Bishop Air proudly is proud to announce their offering of these services with a customer-first approach that has allowed them to rise to prominence in the HVAC industry. The Bishop Air team is happy to assist both with routine HVAC service calls as well as complete HVAC system retrofits. With the summer season and the heat that it brings on the way this year, the Bishop Air team wants to ensure that all homes and businesses in Las Vegas and Henderson are ready. Contact their team for more information about their specials ahead of the summer season. Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi failed to receive parliamentary approval for his Cabinet March 1, leaving Iraq in a dangerous power vacuum. Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Allawi as prime minister a month ago, based on the recommendations of the Sairoon and Fatah blocs. Per the constitution, Allawi had 30 days to form a Cabinet. Parliament had scheduled a session to discuss Allawi's Cabinet March 1, but it failed to meet a quorum. Most members of parliament did not attend the session because they disapproved of how Allawi was not engaging in discussions with political parties on the formation of his Cabinet. Another parliamentary session Feb. 27 also failed to reach quorum. Afterward, Allawi appeared in a prerecorded video on television to announce his resignation from the premiership. However, his 30-day period to form a Cabinet had already expired and he would've been compelled to leave anyhow. Adel Abdul Mahdi, the caretaker prime minister, also reached the constitutional deadline for staying in his post March 2. According to the constitution, President Salih will now assume the role of leader of the caretaker government until he nominates a new prime minister. He will have 15 days to nominate a new prime minister, then this prime minister will have to form a Cabinet in the allotted time. During this time, the president will act as head of the government. In a statement issued March 2, Salih called upon lawmakers to "work seriously to achieve a true national agreement on choosing an alternative Prime Minister who would be acceptable by the people." Despite the previous constitutional guidelines, Abdul Mahdi said March 2 he would appoint one of his deputies or a minister to head the caretaker Cabinet. He has handed over some of his other tasks to the head of his office, Abu Jihad al-Hashemi. Abdul Mahdi and his supporters among the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) do not want to hand over this post to President Salih at this sensitive time, as they view him as a US ally. In line with Abdul Mahdi's move to prevent the president from leading the caretaker government, Kataib Hezbollah spokesman Abu Ali al-Askari tweeted March 2 that Abdul Mahdi should remain in office and that Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani could change his previous advice that led to Abdul Mahdi's resignation. Askari warned against nominating any candidate close to United States, claiming this would be considered by Kataib Hezbollah as engaging in open war against them. This indicates that Iran-backed PMU of which Kataib Hezbollah is a member are afraid of losing their political influence, leading them to threaten any candidates not affiliated with them. Allawi accused the political parties of obstructing his efforts to form an independent Cabinet. However, Allawi's Cabinet was made up of weak and unexperienced individuals who lacked political support, as well as support from Iraqi protesters. Allawi had forgotten that, as a compromise candidate, his most important task was to bring all the parties to the table and involve them in the formation of a strong government to get Iraq out of crisis. Instead, he neglected the political parties and formed a Cabinet in isolation. Kurds and Sunnis rejected Allawi's Cabinet, but some Shiite parties also feared how Allawi was forming his Cabinet. Along with the Kurdish parliamentarians and the majority of Sunni members, some Shiite blocs, in particular the State of Law and al-Sadiqoun blocs, affiliated with Asaib Ahl al-Haq, refused to attend the March 1 parliamentary session so as to prevent a quorum to vote on Allawi's Cabinet. A recent interview of controversial Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr by al-Sharqia TV Feb. 24 spelled the end of Allawi's Cabinet, as Allawi is seen as Sadr's candidate an instrument through which Sadr can dominate Iraqi politics. Sadr spoke arrogantly, presenting himself as the godfather of Iraqi politics. He said the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan acted in favor of Kurdish interests only. Sadr asked them to cut off their alliance with the United States, and he expressed support for the protests in Iraq's Kurdistan region against the local government, which the regional government has seen as a threat to stability. Sadr also threatened to reactivate the Mahdi Army which terrorized Sunni communities between 2005 and 2006 if the Sunnis returned to setting off car bombs, which read as an accusation that Sunni politicians are affiliated with terrorism. Sadr declared himself the true leader of the protests, ignoring that many protesters in southern cities had chanted slogans against him and his followers, the "Blue Hats," who had forcibly removed protesters from Baghdad's Turkish Restaurant, a hub of the protests, and killed a dozen protesters in Najaf. Sadr's comments prompted the aforementioned parties to abandon Allawi. As Allawi waited for parliament to convene March 1, protesters from southern cities converged on Baghdad to express their rejection of the Allawi Cabinet and of how political parties have handled Iraq's current crisis. Two Katyusha rockets hit Baghdad's Green Zone early March 2, shortly after Allawi failed to form a Cabinet. The rockets did not hit its target, the US Embassy, and resulted in no casualties. The little-known Wadollah Brigades, a PMU faction under the supervision of Shiite cleric Maitham al-Allaq, claimed responsibility for the attack. It then issued a statement retracting responsibility. Kataib Hezbollah issued a statement warning all parties working with US troops that they would be targeted by them soon. Iran-backed PMU factions are afraid of losing power. They failed to form a new government this round, just as they failed to keep Abdul Mahdi in the premiership post. Now, the power is no longer in their hands. The president, with the support of the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites not affiliated with the PMU, will form a government not influenced by the PMU. Under such circumstances, Iraq will witness more chaos unless the president can oversee the rise of a strong government supported by the majority of Iraq's political forces and the protesters, whose force in the Iraqi political scene cannot be ignored. SYDNEY, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Publicis Sapient has announced the completion of the strategic acquisition of Australia-based Management Consultancy firm, Third Horizon. The acquisition, which closed on February 28th, expands the end-to-end digital transformation capability available to Publicis Sapient clients globally, particularly deepening the Strategy and Consulting expertise available across industries. With a shared focus on the integration of Strategy with Experience, Engineering and Product to drive customer outcomes, Third Horizon reinforces and accelerates Publicis Sapient's connected Digital Business Transformation proposition in the market and the acquisition gives Third Horizon clients access to Publicis Sapient's scale, with a team of 20,000 professionals across 53 offices. Founded in 2004, Third Horizon has driven double-digit growth through their work with clients such as New South Wales and Victoria State Governments, Lendlease, Powerco New Zealand, Ausgrid and the Federal Government. They offer connected capabilities across strategy, design, and execution and offerings in strategic insights, human-centered design, operating model, commercial strategy, technology enablement, culture & change management, and program delivery. Nigel Vaz, Global Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Sapient says, "I'm excited to welcome Third Horizon to Publicis Sapient. With the addition of their team, and market-leading capabilities in Management Consulting, we reinforce our commitment to accelerating our clients' transformations, and will offer one of the most comprehensive end-to-end transformational solutions for our clients globally." Neville Bagot, Third Horizon's Managing Director added, "Third Horizon was established on the relentless focus of helping our clients deliver results. With the increasing interconnection of customer, digital and operating models, Publicis Sapient emerged as the obvious partner to enhance the breadth of our capabilities, and deliver value to our clients. We couldn't be more excited." "Publicis Sapient's acquisition of a management consulting firm like Third Horizon aligns with our global strategy, and will further accelerate the growth we are experiencing in Australia and internationally. The depth of industry experience from Third Horizon, combined with Publicis Sapient's deep experience in digital business transformation through the eyes of the customer is an extremely exciting proposition for clients. I am looking forward to working closely with Third Horizon's principals Neville Bagot, Robert Kelly and Steven Metzmacher who have built an incredibly successful consulting business." adds Sarah Adam-Gedge, Managing Director, Publicis Sapient Australia About Publicis Sapient Publicis Sapient is a digital transformation partner helping established organizations get digitally enabled, both in the way they work and the way they serve their customers. We help unlock value through a start-up mindset and modern methods, fusing strategy, consulting and customer experience with agile engineering and problem-solving creativity. As digital pioneers with 20,000 people and 53 offices around the globe, our experience spanning technology, data sciences, consulting and customer obsession combined with our culture of curiosity and relentlessness enables us to accelerate our clients' businesses through designing the products and services their customers truly value. Publicis Sapient is the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe. For more information, visit publicissapient.com . About Third Horizon Third Horizon is a progressive consulting firm specialising in strategy execution. We help organisations navigate the complexity of business transformation pragmatically, collaboratively and strategically. We do this by working with leadership as one team to implement strategy and complex transformation. Media Contact: Ashish Prashar Sr. Director of Global External Communications [email protected] 1-347-545-8609 SOURCE Publicis Sapient Related Links http://publicis.sapient.com/en-us.html Maruti Suzuki India reported a decline of 1.1% in overall sales, including domestic and exports. Maruti sold 147,110 units in February 2020 as compared to 1,48,682 units in February 2019. Mahindra & Mahindra reported a 42% fall in total automotive sales to 32,476 units in February 2020 from 56,005 units in February 2019. Tata Motors reported 32.4% decline in total sales (domestic & international) to 40,634 units in February 2020 from 60,151 units in February 2019. Eicher Motors' unlisted subsidiary VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) reported 28.7% decline in total sales to 4,586 units in February 2020 from 6,428 units in February 2019. Reliance Industries (RIL) said it has acquired 37.7% stake in textile manufacturer Alok Industries for Rs 250 crore. RIL and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co had jointly bid for acquiring Alok Industries that was auctioned under the insolvency and bankruptcy law by lenders to recover their unpaid loans. PNC Infratech said that it has received Letters of Award (LoA) from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for a Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) project of Rs 1602 crore in Uttar Pradesh. NTPC 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. Bharti Airtel said it has paid an additional Rs 8,004 crore towards AGR dues. With the latest payment, the company has paid Rs 18,004 crore in all. The company has also deposited an additional amount of Rs 5,000 crore as an ad-hoc payment to cover differences, if any, arising from the reconciliation exercise with the Department of Telecommunication (DoT). Dr. Reddy's Laboratories said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administrator Investigator has revised Form 483 with just one observation, in place of two observations intimated earlier for the Formulations Manufacturing Plant - 3 at Bachupally, Hyderabad. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Most of us, by the time we turn 30, have seen the world change. One of the hardest things to accept about middle age is not change its that change itself doesnt stop changing. Theres been a good deal of chatter about Americas generational divides over the past few years, with OK, Boomer becoming the online term of abuse for anyone over the age of the person doing the abusing a deeply ironic insult, aimed as it is at the generation that coined dont trust anyone over 30. Its enough to bring to mind the words of Abe Simpson: I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what Im with isnt it anymore and whats it seems weird and scary. Itll happen to you! Then again, maybe even Grandpa Simpson is a dated reference. The Simpsons has been on the air for 31 years. The shows origins are now as far in the past as I Love Lucy was in the 1980s. Okay, Boomers Our natural instinct as young people is to see the world as fixed and unchanging, and to rebel against that. The hard part is accepting that the world doesnt stay changed. Consider the political world of the Baby Boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964). The Boomers, being such a large and self-conscious age cohort, grew up in the age of the creation of American suburbia and the shift from urban, rural, and small-town extended families to the atomized nuclear family in which Dad came home each night to Mom and the kids. To the oldest Boomers in particular (born in the late 40s and early 50s), the world of the 1950s and early 1960s was How It Had Always Been. That meant an age of domestic tranquility in white America, which contrasted sharply with the stark injustice of Jim Crow as it edged into the consciousness of the rest of the nation. It meant an age of mostly bipartisan consensus on self-confident hawkish internationalism. It meant an institutionalized military draft, which brought with it a social expectation that every American man would serve a reality that would have shocked any American between 1776 and 1941. It meant a political scene that combined big-government liberalism with cultural complacency, marginalizing both the Right and the Left. It meant the swaggering certainty that Americans could do anything a national self-image that had been very much in question in the 1930s, but seemed like it had always been there. Story continues Then the world changed. Jim Crow started cracking open in 1954, and the whole legal edifice shattered between 1963 and 1968. The Vietnam antiwar movement, between 1965 and 1973, killed both the draft and the bipartisan consensus on foreign policy. The feminist movement and the Sexual Revolution toppled the family model of the 1950s. Nixon, once the young avatar of the ascendant Eisenhower-Kennedy era, self-destructed spectacularly in 197374. The youth vote had been rebel outsiders against the monolith in 1968 (with Clean for Gene McCarthy) and 1972. In the 1976 election, the Boomers for the first time elected a president: Until Barack Obama in 2012, Jimmy Carter would be the only candidate in the history of exit polling to win election while losing voters age 30 or over. The Left came back into the political mainstream, and even the Right returned after Goldwater. All of that had happened by the time the oldest Boomers hit their early 30s, and the youngest were in their mid-teens. How It Had Always Been was gone; things had changed. But the world didnt stay changed. The Reagan Revolution changed the terms of the debate, bringing back something old (an assertive foreign policy) and questioning the big-government ethos that had survived both the 1950s and the 1960s. Im 48, so too young to remember Doonesbury when it was funny or insightful, but it always struck me that Garry Trudeaus strip captured the permanent perplexed fury of a man whose political point of view had evolved from scrappy insurgency to ascendant expectation of permanent dominance by his late 20s, and could never accept that a turn away from that was legitimately allowed to intrude into the plot. Watching the World Wake Up From History That brings us to my generation, Gen X (1965 to 1979 or 80, depending whom you ask). We grew up with a different How It Had Always Been. The Cold War and the Soviet Empire had been the norm for four decades, with no end in sight. American politics held a predictable shape. Republicans presumptively held the White House: Twelve years straight from 1981 to 1992, 28 years out of 40 by 1992, six national popular majorities since 1946 to the Democrats two, and those were after Watergate and the JFK assassination (this would expand to 72 after 2004). The Democrats seemed to have an even firmer hammerlock on Congress, having held the House continuously for 40 consecutive years by 1994. Suddenly, the world changed. I was born in 1971; the Berlin Wall fell when I was 18, the Soviet Union ceased to exist two years later. Communism was discredited everywhere, ushering in a decade of free trade, democratization, and market-based reforms even in the Third World. The end of the Cold War swept away all manner of other pathologies with it, from apartheid in South Africa to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. At home, Republicans took the House, an unthinkable thing before. A Democratic president declared in the State of the Union address that the era of big government is over. Even the urban crime wave that had seemed only to rise and rise for decades was brought under control; the long-ungovernable New York City was cleaned up. How It Had Always Been was gone. Even the day that changed everything September 11 seemed to revive the old certainties. Americans rallied around the flag. A Republican president turned to the Cold War generation of national-security thinkers and their mental frameworks in confronting an ideological adversary and pursued a two-pronged strategy of hawkish internationalism and promotion of freedom and American ideals. The usual voices on the center-left and Left made the usual arguments in response. But the world didnt stay changed. The turn against the Iraq War marked the beginnings of a broader backlash against internationalism, not only on the left side of the political spectrum, but on the right side as well this time. The 2008 credit crisis and the arrival of a new generation revived old, seemingly dead challenges to free-market economics from the socialist left and even, again, on the right. The 2010 elections ushered in a decade in which Republicans ran stronger in Congress and the states than in the White House. Much of American politics was consumed by issues such as same-sex marriage and transgenderism that had scarcely been on the radar in earlier decades, and on which public sentiment shifted with startling speed. Even on network television, itself a shrinking presence in a fractured media landscape, the few survivors of the 9/11 era The Simpsons, Law & Order: SVU, American Idol, Greys Anatomy seem like callbacks to a distant land. And just as the Boomers, who have held the White House since 1993, seem to be nearing the end of their long dominance of American popular culture and politics, the Democrats are about to nominate a presidential candidate from . . . the generation before them (whose cultural and political obituary I was writing at this time four years ago). By now, both the Baby Boomers and Gen X understand on an intellectual level that the changed world has changed again, but both still struggle to internalize all the implications. And, as the Millennial generation starts to hit 40 in a world where Right populism, Left populism, and nationalism challenge the apparent certainties of the Obama era, we can only warn them: Itll happen to you! More from National Review This is the moment a pigeon flies through a plane shortly before take-off after two stowed away on the aircraft in India. Footage shows one of the unexpected passengers flapping through the cabin as a customer tries to grab it and another asks whether it has a boarding pass. The birds were rapidly ejected by staff on the GoAir Ahmedabad-to-Jaipur flight, which took off on time. This is the moment a pigeon flaps through a cabin on a flight in Ahmedabad, India, just before it takes off for Jaipur Staff on the GoAir flight ducked as the bird swooped through the cabin on Friday last week A 42-second clip from the plane shows a pigeon swoop through the cabin three times, as staff duck to avoid the panicked bird. A baby can also be heard crying on the plane as passengers talk about how the birds will affect their journey. The birds were found when the luggage shelf was opened after the flight gates were shut and everyone had boarded, a passenger said. Airline GoAir told the Economic Times that the birds were quickly removed. 'Two pigeons found their way inside the GoAir's Ahmedabad-Jaipur flight G8-702 while passengers were boarding (the aircraft),' they said. The airline said both pigeons on the plane were quickly removed. They were found after a passenger opened the luggage rack following boarding The flight was not delayed by the bizarre appearance, according to FlightRadar 'The crew immediately got the birds shooed away. The flight took off as per its scheduled departure of 5pm Friday. 'GoAir regrets any inconvenience caused to its passengers and requests the airport authorities to get rid of this menace.' Data on FlightRadar shows that the flight took off two minutes behind schedule, and arrived at its destination on-time on Friday last week. It is not known how the pigeons entered the aircraft. By Fabian Werner MONTEVIDEO(Reuters) - Uruguay will shift to the right on Sunday with the inauguration of conservative Luis Lacalle Pou as president after 15 years of left-wing rule. Lacalle Pou has vowed to tame the small South American nation's high fiscal deficit and sign fresh trade deals to dig the beef and soy exporter out of an economic rut. By Fabian Werner MONTEVIDEO(Reuters) - Uruguay will shift to the right on Sunday with the inauguration of conservative Luis Lacalle Pou as president after 15 years of left-wing rule. Lacalle Pou has vowed to tame the small South American nation's high fiscal deficit and sign fresh trade deals to dig the beef and soy exporter out of an economic rut. He faces a delicate balancing act between his two powerful and ideologically-opposed neighbors, Brazil, run by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, and Argentina, where left-leaning Peronist Alberto Fernandez recently took office. Bolsonaro is due to attend the inauguration at Montevideo's Legislative Palace, at 1300, along with fellow rightist presidents Sebastian Pinera of Chile and Ivan Duque of Colombia. Argentina's Fernandez said he could not attend because of scheduling problems. Lacalle Pou has already broken with Uruguay's previous foreign policy norms, declaring the presidents of Venezuela and Cuba to be "dictators." Lacalle Pou, 46, the son of a former president, won election in November by a slim margin, defeating the candidate of the Broad Front, which has been in power for 15 years. Uruguay, a nation of around 3.5 million people known for its cattle ranches and liberal policies on legalized marijuana and abortion rights, has enjoyed an extended period of stability and growth, but has seen its economy stall amid global trade tensions and bad crop weather that dented agriculture. Uruguays fiscal deficit is equivalent to 4.7% of its gross domestic product, according to data from the central bank at the end of 2019, while last year GDP growth was just 0.5% compared with 7.8% in 2010. Lacalle Pou will lead a government made up of a coalition of five political parties. He has been in discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to sign a free-trade agreement, which would mark a new direction in relations with the global superpower. Despite economic concerns, all risk rating companies that audit the Uruguayan economy have maintained it at investment grade in their latest reports, giving the new government some breathing space. (Reporting by Fabian Werner; Writing by Nicolas Misculin and Aislinn Laing; Editing by Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The General Statistics Office said that growth in the manufacturing sector slowed to 7.4% compared with last years 11.4% while power generation and distribution increased by 8.4%, down 0.9 percentage point from a year earlier. Mining and quarrying shrank by 3.7%, compared with a decline of 3.5% in the first two months of 2019. At a recent conference, Director of the Vietnam Industrial Agency Truong Thanh Hoai said that Vietnams manufacturing industry is heavily reliant on input materials and parts imported from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, which are being affected by the coronavirus outbreak. One of the hardest hit sectors is the electronics industry, which imported US$40 billion worth of parts in 2019. Hoai said electronics manufacturers only have sufficient materials for production until the middle or the end of March. Garment and footwear producers are also expected to face shortages of materials in March or April. The first two months of 2020 also saw a slowdown in the growth of retail sales and service revenue, which increased at the slowest pace in the past six years at 5.4%, with price increases excluded. Last years growth figure was 9.3%, the General Statistics Office said. Retail sales grew by 9.8%, down from the 13.3% recorded in the first two months of 2019, as consumers curtailed their shopping at public spaces to avoid the coronavirus. Virus fears also hurt accommodation and tourism services, which rose by a respective 1.7% and 1.1% nationwide, with some provinces and cities recording sharp falls, such as Hanoi, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong. Health Ministry expects results of four more tests for Chinese coronavirus, all eight tests taken earlier negative Liashko expects results of four more tests for Chinese coronavirus, all eight tests taken earlier negative Liashko KYIV. March 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) The Ministry of Health expects the results of four tests for coronavirus infection, all previously taken tests showed a negative result, said Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine, chief sanitary doctor Viktor Liashko. "Eight tests for Chinese coronavirus have been conducted, all of them are negative. Now the laboratory has begun research on four more suspicions - three from Kyiv and one from the Chernivtsi region," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday. Liashko said that in Kyiv, suspicion of a Chinese coronavirus was recorded among foreigners who, being in Ukraine, sought medical help. In the Chernivtsi region, this is a man who recently returned from Italy. On Sunday, tests of patients with suspected coronavirus from Kropyvnytsky, Ivano-Frankivsk region and Kyiv also showed a negative result. Pete Buttigieg has come under immediate pressure to quickly endorse Joe Biden after announcing the end of his own campaign for the Democrat presidential candidacy. Party moderates are said to be desperate for the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to throw his weight behind the vice-president, who is seen has having the best chance of closing the gap on socialist frontrunner Bernie Sanders. Mr Buttigieg, the first openly gay candidate to make a competitive run for the US presidency, dropped out of the race on Sunday after Mr Bidens decisive victory in the South Carolina primary. He told supporters it was time to step aside and help bring our party and our country together, adding in a pointed dig at Mr Sanders that we need leadership to heal a divided nation, not drive us further apart. An adviser told Reuters that Mr Buttigieg had called time on his campaign to avoid helping the odds of the veteran Vermont senator. Mr Buttigieg stopped short of endorsing any of his ex-rivals in his departing speech, but he and Mr Biden were reported to have exchanged voicemails on Sunday night, and his decision to pull out of the race has prompted new pressure on the partys moderate wing to coalesce behind the former vice-president. 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 Dem establishment types in DC want Pete Buttigieg to quickly endorse Joe Biden, said political analyst Howard Fineman. Theyre desperate to get behind Joe; they think hes only one who can stop Bernie Sanders. Not that Pete has much clout, but insiders are pushing him hard tonight. A Democrat official told The New York Times that Mr Biden had asked for Mr Buttigiegs endorsement when they spoke on Sunday night. The former mayor indicated he would consider request and told his own team he would sleep on the decision, according to aides, some of whom are said to want him to quickly back Mr Biden. The official said Mr Buttigieg had also spoken to Barack Obama on Sunday night. The former president is not believed to have specifically encouraged him to endorse Mr Biden, but reportedly asked him to consider how to best use his influence. Twenty-six per cent of Mr Buttigiegs supporters would opt for Mr Biden as their second choice the same number as Mr Sanders, according to recent polling by SurveyUSA. In an appeal to his former rivals followers on Sunday, Mr Sanders tweeted: I want to congratulate Pete Buttigieg for running a strong and historic campaign, and to welcome all of his supporters into our movement. I urge them to join us in the fight for real change in this country. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Mon, March 2, 2020 19:04 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067cca94 1 National Batam,Riau-Islands,COVID-19,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,Wuhan-coronavirus,outbreak,outbreak-in-Indonesia,Singapore Free The Batam administration in Riau Islands has quarantined 15 locals who were identified as having close contact with three Singaporean residents who tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after visiting the city. On Sunday, Singapores Health Ministry announced that three people, two Singaporean citizens and one Myanmar national, had tested positive for the disease after visiting Batam from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23. Riau Islands Health Agency head Tjeptjep Yudiana said the agency had been notified by Singapore health authorities regarding the three cases, who have been identified only as Case 101, Case 103 and Case 104. Weve found the people who were in close contact with the Singaporean residents yesterday. They will be observed for a week, Tjeptjep said during a press conference on Monday. He said that according to the notification, Case 103, a 37-year-old Singaporean woman, visited a property she owned in Batam on Feb. 20 and returned to Singapore on the 23rd. Her husband and two children, as well as her assistant - a 25-year-old Myanmar woman identified as Case 104 - went on to visit her in Batam on the 21st. Three days after her return from Batam, Case 103 and 104 were put under home quarantine as they had been in close contact with a 38-year-old male Singaporean who tested positive for COVID-19, identified as Case 93. The two women themselves tested positive on Sunday. To follow up on the notification, we traced back the Singaporeans steps the locations they visited and the people they interacted with during their time in Batam. They met with around 100 people. But for now weve only put 11 of them under observation at the Haj Dormitory, and four others in their homes. The administration will tend to their needs, Tjeptjep said. Those currently being quarantined have been identified as 33-year-old P, along with his wife and two children, and 39-year-old CSS, along with 10 of her relatives and close acquaintances. P acted as Case 103s driver during the Singaporeans visit, while CSS worked as her domestic helper. We ask the public to remain calm because we have them under observation, Tjeptjep said. He went on to say that the agency had also coordinated with the local police to track down the ferry that had carried the three people to Batam. Were now actively searching for fellow ferry passengers, he said, adding that the ferry manifest showed 26 Indonesian passengers and 82 foreigners. Tjeptjep added that the 15 people under observation had appeared healthy and that the agency had sent their samples for testing at the Health Ministrys laboratory in Jakarta. Even if they test negative [for coronavirus], they will still be observed for a week, he said. Batam Ports Health Office head Achmad Farchanny said the thermal scanners that had been installed at the entrance to the region did not detect any signs that showed VP or her family had carried the virus when they crossed over to Batam. The management will bolster safety and security measures at every port in the region, making it mandatory for ferry passengers to fill out health alert cards accurately, he said. If they dont fill out the cards, they wont be able to pass through immigration. Its mandatory; they have to be filled out truthfully, he added. Cases 101, 103 and 104 are the latest of seven cases in which patients tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting Indonesia. Previously, four other patients in China, Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia tested positive shortly after returning from Indonesia. Earlier on Monday, President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced that two Indonesians had tested positive for COVID-19, the first two confirmed cases of the disease in the country. Jokowi said that the two people, a 64-year-old and her 31-year-old daughter, had been in contact with a Japanese citizen who tested positive in Malaysia on Feb. 27 after visiting Indonesia in early February. (rfa) For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. The coronavirus outbreak that began in central China in December is continuing its spread around the globe. The number of cases has multiplied as of Monday to nearly 90,000 in more than 60 countries, according to world health officials, who are advising governments to prepare for outbreaks while simultaneously cautioning against the risks of unnecessary fears or stigma. The death toll has reached more than 3,000. By comparison, the flu infects some 1 billion people per year and causes 291,000 to 646,00 deaths worldwide. Active outbreaks are springing up outside of China, including in South Korea, Italy and Iran. China today reported 202 new cases, the smallest increase in cases since January. You can see the spread of the pneumonia-like virus in the maps above from Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. The maps are regularly updated with data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. ALSO: What's the difference between coronavirus, the flu and the common cold? Health officials have recorded 88 cases in the United States, including people evacuated from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Two deaths have been reported in the U.S., both in the Seattle suburbs. The first U.S. case was a Washington state man who had visited China, but several recent cases in the U.S. have had no known connection to travelers. California has 27 cases and Washington state now has 12. Researchers said the virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected in Washington. In California, two health care workers in the San Francisco Bay area who cared for an earlier coronavirus patient were diagnosed with the virus on Sunday, the Alameda and Solano counties said in a joint statement. The health care workers are both employed at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville and had exposure to a patient treated there before being transferred to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, the statement said. That patient was the first person in the U.S. discovered to have contracted the coronavirus with no known overseas travel. Alameda County declared a state of emergency on Sunday following the news. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her news tips and photos at agraff@sfgate.com. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: A full list of online coronavirus resources: Where to get your questions answered The worst myths and misinformation about coronavirus Are the elderly at a greater risk for coronavirus complications? US Surgeon General: 'Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS' Bay Area company to expand coronavirus drug trials to other companies CDC warns men with beards amid coronavirus scare Eerie photos show empty streets in Italy amid coronavirus fears JetBlue waives all change, cancellation fees on new bookings due to coronavirus INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLF) - Graduate students from Purdue's Department of Public Health got in action at the Indiana Statehouse on Monday. A group of about 15 graduate students carpooled to the Indiana Statehouse, leaving West Lafayette at 7 a.m. The group wasted no time once they arrived. This was the first time for lobbying for many of the group. "It's just quick in and out minutes with them but it's a great opportunity, it's a learning experience for all of us," said CheKenna Fletcher, who is a first-year graduate student, originally from Tennessee. Fletcher was part of the group who spoke with State Representative Chris Campbell, who shared how much she enjoyed talking with the students. "Sometimes they are the experts so we need their input and we want to make sure we are representing our constituents," said Rep. Campbell. The bills on their agenda had a wide range. From a rights for sexual assault victims bill to a mental health services bill. They also advocated for lowering the colon cancer testing age and growing substance use recovery services, among other bills. "Just different things that we think are important for us as people in the state of Indiana that should get passed," said Fletcher. Group coordinator Lauren Murfree said these advocacy skills will help the group in the future. "We want to make sure our students at Purdue are engaged on these issues and they are being informed as master in public health students," she said. "So that when they become public health officials or professionals in nonprofits or at the state level that they know how to engage on these issues." When students weren't talking to legislators, they were writing letters. But Fletcher said the face time they got with leaders was key. "I like to talk to people one on one because you get to meet the person, get to know who they are, what their motives are and why it's important to them," she said. This was the first time Purdue MPH students lobbied at the Indiana Statehouse, but they hope to continue this program in the future. The 2020 legislative session ends on March 13th. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAV), major airports have suspended flights carrying passengers from South Korea. The coronavirus outbreak has severely worsened in South Korea. Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City have suspended receiving flights with passengers from the Republic of Korea (RoK). Flights to be diverted The flights carrying passengers from South Korea will instead be diverted to Van Don international airport located in the Quang Ninh province and the Can Tho International airport. Flights that are carrying goods from South Korea will still be allowed to land at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports as scheduled and only passengers from South Korea have been banned. According to reports, the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has instructed the authorities to direct airlines to divert flights with passengers from South Korea to Van Don and Can Tho airports. As per reports, all airlines are responsible for notifying their passengers that are travelling from South Korea to Vietnam. Read: Coronavirus: Mumbai Airport Starts Screening Passengers Arriving From Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam And Nepal Read: Coronavirus: Centre Plans To Begin Screening For Flights From Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia The authorities also recommended that Vietnamese passengers that were living, studying and working in South Korea return to Vietnam as they will need to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Till now Vietnam has confirmed 16 positive cases of COVID-19 and all of them have fortunately recovered, Vietnam has not announced any new cases of the virus since February 13. In an effort to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Vietnam on February 28 reportedly announced that it will suspend issuing visas to South Korean nationals. According to international media reports, the Vietnamese government said that the measure aims to help the nation contain the spread of COVID-19 outbreak and limit the impact of the epidemic on society. In another announcement, foreign nationals who have previously visited South Korea would be subjected to 14 days mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Vietnam. (With inputs from agencies) Read: Vietnam Quarantines Rural Community Of 10,000 People Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Vietnam To Stop Issuing Visas To South Koreans The United States of America is built upon the ideal of freedom. Though it has not always lived up to the true meaning of its creed, the great struggle in the conscience of America has been the struggle for freedom. On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke the immortal words in defense of freedom and the American Revolution: Give me liberty or give me death! For Henry, it was liberty or death. For Jesus Christ, it was liberty by death. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ set us free. Yet, as all Americans know, freedom is not free. This is never truer than of the freedom we have in Jesus. The Good News of the gospel is that Jesus died and rose again so we would be free from sin. Sin is a power that enslaves. From the beginning, the sin of Adam and Eve became the sin of all (Rom. 5:12). Consequently, being born in Adam is being born in bondage to sin. This is much like the great evil of human slavery we see in our history; one of the tragedies of the American slave system was that children born to slaves were slaves as well. But Christ broke the curse of sin in Adam and thus set the children of Adam free (v. 19). No longer slaves to sin, but now slaves to righteousness. No longer bound by the yoke of bondage, but now free in Christ. Nevertheless, that freedom is always under attack. Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the formal end of slavery in the United States, there came a new kind of slavery, namely the oppression of Jim Crow laws. In some regards, this was more insidious and demeaning than the first. It gave the impression of freedom, yet it systematically and institutionally kept black Americans in bondage. This new slave system was not formal bondage, but it was oppression and bondage nonetheless ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. A disgruntled ex-security guard who shot one person and took 30 others hostage at a mall in the Philippines gave himself up on Monday evening. Archie Paray, 32, who was sacked from his job at V-Mall in the capital Manila after taking two weeks off without leave, surrendered after a day-long standoff after his bosses agreed to apologise and promised to resign. He left the building unarmed along with his hostages and gave a short speech, before being tackled by people from the crowd as police moved in to handcuff him. Paray had spoken about his grievances against his superiors, and accused them of corruption and abuse, before police subdued him. Archie Paray, 32, a disgruntled former security guard at a mall in the Philippines surrendered to police on Monday night after a day-long standoff - and was attacked by the crowd Paray agreed to give himself up after his bosses went on TV to apologise for sacking him, before he was attacked by an angry crowd outside The 32-year-old had also been allowed to speak to the media as part of a deal for surrendering, where he accused his bosses of corruption and ill-treatment Paray was led away looking bruised and battered after being attacked by the crowd once he had finished his speech The attack marked the end of a bizarre day which at one point saw Paray demand that his bosses eat 2,500 Philippine pesos - about 40 - on live TV. The incident began around midday when Paray stormed into an administrative office in the mall, and confronted other security guards. He demanded that they join him in rising up in a coup against management, before shooting one man who refused. The guard was taken to hospital and is now in a stable condition. Paray, who is thought to have been armed with a handgun and grenades, then took around 30 hostages - many of them mall workers. Paray had earlier called for an uprising against managers, then shot a fellow security guard who refused to join him Archie Paray, center, is escorted by police shortly after releasing all his hostages at the V-mall He demanded to speak to his managers and the media as the mall was placed on lockdown and heavily armed SWAT teams moved in. Paray told officers that he was angry at being sacked as a guard, and then demanded that his former bosses eat money on live TV. It is not clear why he made this demand, or what what it was intended to signify. His bosses refused, but eventually agreed to hold a press conference apologising to him and offering to resign themselves. After the press conference he freed two people, Philippines site Rappler reports, before emerging unarmed with the remaining hostages. A disgruntled former security guard opened fire at the V-Mall in the Philippines's capital of Manila on Monday after trying and failing to get other guards to rise up against management The gunman shot and wounded a fellow guard, who has been taken to hospital in stable condition, and is now holed up on the second floor of the building The ex-guard has taken 30 people, including mall vendors, hostage and is demanding to speak with other guards and the media As he stood in front of TV cameras and heavily armed police, a man came running from the crowd and tackled him. Several other people also grabbed hold of Paray as police rushed to control the crowd, before they tumbled on to the floor. Eventually, officers were able to put him in handcuffs and leads him away, as the crowd was dispersed. It is not clear what penalty he will now face, or whether bosses will come good on their pledge to quit. The mall, in the San Juan area of the city, is popular among locals and known for bargain cell phones and children's toys. The gunman is thought to be armed with a pistol and grenades and is negotiating with police (pictured, officers outside the mall) Jackie Shroff's daughter and Tiger's sister, Krishna Shroff, has been making the headlines for the PDA with boyfriend Eban Hyams. On Saturday, Krishan shared a picture with Eban on her Instagram profile and it is currently trending on social media. The post shows Krishna and Eban, kissing in front of an aquarium. She captioned the picture as, "My favourite fish in the sea." The two look like they are currently in Dubai enjoying some vacation time together. Their PDA has been getting cuter by the month, as earlier, Krishna had shared a picture with Eban while on a beach trip. And on Valentine's Day, she shared a set of lovely pictures and wrote, "Grateful for you every day, E." Eban has also referred to Krishna as "wifey," on Instagram which sparked wedding rumours for the two. But they were quickly dismissed by Krishan herself., "It's hilarious... Just a term. And it is crazy how there are so many articles saying we were secretly married. Even my mum (Ayesha Shroff) asked me what was going on," she had told Mumbai Mirror. Krishna Shroff Shares Liplock With Boyfriend Eban Hyams; Says She Is Grateful To Have Met Love! Bollywood Releases To Watch Out For In March 2020: Sooryavanshi, Baaghi 3 And Angrezi Medium Terrorists attack official vehicle in Turkey's Agr An official statement said that a vehicle carrying customs officials in Turkey's eastern province of Agr was hit a rocket fired by terrorists. The terror attack occurred in the Gurbulak district, 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from Turkey's border gate with Iran. OFFICAL WAS MARTYRED Trade minister announced that one official was martyred in the attack, several injured were reported. Search and rescue teams have reached the site which has been cordoned off. Terrorists attack official vehicle in Turkey's Agr WATCH Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in a tweet that rockets fired by terrorists hit the front wheel of the armored vehicle carrying customs staff at 8.50 a.m. local time (0550GMT). "The terrorists were cornered by security forces as the clashes continue," Soylu added. There are three main types of these institutions: Economical institutions, like the Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic Revolution and Astan Quds Razavi Charity Foundation Political and legal institutions, for example, the Expediency Discernment Council and the Guardian Council Cultural institutions i.e. the Islamic Publicity Coordination Council or the Al-Mustafa International University (MIU) The political and legal institutions are designed to make it easier for the Supreme Leader to intervene in the government without looking like he is interfering. For instance, when the Guardian Council disqualified thousands of candidates for the parliamentary elections last month in order to stack the parliament with people who would die for Ali Khamenei or when the Expediency Discernment Council continually blocked the anti-money laundering and terrorism financing bills, which results in Iran being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force. The cultural and religious foundations are designed solely to legitimize the regime with Iran and spread its ideology abroad. You can see this in the following examples: the Council of Supervision on State Media monitors state-run media outlets and has the power to censor and punish any anti-regime content Al-Mustafa International University is in charge of foreign seminaries that teach the mullahs fundamentalist ideology the Islamic Publicity Coordination Council, which creates overt and covert corruption in various institutions under the cover of creating an Islamic structure Overall, their job is to suppress protests, spy on dissidents, and do whatever is necessary to keep the regime in power. One of the biggest issues with these institutions is that they are immune from tax, something that has been a subject of conflict between the Supreme Leader and the government across the past 40 years. However, another ongoing issue is that these institutions infringe on the governments authority. Essentially, this parallel power slows down the economy, creates political tensions, and ensures fights between opposing factions on the hunt for wealth. The hunt for wealth can be seen in the fact that the finances for the Supreme Leaders institutions in the proposed 2020 budget were increased, despite a massive decline in the Iranian economy, while government programs were cut. This shows, much like the election rigging, the Supreme Leader is desperate to stay in power and believes this is the way. Read More: The Labyrinth of Corruption, Plunder, and Suppression in Iran This Account has been suspended. For pet-lovers, their furry buddies are not just animals for them; they are family members. To lose one's pet is one of the most painful experiences a person can go through in their life. However, do we know how a pet feels when it loses its parent? I guess we will never know. In an extremely devastating incident, an army Major has lost his life to a fire while trying to rescue his dog. According to PTI, the incident took place in the Gulmarg area of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. Twitter (Representational purpose only) Reportedly, a fire broke out in the officer's hut and Major Ankit Budhraja of Corps Signals which is attached with SSTC Gulmarg, rescued his wife and one of his dogs from the flames. However, he went back to rescue his other dog and ended up suffering from burn injuries up to 90 per cent on his entire body. Unfortunately, the dog also succumbed to its injuries and also passed away in the fire. A senior army official told The Indian Express that a thorough investigation is underway in order to determine the fire's cause, and a forensic team was brought in to gather the samples. Twitter (Representational purpose only) Dogs are known to be a man's best friend and tales of their loyalty are no news to any of us. There have been several incidents when dogs rescued their owners from being harmed. Back in 2017, a pet dog in Mumbai had saved his parent from an attacker who was armed with a knife. The attacker was allegedly the dog's owner's boyfriend, and the dog bit him to protect her. However, unfortunately, the man stabbed the dog instead and the poor but brave canine lost his life. Twitter May both their souls rest in peace. Disclaimer: Image used on Facebook is a representational image only. It bears no resemblance to the army officer or dog who passed away. New Delhi, March 2 : A court here on Monday again deferred the execution of the four convicts in Nirbhaya rape and murder case, slated for Tuesday, till further orders. "Despite a stiff resistance from the victim's side, I am of the opinion that any condemned convict must not meet his Creator with a grievance in his bosom that the courts of this country have not acted fairly in granting him an opportunity to exhaust his legal remedies," Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana said. "It is hereby directed that the execution of death warrants against all the convicts scheduled for March 3 is deferred till further order," he added. The Indian Army launched a major humanitarian evacuation operation on February 29 in Arunachal Pradesh to rescue 111 stranded locals and tourists from an altitude of approximately 14000 feet. Two teams of the Indian Army, along with their medical staff and recovery vehicles, worked throughout the night of March 1 to help the stranded civilians. The people, included women and small children, were stranded in heavy snow at Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh in sub-zero temperatures while travelling in their vehicles. The locals and tourists in distress were also provided with hot tea, snacks and food at the site by the Army personnel. The Chief Minister's Office, which was also monitoring the situation, complimented the Indian Army for their timely and effective response. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The iconic hip hop group Public Enemy fired its controversial hype man Flavor Flav on Sunday. Two days earlier, Flavor Flav, 60, had issued a cease and desist to Bernie Sanders' campaign ahead of a rally in Los Angeles featuring a performance by a version of Public Enemy. In a statement released Sunday evening, the band said it was 'moving forward' without Flav, officially ending his 37-year career with the group. Time's up: The iconic hip hop group Public Enemy, led by Chuck D, fired its controversial hype man Flavor Flav on Sunday 'Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,' the group announced. 'We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.' Technically, Sunday's rally performance was billed to Public Enemy Radio, an offshoot of the group led by Chuck D, 59, and featuring DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws, but not Flav. The hype man's cease and desist took issue with what he said was 'the unauthorized use of [Flavor Flavs] likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials circulated by the [Sanders] campaign.' Sticking with it: Chuck D and Public Enemy Radio still went on to perform at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday evening Cease and desist: Flavor Flav (real name William Jonathan Drayton Jr.), sent a cease and desist order to the Sanders camp, for, 'the unauthorized use of [Flavor Flavs] likeness, image and trademarked clock in promotional materials circulated by the [Sanders] campaign,' according to Pitchfork 'While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,' reads an excerpt of the letter. 'The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is, there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav,' the excerpt continues. At the end of the letter, Flavor Flav added a hand-written note stating, 'Hey Bernie, don't do this!!' Flavor Flav (real name: William Drayton) has been in conflict with the group since 2017, when he sued Chuck D and the band's management firm over unpaid royalties and merchandise profits. Strange bedfellows: Public Enemy Radio's unabashedly politic music was juxtaposed with legendary actor Dick Van Dyke's emotional appeal to voters to support Bernie Sanders Ongoing battle: Flavor Flav (real name: William Drayton) has been in conflict with the group since 2017 Not compensated: The hype man sued Chuck D and the band's management for allegedly not paying him royalties, fees and profits from merchandise Consistent: Though it wasn't technically Public Enemy, Chuck D's performance had plenty of connections to his icon group and it's songs, including the line 'Fight The Power!' Chuck D (real name: Carlton Ridenhour) added a pointed statement that seemed to indicate his partnership with Flavor Flav was coming to an end shortly after the cease and desist was sent. 'Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this. He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or hes out,' Chuck D said. Chuck D's lawyer added, 'From a legal standpoint, Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark.' Public enemy: 'While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,' reads an excerpt of the letter Out: 'Flavor chooses to dance for his money and not do benevolent work like this. He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or hes out,' Chuck D said 'He originally drew the logo himself in the mid-80s, is also the creative visionary and the groups primary songwriter, having written Flavors most memorable lines,' he added. Chuck D also fired a few shots at Flavor Flav on Twitter as well, stating, 'my last straw was long ago.' 'Its not about BERNIE with Flav... he dont know the difference between BarrySanders or BernieSanders he dont know either,' Chuck D said. Last straw: Chuck D also fired a few shots at Flavor Flav on Twitter as well, stating, 'my last straw was long ago' 'FLAV refused to support @Sankofa (a social justice organization founded by Harry Belafonte) after @HarryBellafonte inducted us. He dont do that,' Chuck added. 'So I dont attack FLAV on what he dont know. I gotta leave him at the crib so yall trying to fill his persona with some political aplomb is absolutelystupid,' he added. 'Obviously I understand his craziness after all this damn time. Duh you dont know him from a box of cigars or me either,' the rapper concluded. No attack: 'So I dont attack FLAV on what he dont know. I gotta leave him at the crib so yall trying to fill his persona with some political aplomb is absolutelystupid,' he added Understand: 'Obviously I understand his craziness after all this damn time. Duh you dont know him from a box of cigars or me either,' the rapper concluded New gig: Chuck D recently performed with members of Rage Against the Machine as Prophets of Rage, but the group disbanded once Rage reunited Healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Kirkland, Washington, on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) CDC Abruptly Postpones Press Briefing on New Coronavirus The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abruptly postponed a scheduled telebriefing for reporters on the new coronavirus. CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes told reporters on the call that it was being postponed. He did not state a reason why or when the call would be held. Reporters were then asked to disconnect. The call was originally scheduled for 12 p.m. The CDC said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the agencys National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, would speak, as well as Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn. The media advisory for the telebriefing on the agencys website now states: This telebriefing has been cancelled. Telebriefings are one of the only times the CDC provides updates on the situation with the new virus. Messonnier has been on all of the calls, which started in January, and is often joined by local or state health officials or one or more federal officials from agencies like the State Department. Reporters usually get around 90 minutes notice of scheduled briefings and there is no set schedule. Asked last week if the agency would commit to daily briefings or some kind of schedule, Messonnier wouldnt commit to a schedule but said the phone calls would continue. She last held briefings on Friday and Saturday. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Federal officials fixed an issue with test kits that delayed wider testing for the new coronavirus, officials said on Feb. 27, 2020. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images) The briefings usually yield stories, such as when Messonnier warned of likely community spread of the virus last week. Federal officials spent the next several days answering questions from lawmakers about the virus, including about Messonniers warning, on Capitol Hill. Cases linked to community spread, or those with no known source of infection, began appearing several days later. Three were reported on Friday, one each in California, Oregon, and Washington state. Some two dozen cases were reported by state officials over the weekend, including the countrys first two deaths from COVID-19, the disease the new virus causes. According to the CDC, there are now 91 cases in the country. The cases are divided into two distinct categories: patients among the groups evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus in China, or the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which docked in Yokohama, Japan; or those infected either through traveling to China themselves, close contact with those that returned from China, or from community spread. Forty-five Diamond Princess evacuees have tested positive as well as three who were flown out of Wuhan. Another 43 people have tested positive, including 26 from person-to-person spread, the agency said in its latest update on Monday. The CDCs website stopped showing the number of people tested for the virus, which was at 472 before. Authorities in New York, Rhode Island, and Florida reported the first confirmed cases in each state over the weekend, with most of the other new cases appearing in California or Washington state. The majority of the patients are on the West Coast. New Hampshire reported its first case on March 2. 7 Child refugees from Syria are seen near Turkey's Ipsala border crossing with Greece on March 2. Amid an escalation of the Syrian conflict, Turkish media reported that hundreds of migrants were flocking to Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria after a senior official was quoted as saying Ankara had decided "not to stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe." A programme to repair DR Congo's shambolic infrastructure launched with much fanfare exactly a year ago has barely taken off, with allegations of corruption sparking an investigation. On March 2 last year, newly elected President Felix Tshisekedi announced a 300-million-dollar (270-million-euro) project to repair roads, houses and bridges. But a year on, nothing has been inaugurated in the country's sprawling and chaotic capital Kinshasa. Work meanwhile on flyovers, which the government had said would be ready by the end of May, has added to the woes of weary commuters who already battle with bottlenecks and traffic jams. The road to the international airport in Ndjili is jammed with almost zero progress on three such flyovers. "Journeys that took 30 minutes now take an hour or even an hour-and-a-half," complained Junior Shaba, a minibus driver stuck in a massive traffic jam on an arterial avenue. "They have stolen the money!" added his colleague Bob Yundula. After carrying on first-hand inspections at the sites, President Tshisekedi ordered a judicial probe. Justice Minister Celestin Tunda Ya Kasende said this investigation would mark a turning point in this corruption-ridden country. Tshisekedi has made fighting graft a priority under pressure from the Democratic Republic of Congo's lenders like the United States and the International Monetary Fund. 'Threats and manipulation' The flyovers are due to be ready by the end of May. By Junior KANNAH (AFP/File) But the president last Friday declared at a cabinet meeting that some judges in charge of the case had been the target of "threats and manipulation". Defence prosecutors have not commented on the probe but at least three people -- a local and two foreign nationals -- are in preventive custody. The head of the national roads office, Mutima Sakrini, is suspected of mismanaging the programme. Two men -- US national David Blattner and Lebanese citizen Jamal Sammih -- are accused of collecting public money without starting work within the three-month deadline stipulated in the contract. Tshisekedi meanwhile has deplored that some "arrested people are being subjected to bad treatment with the sole aim of getting forced confessions." Prosecutors have also questioned officials from the Chinese state-owned China Railway Engineering Company which is building at least one flyover in Kinshasa. Contracts 'over a drink' China's ambassador to the DRC Zhu Jing has jumped into the fray, tweeting that the firm had "respected" the guidelines of Congolese authorities. But opposition lawmaker Claudel Lubaya has alleged the contracts were awarded "over a drink," bemoaning a lack of transparency. The awarding of the contracts were overseen by Vital Kamerhe, the president's cabinet director and a close ally. Kamerhe's name has been cited by financial investigators probing the disappearance of $15 million from the public coffers. Tshisekedi has said that a preliminary investigation has been launched but no details have emerged. The president governs in a coalition with allies of his long-serving and corruption-tainted predecessor Joseph Kabila. In September Finance Minister Jose Sele, a Kabila ally, called for an audit into the programme to build flyovers. The country's influential Catholic Church's episcopal conference CENCO on Monday meanwhile called on the president to ensure that the investigations "are not an illusion". "We are witnessing an unjustifiable and scandalous enrichment of a handful of political actors to the detriment of the vast majority of the population," CENCO said in a statement. The bishops added that there was a "worrying tension" in the ruling coalition. "The allies seem more concerned with their political position than with delivering services to people who continue to languish in misery," the statement said. "It is unacceptable that the country has been taken hostage by an agreement which is, moreover, secretive," the bishops added, referring to the opaque agreement between Tshisekedi and Kabila. SGF's Brianna Schumacher, M.D., will discuss options in egg freezing, embryo creation, donor options, and IVF at The Modern Family event in Philadelphia, PA on March 5, 2020. Fertility treatment has advanced so rapidly in the last 10 years, providing more options and better success rates for those who have been trying to conceive or those who need assistance to build their family. Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) invites those considering fertility treatment to attend The Modern Family special event, featuring reproductive endocrinologist Brianna Schumacher, M.D., on March 5, 2020, in Philadelphia, PA. Hosted by Vaysman Legal, The Modern Family will feature expert panelists discussing topics including egg freezing, donor egg, donor embryo, IVF, family law, LGTBQ family building, and how to access benefits in the workplace. Admission is $20-25. For people considering egg donation, SGF is home to the largest donor egg program in the nation and one of only a few centers in the United States that recruits, selects, and prescreens (medically, psychologically, and genetically) its own ready-to-cycle egg donors prior to making them available on their de-identified donor registry. Further, SGF offers an exclusive 100% refund guarantee program for IVF or donor egg treatmenta significant differentiator among other programs. For people considering embryo donation, SGFs Donor Embryo Program offers a unique, cost effective, and reliable opportunity to experience the joy of pregnancy and gift of having a child. By using a donated embryo(s) from either a known (direct) donor or an unidentified donoranother patient at SGF who had excess embryos following their own IVF treatmentwomen and couples who might not otherwise have been able, are experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood. At SGF, embryo donor recipients receive medical history, physical characteristics, and information about their donors family, including their children and health history. In some cases, pictures of both the male and female donors as children are provided. Dr. Schumacher will also discuss the many ways SGF is dedicated to helping gay, lesbian, and transgender people and couples realize their dream of parenthood. SGF offers a full range of services, from low tech to highly advanced, and applies the latest in assisted reproductive technology (ART) to help individuals and couples achieve successful outcomes. At SGF, there are fertility options for every type of lifestyle and partnership. SGFs Dr. Schumacher, earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Schumacher then went on to complete a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility and a masters in clinical research at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Fertility treatment has advanced so rapidly in the last 10 years, providing more options and better success rates for those who have been trying to conceive or those who need assistance to build their family, shares Dr. Schumacher. I encourage patients who are considering fertility treatment to educate themselves on all of their family building options. Dr. Schumacher is available for new patient and second opinion consultations at Shady Grove Fertilitys offices in Chesterbrook and Center City. About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and counting. With 38 locations throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C., and Santiago, Chile, we offer patients individualized care, accept most insurance plans, and make treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including treatment guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com. Cambodian Rock Band, a play by Lauren Yee, tells the story of a Khmer Rouge survivor who returned to Cambodia for the first time in 30 years. The play that officially starts this week at the Signature Theater in New York City received high praise during previews. VOA Khmers Reasey Poch reports from New York City. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Seoul, South Korea Mon, March 2, 2020 10:30 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067aac5a 2 World #SouthKorea,#coronavirus,church,founder,murder,charge Free Seoul's city government has asked prosecutors to press charges, including murder, against the founder of a secretive religious sect for failing to cooperate in containing the spread of the deadly coronavirus. South Korea has seen a surge in the number of infections -- adding more than 4,000 cases in less than two weeks -- with around 60 percent of the national total linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. As officials try to track down and test more than 266,000 people associated with Shincheonji, the entity has been accused of submitting false lists of its members to authorities. The Seoul City government said it had filed a legal complaint to prosecutors against 12 leaders of the sect -- including its founder, Lee Man-hee -- accusing them of homicide, causing harm and violating the Infectious Disease and Control Act. "They did not take any action to encourage its members to actively cooperate with the health authorities to prevent further spread of the COVID-19," the city authorities said in a statement. Seoul mayor Park Won-soon added on his Facebook page: "If they had actively taken early measures, we could have prevented the explosive rise of COVID-19 cases in Daegu and North Gyeongbuk province and the deaths of several people." Under South Korean law prosecutors can make their own decision on whether to act on complaints filed to them, and Yonhap news agency reported that the Seoul City request had been assigned for investigation. Shincheonji declined to comment, saying: "The most important thing for us now is disinfecting and our highest priority is to end the COVID-19 outbreak soon." The outbreak among Shincheonji members began with a 61-year-old woman, who developed a fever on February 10 but attended at least four church services in Daegu -- the country's fourth-largest city and epicentre of its outbreak -- before being diagnosed. The organisation has apologised on behalf of its members who have not answered survey calls but has insisted that it has been fully cooperating with the government to contain the virus. Shincheonji, founded in 1984, proclaims Lee has donned the mantle of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the day of judgement. But with more church members than available places in heaven, they are said to have to compete for slots and pursue converts. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 There are many things a country can do to maintain its sovereignty. For Brazil, it was to build a new capital city in 1960 about 1,000 kilometers northwest of Rio de Janeiro, which had been the capital for centuries. The Jakarta Posts Apriza Pinandita talked with Brazilian Ambassador to Indonesia Rubem Antonio Correa Barbosa about the countrys experience relocating the capital. Below are excerpts from the interview: Question: What was the reason behind the move? 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 ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the departure of Governor Phil Bryant from the state capitol in Jackson, Mississippi, his Chief of Staff, Scott McClintock, is returning to The Hawthorn Group, an international public affairs firm in Alexandria, Virginia, for whom McClintock did field organization in 2016. McClintock returns to Hawthorn as a Senior Vice President, coordinating Hawthorn's operations through the southeast, a region that has long been key to the company. He will be based in Birmingham, Alabama, although his first assignment will be for the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he will work in external affairs. The announcement was made by Hawthorn President Suzanne Hammelman, who said, "We are proud to have Scott back on board. His extensive political experience at the state and national levels will complement our efforts across the country. Hawthorn has managed major corporate issue advocacy campaigns and projects in 33 states over the last few years and continuing to get the best and most experienced talent on board is essential to our ability to solve problems and produce winning outcomes for our clients." Prior to joining Hawthorn in 2016, McClintock served on the staff of Governor Bryant as well as a staff member for the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. After his first Hawthorn tour, he served in legislative affairs for the presidential transition team and then at the U.S. Department of State. In 2018, the Washington & Lee graduate rejoined Governor Bryant's staff, first, as his Policy Director and, then, as Chief of Staff. About The Hawthorn Group The Hawthorn Group is an international public affairs firm of senior corporate and political communications experts specializing in building grassroots and GrassTops support for issues to achieve public policy objectives. Hawthorn builds campaigns that engage and recruit both grassroots and opinion leader support on issues of broad public concern including energy and tax policy, infrastructure programs, business development and resource planning. For additional information contact: Suzanne Hammelman The Hawthorn Group, L.C. 703.299.4499 [email protected] SOURCE The Hawthorn Group, L.C. DUSHANBE, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Sunday met here with 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, with both sides reaffirming commitments to strengthening ties. During the meeting, Yang recalled that last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Rahmon agreed to jointly build the China-Tajikistan development community and security community, outlining a new blueprint for developing relations between the two countries, which he noted are good neighbors, friends, partners and brothers. China is willing to work with Tajikistan to implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state, unswervingly support each other, deepen practical cooperation, safeguard common security and strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, Yang said. Over the past years, the two sides have seen fruits yielded in their jointly building the Belt and Road, and they should further synergize development strategies, elevate cooperation, and enhance people-to-people exchanges to further benefit the two countries and peoples, Yang said. Yang briefed the Tajik president on the progress China has made in its all-out fight against the novel coronavirus under Xi's leadership, as well as on the anti-virus measures adopted in tandem with those aimed at promoting economic and social development. China thanks Tajikistan for sending medical equipment to assist its anti-virus efforts, Yang said, adding that China will continue working with countries including Tajikistan in fighting the coronavirus and safeguarding regional and global public health security. For his part, Rahmon spoke highly of China's anti-virus fight. The Chinese people will definitely defeat the virus under President Xi's leadership, he said. Rahmon said Tajikistan considers it as a foreign policy priority to develop relations with China, which is a close neighbour and reliable strategic partner of Tajikistan. Tajikistan is willing to well implement the key Belt and Road cooperation projects, deepen security cooperation between the two countries and people-to-people exchanges, so as to inject new impetus into the development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. Also on Sunday, Yang met with Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Azim Ibrohim. A restructured Singapore Armed Forces to better meet new security threats. (INFOGRAPHIC: Ministry of Defence) SINGAPORE Restructuring efforts are underway to ensure that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) stays responsive towards new security challenges, namely terrorism as well as maritime and cyber threats. (To) respond to a new environment of security challenges, the SAF must again restructure decisively to meet new challenges, to remain relevant, responsive, and effective for our national defence, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in Parliament on Monday (2 March) during his ministrys Committee of Supply debate. He elaborated that the SAF is restructuring its Military Intelligence Organisation (MIO) such that counter-terrorism intelligence to detect, forewarn and respond to terrorist plots is now part and parcel of its core missions to protect Singapore. It will be a key deliverable and accountability for SAF intelligence units, said Dr Ng. Efforts in this area will be focused on building capabilities, such as acquiring systems that can uncover, investigate and monitor threat concerns. MIO will also look to strengthen its counter-terrorism and analysis expertise. The organisation will also work closely with other national agencies on a bilateral and multilateral basis, and participate in efforts to enhance information sharing and collaboration, such as the Asean Our Eyes initiative. To counter cyber threats, especially from foreign actors, a committee headed by the Permanent Secretary for Defence Development and Chief of Defence Force (CDF) has also been formed to oversee the building of an integrated cyber command and force, which Dr Ng said is as important as raising another service, just like the Army, Navy and Air Force. None here will question the need for such a cyber force. But in many aspects, the cyber domain is more difficult to plan and execute than in air, land and sea, and may require different types of units and force configuration. The Committee intends to be bold in examining ways to recruit soldiers of the right aptitude, their training and deployments, said Dr Ng. Story continues He noted that the CDF would continue to be in charge of mission outcomes, while the Chief of Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) will report to the CDF. The universe of cyber threats and activists is large and the Cyber Command will have to prioritise its efforts and focus on key threats so as to not dissipate resources. This restructuring effort will take some years to accomplish, said Dr Ng. On maritime security, Dr Ng said a recent spike in sea robberies in the area and intrusions in Singapores territorial waters are reasons for concern. About 70 per cent of the worlds maritime trade transits through the Singapore Strait. To this end, the Republic of Singapore Navys Maritime Security Task Force will be acquiring new purpose-built platforms to enhance its capabilities against maritime threats. While waiting for these vessels to be delivered, four patrol vessels will be refurbished to protect Singapores territorial waters. Dr Ng also noted that maritime threats are transnational in nature and tackling them requires the co-operation of Singapores neighbours. In this regard, Singapore has proposed to Malaysia and Indonesia to propose that the Malacca Straits Patrol initiative - coordinated patrols to reduce piracy in the Malacca Straits - be extended to other areas in the surrounding waters. Discussions on this matter are ongoing. The 61-year-old Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP also touched on non-traditional operations to deal with a more uncertain and expanded array of threats, which he labelled as Grey Zone Threats. He cited low-level terrorist attacks as a good example of Grey Zone Threats, which can turn deep black, when the whole country's destabilised, while noting that the entire population not just the SAF needs to be prepared to deal with such threats. Dr Ng added that the SAF has compiled a range of such threats and the options available for responding to them. Each by themselves, if limited, do not threaten our sovereignty but nevertheless can lead to instability or cumulatively whittle away our ability to defend national interests, he said. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Parliament stories: Singapore's Total Defence key to fight against COVID-19 outbreak: Maliki Osman COVID-19: China understood why Singapore had to impose travel curbs - Vivian Balakrishnan MHA to raise retirement age for uniformed officers to 58: Shanmugam Home Team officers working 'round the clock' in COVID-19 fight: Shanmugam Singapore to set up inter-ministry committee on online scams Progress made on developing SAF's training areas in Australia and Guam: Ng Eng Hen Singapore in 'final stages' of buying 4 F-35 fighter jets: Ng Eng Hen NSF allowance for NSFs and NSmen raised by $70-$120: Heng Chee How At the groundbreaking ceremony (Photo: congthuong.vn) Twenty percent of the total investment comes from its investor - Ecotech Tra Vinh Renewable JSC - while the remainder is loans provided by the investment fund Climate Investment One of the Netherlands and Korean Samtan International Co, the online newspaper congthuong.vn reported. The plant covers a site of more than 2,700ha in the coastal commune of Hiep Thanh in Duyen Hai township and has a designed capacity of 78MW from 18 turbines. Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Tran Anh Dung said the plant will supply 300 million kWh of electricity annually while creating up to 100 jobs for local workers. The plant is expected to be completed in mid-2021. St. Louis Park, Minnesota This wasn't the homecoming Senator Amy Klobuchar hoped for. Her presidential campaign was forced to cancel a rally here Sunday night when more than 50 protesters derailed the event, leading chants on stage of "Black Lives Matter" and "Klobuchar has got to go." For over an hour, activists butted heads with supporters who countered with chants of "Amy, Amy." Protesters donning signs reading "Guilty until proven innocent" and "Free Myon" told CBS News they aimed to bring attention to Klobuchar's record as Hennepin County Attorney. In that role, the Minnesota prosecutor oversaw the case of Myon Burrell, a black teenager convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in 2002 for the death of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards. She was shot in her home. An Associated Press investigation last month uncovered new evidence and revealed flaws in the police investigation. "Amy Klobuchar is not as progressive as she seems," Minneapolis NAACP President Leslie Redmond told CBS News. "We're talking about someone who wants to be president of the United States, and yet you're from a state that has some of the worst racial disparities in the nation and the lead prosecutor convicting a 16 year old who was innocent of the crime." The Minneapolis NAACP called for the suspension of Klobuchar's campaign last month. Presidential Candidate Amy Klobuchar Campaigns In MN Ahead Of Super Tuesday ST LOUIS PARK, MN - MARCH 01: Protestors on stage during a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on March 1, 2020 in St Louis Park, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen / Getty Images Klobuchar has defended her record as prosecutor in recent weeks, calling for the evidence to be looked at again. "All of the evidence needs to be immediately reviewed in that case, the past evidence and any new evidence that has come forward," she told ABC's "The View" last month. Story continues Minneapolis civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong called the senator's record as Hennepin County Attorney "disqualifying." During her eight year tenure as top Minneapolis prosecutor, there were at least two dozen instances of police involved shootings of civilians, though none of the officers were prosecuted. "The impact of her time in office has been felt by the African American community and beyond," Armstrong told CBS News. "She gave a pass to so many police officers who shot and killed civilians during her tenure, not holding them accountable." As protests continued past Klobuchar's slated speaking time Sunday night, campaign organizers made loudspeaker announcements "reminding" audience members that this was a private event. Crowds of supporters applauded loudly, at times whistling and cheering, in hopes of dispelling the disruption. Behind the scenes, campaign officials attempted to arrange a deal with activists, offering Burrell's family and protest leaders the opportunity to speak directly with Klobuchar. Just two days away from Super Tuesday -- Minnesota's turn to cast its ballot in the Democratic primary - hundreds of attendees headed home without hearing from the candidate. "We had a negotiation and had an agreement with the organizers of the protest to meet with the Senator on site," Klobuchar campaign manager Justin Buoen told reporters. "She was in the room ready to meet with them. And then they changed the terms and decided that they didn't want to meet with her." Redmond told CBS News protesters requested that Burrell's case be explained on stage during the campaign event, as part of their terms. "And when we asked them to let either us or them acknowledge Myon Burrell on stage to say who he is and why the protesters are here they said they would cancel the event," Redmond stated. "It was on them. They chose to cancel the event." After a third place finish in predominantly white New Hampshire, Klobuchar has struggled to attract the support of African American and Hispanic coalitions, finishing a distant sixth in contests in majority-minority states Nevada and South Carolina. In recent national polls, Klobuchar's support among black and Hispanic voters has been 1% or less. On Tuesday, Klobuchar will face her toughest test yet when the biggest single-day delegate haul of the primary is up for grabs, and black and Hispanic voters will play a large role in many of the states involved. Asked if the St. Louis Park protests illustrated Klobuchar's struggle to attract black and brown voters, Buoen remarked, "I don't know that one event is emblematic of anything." Tourism decreases in Italy as coronavirus spreads Eye Opener at 8: Buttigieg drops out before Super Tuesday Transgender woman murdered in Puerto Rico was harassed before killing Advertisement An army of NHS volunteers is being called up to help tackle the coronavirus menace. With Boris Johnson warning of a 'mass epidemic', officials are urgently trying to speed up the six-month process of becoming a hospital volunteer. Helpers could be asked to feed patients, ferry them around wards or deliver medicines. The move is expected to be in a dramatic battle plan to be unveiled this morning. Other possible measures include allowing border officials to detain travellers if they are suspected of carrying the deadly virus. Should the contagion spread, big gatherings may be suspended as part of a 'social-distancing' strategy. Employees will be encouraged to work from home to avoid unnecessary travel. And a 'war room' in the Cabinet Office and in every Whitehall ministry will have a lead official to coordinate their responses. Mr Johnson warned of a 'very significant expansion' of the disease, possibly in days. However, amid signs of panic in schools and shops, he called for 'business as usual' for now. But one Downing Street insider said if the crisis continues to escalate, then 'life can not carry on as we know it, ' they told the Sun. Four more cases were confirmed yesterday but one of those was later ruled a false alarm making the national total 39. With Boris Johnson (pictured in an interview last night) warning of a 'mass epidemic', officials are urgently trying to speed up the six-month process of becoming a hospital volunteer BA, EasyJet and Ryanair cancelled hundreds of flights, ruining the plans of thousands of travellers In other developments: The Treasury is preparing to find billions of pounds in next week's budget to help firms cope with the financial fallout; BA, EasyJet and Ryanair cancelled hundreds of flights, ruining the plans of thousands of travellers; Global economic growth could be slashed in half, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; The public were urged to clean their smartphone screens with alcohol wipes twice a day to help prevent the spread; At least 11 more schools closed after positive coronavirus tests or scares despite Government advice to shut only on the orders of health officials; The NHS 111 helpline reported it was receiving a 70 per cent increase in calls compared with last year; Stores reported seeing a surge in panic buying and experts warned of food riots in a worst-case scenario; As many as five million workers could be left without sick pay if they are forced to stay home; The Health Secretary said the Government had powers to compel patients to self-isolate if they refused to; The World Health Organisation warned that the situation was now 'uncharted territory'; Buckingham Place said an investiture today would go ahead and there were no plans to alter royal itineraries; City firms banned 'hot desking' and large meetings of more than 25 staff. Mr Hancock (centre) arrived yesterday in Downing Street accompanied by Department of Health permanent secretary Chris Wormald (left) and Professor Chris Whitty (right) Most of BA's cancellations are for short-haul flights between Heathrow and Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. Pictured: A woman wearing a face mask at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport Outbreak 'may halve global growth' The coronavirus outbreak could slash global economic growth in half and plunge many countries into recession, an influential watchdog warned yesterday. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development lowered its central growth forecast for this year from 2.9 per cent to 2.4 per cent but predicted a 'longer-lasting and more intensive coronavirus outbreak' could slash this to 1.5 per cent. Laurence Boone, the OECD's chief economist, said: 'The main message from this downside scenario is that it would put many countries into a recession, which is why we are urging measures to be taken in the affected areas as quickly as possible'. The watchdog said lower interest rates and 'stronger government spending can help boost confidence with the recovery of demand once the outbreak eases and travel restrictions are removed'. With savers reeling from the worst week on stock markets since the financial crisis, the Bank of England said it was 'working closely with HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority as well as our international partners to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect financial and monetary stability'. Analysts predicted the Bank could swiftly cut interest rates from the current 0.75 per cent in a bid to boost the economy. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group issued a joint statement saying they 'stand ready to help our member countries address the human tragedy and economic challenge' of the crisis. Advertisement Would-be NHS volunteers have to wait between three and six months while they undergo criminal records checks, occupational health assessments and training. By the time they have been cleared, the pandemic is likely to have come and gone and Health Secretary Matt Hancock is hoping to make the process easier and more efficient. Last winter the Mail launched a major campaign that led to 34,000 of our readers becoming volunteers in roles including serving tea and simply holding hands to reassure patients. The Prime Minister said the Government was preparing for 'a possibly very significant expansion of coronavirus in the UK', adding: 'That's clearly on the cards it is possible that we will see a big expansion in the number of cases.' He said the battle plan would set out a menu of options for dealing with a serious outbreak. It also includes designating areas with a cluster of cases as 'no-go-zones', according to the Times. Ministers hope to contain the virus but, if that proves impossible, to at least delay the peak until after the winter when the NHS is under less strain. They will focus initially on keeping schools open and will bring forward emergency legislation this month to suspend rules on class sizes in order to let teachers take on additional pupils from sick colleagues. The plan is expected to include measures for a 'Dad's Army' of retired doctors and nurses to be able to re-register with medical watchdogs and provide treatment with full insurance. It will also set out details for extra mortuary capacity should there be a spike in deaths. Nicola Sturgeon (pictured at Edinburgh press conference) who phoned in to yesterday's meeting of the Government's Cobra meeting, revealed that experts believe that in a 'realistic worst-case' outcome, 50-80 per cent of Scots could catch the virus in the coming months It is understood that in a worst-case scenario, the police could be asked to enforce road and building closures, and the Army could be drafted in to enforce lockdowns where necessary. Later in the week, a major public information campaign will be launched setting out clear steps the public can take to limit the spread of the virus, including washing their hands regularly. Whitehall sources warned that the peak of the virus may not come for months although they declined to comment on its possible scale. Nicola Sturgeon, who phoned in to yesterday's meeting of the Government's Cobra meeting, revealed that experts believe that in a 'realistic worst-case' outcome, 50-80 per cent of Scots could catch the virus in the coming months. The SNP first minister said that 4 per cent of Scots could end up being hospitalised over a long period. Whitehall sources acknowledged this could translate into more than two million people across the UK. Chancellor Rishi Sunak last night acknowledged that a severe outbreak could hit the economy but said the Treasury was working on a package 'to support your families, your businesses and the public services on which you rely'. Officials are understood to be preparing to set aside billions of pounds in next week's budget to help firms and workers cope with the economic fallout from a potentially major epidemic. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that the impact on the NHS could be amplified by thousands of frontline staff themselves succumbing to the virus. He said: 'This is about providing the best possible care for those who fall sick, with the best use of resources in the hospital system which will come under major pressure.' BA cancels string of transatlantic flights due to coronavirus: London to US routes are reduced due to lack of demand and short-haul flights drastically cut back threatening Easter holidays Tom Payne, transport correspondent, for the Daily Mail and Jemma Carr for MailOnline The travel plans of tens of thousands of holidaymakers have been thrown into doubt after British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair cancelled hundreds of flights due to coronavirus. In a dramatic development, BA yesterday axed hundreds of short-haul flights to destinations across Europe, including Italy, France, Germany and Ireland, from March 16 to 31. The airline also scrapped 12 long-haul flights from Heathrow to New York, its busiest and most profitable route, along with dozens of services to China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul. In all, the airline has cancelled about 3 per cent of its flights until the end of this month. Bosses at BA's parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), are in crisis talks over the outbreak, which has led to plummeting demand for international travel as passengers stay at home for fear of contracting the virus, or being stranded abroad and forced into quarantine. The airline says it is reducing the volume of flights because less people want to travel amid growing concerns about coronavirus. Pictured: A traveller wears a surgical mask at LaGuardia Airport, New York Many airlines have recorded pitifully low passenger numbers and delays caused by passenger no-shows. Among the worst-hit carriers is EasyJet, which has cancelled 500 flights to 13 airports in Italy over the second half of March affecting one in ten flights to the country. The airline, whose share price has dropped by a third this week, has rolled out emergency measures to deal with reduced ticket sales, including a staff pay freeze. Yesterday Ryanair also announced it would reduce the number of flight to and from Italy, from airports across Europe, by up to 25 per cent from March 17 to April 9. A spokesman wouldn't confirm which Ryanair routes had been cancelled, but said passengers would be contacted at least 14 days in advance. Until now, the vast majority of cancelled flights across all airlines had been due to depart to the worst-hit countries, such as mainland China and, in recent days, cities in northern Italy. But the latest announcement of sweeping cancellations to locations across Europe and even the US threatens to ruin the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people. BA grounded 24 flights between Heathrow and New York's JFK airport. Pictured: A man wears a mask in London's Heathrow Airport BA will waive flight-change fees for people who book within the next two weeks, amid uncertainty about the spread of the virus (stock image) 70% leap in calls to 111 hotline Calls to NHS 111 are up by 70 per cent on last year as thousands of Britons seek advice on coronavirus. In the past seven days the helpline fielded 442,948 queries an average of 66,300 a day compared to 318,191 for the same week last year. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week the number of calls was nearly 70 per cent higher. The surge in demand coincided with a spike in cases in Northern Italy where many Britons had just returned from half-term ski trips. Several patients complained they waited four hours for a call-back and one claimed it took four days. Last night the NHS announced an extra 1.7million would be ploughed into the service to recruit 500 extra staff and set up a new virus advice website. Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, admitted the helpline had come under pressure as the first port of call for worried patients. The entire health service is bracing for a surge in demand in the coming months. Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday said he feared widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK 'may be inevitable'. He also warned front-line medics may themselves get infected. Advertisement Although most airlines have cancelled flights up until March 31, there is no guarantee that it won't be extended into April, which could spell chaos for families with planned Easter getaways. The sheer number of cancellations has forced BA to waive the fee it usually imposes on customers who wish to change the date of their flight. However, this applies only to new bookings made between March 3 and 16, and if the new flight is more expensive, passengers will have to pay the difference. BA has also contacted customers on cancelled flights and is offering them the option of rebooking with other airlines, a full refund, or a seat on a BA flight at a later date. Consumer champion Which? called on airlines to urgently update families in the run-up to Easter. A spokesman said: 'BA and Ryanair must ensure they are keeping passengers informed and quickly rerouting them to their destinations on the next available flight, with other carriers if necessary. 'Given the circumstances, airlines should also consider offering flexibility to customers who don't want to travel, such as allowing refunds and waiving flight change fees for both existing and future bookings.' Industry insiders fear a global pandemic will devastate the aviation and travel industries. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said: 'Our focus at this time is on minimising any risk to our people and our passengers. While we are heavily booked over the next two weeks, there has been a notable drop in forward bookings towards the end of March, into early April. 'It makes sense to selectively prune our schedule to and from those airports where travel has been most affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.' A spokesman for BA said: 'To match reduced demand due to the continuing coronavirus issue, we are merging a number of flights between March 16 and March 28.' EasyJet said: 'We can confirm that we have taken the decision to cancel a number of flights mainly to and from Italy following a slowing in demand. The cancellations are for some flights between March 13 and March 31, most of which have multiple daily frequencies.' On January 23rd, all of the humanitarian demining NGOs working in Colombia met in an upscale hotel in northern Bogota to review their work plan for 2020. Since early that morning, Angela Orrego had received several Whatsapp messages from an official of the Colombian governments Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, reminding her of the meeting and the hotels location. But when Orrego and two of her colleagues from Humanicemos, one of those organizations created to destroy landmines, arrived, another government official barred them from entering. Im very sorry, she told them. The meeting was partially funded by the U.S. State Department, she explained, and that meant they could not participate. The reason was that Orrego is a former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) combatant who left her weapons three years ago as part of the Colombian peace deal and who leads the demining organization created in 2018 by a hundred former guerrillas as a reincorporation project into civilian life. The problem is that U.S. law prohibits any resources from that country benefiting members of organisations on its governments list of terrorist organisations. The former FARC have not yet been removed despite having signed a peace accord in late 2016 and laid down their weapons in mid-2017. Beyond this legal complexity, that the national planning event on demining organized by the Colombian government was being paid by the Americans is something that officials had to know long before that morning. In fact, it was not the first time this happened. Last year, at another sector-wide meeting inside the Foreign Ministry, members of Humanicemos were denied snacks and use of translation equipment, since both were paid for with U.S. funds. These impasses underscore the bureaucratic hurdles created by President Ivan Duques government and hindering Humanicemos from beginning to destroy landmines, according to six persons who work on the issue. This has meant that one of the most tangible and powerful ways in which former FARC guerrillas can repair the damage they caused to thousands of victims of the conflict has floundered so far. The dream of Humanicemos Humanicemos, devised as a project for the social and economic reincorporation of former guerrillas, is a direct heir of the Havana peace talks. Its origin goes back to the two pilot projects of humanitarian demining carried out by the Santos government (2010-2018) and the FARC in 2015, in the midst of negotiations, to de-escalate conflict and build trust between the two. For over a year, an improbable team worked together in the rural hamlets of El Orejon in Briceno (Antioquia) and Santa Helena in Mesetas (Meta). Guerrillas provided information on landmine location and workings, the Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA) carried out vital non-technical field studies and, finally, soldiers from the Colombian Armys Demining Battalion dismantled them. In total, together they cleared 39,215 square metres and destroyed 70 improvised explosive devices. Many of Humanicemos staff worked on those pilots. Director Angela Orrego led the group of guerrilla explosives experts in El Orejon, while technical field manager German Balanta did the same in Santa Helena. If theres one thing that has given me satisfaction in life its that effort, because we all put our boots on. The Government realised that we could work as a team and that peace is our will. The result of these pilots led us to think: if demining involving former combatants has been so successful, why not create our own organization? says Orrego, who spent three years in the guerrilla communications team in Havana before going to Orejon. The country still ranks second in the world in landmine victims after Afghanistan. That was the embryo for Humanicemos, a civilian demining organization almost entirely comprising former combatants. More than 90 per cent of its 113 employees today are former FARC members in transit to civilian life, as are all nine of its board members and 51 assembly members. Their dream is to join the other seven civilian organizations currently clearing landmines in a country which still ranks second in the world in landmine victims after Afghanistan. When they started organizing in 2018, expectations ran high. According to Orrego, they even compiled a database with 500 former guerrillas interested in jobs destroying landmines, many of which had been installed by FARC itself. Enthusiasm was also felt on the other side. Rafael Pardo, then President Juan Manuel Santos post-conflict minister, announced that Humanicemos would hire 1200 ex-guerrillas, a promise that many in the sector found overly optimistic at a time when the largest civilian organisation British Halo Trust had 300 employees. Risking U.S. funding By March 2018, former FARC guerrillas began training in landmine clearance. Humanicemos staff was trained by other civilian organizations on how to carry out non-technical surveys to establish perimeters, how to destroy mines, and how to educate local communities on mine risk. Halo Trust trained 40 of them, NPA 28, the Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines 20 and UNMAS the UNs mine action arm 40 more. They did this with $4 million dollars pledged by the Norwegian government and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterress Peacebuilding Fund (PBP). In addition to its 90 deminers, Humanicemos is also considering employing other former combatants with knowledge of landmines under a figure it dubbed local guides, to work hand-in-hand with explosives experts in locating and destroying them. Their idea is not only to hire them directly but to lend them to other organizations working in Colombia, such as NPA, Halo Trust, Frances Handicap International, Denmarks DDG, Italys Perigeo or locally-based CCCM and Atexx. Their information is key to establishing more accurate perimeters and accelerating clearance, saving time and money. Around May 2018, the biggest problem emerged. The Organization of American States (OAS), which has traditionally performed the mandatory technical evaluations of deminers in Colombia and had been part of the project from the beginning, announced that it had to withdraw because of U.S. funding, which they argued prevented them from working with former FARC combatants. Their announcement had a ripple effect. British NGO Halo Trust decided, to avoid risking U.S. funding in the future, that it too could not continue training members of Humanicemos. Half of its trainees had to be taken up by CCCM and UNMAS. This legal and political reality meant that the Colombian government had to find another third party to certify former combatants demining skills. Descontamina Colombia, the agency then in charge of demining and later absorbed by the High Commissioner for Peace, tried to think of a creative transitory solution, but the end of the Santos government arrived without one. During the transition between the Santos and Duque administrations in 2018 it was clear an alternative solution to the problem was needed. Almost two years later, it remains unresolved. Although the start for Humanicemos was slow under President Santos, difficulties increased upon Duques arrival. The governments shifting organization Although the start for Humanicemos was slow under President Santos, difficulties increased upon Duques arrival. Three officials from the international community and two from the demining sector, granted anonymity so they could discuss the issue more candidly, feel that the current government has dragged its feet on approval of Humanicemos. Since late 2018, Duques government had decided that UNMAS should be in charge of external monitoring of their deminers, as it does in many other mine-affected countries. On December 6th, Emilo Jose Archila Duques stabilisation advisor who had demining under his wing at the time approved that UN agency due to its recognised international technical capacity, an official document seen by Justice Info stated. Everything should have been resolved then, says a foreign diplomat. However, it wasnt. Two months later, Duque reshuffled post-conflict tasks and handed over the mine action programme to peace commissioner Miguel Ceballos. His office absorbed the demining agency. Permits sought by Humanicemos, including the selection of UNMAS as an independent verifier, fell into limbo. Last August, the demining decision board where the Ministry of Defence, the Military Forces General Inspectorate and the peace commissioner sit finally approved renewal of Humanicemos annual accreditation as a demining organization. Then, on 7 November, that same demining decision board finally approved that UNMAS technically verify its deminers. (It did so after the peace commissioners office had proposed a public tender that would also include a Croatian NGO called Cromac, with no previous work nor employees in the country. In the end, the UN agencys greater capacity prevailed.) Delayed notifications and cancelled mandates It seemed things were finally solved. But the various institutions that needed the official notification of the different decisions were still waiting for it weeks or months later. After pressure from many in the sector, Ceballos letter arrived at UNMAS on November 29. But the letter of approval to Humanicemos or more importantly to its European Union funders, who could not disburse the money for the projects second phase without the governments official approval, was not delivered before December. That notification finally reached the EU mission on December 2nd and allayed anguish at Humanicemos, which three weeks before the end of the year could not pay its employee or office rent. Humanicemos finally received its accreditation renewal letter on December 20, four months after approval, but has not yet gotten the letter selecting UNMAS. In any case, accreditation of their deminers is still uncertain. The Foreign Ministry which traditionally has been reluctant to involve the United Nations in the country decided against signing a new mandate with UNMAS. It was then decided that another UN agency, the UNDP, would serve as their guarantor. That agreement has not yet been signed though. These decisions will prevent other NGOs from hiring ex-combatants and diminishes the potential of demining for reincorporation and redress of victims. At least two conditions announced by the peace commissioners office in recent months show life will continue to be difficult for Humanicemos: UNMAS was not authorized to certify former guerrillas trained by Halo Trust, NPA and CCCM, who will have to be trained again from scratch, and in a new decision this year it will no longer be possible for former guerrillas to work as guides with other civilian organisations. The reasons for these decisions are not clear but, in practice, will prevent other NGOs from hiring ex-combatants and diminishes the potential of demining for reincorporation and redress of victims. Lost opportunities How can we keep people from losing motivation in the face of obvious unwillingness? Weve been training for almost two years, says Angela Orrego. Her spartan office has a map showing the first three areas in the department of Caqueta assigned to Humanicemos for landmine clearance by the previous government. As they wait, theyre working on mine risk education with rural communities, but their sights are still set on clearing landmines and handing over mine-free areas to them. Mine risk education. Humanicemos In these delays, they already lost many former FARC members who were excited about the prospects of demining. In these delays, they already lost many former FARC members who were excited about the prospects of demining. Most have turned to other projects in the absence of news of their accreditations, although it is difficult to rule out that some might have joined dissident groups who abandoned the peace deal and re-armed. At least one of Humanicemos ideas is more difficult to materialise today, given the dispersal of persons who demobilised. They wanted to organise a summit of former guerrilla explosives experts, which would allow them to document installation patterns and map changing practices across regions, such as where did they use trees, open fields, hillsides or abandoned buildings. After three years its a tough task. It was important not to lose the memory of those who know where there are minefields, says a person working for a demining NGO, for whom the members of FARCs top brass erred by not compiling data on who these explosives experts were in each guerrilla bloc. Back then, there was a real possibility that many who are now gone would have come here. Its a pity this opportunity was lost, adds Orrego. The governments lack of urgency The international community has also been monitoring the situation with frustration. There is no urgency. How can they send a letter on the 29th of a decision they made on the 7th? asks an international aid official. Especially when that letter, which Justice Info saw, highlights that the results of all aspects () were positive. Lets say we thought and hoped a decision would be made months earlier, adds another diplomat, who believes like the other sources that this lack of urgency shows the Colombian government doesnt see it as a security risk. This lack of urgency shows the Colombian government doesnt see it as a security risk. Staff at Humanicemos believes that Duques administration has slowed down approval out of fear that the political party created by the former guerrilla will use mine clearance politically. The government believes that we want to do politics with demining efforts. We have demonstrated over and over that this is not the case, that we understand this is humanitarian work, says Orrego, explaining that this was precisely the reason why they decided the organization would have to function independently to the FARC party. Peace commissioner Miguel Ceballos and mine action director Martha Hurtado did not respond to questions on the delays faced by Humanicemos. Demining as redress In Colombia landmines have left 11,655 direct victims (not counting relatives) and 2018 saw accidents increase for the first time in six years. Much of this responsibility lies with FARC, which were described as probably the most prolific user of antipersonnel mines among rebel groups anywhere in the world by the Landmine Monitor report of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. The importance of clearing landmines is putting a stop to casualties. As long as there are new victims, people will see their own pain reflected and not the possibility of reconciliation. It will be more difficult for them to move from negative emotions to positive ones, says Reinel Barbosa, who founded the first nationwide network of landmine victim associations. For him, demining should be considered a preventive action, not a restorative one. According to the peace deal, destroying landmines is one of the main ways in which former FARC guerrillas redress victims, an unavoidable condition for them to receive more lenient sanctions in the transitional justice system. In fact, according to the peace deal, destroying landmines is one of the main ways in which former FARC guerrillas redress victims, an unavoidable condition for them to receive more lenient sanctions in the transitional justice system. It could also become one of the restorative punishments imposed by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) as part of the sanctions regime it is currently outlining. In addition, demining is often a necessary previous step for other vital local development programs such as coca substitution or the national landowner cadastre that Duque has made a priority. And yet, the delays have had one very significant effect: so far no victims except those of Briceno and Mesetas have seen former FARC guerrillas clearing mines. Although Colombias 8.9 million victims have very different expectations, reparation is one of their priorities. Demining is an action with a reparative goal. Humanicemoss actions are a way to fulfil our commitment with non-recurrence of violence and local peacebuilding, says Orrego, who spent three decades in the FARC under the nom-de-guerre Yira Castro. These restorative deeds, however, can only be certified individually, and not collectively. This means that only those directly on the ground clearing mines will be able to ask the JEPs judges to bear their work in mind. Other former guerrillas who are not part of Humanicemos or didnt participate in the two original demining pilots will not be able to argue this. This should prevent, for example, former members of FARCs top brass from trying to use Humanicemos to soften their responsibilities before the transitional justice. As one demining expert says, judges wont look at who signs a paper saying so, but whos actually doing it. In the midst of these difficulties, the newly-trained deminers are still waiting to being using their skills. It is how we pitch in to make peace a reality, says Orrego. We knew it was not going to be easy, which is why we persist. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad has approached the United Nations requesting an investigation into "serious human rights violations in India". Azad's letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights comes against the backdrop of largescale violence in northeast Delhi. "As I write, 45 people are confirmed dead even as the toll is rising every hour. Men are being mob-lynched and stabbed to death and women and girls are being raped," he wrote in the letter. "Thousands have been displaced and are fleeing their hometown... the state administration's response to all this has been a failure," he said and alleged that the Delhi Police has remained a "mute spectator". The Dalit group chief alleged that after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was signed into a law in December, the socio-political situation in the country has been witnessing "new heights of state-sponsored atrocities". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON, D.C. - Warrensville Heights Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge on Monday endorsed the presidential campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden, citing his longtime support for working families and unions, civil rights and voting rights, justice and opportunity. Our nation is at a crossroads: divided, disillusioned, and full of distrust, with more and more of our fellow citizens left behind," said a statement from Fudge. Democrats have to pick a winner who can heal the discord and build a more just and inclusive future and who will, first and foremost, get Donald Trump out of the White House and out of our lives. Fudges endorsement was among several that Bidens campaign rolled out Monday to build momentum for the Super Tuesday primaries in 14 states, where roughly a third of Democratic National Convention delegates will be awarded. Other Biden endorsements revealed Monday included former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, former U.S. Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado, former Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory and current U.S. House of Representatives members Gil Cisneros of California and Veronica Escobar of Texas. Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, endorsed California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris last year. But Harris dropped out of the race in December after deciding she had no path to the nomination. A Biden campaign news release said Fudge is the 21st black caucus member to back Biden. The campaign said Biden has notched more than 1,400 endorsements from national, state and local leaders. I believe in Joes policies; and I believe in his character and humanity, the cornerstones of the kind of healing leadership that our country so badly needs," said Fudges endorsement statement. "But above all, I believe in winning because thats where all paths forward to every other big thing we want to do start. And I know that in states like mine with red districts and blue districts and a lot of purple in between Joe is the one candidate who can win across the board. Bidens other Ohio endorsements include Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who announced his backing shortly after abandoning his own presidential bid. Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, former congressman Edward Feighan, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, former Columbus City Council member Mary Jo Hudson, State Senator Hearcel Craig, and Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown also back Biden. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloombergs Ohio backers include Akron mayor Dan Horrigan and former Columbus mayor Michael Coleman. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Ohio backers include Newburgh Heights mayor Trevor Elkins, and former Ohio state senators CJ Prentiss and Nina Turner, who is a national campaign co-chair. Ohios primary is on March 17. Read more coverage: Meet Rep. Marcia Fudge and the people whod like to replace her in Congress House passes ban on flavored and menthol cigarettes in drive to curb youth smoking Rep. Jim Jordan predicts Trump victory in November, good chance of GOP House takeover Rep. Marcia Fudge has doubts about Bernie Sanders getting the Democratic presidential nod Senate Democrats including Ohios Sherrod Brown block anti-abortion legislation Sen. Sherrod Brown says Trump is working with Russia to help his re-election Ohio Congress members want government action on coronavirus Meet Rep. Marcy Kaptur and the people who want to replace her in Congress Ohio Attorney General tosses out GOP voting complaint against Democratic congressional candidate Rep. Jim Jordan visits Israel and tours Temple Mount with former Knesset member who is later arrested Meet the three Democrats vying to take on Rep. Jim Jordan Former OSU wrestler Adam DiSabato calls out Rep. Jim Jordan on MSNBC Heres who says Jim Jordan knew - or didnt know - about sex abuse on OSUs wrestling team Retired carpenter challenges Rep. Dave Joyce in GOP primary Democratic congressional candidate did not illegally vote twice in same election, Lake County elections board says Alinta Energy has allegedly put the personal information of more than 1.1 million Australian customers at risk through its lax privacy compliance. The Chinese-owned energy provider collects valuable information on customers including credit card details, mobile phone numbers, individual health information, home addresses, birth dates and Medicare and passport numbers. An internal privacy compliance audit by EY in June 2019, leaked by a whistleblower, found Alinta's privacy compliance had significant risks in key areas. A third-party contractor called Electricity Monster collects detailed data including health details when it signs up new customers for Alinta Energy. A privacy audit has found Alinta does not adequately monitor, control or protect people's private data It found Alinta did not properly monitor, control or protect access to personal information, raising the potential risk of unauthorised access. The audit found the electricity and gas retailer was also inconsistent in de-identifying and destroying information when no longer needed. 'We identified most areas (of Alinta Energy) were not aware of a policy that outlines retention, disposal and de-identification requirements,' said the audit, published by the Sydney Morning Herald. The audit found that Alinta's handling of private information at times didn't meet the requirements of Australia's strict privacy laws. Australia's privacy laws require companies to have watertight systems to protect customers' private information from being stolen in a cyber attack, which could leave them open to fraud or identity theft. Navigating privacy laws can become complicated for companies whose businesses operate in several different countries with different regulations, or who outsource operations to third-party contractors. Powerful Hong Kong tycoon Henry Cheng Kar-shun pictured in 2017. Cheng family company Chow Tai Fook bought Alinta Energy in 2017 with the approval of then-treasurer Scott Morrison and the Foreign Investment Review Board approval subject to strict data requirements Alinta's Braemar power station in Queensland. The company collects detailed information on customers which the Foreign Investment Review Board stipulated must be held in Australia Alinta Energy was sold to Chinese conglomerate Chow Tai Fook Enterprises in 2017 under strict Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) requirements that both Alinta and any third party contractors store customer data in Australia. Chow Tai Fook, owned by Hong Kong's billionaire Cheng family, was given approval to buy Alinta for $4 billion in April 2017 by then-treasurer Scott Morrison as long as it satisfied a series of secret FIRB conditions. Leaked documents listed more than 10 FIRB requirements relating to data security including that all data must be stored within Australia and can only be accessed within Australia, ABC News reported on Monday. Alinta operates call centres in both Perth and the Philippines, in Cebu and Manilla. While the energy giant says customer data is stored in secure data centres in Australia, it is not clear how the call centres in the Philippines would be able to handle customer queries without access to account data. It also uses third-party contractor Electricity Monster to sign up retail customers. The Sydney Morning Herald reported a leaked internal email from Alinta's legal department in 2019 warned that Electricity Monster stored customer information in New Zealand and backed it up in Singapore, potentially causing issues with the FIRB conditions. An Alinta spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that it was wrong to infer that Alinta Energy's customer data is not stored in Australia. 'Alinta Energy's customer data is held on secure servers within Australia,' the spokesperson said. Alinta Energy said it takes compliance with privacy laws seriously and requires a similar standard from all third-party contractors. When asked by ABC's 7.30 Report if it was in compliance with the FIRB conditions, Alinta said it was undertaking remedial activities. 'Alinta Energy is treated as being in compliance with the conditions imposed by FIRB, while it continues to implement remedial activities endorsed by FIRB,' it said. 'FIRB has approved the (remediation) plan and we're on track to complete the activities within the agreed timeframe.' The Hong-Kong-based Chow Tai Fook conglomerate includes jewellery stores and a Mongolian energy firm. Pictured is one of the jewellery stores in Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Alinta Energy said it keeps customer data on secure servers in Australia despite having call centres in the Philippines Alinta said it only had one reportable data breach in January this year concerning a single individual. The company said the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner was satisfied it had met its obligations to address the issue and the matter has been closed. The company declined to say whether it had any data breaches in the previous two years, saying only that its leadership team are made aware of any serious data breaches. Alinta said it had engaged an independent privacy audit at the start of 2019 which found a need for a privacy management framework, privacy officer, encryption standards and a data strategy, and that these had 'been progressed'. A Treasury spokeswoman said Alinta Energy was engaging with the FIRB to implement remedial activities that would be completed by December. 'Whilst FIRB is engaging with Alinta it would not be appropriate to comment further,' she told ABC News. The joint Alinta investigation by The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and ABC's 7.30 will air tonight on ABC TV's 7.30. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission 2K Shares Share A case study seemed to confirm the presence of asymptomatic transmission within China, where a woman was afebrile with no chest CT abnormalities or laboratory abnormalities. She did not develop the virus, while five of her relatives did. An earlier report out of Germany found a woman traveling to Germany from China with vague symptoms resulting in a cluster of cases arising out of that meeting. The big unknown, however, is how common it may be for people to become infected but with symptoms too mild to seek treatment. Currently, detection is based on molecular testing, which performed only on individuals who come into contact with the healthcare system. The prevalence of such mild or asymptomatic infections wont be known until an inexpensive serological test, detecting antibodies to the virus that signal previous exposure, is available for use with routine blood draws. Thus, the extent of exposure in the population may not be known for years. How infectious is the COVID-19 coronavirus? Research out of China found a similar viral load in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, which may suggest patients can transmit the virus whether they have mild or severe disease. Earlier reports said that the World Health Organization estimated the R-0 as 1.4 to 2.5. By contrast, the R-0 for measles is 12-18, while the R-0 for seasonal influenza is a little over 1. How virulent is COVID-19? Cases in China have had a reported mortality rate of around 2%, but experts stated that once more mild cases have been reported, that number was expected to go down. Outside of China, a mortality rate of about 0.8% has been reported. Chinese research among hospitalized patients suggested that the majority of cases (around 80%) have mild, non-severe disease. Around 6% met a composite outcome of severe outcomes and/or death, with 5% admitted to the ICU, 2.3% requiring ventilation, and 1.4% who died. What are early symptoms of COVID-19? A large study of hospitalized patients in China found two-thirds of patients presented with a cough, and only around 40% presented with a fever (though fever later developed in the hospital). Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting, were rare, and reported in under 5% of cases. It appears not all patients present with symptoms, with research out of Germany finding patients testing positive for COVID-19, despite being afebrile and reporting no symptoms on symptom screeners. How is COVID-19 diagnosed? Patients who present with fever and respiratory symptoms associated with travel to countries with local transmission of COVID-19 (as listed on the CDC website), or who are close contacts of travelers recently returning home from affected countries, or who present with fever and acute respiratory symptoms of unknown origin, where causes such as influenza have been ruled out. A patient is swabbed, then the sample is tested via reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine presence of viral RNA (serology tests are not yet available). All positive tests are sent to CDC for confirmation. What does severe disease look like? Nearly all hospitalized patients develop pneumonia. Abnormalities on chest CT imaging were common among more severe patients, with ground-glass opacity present for around 60% of severe patients. More severe patients have also required supplemental oxygen, and in some cases, mechanical ventilation. How is the disease treated? In China, researchers reported the majority of patients received IV antibiotics. They have also been treated with antiviral oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which is FDA approved to treat influenza, as well as supplemental oxygen. What are the drug/vaccine prospects? Investigational therapies include antiviral remdesivir, which is currently being investigated in several clinical trials, as well as lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), a protease inhibitor used to treat HIV, as well as the development of monoclonal antibodies from the serum of recovered patients. Several companies and public health agencies have vaccines in development, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Phase I trials for a vaccine are likely a couple months away, with a timeline of 12-18 months for a vaccine to be ready for wide-scale deployment. What is the prognosis for patients with COVID-19? Reports from China indicate disease is much more severe in older patients, with the highest mortality rate among adults age 80 and older. Patients with other comorbidities are also the most at risk. The disease appears to be less severe among younger patients. Although only limited data have been reported, children seem to acquire milder forms of the infection. There are no confirmed reports of the disease being transmissible via vertical transmission, from a pregnant woman to her baby during the third trimester of pregnancy. What are the long-term sequelae of COVID-19? It is unclear whether or how often COVID-19 survivors will experience persistent pulmonary or other problems, or for how long. Many patients have remained hospitalized with the illness for weeks outside of China, out of an abundance of caution and for public health reasons. Molly Walker is an associate editor, MedPage Today. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The Delhi Police has registered 254 FIRs and arrested or detained 903 persons in connection with the northeast Delhi violence, a senior officer said on Sunday. Forty-one of the cases were registered under the Arms Act, they said. According to police, they did not receive any PCR calls of rioting in the last four days. The situation in the riot-affected areas is under control, a senior police official said. Also read: Delhi violence: Schools in North-East Delhi to remain closed till March 7, exams postponed Also read: Delhi Violence: Protect 'rajdharma', remove Amit Shah, says Congress to President Kovind; toll rises to 35 Priti Patel has been hit with fresh bullying claims after it emerged a former aide took an overdose and received a 25,000 payout after accusing her boss of victimisation. In October 2015, the then employment minister was said to have lashed out at the female staffer in an 'unprovoked level of aggression'. The woman was later told by an official she was being sacked because 'she [Ms Patel] doesn't like your face,' according to the BBC. After the incident, the aide allegedly took an overdose of prescription medicine at her desk and had to be taken home by a colleague. That night, grievance papers claim she tried to kill herself and spent the night in hospital, the broadcaster reports. The aide received a 25,000 settlement from the Department for Work and Pensions, the BBC reports, after claiming unfair dismissal, victimisation, harassment and discrimination against her old boss. But a spokesperson for the Home Secretary tonight said: 'The Home Secretary completely rejects all allegations made against her.' Priti Patel has been hit with fresh bullying claims after it emerged a former aide took an overdose and received a 25,000 payout after accusing her boss of victimisation It comes amid a current bullying row engulfing Ms Patel after her permanent secretary at the Home Office resigned and accused the cabinet minister of waging a hostile briefing war against him. Sir Philip Rutnam quit and pointed the finger at Ms Patel for 'swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands'. The bitter feud spilled out into a full-blown public spat after he claims to have rejected a financial settlement and intends to take the government to court. Boris Johnson has ordered an inquiry into the bullying storm involving the Home Secretary. The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to 'establish the facts' around Sir Philip, Michael Gove told MPs this afternoon. Addressing allegations Ms Patel had broken the ministerial code, Mr Gove said: 'The Home Secretary absolutely rejects these allegations. Priti Patel in November 2015, a month after she is alleged to have bullied a former aide at the DWP Sir Philip Rutnam sensationally resigned as Permanent Secretary on Saturday and announced plans to take the Government to court The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to 'establish the facts' around Sir Philip Rutnam's shock decision to quit and sue the Government, Michael Gove told MPs this afternoon 'The Prime Minister has expressed his full confidence in her and having worked closely with the Home Secretary over a number of years I have the highest regard for her. 'She is a superb minister doing a great job.' Ms Patel became cabinet-level employment minister under David Cameron in 2015 and remained in post until July 2016 when she was promoted to Development Secretary by Theresa May. The Cabinet Office declined to comment. The Department for Work and Pensions did not immediately respond to comment. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details Both indices are down nearly 9 per cent from their all-time highs in mid-January. A sharp reversal seems difficult this time as the peak impact of the virus is yet to play out. There seems to be little respite in sight for the markets - which have just seen their worst week in a decade - as the impact of coronavirus has started reflecting in economic data. Factory activity in China, the global engine of growth, has contracted at the fastest pace on record with Chinas official Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) falling to a fresh low of 35.7 in February against 50 in January. Further, China and South Korea continued to report more coronavirus cases over the weekend, while the US, Australia, and Thailand reported their first cases of death. Its going to be a tough period, said Shankar Sharma, founder and vice-chairman of First Global. Coronavirus is a serious problem and can lop off quite a bit from global growth. The Sensex and Nifty crashed nearly 4 per cent on Friday - the biggest single-day fall since 2015 - to end at 38,297 and 11,202, respectively. Both indices are down nearly 9 per cent from their all-time highs in mid-January. On previous occasions, indices have rebounded sharply after a near-10 per cent drop. However, a sharp reversal seems difficult this time as the peak impact of the virus is yet to play out. The India VIX surged 31 per cent on Friday, a sign that traders expect the markets - which are back to October levels - to remain highly volatile. Further, most global indices have entered correction zone, posting a 10 per cent decline from recent highs. Many dont rule out a bear market - a fall of 20 per cent from highs - if the World Health Organizations (WHO) warning of a global pandemic comes true. The US markets fell 4 per cent in intra-day trade on Friday, before paring losses to end 1.4 per cent lower. In addition, the US 10-year Treasury hit a record low of 1.114 per cent, before settling at 1.163 per cent. Market players say such low reading on the 10-year Treasury is a sign of extreme anxiety. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) pulled out close to Rs 12,000 crore last week. Domestic investors pumped in an even higher amount, but it did little to stem the fall in share prices. Sharma said overseas investors typically chase momentum and there isnt much predictability to their flows. As regards a recovery, market players have not ruled out a bounce-back on account of technical factors such as short-covering. Historically, global events that have caused a meltdown in markets have proved lucrative investment opportunities. "The key point to remember is that we do not know for how long the current crisis may play out. "Therefore, while investing in such times, it is better to make staggered investments, said S Naren, executive director and chief investment officer of ICICI Prudential AMC Syrian government forces and their allies retook early Monday a key northwestern town days after losing it to rebel forces, pro-government media and an opposition war monitor said. The towns recapture comes after escalating and direct clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces that could signal a new stage in the war. Turkey backs fighters in Syrias Idlib province, where the last remaining rebel forces in the country are holed up, and has sent thousands of troops into the area. The fighting has also sparked one of the wars worst humanitarian crisis, with almost one million Syrian civilians fleeing toward the sealed Turkish border.- Syrian activists said Turkish drone strikes killed more than 90 Syrian government forces and allied fighters. Turkey has lost 54 soldiers in February, including 33 killed Thursday in a single airstrike. Outraged, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his countrys European borders were open Saturday for thousands of migrants and refugees as he sought to pressure Europe to help Turkey handle the fallout from the war in Syria. The new gains at Saraqeb on the ground also bring the last segment of a highway that links the capital Damascus and the major northern city of Aleppo under government control. The highway was reopened late last month before insurgents seized Saraqeb, which sits on the highway, last week. On Sunday, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military downed a Turkish drone, a major escalation in the direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies regained control of Saraqeb after fighting with al-Qaida-linked militants. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops captured the town under the cover of airstrikes by the Russian air force. Syrian government forces have captured dozens of villages since they launched a Russian-backed offensive in Idlib in early December leaving hundreds of civilians dead and displacing more than 950,000 triggering a humanitarian crisis. Amid the rising tensions bewteen Turkey and Russias ally Syria, Turkish broadcasters reported that Erdogan would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 5. The trip was later confirmed in a message to journalists. SOURCE: AP Have you ever wondered how great it would feel to help in a disaster? Now's your chance. The American Red Cross Michigan Region is hosting a training for disaster volunteers on March 14 in Mount Pleasant. This one-day, fast track training is ideal for those interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer. The session is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the City of Mount Pleasant Fire Department, 804 High St., Mount Pleasant. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Lunch will be provided. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 08:10:08|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close LONDON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Britain and the United States are set to begin transatlantic trade talks, the Department for International Trade (DIT) announced here Monday. The British government published its negotiating objectives for the post-Brexit free trade agreement with its largest bilateral trading partner, saying it would deliver a 3.4-billion-pound (4.36-billion-U.S. dollar) boost to the British economy. Manufacturers of ceramics, cars, food and drink, and professional services including architects and lawyers are among the British industries expected to be the biggest winners from tariff-free access to the U.S. market, said the DIT. "We're going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry. Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choices for our shoppers. Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the unique closeness of our two great nations," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The trade talks will alternate between Britain and the United States. The DIT said the agreement will deliver for the whole of Britain, with Scotland and the northeast and midlands regions of England forecast to benefit most from removing barriers to trade with the United States. A British government analysis published Monday shows the British economy will benefit from a 3.4-billion-pound boost, with the new trade deal increasing transatlantic trade flows by 15.3 billion pounds (19.58 billion dollars). "The negotiating objectives set out that any future agreement must protect our NHS (National Health Service) and uphold our high standards on food safety and animal welfare. The agreement will also include a chapter on digital trade, to maximize opportunities for businesses to trade digitally across the Atlantic," said the DIT. On the British side, talks will be overseen by Crawford Falconer, the DIT's chief trade negotiation adviser. Falconer was New Zealand's former chief negotiator and ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The British government will shortly set out negotiating objectives for Australia, Japan and New Zealand, with the aim of having 80 percent of total British external trade covered by free trade agreements by 2022, the DIT said. "Striking ambitious free trade agreements with our partners around the world is one of the key opportunities of Britain becoming an independent trading nation once again," said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss. "This deal with our biggest single trading partner will cut red tape for our small businesses, cut tariffs for our great products from dairy to cars and increase growth in all four nations," Truss added. "FSB research shows that the United States is the number one individual country that UK small businesses are looking to as they consider where to trade, with 46 percent of UK SME (small and mid-size enterprise) exporters prioritizing the U.S. market over the next three years," said Mike Cherry from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). "This shows the sheer scale of ambition that will be unleashed, if we can take full advantage of the opportunities a Free Trade Agreement will open up." "Our negotiating objectives for all proposed agreements are also underpinned by one of the biggest consultations ever undertaken with the UK public, businesses and civil society on new FTAs," the DIT added. The last vehicle rolled off the assembly line last Thursday as General Motors suspended production at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant. Some 800 workers are being displaced by the move that GM says is necessary while it retools the facility for the production of electric vehicles, with the facility reopening sometime in late 2021. The plant built the Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Volt. GM is killing all those models as it restructures production and cuts costs. The projected facility will build a new GMC Hummer, an electric pickup and the self-driving Cruise Origin electric vehicle. GM claims that the retooled plant when fully operational will employ 2,200. That figure is not at all for sure as the demand for the new electric vehicles is highly uncertain, along with the economic situation over the next two years. The United Auto Workers claimed it saved the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, also known as D-Ham, in the 2019 contract negotiations. The facility was one of five plants in North America GM planned to shutter in an aggressive cost cutting move. The other facilities were the Oshawa, Ontario, Assembly Plant, the Lordstown, Ohio, Assembly plant and transmission plants in Warren, Michigan, and Baltimore County, Maryland, which have all been shuttered with the collusion of the UAW and its Canadian counterpart, the Unifor union. Any jobs that were saved at D-Ham were paid for by autoworkers through inadequate pay increases and the expanded use by management of temporary and part-time workers who face brutal conditions and earn substandard pay and benefits. In other factories designated to build electric vehicles, including Lordstown and the Orion plant, north of Detroit, the UAW signed secret memoranda of agreement, which added additional tiers of low-paid contract workers. The 800 hourly and salaried workers at the plant are being forced to take early retirement or transfer to maintain employment. Some are going to GM Flint Assembly 50 miles to the north and others are being forced to move to facilities such as the Lansing Delta Township plant, 90 miles away, or the Fort Wayne, Indiana, Assembly Plant, 160 miles away. Temporary part-time workers (TPT) are not eligible to transfer and may not even be eligible for unemployment benefits. GM said last week that it is adding shifts this spring at its two Lansing, Michigan, facilities, with a reported 1,200 additional jobs. It is not clear how many workers will be hired off the street and how many of those will be transfers from shuttered facilities. The Delta Township plant builds Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs. Lansing Grand River builds the Chevrolet Camaro and the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans. As the Detroit-Hamtramck plant closed GM continued to hype its plans for a new battery plant near the now closed Lordstown facility. The new plant will only employ 1,100 workers, a fraction of those formerly employed at Lordstown Assembly. It is not expected to open until 2022. When it does workers will be paid $1517 an hour, considerably less than regular GM employees. Despite this, the city of Lordstown capitulated to GM blackmail and approved a 75 percent property tax abatement for the new battery plant, representing a considerable bite out of its local property tax revenue that is needed to fund schools and other vital services. The batteries would be used to power vehicles assembled at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant. The closing of the Detroit-Hamtramck plant has created stress for many workers who face the hard choice of accepting layoff or possibly uprooting and relocating to another facility. The Detroit News interviewed one nine-year veteran worker who had just bought a house outside of Detroit who said he wasnt willing to sell his house or to drive to plants more than one hour away in Flint or Lansing. A temporary part-time worker at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant told the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, There is no language for TPT workers who just started there and we will just be laid off. If you have work credits because you worked at another job you may be eligible to collect unemployment benefits from the state. Otherwise you get nothing. It takes at least six months of working to be eligible for unemployment benefits. There has to be hundreds of TPTs who are affected. He also spoke about the impact on veteran workers. A lot of the full-time employees have been offered buyouts, but many have said what GM is offering is not enough after having put in all those years to get where they are. Many have kids in college and other major expenses. While the UAW has claimed it defended jobs by securing a new product at the Detroit-Hamtramck facility, workers forced to relocate while GM retools the plant will displace temporary workers at other facilities. This was underscored by GMs decision to fire 240 temporary workers at its Fort Wayne Assembly Plant in January rather then promote them to full-time status. Their jobs are likely to be taken by displaced Detroit-Hamtramck workers. GM has been using forced overtime at many plants, including the Flint Truck Plant, to make up production lost during the strike. Fifty-hour workweeks are not unusual, making the 40-hour week a thing of the past. The TPT worker debunked the UAWs claims that it won a great victory during the 40-day GM strike by establishing a so-called path to full-time status for temporary workers. Under the terms of the new contract, part-time workers must work three consecutive years without interruption to be rolled over to a full-time position. If the worker is laid off for more than 30 days, the clock starts all over again. I know the strike was BS, he told the Autoworker Newsletter. They only did it because of the corruption scandal. How can you strike GM and let the other plants operate? It was a game. All the (Big Three) plants should walk. We struck 40 days and they still made record profits. A lot of people are upset. You have [TPTs] with 2 years in 2018 who did not come back until 2019 and had to start all over [accumulating seniority]. A guy who was working with me had two years, and they laid him off. They had even given him accolades about his attendance. The UAW is with management. They are playing off the lower-seniority workers against the senior workers. They wont tell the younger workers anything [about their rights]. The company knows that, and they dont want older workers to tell the younger workers anything. For example, the worker noted, There is no language in the contract making Sunday a mandatory workday, but younger workers feel they have no choice but to come in. As far as the pay, he said, A lot of people work other jobs to supplement their income because they dont earn enough. You make $15 an hour and are getting an 84 cent raise, thats ridiculous! Two nights later, however, another broadcast carried another clandestine recording, this time of Natan Eshel. In it, the longtime adviser and former chief of staff to Netanyahu paints a less-than-flattering portrait of Likuds strategy, saying it was motivating the partys supporters by using hate. The tactic worked particularly well with non-Ashkenazi Jews, or Sephardic Jews of non-European descent, Eshel is heard saying. By Abdul Qadir Sediqi KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected on Sunday a Taliban demand for the release of 5,000 prisoners as a condition for talks with Afghanistan's government and civilians - included in a deal between the United States and the Islamist militants. "The government of Afghanistan has made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners," Ghani told reporters in Kabul, a day after the deal was signed in Qatar to start a political settlement aimed at ending the United States' longest war. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CBS's "Face the Nation" programme there had been prisoner releases from both sides in the past, and voiced hope that negotiations would begin in the coming days between the Afghan government and the Taliban. "It's going to be rocky and bumpy," Pompeo said. "No one is under any false illusion that this won't be a difficult conversation." Western diplomats see challenges ahead for U.S. negotiators as they shepherd negotiations between Ghani's government and the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and imposed many restrictions on women and activities deemed "un-Islamic". Under the accord, the United States and the Taliban are committed to work expeditiously to release combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides. The agreement calls for up to 5,000 jailed Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10. On the issue of the prisoner swap, Ghani said, "It is not in the authority of United States to decide, they are only a facilitator." Ghani told CNN on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and that the issue of prisoner releases should be discussed as part of a comprehensive peace deal. The political consensus needed for such a major step does not currently exist, Ghani said. Story continues Ghani said key issues need to be discussed first including the Taliban's ties with Pakistan and other countries that had offered it sanctuary, its ties with what he called terrorist groups and drug cartels, and the place of Afghanistan's security forces and its civil administration. "The people of Afghanistan need to believe that we've gone from war to peace, and not that the agreement will be either a Trojan horse or the beginning of a much worse phase of conflict," Ghani added. Ghani said verifiable mechanisms were needed to ensure commitments made are actually delivered. The accord was signed on Saturday by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, witnessed by Pompeo. After the ceremony, Baradar met foreign ministers from Norway, Turkey and Uzbekistan in Doha along with diplomats from Russia, Indonesia and neighbouring nations, the Taliban said, a move that signalled the group's determination to secure international legitimacy. "The dignitaries who met Mullah Baradar expressed their commitments towards Afghanistan's reconstruction and development. ... the U.S.-Taliban agreement is historical," said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. Trump rejected criticism around the deal and said he would meet Taliban leaders in the near future. Pompeo said Trump would be actively engaged in the process, but gave no date for a possible meeting with Taliban leaders. Ghani's aides said Trump's decision to meet the Taliban could pose a challenge to Afghanistan's government at a time when the U.S. troop withdrawal becomes imminent. 'NO LEGAL STANDING' Iran on Sunday dismissed the agreement as a pretext to legitimise the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. "The United States has no legal standing to sign a peace agreement or to determine the future of Afghanistan," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement reported by state media. Under the agreement, the United States is committed to reducing the number of its troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 from 13,000 within 135 days of signing. It also is committed under the accord to work with allies to proportionally reduce the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan over that period, if the Taliban forces adhere to their security guarantees and ceasefire. A full withdrawal of all U.S. and coalition forces would occur within 14 months, a joint statement said. The withdrawal depends on security guarantees by the Taliban. After being ousted from power in 2001 in a U.S.-led invasion following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States engineered by al Qaeda forces harboured by the Taliban, Taliban forces have led a violent insurgency. The Afghan war has been a stalemate for more than 18 years, with Taliban forces controlling or contesting more territory yet unable to capture and hold major urban centres. (Additional reporting by Orooj Hakimi in Kabul, Gibran Peshimam in Islamabad, and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Ed Davies and Will Dunham) Jaipur, March 2 : A suspected patient of coronavirus admitted to the SMS Hospital here is an Italian tourist, hospital officials here learnt on Monday. According to a travel agent, the 69-year-old man came with his group from Udaipur on February 28 and checked in Hotel Ramada here. In the night, he complained of breathlessness, and was taken to a private hospital where he was kept overnight. The next day, he was shifted to the SMS Hospital where he was screened for HINI and coronavirus. His samples were taken and tested in the hospital lab but turned out negative. On Monday, the patient's sample were again tested in the SMS microbiology lab and tested positive. A sample has also been sent to Pune for a confirmation check. Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Rohit Kumar Singh said that the medical officers have been instructed to screen all the places visited by the patient, including the local hotel and the private hospital. The Italian Embassy has also been informed in the matter. Officials said that a guide informed them that it was a 20-member group which had come to Udaipur from Italy. Thereafter, they came to Jaipur and all his other 19 tour members have now gone to Agra. State Health Minister Raghu Sharma said that people of the state need not fear corona virus as the Medical Department is fully alert and prepared to deal with it. He said that the top officers and doctors of the department are monitoring all the arrangements daily, and periodic video conferencing and phone coordination are being conducted with the Centre from time to time. For people coming from outside, medical checkup is being done at the airport daily by screening. The Minister said that till March 1, 161 flights and more than 23,000 passengers have been screened at the Sanganer International Airport. He said that 102 samples have been taken so far in the state, all of which were found negative. Governments and central banks on Monday stepped up efforts to shield the world economy from the impact of the coronavirus which experts say may have already sent growth into reverse. Investors welcomed indications from leading central banks that they stood ready to intervene, with global stock markets shooting higher Monday after a brutal selloff last week. US Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell started the effort to calm market on Friday saying the US central bank "will use our tools and act as appropriate to support the economy". On Monday, the Bank of Japan said in a rare statement that it "will strive to provide ample liquidity and ensure stability in financial markets" after the disease infected nearly 90,000 people worldwide in 68 countries and caused more than 3,000 deaths. The Bank of England said it was monitoring the situation and working closely with domestic "as well as our international partners to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect financial and monetary stability". Bank of France chief Francois Villeroy de Galhau, meanwhile, said that "targeted measures" from governments to support affected businesses were more appropriate than central bank action as ample cheap money was already available to companies. But he also told French TV station BFM that "if we need to do more and we believe that it will be effective, we could do it, but we're not there yet," he said on French TV station BFM Business. Governments, meanwhile, appeared to be moving to coordinating their economic efforts to combat economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus. G7 and eurozone finance ministers will hold conference calls on Wednesday to "coordinate their responses" to the impact of the coronavirus on the global economy, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday. "We will have that meeting by phone -- because you need to avoid travelling too much -- for the G7 to coordinate its response," Le Maire said on France 2 television. He said a similar meeting of eurozone finance ministers would also be held on Wednesday, adding "there will be coordinated action". The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developmenton Monday urged governments to "act swiftly and forcefully" to overcome the outbreak and take measures to protect the incomes of vulnerable social groups and businesses. Governments could help by providing unemployment insurance for workers placed on unpaid leave and by covering virus-related health costs for all. Measures that reduce or delay tax or debt payments or lower energy costs for firms in hard-hit regions and sectors should be considered, the OECD said, as well as temporary reductions in the level of reserves that banks are required to hold at the central bank. The OECD on Monday also lowered its global GDP forecast by half a percentage point to 2.4 per cent, the lowest rate since the 2008-09 financial crisis. That forecast is based on the assumption that the epidemic peaks in China in the first quarter, and that outbreaks in other countries prove mild. "A longer lasting and more intensive coronavirus outbreak, spreading widely throughout the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and North America, would weaken prospects considerably," the OECD warned. "In this event, global growth could drop to 1.5 per cent in 2020, half the rate projected prior to the virus outbreak," it said. It said the global economy risked contracting in the first quarter of this year, and a top EU official said it was possible Germany and Italy could slip into recession. Efforts to contain the virus in China have entailed quarantines and work and travel restrictions that caused delays in restarting factories after the Lunar New Year holiday, as well as sharp cutbacks in service sector activities. Several factories in other countries have already had to slow or shutter production due to a lack of parts from Chinese suppliers, and this problem is expected to grow in the coming weeks throughout the global economy. The global travel and tourism sectors have already been hit hard, first by a reduction of travel to and from China, and now more broadly as companies scale back travel and cancel conventions. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Monday that the EU's tourism sector had lost around a billion euros in the past month as tourists stayed away. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Warren Buffett is the fourth richest person in the world and often called the worlds greatest investor. The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) is also quite the philosopher earning him the nickname the Oracle of Omaha. Through his letters, essays, op-eds, and TV appearances, Buffett shares folksy, often funny, plainspoken advice on investing and life. The editors of Yahoo Finance combed through years of meeting transcripts, shareholder letters, and interviews to dig up 25 of Buffetts best quips, tips, and adages. NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 19: Philanthropist Warren Buffett is joined onstage by 24 other philanthropist and influential business people featured on the Forbes list of 100 Greatest Business Minds during the Forbes Media Centennial Celebration at Pier 60 on September 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage) 1. Invest in companies you believe in. It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price. Letter to shareholders, 1989 2. Price and value arent always the same: Dont pay too much. Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. Letter to shareholders, 2008 3. Reputation is everything. It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." CNBC, 2017 4. Be skeptical. If something looks too good to be true ... A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. The New York Times, Oct. 16, 2008 5. Dont invest in something you dont understand. The important thing is to know what you know and know what you dont know. Haaretz, March 23, 2011 6. Dont do a deal with someone you dont trust. And see #4. You cannot make a good deal with a bad person. Interview with CNBC, 2019 7. Easy peasy. Dont buy a stock unless you think its undervalued. Just buy something for less than its worth. Lecture to Notre Dame faculty, 1991 8. Price dips are a good chance to increase your positions. Whether were talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down. Letter to shareholders, 2009 9. The future is never clear. Uncertainty actually is the friend of the buyer of long-term values. Forbes, Aug. 6, 1979 Story continues 10. Its usually the buyer who encounters unpleasant surprises. As in the case with marriage, business acquisitions often deliver surprise after the I dos. Letter to shareholders, 2016 11. Ignore short-term movement in stock prices. Buffett is a firm believer that everyday investors park their money in index funds rather than in individual stocks. Wall Street makes its money on activity. You make your money on inactivity. Colloquium at the University of Florida, Oct. 15, 1998 12. Use a bucket not a spoon. Every decade or so, dark clouds will fill the economic skies, and they will briefly rain gold. Letter to shareholders, 2016 13. Seize an opportunity while you can. Dont pass up something thats attractive today because you think you will find something better tomorrow. Speech at Columbia University, Nov. 12, 2009 14. Cool heads prevail. The sillier the markets behavior, the greater the opportunity for the businesslike investor. Preface, The Intelligent Investor, 2003 15. Its during hard times that the winners and losers get exposed. You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out. Letter to shareholders, Feb. 2003 16. Read and think A LOT. Buffett spends the majority of his day 80% reading and thinking. The best way to think about investments is to be in a room with no one else and to just think. If that doesnt work, nothing else is going to work. Colloquium at the University of Florida, Oct. 15, 1998 17. Buffett has long said it doesnt take a high IQ to be successful in business knowledge is more valuable. What we do is not beyond anyone elses competence. I feel the same way about managing that I do about investing: Its just not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results. Fortune, April 11, 1988 18. Despite his immense success, Buffetts still made some bad bets over the years. Nevertheless, he stays focused: Rule No. 1 is never lose money. Rule No. 2 is never forget Rule No. 1. Fortune, Feb. 6, 2017. 19. Keep this in mind If youre looking for a board position: When seeking directors, CEOs dont look for pit bulls. Its the cocker spaniel that gets taken home. Letter to shareholders, 2019 20. The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. If you want to work at Berkshire, you need integrity, intelligence and energy. Our experience with newly-minted MBAs has not been that great. ... Its difficult to teach a new dog old tricks. Letter to Shareholders, 1988 21. Buffett is a big believer in America. Dont bet against American ingenuity. Its always been a mistake to bet against America, since 1776. CNBC, 2011 22. With the exception of loving his private jet, Buffett is famously frugal and has lived in the same house since 1958. I have every possession I want. I have a lot of friends who have a lot more possessions. But in some cases, I feel the possession possesses them, rather than the other way around. CBS News, Feb. 8 2012 23. Buffett wants his three children to make their own contributions to society. A very rich person should leave his kids rich enough to do anything but not enough to do nothing. Fortune, June 25, 2006 24. From a letter promising to give away more than 99% of his wealth to philanthropic causes during his lifetime or at his death ... My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest. The Giving Pledge, 2006 25. A persons best asset is him or herself. Your best investment is yourself. There is nothing that compares to it. Georgia Tech alumni magazine, 2013 Australia's largest airline, Qantas, is offering tickets to the United States for just $400. The return flight from Sydney to Los Angeles will set you back just $859 - working out at just $429 each way. A return flight from Sydney to San Francisco is only $10 more at $860, which is just $430 each way. A return flight from Sydney to San Francisco (pictured) will set you back just $434 each way Travellers wanting to escape the Australian winter can take advantage of the cheap flights available between March and November 2020 (pictured: LA) The deals come with Qantas's Fly Away Sale, which ends on March 9 for select dates, unless previously sold out. Travellers wanting to escape the Australian winter can take advantage of the cheap flights available between March and November 2020. The 15-hour flight is the second-longest out of Australia - with Qantas' Perth to London taking the top spot at 15 hours and 40 minutes. Click here to see all the deals available on the Qantas website. Meanwhile, Jetstar is also offering an incredible deal on flights to Hawaii. The budget carrier is offering several flight deals, with tickets to Hawaii from just $316 each way. Tickets to Fiji start at $199 and trips to Bali are listed at just $229. DUBLIN, March 2 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google has asked around 8,000 staff at its European headquarters in Dublin to work from home on Tuesday as a precaution after a staff-member reported flu-like symptoms. The decision comes days after Ireland on Saturday confirmed its first case of coronavirus and closed down the school of the infected student. Ireland's health minister on Monday evening said the country still has only one confirmed case. Coronavirus, which emerged in China in late December, has spread to more than 60 countries has killed over 3,000 with over 86,500 infected. "We continue to take precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our workforce, and as part of that effort we have asked our Dublin teams to work from home tomorrow," a Google spokeswoman said. A source in the company said that "out of an abundance of caution" staff who had been in close contact with the individual in question had been asked to work from home until they had greater clarity about the risk. Google declined to comment on the current status of the individual. (Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) The purpose of my visit was to brief the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe about the political, peace and security situation in the region, as he is our current chair of the Organ of Politics, Defence and Security of Sadc, she said. NAPLES, Fla., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The independent authority on Search vendors, topseos.com, has named their list of the one hundred best SEO companies for the month of March 2020. Each of the companies featured in the rankings offer businesses a service to improve their visibility in the organic search results for major search engines. While there are thousands of competing marketing firms that offer the service, the rankings highlight those that most consistently produce exceptional results for their clients. The rankings of the best SEO companies for March 2020 include: 1) DMA | Digital Marketing Agency 2) HigherVisibility 3) Boostability 4) Spiralytics Agency 5) marketingagency.io 6) WebMarketingAgency.com 7) Chile Media, LLC 8) OMG National 9) High Level Marketing LLC 10) City Ranked Media, Inc. To produce the rankings each month the independent research team conducts an in-depth analysis into each of the competing SEO companies. A set of evaluation criteria are used during this process to benchmark and compare competing search engine optimization vendors in areas found to be critical to the success of an SEO campaign. These areas of evaluation include on page optimization, off page optimization, needs analysis, keyword analysis, and reporting methods. Client reviews and testimonials are also used to verify the claims made by the SEO agencies. To view the complete rankings of the best SEO companies for March 2020 visit: https://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-seo-companies About topseos.com topseos.com is an online provider of independent reviews and ratings. The ratings of the best search engine marketing companies are released monthly to assist businesses in connecting with search engine optimization companies which feature a history of effective solutions. Thousands of search engine marketing companies are put to the test while only the absolute best companies are highlighted in the ratings. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE topseos.com Related Links https://www.topseos.com An Italian tourist tested positive for here on Monday and his blood samples are being sent to the Institute of Virology in Pune for confirmation. The first sample collected Saturday tested negative but his condition deteriorated, Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma told reporters here. Catch LIVE updates here The minister said a second sample was them collected and he tested positive for the virus, according to the report received on Monday. Since there is variation in the test reports, samples have been sent to NIV-Pune for testing," he said. A Panera Bread location in Pennsylvania has been battling a persistent and pesky fruit fly infestation issue since July, according to government food safety inspection reports. WJAC-TV in Johnstown says the Panera Bread located in the Richland Town Center in Richland Township, Cambria County, has been cited and then re-inspected by a state health inspector for the reported fly infestation, according to information on pafoodsafety.gov. The follow-up inspection was conducted on Friday and the inspector noted the following, WJAC writes: This is a follow up inspection of a limited service retail food facility due to a fruit or drain fly infestation on the inspection of 1-29-20. Since that time fruit fly infestation has become much worse with increased numbers of flies and more areas of the store where the flies are present. Facility will be listed out of compliance and a warning letter will be issued to this facility from the Pa Dept of Agriculture Region 5 Office for uncontrolled pests in a food prep area. Agent will return with in 2 weeks for a follow up inspection. Failure to comply on the inspection could result in a $150.00 of $300.00 re-inspection fee. WJAC adds that the inspection reports on the restaurant show the fly infestation has been a reoccurring issue dating back to July of 2019. Here are additional comments on the situation from the inspection reports: Noted 10 drain flies in the bakery area on the walls, noted 50 drain flies in the sandwich prep area on the walls and ceiling, noted 10 drain flies on the wall in the soft drink area, noted 25 drain flies on the floor under the hot soup heating unit. UV light fly traps have been installed but they are ineffective with no flies in the trap. This is the worst fly infestation in the past 6 months. A solution for the fly problem must be found. WJAC-TVs request for comment from their local Panera was not immediately returned. READ MORE: Woman hit, killed by multiple cars on Pa. highway; none stopped, dragging her remains for miles Dead body found behind Corelife restaurant in Pa. Serial thief preying on Pa. university students: cops Woman in BMW crashes into Pa. daycare during nap time; 4 injured, 1 critical Drunk Pa. man exposes himself after police are called to Ruby Tuesdays Pa. judge who called black juror Aunt Jemima made other racial comments, transcripts show Pa. couple accused of locking son, 9, in closet to go out to party: state cops Pa. mom in Cookie Monster costume arrested after ODing in car: cops Singer Harry Styles visits Wawa for a tuna hoagie: OMG! OMG! OMG! Pa. man accused of DUI-by-marijuana in crash that killed his passenger, 28 Pa. college student lives to tell about absolutely terrifying 80-foot fall while hiking: It happened so fast Pa. woman guilty of stabbing her wretched, evil grandma to death learns her fate Man wanted for ripping off big TVs at Pa. Walmart 4 times and counting Clue in case of Pa. missing college student is found 1,400 miles away: This is not normal A mother and her two children were among the thousands of refugees and migrants who reportedly made their way to the border over the past days. REUTERS UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for calm and an easing of tensions on Turkeys borders with the European Union in light of the present increased movements of people there including refugees and asylum-seekers. UNHCR is monitoring developments in Turkey and in Greece and is offering its support. As in all such situations it is important that the authorities refrain from any measures that might increase the suffering of vulnerable people. All States have a right to control their borders and manage irregular movements, but at the same time should refrain from the use of excessive or disproportionate force and maintain systems for handling asylum requests in an orderly manner. Neither the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees nor EU refugee law provides any legal basis for the suspension of the reception of asylum applications. Article 78(3) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) has been evoked by the Greek Government in this regard, however this provision allows for provisional measures to be adopted by the Council, on a proposal from the Commission and in consultation with the European Parliament, in the event that one or more Member States are confronted by an emergency situation characterised by a sudden inflow of third country nationals while it cannot suspend the internationally recognized right to seek asylum and the principle of non-refoulement that are also emphasized in EU law. Persons entering irregularly on the territory of a State should also not be punished if they present themselves without delay to the authorities to seek asylum. On the borders between Turkey and the EU, UNHCR is working with national partners, Turkish Red Crescent, IOM and Unicef, assessing the situation and providing humanitarian assistance where needed. Groups there have included Syrians, Afghans, Iranians, Sudanese and other nationalities - including women, children and families, arriving in precarious conditions. In Greece, UNHCR teams reported the arrival of some 1,200 people on 1 March and 2 March morning on the East Aegean islands (Lesvos, Chios, Samos) - higher than the recent daily rate. UNHCR has replenished stocks of dry food and blankets to support new arrivals and has confirmed that other actors have additional items in stock. Greece, and other States on the EU external border, should not be left alone. Continued European resources, capacity and solidarity are needed to boost Greeces response. At the same time, international support to Turkey, which already hosts millions of refugees, as well as other countries neighbouring Syria, must be sustained and stepped up. While the situation on the Turkeys western borders and Greece and movement of several thousand people is of concern, the humanitarian disaster unfolding in the northwest Syria and massive humanitarian needs in Idlib for some 950,000 of internally displaced people continues to require urgent action. For more information on this topic, please contact: KAMPALA The military has denied allegations by The Capital Times, a local news website that Lt. Gen Peter Elwelu, the Commander Land Forces (UPDF) has run run mad and that he was on the weekend transferred to Butabika Hospital for medication. UPDF spokesperson Brig. Richard Karemire has on Tuesday, March 1, 2020 categorically denied reports of Gen Elwelus madness and said theres absolutely no iota of truth in the Capital Times story. We wish to dismiss the rumour circulated by The Capital Timesregarding the health of Lt Gen Peter Elwelu the UPDF CLF (Commander Land Forces), he wrote in a Twitter post. There is absolutely no iota of truth in the mentioned article.The contents should therefore be ignored and not cause any anxiety, Brig. Karemire added. Many comments that followed his Twit have requested the army should produce the troubled General to prove Capital Times wrong. That is the right thing to do. If you brought him out there would be no more claims. Otherwise, you are doing your PR work, one of the comments suggests. Where is Gen. Elwelu..? Bring him on board to refute allegations another added. False or right, he response from people has taught you what Ugandans think about your terror regime, a one Kaweesa, Kaweesa wrote. I watched a clip about him and he looks mad to me ! Maximillian Christon @MaximillianChri noted. Gen. Elwelu is remembered for his leadership role in the 2016 attack on Charles Wesley Mumberes palace in Kasese in 2016. In the media, Elwelu, now a Lt. general, has actively defended his decision to attack the palace, contending that the people inside were all armed fighters, including Congolese fighters, and saying that he now sleeps well at night. He was promoted to chief of land forces, one of the highest-ranking positions in the army. Speaking to NTV on the day the armed forces attacked the palace in 2016, Brig Elwelu repeatedly referred to those gunned down at the palace as terrorists, and argued that King Mumbere had dishonoured two ultimatums agreed with President Museveni. We had to go for these terrorists, they were hiding in the palace, Brig Elwelu told NTV Uganda. The government has arrested and charged more than 180 people, including the cultural institutions king, known as the Omusinga, with murder, treason, and terrorism, among other charges. None of the 180 are members of the police or military and no one has been charged for the killing of the civilians, including children. In 2017, Brig. Karemire Brig. Richard Karemire, told Human Rights Watch that there has been no investigation into the militarys conduct and that none is planned. The government is under an obligation to investigate any operation where there is such loss of life and should do so promptly. But given limited prospects for a credible follow up by domestic authorities, an independent, impartial investigation, with international expertise, should be urgently conducted, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 95 people in six subcounties of the Kasese district, including many families of the people killed, and reviewed video and photographs of the events. Many people voiced significant fears of reprisals given the presence of security forces in the area. Human Rights Watch found evidence, including accounts by confidential sources and medical personnel who witnessed the events, that security officials had misrepresented the number of people killed and eliminated evidence of the childrens deaths. Related D uring our interview Yvette Cooper keeps coming back to how aggressive our culture has become. Shes seen the shift over her 23 years as a Labour MP but its become painfully acute in the last few months. Its been tough, she says when we meet for a cup of tea at her office opposite Parliament. A busker plays the bagpipes outside and pinned to the wall theres a picture of her dancing with husband Ed Balls, the former Labour MP turned Strictly star. As well as fighting to keep her seat, Pontefract and Castleford, Cooper, aged 50, has battled opposition in her own party from politicians who she says see me having been in the last Labour government as a problem. Shes also been subjected to threats of violence. This month a Conservative activist was sent to prison for sending messages in which he claimed to have paid people to beat her up. I started out in politics very sensitive to peoples views, she says. I channelled that into responding to them. But I feel everyone has had to become more resilient and develop a thicker skin. Its become everybody shouting at each other, which is a shame and goes against the way we should do politics. After we meet, her point is highlighted by the resignation of senior Home Office civil servant Sir Philip Rutnam , after clashes with Home Secretary Priti Patel. Cooper sends an email saying: The Home Office appears to be a complete mess. Ive never seen anything like it before. I worry at the chaotic and destructive way the whole Government is operating ... all the reports of Dominic Cummings throwing his weight around. None of this is the sign of a confident, purposeful government. It looks more like insecure and chaotic lashing out. She adds that if ministers and civil servants cant work together they wont achieve anything at all. Labour Party MP Yvette Cooper speaking in the Commons / AFP/Getty Images One of the few politicians Cooper seems to admire is former chancellor Sajid Javid. His resignation speech was, she says, powerful in how measured it was. The same applies to Cooper. She has a forensic mind, deftly summarising well-researched arguments to make her case. No wonder Tory MPs were worried when she ran for Labour leader in 2015. Despite the blow her party took in the general election, she remains focused on what she believes Labour stands for: holding a broad coalition together to fight against injustice. She has neatly cut short hair and jokes that people say her face looks grumpy (the last time she had a nice chat with Theresa May in the House of Commons even her staff assumed from their expressions that they were arguing). In her own party, theres a binary culture, which has crystallised in the debate about what constitutes transphobia that is overshadowing the Labour leadership election. I fear that because of the way in which the debate is starting to happen, with no one able to have a sensible or thoughtful discussion, transphobia gets worse as a result, she says. Were in danger of losing sight of experiences and ending up rowing. Its especially bad as you want the Labour leadership debate to be about building consensus not talking about arguments. The election was hard, she continues. Pontefract and Castleford voted for Brexit and while Remain-supporting Cooper hung onto her seat, her share of the vote was down 21.6 per cent and many of the constituencies around her went Tory for the first time. There were issues about perceptions of Jeremy Corbyns leadership and there were divides in the country which were there before but Brexit put us on steroids between young and old, cities and towns. Labour has previously straddled those tensions. One issue which came up was security. People didnt trust us to keep the country safe and didnt trust Labour to care about our country. Thats a nightmare for us. Unless you can persuade people youre going to keep the country safe youre not going to get past first base. On election night her votes werent counted until late so she delayed going to the count for as long as she could, staying home and watching her husband on ITVs election night programme instead. If Id gone early Id have just been pacing around in circles. The result wasnt a surprise, she adds, pausing to reflect. There was a part of me that thought we suspected it was going to be this bad and people were saying it wouldnt be, so the result reaffirmed the sense we were right. Having been in government when we were able to do things and could bring in Sure Start and change peoples lives you feel weve lost the ability to do anything. Has she ever considered leaving Labour, especially as so few of the MPs who were elected at the same time as her are still in Westminster? No. She is firm. My grandad was a miner, my dad was a trade unionist. The strength of Labour Party is in its sense of purpose and values of fighting for a fairer life for everybody. For the next leader shes backing Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner. But how can she reconcile their policy to continue free movement with the EU after Brexit with what her constituents voted for in the referendum? People assume immigration is polarised but we did a home affairs committee report on it speaking to people all over the country and found it is possible to build consensus. You need a system that is controlled so its fair. Im less pessimistic than some people but its possible well get stuck if we dont listen to what anyone else is saying. Yvette Cooper (centre) said she has never considered leabing the Labour party (right) / AFP/Getty Images When her husband lost his seat in 2015 it was hard and strange. We used to travel to and fro together but now hes having a great time and not being an MP means he cooks more. Hes much tidier than I am, though ironing is a bit of a push. She shows me a picture of his 50th birthday cake, with a model of the two of them dancing on top and there is a copy of his book Speaking Out on her shelf. Theres a strong feminist theme in Coopers office, with a giant picture of Emmeline Pankhurst made up of hundreds of photos of women looming over us (Mo Mowlams in there somewhere), Emily Wilding Davisons census entry and a poster saying Mothers Vote Labour. A speech by Pankhurst features in Coopers new book, She Speaks: The Power of Womens Voices. The idea has been brewing a long time; she has always liked reading speeches and looking at them for inspiration. But all the books of speeches Id find were 90 per cent by men, she says. So I thought we should pull womens speeches together. It started to feel more important to do it last year because women are more likely to be targeted by abuse or threats so celebrating their voices felt more important than ever. Yvette Cooper said: 'Politics should be making things better not worse' / Matt Writtle The book is a rallying cry for women to express themselves, with no fear. It begins with a speech by Boudica and includes words from Lupita Nyongo, Jo Cox and Theresa May. She worked on it during her summer holidays to Greece and France, with help from her eldest daughter, Ellie, aged 21. In September last year Ellie sent a series of tweets about the impact of Jo Coxs murder on her family and how children of MPs shouldnt have to fear for their parents lives. Shes amazing, says Cooper. She was keen there were speeches, by Greta Thunberg and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and made sure I didnt get lost in dull detail. Coopers favourite speech in the book is by Audre Lorde because it admits it can be hard to speak up but your silence wont protect you you can be choked by it. She was at her office in Castleford when she heard about the threats towards her in last April. Her staff were sent a screenshot of one of the messages Conservative party member Joshua Spencer had written threatening to beat her up. It makes you draw breath when you see something like that. Plus it was from someone we knew and had helped out. I worried about the people working in my office being alone. It makes you pause. Eventually he pleaded guilty. Cooper wasnt in court but is glad the judge took it seriously. The reaction in Westminster disappointed her. Sajid Javid was the only member of the Conservative party who messaged me in solidarity. Nationally, the Conservatives were much too slow to respond. Its easy for parties social media accounts to challenge incidents like this and say not in my name. Shes critical of her own party, especially not taking stronger action on awful anti-Semitism. Jeremy talked about a gentler politics but politics will never be gentle, it is always going to be robust. But I would like a culture of kindness. Today, she made a speech calling on parties to show more leadership on the way we treat each other online, asking them to sign up to a joint standard of conduct: Politics should be making things better not worse. Party leaders should show a better example, Corbyn should have done more around extremism. On a practical level, she has been asking Facebook to deal with closed forums where criminal activity can take place and action on algorithms which pushes people towards extremism. There are links between what you see in public life, the tragic experience of Caroline Flack. But the other, more positive thing is that people are conscious of attempts to stand firm against it and show kindness. Cooper considered running for the leadership but decided she wasnt what the party needed. There are people in the shadow cabinet who see me having been in the last Labour government as a real problem. I think its something we should be proud of. There were a lot of things the last Labour government did wrong but there were a lot of amazing things. Im not walking away though, she adds. There are a lot of good things to be done on the home affairs select committee if its set up theyre delaying setting everything up and on the future of the party. We have to find a way to pull back together. A special court in Srinagar on Monday sent former district magistrates of Kupwara -- Rajiv Ranjan andItrit Hussain Rafiqui to 10-day CBI custody a day after they were arrested in the arms licensing case, officials said. Ranjan, a2010-batch IAS officerandRafiqui were held by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday. During investigation, the alleged role of Ranjan and Rafiqui who had held the position of district magistrate of Kupwara from 2015 to 2016 and 2013 to 2015, respectively, had surfaced, the agency had said. The case pertains to the allegations that during the period 2012 to 2016, then deputy commissioners and district magistrates of various districts of Jammu and Kashmir including Kupwara had fraudulently and illegally issued bulk arms licenses in lieu of monetary consideration, the spokesperson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bahrains value of imports increased by 20%, reaching BD445 million during January 2020 compared to BD372 million for the same month the previous year, while the value of exports of national origin decreased by 5% to BD160 million ($424.47 million). The top 10 countries accounted for 69% of the value of imports, with the remaining countries accounted for 31%, said the foreign trade report issued by Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA). It covers the balance of trade, imports, exports (national origin), and re-exports. According to the report, China ranked first in imports to Bahrain, with a total of BD67 million; the US was second with BD35 million; and Saudi Arabia was third with BD32 million. Non-agglomerated iron ores and concentrates emerged as the top product imported into Bahrain with a total value of BD24 million, while aluminum oxide was second with BD23 million, and four-wheel drive cars third with BD17 million. The value of exports of national origin decreased by 5% to BD160 million during January, compared to BD168 million for the same month of the previous year. The top 10 countries in terms of the value of exports of national origin purchased from Bahrain accounted for 82% of the total value, with the remaining countries accounting for 18%. Saudi Arabia ranked first among countries receiving Bahraini exports of national origin, importing BD41 million from Bahrain. Meanwhile, the UAE was second with BD22 million and India third with BD12 million. Unwrought aluminum alloys emerged as the top products exported during January 2020 with BD13 million; brigdes and bridges-sections was second. While, aluminum wire (not alloyed) scored third with a value of BD12 millions for both. The total value of re-exports increased by 28% to reach BD74 million during January 2020, compared to BD58 million for the same month of the previous year. The top 10 countries accounted for 93% of the re-exported value, while the remaining countries accounted for the 7%. The UAE ranked first with BD24 million, Saudi Arabia second with BD19 million, and Hong Kong third with BD6 million. Gold ingots emerged as the top product re-exported from Bahrain with BD17 million, four-wheel drive cars came in second place with BD8 million, and parts for machines came third with BD4 million. The trade balance, difference between exports and imports, reached BD211 million during January versus BD147 million for the same month of the previous year, an increase of 44%. TradeArabia News Service Over 100 rights organisations and media groups in Pakistan have boycotted talks with the government over the new online censorship rules and demanded their withdrawal, according to a media report on Monday. Under the new set of rules, approved by the government on February 11, social media companies will have 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. This has prompted Google and popular social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, to threaten suspension of their services in the country due to the fresh regulations. Facing flak over the rules, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced consultation with stakeholders over the Citizens Protection Rules 2020. For the purpose, the Ministry of Information Technology formed a committee on February 29 headed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman Amir Azeem Bajwa to undertake an extensive and broad-based consultation process with all relevant segments of the civil society and technology companies about the rules, the Dawn newspaper reported. While Cabinet approval for the rules remains in place, there can be no engagement or consultation. This only shows the government's intent to use the consultation as a smokescreen while intending to implement and enforce the rules already prepared and approved, a statement signed by the rights groups said. The government has refused to clarify the legal status of the rules without which any consultation is merely a token to deflect criticism and not a genuine exercise to seek input, it said, demanding withdrawal of the rules. The rights organisations that boycotted the talks include Digital Rights Foundation, Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development, Pakistan Bar Council, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Press Foundation, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan and Freedom Network. The groups also objected to the selection of members of the committee formed for consultation as not a single representative of civil society, industry and stakeholders has been nominated in it, the report said. In a letter written to Prime Minister Khan 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sani Omolori, clerk of the national assembly, will remain in office despite attaining the legal requirement for retirement. Omolori,... Sani Omolori, clerk of the national assembly, will remain in office despite attaining the legal requirement for retirement. Omolori, who started his civil service career on February 6, 1985, was due to retire last month but will stay for another five years after an amendment of the conditions of service of the national assembly staff considered to be illegal in some quarters. TheCable reports that the amendment, which was secretly effected through a bill tagged the Retirement age and conditions of service bill, increased the requirement of retirement for the staff to 65 years or 40 years of pensionable service, contrary to civil service rules. Sources privy to the matter revealed that the bill was secretly approved towards the end of the tenure of the previous assembly despite rejection by many lawmakers, including those now in leadership position at the two legislative chambers. Although the amendment covers all staff of the national assembly commission, Omolori and some top officials including Giwa Anonkhai, clerk of the house of representatives and Olusanya Ajakaye, secretary of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) are the main beneficiaries, according to those aware of the issue. Ajakaye, who was born on August 19, 1959, was due to retire in August last year, while Anonkhai, born on November 25, 1960, is due to retire in November. SECRET PROCESS Contrary to the tradition of the house, the new amendment was approved without public hearing and other critical stages a bill passes through before being passed. Its implementation also took effect without the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari. The whole thing was done quickly and referred to a joint committee where they reconciled the differences, one of those who worked closely with the clerks office on the matter revealed. LAWMAKERS BREACHING THE LAW The civil service rules, which guide the conduct of civil service in the country, stipulate 60 years of age or 35 years of pensionable service as requirement for retirement, with the exception of judicial officials. Section 8 (020810) of the rules states: (i) The compulsory retirement age for all grades in the Service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier. (ii) No officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement age of 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier. (iii) The provision of (i) and (ii) of this Rule is without prejudice to prevailing requirements for Judicial Officers and Academic Staff of Universities and other tertiary institutions who retire at 70 and 65 years respectively. Despite the provisions of the rules, top lawmakers in the previous assembly smuggled in the amendment bill allegedly with the backing of the national assembly management. A source that was involved in the amendment process said: It (the amendment) was secretly done in the form of a bill towards the end of tenure of the eight assembly. The senate rejected it but the house of representatives approved the extension by five years. So, they set up a conference committee which met and approved it. And it was done in such a way that it will not need the approval of the president to come into effect. It was not done through the normal procedure. INFIGHTING For an institution charged with the responsibility of making laws, the move was said to have infuriated many of the lawmakers who saw it as an outright breach of the law. Among those lawmakers are Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila who are both now senate president and speaker of the house of representatives respectively. TheCable reports that both leaders have distanced themselves from both the amendment and its implementation. Both the speaker and senate president are against it; they said it cant stand and that what is the difference between them (the management staff) and others in the public service? a source privy to the matter said on Friday. Eve as at then, there were a lot of other lawmakers too who were against it and were protesting but nothing much could be done. Omolori could not be reached for comments. Yahaya Danzaria, director, public affairs at the national assembly, declined comments on the matter when contacted on Friday. I will not be able to answer now meet me in my office on Monday, he said over the phone. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 13:45:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 408 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Bitcatcha, one of the leading hosting review platforms for entrepreneurs, announces the launch of their Indonesia only website, in Bahasa IndonesiaSINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Bitcatcha Indonesia, is one of the most successful and popular websites amongst entrepreneurs and established businesses offering the latest information from across numerous industries. While the site has a growing international audience, the majority of visitors and those claim to be benefitting from the information offered on the website are Indonesian. That fact has led the company to announce the publishing of its Bahasa Indonesia website. All content on the new website will be solely in Indonesian, with a lot of content translated from the English website.The company intends to translate the most popular and helpful content from Bitcatcha.com into Indonesian, which will be published on the new website. However, the company has said that other than translating content, there will be fresh content that's relevant to Indonesians. Continuing in the tradition of offering advice, reviews, and tips, the company intends to help the growing number of freelancers and entrepreneurs in Indonesia by pulling back the curtain off how to be successful.More details are available at https://www.bitcatcha.co.id In a recent interview, the spokesperson for Bitcatcha stated, "Bitcatcha continues to be frequented by visitors from Indonesia, many of whom have requested that we have articles in Bahasa Indonesia. As it appears, the majority of people in Indonesia, while quite fluent English speakers, would prefer reading articles in their native Bahasa Indonesia. That is why we have taken this bold yet significant step to help a growing number of our readers and followers in Indonesia." He went on to say, "We are going to offer our Indonesian readers a wealth of new information that's specifically helpful to them. Whether you are an Indonesian entrepreneur or freelancer, our articles and tips will help you get started and grow your business. By taking a more local approach with the launch of our Indonesia only website, we hope to help more people become successful." The first couple of articles have already been translated and published on the new website. Indonesians should visit and bookmark it, then check back every few days, to read the latest reviews, tech news, tips, and how-tos.Contact Info:Name: BitcatchaEmail: Send EmailOrganization: Bitcatcha IncAddress: 60 Paya Lebar Road #10-09 Paya Lebar Square Singapore (409051)Website: https://www.bitcatcha.co.id/ SOURCE: Bitcatcha live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Indias top six car-makers, which control more than 80 percent of the volumes, saw a decline of nearly 7 percent in February sales even as the countdown began to exhaust Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) stocks before the deadline. Car and SUV makers clocked sales of 221,369 units during February as against 237,768 sold in the same month in 2019 . Dealers have been liquidating BS-IV stocks to avoid getting stuck with them post the deadline of March 31. From April 1, only BS-VI vehicles will be allowed to sell. Maruti Suzuki, the countrys largest carmaker, sold 133,702 units during the month, down 2.3 percent to as compared to 136,912 units. Maruti Suzuki, which began switching to BS-VI technology in April 2019, is believed to have amongst the lowest stocks of BS-IV vehicles at approximately 2,000 units. More than 6.5 lakh BS-VI upgrades have been sold already by the company till date. Hyundai Motor India, the countrys second-largest carmaker, saw 7.2 percent decline in February volumes to 40,010 units as against 43,110 units sold in the same month in 2019. The Korean auto brand has not divulged details of its BS-IV inventory but along with dealers the company is offering discounts of up to Rs 2.5 lakh of such unsold models including Santro, Grand i10, Elite i20, Xcent and Tucson to name a few. Hyundais sister concern Kia Motors climbed to the third spot clocking sales of 15,644 units during February. The producer of the Seltos SUV launched the Carnival multi-seater during the start of February. As Kia debuted in India in June 2019, there are no comparable sales data for February. At the same time, its rise has been remarkable. The company, in November 2019, became the fourth-largest carmaker in the country but slipped to the seventh position in December. SUV-specialist Mahindra & Mahindra reported the biggest fall among the top six. Its supplies to dealers in February plummeted 58 percent to 10,938 units as against 26,109 units sold in the same month in 2019. In addition to demand slump and clean-up of BS-IV inventory, M&M said non-availability of parts of China to the coronavirus outbreak was also one of the reasons behind the fall in volumes. Veejay Ram Nakra, Chief of Sales and Marketing - Automotive Division, said, The ramp-down of BS IV vehicle production has been in line with our plan for February. However, because of the unforeseeable challenges on the parts-supply from China, our BS VI ramp-up has been affected. This has resulted in a high de-growth in our billing volume for February and our dealer inventory is, now, under 10 days. Going into March, we anticipate the challenge on parts-supply to continue for another few weeks, before we get back to normalcy. Mumbai-based Tata Motors reported 31 percent decline in volumes during February to 12,430 units as against 18,110 units sold in the same month last year. The maker of Harrier SUV was one of the last manufacturers to switch to BS-VI with the launch of Tiago, Nexon and Tigor in February. Mayank Pareek, President - Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, The outbreak of COVID-19 in China and a recent fire incident at one of our strategic vendors affected the vehicle production and wholesale volume. Our BS-IV stock is well below the targeted level and we are well placed for the transition. Honda Cars India said it had dispatched 7269 units of BS-VI models in February that included petrol variants of Amaze, City, Civic and CR-V. This marked a fall of 46 percent compared to 13527 units sold in February last year. Deliveries of the diesel Amaze will begin in March. Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India, said, Our dispatches were limited and in line with our plan of total supply availability for the month. We are determined to enhance the supplies with subsequent introduction of BS-6 versions of other models. Since we have been supplying only BS-6 cars from January onwards and dealers were aggressively liquidating their BS-4 stock, our channel is left with negligible stock of BS-4 cars as of February-end. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs on Monday staged a protest inside the Parliament complex over the issue of communal riots in Delhi and demanded a probe by a Supreme Court or high court judge into the last week violence. At least 42 people were killed and over 200 injured in violence in northeast Delhi. AAP MPs Sanjay Singh, Bhagwant Mann, N D Gupta and Sushil Gupta staged the protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex. They raised slogans like "BJP Murdabad". "We want a probe by a sitting high court or Supreme Court judge. A joint parliamentary committee must be made to look into the violence," Singh said. "Why is it not being discussed in Parliament who is responsible for the riots. Delhi was set on fire by BJP leaders like Kapil Mishra, Pravesh Verma and Anurag Thakur who gave inflammatory speeches. There is no law and order in Delhi," he said. Singh said the leaders who were involved in spreading hate must be subjected to a narco analysis test and the results should be publicised to the entire country. The AAP MP has also given a 'Suspension of Business Notice' in the Rajya Sabha over the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:34:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GAZA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian Health Ministry official said Monday that the Palestinian territories are free of the novel coronavirus which has appeared in several countries in the region. Kamal al-Shakhra, director-general of primary care in the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank, told a news briefing in Gaza city that Palestinian medical teams had checked 200 suspected cases of the COVID-19 virus infection, including one in Gaza Strip, but none was tested positive. He added that his ministry was in charge of sending well-trained medical teams to the field and has fully cooperated with the World Health Organization (WHO) in holding educational workshops and seminars to prevent the virus infection. Al-Shakhra said that his ministry has declared a state of emergency and its medical teams have acted in accordance with the strategy of the emergency system to deal with the issue. The health official arrived in the Gaza Strip earlier on Monday from the West Bank, which is governed by the Palestinian Authority, to check the preparations for fighting the virus in the Palestinian coastal enclave ruled by the Islamic Hamas movement since 2007. Al-Shakhra stressed that there is full cooperation between the Health Ministry in the West Bank and the health offices in Gaza on the issue. "We call on our Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to follow the health instructions of the Ministry of Health to fight the virus and protect our people from it," he said. New York State Confirms First Coronavirus Case WASHINGTONNew York state confirmed its first positive coronavirus test, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, as the U.S. government said it would start screening travelers for the virus and boost production of protective masks. Cuomo said in a March 1 statement that a woman in her 30s contracted coronavirus during a recent trip to Iran and was under quarantine in her home. He didnt say where the woman lived. The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York, Cuomo said. The positive test was confirmed by New Yorks Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround, and is exactly why I advocated for the approval from Vice President Pence that New York was granted just yesterday. Related Coverage New York City Announces New Testing Tools Against Novel Coronavirus There is no cause for surprisethis was expected. As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if, there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York, Cuomo said. There is no reason for undue anxietythe general risk remains low in New York. We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available. At the federal level, President Donald Trumps administration tried March 1 to reassure Americans as the disease spreads and businesses cancel conferences and flights. Washington state officials on Feb. 29 announced the death of the first American from coronavirus, indicating that the patient was a man in his 50s with underlying health issues. Officials say they havent determined how he contracted the disease. That state on March 1 confirmed two other cases and locked down a long-term care facility where a resident and a worker also tested positive for coronavirus and 50 residents and staff are showing symptoms. Over 70 cases have been reported in the United States, with most on the West Coast but including new cases in the Chicago area and Rhode Island, aside from New York. By Andrea Shalal New Delhi: A week after deadly communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi, the situation in riot-hit areas remained peaceful but tense on Sunday though there was movement of more people and vehicles on main roads amid heavy police deployment. Four more bodies were traced from drains in Gokulpuri ans Shiv Vihar on the sixth day of the violence, taking the total death toll to 46. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has deputed a fact-finding team to investigate the cases of violence. The situation is under control and we did not receive any PCR calls of rioting in the last four days. There is adequate force deployed in all areas of northeast district. We are holding talks with locals and trying to rebuild confidence, a senior police official told this newspaper. No untoward incident has been reported from the northeast district over the past three days, he said, adding police are urging residents to report about rumours directly to the authorities. No untoward incident has been reported from the northeast district over the past three days, he said, adding that the police is urging residents to not pay attention to rumours and report them to authorities. All the bodies recovered on Sunday were sent to GTB Hospital for post-mortem. The deceased are yet to be identified. Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visited some of the riot-hit areas, including Brahmapuri, and consoled the people disturbed by the worst violence in three decades in Delhi. Even days after the violence, there was an eerie silence in the streets that once used to be teeming with people and hawkers. In Shiv Vihar, among the worst hit areas, the lanes were deserted and almost all the houses were locked. In Mustafabad, people were wary of stepping out of their homes in narrow bylanes. New Delhi, March 2 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday said that it has arrested six accused in connection with the murder of BJP taluka panchayat member Yogesh Gowda, a resident of Dharwad in Karnataka, in 2016. A senior CBI official said that the agency has arrested Dinesh, Sunil, Nutan, Ashwath, Shahnawaz and Nazeer Ahmed on February 29. According to the official, these are the first arrests in the case which was taken over by the CBI in September last year. The official said the accused were produced before a special court in Bengaluru which sent them to five days CBI custody. Sources in the probe agency said the operation is going on and more suspects may be held based on the information gathered from the questioning of these accused. However, the CBI did not comment on the role of these accused in the murder of Gowda. Gowda was killed in his gym on June 15, 2016 by unidentified men. The agency took over the probe on the recommendation of the Karnataka government on September 24, 2019. Earlier, Karnataka Police had filed a chargesheet in the murder case on September 9, 2016. According to the CBI, Gowda ran a gym in Dharwad and was a friend of Basavaraj Shivappa Muttagi, the prime accused, for the last 10 years with different political inclinations. Gowda came to know about a land purchase deal by Muttagi. As per the CBI, Gowda had threatened Muttagi that he should not purchase the land as it was under his custody and if he still proceeded, he would kill him. Gowda was killed in his gym by the accomplices of Muttagi, who first sprinkled chilli powder on his face before hacking him to death. S Lalitha By Express News Service BENGALURU: The moment one nears the junction at Suranjan Das Road during peak morning and evening hours, one witnesses a heart-warming scene, something not commonly seen on Bengalurus traffic-choked streets. In place of the road rage incidents one often encounters, it is waves, smiles and hellos from many zipping past or waiting in the traffic. All these gestures are directed towards one individual, traffic cop Bhaskar (34), popularly referred to as Singham Bhaskar, who manages the unruly traffic with a smile. This reporter spent some time at the junction of this jampacked road that leads to Old Madras Road. You see bus drivers wave from their seats, conductors move near the doors to exchange a word with him in passing while children seated in school buses rush to one side of the bus whose windows face the cop to scream gaily, Good morning uncle! `Singham junction loudly announces the conductor of a BMTC bus which stopped there. The cop, meanwhile, was helping a senior citizen cross the road by stopping vehicles from all sides. He is literally a local hero who has fans all over social media. One of them even tweeted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to recognise this Bengaluru hero. TNIE managed to catch a few minutes with this Mysorean. It is my 11th year at Jeevan Bima Nagar police station. I love my job and am generally a happy person and I guess it shows on my face, he says with his characteristic smile. Asked how he manages to stay cool under the searing heat, Bhaskar adds, Getting angry is not going to help. After all what is there in life? I am just nice to everyone and in return all are nice to me! The cop concedes that public love gives him much energy. My weekly off is on Sundays. If I am on leave for a couple of days, worried public call up the traffic police station. Young women have even proposed to me here, says this bachelor, who lives on his own in the vicinity of his station. An attempt to transfer him from here by the department forced them to backtrack following public outrage. He is all set to be promoted as a head constable shortly. Among the delighted commuters is S Thirupurasundari, employed in a multinational firm, who crosses the junction while going to her workspot in Halasuru daily., It surprises me that someone doing such a tough job can have such a beautiful attitude to work every single day. She spent the morning at the Stella McCartney show during Paris Fashion Week. And then it was a quick change for Ashley Benson, 30, who slipped into a white lace crop top with a big frill detail to attend the Giambattista Valli catwalk show. She was in good company on the day as she was joined by actress Shailene Woodley, 28. who looked incredible in a red and white boucle mini dress. Style stakes: Ashley Benson showed off her abs in a plunging lace crop at the Giambattista Valli Paris Fashion Week show in Paris on Monday Cute: She was in good company on the day as she was joined by actress Shailene Woodley, 28, (left) who looked incredible in a red and white boucle mini dress Ashley was without girlfriend Cara Delevingne, 27, on the day, but looked very much at home at the show. She teamed her sexy top with a pair of high-waisted black trousers and wore a pair of high heels. Her hair was piled into a high ponytail and she sported dramatic make-up for the occasion. Wow! The catwalk show itself was very fairytale romance with gowns made out of tulle and satin and lace being a key theme Fancy seeing you here: Ashley hung out with comedian Gad Elmaleh at the starry fashion show Taking the plunge: Shailene's dress was rather risky at the neckline Friends in high places: Ashley was also pictured catching up with TV personality Derek Blasberg and actress Bianca Brandolini d'Adda (left) Pals: Ashley looked sensational as she posed for a snap with French-Canadian comedian Gad Elmaleh Looking good: Ashley also caught up with designer Rick Owens (centre) as they posed for a snap with a fashion forward pal Once inside, she was pictured catching up with TV personality Derek Blasberg and actress Bianca Brandolini d'Adda. Shailene's dress also had a plunging neckline and she drew stares thanks to her high-fashion moment. She wore high Mary Jane sandals, wore thick-rimmed glasses and carried a chic cream bag in hand. A-list: BryanBoy (far left) and Olivia Palermo joined the group at the star-studded show Ensemble: Actor Lachlan Watson, 19, donned a black floral print mini dress with a flared lace collar and black boots. She teamed the look with Maria Tash jewellery Stars: Lachlan was joined at the show by Caroline Daur and RuPaul's Drag Race star Miss Fame Wow: Shailene added height to her frame with a pair of black open-toed heels while Ashley displayed her budding modelling chops as she posed up a storm Glamour: Miss Fame donned an orange sleeveless gown with a frilled detail and a daring leg slit The catwalk show itself was very fairytale romance with gowns made out of tulle and satin and lace being a key theme. When she's not sitting in the FROW, it's a busy time for Shailene, who plays a woman trying to navigate love, heartbreak and trauma over the course of one year in the first trailer for Endings, Beginnings. The actress plays Daphne, who becomes entangled with two friends, Jack (Jamie Dornan) and Frank (Sebastian Stan). The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where it was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and set for release on May 1. Fashion queens: (L-R) Soko, Josephine de la Baume and Lola Le Laan all looked lovely at the event After the show Ashley made a glamorous exit from the venue and wore a long fitted coat over her stylish white crop top. The elegant coat featured a pearl trim and the actress also carried a small pink bag in hand. The always stylish Olivia Palermo made her exit in a black coat with pink floral detailing. Chic: After the show Ashley made a glamorous exit from the venue and wore a long fitted coat over her stylish white crop top Classy: The always stylish Olivia Palermo made her exit in a black coat with pink floral detailing Quirky: French singer Soko cut a very quirky figure in a black netted two tier dress with green and pink floral accents underneath She teamed this with a white lace blouse and two-tone denim jeans. The 34-year-old fashion influencer wore her chestnut hued tresses in an elegant middle part. French singer Soko cut a very quirky figure in a black netted two tier dress with green and pink floral accents underneath. Elegant: Shaliene remained in her classy Parisian chic ensemble with no coat but carried a small pink bag in hand Having fun: Lachlan looked to be in high spirits and had a smile planted on her face after the show Suited and booted: Elena Perminova, 33, looked chic in a black suit, white shirt and open toe heels Iran fights against COVID-19 outbreak People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:59, March 01, 2020 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." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 05:45:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close (Video by Xinhua Reporter Guo Peiran) 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. 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. Children make paper puppets of Jade Rabbit during the Mid-Autumn Moon Family Festival event held at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York, the United States, Sept. 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) 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. A man and his son make paper puppet of Jade Rabbit during the Mid-Autumn Moon Family Festival event held at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York, the United States, Sept. 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) 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?" A journalist looks at exhibits during the press preview of Chinese Medicine in America: Converging Ideas, People and Practices and On the Shelves of Kam Wah Chung & Co. in the Museum of Chinese in America in New York, the United States, April 25, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) 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." A journalist looks at exhibits during the press preview of Chinese Medicine in America: Converging Ideas, People and Practices and On the Shelves of Kam Wah Chung & Co. in the Museum of Chinese in America in New York, the United States, April 25, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) 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. Herb Tam, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)'s Curator and Director of Exhibitions, introduces exhibits during the press preview of Chinese Medicine in America: Converging Ideas, People and Practices and On the Shelves of Kam Wah Chung & Co. in the Museum of Chinese in America in New York, the United States, April 25, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) 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. Children practice Chinese calligraphy during the Mid-Autumn Moon Family Festival event held at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York, the United States, Sept. 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) 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." KALAMAZOO, MI -- As customers flowed in and out of the locally owned taco shop on the Kalamazoo Mall Monday, many paused to exchange sentiments of shock and sadness over the death of founder Taco Bob Ketteman. Taco Bobs was open and serving up hot tacos Monday afternoon, March 2, despite news of Kettemans death. Thats the way Taco Bob himself would have wanted it, said those who worked with him. Bob Ketteman, affectionately known as Taco Bob, died Sunday, March 1, according to a statement from the business. Ketteman, who was 60, was known for his charismatic personality and kind heart toward everyone in the community, Pintoo Hoffman said. Hoffman, manager of the downtown location, said Ketteman would have wanted the restaurants service to the community to continue Monday. As customers made orders for tacos, choosing which hot sauce to have on the side, employees behind the counter remembered some of Kettemans quirks, like always pronouncing the word specifically as pacifically" and using nicknames to refer to regulars. Taco Bobs opened in 1988. The restaurant took its name from a nickname the one Ketteman earned while working at a Taco Grande franchise near Western Michigan University a few years prior. Today, the business has grown to six locations, including stores in Kalamazoo, Portage, Vicksburg and Mattawan. The newest location opened in August on South Westnedge Avenue. Ketteman hoped to one day be the king of tacos in Kalamazoo, he told the Kalamazoo Gazette in 2005. He even tattooed his business logo on his upper arm. I want the business to be like a mountain, Ketteman said in 2005. I want to be Taco King. Aside from the beloved local brand and the restaurants themselves, the legacy Ketteman leaves behind in Kalamazoo includes his signature Taco Bobs Attitude of Success, the business said in the statement issued Monday. Through intentional positivity and joy, he was able to inspire in our community of thousands a better day, a better view, and a better life one smile and one taco at a time," the statement reads. Tyler Sly, an employee at the downtown location, said his boss once helped him through the loss of a friend. He encouraged Sly to work to keep his mind off of his grief. Sly said he did not understand at the time. Standing behind the counter on Monday, loading tacos with meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, Sly said he now understood why moving forward is the best way to honor Ketteman. Hes just a great guy, Sly said. Everybody loved him. Ketteman remembered peoples orders and was always kind to everyone, Sly said. While waiting for his order of Taco Bobs famous Funny Taco, Brendan McGinnis said he heard the news about Kettemans death on his way to get lunch Monday. Though he did not know the shops owner personally, McGinnis knows how important the restaurant is to the community. This place is an institution, McGinnis said. He pretty much fed me through college. South Street Cigar and Wine owner Dan Woltersom, whose shop is next door to the downtown Taco Bobs location on the Kalamazoo Mall, said Ketteman enjoyed his job and loved his community. He and Ketteman were close friends and business neighbors for about 12 years, Woltersom said. Ketteman worked hard because he so clearly loved his job serving people, Woltersom said. As people passed the cigar shop at South Street and the Kalamazoo Mall, Woltersom said he is hearing a lot of sadness from those who knew Bob personally or simply as Taco Bob. Ive known Bob a long time, Woltersom said. Hes just a good guy. Many more took to social media Monday to express sadness at Kettemans passing and condolences to his family. In a Facebook post, Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson called Ketteman a Kalamazoo original and business pioneer. The restaurant is planning a public celebration of life and will post details as soon as they are available, office manager Leslie Moore said. Thank you for your support and respect during this difficult time of grieving, Moore said on behalf of Kettemans family. Friends and family of Taco Bobs, we are deeply saddened to share news of the passing of a legend in our community. This... Posted by Taco Bob's on Monday, March 2, 2020 Also on MLive: Kalamazoos Taco Bob Ketteman dies at 60 Taco Bobs opens new drive-thru location on Westnedge Michigans Best Taco search gets a little funny at Taco Bobs in Kalamazoo I f, like me, you are riddled with coronavirus anxiety then you have probably thought very seriously about buying (or perhaps even already bought) a face mask. Yet, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends washing your hands as the number one way to prevent contracting COVID-19. In a tweet, WHO said clean your hands regularly with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Director General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added: Touching your face after touching contaminated surfaces or sick people is one of the ways the coronavirus can be transmitted. But how do we know if we have properly washed our hands, and how often should we be washing them? WHO recommends washing your hands in these scenarios: After coughing or sneezing When caring for the sick Before, during and after you prepare food Before eating After toilet use When hands are visibly dirty After handling animals or animal waste As Londoners, we would probably recommend washing your hands or disinfecting them with hand sanitiser after using public transport as well. Experts have warned that the tube is a hotbed for disease, Dr Robin Thompson of Oxford University said: London is a transport hub, and the underground could provide a network to spread the virus quickly. Even if you think youre a pro at hand washing you have been doing it your whole life after all a study in the Journal of Environmental Health found only five per cent of Americans wash their hands properly and a separate study from Harvard University found only 53 per cent of people washed their hands more frequently during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. How to wash your hands properly The NHS advises that it should take you 20 seconds to wash your hands the amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice (in your head, please). After wetting your hands and applying soap, rub the soap over your hands and also rub between your finders with the adjacent hand and vice-versa. Rub the back of your fingers against your palm and rub your thumb using your other hand and the tips of your fingers on your adjacent palm. Rinse your hand completely and dry your hand with a disposable towel if available before using the towel to also switch off the tap. World Health Organisation Drying your hands is just as important - you can pick up germs more easily with wet hands. The Mayo Clinic and Guy's and St Thomas' both separately recommend drying your hands with a disposable paper towel as the best and most hygienic method. According to a study, you are 1,300 times less likely to spread viruses by using a paper towel to dry your hand compared to jet hand dryers. Listen to today's episode of The Leader podcast: Loading.... Its also important to keep your hands away from your face resist rubbing your eyes, nose or mouth as much as you can. The way most respiratory viruses spread between people is through exposure to droplets from coughing or sneezing. If these droplets land on a surface that you then touch with your hands and rub your eyes or nose without washing your hands, thats how the virus can spread. To combat this stay at home if you are feeling ill so not to infect others and consider getting some disinfectant wipes to wipe down the areas at work and home where you often touch. Vietnam is expected to be one of the most favorite destinations for property investors thanks to its export-driven economy and stronger journey of international integration, professional services firm JLL has said in a recent report. Vietnam's property market remains attractive to foreign investors in the next few years Before naming the key trends of Vietnams property market in 2020 and in the next five years, JLL lists a number of factors that make Vietnam a promising investment destination. Securing a large number of FTAs has set Vietnam up for a partnership with 60 countries worldwide and support Vietnam on its path to become the new global manufacturing hub, the real estate and investment management service provider said. In addition, the Southeast Asian country will enter the golden age while its employment in manufacturing and services has increased, JLL said, noting that the Millennial generation will be the main driver of the economy in the next few years. In the fast-changing retail sector, success has never been more dependent on the supply chain. Omni-channel is adding new layers of complexity to retail logistics: its no longer just getting products onto shelves, but making them available anytime and anywhere. Accordingly, the five trends are as follows. Industrial sector will continue to lead the market Industrial is still the hottest sector in the market with demand growing strong as companies are still looking to relocate from China amidst political uncertainty. Even before the trade war, significant interest from foreign investors had led to land value and rental rate increasing. Manufacturing is the sector with the most significant investment in the past 10 years, and JLL predict that it will continue to dominate the market in the next few years. In the coming time, JLL expects to see a growth in medium to long-term investors in the industrial sectors, backed by government support, free trade agreements and movement from China. Logistics is expected to be the future of the industrial market. In recent years, increasing demand from both traditional retails and continuous growth from e-commerce sectors has put great pressure on existing supply chains, facilities and warehouses. JLL predicts that the growth of retail will contribute to investment activities for the current shortfalls of the industry. Country Head of JLL Vietnam Stephen Wyatt Offices go bigger and more connected Office space remains a hot commodity as rents soar past the recent peak to reach a decade high. Rental rates in Grade A&B increase was supported by strong demand and higher rental rates in newer office developments. Tenants are struggling to find bigger space as in the current market, only one Grade A building and ten Grade B buildings can provide a contiguous space larger than 1,000 square meter (sq.m). The demand for large office space will accelerate in the next few years as co-working operators grow in numbers and companies look to upgrade their office to retain talents and expand business. Larger and more flexible space means better chance of collaboration plus energy and space utilization, JLL said in the report. Overall, macroeconomics like urbanization, growth in smart phone and Internet usage and the portion of aging population will fuel demand for alternative investment choices. Apart from the aforementioned trends, alternative real estate such as senior and student housing, data center and cloud kitchen will be popular to investors in the next few years. The future of retail As a new trend in the market, both retailers and mall developers are re-inventing themselves with focus on food and beverage (F&B) and experiential retailers, providing better customer services and applying technology, consumer analytics to enhance their popularity and increase foot traffic. With increasingly shopping online habit, buying decisions often rest on how quickly and efficiently retailers can get goods out of the warehouse and into their hands. Yet it comes at a financial cost; pressure from e-commerce competitors only adds to the squeeze on retailer margins. As Omni-channel retail evolves and consumer expectations around delivery increase, supply chain and logistics management will be crucial differentiators for retailers, according to the report. Limited new supply continues as approval process prolongs According to JLL, about 30,000-35,000 apartments are expected to be launched in Ho Chi Minh City and 40,000-45,000 units in Hanoi in 2020. It should be noted that the number is subject to a great deal of uncertainty given the governments tight control in granting land use rights and construction licenses. Strong demand is set to carry on and will boost the price further across all sectors. However, the demand in high-end segment, especially from investors, is likely to slow down in long term as their already-high price level and low rental yield make it a less attractive investment. Sustainability and more enabled by technology The green movement got a tremendous boost when fine dust and virus become the buzzwords. As people rush to buy mask, landlords race to upgrade their buildings to protect workers and enhance profits as investments in indoor air quality and hygiene help to differentiate office buildings from competitors. Stephen Wyatt, country head of JLL Vietnam, comments: But sustainability is not just a trend, it has to be the future of work. The next generation of buildings is set to become more green, with sustainable technologies to save on operating costs and innovative design to attract more occupiers and tenants. Hanoitimes/JLL HCM City authorities, property developers discuss solutions to problems plaguing market The challenges that property developers face in HCM City were discussed at a meeting between the Peoples Committee, relevant departments and developers last week. San Francisco, March 2 : Amazon has confirmed that two of its employees have been infected with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in Italy. Amazon spokesperson Drew Herdener said that the company was "supporting the affected employees, who were in Milan and are now in quarantine", a New York Times report said on Sunday, which confirmed the two cases. A Google employee in Switzerland was tested positive for COVID-19 last week at its office in Zurich, Switzerland. Google has not shut down its Zurich office but has restricted employees to travel to Iran, Italy and China and was set to expand the curb to Japan and South Korea. The tech giant has also cancelled its 'Global News Initiative' summit in northern California in April. Amazon has already halted all non-essential travel, including trips within the US. The company also told employees to refrain from scheduling meetings that required flights until at least the end of April. Also on Sunday, Twitter said that it would also restrict all nonessential business travel for its employees and partners. "We have continued to monitor the situation closely and are adjusting our internal policies to respond to this rapidly-evolving situation. On February 29, we informed our people and started notifying partners that we are suspending all non-critical business travel and events," the micro-blogging platform said in a statement. "Our goal is to reduce the risk that anyone at Twitter might contract or inadvertently spread the virus. It is important that we take these proactive steps to protect ourselves and others and minimize the spread of COVID-19," it added. There have been more than 87,000 people infected and nearly 3,000 deaths globally since the virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text WASHINGTON When the U.S. House voted earlier in February to extend the deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, only five Republicans voted yes. Rep. Jeff Van Drew was one of them. When the House voted to outlaw logging and mining in more than 1 million federal wilderness acres out west, just six Republicans voted yes. Van Drew was among them too. And when the House voted to make it easier for workers to organize, only five Republicans sided with labor. Van Drew cast one of those yes votes. As a Democrat, the 2nd District congressman often sided with House Republicans against a majority of his own party, most notably opposing President Donald Trumps impeachment the vote that eventually prompted him to switch to the Republican party. But as a Republican, Van Drew again is often on the outside looking in. Of 57 roll call votes this year in which a majority of Democrats and a majority of Republicans were on opposite sides, Van Drew backed the opposition 22 times, or 39%, according to an analysis by NJ Advance Media. I certainly do, and always have been, independent since the day I got involved in politics, Van Drew said in an interview. That was more than twice as high as last year when Van Drew, then a Democrat, broke with his party 18% of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly. Only two Democrats broke with the Democratic Party more often than Van Drew. But it was in line with Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (46%) and 4th District Rep. Chris Smith (36%), who last year were the two House Republicans who most often deviated from the party line, according to the CQ vote study. Its nice to have a little company, Smith said. Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. of the 9th District said Van Drew had little choice but to straddle the partisan line after switching parties. Hes got to be in that position because hes going to be in a tough election in November, Pascrell said. When you give up one side and go to the other in the middle of an election, youve got to show that youre not owned by anybody. Van Drew is a slight favorite to win re-election in his South Jersey district as a Republican. He can expect to face a strong Democratic challenger this fall. Among those seeking the nomination are Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Harrison, veteran congressional aide Will Cunningham, Atlantic County Freeholder Ashley Bennett and Amy Kennedy, wife of former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I. Hes trying to have it both ways, Pascrell said of Van Drew. Well see how many Democrats fall for it. Van Drew also broke with his new party on issues such as allowing older workers to sue for age discrimination even if that was not the only reason for them losing their jobs, and regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, blamed for drinking water contamination. Hes got to represent his people in South Jersey, said Lee Murphy, a Penns Grove native, who attended last months Conservative Political Action Conference seeking support for his own congressional campaign in Delaware. Hes got to do that first. Van Drews independence only went so far, however. Since joining the GOP, he almost always voted with the rest of the House Republican Conference on a series of procedural votes, which are tests of party loyalty. The one exception: A motion to delay aid for Puerto Rico. His was the only Republican no vote. The important thing for Jeff Van Drew is he votes with the president when the president wants him to vote with him, said Ben Dworkin, director of Rowan Universitys Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship. Van Drew voted against appointing managers for Trumps impeachment and against requiring Trump to get congressional approval before going to war with Iran. On any given bill, here or there, it doesnt matter as much but on the big issues will you overtly support the president, will you go out there when the president says, This is a vote we want, we have to make a stand here, then hes there," Dworkin said. Van Drew said that both Trump and President Ronald Reagan started as Democrats. I think Ill be a pretty good Republican, he said. I still will vote my mind just as the president speaks his mind sometimes. You do what you really think is best. But I still think on the majority of bills, were of a like mind." Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. New Delhi: With Airtel and Tata Teleservice having submitted their self assessment figures on AGR which though are subject to DoT reconciliation, the government will ask Vodafone Idea this week to apprise them of their numbers and submit the dues simultaneously. The prospects of any major relief to the telcos before the Next Supreme Court hearing on March 17 is dim and official sources said they have to pay first as per their self assessment, as it's not an overnight issue and they should have been prepared for it and provisioned. "Airtel and Tata Teleservice have submitted as per their assessment and we will get back to them on their numbers but Vodafone has now to submit its assessment numbers so that we have time and numbers to consider for any relief even after the next hearing in the Supreme Court. But first pay," a source said. On Saturday, Airtel submitted Rs 8000 crore more as AGR dues, including Rs 5,000 crore extra, subject to DoT reconciliation. The telco had earlier paid Rs 10,000 cr as AGR dues. Airtel said Rs 18,000 crore is the full and final figure. However, DoT's AGR figure stood at Rs 35,500 crore for Airtel. For Tata Tele which paid Rs 2197 crore, the figure stood at a little over Rs 14,000 crore. Vodafone Idea so far has paid Rs 3500 crore, its figure as per government is Rs 53,000 crore and VIL is currently doing self assessment and is yet to give full and final figure as per its own calculations. On Friday, Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the inter ministerial panel of Telecom Ministry could not take any decision on possible relief to the financially distressed telecom sector with officials saying more data are required for reconciliation of AGR numbers. The DCC meeting that lasted two hours will be held again in the coming days. "No decision has been taken on any relief to the telecom companies, sources said, adding, the department needs more data, and that there will be more meetings and reconciliation of AGR figures. OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian authorities on Sunday reached a tentative deal with an indigenous group in the Pacific province of British Columbia that could end solidarity protests across Canada that have been blocking rail lines and roads for weeks. Activists have disrupted passenger and freight traffic to show solidarity with the Wetsuweten people, who are seeking to stop TC Energy Corps (TRP.TO) Coastal GasLink pipeline from being built across their land. After three days of talks in which work on the pipeline had been stopped, Indigenous affairs ministers from British Columbia and Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government said they reached an agreement that would address future land rights disputes, but said pipeline construction would continue. After the deal was announced, Coastal GasLink President David Pfeiffer said construction would be restarted on Monday. The agreement will now be reviewed by the Wetsuweten people, British Columbias Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser said in a Facebook live stream from the town of Smithers. That consultations should take about two weeks, Wetsuweten hereditary leader Chief Woos said. The agreement will create certainty and clarity for the Wetsuweten and all British Columbians, Fraser said, without providing details. They are permitted and allowed to go to work, Fraser said when asked about whether laborers building TC Energys GasLink pipeline would be allowed to continue construction. The proposed agreement includes establishing a permanent table to address legacy land rights and title issues, a senior federal government source said. Carolyn Bennett, the federal minister of crown-indigenous relations, called the agreement a milestone in indigenous relations. Bennett declined to reveal any of the deals details, saying the Wetsuweten people should see it first. Police in the eastern province of Ontario cleared protesters from a major Canadian National Railway Co (CNR.TO) line on Monday, allowing some shipments to resume. Trudeau, who says improving relations with aboriginal groups is a priority, called for dialogue. But tensions built quickly as the blockades led to railroad layoffs and shortages of goods like propane and as business groups warned of further economic damage. At least one rail line in Quebec, south of Montreal, remains blocked as some indigenous protesters were holding out. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said last week that the effects of the disruptions would be felt for weeks and months to come. Two people who returned to Rhode Island from a trip to Europe tested positive for the new coronavirus disease, and a third person from the trip is undergoing tests, health officials said. A man in his 40s contracted the virus after traveling to Italy in mid-February, prompting dozens of people to be self-quarantined and the Catholic high school that organized the trip to close while it's being sanitized, the Rhode Island Department of Health said in a statement Sunday. Hours later, the state Department of Health released another statement saying that a teenage girl from the trip had tested positive for COVID-19, and a third person, a woman in her 30s, is undergoing tests. Presumptive positive cases still need to be verified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health department spokesman Joseph Wendelken said. Saint Raphael Academy, a Pawtucket, Rhode Island, school located on the Massachusetts border, posted an online statement Sunday afternoon that said students and chaperones who were on the trip to Europe will be out of school until March 9. All 38 of the people who went on this trip will be self-monitoring for symptoms at home for 14 days with public health supervision, the state Department of Health's second statement said. They have been instructed to not go to school or work and to remain at home for these 14 days. The school said the male patient had not been on campus since returning from Europe. State officials have not identified the patients or anyone who has been quarantined. All three people went on the same trip to Italy, Dr. Nichole Alexander-Scott, the state's director of health, said in the statement. This is precisely why we are being so aggressive in identifying contacts, ensuring monitoring, and testing people who are symptomatic. Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo, before the announcement of the second confirmed case, told residents at a press conference Sunday that there's no need for panic. At this point in time, the general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is low," she said. State public health officials are working with the hospital where the man is currently being treated to ensure all infection protocols are being followed. The infected man had limited travel in Rhode Island since returning from Italy and had not gone to his place of work since returning. The CDC is managing the efforts to trace people on his return flight to the United States. Saint Raphael said out of an abundance of caution it decided to cancel in-school classes and instead hold Virtual Days at home Tuesday and Wednesday for students, faculty and staff as the ongoing campus sanitation continues. Also, after-school activities and practices, including sports, are canceled. The state Department of Health said later Sunday that the school will be closed for the remainder of the week. The woman whose test results are pending is a staff member at Achievement First Academy in Providence. That school will be closed Monday, when the results are expected, and Tuesday, for environmental cleaning. The first reported death in the U.S. from the virus was confirmed Saturday in Seattle, prompting the governor of Washington to declare a state of emergency, and a second death in the state was announced Sunday. As of Sunday, the U.S. had at least 80 confirmed cases of the virus, which first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus that can cause COVID-19 climbed to more than 88,000, and there were more than 3,000 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 number of cases in the United States is considered small. But that number is expected to grow, and health agencies have ramped up efforts to identify those who may be sick. Related Content: According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General, a relevant agreement on the continuation will be signed by the end of this week Ukrainian investigators will continue their work in a joint investigation team that is inquiring into the MH17 catastrophe, an agreement on the continuation of their work will be signed by the end of this week. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Ryaboshapka told this to journalists, Interfax-Ukraine reports. "The continuation of the investigation team agreement is planned to be signed later this week, and we will also continue this agreement. Our prosecutors are fully represented in this investigation team, they are professionals, they are able to cooperate and work qualitatively in this investigation team," Ryaboshapka said. As we reported earlier, the Netherlands prosecutor Fred Westerbeke stated there were witnesses to testify that the rocket, which had struck the Boeing 777 Malaysian Airlines (MH17 flight) in 2014, had been launched by a Russian Armed Forces brigade. According to him, there is no doubt the missile system came from the 53rd Brigade of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. "I would say I have an eyewitness. And how many, I did not say how many," Westerbeke said. Human toll: A migrant carries his baby as he walks on a railway track toward the Meritsa river, near Edirne, in far western Turkey, to take a boat in an attempt to enter Greece. Photo by Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images Police fired tear gas in clashes with migrants as thousands massed at Turkey's western frontier with Greece after Ankara opened its borders to put pressure on the rest of Europe to help. Turkey's decision to ease border restrictions came amid a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive into Syria's north-western Idlib province. Expand Close A police officer prepares to fire a tear gas canister during clashes with migrants. Photo: Reuters/Alexandros Avramidis / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A police officer prepares to fire a tear gas canister during clashes with migrants. Photo: Reuters/Alexandros Avramidis It has killed dozens of Turkish troops and led to a surge of nearly a million Syrian civilians fleeing the fighting toward Turkey's sealed border. Turkey backs the Syrian rebels fighting in Idlib province, and has sent thousands of troops into the area. Idlib is the last opposition-held stronghold in Syria, dominated by al-Qa'ida-linked fighters. One Turkish official said the fighting in Idlib was directly linked to Turkey's decision to open the gates for refugees to Europe. He said Ankara had changed its focus to preparing for the possibility of new arrivals from Syria "instead of preventing refugees who intend to migrate to Europe". Expand Close Thousands of migrants gather at the Turkey-Greece border near Edirne. Photo by Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Thousands of migrants gather at the Turkey-Greece border near Edirne. Photo by Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images "Europe and others must take robust action to address this monumental challenge," said Fahrettin Altun, the communications director for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We can't be expected to do this on our own." Mr Erdogan's decision to open his country's borders with Europe made good on a long-standing threat to let refugees into the continent. His announcement marked a dramatic departure from previous policy of containment, an apparent attempt to pressure Europe into offering Turkey more support in dealing with the fallout from the Syrian war to its south. Under a 6bn 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, and Mr Erdogan has frequently threatened to allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, as well as others from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. On the Greek-Turkish land border, Greek army and police patrols using tear gas and stun grenades to halt attempts overnight by thousands to push into the country. Authorities later used tear gas and water cannons to push back another crowd attempting to cross. Migrants threw rocks and other objects and one policeman was injured. The United Nations migration organisation reported that at least 13,000 people had massed on Turkey's land border by Saturday night, the vast majority apparently from Afghanistan. In Istanbul, a steady stream of buses, taxis, cars and minibuses were ferrying hundreds of migrants throughout Sunday to Edirne, a town near the far-western border with Greece. Those boarding the buses - the vast majority of them Afghans - said they eventually hoped to get to Germany. On the Greek islands, initial figures showed about 500 people had arrived from the nearby Turkish coast by yesterday afternoon. Existing migrant camps on the islands are already dramatically overcrowded, and tensions have mounted. In a small harbour on Lesbos, angry local residents refused to allow migrants - including families with babies - to disembark from a dinghy that had just arrived. Groups of migrants who arrived on other parts of the island remained there for hours because locals stopped buses from reaching them to transport them to the main camp. More than 19,300 people already live in and around the island's migrant camp, which has a capacity of 2,840. Protests by local residents last week over the migrant situation degenerated into clashes with riot police on Lesbos and Chios. Greece said it was using "all available means" to tell migrants the country's borders were closed, including text messages to foreign mobiles in the border area. Stavros Zamalides, the president of the Greek border community of Kastanies, said Turkish soldiers used wire cutters to actively help people cross in secret. As many as six cases have been registered and the investigation is in advanced stages in connection with rumor-mongering in the capital on Sunday evening, said SN Shrivastava, Delhi Police Commissioner. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Shrivastava said, "Some anti-nationals and miscreants want to spread the rumour to disturb the peace in Delhi. We want to tell the citizens of Delhi that whenever they get unconfirmed reports of riots or any disturbance, then, they must verify such reports from the Central Police Control room for which we are giving an advertisement." Delhi was on the edge once again after rumors of communal tension/attacks spread on Sunday evening. The Delhi Police Commissioner also said that the situation is peaceful in the capital. "I have also toured the areas of the North-East district of Delhi and found shops were opened, so normalcy is returning fast," he said. When asked about cases registered in Delhi violence, Shrivastava said, "We have registered more than 300 cases and have made arrests also. We are ensuring to arrest those against whom we have evidence." At least 47 people have died and around 200 sustained injuries in the violence that erupted in north-east Delhi last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Nana Patole on Mondaysuo moto took up breach of privilege against Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta for not responding to communicationfrom the Legislatureon issues raised by members throughPoint of Proprietyduring the winter session. Patole directed Mehta to present himself at the bar of the House and apologise. But, he later withdrew his order after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar apologised on behalf of the government. "The punishment is too harsh. Never before a chief secretary had been punished," he said. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said he understood the sentiments of the speaker to uphold rights of the members, but since the deputy chief minister has apologised, the issue should be laid to rest. Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat also expressed a similar view. Patole said there were 83 issues raised through Point of Propriety. But, the administration responded only to four. "I will use all my powers to protect rights of the members. Even a teshildar and junior police officials don't respect the legislator and dump their letters in the dustbin," he said. "I will not tolerate this and will hold the chief secretary responsible for the delays and ill-treatment of legislators," Patole said, adding that he was, however, withdrawing his order since the deputy chief minister has apologised. House members raise issues of their constituency and the state through a Point of Propriety after the Question Hour and the administration has to respond to them within a month. The winter session of the state Legislature was held in Nagpur in December last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Klobuchar tried to carve out space in the Democratic primary field by running on a more moderate platform than many of her rivals and touting her ability to appeal to Midwestern voters. But the third-term senator from Minnesota struggled to gain a foothold in a crowded field despite a flash of early success. Biden, like Klobuchar, has positioned himself as a pragmatic candidate suited for those uncomfortable with Sanders' sweeping policy proposals. It is unclear whether Klobuchar supporters would be more inclined to support Biden over alternatives such as Sanders, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts though her endorsement could push them in the direction of the former vice president. The departure of Klobuchar, and former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg a day earlier , leaves a chunk of the vote up for grabs across the 14 states holding primaries on Tuesday. Klobuchar and Buttigieg's presence in the race threatened to sap delegates from Biden, who narrowly trails Sen. Bernie Sanders in the national delegate race after four contests. The Minnesota senator will join her soon-to-be former rival at a rally in Dallas and support his bid for the nomination, a campaign spokesman confirmed. Klobuchar will leave the race a day before her state holds its presidential primary. Minnesota will award 75 national pledged delegates. Sen. Amy Klobuchar will drop out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race on Monday and endorse former Vice President Joe Biden. Democratic presidential candidates (L-R) former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) walk on stage prior to the Democratic presidential primary debate at the Charleston Gaillard Center on February 25, 2020 in Charleston, South Carolina. Klobuchar focused on issues such as health care and climate change during her presidential bid. As she tried to distance herself from her rivals in recent weeks, she criticized early frontrunner Sanders for his "Medicare for All" plan and Buttigieg for a lack of experience. After a fifth-place finish in the Iowa caucus, Klobuchar rode a strong debate performance to third in the New Hampshire primary. But she failed to replicate the success in the caucus in Nevada, a state with a more diverse electorate. Polls found Klobuchar generally struggled to gain traction with voters of color. Indeed, she had another poor showing in the South Carolina primary, where black voters make up the majority of the Democratic electorate. Only 1% of black voters in the Palmetto State chose Klobuchar, according to exit polls. After a sixth-place finish in Nevada, Klobuchar said her campaign "exceeded expectations" at every turn. She argued she could offer a haven to voters in the middle of the ideological spectrum weary of President Donald Trump's personality and policies. "Donald Trump's worst nightmare is that the people in the middle, the people who are tired of the mudslinging and the name calling, will have a place to call home this November and that has been our mission from the beginning," the senator said after a sixth-place finish in Nevada. After Sanders' win in Nevada, some Democrats called for White House hopefuls to drop out of the race so voters uncomfortable with the Vermont senator could coalesce around one alternative. Klobuchar said she would not leave the race then, asking, "Why would I get out?" Klobuchar narrowly leads recent polls in Minnesota over Sanders. The Vermont senator will hold a rally in St. Paul on Monday night as he makes his final push in the state. Minnesota has early voting, meaning thousands of people chose their preferred Democrat before Klobuchar left the race. In a tweet Monday congratulating Klobuchar for running a "strong, issues oriented campaign," Sanders said he hoped "her supporters will join us in our fight to defeat Donald Trump in November and win real change." Bernie Sanders tweet For most of the primary, Klobuchar failed to keep up with the fundraising pace of the top Democratic candidates. Sanders, in particular, enjoyed success with small-dollar donors. She did get a boost after the New Hampshire debate, taking in more than $12 million in a week. She bought television ads across multiple states holding primaries on this week's Super Tuesday, when 14 states held nominating contests. In January, The New York Times endorsed her for president, along with Warren, whose campaign called for more drastic policy changes than Klobuchar did. But Klobuchar ultimately failed to break into the top echelon of candidates in the vast majority of primary polls. The senator faced criticism earlier in 2019 for reports that she mistreated Senate staff members. She responded by saying she had "high standards" and was "tough" enough to deal with world leaders. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. China is transferring tens of thousands of Uighur detainees out of internment camps and into factories that supply some of the world's leading brands, an Australian think tank said Monday. Top global brands such as Apple, BMW and Sony have been accused of getting supplies from factories using the forced labour, an explosive allegation that could reverberate in boardrooms across the world. The Chinese government has transferred 80,000 or more Uighurs out of camps in Xinjiang and into factories across the country, according to The Australian Strategic Policy Institute. An estimated one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held at what authorities call 'education centres' in Xinjiang. This photo taken on May 31, 2019, shows a watchtower on a high-security facility near what is believed to be a re-education camp on the outskirts of Hotan An Australian think tank suggests that China is transferring tens of thousands of Uighur detainees out of internment camps and into factories that supply world's leading brands. This photo taken on June 2, 201,9 shows a facility believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained in Artux, north of Kashgar in China's western Xinjiang 'Uighurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors,' the think tank said. 'Some factories across China are using forced Uighur labour under a state-sponsored labour transfer scheme that is tainting the global supply chain.' The brands, it added, included 'Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen'. 'Companies using forced Uighur labour in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labour or mandate disclosure of forced labour supply chain risks,' the report said. 'The companies listed in this report should conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labour in China, including robust and independent social audits and inspections.' AFP has contacted the firms for a response to the claims. Xinjiang's governor said people who were at 'vocational training centres' had all 'graduated' and were living happy lives. This photo taken on May 31, 2019, shows the outer wall of a complex which includes what is believed to be a re-education camp on the outskirts of Hotan This satellite image, taken on September 17, 2018, and provided by Planet Labs, shows buildings around the Kunshan Industrial Park in Artux in western China's Xinjiang region. This is believed to be one of a number of internment camps in the Xinjiang region An estimated one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held in internment camps in Xinjiang. After initially denying their existence, Beijing cast the facilities as 'vocational education centres' where 'students' learn Mandarin and job skills in an effort to steer them away from religious extremism, terrorism and separatism. Rights groups and witnesses accuse China of forcibly trying to draw Uighurs away from their Islamic customs and integrate them into the majority Han culture. Dozens of students are shown at their desks learning Chinese and law in the programme aired by CCTV that introduced the 'professional vocational training institutions' in Hotan Beijing cast the facilities as 'vocational education centres' where 'students' learn Mandarin and job skills to steer them away from religious extremism, terrorism and separatism. This picture taken on June 25, 2017 shows police patrolling in a night food market near in Kashgar Most of China's Muslim communities, including the Hui, Uighurs and Kazakhs, have lived in China for more than 1,000 years. This photo taken on June 5, 2019 shows Uighur men dancing after Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of Ramadan, outside the Id Kah mosque in Kashgar Officially, the Chinese government says it is transferring 'surplus' Xinjiang labour to other regions in the name of poverty alleviation. According to official news agency Xinhua, more than 25,000 workers from Xinjiang were slated to be transferred 'inland' in 2019. China's foreign ministry and the Xinjiang government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report. More Information At a glance In municipal and general elections, propositions are used to take a vote on local bonds and proposed state constitutional amendments, but no such lawmaking questions are asked on a primary ballot. Democratic Party propositions 1. Right to Healthcare: Should everyone in Texas have a right to quality healthcare, protected by a universally accessible Medicare-style system that saves rural hospitals, reduces the cost of the prescription drugs, and guarantees access to reproductive healthcare? 2. Right to a 21st Century Public Education: Should everyone in Texas have the right to a high-quality public education from pre-k to 12th grade, and affordable college and career training without the burden of crushing student loan debt? 3. Right to Clean Air, Safe Water, and a Responsible Climate Policy: Should everyone in Texas have the right to clean air, safe water, affordable and sustainable alternative energy sources, and a responsible climate policy that recognizes and addresses the climate crisis as a real and serious threat that impacts every aspect of life on this planet? 4. Right to Economic Security: Should everyone in Texas have the right to economic security, where all workers have earned paid family and sick leave, training to prepare for future economies, and a living wage that respects their hard work? 5. Right to Dignity & Respect: Should everyone in Texas have the right to a life of dignity and respect, free from discrimination and harassment anywhere, including businesses and public facilities, no matter how they identify, the color of their skin, whom they love, socioeconomic status, disability status, housing status, or from where they come? 6. Right to Be Free from Violence: Should everyone in Texas have the right to live a life free from violence - gun violence, racial hatred, terrorism, domestic violence, bullying, harassment or sexual assault - so Texans can grow in a safe environment? 7. Right to Housing: Should everyone in Texas have the right to affordable and accessible housing and modern utilities (electricity, water, gas, and high-speed internet) free from any form of discrimination? 8. Right to Vote: Should every eligible Texas have the right to vote, made easier by automatic voter registration, the option to vote by mail, guaranteed early and mobile voting stations, and a state election holiday - free from corporate campaign influence, foreign and domestic interference and gerrymandering? 9. Right to a Fair Criminal Justice System: Should everyone in Texas have the right to a fair criminal justice system that treats people equally, uses proven methods for de-escalating situations instead of excessive force, and puts an end to the mass and disproportionate incarceration of people of color for minor offenses? 10. Immigrant Rights: Should there be a just and fair comprehensive immigration reform solution that includes an earned path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants and their children, keeps families together, protects DREAMers, and provides workforce solutions for businesses? 11. Right to Fair Taxation: Should Texas establish equitable taxation for people at all income levels and for businesses and corporations, large and small, so our state government can fund our educational, social, infrastructure, business and all government services to improve programs necessary for all Texans to thrive? Republican Party propositions 1. Texas should not restrict or prohibit prayer in public schools. 2. Texas should reject restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms. 3. Texas should ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying, which allows your tax dollars to be spent on lobbyists who work against the taxpayer. 4. Texas should support the construction of a physical barrier and use existing defense-grade surveillance equipment along the entire southern border of Texas. 5. Texas parents or legal guardians of public school children under the age of 18 should be the sole decision makers for all their children's healthcare decisions including, but not limited to, psychological assessment and treatment, contraception and sex education. 6. Texas should ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital mutilation surgery on all minor children for transition purposes, given that Texas children as young as three (3) are being transitioned from their biological sex to the opposite sex. 7. Texans should protect and preserve all historical monuments, artifacts, and other buildings, such as the Alamo Cenotaph and our beloved Alamo, and should oppose any reimagining of the Alamo site. 8. Texas election officials should heed the directives of the Office of the Governor to purge illegal voters from the voter rolls and verify that each new registered voter is a U.S. Citizen. 9. Bail in Texas should be based only on a person's danger to society and risk of flight, not that person's ability to pay. 10. Texas should limit our state legislators' terms to 12 years. Credit: CC0 Public Domain New South Wales' Forestry Corporation will this week start "selective timber harvesting" from two state forests ravaged by bushfire on the state's south coast. The state-owned company says the operations will be "strictly managed" and produce timber for power poles, bridges, flooring and decking. Similarly, the Victorian government's logging company VicForests recently celebrated the removal of sawlogs from burnt forests in East Gippsland. VicForests says it did not cut down the treesthey were cut or pushed over by the army, firefighters or road crews because they blocked the rood or were dangerous. The company said it simply removed the logs to put them "to good use." However the science on the impacts of post-fire logging is clear: it can significantly impair the recovery of burned ecosystems, badly affect wildlife and, for some animal species, prevent recovery. We acknowledge that for safety reasons, some standing and fallen burnt trees must be removed after a fire. But wherever possible, they should remain in place. Damaging effects Hollows in fire-damaged trees and logs provide critical habitat for animal species trying to survive in, or recolonize, burned forests. Detailed studies around the world over the past 20 years, including in Australia, have demonstrated the damage caused by post-fire logging. Indeed, the research shows post-fire logging is the most damaging form of logging. Logging large old trees after a fire may make the forests unsuitable habitat for many wildlife species for up to 200 years. Long-term monitoring data from extensive field surveys shows hollow-dependent mammals, such as the vulnerable greater glider, generally do not survive in areas burned and then logged. Research by the lead author, soon to be published, shows populations are declining rapidly in landscapes dominated by wood production. Forests logged after a fire have the lowest bird biodiversity relative to other forests, including those that burned at high severity (but which remain unlogged). Critical plants such as tree ferns are all but eradicated from forests that have been burned and then logged. Soils remain extensively altered for many decades after post-fire logging. This is a major concern because runoff into rivers and streams damages aquatic ecosystems and kills organisms such as fish. A double disturbance Fire badly disrupts forest ecosystems. Animals and plants then begin recovering, but most forests and the biota they support simply cannot deal with the second intense disturbance of logging so soon after a first one. For example, young germinating plants are highly vulnerable to being flattened and destroyed by heavy logging machinery. And in an Australian context, post-fire logging makes no sense in the majority of eucalypt-dominated ecosystems where many tree species naturally resprout. This is an essential part of forest recovery. Logs provide shade, moisture and shelter for plants, and rotting timber is food for insectswhich in turn provide food for mammals and birds. Living and dead trees are also important for fungia food source for many animals, including bandicoots and potoroos which have been heavily impacted by the fires. Similarly on burnt private land, removing damaged and fallen trees will only hinder natural recovery by removing important animal habitat and disturbing the soil. If left, fallen trees will provide refuge for surviving wildlife and enable the natural recovery of forests. While the sight of burnt timber can be disheartening, landholders should resist the urge to "clean up." It doesn't add up Research in North America suggests debris such as tree heads, branches and other vegetation left by post-fire logging not only hinders forest regeneration, but can make forests more prone to fire. And the economics of logging, particular after a fire, is dubious at best. Many native forest logging operations, such as in Victoria's East Gippsland, are unprofitable, losing millions of taxpayer dollars annually. Timber is predominantly sold cheaply for use as woodchips and paper pulp and fire-damaged timber is of particularly poor quality. Even before the fires, 87% of all native forest logged in Victoria was for woodchips and paper pulp. Post-fire logging certainly has no place in national parks. But for the reasons we've outlined, it should be avoided even in state forests and on private land. Million hectares of vegetation in Australia was damaged or destroyed this fire season. The last thing our forests need is yet more disturbance. VicForests response: VicForests told The Conversation that timber currently being removed by VicForests, at the direction of the Chief Fire Officer, is from hazardous trees that were cut or knocked over to enable the Princes Highway to be re-opened. It said the timber would be used for fence restoration, firewood and to support local mills "protecting jobs, incomes and families. It would otherwise be left in piles on the side of the highway." "Any further post-fire recovery harvesting will occur in consultation with government including biodiversity specialists and the conservation regulator, following careful assessment and protection of high conservation values," VicForests said. The company said post-fire recovery harvesting, particularly of fire-killed trees, does not increase fire risk. "Sensitive harvesting including the retention of habitat trees and active re-seeding is more likely to result in a successfully regenerated forest and a supportive environment for threatened species. This regenerating forest will have the same fire risk as natural regeneration following bushfire." Forestry Corporation of NSW response: Forestry Corporation of NSW said in a statement that small-scale selective timber harvesting operation will begin on the south coast this week. The company's senior planning manager Dean Kearney said the Environment Protection Authority, with the input of scientific experts "has provided Forestry Corporation with site-specific conditions for selective timber harvesting operations in designated parts of Mogo and South Brooman State Forests. These areas were previously set aside for timber production this year but have now been impacted by fire." "Strictly-managed selective timber harvesting will help prevent the loss of some high-quality timber damaged by fire, including material that will be in high demand for rebuilding, while ensuring the right protections are in place for key environmental values, particularly wildlife habitat, as these forests begin regenerating," he said. "The harvesting conditions augment the already strict rule set in place for forest operations and include requirements to leave all unburnt forest untouched and establish even more stringent conditions to protect water quality, hollow-bearing trees and wildlife habitat." Explore further Wildlife needs fire-damaged and dead trees after fires This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old gay veteran who just dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary after a historic campaign, might be backing moderate heavyweight Joe Biden in the fight to face President Donald Trump in November. CNN on Monday reported that Buttigieg has considered whether to endorse the former vice president after leaving the race late Sunday night following a disappointing finish in the South Carolina primary. Buttigieg catapulted from being a mayor of a relatively small city to the nations first formidable gay presidential candidate, winning the Iowa caucuses and finishing second in New Hampshire to the current frontrunner, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. But Buttigieg often characterized Sanders as a divisive figure who couldnt win the White House with what he called uncompromising progressive plans, such as a Medicare for All proposal that could take health insurance away from hundreds of thousands of Americans on private plans. Buttigieg also expressed fears that a Sanders nomination would put Democratic candidates in congressional races in jeopardy. Two sources close to Buttigieg said a Biden endorsement is likely, but whether it comes before Super Tuesday, when voters in 14 states cast ballots for their top candidates, remains unclear, according to CNN. Buttigieg spoke to Biden by phone after delivering a concession speech Sunday night. Biden, who won a decisive and necessary victory in South Carolina, asked for the younger candidates endorsement but Buttigieg said he wanted to think about it overnight. He also spoke with former President Barack Obama, CNN and The New York Times reported. The sources said Obama praised Buttigieg on his historic campaign and for his decision to exit the race at a difficult time when hed already won so much support. In the latest WBUR poll of likely Massachusetts voters, Buttigieg was in third place with 14% support behind Sen. Elizabeth Warrens 17% and Sanders 25%. Sanders has made a play for Massachusetts with a series of rallies and events throughout the commonwealth, as he looks to squeeze Warren, the races other progressive, out of contention. Sanders is less likely to pick up support from Buttigieg supporters, based on frequent critiques from the Indiana candidate, and whether those Bay State voters side with Biden or Warren could determine whether she wins her own state on Tuesday. The Warren campaign has said shes in the race for the long haul, despite third, fourth and fifth place finishes in the last few contests. The Warren team says after Super Tuesday, she will emerge as one of three candidates with enough delegates to make a viable case for the nomination by the time of the Democratic National Convention in July. Misr Cement-Qena reports 84% profit drop in 2019 ICR Newsroom By 02 March 2020 Egypt-based Misr Cement (Qena) an 84 per cent YoY decline in consolidated net profits to EGP16.45m (US$1.05m) in 2019, compared with EGP104.39m in 2018, according to a statement to the Egyptian Exchange. Sales fell to EGP3.1226bn in 2019, down from EGP3.1229bn the previous year. Stand-alone net profits more than halved from EGP76.54m in 2018 to EGP35.24m in 2019. Published under The prime minster of Burkina Faso, Christophe Dabire, has labelled Oranges propose price hike unacceptable. Earlier this month, Orange notified its customers that it would increase tariffs by 2.04% from 17th February. The increase follows the introduction of the governments 2020 Finance Act, which raises operator revenue tax from 5% to 7%. In a post on Twitter, Dabire expressed disappointment that Orange had acted without first airing its concerns to his administration, writing: Without a study proving the tax burden on the telecom sector is excessive, the government will not accept any increase linked to the adoption of the finance bill. Dasmane Traore, head of the consumer interest group Ligue des Consommateurs du Burkina, said this increase is unjustified and shows contempt for consumers especially as we face issues with poor network quality. He advised customers to boycott Orange if the price hike was implemented. VIENNA, N.Y. -- When an Oswego County man became ill as he drove along state Route 49 in the Oneida County town of Vienna, his passenger knew she needed to help, authorities said. John Ward, 62, of Cleveland, appeared to have suffered a medical emergency at 4:50 p.m. Sunday when his 2012 Chevrolet Cruze began to veer off the road, Oneida County sheriffs deputies said. His passenger, Christine Ward, 63, of Cleveland, tried to gain control of the vehicle as it headed off the north shoulder of Route 49, deputies said. But the car struck two mailboxes and landed in a ditch. Christine Ward was not injured in the crash, but John Ward was unconscious at the scene, deputies said. Members of the Vienna Fire Department tended to John Ward, who was still unconscious and struggling to breath, according to the sheriffs office. Vineall Ambulance Services took Ward to Oneida Health Hospital in Oneida for an unknown medical concern, the sheriffs office said in a news release. Wards condition was not immediately available Sunday night. No tickets were issued. 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 or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call (315) 470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Schools are making plans in case the COVID-19 coronavirus spreads to Northeast Ohio, mostly based on government authorities and guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that schools consider possible outbreaks in the United States. Schools are a prime opportunities for spreading diseases because large groups of people convene in a close setting, sharing equipment. Ohio currently has no confirmed cases of the illness, which is marked by coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath. Japan recently closed its schools to avoid spread, reports the BBC. More than 200 people have been infected with the coronavirus there. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District sent out a note to parents about the steps the district is taking to prepare for potential spread of the virus. With news of the spread of the coronavirus in various parts of the world, it is not unusual to see heightened anxiety about our own preparedness should Ohio or Cleveland see cases closer to home, the letter reads. While health experts have seen no signs that the virus has reached Ohio, and although we are being assured that Americans have a low risk of exposure to the virus, we are taking a number of precautions. Related: What survivalists say youll need in case of a coronavirus outbreak The districts health services team is monitoring CDC updates and will be working with the citys emergency management officials on preparedness and messaging to citizens, students and families, district spokeswoman Roseann Canfora wrote in an email. Rocky River Superintendent Michael Shoaf also sent out a note to parents about the coronavirus, stating the district will turn to local, state and federal officials on decisions about school closure and other recommendations. The letter linked the to the Ohio Department of Health and included were a list of tips for individuals to follow to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as well as attendance hotlines for individual schools. Superintendents have the power to close schools for illnesses, like in Bay Village, where after experiencing a spike in absences because of a mix of diseases, Bay Village closed Westerly Elementary School for two days. A cleaning service disinfected the school. Other schools, including Lakewood and Cleveland Heights-University Heights, have stated they will look to local public health authorities for guidance. Both districts have not closed a building for illness in recent years. Cleveland Metropolitan School District planned a meeting about preparations for the virus, a district spokeswoman wrote in an email. Requests for further updates have not been returned. What does the CDC tell schools to do? The CDC issued advice this week for schools, businesses and communities to review and update plans and procedures, in case of an outbreak. This includes examining how the school works with the local board of health and updating absence and teacher leave policies and appropriately preparing for reduced staffing levels. Schools should clean more, and publicize routine hand-washing and hygiene procedures. Administrators should also share when its appropriate for a student to stay at home. Read the full list of recommendations here. If a coronavirus case is identified, then schools must immediately work with local departments of health to decide whether to dismiss schools. Schools are not expected to make decisions about dismissal or canceling events on their own, the recommendations read. Schools can seek specific guidance from local health officials to determine if, when, and for how long to take these steps. Large event cancellations or school dismissals may be recommended for 14 days, or possibly longer if advised by local health officials. If students are dismissed, schools can assess their options for educating remotely and get help from relevant state entities. Schools are also advised to prepare alternatives for food assistance and any other medical or health services. Read more coronavirus information here: -- Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohioans should have sense of urgency over coronavirus outbreak -- State clarifies no new coronavirus tests of Ohioans for now -- What survivalists say youll need in case of a coronavirus outbreak -- Ohio health officials have asked 175 travelers to self-quarantine to stop spread of potential COVID-19 coronavirus -- Coronavirus symptoms often mild, health professionals find. Treatment could mean just waiting it out --Tourism hot-spot Italy is now struggling to contain coronavirus: What to know about travel -- One additional Ohioan tested negative for coronavirus, health officials say CITIC Telecom CPC Appointment of New Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (\CITIC Telecom CPC\), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (\CITIC Telecom\, \the Group\, SEHK: 1883) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Frank Cai (Dawei CAI) to be the Vice Chairman of CITIC Telecom CPC effective 28th February. Further, Mr. Stephen Ho has determined to retire from the company after nearly 20 years of service and to step down from CEO of the company effective 31st January 2020. Mr. Esmond Li (Bing Chi, LI), Chief Financial Officer of CITIC Telecom has been appointed to the additional role of CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC effective 1st February, 2020. Mr. Cai has more than 20 years of experience in the field of telecommunications, possessing thorough understanding and great achievement in areas of business and network operations and management, communication and information technology development, as well as outstanding contributions in new business expansions. \The recent economic situation is challenging and I\-\-m excited to be joining CITIC Telecom CPC at this point of time to continue unleashing the Company\-\-s full potential,\ said Mr. Cai. \CITIC Telecom CPC is well-developed as a Global Local ICT solutions partner with service coverage across major and high potential countries and cities, including places along the Belt and Road. It demonstrates the Company\-\-s insightful direction and strategy which set it apart from other service providers. I look forward to continuously evolve and grow by creating more synergies and shared vision with the Group, to leading CITIC Telecom CPC to create more possibilities, and reaching new heights.\ Agreeing with Mr. Cai, Mr. Li added, \It is my honor to take up the role of CEO at CITIC Telecom CPC. I had worked as Chief Financial Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC from 2004 to August 2019, witnessed the Company\-\-s success in its business transformation and maximizing the returns.\ \CITIC Telecom CPC not only has comprehensive suite of ICT solutions addressing to different industries\-\- needs, but also high-quality staff to transform business strategies to real assets. I believe that \-\-people\-\- is one of the key factors to move the Company forward. To join hands with the Group and management, I will continue to drive steadfastly in growing the company and achieving greater footprint with the team\ Mr. Li said. Bringing with him a wealth of 35 years of extensive experience in the finance and accounting field, Mr. Li has strong analytical skills and entrepreneurial mindset that are essential to drive the growth of a company. \Looking ahead, we will join hands to expanding CITIC Telecom CPC with breadth and depth, reinforcing the Company motto \-\-Innovation Never Stops\-\- and leading the market with \-\-Global Local\-\- ICT capabilities,\ concluded Mr. Cai and Mr. Li. About Mr. Frank Cai (Dawei, CAI) Mr. Frank Cai is an Executive Director and Chief Executive Office of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited. While joining the new role as the Vice Chairman of CITIC Telecom CPC, he also acts as the Vice Chairman of China Enterprise ICT Solutions Limited (\China Entercom\, subsidiary of CITIC Telecom CPC), and Corporate Representative of CITIC Telecom in the board of Companhia de Telecomunicacoes de Macau, S.A.R.L. (\CTM\). Prior to joining CITC Telecom Group companies, Mr. Cai had held various senior executive positions at China Telecommunications Corporation and China Netcom Corporation. For more information, please visit https://www.citictel.com/about-us/leadership/ About Mr. Esmond Li (Bing Chi, LI) Mr. Esmond Li is an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Group and the President of China Entercom. He is also a Director of CTM. Mr. Li joined CITIC Pacific Limited (now known as CITIC Limited, a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited) as Vice President, Telecom Project Development in 2001. He worked as Chief Financial Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC from 2004 to August 2019 and was transferred to CITIC Telecom in 2007 when CITIC Telecom CPC was acquired by CITIC Telecom. Prior to joining CITIC Limited, Mr. Li was with Netalone.com Limited, the Cable & Wireless HKT group and Ernst & Young. For more information, please visit https://www.citictel.com/about-us/leadership/ About CITIC Telecom CPC We are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (\CITIC Telecom CPC\), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions, TrustCSI(TM) information security solutions, DataHOUSE(TM) cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD(TM) cloud computing solutions. As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, \Innovation Never Stops.\ Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization. As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and America, with over 140 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 247 Security Operations Centers. For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.com Media Contact: Micty Wong CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (852) 2170 7511 Email: micty.wong@citictel-cpc.com Rowena Leung CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (852) 2170 7536 Email: rowena.leung@citictel-cpc.com OLD SAYBROOK A walk through Akil Tanrigudens Re-Unique Art and Antique Center gives shoppers a quick idea of where he has traveled in the world. At the new Boston Post Road location, the store is a trove of found objects that Tanriguden has collected over years of globetrotting for work and pleasure. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Tanriguden moved to the United States with his wife, Cindy Usluca, seven ago after retiring from their careers in business and law. However, it wasnt long after their move when Usluca was offered a job as a paralegal, and she turned to her husband and asked, What about you? I want you to do something! In that moment, Tanriguden decided that it was the right time to share his one-of-a-kind collection of unusual finds from all corners of the globe. Everything was in storage that I had collected over the years. Lots of bits and pieces wherever I traveled...Europe, the Far East, he said. Tanriguden opened his shop three years ago, and just recently moved it to its current space. The layout of Re-Unique is sort of like a map of the world, with Italy being the first stop. Tanriguden pointed to a bell topped by a decorative angel with outspread wings hanging on the wall. This is the oldest piece I have, dated 1740. I found it in Rome at a Vatican shop. It was from an orphan school with the Latin inscription, If you touch me, you can hear me. Ornate mirrors and paintings from Florence, brightly colored Capodimonte (Italian porcelain) figures, and an 1800s hand-carved horse tricycle are part of the eclectic mix to browse. There are painted wood chests, silk screens with vivid Far Eastern motifs and sculpted sea animals, bronze elephants from India, and gold and red Chinese Foo dog statues. Tanriguden also carries treasures from his home country of Turkey. The cushions on these couches are typical of Turkish design from Anatolia. They are handmade embroidered rug cushions and bamboo on the inside so the shape of the couch does not change, he said. Its a very old style from the mid-18th century that is still seen today in villages. The back of the shop is reserved as an art gallery, currently featuring works by East Haddam/Key West resident Ineke Dorjee deRaad and one time Old Lyme resident Mary Connors, whose paintings depict idyllic scenes of the town. Showcasing all of Tanrigudens finds is his wifes job; she said she enjoys her role in designing the space and displays. I absolutely love decorating the store. I created four separate and distinct design flavors: the Shoreline, the Asian/Far Eastern, the European Classic and the Moroccan. She said she also delights in meeting people who come in the store. It has been fun meeting people from all over the country leading to delightful conversations, she said. The best is having them come back to visit our store again and becoming friends. With such a diverse mix of inventory, Tanriguden said that he is always looking for new pieces through his personal contacts, auctions and large exhibitions. An item has to be really unique and eclectic. When I see something I love, I buy it. In addition to searching for one-of-a-kind objects for the shop, he will track down a special piece for a customer. For Tanriguden, traveling the world and bringing a piece of each locale home is a labor of love. Old objects always have a story, always something behind them. I investigate and learn. I love that. Re-Unique Art and Antique Center is located at 891 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook. Authorities are working to determine where a woman with coronavirus was sitting on her plane when she returned to Sydney from Iran. The woman in her 50s started to present COVID-19 symptoms soon after she arrived back in the country on a Qatar Airways Flight. Anyone on that flight, QR908, that arrived on February 23 at 6:50pm at Sydney Airport, should be very aware that there was someone on the flight who had the coronavirus and if they do have any of these symptoms, then, flulike symptoms effectively, then you should get along to your doctor, Mr Hazzard said. 'Anyone on that flight, Qatar Airways Flight QR908, that arrived on February 23 at at Sydney Airport, should be very aware that there was someone on the flight who had the coronavirus'. Source: AAP Passengers on the flight have been asked to be alert to symptoms and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Monday said health authorities were investigating the woman's exact seating. If you have any doubts or thoughts it may be the coronavirus, please ring ahead to your GP or go to the local emergency department so they are aware and can take the appropriate steps to keep everyone safe, Mr Hazzard said. Dr Kerry Chant said those who sat a couple of rows in front of and behind the woman should self-isolate for 14 days. Source: AAP NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said those who sat a couple of rows in front of and behind the woman should self-isolate for 14 days. "We will be reaching out as soon as we've got contact details," Dr Chant told reporters in Sydney on Monday. Six confirmed cases in NSW There have been six confirmed cases of coronavirus in NSW. The woman who arrived from Iran is currently in hospital with the virus, as is another man in his 40s who arrived in Sydney on a separate flight. Mr Hazzard said two of the man's close contacts were in hospital quarantine and another six were in self-isolation. Health Minister Brad Hazzard (left) and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant (right) said they would be reaching out to passengers who were on Qatar Airways Flight QR 908 on February 23. Source: AAP The health minister said more than 80 people in NSW were being tested on Monday but that was a rolling figure. Authorities have also called on passengers on a flight from Bali that landed in Melbourne on Friday to self quarantine if they develop symptoms after a woman in her 30s was diagnosed on Friday. Story continues The woman was travelling back from Iran on Malindo Air flight OD 177 and landed at shortly after 6:00am on Friday. Victorian chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said all passengers sitting in the same row or adjacent rows to the patient should isolate themselves but authorities were waiting on the flight manifest in order to contact those passengers. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. The Herald reports: Associate Immigration Minister Poto Williamss refusal to intervene for a couple who have been fighting to stay in New Zealand for four years was last week described by Northland MP Matt King as gutting. A petition with more than 3000 signatures in support of Peter and Lina Jias plea to stay has been been ignored, King said. The community has been behind Peter and Lina Jia the whole way. This is a perfect opportunity for the Minister to use her discretion. The couple, Christians with a 10-year-old daughter, Cici, feared that they would be persecuted if forced to return to China. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 14:28 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067b935e 1 Business Indonesia,digital-literacy,Gojek,information-communication-technology,communities,Internet-media,fraud-cases Free The Communications and Information Ministry is collaborating with more than 100 communities in Indonesia to run digital literacy programs nationwide. The ministrys program emphasizes individual capacity building in its program as it believes that each person should be on the front line in educating their communities about digital literacy. The situation in Indonesia is very unique. While digital usage in Indonesia is among the highest in the world, with around 170 million internet users, digital literacy is still relatively low, the ministrys director general of information applications, Samuel Abrijani Pangerapan, said in a written statement issued on Feb. 28. In order not to lose momentum, we must work hard together to improve Indonesias digital literacy. Acting head of the ministrys informatics empowerment directorate, Slamet Santoso, said the ministry was part of the National Movement of Digital Literacy. "It has more than 100 communities joining in. Everybody is working for digital literacy," he said. Slamet added that the ministry would visit six locations to promote the digital literacy movement in partnership with Indonesian decacorn Gojek, local governments, local communities and members of the House of Representatives. The program was held to educate the public on staying safe in navigating the digital world and understanding prominent cases of online fraud that have surfaced in the past couple of years, Slamet noted. The ministry also has plans to visit every school in Indonesia to train teachers so that they could become an active part of creating a digitally literate society. Digital literacy is the responsibility of all of us, Slamet said during a press conference at Gojeks headquarters in Jakarta on Feb. 28. One of the communities the ministry is working with is called SiBerkreasi, which was founded with the aim of sharing positive content on social media. Head of SiBerkreasi Hermann Josis Mokalu, a member of Indonesian pop group Project Pop, told the audience at the event that, after entering its third year, the community had collaborated with 103 different stakeholders from content creators to government officials, carried out its digital literacy programs in 462 locations in Indonesia and had around 182,000 downloads of its 85 digital literacy series books. (ydp) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Sorong Mon, March 2, 2020 The government is inviting the private sector to participate in promoting green investments to empower farmers in Papua and West Papua and to reduce the two provincial economies' dependency on oil palm plantations and forestry. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said that at least 24 companies, including American coffee company Starbucks, had expressed interest in green investments in the nations westernmost territory. The government is looking to raise about Rp 2.8 trillion (US$200 million) for the green investment program through private-sector grants and investment as well as state funds. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login In a nutshell: If you are one of the iPhone owners who fell victim to Apple quietly throttling the processor to conserve your battery in 2017, you may be entitled to part of a class-action settlement. Don't start planning a significant upgrade to your phone though. Awards are expected to be around $25 per device. Apple has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for up to $500 million. The suit was filed in 2017 after the company admitted to throttling older iPhones. Models covered in the claim include iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and SE installed with iOS 10.2.1 or later. It also covers iPhone 7 and 7 Plus running iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017. Reuters reports the settlement, agreed to last Friday, proposes $25 per phone with a minimum total payment of $310 million, which can be adjusted up or down depending on how many claimants there end up being. The attorneys are looking for fees up to $93 million, plus $1.5 million to recoup expenses. Apple agreed to settle the litigation to cut its losses, but throughout the case maintained, it did nothing wrong. Even still, after the throttling scandal became public, Cupertino offered to replace batteries on affected phones for $29 for a while. It had already been replacing them on iPhone 6s models for free. It usually charges $79 for the service. The tech giant has not commented on the US settlement, but in February, Apple was fined $27 million by regulators in France over the fiasco. The French authority called the throttling a misleading commercial action by omission. Apple responded to the penalty saying, Our goal has always been to create secure products appreciated by our clients, and making iPhones that last as long as possible is an important part of that. The company did not indicate whether it was going to contest the regulatory action. Image credit: MichaelJayBerlin via Shutterstock Journalists in Hong Kong have once more hit out at the city's police force for their treatment of journalists during the ongoing protest movement that began as mass opposition to extradition to mainland China last June, and widened into calls for more democracy and accountability. "Since June, clashes between police and protesters over the now-withdrawn extradition bill have escalated," Chris Yeung, who chairs the Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA), said in an open letter to police chief Chris Tang. "Frontline reporters have been facing obstruction and interference by the police in their reporting work," Yeung wrote. "The use of force, violence, verbal abuses and humiliation by police turned from bad to worse." "The government has done nothing to restrain the behavior of front-line officers," the letter said. The letter was posted to the HKJA's website after a weekend in which police once more deployed tear gas and pepper spray as crowds of protesters took to the streets to mark an Aug. 31 attack by riot police on passengers inside Prince Edward MTR Station. Police fired tear gas and pepper spray at short range to disperse a large group of protesters who had gathered outside the MTR station, six months after it was stormed by riot police, resulting in persistent rumors of one or more deaths and confirmed reports of dozens of injuries. The rumors of deaths in the attack have never been independently confirmed or disproved, although the police and rescue services have repeatedly denied them, because all of the media were ordered to leave before riot police entered the station. Police warned the crowd that the gathering constituted an "illegal assembly," although Hong Kong's citizens were promised the continuation of their freedoms of expression and association after the 1997 handover to Chinese rule. "On , groups of people had gathered outside Exit B of Prince Edward Station where make-shift shrines had sprung up time and again as anti-government protesters placed flowers and burned joss sticks to pay their respects," government broadcaster RTHK reported. "A group of police officers then came out of Mong Kok police station adjacent to the MTR exit and removed flowers and stickers placed there by some people," it said. Virus and lull in protests The coronavirus epidemic had coincided with a relative lull in the size and frequency of protest activities in Hong Kong in recent weeks. However, the HKJA's Yeung said the police have now gotten into the habit of pepper-spraying journalists. "Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the number of people who took part in demonstrations has drastically decreased," the HKJA letter said. "Clashes between police and protesters were less violent. The overall environment of protest areas was less tense than before." "But anti-riot police officers still kept targeting reporters at the scene. Some sprayed pepper spray directly at reporters and their lenses. That has become a norm," Yeung wrote, adding that journalists who film police mistreatment of their colleagues are often surrounded, searched and intimidated, while police have also pepper-sprayed reporters as they are leaving at police request. "Freedom to report is a significant part of press freedom. Journalists will not be able to tell the public the whole truth if their reporting is being obstructed and interfered [with]," Yeung wrote. Hong Kong police have arrested more than 7,100 people since protests began in June, 4,608 of whom were of people aged 19-30. On Nov. 18, police arrested 1,071 people in a single day, the second day of their siege of Hong Kong's Polytechnic University after around 10,000 people rushed police lines or tried other ways to escape. Under the "one country, two systems" framework agreed before the 1997 handover to Chinese rule, Hong Kong was promised the maintenance of its freedoms of speech, assembly, and political participation. The protests that erupted in in response to plans to allow extradition to mainland China were largely triggered by the erosion of those freedoms, particularly following a series of high-profile interventions by the ruling Chinese Communist Party in the city's political life, including the debarring of pro-democracy lawmakers and would-be election candidates for their political views. In 2014, Beijing decreed that while it would allow Hongkongers to each have a vote in popular elections, they would only be allowed to choose from among candidates approved by China. Millions of pro-democracy supporters have taken to Hong Kong's streets with demands for a public inquiry into police violence, fully democratic elections, an amnesty for thousands of arrested protesters, and an end to the use of the word "rioters" to describe the movement. While chief executive Carrie Lam formally withdrew hated amendments to the city's laws in October, protesters slammed her response as too little, too late, and demanded she address the rapid erosion of the city's promised freedoms. Reported by Lau Siu-fung for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Han Qing for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Even as U.S. officials warn of an inevitable outbreak of coronavirus in the United States, and are alerting Americans to take precautions, some health agencies charged with protecting the public appear unprepared to deal with the threat. Barely more than a handful of public health departments across the country are able to test for the novel virus, which began in China and has spread to at least 44 countries. The federal government has less than 10% of the protective masks required to protect healthcare workers and the public. And Washington still does not have adequate funding in place to support health departments efforts, though more money is on the way. Conflicting messaging from the White House and top U.S. officials regarding the severity of the threat has only added to the uncertainty. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week for the first time advised American businesses, schools, hospitals and families to prepare for domestic acceleration of the virus, which has infected more than 80,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 3,000. President Donald Trump on Wednesday assured Americans that the risk of coronavirus transmission in the United States was very low. Despite an explosion of cases in China over the past two months, the Trump administration only this week put in a request for $2.5 billion to aid in the response, an amount both Republicans and Democrats have said is too small. Critics of the federal response say the United States squandered precious weeks by focusing too narrowly on keeping the coronavirus from crossing U.S. borders rather than marshaling resources to prepare American communities for a widespread domestic outbreak that officials now say was inevitable. This has been a realistic risk for a month, and the signal to trigger that kind of preparedness has only been going out in the last few days in an explicit way, said Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington. Thats a huge problem. Few Being Tested There are 60 confirmed U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease known as Covid-19, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday. But experts admit they have no way of knowing the true figure because access to testing at present is severely limited. So far, the U.S. strategy has focused almost exclusively on testing infected travelers, using a test that looks for genetic material from the virus in saliva or mucus. As of February 23, fewer than 500 people from 43 states had been or are being tested for the virus. Currently, just seven state and local health departments have the ability to screen for the virus, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) said on Wednesday. CDC-developed tests issued three weeks ago were producing inaccurate results in some labs, so new tests had to be made and cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), leaving many labs with no local testing capability, the group said. The CDC and FDA have worked out a fix that will allow 40 more public health labs to do testing by the end of next week, the APHLs Chief Executive Scott Becker told Reuters. In the meantime, the burden has fallen largely on the CDC, which does testing for most of the country on its campus in Atlanta. Unfortunately, we are now in the bottom tier in countries capable of doing population-based testing, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. U.S. patients typically wait 24 to 48 hours to find out whether they have tested positive and need to be quarantined, health officials said, during which time those who are infected can spread the virus to others The CDCs test is restricted solely for use by public health labs, but if the virus begins spreading widely in the United States, hospitals will need to be able to do the tests themselves, public health experts say. Such testing is typically done using kits produced by commercial companies. Several privately developed tests are in the works, but none have yet won approval from the FDA. Some health experts also fault the narrow testing criteria that the United States is using to screen for potential infections. Currently, individuals with flu-like symptoms are only tested for the coronavirus if they have traveled to a country where the virus is spreading. This has raised concerns that there are far more cases in the United States than are currently recorded. If the majority of testing is all around airports or travelers, we wont know whether its circulating in communities, said Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Those worries were reinforced on Wednesday when the CDC confirmed the first U.S. case of coronavirus in a California patient with no apparent travel history. The University of California Davis said in a statement the patient was transferred to the hospital with severe pneumonia and the hospital requested testing. But since the patient didnt fit the CDCs criteria, those tests were delayed by several days. On Thursday, CDC said it is broadening those criteria to allow testing when the virus is suspected. Masks In Short Supply Around 15 state health departments contacted by Reuters raised concerns about challenges they would face in the event of community spread, including worries about not having enough personal protective gear to safeguard frontline medical workers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday estimated that the United States would need 300 million face masks to protect healthcare workers and the public from people infected with the virus. The country has fewer than 20 million of the kind of masks needed to protect healthcare workers in the Strategic National Stockpile, a government repository of medical supplies needed to address public health emergencies. There is a real concern the availability of this equipment may be limited, in part because of the public buying it in a panic when they dont need it, said Matt Zavadsky, head of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. President Donald Trumps administration is considering invoking special powers through a law called the Defense Production Act to quickly expand domestic manufacturing of protective masks and clothing to combat the coronavirus in the United States, two U.S. officials told Reuters. With no Covid-19 vaccine or proven anti-viral medicine available, states are planning to isolate sick people in their homes, both to slow community spread and reduce pressure on hospitals, according to the CDC. Their ability to track a rapidly expanding web of patients who test positive, and all the people with whom they have had contact, is of major concern, according to chief epidemiologists in several states. Health departments in some states have purchased disease surveillance software to help them with that task. The state of Washingtons system, for instance, tracks patients and people they have had contact with, and asks them about their condition. If someone reports symptoms that merit hospitalization, the patient and doctors are informed of that. The CDC said in a news conference on Tuesday that transmission of the virus could be slowed by the closure of schools and businesses and the cancellations of concerts and other mass gatherings. But exactly who would make those decisions or how they would be enforced isnt clear and could vary widely throughout the nation. In Texas, for example, such decisions may be made by local officials, said Chris Van Deus, a spokesman with the Texas health department. Texas is a home rule state so the buck really stops with county judges and mayors, Van Deus said. Another concern is a flood of patients into health systems that are already overburdened in many parts of the country, particularly during winter flu season. Washington state is considering temporary drive-through care facilities to stop potential coronavirus carriers entering healthcare facilities, mindful that hospitals can amplify outbreaks, as was the case with the viruses that cause MERS and SARS. New Mexico is working with healthcare systems to turn outpatient facilities into care units if needed, said State Epidemiologist Michael Landen. The biggest challenge is getting a consistent message to the public with respect to their options with dealing with this virus, Landen said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 07:57:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Wang Ziyi, head of the volunteer group "Wuhan Emergency Team", installs a national flag on the car in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 29, 2020. In the early morning of Feb. 29, volunteer Wang Zhen drove out of his community immediately after receiving a call for help from a pregnant woman who lived 30 kilometers away at another community in Wuhan. Wang took the pregnant woman and her family to the Wuhan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, where the woman later safely gave birth to her baby. On Jan. 23, Wang Zhen, a computer programmer, joined a WeChat group named "Wuhan Emergency Team", which also consists of Wang Ziyi, Li Wenjian, Zhu Wei and Yang Xuebin. Their main work is taking pregnant women without access to vehicles to the hospital. With their help, 23 pregnant women have been safely sent to the hospital so far and given birth to their children, with no one contracting the novel coronavirus. Since 23 January, the Wuhan Maternal and Child Health Hospital has mobilized all its 2,500 staff to successfully help more than 1,100 pregnant women deliver their babies. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) We knew the Democratic primary campaign was going to be exciting and sure enough, it is. Bernie Sanders is now the front-runner and, despite all efforts by the establishment Democrats to derail his campaign, he crushed the competition in the Nevada primary and shows no sign of slowing down as Super Tuesday approaches with enough delegates for Sanders to be unstoppable. But what has overshadowed all the political campaigns at the state and national level is the outbreak of coronavirus, the highly contagious virus that causes pneumonia-like symptoms, can be fatal, and is running rampant across the globe. While the disease itself is serious, the effects from quarantines, lock-downs and avoidance of highly populated areas is significantly impacting both the domestic and global economy. Here in the U.S., the stock market has lost all gains from this year and continues to plunge as the outbreak, which could become a global pandemic, impacts vital global transportation and supply chains. Its estimated that 80% of what Walmart sells is made in China, for instance. Or the fact that a huge number of U.S. manufacturers use parts made in China. Chinese tourism has plummeted already, with predictions it may not recover for years. In the meantime, we have Donald Trump, the guy who has told more than 16,000 lies in his time in office, as our so-called leader in this crisis. Hes already tried the usual ploy of blaming someone else for the problems including saying the Democrats and media are in cahoots to crash the economy to prevent his re-election. And boy, those Democrats must have been really busy spreading the mischief Trump wants us to believe, since coronavirus now exists in 60 nations. But dont worry, germaphobe Trump has passed off responsibility for the most serious health and economic crisis in recent times to science-denier Mike Pence. Feeling better now? Assured that our future is in good hands? Or even that youre going to get a shred of the truth? The Centers for Disease Control says the spread of contagion is inevitable and the World Health Organization just raised the threat assessment to its highest level. Trump and Pence, meanwhile, continue to blather that its totally under control while research scientists say a vaccine is still a year away. Of course ,Trump is correct that the estimated $3.5 trillion that has been wiped away in the last week is going to significantly harm his chances of re-election. I mean, other than the booming economy he inherited from Barack Obama, what else does he have to crow about? Certainly not the trillions in new debt he added to the nations deficit with tax breaks for the already wealthy. And guess what, the billions he diverted to build his wall wont keep out a virus. Here in Montana the silence from our supposed or wannabe leaders is deafening. What are the states plans for when it shows up here or even to find out if its already here? Nada. Zip. Zilch. Suddenly, when we really need leadership, we have a vacuum. Given that the virus shows no preference for Republicans or Democrats, one might think theyd put away the partisan knives to deal with the threat and show a little unity. But that, at least so far, is simply not happening. In the meantime, Bernie Sanders plan for universal health care is starting to look a lot better about now. Since the entire purpose of government is to take care of the populace its up to we, the people, to chose leaders who are dedicated to do just that. George Ochenski writes from Helena. His column appears each Monday on the Missoulian's Opinion page. He can be reached by email at oped@missoulian.com. Yves here. While Mandy Smithberger does a great job of aggregating all the different buckets of spending by the Pentagon and its friends, its even worse than this picture suggests. In addition to the official black budget, the Overseas Contingency Operations account, my understanding is there are are also truly hidden funds. By Mandy Smithberger, the director of the Center for Defense Information at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO). Originally published at TomDispatch Hold on to your helmets! Its true the White House is reporting that its proposed new Pentagon budget is only $740.5 billion, a relatively small increase from the previous years staggering number. In reality, however, when you also include war and security costs buried in the budgets of other agencies, the actual national security figure comes in at more than $1.2 trillion, as the Trump administration continues to give the Pentagon free rein over taxpayer dollars. You would think that the countrys congressional representatives might want to take control of this process and roll back that budget especially given the way the White House has repeatedly violated its constitutional authority by essentially stealing billions of dollars from the Defense Department for the presidents Great Wall (that Congress refused to fund). Recently, even some of the usual congressional Pentagon budget boosters have begun to lament how difficult it is to take the Departments requests for more money seriously, given the way the military continues to demand yet more (ever more expensive) weaponry and advanced technologies on the (largely bogus) grounds that Uncle Sam is losing an innovation war with Russia and China. And if this wasnt bad enough, keep in mind that the Defense Department remains the only major federal agency that has proven itself incapable of even passing an audit. An investigation by my colleague Jason Paladino at the Project On Government Oversight found that increased secrecy around the operations of the Pentagon is making it ever more difficult to assess whether any of its money is well spent, which is why its important to track where all the money in this countrys national security budget actually goes. The Pentagons Base Budget This years Pentagon request includes $636.4 billion for whats called its base budget for the routine expenses of the Defense Department. However, claiming that those funds were insufficient, Congress and the Pentagon created a separate slush fund to cover both actual war expenses and other items on their wish lists (on which more to come). Add in mandatory spending, which includes payments to veterans retirement and illness compensation funds and that base budget comes to $647.2 billion. Ahead of the recent budget roll out, the Pentagon issued a review of potential reforms to supposedly cut or control soaring costs. While a few of them deserve serious consideration and debate, the majority reveal just how focused the Pentagon is on protecting its own interests. Ironically, one major area of investment it wants to slash involves oversight of the billions of dollars to be spent. Perhaps least surprising was a proposal to slash programs for operational testing and evaluation otherwise known as the process of determining whether the billions Americans spend on shiny new weaponry will result in products that actually work. The Pentagons Office of Operational Test and Evaluation has found itself repeatedly under attack from arms manufacturers and their boosters who would prefer to be in charge of grading their own performances. Reduced oversight becomes even more troubling when you look at where Pentagon policymakers want to move that money to missile defense based on staggeringly expensive futuristic hypersonic weaponry. As my Project On Government Oversight colleague Mark Thompson has written, the idea that such weapons will offer a successful way of defending against enemy missiles is a recipe for military futility and fiscal insanity. Another proposal to cut A-10 Warthogs in the Pentagons arsenal in pursuit of a new generation of fighter planes suggests just how cavalier a department eager for flashy new toys that mean large paydays for the giant defense contractors can be with service members lives. After all, no weapons platform more effectively protects ground troops at a relatively low cost than the A-10, yet that plane regularly ends up on the cut list, thanks to those eager to make money on a predictably less effective and vastly more expensive replacement. Many other proposed cuts are actually gambits to get Congress to pump yet more money into the Pentagon. For instance, a memo of supposed cuts to shipbuilding programs, leaked at the end of last year, drew predictable ire from members of Congress trying to protect jobs in their states. Similarly, dont imagine for a second that purchases of Lockheed Martins F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the most expensive weapons system in history, could possibly be slowed even though the latest testing report suggests that, among other things, it has a gun that still cant shoot straight. That program is, however, a pork paradise for the military-industrial complex, claiming jobs spread across 45 states. Many such proposals for cuts are nothing but deft deployments of the Washington Monument strategy, a classic tactic in which bureaucrats suggest slashing popular programs to avoid facing any cuts at all. The bureaucratic game is fairly simple: Never offer up anything that would actually appeal to Congress when it comes to reducing the bottom line. Recently, the Pentagon did exactly that in proposing cuts to popular weapons programs to pay for the presidents wall, knowing that no such thing would happen. Believe it or not, however, there are actually a few proposed cuts that Congress might take seriously. Lockheed Martins and Austals Littoral Combat Ship program, for instance, has long been troubled, and the number of ships planned for purchase has been cut as problems operating such vessels or even ensuring that they might survive in combat have mounted. The Navy estimates that retiring the first four ships in the program, which would otherwise need significant and expensive upgrades to be deployable, would save $1.2 billion. The Pentagons Slush Fund: the Overseas Contingency Operations Account Both the Pentagon and Congress have used a war-spending slush fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations account, or OCO, as a mechanism to circumvent budget caps put into place in 2011 by the Budget Control Act. In 2021, that slush fund is expected to come in at $69 billion. As Taxpayers for Common Sense has pointed out, if OCO were an agency in itself, it would be the fourth largest in the government. In a welcome move towards transparency, this years request actually notes that $16 billion of its funds are for things that should be paid for by the base budget, just as last years OCO spending levels included $8 billion for the presidents false fund-the-wall national emergency. Overseas Contingency Operations total: $69 billion Running tally: $716.2 billion. The Nuclear Budget While most people may associate the Department of Energy with fracking, oil drilling, solar panels, and wind farms, more than half of its budget actually goes to the National Nuclear Security Administration, which manages the countrys nuclear weapons program. Unfortunately, it has an even worse record than the Pentagon when it comes to mismanaging the tens of billions of dollars it receives every year. Its programs are regularly significantly behind schedule and over cost, more than $28 billion in such expenses over the past 20 years. Its a track record of mismanagement woeful enough to leave even the White Houses budget geeks questioning nuclear weapons projects. In the end, though and given military spending generally, this shouldnt surprise you the boosters of more nuclear weapons won and so the nuclear budget came in at $27.6 billion. Nuclear Weapons Budget total: $27.6 billion Running tally: $743.8 billion Defense-Related Activities At $9.7 billion, this budget item includes a number of miscellaneous national-security-related matters, including international FBI activities and payments to the CIA retirement fund. Defense-Related Activities total: $9.7 billion Running tally: $753.5 billion The Intelligence Budget Not surprisingly, since its often referred to as the black budget, there is relatively little information publicly available about intelligence community spending. According to recent press reports, however, defense firms are finding this area increasingly profitable, citing double-digit growth in just the last year. Unfortunately, Congress has little capacity to oversee this spending. A recent report by Demand Progress and the Project On Government Oversight found that, as of 2019, only 37 of 100 senators even have staff capable of accessing any kind of information about these programs, let alone the ability to conduct proper oversight of them. However, we do know the total amount of money being requested for the 17 major agencies in the U.S. intelligence community: $85 billion. That money is split between the Pentagons intelligence programs and funding for the Central Intelligence Agency and other civilian outfits. This year, the militarys intelligence program requested $23.1 billion, and $61.9 billion was requested for the other agencies. Most of this funding is believed to be in the Pentagons budget, so its not included in the running tally below. If you want to know anything else about that spending youre going to need to get a security clearance. Intelligence budget total: $85 billion Running tally: $753.5 billion The Military and Defense Department Retirement and Health Budget While you might assume that these costs would be included in the defense budget, this budget line shows that funds were paid by the Treasury Department for military retirement programs (minus interest and contributions from those accounts). While such retirement costs come to $700 million, the healthcare fund costs are actually a negative $8.5 billion. Military and Department of Defense Retirement and Health Costs total: -$7.8 billion Running tally: $745.7 billion The Veterans Affairs Budget The financial costs of war are far greater than whats seen in the Pentagon budget. The most recent estimates by Brown Universitys the Costs of War Project show that the total costs of the nations main post-9/11 wars through this fiscal year come to $6.4 trillion, including a minimum of $1 trillion for the costs of caring for veterans. This year the administration requested $238.4 billion for Veterans Affairs. Veterans Affairs Budget: $238.4 billion Running tally: $984.1 billion The International Affairs Budget The International Affairs budget includes funds for both the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Numerous defense secretaries and senior military leaders have urged public support for spending on diplomacy to prevent conflict and enhance security (and the State Department also engages in a number of military-related activities). In the Obama years, for instance, then-Marine General James Mattis typically quipped that without more funding for diplomacy he was going to need more bullets. Ahead of the introduction of this years budget, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen told congressional leaders that concerns about great-power competition with China and Russia meant that cutting these critical investments would be out of touch with the reality around the world. The budget request for $51.1 billion, however, cuts State Department funding significantly and proposes keeping it at such a level for the foreseeable future. International Affairs Total: $51.1 billion Running tally: $1,035.2 billion The Homeland Security Budget The Department of Homeland Security consists of a hodgepodge of government agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the Coast Guard. In this years $49.7 billion budget, border security costs make up a third of total costs. The department is also responsible for coordinating federal cyber-security efforts through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Despite growing domestic cyber concerns, however, the budget request for that agency has fallen since last years budget. Homeland Security total: $52.1 billion Running tally: $1,087.3 billion Interest on the Debt And dont forget the national security states part in paying interest on the national debt. Its share, 21.5% of that debt, adds up to $123.6 billion. Interest on the debt total: $123.6 billion Final tally: $1,210.9 billion The Budgets Too Damn High In other words, at $1.21 trillion, the actual national security budget is essentially twice the size of the announced Pentagon budget. Its also a compendium of military-industrial waste and misspending. Yet those calling for higher budgets continue to argue that the only way to keep America safe is to pour in yet more tax dollars at a moment when remarkably little is going into, for instance, domestic infrastructure. The U.S. already spends more than the next seven countries combined on a military that is seemingly incapable of either winning or ending any of the wars its been engaged in since September 2001. So isnt it reasonable to suggest that the more thats spent on whats still called national security but should perhaps go by the term national insecurity, the less there is to show for it? More spending is never the solution to poor spending. Isnt it about time, then, that the disastrously bloated defense budget experienced some meaningful cuts and shifts in priorities? Shouldnt the U.S. military be made into a far leaner and more agile force geared to actual defense instead of disastrous wars (and preparations for more of the same) across a significant swath of the planet? [March 01, 2020] IHS Markit Announces Cancellation of Customer Events in Second Quarter 2020 IHS (News - Alert) Markit (NYSE: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, today announced that as part of its absolute commitment to the health and safety of its customers, partners and colleagues, and, given the situation regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it was necessary to cancel its large customer events in the second quarter of 2020. These include the following events: The TPM Conference in its Transportation segment, which was to be held March 1 to 4, 2020 in Long Beach, California; CERAWeek in its Resources segment, which was to be held March 9 to 13, 2020 in Houston, Texas; The World Petrochemical Conference in its Resources segment, which was to be held March 24 to 27, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana; and Various smaller events across IHS Markit's Transportation and Resources segments. IHS Markit currently estimates the adverse financial impact of cancelling these events to be as follows: Approximately $50 million of non-recurring revenue; and Approximately $0.09 per diluted share of Adjusted EPS. IHS Markit does not currently expect any other material adverse financial impact from the event cancellations and expects to hold these events in 2021 and beyond. IHS Markit will provide further information and update its outlook for full year 2020 to reflect the above financial impact at its conference call discussing first quarter 2020 financial results at the end of March 2020. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Non-GAAP results are presented only as a supplement to our financial statements based on U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). 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About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com) IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 business and government customers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world's leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth. IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd and/or its affiliates. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners 2020 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200301005061/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Students and parents must understand that when purchasing post-secondary education, youre purchasing a product. Youre the consumer. The decision to buy or not buy is yours alone. You determine the risk/reward value of your purchase. Just know that U.S. consumer protection laws are mostly silent regarding the value or performance of higher education products. (Except for-profit universities, which compete with government and nonprofit schools.) Maybe we should follow the United Kingdoms lead, in which it has specific laws governing higher education, how its marketed and the value thereof. DENVER - Tuesday is the biggest day of the primary calendar, when 14 states from the Atlantic to the Pacific vote on the Democratic presidential nominee. The roster includes the nations two most populous states, California and Texas, and nearly one-third of all the delegates at Julys Democratic National Convention are up for grabs. Here are some key questions ahead of Super Tuesday: CAN SANDERS RECAPTURE THE NARRATIVE? Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has long promised that he could substantially expand the electorate beyond traditional Democratic voters, but that hasnt happened in the first four contests. Super Tuesday represents his biggest chance to prove his case. He is far better financed and organized than former Vice-President Joe Biden, who trounced Sanders in South Carolina on Saturday. With five major candidates running, its been impossible for anyone to claim a clear majority, but Sanders durable base has given him a crucial plurality of the vote, and, more important, a small lead in delegates. Sanders needs as many delegates as possible because his opponents argue the convention itself should decide the nominee should no one secure a clear majority. Sanders argues that the candidate with the most votes should get the nomination an easier case to make if he comes into the Democratic National Convention with a large plurality. Tuesday represents Sanders best shot at building a durable advantage in the race. Because the Democratic Party awards delegates proportionately, once someone racks up an advantage in the delegate count, its difficult to catch them. And after Tuesday, the terrain shifts to states that arent as favourable to Sanders. CAN BIDEN EMERGE AS THE STOP SANDERS CANDIDATE? Biden dramatically under performed in Iowa and New Hampshire, part of a collapse among white voters that allowed Sanders to vault into the lead. But Biden regained his footing in South Carolina, propelled by the overwhelming support of black voters. That aided Bidens case that the candidate who prevails among these base voters will win the nomination. Bidens campaign hopes that allows him to vastly over perform his polls for Super Tuesday and consolidate the splintered anti-Sanders factions in the Democratic Party. The hope in the former vice-presidents camp is that it becomes effectively a two-person race after Tuesday, which may give him an advantage in upcoming states like Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania. WHICH CANDIDATES CAN STAY VIABLE? Remember 15%. Thats the share of votes a candidate has to get to win delegates in primary elections. With five Democrats left in the race, theres a real threat that only one or two will actually grab delegates, with the rest splitting the remaining vote in the low teens. The risks of that diminished with the exit of Pete Buttigieg from the race Sunday night and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Monday, but they certainly didnt go away. That would be a dream scenario for Sanders, who in some states could grab a far greater proportion of available delegates than his vote share would represent. Some polls have shown it as a distinct possibility in delegate-rich California. DOES BLOOMBERGS BIG BET PAY OFF? Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg bet more than a half billion dollars on Super Tuesday, and we get to see if it was well spent. Bloomberg is a billionaire, and rather than competing in the first four primary states, he decided to spend a huge sum of money on advertisements and campaign organizations in the 14 states voting Tuesday, as well as on other ones voting in the coming weeks. But since he first appeared on the debate stage, his polls plummeted and now he runs the risk of falling into the sub-15% zone in a number of states. Even if he doesnt, will Bloombergs ultimate impact be to fragment the anti-Sanders vote further and help pave the way for the self-proclaimed democratic socialist whom he says he got in the race to stop? HOW DOES THE CALIFORNIA COUNT EFFECT THE RACE? California is different. Its the biggest prize on the board Tuesday with more than 400 delegates at stake. But California has an unusual voting system that counts all ballots cast Tuesday, even if they were only put in a mailbox that day. It can take weeks to tally the entire vote. That could help or hurt Sanders. His campaign has been investing heavily in the state, trying to encourage his supporters to send in early ballots. It may be that the early ballots heavily favour him, and we discover only in the coming weeks that California voters didnt break so overwhelmingly for the Vermont senator. But Sanders base includes young and Latino voters are more likely to vote at the last minute, so the opposite could happen his people may still turn in their ballots at the last minute, and the initial returns could look grimmer for him than the final results. Theres a good chance we wont know the final delegate disposition out of the state until April. How will that uncertainty affect the race in the weeks after Super Tuesday? ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. At Work: our annual report At Work is an annual report of the World Nuclear Association's activities. You will find details of the Association's everyday work and plans for the year ahead. Download At Work 2020 Edition. Foreword The upcoming decade will be crucial for the energy sector and the nuclear industry particularly, as we attempt to achieve decarbonization globally. Nuclear power's role in the clean energy transition must be agreed universally this year, to ensure that the full potential of nuclear energy can be realized. 019 has shown that the need for nuclear energy is increasingly recognized globally. A broad range of expert bodies have highlighted how nuclear energy is vital to ensure that electricity is available to all, while respecting the environment and tackling climate change. For the first time in 18 years, the International Energy Agency published a report on nuclear energy Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy Future. It concluded that removing nuclear energy from the equation would result in higher electricity prices and the transition to a clean energy system becoming drastically harder and more costly. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agencys report The Costs of Decarbonisation demonstrated that, once system costs are taken into account, nuclear energy is amongst the most cost-competitive low-carbon electricity generators available. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hosted its first-ever conference on climate change and nuclear power, where World Nuclear Association made the case for nuclear in a high-level plenary session alongside key UN bodies. World Nuclear Association continues to work very closely with partners globally to strengthen institutional support for nuclear energy. During 2019 we have contributed to consultations by the European Investment Bank and the International Commission on Radiological Protection among others ensuring that the industrys voice is heard loud and clear. 2019 saw exciting developments which reflect the dynamic nature of our industry. In November, we saw the start-up of the worlds first floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov. Its reactors will supply electricity and heat to Russias remote Chukotka region, as well as replacing a fossil-fuelled power plant. This is one of the first of the new type of smaller reactors which will bring the benefits of nuclear energy to new regions, smaller grids and different applications.. Looking forward to 2020, a total of 13 reactors are due to be grid-connected, a number not matched for the past 30 years. With this, we will welcome the UAE and Belarus to the nuclear family. The worlds nuclear reactors continued to perform excellently, with several utilities already reporting record output. Five reactors, in India, Switzerland and the USA, reached the milestone of 50 years of operation, demonstrating the ability of nuclear reactors to provide reliable low-carbon electricity for much longer than originally expected. In 2019 Turkey Point 3&4 in the USA became the first reactors licensed to operate for 80 years. Our Association is going from strength to strength, with 12 new members having joined in 2019. Our Working Groups have been even more active, publishing reports on methodologies to manage materials from decommissioning, countering counterfeit items in the supply chain, and the 19th edition of The Nuclear Fuel Report, to mention a few. Overall, during this first phase of the Harmony goal (2016-2020), 43 reactors are expected to start in 10 countries, based on 20 different designs, and with capacities ranging from 35 MWe to 1750 MWe a reflection of the dynamic nature of our industry and our strong commitment to innovation. This brings us close to meeting the first milestone of the Harmony goal, to construct an average of 10 GWe per year of new nuclear capacity between 2016 and 2020. However, a greater effort is needed to build on this good start and accelerate towards the goal of supplying 25% of the worlds electricity before 2050.The worlds nuclear reactors continued to perform excellently, with several utilities already reporting record output. Five reactors, in India, Switzerland and the USA, reached the milestone of 50 years of operation, demonstrating the ability of nuclear reactors to provide reliable low-carbon electricity for much longer than originally expected. In 2019 Turkey Point 3&4 in the USA became the first reactors licensed to operate for 80 years.Our Association is going from strength to strength, with 12 new members having joined in 2019. Our Working Groups have been even more active, publishing reports on methodologies to manage materials from decommissioning, countering counterfeit items in the supply chain, and the 19th edition of The Nuclear Fuel Report, to mention a few. It has been yet another successful year for the World Nuclear University, which continues to focus on the development of future industry leaders. The Summer Institute, this year held in Romania and Switzerland, brought together some of the most talented individuals in our industry to be trained and mentored by experts. WNU also held courses in Russia, Brazil, Turkey and China in all, more than 600 participants took part in different WNU programmes over the year. As we concluded in our white paper, The Silent Giant: The need for nuclear in a clean energy system, nuclear power holds the potential to herald a truly sustainable world enabling us to pass on a cleaner planet to future generations. For the decade ahead, World Nuclear Association is more focused than ever in serving our members needs and representing the interests of the global nuclear industry to ensure that the full potential of our industry can be realized. Share You may also be interested in The rapid spread of the new coronavirus has increased fears of a pandemic, sending global markets into a dive last week and prompting governments to step up control measures. - As of Sunday, there have been over 86,500 cases of the virus globally, the majority in China, according to a Reuters tally. Outside of China, it has spread to 53 countries, with more than 6,500 cases and more than 100 deaths. Globally, the illness has killed nearly 3,000 people. - Mainland China had 202 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Sunday, the National Health Commission said on Monday, sharply down from 573 cases a day earlier. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,026. - The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China reached 2,912 as of the end of Sunday, up by 42 from the previous day. - Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday two Indonesians had tested positive for coronavirus after being in contact with an infected Japanese national, marking the first confirmed cases in the world's fourth most populous country. - Churches were closed in South Korea on Sunday, with many holding online services instead, as authorities fought to rein in public gatherings. The tally of cases rose by 586 to 3,736 while the death toll rose to 20. -Iran's death toll has reached 54, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, adding the number of those infected had reached 978. - The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Italy has risen by five to 34 over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said on Sunday, with the accumulative number of cases totaling some 1,694. Amazon.com Inc said late on Sunday two employees in Milan have contracted the coronavirus and are under quarantine. - The United States is considering shutting the U.S.-Mexico border to control the spread, President Donald Trump said. Washington announced new limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. - New York state has confirmed its first coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter Sunday evening." - A nursing home near Seattle is locked down after a resident and a worker were found to have the coronavirus, officials at the home said, and two other cases in the area were confirmed on Sunday. - Britain announced a jump in cases on Sunday, with 13 new infections taking the total to 36, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he expected the number to rise further. - Israel on Sunday confirmed three more cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of patients who have been diagnosed in Israel to 10. - Qatar, Ireland, Ecuador, Luxembourg, Scotland, the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic reported their first cases of the virus. - A conference on the world economy due to take place in Italy later this month with Pope Francis taking part has been postponed until November because of the coronavirus outbreak, organizers said on Sunday. - Coronavirus concerns prompted organizers on Sunday to cancel the CERAWeek conference, one of the world's most prestigious gatherings of oil ministers and top executives from the energy and financial industries, scheduled for this month in Houston. - The French government put a temporary ban on public gatherings with more than 5,000 people. France now has 100 confirmed cases. Of those, two have died. - Algeria has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infections, the health ministry said on Monday. - Egypt's health ministry announced on Sunday that one foreigner was tested positive for the new coronavirus strain. It is the second case of new coronavirus detected in the country. - Iraq reported six new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases there to 19, the health ministry said. - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked the public to cooperate in a "tough battle" to contain the outbreak in coming weeks as the country prepares to hold the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer as planned. - The virus has prompted numerous cancellations or postponements of sporting events. A six-year-old girl died in South Carolina after being hit by a truck as she held her grandmother's hand while waiting for a school bus. Jerrina Horne was waiting on the sidewalk with her grandmother Beatrice Mayson at around 6.30am last week Friday when a 38-year-old woman driving a black pick-up truck along Kershaw Camden Highway in Lancaster Country struck the little girl, leaving her with serious injuries. The girl was taken to hospital but died later that night. Authorities are investigating what caused the tragic accident as troopers claim the girl stepped out onto the road but her grandmother claims the truck swerved onto the sidewalk. Jerrina Horne, 6, was struck by a 38-year-old woman in a pick-up truck on February 28 The little girl was waiting with her grandmother Beatrice Mayson for her school bus Jerrina and her grandmother were waiting for her school bus along this highway Jerrina attended Heath Springs Elementary School and officials said she waited in the same spot for the bus every day with a parent or grandparent. The school district revealed it went back and viewed footage from the accident and spoke with the bus driver who said the girl and her guardian would generally wait on the opposite side of the road for the bus and only cross over once it had arrived. On the day the truck hit, Jerrina and her grandmother were at the bus stop seven minutes before the bus arrived and so decided to cross the street earlier than usual. 'We were on the sidewalk. Then, I saw the black truck coming,' Beatrice Mayson told WSOC TV. 'I tried calling her, "Jerrina! Jerrina!" (but) I can't hear no voice.' Paramedics performed CPR on Jerrina at the scene and she was taken to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte with serious injuries but passed away overnight. Authorities claim Jerrina stepped out onto the road and the black pick-up truck hit her Family have started a memorial to the little girl with flowers and teddy bears A memorial to the young girl has started outside of her home as her grandparents, mother, stepfather and three sisters mourn her death. 'I miss my baby. I miss her so much,' Horne's stepfather Rubin Bend told WSOC. 'She was always happy. If we had a bad day, she would be around to light the day up.' 'I want justice for my baby girl. I want justice for my baby girl. She didn't deserve this,' added Jerrina's mother, Patricia Mayson. Jerrina's step father Rubin Bend says she was 'always happy' and would 'light the day up' Jerrina's mother, Patricia Mayson, says she wants 'justice' for her little girl Jerrina Jerrina's three sisters and family mourned her death in the accident on February 28 Counselors have been sent to the elementary school to provide additional support for the pupils after Jerrina's death. 'Everything we do as school officials is first and foremost to take care of children and when we see a child get hurt in the community for whatever reason, I think it everybody hurts,' School Safety Director Bryan Vaughn said. 'This is one of the darkest days that you can have as a school employee.' Extra counselors have been sent to the Heath Springs Elementary School Jerrina attended The investigation into her death is still ongoing and it is not known if the driver will be charged A statement from Lancaster County School District added: 'We had a child struck by a vehicle this morning while waiting on the bus on 521 in the Pleasant Hill Community. 'The child was waiting with a grandmother and the bus had not arrived at the location yet when the accident occurred. 'The child was taken to a Charlotte area hospital and the SC Highway Patrol is conducting the investigation. We have sent school personnel to the hospital and additional counselors to Heath Springs Elementary. 'We are limited in the amount of information that can be released at this time but please keep the child and all others involved with this accident in your thoughts and prayers.' It is not known whether the driver of the pick-up truck will face charges and the incident remains under investigation. John Boadu 02.03.2020 LISTEN THE ASHANTI Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) will from today Monday start the vetting of 119 party members that have submitted forms to contest the 44 seats in the region ahead of the 2020 general election. The total number of the aspirants comprises 14 females and 105 males, and they are gunning to lead the NPP as parliamentary candidates in 44 constituencies that are currently in the hands of the ruling political party out of the 47. The party has already successfully selected its parliamentary candidates for the three other (orphan) constituencies in the region, which are currently in the hands of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). Sam Pyne, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NPP, who made the disclosure to DAILY GUIDE during an interview on Sunday, stated that the vetting process would take place at the Hasta Lodge, TUC, in Kumasi. According to him, the 44 constituencies have been grouped into two in order to ensure that the important exercise, to be completed on Thursday, would be carried out effectively without any delays. Sam Pyne said the vetting process would be supervised by NPP General Secretary, John Boadu, with support from Alhaji Futah, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, aka 'Wontumi'; Patrick Acheampong and other party kingpins. He disclosed that the party had received petitions in about seven constituencies already but he explained that it is only the National Executive Committee (NEC) that could take a decision on who qualifies to take part in the polls. According to him, the John Boadu-led vetting committee would forward their report, alongside the petitions received, to the NPP NEC for it to take its decision regarding those that qualify to take part in the parliamentary polls. Sam Pyne also announced that the party has sternly cautioned the 119 aspirants against storming the vetting venue with their supporters, saying the aspirants can only come to the venue with their assistants to ensure peace. The Ashanti Regional NPP Secretary indicated that any aspirant that would flout the above-mentioned rule by busing his/her supporters to the vetting venue to cause troubles would be dealt with accordingly by the party. ---Daily Guide DGAP-Ad-hoc: Airbus SE / Key word(s): Share Buyback Airbus SE: Airbus discloses share buyback transactions 24-27 February 2020 02-March-2020 / 17:45 CET/CEST Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Ad-hoc release, 2 March 2020 Airbus discloses share buyback transactions 24-27 February 2020 Airbus SE reports the following share buyback transactions from 24 February 2020 to 27 February 2020 under Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on market abuse ("EU Market Abuse Regulation"). The transactions are part of a share buyback programme that started on 24 February 2020 for the sole purpose of covering Airbus' long-term incentive plan in shares. The repurchased shares will be redistributed to the beneficiaries of long-term incentive plans according to the relevant plan rules. This share buyback programme was completed on 27 February 2020. The share buyback is undertaken pursuant to the general authority conferred on the Airbus SE Board of Directors by the 13th resolution to repurchase up to 10% of Airbus SE's issued share capital by the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Airbus SE on 10 April 2019. Aggregate presentation (per day and market) Issuer's name Issuer's identifying code Transaction date Identifying code of financial instrument Total daily volume (in number of shares) Daily weighted average purchase price of shares () Market (MIC code) Airbus SE MINO79WLOO247M1IL051 2020.24.02 NL0000235190 8,106 125.246990 XPAR Airbus SE MINO79WLOO247M1IL051 2020.25.02 NL0000235190 11,348 124.794022 XPAR Airbus SE Airbus SE MINO79WLOO247M1IL051 MINO79WLOO247M1IL051 2020.26.02 2020.27.02 NL0000235190 NL0000235190 11,348 1,620 120.934806 115.824407 XPAR XPAR TOTAL 32,422 123.108333 Detailed reporting of share buyback transactions is available on the Airbus website at: https://www.airbus.com/investors/share-price-and-information.html#buyback This update on share buybacks contains inside information within the meaning of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. * * * About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2019 it generated revenues of 70 billion and employed a workforce of around 135,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. Media contacts Guillaume Steuer +33 (0) 6 7382 1168 guillaume.steuer@airbus.com Rod Stone +33 (0) 531 085826 rod.stone@airbus.com NEW ORLEANS - Lawyers for a Mississippi man who admitted killing a 12-year-old girl by shooting her four times and slitting her throat gave an appellate panel multiple reasons on Monday to reverse his death sentence, including his belief that he was descended from space aliens. Attorney Sarah Gannett, told a panel of three 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges that Thomas Steven Sanders was clearly not mentally competent to stand trial when he was convicted and sentenced to death in 2014. She noted his history of brain injuries, mental illness and delusions. Judges questioned whether Sanders displayed any signs during his trial of mental problems that showed him incompetent, noting that there was no formal motion for a declaration of incompetency by his trial attorney. Gannett said his mental issues were brought up at trial and that the district court had an obligation to order a competency hearing, even without a formal motion. Counsel gave the court all the information it needed, she argued. Prosecutors said in briefs that no concerns about Sanders mental capacity were addressed until the first day of trial. U.S. Justice Department attorney Vijay Shanker told the appellate panel that if the defence had concerns about Sanders competency they would have expressed them much earlier. Now facing execution, Sanders was once thought to be dead. His Mississippi family had him legally declared so in 1994, after he had been missing for about seven years. But after hunters found the body of Lexis Roberts, 12, in woods in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, in October 2010, the investigation led to Sanders, who was arrested the next month in Gulfport, Mississippi. Investigators later found the body of the girls mother, Suellen Roberts, in Arizona. Sanders was arrested and tried in the kidnapping and death of the girl. Prosecutors have said Sanders shot Suellen Roberts on a trip to a wildlife park in Arizona, and then drove Lexis Roberts to Louisiana, where he shot her four times and cut her throat. Court records show he admitted to both killings and aided authorities in finding Suellen Roberts body. Other issues in his appeal include whether he was illegally questioned after having invoked his right to an attorney. Shanker argued that a review of his interrogations showed he was eager to discuss his crimes and that his statement that he wanted to see a lawyer was, in context, not clear. Attorneys also debated whether a potential juror in the case should have been dismissed without being asked whether she could set aside a religious-based aversion to sitting in judgment of anyone. In briefs, the defence also said that a trial prosecutor improperly suggested to jurors that Sanders might have sexually abused the girl when he alluded to unknown horrors the girl suffered before her death. Prosecutors said there was no reason why jurors would have speculated that that was a reference to sexual abuse. The appellate judges Priscilla Owen, Leslie Southwick and Andrew Oldham gave no indication when they would rule. London, March 2 : An experimental drug has shown promise in treatment of debilitating movement problems in people with Parkinson's disease. The researchers investigated the effect of the drug NLX-112 on dyskinesia, a common side effect experienced by people with Parkinson's who have been taking levodopa-based medications for several years. Levodopa is generally used as a dopamine replacement agent for the treatment of Parkinson's. The drug works by targeting serotonin cells inside the brain which are believed to contribute to the development of dyskinesia, by releasing dopamine in an erratic manner. It aims to reduce dyskinesia by decreasing the amount of dopamine the cells release, said the study published online in the journal Neuropharmacology. The research was carried out by US-based biotech company Neurolixis with funding from Parkinson's UK, a charity. "This promising research on NLX-112 offers hope that we can find a treatment that can tackle dyskinesia, which can make everyday tasks, such as eating, writing and walking, extremely difficult," said Arthur Roach, Director of Research at Parkinson's UK. "People with Parkinson's tell us it is one of the most critical issues that impacts quality of life so we're delighted that this project is progressing so positively," Roach said. Anyone can get Parkinson's, young or old. Parkinson's is what happens when the brain cells that make dopamine start to die. There are over 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety. Some are treatable, but the drugs can have serious side effects. It gets worse over time and there's no cure yet. Around half of all people with Parkinson's will experience dyskinesia after just five years of taking levodopa, and up to 80 per cent of people will experience it after ten years of taking the medication. In this study, the drug NLX-112 was tested in monkeys with Parkinson's-like symptoms. The monkeys had developed the side effect of dyskinesia in response to levodopa treatment in a similar way to many people with Parkinson's. The study looked at the effect of NLX-112 both on its own and in combination with levodopa, to understand how it impacted both dyskinesia and Parkinson's symptoms. The results showed that NLX-112 successfully reduced dyskinesia and crucially, did not significantly reduce the effectiveness of levodopa, which many other similar drugs do. When NLX-112 was used on its own (without levodopa), it again improved movement problems. These promising results suggest that NLX-112 has potential as a future treatment for not only reducing dyskinesia, but also for improving the movement symptoms of Parkinson's, said the study. Press Release March 2, 2020 Gatchalian supports keeping current special tax rate for micro entrepreneurs under PIFITA Senator Win Gatchalian expresses opposition to the proposed repeal of the 2% special tax rate for microfinance non-government organizations under the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), the fourth tranche of the Department of Finance's (DoF) comprehensive tax reform program. Gatchalian says microfinance NGOs have been instrumental in providing low-interest, no collateral loans to poor vendors and other micro businesses and warns that to ensure their sustainability, any additional tax burden might be passed on to poor families and they may resort back to the "five-six" lending of loan sharks. Currently, the savings from the 2% preferential tax rate allow microfinance NGOs to continue to provide financial and community services to their clients or program members. "My fear is that if we impose a higher tax on this group, this is in effect a pass on cost and this will affect 6.5 million micro entrepreneurs across the country," the senator said in the previous Senate committee hearings. "I can see a disenfranchisement of these micro-entrepreneurs. More so, they will be pushed to the informal sector, which is the "five-six" lending methodology. Some of them will just go to loan sharks. We don't want this to happen. What we want is to promote entrepreneurship all the way down to the grassroots level, provide legitimate financing for them and help these micro-entrepreneurs to somehow grow into medium size," he explained. Sharing the Valenzuela experience, Gatchalian explains that the city provides funds to microfinance organizations which, in turn, lend money to small entrepreneurs. He said the payment rate is around 95 to 98 percent if borrowers take loans from microfinance operators instead of the borrowers getting it directly from the government. Data from the Department of Trade and Industry show that there are a total of 1,003,111 business enterprises operating in the country as of 2018. Of these, 998,342 (99.52%) are MSMEs and 4,769 (0.48%) are large enterprises. Micro enterprises constitute 88.45% (887,272) of total MSME establishments, followed by small enterprises at 10.58% (106,175) and medium enterprises at 0.49% (4,895). With barely two weeks before Congress goes on a break, the said tax measure is still being deliberated at the Senate committee level. The 18th Congress is working to pass all the remaining tax reform packages to meet the year-end target of the DOF. ### Gatchalian pinalagan ang pagtanggal sa special tax rate ng micro entrepreneurs sa ilalim ng PIFITA Pinalagan ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang panukalang pagtanggal sa 2% special tax rate para sa microfinance non-government organizations (NGOs) sa ilalim ng Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), ang ika-apat sa comprehensive tax reform program ng Department of Finance. Kinilala ni Gatchalian ang kahalagahan ng mga microfinance NGO sa pagbibigay ng mababa at walang collateral na pautang sa mahihirap na vendors at iba pang maliliit na negosyo. Nagbabala si Gatchalian na maaring bumalik ang mga kababayan natin sa 'five-six' na mga pautangan kung sakaling itaaas ang kasalukuyang tax rate para sa microfinance NGOs dahil sa posibilidad na ipasa ito sa mga nangungutang sa kanila na karamihan ay galling sa mahirap na pamilya. "Ang kinatatakot ko ay kung magpapatupad tayo ng mas mataas ng buwis sa grupong ito, maaring maapektuhan ang may 6.5 milyon na micro entrepreneurs sa buong bansa," ani Gatchalian. "Ang ikinababahala ko ay muli na namang babalik ang ating mga kababayan sa 'five-six' na pautangan na kung saan ay mas mataas ang interes na ipapataw sa utang nila. Ang layunin natin ay i-promote ang entrepreneurship sa grassroots level, at bigyan sila ng lehitimong puhunan upang mapalago nila ang kanilang negosyo," dagdag ng senador. Sa Valenzuela, sinabi ni Gatchalian na ang siyudad na mismo ang nagbibigay pondo sa microfinance organization, na siya namang nagpapautang sa maliliit na mga vendor. Aniya, mas mabilis na nakakabayad ng utang ang mga humihiram sa microfinance NGOs kesa sa direktang umuutang sa gobyerno. Batay sa datos ng Department of Trade and Industry noong 2018, mayroong higit isang milyon (1,003,111) na mga negosyo ang may operasyon sa bansa. Siyam na raan at siyam napung libo (998,342) o 99.52% sa kanila ay micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at 4,769 ang bilang ng malalaking kumpanya. Ang bilang ng mga pinaka maliliit na negosyo o micro enterprises ay nasa 887,272 o 88.45%, samantalang may 106,175 o 10.58% na small enterprises at 4,895 o 0.49% ang medium enterprises sa bansa. Ang PIFITA ay pasado na sa Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso pero hanggang ngayon ay pinagdedebatehan pa ito sa committee level ng Senado. ### I was once a special adviser the sort of job belonging to the shouty people in The Thick Of It, only not many special advisers actually work like that. Mostly you are trying to join up bits of government, chase people to get things done, worry about the money, and, if you are lucky, catch disasters before they happen. You have to do all this while working very closely with civil servants, and theres only two ways that can go. Either you decide they are the enemy, getting in the way of all your bright ideas. Or they become allies in the mad, frustrating world of government. On the first day I started at the Department for Transport, the most senior civil servant of all the Permanent Secretary Philip Rutnam asked me into his office. I expected an awkward warning about not leaking things (I never did). Actually, the conversation went differently. Julian, he began, something really terrible is about to happen and I have to tell you about it. I gulped. How bad could this be? It turned out that the department had messed up badly on a contract to run trains on the West Coast mainline from Euston. We had to confess, sort things out and keep the trains running. We could have diverted anger away from ministers by blaming Philip but we needed a solution, not a scapegoat. It was the start of four years of working closely with a clever, decent, committed man who had a job in government because he wanted to make Britain a better place. The fact that he has now resigned spectacularly after falling out with the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, says a lot more about her than him. Philip isnt flash: the tie he wore for his powerful resignation statement at the weekend was at the muted end of unexciting. When I went out for dinner with him early on in my job I eyed up the wine list. After some persuasion, he went for a small dry sherry. Julian Glover / Daniel Hambury But thats exactly the sort of person we need as an official of state: someone clever who can get things done while politicians go out and make the case for their plans and get elected. Thats the hard bit of government: making things happen. My friend Tim Leunig, now a Treasury official, was all over the papers yesterday because of an email he sent about farming. Hes one of the cleverest and nicest people I know, and that means he says what he thinks and challenges the system. We need people like that in government. Tim has actually spent much of the last two years trying to help farmers by replacing the mad subsidy system with something better for them and nature. The UN's envoy to war-plagued Libya, Ghassan Salame, announced his resignation on Monday citing health reasons, nearly three years after taking up the post. "I tried to unite Libyans and restrain foreign interference... but for health reasons I can no longer continue with this level of stress and therefore I have asked the (UN) secretary-general to relieve me of my duties," Salame tweeted. He added that he wished Libyans "peace and stability". UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had received a message from Salame "expressing his intention to leave his post". "The secretary general has always had full confidence in Mr Salame's work and the great efforts he has made to bring peace to Libya... (and) will be discussing with Mr Salame the way to ensure smooth transition so as not to lose any momentum on the gains that have been made," Dujarric told reporters in New York. Salame's job had involved efforts to bring an end to years of turmoil since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, which left Libya divided between rival governments and beset by violence. His resignation comes after months of work to bring about a ceasefire since eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive in April to seize the capital Tripoli, seat of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). The unity government is supported by Turkey, while Haftar is backed by UN Security Council permanent member Russia -- two countries that also back opposing sides in Syria's conflict. Salame, a former Lebanese culture minister, was appointed UN envoy in June 2017 and has struggled to unify Libyan ranks, organise elections and bring rival parties together for talks on ending the conflict. Earlier this year the rivals agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia that went into effect on January 12, but there have been repeated violations. Political talks were due to start in Geneva last week but both sides refused to attend. The talks were to run in tandem with military and economic negotiations as part of a UN-sponsored dialogue aimed at resolving the conflict. - Need 'much more' support - On Friday, Salame lashed out at "cynics" he said were undermining the talks and said he needed "much more" international support, even as Tripoli's only working airport was hit yet again by rocket fire. Salame warned of "almost a breakdown of that truce", adding that "many areas" of Tripoli were also hit. Salame said he wanted a UN-facilitated process for political, military and economic talks between the two sides to continue even though they had both declined to attend the Geneva talks. "We are pursuing our line despite the procrastination of these cynics," he said. The international community had voiced its support for the UN-sponsored talks at a summit in Berlin in January. "Did I get the kind of support needed since then?" Salame asked on Friday. "My answer is no. I need much more support." Haftar's offensive to seize Tripoli in April came days before a UN-organised national conference to draw up a roadmap to elections in Libya meant to turn the page on years of turmoil. But the conference was brutally postponed by the fighting and Salame told AFP at the time: "We worked for a whole year to prepare something unprecedented in Libya, that is a national conference that would bring everyone together. "Now all these efforts have gone up in smoke." Born in 1951, Salame spent most of his career as a professor of international relations at France's prestigious Sciences Po university in Paris. He served as culture minister in Lebanon from 2000 to 2003 and later worked as an advisor to former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and to the UN mission in Iraq. He had taken up the post of UN Libya envoy from Martin Kobler of Germany, who had served from November 2015 until June 2017. The UN's envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame on Monday said he was resigning over health reasons nearly three years after taking up the post Salame struggled to bring peace to Libya to help end years of violence and turmoil Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala, on Monday demanded a CBI probe into the alleged misuse of funds for modernisation of the police force. "We demand a CBI probe into the misuse of funds meant for modernisation of police force unveiled by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)," Chennithala told reporters here. "DGP Lokanath Behra is a senior IPS officer. A crime branch probe by a junior officer will not yield any results. There is corruption to the tune of Rs 350 crore. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is trying to protect the DGP," the senior Congress leader alleged. Chennithala further alleged that a private company was given permission to operate out of police headquarters. "A CBI probe should cover the 9 points raised by the opposition in the Assembly regarding corruption in the Home Department in the purchase of equipment," he said. Earlier today, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a comprehensive probe by the Crime Branch has been initiated regarding the missing rifles and live cartridges that was flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The CAG had found that 25 INSAS rifles and 12,000 cartridges were missing from the armoury of the SAP battalion in Thiruvananthapuram. It had also said that fake bullet casings were placed by police to cover up the missing bullets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) No respite is in sight after Storm Jorge's rampage across the country on Saturday as wintry showers and thunderstorms look set to batter the nation today. Make sure to wrap up warm as Met Eireann has issued a status yellow warning for widespread frost and icy patches. The forecaster has predicted rain showers in the west, which will spread throughout the country by the afternoon. These could turn wintry with a risk of isolated thunderstorms followed by long spells of rain, sleet and snow in northern parts while temperatures drop to around 0C or 1C. Met Eireann forecaster Joan Blackburn said another snow and ice warning is likely to be issued this evening. "There will be showers overnight in western areas and they will be there around the morning as well, and the showers will be generally a mix of rain, hail, even some sleet and the odd snow shower during the night and early morning," she said. "Then those showers become more widespread in the afternoon. They'll be mostly of rain or hail but there will be some snow showers. In the evening, these showers will give prolonged rain or sleet in northern counties. Flooding "There's a risk of isolated thunderstorms. Usually when you get very heavy showers the risk of isolated thunderstorms goes with that. "There will be frost and icy patches over the next couple of nights, and while there's no bands of rain crossing the country there will be showers. "There will be a snow and ice warning put in place until it sort of warms up a little bit and there'll be another one for the evening and tomorrow night." Meanwhile, the National Emergency Coordination Group met yesterday to discuss the damage left behind following Storm Jorge. The group said the west coast took the brunt of the storm and confirmed some areas are experiencing flooding in the aftermath of heavy rainfall causing rivers to overflow, but no major incidents or injuries to the public or emergency services were reported. Emergency services were out in force across the country yesterday to clear up the damage. Firefighters from Dublin Fire Brigade's Tara Street station were alerted to hoardings that had fallen down and hit a parked car in the north city centre. They have spent the weekend clearing up fallen trees across the city. "I was working during the storm. Units from Tallaght and Blanchardstown were out with Fingal County Council and the ESB at a couple of locations between Castleknock and Porterstown at trees that had come down," station officer Darren O'Connor told the Herald. Power "One tree beside Luttrellstown fell on overhead cables resulting in the road being closed for some time until we could kill the power and get council crews with chainsaws in to remove the tree. "Units from Tara Street were out Sunday morning to remove some hoarding that had fallen on a couple of cars, but only minor damage was caused." T he EU has raised its coronavirus risk level from "moderate" to "high" as Boris Johnson agreed to a UK-wide action plan. European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen told a press conference in Brussels that "the virus continues to spread". She said: ECDC (European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control) has announced today that the risk level has risen from moderate to high for people in the European Union, in other words the virus continues to spread. It came as Downing Street said a UK-wide action plan to tackle coronavirus had been agreed at a Cobra meeting and it will be published on Tuesday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock (right), and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty (left) leaving the Cobra meeting / PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the spread of the coronavirus was likely to become more significant for the UK in the coming days. He said: We have also agreed a plan so that if and when it starts to spread, as Im afraid it looks likely it will, we are in a position to take the steps necessary to contain the spread of the disease as far as we can, and to protect the most vulnerable. We will be announcing that plan not just tomorrow but in the days and weeks ahead as the thing develops. He said measures to tackle coronavirus such as closing schools and banning mass gatherings would only be taken upon scientific advice. Boris Johnson / Getty images Speaking after the Cobra meeting on Monday, he said: The most important thing for people to understand is that (measures) will be guided by scientific advice. "All four nations of the UK and the chief medical officers are involved in this and they will be helping us to take key decisions on when and how to take protective steps. He added: We cannot forget that the single most useful thing that we can all do to support the NHS is to wash our hands, two times to Happy Birthday with hot water. Its very important that people should continue (doing) that and they should go about business as usual. Ms von der Leyen said 'the virus continues to spread' / AFP via Getty Images The First Minister said the Scottish Government is expecting a significant outbreak of coronavirus after the first case in Scotland was diagnosed on Sunday . She said: We would expect to see further cases confirmed in the days to come. She added that the Government is planning for the likelihood of a significant outbreak of coronavirus. The patient who was diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus is not seriously ill at this stage, Ms Sturgeon revealed, but is in hospital as a precautionary measure. That is not necessarily going to be the case going forward for future cases, she said, explaining that people will be told to self-isolate unless there is a clinical need for them to be in hospital. FIORE GOLD announces first quarter 2020 results Posted by Publisher Internet FIORE GOLD LTD. (TSXV: F) (OTCQB: FIOGF) (?Fiore? or the ?Company? -? https://www.commodity-tv.com/play/fiore-gold-small-gold-producer-in-nevada-with-growth-plans/ ) is pleased to announce that its financial statements and management?s discussion and analysis for the first fiscal quarter (?Q1 2020?) ended December 31, 2019, have been filed with the securities regulatory authorities and are available at www.sedar.com and on the Company?s website at www.fioregold.com. Q1 2020 Operating, Financial and Organic Growth Highlights (all figures in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated) Quarterly gold production of 8,750 ounces, including 3,989 ounces in December 2019 Gold sales of 9,093 ounces Mined ore production in Q1 above plan at approximately 15,290 tons per day with the stripping ratio at 1.8:1.0 Mining costs of $2.09 per ton mined reflects continued operational efficiencies 26,861 man-hours worked in Q1, achieving our goal of zero reportable incidents, zero reportable accidents, and zero lost-time injuries. As of December 31, 2019, the operation is at 1,322 consecutive days of attaining this Triple-Zero achievement Q1 2020 Pan Mine AISC1 per ounce sold of $1,197 and cash costs per ounce sold1 of $1,025 Q1 2020 Fiore consolidated AISC1 of $1,330 per ounce sold Recorded quarterly revenues of $13.1 million with mine operating income of $2.4 million Generated Pan operating cash flow1 of $2.5 million and consolidated operating cash flow of $0.1 million Pan resource expansion drill program expected to continue through calendar Q2 2020 with planned resource and mine plan update in the second half of 2020 Preliminary Economic Assessment (?PEA?) on the federally permitted Gold Rock project nearing completion, with expected release in calendar Q1 2020 Pan to Gold Rock access road construction commencing in March 2020 In Q1 2020, the Pan Mine continued to operate efficiently and safely. Mined ore production was above plan at 15,290 ore tons per day, with total tons mined at 42,359 tons per day, reflecting a strip ratio of 1.8:1.0. As noted in our guidance dated February 3, 2020, we expect to strip at higher rates earlier in the fiscal year and the strip ratio is projected to drop significantly to approximately 1.1:1.0 in fiscal Q4 2020. Mining costs of $2.09 per ton mined was also favorable as the total tons mined continued above our target, reflecting the mining efficiencies we are achieving. As always, these efficiencies have been achieved while maintaining our strong safety record. Pan also ramped up towards the higher gold production levels expected from the installation of the primary crusher. Gold production in the first two months of Q1 2020 were below plan as the operating team worked to optimize crusher throughput and fine-tune the reagent mix and operating procedures. As with all heap leach operations, there was also a natural timing delay between placing crushed ore on the leach pad and gold reporting to the process plant. However, the positive impact of the operational improvements began to be seen in December 2019 with gold production of 3,989 gold ounces and similar production levels continuing through January and February 2020. Despite the crusher ramp-up challenges, our operating team was able to identify and resolve the start-up issues efficiently and safely. Tim Warman, Fiore?s CEO commented, ?The Pan Mine continued to perform well in Q1, starting the year ahead of plan in ore mined, contained gold mined and mining cost per ton. Though quarterly gold production was below plan, the upward trend within the quarter was significant with Pan reaching almost 4,000 ounces in December and producing at similar levels into our second fiscal quarter. As the year progresses, we are guiding an increase in gold grades, stronger leach kinetics from crushed ore and a reduction in strip ratio. This should naturally increase gold production and lower all-in sustaining costs1. With the current strength in gold price and no hedges in place, we expect to see considerably stronger operating cash flows at Pan through the balance of the year.? Ore tons and total tons mined were higher than the prior year as mining efficiencies allowed us to achieve the required increase in stripping ratio, which is the primary driver for the increase in Pan and Fiore consolidated AISC1. These cost metrics were also impacted by lower gold production in fiscal Q1 2020 where particularly October and November 2019 production were lower due to the crusher ramp-up. 1 This is a non-IFRS financial measure. Please refer to ?Non-IFRS Financial Measures? at the end of this news release for a description of these non-IFRS financial measures and to the Non-IFRS Financial measures in the December 31, 2019 Management?s Discussion and Analysis for a reconciliation to operating costs from the Company?s interim financial statements. Key Developments Pan Mine The primary crushing circuit is fully operational, and we are working to optimize throughput levels to the designed 14,000 tons per day capacity. We are proud of our ongoing track record of managing development and capital projects at the Pan Mine in a safe and timely manner. Metallurgical testing has shown that primary crushing will increase both the overall gold recovery and the rate of gold recovery. The crushing circuit will produce an estimated 6,000-7,000 additional gold ounces per year. Gold production levels in the period December 2019 through February 2020 reflect this expected increase in gold production. Initial results of the current resource expansion drill program were announced on December 10, 2019.? The twenty-six holes reported were drilled at several locations around the main North Pan and South Pan pits, as well as the smaller Syncline and Black Stallion satellite pits. The holes were intended to test the potential to expand the existing oxide reserves both at depth and laterally beyond the current reserve boundaries. Highlights from these initial twenty-six holes include: North Pan Area Hole PR19-005 returned 35.1 metres of 0.64 g/t gold Hole PR19-006 returned 12.2 metres of 1.16 g/t gold Hole PR19-009 returned 38.1 metres of 0.79 g/t gold South Pan Area Hole PR19-019 returned 36.6 metres of 0.50 g/t gold and 48.8 metres of 0.57 g/t gold in two separate but closely spaced intercepts Hole PR19-020 returned 53.3 metres of 0.41 g/t gold Hole PR19-024 returned 21.3 metres of 0.63 g/t gold The drill program recommenced in February 2020 and is expected to continue through calendar Q2 2020, with an updated resource statement be completed the second half of 2020. The outcome of the update may impact the guided strip ratio through fiscal 2020. Gold Rock During Q4 2018, the United States Bureau of Land Management issued the Record of Decision for the Company?s 100%-owned Gold Rock project, located approximately 8 km southeast of our Pan Mine, marking the completion of the federal permitting process required for the construction of a mine on the Gold Rock property. We have prepared a detailed development plan for Gold Rock that lays out the drilling, metallurgical testing, engineering, state permitting, and other activities required to advance the project towards production. Work is currently underway on a PEA which we expect to release in calendar Q1 2020. Based on our experience operating the nearby Pan Mine, we intend to proceed directly from the PEA to a Feasibility Study in order to shorten the development timeframe. Work on the direct access road from the Pan Mine and Gold Rock will begin in early March 2020 and is expected to cut travel times between the two projects significantly. Rio Loa During February 2020, Fiore entered into an agreement with a private Chilean company to assign all of our obligations under the Rio Loa Option Agreement for consideration of $0.05 million and contingent consideration of $0.15 million over a three-year period. The contingent consideration of $0.15 million is dependent upon the third party exercising the option during 2021. If the 2021 option is not exercised, the Rio Loa Option Agreement would return to us at that time.? The assignment agreement is contingent upon the approval of the optionors for Rio Loa, who we anticipate will approve the assignment. The divestment of Rio Loa focuses the Company firmly on the United States, one of the world?s top mining jurisdictions. While revenue increased quarter over quarter, income from operations and adjusted net earnings1 decreased. Profitability was impacted by the lower gold production and increased mining costs associated with increased waste stripping as well as longer ore hauls as the pits get deeper. This is partially offset by shorter hauls to the crusher stockpiles moving forward. Our current life of mine plan has a strip ratio of 1.6:1, with stripping expected to be above that level until mid-calendar 2020, then dropping below thereafter. ?As of December 31, 2019, we continue to have a strong working capital surplus of $24.9 million, consisting of current assets of $32.7 million and current liabilities of $7.7 million. Refer to the Company?s MD&A and Financial Statements for additional information.? 1 This is a non-IFRS financial measure. Please refer to ?Non-IFRS Financial Measures? at the end of this news release for a description of these non-IFRS financial measures and to the Non-IFRS Financial measures in the December 31, 2019 Management?s Discussion and Analysis for a reconciliation to operating costs from the Company?s interim financial statements. Engagement of Swiss Resource Capital The Company announces that it will engage SRC Swiss Resource Capital AG (?SRC?) to provide investor relations and communication services in Europe to increase exposure and awareness to investors in the German speaking financial community. The Engagement is for an initial term of twelve months and continuing on a quarter to quarter basis thereafter. SRC will assist the Company?s efforts to grow investor awareness and expanding exposure to retail and institutional investors, including by providing news dissemination and marketing services in German. The engagement is subject to certain approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V), at a cost CHF6,000 per month.? SRC does not currently have any interest, direct or indirect in the Company or its securities, or a right to acquire such an interest. Corporate Strategy Our corporate strategy is to grow Fiore Gold into a 150,000 ounce per year gold producer. To achieve this, we intend to: grow gold production at the Pan Mine while also growing the reserve and resource base; advance exploration and development of the nearby Gold Rock project; and acquire additional production or near-production assets to complement our existing operations Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this news release relating to Fiore Gold?s Pan Mine was approved by J. Ross MacLean (MMSA), Fiore Gold?s Chief Operating Officer and a \Qualified Person\ under National Instrument 43-101. The scientific and technical information contained in this news release relating to the Gold Rock project was approved by Paul Noland (AIPG CPG-11293), Fiore Gold?s VP Exploration and a \Qualified Person\ under National Instrument 43-101. On behalf of FIORE GOLD LTD. \Tim Warman\ Chief Executive Officer Contact Us: info@fioregold.com? 1 (416) 639-1426 Ext. 1 www.fioregold.com? ? In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch ? www.resource-capital.ch Non-IFRS Financial Measures The Company has included certain non-IFRS measures in this document, as discussed below. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company. The non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers. ?Adjusted net earnings? and ?adjusted net earnings per share? are non-IFRS financial performance measures. Adjusted net earnings excludes the following from net earnings: certain impairment charges (reversals) related to intangibles, goodwill, property, plant and equipment, and investments; gains (losses) and other one-time costs relating to acquisitions or dispositions; foreign currency translation gains (losses); significant tax adjustments not related to current period earnings; unrealized gains (losses) on non-hedge derivative instruments; and the tax effect and non-controlling interest of these items. The Company uses this measure internally to evaluate our underlying operating performance for the reporting periods presented and to assist with the planning and forecasting of future operating results. We believe that adjusted net earnings are a useful measure of our performance because these adjusting items do not reflect the underlying operating performance of our business and are not necessarily indicative of future operating results. We have adopted ?all-in sustaining costs? measures for the Pan Mine and Fiore as a consolidated group, consistent with guidance issued by the World Gold Council (?WGC?) on June 27, 2013. We believe that the use of all-in sustaining costs is helpful to analysts, investors and other stakeholders in assessing our operating performance, our ability to generate free cash flow from current operations and our overall value. These measures are helpful to governments and local communities in understanding the economics of gold mining. The ?all-in sustaining costs? measure is an extension of existing ?cash cost? metrics and incorporates costs related to sustaining production. The WGC definition of all-in sustaining costs seeks to extend the definition of total cash costs by adding reclamation and remediation costs, exploration and study costs, capitalized stripping costs, corporate general and administrative costs and sustaining capital expenditures to represent the total costs of producing gold from current operations. All-in sustaining costs exclude income tax, interest costs, depreciation, non-sustaining capital expenditures, non-sustaining exploration expense and other items needed to normalize earnings. Therefore, these measures are not indicative of our cash expenditures or overall profitability. ?Total cash cost per ounce sold? is a common financial performance measure in the gold mining industry but has no standard meaning under IFRS. The Company reports total cash costs on a sales basis. We believe that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company?s performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measure, along with sales, is considered to be a key indicator of a Company?s ability to generate operating earnings and cash flow from its mining operations. ?Costs of sales per ounce sold? adds depreciation and depletion and share based compensation allocated to production to the cash costs figures. Total cash costs figures are calculated in accordance with a standard developed by The Gold Institute, which was a worldwide association of suppliers of gold and gold products and included leading North American gold producers. The Gold Institute ceased operations in 2002, but the standard is considered the accepted standard of reporting cash cost of production in North America. Adoption of the standard is voluntary, and the cost measures presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measure of other companies. ?Total cash costs per ounce?, ?cost of sales per ounce?, ?all-in sustaining costs per ounce?, ?Corporate G&A and SBC per ounce?, ?Non-sustaining exploration per ounce?, ?Pan operating income? and ?Pan operating cash flow? are intended to provide additional information only and do not have any standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measures are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate the measure differently. The following table reconciles non-IFRS measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measure. ?Average realized price? is a financial measure with no standard meaning under IFRS. Management uses this measure to better understand the price realized in each reporting period for gold sales. Average realized price excludes from revenues unrealized gains and losses, if applicable, on non-hedge derivative contracts. The average realized price is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized definition under IFRS; it should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Other companies may calculate this measure differently. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This news release contains ?forward-looking statements? and ?forward looking information? (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management?s best estimates, assumptions and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, statements with respect to future operations at the Pan Mine, development plan for Gold Rock, drilling plans for Pan and Gold Rock, expected drilling results, expected production, expected costs, expected mining rates, strip ratios, all cost, production and financial guidance, estimates of mineral resources and reserves, expectations that the Company will add additional resources and reserves through drilling, estimates and expectation that the crushing circuit will produce additional gold ounces and increase gold recoveries, timing of a resource statement for the Pan Mine, all of the future planned development, construction and operations described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision for the Gold Rock Mine project, timing and development of a preliminary economic assessment for Gold Rock, construction of the access road between the Pan and Gold Rock properties , liquidity outlook, future cash flow, future financial performance, company outlook, goal to become a 150,000 ounce producer, goal to acquire additional production or near production assets, and other statements, estimates or expectations. Often, but not always, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ?expects?, ?expected?, ?budgeted?, ?targets?, ?forecasts?, ?intends?, ?anticipates?, ?scheduled?, ?estimates?, ?aims?, ?will?, ?believes?, ?projects? and similar expressions (including negative variations) which by their nature refer to future events.? By their very nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Fiore Gold?s control.? These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, as well as a number of assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company concerning, among other things, anticipated geological formations, potential mineralization, future plans for exploration and/or development, potential future production, ability to obtain permits for future operations, drilling exposure, and exploration budgets and timing of expenditures, all of which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Fiore Gold to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.? Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward looking statements include, but not limited to, risks related to the Pan Mine performance, risks related to the company?s limited operating history; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current or future exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; increases in market prices of mining consumables; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results, test results and the estimation of gold resources and reserves; failure of plant, equipment or? processes to operate as anticipated; the possibility that capital and operating costs may be higher than currently estimated; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work programs; availability of financing; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities; the possibility that required permits may not be obtained on a timely manner or at all; changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in countries in which Fiore Gold operates, and other factors identified in Fiore Gold?s filings with Canadian securities authorities under its profile at www.sedar.com? respecting the risks affecting Fiore and its business. Although Fiore has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Fiore disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. 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. While all countries were cautious about China, Irans Mahan Air Airline belonging to the regimes Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) forces continued to fly to China and this bizarre act was even reflected in the state-run media. In this regard, the Hamshahri Online website on 27 February wrote: A picture on social media sites is being shared that is showing that Mahan Airlines is still flying to China. Kan News wrote: The Airbus 340, a Mahan airline that made Chinas Shanghai fly this morning, is flying from Shanghai to Tehran. Mahan Air, under pressure from public opinion, admitted in an Instagram post for the Publics Enlightenment accept that it had made nine flights to China after the order to stop the flights. In this regard, the IRNA news agency reported on 24 February: Mahan Airlines confirmed that it carried out four cargo flights to two cities, Shanghai and Beijing, as well as five-passenger flights after ordering to stop the flights to China. And now informed that it has no plan for passenger flights to China, and the possibility of flights to China is based on the Civil Aviation Authority license. Earlier, a member of the regimes parliament, Bahram Parsai, in an interview with ISNA news agency unveiled these catastrophic flights of Mahan Air to China. He did not dare to name the airline owned by the IRGC because of fear, but his explanations clearly indicated that he meant the Mahan Air Company. Parsai specifically described the source of coronavirus entry to Iran as this domestic airline and said: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a state of emergency in China in the early days of its outbreak in China, after which we were able to see the managing on this issue worldwide, but unfortunately, for some reason that could not be justified, one of the Iranian airlines continued to fly to China, and even passengers from other countries were displaced by the Iranian airline. The warnings were not taken seriously, and the negligence is very clear. The profiteering of this domestic airline or the wrong policies of it, as well as not taking the World Health Organizations warnings seriously caused that the coronavirus enters Iran. Since the virus has not been reported in neighboring countries, the virus has entered the country through flights, and it is unclear when the virus came to Iran. (ISNA News Agency, 22 February) A video released on the social networks revealed that the Mahan Air Airlines not only flies to China from Iran but also because of profiteering, took Chinese travelers, when other airline companies didnt do it because of the coronavirus, brought them from Istanbuls airport to Tehran and from Tehran to China. On 31 January 2020, Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for the regimes airline, officially confessed in an interview with the governments television that flights to China and East Asia were continuing. Mohammed Hossein Ghorbani, deputy chairman of the regimes Health Commission, also acknowledged that the airlines had been warned, but they said they were private and did not cut flights and said they did not want to have an economic loss. In this regard, ISNA on 24 January quoted him: The Deputy Chairman of the Majlis Health Commission stated that the Ministry of Health had warned of the risk of transmitting the coronavirus to China via airline, but despite the medical warnings, Airlines have declared themselves private and should not be harmed because of governments decisions The virus has been transmitted to our country through communication and flights to China and East Asia, as well as failing to comply with health issues at entry points including Airports, entered the country. Since the governments approval, the company has had two flights to Beijing and two to Shanghai, ISNA wrote. Earlier, Chinas ambassador to Bahman on 2 February wrote in a tweet: During a meeting with Arabnejad, Mahan Airlines CEO, he announced that they wanted to continue cooperation with China. Mahan Airs cooperation with China was during its nationwide crisis, while many airlines stopping flights to China. Although Mahan Airs role in transmitting the coronavirus from China to Iran is obvious, Mohammad Islami, Minister of transportation and metropolitan development, has denied that the coronavirus was transmitted to Iran via flights to and from China. This is not true, and Chinas flights have been stopped, he told ILNA. (ILNA, 22 February 2020) Regarding the news and the confessions of the regimes factions, it is clear that the Mahan Air belonging to the regimes Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) was the main cause of transmission of the virus from China to Iran and this national catastrophe, only because of the economic benefits of the regime. Read More: Strategic Corruption in Irans Government BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Genome sequencing has shown that red panda, the endangered furry mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, are two different species, providing a theoretical basis for more targeted conservation efforts. Scientists previously divided red pandas into two subspecies with the Nujiang River in southwest China's Yunnan Province as the geological boundary. Those to the east of the river were classified as the Chinese red panda, and those to the west were the Himalayan red panda. But the classification has long been debated. In the latest study, researchers from the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences did whole-genome sequencing on 69 red pandas. They also analyzed 49 red panda's mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from the mother, and the Y chromosome sequencing from 49 male red pandas. The researchers reported in the online version of Science Advances that red pandas, based on the analysis results, fall into two genetic clusters, and the two clusters are distinct enough to be classified as two distinct species. They said the division line between the two species should be the Yarlung Zangbo River, and the divergence of the Himalayan red panda and the Chinese red panda occurred about 220,000 years ago. Genetic analysis also showed that the Chinese red panda experienced two population bottlenecks, and the Himalayan had three. A population bottleneck refers to a sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental causes. The researchers said their study is of great significance for conservation. The Himalayan red pandas were found to carry more potentially harmful genetic mutations, and their genetic diversity is low, which means the species suffers a higher risk of population decline in the face of diseases or harsh climate change. They noted that conservation measures should be more targeted in the future. Interbreeding between the two species in captivity is possibly detrimental and should be avoided. The red panda is listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List with less than 10,000 estimated to remain in the wild. By Express News Service KALABURAGI: Tension prevailed in the Haft Gumbaz locality of Kalaburagi after the slogan Pakistan Zindabad was found written on a wall of a house on Sunday. Along with the phrase hailing the neighbouring country, some vulgar words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also found scribbled across the wall of the house belonging to one Kishan Rao Hagaragundagi. On learning about this, BJP women activists, led by district unit president, Divya Hagaragi staged a demonstration in front of Chowk police station, demanding speedy arrest of the miscreants. Addressing activists, Divya blamed police for their inaction and silence on such anti-national activities. Even when AIMIM leader Waris Pathan delivered a hate speech in Kalaburagi on February 15, police did not register a case voluntarily. Only after a complaint was lodged, did they book a case against him, she said. Based on the complaint of Manoj Chaudhary, who resides in the said house as a tenant, police have registered a sedition case against unknown persons. Police rushed to the spot immediately and removed the writings. A Hyundai Thanh Cong factory in Vietnam The closing dealt a fresh setback to Hyundai Motor, which has gradually resumed production at local plants hit by a Chinese parts shortage in the wake of the virus outbreak. "The company has also placed colleagues who came in close contact with the infected employee in self-quarantine and taken steps to have them tested for possible infection," Hyundai Motor said in a news release. The company added that it was disinfecting the factory. It did not say when production would resume. The factory that was shut down produces sport utility vehicles such as the Palisade, Tucson, Santa Fe, and Genesis GV80. Shares of the automaker ended down more than 5 per cent after the news, while the wider market was down 3.3 per cent. Hyundai operates five car factories in Ulsan, which has an annual production capacity of 1.4 million vehicles, or nearly 30 per cent of Hyundai's global production. Hyundai employs 34,000 workers there in the world's biggest car complex. A factory run by Hyundai supplier Seojin Industrial had been closed after the death of a virus-infected worker there. It reopened on Wednesday (February 26). South Korea's tech giant Samsung Electronics shut down a phone factory in the southeastern city of Gumi over the previous weekend after one of its workers tested positive. It resumed production on Monday (February 24). South Korea has the most people infected by COVID-19 outside of China, affecting companies like Samsung and Hyundai. South Korea on Friday reported 256 new cases, bringing the total number of infected to 2,022, as the world prepared for a global recession. In Vietnam, Hyundai Motor collaborated with Thanh Cong Group to operate the manufacturing lines of Hyundai automobiles in Ninh Binh province at the annual capacity of 60,000 cars. Deployment of the second factory in Quang Ninh province was pledged in an MoU at the end of 2018, and the project is being reviewed by the government. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Amid coronavirus fears, D-Street is gearing up for a historic event to unfold this week the SBI Card IPO, which will open for subscription on March 2. This will be the largest IPO after General Insurance Corporation of India which came out with its initial offering in October 2017. SBI Card proposed to raise Rs 10,289 crore at the lower end of the price band (Rs 750 per share) and Rs 10,355 crore at the upper end (Rs 755 per share). The next big question in the mind of investors is where should investors place their money SBI that has a market capitalisation of Rs 2.7 lakh crore (as of February 28) or SBI Card IPO? If one has to make a choice between the parent company, SBI and the SBI Card IPO, experts feel that investors will be better off investing in the IPO for both listing and long-term gains. The grey market premium is around 40 percent on the listing. SBI Card (SBIC) is a subsidiary of State Bank of India, and is also the second-largest credit card issuer with 93.2 lakh outstanding credit cards and Rs 98,486 crore in terms of total credit card spends as on December 2019. We would advise investors to subscribe to the SBI Card IPO and earn from the listing gains. Since there is a lot of buzz around the IPO and it is already trading at a 40% premium in the grey market, a stellar opening is expected by D-Street, Umesh Mehta, Head of Research, Samco Securities told Moneycontrol. Contrary to this, SBI Banks stock wont deliver the same returns in such a short span of time. Hence, investors should play the SBI Card IPO and avoid the SBI stock which is trading in a range-bound manner, he said. One of the reasons, which experts feel, could play in favour of SBI Card is the low penetration of the credit card market. Compared to other markets, the Indian credit card market remains severely underpenetrated with a meagre 3% (per 100 population) penetration, which is among the lowest in the world, according to reports. Investors who had SBI shares in their portfolio as on February 18, 2020 the record date for application under this criterion can apply for the IPO under this category, Atish Matlawala, Sr Analyst, SSJ Finance & Securities told Moneycontrol. Penetration of credit cards in India is just 3% compared to 73% in Brazil and 42% in China. This presents an immense opportunity for the entire industry to grow. Thus we will prefer investment in SBI card and not SBI at this point in time, he said. Earnings & Valuations: SBI Cards has maintained a strong earnings trajectory with revenue growth at 44.6 percent CAGR to Rs 6,999 crore in 2017 and net profit trajectory at 52.1 percent CAGR to Rs 862.7 crore in 2019 with sustainable RoA of over 4 percent and RoE of about 28 percent, said an ICICIdirect report. SBI being Parent will be beneficiary of the IPO and its expected rich valuations. At IPO price it contributes Rs.40 per share (post 20% discount) to SBIs valuation. SBI (bank) is expected to report strong earnings (~50% CAGR) over the next 2 years considering declining slippages and improving recoveries, Pankaj Pandey, Head Research, ICICI direct told Moneycontrol. Subsidiaries are adding to valuations further. We believe investment in SBI bank can be considered at current levels. SBI cards IPO should be subscribed for listing gains as valuation remain rich at 44x FY20E PAT IPO price, he said. Largest pure-play issuer: SBIC has grown its business faster than the market over the past two years both in terms of the number of cards outstanding (35% CAGR over FY17-19) and card spends (54% CAGR), according to a Motilal Oswal report. This helped in improving its market share to 18 percent in both the categories (as of November 2019). It offers a wide range of card portfolios (46) with 40 percent being the premium cards (2nd highest). The working-age population, spend-thrift nature of the millennials, credit card penetration being low, government's thrust on digitalisation and a growing economy a are the major driving force for the credit card industry flourish in times to come, suggest experts. No doubt SBIC commands higher valuations, but with strong financial metrics as well as rising market share, it becomes a value play for even long-term investors as well. SBI Cards is the first offering of its kind where the tailwinds is quite optimistic, financial metrics are quite strong and hence it warrants a significant listing premium and a high valuation, Paras Bothra, President of Equity Research, Ashika Stock Broking told Moneycontrol. As SBI being the promoter to it and the lofty valuation which SBI Cards listing would command will certainly have a positive rub-off effect on SBI stocks price. Hence investors can consider applying for the SBI Cards IPO for good gains, he said. Being the largest financial conglomerate with businesses across segments like corporate, retail, government businesses, insurance, asset management, credit cards among others, SBI turns into a holding company and thus does not provide a pure-play. While the valuation may seem attractive from holding company perspective, we would prefer a pure-play with limited balance sheet risk like Life insurance business, Sameer Kaul, MD & CEO, TrustPlutus told Moneycontrol. SBI Cards not only operates in a segment, which has very low penetrations but is also least prone to interventions from the government unless Agri credit cards are issued under pressure. Having said that, we believe that valuations may be slightly on the higher side for a PSU and thus allocation has to be careful, 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. BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday she understood that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expected more help from Europe to deal with the refugee crisis, but added he should not use refugees to express his dissatisfaction. More than 10,000 migrants, mostly from Syria, other Middle Eastern states and Afghanistan, have reached Turkey's land borders with EU states Greece and Bulgaria since Ankara said last Thursday it would stop keeping them on its territory. "I understand that Turkey is facing a very big challenge regarding Idlib," Merkel told reporters. "Still, for me it's inacceptable that he - President Erdogan and his government - are not expressing this dissatisfaction in a dialogue with us as the European Union, but rather on the back of the refugees. For me, that's not the way to go forward." Merkel added that the European Union and Turkey should resume talks about their refugee agreement and that Germany was also open to supporting Turkey bilaterally. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Michelle Martin) Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick's campaign to shame individual company bosses into paying more corporate tax has him believing he won't be invited onto company boards anytime soon. He's joking when he says this, but two months into the year he has already taken aim at former ExxonMobil chairman Richard Owen and EnergyAustralia managing director Catherine Tanna, using parliamentary privilege to call them "tax dodgers" and "swindlers" and demand they be stripped of high-profile positions. Rex Patrick has so far named two business leaders in a campaign on corporate tax bills. Credit:AFR His argument is that many companies do not pay their fair share of tax in Australia and, as leaders of these companies, he wants to hold them personally accountable. The senator has already attracted criticism from business figures who say he is playing the man, not the ball. But there are many more prominent chiefs he intends to target without warning. In fact, there's a whole list. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Affle India share price gained 8 percent intraday on March 2 after the company signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mediasmart. The company signed a definitive agreement to acquire Spain headquartered Mediasmart, a self-serve mobile programmatic and proximity marketing platform. This acquisition carries 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 stronghold markets like Europe and US, the company said in a release. Mediasmart provides advertisers, trading desks and agencies an integrated mobile advertising platform with unique incremental impact measurability for Proximity and App marketing campaigns, it added. We are excited to announce our 1st acquisition in Europe and welcome the Mediasmart team onboard at Affle. Mediasmart has the perfect team, culture and tech platform for Affle to build a greater strategic presence in Europe, US & Latin America," said Anuj Khanna Sohum, the Chairman, MD and CEO at Affle. At 09:27 hrs, Affle India was quoting at Rs 1,915.00, up Rs 120.40, or 6.71 percent on the BSE. The people have spoken - and they are not happy with New Yorks ban on plastic bags, which went into effect on Sunday. The Empire State became just the third state in the nation 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. On Twitter, reaction was fierce, as some said the leadership in New York was more concerned about plastic bags than they were about crime. A shopper carries plastic bags in Manhattan on Sunday - the day that a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags went into effect A woman is seen carrying a reusable canvas bag in Manhattan on Sunday Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at an event in Union Square on Sunday during which he distributed reusable bags to New Yorkers ahead of the plastic bag ban going into effect Robert Barano tweeted: NYC where plastic bags are a bigger threat then [sic] criminals. Another Twitter user who goes by the avatar TheDude tweeted: Queue the explosion of the NYC rat population because garbage is less contained, in 3...2... and Another Twitter user with the avatar Doc Todd tweeted: I just purchased 1,000 plastic bags on Amazon. He punctuated the tweet with two smiley faces. Lisa B. responded to the tweet, writing: Same. I always reused and recycled mine responsibly anyway. Not giving NYC another nickel in taxes. If it is such a good idea, why didn't the City supply residents with reusable bags funded by the stupid tax? Another Twitter user posted a photo of reusable bags that has an unflattering caricature of Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomos an A*****E! the bag says. The city announced the ban went into effect on its Twitter feed on Sunday. 'Together, we can create a cleaner future for our city and planet,' the message read Others on Twitter, however, were not as welcoming of the ban. This Twitter user accused New York's leaders of being more concerned about plastic bags than about crime Another Twitter user wrote: What do they package your deli meat in? What are cheeses wrapped in? What are your "to go" containers made of?' Another Twitter user who goes by the avatar TheDude tweeted: Queue the explosion of the NYC rat population because garbage is less contained, in 3...2... and Another Twitter user suggested that milk be delivered by milkmen like they were years ago Another Twitter user complained that the cost of using plastic bags is passed on to consumers rather than suppliers Another Twitter user with the avatar Doc Todd tweeted: I just purchased 1,000 plastic bags on Amazon. He punctuated the tweet with two smiley faces This Twitter user wants New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to go back to his home town of Boston Another Twitter user posted a photo of reusable bags that has an unflattering caricature of Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomos an A*****E! the bag says I'm ordering a bunch of these, so I can save the environment in style! tweeted the Twitter user who posted the photo. Westside Market manager Ian Joskowitz, 52, told AFP some customers were 'upset' because they use free plastic bags as garbage bags. Another Twitter user wrote: Garbage bags are plastic also...Nyc... never does anything right.... Go back to milk delivered by milkmen.. no waste .. Do the same with all beverages. Another Twitter user wrote: What do they package your deli meat in? What are cheeses wrapped in? What are your "to go" containers made of? Others, however, came out in support of the plastic bag ban. Thank you, new york!! People-quit b*****n!! Care more about your home (think outside the box here) than having to bring your own bags!! Better late then [sic] never!! tweeted Roger Puebla. 'This should have been done a long time ago' Ed Talentti tweeted: Thank you, Mayor DiBlasio [sic], a great NYC Mayor and another example of why great Liberal Democratic Leadership makes things better for everyone. Got my canvas and cloth shopping bags ready! About time we act. What kind of wrappings are used at the meat counter in grocery stores to keep meat fresh and free of contaminants? Others also decided to vent their frustrations against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. When can we ban you and your wife from our city, tweeted one Twitter user in reference to the mayor. Go back to Boston. Others, however, came out in support of the plastic bag ban. Thank you, new york!! People-quit b*****n!! Care more about your home (think outside the box here) than having to bring your own bags!! Ed Talentti tweeted: Thank you, Mayor DiBlasio [sic], a great NYC Mayor and another example of why great Liberal Democratic Leadership makes things better for everyone. Got my canvas and cloth shopping bags ready! About time we act. Better late then [sic] never!! tweeted Roger Puebla. This should have been done a long time ago. 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.' 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,' Cuomo said when he announced the legislation last year. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio distributes reusable bags 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!' RAWLINS, Wyo. - At least three people died and dozens were injured in a pileup involving more than 100 vehicles amid blowing snow that closed part of Interstate 80 in Wyoming, officials said Monday. The pileup and another one nearby around the same time involving 40 vehicles happened in snowy, blustery weather Sunday about 180 miles (290 kilometres) west of Cheyenne. About 30 people were taken to the emergency room at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in the small city of Rawlins, hospital spokeswoman Stephanie Hinkle told the Casper Star-Tribune. Officials at the 25-bed hospital expected more injured people to arrive Monday. They called in three extra doctors and set up a temporary patient holding area in a cafeteria. The smaller pileup, on I-80 just 4 miles (6 kilometres) away from the larger pileup, injured at least seven people, including one person who was hospitalized in critical condition, Sweetwater County Sheriffs Office spokesman Jason Mower said. A 200-mile (320-kilometre) stretch of westbound I-80 from Laramie to Rock Springs was still closed Monday and Wyoming Department of Transportation officials did not expect it to reopen until early Tuesday. Forecasters predicted snow driven by wind up to 50 mph (80 kph) would continue affecting travel until Tuesday. The Pentagon's top general cautioned on Monday not to expect an immediate halt to violence in Afghanistan, after three people were killed in a bombing in the eastern part of the country. "We don't know exactly who did that yet," said General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, two days after the United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban. "I would caution everybody (not) to think there's going to be an absolute cessation of violence in Afghanistan... To think that it is going to go to zero, immediately -- that's probably not going to be the case," he told reporters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, March 2 : At least 40 people have been arrested for spreading fake news and information on the violent clashes that rocked northeast Delhi last week. The violence that began between pro and anti-CAA groups soon metamorphosed into widespread clashes that went on to claim over 40 lives and left over 200 injured. The situation that is crawling towards normalcy once gain became tense on Sunday night as false news and information on violence and arson did the rounds. The Delhi Police Control Room had received 1,880 notifications within just 2-3 hours on Sunday night. After investigation, each and every information was found to be false and misleading. The fake notifications on violence were received mainly from different Delhi districts. The highest number of rumours -- 481, was reported to the Western District Police Control Room. Southeastern, Dwarka, Outer and Rohini districts were ranked second, third, fourth and fifth respectively in getting the false news of the violence. A total of 21 people were arrested in northwest Delhi district on charges of spreading false information about riots. Besides, 18 people were arrested on similar charges in the southern district and one person was held in Rohini district. Additional Police Commissioner of Rohini District S.D. Mishra told IANS on Monday: "One man was arrested while two were detained. They were freed after questioning. One of them told police during questioning that he described the sound of a motorcycle exhaust as firing of bullets while informing the police. Another told police that many children were trapped in the Hyderpur area." According to Delhi Police Headquarters, the largest number of rumours of rioting in Delhi was reported from the Western District (481). The second largest was South-Western district (413 notifications). While Dwarka District (310), Outer Delhi District (222), Rohini District (168), Southern District (127), North-Western District (54), Central District (35), South-West District (30), Outer North District (22), Eastern District (6), Northern District (6), Shahdara District (4) and North-Eastern District (2) were the others. Data collected by IANS from Delhi Police headquarters shows that no false or misleading call was made from New Delhi district. Shahdara district DCP Amit Sharma sustained severe head injuries when the violence was at its peak in northeast Delhi. Sharma's government vehicle was also set afire by the miscreants. Besides, a Head Constable was allegedly killed in the Dayalpur police station area by the miscreants on last Monday noon. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in) Residents attempting to buy hand sanitizer and facemasks might find empty shelves when going to their local grocery store or pharmacy. As more Americans are diagnosed with COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, people throughout the state are stocking up on their sanitation supplies and protective gear. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nations leading public health institute, 43 people in the United States have been diagnosed with the Coronavirus. On Saturday, a man from Washington state died from the virus marking the first death from COVID-19 in the country. Several businesses around the state are reporting they are out of hand sanitizer and facemasks. An employee at a CVS Pharmacy in Norwalk said the store was entirely out of hand like Purell and Clorox Disinfectant wipes as well as face masks. The employee said the store would get another delivery of the items Wednesday night. Employees at a Walgreens in Bridgeport and a CVS in Hamden both said their respective stores had hand sanitizer still in stock but had been cleared out of face masks by customers. An employee at a CVS in Torrington said they would not have sanitizer in stock until next week but could not say when they would have masks. In Greenwhich, a Whole Foods employee said it would not have Purell and other alcohol-based hand sanitizers would not be back on the shelves until Wednesday night. On Saturday, the U.S. Surgeon Generals office took to Twitter to warn Americans that facemask would not protect them from coronavirus. This came as several U.S. businesses are reporting a sharp uptick in mask sales. The government agency tweeted, "They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" On its website, the CDC lists ways to prevent the spead of coronavirus in communities. Methods listed include frequent hand washing, staying home when sick and covering coughs and sneezes. YEREVAN, 2 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 2 March, USD exchange rate up by 0.20 drams to 478.80 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.84 drams to 530.41 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.10 drams to 7.19 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 6.68 drams to 611.00 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 638.23 drams to 24781.67 drams. Silver price down by 13.20 drams to 264.54 drams. Platinum price down by 625.28 drams to 13407.98 drams. Amid scare over deadly coronavirus, the Punjab government on Monday announced emergency measures, including setting up of 'flu corners' in all government and private hospitals, in the event of any exigency. "The 'flu corners' will screen all suspected cases of respiratory tract infections at the earliest and ensure that the movement of such cases is restricted in order to prevent the spread of the (coronavirus) disease," an official statement said. The decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. The cabinet took stock of the situation triggered by the global epidemic, even as two positive cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported in the country. The state government also approved the Punjab Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 under the ambit of sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to combat the menace of the virus, the statement said. According to a notification approved by the cabinet, no private laboratory has been authorised to take or test sample of COVID-19 or coronavirus in the state. No person, institution or organisation will use any print or media in any form, for giving information on COVID-19 without prior permission of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab. Spread of any rumours or unscientific information regarding COVID-19 will be a punishable offence under the notification, said the statement. The state cabinet also announced that all hospitals in the state have been directed to take a suspected patient's history of travel to any country or area from where the spread of the disease is being reported, and also the history of coming in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, along with cases of respiratory tract infections or those presenting with symptoms similar to coronavirus. If there is any history of travel or contact with a case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days of development of symptoms, the person has to be kept in hospital isolation and the Department of Health has to be informed immediately by that doctor, hospital or clinic. Any person having travelled to a country or area from where COVID-19 is being reported has to self report to the nearest government hospital or call at helpline number 104 to inform about the travel details so that necessary action could be undertaken by the health department, the statement said. The health department will have rights to admit a person and isolate, if he has visited an area where coronavirus is endemic and is symptomatic, in consultation with deputy commissioner of the district concerned, it said. In case COVID-19 is reported from a defined geographic area, the district administration will have rights to implement containment measures in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Deputy commissioner of each district is authorised to take action as per the notification for COVID-19 in the area of jurisdiction of the district, the statement said. A committee shall be constituted and notified by the Department of Health and Family Welfare under the chairmanship of deputy commissioner involving SSP, civil surgeon and other officers of the district to take decision for measures for containment of COVID-19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan in a scene from Military Wives. (Lionsgate) Sometimes the most uplifting story comes from the most unlikely source. Military Wives, the latest film from director Peter Cattaneo, reimagines a series of Gareth Malones BAFTA-winning The Choir, which followed a group of wives living on a British military base who form a choir to get through tough times when their husbands are deployed to Afghanistan. The film, out 6 March, fictionalises some of the story, but retains the heart and triumph of the real-life tale in the same vein as Cattaneos seminal film The Full Monty. Cattaneo tapped Sharon Horgan to star as Lisa, a military wife who finds herself charged with starting a choir alongside Kristin Scott Thomas Kate. Its a surprisingly funny movie, with Horgan tapping into a similar sensibility as Catastrophe, and the actress pushed herself out of her comfort zone during the musical scenes. Read more: Pretty Woman screenwriter debunks myths Horgan, who runs her own production company Merman with Celia Mountford, became enmeshed in the world military wives, especially as the film shot on an actual military base in Yorkshire. Here Horgan discusses what drew her to the story, why she wants to make female-led projects and whether she plans to sing again. Yahoo Movies UK: Initially, what attracted you to this story? Sharon Horgan and Kristin Scott Thomas in a scene from Military Wives. (Lionsgate) Sharon Horgan: It was one of those scripts where you were like, F***k that really got me. It was obviously whats at the heart of the story, but then placing music around that the singing and the choir coming together. I didnt know anything, honest to God, about what it means to be the wife or the partner of someone whos in the military, and a certain amount of that came across in the original script. It just felt like a really good story and it made me cry when I read it. And the final movie is a really uplifting film. It makes you feel good. And then it was the fact that Peter was directing it and what hed done with The Full Monty felt similar. I thought he did that really beautifully and it was funny as well as moving and warm thats what this film felt like it needed. Story continues What sort of research did you do into the lives of real military wives? Thankfully there was the documentary series made about it, which is what inspired the film, as well as the womens stories. So it was really watching that and reading about them. The documentary series tells you so much because it focuses on individual stories of certain women as well as the choir as a whole, and it doesnt pull any punches in terms of how difficult it is and what a isolating world they live in. And how few tools they have to deal with that. Gareth Malone and the Military Wives Choir with their Single of the Year trophy at the Classic BRIT Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on October 2, 2012. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images) Of course, there is a support network there, but really they needed that choir. They needed something that pulled them all together and focused them and, in a tiny way, took their minds off what was going on there and elsewhere. Theres nothing they can do to change that in any way. They have to wait it out and it can be these six-month tours. Of course they have kids and part time jobs, but there are so many hours of just waiting. Life kind of stops and that seemed really difficult. Read more: Disney+ UK launch details Do you have a personal connection to anyone in the military? No. Kristin [Scott Thomas] has, because she lived on a military base when she was very, very young. So it was really eye-opening. Is your character based on a specific real-world women? The choir celebrates in a scene from Military Wives. (Lionsgate) No, not at all. And I didnt think about doing that at all. When I read the original script, which did change quite a lot, I got why they asked me to do it. I could see a bit of me in there. Or a bit of Sharon from Catastrophe. Someone who obviously feels things shes got a softness inside her but has dealt with her situation by being a bit tougher. Being harsh when she needs to be and being dismissive when she needs to be. And the idea that she had a teenage kid I loved, because I have a teenager daughter herself. I cant really imagine her in this situation, but I do know what its like to mother a teenage girl. But while she wasnt based on anyone we met a good number of the wives while we were filming because we were filming on the actual bases and garrisons. We met them and that was really great and helpful, but it was while we were filming. So you did film on working military bases? Yeah. It was really eye-opening. [The set of] Kates house is the house where the first military wives meeting took place. Was that helpful? LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Sharon Horgan attends the "Military Wives" UK Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on February 24, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) Yeah, just filming in those houses was. You got the sense that its quite a transient life. They get moved from base to base and you cant anchor yourself too much because you might have to up and move. You got the sense that all the houses are quite similar they can never really take them over and make them their own. I thought, That feels tough. To know that you cant put your roots down. Its safe to say this movie passes the Bechdel Test. Is it purposeful that you often work on female-forward projects? Completely. Its not by accident. When we set up our production company [Merman] it was with that idea in mind and its how we set out our stall and now its paying off. I like that. I like telling female stories. And a lot of the female writers and directors and creators come to us now because they know thats what we do. Not that Im not interested in male stories, we just thought Well, theres an opportunity there to focus on that and if we make a real effort to work with more female directors or tell more female stories what can happen? Creatively its been really fruitful. And it was nice to also experience that on this film. What sort of singing experience did you have prior to Military Wives? I was in a choir in school. So I had done choir singing, but thats all. But that was perfect. Our director didnt really want us to have experience because he wanted it to feel authentic. And if he caught us doing too much practice hed go mad! Hed go, Thats enough now. Because sometimes wed get too excited about a harmony that wed been taught and want to have a go. He wanted that to develop over the course of the film. We werent able to film it completely in order. We didnt have the budget to do that. But a lot of the later, more accomplished performances were done later in the filming. So as we go closer to that he allowed us to practice a bit more. What he didnt want was for it to sound good, but he also didnt want it to sound fake bad. And, in actual fact, that was easy to do. How so? When you first sing together it doesnt sound good. It takes a while. And thats whats beautiful about the film it makes you understand why it worked for those women and why it felt so necessary and why when they started doing it they didnt want to stop. You kind of go somewhere else. Youre focused on getting it right. You have this amazing feeling of camaraderie with the women youre singing with. You get so happy and excited when it sounds in any way good. Youre like, Oh, we did that. You genuinely sounded really good together. Sharon Horgan and Kristin Scott-Thomas attend the Military Wives UK Premiere at Cineworld, Leicester Square in London. (Keith Mayhew / Echoes WIre/Barcroft Media via Getty Images) There were a couple of really good singers in the choir. There were about 10 core actors and then there was this larger group. A lot of them were background artists youd normally have in a film, but then we had a few nice singers in there. Just like in the military wives choir where there would have been a few singers who were just naturally gifted. Read more: Actors who gave up on accents But then thered be the women who were just like you and me could maybe carry a tune and need to practice not to sound awful. There were all sorts of levels of singers in there. Did it make you want to pursue more musical projects? I went straight into another film with singing in it! But that was an accident: Everybodys Talking About Jamie. I was like, Okay, Im going to do this film and then Im never going to do another movie with singing it in ever again. It was just by chance. It must have been nice to be part of a movie that is so uplifting, especially with all thats going on in the world. It really was. When we saw it play out in Toronto it was kind of amazing because you could feel it having an effect on the audience. It was an amazing feeling just seeing and hearing peoples response. Even though its a bit of a tearjerker here and there, there is a real sense of fun and sweetness and good feeling it. Its a real positive thing. Military Wives is in UK cinemas from 6 March. OLD FORGE, N.Y. A man was arrested and charged with snowmobiling while intoxicated in Old Forge over the weekend. Town of Webb police arrested 55-year-old Gregory J. Salerno, of Hamburg, during a traffic stop on Route 28. Salerno submitted to a chemical test, and his blood alcohol content was found to be .18% He is scheduled to appear in town of Webb court on March 26. Even though they're no longer running, billionaire Tom Steyer and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg will receive many votes on Tuesday. That's because numerous states have already been voting for days or weeks. The combination of early voting and staggered primaries means that many people waste their votes. This effectively disenfranchises voters, and weakens the party's ability to choose the strongest nominee. Voters will be left throwing their votes away on candidates who aren't even competing. Early voting is becoming increasingly popular, too. Between 2000 and 2014, early ballots jumped from comprising 14 to 31 per cent of all ballots cast in national elections. Some officials have argued that early voting increases turnout, though there's little evidence for that. Research suggests that early voting just makes voting easier and faster for people who would otherwise vote on election day anyway. That's fine for a general election. But in primaries, early voting causes serious problems. State contests are staggered in primaries in order to give voters a chance to gather more information about candidates, their policies and their electability. Voters in the New Hampshire primary can look at results in the Iowa caucuses and adjust their vote according to which candidates did better or worse. Early voting completely undermines this process. Texas, for example, has its primary on Super Tuesday, March 3. But it started early voting on February 18 before South Carolina voted, and even before the Nevada caucuses. California, for its part, began vote by mail on February 3, the same day as the first primary contest, the Iowa caucuses. California voters were casting ballots while Buttigieg had strong finishes in Iowa (where he effectively tied for first with Bernie Sanders) and in New Hampshire, where he finished a close second. After these contests, voters could have reasonably seen him as a strong general election candidate when they checked his name. And now their ballots are invalid, because he dropped out before they could be counted. Early voting also makes it impossible for voters to assess other campaign events. Elizabeth Warren had a very strong debate performance on February 20 before the Nevada contest. The debate gave her a slight boost with voters who cast their ballots on the day of the caucuses, February 22. But many voters sent in ballots in the early voting period from February 15 to February 18. The party holds debates to inform voters. Then it encourages them to cast their ballots before they are informed. Where's the logic in that? There are a couple of ways that the party could fix this problem. The easiest is simply to end early voting in primary contests. Let people wait to vote until they know which candidates did well in the last debate and, even more importantly, which candidates dropped out. For years there was little or no early voting in primary contests; maybe it's time to return to that status quo. Another possibility would be to institute ranked choice voting (RCV). In RCV, voters rank their choices, and if a voter's top candidate has dropped out, or is not on the ballot, their vote simply goes to the next candidate. RCV could also be used to reallocate votes for candidates who don't reach the 15 per cent threshold. So, for example, in South Carolina, Buttigieg received less than 15 per cent of the vote, which means he received no delegates. His voters essentially didn't count. But in an RCV system, a voter could have put, say, Joe Biden as a second choice, and then their vote could be reallocated to him when Buttigieg failed to meet the delegate cut off. RCV allows voters to cast a ballot for a less successful candidate without worrying that their vote won't count, or that they'll aid a candidate they really dislike. It also reduces negative campaigning, since candidates don't want to alienate voters who might put them as a second choice. RCV has worked well in Maine in local and national elections. It could change the dynamic of primary races for the better, and make it possible for people who vote early to include second and third choices in case their preferred candidate drops out. There are other possible fixes too: for example, voters could be allowed to change their votes on election day if their candidates drop out. Different states could put in place different fixes, or the national party could stipulate a single solution across the board. But the problem needs to be addressed somehow. The party should not be using a system which virtually ensures that thousands and thousands of voters will cast ballots for candidates who are no longer running. Super Tuesday should be a moment for Democratic voters to choose their candidate, not a machine for chewing up their ballots and discarding them. Lekoil, the oil company that was fooled into thinking Qatar would lend it 184 million US dollars (144 million), has hit out at a consultant whose inadequate due diligence report did not raise obvious red flags. Lekoil, which is listed in London, said that it had hired a third-party global risk consultant to look into Seawave Invest, which Lekoil says introduced it to individuals falsely purporting to represent the Qatari sovereign wealth fund QIA. However, it was only after Lekoil had signed a multimillion-dollar loan deal, and handed 450,000 dollars (351,000) to Seawave, that the company discovered what it says was a fraud. The board will seek, as a priority, to improve its standards of corporate governanceLekoil's non-executive chairman Samuel Adegboyega On Monday Lekoil said that the consultants report did not identify any red flags on Seawave or its principles. It did not name the consultant, however the Times has previously reported it to be Control Risks, which has dozens of offices around the world. Control Risks has been contacted for comment. The fraud, whilst relatively elaborate and sophisticated, should have been capable of being detected by parties engaged to advise on the facility agreement, internally or externally, prior to its execution, Lekoil said. Lekoil said that its chief executive had led negotiations with individuals falsely purporting to represent the QIA. The board later approved the deal. It added that there is no evidence of any complicity of any Lekoil director or employee in the fraud. Lekoil announced the deal in early January, but was later forced to admit it had been fooled after it was approached by Qatari representatives. Lekoil said it has now taken steps to recover the money paid to Seawave, and has written to the Bahamas-based company and its principals Bismarck Abrafi and Said Memene. The business also said it had written to the purported representative of the QIA, Rilk Dacleu Idrac. Lekoils non-executive chairman Samuel Adegboyega said: First of all, I would like to thank the committee for leading the review and the provision of the detailed findings to the board. The board will seek, as a priority, to improve its standards of corporate governance and we welcome the recommendations received from the committee, which are in the process of being implemented. A simple blood test can detect Alzheimer's disease early in people who visit their doctor with worsening memory. Scientists in the US say the test could be used by practitioners within five years, and is more accurate and quicker than current methods. The tool measures levels of a protein called tau in the blood, which is known to build-up in the brain and cause cell death. Tau was found to be 3.5 times higher in the blood of people with Alzheimer's disease than healthy people. If used by doctors, the blood test could speed up diagnoses and fill gaps in clinical trials of new drugs. At the same time, blood test results will help put minds at rest of people who wrongly fear they have Alzheimer's - the most common form of dementia. Currently there is no single test for dementia. A diagnosis is based on a combination of assessments such as pen and paper tests and brain scans. A simple blood test can detect Alzheimer's disease early in people who visit their doctor with worsening memory, researchers in California say Senior author Professor Adam Boxer of the memory and ageing centre at California University in San Francisco, said the aim is for it to be used in GP surgeries for people with memory concerns. He said: 'It could identify people who should be referred to specialised centres to participate in clinical trials or to be treated with new Alzheimer's therapies - once they are approved.' The blood tests technique, described in Nature Medicine today, can swiftly reveal if a patient with memory issues has Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI causes memory problems that are either minor or severe, and can sometimes - but not always - lead to full blown dementia. The test can also distinguish both conditions from frontotemporal dementia, a less common condition that begins around the age of 45 to 65 and is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's. HOW TO DETECT ALZHEIMER'S Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking skills and the ability to perform simple tasks. It is the cause of 60 percent to 70 percent of cases of dementia. The majority of people with Alzheimer's are age 65 and older. More than five million Americans have Alzheimers. It is unknown what causes Alzheimer's. Those who have the APOE gene are more likely to develop late-onset Alzheimer's. Signs and symptoms: Difficulty remembering newly learned information Disorientation Mood and behavioral changes Suspicion about family, friends and professional caregivers More serious memory loss Difficulty with speaking, swallowing and walking Stages of Alzheimer's: Mild Alzheimer's (early-stage) - A person may be able to function independently but is having memory lapses Moderate Alzheimer's (middle-stage) - Typically the longest stage, the person may confuse words, get frustrated or angry, or have sudden behavioral changes Severe Alzheimer's disease (late-stage) - In the final stage, individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, carry on a conversation and, eventually, control movement Advertisement The front and sides of the brain (the frontal and temporal lobes) are responsible for decision-making, behavioural control, emotion and language. Alzheimer's, on the other hand, damages the hippocampus and the back of the brain, deep inside memory circuits. The test measures a protein called tau that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Tau destroys brain neurons and leads to memory loss and confusion. In a study led by UC San Francisco, researchers measured blood levels of phosphorylated tau 181 (pTau181). A total of 362 people aged between 58 to 70 underwent testing, including 56 who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, 47 with MCI, 190 people with different types of frontotemporal dementia and 69 healthy peers. Levels of pTau181 were 3.5 times higher in those with the Alzheimer's disease compared to healthy peers But in patients with fronto-temporal dementia, amounts were within the same range as the control group. Blood measures of tau were 8.4 pg/ml (picograms per millilitre) among people with Alzheimer's, 3.7 among those with MCI and 2.4 among healthy people. In people with fronto-temporal dementia, levels ranged from 1.9 to 2.8 pg/ml. Professor Boxer said people with MCI would benefit from the test because they are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's. He said: 'Being able to easily diagnose Alzheimer's disease at early stages may be especially beneficial to patients with mild cognitive impairment, some of whom may have early Alzheimer's disease.' The key to beating the devastating illness lies in early detection so drugs can be administered at the most effective point. It's believed one of the reasons all potential medications have failed to date is they're given at a late stage - when the condition is too far advanced. What's more, a jump in the number of Alzheimer's patients enrolling in clinical trials will speed up the search for a cure. In the US around 132 drugs for treating Alzheimer's are being tested - 28 of which are in final large-scale trials before approval is sought from the Food and Drug Administration. They include aducanumab - which it's hoped may be the first drug that slows progression. Professor Boxer said: 'Individuals with early Alzheimer's are more likely to respond to many of the new treatments that are being developed.' Dr Sara Imarisio, head of research at Alzheimers Research UK, said: 'A blood test for Alzheimers would be a simple, cost-effective and relatively non-invasive way to give key insights about disease processes underway in the brain. 'We know the diseases that cause dementia begin decades before symptoms show, so a reliable blood test may one day be used to predict those with no obvious signs of disease who are most likely to go on develop dementia. 'This test is still someway away from the point where doctors could use it to diagnose people in the clinic.' Existing methods for diagnosing Alzheimer's include measurement of the deposits of amyloid - another rogue protein implicated in dementia. This is done using an expensive PET (positron emission tomography scan) or a painful and difficult lumbar puncture to count amyloid and tau in cerebro-spinal fluid. The study follows research by other investigators published last year that found high levels of plasma amyloid were a predictor of Alzheimer's. But amyloid accumulates in the brain many years before symptoms emerge, said Professor Boxer. He said: 'In contrast, the amount of tau that accumulates in the brain is very strongly linked to the onset, the severity and characteristic symptoms of the disease.' A companion study by Dr Oskar Hansson, of Lund University, Sweden, published in the same journal corroborated the results. It found tau was a stronger predictor of developing Alzheimer's in healthy older people than amyloid. The researchers said they hope to see the blood test available in doctor's offices within five years. Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia affects around 850,000 people in the UK - a figure set to rise to two million by 2050. It's been ages since all of the adult Duggar women came together in the same room, but this weekend Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy Anna all enjoyed some bonding time after Jinger flew back to Arkansas from her new home in Los Angeles. The five sisters who, until they were adults, all shared the same bedroom had a reunion this weekend that also included their mother, several of their younger sisters, and most of their sisters-in-law. The mass gathering as some fans speculating that a big announcement is forthcoming, with many guessing that Jinger, 26, or Joy Anna, 22, or both might be pregnant. Sister time! It's been ages since all of the adult Duggar women came together in the same room, but this weekend Jana, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy Anna all enjoyed some bonding time Big group: They were joined by several of the younger sisters (like Jennifer, far left) and sisters-in-law (like Anna, second from left) Announcements: The enormous family gathering has some fans speculating that one or two of the women are pregnant On a budget: The girls went out to lunch together and also had a shopping trip with a stop at Target Most of the Duggars live close to one another and see each other regularly, with two exceptions. Jinger moved across the country to California last summer so that her husband Jeremy could attend seminary school, and she has only enjoyed a few visits with family since then. Jill, 28, lives nearby, but is often absent from photos of family gatherings posted on Instagram, fueling rumors that there's a rift. But Jill and Jinger were both on-hand when the Duggar women had an activity-packed weekend, which has led some followers to guess that a major announcement was made. Of course, any of the adult Duggar women could be pregnant, and it's also possible that 30-year-old Jana announced a courtship or engagement. Missing: Most of the group went out for lunch, though fans noticed that Jill was absent from the initial outing A visit: Jinger flew home to Arkansas from California, where she lives with her husband Jeremy Others have guess that Joy Anna (pictured left) is pregnant again; the older girls were joined by the younger ones, including Jordyn (right) Always on duty: The moms in the group that is, all of the adult sisters and sisters-in-law except Jana, right) brought along their kids Aunt: Jinger flew in for a visit with daughter Felicity and got to meet three of her nieces including Josiah and Lauren's daughter Bella for the first time But fans are putting their money on a pregnancy announcement from either Jinger whose daughter Felicity was born on July 19, 2018 or Joy Anna, who suffered a miscarriage at 20 weeks last summer. Joy and her husband Austin Forsyth have a two-year-old son, Gideon, and named their unborn daughter Annabel after the miscarriage in July. Many of the Duggar women don't believe in birth control and tend to have babies in quick succession, meaning it's entirely possible that Joy is already several months along. In fact, several Duggar-watchers have pointed out that Joy's stomach was hidden in most of the photos that have been posted. Either way, the photos are the first time in a while that fans have seen all of the girls together. Shopping: It's been over a year and a half since Jinger welcomed Felicity a long time between babies for Duggar women She's back! Jill holding Lauren's daughter Bella hasn't been pictured at a family gathering in quite some time Newborn: Abbie is pictured with her daughter Grace, who was born in January Mother's helper: Jana helped her sisters by carrying all of their diaper bags Their store! Jill, whose married name is Dillard, revealed that her son Israel got confused by the name Busy: She brought both of her sons along for the shopping trip. Her husband Derick is currently in law school First, most of the group headed out to lunch together, where they were spread out over two tables. Matriarch Michelle sat with Joy Anna, Jinger, Jessa, 27, and younger girls Jennifer, 12, and Jordyn, 11. Meanwhile, Jana sat with 10-year-old Josie and in-laws Anna, 31, and Lauren, 20. Instagrammers noticed quickly that Jill was absent and wondered whether she was busy or had been left out. Jill hasn't been at quite a few of the family gatherings in recent years, and didn't even spend Christmas with her family this year which her husband Derick has attributed to strained relationships. In several social media comments, he told followers that he and Jill aren't allowed at her parents' house when her father, Jim Bob, isn't there, and they need to get permission to visit. Sports: Later, Jinger played broomball with her brothers Jedidiah and Jeremiah Support: She wore one of Jed's campaign hats promoting his run for the Arkansas House of Representatives Safety: Jinger made sure to wear a helmet on the ice though her daughter didn't have one Big family: Jed enjoyed being uncle to Felicity during Jinger's visit But Jill did join the group the next day, when most of them went out once again for lunch. This time, of all the sisters and sisters-in-law, only 14-year-old Johanna and Joe's wife Kendra were absent. The ladies and several of their children posted for countless photos together, documenting the gathering for Instagram fans. Next, they headed over to Target for a big shopping trip. Jinger also visited with her brothers, bringing her daughter along to play broomball with twins Jedidiah and Jeremiah. She even posed for pictures in one of Jed's campaign hats; the 21-year-old is running for Arkansas State Representative in District 89. As a part of the multi-pronged strategy to deal with Naxal menace, the Chhattisgarh Police have set up a camp in a strategically important village in the Maoist-hit Bastar district to facilitate construction of a road in the area. Once the road is developed, it will not only curb Naxal activities, but will also prove beneficial for tribals living in remote villages of the area, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI. The police camp, set up in January this year in Bodli village, around 350 km from the state capital Raipur, is located on the convergenceof boundaries of five districts - Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kondgaon. "The Bodli camp would be a role model as a part of the three-pronged strategy of 'vishwas vikas suraksha' (trust, development and security) of the government to tackle Naxal problem," the official said. Bodli lies on the erstwhile State Highway No.5, which once connected Bhilai in Durg district to Kistaram in the extreme south of the state in Sukma district, via Dallirajhra, Narayanapur and Dantewada towns, he said. "With the entry of Maoists in the area, the route gradually collapsed and practically became non-existent, depriving the villagers of connectivity with the block concerned and the district headquarters," he said. After learning about the plight of villagers, the Bastar police decided to re-establish the 54-km-long Palli- Barsur axis on this route, he said. As many as six security camps were set up between Palli (Narayanpur) and Barsur (Dantewada) to ensure security to the construction works. Of them, the camp at Bodli, located on the epicentre of this axis, is the most crucial one, the senior police official said. So far, construction has been completed on about 20 km route out of the 54-km-long stretch. The remaining 34 km is expected to be covered by the end of this year, he said. The route, located in the heart of Maoist stronghold, will not only curb the activities of rebels but will also be beneficial for thousands of tribals residing in remote villages in the area, the police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The man who raped and killed Eurydice Dixon in a Melbourne park will have his appeal against his life sentence broadcast online. Jaymes Todd was jailed for at least 35 years after he pleaded guilty to attacking the 22-year-old comedian as she walked through Princes Park in 2018. Eurydice Dixon, 22, was murdered in Carlton's Princes Park in June 2018. The 20-year-old's crime was labelled "pure and unmitigated evil" by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kaye who ordered that the killer spend life behind bars last year. The court's website will livestream the appeal hearing from 10.15am on Tuesday and will be the only place to see the proceedings. Tyson Furys dad, John Fury, has warned Deontay Wilder hell end up in hospital if he decides to fight his son for the third time. Wilder on Sunday officially exercised an immediate rematch clause for a third fight with Tyson Fury after Fury humiliated the Bronze Bomber in the seventh round to capture the WBC Heavyweight belt. According to the trilogy contract, the third bout between the pair is being targeted for July 18th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and John Fury a former heavyweight boxer, has warned Wilder that he risks ending up in the hospital if he wants to fight his son, even though he admitted the money involved in the third fight will be too much for Wilder to neglect. John Fury who is banned from entering the US after punching punching someones face, believes Wilder will beat any other boxer in the division not named Tyson Fury. I cant blame him for that. Its all about the money, John Fury told IFL TV. But I dont know what hes going to do with Tyson because Tyson is only getting better. Get your team round you and tell them to start using their brains. Forget Tyson, forget the Tyson Furys of the world. Hes too good for you. Hes proved that. You couldnt beat him when hed lost 10 stone. He got up from your best shots. That was enough to tell you that the rematch should never have been anyway. So what you want to do: go after AJ. Spread your wings. Theres other people out there. Other people he can annihilate. But let me tell you something, Tyson Fury has too much brains. Hes only getting better. Tell your team to start looking further afield, theres plenty of other heavyweights out there you can make a few quid with. Get after Joshua and youll probably get all the other belts back off him. Theres plenty of other people out there. Concentrate on them. If you mess with my son, theres only one place youre going: the hospital. For a long time. So forget that one. Deontay Wilder is an incredible fighter. Hes got the knockout power. Let me tell you, any lesser man than Tyson Fury is not beating Deontay Wilder. Tyson is No. 1. Wilder is definitely No. 2. Public Enemy fires Flavor Flav Public Enemy has fired Flavor Flav after more than three decades in the hip-hop group. Frontman Chuck D has publicly clashed with the clock-wearing hypeman this past week after Flav sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders over Chuck Ds spinoff group Public Enemy Radio performing a concert at a campaign rally on Sunday. Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav, the group responded in a statement. We thank him for his years of service and wish him well. Flav said he doesnt want to endorse any candidate, leading Chuck D to respond: "Flavor chooses to dance for his money and no do benevolent work like this. He has a year to get his act together and get himself straight or hes out. Spoke @BernieSanders rally with @EnemyRadio. If there was a $bag, Flav wouldve been there front & center. He will NOT do free benefit shows. Sued me in court the 1st time I let him back in. His ambulance lawyer sued me again on Friday & so now he stays home & better find REHAB Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 2, 2020 New Bachelorette revealed Clare Crawley is the next star of The Bachelorette, ABC announced on Good Morning America Monday. Crawley first competed for Ithaca native Juan Pablo Galavis heart on The Bachelor in 2014, and then appeared on both Bachelor in Paradise and Bachelor Winter Games. Crawley, 38, will be the dating shows oldest lead yet. Theres so much backlash on being my age and being single. It blows my mind, and its like, whats the alternative? Being my age and having settled for someone thats not right for me?" she told ET in 2018. Because I think at this age, I know exactly what Im looking for. I know exactly what I want. Despite the surprise of Crawley getting the Bachelorette gig, some of the ousted ladies from Peter Webers The Bachelor -- including Syracuses Tammy Ly -- could still continue in Bachelor Nation with the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise. This seasons Women Tell All special airs tonight (Monday, March 2) at 8 p.m. on ABC. SNL highlights John Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend, replacing Woody Harrelson and Jason Sudeikis in the role of Joe Biden during a cold open that mocked the coronavirus outbreak and the Democratic canidates. Yeah, the surgery is starting to settle, Mulaney joked when asked why Biden looked different. Other SNL highlights included an uncle turning into a meme, a musical mashup about Airport Sushi (featuring David Byrne and Jake Gyllenhaal), jabs at The Sound of Music, and Mulaneys monologue, which stirred controversy when he joked senators should bring back stabbing leaders like Julius Caesar. MORE BUZZ: Mulan remake features new Reflection by Christina Aguilera ( SF Juicy J makes peace with Columbia Records ( RS Hawaii Five-0 ending after 10th season ( ET Day of the Dead TV series coming to Syfy ( SF Hannah Brown turned down The Bachelorette return ( E! America Ferrera leaving Superstore ( SF Adam Levine apologizes for bad Maroon 5 concert in Chile ( ET The Hollies announce first US tour in 18 years ( RS Artemis Fowl trailer enrages fans of the book ( SF Hilary Duff wants Lizzie McGuire revival to move to Hulu ( ET Chad Johnson hospitalized after suicide threat ( E! The Accountant 2 might not happen; TV series possible ( SF Miranda Lamberts husband retires from NYPD to work on her security team ( ET Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news from movies, TV, music and celebrity gossip. Judge Judy ending after 25 years; Judy Sheindlin launching new TV show https://t.co/VANuBlKhUF Geoff Herbert (@deafgeoff) March 2, 2020 Steven Spielbergs daughter Mikaela Spielberg arrested, accused of domestic violence https://t.co/Co9NBcT4BH Geoff Herbert (@deafgeoff) March 2, 2020 DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai's Emirates Group has seen a "measurable slowdown" in business due to the coronavirus outbreak and has asked staff to take paid and unpaid leave, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. Emirates Group, a state-owned holding company that counts Emirates airline among its assets, had more than 100,000 employees, including more than 21,000 cabin crew and 4,000 pilots, at end-March 2019, the end of its last financial year. "A particular challenge for us right now is dealing with the impact of the COVID-19," the email to staff said, using the name of the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. "We've seen a measurable slowdown in business across our brands, and a need for flexibility in the way we work." The email asked staff who have "accrued a significant balance of annual leave" to consider taking paid leave. It also said the company was offering unpaid leave to employees in non-operational roles and may offer it to operational staff. "In all cases, we strongly encourage you to take up this opportunity if you have the support and approval of your line manager," the email said. An Emirates spokeswoman confirmed the email had been sent to employees but declined to comment further. Emirates Group's holdings also include dnata, which operates airport services and travel agencies around the world. Global airlines have warned of the toll on their businesses from the coronavirus outbreak that first emerged in China in late December and has since spread to more than 50 countries. Emirates has cancelled all flights to mainland China, except to capital Beijing, and to Iran at the direction of the United Arab Emirates' aviation regulator, because of the spread of the virus in those two countries. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Tom Hogue) Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], Mar 2 (ANI): The members of the Muslim community continued their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) for 18th day on Monday at Washermanpet, Chennai. The protestors shouted slogans of "Azaadi" and were waving the tricolour flag. The protestors also displayed placards and posters against the central government. 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. (ANI) Democratic presidential primary candidate Michael Bloomberg took flak again at Wednesday night's debate in Charleston over his past statements regarding women and minorities. But the other candidates once again ignored one of his most recent controversial positions. Earlier this month, a video emerged of Bloomberg arguing that some healthcare for the elderly should be restricted in order to prevent healthcare costs from bankrupting the country. He ends with the caveat, Societys not willing to do that yet. Yet powerful groups are working to overturn this societal consensus that patients should be treated as individuals. Exhibit A is a nonprofit partially funded by the health insurance industry thats working to limit access to breakthrough medications that would extend and improve their lives. Those with rare, life-threatening, or chronic diseases -- in addition to the elderly -- have the most to lose. Last month, the Boston-based Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) released a draft report on three new medications for acute migraine, and another report on three new therapies for sickle-cell disease, which affect about four million and 100,000 Americans, respectively. The conclusion of both reports: The therapies' benefits in terms of longer lifespans or higher quality of life aren't worth their costs. ICER's opposition to these new prescription drugs follows similar conclusions it made on breakthrough therapies released last year to treat cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and other devastating conditions. Insurers, Medicaid, and Veteran's Health are using ICER's recommendations to deny access to medications under the guise of cutting the cost of health care. But theres a problem: ICERs recommendations for pricing and access are based on lifetime hypothetical, arbitrary, and generic constructs that lack scientific merit. ICERs framework uses a measurement called Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) to determine the value of a particular treatment. Put simply, one QALY equals one additional year of life lived at a hypothetical perfect health, two additional years of life lived at 50 percent of health, and so on. The QALY inherently discriminates against patients with disabilities, rare diseases, and complex and chronic conditions, because they will never live a year in perfect health. So according to ICER, additional years of life for millions of Americans -- including paraplegics, diabetics, schizophrenics, and even the elderly -- are simply worth less. Its no wonder the National Council on Disability recently issued a report opposing QALY measurements because they "place a lower value on treatments which extend the lives of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. In determining a treatments value, ICER sets an arbitrary price limit of $150,000 per QALY as its maximum threshold; new therapies priced higher are deemed as not cost-effective. This means that a medication that extends a lifespan by two QALYs and is taken by a patient for 30 years must cost less than $10,000 per year to receive ICER's cost-effectiveness approval. Whats missing from this equation? This framework does not capture the full costs and benefits of treatments. It does not recognize that different patients will have different quality of life improvements and lifespan extensions from the same drug. Rather than attempting to discover new facts about the impact of therapies on patient populations, ICERs value assessment framework ignores individual patient needs and preferences. It should be put to the side in favor of a meaningful scientific program to support health care delivery and improve the lives of patients, caregivers, and their families. Despite its drawbacks, QALY is an effective tool to help health insurers deny coverage. No wonder Blue Shield of California Foundation seeded ICER with nearly half a million dollars. Yet ICER also receives funding from the pharmaceutical manufacturers whose products they are trying to limit. By paying to have a seat at the ICER table, drug makers are legitimizing a body that contributes to patient discrimination. There's a bipartisan consensus that health care costs must be reduced, for good reason. Rising health care costs are one of the primary threats facing patients with rare and chronic diseases. But in the rush to reduce costs, these patients must be protected from those looking to standardize and ration their needs. Every American, especially those in imperfect health, should have access to the best treatments available. No matter what Mayor Bloomberg or ICER believe Paul Langley, Ph.D is the lead health economist for the Institute for Patient Access and Affordability, a program of Patients Rising. Coronavirus information posters at Ninewells Hospital in Tayside (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images) A "significant outbreak" of the coronavirus is likely in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The countrys first minister warned that while there is currently just one confirmed case in Scotland, future cases were likely in the "days to come". She said: "It is... important to be very clear that we would expect to see further cases confirmed in the days to come, and it's also important to be clear that we are planning for the likelihood of a significant outbreak of coronavirus in the weeks to come." She said that as more patients were confirmed they would not be admitted to hospital unless there was a "clinical need". Nicola Sturgeon, Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood and Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, held a coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh on Monday (J Mitchell/Getty Images) Read more: Disinfect your phone twice a day to stop spread of coronavirus, expert says Scotlands chief medical officer said that one in 25 people could require hospitalisation during an outbreak, adding that while there is good evidence that Scotland has been successful in containing the virus so far, she would expect the peak of cases, where "large numbers" occur, in two to three months time. "We're expecting perhaps 50% or as much as 80% of the population would be infected during that epidemic," Catherine Calderwood told journalists at the Scottish government's St Andrews House headquarters in Edinburgh. Dr Calderwood added that the vast majority of people infect will display very "mild symptoms", similar to a cold, and they will fully recover in a week to 10 days. However, 20% of people affected will suffer more severe symptoms, while 4% are looking at hospital treatment. Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood (left), has warned that one in 25 people could be hospitalised at the peak of a coronavirus outbreak in the country. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Sturgeon said the figures cover the worse-case scenario and that it was important to provide "full and frank" information. "The public want to know that we are preparing for what we think is the reasonable worse-case scenario," she said. "Much of what we do will be aimed at reducing that impact." Read more: In pictures: Venice deserted as coronavirus fears sweep Italy She said "escalation plans" for the NHS are now being examined to see how extra capacity can be provided to cope with those who have the most severe symptoms. Story continues A patient from the Tayside area of Scotland was diagnosed on Sunday after recently travelling to Italy. They are said to be "clinically well" and are being treated in hospital as a precaution. A spokesperson for the Scottish government said: The 4 percent figure refers to the potential percentage of infected people who may require to be hospitalised, as opposed to a percentage of the population as a whole. The estimates are based on modelling work which is under continuous review as more data is received from around the world. At this stage, it is not clear whether the outbreak in Scotland will have the same impact as in other countries so this is the best estimate for NHS planning purposes. The patient is currently in isolation and details of people they have been in close contact with since returning to the UK are being gathered. Sturgeon said the patient had followed the correct protocols by reporting their concerns over the phone and self-isolating before they were admitted to hospital. Tourists wear face masks as they visit Edinburgh Castle amidst coronavirus fears (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) The Edinburgh briefing came after the UK Government's Cobra meeting on Monday morning, of which Ms Sturgeon was part. She said "we are in the containment phase" but the situation is under "ongoing review". Read more: Jacob Rees-Mogg advises public to 'wash your hands to the National Anthem' She added the Scotland v France Six Nations game is still scheduled to take place in Edinburgh this weekend and there has been no change to plans for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. Asked about whether big events such as the COP26 summit were at risk of being called off, Sturgeon said: "We are not at that stage yet decisions will be guided very firmly by the scientific advice that all four governments are receiving." She added: "The public should be reassured that there are well-established procedures and protocols in place." The UK and the EU kicked off trade talks today amid bitter wrangling over fishing and security. The PM's negotiations chief David Frost and his 100-strong team are in Brussels as they launch a nine-month push to finalise new arrangements with the EU. But tensions are already on show, as the two sides have set out very different visions of the pact that could emerge. The EU wants a comprehensive deal that covers fishing and security, while the UK is fixed on looser Canada-style arrangements that would mean zero tariffs, with separate agreements for other issues. Trade Secretary Liz Truss hit back this morning at warnings from France that the negotiations will get 'nasty' unless access is granted for the EU fleet to British waters. Whitehall officials have raised fears that French fishermen could launch a 'nightmare' blockade of Channel ports if they do not get what they want. Ms Truss told BBC Breakfast: 'We are not going to trade away our fishing in a deal with the EU or any other negotiating partner. The UK's David Frost (pictured left in Brussels today) is kicking off negotiations with Michel Barnier (right) Mr Frost (left) was accompanied by UK ambassador Sir Tim Barrow as he arrived at the European Parliament today Boris Johnson (pictured in Downing Street last week) has warned that the end of the 'standstill' post-Brexit transition period will not be delayed past December 31 'We are going to get a deal with the EU that does not involve selling out our fishing.' Both sides published their negotiating mandates last week, underlining the gulf in their aims. Fears over French fishing blockade of Channel ports Fears have been raised that French fishermen could launch a 'nightmare' blockade of Channel ports if they do not get what they want. According to The Times, Whitehall officials told ministers last year that there was a 'very realistic chance' cross-Channel ports would be blockaded by EU fishing fleets if no deal on access to waters is reached. The threat was first raised with ministers last year at the government's No Deal planning meetings and reportedly a serious concern. 'We are uniquely vulnerable when it comes to moving goods across the short straits,' one Whitehall source said. 'In the event of the blockade there is very little we could do.' Advertisement The EU's Michel Barnier has said a deal like Canada's, which would eliminate most import taxes but still require some border checks, was not suitable for Britain due to its close proximity and links to the continent. Instead, he wants the UK to agree to sign up to a level-playing rules set by Brussels. The bloc is also arguing for little to change in terms of fishing quotas and access to British waters for European boats - a continuation of the status quo that ministers in Westminster are vehemently against. French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin warned the Prime Minister yesterday that negotiations could be halted if there is no agreement on fishing.' 'We said that there are four topics which are linked in negotiations. On fish and other topics, we play it with emotion, with drama, with passion, with symbols and we know how to make it a very, I think, nasty battle [on] both sides,' she told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme. 'A very nasty battle where politicians in the UK, politicians in France are put in the situation where things get very difficult. And at the end we will both lose.' Ms de Montchalin said the tight deadline of December 31, when the 'standstill' post-Brexit transition period is due to end, would not force the EU 27 into agreeing bad terms. 'If we need six more months we, as Europeans, are very clear that we want a good deal, a fair deal, a deal that can last for many generations to come, and we will not sign for the sake of having a deal. It would make no sense,' she said. Key sticking points in EU trade talks Level playing field The UK insists it wants an off-the-shelf free trade agreement, similar to that the EU struck with Canada. This would mean shunning almost all tariffs and quotas, and potentially bolting on preferential access for financial services. Crucially, it would not involve the UK aligning with EU rules or obeying legal edicts from the bloc's judges. However, Michel Barnier has said the Canada model is not appropriate as the UK is geographically closer to the EU and the competition issues are different. He insists that there must be a 'level playing field' for trade, with the UK following Brussels' standards. Fishing The EU is determined to keep access to UK waters after December 31. France is particularly keen to ensure that its fishermen have generous quotas when Britain leaves the EU Commons Fisheries arrangements. But Boris Johnson has said: 'British fishing grounds are first and foremost for British boats.' Food standards Mr Johnson and Donald Trump have vowed to push for a quick Transatlantic trade deal. However, the US is likely to demand concessions on better access to lucrative UK food markets in return for good terms in other areas. The EU is trying to thwart the discussions by insisting the UK must stay tied to its food standards rules. The Elgin Marbles The EU negotiation mandate includes a stipulation Britain should 'return unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin'. The passage is thought to refer to the Elgin Marbles, ancient Greek sculptures taken to Britain more than 200 years ago and now on display in the British Museum. Greece has been vocal about demanding the marble sculptures, once situated in the ancient Greek Parthenon temple, are returned to Athens. Downing Street has insisted the future of the marbles is 'not up for discussion as part of our trade negotiations'. Advertisement According to The Times, Whitehall officials told ministers last year that there was a 'very realistic chance' cross-Channel ports would be blockaded by EU fishing fleets if no deal on access to waters is reached. The threat was first raised with ministers last year at the government's No Deal planning meetings and reportedly a serious concern. 'We are uniquely vulnerable when it comes to moving goods across the short straits,' one Whitehall source said. 'In the event of the blockade there is very little we could do.' A high-level meeting to take stock of progress in the negotiations is scheduled for June, by which time it should be clear whether the Canada-like agreement sought by Mr Johnson is possible by the end of the year. The EU wants to see progress on both fishing and financial services at that summer marker. Michael Gove, the Cabinet minister responsible for Brexit preparations, said the UK would not 'trade away' its 'newly recovered sovereignty' during the talks. 'Our aim is to secure, through a fair and measured approach, a comprehensive free trade agreement, and also find common ground on questions such as fisheries, internal security and aviation,' said the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in an article on Sunday. 'I believe we can secure a great new deal for an exciting new era. 'But it is important that we are clear from the start that these negotiations are taking place in new times. 'Yes, we want the best possible trading relationship with the EU. But we will not trade away our newly recovered sovereignty.' The outbreak of coronavirus is said to be complicating cross-Channel relations as negotiators prepare to start bartering. The Telegraph reported that Downing Street and the Department of Health and Social Care are involved in a stand-off over whether Britain should retain membership of an EU pandemic warning system used to stem the Sars and bird flu outbreak. According to the newspaper, No 10 fears continued membership of the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) could hamper trade negotiations. As a result, Downing Street is said to have prevented Health Secretary Matt Hancock from travelling to meet counterparts to coordinate a Europe-wide response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Liberal Democrats have called for the trade talks to be postponed and the deadline to be extended to allow ministers to focus on stopping coronavirus. Acting leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'Then the NHS and local communities can get the funds and the focus they deserve, and the UK can talk to our European neighbours about how we can cooperate against the coronavirus which does not recognise national borders.' The UK's stance Full UK control over key areas including state aid, workers' rights, environmental standards and fishing rights. 'Regulatory freedom' outside the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) Full 'liberalised market access for trade in goods' with 'no tariffs, fees, charges and quantitative restrictions on trade in manufactured and agricultural goods'. On fishing, document sets out that UK wants 'annual negotiations on access to the parties' exclusive economic zones and fishing opportunities' An agreement on 'equivalence' in the financial services sector by June Advertisement The EU's demands Rules on fishing rights to continue unchanged after the transition ends. 'Level playing field' provisions to block any reduction in 'common standards' that currently exist in areas such as the environment. Rules would need to be maintained in the area of 'health and product sanitary quality in the agricultural and food sector' - a clear jibe at the UK's hopes of a US trade deal. Britain must follow a swathe of EU rules and accept legal oversight by the bloc's judges. The mandate includes a thinly-veiled reference to the dispute over the Elgin Marbles, which Greece has long said should be returned. Advertisement Trade Secretary Liz Truss hit back this morning at warnings from France that the negotiations will get 'nasty' unless access is granted for the EU fleet to British waters Both had recently returned from abroad, Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference Lisbon: Portugal registered its first two cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, both in people who had recently returned from abroad, Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference. Both men were taken to hospital in Porto and were in a stable condition and in good general health, Temido said. She said one case was discovered in a 60-year-old man who had recently travelled to Italy, the site of Europes worst outbreak, and another one in a man aged 33, who had returned from Valencia in Spain. The minister said Portugal would expand tracing of passengers and their contacts to include flights arriving from Italy, in addition to those arriving from China that have been monitored for some time. In another possible case, a Chinese tourist had to be taken off a train during the night after complaining of fever, cough and throat pain, and officials said passengers on the train would be traced and monitored. - President Khaltmaagiin Battulga was among other government officials who were on an official state visit in China - The officials were all taken into quarantine upon return to their home country for the next 14 days - Battulga was the first head of state to visit China after breakout of the dreaded virus The President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga has been taken into a 14-days quarantine after returning from an official state visit in China. Battulga was among other government officials who visited the coronavirus-infested country after breakout of the virus in December 2019. READ ALSO: Picha za Waziri Matiang'i akiwa ameshikana mikono na Sabina Chege zazua gumzo President Khaltmaagin Battulga was in China for an official state visit. Photo: BBC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Police officer among 4 gunned down after abducting Chinese man, demanding KSh 100M ransom In China, Battulga who was accompanied by his Foreign Affairs Minister Tsogtbaatar Damdin met President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, as reported by Mongolian state news agency, Montsame. They were taken into quarantine as soon as they arrived in Mongolia as a precautionary measure, Montsame said. Elsewhere, an Iranian Member of Parliament succumbed to the dreaded virus on Sartuday, February 29. Mohammad Ali Ramazani Dastak who was recently elected to represent Astana Ashrafieh is reported to have tested positive for the disease a few days ago. Chinese citizens wearing face masks to avoid coronavirus infection. Photo: CNN Source: UGC READ ALSO: Prison warden arrested over murder of his Facebook lover Iran has the highest death toll outside of China, the epicentre of the outbreak and has so far killed more than 2,800 people and infected more than 83,000 worldwide. In Africa, cases have been confirmed in Egypt and Algeria with Nigeria being the first in sub-Saharan Africa to report an incident. Kenya has been ranked among the least prepared countries that can handle the illness if spreads to the country. This was according to a study by an American journal, The Lancet, between January and February 2020. The research assessed the preparedness of 13 African countries listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as having the highest risk of importing the virus. 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 Source: TUKO.co.ke Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - March 2, 2020) - Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G) ("Maple Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has received a Notice of Assessment from Revenu Quebec ("RQ") for $399,966 in tax refunds pertaining to qualified 2018 exploration expenditures. The Company has received the first installment of $325,644 from RQ, and expects to receive the balance in the coming weeks. Maple Gold is also planning to complete additional Artificial Intelligence ("AI") work to update and expand on a previous AI study that was completed at the Douay Project back in 2008. Maple Gold has made significant progress with its in-house modelling efforts over the course of the last 18 months, delivering a new 3D model that incorporates significantly more data than would have been available a decade ago along with updated geological and structural interpretations. The 2008 study was completed by Diagnos Inc., and covered an area of about 50km, extending about 7km to the NW beyond what is now known as the Resource Area, but without covering the 531 and Main Zones. The dataset used included 67,836 samples from 505 drill-holes, as well as geophysical, lithological, geochemical and alteration data, with a total of 21 variables considered. Maple Gold imported one of the resulting prospectivity maps into the Company's GIS compilation in order to compare the higher-potential areas defined in this work with those outlined with traditional data layering in GIS. The results of this exercise were fairly compelling, with the historical AI work supporting the potential for additional zones of mineralisation within and beyond what is now the Nika Zone and even stronger indications from the predictive modeling for higher grade gold mineralisation beyond the current conceptual pits, most notably to the NW of the NW Zone, and also outlining a large essentially undrilled target south of the Porphyry Zone (see hatched area in Figure 1 below). Maple Gold's VP, Exploration, Fred Speidel, commented: "We view these numerical approaches to target definition as another valuable layer of information that, if adequately supported by key underlying datasets and input from geologists, has the potential to further optimize drill targeting. The previous study did not cover the 531 or Main zones or their extensions, so we are keen to update and expand this work there and incorporate another tool into our targeting efforts." This updated AI exercise will allow us to apply more powerful algorithms than previously, to expand the area of coverage to include 531 and Main zones that are of particular interest to us given recent drilling and geophysical results there, and also to include some additional concepts recently developed by the current team. Furthermore, the South Porphyry target, which overlaps with the 531 SW Target defined earlier, only has two drill holes on its northern edge, where significant syenite was intersected with several (narrow) gold intercepts. We plan to complete an IP survey over this area in order to determine the possible distribution of sulfides, prior to initial drill testing. Figure 1: 2008 PM5 AI prospectivity map, with 2019 RPA conceptual pits, historical and planned 2020 drill collars superimposed, Note three large AI targets, with Porphyry South in particular having very little drilling. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/52993_f9a088f664993ad2_001full.jpg Qualified Person The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc, P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration, of Maple Gold. Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this news release through his direct participation in the work. Click the following link to review the Company's QA-QC standards and protocols: http://maplegoldmines.com/index.php/en/projects/qa-qc-qp-statement. About Maple Gold Maple Gold is an advanced gold exploration and development company focused on defining a district-scale gold project in one of the world's premier mining jurisdictions. The Company's ~355 km Douay Gold Project is located along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone (55 km of strike) within the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec, Canada. The Project benefits from excellent infrastructure and has an established gold resource that remains open in multiple directions. For more information please visit www.maplegoldmines.com. ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD. "Matthew Hornor" B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO For Further Information Please Contact: Mr. Joness Lang VP, Corporate Development Cell: 778.686.6836 Email: jlang@maplegoldmines.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 PRESS RELEASE. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about the prospective mineral potential of the Porphyry Zone, the potential for significant mineralisation from other drilling in the referenced drill program and the completion of the drill program. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing and completion of the private placement. When used herein, words such as "anticipate", "will", "intend" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that management believed reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual events, results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.'s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52993 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who are due to visit Kildare this week as part of a whilstlestop tour of Ireland want to build a 'lasting friendship' with the Irish people. The Royal visit will have limited impact in Kildare however there will be temporary restrictions in place in Prosperous village from 11.30am 12.15pm on Wednesday, March 4 and local Gardai will have diversion routes in place Their agenda while still under wraps will focus on meet and greets with inspiring everyday people, highlighting charitable causes and ongoing work with young people and mental health. Paul Kelly CEO of Failte Ireland said the visit is also an opportunity to show case Kildare at it's best as well as a chance to boost local tourism with the UK post Brexit. Trips such as these attract huge media attention so all eyes will be on Ireland and Kildare, giving us amazing exposure abroad and highlighting our rich and diverse offering in Dublin, Kildare and Ireland's Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way, he said. Meanwhile extra security measures will have to be put in place for the visit. As second in line to the throne Prince William and future queen Kate will require a high level operation of security for their visit which takes place from today, March 3 to Thursday, March 5. The Emergency Response Unit will be responsible for driving the royal duo around and there will be temporary road closures to accomodate an ease of passage. It has been reported also that for all royal walkabouts Garda sniper teams will be inplace on rooftops. The total cost of the visit is estimated at being in the region of 1m. After stitching up the Orewa College Wearable Arts Awards for the past three years, Year 13 student Maxwell Hutton has turned his talent to Catwalk Arts, which will be held in Orewa next month. The awards are a combined hospice fundraiser for Warkworth/Wellsford and Hibiscus Coast. Maxwell, who has won the colleges wearable arts competition for three years running, is preparing three entries for Catwalk Arts Cosmic Binding, Sack of Flower and a third item made entirely of VCR tape. Material for the garments comes from various sources including the schools scrap box and the Red Cross Opportunity Shop. A feature of his work is the inclusion of electronics. It just makes it all a little more eye-catching, he says. Its been a busy year for Maxwell. A ball dress he made for his sister Geena was selected for the Walk the Line event, held in conjunction with NZ Fashion Week, over the weekend. He was one of 60 young designers chosen to enter a garment after submitting a sketch. After Catwalks Arts, he will prepare for the college wearable arts show. Sometimes it feels like the fabric room at school is my second home! Maxwell says he has been lucky to have Maya Foster for a fabric teacher for the past four years. She has provided support and inspiration, as well as teaching me the techniques and sewing skills Ive needed to make these pieces. As well as fashion design, Maxwell is interested in theatre and is currently starring as the Scarecrow in the Centrestage production of The Wizard of Oz. He intends to take a gap year next year before deciding on a career. Catwalk Arts wearable art awards will be held at the Orewa Arts and Events Centre, on October 6. There will be two shows, a matinee at 2pm and an evening performance at 7pm. BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha on Monday as opposition parties vehemently protested over the issue of violence in Delhi and demanded resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. Lok Sabha was adjourned thrice till 4.30 pm amid continuing ruckus. Speaker Om Birla said that he was pained by what has happened during the day, before adjourning the House till Tuesday. As soon as the House met at 2 pm, opposition members started raising slogans from the Well against the government. They went into the area of treasury benches carrying a black banner, which demanded Shah's resignation, as Speaker Om Birla took up the listed business. Things took a turn for worse as Congress' Gaurav Gogoi and Ravneet Singh Bittu holding the black banner went to the Treasury benches where BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal was speaking on 'Vivaad Se Vishwas' Bill. Jaiswal was speaking from the fourth row, and the Congress members' charge deep into the area earmarked for the treasury benches resulted in several backbencher MPs of the ruling party rushing to the front. Members from both sides then began pushing and shoving each other following which the proceedings were adjourned till 3 pm by the Speaker. Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani were seen trying to pacify the agitated members. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi were present in the House during the uproar. When the House reassembled at 3 pm, some BJP members were seen blocking the way to their side of the Well. Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned their "unruly behaviour" and asked the Speaker to continue with proceedings. Joshi alleged that "these are the people" who have provoked the riots. "They murdered 3,000 people in 1984 (riots) and did no investigation. The priority is to restore peace... but they want to create tension," he said. Seeking to restore normalcy in the House, Birla asked opposition members who were in the Well to take their seats even as they continued to shout "we want justice" and "Amit Shah Murdabad" (Down with Amit Shah). They were also holding placards saying "stop hate speech, save our India". Some Congress members tore papers and hurled them in the air. Congress member Ramya Haridas complained about being manhandled by BJP members. BJP's Rama Devi, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House again till 4 pm saying "whatever you have done is wrong". But the ruckus continued when the House again met and it was adjourned till 4.30 pm by the Chair. Even after the adjournment, BJP members continued to chant slogans like "Desh ki raksha kaun karega, hum karenge hum karenge (Who will defend the nation, we will do it)" and "Mahatma Gandhi amar rahein, nakli Gandhi jail mein rahein (Long live Mahatma Gandhi, fake Gandhis stay in jail)". Some Opposition members placed a placard demanding Shah's resignation on the Speaker's table but it was swiftly removed by the staff. Earlier, Birla asked leaders of opposition parties to ensure that their members take their respective seats as the "people of the country are watching (the proceedings)". "This is the temple of democracy. There are certain rules and tradition. You should not come to the Well," he said. Birla also said "as you are responsible representatives of people here, it is your collective responsibility to maintain peace and tranquility." As the House met at 4.30 pm, the Speaker said, "We must maintain decorum in the House. It belongs to every member. "I am personally pained at the developments in the House. You are not pained. I do not want to run proceedings under such circumstances.... Everybody should deliberate to ensure that the dignity of the House is maintained." He said senior members of the House should do their bit to ensure it runs smoothly. Amid the din, two bills -- The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill and Mineral Laws Amendment Bill-- were introduced. Also the Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill was moved for consideration and passing. In the morning, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm as a mark of respect for sitting JD(U) member Baidyanath Prasad Mahto from Valmiki Nagar in Bihar who died on February 28. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bill Mawer became the CEO of Image Scan Holdings plc (LON:IGE) in 2014. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Then we'll look at a snap shot of the business growth. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid. Check out our latest analysis for Image Scan Holdings How Does Bill Mawer's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? According to our data, Image Scan Holdings plc has a market capitalization of UK2.3m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK114k over the year to September 2019. That's less than last year. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at UK106k. We examined a group of similar sized companies, with market capitalizations of below UK157m. The median CEO total compensation in that group is UK258k. A first glance this seems like a real positive for shareholders, since Bill Mawer is paid less than the average total compensation paid by similar sized companies. However, before we heap on the praise, we should delve deeper to understand business performance. You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at Image Scan Holdings, below. AIM:IGE CEO Compensation, March 2nd 2020 Is Image Scan Holdings plc Growing? On average over the last three years, Image Scan Holdings plc has shrunk earnings per share by 81% each year (measured with a line of best fit). It saw its revenue drop 32% over the last year. Unfortunately, earnings per share have trended lower over the last three years. And the impression is worse when you consider revenue is down year-on-year. So given this relatively weak performance, shareholders would probably not want to see high compensation for the CEO. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings. Story continues Has Image Scan Holdings plc Been A Good Investment? Given the total loss of 72% over three years, many shareholders in Image Scan Holdings plc are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. So shareholders would probably think the company shouldn't be too generous with CEO compensation. In Summary... It appears that Image Scan Holdings plc remunerates its CEO below most similar sized companies. Shareholders should note that compensation for Bill Mawer is under the median of a group of similar sized companies. But then, EPS growth is lacking and so are the returns to shareholders. While one could argue it is appropriate for the CEO to be paid less than other CEOs of similar sized companies, given company performance, we would not call the pay overly generous. Shareholders may want to check for free if Image Scan Holdings insiders are buying or selling shares. Important note: Image Scan Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Lincoln police say they arrested a 62-year-old man and cited three others in a prostitution detail Saturday. Officer Luke Bonkiewicz said police booked Dwain Borchers of Lincoln on suspicion of a felony because of a prior conviction. The other three 18- and 22-year-old Lincoln men and a 23-year-old Texas man were ticketed on suspicion of misdemeanors. Bonkiewicz said they all had answered an online ad placed by Lincoln police, then negotiated payment for sex. Borchers, a retired Lincoln Public Schools teacher and former Lincoln Northeast High School wrestling coach, was fined after being caught in a similar sting in 2016. Today's jail mugshots Love 0 Funny 17 Wow 5 Sad 6 Angry 6 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. At least 13 people were killed when a riverboat sank in the Amazon rainforest region, Brazilian authorities said Monday, as survivors described fleeing the foundering boat in terror. The ferry was taking about 70 passengers up the Jari River, a tributary of the Amazon, when it suddenly began to tip over Saturday around dawn. Authorities said they had rescued 46 survivors. It was not clear exactly how many more passengers were missing. Search operations were ongoing, using helicopters, planes and rescue divers. The Brazilian navy said it had opened an investigation into the accident, whose cause was unknown. Survivor Vanderleia Monteiro said the boat, the Anna Karoline III, seemed to run into trouble when another boat pulled alongside it and tried to anchor, a common practice for the ferries that travel the Amazon and its tributaries. Someone screamed, "It's sinking!" and within seconds the boat was tipping over, she told Brazilian site G1, after fleeing with her husband and 11-year-old son. "We escaped through the window and felt our way up the outside wall of the boat as it tipped over. It was like something out of a movie," she said. "The current swept us downstream fast, and we saw the boat sinking in the distance. Then the other boat rescued us." The Anna Karoline III, a two-story river ferry, set out Friday afternoon from the city of Macapa, the capital of Amapa state in northeastern Brazil. It was heading for Santarem, in the neighbouring state of Para, about a 36-hour trip. Rescue helicopters took about nine hours to arrive because the region is so remote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Startling pictures of houses covered in massive snow have been shared across social media. And they look like something out of winter wonderland. A naturally occurring phenomenon called lake-effect snow near Lake Erie in New York made houses in the area look like a scene out of Frozen. Residents of Hamburg woke up almost entrapped in their houses on February 27 when temperatures dipped below 32 Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) and a mass of cold air moved across the expanse of the lake with higher temperatures causing the effect. WOW... Absolutely fantastic view of the ice houses in Hamburg, New York on the shores of Lake #Erie this morning 29th February! Photos taken by https://t.co/eyUuDc7RTJ #severeweather #photooftheday pic.twitter.com/ow0GFCHAVb WEATHER/ METEO WORLD (@StormchaserUKEU) February 29, 2020 While the photos online seem almost mystical, locals had a different experience of the event. Ed Mis, who has lived in his house for the past eight years, spoke to WGRZ-TV about how he had to break into his own house using a chisel. Some residents complained about sunlight not being able to fully penetrate through the 3-foot-thick snow which left their houses dark on the inside without any artificial lighting. While the ice had started to melt by Friday, residents remained worried about the structural damage that this phenomenon can cause to their property. Here are some other pictures shared on Instagram: But the question remains, are these picturesque views worth the high insurance premium? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (TNS) Students in LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication are back in the fight against fake news.Leonard Apcar, a professional-in-residence at the school, has relaunched a student-managed website dedicated to tracking the latest news, research and analysis of "disinformation, fake news and deep fake videos," LSU said in a statement Thursday.There are fact-checking websites, and websites for teachers and researchers, but we want our website to be a one-stop destination for everyone interested in the topics, said Apcar, a former New York Times editor who leads the journalism school's effort to promote media literacy and combat fake news.Located at www.detectfakenews.com , the website was created three years ago but, with the recent relaunch, "aims to be a singular resource looking at manipulated media and fakes in the upcoming 2020 election cycle."Some of the headlines on the website Friday were these: "Russia-linked disinformation campaign fueling coronavirus alarm, US says" and "The suspicious video that helped spark an attempted coup in Gabon."The first headline was a story from Agence France-Presse, a global news organization based in Paris and also known as AFP, reporting U.S. State Department officials' claims that bogus social media identities linked to Russia were promoting unfounded theories that the United State is behind the coronavirus outbreak.The other headline linked to an interesting Washington Post news video . It examined how months of rumors regarding the health of Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba after he fell ill in Saudi Arabia and then a shaky national address he gave on Dec. 31, 2018, prompted a coup attempt in January 2019.Claims that preceded the coup, some of which were aired in Gabonese media, alleged either that the man in the New Year's video was a look-alike for Ali Bongo or that the video was a "deep fake," a computer-enhanced manipulation made to look like the president.But the Washington Post video quoted a neurologist saying the man in the televised addressed showed signs of a stroke or brain injury and also had two media technology experts run tests showing the video was almost certainly authentic.The coup attempt was quelled in one day, but the Post video noted the video was a trigger for those who distrusted Ali Bongo and showed "how easy it is, in this age of suspect information, for governments to lose credibility."Follow @detectfakenews on Twitter for the latest updates from the LSU website. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the red carpet A well-oiled security operation has swung into action in the Republic ahead of the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tomorrow. As third in line to the throne, William and his future queen Kate will have high-level security in place for their visit, which runs until Thursday. Temporary road closures will ensure smooth travel for the couple and the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU) will be responsible for driving the couple around, although it is expected they will bring their own armoured vehicle. As part of these security measures, prior to their arrival at certain locations, drains will be welded shut on public streets to ensure explosives can't be planted in them, sources have said. For all public walkabouts Garda sniper teams will be deployed on rooftops. A proposed walkabout in Galway, which will involve meeting local business owners and community leaders, is expected to be the biggest logistical nightmare. Garda notified city traders that road closures will be in place from 6am to 2pm. Royal protection officers from the Metropolitan Police will accompany the Cambridges, working with a team of 12 members of the elite ERU, who will oversee day-to-day security and are trained in close protection and overseeing security for VIPs. As the official Irish State guesthouse, it is believed Kate and William will stay at Farmleigh House, following in the footsteps of his grandmother the Queen, and his brother and sister-in-law Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The total cost of the visit is estimated at upwards of 1m (860,000), according to sources. The Queen's security cost an estimated 20m (17.3m) in 2011 in what was considered an unprecedented amount given the level of risk and attention involved. The Sussexes' security cost the Irish taxpayer 300,000 (260,000) over the course of 36 hours, and Prince Charles' May 2017 visit totalled just over 2m (1.73m). During Prince Charles' myriad visits over recent years, gardai carried out security sweeps of surrounding areas, with affected members of the public notified in advance. In Dublin the royal couple will visit President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and political leaders, and they are also expected to visit megalithic tombs in Co Meath. Supply constraints of iPhones and other handset brands have been exacerbated by factory shutdowns in coronavirus-hit China affecting the finished products as well as component supplies to India. Chinese manufacturers such as Realme, TCL and Xiaomi have taken a hit, but Apple is the worst sufferer as supply of iPhone11 series has reportedly run dry along with some models of the Apple Watch. There also is an acute shortage of TCL and Xiaomi televisions. Xiaomi is also deferring its foray into air conditioners by a few weeks. Realme is also feeling the pinch with the supply of new smartphone handset models such as the C3 and 5i getting affected. Also Read: Why coronavirus outbreak can cause smartphone, TV prices to go up Meanwhile, the provisions of domestically manufactured iPhone XR and 7 are not affected, the Economic Times reported. Following the supply disruption, retailers have brought down the discounts on products such as iPhones, MacBook computers and Apple Watches which are now being sold at the catalogue prices in offline stores. Although the plants have largely resumed operations in China, they are still running at around 35-50% of their capacity, the report added. Consequently, the cost of some components have already gone up, pushing manufacturers to jack up the prices of air conditioners (ACs), televisions (TVs), and some smartphones by 5-10% in February. Offline retailers are also dealing with shortages as some wholesale distributors are reportedly stockpiling products fearing disruption and preempting an increase in prices by March-end. Also Read: Coronavirus causes temporary shortage of Asus ROG II smartphone However, none of the smartphone makers have officially raised the prices for their models except for Xiaomi, which increased the price of the Redmi Note8 by Rs 500 in February. But, offline sellers in some places are unofficially retailing some models at a 2-3% premium, according to the report. A lot of consumer electronics and smartphone manufacturers depend largely on China for the production of finished products as well as components. The coronavirus has also spread to South Korea, home to consumer electronics and smartphones brands such as Samsung and LG. South Korea is the base country for imported goods which are retailed in India along with high-end components. Also Read: What's the impact of coronavirus outbreak on India? It's a mixed bag Tech-giant Apple was the first company to say last month that its iPhone supplies from China had been heavily constrained due to coronavirus outbreak. Although Chinese manufacturers comprising OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi assemble their products within India, they are highly dependent on China for components such as battery, display, memory and printed circuit boards. Furthermore, Apple's newer models comprising iPhoneXR and iPhone11 are entirely shipped from China. Also Read: From Apple to Honda: 9 top companies impacted by coronavirus outbreak Also Read: Realme 6, Realme 6 Pro launch date announced; check out price, specs Also Read: Xiaomi continues to rule smartphone market; Samsung registers 16% growth MANISTIQUE, MI A 33-year-old man who died in a car crash last week has been identified. Brandon Burt of Manistique died after he was ejected from his vehicle as it crashed into trees, Upper Michigans Source reports. The one-vehicle crash occurred around 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, on County Road 442 in Cooks near Manistique in Schoolcraft County in the Upper Peninsula. Burts identity was released Monday afternoon, March 2. Burt was traveling eastbound on County Road 442 when he lost control of the vehicle and exited the roadway, police said. The vehicle struck trees and the driver was ejected. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Michigan State Police troopers from the Gladstone Post were dispatched to the crash. They were assisted at the scene by Sault Tribal Police, Inwood Township Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services, Manistique Public Safety and Burns Towing. Police continue to investigate the factors involved in the crash. READ MORE: Taylor woman, 22, fails sobriety test after Detroit hit-and-run of state police car See Lake Eries ice houses frozen over after winter storm Spring to get its earliest start in more than a century Michigan ice conditions may prompt early removal of fishing shanties Pink unicorn caught on video snow blowing South Lyon driveway Rishi Kapoor expressed frustration over the repeated overturning of judgment and pushing of dates with regard to the Nirbhaya case. The veteran actor took to Twitter to note that the delay in delivering justice is getting ridiculous, and pointed out that the situation was just like in his film Damini. On Monday, the Delhi High Court stayed the execution of the gang-rape convicts, as the mercy petition of one of them is still pending. Referring to this, Rishi tweeted, "Nirbhaya case. Tareekh pe tareekh,tareekh pe tareekh, tareekh pe tareekh- "Damini". Ridiculous!" (sic). Nirbhaya case. Tareekh pe tareekh,tareekh pe tareekh, tareekh pe tareekh- Damini. Ridiculous! Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) March 2, 2020 The four convicts were to be sent to the gallows on Tuesday morning, but just 13 hours before that, Justice Dharmendra Rane stopped the execution. One of the convicts, Pawan Gupta had filed a mercy petition at the last minute, which is still pending with Rashtrapati Bhawan. Damini, a 1993 film which starred Rishi, Sunny Deol, Amrish Puri and Meenakshi Sheshadri told the story of a woman, who witnesses the gang-rape of a domestic help in her in-laws house, and decides to fight for her. An iconic scene in the film is when Sunny, who plays a lawyer, expresses frustration over the judicial system with the lines, "tareekh pe tareekh." The execution of the four convicted in the brutal rape and murder of a para-medic in Delhi had already been postponed twice before the latest development. ALSO READ: Tanushree Dutta Reacts To Nirbhaya Verdict; Says Hanging Is Not Final Solution To Stop Such Crimes ALSO READ: Rishi Kapoor Puts To Rest All Stories About Ill Health; Says He's Back In Mumbai To Entertain Fans [March 02, 2020] 2019 Egretia Global DApp Contest Draws to a Close: Why Blockchain Games Will Rise in the 2020s NEW YORK, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After three months of competition, the 2019 Egretia Global DApp Contest finally came to a conclusion. The contest brought together hundreds of developers and builders to pursue the future of gaming. The 2019 Egretia Global DApp Contest (https://www.egretiana.org/), initiated by ENAC (Egretia North America Community), was one of the biggest global blockchain contests honored to be supported by Egretia. Since its initial launch on Oct 1st 2019, the contest attracted over 300 developers, and teams signed up for the event with over 50 entries submitted. The contest not only attracted blockchain developers, but also drew the attention of traditional developers with limited background in DApp development. The contest gathered developers around the world to accomplish the mission of bridging the gap between the traditional gaming market and the blockchain game. In order to build offline communication with the participants and developers, ENAC brought the series event to Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, hosting the local developer gathering and forums, attracted thousands of developers, investors, gamers and industry experts to join. With such a competitive submission pool, three teams are part of the 11 finalists competing won the final prize: Block Pirate: Block Pirate is the first DApp game combining tower defense and TCG in the world. It was developed by the Block Kingdom, a blockchain game development team in North America. In Block Pirate, each player is the lord of an island in Archipelago. Players fight for Block Crystal with their troop cards and tower defense strategy in the PvP battle. DemonTap: Developed by the winning team of the NEO Game Development Competition, DemonTap is a clicker crypto game with blockchain features such as a cool experience, a deep development system, a trading market, and asset confirmation. BarryMax: Design by the students from Northeastern University, BarryMax brings the Magic world into the blockchain world. With its original design and gameplay, it brings the players into the world of the Barry. Barry was born from nothingness, he is weak and helpless, the law of the jungle in the monster's world made him eager to get stronger since he has a unique ability that his body changes by the object he absorbs. Players collect nature elements for Barry to learn from famous monsters how to be stronger, then make Barry evolve by receiving the key item. In addition, there are also various mind-blowing entries, such as Win7.io, which will continuously help the Egretia community to become a better community. Egretia ( http://egretia.io/ ) aims to combine HTML5 -- a programming language for structuring and presenting content online -- with blockchain to create the world's first HTML5 blockchain game ecosystem. Currently, users of HTML5 games already account for 47% of all mobile gamers. Egretia's new technology could increase the popularity of blockchain apps. "The key secret to living your life is to understand what is a game and what is not a game," said General Partner of Gumi Cryptos Miko Matsumura. "We are standing at the beginning of the blockchain game industry." After three months of efforts, Egretia's global DApp competition not only brings Egretia to a broader stage, but it also brings blockchain gaming to a grander market, attracting more fresh blood into the Egretia global gaming ecosystem. With more talents attracted by this contest, the future of the Egretia will enlighten the entire blockchain gaming industry. As the contest draws to a close, we should continue to think about what milestones we have the potential to reach in the future -- ultimately, the future expansion of Egretia. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2019-egretia-global-dapp-contest-draws-to-a-close-why-blockchain-games-will-rise-in-the-2020s-301014160.html SOURCE The Egretia North American Community [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The family of Shahrukh, who pointed a pistol at a Delhi Police Constable during the recent violence in northeast Delhi, has disappeared. Now, along with Shahrukh and AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, the police is searching for Shahrukh's family as well. Delhi Police sources told a source on Monday that many suspicious articles were found in Shahrukh Khan's house. Inflammable objects were found in polythenes while acid and petrol bombs were recovered from Tahir's house. A Joint Commissioner level officer of Delhi Police, requesting anonymity, told IANS: "Arrests of Shahrukh and Tahir are very crucial for us. Both could prove vital links in the investigation". The police are recovering big petrol and diesel cans from some houses and streets. Thousands of chilly powder packets have also been recovered. These apart, 20-20 kg of iron nails and glass marbles have been found. These things were being used to make petrol bombs, the officer said. Another officer, who is also a member of the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the violence, said: "Catapults, made indigenously, were found installed on the roofs of many houses in Jafrabad and Mustafabad. It is expected that these catapults were used to throw petrol, acid and chilly bombs 100 metres away". Around 200 FIRs have been lodged so far in this connection and out of these, 40 contain murder related sections. These FIRs include charges of instigating violence, arms act, attempt to murder, causing harm to government property and obstructing the government's work. Around 1000 people have been arrested so far in the violence related incidents. The Sonoma County Water Agency has begun inflating its rubber dam on the Russian River near Forestville in response to a month of dry weather, officials said Friday. The rubber dam, typically inflated in spring or early summer when demand for potable water increases, is being put to use now because of the lack of measurable rainfall in February and warm temperatures, coupled with increased water demand at a time when the river is relatively low. "When fully inflated, the rubber dam creates a small pool of water from which Sonoma Water draws water for use in four off-stream infiltration ponds," the agency said in a news release. "The infiltration ponds help recharge groundwater, which is naturally filtered through sand and gravel and delivered to Sonoma Water's customers." The dam is just downstream of the Wohler Bridge on the Russian River and boaters are being advised that they must portage around it. Public recreation is not allowed on or near the dam and notices will be posted. California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations prohibit fishing within 250 feet of the upstream and downstream sides of the dam. Work to remove brush, debris and other fire fuel will require closing a lane of southbound state Highway 17 in Santa Clara County Monday through Friday, Caltrans announced. The work by Cal Fire crews will be done between Bear Creek and Brush Road south of Los Gatos. Work hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weather permitting and signs warning motorists of the closure and possible delays will be posted. The California Highway Patrol will also have someone posted in the area, officials said. A 44-year-old San Jose man was arrested Friday on suspicion of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said. The Half Moon Bay bureau of the office was notified Friday afternoon of an intended meeting allegedly arranged by Christopher Parado with a 17-year-old he had contacted several weeks earlier on social media. Parado supposedly arranged to pay $200,000 in cash in exchange for sexual intercourse and oral copulation, the Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Deputies contacted Parado at a local hotel where the meeting was supposed to take place and arrested him following an investigation. Officials believe there may be more victims and encourage anyone who had any contact with Parado, allowed him to be around their children or know possible victims to call the Sheriff's Office Anonymous Tip Line at (800) 547-2700. Flooding from a sheared off fire hydrant halted construction work on a Stanford University housing project and forced the evacuation Saturday of the Stanford Park Hotel at 100 El Camino Real, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District said. The flooding from the gushing hydrant, which put out an estimated 4,500 gallons a minute for up to an hour, threatened a retaining wall in a three-story-deep below-surface parking garage for the Stanford Properties construction site at 500 El Camino Real, which was filling "like a bathtub" fire officials said in a news release. The hotel had already been evacuated when firefighters arrived at the scene shortly before 10 a.m. Saturday and the source of the flood was determined to be the construction site next door, where a forklift had broken off a hydrant near the railroad tracks. Firefighters and utility workers from California Water Service (Cal-Water) were hampered in trying to locate the hydrant valve "due to the new construction, and changes needed for this large project," the fire district said. Workers even went into the forceful cone of water coming from the hydrant in an unsuccessful effort to stop the flow. At least two separate units from Cal-Water responded quickly to the emergency and "shut off a number of valves until finally locating this one near the Big-5 store on El Camino Real. Because this is such a new project, the water distribution main had not been listed in their records yet," Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said. Construction has been suspended "until the area is pumped out, the damaged area is inspected, then backfilled, re-compacted and then deemed safe," the district said. A person walking on the Caltrain tracks at the Lawrence Station in Sunnyvale was struck and killed by a southbound Sunday morning, officials said. Caltrain's first fatality of 2020 happened about 9:38 a.m. There were no injuries to any of the 64 passengers aboard the train. A man was pronounced dead at the scene after being found unconscious aboard a BART train at the Daly City Station early Sunday morning, transit district police said. BART police and fire crews were called to the station shortly after midnight and attempts to revive the man were unsuccessful, police said. BART is investigating the incident, but no foul play is suspected. San Rafael police are asking the public to be vigilant as they try to find a 65-year-old who disappeared from his home Sunday morning. The family of Steven Dunphy last saw him when he got up from bed at 3 a.m. When the family awoke at 6 a.m. Dunphy was gone, and a suitcase and his car were also missing. His cellphone was left behind. Dunphy, who recently had surgery, is taking medications that cause him to become delusional and confused. The San Rafael man had mentioned to his family that he planned to go to the airport to go see a friend in St. Louis, Missouri, and San Rafael police determined that Dunphy had emailed the friend on Saturday evening. Dunphy's family is concerned and said his recent behavior is out character. Dunphy is a white male adult, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, with a shaved head with surgical scars. He is possibly driving a dark blue 2006 Acura TSX with a California license number of: 5TKG094. 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. LONDON (Reuters) - 1/DATA DIAGNOSIS The first data releases coming out for February make for grim reading: China's factories were dealt a devastating blow last month as the coronavirus epidemic triggered the sharpest contraction in activity on record, with the health crisis paralysing large parts of the economy. South Korea's monthly trade data, the first to be released among major exporting economies and providing an early guide to the health of global trade, saw average exports per working day tumble 11.7%, the steepest decline in three months. Regional PMIs across Asia show a broad slowdown in manufacturing activity from India to Malaysia, with some countries, such as Taiwan, dipping into contraction territory. Just as infection figures have guided guesswork around the scale of human loss and the length of the disruption, the data will help with the first real estimation of its depth. What it won't show are the multiplier effects of chaos and fear in a globalised world. What about the supply chain disruptions, such as the weeks-long idling of Chinese plants belonging to the world's biggest ball bearings maker? On top of that, collapsing confidence, layoffs or even reduced working hours - hitting both output and demand - and a credit crunch are adding to the woes and raising the prospect of a more profound shock as markets scramble to find out how bad the damage is in the data fog. China GDP contributions https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/12/8043/7974/Pasted%20Image.jpg 2/GET OFF THAT BRAKE As the virus grips markets and recession risks flash amber, the focus turns to damage limitation plans. So any signals from powerhouse Germany that it is willing to suspend its debt brake - a strict rule on the amount of debt it can raise - and increase spending will be watched closely. Europe's biggest economy has long resisted calls to take advantage of record-low borrowing costs to support an economy close to recession. Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives said on Thursday they won't support a proposal by centre-left Finance Minister Olaf Scholz to ease the debt limit and help indebted municipalities to hike spending. Story continues But now Germany faces pressure to do more, especially given the European Central Bank is near the limits of what it can achieve. With money markets pricing in an ECB rate cut as early as June, German savers' exasperation over negative rates will grow. They, of course, could well join the clamour for more German spending - one thing economists say may help stem the tide of negative rates. Italian, German weekly bond moves https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/13/2644/2609/deit2802.png 3/OPEC FACES OIL SLIP With crude oil prices down 25% since the start of 2020, there is no shortage of topics to discuss when members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia - known as OPEC+ - meet in Vienna on Thursday and Friday. The group has already slashed oil output by 1.7 million bpd under a deal that runs to the end of March. In an initial response to counter the hit of the virus, an OPEC+ committee has recommended deepening output cuts by 600,000 bpd. But that figure is now seen as not enough by some in the group. Saudi Arabia, the biggest OPEC producer, and some other members are considering an output cut of 1 million barrels per day for the second quarter of 2020, according to sources. Oil versus Gold https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/buzzifr/15/7959/7959/Pasted%20Image.jpg 4/ AFTER THE DIVORCE Newly divorced Britain and the European Union kick off negotiations for a trade deal on Monday, sounding the starting gun on a process due to be wrapped up by Dec. 31. The mood music in the run-up to the talks suggests a rocky ride as Brussels and London try to hammer out agreements on everything from fishing to transport to replace more than 40 years of closely aligned relations following Britain's exit from the EU on Jan. 31. The British government has threatened to walk away from the talks if "good progress" was not made by June. France's European Affairs Minister said the EU would not accept "artificial deadlines" in the talks, urging London to be led by reason in the negotiations. With coronavirus panic dominating world markets, the launch of the talks may seem somewhat of a sideshow. But expect the start of the negotiations to set the tone for the 10 months of talks, which if inconclusive come end-2020, could see Britain and the EU face a "hard Brexit". Sterling shed 2.1% of its value versus the euro this week, partly as the rhetoric from both sides hardened. Sterling vs euro https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/13/2657/2622/sterling%20euro.png 5/VOTING VOLATILITY? The race for the Democratic U.S. presidential nomination heats up in the days to come and the results could divert some attention from the spread of the coronavirus. South Carolina's primary election on Saturday shook up the Democratic contest to pick a candidate to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November's election after Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race on Sunday, saying he no longer saw a chance of winning, the day after fellow moderate Joe Biden won a big victory. Now it's time for "Super Tuesday" where 14 states go to the polls - the largest single-day delegate haul in the nomination fight. Investors will be looking to see whether progressive Senator Bernie Sanders consolidates his lead or if moderates such as former Vice President Joe Biden or former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg can make inroads. While investors have been more consumed by the coronavirus developments, election-related headlines have jostled some parts of the market. Shares of U.S. health insurers such as UnitedHealth Group , for example, have in recent months been vulnerable to the rising prospects of Sanders and fellow candidate Elizabeth Warren. Sanders nomination odds vs health insurer shares https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/USA-STOCKS/0H001R8DKC2J/eikon.png (Reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Karin Strohecker in London, Tom Westbrook in Singapore and Lewis Krauskopf in New York, additional reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan in London; Editing by Susan Fenton and Catherine Evans) LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - Global factories took a beating in February from the coronavirus outbreak with activity in China shrinking at a record pace, surveys showed on Monday, raising the prospect of a coordinated policy response by central banks to prevent a global recession. Fears of a pandemic pushed markets off a precipice last week, wiping more than $5 trillion from global share values as stocks cratered, marking their steepest slump in more than a decade and stoking widespread expectations of monetary easing. The outbreak is plunging the world economy into its worst downturn since the global financial crisis, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned on Monday, urging governments and central banks to fight back to avoid an even steeper slump. Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Monday the Bank of Japan would take necessary steps to stabilise financial markets. Futures now imply a full 50 basis point cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve in March <0#FF:>, while Australian markets <0#YIB:> are pricing in a quarter-point cut at the RBAs Tuesday meeting. Kurodas comments, made in an emergency statement just days after a similar move by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, were welcomed by markets as a signal the worlds biggest central banks were mustering a coordinated response to the crisis, and world stock markets regained a measure of calm on Monday. [MKTS/GLOB] China, for its part, has injected large amounts of liquidity to shore up market confidence. The central Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) has also told banks to help firms struggling with repayments by extending loans and not penalise them if they are late with payments. Policymakers and the credit rating agencies have taken a wait-and-see approach to the situation, although as usual the relative order of willingness to act re: events with policy action was confirmed this past week, said Erik Nielsen, group chief economist at UniCredit. In Australia, financial regulators held an emergency meeting to discuss the economic impact of the outbreak, two sources told Reuters, as markets moved to price in a central bank rate cut as early as this week. A rate cut only helps a little bit, by easing debt service costs. But it does little if anything to solve the bigger problems of cash flow interruption, said Rob Carnell, Asia- Pacific chief economist at ING in Singapore. This is where the BoJs special loans ... and the PBOCs suggested easing of banks response to late or delinquent loans is closer to what is needed. CHINA BRAKES Chinas factory activity suffered the sharpest contraction on record in February, the Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) showed, underlining the crippling effects of tough travel curbs and public health measures taken to contain the outbreak. That followed the Chinese governments similarly dire PMI release at the weekend, which also showed a record pace of decline. And while the manufacturing downturn in the euro zone eased last month the virus outbreak is starting to weigh on a post-election recovery in Britains manufacturing sector, where factories reported a big jump in delays in their supply chains. Should disruptions continue in China and even spread to other economies, as is looking increasingly likely given the recent news flow, then we could see supply- and demand-side constraints come into effect and the decline in production accelerate anew, said IHS Markit economist Phil Smith. The slump in China, the worlds second-largest economy, dealt a severe blow to factories across Asia, including those in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, offering the clearest evidence yet of the epidemics damaging effects on global growth and businesses. The slump in manufacturing activity looks to have had a significant impact on trade, Capital Economics wrote in a research note on the Caixin PMI. The PMIs also point to a major hit to employment, the effects of which will take longer to reverse. And with the jump in virus cases overseas, there is a growing risk of a protracted downturn in foreign demand. Japans PMI showed its factory activity was hit by the sharpest contraction in nearly four years in February, reinforcing expectations the economy may have slipped into recession. Separate data showed Japanese firms cut spending on plant and equipment in the quarter to December, casting doubt on the Bank of Japans view that robust domestic demand will make up for some of the weakness in exports. Near-term prospects for Japans industrial sector appear very bleak, said Joe Hayes, economist at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey. South Koreas factory activity also shrank faster in February, as export orders contracted at the quickest pace in over six years in a shattering blow to production. Activity in Vietnam and Taiwan, two key economies in the global technology supply chain, slipped into contraction from growth the month earlier. Among Asian economies less reliant on global trade, growth in Indias factory sector eased slightly from a near eight-year high in January while Indonesias factory sector returned to growth. Former President Barack Obama speaks to guests at the Obama Foundation Summit on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 29, 2019. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Pro-Trump Group Pushes Back After Obama Tries to Get Advertisement Pulled Off the Air A group that is working on getting President Donald Trump re-elected refused to pull an advertisement that features former President Barack Obama talking about his vice president, Joe Biden. Obama asked television stations in South Carolina to stop running the ad, which features Obama reading some of his words in a way that maligns Biden. Joe Biden promised to help our community. It was a lie. Heres President Obama, a narrator says before Obama is heard reading from one of his books. An Obama spokeswoman said the video is clearly designed to suppress turnout among minority voters in South Carolina by taking President Obamas voice out of context and twisting his words to mislead viewers. The Perkins Coie law firm sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Committee to Defend the President, the group behind the ad, claiming that the video featured an unauthorized use of President Obamas name, image, likeness, voice, and book passage. The use violated Obamas right of publicity and the U.S. Copyright Act, the firm alleged. In a response letter, the group behind the ad declined to stop running it, asserting the use of the content is a lawful expression of political speech and that it has complied with all applicable laws and regulations governing its advocacy activity. The use of third-party content is either directly licensed or falls within the principles of fair use of copyrighted material, Dan Backer, counsel to the group, wrote in the response. Should you feel compelled to continue this Brobdingnagian waste of my clients time defending this frivolous attempt to suppress free speech, I look forward to the extensive depositions of your client and his various ghostwriters necessary to resolve the matter, Backer wrote. The lawyer also asked Perkins Coie for proof that it represents a legitimate rightsholder, referencing the law firms involvement in the financing of ex-British spy Christopher Steele and the salacious dossier he compiled against Trump. Last year, Google announced that it would be packaging new features for its Pixel phones into feature drops and releasing them every three months. The first feature drop for Pixels arrived in December 2019 and the second one is due this month. It appears the March 2020 feature drop will bring several new features including dark mode scheduling, Cards & Passes, play/pause Motion Sense gesture, and car crash detection. The folks over at 9to5Google found out these details when they decompiled an updated version of the Pixel Tips app. Theres no confirmation that Google will ship all or any of these features in the March 2020 feature drop. However, 9to5Google notes that a file named tips_sw_201912a.json found inside the Pixel Tips app contained the features that were part of the December 2012 feature drop. Advertisement Now a similar file named tips_sw_202003a.json has been inside Pixel Tips v2.0.1 (6231163) with four new features. Interestingly, Google seems to have now pulled the Pixel Tips update from the Play Store. March 2020 feature drop for Google Pixel Google released the first Android 11 Developer Preview earlier this month and it included the ability to schedule Dark mode. However, it appears Pixel owners will not have to wait until the stable release of Android 11 to enjoy this feature. It may arrive on their Android 10-running phones this month itself. Dark mode scheduling allows users to set a custom schedule for dark mode, or set it to activate/deactivate automatically at sunset/sunrise. Advertisement The Cards & Passes feature has been around since Android 10 was in beta but is yet to be released. It also appeared in the last Pixel Tips update in December 2019 but didnt find life in the first feature drop. The feature that will make cards in your Google Pay wallet accessible through the power key menu might finally arrive with March 2020 feature drop. With the new play/pause Motion Sense gesture, Pixel 4 users will be able to quickly play/pause or skip music with simple gestures. An air tap above the phone will play/pause the music while swiping left or right will skip songs. Advertisement This gesture was also a part of the Android 11 Developer Preview 1. However, it may arrive on compatible Pixel phones this month. The Pixel 4s Personal Safety app and its car crash detection feature may also be officially available for older Pixels with the March 2020 feature drop. With this feature, your Pixel will automatically call emergency services if it detects youd been in a car crash. The Personal Safety app can already be sideloaded and used on older pixels, though. Google will likely begin rolling out the March 2020 feature drop this week with the March security patch. Well have to wait and see if all of the four new features make the cut. Its the morning of July 22, 2019. A neighborhood in the Syrian city of Maaret al Numan has just been hit by an airstrike. Rescuers are rushing to the scene when warnings of another attack come over the radio. As the camera tilts upward, it captures a small speck in the sky. This is a Russian plane, and its about to strike the city again. For years, Russia has been suspected of recklessly bombing civilians in Syria as they try to break the remaining pockets of resistance to President Assad. Theyve strongly denied it, and proving their role has been all but impossible. But now we have evidence. [Sirens blaring] Earlier Times investigations established that the Russian air force repeatedly bombed hospitals in Syria, and this latest investigation traces how Russian pilots also launched some of the deadliest attacks on civilians in 2019. [Shouting and sirens] At the core of our investigations are intercepted cockpit recordings of Russian pilots and air controllers. Combined with video and photo data and warplane sightings, these recordings provide a critical missing link that show how, in two recent airstrikes, Russian pilots killed dozens of civilians. First, well take a look at this settlement for displaced people in Syrias last rebel-held area. Its called Qaryat al Rahma, or Village of Mercy. This isolated complex was located near the city of Hass, around 8 miles from the nearest front line, and was home to over 100 families uprooted by years of war. One resident told us that families use the evening time to sit outside and cool off. Near sunset on Aug. 16, he heard planes flying overhead. It was a devastating strike. And heres how the evidence shows that Russia was responsible. This photo, taken by a local journalist immediately after impact, is a crucial piece of the puzzle. We know it was taken in Hass because the features match earlier drone footage of the town. The buildings and pylons are all the same. And shrouded in smoke is the settlement for displaced people. We know because these windows and the mast on the roof also match the drone footage of the camp. Using the pictures file data, we verified it was taken at 7:17 p.m. on Aug. 16, pinpointing the exact time of the attack. What was happening in the skies around this time? Five minutes before the strike, observers spotted and logged a Russian warplane over a nearby town. And at precisely 7:17, we hear a Russian pilot, with a call sign 464, launch an attack. The weapon landed in the middle of a courtyard where families had gathered. The blast leveled buildings, and the scene is carnage. [Shouting] The dead include a pregnant woman, her husband and their 2-year-old child. In all, 19 residents of the camp are killed, and 13 more are wounded. Another deadly attack this summer occurred just 4 miles away in Maarat al Numan a densely populated city in the heart of opposition-controlled territory. On Monday morning, July 22, the city was hit repeatedly by airstrikes. The attack sparked so much outrage that Russia was forced to respond. They denied involvement. But the combined evidence of witness videos, flight logs and cockpit recordings contradict this and show how Russian Pilot 17 killed over 20 people in just half an hour. Weve retraced what happened minute by minute. Its 8:31 a.m. Pilot 17 receives a target, and four minutes later he launches a weapon, calling it candy, and prepares a second attack. The strike levels an entire building in a busy commercial area in the city. Local journalist Mohamed Sharawi films his rush to the scene. As the dust clears, he joins first responders who try to reach victims through the rear of an adjacent building. Above them, the Russian pilot is preparing to launch again, in two minutes, at 44 minutes past the hour. Mohammad and the others take cover, as flight spotters warn of another attack. He looks up and films a Russian fighter jet overhead. The pilot launches his weapon. Then the explosion. [Explosion] Its whats known as a double tap. It hits almost exactly the same location and kills a rescue worker. At 8:54, Pilot 17 confirms his third strike in the city, hitting a building around 800 yards away. [Explosion] Minutes later, he calculates his fourth and final round and strikes another building on the outskirts of the town. [Explosion] The number killed is estimated at between 23 and 42 people, including two children making it one of the worst attacks on a civilian area this year. The Russians are by no means alone in this. Combined with Syrian attacks, the U.N. says, over 1,000 civilians in northwest Syria have been killed or injured since April hundreds of them children. So why is Russia attacking civilians? Experts tell us its the same reason theyre bombing hospitals. Its all part of a strategy to break the will of the people, force them to flee, and to help the Syrian government retake the last opposition stronghold. And after more than eight years of war and very little in the way of consequences, Russia shows no signs of slowing down. SHANGHAI, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Acorn International, Inc. (NYSE: ATV) ("Acorn" or the "Company"), announced that at its regularly scheduled meeting in February, 2020, the Company's board of directors voted to indefinitely suspend its quarterly dividend of US$0.0125 per ordinary share, or US$0.25 per ADS, due to current business impact and uncertainties concerning the potential longer-term impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on the Company's e-commerce business. Discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019, COVID-19 causes severe respiratory illness in humans. While it has begun to spread throughout the world, the vast majority of coronavirus cases are in mainland China, with over 78,000 diagnosed cases and over 2,700 deaths, based on the latest statistics from the World Health Organization as of the date of this release. Actions by the Chinese government to curtail the spread of the virus include limiting the transportation of people and goods within and outside of China. Many countries around the world have imposed travel bans to China and are quarantining travelers arriving from China. "The outbreak of the coronavirus could have a material impact on our business in 2020. There has been disruption to our production capacity and our ability to deliver to customers in parts of China. There is also uncertainty about whether our ability to import raw material for our Acorn Fresh business will be affected materially. Finally, while we are adapting to work-from-home and flexible working arrangements, we have historically operated within a traditional office environment in Shanghai," said Mr. Jacob A. Fisch, CEO and President of Acorn International. "Some of our online businesses appear to be experiencing increased demand, as customers prefer to shop from home. But we are concerned that the combination of supply-side disruption, delivery challenges and potential, long-term waning consumer demand caused by COVID-19, potentially exacerbated by other factors, could negatively impact our business. While we continue to monitor the situation, at this point it is difficult to assess the probable significance or duration of any disruption. As a result, we are taking a number of defensive measures to cut costs and conserve our cash resources, including salary reductions and the indefinite suspension of the quarterly dividend until we have more confidence concerning the current situation." About Acorn International, Inc. Acorn International is a leading marketing and branding company in China, leveraging a twenty-year direct marketing history to monetize brand IP, content creation and distribution, and product sales, through digital media in China. For more information visit www.acorninternationalgroup.com. Safe Harbor Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "future," "going forward," "intends," "outlook," "plans," "target," "will," "potential," and similar statements. Such statements are based on current expectations and current market and operating conditions, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Acorn's control, including the extent and duration of the adverse impact of COVID-19, which may cause actual results, performance, actions, or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties, or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Investor Contacts: Contact: Compass Investor Relations Ms. Elaine Ketchmere, CFA Phone: +1-310-528-3031 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Acorn International, Inc. Related Links www.acorninternationalgroup.com India is at the cusp of becoming one off the leading global economies in the world. The $5 trillion target set by the government for the Indian economy in the medium term is the vision for the massive transformation, which entails structural changes across the board. This is well reflected in a host of initiatives undertaken in the recent past meant to trigger a paradigm shift in the delivery models of services to citizens and creating an inclusive growth environment. Digitisation, as manifested by flagship programmes like Digital India, Make in India and Skill India, is the cornerstone of this massive social sector revamp drive. These initiatives embody the spirit of the new age India, which is keen to embrace technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, Robotics, etc. to give a cutting edge to its social delivery system. In terms of economic benefits, they are meant to pave the way for a leapfrog trajectory for segments like manufacturing where Industry 4.0 regime no longer seems to be a distant reality. The grand vision of Digital India, pursued through multiple yet converging technological programmes, has become an encompassing imperative for all major players resulting in robust public-private partnerships. With over eight decades of solid foundation in India, Hitachi India is gearing up to seize the burgeoning opportunities of a services-driven, fast-digitalising Indian economy. With the experience and expertise of nearly 100 years in Operational Technology (OT) and of around 50 years in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Hitachi has been partnering Indias digital transformation together with multiple stakeholders offering advanced state-of-the-art technological solutions, aiming to achieve last mile delivery of products and services. India has been growing at a brisk pace and today it presents an opportunity like never before. Hitachi has been aligning itself with the growth drivers and synergising its solutions with the Government of India to support both physical and digital transformation of the country. Mr. Bharat Kaushal, Managing Director, Hitachi India Through Social Innovation Business, Hitachis connected customer life cycle solutions ensure greater social, environmental and economic sustainability in diverse business domains like mobility, IT, social infrastructure, payment and smart life. These solutions harness Hitachis core platform technologies including OT (Operational Technology) x IT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data Analytics. Social Innovation co-creates value through collaboration with stakeholders. In strategic terms, Hitachis offerings are targeted to make a holistic difference through its Social, Environmental and Economic values. Partnering in vital e-Governance schemes Besides physical infrastructure, the governments vision also entails building a more inclusive society with better governance, schools, banking and insurance facilities. In India, the first wave of technological changes vis-a-vis digitisation has begun showing results in terms of emergence of efficient delivery model of social welfare schemes. Citizens today not only have access to all necessary information through digital means but also readily available platforms to reach out to authorities, meaningfully interact and take an issue to its logical end expeditiously. This has significantly changed various aspects of public life and governance conducting elections and census, computerisation of government offices and activities, digital lockers, e-Education, e-health, e-transportation, tax payments, etc. Hitachi, through its Social Innovation Business Solution, has actively and intensely been engaged in several areas of e-Governance in India. It is actively partnering in reformative schemes such as Make in India and Digital India, providing technological expertise in areas such as electrification, agriculture, healthcare, etc. Empowered by Hitachis solutions, government agencies involved in dissemination of the services to the people have successfully modified some of the complex processes like large-scale digitisation of public records for easy access. Industry 4.0 Drive Considering the current growth impetus which India is pursuing, there are a host of transformative initiatives which are slated to make India a leading digital economy, globally is not so distant a future. According to the global think-tank, McKinsey, the digital economy will contribute $355-435 billion to the Indian GDP by 2025, from $200 billion[1], or 8% of the GDP in 2017-18. The benefits of digitisation are slated to change the operational regime for most of the vibrant sectors of Indian economy like agriculture, healthcare, logistics, energy, education and financial services. In a more macro sense, the digitisation drive is also meant to pave the way for Industry 4.0 regime in the country. India is committed to contribute the share of its manufacturing to GDP from below 20 percent to around 25 percent in the medium run and that makes the convergence of digitisation and industrial processes upgradation inevitable going ahead. The massive exercise practically means rewriting the rules and changing the functional models forever by harnessing new age technological marvels like Information Technology and Operations Technology, IoT and Big Data analytics. With its vast experience, Hitachi is perfectly placed to become a leading partner in Indias Industry 4.0 revolution with its superior offerings aligned with IoT (Internet of Things) era. In fact, aided by the companys innovative and globally recognised OT (Operational Technology) x IT solutions and data analytics, customers have transited from IoT-enabled interactive devices to AI-enabled ones. Such a paradigm shift touches lives and equips devices and operations with cognitive functions that are similar to human beings. Mobility Makeover Going by an estimate, 50 percent[2] of India is expected to reside in urban centers by 2030 and this entails major change in mobility and urban transportation. With these affordable solutions, movement of people between cities and within cities are imperative. The governments vision includes bullet trains, dedicated freight corridors (DFC), high speed train corridors in the Golden Quadrilateral linking Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, metro networks within cities with metrolite options for smaller cities. Hitachi Rail Systems Business Division is fully aligned with the governments vision for Indias railways: the worlds third largest network. Hitachis seamless cross-platform solution capabilities are supporting the government in its quest for turning the countrys existing urban areas across India into Smart Cities. Hitachis rail expertise encompasses rolling stock systems to state-of-the-art signaling systems and has developed future-ready railway solutions in multiple countries across continent. Through its connected customer solutions Hitachi can contribute in enabling seamless integration of high-speed corridors with multi-modal transportation systems in the rapidly growing cities with last mile and first mile connectivity. Creating new benchmarks for Indias urban transportation system through Social Innovation Business Solution, Hitachi aspires to Power Good and build a sustainable society. Revolutionising Digital Transaction The Indian banking sector has evolved from physical banking to digital anchor in the past two decades. Several factors aided this sea-change improved penetration of ATMs and banking correspondents, rapid digitisation backed by cheap mobile data, growth of payment ecosystem, and government measures such as Aadhaar, Jan Dhan, and DBT. But there is a crucial need to accelerate this story. The next frontier for the digital banking drive entails making the national financial regime inclusive for the next half a billion people. Needless to say, this would be a monumental opportunity for the stakeholders in the fray. According to a NITI Aayog study, the booming digital payment space is expected to reach $1 trillion[3] by 2023. This is no less than a revolution and Hitachi Payment Services is an intrinsic part of this gigantic churning. Hitachi Payment Services and State Bank of India (SBI) have entered into a joint venture for the establishment of a state-of-the-art digital payment platform for India. The JV will facilitate expansion of the digital payments landscape in India. Hitachi will continue to invest in developing its capabilities and introducing quintessential technologies, playing a crucial role in Indias march towards digital transformation. Learn More About Hitachi Social Innovation Know more about our Solutions in India Source1: (https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/digital-india-technology-to-transform-a-connected-nation) Source 2: (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/state-world-population-2007) Source 3: (https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=181272) This article is an initiative of Hitachi India and is intended to create awareness among readers Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko says Ukraine will continue to participate in NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. "Ukraine remains a trusted US and NATO partner and we support the peace and stability settlement in Afghanistan by taking part in NATO's Resolution Support Mission for as long as the Afghan people need help," Prystaiko wrote on Twitter. He noted that Ukraine welcomed the signing of an agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban on the beginning of a peace process in Afghanistan. "Ukraine welcomes the agreements reached in Afghanistan. After many years of war the path to a peaceful resolution is now open," the minister stressed. On Saturday, February 29, the United States and the Taliban signed an "agreement for bringing peace" to Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict. The U.S. and NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal. ish Russian authorities on Monday confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Moscow, saying the patient had recently returned from Italy. The anti-coronavirus task force said in a statement quoted by Russian agencies that the "young man" had fallen ill on February 21 while on vacation to Italy. The man, who resides outside Moscow, returned to Russia on February 23, and started showing signs of a respiratory viral infection, it said. He sought medical help and was hospitalised on February 27. Testing confirmed the infection on Monday and his symptoms were not severe, the statement said. Nearly 90,000 people have been infected in over 60 countries and more than 3,000 people have been killed by COVID-19. Russia has so far managed to avoid a large number of infections and introduced a range of travel and visa restrictions. Russia repatriated and quarantined a number of passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, three of whom tested positive for the virus. Two Chinese citizens in Russia were also infected and treated in Siberia. Moscow has imposed a near blanket ban on Chinese visitors over coronavirus fears and has closed rail links with China and halted most flights. Authorities have also announced restrictions on travel to Russia from Iran and South Korea, two countries hit by the outbreak, and most recently advised against all non-essential foreign travel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Punjab Police has arrested three gangsters wanted in murder, extortion, and rioting cases from Sojat in Pali district of Rajasthan, a senior police officer said here on Monday. Harman Bhullar, Balraj Singh and Harwinder Sandhu, all residents of Punjab were held during a joint operation of the police forces from Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The three are members of a criminal gang operated by Pavittar Singh, a gangster who is suspected to be in the US, Director General of Punjab Police Dinkar Gupta said. The accused were arrested on the basis of a tip-off provided to Rajasthan Police by the Punjab Police on Sunday, Gupta said, adding that the three had been changing their locations regularly and using fake identities while on the run. Police have seized five pistols, a rifle, a gun, around 50 cartridges, two cars and three fake Aadhar Cards from them, the DGP said. The gang members were wanted for killing two people in separate incidents in Amritsar in January this year, the DGP said, adding that they had also shot at a person in November last year in Amritsar. Sandhu had claimed responsibility for the killings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union regulators will in June set out proposals to tackle Chinese state-backed companies enjoying an unfair advantage versus their European counterparts, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said on Monday, following calls from Germany and France. Germany and France have led calls to EU antitrust regulators to do more to secure a level playing field for European companies competing with Chinese firms. Last month, the two countries together with Italy and Poland urged Vestager to come up with proposals to revamp EU antitrust rules by the end of June. Were working on new powers to protect fair competition powers that would allow us to deal, for example, with the harm that foreign subsidies and state ownership can do to competition in Europe, Vestager said at a College of Europe conference. By the end of June, we plan to publish a White Paper, to get input on our ideas for how these new powers could work, she said. White papers are proposals for interested parties to comment on before a final draft is adopted as legislation. Vestager also signaled a tougher line against dominant companies squeezing out smaller rivals, saying a cease and desist order in todays world was not enough and action might be needed on both sides of the Atlantic. If the market has already tipped, and its no longer possible for others to compete, then we might have to order those companies to neutralize the effects that theyve had on competition, she said. I expect this issue will be an important theme for us in April, when we meet our counterparts from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, for a workshop on remedies. Photo, Fran Miller Pismo Beach, Central Californias quintessential beach town, offers a new reason to plan a visit to this quaint land of sand, surf, and sun. Vespera on Ocean, the newly opened Autograph Collection hotel by Marriott International, provides a stylish and upscale lodging option within the small, laid-back community. Vespera is Pismo Beachs first branded property, and the hotel delivers Marriotts high service standards while celebrating the seaside lifestyle and throwback culture of its host town. This representation of the inherent crafts and distinctive perspectives of a region is a signature of the Autograph Collection of indie hotels; the product of passion and personal realization of each individual founders vision makes each hotel within this brand singular and special. The Autograph Collection motto is Exactly Like Nothing Else, and Vespera on Ocean is a whimsical representation of the adage. Vespera lobby. Photo courtesy of Vespera on Ocean An upscale, open, beach house-inspired design offers ocean views from nearly every vantage point. 124 guestrooms feature elegant interiors with relaxing coastal elements and oversized bathrooms with floor-to-ceiling showers, and premium bath products. Most rooms have private balconies overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and all are equipped with a mini-fridge and a Lavazza espresso machine. Full kitchens are available in select suites. The hotel is also pet-friendly for those looking to travel with their furry friends. Vespera balcony. Photo courtesy of Vespera on Ocean Vespera suite. Photo courtesy of Vespera on Ocean An expansive pool deck overlooks the Pacific Ocean; a heated outdoor pool and outdoor event lawn with fire pits provide gathering spots at which to socialize and unwind. A living room-style lobby with a cozy fireplace welcomes guests, and a state-of-the-art fitness facility and high-tech business center offer convenience. Vesperas beachfront location offers direct access to Pismo Beachs iconic boardwalk and pier, is within walking distance to downtown Pismo Beach, and is located just five minutes from Pismo Preserves hiking and biking trails. Rent a beach cruiser from the hotel-adjacent Pismo Beach Surf Shop (the oldest surf shop along the central coast, since 1962)and mosey in seaside style along the streets, trails, and beach just as the locals do. With San Luis Obispo wine country, Ocean Dunes, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo all within 10-20 minutes of the property, Vespera is the ideal home base for active travelers, wine lovers, and those seeking a mix of adventure and relaxation along Californias Central Coast. Photo, Dan Miller Photo, Fran Miller The hotels signature restaurant, Somerset Grill, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and features panoramic ocean views, breezy patio seating, and elevated coastal cuisine. Market-fresh, regionally-inspired, classic seaside dishes are served all day from the showcase open kitchen, centered with a wood-fired grill. The menu highlights Oceanside Americana cuisine featuring the best produce and ingredients from local purveyors along Californias Central Coast, including unique hand-crafted cocktails and an extensive list of local beer and wines from Edna Valley and San Luis Obispo County. Photo courtesy of Vespera on Ocean and Somerset Grill Photo courtesy of Vespera on Ocean and Somerset Grill We are thrilled to join the Pismo Beach community and have the opportunity to offer guests a quintessential experience along the Central California Coast with the approachable luxury and service they can expect from the Marriott Autograph Collection, said Sandy Wirick, Vesperas director of sales & marketing. Employees at Bloomberg LP allege that Mike Bloomberg allowed a toxic work culture where he called a woman 'dog face', allowed an editor to continual give female staffers massages and is now championing the woman he allegedly called 'fat' in his presidential candidate campaign. Those who spoke out against the alleged workplace abuse were repeatedly ignored. Bloomberg's presidential dreams appeared to hit a very abrupt snag during the Nevada Democratic Debate when Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused him of allowing discrimination and sexual behavior at his 1981 company. He vehemently denied it, saying: 'I have no tolerance for the kind of behavior that the #MeToo movement has exposed and anybody that does anything wrong in our company, we investigate it, and if it's appropriate, they're gone that day.' However, Business Insider reports that he routinely used crude remarks when referring to female employees for decades. More than 40 former employees have said the work culture at Bloomberg LP under Mike Bloomberg (center) was toxic, discriminatory and allowed harassment One such instance is when he allegedly told a newly pregnant staffer to 'kill it.' Another incident involved a 25-year Bloomberg veteran named Maggie Berry who is now featured in his campaign ads. 'Mike supports women, he promotes women, he respects women,' she said in the Championing Women in the Workplace video. But according to a former employee, Berry was suggested for a promotion into a job that required interacting with clients in the 1990s. They said Bloomberg dismissed the proposal because of her physical appearance, saying: 'I will not have that fat woman representing my company.' He eventually hired a man for the position, the former employee said. In response, Berry shared a statement with Business Insider defending her boss. She said: 'Having Mike's backing and support has allowed me, and many other women at Bloomberg, to progress into management positions overseeing a significant part of our business.' A source said Bloomberg did not promote Maggie Berry (pictured) to a position because he did not want a 'fat woman' representing the company 'I've been with Bloomberg for 25 years, almost exclusively in client-facing roles. From my earliest days at the company, it was Mike himself who encouraged me to take a role in sales where you're constantly interacting with clients. The same source also recalled instances when Bloomberg and other senior staffers would call woman SFUs - a code for 'short, fat, and ugly' - when certain people would walk through the office. Bloomberg allegedly created demeaning nicknames for women he found unattractive including 'dogface' and 'Stopatrucksk' - the latter of which referred to the woman's last name and weight. While talking about a top female employee one time, the source said Bloomberg said 'Don't let the lesbian get you down!' Bloomberg LP has denied these allegations in a statement, saying that the company 'strongly supports a culture that treats all employees with dignity and respect, and enforces that culture through clear policies and practices.' A former employee alleges that Bloomberg (pictured) called certain women SFU's - or 'short, fat, and ugly' and one woman 'dogface' Not everyone interviewed by Business Insider found Bloomberg offensive and one former employee chalked up the remarks to 'crass guy talk.' She said: 'I was aware, some of the guys would make jokes about things and use analogies about women or whores that weren't really appropriate. I suppose in a sense maybe he created the culture that allowed that, but it really was no different than a trading floor.' Former employee Jon Friedman claims that Bloomberg was simply trying to inspire a Wall Street-inspired culture that he wished to promote in his company. Of the more than 40 former and current employees who spoke out against Bloomberg LP, the former Washington editor Al Hunt reportedly came up several times. Hunt's alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior was the subject of several human resource complaints and at least two financial settlements, sources said. During his time at Bloomberg News, Hunt is said to have created a reputation among employees for a quick temper and giving women massages without asking first. A source said that he would often walk up behind a female colleague seated at her desk and, without warning, begin rubbing her shoulders. Al Hunt allegedly gave an unsolicited massage to a female employee while in the office and displayed favoritism to group of women called 'Al's Angels' 'I remember seeing his hands move pretty rapidly between her shoulders and her arms. His hands were all over her,' one former employee said. Other former coworkers said that he once held a female employee's hand without consent. When she she moved her hand into her pocket to stop the interaction, he reportedly shoved his hand into her pocket to continue holding hands. In another case he allegedly slapped a woman's bare thigh several times while daring her to tell HR and a separate incident involved him placing a hand on a woman's shoulder without moving it, a source said. A former employee said: 'Al Hunt talked a progressive game of hiring more women and promoting them, but it was mere virtue-signalling. Young female reporters were just shiny new toys for him.' Allegations also maintain that Hunt said questionable remarks towards women, including when a co-worker had a matching manicure and pedicure. This prompted him to ask if anything else matched, a source said. Hunt has denied all allegations and said in a statement that the accusations were misconstrued. Hunt said: 'There never was a propensity to touch women in inappropriate ways. The shoulder rub charge is wrong. Former employees also allege that Hunt (center) had a volatile temper and once threw a stapler at an assistant 'There was one incident in which I was talking to a group of political reporters and apparently put my hand on the shoulder of a reporter sitting in front of me; NOT rubbing her neck, putting my hand on shoulder while talking to other reporters. 'She spoke to HR about it, who looked into it, spoke with reporters present and concluded there was nothing inappropriate and thus no need to inform me. I only was told about this several years later.' Hunt also favored a group of women known to some women as 'Al's Angels' who received favoritism in the form of better assignments, important meetings with DC power brokers and career advancement and sometimes a bigger bonus, sources said. One former employee thought Hunt wanted female employees to dress provocatively. Once, after a woman had been given a task by him, the source was told that Hunt said, 'I just love watching her run in heels.' Another employee said Hunt once caressed a woman's forearms and, after she walked away, said 'I just love watching her run in heels.' Hunt has additionally denied these comments, too. More than a dozen employees also said Hunt was volatile towards employees, including throwing a stapler at an assistant and berating several others over the course of his position. Sources also said Matthew Winkler (pictured), Bloomberg co-founder and former editor-in-chief, was 'abusive' and often screamed at employees Hunt once yelled at an assistance because they could not find his glasses, only to be told by another colleague that they were on his head. 'He could be abusive to people working for him and very, very demanding and not always kind about,' that employee said. One woman said he intimidated her by grabbing her arm and looming over her desk. She said he once told her: 'you are going to learn it pays to be an asshole.' She raised concerns about Hunt's behavior to superiors and HR, but neither intervened. She eventually quit. Sources also said Matthew Winkler, Bloomberg co-founder and former editor-in-chief, was also 'abusive.' They say Winkler screamed frequently and led the newsroom with fear. Business Insider reports that Bloomberg paid settlements to two women who had potential claims against Hunt. A former employee said: 'I raised Al Hunt's treatment of female employees to senior managers in the company on several occasions, after repeatedly witnessing its impact. I was never informed of any action.' Bloomberg (center) reportedly paid two women settlements who had potential claims against Hunt for unspecified reasons Hunt, who joined Bloomberg in 2005, was eventually moved to Bloomberg's opinion section as a columnist until he left in 2018. Within Bloomberg's company, which he's heralded as diverse, at least three women of color wrote a warning letter to their alma mater, urging them to cease recruitment efforts with the media company. In the letter, they described Bloomberg LP as 'toxic and demoralizing system.' 'This organization does not have people of color sitting on their management committee, or in visible senior leadership roles, and the ones that do have direct reports have acted in irrepressible ways towards young women of color,' the letter said. 'The experiences shared with me range from being solicited for sexual favors to get ahead, to young women in their first year of work taking medical leave based on their severe emotional and mental stress experienced at the organization.' 'Bloomberg LP will spend money investing in unconscious bias conversations but fail to acknowledge the conscious decision-making had by a select few that continue to marginalize people at the company.' At least three women of color called Bloomberg LP a 'toxic and demoralizing system' in a letter urging their alma mater from continuing recruiting efforts with the company A current woman at color working for Bloomberg LP has admitted that colleagues have made 'belittling' comments about her and don't fully understand how to support workers of color. 'I would say from my experience some people are aware of what they call a diversity issue [at Bloomberg LP] but, overall, as a company, I don't think things are getting better,' she told Business Insider. 'If they were trying to get better, it's because of [Mike Bloomberg] running for election and wanting to please people, but I wouldn't say they are getting better.' While several sources were able to disclose information about Bloomberg and Bloomberg LP, some women were forcibly left from the conversation because of non-disclosure agreements. Two women who signed NDAs - and are not among the three who will be released from the contracts - said they are not willingly silent. Pictured: Bloomberg campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination at a rally in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma One woman said: 'NDAs are never signed by two parties who wanted to keep it quiet. They are signed by women who are often broke and unemployed and lack the resources to press a case against a billionaire. 'We agree to stay silent not because we don't want our side heard, but because we often need the money to help repair the massive financial damage incurred after unexpectedly losing a job and spending thousands on lawyers in hopes of winning some of it back.' Another said: 'I would gladly talk on the record about this, but I can't. I've been waiting for a long time to have my experience come out, but also at the same time living with fear about talking about it. 'And it doesn't seem fair that I went through this thing this is my life and I'm not even allowed to share what happened to me. This is why it would suck if Bloomberg was elected president. 'He silenced all these people. We don't know half the things that have gone on at his company.' Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has broadcast an ersatz presidential TV address to the nation on the coronavirus outbreak in an ad reportedly costing more than $1.5m and perhaps as much as $3m. Broadcast less than 48 hours before Super Tuesday, the ad, entitled Leadership in Crisis, featured Mr Bloomberg standing in front of what appears to be a mocked-up Oval Office to deliver a sober monologue about the need for leadership in the face of the epidemic, which over the weekend claimed its second life in the US. The ad is a barely veiled attack on Donald Trumps much-criticised approach to the coronavirus epidemic, which has seen him minimise the level of risk, spread conspiracy theories, and appoint vice president Mike Pence to oversee the response despite his thin and questionable record in the field. Citing his record as mayor of New York City, Mr Bloomberg presented himself as past master at disaster response: In my 12 years in office I dealt with a hurricane, a blackout, attempted terror attacks, the West Nile virus and Swine Flu. My method of leadership was to plan ahead before the problem arrived. 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 Bloomberg has spent hundreds of million dollars on political ads, previously buying hugely expensive ad space during the Super Bowl and the last Democratic TV debate. Having skipped the primarys first four contests, Mr Bloomberg is betting heavily on Super Tuesday on 3 March, where 14 states allocate delegates at the same time. His aim is to enter the race with a strong debut performance that fundamentally changes the shape of the Democratic field ideally winning several states, or at least picking up enough delegates to put him on a par with the other frontrunners. Mr Bloombergs polling does not currently forecast his taking a single Super Tuesday state, but he is expected to clear the 15 per cent threshold needed to pick up delegates in many places, potentially dragging some of the other candidates down. However, he has made some serious missteps, including one disastrous debate performance that saw fellow candidate Elizabeth Warren tear into him for his wealth, his arrogance, and his record of asking female employees to sign nondisclosure agreements. Some also expect him to suffer from the revival of Joe Biden, who won the South Carolina primary with more than 48 per cent of the vote, and is now being described in some quarters as Mr Sanderss principal challenger. Shortly after South Carolina, another rival, Pete Buttigieg, suddenly dropped out of the race, saying the Democrats needed a candidate who could unite a broad base. Some have speculated he has done a backroom deal with another moderate contender to clear the field for an anti-Sanders candidate. An Italian tourist tested positive for the coronavirus in Jaipur on Monday and has been placed under isolation at the government-run Sawai Man Singh Hospital Jaipur: An Italian tourist tested positive for the coronavirus in Jaipur on Monday and his blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for further confirmation, the state government said. The 69-year-old man has been placed under isolation at the government-run Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. The man is part of the group of 20 tourists, who are now in Agra. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot summoned a meeting of top officials on Monday night to discuss the development. Two separate blood tests on him at the SMS Hospital had come up with contradictory findings. The first sample collected from him on Saturday tested negative but the man's condition deteriorated, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma told the state Assembly. A second sample was then taken and its report received on Monday indicated that he had the virus. Since there is a variation in the test reports, samples have been sent to NIV-Pune for testing," he told reporters. The minister said the Italian embassy in New Delhi has been informed. Other tourists in his group have moved to Agra from Jaipur and authorities there have been informed about it, he said. Directions have been issued to screen them as well, Sharma said. The minister said that the patient was admitted to the Emergency ICU at the SMS Hospital and later shifted to an isolation ward. The doctors and the nursing staff at the ICU will now be screened for the virus that originated in Wuhan, China. Others in touch with the man will also be screened, authorities said. All measures are being taken and the hospital administration is on alert. There is no need for panic, Sharma said. This is the first time that a suspected coronavirus victim has tested positive in the state. Before this, all 102 samples collected in the state had tested negative for the virus. At Jaipur international airport, over 23,000 passengers from 161 flights have been screened so far, according to an official. Hospital sources said the man arrived in Jaipur from Udaipur with the group of tourists and checked into a hotel on 28 February. He suffered from breathlessness and was coughing. He was then taken to a private hospital and kept overnight there, they said. The next day, he was shifted to SMS Hospital where he was kept in an isolation ward. Test results received late on Sunday night were negative so he was shifted to the ICU for observation, they said. Since his condition kept on deteriorating, a second test was conducted on Monday. When the report came out positive for the virus, he was shifted to the ICU of the isolation ward, hospital sources said. The issue was raised in the Assembly on Monday by Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore. The health minister assured the House that there was nothing to fear and the government is sensitive to the issue. Human rights activists on Monday denounced the central and Delhi governments alleging they failed to provide any medical or legal help to violence-affected people in northeast Delhi. The activists, including Harsh Mander, Anjali Bhardwaj, Annie Raja and Harjit Singh Bhatti, also criticised India's poor healthcare system, saying "there's no hospital near the affected areas". Harjit Singh Bhatti from the Progressive Medicos and Scientists claimed there was long delay in the treatment of those who suffered gunshot wounds "because police did not allow private medical help to reach the sites of violence". "Police were rude.. and because of fear and disbelief, the wounded people were not ready to undergo treatment in government hospitals," the activists claimed. There is still a large number of people who have not received any medical help so far, rights activist Anjali Bhardwaj said. "The violence also exposed India's poor healthcare system. Government hospitals are overburdened... The riot-affected areas do not have any hospital ... the nearest hospital is 10 kilometers away," she claimed. Bhardwaj also said that no one from the Centre or Delhi government "established any contact with the people till February 29". "No one reached them for compensation... And when we asked if we could help them fill the compensation form, the affected people refused, fearing the information may be used for other purposes," she said. The activists demanded that public representatives visit ground zero and meet the violence-hit people which is crucial for confidence building. Shelter and adequate relief be arranged for families who have been forced to leave their houses, they said. "Round-the-clock medical camps are needed... single-window facilitation centres for official documents destroyed in arson needed," they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Controversial facial recognition company, Clearview AI, is reportedly developing surveillance cameras and augmented reality glasses despite mounting public scrutiny over the company's ethics. According to documents obtained by Buzzfeed News, Clearview AI is exploring the possibility of making surveillance cameras that use computer vision software to identify subjects by cross-referencing a database. Its database of photos has been the subject of controversy after it was found to be scraping pictures from Facebook and Instagram without people's consent. Those pictures were used to train its facial recognition algorithm. The company has also partnered with at least 600 law enforcement agencies across the US. Those companies use its database to scan for suspect matches. Facial recognition software company Clearview AI is working on hardware that utilizes its facial recognition software to help support surveillance cameras according to a new report (Stock) Clearview's cameras are reportedly being tested by two companies and are being developed under a division of Clearview called Insight Camera. The company has yet to publicly link itself to Insight, but a Buzzfeed investigation was able to connect the two by assessing code on both companies' websites. In each, similar code contained references to Clearview's servers. Buzzfeed reports that the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), a labor union representing teachers in New York City, and the real estate firm Rudin Management, which is also based in New York, are the two companies who tested Cleaview's hardware. A representative for the UFT told Buzzfeed that it was using the cameras to prevent individuals who had made threats against the union from entering its offices. UFT says that it didn't use Clearview's entire 3 billion-photo database but instead operated on a 'close system' of faces. Rudin Management confirmed that it was testing Clearview's product but did not elaborate on why. A spokesperson said the company decided not proceed further with deploying the technology. 'We beta test many products to see if they would be additive to our portfolio and tenants,' a spokesperson told Buzzfeed. 'In this case we decided it was not and we do not currently use the software.' Clearview AI has come under scrutiny for its practices of scraping pictures from social media as well as its partnerships with law enforcement In addition to a new crop of AI-equipped security cameras, Clearview is also reportedly interested in augmented reality glasses. Buzzfeed reports that it is using hardware made by Rochester, New York-based company, Vuzix, though its not immediately clear what the glasses would be used for. Couple with Clearview's AI, it's possible they could be worn by police to identify criminals or other persons-of-interest. News of Clearviews plans on hardware come just a week after the company reported that a hacker had gained access to its systems. The company didnt specify how the security breach had occurred nor who might have been responsible, and it claimed its servers and internal network hadn't been compromised. Unfortunately, data breaches are part of life in the 21st century, Clearview attorney Tor Ekeland told The Daily Beast, who broke the story. Our servers were never accessed. We patched the flaw, and continue to work to strengthen our security. Clearview has amassed a database of over 3 billion photos from sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and even Venmo, which its proprietary AI will scan to try and match people in photos uploaded by their clients Clearview AI software allows its customers to identify people by uploading photos to the company's servers, where they're compared against a database of more than 3 billion photos pulled from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and even Venmo. The service was reportedly used by at least 600 different law enforcement agencies in the last year, including the Chicago Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI. The company originally worked on smaller projects including a 2013 initiative with New Jersey Attorney Generals office to analyze drivers license photos to identify people using the same photo for multiple identities. The company has since expanded its business to include general law enforcement activity, among other projects. In 2013, Clearview worked with the New Jersey attorney general's office on an ID fraud detection program, helping to identify instances where the same person was trying to use multiple identities, though in that instance they relied on state-provided photos, not ones taken from online sources like Facebook and Twitter Millions of migrants towards Europe soon, Erdogan 'Hundreds of thousands since we opened doors' (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, MARCH 2 - ''Since we have opened our borders, the number of migrants travelling towards Europe totals hundreds of thousands - soon they will be millions'', Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told members of his AKP party in Ankara. ''The period of unilateral sacrifices in favor of refugees is over'', he said. ''We carry out a battle whose objective is to regulate the humanitarian crisis sparked by moving millions of Syrians towards our country and to guarantee security of our territory'', added the Turkish leader, stressing the intention of not ''closing the door'' of Turkey to the EU. ''We are sorry that we have reached this point'' in Syria but ''those responsible for this situation are the ones that felt able to threaten us thanks to the support of external forces'', claimed Erdogan, referring to ongoing Turkish military operation in Idlib against the forces of Bashar al Assad. (ANSAmed). New Delhi: A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court will hear a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories even as the court declined the plea to refer the matter to a larger seven-judge bench. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana declined to refer the matter to a larger 7-judge bench noting that there was no conflict in the position taken by earlier two benches of the strength of five-judges each on the interpretation of Article 370 of the Constitution now abrogated. Veteran journalist Prem Shankar Jha, NGO Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association had urged the court that the matter be referred to 7-judge bench as two benches, each with a strength of five-judges, took a divergent view on Article 370. The two cases in which Article 370 was touched are Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1959 and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1970. While the 1959 case related to the J&K Big Landed Estate (Abolition) Act, the main contention on which the law was challenged was that the Yuvaraj did not have the Constitutional aut-hority to promulgate the said Act. The 1970 case also known as Sampat Prakash case was rooted in preventive detention the detention of the petitioner under the J&K Preventive Detention Ac. Besides Justice Ramana, the bench also comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice R. Subhash Reddy, Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Surya Kant rejected the plea. While one tries to resort to watching movies for the simple joy of aesthetic enjoyment, cinema is a powerful tool when it comes to explaining and depicting things which the normal human brain cannot even fathom. Here we have listed out five Hindi movies which are based on real life murders in India, that tell chilling tales of gruesomeness. Check out the list here: 1. Rustom The commercial and critical success of this Akshay Kumar starrer is because of the gripping story it tells. It is based on the famous KM Nanavati case, where a naval commander was found guilty of murdering his wifes lover, Prem Ahuja. He was eventually declared not guillty by the special jury and was set free. The movie stars Ileana DCruz as Akshays wife Cynthia in the movie. 2. Raman Raghav 2.0 We can always trust Nawazuddin Siddiqui to nail and own every character that comes his way and hence, when he was chosen to play the real life character of psycho killer Raman, one knew he can tell the chilling tale of how this mentally disturbed cold murderer became one of the most gruesome serial killers in Indian history. 3. No One Killed Jessica It is based on the murder of model Jessica Lal, who was shot by accused Manu Sharma. He was found guilty and also convicted. This movie highlights the impact of raising ones voice for demanding justice and one needs to understand this happened at a time when social media influence did not even exist. The movie stars Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee in pivotal roles. 4. Shahid This movie is directed and told through the genius mind of Hansal Mehta and stars Rajkummar Rao in the lead role. The movie tells the story of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi who is tortured at the hands of law and still manages to get a law degree after he is released after years of custody. He was shot in 2008 while defending Faheem Ansari for the 2008 Mumbai attacks case. 5. Talvar The movie, starring Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma, follows the chronology of the cold blooded murder of a school student Aarushi Talwar which shocked the entire nation. The movie tells the narrative of everything that happened, and what her parents went through during the police investigation. A nine-year-old boy was electrocuted in Rajasthan's Dholpur district on Monday when he came in contact with a live wire while playing, police said. The incident occurred in Basedi area when a group of boys was playing in a field outside a government school. One of them came in contact with a live wire and died on the spot, Chief Block Education Officer, Basedi, Ram Khiladi said. The deceased was identified as Hari Om. The body was handed over to his family after an autopsy, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Donald Trump's administration unlawfully appointed his coronavirus task force member Ken Cuccinelli to lead the US immigration agency, a federal judge has ruled. Judge Randolph Moss ruled Cuccinelli's appointment as acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in June last year violated a law governing how vacancies in senior government positions may be filled awaiting Senate confirmation. Moss said Cuccinelli's appointment would relieve the president 'of responsibility and accountability for selecting acting officials' and could essentially allow the executive brand to fill many senior jobs 'with nearly anyone' by simply creating a new position after a vacancy. Cuccinelli is a senior member of Trump's coronavirus task force, formed in late January, and oversees the screening of travelers at airports, land and maritime ports. Ken Cuccinelli speaks during a press conference on recent developments with the coronavirus with other members of President Trump's Coronavirus Task Force at the Health and Human Services headquarters on February 7 Last year five Honduran asylum seekers and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services sued to challenge the lawfulness of asylum directives issued under Cuccinelli. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Heather Swift said in an e-mail 'we obviously disagree with the courts opinion and are looking more closely at it.' Moss' ruling said only the five asylum seekers who sued were entitled to new proceedings before USCIS and he declined to extend relief to others who had been denied asylum or ordered removed under Cuccinelli's directives. President Donald Trump at a press conference last week with members of his coronavirus task force, including Transportation Acting Under Secretary for Policy Joel Szabat, Assistant HHS Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec, Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield and Vice President Mike Pence in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Cuccinelli, who is also deputy director of the DHS, assumed the job as acting director through a series of moves. After USCIS director Less Cissna resigned in June 2019, his deputy director, Mark Koumans, assumed the post as director, as required under law, Moss said. DHS's acting head Kevin McAleenan then appointed Cuccinelli to serve in the newly created position as principal deputy USCIS director. McAleenan, who has since resigned, also revised the order of succession at USCIS to place Cuccinelli's job ahead of Koumans, allowing Cuccinelli to take over as acting director. Cuccinelli testifies during House Oversight subcommittee hearing on deportation of critically ill children on Capitol Hill in Washington Three weeks after taking office, Cuccinelli issued a revised policy for scheduling credible-fear interviews in expedited removal proceedings. Cuccinelli's directive reduced time for asylum seekers to consult with others before their credible-fear interviews from 48 or 72 hours to 'one full calendar day from the date of arrival at a detention facility' and prohibited asylum officers from granting asylum seekers extensions to prepare 'except in the most extraordinary of circumstances.' John Lewis, senior counsel at Washington-based advocacy group Democracy Forward, said the 'decision raises serious questions about the lawfulness of other actions Cuccinelli has undertaken - or may yet undertake - and we and others will be looking at them closely.' Trinamool MPs will stage a dharna on Monday demanding answers from the government on the Delhi riots near the Gandhi statue in Parliament on the first day of the second half of the Budget Session. Holding placards and shouting slogans, the MPs said that the issue will be raised very strongly in Parliament. At least 42 people died and more than 200 were injured during the communal riots in northeast Delhi. Opposition MPs have also given notice in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the Delhi riots. Those who gave notice include Congress' NK Premachandran (RSP), PK Kunjalikutty (Muslim League), Elamarom Kareem (CPM), Binoy Vishwam (CPI). By PTI KOLKATA: Popular Bengali actor, Subhadra Mukherjee, 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. READ| BJP workers raise 'goli maro...' slogan en route to Amit Shah's Kolkata rally 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 news 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. Universal Rolling (Unirol), the leading steel reinforcement bars manufacturer in Bahrain, has renewed its position as the steel sector sponsor for the upcoming Gulf Construction Expo. Northern Gulfs leading showcase for building and construction sector, the Gulf Construction Expo is being organised by Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE). It will run from April 14 to 16 at Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain. Operations director of Universal Rolling Ali Der said: "2019 was a year full of achievements for Unirol. Through upgrading our rolling mill automation, not only were we capable of increasing mill efficiency and raising our annual production, but this also opened the door to regional export of our rebars." "As a Bahraini brand, we utilise the opportunities the Gulf Construction Expo provides as one of the most distinguished B2B exhibitions across the kingdom, from which we gain brand exposure, promotion and networking opportunities, all essential tools in growing our business and gaining exposure," stated Der. On the partnership, HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman said: "As one of the most well-established leading manufacturers of construction steel in Bahrain and the GCC, Unirol represents a great addition to the lineup of the show." "We are glad to have them return as our steel sector sponsors, as they represent the industrial capabilities and standards Bahrain has to offer," stated Abdulrahman. The Gulf Construction Expo is one of flagship events held in Bahrain to promote construction and building materials sector. The annual event features companies from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as well as promoting construction and building products and services from over 15 countries, of which Unirol is a steel sector sponsor and Arcall WLL is an architectural aluminium sector sponsor. Oxon Hill (United States) (AFP) - 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. Iran's 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. Saint-Denis de la Reunion (AFP) - Police used tear gas on protesting residents of France's Indian Ocean territory Reunion Island on Sunday who tried to block passengers of a cruise ship turned away from nearby Madagascar for fear there may be people infected with the coronavirus on board. The incident came just hours after clashes between police and protesters near the airport in Martinique, another French overseas territory, demanding strict control of any new arrivals as panic over the outbreak spreads. Early Sunday morning, the Sun Princess ocean liner of the company Princess Cruises docked at Reunion in the Indian Ocean with 2,000 passengers on board. The ship, flying the British flag, was met by about 30 protesters who had gathered at the northwestern port to demand health checks of tourists to avoid the virus taking root on their island. The locals tried to prevent visitors leaving the port, forcing the police to intervene. The protesters threw pebbles and bottles at the security forces, who responded with tear gas. By this time, some 300 other ship passengers had already left the port by bus or taxi on different island excursions. "Of course we are not against the arrival of tourists, they are necessary for the development of our economy. We just want to be sure that there is no risk of the coronavirus propagating," protester Yannis Latchimy said. An agent of the regional health authority was at the port to offer face masks and leaflets with coronavirus prevention measures, but disembarking tourists were not seen having their temperature taken. None took the proffered mask. "We don't know if these people are sick, they were not tested. It is very dangerous," said Latchimy. On February 13, the Sun Princess was turned away from Madagascar on the grounds that 14 days had not passed from its previous stopover in Thailand, one of the countries with a coronavirus outbreak. The virus's incubation period is 14 days. Story continues The ship then stopped over in South Africa before heading for Reunion, and is set to leave for Mauritius on Sunday evening. No coronavirus cases have been reported in Reunion nor in Martinique in the Caribbean Sea. In Martinique, police used teargas on Saturday to disperse bottle-throwing protesters gathered on the main route to the Aime Cesaire International Airport to demand all foreign visitors be subjected to coronavirus tests, as a flight was due to arrive from Milan in hard-hit Italy. burs/mlr/dl Every morning of every day including weekends a cacophony of horns from the GO Train blares into his home and wakes Joseph Ficker up. The first horn blasts at 5:55 a.m., as the train makes its way south past his home in Holland Landing, taking commuters from Barrie to Union Station. And some nights, he hears train horns sound well past midnight, waking the retiree from his deep slumber as it goes north towards Lake Simcoe. Sometimes its four horns, but sometimes its eight, he said, comparing the sound to a blow horn in your ear. But when I hear it in the morning, I have to get up whether I want to or not. Ficker moved into his home in East Gwillimbury in the 70s, well aware that there were train tracks right behind his home. At first, I actually enjoyed the occasional freight train as it went by, and most times we didnt even notice it, he said. But three years ago, the GO train service became all day, more frequent and on weekends too turning the noise of the horns into a never-ending nuisance. Over the past six years, Ficker has been trying to get his town to make a case to silence the horns, but his efforts have gained little traction with local politicians. In 2019, East Gwillimbury council said designing and implementing the safety upgrades would cost them $1.5-million and decided not to go ahead due to safety, liability and potential implementation costs. He was almost about to give up, until he heard this week that the city of Markham had successfully become an anti-horn zone. On Monday, Markham announced that after more than a decade of effort, it has ended mandatory train horns at 13 rail crossings in the urban part of the city, implementing alternative safety measures instead. Markham now joins a host of other cities in the GTA with whistle cessation policies including: Toronto, Milton, Mississauga, Oakville, Pickering and Brampton and at some of the train crossings in places like Newmarket and Whitchurch-Stouffville many of which had federally approved whistle prohibitions grandfathered into place. This was a quality of life issue for our residents, said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. We have silenced the horns in Markham and people will now be able to enjoy that peace and quiet for generations to come. Scarpitti said that the policy had effectively silenced 1,600 horns that sounded at stops between Steeles Ave., and Major Mackenzie Rd., along the Stouffville GO line every day. But the sound of silence in Markham has residents in communities across the GTA, such as King City, East Gwillimbury, and Aurora where the horns still blast hundreds of times a day wondering what it will take for them to get some peace and quiet too. And with GO train service set to increase in the next few years, there is growing concern among residents and politicians alike that the sound of horns will become increasingly intolerable. Laura Spano said she knowingly bought her King City house near the GO train station. That was when most of the commuter traffic was confined to working hours. But now its late at night, on weekends, and basically all the time, she said. It wakes up my son at night and we hear it when we are out in the backyard in the summer, she said. Spano said she emailed her local councillor this week. It got done in Markham, when is it going to happen here? she asked. King City Coun. Debbie Schaefer said the Township supports whistle cessation and has been in talks with Metrolinx for the past few years. But with upgrades expected on the Barrie line, the Township feels with limited funds available it would be wasteful to spend the money today knowing that the safety measures could be obsolete, said Schaefer. According to Metrolinx, Transport Canadas Canadian Rail Operating Rules require the sounding of whistles whenever a train approaches a public grade crossing. The rules say the whistles must be sounded at least a quarter-mile before each crossing, even if its equipped with flashing lights, bells and crossing gates. Moreover, the rules apply 24/7. However, municipalities have the option of eliminating whistling at specific crossings by undertaking an extensive and costly eight-step process outlined in Transport Canadas whistle cessation program. Metrolinx said it works collaboratively with municipalities interested in the process. In Markham, irate residents first got the wheels turning more than a decade ago, demanding the city make the issue a priority. City council passed a resolution in favour of whistle cessation in 2008, and put money towards it in the budget. It also conducted extensive safety audits and sought expert advice on what measures were needed. City council also went to York Region to ensure regional streets would also be included in the cessation program. The project cost more than $6 million the city put in $2.3 million and $3.8 million came from the Region. But even with municipal buy-in and money on the table, the project took years to come to fruition frustrating residents hoping for a quick resolution. This was not an easy project, said Scarpitti. There was a lot of back and forth with Metrolinx, and we didnt want anyone to say that we compromised on any safety element at the expense of getting it done quicker. He added that a lot of work was specialized and had to be constantly certified and verified. Metrolinx said an additional challenge was that the line was an active rail corridor and the safety upgrades needed in place of whistling had to be done during restricted times to minimize disruption and ensure the safety of passengers and construction crews. Those new safety measures included maze barriers and extensive signage, in addition to the bells, flashing lights and gates already in place. Scarpitti said the new safety systems are equipped to handle the increased service expected in coming years. Municipalities who have yet to get on board with whistle cessation not only cite the high cost each barrier can range from $200,000 to half a million dollars but also a fear of increased liability. Some refer to an 2013 Ottawa crash between a commuter bus and Via train that killed six people. It was found that the train did not sound its horn because a city regulation bans whistles between 8 p.m. and noon. However, a spokeswoman for Markham said the citys liability premiums were unaffected by the cessation program. Holland Landings Ficker points out that in a region where hundreds of trains pass through crossings without blowing a whistle, such accidents are few and far between. And conductors always have the discretion to sound the horn in case of an emergency or to clear the tracks. Ficker believes the new Transport Canada requirements have put whistle cessation out of reach of smaller municipalities who dont have the political will or capital to fund an extensive process. He said he plans to reach out to higher levels of government to see if they will make the process more equitable such as taking away the fear of liability from smaller municipalities, like his. Big cities can afford it, but smaller municipalities simply cannot, he said. So basically us residents are out of luck. Correction March 2, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the crash between a commuter bus and Via train took place in 2015. Read more about: Cohoes is a study in oddball statistics. Its a city, but at barely more than 16,000 residents it ranks behind 2,603 other American cities in size. However, according to Census Bureau stats, its population density is 4,349 per square mile, which is 953% higher than the New York State average, and 4,700% higher than the national average. Tucked into the northeast corner of Albany County just across the 112th Street Bridge from Troy, its a onetime cloth mill town (nickname: the Spindle City) that long ago fell on hard times -- deteriorating housing stock, little commercial life, and political corruption that recently saw its mayor leave office in disgrace. What it did have going for it was a performing arts center (the historic Cohoes Music Hall, built in 1874), waterfronts on two rivers (the Mohawk and the Hudson), its own waterfalls (Cohoes Falls, second in the state only to Niagara Falls), interesting geographic ambiance (it sits on mainland plus two islands, Van Schaick and Simmons), and 10 locks that are part of a historic American engineering marvel (the Erie Canal). What it did not have was a restaurant scene. Once beyond the venerable Smiths of Cohoes, founded in 1937 on Remsen Street, the citys main thoroughfare, and a lot of pizza joints, there wasnt much else to draw visitors unless they really knew the bowels of the town. (If they did, they could find Joes Tavern, founded in 1935 and not changing its menu very much for its first 75 years.) That was before Don Russell came to town. After closing his middling Troy restaurant, The Irish Mist, he moved to Cohoes where he reinvented himself to become a city councilman now in his second term -- as well as a restaurant entrepreneur. First, he opened a wine bar in July 2014 called Spindles On Remsen, followed by his casual tavern Donnie Magoos in the spring of 2018, and this past December he opened Anthonys Italian Restaurant. All three are on Remsen Street. Somewhere along the way, Russell also found time to launch a trio of seasonal fests, actually block parties, on Remsen to draw more out-of-towners to a place that as recently as five years ago was deserted in the evening. While all this was going on, other chef-entrepreneurs began looking at Cohoes as a place with possibilities rather than liabilities. People like Joe and Kelly Proctor, who opened the Caskade Kitchen & Bar in 2018, and Kelsey Knutsen opening Cafe Monocle last summer both on Remsen, of course, and like Michael Fortin, who had bought the aforementioned Joes Tavern in 2011, then decided to branch out at a local country club in 2018. Of course, there still are numerous pizzerias in town (Doms, Micks, Pops, Cohoes House of Pizza, Inferno, New York Style, Pizza Stop, etc.), but Cohoes now appears to be on the way to becoming the sort of dining hotspot that helped spark Troys downtown resurgence a decade or so ago. Here is a look at seven trailblazers, six of them right on Remsen Street in a city now seeing an uptick in new commercial and residential construction for the first time in decades. ANTHONYS Anthony's is built on the renovated remains of a podiatrist's office slated for demolition. Provided photo. 220 Remsen Street / website This restaurant, chef-entrepreneur Don Russells latest, was made possible by a real knucklehead idea. Back in November 2017, some dim bulb who had seen a sword being made on the History Channel decided he would try duplicating it by using a backyard fire-barrel as his forge. The result: a non-fatality fire that nevertheless destroyed three residential buildings and damaged 28 others, with total estimated damage of about $4 million. (He subsequently was sentenced to a year in jail.) One of the damaged buildings was a podiatrist's office slated for demolition, but Russell snatched it up and renovated it to create Anthonys, serving classic Italian-American fare featuring rich marinara, fresh pasta, and pungent cheeses. The decor is quirky a bit of a mirror fetish, perhaps with such wall hangings as a bicycle with a basket full of bread, but its welcoming. Because its a tight space that almost immediately gained a following, reservations are strongly recommended. CAFE MONOCLE Weekend brunch at Cafe Monocle offers crepes, waffles, pancakes, and French toast. Provided photo 95 Remsen Street / website This may be the snazziest looking of the newcomers. A bold black-and-white striped awning, lots of natural light, turquoise loveseats, chairs some white, some black that echo the awning, copper-colored exposed venting system, a bar with a live-edge wooden counter, wood-topped tables with high-gloss finishes. Owner Kelsey Knutsen is a first-time head chef, and her ambitious menu is a bit spotty, even after six months in operation. Weekend brunch offers crepes, waffles, pancakes, and French toast. The weekday menu includes a charcuterie board (bison sausage and prosciutto; brie, gouda, and goat cheeses; fig jam, walnuts, roasted red peppers, dried cranberries, kalamata and green lives, grilled peaches, and crostini); skewers; flatbreads; a $16 New Yorker Burger (short rib and chuck burger wrapped in prosciutto, topped with Parmesan cheese, tomato basil sauce), and an $18 Monocle Burger (elk meat mixed with fresh mozzarella, topped with candied bacon and barbecue sauce), both served on a pretzel bun. SPINDLES ON REMSEN Spindles jump-started the Remsen Street culinary revival. Provided photo 241 Remsen Street / website This is the place that jump-started the Remsen Street culinary revival. Walk in and youre immersed in glowing LED illumination that sets a mood. And the menu does its job with a line of small plates smartly designed to be conducive to wine sampling warm rosemary cashews, spiced mixed olives, baked brie with pears and walnuts, roasted beet salad, various flatbreads and sliders, and the like. The standing wine list, while nothing yet worthy of a Wine Spectator award, is no slouch for a neighborhood wine bar: four sparklers, two blushes, 18 whites, 21 reds, most available by the glass (five- or eight-pounce pours). DONNIE MAGOOS At Donnie Magoos, consider the grilled bacon with peanut butter sauce. Provided photo 165 Remsen Street / website This looks like just what it is a corner watering hole with denim-clad stools, salvaged antique wheels serving as the basis for lighting fixtures, homemade banquettes. The bacon-heavy menu also is tavern-y, but it doesnt uphold the promise of this being a burgers and steaks place. Only two steaks are offered a ribeye and a filet mignon. (Maybe theyre counting the carpaccio appetizer and the fact that the filet comes in two sizes as fulfilling the steaks label.) Menu heavyweights literally -- include grilled bacon with peanut butter sauce (Elvis lives!), deep fried pickles, seafood fondue with Monterey jack and cream sauce, corn creme brulee, gnocchi and cheese, mac and cheese, creamed spinach and on and on. CASKADE KITCHEN & BAR The shared plates menu at Caskade offers such things as tacos with marinated short ribs, lettuce slaw, and gochujang mayo. Provided photo 182 Remsen Street / website Joe and Kelly Proctor left the vibrant Troy food scene (he had run Troy Lobster in the Troy Kitchen food hall/incubator; she was events coordinator at the Pecks Arcade restaurant) to cross the river and open this venue in 2018. They quickly followed it back in Troy with The Daisy, specializing in tacos and margaritas, that they debuted last Halloween. Their Caskade decor is food hall utilitarian exposed brick walls, string lights, open kitchen, simple wooden tables for six that can easily be rearranged to accommodate larger parties. The shared plates menu offers such things as tacos with marinated short ribs, lettuce slaw, and gochujang mayo; spicy beef dumplings; popcorn shrimp; crab and shrimp toast, and cacao e pepe with brown butter, tagliatelle, fontina, grana padano, and black pepper. TABLE 41 BREWING Table 41 Brewing does not mean the number forty-one; rather, it refers to a "table for one." Provided photo 188 Remsen Street / website First things first. Table 41 Brewing does not mean the number forty-one; rather, it refers to a "table for one." It began in 2015 as a nano-brewing project in a Latham garage, expanded to supplying brews for special events and farmers market sales, and last June made its biggest jump by opening this tasting room in the Harmony House Marketplace building. Its an airy space with wood accents, and chairs that obviously cost a bit rather than the dismal restaurant supply house furniture so many startups use. Among the current house-brand drafts are Snowed In & Hopped Up (Belgian white IPA), First Blood (blood orange IPA), Einfach (German kolsch), French Press (chocolate cheesecake espresso stout), Edge (pale ale), and Freckles (strawberry vanilla pale ale). Food offerings are of the comfort variety burgers, wings, quesadillas, poutine, salads, several mac-and-cheese dishes, Philly cheese steaks (beef or chicken), and the like. MAX 410 When Michael Fortin of Joes Tavern took over the restaurant open to the public -- and food service at this private club in 2018, he renamed it to honor his son -- Max 410. Provided photo. Van Schaick Island Country Club, 201 Continental Avenue / website When Michael Fortin of Joes Tavern took over the restaurant open to the public -- and food service at this private club in 2018, he renamed it to honor his little son, and immediately ramped up the level of cuisine in the dining room. No major surprise in that, since he did the same thing when he bought the 76-year-old Joes and didnt lose any business. When he alternates between the two venues, executive sous chef Robert Wolfe keeps the home fires cooking. The current menu offers a line of kobe beef burgers and some interesting sandwiches (Cuban, blackened grouper, shrimp po boy), such entrees as braised short ribs, roasted vegetable Napoleon, lobster risotto, several flatbreads and personal-sized pizzas, and a $20 prime rib dinner every Wednesday. Read more 11 places where its always tea time in the Greater Capital Region Try these 11 gut-busting food challenges in Upstate NY Finger Lakes winery earns James Beard nomination (the Oscars of food and drink) The Gordon Biersch brewpub at Destiny USA has closed (William M. Dowd, a longtime journalist and author, and a judge in the fields of food and drink, lives in Troy, NY. His daily blog, Notes On Napkins, covers those fields in the Greater Capital Region, Adirondacks, Catskills, and western New England.) Frank Wucinski and his 3-year-old daughter, Annabel, are among the dozens of Americans that 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. 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 a U.S. 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 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. The hospital staff were very nice; they brought us a lot of toys, Wucinski said. Each time it was three or four days. I love my daughter to death, but being in the same room that long, she is not a great conversationalist. Both have repeatedly tested negative for the virus. After their release from quarantine, Wucinski and his daughter went to stay with his mother in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Thats where they found a pile of medical bills waiting: $3,918 in charges from hospital doctors, radiologists and an ambulance company. I assumed it was all being paid for, Wucinski said. We didnt have a choice. When the bills showed up, it was just a pit in my stomach, like, how do I pay for this? Wucinskis employer, a standardized testing company, did provide health benefits when he lived in China but does not offer coverage in the United States. Patients in the United States regularly confront surprise medical bills that are hard to decode. Wucinskis case suggests that those held in mandatory isolation for suspected coronavirus may be no exception. The federal government does have the authority to quarantine and isolate patients whom officials believe to be a public health threat. These powers, which date back to cholera outbreaks among ship passengers in the late 19th century, are rarely used. They dont say anything about who pays when the isolation happens in a nongovernmental medical facility or when theyre brought there by a private ambulance company. There is no uniform practice, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University. They do have the powers, but theyve almost never used them in modern times. While the number of patients held in mandatory isolation is currently small, it is likely to grow if the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States. Eleven cases were confirmed in San Antonio on Friday evening. Earlier in the day, public health authorities identified a second case in California and a first in Oregon where patients who had not traveled to an affected country became infected. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman declined to comment on whether it would pay the bills of patients kept in mandatory isolation. Gostin worries that high charges for mandatory isolation could make patients wary of seeking needed medical treatment. The most important rule of public health is to gain the cooperation of the population, he said. There are legal, moral and public health reasons not to charge the patients. These hospital stays could prove expensive. The International Federation of Health Plans estimates that the average day in a U.S. hospital costs $4,293, compared with $1,308 in Australia and $481 in Spain. They may be especially costly for patients without health insurance or those who have large deductibles, which they must pay before their health benefits kick in. Wucinski recalls other patients asking questions about how medical bills would be handled during daily town hall meetings for those quarantined at the Marine Corps station. He felt the answers werent clear. He did receive a document upon leaving quarantine directing him to contact a government email address with any medical bills. He sent an email Feb. 24 detailing the charges and asking what would be done. My question is, why are we being charged for these stays, if they were mandatory and we had no choice in the matter? Wucinski wrote in his message. His email has not yet received a response, he said. When contacted by The New York Times, a Rady Childrens Hospital spokesman said that the bill from their physicians had been sent in error and that the family would not be held responsible for the charges. Were in the process of assessing how the error occurred, the spokesman, Benjamin Metcalf, said. We are working with government agencies regarding billing for these cases. But the hospital bill only represented a fraction of those the family received. The ambulance company that transported the Wucinskis, American Medical Response, charged the family $2,598 for taking them to the hospital. A company representative declined to comment on the bill due to patient privacy concerns but said the company would look into the case. An additional $90 in charges came from radiologists who read the patients X-ray scans and do not work for the hospital. Having such doctors, who may be outside a patients insurance networks, provide services to hospital patients is one of the major causes of surprise medical bills. The radiologists employer, San Diego Medical Imaging Group, did not respond to a request for comment. Wucinski is looking into whether he or his daughter might qualify for Medicaid, the public insurance program that covers low-income Americans. Some news outlets have seized on the fact that he coughed enough on a recent television interview to require water. Wucinski recently noticed that his daughter is blinking a lot and hopes to get the issue examined by a doctor but is worried about the charges they may face. He has wondered whether the stress of the past month and the separation from her mother has played a role. I should take her to the doctor this week for a checkup, but we dont have insurance, so its just going to have to be cash, he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Kastanies, Greece: Thousands of migrants were trying to find a way across Turkey's western border with Greece on Monday, after Turkey opened its side of the frontier to migrants and refugees to leave the country for Europe. Refugees and migrants sit in the back of a van as they prepare to head to the shores of the Evros river to attempt to enter Greece from Turkey. Credit:Getty Only dozens managed to pass through either border fences or shallow rivers. Turkey declared its borders open to pressure the European Union into helping it handle the fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria. Thousands of Turkish troops are supporting the last rebel forces holed up there in the north-western province of Idlib against the onslaught of Russian-backed Syrian government forces. A farmer in Soc Trang Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta waters his watermelon field from a trough he has installed with pieces of canvas, February 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Cuu Long. China's dams are worsening drought conditions downstream the Mekong River, storing and controlling up to 50 percent of its waters, experts say. China on average contributes around 14 percent of the Mekong Rivers flow, "but an annual average can be misleading," says Brian Eyler, director of the Southeast Asia Program at U.S.-based Stimson Center, which describes itself as a non-profit, nonpartisan think tank that aims to enhance international peace and security through a combination of analysis and outreach. Eyler said that during the monsoon season, the wettest parts of the Mekong River, which flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam before reaching the sea, are not in China but in Laos and Vietnams Central Highlands. Therefore, in the monsoon season, China's contribution of water is actually around just 7 percent. "But during the dry season, Chinas contribution is much more because there is no rainfall happening in the lower parts of the basin, and much of the water comes from melting glaciers in its Himalaya range, so China could contribute up to 40 percent of the water to downstream reaches," he said. Then, in times of extreme drought, China controls to 50 percent of the water that should flow to downstream countries, he said. So when Chinas dams are in control of that much water, they are undeniably impacting drought conditions downstream, Eyler told VnExpress in an exclusive interview. The Mekong River flows 4,880 km from its origins in Tibet, 2,130 km of it in China, where it is called Lancang. Of the 19 hydropower projects it plans on the Mekong, China has completed 11 that are already operational. For several months now, drought has severely hurt farming and fishing communities in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, and many say Chinas dams are to blame, exacerbating climate change impacts. Now, halfway into the dry season, which normally starts in late November and lasts until late April the next year in southern Vietnam, the Mekong Delta, the nations most fertile region, rice granary and aquaculture hub, has already suffered serious drought and salinity. According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, salinity has risen to up to four grams per liter 40-90 kilometers inland in all branches of the Mekong River in the delta. Drought and salinity have affected 30,000 hectares of crops in the delta so far, or 7.3 percent of the 2016 figure, when 600,000 people did not have access to freshwater and 160,000 hectares of land were affected by saltwater, causing losses of VND5.5 trillion ($237 million). In Chinas hands Explaining further the figure of 50 percent, Eyler said China's 11 mega-dams store an enormous amount of water, as much as 47 billion cubic meters, and some of that water can be used to relieve drought. To strengthen his point, he cited data from the non-profit, non-governmental, environmental and human rights organization, International Rivers (IR). IR had said back in 2014, when China had just seven operational dams on the Mekongs upstream, the country contributed 45 percent of water to the Mekong basin in the dry season. A map of dams along the Mekong River as provided by the Stimson Center ASEAN Infrastructure Database. Elyer said that in previous years, China used to release water from its dams to relieve drought in downstream areas when countries like Vietnam or Thailand called for it. "So far I have yet to see this happen, although China claims its dams began to release water on January 24, 2020." He was commenting on China's move, announced by its Foreign Minister Wang Yi on February 20 at the fifth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos. Yi said China would help its downstream neighbors cope with a prolonged drought by releasing more water from its dams on the Mekong River, adding that it would also consider sharing hydrological information in future. China too, has suffered from drought, but has overcome its difficulties and increased water release in the river to help downstream countries cope, Yi said. While noting that the biggest culprit and the key player in this years drought is a lack of rainfall from the El Nino weather phenomenon, Eyler said that the severity of the drought is "exacerbated by the impact of upstream dams." 100 dams "Each dam adds incremental degrees of impact to the drought. Currently 100 dams are making the drought worse off and the bigger they are and the closer they are to the sources of water, in this case in China, the bigger the impact they deliver to the drought," Eyler said. The Stimson Center ASEAN Infrastructure Database, released in June last year, said 102 dams have been built on the Mekong River, including 11 in China and 64 in Laos, also invested in by China. Another 64 dams are under construction. Those dams hold back water, sediments and fish that are supposed to move downstream during the annual flooding season. The Mekong River Commission has estimated that the volume of sediments reaching the delta will drop from 143 million tons a year in 2007 to 47 million tons in 2020 and just five million tons in 2040, with all the dams going up. "Now we are observing an increased reoccurrence of drought in the Mekong Delta on a very frequent basis, and the droughts are becoming more and more severe. Previously, 2016 was the worst drought in recent memory, and this current drought is even worse. "Climate change is changing the weather patterns and volume of rainfall on an annual basis and dams make things much worse than they have to be. But it doesnt have to be this bad," Eyler said. Abnormally low rainfall Concurring with Eyler on the main cause for drought difficulties in the Mekong Delta, To Van Truong, former deputy head of the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, said the amount of rainfall during the rainy season last year "was abnormally low," and that drought and salinity has arrived sooner and been more severe compared to previous years. Last year, due to El Nino, Southeast Asia recorded less rainfall than normal and drought of historic levels hit most regional countries. In Vietnam, the most heavily affected areas were the southern and central regions. Vietnams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said last month that the rainy season arrived late last year and was shorter than usual, with rainfall 8 percent lower than normal at 1,240 mm. Water levels in the Mekongs sections in the delta have decreased rapidly since the dry season began in late November and are currently 2.33 meters lower than in previous years, it said. It is expected that the water level in the Kratie station in Cambodia will be 35 percent lower than in previous years in the first two months of 2020 and storage in Lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater body in Southeast Asia, is now at 5.1 billion cubic meters, 15.7 billion cubic meters less than normal. Dao Trong Tu, former deputy head of the Vietnam National Mekong Committee, said Mekong downstream countries have not been able to accurately evaluate the impacts of Chinese dams on their drought condition as China does not provide them with the operating procedures of its dams. "The major problem is that China does not want to cooperate, and has never shared its actual data on hydropower projects," he said. Riparian cooperation A drainage to provide water for a paddy field in Long Phu District of Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta runs dry on January 22, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huy Phong. Eyler predicted that "droughts will only recur more frequently in the future." However, El Nino weather patterns can be forecast and it seems that Vietnam was more prepared this year than in previous years, he noted. "El Nino impacts can be predicted about six months before they take hold, which makes plenty of time for preparation in a country with the capacity to do so," he said. He highly appreciated Vietnams Resolution 120 issued in 2017, saying it "will be very effective if properly implemented" as it will restore nature-based processes related to the rivers natural flood cycle to the delta and help people there transition to more productive livelihoods. The approach outlined in the resolution would help farmers in the delta adjust to rising sea levels and increased salinity intrusion. The plan is now moving into its implementation phase and many development partners such as the Dutch, Israelis, and the Americans have signed up to support the process. As the Mekong Delta is a major provider of food for 10 countries in Southeast Asia, it should be on top of the agenda of ASEAN, not just this year when Vietnam is the chair, but every year because the future of the Mekong River is at stake, Eyler said. "The Mekongs ecology and resource base is really threatened now so its high time for Vietnam, as the chair of ASEAN, to take this issue to the top of the agenda. Vietnam should outline the Mekong as a regional security issue because a crisis in the Mekong could undo regional stability," he stressed. As for the MRC, Eyler said it has conducted numerous studies that show how future dams built on the lower mainstream of the Mekong Delta and dams that already exist impact the Mekong basin at large. The MRC Secretariat has never been able to have direct and timely access to Chinas upstream dam data, but new cooperation provides an opportunity that it should take to investigate the real impacts of Chinas dams and not allow China to steamroll the downstream countries with false data (on impacts of its mainstream dams), he said. China has an outsized presence in the region and can easily dominate in its relationship with downstream countries and stakeholders through a variety of means, he added. For his part, To Van Truong said that Vietnams first priority should be to save water. Vietnam should store as much fresh water as it can, including groundwater, and upgrade the inland drainage system to make sure it could lead water to fields when needed. In the long term, Vietnam needs to have a system to control the intrusion of saltwater at river gates, as well as a system to push water into fields during high tides, he said. It also needs solutions to change the structure of crops and livestock in the direction of adapting to changing weather conditions and saving water. He also suggested that Vietnam establishes close connection with other Mekong nations to build general plans that could benefit each nation in long term, with reference to MRC's assessments of 11 Chinese mega dams' impacts on the downstream area. "I believe each nation has already known what they would gain and what they could lose in this situation," he said. In order to deal with China, the MRC could use the 1995 Mekong Agreement, which was signed by the governments of its four member countries - Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam with a focus on sustainable development and management of the Mekong River basins water and related resources. Preparation of a long term Basin Development Plan and Strategy is a key part of the 1995 Agreement along with procedures for data sharing, water use monitoring, maintenance of flows and water quality, and the MRC could use that as a legal framework to demand for cooperation from China, Truong suggested. Tu also proposed that Vietnam make use of the Lancang Mekong Cooperation pact between the MRC and China to discuss issues of the Mekong River as water, economy and security are its three main planks. [March 02, 2020] Phone2Action Launches Election Center 2020: Bringing GOTV and Voter Education Everywhere Phone2Action, the world's most innovative digital advocacy and stakeholder management platform that connects citizens and public officials by powering grassroots engagement, has a new online election center to help organizations educate, register and turn out voters in the 2020 election. Phone2Action upgraded its Civic Action Center suite for 2020, allowing companies, nonprofits and associations to create state-of-art election centers, providing vital election information and key election dates and deadlines and a simple interface to engage. In English or Spanish, voters can learn which candidates are running in their district; check their registration status and register to vote; find polling locations on a digital map; and obtain information about absentee ballots and early voting. "This could be the most important election in a generation," said Ximena Hartsock, co-founder and COO of Phone2Action. "Americans will look to employers, nonprofits and associations as a source of truth. These organizations are uniquely positioned to empower people to participate in the electoral process, serving as a microphone to make their voices heard and make every vote count in 2020." One of the companies that used the technology in 2018, Walmart, is gearing up for another push in 2020. Walmart first turned to Phone2Action for its expertise ahead of the 2018 election cycle as the retailer joined nearly 150 other major companies including Patagonia and Lyft in the "Time to Vote" campaign, a nonpartisan effort to increase voter turnout in the 2018 election. Using Phone2Action's GOTV technology, Walmart promoted the SMS keyword "WEVOTE" and a related short-codeon signs in their stores to encourage customers to check their voter status and register to vote. The company urged employees to do the same via the company's intranet login page. Walmart also rolled out the program to its partner brands, significantly expanding the reach of campaign. Through Walmart's efforts tens of thousands of employees and customers used the technology to participate in the 2018 election. "Phone2Action's software was so easy to use, it unlocked several key stakeholder engagement goals for our public affairs team. We were able to quickly launch a Get Out the Vote campaign to our entire company, both internally and in our stores across the country," said Lee Culpepper, Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations, Walmart. "Our employees and customers loved that they could send one text and immediately access information about the election and check their voter registration status." Civic Action Centers are quick to set up, customizable and completely mobile-responsive. Organizations can direct people to their center using email or easy-to-use text shortcode keywords (e.g., Text VOTENOW to 52886). The platform provides a dashboard with key metrics on center performance to help organizations identify how effective their outreach efforts are. Bilingual support allows organizations to serve audiences in English or Spanish, including the largest voting minority, Latinos. "We spend a lot of time talking to organizations of all types who do advocacy," said Andrew Stanley, Vice President of Product at Phone2Action. "We heard again and again that these organizations want intuitive tools that just work to help voters participate. The tools need to meet people where they are - on their smartphones - and be simple and fun to use. Off the shelf tools don't work - they need to be easy to brand so they resonate with users and don't create privacy concerns." To find out more about Phone2Action's Civic Action Centers, visit phone2action.com/gotv or call 202-888-7439 to speak with a Phone2Action GOTV expert. About Phone2Action Phone2Action is a comprehensive digital engagement and communications platform for grassroots advocacy, public affairs, and government relations. Phone2Action's innovative, user-friendly products make government participation accessible in the digital age. The world's leading nonprofits, associations and companies have used Phone2Action to build their advocacy programs and support their public policy goals since 2013. The Phone2Action platform includes solutions for grassroots advocacy, strategic communications, and stakeholder management. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005727/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] MANILA, Philippines More than 80 distressed Filipinos from the Middle East have returned home after availing of the governments repatriation program, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. In a press statement issued Sunday, the DFA said 87 Filipino workers were repatriated from Iraq, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Of this number, three were from Iraq, where a deployment ban is still in place; 70 including 19 minors were brought home from Beirut amid ongoing financial crisis in Lebanon; while 14, who, according to DFA, are likely to be victims of human trafficking were from Dubai. The said group of Filipinos were repatriated from February 26 to 28, according to DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola. Arriola also encouraged Filipinos abroad to contact the nearest Philippine Embassy or consulate if they wish to avail of the governments repatriation program. Filipinos who wish to come home may simply contact the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate in their country to seek assistance and we will help, she said. The post 87 distressed Filipinos from Middle East return home DFA appeared first on UNTV News. Two cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus were confirmed in Florida on Sunday, prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a public health emergency in the state. The patients, who are both adults from the states Gulf Coast, tested presumptively positive for the new virus. One patient was located in Hillsborough County and another person was located in Manatee County, officials said. For the time being, the two are being quarantined, and the Florida Department of Health is monitoring every person who came into contact with them. Two individuals in the state of Florida tested presumptively positive for COVID-19, including a resident of Manatee County and a resident of Hillsborough County, said DeSantis in a memo. I direct the State Health Officer and Surgeon General, Dr. Scott Rivkees, to declare a public health emergency in the State of Florida. Florida has 2 presumptive positive #COVID19 cases: one adult resident of Hillsborough County and one adult resident of Manatee County. Both individuals are isolated and being appropriately cared for. Florida Dept. Health (@HealthyFla) March 2, 2020 DeSantis said he will hold a conference on Monday morning at the Florida Department of Health Tampa Branch Laboratory at 10:30 a.m. According to the memo, it includes guidelines for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for community preparedness and everyday prevention measures, the report said. State Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees noted in a statement that this is the scenario that we prepare for every day in public health while the department is moving forward with the appropriate plans and we are working directly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first patient is an adult Manatee County resident without travel history to areas of restricted travel by the CDC, including China, Italy, South Korea, and Iran. The second patient in Hillsborough County traveled to Italy in recent days, said the Florida Department of Health. Despite the emergency declaration, health officials said that they believe the overall virus threat to Florida remains low. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in a statement, said he will work with members of Congress to obtain funds for Florida to curb the virus spread in the state. Washington state was also placed under a state of emergency over the virus, although more cases have been confirmed there. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the declaration on Saturday night after a man in his 50s with underlying health problems died of COVID-19 hours earlier. A nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, also confirmed that it was effectively placed on lockdown late on Sunday after a staffer and a patient tested positive for the new virus. Dozens of patients there have reported COVID-19-like symptoms, said officials. Also on Sunday, New York and Rhode Island both reported their first COVID-19 cases, respectively, From The Epoch Times Signs MOU with Kyocera Corporation Sydney, Mar 2, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Regeneus Ltd ( ASX:RGS ), a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company, today announced it has signed a non-binding MOU with Kyocera Corporation (Kyocera, TYO:6971 ).Kyocera is a diversified Japanese multinational manufacturer. Their life sciences business includes operating as one of the major Japanese producers of medical and dental products including artificial joints for the knee and hip. Revenues of 1.6 trillion JPY (FY2018) and a market cap of 2.5 trillion JPY listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.Under the MOU, Kyocera will conduct comprehensive due diligence related to Progenza before progressing to a conditional commercial agreement for the Company's lead technology. The agreement gives Kyocera exclusive negotiation rights to Progenza until 31 July 2020, outlines due diligence criteria, payment terms to access subset of research technology and process for a commercial agreement.Kyocera will gain access to confidential corporate documentation, technical knowhow and clinical data related to Progenza OA for the purposes of its due diligence. The due diligence period is expected to be concluded within 45 days after delivery of the documentation. At the conclusion of due diligence, Kyocera will provide 100,000,000 JPY (approx. A$1.4M) in payment to Regeneus upon meeting the criteria outlined in the agreement. This payment is refundable if an agreement is not executed.Following the due diligence period, Kyocera will have until the end of July 2020 for exclusive rights to negotiate a commercial license for Progenza in Japan. The intent of the agreement ensures negotiations by both parties are conducted in good faith.The commercial agreement will adopt suitable market valuation methodologies and metrics to provide Regeneus shareholders with maximum value.In the MOU agreement, Regeneus has also agreed to licence to Kyocera rights to a subset of research knowhow for a payment of 100,000,000 JPY (approx. A$1.4M).CEO and Executive Director Leo Lee said, "This Memorandum of Understanding with a company of Kyocera's prominence is an important step in the commercialisation pathway for Progenza OA in Japan."About Regeneus Ltd Regeneus Ltd (ASX:RGS) is a Sydney-based clinical-stage regenerative medicine company using stem cell technologies to develop a portfolio of novel cell-based therapies. The regenerative therapies seek to address unmet medical needs in human health markets, focusing on neuropathic pain, including osteoarthritis and various skin conditions, with its platform technologies Progenza(TM) and Sygenus. Visit www.regeneus.com.au for more information. Consumer intelligence platform Affle India Ltd has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Spain headquartered Mediasmart, a self-serve mobile programmatic and proximity marketing platform, for 5.12 million euros (about Rs 40 crore). Located in Madrid and Brussels, Mediasmart includes a team of technologists and mobile advertising experts. It provides advertisers, trading desks and agencies an integrated mobile advertising platform with incremental impact measurability for Proximity and App marketing campaigns. The acquisition strengthens Affle's cost per converted user (CPCU) based platform and model for omnichannel advertisers, according to an official statement, It also enables Affle to expand into newer developing markets like Latin America and in Mediasmart's stronghold markets like Europe and the United States. Affle is a global technology company with a proprietary consumer intelligence platform that delivers consumer engagements, acquisitions and transactions through relevant mobile advertising. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Priti Patel is set to survive the extraordinary Home Office bullying row for now. But she is wounded. Boris Johnsons decision to make a public show of support for the Home Secretary means that the howls of protest from Labour about the need for an inquiry will come to nothing. Sir Philip Rutnam is also likely to be disappointed if he thought the political hand grenade he lobbed at his former boss would produce an immediate casualty. The Prime Minister was crystal clear last night that he believes Miss Patel to be a fantastic Home Secretary, despite Sir Philips description of her as a liar and a bully only a day earlier. Boris Johnson believes Priti Patel to be a 'fantastic Home Secretary' despite recent revelations that she was the subject of a formal complaint whilst in her previous role, which she served in between May 2015 and July 2016 But the PMs intervention is far from the final word in a saga that has been rumbling away for months and which looks unlikely to end with Sir Philips departure. One senior Tory MP was gleefully telling colleagues last week that he had opened a book on whether Priti Patel or Dominic Cummings is first out of the door and predicted both would go this year. Miss Patel now faces an uphill battle to win back the trust of officials as she tries to push ahead with a major new immigration system, a crackdown on serious crime, and the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers all key pledges in the PMs election manifesto as well as overseeing efforts to counter terrorism. If she can deliver on that then she will survive, whatever her grumbling officials might want. Following claims of bullying, Miss Patel (pictured) now faces an uphill battle to win back the trust of officials as she tries to push ahead with a major new immigration system, a crackdown on serious crime, and the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers But the sprawling Home Office has long been known as a political graveyard, and even supporters are worried that Miss Patel may be tripped up by officials loyal to Sir Philip in the coming months. Pritis problem now is that she doesnt know who she can trust, said one. The Home Office is full of man traps and the worry is that officials will just let her stumble in to one and then make sure everyone knows about it. Friends are also surprised by Downing Streets attitude. There are tensions between Miss Patel and members of the PMs team, including rumours of rows behind the scenes. Despite Mr Johnsons public show of support yesterday, No 10 has quietly removed two of the Home Secretarys closest aides in recent months. In their place she has been sent a new policy adviser, Michael Young, who is a close ally of Mr Cummings, the PMs chief adviser. Mr Cummings is said to have told him: You have one job make sure that Priti doesnt f*** up the borders. It is hardly the greatest display of confidence, although No 10 sources were last night quick to praise Miss Patels performance last month in launching the new points-based immigration system. On top of that, Miss Patel still faces potential complaints of bullying from Home Office staff. Sir Philip accused her of shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands. Several of her alleged victims are still at the Home Office. In Sir Philip Rutnam's civil war against the Home Secretary, he accused her of shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands. Many have suggested his allegations have sexist undertones. He quit as Permanent Secretary at the Home Office because of a vicious campaign against him orchestrated by Miss Patel Yesterday there were fresh claims of a complaint about her conduct while she was a minister at the Department for Work and Pensions. Supporters insist that Sir Philips extraordinary allegations were a long way over the top and some suggest they have sexist overtones. There have been plenty of abrasive male ministers over the years, but no permanent secretary has ever felt the need to respond like Sir Philip. Few deny that Miss Patels determined style can be too bracing for some officials. But they say she has been given the task of pushing through major policies in a department that has not covered itself in glory in recent years. One former official pointed out that Sir Philip also had a difficult relationship with Amber Rudd, who lost her job over the Windrush scandal while he kept his. To fall out with Amber and Priti should tell you all you need to know about him, the source said. He never seems to stop scheming. If Priti had gone, hed have been unhappy with whoever was appointed. One official claimed Sir Philip had a difficult relationship with Amber Rudd (pictured on September 24, 2019), who lost her job over the Windrush scandal while he kept his. They said his falling out with Rudd and Patel 'should tell you all you need to know about him' But the tensions at the Home Office are not unique. The new government is rubbing up against officialdom in a string of departments, including the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence, where the permanent secretaries are also said to be targeted by Mr Cummings and his allies. Sir Philips very public intervention seemed to be a very deliberate attempt to reassert the civil services independence. Few in Whitehall expect him to follow through with his threat to sue the Government a process that could prove embarrassing for all sides. But his parting blast has made it harder for those seeking to curb the power of the Whitehall mandarins. Boris Johnson backs his under-fire Home Secretary Priti Patel and insists she is doing a 'fantastic' job despite resignation of top civil servant who branded her a bully By Jason Groves and David Barrett Boris Johnson threw a protective arm around Priti Patel last night as she faced a backlash over bullying allegations. The Prime Minister gave the Home Secretary his full support in her role in one of the toughest jobs in government despite her being dragged into an extraordinary public row with her top official. I obviously do have confidence in Priti Patel, he said. She is a fantastic Home Secretary. In a bombshell resignation statement on Saturday, Sir Philip Rutnam said he was quitting as Permanent Secretary at the Home Office because of a vicious campaign against him orchestrated by Miss Patel. Boris Johnson has given Miss Patel (pictured on September 30) his full support in her role in 'one of the toughest jobs in government' and insists he 'obviously' has 'confidence' in her amid bullying claims. He is also said to be suing the government for constructive dismissal Sir Philip, 54, called in news cameras as he delivered an unprecedented statement, accusing his former boss of being a liar and a bully. He also said he was suing the Government for constructive dismissal. Labour called for an inquiry into the row, and said Miss Patel should be suspended. But No10 made it clear that she had the PMs full support. One source said: He has total confidence in her. She is doing a great job, driving through real change on the Governments priorities. Senior Tories also rallied round. Heath Secretary Matt Hancock told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 yesterday: Priti is a very determined Home Secretary. She is probably closer to where the public are on issues of law and order than any home secretary in recent history. I also think she is extremely courteous. Former transport minister Nusrat Ghani suggested there was a hint of sexism about complaints against Miss Patel, telling Sky News: Its curious that if youre providing leadership, if youre determined, working at a fantastic pace, within men that is seen as a fantastic skill and for women sometimes its seen as challenging. One insider noted that while Sir Philip had a good relationship with Sajid Javid, he fell out with both his female bosses at the Home Office Miss Patel and Amber Rudd. Labour is pushing for Miss Patel to make a statement to Parliament today. Sir Keir Starmer, the partys leadership favourite, called on Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to set up an inquiry into claims that Miss Patels conduct included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell called for her to be suspended during any inquiry, adding: Its bizarre... when you get a civil servant going public like this, its unprecedented. I cant remember a case like this. So there must be something pretty bad thats gone on. It looks as though shes on the way out. Sir Philips resignation followed weeks of toxic briefings and counter-briefings at the Home Office. Relations finally collapsed last week after it was suggested that the security services did not trust Miss Patel enough to give her full intelligence briefings a claim that MI5 took the rare step of denying. Sir Mark was then called in to broker a dignified departure for Sir Philip. One Whitehall source said that during crisis talks last week Sir Mark conceded that the senior civil servant had a case. However, Sir Philip is said to have rejected a generous pay-off after he was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Miss Patel declined to comment yesterday, but is known to be angry about bullying allegations which she insists are untrue. One ally said hostile briefings to the Press started after she asked tough questions about the Home Offices handling of the Windrush scandal, which unfolded while Sir Philip was in charge. She finds it more than a coincidence that these ridiculous bullying allegations started straight after she began asking difficult questions about Windrush, the ally added. Miss Patel is said to have felt Sir Philip tried to undermine her. He is once believed to have asked the then security minister Brandon Lewis to present the Home Offices views on Brexit at Cabinet after Miss Patel rejected his advice. Officials who worked with Miss Rudd, who lost her job over the Windrush scandal, were also scathing about him. One said: The idea that Rutnam is an innocent victim is quite extraordinary. On his watch, the Home Office systematically leaked and briefed against a home secretary, making her position untenable while he hid from the action. His leadership was non-existent. But a Whitehall source sympathetic to Sir Philip said he would not have gone public with his legal claim unless he was certain of his ground, adding: Philip knows what he is doing. There is no way he would have brought a legal case and made the claims he has unless he is confident he has material against her to prove his case. Another official said: If Philip Rutnam was saying something she didnt like, there was usually a bloody good reason to say it. If the Home Secretary is told something cant be done... civil servants arent trying to protect themselves it is because what she wants would lead to chaos. Tourist wearing a protective respiratory mask outside the Coliseum in Rome on February 28, 2020. Andreas Solaro | AFP | Getty Images Summer vacations could be off the table this year as tourists put off traveling to avoid catching the new coronavirus, experts told CNBC. Demand for international travel has taken a downward turn amid the outbreak, which has seen the virus spread to almost 60 countries. Speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Monday, Ian Harnett, co-founder and CIO of Absolute Strategy, warned a prolonging of the crisis could seriously impact the global travel sector. "If this gets extended, we're talking about the impact on Easter holidays, potentially summer holidays, (and) whether the 'staycation' becomes the default for all of us here that's going to be tremendously damaging to these industries," he said. Data from travel analytics firm ForwardKeys shows international flights booked from the U.S. and the U.K. were down almost 20% year-on-year for the five-week period ending February 23. Olivier Ponti, vice president of insights at ForwardKeys, told CNBC in a phone call it was "crystal clear" the decline had been sparked by coronavirus fears. "Will it be delayed travel, does it convert into people choosing another destination, or will there be no travel at all?" he said. "The longer the crisis lasts, the more likely it is that this will convert into no travel at all." He noted domestic trips sometimes referred to as "staycations" could see an uplift as coronavirus fears dent demand for overseas destinations. "When there's a large-scale crisis, it's often the case that domestic tourism plays the role of safety net," he told CNBC. "People may look at short-haul trips over long-haul because it's an environment they know better." Ralph Hollister, travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData, also told CNBC the outbreak could alter consumers' travel plans. "The majority of consumers especially in the western world place high importance on their holidays and won't give them up easily," he said. "(But) if the virus is still having the same impact by the end of April, cancelations could start to increase at a rapid rate as consumers deem the risk to their health to be greater than their need for a holiday." Airlines have already warned the outbreak will weigh on their profits, with the International Air Transport Association estimating in February the crisis will cost the sector more than $29 billion in 2020. 'Big losses' in Europe Ten percent of European GDP (gross domestic product) is derived from tourism, according to the European Travel Commission but in some EU member states, including Spain and Italy, that figure rises to as much as 14%. "Inter-European tourism is the most important factor when comes to numbers and expenditure," the Commission's CEO and Executive Director Eduardo Santander told CNBC in a phone call. "And Italy is an iconic destination market for both inter-European and Chinese tourism." He added that Europe's tourism industry accounted for 30 million jobs, making it "essential" to the regional economy. "The impact of the coronavirus on European tourism will be massive we're talking about big losses," he told CNBC. "We're trying to persuade people not to cancel but to postpone their trips." School closes gender-neutral bathroom after alleged sexual assault Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Wisconsin high school has closed its gender-neutral bathroom after an 18-year-old student was arrested for fourth-degree sexual assault, child enticement and exposing his genitals to a child inside the facility. Austin Sauer, a student at Rhinelander High School, was arrested last week, according to the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, WSAW-TV reported. As per Wisconsin law, a fourth-degree sexual assault involves non-penetrative sexual contact with a person without his or her consent. Media reports have not identified the sex of the minor victim. Captain Terri Hook from the Sheriff's office said that the gender-neutral bathroom has now been closed, and that the school hadnt sent a message to parents because it was an isolated incident and the student had been removed from the school. The sheriff's office also said that the accused had not been charged, and the investigation was still underway. In 2017, the conservative Family Research Council compiled a list of 21 incidents of men assaulting or violating women's privacy in public bathrooms. The group warned that nondiscrimination laws that allow people to go into bathrooms based on their gender identity, rather than their birth sex, are giving sexual predators the opportunity to exploit the circumstances and commit voyeurism and sexual assault. In December 2018, a Wisconsin judge ruled that the town of De Pere must provide churches and religious organizations exemptions to an LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance that among other things would have required them to allow access to bathrooms on the basis of a persons gender identity. Brown County Judge William Atkinson ruled that the ordinance barring employment, housing and public accommodation discrimination that protects on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation cannot be applied to five churches and the parent company of a local Christian radio station. Violation of the ordinance could have resulted in the churches and organizations being issued a fine or infraction. The ordinance was passed last November by the De Pere City Council and went into effect in March. PJI filed a lawsuit before the law went into effect on behalf of The Hope Lutheran Church, Crosspoint Church, Destiny Church, St. Mark Lutheran Church, Christ the Rock Church and Lakeshore Communications, Inc, which owns the De Pere-based Q90 FM. The city sought to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that the churches could be considered places of public accommodations because they are facilities that are often open to the public outside of their traditional role as a house of worship. Last May, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a Pennsylvania school districts policy of allowing students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity rather than their biological sex. In an order, the high court denied an appeal in Doe, Joel, et al. v. Boyertown Area School, et al., allowing a lower court's decision in favor of the school district to stand, thus allowing boys who identify as female to enters girls' bathrooms, locker rooms and showers, and vice versa. The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm representing a group of students suing the school district over the policy, denounced the Supreme Courts denial of the appeal. ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy, John Bursch, said he believed the decision ignored the privacy rights of students. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) Ten Filipinos quarantined at the New Clark City have been cleared for coronavirus infection while four others are awaiting their test results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), a health official said Monday. Health Assistant Maria Rosario Vergeire said 14 Filipinos from the Diamond Princess cruise ship showed flu-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, and sore throat that could indicate COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. "Among the 14 PUIs (patients under investigation), 10 tested negative for COVID-19 while 4 are with pending laboratory results. The PUIs are still admitted at the referral facility," Health Assistant Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing. This is contrary to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III's earlier statement that all 13 symptomatic repatriates have tested negative for the highly-infectious illness. Eight of the 10 who tested negative are set to be sent back to the New Clark City Athlete's Village to complete their quarantine after recovering from their mild illnesses. All in all, 445 Filipinos mostly crew members were brought home from the Diamond Princess cruise ship last week. The repatriates, along with the health and foreign affairs personnel and volunteers from the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo who helped bring them home, were transported to the sporting village in Tarlac for the second round of 14-day quarantine. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Administrator Hans Cacdac said the Filipino crew will be given P10,000 each and transportation allowance to travel from New Clark City to their homes in the Philippines once they complete the quarantine requirements. The repatriation did not include 80 Filipinos who have fallen ill to COVID-19 in Japan. Of this number, 32 have already recovered. Ten of those have already returned to the Philippines, while 22 other await repatriation details and will undergo strict DOH monitoring. Some Americans, Britons, and Australians who were previously on the Diamond Princess only tested positive for coronavirus after they returned home from a 14-day quarantine. Among them is a 78-year-old man from Perth, Australia who became that country's first reported death due to the virus. The World Health Organization said the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea, while others become infected but dont develop any symptoms. About 80 percent of those infected recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 6 people who get COVID-19 become seriously ill and develop difficulty breathing. Older people and those with underlying medical problmes like high blood pressure or diabetes are more likely to develop serious illness, the WHO added. There are 43 patients under investigation admitted in various hospitals. The Philippines has three confirmed COVID-19 cases. Two of them have already recovered and returned to China, while one died the first recorded death outside of mainland China. T urkish drone strikes on Idlib have killed nineteen Syrian soldiers, a UK-based monitor has said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), based in Coventry, said the attacks targeted a military convoy and an army base. The fighting has sparked one of the war's worst humanitarian crisis, with almost one million Syrian civilians fleeing towards the sealed Turkish border. The Turkish military launched operation "Spring Shield" to defeat Syrian government forces and to prevent a massive wave of immigration. Turkey supports fighters in Syria's Idlib province, where the last remaining rebel forces in the country are holed up, and has sent thousands of troops into the area. Refugees trekking through Turkey. / Getty Images Tensions escalated after Turkey lost 54 soldiers in February, including 33 killed on Thursday in a single airstrike. Since that airstrike, SOHR said Turkish drone strikes have killed 93 Syrian government forces and allied fighters. Outraged following last week's events, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his country's European borders were open on Saturday for thousands of migrants and refugees as he sought to pressure Europe to help Turkey handle the fallout from the war in Syria. The new gains at Saraqeb on the ground also bring the last segment of a highway that links the capital Damascus and the major northern city of Aleppo under government control. The highway was reopened late last month before insurgents seized Saraqeb, which sits on the highway, last week. On Sunday, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military downed a Turkish drone, a major escalation in the direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces. Image grab showing an airstrike by the Turkish military on Syrian regime positions / AFP via Getty Images The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies regained control of Saraqeb after fighting with al-Qaida-linked militants. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops captured the town under the cover of airstrikes by the Russian air force. The Cayuga Nation Council led by federal representative Clint Halftown is asking federal authorities to investigate Saturday's riot on the nation's Seneca Falls property, calling the actions by people who oppose Halftown "acts of terrorism." In a March 1 letter to the U.S. Department of Interior's assistant secretary of Indian affairs and the U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, nation attorney David W. DeBruin blames Indian chiefs and other citizens from Canada for the violence that unfolded in Seneca Falls minutes after a press conference held by the Cayuga Nation chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The chiefs represent various clans that make up the Cayuga Indian Nation and come from within the United States as well as the Six Nations of the Grand River reservation in Canada. On Saturday prior to the fighting that broke out, the chiefs condemned the actions of the Halftown council and the nation police on Feb. 22 when they seized property that had been controlled by Halftown opponents and demolished buildings on the site. The Halftown council has pointed to court and bureaucratic rulings in recent years that recognize it as the governing authority of the Cayuga Nation, and therefore entitled to take control of the property from what they've labeled as trespassers. DeBruin's letter accused the chiefs, specifically ones from Canada, of planning Saturday's violence. "The riot was an intentional intrusion on to Cayuga Nation land for the express purpose of violence, and it almost certainly was planned by the so-called Canadian chiefs who crossed into the U.S. and then over the Cayuga Nation border to commit a terrorist act," the letter stated. Joe Heath, an attorney representing the Cayuga Nation faction that has disputed Halftown's leadership authority, said that accusation was false. Heath, who was at the Seneca Falls site on Saturday, said the violence broke out when a small group of Haudenosaunee supporters of the chiefs crossed crime-scene tape and walked onto the property. Heath said the chiefs had told their supporters ahead of Saturday's gathering not to do that, but after the press conference, a few men made what Heath called an "ill-advised" decision to walk onto the property. In the confrontation that ensued, both sides in the dispute are accusing the other of being the aggressors. "What I saw was a police riot," Heath said, referring to the Cayuga Nation officers, comparing their actions to the scenes that played out in North Dakota during the 2016 Standing Rock Sioux Reservation pipeline protests. DeBruin described the situation differently in his letter. "This group of rioters tore down crime scene tape and marched deliberately on to Cayuga Nation land with the express purpose of engaging in violence against the Cayuga Nation Police Department. They proceeded for much of the next hour to push, punch and kick Nation police officers." While asking the Justice Department to investigate Saturday's incident, DeBruin also chided U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy for a Dec. 19 letter he had sent to both sides warning that they could be in legal jeopardy should they escalate their property dispute. "The rioters were emboldened by this letter. They demeaned the Cayuga Nation and its police officers as they were violently assaulting them. Whatever the purpose of the letter, its only practical effect was to encourage lawlessness and violence and create confusion among responding law enforcement agencies," DeBruin wrote. Heath called that part of DeBruin's letter an "absurd twist of reality" and said he planned to submit his own correspondence to rebut DeBruin's claims. Kennedy could not be reached for comment on Monday. Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer. Love 1 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 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. By PTI KOLKATA: The premium of crop insurance is likely to be revised after the Union Cabinet approved the changes in the existing Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, an official said. Under the new farm insurance scheme which is also considered as PMFBY 2.0, the government made major changes making it optional for farmers. Launched in February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is mandatory for loanee farmers to take insurance cover under the PMFBY. Currently, 58 per cent of the total farmers are loanees. "We are waiting for the detailed guidelines. Yes, I think we will have to revisit our products and premium of crop insurance, taking into account the new developments," chairman and managing director of Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd, Malay Kumar Poddar told PTI. The state-owned crop insurance company official, however, did not disclose whether the premium would be increased or not, but experts said that it may head north for a particular risk coverage. "Now, with crop insurance being made optional for both agriculture loanee and non-loanee, the number of farmers under the coverage may come down, which could lead to an increase of the underwriting cost," an insurance company official said on condition of anonymity. Poddar said that in the existing scheme, there are five riders in the crop insurance coverage but under the new scheme, one can pick and choose the risk cover according to one's need. AICIL currently has a licence for crop insurance in the country and has sought approval from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India for offering more products covering other verticals of agriculture and allied sectors, he said. The company said it aims at offering "comprehensive" insurance products for the rural population rather than restricting itself to crop insurance. Poddar said he expects to get the regulator's nod in near future for "rural comprehensive insurance product that will cover all areas related to agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry and farm equipment". He also hoped that the company will be able to bring down the total cost of insurance with the comprehensive policy by covering all risks of a farmer's livelihood. The Economic Fighters League-UCC Command has noticed with utter shock, the arrest of 33 UCC students by the Ashanti Region Police in Kumasi at the early hours of Saturday, 29th February 2020. The students, who were not armed, were arrested without any charges pressed against them and kept unlawfully in the custody of the Ashanti Regional Police Command. They were subsequently transferred to the Central Regional Police Command, where they are currently held in custody. Fighters UCC views this act as one of the numerous cases of suppression of the students, and we condemn it, unreservedly. This act is consistent with the indemnity clause in the Sakawa Constitution where the officers' faction of the indigenous bourgeoisie class oppresses civilians with impunity. As of now, there have not been any charges pressed on the students, yet they are still locked up in police cells. We demand the immediate release and compensation of the affected students or else we shall take the necessary decisive action to uphold the rights of our colleague students. Long Live the Students Struggle. Victory to oppressed students. Justice for the boys Kofi Fidel Leader, Fighters UCC. In the weeks before Boeing halted 737 Max production in January, company executives took a hard look at all the personnel who'd be left with little to do when the last jets rolled out of their Seattle-area factory. The conclusion they came to, though, was surprising: The problem wasn't that there'd be too many mechanics idly milling around for months on end, but rather too few of them. Boeing is stocking up on staff as it tries to anticipate when the 737 Max will be cleared to return to flying. Credit:Bloomberg Sure, there'd be a cost to having them on payroll, but what worried managers more was the thought of not having enough workers around when they finally restart output of the Max. That task will be made more difficult by the need to simultaneously maintain the hundreds of Max jets that Boeing built last year but was forced to keep in storage until airlines can start flying them. So on December 13, Boeing welcomed 115 new mechanics and assembly-line workers to its Pacific Northwest manufacturing hub. Another 122 new employees started January 10, and 143 the week after that, while only 31 machinists left the company that month. All told, union figures show, Boeing has hired about 730 of these workers, a figure that is almost entirely net additions, according to IAM District 751, the company's biggest labor union. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 21:16:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Afghan security force members inspect at the site of an attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, May 8, 2019. Eleven people, including six assailants, were killed and 24 civilians wounded after Taliban suicide bombers attacked a U.S.-funded aid agency in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah) The war has been too long, almost two decades since the United States first marched in. It's time for all related sides to seize the chance to end it. BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- "It's been a hard journey for everyone," U.S. President Donald Trump said at the White House after his government signed a peace deal with the Taliban on Saturday in a bid to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan. The deal, signed after over 2,400 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Afghan civilians were killed in the long-running war, opens a door to enduring peace in the conflict-stricken country. Still, plenty of uncertainties remain. The first problem is the fragile trust between the two signing parties. That will confuse the implementation process as both sides were still harboring doubts and hurling threats against each other before and during the signing. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper warned in Kabul that the United States would "not hesitate to nullify the agreement" if the Taliban does not honor its commitments, while admitting that "this is our chance to bring troops home from Afghanistan for good." Taliban Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the British newspaper Financial Times that the group's leadership did not foresee any problems in implementing the deal but warned if any party violated the terms "we would naturally return to finding a solution through military and jihadi means." Photo taken on Feb. 22, 2020 shows disabled children in Surkh Rod district of Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented more than 10,000 civilian casualties in 2019, of these more than 3,400 had been killed, said a report of the body released. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) Another concern would be the absence of the Afghan government at the signing table. Kabul will talk with the Taliban under the newly-signed agreement. The Taliban in the past refused to negotiate with the Afghan government, calling it a U.S. "puppet." Whether the Taliban will sit down with the government as promised would have a great impact on the future of the deal. Talking to each other is only the first step. The current Afghan government and the Taliban differ greatly in how to run the country. Thus, it is going to be arduous for the two sides to compromise on a power-sharing structure. The third problem would be a concern for terrorism. As one of the prerequisites for a gradual withdrawal of the U.S. troops, the Taliban has promised to cut ties with terrorist groups. However, it is highly likely that neither al-Qaida operatives nor the Islamic State militants will sit on their hands and watch. Therefore, foreign troops in Afghanistan should withdraw in an orderly and responsible way to ensure a steady transition, and avoid a security vacuum. The deal did not come easily, and has seen by many as a historic starting point for Afghanistan to forge lasting peace and stability. The war has been too long, almost two decades since the United States first marched in. The chance to end it seems to be within reach now. It is time for all related sides to seize it. By Tom Wilson and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Central banks will ask world leaders to back a 'roadmap' for cutting the cost of cross-border payments, the Bank for International Settlements said on Sunday. The BIS wants Group of Twenty (G20) leaders to get behind the plan, which is being drawn up regulators, central banks and treasury officials from across the world and will lay out steps to improve a payments system hindered by high costs By Tom Wilson and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Central banks will ask world leaders to back a "roadmap" for cutting the cost of cross-border payments, the Bank for International Settlements said on Sunday. The BIS wants Group of Twenty (G20) leaders to get behind the plan, which is being drawn up regulators, central banks and treasury officials from across the world and will lay out steps to improve a payments system hindered by high costs. Political will is needed to create conditions for cheaper cross-border payments that are properly regulated at a time when international "correspondent" banks are pulling out from aiding such payments for local lenders. Cross-border payments, critical for some emerging economies that depend on remittances sent by migrants abroad, are hampered by low speeds, high costs and cumbersome processes. The roadmap will look at current costs, sticking points and risks in payments and pinpoint how the private and public sectors can tackle them, the Basel-based BIS, an umbrella group for central banks, said. In a rare move, the BIS devoted its quarterly review to payments in a sign of how Facebook's plans to launch its Libra cryptocurrency has forced central banks to look beyond their wholesale payment networks to changes in the retail sector. Facebook's planned expansion to retail payments has focussed regulatory concern over the role of Big Tech in financial services, stoking debate over who will control money in the future. As technological changes sweep through the domestic and cross-border payments sectors, central banks must accelerate work to guarantee that new services run safely and efficiently, the BIS said. "Central banks have a core role in payment systems," said BIS General Manager Agustin Carstens. "The changes under way require them to step up and play a more significant part in improving the safety and efficiency of these systems." Peer-to-peer systems that cut out middlemen are the most transformative way of improving payments, the BIS said. These often use blockchain-based systems. Proponents say blockchain could wipe out the need for middlemen such as banks in payments. But trusted intermediaries like central banks are still crucial, the BIS said. "Money and payment systems are founded on trust in the currency whether cash or digital and this trust is something that only the central bank can ensure," it wrote. Still, whether central banks can exercise control over decentralised payment methods like bitcoin, which transcend borders and have proved tricky to regulate, is unclear. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) - digital money issued and governed by a central bank - could provide a safe and easy means of peer-to-peer payments, the BIS wrote. (Reporting by Tom Wilson and Huw Jones, editing by Larry King) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. End of the road: Pete Buttigieg finished in fourth place in South Carolina, sealing his decision to quit the Democrat field. Photo: Reuters Joe Biden hopes to establish himself as the only moderate who can beat Bernie Sanders to the Democratic presidential nomination tomorrow after a stunning win in South Carolina. The boost for Biden came as Pete Buttigieg pulled out of the race, following his fourth-place finish in the state. Buttigieg, a 38-year-old Afghanistan war veteran who would have been the first openly gay US president, had sought to unite Democrats, independents and moderate Republican voters But Buttigieg's tenure as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, which ended on January 1, came under persistent scrutiny for a lack of diversity on the city's police force and a fatal shooting of a black resident by a police officer. He struggled to maintain momentum as the pace of the contests accelerated through demographically diverse Nevada and South Carolina, and he lacked the national profile and long-standing relationships with the black community that helped Mr Biden win South Carolina. Mr Biden had pulled his campaign back from the brink on Saturday in the southern state, taking every county and winning 48pc of the vote to Mr Sanders's 20pc. The former vice-president had staked his campaign on victory in South Carolina after fourth, fifth and second place finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, with victory coming thanks to overwhelming support from African-American voters. The result gives Mr Biden momentum going into Super Tuesday tomorrow, the most important day in the remaining race, when 14 states vote and around a third of delegates - the metric that ultimately determines the winner - are up for grabs. Mike Bloomberg, who has spent close to half a billion dollars on his campaign, will also be finally on the ballot. ( Daily Telegraph, London) The state defense order in Ukraine is growing every year and will reach a record high of UAH 30 billion in 2020, or 37% more than in 2019, Director General of the Ukroboronprom State Concern Aivaras Abromavicius has said. "In 2019, the state defense order amounted to UAH 19 billion and about UAH 3 billion under state guarantees, i.e. a total of UAH 22 billion. This year, it will be UAH 20 billion plus UAH 10 billion, respectively a total of UAH 30 billion," the company's press service quoted Abromavicius as saying. He stressed that the rhythmic load of defense enterprises is of strategic importance and a recent presidential decree on the basic indicators of the state defense order for 2020, 2021, and 2022 is just about changing the system of planning the state defense order to allow for long-term orders. According to the decree, the state defense order should not be reduced in 2021 and 2022. According to the report, in 2019, the enterprises belonging to the state concern 98% fulfilled obligations to manufacture and repair military hardware. As of late December 2019, 4,876 units of hardware were delivered to the Ukrainian military, including 3,889 new and upgraded ones and 987 repaired ones. op For the third year in a row, Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed big increases to more than a dozen gun fees in New Jersey. Murphys push for higher fees in his proposed state budget follows a series of bills hes signed adding new restrictions to gun laws that were already some of the toughest in the nation. The move also comes as some are pushing back against restrictions, especially after recent attacks like the Jersey City shooting left many feeling vulnerable. Murphy is asking lawmakers to raise the cost of a $2 gun application to $50, and a firearm ID card from $5 to $100, according to the states treasury department. The Democratic governor also proposed a 2.5% tax on firearms and a 10% tax on ammunition. Murphy said Tuesday that raising the cost of handgun permits especially would improve public safety. These fees are meant to cover the costs of State Police background checks on prospective gun buyers and, right now, they dont come close to doing so, he said during his annual budget address. (The State Police did not immediately respond to questions about the costs of their checks.) All but one fee hasnt increased since 1966, officials said. The FBI background check fee concerns a system that wasnt created until the 1990s. The change would bring in $8.5 million every year, according to Jennifer Sciortino, a spokeswoman for the treasury department. The governor also proposed fee hikes last year and the year before, only to be rejected by fellow Democrats in the state Legislature. He is facing similar pushback. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, has said that while hes open to a tax on millionaires, he doesnt really think we need the other taxes. State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, said he remained cautious of increasing any broad-based taxes on an already overburdened state. A Coughlin spokesman said the lawmaker wouldnt comment on any specific proposals until later in the negotiating process. Gun advocates arent happy with Murphys plan. The governor is back yet again trying to harass honest gun owners, said Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs. Residents shouldnt have to pay any fees to exercise their rights, Bach said, and upping charges would only make it harder for low-income people to defend themselves. Bachs group is also suing to overturn New Jerseys limitations on carrying guns outside the home. Local governments have also protested current restrictions. West Milford, Sussex Borough, Stillwater Township, Cape May County and Monmouth County, among others, have recently passed resolutions in support of the 2nd Amendment, some declaring their town a gun sanctuary. At a recent hearing in Stillwater, one attendee brought up how armed parishioners had quickly stopped a shooter at a Texas church in December, likely heading off more violence. State lawmakers are also weighing a bill that would allow an armed guard in temples, churches and synagogues. In response to the resolutions, the state attorney general sent a letter Friday to country prosecutors. While local officials were free to express their views, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal wrote, they could not tell local cops to stop enforcing such firearm laws entirely. 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, Grewal wrote. This confusion can create serious risks for law enforcement and the public at large, with potentially deadly consequences. The governor has signed bills that reduce magazine capacity, made it tougher to obtain a handgun permit and expanded background checks on private gun sales, among other changes. Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. For Immediate Release Chicago, IL March 2, 2020 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Microsoft MSFT, Tesla TSLA,Cisco CSCO, PayPal PYPL and Alphabet GOOGL. Here are highlights from Fridays Analyst Blog: Tech Daily: Coronavirus, Google Win & More The coronavirus is impacting more than just human beings, as the world feels for the first time the problem with making one country its manufacturing capital. Chinese authorities are struggling to control the spread of the disease, cutting off transportation, shutting down factories and shops, and what not. Airlines too are cancelling flights to virus-affected areas. But for the first time this week, new virus cases outside China outnumbered the cases inside the country, according to the WHO. This along with one suspected case in California is replacing the fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) related to some momentum stocks with fear of a pandemic. So stock markets are swooning. It wouldnt be such a bad thing, considering that valuations have been approaching bubble-like proportions, if there wasnt the real fear that staying away from business activity impacts both the supply and the demand sides, with the ripple effect impacting the global economy. Already some research firms have started cutting their outlooks for certain industries. Supply chain analytics firm Trendforce said that labor shortages and travel restrictions in China would have an impact on electronics/consumer items like smartphones, smartwatches and computer panels. David Wong of Instinet LLC agrees: We think there may be risk to demand in most electronic end markets, though we believe the end markets associated with consumer purchases might have the most potential downside. We remain cautious on the chip industry overall and selective in our chip and chip-equipment stock picks. Moreover, he expects the impact to be prolonged: We think that many investors, and companies, may have underestimated the risk of the current issues impacting electronics end market demand through 2020. Story continues Moodys expects global auto sales to drop 2.5% this year (previous expectation was for a 0.9% drop). China produces a big chunk of the worlds automobiles and The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) has warned of significant virus-related declines in February production. The slump in equity markets usually happens in stages. In the first stage, people dump the momentum names, in this case, companies like Microsoft and Tesla as they expect supply chain issues and increasing costs. In the next stage, if the problem remains, long term investors start getting jittery and want to jump out of stocks altogether into safer investments like bonds and gold. And if the problem still continues, theres a panic with everyone dumping everything. Thats when we have a recession. The thing is, we dont seem to be anywhere near those levels right now. Investors are mainly dropping momentum stocks and not buying the dips on value stocks nearly as much. Theres some indication that hedge funds are doing likewise. But this wont derail the market unless the production freeze continues. Because unlike in past calamities, the trade war with China has gotten companies to build higher stockpiles and prepare alternative production sites outside China. This by no means replaces what Chinas making, although it does provide some cushion. But we dont know how much. With that backdrop, lets jump to the top stories- Microsoft to Miss Guidance Microsoft became the latest technology company to warn that the coronavirus will negatively impact its current-quarter results. In a press release, the company said that the $10.75 - $11.15 revenue guidance for its More Personal Computing segment, which was a wider-than-normal range to provide for the virus impact, would come in lower. Although we see strong Windows demand in line with our expectations, the supply chain is returning to normal operations at a slower pace than anticipated at the time of our Q2 earnings call. As a result, for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, we do not expect to meet our More Personal Computing segment guidance as Windows OEM and Surface are more negatively impacted than previously anticipated. All other components of our Q3 guidance remain unchanged. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said, It fans the flames on Corona worries, and Apple and Microsoft now confirm the negative impact the Street had feared. While Apple and Microsoft have actually adjusted expectations due to the impact of the virus. Cisco, PayPal and others, which have a later reporting date, gave weak guidance on virus-related concerns. Other than the immediate impact on sales, there are inventory and other issues throughout the electronics supply chain that will impact a broad spectrum of companies in the sector. New iPhones Could Be Virus-Delayed Reuters reported that travel restrictions to China could delay the launch of this years iPhones. This is around the time that Apple engineers meet their counterparts in China to iron out final production issues, so they can get into volume production in the summer. Of course, it isnt just the engineers, the plants themselves arent fully operational yet, so we dont really know where 2020 is headed. Amazon Merchants Curtail Ad Spending Small sellers of China-made goods are reportedly cutting their ad spending and raising prices in anticipation of tighter supplies related to the coronavirus. Quartile Digital, a New York-based firm that helps 2,300 brands manage their Amazon advertising, says that they spent 6% less in the last wo weeks than in the same period a year ago. While Amazons advertising business became a big topic because of its challenge to market leader Google, its actually just a small percentage of its overall sales. So advertising wont be its biggest corona-headache. The disruption in the electronics supply chain will be a negative, as will be sales of other China-manufactured goods. This could impact overall results, but we havent received a guidance/update from Amazon yet. Google Defeats Censorship Appeal Alphabets Google scored an important legal win in what remains a highly controversial issue. The case was filed by Prager University, a conservative nonprofit run by radio talk show host Dennis Prager. Prager U alleged that YouTubes political bias led it to tag dozens of its videos on abortion, gun rights, Islam and terrorism with its "Restricted Mode" setting. This blocked it from certain age groups and kept away advertising revenue. The University claimed that since YouTube was ubiquitous, it should be treated as a public forum and not a private product. So preventing the university from expressing certain opinions was tantamount to a censorship of free speech. All three presiding judges disagreed. Judge M. Margaret Mckeown said, It remains a private forum, not a public forum subject to judicial scrutiny under the First Amendment. Social media platforms such as Facebook (FB) and YouTube have been asking to be treated as something in between a telecom which cant control the content users upload to the site and a media house, which is responsible for the content hosted. For the most part, regulators have wanted to pin the job of controlling content on them, so they are incentivized to develop technologies for preventing the spread of hate speech, pornography and so on. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Previously, Erdogan claimed that the White House did not reply to Turkey's request to place the SAM sites on its borders Washington and Ankara have been discussing a lot of issues regarding the Syrian conflict, including the topic of Patriot, surface-to-air missile systems. U.S. President Donald Trump said so as quoted by Anadolu news agency. "We had a lot of conversations with President Erdogan due to the situation in Syria. And we've been discussing just what you asked", Trump replied to the question whether he and his Turkish counterpart talked through Patriot provision. Previously, Erdogan claimed that the White House did not reply to Turkey's request to place the SAM sites on its borders. As is known, more than 76,000 Syrian migrants made it to the EU after Turkey opened the border with the Union. The Turkish government decided to open the borders after military actions in Idlib escalated. In January, Russia sent 120 missiles for its S-400 SAM systems in Turkey, as Russian media reported. Turkey has received two S-400 battalions, more than 120 surface-to-air missiles, as well as auxiliary equipment", the sources said back then. Growing coronavirus cases in many countries, including in the US where two persons have died from the disease, has prompted the organisers to cancel one of the world's most prestigious annual energy conferences to be held here. The 39th CERAWeek energy conference, which brings together oil ministers and industry executives, was set to be held in Houston from March 9 to 13, with delegates from over 80 countries expected to attend. The fast-spreading virus that originated in China in December has killed 3,000 people and infecting more than 88,000 globally. Over 60 cases of infection have been diagnosed in the US, which recorded its second death from the virus on Saturday. "In light of growing concerns around COVID-19, we've made the difficult decision to cancel CERAWeek 2020 and CWAgora," CERAWeek said a tweet. The organisers said on Sunday they spent several weeks focusing on the health and safety of conference attendees and speakers, established a medical partnership with Houston Methodist Hospital and created an extensive protocol. However, IHS Markit, the London-based information and insights company and the organiser of the conference, determined that the coronavirus was moving quickly around the world. "We have made this decision reluctantly and after deep consideration. We recognise the dedication and importance of the CERAWeek community. We thank you for your engagement and your commitment to CERAWeek," IHS Markit said in a statement. An increasing number of companies are setting travel bans and restrictions and a growing concern about larger conferences with people coming from different parts of the world, as reasons for the conference cancellation, it said. First held in 1981, CERAWeek has attracted thousands of executives, government officials and thought leaders from the energy, policy, technology, and financial industries to Houston in the past. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Google Moves Out Of China A report by Nikkei Asian Review notes that Google will make its budget Pixel 4a in Vietnam, starting April. The flagship Google Pixel 5 series will also join the Vietnam unit in the second half of 2020. The report notes that Google smartphones will begin production at a facility in northern Vietnam. Apart from Vietnam, Thailand is another country that many tech giants are looking at. A few personnel with direct knowledge of Google's plan say that the company has been in talks with a long-time manufacturing partner to help set the production lines in Thailand. The Thailand production line is said to be for Google smart home products like the Nest Mini smart speakers, cameras, and IoT products. The report notes that the first products from the Thailand unit will begin shipping in the first half of 2020. Microsoft Production In Vietnam Apart from Google, Microsoft is another company that is moving its production units out of China. Microsoft too will be heading to Vietnam and is reportedly scheduled to start producing its Surface line in North Vietnam in the second half of 2020. Microsoft products including notebook and desktop computers will be made in Vietnam. "The volume in Vietnam would be small at the beginning, but the output will pick up and this is the direction that Microsoft wants," a supply chain executive told Nikkei. Trade War, Coronavirus Reasons Both Google and Microsoft have been planning to move the production base for a while now. Ever since the US-China trade war, a lot of American tech companies have been planning on moving out of China. Added to this, the deadly coronavirus is disrupting the supply and production lines further pushing the companies out of the country. Heres Whats at Stake in Super Tuesday States The contests on Tuesday may be the single most important day on the primary calendar, with the potential to elevate one candidate as a decisive front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. If one Democrat most likely Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont builds a wide lead of several hundred delegates over the rest of the field, it could become exceedingly difficult for other candidates to catch up over the remaining three months of primary elections. Number of Delegates at Stake on Super Tuesday Calif. 415 Texas 228 N.C. 110 Va. 99 Mass. 91 Minn. 75 Colo. 67 Tenn. 64 Ala. 52 Okla. 37 Ark. 31 Utah 29 Maine 24 Vt. 16 Dems. Abroad 13 Amer. Samoa 6 Calif. 415 Texas 228 N.C. 110 Va. 99 Mass. 91 Minn. 75 Colo. 67 Tenn. 64 Ala. 52 Okla. 37 Ark. 31 Utah 29 Maine 24 Vt. 16 Dems. Abroad 13 Amer. Samoa 6 Calif. 415 Texas 228 N.C. 110 Va. 99 Mass. 91 Minn. 75 Colo. 67 Tenn. 64 Ala. 52 Okla. 37 Ark. 31 Utah 29 Maine 24 Vt. 16 Dems. Abroad 13 Am. Sam. 6 Calif. 415 Texas 228 N.C. 110 Va. 99 Mass. 91 Minn. 75 Colo. 67 Tenn. 64 Ala. 52 Okla. 37 Ark. 31 Utah 29 Maine 24 Vt. 16 Dems. Abroad 13 Am. Sam. 6 Source: The Green Papers | Note: Fourteen states will hold primaries. American Samoa and Democrats Abroad will hold caucuses. But it is by no means certain that Mr. Sanders or anyone else will establish a controlling advantage on Super Tuesday, and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is hopeful that a late surge of momentum will keep the final margin close. The vast diversity of the country and the internal divisions of the Democratic Party will be on display across a landscape of elections that covers the swollen suburbs of the Mid-Atlantic and the Sun Belt; traditional Democratic strongholds in New England and the Upper Midwest; the booming cities of the upper South and the interior West, and large rural stretches across both regions. For any one candidate to dominate that map would be an extraordinary show of strength. It is the closest we will get, in this long campaign season, to a national day of voting in the nomination race. But the balance of influence on Super Tuesday is weighted toward the West, represented by huge states like California and Texas. Other big population centers in the country electoral prizes like Florida, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois are still weeks from voting. Follow our live coverage on Super Tuesday. Sanders is winning. Where will he keep his lead? Mr. Sanders is highly likely to come out of Super Tuesday with a lead in the delegate count. But the size of that lead is a big question mark, and so is the number of states Mr. Sanders might win outright. There are few states out of reach for Mr. Sanders. In theory, he could win virtually everywhere on Super Tuesday, except perhaps Alabama, where moderate African-Americans who lean toward Mr. Biden make up a huge share of the primary electorate. The Vermont senator has even been showing strength in Massachusetts, the home state of his rival, Senator Elizabeth Warren. He also has a chance of capturing Minnesota, which is now up for grabs after Senator Amy Klobuchar decided to exit the race on Monday. Mr. Sanders won the state in 2016. Super Tuesday States Maine Minn. Vt. Mass. Utah Colo. Va. Calif. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ark. Ala. Texas ME VT MN MA UT CO VA CA NC TN OK AR AL TX ME VT MN MA UT CO VA CA NC TN OK AR AL TX Note: American Samoa and Democrats Abroad are also holding caucuses on March 3. The most important target for Mr. Sanders is California, where his campaign hopes not just to win, but to win by such a dominant margin that he captures a vast majority of delegates. If Mr. Sanders managed that feat, he could open a nearly insurmountable delegate lead. Yet Mr. Sanderss strength depends on his political opposition staying fractured. If moderate voters or African-Americans coalesce around just one or two other candidates Mr. Biden may be the likeliest rallying point then Mr. Sanders could end up with a shorter list of victories, concentrated in Western states where his coalition of young liberals and Latinos is strongest. The race began to take a dramatic turn on Sunday after former Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped out, clearing the way for moderate voters to coalesce around candidates who may be better positioned to stop Mr. Sanders. The exits of both Mr. Buttigieg and Ms. Klobuchar could lift Mr. Bidens political fortunes on Tuesday, but might also benefit Ms. Warren and Michael R. Bloomberg. Biden has not campaigned much in Super Tuesday states. What is he thinking? Mr. Biden received the big victory in South Carolina that he was looking for, but it remains to be seen how much of a lift he will get heading into Super Tuesday. One problem: Until this past weekend, he had not campaigned in a Super Tuesday state in over a month, aside from fund-raising. After his fourth-place finish in Iowa and his fifth-place finish in New Hampshire, Mr. Biden planted himself in Nevada and then in South Carolina and he achieved the results he was looking for in those two states. But that came at the cost of campaigning elsewhere. He visited North Carolina, Alabama and Virginia this past weekend, and he is campaigning in Texas on Monday before heading to California. Mr. Bidens team is focusing on congressional districts that play to his strengths, such as those with large numbers of black voters. Race/Ethnicity of Democratic Voters in Super Tuesday States Delegates Black Hispanic Other White Ala. 52 Texas 228 N.C. 110 Calif. 415 Tenn. 64 Va. 99 Ark. 31 Okla. 37 Colo. 67 Mass. 91 Utah 29 Minn. 75 Vt. 16 Maine 24 20% 40 60 80 Dels. Black Hispanic Other White Ala. 52 Texas 228 N.C. 110 Calif. 415 Tenn. 64 Va. 99 Ark. 31 Okla. 37 Colo. 67 Mass. 91 Utah 29 Minn. 75 Vt. 16 Maine 24 20% 40 60 80 Dels. Black Hispanic Other White Ala. 52 Texas 228 N.C. 110 Calif. 415 Tenn. 64 Va. 99 Ark. 31 Okla. 37 Colo. 67 Mass. 91 Utah 29 Minn. 75 Vt. 16 Maine 24 20% 40 60 80 Source: Racial and ethnic breakdowns come from New York Times estimates of Democratic voters in the 2016 presidential general election based on data from the Roper Center, the U.S. Census Bureau and Dave Leips Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Mr. Bidens operation on the ground across the Super Tuesday states is also conspicuously thin. He has only a single office in California and four in Texas. By comparison, Mr. Bloombergs campaign says it has 24 offices in California and 19 in Texas. Still, Mr. Biden has some significant advantages heading into Tuesdays contests. He emerged triumphant from the South Carolina primary, which provided him with a burst of positive attention, and the endorsements from Ms. Klobuchar and Mr. Buttigieg offered a signal to moderate voters to embrace his candidacy. Mr. Biden already had a long roster of prominent endorsers in Super Tuesday states, which has grown even larger in recent days. He is also relying on his status as a household name and the goodwill that remains among Democrats from his time serving as President Barack Obamas vice president. Will Bloombergs unprecedented spending pay off? Every other presidential candidate has wrestled with how to approach the Super Tuesday map, picking and choosing states and districts to target with limited campaign funds. Not Mr. Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York City mayor. He has competed everywhere, with a tidal wave of advertising and paid organizing that has no precedent in American presidential politics. TV Ad Spending in Super Tuesday States Source: Advertising Analytics. Data is as of Feb. 28. That blitz has powered Mr. Bloomberg into contention across the map, building broad but not necessarily deep support. But if he has had the money to communicate everywhere, Mr. Bloomberg has lacked a geographic or demographic base of the kind other candidates have Mr. Sanderss popularity with young people, for instance, or Ms. Warrens strength with progressive women. As a result, Mr. Bloomberg may be best positioned in places where no one group of voters is a dominant force. He has concentrated in the past few days on Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Virginia and North Carolina states where black voters, Latinos and suburban whites all hold real political clout. And Mr. Bloomberg has continued spending heavily in valuable California media markets where few others have been able to afford significant advertising. But more than any other candidate, Mr. Bloomberg is also untested, because he did not compete in any of the February states. Within the Democratic field, he may be uniquely capable of surprising on Tuesday, in either a positive or negative direction. Will Warren gain any momentum? The first four primary contests did not go as Ms. Warren had hoped, to put it mildly. She has no strong performance to point to, and her fifth-place finish in South Carolina did little to suggest she has been able to grow her appeal among black voters. She has not won a delegate since Iowa. Democratic Delegates Allocated So Far SANDERS BIDEN WARREN Results 60 54 8 Feb. 3 Iowa 12 6 8 Feb. 11 New Hampshire 9 0 0 Feb. 22 Nevada 24 9 0 Feb. 29 South Carolina 15 39 0 SANDERS BIDEN WARREN Results 60 54 8 Feb. 3 Iowa 12 8 6 Feb. 11 New Hampshire 9 0 0 Feb. 22 Nevada 24 9 0 Feb. 29 South Carolina 15 0 39 SANDERS BIDEN WARREN Results 60 54 8 Feb. 3 Iowa 12 8 6 Feb. 11 N.H. 9 0 0 Feb. 22 Nev. 24 9 0 Feb. 29 S.C. 15 0 39 Note: Two candidates had earned delegates before dropping out: Pete Buttigieg had 26 delegates and Amy Klobuchar had seven. She now faces another bleak scenario: the possibility of failing to win a single state on Super Tuesday including Massachusetts, the state that has elected her twice to the Senate. Ms. Warren faces strong competition in Massachusetts from Mr. Sanders, who directly challenged Ms. Warren by campaigning on her turf in recent days. In a memo on Sunday, Ms. Warrens campaign manager, Roger Lau, said internal projections showed Ms. Warren coming away with delegates in nearly every state in play on Super Tuesday. And he emphasized that she was not going anywhere, writing that the campaign was in this race for the long haul. Ms. Warren has an expansive operation across the country, with over 400 staff members in Super Tuesday states. She is also benefiting from significant spending by a super PAC, which has poured millions into advertising in Super Tuesday states. Candidates need at least 15 percent of the vote to get any delegates. What really matters on Tuesday is the allocation of the 1,357 delegates. To accrue delegates under the Democratic National Committees rules, candidates must win at least 15 percent either in the statewide vote or in each congressional district. (Texas awards its delegates by state Senate districts every other state does so by congressional districts.) How many candidates are above the 15 percent threshold is critical. Say just two candidates make it, one with 40 percent of the vote and another with 20 percent, with everyone else below 15 percent. The candidate with 40 percent would receive two-thirds of the districts delegates, the candidate with 20 percent would get one-third, and everyone else would get nothing. So the more candidates that reach the threshold, the more evenly divided the districts delegates are. The only candidate likely to make the 15 percent threshold everywhere or nearly everywhere is Mr. Sanders. Everyone else is fighting not necessarily to beat him in states, but to hold down what is expected to be Mr. Sanderss delegate lead at nights end. If it is only Mr. Sanders and one other rival who make the 15 percent threshold in most places, and there is little consistency in who those other rivals are, it will allow Mr. Sanders to build a nearly insurmountable delegate advantage heading toward states that vote later in in the calendar. Attorney General William Barr has tightened his control of the Justice Departments antitrust probes over the last several months, a move that could spell trouble for Google, Facebook, and other Silicon Valley tech giants. The attorney general, along with his deputy attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, and several other officials, have personally taken over the antitrust probes, Politico reported Monday. The move makes good on a promise Barr made during his confirmation hearing, when he vowed antitrust issues would be a priority for him. I think a lot of people wonder how such huge behemoths that now exist in Silicon Valley have taken shape under the nose of the antitrust enforcers, Barr said at the time. Barrs more focused oversight of the probes has effectively pushed aside the head of the DOJs Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim. Because of Delrahims previous legal work for Google, he and the official directly under him, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Barry Nigro, were both recused from the Google investigation as of earlier this month. Barr, a former attorney for Time Warner and Verizon, dealt with antitrust issues in that capacity, a fact that critics of Silicon Valley have said gives them more faith in him despite the increased pressure on the companies. The DOJ is considering reforming a federal law that protects online companies from being held to account over user-generated content, although companies can still be held liable for content that breaks criminal or intellectual property laws. Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have recommended changing the law, a move some tech executives say would harm the internets expansion and freedom of expression. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said last year that the law has encouraged good faith attempts to mitigate the unavoidable downsides of free expression. Katherine Oyama, Googles global head of intellectual property policy, has agreed, saying the statute incentivizes action against harmful content. More from National Review [March 02, 2020] VMware Accelerates Partner Transformation and Growth with New Partner Connect Program Program delivers enhanced flexibility for closer alignment and deeper integration of technical and service capabilities to help businesses better navigate IT complexities Plans to integrate Carbon Black, VeloCloud and Pivotal programs into VMware Partner Connect SINGAPORE, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today launched VMware Partner Connect, the new, dramatically simplified and flexible program designed to enable partners to do business with VMware in a way that aligns to their business models under a single unified contract. VMware Partner Connect empowers partners with flexibility to meet customer needs, making VMware technologies and services opportunities more accessible. Partners now have an enhanced experience that delivers simplicity, choice and innovation, while recognizing and rewarding partners based on the value they bring to customers. With digital technologies projected to hit US$625 billion -- 8 per cent of ASEAN's GDP by 2030[1] -- organizations in the region are accelerating their digital transformation journeys, challenging partners to evolve alongside their business needs to support the next chapters of their growth. Partners are now expected to deliver more value to their customers, moving beyond the traditional transactional approach to serve as trusted advisors to businesses undergoing digital transformation. This represents an unprecedented opportunity for partners in the region to align their business models in accordance to the evolving priorities of their customers', providing a clear path towards better business outcomes. "VMware Partner Connect reimagines the way we do business with and for our partners, helping them drive differentiated customer success and digital transformation," said Jenni Flinders, Worldwide Channel Chief, VMware. "We designed Partner Connect with our customers in mind, and the idea that they should feel confident when choosing to go with a VMware partner. And this is just the beginning, as Partner Connect continues to evolve to deliver new and better ways for our partners to grow their businesses." VMware Partner Connect now offers three tiers: Partner, Advanced Partner, and Principal Partner. Hundreds of partners have been designated Principal Partners at today's launch. These partners help customers identify and implement ideal VMware solutions, as evidenced by achievement of Master Services Competencies across different strategic IT priorities. These Principal Partners also earn comprehensive rewards including deployment and consumption incentives and prioritization for collaborative business planning and co-selling opportunities with VMware. "Customers in Asia Pacific want to build lasting partner relationships to enable their software investment to add as much value to their businesses as possible. Partner Connect combines our expertise with exceptional partner capabilities to help customer digital transformation projects maximize their potential," said Uma Thana Balasingam, VP & Channel Chief, Asia Pacific & Japan, VMware. "There is so much optimism and growth in the region, and with this new program we are helping to future proof our partners so that they can continue to elevate their trusted advisor status with their customers." Across Southeast Asia and Korea, IT decision makers are challenging partners to move faster in order to realise growth ambitions and address heightened end-user demands. Partners must be able to keep ahead of technology advances by deepening their technical and services competencies. "It is fantastic that VMware built Partner Connect together with its partners, resulting in a program that allows us to meet diverse customer requirements via a single pane of glass view. The streamlined approach gives us complete understanding about where we stand while simultaneously empowering us to focus on end-to-end delivery of our clients' business goals," said John Lombard, Asia Pacific CEO for NTT Ltd. "We are excited to move in step with VMware as we provide data-driven secure solutions, consulting, and managed services to our clients, and look forward to future joint R&D initiatives." "When VMware announced its Partner Connect program, we couldn't have been more excited. To start with, the program has been designed based on feedback received from the partner community. Secondly it has simplified the engagement process with VMware as there is only one agreement, and finally the program rewards us to deliver the solutions that our end-customers find value in," said Rajesh Mathkar, Founder and Director, Wysetek Systems Technologists Pvt. Ltd. Starting today, VMware partner can find support, resources and education at https://www.vmware.com/go/partner-connect. Enhancements include: an Incentives and Development Funds portal, which provides enhanced dashboards and improved visibility for partners to track their activity with VMware, a new VMware Learning Zone, which provides a wide variety of content, including the ability to customize learnings plans based on individual partner preferences, and an overall improved partner experience. Partner Connect will continue to evolve based on industry changes, changes in customer buying behaviors, and to support emerging partner business models. In the months ahead, VMware plans to integrate partner programs from new VMware products, including VeloCloud and recently acquired VMware businesses VMware Carbon Black and Pivotal. [1] Masterplan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 Support for VMware Partner Connect from Principal Partners Australia "Partner Connect encourages us to focus on our strategic priorities by simplifying the engagement model with VMware. We can now focus our time on what's most important -- delivering outcomes for our joint customers. The program unifies the customer journey, meaning we can support our customers throughout the entire IT lifecycle. The investment VMware makes in its partners is deep, going well beyond financial investment to actively help us up-level our capabilities. We're excited about the potential for further collaboration as we develop new products and services around VMware technology," said Harry Kassianou, Director of Sales, AC3. Mainland China "Today, VMware provides a wide range of solutions to help customers drive business transformation. Thanks to Partner Connect, we now have a path to achieve technical mastery certifications that will drive customer success as well as more predictable returns on investment within the partner ecosystem. Beijing Xiatong HongZhi Technology will continue to invest and commit to strengthen our partnership with VMware for 2020 and beyond," said Chunyan Zhang, Director, Beijing Xiatong HongZhi Technology Co., Ltd. Hong Kong "VMware Partner Connect helps differentiate partners' strengths by allowing them to focus on what they do best. Now customers have the ability to select the most capable partner of their choice," said Calvin Lam, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Masterson Technology Ltd. India "We are excited about VMware Partner Connect. It has always been a pleasure to work with VMware and with this new program, our relationship and joint go-to-market strategy will get stronger. We believe VMware has innovated the way we work with them offering us newfound flexibility and simplicity while fostering new co-selling and consumption opportunities. A win-win for all of us," said Anuj Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Hitachi Systems Microclinic Pvt. Ltd. "VMware's New Partner Connect program makes it simple for us. The program gives us the flexibility to pick and choose what we want to offer our end-customers and we are rewarded by how we bring value to our customers. Aside from being simple and flexible, it is also innovative," said Deepak Jadhav, Director, VDA Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd. Korea "Partner Connect will be a driving force for our partnership with VMware. Through this new program, I look forward to growing our potential to co-invest and co-sell with VMware, and thus creating more joint business opportunities," said Kwon Yong-Chan, Chief Executive Officer, Knowledge Design Infra Services Co., Ltd. Additional Resources Register for today's Partner Connect Virtual Event to learn more: https://www.vmware.com/partner-connect-live-geo.html VMware EMPOWER, VMware's elite partner training event: Dallas , April 20-23 : https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower/empower-us.html , : https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower/empower-us.html Lisbon , April 27-30 : https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower-europe/home.html , : https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower-europe/home.html Asia : https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower-asia/en.html : https://www.vmware.com/content/microsites/empower-asia/en.html Follow @VMware_Partners on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VMware_Partners About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html VMware, Carbon Black, Pivotal, VeloCloud, and VMware EMPOWER are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. SOURCE VMware [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] More construction cranes are at work in Toronto than anywhere else in North America. Theres scarcely a patch of land in the Greater Toronto Area that someone doesnt want to build something on. But, according to Doug Fords government, the situation is so dire that it just had to come to the rescue with legislation to create a more competitive business environment. To that end, the province is usurping the right of municipalities to decide how to collect funds from developers to pay for the costs that come with new development from roads, transit and sewers to libraries, community centres and parks. It has created a community benefits charge that lumps together the multiple tools Toronto currently has to provide for the needs of a growing city and create the vibrant neighbourhoods that people cherish. The Ford government has determined that a one-and-done charge amounting to 15 per cent of a development sites land value is the better way to go. Sure, itll be simpler. Developers like that. But development, especially in existing built-up areas, is rarely simply so it doesnt necessarily mean it will make for better projects or better communities. While municipalities are still scrambling to figure out exactly what this new system will mean to them financially, it will almost certainly be a better deal for developers. The province has no reason to do this otherwise. A quick recap on their other legislative changes shows that it is developers not the environment, not residents and certainly not the long-term needs of municipalities that have been front and centre in their thinking. The government revived the developer-friendly OMB rules. It gutted endangered species habitat protections, which critics say lets developers pay to slay. It lowered housing density targets, allowing for more of the sprawl that developers love to build but saddles communities with expensive-to-service neighbourhoods that have such low density they cant even support a regular bus service. And in January it came out with an unbelievably terrible proposal to let developers hire their own professional inspectors to certify that their buildings are safe and up to code with the specific goal of speeding up approvals. So its no wonder that Toronto councillor Josh Matlow, whose midtown ward faces some of the greatest development pressures in the city, is bracing for the worst. And the associations representing developers, which support the changes, are clearly expecting the best. The community benefits charge looks like another Doug Ford giveaway to his developer supporters, at the expense of the people of Ontario and their communities, says Matlow. Based on what we know so far, its hard to disagree with that. The government also claims its changes will help fix the affordable housing crisis, but theres absolutely no evidence it will do anything of the sort. The province is being prescriptive in what municipalities can charge developers. But it hasnt included any mechanism to ensure developers pass on any savings in the form of cheaper homes or lower rents. The government is continuing its disturbing habit of coming up with an outcome and then papering over how it got there. It passed the legislation to make these changes last June and on Friday it released its plan to cap the charge to developers at 15 per cent. And now it says it hopes to hear from municipalities in its March-long consultation process. The number of cranes in Toronto shows just how extensive and profitable development is here already. With all the Ford governments changes developers stand to make even greater profits. While the people who live here now and into the future will either have fewer services than they need or be forced to pay more for them than they should. As weve said before: more for developers, less for residents. Welcome to Doug Fords Ontario. Read more about: She has won numerous prestigious awards, thanks to her outstanding portrayal of Villanelle in Killing Eve. And, Jodie Comer, 26, has landed her first British Vogue cover as she was unveiled as the iconic magazine's April 2020 cover star with stunning high-fashion shoot. The Liverpudlian actress revealed that she has found love as she discussed 'stinking of desperation' at auditions when she was out of work for more than eight months. VOGUE! Jodie Comer, 26, has landed her first British Vogue cover as she was unveiled as the iconic magazine's April 2020 cover star with stunning high-fashion shoot The hypnotising cover shot shows Jodie clad in a fluffy pink jumper, showcasing her natural beauty with her features enhanced with deftly touches of make-up. Jodie - who stars alongside Ryan Reynolds in upcoming movie Free Guy - displayed her flair for fashion in a set of flawless black-and-white snaps. In one image she was captured wearing a pleated polka dot frock, with another showed her in a pussy bow blouse and blazer Victoria Beckham's Spring Summer 2020 collection. Within her insightful interview, on being in love, Jodie told British Vogue: 'I'm very much in it [love]. I think love's the best. I'd been single for a while and just kind of going with the flow and doing my thing. Candid: The actress revealed that she has found love as she discussed being out of work for more than eight months (pictured wearing a full look Victoria Beckham's S/S 2020 collection) Wow! Jodie displayed her flair for fashion in a set of flawless black-and-white snaps, which saw her play with textures and retro prints, alongside an insightful interview 'That's the thing, isn't it? When you're relaxed and letting the universe do what it's doing, things kind of fall into place. Which is very much what happened.' The actress is keeping schtum about her boyfriend's identity other than to say that he is a man and that their relationship is 'fairly new'. On being out of work, Jodie admitted: 'I remember there was a year where I didn't work for eight or nine months. 'You get up in the morning, get yourself ready, get to the train station, two-hour train, get to your audition, you're in there for 10 minutes, and then you're coming all the way back home. 'Sometimes I was doing it three times a week. What I realised, the more that I wasn't working, was that I stunk of desperation, basically. It became: 'I need the job.' And then you go into auditions and they can smell it.' Delighted! Taking to her Instagram page to celebrate the news, Jodie shared her cover photo and gushed alongside that it would be 'one to show the grandkids' On her iconic role as Villanelle, in the new season of Killing Eve, Jodie reveals that fans are going to be given a glimpse into the character's softer side. She said: 'The audience love what they love about her, but it's been nice to show a different side to that. Maybe a little bit of vulnerability.' Taking to her Instagram page to celebrate the news, Jodie shared her cover photo and gushed alongside that it would be 'one to show the grandkids.' She wrote: Here is my @britishvogue cover for April 2020 (Aghhhhhhh). ~ Thank you to @Edward_Enniful and the wonderful team at vogue for championing me and blessing me with this ridiculous opportunity. Huge news: Editor Edward Enninful took to Instagram on Monday to announce the talented actress as British Vogue's new cover star To #StevenMeisel whose grace and warmth from the moment I met him has continued to inspire me and build my self confidence more than I think he'll ever know. Huge thank you to the fabulous @GuidoPalau and @PatMcGrathReal for keeping every moment filled with laughter and my face looking fabulous. To @JinSoonChoi for nails and @gileshattersley, for being the perfect Sunday lunch date. Then, last but not least my legendary publicist @victoriaraeburnwales. This feels like a huge celebration Vic, thank you for cheering me on from the very beginning and making any of this possible. On newsstands Friday 6th March! One to show the grandkids.' Exciting: Killing Eve's Jodie and Sandra Oh looked stunning in red gowns as they face off in dramatic teaser... as season three release date was FINALLY revealed on Friday Editor Edward Enninful took to Instagram on Monday to announce the talented actress as British Vogue's new cover star. Edward shared the cover shot and wrote alongside: 'I am thrilled to announce the divine @JodieMComer as @BritishVogue's April 2020 cover star. 'Like her legions of fans across the globe, I have been awed by the Liverpudlian actor's fast wit and mercurial powers on the small screen. 'Ahead of the next season of #KillingEve and her first Hollywood lead in this summer's @FreeGuyMovie, I travelled to New York to photograph her with the legendary Steven Meisel. 'Over the course of a joyful shoot, Comer proved she is not only a dynamite performer, but one of the smartest, funniest and naturally chic young actors working today. 'See the full story, and interview with @GilesHattersley, in the new issue, on newsstands Friday 6 March. Gorgeous: The Rise of Skywalker star put on a leggy display in the one-shouldered dress, which had a chiffon skirt that cascaded over her slender figure Stunning: Sandra, meanwhile, was sure to set pulses racing in her dress, which had cut-out detailing to show off a glimpse of her cleavage The British Vogue editor added: #JodieComer wears all @MiuMiu. Photographed by #StephenMeisel and styled by moi, with hair by @GuidoPalau, make-up by @PatMcGrathReal and nails by @JinSoonChoi. Read the full feature in the April issue of British Vogue available via digital download and newsstands Friday 6th March. Jodie's first ever Vogue cover comes after the release date for Killing Eve's third season was finally revealed in a dramatic new trailer, and the show will be back on BBC America on April 26. Connected: The pair posed together while holding hands, their arms were intertwined using draping red threads from their dresses The Liverpudlian actress and Sandra Oh looked stunning in glamorous red gowns as they transformed into Villanelle and Eve Polastri for the clip. The Rise of Skywalker star put on a leggy display in the one-shouldered dress, which had a chiffon skirt that cascaded over her slender figure. Jodie's golden tresses were slicked back over her shoulders, and she wore a natural palette of make-up to accentuate her pretty features. As well as strike fierce poses in her outfit, Jodie also posed with a small knife and pretended to stab the camera as she pulled a funny face. Sandra, meanwhile, was sure to set pulses racing in her dress, which had cut-out detailing to show off a glimpse of her cleavage. The pair posed together while holding hands, their arms were intertwined using draping red threads from their dresses. Fans were ecstatic as they saw the trailer, and took to Twitter to share their delight and excitement for the forthcoming season. Delighted: Fans were ecstatic as they saw the trailer, and took to Twitter to share their delight and excitement for the forthcoming season One person gushed: 'Bruh #KillingEve have completely f***** my whole world up with this today!! f*** is it April 26th yet?!' While another simply said: 'This has just made my DAY!' Making their joy clear, one said: 'the POWER that that has, the INTELLIGENCE that that has, the CLEARANCE that that has, the ACCESS that that has, the INFLUENCE that that has, the PROFILE that that has, the INTERNATIONAL IMPLICATIONS that that has' Amusing: As well as strike fierce poses in her outfit, Jodie also posed with a small knife and pretended to stab the camera as she pulled a funny face Dramatic: Killing Eve's second series stunned viewers when it ended with Eve bleeding on the ground after being shot by Villanelle Killing Eve's second series stunned viewers when it ended with Eve bleeding on the ground after being shot by Villanelle. The pair had plotted to run away together after Villanelle admitted her feelings for the MI5 agent, and when she refused, she pulled out a gun and shot her in the chest. In the new series, Villanelle appears to be up to her old tricks again as she disguises herself as a clown, after previously transforming into a motorcycle cop, a professor, a New Yorker at therapy and a red light district sex worker. Intense: The pair had plotted to run away together after Villanelle admitted her feelings for the MI5 agent, and when she refused, she pulled out a gun and shot her in the chest Concept: Eve initially works for the UK's domestic counter-intelligence agency MI5, until she's fired and then rehired by the foreign intelligence agency MI6 Iconic: Eve becomes engaged in a dangerous game of cat and mouse during season one with Oksana Astankova, who goes by the code name Villanelle Other pictures show the two in more natural outfits. Jodie stuns as Villanelle in a lovely royal blue dress adorned with colorful floral patterns, while Eve wears her trusty olive jacket as she walks in the countryside. Eve initially works for the UK's domestic counter-intelligence agency MI5, until she's fired and then rehired by the foreign intelligence agency MI6. Her speciality and obsession is with assassins, and she becomes engaged in a dangerous game of cat and mouse during season one with Oksana Astankova, who goes by the code name Villanelle. Action-packed: After the events of season two, Villanelle is out of a job and believes her pursuer to be dead, while Eve is actually working a series of odd jobs to stay under the radar Could it be? Eve and Villanelle's their tangled affair may soon come to an end as it was reported Villanelle will marry a Spanish bride in the upcoming series After the events of season two, Villanelle is out of a job and believes her pursuer to be dead, while Eve is actually working a series of odd jobs to stay under the radar. But a death that's personal to both of them will set them on another potentially disastrous collision course. Throughout the course of the show Eve and Villanelle have played a game of cat and mouse, however their tangled affair may soon come to an end as it was reported Villanelle will marry a Spanish bride in the upcoming series. Villainous: Jodie posed while holding a knife to her lips in the trailer Afghans Cast Doubt On Key Aspect Of U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal As Trump Vows 'Immediate' Start To U.S. Pullout By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan March 01, 2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has questioned a key precondition for Afghan government negotiations with the Taliban laid out in a U.S.-Taliban deal aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Ghani reportedly told a news briefing in the capital, Kabul, early on March 1 that his government has made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, as set out in the February 29 agreement. "There is no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners," Ghani said, according to AFP, adding, "This is the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan. It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks." The "agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan" commits to the release of "up to five thousand" Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government and "up to one thousand...prisoners of the other side will be released by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations." Pursuit of a lasting peace -- which is heavily conditioned on guarantees that Afghanistan won't be used to stage attacks on the United States or its allies -- could face considerable obstacles as Washington tries to shift the burden of peacemaking to the warring Afghan sides with Ghani's government facing its own challenges following his disputed reelection victory. The long-awaited road map to peace was signed by the leader of the political wing of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Washington's chief negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, in the Qatari capital, Doha. In it, the United States commits in the deal 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." At his press conference, Ghani expressed hope that a seven-day partial truce that helped finalize the U.S.-Taliban agreement would continue until a more permanent deal was reached. "The reduction in violence will continue with a goal to reach a full cease-fire," Ghani said, according to AFP. U.S. President Donald Trump said on February 29 that American troops would "immediately" begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan. "Today. They will start immediately," Trump told reporters when asked when the soldiers would start to leave. "No one should be criticizing this deal, after 19 years," Trump said, adding that he will "be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-so-distant future," without specifying. The agreement 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 -- which it so far has refused to do. According to a joint declaration published by the U.S. and Afghan governments, the United States and NATO would withdraw all troops in Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban upholds the commitments made in the agreement. The U.S. military has some 13,000 troops in Afghanistan and plans to immediately cut the level to 8,600, leading up to a potential final pullout in 2021. Trump told a conservative political conference in suburban Maryland that if the Taliban lives up to its commitments, the war will "be over." "We can't be the policeman for the world," said Trump, who has often vowed to halt America's involvement in "endless wars" around the world. John Bolton, Trump's hawkish former national-security adviser, wrote on Twitter that "signing this agreement with Taliban is an unacceptable risk to America's civilian population." "This is an Obama-style deal. Legitimizing Taliban sends the wrong signal to [Islamic State] and Al-Qaeda terrorists, and to America's enemies generally," he said, referring to former President Barack Obama, Trump's predecessor. Republican U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney under George W. Bush, also ripped the deal, saying the U.S. administration must explain how it will verify Taliban compliance. "Today's agreement with the Taliban includes concessions that could threaten the security of the United States," she said. Many experts have also said that eventual talks, if they occur, between Afghan government officials and the Taliban could prove to be troublesome. Many in Kabul have rejected talks with the extremist group, expressing doubts about its sincerity and ability to control its fighters. Trump, however, said he was optimistic that such talks will be successful, saying "everyone is tired of war." "The other side's tired of war. Everybody is tired of war -- a particularly long and gruesome one," he said. "We've had tremendous success in Afghanistan, in the killing of terrorists, but it's time, after all these years, to go and to bring our people back home." Meanwhile, chief Taliban negotiator Abbas Stanikzai said, "There is no doubt we have won the war.... This [is] why they are signing a peace treaty." Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib told Afghanistan's Tolo TV channel that the government had made no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners by March 10. Mohib also questioned the deal's seeming absence of specifics on Taliban ties to neighboring Pakistan, which Kabul has accused of interfering and even of harboring militants who conduct cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. Ghani and his main political rival who disputed his reelection in a September presidential vote, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, reportedly still must agree on the composition of the Afghan government's negotiating team for any peace talks with the Taliban. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, The New York Times, and the BBC Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us -troops-to-begin-leaving-afghanistan- immediately/30462190.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address AGOURA HILLS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Perhaps predictably, since it became an official "Dr. Phil"-preferred facility, the Awakenings Treatment Center has greatly broadened its outreach to those in need of its vital services. "Since we've been on the "Dr. Phil' show, the calls and admissions from all over the country have picked up significantly," said Dr. Shari Corbitt, founder and CEO of Awakenings Treatment Center, an intensive outpatient care facility that treats people with addictions, eating disorders, chronic pain and other interrelated conditions. "With Dr. Phil recommending us on his show, it's bringing greater awareness in general to the neuroscientific treatment that's available for addiction, chronic pain, autism, PTSD and other issues," Corbitt said. "His endorsement of Awakenings Treatment Center is such an incredible boost, to those people struggling out there in their deep need and to us, who are here to help them." Through the "Dr. Phil" affiliation, Corbitt said, "we've been able to help people in the middle of Idaho and in Maryland and in south Florida, just to name a few, who more than likely would not have found us otherwise." Goals in Alignment The paths of Awakenings Treatment Center and Dr. Phillip McGraw, the noted TV personality and author, crossed thanks to Dr. Deena Manion. A longtime on-air contributor to McGraw's popular "Dr. Phil" TV talk show, Manion joined the staff of Awakenings Treatment Center last year as its clinical coordinator and began mentioning the Agoura Hills facility and its landmark work on the air with Dr. Phil. In addition, the "Dr. Phil" website lists Awakenings among its preferred facilities, on its treatment resources page. Beyond the notoriety associated with "Dr. Phil," McGraw's knowledge and compassion make Corbitt most appreciative of his support. "Dr. Phil ensures that the right person gets to the right facility, so he's highly strategic in his referral choices," she said. Corbitt also credits Manion for her efforts: "Dr. Deena's critical expertise combined with her presence here and on the show is fundamentally what allows us to partner with Dr. Phil, so we're all working together toward the same goal," Corbitt said. "For all these things, we are so grateful." Awakenings Treatment Center is among the premier addiction treatment centers in Southern California, offering a holistic approach to healing that includes alternative therapies such as breathwork, meditation and mindfulness as well as the latest in neurofeedback, Alpha-Stim and movement therapy. A 13,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, it wends through a full floor of a spacious office building, in a labyrinth of warm, soothing treatment rooms that are individualized to aid each client's needs and path to healing. Awakenings Treatment Center is located at 28720 Roadside Drive, Suite 200, in Agoura Hills. For information on admissions, call 855-717-3268 or visit awakeningstreatment.com/admissions. SOURCE: Awakenings Treatment Center View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578267/More-People-Are-Finding-Awakenings-Treatment-Center-Thanks-to-Dr-Phil Education Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu. Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu. Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events: International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu. EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu. Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets June Homecoming: Participant $18 per person; Sustainer $25 per person; Benefactor $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary. The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events: SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available for information call 610-275-1960 Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above) SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m. Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. 4 p.m. computers are available during those hours. Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863. Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376. Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com. The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes: Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020. CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313. The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events: Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m. Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m. Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m. Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30. Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301. For Kids & Families The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443. Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950. Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required. The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950. Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus. Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage. Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun. Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train. Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world! Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class. Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org. Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583. Community Events at the Ambler Y: -YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register. Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org. Health Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot. The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net. The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863. The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information. Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245. Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net. Spring Aquatic Programs UDHS Pool: -Summer is just around the corner Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required. Shallow Water Aerobics Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR. Adult Swim Instructions Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR -Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21. -Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m. -Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons. -Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates. Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994. SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com. Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org. Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs: FITNESS CLASSES Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month. Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30 9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly. SUPPORT GROUPS Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000. Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30 7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047. New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. 12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30 4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931. Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325. Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes. Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com. Librarytalk Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744 www.upperdublinlibrary.org APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS: Storytimes: Please register in the library. o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m. o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m. o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6. APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS: North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS: NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org. One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register contact info above. Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744. o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register. Meetings: Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m. Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m. Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org. For children and teens at Blue Bell: * Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian. * Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages. * Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m. * May 14 Despicable Me * June 11 Alpha and Omega * Special Events * April watch for date of spring/Easter events * April 14 at 4:30 p.m. Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children. * April 14 at 7 p.m. Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided. * April 16 at 1 p.m. Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King. * April 16 at 1:30 p.m. Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes? * April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button. * April 30 through May 3 Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults. * May sign up for Science in the Summer * June sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children * June sign up for Summer Reading, all ages For adults at Blue Bell: * Daytime Book Discussion Group fourth Tuesday, Jan April at 1:30 p.m. * April 26 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester * Night-time Book Discussion Group third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. o April 19 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester * Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked? *Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs * Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class. * Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class. * Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m. * Giant Book Sale, April 29 May 3 o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults! o Held during library hours. o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m. o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join. * Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series o May 11 at 1 p.m. Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society * Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room. * Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read. * Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome. * Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome. *Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older. * Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours * Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours * Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday! Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library. * Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian. * Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages. * Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages. * For adults: * Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn. * Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net * Special Events: * April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. * April 19 at 7 p.m. Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m. * April 21 at 7 p.m. Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades. *May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time. *May 10 Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m. *May 12 at 1:30p.m. Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. *May 17 Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m. *June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time. Meetings and Lectures The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833. The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313. Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200. The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/. LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings. Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment. The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org. Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org. The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org) -Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them. The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter. For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps. Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin. Special Events The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County. The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065. Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org. The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org. The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members. Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex. The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com. The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348. The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org. Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163. The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu. The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com. The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net. Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd. The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages. 13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries. Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler. The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family. The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler. JPRN Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike. Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies. Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately. Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways. Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table. Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443. Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374 Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall: -Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store. Music and Theater The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html. Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free. The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org Religious News The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276. Reunions St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net. Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572. Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779. Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411. Support New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149. PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931. The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296. Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656. Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group every other Wednesday, 7 8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information. CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7 8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday informed that two new cases of COVID-19 have been reported, one each in Delhi and Telangana, taking the total number of positive cases in India to five. "Two positive cases of COVID-19 in Delhi and Telangana. Their travel history is from Italy and Dubai. Total positive cases in India till now is five," Dr Harsh Vardhan told media here. "We are already prepared in advance and are closely monitoring other countries. We are also discussing if we have to revise any of our decisions, amplify it or focus in any particular direction," the Health Minister added. He stated that as the situation develops, the travel restrictions may be further extended to other countries also. "Screening of passengers is being conducted at 21 airports, 12 major seaports, and 65 minor seaports. As many as 5,57,431 passengers have been screened so far at airports and 12,431 passengers have been screened on minor and major seaports," the Union Minister informed. Under the travel advisory, the existing visas including e-visas will remain suspended for China and Iran, the Health Minister said. "We advise Indians to avoid non-essential travel to China, Iran, Korea, Singapore, and Italy," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Louis Browne / Contributed photo The Soul Rebels are headed to Connecticut with music from their new album, Poetry in Motion. The band will perform at Hartfords Infinity Music Hall Wednesday, March 11, and at Fairfield Theatre Companys StageOne Thursday, March 12. These guys get right to the heart of New Orleans music, playing ferocious funk and second-line grooves that will lift you out of your seat, Fairfield Theatre Company says. Possessing that rare combination of serious chops, impeccable stagecraft and down-home soul, theyve confirmed their position as one of the most explosive live acts on the scene. Trying to stem the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Iran on Monday held an online-only briefing by its Foreign Ministry as Britain began evacuating nonessential staff and families from the country which has the highest death toll from the virus outside of China. Iran has reported 978 confirmed cases of the new virus with 54 deaths from the illness it causes, called COVID-19. Across the wider Mideast, there are over 1,150 cases of the new coronavirus, the majority of which are linked back to Iran. Experts worry Iran's percentage of deaths to infections, around 5.5 per cent, is much higher than other countries, suggesting the number of infections in Iran may be much higher than current figures show. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi opened the online conference addressing the outbreak, dismissing an offer of help for Iran by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iran and the US have seen some of the worst tensions since its 1979 Islamic Revolution in recent months, culminating in the American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and a subsequent Iranian ballistic missile counterattack against US forces. "We neither count on such help nor are we ready to accept verbal help," Mousavi said. He added Iran has always been "suspicious" about America's intentions and accused the US government of trying to weaken Iranians' spirits over the outbreak. The British Embassy meanwhile has begun evacuations over the virus. Essential staff needed to continue critical work will remain, the British Foreign Office said. In the event that the situation deteriorates further, the ability of the British Embassy to provide assistance to British nationals from within Iran may be limited, it said. While Iran has closed schools and universities to stop the spread of the virus, major Shiite shrines have remained open despite civilian authorities calling for them to be closed. The holy cities of Mashhad and Qom in particular, both home to shrines, have been hard-hit by the virus. Shiites often touch and kiss shrines as a sign of their faith. Authorities have been cleaning the shrines with disinfectants. Police have arrested one man who posted a video showing himself licking the metal enclosing the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, the most-important Shiite saint buried in the country, according to reports by semiofficial agencies. In the video, the man said he licked the metal to allow others to visit the shrine with peace of mind. Meanwhile Monday, the virus outbreak saw itself dragged into the yearslong boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations over a political dispute. A prominent columnist at Dubai's government-owned Al-Bayan newspaper on Twitter falsely described the virus as being a plot by Qatar to hurt the upcoming Expo 2020 world's fair in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Noura al-Moteari later described the tweet as satire" to The Associated Press after it gained widespread attention. The Dubai Media Office similarly described the tweet as being written in a cynical style while distancing the Arabic-language daily from al-Moteari. Noura is a freelance writer and is not an employee of Al-Bayan nor does she represent the publication's views, it told the AP. "That being said, this has no relevance to any social media policy being practised by the publication nor the state." The tweet comes after Qatar expressed disappointment Sunday that nearly all of its Gulf neighbours snubbed invitations to attend the weekend peace signing ceremony between the US and the Taliban. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the ongoing Mahadeyi river dispute between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Goa Assembly's leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat on Monday slammed Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led State government and explained that the Supreme Court's order in the conflict is another fall back for Goa due to blunders of the BJP government in Goa. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Kamat called the SC decision to allow Karnataka to carry out the work as permitted by the Centre to be a big blow to Goa. The @goacm statement makes it clear that the Supreme Court has not stayed the implementation of Mhadei Tribunal Award & infact allowed Karnataka to carry out works as per permissions given by Central Government. Another blow to Goa due to blunders of @BJP4Goa Govt. #MhadeiJagor Digambar Kamat (@digambarkamat) March 2, 2020 READ | Mahadayi dispute: Digambar Kamat lashes out at Goa CM for leaving the state 'high & dry' He also spoke about how the Opposition in Goa raised strong objections to the permissions granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to Karnataka for the Kalasa Bhandura Project. "Unfortunately the State government tried to ridicule our concerns and downplayed the serious apprehensions raised by us. Today, the Supreme Court has in a way endorsed our fear about Karnataka starting the work on diversion of water from Mahadeyi," the statement said. "The Central government has already granted permissions to Karnataka and it will hardly take any time for them to prepare DPR and get it approved as the Central Government is in connivance with the Karnataka government," it added. READ | Congress leader Digambar Kamat slams Goa CM over Mhadei, says 'Govt should act sensibly' Goa CM Sawant issues clarification on Supreme Court's order Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Monday took to his official Twitter handle and spoke about Supreme Court's clarification on not allowing Karnataka to start work on the project. Sawant's tweet read as, "On an application for appropriate orders made by the State of Goa, the Hon'ble Supreme Court clarifies that the interim order dated 17/4/2014 continues to be in operation and no work can be started by Karnataka in implementation of the award without all permissions from central government and without preparing a detailed project report (DPR)." READ | Mhadei river conflict: Centre issues notification seeks to implement tribunal's decision READ | Mahadayi Dispute: Goa govt files an application in SC seeking stay over the final award (With ANI inputs) President Donald Trump is continuing his role as commentator in chief of the Democratic presidential contest and was quick to react to word that Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of the race. As Trump sees it, all of the votes that Buttigieg was going to get on Super Tuesday are now going to go to former Vice President Joe Biden. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play, Trump wrote. NO NOMINATION, AGAIN! Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play - NO NOMINATION, AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the idea that Buttigiegs exit from the race will directly benefit Biden seems like conventional wisdom, polls tell a more complicated story. A recent Morning Consult poll showed that Buttigiegs supporters are pretty divided and their top second choice is none other than Sen. Bernie Sanders. Twenty-one percent of Buttigiegs supporters described the senator from Vermont as their second choice. Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are tied for a close second place with 19 percent, and Michael Bloomberg isnt far behind with 17 percent. A Quinnipiac* national poll from last month also shows that there may not be such a clear straight line from Buttigieg to Biden, with the obvious caveat that lots has likely changed since Feb. 10. In that poll, the top second choice for Buttigiegs supporters was divided between Warren and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, each with 26 percent, followed by Biden with 19 percent, and Sanders, 11 percent. Advertisement Advertisement According to FiveThirtyEight, though, Buttigiegs decision to drop out hurts Sanders because it decreases his chances of winning a majority of pledged delegates, and there is now a greater chance that no candidate will get a majority. Sanders chances of getting more delegates than the other candidates decreased while Bidens chances increased slightly. How does a candidate dropping out increase the chances that no candidate will get a majority of delegates? FiveThirtyEight explains: Advertisement The key is in how the Democrats delegate math works. The rules require candidates to receive at least 15 percent of the vote, typically, to win delegates statewide or at the district-level. Buttigieg was projected to get under 15 percent in the vast majority of states and districts on Super Tuesday. Thus, his votes were essentially wasted. Redistributing his votes to other candidates will help them to meet the 15 percent threshold, however. In particular, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg were both close to the 15 percent line in many states or districts. So even an extra percentage point or two would help them get over that line in more places. For instance, both Bloomberg and Warren were projected to finish with an average of 14 percent of the vote in California before Buttigiegs dropout. Now, theyre forecasted for 16 percent instead. Press Release March 2, 2020 Dispatch from Crame No. 727: Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Statement on the Passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill 3/2/20 Last week, my colleagues voted to approve on third reading the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. Had I been there, I would have voted against it. Here's why. We have a government that is more intent in suppressing dissent than protecting our people. I am against terrorism. It is an evil that all of us should oppose with all our might. But vile as it is, there is simply a line that we should not cross. The fight against terrorism should not lead us to grant the government the power to abuse our human rights and civil liberties. Our weapon against terrorists cannot be a weapon against our citizens. We are now serving under an administration where extrajudicial killings has become the norm, when the only effort against corrupt public officials and law enforcers are limited to transferring them from one office to another, or having them avail of early retirement. We live in a time when prosecuting erring public officials are exceptions, rather than the rule; where policemen and senior prosecutors spend more time pursuing and prosecuting libel and imaginary sedition cases against the political opposition rather than address the injustice committed by corrupt soldiers and policemen. The word of the day is "lawfare". It is defined as the misuse of legal systems and principles against a perceived enemy, such as by damaging or delegitimizing them, tying up their time, or winning a public relations victory. The term is a portmanteau of the words "law" and "warfare". I, myself, am a victim of lawfare. Our tyrant-in-chief used the full weight of his office to force the prosecution of a case regardless of a clear absence of any credible proof of any crime involving me. And I am not the only victim of this injustice by lawfare. If this administration can use our present laws to focus our resources on persecuting dissent, what incentive is there to give our government stronger legal weapons to surveil, attack, and detain people for prolonged periods of time based on barely anything more than mere suspicion? If plain words from someone like 'Bikoy', who made a career out of lying, and from the heinous crime convicts turned witnesses against me, are enough for this government to sustain criminal cases, imagine the injustice they can cause under the pretense of the war against terrorism. The failure of our country's war against terrorism will not be due to the laws that we have in place. It will be due to the lack of true leadership from our commander-in-chief. It will be because the administration would rather send a battalion of policemen to arrest opposition leaders charged with libel rather than gather good and solid intelligence against terrorists. It will be caused by corrupt immigration and customs officials who are kept in the service in spite of clear evidence of their malfeasance. The war against terrorism requires unrelenting efforts not only to locate and neutralize terrorist elements but also to improve the lives of our countrymen who are living in poverty and as such are vulnerable to the influence of these malevolent forces. If this government is indeed sincere in the fight against terrorism, it must show that it is beyond petty politics and that it is capable of transcending party lines and redirect its attention to good governance. Then it will have earned the privilege of using a stronger and ultimately harsher law against terrorism. But at a time when the House of Representatives (HoR) can simply sit on the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise, inspite of clear public support behind it and of the absence of any wrongdoings, we might not have the government worthy of our people's trust. If ABS-CBN, powerful as it is, is in the receiving end of government injustice, how much more will our people suffer with a law like the proposed anti-terrorism measure? Sa halos apat na taon ng administrasyong ito, nakita natin kung paano baluktutin ang batas para lamang maniil ng mga Filipino. Bakit natin sila bibigyan ng sandata na gagamitin lamang nila laban sa oposisyon at hindi laban sa terorismo? An assurance from the Senate leadership that the Anti-Terrorism Bill won't be used to suppress dissent and disable or destroy critics and political or ideological enemies is not enough. So-called safeguards in a law won't matter to draconian implementors thereof. (Access the handwritten version of Dispatch from Crame No. 727, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_727) YEREVAN. A Yerevan court of first has denied the motion by the attorney of Karen Khachatryanthe nephew of Armenias State Revenue Committee (SRC) former chairman and ex-Minister of Finance Gagik Khachatryanto release his client on bail. Khachatryan's legal defender Amram Makinyan told about this to Armenian News-NEWS.am. The Court of Appeal had overturned a Yerevan court of first decision to release defendant Karen Khachatryan on a 20mn dram bail. Makinyan stressed that such a decision was expected for him. "One should be at least naive not to realize that the decision will be made in favor of the body conducting the criminal proceedings." Karen Khachatryan was the head of the SRC Department of Homeland Security, and he is accused of committing a large amount of misuse of funds. His uncle, Gagik Khachatryan, is also charged in this criminal case. The motion to commute his current pretrial measure of arrest is currently being considered in court. Barnard College student Malika Jones, 22, was arrested on February 16 and charged with first-degree murder for allegedly fatally stabbing her mother A 22-year-old Barnard College student living at home has been arrested for allegedly fatally stabbing her mother in the chest with a kitchen knife in an argument over her returning to school. Malika Jones was arrested on February 16 and charged with first-degree murder. Police discovered her mother Inell Jones, 57, dead with a stab wound to the upper left chest in the kitchen of their Rahway, New Jersey home after they got into an escalated argument. Jones was on academic leave from Barnard since last spring and was taking classes at Borough of Manhattan Community College. The two had gotten into fights multiple times a day over whether Jones should return to school, according to court records. This is the second tragedy to strike Barnard College after 18-year-old student Tessa Majors was fatally stabbed in Morningside Park near campus in December. Malika Jones had gotten into an argument with her mother Inell Jones, 57, that turned physical. The two reportedly repeatedly fought over when she'd return to Barnard Police say she knifed her mother in the chest during the the February 16 incident. Cops arrived to the home around 3pm and her mother was pronounced dead at 3.28pm. Jones pictured center with a Barnard College alumna and a former Barnard dean of admissions in 2017 The incident took place at Malika Jones' Rahway, New Jersey home around 3pm February 16 During her academic leave Jones was living in the Rahway home where she was raised, mostly by her mother, a hair stylist, after her parents divorced. Tenant George Mars, 72, who lived in the home told police he heard the mother and daughter fighting on February 16 starting at 7am, according to the prosecutor's affidavit. The 7am argument was about her 'living situation and going back to school' and a second argument ensued around 3pm. He said he heard what sounded like dishes breaking in the kitchen. About 20 minutes later Malika came to him yelling, 'She tried to hurt me.' He came into the kitchen, found Inell's body on the ground and helped calm Jones down to call police. Jones called police shortly after 3pm and told the 911 operator that her mother 'tried to hurt her', according to court documents released by the Union County Prosecutor's office. Her mother was pronounced dead at 3.28pm. A 'large common kitchen knife' was found near the body. Jones said 'that it was an accident', according to court records. Jones suffered a superficial cut on her wrist, according to the affidavit. She is being held in Union County Jail. Her lawyers claim she acted in self defense. 'It is our collective belief that once the facts are revealed, it will show that Malika Jones was in fact defending herself at the time of this tragic incident,' her attorneys with Hunt, Hamlin and Ridley said in a statement to DailyMail.com. This is the second tragedy to strike Barnard College after 18-year-old student Tessa Majors was fatally stabbed in Morningside Park near campus in December. Barnard's campus on the Upper West Side in Manhattan pictured above 'She has no history of violence and has been a model citizen, daughter and friend.' Her lawyers said: 'Unfortunately, Ms. Jones was raised in a physically and mentally abusive environment which formed the backdrop to this incident.' It's not clear why she was on leave from Barnard in the first place, a prestigious all-women college that is a part of Columbia University. Jones had graduated from the private school Gill St. Bernard's in Gladstone and got into Barnard early decision. News of the stabbing has shocked Jones' community. A Manhattan mother on Facebook said Monday that Jones was her go-to babysitter. On Instagram the trend #Justice4Malika has started. 'Malika is a beautiful, gentle, creative, hilarious, smart, thoughtful and kind person,' friend Phanesia Pharel posted. 'She is working to be a doctor. She is an amazing actress. She is one of the only people I met in college who have always been genuine and kind. I wouldnt have made it through the summer, through sophomore year or my junior fall without her.' 'He has so many people who love her including myself. My heart is shattered by this tragedy and I miss having her by my side,' another friend added. Tenderloin The Turk-Hyde Mini Park's new play structures and seating areas. | Photos: Carrie Sisto/Hoodline With the city's highest number of children per capita but limited outdoor space the Tenderloin is dependent on play spaces like the Turk-Hyde Mini-Park. Occupying 6,500 square feet at the corner of Turk and Hyde streets, the park caters to younger children, including those that attend preschool nearby. This afternoon, the park will reopen after a nine-month closure for renovations. New plastic and metal play structures have replaced the worn-out old set, which was made of copper and arsenic-treated wood. There's also a new shaded seating area for parents and caregivers. The Turk-Hyde Mini Park prior to its renovation. | Photo: Tenderloin Community Benefit District Major renovations of the Turk-Hyde Mini-Park and nearby Sgt. John Macaulay Park (at OFarrell and Larkin streets) have been in the works for several years. Because of the Tenderloin's high youth density and low median income, both were tagged as priorities for the 2012 Lets Play SF bond, which earmarked about $15.5 million to improve the worst of the citys playgrounds. Rec and Park partnered with the SF Parks Alliance to select 13 priority playgrounds, including the two in the Tenderloin, awarding the Turk-Hyde project $1 million from the 2012 bond funding and $700,000 from the office of former mayor Ed Lee. Sylvester Guard, Jr.'s mural overlooks the new playground equipment. A new mural by Sylvester Guard, Jr. was added to the wall overlooking the park at the end of 2019, thanks to a collaboration between the Tenderloin Community Benefit District and the building's owners, the Murphy family. UC Hastings Law, the Dolmen Property Group and the Handlery Foundation contributed funds towards the mural, which depicts flowers and hummingbirds. Guard said the mural doesnt have a title, because he prefers to let the viewer decide how to interpret his work. Guard, who has lived in the Tenderloin for 26 years, recently completed another mural at the Seneca Hotel, where he used to reside. He has installed murals across San Francisco, and says the Tenderloin deserves reflective and respectable art. Meanwhile, the $1.98 million renovation at Sgt. Macaulay Park, funded by Let's Play SF and the Trust for Public Land, is still underway. The park is also set to get new, safer equipment and improved seating, along with the removal of a few trees to create a more open play space in its center. Story continues As with the Turk-Hyde Mini Park, a building facing Macaulay Park now bears a mural of flowers, painted by San Francisco-based muralist Fnnch. Rec and Park did not respond to queries as to when the park will reopen. Work to revamp the Sgt. Macaulay Park playground is still underway. The formal ribbon cutting for the Turk-Hyde Mini Park is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. today and will feature remarks from Mayor London Breed, Tenderloin District station captain Carl Fabbri, District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, and representatives of several neighborhood groups. Kids' activities will include art making, collaborative coloring with a muralist, and a musical performance, city officials said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:31:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese health official on Monday urged residents returning from key and high-risk areas to voluntarily register with their community and undergo medical observation at home. Zhou Yuhui, an official with the National Health Commission, asked communities to strengthen health monitoring for people who are under home medical observation, urging them to go to the nearest medical institution for treatment if they develop a fever, cough or other respiratory symptoms. "Communities should continue to implement grid-based management in accordance with the community prevention and control work plan," he said. Zhou called on residents to cooperate with community workers, medical staff and other frontline workers, in order to win the battle against the novel coronavirus. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Emmy Fitri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 09:07 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067a67cd 3 Opinion travel,travelers,travel-ban,novel-coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus,#coronavirus,#Wuhan,Wuhan-coronavirus,opinions,Wuhan-coronavirus-Indonesia-zero-case,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia Free Our hearts go out to our Muslim brothers and sisters who are forced to delay their dreams of traveling to the Holy Land to perform the umrah (minor haj). Saudi Arabia has temporarily banned entry into the country for foreign pilgrims and tourists from countries considered at risk to the COVID-19 coronavirus. For many, a pilgrimage takes years of saving, long planning and absence from work. Those overcome hurdles are on top of the intangible emotional and spiritual anguish now caused by the delayed visits to the Holy Land. The decision by the Saudi government must be applauded. It must have been a difficult one to make and it is not as easy as banning travelers from one particular country from entering its territory. The announcement was likely made after there was a sudden increase of cases in Iran that led the World Health Organization to describe the infections as deeply disturbing. Only hours before the Saudi government decided to suspend incoming foreigners, WHO confirmed that for the first time the number of new daily COVID-19 infection cases outside of China had outnumbered those inside China. WHO cited cases in countries such as Iran, Italy and South Korea. No matter how rich the Saudis are, the decision will still sting the kingdoms economy. The pilgrimage industry is Saudi Arabias second most important source of revenue after oil and gas. During the annual haj season more than 2 million Muslims from various countries enter the holy city of Mecca before going on journeys to retrace the route of Prophet Muhammad. While it is heartbreaking to see the faces of hundreds of would-be pilgrims who are stranded in airports, uncertain of when they can resume their plans, the decision made by the Saudi government to ban incoming visitors, particularly from places where infection cases have been reported, has shown a rational approach to curbing the coronavirus. Any preventive efforts are always smarter than battling a virus that has already at large and infecting people even without being detected. Back to our own backyard: A few days before Saudi Arabias announcement on Thursday, Indonesias government announced something extraordinary sure to raise the hair on the back of your neck. Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto was widely quoted as saying the government is developing a strategy to address the impacts of the fast-spreading coronavirus, which has severely hit the countrys tourism sector. It has allocated Rp 10.3 trillion (US$719.4 million) for a stimulus package to be disbursed to, among others, airlines and travel agencies and to be used to provide incentives to foreign tourists. Amazingly, the stimulus will include Rp 72 billion for promotional purposes and a portion of the funds is to be used to recruit foreign influencers. Indonesia is not the only country in the world whose tourism and trade are affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and since experts dont know everything about the latest virus, we cannot keep boasting about having zero cases so far. There have been confirmed cases among individuals who had no contact or previous travel to places where there were infections. So in these times, is it even wise for the government (and other governments) to encourage people to travel the world in the name of saving revenue and profits from tourism? Isnt it too risky? Can the government or the tourism authority guarantee that tourists will not catch the virus? Also, is it even wise to spend state money on foreign influencers to woo visitors? Sunbathing on a pristine white sandy beach or chilling in a tea plantation house from the colonial era may sound tempting, but it is hardly on anyones bucket list at the moment. People would likely put traveling and holidaying on the bottom of their wish lists. Perhaps, in the mind of the countrys tourism authority, officials thought they could tap into potential profits by being a virus-free country able to offer weekend getaways. Instead of commissioning foreign influencers (really Indonesia?) and giving incentives to the already established airlines, hospitality companies and travel agents, the funds could go to finance outbreak-related preparedness, including making sure that Indonesia has more biosecurity laboratories, as part of the efforts to ensure this country has the ability and competence to produce vaccines. The list could really go on. On Jan. 30, WHO declared the outbreak an international public health emergency and has been urging countries to prepare screening, isolation wards and public education campaigns. As WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: The virus has pandemic potential. This is not a time for fear. This is a time for taking action to prevent infection and save lives now. This is not a time for raking in profits and risking lives. *** Freelance journalist Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. At least three people died in a wreck involving 80-100 vehicles Sunday on Interstate 80, while a second crash on I-80 involving at least 30-40 vehicles occurred around the same time, just miles away. The larger crash came amid winter conditions on westbound I-80 at milepost 184 near Creston Junction. Videos posted to social media depict a chain-reaction wreck involving cars, trucks and tractor-trailers on icy roads with poor visibility. Three people are known to have died from that crash, Sgt. Jeremy Beck of Wyoming Highway Patrol said Monday. Officials had previously said four people died, but the highway patrol, the primary agency dealing with the crashes, said the number was three as of Monday morning. Beck said there was some miscommunication regarding the number, which led to a delay in the patrol putting out its first official statement on the wrecks at 11:19 a.m. Monday. Of course that number could increase, Beck said of the fatalities, but thats the number (three) were being told. Any further details are pending next-of-kin notifications, Deputy Jason Mower, public relations officer at the Sweetwater County Sheriffs Office, said in a statement to the Star-Tribune in which he corrected the number. Beck also clarified that the number of vehicles involved in the bigger crash was currently estimated at 80-100. However, the patrol did not yet have an exact count, and that number was likely to increase. The sergeant said he did not know whether a pileup of over 100 vehicles had ever happened on a Wyoming highway before. The second crash on eastbound I-80 happened around milepost 181 and involved 30-40 vehicles, Beck said. There were no known fatalities in the crash, but one person was left in critical condition, and at least seven were taken to the hospital. Most vehicles from that crash have been cleared to the side of the road. Officials were still working to clear the scene of the bigger pileup as of 10 a.m. Monday. Wyoming Highway Patrol said that roads were expected to reopen between noon and 4 p.m. Tuesday. The interstate remained closed eastbound from Evanston to Laramie and westbound from Cheyenne to Rawlins on Monday afternoon. Beck said around 4:30 p.m. Monday that the highway patrol didnt have any updated information on the wrecks. Troopers first were notified of the crashes around 3:39 p.m. Sunday, according to the highway patrol announcement. Other than the influence of weather, Beck was not able to provide specifics about what initially caused the crashes, as the agency continues to investigate them. The fact that two crashes of such significance happened at the same time is just a disaster, said Mower of the Sweetwater County Sheriffs Office. It required a huge response, he said. The wrecks prompted assistance from agencies throughout the region. Wyoming Highway Patrol called in help from around the I-80 corridor, Mower said. More than a dozen agencies responded to the scene: Sweetwater County Sheriffs Office; Sweetwater Medics; Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1; Castle Rock Ambulance; Carbon County Memorial Hospital; Wamsutter Fire Department; Carbon County Fire Department; and ambulances from Baggs, Green River, Wamsutter, Saratoga and Hanna. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., patients from the crash began arriving at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in Rawlins, according to Stephanie Hinkle, the hospitals marketing and communications director. There were 30 people taken to the emergency room, Hinkle said Monday morning. Two patients were admitted to the hospital. The 25-bed hospital set up a temporary holding area in the cafeteria to deal with all of the patients. Three additional doctors came in to assist the two emergency room physicians who were on duty at the time. We were completely full, Hinkle said. After patients were discharged, EMTs from the hospital drove them to area hotels. Our staff really went above and beyond to help those individuals, she said. A Department of Corrections spokesman said Monday morning that about a dozen people involved in the wreck were sheltering in the agencys Rawlins training center. A video posted to Facebook by David Cuarezma, a trucker out of Miami, shows wreckage from the crash, including footage of people trying to cut open mangled vehicles in an attempt to rescue others. Jordan Achs, public relations specialist at the Wyoming Department of Transportation, confirmed that the video was from Sundays crash. Cuarezma later shared a longer video on YouTube, during which his truck gets hit and the sound of other crashes can be heard in the distance. (Warning: This video contains explicit language.) Achs said around 9:30 a.m. Monday it would still be several more hours before the wreckage would all be cleared. She said the Department of Transportation was primarily focused on clearing the roads so that wreckers could get through to clean up. Visibility was a significant concern Sunday, Achs said, and that remained the case Monday morning as snow continued to blow. WYDOT confirmed in a social media post that a multi-vehicle wreck had occurred on Interstate 80 amid winter conditions on Sunday but did not describe the circumstances of the wreck. The department shared a media outlets story that included a photo of the wreck from afar, which was posted to Facebook. Additionally, a WYDOT plow was rear-ended Sunday by a semitruck driving eastbound on I-80 near Elk Mountain. There were no injuries, according to a social media post from the department. It was the 10th plow hit in District 1 this winter. I-80 closed Sunday night around 7 p.m. between Rock Springs and Wamsutter. At the time, it was expected to remain closed for 14 to 16 hours, WYDOT said. Star-Tribune staff writer Shane Sanderson contributed to this report. Love 1 Funny 4 Wow 6 Sad 47 Angry 26 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. Brandon Foster Managing editor Brandon Foster is the Star-Tribune's managing editor. He joined the Star-Tribune in 2016 as the University of Wyoming sports reporter after graduating from the University of Missouri and covering Mizzou athletics for two years. Follow Brandon Foster 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 C limate activists have taken action against Barclays high street branches across the country over the bank's support for fossil fuels. Campaigners from Greenpeace said they had shut down almost one hundred branches on Monday morning, by disabling doors to prevent staff from entering. They argued Barclays was one of the the biggest funders of fossil fuels in Europe - and demanded it to fund renewable energy instead. Images of Barclays customers bearing slogans such as "stop funding fossil fuels" were plastered on windows, and pop-up exhibitions showing climate-related disasters went up in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Manchester. Slogans were plastered in front of Barclays customers / PA Near the Castle Place branch in Belfast, Richard George, head of oil for Greenpeace, said: "Barclays is the biggest funder for the fossil fuel industry for the whole of Europe and the UK. "We're here to send a message that they need to move their money out of fossil fuels and start supporting real climate change solutions instead." Morten Thaysen, climate finance campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: "Barclays must stop funding the climate emergency, that's why we've taken action today. "From floods to bushfires and record heat in Antarctica, the impacts of this crisis are staring us in the face." A pop-up exhibition showed the impact of fossil fuels on climate change / PA He added: "Banks are just as responsible for the climate emergency as the fossil fuel companies they fund, yet they've escaped scrutiny for years. "We've shut down branches across the country to shine a spotlight on Barclays' role in bankrolling this emergency. JUNEAU, Alaska - The chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court recused himself Monday from hearing a case involving an effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Chief Justice Joel Bolger, in a written notice, said he has no personal bias or prejudice against the parties or attorneys involved in the case. But he said in his role as the administrative leader of the state court system and with the Alaska Judicial Council he made public statements that could suggest a strong disagreement with the governors conduct on some very fundamental issues affecting the judicial branch, conduct that forms part of the basis for the recall petition under consideration. In other words, this is a case where a reasonable person might question whether my judgment is affected by my overriding public responsibilities to the justice system, Bolger said in recusing himself. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments later this month. It allowed recall supporters to begin a second signature-gathering phase while it weighs an appeal. The Recall Dunleavy campaign, among its claims, said the governor violated the law by not appointing a judge within a required time frame and improperly used his veto authority to attack the judiciary. Bolger last year defended the judicial councils process for vetting and nominating candidates for judgeships after Dunleavy initially refused to fill a superior court seat. After the two met, Dunleavy said Bolger provided important clarification on the nominations process that he had been seeking when he delayed the second appointment. Dunleavy then filled the seat. In December, Bolger raised concerns with a $334,700 cut Dunleavy proposed to the appellate court budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Bolger said the judicial branch should be allowed to prepare its own budget request. Dunleavy later submitted an amendment seeking to restore the funding. Dunleavy vetoed that same amount from the current budget. The administration said it was commensurate to state funding for abortions. The state Supreme Court last year struck down as unconstitutional a state law and regulation seeking to define what constitutes medically necessary abortions for Medicaid funding. Stand Tall With Mike, a group opposing the recall, last month referred to Bolger as a material witness in the case. The group dropped its appeal, saying further participation in the legal process would not be a productive use of its resources. Mara Rabinowitz, who is with the court system, has said the group did not file a motion seeking Bolgers recusal before withdrawing its appeal. The Department of Law, on behalf of the Division of Elections, had joined Stand Tall With Mike in appealing a lower court ruling that found the recall should be allowed to proceed. The states appeal has continued. Maria Bahr, a spokeswoman for the Department of Law, said the department respects Bolgers decision. US Army Spc. Chauncey Ikaika Akau does routine maintenance on an AH-64D Apache attack helicopter at Exercise Cobra Gold 2020 in Thailand, February 26, 2020. US Army/Staff Sgt. Dhruv Gopinath Thousands of US soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are in Thailand this month for the latest edition of Exercise Cobra Gold. Among those present are the US soldiers tasked with keeping the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter flying. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. PHITSANULOK, Kingdom of Thailand US Army Spc. Chauncey Ikaika Akau lies on the ground beneath the fuselage of an AH-64D Apache Longbow to check for any leaks. Both Akau and the helicopter he's working on are with 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment stationed at Wheeler Army Airfield Hawaii. He crawls out from under the aircraft to continue with the rest of his pre-flight maintenance checks before it takes off for a mission during Exercise Cobra Gold 2020, February 26. "My main purpose and goal is to make sure these Apaches are full-fit operational to support the other units throughout the exercise," Akau explains. Over four thousand American service members from the US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, and US Air Force are participating in exercise Cobra Gold alongside troops of six other partner nations. Army Apache helicopter Cobra Gold US Army/Staff Sgt. Dhruv Gopinath "I enjoy that these helicopters can support my brothers on the ground, the infantry as well as provide support to other aviation platforms like the Blackhawk and the Chinook," he says. When he first enlisted in the US Army, Akau, a native of Waimanalo, Hawaii, relied on Apaches like the ones he currently services as a 15R attack helicopter repairer. Army Apache helicopter Cobra Gold US Army/Staff Sgt. Dhruv Gopinath "I joined as an infantryman and went to Fort Campbell," Akau said. "Then, I decided to join aviation. I decided to become a 15R, and a year later, I got stationed back in Hawaii, back to where I'm originally from." The relationship between Akau and his fellow maintainers is critical in the high-pressure world of aircraft maintenance. Army Apache helicopter Cobra Gold US Army/Staff Sgt. Dhruv Gopinath Story continues "We're a really tight crew," he says. "We do a really good job of maintaining the aircraft. It's important to move fast, but to also be meticulous." Akau's participation in Cobra Gold is his first time serving overseas and he wants to make sure that he makes the most of the opportunity. Army Apache helicopter Cobra Gold US Army/Staff Sgt. Dhruv Gopinath "As a specialist, what I want to take away from the exercise is being able to better project maintenance," he says. "I want us to know the aircraft well, so we can be completely confident in our work and can be more effective." No matter where his job may take him, Akau knows the best part of the job is seeing the crews return from a successful mission on an aircraft he maintains. "When they come back we're always happy to see each other," he said. "Making these birds come back home and bringing the pilots back safely is the most rewarding part of this job." Read the original article on Business Insider I would like to start by saying that I wish Sheriff Gary Painter was still here, and we were not having to go through this process. Gary was my neighbor, and I consider him a dear friend. I believe Painter was a good Christian man. No matter whom we elect, none of us will be Gary Painter. Midland County is at a crossroads with the Sheriffs Office and this is our one opportunity to rebuild a troubled office that is stuck in the 1980s. I have 36 years of law enforcement experience -- have been chief executive officer in two police agencies, second in charge of a third and have graduated from the FBI National Academy. I am the only candidate that has graduated the FBI-National Academy and has a background in executive leadership that I have served in leadership roles for 20 years. I have more than 5,000 hours of specialized police training. I was awarded the Police Medal of Valor for Bravery, Police Chief of the Year and Police Officer of the Year twice. I have served each year of my profession with honor, pride, and integrity. I will expect no less from the men and women of the Midland County Sheriffs Office. I always say that I am a husband, father, grandfather and a resident of Midland Texas before I am a police officer. I say this because; I am a member of the community and have expectations of our law enforcement officers just like each of you. I feel that the goal of our Sheriffs Office should be to fairly serve and protect all of us. I also know the men and women that serve us need the support of an exceptional leader -- one who will work to make certain each of them will succeed in their careers and go home safely to their families at the end of each shift. I have the background to turn a troubled Sheriffs Office into a trusted, premier, gold-standard law enforcement agency that the community and the staff deserve. I am the only candidate that has never worked for Gary Painter or the Midland County Sheriffs Office. I would take office with fresh new ideas, an open mind, with the intent of listening to employees and residents alike. I plan to restructure the Sheriffs Office into a trusted and progressive 21st century law enforcement agency. We must stop the bleeding from inside the organization and get back to providing Midland County residents with the exceptional law enforcement services they deserve. I am committed to having a transparent relationship with the media, the public and employees. I will build relationships with the Commissioners Court, the District Attorneys Office, JP Courts and other law enforcement agencies. We must immediately update the policy and procedures manual, which was, last updated and written in 1985, while working to restore employee pride and morale to the Sheriffs Office. I assure you that I am not a perfect man. I will make mistakes along the way, but when there are mistakes, I will be transparent and inform the public, along with media, offering solutions to the issue, not excuses. The voters of Midland County have my word to continue to serve with honor, pride and integrity. I promise to remain approachable, humble and always to have the communitys best interest in mind when elected sheriff of Midland County. Being accountable to the public is my top priority. I would appreciate your vote on March 3. God Bless Midland, Texas! The most rapid increase in cases of acute hepatitis C between 2010 and 2017 was reported among young adults between the ages of 20 and 39 who injected drugs, according to the study. Rates increased especially among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and non-Hispanic white people. The risk of sexual transmission of the disease is low, but it increases for people who have multiple partners, who have a sexually transmitted disease or who are infected with H.I.V., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some people may not be aware of their risk or they may not want to disclose it to you, so the way to capture the most people is to screen everyone, said Dr. Douglas K. Owens, chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and a professor of medicine at Stanford University. It also helps reduce the stigma. Members of the task force are appointed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, but it operates independently from the department. The task force makes recommendations, based on evidence, about clinical preventive services. About 2.4 million Americans are living with hepatitis C. A major challenge for health officials is that hepatitis C complications develop over a period of years, and many people who have contracted it have no symptoms and do not know they are infected. The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly went paperless on Monday with the implementation of e-Vidhan, a project under the Digital India programme. A majority of the legislators were seen glued to the computer monitors provided to them in the House during the first day of the Budget session, taking lessons from experts on the new technology introduced for the first time in the state. With the implementation of the e-Vidhan project, MLAs can access every information regarding the Assembly, see the list of business and read questions and other documents pertaining to House proceedings through their laptops and tablet computers. Speaker Pasang Dorjee Sona appealed to the members to get trained on the new software to improve their efficiency. "It is an effort to honour Mother Nature by going paperless," the speaker said. Paperless Assembly or e-Assembly is a concept involving the use of electronic devices to facilitate House proceedings. It enables automation of the entire law-making process, tracking of decisions and documents and sharing of information. National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) aims to bring all the legislatures of the country on a single platform, creating a massive data depository. Though the cloud technology of NeVA, data can be accessed anywhere at any time, eliminating the process of sending out notices and requests for data-collection. Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is the 'nodal ministry' for the implementation of e-Vidhan in all the 31 states and Union Territories of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Natural News) A nursing home facility in Kirkland, Washington, located near Seattle, is facing what could be a new Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) outbreak cluster. Officials say that 52 people at the Life Care Center are displaying symptoms that align with infection, while two individuals have tested presumptive positive for the novel disease. Proving once again that delays by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have worsened the situation, these new potential cases, which represent nearly half of the entire care facility, serve as more evidence that community spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) has indeed arrived. The two presumptive positive cases of the disease include one staff member and one resident at the facility, the former being a woman in her 40s and the latter being a woman in her 70s, according to reports. During a recent press conference, Seattle and King County health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin indicated that the worker is currently in satisfactory condition, while the elderly residents status is serious. Because of a lack of CDC testing kits, the Life Care Center was unable to adequately determine the health status of its many residents and workers until recently, after the disease had already taken root within the facility. If we had the ability to test earlier, Im sure we would have identified patients earlier, Duchin stated without beating around the bush. Listen below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, gives an update about the current stated of this growing global pandemic: Washington state reports first death from novel coronavirus If this isnt bad enough, Washington state has now reported its first death from the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19). According to President Donald Trump, who continues to downplay the situation, the now-deceased individual was in his mid-50s and supposedly had high-risk medical concerns. Duchin told reporters that the man died overnight at the Evergreen Health Hospital, also located in Kirkland. As of this writing, the official number of Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) cases in Washington is six, based on presumptive testing. However, final testing and confirmation has to come from the CDC, hence the declaration of these cases being presumptive positives. Dont worry, says the government: Your risk of contracting coronavirus is low Even as community spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) here in the U.S. becomes a painful reality, health officials along with the Trump administration are still insistent that the general public has little to worry about, and that the risk of infection spread is low. The official claim is that only about 20 percent of people who contract the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) end up requiring hospitalization, while the other 80 percent are able to recover on their own. However, things get tricky when the elderly and immunocompromised are taken into account. Duchin says hes very concerned about an outbreak in this setting, referring to senior care facilities where elderly folks live in close contact with each other and their caregivers. This is serious and it could get worse, wrote one commenter at The Hill, adding that its better to be safe than sorry when it comes to preparedness. Theres nothing wrong with being vigilant and prepared. Chinas example is enough to worry anyone and its foolish to think that its hysteria or could never happen here. Trump gagged the epidemiologists, wrote another, joking about the Trump administrations continued denial that theres anything at all to worry about with this pandemic. Big Brother Pence from the Virus Information Ministry will report all Official Instructions. Any information that makes Trump look bad is fake news. Be sure to check out the all-new Pandemic.news for up-to-the-minute news about the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19). Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com TheHill.com NaturalNews.com Several kinds of research have been undertaken in the mainstream sciences to investigate the level of difficulties associated with the study of concepts in biology, chemistry, physics, computer studies and a host of others. What has been lacking in literature have been researches related to the social sciences and humanities on concept difficulties related to the study of such course. Funded by the World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence ( Lagos State University) and the Okebukola Science Foundation, a number of researches have been conducted on the science, with one in the humanities (public administration). In a study of 650 students from five African universities (University of Professional Studies Accra, University of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Crawford University( Igbesa) and the Lagos State University, results of groundbreaking research found that the most difficult concepts in the study of public administration is politics. Using mean ranks, the study suggests the following results; Table 1: Ranking of Difficult Concepts in the Study of Public Administration Table 1 - Mean rank analysis of difficult concepts in Public Administration (N = 650) S/N. Difficult concepts Mean Ranking B8 Politics 1.83 1st B1 Bureaucracy 1.81 2nd B7 Public Policy 1.77 3rd B6 Decentralization 1.74 4th B5 Governance 1.62 5th B9 Public Personnel Administration 1.58 6th B3 Corruption 1.49 7th Topic Arms of Government 1.48 8th B2 Ethics 1.42 9th B10 Defining Public Administration 1.39 10th Source: Indigenous (Cultural) Knowledge Related To the Concept of Politics as a Difficult Topic in Public Administration The table shows the ranking of the difficult concept in the study of Public Administration. The study shows that Politics with a mean of 1.83 is perceived the most difficult concept in the study of public administration. Public Policy, Decentralization, Governance, Public Personnel Administration, Corruption, Arms of Government, Ethics and Defining Public Administration followed in the order of difficulties in understanding by African university students studying public administration (Awaah, 20202). [KO1] The study suggests that, to make politics easy to understand, African university teachers should adopt the Cuturo-Techno- Conceptual Approach (Okebukola, 2015) in teaching the course. The study explained the approach as emphasizing on using examples and explanations that are related to the students cultural environment to aid understanding. For instance, the study argued that, politics is not new to Africans. Before the advent of western political systems, Africans had their indigenous ways of getting into political office; majorly through the clan and chieftaincy systems. In West Africa just as it pertained in many parts of Africa, ascending to the positions of a chief or head of a kingdom had criterion that one had to meet just as it is with qualifications for being elected in modern day political office. For instance, among the Gurune speaking people of northern Ghana, some key qualifications included being whole bodied, not of a questionable character, must have a wife, not impotent, must be from the royal clan, be of sound mind, and not leprous amongst others. If one did not meet any of these criteria, such a person would be disqualified from being enskinned a chief. This aspect of indigenous criteria for qualifications into chieftaincy can be likened to modern day vetting on pre-established criterion for getting into political office like being a citizen, clean police records, declaration of assets amongst others (Awaah, 2020). The paper further argues that, in modern day politics as taught in the classrooms, dispute is an integral part of the systems and such disputes take the wisdom of the courts to settle. This is not new to Africans. In time past, the elders and chiefs in Africa were repositories of traditional wisdom and would sit in the compounds of the chief to adjudicate matters relating to sub chiefs and other subjects. When the matter was higher than a given chief, the matter would be referred to the overlord of the given traditional area. It is common knowledge that, in matters pertaining to some tribes in the Upper East Region of Ghana, when disputes arose and the immediate chief of the locality lacked the jurisprudence to mediate the matter, the matter was sent to the Nayiri (overlord of Mampurrgu) for settlement. This practice is still prevalent with the Mole Dagbani group of Ghana (bid). The author further argues backs his script with narratives from oral tradition of one such dispute within the Dagbon kingdom - the people of Dagbon could not resolve the matter pertaining who became the next chief or overlord of Dagbon (Yaa Naa) within a given period. It was agreed before the Dagbon state that, the matter be referred to the Nayiri for settlement. This reflects the dispute settlement systems of modern-day politics when matters begin from lower to higher courts depending on the magnitude of the dispute. Of particular interest in this narration is that, when the Dagbon state agreed to refer the matter to the Nayiri, the youngest contender for the skin knowing he is the least advantaged in the race went to Nayiri ahead of the appointed date. He enquired of the Nayiri what name would be one appropriate and impressive for the next chief of Dagbon (Yaa- Naa). Oral traditions has it that, the Nayiri, not knowing his motive mention Nyo-u din galsi ni dei bobri transliterated as the chest that is big will get decorations. The phrase actually connotes the virtue of patience and unity as it really means one needs patience to get power or acclaim. Subsequently, the day for the real adjudication came and all contenders were seated before the Nayiri. Amongst another criterion, all contenders were asked to suggest their skin names, the youngest knowing the mindset of the Nayiri mentioned Nyo-u din galsi ni dei bobri. He has crowned the chief of Dagbon. Oral tradition has it that, he was one of the key chiefs in the history of Dagbon to bring developments into the area. Apart from settling the dispute, this further reflects the concept of modern-day lobbying as pertains in politics, for Naa Zangina would have missed out on the chieftaincy if he did not lobby the Nayirri. The full article is published in the book, Breaking Barriers to Learning: the Culturo-Techno-Conceptual Approach and would be available on Amazon for sale shortly. [KO1] Move to findings after method of data analysis Fred Awaah ............................................................................................. Published 2020: Indigenous (Cultural) Knowledge Related to the Concept of Politics as a Difficult Topic in Public Administration Under Review: Rating Lecturer Classroom Related Academically Corrupt Practices in Ghanaian Universities ............................................................................................. Lecturer - University of Professional Studies - Accra Visiting Fellow - UNESCO Institute of African Culture and International Understanding - Nigeria Visiting Fellow - Centre for Human Security - Abeokuta, Nigeria Member: Professor Peter Okebukola's Elite Research Team Member (former) - European Union's Tuning Africa Policy Advisory Group AAU/SIDA Scholar - Botho University, Botswana and Lesotho (2016) AAU/ ECOWAS Scholar - Crawford University - Nigeria (2015) Speaker - Millennium Campus Network at the UN, 2015 Panelist: Launch of the AU Agenda 2063 in Addis Ababa - May 2013 Secretary General ( former): All - Africa Students Union Springfield, Va. Its one of the few things Democratic voters in this area can agree on: As everyone says, we live in a bubble here, said Sandy Graves, one of the first supporters through the door to see Mike Bloomberg at an event in McLean on Saturday. Hours later, Dan Hale, a teacher in West Springfield, used almost identical language (without prompting) while waiting for Bernie Sanders. In Northern Virginia, I think weve always been a little bit of a bubble anyhow, he said. The Northern Virginia economy is, indeed, unlike anywhere else in the country, thanks to spending from across the river. The 2019 State of the Commonwealth Report found that federal spending directly accounts for a whopping 26.7% of Northern Virginias GDP. By comparison, just 4.2% of the U.S. GDP as a whole can be directly attributed to the DC spending. Senator Bernie Sanders rallied thousands of supporters in Springfield, Virginia less than 15 miles from Washington, DC, (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) As the report notes, we must deal with the stark reality that federal government spending provides fuel for the economic engine that drives the Commonwealth. Virginia is the largest swing state set to vote on Super Tuesday (March 3) and government spending is shaping the race in a range of ways that will likely determine who ends up on top. An economy unlike any other The symbiotic relationship between Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia has been very good for the states economy. In December 2019, Virginia's unemployment rate stood at just 2.6%, tied for sixth-lowest nationwide. Virginia's two direct neighbors, Maryland and West Virginia, ranked 26th and 48th, respectively. The statistics in Northern Virginia are even more impressive. Two of the counties closest to Washington, D.C. Arlington and Alexandria showed unemployment rates of just 1.6 and 1.8%. Virginia has become somewhat less reliant on the federal government over the last decade thanks to the growth in the private sector, but perhaps not as much as many Virginians think. More and more federal spending has taken the form of the government contracting a range of services out to nominally private businesses. It just looked and felt a lot like the private sector, says Jeannette Chapman, who runs an institute dedicated to analyzing the D.C. regions economy. However, when we have federal government shutdowns because of sequestration, it becomes very apparent that it wasn't entirely private sector. Story continues Former Vice President Joe Biden during a campaign event in Norfolk, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Perhaps nothing has shaped the local economy more than military spending from the Pentagon (which itself sits in Virginia). Its a symbiotic relationship, says Robert M. McNab, professor of economics and one of the lead authors of the State of the Commonwealth Report. If the federal government budget and especially the defense budget, increases, the Virginia economy tends to pick up steam. And the reverse is also true: the region takes a hit when spending drops. It leads to voters who view the decisions they make in those big white buildings over the river both through a political as well as an economic lens. As an employer, this area values consistency and predictability probably, more than anything beyond policy, says Chapman. A question of structural change vs. stability That question of predictability versus shaking up government came up again and again in conversations with voters ahead of the primary. Ylanda Hill works for the federal government and came out Saturday to learn more about Mike Bloomberg. The federal government can be a great place to work, but what we deal with is always a change in administration, she says. She doesnt support Bernie Sanders, because I think there needs to be a balance of government and everything else. Mike Bloomberg spoke at a "Women for Mike" event in McLean, Virginia. (Preston Ehrler / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images) Hill, like many in the Bloomberg crowd, prioritizes stability in government operations. Ted Graves, another supporter along with his wife Sandy, said he supports Bloomberg because I cant think of anyone thats more appropriate to take the politics out of government and focus on the systems that help people. There was plenty more openness in a crowd of Bernie Sanders supporters for the idea of shaking up the government. I think hes right that its a structural problem, said Valerie Leonard, following a speech by Sanders in Springfield. I totally believe its a fix, its phony capitalism and hes right to be a socialist. I think we can afford better. Leonard argued that Sanders wasnt going to shake up the region she lived in. Hes not talking about being anti-bureaucrat, the way the government works is with these wonderful government workers, she said. As he said, hes not against government. For his part, Sanders stayed on his message of shaking up government and the financial industry during his speech on Saturday. The military industrial complex is getting very worried that we may not continue spending more on the military than the next 11 nations combined, he said. The crowd, many of whom are part of that complex, let up a cheer. Ben Werschkul is a producer for Yahoo Finance in Washington, DC. Jessica Smith contributed reporting. Read more: Coronavirus and the 2020 elections: How the candidates are responding Every Democrat running for president is at least open to taxing stock trades Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. MANILA, Philippines The Department of Health on Monday (March 2) said that it is not yet keen on recommending the suspension of classes and prohibiting big public gatherings in the country. This is despite the moves of other countries suspending classes and banning big public gatherings to prevent further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several countries that were severely affected by the deadly disease, such as, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Kuwait, Japan, and the United Kingdom have already implemented class suspensions. The government of Saudi Arabia has also temporarily prohibited the entry to the country for the purposes of certain pilgrimages called umrah and visits to Mecca and other practices of the Muslim faith. In the Philippines, the Department of Tourisms promotion of the nationwide mall sale of the 2020 Philippine Shopping Festival was also put on hold until further notice. Well, kailangan, ano, i-monitor muna natin yong situation, no. Kasi mahirap madaliin yan kung hindi pa humuhupa yong sitwasyon, said DOT Undersecretary Benito Bengzon, Jr. The DOH, however, said its decision not to declare class suspension and the banning of big events is due to the fact that the country has still yet to record any case of local transmission of the COVID-19. The health department, nevertheless, advises the public to avoid crowded places, especially when they are not feeling well. We encourage our kababayans na iwasan muna sana kung maipagpapaliban ang mga big crowd events. So, kasama po iyon doon sa advisories. Hindi ho tayo makapag-issue ngayon ng imamandato talaga na bawal kasi wala ho tayong local transmission, said Asec. Maria Rosario Vergeire of the DOH Public Health Services Team. Vergeire added that the department will recommend class suspensions and banning of big events only when the COVID-19 situation in the country worsens. (from the report of Asher Cadapan, Jr.) /mbmf The post DOH, yet to recommend suspension of classes, banning of big public gatherings appeared first on UNTV News. Abu Dhabi-based Indian retail tycoon M A Yusuff Ali has become the first Indian to receive Saudi Arabia's premium residency, his office said in a statement on Monday. Yusuff Ali, 64, is the chairman of the LuLu Group, who was ranked the richest expat in the UAE by the Forbes magazine last year. The permit, informally known as Saudi Green Card, grants expatriates the right to live, work and own business and property in the Kingdom without need for a sponsor, the said in a statement. The introduction of the Premium Residency comes as a part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 reform plan, which was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to boost the Saudi economy, the statement said. Yusuff Ali said "obviously a very proud and humbling moment in my life. This is a great honour not only for me but for the entire Indian expat community and I sincerely thank the HM the King Salman, HRH Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and the government of " "@Yusuffali_MA , an investor from India, after obtaining Premium Residency in Saudi Arabia: 'The Kingdom became an attractive investment destination due to the remarkable growth in economy," Premium Residency tweeted on Monday. Yusuff Ali said he was sure that this new permanent residency initiative will further boost Saudi Arabia's image as one of the key investments and business hubs of the region as well as attract and retain new investors here. This initiative is targeting key investors and prominent personalities from various fields, including sports, arts & culture, who have played a defining role in the nation building process. The owns and operates more than 35 hypermarkets and supermarkets in Saudi Arabia, which includes ARAMCO Commissaries and Guards super stores. The bodys immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham, The Pirbright Institute and University College London, sheds fresh light on the immune systems ability to deal with co-infection. Fungal infections are major killers of patients with impaired immunity, such as AIDS patients or transplant recipients, but they usually occur alongside a secondary, viral infection. Although clinicians understand how the immune system responds to each of these types of pathogen, much less is known about what happens when both occur together. Typically, white blood cells will attack pathogens through a process called phagocytosis where a pathogen is engulfed by the white blood cell. In fungal infections, however, this process sometimes reverses ejecting the fungus back out of the white blood cell via a process called vomocytosis. In a new study, published in PLOS Pathogens, the researchers were able to show that this process of expulsion is rapidly accelerated when the white blood cell detects a virus. The team used advanced microscopy techniques to study live white blood cells exposed to two different types of virus, HIV, and measles, alongside the fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. This opportunistic pathogen is particularly deadly among HIV+ patients, where it causes around 200,000 deaths per year worldwide. The researchers found that, instead of becoming simply less able to deal with the fungus, the white blood cells began expelling the fungal cells much more rapidly. Lead author, Professor Robin May, Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham, explains: We found the macrophages ejected their prey the fungal cells much more quickly when the virus was present. This was very unexpected, but could be an attempt to free up those white blood cells to deal with the new viral invaders. Because the vomocytosis occurred with both viruses, the researchers concluded that the effect was likely to be a general response to viral co-infection. Professor Robin May adds: This is the first time that scientists have studied our immune systems response to fungal infection in the much more realistic setting of a secondary (viral) infection. We dont yet know whether this mechanism makes the white blood cells more or less effective in fighting off either infection. Although expelling the fungal cell will free up the macrophage to attack the virus, it also sets free the fungal cell to continue its spread through the body. Dr Dalan Bailey, head of the Viral Glycoproteins group at Pirbright, comments: This is another interesting example of transkingdom interactions between microbes, this time fungi and viruses. We are only beginning to understand the complexity of microbe interactions within the host, and this collaboration sheds new light on this exciting new area of research Investigating these processes in animal models will be the next step for the team, with a longer term goal of harnessing the mechanisms used to trigger the expulsion of fungi and use them to help clear these pathogens from the body. The research was funded by the European Research Council and the Darwin Trust. University of Birmingham administration informed the Supreme Court on Monday that Conference leader has been detained under the Public Safety Act considering his "past conduct" and possibility of such conduct being repeated on his release, which may "prejudice the public order". Terming Abdullah as "a very vocal critic" of abrogating Article 370, the J&K administration claimed that his acts squarely fell within the realm of public order as it was "calculated to disturb public peace and tranquility". The District Magistrate of Srinagar has said this in his reply filed on a plea by Sara Abdullah Pilot, who has challenged the detention of her brother under the provision of the Public Safety Act (PSA). The J&K administration has said that in the history of independent India the existence and continuance of Article 370 of the Constitution, which used to give special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, has "always remained a contentious and burning issue". "The detenu has been a very vocal critic of any possible abrogation of Article 370 prior to its abrogation on August 5, 2019. It is submitted that considering the very peculiar geo-political position of and Ladakh and its geographical proximity with Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the concept of 'public order' needs to be examined contextually," it said. It also said that Abdullah should have moved the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to avail his remedy before approaching the apex court. The matter came up for hearing on Monday before a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Indira Banerjee. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for J&K administration, told the bench about the reply filed by the district magistrate. The bench, which posted the matter for hearing on March 5, said the petitioner can file rejoinder, if any, to it. In its reply, J&K administration has said that detention of Abdullah was ordered under section 8 of the PSA after being satisfied that it is necessary to detain him with a view "to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order". It also dealt with submissions advanced in Pilot's plea which said that as Abdullah was already under detention since August 5 last year, there was no ground to come to a conclusion that he may act in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. "It is submitted that the said assertion is fallacious and ignores that the subjective satisfaction of the detaining authority, the grounds of detention and the dossier clearly indicate that there exists a live and proximate link in the events that occurred in the past, the activities of the detenu (Abdullah) and the possibility of such activities being prejudicial to maintenance of public order," it said. "In light of the above, the deponent states and submits that there was ample material and grounds to issue the impugned order of detention against the detenu considering the past conduct and the possibility of such conduct being repeated on release and thereby prejudicing the public order in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," it said. The reply further said, "It may not be out of place to mention that so far since 1990, 41,866 persons have lost their lives in 71,038 incidents throughout the erstwhile state of J&K. This includes 14,038 civilians, 5,292 personnel of security forces and 22,536 terrorists." It said that J&K High Court is seized of over 350 habeas corpus petitions and pleas challenging the detention orders. "It is further submitted that the high court is fully functional and has in fact quashed 68 detention orders since August 2019 while confirming 11 detention orders passed by the appropriate authority," it said, adding that the petitioner has failed to disclose the reason for not approaching the high court first. "It is submitted that entertaining one petition would open flood gates of petitions which in absence of any special ground to make a departure, needs to be avoided," it said. Seeking dismissal of the plea for "bypassing the effective alternative remedy" available under the PSA, the district magistrate said, "The detenue has chosen not to file a representation before the advisory board". Grounds of detention were supplied to Abdullah to enable him to make an effective representation as stipulated in law, it said, adding that the advisory board had on February 24 observed that there was sufficient cause for his detention. "It is submitted that the acts, which are easily available in public domain, on the part of the detenu squarely fell within the realm of public order, as it was calculated to disturb public peace and tranquility. It is needless to emphasise that the incitement of the public at large, pertains to public order," it said. It said the detention order is "not vague or without any material facts" and such order based on subjective satisfaction of detaining authority cannot be a matter of judicial review. "The deponent states and submits that invocation of jurisdiction of this court to issue high prerogative writ in the present case is unjustified and unwarranted in as much as the detention of the detenu was neither illegal nor unlawful as alleged in the petition," it said. Pilot has approached the apex court claiming that the detention order was "manifestly illegal" and there was no question of him being a "threat to the maintenance of public order". About 38% of water supplied to the city is lost due to leakage and illegal connections, reveals the latest Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) study for its upcoming 24-hour water supply project. The report refers to this as non water revenue (NRW) losses, that is the quantity of water lost before it reaches the consumer. Underground water leakages and illegal connections in the citys colonies were causing losses, said municipal corporation (MC) commissioner KK Yadav, adding that MC frequently detected punctur- ed water pipelines in the peripheries. The civic body had been unable to create infrastructure to reduce NRW due to gap between water supply revenue and expenditure, Yadav said, as the aim was to bring down losses to 5% as part of the MCs proposed 24-hour water supply project. A pilot project in Manimajra had the mandatory provision of replacement and upgrade of underground pipelines and smart metering to bring down the NRW to the desired level. A similar model will then be put in place for the rest of the city, he said. JUST 72 MGD WATER AVAILABLE MC boasted of water availability of 115 million gallons per day (MGD), which included 87 MGD from canal water and 28 MGD from tubewells. If CSCL is believed, water availability in the city is not more than 72 MGD since 43 MGD water (38%) is lost in transit or remains unaccounted for due to illegal connections. This would mean a substantial loss as the civic body recently spent 200 crore to pump 29 MGD of canal water by commissioning 40 km pipelines under phases 5 and 6 of the Kajauli waterworks. High levels of NRW are also detrimental to MCs water supply losses that will almost touch 100 crore by the next fiscal. Hitesh Puri, chairman, Chandigarh Residents Associations Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) told the Hindustan Times on Monday that the MCs threefold hike in water tariff was made on the grounds that it had to bridge its water supply losses. But somehow MC itself is responsible for such huge losses as it did not check its own internal failures and is now making people pay for it, Puri added. What the MC lacks is systemic reform. It spent 200 crore to increase water availability but did nothing to bring down water losses. Water is precious, it should not be wasted, Puri said. Water was lost due to leakages on surfaces too, complained city resident LR Budaniya. I have sent several videos to MC engineering staff on water wastage by did not get prompt responses from them, he said. LOSSES ALMOST DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVG The CSCL report said the extent of NRW in Chandigarh should be as per the Centres standard benchmark, which was between 15% and 20%. In the city it was almost double the national guidelines, despite the fact that Chandigarh was the countrys first planned city. The need of the hour, the report suggested, was to improve infrastructure for efficient delivery of water, smart metering and billing and performance based operation and maintenance system to reduce water losses. Benefits of NRW reduction included financial gains from increased water sales or reduced water use. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Highlights Companys Progress Under Current Board and Management Teams Deliberate Leadership and Focus on Creating Long-Term Value for Stockholders Recommends Stockholders Vote FOR Barnwells Slate of Highly Experienced Director Nominees on the WHITE Proxy Card Today HONOLULU, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barnwell Industries, Inc. (Barnwell or the Company) (NYSE American: BRN) today announced that it has filed definitive proxy materials with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and has mailed these materials and a letter to its stockholders in connection with the Companys Annual Meeting to be held on April 3, 2020. Stockholders of record as of February 24, 2020 will be entitled to vote at the meeting. The Barnwell Board of Directors (the Board) recommends that stockholders support the current Barnwell team and strategy, which is already delivering positive results, by voting the WHITE proxy card FOR Barnwells seven highly qualified director nominees, six of whom are independent. In connection with the filing of the definitive proxy statement, Barnwell mailed a letter to stockholders. Highlights of the letter include: As it executes its plan to position Barnwell for success, the current Board and management team are already having a positive impact on Barnwells operating results and long-term value potential, as seen in the Companys strong first quarter fiscal 2020 results. As a result of active management of the Companys portfolio under its current leadership, the Company has generated over $30 million from sales of legacy assets, reduced its legacy oil & gas reclamation obligations, and paid off its debt since 2014. At this critical time for the Company, a group of activist stockholders, led by Ned Sherwood and Bradley Tirpak, is trying to grab control of the Company, offering no identifiable expertise in Barnwells businesses or alternative business plan, thus putting at peril the Companys forward progress. Management has nominated a strong, refreshed board, which provides substantial industry, financial and legal expertise and is committed to maintaining Barnwells progress and creating value for all stockholders. The Sherwood/Tirpak nominees lack the relevant, diverse backgrounds Barnwell requires, duplicate or provide outdated experience compared to the Barnwell nominees, and may not be independent from Sherwood and Tirpaks personal agenda. The full text of the letter to stockholders follows below: March 2, 2020 Dear Fellow Stockholder, AT THE UPCOMING ANNUAL MEETING, YOUR VOTE ON THE WHITE PROXY CARD FOR MANAGEMENTS NOMINEES TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS CRITICAL TO MAINTAIN BARNWELLS PROGRESS. Your Board of Directors and management team are committed to enhancing the value of your investment in Barnwell Industries, Inc. As you know, Barnwell was founded in 1956 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and has been engaged in oil and natural gas exploration as well as other businesses for over 63 years. As we move through fiscal 2020, your Board and management team have been executing on their plan to position Barnwell for success in todays dynamic oil and gas environment. We have taken deliberate steps over the last several years to restructure our Canadian operations, reduce general and administrative expenses and lay the foundation for future growth. These actions are bearing fruit and we feel optimistic that they will contribute to Barnwells future success and to creating stockholder value. Barnwell has successfully navigated decades of commodity price cyclicality and expects to continue to do so for the benefit of all our stockholders. At this critical time, a group of activist stockholders, led by Ned Sherwood and Bradley Tirpak, is trying to grab control of your Company. Yet, they have no identifiable experience or expertise in our businesses and have offered up no alternative business plan. Their only interest would seem to be gaining control of Barnwell, while paying you no consideration, so that they can pursue an undisclosed agenda for which there can be no guarantee of benefit to all stockholders. To protect your investment in Barnwell, please vote the WHITE PROXY CARD provided from the Board FOR all of Barnwells highly qualified director nominees. Please disregard any blue proxy card you get from Ned Sherwood, Bradley Tirpak and their group. Your vote at the upcoming annual meeting of stockholders is extremely important. THE BOARDS PLAN IS ALREADY HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT. The results we recently released for our first quarter of fiscal 2020 showed an 87% improvement in revenues, 90% improvement to the bottom line and further 3% reduction in general and administrative expenses, now reduced by 35.4% over 5 years. Importantly, we remain committed to continued progress as we implement our plans to increase production and revenues and find further efficiencies to enhance returns. Since 2014, we have generated over $30 million from sales of legacy assets, reduced our legacy oil & gas reclamation obligations, and paid off our debt. This active management of Barnwells portfolio reflects a deliberate effort by your Board and management to apply best-in-class capital allocation practices, while also managing risk and sector volatility all with a goal of creating long-term stockholder value. Some highlights include: The acquisition of a significant asset base in the Twining field in Central Alberta in August 2018, following a years-long, disciplined search for a new investment that fit our strict criteria. We believe that there is substantial oil which can be produced at Twining through modern horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracing techniques, thereby positioning the asset as the growth engine for our exploration and production segment. Continued strong performance by Water Resources International, Inc., our water well-drilling subsidiary, which generated solid performance in fiscal 2019 and is positioned for an even stronger fiscal 2020. This improvement is primarily due to a new multi-well drilling contract that pays on a fixed rate per day or hour, depending upon the activity. Further, this contract included advance payments that were used to fund the purchase of a new drilling rig and ancillary equipment, which will be available for future jobs with other customers after this contract is completed. We expect significantly higher, year-over-year revenues under this contract during fiscal 2020, as well as from a backlog of $11 million of drilling, pump installation and repair contracts. Additionally, Barnwell has been enjoying the benefits of its 28.3% participation interest in a very productive well in the Spirit River area of Alberta. At the end of calendar year 2019, this well provided Barnwell enough oil and natural gas that, if such production profile continues, we expect to achieve payout on the capital invested therein in the second quarter of fiscal 2020. As part of Barnwells broad strategy to improve operations and allocate capital to long-term growth opportunities, management is currently marketing older, non-core legacy properties, including our interest in this well, in a brokered process. MANAGEMENT HAS NOMINATED A STRONG, REFRESHED BOARD COMMITTED TO MAINTAINING OUR CURRENT PROGRESS AND CREATING VALUE FOR ALL STOCKHOLDERS. We recently announced three new, highly qualified, independent director nominees, Ms. Erminia (Emi) Bossio, Mr. Peter J. OMalley and Mr. Kenneth S. Grossman, to be elected at the Companys upcoming annual meeting of stockholders. With the addition of the new director nominees, if elected, managements nominees on the WHITE PROXY CARD will bring considerable industry knowledge as well as financial, corporate governance and legal expertise to the Barnwell Board: Independent Board Tenure Natural Resource- Related Experience Other Key Relevant Experience James S. Barnwell III Chairman 8 years over 50 years Strategy Management Erminia R. Bossio Director New 23 years Canadian oil & gas Legal Kenneth S. Grossman Director New 35 years Legal Investing Robert J. Inglima, Jr. Director 12 years 15 years Legal Finance Alexander C. Kinzler Chief Executive Officer 20 years 38 years Strategy Operations Peter J. OMalley Director New 26 years Finance Strategy Kevin K. Takata Director 15 years 15 years Legal Hawaii operations TWO INDIVIDUAL STOCKHOLDERS ARE TRYING TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR COMPANY WITHOUT DISCLOSING ANY PLAN FOR THE BUSINESS OR ANY VALUE TO YOU AS STOCKHOLDERS. Ned Sherwood and Bradley Tirpak, two dissident individual stockholders of Barnwell, and certain of their affiliated entities have nominated five dissident directors for election to your Board. However, Sherwood and Tirpaks only interest would seem to be gaining control of your Company, while paying you no consideration, so that they can drive an undisclosed agenda. There is no indication that this agenda will benefit all stockholders. Sherwood and Tirpak have not presented a plan for Barnwells long-term growth or success or even presented why they believe their nominees would help Barnwell achieve superior value creation. Rather than a plan, they have offered a list of complaints that show their lack of knowledge of the fundamentals of our business, including asset accounting in the oil and gas sector and the impact that volatile commodity prices can have on our overall valuation and stock price. The Sherwood/Tirpak nominees are not what our stockholders need at Barnwell. They have nominated individuals who bring less experience and less expertise than Barnwells director nominees. We recommend stockholders reject the Sherwood/Tirpak nominees because they potentially put at risk the Companys progress and long-term opportunity for the following reasons: The Sherwood/Tirpak nominees lack the relevant, diverse backgrounds Barnwell requires. All five dissident nominees come from finance backgrounds, with little to no operational experience. Except for one nominee, they have NO background in the oil and gas industry. The sole Sherwood/Tirpak nominee with any experience in the oil and gas industry works at a company whose stock trades over the counter for less than 6 cents per share. Recent operating experience for at least two of the Sherwood/Tirpak nominees (Phillip J. McPherson and Douglas N. Woodrum) was at companies that sought protection from creditors either in bankruptcy or receivership. Similarly, Douglas Woodrum was appointed to the board of directors of ChinaCast Education Corporation, a company in which Ned Sherwood bought shares and then agitated for change. ChinaCast ultimately sought bankruptcy protection from creditors and ceased to operate its business while Woodrum was on the board of directors. The Sherwood/Tirpak nominees are not additive. They either duplicate or provide outdated experience compared to our nominees. The current Barnwell Board has strong financial and investing expertise that has helped guide the Company through the successful sale of legacy assets and our three new nominees will bring new perspectives on our businesses as well as expertise on finance, investing and the Canadian business environment. Sherwood and Tirpak may have a personal agenda. What guarantee do Barnwell stockholders have that Ned Sherwood, Bradley Tirpak and/or their hand-chosen nominees will act in the interest of all stockholders, rather than solely to benefit Sherwood and Tirpak? WE ASK YOU TO CHOOSE DIRECTORS COMMITTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF ALL STOCKHOLDERS. DO NOT RISK UNDOING THE COMPANYS CURRENT MOMENTUM AND THE POTENTIAL OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN BARNWELL INDUSTRIES, INC. We remain firmly committed to the successful execution of Barnwells strategy. We believe the market will recognize the Companys value and all stockholders will benefit. WE URGE YOU TO VOTE FOR ALL OF YOUR COMPANYS NOMINEES TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BY VOTING THE WHITE PROXY CARD TODAY. Do not vote the blue proxy sent to you by Sherwood/Tirpak. Their nominees would potentially risk the Companys current progress and put into question its current strategy, partnerships and projects. You should discard any blue proxy card that you receive. If you have questions or need assistance in voting your shares, please contact Morrow Sodali, our proxy solicitor using the information below. On behalf of your Board of Directors, James S. Barnwell III Chairman If you have any questions, or need assistance in voting your shares on the WHITE proxy card, please call Barnwells proxy solicitor: Morrow Sodali LLC (800) 662-5200 (toll-free in North America) +1 (203) 658-9400 (outside of North America) BRN@investor.morrowsodali.com About Barnwell Industries, Inc. Barnwell Industries, Inc. and its subsidiaries are principally engaged in oil and natural gas exploration, development, production and sales in Canada; investing in leasehold interests in real estate in Hawaii; and well drilling services and water pumping system installation and repairs in Hawaii. Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are predictions and generally can be identified by use of statements that include phrases such as plan, expect, will, should, could, anticipate, intend, project, estimate, guidance, possible, continue and other similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions and forecasts of future results. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks include, but are not limited to, those described in Risk Factors and elsewhere in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019 and subsequent filings with the SEC. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that the future results covered by the forward-looking statements will be achieved. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and are made only as of the date of this press release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements except as required by law. Investor Contact Morrow Sodali LLC (800) 662-5200 (toll-free in North America) +1 (203) 658-9400 (outside of North America) BRN@investor.morrowsodali.com The Nigerian government says 473,137 Nigerian youth have been enrolled into its National Social Investment Programme. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, said this when members of the House of Representatives Committee on Poverty Alleviation visited her on Monday, DailyNigerian reported. Ms Umar-Farouq said the N-power programme was designed to tackle youth unemployment in the country. The ministry, in February, had disclosed plans to overhaul the N-Power scheme, school feeding programme and other National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs). It said the development was to ensure transparency, greater efficiency and more prudent application of resources. As at Feb. 25, there are 473,137 Nigerians enrolled into the programme. The N-Power Graduate Programme is the Federal Governments direct intervention to tackle youth unemployment and re-energise public service delivery in four key sectors, that is, education, agriculture, health and tax The mandate will be achieved by training and providing jobs for 500, 000 young Nigerian graduates across the 774 local government areas of the federation, Ms Umar-Farouq said. Ms Umar-Farouq said that the HGSFP team had recently concluded its work plan for 2020, adding that the programme has started in Kwara State. On the Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the minister said that the position of the ministry was to continue the programme with revolving loans. We also want to seek approval for continuity during this period of transition to avoid disruption to the beneficiaries, she said. Ms Umar-Farouq also said the National Cash Transfer Programme was ongoing. She added that the ministry was making efforts to increase the number of beneficiaries. Speaking earlier, the chairman of the House committee, Abdullahi Salame, said poverty was the root cause of crime in society. Let me use this medium to once again commend President Muhammadu Buhari for finding it worthy to create a ministry saddled with the enormous task of coordinating human services, including overseeing the activities of the Special Intervention Programme. Incidentally, the huge poverty gap in the country has been identified as the root cause of crime, violence and social vices in our society. There is the need to appreciate the critical role of poverty alleviation in the quest to achieve social and national development as well as violence and crime control, Mr Salame said. NSIP The programme was set up by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2016 to improve the living conditions of millions of poor Nigerians across the country. The initiative was first run under the office of the vice-president, Yemi Osinbanjo, but was later moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development on Independence Day. READ ALSO: The programmes include N-Power, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), National Cash Transfer Project (NCTP), and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP). Of all the NSIPs, N-Power is perhaps the most abused by beneficiaries through incessant absenteeism from duty posts. The N-Power was introduced in 2016 with the aim of reducing unemployment among Nigerian graduates and non-graduates between the ages of 18 and 35. The volunteers are paid N30,000 monthly as stipends and given tablet computers to aid further learning. Advertisements One of the many hurdles characterising the N-Power programme has remained the issue of beneficiaries absconding from duty at their various PPAs. PREMIUM TIMES in July published a special report on how some N-Power beneficiaries absconded from duty and abused their opportunities in three selected states: Kano, Katsina, and Adamawa. The agency then sacked 2,525 beneficiaries for absconding from their PPAs. The agency also announced that about 18,674 other beneficiaries of the initiative have voluntarily resigned, having secured permanent employment. New Delhi: In a shocking development, two positive cases of Coronavirus were on Monday (March 1) detected in India. While the first case has been reported from the national capital, the second is from Telangana. According to the Ministry of Health, the person who tested positive in Dehli had a travel history of Italy, while the other had recently returned from Dubai. Meanwhile, the United States of Washington confirmed the second death case by coronavirus infection on Sunday. Public health officials in King County, Washington, said a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions died on Saturday at Evergreen Health Hospital in Kirkland, CNN reported. It is the same facility where officials witnessed the nation`s first coronavirus death on Saturday. The first US death in Washington state was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, officials said. The patient had no recent travel history or contact with people known to be infected, officials said. Officials also announced three other confirmed coronavirus cases in the county, all at Evergreen Health. They include a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 70s. All were in critical condition with underlying health issues. All four new cases were residents of a nursing facility in Kirkland where two other people -- a resident and a worker -- had previously tested positive. As of Sunday night, 87 cases of coronavirus had been identified in the United States, according to The New York Times.The first of those cases was announced on January 21. Twenty-two cases were announced on Saturday and Sunday, including the country`s first two deaths, both in Washington State. In Italy, the number of people infected with the coronavirus has reached 1,577, while five more have died, bringing the death toll to 34, the civil protection chief said on Sunday. In mainland China, at least 2,912 people have so far been killed of the deadly virus whereas the global death toll crossed over 3,000, according to the National Health Commission. Fourteen-year-old Bianca Lungu spent her summer holidays dancing at several week-long seminars, where talent scouts assessed her abilities. It is clear that they liked what they saw, as the offers came flooding in. She was awarded a two-week scholarship at the National Theatre Ballet School in Melbourne, as well as a scholarship to a summer course in London and offer to join the Intensive Training Programme at Dance Master International. She was also reaccepted into the NZ School of Dance as a classical associate and selected by the Royal NZ Ballet for their 2020 Mentor Programme. Bianca has already notched up 11 years of ballet, beginning lessons at the age of three. She says she loved it from the start but her success which includes performing with the Royal NZ Ballet as Flora in The Piano two years ago has required a lot of hard work. She spends around 25 hours a week dancing with Fusion dance studio and a school called Papilio. The quietly spoken Whangaparaoa College student, who not surprisingly plans to pursue a career in ballet, says one of the things she loves most about dance is that it lets you express yourself without speaking. Recently Bianca also found out that she is in the finals of the World Ballet Competition in Florida later this year. By Ofeliya Afandiyeva In 2019, the volume of Azerbaijan's oil exports to Italy increased by 7 percent year-on-year to reach 11,470,595.61 tons, local media reported. Italy was delivered $5,536,752.34 (an increase of 5.1 percent) worth of oil by Azerbaijan. The share of supplies to Italy accounted for 37.2 percent in the total volume of oil exports for 2019. During the fifth meeting of the Azerbaijan-Italy Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation on January 15, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov stressed that the main area of economic partnership with Italy is the energy sector. Over the past two years, Azerbaijani State Oil Company (SOCAR) delivered 15.9 million tons of crude oil, 189,000 tons of oil products and 43,700 tons of petrochemical products to Italy. This year, the Southern Gas Corridor will be commissioned, which is of strategic importance for ensuring the energy security of our partner countries and Europe. The projects implementation at over 90 percent is also an indicator of support from the Italian government. We believe that together, we will ensure the timely completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project. Efforts will be made to address issues such as safe, diversified and competitive energy supplies, as well as the issue of decarbonization, Shahbazov said. The minister added that so far, Italy has invested $770 million in Azerbaijans economy, and Azerbaijan invested $1.7 billion in Italys economy. Moreover, recently, the head of the Italian financial and banking association Cassa Depositi Prestiti SpA Giovanni Gorno Tempini urged that trade turnover between the two countries was $ 6 billion in 2019. The major buyers of Azerbaijani oil in 2019 also included: Israel 2,777,971.69 tons ($ 1,328,417.04); India 1,934,861.98 tons ($ 952,928.99); Germany 1,919,973.96 tons ($ 905,730.41); Spain 1,489,891.29 tons ($ 701,714.48); China 1,414,187.91 tons ($ 714,127.51); Czech Republic 1,336,960.54 tons ($ 645,970.38); France 1,078,87.05 tons ($ 528,008.32). Generally, in 2019, Azerbaijan exported about 31.24 million tons of oil which is 4.3 percent less compared with the indicator for 2018, according to the State Statistics Committees report. In the reporting period, the value of the oil exported from the country made up US$ 14.45 billion and this indicator decreased by 11.6 percent in comparison with 2018. Note that the mentioned indicators have been published on the basis of the data provided by SOCAR and Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC). -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG). What Is Insider Buying? Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. View our latest analysis for Citizens Financial Group Citizens Financial Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Independent Director Charles Koch made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$487k worth of shares at a price of US$32.45 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of US$31.69. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Charles Koch. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! Story continues NYSE:CFG Recent Insider Trading, March 2nd 2020 There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Insider Ownership Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Citizens Financial Group insiders own about US$65m worth of shares. That equates to 0.5% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. What Might The Insider Transactions At Citizens Financial Group Tell Us? There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders own shares in Citizens Financial Group and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future. 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. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Portugal on Monday confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus, a 60-year-old man who had travelled back from northern Italy, which is the European hotspot for the virus. A second person hospitalised in Portugal with coronavirus symptoms, a 33-year-old man, was awaiting final test results after initial exams suggested he might be ill with the virus as well. The second suspected case was a person who had returned from eastern Spain, where several COVID-19 cases have been confirmed. Portugal's government said it would extend screening measures to people arriving from Italy, in line with similar precautions already imposed on travellers from China. Deaths from the coronavirus surpassed a grim milestone Monday, with more than 3,000 people killed globally. Over 89,000 people have been infected across 68 countries and territories, the lion's share in China where the virus emerged in late December. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP 'Sooryavanshi' film poster (Image: Twitter/@DharmaMovies) The wait is finally over. Ever since Sooryavanshi was announced with Akshay Kumar, there was immense curiosity about what the Rohit Shetty-directed film has to offer. After all, the filmmaker was putting together a cop universe with Singham (with Ajay Devgn) and Simmba (with Ranveer Singh) already in his fold. Now, with Akshay Kumar joining in as Sooryavanshi, it is meant to get bigger and better. Well, if the films promo is any indication, this is clearly one of the biggest films ever for both Akshay Kumar and Rohit Shetty. Lasting four minutes, it is much longer than a regular promo of a big film which typically lasts three minutes. However, there is a lot in there to be savoured and what makes it even more special is the fact that other than action and thrills (more about that later), Sooryavanshi has a massive plotline that is bound to find resonance in the audience. Spoilers ahead: It picks the thread of terrorism that has loomed large over the city of Mumbai ever since 1993 and the riots that broke down. It reveals how 1,000 kilograms of RDX was brought into Mumbai and while close to half of that was used for the blasts, there was the remaining half which was hidden somewhere. Moreover, there were terrorists who were still on the loose in different parts of the world and Akshay Kumar, as Sooryavanshi, has a job in hand to put this to an end once for and all. While this sets the stage for quite some dramatic encounters, there is a strong angle of communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims that is integrated into the narrative. Meanwhile, a strong supporting cast comprising Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover, Javed Jaffrey and Kumud Mishra adds more weight to the proceedings. Of course, a lot has been said about Sooryavanshi featuring Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh, and after watching the promo I can say it with confidence that their characters in Singham and Simmba have been very well woven into the plot. They clearly have a lot to offer than just be seen in a combo and the talk about their 'entry' into the proceedings is bound to bring the house down. As for the leading lady, Katrina Kaif, she is playing Akshay Kumar's wife in the film and impresses in the solitary dramatic dialogue that she gets to mouth in the promo. That said, the film clearly belongs to Akshay Kumar and other than looking great, fitter than ever and not a year over 40, the superstar indulges in quite some dialogue-baazi and breath-taking action sequences which are going to be the highlight of Sooryavanshi. He does it all, right from helicopter stunts to a daredevil bike ride to bringing martial arts into action, making it a complete 'paisa vasool' experience for his huge fan-base. Moreover, he looks just perfect in the uniform, while even reminding of his Mohra and Khakee days. The promo has set the tone and with three to four songs to follow in next three weeks, Sooryavanshi is now set to turn super-hot in a matter of time. Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Rohit Shetty, Aruna Bhatia, Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta, Sooryavanshi hits screens on March 24 at 6.00 pm. (Joginder Tuteja is a trade expert and film critic. Views are personal) 02.03.2020 LISTEN The District Chief Executive (DCE) of the South Tongu assembly in the Volta Region, Emmanuel Luis Agama has put a GHS10,000 bounty on the heads of perpetrators involved in the murder of an Assemblyman for the Sogakope South Electoral Area, Marcus Mawutor Adzahli. Marcus was found dead after sporadic gunshots were heard at his residence on Sunday, March 1, 2020. The residents subsequently protested over the issue and blocked roads to express their frustration. In an interview with Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show, Emmanuel Luis Agama urged the public to offer information which will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators. We had an emergency DISEC meeting to address the issue on how we could resource the police to facilitate investigations into this murder. We have taken a measure to put a bounty on the heads of the persecutors. Anybody willing to give information on their arrest, we are willing to give them GHS10,000 as the first step in searching for information, he said. Gruesome murder Marcus reportedly struggled with eight robbers who were armed with guns and clubs. He was subsequently stabbed and shot multiple times , according to reports. No arrest has so far been made. The remains of the deceased, also known as Mac-Greenline, has been deposited at the South Tongu district hospital morgue in Sogakope, pending autopsy. The assailants, numbering about eight, reportedly stormed the victim's house wielding guns and cement blocks whilst firing gunshots. A resident of the area, Maxwell Lukutor, said this was the latest in series of violent crimes reported in the area. The issue is that our security is compromised. We have had several attacks from armed robbers and we see a lot of inaction from the police, he said. Police give assurances The Sogakope District Police Commander, DSP Michael Zah, said his outfit was on top of issues in the area. Security is not as porous as they [the protesters] are saying. It is a challenging issue which we need to sit with the youth and sort out. Meanwhile, calm has returned to Sogakope in the Volta Region following the gruesome murder. ---citinewsroom GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Israeli media outlets reported Feb. 18 that for the first time since 2006, Israeli authorities will allow 7,000 Gazan merchants to work inside Israel. Israels Channel 13 quoted an Israeli security source as saying the fishing zone would be expanded to 15 nautical miles and the number of work permits to merchants would increase to 7,000. The Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Feb. 20 it will start receiving new applications for the work permits in Israel. Maher Tabbaa, director of public relations and media at the Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Al-Monitor that an additional 2,000 permits for merchants to work in Israel will be granted. This number will be added to the already 5,000 merchants allowed to work in Israel. The increase in the number of work permits is a part of the truce understanding Hamas and Israel reached. He explained that the new permits are equally distributed among Gazas five chambers namely 200 permits for each of the governorates and said they will be accepting 1,000 applications in the first stage. Tabbaa indicated there are nearly 20,000 merchants working in the Gaza Strip, adding that Israel barred these merchants from working in its territories in 2006 but gradually started to grant some of them permits after the signing of the truce understanding. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics wrote in its Feb. 13 statement that the number of Palestinians working in Israel and Israeli settlements hit 133,000. He pointed out that these workers come from both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Tabbaa said the decision to allow these merchants to work in all sectors in Israel would help ease the liquidity problem in the Gaza Strip with the cash they will bring in and pump into the market. After the decision to grant additional permits was released, Al-Monitor saw hundreds of Palestinian merchants lined up in front of the chambers headquarters in Gaza City to apply for work permits. Rafiq Raja, a home furniture merchant, told Al-Monitor he hopes his application will be approved in order for him to compensate for the losses he suffered under the hard economic situation in Gaza. He noted he is applying because his company in Gaza is nearing bankruptcy. Muhammad Miqdad, a professor of economics and finance at the Islamic University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor such Israeli measures will lead to a positive economic impact on Gaza. He described the lack of liquidity as a very serious problem in Gaza, given the high unemployment rate and low salaries. Miqdad estimated the decision would generate $140 million in yearly income in Gaza, but he said such a measure is not a solution to the Gaza economic problem, adding that Palestinian agreements made with world countries must be reactivated instead. Economic analyst Samir Abu Mudallal told Al-Monitor the Israeli blockade is causing the Gaza Strip up to $1.5 billion in economic losses. Thus, Israel allowing 7,000 Palestinian merchants from Gaza to work there is a positive step, albeit insufficient, Abu Mudallal noted. He said such a step would help improve the economic situation of 7,000 Palestinian households in the Gaza Strip and reduce unemployment," yet it will not resolve Gazas economic crisis in the long run. Abu Mudallal said Israel needs to lift the siege in order for the economic situation to improve in the Gaza Strip. Israel also needs to let go of the commercial crossings and allow Palestinians to exploit their economic resources, he added. Political analyst Ibrahim Habib told Al-Monitor the Israeli decision is an attempt to ease the tension on the Gazan front, noting Israel does not want the situation to explode in the Gaza Strip. This decision is part of the Israeli incentives that the Palestinian resistance pressured for in the past few weeks, Habib said, referring to the incendiary balloons fired at the Israeli settlements in the Gaza envelope. The current situation in the Gaza Strip is ideal for Israel and much better than a military confrontation prior to the slated Israeli elections March 2, Habib said. In the same vein, speaking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, a Palestinian official at the Higher National Commission for the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege said the ongoing pressure has prompted the Israeli occupation to abide by the truce understandings and provide incentives to the Gaza Strip, including [allowing] 7,000 Gazan merchants to work in the territories occupied in 1948. He perceived that such a step would help the Gazan economy recover and reduce poverty and unemployment rates, which hit 75% in 2019, according to Gazas Ministry of Social Development. He stressed that the commission is closely following up on the Israeli commitment to easing the blockade. Instrumental string music filtered into the sprawling multipurpose room, where a dozen people rolled their hips, stretched their arms and twisted from side to side. Nearby, small groups of women huddled over elaborate needlepoint embroidery while men and women shuffled dominoes and mahjong tiles at game tables. A crowd formed outside an adjoining room of the AltaMed Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) center in Chinatown, where several seniors, some using canes, walkers and wheelchairs, lined up in chairs. They chatted excitedly in English and Spanish about Tuesday's upcoming presidential primary. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont "el viejito," an endearment for "old man" was a favorite among the Spanish speakers. The adult day care center, intended to keep frail and infirm older adults out of hospitals and nursing homes and in their own homes for as long as possible is one of 41 locations in Los Angeles County bringing new voting machines to groups of people with historically low voter turnout. The customizable touch screens allow voters to read a ballot in 13 languages, adjust the screen contrast and text size, and more. During the 10 days before Super Tuesday, the machines have been rotating through various nonprofit organizations, jails and elsewhere up to two machines per location, and usually for one-day stints in an effort to reach people with disabilities, the incarcerated, the homeless and older adults. Some election experts are raising the possibility that these efforts may merely shift where and how people are voting instead of increasing voter turnout. But at the AltaMed center in Chinatown, the mobile voting machines drew both new and repeat voters. Maria Melendez, a 95-year-old former seamstress, and Alicia Turcios, a 77-year-old former cotton picker, used the touch screens Feb. 24 to vote for the first time. Both women, who met at the center and have been friends six years, are from El Salvador. They use walkers because of knee pain, they said, and couldn't walk more than a block because they feared falling. Melendez became a U.S. citizen about 15 years ago but said she has never voted because she has been in and out of hospitals or homebound during elections. Turcios became a citizen three years ago. "It was special," Melendez said in Spanish. "I can't walk, and here an opportunity arrives." Melendez identifies as Republican but left the presidential choice blank. "The truth is that I'm happy, and the current government gives me what I need," she said. Turcios, a Democrat, said she voted for Sanders, "el viejito," mostly because he seemed to be the front-runner. "I had seen on the television that he was winning by a lot in Las Vegas," she said. Los Angeles County is modernizing its elections in several ways, as are 14 other counties participating in the state's Voter's Choice Act election system. Adopted in 2016, the law allows counties that have met requirements to replace assigned neighborhood polling places with voting centers open to all registered voters in the county, starting 10 days before Election Day. The law also requires all participating counties to mail ballots to registered voters (although Los Angeles is exempt from this rule the first four years), as well as provide ballot drop-off locations 28 days before Election Day. Although several other counties began adopting this election system two years ago, Super Tuesday marks the debut for the state's most populous county, which has about 5.4 million registered voters. The long lead time makes voting easier for people of all abilities, said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, after casting his vote in Mission Hills on Feb. 22, the first day of early in-person voting. Mobile voting is not new in California. Counties also use traveling machines to attract voters in areas with high foot traffic, such as zoos and theme parks, and give rural voters in remote locations a chance to cast their ballots in person. Los Angeles County wanted to take it a step further by teaming with nonprofits to bring the machines to people who could benefit the most. For instance, AltaMed operates eight PACE adult day care programs in Los Angeles County, and the machines will make an appearance at all of them. Of the nearly 2,800 participants, 84% are Hispanic and all struggle with chronic diseases or disabilities. While national turnout among all voters went up in the 2018 midterm elections, voters with disabilities voted at a rate that was 4.7% lower than voters without disabilities, according to a national analysis from Rutgers University researchers Lisa Schur and Douglas Kruse. That gap represents about 2.35 million fewer voters with disabilities. Turnout among eligible black, Asian and Latino voters is also historically low. In the 2016 presidential election, turnout for Latino voters was 47.6%; for Asian voters, 49.3%; and black voters, 59.6%, while white voters showed up at a rate of 65.3%. (Latinos can be of any race.) Los Angeles is not unique in trying to increase voting access with traveling voting machines. El Dorado County in Northern California has pop-up vote centers in four places, including the Shingle Springs Health & Wellness Center, which serves Native American, Spanish-speaking and low-income groups. But it's too soon to say whether these programs will increase turnout. "Are you providing something that would just switch people from one method to another, or are you actually increasing voter turnout?" asked Kruse, a professor specializing in disability research at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. Mindy Romero, director of the California Civic Engagement Project at the University of Southern California, said she hopes counties will study whether these programs attract hard-to-reach voters. At the Disabled Resources Center in Long Beach, which hosted two of the Los Angeles voting devices Feb. 24, 15 people cast votes, said Dolores Nason, executive director of the organization. Three were first-time voters. At midday, the voting machines sat unused. One woman entered, read a voter guide and decided she needed more time to do her homework. But this doesn't mean the effort was a waste, Kruse said. "The cost of getting these 15 voters, that doesn't concern me," he said. "That's democracy. We want to get people to vote." Two of the voters were staff members, including Richard Hernandez, 46, the organizations legislative advocate. Hernandez has been unable to walk or stand since a car accident damaged his spinal cord 26 years ago. He has always voted by mail because his disability made it difficult to travel to new polling places. When he learned his organization would offer the touch-screen voting machines, he wanted to try it. "The machines are really user-friendly, and theyre low enough for the wheelchair," said Hernandez, who cast his vote for Sanders. "I was able to go up to the machine and vote for who I wanted to vote, with no assistance whatsoever. "I liked it because it gave me a sense of being so-called normal." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marjolein van Pagee (The Jakarta Post) Rotterdam Mon, March 2, 2020 Colonialism is often considered a legacy that still bothers us but will eventually disappear. Yet, apart from racist, colonial thoughts that are still reproduced in our minds, this is also about current power relations and ongoing profit-seeking. Take Europes lawsuit against Indonesias nickel export ban. The former colonizers sued Indonesia because they think they are the only ones entitled to exploit Indonesias resources, as they did for centuries. Despite signs of weakening, the Western empire has never really collapsed. After World War II, old-style colonialism only transformed into new style neo-colonialism. As a Dutch historian, I am very much against the upcoming state visit of our King Willem-Alexander to Indonesia. The Dutch royal family earned millions, if not billions, from oppressing Indonesians for centuries without ever taking responsibility. This includes the abusive Cultivation System that, among others, financed the Netherlands railway system. In the early 1800s one of Willem-Alexanders forefathers, King Willem I, decided he was the legitimate owner of regions where the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was active before, some decades after the worlds first multinational became bankrupt in 1799. At that time the Dutch claimed Java and other parts of the archipelago. Soon, the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) helped to expand the occupation. Many companies were also linked to the royal family including the predecessor of the oil firm Shell, the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company. A Dutch TV report last December illustrated this colonial legacy, highlighting the enormous inheritance of Willem-Alexanders grandmother Queen Juliana.The report didnt explore how she became so wealthy; only focusing on the profitable deal the royal family managed to negotiate with tax authorities after her passing in 2004. They were allowed to pay just part of the inheritance tax with art pieces valued at 8.8 million euro. Imagine the total sum of her inheritance. 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. On February 29 at 4:15 p.m. a hospital informed the police station in Bazumi that three young children were checked into the hospital with a diagnosis of carbon monoxide poisoning. As reported the Police of Armenia, at the hospital, the childrens grandmother told the operational group that her grandchildren were poisoned as a result of natural gas leak in the bathroom. A report is being prepared. (Alliance News) - Strategic Minerals PLC will get a decision on legal proceedings related to the Cobre mine by the end of May, it said on Monday. Strategic has also ruled out an equity raise to fund the Leigh Creek copper mine in South Australia. Shares were 28% higher on Monday afternoon in London at 0.54 pence each. Strategic in September last year began legal proceedings against an unnamed major customer after a "breakdown in negotiations". Strategic sells magnetite from tailings operations at the Cobre mine in New Mexico. The US arbitrator, Strategic confirmed, has agreed to provide a decision on the matter by May 30. Elsewhere at Cobre, Strategic confirmed its access to the magnetite stockpile from the mine has been rolled over until the end of March next year. Initial access was granted in 2010 for three years, with annual extensions from then. At the Leigh Creek copper mine, another of Strategic's projects, it hopes to submit an environmental protection & rehabilitation plan by the end of March. The start of operations at Leigh Creek will depend on both funding progress and copper prices, Strategic said, but it believes the project is still attractive. Strategic says start-up relies on two factors, however. The feasibility study was based on a USD3 per pound copper price, and the company added: "While it was thought this would be a likely level prior to the PEPR approval, recent weakness in the copper price, may delay the commencement of operations. "However, we note that, while the project is still attractive at current market prices, market forecasts continue to predict a much higher copper price, especially given that China is likely to restock as their economy heals from the economic shock caused by the Covid 19 virus." "Secondly, while the project produces an excellent return on investment, the bulk of which is received within the first two years of production, it does require both start-up and working capital and this will need to be sourced prior to any commencement," Strategic continued. "Currently, the board believes this is best sourced at the project level by either debt, trade-related financing, a joint venture with suitable parties, or a combination of these." Strategic is currently in talks with various parties over funding, but confirmed there will be no capital raise "at a parent level". By George Collard; georgecollard@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Indore, March 2 : BJP national General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya took cereals in his meal after 20 years on Monday. He said when he was elected Mayor of Indore, a seer had told him about a "pitru dosh", a kind of ancestral curse, that had affected Indore, hindering its development. He was advised to propitiate the ancestors by erecting a statue of Lord Hanuman on Pitru Parvat. He took a pledge to install the biggest statue of Lord Hanuman on Pitru Parvat and shun cereals till the work is completed. Now a 72 feet statue of Lord Hanuman weighing 108 tonnes made of Ashtadhatu (alloy of eight metals) has been installed on the mount in Indore at a cost of Rs 15 crore. Vijayvargiya marked the occasion by eating cereals in the presence of Mahatmandeshwar Awadheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj, Murari Bapu of Mahamandaleshwar Juna Akhara and Mahamandaleshwar Gurusharananandji Maharaj from Vrindavan. During these 20 years, Vijayvargiya gave up wheat, maize, jowar, bajra and pulses and would eat only fruits of rajgira, sago and mordhan (all articles consumed during fasting). His wife Asha Vijayvargiya helped him fulfil the pledge. Vijayvargiya has tweeted his picture while being fed by his guru, which went viral on social media. Vijayavargiya has invited 10 lakh people on social media to partake meal with him. In a Twitter post, he has invited the people of Indore to the country's largest city banquet on Tuesday. A million people will be served food in an area spread over 7 km by 10,000 persons. The cost of the grand meal has not been mentioned. JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vaulted ahead of his main challenger in national elections Monday, according to exit polls, with the strong showing by his Likud party bringing him to the brink of a parliamentary majority. But the poll results put Netanyahu's right-wing bloc two seats shy of achieving that governing majority in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset, and breaking a year-long impasse in Israeli politics. Official results being tabulated overnight could hand his coalition an outright victory or leave it even further out of reach. With Israelis voting in national elections for the third time in less than year, the unexpectedly strong performance was a victory for Netanyahu, who had failed to wrest a governing majority in the last two votes and was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and abuse of trust. His corruption trial is scheduled to start later this month. "A huge victory for Israel," Netanyahu tweeted after the initial exit poll results were released. The exit poll results came as a jarring disappointment to Netanyahu's main rival, Benny Gantz, a ramrod-straight former military chief, who presented himself as the ethical antithesis of Netanyahu. While Gantz's performance as a political newcomer produced solid results in the first two elections, he seems to have fallen short Monday. Gantz was defiant early Tuesday, telling supporters that he would fight on. "I'm not afraid of a long journey," Gantz said. "I'm not afraid at all." Exit polls from three Israeli television stations gave Netanyahu's Likud either 36 or 37 seats, with Gantz's Blue and Party taking 32 or 33 seats. Netanyahu's overall coalition, which includes several allied religious and right-wing parties, combined for 59 seats in each of the exit polls. That is better than his bloc's position after the previous election but a seat less than after the election in April. Netanyahu was unable to form a government after either vote. Official results are expected by Tuesday, and if they confirm the exit polls, this could signal a continuation of the stalemate that has plagued Israeli politics for months. "Sixty seats doesn't guarantee anything," said former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. "A fourth election is still possible." Gantz's Blue and White party, which was formed a year ago as a center-left challenger to the prime minister's coalition, did well enough in the April election to deny Netanyahu an outright victory. In the September do-over vote, Gantz's side won more seats in the Knesset but failed to cobble together a governing coalition. While campaigning ahead of the three-peat election, Netanyahu waged a diplomatic blitz, including a visit to the White House to join President Donald Trump for the release of his Middle East peace plan and another to Moscow to bring home an Israeli backpacker jailed on drug charges. The prime minister also pushed back relentlessly against the corruption allegations, blasting what he said was a rigged justice system that was desperate to remove him from office "He does amazing things, and everybody around the world knows this," said bus driver Yehuda Pinkosov, 63, a Netanyahu supporter from Modi'in. "The left is just looking for ways to hurt him and remove him." The Likud party put tremendous energy into motivating its traditional voters. And in the end, they rallied to his side, turning out in higher numbers than in the previous elections. "Netanyahu got people to come out and vote for him. He realized correctly there were only a few votes in play and that this election was all about turnout," said Jonathan Rynhold, a professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. "He did not have to convince people to vote for him, but he needed to get people to go out and vote." While the election was the third in less than a year, turnout outpaced the previous two elections, a surprise for many political observers who had predicted voters would stay away because of spiking coronavirus fears and electoral exhaustion. The final tally put turnout at 71%, the highest since 2015. Hundreds of voters who are in precautionary quarantine because of possible exposure to coronavirus donned masks and gloves and came to more than a dozen special biohazard voting places staffed by paramedics. The fears of infectious disease had been only the latest worry for an electorate anxious from nonstop politicking, adding hand washing to the hand wringing. "I'm totally following it, and I'm totally frustrated," Jon Pollin, a Jerusalem-based tech executive who had voted twice before for the liberal Meretz party but may switch this time to the Blue and White party of opposition leader Benny Gantz. "And I'm going to be even more frustrated when we're right back here for a fourth election." In Modi'in, a city of almost 93,000 halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, voters at Dorot Elementary School expressed a mix of fatigue, exasperation and growing uncertainty over the state of Israel's political system and how it is working for them. "It's getting surreal," said Galia Meir, 42, who declined to say which party's ballot she had just dropped into the box. "This time, people are more confused and unsure about how to vote. Every time, clarity is going down and down. The longer this goes on, the more the slogans just make us lose trust in our leaders." Meir, an attorney at the Ministry of Finance, has fretted to see the wheels of government grind to a near halt in the year of political limbo. "I've seen projects that were approved but are stalled without money from the budget," she said. Razi Elbaz, a coder and part-time musician in a black Vans T-shirt, would say only that he had not voted for Likud. He also expressed fear of what the intractable division was starting to do to the country. The lack of government stability was one risk, he said, and deepening civic anger was another. "I know people who vote for different parties than their family, and it causes real tension for them," he said, before heading off to join the throngs of Israelis crowding local parks, malls and cafes for the rest of the day off. Pinkosov, the bus driver, had just voted without fear or confusion, casting his third ballot in a row for the religious Shas party that is part of Netanyahu's coalition. "I killed two birds with one stone, voting for Shas and voting for Netanyahu to stay," Pinkosov said with pride as his wife and daughter nodded in agreement. None expressed any doubt about Netanyahu's integrity or commitment to Israel. Israel's Arab political parties also celebrated the early results. The group of Arab Israeli parties, which ran together again under the Joint List banner, won 14 or 15 seats, according to the three exit polls, maintaining a place as the Knesset's third largest faction. The Arab vote has grown over each of the past three elections, reflecting greater political participation by Palestinians who are citizens of Israel. "Our public went to the polls in droves in the past two hours," said Ayman Odeh, a Knesset member from Haifa and leader of the Joint List. "It means that we have a responsible public that understood the enormity of the times." The final stretch of the latest campaign had largely devolved into a mud bath. Political commentators noted Sunday that tactics had reached a new and dirty low even by Israel's rough-and-tumble standards, after voice recordings of political advisers that reflected badly on their candidates - one working with Netanyahu and one working with Gantz - were leaked to the press over the weekend. South Africa: Suspect arrested in Pretoria East police killing By Onalenna Mhlongo A suspect has been arrested following the shooting of three police officers on Saturday, in Pretoria East, which resulted in the death of one detective, while leaving the two other officers wounded. National Police Commissioner, General Khehla John Sitole, has condemned the incident and has called on the detectives to ensure that justice prevails in this matter. "The detectives that were with the deceased member must be commended for applying the necessary force to apprehend the man that allegedly attacked them and subsequently killed the detective constable, said General Sitole. The police detective attached to Garsfontein SAPS in Gauteng was allegedly killed by the suspect he and his two colleagues were arresting on a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH). It is reported that three detectives from SAPS Garsfontein followed up on information regarding the suspect who was wanted on a case of assault to cause GBH. On arrival at the corner of Garsfontein and Rubenstein Roads, the members approached the suspect who then started pelting the police with stones. On trying to apprehend the suspect, he (the suspect) managed to grab one of the members firearm and fatally shot him. The other members managed to retaliate resulting in the suspect being shot and wounded. The suspect is currently in hospital under police guard after he sustained a gunshot wound during the shoot-out. He will appear in court on charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder as soon as he is medically fit to do so. The National Commissioner is sending a Gauteng Senior delegation to convey his condolences to the family of the detective constable. The name of the deceased member will be released as soon as his next of kin has been informed and his family will be afforded the support needed during their time of mourning and beyond. General Sitole has directed the management of the province to further ensure that the colleagues of the deceased member be afforded the necessary debriefing and counselling as prescribed by South African Police Service (SAPS) Employee Health and Wellness. Esakhaleni Shopping Center shooting Meanwhile, in a separate incident shortly after midnight, three constables were patrolling in the vicinity of Esakhaleni Shopping Center when they were shot at. Two members were wounded and the third member managed to escape unscathed. One of the constables, a female is in a critical condition after sustaining gunshot wounds to her face and abdomen. No arrests have yet been made in this incident. - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Iranian state radio said the member of the Expediency Discernment Council, Seyyed Mohammad Mir Mohammadi, has died after falling ill from the novel coronavirus. The council advises Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Earlier, several Iranian officials fell ill with coronavirus as Iran has become the epicentre of the outbreak in the Middle East. The country has the highest death toll in the world after China. The number of people infected with COVID-19 in the country is approaching 1000. Over 50 people have died from the coronavirus disease in Iran. The head of the Iranian section of the Center for the Study of Countries at the Middle East of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RAS, Nina Mamedova, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the coronavirus outbreak is Iran is a mystery for Orientalists. "Neighboring Arab countries are not affected. At the same time, there is rather high-quality healthcare in Iran, hence why so many people are ill there. Besides, why Qum province? We are looking forward to meeting with representatives of the Iranian embassy to ask these questions," she said. At the same time, Nina Mamedova said that the United States has opened a trade channel through Switzerland for Tehran to purchase Western medicine and other humanitarian supplies. "Thus, an exception was made from sanctions for the export of medicines and food. The U.S. took this step after it was accused of blocking the purchase of essential goods for patients in Iran. Nevertheless, the Iranian economy is suffering losses due to coronavirus. It has stopped New Year's trade before Novruz, small business suffers losses because people are ordered to stay at home," the orientalist said. A French woman who posed as a man on the dating app Grindr and shared sexual images of a victim she met online during a disturbing campaign of harassment has been jailed. Yannick Glaudin, 31, stalked the man and his then boyfriend sending their families, friends and colleagues the intimate pictures and films using a number of fake identities, a court was told. Police and Crimestoppers were contacted on multiple occasions over false claims, including of assault and paedophilia, against one man, while friends were warned he had a bounty on his head. Glaudin, who admitted her crimes but had evaded justice for over a year after fleeing to France, was sentenced to 13 months in prison at Inner London Crown Court on Monday. Sentencing, Judge Silas Reid said Glaudin was driven by revenge after her initial victim broke off contact, describing her behaviour as designed to cause maximum upset. Yannick Glaudin targeted the victims for revenge, a court heard / CPS Prosecutor John McNamara told the court that in May 2017 Glaudin, using the pseudonym Steven St Pier, met her first male victim over the Grindr app. The pair exchanged phone numbers, email addresses and even the victims CV as he was job-hunting. During the period of contact, (the victim) sent to the defendant a number of intimate and personal pictures and videos, Mr McNamara said. But the victim had doubts over Glaudins true identity and ended their online-only contact in December 2017. This triggered months of harassment by Glaudin, beginning with her sending the sexual images to the victims stepfather, his friends, and even friends of friends. Glaudin, who worked as a construction draftsman and chef, escalated the harassment from February 2018 when her victim started a new relationship with another man. The now ex-boyfriends friends were contacted by Glaudin, using pseudonyms such as Harry Wars and Nick Guel on Facebook and Instagram, making false allegations about him. In March 2018, a false report was made to Crimestoppers claiming the boyfriend was abusing a young boy and was linked to a known prostitute, Mr McNamara said. On another date, a fake report was made to police pretending to be from a victims boss, stating that he had seen videos of underage sex on a laptop. Other messages sent suggested there was a price on the boyfriends head of 1,000 euros in Barcelona and London, the court was told. Photos of the first victim using the London underground were also sent to him over email. Meanwhile, several men looking for sex tried to visit their then shared flat after being in contact with someone using the first victims name. Speaking in court, the former boyfriend said the experience had been hell on earth. I suffered the extreme shock of constant, insidious daily harassment at home, work and on every online channel I was registered on, by someone completely anonymous, using multiple aliases, he said. He added: The perpetrator has accused me personally of being a paedophile, impersonated me and my partner online via dating applications, sent multiple strangers to my home demanding anonymous sex, followed me home, and taken photographs of our front door and taunted us about it. The court heard that after pleading guilty to her offences in July 2018, Glaudin fled to France, with a European arrest warrant later issued. She was extradited in January, with Metropolitan police officers travelling across the Channel to bring her into custody. Representing Glaudin, Ricky Yau said she returned to France to see two terminally ill relatives. Mr Yau said she believed: What Ive done to them is nasty, cruel and stupid and I regret it. Sentencing, Judge Reid questioned why Glaudin had not faced more serious charges than those put by the prosecution. Its difficult to understand why you did what you did other than that during the period of your offending you were consumed by jealousy and a desire for revenge, he told Glaudin. He said her disturbing campaign of harassment saw her ignore pleas from her victims to stop and use fake social media accounts to inveigle her way into their circle of friends to track their lives. Glaudin, who has no previous convictions, was sentenced to 12 months for a charge of disclosing private sexual photos and films with intent to cause distress, four months for one count of harassment without violence and four months for one of stalking without fear, alarm or distress. These will be served concurrently, with a further one month sentence for breaching bail to be served consecutively. Glaudin is also subject to a lifelong restraining order preventing her contacting her victims and other individuals. The state of Washington is scrambling to respond after it was revealed six people had now died amid a coronavirus outbreak, triggering anxiety and fear that reverberated across the nation. As groceries and other stores reported exceptional demand over the weekend as people raced to stock up on essentials, officials declared the Pacific Northwest was now at the centre of the countrys biggest health crisis for a generation. The latest deaths follow recent reports of two other people in the area who have died as doctors in the state believe the virus travelled undetected for several weeks. Reports of infections of the flu-like respiratory illness have climbed to nearly 80 in the US. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 16 cases, though it presumes another 27 cases will test positive for the virus. Officials anticipate more confirmed cases in the coming days and weeks. Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Show all 16 1 /16 Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A gondolier on the Grand Canal as the sun sets in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A local pulls a trolley as she leaves a street food market in Venice, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. 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 nation's tourism industry, the head of Italy's hotel federation said Saturday. 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. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Locals wait for a mass at the barely empty San Salvador church in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. A coughing Pope Francis told Italy, pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists wearing protective masks take photographs in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists wearing protective masks look at their smartphones as they have a break at the St. Mark's square in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A couple stand at the Rialto bridge during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. Reuters Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty water bus after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists shelter against the rain with umbrellas as they walk in the empty St. Mark's Square during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondolas are parked on a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. AP We expect the number of cases to increase in the coming days and weeks, Jeff Duchin, health officer for the public health agency said at a press conference on Monday. We are taking this situation extremely seriously. He added: It is impossible for me to predict what that peak of this outbreak (#coronavirus) will be, but our hospitals here locally are already feeling the strain. Dow Constantine, the executive of King County, of which Seattle is the largest city, said he had signed an emergency declaration for the county. It was also buying a motel in the Seattle area where people who were infected with coronavirus could stay to remain isolated. We have moved to a new stage in the fight to contain and mitigate this outbreak. King County is aligned and organised behind this common mission, with public health Seattle & King County as our lead agency, said said Mr We will direct all available resources to help cities, health-care facilities, businesses, and families continue life as normally as possible. But our best strategies depend on millions of residents actively following established disease prevention guidelines. County chair Claudia Balducci said: As we learn more about this outbreak, its now more important than ever that we look out for one another and stand strong as a community. The development came as Donald Trump said at White House his administration was talking to pharmaceutical firms and scientists as to whether work on a vaccine could be intensified. Most experts say it is unlikely one could be produced in less than 18 months, at the very minimum. Officials in Washington state said that 18 cases of the virus had now been confirmed, 14 of them in King County. Of those at least eight were residents of the Life Care Centre, located in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. Four of the dead had been residents at this facility. One of the fatalities in Seattle was not a resident at the facility and a sixth death was in Snohomish County, which includes with city of Everett. It was in Everett that officials in January announced the USs first confirmed case of the disease. On Sunday night, the International Association of Fire Fighters said 25 members who responded to calls for help at the nursing facility were being quarantined. Additional reporting by Associated Press Many premium devices across the world have a skyrocketing price tag so it is not feasible for many people to buy them. This is the reason why the second-hand smartphone market exists and it is thriving. Popular smartphones like the Apple iPhones, OnePlus devices and the Samsung Note series and other high-end phones are priced above 30-40k and hence not very easy for many customers to buy them. While there are many buyers who sell genuine second-hand products, some online sellers dupe customers. And the crime rate is definitely on the higher side. Delhi Police has also issued a word of caution regarding the online apps that provide a platform to buy and sell gadgets, smartphones and other things. In their tweet, Delhi Police listed down a few things that a buyer should keep in mind before buying any product online. They wrote:- -If someone is in a hurry to sell their smartphone, there are high chances of the phone being stolen and if you buy them or even try to sell them, you can be in a soup. -If the seller is pressurizing you for cash payment, don't fall for the trap. There will be no online record of the payment that you had made - Be very careful even when the seller asks you to pay through a QR code because that way there will be no record of whom the money is being paid to. There are quite a few apps that provide the facility to buy and sell second-hand products online such as the OLX and the Quickr App. While you might always see plenty of sellers selling something as expensive as an iPhone 11 Pro for half the price, be very careful when you select the seller and always meet them in person. Online transactions shouldn't be encouraged in any case. Not just second-hand devices, some seller groups are also selling high-copies of premium devices such as iPhones and Samsung devices. They might offer you the device for as low as Rs 10k while claiming it to be 100 per cent genuine but when you actually lay your hands on the device, you would get to know the reality. Some sellers also demand half the money in advance and promise that they will collect the remaining amount on delivery, don't ever fall for those tricks as you would never get the device as promised. There are chances that the seller will block your number after receiving the advance money. However, there are some verified and genuine sellers in those apps, make sure that you buy stuff only from them whenever you are playing to get a second-hand device. Market experts have said demand for Australian iron ore and coking coal may boom in the second half of the year as China tries to kickstart production in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Chinese factory production is predicted to surge once the coronavirus shutdown passes so they can meet yearly growth targets, economists and market watchers believe. This would boost demand for steel, and therefore Australian iron ore and coking coal, after a recent demand slump caused by high inventory levels and the killer disease. Iron ore and coking coal are needed to smelt steel (stock image). Hopes are high that Chinese demand for Australian iron ore and coking coal will surge once the coronavirus shutdown is over as factories rush to meet yearly production targets NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee said the outlook for coal producers was bright. 'Any interruptions to coal production volumes in China may create demand shortfalls, with potential opportunities for Australian coal exporter,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday. AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said while there had been a slowdown in China, long term the prospects for iron ore and coal were good as factories had to meet yearly production targets. 'Steel production is well down on normal levels and coking coal inventories have built up,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'The numbers are down for now but there will be a rebound as the Chinese are committed to growth targets this year, so they have to make up for lost production in the second half which would benefit our producers.' China's northern port of Dalian where some of Australia's coal exports land Dr Oliver said nobody knows how long the economic disruption would last for. China is Australia's biggest trade partners taking about a third of Australia's exports, with iron ore and coking coal - used to make steel - among the biggest exports. Australia shipped 40.5 million tonnes of iron ore to China through West Australia's Port Hedland in January alone, port statistics show. Factories have ground to a halt in China over the past six weeks as the Middle Kingdom imposed strict quarantine measures to stop the rapid spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. The lockdown prevented nearly 300 million migrant workers from returning to their jobs and paralysed global supply chains as the world's second largest economy shut down for three weeks. A coal mine in Bulga in Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, pictured in 2015. Australia is an important source of raw coal and iron ore for China's steel industry While workers have been told to return, factories have been slow to restart with some workers still unable or unwilling to return. Some factories have had to be quarantined all over again when a worker tests positive to the virus. A survey by the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing in late February found 45 per cent of firms had no way to resume work due to labor shortages while just 11 per cent said they would return to full production by the end of February, NPR news reported. Funds management firm Plato Investments managing director Don Hamson said when firms returned to work, they would want high-quality Australian iron ore to limit pollution when producing steel. 'China is producing record levels of steel and we expect the long-term outlook to be pretty good,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. Mr Hamson said China would seek to stimulate its economy further by building infrastructure, which requires steel. Plato has been bullish on resource stocks, especially iron ore, in anticipation of this hoped-for increase in Chinese steel production. Plato Investments has $5 billion in funds under management invested mostly in Australian and global equities. The ASX-listed funds manager is part-owned by Pinnacle Investment Management Group, which is its responsible entity and issuer of its investment units. Pinnacle reported an aggregate of $61.6 billion in funds under management in February across all its affiliated funds which it partly owns and manages. The Delhi Police crime branch will investigate 47 murder cases which were filed after violence rocked the northeast part of the national capital, sources said on Monday. The death toll in the communal clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that erupted a week ago remained at 42 even as four bodies were fished out of drains in northeast Delhi on Sunday. The sources said some of the cases have already been transferred to the crime branch, while the remaining cases will be shifted either on Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile, the department is facing difficulties in the investigation as tracing eyewitnesses has become a daunting task for the force. "We met several people in the riots-hit areas and no one has come forward to give us authentic and credible evidences so that we can proceed with our investigation. It is feasible to detain people for rioting after analysing CCTV footage, but not so easy in case of murders," the sources said. "Till now, we are majorally relying on eyewitnesses as several CCTV cameras were vandalised in the riots," they said. On February 23, clashes broke out between pro and anti-CAA groups near Jaffrabad in northeast Delhi. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. A large number of properties have been damaged. Frenzied mobs had torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel. There has been no fresh violence since last five days and heavy deployment of security personnel continues in the riot-hit areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) File image During Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in Kolkata on March 1, slogans of 'shoot the traitors' (goli maaro s**lo ko) were raised, following which three people were detained on March 2 morning, the Hindustan Times reported. The report also noted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had decided to defend the accused in court and extend necessary legal aid to them. Meanwhile, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh expressed that he was not happy with the use of certain words but he did not find anything objectionable in the said slogans. He told HT that he did not see anything wrong with demanding that traitors of the country be shot. After a video of the slogans being raised during the rally went viral on social media, Kolkata Police began to investigate the matter. As per reports, a showdown was averted after those people mouthing the slogans came face-to-face with some members of the Left Front and the Congress. There was police deployment in the area, and the matter was handled. There has been a lot of controversy pertaining to such slogans, more so after communal riots broke out in parts of east and north east Delhi. Several BJP leaders also faced a lot of criticism after videos surfaced where they were seen raising such slogans. New York, March 2 : Monday blues not only affects employees returning to work after the weekend but also impacts Amazon package deliveries as the supply-chain performance gets hurt, say researchers. Oliver Yao, a professor of decision and technology analytics in Lehigh University's college of business found that process interruptions that occur when operations are shut down over the weekend, along with human factors like the "Monday blues," hurt supply chain performance on Mondays. That means a longer time between when a purchase order is received and when it is shipped, as well as more errors in order fulfillment, said Yao who worked with researchers at the University of Maryland and University of California, San Diego. To reach this conclusion, Yao and colleagues used a dataset of more than 800,000 transaction records gathered during a 12-month period from the US General Services Administration to look at variations in operations performance by days of the week. They also analysed order and fulfillment data from one of the largest supermarket chains in China. They found the "Monday Effect" was prevalent and significant. For example, time between receipt of a purchase order and shipping is 9.68 per cent longer on Mondays than other weekdays, on average. Weekends create bottlenecks at distribution centers that are tackled on Mondays as orders are processed, picked, staged and shipped to customers. Humans completing processing activities are impacted by adjusting to returning to work, more prone to errors and less efficient, said the study that appeared in the journal Information Systems Research. Most supply chain managers are unaware of this impact but they can take steps to counteract the "Monday Effect." Strategies include increased staffing on Mondays (or any day returning from a break, including holidays), fewer Monday meetings and non-fulfillment activities, better training, additional pay or mood-lifters such as free coffee or motivational talks, and double-checking Monday work. The most effective way to reduce the Monday performance gap is integrating technology solutions, such as automated order processing systems, said Yao, who found using electronic markets can improve Monday performance by as much as 90 per cent. For example, technology reduces the Monday performance gap by 94 per cent in order-to-shipping time, 71 percent in complete orders fulfilled, and 80 per cent in the portion of shipments that have incorrect numbers of products. "Technology is more helpful in substituting for labor when humans are more prone to making mistakes," the researchers said. "Computer-to-computer links avoid potential human effects resulting from the weekend break." A Ranchi court on Monday sentenced 11 convicts in the last year's gang-rape of a law student in Kanke to life imprisonment. Judicial Commissioner (Ranchi) Navneet Kumar pronounced the sentence after hearing the arguments on the quantum of sentence today. The court also directed each of the convicts to pay Rs 50,000 to the victim. A case was registered at Kanke police station against 12 persons under Section 376D (intercourse by member of a hospital with any woman in that hospital), 366 (kidnapping or inducing woman to compel her marriage), 379 (theft), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after the woman reported about the incident on November 27. One of the accused was later found to be a juvenile and his case is pending with the Juvenile Justice Board. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Poll workers will be expected to clean voting booths and replace pens regularly as people fill out their ballots on Super Tuesday to help prevent the possible spread of the novel coronavirus, Secretary of State William Galvin said. Voters can also bring their own pens as long as the ink is not red to cast their ballots. We also recognize that the one common piece of equipment that might be used is the pen, Galvin said. The secretary projects up to 1.85 million people could participate in the Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday as Massachusetts joins 13 other states and Washington, D.C., in holding primaries. Some of those will include people who voted early or cast absentee ballots, but the majority will likely vote in-person. Super Tuesday comes around as U.S. officials are looking to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus that has resulted in more than 83,000 cases worldwide. As of Sunday, there were 71 confirmed and presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in the United States, including 44 people who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and a man in Seattle died over the weekend after contracting the disease. Rhode Island identified two cases that stem from a school trip to Italy. There are also elevated levels of influenza A and influenza B nationally. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Healths most-recent weekly flu report issued Feb. 28, overall influenza-like illness activity for Massachusetts remains high. Galvins office advised local officials to have extra personnel handy in case some poll workers decide not to show up due to coronavirus concerns. For people who have self-quarantined, Galvin said poll officials will treat them like voters who have been committed to hospitals and will accept absentee ballots from them. Related Content: Monash IVF Group Limited (ASX:MVF) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. You will need to purchase shares before the 5th of March to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 3rd of April. Monash IVF Group's next dividend payment will be AU$0.021 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of AU$0.06 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Monash IVF Group has a trailing yield of approximately 6.6% on its current stock price of A$0.91. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing. See our latest analysis for Monash IVF Group Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Monash IVF Group paid out more than half (66%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. 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 (72%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies. It's positive to see that Monash IVF Group's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. ASX:MVF Historical Dividend Yield, March 1st 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. It's encouraging to see Monash IVF Group has grown its earnings rapidly, up 31% a year for the past five years. The current payout ratio suggests a good balance between rewarding shareholders with dividends, and reinvesting in growth. Earnings per share have been growing quickly and in combination with some reinvestment and a middling payout ratio, the stock may have decent dividend prospects going forwards. Story continues Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Monash IVF Group has seen its dividend decline 1.6% per annum on average over the past five years, which is not great to see. To Sum It Up Should investors buy Monash IVF Group for the upcoming dividend? Higher earnings per share generally lead to higher dividends from dividend-paying stocks over the long run. That's why we're glad to see Monash IVF Group's earnings per share growing, although as we saw, the company is paying out more than half of its earnings and cashflow - 66% and 72% respectively. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there. Curious what other investors think of Monash IVF Group? See what analysts 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. The same genealogy tool credited for nabbing the alleged Golden State Killer recently cracked a half-century-old mystery out of Vallejo, at last naming the suspect accused of raping and strangling 57-year-old Naomi Sanders. But while theres no statute of limitations for homicide, the Sanders case missed its window for justice. The suspect, identified by Vallejo police Thursday as Robert Dale Edwards, died in 1993 from a drug overdose. In a statement, Sanders nieces said the family is grateful to everyone who worked to solve the 1973 cold case. They added that most of those who knew Sanders directly have died in the years since her slaying, and unfortunately they cannot be afforded the truth about what happened. Those of us who do remember the stories of Naomis life and untimely death can now feel closure thanks to the determination and teamwork of the Vallejo Police Department and partnering law enforcement agencies, the statement said. May Naomi now rest in peace. On Feb. 27, 1973, Sanders was discovered dead inside of her apartment near the intersection of Oakwood Avenue and Springs Road. Sanders, a divorced apartment manager, lived alone and appeared to be cooking diner at the time of her attack. A Vallejo Times-Herald report at the time stated that there was a double portion of steak half-fried on the stove, but the extra strip may have been intended for her poodle, Cindy. A friend who spoke to Sanders that evening reportedly said Sanders mentioned she was cooking dinner but said nothing about any guests. Detectives at the time said robbery did not appear to be a motive in the killing, as Sanders jewelry remained in place. An autopsy later concluded that Sanders had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death. A 2014 lab analysis indicated semen stains on the clothes Sanders was wearing at the time of her death. A DNA profile was developed and uploaded into the FBIs national database to cross-reference with other known criminal offenders. No hits were recorded then or on any of the subsequent times detectives ran the profile into the updated database. Two years later, in 2016, detectives ran the DNA against various state-run data banks to search for people related to the suspect and hit another dead end. The defining moment came in 2018, when detectives started researching with an emerging investigative tool known as genetic genealogy. The practice came to prominence in April of that year, when detectives announced they had arrested a suspect in the decades-old Golden State Killer case by tracing the suspect through his ancestors. The process involves uploading the suspects DNA profile into an open-source genealogy website to test for distant relatives. Researchers can then build a family tree with public documents like obituaries, newspaper archives and social media posts to winnow the pool of suspects. Vallejo detectives enlisted the help of DNA consulting company Parabon NanoLabs, and by April 2019 they had narrowed the list to two leads. Investigators traveled to Louisiana to visit one of these men and ruled him out by testing his discarded DNA. The remains of the last suspect, Edwards, had been cremated, but detectives were able to make contact with his son and collect his DNA. The question that had gone unanswered for over 46 years was now answered, Vallejo police officials said in a statement. Sanders may have known Edwards, who was 22 at the time of the killing. His father was Sanders former co-worker. Edwards racked up a lengthy criminal history before his death, including convictions for assault, theft, DUI, domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder, police said. Oakland dental surgeon charged with child sex crimes An Oakland dental surgeon faces charges he molested two underage girls, attempted to kidnap a woman and filmed a young girl engaged in a sex act, according to charging documents filed in Contra Costa County. Cassidy Migan Lavorini-Doyle, 36, faces seven felony counts after his arrest in December. Lavorini-Doyle is charged with human trafficking of a minor for a sex act when he tried to persuade two girls to engage in a commercial sex act. He is also accused of molesting both girls. On Dec. 6, Lavorini-Doyle allegedly tried to kidnap a woman and falsely imprison her, according to the records. He also was charged with possessing child pornography and using a girl in the filming of pornography. Lavorini-Doyle has pleaded not guilty. Contra Costa County district attorneys office spokesman Scott Alonso said the case and investigation are still very active. A spokesman for the California Dental Board said Wednesday it is aware of the allegations and investigating. 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. There is no trial date yet for the oral surgeon, who worked out of a downtown Oakland office. A judge in late December said there was enough evidence at a preliminary hearing to proceed with a trial. Pittsburg man dies in home explosion A man died Wednesday after an explosion at a single-story Pittsburg home, Contra Costa County fire officials said. Firefighters were alerted of a possible explosion on the 100 block of Linscheid Drive by the Pittsburg Police Department at around 9 a.m., said Steve Hill, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. Responding firefighters didnt see any smoke or flames but were alerted a few minutes later about a man suffering severe burns, Hill said. The timing of the victims discovery was not immediately available, Hill said. The man was treated at the scene and later transported by medical helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center, Hill said. Its unclear whether he died en route to the hospital or at the hospital, Hill said. The Sacramento County coroners office will identify the victim after notifying his next of kin. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. A photo taken of the residence shows yellow police tape blocking the single-story home, where two windows were damaged. Megan Cassidy, Matthias Gafni and Lauren Hernandez are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com, matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com, lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy, @mgafni, @LaurenPorFavor The 24th Ghana International Trade Fair has been launched in Tamale on Thursday, with over 600 exhibitors showcasing assortment of products during the 10-day period. The fair, which is themed: Value Addition, Trading Globally, aims at emphasizing value addition to production towards the 'Ghana Beyond Aid' agenda of the President. According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Trade Fair Company (GTFC), Dr. Agnes Adu, the theme presents a unique opportunity to showcase Ghana's domestic market to all regional, local and international partners. She admonished business owners to take advantage of the fair and scale up their companies to the next level. Continuing, she said business owners should tap into all the knowledge and services they can acquire from the fair and boost their businesses. The Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr. Gyeile Nurah, on his part, stressed the need to add value to local produce, as this is a sure way of increasing from our earnings. According to him, the theme would provide grounds to share ideas, discuss objectives and measures to be put in place to ensure efficient and also increase value and greater market access. He urged government to increase the access of producers to market which would allow them to reliably sell more produce with better quality and at higher prices. Continuing, he said this would encourage them to invest in their own businesses. The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, in his keynote address, reiterated the need for value addition, saying if we do not add value to our products, we cannot market them on the international market. He said value addition was necessary to ensure there were higher returns for local produce. Besides, he urged chiefs to support the 'Ghana Beyond Aid' initiative by collaborating with the government to ensure there is value addition on products that are produced in their communities. ---Daily Guide Blog Archive January 2022 (4) December 2021 (14) November 2021 (15) October 2021 (15) September 2021 (14) August 2021 (8) July 2021 (9) June 2021 (4) May 2021 (12) April 2021 (14) March 2021 (18) February 2021 (16) January 2021 (20) December 2020 (17) November 2020 (12) October 2020 (16) September 2020 (13) August 2020 (16) July 2020 (11) June 2020 (3) May 2020 (13) April 2020 (9) March 2020 (17) February 2020 (17) January 2020 (17) December 2019 (19) November 2019 (22) October 2019 (27) September 2019 (23) August 2019 (20) July 2019 (23) June 2019 (24) May 2019 (22) April 2019 (26) March 2019 (22) February 2019 (20) January 2019 (21) December 2018 (26) November 2018 (19) October 2018 (26) September 2018 (24) August 2018 (22) July 2018 (28) June 2018 (23) May 2018 (23) April 2018 (25) March 2018 (24) February 2018 (21) January 2018 (29) December 2017 (26) November 2017 (21) October 2017 (24) September 2017 (23) August 2017 (25) July 2017 (27) June 2017 (25) May 2017 (23) April 2017 (20) March 2017 (20) February 2017 (21) January 2017 (22) December 2016 (23) November 2016 (21) October 2016 (21) September 2016 (21) August 2016 (22) July 2016 (24) June 2016 (26) May 2016 (26) April 2016 (27) March 2016 (29) February 2016 (25) January 2016 (26) December 2015 (28) November 2015 (27) October 2015 (29) September 2015 (23) August 2015 (25) July 2015 (19) June 2015 (17) May 2015 (15) April 2015 (19) March 2015 (19) February 2015 (16) January 2015 (21) December 2014 (16) November 2014 (20) October 2014 (22) September 2014 (20) August 2014 (24) July 2014 (27) June 2014 (26) May 2014 (27) April 2014 (20) March 2014 (25) February 2014 (19) January 2014 (23) December 2013 (24) November 2013 (19) October 2013 (22) September 2013 (20) August 2013 (21) July 2013 (17) June 2013 (16) May 2013 (14) April 2013 (19) March 2013 (16) February 2013 (12) January 2013 (14) December 2012 (20) November 2012 (17) October 2012 (14) September 2012 (14) August 2012 (20) July 2012 (15) June 2012 (15) May 2012 (17) April 2012 (16) March 2012 (6) February 2012 (7) January 2012 (6) December 2011 (12) November 2011 (14) October 2011 (16) September 2011 (9) August 2011 (12) July 2011 (8) June 2011 (11) May 2011 (11) April 2011 (11) March 2011 (10) February 2011 (12) January 2011 (17) December 2010 (16) November 2010 (10) October 2010 (21) September 2010 (21) August 2010 (24) July 2010 (36) June 2010 (19) May 2010 (14) April 2010 (15) March 2010 (13) February 2010 (6) January 2010 (3) Iraqi students have taken advantage of schools and universities being suspended due to the Coronavirus outbreak to trickle back onto streets to protests against government incompetence, poor public services, and foreign meddling. According to reports, the Iraqi's have been protesting for months now and the anti-government demonstrators have started to take public health into their own hands. While speaking to an international media outlet, a protester said that the 'real virus is Iraqi politicians'. As per international media reports, the Iraqi demonstrators have distributed leaflets and delivered lectures on Coronavirus prevention. They have also handed out free medical maks. Makeshifts clinics which were erected months ago to treat demonstrators hit by live fire and tear gas canisters are now reportedly dispensing gloves and sanitisers. Furthermore, volunteers in bio-hazard suits check the temperature of protesters lined up in organised queues. READ: Rocket Hits Near US Embassy In Iraq Capital: US Military Source The World Health Organisation reported that Iraq has less than ten doctors for every 10,000 residents. Last week, Iraq also reported its first Coronavirus case and the total number of diagnosed infections has since jumped to nearly 19 all traced to Iran where nearly 54 deaths among 978 cases have been recorded already. This has further sparked public panic in Iraq which is a popular destination for Iranian pilgrims visiting Najaf and Karbala. READ: Iraq Confirms Sixth Case Of Coronavirus In The Country, Total Reaches 6 550 people killed, 30,000 injured As schools, universities, cinemas, cafes, and other public places are reportedly ordered shut until March 7, the authorities expected a fall in the number of demonstrators. However, students took advantage of the situation and started protesting against the government. On Sunday, the anti-government protesters reportedly flowed into protest camps in Baghdad and Diwaniya to press for a government overhaul. According to reports, since October 1, approximately 550 people have been killed and around 30,000 other injured. Last week, four protesters were shot dead in protest camps and one activist was also assassinated at his house. A protester reportedly said that political parties and corruption are an epidemic which is more dangerous than the Coronavirus. He further added that this is the outbreak that Iraqis want to get rid of because it has destroyed the nation. READ: Rocket Attack Hits Near US Embassy In Iraq Capital: Militaries READ: Valentines Day Brings Love And Some Worry In Iraq Holy City (With Agency Inputs) The Karnataka government has plans to develop a nano park here and also come out with a new science and technology policy. In his inaugural address to the eleventh edition of Bangaluru India Nano 2020, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said the proposed park would be in collaboration with the Government of India. Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said the nano park proposal is being discussed with Prof C N R Rao, National Research Professor, Honorary President, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Chairman of Karnataka's Vision Group of Nanotechnology. "...we expect many of the research centres to be established in Bengaluru to promote the (nano technology) ecosystem, to strengthen this industry," Ashwath Narayan, who holds the IT, BT and S&T portfolios, said. He also said the government plans to come out with a new science and technology policy to promote research and development and related industries. The two-day Bengaluru India Nano 2020 is a premium event of the Karnataka's Department of IT, BT and S&T, and is being held in association with the Vision Group. Officials said the event's emphasis is on nano industries and nano startups. A range of issues pertaining to research, technology development, skills requirement, institutions involved, risk issues, regulatory & governance structure, investment and collaborations between R&D, academia & industry is being deliberated upon at the conference, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday informed that eight new barracks are being constructed at Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. Speaking in the state Assembly, Deshmukh informed that construction work of three barracks has been completed. "Eight new barracks are being constructed at Yerawada prison in Pune. Construction work of three barracks has been completed. The rest five are under construction and will also be completed soon," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Officials at Los Angeles International Airport have allegedly not begun screening passengers arriving from South Korea, where coronavirus has rapidly spread. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said in a tweet that people traveling from high-risk countries would be screened upon arrival in the US. Katie Miller, spokesperson for Vice President Mike Pence, later clarified that, in addition to passengers from China who already undergo screenings, this would include travelers from Iran, Italy and South Korea. In a press conference on Monday evening, Pence said there will be 100 percent screening at all airports with direct flights from Italy and South Korea over the next 12 hours. But Arnold Hur, chief operating officer for e-sports companies Gen.G and Seoul Dynasty, said he was not examined when he landed in California on Monday morning. 'Just landed in LA from Seoul, Korea,' Hur tweeted. 'Despite all the noise about a government response there were zero screening or temperature checks. Feels like #coronavirus is just getting started in the US.' Arnold Hur, chief operating officer of Gen.G and Seoul Dynasty, tweeted (pictured) that he flew from Seoul, South Korea to Los Angeles on Monday Hur said that when he deplaned, there were no screenings or temperature checks at Los Angeles International Airport. Pictured: A flight crew from Korean Airlines, wear face masks at LAX, February 29 Worldwide, more than 89,000 people have been infected with coronavirus and more than 3,000 people have died. LAX was one of the five original airports designated for screenings when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first began implementing them in January. Passengers were taken to secure rooms before they reached any customs lines so that the effect on foot traffic was minimal. At first, the checks were only performed on people flying in from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Currently, all passengers who've been in mainland China over the prior 14 days are subject to screening at US airports. No other country appears to have the same restrictions. On Saturday, the US State Department issued a Level 3 Reconsider Travel warning for South Korea and Level Do No Travel warning for the city of Daegu, where mot transmission has occurred. Daegu is about a three-and-a-half hour flight south of the capital of Seoul, which is where Hur said he boarded to return to the US. LAX Public Relations Division told DailyMail.com that it could neither confirm nor deny that passengers on Hur's flight weren't screened. '[Choosing which planes are screened is] totally up to the CDC's discretion and how they're identifying the risk,' a spokesperson said. While it might sound concerning that passengers from other countries are not being subjected to screenings, a CNN investigation found that not a single US coronavirus case has been caught by temperature checks at airports. South Korea has the most cases outside of China, with at least 4,335 confirmed cases and around 26 deaths. Pictured: Coronavirus patients are moved from Daegu medical center in South Korea, March 2 To control the virus's spread, new school term across of South Korea has been delayed by one week, and three weeks in Daegu. Pictured: Coronavirus patients are moved from Daegu medical center in South Korea, March 2 At least 10 people flew into US airports on commercial airliners, and were diagnosed with coronavirus later on. Four of those 10 - two at LAX - underwent temperature checks and didn't have a fever or other symptoms of the disease. Worldwide, more than 89,000 people have been infected with the virus and more than 3,000 people have died. In the US there have been 89 confirmed cases and two deaths, both reported in Washington state. South Korea is the country with the most cases outside of China, with 4,335 people infected and around 26 deaths. To control the spread of the virus, the new school term across of South Korea has been delayed by one week, and three weeks in Daegu. In addition, the US and South Korean militaries have postponed upcoming joint exercises until at least June. In yet another delay, a Delhi court has now deferred till further order the hanging of four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder convict. Hanging of the four convicts was scheduled for Tuesday at 6 AM. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana had earlier today reserved the order on a petition filed by Pawan Gupta after hearing arguments from all the sides in the matter. The execution of convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh -- was earlier scheduled to take place on the morning of March 3. During the hearing, advocate AP Singh said that he filed the mercy petition before the President of India on behalf of convict Pawan Gupta as soon as he received the information that the convict's curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier today. Public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, on the other hand, opposed the application and contended that this plea was premature and not maintainable adding that as per the mandate of prison rule, the President will seek a report from Jail authorities and the execution will be stayed suo moto. Judge Rana had asked Singh how he could afford to ignore the order of the Delhi High Court, which granted a week's time to the convicts to avail all legal remedied available to them. Lawyer for victim's family, advocate Jitender Jha submitted that that trial court does not have jurisdiction to deal with this situation adding that only the High Court can impose stay as per Section 415 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with the postponement of execution sentence of death in case of appeal to the Supreme Court. Earlier today, the court had also dismissed an application seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrant but slated to hear a petition afresh after advocate AP Singh informed the court that the mercy petition of convict Pawan Gupta was filed before the President. President Ram Nath Kovind had on February 5 rejected the mercy petition of convict Akshay Thakur. So far, mercy petitions of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh have also been rejected. The case pertains to the gangrape and brutalising of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. Each morning, at an all too early hour, Torontos homeless shelters toss their denizens onto the citys mean streets, rain, snow or shine. The City of Toronto estimated last year that there were almost 9,000 homeless people, a dramatic increase over the past decade. Statistics also suggest that those more than 50 years of age the majority of them men make up about 29 per cent of the total, the fastest growing group. There is a place in the heart of downtown where the citys homeless population is largely clustered a place to go, really for men over 50 that has been operating quietly and without fanfare for decades. Appropriately called Haven Toronto, it sees about 400 clients daily, every day of the year. The streets for everyone is difficult and can be very precarious and violent. But you are very much a target if youre an older person. If youre homeless, you carry everything with you and that makes you a very, very easy target to be robbed or assaulted. We hear about that daily here, executive director Lauro Monteiro said. Often I tell people in the community, if we werent here, where do you think these folks would go? Haven Toronto offers a range of services that go above and beyond its status as a drop-in centre, including $1 daily meals (if you can afford it, 30 per cent of clients cant), access to showers, laundry machines, a clothing bank, television and internet access, a recreation program, a library and comfortable chairs. Two full-time counsellors also help clients navigate the intricacies of government bureaucracy and ferret out urgently needed livable housing in a neighbourhood where rents are sky high and condos are sprouting up with startling regularity. Monteiro noted with pride that Haven workers have found permanent housing for 22 regulars so far this year, adding that staff also intervene on behalf of clients dealing with landlords or troublesome fellow tenants. If youre a homeless man getting up there in years, chances are youre contending with serious health issues, possibly even terminal ones. You may not have a family doctor or even an OHIP card. The centre has a full-time nurse funded through a private donation and a family doctor who volunteers one day a week. A palliative care team comes in weekly to meet with the five clients who are facing terminal illness. But mostly what the drop-in centre offers is fellowship and a sense of community to a population battered by a lifetime of adversity and often leery of strangers. One thing that caught me off guard when I first started here was the number of people who come here just for the conversation. A lot of people just dont have anybody, staff member Rui Martins said. Social isolation is a major and largely unrecognized issue for homeless people, Monteiro added. (Loneliness) is a very, very significant part of being homeless. Youre cut off from the communities that you were once part of. Most of the men that we see are disenfranchised from families for a whole host of reasons. So you become very lonely and very isolated from the things that you may have known most of your life, Monteiro said. We all want to belong to something, whether its a family or a social network. These men are no different, they just want to belong to something. So having a community that they can call their own, where they go, where they see people, where they can connect with people ... its hugely powerful, he added. Clients also get occasional access to passes to museums, city events and movie tickets, Monteiro said. We had a guy here just recently who went to the movies for the first time in 20 years. He couldnt afford it, he still cant afford it. It gives (clients) a sense of belonging, it makes them feel that somebody cares, he said. Irish native Barry Tierney, who has been the centres full-time nurse for the past year, said it has taken time to build rapport with clients he calls the lads. Theres a big demand for blood pressure and blood sugar level testing for the men, who have alarmingly high rates of serious and often undiagnosed health issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Many clients, he added, have serious mental health and addiction issues. Referrals to other health professionals as well as diagnostic tests such as x-rays and ultrasounds are also available. Monteiro noted the centres modest health care resources take some pressure off the emergency room at nearby St. Michaels Hospital. Every day is different, theres never a dull day here, said Tierney, who formerly worked at a methadone treatment clinic in Dublin. Haven Toronto originally called the Good Neighbours Club was founded in 1933 by poverty activist and former Toronto councillor May Birchard along with a similar facility in Winnipeg. Its been at its current location at the corner of Jarvis and Shuter streets since 1966. The centre gets most of its funding from the provincial government as well as the City of Toronto. Its also receives funding from the United Way of Greater Toronto and is one of 50 select charities that receive funding from the office of Ontarios Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, who made her first official visit to the centre Dec. 6. Haven also receives some funding from private donors, corporations and foundations. Mike Flynn, 59, credits the centre with saving his life when, shortly after he starting going there regularly, Tierney persuaded Flynn that his coughing fit required urgent medical care. It was Barry that talked me into going to the hospital because Im stubborn, Flynn said. After being treated for pneumonia, Flynn was subsequently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Hes found housing because of his dire condition but continues to volunteer as the centres librarian and helps run its monthly book club. Haven has been a godsend, Flynn noted, not the least of which is the connections he and other clients have made. People have made friendships. Because of the nature of the guys here, theyre cautious. But when they shoot a couple of games of pool, a couple of games of Euchre or they might shoot the s--- out in the courtyard, they develop a degree of trust, Flynn said. Joe White uses the citys shelter system, although he has lived rough for many years, including in a cubbyhole in Chinatown for five years. The winter changes everything, White noted grimly. At city shelters, youre up at 6 a.m., out the door by 7 a.m., right? So where do you go? Its good place to come and go. You can grab a snooze, read the paper, go online, play some pool. You can have a hot shower or get your laundry done. It makes all the difference, White said. One service the centre also offers is the final one for clients: helping to arrange a proper service and burial in concert with the city and a wonderful local funeral home. Just because you are homeless shouldnt mean that you cant have a dignified end of life. We have absolutely no funding ... we do that just because thats the right thing to do, Monteiro said. Year after year, I have seen family members tell us they appreciate the fact that they now know that their loved one was part of a community and there was a place where they were looked after and there was somebody who cared about them, he added. The addition of a supersized mural covering the front of the building paid for by a $25,000 city grant and painted by street artists has given the drop-in centre some unexpected attention in recent years, depicting the faces of the community, including a doctor, a veteran as well as homeless men. We get a lot of comments, a lot of people know us from that mural. We often have people who stand across the street and take pictures. If it illuminates to the folks outside of our four walls that there are older people here struggling ... were happy, Monteiro said. Its humble but its the most fulfilling work Ive ever done in 40 years of working. I come into work everyday knowing something good is going to happen, he added. Iraq's Prime Minister-designate resigns after parliament fails to approve cabinet Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 10:37 PM Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Mohammad Tawfiq Allawi has withdrawn his candidacy after the parliament failed to approve his new government. Allawi asked the Iraqi presidency to excuse him from forming a new government in a speech on Sunday. He added that he made the decision after seeing that "certain political factions are not yet ready reform" and that continuing his tenure under such circumstances would run contrary to his promises to the Iraqi people. Allawi's withdrawal comes a few hours after Iraq's parliament failed to reach a quorum necessary to hold a vote-of-confidence session for Allawi's new government for a third time in a week. Allawi was tasked early February with forming a new government after former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in the wake of unprecedented anti-government protests which accused the former government of corruption and mismanagement. The demonstrations, which started in early October last year, have since regularly turned violent amid reports of foreign intervention. Several hundred people, including security forces, have lost their lives in the violence. Rockets hit Green Zone A few hours after the reEarly on Monday, media reports claimed that two blasts were heard from rockets targeting "US assets" in the Iraqi capital's "Green Zone". The Green Zone is home to several Western embassies and government offices including the parliament, the prime minister's office, and the presidency. In recent months the fortified zone has been repeatedly targeted by Katyusha rockets by unknown parties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Protection of compatriots worldwide is a pretext to pursue territorial expansion ideas. Russia and Serbia have been aggressively supporting their compatriots abroad, with their legislative approach being quite similar, also reflecting a strongly Orthodox martyrdom narrative. Both states use diaspora-related issues as the basis of foreign policy expansion and rational military aggression. In the 1980s, Belgrade spread a "Great Serbia" idea and that of the need to protect ethnic Serbs living abroad. Slovenia's attempt to obtain economic independence led to the Serbian military invasion and war. Later on, Croatia followed the same event scenario, according to the IGTDS think tank. The Milosevic regime started promoting Serbian nationalism, while the leader stated he would not allow humiliating the Serbian people. As a result, his political course led to the Balkan war. The situation in Russia developed in a similar way. The fall of the Soviet Union and Russia's inability to move towards civilized capitalist development, as well as prevailing ambitions for the Russian elites political and economic expansion provoked promotion of the "Russian World" concept at the state level. In fact, it is an analogue of the "Great Serbia" idea. Read alsoRussia turning into totalitarian regime described by Orwell in '1984' novel Putin's ex-adviser The "Great Russia" project combines the military-political model of the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire in the context of territorial expansion, strength-positioned geopolitical leadership, and confrontational relations with the West. Russia's political elite, arisen during the period of the Soviet Union and supporting a clear internationalism ideology, is now filling a nationalism niche. The Kremlin's attempts to position itself as fighter against fascism is a direct consequence of the policy of ultranationalism based on the territorial, rather than ethnic, principle. In fact, from the political science perspective, modern Russia is seen as a fascist state with the following features observed: radical imperialist political ideology; personality cult (Putin); militarism (ranks 3rd in the worlds defense expenses rating)l; totalitarism (176 out of 208 in the political and civil liberties rating); the idea of uniting and mobilizing the nation and state against enemies (USA, West, NATO); permanent war (the thesis "We can repeat it" in the context of WWII), and domination idea. The Putin elite are clearly and distinctly transforming the mechanisms of public opinion consolidation into national grounds sounded like "Russians feel offended everywhere". The thesis of a threat to the Russians was at the heart of the annexation of Crimea, the occupation of South Ossetia, and Donbas. However, by positioning themselves as victims, Russians justify their external aggression and territorial expansion. For example, the incidents with Russians detained in the United States and Europe for espionage, cyberattacks, and other anti-state actions are positioned by Moscow as persecution of Russians and Russophobia (Anti-Russian sentiment). It is important to emphasize that prior to World War II a narrative about Germans being oppressed as the reason for the country's problems was massively spread in Germany. The National Socialists of Germany, just like the modern Russian elite, proclaimed a national revival as the target; Russia presented this very idea as 'rising from the knees". Sacrificial mythology justifies Russia's nationalist policy and external aggression acts. Read alsoRussia issues over 200,000 passports to Ukrainians in Donbas Ukraine's envoy to UN Serbia sticks to a similar policy with taking into account different military, diplomatic and financial capital. For example, on January 15, 2017, Belgrade threatened to use military force to protect the Serbs in Kosovo. The situation of protection of compatriots by Belgrade and Moscow may see synergy in the form of granting Russian citizenship to Serbs living on territories beyond Belgrade's control. Thus, in 2011, the Serbs tried to get Russia's protection and security guarantees by applying for Russian passports. At that moment Moscow rejected the idea. However, there is a possibility that the Kremlin may reconsider the citizenship issue in the future to strengthen its position in the Balkans, especially, in the NATO expansion context. Granting Russian citizenship to Serbs, for example, in Kosovo, will raise the question of Russia's protection of local citizens. A similar situation in South Ossetia in 2008 has already led to the occupation of the territory by Russian forces. Russia is actively granting passports in Transnistria and Donbas, thus laying the foundation for an official military invasion of the territories in case of political necessity. On February 26, Vladimir Putin shared an idea of the Russian constitutional provision on protection Russian speakers worldwide. According to him, many people living abroad, regardless of ethnicity and nationality, are Russian (by place of birth or previous residence).Thus, Russia is trying to expand the compatriots' protection concept to the fullest to create pretext for invasions. The Russian Federal Law on state policy regarding compatriots abroad gives an extremely broad definition of a "compatriot". According to the law, this may be a person who has "common features in language, history, cultural heritage, traditions and customs, including their descendants". Moreover, the compatriots abroad are both citizens of the Russian Federation permanently residing abroad, emigrants, and the ones who are citizens of another country but whose ancestors lived in the Soviet Union or even the Russian Empire. Thus, the compatriot concept includes an extremely wide list of those who may not even identify themselves with Russia. Read alsoGreece denies visa to Russian Orthodox Church official Belgrade is following the similar approach to the diaspora. The Serbian Government Declaration proclaiming relations with countrymen and the diaspora implies not only citizens of Serbia, but also Serbs living in southeastern regions: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Hungary and Romania, regardless of their citizenship. The law rests diaspora work responsibility not only upon the government but the Serbian Orthodox Church as well. This approach coincides with Russia's policy where the Russian Orthodox Church is used for political expansion abroad and diaspora contacts. Thus, the common approach of Russia and Serbia as of compatriot protection reflects the nationalism policies implemented in these countries, the think tank concludes. (@ChaudhryMAli88) RIYADH (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd March, 2020) Russia and the United States will be invited to a pledging conference that seeks to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center Supervisor General Abdullah Alrabeeah told Sputnik. "Russia is a friend, a friendly country. We have historical ties with Russia, so we welcome Russia to join and pledge. We welcome all - the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries and any country that wants to help Yemen, we welcome them to come and pledge," Alrabeeah, who is also an adviser to the Royal Court, said. On April 2, Saudi Arabia and the United Nations will host a high-level pledging conference to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. "Saudi Arabia, based on the request of his majesty King Salman, the custodian of the two holy mosques, is hosting the upcoming pledging conference for Yemen 2020. Our expectation is that the entire donor community will attend this pledging conference," Alrabeeah said. Alrabeeah said Saudi Arabia has been the top donor for Yemen in the last several years and expressed hope the donor community will be generous in its support for the war-torn country. "We all know that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is huge and the country needs a great deal of support. So, our expectations and hope is that all of the donor countries will join us in this," Alrabeeah said. Yemen has been facing a severe humanitarian crisis since 2015, caused by the ongoing military conflict between the government headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebel movement, which controls the country's north, including the capital of Sanaa. Thats hard to determine without knowing what happened before the video began. Lightfoot is correct to say that theres more to the event than the videos that went viral. The officers were members of the Police Departments mass transit unit. How did their encounter with the man begin? What happened between then and the moment the first video began? Also, the second gunshot is heard but not captured on video. What precipitated that second shot? Pipeline 2 March 2020 Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama is pleased to announce that it will open its doors on May 1st, 2020. Currently operating as the Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel Club Resort, the hotel will be rebranded and operated by Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd. from that date.Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama will offer a Southern European atmosphere incorporating a striking pink exterior. The hotel will provide guests with a unique opportunity to refresh both their minds and bodies while enveloped in a refreshing resort breeze, inspired by the concept "The epitome of quality, where guests can experience ultimate comfort, unlock all their senses." Urban Resort Experience Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama is located in Maihama, a popular leisure destination for families in Japan and from overseas. Its 37-meter high nine-story atrium lobby one of the tallest in Japan creates an open and welcoming atmosphere. Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama will offer accommodation comprising more than 700 guest rooms surrounding the atrium lobby, all with their own balcony. The hotel will additionally provide views of Tokyo Bay while offering guests the feel of an urban resort. The new property will be the second Grand Nikko-branded luxury hotel in Japan, following the opening of Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba. After the hotel's opening, its facilities including guest rooms, and restaurants will be renovated in stages, in order to provide guests and visitors with the high standard of luxury associated with the Grand Nikko brand. These items have moved to your My Account page Afghanistan should resolve its bilateral issues with Pakistan directly rather than involving the United States, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday, referring to the joint declaration between US and the Afghan government which said that Washington commits to facilitating discussions between Kabul and Islamabad. "They (Afghanistan) should realise that the United States is planning to withdraw from Afghanistan and we (Pakistan) will always remain neighbours. So, a direct approach should be given preference to," Qureshi said in an interview to a news agency, as shared in a report by Dawn. "You know if I have an issue with Afghanistan, I will not ask Washington to play a role. I will speak to Kabul directly," he added. Qureshi's statement came a day after a part of a joint US-Afghan declaration on peace efforts stated that Washington 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." Qureshi said that Pakistan has done its best to bridge the trust deficit between Afghanistan and his country. "My very first visit as the Foreign Minister was to Kabul, just to reassure them how important Afghanistan is for Pakistan because if we want peace and stability in Pakistan, we feel that there is a direct linkage between peace in Afghanistan and peace in Pakistan," Qureshi said. As per the joint declaration released on Saturday, the US would 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 declaration was released on the same day when the US and Taliban signed the historic peace deal aimed at ending the nearly 19-year-long war in Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. As with many other companies Ban Leong Technologies Limited (SGX:B26) makes use of debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt? When Is Debt A Problem? Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together. See our latest analysis for Ban Leong Technologies What Is Ban Leong Technologies's Net Debt? The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Ban Leong Technologies had debt of S$3.94m at the end of September 2019, a reduction from S$5.93m over a year. But it also has S$10.3m in cash to offset that, meaning it has S$6.32m net cash. SGX:B26 Historical Debt, March 2nd 2020 How Healthy Is Ban Leong Technologies's Balance Sheet? Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Ban Leong Technologies had liabilities of S$27.3m due within 12 months and liabilities of S$2.65m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had S$10.3m in cash and S$21.8m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it actually has S$2.13m more liquid assets than total liabilities. This surplus suggests that Ban Leong Technologies has a conservative balance sheet, and could probably eliminate its debt without much difficulty. Simply put, the fact that Ban Leong Technologies has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely. Story continues In fact Ban Leong Technologies's saving grace is its low debt levels, because its EBIT has tanked 34% in the last twelve months. When a company sees its earnings tank, it can sometimes find its relationships with its lenders turn sour. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is Ban Leong Technologies's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot. But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. Ban Leong Technologies may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Looking at the most recent three years, Ban Leong Technologies recorded free cash flow of 48% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That's not great, when it comes to paying down debt. Summing up While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that Ban Leong Technologies has net cash of S$6.32m, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. So we don't have any problem with Ban Leong Technologies's use of debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Ban Leong Technologies that you should be aware of before investing here. When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now. 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. Lloyds Intelligence says, "Deceptive shipping practices from offshore loadings from the Iraqi port of Khor al-Zubair reveal hidden cargoes of sanctioned Iranian fuel oil are being shipped to Malaysia and Fujairah." About 2.1m tons of oil derivatives were loaded from the offshore port limit of the Iraqi port Khor al-Zubair in January, Lloyd's List Intelligence data shows. Subsequently, the shipment was exported to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and partly to Malaysia as Iraqi fuel oil. Although fuel oil is not specifically sanctioned by the United States, but if Iran sells the product directly to other countries it cannot receive U.S. dollars and in general it has a tough time conducting business through banks and insurance companies. This could be one reason why it uses Iraq as a conduit to export fuel oil. In addition, Iran also exports the low-quality fuel directly. Radio Farda's data provided by Kpler also shows that UAE has been the primary destination for two-thirds of directly shipped Iranian fuel oil, and one-tenth of the product was delivered to Malaysia. After Iran added the Persian Guld Star new refinery, it was expected that its direct fuel oil exports will increase but apparently this did not happen, indicating that some exports are conducted indirectly through third parties. Persian Gulf Star Refinery, also known as Bandar Abbas Gas Condensate Refinery, is being developed near Bandar Abbas, south of Iran. It has a processing capacity of nearly 360,000 barrels of gas condensate a day. According to Lloyds, a spike in fuel oil exports from Iraq's Khor al-Zubair export terminals accompanied by subterfuge shipping practices used by tankers which load there reveal hidden flows of Iranian oil cargoes being shipped to the bunkering center off Fujairah and to floating storage off Malaysia. Moreover, Lloyds has disclosed that along with rising exports, there are increased numbers of tankers seen "going dark" switching off their Automatic Identification System while in the off-port loading area, suggesting ship-to-ship transfers are undertaken in this way to disguise the identity of the other ship and the cargos origin. The CAG report on missing rifles and live cartridges rocked the Kerala assembly on Monday as opposition Congress-led UDF insisted on a CBI probe which was rejected by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The assembly was adjourned for the day in the pre-lunch session by Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan as the United Democratic Front members stormed the Well holding banners and raising slogans after their notice for an adjournment motion on the issue was rejected. It was first raised during the Question Hour and again by way of the adjournment motion notice, but Vijayan asserted no rifle was missing from the Special Armed Police Battalion here as found by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the cartridges were lost mainly during the previous UDF rule. The chief minister said the Left government was viewing the matter 'seriously, adding one police official was arrested and a departmental inquiry pending against 11 others in connection with over 12,000 cartridges going missing. "There is no relevance for a CBI probe right now. An effective and comprehensive investigation by our own agency, crime branch, is progressing...let its report come first," he said. Replying to the notice for adjournment motion later, he said: "we don't have anything to hide. We just followed the procedures." As the opposition targeted state police chief Loknath Behara, who came in for rap from the CAG for purchasing luxury vehicles and constructing villas diverting funds and violating norms, Vijayan said it was not fair to "tarnish the image of a person who is not in the House". "If you all are looking for removing the DGP, then let me make it clear. We are not going to remove him. Your agenda is not going to work here," the Chief Minister said. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged the Chief Minister was trying to 'trivialise' the "serious issue" and demanded a comprehensive probe into it. He also lashed out at Vijayan for supporting Behara and said "You are whitewashing the DGP." The CAG report had mentioned nine points which indicated corruption in the police department, he added. Congress member P T Thomas alleged Vijayan was using the "Delhi links" of Behara to save himself from the over two decades old Lavalin corruption case. It is related to alleged corruption in the award of contract to Canadian company SNC Lavalin for renovation of hydel projects during 1996-98 when Vijayan was the power minister. CBI's appeal against acquiital of Vijayan and others is pending in Supreme Court. Hitting back, Vijayan said: "I have heard members mentioning Lavallin case here. What is it? Pinarayi Vijayan is not an accused in the case. The trial court acquitted me, the CBI went to hight court and the appeal was dismissed." Chennithala maintained the apex court was yet to clear Vijayan. Earlier, the House spent nearly 40 minutes of the question hour on the CAG report. Fielding a volley of questions, Vijayan said: "Of the total 660 INSAS automatic rifles with the state armed force battalion, 647 were physically counted by the Crime Branch team recently and the remaining 13 were found to have been issued to armed force battalion under training in Manipur". He also accused the previous UDF government of "covering up" the complaint of missing cartridges when the issue had cropped up in 2015. He said as per rules, after the CAG report was tabled in the assembly, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hear the official and will take necessary action accordingly. The CAG, in a damning report tabled in the state assembly on February 12, had found shortage of 25 INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges from the SAP battalion here. There was shortage of 250 9-mm Drill Cartridges, which was "covered up" with dummy cartridges, the report on General and Social sector for the fiscal ending March 31, 2018 had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Mon, March 2, 2020 21:13 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067d0312 1 National Batam,Singapore,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,death,doctors,observation Free The Health Ministry has ordered the Riau Islands Health Agency to observe those who were in contact with a person referred to as AA, a 61-year-old Singaporean who died in Batam after showing symptoms similar to those of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Thirty-three people are under observation, including doctors and nurses who had treated the patient. AA died in an isolation room in Batam Indonesia Free Zone Authority Hospital (RS BP) on Feb. 22. The patient died after having been treated in the isolation room for two days. Riau Islands Health Agency head Tjeptjep Yudiana told The Jakarta Post on Monday that he had received instructions from the Health Ministry. The 33 people [who were in contact with AA] have been observed and have undergone specimen tests, including the doctors, nurses, room service staff and drivers who helped him, Tjeptjep said. Read also: BREAKING: Three people in Singapore latest to test positive for COVID-19 after visiting Indonesia AAs wife and two daughters, who are Singaporean nationals, are also under observation, Tjeptjep added. His wife and daughters are not quarantined but are still being monitored, he said. According to Tjeptjep, AA died when he was still a suspected coronavirus patient. His test results were negative, but Tjeptjep said there was a possibility of flawed results from the test. Therefore, rigid measures were still being taken to observe the people who were in contact with AA. There might be errors. Were only human. If one of these 33 people tests positive, the others will be quarantined, Tjeptjep said. AA was buried in Batam in a closed funeral on Wednesday evening, four days after his death. According to the police, the funeral took place at Sambau Cemetery in Nongsa, Batam, Riau Islands. Batam City Health Agency head Didi Kusmajadi told The Jakarta Post on Friday that AA was buried in Batam four days after his death due to administrative problems. Read also: Batam quarantines 15 people who had close contact with Singaporean COVID-19 patients Didi denied allegations that AAs funeral took place in Batam because Singapore refused his remains. Singapore should not refuse their citizens, but due to a family decision, he was then buried here, Didi said. There were efforts from the consul to facilitate the transfer of the remains to Singapore, but he was then buried in Batam, Didi said. He also said that AAs funeral was held in accordance with official rules and procedures. The head of Commission II of Batam City Council, Hendra Asman, said that he had recommended that the Batam administration temporarily close ferry links between Batam and Singapore until the outbreak ended. We will discuss the possibility of temporarily halting the ferry trips to and from Batam and Singapore as a manifestation of our seriousness in responding to the outbreak," said Hendra. (gis) Al-Shabaab warns all Christians to leave northeastern Kenya Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Somalia-based al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab has ordered Christians to leave three counties in northeastern Kenya to allow local Muslims to get all local jobs, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. Muslim teachers, doctors, engineers, and young graduates from the northeastern province are unemployed. Isnt it better to give them a chance? There is no need for the presence of disbelievers, al-Shabaabs spokesman, Sheikh Ali Dhere, said in an audio clip posted online, referring to the counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera. In the 20-minute clip, the spokesman urged Somali-Kenyans to drive all non-Muslims out if they do not leave on their own. The majority of the people living in the three counties are Somalis, who fled to Kenya due to war and violence in Somalia. This is not news at all because the conduct of the local people here has always suggested that they want us to leave, the Rev. Cosmas Mwinzi of the Assemblies of God in Garissa was quoted as saying. This region has been unstable for years due to war in Somalia and hatred against non-locals who are mostly Christians. The levels of education and infrastructure in the three counties are low and it is only through the expertise and hard work of the non-locals that the living standard of the Somali people in Kenya can improve. We have non-locals in all sectors, from health to education. In January, three Christian teachers were murdered in the town of Kamuthe in Garissa County during an attack on a primary school believed to have been carried out by al-Shabaab. As a result, many non-local teachers were already being transferred to other schools outside northeastern Kenya, or teachers themselves were requesting transfers. This release is terrible news for Christians living and working in eastern Kenya, Nathan Johnson, ICCs regional manager for Africa, said. They already live with increased fear and anxiety, as many have had to travel to find work. Now with this threat, it is clear that al-Shabaab will be increasing attacks on Christians who are simply trying to provide for their families. Last Wednesday, two Christians were reported to be among three people killed after suspected al-Shabaab militants attacked a bus carrying passengers to the capital of Nairobi from a market town near the Ethiopian and Somalian borders. Haji Abass, the owner of the Kenya-based Moyale Raha bus company, told The Associated Press that the militants were in police uniform and tried to flag down the bus. However, the bus driver kept on going because he knew there were no police stops along the route. At that point, the militants shot at the bus, flattened the back tires and injured the driver. After the bus went into a ditch, militants allegedly pulled the passengers out and killed two non-Muslims and one Muslim. Two others were injured. Kenya ranks as the 44th worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. Al-Shabaab has fought for years to overthrow the Somali government. The group has been responsible for attacks on both sides of the Somalia and Kenya border as it has long vowed to retaliate against Kenya for sending in troops to Somalia to fight the group. In April 2015, al-Shabaab carried out one of its deadliest attacks when it stormed the campus of Garissa University. On that occasion, militants were said to have separated Muslims from non-Muslims and proceeded to execute all non-Muslim students. At least 148 people were killed in the attack. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:53:26|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close CANBERRA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been accused of making "racist" comments about Hinduism in the parliament. Frydenberg made several references to Hinduism and other Indian religions in Parliament on Thursday while responding to the Opposition Labor Party's proposal to pursue a "wellbeing budget." "They (Labor) are inspired by their spiritual leader, the member for Rankin," he said, referring to Labor's treasury spokesperson Jim Chalmers. "I was thinking yesterday, as the member for Rankin was coming into the chamber fresh from his Ashram deep in the mountains of the Himalayas barefoot in the chamber, robes flowing, incense burning, beads in one hand, wellbeing budget in the other, I thought to myself: 'What yoga position the member for Rankin would assume ... to deliver the first wellbeing budget?'" In a statement issued on Saturday night, the Hindu Council of Australia described the comments as "brazen, racist and Hindu-phobic," calling for an apology. "The comments made by Mr Frydenberg are derisive and very offensive to the Hindu community," the statement said. It also criticized Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other senior members of the government for laughing at Frydenberg's statement. "What is more unsettling to the Hindu community is that the floor of the house, the shrine of democracy, was used as the stage to disrespect the Hindu community," the council said. "This behavior shows a lack of respect to the Hindu community and undermines deep faith in multiculturalism that we all, as Australians, are so proud about." Enditem This story first appeared on ProPublica and was co-published with The News & Observer and The Herald Sun in Raleigh, N.C. The Richmond, Va., website that tells people where to vote and publishes election results runs on a 17-year-old operating system. Software used by election-related sites in Johnston County, N.C., and the town of Barnstable, Mass., had reached its expiration date, making security updates no longer available. These aging systems reflect a larger problem: A ProPublica investigation found that at least 50 election-related websites in counties and towns voting on Super Tuesday -- accounting for nearly 2 million voters -- were particularly vulnerable to cyberattack. The sites, where people can find out how to register to vote, where to cast ballots and who won the election, had security issues such as outdated software, poor encryption and systems encumbered with unneeded computer programs. None of the localities contacted by ProPublica said that their sites had been disrupted by cyberattacks. ProPublica also spotted files that should have been kept hidden because, when identified, they could give hackers a roadmap to the computer systems weaknesses. Some election websites shared the same computer server with many other local government sites, magnifying the potential repercussions of an attack. Shared hosting environments are rarely appropriate for critical infrastructure, researchers Bob Rudis and Tod Beardsley of the security firm Rapid7 wrote in a February report for ProPublica. At a time when cybersecurity concerns have come to the forefront of American elections, ProPublicas findings reveal the frailty of some local computer networks. Fake Election Day information could disenfranchise voters by sending them to the wrong polling place. Tainted results could stall a campaign, since primary wins drive momentum with financial contributions and political support. After the Iowa caucuses fiasco, in which a mobile apps flaws apparently unrelated to security delayed results for days, any security breach could test voters confidence in the integrity of the election process. Counties and towns increasingly seek the Department of Homeland Securitys assistance in scanning their systems for security problems, but the federal government cant make them do so. Public websites are an area of concern as we look at county-level election offices, especially those that lack financial resources and expertise, said a senior U.S. official, who wasnt authorized to speak on the record. The federal government isnt aware of specific plans by foreign adversaries to attack county websites, the official said, but we know its in the playbook. Three localities -- Barnstable, Johnston County and Sebastian County, Ark. -- said they would fix their systems after ProPublica notified them of their vulnerabilities last month. At least three other sites examined are still powered in part by software from the early 2000s, contrary to guidance from the government and industry. Besides Richmond, they include Belchertown, Mass., and Virginias King and Queen County. Its not surprising to me at all that these platforms havent been updated in more than a decade, said Sara Moriarty, a Richmond voter who works for a local nonprofit. I dont think they have the resources to think about how their systems could be hacked or turned against them to spread disinformation. Election security concerns have focused at times on machines used for voting and tabulating at polling places. But localities often publish unofficial results and provide other election-related information on their own sites. Districts with problematic sites ranged from rural areas such as King and Queen County, with about 5,000 registered voters, to cities such as Richmond, with more than 153,000. Smaller counties and towns may lack the IT staff and financial resources to operate the most up-to-date computer systems. Senate Democrats have proposed several bills that would appropriate $1 billion for local election security and set federal guidelines for websites that publish voting results, but they havent gained traction. We have to focus holistically on the security of our voting systems, ranging from voting machines to registration databases to election-results reporting systems, said Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chair of the Senates intelligence panel. Nothing less than voter confidence in the integrity of our elections is at stake. ProPublica uncovered the problems by using software that scans websites for vulnerabilities. Although such scanners can produce false-positives, ProPublica confirmed its findings through interviews with government officials or additional reporting. At our request, Rapid7 independently examined a broad swath of municipal websites, including some that dont publish voting results, since they could be hijacked to provide election misinformation. It declined to provide specifics on individual websites but said smaller counties and towns tended to run dangerous or inappropriate software. Those districts, Rapid7s Rudis and Beardsley wrote in their report, certainly could use help securing election-related websites. This help should come from their states, their higher-population neighbors, or the federal government. Security flaws caused hiccups during the 2018 midterms. In one case, a flood of internet traffic briefly brought down a website in Knox County, Tenn., that published primary-night returns. A security consultant later said that the problem may have stemmed from a software glitch on the website. Lawrence Norden, the director of the election-reform program at NYUs Brennan Center for Justice, said experts have already seen attacks on election-reporting systems abroad, such as in Bulgaria. It seems, unfortunately, an easy way to undermine voter confidence, he said. While there is no evidence hackers intercepted or tampered with the results, a security firm consulted by ProPublica found that the app lacks key safeguards. Johnston County, a reliably Republican district about 40 minutes southeast of Raleigh, has roughly 131,600 registered voters. Its site lists polling place addresses and election results. ProPublica found it was running software that, in late 2019, reached what is known as its end of life. (Like milk or medicine, software often carries an expiration date when manufacturers no longer sell or support it.) Jeff Howard, Johnstons IT manager, said that in response to ProPublicas findings, his staff updated the obsolete parts of the website, which primarily helps residents research septic tank permits. He said updates must be done carefully. Rushing to install the latest software to fix critical security problems can backfire because newer versions may lack features that the website relied on to function. At worst, such a change would require revising thousands of lines of computer code. Barnstable in Massachusetts and Sebastian County, Arkansas, ran an even older version of the same software used by Johnston County. Barnstable IT Director Dan Wood said that the software -- which expired in September 2015 -- was removed from the towns website after our inquiries. Officials in Sebastian County said they would also turn off the software, and ProPublica confirmed the website has been fixed. Johnstons was also one of about two dozen Super Tuesday sites that ran file-sharing software, which security experts say could act as a gateway for hackers to acquire key details of a servers operating system and exploit its weaknesses. Lu Hickey, a county spokeswoman, said it hasnt been a problem. Richmond, Virginias capital, tends to vote Democratic and is roughly 48% African-American. It still uses the Windows Server 2003 operating system, which the U.S. government has warned hasnt received automatic fixes, updates, or online technical assistance from Microsoft since July 2015. Running an unsupported operating system carries security and compliance risks. Therefore, we dont recommend that users run their apps on Windows Server 2003, a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. J. Kirk Showalter, Richmonds elections chief, said her website publishes PDFs of state and federal election results about one to two weeks after Election Day, although city council and school board results are usually posted online election night or the next day. Showalter said her systems passed security tests as recently as December. Richmond IT officials said their website still receives periodic out of band security updates from Microsoft -- meant to plug significant, ad-hoc security holes -- and stressed that officials have spent millions of dollars to safeguard and upgrade the citys IT infrastructure. Only 2% of city servers still run Windows 2003, they said. We are absolutely prepared to protect the integrity of our elections and have taken significant steps to do so. The technology that supports and secures our information systems has been regularly updated and is continuously tested, and we will continue to take the necessary steps to be prepared and make sure these systems are protected, said Richmond spokesman Jim Nolan. Besides Richmond, Belchertown, Mass., and King and Queen County, Va., are also Super Tuesday locales that run Windows 2003. The two areas account for about 15,600 registered voters. King and Queen elections director Diane Klausen said she was unaware of the outdated operating system until ProPublica notified her office about it. Klausen said she hopes that the server will be updated this year, adding that the county recently underwent a cybersecurity review by Virginias elections department and that she feels confident that its site is reliable. Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Christopher Piper said his states elections site remains the source of truth for all election activities and information. Kevin Hannon, Belchertowns IT director, confirmed that its server is running Windows 2003, and that there are vulnerabilities. He said an upgrade will be in place by the general election in November. Still, he said, the server is not at great risk because its behind a firewall and is isolated from the rest of the network. I am not concerned that while we are waiting on the updated server that information will be compromised, he said. Erroneous or delayed results could sour the publics trust even if voters dont visit the websites themselves. Local journalists often rely on the kinds of county websites ProPublica investigated to inform their readers about election results, newspaper archives show. The Associated Press vote count draws from multiple sources, including stringers, state data feeds and tallies from local government websites, AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said. Last month, ProPublica discovered that the mobile app used during the Iowa caucuses was so insecure that vote totals, passwords and other sensitive information could have been intercepted or even changed. Veracode, a security firm that reviewed the software at ProPublicas request, said the lack of safeguards meant phone transmissions were left largely unprotected. Theres no evidence that hackers intercepted or tampered with the Iowa results. Think #IowaCaucus meltdown is bad? Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the chambers intelligence committee, tweeted. Imagine very close presidential election. Russian or Chinese hackers tamper with preliminary reporting system in key counties. When the official results begin to be tabulated, it shows a different winner than the preliminary results online. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has said his agency fully expects Russia to attempt to interfere in this years elections. The governments concerns echo a minority view by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon in a Senate intelligence committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, warning that county officials could be outgunned against nation-state hackers. America is facing a direct assault on the heart of our democracy by a determined adversary, Wyden wrote. We would not ask a local sheriff to go to war against the missiles, planes and tanks of the Russian Army. We shouldnt ask a county election IT employee to fight a war against the full capabilities and vast resources of Russias cyber army. That approach failed in 2016, it continued, and it will fail again. Jessica Huseman and Derek Willis contributed reporting. LifeStyle The best Lifestyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel Lifestyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Shaynna Blaze and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand. The on Monday recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Sources said that the made the recommendation just a few minutes after it received the mercy petition from the Union Home Ministry. "The has recommended rejecting mercy petition of Pawan Gupta. The file has now been sent to Lt Governor Anil Baijal for his recommendation," a source told PTI. Earlier in the day, the Union Home Ministry received the mercy petition of Pawan (25), officials said on Monday. The ministry will forward the petition to President for his consideration and decision. A Delhi court on Monday deferred till further order the hanging of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Hanging of the four convicts was scheduled for Tuesday at 6 AM. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana said the death sentence cannot be executed pending disposal of mercy petition of convict Pawan. The court passed the order on Pawan's plea seeking to stay the execution as he has filed a mercy petition before the President on Monday. Pune, March 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Travel Luggage Bag Market Research Report 2015-2026 is a historical overview and in-depth study on the current & future market of the Travel Luggage Bag industry. The report offers an in-depth evaluation of each crucial aspect of the worldwide Travel Luggage Bag market that relates to Travel Luggage Bag market size, share, growth factor, key vendors, revenue, top regions, industry trends, demand, sales volume, capacity, cost structure, and development in the market. Request a sample copy of the report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-sample/15166608 The report offers detailed coverage of the Global Travel Luggage Bag market which includes industry chain structure, definitions, applications, and classifications. The global Travel Luggage Bag market analysis is provided for the international markets including Travel Luggage Bag market trends, competitive landscape analysis, investment plan, business strategy, opportunity, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, industry share, policy, price, and gross margins. Global Travel Luggage Bag market competition by TOP MANUFACTURERS, with production, price, revenue (value) and each manufacturer including: Samsonite India VIP Industries Limited Safari Delsey Briggs and Riley Rimowa VF Corporation (Eagle Creek and Eastpak) Travelpro Tommy Hilfiger Victorinox Global Travel Luggage Bag Market forecast to 2026 providing information such as company profiles, product picture, and specification, capacity, production, price, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis are also carried out. The Global Travel Luggage Bag market share, development trends, and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed and overall research conclusions offered. Enquire before purchasing this report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/15166608 This report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity from this geographies, covering: North America Europe China and Japan etc. Travel Luggage Bag Market segment by Type, the product can be split into: General Trolley Bags Hard Luggage Trolley Bags On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including: Domestic travel Cross-border travel In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Travel Luggage Bag are as follows: History Year: 2015-2019 2015-2019 Base Year: 2019 2019 Estimated Year: 2020 2020 Forecast Year: 2020 to 2026 With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Travel Luggage Bag market growth, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. Purchase this report (Price 2900 USD for a single-user license) - https://www.industryresearch.biz/purchase/15166608 Key Points from TOC: 1 Travel Luggage Bag Market Overview 1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Travel Luggage Bag 1.2 Travel Luggage Bag Segment by Type 1.2.1 Global Travel Luggage Bag Production Growth Rate Comparison by Type 2020 VS 2026 1.2.2 Type 1 1.2.3 Type 2 1.3 Travel Luggage Bag Segment by Application 1.3.1 Travel Luggage Bag Consumption Comparison by Application: 2020 VS 2026 1.3.2 Application 1 1.3.3 Application 2 1.3.4 Application 3 1.3.5 Application 4 1.3.6 Others 1.4 Global Travel Luggage Bag Market by Region 1.4.1 Global Travel Luggage Bag Market Size Estimates and Forecasts by Region: 2020 VS 2026 1.5 Global Travel Luggage Bag Growth Prospects 2 Market Competition by Manufacturers 2.1 Global Travel Luggage Bag Production Capacity Market Share by Manufacturers (2015-2020) 2.2 Global Travel Luggage Bag Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2015-2020) 2.3 Market Share by Company Type (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3) 2.4 Global Travel Luggage Bag Average Price by Manufacturers (2015-2020) 2.5 Manufacturers Travel Luggage Bag Production Sites, Area Served, Product Types 2.6 Travel Luggage Bag Market Competitive Situation and Trends 2.6.1 Travel Luggage Bag Market Concentration Rate 2.6.2 Global Top 3 and Top 5 Players Market Share by Revenue 2.6.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion 3 Production Capacity by Region 4 Global Travel Luggage Bag Consumption by Regions 5 Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Type 5.1 Global Travel Luggage Bag Production Market Share by Type (2015-2020) 5.2 Global Travel Luggage Bag Revenue Market Share by Type (2015-2020) 5.3 Global Travel Luggage Bag Price by Type (2015-2020) 5.4 Global Travel Luggage Bag Market Share by Price Tier (2015-2020): Low-End, Mid-Range and High-End 6 Global Travel Luggage Bag Market Analysis by Application 6.1 Global Travel Luggage Bag Consumption Market Share by Application (2015-2020) 6.2 Global Travel Luggage Bag Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2015-2020) 7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Travel Luggage Bag Business 7.1 Manufacturer 1 7.1.1 Manufacturer 1 Travel Luggage Bag Production Sites and Area Served 7.1.2 Manufacturer 1 Travel Luggage Bag Product Introduction, Application and Specification 7.1.3 Manufacturer 1 Travel Luggage Bag Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020) 7.1.4 Manufacturer 1 Main Business and Markets Served 7.2 Manufacturer 2 7.2.1 Manufacturer 2 Travel Luggage Bag Production Sites and Area Served 7.2.2 Manufacturer 2 Travel Luggage Bag Product Introduction, Application and Specification 7.2.3 Manufacturer 2 Travel Luggage Bag Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020) 7.2.4 Manufacturer 2 Main Business and Markets Served 7.3 Manufacturer 3 7.3.1 Manufacturer 3 Travel Luggage Bag Production Sites and Area Served 7.3.2 Manufacturer 3 Travel Luggage Bag Product Introduction, Application and Specification 7.3.3 Manufacturer 3 Travel Luggage Bag Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020) 7.3.4 Manufacturer 3 Main Business and Markets Served 7.4 Manufacturer 4 7.4.1 Manufacturer 4 Travel Luggage Bag Production Sites and Area Served 7.4.2 Manufacturer 4 Travel Luggage Bag Product Introduction, Application and Specification 7.4.3 Manufacturer 4 Travel Luggage Bag Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020) 7.4.4 Manufacturer 4 Main Business and Markets Served 7.5 Manufacturer 5 7.5.1 Manufacturer 5 Travel Luggage Bag Production Sites and Area Served 7.5.2 Manufacturer 5 Travel Luggage Bag Product Introduction, Application and Specification 7.5.3 Manufacturer 5 Travel Luggage Bag Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020) 7.5.4 Manufacturer 5 Main Business and Markets Served .. 8 Travel Luggage Bag Manufacturing Cost Analysis 8.1 Travel Luggage Bag Key Raw Materials Analysis 8.1.1 Key Raw Materials 8.1.2 Key Raw Materials Price Trend 8.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials 8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure 8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Travel Luggage Bag 8.4 Travel Luggage Bag Industrial Chain Analysis 9 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers 9.1 Marketing Channel 9.2 Travel Luggage Bag Distributors List 9.3 Travel Luggage Bag Customers 10 Market Dynamics 10.1 Market Trends 10.2 Opportunities and Drivers 10.3 Challenges 10.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 11 Production and Supply Forecast Continued.. Detailed TOC of Global Travel Luggage Bag Market @ https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/15166608 All the women in tech, Wiener writes, had been told by these male power players that diversity initiatives were discriminatory against white men, that there were more men in engineering because men were innately more talented. The dark humor in that line sharpens when read in concert with Whistleblower, in which Fowler describes supplementing her rigorous graduate courses at Penn with hours of research on string theory and theoretical particle physics. The idea that hers was the intellectual horsepower Uber could do without, while predatory men needed to be protected at all costs, would be genuinely hilarious if the consequences werent so devastating. Montgomery County has taken important steps in recent years to improve the countys criminal justice system expanding community prosecution, adopting innovative approaches to address opioid-related crime, and most recently, developing a suite of reforms designed to improve the countys pretrial system. However, a significant misstep by county policymakers last week threatens the viability of these reform efforts. Last week, county commissioners summarily dismissed the countys chief and deputy chief public defenders, Dean Beer and Keisha Hudson, with no public explanation. In a letter issued to Beer shortly before his dismissal, which I obtained in my research, the county chief operating officer criticized the public defender for, among other things, filing an amicus brief in a significant bail case involving the city of Philadelphia, currently before the state Supreme Court, seeking to bring to light potential racial bias by police officers working in the county, and working to lower phone fees for juveniles incarcerated in county facilities to help them maintain contact with their families. Beer and Hudson were criticized for not being sufficiently collaborative and choosing to go-it-alone. If, as it appears, Beer and Hudson were dismissed even in part for pursuing systemic reforms a core job function for public defenders the county has created a threat to the independence of the public defender that should alarm anyone who cares about a fair, well-functioning criminal justice system. Our criminal system is premised on the notion that truth can be found through an adversarial process. It operates best when this process proceeds as designed prosecutors representing the public and acting as ministers of justice, defense attorneys zealously defending the rights of the accused, and judges acting as neutral decision-makers who apply the law. When public defenders cannot advocate for clients interests for fear of losing their jobs, the system falls out of balance, and in the end, everyone suffers. Indeed, the first principle articulated by the American Bar Association in outlining the requirements for a well-functioning indigent defense system is that the public defense function, including the selection, funding, and payment of defense counsel, is independent. Imagine if a county building inspector was fired for not being sufficiently collaborative because they documented and sought to correct safety violations in county buildings. Clearly, if the building inspector couldnt do their job free from political interference, this would put the public at risk. And nothing the county might do to otherwise improve the appearance or usability of its buildings would correct the fundamental lack of safety created by inadequate inspections. Our criminal justice system works the same way. In other jurisdictions, public defenders play a critical role in identifying problematic practices that threaten our constitutional freedoms and remedying them through zealous advocacy, including unconstitutional searches that unfairly target minorities, police misconduct, prosecutorial overreach, and the use of flawed evidence to convict innocent suspects. Reasonable people may disagree with the public defenders stances on issues such as bail reform, but it is imperative that they be allowed to operate independently. And not just politics are at stake my own research demonstrates that taxpayers can end up bearing millions of dollars in excess costs when public defense systems lack the needed independence. At minimum, to restore faith in the independence of the public defender, county policymakers should provide a clear basis for last weeks dismissals. If Beer and Hudson were, in fact, dismissed for seeking to address systemic problems affecting many clients, they should be reinstated to show the public the county takes seriously its commitment to a fair and balanced criminal justice system. More broadly, this episode suggests that Montgomery County may need to move toward a model such as the one that exists in Philadelphia, where the public defender is a separately constituted entity that receives funding from local government through a multi-year contract to insulate it from political interference. Without an independent public defender as part of its framework, the whole criminal justice system is at risk. If Montgomery County is truly sincere about improving its criminal justice system, it shouldnt imperil its other laudable reform efforts by compromising the integrity of its public defender. Paul Heaton is the academic director of the Quattrone Center for Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. He resides in Montgomery County. Her 2018 Netflix movie Bird Box was a runaway success for the streaming service. And now, two years later, Sandra Bullock is making another film for Netflix that's being shot in Vancouver, Canada. On Sunday, though, the Oscar-winning actress, 55, was back home in LA where she took her beloved pet dog for a walk. Relaxing: Sandra Bullock enjoyed a walk with her Poodle pup on Sunday in LA during a trip home from filming her new Netflix movie in Canada Bullock was casually dressed in a black top and blue jeans along with a black puffer jacket. She added a pair of black lace-up ankle boots and round sunglasses. The Blind Side star wore her hair with a center parting and styled back from her face and she accessorized with a small gold medallion on a chain. Her Poodle pup had on a pink harness with a pink leash. Dressed down: Bullock, 55, was casually dressed in a black top and blue jeans along with a black puffer jacket. She added a pair of black lace-up ankle boots and round sunglasses Low-key: The Blind Side star wore her hair with a center parting and styled back from her face and she accessorized with a small gold medallion on a chain Best friend: Her Poodle pup had on a pink harness with a pink leash. She adopted the rescue pooch last July Her new drama is a remake of a British TV mini series called Unforgiven that aired in 2009. She serves as a producer on the movie that's being directed by German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt. Bullock plays a woman who 'is released from prison after serving time for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past,' according to Variety. 'Facing severe judgment from her former friends and peers, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind.' It's Bullock's first project since Bird Box and Ocean's Eight, both released in 2018. YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that on March 2, as of 08:15, some roads are closed and difficult to pass in Armenia. The ministry told Armenpress that the roads leading to the Amberd Fortress and Lake Kari will remain closed for uncertain time. The Vardenyats Pass is closed for trailer trucks, but is difficult to pass for the remaining vehicles. Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass for all types of vehicles. The Georgian side informed that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is closed for all types of vehicles. Drivers are urged to use winter tires. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Somalia's Sufi Muslim Leaders Surrender to Government By Abdulaziz Osman March 01, 2020 The leaders of a Sufi Muslim group turned themselves into the custody of the Somali government Saturday after fighting left 22 people dead in central Somalia. Moallim Mohamud Sheikh, the spiritual leader, and Sheikh Mohamed Shakir, the chief of Ahlu-Sunna Wal-Jamaa (ASWJ), are in the custody of the Somali national army in the town of Dhusamareb after the group's militias were overpowered in a battle with government forces. Dhusamareb is the administrative capital of Galmudug state. "Our security forces have ended the standoff and disarmed all ASWJ militias," Osman Isse Nur, the spokesperson of the newly elected president, told VOA. Speaking in a video posted online, ASWJ chief Sheikh Shakir said his group ceded power to the Somali national army. "We agreed to end the fighting for the sake of the civilians. We agreed to hand over ASWJ militias to the commander general who will, in return, take responsibility for the safety of all our members, including the leader," Shakir said in the video. At least 22 people were killed in clashes that broke out Thursday night after ASWJ militias fired on a government checkpoint in Dhusamareeb. The fighting continued Friday morning before spreading to the nearby town of Guricel in the Galgadud region. Reports say normalcy returned to Dhusamareb Saturday as residents, who were forced to flee, came back and reopened their businesses. Three rival politicians are claiming to be the leader of Galmudug state. Early this month, the parliament of Galmudug elected Ahmed Abdi Kariye as president. He is a former minister backed by the government. ASWJ chief Sheikh Shakir rejected the action, however, and declared himself president, while former president Ahmed Duale refused to cede power. The Sufi group ASWJ played a pivotal role in the fight against al-Shabab militants, and early this week, a U.S. diplomat said in remarks at the U.N. Security Council briefing that internal rivalries among allies in Somalia could derail the effort to combat al-Qaida-linked insurgents. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CAIRO Al-Monitor revealed Feb. 14 that Egyptian authorities had begun the first phase for building a tall concrete wall on the border with the Gaza Strip. Tribal sources told Al-Monitor that the wall will extend from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Rafah border crossing. Meanwhile, the Egyptian armed forces have not made any official announcement on the wall. The sources said the wall is 6 meters (20 feet) high and goes 5 meters (16 feet) underground and will be parallel to the old concrete barrier topped with barbed wire that was built on the border in early 2008; the walls will be separated by a distance not exceeding 10 meters (33 feet). The new wall, which sources said was begun Jan. 27, aims to prevent the entry of armed militants from Sinai into Gaza and close the remaining tunnels along the border. The BBC also reported Feb. 18 that the wall will have observation posts placed every 100 meters (328 feet). An Egyptian security source told Al-Monitor over the phone that the concrete wall along the border with the Gaza Strip will be 13 kilometers (8 miles) long and stretch from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the seacoast at Rafah. The source, who declined to be named, said the implementation plan for the wall was developed nearly two months ago. The source further said that a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) segment has been finished and that the rest will be completed in the next few weeks. The source indicated that Egypt is rushing the construction work, which is designed to allow the government to manage entry and exit along the border with the Gaza Strip, as Cairo seeks to control all of the underground tunnels that can be used for terrorist operations, drug trafficking and weapons smuggling. Commenting on why Egypt refrained from making any official comment on the barrier, the source said this is to prevent rumors that Egypt seeks to isolate Gazans and Palestinians from spreading. He said that Egypt has never given up on the Palestinian people and that it endorses the Palestinian cause. The source said that the wall is being built for purely security and preventive purposes and that it has nothing to do with isolating or besieging the Palestinian people. The source refused to provide any further details. After US President Donald Trump detailed his Mideast peace plan Jan. 28, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed in a statement the same day its appreciation for the US ongoing efforts to reach a just and comprehensive peace in terms of the Palestinian cause in a way that would boost security and stability in the Middle East and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The statement added, The US administrations initiative should be looked at based on the idea that it is important to reach a settlement to the Palestinian cause and called on the two sides to carefully consider the US vision for peace. Mustafa Kamel al-Sayed, a professor of political science at Cairo University, told Al-Monitor that security concerns may be behind the construction of the new separation barrier. This is true particularly since Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas firmly rejected Trumps peace plan and said the Palestinian Authority would be severing ties with Israel and the United States; the Arab League rejected the plan as well, Sayed added. All this could result in some terrorists and extremists posing a threat to the Egypt-Gaza border, he said. Sayed said the Egyptian position on the plan is not crystal clear, as it has neither given its full supoort nor a categorical rejection and apparently seeks to play the middle. This is why Cairo appeared to call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides to study the plan and adjust it and said it valued the US efforts that led to the proposal; he said Egyptian authorities view Trump's plan as a serious historical opportunity to end the decades-long conflict. Sayed said the Egyptian statement is conciliatory to the US side because it does not want to lose the United States as a strategic ally, particularly since Washington is the mediator in the Grand Renaissance Dam negotiations. Thus, Egypt does not want to express a hard-line position on the US plan to avoid any obstructions as Cairo tries to come to terms with Ethiopia on the technical details on the filling of the dam, he said. Khaled Okasha, a member of the National Counterterrorism Council and director of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, said Egypt is building this wall to safeguard its national and border security and does not seek to isolate the Gazans and Palestinians. He indicated that the multiple terrorist attacks that happened in the past few years, the use of the tunnels by terrorists to infiltrate into Egypt and to smuggle weapons and improvised explosive devices and the use of the tunnels by Bedouins to smuggle drugs all prompted Egyptian authorities to put serious consideration into the building of the wall. Okasha told Al-Monitor by phone that there is a pressing need to build the new barrier at this point in time following the Israeli and US introduction of Washingtons peace plan. This is because this announcement is likely to cause security problems at Egypt's eastern border, particularly since Egypt called on the two sides to study the plan and did not rebuff it categorically as the Palestinians have done. He continued, Some have said that the Egyptian stance is disappointing toward the Palestinian cause, and that it consented to the US-Israeli plan. That is untrue. Okasha said, The thing is that Egypt recognizes the US efforts to launch the plan, and called on the two sides to carefully consider it and to hold direct talks based on which amendments would be added to the agreement. Subsequently, a just settlement that would guarantee the Palestinian peoples right and sovereignty over their territories will be reached, he said. Okasha said that Egypt and the Gaza Strip have been separated by a much shorter barrier that did not end the tunnel problem and that the rise of terrorist attacks in recent years was the reason why the new wall is being built. He underlined that Egypt is an independent state with full sovereignty over its territory, and underscored that this barrier is being built at a short distance from the previous wall and does not hurt anyone. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2020) The Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday asked the media representative at the OSCE regional bloc to comment on Latvia's entry ban for a journalist of the Russian daily Izvestia. Andrei Zakharov was barred from entering at Riga airport on February 24. The paper said he was stripped of his EU visa for five years after neighboring Estonia labeled him as a national security risk. "We ask the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, Harlem Desir, to give his assessment of the decision to limit a journalist's freedom of movement for doing his job," the ministry said in a statement. The newspaper said Zakharov has 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. In Ontario, we allow cooling-off periods for gym memberships and new condominium purchases but the federal government doesnt seem to believe a similar reflection period is necessary for euthanasia. New legislation has been introduced that radically expands the eligibility criteria for medical assistance in dying or MAiD. Pain medication and other resources and procedures can indeed be used effectively to medically assist people who are dying. But that is not what MAiD involves: it means giving a lethal injection to people who are not dying, so that they will die. Those who oppose euthanasia expressed concern in 2016, when it was first legalized, that once the state legally provided death for some, it would only be a matter of time before its criteria would be expanded. This was dismissed as a slippery slope argument; we were told that safeguards would protect the most vulnerable. Now, less than four years later, we are far down the slope. If Bill C-7 is passed, those whose death is reasonably foreseeable will no longer need a 10-day reflection period before receiving a lethal injection. One will not need a terminal illness to be euthanized. Under this legislation, any serious incurable illness, disease, or disability would render a person eligible for euthanasia. This is distressing for many who feel vulnerable and will now meet the criteria for lethal injection. People with disabilities already face substantial challenges relating to employment, housing, appropriate medical care and support. We should be alarmed that those who have struggled for decades to be treated with equality may well be pressured, whether from family, friends or even their own health care professionals, to ease their burden and end their lives. Their lives matter. They should never be seen as a burden to our society. These people need assisted living, not assisted death. This is a new chapter of death on demand. Canada has cast aside restrictions at a far quicker pace than any other jurisdiction in the world that has legalized euthanasia. In 2016, the government indicated that before any new legislation would be introduced, there would be a thorough five-year review of the impact of euthanasia in Canada no such review has taken place. Our country is moving forward without such critical analysis, even though the government itself reports that since 2016 at least 13,000 people have died from lethal injection. Where is the political will to push forward on palliative care for all Canadians? Only 30 per cent of Canadians have access to quality palliative care even though we know that pain and loneliness are among the biggest fears of those who are suffering. Palliative care can address these issues. If all Canadians had access to quality palliative care, fewer would seek lethal injection. Instead of developing an overall culture of care, we are rushing towards death on demand. The same doctors who are trying to care for their patients will now be called on to approve euthanasia for them. We should take time to be truly present to those who may feel that they are on the margins in our community. Those who feel that their life no longer has value must be assured by all of us that this is absolutely not the case there is dignity within each human life, not just when we are young, healthy and able, but even more so, when we are fragile and vulnerable. It is up to every Canadian to foster a culture of care and love for one another. The answer is not assisted death in its many forms; it is accompanying our family, our friends and even strangers to assist them in life, recognizing the inherent dignity of every person. Chairman of Mahindra Group Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to applaud Akshay Kumar who donated Rs 1.5 crore to build a home for transgender people. Mahindra praised Akshay Kumar and said, "Monday morning booster shot". Mahindra added, "Bravo Akshay Kumar, you have the status to change the status of marginalised." Director of upcoming film Laxmmi Bomb, Raghava Lawrence, recently revealed that Akshay Kumar donated Rs 1.5 crore, following which the news spiralled on social media. Lawrence, in a Facebook post wrote, "Hai friends and fans, I would like to share one good news, Akshay Kumar sir is donating Rs 1.5 crore for building transgender home for the first time in India". Laxmmi Bomb's Raghava runs a Larencce Charitable Trust in Chennai. Raghav said that one day he was casually talking to Akshay about his trust's transgender project and was looking to raise funds for the buildings when Kumar jumped in to help. "We wanted to celebrate 15th year by inviting a new project for uplifting transgenders by providing shelter for them. Our trust has provided the land and we are looking forward to raise funds for the building," Raghav said on his Facebook post. Immediately, Akshay decided to donated Rs 1.5 crore for building home for transgenders, Raghav added. The debutante director thanked Akshay for investing in his project and wrote, "I thank him on behalf of all transgenders. We will announce the bhoomi poojan date soon". Raghav has cast Akshay Kumar for his upcoming film Laxmmi Bomb, which will be releasing next year. Laxmmi Bomb is said to be the remake of South film Muni 2: Kanchana. In the film Akshay will play the role of a man possessed by Laxmmi's spirit. At present, Akshay Kumar has wrapped up the filming of Sooryavanshi. The Rohit Shetty-directorial will hit the screens on 27 March 2020. A female clerk who was fired from her job at a prosecutors office in a rural Missouri county says her boss propositioned her for sex, told her to show me your t***, brandished an x-ray image of his penis, and gave raises to other women employees who were heard having sex with him at work. Lisa Davidson has filed a lawsuit against her former employee, St. Francois County, after she says she was terminated from her job after 18 years because she complained of sexual harassment. Davidson says her supervisor, Jerrod Mahurin, the now-former prosecuting attorney of St. Francois County, ran a wild office with a frat-house atmosphere after taking over the job in 2011. She alleges in a lawsuit filed last Wednesday that Mahurin harassed her as well as other staff members. Mahurin, a Democrat who was voted out of office in 2018, has denied the allegations, saying they have no basis in fact. Davidson says that on one occasion in 2014, Mahurin told her: Show me your t***. Jerrod Mahurin, the former prosecuting attorney of St. Francois County, Missouri, is alleged to have fired a female employee who filed a complaint against him for sexual harassment She refused, according to the lawsuit. In the spring of 2015, Mahurin and Davidson took a trip to the Missouri Prosecutor Services convention, which required an overnight stay at a hotel in the Lake of the Ozarks. During that trip, Davidson alleges that Mahurin told her to leave the door connecting their hotel rooms unlocked so that he could enter her room in the middle of the night. Davidson rebuffed Mr. Mahurins advances and locked the door, according to the lawsuit. In October 2015, Mahurin allegedly showed Davidson a photo on his cell phone. Initially, Davidson did not recognize the x-ray image. But on closer examination, it turned out to be a photo of male genitalia, according to the lawsuit. Maharin allegedly laughed at Davidson as she realized what the photo depicted. Davidson was embarrassed and walked away, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit describes another alleged incident in 2016, when Davidson and her work colleagues went to a local bar to celebrate the outcome of a trial. Mahurin, who was also at the bar, is alleged to have asked Davidson if she ever had a threesome - all in full view of her colleagues. Davidson told Mr. Mahurin no and felt so uncomfortable she left the table, according to the suit. He wanted to know if I'd ever had a threesome, Davidson told Riverfront Times. And then he asked me about my little hands. He put his hand up to mine, and told me how little and pretty my hands were. She says she excused herself for a cigarette and then went home. It was just so creepy, she said. It threw me for a loop. Davidson also alleges that Mahurin made comments about him being good in bed, having a big c***. He once made a comment [that] he was good and that there's no complaints. The lawsuit also alleges that in June 2018, Davidson saw female co-workers hand-feed Mahurin smores in one of the common areas of the office. Mahurin then asked Davidson to feed him one, according to the lawsuit. She declined, and left the area. The lawsuit also alleges that Mahurin showed favoritism and gave raises and additional work benefits to female employees who consented to having sex with him. In 2012, one female employee is said to have lifted up her shirt and showed the entire office her new breast implants. The employee is then alleged to have told Davidson that she wore low cut tops in the office because she got more from Mahurin when she showed more. In 2017, Davidson alleges that she saw the employee go into Mahurins office and shut the door. She then claims she overheard moaning and thumping coming from the office. Shortly afterward, Davidson says that the woman told her that she received a $7,500 raise. Another female employee allegedly told Davidson that Mahurin sent photos of his penis to Hensons cellphone between 2015 and 2016. According to the lawsuit, this female told Davidson that Mahurin told Henson to show him her T and A to receive a week of paid time off. The lawsuit also alleges that Mahurin drank with other female employees during work hours. The women were said to have regularly brought small bottles of liquor into work and made mixed drinks with soda or juice from the vending machine. Mahurin, who allegedly drank with the women, jokingly referred to Thirsty Thursday and Fiesta Friday. Davidson also alleges that Mahurin allowed other female employees to smoke pot in the office. She claims that the other women who indulged Mahurins jokes and lewd comments received raises, but she did not because she refused his advances. One of the women was eventually promoted to a position in which she assumed many of Davidsons duties, according to the lawsuit. She then locked [Davidson] out of computer programs and software and prevented [Davidson] from issuing subpoenas. In March 2018, Davidson filed a complaint with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. She alleges that the woman and Mahurin became aware of the complaint shortly afterward. Weeks later, she was fired. Davidson alleges that in January 2019, she was offered her old job back by Mahurins successor, Melissa Gilliam, on the condition that she opt not to sue St. Francois County. Davidson refused to drop the lawsuit. She was denied the position. Mahurin has denied allegations made by Lisa Davidson, who says he frequently made lewd comments and gave pay raises to female employees who slept with him These accusations made by Mrs. Davidson started after she had a private meeting with Melissa Gilliam, Mahurin told Daily Journal Online. I can verify that because there was an ongoing trial and I was out of the office. She had a private meeting in her office with Melissa Gilliam during the election and, shortly after this, I am hit with an accusation that has no merit; Has no truth; Has no basis in fact. I'm not sure where this comes from. The stuff that she's listed in this [petition] is fictitious and it is outrageous. Again, this is someone who is clearly just trying to antagonize me years after the fact. I would assume it's because I was recently appointed to a local city prosecutors job. I'm sure she's found out about that and this is another attack. Mahurin said other female employees came to his defense when allegations against him were made in the past. 'As a matter of fact, during the time that a St. Louis newspaper wrote these original allegations, every woman in my office called the newspaper and expressed that these things were not true; That they were made up and this was somebody who is trying to hurt me during an election,' he said. Mahurin accused Davidson of politically motivated attacks against him. 'Mrs. Davidson was reprimanded several times,' said Mahurin. 'One incident, about the time that I took over as the prosecutor, she hung a giant stuffed penis in one of the attorneys offices and I had to reprimand her for that.' Mahurin alleges that Davidson wore suggestive outfits to work, including a sweater that had a 'box on with a fake penis inside.' 'She also wore a shirt that had carrots where her breasts would be, in the office and I had to instruct her not to have any contact with the public while she was wearing that, and to never wear that again,' he said. 'So, this is retaliatory because she was fired and, again, has no basis in fact and just completely fictitious.' Ukroboronprom CEO: State defense order to hit record high in 2021 22:50, 02.03.20 2987 It will be US$1.22 billion at the current forex rate. Title IX Information As an educational institution, Iowa Central Community College strives to provide a respectful, safe, and non-threatening environment for students and employees. The mission of the College is to provide quality educational opportunities in and outside the classroom. Harassment and violence against students, faculty, and staff subverts this mission and will not be tolerated. Students who feel that they have been the subjects of such harassment should advise the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Development or the College's Director, Human Resources / Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Coordinator. Staff members should advise one of the following: their immediate supervisor, the appropriate Vice President, or the College's Director, Human Resources / EEO Coordinator. Title IX - Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures Harassment & Violence - Board Policy 223 Harassment & Violence on Discrimination and Harassment Based on Sex Prohibited by Title IX - Board Policy 225 Title IX Team To reach Campus Security call 515-574-1000. Campus members are strongly encouraged to store this number into their cell phones. You can email Campus Security at any time at: security@iowacentral.edu In the event of an immediate threat, danger, or injury contact the local authorities by dialing 911. Title IX Personnel Training Materials If you have an urgent health problem, physical or emotional, that requires prompt attention but is non-life threatening emergency: A whole year has passed since Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods ended their friendship. And the Kylie Cosmetics mogul appears to have referenced her ex bestie in a recent Instagram post. But Woods didn't seem fazed Monday as she stepped out with a friend for a shopping spree in Calabasas. The Life Of Kylie star was showing off her new long braids. Retail therapy: Jordyn Woods stepped out Monday with a friend for a shopping spree in Calabasas, California The 22-year-old sported a tan hoodie over a black crop top with grey joggers, featuring white stripes down the sides. She carried a shopping bag as she exited Feature at Calabasas Commons with a gal pal in tow. The outing comes after Jenner's recent girls trip to the Bahamas with Stassie Karanikolaou and daughter Stormi. While there, she posed for some sultry bikini shots with photographer friend Amber Asaly. Casual chic: The 22-year-old sported a tan hoodie over a black crop top with grey joggers, featuring white stripes down the sides Girls day: She carried a shopping bag as she exited Feature at Calabasas Commons with a gal pal in tow Jenner captioned one of the photos of herself in a brown string bikini: 'Whats meant for me will always be.' Some followers thought it was a reference to Woods' tattoo that reads: 'Whats meant for me will never miss me.' The pals had an infamous falling out last February when sister Khloe Kardashian's then partner Tristan Thompson cheated with Woods. Woods has maintained that they never had sex, even taking a lie detector test, but she hasn't been on good terms with the Kardashian/Jenner clan since. For the 'gram: It comes after ex bff Kylie Jenner captioned a photo: 'Whats meant for me will always be' In ink: Some followers thought it was a reference to Woods' tattoo that reads: 'Whats meant for me will never miss me' A source recently told Us Weekly: 'Kylie has been doing well since her and Jordyns friendship ended. 'She loves hanging with all her crew of girls now, including Stassie [Karanikolaou], Yris [Palmer] and Victoria [Villarroel].' Another source said: 'The family still feels like what Jordyn did is pretty unforgivable. Kylie has the mentality that time heals everything, but now is not the right time.' Meanwhile, it appears that Kylie has joined the rest of her A-list brood in forgiving Thompson over the scandal. Falling out: The pals had an infamous falling out last February when sister Khloe Kardashian's then partner Tristan Thompson cheated with Woods An insider told Hollywood Life: 'Kylie just wants Khloe to find happiness and love, and if that means Tristan, she will support her If Tristan makes Khloe happy, shes for it.' But Woods seems to be doing just fine, having released her own clothing line Boohoo x Jordyn Woods, as well as her online fitness platform FRSTPLACE. She recently told Forbes: 'When everything happened to me, I had a reality check of what really matters in my life. 'I learned that if you can find peace within yourself, you dont need validation from anything or anyone. Its really about being content with who you are when you go to sleep at night. That is true success to me' Nurses assemble plastic face shields at a hospital designated for the coronavirus patients in Wuhan. AFP Photo Moscow: Russian authorities on Monday confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Moscow, saying the patient had recently returned from Italy. The anti-coronavirus task force said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies that the "young man" had fallen ill on February 21 while on vacation to Italy. The man, who resides outside Moscow, returned to Russia on February 23, and started showing signs of a respiratory viral infection, it said. He sought medical help and was hospitalised on February 27. Testing confirmed the infection on Monday and his symptoms were not severe, the statement said. Nearly 90,000 people have been infected in over 60 countries and more than 3,000 people have been killed by COVID-19. Russia has so far managed to avoid a large number of infections and introduced a range of travel and visa restrictions. Russia repatriated and quarantined a number of passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, three of whom tested positive for the virus. Two Chinese citizens in Russia were also infected and treated in Siberia. Moscow has imposed a near blanket ban on Chinese visitors over coronavirus fears and has closed rail links with China and halted most flights. Authorities have also announced restrictions on travel to Russia from Iran and South Korea, two countries hit by the outbreak, and most recently advised against all non-essential foreign travel. Nearby businesses and residents initially welcomed Transformation Church when it bought the abandoned Spirit Bank Event Center in Bixby, Oklahoma, last August. But some neighbors have already had enough. Sound complaints have reached a fever pitch, with those living in a housing development behind the church claiming its so loud their coffee mugs shake during worship, according to a recent report by Tulsa ABC affiliate KTUL. The city attorney called on Transformationwhich draws 3,500 visitors each week to the Tulsa suburbto lower the volume or build a wall to block the excessive noise. Despite exhortations in the Bible to make a joyful noise to the Lord and praise him with loud clashing cymbals (Ps. 100:1; 150:5, ESV), volume has been a major factor in the so-called worship wars for years, causing discord in communities and within congregations themselves. News reports indicate more than a dozen US churches faced significant backlash for their noise, such as police warnings or citations, in the past year. Complaints tend to be lodged against megachurches with auditoriums containing sophisticated sound systems for bombastic music sets and high-energy sermons. Neighbors in the Charlotte, North Carolina, Ballantyne neighborhood have repeatedly complained about noise from Elevation Church continuing as late as 10 p.m. And between December 2018 and November 2019, police in Seminole County, Florida, received 222 complaints against Action Church for noise issues. Some smaller churches also draw complaints from residents, particularly as the makeup of a neighborhood changes around them. In recent years, the city of Oakland threatened to impose a $500-per-day fine on Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, saying the excessive noise from the West Oakland churchs organ, drums, and amplified vocals during weekly choir rehearsals was a nuisance. Pastor Thomas A. Harris III said new neighbors do not understand the culture of the 65-year-old church, which serves the African American community. In certain municipalities, churches are granted exemptions from noise regulation for ringing bells, which can also be an annoyance. Churches faced with law enforcement threats over their noise have, at times, claimed the penalties violate their freedom of religion and assembly. One Michigan church sued over the issue, with an appeals court ruling in 2013 that the church had a reasonable fear of threats of persecution from an officer who said it should not be playing rock music. CT has also reported on the rise in noise-pollution regulations in Africa, where national officials threaten to penalize loud congregations. No, its not just youchurch music sets are getting louder. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends no more than 15 minutes a day of exposure to sounds reaching 100 decibels or higher. Church music experts have recommended volume ranges from around 80-93 decibels for a contemporary worship set. Some churches stay on the high end of that, or above, for part of an immersive worship experience. Last year, a spokeswoman for Cincinnati-area Crossroads Church toldTheWall Street Journal that their worship sets are designed to create a rock-concert-like atmosphere. The 20-minute musical set is around 94 to 96 decibelsthe equivalent of a food processor or hair dryerwith peaks of 103 to 105 decibels that last two to three seconds. Crossroads spokeswoman Jenn Sperry described the volume level as safe by a wide margin. One of Crossroads campuses was the subject of repeated noise complaints from neighbors back in 2015. A police officer in Mason, Ohio, issued a citation to the Crossroads Mason sound engineer who refused to lower the volume during praise team rehearsal. Sperry told CT that the city quickly dropped the charges after determining that the church did not violate the noise ordinance. According to Phil Mahder, a church media consultant, churches typically take one of two approaches to determining how loud the music should be on Sunday morning. They either create an environment where people can hear each other singing and sing together as a community, or they crank the volume so worshippers cannot hear themselves sing and dont feel sheepish about whether others can hear them. Mahder, who has spent over 20 years designing sound systems for churches, said megachurches typically opt for the second approach to music, while more traditional congregations transitioning from an organ or piano to a band often choose the first. Some churches are responding to concerns over noise levels by providing complimentary ear protection at the welcome tables. Mahder sees this trend catching on, particularly as churches push the volume to concert levels. But the gesture can strike the wrong chord. I think that [providing ear plugs] can be offensive to people, telling them, in a sense, that their perception is not legitimate, and this is how were going to quiet you down, Mahder said. Some churches want to reach concert levels with their volume, and if youre going to reach concert levels, youre going to damage peoples hearing, and you have to provide some safety. Music levels are not a new issue for churches. Before amplifiers and distortion pedals, churches debated the volume of the pipe organ, says Rebecca Snippe, a program manager for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Beyond personal preference, loud music can be a barrier to some churchgoers. For some individuals, loud sounds are difficult or overwhelming to process due to a sensory overload . While some of these individuals have a diagnosed sensory processing disorder, other individuals in our communities simply find loud sounds over an extended period of time to be tiresome and overwhelming, writes Snippe. When churches expect worshippers to opt out of noisy worship sets, they can also alienate vulnerable worshippers, particularly those who struggle with sensory-processing difficulties. Barbara Newman is director of church services for All Belong, an organization helping churches welcome people of all abilities. She notes that individuals living with hearing loss, autism, or dementia struggle with processing loud noises. The impact on listeners can vary. Hearing is one of our sensory systems, and it is often experienced differently by some individuals with varied abilities. But the negative effects can include pain, the desire to leave, interpreting that space as unsafe, attempting to block out or tune out the sounds, inability to participate, or an inability to access the gifts that person wants to share with the community, she said. While earplugs are a good backup resource, Newman believes churches should start by consulting noise guidelines provided by organizations like the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and then consider adding precautions for individuals with special needs. Just as Christians understand that they are stewards of their physical health, they need to steward their auditory health and treat it as a gift from God. (Editors Note: This article has been updated to include comments from Jenn Sperry regarding the citation issued by the Mason Police. An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that the charges against Crossroads Mason were dropped only after the church agreed to comply with the citys noise ordinance.) Egypt and France have been holding deep consultations over the Libyan crisis in the past months Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed boosting military cooperation with French Defence Minister Florence Parly on Monday, his spokesman Bassam Rady said. Rady said El-Sisi and Parly exchanged viewpoints on developments and joint efforts to reach political reconciliation of various ongoing crises in the Middle East. Egypt and France have been holding in-depth consultations over the Libyan crisis in recent months, agreeing on consolidating joint efforts to bring about a comprehensive political settlement in Libya. Search Keywords: Short link: Two late bogeys spoilt his card but SSP Chawrasia still shot a five-under 67 for a tied-25th place finish at the Oman Open, giving himself a great boost ahead of his favourite event, the Hero Indian Open. He was in contention for a top-10 finish until he found bogeys on 15th and 17th. "A good satisfying finish and it gives me confidence going into next few events and Indian Open," said Chawrasia, the only one out of the three Indians to make the cut in Oman. Finland's Sami Valimaki, who was outside top-100 , beat Brandon Stone in a play-off to win his first European Tour title. Both were tied at 13-under before Valimaki won the play-off. After a stunning 64 in round three put him alongside Stone in a six-way tie for lead, Valimaki birdied two of his last three holes to get into a play-off with Stone in difficult, breezy conditions by the coast. Earlier, Frenchman Adrien Saddier set the clubhouse lead at 12-under but eventually ended third. Stone seemed close to victory as he holed a 20 footer on the last to get to 13 under, but Valimaki provided more drama by holing from a similar distance to take the contest to extra holes. The duo halved the 18th in pars twice before Stone sent his second shot into the stands on the third trip and failed to get up and down. A par was enough to hand Valimaki victory. Italian Guido Migliozzi and Finn Mikko Korhonen finished at 11-under, two shots clear of Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, South African George Coetzee, Danish teenager Rasmus Hojgaard and England's Jordan Smith. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This article is published through a partnership with New York Medias Strategist . The partnership is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Every editorial product is independently selected by New York Media. If you buy something through our links, Slate and New York Media may earn an affiliate commission. Dust is a problem for multiple reasons: Tiny particles of skin, dirt, pollen, and dander can coat the surfaces of your furniture and walls (making things look dingy), and as gross as it sounds they can also fill your lungs, which is why dust is often the underlying cause of allergies. Consistent cleaning is essential if you want to rid your home of dust and mites. And the most efficient plan of attack is to clean from the top down to avoid contaminating the areas you just dusted. Advertisement But to really rid your home of dust you need to do more than just wipe down countertops, bookshelves, and electronics (notorious dust magnets). Youll also want to avoid clutter, wash linens and curtains frequently, and vacuum your floors, carpets, furniture, and even your mattress on a regular basis. Here, we asked fourteen professional cleaners to weigh in on the most efficient ways to get rid of dust in the home, and the best tools for the job. For general dusting All of the professionals we spoke with suggest dusting tabletops, counters, bookshelves and other smooth surfaces about one a week. They also all agree that the best tool for doing that is a microfiber cloth. Microfiber, thanks to its microscopically tiny weave, holds ten times more dirt per square inch than its cotton counterparts, so you will collect more dust and keep it from redepositing as you clean the next surface, says Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer for MaidPro. The classic feather duster isnt all that effective either. Jack Prenter, owner of Toronto cleaning company Chore Bliss, says dusters dont attract and trap dust, they just displace it and move it around your home. Microfiber cloths not only do a better job, they last longer because once youre done dusting you just pop them in the laundry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To make sure youre working efficiently, you want to dust from the top down, say Prenter and Homer, since particles can fall to the floor and circulate in the air when youre wiping them from door frames and shelves. A few spots that would be good to hit first are the tops of fan blades, blinds, paintings, door frames, and picture frames, says Kadi Dulude, owner of New Yorks Wizard of Homes cleaning service. Theyre often the most neglected. The inside of your radiator and the filters of your AC unit are two other places she calls out as dust traps. Though all of our experts agree that youll pick up a good amount of dust with a dry microfiber cloth, several of them suggest dampening your microfiber cloths with water or spraying them with an all-purpose cleaner before use, to help them grip and remove dust better. Heres a biodegradable cleaner, which Dulude calls an all-time favorite, and which will disinfect surfaces as well as remove dirt and dust. Just dont use it on items that cant tolerate water, such as collectibles or art pieces, says Homer. Those should be tickle-dusted with a fluffy microfiber duster over a surface you can wipe clean afterward. For those really high places, you might need something with a little more reach than a microfiber cloth. For walls and ceilings, its best to have a long-handled microfiber duster or a mop with a microfiber cloth attached, says David Seville, CEO of Crewcare, a commercial cleaning company in Aukland, New Zealand. This set of microfiber dusters includes three different shapes and textures to use in different areas. They also come with an extendible pole to help you reach high ledges and corners, plus theyre washable so you can use them over and over again. Gary Downing, owner of Happy Happy Cleaning in Pennsylvania, says he always carries a ball-shaped microfiber duster because it can squeeze through small areas, like in between the slats on your bannister, and it adjusts to the shape of narrow crevices where dust collects the most. For dusting blinds Blinds are among the hardest spots to dust in a home, because theres so little surface area to them and dust tends to cake on them over time. Its really important to keep up with blind care or youll end up with a very messy, hard-to-clean blind, Dulude says. In some cases it takes us SO long to scrub it clean that it makes more sense for a client to buy new blinds. Nelson suggests using a Swiffer duster to reach between each blind and remove dust. And to prevent buildup, Dulude recommends dry-dusting blinds with a Swiffer duster or a reusable microfiber duster (like the set we mentioned above) weekly. For removing dust from hardwood floors Corners, baseboards, and blind spots under furniture are a dust bunnys favorite place to hide. So youll want to start with those hard-to-reach areas before addressing the center of your floor. We like to use the Swiffer Mop with a Swiffer microfiber dry cloths to clean under furniture, says Dulude. Nelson and Downing agree that Swiffer cloths work well, but Nelson notes that you should try to avoid the scented ones. They are wonderful, she says. They excel at attracting and picking up dust and allergens, but the scented ones contain synthetic fragrances, which are toxic in and of themselves. Dulude also recommends using the mop to dry-dust walls and ceilings before you vacuum. Though obviously, use a different microfiber cloth from what you used for floors, she says. Now that youve collected all the dust from the edges and corners of your room you can move on to vacuuming, which is by far the preferred method of our experts over sweeping. Always vacuum your hard floors, never sweep, says Homer. She explains that sweeping kicks as much dust back into the air as it does into your dustpan, while using a vacuum hose with a horsehair floor brush sucks everything up without scratching your hardwoods. It will protect even the most delicate floors, like fine wood and marble, but actually extract and remove dust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prenter, Downing, and Marilee Nelson, an environmental consultant and co-founder of nontoxic cleaning formula Branch Basics, mention Shark vacuums. They are essentially cheaper clones of Dyson, with similar longevity, at a fraction of the price, Prenter says. Nelson likes Shark vacuums because theyre economical and designed with a completely sealed canister and a HEPA filter to trap and prevent dust from spraying back into the air. This upright Shark model converts to a handheld version, has a microfiber dusting brush for hardwoods, and comes with a built-in HEPA filter. After youve Swiffered and vacuumed, our experts recommend mopping to remove any remaining dust and prevent it from settling in. If you have a Swiffer for your hardwood floor, you could probably just throw on a Swiffer wet pad, but on tile floors, a traditional mop and pail with a cleaning agent would work, too. Summer Shadforth, a cleaning expert at Fantastic Cleaners Australia, suggests mopping the floors at least once a week, as water is very effective in keeping dust at bay. For getting dust out of rugs and carpets Carpets are a little trickier than hardwood floors. For those, the experts we spoke to steered us toward heavy-duty canister vacuums with enough power to lift deeply embedded particles from your rugs and carpets, or to pet-specific options if youre dealing with more hair and dander. Nelson suggested this Nilfisk commercial vacuum, which she says is abatement graded, meaning its been tested and proven to remove dust and mold. Theres nothing like it on the market, which accounts for the high price, she says. If you suffer from bad allergies or if you feel your carpet needs some industrial-strength cleaning, you may want to try it. For your rugs, Bailey Carson, Head of Cleaning at Handy, says you need to shake your rugs out frequently: If you have thick rugs in your house, youll want to take them outside once or twice a month and beat them with a broom for a deeper clean. Nelson also likes this more affordable choice for sealed-canister vacuums from Miele. Its a favorite for cleaning carpets among experts including Dulude and Don Ham, VP of strategic partnerships at Refresh Smart Home, for vacuuming without recirculating dust. This affordable model doesnt come with a HEPA filter built in, but you can always add one. For getting rid of dust on fabric furniture With something less porous, like a leather couch, you could easily clean up crumbs and dust with a vacuum, or perhaps wipe it with some leather cleaner, and call it a day. Fabric furniture, however, as weve written before, is more delicate. Here, a large lint roller could come in handy for picking up surface-level stuff in between sessions with the upholstery brush attachment on your vacuum. Lint rollers are useful, but far less efficient than a vacuum or damp cloth, and therefore only recommended for caring for soft furnishing and clothing, says Prenter. Your couch, bedding, and lamp shades would all benefit from a quick sweep with a lint roller. For getting rid of the dust in your air Many allergists recommend a HEPA air purifier for removing airborne particles if you suffer from allergies. Homer says theyre redundant if you have a home cooling or heating system that already includes filtration, but a lovely solution if you dont have central air or central heating. She recommends Germ Guardian Air Purifiers, but suggests ensuring that the model youre buying is actually big enough to handle the square footage of the space you plan to use it in. Nelsons high-end choice for air filtration is this Austin Air model because its not made with plastic, so theres no chance of any chemical off-gassing into the air you are trying to purify. The Austin Air also gets top marks from Nelson because it picks up very fine particulates, is rated A for mold, which means its picking up the very small dust particles that have mold on them, and it also has a carbon filter that picks up chemical pollution as well. Michele Ann Cassalia, director of marketing at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America likes the Rabbit models because theyve been certified by the AAFA as asthma and allergy friendly, based on third-party testing. The air quality tester on it will also let you know when youve been a little negligent with your cleaning. If cant afford an plug-in air purifier, Nelson let us in on a budget but effective hack: She says you can create your own air purifier by pairing a HEPA filter (she recommends these from Filtrete), which are usually used in the return vent of household heating and cooling systems, with a simple box fan. Hold a 20x20 inch Filtrete filter against the on back of the fan and turn the fan on. The suction from the fan will hold that filter in place without any tape or anything and youve got a great filtration for dust right there, says Nelson. Either it is Afghanistan or Syria, the United States 'is THE problem,' Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Sunday in his first-ever response over the recently signed joint declaration between America and the Taliban that facilitates withdrawal of American troops from the war-torn country. "US occupiers should've never invaded Afghanistan. But they did, and blamed everyone else for consequences. Now after 19 yrs of humiliation, US has tendered its surrender. Whether in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq or Yemen, US is THE problem. It will leave--while leaving huge mess behind," Zarif wrote on Twitter. After 18 months of talks and nearly 20 years of war, the Taliban and the United States last week signed an agreement in the Qatari capital of Doha 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.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 23:49:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HELSINKI, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Two new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Helsinki, Finland, on Sunday, Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) announced in a press release. The new cases are persons who had contact with a woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 in Helsinki on Friday. Both infected returned home after sampling and are in good conditions. They have been instructed to remain quarantined at home. The screenings for those who were exposed to the patient diagnosed on Friday have been done well, and the exposed individuals have been contacted, said THL. So far, a total of five COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Finland. Oppo Reno 3 Pro launches in India on March 2. Oppo has made multiple changes in terms of designs and specifications of the device as compared to the Chinese variant. The smartphone is confirmed to feature a dual punch-hole screen and a 64MP quad-camera setup on the back. Oppo is scheduled to start the Reno 3 Pro launch event at 12.30 pm IST. The company is hosting the press event in New Delhi. A live-stream of the launch will be available online. As mentioned earlier, Reno 3 Pro is coming to India in a refreshed avatar. The smartphone gets a dual punch-hole cutout housing the worlds first 44MP dual front camera setup. While the company has not confirmed the display size as yet, we can expect the India variant of the Reno 3 Pro to feature the same 6.5-inch 90Hz AMOLED display as the Chinese variant. The rear panel is confirmed to get a 64MP quad-camera setup. An official teaser confirms that there will be an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, a 13MP telephoto sensor with Hybrid zoom, and a 2MP monochrome sensor. Oppo has kept the processor details currently under wraps. The Chinese variant comes with a Snapdragon 765G processor for 5G support. However, the smartphone could come to India with Snapdragon 730G found on Reno 2 (Review). Reno 3 Pro is already up for pre-order. The company has not revealed the pricing details as yet. The smartphone was launched in China in two storage variants with 8GB+128GB storage and 12GB+128GB storage. Both the storage variants are priced at Yuan 3,399 (roughly Rs 34,700) and Yuan 3,699 (roughly Rs 37,600). We can expect the Reno 3 Pro India variant to be priced slightly lesser. Reno 2 was priced below Rs 37,000, and so we expect a similar price tag on the Reno 3 Pro if not less. San Francisco, March 2 : For Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, coding is like poetry and now, researchers have revealed that one does not need to be even good at math to become a good coder at any of the Silicon valley tech giant like Apple. New research from the University of Washington in Seattle found that a natural aptitude for learning languages is a stronger predictor of learning to programme than basic math knowledge or numeracy. That's because writing code also involves learning a second language, an ability to learn that language's vocabulary and grammar, and how they work together to communicate ideas and intentions. Other cognitive functions tied to both areas, such as problem solving and the use of working memory, also play key roles. "Many barriers to programming are centred around the idea that programming relies heavily on math abilities, and that idea is not born out in our data," said lead author Chantel Prat, associate professor of psychology. "Learning to programme is hard, but is increasingly important for obtaining skilled positions in the workforce. Information about what it takes to be good at programming is critically missing in a field that has been notoriously slow in closing the gender gap," Prat elaborated. The study examined the neurocognitive abilities of more than three dozen adults as they learned Python, a common programming language. Following a battery of tests to assess their executive function, language and math skills, participants completed a series of online lessons and quizzes in Python. Those who learned Python faster, and with greater accuracy, tended to have a mix of strong problem-solving and language abilities, showed the findings detailed in the journal Scientific Reports. Researchers found that scores from the language aptitude test were the strongest predictors of participants' learning rate in Python. Scores from tests in numeracy and fluid reasoning were also associated with Python learning rate, but each of these factors explained less variance than language aptitude did. This is the first study to link both the neural and cognitive predictors of natural language aptitude to individual differences in learning programming languages. "We were able to explain over 70 per cent of the variability in how quickly different people learn to programme in Python, and only a small fraction of that amount was related to numeracy," Prat said. Further research could examine the connections between language aptitude and programming instruction in a classroom setting, or with more complex languages such as Java, or with more complicated tasks to demonstrate coding proficiency. Coding is associated with math and engineering; college-level programming courses tend to require advanced math to enroll and they tend to be taught in computer science and engineering departments. Coding also has a foundation in human language: Programming involves creating meaning by stringing symbols together in rule-based ways. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the curative petition filed by Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case. A five-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana, which considered the curative plea in-chamber, also rejected Pawan's application seeking stay on the execution of death sentence which is scheduled for Tuesday. "The application for oral hearing is rejected. The application for stay of execution of death sentence is also rejected. The curative petition is dismissed...," the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra, R F Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan, said. In his curative plea, Pawan had sought commutation of his death penalty to life imprisonment. He had also sought a stay on the execution of black warrant issued by the trial court for the hanging. The apex court had earlier dismissed separate pleas filed by Mukesh and Vinay challenging the rejection of their mercy petitions by the President. While Akshay has not yet challenged the rejection of his mercy petition, Pawan has not yet filed a mercy plea before the President. Uttar Pradesh MLA from Bulandshahr Virendra Singh Sirohi passed away early on Monday at a hospital in Delhi after a prolonged illness. He was 73. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the demise of Sirohi, describing it as an "irreparable loss to the society". The BJP leader and former state minister was suffering from liver ailments and was hospitalised a fortnight ago, his son Digvijay Sirohi said. "He was suffering from liver ailments and breathed his last around 3.30 am today," his son told PTI. He said the body was brought to his home in Bulandshahr for last rights. "I am distressed to hear the of the demise of Virendra Singh Sirohi, MLA Bulandshahr Sadar. His departure is an irreparable loss to the society. I pray to Lord Ram to give him a place at his feet and provide support to the bereaved family to bear this painful sorrow," Adityanath tweeted. Sirohi, representing Bulandshahr Sadar, was a three-time MLA. He was first elected as MLA for the 13th UP Assembly in 1996, then in 2007 and last in 2017. He also served as Revenue Minister from 1997 till 2002 in the Mayawati-led state government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first time I met A.G. Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times, I tried to hire him. That was back in the heady days of digital media in 2014, and I was at BuzzFeed News, one of a handful of start-ups preparing to sweep aside dying legacy outlets like The Times. Times stock was still sputtering, and the company had sold off everything but its furniture to keep paying for journalism. Mr. Sulzberger, then the heir apparent to lead The Times, politely declined my offer. And today, after eight years as BuzzFeed editor in chief, I find myself in his employ as the new media columnist. Im stepping into the space opened a decade ago by David Carr, the late columnist who chronicled an explosion of new online outlets. My focus will probably be the opposite: The consolidation of everything from movies to news, as the media industry gets hollowed out by the same rich-get-richer, winner-take-all forces that have reshaped businesses from airlines to pharmaceuticals. A worker shields a patient on a stretcher being taken to an ambulance at the Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington state on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) 4 New Cases, Including One Death, Linked to Coronavirus Outbreak at Washington Nursing Home Four new cases of the new COVID-19 disease in Washington State are linked to the outbreak at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, officials said. Three patients in their 70s or older are at Evergreen Health in Kirkland, outside of Seattle, and a fourth died over the weekend, Seattle & King County Public Health announced. A woman in her 90s, a woman in her 80s, and a man in his 70s all have underlying health conditions and are in critical condition. The man who died was in his 70s and also had underlying health conditions. All four patients were residents of LifeCare, the skilled nursing facility about 13 miles outside of Seattle, officials said. A female staff member in her 40s previously tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, officials said on Saturday, in addition to a longterm resident at the facility who was in serious condition at Evergreen Hospital. EvergreenHealth Medical Center where a person died of COVID-19, in Kirkland, Wash., is seen on Feb. 29, 2020. (Elaine Thompson/AP Photo) Officials received reports of approximately 27 residents and 25 staff members with symptoms of respiratory illness. There are 108 residents and 180 staff members at the facility. Ellie Basham, executive director of the Life Care Center of Kirkland, said in a statement that any residents showing symptoms were placed in isolation and all workers were screened before starting work shifts. If the workers showed symptoms, they were sent home. Staff members were following infection control recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including frequently washing hands and wearing masks, gowns, and gloves when caring for patients showing symptoms. No family members, volunteers, or vendors were being allowed into the facility and all admissions were placed on hold, Basham said. A sign is seen at the entrance to Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington state on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) Kim Frey, whose 89-year-old mother lives in the facility, said that she traveled there to hold up a note saying We love you. We cant come in to the window so her mother could see. Staff members eventually let Frey in with protective gear on. My mom was good. She was really excited to see me, I didnt hear any coughing. It was really quiet, Frey told Q13. Three groups who had contact with residents at the facility are now in quarantine or being monitored outside of the center. Twenty-five firefighters from Fire Station 21 in Kirkland were under a precautionary quarantine in addition to two police officers who responded to the center, King 5 reported. A spokeswoman for the city said the firefighters were either staying isolated at home or at an undisclosed location. Sixteen students from the Lake Washington Institute of Technology who visited the Life Care Center last week were self-monitoring for signs of the virus, Dr. Amy Morrison, president of the college, said in a statement. She and the schools executive cabinet decided to close the campus on March 2 and March 3 to continue disinfecting and cleaning the campus. Theyre also canceling all large community and college events for the week. Anil Swarup By Irrespective of who (including the politicians) has fuelled the riots, it is the constitutional duty of a civil servant (including policemen) to quell it forthwith without looking elsewhere for direction. Civil servants cant blame the politician for not enforcing the rule of law. This was a tweet in the context of the current crisis in Delhi that brought back memories of my stint as a district magistrate.It was 1991 and the call was from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. He appeared agitated. I had been District Magistrate in Lakhimpur Kheri for about a year. Since 1990 the country was facing a crisis on account of the Rath Yatra being taken out by BJP leader L K Advani, to advocate the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. As Ayodhya was in UP, this state became the epicentre of all the agitations that were taking place in the context of the building of the temple. It created law and order problems in all the districts of UP. All districts surrounding Lakhimpur Kheri had been put under curfew (an order issued under Section 144 of the CrPC, imposing severe restriction on movement during certain periods of the day and night). Kheri was the only district where even though orders were issued under Section 144, they were not as restrictive and normal life was not disrupted. This was primarily on account of the trust the residents of Lakhimpur had in the administration. Any mischief was dealt with firmly, including those involving people and issues connected with the ruling party. A murder had taken place. It was purely a criminal act, but the district president of the ruling party wanted to make political capital out of it by taking out a funeral procession. If allowed, this could have been a recipe for disaster and would have led to communal riots as was the case in neighbouring districts. Permission to take out the procession was not granted. But as the district president insisted on taking out the procession, he was arrested and put behind bars under the provisions relating to preventive detention. Though this arrest took care of the law and order issues, it didnt go down well with the ruling party. Those were the days when the only industry flourishing in the state was the transfer industry. I was, however, prepared to face the consequences, but determined not to allow the district to slip into chaos. It was late that night when the call came from the CM. He got down to business immediately without bothering to exchange the usual pleasantries, DM sahib, why have you imprisoned my district president? His question was straightforward. My response was equally forthright: Sir, a murder had taken place and he insisted on taking out a funeral procession that would have destroyed the peace in the city. Given the charged atmosphere, it would have led to communal riots. I tried to persuade him not to take out the procession but he did not relent. So, we had no option but to arrest him in the interest of sustaining peace. There was a brief pause at the other end, and then another question, Isnt there some other way? I was firm but polite: Sir, had there been some other way, we would not have arrested him. The only possible way now is for someone from Lucknow to speak to him so that he doesnt insist on taking out a procession. We can then release him. I carried on, Sir, you are aware that Lakhimpur Kheri is the only district where we havent had to impose curfew as everyone believes we will take action without any favour. There was yet another pause before he responded, Theek hai (okay). He apparently spoke to the district chief himself. Consequently, the local chief agreed not to take out the funeral procession. The dead man was buried in the dead of night and the chief was released later. Lakhimpur remained peaceful during the trying period of the Babri agitation. I was surprised when I was awarded by the CM himself for handling law and order in the district adroitly. Peace in the district could be maintained on account of an amazing team of officers comprising the likes of Harish Chandra Singh, superintendent of police, Rudra Pratap Singh, sub-divisional magistrate, R K Chaturvedi, circle officer and others. If officers on the spot await instructions from the top, the crisis can spiral as it did in Delhi recently. It is not a question of hindsight wisdom as a former Delhi police commissioner stated while trying to defend the indefensible. The writing was on the wall. It was building for a few days. It didnt require a lot of wisdom. It required action. Lives were lost as the police force allowed ruffians to run riot in places like JNU. It allowed VIPs to get away with inflammatory speeches. It was not on the sly. It was all too visible but some chose to ignore it. It gave an impression that what was happening was happening in collusion with the police. This was perhaps an unfair assessment of the police force but total inaction was indefensible. Some elements in the force were perhaps waiting for orders from an appropriate level. They should have instead apprehended the rioters and not allowed them to run riot. Yes, there was a risk of getting marching orders in case the action on the ground did not match the wish of those that mattered. But it is a risk worth taking to prevent mayhem. In any case, for a civil servant, transfer, like death, is inevitable. Why worry? And, if he believes in Hindu philosophy, he will be born again and continue to act on the basis of his convictions instead of directions. The likes of Julio Ribeiro did that and are venerated. The choice is ours. We can blame the politicians for many wrongs, but when it comes to maintenance of law and order, it is the constitutional obligation of civil servants on the spot to carry out their task without fear or favour. The problem arises when civil servants start expecting returns. (With excerpts from the authors forthcoming book titled Ethical Dilemmas of a Civil Servant) [March 02, 2020] MoxiWorks launches new suite of products for luxury brokerages SEATTLE, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MoxiWorks, the leading real estate technology platform, today announced the launch of M Suite, a new suite of products designed for luxury brokerages and their agents to help elevate their brand and their client experience. M Suite takes the same reliable functionality and integration capabilities of some of MoxiWorks' core products and wraps them in a sophisticated design that can be branded to the brokerage. The products help agents market their services, manage client relationships, give valuable presentations, and more. "We created M Suite to address the agent's need to differentiate their brand and customer experience with higher-end clients something we know they care a lot about," said York Baur, CEO of MoxiWorks. "We're excited to see this new innovation being used by brokerages who want to use cutting-edge digital marketing to help differentiate their brokerage and their brand." The M Suite product line kicks off with the launch of M Present, the only presentation tool designed exclusively for a luxury audience as well s M Impress, MoxiWorks' marketing automation solution. M Present includes exclusive templates that agents can brand to make their own and enables them to build a variety of presentations they may need in the course of a client relationship, including CMAs, open house tours, buyer tours, and more. Following will be the release of M Engage, the luxury CRM and M Websites for brokerages and agents to build luxury websites. MoxiWorks worked closely with 1000watt, a well-known creative agency based in Portland, OR, dedicated to the real estate and mortgage industries, to fully understand and meet the needs of luxury brokerages and agents and to develop the M Suite brand. M Suite is available for brokers who want to offer the service to their agents. To learn more about M Suite, visit https://go.moxiworks.com/msuite. About MoxiWorks MoxiWorks is a comprehensive open platform system for large residential real estate brokerages that serves over 260 brokerages and 340,000 agents nationwide that account for more than 13% of the transactions in the U.S. MoxiWorks' customer retention over the past seven years stands proudly at 96%. Their integrated tools are centered on sphere methodology that increases agents' repeat and referral business by 54%, while lowering overall technology, training, and support costs for the brokerage. The open platform known as the MoxiCloud has tools from more than 50 partners that integrate to create unique brokerage solutions. Find more information at moxiworks.com. For more information on this topic and other press inquiries at MoxiWorks, please contact Jordan Barrish at [email protected]. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moxiworks-launches-new-suite-of-products-for-luxury-brokerages-301014028.html SOURCE MoxiWorks [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Dutton: Good Riddance to Fake Prince as Fraudster Deported Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says good riddance to the fake Tahitian prince Joel Morehu-Barlow who was deported to New Zealand for stealing AU$16 million ($10.44 million) from Queensland Health. Morehu-Barlow, now 44, re-directed money meant for a charity into his accounts and was sentenced to 14 years jail. Television footage showed Morehu-Barlow born Joseph Hohepa Morehu-Barlow flanked by Australian Border Force officers being escorted to an airport where he was put on a Qantas plane bound for Auckland after being released on Thursday. Its believed hes now living with his mother in Auckland. Dutton had little sympathy for the former Queensland Health middle manager who siphoned millions between October 2007 and December 2011. Good riddance to that false pretender, Dutton told media on Friday. If you are going to commit offences in his country, while you are here as a guest, expect to have your visa cancelled. Ninety-nine per cent of people do the right thing. In the most egregious cases, they can expect to have their visa cancelled and be deported. Morehu-Barlow lived a lavish lifestyle with the stolen funds that included the purchase of an exclusive waterfront apartment in inner Brisbane. He even had the initials HRH (His Royal Highness) on a black American Express credit card he used at a chic Brisbane nightclub Cloudland where he drank top of the range champagne and tipped waiters AU$1000 ($652.50), according to former staff members. His cash-splashing habits were so outlandish that one Fortitude Valley businessman described it to AAP as a Claytons economic stimulus (the economic stimulus youre having while not having an economic stimulus) package for Brisbanes restaurants, pubs, and retailers. His reign as a free-spending royal was brought undone in December 2011 when he attempted to siphon off AU$11 million ($7.18 million) in a single transaction. Hed previously taken about AU$5 million ($3.26 million.) When police searched his residence, they found hundreds of luxury items including a life-size horse lamp, saddle, a Chanel watch and a Louis Vuitton surfboard, which were seized and sold at auction. Overall, about AU$11.9 million ($7.76 million) was recovered from the sale of items, including the apartment. By Robyn Wuth and Darren Cartwright Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin waves as he arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya to begin his first day in office, March 2, 2020. Updated at 5:35 p.m. ET on 2020-03-02 In his first public address as Malaysias prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin promised a clean government Monday, as he emphasized that he had reluctantly accepted leadership to stabilize the country following a political turmoil that required the kings intervention. Muhyiddin, 72, delivered the 16-minute speech from the prime ministers office about 34 hours after being sworn in by Malaysias king, amid claims from his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad that he instead of Muhyiddin had support to form a government. I realize that my appointment was not through an election. Instead, I was appointed after getting the support of the majority of members of parliament, Muhyiddin said, without giving a total number of lawmakers backing him. I did not crave the office of prime minister. I only came to the rescue when both prime minister candidates did not have the support of the majority of members of parliament, he said. He was referring to Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim, another prominent lawmaker who had put himself forward as a candidate for prime minister during a week of political turmoil that followed Mahathirs shock resignation one week ago. What choice did I have? Muhyiddin asked, adding that had he not stepped in, it could have prolonged a political crisis, possibly leading to the dissolution of parliament and fresh elections. Clad in a blue suit and tie and crisp white shirt for his first day as the nation's leader earlier Monday, Muhyiddin cast himself as a savior, not a traitor. As expected, some are calling me a traitor. Listen well. I am not a traitor, he said. My instinct is clear, my presence here is to save the country from ongoing turmoil. Parliamentary vote sought Muhyiddin now heads an alliance dominated by the multi-ethnic countrys Muslim majority, including the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party of corruption-tainted ex-premier Najib Razak, as well as the Islamist PAS party, which has been campaigning for stricter Islamic laws. However, neither the king who appointed him to the post on Saturday nor Muhyiddin nor any of his allies have given an accounting of exactly how many lawmakers are in his new National Alliance coalition. Mahathir, for his part, asserted on Sunday that he had 114 MPs in his camp. The number was trimmed later to 112 by Mahathirs Pakatan Harapan coalition amid warnings by him that it could be whittled down further through defections fueled by promises of government posts. Mahathir and other opposition politicians and activists have called for an urgent session of parliament to settle the matter but Muhyiddin has not said if hell move to gain the endorsement of parliament in a bid to prove that he has majority support. The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) calls for a special session of Parliament to put beyond doubt the question of whether the newly sworn-in PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin commands the majority in Parliament, the group said in a statement, echoing similar calls voiced by demonstrators at a small rally staged late Sunday. If a special session is not called, then this vote of confidence should be moved as soon as when the next sitting of Parliament convenes on March 9th, Bersih said. Muhyiddin, who was sacked as deputy prime minister by Najib in 2015 after raising corruption concerns, later joined forces with Mahathir in leading a diverse coalition that brought about the first change of government in Malaysian history, with Mahathir at the helm. Muhyiddin said Monday that his government would continue efforts to curb corruption and abuse of power. Im also aware that what the people want is a government that is clean, has integrity and is free from corruption. To start with, I promise to appoint cabinet members from among individuals who are clean, of caliber and integrity, he said. A court hearing scheduled on Monday on 47 corruption and money laundering charges against UMNO leader Zahid Hamidi was postponed to Tuesday after his lawyers claimed that he had a scheduled meeting with Muhyiddin over the formation of a new cabinet, local news reports said. Muhyiddin's office issued a statement Monday clarifying that there was no meeting scheduled with political leaders that day. Zahid was then summoned to court to face possible contempt-of-court charges by government lawyers for allegedly lying to the court but he insisted that he had a letter to back his claim, the New Straits Times reported. The court then asked him to bring the letter on Tuesday, the report said. Aside from Zahid who faces a separate corruption trial in October involving 40 charges and 33 alternative charges of receiving bribes in his former position as home minister several other UMNO leaders also await trials on graft charges, reports said. UMNO, with 39 MPs, is the biggest party in Muhyiddins new National Alliance coalition. In his speech, Muhyiddin also asserted that he was prime minister of all ethnicities and groups in the racially diverse country, although his governing coalition appeared to include only three non-Malays and no non-Malay parties. Give me a chance to leverage my 40 years of political and government experience to steer Malaysia, Muhyiddin said. Treachery and betrayal On Sunday, an aide to Azmin Ali, a minister in the previous government who was instrumental in ousting it by joining ranks with Muhyiddin, said the new government would protect press freedom and judicial independence, and that the graft trials of past leaders would continue. Najibs trial will go on ... and for Rosmah and Zahid as well, Khalid Jaafar told BenarNews, referring to Rosmah Mansor, Najibs wife, and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the home affairs minister in Najibs government. He said there had been no conditions, no deals with UMNO, the anchor party of the ruling coalition that Mahathir defeated in 2018. A leading figure with the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a predominantly ethnic Chinese party that holds the largest number of seats in parliament 42 seats blasted the new government. In 2018 the people decided, in 2020 the MPs decided, said MP Ramkarpal Singh, chairman of the partys legal bureau, calling Muhyiddins rise to power a result of treachery and betrayal. His success was not based on a level playing field, Ramkarpal wrote. It was a result of the treachery and betrayal of certain Members of Parliament who unashamedly deserted the very platform they campaigned on just less than two years ago to win the votes of the people. They have brought back the very people the Rakyat [people] voted out two years ago, he said. This is unforgivable. Hadi Azmi in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/02/2020 -- Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Border Security System Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Border Security System Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are BAE Systems PLC (United Kingdom), Elbit Systems (Israel), Leonardo SpA (Italy), FLIR Systems Inc (United States), General Dynamics Corporation (United States), Harris Corporation (United States), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) (Israel), L-3 Technologies Inc (United States), Leidos Holdings Inc (United States) Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/47821-global-border-security-system-market The border security system is an essential part of protection and security for every country in the world. The military force as well as the technological enhancement playing a major role in border safety. The border security system consists of different systems such as RADAR, Laser, camera, etc. which helps to detect the threats on the border. Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report: 1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report? Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the the report are Airbus Group SE (Border security business acquired by BAE Systems PLC (United Kingdom), Elbit Systems (Israel), Leonardo SpA (Italy), FLIR Systems Inc (United States), General Dynamics Corporation (United States), Harris Corporation (United States), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) (Israel), L-3 Technologies Inc (United States), Leidos Holdings Inc (United States) ** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc. 2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need? Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey. ** Data availability will be confirmed by research in case of privately held company. Upto 3 players can be added at no added cost. 3) Can we get more level of segmentation to meet our market intelligence objective? Yes it can be provided, however ETA would vary and final confirmation would be given only after checking data in data repository. 4) Can inclusion of additional Segmentation / Market breakdown is possible? Yes, inclusion of additional segmentation / Market breakdown is possible subject to data availability and difficulty of survey. However a detailed requirement needs to be shared with our research before giving final confirmation to client. ** Depending upon the requirement the deliverable time and quote will vary. Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/47821-global-border-security-system-market Recent Industry Highlights: On 12th February BAE system will increase their development in mass detection and securitywhich will help to protect national security in this project funding is sponsored from U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA). Some of the other players that are also part of study are QinetiQ Group Plc (United Kingdom), Raytheon Company (United States), Rockwell Collins Inc (United States), Thales SA (France), Flir Systems, Inc (United States) and Saab AB (Sweden). To comprehend Global Border Security System market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Border Security System market is analyzed across major global regions. AMA also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas. - North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico. - South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. - Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa. - Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia. - Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia. Get Reasonable Discount on This Premium Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/47821-global-border-security-system-market Major Highlights of TOC: Chapter One: Market Overview Chapter Two: Executive Summary ---------- Free of Cost Chapter Three: Market Dynamics ------ USD400 Market Drivers, Market Challenges, Market Trends, Restraints & Opportunities Chapter Four: Market Factor Analysis ------ USD400 Supply/Value Chain, Porters Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent & Trademark Analysis, Bargain Power Chapter Five: Global Border Security System by Market Segmentation and Geography (value, volume**) (2013-2018) ------ USD1400 Border Security System Region North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic, Others) Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Middle East & Africa, Others) Chapter Six: Border Security System - Manufacturers/Players Analysis ------ USD1200 Competitive Landscape, Comparative Market Share Analysis (2017-2018), Peer Group Analysis (2018), BCG Matrix, Company Profile, Product/Service Offering Matrix Chapter Seven: Border Security System by Market Segmentation and Region (value, volume**) (2019-2024) ------ USD1400 ------ Sections same as Chapter Five ------ Chapter Eight: Company profiles / Competitive Landscape [12 Players] ------ USD1250 Chapter Nine: Methodology/Research Approach, Data Source, Disclaimer ** If applicable Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report. AMA also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research according to clientele objectives. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report like North America, Europe or Asia. About Advance Market Analytics Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 2 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Belarus and the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation, following the Belarusian-Uzbek Agrarian Forum, Trend reports via Uzbek media. The total number of participants at the event amounted to more than 700 people. The Uzbek side was represented by delegations from all regions of the country, as well as relevant agencies and organizations of the agricultural system. The Belarus delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Dvornik, while the business part of the Belarusian delegation included about 150 representatives of enterprises exporting agricultural and food products, scientific and educational institutions of the country. During the visit, Vladimir Dvornik met with Uzbekistans Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov. Negotiations with the heads of several ministries and agencies were held. The Belarusian delegation also visited the Tashkent Agricultural Machinery Plant JSC, Tashkent processing enterprises. As a result of the forum, the Ministry of Industry of Belarus and Uzbek Leasing International company signed an agreement on the provision of services by the Uzbek company under contracts of financial lease of goods produced in Belarus. Uzbekistan is a promising trade and economic partner of Belarus in the Central Asian region. According to the statistics of the Uzbek side, bilateral trade volume between Belarus and Uzbekistan exceeded $239 million. One of the most important aspects in mutual trade is agricultural products and food products. In 2019, $35 million worth of agricultural products and their processing products was supplied from Belarus to Uzbekistan. The volume of Uzbek agricultural products supplied to Belarus has exceeded $15 million. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini " " This illustration shows the moment when John White discovers the word "CROATOAN" carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590. The Lost Colony of Roanoke refers to a North Carolina colony where 115 people mysteriously disappeared, leaving just this carving as a sign. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images It must have been unnervingly quiet as John White made his way through the abandoned settlement at Roanoke in 1587. In the three years since he'd left, the colonists on Roanoke Island had vanished without a trace. What horrors had taken place here? Where had his family and the others gone? What had once been a settlement of two-story, thatched-roof cottages was lost. The first seed of English presence in the New World, given purchase through the efforts of 115 people, had been uprooted inexplicably. In its place, a husk remained. The houses had all been taken down. A roughly built fort surrounding the former settlement was all that signaled the former presence of the colonists. And on a post was carved one of only two clues: the word "CROATOAN." On another tree, White found the carving "CRO." Advertisement That was it. The small cannons and boats that should have been situated at the nearby bay were gone. Chests with drawings, maps and books that White had buried nearby years earlier were torn apart and ruined by weather. There were no bones, no corpses no evidence one way or another to show what had befallen the colonists, save for the evidence provided by their hastily assembled fortress. These 115 people were lost forever, never to be heard from again. This group of settlers came to be known as the lost colony of Roanoke. The shroud of mystery surrounding their fate has kept them alive in the annals of U.S. history as much as the successful colonies that followed. There were two expeditions to Roanoke before what would become the lost colony was established in 1587. The first was exploratory, the second (in 1585) consisted of 100 men who lived on the island for 10 months before returning to England. These early expeditions quickly deteriorated any initial warm feelings the Native Americans had toward the English. The settlers routinely kidnapped local tribal leaders and held them for ransom, despite relying on these "savages" for food and supplies [source: Lane]. When the 100 men left the 1585 Roanoke colony, it was due to constant threat of attack and waning food. Had they stayed for two more weeks, the men would've received supplies from England. A ship arrived and, finding the colony deserted, left behind 15 soldiers to maintain an English presence in the New World until another group of colonists could be brought. This next group would become the lost colony of Roanoke. The 1587 settler population included women and children and looked much more like later successful colonies. Their arrival at Roanoke Island was an inauspicious one: They found the settlement abandoned and in shambles. The bones of one of the 15 soldiers there before them were the only physical evidence of what had befallen the previous settlers. Led by Gov. John White (who'd been a member of the 1585 colony), these fresh colonists sought to carve out a life on the North Carolina island. They managed to turn the tide of bad relations with one nearby tribe, Powhatans living on Croatoan Island. The other tribes in the area maintained their distance. This left the colonists dependent on supplies from England, and in August 1587, Gov. White left to gather more provisions. When he returned, he found that the colony including his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter (Virginia Dare, the first English child born in North America) was gone. The carved word "CROATOAN" was an obvious clue. Perhaps the colonists had moved in search of protection or a steady food supply from the Powhatans. It appeared they hadn't left under duress; there were no Maltese crosses carved anywhere, the agreed-upon signal the colonists would use to indicate that danger had befallen them [source: Encyclopedia Virginia]. Yet no search of Croatoan Island was ever launched. Subsequent expeditions to locate the lost colony either failed or were undertaken as an excuse for piracy or other commercial endeavors. It wasn't until the Jamestown Colony was established in 1607 that any earnest searches were conducted to discover the fate of the lost Roanoke colonists. Not only were the colonists themselves lost, the colony was as well. Poor record keeping among White and others as well as years of abandonment have kept the exact whereabouts of the 1587 colony a mystery. Numerous digs on Roanoke failed to produce any evidence of the lost colony. Remnants of the 1585 settlement have been discovered, but no evidence of the lost colony has been found. One problem is that primary sources tell different tales. From Gov. White's writings, the second settlement should be located near the first on the north end of the island. But a 1589 affidavit of a Spanish sailor puts the settlement near the center of the island where the cannons were stationed. An old well and a small cannon found near the bay support the Spaniard's deposition. Some historians now believe that the 1587 Roanoke settlement currently lies underwater, victim to centuries of erosion. For 400 years, Europeans have searched to uncover the truth behind the lost colony. Some interesting clues turned up early on, beginning with the Jamestown settlers. Governor Nasir El-Rufai has apologised to the people of Kaduna State over the recent attacks in three local government areas of the state in which scores of people were killed. PREMIUM TIMES reported how over 50 people were reported killed during attacks by bandits on six villages in Giwa, Birnin Gwari, and Igabi local government areas of the state on Sunday. The attacks are similar to the spate in the northern part of the country. Mr El-Rufai, on a visit to the affected villages, admitted that governments best has not been enough in protecting citizens. As those that have been placed in a position of leadership, the responsibility for protecting these people rests squarely on my shoulders and those of my colleagues. I also came to apologise for my failure to fully protect them. We are doing the best we can and we are hoping that this banditry will end soon because the security agencies are taking the war to the bandits. But as they close one area, they attack in another area. It is a vast territory and it is difficult to cover, but we are doing our best to minimise such incidents. You should continue to forgive us, Mr El-Rufai told journalists and residents at one of the scenes of the attacks. The governor reiterated his governments decision not to negotiate with criminals. In Kaduna State, we have zero tolerance for bandits, we dont give them amnesty and we dont negotiate with them. It is our duty to wipe them out, and until we send them to their maker, the security agencies are taking the war to the forest and we are eliminating them, he said. Guyanas economy is expected to be transformed by oil and gas discovered off the poor South American countrys shores. Voters in Guyana will head to the polls on Monday in a crucial election that will decide which party oversees an oil boom that is expected to transform the poor South American countrys economy. Guyana, which shares its border with Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname, could become one of the worlds richest countries per capita or another country marked with the resource curse, analysts say. More than eight billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas have been discovered off the countrys shores. Under a 40-year deal signed with ExxonMobil Corp and its partners in 2016, Guyana is expected to receive an estimated $168bn in revenue, more than 120 times the countrys annual budget. Mondays election comes at a pivotal moment as the first wave of oil production gets under way. These elections are not only critical, they are also consequential, said Christopher Ram, a local newspaper columnist based in Guyanas capital Georgetown. Each of the major parties is determined to keep the other away from control of [the] wealth, that is expected to come via the oil discoveries, he told Al Jazeera. GDP set to balloon Guyana, a former British colony, gained its independence in 1966. But since then it has been plagued by ethnic tensions between its descendants of enslaved people from Africa and Indian indentured servants brought to work on sugarcane and rice plantations centuries ago. The ethnic tensions have also carried over into politics. The political system in Guyana is often referred to in local media as a duopoly. The two dominant parties, the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) and the Peoples National Congress (PNC), have respective strongholds within the Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese populations. In 2015, President David Granger and his APNU-AFC coalition which considers itself multiracial but is comprised mainly of Afro-Guyanese parties including the PNC, unseated the PPP after 23 years in power. Guyanas President David Granger reviews an honour guard during a Mercosur trade bloc annual summit in Brasilia in December 2017 [File: Adriano Machado/Reuters] Gold has long been Guyanas main export, but the country has seen low levels of growth. With less than 800,000 people, Guyanas GDP growth in 2019 was just 4.4 percent. Experts say a lack of infrastructure, transparency and human capital, have stood in the way of development. The countrys GDP is set to balloon by 86 percent this year, according to the IMF. The PPP, led by Irfaan Ali, and APNU-AFC want control over the management of the countrys new energy resources. Although, a recent report by Global Witness, an international NGO, claimed that Guyana would lose up to $55bn in an exploitative oil deal with Exxon Mobil, neither the PPP nor the APNU-AFC has said they would renegotiate the agreement with the US oil giant. Irfaan Ali, presidential candidate for Guyanas opposition Peoples Progressive Party, meets with supporters in Georgetown, Guyana [Luc Cohen/Reuters] Remi Piet, senior director at Americas Market Intelligence (AMI), said a contract renegotiation with Guyana would send a bad signal to foreign investors. There were not a lot of companies that were ready to actually make the research and exploration and take the risk in Guyana until very recently, Piet said, due to Guyanas underdevelopment, as well as its border dispute with Venezuela, which has claimed nearly two-thirds of the country. Vessels carrying supplies for an offshore oil platform operated by Exxon Mobil are seen at the Guyana Shore Base Inc wharf on the Demerara River, south of Georgetown, Guyana [File: Luc Cohen/Reuters] Endemic corruption is one of the key issues that needs to be resolved if the country wants its people to benefit from the resources, analysts say. The executive branch within Guyana is known to wield power across most levels of government. While Guyana is often described as having strong features of the Westminster system, in practice, it is a presidential, authoritarian system in which power resides in the head of the party in government, Ram said. He added that the Guyanese constitution gives the sitting president the power to appoint all the key positions of the state apparatus, including the military, the judiciary, the police, permanent secretaries, diplomats and the head of the elections commission. The president also decides who from the party should sit in the National Assembly. Guyana ranks 85 out of 180 countries on Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index, the same rank as Burkina Faso and Indonesia. The priority for Guyana is to improve the transparency of its institutions and continue fighting against corruption and embezzlement, Piet noted, adding that large investments from regulated, international oil companies could be a way to reach that goal. Indigenous swing vote Meanwhile, Lenox Shuman, the Indigenous and mixed-race leader of Liberty and Justice, a third party in the election, hopes his movement will become a minority force in Guyanas government, advocating on behalf of all of the countrys people not just its Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese majorities. Guyanas Indigenous population, commonly referred to as Amerindians, have a history that traces its roots to the Arawak or Jaguar People of South America and the Caribbean. Amerindians make up 10 percent of the countrys population. There is no government that makes a majority in this country without indigenous people, Shuman told Al Jazeera by phone. We have never been looked at as leaders of this country. We have just been looked at as subjects of this country, Shuman said. Shuman, an airline pilot turned politician, grew up in an Amerindian village along Guyanas Mahaica River. To him, promoting equity in Guyana and making sure the bounties go back to the people, is crucial. Many Amerindians in Guyana continue to live below the poverty line and wait on land titles promised by previous administrations. Lenox Shuman believes that if his party is able to achieve a minority government, the countrys leaders might handle the new wealth transparently and effectively, opening up a path for Guyana to become a real force in the region. Shuman would like to see Guyana welcome even more immigrants from countries nearby like Venezuela, Brazil, and Haiti. We could become the most effective stabilising force in South and Central America and in the Caribbean, Shuman said. We could become the leaders. Health officials in Washington state said on Sunday a second person infected with the coronavirus had died the Seattle area. The man in his 70s had underlying health conditions. The Washington death was in EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland and was reported on the website of the Seattle and King County public health department. On Saturday, the same officials reported the first death from coronavirus in the United States. Meanwhile, New York state has confirmed its first positive coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday night. He wrote on Twitter that a woman in her 30s contracted coronavirus during a recent trip to Iran and was in quarantine in her home. He did not say where the woman lived, but the New York Times, citing unnamed state officials, said the woman was in New York City. The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York, Cuomo said. Washington state on Sunday confirmed two other cases at a long-term care facility where a resident and a worker also tested positive for coronavirus and 50 residents and staff were showing symptoms. Over 70 cases have been reported in the United States, with most on the West Coast but new cases in the Chicago area and Rhode Island, aside from New York. Were Ready Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and on arrival, without specifying which countries. Delta Air Lines Inc said on Sunday it was suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that countrys coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday. The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number radically in coming weeks, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told ABCs This Week on Sunday. Vice President Mike Pence said the government had contracted 3M Co. to produce an extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell International Inc is the other major U.S. mask producer. He also told Fox News that clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine would start in six weeks but that a vaccine would likely not be available this season. Democrats, who will challenge Trump for the presidency in the Nov. 3 election, have criticized his administration for downplaying the crisis. They claim the administration has not been preparing for the disease to spread in the United States. Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White Houses coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases but that the vast majority of those who contracted the disease would recover. Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. Were ready, Pence told NBCs Meet the Press. The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. Trump said on Saturday that the United States was also considering shutting the countrys southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus, adding: We hope we wont have to do that. Mexico has reported four coronavirus cases. Its Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that both governments were in close and effective communication, especially the health authorities. By Brad Brooks and Andrea Shalal Several hundred members of the Moroccan Jewish community gathered last week at the Israelite cemetery in Rabat, to celebrate the Hiloula of Rabbi Eliezer Davila. This annual religious meeting celebrates the venerated Saint Rabbi Eliezer Davila, who was born in 1714 in sale, Rabats twin city, and who died in 1761. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery of Rabat. Besides the strong, overwhelming emotions, this annual commemoration is for the Moroccan Jewish community a time to express pride and a chance to connect to their origins. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the peace, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence prevailing in the Kingdom. Speaking during the ceremony, vice-president of the Israeli community of Rabat-Sale, Henri Abikzer, said this annual spiritual celebration brings together hundreds of Jewish pilgrims from Morocco and abroad who gather to reaffirm their belonging to Morocco. The participants in the ceremony chanted religious songs and expressed their attachment to Rabbi Eliezer Davilas Moroccan spirit and their own unwavering attachment to Morocco and to the Alaouite Throne. They praised King Mohammed VI for his high solicitude towards the members of the Jewish community and raised prayers for the rest of the soul of the late kings Mohammed V and Hassan II. During this religious ceremony, rogatory prayers were performed to implore the Almighty to ward off the drought in Morocco. The ceremony was also marked by the performance of patriotic and popular Judeo-Moroccan songs. In Morocco, the name Davila (or De Avila) appeared in Meknes in the 18th century with Eliezer father Samuel De Avila, who later on settled in Sale, Rabats twin city. Eliezer Davila was a chief rabbi of Rabat, Marrakech and Sale and is said to be the author of several books, including a collection of legal decisions, a collection of sermons and the Milhemet Mitzvah book, on Jewish prescriptions, customs and traditions. He was a prolific scholar and many of his works were posthumously published by his son-in-law. Rabbi Eliezer founded a yeshiva in Rabat, which he led for the wise men who came from all over the region to thoroughly study Torah. All he wanted was to find new interpretations () with his students, the Hevrat Pinto platform recalled. When Rabbi Eliezer died in 1761, he left behind his works, but also several legends about his life. In Once upon a time in Morocco, David Bensoussan says that Rabbi Eliezer Davila would have caused the waves of the ocean to overturn during the Lisbon tidal wave of 1755 by planting his stick in the sea. The same legend was mentioned by author Issachar Ben-Ami in Saint Veneration among the Jews in Morocco (Wayne State University Press, 1998). Rabbi Eliezers legacy will continue after his death and his son Mosheh became chief rabbi of Meknes then Rabat. The Rabbis hiloula is celebrated on the third of Adar, the day of his death from a heart attack. The Hiloula of several Jewish saints is celebrated across Morocco by the Moroccan Jewish community. The main purpose of this religious event is to pray for a good life and the resolution of problems. The Jewish community lights candles, and raises prays at the tomb of the saint. Thousands of Jews of Moroccan descent visit the country every year to rediscover the land of their ancestors, celebrate religious events or make pilgrimages to Jewish Saints shrines. The Jewish community has been present in Morocco since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. The Atlantic city of Essaouira houses a memorial to Moroccos Judeo-Islamic heritage, Bayt Dakira, and Casablanca hosts, since 1997, a Moroccan Jewish Museum, the only one of its kind in the Arab world, while a museum dedicated to the Jewish memory is under construction in Fez, the countrys spiritual capital. Also, a number of cemeteries, synagogues and historic Jewish quarters were or are being restored. New Delhi remained on the sidelines in signing of a US pullout agreement with the Taliban in Doha on Saturday, but hopes to play a role in the intra-Afghan dialogue that will follow between the Taliban, the government in Kabul and other Afghan factions. Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, addressing a conference in Delhi on Monday downplayed the agreement in Doha that commits the US to pull out from Afghanistan by May 2021. What we saw at Doha was not a surprise. Everybody knew something like this was happening. It was almost like finally seeing Pakeezah ... Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said on Monday that his country planned to send border police to help Greece stem the flow of migrants after Turkey decided to open its borders to allow refugees from Syria's Idlib to flee into Europe VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd March, 2020) Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said on Monday that his country planned to send border police to help Greece stem the flow of migrants after Turkey decided to open its borders to allow refugees from Syria's Idlib to flee into Europe. "We must be clearly focused on stopping people at the external border," Nehammer told Austria's OE24 broadcaster, stating that border police officers were getting ready to go assist their Greek counterparts. The minister added that a number of measures would be taken to also protect the Austrian borders. Fighting in Idlib, which shares a border with Turkey, escalated last week after jihadists attacked Syrian government troops, prompting clashes in which over 30 Turkish personnel died. The violence has prompted a new wave of Syrian refugees to flee to neighboring countries, including Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that his country, which was not receiving adequate and timely assistance from the EU, was opening its borders with Europe to Syrian refugees. Accused Sarah Lawrence college 'sex cult leader' Lawrence Ray, 60, was denied bail on Monday Accused Sarah Lawrence college 'sex cult leader' Lawrence Ray was found in bed with one of his victims when he was arrested by New York police, it was revealed in court Monday. Ray, 60, is accused of running a sex cult among his daughter's classmates at Sarah Lawrence college where he sexually and emotionally abused his victims and made nearly $2million through one victim he forced one into prostitution. He was arrested on February 11 in Piscataway, New Jersey after the cult was exposed in an article by New York Magazine last year. Ray showed little emotion during his brief appearance in court on Monday where a judge denied his bid for bail. Prosecutors revealed Ray was found with two victims in a New Jersey property at the time of his arrest and he was found in bed with an alleged female victim who he was the legal 'guardian' of at the time. Ray showed little emotion during his appearance in court on Monday where a judge denied his bid for bail and it was revealed he made nearly $2million through one victim he forced one into prostitution Prosecutors revealed Ray was found with two victims in a New Jersey property at the time of his arrest and he was found in bed with an alleged female victim who he was the legal 'guardian' of at the time. Ray pictured in court today Prosecutors say he had groomed that female victim and subjected her to extreme physical and mental abuse. 'There were other victims still very much under his control at the time of arrest,' Assistant US Attorney Danielle Sassoon said in Manhattan Federal Court according to the New York Daily News. Ray told investigators he was like a father figure to the woman in bed with him and allegedly likened her to a daughter. But investigators say they have evidence including videos showing how Ray 'sexually groomed' the woman and filmed her having sex with other men. One video shows Ray calling the victim he was found in bed with a criminal and berating her as she sobbed. Another video showed him grabbing her by the hair and forcing her out of the house, prosecutors said. 'He belittled and humiliated them. He broke their spirits,' Sassoon said describing how Ray ran his ring of followers. Ray subjected his victims to 'sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse' from 2010 to 2018, indictment stated. The home (pictured) where Lawrence Ray lived in for several years in Piscataway, New Jersey Ray seemed to smirk in court as prosecutors built their case against the scammer, revealing he made nearly $2million in just two years by forcing one of his victims into prostitution. Investigators found ledgers at his residence showing that he earned an 'astonishing' amount in running the cult. He earned over $700,000 through one victim's prostitution in 2017 and more than $1million in 2018 through the same victim, Sassoon said. Prosecutors believe the woman was seeing more and more clients to meet Rays demands. The cash payments by this woman were collected by a female associate of Ray and deposited into bank accounts that he had access to, prosecutors said. Ray began his cult in 2010 when he showed up to his daughter's university after being released from prison and stayed with her and her roommates in their dormitory. That's where he presented himself as a father figure and began conducting 'therapy' sessions where he learned intimate details about their lives, their mental struggles, and convinced them they were 'broken' and needed his guidance. Ray began his cult in 2010 when he showed up to his daughter's university in 2010 upon being released from prison and stayed with her and her roommates in their dormitory He took the private journals of his victims and elicited false confessions from them to keep his followers close. Prosecutors say he was able to run his cult for so long because he convinced victims that they owed him money for property damage or claimed that they poisoned him. He's been charged with a slew of offenses including extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor and money laundering in running the cult. But this isn't his first run in with the law. He has a lengthy rap sheet with offenses including a securities fraud conviction, orders of protection stemming from child custody battles and a physical confrontation with U.S. marshals arresting him for bail jumping. However, Ray's attorneys claim that the New York Magazine article that exposed his band of followers as 'false and sensational stories'. One of the alleged victims in the magazine article has signed a book deal and is trying to make a movie out of his experience, Ray's attorney Marne Lenox said. A female victim mentioned in the story was 'prone to hyperbole and exaggerations as an attention-seeking mechanism,' she added. Ray was a former close friend to disgraced NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik and served as the best man at his wedding. With their documents destroyed along with their homes, many riot-hit victims face uncertainty on how to claim compensation from the Delhi government. At a relief camp in Al-Hind Hospital in Mustafabad, one of the worst affected areas, there were many such families facing the same question. However, an official said the government is ensuring hassle-free compensation process so that no victim has to face difficulties while getting ex gratia from the authorities. Seeking refuge in the relief camp, Imran, who did not share his second name, said rioters attacked his residence in Shiv Vihar another worst-hit area. "They torched our house and our documents like voter-identification card, Aadhaar and PAN card, were also destroyed. The Delhi government has announced ex gratia but without documents we are unsure about how to go about it," he said. Aayat (25), who was also at the relief camp in the Al-Hind Hospital, said she was attacked by rioters last Tuesday but she managed to escape along with the three daughters. She said her rented accommodation in Shiv Vihar was gutted in fire and the documents also got destroyed. Mohammad Yaseen, a student, also echoed a similar sentiment. Last week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those killed in the communal riots in the national capital. The government has also announced an immediate relief of Rs 25,000 to those whose houses have been burnt down. It would provide free books and uniforms to students who lost them to the riot. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AAP legislators on Monday walked out from the Punjab assembly over the alleged objectionable remarks against the Valmiki community by Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Ashu is reportedly under fire from the community in Ludhiana, which has accused him of insulting them by using the "Valmiki mafia" phrase in the matter of garbage collection. During the zero hour, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema sought action against the minister for the remarks, the video of which has gone viral on social media. Cheema sought the registration of a case against the minister and wondered why Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had been "repeatedly saving" Ashu, who earlier had been under fire over allegations levelled by a suspended DSP that he had "confessed to have harboured" two militants in early 1990s. When Congress MLA Raja Amrinder Singh Warring tried to counter the offensive launched by AAP, a heated exchange took place between him and Cheema. Minister Ashu, however, described the allegations "baseless". Cheema called upon legislators of all political parties to support AAP and boycott Ashu for his remarks. Seeking action against the minister, AAP legislators stormed the well of the House and then staged a walkout. Later, two legislators of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) raised the issue of the death of a bank employee allegedly due to "police torture" in Ludhiana. SAD MLA and party's legislative wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said Deepak Shukla had died allegedly due to "police torture" and his family had been demanding the registration of an FIR. "His body has been lying in the hospital for the past five days," claimed Dhillon. LIP legislator Simarjeet Singh Bains said the police had even sought money from the family of Shukla for releasing him. Seeking to corner the state government over the "deteriorating" law and order situation, Bains said police had failed to catch THE robbers who looted 30 kg of gold from a bank Ludhiana last month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There are better paths forward for Pennsylvanias economy than a strategy that relies on pollution, fracking, petrochemicals and plastics for prosperity. Despite that, last month our elected leaders in Harrisburg saw fit to approve a bill that will dole out billions in taxpayer subsidies to the fracked gas and petrochemical industries. This legislationcalled House Bill 1100would tie Pennsylvanias economy to the fossil fuel industry for decades. Why do our leaders insist on catering to extractive industries when neighboring states are choosing to invest in economically sustainable industries like renewable and clean energy? Take New York, for instance, which in 2018 committed $1.5 billion to create 40,000 renewable energy jobs in the state. Those jobs dont just help the economy, but they will help New York reach its goal of using 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. We can also look to Ohio, which is a major manufacturer of wind energy components and employs more than 113,000 people in clean energy jobs, the eighth most in the country. Finally, we can also look at our own Commonwealth. Since 2014, Pennsylvania has increased its workforce in clean technologies like renewables, energy efficiency, clean vehicles, storage, and grid modernization by nearly 60 percentemploying now twice as many workers as the states entire fossil fuel industry. Rebecca E. Giles, Harrisburg, PA 17112 WASHINGTON - Even though they live in Canada, expatriate Americans north of the border are gearing up to weigh in on the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday and beyond as the battle to challenge Donald Trump appears poised to morph into an ideological fight between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 1/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gestures during a campaign rally Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) WASHINGTON - Even though they live in Canada, expatriate Americans north of the border are gearing up to weigh in on the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday and beyond as the battle to challenge Donald Trump appears poised to morph into an ideological fight between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Of the estimated 3 million voting-age U.S. citizens living outside the country, Canada is home to the most in the world: more than 622,000 in 2016, says the Federal Voting Assistance Program. Of those, however, a paltry 5.3 per cent cast a ballot in the election that propelled Trump to the White House. Democrats Abroad, the party's official international wing, aims to change that in 2020 beginning with the primary race, which shifts into high gear this week with 14 states, one territory and expat voters around the world eligible to weigh in on their preferred nominee. The Democrats Abroad Global Primary, which runs March 3-10, allows voters in 190 countries, representing every state and congressional district in the U.S., to cast ballots. The results will send 13 delegates to the party's national convention in July, along with the eight Democrats Abroad members of the national committee. Some 19 polling stations will be set up across Canada, the bulk of them on Tuesday. The numbers pale in comparison with the bonanza available to candidates on Super Tuesday itself 1,357 delegates from 14 states and one territory, including California and Texas, the two biggest prizes of primary season. But every vote counts, especially in a delegate-based system, said Liz Olin, a Sanders supporter and member of "Toronto for Bernie," a group actively drumming up Canadian support for the independent senator from Vermont. "Reaching U.S. citizens in Canada is of great importance ... many people we talk to don't realize they can vote or have never heard of the Democrats Abroad primary," Olin said. "Because the voting rate is typically so low, each vote in the global primary can have a significant impact often around four times the impact of a vote in a state's primary." In a recent online survey by the Angus Reid Institute, 28 per cent of respondents said they believed Canada-U.S. relations would improve the most with Sanders, an outsider and self-styled "democratic socialist" whose progressive policies, combative approach and "electability" against Trump have been giving moderate establishment Democrats heartburn for months. Biden, Barack Obama's vice-president and a moderate long seen as a viable Trump challenger thanks to his popularity with black and Latino voters, registered a distant second in that survey with just 14 per cent, followed by Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., at 10 per cent, who suspended his campaign on Sunday night. Biden flipped the script in dramatic fashion Saturday with his first-ever primary win in South Carolina, silencing critics who had placed his campaign on life support following dismal showings in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. But it will take Super Tuesday to determine whether he's able to capitalize on his newfound momentum and prevent Sanders from establishing an insurmountable lead. Tim Ellis, a self-described millennial expatriate who's also active in the Toronto caucus of Democrats Abroad, described Sanders as a genuine, authentic political figure with the courage of his convictions something young Americans have been craving in their leaders for generations. "It is that authenticity, which Bernie has retained for decades despite being steeped in Washington, that makes him a once-in-a-generation leader, and that people respond to so fiercely," Ellis said. "We have grown up in a world suffused with marketing and sales pitches and an elite discourse that is built on half-truths and outright lies.... To us, Bernie is like a drink of fresh water in the desert." For Julie Buchanan, the vice-chair of Democrats Abroad Canada, the popularity of Sanders in her adoptive country and elsewhere around the world boils down to a single issue, the one that has been the cornerstone of his campaign: Medicare for All, the big-ticket pledge to replace the U.S. private-insurance health care patchwork with a single-payer, government-funded system. "Most of us live in countries where health care is a human right," Buchanan said. "Need I say more?" For the rest of the Democratic field Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and billionaire Mike Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who makes his ballot debut Tuesday it could be a week of difficult conversations and heart-rending decisions. All three have struggled to connect with black voters, who play a key role on Super Tuesday in places like Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. Tom Steyer, the billionaire activist who spent $24 million on TV advertising in South Carolina in hopes of springboarding into contention going into this week, pulled the plug Saturday after finishing a distant third. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg poses for media as she arrives for a news conference in Davos, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. The 50th annual meeting of the forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 21 until Jan. 24, 2020 (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Associated Press A photo of a sticker circulated online that showed 17-year-old climate activist Great Thunberg engaged in a non-consensual sex act. The sticker had a logo of a Canadian oil company, and was allegedly circulated to employees on a job site to be worn on a hat. X-Site Energy Services, the company whose logo appears on the sticker, has denied creating the sticker. "They are starting to get more and more desperate...This shows that we're winning," Thunberg said. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke out on Twitter after a Canadian oil company was accused of a circulating a sticker to its workers depicting her in a non-consensual sexual act. The cartoon, which originated on a sticker, depicts a silhouette of a woman with pigtails Thunberg's signature style engaged in a sexual act. Her name, "Greta," is written on the woman's silhouette. The logo for "X-Site Energy Services" is on the bottom of the sticker. While the X-Site Energy Services logo is on the vulgar cartoon, representatives for the agency have denied that it is responsible for it. "It's not from X-Site or any employee, someone has done this. That's all I know," Doug Sparrow, General Manager of X-Site, told City News. Still, despite Sparrow's denial, Thunberg spoke out against the crude sticker Saturday. "They are starting to get more and more desperate... This shows that we're winning," the 17-year-old climate activist said in a tweet Saturday. A photo of the sticker circulated online after Michelle Narang, a woman from Alberta, posted a photo of the sticker to her Facebook page. Narang said she was sent a photo of the sticker of by a friend who works for the oil industry. The friend, who spoke to HuffPost on the condition of anonymity over fear of losing their job, told the news outlet that the sticker that been distributed on a job site as a "promotional material" to be worn on their hats. Story continues "Silence never creates change," Narang told HuffPost. "It's sad to me (the sticker) went through a supply chain of people, who thought about it, printed it and distributed it. It blows my mind anyone would think it's funny." Narang said when she called Sparrow, he told her he was aware of the stickers, and he remarked that Thunberg was not a child and that she was 17. The age of majority when a person is considered an adult in Alberta, Canada, is 18, according to Canada's Department of Justice. Velocity Graphics, a company that said it had in the past designed decals for the company, denied that it created the cartoon in a post on its Facebook page. "To clarify speculation we did NOT print or have any involvement in the Greta decals. In order to protect our reputation we ask that people carefully choose what they say. Thanks for your support," the company said in a statement. A Change.org petition calling for the resignation of the X-Site executives responsible for the cartoon had nearly reached its goal of 5,000 signatures by Sunday morning. "Together, we can show that this disgusting and deplorable behaviour will not go unnoticed in Canada," the petition reads. "We call on all executives involved in the making or distribution of the image to step down, and issue a public apology for their actions." Despite calls that the images constituted child pornography, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told HuffPost it investigated the image and determined that it "does not meet the criteria for it to constitute a criminal offence." Read more: 'The anti-Greta' climate activist Naomi Seibt says she's 'absolutely' a fan of far-right podcaster Stefan Molyneux The UK media regulator says a 'Greta Thunberg effect' means more children are engaging in online activism Greta Thunberg slammed the Associated Press for cropping a black activist out of a photo of her at Davos Louise Linton briefly posted and deleted a message of support for Greta Thunberg, whom her husband Steve Mnuchin dissed at Davos Read the original article on Business Insider Swathed in black ceramic, then reimagined in white in 2003, the J12 transformed a high resistance substance into a precious material, all while definitively securing black and white as watchmaking codes. In 2020, the J12 celebrates its 20th anniversary. Without forgetting its past, the J12 frees itself of the colour codes that have been its triumph. It goes through an x-ray. It abolishes black, transcends white and goes beyond colour by choosing transparency. The new J12 X-RAY watch displays its watchmaking mastery in a unique sapphire case that allows us to admire the incandescent purity of its forms. J12 X-RAY Chanel With a new movement that has been designed and assembled by the Chanel Manufacture in Switzerland the Caliber 3.1 the J12 X-RAY is all about transparency. The plate, timer bridge and cog bridge are made of sapphire. They fade away to let the light in, revealing a delicately embroidered latticework of cogs. With each component rendered in a depth between 0.5mm to 1mm, the assembly of the movement requires the delicacy, patience and expertise of master watchmakers - taking an entire week to complete. J12 X-RAY, Calibre 3.1 Chanel The dial is also cast in sapphire and set with baguette-cut diamond indicators, giving the illusion of 12 diamonds perfectly balanced in a state of suspension. For the first time in history, a watch is created with a strap composed of links cut from raw sapphires. The bezel is paved with baguette-cut diamonds, weighing a total of 5.46 carats. The crown is topped with a diamond cabochon. The hands and set buckle are hewn from white gold. J12 X-RAY Chanel The J12 X-RAY is a limited edition of just 12 pieces. A man showing symptoms of coronavirus has been kept under observation at the Jaipur's SMS Hospital, an official said. Whether he has been infected with the virus is yet to be confirmed. Blood samples have been sent for testing to the SMS medical college laboratory, a state Health Department spokesperson said. So far, no confirmed case of coronavirus has been reported from the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The clients we work with have high standards, and this certification helps us communicate to them that we are able to meet and exceed their standards of excellence." Rachel Sanchez, Prestige Maintenance USA CEO ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, announced today that Prestige Maintenance USA achieved ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building (GB) certification. Compliance with the standard shows that a cleaning organization has the systems in place to deliver consistent, professional services designed to meet customer needs and expectations and is prepared to deliver a comprehensive green cleaning program based on LEED EB: O&M green cleaning criteria. CIMS and CIMS-GB certification are required in many cleaning service bid specifications as customers look for an effective way to identify high-quality providers committed to customer satisfaction. The clients we work with have high standards, and this certification helps us communicate to them that we are able to meet and exceed their standards of excellence. Our processes and procedures ensure that every team member across the country can deliver for our clients, including LEED EB green cleaning criteria, says Rachel Sanchez, CEO of Prestige Maintenance USA. Independent, accredited assessors verify CIMS and CIMS-GB certified firms meet the industry standard for: Quality systems Service delivery Human resources Health, safety, and environmental stewardship Management commitment Green Building Recently, CIMS-GB became a direct compliance option to meet the green cleaning policy prerequisite of Version 4 of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) revised Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED EB: O&M) rating system. Our use of technology and analytics gives us an edge in maintaining our high standards. Our clients get access to monthly inspections online in addition to the ability to communicate changes or needs to us. We know that our reputation depends on reliability and excellence, and we take it very seriously, according to Jason Dinverno, Managing Partner and COO at Prestige Maintenance USA. For more information about CIMS and CIMS-GB certification, visit http://www.issa.com/standard. About Prestige Maintenance USA Prestige Maintenance USA is a national facility maintenance company based in Plano, Texas, providing cleaning, preventative maintenance and building maintenance management. Since 1976, they have been known for consistently delivering the highest quality services at a highly competitive price. Local managers and 2000+ long-tenured, W-2 employees, deliver custom, scalable and flexible services across multiple industries: commercial, distribution, manufacturing and retail. Their technology and analytics provide insights into how they are performing and how to improve. Its a competitive advantage for the company and a time-saving tool for clients with online monthly inspections and ways to incorporate work order changes with the touch of a button. About CIMS and CIMS-GB The ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building (CIMS-GB) set forth a management framework designed to assist building service contractors and in-house cleaning departments to develop and maintain quality, customer-focused organizations, capable of delivering a comprehensive green cleaning program based on LEED EB: O&M green cleaning criteria. The standard is nonprescriptive, meaning that each organization has the flexibility to choose the most effective ways in which to meet its requirements. CIMS and CIMS-GB were created through a true consensus-based process that brought together representatives of the cleaning, facilities management, and purchasing communities. ISSA speaks at numerous facility management and purchasing industry events throughout the year to outline the value of working with CIMS and CIMS-GB certified cleaning companies, as well as certifying in-house operations. About ISSA The leading trade association for the cleaning industry worldwide, ISSA has a membership that includes more than 7,000 distributor, manufacturer, manufacturer representative, building service contractor, in-house service provider, and associate service members. ISSA helps its members and their employees make valuable contacts through the industrys largest cleaning shows, produced in conjunction with Amsterdam RAI under the brand name ISSA/INTERCLEAN. ISSA also helps increase members professionalism and success through its popular global website, http://www.ISSA.com, and by offering business tools, educational products, industry standards, publications, and legislative and regulatory services that specifically focus on the professional cleaning industry. The association is headquartered in Northbrook, IL, USA, with regional offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Leicester, United Kingdom; Mexico City, Mexico; and Shanghai, China. Racism has played a part in the criticism aimed at the Duchess of Sussex, Dame Hilary Mantel has claimed. The author, 67, said that while Meghan had faced scrutiny since her marriage to Prince Harry I hesitate to call her a victim. Dame Hilary, who won the Booker Prize for her historical novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, added: But I think there has been an element of racism in the invective against her. I think its more deeply embedded in peoples consciousness than any of us are willing to admit. In an interview with the BBC, she said: Theres an intense concentration on the bodies of royal women. If anyone doubts that, we only have to look at what happens when our royal ladies are pregnant and when they give birth. They are perceived as public property in the same way that Tudor women were perceived. Harry and Meghan rocked the Royal Family in January when they announced they would step down as senior royals, less than two years after their marriage Harry and Meghan rocked the Royal Family in January when they announced they would step down as senior royals, less than two years after their marriage. They intend to split their time between the UK and Canada. Dame Hilary won the Booker Prize for her historical novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies Dame Hilary, speaking ahead of the publication of the third installment of her Tudor trilogy, The Mirror & The Light, for which she hopes to receive an unprecedented third Booker Prize, compared scrutiny of the duchess to that faced by royal women in the 16th century. But in Meghans case that included her skin colour, she added. The treatment of royal women was sad and objectionable, she said, because it is simply turning the individual woman back into a breeder. Asked about the duchess, she said that scrutiny of royal bodies does include the skin. In 2016, Prince Harry said media coverage of Meghan had racial undertones and novelist Sir Philip Pullman has claimed Meghan is attacked by the British press because shes black. In 2013 Dame Hilary came under fire for likening the Duchess of Cambridge to a shop window mannequin who would become a jointed doll on which certain rags are hung. The comments were condemned by then prime minister David Cameron as completely misguided. [March 02, 2020] RavenPack's Strategic Expansion Into Asia Pacific Starts With Australia After seeing an increase in demand from customers in the Asia Pacific region, RavenPack, the market leader in NLP and big data analytics, has decided to set up a dedicated office in Sydney, Australia SYDNEY, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Heading up the expansion will be Justin Amos, former Director of Emerging Technologies at PwC in Australia and a successful entrepreneur in the financial technology sector with 20 years in global capital markets experience. RavenPack's expansion into Asia Pacific meets a rise in demand for its data analytics from players in the major established financial centers of the region as well as emerging economies. "We are seeing an increase in demand from the market to directly use alternative data in investment models and to complement internal data serices teams in the design of new products and services. We are focused on building RavenPack globally and expanding into Australia is key to our strategy," says Armando Gonzalez, CEO of RavenPack. The company's flagship news sentiment data is used by investors the world over to provide orthogonal alpha to their existing investment strategies. RavenPack's API also offers a scalable solution to extracting value from clients' own internal content resources using the latest in text analytics. In the early 2000s, RavenPack became a pioneer in alternative data by creating sentiment indicators derived from news and social media that could provide the basis for systematic financial trading models. Investors cite the quality and deep history of the data, the company's strong client focus and aftercare, and its expertise in the field, as key attributes. RavenPack has now grown to be a market leader in the field, with over 120 team members across its offices in New York, Marbella (Spain), and also now Sydney, Australia. RavenPack Chief Data Scientist, Peter Hafez, will be doing a road trip from the end of March to early April in Australia and is available for private sessions to share the latest on Natural Language Processing and Derived Sentiment Data, and how this can add value to your investment process. Email [email protected] to book your slot. About RavenPack RavenPack is the leading big data analytics provider for financial services. The company's products allow clients to enhance returns, reduce risk and increase efficiency by systematically incorporating the effects of public information in their models or workflows. RavenPack's clients include the most successful hedge funds, banks, and asset managers in the world. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/836649/RavenPack_Logo.jpg SOURCE RavenPack [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A former Kaduna State senator, Shehu Sani, has condemned the recent attack that claimed the lives of over 50 villagers in Igabi local government of the state. Daily Trust reported that armed men attacked four communities in the area in the early hours of Sunday, burning down houses, vehicles and babies. The report said almajiris and others were not spared by the gunmen. It added that many residents fled as the assailants set their houses ablaze and carted away foodstuff. Reacting to the incident via a statement on Monday, Mr Sani blamed the northern governors for allegedly allowing killings and kidnappings to become daily occurrences in the region. The former senator who represented Kaduna Central at the last 8th assembly said the north must wake up to the incessant killings or perish. He alleged that the figures of casualties on Muslim victims are not seen to be much because the Islamic leaders massage the ego of governments, while the Christian leaders are speaking out and staging protests. He said: Northern governors are still playing the ostrich, afraid of confronting the federal government and taking independent action to protect their people while the killings and the kidnappings go on. The pervasive insecurity in the north is reinforced and sustained by the silence and sycophancy of its elites as much as the inaction of the government. Muslims are not much being seen as victims of the killings in the north because many Islamic leaders prefer to massage the image of the government in the the face of the killings of their followers while Christian clerics are leading protests in the streets, Mr Sani said. He called on the northern governors to come up with a regional security outfit to protect lives and properties in the region. The north must wake up, buckle up or perish. When our people are repeatedly and tragically killed or abducted and we speak out, the only response that comes from the Government and its hired agents is that we are politicising the issue of security. Northern governors must come out with a regional security outfit to protect their people or continue to wait for Godot. The level of insecurity in the north has become infectious to the country and contagious to the West African sub-region, Mr Sani added. The United Nations special envoy for Libya said on Monday he has resigned due to stress, days after his latest effort at peacemaking failed to achieve a breakthrough in the conflict. Ghassan Salame said on Twitter that he had "sought for two and a half years to unite Libyans, prevent foreign intervention and preserve the unity of the country", but "my health no longer allows me to take this much stress". Last week he brought representatives of the two main sides in Libya's conflict to Geneva for peace talks, but key representatives suspended their involvement. By the end of last week, shelling in Tripoli had again intensified into some of the heaviest bombardments since Salame brokered a ceasefire on January 12. Libya has faced internal strife since the 2011 uprising that ousted longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, and the latest round of violence began last year when eastern-based forces began to advance on the capital Tripoli. Salame was appointed in mid-2017 to replace German diplomat Martin Kobler, after an unusually long and contentious search for a candidate. Widely respected by diplomats, Salame's appointment gave fresh impetus to peace efforts, though early attempts to broker a political deal between rival factions soon stalled. After a plan to hold elections at the end of 2018 was derailed by continuing violence and deadlock between competing rump parliaments, Salame focussed the UN's work on preparing for a national conference based on open meetings across Libya. But 10 days before it was due to take place in April 2019, eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar launched an assault on Tripoli, upending the plans. The fighting also reversed progress in moving UN operations back to Tripoli from Tunis, where much of the international community had been based since 2014. More recently, Salame railed against escalating foreign intervention as Haftar's offensive continued, urging foreign states to respect an arms embargo that has been routinely violated and trying to unite the international community behind a truce. But those attempts proved largely in vain as powers including Turkey, and Russia vied for influence and Western involvement waned. Neither the spokesman for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya or the spokeswoman for the United Nations in Geneva were immediately available for comment. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has received a message from Salame expressing his intention to leave his post, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. Dujarric said Guterres always had full confidence in Salame and that the secretary-general would discuss a smooth transition with Salame Search Keywords: Short link: Motorola's first foldable smartphone, the Motorola Razr 2019 will be launched in India on March 16. Based on the iconic Moto Razr series of clamshell phones from early 2000's, the Motorola Razr 2019 has been listed in the company's Indian website. No other details regarding pricing or availability have been disclosed as of yet. We can expect them to be revealed on March 16 at the time of launch. Motorola Razr 2019 was launched in November last year. The device follows the design language of old Razr folding phones from 2004, but unlike them, has a foldable touchscreen instead of a screen and a keypad. Once unfolded, the Motorola Razr 2019 has a tall 6.2-inch P-OLED panel with resolution of 876x2142 pixels. The bottom of the screen has a substantial protruding lip which houses the fingerprint reader. ALSO READ: Moto Razr 2019 launched: Iconic phone likely to be priced over Rs 1 lakh in India Upon folding the Motorola Razr 2019, users get to the 2.7-inch secondary display. The G-OLED panel has a resolution of 600x800 pixels and can be used for responding to notifications or calls, and take selfies with the 16MP main camera. On the inside, at the top of the main screen, the Motorola Razr 2019 has a 5MP secondary camera for selfies when the device is unfolded. Talking about build quality, the Motorola Razr 2019 has a plastic body underpinned by an aluminium frame. The device is splash resistant. The flexible screen, however, shows a deep crease down the middle and several other bumps, which are quite discernible while using the device. ALSO READ: Oppo Reno 3 Pro with 44-megapixel dual selfie cameras launched in India: Price, specifications On the inside, the Motorola Razr 2019 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. There is no expansion slot, though. The device runs Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. This entire package is powered by a 2,510mAh battery with 15W fast charging support. In India, the Motorola Razr 2019 will go head to head with the recently launched Samsung Z Flip. The Samsung Z Flip has been introduced here at a price of Rs 1,09,999. The 2019 Razr is already available in the US at $1,500, or slightly over Rs 1,08,738. It will be interesting to watch how Motorola prices its foldable phone in India to take on the competition. ALSO READ: Poco X2's Phonenix Red colour variant to go on sale on March 3 BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 By Samir Ali Trend: The Azerbaijani State Border Service and the Military Prosecutor's Office have disseminated the information about the provocation of the Armenian armed forces in Azerbaijans Gazakh district, Trend reports on March 2 referring to the Azerbaijani State Border Service and the Military Prosecutor's Office. The Armenian armed forces grossly violate the ceasefire regime from various areas more often recently, the message said. An attempted diversion of the units of the Armenian armed forces located near Koti village of Armenias Noyemberyan district against the border combat unit of the Azerbaijani State Border Service in the direction of Gushchu Ayrim village of Azerbaijans Gazakh district was prevented on February 24, 2020 at about 07:00 (GMT+4), the message said. After suffering great losses, the Armenian armed forces were forced to retreat, the message said. Azerbaijani border guard Ibrahim Valiyev heroically died during the suppression of the Armenian armed forces provocations. The murder of a soldier guarding the internationally recognized state borders of Azerbaijan is a crime, and Armenia bears responsibility for this bloody crime. A 100-round machine gun belt, an unexploded hand grenade-42, 66 cartridges with a 7.62 mm caliber, a bag with canned goods, bakery products, used by the Armenian armed forces during the attack and which was left on the battlefield during a retreat were found near the border where the incident occurred, the message said. The Military Prosecutor's Office filed a criminal case under the articles of the Criminal Code 120.2.12, 29,120.2.4, 29,120.2.7 and 29,120.2.12, the message said. The border guards who distinguished themselves in suppressing the Armenian armed forces provocations were awarded with medals, souvenirs and diplomas upon the orders of the head of the State Border Service, the message said.Soldier Ibrahim Valiyev who heroically dead was awarded with the medal "For Distinction in Military Service" of the third degree (posthumous). All necessary measures will be taken to prevent all Armenias provocative acts and to punish the perpetrators involved in each committed crime for their further criminal prosecution, the message said. CLEVELAND, Ohio Consider this a cautionary tale about travel in the age of coronavirus, about the importance of reading the fine print, about the value of seeking professional advice. Crystal and Brian, a suburban Cleveland couple, were scheduled to travel to Milan, Italy, this past weekend, their first trip ever out of the country. Last week, after a surge of coronavirus cases in Italys Lombardy region, the couple canceled what Crystal referred to as a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Now, theyre struggling to recoup some of the costs for the trip, a frustrating endeavor from which Crystal hopes others can learn. She agreed to share her story in the hopes of educating others about her mistakes, as well as the potential pitfalls of using online travel sites. She asked that The Plain Dealer not use her last name. Crystal said she was thrilled when her husband came home from work one afternoon in late January and announced that his company wanted to send him to Italy. He works as a machinist not a job that offers many travel perks, let alone a trip to Europe. His company was buying a piece of equipment from a manufacturer in Milan and wanted him to go there and learn how to use it. When he came home and told me, I said, Im coming along, too, she said. The couple had to move quickly, arranging for Crystals parents to watch their two children, and applying for expedited passports. Brians company told him to make his own travel arrangements, and that he would be reimbursed. The couple turned to Expedia to book their arrangements, including flight, rental car and hotels in both Milan and nearby Lecco on Lake Como. Total cost: more than $3,000. This was a big expense for us, she said. We didnt even pay to sit next to each other on the plane. She added: The coronavirus seemed far off. It was not on our minds. Read more: Should I cancel my trip because of the coronavirus? Experts say it depends A week after they made their arrangements, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevated its travel alert for Italy to Level 2, recommending special precautions for high-risk travelers. That same day, her husband called at lunchtime and said that the trip was off. (This past weekend, the CDC elevated the alert to a Level 3 avoid nonessential travel warning for Italy.) Then the hard work really began. After two hours on the phone that night, her husband thought that Expedia had agreed to refund their airfare. Crystal discovered the next day that the Expedia representative either had given her husband incorrect information or he misinterpreted what was promised. There would be no refund. Then she tried to get the money back from her hotel reservations. After another two-plus hours on the phone, she was successful only in getting a credit for a future stay in the next year. But shes unsure theyll be able to use them. She said she wasnt aware that she was booking prepaid hotel rooms that is, hotel rooms that you pay for in advance, for a slightly lower rate, but that typically are nonrefundable. They took the money right away, which I thought was a little odd, she said. When they told me that it was prepaid and nonrefundable and that there was nothing they could do, I was near tears. Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott said he is hearing from an increasing number of misled travelers regarding prepaid hotels. Prepaid rooms are hotels pretending to be airlines, said Elliott, who writes the syndicated Travel Troubleshooter column that appears weekly in The Plain Dealer. You have to pay close attention to the fine print. You might be saving only a few dollars a night by booking a prepaid room. Crystal said she is embarrassed that she didnt pay closer attention to the details when they booked their trip. She suspects that others have made the same mistakes she did. She also regrets that she didnt buy travel insurance she didnt want to spend the extra money although it probably would not have helped her in this case. With the exception of pricey cancel-for-any-reason coverage, most travel insurance policies will not cover canceling a trip because of the coronavirus. Crystal said that her husbands company will reimburse them for some of the expenses. And Delta Air Lines agreed to give her a credit for a future flight. Even so, she said, the experience was a lesson in embarrassment and frustration. I feel stupid thinking that we would be given such an opportunity to go on a dream vacation, she said. Read more: Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohioans must have a sense of urgency against coronavirus Protecting patients, health care workers priorities as Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth and UH prepare for coronavirus Inside the coronavirus outbreak: Former Clevelander gives account of daily life in Shanghai What survivalists say youll need in case of a coronavirus outbreak I have the utmost confidence that Don is ready for the challenge and will do a great job. Rob McNamara, F.J.A. Christiansen, Chairman. Tecta America, the nations premier commercial roofing contractor, is proud to announce Donald Walter will assume the position of Operating Unit President of F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Co., Inc. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as of April 1, 2020. He became a Vice President in 2017 and has been a critical member of the management team involved with all areas of the business. Don has approximately 14 years of roofing industry experience with F.J.A. Christiansen, along with earlier construction industry experience with a custom skylight manufacturer. Since joining Christiansen in 2007, Don has grown quickly in responsibility and has been a team leader in sales, estimating, and project management. Earning his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 2000, Don has also completed a variety of Tecta training programs, including BLT and Leadership. I have the utmost confidence that Don is ready for the challenge and will do a great job. Rob McNamara, F.J.A. Christiansen, Chairman. Don will be taking over the position from Rob McNamara, long time president of F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing. Rob will remain with Tecta as he continues to lead its vendor relations and provide additional operational assistance across the company. He also will remain with Christiansen as Chairman until December 31 and will assist Dons transition into his new role. This is a win-win for Tecta. We are excited to have Don in his new role at Christiansen, and look forward to Robs continued contributions to Tecta in our growing national operations, said Mark Santacrose, CEO. Becoming Modern, Becoming Tradition examines the relationships among women, nationalism, racial identity, and modernity before, during, and after the Mexican Revolution. In this innovative study, Adriana Zavala demonstrates that the image of Mexican womanhood, whether stereotyped as Indian, urban, modern, sexually degenerate, or otherwise, was symbolically charged in complex ways both before and after the so-called postrevolutionary cultural renaissance, and that crucial aspects of postrevolutionary culture remained rooted in nineteenth-century conceptions of woman as the bearer of cultural and social tradition. Focusing on images of women in a variety of contextsincluding works by such artists as Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, Maria Izquierdo, and Frida Kahlo, as well as films, pornographic photos, and beauty pageant advertisementsthis book explores the complex and often fraught role played by visual culture in the social and political debates that raged over the concept of womanhood and the transformation of Mexican identity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Introduction On February 7, 1926, Guillermo Kahlo took a photograph of his youngest daughter, Frieda (this spelling and its significance will be explained in chapter 5). The portrait (fig. 1) shows Frida Kahlo at the age of eighteen, less than six months after she suffered the fateful accident that ruined her health, compelled her to hide her progressively more damaged body beneath voluminous skirts, and inspired much of her iconography. Contrary to the image we have of Kahlo today, crystallized in the artists innumerable self-portraits, in which she wears the elaborate costume, braided hairstyle, and handcrafted jewelry of indigenous Mexican women, in this photograph Kahlo exemplifies urban bourgeois femininity. She is the quintessential modern girl wearing a knee-length satin dress, white silk stockings, and fashionable heels. The straight tailoring of her dark dress with its striking orientalist motif at the neckline is set off by her short, slicked-back hair, styled in a short version of the fashionably modern bob. This portrait, like the much-reproduced gender-bending photograph of 1927 in which she appears wearing her fathers three-piece suit, reveals that Kahlo had already developed a predilection for original sartorial self-fashioning. While much commented on in contemporary popular culture today, Kahlos use of clothing, particularly indigenous costume, as a way of engaging in the cultural debates of the day bears recontextualization. Today, in the context of her widespread international popularity, Kahlo is often described as having a deep, natural connection to Mexicos indigenous cultures. However, whether in her work, or in that of any of the artists I examine, the idea that the ethnic bodyin the Mexican context, the indigenous bodyis a given, or transparent, is false. While Kahlos political ideals as a Communist made her sympathetic to the plight of the disenfranchised, her appropriation of indigenous costume was a mode of mexicanizing her heritage and her art. Kahlo was a member of the intellectual elite, but in contrast to her modern appearance in 1926, in her best-known self-portraits she is rooted in Mexicos indigenous culture (fig. 2). In the twentieth century, the issue of integrating or incorporating indigenous people into the mainstream, defined as culturally Hispanic and nominally white, was essential to national unity and vital to fulfilling the revolutionary ideal. As a result, Mexican intellectuals like Kahlo assigned important symbolic value to Mexicos indigenous heritage. Concurrently, however, to maintain social hierarchies and to facilitate, ideologically, the incorporation of the ethnic and racial Other, Indians were stereotyped as passive and childlike. They were effectively subordinated and thus nonthreatening. In the Mexican context, there was an earlyand convenientslippage between ethnicity and so-called biological race such that Indians could be incorporated and transformed into homogenously national mestizos, the term for a person of mixed Spanish and Indian heritage. In her analysis of the gendering feminine of indigenous Mexicans, Julia Tunon reminds us that if in patriarchal contexts Woman was, as Sigmund Freud would assert, the dark continent, the Indian Woman became the Mexican nations double Other. After all, in Mexico City as elsewhere, women were to nature as men were to culture. While indigenous men were, optimally, to be erased, incorporated, and subsumed as mestizos, indigenous women came to symbolize national authenticity. Indeed, they presented, as Tunon asserts, the ideal metaphor for both the feminine and the indigenous conditions. Thus, as in Kahlos work, but certainly much earlier, key archetypes, and eventually stereotypes, of Indianness as female were codified. Among the most essential of these types was the Tehuana, whose distinctive headdress, called a nupil grande or bida:niro, Kahlo appropriates in Diego on My Mind (Diego en mi pensamiento; fig. 2). Indigenous to the southern Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Tehuana since the nineteenth century had been considered Mexicos own tropical temptress par excellence. This was partially the result of a misconstrual of Tehuantepec culture as matriarchal and as conserving free sexual mores. During the postrevolutionary era, the Tehuana became the most iconic rendition of the Mexican woman. Mexican women participated in this discourse by adopting the Tehuanas distinctive costume in a gesture of nationalist cultural solidarity, not to be mistaken with solidarity to the cause of indigenous autonomy. Other essential types, whose origins were rooted in the nineteenth century and earlier, were the china poblana, a kind of morally loose working girl from the state of Puebla who had ambiguous ties to indigenous culture, and a range of homogeneously pretty Indians, whose authentic femininity was codified pictorially in paintings, murals, photographs, and films. With indigenous woman as the sign for cultural authenticity, her conceptual opposite was considered to be the modern, foreign feminist. Public and intellectual discourse often warned women to be wary of embracing that ideal and its habits, such as smoking, driving, drinking, and working outside the home. In this book, I will reconsider these norms and hierarchies within the realm of the visual to offer a critical reexamination of the symbolic function of womanand of femininityin modern Mexican art and visual culture. Thus I approach Guillermo Kahlos photograph of Frieda as more than evidence of a moment in Kahlos personal history. For me, the photograph can be deciphered for insight into the way that womens lives, their social identity and their symbolic charge, changed in the sociopolitical context of postrevolutionary Mexico and before the Mexican Revolution of 1910 as well. In effect, womens lives changed despite constant pressure, even within revolutionary Mexico, that they preserve the sanctified space of the home and of national culture. In addition, the more womens social roles changed, the more some image makers sought to show them as timeless and unchanging, as constants and as symbols of tradition in a rapidly modernizing society. Like other social actors, women were at the center of debates of the gendered, classed, and raced social order. My approach to Kahlos work and the work of the other artists I discuss is thus informed by my training as a social historian of art with a firm commitment to poststructuralist feminist theory. In short, although the photographic portrait of Frieda signifies a great deal about Kahlos personal history, especially when read among the diverse group of images that form the visual core of this book, including paintings, advertising images, photographs, films, that portrait serves as a key to unlocking more relevant issues that extend beyond the popular fascination with Kahlo. Pelonas and Indias At the time of her accident on the streetcar, on September 25, 1925, Kahlo was one of only thirty-five female students of two thousand at the National Preparatory School (Escuela Nacional Preparatoria). Under the aegis of the Ministry of Public Education, the school offered the best education available, particularly in the sciences, and Kahlo was on a track to study medicine (a career aspiration derailed by her accident). As we see in the photograph, Kahlos intellectual inclinations are hinted at by the object in her handsnot yet a paintbrush and palette but a book. According to her biographers, she was an avid reader and so precocious that at the age of fifteen, in November 1922, she submitted and had published a poem titled Memory in the illustrated weekly magazine of the Mexico City newspaper El Universal. She was also a member of a notoriously rebellious group of young intellectuals at the school, comprised of seven boys and two girls, known as Los Chachuchas for the caps they wore. Period sources attest to her rebelliousness and her penchant for flouting the gender prescriptions of the day. First, for girls, she was highly educated. Her father, Guillermo (Wilhelm), born in Pforzheim, Germany, and who emigrated to Mexico in 1891, is said to have favored her above her sisters. Second, her unusual sense of sexual freedom has also been widely noted, yet none of her biographers has made a correlation between these traits in Kahlos personality and the burgeoning freedoms that many young women who lived in Mexicos urban centers claimed, particularly in the years immediately following the Mexican Revolution. The tendency to treat Kahlo as a singular phenomenon has led most commentators to overlook the fact that she was not alone in claiming such freedoms, nor was she alone when she later donned the accoutrements of Mexicos indigenous women. As the photograph attests, Kahlo, in 1926, epitomized the emancipated young woman who adopted the latest androgynous fashions, shed the corset, smoked, learned to drive, participated in sports, cut her hair, and in so doing insisted on access to more intellectually challenging pursuits such as education, or, among the working class, a more visible place in the urban workforce. Indeed by the mid-1920s, such young women, called pelonas (or baldies), became the talk of the town. In her investigation of the war on las pelonas, Anne Rubenstein notes that in Mexico City in the 1920s cutting ones hair and adopting the flapper style was a trend attributable to the spread of silent film and as such it represented a commitment to the modern. Young women who modeled themselves on the English-speaking worlds modern girls or the French garconnes were variously hailed and resented for their modern affectations and their challenge to Mexicos conservative, traditionally Catholic, patriarchal social order. In mid-1924, social anxiety over the emancipated young women appears to have reached a high point when several young pelonas were purportedly attacked and abducted and their heads shaved. According to newspaper accounts, the culprits were male students from the National School of Medicine and Kahlos own alma mater, the Preparatoria. In the rapidly modernizing environment of Mexico City, the fact that young bourgeois women like Kahlo cut their hair should not have come as a surprise. After all, the Mexican middle and upper classes had long followed European and U.S. fashion trends. However, as Rubenstein notes, when working class, dark-skinned young women, in other words, women whose origins were phenotypically closer to Mexicos Indians, began to cut their hair, alarm bells rang. The reason being that now not just gender but seemingly inalterable class and race hierarchies were under assault as well. As a student at the Preparatoria, Kahlo was no doubt aware of the controversy. Period photographs show that she cut her hair, joining pelona ranks as early as 1921, and in letters written in 1924 to her boyfriend, cachucha leader Alejandro Gomez Arias, she makes several ironic references to pelonas, going so far as to include caricature self-portraits as a pelona. Indeed, in a letter to Gomez Arias dated January 1, 1925, Kahlo alludes to the controversy: The pelonas are over with. As Rubenstein notes, this was the refrain of a popular rhyme. Given Kahlos personal affiliation to the club, it might also be read as a lament. Rubenstein argues that what was really at stake in the public debate over the pelonas was their open association to the socially modernizing and more egalitarian aspects of the postrevolutionary political project, citing, for example, state-sponsored physical fitness and hygiene projects. I will argue that the pelona controversy is only part of a complicated story. After all, wasnt one of the key projects of the postrevolutionary state the affirmation and revalidation of Mexicos indigenous heritage? At least in official culture, Mexicos Indian Woman occupied a more important place on center stage. Didnt Kahlo, after 1929, shed her modern look for the dresses of Mexicos indigenous women? In recent years, historians have asked what the Mexican Revolution of 1910 achieved. They have asked whether it was a revolution for Mexicos subaltern groups, namely, indigenous Mexicans, and within that query feminist historians have asked whether the Mexican Revolution was a revolution for women. The Revolution was initiated by Francisco Madero, a wealthy northern landowner, as a call to arms to overthrow the thirty-year dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz (18841911) and to demand recognition of the liberal Constitution of 1857, particularly in regard to political participation. With Maderos assassination in 1913, however, the Revolution quickly escalated into a decade-long civil war between a variety of ideologically distinct factions with a variety of goals. Among the most successful leaders were Pancho Villa in the north, Emiliano Zapata in the south, who led the peasant faction and advocated large-scale agrarian reform, and Venustiano Carranza, who, as president, ratified a new constitution in 1917. In triumphing over the populists Villa and Zapata, Carranza began to implement the new constitution, which was a mixture of Porfirian-era liberal policies with some collectivist measures. In an effort to mollify conservative detractors, however, Carranza ordered the assassination of Zapata. In 1920, the former revolutionary general Alvaro Obregon managed to get elected and maintain the presidential chair for a full four-year term. Resentful of Carranzas support of another candidate in the presidential election, Obregon ordered Carranzas assassination, perpetuating, as others did after him, the revolutionary culture of violence. However, Obregon also oversaw the implementation of reforms under the Constitution of 1917, and under the aegis of his newly founded Ministry of Public Education and its minister, Jose Vasconcelos, programs such as literacy campaigns and the creation of monumental public murals were initiated. Obregons administration is thus credited with launching a revolutionary cultural reinvention, Mexicos renaissance. Simultaneously, however, the revolutionary state actually adopted a stance that rewrote Mexican society in conservative ways as well. In terms of womens emancipation, the era was a study in contradiction. As Mary Kay Vaughan has argued, The Mexican Revolution of 1910 was a quintessentially patriarchal event, and yet, as we will see, women were gradually able to open new social spaces for themselves. By the 1930s, even government reformers envisioned a modernization of patriarchy. Yet efforts for womens emancipation were only partially successful. They did not dislodge the traditional structure of the family or the notion that the domestic realm was an extension of the patriarchal state, an idea crystallized during the long reign of liberalism that encompassed the Porfiriato, as the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz was known. Deprived of citizenship under the revolutionary Constitution, Mexican women did not obtain universal suffrage until 1953. The truth remains that upper-class males, socially identified as white, maintained their position of privilege and access to power at all levels. They did so by acting as agents of the Revolution, assuming a patriarchal concern for the subjects of the Revolution: peasants, Indians, working-class Mexicans, and women. Further, despite the states endorsements of Mexican womanhood, normative racialist and gendered rhetoric persisted. That context is essential to understanding the apparent contradiction between Kahlos decidedly modern self-fashioning in the early 1920s and the seemingly countless celebrations, in visual culture and elsewhere, of Mexicos Indian woman that emerged at the time. How are we to reconcile Mexican womens urge to be modern with the countless images in murals, easel paintings, and photographs of beautiful, passive, premodern, corn-fed indias bonitas (pretty Indians), including those by Kahlos future husband, Diego Rivera? And how do we account for the persistence of this imagery well into the 1940s, a period when Mexican politicians declared the Revolution complete, and pushed Mexico toward economic, social, and industrial modernization? In 1921, the leading Mexico City daily, El Universal, the same newspaper that published Kahlos poem in 1922, organized a beauty contest. Rather than celebrating emancipated modern girls like Kahlo, the contest was conceived to search for Mexicos prettiest and most traditional Indian girl, whom it dubbed the India Bonita. Maria Bibiana Uribe was declared the winner and her picture eventually appeared on the cover of the newspapers illustrated weekly magazine (color plate 1). Indeed, just as Kahlo was aware of the pelona controversy in 1924, she would surely have seen El Universals coverage of its search for the India Bonita. Curiously, however, despite her numerous, subsequent self-portraits in the guise of the beautiful Indian woman, her relationship to the discourses played out in postrevolutionary civic rituals like the India Bonita contest have remained unexplored. Today, Kahlo reigns supreme (particularly outside Mexico) as Mexicos India Bonita, something that she definitely was not either in ethnic or racial terms, her appropriation of that image notwithstanding. But we should not take Kahlos use of that image at face value either. For example, in Diego on My Mind, Kahlo adopts the costume and the mystique of the Tehuana and, in so doing, makes several allusions. First, she masks her own artistic genius behind her husbands, figuring herself not as artist but as bride, even if ambiguously so. Second, she cultivates a personal iconography in which her own mixed heritage (German/Mexican) is subsumed by her celebration of indigenous culture. Kahlos creative appropriation needs to be understood in the context of both postrevolutionary indigenismo and the discourse of racial fusion, or what Nancy Leys Stepan describes as constructive miscegenation, known in Mexico as mestizaje. Indigenismo is a nationalist racial and cultural ideology that both venerates and appropriates Mexicos pre-Conquest and contemporary indigenous culture to construct a symbolically unique Mexican identity, useful to the process of national unification. Mestizaje is the Spanish equivalent of miscegenation, but in the Latin American context it refers more specifically to the cultural and racial mixing among people of Spanish and indigenous origin. In other words, a mestizo is a person of mixed Hispanic and indigenous heritage. Constructive miscegenation implies that through a process of careful selection and breeding, so-called undesirable races will be improved. As Stepan notes, this term was not employed in nineteenth-century European racialist discourse, but the idea was. In the Mexican context, indigenismo and mestizaje purport to celebrate in distinct ways Mexicos suffering Indian race, but as nationalist ideologies they are also steeped in contradiction. They appear to be about symbolic inclusion through various processes of fusion, but they are simultaneously about continuing practices of social exclusion and hierarchy. As Carolyn Dean and Dana Liebsohn have cogently argued, such constructs are not so much the natural product of an us meeting a them but rather the recognitionor creationof an us and a them. In the postrevolutionary era, both discourses were central to the project of reinvigorating and redirecting the long-standing effort to incorporate Mexicos Indians into the Europeanized mestizo and white population.The goal was not to recognize indigenous people as ethnically distinct autonomous groups; instead, under the aegis of indigenismo, homogenized Indianness was celebrated as the root of a unique national identity, termed mexicanidad. At the same time, an ossification of indigenous culture occurred. Under indigenist policies, those denominated as Indians were deemed by non-Indians as obstacles to progress, needing to be civilized and modernizedin other words, controlled.Through a range of state-run programs, so-called Indians were divested of whatever traditional life ways they preserved, many of which were more accurately the vestiges of nineteenth-century rural life; these efforts were accompanied by attempts to indianize the peasant class in the interest of conjuring a unified national culture and, in the process, stabilizing their relationship to the elite. Under the best circumstances, the aim of thoughtful indigenistas was, in Alan Knights words, to mestizo-ize the Indians and, at the same time, to indianize the mestizos, to create a national synthesis on the basis of reciprocal contributions. Moreover, an individuals ascription to the category of Indian was not only highly subjective, but was usually determined by a member of a higher social class. Thus indigenismo and the discourse of mestizaje were top-down projects. Members of the ruling intelligentsia defined the salvageable aspects of Indianness. As ideologies, both were implicated in the desire of the political elite to eliminate the perceived, destabilizing diversity of Mexicos population, with only the symbolically useful aspects of pre-Conquest and contemporary indigenous culture remaining to give authenticity to Mexican identity. But as others have argued, thinly veiled behind the concept of incorporating Indians (by civilizing or Christianizing them) were the goals not only of modernizing and transforming them into a Western subject but also of whitening them. Yet at the same time, too much modernization, whether at the level of gender, class, or race, was perceived as threatening to Mexicos cultural integrity, stability, and autonomy. The same held true for the Mexican woman. As Gabriela Cano has observed, under triumphant liberalism in nineteenth-century Mexico, the feminine ideal was defined through concepts that conveyed the sense of national belonging and that noted the differences between the sexes. Cano notes that la mujer mexicana was perceived by nineteenth-century liberals as the repository of national culture. This category of woman (conceived as a corporate entity) received renewed attention in the postrevolutionary context when debates over womens enfranchisement, freedom, sexuality, and, crucially, their reproductive capacity intensified yet again. Insofar as their reproductive capacity could be mobilized to serve the goals of the revolutionary state, there emerged the concept of what Stepan calls matrimonial eugenics. As such, despite the emancipatory rhetoric of the postrevolutionary era, mixed messages lay at the heart of a range of strategies intended to assimilate Indians and to encourage women to resume their place within the domestic environment. Along similar lines, Mary Louis Pratt has argued, Women inhabitants of modern nations were not imagined as intrinsically possessing the rights of citizens; rather, their value was specifically attached to (and implicitly conditional upon) their reproductive capacity. In Mexico, this continued to be so, especially after the decimation of the population during the Revolution. Thus, in the context of revolutionary indigenismo and mestizaje, gender, like race, was imbricated within a signifying system that fixed what appeared to be natural sets of values. Just as indigenous people were resignified as bearers of an Other culture/race or, as the proletarianized class, women were resignified as bearers of social modernization and, conversely, as bearers of tradition. The overlap in these structures of signification and exchange inspired my interest in examining the representation of Mexican woman, particularly the female body coded as Indian or as modernized. As demonstrated by El Universals India Bonita contest, in the postrevolutionary era ideal Mexican womanhood was equated not with womens emancipation but with ideal female Indianness. The roots of this idealization are anchored in what historian David Brading has called official indigenism, a project that has to be understood in the context of national reconstruction but also from the perspective of gender. When revolutionary intellectuals and government agents championed mestizaje as a strategy for national unity, they were seizing on the idea that a single culturally and racially mixed ideal could be at the heart of the nations revolutionary strategy for modernization. Modernization of the mestizo ideal was to be instrumentalized not just through constructive miscegenation, but through hygiene programs that included pre- and postnatal care, sex education, and the eugenic and behavioral prevention of venereal disease and other ills, including alcoholism, malnutrition, sexual promiscuity, and deviance. Given the investments in eugenic theory (so that miscegenation might result in a strengthening rather than a weakening of the race), it should come as no surprise that indigeneity was fashioned conceptually (even if implicitly) as feminine and the Hispanic/European element as masculine. This gendered framework originates in the union (whether real or imagined) of the Spanish conqueror of Mexico, Hernan Cortes, and his indigenous interpreter and concubine, Malintzin, who when construed as archetype and myth is referred to as la Malinche. Despite having been given as a slave to Cortes and the violence implicit in their union, Malintzin was made to symbolize national betrayal. Somewhat paradoxically, with la Malinche as Mexicos own Eve, Indian women were rendered as vessels for producing the ideal hybrid nation, at least at the symbolic level. If the notion of Indian womanhood as authentic appeared to sustain the alignment of woman with nature, in curious ways it also advanced the conception of the treatment of women as testifying to societys degree of civilization as well. In other words, the image of ideal Indian womanhood also signified that Indians were potential Mexicans, capable and worthy of being civilized. Indeed, the adoption of a range of eugenic strategies in order to create an optimally blended and therefore unified nation required the concomitant management of gender roles. Women, indigenous and otherwise, were devalued and men were identified with the conquering culture. It is essential to recognize, however, that in Mexico as elsewhere, the construction of passive femininity/active masculinity can and must also be traced to the rise of positivism in the mid-nineteenth century, and without question to the colonial period as well. Thus I argue that the racialization of femininity in the postrevolutionary era was in part a response to the attempt of late nineteenth-century bourgeois women to claim equal rights as men. Gender and the Symbolic Processes of National Becoming Drawing on feminist theory, I follow Joan Scotts proposition that an analysis of symbolic systems is a useful tool for historians concerned with offering a more comprehensive understanding of how gendered identities are constructed and reaffirmed socially. In concert with Scott, emerging from successive generations of feminism, art historians have demonstrated how gender identity is constructed not just through social organization, economics, and politics but also through historically specific cultural representations. In particular, my study draws inspiration from Griselda Pollocks description throughout her scholarship of the ways that looking, seeing, and representing visually are imbricated in processes of constructing difference. It also draws from her, and others, the assertion that language matters. As Pollock reminds us, Femininity does not invoke any empirically experienced notion of women [but] refers to a position within language and in a psycho-sexual formation that the term Woman signifies. It is a position, therefore, and not an identity, a fiction produced within a [social and visually discursive] formation. In other words, Pollock examines various kinds of images of women to show us that they do not merely reflect preexisting, real, socially produced categories. Instead, woman and femininity, according to Pollock, are something of which its definite Other, masculinity, speaks, dreams, fantasizes. Similarly, history does not equate with truth but rather with interpretations of events as told from particular subject identities. Pollock thus reminds us that there are many histories, and we must be attentive to whose stories are told, and in whose interests. Such awareness invites us to read differently. Finally, Pollock points out that femininity is also a structure and realm of experience [that] women subjects need to explore, particularly as that experience has for centuries and in myriad contexts been configured by patterns of discourse and psycho-sexual formation under phallic Law. That phallic system was and is as entrenched in Mexico as anywhere. If my own subjectivity inspires me to adopt a conscious position of reading the images I do as a woman, it also determines a complex mode of seeing. As feminists have established, to study images of women in a variety of media (whether by men or women) requires attention to the gaze and the look. These are complex concepts that, if no longer contentious, continue to undergo refinement insofar as they relate to visual production and the formation of subject positions. The theory of the gaze stems from Laura Mulveys groundbreaking essay, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, first published in 1975, in which the male gaze was aggressive and phallic. Since then, her theory of the gaze as male has been much reconsidered and refined such that visual pleasure is now theorized as neither exclusively male nor heterosexual. In most of what follows, I examine images by male artists that do operate within the framework of a voyeuristic or phallic gaze, yet several, particularly those by Maria Izquierdo and Frida Kahlo, suggest an appropriation of the (active) look and allusions both to a female gaze as well as female experience of the phallic gaze. Despite three decades of scholarship in the field of feminist art history, and despite some important exceptions, the work on postrevolutionary art and visual culture in Mexico has not paid sufficient attention to the relationship between gender and power, not to mention race and power. This problem is not exclusive to the history of Mexican (and Latin American) art. As recently as 2001, Sueanne Caulfield noted that gender analysis has not been as central a concern in the different national historiographies in Latin America. She adds, however, that this is changing as a new generation of gender historians has begun to enrich the scholarship on the family, sexuality, race and ethnicity, labor, politics, and everyday life. These changes are beginning to take hold as well in art-historical studies. Feminist methodologies demonstrate that symbolic systems, such as those that support raced and gendered social orders, are complex and fraught with contradiction. My intention here is to show that while Mexican society undoubtedly changed as a result of the decade-long revolution, what emerged as the gendered and raced social and symbolic order was in some ways simply a new version of the nineteenth-century dominant order, dressed up, so to speak, in revolutionary and indigenista clothing. In what follows, I examine how the writing and rewriting of gender roles in pre- and postrevolutionary Mexico relied on processes of visual signification (symbolic systems) that had been seen before. The revolutionary intelligentsia (male and female) (re)represented gender in order to, as Scott states, articulate the rules of social relationships [and] construct the meaning of experience. How, and why, they represented gender and race is what interests me here. Thus, I consider the ways that visual expressions of gender and race in Mexico were and are, in Scotts words, ways of signifying relationships of power. Rather than seeing these images as mere fabrications, I attempt to understand them as embedded in what Benedict Anderson and many others working off and in response to Anderson have described as the imagining or creation of the community of the nation. After all, nations are relatively recent inventions and systems of representation are essential to their maintenance. It is important, however, to keep in mind that a community is comprised of both citizens and those without the full rights of citizenship. In Mexico, this included women and indigenous people. In that context, Anne McClintocks argument in Imperial Leather: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Colonial Conquest is relevant. McClintock writes that while the invented nature of nationalism has found wide theoretical currency, explorations of the gendering of the national imaginary have been conspicuously paltry. As expressed in countless paintings of the postrevolutionary decades, as well as events such as the India Bonita contest, not to mention murals, photographs, and films, ideal masculinity was industrious and concerned with the public, collective sphere; in contrast, ideal femininity was maternal (pious, pure, domestic, and submissive) and thus concerned with the private sphere. Men were charged with rebuilding the nation, while women were charged with repopulating (as mothers) and reeducating (as mothers and teachers) a new generation. In terms of the feminine symbolic order, it was usually the indigenous ideal rather than modern emancipated womanhood (frequently cast as foreign) that signified a unified and (re)productive Mexican nation. As I demonstrate here, Mexicos indias bonitas rather than its pelonas came to incarnate authenticity, distinguishing Mexico from the United States and Europe, and it was they who were the exemplars of postrevolutionary femininity. Given the efforts of women to achieve social emancipation both before and after the Revolution, how did the archetype (or stereotype) of the beautiful Indian woman influence those efforts? Tracking legislation, economic empowerment, and social advancement, as many scholars have done, is one way to address this question, but the slippery terrain of representation offers valuable insights as well. There is little doubt that the celebration of indigenous Mexico within the postrevolutionary symbolic order resulted in scant material benefit for Mexicos indigenous people. The contemporary political situation of indigenous communities continues to demonstrate the contradiction between symbolic importance and lack of political power. The uprising of the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional in Chiapas on January 1, 1994, attests to this imbalance. Despite policies conceived to incorporate and acculturate Indians into the mainstream, they remain marginalized politically, socially, and economically. Just as the story of Mexicos social transformation continues to evolve and change, it also begins in the decades before the Revolution. After all, even if life did change radically around 1920, many of the issues pertaining to the rights of the disenfranchised, including women and Indians, and their place in the social order were already under debate well before the Revolution. And despite important gains, many issues remained unresolved decades after the postrevolutionary era. Against this background, I will consider how Indians and women were exalted symbolically and their image used to authenticate national life, support social unity, and reinscribe traditional morality. In some instances, it was Indian womanhood rather than the image of the ruler that stood for the postrevolutionary states rhetorically populist, inclusive political orientation because, as Magali Carrera has argued in regard to nineteenth-century allegorical depictions of Liberty, woman was selectively an apt substitute for the historically tainted . . . old body politic. Here I will argue that after the Revolution, this substitution functioned to mask and yet sustain the paternalistic structure of the Mexican state. Rich in detail and seeming to exemplify postrevolutionary Mexicos rediscovery of its indigenous culture, images such as Kahlos Diego on My Mind and, more broadly, the image of the beautiful, dark-skinned, frequently nude, eroticized Indian woman beg for a critical revision. Yet as ubiquitous as these images are in murals, easel paintings, advertising, and film, they tell only half the story. In the 1920s through the 1940s, the image of idealized Indian womanhood served to promote not only the incorporation of Indians into a cosmic (or utopian) mestizo mainstream, but it was also deployed to counter the aspirations and longings of modern Mexican women. As a symbol for authentic Mexico, the image of ideal Indian femininity redirected the impulse for modernization, and degeneration, which included, most threateningly, feminism and the adoption of mass urban culture and habits. In Mexico, the term degeneracion was employed in the U.S.-European racialist sense in reference to racial mestizaje as the source of racial and social degeneration. But it also referred to unchecked cultural, political, and economic influences, especially from the United States. Womens bodies were seen as sites within which degeneration and, in contrast, regeneration were catalyzed. Symbolically they were repositories upon which these potentialities were inscribed. That dichotomy makes it essential to consider the significant presence in visual culture of the fallen woman, connoting both moral and cultural corruption. If Indian womanhood represented the nations positive potential, modern woman signified sexual awareness. Not surprisingly, there was fine line between the modern woman and the prostitute. I will argue that the boundaries between the two principal archetypes of femininitythe traditional indigenous woman imagined as pure and the modern woman conceived as corruptedwere fluid and abstract. They were mutually constitutive, one relying on the other for definition. However, as frequently as the modern woman was a harbinger of degeneration, for some intellectuals she also signified resistance to overdetermined nationalist identity and the diverse forms of oppression that attended such discourse. In other words, the pictorial foregrounding of the female bodywhether as an india bonita or as a pelonawas neither neutral and transparent, nor was it necessarily benign. An isolated narrative about Mexican artists nationalist rediscovery and pictorial foregrounding of indigenous culture, which is offered in many accounts of Mexican art, misses the complexity of the cultural, political, and social discourses at play. Given the context I trace above, my analysis incorporates a complex body of images. In recent years, art historians have increasingly turned to the expanding visual field of images in contemporary life and to interrogating a wider range of historical images. This is true in Mexico as well. Under the rubric of visual culture, we routinely study imageslike beauty contests and advertisementsthat exceed the boundaries of fine art, describing our field as the history of images in addition to the history of art. This enables us to break free of long-standing assertions that art is principally about aesthetic experience. My approach to visual culture, therefore, is a response to what Norman Bryson, Michael Ann Holly, and Keith Moxey described in Visual Culture: Images and Interpretationsas a category and a theory that argues for a history of images rather than [a] history of art. I find such a reframing of the visual useful because my interest lies less in great aesthetic works and more in uncovering the social meaning of images in Mexico. Building on the methodology of social art history, Clark Hulse and Peter Erickson have argued cogently that W. J. T. Mitchells description of the social construction of visual images can be extended and reversed, such that if visual culture is the study of the social construction of visual experience, then equally it is the study of the visual construction of social experience. Similarly, my analysis in the Mexican context of gender, race, and representation as interrelated phenomena is grounded in the understanding that art and visual culture operate in a dynamic interrelation with politics and ideology. Visual images are always mediated and are therefore rarely, if ever, transparent reflections of sociohistorical phenomena. The images that we produce neither mirror nor mask our social reality; instead, they help us both to order and produce reality. In other words, even beyond spatial and temporal origins, visual culture is more than mere epiphenomena to political, social, and economic change; rather, it is a primary matrix (among many) within which we can study change. In pre- and postrevolutionary Mexico, pictorial expression was integral to the consolidation and negotiation of political and cultural power, social differentiation, incorporation, and exclusion. Social experience in Mexico City was as much a result of creative expression as it was its source. Thus traditional easel painting, monumental public murals and films, and images in the popular press, as well as more intimate images such as photographs (documentary and artistic) and watercolor painting, contributed to both the expression and the construction and reconsolidation of social experience. The contradictory nature of the history I tell warrants paying particular attention to how these ideas were expressed pictorially, understanding the visual as a form of language. Like any language, the visualacross a range of mediahas its own rules and conventions, but it is ever in dialogue with other forms, institutions, and social spaces within which meaning and power are negotiated, contested, affirmed, and challenged. Thus, I treat with caution the notion that Mexican art was transparently didactic, or that it offered exclusively an ennobling image of Mexicos Indians. Rather than viewing modern Mexican visual culture as ideologically consistent, I examine with even greater interest the moments of rupture. What emerges is the fact that in pre- and postrevolutionary Mexico City, visual articulations of the female body caused significant interpretive tension and confusion. In order to analyze the representation of women in relation to the rise of womens consciousness, revolutionary politics, nationalism, and modernity, studying a variety of images can help us understand how each of these concepts developed and were transformed over time. The long-standing assumption has been that a nationalist sensibility and, with it, modern Mexican art and culture began with the close of the Revolution, around 1920, with a sudden upsurge in populist consciousness. In fact, the story begins much earlier. More accurate accounts now hold that the origins of Mexicos modernism reach back into late nineteenth-century academic traditions, which did not simply die out with the exile of Porfirio Diaz in 1911. Temporally, the images I examine are bounded roughly by the years 18501950. While most of the artists I discuss were active after the Revolution, we will also see that the templates of ideal femininity that they deployedmore accurately, archetypes and stereotypeswere in place well before the postrevolutionary decades. Thus, I will try to recapture the moment when young artists at the academy of San Carlos in Mexico City began turning their attention to contemporary, everyday life (bourgeois and working class), considering it worthy within the purview of high art. This was also the moment when they began a pictorial rediscovery of Mexicos vanquished indigenous past, undertaking conceptual and visual reworkings of that past in order to reconcile it within the positivist construction of a modern republican nation-state. In order to establish a context for understanding the visual and ideological conventions that inform the representation of women in Mexican art, chapter 1, The Eternal Feminine: Self-Sacrifice, Modesty and Discretion, examines conceptions of bourgeois femininity as expressed in magazines written for and by women. In nineteenth-century Mexico City, ideal femininity was defined as much by what women should not do as by what they should; two of the key issues were womens literacy and working outside the home. If in the postrevolutionary era the imagined citizens of revolutionary Mexico became the working class (male and female), then it is necessary to look back and understand the structuration of the bourgeois ideal in order to understand the transformation, as well as the continuities, of that ideal. One might assume that the differences between the two ideals were extreme. I argue that they were not. My point of entry will be the ways in which gender divisions were imagined and reinforced visually in the context of academic pictures produced for a bourgeois, principally male, consumer. In their studies of academic pictures of and by women, Stacie G. Widdifield and Angelica Velazquez Guadarrama consider how these images visualized and inculcated a bourgeois ideal whereby upwardly mobile men were imag(in)ed as patriots and intellectuals and women as mothers and homemakers. As they argue, images of women were a principal tool not just in the continued limitation of their social roles but in the definition of male roles as well. Here I read nineteenth-century images alongside moralizing texts that appeared in the emerging genre of womens magazines. As Anderson and many others have argued, the practice of print capitalism facilitated the imagining of the nation, and this was as much the case in Mexico as elsewhere, where magazines were published for separate female and male markets. Womens magazines became an important vehicle for womens education as well as responding to an increased commercial market among the literate bourgeoisie. At the end of the century, several womens magazines also served as sites for the emergence of early feminism. Yet the degree to which long-standing prescriptions of femininity remained entrenched even there is surprising. Although there were some important exceptions, even magazines published for women by women frequently upheld the fundamental tenets of ideal femininity as submissive, pious, maternal, and self-sacrificing. Although we might expect to find these values promoted in commercial magazines dedicated primarily to domestic arts and beauty and fashion, they appear as well in magazines with a didactic and intellectual orientation. Chapter 2, Fin de Siglo: Modernity and the Culture of Decadence, focuses on the sexually charged and fatalistic images produced by the decadent aesthete Julio Ruelas, the principal illustrator of the literary magazine Revista Moderna, published in Mexico City. Ruelas was also an easel painter, and an examination of his production in both media supports the assertion that these visual forms occupied a mutually informing space. Ruelas spent the better part of his career in Europe. The content and style of his images of woman were hailed in Mexico as harbingers of a cosmopolitan, modern aesthetic. Like his literary counterparts, the modernistas, Ruelas imagined ideal woman as modern, but his image of modern woman was dark and disturbing. For Ruelas, modernity was symbolized through womans sexual awakening. Thus, in the tradition of such fin de siecle French artists as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, modern woman was figured by the prostitute. In Mexico, for proprietys sake, she was described euphemistically as a courtesan and her sole purpose was male pleasure. Both feared and romanticized, the prostitute nevertheless symbolized the challenge of turn-of-the-century intellectuals to Mexican societys entrenched conservatism, particularly in cultural terms. The readership of Revista Moderna was principally middle- to upper-class male, and its publication coincides precisely with the years in which feminism gained a foothold among middle- and upper-class women. I will consider the ways in which Ruelass imagery is expressive of male anxieties and expectations stimulated by transformations to the gendered social order. While these intellectuals sought to open new cultural spaces for themselves, most did not imagine that privilege extending to women, whose social environment did not extend beyond the home or the bedroom. In chapter 3, Pupilas and Mestizas, I extend my examination of the image of the sexually experienced modern woman, focusing on two artists, Jose Clemente Orozco and Saturnino Herran. Two key female types help orient the discussion: the pupila and the mestiza. The term pupila was a euphemism that emerged in the early twentieth century to describe young women who were apprenticed in brothels. Derived from the scholastic term pupil, it erased the harsh socioeconomic conditions that forced young women, particularly during the Revolution, into the life (la vida). I pair the concept with Mexicos discourse on mestizaje by examining the contemporaneous and much-celebrated images of women by Saturnino Herran. Building on the modernista generations eroticized image of womanhood, Herran explicitly mexicanized the erotic by investing his images with the traits of homogeneous Indian and mestizo culture. His work is an example of the efforts of Mexican intellectuals to rescue the concept of mestizaje from its degenerative connotations. In Herrans imagination, woman serves to celebrate the mixture of European and Indian heritage. Although he died young, Herran was successful in creating a modern nationalist prototype of the mestiza and, with her, mestizo culture. While Orozco is one of Mexicos premier revolutionary muralists, his early watercolors depicting brothel life in Mexico City have been little studied because they seem inconsistent with his later mural production. In the context of nascent revolutionary nationalism, Orozcos early works embrace an international aesthetic sensibility, suggesting a critique of the incipient redefinition of modern Mexican art and identity as indigenist, folkloric, and celebratory. Like Ruelass images, Orozcos brothel paintings trade on the vexing issues of morality, sexuality, and modernity, which were at the center of debates over the regulation of prostitution in Mexico City and over changes to the social disorder brought on by the Revolution. As we will see, Orozcos image of woman operated in the interstices of a conceptual polarization of femininity in which the feminine as virginal or maternal was opposed to a notion of female sexuality as alluring and exotic but unregulated and therefore dangerous. Orozcos early works materialize in a state of tension rather than resolution the issues that would continue to be negotiated pictorially well into the twentieth century: racial, social, and cultural degeneration versus regeneration, cosmopolitan modernity versus archaizing nationalism, and academic-style realism versus a more individualized and, in Orozcos case, expressionistic aesthetic vision. In the context of this book, Orozcos early works serve as the conceptual hinge. They link my discussion of the formation of a feminine ideal under nineteenth-century bourgeois liberalism and its conceptual pollution in Ruelass images to its reinstitution and then the new challenges posed by the artists and images discussed in chapters 46. Chapter 4, Santa, La India Bonita, and Mexican Maternity, examines how the body of the indigenous woman, as opposed to the diseased body of the fallen woman, was revived and purified. After the Revolution, idealized indigenous womanhood served as an exemplar for women against the threat of either foreign habits or revolutionary feminism. Yet indigenous womanhood was also eroticized as the potential vehicle for incorporating Mexicos Indians into a mainstream mestizo polity. To that end, I examine the India Bonita beauty contest. Rather than simply interpreting it as an example of nascent revolutionary indigenism, I argue that the contest demonstrates the continuity rather than the rupture of late Porfirian ideologies of gender and race. Although the contest was described at the time as a landmark event in which Mexicos Indian women, and thus its native heritage, were celebrated, I offer a historical and theoretical critique of the contest, showing how it relied heavily on the period fascination with fallen women as described in the literature of the day, most famously Fernando Gamboas Santa (1903), a novel about a naive rural girl who falls into prostitution in Mexico City. The discourse that emerged in the press around the search for Mexicos prettiest Indian, particularly as expressed by Manuel Gamio, a leading intellectual of the revolutionary era and Mexicos first professionally trained anthropologist, claimed to define a new standard of feminine beauty and comportment for the revolutionary nation. In order to understand the transformation of notions of race and culture in the context of the Revolution, I examine how Gamio expressed them in his 1916 treatise on Mexican nationalism, Forjando Patria (pro-nacionalismo). Gamio is critically important because he was a leading proponent of indigenism and also an early member of the Mexican eugenics movement. In addition, his articulation of indigenism dovetailed with Jose Vasconceloss postrevolutionary cultural programs and his concept of a cosmic race. As minister of public education from 1921 to 1924, Vasconcelos was the architect of key postrevolutionary cultural and educational programs, including the public mural movement. His notion of Mexicos racial composition and his attempt to invert the European racialist hierarchy demonstrates the importance in the period of refuting while simultaneously locating Mexicans within that hierarchy. Vasconcelos described Mexicans as a fused, cosmic race, arguing that Mexican society was not subject to degeneration, as some European racialist thinkers had implied. Vasconceloss and Gamios articulations of Mexican identity included a reconceptualization of Mexican womanhood. Against the imagined, degenerate fallen woman of fin de siglo aesthetes like Ruelas, their ideas informed the monumentalized female nudes that appeared in the 1920s in state-sponsored murals by Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. Chapter 5, Desnudas, Amazonas, and Tehuanas, focuses on paintings by Maria Izquierdo and her contemporaries, including Rufino Tamayo and Frida Kahlo. Izquierdo was one of the first women artists in Mexico to achieve international recognition. In contrast to Kahlo, who became famous posthumously in the context of feminist art historians search for women artists in the 1970s, Izquierdo was considered a premier modernist painter by 1930. She is all the more remarkable for her artistic focus on the female body, which served her as a site for challenging social norms and engaging in the debate about national versus universal cultural values. Set alongside the work of her contemporaries, Izquierdos watercolors are unparalleled because they represent one of the earliest focused treatments of the female nude in Mexican art. Her treatment also suggests a resistance to the overdetermined discourse of nationalist indigenism described in chapter 4. Whereas Izquierdos images of women resist essentialized notions of Indianness, works by several of her contemporaries appropriate and fetishize indigenous femininity. In fact, whereas Kahlo is typically described as Mexicos preeminent Surrealist, Izquierdos highly complex, symbolic system, within which the unclothed female body plays the central role, was inspired by the early interest in French Surrealism, popular by the late 1920s among Mexico Citys avant-garde. Alongside a group of poets and intellectuals known as the Contemporaneos, Izquierdos imagery suggests a desire to expand the roots anchoring Mexican identity. Understood as an articulation of an alternative form of modernity, her work privileged and sustained a more cosmopolitan, less overtly nationalistic understanding of that identity. In this respect, her representation of the female body stands in contrast to Kahlos appropriation of indigenous culture. Izquierdos watercolor nudes force a reconsideration of the female nude as solely the object of a phallic gaze and of artistic and cultural fetish, particularly the Surrealists conception of woman as fetish-object and their preoccupation with the mutilation of the female body. Thus they also resignify the repulsive yet seductive succubi seen in Ruelass drawings and engravings. In chapter 6, Double Portraits: Sons (and Daughters) of La Malinche, I explore the cinematic representation of Indian womanhood, focusing on Emilio Fernandezs indigenist melodrama of 1944, Maria Candelaria. Like muralism, which was public and monumental, Fernandezs films synthesized key period concerns. In Maria Candelaria, the image of Indian womanhood resonates with postrevolutionary ideas about the symbolic importance of Indians and designated their place in Mexicos political, social, and racial hierarchies. Several narrative strands operate in the film, not least of which is the notion that the much-desired union of Mexicos racial/cultural duality was perceived in the sociopolitical context of the 1940s as symbolically complete yet, in actuality, it was doomed to failure. In important ways, the film reenacts the process that unfolded in the India Bonita contest of 1921. The film, however, advances a very peculiar notion of ideal Indianness because a white film star, Dolores del Rio, portrayed the ideal Indian beauty. The film is also of interest because it makes an overt association of Indian womanhood with the binary archetype of the virgin/whore. Maria Candelaria thus bears reassessment in relation to Octavio Pazs crystallization of this binary advanced in his landmark study of the Mexican character, The Labyrinth of Solitude (1950). It is important to remember that Pazs dyad is hardly unique to Mexico, relying as it does on the long-standing biblical archetypes of the virgin/whore. According to Marina Warner, In the conceptual architecture of Christian society, there is no place for a single woman who is not either a virgin or a prostitute. Thus, in the Western patriarchal tradition, ideal comportment set against promiscuity (or simply willfulness construed as treachery) is expressed symbolically by the Virgin Mary juxtaposed with Eve and a variety of other Marys, including Magdalene, Mary of Egypt, and Mary of Bethany, variously described in New Testament accounts as sinners. As a twin ideal (mother/virgin), the Virgin Mary is an impossible exemplar, since sex is necessary for a woman to fulfill her maternal, so-called, destiny. In psychosexual terms, the fallen woman as the alternative archetype representing the danger of sex as corruption and sin is always lurking. In regard to the visual construction of the fallen woman in Mexican cinema, Charles Ramirez Berg notes that there is no recourse for [these] women but to live, suffer, and dieeternally frozen in contradiction. In the context of Mexican patriarchy, Paz resignified these Western archetypes in order to trace Mexican passivity to the duality of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Malinche as the nations treacherous, albeit raped mother. Rather than considering Paz a voice of authority on Mexican identity and psychology, I employ his conception not as truth or testimonial but rather as a bounded period piece useful for revealing the discursive patriarchal construction of visual and intellectual culture in twentieth-century Mexico. Like so many of the images I consider in this book, Pazs description of Mexican womanhood and of Mexican identity in general is bound up in the legitimizing mechanisms through which, having been modern under the Porfirian regimes project of peace, prosperity, and progress, the postrevolutionary state set about to recapture tradition. I wish to acknowledge at the outset the ways in which my account is shaped and conditioned by my own subjectivity as a feminist, a woman, a Mexican, and, in the U.S. context, a Latina. While not necessarily an impartial account, I hope that my training as an art historian has provided me with a sufficiently solid foundation so that I am not overly biased either. A Harvard/China collaboration has entered the coronavirus COVID-19 fray, with researchers on both sides of the globe working to expand understanding of the potentially pandemic virus. The researchers will be working on vaccines to prevent infection and antivirals to treat the sick, but the effort is a more holistic approach designed to figure out the basic biology of the virus and how to fight it, said team member Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "You need to know who are the people most likely to have severe outcomes in order to design clinical trials," Lipsitch explained. "You need to know how the disease spreads in order to design vaccine studies and predict where those might take place and in what sample size." The COVID-19 research will be part of a five-year collaboration between Harvard and Guangzhou Institute for Respiratory Health, funded with $115 million by Fortune 500 company China Evergrande Group. The main areas of research will include: Understanding how the body's immune system reacts to the virus, Vaccines to prevent infection and antivirals to blunt illness in infected people, Better treatments for those with severe COVID-19 infection, Development of rapid and more accurate diagnostic tests. "Diagnostics really are the bedrock of counting how many people are sick and deciding whether somebody has been infected or not," Lipsitch said. "We can't do very good epidemiology unless we have good diagnostics." An approach that doesn't focus solely on vaccine research appears to be the best way to respond to the current epidemic, based on remarks made Wednesday by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Even at an expedited rate, a COVID-19 vaccine will still require as much as three months of testing to ensure its safety and another six to eight months to prove its effectiveness, Fauci said in a news conference. "Although this is the fastest we have ever gone from a sequence of a virus to a trial, it still would not be applicable to the epidemic unless we wait a year to a year-and-a-half," Fauci said. However, he added that an antiviral drug is in testing that might be ready to help treat people who've become infected with COVID-19. The drug, remdesivir, started clinical trials a few days ago, and has shown promise in lab and animal studies, Fauci said. "We will know reasonably soon whether it works, and if it does, we will then have an effective therapy to distribute," Fauci said. Other good news came this week from a coalition of European researchers who found there are as many as 31 already approved antiviral drugs that could potentially be effective against COVID-19. Repurposing these drugs as COVID-19 therapy would have "a substantially higher probability of success to market as compared with developing new virus-specific drugs and vaccines, and a significantly reduced cost and timeline to clinical availability," the researchers wrote in the International Journal of Infectious Disease. There are nearly 89,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection globally, and more than 3,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Most cases and deaths have occurred in China, the epicenter of the potential pandemic. A Massachusetts biotech company called Moderna has already created and delivered a vaccine genetically designed by researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. "Delays can happen at any point in vaccine development. One step has gone at a very fast pace for one company, and that's great news," Lipsitch said. "We'll see over the next few weeks and months if other companies and developers replicate that kind of speed." A Philadelphia biotech firm, Inovio, is gearing up for lab and animal testing of a vaccine of its own design. The effort is backed by a $9 million grant from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, according to The New York Times. Pharmaceutical industry leader Johnson & Johnson is also working on a vaccine, but its top scientists say it could take up to a year to bring the vaccine to market, CNBC reports. These are not wasted efforts, even though any vaccine won't be ready for at least a year, Lipsitch said. He noted that a number of other vaccines developed for infectious diseasessuch as Zika, MERS, SARSwound up on the shelf because the pathogens they were intended to target faded from the scene. Without any cases to test, there was no way to conduct clinical trials on them. "I don't think that's going to be the problem with this one," Lipsitch said. "I think we're going to have ongoing transmission [of COVID-19] for a long time." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: The World Health Organization has more about The World Health Organization has more about COVID-19 Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. A Ukrainian who founded and led a volunteer battalion in eastern Ukraine has been detained by Greek authorities while crossing over from Bulgaria on March 2 with his pregnant wife and 9-year-old child. Serhiy Melnychuk, 48, posted a video on Facebook from the alleged detention center in Greece, saying that his arrest was based on a notice requested from Russia through Interpol, the worlds international police force. A search through Interpol didnt reveal Melnychuks name as a wanted person but not all notices are made public. In early 2014, Melnychuk established and led the Aidar Battalion, which was comprised mostly of natives of the easternmost Luhansk region. Aidar fought Russian-backed separatists that year and took part in liberating towns and cities in the industrial region. Before it was incorporated into the armed forces in September 2014, Melnychuk and the battalion he led faced allegations of human rights abuses, looting, and marauding in the early phases of the war in which more than 13,000 people have been killed. He was voted into parliament in 2014 with the Radical Party, then headed by Oleh Lyashko, whose political movement has no seats in the current legislature. Melnychuk is from Ukraine's west-central region of Vinnytsya and said in his Facebook post that he was detained for unknown reasons. Based on reporting by Hromadske and Ukrayinska Pravda As the coronavirus outbreak continues to pressure global markets, Goldman Sachs said there's one asset class that's safe: gold. "While so much about the current environment remains unclear, there's one thing that isn't: gold, whichunlike people and our economiesis immune to the virus," Goldman Sachs head of global commodities research Jeff Currie said in a note to clients. Gold rallied more than 2% during early trading Monday, although the precious metal is coming off its worst week since 2016. While gold is considered a safe haven asset since it typically retains its value during times of volatility, amid the broad wave of selling investors also reduced their exposure to gold, and on Friday prices fell 4.61% for the worst daily performance in nearly 7 years. Still, Currie said that it's the "currency of last resort and avoids the concern that paper currencies could be a medium of transfer for the virus." Theres no better feeling than giving back to the community. Whether it's helping somebody less fortunate than you, spending time with animals or working to make the world a better place, whatever small difference you can make is incredibly valuable. What many people don't realize, though, is that giving your time and skills also gives you plenty back in return. There are many different, unique ways to volunteer that will make you feel like you are really making a difference. Here are just a handful of ways volunteering can enhance your life. Make new friends. Getting involved in a cause you care about is a great opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and meet new people with shared interests and passions. Often, these are people who you might not otherwise find yourself in contact with. This can lead to new friendships and a broader social support network that can become an enriching part of your life. Socially, the benefits of volunteering show up quickly and have long-term effects. Social interaction improves mental and physical health, according to Psychology Today. The benefits of consistent socializing include better brain function and lower risk for depression and anxiety. You also improve your immune system. Strengthen old relationships. Volunteering with friends and family can also help strengthen existing relationships by working together towards a shared goal. Volunteering creates stronger bonds between friends, family, and coworkers. People build closer relationships, better connections, and more powerful attachments to people when they work together. If you feel the need for deeper connections with other people, try volunteering. You might live longer and be happier. You learn other people's perspectives. Through volunteering, you'll learn new ways of living you may never have encountered before. Youll cultivate empathy and understanding for your fellow humans, and youll break down the barriers youve built between you and other groups of people. You will break down walls made up of biases and prejudices, because you see them in a humane light. Through observing others from this outside vantage point, youll start to see yourself in a clearer light too. When you look at life in a different way you notice the habits and quirks that form who you are. Most importantly, you give yourself the chance to change these if they no longer serve you. You might learn that someone else's way of living actually has applications in your own world. You will learn new skills. You might find a volunteer role that helps you consolidate skills you already have, or you might gain valuable experience and training in something completely different. Learning something new is a great way to enrich your life and feel inspired and motivated. If you're starting out in your career or think you might like to go in a different direction someday, volunteering is a great way to try out a new job path and explore a particular field, without making a long term commitment. You learn to value resources more. Many volunteer abroad programs are located in remote areas of developing or underdeveloped countries, and it might be an issue where you find limited resources during your project. However, with time, you learn to cope up with the shorthand of all such resources; such as water, electricity, food, transportation, and more. Instead, you learn to get creative and make the most of whatever is available. The same habit will follow you back home in your day-to-day life. You avoid wasting water while taking a shower or washing your car, for example. You stop wasting electricity by switching off the lights in the room which no one is using, and so on. You learn to respect that the resources you are blessed with are not always available to others. You will increase your self-esteem. When teens or young adults volunteer, they develop self-esteem, confidence, and feelings of self-worth. Imagine the benefits to volunteering today, where both girls and boys struggle with self-esteem issues. Consider the advantages of volunteering for teens and young adults with eating disorders, social anxiety, and depression. Volunteering could be life-changing and even life-saving for those that do it regularly. Even adults reap the benefits of increase self-esteem when they give back, so consider getting your teen out of the house and going to volunteer together. Improve your physical health. As well as boosting your mental and physical health, studies suggest a link between volunteering and physical health, contributing to lower blood pressure and a longer lifespan. This may be related to lower stress levels, more time outside the house, stronger social connections and more physical activity. With more people in traditional desk jobs, we live a more sedentary lifestyle than ever before. The risks associated with less daily movement include back pain, disease, obesity, and more stress and mental illness. When we volunteer, even if it is not a physically demanding project, we still get up and get moving. Older volunteers benefit the most from getting out of the house, engaging with others, and moving physically. Purpose and collaboration result in mental health improvements and a better outlook on life. Studies indicate that senior volunteers experience the most physical benefit from their service, possibly because being active and engaged leads to more happiness. Older people who volunteer often feel younger and chronically ill people may have fewer symptoms and pain. Some research has even found that volunteers may have less heart disease. When you spend your time volunteering you'll realize you have so much more time to spend and you'll give less of it away to things that do not fulfill you. When you give love to others you realize just how much love you have to give to the world, and how much love you have for yourself too. Volunteering not only makes the world a better place, but it makes you a better person. You will become that positive, caring member of society everyone strives to become. People protest against Bill C-14, the medically assisted dying bill, during a rally on Parliament Hill on June 1, 2016. The federal government has now tabled legislation to expand the availability of assisted suicide. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang) In Canada, New Battles Brewing on Assisted Death, Hospice Care, Abortion News Analysis The final week of February saw substantial announcements regarding life issues in Canada. The federal government tabled Bill C-7 to expand the availability of euthanasia. Then, a hospice in Delta, British Columbia, was told it had to close in a year for refusing to provide medically assisted death. Next, Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall introduced a private members bill to ban sex-selective abortion. Last fall, Quebec courts declared it was unconstitutional to restrict medically assisted death to those whose demise was reasonably foreseeable. Bill C-7 makes euthanasia available following a 90-day wait for anyone who has a serious and incurable illness, disease, or disability and is in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability. The legislation also gives a person the ability to give advance consent for euthanasia and allows a terminally ill person to receive a medically assisted death the same day they ask for it. Living with Dignity and the Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia expressed their alarm in a joint press release. Let us be very clear: If this bill is not significantly amended, Canada will have the most permissive euthanasia program in the world. The groups say they were concerned euthanasia would expand from its original parameters as soon as it was legalized in 2016. Bill C-7 fulfills that prediction, and it may be expanded even further. Although the bill says a mental illness is not considered to be an illness, disease, or disability, its preamble says a review in June may examine whether euthanasia is appropriate where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition. In the Netherlands, a doctor must agree that there are no other potential means of alleviating suffering before euthanizing a patient. The Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia says under the proposed legislation, There is no need for the patient to try other options; indeed, there is no need for the means to be even available to him. Going a step further, the B.C. provincial government and the Fraser Health Authority have prioritized the right to death over continued palliative care. The two parties cancelled their contract with the Irene Thomas Hospice in Delta because it refused to provide euthanasia. All hospices without a religious affiliation must provide medically assisted death if half or more of their funding comes from the government. Angelina Ireland, president of the Delta Hospice Societys board, said the hospice offered to forfeit $750,000 in annual public funding to escape that mandate. Instead, the government announced at a press conference that the hospice would continue operation with its current government funding until Feb. 24, 2021. We will ensure hospice care services remain in Delta, Health Minister Adrian Dix said. To do that, we could restore the existing Irene Thomas Hospice site to public management. Alternatively, we could pursue another Delta site. In either scenario, the 10 hospice beds represented by the existing facility will stay in Delta. Ireland said she was not told of the governments hostile takeover prior to the media event. They have said, not only do we not want to be your partner, we do not want you to be a hospice anymore. And in spite of that, youll now default on your lease and were going to take over your building, she said in an interview. Instead of being noble about the whole thing theyre basically stealing our stuff, not having to put in the work to create their own institutions, she adds. And its all about dollars. It is easier and cheaper for the government to provide euthanasia rather than continue with palliative care. The hospice still has its backers. The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (ECP) says 19,500 people signed its petition calling for the province to stop forcing hospices to provide euthanasia. The group will host a rally in support of the hospice on April 4 at the B.C. legislature. The battle has just begun. Hospices must not be forced to do euthanasia, said ECP executive director Alex Schadenberg. Cathay Wagantall, the MP for Yorkton-Melville, Saskatchewan, weighed in on a related pro-life issue by introducing Bill C-233. My bill would create a new penalty for a medical practitioner who knowingly performs an abortion when the reason is the sex of the pre-born child, she said in the House of Commons on Feb. 26 during the first reading of her bill. Sex selective abortion is wrong, and it occurs because we have no law against it. A poll released Feb. 1 by DART & Maru/Blue Voice Canada showed that 84 percent of Canadians oppose sex-selective abortion and 70 percent oppose third-trimester abortions. The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the countrys abortion laws in 1988 and no legislation been enacted since. Germany's interior minister refused to shake Angela Merkel's hand today amid a growing coronavirus outbreak in the country. Horst Seehofer rebuffed the chancellor's outstretched hand at a summit in Berlin this morning - refusing to make an exception to a self-imposed handshake ban. Merkel took the snub in good spirits, withdrawing her hand and laughing with the Bavarian minister who has frequently been a thorn in her side. 'That is the right thing to do,' she said as she took her seat while guests at the meeting also burst out laughing. Rejected: German interior minister Horst Seehofer turns away Angela Merkel's offer of a handshake this morning after revealing he had stopped shaking hands over virus fears No response: Seehofer refused to shake the chancellor's hand at a summit at the federal chancellery in Berlin this morning Seehofer had told German media yesterday that he had stopped shaking people's hands, adding that he hoped a vaccine would be found within months. Asked whether Germany would go so far as to close off access to cities or regions, he said 'such a scenario would be a last resort'. 'I estimate that a vaccine will be available by the end of year,' he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. Merkel, 65, and Seehofer, 70, have had plenty of tensions in their relationship in recent years, with the interior minister taking a hard line on refugees after Merkel opened Germany's doors in 2015, but today's encounter was more good-natured. The chancellor had similarly told an audience in her constituency the previous day that she would not be shaking anyone's hand at the event. Germany has not issued a general warning against handshakes, unlike France where health minister Olivier Veran recommended that people refrain from the greeting. There are now 150 confirmed cases in Germany, Lothar Weiler of the Robert Koch Institute disease control agency said on Monday - up from 129 the previous day. Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia has emerged as a hotspot after an infected couple attended carnival parties there, infecting dozens of people. Offer: Merkel stretches out her hand to Seehofer, with whom she has often clashed Refusal: Seehofer makes his point by turning away the chancellor's handshake Several hundred people were kept in quarantine in their homes in the district of Heinsberg, although they have since been allowed to leave again. The cluster there has been linked to a carnival gathering on February 15. Four kindergarten children in Heinsberg also tested positive for the new coronavirus at the weekend, apparently contracted through a member of staff. The deadly virus has now reached nine of Germany's 16 states, with Frankfurt, Hamburg and Bremen among the cities reporting their first cases. In Bavaria, machine tool manufacturer DMG Mori asked some 1,600 employees not to come to work on Monday after a worker contracted the virus. Germany has cancelled several major gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, including this week's ITB travel trade fair in Berlin. The Michelin Guide restaurant awards slated to take place in Hamburg on Tuesday have also been called off. Understood: Merkel acknowledges Seehofer's point and withdraws her hand Good spirits: Merkel laughed at the snub and said it was the 'right thing to do' Organisers of the Leipzig book fair however said the event, which attracted over 280,000 people last year, would go ahead as planned from March 12-15. As the coronavirus continues to disrupt air travel and supply chains around the world, finance minister Olaf Scholz said the government stood ready to stimulate Germany's export-driven economy if the impact worsened. 'If the situation calls for it, we have the means to launch a fiscal stimulus package,' he told Die Welt newspaper. The meeting in Berlin today was a so-called 'integration summit' with Merkel meeting representatives of migrant groups in the wake of several far-right attacks. A 43-year-old German man shot dead nine people with migrant backgrounds in the Frankfurt suburb of Hanau last month. Merkel said her government had already initiated a package of measures following last year's shooting at a synagogue in Halle and 'we hope that this will have an effect.' But she added that 'this doesn't change the way you feel' and said she wanted to hear from migrant groups what else the government can do to reassure 'everyone in this country, regardless of their skin color or faith' of their fundamental rights. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has announced the closure of the cloud services certification program (CSCP) responsible for giving the Protected status to technology providers including Sliced Tech, Vault Systems, Microsoft and AWS, among others. The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), which was responsible for the certifications, commissioned an independent review of CSCP and Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) in July 2019. The review recommended the closure of CSCP and creation of new co-designed cloud security guidelines with industry; to grow and enhance IRAP; that government and industry consultative forums for cyber security are created; and to update incentives in procurement and administrative instructions and guidance to reflect the cessation of the CSCP. Therefore, the ASD will no longer be the certification authority and will not be progressing certification activities including re-certification. All services listed on the Certified Cloud Services List (CCSL) will remain ASD-certified until 30 June 2020. All ASD certifications and re-certification letters will be void from this date and the Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM) will be updated to remove the requirement to select cloud services from the CCSL, ACSC said in a statement. The cessation of the CSCP will open up the Australian cloud market to allow for more home-grown Australian providers to operate. This will also give government customers a greater range of secure and cost-effective cloud services. Were pleased to see the announcement from ASD and DTA today around their security standards and accreditations," AC3 CEO Simon Xistouris told CSO. "As a key cloud services provider to State and Federal government, we have been eagerly awaiting the outcome of the independent review, along with our customers and many others in the industry. "The result of a single program, IRAP, simplifies the approach for agencies and business who are looking to partner with a secure cloud provider. It will also help service providers focus on a single program, enabling them to excel in those controls. "We are very supportive of the consultative forum. This will enable a holistic view of security requirements for our public sector, which in turn will undoubtedly have a positive impact for the security and safety of all citizens, Xistouris said. The ACSC stated that Commonwealth entities remain responsible for their own assurance and risk management activities, and should be able to self-assess cloud services based on the Australian Government Secure Cloud Strategy. The DTA will continue to proactively work with ASD, vendors and broader industry to articulate best-practice cyber security measures, according to the announcement. Cloud certification framework plans In March 2019, the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) announced plans to develop a new certification framework to assess risk presented by hosting providers that handle government data. This included a new certification of facilities for data centre providers participating on whole-of-government panels, which raised a question of the continuity of the CSCP. At the time it was announced two types of certification: Certified Sovereign Data Centre, which will represent the highest level of assurance and is only available to providers that allow the government to specify ownership and control conditions; and the Certified Assured Data Centre, which is designated to safeguard against risks of change of ownership or control through financial penalties or incentives. Microsoft welcomed the announcement at the time, saying the strategy recognises data and data centres as having critical importance to national security and to critical infrastructure, said Microsoft Azure engineering lead for Australia and New Zealand, James Kavanagh at the time. CDC CEO Greg Boorer said at the time that the company had for a long time anticipated increased scrutiny of data centre ownership. In 2016 CDC was jointly acquired by Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation and New Zealands Infratil. That process involved extensive engagement with the government, including the Foreign Investment Review Board, Boorer said. We understood that there were a number of significant sensitives around the ownership of data centres emerging, which have really accelerated in recent years with the proliferation of cloud services and more government workloads going in that direction, as well as managed services, he said. Since then, CDC has preemptively and voluntarily put change of control provisions in place, which includes keeping the government informed of any potential or actual change of control events. New IRAP training and cyber security forums On the back of the recommendations, ASD will accept applications for new IRAP Assessors and will restart IRAP training sessions. ASD will improve the training and assessment of IRAP assessors to bring a greater consistency of skills within the IRAP community, ACSC stated. It will also stablish the government and select industry consultative forums for cyber security, based on thematic topics and issues and will consist of select government and industry representatives from key stakeholder groups. The theme for the first forum will be cloud security and it will use this to enhance existing cloud security guidance through the development of co-designed guidelines with industry. Though Herstory Month falls in March, when Bowdoin has a two-week break, Bowdoin's Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center (SWAG) still manages to pack in a lot of women-focused events. This month, Herstory kicks off before March, on Feb. 29, with a Women in Healthcare Panel, featuring five alumnae: Betsy Johnson, former president and CEO of MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization; physician assistant Melissa Walters 86; physician-scientist Kathleen Fairfield 89; Harvard medical student Aliya Feroe 17; and Scott Gregerson 18, a health care associate at Planned Parenthood. Later that evening, on Feb. 29 at 8:00 p.m. in Ladd House, the Women's Cabaret will put on a show. The cabaret is a student group that performs classic songs with questionable or sexist lyrics as a way to reclaim them. On March 2, two Bowdoin administratorsRachel Reinke, of SWAG, and Katie Byrnes, of the Baldwin Centerwill lead a lunchtime discussion for faculty and staff about women, gender, and politics. Attendees will meet at 11:45 a.m. at Daggett Lounge in Thorne Hall. Herstory Month continues on March 3, at 7:00 p.m., with a celebration of Muslim womenMuslimahsat 30 College Street. After spring vacation, the programming picks up again with an evening with transgender activist CeCe McDonald, who will speak with Theo Greene, assistant professor of sociology, about trans rights as human rights. In 2011, McDonald survived a transphobic attack, yet was convicted of second-degree manslaughter for that attack. She is the subject of the documentary FREE CeCe and is one of the founders of the Black Excellence Collective and Black Excellence Tour, which fosters conversations around mass incarceration, sexuality, and violence. The following day, March 25, will feature three events. The first, at 11:30 a.m. at 24 College Street, is a discussion on the book Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry, moderated by Associate Professor of Africana Studies Judith Casselberry. Hansberry (19301965) was a playwright and writer whose A Raisin in the Sun was performed on Broadway, marking a first for an African American woman. The second event, at 4:30 p.m in the same location as the book talk, is a workshop with community activist Alivia Moore 09 about the "Rematriation of Gender: A Pathway to Indigenous Liberation." Later in the evening, the student group Bowdoin Reproductive Justice Coalition will host a forum of reproductive rights in Lancaster Lounge with Maine candidates for US Senate. The final event of the month will be a women's luncheon and discussion for students, "From Every Day to Election Day," on March 27. Stuff reports: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Government coalition partner Shane Jones was both loose and wrong in saying Indian students were ruining academic institutions. Jones, NZ First MP and minister for regional economic development, said unfettered immigration was out of control on Newshub Nation on Saturday, referring to everyone who comes here from New Delhi. This second broadside against New Zealands Indian community in recent months earned Jones a rebuke from Ardern on Monday. She said she would air her disagreement and ask him to reconsider the way he talks about these issues in the future because I do not believe it is good for New Zealand. ANTIOCH (BCN) The Contra Costa County coroner's office confirmed the identity Monday of an 11-year-old boy who was hit and killed by a passing vehicle in Antioch last week. Antioch resident Elijah Holland was struck and killed Thursday by a passing vehicle as he attempted to cross Lone Tree Way outside of a crosswalk near Deer Valley Road. The Antioch Police Department responded to the collision around 6:45 p.m. A passenger in the vehicle was also taken to a hospital to receive treatment for minor injuries. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and cooperated with Antioch police officers investigating the collision. The driver was not believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A GoFundMe account has been set up by the boy's family to pay for his burial. The account at https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-elijah-andrew-holland had raised more than $4,600 as of Monday morning. On the website, the family said Elijah was hit while crossing the street with his brother on their way back from a nearby park. "He was the best son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin," the family said on the site. "Our family will never be the same." 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. Bombing of the Los Angeles Times exposed business plot to steal water supply and make the rich richer For days Jim McNamara had been casing The Fortress, as Los Angeles Times publisher Harrison Otis referred to the industrial complex in downtown Los Angeles that housed and printed his newspaper. Otis, a bellicose Civil War veteran who liked to go by General, called his employees The Phalanx and his Mission Revival mansion The Bivouac. Once a staunch union man but now fiercely conservative, Otis was doing his best to keep unions out of a town he thought of as his. McNamara had come to change that. A breezeway called Ink Alley connected the Times editorial offices with the papers printing plant. At all hours, typesetters, pressmen, reporters, and laborers streamed through the open-air passage, which also served as an informal lunchroom and storage for barrels of ink, a volatile substance. A little after 5 p.m. on Friday, September 30, 1910, McNamara, 28, sandy-haired, blue-eyed, and hawk-nosed above a drooping mustache, walked off Spring Street into the breezeway. He was carrying a workingmans satchel that he stowed behind a row of barrels. McNamara walked back out to Spring Street, where electric lights blared the Times motto, All the news, all the time. He had until 1 a.m. to make two more deliveries, after which he was to catch a train to San Francisco, 500 miles north. Around midnight, at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Park View Street, McNamara, carrying a valise, was behind a hedge at The Bivouac. He opened the suitcase. Inside lay 16 sticks of dynamite cushioned in sawdust. Wires snaked from the TNT to a battery connected to a wind-up clock. McNamara cranked the timepiece and latched the bag. He had one more stop, about 15 blocks away: 830 Garland Avenue, home of Felix Zeehandelaar, secretary of the Los Angeles Merchants & Manufacturers Association. Once done there, McNamara caught his northbound train. That evening, some of the 100-plus Times workers in the three-story Fortress complained of smelling natural gasnot odd; gas jets lit most of the complex, and complaints of gas leaks were common. At 1:07 a.m., a few people heard a dry pop. A boom followed as an explosion rocked the buildings and the facade facing Broadway cracked. The barrels in Ink Alley caught fire. Within four minutes The Fortress was an inferno. Compromised joists failed. Iron-framed linotype machines crashed from the second floor to the first. Printers, editors, and pressmen ran for stairwells into walls of ink-fueled flame. From the third floor, journalists were jumping to the pavement, some of them to their deaths. A few extended a ladder that was almost long enough to span an alley, with one fellow holding the far end. Six men made it across before he had to let go. Explosions and fires destroyed the Times complex. At Otiss home, police detectives pulled a valise from the hedge and opened it. Hearing a whir, they dove out of the way. No one was hurt, but the blast left a ten-foot crater. At the Zeehandelaar house, the bomb lay intact; its timer, a New Haven Clock alarm model, had jammed. For months, bombs fake and real had been rattling Los Angeles, doing little damage. The blast at The Fortress killed 21 and injured 17. The next edition of Otiss paper blared, Unionist Bombs Wreck Times. Everything about Harrison Gray Otis, 73, was big: his belly, his walrus mustache, his opinions. He spoke in a bark. The Civil War, in which he was promoted seven times by the Union Army and twice wounded in battle, kept him from going into journalism until after Appomattox. Following the war and a fling as a unionized newsman, he served as official reporter of the Ohio House of Representatives. In Washington, DC, he hired on as a compositor and foreman at the Government Printing Office, then at Treasury as an agent, relocating for three years to the Seal Islands in the Bering Sea. In 1876 Otis moved his family to Santa Barbara, California, population 3,000. He bought the local paper. In 1882, he became editor of the Los Angeles Daily Times, soon renamed the Los Angeles Times. Discovering the Times was broke, he convinced the owners to give him a 25 percent ownership provided he found investors, which he did. Within four years he owned the paper. The editorial pages blared his views, especially his loathing for unions; he denounced organizers as gorillas. In 1890, when LAs four dailies insisted typesetters accept a 20 percent wage cut or be replaced, International Typographers Union members struck. The other dailies caved. The Times stood fast, deriding merchants who sided with the strikers as cowards and cravens. The Otis-founded Merchants & Manufacturers Associationmotto: You shall employ no union manquickly enlisted 6,000 members. Unions kept at it. The typesetters soon had allies among other American Federation of Labor signatorieslaunderers, brewers, bakers, butchers. Otis knew who was backing the effort: labor bosses in San Francisco. Unionization in the Bay Area, always strong, had hoisted skilled tradesmens wages 30 percent above those in Los Angeles. In 1907, the AFL executive committee, seeing Harrison Otis as the single largest impediment to unionization in America, secretly passed a resolution for a war fund for use in attacking the Los Angeles Times. The move coincided with one trades embrace of violence. To organize closed shops, where union membership was mandatoryas opposed to an open shop, where membership was optionalbuilding trades workers had long used strong-arm tactics like vandalizing machinery, cables, windows, and woodwork and pelting non-union workers, called scabs, with tools and bricks. For decades, dynamite had been a labor weapon, wielded by carpenters against McCormick Reaper and the police in Chicago, Illinois; by steelworkers against the Carnegie Steel Company and Pinkertons at Homestead, Pennsylvania; and by miners against operators and their security forces across the West. Trying to avoid casualties, bombers targeted job sites and acted by night, often luring watchmen out of harms way before a blast. Ironworkers also came into their own as bombers. Organized in 1896, the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers started with five localsNew York, Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Chicagoand now had its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. Representing a dangerous tradestatistically, each year one ironworker in 100 stood to diethe union had its first success in 1903, organizing U.S. Steel subsidiary American Bridge Company. Opposed in 1906 by the 40-member National Erectors Association, an industry group, ironworkers countered with TNT, between 1905 and 1910 dynamiting some 150 buildings in the United States and Canada, doing mostly minimal damage and killing no one. During that period, ironworker wages rose from $2.50 for 10 hours work to $4.30 for an eight-hour shift. San Franciscos pro-union electorate was keeping the Union Labor Party in office, encouraging organizers there to take on Los Angeles, known as Otistown of the Open Shop. By summer 1910, the City of the Angels was a battleground. On June 1, 1,500 ironworkers and members of half a dozen other unions walked off the job. A judge enjoined strikers from picketing in a decision the Los Angeles City Council unanimously endorsed. Unions picketed anyway, quickly springing 472 arrested strikers by paying their $100 fines. Otiss business group raised a $350,000 war chest while his Times pounded the anti-union drum. Bombs began appearing. The first, at a Fourth Street annex being built onto the Alexandria Hotel, was a fakea rusty wristwatch strapped to a manure-packed pipebut clearly a warning. The next, at the new Hall of Records at Broadway and Temple, was the real thing. Warned, police defused the explosive device. Angelenos quailed. Businesses grew fearful. San Francisco ironworkers local leader Eugene Clancy cabled headquarters in Indianapolis, begging for seasoned organizers to turn Los Angeles into a closed-shop town. Clancys telegram came to ironworkers union secretary-treasurer John Joseph McNamara. A devout Catholic who belonged to the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal order, and devoted son who supported his mother in Cincinnati, Ohio, J.J. McNamara was an up-by-the-bootstraps lawyer dedicated to the working man. He controlled a secret ironworkers union fund for underwriting a bombing campaign directed at recalcitrant employers. Believing the situation in Southern California required more than speeches and picket lines, John McNamara, 34, asked his younger brother to go to Los Angeles. James Barnabas J.B. McNamara, a lean, hard-living fellow known for being good with a stick, set about acquiring TNT. At Giant Powder Co. in Oakland, California, he bought a load that he stashed in an abandoned house in San Francisco. In September he and associates rented a small vessel and with enough of their stock of dynamite to rock Los Angeles sailed south. Summer 1910 and its provocations could not have come at a worse time for Harrison Otis. He, former mayor Frederick Eaton, Los Angeles Water Department head William Mulholland, and other power brokers were privy to inside information about LAs future. To grow and prosper, the city in the desert needed water. The Owens Valley, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains and 250 miles north, was the only source capable of watering Los Angeles. Touting a nonexistent federal plan to develop Owens Valley, Eaton and Mulholland conned farmers there into relinquishing their water rights. In 1906, the federal government formally declared it had no plans for the valley. Los Angeles officials quickly announced plans to build a gravity-fed aqueduct to carry valley water to LA. The December 1911 city election was to include a referendum to authorize issuance of millions in bonds to fund the waterway. Times editorials warned Angelenos that a single drought stood between them and desolation. Knowing that under a scheme still under wraps the city would soon be annexing the arid San Fernando Valley, Otis and his co-conspirators secretly bought up land there. On September 4, 1910, William Burns, 49, dapper in a three-piece suit and bowler, bent to the ground in a Peoria, Illinois, railyard. The former U.S. Secret Service agent, now proprietor of the Burns International Detective Agency, filled a paper sack with sawdust. Burns, whose agency had been hired by the National Erectors Association to investigate an explosion, already had found an empty can that had held the explosive nitroglycerine. He took sack and can to the railway office of the McClintic-Marshall Iron Works and called the companys president. At the works the night before a bomb had detonated underneath a flatbed car loaded with girders. Burns saw in the wreckage the hand of whoever had been setting off bombs across America the last four years. Working the Peoria case for weeks to no avail, Burns set aside that task to catch a train for Los Angeles, where he was to give a speech. Early on October 1, 1910, he was en route between Arcade Station and the Hotel Alexandria when his taxi driver passed the ruined Times complex. At the hotel, Burnss room phone rang. The caller was Los Angeles Mayor George Alexander, begging Burns to investigate the bombing. Burns agreed. Canceling his speech, he examined the disabled Zeehandelaar device, noting the use of sawdust, similar to what he had seen in Peoria. He and his men began an investigation in LA, getting nowhere until Christmas. That day blasts injured a watchman at the Llewellyn Iron Works at North Main and Redondo, a mile from the Times complex. Burns reviewed what he knew. He had traced the nitro used in Peoria to Portland, Indiana, where J.W. McGraw, described as short and round-faced, had bought the explosive, paying cash and insisting the nitro be delivered to an address 200 miles away that proved to be an empty intersection. At the crossroads, a Burns man found wrapping that had sawdust in its creases. Burns also knew that in September, at Giant Powder in Oakland, one J.B. Bryceearly 30s, 510, 190 lb., sandy hair, blue eyeshad bought 10 boxes of dynamite, each holding 24 sticks. Bryce had paid in gold certificates, a Bay Area rarity, and had had Giant deliver the TNT to a spot on the San Francisco waterfront. At the addressa vacant, trash-strewn lotBurns found a receipt for dynamite. Nothing else turned up in adjacent boarding houses, hotels, and homes, but pulling aside a tarpaulin in a deserted dwelling the detective uncovered 10 crates of dynamite. Each held 24 sticks of TNT. There also were two empty crates48 sticks missing. The Zeehandelaar setup had contained 16 sticks. The bombs at The Fortress and The Bivouac likely had been of the same explosive power. Burns was pursuing these leads in spring 1911 as bombers were dynamiting ironworking shops and iron mines in Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, and Ohio. More clues coalesced. The summer before, Bryce had attended a week-long course on blasting in Seattle, Washington. The instructor remembered his student showing him a can labeled Portland containing two sticks of TNT. Nobody in Portland, Oregon, made dynamite but, as Burns knew, TNT was made in Portland, Indiana, where the year before McGraw had bought nitro, perhaps for the Peoria job. The Seattle blasting instructor said Bryce had mentioned working in Indianapolis. Burns sent operatives with descriptions and police artists drawings of Bryce and McGraw to stake out the ironworkers union offices. Burns happened to be there with his agents when a short, cherubic fellow matching the description of McGraw appeared in the lobby. He was with a bigger man whose steel gray hair fell across his forehead: union secretary-treasurer J.J. McNamara. Tailing McGraw, Burnss men identified him as Ortie McManigal. McManigals travels led those investigators to BryceJ.B. McNamara. On April 11, 1911, Burns and his men, accompanied by two Chicago police detectives, tailed McManigal and J.B. McNamara to Detroit. The pair checked into a hotel, leaving suitcases with a bellman. On April 14, the city detectives arrested McManigal and McNamara. In their suitcases Burns found a dozen explosive devices identical to those used in Peoria and Los Angeles. Burns telegraphed Mayor Alexander in Los Angeles, directing him to speed extradition papers to Illinois. To keep the arrests from becoming public knowledge, Burns stowed McManigal and McNamara at one of the police detectives homes. When McNamara refused to cooperate, Burns leaned on his companion. Just because you didnt plant the bombs in Los Angeles doesnt mean you wont be charged for murder, he told McManigal. You will. And youll hang for it. McManigal said in exchange for immunity he would tell all. He explained that J.J. McNamara had been running the bombing operationsix years, 100-plus attacksand was even hiding dynamite at the American Central Life Building in downtown Indianapolis. A safe full of explosives was in the fifth-floor headquarters of the ironworkers union. On April 22, 1911, a Los Angeles assistant district attorney arrived in Chicago with papers to extradite McManigal and McNamara to California. Illinois Governor Charles Deneen signed off. On April 24, Burns had two Indianapolis detectives arrest J.J. McNamara at the union office, charging him with 21 murders. In a basement vault, investigators found 200 lbs. of explosives, percussion caps, fuse coilsand 14 alarm clocks identical to those used in the Los Angeles and Peoria bombings. McManigal and the McNamaras soon were aboard the California Limited, rolling toward Los Angeles. Headlines blurted Crime of the Century!a phrase that would recur through the 1900s. The way Burns had grabbed the McNamaras led to complaints of kidnapping. Sending a telegram reading Frame-up! Fiendish plot!, socialist leader Eugene Debs recalled how management had attempted to frame William Big Bill Haywood and other organizers for crimes they had not committed. McNamara Defense Leagues formed nationwide. Buttons and banners carried John McNamaras clean-cut image with the slogan KIDNAPPED! AFL leader Samuel Gompers came to Los Angeles to be photographed with the brothers. A pro-McNamara parade there drew 35,000 participants. LAs 1911 mayoral primary was set for October 31; the election, December 5. The bombing trial overlapped that schedule. Amid massive local unemployment, Socialist-Labor candidate Job Harriman was running as much against Otis and the business bloc as he was against Otiss man, the Democratic incumbent Alexander. Polls had Harriman leading Alexander. Alexanders reelection, the aqueduct bond issue, and Otiss other schemes all needed a verdict that effectively pinned the Times bombing on socialism in general and the union movement in particular. To defend the McNamara brothers, the union retained famed attorney Clarence Darrow, who required a $50,000 retainer and eventually charged $200,000 for the case. In addition to the death penalty, the defendants faced overwhelming evidencebomb components in the union offices, McManigals confession and revelations, letters from John McNamara to James ordering attacks, records documenting union disbursal of $1,000 a month to pay for bombings. Persuaded by meeting with the McNamaras in Los Angeles County Jail that his clients would hang, Darrow decided to try to bribe one of the 124 talesmen in line to serve on the McNamara jury. He had an underling offer a former sheriffs deputy on the list of prospective jurors $500 in advance and $3,500 upon acquittal to vote against conviction no matter what. The ex-deputy went straight to D.A. John Frederick, who set up a sting. Darrows people were to make the payoff at Third Avenue and Los Angeles Street. Frederick had police officers ring that corner. Seeing officers, Darrows man steered his contact down Thirdinto Darrow, who claimed to be present by coincidence. The next days Times screamed, Jury Bribery Charged in McNamara Trial. The city charged Darrow with attempted bribery. Meanwhile Burns had fitted the jailhouse room where Darrow and the McNamaras conferred with a bug, concealing a Dictaphone, whose stylus etched sounds onto a wax-coated cylinder. He put another in McManigals cell. The McNamaras trial began on October 11, 1911, awash in press coverage. Muckraker and self-described radical Lincoln Steffens, who had returned from London to cover the trial, had wrangled 21 newspapers into a syndicate to fund his reporting. If jurors exonerated the McNamaras, the socialist Harriman likely would be mayor, dashing Otiss plans for the San Fernando Valley. Conviction or a guilty plea would keep Alexander in office and probably get the referendum passedand risk violence. In the primary, on Halloween, Harriman beat Alexander by nearly 4,000 votes; an independent candidate ran a distant third. The December 5 election became a Harriman/Alexander runoff. Los Angeles was electric with tension when Steffens suggested to Darrow that he work out a plea bargain to stop a fool fight, keep the McNamaras from execution, and perhaps discourage rioting. Over Thanksgiving weekend Steffens and Darrow recruited Otis, his son-in-law Harry Chandler, and other LA grandees into backing this approach. James McNamara would admit to bombing the Times. John McNamara would confess involvement in the Llewellyn bombing. James would get life in prison; his older brother, 15 years. Word of the plea December 1 triggered chaos. Union men wept like children. Strikers shouted that the McNamaras had been railroaded. In the December 5 election Alexander defeated Harriman. The water referendum passed. The development cabal got its way. The AFL and the socialist movement, pilloried for supporting the bombers, lost steam. Recounting his role in a memoir, Lincoln Steffens headed a chapter, I BECOME A GOAT. Clarence Darrow, tried twice for bribery, was acquitted. The McNamaras were confined at San Quentin, John until 1921 and James until his death, two months before his older brothers, in spring 1941. The Los Angeles Times, under nearly eight decades of Chandler family stewardship, became a major newspaperwhose editorial employees unionized in late 2019. In 1912, William Burns testified against 54 defendants, mostly union officials, accused in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis of conspiracy; 38 were convicted on all counts. Burns became the first director of the U.S. Bureau of Investigation, now the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The ironworkers union survived. Many members regard the McNamara brothers as martyrs. [D]espite other consequences of the dynamite campaign, they [the McNamaras] did save the Union. The International Officers stretched the limits of zeal in a righteous cause, A History of the Iron Workers Union declares, Their strategy and tactics sufferednot the cause or validity of trade unionism. This story appeared in the June 2020 issue of American History. Trammell Crow Co. A joint venture of Trammell Crow Co. and Clarion Partners has broken ground on Rankin 45 Distribution Center, a 352,303-square-foot industrial building in north Houston. The project is being built on 22.5 acres at at 13800 North Freeway at Rankin Road, about two miles north of Beltway 8 and four miles west of George Bush Intercontinental Airport. A&F General Contractors is building the project, with substantial completion planned in August. Passionate social media users have flooded Twitter with the true definition of a pie, arguing that it must always be completely encased in pastry to qualify - and should otherwise be classed as a 'stew'. Just days before British Pie Week 2020 kicks off, a new survey of the nation revealed that 71 percent of Brits agree that sticking a pastry lid on top of meat or veg does not make a pie, ruling out shepherds pie as a 'true pie'. As food lovers went online to share their views, Mick Thomas from Lancaster shared a picture of a homemade pie, and said: 'Just for clarity, pies have a top, bottom and sides... the picture is more a stew with a lid! This is very offensive to Northern pie eaters.' Passionate social media users have flooded Twitter with the true definition of a pie, arguing that it must always be completely encased in pastry to qualify - and should otherwise be classed as a 'stew'. An artist, from London, by the Twitter name of Willow, proudly shared a picture of her bake, writing: 'Look at my pie. It has a pastry base as well as a lid. Herby pastry too' As food lovers went online to share their views, Mick Thomas from Lancaster shared a picture of a homemade pie, and said: 'Just for clarity, Pies have a top, bottom and sides... the picture is more a stew with a lid! This is very offensive to Northern pie eaters.' Meanwhile Helen Tarver from Dorset shared a snap of a pie and wrote: 'Is it wrong to be thinking of pies already? It is #BritishPieWeek after all. What's your favourite? And let's not get started on pies with just a lid #notapie'. And an artist, from London, by the Twitter name of Willow, proudly shared a picture of her bake, writing: 'Look at my pie. It has a pastry base as well as a lid. Herby pastry too'. Elsewhere a downtrodden husband shared a picture of his pub lunch, writing: 'This was my lunch. Wife threatened to divorce me if I asked for a plate. And the 'pie' was a stew with a lid'. Agreeing, Twitter user Kirsty Redden from Cambridge, shared a picture of her own concoction, writing: 'Is a pie really a pie if it doesn't have a base? It is if it's a chicken pot pie with a gorgeous golden puff pastry lid swipe to see what's inside this beauty it was so delicious.' Meanwhile Helen Tarver from Dorset shared a snap of a pie and wrote: 'Is it wrong to be thinking of pies already? It is #BritishPieWeek after all. What's your favourite? And let's not get started on pies with just a lid #notapie' Elsewhere a Twitter user explained that a pie needs to be handled so it has to have a 'pastry case', adding that a those with a lid are 'pot pies' And angry pie enthusiast Andres Arce agreed, posting a picture of his pub lunch and writing: 'A casserole with a puff pastry lid, whilst nice, is #notapie. This came as a survey by Pukka Pie revealed that a further 60 percent reckon minced meat dishes topped with mashed potato, such as shepherd's or cottage pie, should not actually be called 'pies'. The research revealed a host of sticking points when it comes to how we enjoy the nation's best loved meal. But when it comes to the main event, the survey revealed steak and ale as the clear winner, with 42 percent of the vote. Twitter user Kirsty Redden from Cambridge, shared a picture of her own concoction, writing: 'Is a pie really a pie if it doesn't have a base? It is if it's a chicken pot pie with a gorgeous golden puff pastry lid swipe to see what's inside this beauty it was so delicious.' Elsewhere a downtrodden husband shared a picture of his pub lunch, writing: 'This was my lunch. Wife threatened to divorce me if I asked for a plate. And the 'pie' was a stew with a lid'. Elsewhere a Twitter user called a 'dish of stew with a puff pastry lid' an 'abomination' Pork pies came in second place, followed by vegetable, cheese and onion, and steak and kidney, in the poll of 2,000 pie lovers. And, it would seem Brits are also a fan of curry in pastry, as balti pies and tikka masala pies completed the top ten. When it comes to the debate of what sauce to pour over pastry, gravy is the clear winner, trumping ketchup and brown sauce. According to the survey, a pint of beer and a pot of tea came in joint first place, when it comes to what to drink with your pie. Top 10 favourite pies according to Brits 1. Steak and ale 42 percent 2. Pork 41 percent 3. Steak 37 percent 4. Chicken and mushroom 36 percent 5. Vegetable 35 percent 6. Balti 34 percent 7. Steak and kidney 33 percent 8. Cheese and onion 32 percent 9. Tikka Masala 31 percent 10. Beef and onion 30 percent Advertisement Meanwhile the best side to eat with a pie is chips, beating off a strong challenge from its potato cousin, mash. Almost a quarter of us love a portion of mushy peas with a pie, while a healthy eight percent say pie goes down a treat with a side salad. A quarter of us like to wash down a pie with a sweet fizzy drink, while a sophisticated 9 percent enjoy a glass of fine wine with their pie. The data also found that more than four in ten of the Brits polled said that pies were a Great British institution. The Oxford English Dictionary records pastry as a word in use by the mid-14th Century and Medieval Latin included the word 'pie', meaning 'meat or fish enclosed in pastry' from around 1300. In Britain, the first pies had mainly meat fillings, but the pastry cases were not necessarily for eating. They were to help food last longer on sea voyages, and also save space - having a hold stacked with pies was a far more sensible use of precious square metres than bringing a cook and dozens of livestock along for the journey. Rachel Cranston, Head of Marketing at Pukka, who commissioned the poll of comments: 'We have been making and baking pies for over 55 years and always strive to give the Great British public what they want. 'This is why we've launched our poll, to find out what makes the people of Britain tick, as well as put an end to the 'what defines a pie' debate in time for British Pie Week'. Angry pie enthusiast Andres Arce agreed, posting a picture of his pub lunch and writing: 'A casserole with a puff pastry lid, whilst nice, is #notapie Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes on Sunday in an escalating offensive against the Damascus regime as Ankara pressured Europe over the conflict by opening its border for migrants to cross into the continent. Following weeks of violence in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, Turkey confirmed a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed last week in an air strike blamed on Damascus. Tensions have intensified between Russia and Turkey -- which back opposing forces in Syria's civil war -- but Ankara has insisted it does not want to clash directly with Moscow. "One anti-aircraft system that shot down one of our armed drones and two other anti-aircraft systems have been destroyed, and two SU-24 regime planes that were attacking our aircraft have been downed," Turkey's defence ministry said. Syrian state media said Turkish forces "targeted" two of its planes over Idlib. A rebel group and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, both said the planes had been downed. The situation in rebel-held Idlib was already volatile as the regime supported by Russian air power pressed an assault on the region in a bid to retake the last opposition enclave in a nine-year civil war. The confrontation between the Russia-backed Syrian forces and NATO-member Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels, has prompted worries over a wider conflict and a migrant crisis in Europe similar to 2015. Migrant numbers have already surged along the rugged frontier after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seeking to pressure the EU over Syria, said the country had "opened the doors" to Europe. Greece said Sunday it has blocked nearly 10,000 migrants at its border with Turkey. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar announced "operation 'Spring Shield'" for the first time, adding that it "successfully continues". Turkish forces hit Syrian regime positions after Erdogan warned Damascus would "pay a price" for the air strike. Under a 2018 deal with Russia meant to bring calm to Idlib, Turkey has 12 observation posts in Syria -- but several have come under fire from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Turkey wants the international community to establish a no-fly zone over Idlib, where Islamist fighters backed by Ankara pose the biggest obstacle to Damascus seizing back control over all of Syria. SANA Syrian state media reported that the regime shot down a Turkish drone near the town of Saraqeb, publishing footage of an aircraft tumbling from the sky in flames. Those images could not be immediately confirmed. But Turkish defence ministry confirmed one of its drones was shot down. - Moscow meeting? - Earlier on Sunday, Istanbul police detained the editor-in-chief of the Turkish version of Russia's Sputnik website as its offices were being searched in Istanbul. Three of its journalists were also taken to a courthouse in Ankara for questioning, likely related to a Sputnik article in English claiming that Turkey's Hatay province was "stolen" from Syria. Colonial power France ceded the southern region to Turkey in 1938. The news website later said they had been released. Turkish media said Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet in Moscow on March 5. They already spoke by telephone last week when both expressed "concern" over the escalation. The Russian and Turkish foreign ministers also spoke by telephone on Sunday, Moscow's ministry said, to discuss preparations for the meeting between the two leaders, and the safety of the Sputnik journalists. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said he "hoped" the meeting would be on Thursday or Friday, which he admitted would be "difficult" but was "important" nonetheless. - Protecting borders - Some 13,000 migrants have amassed at the Turkey-Greece border, including families with young children who spent the night in the cold, the International Organization for Migration said. An estimated additional 2,000 migrants arrived at the Pazarkule border gate Sunday, including Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis, according to an AFP reporter. But as the crowds rushed to enter Europe, Greek police and soldiers blocked 9,972 "illegal entrances" from entering the northeastern Evros region in the past 24 hours, a Greek government source said. The situation on the Greek island of Lesbos grew tenser on Sunday as local people blocked around 50 migrants, including children, from landing their boat after several hours at sea, AFP photographers witnessed. Some also insulted a UN official and attacked journalists and photographers, while later on Sunday, residents set fire to a disused migrant centre. The UN refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch called for "calm and easing of tensions on the border" as he urged countries to "refrain from the use of excessive force". The developments recalled events in 2015 when more than a million migrants fled to Europe, mainly via Greece, in what became the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War II. EU foreign ministers are to hold an emergency meeting next week to discuss Syria mainly at Greece's behest, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday. Erdogan said Turkey, home to some 3.6 million refugees, did not plan to close the borders because "the (EU) should keep its promises". He was referring to the 2016 deal with Brussels to stop the flow of refugees in exchange for billions of euros. burs-raz/gd Dutch Bros Coffee makes its way to Rio Rancho with two locations. Come this fall, Petroglyph Medical Plaza at Unser Boulevard and Rincon Road will see Dutch Bros first New Mexico-based shop, according to Greg Sofio of Anvil Real Estate and Development. The second Rio Rancho location is still in the planning stages but will also open in the fall, said Dutch Bros Coffee spokeswoman Rilynn Davis. Dutch Bros Coffee will employ about 40 people at each location, Davis said. We are super excited to enter New Mexico in Rio Rancho; it is a great family-oriented community, she said. The Oregon-based company maintains 380 locations and 12,000 employees in seven states, all with the mission to spread the Dutch Luv, states its website. Dutch Bros partners with the communities it serves in many different capacities. Each location is locally operated, and as each community is unique, so are the ways we partner, Davis said. Dutch Bros Coffee is the largest privately held drive-thru coffee company in the U.S., according to its website. The company was founded in 1992 out of a barn. One of the most rewarding things in this change of occupation was going from smelling cow manure to smelling coffee, said co-founder Dane Boersma on the Dutch Bros website. Youd open the bag, and it was like heaven. For more information about Dutch Bros Coffee, visit dutchbros.com. The latest: Super Tuesday results continued to come in overnight with former Vice President Joe Biden racking up wins in southern states and Texas as Bernie Sanders took his home state of Vermont, as well as the biggest prize of the night, California. App users tap here for results Alabama | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Maine | Massachusetts | Minnesota | North Carolina | Oklahoma | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Delegate Tracker Here's a state-by-state look at the results from Super Tuesday: Alabama Delegates at stake: 52 Polls closed at 7 p.m. (central time) Update: 10:20 p.m. CT - The presidential primary was not the race expected to take center stage in Alabama. Former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions was in a crowded Republican primary to try to get his seat back from Sen. Doug Jones. Jones won a special election for the seat after Sessions was named President Donald Trump's attorney general. Sessions and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville are set to head to a runoff election for the GOP nomination. Presidential primary: Update 8 p.m. Biden has yet another win on Tuesday, this time in Alabama. Black voters hold sway in the state's Democratic electorate, and Biden and Mike Bloomberg split the endorsements of the state's largest black political coalitions. The Alabama New South Coalition backed Biden, and the Alabama Democratic Conference supported Bloomberg. 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 Arkansas Delegates at stake: 31 Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. (central time) Update: 8:50 p.m. (central time) Joe Biden has won Arkansas' Democratic presidential primary. The state has 31 delegates at stake. The solidly Republican state has seen intense interest from Democratic presidential hopefuls who have crowding airwaves with ads and lining up endorsements. Arkansas' Republican-held Legislature last year voted to move the state's primary in presidential years from May to March. Biden has also won Minnesota, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Virginia. Bernie Sanders has won Vermont and Colorado. 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 California Delegates at stake: 415 Polls closed at 8 p.m. (pacific time) Update 8 p.m. (pacific time): Bernie Sanders has claimed victory in California, the state with the largest amount of delegates up for grabs. This is a crucial victory for Sanders, who has won just three other Super Tuesday states. Including California, Sanders won Colorado, Utah and his home state of Vermont. As soon as polls closed in California at 8 p.m. Pacific Time, The Associated Press called Sanders the winner of the biggest prize on Super Tuesday. The AP called the state's Democratic presidential primary for the Vermont senator even though no votes from Tuesday had yet been counted. The news agency did so based on results from AP VoteCast, its wide-ranging survey of the American electorate. That election research captures the views of voters on whom they vote for, and why. The VoteCast survey found Sanders with a convincing lead in California, with no path for Mike Bloomberg and Joe Biden to catch up. In part, thats because VoteCast found Sanders with a big lead in early votes mailed in before Tuesdays election. Many of those ballots were cast before Bidens commanding win in South Carolina and before Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race. That means the trailing candidate would need to make up a lot of ground in the vote cast in person by voters at polling places Tuesday. But VoteCast found that vote, too, also favored Sanders. 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 Colorado Delegates at stake: 67 Polls closed 7 p.m. (mountain time) Update 7 p.m. (mountain time): Bernie Sanders has won the state's primary, showing how much the Democratic Party can attract independents, still the largest voting bloc in a state that's moved further left in recent elections. It was Colorado's first presidential primary in 20 years. Colorado held presidential primaries from 1992 to 2000, then dropped them to save money. In 2016, voters approved reinstating primaries after complaining about the caucus system of thousands of precinct meetings to start choosing presidential candidates. In 2016, Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in the state's Democratic caucuses. PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZWxlY3Rpb25zLmFwLm9yZy93aWRnZXRzL2pzL3Jlc2l6ZXIuY2xpZW50Lm1pbi5qcyIgdHlwZT0idGV4dC9qYXZhc2NyaXB0Ij48L3NjcmlwdD48aWZyYW1lIGlkPSJpZnJhbWVfYzQ3YzAyZGNmYmUxMzYxMTFjYmVlZmEwZjI0ZjA2NGYiIHN0eWxlPSJvdmVyZmxvdzogaGlkZGVuOyBtaW4td2lkdGg6IDEwMCU7IGJvcmRlcjogbm9uZTsiIHNyYz0iaHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdGlvbnMuYXAub3JnL3dpZGdldHMvY29udGVudC9jNDdjMDJkY2ZiZTEzNjExMWNiZWVmYTBmMjRmMDY0ZiIgd2lkdGg9IjEwMCUiIGhlaWdodD0iMTAwJSIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjEiIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj0iYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuIiBvbmxvYWQ9ImlGcmFtZVJlc2l6ZSh7fSwgJyNpZnJhbWVfYzQ3YzAyZGNmYmUxMzYxMTFjYmVlZmEwZjI0ZjA2NGYnKTsiPjwvaWZyYW1lPg== Maine Delegates at stake: 24 Polls closed at 8 p.m. (eastern time) Update 2 p.m. Wednesday (eastern time): Former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner in Maine, one day after the polls closed in the Pine Tree State. Biden came out with a slim lead, just short of 3,000 votes, ahead of Sanders. The lead flip-flopped several times Tuesday night before Biden was declared the winner. 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 Massachusetts Delegates at stake: 91 Polls closed at 8 p.m. (eastern time) Update 10:50 p.m. ET: Joe Biden has landed a significant win in Massachusetts, breaking past two key competitors who call New England home. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was unable to break through a three-way race in the results that included Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who ultimately finished second. Before the results became clear, Warren held a campaign event in Michigan (which holds its primary on March 10) and earlier vowed to press on to a contested convention. But the home turf defeat could increase pressure on Warren to suspend her campaign. 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 Minnesota Delegates at stake: 75 Polls closed at 8 p.m. (central time) Update 8:45 p.m. (central time): Joe Biden has won Minnesota's Democratic presidential primary. Biden's victory came on the heels of a key endorsement from former 2020 candidate Amy Klobuchar, a U.S. senator from Minnesota. There had been a shift in recent days toward Sanders' more progressive vision, but Gopher State voters appear to have voiced their support for Biden, the more moderate candidate. Minnesota is the first northern state Biden secured a victory in on Super Tuesday. 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 North Carolina Delegates at stake: 110 Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. (eastern time) Joe Biden grabbed a second win on Super Tuesday just minutes after several polls closed. After carrying neighboring Virginia, the former vice president took North Carolina. Voters in North Carolina followed South Carolina in picking Biden, the more moderate option of the remaining candidates. There is also a large African American population in North Carolina, a demographic that helped Biden gain momentum out of the South Carolina primary. 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 Oklahoma Delegates at stake: 37 Polls closed at 7 p.m. (central time) Update 8 p.m. CT: Joe Biden has won the Democratic primary in Oklahoma. Thousands of Oklahomans cast their ballots before early voting ended Saturday in Oklahoma, just days before Super Tuesday. Biden was expected to do well in the more conservative Sooner State. It continues his trend of taking the win in more conservative states, including Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia. 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 Tennessee Delegates at stake: 64 Due to the tornadoes that devastated parts of the state, polls closed at staggered times. Update 8:30 p.m. (central time): Joe Biden has won Tennessee's Democratic presidential primary. Deadly overnight tornadoes delayed the start of Super Tuesday presidential primary voting in Nashville and another Tennessee county, spurring elections officials to redirect voters from some polling places to alternate locations. In a state where Republicans hold every major elected office, including seven of the nine congressional seats, the Democratic primary voting base has a history of being more moderate than that of other states. Biden has also won Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Virginia. Bernie Sanders has won Vermont and Colorado. 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 Texas Delegates at stake: 228 Most polls closed at 7 p.m. (central time. Polls in El Paso closed one hour later) Update 11 p.m. CT: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden were locked in a tight race in the Texas Democratic presidential primary. Sanders and Biden went back and forth for the lead throughout Tuesday evening. But the race was too close to call even around midnight. Update 1 a.m. CT: In an extremely tight race, Joe Biden has been named the winner of Texas. Texas had the second most delegates up for grab on Super Tuesday, behind California. On Super Tuesday eve, Biden held a rally in Dallas and received endorsements from former Democratic presidential candidates Amy Klobuchar and Beto O'Rourke. Another former rival, Pete Buttigieg, endorsed Biden earlier in the day on Monday. 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 Utah Delegates at stake: 29 Polls closed at 8 p.m. (mountain time) Update 8:30 p.m. (mountain time) Bernie Sanders has won the Utah Democratic presidential primary. It is Sanders' third win of the night. He has already claimed Vermont and Colorado. Sanders previously won Utah in the 2016 presidential Democratic primary. Sanders ran television ads in every Super Tuesday state except Utah. 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 Vermont Delegates at stake: 16 Polls closed at 7 p.m. (eastern time) Bernie Sanders is projected to win his home state of Vermont his first win during Super Tuesday. After claiming victory in both the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses, Sanders was an established favorite to claim a majority of delegates from his home state. In 2016, he claimed 85.6% of the Vermont vote and all available delegates; the next closest Democratic candidate was Hillary Clinton, who earned just 13.5% of the vote.Sanders was one of only three candidates on the ballot who had campaigned in Vermont ahead of the primary. PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZWxlY3Rpb25zLmFwLm9yZy93aWRnZXRzL2pzL3Jlc2l6ZXIuY2xpZW50Lm1pbi5qcyIgdHlwZT0idGV4dC9qYXZhc2NyaXB0Ij48L3NjcmlwdD48aWZyYW1lIGlkPSJpZnJhbWVfMjRhMGZmZDYxNzM1MTc0YWFmZmY0OTYyNTgxYzUxOTMiIHN0eWxlPSJvdmVyZmxvdzogaGlkZGVuOyBtaW4td2lkdGg6IDEwMCU7IGJvcmRlcjogbm9uZTsiIHNyYz0iaHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdGlvbnMuYXAub3JnL3dpZGdldHMvY29udGVudC8yNGEwZmZkNjE3MzUxNzRhYWZmZjQ5NjI1ODFjNTE5MyIgd2lkdGg9IjEwMCUiIGhlaWdodD0iMTAwJSIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjEiIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj0iYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuIiBvbmxvYWQ9ImlGcmFtZVJlc2l6ZSh7fSwgJyNpZnJhbWVfMjRhMGZmZDYxNzM1MTc0YWFmZmY0OTYyNTgxYzUxOTMnKTsiPjwvaWZyYW1lPg== Virginia Delegates at stake: 99 Polls closed at 7 p.m. (eastern time) Joe Biden notched his first major Super Tuesday victory, winning battleground Virginia to start the most pivotal night of the Democratic presidential primary and add to a political comeback that looked unthinkable just last week. Virginia is a traditional swing state that has moved more reliably Democratic in recent years, especially as people living in densely populated communities outside Washington turned their back on President Donald Trump, as many suburban voters have around the country. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Biden had nearly 658,000 votes, and Sanders had close to 281,000 votes, according to unofficial results with the state elections department. Sen. Elizabeth Warren brought in almost 130,000 votes at that time, and Michael Bloomberg had nearly 116,000 votes. Virginia, which is one of the Super Tuesday states with a large African American Democratic base, was one of the states Bloomberg targeted after skipping the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Bloomberg spent nearly $180 million on television advertising alone in the 14 Super Tuesday states. 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 Delegate Tracker App users tap here for the delegate tracker 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 Abdullah Ghaleb Kurdi shows a picture on his phone of his son Alan Kurdi, whose dead body was found washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015, during an interview with Reuters in Erbil By Azad Lashkari and Kawa Omar ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Four-and-a-half years ago the image of a drowned toddler washed up on a beach on the Turkish coast shocked the world and drew attention to the perilous journey many Syrians took to flee civil war and reach the shores of Greece. On Monday, further north in the Aegean Sea, another child drowned off the island of Lesbos after a boat capsized, the first fatality since Turkey re-opened its border to let migrants reach Europe, a move that triggered fears of a new flow of arrivals. The prospect of more Syrians risking their lives to escape brought back haunting memories for Abdullah Kurdi, father of three-year-old Aylan whose death at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015 brought home its human toll. "The whole world saw this image (of Aylan) and Europe opened its doors to refugees, but unfortunately it was for a very short time, maybe a couple of months," Kurdi told Reuters, speaking in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil where he now lives. One photograph of his son showed the little boy wearing a bright red t-shirt and blue shorts lying face-down in the surf on a beach near the resort town of Bodrum. In a second image, a grim-faced policeman carried the body away. "Then they closed the doors again," said 44-year-old Abdullah, a Syrian barber of Kurdish origin who now lives in a part of Iraq populated mainly by his ethnic kin. "I hope God will open their hearts once again," he said, his voice breaking with emotion as he recalled the final journey of Aylan, his five-year-old brother and Abdullah's wife, who all drowned in the crossing. "I hope the world opens its doors to those in need." The flow of migrants subsided after a deal between Ankara and the European Union, under which Turkey agreed to take in many refugees from Syria. It now hosts around 3.6 million of them. But renewed fighting in northern Syria means a million more people are on its doorstep trying to get to safety, and Turkey has told the world it can't take any more. Ankara last week opened its border to Europe and more than 10,000 migrants, mostly from Syria, have reached Turkey's land borders with Greece and Bulgaria. (Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Janet Lawrence) Medical staff fighting the COVID-19 outbreak at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in Daegu go to a staff lounge to rest after finishing work Monday. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals here are complaining about fatigue and exhaustion as the number of coronavirus patients continues to increase in Daegu and other parts of the country, according to officials from local governments and hospitals Monday. Acute fatigue has led some nurses to quit en masse, causing shortages in Daegu and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, which the new coronavirus has hit hardest. Korea has reported thousands of infected patients, of whom more than 80 percent have come from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Pohang Medical Center in North Gyeongsang Province which the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated as a hospital to handle exclusively coronavirus patients is grappling with a shortage of medical personnel after 16 of about 100 nurses quit last week. The 16 nurses cited overwork, in addition to personal reasons such as the need to take care of their children, as their reasons for quitting. Medical staff at hospitals designated to care for coronavirus patients must stay within the hospital and are not allowed to return to their homes until the outbreak ends. 123 more coronavirus cases in South Korea, total at 4,335 Marks for heroes: sore marks on the face of health workers S. Korea revamps coronavirus countermeasures as patients die unattended Emergency crew move general patients from Pohang Medical Center in North Gyeongsang Province to other hospitals, Feb. 24, amid an increase in coronavirus patients at the medical center. / Yonhap Amid the staff shortage, North Gyeongsang Provincial Government and Pohang City Government have received 15 replacement nurses after asking the Korean Nurses Association for support. Pohang City Government also pledged to send 16 medical personnel, 24 administrative support workers and 10 volunteers to the medical center, but concerns over staffing issues still abound as COVID-19 continues to spread. "Pohang Medical Center was put on emergency alert for a while after some nurses quit their jobs, but there will not be any big problems as we have received replacement nurses and volunteer workers," a North Gyeongsang Provincial Government official said. "We will continue to help local hospitals with various means of support so patients receive treatment without difficulty." Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in Daegu said it needed more medical personnel, adding that a doctor specializing in infectious diseases had fallen unconscious from serious fatigue. However, the doctor continued to attend to patients once he had regained consciousness, according to the hospital. An increasing number of medical staff at other hospitals including Andong Medical Center also say they intend to resign because they are 'at their limit'. "Nurses at other hospitals could quit their jobs en masse soon, like those in Pohang Medical Center, if conditions do not change," a hospital official, who asked not to be named, said. Later on Monday in a bid to encourage and support medical staff North Gyeongsang Provincial Government said it would pay staff an increased wage until the public health crisis ends. Doctors will receive up to an additional 550,000 won ($460) a day while nurses will receive an extra 300,000 won. Press Release March 2, 2020 Speech of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III on Proposed Senate Resolution 337 asking the Supreme Court of the Philippines to rule on whether or not the concurrence of the Senate is necessary in the abrogation of a treaty previously concurred in by the Senate. My esteemed colleagues thank you very much. Thank you to the chairman of the Committee on Rules and the Majority Floor Leader for calling this very important sense of the Senate. Mr President, Section 21, Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution provides, "no treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate. On the other hand, Section 25, Article 18 of the 1987 Constitution states and I quote, "after the expiration in 1991 of the agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America concerning military bases, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities, shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate and when the Congress so requires when ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose and recognized as a treaty, by the other contracting state." Mr. President, although it is clear in the provisions of the 1987 Constitution that the concurrence of at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate is necessary for the validity of a treaty or international agreement, there is obviously a lacuna legis, or an absence of an explicit provision in the 1987 Constitution as to whether or not the concurrence of the Senate is necessary for the termination of any treaty earlier concurred in by the body. Now, it involves important constitutional questions brought about by the Executive's withdrawal from an agreement or a treaty like the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) as well as the earlier Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court (ICC) which affect the core of the Constitutional mechanism of checks and balances. The resolution before us now, Mr. Senate President, does not question any of the two issues of the issue on the ICC or the VFA. The resolution simple seeks to find out if the power to ratify carries with it the power to concur in abrogation. Remember, there is no treaty if we do not ratify. Mr. President, the Executive and the Legislative branches of government have a shared competency on treaty-making, so it is the submission of this representation and many other members of the Senate, that the concurrence of the Senate is necessary not only to accede to a treaty, but also to its abrogation, a theory which is in adherence to the mirror principle. This question being raised by this representation involves an issue of transcendental importance that impacts on the country's constitutional checks and balances. It presents a constitutional issue that seriously affects the country's legal system as well as the country's relations in the international community. The honourable Supreme Court ruled in Tanada versus Saguisag, the power to concur in a treaty or an international agreement is an institutional prerogative granted by the Constitution to the Senate. Thus, any member of the Senate has standing to question before his honourable court the impairment of this institutional prerogative. Now, Mr. President, as earlier manifested by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on the ABS CBN franchise that "when there is a gap in the law, equity comes in to fill in the gap." Now, since there is a gap in the law in this case, maybe the same principle can be adopted. There is also the emerging view which has been known as the "act de contraire" theory. Simply stated, it posits that when a Constitution requires parliamentary or legislative approval for treaties subject to ratification, it likewise, by implication, requires the consent the parliament or the legislature to withdraw from such treaties. Mr. President, I respectfully adhere to the rule that yes, the President of the Philippines is the sole representative of our country in foreign affairs and I do not intend to go against the tide. I just want clarity. We want clarity, and I hope that once and for all, the honourable Supreme Court shed light on this purely question of law. So, Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to adopt a resolution, this resolution respectfully asking the Supreme Court to rule on whether or not the concurrence of the Senate is necessary in the abrogation of a treaty previously concurred in by the Senate. We ask that our colleagues be part of the Senate as it is, a Senate of the people. Thank you, Mr. President. The deputy speaker of Egypts parliament was critical of Ethiopia after its officials did not attend the latest trilateral talks on the mega-dam The deputy speaker of the Egyptian parliament has said that Egypt will not stand helpless in the face of Ethiopia's conspiracies and is ready to take all measures necessary to preserve its historical rights to the Nile water. Soliman Wahdans statement comes one day after Egypt's ministers of foreign affairs and irrigation accused Ethiopia of "deliberately" impeding the course of negotiations on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam, after Addis Ababa withdrew from the latest round of US-sponsored talks last week. The two ministers also expressed deep "displeasure and rejection" of a statement issued by Ethiopia following the talks, in which it vowed to commence filling the dam despite the lack of a final agreement with Egypt and Sudan. Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan were expected to sign a final deal on the mega-dam during the two-day talks in Washington which concluded on Friday, but Ethiopia skipped the meetings, citing incomplete domestic discussions. Wahdan said that Egypt is now ready to take all possible measures to protect its historical rights to the Nile water, as guaranteed by international laws and conventions." According to the deputy speaker, Egypt's delegation during the negotiations in Washington last week did a good job. "The delegation was able to expose Ethiopia's conspiracies and their repeated attempts to win time to complete the building of the dam in any way," said Wahdan, adding that "the Ethiopians tried to show themselves as the weak party throughout the GERD negotiations and that it just seeks to achieve development objectives, but it is Egypt that stand in its way." "Ethiopia's refusal to take part in the last round of negotiations in Washington and to sign the final US-drafted deal on filling and operating the dam has exposed their malicious intentions to cause harm to the two upstream Nile countries Egypt and Sudan," said Wahdan. According to Wahdan, Egypt's leaders and negotiators exerted a lot of patience in dealing with Ethiopia. "But I stress that the strategy of the Egyptian leadership in dealing with Ethiopia will take a different course in the coming period, that Egypt will not stand helpless in the face of Ethiopia's conspiracies and that Egypt is ready to use all the tools it has to preserve its historical rights to the Nile water," he said. Egypt said yesterday it was "surprised" that Ethiopia cited the need for more time to deliberate the matter "after more than five years of full engagement in intensive negotiations that addressed all dimensions and details of this issue." It dismissed the Ethiopian remarks as "fallacies and distortion of facts," adding that they signal "clear disavowal of Ethiopia's obligations" under international law and a 2015 agreement on the equitable use of the Nile waters. Search Keywords: Short link: I am delighted to welcome the IntuitiveTEK team to Kainos, and into our ever-expanding Workday practice. The teams expertise, excellent reputation, and passion for building strong customer relationships aligns with our business." - Brendan Mooney, CEO, Kainos Kainos, a leading UK-based provider of digital services and platforms, today announced the acquisition of Intuitive Technologies LLC (IntuitiveTEK), a trusted advisor in the areas of financial consolidation, budgeting, planning, forecasting, reporting and accounting solutions. IntuitiveTEK is a leading North American partner to Adaptive Insights, a Workday company powering a new generation of business planning. Workday helps businesses better plan, execute and analyze across the enterprise in one system. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, IntuitiveTEK has a workforce of 38 and has completed more than 500 Adaptive Insights projects, with an aggregate of more than 150 years of dedicated Adaptive Insights consulting resources team experience. IntuitiveTEK was one of the first companies to start an Adaptive Insights partnership that focuses exclusively on selling Adaptive Insights solutions, and has been awarded Adaptive Insights North American Top Partner on five occasions. Following the purchases of Formulate and Implexa at the end of 2019, which extended Kainos Adaptive Insights capabilities in the UK and European markets, the acquisition of IntuitiveTEK makes Kainos one of the largest Adaptive Insights practices globally. The addition of IntuitiveTEK will also enable Kainos to accelerate the growth of its North America practice. Kainos is a leading Workday partner with more than 300 customers worldwide and operations in 15 countries. This acquisition reflects Kainos ambition to change the way the world lives and works by helping customers to drive business planning and digital transformation by leveraging Workdays leading suite of applications in finance, HR and business planning. Commenting on the acquisition Brendan Mooney, CEO, Kainos, said, I am delighted to welcome the IntuitiveTEK team to Kainos, and into our ever-expanding Workday practice. The teams expertise, excellent reputation, and passion for building strong customer relationships aligns with our business, and we look forward to having them on board. As a leading Workday partner, we see this acquisition as an important step to deepen our expertise in Adaptive Insights Business Planning Cloud in the United States, where we continue to see growing demand from clients in modernizing their planning and financial management processes. Malachy Smith, Workday Global Practice Leader, Kainos, added. Kainos has been a leading Workday partner since 2011 and joining forces with IntuitiveTEK is another example of our continued commitment to expand our expertise in order to serve our customers. This partnership brings together our growing track record of deploying Workday Financial Management with deep knowledge across business planning, ensuring we are a go-to partner for customers in this key market. Brian Storrs, Founder and President, IntuitiveTEK, added, From the start, we saw the incredible benefits of the Adaptive Insights Business Planning Cloud and as Adaptive Insights has grown, so have we. I am incredibly proud of all we have achieved to date and am excited for the next stage in our journey. The coming together of IntuitiveTEK and Kainos is a powerful combination for our customers and I am looking forward to partnering with Brendan, Malachy and the team. For further information, please contact workdayinfo@kainos.com About Kainos Kainos Group plc is a UK-headquartered provider of Digital Services and Digital Platforms. The Group's Digital Services include full lifecycle development and support of customised Digital Services for government and commercial customers. Kainos is also one of the leading partners for Workday, Inc. ('Workday'), responsible for implementing Workday's innovative Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for enterprise and, now, government customers. The Group's Digital Platforms comprise specialised digital platforms in the mobile healthcare and automated testing arenas. Smart is an automated testing platform for Workday customers; Evolve Electronic Medical Records ('EMR') is the market-leading product for the digitisation of patient notes in the Acute sector of the NHS. Kainos has over 1,550 people across 13 offices in Europe and North America. Kainos is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: KNOS). For further information, please visit http://www.kainos.com US carrier strike group enters Mediterranean amid conflicts in Libya, Syria Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 5:18 PM A US aircraft carrier strike group has reportedly entered the Mediterranean Sea as the area is beset by two major conflicts a full-blown civil war in Libya and tensions between Damascus and Turkish-backed militants in Syria. The Marine Traffic website, a vessel-tracking and maritime information portal, said in a report that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower crossed through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday night. The portal said the 40-year-old aircraft carrier, going by the call sign IKE, was escorted by several other US Navy warships, including the USS San Jacinto and USS Vella Gulf Tomahawk-armed guided-missile cruisers, as well as a destroyer squadron consisting of the USS Stout, USS James E. Williams and USS Truxton destroyers. The strike group, manned by some 6,000 sailors, also includes eight squadrons of F/A-18E fighter jets as well as maritime attack choppers. In a press statement about the Eisenhower's operations, the US Navy said last week that the strike group was "conducting operations in the US 6th Fleet to support maritime security operations in international waters, alongside our allies and partners." "IKE offers tremendous capability to the region," Vice Admiral Lisa Franchetti, commander of the Sixth Fleet, said in the statement. "During her operations in the Atlantic, IKE strike group will exercise the fundamental warfare practice of ensuring the security of vital sea lanes of communication. The deployment will also serve to demonstrate commitment to our allies and partners in Europe and Africa." The Sixth Fleet, which is headquartered in Naples, Italy, operates in the European and North African region, including the Mediterranean Sea. Why the Mediterranean Sea? The Mediterranean is home to two major hotspots Libya and Syria. Libya plunged into chaos in 2011, when a popular uprising and a NATO intervention led to the ouster of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014, Libya has been divided between the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli and a camp in the eastern city of Tobruk, supported militarily by militias and rebel forces allied with renegade general Khalifa Haftar. Haftar launched his offensive to seize Tripoli last April but after rapid advances his forces stalled on the edges of the capital. The fighting has so far left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced some 140,000 others, according to the United Nations. Syria, gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011, launched a counter-terrorism offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib and neighboring areas last December after its troops came under increasing militant attacks. Turkey has deployed massive troops and military equipment in recent weeks to stop Syrian troops from ousting terrorists. Under a deal reached between Turkey and Russia in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in September 2018, Ankara is required to remove Takfiri terrorists from the embattled province. But, more than a year into the Sochi deal, foreign-backed terrorists rule supreme in Idlib in close proximity to the Turkish troops. Idlib, the last militant bastion in the nine-year war, is home to several anti-Damascus militant outfits that receive Turkey's support in their persisting militancy against the Syrian government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address [March 02, 2020] Seabury Capital Advises Aurelius on Acquisition of German Aircraft Seat Manufacturer Zim Flugsitz Seabury Capital Group LLC ("Seabury Capital") announced today that its London-based Aerospace and Defense ("A&D") Investment Banking team assisted Pan-European multi-asset manager Aurelius Group ("Aurelius") in its acquisition of Germany-based Zim Flugsitz ("ZIM"), a designer and manufacturer of commercial aircraft passenger seats. The acquisition represents Aurelius' entry into the exciting aircraft interiors niche, adding to its wide range of industrial enterprises across Europe, including valve manufacturer VAG and photography equipment retailer Calumet WEX. "Aurelius are pan-European acquisition specialists with great familiarity with Mittelstand as a result of their global headquarters in Munich," said Antares Reis, Seabury Capital's Managing Director of A&D Investment Banking. "However, we were able to provide our A&D expertise and contacts, giving its investment team the necessary confidence to take its first steps into an exciting but otherwise unfamiliar aircraft interiors niche." "Seabury Capital and its experts have helped us understand the dynamics of the aircraft interiors niche and the important role that ZIM plays in it, as well as providing important contributions to the valuation and other elements of our winning bid," commented Aurelius Group Managing Director Florian Muth. "Antares' expertise and contacts throughout the A&D sector were key to equipping the Aurelius team with the required insights to secure this acquisition," added Aurelius Grup Investment Manager Bela Schramm. Zim Flugsitz was founded in 2007 by aircraft structural engineers Peter and Angelika Zimmerman. The designer and manufacturer specializes in ultra-lightweight, low-cost, modular commercial aircraft seating focused in the economy and premium economy segments. With two production sites in Markdof and Schwerin, Germany, Zim Flugsitz employs around 240 staff. For details on the transaction and on Aurelius, visit www.aureliusinvest.com. ABOUT SEABURY CAPITAL GROUP Seabury Capital Group LLC ("Seabury Capital") operates a number of specialty finance, investment banking, technology, and software companies with a core focus anchored in aviation, aerospace & defense, maritime, and financial services & technology. Since its founding in 1995, Seabury Capital has taken ownership stakes in software and asset management businesses servicing the aviation and travel industries. Seabury Capital ended the year 2019 with over $1 billion in assets and intends to leverage those resources to launch one or more specialized investment funds in aviation, travel, and technology in 2020, under a newly incorporated investment fund manager, Seabury Capital Management LLC. Within the last few years, Seabury Capital has expanded its portfolio by investing in early stage startup companies within the financial technology industry and structured investment products. In addition, Seabury Capital owns and operates FINRA, NFA and FCA regulated investment banking services firms in the U.S. and U.K., respectively, serving external clients as well as assisting the companies in which Seabury Capital has invested. Seabury Capital has operations in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Chicago, Cordoba, Dallas, Dublin, Durban, Edison (NJ), Guernsey, Hong Kong, Houston, Jersey City, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Minneapolis, Mumbai, Nairobi, Ottawa, Seoul, Shannon, Singapore, Summit (NJ), Stamford (CT), and Tokyo. Reference Seabury Capital at www.seaburycapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005556/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A young boy who was bitten on the face by a dog he bent down to pet has settled his High Court action for 78,519. Mr Justice Garrett Simons approved the settlement for James Holden over what he said was an "unfortunate incident" near his home in Clonee, Dublin, when the boy was 10 years old. The judge said the settlement was "generous" and he was happy to approve it. The court also heard that treatment for the boy has gone well and the incident did not hugely disrupt his life. James has been left with a "relatively minor" scar arising from the incident which had also had a psychological impact in that it made him understandably wary of dogs, the judge added. Through his mother Melissa Holden, James sued over the incident which occurred on July 3, 2018, when the boy, then aged 10, bent down to pet a dog while playing with friends near his home at The Grove, Pheasant's Run, Clonee, Dublin 15. It was claimed the dog suddenly and without warning leaped up and bit the boy on the face. James suffered lacerations to his right forehead and temple areas and was treated at Temple Street Hospital. While his wounds were described as having healed well, he has been left with a scar on the right temple area measuring some 4.5cm. Liability was admitted by the owners of the property where the incident occurred. When the case came before Mr Justice Simons today, John Nolan BL, for James, said he was recommending approval for a settlement offer of 78,519, comprising 75,000 general damages and 4,519 special damages The judge said it was a very good settlement and he would approve it. Nine years ago, on March 2, 2011, Bhatti, Pakistans Minister for Minorities, was assassinated in Islamabad. By Robin Gomes Shahbaz Bhatti was a man of deep faith and a fearless leader. This is how Father Emmanuel Parvez, a parish priest of Faisalabad Diocese, remembered the Catholic minister on the 9th anniversary of his assassination. He had received death threats and to those who advised him to emigrate, he said: I am a disciple of Christ, I will never abandon my country and my people, Fr. Parvez said at a commemorative event organized on Sunday to recall the 9th anniversary of Bhattis death in the hands of an Islamic terrorist. Bhatti was always active for trying to create awareness among the poor and voiceless, supporting them and defending their cause before the authorities. At any time or place where injustice was committed, he tried to make himself the mouthpiece of the suffering and persecuted, said the priest who is a relative of Bhatti and comes from Bhatti's Khuspur village. Among those who attended the commemorative celebration were representatives of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance and the non-government organization, "Shahbaz Mission", initiated by Paul Bhatti, brother of Shahbaz. Father Parvez also recalled Bhattis criticism of Pakistans controversial blasphemy laws and was particularly vocal in the defence of the Catholic woman, Asia Bibi, who was falsely accused of blasphemy in 2009 and sentenced to death in 2010. This led to his assassination. On March 2, 2011, as Bhatti was travelling to work, after visiting his mother, an unknown gunman sprayed his car with bullets. Earlier on January 4, former Punjab governor, Salman Taseer, was also gunned down for the same reasons by his own bodyguard. Pakistans Supreme Court acquitted Bibi on October 31, 2018, ordering her release. She and her family have been offered asylum in Canada. According to Father Parvez, The acquittal of Asia Bibi is a sign of hope because it is a victory of truth and justice. Shahbaz's sacrifice and commitment have not been in vain", he noted, hoping that Pakistan does not succumb to extremism and terrorism, and that the awareness about the abuse of the blasphemy laws will grow across the nation and not make innocent people suffer. According to Paul Bhatti, his brother was an authentic patriot, a true son of Pakistan. His memory honours our country. The reason is this: he gave his life to promote a Pakistan where law, justice, freedom and equality were principles to be respected and lived, Paul told the Vaticans Fides news agency. A commemoration has been planned for Wednesday in Bhattis native village of Khuspur to remember his human and spiritual heritage. More than 2,000 people are expected to gather at Bhattis home that houses a museum and where a memorial is scheduled to be built in his honour. Father Parvez said they will remember his life and works. He was an angel for Pakistan, a gift of God to the nation. This country has a weird relationship with the Civil War. See, for example, the following from the Root: In todays about damn time news, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, who apparently is almost as tired of seeing Confederate flags as my black ass is, has decided to remove them from Marine installations entirely. This raises a question: why the heck were there Confederate flags at Marine installations in the first place? Look, I get that there are people in the U.S. South who wish the Confederacy had won the war. But they didnt, and were talking U.S. military installations, not private yards. You know, the same U.S. military that beat the Confederacy. See the following, from Military.com: As states continue to grapple with the passionate debate over whether to display statues and other tributes to Confederate leaders, Marines have been told the materials wont be tolerated on any of the Corps installations. Commandant Gen. David Berger last week instructed top Marine leaders to remove Confederate-related paraphernalia from the services bases worldwide. Worldwide? I am genuinely curious whether other countries do this: do other countries include flags from the side that lost an internal civil war over a century ago in their military installations? I am not ignorant of how things got this way. After the Civil War, whites in both the North and the South wanted it to all just go away. They wanted things to get back to normal. The North chose to remember the war as quarreling brothers who had since made up, set about pardoning Confederates soldiers and officers, and then stood aside and let these same individuals set up order in the South however they likedwhich, of course, meant lynchings and Jim Crow. At the turn of the twentieth century, a movement to create memorials to Confederate soldiers flourished in the U.S. South, in part as a way to visually reaffirm the dominance of white power. The South may not have won the war, but they did win the peace. By the early 1900s, conditions in the South were so bad for black Americans that they began leaving for cities in the North in droves. In the South, they were free and equal only on paper. A USA Today article on the decision to remove the Confederate flag from U.S. Marine Corps installations includes this note at the top: CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that The Citadel removed the Confederate Naval Jack from its chapel. The flag is still in place at the college. I scrolled down to find the referenced section: And in 2015, The Board of Visitors for The Citadel, South Carolinas historic military academy, requested permission from the South Carolina General Assembly to remove the Confederate Jack ensign from its chapel. But the determination was made that the flag met criteria as a war memorial, and under the South Carolina Heritage Act, the ensign could not be legally removed. After I read this, I realized I didnt know much about what happened to military training schools and other military institutions in the U.S. South in the decades after the Civil War. So I looked up the history of The Citadel. I learned that when South Carolina seceded from the United States, The Citadel was repurposed as a Confederate military training school. From Wikipedia: On February 18, 1865, the school ceased operation as a college when Union troops entered Charleston and occupied the site. Following the war, the Board of Visitors eventually regained possession of The Citadel campus and with the urging of Governor Johnson Hagood, Class of 1847, the South Carolina Legislature passed an act to reopen the college. The 1882 session began with an enrollment of 185 cadets. Because Wikipedia can be a questionable source, I found a history of the the institution on The Citadels website. I dont consider this source to necessarily be more reliable than Wikipedia, except perhaps for things that have more to do with details, but it is at least a second source. On January 29, 1882, the Secretary of War ordered the commanding officer of the federal Military District of South Carolina to evacuate the Citadel, and on January 31, 1882, the South Carolina General Assembly passed AN ACT to authorize the Re-opening of the South Carolina Military Academy. After seventeen years, the Citadel was once again under the control of the State and the Board of Visitors. On October 2, 1882 one hundred eighty-nine cadets reported to the reopened Citadel. Colonel John P. Thomas, Class of 1851, who had headed the Arsenal Academy during the Civil War, was appointed Superintendent. Do you know what I feel? I feel a profound sense of shame. My ancestors lived in the North. They let this happen. Colonel John P. Thomas was a Confederate military leader, and the North just handed a military training school in the South over to him? In what world would that be a good idea? It amounts to rearming the very people youve just defeated in a bloody war. Ah, but I know in what world that might seem like a good idea: a world in which white northerners care more about getting things back to normal than they do about making sure that freed blacks in the South have access to the rights theyve been promised. In case youre curious about The Arsenal, which the article above notes Thomas commanded during the Civil War, I looked it up. It was founded during the antebellum period to put down slave rebellions, and was burned by General Sherman during the Civil War and never rebuilt. The Citadel, by the way, was also founded to put down slave rebellions. Thats right. Military institutions that were founded to put down slave rebellionsmilitary institutions that were used to fight the Union during the Civil Warwere handed right back to the same people who made their careers fighting to prolong slavery and oppress black people. Today, black Americans make up 30% of South Carolinians but only 7% of cadets at The Citadel. (The first African American cadet at The Citadel was admitted in 1966.) You can see how very white The Citadel still is by the pictures on the slider on its websites main page. So perhaps we have our answer. If U.S. military academies and installations in the South were turned over to Confederate veterans to run within decades of the wars end, its unsurprising that the Confederate flag and other odes to the Lost Cause would pop up in these institutions. And rememberthe Confederate flag still flies in the chapel at The Citadel. Why is the Marine Corps taking steps to remove these emblems now, specifically? According to USA Today: David Berger, Commandant General of the Marines, prioritized for immediate execution the banishment of objects representing the Confederacy in response to a congressional hearing on the rise of extremism in the military, according to Military.com. A recent survey of active-duty troops by the independent Military Times found a significant rise in white supremacist and racist ideologies from 2018. In their responses, troops considered white supremacy a greater threat to national security than immigration or domestic terrorism with connections to Islam, the Military Times reported. Huh. Funny how an emblem put in place by white supremacists might become a point of attraction for white supremacies. Its almost like maybebear with me hereits almost like maybe we should have taken these symbols down decades ago. Its almost like symbols created in hate are in fact symbols of hate, and as such should be taken seriously. We have never fully grappled with the legacy of the Civil War, and its aftermath. And maybe we never will. But that doesnt erase the fact that it is still with us. I have a Patreon! Please support my writing! Northern Ireland's coronavirus strategy centres on "planning for the worst and working for the best", according to the Department of Health (DoH). Officials have also claimed the region "is playing an active role in UK-wide planning" on the deadly disease, stressing: "The UK's four chief medical officers are working closely together." In a statement DoH said "close co-operation is also ongoing with colleagues in the Republic of Ireland", adding that "emergency measures in the forthcoming UK Government action plan will apply to Northern Ireland". Details of the battle plan to combat what one leading virologist has described as "the biggest global threat to public health since swine flu" were issued by the department last night after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK soared to 35. So far in Northern Ireland there has only been one confirmed case of the disease, also known as Covid-19, with 93 suspected cases tested and only that one found to be positive. Read More Two days ago the Public Health Agency (PHA) said laboratory tests had confirmed that a female healthcare worker from Belfast, who had initially tested positive at the RVH, is definitely suffering from coronavirus. The woman and a child had travelled home on an Aer Lingus flight via Dublin from northern Italy. It is believed that she then boarded an Enterprise train to Belfast. On Saturday night the first case of the virus was confirmed in the Republic. A man in the east of Ireland is believed to have contracted it after visiting an affected area of northern Italy. Northern Ireland is playing an active role in UK-wide planning on coronavirus In its statement DoH said its "primary focus remains on containment" and it announced that Health Minister Robin Swann would brief Stormont later today. "Northern Ireland is playing an active role in UK-wide planning on coronavirus," it said. "That includes participation in Cobra meetings and other established protocols. The UK's four chief medical officers are working closely together. "As emphasised over the weekend, close co-operation is also ongoing with colleagues in the Republic of Ireland. "Emergency measures in the forthcoming UK Government action plan will apply to Northern Ireland, as required. Read More "It is normal practice to plan for worst case scenarios. This does not mean these outcomes are expected or likely. "This is an important point to underline." The statement stressed: "We are planning for the worst and working for the best." It added: "Our primary focus remains on containment. All actions will continue to be based on the best scientific advice. "Minister Swann will provide updates to Executive colleagues and the Assembly on Monday." The department's plan follows the activation of three 'Covid-19 priority assessment pods' and a drive-through testing service which went live at Royal Victoria Hospital at the weekend. Antrim Area Hospital will take delivery of its pod from England tomorrow, which will then be deep-cleaned before being commissioned on Wednesday. It also has a drive-through assessment service which came in to operation last Friday. Expand Close Boris Johnson visits a lab at Public Health Englands National Infection Service PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Boris Johnson visits a lab at Public Health Englands National Infection Service A spokesperson for the South Eastern Health Trust confirmed it has ordered a pod which will be located at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald. The 12m x 3m portable buildings, which resemble Portakabins, contain assessment areas, toilets and a waiting area. They are being introduced to reduce the risk of infection in the main hospital area and to prevent a panic spreading in any emergency department should a person arrive with the virus symptoms. Yesterday UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock conceded it was "inevitable" that the deadly virus would continue to spread across the UK. The minister did not rule out following China's lead in shutting down cities if the Covid-19 outbreak escalates, as he outlined a new "battle plan" by the Government yesterday. If the virus becomes more widespread, the Government will look at registering retired health workers and doctors to work at battling the crisis, and whether encouraging people to work at home could delay its peak until summer when it can be more easily dealt with. As of yesterday, there have been over 86,500 cases of the virus globally, the majority of which have been in China. Expand Close South Korean soldiers spray disinfectant at railway station YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp South Korean soldiers spray disinfectant at railway station Outside of China, it has spread to 53 countries, with more than 6,500 cases and more than 100 deaths. Globally, the illness has killed nearly 3,000 people. Meanwhile, two schools in Northern Ireland have cancelled ski trips to Italy amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Sacred Heart Grammar in Newry and Dunclug College in Ballymena were both due to leave for Folgaria yesterday. The decisions came after pupils and staff from three Northern Ireland schools who were recently on school trips to Italy were sent home due to coronavirus concerns. The organizers of CERAWeek by IHS Markit, an oil and gas industry conference set to bring thousands of international visitors to Houston the week of March 9-13, announced Sunday morning that they were canceling the event. While the conference last year attracted only about 5,300 attendees compared to nearly 60,000 at the Offshore Technology Conference it is attended by the most powerful and influential people in the energy industry, including CEOs of the worlds biggest oil companies, top government officials, leading business journalists and even Middle East royalty. It is sometimes called the Davos of energy, a reference to the elite economic policy conference held each year in Switzerland. The focus of concern was the number of delegates coming to Houston from more than 80 other countries at this particular time of uncertainty, Mayor Sylvester Turner and Dan Yergin, CERAWeek chair and vice chairman of IHS Markit, the research and consulting firm that organized the conference, said in joint statement. They added CERAWeek would return next year. Houston will always be the best city to host CERAWeek to discuss the state of the worlds energy industry and its future. CERA stands for Cambridge Energy Research Associates. More Information What are the symptoms of coronavirus? Novel coronavirus is a pneumonia-like respiratory illness that was first reported in Wuhan, China. Experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe the illness is spread person-to-person when an infected person coughs or sneezes within six feet of another. Symptoms can appear 2-14 days after exposure, health officials said. They include: Fever Cough Difficulty breathing CDC guidance advises people who are experiencing those symptoms and have recently traveled to a country with a coronavirus outbreak, or who have been in close contact with one of those people, to call their doctors. The CDC is the only health agency that can test for symptoms of coronavirus. Officials emphasize that people should practice good hygiene and avoid people who show symptoms of illness. They can also: Avoid touching their faces Avoid close contact with people who are sick Stay home when sick Frequently wash hands Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces with household cleaning supplies Wear a face mask only if they show symptoms of coronavirus See More Collapse The cancellation of the conference for the first time in its nearly 40-year history is a symbol of the threat the coronavirus has posed to energy demand and the oil and gas industry and the energy-centric economies of Houston and Texas. It follows the worst week for crude since the 2008 financial crisis. Crude lost 16 percent last week and settled below $45 a barrel Friday in New York, a level at which few companies in Texas shale oil fields can make money. Oil prices are down nearly 30 percent from their recent peak in the beginning of January. Harris County has no confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to Harris County Public Health. In a statement Sunday morning, Harris County Public Health said it was conducting an infectious disease investigation. The threat of COVID-19 to Houston and Harris County remains low, and there is no need for the public to take additional precautionary actions at this time, the county said. But local hardware stores have reported an uptick in mask sales, although health officials have advised that people should not wear masks unless a health care provider has directed them to do so. San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B posted a notice on its site that it would be limiting sales of hand sanitizer and other disinfection supplies. We want to reassure our residents that their county governments are working closely with the local municipalities within our geographical boundaries and regions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as the flu and COVID-19, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a statement. Rice University asked some staff members and students to self-quarantine Saturday night after a research staff member was possibly exposed to the coronavirus while traveling abroad, the university said. The researcher was briefly on campus on Feb. 24 and 25. A group of people, including research scientists, postdoctoral fellows and doctoral-level graduate students, has been asked to self-isolate as a preventive measure, said Jeff Falk, a Rice University spokesperson. Those people are staying off the main campus, Falk said. The university was not canceling classes or operations as of Sunday evening. However, 17 staff members, postdoctoral fellows and Ph.D. students have been asked to quarantine themselves as a preventive measure, Falk said. Your safety and security during your time abroad is important to us, an advisory at the top of Rices travel registry said. All departments are responsible for ensuring faculty, staff and students document their international travel plans with the travel registry. School officials said the employee traveled overseas to a country that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not issued travel restrictions for; they did not specify where. The CDC has issued travel warnings related to coronavirus outbreaks in China, Iran, South Korea, Italy, Japan and Hong Kong. County officials are conducting an infectious disease investigation and will test the researcher. Testing for coronavirus is still being conducted by the CDC in Atlanta. Houston Health Department officials said its lab has received test kits, but they are not yet approved for confirmatory testing. Breaking News: Get email alerts from Chron.com sent directly to your inbox Rodeo officials are not canceling the three-week-long festivities, but said they are issuing more public health guidelines for attendees. The rodeo posted a list of health tips on its site asking attendees to wash their hands frequently. More hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the fairgrounds. Pink Petro, a Houston energy sector social media and networking company focused on women, plans to continue with its Energy 2.0 conference, which was planned to run alongside CERAWeek on March 10 and 11. The conference is expected to draw 400 to 600 people from across the United States with no international participants. The conference had already planned to use video chat apps for some panelists and allow attendees to watch live feeds of the conference, but the added bonus is that technology reduces risk of exposure to the virus, said Katie Mehnert, Pink Petros chief executive, Technology not only provides the ability to innovate, it provides the ability to include, Mehnert said. On HoustonChronicle.com: Coronavirus affecting U.S. churches, missionaries CERAWeek is the latest global conference to cancel in response to concerns over the coronavirus. Last month, Facebook canceled its 5,000-person Global Marketing Summit in San Francisco because of concerns about the virus. Organizers of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona days earlier did the same. There are 11 known cases of coronavirus in Texas; none of the patients contracted the virus in Texas. All of the patients are in quarantine and are being treated at facilities in San Antonio. gwendolyn.wu@chron.com twitter.com/gwendolynawu sergio.chapa@chron.com twitter.com/SergioChapa Listen to the latest episode at this link, or on your favorite app including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Episodes are available every morning on PennLive. Subscribe/Follow and rate the podcast via your favorite app. Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | March 2, 2020 It was a violent weekend, with one man being charged with a state trooper shot during a traffic stop in Chambersburg and four men in Pottsville sent to the hospital after a gunfight outside a bar. Meanwhile, the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia announced a massive $3.4 billion expansion. Philadelphia finds itself on the small screen in Jason Segels latest TV series: Dispatches from Elsewhere. Those are the stories we are covering in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Julia Hatmaker. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories in the state. Todays episode refers to the following articles: Special thanks to Apple Podcast listener Fixit3345 for leaving Today in Pa. a review. Heres what they wrote: The perfect morning podcast! Today in PA is the peppy, informative, and easy-listening podcast that pairs perfectly with morning coffee! Love Julias infectious energy, and knowing whats going on in Pennsylvania in a tight 5 minutes. This is the best way to get the daily dose of news, and Im so appreciative that every show ends with a happy story. The only podcast I listen to every day, subscribe and youll be glad you did!" If you enjoy Today in Pa, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, we like to know what you think of the program. 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. A second person in the nation has died from coronavirus in the Seattle area, Washington health officials reported Sunday evening. They confirmed three other new cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in King County, bringing the total number in the Seattle area to ten and in the state to 12. The elderly man died Saturday while hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. His is one of the two deaths reported in Washington, the only coronavirus deaths in the nation to date. All four newly identified patients lived at LifeCare, a Kirkland skilled nursing facility that previously reported two other cases. The remaining three newly identified patients are also hospitalized at EvergreenHealth and include two females, one in her 80s and one in her 90s and one man in his 70s. All have underlying health conditions and are in critical condition, according to the release. Washingtons first death, reported Saturday, was a man in his 50s, also with underlying health conditions. Oregons first COVID-19 diagnosis was reported Friday involving a Washington County man who works at Forest Hills Elementary in Lake Oswego, resulting in the closure of the school. The patient is currently hospitalized in Hillsboro. The King County Executives Office plans to convene with local and state public health officials Monday to review the case and discuss a response for King County. -- Piper McDaniel; amcdaniel@oregonian.com; @piperamcdaniel WEST HAVEN The president of the University of New Haven announced a temporary suspension of operations at UNHs Tuscany, Italy, campus. The decision come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nations top public health institute, riased travel and health advisory warnings for Italy to warning level 3. The increase means the CDC recommends that Americans avoid all nonessential travel to the country. Newly appointed General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lieutenant General B S Raju, called on Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on Monday and discussed the security situation in the UT. It was his first official meeting with the Lt Governor after taking over the charge, a Raj Bhawan spokesman said. Murmu and the GoC discussed various important issues related to security management in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesman said. The Lt Governor appreciated the Army's sustained support to the civil administration and the police, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union, anxious to avoid any repeat of the 2015-16 migration chaos, is scrambling to react after Turkey said it would no longer abide by a 2016 deal under which it has been preventing refugees and migrants from heading for Europe. By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union, anxious to avoid any repeat of the 2015-16 migration chaos, is scrambling to react after Turkey said it would no longer abide by a 2016 deal under which it has been preventing refugees and migrants from heading for Europe. Here are the bloc's options as the latest escalation of the war in Syria revives migration worries in Europe. * GIVE TURKEY MORE MONEY? The bloc sealed a deal with Turkey in March 2016 offering 6 billion euros ($6.6 billion) in exchange for Ankara preventing refugees and migrants on its soil from departing for Europe. The deal has since reduced arrival numbers in the EU from Turkey to a trickle and the bloc has already said it is determined to keep the scheme with Ankara going, meaning more money may be on the cards. That might be a tough sell among the 27 EU member states, however, at a time when they are fighting over their next long-term budget from 2021. * EXPRESS SUPPORT AMID TENSE TIES European Council President Charles Michel called Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday to express solidarity with Ankara after an air raid by Russia-backed Syrian government forces killed more than 30 Turkish soldiers last week. But the fact that the statement came from Michel, rather than all 27 EU countries, already highlights divisions in the bloc on agreeing a joint line on Turkey. The bloc's ties with Ankara have been strained since Erdogan orchestrated a sweeping crackdown on dissent in Turkey in the aftermath of a botched coup against him in 2016. More recently, the EU slapped sanctions on Turkey over hydrocarbon drilling off Cyprus, and Ankara's relations with EU member Greece are tense at the best of times. Greece and Turkey share a border and have already traded barbs over tensions building up at the frontier where refugees and migrants have started arriving in large numbers in the past few days. * STEP UP HUMANITARIAN AID The EU's Michel has already suggested the bloc was ready to step up humanitarian support for Syria's north-western region of Idlib, one of the last areas held by Turkey-backed rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is sponsored by Moscow. * HELP GREECE, BULGARIA ON BORDERS The bloc's executive body, the European Commission, has called for an emergency meeting of EU migration ministers and said it was ready to engage its border agency Frontex to help police the bloc's external border with Turkey in Greece and Bulgaria. Back in 2015-16, Greece was overwhelmed with mass arrivals and let many people pass through to other countries in the EU. Other EU states reacted by reinstating border checks inside what is normally the bloc's free-travel zone to prevent the uncontrolled movement of people. The free-travel area is a key achievement of European integration. The bloc wants to avoid another collapse of the system and does not want to reignite bitter feuds between EU member states over who is responsible for the refugees and migrants arriving. * RAMP UP POLITICAL PRESSURE Turkey's move to open up the route to Europe for refugees and migrants, in reaction to the Idlib strike, was seen in Brussels as an effort to drag the bloc into the situation and secure support for Turkey against Russia. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron may meet Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin over Idlib on March 5. The German and French leaders - as well as the head of NATO - have already expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Idlib and urged an end to the conflict.($1 = 0.9070 euros) (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Susan Fenton) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. It was an interesting group of passengers which found itself travelling on the same Delhi-Mumbai flight this Sunday. For starters, there was NCP leader and MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, who has to regularly make the schlep up and down; coincidentally, travelling on the same flight were also BJP MP from Godda (Jharkhand) Nishikant Dubey and national spokesperson of the BJP Syed Shahnawaz Hussain; that was not all though former MP for Mumbai South and current president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee, Milind Deora, also found himself traveling on the same flight and if this did not make for strange fellow travellers, to cap it all, the plane happened to be captained by none other than Rajiv Pratap Rudy, BJP MP from Saran constituency in Bihar! We had a full gang on the plane, said Sule the next day on her way to attend the Parliament. Cutting across all party lines, but all family friends for decades! Of course, there are huge political differences between us. But personal relationships are kept separate, said the daughter of one of Indias tallest leaders Sharad Pawar, who is said to have been tutored in the fine art of political statesmanship by the master himself. What about BJP MP Rudys flight performance we enquired from the parliamentarian, known to be one of the most conscientious of her tribe. It was superb, was her unstinting response. This in the same week that her father had rapped the ruling regime for its alleged complicity in the Delhi communal carnage. We felt totally safe! she added. See what we mean about learning the fine art of diplomacy and tact from the master himself? Sangeeta Khanna The High Priestess of Boho-Chic Thursday will see celebrated jewellery designer Sangeeta Khanna exhibiting her unique creations at the Boho Love Bazaar, along with a select group, comprising Rhea Pillai and Radhika Goenka, amongst others. The Boho theme harks back to the eighties when fashion in India was epitomised by the likes of Zeenat Aman in a gentler, flowers-in-ones-hair, and Dum Maro Dum era. Khanna is a natural in this respect. Known as much for her stunning one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces as for her championing of healthy organic eating, compassion and a kinder, gentler approach to life, she, for instance, began solar cooking a full 15 years ago, when the the practice had been just a nascent gleam in the worlds eye. Ive been boiling potatoes as well as making bread in my solar cooker for the longest time now and everything in my house is sundried from tomatoes to strawberries and even the mint, she says. In Khannas world, we are informed there is no wastage even the remaining water from a guests glass is recycled onto the plants, the half-roti leftover given to the crow, the lights and mains switched off overnight. About her philosophy, Khanna says she is guided by a higher power. Spirituality is all about day-to-day living. It is the essential nature of human beings to love, says the high priestess of Boho-chic in Mumbai. WTSWTM What they say We all know that cow dung is very helpful. Likewise, when cow urine is sprayed, it purifies an area... I believe something similar could be done with gaumutra and gobar to cure coronavirus. BJP legislator in Assam, Suman Haripriya, yesterday What they mean When it comes to total bullshit, you could say that my tribe has a monopoly. Ram Guha and Aatish Taseer. (Instagram ) A HEART IN NEW YORK They are both known to be outspoken critics of Indias ruling dispensation: men who have earned the displeasure of the powers that be for their outspokenness. So this weekend, when historian Ram Guha found himself in New York for a few hours, no surprises that he would look up author Aatish Taseer, currently one of Indias most celebrated persona non grata and someone who is fighting tooth and nail to get his OCI status back or that the two doughty political commentators would end up standing beside a statue of another Indian known to speak his mind without fear MK Gandhi! The two men were meant to have lunch on Sunday, but on hearing about the riots breaking out in Delhi, Guha had wanted to get back home as soon as possible. Since he had a long lay over, hed gone into the city and the two had met at a book shop and then wandered through Union Square looking for a place to have coffee. It had been totally by chance that the historian had asked Taseer if hed known of the Gandhi statue in the area and thats how the delightful photograph posted by Taseer on Instagram had happened. I think, though he would never say it, that hes expressing a kind of solidarity, reaffirming my connection to India after all that has happened, said Taseer, from an early morning in NYC, when we contacted him yesterday. The last time the duo had met had been at publisher Sonny Mehtas funeral. We caught up with what was happening. It was cold and all the coffee shops were full. So we walked around and then I put him in a taxi and he went to Kennedy Airport, said Taseer. Besides discussing the gut-wrenching news from back home, he says the two had spoken about their common love for Indian classical music. He said hes writing something about the Hansdhwani Raga, said Taseer, adding, It was a respite from all the talk of bad politics. CBSE conducted the class 12th physics examination on Monday, March 2, 2020, at various centers spread across the country. Here is the reaction from students after coming out of the examination hall. Lucknow Lucknow students found CBSE Class 12 Physics paper to be difficult and tad lengthy. Some children at Navyug Radiance School found the paper lengthy. They said 2 to 3 questions particularly numerical were tough. A good number of students of Delhi Public School, Jankipuram said question paper was not very easy. Pulkit Saxena, a student of Delhi Public School, Jankipuram said there is no doubt that the paper was difficult. Kartikey Mishra was of the view that it was very lengthy and he could not complete or attempt all questions. I had to left out few questions, Mishra said. Vartul Kumar, a student of DPS said nothing came from sample paper and overall he found the question paper to be little difficult. Utkarsh Chaudhary said paper required depth knowledge and it was difficult. Another student, Adnan Qidwai said, Paper was designed to check basic and advance concepts. Students of GD Goenka Public School, Lucknow found some questions to be tricky and a few sections were difficult. Aditi Singh said, Paper was good but some questions were tricky. Section B & C were difficult as compared to other sections. Overall the paper went well. According to Ansh, Paper was little difficult and a bit lengthy but he has attempted all the questions and is sure of scoring well. Sarvasv Pandey, a student of GD Goenka Public School, Lucknow said, MCQs were easy but in most of the sections questions had sub questions and if one sub question was easy, the other two were difficult. Paper was difficult, but he has done the theory part well. Absar Ahmad, another student of the same school said, Section C was difficult, few questions were tricky and he took some time to understand and answer correctly. I have done better in other sections.The preparation done for Pre-Board examination helped a lot. Ashwini kumar said, I found few questions difficult but anyone who has done a comprehensive study of the subject and has practised sample papers, would be able to attempt the paper with ease. Chandigarh The class 12 examination of Central board of Secondary Education (CBSE) was difficult, said students in Chandigarh. Many students said they were not able to complete the examination on time. Most of the students claimed that the (MCQs) multiple choice questions as well as the 5 mark questions were much more difficult than the difficulty standard which was expected. READ: CBSE Class 12 Physics exam 2020 question paper Suraj Bhist, a student studying at a private school said, I was not able to compete my paper on time. There were many numerical. It took most of my time because of which I was unable to complete the last part of the paper. Mansi Kumari, a student at city based government school said, I had worked hard but this paper required more effort. I hope I will get decent marks. Even the experts backed the the claims of the students. Kuldeep Singh a teacher of physics in a government school of Chandigarh said, the question paper was set in a manner that it was easy for students to pass the exam however it was difficult for scoring. Specially the five marks questions had more numerical content than the theoretical content which made the overall paper a little bit difficult. Bhag Singh Kairon, another goverment school teacher said, There were tricky and twisted questions involved in the examination this time. CBSE has made the subject more difficult than the previous years. Kolkata Soham Mukherjee, a Kolkata student who is appearing for CBSE class 12 examinations, said, The Physics question paper was not easy at all but at the same time it was not too difficult. I would say the questions were thought provoking. I am quite satisfied. Sujit Kumar Das, a physics teacher at Delhi Public School, Siliguri, said The physics questions for class 12 exam were moderate and meant for all students, no matter weak or strong. Viraj Sinha a examinee from the same school said The questions came as we expected and covered all the topics. Prayagraj Physics teacher Jitendra Yadav at Ganga Gurukulam School in Prayagraj said that 20 objective questions, including multiple choice as well as fill in the blank questions carrying one mark each, was scoring. The descriptive questions on different topics, including Optics carrying 12 to 14 marks, Electrostatics and Magnetic - each carrying 8 marks and questions from Electronics and Alternating Current carrying 4 to 6 marks each, was also attempted by average students. The questions were based on NCERT syllabus and students having practiced previous year question papers of the Board would have been comfortable in the exam. The pattern of question paper was similar to previous years but numerical questions on topics like Electromagnetic Induction and Magnetism, made some students struggle, said the teacher. Kirti Kumar, a Class 12 student at Ganga Gurukulam School in Prayagraj termed the physics question paper scoring but said some numerical questions were not that easy. The 20 marks objective questions were scoring and I also attempted numerical questions, which was a bit tough, he said. Similarly, Rishabh Mishra, another Class 12 student also answered all questions but found the numerical portions comprising of questions from Electromagnetism not that easy. (With inputs from Rajeev Mullick in Lucknow, Srishti Jaswal in Chandigarh, Kenneth John in Prayagraj and Tanmay Chatterjee from Kolkata ) NEW YORK - A divisive debate over same-sex marriage animated the 2004 presidential election as voters across the country approved constitutional amendments banning such unions. Sixteen years later, with those bans invalidated and his husband by his side, Pete Buttigieg became the first openly gay man to become however briefly a leading presidential candidate. Buttigieg fell short of his goal to win the Democratic nomination and defeat President Donald Trump. But his candidacy will likely be remembered as an example of the remarkable advances made by LGBTQ Americans in their quest for equality and acceptance. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, suspended his campaign Sunday, saying he saw no path to victory after a poor showing among black voters left him a distant fourth in South Carolinas primary. But activists hailed Buttigieg as a trailblazer and an inspiration for what they hope will be future waves of LGBTQ candidates at every level of U.S. politics. Petes candidacy represents a revolution in American politics, forever transforming what is possible for an LGBTQ candidate and making clear America will elect an openly LGBTQ president, said Annise Parker, a former mayor of Houston. She now heads the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which recruits and supports LGBTQ candidates for political office. Pete spoke in small-town restaurants in Iowa, held rallies in New Hampshire and battled it out on the presidential debate stage, Parker said. He inspired LGBTQ youth to come out in valedictory speeches, to attend their first Pride parade, and to believe America has a place for them. While there have been gay governors and members of Congress, Buttigieg resonated with some voters for his potential to win the nations highest office. He battled Bernie Sanders to a virtual first-place tie in the opening caucuses in Iowa and finished just one percentage point behind Sanders in New Hampshire before slipping to third in Nevada. He endorsed fellow moderate Joe Biden on Monday in Dallas. While Buttigieg often campaigned with his husband, Chasten, and was comfortable discussing his sexual orientation, it was rarely a focus of his own speeches or of commentary from his critics or opponents. The fact that Pete was gay didnt really come up that much, which itself was an important marker, said Richard Socarides, a former Clinton White House adviser on gay issues. Its such an angry, intolerant time. But Petes campaign proved that Americans are still capable of tolerance and accepting of differences. One exception came in mid-February, when Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show that Americas still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage. Buttigieg, in response, held up his marriage as a contrast with Trump, who has been accused of infidelity and sexual assault allegations he has denied. I mean, Im sorry, but one thing about my marriage is its never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her, Buttigieg said. So they want to debate family values? Lets debate family values. Still, Buttigieg was a controversial figure in some LGBTQ circles. As a white man with a Harvard degree, he acknowledged enjoying privileges that arent extended to women, people of colour and the poor. His ties to organized religion concerned LGBTQ people who have been marginalized, excluded and mistreated by churches. That fueled a debate over whether Buttigieg is gay enough. Some critics said that wasnt the point. Buttigieg, they argue, reached political prominence by presenting himself to heterosexuals as a safe, unassuming gay person. Buttigieg isnt just gay hes also white, male, upper-class, Midwestern, married, Ivy Leagueeducated, and a man of faith, Christina Cauterucci, who covers LGBTQ issues for Slate magazine, wrote in a widely circulated article last year. That doesnt mean hes not gay enough theres really no such measure. ... But it does makes him less exciting as the supposed gay trailblazer some on the left desperately want him to be. Yet Evan Wolfson, a lawyer who played a key role in the long campaign to legalize same-sex marriage across the U.S., suggested that Buttigiegs All-American resume was part of his appeal. His being gay proved an advantage a signal of freshness, of empathy, of hope, Wolfson said. Americans responded to these urgently needed qualities, and to Petes demonstration that gay people can be just as talented, just as effective, and just as patriotic as anyone. Ethan Geto, a New York-based political consultant who advised Hillary Clinton on LGBTQ issues, was active in Democratic campaigns back in 1972, the first year that openly gay delegates were invited to speak about gay-rights issues at the partys national convention. The LGBTQ community has travelled a long, hard road to equality, Geto said via email. An openly gay candidate could not have been this successful if American society had not come to understand that LGBTQ citizens are found in every walk of life, are present in almost every extended family. Another veteran activist hailing Buttigieg was Gene Robinson, who in 2004 became the U.S. Episcopal Churchs first openly gay bishop. Because of Pete, theres a gay kid somewhere in Idaho or Alabama who now thinks he can be president, Robinson tweeted. Buttigieg struck a similar tone Sunday as he announced his departure from the race. We send a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than, Buttigieg told supporters. To see that someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband by his side. ___ Associated Press writer Thomas Beaumont contributed to this report. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. Two new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed in India on March 2. One case each was reported from New Delhi and the state of Telangana. Both patients are stable and are being closely monitored, news agency ANI has reported. The person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, the Union Health Ministry said adding that he is being treated at the RML hospital in the national capital. The other person with coronavirus infection has a travel history to Dubai, the ministry added. 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 According to news agency PTI, the person in Delhi had self-reported at the RML hospital while the one in Telangana had initially gone to a private hospital and then was referred to a government hospital in the state. The virus, now known as COVID-19, has infected over 89,000 people globally and caused more than 3,000 deaths. As many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said as he advised people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore. The minister further said the Indian government is in discussion with Iran and Italian authorities to evacuate Indians there. Vardhan said that so far 3,217 samples have been tested out of which five tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited. Italy is reeling under swelling cases of the coronavirus disease. Three days ago, Kerala's Health Minister, KK Shailaja had announced that three students who had earlier tested positive for coronavirus, have now been cured. "We succeeded in the first part, that of containing coronavirus. Three students who were found to be corona-positive were isolated, now they are stable. They were cured," Shailaja had said. Homeland Chalk One Up Season 8 Episode 4 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: Sifeddine Elamine/SHOWTIME No one thought that Homeland could end with peace in the Middle East, right? The writers dangle that possibility for mere minutes in the Showtime hits final season only to pull it out from under everyone with a major event that would change the course of human history were it to happen in the real world. Can you imagine? A president killed by the Taliban behind enemy lines? The world would never be the same, and it almost feels like a show that has used 9/11 as such a major plot point wanted to bookend its run with an event of equally seismic magnitude. The credits contain the soundbite This whole country went stupid crazy after 9/11. The world of Homeland is about to go stupid crazy again. While murdering the president may seem like a cheap move on paper, its handled very well in Chalk One Up, particularly in the way it balances the macro of President Warners journey to announce the ceasefire with the micro story of Samira Noori needing to be rescued by Carrie Mathison. While earth-shattering events are happening on an international scale, a woman is being kidnapped by the brother of her deceased husband, something that can now happen because tension has been eased with the Taliban, allowing their stricter lifestyles to quickly invade Kabul. To Samiras family, it is only natural that she now marries her brother-in-law, whether she wants to or not. Homeland is at its best when it balances human stories against a political backdrop, and thats the main function of most of this episode, while also allowing for what could be future troubles for our heroine. Theres really not that much to unpack in terms of plot this episode. The president comes to Kabul to announce the end of war in the region and his helicopter is shot down on the way back. Meanwhile, a woman struggles against her Taliban extended family and needs Carries help. Thats really it if you think about it. So lets talk about what this all means for the future. Of course, its going to destroy any chance for peace in the Middle East. If a president was shot down in the area, it would not be long before the U.S. government destroyed that area with as many weapons as it can find. And the writers have already embedded that into the narrative via surly Vice President Ben Hayes, who clearly didnt support Warners efforts for peace, and will almost certainly lead a call to escalate the war in the region. How can David Wellington and Saul Berenson possibly keep peace on the table now? And dont forget that in the final moments of the episode, everyone watches Taliban soldiers with an RPG, so there will be no hesitation as to whos behind this attack. Haqqani may have called for peace, but Hayes will almost certainly put him on the target list as well given how much he built up the culture that led to this day. But who else falls? Lets think about the arc of Carrie Mathison, someone who is still highly suspect given her time in a Russian prison and recent interaction with one of that countrys most notable assets an interaction that her government is still working to decipher. She also told the president to come to the country to announce the ceasefire. She met with Yevgeny less than a week before he did so. Its been implied that information she gave Yevgeny before was relayed to the Taliban when her asset was killed. And shes been going out at night to who knows where, as shown in the opening scene. If someone chooses to break down her activity, which they almost certainly will for everyone in the region, then shes in serious trouble. And then theres Carries itinerary on the actual day. She meets with the president at Bagram Airfield, and sees him board a chopper to go to the troops instead of to the political dignitaries waiting with Saul. So shes one of the very first people to know that the entire event is a decoy and to know Warner is going somewhere else. And then she goes off the plan for the day, choosing to rescue Samira instead of going back to Kabul immediately. She suggests the president come to the war-torn region, she finds out where hes headed, she deviates from the plan, and then he dies. How could this not become a problem for her? All of this amplifies the most nagging question this season: What dont we know about Carrie Mathison? The assumption has been that Carrie is operating entirely above board and came out of her time in Russia mentally scarred but morally sound and loyal to her country. What if we shouldnt make that assumption? The writers have been setting up a narrative construct in which even she doesnt know what she said or did when she was in captivity, but what if theyre also playing games with the information that they give viewers? What if Carrie remembers more than shes letting on and we just dont know it yet? What if she actually turned? Remember, this show opened with the arc of a good man having been turned into a double agent. Could it close with the same arc? Final Notes Of course, we shouldnt discount the idea that GUlom and Qureshi, the two dignitaries in the region who felt the most betrayed by negotiated peace happening under their noses, somehow got word of Warners location and conveyed that to Haqqanis son. This seems the most likely scenario, but expect Carrie to face some heat before everyone agrees on that. Whats up with Max? Is the arc in which the soldiers where he was stationed consider him good luck just a funny one, or are we to take more from the fact that he stayed behind and didnt get on the helicopters shot down when the president dies? Is he really lucky, or did he know something and keep it quiet? Its hard to believe Max would turn they havent really hinted at that at all but this show has pulled crazier stunts over the years. The moment in which Warner thanks Carrie for everything she sacrificed was a sweet and genuine one. Beau Bridges has a way of selling those warm beats that this show is rarely allowed to have. And its poignant that its one of his characters final moments. Has anyone else noticed that Homeland is getting shorter? This one was only about 40 minutes with credits and the previously on segment removed. Its a show that has felt long in the past, so its nice to see it so purposeful and focused. Having said that, can they wrap up a new war in the Middle East in four episodes? Thats all we have left in the saga of Carrie Mathison, and it feels like shes about to go through her toughest chapter before its over. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. 24 arrested over Sundays rumour-mongering, say Delhi Police Delhi Police said on Monday they have arrested 24 people in connection with the rumour-mongering, which lead to panic in some parts of the Capital on Sunday, news agency ANI reported. Read more Playing with fire: Judge cautions Pawan Gupta lawyer on plea to stop hanging Delhi judge Dharmendra Rana on Monday reserved his verdict on Delhi gang rape convict Pawan Guptas request to stop his hanging because he had petitioned President Ram Nath Kovind to commute his death sentence. Read more. Delhi govt announces 1 crore compensation for IB official Ankit Sharmas family The Delhi government on Monday announced a compensation of 1 crore for the family of Ankit Sharma, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) official killed in Delhi violence. Read more Harassed over property dispute, couple kill child; commit suicide in Mumbai suburb A couple and their daughter were found dead at their residence in Daighar in the early hours of Monday morning, the police said. Read more Maoists build new safe haven in Amarkantak forests across Chhattisgarh, MP Maoists are developing a new base area in the dense Amarkantak forests to operate in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (MMC), just like south Abujhmaar forest, a base area for the CPI (Maoist) in Bastar region, say Chhattisgarh police officials. Read more NASA images show fall in Chinas pollution due to coronavirus shutdown NASA satellite images show a dramatic fall in pollution over China that is partly related to the economic slowdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, the space agency said. Read more India vs New Zealand: Never used to speak of these things before - Virat Kohli wants more clarity from players For Virat Kohli, the biggest talking point after the series loss was the fact that his players spent a lot of time focusing on things like conditions on offer and he believes that this had an impact on the mindset of the side in the Test match. Read more Sooryavanshi Trailer launch: Katrina Kaif stuns in an orange bodycon dress Actor Katrina Kaif was spotted today in a gorgeous tiger orange textured bodycon dress at the Sooryavanshi trailer launch where she was accompanied by her co-star Akshay Kumar along with Ranveer Singh, Ajay Devgn,Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar. Read more Airlines get a go-ahead from government to provide WiFi on flights Airlines have finally been given a go-ahead to provide in-flight WiFi services to passengers following an official notification from the central government. Read more Ajay Devgn gives hilarious reply when asked if he had a fight with Saif Ali Khan over Tanhaji comments. Watch video Saif Ali Khan, who played the antagonist Udaybhan Rathod in Om Rauts historical drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, stirred up a storm when he said that the film altered history to appeal to the masses. Read more "Despite the fact that the trading community of the country is still an admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is very impressed with his positive attitude and thinking towards the traders and small industries, yet in view of the current economic downturn and the indifferent attitude of the ministers and bureaucrats towards domestic trade, the traders across country have started getting disillusioned with the government," said the CAIT statement.It said that after the BJP government came to power, the traders had great hope that the attitude of the government towards traders would change and the traders in the country would get better focus and ample opportunities to grow business in an easy and cohesive business atmosphere, but nothing has changed in their lives and traders remain neglected as ever before."In view of this situation, the CAIT has convened a meeting of its National Governing Council in Patna on 5-6 March which will be participated by prominent trade leaders across Country and will consider the current business scenario in the country and burning issues of the traders and will decide future strategy."The traders' body expressed its displeasure with on the issued faced with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and said that problems including blockage of refunds have led to "mental torture" for traders."Both Bhartia and Khandelwal said that despite the efforts of government to simplify GST system, it has become very complicated to the extent that even after paying tax in time, traders are forced to pay same tax again in event of fault of a corresponding trader. Inefficiencies of the GST portal is leading to mental torture. Blockage of refunds with the department and several other contentious issues are haunting the traders but no one cares," the statement said.B.C. Bhartia is the National President of CAIT and Praveen Khandelwal is the National Secretary General of the organisation.CAIT also said that it has been neglected by the government despite its continuous support for government initiatives and policy decisions, including demonetisation, GST and adoption of digital payments."Despite apprehensions, the trading community did not leg behind in extending full support for the implementation of GST in the country. Though traders faced several problems caused by demonetisation, yet it outrightly support the government to meet the mandate of Prime Minister to clean the system from black money and created a positive atmosphere in the country but despite all such efforts, the traders remain neglected," said the statement.It further said that though the government implemented the MUDRA scheme on suggestions from traders, but the people supposed to benefit from the scheme and needed support were not receving the benefits."Prime Minister Narendra Modi while accepting the request of the traders, had implemented the Mudra scheme for the people who have never been funded. It is also true that lakhs of crores of rupees have been disbursed under the Mudra Yojana, but it is also a fact that the beneficiaries for whom Mudra Yojana was conceived, didn't got the loan and that is the reason why NPA is increasing in Mudra Scheme," it said.CAIT again touched upon the point of alleged unfair practices by e-commerce majors, which it has been raising time and again."E-commerce giants are destroying and devastating domestic trade to a great extent and despite several strict warnings by Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, these e-giants are continuing their unethical business practices in full swing and no action is being taken," it said, adding that the FDI policy is being violated right under the nose of the government and no action has been taken so far.Regarding losses suffered by traders and businesses in incidents of street violence, like that being witnessed in the capital, the traders' body said that there is "no foolproof security for traders and commercial markets and regular incidents occurred each day with traders in different parts of the country but traders are helpless".It also said that in these conditions, conducting business has become the "most difficult task".Both Bhartia and Khandelwal expressed their apprehension that the Prime Minister is probably not being given the right feedback about trade and business issues, "otherwise there is no reason that contrary to the Prime Minister's vision, the traders are being neglected". Farmers, under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan), staged a protest against the violence in Delhi outside the district administration complex in Sangrur on Monday. The farmers carried out protest marches at different places of the city and raised slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government. The unions district president Amreek Singh said, The riot was held on the say-so of the BJP leaders and we condemn the violence. Protesters were peacefully protesting at Shaheen Bagh when they were attacked. It was an attack on the freedom of expression of citizens of the country. A large number of people across the state are protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Population Register (NPR) and the BJP government. We have gathered here to support all these protesters, Singh added. Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay prominent US presidential candidate, on Sunday ended his campaign to be the Democratic nominee -- giving a major boost to fellow centrist Joe Biden. The 38-year-old Buttigiegs surprise decision was set to shake up the race this coming week when 14 states vote on Super Tuesday. It is expected to further boost the fortunes of Biden after the former vice president scored a resounding victory in South Carolinas primary on Saturday in the contest to see who faces President Donald Trump in November. Biden has emerged as the chief moderate challenger to front runner Bernie Sanders, the firebrand leftist who has taken the race by storm and is looking to score big wins on Tuesday in states like crown jewel California. Buttigieg, a military veteran and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, addressed supporters in his home town. The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close -- for our candidacy, if not for our cause, he said. Buttigieg did not mention Sanders by name in his speech, but he has publicly stated he believes the 78-year-old senators inflexible political approach would fail in a match-up against Trump. We need a broad-based agenda that can truly deliver for the American people, not one that gets lost in ideology, he said, telegraphing in a way his opposition to a Sanders nomination. Buttigieg however stopped short of endorsing Biden or any other candidate. Buttigieg emerged as a major player by narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses, earning widespread attention for his unflustered and professional approach in an often bitter Democratic nomination battle. But his third place finish in Nevada and a worse showing in South Carolina confirmed he struggled to build a broad coalition, including support from black voters -- a key Democratic demographic. Bidens resounding victory Saturday in the first southern state to vote has thrust him back into contention, after miserable showings in the first three states. With 48 percent of the vote in South Carolina, Biden more than doubled the 20 percent won by Sanders -- positioning him as the leftist senators main rival. This is a big boost for us, Biden said Sunday on CNN, but we have a long way to go. Sanders continues to hold poll leads in several Super Tuesday states -- including California. I think weve got a great chance to win in California, in Texas, in Massachusetts and a number of states, Sanders said Sunday on CBS. But into an already turbulent Democratic race -- which has gradually winnowed down a diverse and record-large field -- Bidens victory Saturday injected further uncertainty. 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. The win, powered by support from black voters, was Bidens first in the race, but came at a crucial time, helping dispel doubts about the 77-year-olds energy level and appeal. - Pressure to drop out - South Carolina brought some clarity: billionaire businessman Tom Steyer, who spent $23 million campaigning in the state, also dropped out of the race after taking just 11 percent of the vote. Pressure is mounting on other trailing Democrats -- including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Amy Klobuchar -- to follow Steyers and Buttigiegs example and then swiftly throw their weight behind a frontrunner. Warren, Klobuchar and billionaire Michael Bloomberg have all made it clear that they will stick around at least through Super Tuesday. Buttigieg was feted by rivals including Bloomberg, another moderate, who has poured a staggering $500 million from his personal fortune into campaign advertising. Buttigieg ran a strong campaign that inspired audiences and made history, Bloomberg said, adding he deeply admired his dedication to serving the United States. Biden praised Buttigieg for his trail-blazing campaign based on courage, compassion, and honesty. Many Buttigieg supporters are unlikely to shift their backing to Bloomberg, whom Buttigieg has openly accused of trying to buy his way into the presidential race. - The money factor - As the race goes forward, money will loom ever larger. Biden claimed he had been outspent 40-to-1 in South Carolina, but said his victory there brought in an infusion of $5 million in overnight donations. Sanders has raised huge amounts in mostly small donations, including $46 million in February alone. Biden argued on Sunday that as a centrist, he would be far more effective atop the partys ticket in November against Trump than Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist. I can bring along Democratic victory up and down the ticket, Biden said on ABC. I can win the United States Senate. I can keep the House. Biden campaigns on Monday in Texas, Super Tuesdays second largest haul of the delegates who formally pick the partys nominee in July, while Sanders campaigns in Utah and in Klobuchars home state of Minnesota. New Delhi, March 2 : The family of Shahrukh, who pointed a pistol at a Delhi Police Constable during the recent violence in northeast Delhi, has disappeared. Now, along with Shahrukh and AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, the police is searching for Shahrukh's family as well. Delhi Police sources told IANS on Monday that many suspicious articles were found in Shahrukh Khan's house. Inflammable objects were found in polythenes while acid and petrol bombs were recovered from Tahir's house. A Joint Commissioner level officer of Delhi Police, requesting anonymity, told IANS: "Arrests of Shahrukh and Tahir are very crucial for us. Both could prove vital links in the investigation". The police are recovering big petrol and diesel cans from some houses and streets. Thousands of chilly powder packets have also been recovered. These apart, 20-20 kg of iron nails and glass marbles have been found. These things were being used to make petrol bombs, the officer said. Another officer, who is also a member of the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the violence, said: "Catapults, made indigenously, were found installed on the roofs of many houses in Jafrabad and Mustafabad. It is expected that these catapults were used to throw petrol, acid and chilly bombs 100 metres away". Around 200 FIRs have been lodged so far in this connection and out of these, 40 contain murder related sections. These FIRs include charges of instigating violence, arms act, attempt to murder, causing harm to government property and obstructing the government's work. Around 1000 people have been arrested so far in the violence related incidents. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be reached at sanjeev.c@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text EnduRx Pharmaceuticals, advancing a drug delivery system intended to improve outcomes for patients with hard-to-treat solid tumors, has been awarded $1.4 million dollar Department of Defense grant. The 36-month project is a collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and will advance a novel therapeutic for triple-negative breast cancer to the point of pre-IND meeting with the FDA. Total project grant award is $1.75 million dollars. With triple-negative breast cancer, so-called because it lacks the receptors that enable the use of treatments employed for other forms of breast cancer, only about 30% of patients at best respond to standard-of-care treatment. said Stephan Morris, MD, EnduRx Principal Investigator. There are currently few approved drugs available specifically for the treatment of this fast growing and poor-outcome type of breast cancer. Untreated, the cancer is likely to metastasize to the brain and parts of the body, and the five-year survival rate is then only a little over 10%, so there is an urgent need for an effective therapy, Morris said. This form of breast cancer is diagnosed in about 10-20% of breast cancer patients, with an even higher proportion occurring in African-American women. We are pleased to have this opportunity to work with Dr. Naoto Uenos breast cancer group at MD Anderson, whose access to patient-derived xenograft models should provide a high level of confidence that the EnduRx Pharmaceuticals therapeutic candidate will translate well into human subjects with triple-negative breast cancer. About EnduRx Pharmaceuticals EnduRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Tucson firm, is part of OBDURO Biotechnologies, a San-Diego company formed in 2019, to improve delivery of drugs selectively to the site of disease and not elsewhere in the body. In 2020 OBDURO plans a funding round and will use the proceeds to further leverage the grant-sponsored activities and generate persuasive data aimed at securing pharma partnerships. EnduRx previously received a $1.75 million SBIR grant to develop a prototype of the drug delivery system. Earlier work showed tumor-volume reductions of over 90% in mouse models, with some cures. The DoD grant will allow EnduRx to complete pharmacokinetic and toxicology analyses as well as additional anti-cancer efficacy studies, data which are required before clinical trials can be initiated. said David Loynd, Chief Executive Officer of OBDURO and EnduRx. About the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs: CDMRP was established in 1992 when Congress first appropriated funds targeted specifically for breast cancer research. Since that time, additional research programs and topics have been added by Congress, and CDMRP has evolved into a global funding organization that fosters novel approaches to biomedical research in response to the expressed needs of its stakeholders --- the American public, the military, and Congress. For more information about CDMRP go to https://cdmrp.army.mil/. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. For further information: David Loynd, President & CEO EnduRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. dloynd@endurxpharm.com (855) 368-2878 Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana who for a brief moment was imagined as the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, has formally announced his exit from the race, ending a campaign that briefly rivalled sitting senators and a former vice president. After launching his campaign last April, Mr Buttigieg rose to prominence as the first openly gay man to seek the presidency and the youngest in a field of unprecedented candidates, occupying a moderate lane between an emerging left and an establishment status quo. But he struggled to gain momentum and solidify his support after two surprising finishes as primary elections began. The truth is the path has narrowed to a close, he said during his speech to supporters in South Bend on Sunday evening. We have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race ... Im making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign. ... But I will do everything in my power to make sure we have a new Democratic president come January. The Afghan War veteran and Harvard and Oxford educated former mayor didnt rely on his educational and professional bona fides but depicted himself as a homespun voice of middle America, a two-term mayor who believes he can speak for the middle-class heartland. 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 But that pivot often backfired amid scrutiny over racial strife in his police department, raising more questions and criticism about his relationship to non-white Americans whose crucial votes he needed for the nomination, and for his history with consulting firm McKinsey and Co, among other controversies. Less than a month ago, his ascendant campaign propelled by millions of dollars from big-ticket (and massive donor) fundraising efforts made history by scoring a virtual tie with Bernie Sanders in Iowa, followed by a strong finish in New Hampshire, and ultimately out-performing sitting senators and more experienced candidates from the jump. On the campaign trail and on debate stages, he occupied a centre lane between Joe Biden and Mr Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, often taking aim at their Medicare for All plans by echoing conservative arguments for Americans to maintain choice while also borrowing from his opponents, hoping to seize on the popularity of nationalised healthcare with his Medicare for All Who Want It. He positioned himself as a calmer, more rational, less angry candidate, though Mr Sanders has appealed to voters who he says have every right to feel angry with a political machine that has ignored large swaths of the electorate. Though Mr Buttigieg debuted with a narrow lead in Iowa, despite a turbulent results process and a premature victory speech, his campaign struggled to make any significant headway, slipping to third place in the Nevada caucus and barely registering with black voters in South Carolina a failure to capture a key demographic vital for the success of any Democratic nominee in the diverse electorates in crucial high-delegate states on Tuesday. His departure from the race provides an opening to other moderates, with voters speculating that his exit will consolidate support among remaining candidates in an effort to pull votes away from Mr Sanders, leaving Ms Warren to split and weaken his progressive vote. Speaking to reporters before taking the stage in front of thousands of supporters in California, Bernie Sanders congratulated Mr Buttigieg for running a brilliant campaign. He said: I want to welcome all of his supporters into our movement and urge them to joining us in the fight for real change in this country. On Sunday morning, Mr Buttigieg told NBCs Meet the Press that every single day, we do a lot of math on this campaign, so well be assessing at every turn ... making sure that every step we take is in the best interest of the party and that goal of defeating Donald Trump, because our country cant take four more years of this. He told his supporters in South Bend that there is simply too much at stake to retreat to the sidelines at a time like this, urging party unity to defeat the president in November. Meanwhile, the president hoping to sour the Democratic field chimed in on Twitter: Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play NO NOMINATION, AGAIN! Pete Buttigieg appears to rip-off famous Obama speech Mr Buttigiegs rhetorical style, borrowing heavily from Barack Obamas broadly sweeping declarations, spoke to repairing divisiveness and re-asserting American values to the forefront of the countrys politics. Whats going to be needed is a message, a messenger and the leadership to make sure those priorities are met, he told Meet the Press. His husband Chasten Buttigieg, remembering the day Pete asked what he thought about making a presidential run, said after falling in love with Pete, Pete got me to believe in myself again. I told Pete to run because I knew there were other kids sitting out there in this country who needed to believe in themselves, too, he said. The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks! Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics. The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc. The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics. The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates. Access to college recruiters and advisors its harder to line up higher education. Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family. Vote View Results Rheinmetall continues to grow: Defence earnings improve significantly, Automotive shows robust margin performance Posted by Publisher Internet br /> Consolidated sales increase by ?107 million to ?6,255 million Consolidated operating result improves by 2.9% to ?505 million Operating free cash flow rises significantly to ?314 million Automotive: Operating result falls to ?184 million, operating margin reaches 6.7% Defence increases operating result by 35% to ?343 million ? operating margin improves to 9.8% Order backlog increases by 20% to new record of nearly ?11 billion The Dusseldorf technology group Rheinmetall continued to grow in fiscal 2019, seeing further improvement in both sales and earnings. This development in the year under review was driven by the Group?s activities in the military business. However, the Automotive sector also proved robust in a weak market environment with an overall decline in automotive production. Armin Papperger, Chief Executive Officer of Rheinmetall AG: ?Rheinmetall has had another record year. In fiscal 2019, our sales reached a new high and we generated an operating result of over ?500 million for the first time. At the same time, we increased the Group?s operating free cash flow to over ?300 million. Thanks not least to our excellent performance, we grew the Group?s order backlog to nearly ?11 billion for the first time. We are also well-positioned for the future in key markets. In our role as an international system provider for armed forces, we are benefiting from the super cycle in the defence technology business gifted to us by the pressing backlog in military procurement. In Automotive, we will continue to push the modernization of automotive drive technologies and be an important partner to international manufacturers ? with ambitious contributions with regard to both conventional and alternative drive systems.? Rheinmetall generated consolidated sales of ?6,255 million in 2019. This is growth of ?107 million or 1.7% compared to the previous year?s figure of ?6,148 million. When adjusted for positive currency effects and portfolio effects, the growth amounts to 0.5%. The Group?s Defence sector more than compensated for the downturn in Automotive with a strong increase in sales and significantly higher profitability. The operating result (EBIT before special items) reached a new high in fiscal 2019 at ?505 million. This is growth of ?14 million or 2.9% compared to the previous year?s figure of ?491 million. Including positive special items of ?7 million net, reported EBIT amounts to ?512 million. Special items resulted from restructuring costs at a Defence location (?-2 million), from a real estate transaction at the Berlin site (?+2 million) and due to insurance payouts (?+7 million). Reported EBIT amounted to ?518 million in 2018, but this included positive special items of ?27 million due chiefly to real estate sales. The Rheinmetall Group increased its operating margin slightly to 8.1% in fiscal 2019, compared to 8.0% in the previous year. At Group level, earnings after taxes amounted to ?354 million in the past fiscal year and were therefore unchanged year on year. Including the earnings attributable to non-controlling interests, earnings per share for 2019 amounted to ?7.77 (2018: ?7.10). The Group?s operating free cash flow increased significantly due to considerable improvements in working capital in particular and rose to ?314 million after ?-35 million in fiscal 2018. The Group?s order backlog is more than ?10 billion for the first time. On December 31, 2019, Rheinmetall had orders worth ?10,846 million on its books, which equates to growth of ?1,791 million or 20% compared to the order backlog of ?9,055 million in the previous year (December 31, 2018). Automotive: Margin still good despite declining market development In a global market environment characterized by production declines among automotive manufacturers, especially in China, the Automotive sector saw decreasing orders in fiscal 2019 and accordingly reduced revenue. The sector?s sales sank from ?2,930 million to ?2,736 million, a reduction of 6.6%. According to the latest market data, global automotive production shrank by 5.8% in the same period. The sector?s sales figures do not include the contributions from the joint ventures in China, which increased their sales by ?138 million or 15.8% to ?1,010 million despite a decline of 8.4% in automotive production in China. Due to the sector?s sales decline, Automotive?s operating result amounted to ?184 million in the past fiscal year (previous year: ?262 million). The sector?s operating margin fell short of the high level of the previous year, but still reached 6.7% in fiscal 2019 (previous year: 8.9%). This slightly exceeded the most recent forecast, which predicted an operating margin of around 6.5%. Defence: Significant growth in earnings and margin, record order backlog The Defence sector?s business performance in fiscal 2019 was again characterized by the high worldwide demand in the military sector and by Rheinmetall?s successful positioning in major markets around the globe. The sector?s order intake remained at a high level. For the second year in a row, the sector has received orders worth over ?5 billion. In fiscal 2019, the order intake amounted to ?5,186 million, after ?5,565 million in the previous year, in which the largest single order in the company?s history ? 211 Boxer vehicles for the Australian armed forces ? with a volume of over ?2 billion helped set a new order intake record. The order backlog for Rheinmetall Defence increased to a new record of ?10,399 million as of December 31, 2019, which equates to growth of 21% after ?8,577 million at the end of the previous year. In 2019, the sector generated sales of ?3,522 million. This equates to growth of 9.4% or ?301 million compared to the previous year (?3,221 million). Adjusted for portfolio effects, organic growth came to 7.6%. The sector also significantly increased its earnings in 2019. The operating result reached ?343 million in the year under review, surpassing the previous year?s figure by ?89 million or 35%. The good business performance is also reflected in the profitability of Rheinmetall Defence. The operating margin rose to 9.8% in fiscal 2019, after 7.9% in the previous year. The most recent outlook, which forecast an operating margin of slightly above 9.5%, has therefore been confirmed. Rheinmetall will release the final business figures and the outlook for fiscal 2020 on March 18, 2020. This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Haemonetics Corporation's (NYSE:HAE) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. What is Haemonetics's P/E ratio? Well, based on the last twelve months it is 69.10. In other words, at today's prices, investors are paying $69.10 for every $1 in prior year profit. See our latest analysis for Haemonetics How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio? The formula for P/E is: Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for Haemonetics: P/E of 69.10 = USD108.33 USD1.57 (Based on the year to December 2019.) Is A High P/E Ratio Good? The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. All else being equal, it's better to pay a low price -- but as Warren Buffett said, 'It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price'. Does Haemonetics Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry? We can get an indication of market expectations by looking at the P/E ratio. The image below shows that Haemonetics has a higher P/E than the average (43.0) P/E for companies in the medical equipment industry. NYSE:HAE Price Estimation Relative to Market, March 2nd 2020 Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Haemonetics shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. Shareholders are clearly optimistic, but the future is always uncertain. So investors should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. When earnings grow, the 'E' increases, over time. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. Then, a lower P/E should attract more buyers, pushing the share price up. Haemonetics's earnings made like a rocket, taking off 78% last year. The sweetener is that the annual five year growth rate of 22% is also impressive. With that kind of growth rate we would generally expect a high P/E ratio. Story continues Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. In theory, a company can lower its future P/E ratio by using cash or debt to invest in growth. While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores. So What Does Haemonetics's Balance Sheet Tell Us? Net debt totals just 4.7% of Haemonetics's market cap. So it doesn't have as many options as it would with net cash, but its debt would not have much of an impact on its P/E ratio. The Bottom Line On Haemonetics's P/E Ratio With a P/E ratio of 69.1, Haemonetics is expected to grow earnings very strongly in the years to come. The company is not overly constrained by its modest debt levels, and its recent EPS growth is nothing short of stand-out. So to be frank we are not surprised it has a high P/E ratio. When the market is wrong about a stock, it gives savvy investors an opportunity. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, 'In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Saying that "the path has narrowed to a close," former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced Sunday night that he is suspending his 2020 presidential campaign. "At this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together," Buttigieg told supporters is his hometown of South Bend. "So tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency." "I will no longer seek to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January," he said. The suspension of the campaign brings to a close an historic bid by the first openly gay man to launch a major bid for the presidency. PHOTO: Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces he is ending his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for president during a speech at the Century Center on March 01, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) "We sent a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than, to see that someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband at his side," he said. In the final weeks of his campaign, Buttigieg had a clear target amongst his competition: Sen. Bernie Sanders. He spoke against Sanders' calls for an "ideological revolution" and his attempt at a complete overhaul of the American health care system. In his speech Sunday tonight, Buttigieg again alluded to the threat of a Sanders nomination. "We need leadership to heal a divided nation, not drive us further apart. We need a broad-based agenda that can truly deliver for the American people, not one that gets lost in ideology. We need an approach strong enough not only to win the White House but to hold the House, win the Senate, and send Mitch McConnell into retirement," he said. Buttigieg, who was once a long-shot in a crowded field of candidates, became a household name during the Democratic primary and would eventually go one to fare well in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary before his momentum was slowed during contests in the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina. Story continues When he announced his exploratory committee in January 2019, voters didnt know him or his policy positions, and could not pronounce his last name. MORE: Commanding Biden win in South Carolina resets and recasts primary race: ANALYSIS "Boot Edge Edge" became a pronunciation of sorts, plastered across campaign merchandise and even adorned across an entire wall at his campaign headquarters. At 38 years old, he was a millennial and the youngest candidate in the field. Buttigieg leaned on his youth, hoping to bring about a new generation of leadership in Washington, D.C., and ran on a message of unifying the country in a post-Donald Trump presidency. Hed begin his town halls asking voters to visualize the day the sun comes up over America and Trump was no longer president. PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate and Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign stop at Maquoketa Middle School in Maquoketa, Iowa, Dec. 30, 2019. (Eileen Meslar/Telegraph Herald via AP) "We will be even more divided and polarized on that day then we are now. Just worn out from fighting, exhausted and torn up over politics. And that means that we are going to require a president who is focused on uniting the American people, and healing what has been torn up and broken among us," Buttigieg said during a town hall in New Hampshire in January. Buttigieg, as the first major openly gay candidate to mount a significant run for president, campaigned alongside his husband, Chasten, who developed his own fan base along the way. In one of Buttigeigs most powerful moments, he also became the first person from the LGBTQ community to talk openly on a presidential debate stage about his coming out. During the ABC News/Univision hosted debate in September, Buttigieg recalled being a military officer while deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 during the era of "Dont Ask, Dont Tell," while also serving as mayor in a state under then-Governor Mike Pence. MORE: 5 key takeaways from the South Carolina Democratic debate "At a certain point when it came to professional setbacks, I had to wonder whether just acknowledging who I was was going to be the ultimate career ending, professional setback. I came back from the deployment and realized you only get to live one life and I was not interested in not knowing what it was like to be in love any longer, so I just came out." For Buttigieg, there was no setback, but rather overwhelming support from his community. After coming out in an op-ed in his local newspaper during his 2015 reelection year, he was elected with 80% of the vote. "Mayor Buttigieg ran an incredible campaign that broke glass ceilings and inspired countless LGBTQ people to run for office and enter public service," said Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign. "His history-making, open and honest campaign gave representation to a community that has been for far too long pushed out of the spotlight. He gave a voice to millions across the country, to issues often ignored. He championed his support for LGBTQ equality and effectively articulated how issues of discrimination and inequality personally affected him and his family, undoubtedly moving our country towards a more equal society." Buttigieg took more moderate positions than some of the other candidates in his party. Most notably, his Medicare for All Who Want It plan left private insurance in place and he opposed free college for everyone. Instead, he supported free college for those who cant afford it. He embraced his underdog status in the race and proved himself to be a master fundraiser, often beating out more notable names each quarter. But his fundraising also brought about a contentious spar with Sen. Elizabeth Warren at the end of 2019 over attending private events. (MORE: The trips to war zones that Pete Buttigieg rarely talks about) For much of the year, Buttigiegs private fundraisers were closed to press and his campaign had stopped releasing names of bundlers, but after mounting pressure from reporters and Warren to open them up, he changed course in December, allowing media in and disclosed those who were raising money for his campaign. PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg leaves after holding a campaign event at the Majestic Theater, Dec. 29, 2019, in Centerville, Iowa. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The former mayor was constantly having to defend his experience and whether he was qualified to be commander-in-chief. His failed runs for Indiana state treasurer in 2010 and the DNC Chair in 2016 were often pointed out as being unelectable and the wrong candidate to take on Trump in a general election. (MORE: Pete Buttigieg releases list of 113 bundlers for his campaign) One of his biggest political shortcomings was the lack of support from African-American voters. He hovered around 2% among black Democratic voters and black Democratic-leaning independents, according a recent Washington Post/ Ipsos poll. Some of the potential causes for his low support is the criticism he received over his relationship with black residents in South Bend and his demotion of the citys first black police chief, Darryl Boykins, in 2012. The shooting death of a black man, Eric Logan, by a white police officer in the summer of 2019 was one of the biggest tests of Buttigieg's campaign. Anger and frustration quickly spread across the city, and the mayor was forced to cancel events in New York City and Los Angeles that week to be in South Bend to monitor the situation and meet with community members and family of the victim. Buttigieg also pulled out of Rep. Jim Clyburn's Fish Fry in South Carolina that Friday night to return home and join a march and protest. A week later, the mayor held a town hall with the police chief and was the target of members of the South Bend community for not doing enough to prevent incidents like this from happening. Asked during the July Democratic debate about the lack of black police officers in South Bend and the failure to improve its diversity over his tenure as mayor, Buttigieg infamously admitted, "I couldnt get it done." Pete Buttigieg ends 2020 White House bid originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A religious school teacher allegedly told colleagues that she hoped to start a romantic relationship with a year 12 student after she graduated, despite receiving two complaints from the teen's parents. The teacher sent 1600 text messages and made 78 phone calls to the girl over six months in 2016, the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) was told on Monday. She also brought lunch to school for the student, draped the teen's legs across her lap, engaged in conversations on private topics like relationships and plotted pranks at the school with the student, the hearing was told. The teacher sent 1600 text messages to the student. Credit:Glenn Hunt Their closeness worried the teen's family, including her sister, who was also a student in the teacher's class. Ankara: The atmosphere of war that is raging in two consecutive countries is becoming. At the same time, on Sunday, March 1, 2020, Turkey intensified the attack against Syria and destroyed two of its fighters. At the same time, it has also claimed to destroy Syria's air defense system and more than 100 tanks. At the same time, Syria has said that if any country violates its air border, it will be dealt with strictly. Amid growing tension, Turkish President Recep Tayyab Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Moscow on March 5. It is also being said that there was a talk on the phone between the two last week. Turkey has intensified attacks since 27 February 2020 in response to its 33 soldiers killed in the attack on Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. At the same time, the attack was accused of the Bashar al-Assad government of Syria. Turkey has also increased tensions with Russia, which is supporting the Syrian government army. However, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Aker said that Russia is not our target. Where we are only attacking the defense establishments associated with the Syrian government, which is promoting bigotry in the region. According to the information received, the Turkish Defense Ministry on Sunday said that along with the demolition of Syria's anti-aircraft system, two of its SU-24 class aircraft have also been shot down. 100 tanks have also been destroyed. The Syrian state media said that the Turkish army had targeted two of its planes in Idlib. An opposing group and a British organization monitoring the war have also spoken of killing the Syrian aircraft in the Turkish attack. Also Read: India will contribute to the universe, will look for explosion in supermassive black hole Coronavirus wreaks havoc in Pakistan, number of infected persons increased to four Afghan women fear Taliban return This agreement with Afghanistan was achieved only when the Taliban tried for peace: Pompeo A farmer's social media post has gone viral after he shared an image showing the aftermath of a dog attack on a new born lamb. Gloucestershire farmer Russell Scudamore posted a photo of the two-day-old lamb after it died following a livestock worrying incident. The post has been shared more than 5,000 times and has gained thousands of comments from the public expressing sympathy. "This lamb had spent 20 minutes in a field before being chased and killed by a dog," Mr Scudamore, who farms near Winchcombe, said. He added that other young lambs had been left 'shaken and mis-mothered' following the incident. "This will not be tolerated," the farmer said, "Any dog caught chasing sheep will be shot on sight by us. "The lucky owner of this dog had it back on the lead before we had the chance". Mr Scudamore now hopes that by sharing the viral image more people will be educated about the crime. Livestock worrying cost farmers 1.2m last year as irresponsible owners continue to allow dogs to roam free in the countryside, figures released last month show. Despite sharp falls in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, rises in England contribute to the continued high cost of attacks. The statistics, released by rural insurer NFU Mutual, show that a 15% rise in the cost of attacks in England led to the overall figure of 1.2m. Advertisement A second person in the U.S. has died from coronavirus at the same Seattle area hospital where the first person died, officials have confirmed. The announcement came as the first coronavirus patient was confirmed in New York, and the number of cases nationwide reached at least 86. Health officials in Washington state said Sunday night that a man in his 70s had died - and he had previously been a resident at a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus. The man reportedly had underlying health conditions, and died at the EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland - the same hospital where the country's first coronavirus-related death was reported yesterday. Officials also confirmed three other patients at the hospital - a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 70s - are all in a critical condition. The man who died and the three critical patients had all been residents of the LifeCare nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, where health officials said 50 people are sick and being tested for the virus. It came as the first positive case of coronavirus in New York was confirmed on Sunday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Reports said that the woman is currently in Manhattan and is isolated inside her home. A statement from the Cuomo's office reveals that the patient, an unidentified woman in her late 30s, contracted COVID-19 while traveling abroad in Iran. The second man to die in the US from coronavirus had previously been a patient at Life Care in Kirkland. Pictured, a staff member blocks the view as a person is taken by a stretcher to a waiting ambulance from the nursing facility Workers unload personal protective equipment, including goggles and gloves, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland 'The positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround,' Cuomo wrote. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention will now confirm the case. It's unclear when the woman was in Iran and when she returned to the U.S. After the death of the resident from EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland, The CDC and local health officials sent an emergency response team to try to control the escalating situation. Frank Riedo, the medical director of infection control at EvergreenHealth Hospital said: '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.' Health officials in Washington state said Sunday night that a man in his 70s had died - and he had previously been a resident at a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus A 'medically high-risk' male in his 50s died of coronavirus overnight Friday in Kirkland hospital EvergreenHealth '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,' Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, said. 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. More than 50 staff and residents of the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, were showing symptoms of the disease. One patient has since died 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.' One-quarter of 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. At least 77 patients in the US have now been confirmed to have coronavirus, after one was reported in Rhode Island and a fifth 'unknown' origin case was found in Chicago on Sunday. The number of Americans diagnosed with the virus has hit 77 and counting, after two 'presumptive positive' tests in Florida Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitted that the deadly virus' entrance into New York's population of 19 million was a 'matter of when, not if.' He went on to say that there is a $40million emergency management authorization legislature that has been proposed to government officials and is anticipating it's quick approval. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (pictured): 'The positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround' 'There is no reason for undue anxiety -- the general risk remains low in New York. We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available,' he wrote. New York's first positive coronavirus case comes after officials confirmed new coronavirus cases on Sunday. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed the latest infection in Chicago during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, saying that authorities are now working to trace the source of the latest instance. So far, there are at least five reported cases nationwide - one in Chicago, one in Washington State, one in Oregon, and two in California - where authorities do not know how the virus was contracted, according to the federal government. The Chicago Tribune on Sunday reported that the third case of coronavirus was confirmed in Illinois. A suburban Cook County resident was found to be a presumptive case of novel coronavirus, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced. The patient is hospitalized in isolation, and protocols by the Centers for Disease Control have been implemented. Reports said that the woman is currently in Manhattan and is isolated inside her home. Pictured, people wear masks and purchase hand sanitizer in Queens, New York Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has asked hospitals across the state to do more testing to improve surveillance for the virus. Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, said on Sunday that a new case of coronavirus was confirmed overnight in Chicago The state was the first in the nation to provide for testing, according to the Tribune. The governor announced on Friday that there were now three labs in the state that could test for coronavirus - one in Cook County, one in Springfield, and a third in Carbondale. Officials said that the two other Illinois patients found to have the coronavirus have since made a full recovery. Also on Sunday, the Rhode Island Department of Health announced the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus. The patient is in their 40s and had traveled to Italy in mid-February, the state agency said. 'RIDOH is coordinating closely with the hospital where this person is currently being treated and all infection control protocols are being followed,' the department said in a statement. 'The Rhode Island Department of Health has been preparing for weeks to ensure that we have a structure in place to, to the best of our ability, limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Rhode Island,' said Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the department. 'We fully anticipated having a first case of COVID-19. 'We are not seeing widespread community transmission in Rhode Island, and the general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is still low. 'However, everyone in Rhode Island has a role to play in helping us prevent the spread of viruses, just like the flu. 'It is very important that people wash their hands regularly, cover their coughs and sneezes, and stay home if they are sick.' On Sunday Night, the Florida Department of Health confirmed two patients have tested 'presumptive positive' for coronavirus. One is a resident of Hillsborough County, while the other is from of Manatee County. Both have been isolated. The Trump administration on Saturday announced measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, including new restrictions on Americans and other who have traveled to Iran. The government is also advising citizens against travel to certain parts of Italy and South Korea, where significant outbreaks of the pathogen have been reported. The Rhode Island Department of Health announced on Sunday the first presumptive case of coronavirus in the state. The patient is described as a person in their 40s who just returned from a trip to Italy, the site of the largest outbreak of coronavirus in Europe. The image above shows an unidentified tourist in the Piazza del Duomo in Milan on Saturday Coronavirus has been spreading in Washington State for more than six weeks and HUNDREDS could be undiagnosed, say experts A scientist in Washington State believes coronavirus may have been spreading for six weeks before it was detected, and there could be a 'few hundred' people currently infected amid an 'already substantial outbreak'. At least 77 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported as of Sunday afternoon with the majority being on the west coast of the United States but new cases were confirmed in Rhode Island - where a patient in their 40s had traveled to Italy in mid-February - and Illinois where the third presumptive case of novel coronavirus, was announced. Two people have made full recoveries in Illinois. But anxious shoppers descended on supermarkets, stocking up on supplies like bottled water, canned food and Clorox wipes after more than half a dozen California residents were diagnosed with the disease in recent days. The number of confirmed infections in Washington reached eight Sunday as two men in their 60s - both with underlying health conditions - were in critical condition. One was stable at Valley Medical Center in Renton, the other was at Virginia Mason. Trevor Bedford of the University of Washington said the illness has likely spread within the community as none of the people confirmed to be infected had recently traveled. A new coronavirus study 'strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State (pictured) for the past 6 weeks,' a scientist has said. In three new cases confirmed near Seattle the victims don't have a history of recent travel Bedford said a team at the Seattle Flu Study had compared the first reported case of COVID-19 in the United States to the second case, and found that it was on the same evolutionary tree. Sharing a diagram, Bedford tweeted Saturday: 'This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State for the past 6 weeks.' Bedford posted on social media that case WA2 is likely to have come from case WA2 as they appear almost identical in make-up. The academic also noted that they were discovered in the same area of Washington State, Snohomish County, as he put the probability value at 0.3. Anything less than 0.5 is statistically significant and effectively rules out the chance the findings are random. 'It's possible that this genetic similarity is a coincidence and these are separate introductions. However, I believe this is highly unlikely. The WA1 case had a variant at site 18060. This variant is only present in 2/59 viruses from China,' Bedford continued. 'I'd assess the p-value for this coincidence at 2/59=0.03 and so is statistically significant. Additionally, these two cases are geographically proximal, both residing in Snohomish County. 'I believe we're facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China.' Bedford said they will be working closely with Public Health Seattle and King County as well as the Washington Department of Health to fully investigate the outbreak. The virus, immunity and evolution expert added that they hope to provide an update on the number of infections in Washington State soon. 'An update, because I see people overly speculating on total outbreak size. Our best current expectation is a few hundred current infections,' Bedford tweeted Saturday. 'Expect more analyses tomorrow.' Sonya Tran, of Randolph, Massachusetts, front, and Bobby Ratanasim, of Providence, Rhode Island, behind center, wear protective masks while playing a Nintendo game, Thursday, in Boston. Tran and Ratanasim said concerns about the coronavirus played a role in wearing masks to the conference Zhang Bin, right, walks with a friend along a street, both wearing protective masks in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles on Friday Scientists not affiliated with the research said the results did not necessarily surprise them and pointed out that for many people - especially younger, healthier ones - the symptoms are not much worse than a flu or bad cold. 'We think that this has a pretty high rate of mild symptoms and can be asymptomatic. The symptoms are pretty non-specific and testing criteria has been pretty strict, so those combinations of factors means that it easily could have been circulating for a bit without us knowing,' said Justin Lessler, an associated professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 'And that was what a lot of us was thinking was likely.' Virus claims more than 3,000 lives worldwide as flights from US to Italy are suspended Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has sickened at least 88,583 people and killed more than 3,000 in 54 countries. The US will start screening travelers for coronavirus and ramp up production of masks and test kits as the government scrambles to reassure Americans while the disease spreads and businesses cancel conferences and flights. Donald Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and upon arrival, without specifying which countries. Delta Air Lines on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday. The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. Trump said on Saturday that the United States was also considering shutting the country's southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus, adding, 'We hope we won't have to do that.' Mexico has reported four coronavirus cases. Its foreign ministry said on Saturday that both governments are in 'close and effective communication, especially the health authorities.' Meanwhile in Australia, the first human-to-human transfer of COVID-19 has been confirmed as the number of cases in the country hit 31. Tasmania has also confirmed its first case of the virus. Delta Air Lines Inc on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday Vice President Mike Pence said the government had contracted 3M Co to produce an extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell International Inc is the other major U.S. mask producer. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams asked the public to stop buying masks, saying they're ineffective against coronavirus. Pence, named by the president to be the point-person overseeing the government's response, said more than 15,000 virus testing kits had been released over the weekend. And, the administration is working with a commercial provider to distribute 50,000 more, he said. The vice president said testing was among the first issues raised by governors he's spoken with so far. Several states have begun their own testing, including Washington state, Oregon and Illinois. 'We're leaning into it,' Pence said. Mike Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases, but that the 'vast majority' of those who contracted the disease would recover U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said more than 3,600 people already have been tested for coronavirus and the capability exists to test 75,000 people. He forecast a "radical expansion of that" in the coming weeks. The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number 'radically' in coming weeks, Azar told ABC's This Week on Sunday. He also told Fox News that clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine would start in six weeks but that a vaccine will likely not be available this season. Democrats, who will challenge Trump for the presidency in the November 3 election, have criticized his administration for downplaying the crisis and not preparing for the disease to spread in the United States. Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases, but that the 'vast majority' of those who contracted the disease would recover. 'Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We're ready,' Pence told NBC's 'Meet the Press'. (Alliance News) - Budget airline Wizz Air Holdings PLC is looking to launch Abu Dhabi operations this autumn following the completion of a partnership agreement, the company said on Monday. Hungarian airline Wizz first announced the move into the region in December, creating Wizz's first operations outside of Europe. It was set up in a joint venture with Abu Dhabi Development Holding Co PJSC, which looks after the emirate's state-owned companies. Wizz said Monday the agreement with ADDH has now been finalised, paving the way for operations to start in the autumn of 2020. This is a "major milestone", Wizz said, and it will fly to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa from Abu Dhabi's international airport. "Today marks an important milestone on the way to establishing our new airline in Abu Dhabi. The joint venture agreement with Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Co to form Wizz Air Abu Dhabi underpins our long-term dedication to bringing an economically and operationally highly efficient as well as environmentally most sustainable airline business model to boost Abu Dhabi's aviation development," said Wizz Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi. "Wizz Air's mission feeds into Abu Dhabi's diversified economic strategy as we aim to stimulate traffic by creating demand to the benefit of growing Abu Dhabi's touristic and economic diversity. We look forward to welcoming passengers on board our young, green and ultra-efficient fleet." Wizz, which is focused on central and eastern Europe, currently offers over 700 routes in Europe in 45 countries. It has an all-Airbus SE fleet of 120 aircraft. Shares were 2.6% higher on Monday morning at 3,503.41 pence each. However, they have lost 22% since the middle of February. Airline stocks have borne the brunt of a sell-off prompted by the coronavirus outbreak in China, amid fears of a steep decline in travel demand if the virus continues to spread across the world. By George Collard; georgecollard@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. You are here: China Central China's Hubei Province, where the novel coronavirus outbreak was most severe, has received over 13 billion yuan (around $1.86 billion) of donations by Saturday, local authorities said Sunday. The donation includes 6.76 billion yuan directed to the provincial level and 4.63 billion yuan to the capital city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, according to the provincial epidemic prevention and control headquarters. The province has also received over 92 million items of supplies, including medical protective suits, face masks, goggles and protective masks, according to the headquarters. Subscriber content preview By SAM KEMMIS NerdWallet iStock image Whether youre going to an exotic destination wedding or just flying back to Cincinnati for your cousins nuptials, wedding travel can get expensive in a hurry. You have no excuses now that the holidays have ended: It's time to book travel for the wedding(s) you agreed to attend in 2020. . . . Chennai, March 2 : Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has said that he would do whatever possible within his capacity to bring peace in the country. In a tweet late Sunday, Rajinikanth said he was happy to meet the officials of Tamil Nadu Jamathul Ulama Sabai (TNJUS) and hear their views. "I second their views that love, unity and peace should be the main goal of a country," he said. Earlier on Sunday, TNJUS members met Rajinikanth and apprised him of issues related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). According to K.M. Baqavi, TNJUS President, Rajinikanth assured the delegation that he would do the needful. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed STAMFORD Cable-and-internet giant Charter Communications is creating a loan fund that it will use to invest at least $10 million to help finance small businesses and spur job growth in underserved communities within its 41-state operating footprint. The Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund will invest the $10 million by the end of 2021, offering loans of up to $1 million to each participating community development financing institution. In addition, Charter said that it will provide each CDFI with an additional grant, to help cover training and technical expertise for small businesses. Stamford-based Charter said that it expects its $3 million first-phase investment in New York, Texas and Ohio to be combined with more than $12 million in capital from other sources and contribute to the creation of hundreds of new jobs in those states. Charter is committed to having a meaningful impact in the communities where our customers and employees live and work, and the Loan Fund is the latest Spectrum Community Impact program designed to do just that, Charter CEO and Chairman Tom Rutledge said in a statement Thursday. Through these investments in local small businesses, Charter will positively impact financially underserved communities by providing growth capital, creating new jobs and strengthening businesses. During the first half of 2020, the loan fund plans to invest $1 million in Pursuit Community Finance in New York, $1 million in Texas-based PeopleFund, as well as $1 million in an Ohio-based CDFI later this year. Pursuit welcomes the Charter investment, which will help catalyze responsible lending to neighborhood small businesses in communities throughout New York state, Steve Cohen, president of Pursuit Community Finance, said in a statement. It is noteworthy to have a public company express a commitment to community lending alongside our more typical bank investors. PeopleFund said that it will leverage each dollar from Charter with $4 from other sources to generate a total of $5 million in investments in small businesses across Texas. This will have an enormous positive economic impact in the communities where these businesses operate by creating hundreds of jobs and helping hundreds of families achieve financial stability and independence, Gustavo Lasala, president and CEO of PeopleFund, said in a statement. By the end of the first quarter of 2021, the loan fund intends to cumulatively invest an additional $4 million with CDFIs in California, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin. It plans to make an initial $7 million in investments in states covering about 70 percent of its approximately 29 million customers. The company operates in every state except Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Utah. Charter does not plan to make any investments in Connecticut in the programs first round. Ranking as the No. 70 company on last years Fortune 500 list, Charter is headquartered at 400 Atlantic St., in downtown Stamford. A few blocks away, it is building a 500,000-square-foot headquarters next to the citys main Metro-North Railroad station. It plans to move in next year to the new building. pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott Klobuchar struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and overcome low name recognition. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and will reportedly endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice presidents White House bid. She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally on Monday night. Pete Buttigieg, who withdrew from the race over the weekend, will also reportedly attend the rally and endorse Biden as well. Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in New Hampshire. But she could not turn that into success elsewhere, as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in subsequent contests. The three-term senator had one of this cycles more memorable campaign launches, standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm last February to tout her grit and Midwestern sensibilities. Klobuchar argued that her record of getting things done in Washington, DC, and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency. She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates. But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April, starting as a frontrunner and remaining there until Bernie Sanders started winning the early contests. Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Pete Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely unknown mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top contender on a mix of intelligence, strong oratory and youthful optimism. Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday, saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination. Low name recognition Klobuchar entered the race with low name recognition compared with many of her rivals, a disadvantage she was still citing a year into her campaign. Outside Minnesota, the lawyer and former prosecutor was best known for her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Even before she got into the race, Klobuchar was hit with news stories claiming she mistreated her Senate staff, and she had a higher-than-usual turnover rate in her office. Klobuchar said she is a tough boss but countered that she has several longtime employees, including the manager of her presidential campaign. She also faced questions over her prosecutor past. In January, The Associated Press news agency published a story about Klobuchars office in Minneapolis having prosecuted the case of a black teenager accused of the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl. Klobuchar has cited the story to show her toughness on crime. But an AP/APM Reports investigation uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, raising questions about whether Myon Burrell was railroaded by police. The issue followed Klobuchar on the campaign trail, with protesters forcing her to cancel a rally in suburban Minneapolis days before Super Tuesday. Klobuchar campaigned on her productivity in Washington, where she led more than 100 bills that were signed into law. And she criticized the more liberal candidates in the field, Senators Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, for running on promises she said they could not keep. Rather than advocate for Medicare for All, for example, Klobuchar favored expanding the Affordable Care Act and working to reduce prescription drug costs changes she said had a chance of passing and would make a significant impact. She supported making community colleges free but said she wouldnt promise to do the same for four-year colleges and universities because the US cannot afford it. Ive got to tell the truth, she said during a CNN town hall at a college campus, where she acknowledged her position may be unpopular with younger voters. Fundraising shortfalls Klobuchar was one of the first candidates to outline a plan for addressing addiction and mental health, an issue she described as personal because of her fathers longtime struggle. Her accounts of growing up with a father suffering from alcoholism and watching him be forced to choose between prison or treatment were some of the most compelling moments of speeches, interviews and discussions with voters. Klobuchar said that her father described getting help as being pursued by grace and that its an opportunity all people fighting addiction deserve. But Klobuchar couldnt match her top competitors in fundraising. She raised about $11m in the last quarter of 2019 roughly half of what Sanders and Buttigieg received. The lack of finances early on in the campaign meant Klobuchar was not able to expand her operation on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire until months after her rivals. She then scrambled to put an operation in place in Nevada, South Carolina and the 14 states that voted on Super Tuesday. Still, there were bright spots, including strong debate performances that helped bring in new donors. Her campaign credited Klobuchars showing in a debate days before the New Hampshire primary with helping her clinch a better-than-expected third place in the states primary, topping Warren and Biden. Klobuchar said she raised $12m in the next week. During one debate she addressed sexism in the campaign, questioning whether a woman with Buttigiegs experience would qualify for the stage. She also pushed back at fears of a female candidacy, saying, If you think a woman cant beat Donald Trump, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi does it every day. Brendan Cole shows his support for BBC Children in Need at Strictly Come Dancing at Elstree Studios on November 5, 2016. (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) Former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips has suggested Brendan Cole wasnt very nice and his exit from Strictly Come Dancing was karma. Fiona and Brendan were partnered on the BBC dancing programme in 2005 and the 59-year-old broadcaster has now revealed her true thoughts on the professional dancer. Brendan was a real bugger, actually, she told Daily Star. He wasn't very nice. He was really naughty. She added: He's not on the show now. Karma indeed. It works its way every time. Fiona and Brendan on Strictly Come Dancing (Picture: BBC) Brendan left the show in 2018 in a shock exit in which he hinted it was not his decision. It's quite, actually, hard to talk about. The BBC haven't renewed my contract, he said at the time. Read more: Bruno Tonioli: Strictly same sex decision cant be about headline chasing We get contracted year upon year. They've made an editorial decision to not have me back on the show. I'm a little bit in shock. I'm quite emotional, a bit raw about it. Fiona and Brendan left the show in week four (Picture: BBC) The 43-year-old was on the show for 15 years, and was the first Glitterball Trophy winner with celebrity partner Natasha Kaplinksy. He danced with Fiona on the third series and they were eliminated in the fourth week. Brendan later spoke of the decision not to renew his contract on Lorraine and admitted he was disappointed. I have had 15 incredible series on the show. I'm very proud of the whole show. It's a great team. I'm disappointed, he shared. BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND - AUGUST 30: Brendan Cole arrives for the Red Carpet Launch of 'Strictly Come Dancing 2016' at Elstree Studios on August 30, 2016 in Borehamwood, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) It's very hard to talk about. It's a recent decision. I've always known this day would come. To get to this point, the BBC make the decisions year upon year. It's an editorial decision. I'm sure I'll never know the ins and outs. When Len Goodman left the show as head judge, Brendan was considered a front runner for the role but it went to Shirley Ballas. I'm a very strong character within the show, I have my strong views, he added. I feel like I've made a massive difference to the show. Even though the show has a different team, I will always be one of the ones who was part of the journey who got it to where it is today. And to not be a part of that is hard. A nurse and a patient at a quarantine center for Covid-19 suspects and patients at Vinh Phuc Province, northern Vietnam, February 5, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Tat Dinh. Monday saw 34 people tagged on suspicion of contracting the novel coronavirus in Vietnam, the highest number in a month. As of Sunday morning, Vietnam had only 81 suspected infections, but just one day later, the total rose to 115 as droves of people entered the country from areas hit by Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel cornavirus, the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) announced. All 115 people, Vietnamese, Chinese and South Koreans with Covid-19 symptoms like cough and fever, have been quarantined in hospitals. None of the cases are in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, the three biggest cities in the country. Officials said the people will be released from quarantine if they test negative for the novel coronavirus, but they will continue to be monitored medically, at home or at medical camps. Medical staff will check their health regularly and the police will ensure they do not leave their homes or the camps. As of Monday, there were more than 10,000 people placed under medical monitoring after they returned from stricken areas or had direct contact with returnees from stricken areas. Vietnam has not detected any new infection since February 13 after all 16 Covid-19 patients, including two Chinese nationals and one Vietnamese American, were discharged from hospitals after quarantining and treatment. The global death toll has topped 3,000 and the novel coronavirus has spread to 68 countries and territories. Most of the deaths, more than 2,900, have occurred in China, followed by Iran with 54, Italy with 41 and South Korea with 26. The U.S. has reported two deaths. Our industry provides us the perfect opportunity to be our best selves Beginning today, Professional Photographers of America (PPA) welcomes Florida portrait photographer Gregory Daniel as its new president. Daniel begins a year-long term that extends through the end of February 2021. Daniel spoke about the honor by first quoting Winston Churchill, who said We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. I imagine each one of us can identify a mentor, teacher or loved one that cared enough to shine a light on our path, said Daniel. There may have been many of these giving individuals that lifted you when you were down or placed a gentle hand on your soul though breathing life into your gifts. We all have the ability each day to be that person-- to make a difference in someone elses life. Our industry provides us the perfect opportunity to be our best selves. Lets join together in investing in making a life by what we give. Daniel takes over the position of President after serving last year as the Vice President. The new Treasurer, Jeff Dachowski, began his service today as well. The previous Treasurer, Mary Fisk-Taylor, assumes the current role of Vice President. The previous President, Audrey Wancket, assumes the role of Chairwoman of the Board and the previous Chairman, Stephen Thetford, rotates off of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directorsall PPA members themselveswill shape the vision for the association until March 2020. Its members include the following: Chairwoman Audrey Wancket, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, from Spring Grove, IL. President Gregory Daniel, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, F-ASP, from Titusville, FL. Vice President Mary Fisk-Taylor, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, ABI, API, from Richmond, VA. Treasurer Jeffrey Dachowski, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, from Bedford, NH. Director Mark Campbell, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API from Wheeling, WV. Director Kira Derryberry, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, from Tallahassee, FL. Director Allison English Watkins, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, from Park City, UT. Director Trish Gilmore, Cr.Photog., CPP, from Rumford, RI, beginning her first term. Director Makayla Harris from Saratoga Springs, NY, beginning her first term. Director George Joell III, Cr.Photog., from Fayetteville, NC, beginning his first term. Director Larry Lourcey, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP, from Plano, TX, beginning his first term. Director Pete Rezac, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, from Reno, NV. Industry Advisor Michael Hanline from St. Paul, MN. PPA is a nonprofit association and the board is an essential component of that designation, taking an active role in its legal and financial responsibilities, visioning and policy. Each member of the PPA board is an active, professional photographer and brings a unique set of skills and talents to the table, aiding PPA in a variety of areas. Each board member serves three two-year terms and becomes eligible to run for the executive board after completing their first term. PPA has a lot planned for 2020 as the association celebrates the launch of its new website and the first re-design of its logo in nearly 25 years. To find the perfect visual representation of a 150-year strong association, PPA hired several graphic designers to present their takes on the logo. The candidates were narrowed down to four strong contenders who made it to the next round where they were judged against a set of key elements. The new logo began to make its appearance in emails and on the website in February and continues its roll out alongside the all-new PPA.com. PPA is in it for the long run, says Marketing Director, Carla Plouin. We dont change things for trends or fads. We always do whats right for the organization. This means understanding who our members are and serving them as best as we can. In doing so, we realized the shift in our membership demographics and wanted to better suit their needs. After 20+ years with the same logo, the same look and feel, it was fitting to now embrace a more modern, minimalist, and more inviting brand identity to better reflect our membership and how we serve them. About PPA: Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the largest and longest-standing nonprofit photography trade association. Founded in 1868, PPA currently helps 30,000+ pros elevate their craft and grow their business with resources and education, all under PPAs core guiding principle of bridging the gap between photographers and consumers. (Alliance News) - Tower Resources PLC said Monday it has signed a farm-out agreement with Australian firm OilLR Pty Ltd for a 25% working interest in the Thali production sharing contract in Cameroon. Shares in the Africa-focused oil & gas firm were 12% higher at 0.48 pence on Monday in London. The farm-out will cover USD7.5 million towards the cost of the NJOM-3 well that Tower Resources is planning to drill on the block. The well's cost is expected to be between USD15 million to USD16 million, of which USD3 million has already been spent. OilLR will receive a 25% working interest in the contract, subject to an overriding royalty of 10% for Tower on the contract share of production. Tower Resources will remain operator of the Thali PSC through its subsidiary Tower Resources Cameroon SA under a joint-operating agreement. Should the farm-in agreement not be completed in time, OilLR will instead receive a stake in Tower Resources Cameroon. The agreement is subject to due diligence and OilLR paying into escrow USD7.5 million in total at completion, but both companies expect the deal to be completed before April 15. "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Greg Lee and Art Malone of OilLR on this project in addition to securing this funding for the well, and we intend to have the balance of the funding in place by the time this transaction completes. This agreement is also consistent with our intention to commence drilling NJOM-3 in June, subject to finalisation of the rig schedule and the service companies' schedules," said Chair and CEO Jeremy Asher. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. i stopped watching after season 5 so this is all gobbledygook to me but i feel like every 2 to 3 years there's some massive re-write to the Doctor's history that CHaNgES EvERTHIng wE KnEW NOThIng wILL EVer BE ThE SAMe AGAIN!!!!1!!!1 so this will probably all be retconned in 3 years by a new writer. Reply Thread Link Doctor Who is The Bachelor of sci-fi. Reply Parent Thread Link I haven't watched Dr Who in several years but this is a cool plot! Also a nice way to sit down the haters. Reply Thread Link fascinating! makes me want to catch up! Reply Thread Link you should! Jodie is a delight! Reply Parent Thread Link Is Captain Jack Harkness still on the show or was it just a one off? I miss his entire existence, he was so much fun. What ep did he come back, I might start watching again for him. I really want to love Jodie's run but there's way too much exposition, it may as well be a radio play. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I've read some on Planet Mondas, but I wouldn't expect any less of old men. 'I won't watch Doctor fanny, they ruined my show, Hartnell forever, get off my lawn' Reply Parent Thread Link This season was fantastic and such an improvement from how utterly boring and pointless last season felt. Reply Thread Link Right? I love Jodie as The Doctor but last season was so underwhelming. The writing this season has been better, but I actually think shes grown even more into the role; and Sacha Dhawans Master is brilliant. Edited at 2020-03-02 02:09 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link I actually really liked last season, but ia, this one has been even better. Jodie is ah-mah-zing. Reply Parent Thread Link i really just don't understand the obsession with rewriting the show's history instead of just, like... moving forward and looking to the future. especially since so much of this just seems like lip service. "oh the ORIGINAL ORIGINAL Doctor wasn't Hartnell, it was a black woman!" alright well why didn't you hire a black woman to be the recurring doctor we're actually following?? why did you never bother to have a black man in the role???? i just... it makes no real sense to me. they're going out of their way to make the character history even more convoluted and strange. and why does gallifrey keep coming back only to get destroyed again?!?????????? especially when it was so unimportant in the original anyway, like why bother?????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????? Reply Thread Link Icb they destroyed galligrey again, what was the point Reply Parent Thread Link Honestly, yeah. It feels really empty. Reply Parent Thread Link Same, it's nice that they're making an effort to make it more diverse but rewriting the show's history retroactively to be like "There!! It was diverse all along!" is a weird strategy. Reply Parent Thread Link It's almost gaslight-y tbh. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that past values are different and work on becoming better. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yep. I hate when TV shows and comics go back and retcon major details. Plus most of the time people (the casual viewers/readers) will remember more what the original detail was anyway and won't latch on to whatever is new. Reply Parent Thread Link It's what comics do whenever they've either written themselves into a corner bc of bad writing or sales are waning so they're trying to get them back lol. Reply Parent Thread Link its because every writer wants to put their ~*stamp*~ on the history of the show instead of trying to take the show forward. they want their era to be ~~~~remembered~~~~. it's like they're trying to one up each other to see who can up with the most convoluted and ~~history changing~~ plots possible. it's...incredibly self wanky. the next writer will probably come in and reveal that the Doctor actually used to be a giant godzilla like monster that created the universe or something. Reply Parent Thread Link They did offer it to Joseph Patterson iirc but he turned it right the fucking hell down so they went with Matt Smith. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link mte I was planning on catching up with the show but everything in this post just sounds so terrible to me MOVE ON omg stop making the show's lore more convoluted, just tell good stories instead of trying to be epic~ Reply Parent Thread Link Also, apparently the show is doing one more season for 2021, then 6 specials for 2022 and just one episode for the 60th anniversary in 2023. Reply Thread Link I don't watch Doctor Who, but this sounds like something that will piss off shitty men, so I support it. Reply Thread Link LMAO literally where I'm at. I have been a fan for thirty years (watched it as a kid on PBS) and so I find NuWho constantly being like "Now he's 9000. Now he's 4,000. Now he's a million. Now he's married. Now he has more regenerations. Now she's not a Time Lord at all, but they stole things from her. Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back, Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back, Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back, Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back, Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back, Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back, Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back, Gallirey's gone, Gallifrey's back to be just so confusing. But if it pisses off shitty men, BRING ON THE CHANGES. Reply Parent Thread Link I gave up mid way through Smiths run, because Moffat is the worst. Ive seen a few episodes of Jodies run and should go back and watch the whole thing. But I am all for this latest major plot twist if it pisses off the elitist men who have eggshell egos and cant deal with a woman of color being the first doctor. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Lol MTE Reply Parent Thread Link I thought Moffat leaving would make the show good again but I'm sad I was wrong. I only watched the first season of the new doctor and the actors were good but the writing was boring and they didnt know how to develop the characters they had. Demons of the Punjab was good tho Reply Thread Link if you haven't even given this season a shot... Reply Parent Thread Link This season, though with some issues still (most notably Chibnall's writing and his need to use exposition all the time) has literally been the OPPOSITE of boring, there is one episode that kinda stucked, everything else has been top notch. It has been such an exciting time watching Doctor Who, I haven't felt like this since maybe season 5 or 6 TBH Reply Parent Thread Link This season is brilliant. Last season was just fun and enjoying the doctor in new adventures. And this season had an overall plot. Reply Parent Thread Link You should watch this season of DW. It's better than Jodie's first season. Reply Parent Thread Link I know the continuity of this show doesnt matter much, but I dont like that theyre rewriting pre-hartnell doctor stuff :( Ive always liked that being blank and mysterious. none of these reveals make me excited to check out the show again. Reply Thread Link That's what I don't like as well. There's always been a lot of wiggle room with this show. There's tons of creative license and that's wonderful, but I feel like Hartnell originated the role and should always be the first incarnation of the Doctor. Reply Parent Thread Link For all intents and purposes, he is. The Doctor doesn't remember anything from before the childhood that preceded the Hartnell incarnation, her memory was completely wiped. It's perhaps 5% less mysterious, but it's all still empty space. Reply Parent Thread Link According to older Who fans, this isn't a rewrite. It's a continuation of an older thread from the 70s. It also feels like a TimeLord isn't given a name but one they take on. If the storyline holds, it makes sense that The Doctor would arise from an erased past. Reply Parent Thread Link I haven't been watching but tbh this all sounds really stupid to me. I don't really like this retconning of the classic series, it's unnecessary and it comes across like they're just out of ideas for how to make the current show exciting and interesting. Moffat may be gone, but this stupid-ass plot twist is on the same level as Moffat's bullshit. Reply Thread Link Doctor Who drastically rewrites its own history all the time, starting from the 60s. And this doesn't even really contradict anything that came before, just puts a hidden story behind it, unlike so many of the changes. Even resolves a long-running contradiction. If it isn't your thing that a cracky time-travel magic-science rule-of-cool meta-heavy show would continue to do exactly that, that's fine. Reply Parent Thread Link this was a fantastic finale. this series was the doctor who i love--twists, surprises, excitement. jodie is so good in this role and i hope thirteen gets at least one more full series, with yaz, graham, and ryan. Reply Thread Link This is exactly everything omg Reply Thread Link Since I don't care about the doctors story I didn't mind spoiling myself. I only started watching the reboot because I was getting more and more into scifi/fantasy stuff at the time. Not sure I have a preference of doctors. I just enjoyed the story for what it was. I prefer when they mess with history/historical figures over the overarching plots because as has been said they just rewrite the doctors story with every new one and by this time it's just all ridiculous. They'll just do this again next time. Just give me a doctor and one companion both with better personalities. Reply Thread Link Has there literally ever been a time when a piece of media pulled this "drastically changes everything for no discernible reason except to get attention/money"? Comics do this all the time and it NEVER pays off. Who asked for "The Doctor was never a Time Lord"??? Reply Thread Link Iranian Foreign Ministry: US 'Has No Legal Position' to Ink Peace Agreement With Taliban Sputnik News 11:16 GMT 01.03.2020(updated 11:31 GMT 01.03.2020) On Saturday, the US and the Taliban clinched a landmark peace agreement in Doha, which stipulates the complete withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan over a 14 month period, including cutting troop numbers to 8,600 within 135 days. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the US "has no legal position to sign a peace deal [with the Taliban] or to decide the future situation of Afghanistan". The Ministry underscored that they welcome "any development that would contribute to peace and stability" in the South Asian country, but that it can only be achieved through domestic talks and by heeding "the considerations of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries". Iran "believes the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan is illegal and is one of the key contributors to war and insecurity in the country", the Ministry pointed out, adding that they consider the US' moves "an effort to legitimise" the deployment of its troops in the South Asian nation. The statement came after former National Security Adviser John Bolton asserted on his Twitter page that the US-Taliban peace deal poses an "unacceptable risk to America's civilian population", slamming the document as "an Obama-style deal". "Legitimising Taliban sends the wrong signal to ISIS [Daesh*] and al-Qaeda* terrorists, and to America's enemies generally", he tweeted on Saturday. President Donald Trump in turn hailed the agreement later on Saturday, pledging that he would personally meet with Taliban leaders "in the not so distant future". He also called on neighbouring countries to help maintain stability in Afghanistan, following an agreement which suggests a full withdrawal of all foreign troops from the nation, including US forces. Responding to Bolton's criticism, POTUS recalled that the former National Security Adviser had "had his chance" in Afghanistan, which he had never used. "He was here for a year. He could have done something better - I was all ears, and he wasn't able to do that," Trump said. He spoke after the long-awaited US-Taliban peace accord was inked in the Qatari capital Doha earlier on Saturday. In line with the deal, Washington promised "to 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 deal", according to a joint statement issued shortly before the signing of the accord. The residual US, allied and coalition forces will pull out within the remaining nine-and-a-half months, whereby all military bases will be abandoned. Up to 5000 Taliban prisoners will be released from prisons by 10 March, the first day of intra-Afghan talks, while the remaining prisoners will be freed within the next three months, according to the agreement. The Taliban in turn is obliged to keep such terrorist groups as al-Qaeda from using Afghan soil to threaten the security of the US and its allies. *Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State), al-Qaeda, terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada mourns the passing of Sen. David Smith, who dedicated decades to public service as a municipal and federal politician. Lets ensure that his eulogies recognize his enduring and incredible achievement for millions of Canadians with disabilities. It is known to far few that he played a decisive role in the successful grassroots battle to get Parliament to include equality for people with disabilities in Canadas proposed Charter of Rights. He championed that cause not on the front pages of newspapers, but where we needed help the most, in the backrooms of the halls of federal political power. Forty years ago, prime minister Pierre Trudeau proposed to add a Charter of Rights to Canadas Constitution. His proposed Charter of Rights included a guarantee of equality rights, to protect against discrimination by laws and governments. However, that proposed equality clause left out equality for people with disabilities. A number of us in the disability community rushed to campaign to get Parliament to add disability equality rights to the Charter. We contended that otherwise, the Charter would only guarantee equality for some. Equality for some means equality for none. It was a near hopeless uphill battle. Trudeau was racing to blitz his constitutional reforms through Parliament. We had no internet, email, social media or other such campaigning tools. The media gave us scant attention. Thankfully, along came a new Liberal backbench MP David Smith. Entirely unconnected to our campaign, earlier in 1980 he had been appointed to chair an all-party Parliamentary committee to hold public hearings on disability issues, because the UN had declared 1981 to be the International year of the Disabled Person. Those hearings were undoubtedly a Government PR gesture, of which we people with disabilities, have seen many. Yet those hearings galvanized Smith. He learned about the pressing need to amend the proposed Charter of Rights to protect equality for people with disabilities, before Parliament passed the Charter. With no public fanfare, and known only to a few, he took it on himself to work the backrooms on his own impetus, buttonholing MP after MP, pressing our case. The result of all these efforts? On Jan. 28, 1981, another Parliamentary Committee (of which Smith was not a member) was debating the Trudeau constitutional reforms, when it held a historic vote. It unanimously voted to amend the proposed Charter of Rights to entrench equality for people with disabilities as a constitutional right. Smith was likely not even in the room where that committee was meeting. Yet he was arguably the most important MP, relentlessly and successfully advocating for our cause, behind-the-scenes. Equality for people with disabilities was the only right that was added to the Charter during those debates. To my knowledge, Smith sought no limelight for this achievement. Yet as we look back on his life of accomplishments, this should rank very high among them. Decades later, the grassroots campaign across Canada to win strong disability accessibility legislation at the federal and provincial levels traces itself back to that historic amendment to the proposed Charter of Rights. It spawned accessibility laws enacted in Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and federally. Other provinces are now playing catch up. Rest in peace David Smith, with our undying gratitude for what you have done for everyone in Canada for generations to come People wearing sanitary masks take a selfie in front of the Duomo cathedral in Milan (Claudio Furlan/Lapresse/AP) Pupils from three schools in Northern Ireland have been sent home as a precaution against coronavirus. Groups from Cambridge House Grammar in Ballymena, Co Antrim, Limavady Grammar School in Co Londonderry and Banbridge Academy in Co Down which had recently been in Italy were included. Advice from health authorities is to self-isolate in certain cases. Dr Muhammad Sartaj, consultant in health protection at the Public Health Agency (PHA), said: With parts of Italy now coming within the guidance, we appreciate that people who may have travelled to the country recently will be concerned and are seeking advice. This includes parents of children who may have been on school trips over half-term, so we are liaising with Department of Education, education authority, and schools, to advise on the impact of the newly updated guidelines, and how they apply in each set of circumstances. Travellers who have been to 11 specific towns in Italy must self-isolate. Anyone who has been in northern Italy, not including Pisa, Florence or Rimini, is asked to stay at home for 14 days if they develop cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, and seek medical advice. The guidelines apply equally to all travellers to areas covered, whether travel has been for a holiday, school trip, business, or other reason. The school group of about 50 from Ballymena was in the Lombardy region in the north of Italy on a ski trip, but did not visit towns affected by the virus and are showing no symptoms. They travelled through Milan airport, Cambridge House Grammar School principal Elma Lutton said. This is precautionary - none of them were in those nine towns, none are showing any symptomsElma Lutton, principal, Cambridge House Grammar School She added: Taking cognisance of advice from the Public Health Agency and following advice from the education authority, the pupils and staff on that ski trip have been sent home for 14 days self-quarantine. This is precautionary, none of them were in those nine towns, none are showing any symptoms. They were in the Lombardy region but went through Milan airport. Pupils from Limavady Grammar School and Banbridge Academy have also been sent home following trips to Italy. A group of Year 10 pupils from Limavady travelled to Marilleva for a ski trip and flew home via an airport in Milan on Saturday. A group of 88 pupils and staff from the Academy had been at the resort of San Valentino. There are strict quarantine restrictions in two northern hotspots close to Milan and Venice. Thousands of people cannot enter or leave several towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions for the next two weeks without special permission. (PA Graphics) Outside the zone, sporting events have been cancelled and many schools and businesses have suspended normal operations. Cambridge House Grammar is one of the leading schools in Ballymena, with more than 900 pupils. One of the parents whose child was not affected, Marty Adams, said: As a parent, and I am sure every parent would echo the same, this is a matter of concern. I am glad to see that precautions are in place and hopefully no-one will be affected by it, but people were able to return to the school and spend some time in the school. The new strain of coronavirus originated last year in Hubei province in China. It causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19 and produces flu-like symptoms. People wear sanitary masks in Milan, Italy (Claudio Furlan/Lapresse via AP) China has seen thousands of infections and deaths. Stormont health minister Robin Swann said: We are in a fast-moving situation. He said updated guidelines were being issued to doctors. It is unlikely at this stage that any school would have to close if they follow the latest guidelines, he added. Using data gathered by NASAs Kepler space telescope, a team of astronomers in Canada has discovered 17 new exoplanets, including an Earth-sized world. Designated KIC 7340288b, this planet is both rocky and in the habitable zone of its parent star. KIC 7340288b is about 1,000 light-years away, so were not getting there anytime soon, said Michelle Kunimoto, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia. But this is a really exciting find, since there have only been 15 small, confirmed planets in the habitable zone found in Kepler data so far. This planet is just 1.6 times bigger than Earth. It orbits its host star once every 142.5 days at a distance of 0.444 AU (just bigger than the orbit of Mercury in the Solar System) and receives about a third of the light Earth gets from the Sun. Of the other 16 new planets discovered, the smallest is only two-thirds the size of Earth one of the smallest planets to be found with Kepler so far. The rest range in size up to 8 times the size of Earth. In the study, Kunimoto and her colleagues Dr. Henry Ngo of the NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics and University of British Columbias Professor Jaymie Matthews used the transit method to look for planets among the roughly 200,000 stars observed by the Kepler mission. Every time a planet passes in front of a star, it blocks a portion of that stars light and causes a temporary decrease in the stars brightness, she said. By finding these dips, known as transits, you can start to piece together information about the planet, such as its size and how long it takes to orbit. The astronomers also used the Near InfraRed Imager and Spectrometer (NIRI) on the Gemini North 8-m Telescope in Hawaii to capture follow-up images of some of the planet-hosting stars. We took images of the stars as if from space, using adaptive optics, Kunimoto said. Were able to tell if there was a star nearby that could have affected Keplers measurements, such as being the cause of the dip itself. In addition to the new planets, the team was able to observe thousands of known Kepler planets using the transit method, and will be reanalyzing the exoplanet census as a whole. Well be estimating how many planets are expected for stars with different temperatures, Professor Matthews said. A particularly important result will be finding a terrestrial habitable zone planet occurrence rate. How many Earth-like planets are there? Stay tuned. The teams paper was published in the Astronomical Journal. _____ Michelle Kunimoto et al. 2020. Searching the Entirety of Kepler Data. I. 17 New Planet Candidates Including One Habitable Zone World. AJ 159, 124; doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab6cf8 Rommel Aguirre, a suspected member of a militant group, answers questions from reporters as Col. Antonio John Divinagracia, commander of a military task force, listens during a news conference in southern Zamboanga city, March 2, 2020. A suspected member of a terrorist cell that allegedly once plotted deadly bomb attacks with the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf has surrendered to the Philippine military in southern Zamboanga city, six years after eluding capture, officials said Monday. Authorities identified the suspect as Rommel Aguirre, a mechanical engineer believed to be a bomb expert of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM), a group composed mostly of former Christians who had converted to Islam and aligned with the IS. A son of a former army ranger, Aguirre was charged with illegal possession of explosives in 2014. But instead of clearing his name, he eluded arrest then went into hiding, the military said. He was convinced by his father to surrender and clear his name, Col. Antonio John Divinagracia, commander of a military task force, told reporters. But Aquirre denied the allegations against him on Monday. He said he was unaware of any bombing plot and just wanted to widen my connection as a Muslim by connecting with other converts. He said he fled because he feared for his life. RSM was accused of involvement in the bombing of a ferry near Manila Bay on Feb. 27, 2004, in a terror attack that killed 116 people. The following year, the group helped the Abu Sayyaf carry out three bombings that struck several targets across the country on Valentines Day, killing nine people and wounding dozens of others, officials said. Philippine military authorities said the RSM was one of 23 Filipino groups that intelligence officials had identified as sympathetic to IS. Founded in the mid-1990s and based in the northern Philippines, RSM provided training and recruitment to aspiring militants who were later fielded to Abu Sayyaf and al-Qaeda operations in the Philippines, the only predominantly Catholic country in Southeast Asia. RSMs founder, Ahmed Santos, was arrested in 2006. He had admitted to having forged an alliance with Umar Patek, an Indonesian bomb maker, who is serving a 20-year-sentence in his homeland for his role in several attacks, including the 2002 bombings in Bali, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. A military official told reporters that Aquirre was monitored to have plotted to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Manila with the help of two other militants in 2014. He was allegedly seen carrying a black bag that contained explosives, but an employee of the hotel where he stayed alerted the police about the suspicious package. He fled before police arrived at the hotel, officials said. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says Washington must be wary of actors keen on derailing the Afghan peace process. Islamabad, Pakistan The political players in Afghanistan should set aside their personal interests in moving the countrys peace process forward, Pakistans foreign minister has said, before warning the United States of spoilers that could derail a landmark agreement signed a day earlier to bring peace to the country. Speaking to the press in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Sunday, a day after attending the signing ceremony of an agreement that is aimed at ending the USs 18-year war in neighbouring Afghanistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said it was important for intra-Afghan talks to begin swiftly. People want peace. Now it is time to see what the [Afghan] leadership does, he said. Do they prioritise Afghanistans interests, or do they give their own personal benefits more importance? This is a very big decision. The US-Taliban agreement said talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban must begin by March 10. The agreement signed on Saturday in the Qatari capital, Doha, creates a framework for the US and NATO to withdraw all foreign troops from Afghanistan over 14 months, pending the meeting of certain criteria. One of those conditions the release of more than 5,000 Afghan Taliban prisoners in government custody has already created a potential obstacle to peace, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ruling out the move. Keep a close eye Qureshi said he told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was also present at the signing of the agreement in Doha, that the US must be wary of spoilers who could derail the process. We cannot be in denial about this. There were spoilers, there are spoilers, said Qureshi without elaborating on the nature of the alleged spoilers. In Afghanistan and outside. So you will all have to keep a close eye on those spoilers. Pakistan has facilitated the direct talks between the United States and Afghan Taliban since they began in 2018, after long having been accused by the US and the Afghan government of providing safe havens to leaders of the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan denies the charge, although members of the Taliban have sought shelter on its territory. In 2016, the US killed the then-leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in a drone strike in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan. There is a sense in Pakistan that the US-Taliban deal has vindicated Pakistans long-held stance, since the Bonn conference [in 2001], that there is no military solution to the conflict and that the Taliban are a political reality in Afghanistan, said Hassan Akbar, an Islamabad-based security and foreign policy analyst. Akbar said the spoilers the foreign minister referred to could be non-state actors like the [so-called] Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS), al-Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, who do not want to see the conflict ending as well actors within Afghanistan who benefit from the war economy. Afghanistan, and what happens there, has a direct impact on Pakistans security, said Akbar. Afghanistan and Pakistan share a long history of bilateral relations, not just because of ethnic ties and a shared history, but also because of the externalities of conflict in Afghanistan impacting Pakistan. Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim. A Connecticut man pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing $240,000 from the nonprofit he worked for as well as some of the organizations developmentally disabled clients, federal prosecutors said. Michael Verzella, of Branford, Conn., was the supervisor of recreation and operations at New Haven-based Chapel Haven Schleifer Center, according to a statement from the office of John Durham, U.S. attorney for Connecticut. Chapel Haven provides services and housing to people with developmental and social disabilities. He was issued a credit card by the nonprofit that was supposed to be used only for official business, including the purchase of tickets to sporting events, dances and plays for the organizations students. Instead, between January 2012 and February 2018, he used the credit card for tickets to events he attended with friends and family, which he concealed by submitting fraudulent purchase orders to the nonprofits office, prosecutors said. He also kept money collected from Chapel Haven clients he said was to pay for in-house events. Verzella pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison as well as restitution at sentencing on May 22. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Connecticut Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:52:15|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close HOUSTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Sunday that they have brought back a COVID-19 patient who had been released from isolation. The CDC said that at the time of discharge on Saturday from a healthcare facility in San Antonio, a city in southern Texas, the patient had no symptoms and met all criteria for release, including two negative test results. However, after the release, the results of a subsequent sample with weakly positive reading were received, prompting the CDC to decide to bring the individual back into isolation out of an abundance of caution. The CDC explained that there have been similar situations where test results alternate back and forth between negative and positive. The patient had some contact with others after discharge. Local public health officials are following up to trace possible exposures and notify them of the potential risk. In a statement issued on Sunday, Mayor of San Antonio Ron Nirenberg said it is "unacceptable" that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading. As of 9 a.m. Sunday (1500 GMT), there were 62 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in the United States, data from the World Health Organization shows. The Mizoram government has set up one more screening counter for coronavirus at Thingsai in Hnahthial district on the Indo-Myanmar border, an official of the state Health department said. Thingsai is the entry and exit point along the Indo- Myanmar border in Hnahthial district. The official said that screening for coronavirus began at Thingsai police check gate on Saturday. So far the Mizoram government has set up at least six screening counters for coronavirus to prevent the spread of the deadly virus in the state. No case of coronavirus has been detected in the state till date, the official said. The state government has also formed a task force to monitor screening of passengers along the state borders and international borders. With Thingsai being the latest, the government has so far set up screening counters at Lengpui airport, Zokhawthar on the Indo-Myanmar border, Kawrpuichhuah on the Indo- Bangladesh border, Kanhmun along the Mizoram-Tripura border and Vairengte on the Mizoram-Assam border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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 coronavirus 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 US 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 (39.4C). 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 Centres for Disease Control and Prevention came on to 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 February 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. Expand Close Quarantined: Carl Goldman caught the coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Quarantined: Carl Goldman caught the coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images 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 neighbouring 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 have 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, but it won't help anybody if we all panic. Based on my experience, I'd recommend everyone get a good digital thermometer 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 centre 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 (CNN) It's one of the largest industries in the world, with $5.7 trillion in revenue. It is responsible for an estimated 319 million jobs, or roughly one in 10 people working on the planet. And no sector is more at risk from the novel coronavirus. The travel industry has already taken a huge hit due to travel restrictions and canceled trips for both business and pleasure, but that's just the beginning. It could be the worst crisis for the industry since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, according to some experts. "It's on the front line of the fallout," said Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody's Analytics. "It's the most directly and immediately impacted." Travel industry crucial to the global economy The hit to the travel industry has the potential to become a major drag on the global economy if the coronavirus continues to spread around the world. "It's vital. If you measure the entirely of the impact of travel, it is bigger than any other industry around the world. No other industry can say it supports 1 in 10 jobs," said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, a leading research firm that follows the industry. His firm produced the data on the industry's global revenue and employment, the latter for the World Travel and Tourism Council. "It's partly because it's such a diverse industry. It includes a lot of things you don't think of," said Sacks. "Besides airlines and hotels, it's part of retail, part of restaurants, parts of technology." The effect on travel is growing by the day. There has been a sharp drop in travel across the Pacific, not just to and from China, the epicenter of the outbreak, but also to other Asian countries. This week United Airlines disclosed that it had seen a near total drop in demand to China and about a 75 percent decline in near-term demand on the rest of its trans-Pacific routes. Chinese nationals have become the most frequent global travelers in the world, with 180 million holding passports, compared to the 147 million Americans who have passports. And travel by the Chinese has been virtually halted due to the crisis. Sharp drop in business travel The falloff in travel has expanded beyond the Chinese market. Several major conferences expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors each were canceled even if their location has yet to experience an outbreak. That's because people traveling from around the world could bring the virus to the event, and infected people are slow to show symptoms. Canceled conferences include the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the leading show for the mobile phone industry, the Geneva Motor Show, Facebook's F8 conference, and ironically enough, the ITB Berlin, the leading trade show for the travel industry itself. It was expected to draw 160,000 participants starting Wednesday. "The fact that the largest global travel show is being canceled right now is telling," said Sacks. But it's not just the big shows being canceled. All kinds of business trips are being canceled or put on hold because of companies' concerns with exposing employees to unknown risks. Major companies such as Amazon are on record discouraging non-essential travel for employees. According to a survey of 400 businesses by the Global Business Travel Association, nearly half of businesses have already canceled or postponed at least some meetings or travel. The group estimates that up to 37 percent of business travel is at risk of being lost. The steep and immediate drop in willingness to travel is comparable to what happened following the 9/11 attacks, said Scott Solombrino, the trade group's executive director. Confidence started to improve as time passed after the attacks, he said. In the case of coronavirus, the concern about travel is growing each day amid new reports of outbreaks around the world. "It is fundamentally affecting the way many companies are now doing business," he said. "If this turns into a global pandemic, the industry may well lose billions of dollars -- an impact that will have negative ramifications for the entire global economy." Leisure travel also affected It's not just business travel. Americans who were busy making plans for spring and summer trips are also thinking twice. A survey of 1,200 US adults by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that one in eight have already changed their travel plans due to concerns about the virus. The overall impact depends on how long the outbreak continues. Past health crises, such as SARS epidemic, indicate people will be willing to start traveling as normal again soon after there is a sense that is safe to do so, Sacks said. "Travel globally is incredibly resilient," he said. "People's desire and need to travel outweigh their concerns fairly quickly." But much of the travel that has been lost already, or will be canceled in weeks or months to come, is unlikely to be made up. "This is gone, lost forever," said Zandi. "It's not like you'll hold two conferences in the fall if the one this spring is canceled." Job losses to come So far there has not been deep job cuts announced in the travel industry. But millions of workers could lose their jobs, or have their hours cut, if the demand for travel continues to be depressed. That is especially true for lower paid service jobs such as housekeeping at hotels and waiters and waitresses at restaurants. And as those workers are forced to cut back their own spending, the impact of the slowdown will ripple through the broader economy. "Lower income workers will be hit harder," said Sung Won Sohn, professor of business at Loyola Marymount Unviersity. "They'll have to cut back their spending immediately. That has a significant multiplying effect throughout the world." He said the drop in economic activity globally could be as much as $1 trillion. Experts don't believe that the hit to the travel industry is enough to spark a global recession by itself. But the virus is having a widespread effect on the global economy. There has been a steep plunge in financial markets and the resulting wealth destruction, the disruption of global supply chains for manufacturers and retailers around the globe, the drop in energy prices and production due to reduced consumption All those things could combine with the hit to the travel industry to bring about a global recession. "I don't think the worst is behind us in terms of the economic impact. The worst is yet to come," said Sohn. This story was first published on CNN.com, "The travel industry is suffering its worst shock since 9/11 because of coronavirus." US President on Monday insisted that campaign rallies do not put his supporters at risk of catching or spreading the coronavirus, and insisted the country was well prepared for the disease. "I think it's very safe," to continue holding frequent rallies across the country, Trump said when questioned in the Oval Office. "You could ask that to the Democrats because they're having a lot of rallies," said Trump, who is campaigning for a second term in November's elections. The real-estate tycoon was scheduled to hold another rally in North Carolina later Monday, after a meeting with the heads of large pharmaceutical companies to discuss efforts to contain the virus. "We've asked them to accelerate whatever they're doing in terms of a vaccine," Trump said. The United States has been spared the worst so far as the virus spreads around the world, but over the weekend it announced its first two recorded deaths, in the area around Seattle in the western state of Washington, which has been the worst hit region in the country. New York announced its first case of the disease, a 39-year-old health care worker who had recently returned from Iran, which has been particularly badly hit. "In general, there is no doubt that there will be more cases where we find people who test positive," said Governor Andrew Cuomo. "This is New York, we're a gateway to the world." But he added that "there is no reason for undue anxiety -- the general risk remains low in New York. New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/02/2020 -- The well-researched report on 'Global Epigenetics Market Report 2030' presents details on every category of the market like product, technology, application, and end user. Subject matter experts have also provided insights on geographic segmentation for better picture to the operating players. Major Players in the Epigenetics Market The prominent players in the global epigenetics market are Agilent Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Illumina, QIAGEN N.V., PerkinElmer, Merck KGaA, Abcam plc. , Active Motif, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. , New England Biolabs and, Zymo Research among others. Get FREE Sample Copy with TOC to understand the structure of the complete report @ https://www.marketindustryreports.com/pdf/27 Increasing incidences of cancer to propel the market growth The utilization of epigenetics provides accurate and deeper knowledge regarding molecular basis of individual tumors, thereby providing a better, efficient and long lasting therapeutic option in the field of oncology. According to Cancer Research UK, the number of cancer cases reported worldwide in the year 2018, was approximately around 17 million. It is further projected that within the period 2018-2040, the total incidence rate of worldwide cancer will increment by 62%. The growing incidences of cancer are anticipated to present a lucrative growth opportunity for the global epigenetics market in the coming years. Some Key Point From TOC: 10. COMPETETIVE LANDSCAPE 1. Market Share Analysis (2018) 2. Key Strategies Assessment. 1. New Product Launches 2. Merger & Acquisitions 3. Agreements, Collaborations, & Partnerships 4. Other Strategies 12. APPENDIX 1. Questionnaire 2. Primary Interviews Transcripts 3. Customization Options 4. Profile of the Author Buy this report @ https://www.marketindustryreports.com/checkout/27 About Market Industry Reports Market Industry Reports is at the forefront of innovation to address the worldwide industry trends and opportunities. We identified the caliber of market dynamics & hence we excel in the areas of innovation and optimization, integrity, curiosity, customer and brand experience, and strategic business intelligence through our research. Contact Us 2nd Floor, Manikchand Ikon, B-Wing, Dhole Patil Road, Sangamwadi, Pune 411 001 Email: sales@marketindustryreports.com Phone: +1 347 767 5477 ( US ) + 91 8956 767 535 ( IN ) + 44 131 463 4161 ( UK ) Website: https://www.marketindustryreports.com The BJP-ruled Selu municipal council in Parbhani district of Maharashtra has unanimously passed a resolution against the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The council chairman Vinod Borade told PTI on Monday that the Nagar Parishad has 27 councillors including three co-opted members. "The resolution was passed by majority without any opposition on February 28," he said. He said local public public representatives were also in favour of such move. Borade said he had summoned a meeting two days before the resolution was passed, as demanded by the members of the NCP, the Congress and seven councillors from the Muslim community. The CAA, which was passed by Parliament in December last year, grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who had settled in India before December 31, 2014. The new citizenship law triggered protests in many parts of the country since then despite the repeated claims made by the ruling BJP that it will not take away anybody's citizenship. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The surplus is due to Samsungs export of their new phone, the Galaxy S20, during the month. In February, Vietnam reported US$18.6 billion worth of export revenue, up 1.5% over the previous month and up 34% over the same period last year. Meanwhile, import revenue in February was posted at US$18.5 billion, down 0.5% over the previous month but up 26% over the same period last year. During the first two months of this year, the country is estimated to have reached export revenue of US$36.92 billion, up 2.4% over the same period in 2019, and import revenue of US$37.1 billion, up 2.4% over the same period in 2019. Thus, the country has posted a trade deficit of approximately US$176 million during the two-month period. The US was the largest export market of Vietnam in the first two months of 2020 with export revenue of US$9.8 billion, up 19.6% compared to the corresponding period in 2019. It was followed by China, the EU, ASEAN and Japan. In the January-February period, China was the largest import market of Vietnam with import revenue of US$10 billion, down 0.4% over the same period last year. The runners-up were the Republic of Korea, ASEAN, Japan and the EU. Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, who also doubles as the Member of Parliament for Tema West, Hon. Carlos Ahenkorah, has asked the Minority to "disclose their running-mate" and "stop the unnecessary coronavirus politicking". According to him, with barely 10 months into the general elections, the National Democratic Congress has practically refused to outdoor the party's running mate, but found time to engage in propaganda over the global eopidemic. "In other countries, both the opposition and the ruling government have come together to fight the virus, but here we are in this country doing the usual politicking. "They should concentrate on finding a running mate than doing politics with the global coronavirus epidemic," the NPP MP said on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia program. Last week, the NDC MP for Kumbungu, Hon Ras Mubarak, demanded information on whether President Akufo-Addo upon his return from the European tour, will be quarantined following cases of the spread of the Coronavirus disease in some of the countries the president has visited. Hon Ras Mubarak asked the question in Parliament after the Majority Leader Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu had presented to Members, Business statement of Parliament for this week. According to the Kumbungu MP, the President of Mongolia has been quarantined for 14 days after a trip outside the country. Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya have been identified as having a moderate importation risk, but with varying levels of health system preparedness to handle an outbreak. Many of these countries are among the 13 African nations with a high volume of travel to and from China, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has prioritized to receive support for added measures like improved airport screening. The World Health Organisation has identified Ghana and 12 other African countries as high-risk countries for the novel coronavirus. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mobile X-ray devices are the trolley mounted imaging devices, which can be moved from one place to another. These devices adopt two technologies i.e. computed radiography and direct radiography. The mobile X-ray devices covered in this report include only digital mobile devices. Retrofit and refurbished devices are excluded from the scope of the report. The global digital mobile X-ray devices market is estimated to account for US$ 2,767.0 Mn in terms of value in 2019 and is expected to reach US$ 4,787.0 Mn by the end of 2027. Global Digital Mobile X-ray Devices Market: Drivers Increasing demand for portable imaging devices is expected to propel growth of the global digital mobile X-ray devices market over the forecast period. Digital mobile X-ray devices are portable and help to avoid transports and extra movements of patients. These devices also reduce the number of visits required to the radiology department for chest, skeletal and abdominal X-ray examinations, which may otherwise cause discomfort among patients with severe health conditions. Radiograph examinations using mobile imaging equipment also offer less processing speed and eliminate long wait-times. Such advantages are expected to boost demand for digital mobile X-ray. Get Sample R&D PDF of Digital Mobile X-Ray Devices Market: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/3453 Global Digital Mobile X-ray Devices Market: Opportunities Currently, the global digital mobile X-ray devices market is facing intense competition from re-manufactured and low cost equipment manufacturers in developing nations. The rising price-sensitivity in the healthcare has created an opportunity for new low scale equipment to replace with new advanced devices. Similarly, China-made low-cost medical devices have put downward price pressure. Thus, the growing adoption of low-cost and low-end imaging devices is limiting access to advanced imaging platforms. Global Digital Mobile X-ray Devices Market: Restraints Increasing pressure on healthcare budget in the U.S. is expected to hinder growth of the global digital mobile X-ray devices market. The U.S. has witnessed rapid increase in the use of advanced medical imaging technology in the recent past. Therefore, medical imaging systems have emerged as the highest contributor to the healthcare expenditure in the U.S. This has led to certain reductions in Medicare payments. These factors are expected to limit growth of the market over the forecast period. Key Takeaways: Mobile devices segment in the global digital mobile X-ray devices market was valued at US$ 2,370.1 Mn in 2018 and is expected to reach US$ 4,343.7 by 2027 at a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecast period. Mobile x-ray devices offer advantages such as ease of use, and they can be taken patients bedside. Moreover, manufacturers such as GE Healthcare, Medtronic, and others offer advanced mobile x-ray devices in the market. The orthopaedic imaging segment held dominant position in the global digital mobile X-ray devices market in 2018, accounting for 38.2% share in terms of value, followed by chest imaging and dental imaging, respectively. Browse Press Release: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/press-release/digital-mobile-x-ray-devices-market-2802 Prevalence of fractures and orthopedic disorders is increasing globally and x-rays are majorly used to trace such fractures or disorders in bones. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 2017, around 37.3 million falls occur every year, it may lead to fracture or bone injuries. The hospitals segment held dominant position in the global digital mobile X-ray devices market in 2018, accounting for 31.8% share in terms of value, followed by radiology centers and outpatient clinics, respectively. Patients often visit hospitals as a first priority for any medical care they need. Hospitals are well equipped with necessary medical equipment such as x-ray devices, and others to cater to medical needs of the patients. These factors are expected to support growth of the segment over the forecast period. Market Trends The market is also witnessing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in digital mobile X-ray devices. AI algorithms can be used to detect various modalities and can reduce the time required for diagnosis. In the U.S., hospitals are adopting digital mobile X-ray devices. For instance, in January 2018, Hawarden Regional Healthcare, MercyOne Primghar Medical Center, and Osceola Community Hospital in Sibley each received grant funds from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trusts Rural Healthcare Program for purchasing Shimadzu MX8 digital mobile X-ray system and a fixed Shimadzu RADspeed Pro digital X-ray machine. Global Digital Mobile X-ray Devices Market: Competitive Landscape Major players operating in the global Toshiba Corporation, Carestream Health, General Electric Company, Hitachi Ltd., Siemens Healthcare Private Limited, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Shimadzu Corporation, MinXray Inc., Samsung, and KA Imaging. Global Digital Mobile X-ray Devices Market: Key Developments November 2019: Canada-based KA Imaging announced its plans to launch Reveal, a portable digital X-ray detector capable of separating different energy levels September 2019: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave clearance to Critical Care Suite, a platform on a mobile X-ray device developed in partnership with UC San Francisco and GE Healthcares Edison AI technology Segmentation By Product Type Mobile Devices Handheld Devices By Technology Computed Radiography Direct Radiography By Application Orthopaedic Imaging Chest Imaging Dental Imaging Others By End-User Hospitals Radiology Centers Outpatient Clinics Others By Region North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East Africa About Coherent Market Insights: Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity. Contact Us: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com U.S. Office: Name: Mr. Shah Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154, U.S. US : +1-206-701-6702 UK : +44-020-8133-4027 JAPAN : +050-5539-1737 A secondary school pupil from Dublin has become the first person in the Republic to be diagnosed with the virus and forced a school to close. How should parents around the country respond? My child is in the school that has been closed and is at home today. She has a sister in a local primary school and a brother in playschool? Should I also be keeping them at home? No. Acting on the advice of the HSE, the Department of Education says all other schools will remain open. A decision about school attendance for any other child in the family should be based on normal household practice and being alert to the advice of the HSE about the symptoms associated with coronavirus (a cough, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties or fever). The same advice holds for any after-school activities. At what point are parents notified if a school is going to be shut down? If a case of coronavirus is confirmed in a school community, a risk assessment is conducted on public health grounds and a decision is made. In this instance, the case was confirmed on Saturday and the school was closed, and parents notified, the following day. Can I be confident that my school is taking precautionary measures, such as the provision of hot water and soap and alcohol hand wipes? It is matter for the board of management to ensure that the school is adequately equipped to maintain standards hygiene. If you have any concerns, check with the school. My daughter was on a ski trip with her school to northern Italy. Should I keep her at home ? The HSE advice is that if a child has been in an affected region in the last 14 days and has symptoms ( a cough, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties or fever) they should stay at home and you should phone your GP immediately. If your child has been to an affected region in the last 14 days and has no symptoms, you should visit hse.ie for information. There is no need for them to stay off school or remain separate from other people. My son is due to go on a school trip to northern Italy this week. What happens now? It is a matter for the school, in consultation with parents. Some schools have cancelled such trips, but you may be at a financial loss .It can depend on where in northern Italy you are travelling. If you have a booking in specific towns in the Lombardy, Veneto Emilia-Romagna or Piedmont regions, you may be entitled to your money back if you cancel. I am a school principal? What do I do if I think a pupil is showing symptoms or if I want to get more information generally? Public health doctors are available to liaise with schools and advise on precautions if staff and/or students have any concerns. The HSE has posted advice on its website and Department of Education and Skills website has links to a number of a notices providing detailed advice. The Department of Education and Skills has also emailed information to schools , including posters that can be downloaded around the school My son is in the affected school and my mother is in a nursing home. Is it ok to visit her? All children in the affected school are being treated as close contacts and are being asked to restrict their movements. However, there is no such restriction on you or other members of the family, so you may visit the nursing home What happened to the individual who tested A secondary school pupil from Dublin has become the first person in the Republic to test positive for the new coronavirus after catching it during a mid-term break trip to Italy. What happens now? The immediate priority was to isolate the patient in the Mater Hospital and then trace others he was in close contact with over a number of days. All school pupils and staff will have to restrict their movements for 14 days. His chain of movements since his departure from Italy, including the airline he travelled with, have to be retraced. Public health doctors do this kind of detective work and it is ongoing. Does the diagnosis of one sufferer in Ireland heighten the risk of more people in the Republic getting the virus? The risk remains low. This was an imported case - where the infection happened abroad. Person-to-person transmission within the country would be more worrying. Close contacts are asked to report any symptoms over the next 14 days. Has the advice to the public changed? No, it remains the same. If someone was recently abroad in at-risk countries and develops potential symptoms of the virus they should contact their GP by phone. If they were in contact with a known confirmed case and have symptoms they should do likewise. What about the St Patrick's Day Festival - is it now more in jeopardy? A decision will be made later this week after details of criteria on mass gatherings are released. My defences against illness have been affected by recent illness and surgery. Am I more likely to be at risk of getting the coronavirus? People with weakened immune systems are at greater risk but your GP is best at answering these questions. Dr Mel Bates, a GP in north Dublin, said family doctors are seeing more "worried well patients" with these queries. Your doctor will get back to you but it may take time. If I have cold symptoms should I go to my GP? If you have not recently returned from an affected area, and have not been in contact with somebody with confirmed coronavirus, then it is extremely unlikely that you have coronavirus, so just take whatever action you would for a normal cold. If you are still worried ring your GP's surgery rather than visiting in case you may spread germs. If I have cold symptoms, should I stay off work? If you have come into contact with a sufferer or those who have returned from affected areas ask your GP for advice. There is no need to stay at home unless they say so. Otherwise, do as you would do with a cold. Should I avoid public transport because of coronavirus? Using public transport during a flu outbreak makes you six times more likely to pick up a respiratory infection, according to research published in the 'British Medical Journal'. Experts recommend going about your commute as usual - making sure you wash your hands with soap when you reach your destination and, if you can, use alcohol-based hand rub a few times during your journey. Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland Do saunas help? Saunas have been recommended for arthritis, asthma and chronic fatigue, among other maladies, and some research has indicated they may reduce the occurrence of colds. In reality, the idea of "sweating out" a virus isn't proven, and while a sauna may alleviate symptoms of a cold for a short time, it won't abbreviate the illness itself. Saunas are hot, but not hot enough to kill bacteria, and they are moist: conditions germs generally thrive in. Is it safe to visit my elderly parents? According to the Chinese authorities, people infected with the virus over the age of 80 have a 15pc chance of dying, compared to a 0.4pc chance for people in their 40s. Unless you have been in one of the at-risk countries in the last two weeks it is important to maintain this valuable social contact. Pupils and staff in the school which has been closed should avoid contact where possible with vulnerable groups. Why aren't children getting it as much? Can they still be carriers? Children certainly can get coronavirus: in fact, a newborn baby in Wuhan province was tested positive for the virus- and was given the all-clear 17 days later. The evidence so far is that children and teenagers are less susceptible to the virus and also suffer a less severe illness. Only Fools And Horses fans - including boxer Ricky Hatton - forked out close to 400 over the weekend for a chance to pose for a photo with sitcom star Sir David Jason. The 80-year-old actor was in attendance at the David Jason & Friends event at The Sharnbrook Hotel in Bedford - which offered the opportunity to visit the reconstructed set from the show. Only Fools And Horses buffs were welcomed into Del Boy's flat - but coughed up 375 to have a photo with the star of the erstwhile series and get his autograph. Heavyweight fans! Only Fools And Horses fans - including boxer Ricky Hatton - forked out close to 400 over the weekend for a chance to pose for a photo with sitcom star Sir David Jason The event offered a cheaper option as well - 55 for a snap in the flat without Sir David, or 255 to have a photo with Sir David but not his autograph. Those wanting an autograph as well shelled out another 120 for the pleasure. Donations from this event will be gifted by both the organisers and Sir David to the charity Diabetes UK. Among the fans present were boxer Ricky, who posted snaps of him and Sir David online, captioning this: 'Met one of my heroes today. Sir David Jason (Del Boy). Absolutely made up!' Trotting about: Only Fools And Horses aired on the BBC from 1981 to 2003 and produced seven series and various special episodes [Sir David is pictured during the show's run with co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst] What you get: The event marks the first time Sir David has attended an Only Fools And Horses convention Heavyweight fan! Among the fans present were boxer Ricky, who posted snaps of him and Sir David online Up-sold! Sir David is worth an estimated 7 million Pricey! The 80-year-old actor was in attendance at the David Jason & Friends event in London, which offered the opportunity to visit the reconstructed set from the show Ricky captioned the snap: 'Met one of my heroes today. Sir David Jason (Del Boy). Absolutely made up!' Trading places: As well as the set from the Trotters' flat, the trusty yellow Reliant Robin van from the show was also on site Busy! The event was packed to the rafters with hardcore fans Eagerly awaited: The masses were excited to get a glimpse of Sir David As well as the set from the Trotters' flat, the trusty yellow Reliant Robin van from the show was also on site. Other characters in attendance were Boycie and Marlene - played by John Challis and Sue Holderness . The characters ended up with their own spin-off series, The Green Green Grass. Guest stars: Other characters in attendance were Boycie and Marlene - played by John Challis and Sue Holderness - who ended up with their own spin-off series, The Green Green Grass Catching up: Sir David chatted to his pal and former co-star John Classic comedy: The show concluded on Christmas Day 2003 with the episode Sleepless In Peckham, which drew in 16.37 million viewers [pictured with Sir David and Nicholas is Buster Merryfield who played Uncle Albert from 1984-1999] Spin off: A musical based on the show is currently running in London's West End Only Fools And Horses aired on the BBC from 1981 to 2003 and produced seven series and various special episodes. The show concluded on Christmas Day 2003 with the episode Sleepless In Peckham, which drew in 16.37 million viewers. A musical based on the show is currently running in London's West End. Manama The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that it has begun implementing an evacuation plan for Bahraini nationals in Iran including screening and quarantine procedures, in response to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) across Iranian cities. The ministry called on all Bahraini citizens currently in Iran to register their details by calling 973 17227555. The ministry in co-operation with relevant entities in the Kingdom, will take all precautionary measures in order to guarantee the safety of Bahraini citizens currently present in Iran before their arrival in the Kingdom. These will include all necessary preventative measures following their arrival at the Bahrain International Airport, including screening and quarantine procedures in order to ensure the safety of citizens and residents and public health in the Kingdom. Middle East countries jointly introduced tougher measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak on Friday with more than 360 cases confirmed across the region. Saudi Arabia suspended entry for visitors holding tourism visas from nations worst affected by the virus, including China, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Kazakhstan. The Kingdom closed off the holy sites, barring pilgrims from Makkah and disrupting travel for thousands of Muslims visiting the kingdom on Thursday. The move is a first for Saudi Arabia - home to Islams holiest sites, which remained open during the 1918 flue epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. Egypts Al Azhar University ruled the step was compliant with Sharia. These measures are permissible, legitimate and rewarded. Rather, they are a legal duty to protect people, Al Azhar said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. We expect that this will give Saudi Arabia a chance to really strengthen their own disease control measures for the moment, said Rick Brennan, the WHOs emergency director for the Eastern Mediterranean. There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Saudi Arabia but the measures are an indication of the concern accompanying the spread of the virus across the region. We ask God Almighty to spare all humanity from all harm, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said as it announced the decision to close access to the holy sites. No firm date has been given for the lifting of the restrictions, leading to concern that plans for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah at the end of July could be interrupted if the virus continues to spread. A Ministry of Tourism spokesperson said the moves were temporary and are subject to continuous evaluation by the competent authorities. Authorities at Cairos international airport said the decision created intense confusion and extreme anger among thousands of passengers waiting for flights to Saudi Arabia. Reinforcements were called to control the crowd as the news broke, according to security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. But as the outbreaks grow, countries across the region and worldwide are stepping up travel restrictions and imposing quarantines to limit further infections. Iran, which has been the hardest-hit country in the region, has now reported 388 cases and 34 deaths from the virus. On Friday, Iran cancelled Friday prayers in major cities after reported infections more than doubled in a matter of days. A number of senior Iranian officials have tested positive for the disease, including Dr Mohamad Reza Ghadir, head of coronavirus management in the city of Qom, and, most recently, Masoumeh Ebtekar, who is President Hassan Rouhanis deputy for womens affairs and the highest-ranking woman in the government. A team from the World Health Organisation will travel to Iran over the weekend to assess the situation and distribute diagnostic kits and protective equipment for medical staff. Kuwait has also seen a rise in infections, with the total number of confirmed cases now at 45, all of them involving people who had been to Iran, a Kuwaiti health minister said on Thursday. The countrys state news agency, Kuna, said that studies at military colleges will be suspended for a fortnight from March 1 due to concerns over the outbreak. Worldwide, the disease has infected more than 83,000 people in almost 60 countries. The total death toll now stands at more than 2,800 and officials have warned of its pandemic potential. Speaking on Thursday, UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: No country should assume it wont get cases; that could be a fatal mistake, quite literally. This virus does not respect borders. More countries have reported first cases of the disease in the past 24 hours, including Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Lithuania, the Netherlands and New Zealand. However, new cases reported in mainland China, where the disease originated, have started to slow with 327 additional cases reported on Friday, bringing the countrys total to 78,824. UK dairy could be faced with a severe labour shortage because the sector's workers are not classed as highly skilled, a charity has warned. The government has been urged to amend its decision not to include dairy workers on the MAC shortage occupation. It comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled the UK's new points-based immigration system last month. Taking into effect from 1 January 2021, it will assign points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions and visas giving priority to those with the highest skills and greatest talents. But dairy farmers have highlighted fears they could be left with a diminished labour pool as the government concentrates on migrants' skills. The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) is now in the process of coordinating an industry working group to highlight the impact the new immigration rules will have. A survey by the charity in 2016 found over half of respondents employed staff from outside of the UK in the last five years a 24% increase on 2014. Almost two-thirds said this was due to insufficient UK staff being available. In the same survey more than 50% of migrant workers on dairy farms were classed as highly skilled or mainly highly skilled. RABDF believes it will be the larger dairy operators most affected as they tend to rely more heavily on skilled, migrant labour. The charity's Policy Director Tim Brigstocke said: Migrant workers have a huge range of skills that are core to the running of dairy farm businesses, from operating high-tech computers to ensuring optimum cow health and welfare. "Although they have the skills needed on the farm whether they can demonstrate them with a level equivalent qualifications is a different matter. In the 30 years I have been presenting evidence to government this is the first time, when talking about labour, they dont believe a word we are telling then. This is a huge worry, he said. RABDF's former chairman, Mike King, runs a herd of 700 cows in Gloucestershire and has a workforce made up of 70% of migrant labour. He is already seeing a labour shortage. He said: In the last six months, there has been a gradual deterioration in the number of candidates applying for job positions and the vacancies are getting high. "We have been running adverts with no applications regardless of the rate of pay. We had hoped the announcement on the salary threshold would be beneficial but the focus towards the skills angle and with dairying not classed as a skill and not listed on the MAC list is a worry. Mr King said Priti Patels message to fill the labour gap by investing in training economically inactive people and using technology was 'misplaced and not the answer'. He added: Robots may have their place, but they do not remove the need for labour. If we had robots on our farm, we would need to have more staff on call than we do now to deal with the breakdowns and problems that arise. "Technology on farms will never replace the individual." Coronavirus update: Two more cases of COVID-19 or novel coronavirus have been detected in New Delhi and Telangana, the government confirmed on Monday. The patients had travelled to Italy and Dubai before they were tested positive. So far, no official vaccination has been developed for the deadly coronavirus. These are the first confirmed positive coronavirus cases in both Delhi and Telangana. Notably, three coronavirus cases were also been detected in Kerala and West Bengal each. All three coronavirus cases in Kerala were discharged from hospital. "The person from Delhi has a travel history from Italy, while the one from Telangana has a travel history from Dubai," the statement said. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has said both the patients are stable and are being closely monitored. More details of their travels are being ascertained. On February 27, a special Air India flight carrying 119 Indians, who were stranded onboard a coronavirus-hit cruise ship, Diamond Princess, off Yokohama port in Japan had landed in New Delhi. Apart from this, the government has also rescued 76 Indians from China's Wuhan region, which is the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak. The government has said it's closely following the developments in China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also written to President Xi Jinping, expressing India's commitment to assist China. The number of cases across the world are also rising. The deadly virus that first emerged in China in December last year has spread to more than 70 countries and has infected more than 88,000 people, including over 80,000 in China. China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday it received reports of 202 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of cases in the mainland to 80,026. On Sunday alone, China reported 42 new fatalities from the novel coronavirus outbreak, taking the death toll in the country to over 3,000. Apart from China, the number of people infected in Italy now stands at 1,576. Deaths in Iran from coronavirus have hit 43, the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people has risen to 593. Total 36 people have also died due to the virus in the country. At least two persons have already died in the US too. Edited by Manoj Sharma with agency inputs Also read: Shortage of smartphones due to coronavirus? Xiaomi, Realme, Apple face supply constraint A time series of subjects' emotional status. Green indicates happiness, red indicates anger, and yellow indicates relaxation. The blue bar below shows the amount of time series conversation of the subject. The horizontal axis represents time series, and the vertical axis represents emotion and conversation volume in that time zone. The gray portions indicate neutral emotion or time periods where measurement could not be performed well due to poor contact with the device. Credit: Hiroshima University Happiness, as measured by a wearable biometric device, was closely related to productivity among a group of factory workers in Laos, reveals a recent study. The team of researchers from the School of Economics at Hiroshima University conducted a study to examine relationships between toy painters' productivity and on-the-job emotional states. While employee productivity has already been linked to job conditions, mental health, and other demographic factors, this study adds to a deeper understanding of how emotional states affect productivity. Professor Yoshihiko Kadoya, the lead researcher on the paper, said the findings have implications for both operational and human resources strategies. "Organizations need to consider employees' emotionality when producing workflow designs that could help ensure a pleasant working environment," he said. In the study, 15 workers answered a questionnaire and wore a device on their wrist with built-in sensors to detect movement, pulse waves, environmental ultraviolet light, body temperature, and sound through which it continuously recorded physical activity, beat-to-beat pulse intervals, skin temperature, and sleep. The device, Silmee W20, is produced by the TDK Corporation Tokyo, Japan. Employees' emotional states were measured for three working days through a complex process of beat-to-beat pulse intervals via custom software developed by NEC Corporation Tokyo, Japan. The researchers followed a common model in the fieldRussel's circumplex modelto measure employees' emotion in four states: happy, angry, relaxed, and sad. Using a random effect panel regression model, they found people's happy emotional state was positively related to their productivity. Meanwhile, no other emotional states were found to be related to productivity. "The use of wearable biometric devices, which can track employees' emotional states provides an opportunity to examine more objective components of the emotion-productivity link," Kadoya adds. The study's limitations included the possibility of device errors, the number of observations throughout the day, and the gender distribution (14 out of 15 workers in this study identified as female), therefore the results should not be over-generalized. In the future, however, researchers hope to apply similar methods to explore the links between emotional states and different types of work. Explore further Happy workers are 13% more productive More information: Yoshihiko Kadoya et al, Emotional Status and Productivity: Evidence from the Special Economic Zone in Laos, Sustainability (2020). Yoshihiko Kadoya et al, Emotional Status and Productivity: Evidence from the Special Economic Zone in Laos,(2020). DOI: 10.3390/su12041544 ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. Dozens of demonstrators on Sunday, March 1, took over the stage at was set to be a get out the vote rally for Democratic presidential hopeful and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, delaying the event and ultimately forcing its cancellation. The protesters sought to raise awareness about the decades-old case of Myon Burrell, who is serving a life sentence after his conviction in 2002 for the first-degree murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards. Klobuchar was Hennepin County prosecutor at the time, and recent reviews into the investigation that put Burrell behind bars have led to calls for the case to be reopened. Demonstrators on Sunday said they wanted Klobuchar and other Democratic hopefuls to acknowledge the gaps in the case and to free Burrell. Protesters marched into the high school gymnasium set to host the rally with sheet signs and shirts that read, "Free Myon." For an hour, they chanted as Klobuchar supporters filled the rest of the gym. Klobuchar was set to make her last appearance in Minnesota ahead of the presidential primary on Tuesday, but after protesters and Klobuchar's campaign failed to reach an agreement, the campaign abruptly canceled the rally Sunday evening. Justin Buoen, Klobuchar's campaign director, said the senator was in a room at St. Louis Park High School prepared to meet with Burrell's family and demonstrators ahead of the rally, but they pulled out. Demonstrators pushing for a new look at the case, meanwhile, said Klobuchar bailed on the meeting. ADVERTISEMENT "They decided not to do it," Leslie Redmond, with the Minneapolis NAACP, said. "We wanted somebody to acknowledge Myon Burrell on the stage and who he is." Buoen said Klobuchar is open to meeting with demonstrators and has said she hopes the Hennepin County prosecutor's office considers fresh evidence in the case. The clash raised questions about whether Klobuchar could gain support among people of color as she makes her bid for the White House. And after she gained little support in South Carolina's caucuses Saturday night, some were skeptical she could build the coalition needed to take down President Donald Trump. Supporters appeared slightly confused Sunday evening as they filed out of the high school without seeing Klobuchar. But they said they still support her. "I feel really sad about it because I think to Amy Klobuchar, black lives do matter and there shouldn't be an opposition here," Courtney Olson, 62, who came out to support Klobuchar, said. "I think it's really too bad." In Minnesota, Klobuchar appeared a strong contender just over a week ahead of Super Tuesday and Minnesota's primary contest. Polls showed Klobuchar had a lead in Minnesota in a recent Star Tribune-Minnesota Public Radio poll . U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared to pose the greatest challenge in Minnesota's primary contest. Sanders carried the support of 23% of Democratic voters likely to participate in the primary compared to Klobuchar's 29%. The Vermont senator was set to hold a rally in St. Paul on Monday evening. Klobuchar, Minnesota's senior senator, spent the weekend meeting voters in Alabama, Maine, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, and she was set to travel to Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah before returning to St. Paul on Tuesday night. By this weekend, many stores in the city had run out of sanitary supplies such as hand sanitizer, masks and antibacterial wipes. We are trying to get some products from Amazon but so far they are back ordered as well, or prices are ridiculously expensive, Aleksandr Abdurakhmanov, the supervising pharmacist and owner of Chelsea Royal Care Pharmacy in Manhattan, said on Sunday afternoon. More than 80 people in the United States have been confirmed through laboratory testing to have the new coronavirus. Many had been passengers on a cruise ship ravaged by the virus or had been infected in China and then returned to the United States. But there have also been several confirmed cases of person-to-person spread in the United States. And researchers say that in Washington State the virus may have been spreading for weeks, largely undetected, and that hundreds of people may have possibly been infected. Two people in Washington have died after falling ill with the new coronavirus. The new virus is believed to have originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year before spreading to more than 50 other countries. More than 86,000 people have been infected, and more than 2,800 have died. New hubs of transmission have emerged in Italy, South Korea and Iran. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Guangzhou municipal government has set forth a set of measures to augment people's automobile spending, including subsidizing the purchase of new energy vehicles and the replacement of pre-owned cars. The measures came along with the local government's approval over a document about resolutely fighting against the coronavirus epidemic and striving to realize the annual goal of economic and social development. Meanwhile, Guangzhou's authority also proposed to act faster to use up the vehicle license plate quota the government added last year. As a response to a central government's call to ease vehicle purchase restriction for boost auto sales, authorities in Guangzhou announced in last June the plan to increase the quota of car license plates by 100,000 from June 2019 to December 2020, with half for auction by potential petrol car buyers, and the other half for lottery by potential new-energy vehicle buyers. Before that, it capped the quota at 120,000 per year. On Feb. 21, the provincial government of Guangdong put forward the spirit of encouraging Guangzhou and Shenzhen to further add the quotas of public lottery and auction for consumers to get new car-license plates. Furthermore, Guangdong also stated it will push eligible regions to launch the subsidy policies for promoting the scrapping and replacement of old and used motor vehicles. Both provincial and municipal governments of the coastal region in South China are hampering out plans to promote vehicle transaction. Foshan, a prefecture-level city in Guangdong, leads country in launching substantial policies and incentives to encourage people to buy more cars. Local government announced that a consumer who buys vehicles that meet the China emission standard will be granted subsidy of RMB2,000-5,000 per vehicle. The Supreme Court on Monday declined to accept the Centres arguments against a petition filed by Sara Abdullah Pilot to challenge the detention of her brother Omar Abdullah and listed the case for final hearing on Thursday. KK Venugopal, the Centres to law officer, had told the bench that Sara Abdullah Pilot had not demonstrated any reason for not approaching the high court in the first instance but directly coming to the Supreme Court. The matter pertains to liberty, a bench led by Justice Arun Mishra observed in response, rejecting Attorney General Venugopals opposition to the top court hearing the habeas corpus petition in case of the former J&K chief minister and National Conference leader. Justice Mishra noted that another case of a similar nature was pending before the top court, a reference to the petition challenging the detention of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party boss Mehbooba Mufti. It isnt clear if the judges will hear the two cases together. Sara Abdullah Pilot had challenged her brothers detention under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) last month after the 49-year-old former chief minister was booked on February 5 under PSA. Omar Abdullah was detained in August 2019 when the Centre nullified Article 370 and placed Kashmir valley in a state of lockdown. His detention in 2019 was under Section 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which empowers an executive magistrate to order a person to execute bonds for keeping the peace. Right before his detention was to expire in February 2020, the administration issued a fresh order under the PSA that allows authorities to detain a person without trial for a maximum period of two years. In her Habeas Corpus [literally means, produce the body] petition, Sara prayed for orders to produce Abdullah in the Supreme Court. She argued that he is a votary of peace and there is overwhelming evidence to prove the same. Delhi police said they have arrested 40 people in connection with riot-related rumours that had spread in parts of the national capital on Sunday evening, when the department received 1,880 distress calls from people panicked by the false alarm of communal violence. The maximum 481 calls to police control room (PCR) came from West Delhi, 413 from South East Delhi, 310 from Dwarka and 127 from South Delhi, while only two distress calls were made from North East Delhi, the area where the riots broke out last week, the police said in a statement. There were 222 calls from outer Delhi, 168 from Rohini, 22 from outer North, 54 from North West Delhi, while there were 35 such calls from central Delhi, six each from North Delhi and East Delhi, and four from Shahdara, it added. Another 30 calls were made from South West Delhi. All these calls were made between 7pm and 9pm on Sunday, said Delhi police PRO M S Randhawa. Earlier Monday, senior police officials had put the distress call figure at over 3,000, saying police stations and officials also got several calls directly from citizens panicked by the rumours. "Twenty-one people were arrested in North West Delhi, 18 in South Delhi and one in Rohini," the police said about the action they took following the rumours. At least 42 people have died in the riots last week. On Sunday evening, as the rumours of another round of violence spread, police assured the people that senior officials were camping on the ground and urged people to not panic and took to social media to quell the hoax. "Some unsubstantiated reports of tense situation in SouthEast & West District are being circulated on social media. It is to reiterate that these are all rumours. Don't pay attention to such rumours," the Delhi police tweeted. The police said it was closely monitoring social media accounts spreading fake or rumours and action will be taken against them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A second person has died in Washington state and five more people have tested positive with the novel coronavirus, health officials said Sunday. Four of the new cases, including the second death, are among residents of a long-term nursing facility where officials have been investigating a possible outbreak of coronavirus. The second death was a man in his 70s who died Saturday, Seattle & King County Public Health said in a release. A fifth case was reported in Snohomish County, the county's health department said in a release. The five new cases are presumptive, meaning they have been tested positive by a public health lab and are pending confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In all, 13 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the state, including a man whose death was reported Saturday, making him the first coronavirus fatality in the United States. The 13th case reported late Sunday is a man in his 40s. He is in critical condition, the health department said. The other three new cases reported Sunday are a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 70s. All have underlying health conditions and are in critical condition. Two other cases were confirmed by Seattle and King County Public Health officials earlier Sunday. They are both males in their 60s with underlying health conditions. One is 'in critical but stable condition' at Valley Medical Center in Renton. The other is in critical condition at Virginia Mason Medical Center, a news release said. 'This number is expected to rise as more people are tested and results confirmed,' according to a news release from the health department. However, the two new coronavirus cases are not linked to the long-term health facility where the other coronavirus cases were identified, Katie Ross, a spokeswoman for Washington Health Department, told CNN. The other cases are a high school boy, a woman who traveled to South Korea and an unidentified man. Nursing home case The cases associated with the Life Care Center, a nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, include a 40-year-old female health care worker who has no known travel outside the US. She is in satisfactory condition at a local hospital, officials said. The second one, a woman in her 70s, is hospitalized in serious condition. More than 50 residents and staff from the Life Care Center in Kirkland are experiencing symptoms, and will be tested for coronavirus, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County. 'In addition, we're aware of a number of individuals associated with the 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,' Duchin said. 'We're in the beginning stages of our investigation.' In a statement, the facility said it's not allowing visits from families, volunteers or vendors, and is also placing admissions on hold for the time being. 'We are now in the process of working with the long-term care facility, with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,' Duchin said. 'And we're in a process of providing support to that facility to care for the infected patients, to protect the uninfected patients, and to provide infection control.' Bonnie Holstad, whose husband Ken is staying at the Life Care Center after a fall caused a broken hip, was outside the facility Sunday, trying to get information about her husband's condition. Her husband, who has Parkinson's disease and dementia, had a cough, and the center was not answering phone calls, Holstad said. So, she made a sign and stood outside the glass front doors of the facility. 'No one at Life Care is answering the phones,' the sign read. 'He needs to be attended to ... what is his temperature?' A nurse did go down to check on him, she told CNN, and Holstad was told he doesn't have a fever. He's not being tested for the virus, she said, because he doesn't have all symptoms required for testing. 'I was so angry. How can this be that I have to do this, make a sign and go down there?' Holstad said. 'I'm very worried for my husband,' Holstad said. 'He's one of the vulnerable people,' because of his age and his Parkinson's disease. 'I have real problems with how they're handling the interface with family,' she said, remarking it was 'sort of like a movie about an epidemic in a little town, and they don't know how to handle the situation.' CNN emailed the Life Care Center on Sunday about Holstad's husband but did not receive a response. Holstad said when she was there Wednesday, she noticed staff members wearing masks. She was told that was because some residents had colds. On Saturday, when she arrived with sandwiches to have lunch with her husband, there was a sign on the door that visitors weren't allowed. It wasn't until she got home and listened to a voicemail from the center that she knew about the coronavirus there. It's not just the question of his care, Holstad said, but also the fact that family members aren't given any information on what they should be doing after being in contact with the center's residents. Nine family members had visited her husband this week, she said. High school boy had flu-like symptoms The high school boy in Snohomish County became ill with flu-like symptoms last Monday, the student's family said in a statement. He was tested for the flu, but the tests came back negative, so he returned to Jackson High School on Friday, the county health district said in a blog post. He stayed on campus about five minutes and went home because the family was notified by health officials that his original sample had been tested for coronavirus and came back presumptive positive, the health district said. 'The family didn't know their son was being tested for COVID-19.... Like most people, they assumed it was the flu. They did all the right things,' the health district said. The high school was closed over the weekend and will be closed Monday to allow for a thorough cleaning and disinfecting before the students return. District health officials say they are investigating this case since it suggests that local transmission of COVID-19 is occurring. 'Our team is still in the midst of the investigation, so we do not yet know the possible source of infection,' said Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer for the Snohomish Health District. Hazen High School in the Seattle suburb of Renton will be closed Monday after a student and parent reported having flu-like symptoms, the school district's superintendent, Damien Pattenaude said in a Facebook post Sunday. The student hasn't been to school since falling sick Wednesday. Along with the parent, who works in the health care industry, the student is self-quarantined at home. Both have been tested the virus and are awaiting the results. Custodial staff have been mobilized 'to begin thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting Hazen,' the post said. State of emergency in Washington state Elsewhere, the Lake Washington Institute of Technology will be closed Monday and Tuesday after a nursing faculty member and 16 nursing students were at the Life Care Center late last week, said Dr. Amy Morrison, the institute's president. It's also canceling all large community and college events this week, Morrison said in a statement. In nearby Redmond, seven medics are being quarantined after possible exposure to the virus and 'out of an abundance of caution,' the Redmond Police Department tweeted Sunday, without giving details on the possible exposure. In Kirkland, 25 firefighters and two police officers that responded to calls at the facility have been placed under quarantine out of an abundance of caution, according to a statement on the city of Kirkland's website. 'The first responders under quarantine had responded to calls for various medical complaints at the Life Care Center, one of which resulted in a patient being transferred to Evergreen Hospital,' the statement says. 'Firefighters are either under home quarantine or are utilizing a Kirkland fire station for quarantine.' Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Saturday, directing state agencies to use all resources necessary to respond to the outbreak. '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.' There are now at least 85 confirmed and presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in the United States and two deaths. They include 44 people who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people repatriated from China and 38 cases that occurred in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Delhi High Court has dismissed the bail plea of a clearing house agent, who along with a senior DRI official was arrested by the CBI in connection with a Rs 3-crore bribery case, saying he was the "mastermind" of the crime. Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar denied the relief to clearing house agent Anup Joshi saying the allegations against him are "grave and serious in nature" and he is not entitled to parity with his co-accused. Joshi, Chander Shekhar, the then DRI Additional Director General (ADG), and businessman Rajesh Dhanda were arrested on January 1 by the CBI in connection with the case. Shekhar and Dhanda have already been granted bail by a trial court and Joshi had submitted that he was also entitled for the relief on the ground of parity with the co-accused. According to the CBI, the DRI had in June last year conducted a search at a private clearing agency which provides services to various exporters, and some documents pertaining to an exporter were also seized. As per a complaint by an exporter to the CBI, Joshi and Dhanda, a close friend of Shekhar, allegedly demanded Rs 3 crore on behalf of the public servant for ensuring that the complainant businessman is not implicated by the DRI over documents recovered. The agency had arrested Joshi and Dhanda while allegedly receiving Rs 25 lakh as first installment of the bribe demanded by them on behalf of the officer, the CBI had said at the time of the arrest. The high court, while denying bail to Joshi, said the investigation has revealed that he was the man who has created fear in the mind of complainant that he would be involved in cases with DRI and COFEPOSA. After creating this terror in the complainant's mind, the bribe amount was settled of which Rs 25 lakhs have been recovered from Joshi, it said. "It is the petitioner (Joshi) who was the ex-clearing agent of the complainant and he is the man who had made the complainant to believe that his firms would also be under the DRI investigation and laid the foundation of this entire case. "He introduced the complainant with co-accused Rajesh Dhanda who then demanded Rs three crores as bribe," it noted. The court said that during the investigation, the conversation between the complainant and Joshi has been collected which according to the prosecution revealed that he harassed and threatened the complainant to accede to their demand to save himself from the DRI investigation. "The petitioner is the master mind of the case as he was well aware about the business of the complainant being his ex-clearing house agent," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AUSTIN The South By Southwest festival that draws more than 200,000 people from all over the world is still scheduled to start next week, despite worries about the coronavirus that prompted the Sunday cancellation of Houstons oil and gas industry conference, CERAWeek. Organizers have said in a statement that SXSW, which begins March 13 and ends March 22, is continuing as planned but they will monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as necessary even as high-profile attendees, such as social media giant Twitter, have pulled out. Safety is a top priority, and we work closely with local, state, and federal agencies year-round to plan for a safe event, the organization said in a statement. Globally, the death toll from the virus continues to rise and so far has exceeded 3,000. As of Sunday, the number of people infected rose above 89,000, with fast-expanding outbreaks in South Korea, Italy and Iran. In the U.S., there have been more than 100 cases reported and six deaths, all in Washington state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned Americans to ready themselves for community spread in the United States. 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, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. We want to make sure that the American public is prepared. For subcribers: CDC: Coronavirus patient released in San Antonio later turned up positive for infection Still, so far conference organizers and city and state health officials have not pumped the brakes. The CDC also not issued any advisories on large events so far; however, on its web page, it notes that community-based interventions, including event cancellations, can help slow the spread of the virus. Mayor Steve Adler said in a statement Monday that public health officers are not recommending cancellation of the event. If local public health officials report any change in their assessment and recommendation, immediate action will be taken, Adler said. Know that this situation is being constantly monitored and re-evaluated daily. Adler said Austin city public health officials are in constant communication with a local advisory panel, including all three hospital systems and area physicians and other professionals in cities across the country, evaluating information and practices from around the world. The festival estimated that in 2019 its impact on the Austin economy totaled nearly $356 million. More than 55,000 people reserved hotel rooms that year, and attendees to the event came from 106 countries. The decision to move forward has concerned many in the Austin area and beyond, including more than 18,000 people who have signed an online petition calling for the event to be cancelled. For subcsribers: Media faces challenges in covering coronavirus outbreak Just Sunday, Twitter announced the company would not send its employees to the event and suspended all non-critical business travel and events. Other large tech companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, have issued similar decisions limiting company-sponsored travel. In an email sent to SXSW volunteers last week, event organizers advised volunteers of its plan for keeping attendees and volunteers safe as well as health precautions such as washing their hands, wiping down surfaces with disinfectant wipes that will be available on-site and avoiding touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Organizers prefaced the email by saying that the state health department considers Texas to be at low risk and that Austin Public Health regards Austin and Travis County to be low-risk. Nevertheless, SXSW has increased its hygiene messaging for SXSW 2020, and we are focusing on keeping common areas clean and stocking up on hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes, and we are asking that our clients and sponsors do the same, the email read. We are also coordinating with SXSW venues, including the Austin Convention Center, hotels, music venues, and theaters about overall hygiene and disease prevention at SXSW. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Corporate Email Address: You forgot to provide an Email Address. This email address doesnt appear to be valid. Please provide a Corporate Email Address. This email address is already registered. Please log in. First Name: You forgot to provide your first name. Last Name: You forgot to provide your last name. Company Name: You forgot to provide a company name. Job Title: You forgot to provide a job title. Seniority: Select... 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State/Province: You did not provide a full local address. Zip/Postal Code: You did not provide a full local address. Phone: You forgot to provide a phone number. This phone number format is not recognized. Please check the country and number. I agree to TechTargets Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and the transfer of my information to the United States for processing to provide me with relevant information as described in our Privacy Policy. Please check the box if you want to proceed. I agree to my information being processed by TechTarget and its Partners to contact me via phone, email, or other means regarding information relevant to my professional interests. I may unsubscribe at any time. Please check the box if you want to proceed. By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent. British Airways has announced more than 400 additional flight cancellations between 16 and 28 March. The vast majority 342 are short-haul flights to and from the airlines main base at Heathrow. One daily round-trip from Heathrow to New York is axed. BA is also cancelling 14 departures and arrivals serving destinations in Italy, France and Albania from Gatwick. A total of 52 services connecting London City to Germany and Italy have been cancelled as well. Customers on cancelled services will be offered the option of a full refund, rebook to a later date or rebook on other carriers where possible, said British Airways. The services would normally be expected to carry around 70,000 passengers. BA and many other airlines have seen bookings slump because of concerns over coronavirus. To increase bookings, BA is emulating the US airline JetBlue by offering fee-free changes in a bid to spur bookings. For new bookings made between Tuesday 3 March and Monday 16 March 2020, it will allow customers to change flights without the usual penalties. But crucially, passengers cannot ask for a refund or credit note if they decide not to travel. And if the new flight is more expensive, they will have to pay the difference. Nor does the offer apply to British Airways passengers with existing reservations. The airlines chief commercial officer, Andrew Brem, said: As some customers may choose to change or delay their travel plans at the moment, its important we offer them greater flexibility. By waiving our change fee our customers can have the added confidence to book a trip with British Airways that suits them. Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Show all 16 1 /16 Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondoliers wait for customers in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A gondolier on the Grand Canal as the sun sets in Venice, Italy, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Authorities in Italy decided to re-open schools and museums in some of the areas less hard-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia, as Italians on Friday yearned for a return to normal life even amid fears that the outbreak could plunge the country's economy into recession. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A local pulls a trolley as she leaves a street food market in Venice, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. 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 nation's tourism industry, the head of Italy's hotel federation said Saturday. 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. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Locals wait for a mass at the barely empty San Salvador church in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. A coughing Pope Francis told Italy, pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists wearing protective masks take photographs in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists wearing protective masks look at their smartphones as they have a break at the St. Mark's square in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears A couple stand at the Rialto bridge during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the country's confirmed cases surpassed 1,000. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. Reuters Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty canal is seen after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears An empty water bus after the spread of coronavirus has caused a decline in the number of tourists in Venice, Italy, March 1, 2020. REUTERS Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Tourists shelter against the rain with umbrellas as they walk in the empty St. Mark's Square during a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. AP Streets of Venice empty due to Coronavirus fears Gondolas are parked on a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. AP Europes biggest budget airline, Ryanair, says it has told tens of thousands of passengers that their flights are cancelled as it reduces capacity by up to a quarter for the 23 days from Tuesday 17 March to Wednesday 8 April. The airline said: Over the past week, Ryanair has seen a significant drop in bookings over that late March/early April period, in response to the Covid-19 virus. There has also been a significant step up in passenger no-shows on flights, particularly from and within Italy. The airline groups chief executive, Michael OLeary, said: While we are heavily booked over the next two weeks, there has been a notable drop in forward bookings towards the end of March, into early April. It makes sense to selectively prune our schedule to and from those airports where travel has been most affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. This is a time for calm. All affected customers will be advised of any schedule changes at least 14 days in advance. Ryanair also predicted that some rival carriers will go out of business: We expect that this Covid-19 virus will result in further EU airline failures over the coming weeks. The Lucknow Police have arrested a man for making derogatory remarks against a religious figure on social media, the police said on Monday. The arrested person has been identified as Yogendra Singh (38), resident of Misri Baghiya which comes under the jurisdiction of Thakurganj Police station of Lucknow. The accused had posted a video on Facebook in which he was seen firing from two fake guns and making some derogatory remarks. The police have registered a complaint against him under Section 67 of the IT Act. They also recovered three fake guns from him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several BJP woman MPs on Monday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take strongest action, including expulsion, against four Congress members, accusing them of "misbehaving" during the opposition's protest against Delhi violence in the house. The BJP, official sources said, is considering moving a resolution for suspending four Congress members from the House. BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha as several opposition MPs walked into the area of the treasury benches while protesting over the issue of violence in Delhi and demanding resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. The House proceedings were adjourned for the day due to the ruckus. Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi met the Speaker later over the development. Union minister Smriti Irani, who was joined by several woman MPs of the ruling party, slammed these Congress members as "goonda elements" and told reporters that that their conduct reflected "desperation of the Gandhi family". The BJP MPs were jostled and misbehaved with by them, she added. The opposition party in turn accused the government of tearing democracy to "shreds" by not allowing a discussion on the Delhi violence. A Congress member also filed a complaint against a BJP lawmaker for "misbehaving" with her. In their complaint to the Speaker, the BJP MPs accused the Congress members of having a "perverse desire" to vitiate the proceedings in the House and said they were "jostled" by some opposition lawmakers. "Please expel such a member immediately," it said. Irani told reporters that tribal MP Jaskaur Meena and another BJP lawmaker Shobha Karandlaje were among those who were misbehaved with. "For the past two to three sessions, the goonda elements of the Congress have been disrupting proceedings of Lok Sabha. "One could never imagine that the desperation of the Gandhi khandan (family) would come to such a pass that they would use their MPs, especially female MPs, to misbehave, physically jostle and create literally an atmosphere where their goonda raj was visible to the entire nation," the Union minister said. She expressed the hope that the Congress' efforts to disrupt proceedings of the House with "violent methods" will be met by the strongest possible action from the Speaker. Irani said a woman member of the Congress "nudged" a Dalit BJP MP in order to "provoke" him. Earlier, as soon as Lok Sabha met at 2 pm, opposition members started raising slogans from the Well against the government. They later went into the area of treasury benches carrying a black banner, which demanded Shah's resignation, as Birla took up the listed business. This led to a scuffle, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house till 3 pm. Thereafter, the Lok Sabha was adjourned thrice till 4 pm amid continuing ruckus before being adjourned for the day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A warm front makes its way to Central New York Sunday night. Ahead of the front, cold air is still present, with snow showers overnight. Overnight lows will be in the lower 20s around midnight. As the warm front moves through early Monday morning, freezing rain begins. This is due to warmer air aloft, but near or below freezing temperatures at the surface. We are expecting to get about a glaze of ice on the ground from this freezing rain. Plan on needing some extra time driving on these icy and slushy roads for your morning commute. The freezing rain ends before Monday afternoon. Any ice on the ground will melt quickly before your lunch time plans around noon. This is because much warmer air will be moving into Central New York behind this warm front. This region behind the warm front and ahead of the cold front is called the warm sector. In the warm sector, highs are expected to reach the lower 50s! However, scattered light rain showers will still be present. There will also be lots of wet roads as the snow begins to melt and drain onto the streets. The rain becomes heavier Monday evening as a cold front approaches Central New York. Plan on needing some extra time driving for your evening commute. There could be areas of low visibility and pooling on the roadways, especially with a good amount of melting snow. The rain becomes lighter heading into Monday night, eventually ending before Tuesday morning. Overnight lows only bottom out in the lower 30s. Rainfall totals look to be around 0.50"-0.75" for the North Country, 0.25" for the Mohawk Valley, and 0.10" for the Southern Valleys. However, with all the melting snow there could be even more water on the ground. THE open fire in the sittingroom has been replaced by the more efficient solid-fuel stove. But the smoke must still go somewhere. You need only walk in residential areas of any city or town these cold and damp nights to notice air pollution. Last December, the air in monitored parts of Cork city was found to be of poor quality, even by European standards. If you cant see it, you will certainly smell it and, after a while, you will taste it. In low-lying towns, air pollution can lead to a form of smog. Standing on high ground above Killarney, Co Kerry, on clear, windless nights, Ive seen a thick cloud sitting over the town and partially obscuring public lighting. The EPA warns that emissions from solid-fuel burning are the greatest threat to good air, closely followed by transport emissions. Some experts now claim poor quality air is as harmful as tobacco smoke. The EPA says our air quality is good relative to other EU countries, but does not measure up to World Health Organisation standards. Chief sources of this pollution are emissions from vehicles in urban areas and from burning of solid fuels, such as coal, timber, and turf. These pollutants take the form of tiny solid or liquid particles. Poor air quality has short-term health implications, such as headaches, breathing difficulties, and eye irritation, and long-term effects, including asthma, cancer, reduced liver function, or heart disease. Wood is a renewable fuel, but scientists in UK universities are now saying wood-burning may cancel out any gains made by more air-friendly transport. EU research shows domestic solid-fuel burning accounts for 45% of total emissions of fine particulates, three times more than road transport. According to Sarah OConnor, chief executive of the Asthma Society of Ireland, 1,800 people died prematurely in 2016 due to breathing polluted air. The 380,000 people who have asthma in Ireland are at an increased risk of death because of air pollution. Worryingly, new evidence identifies traffic pollution as a cause of asthma in children, she adds. And, like so many other matters regarding the environment, the asthma society believes children may be the key to tackling air pollution. A Clear Air Competition for second-level schools will educate young people on the detrimental health effects of breathing polluted air, while also encouraging them to improve air quality in their localities. To enter the competition, students must take an action against air pollution, document the action, and post about the action on social media. Homicide detectives are seeking to extradite a 20-year-old Colombian man from the Caribbean, following his arrest for the alleged murder of a Sydney woman in her flat this year. The body of Kimberley McRae, 69, was found in her Coogee apartment on January 14, a week after she was last seen in public. Police believe her body had been in the unit for many days after she was strangled. Kimberley McRae was found dead in her Coogee apartment. Credit:NSW Police On Monday, a NSW Police spokeswoman confirmed a 20-year-old man had been arrested on the island of Aruba, a Dutch territory, in connection with Ms McRae's death. No charges have been laid. "Detectives from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad are working with Commonwealth agencies to seek the man's extradition to Australia," she said. Two members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been arrested and detained in prison for allegedly insulting Governor Inuwa Yahaya. Atiku Boza-Boza and Adamu Babale are being detained on the orders of an area court following their arraignment on allegations of conspiracy and intentional insult, according to Premium Times. We gathered that on Wednesday, the police at Pantami Division of the metropolis arrested and detained Mr Boza-Boza, who was a personal assistant to former Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo. Adamu Babale, an associate of Mr Boza-Boza who went to the police station to secure the bail of his fellow party man, was also detained. The two were then taken before the Area Court in Pantami in handcuffs on Thursday on charges of conspiring to abuse Governor Yahaya. The police accused the two PDP stalwarts of calling the governor leader of promise breakers according to the Polices First Information Report (FIR). The alleged offence, according to the charge sheet, is contrary to Section 96 & 155 of the Penal Code Law. However, a spokesperson to the governor, Abdullahi Misilli said Governor Yahaya was not behind the travail of the two PDP members. This is not true. The governor did not order the arrest of anybody. If they have issues, it must be with another person, not the governor, Andullahi said. Mr Misilli described the alleged role of the governor as antics of the opposition. The Minority caucus of Parliament has urged the government to make immediate payment of money owed service providers under the NHIS to save the scheme from total collapse. The Minority made the statement at a press conference this morning which was addressed by Hon Kwabena Mintah Akandoh MP for Juaboso and Minority Ranking Member on the Committee on Health of Parliament. According to Hon Akandoh contrary to a statement by President Nana Akufo-Addo that the government has cleared all debts owed the NHIS, the government rather owes NHIS service providers about 9 to 14 months. He said NHIS service providers are cash strapped and threatening to withdraw their services if they are not paid money owed them. According to Hon Akandoh whilst the NHIS seriously needs funds for its operation, the government is rather denying the scheme of much-needed funds in the name of earmarked funds capping and realignment Act 2017 ( Act 947 ) which is applicable to NHIS which is not the best for the survival of the scheme. The Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana (PHFAoG) and the Health Insurance Service Providers Association of Ghana (HISPAG), on Monday, urged the government to ensure the urgent reimbursement of all monies owed them. They said effective March 1, 2020, the providers would be compelled to withdraw some services that continued to create financial burden especially those that were not within their control. They, therefore, advised the public and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cardholders to carry cash alongside their cards to pay for the cost of any service that the providers may not be able to offer immediately. Mr. Frank Torblu, the Executive Director of the Health Insurance Service Providers Association of Ghana, who addressed a joint press conference in Accra, said the advice to the government was based on the current pressure being mounted on their members by their creditors. According to him, an alleged pronouncement by a Minister of State at a private television station, claiming that the government owed NHI Service providers only three months arrears, had created a situation for the Chamber of Pharmacy to cut the supply of medicines and other medical consumables to Member hospital, clinics and maternity homes nationwide. Mr. Torblu said contrary to this the NHIS owed service providers between nine to 14 months which, covered arrears from 2018 for some providers, and 2019 for others. Source: Emmanuel Akorli/Parliamentary Correspondent/Peace Fm 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 biggest shareholder in Barclays has urged the bank to fire boss Jes Staley over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. US activist Ed Bramson, who owns 5.8 per cent of Barclays through his hedge fund Sherborne Investors, warned that re-electing Staley as chief executive at its annual meeting in May would be 'extremely ill-advised'. He called on chairman Nigel Higgins 'to draw a line under this destabilising situation, which has become a circus, as soon as possible', adding that any attempt to allow the US banker to slip gracefully into retirement 'would be a mistake and would set a terrible precedent for Barclays and for United Kingdom public companies in general'. Ed Bramson, who owns 5.8 per cent of Barclays through his hedge fund warned re-electing Jes Staley (pictured) as Barclays' chief exec would be 'extremely ill-advised' Barclays last month revealed that Staley, 63, was being investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority over whether he had been open with his employer about his link to Epstein. The Barclays boss went to visit Epstein in Florida in 2008 while he was serving his 13-month sentence for child sex offences, and later joined him at his Caribbean retreat. Staley first met Epstein in 2000 when he became head of JP Morgan's private bank, where Epstein was a client. The US bank continued to work with Epstein until 2013 even after he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008. Staley has said he deeply regrets the relationship. Epstein committed suicide in jail last year as he awaited further charges. But Bramson has now raised questions over what Staley knew about the paedophile's illegal activities. Bramson pointed out that 'prostitution and sex trafficking, by their very nature, involve the transfer of money'. He added: 'Given Epstein's history of involvement in child prostitution, it would be reasonable to expect that JP Morgan would have placed his accounts under close scrutiny. We do not know if any reports were made, but, if they were not, it raises obvious questions and, if they were, why were the accounts not closed?' Bramson questioned whether Staley maintained Epstein as a client because of the profits he brought, and the benefits which this lent Staley in terms of pay and promotion. The whole affair throws Staley's professional conduct into significant doubt, he added. Bramson said: 'The real issue is Staley's professional conduct, not the dubious company he may have elected to keep.' Barclays should also launch a review into advice it received over Staley's appointment, Bramson said, from JP Morgan and recruitment company Spencer Stuart. The lender declined to comment, but has maintained it fully supports Staley. Bramson's criticism is the latest salvo in a battle between the activist and the Barclays board. Shares in Barclays slid 3.7 per cent, or 5.44p, to 143.3p. Russian Finance Ministry ordered to pay $1.5k to unauthorized Moscow rally participant RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 14:04 02/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 2 (RAPSI) Moscows Tverskoy District Court on Monday ordered the Russian Finance Ministry to pay a participant of the unauthorized July 27 Moscow rally Daniil Konon 100,000 rubles ($1,500) in compensation for moral harm caused by illegal prosecution, RAPSI reports from the courtroom. The plaintiff asked the court to recover over 1.4 million rubles (over $20,000) from the defendant. According to the lawsuit, Konon was caused moral damage by the month-long detention, searches in his flat and interrogation without an attorney. Konon was arrested on August 5 on allegations of participation in mass riots. In early September, charges against the man were dropped due to the lack of criminal elements he was accused of. Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations. The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commissions building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Following the 27 July rally, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over mass riots. Investigators believe that the protest action was held with the use of force against representatives of authority. (Alliance News) - Oriole Resources PLC on Monday said it has raised GBP245,000 before expenses, through a private placement, to support ongoing exploration at its Bibemi project in Cameroon. The exploration company, which is focused on West Africa, said it intends to move towards drill mobilisation at Bibemi later this year. The proceeds from the placing are also expected to provide general working capital. "The funds, collectively, from the placing and the sale of shares in Tembo, will be used to further develop our understanding of the structural setting through continued exploration of the northern Bakassi zone," explained Chief Executive Tim Livesey. "This will allow us to identify further targets for our drill campaign, which we expect to commence later in the year," added Livesey. Oriole said it placed 70.0 million shares at a price of 0.35 pence each. The shares are accompanied with 35.0 million warrants, exercisable at 0.60p each, which will be exercisable at any time in the two years after issue. The AIM stock was trading 6.6% higher in London on Monday at 0.32p a share. Following the admission, Oriole will have 771.8 million shares overall, it said. By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Photo: (Photo : Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo) In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced their desire to step down from their positions and discontinue their duties as senior royals. They also expressed their wish to become financially independent and start a new life as an ordinary family with their son, Archie. This announcement generated global headlines and surprised millions of people. The Queen of England and Prince Harry's grandmother, Queen Elisabeth II, convened a summit of senior royals to discuss the couple's decision and they later announced to the press the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will no longer be working royals and they would be stripped off of their titles. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision After the couple's announcement, the countdown to their last day as royals began. On March 31, 2020, it will be the last day that we will see the faces of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as the representative of the county Sussex. Because of this upcoming change, people on social media started creating theories about why the couple decided to leave their royal duties. One twitter user, Tamar Juda, said that people should pay attention to the date of their departure, as the couple will start their new lives on April 1 which is April Fool's Day. There were also a lot of reports that circulated about Prince William bullying Prince Harry and Meghan and it made the couple decide to quit their royal connection. However, statements were done by the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex and they both denied these allegations that are offensive and harmful. Others also speculated that after the revelation of Prince Andrew's connection to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not want to be associated with the "shady" relations of the royal family anymore. While some said this decision may have happened after Meghan Markle's emotional interview where she opened up about her struggles and how the media unfairly treats her with numerous racial and derogatory comments, issues about her marriage and her pregnancy and the constant publication about her private family life. A clip of her interview with reporter Tom Bradby was released by ITV. It was a part of ITV's documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey." In the said interview, Meghan talked about the issues that she had to grapple as a wife, mother, and part of the royal family. The real reason On January 9, the couple took to Instagram about their decision to quit their royal duties. They said that they've reflected on their situation and they had internal discussions. The pair have chosen to make a transition in 2020 and they wanted to step back as senior members of the Royal Family and work in order to become financially independent. To those who have been watching the royal couple, the announcement was not a surprise because the pair have been a target of negative media attention since they started dating. But a lot of people applauded their decision because it was an indication of independence and it was a progressive direction for the royal family. ALSO READ: Sibling Jealousy? Meghan Markle's Sister Plans Tell-All Book Following Her Attacks On Prince Harry's Girlfriend Paddy farmers in Machilipatnam, Guduru, and surrounding villages on Monday approached 'Spandana', the grievance redressal cell of state government, complaining that they got some "fake" seeds in the lieu of paddy seeds resulting in loss of their crops. The farmers reached the Collector's office at Machilipatnam with the crop samples to show the yield they got with the seeds. They complained to Joint Collector Madhavi Lata that the paddy seeds gave yield within mere 30 days instead of usual 120 days, which is a "premature" yield. The farmers appealed the officials to take stern action against the dealer who sold seeds to them. "This leads to many types of aberrations in the yield and it was a loss for us," said a farmer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight years ago, the TaxPayers Alliance reported that in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories. It currently reports that almost half of avowedly political appointees last year owed their allegiance to Labour Party, compared to less than a third for the Conservatives. Despite the selection of some Party members or supporters to fill important posts, over time, the Conservatives have punched beneath their weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply dont apply in the same number as Labour supporters. To help remedy this, each week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives can be aware of the opportunities presented. Childrens Commissioners Office Advisory Board Member The Office of the Childrens Commissioner is a dynamic and creative place to work. It is a small organisation, but it has a loud voice and is highly respected. The Childrens Commissioners Advisory Board exists to provide advice and challenge to the Childrens Commissioner in the exercise of her statutory functions. The Commissioner is now inviting applications from exceptional individuals, with a wide breadth of experience, to join this Board, which meets quarterly in London. Candidates need not have previous experience of working with children but should demonstrate an interest in policy issues affecting children, particularly the most vulnerable, and be interested in the role of the Commissioner and able to offer a different perspective on her work. Time: 3-4 meetings per year. Remuneration: Reasonable expenses. Closes: 03 March Home Office Non-Executive Directors We are seeking high-calibre Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) with substantial experience of leading complex, delivery focused organisations, to support the Home Secretary in the realisation of her ambitious agenda. Non-Executive Directors provide a key role in diversifying and strengthening the strategic and operational leadership of the Home Office. They complement the skills and experience of Government Ministers and officials by bringing constructive challenge and advice to the Departments work through a fresh, independent, and external perspective. You will work closely with ministers and officials to support the delivery of a portfolio of priorities linked to key departmental commitments. Time: 3 years. Remuneration: 15,000. Closes: 08 March Office for Budget Responsibility Chair Robert Chote will be stepping down as Chair of the BRC later this year, after 10 years in post. We are seeking a successor with deep expertise in economic and fiscal analysis who can lead the BRC and provide intellectual leadership to the OBRs staff. This is a high profile and influential role, requiring outstanding communication skills and integrity. Candidates must command broad respect for their objectivity in dealing with issues of political sensitivity. Appointments to the BRC are for a five-year term. There is the possibility of reappointment at the end of the term and members can serve a maximum of two terms. This post can be undertaken on either a part or full-time basis. Time: Full- or part-time. Remuneration: 158,762 per annum (FTE). Closes: 19 March Office for Nuclear Regulation Security Non-Executive Director The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is a Public Corporation responsible for the regulation of nuclear safety and security across the UK. Its vision is to be an exemplary regulator that inspires respect, trust and confidence. ONR is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) who have principal responsibility for governance, finance and its performance in relation to conventional Health and Safety. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is accountable for the UK civil nuclear regulatory framework and policies and for appointing a Security Non-Executive Director (NED) to the ONR Board. Time: Approx. 30 days per annum. Remuneration: 15,000 plus expenses. Closes: 22 March Financial Conduct Authority Chief Executive This is an opportunity to take on an intellectually demanding role at the heart of international financial services, leading a sizeable and complex organisation. There is a requirement for strong leadership in a challenging environment to undertake a critically important role. Under Andrew Bailey, the FCA has formulated a transformation programme, to equip the organisation for the next phase of its development: a data strategy and enhanced analytical skills to rapidly identify harm across an exceptionally broad range of firms of all sizes exploiting fast-moving changes in technology and distribution to target consumers; enhance employee capabilities and processes to act swiftly on the harms identified; [and] and with a regulatory framework which is appropriate following the completion of EU withdrawal, and which takes advantage of the opportunities for better and more efficient regulation brought by technology and behavioural science. Time: Full-time. Remuneration: Competitive. Closes: 27 March Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (C2C LEP) Chair The Coast to Capital Strategic Board comprises private sector and local authority Members, setting a vision for and overseeing delivery of economic prosperity for all in the Coast to Capital area, including through Government funding of projects through the Local Growth Fund. They are accountable to the LEP Board and for the proper governance of the LEP. Coast to Capital is seeking an influential and persuasive senior business figure from the C2C area to help lead the region and meet the ambitious vision set out in its strategic plan. Currently chaired by Tim Wates, who will be stepping down in July 2020, the Board brings together a diverse mix of regional business leaders alongside senior politicians and leaders from Universities and Further Education. Time: Four days per month, three-year term. Remuneration: 20,000 per annum. Closes: 30 March PORTLAND, Ore. -- Health officials in Oregon have found a third "presumptive" case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state, according to a statement issued on Monday morning. "The third case is an adult Oregon resident from Umatilla County who is hospitalized in Walla Walla, Washington," the Oregon Health Authority said. OHA continues to recommend all people in Oregon take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of many respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza: Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash. Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched. Take care of your health overall. Staying current on your vaccinations, including flu vaccine, eating well and exercising all help your body stay resilient. Consult CDCs travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the US. Governor Kate Brown convenes the Coronavirus Response Team (Gov. Kate Brown Press Office / My Oregon News). Governor Kate Brown convenes the Coronavirus Response Team (Gov. Kate Brown Press Office / My Oregon News). Cases are being treated as presumptive by state health officials until the test results can be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Now officials with both state and local health agencies are quickly trying to contact people who may have been in close contact with the new patient, OHA said. This third case in the state is another one not linked to world travel or other sources, meaning it represents a case of "community spread." The person attended a youth basketball game in Weston, Oregon on February 29, an investigation found. "Athena-Weston School District officials have closed the gym and will conduct a deep cleaning out of an abundance of caution," OHA said. "The gym is physically detached from the rest of the school. Health officials do not consider the separate school building to pose any risk of exposure." The test of a sample from this new case was performed in Washington state's public health lab and represented one of Oregon's pending cases. Oregon Health Authority and Washington County Health Authority held a media call on Sunday night, confirming a second positive case of COVID-19 in Oregon. It also confirmed that 86 people across the state of Oregon are being monitored. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon State Health Officer, said the second person identified with a positive case is isolated at home, and the first person remains hospitalized. The CDC will be rerunning all positive tests to confirm. It was also confirmed that eight tests came back negative on Sunday, and there are still six tests to process on Monday. Sidelinger also said that Oregon expects the number of cases to increase and will respond accordingly to help control the spread of the virus. OHA said that the state has 1,500 coronavirus test kits to use, and those are getting replenished by the CDC as they get used. 80 of the kits are able to be tested daily. The tests can take three to four and a half hours to run. The state can run 20 batches at the same time. Sidelinger said people should feel safe sending children to school tomorrow, and for the next week. Sidelinger also reminded people to take the basic steps for the prevention of illness, like washing hands and staying home if feeling ill. Mild symptoms of the virus could be treated as a normal illness, Sidelinger said. If you have mild symptoms, he suggests you manage those symptoms at home. He also said that more serious illnesses and symptoms warranting medical attention should get that attention. Sidelinger also said that most coronaviruses don't live long on surfaces. During the call, he confirmed that it normally does not live for longer than an hour, on surfaces. Routine disinfectants work against it. Because the current presumptive case of COVID-19 is affiliated with a local school, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education partnered to create an Information for Families and Schools Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document. Additional updated information, including daily tracking of Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) and Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) is available at www.healthoregon.orgcoronavirus. The public is encouraged to find additional information through these resources: One civilian sustained shrapnel injuries. Russian-led forces have shelled residential areas in the town of Krasnohorivka, Donetsk region, employing 120mm mortars. "Today, March 2, Russian armed groups once again deliberately resorted to aggravation on the contact line, deliberately violating all existing ceasefire agreements," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters wrote on Facebook. Russian invaders deliberately shelled Krasnohorivka. The enemy fired at residential buildings, using 120mm mortars, realizing that the shelling poses a threat to the life and health of civilians. Read alsoUkraine reports one KIA, seven WIAs amid 11 enemy attacks in Donbas on March 1 As a result of a mine explosion outside one of the houses, windows were shattered. One person was injured by shrapnel. He was promptly provided medical assistance. "Such impudent actions of the Russian occupiers once again testify to their interest in further escalation of conflict in the east of Ukraine," the JFO HQ said. To suppress enemy fire and prevent further armed provocations, the JFO's units employed available weapons and delivered an adequate response. The enemy losses are being specified. The JFO's command says not a single act of aggression will be left without a proper response. Feb. 17 At 1:40 p.m., Officer Marcotte was dispatched to 4950 Terminal to receive a report of a stolen catalytic converter from a parked truck over the weekend. There is no suspect in this case and the investigation continues. At 8:01 p.m., Officer Marcotte was dispatched to the 4400 block of Acacia regarding an assault in progress. Upon arrival with Officer Bayliss and Cpl. Kramer, it was discovered a juvenile had assaulted his father causing several lacerations to his body. Both the father and son had to be transported to the hospital and the son will be charged with assault on a family member causing bodily injuries. Feb. 18 At 8:16 a.m., Officer Lysack was dispatched to the 1100 block of Sheffield Street in reference to an incident where unknown suspects stole the wheels from the victims Chevrolet Tahoe. The reportee stated the theft occurred between 10:30 p.m. Feb. 17 and 4:30 a.m. Feb. 18. At 10:55 a.m., Officer Lysack was dispatched to 6600 Fifth St. in reference to a theft of construction equipment. Officer Lysack met with the reportee who stated unknown suspects stole two skid steer mounted concrete breakers from the construction site. The breakers were loaded into the back of a white, 2004 Ford F250 and the truck was last seen northbound on Fifth Street. At 5:59 p.m., Officer Andrade was dispatched to the 400 block of Mulberry Lane in reference to an assault. Upon arrival, Officer Andrade made contact with the victim who stated an unknown person assaulted him for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk. At 3:59 a.m., Coporal A. Porter was patrolling in the area of 5900 Newcastle Drive when he observed a vehicle driving with a right front flat tire. Cpl. Porter initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the driver was driving while intoxicated. The driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated and booked in the Bellaire Jail without incident. Officer D. Bailey assisted with this case At 3:52 p.m., Officer Bellard was dispatched to an identity theft in the 4700 block of Holly Street in the Bellaire Police Department lobby. An unknown suspect used the victims bank account information to open a car insurance policy. Feb. 19 At 1 p.m., Officer Jenkins was dispatched to Randalls grocery store at 5130 Bellaire Blvd. concerning a shoplifter. The Loss Prevention Officer had detained a subject for shoplifting after he passed the point of sale without paying for the items. The suspect was arrested and charged with theft. Feb. 20 At 4:06 a.m., Officer Clisham observed a white Dodge Charger traveling eastbound in the 4900 block of Elm Street without its taillights on. Ofc. Clisham conducted a traffic stop for this offense. Ofc. Clisham and Ofc. Barrientos made contact with the driver and passenger of the Charger. Ofc. Barrientos observed the driver to be intoxicated and the passenger was discovered to have multiple controlled substances in her possession. The driver and passenger were placed in custody and transported to the Bellaire Jail for driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance. Ofc. Barrientos was the primary officer in this incident. Feb. 21 At 7:23 a.m., Officer Trujillo was dispatched to the 1100 block of Howard Lane in reference to two burglaries of a motor vehicle. Upon arrival the victim advised Officer Trujillo that between 11 p.m. Feb. 20 and 7 a.m. Feb. 21 an unknown person(s) entered two vehicles at the above location and removed items without permission. At 12:26 p.m., Officer Ortega was dispatched the 800 block of Anderson Street in reference to an identity theft. The victim stated an unknown person opened a JC Penney credit card and purchased items with it without his consent. At 11:12 p.m., Officer Marcotte initiated a traffic stop on a 2015 Buick for driving with the rear door open in the 7600 block of IH 610 southbound. The door was open since the vehicle was carrying two new 55-inch televisions with a male sitting on top of them holding the door. Officer Marcotte inquired about where the TVs came from and received inconsistent stories from all three occupants of the vehicle. The driver was arrested on driving while license suspended and Houston warrants. A follow up investigation by Officer Marcotte revealed the TVs came from a Walmart store where the three suspects acted together to take the items. The investigation also revealed the same crew had stolen a computer from another Walmart a few minutes prior the TV theft. Officer Marcotte will obtain a to be warrant for engaging in organized criminal activity on the suspects. Feb. 22 At 3:19 a.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 4700 block of Bissonnet Street when he observed a F150 in front of him commit multiple traffic violations. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the driver was driving while intoxicated. The driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated without incident. Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Sgt. L. Anderson assisted with this investigation as a Drug Recognition Expert. At 10:35 p.m., Officer Clisham responded to 4439 Bissonnet St. in reference to a found property call. The reportee had located a purse in the parking lot. After further investigation it appeared the items had been dumped in the parking after a theft. There was no identifying information located in either of the bags located. At 7:17 p.m., Officer Baylis was dispatched to the 5200 block of Mimosa Street in reference to a criminal mischief call. Upon arrival, Officer Baylis met with the Victim who stated between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., someone broke the wooden gate and fence on the west side of the house. Officer Baylis completed the report. Feb. 23 At 4:41 a.m., Bellaire Police responded to an in-progress burglary call at 4555 Bissonnet St., where it was reported three male suspects were attempting to steal or break into an Automated Teller Machine. Officers arrived in the area and located a vehicle fleeing the scene and attempted to perform a traffic stop on said vehicle. A vehicle pursuit ensued until four male suspects exited the vehicle and attempted to evade Bellaire Police on foot. All four suspects were apprehended and placed into custody. The suspect vehicle was stolen and became engulfed in flames after the suspects exited, destroying any physical evidence. The suspect driver was charged with felony evading in a vehicle, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and theft of an ATM. The other three suspect passengers were charged with theft of an ATM and evading on foot. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 15:15 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067bcbdb 1 National Diamond-Princess,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia Free The 69 Indonesian crewmen, who were airlifted from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, and arrived back in Indonesia on Sunday evening, are due to start their 28-day quarantine period on Sebaru Kecil Island today. The Garuda Indonesia aircraft carrying the evacuees from Tokyo's Haneda Airport landed at around 11 p.m. on Sunday at Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka, West Java. The crewmen were sprayed with disinfectant upon disembarking the aircraft, and then transported to a port at the Indramayu thermal power plant (PLTU). There, they boarded the Indonesian Navy's Dr. Soeharso Hospital Ship to Sebaru Kecil Island in the Thousand Islands archipelagic regency, which extends north-northeast of Jakarta Bay. Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said that the crewmen were healthy and they would undergo a series of medical examinations aboard the hospital ship en route to the uninhabited island, including sample collection. "The [Diamond Princess evacuees] have health certificates from the Japanese authorities that declare them healthy," Muhadjir said on Sunday. "However, we will conduct further examinations in accordance with the President's instructions, as we have to be careful about this." Sebaru island is currently housing 188 Indonesian crewmen who were evacuated from the World Dream cruise ship in Hong Kong and arrived on Friday afternoon to start their 14-day quarantine period . Read also: Jakarta's island starts housing evacuees from World Dream cruise ship Muhadjir said that the Diamond Princess evacuees would be placed in a different "quarantine block" and kept separate from the World Dream evacuees. "There are two [quarantine] blocks," he said, and that the government had prepared the details of the quarantine procedure in consultation with the relevant agencies. Of the 78 Indonesian crewmen who were working aboard Diamond Princess, eight have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China. The eight Indonesians remain in Japan, where they are receiving treatment. Earlier, the government said that only the 68 crewmen who had tested negative for COVID-19 would be evacuated, as the two others had decided to continue working on the cruise ship. However, acting Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said that one of the two later decided to return to Indonesia, kompas.com reported. The Japanese government quarantined the Diamond Princess and all 3,711 passengers and crew on board for two weeks starting Feb. 5 in Yokohama. By the time the ship and all aboard were released from quarantine on Feb. 19, more than 600 passengers and crew had tested positive for COVID-19. Following the evacuation, the Garuda Indonesia aircraft used in the evacuation has been grounded at Kertajati airport for three days of disinfection and sterilization. (gis) T he global coronavirus death toll passed 3,000 on Monday after dozens more people died in China and US authorities confirmed a second fatality. The strain has infected more than 89,000 people and spread to more than 60 countries after first emerging in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019. A further 13 people tested positive for the virus in the UK on Sunday, including a first case in Scotland, bringing the total to 36. Thirteen new UK coronavirus cases as total climbs to 36 He will chair a Cobra meeting about the virus for the first time on Monday as he finalises the steps ministers will take should the outbreak worsen. 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 China, where the epidemic began in December, reported 202 new cases over the previous 24 hours, with another 42 deaths. That brings the countrys total number of cases to 80,026 with 2,912 deaths recorded in all. The city of Wuhan accounted for most of the new cases, but also saw 2,570 patients released. Mondays increase was Chinas lowest since January 21 but outbreaks were surging in other countries with South Korea, Italy and Iran seeing sharp increases. Crowds wearing protective masks at Shinagawa station in Tokyo, Japan / REUTERS The United States counted 80 cases as of Sunday and two deaths, both men with existing health problems who had been hospitalised in Washington state. The US total includes evacuees from a virus-stricken cruise ship and from Wuhan, but new cases among California health workers, in New York, Rhode Island and Washington raised concerns on both American coasts. The second US fatality was a man in his 70s from a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of sick people were tested for the virus, Washington state health officials said. Researchers said earlier the virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected in Washington state. Indonesia confirmed its first cases Monday, in two people who contracted the illness from a foreign traveller. A worker producing face masks at a factory in Handan in China's northern Hebei province / AFP via Getty Images The surging outbreak in South Koreas fourth-largest city has overwhelmed its health system despite the national government sending assistance. The problem in Daegu has been highlighted by at least four deaths of infected elderly people who were waiting to be hospitalised. South Koreas vice health minister, Kim Gang-lip said hospitals capacities from now on will be reserved for patients with serious symptoms or pre-existing medical conditions, while mild cases will be isolated at designated facilities outside hospitals. A woman who has recovered from the COVID-19 is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine / AFP via Getty Images Considering our limited medical resources, it will be crucial to make quick assessments of patients conditions and provide quick, professional and active treatment to those with serious symptoms, and minimise fatalities, Mr Gang-lip said. If we continue to hospitalise mild patients amid the continued surge in infections, we would be risking overworking medical professionals and putting them at greater risk of infections. South Korea on Monday had 476 new cases bringing the total to 4,212. Twenty-two people have died. Lloyds Bank is facing a new police investigation into allegations of fraud against small businesses. Cardiff-based property investor Kashif Shabir has claimed the bank drove him out of business and sold his assets in 2009, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Lloyds Bank is facing a new police investigation into allegations of fraud against small businesses. A High Court judge is already investigating what Lloyds bosses knew about the scam at HBOSs Reading branch that defrauded business customers, for which owner Lloyds was fined 46million. The latest probe provides a headache for under-fire Lloyds Bank boss Antonio Horta-Osorio, as letters from 2014 reveal the chief executive had assured the then Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable he had looked into the matter personally. New Delhi, March 2 : "Matter pertaining to liberty can be entertained", said the Supreme Court on Monday agreeing to hear a plea by Sara Abdullah Pilot challenging detention of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and her brother Omar Abdullah. Pilot had filed a habeas corpus in the top court. Attorney General (AG) K.K. Venugopal, representing the Jammu and Kashmir administration, contended before a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra that no reason has been produced by the petitioner for not moving the High Court in the matter. "Even in detention matters, one is supposed to move the High Court at the first instance", said the AG citing data on petitions of similar nature filed before the High Court and the progress made on them. The Jammu and Kashmir administration in its response said Abdullah has been a vocal critic of Article 370 even before its abrogation before August 5. "It is submitted considering very peculiar geopolitical position of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and its geographical proximity to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the concept of public order needs to be examined contextually', said the affidavit filed in the top court. The administration also cited there is enough material and grounds to continue Abdullah's detention considering the "past conduct and the possibility of such conduct being repeated on release and thereby prejudcing the public order in the Union Territory." "Matter pertains to liberty can be entertained", said Justice Mishra listing the matter for final disposal on Thursday this week. The court also took on record the response of the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Justice Mishra observed that there is another similar matter -- plea filed by daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. The court indicated the listing of the matter for hearing on Tuesday, but the AG cited his inability to attend, as he has a special bench. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is also representing the Jammu and and Kashmir administration, contended before the court that his reply is ready and he has shared a copy of it with the petitioner. Senior advocate Kapi Sibal, representing Pilot, said the reply was handed over before the beginning of the hearing, but then there is no issue with it. South Korea now has over 4000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and Italy is almost at 1700 and Iran is nearing 1000 confirmed cases. Iran has 54 confirmed deaths, 34 in Italy and 26 in South Korea. The reversal of confirmed cases with confirmed deaths in Iran would suggest that Iran and Italy are undercounting confirmed cases. Iran and Italy could have more actual cases of coronavirus than South Korea. There is a lag in the diagnosis and confirmations of infections by up to two weeks. China apparently was able to get some pretty good control on the spread of the virus. However, China has basically shutdown schools and businesses in the main province and other areas. Children now have returned to school. However, they are going to school by watching 2.5 hours of locally broadcast classes every day. This means tune to channel XX for your daily schooling. Japan has shutdown their schools for a month. China has banned gatherings of more than five people at a time. South Koreas Catholic church to halt masses at more than 1,700 locations nationwide for the first time in its 236-year history. Buddhist temples also called off events, while major Christian churches held online services. The leader of a religious sect in South Korea could face a homicide investigation over some of the coronavirus deaths. Prosecutors have been asked to charge Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji church, and 11 others who are accused of hiding the names of some members as officials tried to track patients before the virus spread. The Israeli national airline, El Al, is reportedly considering firing 1,000 out of its total workforce of about 6,000 because of losses linked to the coronavirus outbreak. Airports like San Francisco International look far emptier than usual. The security check-in at SFO had no line at 4pm yesterday. There were travelers but the halls looked nearly empty and the numbers of travelers required virtually no queuing at the security check-in. SOURCES- John Hopkins Real-Time Coronavirus statistics, interviews, Wall Street Journal, Guardian UK, first-hand observation at SFO. Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com Like many political observers, I was not expecting anyone significant to drop out of the 2020 Democratic race between the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday. There was only a three-day window between the two events, and anyone who had accumulated delegates in the first four races had a legitimate argument to see how Tuesday's contests would play out. In that way, Pete Buttigieg managed to surprise everyone again. He suspended his campaign Sunday night. As The Washington Post Post reported: "The development marks an abrupt end to what was briefly an ascendant candidacy, as Buttigieg won the Iowa caucuses and came in second in New Hampshire. But despite attracting enormous attention, significant support and sometimes enthusiastic crowds, there was no clear path forward toward the nomination." There are three ways of looking at his candidacy. The first is that Buttigieg attracted a unique strain of online antipathy. It began with a March 2019 Current Affairs hit piece and proceeded all the way to the online snark that followed the news of his withdrawal. Buttigieg seemed to inspire this outsize loathing for two interrelated reasons. The first is that he was the purest meritocrat running this year. His resume - Harvard, Oxford, McKinsey, naval intelligence - was longer than his political track record as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He seemed to check off a lot of boxes one would have wanted in a presidential candidate in the late 20th century (which might explain why his best demographic was older voters). In 2020, his affiliation with elite institutions was off-putting to populists on both sides of the aisle. Second, his success in the 2020 primary clearly rankled candidates who were older, had longer political resumes and were not white men. You know that, as I type this, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is basking in the knowledge that she lasted longer than her debate-stage bete noire. The second way to look at Buttigieg is to recognize that for all the privileges he might have received as a white man, he also earned the unluckiest bounce of the primary season. We know now that he won the Iowa caucuses. Think about this for a second. It's a stunning result for the youngest candidate and only gay man in the race. He beat a former vice president and four sitting U.S. senators in the process. Had this fact been known, say, the night of the caucuses, one could imagine that Buttigieg might have earned a slightly bigger bounce in New Hampshire, where he finished a close second to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. His supporters are not wrong to note that for all of Klobuchar's griping, she absorbed much more press attention for her third-place finish in New Hampshire than he did for his close second. If Buttigieg had been the acknowledged winner of both Iowa and New Hampshire, it is possible that he would have attracted more of the moderate vote in Nevada and maintained his viability. His overall rise was still limited; The Post observed that "if there was one vulnerability that felled him, it was his inability to win trust or support from black voters, a key pillar of the Democratic coalition." Still, as a long-shot candidate when he announced, he was right to focus on Iowa. With Buttigieg being one of the biggest institutionalists running, it seems like a rather cruel twist of fate that the incompetence of the Iowa Democratic Party sabotaged his run. The third way to look at Buttigieg is that he forced me to take his ideas seriously. When he first announced, it seemed absurd to believe that the mayor of a university town would have a viable shot at the presidency. Nonetheless, he engaged the media quite adeptly, including during a very successful Fox News town hall. Despite being the youngest and least experienced candidate on the debate stage, Buttigieg consistently outclassed his competitors in that venue. Some of his ideas, like expanding the Supreme Court, seemed pretty out there. Buttigieg gave a meaty foreign policy speech, however, that showed a firm grasp of the issues. He was impressive enough to attract almost all the best Democratic foreign policy talent under 40 to his campaign. Given where Pete Buttigieg started out in this race, he's already won in many respects. He is now a national figure. He could run again in 2056 and he'd still be younger than Joe Biden is right now. He has time to build some trust with the communities that do not trust him right now. Vox's Zack Beauchamp noted that Buttigieg "appealed to a swath of highly educated white voters." As someone who resembles that demographic, I hope that Buttigieg has a long and inspiring political career. America could do a lot worse. _ _ _ Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Coronavirus in Italy: The number of people infected in Italy with the new coronavirus rose 40 per cent to 1,576 in just 24 hours, Italian authorities announced on Sunday, adding that five more infected people had died. The news came as a new US government advisory urged Americans not to travel to the two Italian regions hardest hit by the virus. That brings the number of deaths in Italy to 34 since cases of the virus exploded in the country on February 21. Italian health authorities say the increase is expected, since it takes as long as two weeks for containment measures to take effect, and because Italy has a large number of elderly people. The US travel advisory cited quarantines set up in 10 towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto, with a combined population of 50,000 people, as well as the "the level of community transmission of the virus". It followed an earlier warning late Friday for Americans to avoid non-essential travel to all of Italy. Tourism officials call the US warning covering all of Italy potentially calamitous to the industry, which represents 13 per cent of gross domestic product in a country famed for its world-class museums, archaeological sites, art cities and natural beauty. More than 5.6 million Americans visit Italy every year, representing 9 per cent of foreign tourists and the second-largest national group behind Germans, according to the most recent statistics. Lombardy, which includes Italy's financial capital of Milan, accounts for just over half of the cases while Veneto and Emilia-Romagna have 18 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively. All three regions have closed schools for the time being. In Veneto and Lombardy, closures also have hit museums, theaters, cinemas and most public offices, emptying cities like Milan, where many companies have permitted office workers to telecommute. Earlier Sunday, the French community church in Rome, St Louis of the French, closed its doors to the public after a priest was infected with the new virus. The church in the historic center of Rome is famous for three paintings by the Baroque master Caravaggio, making it a destination for tourists and the faithful alike. A sign on the door Sunday noted in French that the church had been closed as a precaution by the French Embassy for both Masses and tourist visits until further notice. The Religious Information Service news agency reported that the church was closed after a 43-year-old priest who had returned to Paris was hospitalised after being infected by the coronavirus. The service carried a statement by the archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, who said the priest, who had been living in Rome, returned to Paris by car in mid-February, and tested positive for the virus on Friday. He was in good condition, Aupetit said. It was the first church in Rome closed by the virus. Churches in much of Veneto and Lombardy have closed their doors under widespread measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus. Televised Masses have been available for the faithful. Also read: Coronavirus death toll reaches 34 in Italy; govt to boost spending Also read: Coronavirus claims 2 lives in US, authorities step up testing for virus Sunday, March 1, 2020 at 9:08PM Google Home device's issues with staying connected via Bluetooth isn't a new problem. Users have been complaining about the issue since 2018. But it took Google until this year to publicly acknowledge the issue and say that it is working on the problem. The Google Nest account on Twitter replied to a user reporting the problem. The company said, "We're sorry for the trouble! Our team is already aware of this and we're working on a fix, we'll bubble this up to our team and check back in once we have an update. Hang tight!" A specialist on the Google Nest support also acknowledged the issue, saying the team is working on a fix. They're encouraging users to send feedback about the problem via voice command by saying, "Hey Google, send feedback," and use the keywords "GHT3 Bluetooth IN keeps on disconnect." Now, we're hoping the company fixes this relatively old problem quickly. Source: Android Police The Center For Reproductive Rights is Taking On The Supreme Court This Week This coming Wednesday, March 4th, the Center For Reproductive Rights is taking on the Supreme Court in a fight against a Louisiana law that will completely gut access to abortion in that state. This will be the first case on abortion to be brought to the Supreme Court since Trump elected conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, and reproductive rights supporters are concerned to say the least. The main goal of the Center for Reproductive Rights is to bring anti-abortion laws to court in order to block or overturn them before they even get the chance to go into effect. This particular case is titled June Medical Services vs Russo. Essentially, it refers to a law that was passed in Louisiana in 2014 that requires doctors performing abortions to admitting privileges in hospitals, despite the facts that complications rarely occur after abortions. This makes the law extremely hard to implement and ends up limiting the number of clinics where abortion services can be offered. Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time a law such as this one has been proposed. Two extremely similar laws were proposed in Texas. One, which actually went into effect, caused dozens of clinics in the state to be shut down. Another, back in 2013 and nearly identical to this new case in Louisiana titled Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, was taken to the Supreme Court and shut down. This was a monumental victory for reproductive rights warriors, as when it was overturned Supreme Court Justice Stephen Beyer stated it was undue burden to access under the United States constitution. This time around, however, it might be different. ADVERTISEMENT While folks are not only concerned because of the traditionally conservative, pro-life justices now in power in the Supreme Court, this case is also interesting because of how different Louisiana is from Texas. In Louisiana, it is much easier for doctors to attain admitting privileges to hospitals than it is for doctors in Texas. For this reason, some may argue that this bill is not nearly as dangerous in Louisiana as it was in Texas or would be in other states. But the fact of the matter is, any sort of abortion restrictions in the south, no matter what state, and particularly alarming. Louisiana has a history of violent anti-abortion protests. In the late 80s and early 90s, many abortion clinics were bombed or burned down. The odds have been against access to abortion for decades. To make matters worse, the poverty rate for women living in Louisiana is 21.3 percent. Historically, it has been much more difficult for impoverished women to get the access to abortion and reproductive healthcare that they deserve, and their right to access is only further threatened by the overall conservative climate in the state and restrictive laws such as this one. At a national level, neglecting to strike June Medical Services v. Russo down, or overturning a case like Whole Womans Health would give states the okay to continue to propose and pass restrictive, harmful anti-abortion bills. Some are even concerned that the justices could use this case to overturn Roe v. Wade or give individual states the right to completely regulate abortion. As Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights stated, Whats alarming is the extremism of the laws that were passed in the last year, some 47 years after Roe v. Wade, that Alabama would pass a blanket abortion ban that would be signed by the governor, that other states would pass bans before women know that theyre pregnant...Being back in the Supreme Court, litigating the same issue we won four years ago that gives me grave concern. While the representatives from the Center for Reproductive Rights will appear before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, a decision on this case will likely not be made until late spring or early summer. Waiting to hear on a decision will be anxiety inducing, as although what the Supreme Court will say is ultimately unpredictable, some of the justices in power as of now should make folks nervous. But no matter what happens, The Center for Reproductive Rights has a plan, and its called The Womens Health Protection Act. Northup previously testified to Congress about the act, and it already has the support of all major Democratic candidates. Essentially, it would codify Roe v. Wade, making it a national right under the law and therefore untouchable to the Supreme Court. The times we are living in are scary to say the least, but reproductive healthcare supporters will stop at nothing until women of the United States are given the rights and protections they deserve. Header image via Pixabay MORE FROM BUST This Louisiana Abortion Case Could Tell Us About The Future Of Reproductive Rights In America WTF! OB/GYN Won't Let Woman Get Tubes Tied Without "Husband's Consent"? Here's Exactly What Needs To Happen So The ERA Doesnt Become DOA Aliza is a Creative Writing BFA student and former BUST Magazine intern! When she's not writing, reading or scrolling through TikTok for hours on end, you can find her consuming copious amounts of iced coffee or doing something witchy. Follow her on Twitter @alizapelto. TANZANIA, Tanzania - The United Nations is drastically curtailing a conference that had been expected to bring up to 12,000 people from its 193 member nations to New York next week for a major womens conference because of the spread of COVID-19 virus. The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women decided Monday to hold a one-day event on March 9 so delegations in New York can adopt a draft political declaration commemorating the 25th anniversary of the U.N. conference in Beijing that adopted a wide-ranging plan to achieve equality for women. But the commission decided to postpone the major event to a future date to be determined, when delegations from all countries and non-governmental organizations can attend. The commission stressed that there will be no debate on March 9, and all side events will be cancelled. It discouraged delegations from all capitals from coming to New York for the March 9 event. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had recommended Saturday that the meeting be drastically scaled back and limited to participants based in New York. His recommendation was based on advice from the U.N.s Senior Emergency Policy Team and very close consultations between the U.N. Medical Services and the World Health Organization, which is a U.N. agency, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The commission held a more than two hour meeting Monday to discuss the secretary-generals recommendation. Its decision went further after protests from a significant number of countries. Instead of having New York-based diplomats hold the conference, the commission decided to curtail the event to a single day so the political declaration could be adopted while delaying the main event to a future date. South Africa and many other countries had stressed the importance of the Beijing commemoration, and the importance of delegations from all countries being able to attend not just diplomats in New York. Apple Inc has increased the prices of iPhones in India. It said that the increase in prices has come due to hike in import duties that was announced in Budget 2020. Apple said that the prices have been hiked after the increase in basic customs duty (BCD) rate and the withdrawal of earlier exemption from BCD and Social Welfare surcharge. Some of the high-end iPhones will cost well over Rs 1 lakh after the increase. The base iPhone 11 Pro Max variant with 64 GB will be priced at Rs 1.11 lakh, an increase from Rs 1.09 lakh. The 256 GB iPhone 11 Pro Max will be priced at Rs 1.25 lakh, while the 512 GB will be priced at Rs 1.43 lakh. Prices of iPhone 11 Pro will also witness a change. The 64 GB variant that was earlier priced at Rs 99,900 will now be sold at over Rs 1.01 lakh. The 256 GB variant will cost Rs 1.15 lakh, whereas the 521 GB will cost over Rs 1.33 lakh. The 64 GB variant of iPhone 8 Plus that was earlier priced at Rs 49,900 will now be sold for Rs 50,600, while the 128 GB will be priced at Rs 55,600. The 64 GB and 128 GB variants of iPhone 8 will sell for Rs 40,500 and Rs 45,500 respectively. Prices of iPhone XR and iPhone 7 that are assembled in India have not been changed. Prices of iPhone 11, Apple Watch and Mac laptops have also not been increased. Separately, Apple is slated to open its first retail store in India next year. CEO Tim Cook said during the company's annual shareholder meeting in Cupertino that Apple Inc will also open an online store in India this year. "I don't think we would be a very good partner of retail. We like to do things our way," he added. Also read: Apple registers best-ever quarterly performance in India; iPhone shipment jumps 200% in Q4FY19: Canalys Also read: Apple penalised $27 million for slowing down old iPhones Jammu, March 2 : Acting swiftly, the Cyber Police Station here has managed to get back Rs 1 lakh to an online fraud victim, an official said on Monday. As per the CPS, acting swiftly on a complaint filed by Virinder Kumar, a resident of Basohli Kathua, the Cyber Police Station got the amount refunded to his parent account. Narrating his ordeal, Virinder Kumar submitted that he has been defrauded of his hard- earned money by a fraudster after sharing the OTP displayed on his mobile number. He stated that he received a call from an unknown caller and as he shared the details with the person making the call, an amount of Rs 99,402 was debited from his account. "Acting promptly on his complaint, a team of Cyber Police Station Jammu led by Inspector Manoj Gupta, under the supervision of SSP Sandeep Mehta, identified the route of that transaction and found that amount was transferred to Augmont Gold Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. The matter was immediately taken up with the company and the full amount of about Rs 1 Lakh, which was transferred from the account, was blocked and refunded to the victims account. Further investigations into the matter with respect to the identification of the accused person are going on," police said. The Cyber Police Station has recovered/refunded an amount of Rs.4.75 lakh since November 2019. Police have requested the public not to share their bank/personal details and other credentials with any unknown person as it may lead to fraud. "The Banks and other PSUs never ask for the personal details of any person. Reconfirming the call from the respective banks can avoid such kind of frauds,"ASSP Operations," the Cyber Police Station Jammu advised. The Taliban said Monday they were resuming offensive operations against Afghan security forces, ending the partial truce that preceded the signing of a deal between the insurgents and Washington. "The reduction in violence... has ended now and our operations will continue as normal," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. "As per the (US-Taliban) agreement, our mujahiddin will not attack foreign forces but our operations will continue against the Kabul administration forces. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A person identified as Uphas Uddin died after he was attacked by three unknown miscreants at his residence in Pyrken village on Sunday, police said. Earlier, two people including a Khasi Students Union activist was killed on February 28 during a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act where the implementation of the Inner Line Permit was demanded. This comes after 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. The death toll in the Meghalaya violence rose to three after a person after the death of Uddin. He was severely injured in the armed miscreants attack and was rushed Khamati CHC, where the doctor declared him brought dead Taking to Twitter, the Meghalaya Police apprised about the same. Meghalaya Police: We received information that one Uphas Uddin was attacked by three unknown miscreants at his residence in Pyrken village today. He was brought to Khamati Community Health Center, where the doctors declared him brought dead. #Shillong pic.twitter.com/62ZdXE2bsK ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2020 Earlier, according to a special bulletin issued by Meghalaya Police, the citizens have been asked to maintain restraint and not fall prey to unverified information. READ: As situation remains tense in Meghalaya, Governor Tathagata Roy appeals for peace READ: Meghalaya violence death toll rises to 3; DGP appeals to unite against rumours Curfew Reimposed, Mobile Internet Services Suspended 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. READ: Meghalaya violence toll rises to 2 as migrant worker stabbed to death in Shillong market READ: Meghalaya clashes: Two people killed in violence, eight arrested Europe has seen a rise in coronavirus cases, with the UK's climbing to 36. (Photo Samantha Zucchi /Insidefoto/Sipa USA) One of the most recent cases of the coronavirus in England is a clinician at a cancer unit, it has been confirmed. The health professional works at Mount Vernon Care Centre in Northwood, Middlesex, run by the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Foundation Trust. The trust moved to calm fears about the virus spreading to patients, saying: We are very well prepared for incidents like this and the NHS and Public Health England are taking all necessary steps to manage the situation. All individuals who were in contact with the clinician have been identified and the appropriate measures taken. Boris Johnson visits the command centre at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale, north London. (PA Images) The risk to patients and staff at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre is very low and we are working with individual patients to appropriately manage their care. We would like to offer assurance that it remains safe for patients to attend Mount Vernon Cancer Centre as normal and ask patients to attend scheduled outpatients appointments. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is to chair an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday, after having been criticised repeatedly for not having done so. Read more: What could a coronavirus worst-case scenario really look like in the UK? The meeting comes as the number of UK cases of the coronavirus officially known as Covid-19 climbed to 40 on Monday. Scotland has declared its first case, while three family members of the first person in the UK to contract the virus were also confirmed to have tested positive. Three cases in West Yorkshire were confirmed, with two of them having picked up the virus in Iran, while one had visited Italy. A person in Bury was infected in Italy and is being treated at a specialist infection centre. Four further cases were in Hertfordshire, Devon and Kent and followed recent travel from Italy. The prime minister is due to set out contingency plans for the virus, which could include banning large public gatherings. Read more: Coronavirus could return every winter 'like the common cold' The number of coronavirus cases around the world is rising every day and the UK is no exception, he is reportedly due to tell the Cobra meeting. Story continues There now seems little doubt that it will present a significant challenge for our country. But we are well prepared, and the government and the NHS will stop at nothing to fight this virus. Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth arrives for the funeral of Frank Dobson at St Pancras Church in London. (PA Images) The shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said he could support shutting down cities to fight an outbreak. If the medical advice and the scientific advice is to take measures along those lines, of course we would support them, he told BBC Breakfast. Read more: What its like to run a town under coronavirus lockdown He continued: It would be a move by government so drastic that we hadnt seen it. And Im not sure how practical it could be in reality. However, this virus is serious and appears to spread very easily and we need to contain it and slow down the spread. If the medical advice is to do something like that, then of course we should support it. That is why I am keen, however, that Matt Hancock, the health secretary, comes to the House of Commons today after the Cobra meeting to update MPs on plans. We just need clarity from government. David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the permanent loss of capital. So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. Importantly, China Wood Optimization (Holding) Limited (HKG:1885) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt? What Risk Does Debt Bring? Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together. See our latest analysis for China Wood Optimization (Holding) What Is China Wood Optimization (Holding)'s Debt? As you can see below, at the end of June 2019, China Wood Optimization (Holding) had CN50.0m of debt, up from CN30.0m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, its balance sheet shows it holds CN195.6m in cash, so it actually has CN145.6m net cash. SEHK:1885 Historical Debt, March 2nd 2020 A Look At China Wood Optimization (Holding)'s Liabilities Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that China Wood Optimization (Holding) had liabilities of CN72.7m due within 12 months and liabilities of CN30.1m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of CN195.6m and CN158.8m worth of receivables due within a year. So it can boast CN251.6m more liquid assets than total liabilities. This surplus suggests that China Wood Optimization (Holding) is using debt in a way that is appears to be both safe and conservative. Given it has easily adequate short term liquidity, we don't think it will have any issues with its lenders. Simply put, the fact that China Wood Optimization (Holding) has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely. Story continues Also positive, China Wood Optimization (Holding) grew its EBIT by 26% in the last year, and that should make it easier to pay down debt, going forward. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since China Wood Optimization (Holding) will need earnings to service that debt. So if you're keen to discover more about its earnings, it might be worth checking out this graph of its long term earnings trend. Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. China Wood Optimization (Holding) may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. During the last three years, China Wood Optimization (Holding) generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 90% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That puts it in a very strong position to pay down debt. Summing up While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case China Wood Optimization (Holding) has CN145.6m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. And it impressed us with free cash flow of CN60m, being 90% of its EBIT. So is China Wood Optimization (Holding)'s debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Be aware that China Wood Optimization (Holding) is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us... Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Internal company documents show that Huawei Technologies Co., Chinas largest smartphone maker, played a direct role in shipping American equipment to Iran, violating U.S. sanctions on Iran despite the companys denials. The Chinese tech giant shipped equipment made by California-based Hewlett-Packard Co. to Irans largest mobile-phone carrier, according to two Huawei packing lists from December, 2010, Reuters reported. Currently the equipment is delivered to Tehran, and waiting for the custom clearance, a document from two months later states. The documents are a new development that will likely affect the U.S. governments criminal case against Huawei brought last year. The federal government charged Huawei with a slew of crimes including conspiracy, money laundering, bank and wire fraud, flouting U.S. sanctions on Iran, and obstruction of justice. Huawei has denied the charges. Huawei is also accused of providing Iran with equipment from other American companies, including Microsoft. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, it is not appropriate for Huawei to comment at this time, said a Huawei spokesman about the new documents. Huawei is committed to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate, including all export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN, U.S., and EU. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have warned for months about the various threats Huawei poses to American infrastructure and intellectual property and have urged other countries not to invest in the Chinese company. U.S. officials warned earlier this month that Huawei has for over a decade been able to use a backdoor method intended only for law enforcement to gain access to U.S. cellular networks and private information without the knowledge of the networks. In November, the Federal Communications Commission blocked Huawei from accessing billions of dollars in federal broadband subsidies over concerns that Huawei could use its inroads into American broadband infrastructure to spy on and steal the private data of Americans, as well as to inject viruses and other malware into U.S. networks. Story continues Huawei is protected by Chinas Communist party, with whom the Trump administration has been locked in trade battles as well as disputes over Chinas theft of American intellectual property for the last several years. More from National Review About 70 people joined a lively and informative rally in Brisbanes central Reddacliff Place on Saturday demanding freedom for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the brave young whistle blower Chelsea Manning. The event was co-sponsored by the Julian Assange Brisbane Queensland group and the Socialist Equality Party. The rally was held in the wake of the brutal treatment of Assange during the opening week of his US extradition hearing in London. An enthusiastic and appreciative audience of workers, retirees, students and young people, some of whom had travelled some 200 kilometres from northern New South Wales, applauded and cheered the speakers as they denounced the Australian governments complicity in the abuses of Assanges basic legal rights. Alyssa Porter addressing the rally Alyssa Porter, who co-founded the Julian Assange Brisbane group late last year after being outraged by Assanges arrest, chaired the rally. She said those present were taking a stand against war and the persecution of the courageous individuals who had exposed war crimes. The opening speaker was John Urane, the other co-founder of the Brisbane Assange group. He recalled the lies and propaganda that the public was fed, by US Republican and Democrat leaders alike, during the US-led wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. He said the Washington elite and its allies had such an immense hatred of Assange because he had exposed their crimes, and held up a mirror showing their true faces. John Urane Speaking at the invitation of the Brisbane Assange group, Andrew Bartlett, a former Australian Democrats and Greens senator, said that when he was in Canberra he had asked members of parliament why they were not all speaking out in defence of Assange, an Australian citizen who faced being tortured and locked up for life. Bartlett said their answers, that Assange was not popular, was a sad indicator of the worsening political culture. He warned of a slide into authoritarianism and totalitarianism. He concluded by urging people to put pressure on every MP, regardless of their party, to speak out and at least ensure a fair trial for Assange. The next speaker was Phillip Adams, the organiser of one of Australias largest-ever parliamentary petitions, now signed by 306,000 people, calling for the defence of Assange. Despite this strength of feeling, he said, the Australian government was still silently complicit in the torture of the WikiLeaks journalist. Adams said politicians needed to realise how the citizens would react if Assange were to die in custody or were to appear trussed up in a Guantanamo Bay-style orange imprisonment suit. Mike Head World Socialist Web Site correspondent Mike Head pointed to the intimidating and oppressive measures used against Assange during the first week of the extradition hearing. Assange was handcuffed multiple times, stripped naked, had his legal documents confiscated by prison authorities, moved to five different cells and kept boxed in a glass cage in the courtroom, unable to properly communicate with his lawyers. These vindictive measures demonstrate the viciousness of the British legal system and of the three governments centrally involved in his persecutionthose of America, Britain and Australia, Head said. Any hopes that the weeks hearing would end in a legal victory for Assange had been dashed, as were hopes that the visit of two Australian MPs to London would convince British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reverse course and release Assange. Michael Smith International Youth and Students for Social Equality member Michael Smith highlighted the re-arrest and indefinite detention of Chelsea Manning for refusing to testify against Assange, despite the enormous personal and financial cost she was paying as a result of her stand on principle. Chelsea Manning is a heroic and courageous person and her persecution is an immense crime, which, along with the persecution of Assange, must be brought to an end by workers and youth, he said. On behalf of the Socialist Equality Party, James Cogan spoke on the political perspective required to free Assange and Manning. James Cogan The contempt of the Liberal-National Coalition government and the Labor Party for the anti-war sentiment of the population and for the rights of Julian Assange is no different from their callous and illegal treatment of refugees, or their indifference over the impact of global warming for the lives of millions of working-class people, which was demonstrated so starkly over recent months as fires raged across much of the continent, Cogan said. Petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of people calling on the government to act on Assanges behalf have been ignored, and his case has been largely censored from the media, because to raise the issue could affect relations with Washington and the US-Australia military alliance. Cogan emphasised that the defence of Assange and Manning would be a protracted political struggle and that winning their freedom depended upon the building of an independent and international movement of the working class. He urged all those participating in the rally to raise this critical issue throughout the working class by forming defence committees in workplaces, universities and local communities, passing motions and organising campaigns and information stalls. Penny After the rally, Penny told the WSWS she had learned a lot from the rally. I recently became a socialist and today is my first rally. I feel very strongly about social change. I am really interested in Assange and internet censorship, and everything that was spoken about today. I think it is so important to create social equality. There are so many topics that can be explained to young people, especially about the wars we are in. Asked how Assange could be freed, Penny commented: Being informed and educated about as much as you can is really good. The younger generations can create their own force, through their occupations and within themselves, to make change. Simah and Louis Simah and Louis had travelled from northern NSW for the rally. Simah said: We came to show some support for Julian. Hes in a critical situation at the moment Ive been watching this for years, and known about the important work done by WikiLeaks to keep the news real. It is the only unfiltered media that we have access to, and Julians been the driving force behind it. Hes just been a good journalist. Thats all hes donebeen an honest, genuine journalist. He should not been punished for that. We need to speak up. People need to step up and realise whats going on. If this can happen to him, it can happen to anyone No one will be safe. Anyone who speaks out or tries to be honest or a genuine journalist can end up with a death sentence, or life in jail. Part of the rally in Brisbane Louis, a former journalist, said what is happening to Assange is a nail in the coffin of free speech and democracy and journalism as I know it. He spoke of the demise of independent and quality journalism, with the media, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, now dominated by conservatives, such as Rupert Murdoch. The demonising of Assange was worse than the illegal Iraq war, based on lies about weapons of mass destruction, Louis said. This is equally based on lies. It is the biggest stitch-up and frame-up Ive ever seen as a journalist If an Australian journalist can be arrested and tried and humiliated anywhere in the world like this, there is no future for open democracy. Louis said that was why he was so passionate about this, and frustrated by the silence of the trade unions and the Labor Party, as well as the Liberal-National government. He said the British and Australian governments were committed to the wars conducted by the US for oil, geo-political strategies and to defend vested interests. This is evil and dark, he said. By capturing the laser-induced structural changes happening in polycrystalline gold thin films over time, scientists determined that melting does not occur uniformly -- a finding that could have implications to laser micromachining of precision parts UPTON, NY--If you heat a solid material enough, the thermal energy (latent heat) causes the material's molecules begin to break apart, forming a liquid. One of the most familiar examples of this phase transition from a well-ordered solid to less-ordered liquid state is ice turning into water. Though melting is a fundamental process of matter, scientists have not been fully able to understand how it works at a microscopic level, owing to the lack of research capabilities with sufficient time resolution. However, the advent of x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) in the past decade is making the study of the mechanism of melting, as well as other ultrafast atomic-scale dynamics, possible. These instruments use free (unbound) electrons to generate femtosecond (one-quadrillionth of a second) pulses of light in the x-ray energy region. Compared with x-ray synchrotrons, XFELs have x-ray pulses of a much shorter duration and higher intensity. Now, a team of international scientists has used one of these instruments--the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory XFEL (PAL-XFEL) in South Korea--to monitor the melting of nanometer-thick gold films made up of lots of very tiny crystals oriented in various directions. They used an ultrashort x-ray pulse ("probe") to monitor the structural changes following the excitation of these polycrystalline gold thin films by a femtosecond laser ("pump"), which induces melting. When the x-ray pulse strikes the gold, the x-ray beam gets diffracted in a pattern that is characteristic of the material's crystal structure. By collecting x-ray diffraction images at different pump-probe time delays on picosecond (one-trillionth of a second) scales, they were able to take "snapshots" as melting began and progressed in the gold thin films. Changes in the diffraction patterns over time revealed the dynamics of crystal disordering. The scientists selected gold for this study because it diffracts x-rays very strongly and has a well-defined solid-to-liquid transition. The x-ray diffraction patterns revealed that melting is inhomogeneous (nonuniform). In a paper published online in the Jan. 17 issue of Science Advances, scientists proposed that this melting likely originates at the interfaces where crystals of different orientations meet (imperfections called grain boundaries) and then propagates into the small crystalline regions (grains). In other words, the grain boundaries start melting before the rest of the crystal. "Scientists believed that melting in polycrystalline materials occurs preferentially at surfaces and interfaces, but before XFEL the progression of melting as a function of time was unknown," said co-corresponding author Ian Robinson, leader of the X-ray Scattering Group in the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science (CMPMS) Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory. "It was known that the laser generates "hot" (energetic) electrons, which cause melting when they transfer their energy to the crystal. The idea that this energy transfer process happens preferentially at grain boundaries and thus is not uniform has never been proposed until now." "The mechanism of laser-induced melting is important to consider for micromachining of precision parts used in aerospace, automotive, and other industries," added first author Tadesse Assefa, a postdoc in Robinson's group. "The way the laser couples to the material is different depending on the pulse duration of the laser. For example, the ultrashort pulses of femtosecond lasers seem to be better than the longer pulses of nanosecond lasers for making clean cuts such as drilling holes." For their experiment, the scientists first fabricated thin films of varying thickness (50, 100, and 300 nanometers) at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)--a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven. Here, in the CFN Nanofabrication Facility, they performed electron-beam evaporation, a deposition technique that uses electrons to condense the desired material onto a substrate. The ultraclean environment of this facility enabled them to create gold films of uniform thickness over a large sample area. At PAL-XFEL, they conducted time-resolved x-ray diffraction on these films over a range of laser power levels. Software developed by staff in Brookhaven Lab's Computational Science Initiative handled the high-throughput analysis of the terabytes of data generated as a detector collected the diffraction pattern images. The team then used software developed by scientists at Columbia Engineering to convert these images into linear graphs. The plots revealed a double peak corresponding to a "hot" region undergoing melting (intermediate peak) and a relatively "cold" region (the rest of the crystal) which has yet to receive the latent heat of melting. Through electron coupling, heat goes to the grain boundaries and then conducts into the grains. This uptake of latent heat results in a band of melting material sandwiched between two moving melt fronts. Over time, this band becomes larger. "One melt front is between a solid and melting region, and the other between a melting and liquid region," explained Robinson. Next, the team plans to confirm their two-front model by reducing the size of the grains (thereby increasing the number of grain boundaries) so they can reach the end of the melting process. Because melting occurs as a wave traversing the crystal grains at a relatively slow speed (30 meters per second), it takes longer than the timing range of the instrument (500 picoseconds) to cross big grains. They would also like to look at other metals, alloys (mixtures of several metals or a metal combined with other elements), and catalytically relevant materials, in which grain boundaries are involved in chemical reactions. "This study represents the very beginning of how we build an understanding of the mechanism of melting," said Assefa. "By performing these experiments using different materials, we will be able to determine if our model is generalizable." ### The other collaborating institutions are University College London, Sogang University, and Pohang University of Science and Technology. Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science. (Newser) The 2020 race is changing fast with the departures of Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, and the post-mortems on those candidacies will be trickling in. Here's a sample of Buttigieg coverage, including a story from Politico that details his campaign's final moments. Buttigieg flew to Georgia Saturday night after a rally in North Carolina, and he was sitting in a car shortly after midnight, writes Elena Schneider. That's when he summoned his top advisers in a conference call and let them know it was over. "The turning point was South Carolina," a person close to the campaign tells the outlet. Related Buttigieg coverage: That loss: Buttigieg's fourth-place finish in South Carolina Saturday, combined with Joe Biden's landslide margin of victory there, made clear to the candidate that he had no path to victory, according to the Politico story. story continues below The factors: An analysis at Atlantic blames two factors. One was Buttigieg's oft-cited problems with black voters, and the other was the rise of small donorsthe sort who have buoyed Bernie Sanders. Neither issue would likely have sunk a Democratic candidate in years past, but times have changed and "both shifts constitute progress," writes Peter Beinart. This doesn't mean Buttigieg, just 38, can be written off. "What it does mean is that Democratic candidates who want to win black voters must start earlierand work harderthan in the past," writes Beinart. "Sometimes, as in the case of Sanders, that requires running twice. Its a thought that Buttigieg, in all likelihood, has already had." An analysis at Atlantic blames two factors. One was Buttigieg's oft-cited problems with black voters, and the other was the rise of small donorsthe sort who have buoyed Bernie Sanders. Neither issue would likely have sunk a Democratic candidate in years past, but times have changed and "both shifts constitute progress," writes Peter Beinart. This doesn't mean Buttigieg, just 38, can be written off. "What it does mean is that Democratic candidates who want to win black voters must start earlierand work harderthan in the past," writes Beinart. "Sometimes, as in the case of Sanders, that requires running twice. Its a thought that Buttigieg, in all likelihood, has already had." Not farewell: An op-ed at USA Today agrees that we surely haven't seen the last of Buttigieg, who made history as the first openly gay candidate for president. He simultaneously faced criticism from many in the LGBTQ community that he "wasn't gay or queer enough," as well as coverage on the right that "roared with homophobia," writes Steven Petrow. But Buttigieg handled it with class alongside husband Chasten. "Goodbye for now, Mayor Pete. But this is not farewell." An op-ed at USA Today agrees that we surely haven't seen the last of Buttigieg, who made history as the first openly gay candidate for president. He simultaneously faced criticism from many in the LGBTQ community that he "wasn't gay or queer enough," as well as coverage on the right that "roared with homophobia," writes Steven Petrow. But Buttigieg handled it with class alongside husband Chasten. "Goodbye for now, Mayor Pete. But this is not farewell." Homophobia: UNC Chapel Hill professor Joe Cabosky thinks homophobia did indeed play a role in Buttigieg's departure. Yes, a national Gallup poll found that 76% would vote for a gay candidate, which seems solid. But "that still means one-quarter of the country admits that its a nonstarter," Cabosky writes at NBC News. "Thats a lot of votes lost right off the bat." This doesn't mean a gay candidate cannot win, writes Cabosky, but it shows that such a candidate "faces challenges that are greater than we perhaps want to admit." At least for now. UNC Chapel Hill professor Joe Cabosky thinks homophobia did indeed play a role in Buttigieg's departure. Yes, a national Gallup poll found that 76% would vote for a gay candidate, which seems solid. But "that still means one-quarter of the country admits that its a nonstarter," Cabosky writes at NBC News. "Thats a lot of votes lost right off the bat." This doesn't mean a gay candidate cannot win, writes Cabosky, but it shows that such a candidate "faces challenges that are greater than we perhaps want to admit." At least for now. African-Americans: The Washington Post digs into the former candidate's trouble with black voters, which began in earnest with the shooting of an unarmed black man by police in South Bend over the summer, while Buttigieg was still mayor. "More broadly, the shooting raised a crucial question: Was Buttigieg, a young, white, Harvard-educated man from Indiana the right candidate to lead a diverse party?" writes Chelsea Janes. "More to the point: Could he really empathize with the black experience?" His struggles to adequately answer those questions hurt him. (Read more Pete Buttigieg stories.) A clever mum and her son have come up with a 'mouthwatering' caramel brownie cookies and cream cake after brainstorming amazing food combinations. The Australian woman shared the recipe to the Slow Cooker Recipe and Tips Facebook page, explaining how the idea was created one morning before school. 'This morning before school my son and I were talking about the most ridiculously, delicious food combinations we could possibly think of as we often do,' she wrote in the caption. 'This was one of our ideas, a chocolate and caramel brownie slice with a cookies and cream top.' The post was well received by some Australians who were eager to make the dessert themselves. A clever mum and her son have devised the perfect at home caramel brownie cookies and cream cake (pictured above) after cooking it in a slow cooker Describing the three-layered cake as 'scrumptious', the mum used a brownie packet mix for the base, poured the mixture into a 20 centimetre cake tin and placed it in the slow cooker for two hours. For the delicious caramel centre she combined condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and cream and cooked on high for an hour and a half. She also recommended cooking the caramel without the lid on the slow cooker and stirring every ten minutes until golden in colour. For the chocolate topping, the mum and her son simply melted a block of white chocolate and added crushed Oreo biscuits on top before refrigerating the dessert. 'This morning before school my son and I were talking about the most ridiculously, delicious food combinations we could possibly think of as we often do!' she said in the caption. 'This was one of our ideas, a chocolate and caramel brownie slice with a cookies and cream top.' One Facebook user was so impressed with the dessert she tagged a friend and asked: 'Can you make this for my birthday?' 'I so need to make this and eat the whole lot by myself,' one woman said. 'That looks fantastic,' a third added, praising the mother and son. The post has since been shared 45 times, allowing others to benefit from the recipe too. Eight events open a window on the culinary past, revealing what Pompeiians ate in 79 AD In support of this summers Orlando Science Center exhibition, Pompeii: The Immortal City, eight Artistic Partners across Orlando were commissioned to imagine the sights, sounds, words and, in one case, the food, of ancient Italy. Pompeiis Table: Sublime and Ancient Food That Survived Vesuvius Fury, an original series of events celebrating the powerful food legacy of ancient Italy, was conceived by Joseph Reed Hayesfreelance writer, playwright, and Dining Critic for Orlando magazine. What do we know about the food of Pompeii, what did they eat, how did they eat it, and what can we take from that inspiration and go Ancient Roman wild? Seventeen of Orlandos most inventive chefs, culinarians and creative artists have joined the Pompeiis Table project to answer these questions. Through eight culinary and artistic events they will explore the history and food of Pompeiian kitchens. Challenging the chefs to work solely with ingredients available at the time, each dining experience is an experiment in creativity: no tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplant allowed. But seafood, goat, quail, game, cheese, fermented fish sauce and a world encyclopedia of spicesvery much yes. Plus, the odd cheesecake, jelly donut, fried chicken, and hamburger, all of which appeared on Pompeiian plates. Hayes pored through copious written records, physical and visual evidence to discover the actual ingredients and recipes of Pompeii to inspire the group to leap from the 1st century to the 21st. Some of the recipes have traveled well through the centuries to become what we recognize as Italian food; others, such as dishes featuring stuffed dormice, larks tongues and haunch of giraffe, less so. POMPEIIS TABLE COLLABORATORS: Kathleen Osterhaus Blake, multiple James Beard Award nominee Stephen Doyle, Hamiltons Kitchen at The Alfond Inn Bruno Fonseca, The Foreigner Experience Joseph Hayes, food writer, playwright and Pompeiis Table creator Brent Hernandez, head brewer, Redlight Redlight Brian Kerney and Rob Chase, Digress Wine Susan Lilley, Orlando Poet Laureate Anna McCambridge-Thomas, artist and animator John OLeary, pianist Trina Gregory-Propst, SETTE Italian Va Propst, SETTE Italian Fabrizio Schenardi, Ravello at Four Seasons Resort Orlando Jes Tantalo, Pompeiis Table Consulting Chef Shannon and Janice Talty, Olde Hearth Bread Co. Bruno Zacchini III, Pizza Bruno Pompeiis Table events run from May through July, 2020, but will begin with a preview on March 7 at the Orlando Science Center as part of Science Night Live. Tickets for all Pompeiis Table events may be purchased at pompeiistable.com or facebook.com/PompeiisTable. The museums exhibition, Pompeii: The Immortal City, is open to the public from June 6, 2020 to September 7, 2020, at Orlando Science Center; advance tickets available at osc.com/pompeii. POMPEIIS TABLE EVENTS: March 07, 2020, 8pm; Forgotten Recipes of Pompeii; $16pp Orlando Science Center, 777 E. Princeton St. The story of food culture in Pompeii. Hayes will take the stage at Science Night Live, to offer an entertaining sneak peek at the Pompeiis Table series, with visuals, animations and discussions, along with recreations of 1st Century Pompeiian bread, wines from the slopes of Vesuvius via Digress Wines, and samples of olive oil, cheeses and the pungent sauce called garum that accompanied the legions around the empire. May 14, 2020, 7pm; Imperial Rome Reinvented; $125pp Ravello at Four Seasons Resort Orlando, 10100 Dream Tree Blvd A sumptuous multi-course meal at Ravello, from Executive Chef and Italian native Fabrizio Schenardi, who will prepare dinner live in front of the guests for a present-day version of an ancient patrician banquet. May 24, 2020, 7pm; Pompeiis Words: A Poetic Exploration; $10-20 suggested donation Timucua Arts Foundation, 2000 S. Summerlin Ave. An evening at the extraordinary Timucua Arts Foundation features Orlando Poet Laureate Susan Lilley, animator Anna McCambridge-Thomas, pianist John OLeary and obscure italiano storytelling from Hayes. Of course, there will be some Pompeii-inspired food and wine to share. June 6, 2020, 11am; Pompeiian Delights: Ab ovo usque ad mala; $70pp including beverages and valet East End Market, 3201 Corrine Dr. A Pompeiian-inspired brunch (from eggs to apples) prepared by multiple James Beard Award nominee Kathleen Blake (Rusty Spoon), and our consulting chef, Jes Tantalo. Ticket price includes a traditional, gluttonous multi-course meal, selected beverage pairings, valet parking, tax and gratuity. Beverage pairings from Digress Wines and reimagined Pompeiian beer from Redlight Redlight Beer Parlour. June 10, 2020, 7pm; Antiqua cervisia: Reviving Ancient Ales; $30pp Redlight Redlight, 2810 Corrine Dr. Redlight Redlight head brewer Brent Hernandez instills his dual loves of history and beer into recreating Italian and Etruscan ales for a matchup of brews and Italian-style cheeses from Central Florida cheesemongers The Salty Cow. June 19, 2020, 7pm; Et Two Brunos: A Collaborative Adventure; $75pp plus $25 wine pairings Edible Education Experience, 26 E. King St. A six-course dinner inspired by 1st-century Pompeii with two visionaries of the kitchen: Bruno Fonseca (The Foreigner Experience) and Bruno Zacchini III (Pizza Bruno), and wine pairings from Digress Wines. July 9, 2020, 7pm; Journey to Pompeii; $95 including wine pairings SETTE Italian, 1407 N Orange Ave. A five-course modern interpretation of the heart of Pompeian life in true abundant Se7en Bites/SETTE style, from chefs Va Propst and Trina Gregory-Propst, along with authentic baked creations from Olde Hearth Bread Co. Two seatings. July 24, 2020, 7pm; Pompeii & The World; $100 including wine pairings and valet Hamiltons Kitchen, The Alfond Inn, Winter Park The final event of the series, a four-course crafted dinner influenced by Pompeiis world-spanning trade, featuring modern interpretations of Roman staples such as boar, duck and sea bass, from chef Stephen Doyle. Tickets and more information are available now at pompeiistable.com and facebook.com/PompeiisTable, or write to pompeiistable@gmail.com About Joseph Hayes Pompeiis Table creator, freelance writer, playwright and events producer Joseph Hayes has been writing about the Orlando scene since 1997. As the only independent producer presenting work during this series of artistic partnerships with the Orlando Science Center, Hayes is crafting the Pompeiis Table events to celebrate Italian cuisine and its unique heritage. He has travelled extensively during the past two decades in the Campania area around Pompeii, researching the foodways and culture of the area. He writes for national and international publications about food, travel and the arts, and has won five Florida Magazine Association Charlie Awards for his food writing in Orlando magazine. With 42 productions and readings of his plays from coast to coast and in three countries since 2001, he continues to explore new environments for theater and jazz. He is the Chair of Word Play programming for The Timucua Arts Foundation. www.jrhayes.net About Pompeiis Table Pompeiis Table is made possible through an arts and cultural partnership with Orlando Science Center and the Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs Office to support the event, Pompeii: The Immortal City, open to the public from June 6, 2020 to September 7, 2020, at Orlando Science Center. Info and tickets at www.osc.org/pompeii. Special thanks to the Orange Countys Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Council, and its Blockbuster Committee and Tourism partners. Mahathir Mohamad called for an urgent sitting of the Parliament saying the palace refused to hear him out before appointing Muhyiddin Yassin as Malaysias new Prime Minister. Malaysian King appointed Muhyiddin as the Prime Minister on February 29 believing that the Bersatu President has the support of the majority of lawmakers. However, Mahathirs camp contested the claim and said that the 94-year-old leader has the backing of 114 lawmakers, two more than the majority mark. The former Prime Minister said that the actions of very rich and very powerful people might have put a dent on the numbers which could only be tested in the parliament. We feel we have 114, but after the actions taken by these very rich and very powerful people, we may not have the 114. So the test of the pudding is in the eating; hold the Parliament sitting now, said Mahathir. Out of the 114 lawmakers that Mahathir claimed to have support, two of them have already denied supporting the former PM. Read: Malaysia's Mahathir Loses PM Race, Scandal-plagued Party Returns Dramatic turn of events Mahathir had resigned from the prime ministerial post following a series of meeting were held on February 23 to plan the formation of a new federal government. Amid the political turmoil, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) expelled Minister of Economic Affairs Mohamed Azmin Ali and Minister of Housing & Local Government Zuraida Kamaruddin for acting against the party. PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, in a Facebook Live broadcast on February 23, had expressed shock on the political developments calling it a betrayal of the promises made during government formation. Mahathir returned as the interim Prime Minister and started working on a plan to stay at the helm and finally decided to realign with rival Anwar Ibrahim. Read: Malaysian King Rejects Interim PM Mahathir Mohamad's Plan To Convene Parliament Mahathir, who also belongs to Bersatu party, had planned to convene the parliament on March 2 in order to allow lawmakers to choose their leader but Malaysian King rejected it saying he will continue to strive to find a solution in accordance with the constitution, in the interests of the people and country. In a dramatic turn of events, Mahathir struck a deal with his former ruling alliance partner Anwar Ibrahim to thwart Muhyiddins bid but King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah announced the appointment of Bersatu President as the new Prime Minister. Read: Malaysias Interim PM Mahathir Mohamad Says Parliament Will Decide On New Leader Read: Malaysia: Mahathir Mohamad Returns As Interim PM Amid Political Turmoil (With AP inputs) GREENWICH Every year on Feb. 22, Girl Scouts around the world celebrate international friendship with World Thinking Day. For 2020, the theme was Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Greenwich Girl Scouts held their celebration on Feb. 1 at the Greenwich YWCA. Rainbow Fun on Thinking Day was organized and led by local high school level troops for fellow Girl Scouts as young as 5. The older Girl Scouts guided the elementary and middle-school participants through the educational activities and explained the symbolism to help expand their understanding of the concepts of inclusion, and promoting diversity. One African game they played used teamwork to cross a simulated river illustrating the need for a diversity of abilities to succeed as a group. During dinner, one high school troop presented healthy eating with a rainbow of vegetables, and the older girls watched an original film on female empowerment, created by a fellow high school Girl Scout. All participants earned the World Thinking Day badge and finished the day celebrating friendship with swimming, crafts and a glow-in-the-dark dance. Local students named to Deans List at the University of Delaware Three local students have been named to the Deans List at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del., for the Fall 2019 semester. The students are Erica Vigliano of Old Greenwich, Amanda Nielsen of Riverside and Dylan Dreher of Greenwich. To make the Deans List, a student must be enrolled full-time and earn a GPA of 3.5 or above for the semester. Local students honored at Clemson University A number of local students have been honored for outstanding academic achievement at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., for the fall 2019 semester. Two students were named to the fall 2019 Presidents List: Grace Elizabeth Raskopf of Riverside, whose major is psychology; and Taylor A. Stamos of Old Greenwich, whose major is pre-business. To be named to the Presidents List, a student must achieve a 4.0 (all As) grade-point average. Also, three local students were named to the Deans List: Rebecca Christine Hillestad of Cos Cob, whose major is marketing; Courtney Jane Swift of Riverside, whose major is early childhood education; and Margaret Elyse Toal of Riverside, whose major is early childhood education. To be named to the Deans List, a student achieved a grade-point average between 3.50 and 3.99 on a 4.0 scale. University of Wisconsin announces fall Deans List The University of Wisconsin in Madison has recognized students named to the Deans List for the fall semester of the 2019-20 academic year. The honored students are Nico Apostolides of Greenwich; Samantha Brooks of Greenwich; Kit Greenberg of Greenwich; Jordan Bogaty of Old Greenwich; and Isabelle Wise of Old Greenwich. Do you have news to announce about a recent wedding, engagement, anniversary, birth, graduation or more? Share the good news with the readers of Greenwich Time by sending an email to detailing the event to gtcitydesk@hearstmediact.com. China on Monday said 202 new confirmed cases and 42 deaths were reported across the country in the last 24 hours as authorities here tightened measures against imported cases with the outbreak situation rapidly worsening globally. The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,026 by the end of Sunday with 2912 people dying of the Covid-19 epidemic, national health commission (NHC) officials said Monday. The number of new Covid-19 cases at the outbreak epicentre Wuhan fell below 200 for the first time in 34 days, state media reported adding that 196 new cases reported in Hubei Province in the last 24 hours, with 14 cities reporting zero new cases According to reports in state media outlets, eastern Chinas Zhejiang province reported an imported case of Covid-19 from Italy, becoming another region in China that has seen a case from abroad after Beijing, Guangdong and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. In all, five imported cases have been reported in China, two of which are in Beijing. The two imported cases of Covid-19 reported in Beijing on Saturday were Chinese nationals, who had flown in from Iran and had been in close contact with the first confirmed Covid-19 patient who came back to Northwest Chinas Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from Iran, the Global Times reported Monday. China has adopted strict measures on entry-exit epidemic control including requiring to submit a declaration of health to screen people with epidemic symptoms, Lin Wei, an official at the General Administration of Customs has said. Anyone entering or exiting ports and airports should have their temperatures checked and strict inspections will be carried out on people with symptoms, those from regions severely hit by the virus and those who have had contact with confirmed patients, Lin said. Meanwhile, a new research led by top respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan, who is leading the NHCs anti-outbreak campaign, has found that the median incubation period of the coronavirus disease was four days and nearly half of the patients did not have a fever when first admitted to the hospital. The teams study on the disease in China based on a dataset of 1099 Covid-19 patients from 552 hospitals during the first two months of the outbreak. It was published in the prestigious medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine. Zhong and his team calculated the data after removing the extreme cases of incubation: Two patients from the sample were found with an incubation period of as long as 24 days, and for those living in Wuhan, Hubei Province for a long time or in contact with Wuhan residents, the incubation period was usually zero days. The study found that the most common symptoms were fever (43.8 per cent on admission and 88.7 per cent during hospitalisation) and cough (67.8 per cent). Among the patients included in the study more than 23 per cent had at least one coexisting illness like hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. TORONTO - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on industries, citizens, and Indigenous groups to help shape the future of Canada's climate policy. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's annual convention in Toronto on Monday, March 2, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette TORONTO - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on industries, citizens, and Indigenous groups to help shape the future of Canada's climate policy. Speaking at a major mining conference in Toronto, Trudeau says the government will soon launch a formal initiative to see input from a range of groups on how Canada will get to the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. "In the coming year, we want to hear from you on how Canada should innovate and transform our economy to keep good jobs here and create new ones," said Trudeau. He says a clear way forward is crucial for both the planet and for business to provide certainty and adapt to the changing reality. Taking carbon pollution out of the environment, and the economy, will be crucial for Canada's prosperity, he said. "This is a big project, and not one any of us can do on our own. We all need to roll up our sleeves and pitch in. Government, businesses, civil society, Indigenous communities, and all Canadians. The only way we create a better future is if we do it together." Trudeau said he hopes that one day soon Canada can reach the same consensus about climate change action as the country has on free trade, which was once also deeply divisive. The shift is needed as the economy and the money that backs it moves increasingly towards strong action. Trudeau pointed to a January letter by Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock Inc., which is one of the world's largest asset managers, that called climate change a structural, long-term crisis that will force a significant reallocation of capital. Trudeau's speech comes a week after Teck Resources shelved its $20-billion Frontier oilsands project, citing the need for more clarity on climate and environmental policies before the company could move forward on such a project. There also continues to be disputes on the future of a natural gas pipeline through Wet'suwet'en traditional territory in British Columbia and debates on several other resource projects. Trudeau says Canada as a whole needs to find common ground on how to move forward in the interest of both the environment and the economy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March. 2, 2020. COLUMBIA, S.C. Joe Biden said Sunday he can unite this country, the whole country after scoring a comeback victory in South Carolinas Democratic primary that could force moderate rivals out of the race and blunt the rise of progressive leader Bernie Sanders. Biden vowed he would improve his campaign operation, his fundraising haul and even his own performance as the race pushes toward Super Tuesday. He warned of a stark choice between him and Sanders, while making the case he is the candidate that can win up and down the ballot and in states beyond those voting this week. I feel good, Biden said on ABCs This Week. I can win, and I can bring along Democratic victories. Biden saturated the airwaves with back-to-back interviews after Saturdays win, which came on the strength of African American support and at a perilous moment in his 2020 bid. He needed an emphatic rebound after underwhelming performances in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. The race now pivots to the 14 states from Maine to California that vote Tuesday in what in effect will be a national primary in a race increasingly becoming a match-up between the two powerhouses representing divergent paths for the party. Pressure is mounting to prevent a prolonged battle that could stretch into summer as seven candidates remain in the Democrats quest to find the strongest possible nominee to take on President Trump in November. The lagging candidates are being pushed to justify their campaigns or step aside so Biden can engage in a more direct match-up against Sanders, who heads into the coming week eager to surpass his rivals in amassing delegates for the nomination. There were few signs that anyone was leaving the race. Billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who will be on the ballot for the first time this week, said Sunday hes not going anywhere before Tuesdays primaries. Im optimistic, he told voters in Selma, Ala., where many of the White House hopefuls gathered for ceremonies commemorating civil rights heroism. He has spent more than $500 million on advertising in the Super Tuesday states. Elizabeth Warrens team spoke brazenly of pushing into a floor battle at the Democratic National Convention this summer if no candidate emerges from primary season with a majority, as seems increasingly likely. The convention in Milwaukee is the final play, campaign manager Roger Lau wrote in a memo. Other dimming candidates Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar appear to be pressing forward. Buttigieg said only that his campaign will be assessing at every turn the best steps for defeating Trump. Our country cant take four more years of this, he said on NBCs Meet the Press. San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer ended his campaign Saturday after a disappointing third-place finish in South Carolina. Steve Peoples, Meg Kinnard, Bill Barrow and Lisa Mascaro are Associated Press writers. Commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry urges U.S. to stop condoning anti-China suspects in Hong Kong People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:09, March 01, 2020 The commissioner's office made it clear that the United States is pointing fingers at the HKSAR government's law-based governance on the pretext of human rights and freedom, which is a blatant interference in Hong Kong affairs and in the HKSAR's rule of law and judicial independence. HONG KONG, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday urged the United States to immediately stop condoning anti-China and trouble making suspects in Hong Kong. The spokesperson of the U.S. State Department made unwarranted remarks and voiced "concern" about the Hong Kong police's recent legal action against Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, widely known as one of the "black hands" behind Hong Kong's months-long unrest, and several others in accordance with the law. In a statement issued on Saturday night, the commissioner's office in reply expressed strong disapproval and firm opposition, making it clear that the United States is pointing fingers at the HKSAR government's law-based governance on the pretext of human rights and freedom, which is a blatant interference in Hong Kong affairs and in the HKSAR's rule of law and judicial independence. "Hong Kong is a city governed by the rule of law. No one is above the law, and all individuals should take legal responsibility for their actions," the statement said. Some American politicians have openly glorified Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and his ilk -- who have long been engaging in anti-China and trouble-making activities in Hong Kong -- as "advocates for civil liberties and democracy" while acting as the judge and firing accusations at the Hong Kong police who have taken the action against the suspects in strict accordance with the law, it said. The statement emphasized that China is firmly committed to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to opposing any external interference in Hong Kong affairs. The statement again urged the U.S. side to immediately stop condoning anti-China suspects who have tried to mess up Hong Kong, stop undermining the rule of law and judicial independence in the HKSAR, and stop meddling with Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs as a whole. Otherwise, the Chinese people, including the Hong Kong compatriots, will definitely fight back. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) reported a 46.26 percent drop in domestic sales at 7,269 units in February. The company had sold 13,527 units in the domestic market in February 2019, HCIL said in a statement. Exports stood at 64 units last month, it added. "Our despatches were limited and in line with our plan of total supply availability for the month," HCIL Senior Vice-President and Director (Marketing and Sales) Rajesh Goel said. The company is determined to enhance the supplies with subsequent introduction of BS-VI versions of other models and bring down the waiting period for customers, he added. "Since we have been supplying only BS-VI cars from January onwards and dealers were aggressively liquidating their BS-IV stock, our channel is left with negligible stock of BS-IV cars as of February end," Goel said. The company said it has been producing only BS-VI models at both its plants since January this year. A worried Israeli President Reuven Rivlin expressed a feeling of "deep shame" while voting on Monday for a third time in less than a year in elections that have failed to end the political crisis in the country. In the third parliamentary elections, the country's longest serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political survival amid indictments on graft charges. Neither Netanyahu, who heads the right-wing Likud party, nor his main challenger, Benny Gantz -- leader of the Blue and White alliance -- were able to put together majority coalitions following the last two elections. This is normally a festive day, but the truth is that I don't feel like celebrating. I only feel a sense of deep shame when I face you, my fellow citizens, Rivlin said after casting his vote at the Yefe Nof school in Jerusalem. We just don't deserve this. We don't deserve another awful and grubby election campaign like the one that ends today and we don't deserve this never-ending instability. We deserve a government that works for us, the Israeli President said. And so, he said urging, I ask you to go and vote. Every vote is the right one. Every vote is your voice. Go out and make it heard. I very much hope that we meet again only in 2024, or at least that I won't see another election campaign as President of the country that is so dear to us all." "I have an uneasy feeling, shame even," said Rivlin prior to casting his vote. The president made great effort to push Netanyahu and Gantz into forming a unity government following the second election in September 2019, saying the nation should not be forced to endure a further round of voting, ynetnews reported. Rivlin said that despite the tumultuous political period Israel has experienced, "we deserve a government that will work for us all, and so, no matter how you feel, I ask you to go and vote." The Central Elections Committee reported at around 10 am that 14.5 per cent of eligible voters had cast their ballots, which was half a percentage point lower compared to September 17 turnout. Exit polls will be released immediately after 10 PM, with final results expected on Tuesday morning. Israel's highly divided polity threw two inconclusive elections result in April 9 and September 17 polls with nobody managing to muster support of 61 Knesset members. If the results of the third round of polls are aligned with current predictions, the stalemate is likely to linger which complicates the pitch for the Israeli prime minister who will go on trial in just two weeks after Monday's vote. Netanyahu, 70, stands trial over a series of corruption allegations, which he has denied. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett will be speaking at a meeting open to the public in Derry on Monday March 2nd 7pm at the City Hotel. In the Dail elections, Richard topped the poll in his constituency of Dun Laoghaire where he's been a TD since 2011.People Before Profit representative Gavin Campbell said: "The outcome of the election in the South has presented progressive politics in Ireland with a historic opportunity. "By only managing 43% of the vote between them, the dominance of Finna Fail and Fine Gael on Irish politics is weakening.The radical left has elected representatives North and South, creating a real opportunity to build a 32 county socialist movement across this island. "People Before Profit are calling on the parties of the left to respond positively to the electorates desire for change and join us in the formation of a minority left government. We will not prop up either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael and we are asking all other progressives to rule out any support for those parties. Those of us committed to genuine change should form a left government that can immediately address the crisis in housing and health. "As a 32 county party, we are hosting meetings across Ireland to speak to supporters and anyone energised by the breakthrough of the left in Irish politics. "Join People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett as we discuss the importance of the recent election results and how this progressive force for change can be shaped." New Delhi, March 2 : With the Delhi violence setting the Opposition agenda for the Budget session of Parliament, which resumed on Monday, the ruling BJP is preparing itself to take on the Opposition fire over the issue. The treasury benches have planned to aggressively counter the Congress as well as other parties over the statement made by their leaders. With the opposition demanding Prime Minister's statement and trying to corner the government on various issues, the BJP wants discussion as per the rules. Home Minister Amit Shah is ready to speak on Delhi riots which have left 45 people dead and over 200 injured. The BJP is likely to insist that the Delhi riots were pre-planned and aimed at gaining media attention during US President Donald Trump's visit to India. The BJP will also hit out at the Congress and its supporting parties for supporting jihadi forces, in the conspiracy of Delhi violence. The saffron party would raise Umar Khalid's speech on February 17. The Umar Khalid's speech in Yavatmal (Maharashtra) has gone viral. In his speech, Umar Khalid apparently mentioned Trump's visit, saying that people should take to streets and protest during Trump's arrival in India. Parliament resumed on Monday, with opposition parties raising slogans and protesting against the government over the violence that erupted across various localities in north-east Delhi between February 23 and 25. The violence began following clashes between anti and pro-CAA groups. The Budget session of parliament began on January 31 and adjourned on Feb 11 to resume on March 2. The session will conclude on April 3. YEREVAN. Dear compatriots, there is no need to make panicky purchases in stores. Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this today during a session of the coronavirus prevention task force, adding that, fortunately, such purchases were made for a short duration. "True, we have a shortage of certain essentials, most importantly, a shortage of masks; but this problem is not only in our country but around the world," Pashinyan said, in particular. We have received information that there are businessmen who are ready to import masks. But as prices have risen around the world, they are worried that they inside [Armenia] they will be accused of speculative pricing." The Prime Minister said it was positive that the coronavirus was being treated with more humor in social media. "But it cannot be not taken seriously either," he added. Every year we have about 10 cases of death from the common flu. Therefore, our main task is that there should be no panic in Armenia under any circumstance (). For this, the government should become the guarantor for the absence of such panic. Its guarantee is that it is ruled out that we hide any information from the citizens of Armenia." Nikol Pashinyan also noted that there should be no restrictions for people in the country. People can go to the movies, go to the theater, celebrate birthdays, but in the meantime (...) be more careful; the rest is manageable. The violence which unfolded as President Trump visited the city marks a major turning point for the nation and for the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since winning a landslide reelection in May, Modi has pursued his partys agenda of Hindu primacy in India amid a dramatically slowing economy. In the last six months, he revoked Kashmirs autonomy, jettisoning decades of policy toward Indias only Muslim-majority state. His government said it would move ahead with the construction of a grand Hindu temple at the site of an illegally razed mosque. And he enacted a controversial law that excludes Muslim migrants from a fast track to citizenship. I have patiently waited for some pundit to invoke the dead cat bounce cliche to Joe Bidens victory in South Carolina. The closest I have come is Nate Silver, who posits it as one of five hypotheses explaining the outcome of the South Carolina primary. (Silver helpfully links to the technical stock market definition of dead cat bounce.) I have also patiently waited for some operative or pundit to claim Joementum. Im afraid its down to me, and my use is facetious, but Drudge does headline Joe Mo this morning, with a link to an AP story. The Washington Post also serves up Matt Viser and Clem Wootsons After humbling start, the 18 days that resuscitated Joe Bidens candidacy (the link goes to the accessible Jewish World Review version of the article). Biden put several of his weaknesses vividly on display during his victory lap with Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday. After discussing his gaffes, Biden thanked Chuck for the interview. Flustered when Wallace corrected him, he explained that he had just done Chris earlier. I tell you what, man, these are back to back, Biden explained. Anyway, I dont know how you do it early in the morning too, he added. It was early for Grampa Joe. Quoting this exchange with Wallace, Spectator USAs Dominic Green has a hypothesis of his own to explain Biden: hes sleeping on the job by breakfast time. This was all in the closing seconds of the interview (video below). The Examiners Zachary Halaschak reports that earlier in the interview Biden explained that his blunder about being a Senate candidate was in the context of how I said I ran years ago and that his recent claim that he was arrested while trying to see Nelson Mandela in South Africa was mistaken. He should have said I was detained. More realistically, he shouldnt have said anything, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Apple has increased the prices of some of its iPhones in India due to the increase in customs duty on imported devices along with the social welfare surcharge in the Budget in 2020. Just a few days ago, the prices of some of the iPhone models went down during the shopping fests on e-commerce websites Flipkart and Amazon but now the chances of prices going down again seem negligible. The iPhone 11 Pro Max 64GB will now cost Rs 1,11, 200 while the 256 GB variant is prioced at Rs 1,15,200 and iPhone 11 Pro 512 GB now costs Rs 1,33,200. The iPhone 11 Pro Max was earlier priced at Rs 1,09,000. The iPhone Pro 64GB variant will now cost Rs 1,01,200, the 256 GB variant is now priced at Rs 1,15,200 and iPhone 11 Pro 512 GB costs Rs 1,33,200. The iPhone 11 Pro was earlier priced at Rs 99,900 and during a sale on Amazon and Flipkart, the prices even went down to Rs 96,900. The older iPhone, the iPhone 8's price was also hiked; the 64GB variant of the phone now costs Rs 50,600 while the 128 GB variant is now priced at Rs 55,600. The prices have gone up about Rs 700 from the initial price tag of Rs 49,900. The iPhone 8 64 GB was earlier priced at Rs 40,500 while the 128 GB at Rs 45,500. However, Apple has not increased the prices of iPhone 11, iPhone XR and iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 and iPhone XR have been exempted because they were made in India. iPhone and iPhone XR were some of the best selling phones by Apple and they had helped the company earn revenue in 2019. The price hike was announced after Finance Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech had said that they are revising the Customs duty rates. Under Make in India initiative, well laid out customs duty rates were pre-announced for items like mobile phones, electric vehicles and their components. This has ensured a gradual increase in domestic value addition capacity in India. Customs duty rates are being revised on electric vehicles, and parts of mobiles as part of such carefully conceived Phased Manufacturing Plans, she said. Earlier, Coronavirus outbreak in China hampered Apple's production to a great extent. Many retail outlets were closed and employee travel to the Coronavirus affected-Wuhan was restricted. Photo credit: Chesnot - Getty Images From Town & Country When something bad happens in the worlda natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or, as now, the possible start of a coronavirus pandemicour instinct is to cocoon. Stock the fridge, batten the proverbial hatches, lay low. And international travel plummets. Such is the case with Coronavirus. China was of course declared an essentially no-go zone a few weeks ago, stamped with a warning level 3 by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But now the warnings have spread, notably to Italy, Iran, and South Korea, which are all now on the list of places that Americans should avoid for nonessential travel. The number of infected in Italy rose between to 1,576 over the weekend, and 34 people there have died as of Sunday night. Denmark, Romania, and Spain have reported infections linked to Italy; 11 towns in Italy's north have been quarantined; and travelers returning to the United States from northern Italy are being told to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. So what about those European ski trips and spring breaks and semesters abroad elsewhere in Europe already planned, booked, and bought? France, the world's most-visited country, had 38 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, and 100 as of Sunday night; in Germany, the number of people infected almost doubled to 129 on Sunday. The UK has 16 (including a just-confirmed case in Ireland), and first cases have been confirmed in the Netherlands, Scotland, and the Czech Republic. To go or not to go? Follow the CDC GuidelinesWhich Say Travel to Europe is Safe "Our bottom line: The CDC has not broadly advised against European travel. That's because for healthy people, there is no reason to cancel trips to places not yet affected by sustained community spread," says Christopher Falkenberg, whose firm, Insite Risk Managment, addresses the safety needs of global corporations, family offices, and private clients. Photo credit: lathuric - Getty Images Dr. Richard Dawood, founder of London's Fleet Street Clinic, has specialized for 35 years in all medical matters related to travel. "Prioritize advice from the CDC," he says. Story continues "In the UK, we have an advisory against travel to northern Italy, and recommendation to stay clear of people returning from there until they have passed through a period of quarantine. But with that one exception, there is no reason right now to avoid European travel. The number of cases in Europe overall, while increasing, is still small. And many of those cases are infections known to have been contracted in China, by people who were evacuated from there. People in Europe are largely not acquiring the virus locally. Today, the risk for you of catching coronavirus in Europe is no greater than the risk of catching it in the United States, where confirmed cases are now rising and testing proceeds; the risk of infection while traveling is no greater than the risk at home." There is no reason right now to avoid European travel. The number of cases in Europe overall, while increasing, is still small. But Keep Your Eye on the Updates Community spread occurs when infections are not acquired abroad, like in China, where the "how" and "where" are understood, but locally and for unknown reasons and in unknown placesthe subway? a movie house? a restaurant? a casual encounter? In northern Italy, the coronavirus has exhibited such sustained community spread, according to the CDC, which is why travel to that region has ground to a slow trickle. (Although the country's foreign minister has pointed out that the towns affected and quarantined, in the Lombardy and the Veneto regions, constitute only 0.1% of towns in Italy.) Research the latest information on your destination and take the CDC's recommendations seriously. "My advice is to stay flexible in your travel plans," says Dawood. Conditions, the facts on the ground, may evolve. Get travel insurance when you book a tripso that you can change or cancel your plans should you need or want to." Jack Ezon, founder of the global travel agency Embark Beyond, is advising his clients who have already booked trips as follows: "For departures scheduled between now and the end of March, we are totally at your disposal. We are happy to cancel, negotiate you out of cancelation penalties, and/or move your trip to another destination where you feel more comfortable for no additional fee." Whatever you dotravel or stay homewash your hands with soap and hot water repeatedly throughout the day, sterilize often with antibacterial products, work on breaking the habit of touching your face (eyes, mouth, nose, anywhere), and forgo handshakes and social kisses. Social niceties aren't worth the risk. Is It Safe to Fly? "Not a single case of coronavirus has yet been linked to air travel," says Dawood. "If there had been, I assure you we would have heard about it. No one thus far has caught the virus during an airplane journey." (As for cruises, the State Department thus far is warning travelers to reconsider only cruises to or within Asia.) If you'd like to exercise an abundance of caution, book a window seat. On average, those in window seats have fewer interactions and moments of exposure with other passengers and crew members. Should You Wear a Mask Just In Case? "No, we don't recommend wearing masks when traveling," says Falkenberg. "People are not likely to use them in a consistently effective way. Masks are like a false security blanket that can make you neglect other ordinary but important measureslike washing hands frequently, social distancing, and also food safety." Photo credit: Poh Kim Yeoh / EyeEm - Getty Images Dr. Daewood agrees. "In the general population, they are not an effective means of protection from any respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. They should be used only by people who show symptoms, to help prevent spread of the disease. And of course they're crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone sick in a close setting, such as a home or a health facility. You can be spooked by images in the news of people in Europe in masks. But the reality on the ground is that this is not Ebola. For many people, including many of Asian descent, wearing masks is part of the culture and has been for a while." Be Prepared For Changes on the Ground. If you do choose to travel, take the following precautions: Inquire with your place of employment whether they will be requiring that you self-quarantine upon your return. This will depend on your destination and should factor into your decision. If you choose to proceed with your trip, pack a surplus of hand disinfectants, tissues, medicines you make take regularly, and other essential items. As noted before, skip the masksunless you are truly trained in how to wear it and how to dispose of it without increasing the risk of infection for yourself and others. If it's a busy time in the office, bring some work with you in case your travel plans get disrupted due to flight cancellations and you have to spend a few extra days away from home. Consider your itinerary carefully. Tourist attractions and other spaces that draw large crowns in affected areas could be closed due to concerns over the coronavirus, as the Louvre museum in Paris was on Sunday. What About European Travel Later this Spring and Summer? For travel already booked for April departures and beyond, travel expert Ezon recommends a wait-and-see approach. "We are negotiating with travel companies around the world, including airlines, to remove cancellation penaltiesso that those who want to cancel or change plans later on will be able to. We believe it is in your best interest to keep the bookings you have. If things get worse, you can cancel later. But if they don't, and the travel flood gates open again, you'll be so happy that you have your flights and hotels secured." Ezon even has some counterintuitive advice: Buy travel now. "With so many people in a panic around the world, prime space on planes and in hotels is suddenly availableand prices have plummeted. We already have some savvy travelers calling us to get spots in Capri, Lake Como, Forte dei Marmi, Puglia, Mykonos, St. Tropeznow, for this summer, and for unheard of prices. It is actually a great time to secure a first-class holidayespecially in Italy. We are not being insensitive or opportunisticit's also a great way to support Italy now. It needs it." Photo credit: Karin Hiselius / EyeEm - Getty Images You Might Also Like Nestle Vietnams products are already available in countries like Thailand and Pakistan In addition to Nescafe Dolce Gusto and instant coffee variations adapted to various consumers taste, these new products by Nestle Vietnam enhance the value of local coffee beans and promote Vietnamese coffee to the world. While Nescafe Aromatico is a powerful blend of arabica and robusta medium-roasted coffee beans, Nescafe Excellente is made 100 per cent from dark roasted arabica beans, following a recipe designed specifically for consumers from Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Both premium quality products are made to serve Nestles export markets. All of these products roll off the production lines of the state-of-the-art Nestle Tri An factory in the southern province of Dong Nai at the end of a tightly controlled production process that begins with a rigorous selection of premium green coffee beans from the Vietnamese Central Highlands. William Mackereth, supply chain director at Nestle Vietnam, said, Vietnamese coffee is one of the most compelling beverages in the world, with its authentic aroma and strong, unique taste. Nestle Vietnam already takes whole coffee beans to the wider world, including Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines but there is enormous capacity to for further opportunities. With the right certification, our whole roasted coffee beans can be taken anywhere in the world. Asian countries are some of the most dynamic markets and we are constantly working to extend ties of co-operation in the region. These efforts are bearing fruit with China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore becoming the next destinations on our journey to bring Nestle Vietnam and Vietnamese coffee to the world, Mackereth explained. The Nestle Plan has helped provide 36 million plantlets to farmers across five provinces of Vietnam At present, Nestle Vietnam produces a wide range of products sourced entirely from the highest-quality Vietnamese robusta coffee beans. In 2018, Nestle launched the Nescafe Dolce Gusto capsule production line to create products with carefully selected green coffee beans from the Vietnamese Central Highlands at the Nestle Tri An factory. At the end of 2019, Nescafe Dolce Gusto completed the profile of seven different recipes for export to the ASEAN, East Asia, and Oceania markets. Nestle is currently the leading coffee buyer in Vietnam, ultimately purchasing 20-25 per cent of the countrys total coffee output. Each year, Nestles coffee sourcing activities inject around $650 million into the rural economy. In order to raise the value of Vietnamese coffee beans, Nestle Vietnam has also implemented its Nescafe Plan since 2011. Via the initiative, Nestle has distributed 36 million high-yielding and disease-resistant coffee plantlets to farmers in five provinces of the Central Highlands. The initiative has also helped a government re-farming programme to rejuvenate more than 27,000 hectares of aged coffee areas and provided training for over 240,000 coffee famers on best farming practices, equipping them with useful techniques to improve bean quality and sustainable farming. For the positive outcomes, it has been delivering to consumers and partners alike, Nestle Vietnam has been recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for its important role in the development of the Vietnamese coffee industry. The company was awarded certificates of merit for its outstanding contributions to the local coffee industry and sustainable agricultural development. But NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey said she would not "be rushed" and that she is now ready to take the state's eight surface water plans back to stakeholder advisory panels for final comment. Authority chief executive Phillip Glyde called on NSW to complete the water resource plans that set out how much water can be taken in each catchment in the interests of transparency, as it is now the only Murray-Darling state not to have done so. The head of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority has publicly chastised the NSW government over delays to its water plans and the transparency of its river management, following a controversial stop-start embargo on floodplain harvesting last month. "In December last year I promised to complete the consultation and not be rushed by deadlines that did not recognise the pressures put on our rural communities by what remains a significant drought in the NSW Murray-Darling Basin," Ms Pavey said. "I've made it clear that these plans won't be submitted until the community have had their say." The Commonwealth government is withholding millions of dollars in funding for regional water projects until NSW submits its plans, which are now more than six months overdue. NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro has said that the plans would not be submitted until the drought is over. But in a pointed communique that was circulated to non-government agencies and the media on Monday, Mr Glyde said some rivers were now flowing at flood level, it was the first break in the drought in the northern basin since the Basin Plan was signed into law in 2012, and the time was right for NSW to submit its plans. "It is testament to the Basin Plan that irrigators in Queensland knew the rules, and therefore knew when they could start taking water in line with the state government's water resource plans," Mr Glyde said. "Water resource plans are a fundamental part of the Basin Plan. They set clear, transparent rules on how much water can be taken from every catchment in the system and are published for all to see." Filmmaker Dinesh Vijan has said that 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 a 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 intent 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 the 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," he said. Stree, featuring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi, was set in the small town of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, where an evil spirit named 'Stree' abducts men in the night during the 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 13. Follow @News18Movies for more 'Rogue' housebuilders will be forced to cough up and compensate buyers if they sell them 'shoddy' homes that are not up to scratch, the government announced today. Housing minister Robert Jenrick told MPs that an independent new homes watchdog was being set up with oversight of all developers. He told the Commons the New Homes Ombudsman would seek to ensure 'swift action' to resolve problems, such as faulty wiring, encountered by people after they have bought a new property. 'As well as enabling people on to the housing ladder, it's important the new homes we build are good quality,' he said. Housing minister Robert Jenrick told MPs that an independent new homes watchdog was being set up with oversight of all developers. He told the Commons the New Homes Ombudsman would seek to ensure 'swift action' to resolve problems encountered by people after they have bought a new property 'It's unacceptable that new houses have been built in many cases to a shoddy standard and that some house builders have displayed poor service when house buyers find they've got problems with their new home. 'That's why today I'm announcing a new statutory independent New Homes Ombudsman to protect home buyers from these rogue developers. 'Poor-quality builders will now have to pay compensation for shoddy workmanship, house builders must join the new ombudsman so that all house buyers see swift action to resolve issues they encounter, and builders must put quality first if they wish to continue to be part of the Government's Help to Buy scheme.' It came as a survey found that one in seven couples aged under 45 have put off having children or not had them at all due to their housing situation. Some 13 per cent of UK adults under the age of 45 and in a relationship have delayed or not had children due to their housing situation, according to a YouGov poll undertaken for the Affordable Housing Commission. And nearly a third (31 per cent) of parents with adult children aged 18-plus living at home either do not expect them to move out - or believe it will take 10 years or more. The survey of more than 2,100 people found that 10 per cent of adults now live with family or friends, rising to nearly one in five (18 per cent) for 25 to 34-year-olds. One in seven (13 per cent) people surveyed said their mental health had been negatively affected by their housing situation, rising to a quarter (25 per cent) for those living in 'unaffordable' housing, where rent or mortgage equal more than a third of their total household income. Lord Richard Best, chair of the Affordable Housing Commission, which was set up by think tank the Smith Institute and is funded by the Nationwide Foundation, said: 'The housing system is hindering, not helping, millions of people - particularly those who are putting off big life decisions because of it. 'Unaffordable housing, especially in the private rented sector, is now a serious strain on people's mental health and a barrier to having a better life. 'We need a fundamental rethink and structural change to rebalance it and ensure it works now and for future generations.' Lord Best is a past chief executive of the National Housing Federation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. He was also president of the Local Government Association (LGA) for nine years. The Commission is due to publish recommendations in March 2020. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokeswoman said: 'Since 2010 this Government has delivered over 464,000 new affordable homes, including 141,000 social homes. 'In addition to this, the social housing waiting list has decreased by 40% since 2012. 'Last year we delivered more homes than any year in the last 30 years and have committed to delivering a million more in this parliament. 'We have also abolished the council borrowing cap so local authorities are able to continue to build more social homes, giving families the chance to find somewhere that is safe and secure.' Service for former mayor Michalove is Sunday A graveside funeral service for former mayor Don Michalove is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at Oakdale Jewish Cemetery by Rabbi Rachael Jackson. A reception will follow at Agudas Israel Congregation. Michalove died Dec. 15 at age 86 in San Antonio, Texas, where he and his wife had moved about six years ago. He had been battling cancer for about two years and had been in hospice care when he passed away. A city commissioner from 1977 to 1981, Michalove ran for mayor in 1981 on a platform of returning the city to a form of government under which the mayor and commissioners and not a city manager were responsible for the running the city. His wife, Eleanor Nanney Ellie Michalove, died in February 2015. He is survived by three daughters, Melissa Michalove Smith, Lori Hovis and Rachel Michalove, and five grandchildren. Click here for the news obit from the Lightning in December. As fighting in Syrias rebel bastion of Idlib rages on, fueled by a Turkish thrust to reverse government gains, a less palpable but related struggle is under way to the north, where the Syrian Kurds are weighing their options on how to wrestle back Turkish-controlled Afrin. Held by Turkey and its allied groups since 2018, Afrin has been high on the Kurdish agenda in recent weeks, though the escalation in Idlib has overshadowed tensions in the region. In the words of a local Kurdish source, Preparation of plans to liberate Afrin was already under way, but with the escalation in Idlib, this became an issue of discussion with Russia and the Syrian regime. Keeping a watchful eye on the preparations, Turkey has been shelling the route to Tel Rifaat, which the Kurds have used to retreat from Afrin and launch countermoves in the area. Last month, Al-Monitor reported about the prospects of the Kurds joining forces with the Syrian army once it secured the M5 highway and regained control of Aleppos northwestern countryside to reach the southern boundaries of Afrin. Al-Monitor has learned that contacts took place between the Syrian army and the Afrin Liberation Forces, a group comprised of Kurdish fighters from Afrin, in early February, as the fighting in Idlib intensified. While the Kurds focused on retaking Afrin, Damascus prioritized the prospect of joint action in Idlib. During the contacts, the two sides discussed the terms of Kurdish collaboration with the Syrian army. The Kurds conditioned their involvement in Idlib on a joint thrust on Afrin. The prospect of opening an Afrin front was discussed with the Russians as well. Yet the option of collaboration with the Kurds moved to the back burner as the Syrian army advanced much faster than expected. Kurdish journalist Roj Musa, who is from Afrin and closely follows the issue, told Al-Monitor, There were talks between the Afrin Liberation Forces and Russia in the area. Since the Afrin Liberation Forces are comprised of experienced fighters, the Syrian army wanted to engage them to fight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other factions in areas in northwestern Aleppo such as Anadan, Kufr Humra and Haritan. Yet, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the other groups withdrew quickly from the region [in mid-February] after striking a deal with the regime. As a result, many plans in the region changed, including the one on opening a front to Afrin. According to Musa, the Syrian army had a confidence boost after significant territorial gains and came to believe it could march on its own on Afrin. Two additional factors appear to have led to postponing the planned collaboration. The first stemmed from Russias approach. In the past two years, Russias posture in the area had sought to prevent Kurdish moves on Afrin, but amid the escalation in Idlib, the Russians have given the Kurds some leeway. Still, the Russians have been reluctant to go too far, wary of giving Turkey the pretext of a terrorism threat and fighting the PKK in Afrin. Ankara equates the armed Syrian Kurdish groups with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought Ankara since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by much of the international community. Nevertheless, a Kurdish front remains in the cards if the conflict in Idlib expands and Russias relations with Turkey derail. Second, the Syrian army turned to southern Idlib once its push in the north of the province reached Mount Sheikh Aqeel, to the south of Afrin, on Feb. 17, probably due to the barrier of the Turkish military presence there. This meant the shelving of plans to advance along the southern periphery of Afrin toward the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkish border or to take control of Afrin to cut the connection between Idlib and the Turkish-controlled Euphrates Shield pocket. Controlling Afrin would be equally important for the Syrian army in any plans to retake the Bab al-Salam border crossing near Azaz, which is Turkeys main point of entry into the Euphrates Shield pocket and a route to Darat Izza, the gateway to Idlib, via Azaz and Afrin city. Since last week, however, the battlefield in Idlib has seen dramatic developments, which are raising again the prospect of collaboration between Damascus and the Kurds. On Feb. 27, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies propped up by strong Turkish backing - managed to retake Saraqeb, shortly after the town had fallen, as the Syrian army focused on the al-Ghab Plain and the Jabal al-Zawiya and Jabal Shashabo areas in southern Idlib, seeking to advance to the M4 highway. Apart from its strategic importance as the junction of the M4 and M5 highways, Saraqeb is an area where four Turkish military outposts have been surrounded by government forces. As Turkey continued to send reinforcements to Jabal al-Zawiya to impede the Syrian army, its forces became the target of a ferocious airstrike that left dozens of Turkish troops dead. With Turkey launching retribution on regime targets, while scrambling for Western support amid faltering ties with Russia, the Kurdish factor is coming back to the fore in what appears to be a new phase in the Syrian conflict. Washington has reportedly cautioned the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), its partner in northeastern Syria, to stay away from the Idlib battlefield. A Kurdish source confirmed that the SDF got a message along those lines from James Jeffrey, the US special Syria envoy, when he visited last month. Asked how the escalation in Idlib would bear on the Syrian Kurds, another Kurdish source told Al-Monitor, Because of the situation on the ground, things are very much in flux and the ground for cooperation is very slippery. Nevertheless, I can say that tacit collaboration with the Syrian regime and the Russians is continuing despite the to and fro. They know that things will be harder for them without the Kurds. And for Afrin, too, they will have to eventually team up with the Kurds. Stressing that the Kurds had their own preparations for Afrin, the source said, The Syrian regime, too, wants to take Afrin as soon as possible because it realizes that it accomplish the desired cleansing as long as the connection between Idlib and Azaz via Afrin remains [out of reach]. They will have to take up the issue of collaboration with the Kurds after a while, whether there is a deal or not. The Kurds have made no secret of their preparations to try to wrestle back Afrin. That is why the Turkish military has kept the corridor between Afrin and Tel Rifaat under fire. Though many locations have been targeted, the focus appears on four villages, namely Burj al-Kas, Zuq al-Kabir, Kaluta and Bashmara, which are situated in the triangle between Afrin, Darat Izza and the two neighboring towns of al-Zahra and Nubl. Along with Afrin, Darat Izza remains under the control of Turkey and Turkish-backed groups, while al-Zahra and Nubl are controlled by government forces and Iran-backed Shiite militia. The triangle area serves as a bridge between Afrin and Tel Rifaat, where people displaced from Afrin have taken refuge. According to Musa, 880 families live in the four villages, including 159 from Afrin. The Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) took control of those villages in 2012. Subsequently, they became a supply route for al-Zahra and Nubl after the two Shiite settlements were besieged by rebels from the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The four villages remained under FSA pressure until February 2016, when government forces broke the siege. Since March 2018, the roads linking the villages have been controlled by the Syrian army and Iran-linked militia. Turkish artillery fire (coupled with constant drone surveillance) has targeted also villages around the towns of Shera and Sherawa in the Afrin region and villages around Tel Rifaat. The YPG is no longer present in the area per se, but the Afrin Liberation Forces, comprised of the same Kurdish fighters, have carried out acts of sabotage against Turkish military positions and Turkish-backed groups across Afrin, mostly in Jindires and Bulbul. Published on 2020/03/02 | Source The number of countries that ban or restrict entry for travelers from Korea for fear of the spread of coronavirus has mushroomed. Advertisement As of Sunday evening, 81 countries restricted entry or stepped up quarantine checks of travelers from Korea, or at least the infection hotbeds of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, up five from a day earlier, according to the Foreign Ministry here. This is a sixfold increase in just a week. The U.S. too could close its doors to travelers from Korea if the situation gets worse. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday, "In addition to screening travelers 'prior to boarding' from certain designated high-risk countries, or areas within those countries, they will also be screened when they arrive in America". Angola, Laos and Turkey newly banned travelers from Korea, while Ghana, Honduras and Nigeria stepped up checks. In most cases the Korean government was not told in advance, which means that many Korean students and businessmen have been unable to depart for foreign countries to study or do business and Korean tourists have been stranded at foreign airports. On Saturday, the U.S. State Department raised the travel advisory for Daegu, warning its citizens "not to travel" there. In a press conference at the White House the same day, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who has been put in charge of the fight against the virus, said, "We are urging Americans to not travel to the areas in Italy and the areas in [Korea] that are most affected by the coronavirus". The travel advisory is non-binding. But Pence also said that the State Department will "work with our allies in Italy and in [Korea] to coordinate a screening, a medical screening, in their countries of any individuals that are coming into the United States of America". U.S. universities including Harvard and Princeton are asking their students and staff on websites or through e-mails to quarantine themselves for 14 days if they have been to Korea. Last Friday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry raised its advisory for infectious diseases in parts of Korea. Chinese airports in big cities have also stepped up quarantine checks on travelers from Korea. Of the 23 Chinese airports where planes from Korea land, at least 16 are quarantining and checking all passengers for coronavirus. According to the Korean Embassy in Beijing, 127 Koreans had been isolated in hotels throughout China as of Sunday noon. Im an Australian journalist, in New York because I won a Walkley, which is better known in these parts as an Australian Pulitzer. Over the past two weeks Ive been lucky enough to visit some of the most important places in the American media. The endless stream of meetings with journalists and editors have all taken place in the places employees go to top up their mugs.Here Ill dissect each of these common rooms, and tell you what I learned. Twitter In this incredibly well-stocked cafeteria my hosts and I chatted about the health of the platform while drinking free, hand-made beetroot and kale smoothies. I decided to showed some of the staff at Twitter tweets (and this) from my colleagues back home who are critical of the platform. They were open to listening, and told me about some impending changes they hope will make journalists feel safer on the platform. Quartz The exposed wood and artisan coffee of the Quartz coffee area makes me feel like Im at a cafe in my hometown of Melbourne. We keep our voices down as we discuss plugins and eat pretzels, so as not to disturb the serenity and higher thinking vital for Quartzs very particular type of analysis. In the lunch break the team gather to see who has been judged winner of the internal cookie bake off. A sophisticated, humble, well-executed shortbread is crowned winner. This seems fitting. Sign up for CJR 's daily email The New York Times As I sit and enjoy my roast carrot and cauliflower salad I am joined by various talented people, all of whom are working on a book. My meetings are short, sharp and to the point. Often theres still coffee in my mug when my hosts have to rush off. Buzzfeed News We discuss serious investigative journalism over free lime seltzers. Not far away, a camera crew is creating viral food videos. CJR As I stare out onto the grandiose spire of the Columbia University library and try to think of funny yet uncontroversial things to say about the canteens of the places that so generously hosted me, I am offered a cup of tea. Its the first time Ive even thought about tea since stepping foot in this city. Its nice to slow down. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Oliver Gordon is a journalist based at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Alice Springs, working across local radio and radio current affairs. Smara, Feb 27, 2020 (SPS) - The Secretary General of the Algerian National Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People, Mr. Adel Agbouli, affirmed Algeria's solidarity with the legitimate struggle of the Sahrawi people until the completion of their sovereignty on their national soil. Mr. Adel, in his speech during the celebration of the 44th anniversary of the announcement of the Sahrawi Republic today in the wilaya of Smara, said, "My presence today with you on behalf of the Algerian Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People on the occasion is an expression of solidarity with you and the standing of Algeria alongside a people fighting for their right. SPS 125/090/TRA Cesco Santiago, one of the biggest annual events for the copper industry, has been canceled, organisers confirmed to Fastmarkets. "Both the World Copper Conference organized by CRU and Cesco Dinner will not take place this year," the organization said in a press release dated Monday March 2 after confirming this by phone. The organization had been under pressure to at least delay the event because many market participants had decided not to attend. Major global business events, including Houston CeraWeek and Mobile World Congress, have been canceled in recent weeks over concerns that large gatherings will ferment the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Every year the copper industrys major figures and business people congregate in Santiago, Chile, for the conference, which links the supply chain from miners to end users. The event had been scheduled to run March 23-25. But over the weekend, several of the worlds top copper mining companies made internal decisions to not attend the event, informed sources told Fastmarkets. Smelters across Asia, meanwhile, had withdrawn their attendance in preceding weeks. South Korean copper smelting group LS Nikko pulled out of the event in late February after newly confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV quickly arose in the country. A worker of LS Group, the parent company of LS Nikko, has also tested positive for the coronavirus, local media Joongang Daily reported on February 26. The worker is among 4,000 workers based at the LS Yongsan Tower, home of LS Nikkos office. Representatives from Chinas biggest copper smelters, including Jiangxi Copper and Daye Non-ferrous, had also declared their absence from the event. Several smelter sources said the main reason was due to difficulties in obtaining travel visas to Chile. Airlines such as KLM, which operates flights between China and Chile, have suspended mainland China flights until April, so some flights booked by Chinese delegates have been canceled. Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' wife Amruta on Monday said she would follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hours after the latter tweeted that he was contemplating giving up his social media presence. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Preeti Sharma Menon has expressed "doubt" whether the PM will leave social media. "Sometimes it's the smallest decision that can change our life forever!I will follow the path of my leader!!" tweeted Amruta. Amruta had courted controversies with her tweets in the past. In the latest such row, she had termed Shiv Sena leader and state cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray a "worm". AAP national executive member Preeti Sharma Menon tweeted: "A leader should remain connected to the people and should not leave social media, anyway I doubt he will. But what he could do this sunday, which happens to be women's day is to stop following those who give rape threats to women". The prime minister has caused a flutter by tweeting: "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted". Within minutes the hashtag #NoSir started trending with social media users urging the PM not to give up his social media accounts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 02, 2020] Build38 Closes an Exceptional 2019 and Will Be Exhibiting at RSA Conference and Mobile World Congress, Competing for the 4YFN Awards MUNICH, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Build38, the global provider of Mobile Application Security made in Germany, closes 2019 at a new high with a total order intake in the single-digit million Euros. As the first full financial year for the company, this gives an encouraging message that its solutions and services are finding the way to market. With existing commercial references in Automotive, Financial Industry, Mobility, and Digital Identity, 2020 is going to be the year for the scaling in those verticals and further expansion, adding to milestones like the upcoming 4YFN competition at Mobile World Congress, where Build38 has already reached the semi-final together with a dozen other start-up companies. To continue supporting the commercial expansion, Build38 plans to be present as an exhibitor at the RSA Conference in San Francisco and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. For almost 30 years, RSA Conference has been a driving force behind the world's cybersecurity agenda. The central point where people from around the world gather to share, learn and grow. Build38 will be at the Early Stage Expo with a booth to welcome current, and future, customers, partners, and investors. At Mobile World Congress, the largest mobile event in the world that brings together the latest innovations and leading-edge technology alongside today's most influential visionaries, Build38 will have a prominent showcase. Combining the presence at the State of Bavaria Pavilion with a booth and the participation as one of the 12 innovative young companies selected at the MWC startup event, the 4YFN Award competition. The semi-finals will take place on the 24th of February in Barcelona and the Final on the 26th. About Build38 Build38 is a global provider of mobile application protection solutions. Its Trusted Application Kit (T.A.K) solution combines AI-platform and strongest app shielding technology which protects B2B and B2C mobile channels from fraud and reduces your compliance risk exposure. It also enables new use cases and opens the market for new digital business models. Build38 protects applications across various industries including automotive, financial, public transport and health care. Build38 is headquartered in Munich with global offices in Barcelona and Singapore. For further information about Build38 visit www.build38.com Contact: Pedro Hernandez +65 9003 5357 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/build38-closes-an-exceptional-2019-and-will-be-exhibiting-at-rsa-conference-and-mobile-world-congress-competing-for-the-4yfn-awards-301013356.html SOURCE Build38 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] NEW YORK, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "There is little doubt that developmental neurotoxicity is a serious risk associated with elevated fluoride exposure, whether due to community water fluoridation, natural fluoride release from soil minerals, or tea consumption, especially when the exposure occurs during early [brain] development," writes Harvard Professor and researcher Phillipe Grandjean, MD, in a review of recent fluoride neurotoxicology research (Environmental Health Dec 2019); reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF). Fluoridation began without brain-safety evidence seven decades ago. Today, 400+ studies link fluoride to neurological effects - providing evidence that fluoride can be perilous to babies' brains, especially. Grandjean, who studies how environmental chemicals affect children's brain development, says fluoridation benefits appear minimal. But, the evidence base for fluoride's brain damage greatly expanded and is likely underestimated, he explains. "The time has come for health agencies in the US and elsewhere to revisit the fluoride regulations and make it a priority to protect the brains of the next generation," he writes. "Elevations in human exposures [from multiple sources] may well exceed the [fluoride] levels that human metabolism can successfully accommodate." Fluoridation produced a fluoridated food supply and lucrative marketing of hundreds of fluoridated dental products. The result: fluoride overdose (dental fluorosis) grew in severity and prevalence. That dental fluorosis is merely of cosmetic concern is unconvincing. Fluorosis can be a useful biomarker for fluoride's brain exposure, Grandjean suggests. Several studies, specifically, associate dental fluorosis with children's intellectual deficits (e.g. Yu, et al.). The view that fluoride is primarily a developmental neurotoxicant means that fluoride an element like lead, mercury, and arsenic can adversely affect children's brain development at exposures much below that of adults, he cautions. When environmental chemicals affect developing brains, children risk cognitive deficits, learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, and other disorders that remain for a lifetime, explains Grandjean in his recent book. He laments that vested interests often manipulate credible chemical brain-drain research to manufacture unfounded uncertainties to wrongly discredit respected scientists' conclusions and credibility. "This is a common tactic of fluoridationists," says attorney Paul Beeber, NYSCOF President. "Few lobbied legislators understand fluoridation science. Lawmakers should err on the side of caution - not ignorance or from political pressure." Studies already link fluoride to ADHD, lower IQ, Autism, poor memory, dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease. Contact: Paul Beeber, JD 516-433-8882 [email protected] http://FluorideAction.Net SOURCE New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. What effect will Bernie Sanders have on Jewish support for Israel? Racism, religious fanaticism and inequality are the three underlying themes defining the US and Israeli elections and shaping the long-term futures of the two countries. The incumbents, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are at the same time byproducts and drivers of deepening ideological, religious and economic polarisation in both countries. Just as Trump is leading a coalition of angry right-wing, white Protestants which caters to corporate America, so is Netanyahu heading a hateful alliance of radical right-wing Zionists and fanatically religious Israelis which also looks after big business interests in Israel. The two septuagenarians have proven incredibly tenacious and utterly resilient despite major legal and political woes. Both are seen, especially by their detractors, as racists, liars and in bed with billionaires, certainly one particular billionaire, Zionist casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who helped bankroll both their campaigns in return for working to legitimise the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Indeed, nowhere has their unholy alliance been more pronounced than in Trump and Netanyahus closely coordinated assault on Palestinian rights, which culminated in the condescending racist plan dubbed, rather comically, the deal of the century. As Adelson and other Jewish leaders dominated the White House celebration of the release of the plan, absent was not only Palestinian representation but also members of the growing Jewish American movement that opposes Netanyahus political bellicosity and Trumps diplomatic mockery. And then came Bernie Sanders. Calling a racist a racist The Democratic candidate for the presidency does not mince his words. He has opposed much of what both incumbents stand for ideologically and politically, and has long accused Trump of dishonesty, corruption and racism. But as a proud Jewish American he has now attacked another proud Jew, the Israeli prime minister himself, calling him a reactionary racist during a key national televised debate. He has also spoken of freeing America from the pro-Israel lobby mantras in order to redress Israeli injustices and help realise Palestinian national rights on an equal footing with Israel. To do so, he threatened to use Americas huge aid to Israel as leverage to pressure Israel to do the right thing, and even warned that he may consider moving the US embassy back to Tel Aviv if he becomes president. Thus, criticising Israel, which has long been seen as political suicide, suddenly started to look like a politically savvy move, as Sanders started rising in the polls. This may not be so surprising considering that nationally, a lot of Americans agree with his views on Israel. A 2019 Pew Research poll shows that 51 percent of Americans and 67 percent of Democrats view the Israeli government unfavourably. Most Americans, certainly most Democrats, including Jewish Americans, also agree with Sanders on Trump. In a 2018 poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 57 percent of Americans including 8 out of 10 black people, three-quarters of Hispanics and nearly half of all white people said Trump is a racist. Among Democrats, about 85 percent considered Trump a racist, while (only) 21 percent of Republicans did. If you think Trump may have improved since, think again. Trump has, in fact, doubled down on racism, attacking three Congresswomen of colour and telling them to go back to their countries. Michigan-born Palestinian American Rashida Tlaib was one of them. Needless to say, most if not all Palestinians also consider Netanyahu and Trump racists. But only a minority of them gets to vote in the Israeli elections. The majority, who have been living under Israeli occupation for over five decades, have no right to vote against their tormentors. American Jews and Israel Sanderss candidacy and declarations are sure to have a long-term impact on the influential American Jewish community and its traditional support for Israel. His loud criticism has long been whispered among certain narrow Jewish circles in America. What started as a critique of Israeli policies on university campuses, by the likes of Noam Chomsky and Richard Falk, was then broadcast to a larger public by comedy shows like Jon Stewarts The Daily Show, expanded upon by a younger generation of public intellectuals like Peter Beinart, mutated into think-tank positions by the likes of Henry Siegman, publicised in the pages of progressive publications like The Nation, pronounced as policy statements by the alternative Jewish lobby J-street, and now seems to have culminated in the emergence of a new popular movement critical of Israels occupation. This new nationwide movement includes Zionists and non-Zionists, religious and secular people, moderates and progressives, all of whom take exception with the growing political fanaticism of the Jewish lobby AIPAC and its unconditional support for Israel. Many of those critics could be found among the 78 percent of Jewish Americans who voted for Barack Obama, making him, in the words of some, the first Jewish President, or as the former president himself put it, an honorary member of the tribe. Indeed, Obama garnered more Jewish votes than Netanyahu did in Israel, giving him no less legitimacy among Jews during their various showdowns over Iran or Palestine. If, like Obama, Sanders continues to make progress and even clinches the nomination despite efforts by pro-Israeli circles to undermine his campaign, he could be in a position not only to transform the Democratic Party and US politics, but also the politics of American Jews towards Israel. His unprecedented attack on Israels lobby last week, calling it a platform for bigotry, has already helped discourage other Democratic candidates from attending in person AIPACs annual conference, with the exception of Michael Bloomberg, who seems desperate for its support. Even if Sanders falls behind in the primaries, he has already let the genie out of the bottle. Young Americans, including American Jewish youth from all walks of life, are determined to take a fresh and daring stance on religious fanaticism, racism and inequality in both the United States and Israel. No Democratic nominee will be able to win without them, as Hillary Clinton learned the hard way in 2016. Today, they stand evermore united against Trumps white supremacist and fanatical evangelical supporters who love Israel, because of a biblical prophecy, but hate Jews. This is a hugely important milestone in the fight against both racism and anti-Semitism. And just as America is destined to become a pluralistic multiracial, multicultural nation, so is Jewish Israel as it devours Palestine. American and Israeli chauvinists are racing to secure and preserve their privileges, demonising and attacking their opponents, but time is not on their side. Toxic exposure, a high veterans suicide rate and accommodating the Department of Veterans Affairs' fastest growing demographic, women, are among the issues veterans service organizations (VSOs) have brought up to Congress this year. In hearings held Tuesday and Wednesday, the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees jointly heard from eight VSOs about their priorities for 2020. Lawmakers will hear from more VSOs next week. Concerns over toxic exposure are not limited to Vietnam War-era veterans. The VSOs are also targeting threats to current service members. "While we were focused on our toxic exposures and their effects on our descendants, we could not have imagined that similar problems would arise in those who followed us in the military," said John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America. "Because of our efforts on Agent Orange, we became aware of toxic exposures issues arising in the Gulf War veterans and later the post-9/11 veterans. And recently, we have become aware of the toxic exposures facing our military here at home." Related: VA Ramps Up Mental Health Funding After Rash of Parking Lot Suicides From the 1950s to the 1980s, water was contaminated by industrial solvents, benzene and other chemicals at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Recently, leaked base memos showed dangerously high levels of hexavalent chromium in an aircraft hangar at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. And polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foam have contaminated water supplies near dozens of military bases. Rowan also shared the Wounded Warrior Project's concerns over how the military destroyed waste in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Besides being exposed to the substances noted earlier, the military decided it would be a great idea to burn their used equipment and other items in giant burn pits that have been burning for decades now," he said. "The toxic exposure for this misadventure is too numerous to mention." Rowan told Congress it should consider reauthorizing and expanding the Agent Orange Act of 1991 to include veterans of all eras. Under this act, the VA works with the National Academy of Medicine to hold panels every two years to review the science on Agent Orange exposure and its associations with certain health conditions. "Toxic exposure has killed more military veterans than any of our enemies have," he said. Another concern VSOs voiced to lawmakers is the high rate of veteran suicide: About 17 veterans commit suicide every day; more than half of them were not in the VA system. "VA medical centers are amazing," said Jan Brown, American Veterans national commander. "I refer people there all the time. However, I would not choose to go there to get mentally healthy." Brown said that AMVETS has found that "most veterans drop out of VA mental health services after their first visit." "We insinuate that the VA mental health is world class, second to none, yet we're not asking the question, 'Why are veterans running for the doors?' Instead, we're blaming the victim, inferring it's the veteran's fault to not stay involved in the program," Brown said. She said patients don't want to sit in "psychotropic fogs" at VA hospitals, which are now a "hard to manage, mental health conglomerate." The high veteran suicide rate is why Felix Garcia III, national commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said his organization is supporting S. 785, the "Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019." "It will ensure that no veteran slips through the cracks," Garcia said. "The bill would also hold the VA accountable for its mental health care and suicide prevention efforts, by examining how the VA manages the suicide prevention resources and how the VA provides seamless care and information sharing for veterans seeking mental health." Brown said the issue is especially serious for female veterans, the VA's fastest growing cohort. "The rate at which women veterans choose to end their own lives is twice the number as women who have never served," she said. "Part of the reason involves the unhealed and untreated scars that result from sexual assaults, only to be intensified by the mishandling of investigation, after the assault is reported." Stephen Whitehead, Disabled American Veterans national commander, said about one in four female veterans reported "inappropriate unwanted" comments or behavior by men at VA facilities. "All veterans, no matter their gender, race or sexual orientation, should have equitable access to all of the benefits and services, and should feel welcome and safe when accessing the care they earned," he said. To ensure women have access to gender-sensitive and specialized health care, Whitehouse said Congress should pass the "Deborah Sampson Act," a version of which was passed by the House last year. It would, among other things, establish an Office of Women's Health. The Military Officers Association of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Student Veterans of America and Paralyzed Veterans of America, along with a couple of other VSOs, are set to testify on their 2020 priorities Tuesday. -- Dorothy Mills-Gregg can be reached at dorothy.mills-gregg@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DMillsGregg. Read More: Captain Warned That Crew Wasn't Ready Before Sub Ran Aground, Investigation Shows Wearing a mask isn't as important as washing your hands to avoid getting the coronavirus. Kate Taylor/Business Insider When I planned a trip throughout Asia, I did not expect my month to be spent following the news of the growing coronavirus outbreak including monitoring the number of cases in countries I visited. I have closely followed experts' advice on how to avoid getting sick, as well as picked up some lessons of my own on how to avoid ruining a trip with coronavirus fears. Here are my 11 tips for traveling internationally during the coronavirus outbreak. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. For the last month, I've been traveling around Asia. When I planned my trip to South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, I could not have predicted that it would overlap almost exactly with the coronavirus outbreak. But, somehow my trip has turned into a lesson on how to travel internationally during a major outbreak. As I've written more about traveling during the coronavirus outbreak, people I know have started emailing me asking for travel tips. I'm not an expert, so a lot of what I've learned has been from reported articles by other people at Business Insider, such as this one on how to protect yourself while traveling and this on tips for flying. But, there are also some practical things I have learned about what it's like to travel when everyone is panicking about the coronavirus. I wanted to write down all my tips for not getting the virus while traveling, as well as how to protect your mental health if you decide to take an international trip. Here are my 11 tips for international travel amidst the coronavirus outbreak. I got my vaccines before I left. free vaccines for teens BSIP/UIG via Getty Images Thankfully, I remembered to get all my necessary vaccines and flu shot before leaving the US. Dr. Scott Weisenberg, director of travel medicine at NYU Langone Health, told Business Insider's Thomas Pallini that doing so can catch infectious diseases that would weaken your immune system, making it easier to catch other sicknesses like COVID-19. Story continues It is still extremely unlikely that you will catch coronavirus as a tourist visiting a country that is not on the CDC's list of warnings. As of Monday, the CDC has issued warnings against five countries: China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, and Japan. I try to book refundable flights and hotel rooms. vietjet Kate Taylor/Business Insider I keep making this mistake and kicking myself. With the available news around the virus changing on an hourly basis, booking something a week before can mean that you still have to end up canceling. When I was planning to visit Cambodia, for example, a cruise ship disembarking sparked questions regarding the country's actions to prevent the spread of the virus. I ended up canceling my flight 48-hours before boarding, without any chance of getting a refund. Even if you don't get sick, a new report could make somewhere that was once your dream vacation seem suddenly dangerous. So, make sure all your flights and hotels are refundable. Find out how to get a refund here. I wash my hands constantly. hands Oli Scarff/Getty Images Hand sanitizer is great, but you know what's better? Actually washing your hands. Any time you are somewhere with a bathroom or a public sink, pop in and wash your hands. Yes, even if you just washed them 20 minutes ago. While traveling, you don't always know when you're going to wander past another public bathroom, so take advantage of all the sinks and soap you can. Washing your hands is literally experts' top tip on how to prevent getting sick. This is the most important thing you can do to prevent getting or spreading the coronavirus, or any other sickness when you're traveling. Wash your hands! Read more about the right way to wash your hands here. I carry hand sanitizer and use the free sanitizer when available. cruise ship hand sanitizer Richard Drew/Associated Press When you aren't washing your hands, you should be sanitizing your hands regularly. Carry your own hand sanitizer. And, if you spot some in public, use it. It's a nice visual reminder to keep your hands clean. I pack disinfecting wipes. vietjet Kate Taylor/Business Insider Coronavirus can be spread via surfaces, like a plane armrest or your phone surface. So, the CDC recommends disinfecting what you can. I brought Lysol wipes and disinfected every plane seat I sat in, which made me feel a bit silly, but safe. Read more about my lessons learned while flying here. I try to avoid sitting near others while flying and book the window seat. vietjet Kate Taylor/Business Insider Experts explained to Pallini why my tendency to claim the window seat isn't just a quest for more room. "Stay away from people who are coughing or exhibiting any other signs of a respiratory illness," Dr. Bernard Camins, medical director for infection prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System, said. According to Dr. Camins, close contact for the coronavirus is considered six feet. The aisle seat provides hours of close contact, as people walk by throughout the flight. So, you should book the window seat. Camins says it also worth avoiding high-contact areas such as the bathroom on flights. Read more about how to prevent getting sick on airplanes here. I skip crowded places where you'll be in close contact with other people. kate selfie Kate Taylor/Business Insider The CDC's main advice is to clean your hands, not touch your face, disinfect your stuff, and avoid sick people. (Masks are optional.) Cleaning is within your control. Avoiding sick people can be a bit harder, but doable. Skip tours where you'll be packed in with a ton of people on a boat or a hostel where you'll be sleeping on top of each other. In countries where there is a very low chance of getting sick, this isn't really going to make much of a difference, since you're unlikely to get sick either way. But, it let me sleep easier which can make a difference. I get plenty of sleep and take vitamins. mcdonalds kuala lumpur Kate Taylor/Business Insider Advice for preventing coronavirus is pretty similar to preventing most types of illnesses. You need to get plenty of sleep and avoid stress. I've been trying to go to bed early and taking Emergen-C or Vitamin C tablets. Plus, despite all the delicious food, I've been trying to eat reasonably well and stay hydrated to keep my immune system up and running more generally. I've cut back on how much I'm reading about the coronavirus, I'm sticking to reliable sources. koh ngai Kate Taylor/Business Insider It's easy to allow panic to take over your trip. So, I've tried to stay away from going overboard on researching the twists and turns of the outbreak. My goal is to know enough to make the safe decision, but not so much I'm panicking over the unlikely chance I'll get sick. I'm flexible with my plans. malaysian air Kate Taylor/Business Insider Remember those refundable flights you booked? Those are going to pay off for you when you prove yourself to be a super-flexible traveler, capable of rerouting flights and rebooking hotels at the drop of a hat. In general, you need to be willing to change plans last minute. A country like Italy that is safe one week might be on the CDC's list of countries not to visit the next. When this happens, you can cancel the trip, or reroute it somewhere new. If you're traveling right now, things can change very quickly. The only way to keep traveling is to stay flexible and be willing to completely change your plans last minute. Read the original article on Business Insider B ritish guests at a quarantined hotel in Tenerife are being flown back to the UK after testing negative for coronavirus, Jet2holidays has confirmed. 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 Covid-19. But travel operator Jet2holidays said on Monday that its customers at the hotel will return to the UK in the afternoon. Meanwhile, travel firm Tui said 17 of its customers were flown back on two separate flights to Bristol and Newcastle on Sunday night after testing negative for coronavirus. 17 holidaymakers flew home on Sunday / REUTERS A Tui spokeswoman said its remaining 19 holidaymakers will be flown to Britain on Tuesday, subject to their test results. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was working closely with authorities in Spain to ensure that Britons who do not have coronavirus can fly home. A Jet2holidays spokeswoman said: "We are pleased to confirm that Jet2holidays customers at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace will be flying back to the UK with us on a dedicated flight this afternoon, following their negative test results for Covid-19 and subject to them showing no symptoms on departure." It is understood that Spanish authorities are testing British guests at the hotel, with those producing negative results able to take a flight back over the next 24 hours. Coronavirus: Boris Johnson warns further spread in UK is likely An FCO spokesman said: "If you are travelling with a tour operator, you need to contact them. If you are an independent traveller, you will need to ensure you plan enough time to get your test result before you fly." A Tui spokeswoman said the company had arranged enough seats for all customers to be flown back on Sunday, but some were unable to leave the hotel as they were yet to receive paperwork showing they tested negative. "It is a shame for the people who weren't able to come," the spokeswoman said. "We are looking at getting the final people back tomorrow now." Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said on Saturday that 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 guests were set to be trapped in the hotel until Marchg 10 / AP In a letter to British holidaymakers at the hotel, the PHE said anyone who tests positive for the virus will be kept in isolation by Spanish authorities until they test negative. Only then will they be able to return to the UK "without any restrictions", the letter said. Spanish authorities have said that the risk of infection for any Britons staying at the hotel is low, according to PHE. Coronavirus: Confirmed cases around the world A Jet2holidays spokeswoman said: "As we have made explicitly clear, our number one priority is the health and safety of our customers, our colleagues, and the general public. "We have been working closely with the FCO, Public Health England and the hotel to find a solution which ensured the best outcome for our customers in the hotel, whilst making sure we fulfilled those responsibilities." The FCO said hotel guests should contact the medical testing team to book an appointment and inform the Foreign Office of their flight number by calling 0034 928 262 508. Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad will join an Opposition front led by Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party president O P Rajbhar, a party leader claimed, amid a meeting between the Dalit outfit leader and the former Uttar Pradesh minister in Lucknow on Monday. Aazad, who is popularly known as Ravan, will become a part of the Bhagidaari Sankalp Morcha, a front of eight political parties, SBSP general secretary Arvind Rajbhar told PTI. "Bhim Army will also be a part of the front and a formal announcement will be made in the next few days. Today's meeting also deliberated on this," he said, adding that the meeting lasted for around half an hour. Aazad could not be contacted for his comments despite repeated attempts. Asked to comment on the stand of Aazad on the front, Arvind Rajbhar said: "He will become a part of the front. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC), an Agency under the Ministry of Education, is undertaking a reading promotion programme in the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra region. Some of the beneficiary schools include Teiman St. James Anglican Basic school, Otinibi Basic school, Danfa Methodist Basic school, Pantang Presby Basic school, and Presec Staff '3' & '4' primary school. The exercise forms part of the Councils campaign, dubbed, Learn to Read; Read to Learn aimed at promoting reading among Basic school children in the country. Similar reading promotion activities have been undertaken in the past in districts such as Shai Osudoku and Ga East respectively. This reading promotion campaign which was launched in June 2018, also ensures that Book booths stocked with assorted reading books, which are indigenously produced, are provided to public Basic schools, to supplement school libraries or serve as libraries in schools without library facilities. Speaking about the importance of the exercise, the Executive Director of Ghana Book Development Council, Mrs Ernesticia Lartey Asuinura, said, it is important that every child, no matter where he or she lives, is exposed to books and the benefits of life-long reading right from infancy. Apart from the vocabulary and knowledge one acquires from reading books, reading is also a very good exercise for the brain and sharpens our intelligence. Therefore, everybody, especially children, must learn to read and read to learn for life. The Municipal Director of Education for La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality, Ms. Angela Frempomaa Nkansah also said, Its a joy and a privilege to have La Nkwantanang-Madina being a part of this reading promotion programme by the Ghana Book Development (GBDC). In this era where children are fond of watching videos and playing games rather than reading their books, I believe it is a welcoming news to have such an intervention to encourage children to read. I promise to support GBDC in every way to make it a success and I am sure this will be replicated in other schools within the Municipality. Head teachers, teachers and school pupils have over the period expressed their excitement and gratitude regarding this intervention. The general call of the pupils has always been for GBDC to make more meeting times for reading. The Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC) is an Agency under the Ministry of Education mandated to oversee the development, regulation and effective planning of the Book industry in the country. One of its functions is to promote reading and creative-writing among school children. 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 British and EU trade negotiators held the first day of what could be months of talks aimed at forging a new post-Brexit relationship on Monday, with timing tight and the sides far apart on key issues. The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier and UK counterpart David Frost met in Brussels, launching several months of intense closed-door negotiations involving around 100 officials on each side. "We approach these negotiations in a constructive spirit. We want to agree an ambitious and fair partnership," Barnier tweeted after the talks, at which the negotiators did not shake hands because of fears of the novel coronavirus. "We will respect our prior joint commitments. We will close the round on Thursday and I will debrief the press afterwards," he said. A UK spokesman said Frost and members the UK delegation met Barnier and his task force for around two hours. "The UK will engage constructively to reach a free trade agreement which fully respects the UK's political and regulatory autonomy," he said. The negotiations began just over a month after Britain left the EU, and are meant to wrap up by the end of this year -- an exceedingly tight timeframe that few see as feasible for anything but a bare-bones accord. The deadline is effectively December 31, the end of the UK's current transition period during which it trades like an EU member with no tariffs or other barriers. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out extending the transition and both sides are looking to an EU-UK summit in June to decide whether talks are worth continuing. The negotiations have been clouded by mistrust and weeks of chest-beating as each side has accused the other of reneging on high-ambition goals set out in a political declaration struck last year. This week's talks in Brussels are to end on Thursday, after two days in which the teams will divide to cover 11 key topics for the future relationship. The next round is to take place in London, and thereafter alternate between the two capitals. Mandates published last week highlighted the EU's aim of securing a "level playing field" to prevent Britain from undercutting European standards on labour, tax, environment and state subsidies. Meanwhile the UK is insisting on setting its own rules in the name of "economic and political independence". The acrimony pushed the British pound 1.3 percent lower against the euro on Monday owing to fears that Britain's hard-line stance would hurt the economy. - 'Drift away' - Experts warned that the two sides are on a collision course, with a deal highly unlikely without concessions. "A deal between the EU and the UK by the end of the year is still possible, but it will require both parties to drift away from their opening positions," said Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. "In practice, it requires the UK to move a lot, and the EU to move a little," he said. Underlining tensions, Barnier, in an uncharacteristic display of podium-thumping, has warned Britain that any backsliding on its EU divorce terms would torpedo trade talks. The Brexit deal notably requires checks on British goods crossing the Irish Sea into the UK territory of Northern Ireland that Johnson now says are unnecessary. "Clearly, at the beginning of any negotiation, there's a bit of posturing. Both sides want to state the strongest possible case," said Fabian Zuleeg, head of the European Policy Centre. Experts see a deal limited to goods as the most likely outcome, but that would still require customs checks for products crossing the Channel and lacks the ambition called for by businesses. But fishing -- of relatively minor economic importance but of totemic significance to Britain and EU states such as France and Spain -- could be the flashpoint that scuppers a deal. Barnier has emphasised that fishing is "inextricably" linked to the whole agreement. The EU demands that its fishing boats continue to have access to British waters in return for British fishermen being able to sell their catches to their biggest and closest market. - Trade dependent - If there is no broad trade deal, economic pain will be felt on both sides -- but especially in Britain and in Ireland, the EU member most dependent on trade with the UK. Without a deal, UN economists calculate the UK would lose export revenues of up to 29 billion euros ($32 billion) a year. The EU buys nearly half of all British exports. By Online Desk CHENNAI: Akshay Kumar's 'Sooryavanshi' trailer just dropped and it is every masala film lover's dream. This will please the Bollywood junkie in you with flying cars, over the top action scenes, dodging missiles like darts (you read that right), terrorist attacks, a love story, you get the gist. This is Akshay and filmmaker Rohit Shetty's first project together and is also being touted as India's First Cop Universe. In a surprise entry as shown in the trailer, Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn reprise their roles as Simmba and Singham respectively as extended cameos. The trio can be seen getting into a playful tiff about their entry scenes in the movie. The trailer reveals that a terrorist attack deadlier than 26/11 looms over Mumbai. Rohit started his cop franchise in 2011 with "Singham", starring Ajay as Bajirao Singham. He came up with the sequel "Singham Returns" in 2014 and decided to create a cop universe during the making of Ranveer Singh-led "Simmba". The 2018 film also introduced Akshay's Veer Sooryavanshi, the character which is now getting a standalone film. His next movie in the cop universe will mark the return of Ajay Devgn in and as 'Singham' in 'Singham 3'. The film will now hit the theatres on March 24, instead of its earlier release date of March 27. The movie also stars Katrina Kaif. (Reuters) Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum no longer will sign autographs for fans amid fears over the coronavirus. He announced his decision in a tweet on Sunday. Sporting events in Asia and Europe recently have been canceled, postponed, or played in empty stadiums or arenas because of the outbreak, which has killed nearly 3,000 people worldwide, most of them in mainland China, CNN reported Sunday. More than 85,000 people around the world are infected, with the virus now reaching on every continent except Antarctica. The NBA, NHL, and MLB all said they are monitoring developments and consulting with health officials. A video posted online appears to show two Chicago police officers shooting a man at a busy train station after struggling to restrain him. Police say two officers were trying to arrest a man at the Grand station on the CTA Red Line on Friday when the shooting took place. The officers stopped the man because he was moving between two train cars, a city ordinance violation, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department. A video recorded by a bystander shows the officers struggling to restrain a man near an escalator at the station. The officers take the man down and within seconds, one of them is seen lying on top of him and attempting to handcuff him. As they continue struggling, one of the officers is heard repeatedly shouting "stop resisting" while the man responds, "I didn't do nothing to you." Both officers used Tasers on the man, police said. The video shows police struggling with the man for several minutes before he breaks free from being pinned on the ground. At that point, one of the officers yells "shoot him!" and the other fires toward the man. The officer who fired the weapon shot at the man twice, police said in a statement. The man, who was not identified, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition after surgery, police said. Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, an attorney representing the man, told CNN he suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and another wound to the buttocks area. It appears that he will undergo more than one surgery, she said. The police department reached out to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to review the incident for possible criminal charges, according to a statement by the attorney's office. The State's Attorney's Office is working with the FBI on the investigation. The officers won't be assigned field duties and will be on desk work pending the outcome of an investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the police department said. The officers were not named by police. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot described the video as "extremely disturbing" and said that while the video does not depict the entirety of the incident, the officers' actions were "deeply concerning." "I view this video with the eye of someone who has personally investigated numerous police-involved shootings and reviewed evidence of many more," Lightfoot wrote in a tweet. "The incident is being independently investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to ensure the public gains a complete picture of what happened." CNN has reached out to the Chicago Police Department and the police union for comment and additional information. Rachel Murphy, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said in a statement that the video was "evidence of the lack of meaningful de-escalation by Chicago police officers." Heaven just got sweeter as Carl Edmond Brooks Pa waltzed through the pearly gates on March 1, 2020, leaving behind 45 members of his boisterous and loving family that will miss him terribly. When God said, "Go forth and multiply", Carl, being a man of the Air Force, took that as direct orders. He and his wife of 65 years had five children and began a family tree that resulted in a family forest. Carl was quick-witted, inclusive of everyone in his path, and kept everyone guessing what he would say next. He spent his life loving his wife, family, church and anyone in need of a good laugh. He will always be known for his zeal for life and never lacking for a good clean joke. Carl was born in Buhl, Idaho, on Dec. 5, 1931, the son of Oscar and Eunice (Dorman) Brooks. Later his family moved to Portland, Or., where he completed school and entered the Air Force. Initially he was sent to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage Alaska, then to McGhee Tyson AFB near Knoxville. It was here that he would meet the love of his life Mary Frances Slagle on a blind date. After marriage, he was transferred to Flintstone Air Force Station on Lookout Mountain where he and Mary would live in Lookout Valley, making this their forever home and raise their five children. Carl worked for National Life and American General Insurance, retiring after 38 years as general manager and then continued to consult part-time up into his 80s. He was a faithful member of Wauhatchie United Methodist Church for 59 years where he served in a multitude of capacities including Sunday School teacher, song leader, youth leader and Administrative Council chair. He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Gregory Steven Brooks; brothers and sisters, Ruth, Helen, Herbert, Jim, Catherine, Dorothy and David; favorite parent in-laws Connie and Eula Slagle. He is survived by his wife, Mary Frances Slagle Brooks, his children, Melia (Eddie) Reeves, Barry (Alyce) Brooks, Mary Jane (Stuart) Goza and Susan (Randy) OMary; 11 grandchildren and their spouses; 16 great-grandchildren; and many dear, beloved family members across the country. The family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff of Life Care of East Ridge, Memorial Hospital and Hearth Hospice for their extraordinary care over the past few weeks. Memorial gifts can be made to Wauhatchie United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, 3401 Cummings Highway, Chattanooga, Tn. 37419. Visitation will be held at Chattanooga Funeral Home, East Chapel on Wednesday, March 4, from 4-8 p.m. and from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursday at the church. Services will be held on Thursday, March 5, at Wauhatchie United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. with Pastor Tommy Messer officiating. Please share your thoughts and memories of Carl at www.chattanoogaeastchapel.com. Arrangements are by the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 404 S. Moore Road, East Ridge, Tn. 37412. New Delhi, March 2 : Oracle, which recently opened enterprise-grade Gen 2 Cloud region for its existing and new customers in India, is witnessing a huge demand from the Indian businesses - from verticals like education, jewellery, footwear, banking/finance -- to join its Autonomous Database Cloud services. The Generation 2 enterprise cloud supports all legacy workloads while delivering modern cloud development tools, so enterprises in India can bring forward their past as they build their future. India currently is the sixth largest market for Oracle globally in the data management space. "We're the No 1 player in India with over 60 per cent market share in the database segment. The initial response for Oracle Autonomous Database has been fantastic from customers and we are very excited about our growth prospects here," Chema Aramburu, VP-Autonomous Database Cloud, Oracle JAPAC, told IANS in an interaction. Currently, most of a company's data is locked in separate, often duplicative silos, even though the company's different business units are all seeking the same or similar insights. "What if the organisation could create an internal data exchange and bring the entirety of this valuable resource together so that they can see the value that's hiding in their data and use it in new and innovative ways?" asked Aramburu. "What if, at the same time, they can bring the transaction costs of getting the data different users want, into the shape they need it, down to near zero?" This is the power Oracle Autonomous Database gives to businesses -- self-driving, self-securing and self-repairing Cloud services. "The JAPAC region (Japan and Asia-Pacific) has been the home for a great number of our early adopters, several of whom are from India, and are already seeing tremendous business value," said the Oracle executive. Armed with deeper and more meaningful insights, these customers have been able to significantly improve and fast-track business decisions, introduce new products/services to market quicker and create a smarter workforce. Oracle Autonomous Linux is another important step towards bringing the autonomous enterprise to life. "We have made the database and now the operating system autonomous, and included autonomous capabilities in our Oracle Gen 2 Cloud Infrastructure," informed Aramburu. In India, businesses are looking at a secure cloud environment - be it on-premise or on cloud. Bullish on its India operations, the Cloud major in October last year announced the availability of its first Gen 2 Cloud region in Mumbai, with plans to open another Gen 2 region in Hyderabad next year. "From our vantage point, Oracle Gen 2 Cloud has the potential to play a critical role. It is the only true enterprise-grade cloud built from the ground-up to meet the needs of mission-critical applications, and give unprecedented performance, speed and security, along with low and predictable pricing," elaborated Aramburu. It also supports all legacy workloads and cloud native development, so enterprises can bring forward their past as they build their future. Sharda University, one of India's leading higher education institutions, wanted to elevate the learning experience for students, improve learning outcomes and also make faculty training more effective. Traditional data management models didn't help unearth actionable insights on time. By using Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse along with Oracle Analytics Cloud, the university has been able to extract critical business insights much faster and expedite the insights-to-decision making cycle. "The university has already started to witness improved student engagement and performance," said Aramburu. Federal Bank aimed to improve the efficacy of its ATMs as well as the overall experience of customers. The bank used Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse and Oracle Analytics Cloud to focus on data from this area and in less than four weeks, was able to create an intuitive, user-friendly solution that empowered their senior leaders with actionable insights for faster, better decision making. "Federal Bank is now able to determine customer footfalls and ATM transaction behaviours better and faster, thereby improving their bottom line," informed Aramburu. Today, More than 15,000 customers in India are using Oracle to manage their mission-critical workloads. Kendall Jenner, Meghan Markle and Kaia Gerber are among the celebrity clientele who have worn Reformation. (Getty) Yahoo Lifestyle is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Reformation is the celebrity-loved fashion brand the likes of Kaia Gerber, Emily Ratajkowsi and Kendall Jenner have recently been spotted wearing. During Fashion Week, Cindy Crawfords daughter Gerber, 18, sported double denim as she wore the Dylan Jacket and Trouser set, while Jenner, 24, slipped into the black Rumi mini dress in Milan. British singer Adele, 31, wore the Alma dress on holiday. The Sigmund dress has been one of Reformations bestsellers, and another fan-favourite among celebrities - although the highly coveted design has since sold out. Meghan Markle has also worn the LA-based brand. She wore a cream and blue striped Pineapple dress during her royal tour to Australia in 2018. Kendall Jenner wore the Rumi dress from Reformation while out in Milan during Fashion Week. (Getty) Reformations Cindy Bootleg Jeans have also been a huge hit with model Bella Hadid, as well as Miley Cyrus. The label launched in 2009, but it has grown in popularity in recent years, which we believe will continue to grow long into the future. Reformation prides itself on being a sustainable fashion brand, as its clothes are sourced from sustainable fabrics. The company also follow a strict guideline when sourcing and creating our new wardrobe staples, to ensure they are eco-friendly at every stage of the design process. Meghan Markle slipped into a Reformation number during her Australia tour in 2018. (Getty) Shoppers can buy an outfit to suit any occasion, whether it is separates, such as crop tops, camis, long sleeve designs, blouses and jumpers, as well as trousers, skirts and jeans. Reformation is also known for its chic dresses, whether that is their printed designs, mini dresses, mid-length numbers or maxi. For those who are on the hunt for an outfit for a wedding, or a formal occasion, can shop Reformations vast selection for guests, as well as bridesmaids, or brides. If that wasnt enough shoppers can also shop Reformations selection of shoes, as well as swimwear, intimates and footwear. Story continues It is difficult to narrow down our Reformation, but we have compiled the best buys from the brand. Shop the 12 best buys from Reformation Rumi Dress Dylan Jacket Trouser Jean Aaron Jumpsuit Mason Pant Veda Leather Pant Hilary Dress Sigmund dress Veronika Dress Gitane Dress Meadow Dress Elsie Dress Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK The biggest palinka festival in Hungary will be organized in Gyula (215 km southeast of Budapest), and the distillates, which are made of apple and stone fruits, wild and berry fruits, will receive professional recognition at the event starting on April 23, according to magyarmezogazdasag.hu. At the event, key players in the brandy industry can meet with decision-makers in the retail and wholesale chains, hotel and restaurant managers, owners, and consumers looking for quality brandies directly. The palinka and distillates on display will be judged, after a preliminary evaluation, by the best Hungarian palinka experts, renowned representatives of the gastronomy world and journalists. The program will also serve distillates from abroad, magyarmezogazdasag.hu adds. Photo courtesy of the organisers Central European and Balkan leaders are worried about falling demographics. So, they are calling on families to have more children to stop the decrease. Some of the appeals for more babies are like those made many years ago in Fascist or Communist countries. They include appeals to nationalism and family values as well as big tax cuts and awards to larger families. Liberal critics accuse populist governments of using the depopulation threat to support nationalist programs and limit womens rights. But government officials note that unless they can stop falling birth rates, governments will not be able to finance the pensions and health-care costs of aging generations. The struggle to increase native-born populations and produce more young workers to pay for future costs is tied to immigration. Young people are leaving Central Europe in ever larger numbers for better pay in Western European countries. In Hungary, the fertility rate has dropped to 1.49 live births per female, while the rate needed to support current population levels is 2.1. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has offered housing assistance as well as reducing home loan payments in an effort to increase births. His government has offered to cancel income taxes on women who raise four or more children. Women marrying under the age of 40 can receive a $36,000 government loan that they do not have to repay after their third child is born. Last month, Orban announced the state takeover of six fertility centers, which now offer free in-vitro fertilization treatments. The free treatments started on February 1, when Orban declared fertility an issue of strategic importance to Hungary. If we want Hungarian children instead of immigrantsthen the only solution is to spend as much of the funds as possible on supporting families and raising children, he said last month. In Poland, the government provides a monthly allowance of about $125 per child to families after their first child. The program has become a model for depopulating neighboring countries also struggling with falling birth rates. But Central Europes interest in demographics is worrying women and liberals. They fear that governments led by populist parties are paying for larger families not only for demographic reasons, but as a way to buy votes. They accuse populists of wanting to return to patriarchal times when women were limited only to having children, not careers outside the house. They see free IVF as something out of Margaret Atwoods best-selling book, The Handmaids Tale. Can we just simply declare that Hungary is Gilead from now on, asked Hungarian reporter Anita Komuves on Twitter. Gilead is the name of Atwoods made-up country. Demographic experts wonder whether the Central European cash-for-babies campaigns will do much to affect population growth. They point to Russia as an example. Russias long-running program of paying for large families has done little to increase birth rates. The countrys population is expected to drop from 142 million to 110 million by the year 2050. Central European governments are not alone in worrying about shrinking populations and the aging of Europe. Croatia is the worlds fifth-fastest shrinking nation. It has made demographics an important issue during its six months heading the European Union presidency. Even Italy is worried about its falling birth rate. New births are at the lowest number since records began in 1861. The government is paying for free child care and extending time off for new fathers. Greece has one of the lowest birthrates in Europe. It is now offering mothers nearly $2,200 for every newborn child, as well as tax breaks. Im Susan Shand. VOAs Jaime Dettmer reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story demographic n. a group of people that has a particular set of qualities Fascist adj. a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government pension n. an amount of money that a company or the government pays to a person who is old or sick and no longer works income n. money that is earned from work, investments, business in-vitro adj. a baby conceived outside the body strategic adj. useful or important in achieving a plan or strategy allowance n. an amount of money that is given to someone regularly or for a specific purpose patriarchal adj. a man who controls a family, group, or government All eyes are on the Fab Four since amid the many scandals and bombshells rocking the British monarchy. Early this week, social media analysts believe that Prince William and Kate Middleton are using bots to cheat on Instagram. According to a report by The New York Times, social media experts have dissected the two Instagram accounts -- one owned by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, @KensingtonRoyal, and the other owned by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, @SussexRoyal. The social media experts were trying to figure out why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fail to "overtake" the Cambridges' followers despite their soaring popularity. They believe that the Sussexes should have been ahead already as they mark their return to the U.K. after stepping down as full-time royals last January. "Data generated by the media monitoring software Cision, which tracks online media mentions, found that, from the date of the announcement of Harry and Meghan's engagement in November 2017 to January 20202, Harry and Meghan received vastly more global online attention than did William and Kate," the report said. The trend continues in Google searches, which shows that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are more popular than the Kensington Royals. This led analysts to believe that the older couple had likely resorted to bot followers. The article stated facts that Prince Harry and Meghan achieved higher engagements than the Cambridges. It is also unusual, according to the analysts, that Prince William and Kate's account gained followers despite not posting any content. Currently, @KensingtonRoyal and @SussexRoyal show 11.2 million followers each. In the follower category, @KensingtonRoyal takes the lead with 11,280,343 and counting, while @SussexRoyal is at 11,269,129 Instagram followers. But last month, @KensingtonRoyal ended with a 2.21 percent engagement rate, while @SussexRoyal ended the month with a 6.54 percent engagement rate. @SussexRoyal also has more likes -- 14 million -- than @KensingtonRoyal. However, it is not just "likes" for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to take the lead. They also have substantially more comments than their counterparts. According to the report, "Harry and Meghan won comments by an even bigger margin: in the same time frame, their account received more than double the number of comments that @KensingtonRoyal did." They also mentioned that the younger prince and his former actress wife might even have more followers and engagements due to negative feedback or hate following. Other social media experts believe that both couples may be using growth strategies and campaigns to inflate the number of their followers and their engagements. Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle split from Prince William and Kate Middleton, they created @SussexRoyal and took the "Insta Crown." But having higher engagements and following did not happen back when they opened their separate account or when Prince Archie was born. The only time both couples came close to their Instagram was when the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals in January 2020. The Sussexes' following did overtake the Cambridges', but a month later, after posting pictures on their feed of their charity work, @KensingtonRoyal has regained its follower lead. They established that while there are unpredictable factors, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could be receiving follower bots to make sure the monarchial hierarchy of Prince William being more important than Prince Harry is maintained. Spokespeople for both royal houses denied the allegations that their social media teams manipulated their follower numbers. If this is true, Prince William and Kate Middleton's account could be blocked and they would be banned on the platform altogether because it violates Instagram's policy. At least 50 people were killed in attacks by armed 'bandits' on villages in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state on Sunday, local officials said. "So far 50 bodies have been recovered but the figure is not conclusive and is very likely to rise as rescue efforts are still under way," Zayyad Ibrahim, a lawmaker in the Nigerian parliament, told AFP on Monday. Local counsellor Dayyabu Kerawa said the attacks were in retaliation for villagers allegedly assisting local military operations against the so-called bandits. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Brazil Confirms Second Coronavirus Case, Patient Arrived From Italy Sputnik News 01:40 GMT 01.03.2020(updated 01:44 GMT 01.03.2020) MOSCOW (Sputnik) A second coronavirus case has been confirmed in Brazil, the country's Ministry of Health informs, saying that both cases have been "imported" from Italy. "The [second] patient arrived on February 27 in Sao Paulo, on a flight from Italy, where the [patient's] symptoms started," the ministry said in a Saturday release. According to the statement, there are no indications of coronavirus circulating in Brazil, with both the first and second cases having been "imported," meaning that the patients contracted the virus outside of Brazil. On Wednesday, Brazil announced that it had confirmed its first coronavirus case. The affected individual recently traveled to northern Italy, where the new coronavirus has been spreading rapidly. One coronavirus case has been confirmed in Ecuador and four cases have been reported in Mexico. The latest situation report from the World Health Organization (WHO) puts the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed outside of China at 6,009. There are currently over 50 countries where coronavirus cases have been confirmed. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Florida could be especially vulnerable to a coronavirus outbreak, both because of the large number of international travelers who visit during the winter months and because of the states large population of retirees. Given that the virus tends to be worse for older people, Mr. DeSantis said his administration was coordinating with assisted living facilities and nursing homes to make sure they were prepared. You absolutely need to take proper precautions about whos being allowed in those facilities, he said. His administration has also reached out to colleges and universities, asking students to stay out of class if they have traveled abroad for spring break to any of the affected countries. The risk to the general public is low, Dr. Rivkees said. Please go about your regular business. He urged people to stay home if they are sick, cough into their elbows and frequently wash their hands. People returning from countries where there is an outbreak should isolate themselves for two weeks upon their return, Dr. Rivkees said. If those people develop symptoms while at home, he said, they should call their county health department or medical provider to seek guidance on how to proceed. The man infected with the virus in Manatee County was hospitalized for five days before he was tested, Dr. Rivkees said. He had underlying medical conditions, the governor said. Medical workers who were in contact with the man have been asked to isolate themselves, Mr. DeSantis said. He added that the state is looking into waiving rules to allow out-of-state doctors and nurses to work in Florida temporarily if private hospitals experience shortages of health care workers. The governor spent part of the day touring public health labs in Miami and Tampa that are conducting coronavirus testing. There is a third lab in Jacksonville. The facilities can turn around results in 24 to 48 hours. Patients do not have to pay for the tests. So far, the state has tested 23 people for the new coronavirus. The two positive results, which were first obtained by state labs, were confirmed on Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. This scanning electron microscope image shows the virus that causes COVID-19 (orange) isolated from a patient in the United States, emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in a lab. (NIAID-RML/CC BY 2.0) Ontario Reports 4 New Confirmed Cases of the Novel Coronavirus Ontario health officials announced four more cases of the new coronavirus in the province on March 1, bringing the total diagnoses in Canada to 24. All four of the patients had recently travelled overseas, so the province said it appears the virus is not yet spreading locally. However, given the global circumstances, Ontario is actively working with city and health partners to plan for the potential of local spread, the ministry of health wrote in a statement. There have now been 15 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, though the first three patients have since been cleared of the virus. Of the four new cases, three had recently been in Iran, the province said. All four people are in selfisolation at home. A pedestrian wearing a face mask crosses a street in western Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo) One is a Toronto man in his 50s currently staying in Vaughan, Ont. He and his brother, who was also diagnosed with COVID-19, were in Iran recently. Another of the cases is a man from York Region in his 40s, who recently returned from Iran with his wife and toddler. His wife was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Saturday. The third is a Toronto man in his 50s who got back from Iran a week ago and went to hospital on Friday. As per protocols, he went into self-isolation where he remains with minimal contact with others, the health ministry said in its statement. Toronto Public Health is actively engaged in contact tracing and case management. The fourth patient is a woman in her 70s from Newmarket, Ont. She was in Egypt with another person who was recently diagnosed with the virus. Travelers are seen wearing masks at the international arrivals area at the Toronto Pearson Airport in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images) Thus far, health officials have said, all of the cases of COVID-19 in Canada are either in people who had recently travelled abroad or who were in close contact with those who had. British Columbia has reported eight cases, and Quebec is reporting one. They say the best way to prevent the spread of any virus, COVID-19 included, include frequent hand-washing and staying home from school or work while sick. Iran was reporting 978 cases as of Sunday, with 54 deaths. But Egypt has only publicly reported one case of the illness. BUTTE The red and yellow neon glow has beckoned Butte from its second-floor perch over Main Street for more than a century. "Chop Suey," the sign promises, and chop suey you will absolutely find upstairs at the Pekin Noodle Parlor, just as hungry miners did in 1911. Along with it you will find warmth in many of its very best forms: Tea, soup, steaming noodles, bright colors, many smiles, and the tradition of generations. Another word for all that is hospitality. And for the outstanding hospitality it has lavished on Butte since 1911, the Pekin Noodle Parlor has been named a semifinalist in the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards for 2020. Prestige and recognition have very little to do with daily life at the Pekin. Usually Jerry Tam, a member of the fifth generation of his family for whom life has centered around the restaurant, is far more concerned with stocking the cozy bar or barbecuing pork on the back porch of the restaurant's kitchen in a gleaming, century-old gas-fired contraption than he is with press clippings. But this particular award means the world, the moon and the stars to him now. Just being one of 20 semifinalists is an enormous honor. The important thing for Tam is that it comes at a time when his father the man he credits for the restaurant's past six decades of success is in perilously bad health. "This is for my father," he said. "He's the one who carried the tradition of hospitality." Ding Kuen Tam, better known to thousands in Butte as "Danny Wong," took over the restaurant in the 1950s from his great-grandfather. He's 85 now, which means he was barely in his 20s when he arrived in Butte. He had arrived as a child in San Francisco, fleeing the Japanese invasion of China before World War II. He was taken in by the family association, which gave him his first job as a tour guide and a blackjack dealer at age 14. But when he came to Butte and took over the Pekin, it was a perfect match. "He found fulfillment here," Tam said. "His life was being here every single day. He talked with absolutely everyone politicians, service members, miners. He educated a lot of Butte, America about the Chinese culture." Enduring memories "Danny is the best boss ever. You could not find a better man to work for." That's the sentiment of Arlene Breyer, who first came to work for Danny in 1975. She left for a time, but when she returned it was like she hadn't missed a shift. "When I got back to town in 2004, on a Tuesday, I got a call Wednesday from Danny. 'Can you work Friday night?' he asked. I said yes, and I've been here ever since." Pekin used to be open until 4 a.m., and the after-bar crowd was wild. "They'd be lined up down the block at 2 a.m., most of them drunk," she laughed. "It was a madhouse, especially Fridays and Saturdays. But it was fun. Everybody had a great time." One night, she remembers, two women got into a fight and were rolling around on the floor of the bar. "Danny rushed in," she said. "Ever the gentleman, he said, 'Ladies, ladies! Don't fight!'" One of them responded by biting him on the calf. "'You are no lady!' he said to her," Breyer remembers with a laugh. But the more enduring memory is Danny Wong's daily visits with customers. "He would go down the hall and open each curtain and talk with every guest," Breyer remembers. Familiar surroundings For the first half-century or so, the Pekin's color scheme was a light lime green, with dark green velveteen curtains on the restaurant's 17 enclosed booths. "One day my father was reading an article in Bon Appetit," Tam said, "and it said that salmon color whets people's appetites. So he had the restaurant repainted." The color is on the edge of salmon the orange edge. "We call it carnival orange," Tam says with a smile. So much is original, dating from the restaurant's earliest days the sign, the barbecue, the booths, and the antique ice-cream-parlor-style chairs, which are still in great shape and wonderfully comfortable. And the menu. For a time, the restaurant served eggs, steaks and other American specialties in addition to Chinese food. But a few years ago, the menu was refocused on the Chinese specialties. Over the past 109 years, restaurants and their cuisines have changed with the fashions of the day. And they have come and gone. The Pekin Noodle Parlor has changed nothing. And that, in a sense, is another aspect of hospitality. It is comfortable and familiar, from the cozy little bar to the dining room for larger parties, with 6- and 12-top tables, to the 17 booths with their high bead-board walls and privacy curtains, to the food. Customers love it, they know what to expect, and they are not disappointed. Tam says the recognition emphasizes the fact that "you don't have to go out of town to experience the best." What's Jerry Tam's favorite Pekin meal? "Oh, man, I cook it and eat it every day, it's all good," he said of the menu. "It's hard to narrow down. but ..." he thinks for a moment. "The barbecued pork appetizer, you have to start with that," he says. "Soup. We have a special soup each day, a different soup for each day. Lots of people come each Saturday just for the hot and sour soup. "Sweet and sour chicken, bowls of noodles. Curried chicken, broccoli beef. Ginger shrimp. "Everybody likes our fried jumbo shrimp and french fries. "And a fortune cookie for dessert." Family tradition Tam is also deeply pleased about the honor for everyone who works there the wait staff, the kitchen staff, the bartenders as well as those who came before them. "So many have worked here over the years," he said. "We used to have two shifts when we stayed open late. "Altogether, I bet my dad has employed a thousand people. People have raised their kids here, met their husbands here." Being in business for so long it is believed to be the nation's oldest Chinese restaurant continuously operated by the same family the restaurant has seen its share of celebrities. That's something Tam also does not dwell on. But nevertheless, the restaurant was a favorite of Evel Knievel's. Waylon Jennings bellied up to the bar. And in the 2015, when the boy-band zombie movie Dead 7 was being filmed, much of it in Anaconda and Butte, the Pekin became a cast favorite. Tam remembers Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys celebrating his birthday, and his fellow band members and members of 98 Degrees and NSYNC harmonizing with him in the bar. Tam grew up in the restaurant, along with his four sisters. Starting with washing dishes and drying silverware, he learned every job in the place. He would frequently have friends students at Butte High and Butte Central hanging out with him at the restaurant during his teen years. His career would take a different path. After attending Santa Clara University, he would then go to Parsons School of Design in New York City. He worked in the fashion industry for several years, designing for several major houses. But after his mother had a stroke in 2009, he came home to Butte. "It was for the family," he said. "I wanted to spend time with her, and I wanted to help my father." He spent more and more time at the restaurant, working with employees, taking on management chores, working in the kitchen, doing whatever needed to be done. More recently, he has been taking care of his father, who suffered a stroke late last year and is currently in a nursing facility. "Yes, it was a big change," moving from New York City and a fashion job back to Butte, Tam said, "But I knew exactly what I was coming back to." Walk into history "Now," Tam says, "I'll show you where it all began." We walk through the kitchen. The old green paint is still present here. So are a lot of very busy people, chopping vegetables, stirring food that's cooking and smelling delicious in huge woks, loading to-go cartons, plating food for the waitresses to take on their carts down the narrow hallway. We head down a narrow stairway, into Butte history. Here, for many years, gambling ruled. It is said that keno was invented in Butte. It may well have been invented in this building. A cashier's cage remains, a row of hooks where tickets to be cashed would be placed. Other more arcane gambling devices remain, including game wheels, craps and poker equipment, and a curious board with 300 number spots (Keno has 80). At one time, slot machines lined the wall of one room. When gambling was outlawed in the '50s, Tam said, "They just turned out the lights and left." Almost everything from that era remains, in dusty profusion. The family's living quarters were also downstairs. In addition, herbal medicines, tea and tobacco were sold downstairs, and the tin containers remain. Food imported from China was stored in the basement depths, and old boxes and crates also remain. One room has stacks of old dishes on shelves lining the wall. Tam walks over to an old, scuffed brown leather suitcase, and opens it. "This is the suitcase my father brought from China to San Francisco," he said, "And from San Francisco to Butte." Back upstairs, Tam goes to the bar and pulls a bottle of "Buddha beer," a Chinese lager in glass bottles in the shape of a Buddha, from the case. "We have a distributor that gets it for us," he said. "People really like it." For Jerry Tam, pleasure comes as he sees families, many of them longtime friends, sit down to eat. "The looks on the children's faces when the food comes out!" he says. "It's the best." He knows his father wishes he could be there to see them as well. "When I spend time with him, sometimes he says, 'I want to go home,'" Tam says. "I tease him a little, and say, "'Do you want to go home or go to Pekin?' "He always says, 'I want to go to Pekin.'" Love 7 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Tennessee has once again been blessed with two very good candidates for the United States Senate in Dr. Manny Sethi and Bill Hagerty. In fact, this race brings back memories of 1994 when another brilliant surgeon, Dr. Bill Frist, ran against a businessman (Bob Corker). Such is the case again in 2020... and one for which all Tennesseans should be grateful and proud. As someone who immigrated to the United States of America with her family many years ago, the best day of our lives was receiving our naturalization certificate making us citizens of the greatest country in the world. On that point, I can personally relate to Dr. Manny. We came to America the right way, respecting the rule of law, paying our dues and waiting in line of our names to be called. Faith is at the very core of who I am. I believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit the only living God, Creator of the Universe and Giver of life. My faith dictates my character, integrity, strength and vision for everything I do. Like Dr. Manny, I too believe that life begins at conception and must be protected. We both also have a conservative philosophy agreeing that taxes for every day working people should be lowered. We must also stop raising the debt ceiling to accommodate DCs out-of-control spending. Period. We must require our government to balance its checkbook and live within its means just as we do! During my 16 years working for U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, this actually happened under the leadership of Speaker Newt Gingrich. So I know it is possible. We just need people with the determination and drive to make it happen. While both men will support President Trump, Dr. Manny is making it a priority to preserve The American Dream for all generations. Dr. Manny and President Trump are true political outsiders bringing new perspectives to Washington healthcare and business getting costs under control, working to end the opioid crisis and just getting things done. Just seems to me that we need more of that perspective rather than more establishment stalemate thinking. So, if you remember the 1994 race, you know that the brilliant surgeon was successful in his bid and went on to become a successful U.S. Senate Majority Leader. I think we can expect to see great things from Dr. Manny as well as our next United States Senator. So, as for me and my house, we will support Dr. Manny Sethi and hope you will join us. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has assigned the Minister of Intelligence Mahmoud Alavi, to investigate possible hoarding of medical coveralls and protective masks used against Covid-19, publicly known as novel coronavirus. Rouhani's Chief of Staff, Mahmoud Vaezi said on Sunday, March 1, "The President's decision is a response to the Health Minister's recent letter, complaining about the scarcity of protective masks in the heat of deadly coronavirus outbreak in the country. Hours earlier, in his letter to Rouhani, Saeid Namaki had insisted that local markets were full of Iranian manufactured protective masks. At the same time, the Ministry of Health had no choice other than buying overpriced medical covers from "smugglers" and middlemen. There is an unfair and inequitable network dominating the country that is capable of offering 200 million protective masks within 24 hours anywhere in Iran, Saeid Namaki had lamented without elaboration. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic Prosecutor-General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, has warned the Minister of Health, asserting that disruption of the "health order" is a crime equal to "corruption on Earth," that is punishable by death. In the meantime, the authorities claim that they have discovered millions of medical supplies being hoarded by black-market traders. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported last Monday the discovery of hoarded masks in northern Iran and vowed to prevent hoarding of masks and disinfectant products. The Chief of Tehran Prevention Police also said at the time that half a million masks hoarded by an Iranian man and his Chinese wife had been discovered in the couple's residential garage in eastern Tehran. Since the first two coronavirus related deaths in Qom on February 19 masks and disinfectant gels have been in high demand and disappeared from the shelves in most drugstores and pharmacies across the country. According to some reports at some drugstores, masks, and disinfectant products have been selling at much higher prices. In many areas, drugstores are now displaying signs on their windows, saying they have run out of masks, alcohol and disinfectant products. Clackamas County on Monday declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus case tied to one of its elementary schools but only as a precaution to corral state help, officials said. The declaration doesnt affect plans that the school district has already announced to close Forest Hills Elementary through Wednesday for cleaning, said Lake Oswego School District spokeswoman Mary Kay Larson. This action was taken for the county to be as prepared as possible to address the potential of future coronavirus incidents in Clackamas County, Larson wrote to district staff and families. At the time of the declaration, there are three total reports of presumptive coronavirus infections statewide. Two cases are the presumptive cases involving the Lake Oswego school employee and the family member of that employee (the third is in Umatilla County)," Larson wrote. This declaration does not change the status of LOSD schools." The declaration allows the county to access more resources, said county spokesman Tim Heider. There is no public health emergency, he said. This is just a vehicle to provide that additional assistance. The Oregon Health Authority and district leaders havent identified the infected Forest Hills Elementary worker, the patients condition, age or gender. They have said the person lives in Washington County and was hospitalized at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro. The case is one of community transmission, they said, meaning health officials dont know how the person contracted the disease. A family member of the person also has a presumptive case of coronavirus with mild symptoms and was isolated at home in Washington County, school and health officials said. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to confirm the positive test results for the two. District Superintendent Lora de la Cruz said the employee had little contact with students. The district also temporarily closed Forest Hills Elementary to allow the federal-recommended 14-day quarantine period to pass since the last day the infected employee reported to work. There are no plans to close other schools, de la Cruz said over the weekend. School district officials urge school families and residents to wash hands frequently, cover coughs or sneezes with your elbow and stay home if you show signs of flu or a bad cold, including fever and cough. Subscribe to our Oregon coronavirus newsletter: Email: Betsy Hammond of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin -- Jim Ryan jryan@oregonian.com 503-221-8005| @Jimryan015 B ritish troops have been deployed to west Africa to help the battle against the worlds fastest-growing Islamist insurgency. Around 30 troops from 1 Scots Guards and the Royal Marines are training three African nations in Senegal, to help fight extremism in the Sahel region. The UK is later this year sending 250 troops to Mali to join a multinational peacekeeping operation. It will be Britains first major war zone deployment since the end of Operation Herrick in Afghanistan more than five years ago. The hard-liners in the area have been linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Boko Haram has taken to fighting under the Islamic State banner / Stephane Yas/AFP via Getty Images Major John House has been in charge in Senegal, and said being involved in the region will benefit the UK. He told the BBC: If we don't act we may find the problems getting closer to our door. The more they have a presence in the region, the more we can feel the effect back in the UK." One of the frontline threats faced by soldiers fighting in the region is Boko Haram, also known as Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP). The group shot to notoriety in April 2014 when they kidnapped almost 300 school girls in a smash and grab rain on a school. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:19:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai has seen 94.5 percent of industrial enterprises above designated size resume operation with 66 percent of production capacity recovered, local authorities said Monday. The electricity consumption of Shanghai's industrial and commercial companies had returned to 83.6 percent of the normal level by the end of February, according to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization. Nearly 100 percent of companies in software and information services have resumed work. Key companies in the city's artificial intelligence and integrated circuit industries have also resumed work. The city has rolled out a guideline for companies to resume operation amid the novel coronavirus outbreak in an orderly and safe manner, forming a coordinated system to tackle difficulties that companies might face including problems for returning employees and supply shortages, said Zhang Jianming, deputy director of the commission. Zhang said Shanghai has coordinated with other provinces and cities, ensuring 304 companies in other provinces resume work to support the city's production resumption. Ex-foreign minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin believes that Ukraine should create the highest price of occupation for Russia, while countering its aggression, and the water supply to the occupied Crimea in this sense would be a disaster. "I think it would be a disaster if we started discussing water supply contracts indicating Crimea, Russia. Even the very beginning of the discussion would mean political, legal and moral recognition of Russias occupation. This would destroy all our efforts and lawsuits over harm which Russia has inflicted during the occupation. In the near future, you will see further development of this issue, follow the news," Klimkin said in an interview with Glavcom Ukrainian online media outlet. According to him, Ukraines logic of how it will continue to fight against Russian aggression should include the creation of the highest price of occupation for Russia. "At the moment, it is not only a financial price related to restoration of the territory of the occupied Crimea but also an emotional one. We know what sentiments are growing now in the territory of the occupied Crimea. The sentiments heighten not only due to lack of water but also because of corruption chaos and the fact that the "newcomers" from Russia deprived the Crimean residents of any influence. Both business and authorities are controlled by those "appointed" from Russia. The sentiments change very quickly there, and we must use this," the ex-minister believes. Earlier, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych stated that Ukraine did not plan to resume water supply to the annexed Crimea via the North Crimean Channel. l BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 By Fidan Babayeva - Trend: Trade House of Azerbaijan is expected to open Kazakhstan in 2020, Acting president of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) operating under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy Yusif Abdullayev said. He made the remark in Baku at the press-conference dedicated to the activity of AZPROMO in Azerbaijan in 2019, the promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand and upcoming tasks, Trend reports from the event. The Trade House of Azerbaijan is expected to start operating in Nur Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, he added. "Additionally, well take part in the International Exhibition MosBuild-2020 in Moscow from March 31 through April 3. During the year, we also plan to participate in exhibitions in South Korea, France, Russia, China and other countries. Export missions will be also organized in the Eastern European, CIS countries, Turkey and other countries," Abdullayev said. By Liz Lee and Krishna N. Das KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia and India will work on improving ties that soured under former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and badly affected palm oil trade between the countries, officials from both nations said on Sunday. By Liz Lee and Krishna N. Das KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia and India will work on improving ties that soured under former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and badly affected palm oil trade between the countries, officials from both nations said on Sunday. India is the world's biggest palm oil importer but its purchases from Malaysia, the second-biggest palm exporter behind Indonesia, dropped drastically in recent months after attacks on India's policies by Mahathir. Malaysia swore in a new prime minister on Sunday after last week's resignation by the outspoken Mahathir, 94, after a power battle in his coalition government. Wee Ka Siong, a lawmaker expected to gain a ministerial post, said that mending ties is a priority because Malaysian palm oil producers have been suffering because of India's effective ban on purchases. "Can we just renegotiate? Its for my country as well as for my people," Wee told Reuters. "Since we are a new government, let the PM, the new government deal with it. We treasure the friendship with India." An Indian official with knowledge of the matter said that New Delhi is also keen to improve bilateral ties, including palm oil trading, provided that Malaysia keeps out of India's domestic affairs. India could also invite the new Malaysian prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, for a visit this year, the official said on the condition of anonymity. India put refined palm oil and palmolein on its list of restricted items on Jan. 8, a move sources said was in response to Mahathir's criticism of its actions in Kashmir and a new citizenship law. Malaysia's January palm shipments to India tanked 85% from a year earlier to 46,876 tonnes, the lowest since 2011. India accounted for nearly a quarter of Malaysia's total palm oil exports last year and has been the biggest buyer of Malaysian palm oil for five years. India's curbs on Malaysian imports disrupted global edible oil trade flows, with Indonesia diverting supplies to India, Malaysia rushing to tap markets left behind by Indonesia and India substituting palm with other oils. (Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by David Goodman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. I ranian authorities have reacted to campaigning and given Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe a blood test in prison amid fears she has contracted coronavirus, her husband revealed today. The British-Iranian mother, 41, has spent four years in Tehrans Evin prison on espionage charges which she denies. She has had flu-like symptoms for days and her husband Richard Ratcliffe is sure she has contracted coronavirus in the jail, where there have been reports of three cases and rumours of a death last week in its clinic. Mr Ratcliffe, 45, who lives with their daughter Gabriella, five, in West Hampstead, said the Tehran authorities had reacted following worldwide publicity about Nazanins illness. He said: She told her brother this morning that she still has symptoms: body pain, temperature, cough, difficulty breathing. I think they were stable. She had been taken for a blood test. Its definitely a good sign there is some movement but do I trust the Iranian authorities? No. Iran has reported 978 confirmed cases and 54 deaths from the virus, with accurate figures suspected to be far higher. Mr Ratcliffe told BBC Radio 4s Today: The Government should be clear that the protection of British citizens being held unfairly in Iran has to be maintained and they have to be tested and treated. Mr Ratcliffe later said his wifes family confirmed she had not been tested for coronavirus. Buenos Aires, March 2 : Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez has said he will send a bill to legalise abortion to Congress within the next 10 days. Fernandez, who was sworn in as president in December, has previously described abortion as "a matter of public health". "Abortion happens, it's a fact," the president said in his first annual address to Congress, the BBC reported on Monday. "A state should protect citizens in general and women in particular. And in the 21st Century, every society needs to respect the individual choice of its members to decide freely about their bodies." In Argentina, abortion is allowed only in cases of rape, or if the mother's health is in danger. It is largely prohibited across Latin America, except in restricted cases. If the bill is passed, Argentina will become the largest country in the region to legalise abortion. Fernandez also promised to introduce a programme to improve sex education. A previous attempt to change the law in Argentina, where the population is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, failed. In 2018, a bill to legalise abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy was narrowly approved by Congress, but was later rejected by the country's Senate. Unlike last time, however, the country's president is behind the bill. The debate surrounding abortion in Argentina was reignited in February last year, when an 11-year-old rape victim gave birth by C-section. The girl, who had been raped by her grandmother's 65-year-old partner, had requested an abortion but the procedure was repeatedly delayed over questions about the identity of her guardian. Cuba, Uruguay and Guyana are currently the only Latin American countries to permit abortion in the first weeks of pregnancy. While some other countries allow abortion in the case of rape or risk to the mother's life, it is completely banned in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti. In El Salvador, dozens of women have been imprisoned for the deaths of their foetuses in cases where they say they suffered miscarriages or stillbirths. Evelyn Hernandez, a Salvadorean teenager, was raped by a gang member and then jailed for 30 years for what her supporters say was a miscarriage. Opponents say she killed her child. Last year, she was released pending a retrial. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday warned migrants in a series of tweets that they will be turned back if they enter Greece illegally. Following a cabinet meeting on national security, Mitsotakis said the national security council decided "to increase the level of deterrence at our borders to the maximum." In a news briefing after the cabinet meeting, government spokesman Stelios Petsas announced that Greece will not accept for a month, beginning Sunday, any asylum applications from migrants entering the country illegally and, where possible, will immediately return them to the country they entered from. Greece will also ask the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also known as Frontex, to engage in a rapid border intervention to protect Greece's borders, which are also EU's borders, Petsas said. The decisions will be communicated to the EU's Foreign Affairs Council so that Greece can benefit from temporary measures to face an emergency. Petsas said Turkey is violating its commitments from the 2016 EU-Turkey agreement and of becoming itself a trafficker instead of cracking down on them. He called the recent migration movement "a sudden, massive, organized and coordinated pressure from population movements in its eastern, land and sea, borders." A bill that seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks was introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday. New Delhi: A bill that seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks was introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan introduced the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 amid vehement protests by Opposition members against the Centre over the Delhi violence which has left more than 40 people dead. After approving the bill last month, the government said this will ensure safe termination of pregnancies and also give women reproductive rights over their bodies. The extension to 24 weeks will also help survivors of rape, specially-abled girls as well as minors, who may not realise they are pregnant until later, it said, describing the draft legislation as progressive. One of the salient features of the proposed amendments is "enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules and would include 'vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, minors) etc," an official statement said. If the pregnancy has to be terminated in 20 weeks, the opinion of one doctor is required. But beyond that, opinion of two doctors would be needed and one of them has to be a government physician. Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy is terminated shall not be revealed except to a person authorised in any law which is in force, the statement said. The statement said the "upper gestation limit" for medical termination of pregnancy will not apply in cases of "substantial foetal abnormalities" diagnosed by the Medical Board. The composition, functions and other details of Medical Board will be prescribed subsequently in rules to be framed under the Act. The amendments are aimed at expanding access of women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian or social grounds, the statement had said. "It is a step towards safety and well-being of the women and many women will be benefitted by this. Recently several petitions were received by the courts seeking permission for aborting pregnancies at a gestational age beyond the present permissible limit on grounds of foetal abnormalities or pregnancies due to sexual violence faced by women. "The proposed increase in gestational age will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate pregnancy," it had said. The sudden spurt in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases over the past few weeks across the globe has not only cast its shadow on global financial markets, but has also derailed economic activity in major countries, especially China, which was in the middle of a trade spat with the United States before the coronavirus outbreak. Most analysts have revised downward their global growth projections as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP) in this backdrop. 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 Minimum price for alcohol comes into force in Wales today This article is old - Published: Monday, Mar 2nd, 2020 A new law comes into force today setting a minimum price for alcohol in Wales. This means alcohol cant be sold or supplied for less than 50p a unit. The policy, introduced through the Welsh Governments Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018, aims to reduce hazardous and harmful levels of drinking by making high-strength, low-cost products significantly more expensive. Around 10 people die every week in Wales from alcohol related causes. Alcohol causes harm to societies as well as individuals, with taxpayers picking up the bill. Every year, alcohol leads to nearly 60,000 hospital admissions in Wales and costs NHS Wales an estimated 159 million. Health Minister Vaughan Gething visited an alcohol care team in Newports Royal Gwent Hospital which aims to support people admitted to hospital with alcohol misuse disorders. He said: We know when alcohol is cheap and readily available, harmful drinking increases. The minimum price wont affect moderate drinkers who may be worried about the price of a pint going up. The aim of this legislation is to reduce the harm being done by those most at risk of alcohol abuse. Dr Sarah Aitken, Director of Public Health for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: We see the effects of excessive alcohol consumption on peoples health every day. Aside from damaging the liver, alcohol affects the heart, kidneys and brain. It impacts on hospital services, and on peoples lives more generally. The intervention of minimum pricing will reduce the harm done by alcohol, its an important step and will hopefully make people think about their relationship with alcohol. In Scotland, where a minimum price was introduced in May 2018, early indicators are encouraging, with a reduction in the annual volume of pure alcohol in drinks sold, and a fall in the volume of alcohol sold at very low prices. A U.S. diplomat has called on Russia to "come clean" about its role in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that killed all 298 people on board. Ahead of a Dutch trial that is due to begin on March 9, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State on European and Eurasian Affairs Chris Robinson told RFE/RL that it was "long passed time for Russia to reveal what it knows." The Netherlands is leading an international investigation into the tragedy. The Kremlin said Monday that cooperation with Turkey is a top priority, confirming a meeting between the Russian and Turkish presidents on Thursday over escalating tensions in Syria. Russia attaches "great importance to cooperation with our Turkish partners," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the talks in Moscow between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting announced on Monday comes after a sharp ratcheting up of tensions in Syria's northern Idlib province where Turkey has announced a full-scale offensive against the Russian-backed Syrian army. Peskov told reporters that Moscow and Ankara are keeping lines of communication open and that the focus must now be on dialogue between the Turkish and Russian leaders. "Our militaries are in constant contact. The main thing is that we now focus on negotiations between Putin and Erdogan," he said. Despite being on opposing sides of the conflict, Turkey and Russia have coordinated closely in the past. They secured a deal in the southern Russian city of Sochi in 2018 that led to Turkey establishing 12 military observation posts in Idlib to prevent a Syrian offensive and a fresh flood of refugees into Turkish territory. However a recent Syrian military campaign backed by Russia to recapture Idlib has sparked concerns over the worst humanitarian crisis since fighting began in 2011. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 16:11:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's overall crime figure in 2019 rose by 9.2 percent compared to the previous year, despite a downward trend for the previous 12 consecutive years, the head of Hong Kong police said on Monday, warning against the increasing participation of young people in crimes and the weakening law-abiding awareness of the public. The overall crime figure increased by 5,000 cases, or 9.2 percent, to 59,225 cases in 2019 compared with 2018, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's Commissioner of Police Tang Ping-keung said at a media briefing. The overall law and order situation in Hong Kong had shown a downward trend for 12 consecutive years, with the number of crimes falling from 80,796 in 2007 to 54,225 in 2018, according to statistics provided by Hong Kong police. The law and order situation in Hong Kong remained stable in the first half of 2019, with the overall crime figure falling by 4.7 percent from the same period in 2018. However, the continued violent and illegal activities in the second half of 2019 not only offset the 4.7-percent decline but also led to the 9.2-percent whole-year increase, Tang said. Tang pointed out that about 40 percent of those arrested in connection with the violent and illegal protest activities claimed to be students, warning against the trend that more young people are taking part in crimes. He also warned that the law-abiding awareness of the public tends to be weakening due to the justifying and glorifying of violent and illegal acts by some people in the community, especially those with legal background. Your colleagues A generation of Puerto Rican chemists has thrived in Buffalo with Luis Colon as a mentor UB chemistry professor Luis Colon (center) has recruited numerous students to UB from Puerto Rico. Members of his lab currently include UB PhD students Nahyr Lopez Dauphin (left) and Josmely Velez-Gonzalez (right) both graduates of the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey. Photo: Douglas Levere By CHARLOTTE HSU Diversity is important because the experiences that we bring to a place start from the moment that we start growing up. They are different for everybody. And when youre thinking about something, when youre trying to solve problems, the way you think about it is really geared by what you learn. Rafael Alicea-Maldonado, dean of math, science and career education Genesee Community College The names on the wall of Luis Colons lab say it all. Penned mostly in black ink, written by hand, some are recent. Others are from years back. Some are in block letters. Others announce themselves in striking cursive script. Ivonne M. Ferrer Lassala, PhD. Karina Tirado Gonzalez, PhD. Jose M. Cintron, PhD. Lisandra Santiago-Capeles, PhD. Glorimar Vicente Crescioni, PhD. And on and on. These are the signatures of graduates who have earned advanced degrees through Colons lab. When students complete their masters or PhD, they add their name to the wall in a signing ceremony, a testament to what theyve achieved. In good times and bad, newer members of the lab look to the collection of signatures and imagine the day that they, too, will leave their mark. The diversity of voices represented on the wall exemplifies one of the most meaningful parts of Colons more than 25-year career at UB, where he is the A. Conger Goodyear Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, and associate dean for graduate and postdoctoral education in the Graduate School. When Colon joined the university in 1993, How many people were graduating with PhDs in chemistry who were Hispanic? My first year, we didnt have any. Zero, he remembers. I decided to become active in recruiting Hispanic students. I was just concerned that the opportunities were not there, and someone had to offer them, and I did. Signatures of masters and PhD graduates on the wall of UB chemistry professor Luis Colons lab. Photo: Douglas Levere In the decades since, he has helped recruit dozens of students to Buffalo from his native Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, to study or do summer research. About 20 have advanced degrees in chemistry, mostly PhDs. From Buffalo, these students have gone on to jobs in academia and industry, at firms like Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Eli Lilly and Company. Among these successful professionals: Jesus M. Velazquez, PhD, who was the first in his family to attend college. To succeed in graduate studies, yes, you need talent, you need to have a solid foundation of fundamentals, but its also a game of stamina, right? says Velazquez, who was recruited into UBs PhD program by Colon. How much can you endure? Luis recognizes that, and hes always looking for students whose unique experiences will help them succeed. Velazquez, who earned his PhD in 2012, conducted postdoctoral research at Caltech and is now an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of California, Davis. While Velazquez did not work in Colons lab at UB, Colon helped recruit Velazquez, who considers Colon to be an important mentor. There are many success stories because of Luis vision, Velazquez, says. I am one of those students, and here I am with my own lab. A bridge between Buffalo and Puerto Rico UB chemistry PhD student Josmely Velez-Gonzalez (left) works with a solution containing nanodiamonds. Her PhD research explores nanodiamonds as a potential material for systems that separate chemical compounds from one another. Her mentor, UB chemistry professor Luis Colon, is on the right. Photo: Douglas Levere In the 1990s, when Colon joined the UB faculty, he was a young chemist with fresh memories of his own PhD experience. He knew the challenges, having lived them: Years of school. Long hours in the lab. The pressure of running experiments, some of which would be successful, others of which would fail. And, for students like himself who were from Puerto Rico but studying in the mainland U.S., the difficulty of being far from home, away from family and friends. With all this in mind, Colon set out to recruit and retain new students that would bring their unique experiences to UB, promoting innovation by applying their knowledge and creativity to solving important problems in chemistry. Colon began by connecting with his alma mater, the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey (UPR Cayey). He would visit to give lectures on his research in analytical chemistry and separation science, and while there, he would talk to students about the opportunities at UB. Colleagues in his department began doing the same. The efforts grew into a partnership with UPR Cayey that brought a steady stream of undergraduates to UB to do summer research in chemistry, often with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, which has also supported Colon's research over the years. Many of the summer recruits later returned to Buffalo for graduate school. The mentoring started as soon as students arrived in Buffalo. Dr. Colon has been there for every single step, says Nahyr Lopez Dauphin, a UPR Cayey graduate who is pursuing her PhD in Colons lab, researching the applications of fibrous silica particles in separation science. When I think Im not good enough when I have doubts, Dr. Colon has been there to help. Luis is a low-key guy who is not necessarily seeking fame and recognition for himself. He does tremendous work trying to help students succeed in their field, and personally as well. And that goes for people from every background, says Rafael Alicea-Maldonado, PhD, dean of math, science and career education at Genesee Community College, and one of Colons first PhD students in the 1990s. To help students succeed in their research, Colon listens carefully to their questions and talks them through problems, building their confidence as scientists. Outside the lab, he works to build community among students so they can support each other, preventing feelings of social isolation. As he wrote in a 2017 article for an American Chemical Society (ACS) Symposium Series e-book on diversity in science, Within the culture of my own research group, there are traditions such as summer picnics, birthday gatherings, celebration of individual accomplishments (e.g., passing oral examinations) and others. These aid students [in developing] a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Often, Colon will recruit at least two students from Puerto Rico to UB at the same time. The sense of familiarity makes them feel they are not alone! he wrote in the ACS publication. With time, a community builds and students support each other, the more senior students become mentors for the new arrivals! Having people who have been there before me that know where to purchase Goya items, who know where to go salsa dancing it feels more homey, says Ivonne M. Ferrer, who completed her PhD in Colons lab in 2013. Its almost like a home away from home. All of the Puerto Rican students from UPR Cayey, we all know each other, Lopez Dauphin says. That kinship has helped in recent years as Puerto Rico has faced extreme adversity, with Hurricane Maria devastating the island in 2017, massive protests forcing the resignation of the islands governor in 2019, and a series of large earthquakes destroying homes and causing extensive power outages in early 2020. Ferrer, now an associate analytical manager for Corteva Agriscience, says Colons lab felt like family, and that this connection extended beyond the students from Puerto Rico. Colon always made sure that we felt important and that he included everyone, Ferrer says. If youre part of Luis group, were all family. A new generation looks to give back UB chemistry PhD student Nahyr Lopez Dauphin works with a high-performance liquid chromatography system. Lopez Dauphins PhD research focuses on the use of fibrous silica particles as a material in systems that separate chemical compounds from one another. Photo: Douglas Levere In 2015, Colons work as a mentor led him to the White House, where he met President Barack Obama, who named Colon as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. He is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Many current and former students remember Colon as the person who reached out to give them an opportunity at pivotal moments in their careers. Years ago, Ferrer and Velazquez, who are now married, were working in industry when Colon emailed out of the blue to ask if theyd be interested in pursuing PhDs at UB. Both had previously conducted summer research in Buffalo. Luis emailed me randomly actually, the email went to my spam, Velazquez recalls. Usually, when you go to your spam, you just delete everything, but for whatever reason that day, I see the name Luis Colon in one of my spam emails, and hes telling me, Hey Jesus, I know you worked hard during the summer, you expressed interest in grad school. Theres this program called Bridge to the Doctorate thats funding students who are interested in doing PhDs. You should consider applying. He did, and today, hes on the faculty of one of the nations top universities. His lab focuses on creating materials for artificial photosynthesis and water remediation, and his research group is diverse. Hes working to give a new generation of students the same opportunity Colon gave him. There are numerous studies demonstrating that a diverse workforce is going to provide for more impactful results to solve very challenging problems, Velazquez says. Weve made a lot of progress, but theres still a lot more to be done. Josmely Velez-Gonzalez, a current PhD candidate, was a student at UPR Cayey when she interviewed with Colon, hoping to conduct summer research at UB. Velez-Gonzalez wasnt selected for UBs program, or for other programs she applied to at the time. The next year, she met with Colon again, and he remembered her. He interviewed me again, and he was the person who gave me the opportunity, Velez-Gonzalez says. I came here in summer of 2014, and that was right before my senior year in Cayey, and I liked it here. I saw people from India; there were Chinese students; there were students from Puerto Rico. The environment here in the lab was really good. Everyone was from somewhere different. You felt very comfortable. Over the years, students like Velez-Gonzalez and Lopez Dauphin have helped to change the culture of the chemistry department. Colons colleagues now work as a team to recruit students from diverse backgrounds, weighing multiple measures of a students potential, such as their research experience and references from past mentors, in addition to grades and standardized test scores. After seeing the positive results, faculty start to realize all the uncovered potential, Colon wrote in the 2017 ACS publication. Of Velez-Gonzalez and Lopez Dauphin, who also conducted summer research at UB, Colon says, I encouraged them to apply for graduate school since I had noticed their potential in research when they were here at UB. They demonstrated hard work and commitment to the rigor of research in a graduate program. They rose to the challenge and learned the skill set necessary to be successful in graduate school. What is striking is the level of intellectual maturity the students have gained and the sense of responsibility toward research and the research team, while building confidence in themselves. They discover new opportunities and directions as they become more sophisticated in research. Their horizon has broadened. As the two work toward their degrees, they find inspiration in fellow lab members and in the successful students who came before. One day soon, they look forward to adding their names to the wall: Josmely Velez-Gonzalez, PhD. Nahyr Lopez Dauphin, PhD. READER COMMENT [March 02, 2020] Build38 Closes an Exceptional 2019, Exhibits at RSA Conference and Continues its Commercial Expansion MUNICH, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Build38, the global provider of Mobile Application Security made in Germany, closes 2019 at a new high with a total order intake in the single-digit million Euros. As the first full financial year for the company, this gives an encouraging message that its solutions and services are finding the way to market. With existing commercial references in Automotive, Financial Industry, Mobility, and Digital Identity, 2020 is going to be the year for the scaling in those verticals and further growth. To continue supporting that commercial expansion, Build38 was present as an exhibitor at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, taking place on the last week of February. For almost 30 years, RSA Conference has been a driving force behind the world's cybersecurity agenda. The central point where people from around the world gather to share, learn and grow. Build38 welcomed current, and future, customers, partners, and investors at its booth and had breakthrough discussions and showcased beyond the cutting edge in-App protection capabilities, its Mobile Threat Detection and Analytics latest developments. The young company was also featured in Europ last week as one of the 12 startup companies selected for the semi-final for the 4YFN Award competition. As part of the commercial expansion, Build38 has signed agreements for the provision of their solutions and services with several partners, including markets like Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Austria, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. Adding to the existing agreements, the reach of Build38 grows steadily. About Build38 Build38 is a global provider of mobile application protection solutions. Its Trusted Application Kit (T.A.K) solution combines AI-platform and strongest app shielding technology which protects B2B and B2C mobile channels from fraud and reduces your compliance risk exposure. It also enables new use cases and opens the market for new digital business models. Build38 protects applications across various industries including automotive, financial, public transport and health care. Build38 is headquartered in Munich with global offices in Barcelona and Singapore. For further information about Build38 visit www.build38.com Contact: Pedro Hernandez +65 9003 5357 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/build38-closes-an-exceptional-2019-and-will-be-exhibiting-at-rsa-conference-and-mobile-world-congress-competing-for-the-4yfn-awards-301013356.html SOURCE Build38 OAKLAND (BCN) Recently fired Oakland police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick and City Councilman Noel Gallo are both calling for a change in the 17-year-long federal oversight of the city's Police Department. In a letter to U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick, who is overseeing reforms to the department that were mandated in a police misconduct case settlement in 2003, Gallo, who heads the council's Public Safety Committee, called for a meeting to end federal oversight of the department. Kirkpatrick, who was fired without cause on Feb. 20 after three years on the job, wrote in an op-ed published in the East Bay Times that that the U.S. Department of Justice should intercede, remove longtime police monitor Robert Warshaw and allow the Police Department to complete its reforms on its own. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said on Feb. 20 that the trust between the Police Commission and Kirkpatrick was "irrevocably broken" and keeping Kirkpatrick in her job would prevent the city from moving forward. Police Commission Chair Regina Jackson said one reason the commission wanted Kirkpatrick to be dismissed is that the Police Department has still failed to comply with reforms that were ordered in the federal court settlement 17 years ago. Interim Assistant Police Chief Darren Allison is acting chief of police until a permanent chief is selected. Gallo wrote in his letter to Orrick that the 17 years of federal oversight "is the longest agreement of its kind including federal consent decrees in the history of the United States!" Over those 17 years, "Oakland has expended $28 million overall to satisfy the court's requirements," Gallo wrote. "Each year the tasks have been changing, creating a lack of consistency for the operation of the Police Department and I believe has contributed to one of the reasons that Oakland has had ten police chiefs since 2003," he wrote. Gallo wrote, "If it takes 17 years to get out of a federal consent decree or reform a police agency and waste taxpayers millions of dollars there is something definitely wrong with the oversight!" He wrote that at the very least, a change of the monitoring team and compliance director should be considered so "fresh eyes" are brought to the agreement. Gallo told Orrick he's requesting a meeting "to clearly define a firm deadline and set of tasks that must be resolved this year to end federal oversight." In her opinion piece, Kirkpatrick wrote, "Like the nine chiefs before me, my efforts and that of the women and men of the department were thwarted by the very person whose job it is to oversee them: Robert Warshaw, the appointed monitor." Kirkpatrick said the reason the Police Department remains out of compliance with the federal monitoring is not its officers or its policies and procedures. She alleged, "Rather, it is because Warshaw, the monitor himself, who earns a million dollars a year from Oakland taxpayers, has no incentive to see those reforms succeed." Kirkpatrick wrote, "The ever-changing mountain of bureaucracy he has instituted takes police officers off the streets and keeps them behind desks filling out forms and looking at hours of video, putting public safety at risk." The former chief wrote, "After 17 years, 500 new police officers, 10 police chiefs, four mayors and two federal judges, it's clear where the roadblock to reform lies. The time has come for the U.S. Department of Justice to oversee the overseer and allow the Oakland Police Department to complete its reforms." Kirkpatrick alleged that Warshaw's dual roles as both the author of compliance programs and the monitor of their progress "created an inherent conflict of interest." She said she believes in reform, transparency, outside review and accountability that requires federal oversight. But she wrote, "That is not the case in Oakland. The Oakland Police Department is a shining example of what real, effective police reform looks like. If we were benchmarked with other police departments the public would see just how amazing the men and women of the Oakland Police Department really are." Kirkpatrick concluded, "Neither the department, nor the people it serves, should continue to suffer under this broken and dangerous system." 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. You are playing with fire: Delhi court tells Nirbhaya case convict India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 02: Your are playing with fire. You should be cautious, the Delhi court judge hearing the Nirbhaya case told the advocates of one of the four convicts. The observation was made while reserving the verdict on the plea to stay the hanging in the wake of a mercy petition being filed by Pawan Gupta. It may be recalled that the judge, Dharmendra Rana had fixed March 3 as the date for the hanging of the four convicts at Tihar jail. Earlier, a five judge Bench of the Supreme Court rejected the curative plea filed by Pavan Gupta, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya case. The hanging as per the death warrant issued by the Delhi court is scheduled for tomorrow. Delhi court refuses to stay Nirbhaya convicts' execution tomorrow However, it is unlikely that the hanging may take place as another convict Akshay Singh has filed a second mercy petition. Moreover, another plea seeking a stay on the hanging has been moved by Akshay and Pavan before the trial court. Further the Supreme Court is also set to deliver its verdict on a plea by the Centre to hang the convicts separately. Legal experts are of the view that if these issues are pending, the hanging is unlikely to take place on March 3. In the plea before the trial court, Singh has said that he has filed a fresh mercy plea before the President and the same is pending. Hence the hanging cannot take place until the President decides on the issue. Gupta on the other hand had said that he has filed a curative plea. However that plea would become infructuous in the wake of the SC dismissing the curative petition, earlier today. Gupta on the other hand has not filed a mercy petition. He has the option of filing a mercy petition now and again challenge it in the Supreme Court in the form of a curative petition. The trial court on the other hand has sought a report from the authorities today. Nirbhaya: SC rejects curative plea filed by Pawan Gupta If this time the hanging is put off, then it would be the fourth time that it would be postponed. The first date was set for January 22. The next date was fixed for February 1 and then another date was set for March 3. If it is put off again, then the trial court would need to issue a fresh death warrant. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 16:14 [IST] Police are investigating after a young child died and another child and a woman were seriously injured in reported stabbing at a house near Larne, Northern Ireland. It is understood that police are treating the case at a rural farmhouse on the outskirts of the Co Antrim town as a domestic incident. Police said the investigation is at an 'early stage' and that they aren't looking for 'anyone else in connection with the death.' Reports suggest that the woman, the mother of the children aged in her 30s, was being treated at the scene for a 'knife injury', the BBC reported that it was a 'stabbing'. Locals said a family have been renting the farmhouse for a year or so. Forensic officers at the scene of a major incident at a farmhouse in Bankhall Road, Larne Police in Bankhall Road, Larne at the scene of a major incident at a farmhouse in County Antrim Two children, one aged one-and-a-half and another 'not much older' according to a neighbour, live at the property as part of the 'family of four'. She said the children are 'beautiful and very young'. 'I've spoken to the man once, but they generally keep themselves to themselves,' she added. Another woman who said she knows the family who live at the property at the end of a country lane overlooking Larne Lough, said the mother of the family is a nurse. She described the news as 'shocking'. 'You just wouldn't believe it,' she told the Belfast Telegraph. A major police and emergency services operation has centred on the property throughout Monday. Police and forensics officers are at the scene. Neighbour Rhonda Kernohan said: 'I heard the sirens and the helicopter, the air ambulance, came and it landed up at the back of the farm. The scene, in the hamlet of Magheramorne, five miles from Larne, remained cordoned off on Monday afternoon and officers in forensics suits were spotted 'We thought it was a farm accident but when we looked out there was a lot of shouting and a lot of police, a lot of ambulances about.' She added: 'This is a quiet, rural, peaceful area.' Another neighbour said the woman who lived at the house was a 'youngish girl'. They added: 'It was very sad. We are feeling absolutely awful, so sad it is terrible. 'The shock of it, when it happens nearly on your doorstep.' Police have released few details, only confirming officers and emergency services are dealing with an 'incident' The scene, in the hamlet of Magheramorne, five miles from Larne, remained cordoned off on Monday afternoon. Police have released few details, only confirming officers and emergency services are dealing with an 'incident'. Another resident told the Belfast Telegraph that emergency services arrived in the rural area at around 10 am today and that those from the area are 'taken aback' by the size of the emergency services operation. Police set up a checkpoint to the entrance to a property in Bankhall Road, Larne Sources have said a young child has died and another child and a woman have sustained serious injuries Neighbours were alerted to the scene upon hearing an Air Ambulance and PSNI helicopter. One person has been airlifted to Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, reports suggest. Reacting to the news, Alliance Party MLA for East Antrim Stewart Dickson called the situation 'profoundly sad' and added that his 'thoughts are with all concerned and the close knit community as they come to terms with the trauma.' Girls are much more self-critical and are less likely to recognise their strengths. Picture posed The number of teenagers reporting severe anxiety in Ireland has doubled since 2012 according to My World Survey 2 - the largest ever study of Ireland's youth mental health, conducted by UCD School of Psychology and the Jigsaw charity. The survey was carried among 19,000 adolescents and young adults and shows that both males and females are generally more anxious, more depressed, less optimistic and less resilient, with lower self-esteem, than they were seven years ago when the first My World survey was carried out. That is grim reading. What the report also shows is that, in the adolescent portion of the research, there is a gap between the sexes. Adolescent girls score significantly lower than boys in crucial areas such as self-esteem and personal competence, with smaller but still noticeable gaps in optimism and satisfaction with life. In addition, girls are less likely to use problem-solving as a coping mechanism, and more likely to use avoidance techniques - something that correlates to poorer mental health. Read More Resilience - something parents have been trying to foster in their kids for years now - is lower in girls and declines significantly as they progress through secondary school, from first year to sixth year. It looks as though, after a decade or more of public soul-searching around how to improve self-confidence and self-worth in girls, we aren't yet succeeding. The results are no surprise to Professor Barbara Dooley, UCD lead researcher, who points out that the report is consistent with international findings. "If you look at data internationally, you will see gender differences; Ireland is not lagging behind in this regard". Or to Dr Gillian O'Brien, chief clinical officer at Jigsaw, who says: "We weren't surprised by those findings, because females are still proportionally much more likely to access help through our services than males. Typically the breakdown is 60:40, and that's pretty consistent since we've opened. The peak age of young people coming to Jigsaw is 16/17, which again corresponds with the survey." Social media, that obvious bug-bear, has a role to play, but is not the definitive villain of the piece. Of the young women who access Jigsaw services, Dr O'Brien says "when it comes to self-esteem and body esteem, we know that young females are spending more time on social media than young males, and we find that a lot of young women who come in to us are really caught up in this negative comparison with idealised versions they see online. "But we also see that a lot of anxiety in young women is related to school and the desire to do well, to achieve. An awful lot of them are achieving, but they have very high standards. They are very self-critical. It's good to want to achieve, but we try to help them gain some perspective, to pick apart the expectations they have." School in general can be a great source of anxiety, and some of this is around the social dynamics of girls. "A lot of the young women we see coming to Jigsaw have issues related to school and peers," says Dr O'Brien. "There are lots of unwritten, unspoken rules that govern female friendship, and this makes it particularly confusing. Male peer groups tend to operate differently. The many swift changes in female friendship underscore feelings of not being safe and secure in school. We see a lot of young women who are upset by being excluded, isolated. You can imagine how that would influence your self-esteem." However, as always, the picture close up is more complicated than at first glance. Prof Dooley says: "Gender is extremely complex. You could argue that boys over-estimate their sense of self-confidence and self-esteem, and that girls are more realistic." Everything, she points out, "is a balancing act. If you over-puff-up your adolescent and tell them they are fantastic, when in reality they are good but not fantastic, at a later stage this may backfire when they encounter something they thought they could achieve, and actually they can't." When it comes to resilience, "both males and females scored above the average," says Prof Dooley, "so it's not like resilience is shockingly low, although males are certainly ahead of females." Girls, says Dr O'Brien, "are more self-critical. They are less likely to recognise their strengths. A lot of young women we meet, when we dig a little deeper actually do have good resilience, but they may not recognise it. It's about trying to help them identify the things they are already doing to cope well." The point here is not to prioritise girls' mental health over boys. Dr O'Brien points out: "There are two ways you could spin this - on the one hand, young females are still experiencing high levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm and low self-esteem. But they are coming forward for help, and that's a positive thing. Young men are less forthcoming. I'm always most concerned about the young people who don't reach out for help." However, neither should we ignore the gap, or the very real difficulties that lie behind the statistics. Rachel White For 19-year-old Rachel White, part of the Jigsaw youth advisory panel, transition from primary to secondary school was difficult. "I went to a very small primary school where we all played together. I didn't have to wonder who my friends were. Then, in secondary, there were so many more people, and they broke down into smaller groups. It was hard to feel that I fit in with any particular group of girls," she says. "It was a co-ed school, and the guys seemed to have one big group - at lunch they all sat together at one big table, while the girls split into smaller groups of fours and fives. I'd have loved to be a guy growing up. "I drifted between friend groups a lot. I was on the edge of a lot of groups: you get the seat over at the side, you're not really fully accepted. I was always shy, awkward, nervous, anxious. I was finding myself, through secondary school and I had a tough enough time trying to figure out where I fit in. I wasn't exactly being bullied - it's a lot more subtle with girls. Nothing is straight out there. Girls bond over excluding." And, she points out, "girls can be really petty. There was so much drama. How they talked was very bitchy, and I couldn't get my head around that. A lot of the time that's how girls bond - by bringing other girls down. "I've seen girls pull up some other girl's Instagram and scroll through the photos and just pull them all apart. Being around that, you start to think 'what are they saying about me?' Or you start doing the same thing to yourself. If you hear them going off on a girl, saying 'she's really fat', and you look at yourself and think, 'I'm bigger than that'. I was definitely lacking self-esteem." Life settled down briefly for Rachel after TY. "In fifth year I became friends with two girls, who are still friends now." But in her last two years, Rachel experienced more significant bullying. "It was so widespread, it became everyone's business." When she left school, Rachel deleted her Instagram "so I wouldn't have anyone from school on it, and made a new one, so I don't feel anxious looking at it." Now in college, Rachel's life has transformed. "I'm so happy," she says. "I love college, it's brilliant. I've settled in and made friends. I'm actually a really social person, and that feeling, when you chat to someone, and they chat back, it raises your self-esteem. You think 'maybe I am worth talking to'. You meet new people, who see you in a new way. That has helped me see myself as being worth more." jigsaw.ie What can parents do? If you notice something that bothers you, try to open the lines of communication around that. Dr O'Brien says: "The number of parents who contact us and say 'I'm really worried about my daughter' and we say 'have you spoken to her about it?' the answer so often is 'no,' because they worry about making it worse. "But you know your daughter better than anyone. Create an environment where you can have a conversation. Pick your moment and say things like 'I notice you seem upset' 'I think you haven't been yourself later' "If it doesn't go well, come back to it another time. It takes a lot of courage for a young person to tell their parents what really goes on." Reassure them that you will not be angry/upset. Teenagers worry about being judged. Tell them you will not do that. If you have a strong reaction to what they tell you, manage that elsewhere. You will shut down the conversation before it really begins if you start shouting, or crying. Some of the behaviours, especially around sexual behaviour and relationships, may be very difficult for parents to hear. Don't rush to solve it. You want to get alongside your daughter: 'What can we do together?' They have a fear that you'll march into school or ring other parents - that's their worst nightmare. Ensure they get more sleep, more physical activity, and spend less time on social media. Girls tend to get less quality sleep, less activity, and spend more time on social media than boys. All of these things are detrimental to their health. "We still hear a lot about young people bringing phones and iPads to bed," says Dr O'Brien. "Parents find it difficult to put boundaries around that, but they will be doing their child a favour." [March 02, 2020] Firetinas: the A.I. weapon against corona virus in China SHANGHAI and YANGZHOU, China, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- High body temperature is regarded as a significant early symptom of corona virus. Firetinas (www.firetinas.com) is the first Artificial intelligent system developed by scientists from Cambridge University and Manchester University to inspect multiple high body temperature individuals. Firetinas incorporating advanced mask-face recognition algorithm and infrared body temperature measurement, is now widely used in Chinese hospitals and schools. As corona virus is highly contaminable and there is still no effective treatment so far, distinguishing early stage high body temperature individuals has been proved to be a crucial way to stop massive transmission not only in China Firetinas is a high performance Integrated circuit equipped with NPU calculating 3 trillion times per second tracking up to 100 people in 1000 square feet area. Firetinas integrates face recognition algorithm to eliminate the influence caused by hot spot such as cigarette and can provide a more efficient human face temperature measurement. Furthermore, Firetinas develops algorithm to optimize face recognition for masks at 99% accuracy, which means people without masks can be alerted especially in the area badly affected by the outbreak. Firetinas also invents the first dual black body dynamic calibration algorithm to achieve 0.1 degrees Celsius precision in indoor environments. Firetinas works in an all-in-one system integrating camera, temperature sensor, micro computer, neural network system and two black bodies and is easy to setup and operate. It inspects body temperature of up to 100 individuals in 0.05 seconds and upload the passengers' face information and temperature information to the server which can make it easier to trace back the contact crowd and quarantine the suspected individuals as soon as possible. As the corona virus is quickly expanding in Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Middle East and United States, Firetinas is seeking partners to stop the crazy spread. Contact: Mr. Chen Tel: 4009028002 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Firetinas [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Mask-clad commuters get off a train at a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stop in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images) Taiwan Accuses China of Waging Cyber War to Disrupt Virus Fight TAIPEITaiwans foreign minister on Feb. 28 accused giant neighbor China of waging cyber war on the island to disrupt its fight against the coronavirus by using fake news, as the island reported a jump in new cases. The coronavirus outbreak has strained already poor ties between Taipei and Beijing, with Taiwan especially angry at Chinas efforts to block its participation at the World Health Organization (WHO). China says Taiwan is merely one of its provinces with no right to membership of the WHO. Taiwan has called China vile for not allowing it real time information about the virus from the WHO. This week Taiwans government reported an increase in fake online reports about the virus on the island, and blamed Chinas internet army for being behind the misinformation. China has not responded to the allegations. Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Twitter that Chinese officials claim to care about the health of the Taiwanese as if were blood relatives. He added: 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. Im speechless. The fake reports, which Taiwans government has quickly and strongly refuted, include claims that the island is covering up the true number of cases and that members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party get priority for face masks. Taiwan says it will punish people who spread the rumors. The island has long claimed China is intentionally using fake news to undermine its democracy and peoples faith in the government. China has previously denied the accusations. Adding to the tensions, China has in recent weeks been flying fighter jets and bombers close to the island. Taiwans Defense Ministry reported another case on Friday. While Taiwan moved early to suspend travel links with China to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and has reported far fewer cases than China, its number of patients has continued to grow. On Saturday, Taiwan reported five new cases of infection, including four people who had contact with another infected patient in a hospital and one person returning from a trip to Egypt and Dubai, bringing Taiwans total to 39. Taiwan has reported one death from the coronavirus, while nine patients have recovered and been released from hospital. By Ben Blanchard SELMA, Ala. - Moments before Mike Bloomberg stood in the pulpit of Brown Chapel AME Church, the pastor noted that the former New York mayor initially declined an invitation to speak at the church where, 55 years ago, civil rights activists prepared for the historic march to Montgomery. The pastor praised Bloombergs change of heart, but the Democratic presidential candidate struggled to win over his audience. Multiple parishioners stood and turned their backs to him. A short time later, the church erupted in cheers when former Vice-President Joe Biden fresh off his victory in the South Carolina primary strode into the sanctuary and sat behind the pulpit. The contrasting responses on Sunday were a stark reminder that Bloombergs unprecedented investment in the presidential campaign may have little payoff if a diverse coalition of voters spurn him in the 14 states that vote Tuesday, including Alabama. The billionaire former New York mayor seemed to be aware of the high stakes he faces on Super Tuesday. Ive got a primary to run and to win, he said at the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast in Selma, Alabama. Well see what happens. Bloomberg has sought to make issues of race central to his campaign. He has acknowledged his privilege as a white man, released several criminal justice proposals and landed endorsements from prominent black elected officials, including the mayor of Washington and several members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He has also been frank in expressing regret for the stop-and-frisk policing program that disproportionately affected black and Latino New Yorkers during his tenure as mayor. On Sunday, just hours after he campaigned in Selma, he won the endorsement of California state Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, a black legislator who authored one of the nations strictest laws on when police can use deadly force. But after Bidens commanding win in South Carolina, which was powered by support from African Americans, Bloomberg is facing mounting pressure to justify his presence in the race. Some Democrats fear that Bloomberg will take votes on Super Tuesday that would otherwise go to Biden, making it harder for the party to unite behind a single moderate alternative to Bernie Sanders, who some in the party establishment think is too liberal to beat President Donald Trump. Mike Bloomberg says that Bernie Sanders cant beat Trump, yet his presence in the race makes it much more likely that Bernie Sanders will enter the convention with the delegate lead, said Dan Pfeiffer, a longtime aide to former President Barack Obama who recently called on Bloomberg to drop out. Given how many delegates are at stake on Super Tuesday, particularly in California and Texas, Bloomberg could massively strengthen Sanders grip on the nomination next week. Even if Bloomberg has a poor showing on Tuesday, hes likely to press on. His campaign hasnt set clear expectations for victory on Tuesday, but adviser Tim OBrien said theres no scenario in which he exits the race due to the results. Hes already invested heavily in states that come next, including general election battleground states like Florida, where hell appear Tuesday night. Its our first test with voters so its very important to us, OBrien said. But were also in this for the long haul. Theres still a lot of the country to be heard from and were in 45-plus states and territories, so were going to be fighting it through. Bloomberg spent much of last week campaigning in a handful of Southern and Western states where his aides say they believe he could notch a win, largely because hes the only candidate whos been able to visit multiple times or air ads in many of them. His campaign believes he has a particular appeal to suburban Democrats those well-educated, upper middle-class voters who may be more moderate on financial issues and may have followed his political advocacy on gun control and climate change. Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee are the Super Tuesday states with significant black populations. Texas and California, the biggest delegate prizes, meanwhile, are each roughly 40% Latino, a group of voters Sanders has aggressively targeted. Other states that vote Tuesday, like Utah, Maine and Vermont, are heavily white, but offer low delegate hauls. Bloombergs aides admit Bidens South Carolina win makes their path tougher. But they believe the coronavirus outbreak gives Bloomberg an opportunity to make an even stronger case for his candidacy as the only proven problem-solver in the field. The campaign aired a three-minute ad Sunday night on two major networks touting his leadership in times of crisis as New York mayor, including in the aftermath of 9-11. Bloomberg is campaigning for the presidency in the same way he ran three times for City Hall in New York: overwhelming his rivals with so much spending that it becomes hard to compete. Hes the only candidate on air in all 14 states, and has staff on the ground in every state, including some teams that campaign leadership says are bigger than any campaign has built for a prior election. Bloomberg has spent nearly $180 million on television advertising alone in the 14 Super Tuesday states, with more than $100 million of that spent just in California and Texas, the two biggest delegate hauls in the primary contest. Thats nearly $3 per registered voter in both states. Ive just never seen anything quite as dramatic as these buys, said Sheri Sadler, who runs a political media buying firm based in California and consulted for Tom Steyers nascent campaign. While Bloomberg only campaigned in Texas in the final week before the primary and did not personally visit California, hes purchased ads in every single media market in both states in the 10 days leading up to Super Tuesday, according to TV spending data obtained by The Associated Press. As of Saturday, when South Carolina voted, about 1.4 million California Democrats had already returned mail-in ballots. Thats roughly 20% of the ballots that went out. Someone in San Diego, the states second-largest city and a former Republican stronghold thats seen its politics shift over the last decade, could see a Bloomberg ad as many as 40 times in that window. In North Carolina, some TV viewers in the northeastern corner of the state may have seen Bloomberg ads as many as 180 times since he entered the race and began spending money there. Hes even spending big in the home states of rivals Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, at more than $9 million in Massachusetts and nearly $8 million in Minnesota. The ads are just one piece of Bloombergs unmatched campaign spending. Attendees get free T-shirts at every Bloomberg event, with one of his general campaign slogans including I Like Mike, or specialized T-shirts for whatever state the event is in. Nearly every event has specialized signage and a backdrop themed to the city the event is in; a massive sign with Nashvilles city skyline outlined in red framed Bloomberg as he spoke to voters in a concert venue in mid-February. Theyre treated to catered buffets ranging from cheese plates and small sandwiches to mini quiches to barbecue. For Cookie Arthur Smith, an undecided voter at a Bloomberg event in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, that was enough to pique her interest. I think hes a rough and tough businessman who really has made money on his own and not coasted along on his daddys coattails, she said. And, my God, he gave us this free barbecue. Whats not to like? ___ Associated Press writer Jay Reeves in Selma, Alabama, contributed to this report. T he UKs chief Europe negotiator has met with his European Union counterpart as they look to strike a post-Brexit trade deal. Opening positions set out by the two sides ahead of the negotiations suggested there are major differences on issues including fishing rights, Brussels demands for a level playing field to ensure fair competition and the role of the European Court of Justice. As Boris Johnsons negotiator David Frost and the UKs ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow met on Monday with the EUs Michel Barnier they did not shake hands, amid global concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Mr Barnier said: We approach these negotiations in a constructive spirit. We want to agree an ambitious and fair partnership. We will respect our prior joint commitments. The Prime Minister's Europe adviser David Frost, centre, at the start of the first round of post -Brexit trade talks / AP Mr Frost said he was delighted to start talks on constructive basis today with Mr Barnier. It comes as International Trade Secretary Liz Truss insisted Britain will stick to red lines in post-Brexit economic negotiations. Ms Truss told BBC Breakfast: We are not going to trade away our fishing in a deal with the EU or any other negotiating partner. We are going to get a deal with the EU that does not involve selling out our fishing. I can absolutely guarantee that in a trade deal with the US we will not diminish our food safety standards and we will also not put the NHS on the table, or the price the NHS pays for drugs on the table. Those are two very clear red lines in our trade deal. Boris Johnson Threatens To 'Walk Away' From Brexit Talks With EU Over Trade Discussions are expected to continue until Thursday, with a further set of negotiations planned in London later in March. The UK is refusing to extend talks beyond the end of the year and has warned it will walk away without a trade deal rather than see the process drag on. A high-level meeting to take stock of progress is scheduled for June, by which time it should be clear whether the Canada-style trade agreement sought by Mr Johnson is possible by the end of the year. If not, the Government will need to decide whether the UKs attention should move away from negotiations and focus solely on continuing domestic preparations to exit the transition period in an orderly fashion. Michael Gove, the Cabinet minister responsible for overseeing the UKs exit from the EU, said Britain would not trade away its newly recovered sovereignty during the talks. French Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin warned the Prime Minister that the tight December 31 deadline would not pressure the EU 27 into agreeing fresh terms. She told the BBCs Andrew Marr programme: If we need six more months we, as Europeans, are very clear that we want a good deal, a fair deal, a deal that can last for many generations to come, and we will not sign for the sake of having a deal. It would make no sense. Meanwhile, International Secretary Ms Truss has reiterated the UK will walk away from talks with the US if it does not get what it wants. She told MPs: We will not be diminishing or lowering our standards as part of a US trade deal and we will also not be paying more for drugs prices in the NHS. That is clearly laid out in our objectives for everyone to read. If, which I dont believe to be the case, the US were to demand that, we will simply walk away. We are trading well with the US already. If we dont get what we want from this agreement, we will walk away. Shadow international trade minister Bill Esterson highlighted concerns over the lack of economic growth predicted under a UK-US deal, and questioned why the negotiating objectives referred to a level playing field with the US and a commitment to prevent either side enjoying an artificial advantage. COLUMBUS, Ohio A campaign to change Ohios term-limit laws for state lawmakers took a step forward Monday, as the leader of the Ohio Senate harshly criticized the proposal. The Ohio Ballot Board voted 4-1 to approve the proposed constitutional amendment, which would set a 16-year lifetime cap on service in the state legislature, certifying it as a single issue. The campaign, which calls itself Ohioans for Legislative Term Limits, is targeting the November ballot, meaning it has until July to collect 442,958 voter signatures from 44 of Ohios 88 counties. Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof, a Republican ballot board member who is leaving office at the end of the year due to term limits, cast the lone dissenting vote. He said the measure contains contradictory provisions. In one sense, it strengthens term limits by creating a lifetime cap, he said. But in another sense, it gives a 16-year extension to current lawmakers, since it will reset the clock starting in 2021 for those re-elected this November. He said the measure should be split in two a lifetime cap, which he said he thinks would gather popular support, and a reset of the clock for current lawmakers, which he said likely would not. Im not sure why theyre jammed together, other than to convince voters to extend time by 16 years by making them think theyre voting for a new limitation, Obhof said. Under current law, passed as a citizen-led constitutional amendment in 1992, state lawmakers are barred from serving more than eight consecutive years in either the Ohio House or Senate. But some lawmakers have managed to stick around, since the law allows them to switch chambers. The new proposal would end that practice by setting the lifetime cap. It also would allow someone to serve in a single chamber for a longer period of time, since the new proposal would let someone serve for up to 16 years in either the House or Senate. This could have the effect of reducing contentious leadership fights, which at times have broken out under current term limits rules when a term-limited legislative leader has been forced to leave their chamber. The backers of the term-limit campaign have not made themselves known. Some elements point to organized labor or Democratic backing, though. The campaign hired Fieldworks, a political petition firm that largely works with Democrats, to collect the initial batch of signatures it submitted in its initial filing through the states citizen referendum process. Don McTigue, a prominent elections-law attorney in Columbus who works with Democrats, has filed the paperwork on behalf of the group and appeared on its behalf before the ballot board in Columbus on Monday. And one of its three committee members is Brian Steel, a Columbus police officer who holds a leadership position with the Columbus Fraternal Order of Police. McTigue on Monday declined to say who is behind the term-limits proposal. Read other recent state news: Ohio Ballot Board splits voter access amendment into four issues, dealing blow to ACLU-backed campaign JobsOhio reports lower jobs numbers, larger staff for 2019 If recreational marijuana became legal in Ohio, what would happen to the medical marijuana program? Ohio Democrats ask for investigation into Trump allies Cleveland cash giveaway Gov. Mike DeWine signs new law legalizing earplug use for Ohio motorcyclists The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Jason Allan Arthur and Christopher Joseph Bongiorno with engaging in fraud and acting as unregistered brokers in connection with the securities offerings of two issuers, US Lighting Group, Inc. (USLG) and Petroteq Energy, Inc. (PQEFF). According to the SEC's complaint, Arthur, of Nevada, and Bongiorno, of Ohio, used aliases to convince USLG management that they held the requisite securities licenses to engage in investor solicitations. From September 2015 through November 2018, Arthur and Bongiorno allegedly solicited individual investors throughout the United States to invest in securities issued by USLG and PQEFF. The complaint alleges that, operating under their aliases, Arthur and Bongiorno used lead lists to cold call prospective investors and hired others to work below them to solicit investors to purchase USLG or PQEFF securities. In order to obfuscate their receipt of commissions, Arthur and Bongiorno allegedly submitted misleading invoices to USLG and PQEFF. Arthur and Bongiorno allegedly received commissions of 35% to 50% of investor funds, totaling at least $1,174,057.10 and $2,356,358.91, respectively. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, charges Arthur and Bongiorno with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and the broker-dealer registration provisions of Section 15(a)(1) of the Exchange Act. The SEC's investigation was conducted by James Thibodeau and Laurie Abbott and was supervised by Daniel Wadley, Regional Director of the Salt Lake Regional Office. Litigation will be led by David Whipple. The SEC encourages investors to check the background of anyone selling or offering them an investment using the free and simple search tool on Investor.gov. Kazakhstan will bar Iranian nationals from entering the Central Asian country starting from March 5, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Kazakh Foreign Minister Muhtar Tleuberdi said. The government will also decrease the number of flights to and from Azerbaijan and suspend the issuance of work permits to citizens of countries hit by the virus, the minister said at a government meeting on Monday. The Almaty-Baku flights are reduced to one. Aktau-Baku flight is cut from 7 to one, AKIpress reported. NORTHAMPTON - A Northampton man has pleaded guilty in Hampshire Superior Court on Friday to his role in trying to conceal the 2018 murder of Daniel Cruz by dumping the body in a Hatfield field and setting it on fire. Pedro Soto-Rodriguez, 22, admitted to several charges at his court appearance, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, including accessory to murder after the fact, burning personal property, improper disposal of a body and intimidation of a witness, and two counts each of withholding evidence from police, and conspiracy. Judge Richard Carey sentenced Soto-Rodriguez to serve between 7 and 8 years in prison. He is already serving time for an unrelated crime. The new sentence will begin in two years once his previous sentence expires, according to the Gazette. Cruz, 44, was shot to death on March 10 in Meadowbrook apartment. His body was then brought to a remote area off Bridge Lane in Hatfield, where it was doused with gasoline and set on fire. Police have charged Nerkin Morales, 23, with shooting Cruz. But a grand jury has indicted eight others including Soto-Rodriguez, with aiding Cruz in the cover-up by trying to dispose of the body, or in trying to conceal evidence from police. Morales is awaiting trial for murder. According to Mary Carey, communications director for Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, Morales was due to go on trial in April, but that has been postponed because he has a new attorney. He is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on May 12. A date for his trial will probably be set at that time. The other defendants in the case will go on trial after Morales unless any of them opt to accept a guilty plea before that, she said. People in China have abandoned traditional handshakes and started to greet each other by tapping their feet together to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus. Trending videos show residents of the country using their shoes to touch others' shoes as they meet during the health crisis. The new form of social greeting has been billed as the 'foot-touching curtsy' on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter. One trending video , which was posted by a Weibo account based in Ningbo, shows one man wearing a face mask doing the foot-to-foot curtsy with several others when they met One trending video, which was posted by a Weibo account based in Ningbo, shows one man wearing a face mask coming out of a vehicle to meet several people. But when one of his guests extended his hand for a handshake, he gestured him to stop. The two then exchanged greetings by tapping their feet twice - once with the right foot and once with the left foot. Another clip on short-video site Douyin, thought to be filmed in Shenzhen, captured a similar scene when five men gathered to drink tea after an extended Lunar New Year holiday. China's social media users have been amused by the unconventional curtsy. On Weibo, one person joke: 'Now you need a pair of good quality shoes.' Another one praised: 'These people are so creative!' A third person wondered: 'Are we all going to greet each other like this from now on?' But a fourth commenter worried: 'What if the virus gets passed through the soles?' Another clip on short-video site Douyin , thought to be filmed in Shenzhen, captured a similar scene when five men gathered to drink tea greeted each other by tapping their soles together Chinese people are not the only ones who have adopted the foot-to-foot way of greeting. In Iran, a country with the second highest number of coronavirus deaths, a viral video shows people using the innovative approach of greeting to prevent the contagion. The hashtag StopShakingHands has been widely used on Twitter as the outbreak takes hold and Britons take steps to minimise the chances of catching the illness. In Germany, even Chancellor Angela Merkel was shunned by her interior minister Horst Seehofer who refused to shake her hand at an event today. Merkel had previously refused to shake the hands of attendees at an event in her district due to the outbreak. One British doctor today also claimed she has stopped shaking hands with new acquaintances and a Google executive revealed how he has spent hours avoiding the greeting to stop the virus spreading. No response: Seehofer refused to shake the chancellor's hand at a summit at the federal chancellery in Berlin this morning Rejected: German interior minister Horst Seehofer turns away Angela Merkel's offer of a handshake this morning after revealing he had stopped shaking hands over virus fears While France is urging people to cut back on the customary double-cheek kiss to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. French Health Minister Olivier Veran advised the country Saturday to refrain from the traditional greeting known as 'la bise', in which people give kisses, or air kisses, on both cheeks. He told a media briefing at the Elysee Palace in Paris yesterday: 'The reduction in social contacts of a physical nature is advised. That includes the practice of the bise. The virus is circulating in our territory and we must now slow down its spread.' The Italian government's special commissioner for coronavirus, Angelo Borrelli, also warned against such displays of physical contact in the country, which has seen more than 1,100 people test positive for coronavirus and at least 29 deaths. Globally, the coronavirus has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,600 South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at Dongdaegu railway station in Daegu on February 29. Coronavirus cases in South Korea have surged in the past week People wearing face masks ahead of the St David's Day Parade in Cardiff on Monday as fears continue to sweep Britain while the coronavirus crisis unfolds in more than 60 countries But there have been no official edicts on the social custom of kissing, which sociologists say is rooted in Italy's Mediterranean culture as well as its strong family and social structure. 'We have a collective social life that is very florid, very expansive. We have lots of contact, we shake hands, we kiss each other, we hug each other,' Borelli said. 'Maybe it is better in this period not to shake hands, and to not have too much contact, and try to be a bit less expansive, which is different from how I am.' Originating in Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has killed at least 2,912 people and infected more than 80,000 inside China. Globally, the coronavirus epidemic has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,700. India is fully prepared to deal with the coronavirus threat and there was no need to panic, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday after two new cases of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 were reported from the country. The health minister said at a press conference that the two positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in Delhi and Telangana. Both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms. They tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored, he said. ALSO WATCH | Coronavirus: 2 more found infected in India; had travelled to Italy, Dubai The person in Delhi went to the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after coming back from Italy and the one in Telangana initially went to a private hospital after he landed in India from Dubai, he said. The person was then referred to a government hospital in the state, he added. Here are the highlights from his press conference: * We advise Indians to avoid non-essential travel to China, Iran, Korea, Singapore, and Italy. * The Union health minister said travel restrictions may be extended to on more countries in case of adverse developments. * Under the travel advisory, existing visas including e-visas will remain suspended for China and Iran. * Screening of passengers being conducted at 21 airports, 12 major seaports, and 65 minor seaports. 557,431 passengers have been screened so far at airports and 12,431 passengers have been screened on minor and major seaports * As many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across the country, Vardhan said * Thirty-seven people across the country are currently hospitalised after showing symptoms of coronavirus. * Vardhan said that so far 3217 samples have been tested out of which five tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited. * Screening is also being done on the border with Nepalin Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkimand 10,24,922 people have been screened so far. * The government of India is in touch with authorities in Iran and Italy to evacuate Indian citizens. * India is already prepared in advance and closely monitoring other countries. India is also discussing if it has to revise any of the decisions, amplify it or focus in any particular direction. Lord Flight is Chairman of Flight & Partners Recovery Fund, a former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Chairman of the EIS Association. Citizens are broadly aware that he prophets of economic doom have turned out to be quite wrong, and rather the UK has been the best-performing European economy. In particular, Britain has had a surprisingly strong small companies (SME) sector. While we suffer from regulatory cancer affecting particularly larger businesses, we have manged to keep the SME sector relatively open. The UK is by far the easiest economy in Europe in which to set up a new business. One of the good things which the Major Government did was to introduce the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), providing valuable tax incentives to investors in small companies. This has underpinned the growth and success of the sector. There are now some 70,000 SMEs in the UK, and some 80 per cent of graduates leaving Russell Group Universities go to work for SMEs. At the time of the EU referendum I argued the case for Brexit at some dozen City debates. Not surprisingly the large institutions were keen Remainers protecting their oligopolistic position in Europe while smaller, newer companies were virtually all Brexit supporters. Since 2016 thousands of British SMEs have abandoned EU markets but have been winning far more lucrative export contract all around the world. The British economy is switching its strategic trading pattern back to its historic international focus and away from the moribund EU. The key high-growth markets for our exports are North America, the Middle East, and South Asia. Exports to Taiwan have grown 40 per cent in the last year. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has confirmed the SME boom. It states that UK exports are currently growing faster than at any other time since records began rises of 22 per cent year on year, reaching a total of 640 billion. If exports to smaller companies not covered by the ONS, and export sales via Amazon and eBay, are included the total growth figure is over 30 per cent. Britains exports to Kazakhstan are the same as those to Austria! The Food and Drink Federation reports a rapid expansion in our food exports to China and that by 2024 China will represent a market 50 per cent larger than the whole of Europe. Over the past year British exports of food and drink reached a record value of 22.5bn, with three out of every four bottles of gin consumed worldwide coming from the UK! Interestingly, it has not been the more prosperous South East of England taking the lead here; Wales, the East Midlands, and the North West are the leading regions for UK export growth. The number of Welsh SMEs exporting has doubled in the last four years. It is also becoming apparent that the EU-structured arrangements we had a member have been damaging of our cost of living and current account deficit. We have been paying some 30 per cent more for our food than we should have done if we had bought globally, and we have a current account (trading) deficit with the EU and in particular with Germany of 100bn per annum which has served to suck investment capital from the UK economy. In a word, Ted Heath did a bad deal with the EU, and I suspect did not understand the economics of the deal he struck. It is substantially for this reason that, outside the EU, the British economy will have the ability to outperform its recent record. Where EIS has been so important has been in providing a tax incentive to invest in new small companies and, recently, even more in knowledge-intensive companies. Here again, the EU has made the rules more complicated than is needed or appropriate for the scale of the market they address. The EIS primary legislation is long, highly detailed, and contains many restrictions which are un-commercial and not justified. The legislation needs streamlining to enable faster deployment of EIS funds to provide greater support for SMEs. The EIS legislation is intended to be enabling but has become too much like anti-avoidance legislation. HMRC is in some cases placing restrictions on investments which are not contained in the legislation. Much of this has been caused by the UK being under EU treaty obligations, where we need to meet the requirements of the risk finance guidelines. A lot of damage has been done by the EU in ruling that EIS is deemed to represent state aid it is to meet the state aid risk guidelines that EIS primary legislation is so long and detailed. Outside the EU there is now the scope to make considerable improvements to EIS, in particular making it much less demanding for SMEs seeking risk finance. There is also scope for larger amounts of EIS investment. In the tax year 2017/18 37,350 individuals invested in EIS, where there are estimated to be a quarter of a million taxpayers earning in excess of 250,000 per annum. HMRC has taken a greater interest in EIS and has commissioned its own independent research. This found that three quarters of investees had sought EIS investment, largely to start their business or to develop new products. Additionally, 58 per cent of investee companies said productivity had increased due to their EIS investment, and 38 per cent said funding was raised for working capital and cash flow. Not surprisingly, they found that smaller companies have a harder time securing EIS investment but only 11 per cent felt their investment would have gone ahead without EIS support. Furthermore, 90 per cent of investee companies said their company had grown by a third since they first sought EIS investment, and 90 per cent of companies attributed at least part of their growth to EIS investment. My biggest task as Chairman of the EIS Association has been to limit and find a way of managing the extra requirements which have come from the EU; and to counter arguments for closing down EIS which have been advanced by both HMRC and the Treasury. The complaint is that the EIS tax incentives cost revenue. Yet from the studies that have been done the reverse appears to be the case EIS investment in SMEs creates more follow-on tax revenue than the original cost of the tax incentive. Fortunately, the recent Conservative manifesto contained both a recognition of how effective EIS has been in supporting SMEs, and the commitment for it to continue. That should count for something. AIB branches around Co Kildare are becoming JAM Card Friendly as the bank continues to support vulnerable customers. The initiative is part of a wider programme of work by AIB to support customers who are most in need of support. The JAM Card allows anyone with a communication barrier to tell others they need Just A Minute discreetly and easily. It can be used by people with Aspergers syndrome or autism, those who have a brain injury as well as people who otherwise feel self-conscious about their ability to effectively communicate when engaging with others. The customer commitment is the latest from AIBs Vulnerable Customer Programme which was established in 2018. Customers will simply be able to show their card in branch to a member of staff which will discreetly convey their need for more time in communicating or conducting their banking business. All branch staff will complete JAM Card eLearning awareness training in the coming months. The JAM Card is available as a physical card or as an app on your phone and will be promoted through AIB branches nationwide. Mark Doyle, Chief Marketing Officer at AIB said Disability and communication barriers are often invisible which is why the JAM Card is such a fantastic initiative. This is a way for our customers to discreetly let us know if they need us to take a bit more time with them. This will help take the stress away from customers and will hopefully make them more confident when banking with us. Maeve Monaghan, Chief Executive at NOW Group said Were delighted to welcome AIB as our first all-Ireland JAM Card friendly bank. The JAM Card was developed by NOW Group participants and we are sure that it will prove valuable to AIB customers. We have been working with AIB over a number of months and are impressed with their commitment to offer excellent customer service to all their customers. They have put JAM Card training at the heart of their support to their vulnerable customers in the knowledge that it will help make their business better. AIB launched its Vulnerable Customer Programme in 2018 with the aim of developing supports for customers in vulnerable circumstances. The programme is built on the experience of staff who support customers every day and is focused on key areas including Financial Abuse, Addiction, Dementia, Mental Health, Accessibility and Economic Resilience. As part of this programme a Vulnerable Customer Support Team was established in 2019 to assist with complex customer cases. Since its inception the team has dealt with a wide variety of customer circumstances with the most prevalent cases resulting from financial abuse or Dementia. The team has developed links with advocacy groups including the HSE Safeguarding Committees and SAGE Advocacy and has worked closely with them on a number of customer cases. Over the past two years the programme has delivered a number of supports for customers and has worked with charitable organisations, advocacy groups and the HSE to better understand how it can support its customers. More information can be found at aib.ie/help-and-guidance/need- extra-help Let Us Pray for the Water Between Us (2020) Mia commissioned this piece by the arts collective Postcommodity. It looks at the forced displacement of indigenous people and relationships bound by shared water. A 2,200-gallon chemical storage tank has been transformed into an automated drum and is suspended from the ceiling of the rotunda down the hall from the Target Galleries. The drum plays a native honor song. Theres usually a classical Greek statue there and in the alcoves around the rotunda. Those have been displaced, Ritter explains. Two more positive cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -were reported, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, it said adding he is being diagnosed at RML hospital. The other person with the coronavirus infection has a travel history to Dubai, the ministry added. "Both the patients are stable and being closely monitored," the ministry said. Italy is reeling under swelling cases of the coronavirus infection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is capping the number of journalists from five Chinese state-run media outlets who can work in the United States. A State Department announcement Monday cited Chinas increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment and intimidation of American and other foreign journalists in China for an action that comes amid efforts by foreign governments to influence U.S. politics through state media. It said the U.S. was not planning to place any restrictions on the content of the media but that the administration was seeking reciprocity and a level playing field, in an apparent reference to the Chinese restrictions on visas for journalists from American outlets. A total of 100 journalists from the five outlets, which include the Xinhua News Agency and China Global Television Network, will be issued visas to work in the United States, the State Department said. Those organizations now employ about 160 Chinese citizens in the U.S. Chinese citizens working for other media organizations in the United States are unaffected by the cap, the State Department said. There are about 75 Americans and other foreigners authorized to work for U.S. news outlets inside China, according to the White House. Last month, the administration designated Xinhua, CGTN and three others as foreign missions, requiring the agencies to register their properties and employees in the U.S. The State Department said that was in recognition of the fact that that they are effectively controlled by the Chinese government. The Trump administration also plans to set time limits on the visas issued to Chinese journalists, as China does now for journalists working for U.S. outlets, officials said. And the damage continues to unfold, according to prosecutors. To date, the Cook County states attorneys office has dismissed 37 criminal cases that were tainted by Elizondos and Saglados involvement, and at least 10 civil rights lawsuits against the officers and the city are pending in federal court, prosecutors said. Chemical changes in the oceans more than 800 million years ago almost destroyed the oxygen-rich atmosphere that paved the way for complex life on Earth, new research suggests. Then, as now, the planet had an "oxidizing" atmosphere, driven by phytoplankton - the "plants" of the ocean - releasing oxygen during photosynthesis. However, new research from an international team including the University of Exeter and spanning Toulouse, Leeds, London and Nanjing, suggests ocean changes in the early Neoproterozoic era (from one billion to 800 million years ago) may have locked away phosphorus - a vital nutrient for life - limiting phytoplankton growth and oxygen release. The study suggests the amount of phosphorus available remained "just sufficient" to support the oxidising atmosphere - preventing a return to the "reducing" (oxygen-poor) atmosphere that existed over a billion years earlier. "Ocean chemistry in this period changed to become 'ferruginous' (rich in iron)," said Dr Romain Guilbaud, of CNRS (Toulouse). "We know ocean chemistry affects the cycle of phosphorus, but the impact on phosphorus availability at this time hadn't been investigated until now. "By analysing ocean sediments, we found that iron minerals were very effective at removing phosphorus from the water." Phytoplankton growth also boosts atmospheric oxygen because, having split carbon and oxygen and released the oxygen, plants die and their carbon is buried - so it cannot recombine with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Despite reductions in photosynthesis and this organic burial of carbon, both due to limited phosphorus, the study suggests oxygen in the atmosphere dropped no lower than 1% of current levels - "just enough" to maintain an oxidizing atmosphere. "Our observations suggest significant potential variability in atmospheric oxygen concentrations across Earth's 'middle age'," said Professor Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. He added: "One question about the emergence of complex life is why it didn't happen sooner. "Lack of oxygen and lack of nutrients are two possible reasons, and our study suggests both of these may have been the case in the early Neoproterozoic era. "In fact, if phosphorus levels in the water had dropped any lower, it could have tipped the world back into a 'reducing' atmosphere suitable for bacteria but not for complex life." A return to a "reducing" atmosphere would have reversed the Great Oxidation Event, which occurred about 2.5 billion years ago, during which photosynthesis by cyanobacteria in the oceans introduced free oxygen to the atmosphere. ### The study, which used samples from the Huainan Basin in north China, was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the National Science Foundation of China. The paper, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, is entitled: "Phosphorus-limited conditions in the early Neoproterozoic ocean maintained low levels of atmospheric oxygen." The Global Systems Institute aims to work with others to secure a flourishing future for humanity as an integral part of a life-sustaining Earth system. In north-east Delhis Shiv Vihar, over a hundred vehicles now lay wrecked in two parking lots gutted in the communal riots last week. Have you seen what hell looks like? We saw it last week, Abub Ibrar (35), a resident of Shiv Vihar said, while describing the several hours of rioting in the area. After Delhi Police relaxed restrictions in Shiv Vihar one of the worst affected areas in north-east Delhi during the recent communal riots on Saturday, residents began moving out of their homes and shelters. What they saw shook them. At least 170 vehicles were parked in two adjacent private parking lots. All of them were set on fire by the rioters on Monday night. The number could be higher as by Sunday afternoon, many vehicles were already towed to the scrapyard. Not a car escaped the fire. The parking lots roof was also burnt and blackened with soot. On the first floor, there were stones scattered everywhere that may have been thrown from outside. One by one, row by row, the cars caught fire right in front of our eyes. We could see other houses burning in the distance. We made frantic calls to the fire department but they said they could not come. There was no police security, said Ibrar. Police officers on the ground said Shiv Vihar, under the Karawal Nagar police station, had suffered severely in the riots. Residents painted a picture of horror that agreed with it. Every few minutes there was a loud explosion. It went on for several hours. There was so much smoke that our eyes hurt. It may have been a war zone. We had to stay indoors. There was smoke in our rooms too. There was so much rioting all around. We had to lock our homes and go to the terrace to escape asphyxia, or sit crouched in the balconies to hide from rioters, said another resident, Manu Sharma,39, who runs a mobile shop in the area. In the densely populated area, where free space is a premium, most residents parked their cars at the two garages. Shah Alam,32, whose Wagon R car was in the garage, said he paid 2000 monthly to the manager of the garage. It was thought to be a safe spot until Monday night when Shiv Vihar descended into chaos. Refusing to divulge his name, an employee at the two garages, who has a small office on the first floor, said that on Monday evening, a mob first pelted stones to force open the main gate. Later one of them set a Wagon R on fire. I saw the other setting another car on fire. That is all they had to do. Every car caught fire. I ran to save myself. Locals were confused as to what the rioters were targeting. In many other areas, rioters had targeted property and people based on their faith. There were all sorts of vehicles Wagon R, Swift, Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Scorpio, mini trucks and even an autorickshaw. Police officers on the ground say that the rioters may have found these garages as the perfect place to start the chaos. In the recent riots, police said, with the explosions they cause, rioters targeted vehicles to cause more panic. Police, government and fire officers on the ground are still estimating the damage, which could run into crores. They suspect that the number of vehicles torched in the area in those 48 hours could easily be over a thousand. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested six accused in an on-going investigation of a case related to the murder of Yogesh Gowda, resident of Dharwad(Karnataka), the agency said in a statement on Monday. "CBI had registered a case on September 24, 2019 on the request of the Karnataka Government and further Notification from Government of India and taken over the investigation of the case, earlier registered at Suburban Police Station, Dharwad in connection with the alleged murder of Yogesh Gowda, resident of Dharwad (Karnataka). In this case, the local police had filed charge sheet on September 9, 2016," an official statement read. After taking over the investigation, CBI had arrested one accused on November 20, 2019. "During further investigation on the role of other persons in the case, CBI has arrested six accused on 29.02.2020 and produced them before the Designated Court who remanded the accused to Judicial Custody. On the request of CBI, the Designated Court today remanded the six accused to five days Police Custody," the statement read. Further investigation is on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Coinciding with last weeks opening of the shameful show trial of Julian Assange in London, opposition is developing across Europe to the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the United States. On February 25, the first rally in Zurich, Switzerland in support of Assange was held. Marianne Arens spoke on behalf of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality PartySGP) and called for the mobilisation of the working class in Assanges defence. Despite the cold and wet weather, some 120 demonstrators gathered at a pavilion on Zurichs Burkliplatz to put forward their demand for the freedom of the courageous WikiLeaks founder. The rally was called by the Free Julian Assange Committee Switzerland. Part of the protest In her contribution, Arens said the disgraceful show trial in London was a mockery of the rule of law and an outrageous crime. She explained the political issues involved: The defence of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning requires one thing above all, the mobilisation of working people against capitalism and war. An example was being made of Assange, she continued. Anyone who dares to expose war crimes is to be intimidated. And why? Because new wars and new war crimes are being planned and prepared. She referred to the current large NATO military manoeuvres titled Defender 2020, saying their purpose was clearly to rehearse war against Russia. She went on to discuss the scandal involving the Swiss company Crypto AG, with whose help the CIA and the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) had spied on more than 100 countries of the world for decades. The supposedly neutral government of Switzerland knew all about this, Arens said. All the governments, including the German and Swiss governments, were part of a conspiracy in the current show trial in London. And this is not a surprise, she continued, because they all advocate the same policies of war, private enrichment and social attacks on the working population. What we see today is the return of fascism and war. She spoke of the horrific terrorist attack that had taken place a few days earlier in the German city of Hanau, in the state of Hesse, saying: In Germany, the grand coalition government has taken over the policies of the AfD [Alternative for Germany] in many areas, thereby strengthening the radical right-wing forces. As in the 1930s, right-wing and fascist forces are needed to enforce a war policy against a population that does not want this at all. The policies of militarism and extreme social inequality were incompatible with democracy, she explained. That was why there was no constituency for the defence of democratic rights within the ruling elite. She cited the historical example of the German journalist Carl von Ossietzky, who was convicted and imprisoned for espionage and betrayal of secrets in 1929that is, even before the Nazi regime came to power. He died nine years later as a result of his mistreatment in a fascist concentration camp. It was important to learn the lessons of this historical precedent, she said, because it was strikingly similar to the London show trial. Assange too was threatened with conviction under the US espionage act. Therefore, his defence is directly linked to a fight against militarism and war and against capitalist exploitation, she said. For this it is necessary to mobilize the working class on the basis of an international socialist programme. Her contribution was interrupted by applause several times. Arens concluded with the appeal: The only way to prevent Assanges extradition and gain his complete freedom is through the independent mobilization of a politically conscious, international mass movement. The administrator of the Free Julian Assange Committee Switzerland, Marlene Jost, welcomed each speaker with a personal introduction. In between the speeches, she skilfully provided musical interludes on her violin. The first speaker of the evening was the lawyer and journalist Dr. Milosz Matuschek, who supports the Geneva initiative for a humanitarian Swiss visa for Julian Assange. For me, the Assange case is the Dreyfus case of our days, he explained, with the conspiracy against Assange being even worse. Four statesEcuador, Sweden, Britain and the United Stateshave conspired against a single person, he noted. He then warned, If the powerful are above the law, then we no longer live in a state based on the rule of law. We live in a despotic state. He continued, The right of Assange to publish is our right to be informed, and that is why it was so important to get him out of the cell, because otherwise we will all end up in this cellperhaps not immediately physically, but certainly spiritually. For who should dare to publish such things in the future when the truth carries such a price tag? Matuschek asked his journalist colleagues to draw the appropriate conclusions, saying, Either journalists are willing to take on the powerful, or they are pure show business. In his speech, Zurich lawyer Dr. Philip Stolkin dealt with the importance of investigative journalists for society. He said they are the only ones who explain to us where our tax money goes and that our governments are involved when weapons and wars are financed, when bombs explode in Yemen, and when children are torn to shreds. This reference to the fact that the Federal Council (the Swiss government) spends billions of Swiss francs on its own armaments and authorizes huge exports of war weapons was met with strong applause. Stolkin raised the question: Should human rights really apply only to holiday speeches in which we celebrate ourselves as wonderful democrats? He was not ready for that, he said. It was important that investigative journalists continue to speak out, so it was important to free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. The last speaker, Basel lawyer Dr. Andreas Noll, addressed the accusation against Assange that WikiLeaks had endangered individuals by publishing thousands of names. He emphasized: This is wrong! On the contrary, Assange was the only one to take care of the anonymization of tens of thousands of names, while the Guardian and other media outlets had already published the material. Noll reminded the audience of the time when the Second World War ended in Europe on May 8, 1945, with tens of millions of dead. The wish Never again war had been universal, and on this basis the United Nations had adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the four Geneva Conventions. Because of these achievements, he said, we felt comfortable for a long time. But behind our backs, the secret services have created a very different reality. It was Julian Assange who had opened peoples eyes and showed the world that our governments are responsible for systematic war crimes and torture. We have been living in a dream world. Since May 2019, Andreas Noll, together with Stolkin and other Swiss lawyers, have been calling on the Federal Council to grant asylum in Switzerland to Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. The Federal Council acknowledged that Assange, as an information technology expert, investigative journalist and political activist, had indeed contributed to uncovering cases of human rights violations by disseminating confidential information. However, it said it had no intention of promoting and protecting human rights through the violations he uncovered. Consequently, Julian Assange could not be recognised as a human rights defender nor could he receive the protection provided for in the Swiss guidelines (quoted from a written reply by the Foreign Ministry). Noll commented on this disgraceful attitude, pointing out that Assange was apparently no longer subject to any fundamental democratic rights, neither the prohibition of torture nor the right to a fair trial, nor freedom of the press, nor the UN Refugee Convention. The rule of law is behaving in this case no differently from the medieval clergy, he declared. Hyderabad, March 2 : Telugu actress and director Charmee Kaur on Monday faced flak from netizens for making insensitive comments in a TikTok video after Telangana and Delhi reported their first coronavirus positive cases. "All the best guys. You know why because coronavirus has arrived in Delhi and Telangana. That's what I have heard and that's what in the news. All the best guys, coronavirus has arrived," she said in TikTok video before signing off with laughter. The video went viral on social media platforms with netizens slamming her for being insensitive on the threat from deadly virus. "She must be thinking it is a name of an ice cream," tweeted a social activist, who was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad on Monday with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 after her return from Bangkok. Some social media users advised Charmee to see a psychiatrist. She later deleted the controversial video from video sharing platform. Telangana and Delhi reported first COVID-19 positive cases. A 24-year-old software engineer was admitted in an isolation ward of government-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad after he was tested positive. The techie, working for a Bengaluru-based software firm, had recently returned from Dubai. Authorities are trying to identify those who came in contact with him to screen them for the virus. One case was also reported from Rajasthan. Hanwha Galleria's new department store in Gwanggyo, Gyeonggi Province is seen in this photo. / Courtesy of Hanwha Galleria By Kim Jae-heun At a glance, you can see Nagomi in its entirety: the 12-seat dining bar, the nook of a service bar, the curtained passage leading to the dish room. When you spot chef Kazuyuki Kaz Ishikawa over his cutting board and Eli Ramos working the floor, youve seen Nagomis complete two-man staff. But by the time we came to the Japanese scallop nigiri with the pad of foie gras fused to its surface near the end of a multi-course omakase dinner, the picture of Nagomi had grown. It was layered, complex, ambitious and, for all that, refreshingly convivial. It was also familiar thanks to the trail of eye-popping contemporary sushi that Ishikawa and Ramos have blazed on the way to opening their new Bywater restaurant. It debuted in February, following a few weeks of trial runs. Nagomi is not a conventional sushi bar but instead a dedicated omakase restaurant focused on its chefs particular style. Omakase is often compared with a chefs tasting menu, only there is no menu. The term translates from Japanese as I leave it up to you, meaning the chef directs the courses. At Nagomi, it is also a group dining experience that feels uncommonly intimate. The L-shaped dining counter is the restaurant. Everyone (all 12 of you, anyway) will dine together, course by course. You see each course come together, building anticipation. One highlight from a February dinner was Ora King salmon, gushing with velvety flavor, with pico de gallo rendered in an intricately tiny dice, the flavors bouncing between fatty, fresh, sharp, acidic and sour. Another: red slices of yellow fin tuna dabbed with a briny creamy uni sauce, a light gleam of tangy rich barbecue sauce and a gentle crunch of phyllo threads. And then that scallop, so sweet and delicate, bumped up with the torch-charred foie gras a surf-and-turf sculpted like a jewel. If every restaurant has a bit of theatrics, this one has orchestration. It also has rules. There are no substitutions or requests, and no printed menu. Dinner is by reservation only, and reservations are opened one month at a time (on resy.com). Nagomi serves two seatings, at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. These are hard start times, meaning a late arrival would have to jump at wherever course the chef is on. And yet, while the format is rigid, Nagomi does not feel stiff. Personality pours over the dining counter, thanks in part to the way Ramos runs the room, the rapport between him and the chef, and also to the dynamic of dining together. After a few courses, the counter starts to feel like the kitchen island at someones home albeit someone who regularly sources Japanese sea bream and toro (fatty tuna) so luscious it looks like veal. The idea for Nagomi started at Shogun, the long-running Japanese restaurant in Metairie. Ishikawa, a Tokyo native, was sushi chef here. Past the hibachi tables and busy dining room, he turned one corner of the long sushi bar into his own realm. It functioned like a restaurant within a restaurant as he served his own off-the-menu dishes. It was common for customers in the know to wait for seats at his section, even when other areas of the sushi bar were available. Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Ramos was working as a waiter at Shogun, and the two struck up an ad hoc partnership. He became the chefs in-house impresario, guiding newcomers through the nuances of the style. In 2016, the two left Shogun and began building their own business with pop-ups and private events. Plans for Nagomi have been taking shape along the way. The location they found is a small storefront in a part of the Bywater seeing a wave of different dining concepts, including the tasting menu bistro Saint-Germain a few blocks away. At Nagomi, the menus change frequently but generally run through 10 courses or so. The one I tried started with edamame and a hot soup with clear broth, three types of mushrooms and ribbons of charred octopus. The nigiri followed (eight types, including one with steak). Dinner ended just under two hours later with a tea cup of black sesame ice cream, which has a chocolatey peanut butter flavor (somewhere between frozen halva and a Butterfinger). Prices vary with the menu, starting at $65. The edition I tried was $75. Drinks are extra. Nagomi has a sake list and a small selection of wine, beer and spirits less than a full bar, and more like a range of options to cover the bases. Nagomi puts on a show. Ishikawa and Ramos pull it off on their own small scale by tailoring the terms of a visit. The rules make it controllable for them, and also requires some coordination and commitment from the diner. This is not the place to drop in for a few rolls. But there are other places for that. With its full devotion to this chefs vision, Nagomi is one of a kind. Nagomi 3214 Burgundy St. Dinner Wed.-Sat., seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Reservations required through resy.com. +16 Daiwa, West Bank find for modern sushi, takes step up with Metairie expansion It seems every sushi lover has a favorite spot off the mainstream, that sushi bar quietly doing something excellent and cultivating an inside +11 Review: In a Covington cottage, rolling with first class sushi at Aki I was dining solo at the sushi bar of Aki in downtown Covington, but I still felt like I had plenty of company. Solenis to Acquire Paper Business of South Africa Based ChemSystems March 2, 2020 - Solenis announced that on Feb. 28 it signed an agreement to acquire the paper business of ChemSystems, a division of AECI Ltd. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, ChemSystems produces and supplies specialized chemical solutions for water intensive industries, including the pulp, paper and tissue manufacturing industries in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Until this acquisition, the business was Solenis' pulp and paper specialty chemical distributor in Africa. "This is an excellent opportunity to continue to consolidate our channel to market after the recent successful merger of BASF's Paper and Water Chemicals business with Solenis." said John Panichella, president and CEO, Solenis. "We have had an exceptional working relationship with ChemSystems for many years and this acquisition will allow Solenis to directly provide value to pulp, paper and tissue markets in South Africa." The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020. Solenis is a leading global producer of specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries, including the pulp, paper. For further information, visit: www.solenis.com . SOURCE: Solenis Now Open 2 March 2020 Sindhorn Midtown, the flagship property of a stylish new Thai-inspired hospitality brand, opens today in the heart of Bangkok's Langsuan neighborhood. Inspired by local artistry and designed for a sophisticated lifestyle, Sindhorn Midtown introduces a contemporary Thai hospitality experience for today's business and leisure travelers alike. "We're thrilled to open our doors and introduce guests to our new brand of hospitality," said Jee Hoong Tan, Sindhorn Midtown's General Manager. "Sindhorn Midtown is a chic urban escape that welcomes guests with authentic warm Thai hospitality. With intuitive service, thoughtful amenities and sleek design, Sindhorn Midtown is setting a new standard in the market sure to appeal to savvy travelers." Uncomplicated and harmonious, Sindhorn Midtown delivers modern living with the allure of relaxation, comfort and sustainability. Nestled within a pocket of greenery in the midst of the quiet Langsuan neighborhood area, the hotel offers a collection of 344 hotel rooms and suites and 49 serviced residence units within two sleek, modern towers offering urban views. Sindhorn Midtown blends art-infused contemporary interiors with a calm vibe. Food and beverage offerings include Tr.EAT, an in-house eatery with the flavor and flair of the local neighborhood; and Rhumba, a lively gathering spot offering a large selection of rum, mixed into classic and creative cocktails. On the 18th level, the Horizon Pool offers skyline views, cocktails and small bites; while the Fitness Center on the 19th level allows guests to stay fit 24/7 with the latest equipment from Life Fitness. Whether visiting for work or play, Sindhorn Midtown is in the center of it all. From culture to art, business to play, wellness to shopping, guests are easily connected. The BTS Sky Train Chit Lom and Ratchadamri stations, the Erawan Shrine or Pratunam Market are a quick five-minute walk from the hotel. Or, walk on the nearby Rajprasong to major shopping centers Central World, Siam Paragon and Siam Center. General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra announces a $300 million investment in the GM Orion Assembly Plant plant for electric and self-driving vehicles at the Orion Assembly Plant on March 22, 2019 in Lake Orion, Michigan. General Motors this week will make its hardest push yet to convince skeptics, particularly on Wall Street, that the more than 110-year-old automaker can compete against Tesla as the auto industry pivots to all-electric vehicles. During an "EV Day" on Wednesday, the Detroit automaker will give a comprehensive and unprecedented look at its all-electric vehicle plans as well as show attendees roughly a dozen upcoming products, according to two people familiar with the event. It is typically considered an unusual move for an automaker to show investors so many products. Other expected discussions include GM's next-generation EV platform, charging infrastructure and business strategy, company executives have said. Since announcing plans to launch at least 20 new all-electric vehicles more than two years ago and committing to a "zero-emission" future, GM hasn't moved as quickly as some expected into all-electric vehicles. GM has only launched three new EVs in China since then and sales of its only all-electric car in the U.S., the Chevrolet Bolt EV, have declined for two consecutive years. GM has announced other products such as a GMC Hummer pickup, Chevrolet crossover based on the Bolt EV and a Cadillac crossover, but that hasn't been enough to convince investors that GM should be valued like Tesla or other emerging tech/auto companies in the EV industry. The amount of detail planned for the event was overwhelmingly supported by the company's leadership team, including . according to one source who asked not to be identified because the plans aren't public. "I really like our position heading in the area of electrification, and I like it for a lot of different reasons," Reuss told investors last month about the EV Day. "I think you'll be very excited about some of the things we'd go into a little more detail than I've talked about today Again, we'll go into more of that here next month, but this is a very, very well-thought-out strategy." More than 150 members of the media and investors are expected to be briefed about the company's EV plans during separate events Wednesday. Politicians, dealers and GM employees also are expected to attend different programs during the week. Two patients infected with Covid-19, the coronavirus that broke out in Hubei province, China last December, passed away over the weekend at the Evergreen Health Medical Center in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. Doctors said that a man who died on Saturday had no links to anyone who had traveled to, or was in contact with, someone from a high-risk country. He suffered underlying health issues that may have contributed to the course of his illness. Viral genetic testing has linked his infection to the first case in the US from January. Health authorities therefore worry that the epidemic has been spreading unchecked for several weeks, with hundreds more people possibly infected. A person is taken by stretcher to a waiting ambulance from a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for the COVID-19 virus, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Kirkland, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Including a man who died on Sundaythe second death in the USthere are six confirmed cases involving elderly residents at a long-term care facility in Kirkland, Seattle, who are at risk due to their confinement and debilitated health status. According to Dr. Frank Riedo, medical director of Infection Control at Evergreen, This is just the tip of the iceberg over 50 individuals associated with Life Care [the long-term care facility] are reportedly ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalized with pneumonia or other respiratory conditions of unknown cause and are being tested for Covid-19. Two other presumptive positive cases, pending confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have been reported in Washington state. One is a teenager in Everett who reported no travel history. Health officials said his symptoms are mild and he will remain in isolation at home. The second case involved a woman in her 50s who had recently been in Daegu, South Korea, the epicenter of the outbreak in that country. The sudden appearance of Covid-19 cases prompted Washington Governor Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency. This gives the state additional resources and funding, including the use of the national guard, to prepare for a large-scale outbreak of the disease. Medical facilities and hospitals have been frustrated by the lack of test kits, while strict guidelines set by the CDC for the testing of individuals has delayed the ability to investigate and track new cases. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new policy over the weekend that grants emergency use approval to laboratories and hospitals that have proven they have diagnostic kits that can confirm the presence of the 2019 novel coronavirus, recently named SARS-CoV-2. The FDA policy states: To effectively respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, rapid detection of cases and contacts, appropriate clinical management and infection control, and implementation of community mitigation efforts are critical. This can best be achieved with the wide availability of testing capabilities in health care settings, reference, and commercial laboratories, and at the point of care. Clinical and hospital laboratories have initiated the process to begin testing for the virus in their facilities. This will allow real-time analysis of the magnitude of the health crisis that has gripped headlines for several weeks. Until recently, the CDC has been able to run fewer than 500 tests in total. Head of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, Scott Becker, told NPR that they expect that more than 40 labs will be able to test for the virus by the end of the weekend and more labs will follow in a short time. Vice President Mike Pence and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar made the rounds on the Sunday news shows, continuing with bald assertions that the contagion is under control and the number of outbreaks is quite low. Additionally, they assured viewers that the government was working with private contractors to distribute tens of thousands of test kits. The negligence on the part of the Trump administration and the HHSin light of what the World Health Organization, CDC, medical professionals and scientists have been sayingis unconscionable. When time was of the essence to implement preventive strategies, implement point of care testing, and ensure test kits were available, they were instead engaged in assuring investors that China would be putting its factories back online in short course and declaring that the financial markets were sound. At each step in the development of this threatening health crisis, they have downplayed the seriousness and dangers that this crisis poses. The case at Travis Airforce Base in California is an example of gross incompetence. A high-ranking HHS whistleblower exposed that health officials sent to the base were woefully ill-prepared and untrained to assist evacuees from Japan. They not only exposed themselves to infected patients, but then risked the public off the base as they entered and left at their discretion, without regard for public safety. Aside from the concerns raised by health and government officials, researchers have been able to examine the genetic makeup of the coronavirus from the first infected individual diagnosed on January 21 in Washington state and compare it to the individual who died over the weekend. Both these individuals lived in the same county, but do not have known contacts with each other. The phylogenetic analysis of the viruss genetic sequence indicates that the virus which killed the Washington man descended from the first case on January 21. Despite some minor alterations, they both share a rare genetic variation, which implies that the contagion has been spreading in the community for several weeks. Officials did not heed what the scientific reports were warning. Computer modeling places the number of undetected cases at between 150 and 1,000 people. To appreciate the disastrous development that could have been averted, it helps to review the timeline. On January 21, Governor Inslee of Washington state announced the first case of Covid-19 in the US. At the time, China was reporting hundreds of cases of a pneumonia-like illness and several deaths caused by a novel coronavirus that was similar to the 2003 SARS virus. The infected man, who is 35 years old and lives in Snohomish County, Washington, returned from Wuhan on January 15, 2020before airports had implemented screening measures. While back in Washington state, he began to develop flu-like symptoms. As he was aware of the news about the mysterious virus in China, he sought medical attention four days after his return. He was admitted to Providence Regional Medical center in Everett for treatment. Specimens collected from him were sent to the CDC in Atlanta, which confirmed he was infected with the Sars-CoV-2 virus. For the first few days, he remained stable with just mild symptoms of cough and fever. By day five, he developed respiratory difficulty, requiring supplemental oxygen, and was diagnosed with pneumonia. His status worsened, and his doctors decided to administer an unapproved treatment with Remdesivir, a known anti-viral medication that was developed for Ebola but found to be ineffective. It was reported he made a brisk recovery, and his treatment experience was the basis for trials taking place in China and currently being established in the US. Officials reported that he had been in close contact with 65 people during his five days back in the US, including passengers on his flight and a luncheon with a group and patients at a local clinic where he sought medical attention. Local health departments said they were monitoring these individuals daily, but little information was provided on these follow-ups to the media. Additionally, there were 16 doctors and nurses treating him though they had limited contact during his isolation. On February 4, the Snohomish County man was released to continue his recovery from home. He was to remain isolated and monitored by the Snohomish Health District. By this time, there were 11 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, with 260 people being monitored across 36 states. Yet no measures were instituted outside of monitoring. It remains unclear if all these individuals were tested or repeatedly reassessed. The World Health Organization declared a global emergency after mainland China instituted massive lockdowns in several cities. Factories remained shuttered after the end of the Lunar New Year. More than 420 people had died, and new deaths were confirmed in Hong Kong and the Philippines. By this point, several studies and clinical investigations had highlighted the unusual nature of this infection. It has a high rate of person-to-person passage. It ignores national boundaries and has now affected 68 countries. In most cases, fever is not the initial presenting symptom. It has a very long incubation period, making early detection very difficult. A few patients with negative tests later tested positive after they returned home. Patients that have recovered can be re-infected, though rarely. They can also continue to carry the virus and pose an infectious risk. The number of countries affected and the number of new cases is accelerating across the globe. Internationally, there are now 89,071 confirmed cases and the death toll stands at 3,039, with the vast majority, 2,803, taking place in Chinas Hubei province. Italy confirmed 566 new cases overnight, with 1,694 infected individuals. The death toll stands at 34. Northern Italy, where the outbreak is taking place, is the countrys industrial engine and accounts for 40 percent of its industrial output. The economy is expected to take major blows. France has seen 30 new cases, bringing to 130 the total Covid-19 infections in that country. President Emmanuel Macron has called for the banning of all gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined spaces, as well as open environments. This will have a significant impact on sporting events and real estate conferences. It also provides the opportunity to use state measures against political demonstrations, such as the ongoing Yellow Vest protests. In South Korea, 586 new cases have been registered, outpacing China, where there were 202. Across South Korea, there are now 4,212 confirmed cases and there have been 17 deaths. The city government of Seoul has asked prosecutors to bring charges against the founder of the Shincheonji Church, Lee Man-hee, for ignoring signs of the virus. Samsung Electronics, LG Display and Hyundai automotive companies are reeling from the implications of resuming production. Anxiety is mounting in Iran as people recognize that the government has not come to terms with the potential enormity of the crisis. The virus death toll has reached 54 and the number of confirmed cases 978though it is feared the figure is far higher. A retired teacher, Ziba Rezaie, from Qom, said succinctly, The smell of disinfectants has become my nightmare. The city smells like a cemetery, a morgue. A desert locust is seen feeding on a plantation in a grazing land on the outskirt of Dusamareb in Galmudug region, Somalia, on Dec. 22, 2019. (Feisal Omar/Reuters) China Urges Local Authorities to Prepare for Possible Locust Invasion BEIJINGChina could face a desert locust invasion, a government body warned on Mar. 2, urging local authorities to prepare for the possible arrival of the voracious insects from neighboring Pakistan and India. The risk of swarms entering the country is low, although China will be hampered in tracking the locusts by a lack of monitoring techniques and little knowledge of migration patterns, the National Forestry and Grassland Administrations said on its website. Locust swarms could enter the Tibet region from Pakistan and India, or the southwestern province of Yunnan through Burma (also known as Myanmar), depending on climate conditions, the notice said. Swarms could also fly across Kazakhstan and into Chinas Xinjiang region. Authorities in the western region, which also borders Pakistan, said mountains and the absence of tropical and sub-tropical deserts have reduced the chances of locusts migrating into the area, but such a possibility will increase in June and July if outbreaks can not be effectively controlled overseas, Xinhua reported on Monday. Customs at Khunjerab, a pass between China and Pakistan in southwestern Xinjiang, have started monitoring surrounding areas within 2 km for locusts. They are inspecting or sterilizing vehicles and goods crossing the border, targeting locust adults that might come along or soil and plants that contain the insects eggs, according to the state media. The desert locusts have already ravaged crops and pastures in several countries in east Africa and swarms have spread into India and Pakistan. Locust swarms can fly up to 150 km (90 miles) a day with the wind, and adult insects can consume roughly their own weight in fresh food per day. Beijing has set up a task force that will meet this month to monitor and act on any locust invasion, the government body said. Local forestry and grassland administrations must be fully aware of the extreme importance of prevention and control work against locusts, it said. They should store pesticides and equipment and have personnel ready to take immediate and effective measures once locusts are detected, it added. By Hallie Gu and Shivani Singh A moose strolling on a sidewalk in the Colorado Rockies town of Breckenridge didn't want to be pestered. Police reminded people of that sentiment by posting a witness's video: A person appeared to pet the wild animal. Actor Robson Green, 54, is best known for his roles in Grantchester, Soldier, Soldier and Wire In The Blood, as well as fronting fishing programmes. Divorced, he lives in Northumberland and has one teenage son from his second marriage. A man called Max Roberts is the reason I am an actor. When I was 20 years old, I was training to be a draughtsman at the Swan Hunter shipyard in Tyne and Wear. Max was the artistic director of an amateur dramatic theatre company, and it was in his gift each year to hand out two Equity union cards to promising young actors. He told me that in the acting business, you couldnt move for advice. But his tip was never to approach any job the way other people thought you should. Trust your instincts and treat writers as if they were your children. Robson Green, 54, (pictured) who lives in Northumberland, revealed the benefits of socialising with the people you work with Its advice Ive followed throughout the 34 years Ive been an actor. When I landed the role of Jimmy, the porter I played in Casualty, I made it my business to befriend writer Ginnie Hole. We were both fans of Dads Army and she allowed me to plagiarise some lines from Clive Dunn (who played Lance Corporal Jones) which perfectly suited the character I was playing. Fast-forward three decades and I found myself cast as Geordie Keating in Grantchester, whose principal writer, Daisy Coulam, has so brilliantly brought James Runcies books to the small screen. We socialise a lot, so shes come to know my speech patterns. This means that, when I receive a new script from her, I can hear myself coming off the page. There has been only one occasion when I failed to follow Maxs advice. I was in a series with Jerome Flynn called Aint Misbehavin, written by the gifted Bob Larbey, which followed the adventures of two wartime bandsmen. We started filming before the script was right we were milking the money cow and it was a flop. That taught me a useful lesson and one of which Max would approve: if it aint on the page, it aint on the stage. The latest series of Grantchester is available on ITV Hub. WSU Geography Major Grateful For Opportunities University Provided March 2, 2020 OGDEN, Utah Nathan Hole might just be Weber State Universitys biggest fan. Coming from a low-income family and as a first-generation college student, Hole, 25, of Sunset, knew early on that he wanted to go to college the only question was where he would go. Weber State gave him that opportunity, one that he now calls one of the most incredible experiences of my life. If you give Weber State a fair chance, it will completely change your life, Hole said. It doesnt matter what dream you come to Weber State with. For everyone that comes here, if you take full advantage of the opportunities, then youll be able to achieve that dream and more. As he attended classes and got used to being a college student during his freshman year, Hole said he began to appreciate what Weber State offered him as a student. But it wasnt until he settled on a major in geography that things truly clicked for him. Hed previously been interested in studying archeology, but one of Holes older brothers, who was also majoring in geography, invited him to come along on a Death Valley field-course trip. Just being able to sit down around a campfire with my professor, out in the middle of the desert, was an incredible opportunity for me to get to know them and for them to get to know me, he said. Because of experiences like this and Weber States smaller class sizes, Hole said he was able to forge a lot of strong relationships with professors. That became one of my favorite aspects of Weber. I could feel that the professors cared about each student they had, he said. Thats one thing my friends at other schools envy; they dont get that kind of relationship with their school or their professors. During his time at Weber State, Hole has also completed international and domestic humanitarian trips and become a member of the student council of the Latter-day Saints Student Association. He is the president of the geography club, and has participated in the Honors Program, and as an Environmental Ambassador and a Presidential Leadership Fellow. Soon, the senior will get the chance to brag about his love of Weber State to his hometowns city council as part of President Brad Mortensens Louder and Prouder tour. I've also always felt that I'm the biggest fan of Weber State, he said. And being able to spread our message, to shout it from the rooftops, to show people how great Weber State really is, I jumped at the opportunity. Hole will be the student speaker on April 21 at the Sunset City Council, during which Mortensen will also provide a brief update on the university. Other upcoming Louder and Prouder tour dates include: Kaysville - March 5 Roy - April 7 Sunset marks the end of the first set of council visits Mortensen has made since November, aiming to showcase the universitys connections to communities across the Wasatch Front and encourage those connected with Weber State to get louder and prouder about their accomplishments. Everywhere weve been, the mayors and the council members have been open, very welcoming and eager to learn more about Weber State, Mortensen said. What has really hit home with every group is having a student there from that community and being able to connect the impact of Weber State to the citys residents oftentimes on a very personal level. Mortensen said he believes the tour is having the effect he hoped for, which is to try to connect the university to more communities outside of Ogden. In the coming months, Mortensen said hed like to expand the tour to additional communities and visit other civic groups like county commissions and school boards. The president also said he believes the #LouderAndProuder campaign is having a positive influence across the campus and in the community. Whether people use the hashtag or not, he said. Hopefully there's a realization that what we do here is really special, and we also have the obligation to not just do special things, but to share them. Those interested in having a Louder and Prouder stop in their community should contact Steven Richardson at 801-626-7454 or stevenrichardson1@weber.edu. Previous tour stops have included Morgan, Layton, Syracuse, North Ogden, Ogden City, Bountiful and West Haven. For photos, visit the following links. photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/March-2020/i-k2pdSnG/0/9f4df91c/X2/20150510_113419-X2.jpg photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/March-2020/i-Wqsk9LM/0/69ad36db/X2/20150520_122955-X2.jpg photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/March-2020/i-dJLHqQk/0/98839e46/X2/20150520_154148-X2.jpg photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/March-2020/i-BK3Zp8c/0/697ab72d/X2/Southern%20Utah%20Geography%20043-X2.jpg photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/March-2020/i-K5C2HGK/0/8cf9b8ac/X2/Southern%20Utah%20Geography%20046-X2.jpg photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/March-2020/i-McHnrvh/0/7d5aa165/X2/Southern%20Utah%20Geography%20069-X2.jpg photos.smugmug.com/Press-Release-Photos/2020-photos/March-2020/i-38gzHgL/0/9effdf36/X2/Southern%20Utah%20Geography%20125-X2.jpg Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University. The Assam government on Monday informed the state Assembly that three anti-CAA agitators died in December last year after policemen fired in the air to control the situation but missed the aim. Two others were killed in attacks by miscreants during the agitation, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said. A total of 573 people have been arrested across Assam for their involvement in the anti-CAA movement, he said. "When warning, lathicharge and tear gas shells could not pacify the agitated anti-CAA people, the police fired in the air with much restraint to control the situation, maintain law and order and for self defence," Patowary said in a written reply to a query by AGP MLA Pabindra Deka. "In such conditions, these protesters died after receiving injuries when the police missed the aim," he said. The three persons who were killed in police firing were identified as Sam Stafford, Abdul Alim and Ishwar Nayak, while Dipanjal Das and Ajijur Rahman were victims of attacks by miscreants during the protest, he said. An inquiry into the deaths is being conducted by the Kamrup Metropolitan Magistrate, he added. To a query by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Patowary said 573 people were arrested so far in 430 cases relating to protests against the amended citizenship law. "Out of them, 384 have got bail and 189 are in jail," Patowary, who was speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who also holds the home portfolio, said in a written reply. In violence during the protests, 48 civilians and 55 security personnel were injured in December and one of them is still in hospital, the minister said. Patowary said the deceased have not been declared martyrs nor any financial support has been given to the dead of the injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A federal court decision to vacate several public land sales for oil and gas development Thursday delivered a resounding win to conservation groups fighting to protect Wyomings iconic sage grouse, but brewed significant uncertainty for the states energy sector. A judge in the U.S. District Court in Idaho voided the results of five oil and gas lease sales involving millions of acres of public land in sage grouse habitat. The Bureau of Land Management failed to provide sufficient time for public comment prior to opening up the parcels of land to development, according to the ruling. Conservation groups had challenged the sales in court alleging the expedited development of oil and gas on habitat home to sage grouse would have imperiled the vulnerable bird and precluded public participation in violation of federal law. But Wyoming public officials and energy producers considered Thursdays decision a severe blow to the states economy. If the ruling stands, 450 leases in Wyoming would be affected by the order, according to the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. Considering there may already be activity taking place on these leases, it could be a long and complicated process resulting in uncertainty for producers, said Ryan McConnaughey, communications director for the Petroleum Association. Gov. Mark Gordon chided the judges decision Friday calling it extreme, impractical and unworkable. The state and Western Energy Alliance, an oil and gas association, both intervened in the case as defendants. The president of Western Energy Alliance told the Star-Tribune on Friday it would likely appeal the ruling. In 2018, the Trump administration issued an instruction memorandum, requiring the Bureau of Land Management to simplify and streamline the leasing process to alleviate unnecessary impediments and burdens. In the eyes of several conservation groups, the sudden overhaul in federal leasing policy undermined existing environmental review and public participation requirements. Public protest periods went from 30 days down to 10 days under the Trump administrations new policy. Field offices also saw their window of time to review parcels of land limited to six months. To the Idaho judge, these policy changes applied to five lease sales throughout 2018 undermined bedrock environmental regulations. (The Bureau of Land Management) inescapably intended to reduce and even eliminate public participation in the future decision-making process, U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush wrote. If it stands, Thursdays decision would vacate 2018 land sales that took place in Wyoming, Nevada and Utah. Any future lease sales on sage grouse habitat would need to revert to the former policy, requiring a full 30-day public protest period. This administration has been relentless in its efforts to cut the public out of public lands decision-making, starting in 2018, Talasi Brooks, a staff attorney with Western Watersheds Project, said in a statement. 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. Though development has already commenced on some of the land at issue in the case, the courts decision means 100,000 acres of sage grouse habitat have a chance of being spared from drilling, according to Brooks. To conservation groups, including those at work in Wyoming, thats a victory for both sage grouse and the public. The two lease sales slated for voiding in Wyoming encompass about 550,000 acres and are almost exclusively sage grouse habitat, according to Alan Rogers, communications director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, a conservation group. About half of that leased land in Wyoming is priority habitat management areas land identified for protection in order to keep sage grouse off the Endangered Species Act list. Whats more, a number of the contested parcels fall within regions essential for the survival of sage grouse, like Wyomings Golden Triangle and Red Desert. Wyoming is home to the worlds largest sage grouse population, forcing public officials to walk a fine line between preserving the imperiled birds limited sagebrush habitat, and not infringing on the states economic backbone mineral industries. Amid the states ongoing debate, the number of sage grouse has continued to decline. Prioritizing oil and gas development outside core habitat is one of the primary reasons that grouse arent already listed as threatened, Rogers said. That approach has gone by the wayside the past two years. More uncertainty for oil To the disdain of several oil and gas operators, the recent court ruling voids two Wyoming oil and gas lease sales from June and September of 2018. The order throws into question for several developers any plans to continue or commence production of oil on parcels sold during these sales. Wyomings governor said the decision would directly affect the states bottom line and could hamper future production. The millions in bonus bids received by the State of Wyoming, to date, are already incorporated into state budgets and programs, Gordon said in a statement. Oil and gas companies have already invested time and money in preparation and development of the leases. I urge the U.S. Department of Justice to immediately review the order and request a stay of the ordered relief until the issue can be appealed and a different judge can review this matter. For Kirkwood Oil & Gas LLC, an independent exploration and production company based in Casper, the recent ruling will likely come at a cost, affecting 37 of their leases covering 37,158 acres throughout Wyoming, said Steve Degenfelder, a land manager at Kirkwood. Who knows how many rigs, and workers associated with the rigs, will remain idle because of the ruling, Degenfelder said in an email. Its absurd to think the Judge thought companies throw millions of dollars at leases to prevent vacated sales. All companies want is a predictable business environment which the Judge just destroyed. Follow the latest on Wyomings energy industry @camillereports Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A 5-year-old gelding named Chosen Vessel was euthanized on Saturday after suffering a fracture while racing at Santa Anita Park in Southern California, becoming the ninth horse to die since the racing season began on Dec. 26. Chosen Vessel was running in the ninth race of the Santa Anita Breeders Cup when he was injured. Veterinarians determined there was no way to help him, and he was euthanized, the park said on its website. Since December 2018, at least 45 horses have died at Santa Anita Park. Last spring, racing was suspended so the park could test and evaluate its tracks. New safety measures were enacted in June, including giving independent veterinarians the authority to stop horses from racing if they are at a higher risk of being injured. At this time last year, 19 horses had died at the park, and Santa Anita's owner, the Stromach Group, said the decline in numbers in 2020 shows the new safety rules are working. Animal rights activists have been calling on the state to end horse racing in California, citing the deaths at Santa Anita as just one reason why it should be banned. More stories from theweek.com 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's coronavirus response Coronavirus czar Mike Pence is now apparently bundling tweets praising his, Trump's coronavirus response Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Trevor Noah mark Joe Biden's big win, cringe at his subsequent gaffes On February 29, the United States signed a conditional peace agreement with the Taliban movement (banned in Russia). The signing ceremony took place in Qatar's capital Doha. It was attended by representatives of about 30 states and international organizations. American troops are expected to leave Afghanistan. In any case, U.S. President Donald Trump said so. The document was signed by U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban's political office chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. It was expected that the agreement would be signed by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, he limited himself to speaking at the signing ceremony. Pompeo recalled the Talibans promise to cut ties with al-Qaeda and urged to support fight against ISIS (both groups are banned in Russia). In turn, Mullah Baradar said that the movement will adhere to agreements with the United States, and described the signing of the agreement as a "great achievement" of the Taliban. Taliban chief negotiator, who is also the head of Taliban's office in Qatar, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai said that this is a day of victory." "Victory has come with the help of God," Stanikzai said. He expressed hope that Afghanistan will be governed according to 'Islamic principles' due to the agreement and called on the Taliban to take an active part in the reconstruction of the post-war country. February 29 was a big day for the United States as well. According to them, the agreement was a major step towards ending the 19-year war in Afghanistan. "The end of the war in Afghanistan, which has began almost immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and cost the U.S. 2,400 personnel lives and nearly $1 trillion, glimpsed. Trump, unlike his two predecessors, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, managed to ignite "the light at the end of the tunnel" in this conflict for Americans - and now basks in his glory and applause," Deputy Director General of the Moscow Center for Strategic Assessments and Forecasts Igor Pankratenko told Vestnik Kavkaza. As for Kabul, and Afghanistan as a whole, their prevailing mood is not so rosy. For President Ashraf Ghani, the peace deal with the Taliban and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan could result in a loss of power. "The peace agreement" provides for the beginning of a political settlement in Afghanistan. It is expected that the foreign troops will gradually leave Afghanistan within 14 months, as certain provisions of the agreement are implemented. According to Donald Trump, the withdrawal of troops will begin immediately. At the same time, he stressed that "if bad things happen," the U.S. will go back. He also said he would be personally meeting leaders of the Taliban in the near future. At the initial stage, the deal involves inter-Afghan talks, prisoner releases from both sides and a ceasefire. In particular, the deal sets the beginning of talks for 10 March, provided that up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners are released by the Afghan government by that time in order to strengthen confidence between the parties. However, on March 1, Ashraf Ghani has rejected demands to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners. He noted that the release of the Taliban prisoners cannot be a precondition and should be discussed during the talks," 1TV Afghan channel reports. Ghani believes that there is no guarantee that the released militants will not return to the battlefield. "It is the responsibility of the Afghan government and not of the United States to release prisoners," Ghani stressed at a press conference in Kabul. The problem is that the agreement was signed between the Taliban and the Americans. The Afghan government turned out to be a spare part. Therefore, according to Pankratenko, the U.S. agreement with the Taliban does not exclude an escalation of the conflict. "There was an unpleasant experience - after the departure of Soviet troops in 1989, the civil war broke out anew, because no one wanted to negotiate, everyone considered himself stronger than the other, both President Najibullah and Mujahideen leaders. And now every local chief appointed by Kabul, considering some province, county or kishlak to be his own feudal allotment, is worried about how to preserve what has been won with blood, intrigue, or bakshish. And every Taliban field commander, which also has his own 'patrimony', dreams of what can be added to his wealth - of course, at the expense of 'an accomplice of the invaders'," Pankratenko said. I dont believe having armed police in our schools is a productive or practical method for building relationships with youth who have possibly suffered trauma, Cate Readling said. If there is any possibility of causing harm to even one youth, we have a duty to find other ways to achieve the goals intended with this agreement. An extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member-states and observer countries of the Organization of Turkic States will be held on January 11 at the suggestion of Turkey, which chairs the Organization of Turkic States, Trend reports on Jan. 10 referring to the statement of the Turkish Foreign Ministry. To many, nothing seems more absurd about British democracy than the fact that there are still 92 seats in Parliament reserved (in the upper house) for hereditary peers. But there are some among that number who seem more in touch with the everyday concerns of the public than our elected representatives. Thus, last week, it was the 12th Baron Lucas and 8th Lord Dingwall (actually one and the same person) who inaugurated a debate on 'Changing and Toilet Facilities in Public Buildings' asking the Government to ensure that at least half such facilities are available to women only. And about time, too. Last year, I wrote here how my wife was among countless women appalled by the drive towards solitary 'gender neutral' loos in public buildings; how disgusted she and they were by having to deal with the inevitable male spattering on loo seats; and how she and they regarded it as abhorrent to have their privacy as a sex compromised or put at risk. Last year, I wrote here how my wife was among countless women appalled by the drive towards solitary 'gender neutral' loos in public buildings (file photo) Fuss Theirs is not a fuss over nothing: in 2018, a Freedom of Information request uncovered the fact that of 134 complaints of sexual assaults at public swimming pools, 120 of the incidents took place in gender-neutral changing rooms, and just 14 took place in single-sex changing areas. You might think, given the fact the House of Commons has recently endeavoured to pass laws to punish 'up-skirting', that it might take this more seriously. Well, perhaps it is finally going to do so. Here's a novel thought for Lord Burnett: just because he would be entering a loo in the High Court wearing tights and a wig, it really doesn't mean that his female colleagues would regard his presence as reassuring while they are engaged in their own intimate ablutions Following the debate in the Lords, someone described as 'a government source' told a newspaper: 'The Government is committed to maintaining safeguards that protect women. Proper provision of separate toilets both for men and for women, which has long been a requirement, should be retained and improved.' If that source is right, then an increasing number of museums and theatres (such as the Old Vic in London) are in breach of this 'requirement' as they have recently abandoned women-only loos. This is a result of an unholy alliance between politically correct committee members who think 'gender-neutral' loos are the only way to meet the needs of transgender users (who fear abuse when entering the loos designated for the gender with which they identify) and the money men, who instantly realised that this brave new unisex world would be cheaper to run. But while I wouldn't dismiss the concerns of the much less than one per cent of the population who are transgender, that is no reason to ignore the feelings of the 52 per cent of the population who are female. Their feelings, however, do not seem to attract the sympathy or even to intrude on the thought processes of the country's most senior judge, the Lord Chief Justice. Lord Burnett (for it is he) was reported in Saturday's Daily Mail commenting on the controversial introduction of 'unisex facilities' at the High Court in London: '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.' Well, the French think it's fine to force-feed geese with corn until their livers explode (in order to produce the delicacy known as foie gras), but that doesn't mean we should engage in the same practice ourselves. The Old Vic in London is one of an increasing number of museums and theatres that have recently abandoned women-only loos Last week, it was the 12th Baron Lucas and 8th Lord Dingwall (actually the same person, pictured) who inaugurated a debate on 'Changing and Toilet Facilities in Public Buildings' The Lord Chief Justice went on to say, in effect, that the whole matter was beneath him: 'There are many things about the world of the courts that I know quite a lot about. 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 moment's thought to.' Intimate Well, here's a novel thought for the Lord Chief Justice: just because he would be entering a loo in the High Court wearing tights and a wig, it really doesn't mean that his female colleagues would regard his presence as reassuring while they are engaged in their own intimate ablutions. I do know one member of the board of a public institution who managed to prevent it from abandoning single-sex loos. When confronted with the proposal, he asked the advocates if they had consulted those who visited this cultural centre. They had not. So he suggested that visitors be given a questionnaire asking their opinion. This did not make those pushing for 'unisex' very happy, but reluctantly they agreed. When the results came in, it was clear that the overwhelming majority of the female visitors did not want to lose their access to a women-only loo. This was even clearer among ethnic minority female users (a fact which particularly discomfited those who were proposing the gender-neutral 'solution'). My own solution remains the one I put forward here last year: that our public institutions should retain segregated male and female loos, while, where space and funding allows, adding a unisex facility for those who find the traditional binary choice ideologically or psychologically unacceptable. And if it requires an Act of Parliament to enforce this, so be it. When the women of Britain speak with one voice, who shall deny them? 15m wasted and lives wrecked Five hours. That's all it took for a jury to acquit a group of former Barclays Bank executives, after a trial which the Serious Fraud Office had spent seven years and an estimated 15 million preparing. Last week's debacle was the latest in a series of colossally expensive humiliations for the SFO (after one failure recently, it had to pay damages to the defendants). Richard Boath, now 61, told me that the SFO 'behaves with an arrogance and stupidity that has long needed checking' But this was the highest-profile because it was the only one that related to the collapse of the British banking sector in the credit crunch of 2008. It was also the most bizarre, as the SFO had gone after the one bank which refused to take British taxpayers' money for a bail-out. Barclays had raised the funds in Qatar, but, according to the SFO, had done this by paying a secret 'bung' of over 300 m to the Qataris. The jury decided otherwise. They might also have wondered, as many months of their lives passed in an Old Bailey courtroom, what on earth the public interest was in such a prosecution, and who the victims of this alleged crime could be? But the SFO, uniquely, has the absolute right to decide whether a prosecution is 'in the public interest': and the basis for this decision is a secret unto itself. I happened to meet one of the three defendants a few days before his acquittal. Richard Boath, now 61, was at the sharp end of the Qatari transaction, and tapes of him expressing concerns about the deal were the key to the prosecution case. But as he explained to me, it had been cleared by Barclays' team of in-house lawyers none of whom the SFO chose to prosecute. Boath looked haggard as he told me that the past seven years of investigations had had a profound impact on his health and home life, including the collapse of his marriage. He had also lost his job at Barclays, although the bank had funded his defence. But he was admirable in his lack of self-pity. 'People won't feel sorry for me, as a well-off banker, and I don't mind that at all,' he told me. 'What I do mind is that the SFO behaves with an arrogance and stupidity that has long needed checking.' And what of the now departed SFO chief behind this and other failures? David Green QC was rewarded with a knighthood. UB is committed to protecting the health and safety of the UB community while remaining focused on our academic, research and community service mission. Ensuring the safety of the campus community is paramount as we evolve our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implement our return to campus plans. North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, the South's military said, weeks after Pyongyang threatened to demonstrate a "new strategic weapon" and its deadline for Washington to offer sanctions relief expired. The launch was the nuclear-armed North's first for more than three months and came as nuclear negotiations with the United States remain at a standstill. The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast and flew 240 kilometres (150 miles) at a maximum altitude of 35 kilometres, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. They were "believed to be short-range ballistic missiles," a JCS official said. South Korea's security ministers expressed "strong concern" the North was "carrying out actions giving rise to military tensions", the presidential Blue House said. Japan's defence ministry said there was no indication of anything coming down in its waters or exclusive economic zone, but added: "Recent repeated launches of ballistic and other missiles by North Korea are a serious issue." The launch came as Pyongyang battles to prevent a coronavirus outbreak and days after the one-year anniversary of the collapsed Hanoi summit between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump. Negotiations have since been deadlocked over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return, despite a high-profile June meeting in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula. Pyongyang carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems. It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December. At a party meeting at the end of that month, Kim declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened to demonstrate a "new strategic weapon" soon. North Korea has a long history of seeking to demonstrate its military capability to try to obtain concessions. "March is pretty reliably missile-testing season for North Korea," tweeted Ankit Panda, senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists. "Looks like COVID-19 hasn't changed that (or Pyongyang is determined to make it appear as if it hasn't)," he added. Former State Department official Mintaro Oba said: "Coronavirus dominates our attention at the moment, but this is a reminder that North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile programmes." It would "look for ways to gain leverage and reclaim the initiative as we get closer to the US presidential election", he added. North Korea has not reported a single case of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 3,000 people and infected over 88,000 in dozens of countries since it emerged in neighbouring China. But state media have said around 7,000 people have been quarantined in three provinces alone. Seoul and Washington last week said they will postpone forthcoming joint military exercises after South Korea -- which has more than 4,000 infections -- declared its highest "severe" alert level over the coronavirus. The United States has 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect it against the nuclear-armed North, many of them based south of Seoul at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek -- Washington's biggest overseas military facility. The security allies have previously scaled back annual joint military exercises significantly to facilitate nuclear talks with Pyongyang -- which condemns such drills as preparations for an invasion -- but a command coordination exercise had been planned for this spring. In the past Pyongyang has fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates. It is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes from the United Nations Security Council, US, the South and other bodies. Heightened tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington, including three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump, but little tangible progress was made. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A test for coronavirus which was developed in Northern Ireland is set to be used in Chinese hospitals. The test is being shipped to hospitals in Wuhan and Guangzhou from Randox Labratories. It has the ability to identify COVID-19 and differentiates it from nine other respiratory infections Managing Director of Randox Laboratories Dr Peter FitzGerald said: "At Randox we have developed a multiplex viral respiratory infection array that tests for COVID-19 and nine other infections simultaneously, and are delighted that this new technology will be deployed in Wuhan and other cities across China. "The Coronavirus Biochip will eliminate the need for multiple back-and-forth tests before the root cause of symptoms is found, thereby empowering clinicians to make faster and better-informed decisions. The test was developed on a platform technology known as a Biochip, and will be used at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak at the Central Theatre General Hospital of the Peoples Liberation Army in Wuhan as well as in The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Randox said the test is capable of processing 324 patient samples, generating 3240 reportable results, in just eight hours. The panel includes the two tests recommended by the World Health organisation to avoid the need to repeat the test. Byron Wang, CEO of Beijing Promed, Randoxs partner in providing the new coronavirus test in China, said: "We welcome the support of the global community in assisting us combat COVID-19 at this time. "We look forward to supplying this test to hospitals located within the area of greatest need and believe it will make a real difference." Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:14:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, March. 2 (Xinhua) -- The British government published Monday its negotiating objectives for a free trade agreement with the United States, with talks and "hard bargain" expected to begin this month. Once an "ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement" is agreed, manufacturers of ceramics, cars and food and drink, and professional services including architects and lawyers are expected to be the "biggest winners" from tariff free access to the U.S. market, said the Department for International Trade (DIT) in a statement. "We're going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry. Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choices for our shoppers. Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the unique closeness of our two great nations," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The DIT said the agreement will deliver for the whole of Britain, with Scotland and the northeast and midlands regions of England forecast to benefit most from removing barriers to trade with the United States. According to a government analysis, British economy will benefit from a 3.4 billion pounds (about 4.34 billion U.S. dollars) boost, as the trade deal will increase transatlantic trade flows by 15.3 billion pounds (19.6 billion dollars). Speaking of the digital trade issue, the statement noted that the deal will include "a chapter on digital trade", to maximise opportunities for businesses to trade digitally between the two sides. Johnson said his country has the best negotiators to secure a deal to boost British industry. On the British side, talks will be overseen by Crawford Falconer, the DIT's chief trade negotiation adviser. Falconer was New Zealand's former chief negotiator and ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The trade talks will alternate between Britain and the United States. "This deal with our biggest single trading partner will cut red tape for our small businesses, cut tariffs for our great products from dairy to cars and increase growth in all four nations," said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss. Despite the the government promise to "protect our NHS (National Health Service) and uphold high standards on food safety and animal welfare", the upcoming trade deal talks with the United States have raised worries among some British industries, particularly from farmers and food producers for fearing that Britain's farm standards might be compromised. Last week, National Farmers Union's President Minette Batters urged the government to show global leadership and defend British farm standards as the benchmark for any food imports in future trade deals. "This year the government must...insist that UK farm standards are the benchmark for climate-friendly farming around the world and that whoever wants to trade with us, trades on our terms," said Batters in her keynote speech during the union's annual conference in Birmingham. She has warned that U.S. farms could "outcompete" British producers if standards were compromised. Despite the strong political will to forge a trade deal, observers are not as optimistic about the prospects for the Britain-U.S. trade talks. 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". The British government will shortly set out negotiating objectives for Australia, Japan and New Zealand, with the aim of having 80 percent of total British external trade covered by free trade agreements by 2022, the DIT said. The 4,580 guests on board the MSC Meraviglia last week will be paid a full refund due to the disruptive nature of their trip, MSC Cruises said after a coronavirus scare meant the ship was refused permission to dock in Jamaica and Grand Cayman. The disappointing decisions by Jamaica and Grand Cayman to bar our ship to allow our passengers to disembark and enjoy their islands was born out of fear, not best medical practice," Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, said. The ship was eventually given a clean bill of health after two people on board were found to have seasonal flu by health workers in Cozumel, Mexico. Frustrations boiled over before that, video from February 27 showed, as a brawl broke out. Crew members used pepper spray to quell the unrest. Video here, from John Wintle, shows some passengers in more sanguine humor, with Wintle describing them as happy and healthy as they waited aboard for the all clear. MSC Cruises said passengers were able to spend a full day ashore in Cozumel on February 28 before the ship returned to Miami. The MSC Meraviglia was seen pulling out from the port of Miami on March 1, with a new set of holidaymakers. Credit: John Wintle via Storyful Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:30:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish official vehicle was targeted in an attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Monday in Turkey's eastern province of Agri bordering Iran, Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. The attack occurred at 8:50 a.m. local time (0550 GMT) in the Gurbulak district 3 km from Turkey's border with Iran. The PKK fired rockets at the vehicle, which was carrying customs officials, killing one person and injuring several others, according to local newspaper Daily Sabah. Search and rescue teams have arrived at the site and the border gate has been closed. Soylu said security forces have captured the attackers. The PKK, which has been fighting against the Turkish army for over 30 years for an autonomous region in the southeastern part of the country, is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. China cant just ignore its role in the virus getting out and out of control. This is not merely an unhappy accident that could perhaps as easily have happened in London or New York. Everybody knows it. China knows it. Chinas admittedly delayed response has been impressive, organised and apparently working . The delay, however, let the virus spread around the world. Pandemic or not , it is a major embarrassment for China. Infecting and killing citizens around the world because of your own inaction is more than embarrassing. Its not the sort of thing one can laugh off. There is a deep personal cost to every family who loses a loved one. You just dont forget that granny died unexpectedly because of a bug from China. What does the coronavirus mean for Xi Jinping ? People all over the world are looking at the health issues associated with Covid-19 but what about the political fallout in China? If the international impact doesnt rattle anyone in China, the domestic one might. It takes something fairly spooky to get a government to put cities with millions of people into lockdown. Imagine our government doing that to Melbourne and Sydney. Its a fair bet that when a government is spooked, so are the people. China now has millions of citizens living in fear for their lives and those of their families. The internet tells us that people have resorted to throwing loved pets from apartment block balconies for fear they might carry the virus. Its understandable that with such a sudden and virulent outbreak, health resources are unable to cope. But if its your mother or brother who cant be tested because there arent enough kits or cant get a bed, youre not looking for reasoned argument. Youre looking for someone to blame. Disinfecting the streets at night is like a sci-fi movie, except the people in Wuhan are living in it. Everybody in Hubei knows something went badly wrong. China carries a bitter burden of past humiliations. Not only is this nasty tale a further humiliation, its one perpetrated by their own. Sacking a few senior officials is one way to point blame away from the central government. There are two problems with that response. It's probably seen by locals as nowhere near proportional to the heartache and inconvenience being inflicted on millions of their own. More importantly, they may think that a good share of the blame lies elsewhere. Nobody likes to see people scapegoated. Those who do it to others make themselves look weak. It appears to some as though Xi Jinping is the strong man, there for as long as he wants. A latter-day Chairman Mao. I wouldnt be so confident. Sure, a peoples revolt where some leaders are strung up by their ankles like Mussolini or after a cursory trial shot like the Ceausescus doesnt seem likely. Tracey Brose, principal at Tamborine Mountain State High School in Queensland, took legal action against a group of parents over derogatory comments made against her in 2016 A group of parents launched an extraordinary campaign of online harassment against a school principal -with one angry father ambushing her at home. Tracey Brose, the principal at Tamborine Mountain State High School on Queensland's Gold Coast, took legal action against a group of parents over derogatory remarks they made about her in 2016. The remarks began after other parents started a Change.org petition to encourage the education minister to reinstate Ms Brose following her temporary suspension. On Facebook, and in the comments section of the petition, some parents wrote defamatory statements about Ms Brose, with one even claiming she was a 'lying, manipulative bully, who gets off by belittling as many people as she can'. A number of parents from Tamborine Mountain, the only state high school in the small community of just 7000, chose to remove the comments. Others had planned to argue their case in court but later settled when Ms Brose asked for $150,000 in damages. But parents Donna and Miguel Baluskas refused to give in, spending four years trying to prove they were the victims. The battle between the parents and principal turned volatile when Mr Baluskas turned up to Ms Brose's home late on the night on May 21, 2018. Donna and Miguel Baluskas refused to give in and spent four years trying to prove they were the victims He demanded she let him inside, but she refused. Mr Baluskas' told them to 'open the door and talk to me or I'll open the door myself'. Shocking footage of the incident shows Mr Baluskas smashing the glass window of Ms Brose's family home as he attempted to force his way inside. Ms Brose's terrified children ran upstairs and barricaded themselves inside a cupboard. His 25-minute attack on the principal's family home only ended when Ms Brose's husband threatened the furious parent with a knife. Balukas has since been convicted of unlawful damage, 60Minutes reported. Ms Brose said the defamation case wasn't about money, but about a judge telling the parents to stop their campaign of abuse. 'I don't need money I don't need damages, I need her to say this is not okay and needs to stop. Because if she doesn't say it needs to stop what then? Next week they get back online and write more stuff? They're bashing at your door again? 'What happens to educators if we can't feel safe doing our jobs?' Mr and Mrs Baluskas have had a vendetta against Ms Brose since their son Harrison was expelled from the school for making a 'silly' comment on a school bus. Trudy Arnold (pictured) admits she made her comments about Ms Bose after a few bourbons Donna Baluskas (pictured) had a vendetta against Ms Brose since her son Harrison was expelled from the school for making a 'silly' comment on a school bus Mr Baluskas admits things got heated during the initial meeting. He told the deputy principal to 'shut up' and 'stare out the window'. 'I'm here to talk to the head not the a**e.' When they saw comments being made against Ms Bose online, they decided to join in, falsely saying 'shes nothing but an evil nasty horrible person'. 'What she did to our son was evil,' Ms Baluskas said. Screenshots of those comments were sent to Ms Brose by her family members. 'I was devastated. I just sat and sobbed hysterically,' she said. She contacted a lawyer to tell the parents to apologise and remove the defamatory comments or face being sued. Mr and Mrs Baluskas refused to apologise. Tracey Brose from the Tamborine Mountain State High School (pictured) sued parents for defamation The couple claim they have lost everything, forking out nearly $1million fighting what they call 'false claims'. 'She's out for revengeance (sic) on anybody that speaks out against her,' Ms Baluskas said. On Friday, Judge Catherine Muir ruled in favour of Ms Brose and ordered Donna and Miguel Baluskas to pay $3,000 in damages following a four-week trial. Three parents had already settled out of court for a combined $182,500. Judge Muir ordered that each party must pay their own legal costs, ABC reported. 'The damages I have awarded are modest and well below what the plaintiff has sought. 'But I consider them sufficient to vindicate the plaintiff in light of the unique contextual features of social media forums. 'I am satisfied that there is a real risk of further publication of the defamatory comments made by the first and second defendants (Donna and Miguel Baluskas), so I have ordered that they be permanently restrained from making them again.' She said the emotional toll on all those involved has been high. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 22:22:09|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close VILNIUS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's Minister of Health Aurelijus Veryga said on Monday that green light will be given to businesses for manufacturing disinfectant products to solve the shortage problem in Lithuania over the possible spread of COVID-19. He was speaking after meeting with representatives of three Lithuanian companies representing sectors of alcohol and cosmetics manufacturing. "So far, no new cases (of COVID-19) have been identified in Lithuania, but that does not mean that we should calm down. We have to be prepared and take all the necessary measures if needed," Veryga was quoted as saying by local media after the meeting. In his words, the first priority is to clarify the formulas of disinfectant fluid and adjust them to business. Lithuania's medical and educational institutions alone would need 200 tons of disinfectants per month, Veryga said. On Monday, Veryga met with leadership of alcohol producers Vilniaus Degtine, MV Group Production, and cosmetics company BIOK Laboratory. Vilniaus Degtine is the largest manufacturer of ethyl alcohol and leading manufacturer of spirits in the Baltic States. "It seems that there are opportunities in Lithuania to produce the products that are needed very quickly. We need faster licensing and raw material supplies. As a cosmetics manufacturer, we are ready," said Romualda Stragiene, CEO of Lithuanian cosmetics company BIOK Laboratory. The first COVID-19 case in Lithuania was diagnosed on Feb. 28. A 39-year-old woman was admitted to hospital on Feb. 27 after returning to the northern Lithuanian town of Siauliai from northern Italy on Feb. 24. Watching these clips from The Dick Cavett Show has become an obsession of mine lately. I daresay he's a better talk show host than anyone plying the trade today, with the possible exception of Colbert. In this episode, Cavett interviews the grandiose surrealist Salvador Dali, who brings along his "pet" anteater and handles the frightened beast somewhat roughly, plopping it in the lap of actress of an astonished Lillian Gish (after which it hides behind Satchel Paige). He then goes on to lecture Ms. Gish about the pronunciation of "butterfly" in a way that can only be described as obnoxious. Cavett, sensing an interview that's headed off the rails, warns Dali: "Watch yourself." Dali launches into a spiel about English as "foggy and imprecise" language, to which Cavett says, "I think I'll talk to the anteater now." Image: YouTube Bangkok's future hangs in the balance. Rising sea levels, unchecked development, groundwater extraction, and rapid urban population growth has left millions vulnerable to natural disasters -- scientists warn the city itself may not survive the century. New analysis by the Nestpick 2050 Climate Change City Index says the Thai capital could be hardest hit by global warming. And while it is not alone facing such a threat -- Venice, New Orleans, and Jakarta are predicted to be underwater by 2100 -- it does have a secret weapon in its battle to negate the impact of a hotter planet: renowned architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom who preaches mindful development over mindless construction. "We are talking life and death in this situation," says the 39-year-old who is hoping to bring Bangkok back from the brink, as scientists warn extreme weather -- flooding and droughts -- could ravage the city, leaving as much as 40 percent submerged in the next decade. Kotchakorn says: "I don't want to face it with fear. At this moment we have a chance to make change... We have to do it right now to show the coming generations that this is possible. It is not about sitting and waiting and doing the same thing." No one can accuse the Harvard graduate of resting on her laurels: She made her name showing how the effects of climate change can be mitigated by ensuring the issue is at the heart of city planning. She and her firm Landprocess created the internationally acclaimed Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, an 11-acre (4 hectares) space in central Bangkok, which tilts downward at a three-degree angle, allowing rainwater to flow through the flanking grass and wetlands. Water that's not absorbed by the plants runs down to a pond at the base of the park, where it can be stored and filtered for use during dry spells or released gradually. In cases of severe flooding, the park can hold up to a million gallons of water. Kotchakorn rails against Bangkok's unchecked development -- more than 10 million live in the metropolis packed with skyscrapers, factories, malls and hotels -- warning that an "addiction to growth" at all costs is jeopardising its ability to thrive. "We think about how we're going to have more growth in our annual development... What if we shift the orientation from growth to really consider our actions on the environment, listen to the land more," she says. "It doesn't mean I am against development but I want it to be very meaningful, very mindful, and at the right pace -- so we don't actually kill our future." Today her ideas have been embraced at home, and abroad -- she gave an acclaimed TED talk in 2018, and last year TIME Magazine included her in its "100 Next" list of global rising stars. But convincing clients, authorities, and other businesses to see the big environmental picture has not been easy in a mega-city obsessed with economic targets and expansion. Driving change as a woman in a patriarchal society has been an additional challenge, but Kotchakorn insists there is "power" in being different, particularly in an industry dominated by older men offering only "conventional ways of thinking". Many of her ideas were initially dismissed, but she held firm, explaining: "I feel that was based on their fear. But it's not my fear." "Women offer different kinds of judgement, different kinds of attitude towards problems... We have to bring that diversity to the table and create better decisions," she adds. A turning point came in 2011, when Thailand endured its worst floods in half a century, which left more than 800 dead nationwide with hundreds of thousands displaced. Bangkok, built on once-marshy land and surrounded by natural waterways, was hard hit. Then came the World Bank warning that 40 percent of it would be inundated by 2030. It was clear then things needed to change, says Voraakhom, who grew up in the capital and says air quality has deteriorated rapidly, as has food quality and security because of the heavy use of pesticides. In 2018, she created Asia's largest rooftop farm, which mimics the region's famed rice terraces where run-off travels down layers of crops, conserving both water and soil. Winding around the 22,400 square-metre (241,111 square feet) rooftop is a jogging path and a lawn. Later this year she will unveil plans to transform a vast, unused bridge crossing the Chao Phraya river into a park with bicycle lanes, bringing more green space to a place with precious little of it. "If you just do a normal building, it's just going to be the same. It's just another building. But if you create (something new), you actually could touch and change their way of living, their way of eating, their way of understanding of sustainability." Kotchakorn has even greater ambitions for the city she grew up in -- she wants to "reclaim" the more than 1,000 canals that snake through Bangkok that are currently used for sewage. "Canals have so much life, so much potential to be public green space and a skeleton of the whole city," she explains. Hailing her late mother as her inspiration, and her 11-year-old daughter as her motivation, she hopes her work will solve problems for generations to come. She says: "Being a mother is really helping to push me to create hope and solutions for the next generation. You see that the things you build will last after your life. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 02, 2020] Radiance Technologies Promotes Mr. Curtis Rowland to Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer BEAVERCREEK, Ohio, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Radiance Technologies, Inc. (Radiance) is pleased to announce the promotion of Mr. Curtis (Curt) Rowland to Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Rowland is transitioning from his former position of Chief Intelligence Strategist in our Beavercreek, Ohio location to take on this executive leadership role. Mr. Rowland will work with the executive management and leaders across the company to ensure that Radiance is leveraging capabilities to open new markets and enabling strategic growth initiatives. "Developing collaborative environments and opportunities is one of Curt's strengths, and having him in this new position will serve Radiance well. In addition to his CSO role, Curt will also serve as the Corporate Lead Executive for Radiance's Dayton Office and will be the primary interface with community leaders and elected officials," said Mr. Bill Bailey, Radiance Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Rowland joined Radiance inNovember 2018. During his tenure at the company, he has been responsible for focusing on corporate development strategy and enterprise growth in the National and Services Intelligence sectors, further strengthening Radiance's presence in the Intelligence Community (IC) and expanding our capabilities in Technical Intelligence. Prior to joining Radiance, Mr. Rowland served for over 30 years in the Department of Defense (DoD) and IC, with over 14 years as a Defense Intelligence Senior Leader. The final four years of his career, he served as the Chief Scientist at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He led a team of 4,000, guiding the center's analytic production mission and ensuring timely delivery of relevant intelligence data products and services to Air Force and joint operational warfighters and senior defense and IC policymakers. About Radiance Technologies, Inc. Radiance Technologies is an employee-owned small business prime contractor founded in 1999. Radiance has over 900 employee-owners across the United States serving the Department of Defense, national intelligence community and other government agencies. From concepts to capabilities, Radiance leads the way in developing customer-focused solutions in the areas of cyber security, systems engineering, prototyping and integration as well as operational and strategic intelligence including scientific and technical intelligence. More information about the company available at: www.radiancetech.com Contact: Emmett Moore (256) 929-0565 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radiance-technologies-promotes-mr-curtis-rowland-to-executive-vice-president-chief-strategy-officer-301014698.html SOURCE Radiance Technologies [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk states that he has not written any resignation letters, and expects possible consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and parliament on the situation around the government. "I did tender any resignations as of this moment. I also know a lot, I heard. Obviously, we will have consultations with the president and parliament on this issue. As of today, I will not comment on anything else," Honcharuk said at a Monday briefing in Kyiv. The church of Pentecost, Teshie-Nungua Area on Monday, February 24, 2020 launched the Environmental Care campaign a various Zonal centres in the Area. This was immediately followed with Public Education in various schools and public areas in the Teshie, Nungua and Klagon and its environs led by the Area Head Apostle Dr. Alfred Koduah. Public education is also on going in the mass media with Officers from PIWC Sakumomo visiting Ahotor FM to encourage residents of the communities to practice good sanitary habits. At the launch of the Campaign in the Sakumono Zone at the F. E Antwi Temple, The Municipal Chief Executive for Tema West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, Hon. Mrs. Adwoa Amoako urged society to see environmental sanitation as their obligation to ensure clean surroundings as well as protect them from diseases. She also urged society to take great care of the environmental health and sanitation since they are powerful drivers for human development as they affect the quality of life. Mrs. Amoako said this in a speech read on her behalf at the launching of the Environmental Care Campaign at the Lashibi district of the Church of Pentecost on Monday February 24, 2020. According, this is due to the fact that, I cut across all sectors of the economy and should therefore be given the required attention. This effort by the church could not have come at a better time when everybody including international, national and local organisations are calling The environmental Care Campaign is a collective effort between the Church of Pentecost and Zoomlion Ghana Limited. It is against this background that the Akufo Addo Administration has taken it upon itself to make Accra the cleanest city in West Africa, Mrs. Amoako said adding, This programme cannot be achieved if we as a people do not change or attitudes towards issues related to sanitation in our environment. The United Nations in its global development goals of 2015 mandating countries to work toward achieving a universal access to basic sanitation by 2030. According to Mr. Amoako, since sanitation is a way of life, and quality of living should be expressed in clean homes, offices, markets, rams, schools, communities among others. She said the Tema Municipal Assembly have taken upon itself to prosecute sanitation offenders who cause public nuisance. This she said has proved good results and has reduced environmental sanitation issues in the municipality. Mrs. Amoako said the municipality is ready to support the church in this laudable effort. The Member of Parliament for Banda, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim urged the church members to portray Christ by keeping clean surroundings while urging their neighbours to do same. The District Pastor for Lashibi, Pastor David Alex Adwere who chaired the occasioned entreated all church members to participate in the sanitation programme of the Church. He said in 2019, the church held clean up exercises in various communities but felt the need to add public education to it so attitudes could be affected. He said the issue of noise, soil and water pollution among others is a serious issue that must concern all Ghanaians. He said the environmental care campaign is the initiative of the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye and is part of the Vision 2023 of the Church of Pentecost. The Resident Pastor for PIWC Sakumono, Pastor Anthony Owusu Sekyere Kwarteng urged all to imbibe sanitary habits long after the clean up exercises. A clean up exercise will be held in the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipality by the Teshie-Nungua Area and other parts of the country. The meeting was attended by a representative of the MP for Tema West, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Assembly members, Head Teachers of schools and Unit committee members of the Municipality. 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 number of cases of harassment and bullying targeting local communities affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus and people involved in dealing with the situation has been on the rise in Japan. The municipal government of Yuasa, Wakayama Prefecture, has been receiving a flurry of inquiries related to its return gifts given to people making donations to the town under the countryas furusato nAzei hometown tax donation program. Such inquiries started to increase after suspicion of in-hospital infection with the virus at a medical institution in the town arose. Some people who made donations under the program declined to accept a return gift of locally produced fruits out of concern about infection. The Japanese Association for Disaster Medicine claimed in a statement issued on Feb. 22 that some medical workers who dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship suffered mistreatment, such as being called a agerma or being asked not to take their children to nursery schools. aThese are human rights issues, so we strongly protest,a it said. Former VHP international working president Pravin Togadia accused the Centre of inaction during the Delhi violence. Talking to mediapersons at Sikanderpur Kala village on Sunday evening, Togadia said the Union government remained a mute spectator to the riots and demanded strict action against those "who attacked innocent Hindus" during the violence in northeast Delhi. The communal clashes had erupted on February 23, claiming over 40 lives. In an apparent reference to the Delhi's Shaheen Bagh protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Togadia said the Union government was responsible for allowing the long-time dharna against the legislation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) EVROS, Greece A child drowned on Monday when a dinghy carrying 48 migrants capsized while trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos from the Turkish coast, the Greek Coast Guard said. It was the first confirmed death since Turkey declared late last week that it was ending its policy of blocking migrants trying to cross into Europe, saying it could no longer take in so many people fleeing the Syrian civil war. Over the weekend, Greece accused the Turkish government of becoming a smuggler itself, and deployed major military forces to the long land and sea borders it shares with Turkey. The Greek government also said it would suspend asylum applications for a month and deport anyone arriving illegally. Neither of those measures is allowed under European Union law, but Athens said it would request special dispensation, and the European Commission said it was studying the announcement. International protocols on the protection of refugees, of which Greece is a signatory, also ban such policies, although there can be exceptions under extreme conditions. Dear Editor, On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the U.S. Senate failed to advance the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act (S.311). Our New York senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, both voted against the bill that would require doctors and nurses to treat all babies alike, whether they were premature babies or abortion survivors. In other words, a baby is a baby, whether he or she is wanted or not. What has happened to us? How have we become so callous and hard-hearted? Is it because we distance ourselves from the unpleasant reality by hiding behind soft words? We say, I support a womans right to choose. That is so much easier to say than, I support a doctors right to stand by and watch a baby die. Would Gillibrand and Schumer vote differently if they were witnesses to a baby struggling vainly to stay alive while doctors and nurses did nothing? Wouldnt their natural instinct be to cry out, Dont just stand there! Do something! For Gods sake, help the baby! I believe that we, as human beings, know that this is terribly wrong. My hope is that someday in the future, we Americans will reclaim our humanity. Deborah Busby New Paltz, N.Y. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar on Monday reiterated that no citizen of the state will be affected by the amended Citizenship Act or Population Register (NPR) exercise. He further urged the Congress MLAs to not spoil the in the state by demanding anti-CAA, NPR resolutions. He said this in response to many Congress MLAs meeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to raise the demand for passing an anti-CAA and NPR resolution in the state Assembly, on the lines of the Bihar Assembly. "I have said it many times in the past and the MVA government too has said that these laws will not affect any Maharashtrian. Uddhavji has also said the same. Do not spoil the mood in our state by citing examples of resolutions passed in any other state," Pawar said. Earlier too, Thackeray and Pawar had said that they will not let the CAA, NPR or NRC have an effect on the Maharashtrians. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Recently, the Corona beer brand has become the latest victim for its name's similarity with the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. The world-famous beer's name-association with the COVID-19 has significantly affected its sales. Falling Trend of Sales for Corona Beer The purchase intent rate for the Corona beer had dropped to its lowest level in a duration of two years, reported by YouGov, a data company. Purchase intent means the possibility that a customer will purchase a certain good. According to the producers of Corona Beer, Constellation Brands identified a drop of stock of 8% last week. Corona Brand Circulating Multiple Social Media Platforms and Search Engines An article from Mexico News Daily stated that the primary reason for this outcome is pointing to the involvement of the Corona beer brand in multiple memes, jokes, and videos circulating through different social media platforms. Many online search engines had also released reports stating the rising trend of searches for keywords such as 'beer coronavirus' and 'corona beer virus.' The Corona Brand's Statistics The 'buzz score' given by YouGov is the measurement of the positive or negative association the society had with a certain product. The Corona brand's YouGov 'buzz score' had dropped to 51 from 75 since the beginning of this year. The dropped to coincide with the spread of the coronavirus across the globe. The Corona brand is the 3rd most popular beer brand in the United States of America, reported by YouGov data. Guinness and Heineken take the first and second rankings. Perceived Cause of the Beer Brand's Fluctuations in Sales Graeme Bruce, a journalist from YouGov business data, stated that the Berr brand may also be impacted by the company's low season. Since the beer is highly associated with the beach and the sun, this summer beer that is perfect for the warm weather is currently at a challenging season. According to Bruce, the beer's reputation had resulted in relevant seasonal changes in the sales of the brand. Mexico's First Two Confirmed COVID-19 Cases One additional factor that can affect the reputation of the corona brand with a false association with the latest coronavirus outbreak. This graveness of the issue intensifies further as Mexico confirms its first two cases of the coronavirus. An article from AP News stated that the assistant health secretary of Mexico had made an announcement on Friday about the confirmation of the first two cases of the coronavirus infection in the country. According to Hugo Lopez-Gatell, one of the confirmed cases is in Mexico City while the other is in the northern state of Sinaloa. However, the second case of the virus is still under investigation but the country is already considering it as a confirmed case. The first case is isolated in a hospital in Mexico while the other one is quarantined at a hotel. At least five of the people whom the first confirmed case had made close contact had been quarantined. It was reported that the men had gone to northern Italy before getting the virus. Italy had been reported to have an outbreak of the disease. The infected men were reported to have returned to Mexico on Friday and Saturday last week. Syria confirms Turkey shot down its fighter jets on combat mission in Idlib Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 5:04 PM Syria has confirmed that Turkish forces have intercepted and shot down two Soviet-built Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jets belonging to the Syrian Air Force, with the pilots ejecting moments before the aircraft were hit. According to Syrian sources, the Syrian planes were on a combat mission against militants in the embattled northwestern province of Idlib. Syria's official news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military source, reported that Turkish warplanes targeted the jets at 13:25 p.m. Damascus time (1125 GMT). Tensions in the conflict between Ankara and Damascus have soared to a dramatic level recently. Earlier in the day, the Syrian army announced the closure of airspace over Idlib, saying it will down any aircraft that breaches its airspace. Separately, SANA said Syrian government forces had brought down three Turkish drones as they were flying in the skies over the strategic town of Saraqib. This came one day after the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said tens of Syrian soldiers had been killed in Turkish drone strikes in Idlib within 24 hours. On Friday, a total of 48 Syrian soldiers were killed by similar attacks in Idlib. The escalation in the Turkish attacks on Syrian forces comes against the backdrop of airstrikes that killed 34 Turkish soldiers on Thursday. Ankara blames the attacks on Syrian government forces. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement on Friday that Turkey is supporting terrorist groups in Idlib. The ministry dismissed allegations by Turkish and Western media outlets regarding losses upon Syrian government forces in Saraqeb, noting that such claims are meant to uplift the morale of terror groups operating in the area and clearly show that Turkish forces are fighting alongside terrorist groups and that Ankara has no respect for its commitments under the Sochi agreement. Under the deal, all militants in the demilitarized zone that surrounds Idlib, and also parts of the provinces of Aleppo and Hama, were supposed to pull out heavy arms by October 17, 2018, with the Takfiri groups having to withdraw two days earlier. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Read more: Is the ICBCs foray into ridesharing a risk to consumers? The board determined that Urides business plan fails to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the passenger transportation business in British Columbia generally, and of the Passenger Transportation Act, Passenger Transportation Regulation, and the requirements under the National Safety Code, specifically, the PTB said in its ruling. Instead, its business plan focusses mainly on the companys profile, marketing strategies and sales. The decision casts uncertainty in Urides plans to launch in Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, and Prince George, and the companys chief executive officer blamed the rejection on the absence of a clear list of requirements. Basically, there were a lot of documents that werent originally requested in our initial application which they want now, so were happy to resubmit that, Cody Ruberto, founder and CEO of Uride told Kamloopsmatters.com. Were happy to submit all those documents now and I hope that a turnaround is quick because Kamloops deserves ride sharing and we want to get in there and make a difference. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:19:39|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close MYTILENE, Greece, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A child has died after a dinghy carrying refugees and migrants from Turkey to Greece capsized off the Greek island of Lesvos in the northeastern Aegean Sea on Monday, the Greek Coast Guard has said. A total of 48 people were on board the dinghy when the incident took place, the Coast Guard said, adding that another child was transfered to hospital and is in a stable condition after being rescued. Greece has tightened patrols at sea and deployed additional police and army forces on its border with Turkey, after Ankara said last week it would no longer prevent refugees from reaching Europe's borders. At least five boats, carrying around 200 people, have reached Lesvos so far as of Monday, while about 1,000 refugees and migrants have landed on Greece's eastern Aegean islands since Sunday, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. Meanwhile, the Greek government said Sunday that approximately 10,000 attempts to cross land borders had been prevented in recent days, while a few dozen people who had managed to illegally enter Greece had been arrested. More than 13,000 people have gathered on Turkey's land border with Greece, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration. On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will visit the Evros region, where many refugees have entered Greece via the Evros River in inflatable boats, with European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President David Sassoli, the prime minister's office said Monday. Greece has requested its European peers support its efforts to safeguard the continent's borders. Bollywood star Deepika Padukone has decided to give a miss to the ongoing Paris Fashion Week due to coronavirus outbreak in France. The actor was invited by globally celebrated brand Louis Vuitton to attend its show at the fashion week. "Deepika Padukone was scheduled to travel to France to attend Louis Vuitton's FW2020 Show at the ongoing Paris Fashion Week but has had to cancel her trip with coming in that the coronavirus epidemic has now entered a new stage in France," the actor's spokesperson said in a statement. France has till now confirmed 130 cases and two deaths from COVID-19. On the work front, Deepika will next be seen in "'83" as Romi Devi. She is also working on the Hindi femake of Hollywood film "The Intern". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A K-9 has sniffed out more than 600 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a secret compartment in a tractor trailer during a routine traffic stop. Lewisville Police officers stopped the vehicle after receiving an anonymous tip about a 'secret tractor trailer located near a major highway' near Dallas Fort Worth in Texas on February 23. Officer Pat Robey and his K-9 partner Stryker were called to the scene to help another agency after the vehicle had been pulled over. Police didn't confirm if any arrests were made in connection with the bust, according to nbc5 in Dallas. Police K-9 officer Pat Robey and his K-9 partner Stryker confiscate more than $1.2 million Hero K-9 dog Styker sniffed out the drugs in a hidden compartment in a tractor trailer The bust was one of the biggest in the history of the Lewisville Police Department The meth in the bust weighed nearly 600 pounds 'Officer Robey deployed his K-9 partner Stryker to conduct a free air sniff of the tractor trailer and K-9 Stryker alerted to the presence of narcotics, the Lewisville Police Department said in a Facebook post. 'Anyone that knows methamphetamine knows how destructive it is to families so it's definitely important to not have that circulating in our communities,' Capt. Chris Butterworth told CNN. 'We understand he got quite a few extra treats, a lot of scratches and as much time as he wanted with his favorite toy,' the department commented on its Facebook post. Sokoto state government is mulling the adoption of the Indonesian Pondok Pesantren Madrasah system of education as an alternative to the existing Almajiri system in the state. The state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal stated this on Sunday when he received the Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria, AVM Usra Hendra Harahap during his courtesy visit to the Government House, Sokoto. The Pondok system employs mosques and langgar (a blend of Islamic and Western education) as well as adopts existing local institutions such as surau (Islamic assembly buildings) and pesantren (a Muslim school in Indonesia operated by religious leaders) as the places for Muslims to study Islam. Tambuwal explained that for the state government to have a home grown system similar to the Pondok, it will consult the Sultan of Sokoto and other stakeholders in order for them to have a buy-in. The state government, the governor noted, is not in a hurry to ban the Almajiri system as some states had done without providing an alternative. He expressed confidence that the Pondok system once adopted can serve as an alternative to the Almajiri system. We are intensifying efforts to ensure that the Pondok system is adopted before banning the Almajiri system. This is because we are desirous of ensuring that Sokoto children are exposed to both Western and Islamic education, Tambuwal said in a statement signed by his Special Adviser Media and Publicity, Muhammad Bello. While expressing gratitude to the Indonesian government for taking interest in Sokoto, he assured the Ambassador that his visit will deepen Indonesias relationship not only with the state but also the country, with which it shares religious, cultural and climatic similarities. He said that the state was already pursuing further ties with Indonesia in the areas of healthcare, economy, Islamic models of business and economic enterprises. Gov. Tambuwal further applauded the Indonesian government for agreeing to send experts to share knowledge with the state on economic inclusion derivatives. Pakistan has announced that it will request the British government to deport former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as he is an absconder. The government has decided in principle to write a letter this week to the British government, seeking deportation of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, as he is an absconder not fulfilling the terms and conditions of the bail granted to him on medical grounds, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan told a press conference here on Sunday evening. She said Sharif had gone to London on November 19 last year for his treatment but was yet to be admitted to a hospital there, indicating that it was a fixed match played by him, his party and a section of the media on his health, paving the way for his departure to London. Awan claimed that Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz had gone to London to protect the businesses of their children. Nawaz faked his health condition, she alleged. Last week, the Punjab government had refused to extend Sharifs bail, declaring that it had found no legal, moral or medical ground necessitating an extension in his stay abroad. The Lahore High Court had, in October last year, granted bail to Sharif on medical grounds for four weeks, allowing the Punjab government to extend it further in the light of his medical reports. The Islamabad High Court had also granted bail to Sharif in the Al Azizia Mills corruption case, in which the former prime minister was serving a seven-year jail term, clearing his way to travel abroad for medical treatment. PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal said if Sharif decided to return to the country, the Imran Khan government will request him not to come. He said the three-time premier will challenge the governments decision not to give him extension in his stay abroad in the court shortly. PML-N Punjab information secretary Azma Bokhari told PTI that if Pakistan wrote to the British government for Sharifs deportation, the PML-N would also write to the US government seeking opening of a case against Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding his (illegitimate) child. She said Sharif was seriously ill and had heart-related complications, adding that the former prime minister was going to have a heart procedure shortly. Imran Khan and his team should stop playing on the health of Sharif and concentrate on governance matters instead, Bokhari said. Women who chair clinical departments at public medical schools are paid an average of 88 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts, or about $70,000 to $80,000 less per year, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and UC San Francisco report. The disparity remains regardless of the womens academic productivity, specialization and years on the job. These women are at the top of their game, said Eleni Linos, MD, MPH, a professor of dermatology at Stanford. They are skilled leaders, outstanding managers and experienced negotiators who have reached top positions in their medical schools. Gender pay gaps are often blamed on womens personal choices to reduce work hours or leave the workforce, household responsibilities, childcare or suboptimal negotiation skills. This study challenges these traditional explanations because our sample of medical department leaders have navigated these complex challenges and broken through the glass ceiling. Yet they are still paid less than their male peers when controlling for many factors. Our study shows the pervasiveness of gender inequities at all levels of academic medicine. Linos shares senior authorship of the study, which was published March 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine, with Christina Mangurian, MD, professor of psychiatry at UCSF. Michael Mensah, MD, MPH, a former medical student at UCSF who is now a psychiatry resident at UCLA, is the lead author of the study. A Northern Ireland teenager is on a mission to prove the world of butchery is not a closed shop to girls. While many of Codie-Jo Carr's friends have headed off from school to university, or are training to become beauticians or hairdressers, the 18-year-old from Keady was hooked on the traditionally male-dominated meat business and is determined to carve out a career. Already dishing out prime cuts at Fred Elliott's Family Butchers in Banbridge, where she works part-time, Codie-Jo is well on course to making sure her career path brings home the bacon, as she is already planning to run her own butcher's shop in the future. "I always wanted a career in food," she told the Belfast Telegraph. "I tried cookery but that didn't work for me. "But it was when I spent my work experience at the butcher's counter in JD Hunter's in Markethill that I got the taste for it." Back in the classroom at St Patrick's in Keady, her career choice quickly became clear. Despite a late diagnosis of dyslexia, Codie-Jo did well in her GCSEs, but it was in vocational skills that she thrived. "I was sitting in hairdressing and that's when it dawned on me. I didn't want to cut hair, I should be cutting meat! I wanted to be back in that butcher's shop." Ambitious Codie-Jo now has her sights firmly set on opening her own shop and restaurant in the future and is already impressing people in the butchery industry with her skills and determination. Currently completing a level two traineeship in butchery at Southern Regional College in Portadown, she was one of six butchers from across the UK who competed in the Butchery WorldSkills UK Competition final at WorldSkills UK LIVE, held at the NEC Birmingham at the end of 2019. Although she didn't win, she impressed the judges with her skills and focus at the tender age of 17 and, having had a taste of the final, she is hoping to qualify to have a second shot at the competition this year. "I enjoyed the competition and learned so much from the other finalists and their displays," said Codie-Jo. "The whole experience of competing at the NEC was amazing and the final was a big adrenaline rush. "Competing has boosted my confidence and customers in Banbridge have congratulated me for being a finalist and have said it's nice to see a girl as a butcher." Now she's hoping to show other girls that it's time they had a slice of the action. "Although this industry is normally for boys, there is nothing whatsoever stopping girls from choosing butchery as a career," she said. "I want to prove that it is possible for girls to become a butcher. My advice to them is to go for it and don't let the fact that it's a male-dominated industry hold you back. It's your future, not theirs." Codie-Jo inherits her work ethic from her father, who runs a small retail and wholesale food business, Carr's Elite Foods. "I just love learning different things and where different cuts of meat come from on the animal," said Codie-Jo. "You get ideas for new products that people haven't seen before," she added. Her tutor at SRC, Micheal Prunty, encouraged Codie-Jo in the Butchery WorldSkills UK Competition heat in Glasgow as a "training exercise" but she went on to beat much more experienced butchers to qualify for the final. "She is going for a couple more competitions this year, but knows her qualifications come first," he said. "She is a very determined, hard working girl who wants to bring butchery into the family business. I have no doubt that she will get where she wants to go. "She definitely has that spark and the ability to light up the industry. "She also wants to help promote females in the industry and her success has already encouraged two girls to enquire about our butchery course this year." A Zachary man was sentenced to life in prison Monday in what a judge called a "bizarre scheme" that involved abducting a Baton Rouge firefighter at gunpoint and forcing him to withdraw cash from several ATMs. Jaylan Tyrelle Franklin, 24, was convicted last fall of aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery and aggravated burglary stemming from the May 2018 incident. In kidnapping and armed robbery of Baton Rouge firefighter, man found guilty A Zachary man was convicted Thursday of abducting a Baton Rouge firefighter at gunpoint last year and forcing him to withdraw money from sever Franklin, who was 22 at the time, was shot, wounded and detained by the victim until police arrived. Ad hoc Judge Tony Marabella noted Monday that Franklin had prior misdemeanor convictions for simple criminal damage to property and hit-and-run driving. His probation was revoked in both of those cases, the judge said. "It is very clear to this court that he has never taken responsibility for his actions," Marabella said. "He has been given mercy by the criminal justice system. He has not taken advantage of that." Franklin twice declined the judge's invitation to make a statement to the court. The aggravated kidnapping charge carried a mandatory term of life behind bars. The judge also sentenced Franklin to 35 years for armed robbery and 20 years for aggravated burglary, but he ordered all of the sentences to run concurrently. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Franklin was riding a bicycle when he approached the firefighter, who also is a reserve deputy constable, as the victim was leaving his under-construction home on Ligon Road in Zachary. Franklin lived on the same block. Franklin demanded the firefighter's money, but when he said he had no cash on him, Franklin pulled out a gun and forced him to go to an ATM to take out cash, authorities said. BR reserve constable, firefighter hailed as 'hero' after shooting gunman who tried to rob him A Baton Rouge reserve constable and firefighter, kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint early Monday, later became the "hero" in the incident when Franklin forced the man to drive to several ATM locations to withdraw cash, but Franklin was dissatisfied with the amount of money he received, and directed the firefighter to go back to his home in Baker to get his wife's ATM card. The firefighter told Franklin to wait outside the home because he had large dogs that would attack. Franklin agreed, but warned the firefighter that he would kill him and his family if he didn't return to the vehicle. Franklin even asked specifically which windows in the home belonged to the firefighter's son. Once inside his house, the firefighter told his wife to call police and armed himself. But before police arrived, Franklin entered the home without permission. The firefighter used his own weapon to fire one shot at Franklin. Franklin fell to the ground, injured, and the firefighter was able to physically restrain him before police arrived. Franklin told detectives he "made a stupid mistake and robbed the victim of about $1,000 because he was going through a rough time," his arrest report stated. British tourists were whisked away from their quarantined Tenerife hotel today after Spanish authorities allowed them to leave following negative tests for coronavirus. The relieved tourists arrived at Tenerife Sur airport in the back of a coach this afternoon, with the bus driver and some of the passengers wearing face masks. The plane later took off from the island, bound for Manchester. The holidaymakers are being flown back from the Canary Islands resort by tour operator Jet2 after medical tests confirmed they had not been infected with the virus. Rival holiday firm TUI is also flying 36 Britons home from Tenerife after they similarly tested negative at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel. The tourists had expected to be stuck in the resort until March 10 after four guests were found to be infected, but have now been allowed to leave. They have been advised to 'self-isolate' in the UK until March 10 anyway, but are not being taken into quarantine in the Wirral - unlike British returnees from China and the Diamond Princess cruise ship. A bus driver wearing a mask takes British tourists away from the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in Tenerife where they had been quarantined over coronavirus fears A woman looks out of the window of a bus carrying British tourists from the Tenerife complex where the doors had been locked to prevent the spread of the virus The relieved tourists arrived at the island's Tenerife Sur airport in the back of a bus today with the driver and some of the passengers wearing face masks British tourists finally left their Tenerife hotel lockdown today and were whisked away on a bus after testing negative for coronavirus In a statement today, a Jet2holidays spokeswoman said: 'We are pleased to confirm that Jet2holidays customers at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace will be flying back to the UK with us on a dedicated flight this afternoon, following their negative test results for Covid-19 and subject to them showing no symptoms on departure.' Separately, Tui said 17 of its customers were flown back on two separate flights to Bristol and Newcastle last night after testing negative for coronavirus. A Tui spokeswoman said its remaining 19 holidaymakers will be flown to Britain on Tuesday, subject to their test results. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was working closely with authorities in Spain to ensure that Britons who do not have coronavirus can fly home. At least 50 Britons were given the green light 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. A customer with Tui, who is still at the hotel, claimed they were not included on the 'list to leave' sent by the Spanish authorities. 'Only Jet2 customers and people who arrived on the 24th are. So whether we test negative or not, we can't leave,' the customer, who did not want to be named, said. 'Tui are trying to sort this out but so far nothing. They won't actually tell us our result but it takes 24 hours and they said we'd be called if we tested positive and we haven't.' British guests at a quarantined hotel in Tenerife are being flown back to the UK after testing negative for coronavirus. Pictured: health personnel check the temperatures of a guest leaving the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel on Friday Tourists pass through a police checkpoint as they leave by foot the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel It is understood that Spanish authorities are testing British guests at the hotel, with those producing negative results able to take a flight back over the next 24 hours An FCO spokesman said: 'If you are travelling with a tour operator, you need to contact them. 'If you are an independent traveller, you will need to ensure you plan enough time to get your test result before you fly.' Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said on Saturday that 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.' Spanish authorities have said that the risk of infection for any Britons staying at the hotel is low, according to PHE. A tourist looks through a window of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel, which is on lockdown Medical professionals and representatives from TUI assist families after they were released from lockdown at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in La Caleta, Tenerife Spanish officials ordered the two-week quarantine after four Italian guests who stayed at the hotel last month tested positive for coronavirus. Canary Islands authorities padlocked the doors of the four-star hotel and told guests they would be staying for two weeks, the estimated incubation period of the virus. Guests were initially told to stay in their rooms but were later allowed to move around the hotel, including to the pool and bar. The Foreign Office had rejected calls for the government to charter a flight home, after Britons were repatriated from China and the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Those passengers were taken into quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral for a further quarantine. One of the confirmed cases in the UK, a parent at a Buxton primary school in Derbyshire, is known to have contracted the virus in Tenerife. A tourist sits on a sun bed at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel on Sunday Health personnel wearing protection clothing check the temperature of a guest at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel A Jet2holidays spokeswoman said: 'As we have made explicitly clear, our number one priority is the health and safety of our customers, our colleagues, and the general public. 'We have been working closely with the FCO, Public Health England and the hotel to find a solution which ensured the best outcome for our customers in the hotel, whilst making sure we fulfilled those responsibilities.' The FCO said hotel guests should contact the medical testing team to book an appointment and inform the Foreign Office of their flight number by calling 0034 928 262 508. Some guests staying at the hotel in the south west of the Spanish island have previously criticised the quarantine measures. British guests at a quarantined hotel in Tenerife are being flown back to the UK after testing negative for coronavirus, Jet2holidays has confirmed Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 16:31:25|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close Photo taken by mobile phone shows the policemen deployed outside the V-Mall as they respond to a hostage-taking and shooting incident in San Juan City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on March 2, 2020. A gunman took around 30 hostages at a shopping mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila and one person was shot, a government official said on Monday. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) MANILA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A gunman took around 30 hostages at a shopping mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila and one person was shot, a government official said on Monday. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora told reporters at the scene that the gunman entered the V-Mall in the upscale district this morning and demanded to talk to his former co-workers. Zamora said the gunman shot and injured another mall security guard as he forced his way into the mall. The wounded victim is in stable condition and recuperating at a nearby hospital, he added. "Now the gunman held hostage an estimated 30 mall employees inside the mall's administration office," he said. Now the entrances to the mall were sealed and police already asked mall-goers to stay away from this area. "We are currently negotiating with the hostage-taker. The negotiation is ongoing," Zamora said, adding that the ex-guard was demanding for a video call with his former colleagues. Dozens of heavily-armed special policemen were deployed and surrounded the mall. Attorneys defending a former Merrill Lynch trader against wire fraud and other financial-crime allegations filed a motion Tuesday demanding that the government turn over evidence related to a Justice Department whistleblowers recent allegation that DOJ fraud prosecutors routinely circumvent statutes of limitation by abusing the trust of federal judges. The motion, filed by attorneys at the Chicago-based law firm Kobre & Kim and obtained by National Review, demands all evidence of prosecutorial misconduct exposed by former DOJ attorney Ankush Khardori, who resigned on January 31 after sending a memo to the DOJ Inspector Generals Office that cites the traders case as one in which these abuses occurred. In the whistleblower memo, which was obtained by National Review, Khardori alleged that, in cases that would otherwise be curtailed by statutes of limitation, the DOJs fraud prosecutors are encouraged by their superiors to buy more time by filing unnecessary Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) requests. The requests are dispatched to foreign governments in order to compel the release of evidence that is relevant to the prosecution of a criminal case and can take months or years to elicit a response. They are typically regarded by judges as a sufficient reason to extend statutes of limitation. The motion comes after prosecutors refused to turn over the MLAT request and the emails described in Khardoris memo after the memo was first reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier this month. A DOJ spokeswoman declined to comment when asked why the government has refused to turn over the requested documents. In the memo, Khardori specifically cites the prosecution of the previously mentioned Merrill Lynch trader who were indicted for a price-manipulation tactic known as spoofing as one of two cases in which he personally witnessed evidence of MLAT abuse. The newly filed motion includes additional evidence that the underlying MLAT request was pretextual, which comes atop the emails and statements by top officials described in the memo. A previous round of discovery revealed that prosecutors in the spoofing case had already received tens of thousands of documents from U.K. banks before the MLAT request was filed. According to the motion, there is no indication that the UK itself produced any documents in response to the 2016 MLAT request. Story continues After news of Khardoris DOJ IG memo was broken by the Wall Street Journal, the Merrill Lynch traders attorneys demanded that the government produce the relevant MLAT request. The government refused, claiming the request was irrelevant since they were no longer relying on the MLAT. (Once Khardori sounded the alarm about the pretextual nature of the MLAT request, government prosecutors abandoned it as a justification for exceeding the statute of limitations and instead introduced a new charge: wire fraud, which carries a more expansive ten-year statute of limitations.) When push comes to shove, rather than provide a rationale, [the DOJ] came back with a one-line email that says we dont believe youre entitled to any discovery, attorney David McGill, who represents the trader, told National Review. McGill said that the new wirefraud charge was based on a novel theory, although it has been upheld by the courts thus far. Its a purely metaphysical theory, because orders are just expressions of quantity, price, and direction. The government is saying that the order becomes a false statement based on what the trader is feeling in the privacy of his heart, McGill said. So, if the trader secretly wants to cancel the order before its executed, that somehow transforms a numerical expression of quantity and price into a false statement. While prosecutors pivoted to the wire-fraud charge once reliance on the MLAT became untenable, McGill claims their initial reliance on the MLAT caused harm to the defendants despite the fact that prosecutors are no longer relying on it. According to the attorneys, the harm done to the defendants by the initial MLAT request was two-fold: it caused a decisive witness to cooperate because he feared prosecution, when the underlying conduct should have been protected by the statute of limitation, and it extended the case to such an extent that the underlying trading data, which the attorneys claim would be exculpatory, became irretrievable. Legal experts say the lost trading data illustrates the importance of statutes of limitation in shielding defendants from frivolous prosecution, particularly in the case of financial crimes. In addition to the MLAT request itself and the resulting tolling order issued by a judge extending the statute of limitations, McGill and his team are requesting the internal emails and other documents described in Khardoris memo to the IGs office. Should a judge intervene, as McGill and his colleagues expect, the DOJ will be forced to turn over what Khardori and McGill believe to be evidence of wide-ranging abuse implicating the federal governments top anti-fraud officials. The alleged abuse mirrors the misconduct exposed by DOJ IG Michael Horowitzs report on the FISA abuses committed by the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane team. In both cases, prosecutors exploited their information advantage relative to judges to impede on a defendants civil liberties. While McGills primary concern is to address the harms allegedly done to his clients, he argues the court should be interested in investigating the underlying conduct to preserve the publics trust in the government more broadly. If the fraud police are engaging in a fraud on the court in order to investigate other people for fraud, thats a real problem, he said. More from National Review JOHN Kiely has described the Limerick senior hurlers warm weather training camp as a fantastic week. Limerick arrived back into Ireland on Saturday after a five night stay in Portugal. Less than 24-hours after returning Limerick were nine point winners over Westmeath to confirm their progress into the knockout stages of the Allianz Hurling League. Champions Limerick complete their Allianz Hurling League group phase next Saturday (7pm) against Waterford in the LIT Gaelic Grounds with a win or draw ensuring a direct route to the semi finals. Defeat would mean a quarter final against Kilkenny. We had a fantastic week - it worked really well. We got five pitch sessions in - you cant get that done here in two and a half weeks. And, we had all the other types of meetings, and video work. We are time starved here at home. We only have them on a Tuesday night for two hours and again on a Friday night for an hour and a half and you cant kill them too much because you have games coming around the corner, explained the Limerick manager of this trip abroad. You would be surprised how much you can get done in a day with a training session in the morning and then maybe some video work and then a meeting and maybe a later session of a different nature in the afternoon. There was huge value in doing what we did, he stressed. He added: It was difficult when it was booked ended by a game on Sunday (Cork) and another game on the Sunday again (Westmeath). While Limerick won by nine points against Westmeath they did look sluggish at times and needed to get four of the final five scores to ensure a fourth straight Allianz Hurling League win. Whilst that wasnt our best performance today by any stretch of the imagination, there is huge credit due to the lads to come out and get the performance and put in a shift to get the result. I know people will say that we should have scored more but when you consider the amount of work these lads have done in the last seven days, that was actually an achievement in itself, said Kiely of Sundays win over Westmeath, who now play Carlow in a relegation play-off. HOUSTON - Joanne Armstrong was tired of screaming at the television. It's why she volunteered for Lizzie Fletcher in 2018. And it's why she doesn't want Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2020. Armstrong, a physician in her 50s, decided to channel her anger at President Donald Trump two years ago by going door-knocking, for the first time ever, to help Fletcher, a Democratic congressional candidate in the suburban Houston district where she lives. In the midterms, Fletcher toppled nine-term Republican congressman John Culberson, a powerful appropriator, picking up a seat that had been comfortably in GOP hands after George H.W. Bush won it in 1966. Armstrong worries that Fletcher, still a freshman, would lose her quest for a second term if Sanders, I-Vt., is at the top of the ticket and that Trump would handily win a second term. She said it was hard enough to convince voters to take a chance on a Democratic candidate last time when she could warn while canvassing about how Republicans were trying to destroy the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan, putting people with preexisting conditions at risk. But Sanders's Medicare-for-all plan also threatens to upend the system, jeopardizing people's private health-insurance coverage. Houston is world-renowned for its medical centers, especially related to cancer treatment. "People looked at Trump in 2018 and said this is not who we are. But Bernie also isn't who we in Houston are," said Armstrong. "I'm still tired of screaming at the TV after three years. I don't want four more years." Texas is the second-biggest prize on Super Tuesday, behind California, with 228 delegates up for grabs. Houston, the fourth-most populous city in the country, has become a battleground within the battleground. Harris County, home to Houston, has more than 4 million residents, a bigger population than 26 states. Former vice president Joe Biden is flying here this afternoon for a rally at Texas Southern University. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., spoke to a crowd of 2,000 at an outdoor rally on Saturday night. Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg stumped here this past Thursday with the mayor of Houston, who endorsed him. Sanders visited the University of Houston last weekend, where he celebrated his triumph in the Nevada caucuses. Two polls published Sunday put Sanders ahead but by significantly different margins among likely voters in the Lone Star State, reflecting the degree to which the contest remains fluid and also how hard it is to predict what the electorate will look like in this evolving megastate. Sanders led Biden 34% to 19% in an NBC-Marist poll, with Bloomberg at 15% and Warren at 10%. But Sanders led Biden by only 4 percentage points, 30% to 26%, in a CBS-YouGov poll, which was within the margin of error, with Warren at 17% and Bloomberg at 13%. But Sanders fares particularly poorly in the same well-to-do suburban areas that fueled the Democratic wave in the midterms and where Trump remains most vulnerable. The 7th District, where Fletcher already faces a tough reelection fight, is the sort of place that national Democrats fear they'd lose if Sanders leads the ticket. Mitt Romney carried the district with 60% of the vote in the 2012 presidential election, but Trump lost it to Hillary Clinton in 2016 with 47%. Establishment-minded Democrats worry that voters who don't like Trump or Sanders might stay home, especially moderates who voted for candidates like Fletcher in 2018. They fear that Sanders would galvanize more Republicans than he'd bring in the new voters he promises to mobilize. Armstrong is undecided but anxious to vote for a Democrat in Texas's presidential primary on Tuesday who can block Sanders from winning the nomination. She really likes Warren, but she's mainly concerned about beating Trump. She's texted all weekend with friends as far away as New Jersey and Massachusetts to mull what she should do. "I would vote for Joe Biden. He's not my first choice, but I would if I thought he was the only one who could beat Bernie," she said. "I just don't want Bernie. There's a big contingent that doesn't want Bernie, but they're all splitting. Do I vote my conscience, which is Warren? Or do I vote strategically, which is Biden?" Carol Alvarado, a Democratic state senator who represents Houston, endorsed Biden on Sunday after his sweeping win in the South Carolina primary. Democrats picked up a dozen state House seats in 2018 and could win control of the chamber if they gain nine more in 2020. Several of their best pick-up opportunities are around Houston. Alvarado, who chairs the Senate Democratic Caucus, identified certain seats in both the state House and Senate that they're more likely to win if the former vice president is their standard-bearer. "We could lose seats if we're having to talk about democratic socialism," she explained in an interview. "And if we lose those seats, that gives Republicans a larger majority - which matters for the next decade." She's referring to redistricting. The outcome of the 2020 state elections will impact who draws the boundaries that will be in effect until 2031. Alvarado said a Democratic-controlled legislature could also vote to expand Medicaid under the ACA, something Republicans have declined to do. "There's just so much riding on this election for the future of Texas," she said. Houston is also the epicenter of the American energy industry, and Sanders's plan to ban fracking and pass a Green New Deal makes moderates jittery. When you fly into town, you see the scope of the region's dependence on fossil fuels in the form of tankers and refineries. "People's livelihoods are directly tied to that industry," said Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas. He represents a Fort Worth district, where he notes that many African Americans and Latinos depend on energy industry jobs that Sanders could put in jeopardy. He said union members also regularly express "worry and concern" to him that Sanders's Medicare-for-all proposal would take away health-care benefits they've negotiated hard to secure from their employers. Veasey lamented that Sanders being at the top of the ticket would make it harder to play offense against House Republicans like freshman Dan Crenshaw in the Houston suburbs. Veasey, who endorsed Biden in November, added that many of his Democratic colleagues would have little choice but to distance themselves from Sanders if he's the nominee in order to get reelected. "There's absolutely no question about that," he told me on Sunday evening. The CBS-YouGov poll released asked likely Democratic voters in Texas which candidate has the best chance of beating Trump, regardless of whom they support. Interestingly, Latino voters said Sanders has the best chance of winning the general, topping Biden by a 24-point margin. Black voters thought Biden had the best chance, besting Sanders by a 25-point margin. White voters were more evenly split: 32% said Biden, 28% said Sanders, 18% said Bloomberg and 13% said Warren. Anthony Blake, a 35-year-old management consultant, will vote for Sanders in the primary. "Sometimes I think you've got to fight fire with fire, as terrible as that sounds," he said. When I asked about the electability fears expressed by his fellow Houstonians, he pointed to several recent polls that showed Sanders leading Trump in head-to-head matchups and in many cases outperforming other Democrats. "The data doesn't really show that," he said, downplaying the concerns of elected lawmakers. He added that he comes from a conservative family. "They've been Republicans for 30 years now, but they dislike Trump," he said. "They're terrified of Bernie right now, but they'll vote for him over Trump." The NBC-Marist poll showed 1 in 4 likely voters in Texas remained undecided.Sarita Gomez-Mola, 70, is among them. The foreign-language interpreter, who lives in the 7th District, said she will cast her ballot for whomever she concludes on primary day has the best chance of blocking Sanders from clinching the nomination, which she acknowledged may be Biden. A friend visiting from New York encouraged her to think about Bloomberg, but she's "angsting" over which of the Democratic alternatives to Sanders could best unify the party. "Will the Sanders voters support Bloomberg? I worry," she said. "But Bernie cannot hijack the Democratic Party. He's divisive, and we're lurching from one extreme to the other. There would be nothing but gridlock. If Barack Obama couldn't get his priorities passed, how is Sanders going to?" Gomez-Mola's husband is a geologist who works for an oil company. "All his colleagues are Trumpers," she said. "They will all vote for Trump, no matter who he's up against." Likewise, she said, she'll vote for any Democratic nominee over Trump. "I was born in Cuba, and I'm very afraid of Sanders because of all the changes he wants to make," said Gomez-Mola. "But even if Fidel Castro came back from the grave and was the nominee, I'd support him over Trump. Castro was my nemesis all my life, but Trump is just that bad." This is exactly what the Sanders campaign is counting on. The senator's strategists express confidence that dislike for Trump is so strong among Democrats that even moderates will coalesce and consolidate behind Sanders if he wins the nomination. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. RTHK: Global virus toll tops 3,000 as EU raises alert The death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday as more people died in China, Iran and the US and Europe raised its state of alert. The virus has now infected more than 89,000, spread to over 60 countries and threatens to cause a global economic slowdown after first emerging in China late last year. With fears of a pandemic on the rise, the World Health Organization urged all countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms. In Brussels, EU president Ursula von der Leyen said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had increased its risk assessment for Europeans to "moderate to high" after Italy's outbreak doubled to around 1,700 cases in 48 hours. China reported 42 more deaths on Monday all in central Hubei province taking the national death toll to 2,912. However, after an increase on Sunday, China's National Health Commission reported 202 new infections on Monday, the lowest daily rise since late January, bringing the nationwide total over 80,000. Infections are now rising faster abroad than in China, as the country's drastic measures, including quarantining some 56 million people in Hubei since late January, appear to be paying off. In a symbol of the improving situation, authorities in Wuhan closed on Sunday one of 16 makeshift hospitals built or repurposed from public buildings to treat the city's huge number of patients. By contrast, Iran reported more than 500 new cases, raising its total number of infections to 1,501. Tehran also reported 12 more deaths on Monday, raising the country's toll to 66, the second biggest after China. South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000. Four more people died, taking the toll for the country to 22. South Korea's cases are expected to rise further as authorities test more than 260,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the religious group often condemned as a cult that is linked to more than half the infections. In the United States, a man in his 70s with underlying conditions died on Saturday, health officials said, as New York reported its first case in a woman who had visited Iran. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Each year, grey whales travel more than 16,000 kilometres along the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to Alaska and back. But every so often, many of them sometimes hundreds become stranded. It's not completely clear how grey whales navigate the depths of the ocean during this long journey, but one hypothesis is they use Earth's magnetic field as a sort of road map. Now a new study, published in the journal Current Biology, further supports that hypothesis, going so far as to suggest the reason for the mass strandings could be linked to radiation from solar storms and how that activity affects Earth's magnetic field. The sun and Earth The sun's activity doesn't take place in isolation; Earth in fact, every planet in the solar system is affected by it. One form of solar activity comes in the form of sunspots, the darker, cooler regions that form on the sun's surface. Sunspots have magnetic field lines that can become entangled, like an elastic band, and can snap, releasing a solar flare. These flares produce large eruptions of electromagnetic radiation that can last from minutes to hours. Travelling at the speed of light, if radiation from one of these eruptions reaches Earth, it can cause radio blackouts. They also affect animals. Goddard Space Flight Center/Associated Press Many species, such as lobsters, frogs and snails, use magnetoreception or a sense that allows them to use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation. There could be two ways in which animals can sense a magnetic field. One is they have magnetite particles somewhere in their bodies, or even throughout it something the study's lead author Jesse Granger refers to as "little iron compass needles." Another explanation could be a method known as "radical pair mechanism," where a magnetically sensitive chemical reaction is triggered depending on which way an animal is facing. While lots of research supports both hypotheses, there has been no direct evidence recorded. Story continues Whale GPS Granger a PhD biology student at Duke University who specializes in sensory migration wanted to specifically explore how animals used magnetoreception to navigate. She was also intrigued by the idea that grey whales can navigate such vast distances with such precision. "Meanwhile, I can't find my way to the grocery store without my GPS," she joked. "How are they doing this? This is crazy." Granger and her co-authors examined 186 live strandings whales that had "no signs of injury, illness, emaciation, or human interaction" dating from 1985 to 2018, and found they occurred "significantly" more often on days where the sun had several sunspots, compared to days it didn't. On those days, the chances of a stranding more than doubled. Granger's first hypothesis was that the sun pushes out high-particle storms, which, in turn, push around Earth's magnetic field, disorienting the whales. "The whale thinks it's on Third Street when it's actually on Eighth Street," said Granger. "And it ends up, perhaps, in a pinch point somewhere it can't get out of. Or it ends up in a very high riptide, and then gets sucked on the land. "Perhaps if it had a better idea of where it was located, it wouldn't have ended up in a bad place." Les Doiron But the findings didn't support that. So they turned to a variable known as radio frequency noise as something that could potentially affect the whales' navigation. "We know that radio frequency noise will prevent an animal from sensing magnetic fields," said Granger. "It was like a light bulb went off." The researchers had a new hypothesis. "Do we think that perhaps solar storms are turning off [the whales' ability] to see its magnetic field altogether?" said Granger. "Like they had a GPS and it just turns it off mid-trip?" Coupled with the sunspot data, they saw a stronger relationship between solar storms and the strandings. But Granger warns that correlation doesn't necessarily lead to causation. "We were really excited," she said. "But a lot of caution is still needed when you're talking about these sorts of statistical correlation studies. This is what we found and that's one explanation for why we would see that relationship." Klaus Heinrich Vanselow is a marine biology expert at the University of Kiel in Germany who researches sperm whale strandings in the North Sea and has written several papers with similar findings. He echoes the idea that the paper is a good start at identifying the potential interactions between radio frequencies and whale strandings, but that more research needs to be done. "Because they say it's only a property of the phenomenon it's not the real interaction," he said. "I think in the future, there must be much more research." Coronavirus Scare: Two new cases confirmed in Delhi and Telangana India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 02: The health ministry has confirmed two new cases of Coronavirus in India. One positive case has been reported from New Delhi and the other from Telangana. Officials said that both the patients are stable and being closely monitored. The person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, it said adding he is being diagnosed at RML hospital. The other person with the coronavirus infection has a travel history to Dubai, the ministry added. "Both the patients are stable and being closely monitored," the ministry said. Italy is reeling under swelling cases of the coronavirus infection. Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan confirmed, "Two positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in Delhi and Telangana. Their travel history is from Italy and Dubai. The total number of positive cases in India till now is 5." "Under the travel advisory, existing visas including e-visas will remain suspended for China and Iran. As the situation develops, the travel restrictions may be further extended to other countries also," he also said. China has reported 42 new fatalities from the novel coronavirus outbreak, taking the death toll in the country to 2,912, Chinese health officials said on Monday, as the rapid spread of the epidemic wreaks havoc globally causing over 3,000 deaths and infecting more than 88,000 people. The deadly virus that first emerged in China in December last year has spread to more than 70 countries and has infected more than 88,000 people, including over 80,000 in China. Coronavirus death toll climbs to 2,835 China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday it received reports of 202 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of cases in the mainland to 80,026. The new cases are the lowest since January 22 when Beijing initiated emergency measures, including placing the worst-hit Wuhan city and 17 other cities with over 50 million people under lockdown. Forty-two deaths were reported on Sunday in the virus-hit Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan, the NHC said in its daily report. The overall cases included 2,912 people, died of the disease, 32,652 patients who were still being treated and 44,462 patients discharged after recovery, it said. The commission said that 715 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus. S cotland has confirmed its first case of coronavirus. The Scottish Government said on Sunday that a Tayside resident, who recently travelled from Italy, has become the first person in the nation to be diagnosed with Covid-19 The person, who has not been named, has been admitted to hospital and is currently receiving treatment in isolation. It comes as the thirteenth case to be confirmed in the UK in the last two days, bring the total to 36. linical support technician Douglas Condie extracts viruses from swab samples so that the genetic structure of a virus can be analysed and identified in the coronavirus testing laboratory at Glasgow Royal Infirmary / Getty Images A statement from the Scottish Government said the patient is a resident of the Tayside area and has recently travelled from Italy. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: Our first thoughts must be with the patient diagnosed with coronavirus, I wish them a speedy recovery. Scotland is well-prepared for a significant outbreak of coronavirus but there is currently no treatment or vaccine. Early detection measures will continue to be vital in helping to prevent the spread of the virus. People wearing face masks ahead of the St David's Day Parade in Cardiff / PA People have a vital role to play in helping us contain any outbreak by following the latest health and travel advice, and following basic hygiene precautions, such as washing hands frequently, not touching their face and covering their nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Ms Sturgeon chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Committee (SGoRR) on Sunday evening and is expected to take part in the UK Government's Cobra meeting chaired by Boris Johnson on Monday. There have been a total of 698 negative tests in Scotland since the outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, but further cases are expected, the Scottish Government said. Health officials are to begin testing some people with flu-like symptoms for the virus even if they have not visited affected areas. Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said: "Firstly our thoughts are with the person who has been diagnosed, and with their family. "I would like to thank all the health professionals who continue to be involved in their care and treatment." A woman wearing a face mask on a bus in London, as the first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Scotland / PA The statement said clinicians had begun tracing the person's contacts and gathering details of the places they have visited and the people they have been in contact with since returning to the UK. Close contact involved face to face contact or spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of an infected person, rather than simply passing in a street or a shop, the statement said. Twelve new cases were diagnosed in England on Sunday and the Health Secretary admitted it was "inevitable" the deadly virus would continue to spread. Matt Hancock would not rule out following China's lead in shutting down cities if the Covid-19 outbreak escalates. Three of the latest cases are family members of a man from Surrey who tested positive on Friday, becoming the first person to contract the virus within the UK. All four are adults, including one more from Surrey and two from West Sussex, and are not GPs or health workers. Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said another new patient, from Essex, had not recently travelled to an infected area. He added investigations were ongoing as to whether the patient had contracted it "directly or indirectly" from someone who had recently travelled abroad. All of the newly identified cases are being investigated and health officials have begun tracing anyone who had close contact with them. They include one from Bury, Greater Manchester, who was infected in Italy and has now been taken to a specialist NHS infection centre. Three cases were confirmed in West Yorkshire, including two Leeds residents - who became infected in Iran - while one is from Bradford who had been in Italy. The Prosecutor Generals Office of Armenia has appealed the decision to release former executive director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Ara Vardanyan with an appeal filed with the Court of Cassation. The news was confirmed by Head of the Public Relations Department of the Prosecutor Generals Office Arevik Khachatryan. Last year, Ara Vardanyan was released on bail. On October 9, 2019, former executive director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Ara Vardanyan was charged for embezzlement on the ground of the fact that products of a company subordinate to the Fund had not been supplied to the addressees. Upon the decision of the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction, arrest was selected as a pre-trial measure for Ara Vardanyan. By IANS CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police have arrested seven accused, including three most wanted gangsters, in a spate of heinous crimes after an over two-month long, 1,500-km chase spread over four states, the state police chief said on Monday. Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said the gangster trio were arrested from Sojat in Rajasthan's Pali district after a tip-off of the local police. The trio -- Harman Bhullar, Balraj Singh and Harwinder Sandhu, members of a gang led by US-based Pavittar Singh -- had been changing their locations and creating various fake identities while being on the run across Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The gang was involved in cases of extortion, attempt to murder, murder, rioting, etc, he said. While Bhullar was allegedly involved in eight criminal cases, Balraj Singh was wanted in 10 and Sandhu in three cases. Coming close on the heels of the arrest of another noted gangster Buddha from Armenia, these arrests showed a large number of gangsters-criminals had moved out of Punjab, the DGP added. The chase of criminals, which started from Amritsar on January 28, culminated on March 1 as a result of the perfect inter-state coordination and cooperation of the four states, he said. Finally, after one of the longest chases covering a distance of over 1,500 km, they were arrested with the help of Rajasthan Police. The breakthrough regarding their movement came when Ranbir Singh was admitted to the PGI in Chandigarh on February 23 after having accidentally shooting himself with a country-made weapon. The subsequent investigations led to revelation of the weapon being provided by Bhullar and his associates through Harry Bajwa of Chandigarh. Bajwa, who provided a house to the accused in Chandigarh where they stayed two months, has also been arrested. The arrest of the three criminals further led to arrest of two of their associates -- Gurpreet Singh and Gurwinder Singh -- from Uttarakhand from Monday. The screening method is currently being trialled in a large-scale feasibility study at Greater Accra Regional Hospital. Credit: Dr Christabel Enweronu-Laryea, University of Ghana. A smartphone app that allows users to check for jaundice in newborn babies simply by taking a picture of the eye may be an effective, low-cost way to screen for the condition, according to a pilot study led by UCL and UCLH. Jaundice, where the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow, causes 114,000 newborn deaths and 178,000 cases of disability a year worldwide, despite being a treatable condition. Three quarters of deaths are in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The study, published in PLOS ONE, found that a new screening method quantifying the yellowness of the eyewhich used images captured on a smartphone cameracan be as effective at detecting more severe jaundice as costly screening devices recommended for use in the UK. Dr. Terence Leung (UCL Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering), senior author of the paper, said: "In many parts of the world, midwives and nurses rely on sight alone to assess jaundice. However, this is unreliable, especially for newborns with darker skin. "Our smartphone-based method provides a more robust assessment, ensuring serious cases do not go unnoticed. While we await the evidence of a larger trial, we believe that this method, used as an app, could help to prevent the deaths of newborn babies due to severe jaundice worldwide." Jaundice is caused by a yellow substance called bilirubin accumulating in the body. While most cases in newborns are harmless, in severe cases a neurotoxic form of bilirubin can enter the brain, leading to death or disabilities such as hearing loss, neurological conditions such as athetoid cerebral palsy, and developmental delays. In hospitals, newborns suspected of being at risk can be given a blood test to determine the concentration of bilirubin in the blood. However, jaundice may only become problematic several days after birth, when mother and newborn are at home. In the study, smartphone pictures were taken of the eyes of 37 newborn babies at UCLH who had been referred for blood tests. These images were processed to remove the distorting effects of background light and the yellowness of the eye quantified to predict the level of bilirubin in the blood. These predictions were then compared to the results of the blood tests. The method successfully identified all cases where treatment would normally be required, while identifying cases that would not require treatment 60% of the time. This is a success rate comparable to transcutaneous bilirubinometersexpensive hand-held devices recommended for use by midwives in the UK. First author, Felix Outlaw (UCL Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering), said: "Our screening method would require no special equipment apart from a smartphone and is a tenth of the cost of commercial devices used in the UK. "Given that smartphones are common even in poor and remote parts of the world, being able to use them to screen for jaundice would have a significant impact." A larger trial of the screening method involving more than 500 babies is now underway in Ghana. The trial, a collaboration between UCL and the University of Ghana as well as Greater Accra Regional Hospital, is funded by the "Saving Lives at Birth" award, with funders including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, the UK government, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced he was ending the presidential campaign in which he made history as the first openly gay man to win delegates in the race for the nomination of a major political party. His exit comes a day after his disappointing fourth-place finish in South Carolina and two days before Super Tuesday, when he was expected to continue to struggle amid the dominance of Sen. Bernie Sanders and resurgence of former Vice President Joe Biden. Buttigieg's departure from the once-crowded field also comes a day after billionaire Tom Steyer suspended his campaign. "A year ago, we launched our campaign for the American presidency," Buttigieg said Sunday night to a packed room in South Bend, moments after his emotional husband Chasten had introduced him. "We began this unlikely journey with a staff of four in a cramped office right here in South Bend. Hardly anyone knew my name and even fewer could pronounce it." The crowd laughed and erupted in chants of, "Mayor Pete, Mayor Pete." I will no longer seek to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January. 'ThankYouPete': Hashtag 'ThankYouPete' trends after Buttigieg suspends campaign As Buttigieg announced his decision, the crowd responded by chanting "2024! 2024!," a seeming nod to their hope he runs again. "Our goal has always been to help unify Americans to defeat Donald Trump, and to win the era for our values," Buttigieg said. "So we must recognize that at this point in the race. The best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals, is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together. So tonight, I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency." Buttigieg's success in the campaign, even aside from his personal story, was a remarkable achievement. As the mayor of a midsize Midwestern town, he rose from relative political obscurity to become a viable candidate for the White House. Story continues His narrow, one-delegate victory over Sanders in Iowa was overshadowed by the vote-counting chaos there and his win remained in doubt until it was confirmed after a final recanvass and recount were completed. "By every conventional wisdom, by every historical measure, we were never supposed to get anywhere at all," Buttigieg said. A week after Iowa, Sen. Amy Klobuchar surged into a third place finish in New Hampshire, eating into Buttigieg's support among the center-left bloc of voters. He finished second there to Sanders by 1 percentage point. His campaign never found its footing after that, and he failed to reach 15% support in both Nevada and South Carolina. Buttigieg's exit before Super Tuesday also bucks the past 20 years of history in the Iowa Democratic caucuses. Every Democratic winner of the caucuses since 2000 has gone on to be the Democratic Party's nominee. But with his victory in Iowa, Buttigieg achieved what would have been considered politically impossible just a decade ago. Let's vote: When are the 2020 presidential election primaries? Former South Bend Mayor and democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg hugs his husband Chasten following his Iowa Caucus Watch Party event inside Drake University on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. And on the night of the caucuses, an emotional Buttigieg was clearly struck by the significance of what he had accomplished. He said his campaign's success taught him to "believe in American belonging" and that it left him "remembering how it felt to be an Indiana teenager, wondering if he would ever belong in this world." "Wondering if something deep inside him meant that he would forever be an outsider. That he might never wear the uniform, never be accepted, never even know love. Now that same person is standing in front of you, a mayor, a veteran, happily married, and one step closer to becoming the next president of the United States." Buttigieg came out in a 2015 op-ed in the South Bend Tribune, months before being elected to his second mayoral term with 80% of the 10,000-plus votes cast. In June, he told The Des Moines Register that he did not want his sexuality to be the only thing he was known for. "I am proud of who I am," Buttigieg said. "Im certainly very proud of my marriage and my husband. We dont shy away from that. Its also not the only thing that defines me." Buttigieg's Democratic opponents immediately responded with well wishes as news of his departure from the race broke. "Thank you, @PeteButtigieg. I know you'll continue giving back and serving our country for many years to come," Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted. Thank you, @PeteButtigieg. I know you'll continue giving back and serving our country for many years to come. Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 1, 2020 President Donald Trump reacted to Buttigieg's dropping out Sunday by again implying Democrats are trying to get Sanders out of the race. "Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play - NO NOMINATION, AGAIN!" the tweet said. Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play - NO NOMINATION, AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020 Buttigieg, a former Navy intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan, was one of the few military veterans in the race. As a Rhodes Scholar with degrees from Harvard University and the University of Oxford who speaks multiple languages, he also had some of the highest academic credentials in the race. During the campaign, he pitched himself as a moderate alternative to progressive candidates like Sanders and Warren, one who was also younger and more in tune with the current Democratic party than Biden. At 38, he was the youngest of the presidential candidates, yet he failed to connect with voters under age 30, who, ironically, tended to favor the 78-year-old Sanders. On the other hand, he performed well with older voters. 'I want to be brave like you': Boy, 9, asks Pete Buttigieg for help coming out as gay Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg greets Zachary Ro, who asked Buttigieg to help him tell others he is gay, while the candidate was speaking at a town hall campaign event at the Denver Airport Convention Center February 22, 2020. From the beginning, Buttigieg's candidacy was haunted by headlines about his inability to win the support of minority voters, particularly African-Americans. Despite this efforts to make strides with black and Latino communities, his poll numbers remained dismal with those demographics. And that lack of support left him unable to compete as the race moved into more diverse states like Nevada and South Carolina. During the campaign, Buttigieg faced criticism for his response to a police shooting of an African-American man in South Bend, as well as the lack of diversity on the town's police force. His campaign did find enthusiastic support among wealthy Democratic donors and was a top recipient of donations from Wall Street contributors. Those contributions led Sanders to paint him as the candidate of the powerful corporations, who would not represent the interests of working Americans. Buttigieg, who trailed only Sanders and Warren in contributions of less than $200, defended his campaign's acceptance of large-donor donations. He told Fox News that while he was "not a fan of the current campaign finance system" he was "also insistent that we have got to go into this with all of the support we can get." Contributing: Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY; Barbara Rodriguez, The Des Moines Register; Andrew Clark, The Indianapolis Star Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks during a rally at Rancho High School on Feb. 16, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nev. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2020 election: Pete Buttigieg, a moderate, ends his bid for president On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Texas v. California, a sweeping challenge to the Affordable Care Act that seeks to obliterate the law in its entirety. Legal assaults on the ACA are not typically good news for Democrats. But here, the political ramifications could not be worse for Donald Trump. His administration will spend the run-up to Election Day asking SCOTUS to strip health insurance from more than 20 million people, quite possibly in the midst of a pandemic. Advertisement The latest attack on Obamacare is rooted in the individual mandate, a section of the law that imposed a tax on Americans who declined to purchase health insurance. In 2017, Congress reduced that tax to zero dollars. Texas, joined by a coalition of red states, then decided that, by zeroing out the mandate, Congress had rendered the entire Affordable Care Act unlawful. It argued that, in 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the mandate because it functioned as a tax. Now, Texas claimed, its no longer a tax, because it collects no money. As a result, the mandate has become unconstitutional. And because the mandate cant be lopped off from the rest of the law, the courts have a duty to tear it all down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This theory is preposterous for two reasons. First, Texas claims that the mandate is now a legal command to buy health insurance that no law-abiding citizen may ignore. But thats highly doubtful, because there is literally no punishment for those who do ignore the mandate; they have a choice between purchasing insurance and doing nothing. Second, even if the mandate were unconstitutional, Congress obviously decided that it could be severed from the rest of the law in 2017. After all, thats essentially what Congress did by zeroing out the penalty for uninsured Americans. The notion that courts cannot strike down a toothless mandate without annihilating every other provision of the ACA shouldve been laughed out of court. Advertisement But it wasnt, because Texas brought its case to the courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge Reed OConnor, one of the most partisan judges on the federal bench today. Moreover, the state found support from Trumps Department of Justice, which agreed that the mandate had become unconstitutional and argued that OConnor must strike it downalong with protections of people with preexisting conditions. OConnor then ruled that the mandate was illegal. But he went even further than the DOJ had suggested, holding that every component of the ACA must be thrown outnot just protections for preexisting conditions, but the exchanges, the tax credits, Medicaid expansion, nondiscrimination rules, everything. If upheld, that ruling would instantly take away 20 million Americans health insurance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney General William Barr was so impressed with OConnors decision that he decided to endorse it. In 2019, the Justice Department announced that OConnor was correct: The full ACA is illegal, and the courts must wipe it out. By a 21 vote, a panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit affirmed OConnors conclusion that the mandate is unconstitutional in a blatantly political ruling. But the majority told OConnor to employ a finer-toothed comb to determine which provisions might be salvageable. California, joined by a coalition of blue states, appealed the 5th Circuits decision to the Supreme Court, which took the case on Monday. It will probably hear arguments in October 2020, though the courts scheduling decisions are opaque, and it may wind up holding arguments in November, possibly just after Election Day. (The decision will come out in 2021.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No matter when, exactly, SCOTUS hears Texas v. California, it has put the Trump administration in a politically disastrous position. Most Americans have favorable views of the ACA, and a huge majority support its most important provisions. In the months before the election, Trumps Department of Justice will be filing briefs asking the Supreme Court to take away health care from a mind-boggling number of people. It will argue that the Court must obliterate a slew of popular reforms, including a guarantee that children can remain on their parents insurance through age 26, and a requirement that plans cover crucial services like maternity care and mental health treatments. It will ask SCOTUS to roll back Medicaid expansion, which has already saved at least 19,000 lives, and halt subsidies for more than 9 million people who buy insurance through exchanges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and his fellow Republicans often lie about protecting patients with preexisting conditions. It will become more difficult to pass off these lies when the administration is filing briefs at the Supreme Court that urge the justices to abolish protections for preexisting conditions. In light of research indicating that the ACA has saved thousands of lives, it is no overstatement to say that if the Supreme Court rules for the Trump administration, it will cause thousands of deaths. Notably, neither the president nor his congressional allies have proposed a serious plan to replace the ACA since their repeal and replace effort failed in 2017. Trumps plan is to eliminate the ACA and replace it with nothing. The political repercussions are clear. Health care was the top issue for voters in the 2018 midterms, and Democrats were able to seize the House of Representatives by making the matter a centerpiece of their campaigns. In 2020, the stakes are even higher. The cost of health care in the United States is already poised to help coronavirus spread across the country: Patients may struggle to afford the proper testing and treatment, making transmission more likely. Nuking Obamacare in the middle of a pandemic would exacerbate the problem, depriving millions of Americans of health insurance just as they need it most. As the coronavirus infects more Americans, the Trump administrations crusade to deprive millions of health care will become even less politically palatable. Chief Justice John Roberts has previously rejected frivolous attacks on the ACA, and hell probably rule against this one as well. Assuming all four liberal justices remain on the bench for another year or so, SCOTUS will probably throw out this ridiculous case. But in the meantime, it will be a constant reminder to voters that Republicans are intent on throwing the U.S. health care system into chaos. Then- Democratic presidential candidate, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks during a campaign rally at Hangar 9 in San Antonio, Texas, on March 1, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Mike Bloomberg Addresses Nation on Coronavirus in 3-minute Paid TV Ad Democratic candidate Mike Bloombergs presidential campaign ran a three-minute prime-time TV ad on March 1 in which he addressed the nation about the threat of coronavirus. The New York Times reported the billionaire may have paid between $1.25 to $3 million for the ad which ran around 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS and NBC during God Friended Me. The Epoch Times has been unable to confirm the cost of the ad. In the ad, the former New York City mayor can be seen standing in a room surrounded by flags while he wears a black suit and an American flag pin. I know this has been a very worrisome week for many Americans, Bloomberg begins. The coronavirus is spreading, and the economy is taking a hit. Markets have fallen because of uncertainty. At times like this, its the job of the president to reassure the public that he or she is taking all of the necessary steps to protect the health and well-being of every citizen. The public wants to know their leader is trained, informed, and respected. When a problem arises, they want someone in charge who can marshal facts and expertise to confront the problem. They want him or her to prepare for events like this in advance with teams of experts. Communications must be honest and transparent so people can be confident that professionals are in charge. Trust is essential. The billionaire then says that politics and partnerships must be put aside to allow the federal government to work in close partnership with state and local leaders who administer services and deploy first responders. Speaking about his time as mayor of New York City between 2001 and 2013, Bloomberg says he dealt with a hurricane, a blackout, attempted terror attacks, the West Nile virus, and swine flu. Although Bloomberg made no specific mention of President Trump during his ad, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the president is effectively managing the coronavirus situation and has placed the United States ahead of the curve in its comprehensive response. Mike Bloomberg is shamelessly politicizing the issue and only further exposing himself as an unserious candidate. Hes a joke, he added. Bloombergs TV ad comes shortly after officials in Washington announced a second person infected with coronavirus had died in the Seattle area. The man in his 70s had underlying health conditions. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also announced on March 1 that the first case of coronavirus has been confirmed after a woman in her 30s contracted the virus during a recent trip to Iran. She is now in quarantine in her home and has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York, he said. Two people in the Tampa Bay area have also tested presumptively positive for COVID-19, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in a statement on March 1. The individuals from Hillsborough County and Manatee County are both being cared for by health officials, and the CDC is currently working to confirm the results for both individuals, the Florida Department of Health said. DeSantis has issued an executive order taking immediate effect to direct the state health officer and surgeon general, Dr. Scott Rivkees, to declare a public health emergency in the state. The governor said he authorized Rivkees to take any action necessary to protect the public health. Bare shelves and frayed nerves were on full display over the weekend at Bay Area grocery stores as the coronavirus continued to spread. Shoppers described chaotic scenes, many of which were shared on social media: stacks of rice and toilet paper snatched up within seconds, checkout lines that snaked through entire stores, and jam-packed parking lots reminiscent of Christmas Eve. Its the latest ripple effect of the outbreak of a still mysterious respiratory illness that in the past two months has caused more than 89,000 people around the world to fall ill. The virus that only a few weeks ago was mostly confined to China now has recorded cases in more than 60 nations. According to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the number of fatalities from the illness rose to more than 3,000 on Sunday. More than 2,800 are in China, where the outbreak originated. The first American fatality occurred Saturday in Washington state, and a second death was reported there Sunday. With numbers climbing and no vaccine available, institutions such as the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent days have warned that people should be prepared for a pandemic situation, including the possibility of having to stay confined in their homes for one or two weeks. The results of that warning could be glimpsed in the depleted shelves and long lines in stores this weekend. You see the videos of people loading water into their cars during hurricanes, stacks and stacks of them. Thats what was going on, said Jeff Christner of Pacifica, who had an unexpectedly long trip with his wife to Costco in South San Francisco on Friday evening. We couldnt even believe it. The pair expected to find the usual weekend chaos at the popular wholesaler. But what they encountered was straight out of a movie: Dozens of cars snaked around the block, waiting to enter the parking lot. Shoppers lugged jugs of water and emergency supplies, since there wasnt a single shopping cart left to grab. People were panic-buying, Christner said. The self-proclaimed preparedness freak managed to buy some of the small items on his list batteries, canned chicken and medicine but found many empty boxes. I honestly couldnt believe it. I didnt expect to see what I saw. People working at such stores played down the pandemonium, but agreed that it was not a normal weekend. On a usual Saturday we have 3,000 customers. This Saturday we had 600 come through the first hour, said a worker at the Costco in Richmond. Theyre buying the essentials the news is telling us we need to be stocked up for 30 days. The store had few empty shelves Sunday morning, but thats because truckloads of goods had arrived overnight from the chains regional distribution center in Livermore. At the back of the cavernous space, pallets filled with 48-packs of bottled water dwindled in size as some shoppers loaded two or more packs onto their carts carts that also held wrapped mega-bundles of toilet paper and paper towels. More than half the nights shipment of bottled water had been sold by noon Sunday. The remaining two pallets were visible in the storage area nearby, waiting to be rolled into place. At the San Francisco Costco on 10th Street, At least its not as crazy as yesterday, one worker said. We had lines at the check-out 40 people deep. Food products with a long shelf life were in demand, such as pasta or Spam or canned ham. The selection of rice available early Sunday afternoon consisted of several dozen 20-pound bags of basmati rice near the checkout counters: Usually well have six different varieties, with three to four pallets of each, said the employee. 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. More traditional grocery stores, where goods arent sold en masse, saw less of an impact from the concerns over what the future might hold. At Diablo Market, a longtime independent grocer in Lafayette, weve seen a little bit of an increase in the canned goods sales this weekend, Cliff Walker, an assistant manager, reported Sunday afternoon. Were out of hand sanitizer, but its coming in on Monday. The scene playing out with food hoarding is a more frenzied case of what has occurred in recent weeks in hardware stores, where face masks are all but impossible to find. At Pastime Ace Hardware in El Cerrito, sales of face masks picked up late last year as Asian customers began buying them to send to family members in China, where the coronavirus was just starting to emerge. We ordered pallets of them, said Chris Gummery, a manager at Pastime. They sold at a trickle through January, and then that turned into a flood. The masks were cleaned out by last Wednesday, some customers buying dozens at a time. Gummery said its not clear when theyll be back in stock not one face mask can be found at any of Aces 37 national distribution centers. Goggles that protect the eyes from infection have sold out as well. The antibacterial soaps will be next, Gummery said when asked what other products are shifting from commonplace to rare. Everyones trying to learn what to do, what steps to take. Tatiana Sanchez and John King are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com, jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez, @johnkingsfchron Manila: Philippine police on Monday surrounded a shopping mall in an upscale section of Manila after a recently dismissed security guard opened fire and took dozens of people hostage, an official said. Mayor Francis Zamora of San Juan city in Manila said the gunman, who was armed with a pistol, shot one person at the V-Mall. The victim was in stable condition at a nearby hospital. Journalists gather outside the V-Mall after gunshots rang out inside. Credit:AP Zamora said a police negotiator was trying to talk to the gunman a disgruntled former security guard at the shopping complex inside a mall administration office. "He felt bad because he was removed as a guard," Zamora told reporters, adding that the man tried but failed to convince fellow guards to join him. Aside from a pistol, the hostage taker was yelling that he had a grenade, but authorities could not immediately confirm that, Zamora said. Pete Buttigieg is no longer coming to Michigan after withdrawing from the Democratic presidential primary Sunday. Buttigieg was planning to hold a town hall in Macomb County on March 3, but the event was canceled, according to a spokesperson with his campaign. The 38-year-old former South Bend, Ind., mayor was the first openly gay candidate to seek a major political partys nomination for president. Abby Clark, president of progressive communications firm Athena Strategies, said Buttigiegs swift exit from the campaign is left her stunned." However, she said Buttigieg deserves respect for realizing his presence in the race was splitting moderate Democratic voters. What a guy, Clark said. To go out on your own terms before anybody is asking you to or telling you to. My response was what a patriot. You are putting the country and the party ahead of yourself and your ego. Michigan residents have time to recast their absentee ballot if they already voted for a candidate who dropped out of the presidential primary. Michigan law gives voters who turned in an absentee ballot the option to "spoil their ballot and obtain a new one, providing a second chance to pick a candidate who is still in the race. This can be done by submitting a request to a local clerk before election day on March 10. There is no option on Election Day to spoil an absentee ballot that has been received by the clerk. Buttigieg celebrated his unlikely journey Sunday with supporters in South Bend after it became clear to him there wasnt a path to winning the Democratic primary. Buttigieg did not earn enough support to take any delegates in South Carolina Saturday but held the third-most delegates after the four states voted. "By every conventional wisdom, by every historical measure, we were never supposed to get anywhere at all, Buttigieg said Sunday. In a field in which more than two dozen Democratic candidates ran for president -- senators and governors, billionaires, a former vice president -- we achieved a top-four finish in each of the first four states to hold nominating contests and we made history winning those Iowa caucuses. And all of that, it came about thanks to your support, thanks to the power of this campaigns vision in your hands. It proved that Americans really are hungry for a new kind of politics rooted in the values that we share. Buttigiegs departure from the race was quickly followed by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Both had been competing with former Vice President Joe Biden to be a moderate alternative for Democrats who do not want Bernie Sanders to become the nominee. Biden scored his first big win of the primary over the weekend, taking 48% of the vote in South Carolina. Biden has the second-most delegates behind Sanders, who is the primary front-runner and expected to win Michigan. Buttigieg and Klobuchar are reportedly ready to unite behind Biden and offer their endorsements before 14 states go to the polls on Super Tuesday. Buttigieg has been especially critical of Sanders in recent debates, calling him too antagonistic to heal the countrys divisions and beat President Donald Trump. If you think the last four years has been chaotic, divisive, toxic, exhausting, imagine spending the better part of 2020 with Bernie Sanders vs. Donald Trump, Buttigieg said at the South Carolina debate. Buttigieg has also been critical of Sanders Medicare for All proposal. Buttigieg said Americans wont want to transition from private health insurance to a government-run health care system and Sanders hasnt explained how he would cover the massive costs of such a system regardless. Ill tell you exactly what it adds up to, Buttigieg said. It adds to four more years of Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House, and the inability to get the Senate into Democratic hands. Buttigieg also criticized former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg for supporting racist stop and frisk police policies. He also warned that Bloomberg would face scrutiny for having his female employees sign non-disclosure agreements. After announcing his departure from the 2020 race, Buttigieg encouraged supporters to remain focused on the future. I know that as this campaign ends, there comes disappointment that we wont continue, but I hope that everyone who has been part of this in any way knows that the campaign that you have built and the community that you have created is only the beginning of the change that we are going to make together, Buttigieg said. Buttigieg had planned to visit Macomb County on the same day U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, are also scheduled to visit Michigan. Both are holding campaign events in Detroit on Super Tuesday. Bloomberg is also planning to campaign in Macomb County on Thursday, March 5. Additional details of his visit have yet to be released. Read more on MLive: What happens if I voted for someone who dropped out of Michigans presidential primary? What Michigan voters need to know about absentee ballots for March 10 primary Bernie Sanders could seize second Michigan presidential primary win, this time as Democratic front-runner Elizabeth Warren sets sights on Michigan while Democratic primary field shrinks Democratic hopeful Tulsi Gabbard to campaign in Michigan on Super Tuesday By Justin Wise March 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Israels ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday lambasted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over the critical comments he recently made about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing the presidential candidate as "a liar, an ignorant fool or both." Speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference, Danny Danon offered a searing rebuke to Sanders for calling Netanyahu a "reactionary racist," according to The Times of Israel. Whoever calls the prime minister of Israel a racist is either a liar, an ignorant fool or both, Danon said as he spoke on the first day of the pro-Israel lobbying group's annual conference. We dont want Sanders at AIPAC. We dont want him in Israel. Sanders, one of two Jewish candidates running for president this year, has for years been an outspoken critic of Israel and some of its policies. He said last month that he would not attend the AIPAC conference because the group provided a platform to leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. Addressing that decision and his past comments about Israel, Sanders emphasized during the Democratic debate in South Carolina that U.S. foreign policy should "absolutely" work to protect the independence and security of Israel. "I'm very proud of being Jewish. I actually lived in Israel for some months. But what I happen to believe is that right now, sadly, tragically, in Israel, through Netanyahu, you have a reactionary racist who is now running that country," Sanders said. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter "You cannot ignore the suffering of the Palestinian people," he added. "We have got to have a policy that reaches out to the Palestinians." Israel's foreign minister, Israel Katz, called the remarks from Sanders "shocking." Netanyahu also addressed the remarks, saying, "What I think about this issue is that he is of course wrong, no question." But he added that he would not intervene in U.S. elections. AIPAC was founded in 1963 with a mission of promoting the U.S.-Israeli relationship. In recent years, it has faced consistent scrutiny from progressives over its policy stances and support of Netanyahu. The organization dismissed Sanders's criticism ahead of its annual conference, saying that the senator has never attended our conference and that is evident from his outrageous comment. By engaging in such an odious attack on this mainstream, bipartisan American political event, Senator Sanders is insulting his very own colleagues and the millions of Americans who stand with Israel, the organization said. Truly shameful. In wake of Danon's comments at the AIPAC conference, Sanders was asked on CBS's "Face The Nation" on Sunday whether he felt there would be a "political cost" to taking on the pro-Israel lobby. Yeah, I do. They have a lot of money, they have a lot of power," he said, before stressing that he is not anti-Israel, but rather someone who advocates for a foreign policy that not only protects Israel but deals with the suffering of the Palestinian people as well." " Source " With rise in Omicron cases, SC to conduct hearings virtually for next two weeks Can't allow every person who thinks of some solution to COVID-19 to file petition: SC Supreme Court to take a call on whether to forward Article 370 issue to seven-bench judge today India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Mar 02: Supreme Court will on Monday take a call whether the petitions that challenges the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, that recently granted special status to the Jammu and Kashmir, should be heard by a seven-judge bench. Earlier, a five-judge bench, presided by Justice NV Ramana comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, BR Gavai, R Subhash Reddy and Surya Kant had reserved its order on reference of the case to a seven-judge bench. In August 2019, the Centre had abrogated Article 370 which ended special provisions provided to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one. We stand by decision on Article 370, CAA: PM Modi in Varanasi As many as 23 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court that challenged the Centre's decision. According to reports, senior counsel Dinesh Dwivedi, had pointed out that two Supreme Court judgements that was held earlier, Prem Nath Kaul (1959) and Sampat Prakash (1968), are at loggerheads with regard to the scope and intent of Article 370. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 However, since the judgements for these both were delivered by benches of five judges, Dwivedi had asked the court to refer the issue to a seven-bench or more judges. The Centre and the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir opposed the reference and submitted that there was no conflict between the two judgements. In August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed communications blackout and a lockdown after several politicians and activists were detained to prevent protests against the Centre's decision. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 9:29 [IST] The Democratic presidential race got a major jolt over the weekend with the resurgence of a candidate known for his work in advancing tribal sovereignty and the exit of another who had the most direct experience in daily tribal affairs. "You launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump," Biden said in a victory speech on Saturday evening from Columbia, the South Carolina capital, referring to the Republican incumbent. Among other achievements, Biden is known for decades of work in the U.S. Senate on the Violence Against Women Act . His efforts led to the historic recognition of tribal sovereignty in the version of the law that Obama signed in 2013. Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate for president, speaks at Moving America Forward Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 16, 2020. Photo: Gage Skidmore The former two-term vice president, however, has yet to announce a standalone Indian policy or any major Indian Country supporters. He declined to participate in the first Native American Presidential Forum , held last year in the key voting state of Iowa, and only sent a a brief video message to the second one in Nevada, where he lost the Democratic caucuses by a wide margin to Bernie Sanders barely a week ago. "I promise you. If I'm elected president, you'll never have a better friend in the White House than me," Biden said in remarks delivered to the Four Directions and Nevada Tribal Nations Native American Presidential Forum on January 15. In his plan to end violence against women , he has called for expanded recognition of tribal authority over non-Indians and has pledged to take steps to address the "epidemic" of missing and murdered Native women and girls. Another participant in the Native forum, meanwhile, ended his presidential aspirations. After a fourth-place showing in South Carolina, an outcome that earned him no new Democratic delegates, Pete Buttigieg announced he was dropping out of the race. "I will no longer seek to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a Democratic president come January," Buttigieg said on Sunday night from South Bend, Indiana, where he served as mayor for eight years. Unlike Biden, Buttigieg had a comprehensive Indian platform and a team of Indian advisers and supporters that included prominent figures like Keith Harper , a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who served as a U.S. Ambassador during the Obama era Bryan Newland , the president of the Bay Mills Indian Community ; and Alex Wesaw , a council member from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Announcement from Pete at 8:30 pm EST Pete will be delivering remarks from South Bend, Indiana at 8:30 pm EST. We will be live streaming the event here and at peteforamerica.com/live. Thank you. Posted by Pete Buttigieg on Sunday, March 1, 2020 As mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg helped make history by welcoming the Pokagon Band back to its homelands following the tribe's trust acquisition of 166 acres in the city. He helped negotiated a government-to-government with the tribe, a first in Indiana , and was a frequent promoter of the tribe's civic and economic achievements. I know that my communitys challenges wont be undone in one election cycle or even in one presidential term, but its important that we elect a president who recognizes one of the darkest chapters in our nations history and will begin to tackle these challenges with the urgency that is required," Alex Smith, who is the youngest person to serve on the council of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes , said in his endorsement of Buttigieg Despite a strong showing in Iowa, where he had campaigned on the Meskwaki Nation , Buttigieg was trailing in the Democratic delegate count, the numbers needed to secure the party's nomination. Sanders, the senior U.S. Senator from Vermont , has emerged as the front-runner with 58 delegates, followed closely by Biden, who has 50 delegates thanks to his new win. Buttigieg was running third with 26 delegates. Tom Steyer , a businessman who had been endorsed by Sue Masten, a former president of the National Congress of American Indians , dropped out of the race on Saturday, following a poor showing in South Carolina. He didn't have any delegates either. Warren announced a detailed Indian policy platform back in August, promising to uphold the federal government's trust and treaty obligations as president. But she continues to face questions about her commitment despite counting Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico), one of the first two Native women in Congress , as one of her high-profile supporters. The doubts center on Warren's assertion of being "part Native American" on her mother's side of the family. Though she has openly admitted none of her ancestors will be found on any tribal rolls , and genealogists haven't found any such heritage , citizens of the Cherokee Nation , the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians believe she has caused "real harm" to their communities with her "false claims to American Indian identity," which she later attempted to bolster with a DNA test that drew scorn from a Cherokee Nation official who now serves as the tribe's chief. "Stating you do not qualify for citizenship is not enough; the truth is you and your ancestors are white," a open letter signed by nearly 150 Cherokee citizens and joined by more than 70 allies from other Indian nations stated. Warren, who participated in both Native American presidential forums , acknowledged as much in a 12-page response to the open letter . She said she identifies as "white" and that she continues to talk about her family history as "an explanation, not a defense" of her ancestry claims. "I am very sorry to have played any role in contributing to the invisibility of Native peoples," Warren added, addressing a point raised in the open letter, which also cited the steps she has taken in the Senate and as a presidential candidate to advance Indian issues For folks who didn't read @ewarren's entire 12 page response to 200 Cherokee citizens and Native allies asking for her to retract her unfounded family story of Cherokee heritage yesterday, here is a break down of what it contained: pic.twitter.com/loNsfMFlvY Rebecca Nagle (@rebeccanagle) February 27, 2020 But Warren's reaction doesn't appear to be changing any Cherokee minds. The organizers of the letter, including genealogist Twila Barnes , professor Joseph M. Pierce , scholar Daniel Heath Justice and award-winning journalist Rebecca Nagle , have called the response inadequate because they believe it fails to address the underlying critique. "She's holding onto a story that not only has zero basis in reality, but is based White supremacy and Indigenous erasure," Nagle, who recently won American Mosiac Journalism Prize for her coverage of a major tribal sovereignty case, wrote on social media Of the candidates still in the race, Klobuchar also has released an Indian Country platform . In it, she vows to ensure tribes are consulted on issues that affect them, to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and invest in infrastructure in tribal communities, among other pledges. "Senator Klobuchar has long advocated for the Violence Against Womens Act Reauthorization and is a strong supporter of Savannas Act to address violence against Native American people, particularly women and children," the candidate's policy reads. "She authored and introduced the Tribal Adoption Parity Act to bring parity to tribal government for the adoption tax credit and she has introduced bills that would expand broadband deployment and adoption in consultation with tribal governments." Mike Bloomberg, a Democratic candidate for president, addresses a rally of supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 1, 2020. Photo: Gage Skidmore Bloomberg, who led New York City for three terms, has a comprehensive Indian policy as well. He outlines a number of proposals, many of them focusing on improving economic, educational and social conditions among the first Americans. Mike Bloombergs plan to uphold tribal sovereignty and improve the lives of Native Americans is achievable and long overdue, Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear of the Osage Nation said in support of a platform released last Thursday. "He will reaffirm Indian Country land rights, upgrade our infrastructure and combat environmental injustice. Hell elevate tribal authority and protect Native American women and girls. He will fully fund the Indian Health Services and will enhance economic and educational opportunities for tribal members." Despite his current pledges, Bloomberg was a major player in efforts to diminish tribal economies by going after tobacco businesses that operate on Indian lands. After filing a lawsuit against Indian smoke shops , he called on the governor of New York to take a harsh stance toward such retailers by forcing them to pay taxes to the state. "You know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun," Bloomberg said on a radio show in August 2010 . "If there's ever a great video, it's you standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway saying, you know, 'Read my lips: The law of the land is this and we're going to enforce the law.'" Bloomberg later won an injunction against retailers on the Poospatuck Reservation , which is home to the Unkechaug Indian Nation , whose sovereign rights are recognized in state law. But that didn't stop him from sending undercover agents to the reservation , even though it lies outside New York City limits. The Super Tuesday primaries include California, Minnesota and Oklahoma, all states with significant Indian Country populations. A huge chunk of delegates are up for grabs, representing 34 percent of pledged delegates, according to Ballotpedia, a non-partisan encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Join the Conversation As new coronavirus cases are confirmed each day, fear and misinformation continue to spread more rapidly than COVID-19 itself. False or misleading claims in the media, buoyed by harmful stereotypes, have fueled discrimination and violence that revive painful histories of attributing disease outbreaks to marginalized groups. Health officials have taken note of the disturbing trend, cautioning that stigma and discrimination could undermine efforts to contain the outbreak. This is not the first time stigma and discrimination have stymied a response to a growing epidemic and hampered progress toward critical global health goals, including universal health coverage. When HIV first came to the fore in the 1980s, lack of timely, accurate information fueled widespread stigma and discrimination. Even when testing, treatment and prevention measures became available, people did not access services out of fear that they would be exposed to further stigmatization, discrimination, violence or arrest. Decades later, stigma continues to have devastating effects on people living with HIV around the world especially for groups already facing systemic discrimination, such as women and girls. For too many women and girls living with HIV, the fear of violence and stigma can be a barrier to getting healthcare and prevent them from seeking support from their families and communities. Health for all cannot be achieved unless all peopleespecially marginalized groupscan get health services without fear of harm. Upholding womens rights In an effort to combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination, some countries have used their court systems to uphold the rights of women living with HIV. Namibias Supreme Court ruled that the practice of forcibly sterilizing HIV-positive women was a violation of their rights, allowing women who had been subjected to the procedure to seek redress for physical and psychological damages. In Malawi, a woman was convicted under a misguided law that made it illegal for women with HIV to breastfeed, despite evidence that women who are on antiretroviral treatment have an infinitesimal chance of transmitting the disease to their child. The Malawi High Court overturned the conviction, demonstrating the importance of grounding judicial decisions in scientific evidence and protecting vulnerable groups from the unjust consequences of public panic. Other countries are enacting policies to tackle stigma and make it easier for vulnerable people to get healthcare. Last year, Tanzania lowered the age of consent for HIV testing from 18 to 15, encouraging adolescents to get tested and helping to normalize HIV testing within an age group thats at high-risk for transmission. Colombia and Belarus also struck down laws that criminalized the transmission of HIV, making it easier for people to seek healthcare without fear of persecution. Accurate, timely information To ensure countries are prepared to respond to outbreaks like COVID-19 we must implement lessons about the importance of investing in programmes to eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Governments, media and civil society must put out accurate, timely information about how people can protect themselves and others from the virus, and take steps to combat false, discriminatory narratives, which are ultimately counter productive. Alongside preparedness measures, countries must ensure efforts to strengthen health systems and promote universal health coverage are truly inclusive, by prioritizing and protecting vulnerable groups, including by implementing rights-based laws and policies. A few weeks ago at the 2020 Munich Security Conference, World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom ended his remarks with a question: We have a choice. Can we come together to face a common and dangerous enemy? Or will we allow fear, suspicion and irrationality to distract and divide us? To combat stigma and discrimination and achieve universal health coverage, we must not divide ourselves further. Ultimately viruses dont discriminate on race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation. On this Zero-Discrimination Day, let us learn the lessons from HIV and reinvigorate our commitment to respecting human dignity and equality. London, March 2 : Deontay Wilder will fight Britain's WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury for a third time this summer. The pair drew their first fight in 2018 and last weekend Fury stopped Wilder in the seventh round to win the title, according to promoter Bob Arum. Speaking on it, Arum said: "I will look at a Pulev/Fury fight to unify the belts at the end of the year." "Your king is here and I'm not going anywhere, for the war has just begun," he was quoted as saying by BBC sports. "I'm a king that will never give up and will fight to the death. I am a warrior, I am strong and I will be back," he added. Paris Fury has said she wants her husband to fight Joshua before he hangs up his boots. US scrambles to tackle virus Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/1 22:53:40 Political factors, testing delay hinder White House's readiness When Western media, including American media outlets, harshly criticized failures of governance in China to properly contain COVID-19, especially flaws in the early response mechanisms, the deadly virus might have crept in many of the Western countries with insufficient awareness and few control measures in place to check its spread. As now daily infections outside China have exceeded the number in China and with first confirmed death reported in the US, more questions have been raised about the preparedness of other governments in face of the outbreak. In the US, finger-pointing, partisan politics and presidential election might all jeopardize the virus-control work and undermine the fundamental interests of the American public. Officials in Washington state announced on Saturday the first death from the novel coronavirus pneumonia, officially known as COVID-19, which was the first such death in the US. However, US President Donald Trump mistakenly described the patient, who was a man in his 50s, as a "wonderful woman" during a press conference while the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later took the blame by claiming it mistakenly identified the patient as female in a briefing to Trump and US vice president Mike Pence, who is now overseeing the US federal government's response to the outbreak. This was not surprising for some observers on US politics as Trump may have little understanding about this new disease, which has infected more than 85,000 people globally with a high death toll and being detected in at least 54 countries and regions. Ill-prepared Some raised questions about whether the White House is fully prepared for a community transmission following the media reports of US CDC's faulty mass screenings and highly possible shortages of medical supplies, some of the same issues China had encountered in the early stages of the outbreak. Criticism also emerged about flaws in the US healthcare system, which could potentially hinder it from responding to the disease more effectively. No country can say it is well prepared for a COVID-19 epidemic, as once the outbreak occurs, it becomes a challenge to gather medical supplies and strengthen healthcare as well as public awareness, Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist at China's CDC, told the Global Times on Sunday. "President Trump's remarks concerning the epidemic is more from a political angle and lacks any public health perspective," Zeng said, noting that the US government should handle the matter using professional recommendations. Appointing Pence, a former Indiana governor, to lead the government's task force in containing the rapidly spreading disease also sparked concerns due to Vice President's lack of medical expertise and delayed reaction to a previous HIV outbreak in Indiana, and some critics said Pence is the wrong person to lead the response, according to NPR. Some US officials and media outlets harshly criticized China's authorities, particularly China's CDC, local government and health commissions in the epicenter Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, for incompetent response capacity at the early stage of the outbreak, claiming that the emergency revealed so-called fatal flaws in China's political and healthcare system. However, the same problems appeared in the US, underscoring the systematic loopholes in its two-party political system, such as lack of consistent commitment and coordination, according to observers and medical experts. "The hasty and unprofessional response to the outbreak exposes shortcomings in the US federal government, which has failed to coordinate resources and address bipartisan concerns," Li Haidong, professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times. Japanese TV Asahi Corp suggested the US may have mixed cases of COVID-19 with flu, sparking speculation on whether the US had failed to identify flu-like illness in the first place and if the outbreak first occurred in the US. However, observers said the lack of information transparency related to the disease helped fuel public speculation, putting the at risk. Test for US governance The test is officially beginning in the US, Chen Xi, an assistant professor of public health at Yale University, told the Global Times on Saturday. "Currently, US metropolises face higher risks as a large part of residents there are not covered by healthcare insurance while rural areas face smaller risks," he said. The US CDC reported cases of unknown origin in the states of California, Oregon and Washington, raising fears of further spread on the West Coast. It also forecast that more cases of COVID-19 are likely to be identified in the coming days and the healthcare system may become overwhelmed, according to a statement on its website. However, some analysts suggested that the expensive American healthcare system could become another problem for the public, especially after the US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar reportedly suggested that coronavirus treatment might not be affordable to all Americans after requesting funding of $136 million from Congress in fighting the disease. And many Americans avoid going to see doctors due to the high cost, which has also become a major disadvantage in the US's combat against the disease, according to media reports. While President Trump is trying to downplay the impact of the virus by urging the media "not do anything to incite panic, because there is no reason to panic at all," medical experts suggested that the US government should look beyond issuing travel alerts to contain the viral spread. "Given the community-based spread, it should consider questions like how local hospitals can increase capacity to handle large influxes of patients, whether they have sufficient test kits, how to train medical staff sooner and enhance screening capabilities," Jennifer Huang Bouey, an epidemiologist and senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, told the Global Times on Saturday. US political opinion website Politico said in a recent article that the US CDC is not yet ready to detect whether the coronavirus is spreading in the country as only a small amount of public health labs in the country are able to diagnose the virus, reflecting a slow response of the US CDC in mass screening of suspected patients. And this fault within the US healthcare system also adds to risks of a full-fledged outbreak occurring in the country, the article noted. "The US CDC took those three cases with unknown origins as a serious signal as such cases occurred when there were only dozens of confirmed cases reported, indicating that COVID-19 may have already spread widely in the country but with little knowledge," Zeng, chief epidemiologist at China's CDC, said. When Trump was asked about whether Americans should be tested for coronavirus infection, Trump reassured the public at a recent media briefing by claiming that "we're testing everybody that we need to test and we're finding very little problem," this, however, has not stopped locals from being anxious as the facts are still unknown, urging the US government to cope with the matter in a more responsible way. "If the US fails to contain the viral spread, it would be a heavy blow not only to the US itself but also to the world's economic recovery, which will weigh on the global supply chain and lead us to the edge of a huge crisis," Li said, noting that it is time to reconsider public health emergency as part of national security issues and embrace global collaboration in this unprecedented fight. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal As Christ Sathoud was on trial last spring accused of agreeing to pay to have sex with deputies posing as teenagers, a prosecutor asked a defense witness whether sending unsolicited lewd photographs was a form of sexual deviancy. But there was no evidence that Sathoud ever sent images of his genitals to anyone. In an order filed earlier this month, Judge Brett Loveless found that the prosecutor acted in willful disregard when he raised the issue in front of a Bernalillo County jury. The judge barred retrial of Sathoud on double jeopardy grounds and dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. In making its determination, the court is mindful that the purpose of the double jeopardy clause is not to punish prosecutors but to protect defendants from reprosecution once a prosecutors actions, regardless of motive or intent, rise to such an extreme that a new trial is the only recourse,' Loveless wrote in his order. Prosecutors with the Attorney Generals Office said in court filings that the prosecutor, while preparing for Sathouds trial, had inadvertently accessed evidence from another case that included the images. But Loveless wrote in his order that the photographs have never been provided to the court. The question by prosecutor Bryan McKay came as a forensic psychologist opined that Sathoud was not predisposed to seek out sex with a child. The prosecutor invented evidence that doesnt exist, Sathouds defense lawyer, Nicholas Sitterly, said in an interview Tuesday. I mean, I dont think it gets much worse than that, he later added. The AGs Office has asked Loveless to reconsider his order, and the defense has urged the judge to reject their request. Multiagency sting Sathouds charges of child solicitation and attempted human trafficking were the result of a 2017 sting by a coalition of law enforcement agencies. A Journal story published not long after the sting reported that each agency involved took a different approach. The AGs Office focused on finding men believed to be preying on teenagers. They want to meet a child to have sex with them, an AGs Office agent said then. We want to send that message that you have no idea who youre going to walk in with, so maybe just dont do it. A review of the seven arrests stemming from that portion of the sting shows Sathouds case is the fourth to close with no conviction. As for the three men who were convicted? They were sentenced to probation. This operation resulted in multiple convictions and prosecution of these cases remains ongoing, Matt Baca, a spokesman for the AGs Office, said in a statement. Any law enforcement operation that holds a potential offender accountable is extremely valuable in protecting children from abuse. He said that two cases that had been dismissed by the state early on are still being reviewed for prosecution. In a statement Wednesday, Sheriff Manuel Gonzales called the operation successful and said that the agency will continue to combat Albuquerques crime crisis and target the criminals who seek to harm the children, families and businesses of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Site for adults Court documents show that six of the men arrested responded to advertisements on backpage.com, a website known for listing sexual services. Sathoud was the only one charged after responding to a profile on adult dating website Plenty of Fish. The profile for Toni N kandie said the user was 18, and it invited site visitors to keep me company and ask about my friend. A criminal complaint filed against him says that Sathoud messaged the profile, and after some communication said that he was interested in adult type fun and asked for a price. An undercover agent responded with a price, and said she and her friend were both 15, but can do adult fun. He initially said it was risky and that he didnt want to get into trouble, but later he agreed to pay $60 for a threesome and met the deputies in person at a motel, where he was arrested. The profile featured photos of the deputies, who were then 28 and 23, and had not been age-regressed. And Sitterly said his client was deep into a conversation with them before there was any suggestion that he was communicating with a teenager. He met up with them, but quickly tried to leave and never brought out any money. Sitterly asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing his client had been entrapped. Youre spending taxpayer resources to go onto adult dating sites to use adult womens photos to get an adult man who mostly messages adults into a situation, and then you arrest him when he tries to leave? To me, youve got your priorities really backward there. Go to the dark web and investigate actual child trafficking, Sitterly said. The case was initially dismissed because the state was negligent in its duty to disclose evidence, but it was refiled soon after. Judge declares mistrial The case finally went to trial in May 2019. Problems arose on the fourth day as a forensic psychologist testified in support of Sathouds entrapment defense. The prosecutor asked whether sending pictures of genitals to women, unsolicited, could fit within sexual deviance. Sathouds attorney asked to speak privately with the judge and prosecutor, saying that it was the first time such photographs had been mentioned in the case. Prosecutors later explained that the photos referenced were possibly from a similar operation to the one resulting in the defendants arrest, the judge wrote. Loveless declared a mistrial after finding a false fact had been injected into the trial. He asked attorneys to file written arguments over whether the case could be retried, and he dismissed the case Feb. 10. Inadmissible and as it turns out non-existent evidence was presented to the jury without proper foundation and in violation of the defendants right of confrontation, Loveless wrote in the order dismissing the case. The report that would have included any such photos had also been excluded from the trial, so even if the evidence had existed in Sathouds case, the question shouldnt have been asked. He also pointed out that Sathoud is very dark-skinned, in contrast to the individual involved in the other case. The court inquired as to how there could be a mistake about whose private parts were depicted in the photographs, which he said the prosecutor was not able to explain. Loveless said he was also troubled by the states failure to produce the photographs. The state said it couldnt locate the photos, and the computer that it was using to view them malfunctioned. While the court has already indicated it does not believe the prosecutor acted in bad faith or to avoid an acquittal at all costs,' the judge wrote, without any evidence of the photographs or an adequate explanation of how the prosecutor made the mistake, it is difficult for the court to evaluate the nature of the prosecutors misconduct in referring to the photographs. "We can now clarify in the marketplace the company that invented olive cups and separate it from the latecomers," said Michael E. Dergosits, legal counsel for Musco Family Olive Co. In a clear signal identifying the source of innovation in the olive snack category, the United States Patent and Trademark Office recognized Musco Family Olive Co. for product originality, and granted the company a U.S. patent for the process of making its brine-less, ready-to-eat packaged olives. Available nationally as Pearls Olives To Go!, these industry-first products are the number one distributed item in the olives category. We wanted to make it easier than ever to enjoy olives anytime, anywhere, says Felix Musco, CEO of Musco Family Olive Co. Thats why, nearly a decade ago, we invested heavily in consumer-driven R&D and significant new capital for an entirely new convenient product line that would unlock retail opportunities and infuse fresh growth into the olive category. He continues, It seems so simple today. Just peel off the lid and enjoy a wholesome, mess-free snack. But the engineering expertise that went into making Pearls Olives To Go! a hit with consumers and energized sales up and down the olive aisle is an accomplishment that very much deserves a patent for its uniqueness and investment. With multiple additional patents pending, the Pearls Olives To Go! line features five flavors currently available from Musco Family Olive Co.: Black Pitted, Sliced, Pitted Kalamata, Pimento Stuffed and Italian Herb. The entire Olives To Go! line is gluten-free, dairy-free, cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, GMO-free, plant-based and vegan. Michael E. Dergosits, legal counsel for Musco Family Olive Co., highlights the significance of the U.S. patent. Receiving a patent is an important moment for the most successful new product launch in the olive category, he notes. Musco Family Olive Co. is meeting consumer demand for flavor and convenience, and we can now clarify in the marketplace the company that invented olive cups and separate it from the latecomers. Musco takes seriously its obligation to guard against patent and trademark infringement, to avoid consumer confusion, to protect the deep investment Musco made to drive the category forward, and to maintain its position as Americas leading branded olive company. Founded more than 75 years ago, the Musco Family Olive Co. is Americas number one brand of table olives. The independent, family-owned business is the countrys only 100 percent U.S.-owned full-line olive company. Together with local California growers for its ripe olives and the finest producers of imported olives for its Specialties olives and green olives, Musco Family Olive Co. brings delicious olives from orchard to the table nationwide. More About Americas Leading Olive Snack Each package of Pearls Olives To Go! contains four cups (similar to fruit snack cups but without the liquid mess) and is designed to maintain the fresh taste and perfect texture of the olives and protect them from bruising. The cups are ideally portion-controlled for kids and adults, and are the same classic olives consumers already know and love. In 2014, Parents magazine selected Pearls Olives To Go! Black Pitted Olives as a winner of the 25 Best Packaged Foods for Families Award. Progressive Grocer recognized Olives To Go! as a Category Captain in 2013 and 2015, and Olives To Go! Infused earned Editors Pick in 2018. Shoppers can find Olives To Go! in all store formatstraditional grocery, mass, club, military, c-store, drugstore and airports. About Musco Family Olive Co. Musco Family Olive Co., a third-generation privately held family-owned business and owner of the Pearls and Early California brands, is the number one branded olive company in America. Musco partners with hundreds of multigenerational family farmers throughout Californias Central Valley, growing premium Manzanilla-variety ripe olives developed and grown in the state for decades. The company also offers an extensive line of imported olives, including its gourmet Specialties olives. Musco Family Olive Co. is proud of its industry-leading environmental stewardship program and has been recognized with numerous awards. The company is committed to its California growers, long-tenured employees, and countless valued vendors and business partners. For more information, please visit http://www.olives.com. Houston Methodist will switch 26,000 hospital system employees' insurance from UnitedHealthcare to Cigna, one of the nation's largest insurers the latest move in a prolonged fight between one of Houston's largest hospital systems and UnitedHealthcare. On Monday, Houston Methodist said it would cover its employees through the Cigna subsidiary Allegiance starting July 1. UnitedHealthcare this year dropped Houston Methodist from its network in a dispute over costs, affected about 100,000 patients. Houston Methodist employees, as well as patients covered by Medicare Supplement, were exempted when the United Healthcare contract ended at the beginning of the year. "We cannot in good conscience continue our relationship with United as the administrator of our employee medical plan," Dr. Marc Boom, CEO of Houston Methodist, told employees in an email. Boom alleged that UnitedHealthcare has continued to bring "unreasonable" rates to the bargaining table. Houston Methodist has asked for increases in reimbursement rates in its negotiations, according to UnitedHealthcare. Its unfortunate that Methodist has been unwilling to actively participate in meaningful negotiations or to acknowledge that its driving up the cost of health care for the people of Houston and the health care system overall, said Cole Manbeck, a spokesperson for UnitedHealthcare. Houston Methodist and Cigna also said they reached a long-term agreement to keep the hospital system in Cigna's network, allowing the insurer's customers to continue to see the hospital's doctors at lower, in-network rates. The contract, which was due for renewal in early June, ensures access to quality care ... at predictable, affordable rates, Houston Methodist and Cigna said. Cigna, the nation's fourth-largest health insurance company, has about 500,000 customers in Houston. The company declined to specify on the length of the long-term agreement, other than to say it was multiple years. Houston Methodist's prolonged fight with UnitedHealthcare began in October, when the insurer announced it would drop the hospital system from its network. Since December, Houston Methodist has blitzed television channels, billboards and even the Houston Chronicle with ads pinning the blame on UnitedHealthcare. The agreement reached between Houston Methodist and Cigna takes a much different tone than recent contract breakdowns at some of Houston's largest hospital networks and major insurance companies. As health care costs rise, employers are pressuring their insurers to spend less, leading to contentious negotiations between insurers and providers in recent years. Cigna announced in December it would terminate its contract with Memorial Hermann, dropping some 1,460 affiliated doctors from its network and affecting 178,000 customers. Both parties said they would extend in-network status to April to allow for a longer contract negotiation period. gwendolyn.wu@chron.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu Super Tuesday is the biggest voting day in the primary election process. This year's Super Tuesday especially so, as the nation's two most populous states - California and Texas - will vote on the same day. There are 1,617 delegates up for grabs - 34 percent of all available delegates. The contest on Super Tuesday is the closest thing the United States has to a federal primary election. The states that choose to primary on Super Tuesday do so because they want to have an early influence on who the eventual presidential nominee is, and the four early primary states have agreements with the parties to maintain their early spots. The narratives built on Super Tuesday performances can make or break campaigns. In addition to the winner's narrative, the sheer number of delegates at stake is why many campaigns are hanging their hats on the results of Super Tuesday. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg skipped the first four states of the primary race - Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina - and instead chose to focus solely on winning big on Super Tuesday. Mr Bloomberg hopes that by inundating the Super Tuesday states with ads, he'll pick up victories based on name recognition alone. (The Independent (The Independent) Mr Bloomberg's ad spending eclipsed his rivals in January, spending $220.6 million to get his name and face out to the masses. By comparison, entrepreneur and former rival billionaire candidate Tom Steyer - who dropped out of the race last Saturday - spent $52.9 million and Senator Bernie Sanders spent $26.5 million. (Frontloading HQ (Frontloading HQ) Frontloading HQ shows Senator Bernie Sanders entering Super Tuesday with a lead over his Democratic opponents in pledged delegates and poised to make substantial gains in California, Texas, Utah and Colorado. Following former Vice President Joe Biden's South Carolina primary win on Saturday, Mr Biden will enter the race in second place. His victory there has also improved his polling numbers in states like North Carolina, Texas and Virginia, where he is now in close competition with Mr Sanders. Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg would have been a distant third, but dropped out of the race on Sunday. Other than Mr Sanders, the candidates with the most to gain from Super Tuesday are Mr Biden and Mr Bloomberg. Mr Biden has the chance to pull ahead of Mr Sanders if he performs particularly well or if Mr Sanders performs particularly poorly. With Mr Buttigieg out of the race, Mr Biden may get a bump to his numbers from migrating supporters. If Mr Bloomberg does well and Mr Biden underperforms - which does not appear likely to happen - it would become a race for second place as the candidates eat into each other's likely voter pools. (Frontloading HQ (Frontloading HQ) However, as this chart from Frontloading HQ shows, the race might look a lot different today if superdelegates were being counted on the first ballot. Thus far, Mr Biden is far ahead of Mr Sanders in the number of superdelegates who've endorsed him - 83 to Mr Sanders' 23. Due to a rule change implemented after the 2016 primary, superdelegates now only get to vote on the party's second ballot. This happens at the convention in July and only occurs if no candidate wins the 1,991 pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination. It's important to note the difference going into Super Tuesday because the prevailing narrative might be significantly different without the rule change. If superdelegates were allowed to participate in the first round of elections, Mr Biden's campaign could claim it had the delegate lead despite only winning 15 pledged delegates. Mr Sanders, who has won more pledged delegate support from the rank-and-file Democratic voters, would be cast in second place. The chart also provides some insight into what superdelegates may do if no candidate is able to win the 1,991 delegates needed to clinch the nomination by the time of the convention. (Frontloading HQ (Frontloading HQ) Despite recent drop-outs, the race for the nomination is still somewhat crowded, and there are several Super Tuesday states where two or three candidates are neck and neck, which means a greater delegate split. Since a candidate needs to amass 1,991 pledged delegates to win the nomination, no one is going to run away with the election after Super Tuesday. As the Frontloading HQ chart above suggests, Super Tuesday is by far the most significant day of the primary election for picking up delegates. If the race remains neck and neck coming out of Super Tuesday, it's totally feasible that - barring any scandals or other unforeseen events - it will remain that way until the convention. (RealClearPolitics (RealClearPolitics) As RealClearPolitics' poll aggregates attest, the prevailing narrative heading into Super Tuesday for the candidates is that Mr Sanders is poised to win substantially in a few states, particularly California, Utah, Colorado and his home state Vermont. He is also competitive in Texas. Mr Biden, who was once riding high as the presumed front-runner until his popularity began to tank at the beginning of February, has seen a resurgence following his South Carolina victory and is polling well going into the Super Tuesday. As Mr Sanders popularity has been growing, Senator Elizabeth Warren's numbers have been falling. As of Monday, Mr Sanders is polling better than her in her home state of Massachusetts in every district. Mr Bloomberg, who managed to quickly climb in the polls thanks to a deluge of campaign advertisements leading up to Super Tuesday, is currently sitting just above Ms Warren in overall polling popularity. Last night she began her search for romance on Celebs Go Dating. But Alison Hammond, 45, accidentally revealed that her time on the E4 dating show has been unsuccessful, as she joined Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on Monday episode of This Morning. The former Big Brother star revealed she was left 'absolutely devastated' and headed straight to the gym after James Lock, 33, told her she is his 'perfect girlfriend, personality-wise.' Devastated! Alison Hammond, 45, revealed she was left 'absolutely devastated' and headed to the gym after James Lock, 33, told her she is his 'perfect girlfriend, personality-wise' Alison spoke of how, for the final episode of Celebs Go Dating, they travelled to the Dominican Republic where she fell in love with the TOWIE hunk. She said: 'I fell in love with James Lock. I was like, this Greek god is on the show. He made my heart sing. 'He actually said, 'Alison, you're my perfect girlfriend personality-wise.' - I was absolutely devastated. So I went to the gym and worked out! So personality-wise I'm his perfect girl.' Holly exclaimed: 'That's so rude!' which left Alison asking 'Do you think?', with Holly asserting: 'Yes I do. Cheeky. No, don't you change, ever!' Oops! The former Big Brother star accidentally revealed that her time on the E4 dating show has been unsuccessful, as she appeared on Monday's episode of This Morning Aww! Alison spoke of the final episode of Celebs Go Dating in the Dominican Republic, saying: 'I fell in love with James Lock. I was like, this Greek god is on the show. He made my heart sing!' On what she's looking for in a partner, Alison admitted: 'Just someone who would love me really and me love them. Just someone to share my life with. It makes me emosh! 'I don't have the time to look, I don't even think about that. And if I did look, I always flirt with people and they think I'm joking I can never get past that It's really hard.' Holly asked if she used her sense of humour as a self-protection mechanism. To which Alison replied: 'What's hard about it is that it's kind of my job to build a rapport with people dead quick and so I find dating quite easy, to be honest with you. 'But at what point do you go, 'Do you know what, I've got a connection here.' I can never tell, I'm rubbish I can't do it.' What!? 'He actually said, "Alison, you're my perfect girlfriend personality-wise." - I was absolutely devastated!' Devastated: 'So I went to the gym and worked out! So personality-wise I'm his perfect girl,' said the hurt Big Brother star Holly insisted: 'You deserve to meet a really lovely, kind man, you really do.' Asked what her type is, Alison commented: 'Someone who makes my heart sing, someone who makes me laugh. I know exactly when I like someone because I get really excitable 'He's buzzy, he's amazing, he's got a job, that would be nice! I'm not bothered what job he's got as long as he's driven with it 'He can tell me about myself like, 'Shut up now Alison, you're embarrassing yourself!' Rude! 'That's so rude!' exclaimed Holly, which left Alison asking 'Do you think?', with Holly asserting: 'Yes I do. Cheeky. No, don't you change, ever!' Co-stars: Alison is currently starring alongside James in Celebs Go Dating And on what she doesn't want Alison continued: 'I don't want someone too controlling I want someone who just gets my lifestyle. 'If I don't call you or text you it's because I'm busy. Not because I'm with someone else. [I want] someone who is secure in themselves so they can see me flirting with The Rock and they're okay about it. I know my list!' To which Holly exclaimed: 'You are an absolute prize for someone out there!' before revealing that she filmed with Alison as part of Celebs Go Dating and they discussed how Alison was worried about kissing on camera. Alison explained: 'You've got to remember, I've got a 15-year-old son who is in school. I don't want him to get teased. I can't snog on camera 'So a couple of times they would go in for the kiss and I would give them the neck and then it was all awkward, it was just embarrassing. I couldn't do a full on snog on TV. I'm not saying I didn't do a snog' Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during a campaign rally at Texas Southern University in Houston on March 2, 2020. Read more South Carolina jolted the Democratic presidential contest by giving new life to Joe Bidens campaign as he challenges the front-running Sen. Bernie Sanders. Bidens moderate rivals are throwing their support behind him. Sen. Amy Klobuchar quit the race Monday and endorsed Biden at a rally Monday night, along with Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out late Sunday. Their decisions could consolidate Bidens support among more centrist voters and those who fear Sanders is too far to the left to beat President Donald Trump. But another test, with potential new twists, arrives Tuesday. Before the remaining candidates have even caught their breath, 14 states will vote in Super Tuesday contests that could reinforce Bidens rise, swing energy back toward Sanders, or throw in another wrinkle, as billionaire Mike Bloomberg appears on the ballot for the first time. Bidens blowout victory in Saturdays South Carolina primary gave him an opening to become the singular moderate alternative to Sanders and his sharply liberal agenda. But the former vice presidents surge could be short-lived if he cant muster the resources and organization to match Sanders broad and deep grassroots support, or if Bloomberg wins a chunk of the centrist vote after months of saturating the airwaves with television ads in multiple states. A slew of current and former Democratic senators, governors, and House members from California, Virginia, and North Carolina also rallied behind Biden in the hours after his South Carolina victory. He has the experience necessary to achieve progress and deliver results, and the ability to unite our partys broad coalition and lead us to victory in November, Rep. Don Beyer (D., Va.) said late Sunday, hours after Buttigieg dropped out. Beyer had supported Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind. Bidens campaign, which has far less money than those of Bloomberg or Sanders, is counting on the momentum from South Carolina to carry him in states where he has far less staff. He hopes to prove his big win wasnt a one-off. Southern states voting Tuesday also have sizable African American electorates, but none as large as that of South Carolina, said Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst at the University of Virginias Center for Politics. He has to show strength in the North and the Midwest to really threaten Sanders, I think, and thats assuming he holds the South, and thats not a guarantee, Kondik said. There are more questions about Bidens viability than there are Sanders'. But, pointing to the decisions by Buttigieg and Klobuchar, he added, What were seeing now is the start of this sort of formal stop-Sanders movement. Super Tuesday presents a different measure than the four states that have voted so far. For the first time, candidates will compete across multiple states on one day, testing their organizational abilities and their appeals across a broad spectrum of Democratic voters all at once, in what amounts to a national primary. While in the first four contest outcomes largely rested with distinct demographic groups (white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, Latinos in Nevada, African Americans in South Carolina), Super Tuesday voting will range from heavily black electorates in the South to significant Latino blocs in California and Texas and white suburban voters in Virginia. More than one-third of the total delegates needed for nomination are up for grabs on Tuesday. READ MORE: Live from East L.A.: How the Latino vote became the secret weapon for Tio Bernie | Will Bunch Biden, who fared best in South Carolina with older black voters and white moderates, according to exit polls, is aiming to win big again on Tuesday with similar voters in other Southern states and in suburban areas across the map. Sanders is targeting the huge delegate hauls in California and Texas both places where he may capitalize on his strength with Latinos. One example of that strength was Carolina Ramirez of Greenville, S.C., who has volunteered for the Sanders campaign since 2016, when she was 16. She wasnt involved in politics before, but felt a personal connection to his immigration policies: She has friends and relatives who are undocumented immigrants. My vote isnt just for me, Im doing it for them, Im giving them a voice, and I think a lot of Latinos feel that way, Ramirez said. READ MORE: Bernie Sanders is surging with Latinos. But Mike Bloomberg might have hidden appeal in Pa. Sanders has built the most devoted and enthusiastic following, and while they represent just a fraction of the Democratic electorate, that could be enough if his rivals continue to splinter the rest of the vote. Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is fighting to show she has life left in her campaign. She hasnt finished better than third place in any of the early contests, and badly trails Sanders and Biden in the race for delegates. Much will hinge not only on who wins each state, but by how much, since the Democratic delegates are doled out roughly proportionately to the vote in each. A blowout win for Sanders in California could leave him in a commanding position. A close call combined with more Biden romps in the South might suddenly make it into a two-person race. READ MORE: A progressive movement sweeping through counties Trump won in Pennsylvania could help Bernie Sanders win Bidens victory in South Carolina provided his supporters hope in part because he showed strength, in that contest at least, with a broad group of Democrats. While he tends to poll better with older voters, in South Carolina he narrowly beat Sanders among those ages 17 to 29. Still, theres a generational drop off for Biden nationally. Faith Buchanan, a college sophomore from Atlanta, said she doesnt know many people her age who back Biden. At a Sanders rally Friday in Columbia, S.C., she was surrounded by younger voters. If theres support for Biden among young people, its typically people who are a bit less politically aware, I think, and certainly not as progressives, she said. I dont know anyone who supports [Sanders] more than students. Conversely, Michael Abrams, a 20-year-old junior at Coastal Carolina University, said at a Biden rally Thursday that he supports the former vice president partly because he sees the support Biden gets from older voters and takes their experience as a signal they know who can beat Trump. Those are normally the ones that really determine elections, and theyve picked a lot of winners. I think its worth listening to that," Abrams said. I like Bernie Sanders, but feel as though a lot of Bernie Sanders policies and procedures, they sound good, but I dont think theyre really realistic. I think hes ahead of where Americas at right now. If Biden can pull in white moderate voters, black voters, and middle-age to older voters, thats a robust coalition, said Antjuan Seawright, a South Carolina Democratic consultant. You have to keep in mind the constituency in the middle," Seawright said. A grandmother and granddaughter may see things differently. But I think the mother in between that is more in line with the grandmother than the daughter. Dividend paying stocks like Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) 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. A 2.6% yield is nothing to get excited about, but investors probably think the long payment history suggests Illinois Tool Works has some staying power. The company also bought back stock during the year, equivalent to approximately 2.6% of the company's market capitalisation at the time. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Illinois Tool Works for its dividend - read on to learn more. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis NYSE:ITW Historical Dividend Yield, March 2nd 2020 Payout ratios Companies (usually) pay dividends out of their earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, the dividend might have to be cut. 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, Illinois Tool Works paid out 53% of its profit as dividends. This is a healthy payout ratio, and while it does limit the amount of earnings that can be reinvested in the business, there is also some room to lift the payout ratio over time. Another important check we do is to see if the free cash flow generated is sufficient to pay the dividend. Illinois Tool Works paid out a conservative 49% of its free cash flow as dividends last year. 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. We update our data on Illinois Tool Works every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here. Story continues 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. Illinois Tool Works has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. During this period the dividend has been stable, which could imply the business could have relatively consistent earnings power. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was US$1.24 in 2010, compared to US$4.28 last year. Dividends per share have grown at approximately 13% per year over this time. Dividends have been growing pretty quickly, and even more impressively, they haven't experienced any notable falls during this period. Dividend Growth Potential While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. It's good to see Illinois Tool Works has been growing its earnings per share at 11% a year over the past five years. Earnings per share have been growing rapidly, but given that it is paying out more than half of its earnings as dividends, we wonder how Illinois Tool Works will keep funding its growth projects in the future. Conclusion Dividend investors should always want to know if a) a company's dividends are affordable, b) if there is a track record of consistent payments, and c) if the dividend is capable of growing. Illinois Tool Works's payout ratios are within a normal range for the average corporation, and we like that its cashflow was stronger than reported profits. That said, we were glad to see it growing earnings and paying a fairly consistent dividend. Illinois Tool Works performs highly under this analysis, although it falls slightly short of our exacting standards. At the right valuation, it could be a solid dividend prospect. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 18 Illinois Tool Works analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of dividend stocks with a yield above 3%. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Russia Can't Guarantee Safety of Turkish Aviation in Syria After Damascus Shuts Idlib Airspace MoD Sputnik News 19:24 GMT 01.03.2020(updated 22:44 GMT 01.03.2020) As tensions run high in Syria's Idlib amid Thursday's spike in hostilities, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Sunday that the "Turkish regime's terrorist forces" downed two aircraft - thought to be fighter jets - belonging to the Damascus forces. The Russian Defence Ministry announced on Sunday that it could no longer guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft flying over northern Syria, after Damascus moved to close the airspace over the embattled province of Idlib. Damascus announced earlier on Sunday that it would treat any aircraft that crosses into the airspace of Syria's northwest as a hostile target. This comes amid media reports that two Syrian aircraft were shot down in Idlib. Both pilots survived after ejecting, according to reports. SANA reported that the "Turkish regime's terrorist forces" struck the planes, without specifying whether they were Turkish troops or Ankara-backed militants. There were no reports on what aircraft have been hit, but are thought to have been fighter jets. The Syrian military is known to operate Mig-29s, Su-22s, and Su-24s. A source in the Syrian Defence Ministry revealed that Turkish F-16s had twice in during the day crossed into Syrian airspace, shooting down government forces' planes. In a separate development on Sunday, Syrian air defences destroyed six Turkish UAVs attacking government forces on Sunday, the source added. The recent spike in tensions in northwestern Syria occurred on Thursday, as the Syrian army repelled a large-scale assault by terrorists operating in the area. As a result of a counterattack, 33 Turkish servicemen were killed. Right after the incident, the Russian Defence Ministry revealed that the dead Turkish troops were mixed with Nusra terrorists who had been present in the province. The ministry also said the Turkish contingent was operating outside observation posts it previously established under the provisions of deals agreed upon by Turkey, Russia and Iran in 2017 in Astana, and again in 2018 in Sochi. Syria has been conducting an anti-terrorist military operation in Idlib since December 2019, as attacks by various terrorist factions intensified throughout the country's northwest. Tensions rose on 3 February after a Damascus artillery strike hit a Turkish observation post, killing more than half a dozen soldiers. This led to a sharp increase in skirmishes across the restive province, with Syrian forces on the one side and Turkish military and militant groups backed by Ankara on the other. Russia has been mediating the conflict, calling on the sides to cease firing immediately. On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that in recent talks, Ankara had "confirmed a goal to reduce tensions." President Erdogan, however, told President Putin on the same day to "get out" of Ankara's way and leave it "face to face" with Damascus. Moscow noted that Russia remains the only state with a legitimate, internationally-recognized right to deploy its military within Syrian borders. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alex Brovarnik leapt into action to save a drowning man while vacationing in the Bahamas over the weekend. The 90 Day Fiance alumnus was in Nassau with his wife Loren, who posted a video of the incident on Instagram with a lengthy caption claiming the man was beyond intoxicated while his friends just stood there and watched. The man went into the water and about drowned! she wrote. As you can see, Alex is dragging out his unconscious body while his friends did nothing! We are meant to be in a place in time for a reason, she continued. Alex and his friend Sean were meant to be at this beach, at this exact time because if not, who knows what could have happened! My husband saved a mans life today! And I couldnt be more proud, yet not surprised at the same time, she added. Meanwhile you can see this guys friends standing there and then walking away! NOT ONE OF THEM went in the ambulance with him either! It goes to show you may think your friends are your friends, but God forbid something bad happens, would then help you or just stand there and watch you fall?! Always trust your instinct, she urged. Please share this for awareness and KNOW YOUR LIMITS! Alex also posted the video on Instagram, writing, I am glad I was able to be at the right place at the right time today to pull this kid out of the water before its too late. Story continues RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Star Loren Brovarnik Finally Feels Free Living with Tourette Syndrome The couple met in 2013 while Loren was on a Birthright trip in Israel, where Alec was working as a medic. The pair, who celebrated four years of marriage last September, are currently expecting a baby boy. They exclusively confirmed the news to PEOPLE in January. Were obviously beyond excited for BabyBrovs arrival this spring, Loren said. He is just so loved already by so many! They say there is no bond stronger than the one between a mom and her son, so the fact that Im getting a mommys boy has me over the moon, and the fact that Alex has a new fishing buddy and a mini-him, if you will, has him very excited! she added. The Brovarnik name gets carried on another generation! Hixson Utility District was named the winner of the Region 10 Best Tasting Water Competition sponsored by the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts. The event took place last Wednesday at Eastside Utility District. Drinking water samples were judged on clarity, bouquet and taste.In addition to Hixson Utility District, the competing utilities in the event included, Eastside Utility District, Etowah Utilities, Athens Utility Board and Ocoee Utility District. TAUD Region 10 consists of Bledsoe, Bradley, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie and Van Buren counties.Serving as judges for the event were members of the Silverdale Baptist Academy Adventure Outdoor Group.TAUD will conduct the Best Tasting Water in Tennessee Competition in each of its 11 regions throughout the upcoming months. The winner of each region will compete at TAUDs 2020 Business Utility Conference at the Gatlinburg Convention Center on Thursday, Aug.13. The statewide winner will represent TAUD at the Great American Taste Test held in conjunction with the National Rural Water Association Rally in Washington D.C. in February 2021.The Tennessee Association of Utility Districts is the state's main source for utility training, technical assistance and advocacy for more than 400 water, wastewater and natural gas utility members. Receives bids for 92,03,980 lakh shares by 11:45 IST The initial public offer (IPO) of SBI Cards and Payment Services received bids for 92.03 lakh shares so far today, 2 March 2020, as against 10.02 crore shares on offer, as per the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) website data at 11:45 IST. The issue was subscribed 0.09 times. The issue opened for bidding today, 2 March 2020 and it will close on Thursday, 5 March 2020. The price band has been fixed at Rs 750 to Rs 755 per share. The company on 28 February 2020 raised Rs 2,769 crore from anchor investors, ahead of its initial share sale. The company allotted 3.66 crore shares to a total of 74 anchor investors, including 12 mutual funds, through 48 schemes, at the upper end of the price band at Rs 755. SBI Cards and Payment Services is the second-largest credit card issuer in India with a 18.1% market share of the Indian credit card market in terms of the number of credit cards outstanding end November 2019 and 17.9% market share in total credit card spends in the eight months ended November 2019. The company offers an extensive credit card portfolio to individual cardholders and corporate clients, which includes lifestyle, rewards, travel and fuel, shopping, banking partnership cards and corporate cards covering all major cardholder segments in terms of income profiles and lifestyles. The issue consists of a fresh issue of equity shares (0.662 - 0.667 crore shares) aggregating up to Rs 500 crore and offer for sale of equity shares 13.053 crore equity shares aggregating up to Rs 9789.5-9854.8 crore. The offer for sale comprises an offer aggregating 3.729 crore shares by promoters and 9.323 crore share by other selling shareholders. The net proceeds of the fresh issue are proposed to be utilized for augmenting capital base to meet future capital requirements. The net proceeds of the fresh issue are proposed to be deployed in the FY2020. Further, there will be the benefits of listing of the equity shares on the stock exchanges, enhancement of the brand name and creation of a public market for equity shares in India. The offer comprises of employee reservation portion of up to 1,864,669 equity shares and SBI shareholders reservation portion up to 13,052,680 equity shares. A discount of Rs 75 per equity share is being offered to eligible employees bidding in the employee reservation portion. SBI Cards and Payment Services reported net profit of Rs 1161.21 crore and total income of Rs 7240.16 crore in the nine-months ended December 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a joint strike exercise by North Korean People's Army (KPA) units stationed on the country's eastern front, Friday, in this photo released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the following day. Three days after the drill, the North fired two projectiles thought to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea from around Wonsan, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. Yonhap By Jung Da-min North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea off its east coast, Monday afternoon, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Marking the North's first launches this year, it came at rather an "unexpected" time, when the South's and the international community's focus is on containing the rapid spread of COVID-19. Following a missile alert, Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting. "North Korea fired two short-range projectiles in a northeastern direction over the East Sea from around the Wonsan area in Gangwon Province at 12:37 p.m., Monday. It is speculated that the North is continuing joint strike drills which kicked off Feb. 28," the JCS said. "They flew about 240 kilometers with a maximum altitude of 35 kilometers, and are presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles. The South Korean and U.S. military authorities are analyzing further details of the weapon." The launch came three days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Korean People's Army (KPA) on the country's eastern front to watch their joint strike exercises. It also came about three months after the country's launch of two projectiles from its super-large multiple rocket launcher, from Yonpo, South Hamgyong Province, Nov. 28. The November launches came five days after Kim ordered a test-firing of a coastal artillery company's gun battery on the country's western front. Including the November launch, the North conducted a total of 13 test-launches of its five different missiles or rocket systems last year, including the KN-23 short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) which is similar to a Russian Iskander; a large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system; the KN-24 SRBM which bears the traits of the U.S. Army's Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) or South's Korea Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM); the KN-25 super-large multiple rocket launcher; and the KN-26 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The projectile firing came only a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in suggested inter-Korean cooperation in the health sector amid the fast spread of the new coronavirus. The South reported more than 4,000 infections as of Monday, while the North claims it has no confirmed cases yet. In a speech to mark the 101st anniversary of the 1919 March 1 Independence Movement, Moon said the world is facing unconventional security threats, such as the epidemic, and stressed the need for cooperation with neighboring countries, including the North, to fight them. "I'm looking forward to cooperation with North Korea on healthcare," he said. But experts say the launch was unlikely to be a response to Moon's proposal but rather Kim aiming to solidify internal unity through the test. Regarding the type of projectile, they said it was unlikely that North Korea had tested a new weapon, but that the latest launch would likely be of one of the short-range weapons seen last year. "The latest launch is likely to be of the North's large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system or its new surface-to-surface missile the ATACMS type as the development of the KN-23 North Korean Iskander has already been completed, and Kim expressed great satisfaction over the super-large multiple rocket launcher which was already tested four times last year," said Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Kyungnam University's Far East Institute. "Based on the JCS announcement that they flew 240 kilometers at an apogee of 35 kilometers, it is mostly likely that the test was of the large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system although it could still be of the North Korean ATACMS." WASHINGTON Surveillance authorities used by the FBI to fight terrorism are in danger of lapsing this month as both Democrats and Republicans concerned about government overreach negotiate possible reforms. Liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans want to overhaul the surveillance powers to ensure that the U.S. doesnt unfairly target private citizens. And Republicans angry over the FBIs investigation into President Trumps campaign and Russia want to use the looming March 15 deadline to force their own changes. The biggest unknown is Trump himself. Some Republicans are privately pushing the president long suspicious of the nations intelligence community to demand immediate reforms. While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, have both said they dont want the surveillance authorities to expire, each has to overcome significant rifts within their caucuses to move forward. Attorney General William Barr is pushing Congress to quickly renew the surveillance tools, calling them essential for law enforcement. Barr and some other Republicans have suggested renewing the powers and letting the Justice Department work on changes to the programs that wouldnt require congressional approval. At issue are three surveillance provisions, including one that permits the FBI to obtain court orders to collect business records on subjects in national security investigations. Another, known as the roving wiretap provision, permits surveillance on subjects even after theyve changed phones; and to monitor subjects who dont have ties to international terrorism organizations. The FBI calls the provisions vital in the fight against terrorism and stresses that none are tied to the surveillance problems identified by the Justice Department inspector general during the Russia investigation. The inspector general said in a report last year that the FBI made serious mistakes during four applications to eavesdrop on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, including omitting information that did not support their suspicions that Page was an asset of a foreign government. The concerns over the Russia investigation, amplified by Trump, have given leverage to those members of Congress in both parties who see a window to push for more oversight of government surveillance. Democrats concerned about civil liberties are agitating for changes. In the House, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, has so far thwarted the House Judiciary Committees bill by saying shell offer a series of amendments backed by some of the panels more liberal Democrats. Lofgren would not reveal her amendments but has pushed to prohibit warrantless collection of web browsing data and strengthen oversight of surveillance measures she and other Democrats say are overreach. Mary Clare Jalonick, Eric Tucker and Lisa Mascaro are Associated Press writers. Millions of chickens bred to grow at an unnaturally fast rate on factory farms are suffering shocking cruelty, the RSPCA claims. The charity says most of the billion birds reared each year in the UK grow from chicks to adult slaughter weight in just 35 days twice as fast as in the 1950s as a result of special breeding programmes by genetics companies. The driving factor is profit and a desire for cheap chicken by supermarkets, restaurants and shoppers. The RSPCA says many of the birds endure a life not worth living. The charity is calling on supermarkets and caterers to support a switch to slower growing breeds, which are stronger and healthier to eat. A stock image is used above [File photo] However, the bodies of the birds go through extraordinary changes that lead to damage to their legs, hearts and lungs. The legs cannot cope and buckle and break, leaving the birds stranded in their own mess on barn floors. At the same time the heart and lungs struggle to cope, leading to suffering and high death rates. The RSPCA says many of the birds endure a life not worth living. The charity is calling on supermarkets and caterers to support a switch to slower growing breeds, which are stronger and healthier to eat. Some companies, such as KFC, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, have already taken a lead. The charity, in partnership with World Animal Protection and the Farm Animal Welfare Forum, commissioned a study to compare the health, welfare and production characteristics of three fast-growing breeds against those for a slower-growing breed. The results of the study, carried out by Scotlands Rural College, showed that fast-growing birds were up to twice as likely to die or be culled primarily due to ill health. The charity says most of the billion birds reared each year in the UK grow from chicks to adult slaughter weight in just 35 days twice as fast as in the 1950s as a result of special breeding programmes by genetics companies They were up to four times more likely to suffer from hockburn, or sores on their legs from resting on the mess in their coops. The fast-growing birds were up to 3.5 times more likely to suffer from moderate to severe lameness and require culling. The RSPCAs Kate Parkes said: People are eating more chicken because they think its a healthy option but they would be horrified by the suffering these birds endure by being born into bodies which simply grow too fast. The scale of this problem is vast... and we need to tackle it quickly. This study is the first of its kind in the UK to compare these fast-growing birds with a slower-growing breed and the results are clear: the genetics of these breeds impacts their welfare to such an extent that many could be considered as having a life not worth living. They are far more likely to experience serious suffering from health issues like lameness, heart attack and hockburn to an inability to live the normal life of a chicken. The UK head of campaigns for World Animal Protection, James MacColl, said: The study findings clearly show fast-growing chicken breeds suffer from terrible health issues and many will live their short lives in pain and distress. Brands such as KFC, M&S and Waitrose have already committed to only use chicken breeds that grow at a more natural rate and we are calling on others to follow their lead. The British Poultry Council said: Bird health and welfare remains a top priority for poultry meat farmers. Any compromise on bird health and welfare is not in anyones interest. Everyone Ive told has been dumbfounded that it became an addiction, said Shelby, a 36-year-old woman from Chicago. Its hard for them to grasp that marijuana is addictive, and also that I used every day for the most part and no one knew. Thats how secretive you can be, how good you can get at functioning on weed. A student exchange company begging host families to take in Chinese students returning from the coronavirus-stricken nation has been branded 'irresponsible' for putting Australia's health at risk. Families were shocked to receive an email from Global Experience last week, requesting assistance to host students aged under-18 in the coming weeks who need to be in isolation for 14 days. The email supplied to Daily Mail Australia claims the Department of Education was seeking help in finding families who could provide temporary accommodation for students before they return to school and their permanent hosts. A student exchange company issued an appeal for host families to temporarily take in students aged under-18 returning from China (stock image) 'We understand this request may be difficult to consider for you and your families,' the email states. 'Your kindness and respect is appreciated for these students, as they would like to continue their studies in Australia as soon as possible.' The email stressed the students aren't from Wuhan or Hubei province - the Chinese epicentre of the virus which has claimed more than 3000 lives worldwide, including one death in Australia. Students were expected to self-isolate in their rooms, not spend time in public and requested to wear a mask when in shared areas of hosts' homes. It comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Australia grew to 29 on Monday. The startling email angered a previous Sydney host with three young children, who described the request as horrific. One host contacted Daily Mail Australia to express their outrage and described the request a as irresponsible for putting Australia's health at risk (stock image) 'I was distressed that they were willing to put my family and the country at risk,' the anonymous host told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's irresponsible to put the public at risk like this.' Requirements for students' temporary stay include a private bathroom for their exclusive use and three meals a day brought to their room. Families would be paid up to $390 per week- around $100 more than the normal rate, the Sydney host claimed. 'Even if they tripled the amount, the fact they're offering more money to take in the students in and want us to put food at their door as if they're an animal makes it worse,' they said. 'It's not about the money, it's about keeping everyone safe, especially for those who have young children.' The email requested assistance for hosts to temporarily take in students returning from China Global Experience chief executive Sonia Ortega claims the response from host families has been more positive than negative. 'We're not forcing any families to take in these students,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'All we've done is contact families to find who is willing and in a position to host.' 'We've received a few angry emails and we understand the concerns and fears they have. But we've received emails for many families who are more happy to help.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the NSW Department of Education for comment. Out of the 29 confirmed cases in Australia, 15 have recovered while remaining patients are in a stable condition, according to the government website. Students returning from China are requested to self-isolate themselves for 14 days (Kitco News) - The Australian mining sector continues to ride a wave of good news as the nation saw record gold production in 2019 and in the last quarter of the year, according to mining consultancy Surbiton Associates. In a report published Sunday, the firm said that Australian gold production rose to 325 tons, with 87 tons produced between October and December. In addition to 2019 having the highest-ever gold production in Australia, the December 2019 quarter was really outstanding, said Sandra Close, a director of Surbiton Associates. The record output was due to new projects coming on stream and ramping up production, other operations recovering from poor performances in the September quarter and some increases in throughput and grade. Along with record output, Surbiton also noted that the gold price in Australian dollars continues to hit fresh record highs. At a gold price of A$2,400 per ounce, the 2019 output was worth more than A$25 billion, making gold one of Australias major export earners, said Close. Close said that gold prices could continue to shine in the near term as markets react to the growing uncertainty surrounding the impact the spreading coronavirus will have on the health of the global economy. Aside from higher production and improving margins, Close said that new owners in Australias biggest gold mine are creating more certainty in the sector. Sales of Kalgoorlies Super Pit interests were announced in late 2019, with joint venturers Barrick Gold and Newmont selling to Saracen Mineral Holdings and Northern Star Resources, respectively. This has finally resolved the ongoing ownership uncertainties at one of Australias largest gold mines, Close said. The ownership changes bode well for the future, and both Saracen and Northern Star have undertaken substantial further gold-price hedging in support of their new acquisitions. Along with the strong production data, the Australian mining sector is also celebrating the fact that it is one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world. Last week in its annual survey of mining companies, Canadian think-tank the Fraser Institute said that Western Australia was the top mining jurisdiction in the world. Delhi judge Dharmendra Rana on Monday reserved his verdict on Delhi gang rape convict Pawan Guptas request to stop his hanging because he had petitioned President Ram Nath Kovind to commute his death sentence. The judge, however, underlined during the hearing that Pawan Gupta had missed the seven-day deadline that the high court had set last month for the convicts to avail their legal remedies. You are playing with fire...You should be cautious, the judge told Pawan Guptas lawyer AP Singh, according to news agency Press Trust of India. On February 17, Judge Dharmendra Rana had issued the death warrant to execute the four men convicted for raping and killing a 23-year-old woman on her way back home from a movie in 2012. It was the third black warrant to have been issued by the court after it had to cancel the previous two due to pending mercy petitions by the other convicts. The court had first issued the death warrant against the four convicts on 7 January 2020 and scheduled their execution on January 22. The execution date was postponed twice, first to February 1 and then to March 3. The judge pulled up lawyer AP Singh on more than one occasion through Mondays hearing for filing the curative petition and mercy petition at the last moment. Pawan Guptas curative petition in the Supreme Court filed last week had been rejected by the Supreme Court just hours earlier. AP Singh had mentioned the mercy petition to the judge moments after the top court rejected his mercy petition. Standing before Judge Dharmendra Rana later in the afternoon, the lawyer said he had to wait for the curative petition to be dismissed before filing the mercy petition. The government lawyer opposed AP Singhs request to cancel the death warrant scheduled to be executed at 6 am tomorrow morning, underlining that the Tihar jail authorities would be ordered to cancel the death warrant by the home ministry as soon as it received the mercy petition. Also read: Judge refuses to stop execution of 4 Delhi gangrape convicts, gets another plea In between, the central government had also moved the Delhi High Court seeking orders to hang those convicts who have exhausted all their legal remedies separately. The Centre argued that the law does not mandate that all death row convicts in a given case should be executed simultaneously. The high court had not accepted this view. Also read: SC rejects Pawan Guptas plea, but hanging of Delhi gangrape convicts could be delayed In December 2012, five men and one juvenile had raped and brutalised a young para-medic student in a moving bus in Delhi leading to nationwide outrage. The victim later died from the injuries received. The brutality of the crime had provoked nationwide outrage that brought tens of thousands of people on the streets and led to a major overhaul of laws relating to crimes against women. Shannon Zimmerman is an Attleboro resident and a master of social work candidate at Bridgewater State University. She can be reached at szimmerman@student.bridgew.edu She has been sunning herself in the Maldives and sharing sizzling bikini snaps with her 1.6 million Instagram followers. And Elizabeth Hurley took one last opportunity on Sunday to showcase her sensational physique in a sexy red two piece before heading home. The 54-year-old actress looked nothing short of sensational in the bikini that drew attention to her washboard abs and lithe limbs. Sensational: Elizabeth Hurley, 54, took one last opportunity on Sunday to showcase her sensational physique in red bikini while in the Maldives The model worked her angles as she rested against a terracotta wall and seductively gazed at the camera with her brunette locks left loose and windswept. She captioned the snap: 'End of my hol and a hot red bikini to celebrate'. Last week, the Gossip Girl actress took to Instagram to showcase her jaw-dropping figure in a tiny blue bikini with a triangle top and cut-out bottoms. Wow: Last week the Gossip Girl actress took to Instagram to showcase her jaw-dropping figure in a tiny blue bikini with a triangle top and cut-out bottoms Styling her brunette locks into a relaxed loose hairdo, Elizabeth added a slick of glamorous make-up to ensure her signature sparkly blue eyes popped. Posing up a storm and proudly showing off her toned torso, the star captioned the snap with: 'A bikini a day,' followed by a kiss emoji as she tagged her swimwear brand. Elizabeth also shared a gorgeous snap of herself riding a bike in a tiny yellow bikini while getting her vacation 'morning exercise'. Incredible: It comes after Elizabeth shared a gorgeous Instagram snap of herself riding a bike in a tiny yellow bikini while getting her vacation 'morning exercise' Gym-loving Liz captioned the snaps: 'Morning exercise Maldives style.' Hopping onto the bike in a short clip, the model peddled off into the distance on the tropical palm-lined street near Cheval Blanc Randheli resort in the Maldives. The star looked ready for a day on the beach as she sported loosely tousled hair and the yellow triangle bikini from her collection. The actress also shared a fun Instagram of herself dancing on the beach while soaking up the sun. Keeping active: The star captioned the image: 'Morning exercise Maldives style', as she continued to work on her gym honed figure while on holiday Off to the beach: The star looked ready for a day on the beach as she sported loosely tousled hair and a small yellow triangle bikini from her collection Liz's swimwear snaps didn't stop there, and she looked incredible as she slipped into a tiny turquoise bikini from her eponymous swimwear collection while twirling along the shoreline. The Royals star teamed her skimpy swimwear with a bold aqua and bold kaftan while giving her followers a glimpse at her exotic surroundings. The cover-up, which is also from Elizabeth's collection, was left open to display her chiselled abs. Stunning: Elizabeth danced on the beach in a fun Instagram video while soaking up the sun at the Cheval Blanc Randheli resort in the Maldives In the playful video, the mother-of-one gracefully swung around a palm tree before heading off towards the crystal blue waters. Elizabeth danced on the white sandy beach while her chestnut tresses were left in loose waves. The brunette beauty completed her beach look with a pair of gold hoop earrings and oversized shades to protect her eyes from the Maldivian winter sunshine. The video is the latest in a series of posts since the actress arrived in the five-star Maldives resort lat month. Bikini babe: The actress looked incredible as she slipped into a tiny turquoise bikini from her eponymous swimwear collection while twirling along the shoreline Life's a beach: The Royals star teamed her skimpy swimwear with a bold aqua and bold kaftan while giving her followers a glimpse at her exotic surroundings Despite sharing a slew of sizzling holiday snaps recently, Elizabeth previously claimed that she likes to 'cover up' and would 'never parade around publicly in a bikini'. Speaking on Susannah Constantine's podcast, My Wardrobe Malfunction, she said: 'Most people are fine lying down, but when they stand up they want to cover up, including me. 'I like to cover up a lot. I certainly wouldn't walk round a public beach parading in a bikini anymore. I'm much too old. But, privately, of course.' Natural: In the playful video, the mother-of-one gracefully swung around a palm tree before heading off towards the crystal blue waters Designer: Elizabeth danced on the white sandy beach while her chestnut tresses were left in loose waves Elizabeth is mother to son Damian, 17, and the pair often shock fans with just how similar they look. The star shares her only child with American businessman Steve Bing, 54. Damian, who counts Hugh Grant and Elton John among his godparents, is the spitting image of his famous mum and is now following in her footsteps and making a name of himself in the fashion world. The perfect model: The cover up, which is also from Elizabeth's collection, was left open to display her chiselled abs Island life: The brunette beauty completed her beach look with a pair of gold hoop earrings and oversized shades to protect her eyes from the Maldivian winter sunshine Hot stuff: The video is one in a series of posts since the actress arrived in the five-star Maldives resort last month He signed with agency Tess Management in September 2018. Speaking previously about the close bond she and Damian share, Elizabeth told You magazine: 'I rather think I've simply been blessed with a child whose personality gels with mine. 'Friends who have several children always admit, although they love them all equally, inevitably there's one whose personality mirrors their own and they "get" each other better. It's definitely nature not nurture.' Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS! U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams said in a tweet on Saturday morning, speaking for Moore, paint store workers and so many others. They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk! The Vatican has opened the Holy Sees archives to shed light on the papacy of Pius XII, whose files were kept secret for decades due to accusations he failed to help save Jews during the Holocaust. Researchers and scholars will be given the opportunity to examine some two million documents spanning the years 1939 to 1958 to glean insight into Pius XII, who was sometimes labelled Hitlers Pope. Criticism of Pius XII stemmed from his apparent inaction to help Jews facing persecution by Nazi Germany and failing to forcefully condemn the Holocaust. However, the Vatican insists the controversial pope was a great champion of humanity and was deeply concerned about the fate of humankind during those terrible years. Pope Francis made the decision to open up the archives a year ago to prove the Roman Catholic Church was not afraid of history. Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Live and let live.' GETTY IMAGES Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Proceed calmly" in life' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Be giving of yourself to others' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Sunday is for family' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Respect and take care of nature' OSSERVATORE ROMANO/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Stop being negative' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: Respect others' beliefs' AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness Pope Francis: 'Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive' FP/Getty Images Pope Francis gives life advice: in pictures Pope Francis' guide to happiness AFP/Getty Images Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said ahead of the opening that the archives would offer a comprehensive understanding of what was going on, the type of person he was, the type of policies that Pius XII was issuing in those very terrible years, especially during the Second World War, and of the period immediately afterwards. Ronald S Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said in a statement: In inviting historians and scholars to publicly access the Vaticans World War Two archives, Pope Francis is demonstrating a commitment to learning and airing the truth, as well as to the significance of Holocaust memory. The World Jewish Congress knows that the Vatican was provided on 17 March 1942, a detailed memorandum by the WJC representative in Geneva, Gerhart Riegner, describing brutal evidence of the Nazis plan to liquidate the Jews. We never heard what happened to Riegners memorandum after the papal representative in Switzerland, Messenger Filippe Bernardini, asked for it. But we do know what happened to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. With the opening of the archives, we may finally learn the truth about what the Vatican knew, he added. Mr Lauder was referring to a detailed document that spoke of the Nazis plans to hold masses of Jews in concentration camps and the executions of thousands in Nazi-occupied Poland and parts of Russia. The document, which was handed over by Riegner and Richard Lichtheim of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, said such measures could perhaps be rescinded or at least alleviated by the intervention of the Holy See. Pope Pius XII, wearing the ring of St. Peter, raises his right hand in a papal blessing at the Vatican in September 1945 (AP) Rabbi Abraham Sorka, who co-authored a book with Pope Francis, wrote in the Vatican newspaper LOsservatore Romano the opening of the archives would reveal if the Church could have done something. He said: They should open them and clarify everything. Then it can be seen if they could have done something, to [what] extent it could have been done and if we were wrong in something, we will be able to say: We were wrong in this. We do not have to be afraid of that. The objective has to be the truth. When one starts to hide the truth, one eliminates the Bible, he added. BISHKEK -- Police and protesters have clashed at a rally by supporters of jailed Kyrgyz politician Sadyr Japarov as they demanded his release. An RFE/RL correspondent at the rally on March 2 said police fired tear gas and used water cannon to drive away hundreds of people gathered in Bishkek's Ala-Too square, where they were also demanding that the government resign and calling for constitutional amendments. The demonstrators responded by hurling rocks at security forces, damaging cars and businesses in the area. The Interior Ministry said more than 30 people had been detained. Mukar Cholponbaev, the former parliamentary speaker, said at the rally that the constitution "must be amended to liquidate a number of problems in the country." He did not specify what exactly he and other protesters wanted to change in the constitution. Interior Ministry spokesman Bakyt Seitov told reporters that the rally was dispersed because it had run past the 5 p.m. local time limit granted in the demonstration permit. Former lawmaker Sadyr Japarov was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison after a court in Bishkek convicted him of taking a government official hostage during 2013 protests around the Kumtor Gold Mine by demonstrators demanding that the mine be nationalized. Japarov has rejected the charges saying they were politically motivated. In April 2019, the Supreme Court cut Japarov's sentence by 18 months. In November 2019, Japarov officially asked President Sooronbai Jeenbekov for clemency. He is still waiting for an answer to his request. 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. Nigeria is monitoring 58 people who had contact with an Italian man infected with the new coronavirus, the health minister said Monday, as officials scrambled to stop the disease spreading. Africa's most populous country on Friday confirmed the first case of the virus in sub-Saharan Africa after the patient was diagnosed in the economic hub Lagos. The Italian had arrived from Milan on a business trip a week ago and travelled to a company in neighbouring Ogun state before being diagnosed. He was quarantined at the Infectious Disease Hospital in the sprawling city of 20 million and was responding to treatment. Authorities launched efforts to track down all those he might have had contact with. "Currently, the contacts of the index case are identified as 19 contacts in Lagos and 39 contacts in Ogun state," Health Minister Osagie Ehanire told reporters in Abuja, the nation's capital. "We are in touch with these contacts who are under supervised self-isolation and the states have provided them with temperaure monitoring tools," he said, adding that they would be under observation for at least 14 days. The minister said the measure was to control the spread of the disease, which has killed more than 3,000 people, mostly in China where it broke out late last year. "Contact tracing is a specialised activity that is done by expertsepidemiologists who know exactly what questions to ask and how to track people down. "And the purpose is to know if you have an index case, who has been in contact with, and what is the likelihood that that person contracted the disease," he said. Ehanire said health officials would continue to hunt for more contacts with the Italian, adding that the 156 passengers on the same flight with him when he came to Nigeria were also being traced. "We cannot give you a specific figure because it is a continuing process," he added. Nigeria is viewed as highly vulnerable to viral spread given its weak health system and high population density. Prior to the case in Nigeria, the first in sub-saharan Africa, there had been just two cases on the continentin Egypt and Algeria. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP The latest plans to make the Rock of Dunamaise more accessible to tourists are underway. The famous Laois castle ruin, the seat of the O More clan, has no visitor carpark but Laois County Council is examining options to build one. However a recent archaeological survey may well affect their plans if it throws up historic finds. Cllr Tom Mulhall wants a carpark and he said a site will be bought, at the February council meeting. A site is going to be secured for a reasonable sized carpark, he said. He had tabled a motion to ask for an update from the council on the planned carpark. The carpark might only be the start of something for the Rock of Dunamaise, all to make it a major attraction. It is there since the 12th century. Maybe we underestimate the volume of people who come to visit it. It gets a huge amount. People like to read the board there about its history. It would be good if they were able to communicate with local people about the history. I think we are making progress, he said. He said that the Church of Ireland which owns the chapel beside the Rock is supportive. The church body and locals want to help and support this. I would like to see more notice boards there promoting Stradbally and Portlaoise, telling them where they could get lunch or a tea. The carpark is only the start. We need to be selling what we have. It needs proper access. Laois County Council, the OPW and the Heritage society have all come together, Cllr Mulhall said. However Director of Services Gerry Murphy cautioned that it all depends on the results of the archeological survey. We cant take anything for granted. There are two sites identified for a possible carpark, he said. While Cllr Paschal McEvoy said there had been local opposition to any development. I have got calls from people who didnt want any carpark or toilets, because they think it would attract anti-social behaviour, he said. The written reply was from Dom Reddin, tourism officer with the council. The council is examining options for the provision of a carpark and appropriate interpretive signage at the Rock of Dunamaise. A geophysical study was carried out in January 2020 in two locations at the Rock on the recommendation of the National Monuments Service to identify the likely extent of subsurface archaelogical remains there. The views of the National Monuments Service have been requested following the results of the survey before proceeding further, it said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 Trend: The operational headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers has decided to suspend educational process and the related activities in all educational institutions across the country, Trend reports on March 2 referring to the headquarters. The urgent proactive measures are being taken to prevent the possible danger of the spread of coronavirus in Azerbaijan, the message said. A decision was made to suspend the educational process and related activities from March 3 through March 9 in all educational institutions across the country (the first school day is scheduled for March 10) to prevent the facts of infection, to increase the effectiveness of measures taken in this sphere, and to intensify medical prophylactic, disinfection and other preventive measures, the message said. During this period, the Ministry of Education and the relevant executive power structures under subordination of which the educational institutions operate are instructed to continue to conduct the preventive and disinfection work, the message said. (CNN)The United States reacted Sunday to the first reported US death from coronavirus with tighter travel restrictions and predictions of more infections and fatalities. President Trump tweeted about new screening procedures for people arriving from certain "high-risk countries." Vice President Mike Pence said more US deaths are possible but added most Americans should not worry. New York University doctors and other experts say the US probably has more cases than identified officially. That's because of testing delays and the virus' ability to spread before an infected person shows any symptoms. The New York Times reported Sunday the virus might have been in Washington state for weeks and up to 1,500 people might be infected there. All this followed official warnings last week that the virus would begin spreading in US communities. No clear source of infection The first US death, announced Saturday, added to a growing list of infections circulating in communities without any clear source. Of the 86,500 cases confirmed globally, at least 2,976 have been fatal -- 2,870 of which were in China. The US has reached at least 74 confirmed cases of the virus, according to counts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health authorities. Several of those cases are believed to have been spread person-to-person with unknown origins, including the patient in Washington state who died, said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC. The patient was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, according to Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County, Washington. Two cases in Washington announced Saturday are affiliated with Life Care Center, a nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, Duchin said. More than 50 residents and staff at the facility are experiencing symptoms and will be tested for coronavirus, Duchin said. "We're in the process of investigating this situation as an outbreak," he told reporters Saturday. The facility said in a statement it's not allowing visits from families, volunteers or vendors, and admissions have been placed on hold for the time being. "We take the event very seriously," a statement from the facility's executive director said, in part. But residents and staff weren't the only ones impacted. At least 25 firefighters and two police officers who responded to the Life Care Center have now been placed under quarantine "out of an abundance of caution," according to a statement from the City of Kirkland. Firefighters are either under quarantine at home or at a Kirkland fire station, the statement said. There were also concerns that 16 nursing students and a faculty member from Lake Washington Institute of Technology were exposed to the virus after visiting the center late last week, the school said in a statement. The campus will be closed Monday and Tuesday to be cleaned and disinfected. But US officials have urged Americans not to panic. "It's important to remember," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, "for the vast majority of individuals who contract the novel coronavirus, they will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and their treatment will be to remain at home, treating their symptoms, the way they would a severe cold, or the flu." 74 US cases Of the 74 confirmed or presumptive positive cases in the US, 44 people were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people were repatriated from China and 27 cases were detected in the US, according to health officials. Presumptive positives mean tests in state or local labs came back positive but have not yet been confirmed by the CDC. At least 13 cases in the US are travel-related and at least 10 are linked to person-to-person spread, according to the CDC. Several are of unknown origin. The Rhode Island Department of Health announced the state's first presumptive positive case on Sunday morning. The patient was said to be in their 40s and had in mid-February traveled in Europe, including Italy, where there were 1,694 cases as of Sunday. The Rhode Island patient is being treated at an undisclosed hospital, and officials are reaching out to people who has had direct contact with the individual, the state Department of Health said in a statement. The patient has had limited travel within the state and hasn't been to work since returning from Italy. Two more presumptive positive cases were announced in Washington state on Sunday, bringing the state's total number of cases to 8. Both of the new patients were men in their 60s with underlying health conditions, public health officials with Seattle and King County said in a news release. The county now has six cases of coronavirus. One is hospitalized at Valley Medical Center in Renton and is in critical but stable condition, the news release said. The other is at Virginia Mason Medical Center in critical condition. Neither case was linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland, a spokeswoman for the Washington Health Department told CNN. Nike said it was deep cleaning its headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, after health authorities confirmed a case in Washington County. The Oregon case was announced Friday and is believed to be a case of person-to-person transmission. The individual is a presumptive positive and is in isolation. "While we have no information indicating any exposure to Nike employees, out of an abundance of caution, we are conducting a deep cleaning of campus," Nike said in a statement to CNN. "All WHQ buildings and facilities, including fitness centers, will be closed over the weekend." Pence says more deaths 'possible' but risk is low Pence told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that it is "possible" more Americans will die. "But the American people should know the risk for the average American remains low," Pence said. Pence said federal officials are addressing the lack of testing kits in the US. The vice president said Saturday the administration is expanding existing travel restrictions on Iran to include foreign nationals who had visited Iran in the last 14 days. The US will also increase travel advisories for Italy and South Korea to Level 4 -- the highest level -- advising Americans not to travel to specific regions in those countries. On Sunday, Trump announced in a tweet that people will be screened for coronavirus upon arriving in the US if they are traveling from "high-risk countries." Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for Vice President Mike Pence, clarified to CNN what is covered under the screening measures Trump mentioned in his tweet: "There is already screening for those coming into the United States for those who have been in China in the last 14 days. This will be expanded to Italy and South Korea. Additionally, we are currently working on exit screening from South Korea, Italy, and other European nations as needed," Miller said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "First coronavirus death in US may be one of growing number of cases from an unknown source, official says." Dozens of people were held hostage by the gunman with a grenade after he was fired as a security guard. A sacked security guard who shot one person and took about 30 others hostage at a Manila shopping centre on Monday surrendered to authorities, ending a day-long standoff. The former guard walked out of the V-Mall where he was allowed to speak briefly to the press before heavily armed officers tackled and arrested him. Scores of police officers in battle gear and carrying assault rifles amassed at the shopping centre in the Philippine capital, where the guard who said he had a grenade was barricaded with hostages in an office. One security guard was shot in the initial burst of violence and was rushed to hospital where he was in a stable condition, said Francis Zamora, mayor of the San Juan city, which includes the mall. Zamora said about 30 to 40 people were being held, adding his estimate was based on the size of the administrative office where they were being held. Zamora told reporters the hostage-taker identified as Archie Paray was upset after losing his job. The suspect used his mobile phone to deliver a message to the guards and the media, expressing his anger over a change in his work hours and accusing his superiors of corruption. A police officer holds a phone where the gunman is on a video call from inside a mall in San Juan city [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters] Authorities spent hours trying to convince him to surrender, and held a press conference where company executives apologised for upsetting him. Police were in contact with the suspect for hours via a walkie-talkie. Philippine malls are centres of life that include everything from restaurants and shops, to churches and medical facilities. The building was full when the violence began. Negotiations Witness John Paul Buenavista told AFP news agency he saw a wounded person believed to be a guard at the mall being put into a wheelchair and whisked away. We heard three gunshots. Then we saw people running, saying they saw someone getting shot, he said. Zamora said Paray had made several demands. Paray later gave assurances the hostages would be released without harm, provided that the authorities did not try to trick him. The gunman shows an apparent hand grenade on a video call with a policeman [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters] Police spokesperson Virgilio Timajo said hundreds of shoppers and employees were evacuated from the mall in Manilas Greenhills shopping district after gunfire was heard from the second floor. Al Jazeeras Barnaby Lo, reporting from outside the shopping mall, said everything took place inside the buildings managements office. The hostage-taker was fired from his job not long ago and he encouraged his former colleagues to join him in sort of a mutiny against his former employers, but none of them joined him, Lo said. Police officers block the area outside V-Mall where gunshots were fired in San Juan city [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters] Theyll come out alive Late in the afternoon, a guard held up a smartphone to media during which the gunman panned his camera around the room to show the hostages were alive. He declined to say how many he was holding. Just wait, they will come out alive, he said. Mall staff later handed out a few radios to reporters to allow them to ask the gunman questions. Though major hostage incidents are rare in the Philippines, memories are fresh of when a sacked policeman hijacked a Manila bus full of Hong Kong tourists in 2010, and was killed in a gunfight together with eight passengers when police bungled a rescue attempt. A Kuwaiti trader wearing a protective mask follows the market at the Boursa Kuwait stock exchange in Kuwait City on 1 March. (Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP via Getty) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Monday slashed its forecasts for economic growth in 2020, warning that the spread of coronavirus is the biggest threat to the global economy since the 2008 financial crisis. The OECD now expects the worlds economy to grow by just 2.4% in 2020. That would represent the slowest annual GDP growth since 2012 and compares with a forecast of 2.9% made in November. Even in the best-case scenario of limited outbreaks in countries outside China, a sharp slowdown in world growth is expected in the first half of 2020 as supply chains and commodities are hit, tourism drops and confidence falters, the OECD said in its interim report. In a worst-case scenario where coronavirus spreads widely Asia, Europe, and North America, growth would half to just 1.5% in 2020. Read more: Europes economy braces for coronavirus hit as market panic grips The OECD said the spread of coronavirus presents the global economy with its greatest danger since the financial crisis. The virus risks giving a further blow to a global economy that was already weakened by trade and political tensions, said OECD chief economist Laurence Boone. The spread of deadly COVID-19 provoked the closure of factories across China and activity shrank at the fastest rate on record in February, according to data released over the weekend. The OECD now expects Chinas economy grow by just 4.9% this year, compared to 6% in 2019. The recent spread of COVID-19 to Europe and North America has led to speculation about similar shutdowns and travel restrictions beyond China. Credit Suisse said on Monday that if Europe copied Chinas measures, GDP could shrink by 4% in one quarter. Read more: Twitter, Amazon, Nike and more take emergency coronavirus precautions Even if economic disruption remains largely limited to China, knock-on effects are already hitting other economies. The factory slowdown has disrupted global supply chains for giants like Apple and a decline in Chinese tourism has hit the luxury sector. The spread of the novel coronavirus has hit global tourism more broadly. Story continues Last week, $6tn was wiped off global stock markets amid fears about the economic fallout from the COVID-19 epidemic. The OECD on Monday downgraded growth forecasts for every member nation, bar Saudi Arabia which was left unchanged. Read more: Why stock markets are panicking about coronavirus Boone called for governments around the world to introduce extraordinary measures to support businesses, including tax relief for tourism businesses, flexible working regimes to preserve jobs, and extra liquidity support for banks. Governments need to act immediately to contain the epidemic, support the health care system, protect people, shore up demand and provide a financial lifeline to households and businesses that are most affected, Boone said. The Bank of Japan on Monday pledged to support the countrys economy, while Italys government announced a 3.7bn (3.2bn, $4bn) stimulus package over the weekend aimed at combating the effects of COVID-19. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Finance UK CNIPMMR representatives propose a 40 pct increase of pensions between 500 and 800 lei, which represents a budget effort of 1.3 billion euro annually, that may be supported, given the annual economic growth, while the pensions over 5,000 lei can be capped, said, on Monday, Florin Jianu, chairman of the National Council for Small and Medium-sized Private Enterprises of Romania (CNIPMMR). "We made an analysis of the pensions and reached the following conclusion. There are 1.8 million pensioners with a pension between 500 and 800 lei, of the total of 3 million and something pensioners. An effort of 40 pct for this category, on average 300 lei net as an increase, would mean a budget effort of 1.3 billion euro annually, which is not an unsustainable budget effort, if we look at the annual economic growth. Still, there needs to be a serious discussion regarding this subject of increasing pensions because I don't know how many people can live off a pensions between 500 and 800 lei. So we must look at this category that represents half of all pensioners in Romania. Certainly, the increase should decrease as the total of the pensions increases. We also made a proposal to increase by 200 lei net pensions between 800 and 1,500 lei (1.9 million pensioners), representing a budget effort of approximately 965 million euro per year," Florin Jianu mentioned.Furthermore, CNIPMMR representatives propose freezing pensions over 5,000 lei, the financial effort for this category being the greatest for this category which represents around 10,000 pensioners."What pensions do we desire to increase? Do we increase everything and all? Do we increase pensions over 5,000 lei, meaning almost double against the average wage per economy or do we look towards people really in need? Our objective is to bring as many pensions as possible to the 2,000-2,500 lei area," the CNIPMMR chair said.Florin Jianu emphasized that this analysis must also be performed by the state authorities. AGERPRES Utica, N.Y. - New York State's new ban on single use plastic bags went into effect Sunday morning, but the state will not enforce the law until April 1st. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says the state has agreed to delay enforcement while it fights a lawsuit filed by a bag manufacturer and convenience store owners who call the ban unconstitutional. Chanantry's Hometown Market in Utica started complying with the new law Sunday morning, even though they don't have to until April 1st. General Manager Steve Brooks says the store had planned to comply, so it is. He says the store still has some of the single use plastic bags left, but would rather get customers used to the new way of doing things on the day the law goes into effect. Retailers could eventually face a $250 fine for a violation and a $500 fine for subsequent violations. Customers at Chanantry's we spoke to on Sunday were all in favor of the new law, saying it will definitely help our environment. If shoppers do not bring their own bags, they can purchase reusable bags for $.99 or paper bags for $.05 each. Shopper Howard Paulsen of Utica brought his own reusable bags with him and says he is looking forward to everyone doing so, "I think its a good thing. Every time I go in my backyard theres a plastic bag laying back there, not anymore." Or will this law get overturned? Utica Attorney Mark Wolber says the bag manufacturers and store owners fighting the ban may have a leg to stand on. Wolber says it will all be up to the court system, "The question that is raised by that lawsuit is, does the state legislature have the right to ban a product? The main thrust of the argument Im sure is going to be, the state legislature cannot ban a product which is not a danger to an individual. Theres no particular danger, this is an environmental issue and that would open the door to other products that may not be green products that may not be beneficial to the environment. People might wonder, well dont they have this ban in California? Well these are state laws. So it is quite possible that the ban in California could stay but in New York State the court could say that this is not a valid law in New York state under our constitution, we dont allow that type of a ban." Wolber says it will be interesting to see what happens in this court case, which could possibly ultimately overturn this law here in New York State. UW Researcher Contributes to Study Showing Fertility Behavior and Consumption Shifts Can Help Environment Jason Shogren (fourth from left), the Stroock Chair of Natural Resource Conservation and Management in UWs Department of Economics, listens as Ken Arrow (left, of Shogren), a Nobel laureate from Stanford University, makes a point during the 2016 Asko Meetings organized by the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics as part of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. The meetings discussions focused on population, consumption and the risks to biodiversity -- which became the focus of a paper that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences March 2. (Agneta Sundin Photo) In the 21st century, economics works off the idea that people are motivated by both ego-driven preferences and social preferences, such as sharing with friends and neighbors (and strangers) based on culture and religion. This broader definition of preferences means that there are more tools available to attempt to address and correct environmental challenges. A University of Wyoming researcher contributed to a paper that points to fertility behavior and consumer consumption patterns from the mid-19th century on as reasons for climate change. Both are driven, in part, by socially embedded attitudes and preferences rather than purely egoistic desires. The finding that human attitudes and preferences are socially embedded suggests that fertility and consumption practices can be shifted downward and toward ecologically less intensive use of goods and services, according to the study. The take-away message is we need policies -- financial and social -- designed to specifically address how our local fertility decisions and consumption goals affect global biodiversity and the web of life that keeps us all alive and thriving, says Jason Shogren, the Stroock Chair of Natural Resource Conservation and Management in UWs Department of Economics and co-author of the paper. The paper, titled Social Dimensions of Fertility Behavior and Consumption Patterns in the Anthropocene, appears in the March 2 (todays) issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the worlds most prestigious multidisciplinary scientific journals, with coverage spanning the biological, physical and social sciences. Scott Barrett, the Lenfest-Earth Institute Professor of Natural Resource Economics and vice dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University; Aisha Dasgupta, with the Population Affairs Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations; and Partha Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at Cambridge University, are the papers lead authors. Other institutions whose researchers contributed to the paper are the University of Exeter; Arizona State University; the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology in Bellaterra, Spain; Institucio Catalana de Recerca in Barcelona, Spain; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Northwestern University; the University of Wisconsin; the University of Alaska-Fairbanks; the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden; Stanford University; Stockholm University; Universite Catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Princeton University; the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway; the University of Minnesota; Wageningen University in Wageningen, the Netherlands; CSIRO Land and Water in Canberra, Australia; and the University of California-Davis. If we do not expect people to do the right thing at the wrong prices as economists, we can try to adjust/fix the prices such that people will choose, themselves, to do the right thing given the right prices, Shogren says. This is the idea of a pollution tax, or carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program. Economists and ecologists are working together to ask everyone to stop treating the environment as a free good and service. Lets put a price on what is a valuable asset -- natural capital. Scott Barrett (left), the Lenfest-Earth Institute Professor of Natural Resource Economics and vice dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and Jason Shogren, the Stroock Chair of Natural Resource Conservation and Management in UWs Department of Economics, share a moment during the 2016 Asko Meetings. Barrett is one of three lead authors of a paper that came out of those meetings and appeared in the March 2 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Shogren was a contributing author of the paper. (Agneta Sundin Photo) If preferences are socially embedded, Shogren says nudges or social incentives can be implemented by government, institutions and private industry as default options in an attempt to create economic value while protecting the environment. According to the study, the United Nations median projection of world population in the year 2100 is 10.9 billion. By 2100, three-quarters of the population increase from todays 7.7 billion is expected to occur in sub-Saharan Africa. High numbers of children for a woman in that region equal high social standing. Women there have an average of 4.7 children over their lifetimes, compared to a world average of 2.5, according to the paper. So, what can be done to curb population growth in this growing region of the world? Economists argue that health creates wealth which, in turn, means less infant mortality, and more skilled labor and more access to education for young girls, Shogren explains. All this translates into fewer children per capita as people get richer due to economic development. So, making people aware of this connection and how it affects their family and others will require more information on the interlinkages within a society. It is crucial to focus on the local level and stress how current social norms might lead to unintended consequences in the future. Shogren says the idea for the paper came out of discussions at the annual Asko Meetings in September 2016 organized by the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics as part of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. The meetings discussions focused on population, consumption and the risks to biodiversity. Shogren is a fellow and a member of the Beijer advisory board. Shogren says his specific contribution to the paper was to participate in all the discussions at Asko and the Royal Academy about the ideas and content of the paper, and to offer up revisions to the paper as the group worked through the idea. While the study spanned 2016-2020, Shogren says the group of scholars and authors has been thinking for decades about the general challenge of integrating economics and ecology. He adds that the paper can be useful to any group interested in understanding the long-term consequences of all of humans short-term actions. We all know there are consequences to our choices, but we do not always recognize all the potential impacts/risks that are lagged in time or distance in space, he says. This study highlights two key areas that are underappreciated -- fertility and overconsumption at a global level. The solutions come at all levels. The think globally, act locally idea of the 1970s still holds, Shogren adds. Economists are less interested in command-and-control policy than we are in asking people to think more deeply about and to be willing to pay for the valuable goods/services provided by the environment/biodiversity. By thinking/paying for the services, people realize these nonmarket services are scarce and valuable. Hundreds of passengers and crew from the Diamond Princess were infected by the coronavirus. AFP/Kazuhiro NOGI The crew began leaving the Diamond Princess on Thursday for quarantine ashore after the last of the passengers had departed. "Including the captain, all crew members disembarked," Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters late on Sunday (Mar 1). Around 130 people - including the captain and 98 health ministry officials who were working aboard - tested negative for the virus as they left the vessel, he said. They will spend 14 days at government-designated dormitories before being allowed to leave Japan, while the vessel will be disinfected before sailing again. At least six people who were hospitalised after being taken off the ship have died, including a British male passenger, the health ministry said. On Sunday, a 78-year-old man evacuated from the vessel died at a Perth hospital, becoming Australia's first fatality from the disease. Japan quarantined the cruise ship after an 80-year-old passenger who disembarked on Jan 25 in Hong Kong tested positive for the deadly virus. The quarantine has been heavily criticised after more than 700 people on board tested positive for the virus. The ship carried about 3,700 passengers and crew members when it reached the port of Yokohama. Kato said the government "will have to review the whole process", but for now authorities were focusing on efforts to contain the spread of the virus. At the height of the immigration debate in 2016, I accompanied a group of pastors in Washington, DC, to meet with their members of Congress. One pastor of a prominent, large evangelical church, remarked afterward how he wanted to go back to his hotel and take a shower because he felt so dirty talking to politicians. The disdain we feel for our elected officials and political systems is often rooted in a belief that politics are defined by insincerity and dishonesty. Subsequently, many Christians chose to be apolitical. They dont contact their elected officials, vote, or even discuss issues that show up nonstop on their social media feeds, such as climate change, gun violence, and immigration. Contrary to those who avoid politics are evangelical Christians for whom politics is the only salvation for a Christian society under threat. Their conviction is marked by a hyperpartisanship, a blind allegiance that neglects the values Christians historically hold. We give a blank check to our tribe, and that ends up harming the very people God calls us to love and serve. As Richard Land recently wrote, to equate God with any human institution, particularly one as flawed and as intensely human as either political party, is a form of blasphemy. Evangelical political engagement should be marked by neither political disengagement nor hyperpartisanship. If we are biblically political, we can work for systems and structures that create human flourishing throughout our entire society. But overt partisanship attaches us to centers of empire power and perpetuates injustice. So how can we engage faithfully in politics? 1. Affirm the Image of God in All People Our political engagement should be rooted in the belief that everyone is created in the image of God. Our pro-life ethic should be for the entirety of life, from womb to tomb. We should support policies and hold our elected officials accountable to protect life and promote full human flourishing. Any language used by our elected officials to vilify others should not be the language of the church. No matter our politics, demonizing those of a different political persuasion is not consistent with the humility, decency, and propriety that marks us as followers of Jesus. 2. Be Consistent in Our Political Witness Among the greatest challenges in churches is consistently applying the whole biblical truth in every area of our lives. A consistent pro-life ethic should mean we hold our elected officials accountable to creating policies based on biblical values we espouse and not remain silent when those elected officials, or parties, espouse policies that would harm human life, promote family separation, or diminish religious liberties. If your preferred political candidate is strongly against abortion, then you should also press that elected official to support that babys life after birth by ensuring that he or she has access to nutritious food and a quality education. 3. Pursue Politics as a Means of Advocacy for the Least of These Scripture calls us to demonstrate preference for those who are downtrodden, marginalized, and oppressed, both through Gods commandments (Deut. 10:18; Ps. 146:9; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5) and Jesuss example (John 4:426; Luke 8:4348; Mark 2:112). We therefore advocate for those with disabilities, immigrants, those experiencing homelessness and mental illness, and those in the foster care system, among others. The way that we speak and act, along with our political engagement, must show care and concern for those who are often least able to defend themselves. A recent Barna study found that 43 percent of 18-to-35-year-olds said caring for the poor and vulnerable is a defining mark of a Christian, along with combating corruption, extreme poverty, and racism. 4. Dont Shy Away from Political Issues in Church Conversations about race, immigration, gun violence, and mass incarceration are difficult. The church can foster community and provide space to come together despite political differences. Our political allegiance should never preclude us from reaching across the aisle to pray for one another, do ministry together, and carry each others burdens. Political issues can be addressed through biblical teaching without getting into the nuances of policy proposals and debates. Ultimately, politics provides an opportunity to shape the society around us in a way that reflects the shalom that God describes in the Bible. A Strong, Consistent Political Witness The church has a rich history of biblical activism. The Clapham Sect in the nineteenth century promoted abolition in England; Mahalia Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and Fred Shuttlesworth were civil rights leaders rooted in the black church; and Saddleback Church in California helped lead a movement to care for HIV/AIDS orphans, as well as a movement against sex trafficking. I recently visited John Brown University, where I met students active in speaking up for refugees in Arkansas. They formed a group called Students for Refugees, and when the governor of Arkansas spoke at their chapel a few years ago, they held up signs and met with him to discuss the importance of keeping Arkansas a welcoming state. These students actively follow legislation in Washington, DC, that would strengthen the US refugee resettlement program and have contacted their legislators to express support. These students provide hope that political engagement as Christians can be values-based, promoting the dignity of human life and the worth of the marginalized. At a time when most white evangelical Christians say that the U.S. becoming a majority-nonwhite country is a negative development, 66 percent of young white evangelicals (ages 18-34) say that immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents. Young evangelicals dont view demographic shifts as a threat, nor do they believe their faith is under threat. Such perspective allows young evangelicals to become more active in advocating for their vulnerable neighbors. Their engagement is rooted in their theology and in real relationships theyve built with those directly impacted by detrimental policies. Politics is not the only answer to lifes problems, but politics is a means of advocating for our own freedom and freedom for the least of thesethe poor, the immigrant, and the systemically disenfranchised. If we maintain a consistent political witness that both supports our preferred candidates and holds them accountable to our values, politics can be a fruitful means of pursuing and establishing justice in our country. The forcefulness of our convictions and our consistency in a political engagement that bears witness to true Christian and the kingdom of God will demonstrate to a watching world that we as Christians are not merely tools used by our elected officials for political gains. We do not use our voice only as a means for preserving Christian identity and freedom. We use our voice to speak up and defend the rights and value of those who are weakest in our society. Jenny Yang is the vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief. Five motorcylists were killed after a speeding mini truck overturned and crushed them in Khandala Ghat on old Mumbai-Pune highway late Sunday night, police said. The motorcyclists were on their way to Talegaon after they spent a day at Alibag in Raigad where they had gone for a picnic, police said. The men were travelling on three bikes and had parked their two-wheelers near the side of the road. The group of six stopped by to relieve themselves when the truck was speeding towards them. The driver of the truck did not pay attention to the accident prone-road and while making a turn, the heavy vehicle lost balance and collapsed sideways on the bikes, crushing the men under it, said an officer from Khopoli police station. The truck was heading from Pune to Khopoli. The deceased have been identified as Pradip Prakash Chole (31), Amol Balaji Chilme (29), Narayan Ram Gundale (27), Nivrutti Ram Gundale (30) and Govind Nalwad (35), all residents of Talegaon who were working at a private company in Talegaon. The sixth man in the group, Balaji Bhandare (35), who was a few metres away from the others escaped death and alerted the police. The driver escaped after the incident and a case of rash and negligent driving has been registered against him. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rising expectations that some of the worlds major oil producers will agree to production cuts appeared to steady oil prices on Monday. But as the coronavirus continues to fan out across the globe, sapping economic activity, analysts were doubtful that a cut in production of as much as one million barrels a day would be enough to stem a weekslong slide in prices. Officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia are expected to meet in Vienna this week to try to halt plunging oil prices, which sank about 14 percent last week alone. The spreading coronavirus epidemic is cutting into demand for oil and weakening OPECs clout, but the meeting will still be watched closely by market participants because countries representing roughly half of world oil supplies will be present. Hopes that the gathering will lead to new and deeper production cuts helped lead to price rises on Monday, ending last weeks slide. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose by about 4 percent to $51.68 a barrel. T wo men have been sprayed with an "unknown substance" in separate violent attacks that took place minutes apart on London's streets. A man, aged in his 40s, was assaulted and sprayed with the noxious liquid in Lewisham, south-east London, at around 9.20pm on Sunday, Scotland Yard said. A man in his 20s was stabbed in Waltham Forest, north-east London, at around 10.40pm. He too had a substance sprayed on him. Both men were taken to hospital. Their conditions are believed to be non-life threatening, a police spokesman added. No arrests have been made and officers are appealing for witnesses and information. From images taken of the crime scene in Lewisham, the attack appears to have happened near a bus stop. A number 54 double-decker bus emptied of passengers was being examined by officers. Lewisham MPS tweeted and said: "We're working in #Lewisham High Street after a man in his 40s was assaulted and sprayed at around 9.20pm with an unknown substance. "He has been taken to hospital for treatment (condition not thought to be life-threatening). No arrest yet. Witnesses pls call 101 ref 7135/01mar." Waltham Forest MPS also tweeted and said: "We're investigating a stabbing at 10.40pm in Queens Road #Walthamstow. "A substance was also sprayed at the victim, aged in his 20s, who has been taken to hospital. We await assessment of condition. No arrest. Witnesses or anyone with info pls call 101 (ref CAD 7654/mar01)." Another stabbing had taken place in Waltham Forest several hours before the substance attack resulting in a 20-year-old man being taken to hospital although his condition was assessed as non-life threatening. A Section 60 order, which allows police to enforce stop and search measures, was in place in the area when both Waltham Forest attacks took place. The order will remain in place until Monday, March 2 at 6pm. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 9.21pm last night to reports of an assault in Lewisham High Street. 'We sent an ambulance crew, our hazardous area response team and an incident response officer to the scene. (Natural News) Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) warn that COVID-19 has the potential to infect people from every country on Earth. This announcement comes as countries all over the world are reporting a greatly increasing number of new cases. On Friday, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters that the spread of COVID-19 is getting bigger. This grave warning comes a day after Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the WHO, suggested that the world is at a tipping point because the spread of the disease is currently outpacing efforts to contain it. The virus has pandemic potential, Adhanom said. We are actually in a very delicate situation in which the outbreak can go in any direction based on how we handle it. In the past week alone, more cases have been reported outside of China than within. Since Monday, 29 different countries have reported their first cases of COVID-19. Among the most notable are Nigeria and Brazil, the first sub-Saharan African and Latin American countries, respectively, to have confirmed cases of COVID-19. The cases in both countries came from people who had recently been to the region of Lombardy in Northern Italy. As of writing, a compilation of official reports is stating that there are 85,185 confirmed cases, including 2,924 deaths directly due to the disease or complications it brought about. A majority of these cases, around 95 percent of them, are within Mainland China. Sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases in many countries On February 28 alone, seven different countries reported their first cases of the disease: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iceland, Lithuania, Mexico, Monaco and New Zealand. Meanwhile, three other countries South Korea, Italy and Iran are recording alarmingly sharp upticks in COVID-19 cases. South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, officially raised the countrys infectious disease alert to red, the highest level. This comes after the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases soared by several hundred over the course of only a few days. Government websites confirmed that, on February 28 alone, the country gained an additional 256 new cases, 70 percent of which come from Daegu, South Koreas fourth largest city. In Italy, over half of new cases, around 59 percent, have come from Lombardy, the countrys largest region and home to over 10 million people, or 16.67 percent of the countrys entire population. Eleven towns in the region have been put in lock-down since the night of February 21, quarantining over 53,000 people. As of writing, there are 888 confirmed cases, including 21 reported deaths and 46 recoveries; 531 cases alone were reported in Lombardy, and the cases in all the northern regions represent over 96 percent of infections in the country. (Related: Harvard Professor: As much as 70% of the global population will catch coronavirus.) Iranian government covering up real number of cases as prominent politicians become infected In Iran, news sources are claiming that the government is censoring official counts. Irans Ministry of Health has reported 388 confirmed cases and 34 deaths, with a large majority of the infections situated within the province of Tehran, which has 128 reported cases, and the neighboring province of Qom, which has 88 reported cases. On February 28 alone, 143 new cases and six deaths were reported. Furthermore, nine high-ranking Iranian officials have tested positive for COVID-19. Among these prominent officials are the mayor of one of Tehrans districts; the director of Qoms medical university and the head of that citys committee for managing the outbreak; a prominent cleric and former ambassador to the Vatican; the deputy minister for health; the vice president for women and family affairs; and four ministers in the Iranian Parliament. Two of those ministers just received their positive test results. Another 30 parliamentarians are still awaiting the results of their COVID-19 tests. Meanwhile, an anonymous source working within the Islamic Republics health system told BBC Persian that at least 210 people have already died, a figure six times higher than the official death toll. A member of the parliament has even openly accused the government of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani of hiding information from the legislature and the wider public. Kianoush Jahanpour, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health, insists that the country is being transparent and has accused the BBC of spreading lies. The WHO has already reported that the weirdly higher mortality rate of COVID-19 cases in Iran might indicate that the outbreak in the country is more widespread than realized. A WHO mission is expected to arrive in Tehran on Sunday or Monday to help the Islamic Republic fight the outbreak. It remains to be seen who is telling the truth. However, it must be noted that Iran has been the source of reported cases in 16 other countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Canada, China (in the first case of the disease being re-imported to China), Estonia, Georgia, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. Sources include: Mirror.co.uk CNBC.com TheGuardian.com France24.com AlJazeera.com BNONews.com BangkokPost.com NCOV.MOHW.go.kr Salute.gov.it English.AlArabiya.net 1 News.ABS-CBN.com English.AlArabiya.net 2 BBC.com Thomas Knight, a fisherman in New Hampshire, broke a state record by reeling in a fish weighing 37 pounds. A fisherman in New Hampshire broke a more than 60-year-old state record by reeling in a fish weighing 37 pounds. Thomas Knight, 58, caught the big laker last Tuesday at Big Diamond Pond in West Stewartstown. As soon as he reeled it in, he placed it on the ice to marvel at the fishs sheer size. He was aware of the record set in 1958, which was 28 pounds, and it already seemed bigger than any fish hed caught before. Knight then called New Hampshire fisheries biologist Andy Schafermeyer to inspect and verify the fishs size. A biologist needs to authenticate a fish before it becomes an official record. Im not sure who was more excited, Schafermeyer said in a statement from New Hampshire Fish and Game. I knew the fish stood a very good chance of breaking the record. In fact, the trout was so large that a typical state-certified scale to weigh a fish which maxes out at 30 pounds couldn't handle it. The larger state-certified scale, which was at a package distribution center, weighed the fish at 37.65 pounds, shattering the record by almost 10 pounds. Schafermeyer said the fish, which was more than 40 inches long, is also the largest lake trout caught in all of New England. He estimates the fish is about 50 to 60 years old. "Im glad he got it. This couldnt have happened to a nicer guy, Schafermeyer said. Knight did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Hampshire fisherman nabs 37-pound lake trout, largest ever caught A boat full of refugees from Turkey approaches the port of Thermi, on the island of Lesvos, Greece, on March 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) Greece decided to increase the level of deterrence at its borders to the maximum, as the country is facing a forthcoming increased refugee and migrant influx recently. The Greek Foreign Ministry tweeted Sunday that some 10,000 people were "prevented from entering Greek territory (all along Evros) from yesterday morning to this morning." MYTILENE, Greece, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Greece on Sunday decided to increase the level of deterrence at its borders to the maximum, as the country is facing a forthcoming increased refugee and migrant influx recently. The Greek government also criticized Turkey for allegedly "directing and encouraging" the increased refugee and migrant flows to its borders in the past few days. "This movement is directed and encouraged by Turkey. These actions are taking place in violation of its obligations under the EU-Turkey joint statement," Greek government spokesperson Stelios Petsas said on Sunday night after a meeting of the Government Council for National Security, referring to the agreement launched in 2016 aimed to stem the refugee and migrant influx. A migrant kid cries at Skala Sikaminias, on the island of Lesvos, Greece, on March 1, 2020.(Xinhua/Marios Lolos) The council took the decision to increase the level of deterrence at Greece's borders to the maximum, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted, announcing that on Tuesday he will visit Evros land border in the north with European Council President Charles Michel. "The borders of Greece are the external borders of Europe. We will protect them..." the prime minister said. In Sunday's meeting, it was also decided that from now on Greece will not be accepting any new asylum applications for one month by people entering the country illegally and will be immediately returned to their country of origin if possible, spokesperson Petsas announced. In addition, Greece was formally requesting European Border and Coast Guard Agency's (Frontex) increased presence in the region and EU's full support to Greece with concrete measures, the spokesperson said. More than 13,000 people have gathered at the land border between Greece and Turkey, according to International Organization for Migration, after Ankara's message in the past few days that Turkish authorities can no longer prevent people from reaching Europe's borders. A migrant woman is seen at Skala Sikaminias, on the island of Lesvos, Greece, on March 1, 2020.(Xinhua/Marios Lolos) For a third consecutive day, on Sunday, Greek police and army forces guarded the land border, briefly clashing with groups of people attempting to cross the borderline, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. The Greek Foreign Ministry tweeted Sunday that some 10,000 people were "prevented from entering Greek territory (all along Evros) from yesterday morning to this morning." "No one can cross the Greek borders. All those attempting illegal entry, are effectively prevented from entering," read a second tweet. At least six inflatable dinghies with 300 refugees and migrants landed on the shores of Lesbos and another 200 in two other islands on Sunday, according to AMNA. A boat full of refugees from Turkey approaches the port of Thermi, on the island of Lesvos, Greece, on March 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) In at least one case on Lesbos, groups of locals prevented their disembarkation and Coast Guard vessels transferred the people to another site, Xinhua witnessed. Other groups of islanders blocked the streets to Moria, Lesbos' refugee camp which currently hosts about 19,400 people, while its capacity is about 2,800, according to official data provided by Greece's Citizen Protection ministry. More than 42,000 refugees and migrants are currently on five Greek islands in reception facilities which have been overflowing for months, according to the figures provided by the Greek government. Locals request the central government to transfer part of them to the mainland, protesting that local communities can no longer shoulder the disproportionate burden. More than one million people reached Greece, with about half landing on Lesvos, since 2015. Most continued their journey to other European countries until the closure of borders along the Balkan route in the winter of 2016. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The humanitarian situation in Libya has not improved since the Berlin conference in January because hostilities have not stopped, Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), told Sputnik on the sidelines of the 2nd Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum RIYADH (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd March, 2020) The humanitarian situation in Libya has not improved since the Berlin conference in January because hostilities have not stopped, Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), told Sputnik on the sidelines of the 2nd Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum. When asked whether anything has changed with regards to the humanitarian situation after the Berlin Conference, Grandi said, "Unfortunately not, because fundamentally there has been no change in the military situation." According to the UNCHR chief, his agency and the International Organization for Migration are working with migrants and refugees stranded in Libya and help the most vulnerable to return home or, if this is impossible, go to other countries. "Now, that work is very difficult under almost normal circumstances. Imagine in a war zone, it's very risky. We are continuously interrupted," Grandi said. The official stressed that the armed groups in Libya were "very unpredictable" and that it was sometimes not clear who is in control of a certain area. Despite describing the situation as "not very easy" and "very risky," Grandi said that the agency would stay in the area until it was possible to resume its operations. In this regard, he went on to say that the implementation of the commitments agreed at the Berlin conference would give the UN "much more space to operate, and to bring more help to the people," who are often exploited by traffickers, mistreated, beaten and tortured. Libya has been torn apart between the two rival governments for years since the overthrow and assassination of the country's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Tensions escalated last year after the Libyan National Army began its operation to retake the capital of Tripoli, where the rival Government of National Accord is seated. Despite ongoing on-again-off-again negotiations to sign a definitive ceasefire, regular reports of shelling and downing of drones continue to emerge. On January 19, Berlin hosted an international conference on Libya with the participation of Russia, the United States, Turkey, Egypt and several other countries, as well as the European Union and the United Nations. The main outcome of the conference was an appeal by its participants for a ceasefire, an obligation to refrain from interfering in the conflict and observing the UN arms embargo on Libya V Vignesh By Express News Service MADURAI: A 22-year-old woman from Uzbekistan was arrested from a hotel in Perumal Maistry Street here on Sunday for possessing a forged Aadhaar card. The woman, identified as Naimova Jerina (22), held a forged Aadhaar card in the name of Robiya Nishan of East Delhi. Police said the Anti Human Trafficking Unit led by Hema Mala and her team got a tip-off about prostitution at a private hotel in the city. A police constable in the guise of a customer called the service broker who asked the latter to visit a room in the hotel where the woman was staying. During her interrogation, the woman informed police that she came to India with a two-month tourist visa valid from January 10, 2019 to March 10, 2019. She initially worked at a restaurant in New Delhi but was later brainwashed into becoming a sex worker. During her stay in Delhi, she was issued with a forged Aadhaar card by the broker. In the last week of February, she came to Chennai and later reached Madurai. The woman claimed to police that she loved the country and even if she was deported, she would return to India. The inspector claimed she possessed a certificate from the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and hence could not be booked for staying without a valid certificate. As it was Sunday, the police could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the certificate with the immigration department, said a police officer. Sources from the department said they had taken legal advice on the case. She can be charged only for possessing a forged Aadhar card at this stage. She may also be subsequently booked for staying in India without a valid visa, he said. Thideer Nagar police registered a case against her under IPC sections 468 and 471. She was later remanded in Madurai Central Jail. Officers responded to a fight that left one person with stab wounds in Paxtang on Sunday evening, according to police. Officers were called to the 3400 block of Sharon Street at some point in the evening and learned that two males, 17 and 18 years old respectively, had been fighting with each other, police said. Responding officers were able to quickly stabilize the situation, police said, and the public was not in danger. Police said the 17-year-old stabbed the 18-year-old. The 18-year-old received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to recover. The 17-year-old is in the custody of his parents, police said. Police are still investigating the fight and consulting with the Dauphin County District Attorneys Office. Read more on PennLive: A Mexican immigrant who was released by Chicago authorities despite ICE telling them not to 'went on to rape a three-year-old girl in a McDonald's bathroom as she cried ''daddy, daddy''.' Christopher Puente, 34, is accused of sexually assaulting the girl at the restaurant on 600 N. Clark St. in the River North area of the city at around 8am on February 19. The alleged attack happened while the girl's father was in another stall with her brother, who had had an accident in the restaurant. However ICE had requested that police continue detaining the previously deported felon - who had convictions for forced-entry burglary and forgery. Christopher Puente, 34, (pictured) is accused of sexually assaulting the girl at the restaurant in River North. However ICE had requested that police continue detaining the previously deported felon - who had convictions for forced-entry burglary and forgery Despite his background, Chicago declined ICE's June 2019 request to detain Puente. ICE have said this is an increasingly common battle, with the agency reporting that Cook County, which includes Chicago, denied more than 1,000 detainer requests in 2019 alone. Puente's bond hearing in Cook County heard the little girl's mouth was covered as she began whimpering 'daddy, daddy' - before her father pulled her legs from under the door to get her to safety. The horrific ordeal was relayed in court where the accused rapist appeared for the first time. Robert Guadian, field office director of Chicago Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), blamed 'irresponsible lawmaking' for Puentes release. 'How many more victims must there be before lawmakers realize that sanctuary policies do not protect the innocent?' Guadian said. 'Puente should have been in ICE custody last year and removed to his home country. Instead, irresponsible lawmaking allowed him to walk free and prey on our most vulnerable,' he told Fox News. Images of Puente on surveillance footage were circulated through a community alert and he was later brought in by police for an unrelated criminal trespass before being linked to the assault case. The alleged attack happened while the girl's father was in another stall with her brother, who had had an accident in the restaurant (pictured) on 600 N. Clark St. in the River North area of the city He was charged with criminal trespass after refusing to leave a local business in River North. While investigating, officers recognized him as being the man pictured and he was linked to the sexual assault case. The accused is said to have admitted to investigators he put the toddler on his lap, sexually assaulted her and covered her mouth to stop her calling for help. The child's dad then tried to open the locked cubicle after hearing his daughter's calls before dragging her by her legs from under the door, reports CBS Chicago. The alleged attacker then fled the McDonald's and a manhunt was launched, with Puente now facing charges of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13 years old. Prosecutors said the defendant told police 'he was f***ed up and thinking dirty' and that he was high at the time. He also said he was paranoid and looking around as he left the bathroom because he 'knew what he did was wrong'. Puente has been convicted multiple times between 2006 and 2016, mainly for theft, according to court records. He is due to return to court on March 10 and is being held in custody, without bail. ICE official Henry Lucero previously warned that Illinois' sanctuary status made it more difficult for federal authorities to track criminals. Chandigarh, March 2 : The husband of a woman sarpanch in Haryana's Hisar district was shot dead in front of his house by two unidentified bike-borne assailants on Monday, police said. According to police, a CCTV installed in the vicinity in Sulkhani village recorded the entire incident. Dharampal Sanga, whose wife Sushma is the sarpanch of the village, was shot dead from point blank range, police said. Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar said the victim might have enmity with villagers on panchayat land encroachment. Understanding mechanics and materials though evolution and biomaterials DENVER, COLO., FEBRUARY 28, 2020--Studying the evolution of bodily processes millions of years ago as well as the properties of today's biomaterials could improve soft robotics design and inform materials science research. At the 2020 American Physical Society March Meeting in Denver, scientists will present research on mineralized skeletons, other biomaterials, and the mathematics of aging. Skeletal Evolution During the Cambrian Explosion Animals began to evolve mineralized skeletons around 550 million years ago. Unlike their single-celled relatives, the protists, many of these animals quickly and independently evolved skeletons made from various minerals. "It was a crazy time in Earth's evolution," said Susannah Porter, a paleontologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Porter and her colleagues wanted to understand when, why, and how mineralized skeletons convergently appeared during the Cambrian Period. Previously, her work showed that seawater chemistry had an important influence on the choice of minerals that animals used to make their skeletons. Porter wanted to see if there was a similar pattern in protists as well. Their preliminary findings suggest seawater chemistry may be important for protists as well, although this is still a work in progress.. One clear result from this work, however, is that in contrast to animals, protists acquired their mineralized skeletons at various times thoughout the past 600 million years. The majority of animal skeletons were acquired in a short interval of time around the early Cambrian Period. This could reflect differences in why these groups evolved skeletons. A lot of animal skeletons seemed to be adapted for defense against predators. The appearance of carnivores in the early Cambrian Period might have triggered the widespread development of animal mineralized skeletons whereas the evolution of protists that eat protists didn't. Different Minerals, But the Same Crystallization Process Starfish, sea urchins, mollusks, and corals, all have biomineralized skeletons or shells. They create these through particle attachment--a process by which nanoparticles of calcium carbonate attach to each other on the surface of a growing biomineral, gradually becoming skeletons or shells. The crystallization process is widespread among animals today, despite having no shared common ancestor. "Biomineralization evolved independently in all these completely different phyla at different times during the last half a billion years," said Pupa Gilbert, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, "But always in the same way." Research by Gilbert and her team suggests that one of the first animals, Cloudina, was already forming its skeletons by particle attachment 550 million years ago. This was long before echinoderms, mollusks, and cnidaria even existed, suggesting that this process is als old as animal life itself. This is surprising, because Cloudina went extinct, and did not transmit down the lineage the information on how to make biominerals. If many species evolved particle attachment independently, it means that this formation mechanism is convergent, which in turn means that it is efficient and functional, according to Gilbert. Efficiency and functionality are extremely attractive characteristics, which inspire synthetic engineering of hard materials. Elephant Trunks: Strong and Dexterous Other biomaterials, like the elephant trunk, can be useful for soft robotics. The elephant trunk is a muscular hydrostat, or a structure that operates without skeletal support. Muscular hydrostats also include the human tongue and octopus tentacles. However, most aren't equally flexible and strong at the same time. "Elephants can pick up things as small as a tortilla chip as well as picking up 60 kg barbells (132.28 lbs)," said Andrew Schulz, a mechanical engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, "Soft robotics are usually very strong or very flexible, but the elephant trunk has the capability to be both." The team found elephant trunk skin is about 50% thicker than human forearm skin at its tip and roughly 800% thicker than human skin at its base. The skin also differs in wrinkle amplitude, or frequency of wrinkles, as well as whisker distribution. These differences make the African Elephant's trunk particularly strong and dexterous. Eggshell Diversity Eggshells must be hard enough to incubate a baby chick but soft enough for the chick to pierce as it hatches. However, their properties have been largely unexplored with regards to evolutionary biology and biomechanics engineering. "There are 10,000 living birds and we are just beginning to learn about the diversity of their eggshell designs," said Mary Caswell Stoddard, an evolutionary biologist at Princeton University. Stoddard and her team examined eggs from emus, a species of flightless Australian birds that lay dark greenish-blue eggs. They found the eggshell membrane is strong enough to stop the eggshell from shattering too early during the chick's development. Emus belong to a clade of birds known as paleognaths, which are the oldest living birds. While some aspects of emus' eggshells may have evolved specifically to suit their lifestyles, other properties could also apply to different bird species, said Stoddard. Engineering Spider Silk-Inspired Polymer-Peptides Spider silk looks wispy and fragile, but it is objectively tough. Toughness is the ability to absorb a high amount of energy before breaking. Inspired by spider silk's toughness, new research examines how chemical structure can influence hybrid peptides' mechanical properties. "We were inspired... to design material systems that would allow you to take some of the elements of spider silk and utilize those in synthetic polymers in the solid state," said LaShanda Korley, a chemical engineer and materials scientist at the University of Delaware. She and her colleagues studied how the structural arrangement and connectivity of different polymer peptides can modulate mechanical properties like stiffness. The researchers found hybrid peptides where proteins folded over each other were tougher and stiffer. However, peptides with a helical structure were stretchier. The team plans to explore how structure can influence the properties of injectable gels and other materials. Calculating Mortality All species follow the same life cycle and age over time. Now, one physicist believes aging can be explained mathematically. To better understand the mathematical processes behind aging, Mark Edelman, a physicist at Yeshiva University, used fractional calculus to determine the maximum lifespan a human being can achieve. Edelman posits this model may explain how our automatic muscle memory decays as we age. ### Evolutionary Patterns in Skeletal Biomineralization TIME/DATE/PLACE: 9:12 AM-9:48 AM, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Room: 303 CONTACT: Susannah Porter, porter@geol.ucsb.edu Biomineralization by Particle Attachment in Early Animals TIME/DATE/PLACE: 9:48 AM-10:00 AM, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Room: 303 CONTACT: Pupa Gilbert, pupa@physics.wisc.edu African Elephant Sensing Capabilities through Skin and Hair TIME/DATE/PLACE: 4:06 PM-4:18 PM, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Room: 303 CONTACT: Andrew Schulz, akschulz@gatech.edu The Avian Eggshell: Evolution and Engineering of a Tough, Lightweight Biological Material TIME/DATE/PLACE: 8:00 AM-8:36 AM, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Room: 303 CONTACT: Mary Caswell Stoddard, mstoddard@princeton.edu Silk-Inspiration: Hierarchy, Assembly, and Mechanics in Polyurea-Polypeptide Hybrids TIME/DATE/PLACE: 2:30 PM-3:06 PM, Monday, March 2, 2020, Room: 504 CONTACT: LaShanda Korley, lkorley@udel.edu Evolution of Systems with Power-Law Memory: Do We Have to Die? TIME/DATE/PLACE: 9:12 AM-9:24 AM, Thursday, March 5, 2020, Room: 304 CONTACT: Mark Edelman, edelman@cims.nyu.edu ABOUT THE MEETING The American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting is a major international conference and the largest physics meeting of the year. In 2020, the APS March Meeting will convene from March 2-6 at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver. Useful Links Meeting website: https:/ / march. aps. org/ Scientific program: http://meetings. aps. org/ Meeting/ MAR20/ APS_epitome Press services: https:/ / march. aps. org/ services/ press/ Hotel & Travel information: https:/ / march. aps. org/ travel/ Press Registration Complimentary registration is available to journalists for the express purpose of gathering and reporting news and information from the meeting. Staff reporters, freelance writers, and students are welcome to apply. Press credentials may be obtained by completing the form on this page: https:/ / march. aps. org/ services/ press/ . The deadline for press registration is Friday February 28th at 3:00 p.m. EST. Press Conferences All press conferences will take place in Room 608. If you are unable to attend, you may register to watch and ask questions online at https:/ / webcast. apswebcasting. com/ webcast/ registration/ a65e0a8e-38c6-4ccd-8eea-98696d213857 Press Room A press room for registered journalists will operate throughout the meeting in Room 610/612 and will offer complimentary coffee, breakfast, and lunch. The press room may be reserved for conducting interviews. Hours Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. Please contact the APS Press Office with any questions at media@aps.org. ABOUT APS This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 55,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, Maryland (Headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C. The day the military came to Bella's village in Talingai, in the South-West Anglophone region of Cameroon, the villagers, terrified, escaped into the bush behind the village, where they set up a camp. Speaking to RFI in Mamfe, smartly dressed in a bright blue dress, it is only when she begins her story that her whole body heaves, her shoulders hunch up. She distinctly remembers what happened this time last year, that changed her life forever. She was nursing her second child and sneaked back during the day to pick up some supplies from the house. She spent the night at home after it got too dark to leave. When she returned to the bush, her pregnant sister-in-law and four young children were nowhere to be found. She searched for them for four days. According to Anglophones RFI spoke to for this article, people are scared, threatened and some have been tortured by the Cameroonian military and rebels, their homes burnt down by men in uniform or had friends and family killed in the fighting between security forces and Anglophone separatists. The UN sounded the alarm in February, when they confirmed through sources on the ground that armed men carried out the extra judicial killings of at least 21 people in Ngarbuh, the North-West region of Cameroon, including a pregnant woman and seven children, in addition to other reports of military action against civilians in that area. French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the deteriorating situation in the Anglophone regions days after the attack, and came through on his promise on Sunday to call his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya to apply maximum pressure, calling the violence intolerable. Both Macron and Biya agreed an impartial probe was needed in reaction to the violence committed against civilians in the village of Ngarbuh in the North-West province, according to the statement released by the French presidency. Human Rights Watch has since accused the Cameroonian military of carrying out the killings in Ngarbuh, with the help of Fulani fighters. Cameroon's Defence Ministry initially said on 17 February the government would open an investigation into the killings. It published a second statement later the same day that fighting against armed terrorists who attacked government and security forces led to the explosion of fuel containers, resulting in the deaths and burnt homes. Communication Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi reiterated that statement the next day. An assessment carried out by the UN in September 2019 shows more than 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon, a number considered to be a significant underestimate as access to the area has been difficult. Violence began in 2016 in both the North-West and South-West regions in the aftermath of peaceful protests by Anglophone teachers and lawyers who took to the streets to demonstrate against alleged discrimination and unfair working practices enforced by the Francophone central government. The ensuing government crackdown since then provoked the creation of an armed separatist movement and self-declaration of independence for so-called Ambazonia. The separatists are fighting for Anglophone secession. The crisis in the Anglophone regions has swelled into an all-out civil war fought by the Ambazonians, colloquially called Amba Boys or Ambas, made up of a number of different armed groups. The Anglophone rebels are fighting the Cameroonian military, specifically the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), the elite fighting unit accused of human rights abuses in the far north of the country. Changing strategy and intimidation The Cameroonian military's tactics of targeting the Ambas have evolved during the crisis and recently soldiers have attempted to change their approach with the local population, according to Anthony, a resident of Sand Pit, a neighborhood in Buea. He recounted how two weeks ago, the military travelled in a yellow taxi into Sand Pit in full uniform with weapons. He guessed that they were trying to trick the population. They caught five people and started beating them with cutlasses, he says. Those people now have wounds on their backs. Then they put the Pa on the ground, he says, using a respectful term for an older male member of the community, and they put the gun next to the ear of the Pa, and they shoot the gun right next to him, he says. The older man has been plagued with hearing problems ever since, says Anthony, who was displaced by the fighting three months ago. He shakes his head as he speaks of how the military intimidated the Pa and others in the community. The story Gabriella, 32, tells about how the killings in her family cross both sides of the conflict. Speaking in Mamfe town, she had not told her story to anyone outside her family before, in part, she says, because everyone else around her is suffering, but also because she trusts no one. The military came to Mbeme village two years ago, hunting Amba Boy separatists who operate in the area. Spraying bullets among the dried mud houses in the village, one stray bullet killed Gabriella's husband. Two weeks later, her 15-year-old son, the eldest of seven, was gunned down in the barber shop in the village, a victim of being young, Anglophone, and male. Her father, a village elder, had questioned why the Amba Boys were shutting down public schools, and pushed for the children of the village to go back to school. The separatists have blocked the opening of some 4,500 schools across the region for more than three years to protest what they call educational discrimination against Anglophones. To date, this boycott enforced by the gun has affected 600,000 schoolchildren. A week after his grandson died, the Amba Boys came knocking on his door at night. They shot him. It was a premeditated act, said Gabriella, the tone of her voice rising as she confirmed she had lost three male members of her family in the span of a month. She has been bottling up this story and only now feels ready to share the description of the atrocities committed in her village by both soldiers and separatists. Both sides committing violence against civilians Human rights abuses are being perpetrated by both sides, confirms Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior researcher on Central Africa for Human Rights Watch. She has documented abuses, deaths, and violent acts since the crisis began in late 2016. It's important to acknowledge that human rights violations have been committed by the security forces but at the same time, the separatists are not angels and have also targeted civilians, she says. The gravity, the scale of the abuses that we have documented coming from the security forces are more significant than the abuse that is perpetrated by the armed separatists, the HRW researcher adds. The abuses are frequently just the start of the nightmare for Anglophones living through the conflict, where their only option is to escape the patrols of soldiers and separatists through their village. Gabriella says she, her six children and the whole village fled into the bush. Her two cousins died in the jungle, where malaria, lack of shelter, no sanitation, and the absence of running water makes survival difficult. She brought her remaining family to Mamfe town because she said she could not subject them to the harsh reality in the bush. In town, she is alone with her children, and she has no relatives to help. She volunteers her cleaning services in the hope that she can beg for some rice for her children. I'm finished, I have no talk, she says, in Pidgin English. Since the crisis, look at me, motioning at her bedraggled dress. I'm tired. I don't have anything to feed the children. Neither she nor her children have eaten for several days. RFI spoke to more than 30 internally displaced Anglophones in and around Buea, Kumba, and Mamfe in the South-West Anglophone region of Cameroon. People spoke primarily of military harassment, from looting and burning homes to shooting civilians, either targeting people or shooting in the air, which has killed a number via stray bullets. They spoke of security forces targeting villages where many lived as subsistence farmers or worked on plantations for the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), a parastatal company that was the country's second-largest employer. Residents in the South-West region say the Cameroonian security forces will torch a home if they see a young man fleeing in the vicinity. Young men are targeted typically because the separatists recruit young Anglophone men to fight against the military. After constant harassment and killings by soldiers, Pierre, a 38-year-old from Ekona village, had enough. He says he has been targeted by the military because he is a man, and an Anglophone. They killed my elder brother first. Then my second brother. Then they killed my uncle, he says from Buea, the regional capital of South-West Cameroon. I can't stay there after they killed them -- I'll be next, he says, nervously wringing his hands. Pierre found it difficult to recall the killing of his family members. Grace, 38, paid the price after one of her male neighbours ran off into the bush where she lived. She was by herself in her home in Maumu village in September 2018 when the military came knocking, demanding to know where her neighbor had gone. The military man went and stood at my door. He called me, and then he shot me in both legs, she says, describing how one of the soldier escalated the situation without warning. After neighbours came out of the bush to smuggle her to the hospital, the military searched the local health facilities, looking for her. Hospital staff hid her in a closet. Grace, crying, says she is afraid they will find her again. She spoke to RFI on the condition that her real name and location would not be revealed. She owes hospital bills of nearly 1,400 euros (900,000 Central African CFA Francs), and is unable to walk. Her left leg is bandaged because she has an open wound from the gunshot that has still not healed, a year and a half after the shooting. Civilians have been caught in the middle, and have paid the highest price in this crisis, says HRW's Allegrozzi. People have been displaced, have lost their families, are living in the bush and are in need of humanitarian assistance. And this crisis has yet to be addressed. A population terrified Anglophones feel that the military is given free rein to do whatever they want. Meanwhile, those villagers whose houses are still standing maintain they are too scared to sleep in their own homes and prefer to sleep in the bush. They return home occasionally to harvest their crops so they can eat. Those who have migrated to towns also venture back to their homes, but only during the daytime, in order to gather more food to eat and sell. Bella, the young mother who could not find her five relatives, says she was determined to find out where they were. She puts her hands in her lap, her chewed nails betraying her anguish as she tells her story with little emotion. I went to town to report them missing, and to see if they were arrested, says Bella. The military maintained they had not detained her family members, and she would find them in the bush. They even asked her to call them with an update. While Bella mustered up the courage to speak to the military, most Anglophones RFI met are afraid -- afraid of being shot, or disappeared, or afraid that the military will burn their house down, as they did to their neighbours. Three years into the horror of losing family members, losing jobs, and losing sleep, many Anglophones, who perhaps were initially on the side of their separatist brethren, now distance themselves from the Ambas, both physically and philosophically. Leigh, 66, said she is afraid of both sides. Both are dangerous. Yes, I mean the Amba Boys. If you don't give them money, you will be beaten. They can kill you, she says. Before her community relocated to the bush, she said that the Ambas would sometimes warn them with a whistle when the military were coming so that they could run. Now they don't give any sound. Now they are against us, the military are against us, we are the ones suffering. When the army starts shooting they don't ask who is who, they just shoot, she says with a sigh, after rapidly recounting her story. Fear among civil society groups, too Local non-governmental and international organisations are trying to provide aid to the most vulnerable members of the Anglophone population, however the level of fear is reflected amongst the humanitarian workers too. RFI spoke to a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who were afraid to go on the record regarding the difficulties they have in maneuvering through the terrain, and in dealing with the government. Local aid group Authentique Memorial Educational Foundation (AMEF) was at the forefront when the fighting broke out between the military and the Amba Boys in Kumba town, where they operate. The difficulty lies in both the separatists and the government believing that aid organizations are helping the other side. There is that fear you're being branded a spy, says Atim Taniform, AMEF humanitarian affairs and operations manager in Kumba, saying that NGOs are working in a fog of uncertainty. We are afraid that the [government] administration thinks that we are bringing assistance to non-state actors [separatists] instead of the community. At the same time, the non-state actors feel we are taking assistance from the administration and bringing it to 'their' community, she says, referring to how the Ambas refer to Anglophones. Taniform chooses her words carefully when referring to the parties of the conflict. Both sides do not understand humanitarian principles and how they are applied in real terms, according to Christian Tanyi, head of the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation (LUKMEF), a human rights organization that operates out of Buea. When you look at humanitarian principles, the principle of neutrality doesn't mean we shouldn't talk to people. We talk to all parties in the conflict, trying to explain exactly who we are, what we do and how we do it, says Tanyi, who says he has tried to explain the rules of engagement to both sides. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate mainly due to multiple displacements as a result of attacks against civilians, says James Nunan, UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs regional head in Buea, South-West region, Cameroon. The bottom line, says Tanyi, is the military and the separatists are not respecting international humanitarian law, as humanitarians and vehicles with humanitarian aid have been attacked by both the military and the separatists. All these attacks signify that there is still a very long way to go, he adds. As of press time, the Cameroonian military had not responded to a request for comment. 'We are suffering and we just want it to end' The majority of Anglophones still believe the government could stop this with one phone call from President Paul Biya, as well as pulling the military out of the region, including the 1300 troops and police brought in for February's elections. On February 11, Cameroon's Youth Day, Biya spoke in French dubbed into English, calling for young Anglophones to come out of the bush, a move opposition Senator George Kinyang said was inadequate. Who's going to employ them, willing them to come out of the bush when their houses are being burnt down in the northern South-West region, said Kinyang from his home in Douala. He says he cannot return to his constituency because of the fighting. How do you call people to come out when they're not sure of their security, when they are not sure of their livelihood, when they have no assurance that their human rights will be respected, he adds, saying that the only way to end the conflict is a ceasefire, a move that would be welcomed by those who have already suffered enough. A worried Bella, still looking for her missing family, left the military headquarters in her area and rushed back to the bush camp, where she found a shallow grave. Other members of the community helped her dig it up, where she discovered the bodies of her four young nephews and pregnant sister-in-law. She called the military, telling them she found the lifeless bodies of her family. The military told me they were there to shoot Amba Boys, she says, recalling the conversation, her voice cracking. And when they saw they killed civilians, they tried to bury them. She said the soldiers apologized to her. They gave me 2,000CFA (3 euros) phone credit to compensate for her losses, she says, laughing bitterly, before her laughs turn to sobs. Her reaction borders on hysteria such a meagre compensation in phone credit for the killing of her family is unfathomable. People have lost their lives and [others] are dying, says Bella, through a veil of tears. I want everything to be over. *Names have been changed for the safety and security of those featured in this report Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kunang Helmi (The Jakarta Post) Paris Mon, March 2, 2020 15:20 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067bd962 3 Art & Culture photography,exhibition,photo-exhibition,Women,portrait,female-photographers Free Agnes Sire, artistic director of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, is focusing on the work of two female photographers who also produce moving images. The two parallel exhibitions opened on Feb. 25 and will run until May 27. The work of Martine Franck (1938-2012), a Belgian photographer whose black and white photography is featured in the Collections Gallery section, is always sober and classic. Daughter of a Belgian banker, she used inherited money to establish the foundation two years before her husbands death in 2004. Face a Face (Face to Face), also the title of one of her books, mirrors the direct, sympathetic attitude toward her subjects that was characteristic of Francks discreet photography. Franck, who was married to Henri Cartier-Bresson in the latter part of his life, took time to portray people, whether they were artists, fellow photographers or elderly people living in charitable institutions. These portraits were a mixture of commissioned work and personal research. Although rather timid, she nevertheless rapidly summed others up, never stealing an image against the will of her subjects. Franck once said, A portrait is always a renewed encounter. I am nervous just before a shooting, then gradually tongues start to loosen up. What I am after is to capture the light in the eye, the movements and the receptiveness and concentration just when the model remains silent. 'Elderly woman at La Maison de Nanterre nursing home, 1978.' (Magnum Photos/Martine Franck) Francks eye was trained by studies in history of art in Madrid and in Paris. Travels with her wealthy collector parents, Louis and Evelyn Franck, and younger brother Eric broadened her horizons, as they enjoyed painting, sculpture and encounters with people and landscapes. While writing her final paper for her studies at Lecole du Louvre in Paris, she realized that she was drawn to photography rather than writing about art. A cousin gave her a simple Leica to begin learning photography. After leaving two other photo agencies which she had helped found, Franck became a member of Magnum Agency, one of only a few women in the organization. Franck and Cartier-Bresson's daughter urged her to do so, despite Francks reluctance to be labeled the wife of one of the founders. Franck often traveled to Ireland, where she followed travelers and made a film about their lives. She accumulated many portfolios about the most varied subjects. Even after being diagnosed with bone cancer, she courageously continued working, between her appointments for painful treatment, until her death in 2012 at the age of 74. Martine and Cartier-Bresson were fellow seekers of Tibetan Buddhism, as the 1996 portrait of Tenzin Tosan Rinpoche with his monk tutor Gen Pagdo at Ratu Monastery in Karnataka State, India, in the show testifies. This was one of a series Franck undertook while traveling, after Cartier-Bresson ceased to travel outside Europe and concentrated on drawing while tending to their daughters education and later their grand-daughters. 'Tenzin Tosan Rinpoche with his tutor Gen Pagdo, Rato Monastery, Karnataka State, India, 1996.' (Magnum Photos/Martine Franck) Marie Bovo was born a generation later than Martine Franck in Alicante, Spain, in 1967. She is now 53. In contrast to Franck, she mainly lives and works in Marseille or occasionally across the Mediterranean in North Africa. Neither her grandparents nor her mother and Italian father, second-generation immigrants to France, could read or write. The tradition in her family was first and foremost an oral one where she listened to family anecdotes. Art, books and painting were absent, but a photograph in her grandmother's room of a Virgin Mary sculpture cradling the dead Jesus Christ on her lap, captured her attention early on. During her workshop at Arles Photo Festival 2017, she said that when she was a child, she wanted to become a sculptor because of the poignancy of that image. Sculpture seemed to her as realistic as portraying a living human being. After primary school in Marseille, where her art teacher encouraged her to draw and gently guided her to study art history in high school, Bovo began her study of plastic arts and literature in Marseille. It was only when a friend gave her a simple camera that she began to learn to take photos, develop prints and capture light on film. Influenced by her studies of art history, Bovo realized the importance of light in photography. She was drawn to capturing images at dusk or in early morning hours when light began to outline shapes and influence sensations. Bovo wished to portray the people who lived in impoverished surroundings in Marseille but realized that she had to take time to gain their confidence. 'Interior courtyard, Marseille, April 2009.' (Courtesy of the artist and kammel mennour Paris/London/Marie Bovo) A friend of hers lived in one of the common courtyards in Marseille where immigrants were crowded into small flats. This urban habitat fascinated Bovo but the inhabitants did not welcome a stranger with a camera barging into their lives. The photographer began introducing herself gently into these communities, often quite close to the harbor in Marseille. Her photography is in color, but she never introduced a voyeuristic aspect to portraying people living in slums as she usually restrained herself to documenting the evidence left behind by human lives. In her color series, Marie Bovo emphasizes light in nocturnal scenes, as well as the architecture of old buildings, many of which were originally fine buildings situated on formerly grand avenues sloping down toward the harbor from the surrounding hills of Marseille. Bovo, holding her camera, often either looks down into the shafts of the courtyards or upwards toward the light streaming down to hint at the sculptural contours of buildings, courtyards and urban landscapes. Bovo also takes photos horizontally, straight out of open windows of buildings she inhabits momentarily, like that of a female friend in Algiers, Algeria. Here the photographer spent some time on the other side of the Mediterranean. Otherwise she points her camera into inner spaces like former restaurants with remaining tiles to remind visitors of a more glorious past. Bovo once noted that, For art, night is essential. Our eye meets a strong barrier, the color black, which we cannot overcome, a withdrawal of light. It means accepting that certain things escape the eye like the voyeuristic and exhibitionist and basically violent impulses of contemporary society to try to push back the night by using harsh light. Later in her photographic experience, she traveled by train to Africa, Russia and Northern Europe. Always influenced by nocturnal experiences, the travels inspired her to come up with a photographic journal in the form of a book called Nocturnes. Bovos exhibition entitled "Nocturnes" presents 35 large-format color prints with two films of her travels. In Russia, the vast white spaces framed images with basic colors that cut across the purity of snow, while making it possible for Bovo to meet the people along the tracks. Otherwise, she has studied the different shades of grey which she encountered in her travels by studying Gerhard Richters paintings. It was this fresh and innovative approach to color photography that caught famous Parisian modern art gallerist Kamel Mennours eyes. He immediately acknowledged her extraordinary talent and encouraged her work and research in Paris and in London, where he also has a gallery, in addition to introducing her to the art world in general. Bovos personality seems always to be happy and inquiring, like when she follows a stream of milk winding down the cobbled streets of old Marseille, capturing the obstacles and stories so characteristic of the ancient harbor city. The video captures the daily adventure of living in a huge metropolis where life is never a simple story but teems with surprises. Over a century ago, Marseille also beckoned to a young Henri Cartier-Bresson but in black and white images. However, that is another story. (wng) Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Highlights Vodafone will provide its customers with an additional 1.5 GB data on select recharge plans. Vodafone and Vodafone Idea users with recharge plans of Rs 249, Rs 399 and Rs 599 can avail the offers till their validity, that is 28 days, 56 days and 84 days, respectively. With the additional data, the users will now get 3GB data per day on these plans. Vodafone has come up with new offer that aims to give additional data to all those users who subscribe to certain prepaid Vodafone plans. The offer of extra 1.5GB data daily is available to subscribers who are using Rs 249, Rs 399 and Rs 599 plans. The offer comes even as Vodafone struggles in its bid to pay large AGR dues, which have posed existential crisis for the company in India. Following are the recharge plans, on which Vodafone is providing 1.5GB additional data, The prepaid offers start at Rs 249 for a validity of 28 days, Rs 399 for a validity of 56 days and Rs 599 for a validity of 84 days. On these offers the Vodafone and Idea were already getting 1.5 GB data. With an additional data of 1.5 GB, these prepaid offers will provide its users 3GB data per day. This offer can be availed by Vodafone and Idea users across the country. The offer can be availed via My Vodafone, My Idea and the websites of these telcos. The additional data will be provided on top of the existing plans. For a recharge of Rs 249, Rs 399 and Rs 599, the telco used to provide daily data of 1.5GB. However, now the telcos will provide its users with an additional 1.5GB giving its providers a total of 3GB per day for the respective pack's entire validity. Hence in totality, for Rs 249 and a validity of 28 days, the user will get 84GB data. For Rs 399 and validity of 84 days, the user will get 252GB data and for Rs 399 and a validity of 56 days the user will get 168GB data. Other than the additional data benefits, Vodafone will also provide its users with the above mentioned plans these benefits: -- The users can avail unlimited voice calling to any network in the country, free hundred SMSes per day Vodafone's and Idea's app subscription for their respective users. -- Vodafone users get free access to Vodafone Play app whereas Idea prepaid customers enjoy content at no extra cost on Idea movies and TV mobile app. -- Vodafone Idea users can avail the offers on the self care app and websites of both telcos. Previously also, Vodafone had provided its users additional data but that was limited to My Vodafone App exclusively. The coronavirus crisis has given Australia and other middle powers a unique opportunity to counter the rise of China and redouble their efforts to reduce tensions in the Indo-Pacific, according to an advisor to the Morrison government on Chinese relations. Speaking at the Canberra launch for his new book Contest for the Indo-Pacific on Tuesday night, the head of the Australian National University's National Security College will say the coronavirus outbreak highlights the challenges facing China's grand strategic ambitions in the region. ANU professor Professor Rory Medcalf argued the coronavrius presents unique opportunity. Credit:Rohan Thomson Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong will also speak at the launch of Professor Medcalf's book, which challenges the idea that China alone will map the future of the Indo-Pacific. The virus outbreak will make it harder for Xi Jinping to sustain the mix of internal obedience and global respect required for its bid to dominate the region, according to Professor Medcalf. (Alliance News) - Greencoat Renewables PLC on Monday lifted its annual dividend despite a drop in net asset value. For 2019, the Irish renewable infrastructure fund said its net asset value per share dipped year-on-year to 103.1 euro cents from 103.4 cents. Net assets at the end of 2019 rose by 65% to EUR650.0 million from EUR392.8 million the same date the year before. Over the year, Greencoat made a further investment in Cloosh Valley, and acquired three new wind farms, increasing its portfolio to 15 wind farms, and the net generating capacity to 462 megawatts. However, the portfolio generated 1,154.0 gigawatt-hours, 4% below the budget of 1,206.2 GWh, due to a higher than expected level of curtailment caused by the failure of a 200 to 400 kilovolt grid transformer at Moneypoint. Greencoat Renewables declared a dividend of 6.03 cents per share, up 0.5% from 6.00 cents the prior year. Looking ahead, the company is targeting a full-year dividend of 6.06 cents per share for 2020. In addition, Greencoat said it is able to make acquisitions in Belgium, Find, France Germany and Netherlands. The company is now assessing opportunities in the Nordic regions, an area outside of its investment policy. "2019 represented another period of growth and delivery for the company as we consolidated our market leading position in Ireland. I am delighted to present another strong set of results, with all elements of our strategy delivered upon," said Non-Executive Chair Ronan Murphy. "The additions to the portfolio this year demonstrate the strength of our relationships with developers and co-investors, as well as our ability to transact at all levels of the market. We continue to find value in Ireland, and increasingly in continental Europe. The pipeline for further growth looks attractive across a range of geographies and markets," Murphy added. Shares in Greencoat Renewables were up 0.8% at EUR1.20 on Monday in London. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. We should stop wasting time trying to stop the virus from entering Kenya and start preparing for the outbreak instead. Kenyans are a worried lot. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the globe, there are increasing questions being raised about the measures or more accurately, the lack of measures the government is taking to protect the population. By the beginning of March, coronavirus infections had been confirmed in at least 55 countries, including three on the African continent Algeria, Egypt and Nigeria. While so far the continent has been spared a major outbreak, there have been dire predictions of the havoc the virus could wreak. In February, Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned that the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19 officially, could overwhelm already creaking health systems and claim up to 10 million lives. Despite numerous false alarms, there is thankfully yet to be a confirmed case of the virus in Kenya. However, a sense of panic has been building, fed largely by a perception that the government has been slow in enacting measures to prevent the virus getting into the country as well as by a dearth of public information on what to expect once its presence has been confirmed. It was not until last week that the country established a National Emergency Response Committee to prevent, respond to and contain this emerging global threat. Much of the concern has centred on the continuation of flights arriving from China whose Hubei province is the epicentre of the outbreak. At the end of January, the national carrier, Kenya Airways, reluctantly suspended flights to and from Guangzhou, one of its most lucrative routes, following public pressure, including from unions. However, the governments decision to allow a China Southern Airlines (CSA) plane carrying 239 passengers to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on February 26 caused uproar despite assurances that the passengers had been screened on board, cleared and advised to self-quarantine for the next 14 days. The Law Society of Kenya went to court and obtained orders suspending all flights from China and requiring that the passengers of last weeks CSA flight be rounded up and detained at a military or specially guarded medical facility until they are certified to be free of the virus. However, focusing exclusively on measures to prevent COVID-19 reaching Kenya is problematic. Dr Ouma Oluga, who heads the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, this week told the popular Sunday show, Punchline, that travel bans were counterproductive and ineffective. They incentivise countries not to declare cases for fear of economic repercussions and, given the global spread of the virus, restrictions on travel from one country could not guarantee that the virus would not arrive from elsewhere. Oluga cited the case in Nigeria, which originated in Italy, as an example of this. This is not to say that travel restrictions and other measures to contain the virus and stop it spreading, such as tracking and quarantining those infected, are not important. As both WHO officials and Professor Benjamin Cowling of the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong have noted, such measures, while not necessarily stopping the virus, do slow it down and give countries time to prepare. And this is where Kenya is failing. As public angst and government efforts concentrate on trying to prevent COVID-19 getting to Kenya, little attention is being paid towards preparing the health system and the public. As Dr Oluga pointed out, the government is yet to disseminate materials from the WHO to help prepare health workers to deal with the virus and, so far, most have not received any training at all on dealing with dangerous pathogens. A 2013 survey of the health system found that only 2 percent of medical facilities in the country were providing all services required to eliminate communicable conditions. And there is little sign that this has improved. A study published in the Lancet journal in February noted that while Kenya had a moderate risk of importing the virus from China, it had amongst the lowest scores on the continent for the capacity to handle an outbreak. Resources, intensified surveillance, and capacity building should be urgently prioritized in countries [like Kenya] with moderate risk that might be ill-prepared to detect imported cases and to limit onward transmission, it concluded. The lack of a public information campaign to educate people on what to expect and how to protect themselves is feeding the growing panic and fuelling anti-Chinese sentiment which was already on the rise over allegations of racism and fears of economic exploitation. Public ignorance is reflected in statements such as that from a former vice president who recently attributed the fact that no African had been diagnosed with the virus to strong genes. At the other end of the spectrum, doomsday scenarios being propagated on social media take little account of the fact that most of those who catch the virus experience only mild symptoms and that the overwhelming majority of deaths from the coronavirus have been among those aged 50 and above, a demographic that accounts for less than 11 percent of Kenyas population. Further, information on how to prevent infection, for example by regularly washing hands and practising good respiratory hygiene, can and should be easily disseminated and would help calm jittery nerves. However, instead of focusing on providing accurate and timely information to correct false narratives, the government is now threatening to prosecute people making statements it considers malicious and alarmist, a move that will do little to convince already sceptical Kenyans. None of this is meant to suggest that COVID-19 should not be taken seriously or that measures to prevent infected people getting into the country should be discontinued. However, rather than placing all its hopes on stopping the virus at the border, Kenyas efforts should now be geared towards preparing for its eventual arrival. Like much of the rest of the world, it has a window of opportunity to do this. But it is a window that is rapidly closing. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Colorado authorities said Monday afternoon that they don't think 11-year-old Gannon Stauch is alive as they announced several charges, including murder and child abuse, against the boy's stepmother. Letecia Stauch told authorities that she last saw her stepson, Gannon, between 3.15pm and 4pm on January 27. She said at the time that he was heading to a friend's house in Colorado Springs. Gannon was originally categorized as a runaway, before his case was upgraded to that of a missing/endangered person. 'We do not believe Gannon is alive,' Lt Mitch Mihalko said during a Monday afternoon press conference, as Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, and family members were overcome with emotion directly behind him. 'Our work is only just beginning...as we continue our relentless pursuit of justice for Gannon and his family,' Mihalko added. Authorities said Gannon's body has not been found. El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder said Stauch was taken into custody without incident just after 8am in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Scroll down for video Letecia Stauch (left), the stepmother of missing Colorado boy, Gannon Stauch (right), has been arrested and charged with murder of a child under 12 years of age by a person in a position of trust, child abuse resulting in death and tampering with a deceased human body Stauch (left) is being held without bond at the J Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County, South Carolina. Authorities said Gannon's (right) body has not been found Gannon was originally categorized as a runaway, before his case was upgraded to that of a missing/endangered person Stauch is being held without bond at the J Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County, South Carolina. She will be kept there until she's extradited to Colorado where she will face first-degree murder of a child under 12 years of age by a person in a position of trust, child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence. Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, gave a statement through tears during the press conference. 'I never thought I'd be standing here. It's a nightmare. Justice will be served and I'll make sure that justice is served because my boy did not deserve any of this that has happened to him,' Hiott said. 'So I urge media one more time just to hold off on questions until we know this person, this stepmom, that I even trusted that she will pay 100 per cent for this heinous thing.' 'We do not believe Gannon is alive,' Lt Mitch Mihalko (pictured) said during a Monday afternoon press conference, as Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, and family members were overcome with emotion directly behind him Gannon's mother, Landen Hiott, gave a statement through tears. 'I never thought I'd be standing here. It's a nightmare. Justice will be served and I'll make sure that justice is served because my boy did not deserve any of this that has happened to him,' Hiott (center) said After her statement, Hiott cried uncontrollably as she listened to the reading of a written statement from Gannon's father, Albert 'I want to live this earth knowing that justice was served for my boy,' she added. Hiott went on to say that Gannon is 'not only my hero now, he's the world's hero'. 'I know my boy is special and this is his story. So make that story magnificent. Thank you for allowing Gannon to be your hero and sharing him with us,' she added. Gannon was reported missing two months ago by Stauch, who is married to his father, Albert. During the press conference on Monday, officials read a statement from Albert. 'My little boy is not coming home. We will never play Nintendo again. No more taco Tuesdays. No more smooth-looking hair cuts. And no more G-man for the world. 'The person who committed this heinous, horrible crime is one that I gave more to anyone else on this planet, and that is a burden that I will carry with me for a very long time,' Albert wrote. Gannon (left and right) was reported missing two months ago by his stepmother, who is married to his father, Albert Surveillance footage shared by a neighbor allegedly shows Gannon entering a car with his stepmother that morning but not returning with her that afternoon (pictured). However, when she returned at 2.19pm, Gannon is nowhere to be seen Authorities said their work is not done and they will continue to work together to find Gannon. Surveillance video from a neighbor's home captured Stauch leaving the home with Gannon in her pickup truck at around 10.13am on January 27. However, when she returned at 2.19pm, Gannon is nowhere to be seen Footage from 2.19pm to the time Gannon was reportedly last seen is not available, but the sheriff's office said earlier that officers had no surveillance video showing the boy leaving the property. Roderrick Drayton, the neighbor whose camera picked up the footage, told ABC News that Gannon's father broke down in tears after he saw the video. Drayton said when he showed the clip to Albert, he burst into tears and accused his wife of 'lying' about Gannon walking to a friend's house. Law enforcement and volunteers (pictured) have spent nearly five weeks searching snowy areas for the 11-year-old boy Keith Lonnquist and Reggie Franklin (left to right), with El Paso County Search & Rescue, launch a drone to search an area for Gannon on February 2 J.R. Betts, with El Paso County Search & Rescue, goes through a pile of rubbish near Drennan Rd. in the Lorson Ranch area near Gannon's home in Colorado Springs A prayer wall was filled with handwritten prayers by those attending a vigil in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood for Gannon on January 29 '[Albert] just broke down crying and said: "She lied, she lied about the time. He didn't go to a friend's house''.' TIMELINE OF GANNON STAUCH CASE: Jan. 27: Gannon Stauch is reported as a runaway; last seen by stepmother Letecia Stauch between 3.15 pm-4 pm Jan. 30: Case is upgraded to a missing and endangered childs case due to his age, need for medication, winter weather and the length of time hes been missing Jan. 31: Letecia Stauch gives interview to KKTV saying deputies had threatened to shoot her and put her 17-year-old daughter in handcuffs Feb. 4: Neighbor Roderrick Drayton shares surveillance video showing what appears to be Letecia returning home at 2.19pm without Gannon in her pickup truck; claims boy's father broke down in tears when he saw the video Feb. 5: District Attorney Dan May visits Stauchs home; Stauch family make YouTube statement to bring Gannon home Feb. 7: Searchers use submersible remotely operated vehicle with sonar to scour a pond near Stauch family's home Feb. 8: Candlelight prayer vigil is held at Lorson Ranch Feb. 11: Letecia Stauch releases statement to Fox 31 claiming Gannon was in her truck on Jan. 27 and that later left with a 'friend' Feb. 21: Ground search for Gannon is halted by investigation continues Feb 28: Planned search for Gannon is called off without explanation Mar 2: Letecia Stauch is arrested in connection to the case. Stauch was charged with murder of a child under 12 years of age by a person in a position of trust, child abuse resulting in death and tampering with a dead body. Authorities announce that they don't believe Gannon is alive, but they haven't found his body. The investigation is ongoing Advertisement After news of the video broke, Stauch gave an interview to KKTV, insisting that she played no part in her stepson's disappearance. 'I took care of Gannon for the last two years in our home because his mother didn't want to do it,' she said. 'I would never ever, ever hurt this child... these people have these conspiracy theories... I'm like: "Why are you saying Gannon is dead?" He is not dead. We are going to find Gannon.' In a statement to KDVR, Stauch insisted that her stepson was, in fact, in her vehicle when they returned home from a shopping trip that afternoon, but he got out from the side of the truck facing away from the neighbor's camera. On Friday, the El Paso Sheriff's Office called off a planned search for the 11-year-old. No explanation was given for the cancellation of Friday's search and a spokesperson from the sheriff's office did not immediately return a request for comment. But on Saturday Colorado authorities continued their search along a stretch of highway. Footage shows volunteers poking at the snow and ice with shovels near Highway 105 and Highway 83. No information was given on what the search was looking for. 'As we have explained throughout this investigation, this is a very fluid investigation & it can change at any minute of the day,' the sheriff's office tweeted on Thursday. 'The scheduled search has been postponed. We will keep you in the loop as it happens & as we can release it. Our Tips to date are 801.' Authorities have used drones, horses, canines during their five-week search for Gannon. Their slogan for the search is: 'Leave no stone unturned.' Gannon was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black jeans and sneakers. If you have any information as it relates to Gannon's case, please call the Sheriff's Office Tip Line at 719-520-6666 or email Tips@elpasoco.com. A British man who is believed to be among the first people in the world to catch coronavirus has revealed he fell sick in November last year - weeks before the first official case was logged. Connor Reed, a 25-year-old teacher from Wales who was living in Wuhan when the outbreak began, explained how he fell sick with symptoms similar to a common cold in 'late November'. Doctors in Wuhan did not report the first cluster of coronavirus infections - which they identified at the time as 'pneumonia from an unknown origin' - until December 30, and said the first patient fell sick on December 1. Connor Reed, 25, has revealed that he fell sick with coronavirus in November last year - weeks before the first cases of the disease were reported Mr Reed said he initially did not go to hospital because he believed he was only suffering from a cold, but sought medical attention when it developed into flu and then pneumonia Mr Reed told This Morning that he initially did not go to hospital, but sought medical attention when his symptoms worsened - first to flu and then pneumonia. Asked whether he thinks the government tried to cover up the initial outbreak, he speculated that local hospitals did not accurately report cases. 'I believe that on a regional level and a local level definitely there were some hospitals covering it up,' he said. 'But the Chinese Community Party as a whole on national level, theyve learned their lessons from the SARS outbreak and theyre not covering it up. 'The numbers they are releasing are accurate.' Scientists believe the global outbreak of coronavirus can be linked to a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals, but have so far been unable to say precisely how the virus ended up in humans. They have also been unable to trace 'patient zero' - the first human to catch the disease - or say precisely when they were infected. Researchers have discovered that the virus has an 'incubation period' of up to 14 days between infection and patients first showing symptoms which has complicated efforts to trace its origin. Mr Reed, from Llandudno, said he was prescribed an inhaler which he used to help his cough, and antibiotics which he refused to take. Mr Reed was only told that he had contracted coronavirus in January this year - until then it was classed as 'pneumonia from an unknown cause' Commuters in Japan wear face masks amid a coronavirus outbreak, as the disease threatens to turn into a global pandemic Instead, he drank hot toddies - a mixture of hot whiskey and honey - until he was feeling better. It was not until January that he was told he had contracted coronavirus. I was sick, I got over it and thats the way I look at it,' he said. UK CORONAVIRUS CASES SPIKE Fears for scores of cancer patients at an NHS hospital in Hertfordshire were sparked today after a clinician was revealed as one of the 13 latest coronavirus cases in the UK. More than a dozen patients at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood are being tested for the killer virus and at least 10 staff members have been forced to self-isolate to hear if they are infected, MailOnline understands. It comes as a secondary school in London became the third school in as many days to close its doors after another teacher was diagnosed with the virus on Sunday. In a letter to parents, Wimbledon College said it would remain shut until March 10 because so many of its staff are self-isolating after coming into contact with the infected teacher. St Mary's Church of England Primary School in Gloucestershire and Willow Bank Infant School in Berkshire will also remain shut until Wednesday while they are deep cleaned after two teachers tested positive over the weekend. The number of people infected with the deadly virus jumped from 23 to 36 on Sunday, marking the biggest rise in a single day after 12 new cases were recorded in England and Scotland announced its first patient. Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired an emergency Cobra meeting in Whitehall this morning where officials thrashed out a 'battle plan' to tackle the virus, which he admitted poses a 'significant threat'. Advertisement Describing the current situation in Wuhan, where cases have been steadily falling, he said the city remains in lockdown with people confined to their homes. 'Were all under quarantine still. All the shops are closed no private citizen can purchase anything from shops,' he said. 'Everythings done by group buying with your community. Each community has a community manager. 'They purchase things for you, it gets delivered to your gate and you pick it up from there. It is quite scary because normally the streets are bustling Its normally a very jovial place but at the moment its very dead Globally, almost 90,000 people have been confirmed as having coronavirus infections with more than 3,000 deaths. While most of those are still confined within mainland China, outbreaks have been confirmed in South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan. There are also signs the disease is spreading freely within the US and UK after both countries reported cases in people who had not travelled overseas. Heath authorities in the US have also reported shortages of kits used to test for the disease, meaning their ability to accurately report infections is compromised. Fears have also been raised over whether Iran is accurately reporting cases. The World Heath Organisation has warned that there is roughly a 40 per cent chance of the disease turning into a global pandemic - while telling leaders that they are 'not prepared' to deal with the issue. Dr Mike Ryan, who heads up the WHO's emergency response team, said: 'Countries are not simply not ready...health systems around the world are clearly not ready.' 'We need to slow [coronavirus] down so that countries can cope.' South Korean soldiers spray disinfectant in Daegu, a city at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak that has sickened more than 4,000 in that country alone Autopilot, Super Cruise and Drive Pilot are different names given to technology that automates steering and braking in a growing number of vehicles, but none of it can safely pilot cars without regular human intervention. These systems and the potential for consumers to misunderstand and misuse them are putting pressure on regulators everywhere to overhaul safety testing and consumer rating systems that have not kept up with the pace of deployment of new semi-automated driving technology. That may be especially true in the United States, where the National Transportation Safety Board chided regulators this week for lagging their European counterparts in efforts to ensure consumer and road safety. The acting head of the U.S. vehicle safety regulator said on Wednesday that his agency would make changes this year to a testing program that assigns safety grades to new and future vehicles. Were raising the bar for safety technologies in our new vehicles, said acting National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief James Owens. NHTSA in December 2015 issued proposed rulemaking for testing procedures that would be similar to more comprehensive testing done by European regulators. No rules have been put forward since then, however, and Owens comments came a day after the NTSB sharply criticized NHTSA for its hands off approach to overseeing semi-automated driving technology. The NTSB, an independent U.S. government agency, also compared NHTSAs testing and ratings unfavorably to consumer safety systems put in place by European agencies. Surveys have shown that consumers overestimate the capabilities of semi-automated systems, as automakers race to deliver on the promise of truly driverless cars. Safety advocates also criticize manufacturers for using misleading terms to market those systems, including Autopilot, Pro Pilot Assist and Traffic Jam Pilot. European regulators have been expanding their rules and ratings to evaluate new technology such as automatic braking and lane-keeping, while U.S. regulators have done little to change their traditional five star crash test grading system. European safety ratings assess all advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) currently available and regulators have passed some laws on the technology. In 2018, European Union regulators required the installation of acoustic and visual warning signals for lane-keeping systems every 15 seconds if drivers take their hands off the wheel. As a result, Tesla had to issue a software update to its Autopilot system in the EU. A regulatory body is currently working on rules for more advanced hands-off systems that can control braking, acceleration and lane changes at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph). Under draft EU rules, carmakers among other things need to show how the system safely hands control back to the driver, how the car monitors the road and how it reacts in emergency situations. Pressure on automakers in Europe also comes from non-binding performance ratings by Europes New Car Assessment Program, known in the industry as Euro NCAP. Euro NCAP began rating automatic braking systems in 2014. It is testing the performance of advanced cruise control, lane-centering systems and blind spot detection since 2018 and beginning in May will also grade how well a cars system is keeping the driver engaged. The group is a non-governmental body but funded by some EU countries and also receives money from national motor clubs and insurers. Matthew Avery, a Euro NCAP board member, said the group was sharing testing methods with NHTSA and the NTSB on a regular basis. As regulation moves slowly, Euro NCAP plays a crucial role in holding carmakers accountable, Avery said. The manufacturers initially scream blue murder and say our targets are impossible to achieve, but then one of them does it and everyone follows, he said. Carmakers in the United States are allowed to self-certify that their vehicles comply with existing rules, said University of South Carolina law professor Bryant Walker Smith, who focuses on automated driving. But there are currently no rules for ADAS. NHTSA also publishes an annual New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), which evaluates the crashworthiness of a vehicle and outlines what semi-automated features a car comes with. But the agency does not assess the safety of those systems despite nearly all modern cars being equipped with some features like automatic emergency braking.2 HARTFORD Those who work on Connecticuts highways made a passionate pitch Friday for a bill that would allow the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices within maintenance work zones. Distracted driving and total disregard for posted speed limits have made highway work zone maintenance a job more dangerous than ever before, Department of Transportation workers told lawmakers. Every single day we are out there we are putting our lives at risk. Our jobs are dangerous, said Les Archer, a transportation maintainer for the DOT, speaking before the Transportation Committees public hearing. Archer, who has worked for DOT for 24 years, said the issue was so important, he and several of his colleagues took time off from work to come to Hartford to testify in favor of HB 5198, An Act Concerning Maintenance Work Zone Safety Enforcement. The bill would allow cameras to be placed in work zones where there are no police officers on duty starting next January. The cameras will be used to capture the license plate number of any vehicle driving 12 mph or more over the speed limit in a work zone. Tickets will then be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle within about 10 days. Any fines collected would be placed in a special work zone safety account to be used by the DOT to protect the safety of workers in highway work zones through highway traffic enforcement. Archer told the committee a new bill might make motorists pay more attention to whats going on around them and less attention to their cell phones. We workers deserve to be protected and respected for the work we do. We should not have to fear for our lives each day we go to work, Archer said. Archer said everybody loves us when its snowing out but we are an annoyance, slowing the motoring public down the rest of time. We have had workers killed on the side of the road, Archer said. It just has to stop. Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, shared a story about having a blowout driving home from the state Capitol a few years ago. Just getting his car to the side of the road to change the flat was a harrowing experience, he said. Thankfully a good samaritan helped me out, Kissell said, adding that he could not imagine what it would be like working on a wide-open highway with people on their cell phones, distracted driving, people not paying attention. People have become a little too selfish, KIssel said. Im looking forward to working on this bill. Several states, including Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois and Maryland have passed similar legislation. DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti expressed strong support for the intent of the bill in his written testimony. He said during the 2019 construction season, the DOT recorded 1,045 accidents within its work zones involving 2,094 vehicles. The majority of these incidents can be directly connected to excessive speed, Giulietti said. Also testifying in favor of the bill was Carl Chisem, president of the Connecticut Employees Union Independent, SEIU Local 511, representing over 3,600 state workers. The men and women who work for the CT DOT as Transportation Maintainers are in constant danger of being injured or killed by motor vehicles in our maintenance work zones, Chisem told the committee. Chisem said since January 1, 2018, data indicates 2,187 crashes occurred in Connecticut work zones. Of that group, there were six motorist fatalities and 647 injuries. Keep in mind that not all injuries are reported or recorded, said Chisem, who added: Please remember these numbers do not indicate the number of motorists who drive recklessly through work zones without incident. Our members witness these close calls daily and feel that their lives are at constant risk while doing their jobs.Chisem implored the Transportation Committee to act. These workers are not just statistics. They are mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, Chisem said. Their families depend on them to come home at the end of each workday. Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, co-chair of the committee, said members heard the workers plea. Leone referred to the fact that many testifying Friday have 18-wheelers whizzing by you on a continuing basis. Thats your work zone, Leone told the DOT workers. The need to do something is real and clear. Wealthy Indians are turning to Grenada, the Caribbean island nation, as a route to get US citizenship. This comes as getting an EB-5 immigrant investor visa to the US has become more expensive. The Economic Times, in a report, cites an immigration lawyer as suggesting that Indians interest in the Grenada Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme has increased in the last three months. The Caribbean country has an investment visa treaty with the US. At the same time, there has been a drop in interest towards the EB-5 programme after the US altered investment guidelines under it. In November 2019, the minimum investment required under EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program was raised to $900,000 from $500,000 in Targeted Employment Area (TEA) and from $1 million to $1.8 million in non-TEAs. Along with this, the annual country cap has been set at 700. This has led to a longer wait for Indians, the newspaper has quoted Mark Davies, the global chairman of immigration law firm Davies & Associates as saying. Under Grenadas Citizenship by Investment programme, an applicant has to invest $220,000 in a government-approved real estate project. Grenada has an E2 visa treaty with the US, under which a Grenadian can apply for US citizenship and get it within three months. An E-2 visa allows investors to live and do business in the US in exchange for a minimum investment of $150,000. The report suggests that an added advantage of this route is that it allows the visa holders spouse to freely work in the US and also covers dependent children under 21 years of age. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. The Republic of Cyprus, which also offers a similar programme, and Turkey are also emerging as other preferred options. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 21:12:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Several people in Beijing were punished for loopholes in their work and failing to fully perform their duties in a case where a released inmate from Wuhan, the center of novel coronavirus outbreak, entered the city and was later confirmed to have been infected with the virus. The released inmate surnamed Huang entered Beijing through an expressway toll-gate in a private car on Feb. 22, according to an official with the city's discipline watchdog. The official said the auxiliary police at the toll-gate and employees of the property management office of the community where Huang lives failed to faithfully perform their duties as required in Beijing's epidemic prevention and control work. The hotline personnel of the Beijing center for disease control and prevention (CDC) also gave misinformation when being asked by Huang's relative whether she could enter Beijing or not. As a result, a number of officials in charge of the toll-gate, a relevant official in the community where Huang lives, concerned persons of the Beijing CDC were given punishments including being reprimanded, removed from their posts, given a demerit or disciplinary warning. The relevant auxiliary policeman was fired. The property management company in charge of the community where Huang lives was also punished. Christopher Soukup, Chairman, CSD Social Venture Fund It's an honor to be returning to SXSW to speak again and give visibility to issues impacting the deaf community, and by extension, the rest of humanity. Leading disability advocate Christopher Soukup returns to SXSW with his solo speaker presentation titled: Deaf Entrepreneurs: Stories That Change Perception. Mr. Soukup is Chairman of the CSD Social Venture Fund, one of the nations first venture funds for deaf owned businesses, and CEO of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), the worlds largest deaf-led social impact organization. He is scheduled to present at SXSW 2020 on March 13 in Austin, TX. South by Southwest is one of the most diverse, collaborative and inventive conferences in the world. Mr. Soukup joins numerous and notable speakers scheduled to appear at this years 34th annual conference, including: keynoters Janelle Monae, Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor, and Carrie Brownstein, and other luminaries including Judd Apatow, Kenya Barris, Stephen Colbert, Gayle King, Michael Moore and Pink Floyds Roger Waters. Soukup, a third-generation deaf man, is one of the worlds leading human rights and disability advocates. He has been featured extensively in numerous national media outlets as a leading voice on key issues impacting the deaf and disability communities, including ongoing societal bias, employment, leadership and universal design. It's an honor to be returning to SXSW to speak again and give visibility to issues impacting the deaf community, and by extension, the rest of humanity, said Mr. Soukup. SXSW is one of the most influential platforms in the world to accelerate social change, and I will be using this opportunity to help broaden societal concepts of entrepreneurship, leadership, diversity and investment. Mr. Soukups Deaf Entrepreneurs: Stories That Change Perception will take an inside look at the CSD Social Venture Fund, one of the nations first for deaf-owned and operated businesses. He will share some of the funds success stories and how those deaf entrepreneurs are generating social impact, changing perceptions and redefining what leadership and investment mean. His presentation also will demonstrate how social-minded companies and their investors can accelerate social change in greater society. His presentation will be delivered in American Sign Language and English on March 13 at 11:00 a.m. CST in Salon J at the Hilton Austin Downtown, 500 East 4th Street. This presentation is open to all SXSW Interactive, Music, Film and Platinum badge-holders. South by Southwest, dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. For more information about Christopher Soukup please visit CSD SVF and CSD. Media Contacts: The Durkin Agency karen.durkin@thedurkinagency.com UBS Group Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti is poised to become chairman of Swiss Re next year after leaving the helm of Switzerland's biggest bank, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. UBS last month named ING Chief Executive Ralph Hamers to succeed Ermotti as CEO of the world's largest wealth manager as of Nov. 1. Ermotti, who has run UBS since 2011, has been coy about his future career path. When news of the Hamers appointment emerged, Ermotti declined comment on speculation that he would eventually replace UBS Chairman Axel Weber, who has said he ... Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef (centre), who served as ambassador to Pakistan during the Taliban's rule, speaks to the media as he arrives to the signing of the US-Taliban agreement in Doha, Qatar, 29 February 2020: AP The US and Nato will withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within 14 months under an new peace agreement reached with the Taliban, officials have announced. America would initially reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 within 135 days of the US-Taliban agreement, which was being signed in the Qatari capital of Doha. 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. Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of Nato, said the organisation supports this peace 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. 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. President George Bush 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 United States tried to establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatari deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, (right) meets with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo (left) at the peace signing ceremony between the US and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha on 29 February 2020. (AFP via Getty Images) The Taliban regrouped, and currently holds sway over half the country. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo arrived in Qatar from Washington 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 the United States commitment to the country. Story continues 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. 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. Read more Taliban say Afghan peace deal with US will be signed by end of month Two US soldiers killed and six wounded in Afghanistan shootout US and Taliban reach understanding to reduce violence, Pompeo says Trump cant claim peace in Afghanistan until the Taliban is dealt with Taliban claims it shot down US military plane in Afghanistan The US president, Donald Trump, said Monday during a meeting at the White House with his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, that if illegal crops are not fumigated, it will not be possible to get rid of them. Dukes response to Trump for scolding drugs. Well, youre going to have to spray. If you dont spray, you cant get rid of them. So you have to do spray in relation to drugs in Colombia, said the US president. Then, Duque asked for the word: Let me say something that is very important, said the Colombian president, who advocated combining all the elements, from precision spraying to dismantling drug cartels. We have to work on all the elements, we have to work very hard against crime. That crime is hurting our people, it is hurting people everywhere, and we have to work together on those efforts, as we have done so far, he stressed. Duque, who spoke in English, recalled that coca leaf crops in Colombia fell in 2018 for the first time in six years, although the decline was only half a percentage point, according to estimates published in June 2019 by the White House itself . At the end of December, USA He already expressed his support for a draft decree of the Colombian Presidency that draws a road map to resume the aerial spraying of coca crops with glyphosate or other herbicide by 2020. That decree was in the process of public discussion until January 30. NEWS: Dukes response to Trump for drug scolding. The leaders spoke briefly to the press in the Oval Office. They explained that, in addition to the issue of drugs, the issue of the Venezuelan crisis will be on the table. Its a great issue for us, Trump said. The way they treat the people of Venezuela is incredibly bad. They dont have water, they dont have food, they dont have anything. Thats what well be talking about. Its a big topic in our conversations. For his part, Duque considered that it is very important to make stronger the sanctions against the dictatorship of Venezuela. They have destroyed the health system, so we have to work together, so that there is a political and democratic transition that is effective in Venezuela, the Colombian president added. On the Colombian side, Colombian Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo, and Foreign Minister Claudia Blum, among others. For his part, Trump was accompanied among others by his son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner. Catherine Musakali is the Founder of Women on Boards Network, an initiative aimed at promoting and encouraging women into Board leadership. She also founded Dorion Associates, a law firm that specialises in regulatory, commercial and business law. Ms Musakali also worked as the Company Secretary and Head of Legal Affairs at Kenya Shell Limited, now Vivo Energy Kenya Limited, for more than 15 years. Until May 2014, she was the Chairperson of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPSK) and led the companys Education and Professional Development Committee and the Legislation and Corporate Governance Committee. Musakali also sits on the Council of the Corporate Secretaries International Association, a body that brings together governance professionals from around the world. She talked to myNetwork: What was your biggest career breakthrough? Ive had three. The first one came in 2007 when I was working at Shell. Because it is a global company, senior employees were required to have experience in foreign markets, so I was sent to work in London and other markets in Africa. I learnt a lot about leadership and eventually got promoted. Six years later when I was the chairperson of ICPSK, I was tasked with developing the Code of Corporate Governance for State Corporations now known as Mwongozo, which was meant to streamline operations in local parastatals. During this time, the Capital Markets Authority asked me to lead the team that would develop a separate regulatory code for corporates. This was my third breakthrough. As I was working on the two initiatives, I got an opportunity to share my knowledge and experience in corporate governance, a subject I love to bits. Why did you study law? My father wanted my siblings and I to be responsible and accountable from a very young age. I come from a large family where my father was the self-appointed president. He made my mother his deputy and minister for home affairs. My older brothers and sisters each held ministerial positions with different responsibilities. In the evenings, my father chaired our cabinet meetings around the fireplace to discuss every ministers performance, challenges and solutions proffered. Since I was very young, I held no ministerial post. However, my dad asked me to take the minutes of all meetings. I became his secretary and kept all his secrets. As I grew up, I was attracted to courses relating to record keeping and governance, which is why I chose law. And of course, I qualified for it by passing my exams! What was your biggest challenge as a young professional? Lack of good role models. I got a job immediately after high school, but I couldnt find mentors in my profession. I had to learn everything by myself. Shortly after I graduated, I joined an insurance company where I was required to set up a legal department from scratch. I had nobody to guide me, so I did it through trial and error. Luckily, the errors were not too many. Do you offer mentorship programmes? Yes. I have many mentees in the formal and informal sectors. Under the Women on Boards Network, we have mentorship programmes for children as young as 12 years old. What do you think needs to change about how law students are taught in university? The training needs to incorporate more practicals and fewer theories so that law students can put the knowledge they acquire in class into practice. How did you get your first board appointment? I was nominated by George Maina who I consider a great mentor. George was my boss at Shell and he knew my potential. Many years after he left the company, he proposed my name for a board position at the Nairobi Securities Exchange which had seasoned board members. They mentored me and gave me responsibilities such as chairing committees, and held me accountable. I was still in my 30s and had no knowledge on capital markets. I embraced the opportunities and read as much as I could about it. Your advice to young women on how to navigate boardroom politics? Know your strengths and identify the things that make you stand out. Build valuable networks because your network is your net worth. Know everything about the organisation, the key stakeholders, and what their needs are. Practice emotional intelligence and you will be OK. What do you hope to achieve in your career? To keep growing and to mentor others. That is why I founded Women on Boards Network. I want to share my knowledge and experience and find opportunities for younger women to succeed in their roles as board members. Who is your role model? My parents. They taught me to value family, to be responsible, loving and generous, to cultivate a good relationship with God, and that hard work pays. Three Chinese Nationals who works in a mining site in Wase town of Plateau State, have been quarantined for suspected case of coronavirus. Commissioner for Information in Plateau, Dan Manjang revealed that the Chinese citizens who flew into Abuja on Wednesday February 26, traveled down to Jos, the Plateau State capital on Thursday February 27. Manjang who averred that there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in Plateau, said the Chinese nationals are still being clinically examined by a medical expert deployed by the State Ministry of Health. He told Channels Television; The situation right now is that they have been isolated. The three of them came in through Abuja and once we heard that, the Commissioner for Health had to take a proactive measure to send a medical team to Wase to go and investigate. The problem that we have is that there is a tendency for people to think that investigation or quarantine, as the case may be, means that there is an outbreak of the virus. As far as Plateau case is concerned, there has been no known case of this virus on the Plateau; we just took proactive measures to make sure that we place them (the Chinese nationals) under investigation and that will take 14 days. Manjang further disclosed that the Plateau state government is currently waiting for the report of the team that was sent to Wase before taking the next step. Today we're going to take a look at the well-established Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX). The company's stock received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$45.71 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$37.39. 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 Boston Scientific's current trading price of US$37.39 reflective of the actual value of the large-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Boston Scientifics outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. Check out our latest analysis for Boston Scientific What is Boston Scientific worth? Good news, investors! Boston Scientific is still a bargain right now. According to my valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is $48.19, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Another thing to keep in mind is that Boston Scientifics share price may be quite stable relative to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. This means that if you believe the current share price should move towards its intrinsic value over time, a low beta could suggest it is not likely to reach that level anytime soon, and once its there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range again. What does the future of Boston Scientific look like? NYSE:BSX Past and Future Earnings, March 2nd 2020 Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. 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. Though in the case of Boston Scientific, it is expected to deliver a highly negative earnings growth in the next few years, which doesnt help build up its investment thesis. It appears that risk of future uncertainty is high, at least in the near term. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Although BSX is currently undervalued, the adverse prospect of negative growth brings about some degree of risk. I recommend you think about whether you want to increase your portfolio exposure to BSX, or whether diversifying into another stock may be a better move for your total risk and return. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on BSX for some time, but hesitant on making the leap, I recommend you dig deeper into the stock. Given its current undervaluation, now is a great time to make a decision. But keep in mind the risks that come with negative growth prospects in the future. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Boston Scientific. You can find everything you need to know about Boston Scientific in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Boston Scientific, 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. Around a hundred anti-racist protesters, escorted by police, shouted "shame on you" outside the Duke of Wellington pub (Yahoo News/Victoria Bell) The owners of a London pub have been accused of failing to protect staff after a black barman was the victim of a racially-motivated attack by a group of men. Student El Harding, 20, was assaulted while working at the Duke of Wellington pub, owned by Youngs brewery and located on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, at around 11.15pm on Saturday, 15 February. Six men made racist comments towards Harding before attacking him, stealing a piece of his jewellery and fleeing the establishment without paying their bill. The barman suffered severe bruising and a dislocated shoulder after a chair was thrown at him. On Saturday, about 100 anti-racism protesters carrying Justice For El signs shouted "shame on you" outside the Duke of Wellington, calling on customers inside to leave and to boycott the pub. Hardings mother Eunicia said Young's had failed to protect her son on the night of the attack (Yahoo News/Victoria Bell) They were joined by Labour MP Emma Dent Coad and the demonstration had the support of campaign group Stand Up To Racism. Hardings mother Eunicia, who spoke at the protest, said her son did not receive any support from staff and that management failed to promptly call emergency services after the attack. Mrs Harding said: "This could happen to any of our children. Youngs failed to protect my son on that night. I'm devastated and heartbroken as a mother that this could happen. Read more John Bercow says Meghan Markle was victim of 'explicit and obnoxious racism' Former Conservative Party chairwoman backs rapper who called Boris Johnson a 'racist She added that the pub normally has security at the door, but that "none of them were there" to support her son at the time of the attack. She told drinkers to leave the pub during Saturdays protest. Coad, who was the local MP for Kensington from 2017 until 2019, said locals are planning to boycott the pub and protest outside it every Saturday. She tweeted: "A young man was brutally attacked and robbed by racists in his place of work. Duke of Wellington/Finches in Portobello didn't call police, let alone an ambulance. Story continues "One hundred protestors just met outside, and will be there every week until they apologise and show duty of care for El." She added in a separate tweet: "Given that he had been racially abused, beaten up, and robbed and the pub also robbed as the racists ran off without paying wed like to know if this is the normal practice." Six men racially abused the bartender, before attacking him and fleeing the Duke of Wellington, of which Finch's Dining room is a part (Yahoo News/Victoria Bell) Another speaker at the demonstration, who did not want to be identified, said: The racists who attacked El need to be charged by police and brought to trial. By protesting we are sending out a clear message that we will not tolerate racism in our community. The Duke of Wellington management team did not take the welfare of their staff seriously and did not follow protocol, by failing to call the police and ambulance services. She added: The manager made very clear that she was only concerned about when El would be returning to work. This was said in a conversation after the attack. A Met Police spokesperson told Yahoo News: "Police were called at 12:03am on Sunday, 16 February to reports of an assault at a pub on Portobello Road. "Officers attended and spoke to a man, aged in his 20s, who reported he had been assaulted and had an item of jewellery stolen by a group of males. "He was also racially abused. "Officers are investigating. No arrests have been made." Great turnout to support @ElJustice4 young black man beaten and robbed by racist at work @YoungsPubs Shame on you! pic.twitter.com/3LqDyT7iW7 Emma Dent Coad (@emmadentcoad) March 1, 2020 While we wait for your answer we will be boycotting @YoungsPubs and will protest outside Duke of Wellington every week. We will never stand by while racism is allowed to prevail. Our young people deserve better. Emma Dent Coad (@emmadentcoad) February 23, 2020 In a statement, Youngs apologised for the delay in calling the police: "The management and staff of the Duke of Wellington, and all at Youngs, fully share the anger and disgust of the community following the vile racist attack on a 20-year-old member of staff. "We fully understand the familys anger at the incident and wish to reassure them, and the community, that Youngs do not tolerate any attack on our staff and will always do everything we can to provide every assistance to the police. Read more: Chinese Labour MP accuses Piers Morgan of making racism 'permissible' All our colleagues were left shocked and stunned by the incident and unfortunately, on this occasion, did not follow our protocol to immediately call the police. Instead the deputy manager called the manager for guidance, who instructed they, as the manager on duty, call the police immediately. "The deputy manager was on that call when the police arrived shortly after the incident. We offer our sincere apologies to our colleague and his family that our protocol to call the police immediately after an incident was not completed more quickly on this occasion." DENVER A physics conference expected to draw 10,000 people to Denver was canceled due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The decision to cancel the American Physical Societys March Meeting was announced Saturday, The Denver Post reports. The decision drew criticism from some travelers who were already in Denver or en route to the conference scheduled to start Monday. A statement on the societys website said the increased risk surrounding the disease spreading across the globe led organizers to cancel the week-long conference at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver. The decision to cancel was based on the latest scientific data being reported, and the fact that a large number of attendees at this meeting are coming from outside the U.S., including countries where the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) upgraded its warning to level 3 as recently as Saturday, the organization said in the statement. The nonprofit organization headquartered in Maryland works to increase knowledge about physics. A spokeswoman did not immediately return requests for comment Sunday. Some people expressed frustrations that the event was canceled 36 hours before its scheduled start, while others applauded the society for canceling in light of increased concerns about COVID-19. COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family thats a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. More than 88,000 people around the globe have been infected, with the virus appearing on every continent but Antarctica. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, runny nose, cough and breathing trouble. Most develop only mild disease. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. OTTAWA - The federal government has increased border-screening measures for travellers arriving in Canada from Iran in light of the growing number of novel coronavirus cases linked to that country. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In this Sunday, March 1, 2020 photo, a paramedic tests a sample taken from a patient suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus, at a hospital in Tehran, Iran. A member of a council that advises Iran's supreme leader died Monday after falling sick from the new coronavirus, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness striking both citizens and leaders of the Islamic Republic. (Ali Shirband/Mizan News Agency via AP) OTTAWA - The federal government has increased border-screening measures for travellers arriving in Canada from Iran in light of the growing number of novel coronavirus cases linked to that country. Several of Canada's most recent 27 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which can cause a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, have been linked to travel to Iran or close contact with people who've recently returned from that country. Anyone who returns to Canada from Iran will be asked to contact their local public health authority within 24 hours and to self-isolate at home for 14 days the incubation period of the virus. The move marks a change in the Public Health Agency of Canada's approach to the outbreak, as Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam has repeatedly said that as the number of affected countries increases, border measures typically become less feasible and effective. "(Iran) is a country with rapidly escalating cases with local transmission," Tam said Monday. "The rapid escalation in cases together with the actual exportation to Canada was a key aspect of that decision." Symptomatic passengers will be asked to fill out a form with their contact information so that public health officials can follow up with them. If travellers have symptoms, such as a fever or dry cough, they will be assessed at the airport. Global Affairs has also updated its travel advisory to urge Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. Iran has confirmed 1,501 cases of the virus and 66 deaths. Many believe the true number is larger, as the country's caseload surged more than 250 per cent in just 24 hours. Canada has also increased its advisory level for northern Italy, and some regions of South Korea, due to the virus. Canada is not at this time considering banning travel to certain regions altogether, Tam said. "Viruses know no borders. We have to balance our public health measures knowing they're never completely perfect," she said. Some of the COVID-19 cases in Canada, including the first case linked to Iran, were detected before any cases were confirmed in their country of origin. That is a cause of concern, Tam said. She said all international travellers, including those crossing land borders from the United States, have been asked to monitor themselves for symptoms regardless of where they have been and report to their local public health authority if they have concerns. She also advised anyone planning a large gathering, such as Nowruz, the Persian New Year, to consult with their local public health authority and be prepared to adjust their plans. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020. 4 ways Christians can make sense of coronavirus in a fallen world Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Theologian John Piper has offered Christians four ways they can biblically understand the coronavirus, which has infected about 87,000 so far and killed more than 3,000 people. The family of viruses known as coronaviruses infects mostly bats, pigs and small mammals, but they mutate easily and can jump from animals to humans, and from one human to another, as The Wall Street Journal explained recently, adding that the mortality rate has ranged between 2 percent and about 3.4 percent as of now. More than 50 countries have reported cases of coronavirus and the World Health Organization has upgraded the global risk of the outbreak to very high. Amid the outbreak, Piper said in his Ask Pastor John podcast that the coronavirus, which originated in China last year, is not stronger than Jesus. Jesus has all knowledge and all authority over the natural and supernatural forces of this world. He knows exactly where the virus started, and where its going next. He has complete power to restrain it or not, he said. He shared four biblical realities that could be used as building blocks in developing an understanding and making sense of it. 1. Sin subjected the world to futility Quoting Romans 8:2023, Piper pointed out that when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, God ordained that the created order, including our physical bodies, as persons created in His image, would experience corruption and futility, and that all living things would die. However, Christians, who trust Christ, do not experience this corruption as condemnation, as their pain for us is purifying, not punitive. We die of disease like all men, not necessarily because of any particular sin We die of disease like all people because of the fall, he explained. 2. Sometimes sickness is Gods mercy Some Christians can die of illnesses so that we may not be condemned along with the world, Piper said. The pastor said his view is based on 1 Corinthians 11:2932, which deals with misusing the Lords Supper. But the principle is broader, he underlined. The Lord Jesus takes the life of His loved ones through weakness and illness the very same words, by the way, used to describe the weaknesses and illnesses that Jesus heals in His earthly life (Matthew 4:23; 8:17; 14:14) and brings them to Heaven. He brings them to Heaven because of the trajectory of their sin that he was cutting off and saving them from not to punish them, but to save them, he explained. 3. Sickness could come as judgment God sometimes uses disease to bring particular judgments upon those who reject him and give themselves over to sin, Piper said. Referring to Acts 12, the pastor cited the example of King Herod who exalted himself in being called a god. Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. He said God can and does use illnesses to bring judgment sometimes upon those who reject Him and His way. 4. Gods thunderclap Quoting Luke 13:15, Piper said all natural disasters are a thunderclap of divine mercy in the midst of judgment, calling all people everywhere to repent and realign their lives, by grace, with the infinite worth of the glory of God. He concluded that thats the message of Jesus to the world at this moment in history, under the coronavirus a message to every single human being, saying, Repent. Now the Ukrainian side is primarily concerned about making sure the killings cease. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is considering a "backup option" for the Donbas settlement, which provides for the isolation of the occupied areas in eastern Ukraine. That's according to former head of the SBU security service's Main Investigative Department, General Vasyl Vovk, who referred to sources "close to the Minsk [Trilateral] Group," Obozrevatel wrote. Vovk claims the Ukrainian side does not believe in the possibility of holding local elections in Donbas this fall. The SBU General recalled the latest statement on Ukraine by the former aide to the Russian President, Vladislav Surkov about Ukraine. "We heard Surkov. He never actually resigned. Nobody resigns in Moscow, and there's no such thing as 'former' KGB agents. He says that Ukraine isn't the country where Donbas needs to be returned. They will not return the Ukrainian Donbas to us, it's Ukraine that they'll return to Donbas thats their objective," he explained. Read alsoUkraine must not end Donbas war at expense of territories or sovereignty, top security official says According to him, in this situation, the Ukrainian side is primarily concerned with making sure the killings cease. "I have reasons to say that the government has a backup option. Maybe it's not a backup, but the main option. Is anyone dying at our [de facto] border with Crimea? Let's make sure they don't die there, either. Its clear that Russia won't give Donbas back to us. Let's make the same administrative border there and let them live there for now," Vovk said. "Russia only needs a single weekend to hold a referendum and grab these territories. But they don't need them this would mean strengthening and expansion of sanctions. They need this pimple, this furuncle to stay in Ukraine as an infection that hurts and stabs. And this way they seek to have influence over Ukraine," he said. The general called on Ukrainians "not to be delusional, but to assess the situation adequately." "The authorities and the president, based on what I hear and I systematically monitor his speeches are already seeing that we must move on to option 2, which, by and large, is the main option. This is a border, a complete ceasefire, and 'Bye, guys!'" said Vovk. Industries Persevering evergreen: Ceresana explores the market for LDPE Market Study Polyethylene-LDPE 02.03.2020 11:41:29 - Polyethylene is one of the top-selling standard plastics, its consumption continues to increase despite all environmental discussions. (live-PR.com) - Polyethylene is classified into different grades according to its density and the branching of its polymer chains: LDPE, LLDPE, and HDPE. Ceresana now publishes its third comprehensive analysis of the world market for low-density polyethylene (LDPE). This oldest polyethylene grade, which has been produced since 1939, is soft, tough, and flexible. LDPE is therefore used for numerous consumer goods, such - Polyethylene is classified into different grades according to its density and the branching of its polymer chains: LDPE, LLDPE, and HDPE. Ceresana now publishes its third comprehensive analysis of the world market for low-density polyethylene (LDPE). This oldest polyethylene grade, which has been produced since 1939, is soft, tough, and flexible. LDPE is therefore used for numerous consumer goods, such as screw caps and lids. Asia consumes the most The most popular applications today are films that are used to produce carrier bags, pouches, packaging materials, and cover films for agriculture, among others. This current market study expects global LDPE revenues to grow by an average of 3.2% per year until 2026. One of the most dynamic growth markets is the market for construction products. With a share of around 41%, the region Asia-Pacific is by far the largest consumer of LDPE. Plastic films are the main application The most important sales market for LDPE in 2018 was the application area Packaging Films with demand of 5.74 million tonnes. Overall, the packaging market accounts for 58% of demand: packaging films, bags and sacks, and rigid packaging. In terms of demand volumes, the application area Construction will presumably achieve the highest percentage increase until 2026 with average growth of 2.7% per year. Processing is dominated by extrusion The most important method for processing LDPE is extrusion. In 2018, more than 13 million tonnes of LDPE were processed worldwide by film extrusion alone. The second place takes the extrusion of pipes, profiles, and cables analysts at Ceresana expect that global processing in this area will achieve the highest percentage increase during the next eight years with growth of 2.5% per year. The study in brief: Chapter 1 offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of the global market for low-density polyethylene (LDPE), including forecasts until 2026: data on the development of demand, revenues, and production is presented for each region. Furthermore, the following application areas of LDPE are examined in detail: packaging films, bags / sacks, other films, rigid packaging, construction, and other applications. Chapter 2 examines 26 important sales markets separately. This includes, for example, Germany, USA, Japan, Poland, Russia, Saudi-Arabia, and South Africa. Demand, revenues, trade, and production are examined in detail for each country, split by individual application areas and processing technologies (film extrusion, other extrusion, injection molding, and other technologies). Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the most important manufacturers of LDPE, clearly arranged according to contact information, revenues, profits, product range, production sites, capacities, and profile summary. Comprehensive profiles of 64 manufacturers are provided, such as Borealis AG, Braskem S.A., China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec Corp.), Dow Inc., ExxonMobil Corporation, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., National Petrochemical Company (NPC), Qatar Petrochemical Company Ltd. (Qapco), Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), and Total S.A. Further information: About Ceresana As one of the worlds leading market research companies, Ceresana is specialized in the plastics, chemicals, packaging, and industrial goods sectors. Since 2002, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. More than 180 market reports provide over 10,000 customers with the knowledge base for their sustainable success. Learn more about Ceresana at as screw caps and lids.Asia consumes the mostThe most popular applications today are films that are used to produce carrier bags, pouches, packaging materials, and cover films for agriculture, among others. This current market study expects global LDPE revenues to grow by an average of 3.2% per year until 2026. One of the most dynamic growth markets is the market for construction products. With a share of around 41%, the region Asia-Pacific is by far the largest consumer of LDPE.Plastic films are the main applicationThe most important sales market for LDPE in 2018 was the application area Packaging Films with demand of 5.74 million tonnes. Overall, the packaging market accounts for 58% of demand: packaging films, bags and sacks, and rigid packaging. In terms of demand volumes, the application area Construction will presumably achieve the highest percentage increase until 2026 with average growth of 2.7% per year.Processing is dominated by extrusionThe most important method for processing LDPE is extrusion. In 2018, more than 13 million tonnes of LDPE were processed worldwide by film extrusion alone. The second place takes the extrusion of pipes, profiles, and cables analysts at Ceresana expect that global processing in this area will achieve the highest percentage increase during the next eight years with growth of 2.5% per year.The study in brief:Chapter 1 offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of the global market for low-density polyethylene (LDPE), including forecasts until 2026: data on the development of demand, revenues, and production is presented for each region.Furthermore, the following application areas of LDPE are examined in detail: packaging films, bags / sacks, other films, rigid packaging, construction, and other applications.Chapter 2 examines 26 important sales markets separately. This includes, for example, Germany, USA, Japan, Poland, Russia, Saudi-Arabia, and South Africa. Demand, revenues, trade, and production are examined in detail for each country, split by individual application areas and processing technologies (film extrusion, other extrusion, injection molding, and other technologies).Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the most important manufacturers of LDPE, clearly arranged according to contact information, revenues, profits, product range, production sites, capacities, and profile summary. Comprehensive profiles of 64 manufacturers are provided, such as Borealis AG, Braskem S.A., China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec Corp.), Dow Inc., ExxonMobil Corporation, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., National Petrochemical Company (NPC), Qatar Petrochemical Company Ltd. (Qapco), Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), and Total S.A. Further information: www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/plastics/polyethylene-ldpe/ About CeresanaAs one of the worlds leading market research companies, Ceresana is specialized in the plastics, chemicals, packaging, and industrial goods sectors. Since 2002, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. More than 180 market reports provide over 10,000 customers with the knowledge base for their sustainable success.Learn more about Ceresana at www.ceresana.com/en Contact information: Ceresana Mainaustrasse 34 78464 Konstanz Germany Contact Person: Martin Ebner Press contact Phone: +49 7531 9429 70 eMail: eMail Web: http://www.ceresana.com Author: Martin Ebner e-mail Web: http://www.ceresana.com Phone: +49 (0)7531 94293 10 02.03.2020 11:41:29 - Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: More than 100 people on Sunday signed up for a one-day fast to protest against the recent violence in Delhi that killed around 40 people and injured 200. The citizens have called for a one-day fast between March 1 and 3 to condemn the violence and start a dialogue over misinformation and hatred that is being spread. City-based farmer activist Kiran Kumar Vissa had also signed up for the fast. The purpose of the fast is to open up a window for discussion of engineered hatred towards a certain sect and to urge people to not spread unverified information, said Kiran. Activist Yogendra Yadav also stated he will participate in the fast. Hyderabad: A 40-year-old software engineer killed his wife and two children before committing suicide in LB Nagar of Hasthinapuram in Hyderabad, the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The bodies of the man identified as Pradeep and his wife Swathi (35 years) and two children Kalyan Krishna (6) and Jaya Krishna (2) were recovered from their house on Monday (March 2, 2020) after police broke open the door following complaints by their neighbours that the family had not come out of their residence for the last two days. Police suspect the murders and suicide were committed on either Saturday or Sunday. The suspicion is that the family was under financial stress and so Pradeep, who was working with a leading software company in Hyderabad, first poisoned his wife and children before committing suicide. According to police, Pradeep is suspected to have brought some poison and mixed it with the food which his wife and children consumed, and he later ate the same to end his life. The neighbours alerted the police after they realised that neither Pradeep nor Swathi and Kalyan Krishna and Jaya Krishna had been since Saturday. The police broke open the door and found that all the four were dead and their bodies were lying on the bed. All the four bodies were taken to government-run Osmania Hospital for autopsy. A police officer said they are investigating the murder-suicide case. Pradeep had reportedly also informed his father about his financial problems and also written to him that he did not want to be a burden on him. The suicide comes just a couple of weeks after another software company employee killed himself over delay in marriage. P Nikhil Goud had allegedly committed suicide in Hyderabad's Ramanthapur on February 11, 2020. Goud had been putting pressure on his parents for his marriage who were of the view that he was too young to enter wedlock. He committed suicide when his parents had gone out. A Lithuanian man locked his wife in a bathroom over fears she had coronavirus after she met with a Chinese woman who had arrived from Italy. The man's wife called police, who rushed to the apartment in the capital Vilnius. The man said he had locked her up after 'consulting on the phone with doctors' on how to avoid infection, according to local police. The man's wife called police, who rushed to the apartment in the capital Vilnius. Pictured: People wearing masks walk along the street in Minsk, Belarus However he was not arrested and the woman did not press charges. The woman did get tested just in case and came out negative. So far Lithuania has only reported one case of the deadly disease which is sweeping across the globe. Tunisia, Jordan and Indonesia today became the latest countries to be struck by the coronavirus. Chinese office workers wear protective masks as they wait to take a public bus after leaving work in Beijing, China Seventy countries or territories have now recorded cases, including more than 30 in the past week. The crisis began in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. Almost 90,000 patients worldwide have now been struck down, and 3,000 have died. Elsewhere, Russia today confirmed its first patient in Moscow has been diagnosed the man has become the country's third patient. The first two have recovered. Iran today announced a huge spike in cases, saying at least 1,500 patients have been struck down across the country. From sky-high acrobatics to sultry-sequined burlesque, Adelaide's annual Fringe festival has long been transforming the city into an eclectic and vibrant hive of activity, attracting millions of visitors and directing millions of dollars into the South Australian economy. Yet, beyond the economics, new study from the University of South Australia shows that the Adelaide Fringe also plays a crucial role in building the State's social capital, a factor which is helping to combat South Australia's 'brain drain'. As the South Australian population continues to age, the issue of 'brain drain' remains prominent. According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, an annual average of 3000+ young South Australians (aged 25-29 years) migrate intestate in search of more fruitful opportunities. UniSA's tourism and event experts, Dr Chris Krolikowski and Dr Sunny Lee, say the new study shows how the Adelaide Fringe festival is growing the city's social capital through placemaking - the process of shaping and reimagining public spaces to create meaning for local residents and visitors. "Building peoples' connection and affinity with places in South Australia is essential if we want to effectively tackle the challenge of 'brain drain'," Dr Krolikowski says. "The Adelaide Fringe achieves this in multiple ways - not only through the kaleidoscope of performances that add colour, excitement, and atmosphere to our city and surrounds, but also through the regeneration of urban spaces, and that gives people a reason to visit and engage. "By creating vibrant and engaging experiences and places for residents and visitors, the Fringe is building meaningful connections with locals and visitors, generating positive word-of-mouth and showcasing South Australia as a great destination to work, live and visit. "The cumulation of these efforts contributes to a growing sense of pride - a very powerful factor in people's positive connection with a place, and a key combatant against brain drain." Now in its 60th year, the Adelaide Fringe is the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2019, the Adelaide Fringe increased tourist attendance by 72 per cent, and generated $95 million in expenditure for the state economy. In their annual reports, 96.1 per cent of SA-based respondents said that the Fringe was culturally important to South Australia. Dr Lee says while other Australian cities may have greater financial resources to invest in iconic attractions and events, Adelaide has a unique competitive advantage in its open spaces that are primed for events. "Building competitive advantage is important for all destinations, but in South Australia, where we have plentiful open spaces close to the key city hubs, we're in a prime position to host events and concurrently build social cohesion and belonging. "The challenge for stakeholders, however, is to take a holistic and longitudinal view of events and to understand that they are at the very heart of competing for financial and human capital. This is key to arresting South Australia's brain drain." ### Media contact: Annabel Mansfield office (08) 8302 0351 mobile 0417 717 504 email Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au Researchers: Dr Chris Krolikowski office (08) 8302 0429 email Chris.Krolikowski@unisa.edu.au Dr Sunny Lee office (08) 8302 7664 email: Sunny.Lee@unisa.edu.au In a swift response to Prime Minister Narendra Modis tweet announcing that he was thinking of giving up his various social media platforms by the weekend, senior Congress leader and spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Monday that he earnestly wished the prime minister would impart the same piece of advice to trolls who intimidate others in his name. Replying to the prime ministers tweet, Surjewala wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter, Respected Modi ji, Earnestly wish you would give this advice to the concerted army of trolls, who abuse, intimidate, badger and threaten others every second in your name! Sincere Regards, Citizens of India. He signed off on behalf of the citizens of India. Minutes earlier, the prime minister had indicated that he was mulling deactivating his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts by Sunday. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube, the prime minister had tweeted on his official handle. He also promised to keep his followers posted. The prime minister, however, did not elaborate on his reasons to quit social media although his followers immediately requested him to reconsider his decision. Second only to United States President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Modi is one of the most followed political leaders on social media globally. On Twitter, PM Modi has 53.3 million followers while he is the most followed leader on Facebook and Instagram, with 44 million following his page on Facebook and 35.2 million following him on the photo and video sharing app Instagram. On YouTube, he has 4.5 million subscribers. Coronavirus: Johnson to chair Cobra as case numbers spike Boris Johnson will pledge today that the government will stop at nothing to fight coronavirus as ministers prepare the public for drastic measures to tackle the spread of the illness. The prime minister is to chair a meeting of the governments emergency Cobra committee that will sign off a battle plan to tackle the virus, which, he will warn, presents a significant challenge for our country. Health officials confirmed yesterday that the number of infections had jumped from 23 to 36, the biggest rise in a single day, including a second case where a cause had not been identified. All of the patients, which include the first case in Scotland, are being investigated and their close contacts traced. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said yesterday that the illness could have huge economic and social consequences. The Times No 10 and Department of Health clash over access to EU pandemic warning system Daily Telegraph EU vows to help nationals outside the mainstream stay in UK The Guardian Hunt for coronavirus super-spreader after biggest jump in British cases The Times Health worker at Hertfordshire cancer clinic is among 13 latest patients Daily Mail Johnson warns coronavirus will get worse before it gets better Daily Telegraph Vaccine is months away, warns Hancock The Sun Most South Korean cases have mild symptoms BBC More: Calls for policymakers to act to prevent coronavirus doom loop FT Sunak put at the mercy of coronavirus as he plots his first budget The Times Local elections could be delayed by outbreak The Guardian Latest advice H.M.Government >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Hancock on the Coronavirus, 111, public demand and putting more resources in Nick Timothy: Coronavirus is one danger among many in our fragile globalised world The interconnected nature of the world economy means we are more exposed than ever to decisions made by foreign governments, financiers and business leaders. When Chinese growth falters, for example, the knock-on effects for the world economy will be severe. And there are other risks associated with globalisation. As the European migration crisis showed, in the modern world huge movements of people are possible. The decisions made by foreign leaders like Angela Merkel in 2015, or Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who last week opened Turkeys border with Greece can cause grave consequences for many countries other than their own. As coronavirus is proving, the scale of international travel means viruses can be difficult to contain. Daily Telegraph Warning to Johnson: coronavirus is the only story in town Will Clothier, Times Red Box The Prime Minister must stop playing the invisible man Andrew Rawsley, The Guardian Were too selfish to stop coronavirus spreading Clare Foges, The Times Editorial: We must take care of our personal hygiene to save Britain The Sun >Today: ToryDiary: Conservative activists: there is no Climate Emergency. Our survey. Trade 1) Truss says workers will share in 1.8billion pay rise if US trade deal comes off Tens of thousands of workers will share in a 1.8 billion pay rise under a US trade deal that is there for the taking, the International Trade Secretary says. Liz Truss predicts that Britains economy will grow by 3.4 billion when a deal is signed, with the North East, Midlands and Scotland seeing the biggest uplift. Boris Johnson said Britain will drive a hard bargain when it unveils its negotiating objectives on Monday. Talks will begin later this month, running in parallel with UK-EU trade negotiations. The UK mandate keeps the NHS out of any deal and upholds British standards on food standards and animal welfare, meaning Britain will reject any attempt to sell chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef to the UK. Daily Telegraph Britain to set out mandate for post-Brexit US deal FT Prime Minister insists he will drive a hard bargain with Trump Daily Mail US trade talks will lower prices, Johnson vows The Times Comment: Scotland has most to gain from a US trade deal Andrew Bowie MP, Times Red Box If you care about the North, Boris, then get up here! Mark Casci, Daily Mail >Today: Greg Hands MP in Comment: Its time to get behind our push for free trade as we begin to negotiate a deal with the United States Trade 2) EU threatens nasty battle over fish EU bosses have threatened a nasty battle over fish today as they warned they could derail a deal over quotas. Speaking 24 hours before Britain and EU negotiators will start thrashing out a post-Brexit trade deal tomorrow, Frances Europe minister said the whole deal could fall in over access to our waters. Amelie de Montchalin was asked today if the deal would fall apart on fishing. She told the Andrew Marr Show: Yes. We said that there are four topics which are linked in negotiations. And she added: On fish and other topics, all we play it with emotion, with drama, with passion, with symbols and we know how to make it a very I think nasty battle. She stressed that things would get very difficult and we will both lose if a deal isnt done to maintain the status quo. The Sun Brexit fishing war risks Channel blockade The Times Business group calls for more customs agents funding FT Leak suggests no-deal exit in the summer Daily Express UKs Galileo rival delayed amid wrangling and rising costs FT Comment: The UKs threat to walk out of EU trade talks is real Wolfgang Munchau, FT Can a nation be both open and in control? The UK is about to find out Hans Kundnani, The Guardian EU is terrified now were the worlds flexible friend Mark Francois MP, Daily Express Mandarins demand inquiry into Patel bullying allegations Senior civil servants have called on the cabinet secretary to open an independent investigation into bullying claims against Priti Patel as it emerged that there had been at least one earlier formal complaint before the resignation of her top civil servant. The home secretary is facing calls to answer questions from MPs today after the resignation on Saturday of Sir Philip Rutnam, permanent secretary at the Home Office. He accused Ms Patel of shouting and swearing at staff, belittling people and making unreasonable and repeated demands. The Times understands that Downing Street is so far resisting calls for an independent inquiry into Ms Patels conduct. Ms Patel denies allegations of bullying. The Times Johnson praises fantastic Home Secretary as new allegation emerges Daily Telegraph Comment: Inept Home Office is a putrid, leaky swamp Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun Why Rutnams row with Patel shocked Whitehall Catherine Haddon, The Guardian Straws secret for handling the mandarins Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail Editorial: This debacle is symptomatic of a government that is spread too thin The Times >Yesterday: Raab heads off to the Gulf with a full agenda Dramatic Houthi rebel advances and threats to end humanitarian aid in Yemen will lead Dominic Raabs agenda when he makes his first visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday. The British foreign secretary will also travel to Muscat later this week to meet the new Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, to discuss his role in any mediation talks in Yemen. The last few weeks have seen Houthi military victories on the borders with Saudi Arabia and, separately, warnings from aid agency USAid that it will stop working in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen unless interference in the free distribution of aid ends Raab is expected to meet the president of Yemens UN-recognised government, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to discuss the war effort The Guardian Chancellor plans to scrap tax relief for entrepreneurs could bring in 3 billion Chancellor Rishi Sunak is planning to scrap entrepreneurs tax relief worth 2.7bn in the March 11 Budget in order to increase spending on public services. The move was attacked by some business leaders who claimed it would hurt entrepreneurship, as well as Conservatives MPs concerned about a backlash against Mr Sunaks first Budget. Entrepreneurs relief enables company founders selling their businesses to pay capital gains tax at a rate of 10 per cent. That compares to the 20 per cent rate that usually applies to gains of up to 10m. Government insiders said the abolition of entrepreneurs relief could bring close to 3bn a year into the Treasurys coffers, which would be spent on the governments priorities, including hiring more nurses and police officers. FT Chancellors local distillery urges him to cut so-called gin and tonic tax The Sun Comment: Sunaks free ports plan reinvents Thatcherism for the Johnson era Quinn Slobodian, The Guardian >Yesterday: Anthony Browne MP in Comment: Sunak should clean up the dirty diesel tax break Tory rebels bid to block northern section of HS2 A group of Tory rebels have bid to block the northern section of HS2 in a fresh Commons vote today (Monday). MPs will tonight vote on a procedural motion that permits Part 2b of HS2 to go ahead. Last month Boris Johnson gave HS2 the green signal, with track-laying on the first phase between London and Birmingham to begin in April. The Prime Minister said phase one London to Birmingham would go ahead straight away, together with phase 2a, from Birmingham to Crewe, with phase 2b, the two spurs to Leeds and Manchester, following after a review of their costings and routes. However one Tory MP said a conservative estimate was that 25 percent of Tory MPs will rebel when the procedural motion on part 2b is put to the House this evening. Daily Telegraph McDonnell attacks toothless Treasury Committee The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has warned that the Commons Treasury committee risks becoming toothless after it emerged that all of the Conservative MPs on the influential committee have past connections to the finance industry. Parliament is due to vote on Monday to confirm the election of the 11-member panel of MPs that is responsible for holding the Treasury to account on financial policy, as well as questioning the Bank of England and banking industry bosses. McDonnell said there were questions over the Conservative selections. Four of the six Tory MPs on the committee worked at banks including NatWest, JP Morgan and Lehman Brothers. Another, Anthony Browne, elected as the Tory MP for South Cambridgeshire in December, was previously chief executive of the British Bankers Association (BBA), the leading lobby group for the sector, until 2017. The Guardian Long-Bailey fails to rule out giving Corbyn top job in shadow Cabinet Daily Express Comment: The Labour leadership contest has exposed new factions in the party Jeremy Gilbert, The Guardian >Today: Richard Holden MPs column: Local elections 1) Will more bricks fall from the Red Wall this May? >Yesterday: British troops in Afghanistan prepare to return home British troops are preparing to leave Afghanistan after the signing of a peace deal between the Taliban and the United States. The 1,100 remaining soldiers, based in Kabul, will be part of a 14-month operation to withdraw a total of 16,500 coalition troops and vast amounts of military equipment, including Foxhound armoured patrol vehicles. It will be a big logistical challenge. Defence sources said the troops would be withdrawn in co-ordination with Nato, which is in charge of the Afghan national army training programme. The Royal Irish Regiment represents the bulk of Britains contribution, forming the Kabul security force. The Times UK forces are sent to Senegal to provide counter-terrorism training Daily Mail Alarm over surge in suicides by veterans of Afghanistan war The Times Editorial: America should not rush to pull out its troops The Times Africas Sahel must not replace Afghanistan as a haven for terrorists Daily Telegraph News in Brief: Swarms of locusts may invade Bahrain again Swarms of locusts may invade Bahrain again Manama Swarms of locusts could invade Bahrain again this week, along with other GCC countries. It was stated by Agriculture and Resources Marine Ministry of Works and Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning quoting a statement issued by Locust Center in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . The victim says her drink was laced with drugs. Bengaluru: A 26-year-old Kannada TV actress has lodged a complaint of rape and cheating against a Hyderabad-based man who allegedly lured her with a promise of film roles. The Amrutalli police said the Sangamesh Patil (39), a self-claimed film producer, also promised to marry the woman. The woman used to work at a hospital in Bengaluru when come into contact with Sangamesh on the telephone in 2013. He told her he had seen her photos and that she had a future in the movies. He allegedly lured her to Hyderabad on a ruse and laced her drink with drugs and raped her, according to the police. Later, he traveled with her to Goa and other places after blackmailing her with videos of them together. Sangamesh Patils wife allegedly got to know of their relationship and lodged a police complaint against her. The Amrutalli police said they would record a statement by the woman and then initiate action against Sangamesh. Welcome to the Star-Tribunes Energy Journal, a play-by-play of the past week in Wyomings wild world of energy. Im your energy and natural resources reporter, Camille Erickson. Sign up for the newsletter here. This month, I will be publishing the 2020 Energy Journal, a special section all about technology and innovations in Wyoming's energy industry. Have ideas on who or what should be featured? Please reach out at camille.erickson@trib.com or 307-266-0592. Thank you for your support! A Wyoming economist recommends caution The states potential acquisition of 1 million acres of surface rights and 4 million acres of mineral rights on private land has left lawmakers and the public swimming in the dark. The details of the mysterious checkerboard blanket of land spread across southern Wyoming, with some acres bleeding into Utah and Colorado, have yet to be ironed out. How much will the land cost and who will appraise it? What potential returns could it have for Wyoming? What will the public input process look like if the deal moves ahead? How will the Legislature protect cities and counties losing out on property taxes? Proponents of the move, including the governor, have assured skeptics that this is just the beginning. Legislative bills Senate File 138 and House Bill 249 would authorize the state to use certain funding streams for the purchase. The Legislature's endorsement would also help lay the groundwork for collecting this information and making a clear-eyed decision. Some insight into the deal could be found with its current owner: Occidental Petroleum Corp. Occidental is an independent oil and gas producer that shook the energy industry when it acquired Anadarko Petroleum after a competitive bidding process last summer for a whopping $38 billion. The sale was by far the most expensive merger of 2019 in the oil and gas sector. The ownership transfer shifted over Wyoming land initially acquired from Union Pacific Resources in 2000 to Occidental. The Niobrara and Codell formation plays promise the land comes with some minerals. And the governor noted the potential of natural resource development from oil, gas, trona, rare earth elements and more. "Our conversations with Occidental Petroleum have been positive, but this is only the beginning, Gordon said in a statement. We now need to look at the challenges and the opportunities presented to us. But it's worth asking why Occidental has made the decision to divest and shed the land from its portfolio in the first place. And what Wyoming could stand to win, or lose. "It is really hard to say this is going to suddenly boost the economy of the state, because this is private land," University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby said. "If those opportunities existed there, then the question you have to ask is why arent they being exercised." It's been a turbulent time in energy markets in the months since Occidental's purchase. Oil prices have slipped below $50 amid growing geopolitical tensions, a global virus outbreak and the likelihood of an imminent recession, to name a few factors. "Obviously, Occidental is trying to raise cash," Godby said. "They dont see this land as valuable enough. Weve all heard of people who are land-rich and cash-poor. Occidental may be feeling something like that, too." The economist wondered if the state could afford to take on less liquid and more speculative assets on an open financial market. Ultimately, Godby emphasized caution. "We cant afford to be rushed into a decision in part because of the current conditions we are under, and in part because this is such an important deal," he said. In other news... COAL The Federal Trade Commission challenged the proposed joint venture between Peabody Energy and Arch Coal that would combine operations at five mines in the Powder River Basin. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, requests an administrative trial and, in the meantime, a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction for the deal. A Navajo Nation-based coal operator reached an agreement with the U.S. government, giving federal regulators the authority to enforce environmental laws at a former mining site in Tennessee. As a tribal entity established under Navajo Nation law, Navajo Transitional Energy Company, or NTEC, has the right to sovereign immunity, or the ability to potentially shield itself from U.S. federal jurisdiction. The legitimacy of NorthWestern Energys 20-year energy plan, heavy on gas-fired power plants, is being questioned by analysts who say the utility ignored cheaper options for its Montana customers (via Billings Gazette). OIL & GAS WIND & SOLAR Last year, wind generation produced more electricity than hydroelectric generation, becoming the leading renewable energy source, according to the Energy Information Administration. WILDLIFE A growing number of environmental groups in Wyoming are expressing concern over a proposal to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to determine the true value of all federally owned land in the state, an effort described by one organization as working to undermine federal land ownership and push the land transfer agenda, Nick Reynolds reports. Outdoor Life reporter Andrew McKean interviewed Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to ask him about chronic wasting disease, climate change and his plans for public land. CLIMATE The Trump administration said last week a resumption of coal sales from public lands that had been blocked under former President Barack Obama will result in a negligible increase in greenhouse gas emissions (via Associated Press). Last week in numbers Friday oil prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) $47.09, Brent (ICE) $52.18 Friday natural gas: Henry Hub $1.78, Wyoming Pool $1.57, Opal $1.66 Baker Hughes rig count: U.S 790 (-1), Wyoming 23 (+2) Quote of the week Moodys expects that business conditions for coal producers in the Powder River Basin will remain extremely challenging in light of ongoing secular decline in the demand for thermal coal, low natural gas prices encouraging switching in the near-to-medium term and far fewer opportunities to export coal compared to other coal basins in part due to social opposition in the Pacific Northwest." Benjamin Nelson, a lead coal analyst at Moodys Investors Service Follow the latest on Wyomings energy industry @camillereports Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday dissolved Parliament six months ahead of its schedule and called a snap election on April 25. He signed the Gazette notification dissolving Parliament from midnight tonight, the Government Printers Department said. The current parliament was appointed on September 1, 2015. Rajapaksa sacked Parliament after the minimum term of four-and-a-half years necessary to dissolve it was completed on midnight Sunday. According to the notification, elections will be held on April 25 and the new Parliament will have its first session on May 14. The political parties and independent candidates can file nominations to contest the poll between March 12 and 19. Over 16.2 million voters are eligible to vote to elect 196 members under proportional representation and a further 29 members on national cumulative votes of each party based on proportional representation. President Rajapaksa, who named his elder brother and former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister of the caretaker cabinet in December, earlier said he wanted two-thirds seats in the 225-member assembly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) KHAMMAM: Municipal administration minister K. T. Rama Rao asked people of Khammam district to pay their taxes promptly if they wanted their urban local bodies (ULBs) to develop at a rapid pace. While on a whirlwind tour of the district as part of the Pattana Pragathi programme, the minister asserted that the new municipal act will root out corruption in ULBs. For the purpose, permission for constructing houses on 75 square yards to 600 square yards has been made online. Mr Rama Rao said the new municipal Act lays responsibilities not only on officials but also people. He pointed out that provisions have been made to take action against persons who throw garbage on streets and in drains. He underlined that it was the responsibility of every citizen to keep their municipality clean. For the purpose, they could segregate wet and dry waste before the municipality collects garbage from their houses. The minister observed that it is incorrect to blame only citizens for streets being unclean. He said there must be a public toilet for every 1,000 people in the town. That way Khammam needs 4,000 public toilets, 50 per cent of which should be for women, he remarked. Mr Rama Rao asked every corporator to learn from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and work hard for a clean Khammam. Just the minister and MLA cannot do everything. Corporators too should join hands with them in making Khammam town clean and green, he stated. Mr Rao also inaugurated the integrated vegetable and meat market at the NSP colony in Khammam on the occasion. He appreciated works taken up for widening of various roads and modernisation of the Gollapadu channel. He was also happy that the Gandhi Chowk was now free of traffic jams. More than nine out of 10 Good Morning Britain viewers say that taxpayers should not have to pay Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 20million security bill. The shows Twitter poll garnered from than 14,000 responses to the question: Should UK taxpayers foot the bill for Harry, Meghan and Archies protection? A massive 90.6 per cent responded 'no', leaving just 9.4 per cent answering 'yes' since the poll surfaced yesterday. Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid revealed the results on this morning's programme as they discussed the row over who should fund the Sussexes since they stepped down as senior Royals and the duties the roles entail. Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid (pictured, left, on today's Good Morning Britain) revealed that the majority of poll respondents don't want the taxpayer to pick up the bill for Harry and Meghan (right, at Canada House in central London in January Princess Diana's former protection officer Ken Wharfe suggested that the Queen should pay the security bill for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle because there is a 'real risk' of someone trying to kidnap Archie. Mr Wharfe said that the biggest threat facing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is that someone may snatch their son. Archie is probably the biggest threat to the family, more than the parents, theres a real risk of a kidnap given all the publicity,' he told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid. He also suggested that Diana's car crash death in 1997 was in part down to the fact that she had not used proper royal protection officers on the night in question as he warned that Harry and Meghan's security shouldn't be farmed out to private firms. We know what happened to Diana in 1997 because of the inefficient security afforded to her at that time,' he said. Ken Wharfe (right) told Piers Morgan( left) that the Queen and Prince Charles should foot the bill Mr Wharfe suggested that rather than the taxpayer footing the bill or risking putting it out to the private sector, the Queen and Prince Charles could pay. He pointed out that Her Majesty already subsidises the security for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew. This might be unprecedented but given that the queen subsidizes the security to Beatrice and Eugenie, if not to just appease British taxpayer, it might be that the Queen herself should look at sub the security bill,' he said. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson also fund the team of former Met officers who protect their daughters. Princess Diana paid for her own security costs on the night of her death, although many experts say her decision to abandon Scotland Yard professionals may have contributed to her death in a car chauffeured by a drunk driver. Appearing on GMB alongside Mr Wharfe, journalist Ateh Jewel said it was the taxpayer's duty to continue funding Harry and Meghan's security despite them stepping down from senior Royal duties. 'Hes still sixth in line to the throne,' she said. 'I think its our duty as British taxpayers to take care of them not throw them to the wolves.' She told Piers Morgan that the British public 'owed' the Sussexes as he questioned why they should received funding from ordinary people when they stand to make a fortune privately. Ms Jewel said: Whether you like it or not hes a prince of the realm hes one of us He did not have a choice to be born into the role and whether you step aside or not you are still a public figure. As his people we need to protect him.' Independent schools in regional Victoria warn they risk losing almost $100 million over the next decade under the Morrison governments new funding formula. Minister for Education Dan Tehan is seeking to rewrite the funding formula for non-government schools. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Star regional school Ballarat Clarendon College - which topped the states VCE results last year - is one of eleven independent schools in regional Victoria identified as in line to lose millions under the new model. The Coalition for Regional Independent Schools warned that cuts sustained under the new model would trigger a rise in school fees, prompting more low-income families to leave, in a "vicious spiral" of funding cuts. The Morrison government introduced legislation last week that would rewrite the funding rules for non-government schools. MILAN Coronavirus infections in Italy rose 50% Sunday and the U.S. government issued its strongest travel warning yet, advising Americans against any travel to two regions in northern Italy that have been hard hit by the virus that first emerged in China in December. Authorities said the total number of people infected in Italy had risen to 1,694, a 50% jump from just 24 hours earlier. Five more people infected with the virus have died, bringing the deaths in Italy to 34, while 83 people have fully recovered. Italian health authorities said the increases were expected, since it takes as long as two weeks for containment measures to take effect, and because Italy has a large number of elderly people. Still, the numbers highlighted the rapid impact the virus is having on Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe. This acceleration was expected, unfortunately, said Giovanni Rezza, director of the infective illness department at the National Health Institute. He said it would be another week or 10 days until the spread of the virus slowed down in the country. With numerous cases in other European countries traced back to Italy, many countries have issued travel warnings for the 11 Italian towns that have been on lockdown since the virus exploded there on Feb. 21. But none have gone as far as the U.S. government, which on Sunday urged Americans not to travel to the regions of Lombardy and Veneto, raising the warning to the highest level. It is one step shy of the U.S. travel advisory for China, which urged Americans to leave the country. In the wake of the warning, Delta and American Airlines have both suspended flights to Italys financial capital of Milan, which can have a potentially devastating business impact beyond just tourism. Already a major furniture and design fair has been postponed due to the virus until June. Tourism officials said an earlier U.S. travel warning covering all of Italy was potentially calamitous to the industry, which represents 13% of gross domestic product in a country famed for its world-class museums, archaeological sites, art cities and natural beauty. More than 5.6 million Americans visit Italy every year, representing 9% of foreign tourists and the second-largest national group behind Germans, according to the most recent statistics. China accounts for the vast majority of the 88,000 people infected by the virus and the 3,000 killed by it. Lombardy, which includes Milan, accounts for over half of the cases while Veneto and Emilia-Romagna have 15% and 17%, respectively. All three regions have closed schools for at least another week. In Veneto and Lombardy, closures also have hit museums, theaters, cinemas and most public offices, emptying cities like Milan, where many companies have permitted office workers to telecommute. Earlier Sunday, the French community church in Rome, St. Louis of the French, closed its doors to the public after a priest was infected with the new virus. The church in the historic center of Rome is famous for three paintings by the Baroque master Caravaggio, making it a destination for tourists and the faithful alike. A sign on the door Sunday noted in French that the church had been closed as a precaution by the French Embassy for both Masses and tourist visits until further notice. The Religious Information Service news agency reported the church was closed after a 43-year-old priest who had returned to Paris was hospitalized after being infected. It carried a statement by the archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, who said the priest, who had been living in Rome, returned to Paris by car in mid-February and tested positive for the virus on Friday. He was in good condition, Aupetit said. It was the first church in Rome closed by the virus. Churches in much of Veneto and Lombardy have closed their doors under widespread measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus. Televised Masses have been available for the faithful. ___ Follow APs coverage of the new coronavirus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak PORTLAND, Ore. A long-awaited federal report has rejected the idea of removing four hydroelectric dams on a major Pacific Northwest river in a last-ditch effort to save threatened and 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. The four dams on the lower Snake River are part of a vast and complex hydroelectric power system operated by the federal government in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The massive dams, built in eastern Washington between 1961 and 1975, are at the center of a years-long battle that pits the fate of two Pacific Northwest species the salmon and the killer whale against the need for plentiful, carbon-free power for the booming region. Environmental groups that have pushed for years for the dams to come down immediately blasted the report released Friday. The three agencies in charge of overseeing the hydropower system recommended an alternative that doubles down on an approach that includes spilling more water over the dams when juvenile salmon are migrating a tactic already being used. Rather than seizing this opportunity to heed the publics call for working together for a solution that revives salmon populations, the draft plan is built on the same failed approach the courts have rejected time and again, said Todd True, an attorney for Earthjustice who has represented environmentalists and fishing groups in ongoing litigation over the dams. Dam removal opponents, however, said the report presented a balanced solution that wont burden ratepayers or disrupt the regions power supply. Once again, the science has determined that destroying the four lower Snake River dams would have high environmental and economic costs, said Todd Myers, environmental director at the Washington Policy Center, a conservative think tank. The 14 federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers together produce 40% of the regions power enough electricity to power nearly 5 million homes. They also contain a system of locks that allows cities nearly 500 miles inland access to Asian markets via barges that transit the rivers to the Pacific Ocean. Roughly 50 million to 60 million tons of cargo navigate the Snake and Columbia river system annually. Yet the dams have proven disastrous for salmon that struggle to navigate past them on their way to and from the Pacific Ocean. Salmon are rare in that they hatch in freshwater streams, then make their way hundreds of miles to the ocean, where they spend years before finding their way back to mate, lay eggs and die. Snake River sockeye were the first species in the Columbia River Basin listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1991. Now, 13 salmon runs are listed as federally endangered or threatened. Four of those runs return to the Snake River. Scientists also warn that southern resident orcas are starving to death because of a dearth of the chinook salmon that are their primary food source. Gillian Flaccus is an Associated Press writer. President Akufo-Addo says Ghana no longer wants to be dependent on the production and export of raw materials, including cocoa beans. According to President Akufo-Addo, Ghana intends to process more and more of its cocoa, with the aim of producing more chocolate, because we believe there can be no future prosperity for the Ghanaian people, in the short, medium or long term, if we continue to maintain economic structures that are dependent on the production and export of raw materials. He, thus, reiterated the commitment of his Government to add value to our raw materials, industrialise and enhance agricultural productivity. This is the best way we can put Ghana at the high end of the value chain in the global market place, and create jobs for the teeming masses of Ghanaians. President Akufo-Addo made this known on Friday, 28th February, when he delivered a statement at the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation, in Bern, Switzerland, as part of a 2-day State Visit to that country, the first in 60 years by a Head of State from sub-Saharan Africa. Whilst serving notice to Swiss investors of the growing business-friendly climate in Ghana, the President urged them to take advantage of Ghana's unique position as host of the AfCFTA Secretariat to set-up joint venture enterprises in our country, and, thereby, access this huge market that the free trade area presents. He stated that since assuming office on 7th January, 2017, his Government has continued to put in place a number of measures aimed at attracting investment into Ghana, as well as stimulating growth of the private sector. We have succeeded, over the last three years, in ensuring that all our macroeconomic indices are pointing in the right direction; cut our fiscal deficit; introduced a monetary policy that is stabilising the currency and reducing significantly the cost of borrowing; and have introduced a raft of tax cuts which are bringing relief to and encouraging businesses, President Akufo-Addo said. These interventions, he explained, have led to Ghana recording an annual GDP average growth rate of 7% since 2017, making Ghana, consistently, one of the world's fastest-growing economies during the period. We have one of the most business-friendly economies in Africa, evidenced in our status as the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in West Africa, the President said. Additionally, President Akufo-Addo told Members of the Federal Council that Ghana has also been selected to host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area, a market of some 1.2 billion people, with a combined GDP of US$3 trillion. Describing it as the world's largest free trade area since the formation of the World Trade Organisation, he stressed that our goal is to make Ghana the hub of trade in Africa. President Akufo-Addo reassured Members of the Federal Assembly that Ghana is fully committed to a democratic present and future, where respect for individual liberties and human rights, the rule of law and the principles of democratic accountability are at the core of our body politic. Ghana stands shoulder to shoulder with Switzerland in our joint determination to promote and protect human rights across the globe, he added. The President continued, I am hopeful that, as we shape the future of Ghana, and position Ghanaian enterprises to compete effectively on the world stage, we have friends, such as the Swiss Confederation, to support us in this objective. We are determined in Ghana to ensure that succeeding generations of Ghanaians do not become victims or pawns of the international economic order, but her beneficiaries. Swiss-Ghana Relations Describing the relations between Ghana and Switzerland as excellent, the President paid tribute to the work undertaken by the Basel Missionaries, who arrived in the then Gold Coast to undertake evangelical work. The Missionaries pioneered the establishment of educational and health institutions across the country, are also responsible for the translation of the Bible from English into some Ghanaian languages. I have also personally benefitted from these very good relations, because the first European Head of State to visit Ghana, when I assumed office as the 5th President of Ghana's 4th Republic, on 7th January, 2017, was your 91st President, Her Excellency Mrs Doris Leuthard, he added. ---citinewsroom Hyderabad: G. Ranjith Reddy, the TRS MP from Chevella, accused the Centre of punishing states which perform well on various development indices during the devolution of funds. Reddy was speaking at a panel discussion on sustainable policy-making held as part of the Policy Conclave at the Indian School of Business. The panel included Madhya Pradesh minister Jaivardhan Singh, BJP MP from Odisha Aparajita Sarangi, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP from Odisha Amar Patnaik and YSRCP MP from Andhra Pradesh Lavu Krishnadevarayulu. Mr Reddy, a businessman-turned-politician, said that the devolution of funds happens after an assessment of states on the basis of 16 parameters, including population and change in green cover. We have seen that when a performing state like Telangana does well in controlling its population, it gets a lesser amount of funds, he said. The TRS MP said performing states need to be given some kind of an incentive while deciding the devolution of funds. The panel indulged in a heated debate on the culture of distributing freebies and sops to the general public. Mr Sarangi, while trying to defend the NDA governments economic performance, claimed BJPs approach towards the matter was a sustainable one as opposed to an ad-hoc one. She threw shade at the Biju Janata Dal government in Odisha, indicating that it had won only because of freebies. Ms Sarangi also attacked the former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan, who had recently said that the government was focusing on its social and political agenda more than the economy. I expect no less from Rajan, she said. She added that she was an eternal optimist when it came to the economy, adding that it was necessary to be unpopular initially if one chooses to refrain from distributing freebies. Mr Krishnadevarayulu, the YSRCP MP from Narsaraopet, was asked to explain the freebie culture in Andhra Pradesh. We may call them freebies, but we cant look at them like that. It is important to understand that these freebies are solving a problem. For instance, if girls are getting a bicycle, the benefit to the economy from more women in education is very high. We cannot discount the larger picture, Mr Krishnadevarayulu said. The number of countries that ban or restrict entry for travelers from Korea for fear of the spread of coronavirus has mushroomed. As of Sunday evening, 81 countries restricted entry or stepped up quarantine checks of travelers from Korea, or at least the infection hotbeds of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, up five from a day earlier, according to the Foreign Ministry here. This is a sixfold increase in just a week. The U.S. too could close its doors to travelers from Korea if the situation gets worse. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday, "In addition to screening travelers 'prior to boarding' from certain designated high-risk countries, or areas within those countries, they will also be screened when they arrive in America." Angola, Laos and Turkey newly banned travelers from Korea, while Ghana, Honduras and Nigeria stepped up checks. In most cases the Korean government was not told in advance, which means that many Korean students and businessmen have been unable to depart for foreign countries to study or do business and Korean tourists have been stranded at foreign airports. Advertisement The Washington state nursing home where the second US man to die from coronavirus was a resident has been slammed by worried families who claim they are not being kept informed about the conditions of their loved ones. Six coronavirus cases have been confirmed at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, including one resident in his 70s who later died at hospital, while more than 50 staff and residents have shown symptoms and will be tested. It has also emerged that the facility has been slammed for failing to control the spread of viruses in the past. One distraught woman has come forward blasting the facility's handling of the outbreak, telling how she has been kept in the dark over her husbands condition and treatment at the home. Bonnie Holstad said her husband Ken was staying at the facility after a fall caused by a broken hip but staff were refusing to speak to her about his condition. She says her calls to the center have gone repeatedly unanswered as she is desperate for news that he is okay after he had a cough. He also suffers from Parkinson's disease and dementia. Holstad stood outside the facility on Sunday with a sign saying: 'No one at Life Care is answering the phones. He needs to be attended to ... what is his temperature?' One distraught woman, Bonnie Holstad (above) has come forward blasting Life Care Center's handling of the outbreak, telling how she has been kept in the dark over her husbands condition and treatment at the home An employee walks outside Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington state, Sunday. Concerns are mounting after officials announced that a second person in the US died from coronavirus. The man in his 70s with underlying health conditions was a resident at the Life Care Center in Kirkland Medics and other healthcare workers transfer a patient on a stretcher to an ambulance at the home on Sunday Two individuals - a resident and an employee at the care home - had been diagnosed with the infection on Saturday and around 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff were also showing some symptoms, including some cases where individuals had contracted pneumonia The Life Care facility provides 24-hour care for residents, including physician and nurse coverage, many of whom have long-term and chronic conditions. Around 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have shown some symptoms of the virus, including some cases where individuals had contracted pneumonia. On Sunday, four new cases were confirmed, including the deceased male, taking the infection rate at the facility to six and counting. The man in his 70s with underlying health conditions died at the EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland on Saturday. This is the same hospital where a man in his 50s died on Friday night - the US's first coronavirus-related death. On Sunday, four new cases were confirmed, including the deceased male, taking the infection rate at the facility to six and counting. The man in his 70s with underlying health conditions died at the EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland on Saturday Employees wear masks at the home. One distraught wife of a resident has come forward saying the center has ignored her requests to know how her husband, an elderly man with Parkinson's disease and dementia and who has a cough, is doing Other concerned relatives of residents at the Life Care Center told The New York Times that the center is refusing to test sick patients for the deadly disease. Many of the residents are elderly and have pre-existing health conditions, meaning they are at greater risk of the virus having dire consequences Holstad told CNN that after she protested, a nurse did then check on him and told her he doesn't have a fever. 'I was so angry. How can this be that I have to do this, make a sign and go down there?' Holstad said. 'I'm very worried for my husband,' Holstad said. 'He's one of the vulnerable people,' because of his age and his Parkinson's disease. 'I have real problems with how they're handling the interface with family,' she said, remarking it was 'sort of like a movie about an epidemic in a little town, and they don't know how to handle the situation.' Holstad told how she only found out about the potential outbreak in the home when she arrived for a visit on Saturday and was turned away by a sign on the door saying no visitors allowed. She then got a message from the center telling her about the confirmed cases. Before then she had been told staff were wearing masks because some residents had colds. Holstad also said her husband had not been tested for coronavirus because he doesn't have all of the symptoms required for testing. More than 50 staff and residents of the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, have shown symptoms of coronavirus Fears over the safety and care of residents now on lockdown within the care home come as it is revealed that the facility has a history of failing to take adequate steps to control the spread of illness. In 2019, a state investigation blasted Life Care after two influenza outbreaks swept the care home, affecting 17 residents and seven employees. Investigators said the facility had failed to ensure staff were trained in and followed 'transmission-based precautions' required under federal regulation. The nursing home pledged to provide training for staff on transmission precautions, controlling infections and hand hygiene and two months later said it was compliant with regulations. However, a Medicare health inspection rating ranked the facility just three out of five stars. A worker wearing a protective mask at the facility. Another worried woman has spoken out saying that her elderly mother, a 77-year-old resident, has been sick for several days, but has not been taken to hospital or been tested for the virus One resident who is awaiting the results of his coronavirus test told of his 'nightmare' ordeal since he had fallen ill at the nursing home around two weeks ago Other concerned relatives of residents at the Life Care Center told The New York Times that the center is refusing to test sick patients for the deadly disease. Many of the residents are elderly and have pre-existing health conditions, meaning they are at greater risk of the virus turning serious. Bridget Parkhill has spoken out saying that her elderly mother, a 77-year-old resident, has been sick for several days, but has not been taken to hospital or been tested for the virus. She said her mother has been ruled out of being tested because she does not have a fever or respiratory distress. 'I'm extremely worried,' she said. Her sister, Carmen Gray, said their mother told them Sunday morning that people were wearing masks and protective gear when they brought her meals, but she had still not been tested. She said they could not understand why the facility would deny their mother a test for the infection. 'Since she has been sick for days and been around all these people, I don't understand why she's not being tested, if for nothing else to rule her out,' said Gray. Health officials in Washington state said Sunday night that a man in his 70s had died - and he had previously been a resident at a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus Fears over the safety and care of residents now on lockdown within the care home come as it is revealed that the facility has a history of failing to take adequate steps to control the spread of illness The daughter of another Life Care resident said she is concerned her elderly mother could die if the virus spreads further throughout the home. 'The level of danger for her could be significant,' said Pat Herrick. 'She is 89 years old. It could take her.' One resident who is awaiting the results of his coronavirus test told the Times of his 'nightmare' ordeal since he had fallen ill at the nursing home around two weeks ago. From his hospital bed at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland, where two people have died from coronavirus, Kenny McMillan, 60, said he was in rehab at the center for a broken foot when he developed flu-like symptoms back in February. McCillan has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and physical injuries from his life's work in warehouses and assembly lines, so is at greater risk than most of contracting the disease. He took a turn for the worse around two weeks ago. 'All of a sudden one night, they came in and they couldn't revive me, because I was out of it,' he said. 'If they hadn't have revived me, I probably would've been gone. That's the only reason I'm here.' McCillan said he was transferred to EvergreenHealth Medical Center and moved in and out of the intensive-care unit. However, it was several weeks before he was considered a possible coronavirus case when the news broke of the first two cases testing positive at the home. He was finally tested Saturday night and is awaiting results - two weeks on from him first falling ill. Workers unload personal protective equipment, including goggles and gloves, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland In 2019, a state investigation blasted Life Care after two influenza outbreaks swept the care home, affecting 17 residents and seven employees. Investigators said the facility had failed to ensure staff were trained in and followed 'transmission-based precautions' required under federal regulation Life Care's 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.' A spokesperson for Life Care told DailyMail.com on Saturday that the facility was not accepting any visitors or new admissions, and was monitoring all residents and associates for the virus. They said the restricted access had only been put in place that morning. 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. Other photos have emerged of more patients being taken from the home to hospital. The CDC and local health officials sent in an emergency response team to the Life Care facility on Sunday to try to control the escalating situation. One-quarter of Kirkland firefighters have also been quarantined after they responded to Life Care facility over the last week. First patient confirmed in New York City as nationwide cases rise to at least 77 Gov. Andrew Cuomo has confirmed the first coronavirus patient in New York, as the number of cases nationwide reached at least 77. Reports said that the woman is currently in Manhattan and is isolated inside her home. A statement from the Cuomo's office reveals that the patient, an unidentified woman in her late 30s, contracted COVID-19 while traveling abroad in Iran. 'The positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround,' Cuomo wrote. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (pictured): 'The positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround' The Center for Disease Control and Prevention will now confirm the case. It's unclear when the woman was in Iran and when she returned to the U.S. At least 77 patients in the US have now been confirmed to have coronavirus, after one was reported in Rhode Island and a fifth 'unknown' origin case was found in Chicago on Sunday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitted that the deadly virus' entrance into New York's population of 19 million was a 'matter of when, not if.' He went on to say that there is a $40million emergency management authorization legislature that has been proposed to government officials and is anticipating it's quick approval. 'There is no reason for undue anxiety -- the general risk remains low in New York. We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available,' he wrote. New York's first positive coronavirus case comes after officials confirmed new coronavirus cases on Sunday. Reports said that the woman is currently in Manhattan and is isolated inside her home. Pictured, people wear masks and purchase hand sanitizer in Queens, New York The number of Americans diagnosed with the virus has hit 77 and counting, after two 'presumptive positive' tests in Florida Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed the latest infection in Chicago during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, saying that authorities are now working to trace the source of the latest instance. So far, there are at least five reported cases nationwide where authorities do not know how the virus was contracted, according to the federal government - one in Chicago, one in Washington State, one in Oregon, and two in California - The Chicago Tribune on Sunday reported that the third case of coronavirus was confirmed in Illinois. A suburban Cook County resident was found to be a presumptive case of novel coronavirus, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced. The patient is hospitalized in isolation, and protocols by the Centers for Disease Control have been implemented. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has asked hospitals across the state to do more testing to improve surveillance for the virus. Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, said on Sunday that a new case of coronavirus was confirmed overnight in Chicago The state was the first in the nation to provide for testing, according to the Tribune. The governor announced on Friday that there were now three labs in the state that could test for coronavirus - one in Cook County, one in Springfield, and a third in Carbondale. Officials said that the two other Illinois patients found to have the coronavirus have since made a full recovery. Also on Sunday, the Rhode Island Department of Health announced the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus. The patient is in their 40s and had traveled to Italy in mid-February, the state agency said. 'RIDOH is coordinating closely with the hospital where this person is currently being treated and all infection control protocols are being followed,' the department said in a statement. 'The Rhode Island Department of Health has been preparing for weeks to ensure that we have a structure in place to, to the best of our ability, limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Rhode Island,' said Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the department. 'We fully anticipated having a first case of COVID-19. 'We are not seeing widespread community transmission in Rhode Island, and the general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is still low. 'However, everyone in Rhode Island has a role to play in helping us prevent the spread of viruses, just like the flu. 'It is very important that people wash their hands regularly, cover their coughs and sneezes, and stay home if they are sick.' On Sunday Night, the Florida Department of Health confirmed two patients have tested 'presumptive positive' for coronavirus. One is a resident of Hillsborough County, while the other is from of Manatee County. Both have been isolated. The Trump administration on Saturday announced measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, including new restrictions on Americans and other who have traveled to Iran. The government is also advising citizens against travel to certain parts of Italy and South Korea, where significant outbreaks of the pathogen have been reported. The Rhode Island Department of Health announced on Sunday the first presumptive case of coronavirus in the state. The patient is described as a person in their 40s who just returned from a trip to Italy, the site of the largest outbreak of coronavirus in Europe. The image above shows an unidentified tourist in the Piazza del Duomo in Milan on Saturday Coronavirus has been spreading in Washington State for more than six weeks and HUNDREDS could be undiagnosed, say experts A scientist in Washington State believes coronavirus may have been spreading for six weeks before it was detected, and there could be a 'few hundred' people currently infected amid an 'already substantial outbreak'. At least 77 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported as of Sunday afternoon with the majority being on the west coast of the United States but new cases were confirmed in Rhode Island - where a patient in their 40s had traveled to Italy in mid-February - and Illinois where the third presumptive case of novel coronavirus, was announced. Two people have made full recoveries in Illinois. But anxious shoppers descended on supermarkets, stocking up on supplies like bottled water, canned food and Clorox wipes after more than half a dozen California residents were diagnosed with the disease in recent days. The number of confirmed infections in Washington reached eight Sunday as two men in their 60s - both with underlying health conditions - were in critical condition. One was stable at Valley Medical Center in Renton, the other was at Virginia Mason. Trevor Bedford of the University of Washington said the illness has likely spread within the community as none of the people confirmed to be infected had recently traveled. A new coronavirus study 'strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State (pictured) for the past 6 weeks,' a scientist has said. In three new cases confirmed near Seattle the victims don't have a history of recent travel Bedford said a team at the Seattle Flu Study had compared the first reported case of COVID-19 in the United States to the second case, and found that it was on the same evolutionary tree. Sharing a diagram, Bedford tweeted Saturday: 'This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State for the past 6 weeks.' Bedford posted on social media that case WA2 is likely to have come from case WA2 as they appear almost identical in make-up. The academic also noted that they were discovered in the same area of Washington State, Snohomish County, as he put the probability value at 0.3. Anything less than 0.5 is statistically significant and effectively rules out the chance the findings are random. 'It's possible that this genetic similarity is a coincidence and these are separate introductions. However, I believe this is highly unlikely. The WA1 case had a variant at site 18060. This variant is only present in 2/59 viruses from China,' Bedford continued. 'I'd assess the p-value for this coincidence at 2/59=0.03 and so is statistically significant. Additionally, these two cases are geographically proximal, both residing in Snohomish County. 'I believe we're facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China.' Bedford said they will be working closely with Public Health Seattle and King County as well as the Washington Department of Health to fully investigate the outbreak. The virus, immunity and evolution expert added that they hope to provide an update on the number of infections in Washington State soon. 'An update, because I see people overly speculating on total outbreak size. Our best current expectation is a few hundred current infections,' Bedford tweeted Saturday. 'Expect more analyses tomorrow.' Sonya Tran, of Randolph, Massachusetts, front, and Bobby Ratanasim, of Providence, Rhode Island, behind center, wear protective masks while playing a Nintendo game, Thursday, in Boston. Tran and Ratanasim said concerns about the coronavirus played a role in wearing masks to the conference Zhang Bin, right, walks with a friend along a street, both wearing protective masks in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles on Friday Scientists not affiliated with the research said the results did not necessarily surprise them and pointed out that for many people - especially younger, healthier ones - the symptoms are not much worse than a flu or bad cold. 'We think that this has a pretty high rate of mild symptoms and can be asymptomatic. The symptoms are pretty non-specific and testing criteria has been pretty strict, so those combinations of factors means that it easily could have been circulating for a bit without us knowing,' said Justin Lessler, an associated professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 'And that was what a lot of us was thinking was likely.' Virus claims more than 3,000 lives worldwide as flights from US to Italy are suspended Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has sickened at least 88,583 people and killed more than 3,000 in 54 countries. The US will start screening travelers for coronavirus and ramp up production of masks and test kits as the government scrambles to reassure Americans while the disease spreads and businesses cancel conferences and flights. Donald Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and upon arrival, without specifying which countries. Delta Air Lines on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday. The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. Trump said on Saturday that the United States was also considering shutting the country's southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus, adding, 'We hope we won't have to do that.' Mexico has reported four coronavirus cases. Its foreign ministry said on Saturday that both governments are in 'close and effective communication, especially the health authorities.' Meanwhile in Australia, the first human-to-human transfer of COVID-19 has been confirmed as the number of cases in the country hit 31. Tasmania has also confirmed its first case of the virus. Delta Air Lines Inc on Sunday said it is suspending until May flights to Milan in northern Italy where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a similar move late on Saturday Vice President Mike Pence said the government had contracted 3M Co to produce an extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell International Inc is the other major U.S. mask producer. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams asked the public to stop buying masks, saying they're ineffective against coronavirus. Pence, named by the president to be the point-person overseeing the government's response, said more than 15,000 virus testing kits had been released over the weekend. And, the administration is working with a commercial provider to distribute 50,000 more, he said. The vice president said testing was among the first issues raised by governors he's spoken with so far. Several states have begun their own testing, including Washington state, Oregon and Illinois. 'We're leaning into it,' Pence said. Mike Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases, but that the 'vast majority' of those who contracted the disease would recover U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said more than 3,600 people already have been tested for coronavirus and the capability exists to test 75,000 people. He forecast a "radical expansion of that" in the coming weeks. The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number 'radically' in coming weeks, Azar told ABC's This Week on Sunday. He also told Fox News that clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine would start in six weeks but that a vaccine will likely not be available this season. Democrats, who will challenge Trump for the presidency in the November 3 election, have criticized his administration for downplaying the crisis and not preparing for the disease to spread in the United States. Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House's coronavirus response, said Americans should brace for more cases, but that the 'vast majority' of those who contracted the disease would recover. 'Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We're ready,' Pence told NBC's 'Meet the Press'. Gurugram, March 2 : The Gurugram police has registered an FIR against two persons for uploading "communal" posts on social media. The action was taken after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar directed the district police to take action against the accused. The cyber crime cell managed to trace the culprits from Jaipur and has stepped up its investigation. The objectionable posts were noticed by a person who forwarded them to the Chief Minister on his Twitter handle on February 28. "The uploaded posts have the potential to instigate communal violence in Gurugram. The attempt to spoil the communal harmony of the district was defeated with cooperation extended by a common man," said a Gurugram police spokesperson. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the Gurugram police have appealed to all citizens to be vigilant while receiving or forwarding posts on social media. A 69-year-old Jefferson County man, arrested three years ago on capital murder, is now free of those charges. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Stephen Wallace has dismissed the 2017 charge against Kenneth Rhodes on the recommendation of the district attorneys office and following a Stand Your Ground hearing in the case. Rhodes had been charged in the July 3, 2017 slaying of 22-year-old Carlos Danyell Cole. Cole was killed about 10 a.m. that Monday in the 7100 block of Old Jasper Highway in the Bagley community. The shooting happened, authorities said, when Rhodes spotted a small car partially concealed in tall grass on the far side of the property. As Rhodes approached the vehicle to see why it was there, one of the men inside opened fire. Rhodes was injured and fell to the ground but was able to return fire as well as did another man who was there with Rhodes. Cole, who also went by the last name of Westbrook, was pronounced dead on the scene. His friend, witnesses said, ran through a field and knocked on the back door of someones home. When that homeowner didnt answer, he continued on until he ran into a Jefferson County sheriffs deputy who lives nearby. He was alert and talking and taken by ambulance from a location on Bankhead Highway. Bagley Fire and Rescue responded to that scene as well. Rhodes initially told investigators he shot Cole in self-defense during a robbery. Jefferson County sheriffs investigators later said over the course of the investigation, detectives discovered evidence that indicated Rhodes claim of an attempted robbery was false. Detectives said Rhodes was running an illegal gambling establishment in a building behind a paving company, and that two weeks prior to the shooting an armed robbery was committed at the location by two men in a gold car. The paving company has no affiliation with the gambling operation, according to the sheriffs office. Authorities at the time said Cole and his friend went to the spot to gamble. They never made it to the building because they thought they were at the wrong place. As they turned around to leave, Rhodes and another man blocked them and pointed guns at them. Thats when gunshots were exchanged, and both Cole and Rhodes were struck. Rhodes trial was to start Feb. 28. In the week leading up to the trial, his attorney, John Robbins, renewed a previous request for Stand Your Ground. In 2006, Alabama adopted Stand Your Ground provisions to its self-defense law, eliminating the duty to retreat from situations as long as the person defending themselves is not doing something unlawful. Legislators also added a provision that says a person who is justified using force, including deadly physical force, "is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the force was determined to be unlawful." In Robbins motion, the attorney said Cole and two others went to Rhodes gambling trailer for the purpose of committing armed robbery. Only recently, Robbins said, authorities obtained access to Coles cell phone and found text messages in which they previously discussed previous robberies. On June 23, 2017, according to court documents, Cole and two others went to Rhodes gambling trailer for the purpose of committing armed robbery. On Coles cell phone are text messages in which he is clearly discussing the robbery, Robbins wrote. Fortunately, (Rhodes) employees were able to lock the door before Cole and his partners could enter. On June 30, according to Robbins motion, Cole and another person returned to the gambling trailer to try again. This time, records state, they encountered a female employee, forced her inside the trailer at gunpoint, forced her to her knees, put a gun to her head and demanded the cash bag. The person holding the gun to her head was Cole and he said, give me the bag (expletive), Robbins wrote. The lawyer said Cole and his partner threatened to kill the employee and took $2,500. The state is in possession of a video retrieved from Coles cell phone showing Cole and his partner flashing the cash that they robbed from (Rhodes) employees and the guns that they used. They are smiling and laughing about it. Robbins said Cole and his partner returned on July 3 to commit another robbery and were in the same gold car used in the June 23 and June 30 incidents. He said the pair were turned around by an employee and then encountered Rhodes as they were leaving. Robbins said Rhodes did not block them in and approached their vehicle to tell them to leave and not come back. Thats when Cole shot Rhodes, and Rhodes then fired back. Robbins said hes pleased the new evidence surfaced and the case was dismissed. We found evidence that supported what my client said all along, Robbins said. My client clearly acted in self-defense. If they had this information (text messages) earlier, they would have never even charged Ken Rhodes. Viettel has been out-performing regional competitors. Photo: Le Toan The Global 500, which is an annual report on the worlds most valuable and strongest brands conducted by UK-based brand consultancy firm Brand Finance, has ranked Viettel as the top telecoms firm in Southeast Asia regarding trademark value. Valued at $5.8 billion, up 34 per cent compared to $4.3 billion in 2019, Viettel was ranked 355th in the world (up 126 places compared to last year), 102nd in Asia, and fourth in Southeast Asia. Among the seven Southeast Asian companies in the Top 500, Viettel was ahead of Singapores OCBC Bank, Telekom Indonesia, and UOB Bank from Singapore, and was behind only Thai oil and gas firm PTT, DBS of Singapore, and Malaysian giant Petronas, who were ranked 120th. The Brand Finance report showed that this is the most impressive and highest jump in the rankings. In particular, Viettel achieved the highest brand value growth in the world in the telecommunications sector. Brand Finances CEO David Haigh spoke about Viettels achievement, A few telecom operators have achieved growth regarding brand value this year, but first position belongs to Vietnams Viettel brand. In 2019, Viettels consolidated revenue increased by 7.4 per cent on-year. In addition to the improved revenue from 4G services and overseas markets, the company has a large number of mobile customers. According to Haigh, the combined value of the Brand Finance Global 500 has increased by less than 2 per cent on-year, and while 244 brands have increased their brand value, a further 212 are down, including nearly 100 by 10 per cent or more. Those who once enjoyed long-term success are now needing to adjust in a world more unpredictable than ever, while many tech brands are suffering after failing to meet the bullish expectations of investors. Do Cao Bao, a member of FPT Corporations Board of Directors, said that Viettel gained its lofty position thanks to the common slow growth in the world market. Viettels profits actually reduced by VND3 trillion ($130 million) in 2019, and VND4 trillion ($173.9 million) in 2018. However, thanks to the growth of 10 per cent of its subsidiary, Viettel Global, in eight out of nine countries, the brand value of Viettel is still strong, he said. According to Bao, the total revenue of Viettel Global increased by VND2.3 trillion ($100 million), bringing the profit of VND2.15 trillion ($93.5 million) in 2019 while it lost in the previous year. The price of Viettel Globals shares doubled in 2019, and its current value is $3.45 billion, Bao said. In fact, there were only 36 telecoms brands in this years list, 80 per cent of which fell in value. The combined value of the telecom brands in the Brand Finance Global 500 stalled, at $558.4 billion in 2020, compared with $567.7 billion in 2015, while all other key sectors recorded significant increases. Revenues of major telecom companies are being affected by a reduction in use of over-the-top messaging apps and short message services, as well as price competition. Therefore, said Bao, Viettels rise should be a source of pride for the company. Vietnam ranks sixth and third regarding economy and population in the Southeast Asian region, but Viettel has surpassed all the opposition from Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and even Indonesia, whose population is nearly three times higher and which boasts an economy more than four times larger than Vietnams, he said. Even StarHUB and Singtel, two famous Singapore telecom companies, have been overtaken by Viettel in the last two years. According to Bao, Viettel has left telecom companies from around the world in their wake. The group has even managed to outperform companies from Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, and India, whose economies are up to 11 times larger than Vietnams. Viettel Globals growth, particularly of Mytel in Myanmar, the worlds last telecommunication market with highest potential, will greatly contribute to Viettels growth in the future, Bao added. Bao compared Viettel with the two other prominent Vietnamese telecoms groups Vinaphone and MobiFone. Although the two operators are older, Viettel has more customers and its annual profit is bigger, so therefore its firm value is also bigger. Meanwhile, in its Vietnam 50 2019 report, Brand Finance listed Viettel at the very top, thanks to a value of over $4.3 billion, up 20 per cent, equivalent to more than $1.5 billion, compared to 2018. BEIJING (Reuters) - China could face a desert locust invasion, a government body warned on Monday, urging local authorities to prepare for the possible arrival of the voracious insects from neighbouring Pakistan and India. The risk of swarms entering the country is low, although China will be hampered in tracking the locusts by a lack of monitoring techniques and little knowledge of migration patterns, the National Forestry and Grassland Administrations said on its website. Locust swarms could enter the Tibet region from Pakistan and India, or the southwestern province of Yunnan through Myanmar, depending on climate conditions, the notice said. Swarms could also fly across Kazakhstan and into China's Xinjiang region. Authorities in the western region, which also borders Pakistan, said mountains and the absence of tropical and sub-tropical deserts have reduced the chances of locusts migrating into the area, but such a possibility will increase in June and July if outbreaks can not be effectively controlled overseas, Xinhua reported on Monday. Customs at Khunjerab, a pass between China and Pakistan in southwestern Xinjiang, have started monitoring surrounding areas within 2 km for locusts. They are inspecting or sterilizing vehicles and goods crossing the border, targeting locust adults that might come along or soil and plants that contain the insects eggs, according to the state media. The desert locusts have already ravaged crops and pastures in several countries in east Africa and swarms have spread into India and Pakistan. Locust swarms can fly up to 150 km (90 miles) a day with the wind, and adult insects can consume roughly their own weight in fresh food per day. Beijing has set up a task force that will meet this month to monitor and act on any locust invasion, the government body said. Local forestry and grassland administrations "must be fully aware of the extreme importance of prevention and control work against locusts," it said. They should store pesticides and equipment and have personnel ready to take immediate and effective measures once locusts are detected, it added. (Reporting by Hallie Gu and Shivani Singh; Editing by Tom Hogue and Richard Pullin) Cruise passengers to help clean Island's beaches Hundreds of cruise ship passengers visiting the Island this month will take part in beach cleaning sessions with Beach Buddies. Beach Buddies is teaming up with Cruise Isle of Man to host the events for passengers on two Hurtigruten cruises. More than 200 passengers will arrive on the Island today and will help clear up litter at Hango Hill in Derbyhaven. It is believed to be the worlds first ever event of this kind for cruise ship passengers. Real Bread Week, the week-long celebration of additive-free loaves and the people who make them, took place last week. Returning for its 11th year, the international event organised by the Real Bread Campaign ran from 22 February to 1 March. The focus this year was on the power that real bread making has to help people transform their lives. Consumers were encouraged to bake real bread, buy from local, independent bakeries and share their skills with others. We take a look at what just a few bakeries got up to as part of the celebrations. Planet Leicester Bakers Planet Leicester Bakers runs a fortnightly Bread Bike service, with founder Michelle Stratford delivering bread on her bike into St Martins Square in Leicester city centre. The business last week rolled out a Bread Bike loyalty card, with extra stamps awarded to consumers who cycled to buy bread from the Bread Bike. Consumers who collect 10 stamps will receive a free bun. The business also promoted its additive-free and hand-made bread on social media, using #real bread. One Mile Bakery The bakery offered a variety of classes and discounts at its sites across the country, including Italian Baking. Deals included up to 20% % off all bookings, while the bakerys newest branch, Tadcaster held a free Real Bread Week Open Day with teacher and owner Phil Gostling on 1 March. Knead Good Bread Based in Leicestershire, the micro bakerys founder Ian Waterland led a Mindful Bread workshop on 1 March, following a Therapeutic Baking course at The School of Artisan Food. He also taught six students at Homefield College, which supports students on the autistic spectrum. They spent time contrasting wholemeal flour and white flour, while being encouraged to be present in the moment and use their senses. The flour was used to make bread that the students took home to enjoy. Waterland is an ambassador of the Real Bread Campaign and has joined in the #RealBreadWeek and #TogetherWeRise movements on social media. The Suited Baker Sheffield-based The Suited Baker delivered giant sourdoughs to restaurants and cafes in Sheffield, including VorV, Beanies cafe, Gustos, Pom Kitchen and Lotte on the Edge. The vegan and gluten-free bakery has also developed an additive-free savoury chocolate sourdough (4-6) to add to its product range. Bread Together The inclusive bread making co-operative in Chester celebrated Real Bread Week with a pop-up stall exclusively in The Kitchen, Storyhouse. Consumers were able to pop in to taste and knead real bread, and learn about its new micro bakery, the bread-making process. Two Magpies Bakery The bakery ran a sourdough masterclass at its Darsham bakery school and provided a sourdough culture so customers could make their own bread at home from scratch. Its sourdough is made using a live culture and locally milled flour and contains no artificial additives, processing aids or improvers. The Epsom Bakehouse To mark Real Bread Week the cooking school is launching its first online bread making course by founder Rhiannon Abbott from 8 March. The course, Bread Baking 101: Your step-by-step guide to mastering the basics of baking great bread at home, will include video tutorials, recipe downloads, ingredient and equipment checklists, notes and exclusive access to an online community for course students. The Good Loaf The Northamptonshire artisan bakery and cafe provides training and employment opportunities to vulnerable women. Founder Suzy Van Rooyen promoted its additive-free, real bread on social media with the hashtags #RealBreadWeek, #TogetherWeRise and #WeAreRealBread. The bakerys training programme includes an employability course, domestic abuse support group, volunteering, employment and apprenticeships. The Bakehouse at 124 Tonbridge-based The Bakehouse at 124 sold its Bakehouse Bread for toasting, White Sourdough (3.20) and Chilli and Cheese Sourdough (4.20). It also held a sourdough pizza masterclass. With owner and head baker Clare Barton being a Real Bread Campaign Ambassador, the artisan bakery has also joined in the #realbreadweek movement on social media. A man makes a phone call outside the OPEC headquarters during the 177th Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna, Austria, on December 6, 2019. OPEC could deliver a larger-than-expected production cut at its meeting later this week, according to MUFG Bank. Oil prices have been under pressure since the outbreak of the coronavirus in January dampened the demand outlook for the year. Following the "massive sell-off" in recent weeks, Ehsan Khoman, head of MENA research at MUFG, said his "baseline scenario" is 1.2 million barrels a day of additional production cuts from the second quarter of 2020 until the end of the year. "We think that OPEC will deliver, we think that they will go out of their way, and they will go beyond what's currently priced in," he said. "This 1.2 million barrels a day of our baseline case for the next nine months is what's going to cause the next leg higher in oil prices in the week ahead," he added. When asked whether there's consensus in the alliance for a cut of that magnitude, Khoman acknowledged that the differing oil market strategies of Saudi Arabia and Russia would be a "key sticking point." Riyadh generally prefers higher oil prices, while Moscow is comfortable with $50 oil. "But we think, in the spirit of keeping the OPEC agreement alive, they will (take) coordinated action when they meet this week in Vienna," he said. Almost everyone who's ever bought a handbag has faced the same predicament: how to find a beautiful bag that will last, that doesn't cost the same price as a small car? Traditionally there was a vast chasm between the poor quality pleather options available on the high street and the eye-wateringly expensive handbags offered by high-end designers. But recent years have seen the rise of a whole host of exciting boutique bag brands creating products in a niche best defined as contemporary; whose off-beat designs, approachable prices and understated branding have made them favourites with the street style set. With prices in the region of 150- 500, bags in this category are not cheap, but are fairly priced given the quality materials and craftsmanship that ensure their longevity. Looking for a bag that'll deliver 'oohs' and 'aahs' next time you walk in the pub? Look no further than these independent bag brands Yuzefi Yuzefi Central St Martins graduate Naza Yousefi worked in the studios of Christopher Kane and Richard Nicoll before launching her handbag label in 2016, and the high-fashion influence is clearly perceptible in her dinky, uber-Instagrammable designs. Prices from 295 - 595. Shop them on Browns here Complet Complet Fresh out of Tel Aviv, accessories brand Complet, launched by three friends - Sivan, Leonora and Emily - in 2013, delivers high quality Italian-made bags that pack a sartorial punch. While the designs are subtle, the brands signature round handle, that appears across all bags, makes them easily identifiable. Weve got our eyes on the pale green pearly croc effect tote (405, shop it here). Prices start at 320 Shop them on Browns here S. Joon S. Joon If you like your bags in kooky shapes and luxe leathers, S. JOON could be the one for you. Founded by Persian ex-solicitor Sahar Asvand in 2017 (the name is a portmanteau of Asvandis first initial and a Persian term of endearment), the brand launched with a classic saddle bag style and a natty little bag shaped like a milk pail. For 2020, the collection of Italian-made beauties has expanded to include a really rather beautiful shoulder bag inspired by a tulip. Priced from 139 - 445. Shop them on Net-a-Porter here By Far By Far This 90s-inspired shoe and handbag brand started by Bulgarian twin sisters, Valentina Bezuhanova and Sabina Gyosheva, and their best friend, Denitsa Bumbarova, has developed something of a cult following since it launched in 2016, and their perfectly simple single strap baguette bags have been slung on the shoulders of everyone from Kaia Gerber to Beyonce and Michelle Obama. Handcrafted from sustainable Italian leather and deadstock materials in a small family-run factory near Sofia, BY FAR bags are ideal for anyone looking to inject a little 90s minimalism into their look. Or, you know, a bright pink PVC tote that would do Paris Hilton proud. Prices from 260 Shop them on Browns here Little Liffner Little Lifner This Stockholm-based accessories brand has quietly been building a loyal following since its 2012 launch. Devoid from branding, these chic and sophisticated bags are instead adorned with a signature gold stone or shell, making them the perfect accompaniment to all manner of ensembles from black tie to beachwear. Prices from 275 Shop them on Harvey Nichols here Cafune Cafune Queenie Fan and Day Lau are the life-long friends behind Hong Kong-based accessories line Cafune. Founded in 2015, Cafune (the name is Portuguese, and refers to the act of playing with a lovers hair) make sweet little bucket bags and cross bodies in pastel colours using the softest Italian leather. Their streamlined little 'Camber Sling' bags provide the most elegant way to carry your smartphone, while the oval-shaped Egg bag is the perfect mix of polished and kitsch. Prices from 175 to 500 Greenpeace has targeted Barclays high street branches across the country over the banks support for fossil fuels. The environmental campaigners said they had shut down almost 100 branches from Portsmouth to Dundee early on Monday morning by disabling doors to prevent staff from entering. Greenpeace is demanding that Barclays stops its support for oil, gas and coal companies and channels funding into renewable energy instead to help tackle the climate crisis. Branches saw images of Barclays customers bearing slogans such as stop funding fossil fuels plastered on windows, and pop-up exhibitions showing climate-related disasters went up in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester. Barclays retail staff blocked from their banks across uk. Not caused by flooding this time ? #greenpeace #Barclays #cardiff pic.twitter.com/vZjCfUqRBJ Andrew (@amoggy) March 2, 2020 Outside the Castle Place branch in Belfast, Richard George, head of oil for Greenpeace, told the PA news agency: Barclays is the biggest funder for the fossil fuel industry for the whole of Europe and the UK. Were here to send a message that they need to move their money out of fossil fuels and start supporting real climate change solutions instead. He said the fight is not with customers, but with the bank, and that the environmental group was trying to minimise the inconvenience to the public who wanted to carry out their banking. Morten Thaysen, climate finance campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: Barclays must stop funding the climate emergency, thats why weve taken action today. From floods to bushfires and record heat in Antarctica, the impacts of this crisis are staring us in the face. Greenpeace volunteers shut down Barclays branches in Newcastle (Tim Morozzo/Greenpeace/PA) He added: Banks are just as responsible for the climate emergency as the fossil fuel companies they fund, yet theyve escaped scrutiny for years. Weve shut down branches across the country to shine a spotlight on Barclays role in bankrolling this emergency. Its time Barclays pulled the plug and backed away from funding fossil fuels for good. A Barclays spokeswoman said: We recognise that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and are determined to do all we can to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, while also ensuring that global energy needs continue to be met. Greenpeace has a view on these issues to which they are completely entitled, but we would ask that, in expressing that view, they stop short of behaviour which targets our customers, and our colleagues, going about their lives in communities around the country. Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi has withdrawn his candidacy for the post, accusing political parties of obstructing him, deepening a domestic crisis and threatening an unprecedented power vacuum. His move on Sunday came hours after parliament failed for the second time in a week to approve his Cabinet amid political infighting in the oil producing nation where mass protests and deadlock between lawmakers are delaying the country's recovery from years of war. An anti-government protester stands near burning tires set fire to close a street during a demonstration against the newly appointed Prime Minister Mohammed Allawi in Najaf. Credit:AP Allawi's appointment was meant to ease a crisis as the Shi'ite-led country faces a mass protest movement that broke out in October and brought down Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. President Barham Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for a new prime minister within 15 days, the state news agency said. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form COVID-19 has made Google and Microsoft wishing to launch their made-in-Vietnam products this year Two global leading technology firms, Google and Microsoft, most recently expressed hopes of launching devices Made-in-Vietnam within this year. Google is planning to manufacture its low-cost smartphone Pixel 4A after April 2020 in the northern part of Vietnam. Moreover, its next generation of flagship named Pixel 5 will be produced in Southeast Asia in the second half of this year. Meanwhile, Microsoft forecast that its latest models of Surface laptops and desktop computers will be manufactured in the same area from the second quarter of this year. Nikkei quoted a Microsoft supply chain executive as saying, The volume in Vietnam would be small at the beginning, but the output will pick up and this is the direction that Microsoft wants. According to Nikkei Asian Review, most of their products are based in China. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the inherent vulnerability of concentrating production too heavily in a single place. Concerns are even more serious than during the US-China trade war. The unexpected blow from the coronavirus will push electronic builders to further seek production capacity outside their most cost-effective production base of China, said the executive from Microsoft. No one could ignore risks after this. Its more than just cost, its about the continuity of supply chain management. The companies have kept the plan of moving out of China even after Washington and Beijing inked the first phase trade deal in January. The coronavirus outbreak just reinforced their determination, Nikkei quoted its own source. In a comparison with other well-known brands like Apple, HP, and Dell, technology firms focused on the internet such as Google and Microsoft could be more flexible in leaving China the largest global electronics manufacturing centre. Accordingly, Apple, HP, and Dell's business depends too much on extremely labour-intensive hardware production. That is also the reason why they find it harder to diversify manufacturing locations. Nevertheless, electronics suppliers have been struggling to keep manufacturing in China with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. That means Google and Microsofts diversification efforts still face challenges because a great load of their components is produced in the nation. Two new cases of Coronavirus tested positive on Monday, one in the national capital and another in Telangana, taking the total number of confirmed cases to five in India. The two patients had travelled from Italy and Dubai to reach India. Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, "Initially there were three Indians who had travelled from China and were admitted in Kerala hospital. Now they have recovered. Two more cases, one in Delhi, another in Telangana have been reported today. while one travelled to India from Italy, another reached here from Dubai." The minister added ... NASA has contracted SpaceX to launch the agency's Psyche mission to a unique metal asteroid. The Psyche mission will use one of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rockets, and it is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2022. The spacecraft will travel to a unique metal-rich asteroid named Psyche, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers believe that studying this new asteroid will offer new clues about how terrestrial planets like Earth form, according to a statement from NASA. Related: NASA's mission to metal asteroid Psyche (images) A Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 6, 2018. (Image credit: SpaceX) "The asteroid is considered unique, as it appears to largely be made of the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet one of the building blocks of our solar system," NASA officials said in the statement. Rocky, terrestrial planets like Earth are believed to have a metallic core. However, it is difficult to observe or measure a planet's core directly because it lies far below a planet's mantle and crust. By studying this unique asteroid up close, scientists hope to better understand the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets, according to the statement. An artist's impression of NASA's Psyche mission orbiter near the metal-rich asteroid, named Psyche. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State Univ./Space Systems Loral/Peter Rubin) The Psyche orbiter named for the asteroid that it will study will have five solar array panels, as well as power and propulsion systems that will allow the spacecraft to navigate to and orbit the asteroid. The scientific experiments that the spacecraft will perform are in the design and fabrication phase. Final assembly and testing of the craft is expected to begin early next year, according to NASA. With the launch of the Psyche orbiter, the Falcon Heavy rocket will also carry two secondary payloads, including the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) and a small satellite called Janus. EscaPADE, a project led by the University of California, Berkeley, is designed to explore the atmosphere of Mars and the influence of solar wind. The Janus satellite, from the University of Colorado, will study binary asteroids, which are pairs of asteroids that orbit around each other and are believed to be some of the earliest objects in the solar system. EscaPADE and Janus were two of the finalists that NASA selected in 2018 as part of the agency's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx). After the Psyche mission's scheduled launch in 2022, it is expected to arrive at the asteroid Psyche, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, in 2026. The Psyche mission is led by Arizona State University. System engineering and testing for the Psyche mission will be performed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. A man who set himself ablaze in a beauty parlour in Kurla area of the metropolis on Sunday night has died, police said. Suresh Mangaonkar (52), a real estate agent, had come to the parlour in Kamgar Nagar locality and set himself on fire after asking those present to step out, and he died on Monday afternoon while undergoing treatment for 75 per cent burns at Byculla's Masina Hospital, an official said. "He used to frequently come to the parlour to meet its woman owner. On Sunday, he came there after keeping his gold chain, watch, wallet etc home. We are probing why he killed himself. An accidental death report has been registered," said Senior Inspector Vilas Shinde of Nehru Nagar police station. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The growing share of lower-risk refinance transactions pulled the frequency of defects, fraud, and misinterpretation in the information submitted in mortgage loan applications to its lowest point since 2011. The First American Loan Application Defect Index dwindled 3% month over month and was 28.6% lower than January 2019. The overall defect risk was also down 36.3% from the high point of risk in October 2013. For refinance transactions, the defect rate dropped 5.2% between December and January, while the defect index for purchase transactions held steady after two months of increasing risk. Refinance and purchase transactions saw annual defect risk plummet by 33.7% and 17.9%, respectively. PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---The cruise ship Braemar of Fred Olsen cruise line, arrived at Port St. Maarten on Sunday and the turnaround operation has commenced. A turnaround entails when one set of passengers departs the ship and another set embarks. Passengers from the vessel are in the process of being transported to the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport) where they will board charter flights at around 8.00 pm. This is a collaborative operation between Port St. Maarten and SXM Airport in close consultation with the Department of Civil Aviation, Customs, Police and SXM Airport Operations. The 500+ disembarking passengers will be cleared in and out by Immigration at Port St. Maarten. The passengers luggage will also be screened at the Port St. Maarten Homeporting facilities with oversight by personnel from SXM Airport Security and Customs. Once the screening process has been concluded, the passengers will be bussed with Police escort to SXM Airport directly to the aircraft on the tarmac, thereby bypassing the terminal building. The turnaround operations commenced at around 4.30 pm on Sunday afternoon. During the course of the day, the Collective Prevention Services Department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) received the updated health declarations from the ship's doctors and they were in good order. As part of the turnaround, cruise passengers who are mainly from the United Kingdom - would arrive at SXM Airport on chartered flights from La Romana, Dominican Republic and then transported directly to Port St. Maarten Homeporting Facility. Prior to boarding the vessel, the embarking passengers will go through the same security and immigration procedures before boarding the Braemar for their two-week cruise. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said on Sunday that this is a healthy ship with zero cases of the coronavirus COVID-19, and even though during the cruise some passengers experienced flu-like symptoms, everybody has been cleared for travel back to the United Kingdom with the exception of one passenger who has gastroenteritis and who will remain on the island at the St. Maarten Medical Center until they are well to travel. Listen to the Government Radio station 107.9FM - for official information, statements and news updates or visit the Government website: www.sintmaartengov.org/coronavirus or its Facebook Page: Facebook.com/SXMGOV Its sad to see the old slave mill is grinding slow but grinding still. Damian Marley Some thoughts have been gaining prominence among most of my peers. Most think the black race is forever doomed and our place as the least developed people on the planet is deserved. It is our destiny, some say. One friend epitomized the situation by saying, he will gleefully enter the gate of no return if such a gate is offered once again in time. But no matter how hopeless the situation maybe, we must not give up. Regardless of how careless generations before us have been, perpetuating the mistakes of our forebears further bury us and those who come after us. However, the astonishing difference between the two groups as figured out by Christopher Chancellor in his great book, The Destruction of Black Civilization, shows that; whereas one group labours very hard to secure the destiny of its unborn, the other cares less about generations ahead. What then can be achieved if the one to hand the baton is not thinking about the finish line and is beyond believe, stuck in the now? The only period in our modern history whereas a group we have fought for the destinies of our unborn was during the struggle for independence. The efforts of market women, fishermen, farmers and the intelligentsia, altogether forced imperial Britain to relinquish its political hold on us. Even so, I think our independence was only handed to us because the imperialists saw it beneficial than going to war. But, even in that crucial time in our history, one faction was caught up in the now. Ironically, the sect that was clamouring for Now was infused with tomorrow while those screaming for the Shortest Possible Time were doing so because of their business interests. According to William Blum, in his book Killing Hope, our people were further used to alter the course of the destinies of the unborn through the rifle, when Kwame Nkrumah attempted to lessen Ghanas dependence on the West while strengthening economic and military ties to the Soviet Union, China and East Germany, The American anti-establishment and historian, Blum indicated further that Nkrumah sealed his fate when he published Neo-Colonialism-The Last Stage of Imperialism in October 1965; The United States wanted him out. Great Britain wanted him out. France and West Germany wanted him out. Nine months before Nkrumah was overthrown there were 7 successful coup detats in Africa. Were all of those coups internally generated as General Ankrah would like us to believe? Why did repressive regimes all over Africa rule for decades, whereas the life of governments that were pushing for the economic liberation of their people snuffed out? I think they were efforts to secure the wellbeing of the unborn of those who think the colour of the skin must be used to measure the worth of being human. Our attitude of paying little attention to the future has swam through time and has grown worse. As Western countries and even the Eastern bloc are supporting Transnational Companies to invade our economies and our minds, we are still destroying our own because of myopic thinking. It is high time, we realise the fight is not among us but it is above us. The mere fact that a continent, bedeviled with poverty, unemployment and mind boggling inequality is adhering blindingly to capitalist notions is incomprehensible. Ideas that hinder the growth of the majority on the continent cannot be in favour of their aspirations of self-determination. But the people who must resist what is been sold by the current flock of pawns, who want to ride the horse in front of the horde forever, have rather been crippled by fear and cannot see beyond today. To remedy this endemic problem of us being stuck in the now, we must encourage the attribute of collective long-suffering and learn to sacrifice today for tomorrow. In whatever field we find ourselves, we must strive to raise the bar, not just the Ghanaian or the African bar but the global standard. For, through this, we can become competitive. More importantly we must have a strong belief that we are not less endowed mentally. We are not! We must disabuse our minds of the fact that our destinies are unchangeable. Birth and death, are to a large extent, the only predetermined fates. Everything in between can be salvaged no matter how demanding the task. The liberation of our minds will take us a long way than the celebration of a hoax freedom. Have a thoughtful Independence week! By: Kofi Boateng ([email protected]) By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The multi-crore SNC Lavalin corruption case was fiercely debated in the Assembly on Monday during a discussion on the notice for an adjournment motion by the Opposition demanding a CBI inquiry into corruption in the police department Giving notice for adjournment motion, PT Thomas of the Congress raised the Opposition's oft-repeated charge that Lavalin case was the reason why Pinararyi was 'protecting' State Police Chief Loknath Behera. Thomas alleged that Behera was the 'bridge' connecting the Chief Minister to the Centre. "If that bridge collapses, the Chief Minister will fall into an abyss," Thomas said. During his reply to the notice seeking adjournment motion, Pinarayi hit out at the Opposition and said such allegations point to the 'upbringing' of the MLAs who levelled them. "Which Lavalin are you talking about? At present, there is no case against me," Pinarayi said. Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala soon joined issue and said the Lavalin case still exists. "Unless the judicial process is completely closed, nobody can be exonerated. The CBI has given an appeal in Supreme Court and the Chief Minister will have to face the legal battle," Chennithala said. The corruption case relates to the loss of Rs 86.25 crore to the exchequer after Kerala State Electricity Board entered into a contract with a Canadian company SNC Lavalin for the renovation and modernisation of three hydroelectric projects. Pinarayi was the then Electricity Minister. The High Court had discharged Pinarayi of the charges in 2018. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be facing questions on the seven-year-low growth rate of 4.7 per cent in the Budget session's second leg starting from Monday while the session may see possible passage of the Banking Regulation Act Amendment Bill to bring multi-state cooperative banks under the RBI's regulation. Pulled down by a contraction in manufacturing, India's GDP growth slipped to a nearly seven-year low of 4.7 per cent in the third quarter (October-December) 2019, data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Friday showed. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19, was recorded at 5.6 per cent. The Finance Minister has termed the 4.7 per cent growth as showing "steadiness" in the economy. In this session, the Parliament will likely clear the Bill to help prevent any further recurrence of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank-like crisis, sources said. The government has increased deposit insurance cover by five-fold to Rs 5 lakh to ensure the security of public money in banks. The Cabinet had, last month, approved an amendment to the Banking Regulation Act to bring multi-state cooperative banks under the central bank's purview. There are 1,540 cooperative banks with a depositor base of 8.60 crore having total savings of about Rs 5 lakh crore. The proposed law seeks to enforce banking regulation guidelines of the RBI in cooperative banks in order to increase professionalism and improve corporate governance, while administrative issues will still be guided by Registrar of Cooperatives. The Finance Bill 2020 and The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill were introduced in the session that started on January 31 and ended on February 11. The second half of the Budget session is scheduled to conclude on April 3. Nokia Corporation Stock Exchange Release March 2, 2020 at 14:30 (CET +1) Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Nokia Corporation Notice is given to the shareholders of Nokia Corporation (the "Company") of the Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at Helsinki Messukeskus, Messuaukio 1, Helsinki, Finland. The reception of persons who have registered for the Meeting will commence at 12:30 p.m. A. Matters on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting At the Annual General Meeting, the following matters will be considered: 1. Opening of the Meeting 2. Matters of order for the Meeting 3. Election of a person to confirm the minutes and a person to verify the counting of votes 4. Recording the legal convening of the Meeting and quorum 5. Recording the attendance at the Meeting and adoption of the list of votes 6. Presentation of the Annual Accounts, the review by the Board of Directors and the auditor's report for the year 2019 - Review by the President and CEO 7. Adoption of the Annual Accounts 8. Resolution on the use of the profit shown on the balance sheet The Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that no dividend be paid based on the balance sheet to be adopted for the financial year ended on December 31, 2019. 9. Resolution on the discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the President and CEO from liability 10. Addressing the Remuneration Policy Presentation of the Remuneration Policy to the Annual General Meeting. The Policy applicable to the President and CEO and the Board of Directors will be available on the Company's website www.nokia.com/agm later this week. The resolution on the Remuneration Policy is advisory. 11. Resolution on the remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors On the recommendation of the Board's Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the annual fee payable to the Board members elected at the same meeting for a term ending at the close of the next Annual General Meeting remains at current level: EUR 440 000 for the Chair of the Board, EUR 185 000 for the Vice Chair of the Board and EUR 160 000 for each Board member. In addition, it is proposed that the Chair of the Audit Committee and the Chair of the Personnel Committee will each receive an additional annual fee of EUR 30 000, Chair of the Technology Committee an additional annual fee of EUR 20 000 and other members of the Audit Committee an additional annual fee of EUR 15 000 each. The Board also proposes that a meeting fee for Board and Committee meetings be paid to all the other Board members, except the Chair of the Board, based on travel required between the Board member's home location and the location of a meeting. The meeting fee would be paid for a maximum of seven meetings per term and remain on the following levels: EUR 5 000 per meeting requiring intercontinental travel and EUR 2 000 per meeting requiring continental travel. Furthermore, the Board also proposes that members of the Board of Directors shall be compensated for travel and accommodation expenses as well as other costs directly related to Board and Committee work. It is proposed that approximately 40% of the annual fee be paid in Nokia shares purchased from the market, or alternatively by using treasury shares held by the Company. The meeting fee, travel expenses and other expenses would be paid in cash. 12. Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors On the recommendation of the Board's Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the number of Board members be nine (9). 13. Election of members of the Board of Directors Risto Siilasmaa and Olivier Piou have informed that they will no longer be available to serve on the Nokia Board of Directors after the Annual General Meeting. Accordingly, the Board, on the recommendation of the Board's Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the following current Nokia Board members be re-elected as members of the Board for a term ending at the close of the next Annual General Meeting: Sari Baldauf, Bruce Brown, Jeanette Horan, Edward Kozel, Elizabeth Nelson, Sren Skou, Carla Smits-Nusteling and Kari Stadigh. In addition, it is proposed that Thomas Dannenfeldt who is a former Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Telekom be elected as a member of the Board of Directors for the same term. All candidates for the Board of Directors are presented on the Company's website www.nokia.com/agm. 14. Election of Auditor for the financial year 2021 In 2019 Nokia finalized the mandatory audit firm selection procedure concerning the audit for the financial year 2020. Consequently, Deloitte Oy was elected as the auditor of the Company for the financial year 2020 already in the Annual General Meeting 2019. Therefore, on the recommendation of the Board's Audit Committee, the Board now proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Deloitte Oy be re-elected as the auditor of the Company for the financial year 2021. 15. Resolution on the remuneration of the Auditor On the recommendation of the Board's Audit Committee, the Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the auditor elected at the Annual General Meeting be reimbursed based on the invoice of the auditor and in compliance with the purchase policy approved by the Audit Committee. 16. Authorization to the Board of Directors to resolve to repurchase the Company's own shares The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board to resolve to repurchase a maximum of 550 million shares, which corresponds to less than 10 per cent of the Company's total number of shares. The repurchases under the authorization are proposed to be carried out by using funds in the unrestricted equity, as resolved by the Board, which means that the repurchases will reduce distributable funds of the Company. The price paid for the shares under the authorization shall be based on the market price of Nokia shares on the securities markets on the date of the repurchase. Shares may be repurchased to be cancelled, held to be reissued, transferred further or for other purposes resolved by the Board. The Company may enter into derivative, share lending or other arrangements customary in capital market practice. The shares may be repurchased otherwise than in proportion to the shares held by the shareholders (directed repurchase). The Board shall resolve on all other matters related to the repurchase of Nokia shares. It is proposed that the authorization be effective until October 7, 2021 and terminate the authorization for repurchasing the Company's shares granted by the Annual General Meeting on May 21, 2019. 17. Authorization to the Board of Directors to resolve to issue shares and special rights entitling to shares The Board proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorize the Board to resolve to issue in total a maximum of 550 million shares through issuance of shares or special rights entitling to shares under Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act in one or more issues during the effective period of the authorization. The Board may issue either new shares or treasury shares held by the Company. The proposed maximum amount corresponds to less than 10 per cent of the Company's total number of shares as of the date of this proposal. Shares and special rights entitling to shares may be issued in deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive rights within the limits set by law. The authorization may be used to develop the Company's capital structure, diversify the shareholder base, finance or carry out acquisitions or other arrangements, to settle the Company's equity-based incentive plans or for other purposes resolved by the Board. The Board would resolve on all terms and conditions of the issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares under Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act. It is proposed that the authorization be effective until October 7, 2021 and terminate the authorization for issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares resolved at the Annual General Meeting on May 21, 2019. The proposed authorization terminates also the authorization by the Extraordinary General Meeting held on December 2, 2015 granted to the Board for issuance of shares in order to implement the combination of Nokia and Alcatel Lucent. 18. Shareholder's proposal on amendment of the Articles of Association A private individual shareholder proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to amend Article 4 of the Articles of Association. The shareholder proposes to decrease the maximum number of Board members so that the Board of Directors would comprise of a minimum of five (5) and a maximum of seven (7) ordinary members with a maximum of two (2) deputy members, to set an age limit of 70 years for board members and to follow strict gender balance when filling seats in the Board of Directors with a requirement to explain any deviation. The full proposal of the shareholder as well as the current Articles of Association of the Company are available on the Company's website at www.nokia.com/agm. Company's assessment of the shareholder's proposal The Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee of the Board of Directors monitors significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance and of the duties and responsibilities of directors of public companies. While the Committee welcomes the individual shareholder's view, it considers that the proposal is not fully in line with widely recognized corporate governance practices. The proposal, if approved, would unjustifiably limit the Committee's ability to propose a Board composition that is required to ensure an efficient Board with diverse mix of skills and experience as well as sufficient time for directors to focus on Board and Committee work for the benefit of the shareholders. Considering the nature of and responsibilities related to Board work and Nokia Board having established four committees, a maximum of seven ordinary Board members would not be adequate. In addition, inflexible age limits are not in line with the Board's diversity principles and would exclude members who may have valuable experience. Furthermore, Nokia already has a strong commitment to gender diversity. During the past years at least 40% of both genders have been represented in the Board. Consequently, in line with the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee, the Board of Directors does not consider the proposal to be either feasible or necessary for Nokia and recommends that the shareholder proposal be rejected at the Annual General Meeting. However, should the Annual General Meeting anyway approve the private shareholder's proposal to amend the Articles of Association, the Board would convene an extraordinary general meeting as soon as practicable in order to address the number of the members of the Board of Directors and the composition of the Board in accordance with the amended Articles of Association. Possible amendment of the Articles of Association and resolutions regarding the Board would be registered and come into force following the extraordinary general meeting. 19. Closing of the Meeting B. Documents of the Annual General Meeting The proposals of the Board of Directors and the shareholder relating to the agenda of the Annual General Meeting as well as this notice are available on the Company's website at www.nokia.com/agm. The Remuneration Policy and "Nokia in 2019" annual report, which includes the Company's Annual Accounts, the review by the Board of Directors and the auditor's report, are expected to be available on the above-mentioned website later this week. These documents will also be available at the Meeting and copies of these documents will be sent to shareholders upon request. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting will be available on the Company's website www.nokia.com/agm at the latest on April 22, 2020. C. Instructions for the participants in the Annual General Meeting 1. The right to participate and registration Each shareholder, who on March 27, 2020 is registered in the Register of Shareholders of the Company, has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting. A shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her Finnish book-entry account, is automatically registered in the Register of Shareholders of the Company. If you do not have a Finnish book-entry account, see section 4. Holders of Nominee registered shares or 5. Holders of American Depositary Receipts (ADR). A shareholder, with a Finnish book-entry account, who wishes to participate in the Annual General Meeting, must register for the Meeting by giving prior notice of attendance no later than on April 1, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time) by which time the registration needs to be received by the Company. Such notice can be given: a) through the Company's website at www.nokia.com/agm; b) by telephone to +358 20 770 6870 from Monday to Friday at 09:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time); or c) by letter to the Register of Shareholders, Nokia Corporation, P.O. Box 226, Fl-00045 NOKIA GROUP. In connection with the registration, a shareholder is required to notify his/her name, personal identification number, address, telephone number, the name of a possible assistant and the name and the personal identification number of a possible proxy representative. 2. Advance voting service A shareholder, who has a Finnish book-entry account, may vote in advance on certain items on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting through the Company's website from March 2, 2020 until 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time) on April 1, 2020. Unless a shareholder voting in advance will be present in person or by proxy in the Meeting, he/she may not be able to exercise his/her right under the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act to request information or a vote in the Meeting and if decision proposals regarding certain agenda item have changed after the beginning of the advance voting period, his/her possibility to vote on such item may be restricted. The conditions and other instructions relating to the electronic advance voting may be found on the Company's website www.nokia.com/agm. The Finnish book-entry account number of the shareholder is needed for voting in advance. 3. Proxy representatives and powers of attorney A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise his/her rights at the Meeting by proxy. A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder at the Annual General Meeting. Should a shareholder participate in the Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different book-entry accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the Annual General Meeting. Powers of attorney should be delivered to Nokia's Register of Shareholders at the above- mentioned address or via email to agm@nokia.com before the last date for registration. 4. Holders of nominee registered shares A holder of nominee-registered shares has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which he/she on the record date of the Annual General Meeting, i.e. on March 27, 2020, would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders' register of the company held by Euroclear Finland Oy. The right to participate in the Annual General Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been registered into the temporary shareholders' register held by Euroclear Finland Oy at the latest by April 3, 2020 by 4:00 p.m. (Finnish time). As regards nominee-registered shares this constitutes due registration for the Annual General Meeting. A holder of nominee-registered shares is advised to request without delay necessary instructions regarding the temporary registration in the shareholders' register of the company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the AGM from his/her custodian bank. The account management organization of the custodian bank will temporarily register a holder of nominee-registered shares, who wants to participate in the AGM, into the shareholders' register of the company at the latest by the time stated above. Further information on these matters can also be found on the company's website www.nokia.com/agm. 5. Holders of American Depositary Receipts (ADR) A holder of American Depositary Shares (ADR) intending to vote at the Annual General Meeting shall without delay notify the Depositary Bank of Nokia, Citibank, N.A., of his/her intention and shall comply with the instructions provided by Citibank, N.A. 6. Other instructions and information On the date of this notice of the Annual General Meeting the total number of shares in Nokia Corporation and votes represented by such shares is 5 653 886 159. Doors of the meeting venue will open at 12:30 p.m. The shareholders, their representatives and possible assistants are required to prove their identity at the entrance. Coffee will be served before the Meeting. The Meeting will be conducted primarily in Finnish, and simultaneous translation will be available into Swedish and English, and as necessary, into Finnish. Pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, a shareholder who has given prior notice of attendance and is present at the Annual General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the Meeting. March 2, 2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS About Nokia We create the technology to connect the world. Only Nokia offers a comprehensive portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing opportunities across the globe. With our commitment to innovation, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we are a leader in the development and deployment of 5G networks. Our communications service provider customers support more than 6.1 billion subscriptions with our radio networks, and our enterprise customers have deployed over 1,000 industrial networks worldwide. Adhering to the highest ethical standards, we transform how people live, work and communicate. For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia. Media Enquiries: Nokia Communications Tel. +358 (0) 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Katja Antila, Head of Media Relations In a cryptic tweet on Monday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was considering 'giving up' his accounts on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube from the coming Sunday, 8 March. In a cryptic tweet on Monday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he is considering "giving up" his accounts on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube on Sunday, 8 March. "Will keep you all posted," the tweet said. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2020 CNN-News18 reported that the move could be in preparation for a campaign by the Centre for International Women's Day, which also happens to fall on 8 March. However, the report quoted sources in the Prime Minister's Office as saying that more information will be disseminated in due course. The prime minister's decision to leave social media comes days after a spate of violence gripped northeast Delhi over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and led to the deaths of at least 47 people. Modi has 53.3 million followers on Twitter, 44 million followers on Facebook, and 35.2 million followers on Instagram. In September 2019, Modi was the third most followed world leader on the microblogging site, behind only US president Donald Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama. Modi was the first Indian to cross the 50-million followers mark on Twitter. Reactions to Modi's announcement ranged from hoping that the prime minister's social media 'detox' will lead to press conferences, to Twitter users taking a jibe at Modi's supporters who add 'followed by Narendra Modi' to their descriptions. In the past, Modi has been criticised for following accounts that post incendiary content. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Modi should "give up hatred" and also encourage the "army of trolls" who intimidate people "in Modi's name. Give up hatred, not social media accounts. pic.twitter.com/HDymHw2VrB Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 2, 2020 Respected Modi ji, Earnestly wish you would give this advise to the concerted army of trolls, who abuse-intimidate-badger-threaten others every second in you name! Sincere Regards, Citizens of India. https://t.co/hGtf64Fyf9 Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) March 2, 2020 Thats fantastic, Sir! At last you will do press conferences. We are waiting for you with bated breath to take questions. https://t.co/w76kJx8cuc Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) March 2, 2020 PM tweets: may quit social media, including twitter. My suggestion: @narendramodi ji dont quit, we like to hear from you, but please do quit following those who are using the medium to spread hate and fake news. That would truly be a step forward. Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) March 2, 2020 What will happen to all the Blessed to be followed by Narendra Modi gang? Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) March 2, 2020 LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- News 18 is continuing its Salute to Women Series with a familiar face in the Lafayette community. Cindy Murray is one of the 12 women being honored by the YWCA this year. You don't do it for recognition," said Murray. "You do it because it's the right thing to do." Since she can remember, Cindy Murray has been giving back to her community. "It's just what I do," said Murray. "I was brought up that way." Murray has served as Lafayette City Clerk for the last 16 years, leading the office while serving the public. "We're so blessed that no matter what political party you are, we all get along," said Murray. "We work together." Murray also served as president of the board for the YMCA during the building of its new facility. She also mentors leaders of tomorrow through the Mayor's Youth Council and is active with Boy Scouts of America. "It's that feeling of accomplishment and knowing that someone else has benefited from it," said Murray. That's why Murray is one of 12 women being honored during this year's YWCA's Salute to Women. It's the largest group to be honored since the YWCA started sponsoring the event 20 years ago. "It's a huge honor to be considered a part of an elite, distinguished group of women. I never thought I would be in that class of people," said Murray. This year's Salute to Women Banquet is set for Tuesday at the Trails Banquet Facility in West Lafayette. Former vice president Joe Biden rose seven points in a new national poll released Monday after a major victory in the South Carolina primary, cutting Senator Bernie Sanderss (I., Vt.) lead to just three points ahead of a crucial Super Tuesday test. A Morning Consult poll of Democratic primary voters conducted Sunday found that 26 percent of voters nationwide would pick Biden if their Democratic primary or caucus were held today, an uptick of seven points compared to pre-South Carolina polling. Sanderss support ticked down three points to 29 percent, while former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg remained in third place with 17 percent. Biden was also considered the most electable candidate among the voters surveyed, with 33 percent saying he was the best option to take on President Trump. The former vice president also gained nine points among Hispanic voters, while he tied with Sanders for the strongest support among African Americans, after winning nearly 50 percent of the overall South Carolina vote and over 60 percent of the sizable black electorate. Among the 14 Super Tuesday states, Biden gained seven points to reach 24 percent, but still trailed Sanders by nine points in a crucial primary day with large numbers of delegates up for grabs. The poll also finds that 30 percent of former South Bend Ind., mayor Pete Buttigiegs supporters plan say Biden is their second choice, with Buttigieg suspending his campaign Sunday. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), who came in sixth in the poll with three percent of post-South Carolina support, is dropping out as well and plans to endorse Biden, per multiple reports. More from National Review Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 20:59:22|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close TOKYO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Japans automakers and department store operators on Monday reported sharp sales declines in February amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. According to data from industry bodies, new vehicle sales including trucks and buses, dropped 10.3 percent in February from a year earlier to 430,185 units, marking the fifth straight monthly decline, while sales of minivehicles with engines no larger than 660 cc fell 9.6 percent to 161,883 units and those of larger cars fell 10.7 percent to 268,302 units. Meanwhile, four major department store operators saw sales decrease in February, hit by a drop in tax-free sales due to a sharp fall in foreign tourists visiting their stores. Among them, sales at J. Front Retailing Co., operator of Daimaru and Matsuzakaya department stores, dropped 21.4 percent from a year earlier, while Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. saw a fall of 13.6 percent. Some major outlets plan to close on selected days or shorten their business hours to prevent the virus from spreading further. Police have used DNA techniques to produce what is believed to be a likeness of a young woman whose remains were discovered at a landfill in Chesterfield County more than three decades ago. Chesterfield police said Monday that the remains were discovered at the Chesterfield landfill on Aug. 7, 1986, when workers unloading refuse from the School Street transfer station in Richmond noticed what appeared to be human remains. Police conducted an extensive search and recovered human remains, which were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for analysis. It was determined the cause of death was homicide. According to news accounts at the time, police thought the slaying was committed by a psychopath. The missing parts were the victims head and hands, which had been sawed from her body. Police said at the time they believed the body may have been stored for up to two months in a cool, insect-free environment. Police said Monday that the autopsy and other tests completed by the medical examiner revealed that the remains were those of a white female, about 22 to 32 years old. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar admitted many voters were very distressed and offended by the failure of Fine Gael to address the housing crisis. I think housing homelessness was a really important issue in the election that actually, a lot of people are very distressed and offended at the fact that we didn't make more progress when it comes to homelessness, he said. And I really heard that. And obviously, the housing crisis has affected so many people in so many different ways, whether it's people in their 20s or 30s, who are still living at home at the low paying really high rent, so I think housing was a really real issue in this election. I do feel we made a lot of progress in the last year or two, he added. But I think the public took a different view that we didn't do enough. Now we need to reflect on that. And refresh our policies when it comes to housing and see if there is more that we could have done, or at least things that we can call for an opposition that the new government should be doing," he said. But I also think you have a very strong point on what people's concerns are. Mr Varadkar, speaking during a Facebook Live questions and answers video, said that opposition parties won 120 seats so he said they should form a Government. He said there is an opportunity for Fine Gael to get a "fairer hearing" if they are in opposition. Mr Varadkar said if Fine Gael does decide to go into Government in the future members would be consulted at a special conference. Mr Varadkar said Fine Gael would give opposition parties time to form a Government and that Fine Gael should only come into play if they fail. Mr Varadkar also said the people on the left in politics didn't realise that you have to create wealth before you can distribute it. New Jerseys new school funding proposal has plenty of winners, but some districts stand out among the rest. Gov. Phil Murphys proposed $9 billion investment in K-12 schools increases funding by $336 million, helping support districts that were long underfunded. It also reallocates another $155 million from districts considered overfunded by the state. The result? Districts like Atlantic City, Woodbridge and North Brunswick will see major increases. Here are the 10 districts that would gain the most, ranked by the biggest percentage increase, followed by the biggest dollar increase. Percentage winners 10. Lyndhurst: +22.6% Proposed aid: $2.9 million Dollar increase: $526,369 9. Atlantic County Vocational: +24% Proposed aid: $12.6 million Dollar increase: $2.4 million 8. Fairview: +24.1% Proposed aid: $18.1 million Dollar increase: $3.5 million 7. Elmwood Park: +24.2% Proposed aid: $12.3 million Dollar increase: $2.4 million 6. Fair Lawn: +25.7% Proposed aid: $8.9 million Dollar increase: $1.8 million 5. North Brunswick: +26.6% Proposed aid: $28.4 million Dollar increase: $6 million 4. Woodbridge: +28.8% Proposed aid: $53.2 million Dollar increase: $11.9 million 3. Atlantic City: +44% Proposed aid: $58.2 million Dollar increase: $17.8 million 2. South Hackensack: +45.3% Proposed aid: $502,256 Dollar increase: 156,518 1. Cumberland County Vocational: +47.3% Proposed aid: $9.3 million Dollar increase: $3 million The state's school funding formula decides how much every district is owed. EJA Dollar winners 10. Clifton: +$7.8 million Proposed aid: $47.9 million Percentage increase: 19.4% 9. Bridgeton: +$8.2 million Proposed aid: $99.6 million Percentage increase: 9% 8. New Brunswick: +$10.8 million Proposed aid: $149.9 million Percentage increase: 7.7% 7. Woodbridge: +$11.9 million Proposed aid: $53.2 million Percentage increase: 28.8% 6. Atlantic City: +$17.8 million Proposed aid: $58.2 million Percentage increase: 44% 5. Plainfield: +$18.5 million Proposed aid: $159.3 million Percentage increase: 13.1% 4. Trenton: +$19.3 million Proposed aid: $270 million Percentage increase: 7.7% 3. Paterson: +$24 million Proposed aid: $463 million Percentage increase: 5.8% 2. Elizabeth: +$25.2 million Proposed aid: $430.9 million Percentage increase: 6.2% 1. Newark: +$53.3 million Proposed aid: $865.7 million Percentage increase: 6.6% Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. 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. If you own shares in Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE:ETH) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first category is company specific volatility. This can be dealt with by limiting your exposure to any particular stock. The other type, which cannot be diversified away, is the volatility of the entire market. Every stock in the market is exposed to this volatility, which is linked to the fact that stocks prices are correlated in an efficient market. Some stocks see their prices move in concert with the market. Others tend towards stronger, gentler or unrelated price movements. Beta is a widely used metric to measure a stock's exposure to market risk (volatility). Before we go on, it's worth noting that Warren Buffett pointed out in his 2014 letter to shareholders that 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' Having said that, beta can still be rather useful. The first thing to understand about beta is that the beta of the overall market is one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market. Check out our latest analysis for Ethan Allen Interiors What ETH's beta value tells investors Given that it has a beta of 0.83, we can surmise that the Ethan Allen Interiors share price has not been strongly impacted by broader market volatility (over the last 5 years). If history is a good guide, owning the stock should help ensure that your portfolio is not overly sensitive to market volatility. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether Ethan Allen Interiors is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below. Story continues NYSE:ETH Income Statement, March 2nd 2020 How does ETH's size impact its beta? Ethan Allen Interiors is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of US$342m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. Very small companies often have a low beta value because their share prices are not well correlated with market volatility. This could be because the price is reacting to company specific events. Alternatively, the shares may not be actively traded. What this means for you: Since Ethan Allen Interiors is not heavily influenced by market moves, its share price is probably far more dependent on company specific developments. It could pay to take a closer look at metrics such as revenue growth, earnings growth, and debt. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Ethan Allen Interiorss financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for ETHs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for ETHs outlook. Past Track Record: Has ETH been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of ETH's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how ETH measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. 3.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Ronald Reagan notoriously once asked, Where would this country be without this great land of ours? As ridiculous as Reagan sounded asking that question, the question has taken on a renewed seriousness given Donald Trumps assault on the American land itself and thus, by extension, we Americans who depend on a safe and well-managed environment to provide clean water and myriads of other resources to make our lives possible. And Im not just talking about the fact that William Perry Pendley, appointed last July to head the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees a substantial chunk of the nations publicly-owned lands, advocates for selling off public lands, basically robbing taxpayers of this great land and hence this country. Pendley would indeed prefer to leave Americans pondering literally the question Reagan asked. Im talking about the fact that Trump has proudly rolled back not just Obama-era regulations spelled out in the 2015 Waters of the United States rule but also key elements of the Clean Water Act legislated in 1972 and amended multiple times in the 1970s and 1980s to ensure Americans had access to clean water by regulating the dumping of pollution into the nations surface waters, including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and coastal areas. Without a lot of fanfare, Trump issued the Navigable Waters Protection rule at the tail-end of last January, completing his obliteration of the Obama administrations water protectionsand worse. Derrick Z. Jackson, a Fellow of the Union of Concerned Scientists, points out, Trumps rule is somewhat ironically named, allowing clear navigation for polluters. Coral Davenport, writing for The New York Times, elaborates the damage of trumps roll-back, writing, The new water rule for the first time in decades allow landowners and property developers to dump pollutants such as pesticides and fertilizers directly into hundreds of thousands of waterways, and to destroy or fill in wetlands for construction projects. Her reporting highlights the actually informed perspective of Blan Holman, a lawyer specializing in federal water policy at the Southern Environmental Law Center. In Holmans expert judgment, This will be the biggest loss of clean water protection the country has ever seen. This puts drinking water for millions of Americans at risk of contamination from unregulated pollution. This is not just undoing the Obama rule. This is stripping away protections that were put in place in the 70s and 80s that Americans have relied on for their health. According to experts, Trump has again ignored basic scientific evidence in ways that will imperil the lives of all Americans by threatening our access to the resource most fundamental to our existence: clean water. The ruling, scientists agree, does not acknowledge the connections in our ecological system between various bodies of water. Wetlands, which are now subject to the dumping of pollutants under Trumps rule, play key roles in filtering surface waters that often make their ways to larger bodies of water. Opponents of Trumps rule point out, for example, that the deregulation threatens to pollute the Colorado River, which provides water to 17 western states. Supported by lobbying groups for farmers, real estate developers, miners, and other industries, the rule is aimed at supporting American business and economic development. But lets think about that. The main purpose of an economy is to most efficiently produce and distribute goods and services to meet the needs of people living within that economy. In other words, the purpose of an economy is to support human life. So, we might ask, how can laws aimed at undermining the health of the ecology on which humans depend for their lives be part of sound economic policy? How can laws that enable the pollution of an essential resource for sustaining our lives be sound economy policy? We hear Trump and others brag all the time about the performance of our current economy, its low unemployment rates and record-setting stock market averages. Can an economy really be successful if it is undermining the lives of the people living within it? The proverbial piper always has to be paid, and the costs of not creating a sustainable economy and environment will come crashing down us if we dont change course. We need, clearly, a different set of criteria for measuring economic health that go way beyond the performance of the stock market and unemployment rates. We need criteria that measure the ability of human survival and sustenance for the long haul of history. Consider, for example, the costs of Trumps hostility to addressing climate change in meaningful ways. Trumps own scientists issued a report on climate change in November 2018, focusing on its environmental and economic impacts, highlighting the need for urgent short-term action to ensure our long-term survival. Among many alarm bells, the report warns, Extreme weather and climate-related impacts on one system can result in increased risks or failures in other critical systems, including water resources, food production and distribution, energy and transportation, public health, international trade, and national security. It attributes the many floods and wildfires in recent years, increasing in frequency and intensity, on humanly-caused climate change, underscoring the urgency of action and the limited window of time we have in which to enact policy and change behavior to preserve the very basis of our lives. Taxpayers cover the costs of these disasters, meaning tax dollars are diverted or the deficit is increased. Poor treatment of the environment is poor economic stewardship. Is Trump taking good care of American land and lives? Hardly. We wont have a country without this great land of ours. The struggle of keeping our republic now includes the struggle to keep our land. Democrats appear to be walking the same walk that Republicans walked in 2016. They want something new and completely different. Former Vice President Joe Biden must be in shock that he is taking a far back seat to a 78-year-old socialist who recently had a heart attack. He may not even be able to rely on black voters, whom he assumed would be there for him. According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders are running neck and neck with black voters in the upcoming South Carolina primary, where 60% of Democrat voters are African American. Influential Congressional Black Caucus member and House majority whip James Clyburn of South Carolina was circumspect on "Meet the Press" when Chuck Todd pressed him regarding an endorsement of Biden. We get a hint on what voters are feeling by looking at Gallup polling on whether voters are satisfied or dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Gallup has been asking this question since 1979. The average over the entire period, from February 1979 to January 2020, has been 37% expressing satisfaction with the direction of the nation. Good news for President Donald Trump is that the figure recently jumped to 41%, the first time since July 2005 that it is over 40%. The average for former President Ronald Reagan's second term, 1985 through 1988, was 54%. The average for former President Barack Obama's two terms was 24%. It shows why Biden has been such a flop. Although Obama had high personal ratings with the American public, the public's sense of the state of the nation under his stewardship provides a far different picture. Taking voters, certainly black voters, for granted just isn't going to work anymore. Americans sense that there has been something very wrong in the country, and they want very clear answers from candidates on what they think is wrong and how they plan to fix it. We're just not going to get by anymore as half-free and half-socialist. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, we're going to become all one or all the other. I discuss this in depth in my new book, "Necessary Noise." In 2016, Republicans went out of the mainstream and picked Donald Trump to clean up the Washington swamp. Democrats went for the establishment candidate and lost. Now Democrats want to move left from the murky middle as Republicans move right. Polling of black voters shows they feel that the country is unfair and that more government is needed to fix this. According to Gallup, 70% of blacks feel the country is divided into "haves" and "have-nots," and 57% of blacks self-identify as "have-not." In polling by the Pew Research Center, 66% of blacks say economic inequality is a major problem in the country today. And 74% of blacks, compared with 48% of whites, say "government should do more to solve problems." Regarding government-run health care, Bernie Sanders' flagship, 66% of black Democrats, per Gallup, express preference for a government-run system. Bernie Sanders is serving it all up, clear as day for all to see. Turn your whole life over to the government. So in November, Americans may have a clear and stark choice. Blacks will have a chance to decide whether being free or living under government dictate is the best way to deal with the opportunity problem they perceive. Truth is that blacks have been living disproportionately under government dictate since the 1970s. And today, average black household wealth is one-tenth average white household wealth. Apparently, many African Americans feel that this gap persists because we don't have enough government in our lives, rather than too much. It looks like bye-bye, Biden. Americans want vision and leadership. Now the question is whether we look to freedom or the other way. Star Parker is an author and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Contact her at www.urbancure.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Turkish flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced an increase in the frequency of its direct flights between Mexico and Istanbul this summer. Demand for more flights from Latin American customers has urged Turkish Airlines to increase the number of flights between Istanbul and two cities in Mexico. The increase initially began last August. Turkish Airlines' Istanbul-Mexico City and Cancun-Istanbul flights will be increased to four times a week from three times a week as of June 8, 2020. The company, which currently serves around 1,800 passengers per week, estimates it will serve over 100,000 passengers annually via the Mexico line. The new schedule from Istanbul to Mexico City will be active until October 23. Flights from Cancun to Istanbul will be offered four flights a week until October 24. THY's flights to Latin American countries increased 18.4% in occupancy rates in 2019 compared to the year before. The occupancy rate increased up to 88.4 with a 1.8 point increase last month. 48,000 passengers were hosted by the Turkish flag carrier only last month with its flights to and from the continent. The increase in flight schedules is expected to have a positive reflection on the trade between the two countries. Turkey exports automobiles, jewelry, automotive spare parts, hazelnuts, truck, light-duty trucks, iron and steel to Mexico. The exports have seen an increase of 36% in 2018, totaling around $600.4 million. It is expected that the developments between Turkey and Mexico, which is the 13th largest exporter and importer in the world, can create vast opportunities such as automotive, electronic devices, energy, machines, engine parts, plastic, steel and iron, medical equipment paper, and organic chemicals. In 2019, THY witness some major developments. It saw a total of 74.3 million passengers on the carrier. It also made a grand switch to Istanbul Airport in April and grounded a fleet of Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Turkish Airlines had a decrease in the number of passengers last year, which was 1.1% lower than those served in 2018 where a total of 75.1 million passengers used the airlines. Late last month, THY said it aimed to carry 78 million to 80 million passengers in 2020. Turkish Airlines will also increase services to several North American destinations, including Chicago and San Francisco. Flights from Istanbul to Chicago O'Hare will have an increase from 7 flights a week to 10 flights a week. The new flights will operate on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and will take effect starting May 7, 2020. Flights from Istanbul to San Francisco will also see an increase from 7 flights a week to 10 flights a week. The new flights will start operations on June 7, 2020, and will be available on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Cancun was also added as an additional hop after Mexico City in a type of service known as the triangle route. The flights to the Mexican cities will see an increase of upto four flights per week from three flights per week starting June 8, 2020. The service will operate on Mondays from Istanbul and cross over into Tuesday when it arrives in Mexico City. Joe Biden's presidential hopes received a huge shot in the arm Monday after former rivals Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the Democratic race and endorsed the former vice president ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday primaries. The dramatic turn comes at one of the pivotal points in a fractured, often bitter campaign, with the Democratic establishment desperate to coalesce around a moderate candidate who can fight off the surging leftist frontrunner Bernie Sanders. As the five remaining candidates in the race made their final pitch to voters in 14 states, Biden has capitalized on the momentum he seized at the weekend with a blowout victory over Sanders in South Carolina. The 77-year-old Biden is consolidating support among moderates eager to blunt the advance of Sanders, who could take a potentially insurmountable lead in the all-important delegate count after Super Tuesday. Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana ran a historic campaign as the first openly gay major presidential candidate. Speaking in Dallas one day before residents of delegate-rich Texas and 13 other states cast their ballots, Buttigieg said he was "delighted" to endorse Biden in part because he embraces the politics of "decency." "I'm looking for a president who will draw out what is best in each of us, and I'm encouraging everybody who was part of my campaign to join me because we have found that leader in vice president, soon-to-be-president, Joe Biden," Buttigieg said in Dallas, with Biden standing nearby. It was just one of several endorsements Biden earned on a busy day. Klobuchar dropped out Monday and her team said she will endorse the 77-year-old and join him onstage in Dallas. Democrat Harry Reid, the former Senate majority leader said his onetime Senate colleague Biden represents "the starkest contrast to Trump's amorality, corruption and utter incompetence." Another former presidential candidate, Beto O'Rourke, reportedly will also be on stage with Biden in Dallas. "Most Americans don't want a promise of a revolution, they want a guarantee of results on the things that affect them," Biden told a rally in Houston in a swipe at Sanders, who advocates a "political revolution" against the status quo. "We need real results and we need them now. I've done that my whole career, and I'll do it as president." The departures and endorsements of Klobuchar and Buttigieg are gold for a resurgent Biden. His campaign was on life support after disappointing showings in the first three state contests, but he is suddenly the main challenger to Sanders on the biggest day of the primary campaign. New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who on Tuesday competes in his first primaries, has also been spreading his message to voters in a lavish multi-state ad blitz, but Super Tuesday will be his first official day on the ballot. - Sanders says 'massive effort' to stop him - Sanders -- flush with money for ads, an extensive organization, and momentum in the polls -- has focused on multiple states including delegate-rich California, Tuesday's biggest prize. "It is no secret... that there is a massive effort trying to stop Bernie Sanders," the frontrunner said about himself during a press conference in Utah. "The corporate establishment is coming together, the political establishment is coming together," Sanders added. "They are really getting nervous that working people are standing up." Sanders, whose ascent as a self-described democratic socialist has disconcerted Democratic grandees, is leading Biden nationally in polling, with Bloomberg in third place. Buttigieg had strong showings in predominantly white early voting states but was unable to draw black and Hispanic support after that. The campaign of pragmatist Klobuchar never gained traction. By endorsing Biden, she could deprive Sanders of a large delegate claim in her state of Minnesota, which votes Tuesday. Klobuchar's endorsement "will bring more votes to Joe Biden," Myliesha Smiley, a 23-year-old student at Biden's Houston event, told AFP. - Resurrection - Biden's fortunes were resurrected in South Carolina, where African-Americans turned out in force to give him a crushing 48 percent to 20 percent victory over Sanders. "Super Tuesday is about momentum, and we've got it," Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager, told CNN. The win has earned Biden badly needed campaign funding -- $10 million raised on Saturday and Sunday alone. The former number two to Barack Obama says his strength with blacks, Hispanics, women and suburbanites will show in the coming contests. Though Klobuchar was joining Biden's camp, Sanders weighed in to appeal to her voters. "I hope her supporters will join us in our fight to defeat Donald Trump in November and win real change," Sanders tweeted. Also courting moderate and independent voters is Bloomberg, who campaigned in Virginia on Super Tuesday eve. "I've won three elections so far, I don't plan to start losing now," Bloomberg said. Bloomberg has spent an unprecedented $500 million of his own fortune saturating the airwaves with TV spots. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden hopes to capitalize on a blowout victory in South Carolina's primary Texas is one of 14 states holding Super Tuesday primaries Supporters of Democratic White House hopeful Bernie Sanders Former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg (L) has endorsed former US vice president Joe Biden for president, shortly after abandoning his own White House hopes Map of the United States showing the number of Democratic delegates per state, states that have already voted and those voting on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Acquisition to help asset managers meet UK and EU regulatory requirements NEW YORK and LONDON, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), a global Fintech leader and part of the S&P 500 Index, has completed its previously announced acquisition of FundsLibrary, a leader in fund document and data dissemination in the European market. The acquisition accelerates Broadridge's pan-European regulatory communications and digital data platform, supporting the lifecycle of fund data, documents, and regulatory reporting for the investment industry. FundsLibrary's solutions enable fund managers to increase distribution opportunities and help them comply with regulations such as Solvency II and MiFID II. The business will be combined with FundAssist, Broadridge's existing European funds regulatory communications business. The combination of FundsLibrary's data platform and technology with Broadridge's existing fund calculation, document creation and translation capabilities, creates an end-to-end solution for fund managers and distributors, enabling them to respond to demanding regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. The combined business will be known as Broadridge Fund Communication Solutions, and will be led by Arun Sarwal, former CEO of FundsLibrary. Sarwal has extensive financial services industry and technology business leadership experience. He previously held roles as Senior Vice President of SS&C Technologies, CEO of DST Investment Management Solutions, COO at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP), SVP within ABN AMRO's Private Clients & Asset Management business and was one of the founders of Kurtosys Systems. "I am delighted to lead this exciting fund data and regulatory communications business for Broadridge as we expand and grow our footprint in international markets," says Sarwal. "This combined business will enable Broadridge clients to utilize a single provider for the creation and dissemination of fund marketing and regulatory documents so they can increase distribution opportunities and meet the demanding standards of regulation." Broadridge Fund Communication Solutions provides a comprehensive digital platform, supporting the lifecycle of fund data, documents and regulatory reporting for the global investment industry. The company manages and distributes data for some 700 global fund groups and supports over 200 million fund data requests each year. It is recognized for the breadth of its regulatory solutions, encompassing production and distribution of reports, including Key Information Documents (UCITs KIID & PRIIP KID), MiFiD II and Solvency II, for clients globally in over 35 languages. About Broadridge Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), a $4 billion global Fintech leader, is a leading provider of investor communications and technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and corporate issuers. Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 50 percent of public companies and mutual funds globally, and processes on average more than U.S. $7 trillion in fixed income and equity securities trades per day. Broadridge is part of the S&P 500 Index and employs over 11,000 associates in 18 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com. Contacts: Investors: W. Edings Thibault Head of Investor Relations Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. +1 516-472-5129 Edings.Thibault@Broadridge.com Media: North America: Matthew Luongo Prosek Partners +1 646-396-0966 mluongo@prosek.com Former headhunter Rosie van Cutsem, 36, founded womens country outerwear company TROY London worn by the Duchess of Cambridge with her sister Lucia. She lives in Norfolk with her husband William and their two young sons. Id recently moved from London to Norfolk when my younger sister Lucia and some friends came to stay. We were walking across the field near my new home and had both flung on big, shapeless coats to keep us warm and dry I was wearing one of my husbands jackets and Lucia one of our fathers old coats. It made us laugh that we thought of ourselves as fashionable, but in the country had nothing to wear. It was hard to find a waterproof coat that was even vaguely feminine. Rosie van Cutsem, 36, (pictured) who lives in Norfolk, told how the lack of fashionable country outwear inspired the launch of TROY London That was our light bulb moment. We decided to make stylish warm coats that worked as well in the country as they did in the city. Neither of us had a design background I was a headhunter while Lucia was working in a risk advisory firm but we felt that what we didnt know we could learn if we took the right advice and were prepared to work hard. Lucia designed our first winter coat, the signature Troy parka, at about midnight at her kitchen table after a long day at work. We have a team of fantastic pattern-cutters in London, a design consultant in Newcastle and a non-executive director who specialises in supply and sourcing in Glasgow. I left my job in 2015 to launch our parkas along with a capsule of designs including a wool and leather jacket inspired by side-saddle riding, called the Habit Coat, and some chic leather trousers. We used our personal savings to launch the business and tested our first designs at small Christmas fairs and trunk shows. The day we launched our website, we were driving to London, squashed into a van to attend a Christmas sale, when our apps all chimed our very first sale! Since then we have grown a skilled team in Norfolk, from where our designs are shipped all over the globe. And weve just launched our first mens jacket. Everyone told us we wouldnt be able to keep our manufacturing in the UK due to the costs, but we have proved it possible. Now we have a healthy impatience to become the next big thing in outerwear. Move aside, Barbour! With 7,000 islands in the Caribbean, you could visit every single one for a day and only finish up 20 years later. And even if you had that amount of time, you'd need a deep wallet to get around. But you can see the best of the Caribbean - well, my favourite parts - in a week, taking in the diverse cultures and sights of the most beautiful part - the eastern Caribbean. And the cost? Surprisingly good, I found as I coughed up the cash for our family holiday of a lifetime. With deals from just over a grand apiece through Tour America (all revealed in part two, next week), you get bang for your buck. MSC Cruises are competitive on price, with a balcony cabin and all-inclusive drinks all part of the package. In a bad start, a late flight meant that the first part of the trip last August - an overnight stay in the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami - had to be ditched as we rushed from the airport to the cruise port to make our ship, MSC Seaside. But that was the only downside to a week of discovery and adventure. The embarkation terminal is new, so while the lines were long we were onboard in no time, wowed the CSI-style views of the Miami skyline from the ship's Shine Bar, taking advantage of the all-inclusive drinks package as we waited for our cabin to be ready. We shared as two adults and one teenager (he got the pull-out bed) in a balcony cabin, which is essential for those beautiful sailings into ports. MSC Seaside is enormous, but the great thing is that it's built for the sun, so there's plenty of al fresco dining and drinking options. The ship departed the US in the evening, and it would arrive at the first stop, Puerto Rico, two days later, with a full day at sea in between. Sea days are a great way of getting your bearings. The ship has - wait for it - 20 bars and lounges, nine dining spots and four themed restaurants, so there's plenty of places to use the drinks package and stuff yourself silly. Expand Close Caribbean idyll at Sapphire Beach in Saint Thomas / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Caribbean idyll at Sapphire Beach in Saint Thomas From one of our favourite spots - the open-area Miramar Bar, all the way up on deck 19 - we got a bird's-eye view of the port of San Juan, capital of Puerto Rico. It's a pity that we see the US protectorate of PR, as it's known for short, through an American lens, and much of it is negative. Our expectations weren't high, but the port is breathtaking, with MSC Seaside gliding into port past the historic Castillo San Felipe del Morro, whose construction began in 1593. Arriving in the evening, there wasn't time to visit sights like North America's only rainforest, but there was an advantage: getting to embrace the intoxicating nightlife of old town San Juan, a Unesco World Heritage site. Cobbled streets are lined with bars and restaurants. To me, it's part Havana, part Valencia, a pinch of New Orleans, with a bit of a Canary Islands feel thrown in. We had great chats with fellow cruisers from America over a cold beer at our first stop, Douglas bar, before hitting a dive bar (I've a soft spot for them) - El Batey around the corner. Nearby Nonos is an atmospheric bar, the kind of place where you'd expect to find Ernest Hemingway penning a novel, while for food and coffee, Hecho en Casa had a nice old-world ambience. Don't worry about addresses - all are within a few minutes' stroll from one another, and walkable from the ship too. The best bet is to wander through the beautiful cobblestoned streets, grab a spot and a stool and order a mojito or two (prices are very reasonable). You mightn't think it, but PR has major links to Ireland. The first Irish influx, the Wild Geese, escaped English rule here in the 16th Century, and the Irish were to the fore in establishing the island's sugar industry. In more recent times, politician Pedro Albizu Campos was asked by Eamon de Valera to help with the Irish Constitution; he in turn based his struggle for the island's independence from the US on the Irish rebels' campaigns. Expand Close Stephen and Veronica Evans with the ship in Puerto Rico / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stephen and Veronica Evans with the ship in Puerto Rico Sadly, a cruise shows you so much, but there's always too little time. Last stop for us was La Factoria, a bar and nightclub where we tried to keep up with the salsaing locals before heading off. Hopefully we'll return some day. A new day, and a new island. While it's just 125km from San Juan, Charlotte Amalie, capital of Saint Thomas, is a different world, with Spanish giving way to the English language (with plenty of French Creole too) on an island of stunning beauty. We all know about the British, the French, Spanish and the Dutch in the Caribbean. But the Danes? Saint Thomas has the same old rulers as Dublin - except while we were settled by much earlier Vikings, the Danes took control here in 1672 through the Danish West India Guinea Company, before it was fully annexed in 1754. Nowadays it's part of the US Virgin Islands, having been sold to the States in 1917, but has had full home rule since 1970. First impressions? You'd expect to bump into Ardal O'Hanlon here, as lush and tropical Saint Thomas is straight out of BBC's Death In Paradise crime comedy (without all the drama, though). The big draw here is the beaches. From the port you can hire taxis or organised excursions to drop you to one, with the likes of Magens Bay and Sapphire Beach rated among the best in the entire Caribbean. Charlotte Amalie's a pretty town, with plenty of shops and restaurants for day trippers. Dronningens Gade, one of the main strips, is full of jewellery stores. Shop around, but prices are said to be keen and without a US-style sales tax. The island is also home to St Thomas Synagogue, which has the longest continuous service (since 1792) on what is US soil. The nearby imposing Fort Christian is the standout site - a Danish lookout from the 1670s that, the locals will tell you, was built too low to be much use for spying on approaching enemies or pirates. Around it are mazy historic streets, and a must-stop for photos: the pretty 99 Steps street stairs (there are actually 103, but who's counting...) Expand Close The Danish Fort Christian in Charlotte Amalie / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Danish Fort Christian in Charlotte Amalie We were on a whistlestop tour with friendly local man Joseph Hodge, who runs taxi services and tailormade island excursions with Prestige Taxis (prestigetaxivi.com). And it's definitely recommended. The best views are from outside the town - you'll see your ships and surrounding islands, including the neighbouring British Virgin Islands, from the likes of Mountain Top and Drake's Seat. The beaches are a must. We took the short journey to Sapphire Beach Bar (sbbvi.com), where it's simply a case of grabbing a cabana and a beer and admiring the gorgeous kaleidoscope of sea and air blues. You can rent out snorkels and flippers for a few dollars on the beach, and the shallow, protected bay is full of marine life. Although you'll overlook Shark Island, don't worry - there aren't any big predators in these parts. If you don't like swimming with the marine life, you might want to try some on your plate. Our final stop was The Greenhouse Bar and Restaurant. Fabulously Caribbean, the food here is the best I've tried in the Caribbean, and some of the best I've tried full-stop. Conch fritters, crab rolls, Basa Vina fish tacos - the food is incredible and, to boot, there's a three-hour happy hour in the afternoons. Again, it was a taster, but I can see St Thomas as a beautiful honeymoon spot, or idea if you want a laidback beach hotel. You can find out more on visitusvi.com This article originally appeared in The Herald. The Duchess of Cambridge's nude New Look heels are back in stock - and on sale. (Getty Images) Yahoo Lifestyle is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The Duchess of Cambridge hit the headlines last year when she stepped out wearing a pair of heels from high street store New Look. Duchess Catherine - who was known as Kate Middleton before she married Prince William - first wore the Pale Pink Suedette Low Heel Court Shoes on her royal tour in Pakistan in October 2019. The 38-year-old royal wore a long collarless shirt, with white embroidered detail along the hem, complete with matching trousers and pashmina, all made by a local designer Maheen Khan for the royal engagement. She accessorised the ensemble with a pair of New Look heels when she visited a school in central Islamabad. The Duchess of Cambridge wore New Look court shoes on her visit to Pakistan in 2019. (Getty Images) Buy it: Wide Fit Pale Pink Suedette Low Heel Court Shoes | 23.99 from New Look The pointed toe block heeled shoes, boast a two inch heel, as well as an ankle strap with buckle detail. Plus they are available in a wide fit design to suit those who need a little more room across the insole, joint and instep. What we love most is the shoes are vegan, and have been given the seal of approval by The Vegan Society. The highly coveted design were a huge sell out at the time, so it is music to our ears to learn they are back in stock, and will only set you back 23.99. For those who want an extra pop of colour in their wardrobe can also buy the exact same design in red. There are alternative designs to suit other shoppers preferences, including a round toe heel, and platform designs. For those who want to up the glam can buy the same design, but with a diamante heel, which is slightly higher than Kates shoes, as they measure 3.5cm. This is not the first time Kate has opted for a high street fashion label, as she has previously accessorised her outfits with a pair of 8 drop down earrings from Accessorize. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd March, 2020) Tallinn is ready to assist Greece and Bulgaria in containing the flow of refugees in light of a new migration crisis, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said. On Sunday, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said that the situation with migrants on the country's northeastern border with Turkey presented a threat to the national security. "Estonia is immediately ready to discuss the assistance to border guards of Greece and Bulgaria with both equipment and the sending of additional police and border guards if the countries of the region consider it necessary. Bulgarian and Greek Foreign Ministers thanked Estonia for its willingness to help," Reinsalu wrote on Facebook on Sunday. The situation with migrants deteriorated after Ankara announced on Saturday that it had opened its borders to Europe to Syrian refugees citing the lack of promised assistance as the reason. This led to the stampede near the northeastern Greek town of Kastanies, which resulted in clashes with local police officers. 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Nine News reports a Geelong greyhound property has been temporarily shutdown following an outbreak. Greyhound Racing Victoria say the canine coronavirus can't spread to humans and is not fatal to dogs. Despite this, GRV say any greyhounds displaying symptoms of the infection should be isolated. All greyhounds arriving in Victoria will be isolated as they industry moves to stop the spread of canine coronavirus A Geelong greyhound property has been temporarily shutdown following an outbreak Dogs exposed to a infected greyhound should also not attend race meetings for a period of 14 days. 'Although the virus is currently isolated to one property only, we have taken these steps to ensure the welfare of the dogs as well as the maintenance of the racing fields,' GRV chief executive Alan Clayton. Symptoms of the canine coronavirus include vomiting, fever and diarrhoea. Canine coronavirus outbreaks have been happening in Australia for some years and can affect working or domestic dogs. GRV investigators will be travelling to properties where dogs may have have come into contact with an infected pooch this week. Experts last week said dog owners should not be worried about their pets catching the novel coronavirus Covid- 19 - after government officials in Hong Kong confirmed a small dog tested 'weak positive' for the strain. Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) say the canine coronavirus can't spread to humans and is not fatal to dogs The pooch did not show any symptoms of the virus but was taken into quarantine for further exams, according to Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). But leading scientists in Britain said it was 'incredibly irresponsible' to make the news public because there was no evidence to suggest the dog actually has the virus. They said it was more likely that any positive test had simply picked up presence of the strain from the animal's fur rather than actually in its bloodstream. Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said: 'There is no evidence that the human novel coronavirus can infect dogs and it would be incredible for a virus to make so many species jumps in such a short space of time. 'We have to differentiate between real infection and just detecting the presence of a virus these are very different - and the fact that the test result was weakly positive would suggest that this is environmental contamination or simply the presence of coronavirus shed from the human contact that has ended up in the dog's samples. 'In truth this is incredibly irresponsible because the last thing we need to do is create mass hysteria about the possibility of dogs being infected, and therefore potentially transmitting this virus when there is absolutely no evidence for this whatsoever.' The AFCD has since admitted more samples need to be collected and tested before they can confirm whether the dog has been infected. Pennsylvania State Senator Anthony Williams, center, surrounded by city and state officials, addresses the assembled media about his bill that would prohibit supervised injection sites except under certain circumstances. Read more Philadelphia politicians furious with how plans for a supervised injection site were rolled out last week say the fiasco has breathed new life into a state bill that would make opening one without support of the local government a felony punishable by 20 years in prison. State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams (D., Phila.), flanked by a dozen local officials including City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, said during a news conference at City Hall Monday that backers of what would have been the nations first supervised injection site botched the rollout and failed to involve citizens and local government. A day-care requires more scrutiny than this place, which is an experiment, Williams said. Last week, Safehouse, a nonprofit that planned to open a supervised injection site in South Philadelphia and was in conversations to open another in Kensington, paused its plans after intense opposition from some community members and politicians. The organization had initially said Wednesday that it would open a supervised injection site inside Constitution Health Plaza at 1930 S. Broad St. after they said a federal judges ruling granted them the legal authority to do so. But by Thursday, those plans crumbled, and the medical center said it would no longer offer Safehouse space on its site. The group is still moving forward. Former Gov. Ed Rendell, a Safehouse board member, said they will plan community meetings while considering alternative locations or mobile units. Mayor Jim Kenney, a steadfast Safehouse supporter, said in a statement hes still committed to finding a way for supervised injection sites to open. Backers of the sites, which allow for people with substance use disorder to use drugs under medical supervision and be revived if they overdose, say the organization moved quickly to open because it has a responsibility to save lives amid an overdose crisis that has claimed nearly 3,500 Philadelphians in three years. Williams bill, which was first introduced in October and is sitting in the state Senate Judiciary Committee, would amend the states Controlled Substances Act to effectively criminalize opening an establishment that provides space or paraphernalia for any person to use drugs. The penalties could include a 20-year prison sentence for an individual or a $2 million fine levied against an organization. Williams acknowledged the penalties are extreme" and said it will probably be negotiated. The bill does allow for one exception: if a local government passes an ordinance authorizing an organization to open a supervised injection site to reduce overdose-related deaths. The bill says the municipality must require the organization to employ trained medical professionals, conduct three public hearings, and develop a community safety plan with police. While Williams vowed that his bill will move forward, the Judiciary Committee hasnt yet scheduled a hearing or vote on the legislation. Sen. Lisa Baker (R., Luzerne), who chairs the committee, is a cosponsor of the bill. The Senate is in recess through mid-March. In addition, State Rep. Maria Donatucci (D., Phila.) said she has a companion bill in the House. And State Sen. Tina Tartaglione (D., Phila.) said her office is drafting legislation that would ban supervised injection sites statewide. She didnt offer a timetable for when that bill would be introduced. Tartaglione called out Kenney and Rendell by name, saying if they feel so strongly... put it next to their home. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has expressed opposition to supervised injection sites. A spokesperson reiterated the governor has concerns about safe injection sites and said the administration is reviewing Williams bill. When Williams introduced his legislation last fall, Kenneys spokesperson, Mike Dunn, called it political grandstanding and said Williams seemed mired in the old thinking that has perpetuated this crisis. READ MORE: The long legal battle for Philadelphia's proposed supervised injection site In a statement Monday, Kenney said the legislation criminalizes efforts to save lives, and added that he would implore elected officials to "be willing to look parents in the face and say they opposed this when it could have possibly saved their childs life. Some supporters of supervised injection sites said theyre concerned the language in Williams bill is too broad. Devin Reaves, executive director of the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition, said he fears it could be used as a new tool of the War on Drugs 2.0 in Pennsylvania." Reaves cited how laws initially meant to target drug dealers whose product resulted in death have been used by some prosecutors to lock up the family or friends of people who have died of overdose. People are offering supervised consumption services in their cars, in their homes, to people they care about, and that seems like a good idea to me, and I dont want communities to be less safe, he said. The War on Drugs has not worked. Its been exceptionally bad for poor people and people of color. These new [bills] feel like a step in the wrong direction to me. On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered on Broad Street to celebrate the halting of plans to open a supervised injection site in the Constitution Health Plaza and to express to city officials they dont want a site in South Philadelphia or anywhere else. Johnson spoke at the protest, as did at-large City Councilman David Oh, who last week introduced legislation in Council that would make it nearly impossible to open a supervised injection site in the city. Clarke said last week that theres likely a majority of Council members who either are not happy with the process or dont necessarily support the whole premise of safe injection sites. No Council members last week defended the way Safehouse rolled out its plans. Some community members have also taken their opposition to the judiciary. On Friday, more than a dozen neighborhood-based civic organizations plus the local Fraternal Order of Police lodge filed a brief in federal court in support of a move by the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, who last week asked the U.S. District Court to stay its final order pending appeal. The motion was filed hours before Safehouse placed their plans on hold and Constitution Health Plaza announced it had canceled the groups tenancy. The civic organizations argued a pause on the final order is essential to ensure that the full legal process can run its course before Safehouse is permitted to open facilities that are certain to attract crime and to decrease public safety in the communities that the groups represent. Kolkata: Exuding confidence that the saffron surge of last years Lok Sabha elections will continue in West Bengal, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday predicted that the BJP would come to power in the Assembly polls next year by dethroning the Trinamul Congress with a two-third majority. He described the road to success a very tough battle before directing the party workers to fight it. Ruling out the possibility of dynasty politics, Shah also declared that no shehzada but a son of the soil would become the next chief minister of the state. He tore into Trinamul Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after her tweet on discrimination while claiming that her fierce movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would fail. Several BJP workers were heard shouting controversial goli maaro slogans at Esplanade, en route to their partys mega rally in support of CAA at the Shahid Minar ground, where Shah kick-started the party's campaign Aar Noi Annay (No More Injustice). Waving BJP flags, they chanted, Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko (Shoot the traitors), stumping the police. Addressing the rally Shah said, Mamataji would now wait and watch how the BJP comes to power with a thumping majority in the next Assembly polls. In 2014, the BJP got 87 lakh votes here. But in 2019, we got 2.3 crore votes here resulting in the BJP getting 18 MPs. I am confident that the progression, which started with 18 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, is continuing and is not going to stop. He told the BJP workers, It will rest with a BJP governments formation with two-third majority in the next Assembly polls. It is a very tough battle. You will have to fight it for Bengal's development. The entire leadership including me will be with you for this. The thought of appointing a Rajkumar as a successor cannot happen in Bengal. The Union home minister added, No shehzada (prince) would become the next Bengal CM. A son of the soil, who will emerge as a leader, will become the next Bengal CM. Spelling out a mobile number he asked the crowd to dial it in support of the CAA which, he assured, would give citizenship to the refugees. Shah asserted that it would give citizenship to the refugees while ending a host of issues: injustice to the people, corruption, syndicate nexus, extortion, improvement in law and order, industrialisation and infiltration under the Trinamuls rule of a decade. His blistering attack on the Trinamul chief was significant as Banerjee, in an oblique reference to the CAA, tweeted in the morning, Today on @UN #ZeroDiscriminationDay, it pains me to witness the politics of discrimination being woven into the fabric of India. Let us pledge to uproot all forms of division based on caste, creed, and religion from our society. We will never stand for discrimination of any kind. Shah also cautioned those planning to break and harm the country and destroy its peace, to fear the National Security Guard (NSG). As a further warning, he asserted that the NSG would act tough if such elements did not relent. Shah, however, did not name his targets and kept it in suspense. He also advised the NSG to reduce operational time of its counter-terror mechanism in order to make it swifter. Shah was speaking at the inauguration of NSG 29 Special Composite Group Complex, an upgraded and permanent address of the elite counter-terror force. Parkway visits up despite weather closures Blue Ridge Parkway managers announced on Monday that 14,976,085 visitors came to the Parkway in 2019, an increase over 2019 despite weather-related closures. Despite extended closures in multiple sections of the Parkway in Virginia, visits were up in Virginia by 4.4 percent. Likewise, visits to the North Carolina section of the Parkway held steady at more than 10 million visitors. Parkway tourism across Virginias Blue Ridge is a mainstay to our local economy, said Catherine Fox, Vice President of Public Affairs & Destination Development of Visit Virginias Blue Ridge, the Roanoke Valley regions official destination marketing organization. Tourism leaders in this region are pleased to see that Parkway tourism in Virginia continues to grow. While the Parkway remains open, weather permitting, year-round, the traditional visitor season begins in the spring and continues through fall. July and October are historically the highest visitation months on the Parkway. Information to help plan your Parkway visit and 2020 facility opening dates are available at www.nps.gov/blri. The killer in an infamous San Francisco case called "the worst one I ever worked" by a detective is up for parole for the 16th time and victims are petitioning to keep him behind bars. Angelo Pavageau was convicted in 1976 for the brutal torture and murder of 25-year-old Frank Carlson and the attempted murder and rape of his wife Annette. On the night of April 19, 1974, Pavageau who lived a block away scaled a trellis up to the second-floor bedroom of the Carlsons' home on Kansas Street in Potrero Hill. Once inside, he ordered the couple into the kitchen at knife-point and the horrors began. Pavageau used an electrical cord to bind Frank to a chair. Then, he beat him to death with a hammer, a vase, a cutting board and a jar filled with pennies. "Seeing me pinned against the refrigerator, paralyzed, screaming I could not stop my screaming and yelling," Annette recently told the San Francisco Chronicle. "[Pavageau] would run over to me and put his knife against me and say, 'Shut up or I'll kill you.' All I could do was put both hands over my mouth. I could not stop screaming. I could not save my husband." Pavageau raped Annette for hours, then beat her too, using a paperweight and a chair. After he cut her wrists, he poured paint thinner around the room and set it on fire. Miraculously, Annette managed to crawl out onto the roof where she was spotted by a neighbor. Detectives eventually tracked down Pavageau through Annette's ring, which he sold at a pawnshop. In 1976, Pavageau was sentenced to death plus 54 years, a sentence that was commuted to life when a state court ruling eliminated the death penalty. ALSO: She was found strangled with dinner still on the stove. 47 years on, Bay Area police find a killer. Since then, Pavageau, now 71, has regularly come up for parole. He's been denied 15 times so far by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole Board. "For anyone who has not attended a hearing of this nature, they are stressful, emotionally draining and a painful walk down memory lane. Victims are forced to confront, in person, the individuals who perpetrated the crime," said Eric Carlson, younger brother of Frank, in a statement. "Preparing for this event is time consuming and draining as we rally support among politicians, law enforcement officials, friends and family to remind the Parole Board of the consequences of granting freedom to this person." Pavageau's next parole hearing is on April 15. The Carlson family is running a website called Justice for Frank, which asks citizens to email or mail letters to the parole board by March 15 to protest Pavageau's potential release. Katie Dowd is an SFGATE Senior Digital Editor. Contact: katie.dowd@sfgate.com | Twitter: @katiedowd Black Lives Matter protesters say the husband of the Los Angeles County district attorney pointed a gun at them and threatened to open fire before sunrise Monday as they demanded a meeting with her at her home. Authorities have not confirmed the activists' account regarding the events at the home of District Attorney Jackie Lacey. In a video posted by Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah, a man pointing a black handgun opens the door and says: 'Get off. Get off of my porch.' The encounter came a day before a primary for district attorney; Lacey is seeking a third term. David Lacy, the husband of the Los Angeles County DA Jackie Lacey, is pictured yelling at Black Lives Matter protesters and training his gun on them at his home Monday Black Lives Matter protesters arrived at the Lacey residence before dawn demanding a meeting with the DA Melina Abdullah, professor of pan-African studies at Cal State LA and a Black Lives Matter organizer, says she was one of the people who was threatened by David Lacey Lacey, the first black woman to lead the country's largest local prosecutor's office, has clashed repeatedly with Black Lives Matter protesters, who have picketed her office weekly for the past two years. They say she is too protective of law enforcement and doesn't prosecute officers who fatally shoot suspects. Abdullah, professor of pan-African studies at Cal State LA, told KTTV the protesters rang Lacey's doorbell to meet with her. 'Her husband met us at the door with a gun,' Abdullah told KTTV. 'We heard him cock it, he pointed the gun as he opened the door and then when he saw me, he pointed the gun directly at my chest.' The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that officers were called to a Granada Hills home around 5.40am regarding about 50 protesters outside a home, Officer Lizeth Lomeli said. Lomeli said there have not been any arrests but police did not immediately confirm the report of a man brandishing a gun. In the video, a woman off-camera says: 'Good morning. Are you going to shoot me?' The man, identified by Cannick as David Lacey, says: 'I will shoot you. Get off of my porch.' The woman responds: 'Can you tell Jackie Lacey that we're here?' The man says: 'I don't care who you are, get off of my porch right now. We're calling the police right now.' Lacey addressed the gun incident during a news conference late Monday morning, saying she and David were awakened by the couple dozen protesters picketing their home before dawn. She said her husband was afraid for their safety and is 'profoundly sorry' for his response to the presence of protesters on their doorstep, reported LA Times. DA Lacey issued an apology during a press conference on Monday (left), saying her husband grabbed his gun out of fear for their safety (right) DA Lacey has been married to husband David for 30 years. He is a retired investigative auditor for the district attorney's bureau of investigation. The couple are pictured above at a reception in 2015 with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and his wife 'Our home is our sanctuary,' she said. 'I do not believe it is fair or right for protesters to show up at the homes of people who dedicate their lives to public service.' Lacey, a two-term incumbent, is facing George Gascon, the former San Francisco DA, and former public defender Rachel Rossi. The race is nonpartisan and will be decided if one of the candidates receives more than half the primary votes on Tuesday. If no one achieves a majority, the top two will face off in November. Gascon's campaign did not immediately comment Monday, but he previously accused Lacey of being overly protective of law enforcement and putting too many people of color behind bars. Rossi, whose spokeswoman Jasmyne Cannick also posted the video on Twitter, criticized Lacey's reluctance to meet with the protesters. 'As District Attorney, I will never run from the community,' Rossi said in a statement Monday. 'And I never thought I'd have to say it, but I will also never threaten to shoot - or have others threaten to shoot - community members protesting my actions.' Cannick speculated in a tweet that the standoff at Lacey's home could easily have turned deadly. 'What if someone got nervous at the sight of a gun in their face and dropped their cellphone or something else that made a loud noise that then triggered Mr. Lacey's finger causing him to shoot someone for no reason? There are so many reasons that his actions are just wrong,' she wrote. The gun incident comes one day before a primary for district attorney, with Lacey (left) poised to face off against two challengers, former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, middle, and former public defender Rachel Rossi During the heated campaign, both Gascon and Rossi have painted Lacey as having an outdated vision of justice and locking up large numbers of mentally ill people and minorities, often for low-level crimes. They criticized her for continuing to seek the death penalty despite a statewide moratorium, and challenged her record of not prosecuting officers for shootings. 'She's just incapable of holding police accountable when they do something wrong,' said Gascon, who led San Francisco's police department before becoming that city's district attorney. 'She's so tightly allied with police unions that she's incapable of doing the work.' During her time at the helm of the nation's largest local prosecutor's office, Lacey has been routinely heckled by Black Lives Matter protesters, who have challenged her record prosecuting cops and the well-connected like Ed Buck, a Democratic operative and donor who gave to her campaign and now faces federal charges for allegedly injecting methamphetamine into two men who fatally overdosed in his apartment. Her husband, David, is a retired investigative auditor for the district attorney's bureau of investigation. He and Jackie met in their teens at church and got married in 1980, raising two children together. Memes Rule Everything Around Me: The Rise Of The Hoteps Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When In February 2020, hotep memes took over the Internet. Here are the best we saw last month. Black History Month 2020 was rough. First there was the video of G-Eazy kissing Megan Thee Stallion that led some to wonder if the two were dating (Megan addressed the rumor in a simple and straightforward tweet that, although likely disappointing to G-Eazy, was well-received by those that thought they missed their shot). Fast forward to the end of the month, ex-NFL player Jack Brewer declared Donald Trump Americas first Black president during a Black History Month round table discussion at the White House, essentially pulling a hold my beer on the pro-Trump antics of Kanye West in 2018. But at the very least, it ended with the release of the first trailer for Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peeles Candyman, which brilliantly transformed Destiny Childs Say My Name into a horror anthem. Read More: Whos Laughing At Dr. Umar Johnson & Whos Laughing With Him? As always, memes help us endure the chaos of this world, and if there were any that provided some comedic relief for us in February and serves as the focus for our Memes Rule Everything Around Me last month it was hotep memes. Youve seen them before: the images of real and fictional figures wearing photoshopped kufi hats and their eyes replaced with glowing beams. Hotep is a term that loosely means I come in peace but has become an insult for Black people (primarily Black men) who not only prescribe to certain Afrocentric ideas but who signify a faux-wokeness associated with misogynoir, homophobia, toxic masculinity, and misguided understandings of history and science, according to the 2017 Outline article, The rise of hotep. As the article also notes, the rise of its latter meaning is difficult to track. However, there have been satirizations of Black people that preceded hotep that could now be described as such. For example: In Living Colors Oswald Bates; CB4s highly memorable Im Black Yall scene (which became a meme itself); and Dont Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hoods Preach, the politically conscious activist who has a fetish for white women. Some believe that hoteps transformation from a greeting to pejorative is unfair; others see the terms evolution as a way to undermine and make valid critiques against Black people who claim to be pro-Black but actually arent. In its divisiveness has come the creation of hotep memes which, like most memes, have evolved from the initial meme generator format to how memes are made now. Like its predecessors, current hotep memes still hilariously caricaturize the type of pro-Black Black person it means to critique. But where past memes primarily featured images of Black people, new hotep memes have come to encompass animated cartoon characters, Baby Yoda, Watchmens Dr. Manhattan (which, I guess, is still technically a Black person, considering the HBO series), and even bees. Some are even soundtracked by Jay Electronicas Eternal Sunshine. These images are often accompanied by captions that satirize the often faux-intelligent comments hoteps tend to make. https://twitter.com/bekkethatscool/status/1232663390801276929 December 2019 brought with it countless hotep memes, but the amount of them circulating on social media feels like it doubled in February. Hotep memes are here to stay pic.twitter.com/oxatr9k77o (@yoitsmarco_) February 25, 2020 Is our excessive use of emojis simply a return to hieroglyphics pic.twitter.com/bilzTKYqkb Brooklyn White-Grier (@brooklynrwhite) February 26, 2020 Hotep memes will be posted at an all time high this month pic.twitter.com/MXKHatzG5O Stimmy Turner (@9kReece) February 1, 2020 That half brother infiltrated & tore the system down from within.Vince really know how to walk lines without ppl spotting them. https://t.co/pTVjIVhAIN Messiah Boss (@MessiahX5) February 28, 2020 Now that i am black i can proudly post hotep memes pic.twitter.com/Cz4gRzfL11 midgitfridge (@MidgitF) February 26, 2020 But current hotep memes have also highlighted figures who are considered hoteps in its current meaning, most notably Umar Johnson. According to his website, Johnson is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology and Certified School Psychologist who is considered an expert on the education and mental health of Afrikan and Afrikan-American children. He also claims that hes a paternal blood relative of both the Great Abolitionist Frederick Douglass and the late Bishop Alexander Wayman (1821-1895), 7th Bishop of the AME Church. (The Frederick Douglass Initiatives released a public statement denying that Johnson is a descendant of Douglass back in 2016, writing: Mr. Johnson is very careful not to bill himself as a descendant, but he doesnt correct people when they refer to him in this way. He calls himself a blood relative which is a nebulous reference designed to make people think he is a descendant.) Despite amassing a notable following on social media, Johnson is viewed as a conspiracy theorist and con artist by the mainstream. The latter descriptor primarily stems back to 2014 when he began asking for donations to open the Frederick Douglas Marcus Garvey Leadership Academy for Black boys. Fast forward to 2020, and the school still hasnt been opened, let alone has Johnson revealed the location of where the rumored school is. Despite this, Johnson has been busy on social media, primarily doing Instagram Live videos speaking on Kobe Bryants death and how hes not allowed in Detroit for allegedly smoking crack, both of which have become memes. People have since taken to sharing their favorite hotep rant from Johnson, as well as compilations of his rants, highlighting just how synonymous he has become with the term hotep as a pejorative. Dr. Umar Johnson been da biggest internet star of 2020 so far pic.twitter.com/EwzgpAULsI BLACK SPORTSCENTER (@VersaceBoyEnt) February 27, 2020 Of course, with the proliferation of hotep memes in social media has come the inevitability of people who arent Black participating in both the sharing and creation of hotep memes, which is concerning. See what y'all done did? Even White people in Europe are making "Hotep" memes denigrating African culture. And there are Black People in the comments yucking it up too. Disgusting. https://t.co/QqqkQEPyaQ Great House (@xspotsdamark) February 23, 2020 https://twitter.com/sykodyko94/status/1209698150887383041 White people getting too comfortable making hotep jokes and posting hotep memes ima need yall to sit this one out pic.twitter.com/vUJM03BTqF rico (@RICOLANI) December 24, 2019 The concern surrounding hotep memes no longer being in Black-only spaces is valid and is a reminder of the divide between what hotep initially meant and what it has become. Some cultural critics have spoken on this conflict. In her piece We Have To Discuss Our Use Of Hotep Memes, Brooklyn White articulates a more nuanced approach to hotep memes, writing: I can acknowledge pointed attacks on my Black peers who are women, a part of the LGBT+ community, or both, through humor. I can also understand why the term being used exclusively as a joke without any historical context doesnt excite people. The point is not to demonize either side. Instead we can discuss how we can get into the complexities of the term, while also having fun with Black lingo. Peace. If February is any indicator, hotep memes are here to stay. And just as much fun as were having with them, it would help to be mindful that hotep memes may gave way to the other memes weve created. Accomplishing that goal will be about more than simply the number and size of the checks we write. Its a question of impact making the world a tangibly better place by identifying needs within our communities and addressing them in an intentional and thoughtful way. Bill Rogers, Truists president and chief operating officer, said the bank has the unique advantage of being present in both rural and urban communities across our footprint. This gives us great insight into the needs of all the communities we serve, and we look forward to the opportunity to address those needs as the Truist Foundation. Rogers will serve as the foundations chairman after being SunTrusts chairman and chief executive before the completion of the megadeal. Among the 11 foundation board members is Harold Martin Sr., chancellor at N.C. A&T State University. Nonprofits can apply for grants from the foundation at www.truist.com/truist-foundation/grant-application. Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) National Servicemen, soldiers (Yahoo News Singapore file photo) SINGAPORE The monthly National Service allowance for full-time national servicemen and NSmen in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team has been increased by between $70 and $120 across all ranks from Sunday (1 March). This was announced by Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How at the Committee of Supply debate for the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in Parliament on Monday. The increase was part of a slew of initiatives to enhance the national service experience, including a full subsidy of E-PREP courses and more E-PREP courses, with two new institutions coming on board. The NS allowance increment across all ranks includes increments in both the Rank Allowance and the Vocational Allowance components. In recognition of the different vocational demands performed by national servicemen, all national servicemen will receive a vocation allowance of at least $50, as part of the revised NS allowance. National servicemen in selected vocations who currently receive combat or operational allowance, will receive up to $100 more for their vocation allowance. With the revision, an NSF holding the rank of recruit or trainee will receive a monthly NS allowance of $630, up from the $560 he currently receives. An SAF NSF naval diver or Singapore Police Force NSF Police Tactical Trooper or Singapore Civil Defence Force NSF firefighter holding the rank of Corporal will receive a monthly NS allowance of $1,050, up from $930 currently. Full subsidy for E-PREP courses Under the SkillsFuture@NS initiative introduced last year, NSFs can use E-PREP credits worth $350 to take about 3,000 courses, including those offered by Institutes of Higher Learning to help them in their admission. From this year, E-PREP courses will be fully subsidised, an increase from the current subsidy of 90 per cent for course fees. Two new institutions - the National University of Singapore and Institute of Technical Education - will also be coming on board to offer E-PREP courses, bringing the total number of E-PREP partners to nine. Story continues From 1 April this year, NSFs across the SAF and the Home Team will have access to some 4,000 E-PREP courses, with up to 100 of these credit-bearing, up from 26 today. Enhancements will also be extended to pre-enlistees to help them better prepare mentally and physically for the NSF experience, said Heng. Mindef is collaborating with SAFRA in an ongoing trial to make gym facilities more accessible through the Pre-Enlistees Exercise Programme for National Service (PREP4NS). Under the programme, pre-enlistees can sign up for a one-year complimentary membership to six SAFRA gyms located across Singapore. About 6,000 have signed up for the membership since its launch last November, said Heng. The ministry was also working with SportSG to extend the membership to the 24 ActiveSG gyms. Heng said more details of the scheme will be provided at a later stage. To better support pre-enlistees who are new citizens and Permanent Residents, the ministry has partnered with the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence to appoint dedicated NS Coordinators in Foreign System Schools and Privately Funded Institutions to assist them with their questions on NS. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Parliament stories: Singapore's Total Defence key to fight against COVID-19 outbreak: Maliki Osman COVID-19: China understood why Singapore had to impose travel curbs - Vivian Balakrishnan MHA to raise retirement age for uniformed officers to 58: Shanmugam Home Team officers working 'round the clock' in COVID-19 fight: Shanmugam Singapore to set up inter-ministry committee on online scams Progress made on developing SAF's training areas in Australia and Guam: Ng Eng Hen Singapore in 'final stages' of buying 4 F-35 fighter jets: Ng Eng Hen Restructured SAF to tackle terrorism, cyber and maritime threats: Ng Eng Hen A 28-year-old man was stabbed with a broken glass bottle in the Mawprem area of Shillong, as sporadic incidents of violence were reported from across Meghalaya in the aftermath of clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups Shillong: A 28-year-old man was stabbed with a broken glass bottle in the Mawprem area of Shillong, as sporadic incidents of violence were reported from across Meghalaya in the aftermath of clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups that has left three people dead, police said on Monday. Four shops rented to non-tribal businessmen were set on fire in Photkroh town in South West Khasi Hills District in the early hours, they said. Police said nobody was injured in the incident. "A 28-year-old man was stabbed with a broken bottle by an unknown miscreant on Sunday evening, while he was walking in the Lower Mawprem area. He suffered shoulder injuries and is under treatment at the Civil Hospital," Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Gabriel Iangrai said. There were also reports of stone pelting on vehicles plying along the national highway near Puriang village in East Khasi Hills District on Sunday evening, he said. The situation in Meghalaya is "under control" and additional forces are deployed in vulnerable areas, the AIGP said. Curfew, which was imposed in the city and its outskirts, was relaxed from 6 am to allow students to appear for board examinations, East Khasi Hills District Magistrate Matsiewdor War Nongbri said. He, however, said curfew will be reimposed as soon as the exams get over. The indefinite curfew imposed in areas under Sadar police station, Lumdiengjri police station and those under the Cantonment Beat House will continue, Nongbri said. Most shops, banks and business establishments were shut and attendance in government offices was thin in the affected areas, officials said. Mobile internet and messaging services have been temporarily suspended in six districts of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region to curtail rumours that can deteriorate law and order, they said. The death toll in the clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups increased to three on Sunday after a 37-year-old man was killed by three unidentified people at his house in East Khasi Hills district, police said. The clashes had broken out between KSU members and non-tribals during a rally organised against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and to demand implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), at Ichamati on Friday. Eight people have been arrested and a magisterial inquiry has been instituted to probe into the incident, police said. New Delhi, March 2 : Facebook on Monday launched a new consumer marketing campaign in India titled 'More Together'. India is the first country in the Asia Pacific region where such a campaign is being rolled out. It is also the first time that Facebook is rolling out a 'high decibel campaign of this stature in India', the company said in a statement. "India is at the heart of Facebook and one of our focus areas this year is to tell the exciting story of a service that is deeply embedded in the fabric of India," said Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India. The campaign would have multiple campaigns over the next few weeks in eight languages and the one will be set in the context of Holi. Facebook in 2019 introduced a new company logo to further distinguish the company from the Facebook app. The company recently announced the appointment of Avinash Pant as the Marketing Director for India operations, to drive the consumer marketing efforts across the family of apps. Despite Joe Bidens commanding victory in Saturdays South Carolina primary, in which he garnered close to 50 per cent of the vote, an endorsement from the president with whom he served seems not to be forthcoming. Speaking to CNN, a source close to Barack Obama said that in a congratulatory phonecall after Mr Bidens victory, the president told Mr Biden he would not be endorsing him any time soon, citing worries that he could badly divide the party during a still-messy nominating process. Explaining the presidents thinking, the source said that for now, the risks outweigh the rewards: We are sceptical that an endorsement coming from us could truly change the political winds right now. Weighing in now likely only divides things worse and weakens his standing for when the party will need it most. Mr Biden routinely invokes the legacy of the Obama administration as part of his campaign pitch, including in TV ads that make clear how highly the former president thinks of him. However, he has also made clear he does not feel entitled to a blessing, saying I have to earn this on my own. Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Show all 11 1 /11 Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama's best moments in the White House May 19, 2009 The President was leaving the State Floor after an event and found Sasha in the elevator ready to head upstairs to the private residence. He decided to ride upstairs with her before returning to the Oval Office, Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Oct. 26, 2012 President Barack Obama pretends to be caught in Spider-Man's web as he greets the son of a White House staffer in the Outer Oval Office Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House A National Security staffer, Carlton Philadelphia, brought his family to the Oval Office for a farewell photo with President Obama. Carltons son, Jacob, softly told the President he had just gotten a haircut like President Obama, and asked if he could feel the Presidents head to see if it felt the same as his. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House March 21, 2010 The President, Vice President and senior staff applaud after watching on television the House vote on H.R. 4872 for health care reform, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Dec. 3, 2009 President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Sept. 22, 2015 "The Obama family and Biden family greet Pope Francis as he arrives in the United States for the first time at Joint Base Andrews," Sept. 22, 2015. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Feb. 21, 2014 President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden participate in a "Let's Move!" video taping on the Colonnade of the White House, Feb. 21, 2014 Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Feb. 18, 2016 President Barack Obama watches First Lady Michelle Obama dance with 106-Year-Old Virginia McLaurin in the Blue Room of the White House prior to a reception celebrating African American History Month, Feb. 18, 2016 Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Jan. 21, 2013 "The President and First Lady wave to supporters as they ride in the inaugural parade. I had asked the President if I could ride in the presidential limousine and the President joked, 'But Michelle and I were planning to make out," Jan. 21, 2013. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama share a private moment in a freight elevator at an Inaugural Ball, January 2009 all pics: Pete Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama rests his hand on the bible that President Lincoln used for his swear-in, being held by his wife Michelle Obama as he is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America Rex However, Mr Biden did speak up to demand TV stations pull a misleading ad that used his words out of context to imply he himself was attacking Mr Biden. Mr Biden has also accused his rival Bernie Sanders of undermining the former president, including plotting to run against him as he stood for re-election in 2012. Mr Sanders denies he ever planned to do such a thing. Since his South Carolina triumph, Mr Biden has quickly returned to his onetime position as Mr Sanderss principal challenger, and he is polling well in many of the states due to vote on Super Tuesday. That has added to the pressure on other candidates to drop out and allow Mr Biden to consolidate the anti-Sanders vote. Pete Buttigieg, who tied with Sanders in Iowa and ran a close second in Iowa but afterwards performed poorly, dropped out after South Carolina. That leaves Mr Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bloomberg as Sanderss moderate rivals. Mr Biden ran in the same Democratic primary as Mr Obama in 2008, but won only a small number of votes and dropped out after the Iowa caucuses. Russ Vought, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, speaks during an interview with The Epoch Times at the CPAC convention in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 29, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Trumps Budget Director Disputes Claims of CDC Cuts, Says Funding Increased WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trumps budget director is pushing back against Democratic presidential candidates who assert that the United States is ill-prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak and also have accused Trump of slashing the budget for tackling emerging infectious diseases. Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, responded to those claims on Feb. 29. Its totally inaccurate, Vought told The Epoch Times in an interview for the American Thought Leaders program. And its based on not understanding different accounts within the CDC. During last weeks Democratic primary debate in South Carolina, several candidates, including Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden, accused Trump of cutting funds for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), seriously impairing the countrys readiness to tackle the outbreak. Vought said the current funding level is larger than previous emergency response efforts to address the Ebola outbreak of 2014. In fiscal year 2015, the Obama administration designated $597 million under the CDC budget to support national public health institutes and global health security for five years. That meant roughly $119 million per year, Vought said. And in the past two years under the Trump administration, that funding became permanent and was increased to $125 million in fiscal year 2020, he said. And in this latest budget, we provide $175 million for it, he said, referring to the presidents budget proposal released in February. The amount implies an increase of $50 million compared to the 2020 enacted level. So its going in the other direction, Vought said. The allegations are based on some leaked reports of contingency planning by CDC as if [the funds] were going to expire. But the funding was provided. So its really basically an inaccurate story. Vought also noted that the presidents latest budget has provided overall $4.3 billion, an increase of 3 percent for CDCs fight against infectious disease and emergency preparedness. Trump cuts During the Democratic primary debate on Feb. 25, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched an attack on Trump, blaming him for defunding the CDC. He also raised alarm about the countrys lack of preparation. Theres nobody here to figure out what the hell we should be doing. And hes defundedhes defunded Centers for Disease Control, CDC, so we dont have the organization we need. This is a very serious thing, he said. Former Vice President Joe Biden echoed similar comments during the debate. He claimed that the CDC and National Institutes of Health (NIH) budgets were higher under the Obama administration. [Trump] has wiped all that out. He cut the funding for the entire effort, he said. Bloomberg continued his attacks the next day by launching a 30-second ad, titled Pandemic, asserting that the country is underprepared for coronavirus due to Trump cuts. Several media outlets, including the Associated Press, responded to the misinformation spread by Democratic candidates, calling it a false allegation. Theyre both wrong to say the agencies have seen their money cut, an AP Fact Check article stated. Trumps budgets have proposed cuts to public health, only to be overruled by Congress, where theres strong bipartisan support for agencies such as the CDC and NIH. Instead, financing has increased. The Trump administration on Feb. 24 sent to Congress its $2.5 billion supplemental budget request for the current fiscal year to fight the coronavirus outbreak. Much of that is new money to be able to spend on things like vaccine development, therapeutic development, reimbursing state and local emergency preparedness, the types of things that CDC has been spending their resources on for the last month, Vought said. Trumps request included $1.25 billion in new funding, with the rest to be shifted from existing programs. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), however, proposed an $8.5 billion plan to combat the virus. Despite differences in proposals, Vought voiced optimism about the ongoing negotiations with Congress. We are making a lot of progress on this front, and we think well have a bill that the president can sign next week. Emel Akan reporter Follow Emel Akan is White House economic policy reporter in Washington, D.C. Previously she worked in the financial sector as an investment banker at JPMorgan and as a consultant at PwC. She graduated with a masters degree in business administration from Georgetown University. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 15:01 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067bbff9 1 World Semarang,United-Nations,Central-Java,Ganjar-Pranowo,UN-Secretary-General,ViolenceAgainstChildren Free United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children Najat Maalla Mjid is set to engage with children in Central Java during her upcoming visit to the province on Thursday. Mjid is scheduled to engage in a dialogue on the topic of anti-bullying among other things with around 100 children across Central Java, including juvenile convicts who are currently staying at a childrens shelter in the provincial capital of Semarang. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi conveyed their enthusiasm for the forthcoming arrival of the UN official during a meeting with a representative of the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) in Java. The governor and the mayor will make children the main audience the VIP guests who will interact directly with the representative of the UN Secretary-General, said UNICEF representative in Java Arie Rukmantara in a statement issued on Monday. We truly appreciate [the Central Java administration] taking a stance on the issue. This represents their commitment to the best interests of the children, as well as proof that the province and city are child-friendly, he added. He went on to say that both the governor and mayor had intended the planned meeting to champion inclusivity. Mjid is a Moroccan native who has worked as a pediatrician for the last three decades. She previously served as the director of the Hay Hassani childrens hospital in Casablanca. From 2008 to 2014, Mjid served as a UN special rapporteur on the issue of child trafficking and child porn. Representatives from the Central Java Childrens Forum, the Semarang Childrens Forum, and children with disabilities groups will have the opportunity to discuss a range of issues, including the role of children as agents of change, Arie added. (rfa) A my Klobuchar has dropped out of the race to become the Democrat's presidential candidate and will throw her support behind Joe Biden. The Minnesota senator is flying to Dallas and plans to join Mr Biden at a rally he is holding tonight. It comes after Pete Buttigieg also dropped out of the race. He is also expected to back former president Mr Biden. Both departures pre-empt Super Tuesday , a pivotal moment in the Democratic race. Loading.... Ms Klobchar had outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire. However, but she could not turn that into success elsewhere as she struggled to build a campaign that could compete across the country. She had poor showings in the next contests. She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to two dozen candidates. However, that got tougher when Mr Biden joined the race in April. On Tuesday, 14 states, one US territory and Democrats abroad cast ballots in the partys nomination fight. Ms Klobuchar and Mr Buttigieg become the second and third Democrats to abandon their presidential bids since Mr Biden scored a resounding victory in South Carolina. A shrinking group of other Democrats vowed to press on, potentially towards a contested convention. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday received aUN delegation onPalestineand discussedthe latest developments in West Asia. TheUN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is visitingIndia to seek political and diplomatic support for a peaceful resolution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. "Received delegation from the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Exchanged views on the latest developments in West Asia," Jaishankar said in tweet. India, which shares good relations with both Palestine and Israel, supports a two-state solution in which both Israel and a Palestinianstate coexist peacefully. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Brexit is causing far-right views on immigration and identity to be drawn into the mainstream, a report has warned. Research by Hope Not Hate found that Britains departure from the EU has fuelled discussions of loyalty, elitism and patriotism, drawing people who might have otherwise have been attracted to the far right back into the mainstream right. The blurring of these boundaries has seen mainstream politicians and commentators using language and rhetoric that was previously found only on the far right [and] seen anti-Muslim prejudice, demeaning rhetoric on migrants and refugees and notions of a cultural war against social liberalism increasingly being adopted, the groups annual report said. This is partly as a consequence of politicians co-opting far-right narratives to gain support and partly because of the newer far right engaging in wider issues. Hope Not Hate said the change was responsible for weakening traditional far-right street movements in Britain, seeing a decline in membership and events. Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Show all 37 1 /37 Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit supporters celebrating in Parliament Square, after the UK left the European Union on 31 January. Ending 47 years of membership PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro Brexit supporters attend the Brexit Day Celebration Party hosted by Leave Means Leave Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage smiles on stage AFP/Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People celebrate in Parliament Square Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A Brexit supporter celebrates during a rally in Parliament square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Police form a line at Parliament Square to prevent a small group of anti-Brexit protestors from going through to the main Brexit rally PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square JD Wetherspoon Chairman Tim Martin speaks as people wave flags Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage arrives Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters gather AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Ann Widdecombe speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Brexit supporters wave Union flags as they watch the big screen AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square People wave British Union Jack flags as they celebrate Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square on Brexit day Reuters Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AP Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering AFP via Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square An EU flag lies trampled in the mud Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square Getty Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square PA Brexit celebrations in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Its report noted that several extremist figures and groups, including Tommy Robinson and Britain First, had called for their supporters to support Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party since he became leader. Past and present far-right leaders even attended Brexit Day celebrations in Parliament Square, it added. The cordon sanitaire which once kept far-right groups and thought out of mainstream discourse has collapsed, both here and on the continent. Hope Not Hate warned that although the public debate around Brexit had made the traditional far right irrelevant, disillusionment with Mr Johnson or the way the UK leaves the EU could spark a future resurgence. The report came amid continued increases in hate crime across Britain, and warnings over rising Islamophobia and antisemitism. Nick Lowles, Hope Not Hates chief executive, said that despite the decline of organised groups, hate had become more widespread through a peer driven online culture and the mainstreaming of far-right narratives. Citizens, institutions and state agencies need to understand the scale of the problem, and start pushing back against ideologies of division and hate, he added. Outside the UK, the report said that the international far-right terror threat had hit unprecedented levels following the attacks in Christchurch, El Paso, Halle and Hanau. It found that the threat was involving younger and more violent individuals, and that the ideological paths into extremism had become more diverse because of the rise of conspiracy theories, incels and the manosphere. Brexit party in Parliament square following UK leaving EU Hope Not Hate called for action against extremist online networks, including the far rights adoption of the encrypted messaging app Telegram. It also called on the government to ban a Satanist neo-Nazi organisation called the Order of Nine Angles, which advocates murder and sexual violence. Mr Lowles said the current strategy was wholly inadequate for dealing with this rapidly changing danger, adding: In 2020, far-right terror operates through a virtually leaderless online, global community waging its battles internationally, from Christchurch in New Zealand to Halle in Germany, through a new generation of increasingly young and more extreme terrorists, but the authorities have been slow to make connections between offline hate crimes and the ideological ecosystem behind them. A Home Office spokesperson said: The government is taking action to root out and dismantle the groups that promote extreme right-wing views and we are giving police the tools and resources they need to tackle this threat. Just last week, the government banned the right-wing terrorist group Sonnenkrieg Division in the UK, making membership punishable by 10 years in jail. We keep the list of proscribed organisations under review. China permanently bans wildlife trade but leaves loopholes for medicinal uses by Sally Ho March 02,2020 | Source: green queen The current coronavirus epidemic has prompted China to permanently ban the trade and consumption of wild animals. While the move is widely praised by conservationists, experts warn against overoptimism as wildlife taken for traditional medicinal purposes will be exempt from the ban. As evidence emerges about the potential link between pangolins illegally traded across Asia and the world for its supposed medicinal qualities and the outbreak of Covid-19, questions remain about the efficacy of the law to prevent future public health crises or to protect species from inhumane practices and extinction. This week, China has announced a permanent ban on wildlife trade and consumption as the novel coronavirus continues to make its way across the country and around the world. As of press time, Covid-19 has infected over 83,000 globally and the death toll stands at 2,858. The permanent shutdown of Chinas US$74 billion wildlife farming industry is an effective extension of the temporary policy introduced in January, which was initially expected to continue until the authorities declare the epidemic as under control. The more comprehensive ban, which prohibits the illegal trade and consumption of non-aquatic wild animals, was passed on the 24th February by the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) as the spread of Covid-19 has shown little signs of abating in the near-term. While international conservationists have greeted Chinas new prohibition as a major step in the right direction, experts are warning against a troublesome shortcoming in the law, which exempts the trade in wild animals for medicinal purposes, fur or for research. According to an analysis by global NGO Wildlife Conservation Society, the NPCs decision creates a potential loophole for traffickers who may exploit the non-food exemptions to sell or trade live wildlife. This is particularly worrying given that recent studies have proposed that pangolins are the probable intermediary host of the coronavirus that jumped to infect humans, leading to the outbreak. Pangolins are nocturnal animals found in Asia and Africa, and are considered the most trafficked mammal in the entire world. Despite the trade of pangolins being internationally outlawed in 2016, an estimated 100,000 pangolins are captured from the wild every year and poached for their keratin scales, a common ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, and for its meat as a delicacy in parts of Vietnam and China. According to a report by Beijing-based nonprofit China Biodiversity & Green Development Foundation, there are over 200 pharmaceutical companies in China that still use pangolin products for 60 commercial traditional Chinese medicines. Christian Walzer, the Wildlife Conservation Societys chief global veterinarian, welcomed the ban but said that there remains great room for illegal activity in the huge trade in wildlife that is not related to consumption that would not only continue to hamper conservation and animal welfare efforts, but could present a disastrous loophole to allow future zoonotic diseases to continue jumping from animals to people. Without fully clamping down on the wildlife trade for non-food uses with law enforcement, stiffer penalties and mass public education to stigmatise consumption and medicinal uses of wild animals, it is difficult to mitigate the risk of public health epidemics, the cruel practices of the trade and the major ecological disturbances that come along with it. Ekowarehouse Limited 2020 Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade. Thappad: Anubhav Sinha Wants To Retire After Javed Akhtar's Review Of His Movie, Taapsee Reacts Too The Vietnam Grand Prix has been thrown into further down because the government in of Vietnam have banned free air travel from Italy. Italians must first apply for a visa before they can leave for Hanoi. Coronavirus continues For the first time ever, the Formula 1 circus is due to head to Vietnam for a street race. After months of building, the circuit is ready but the spread of coronavirus continues and that may ensure the event doesn't take place. In Italy, the number of deaths has already climbed to 34 and over 1,700 are infected. Australia and Bahrain have not yet taken any measures against flights from Italy, but Vietnam now only allows Italians with a visa. Read more Mark Webber predicts another Mercedes dominated season Shortage of teams? That means that teams like Ferrari and AlphaTauri are getting into serious trouble because both teams have their factory with all the staff in Italy. However, it is not only a problem for those two teams, because Haas and Alfa Romeo also depend on the Italian product: the Ferrari engine. And of course, some members of Pirelli will be in Italy. Formula 1 needs 16 cars on the grid for the race to take place. This could end up being close if the ban continues. Just as for the news from Bahrain, the situation here will also be closely monitored. Satellite images from NASA show a surprising effect of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in China: less air pollution. Using pollution monitoring satellites, NASA measured the air's concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas that ends up in the air from burning fuel, primarily from cars, trucks, buses and power plants. From Jan. 1 to 20, and Feb. 10 to 25, researchers saw a "significant decrease" in pollution over Wuhan and the rest of China due at least in part to an "economic slowdown" resulting from the virus outbreak, according to a NASA release. The maps above show the density of NO2 concentrations in blue, yellow and orange across China during those time periods. The reduction started in Wuhan, and then spread to the rest of the country, according to NASA. "This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event," Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a NASA release. Typically, there are lower levels of NO2 in China around this time of year, as many businesses and factories close for the country's Lunar New Year celebrations. The maps below illustrate how the NO2 concentrations (in blue, yellow and orange) dropped during the 2019 Lunar New Year festival, and then rose afterwards when business resumed. NASA satellite images show nitrogen dioxide concentrations in China before the Lunar New Year, during New Year celebrations and after. However, in 2020 the NO2 levels from January to February were 10% to 30% lower than average, and they didn't rise back in late February. Experts attribute the difference to quarantine measures that have been implemented to stop the spread of coronavirus. Millions of people in China have been on lockdown since late January, and many factories in the country closed due to the outbreak. In Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province where the virus originated, people have to follow strict guidelines for leaving their homes and are subject to temperature checks to go shopping for groceries. In early February, Beijing officials announced that all residents who were returning to Beijing would have to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Travel bans around the world were put in place to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control issued a "level 3" travel warning for China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, meaning people should avoid all nonessential travel to these countries. "The impact of unprecedented quarantines and restrictions on travel have brought the Chinese economy right now to a virtual standstill," Stephen Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday. Indeed, there has been a decrease in coal consumption and transportation traffic, he added. In the United States, there are a total of 69 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Monday, and the majority of people were evacuated from Wuhan or passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise that was quarantined due to coronavirus concerns in Japan. Globally, more than 87,000 people have been infected, and 80,000 of the cases are in China, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO hasn't declared the coronavirus a pandemic yet. Director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Feb. 24 that it "absolutely" has potential to become one. In the U.S., people should be prepared to follow "social distancing measures," that include working from home and school cancellations, Nancy Messonnier, head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday. Above all, the best way to prevent the spread of the virus is to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, cover your mouth if you sneeze or cough, avoid touching your face and stay home if you're sick, according to the CDC. Check out: The best credit cards of 2020 could earn you over $1,000 in 5 years Don't miss: In the March 2 episode of In The News podcast, host Anvita Bansal speaks to Shraddha Sharma, Atharva Pandit and Ruchira Kondepudi to discuss the top news of the day. Sharma starts off the conversation with an update on coronavirus in India, where two people have tested positive. Pandit then takes over to talk about the latest developments in the Nirbhaya case as the Delhi High Court rejects another mercy plea from one of the convicts. Kondepudi winds the discussion up with an update on the most-awaited SBI Card IPO followed by details on North Korea's latest missile launch. Niamey, Niger (PANA) - Since Sunday, Niamey has been hosting the 6th edition of the Agriculture, Technical, Environment and Livestock Show (SAHEL-Niger 2020), under the theme "Modernization of the Rural World through Vocational and Technical Training of Young People: Stakes and Challenges" Press Release March 1, 2020 Drilon fears PHL is becoming a 'haven for money launderers' Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is convinced that the huge amounts of cash brought into the country by Chinese nationals is part of a money laundering scheme of organized syndicates, fearing that "the Philippines is becoming a haven for money launderers." Drilon was Senate President when Congress passed Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001. "Sa akin, maliwanag na ginagamit ang ating bansa para sa money laundering. Talagang lumalaganap at lumalakas ang loob nitong mga Chinese syndicates at nagiging haven tuloy ang ating bansa for money launderers," Drilon said in an interview with radio station DZBB on Sunday. "We have never seen this kind of behavior. They seem very confident that they will not be caught," he added. Drilon said that while it is not illegal for any foreign national to bring huge sums of money into the country, the amount must be reported to the Bureau of Customs. Drilon said the country becoming a haven for money launderers may have something to do with the proliferation of casinos and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs in the country. The minority leader said that casinos are among the industries that anti-money laundering coalitions worldwide consider to be prone to money-laundering schemes. Drilon said that he suspects that the millions of dollars brought into the country between December 2019 to February 2020 would be laundered through casinos and POGOs. Drilon said any casino transaction of over P5 million should have gone scrutiny by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). Republic Act No 10927 puts casinos under the coverage of Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), he noted. "Any cash transaction of P5 million or its equivalent in other currencies are covered by the law and must be reported to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC)," Drilon explained. He said he supports the investigation to be conducted by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon. Drilon said the investigation must see how the executive branch is implementing the law, particularly on the compliance of casinos, PAGCOR, banks, among other covered institutions in reporting suspicious transactions. Drilon also reiterated his support for a total ban on POGOs, saying that the industry has no contribution on the economy. "The POGOs do not contribute to our gross domestic product. If any, it is very minimal. They only created an artificial bubble on the real estate industry. What is their contribution? We are not even sure if they even pay taxes," Drilon said. "They are not manufacturing which generates employment. They are not agrictural which provides us food security. They are not tourists who provide us income," he said. Jack Welch, who built General Electric into one of the worlds largest companies, has died. He was 84 years old. He died of renal failure, his wife, Suzy Welch, confirmed to the New York Times. A native of Salem, he was the son of a railroad conductor and homemaker. He attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he studied chemical engineering. He joined General Electric in 1960 as a chemical engineer based in Pittsfield. He rose within the companys ranks and was named the head of the plastics division. In 1981, he succeeded Reginald H. Jones as chairman and chief executive officer at 45 years old, the youngest chairman and CEO in the companys history. He had little time for bureaucracy and archaic business ways, Welch is described as in his company biography. "Managers were given free reign as long as they followed the GE ethic of constant change and striving to do better. He ran GE like a small dynamic business able to change as opportunities arose or when a business became unprofitable. Under his leadership, the companys revenue soared and stock valuations skyrocketed from $14 billion to more than $410 billion. He was named Manager of the Century by Fortune magazine in 1999. He retired in 2001, receiving a severance package worth $417 million, a record-setting amount at the time. Jack and Suzy Welch were involved in philanthropy, donating millions to educational efforts. The year of his retirement, Welch returned to UMass to establish a scholarship fund for graduates of Salem High School attending UMass, with a preference given to students attending the flagship campus. He donated an additional million to the fund in 2014, bringing the cumulative donation for these annual scholarships to $4.5 million. In 2005, he returned to his alma mater and unveiled the Jack Welch Scholars program, awarding two UMass Amherst students who demonstrate high standards in academics, social responsibility and leadership annually full merit scholarships. The scholarships were supported by a $5 million donation from the GE Foundation. For decades, Jack Welch has been an inspiration to anyone who strives for excellence and for all who believe in the power of public higher education," UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said of Welch in 2014. Malaysia's new prime minister insisted Monday he was no "traitor" after taking power without an election and with support from a scandal-tainted party, following political heavyweight Mahathir Mohamad's shock resignation. "I know there are those who are angry with me -- I am not a traitor," Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address -- his first extensive comments since being inaugurated Sunday. "I have a clear conscience. (I am here) to save the country from being battered by continued political uncertainty." Malaysia was plunged into turmoil after Mahathir's reformist "Pact of Hope" alliance, which stormed to a historic poll victory two years ago, collapsed and the 94-year-old resigned as premier. Mahathir then sought to come back as prime minister but lost out to low-profile, former interior minister Muhyiddin, who has backing from a coalition dominated by the multi-racial country's ethnic Malay Muslim majority. He was named to the job by the king, who appoints the Southeast Asian nation's premier after deciding who has most support from MPs. But there has been widespread anger that the democratically elected government was ejected, while Mahathir insists he had enough backing to be premier and has accused Muhyiddin of betrayal. Muhyiddin defended his legitimacy as premier, saying he had secured majority support from MPs. He also said he would "prioritise having a clean, corruption-free and efficient administration". One of Muhyiddin's coalition partners is the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin of a graft-riddled coalition ejected from power in 2018 after six decades. It is the party of disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak, who is accused of plundering state fund 1MDB. He and other senior UMNO figures are on trial for corruption but there are concerns the cases could be halted now the party is back in power. Muhyiddin is considered a Malay nationalist, and there are fears his government could push policies that worsen already tense relations between Muslims and the country's ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. But he insisted: "I am a prime minister for all Malaysians. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Christian college recruiter fired for lining students up by skin color, 'nappiest' hair Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An admissions counselor for Oklahoma Christian University was fired after allegedly forcing 11th-grade students at a preparatory school in Oklahoma City to line up according to skin color and nappiest hair during a gym assembly visit. Students, parents, and officials at Harding Charter Preparatory High School spoke out to local NBC affiliate KFOR about how an OCU recruiter later named as Cedric Sunray instructed prospective students to engage in a racially insensitive recruitment exercise during a visit last Monday. Students involved in the exercise, Korey Todd and Rio Brown, described the incident. He was like, 'Let's play a little game,' Todd said. "He said, 'OK, everyone now line up from darkest to lightest skin complexion.' The juniors were then told to shuffle again. According to Brown, the man told the students to line up with the nappiest hair in the back and straighter hair in the front. Todd said that at that point, he felt uncomfortable. Brown explained that teachers grew disgusted. I know they had a talk with him after, like, 'That's not OK, Brown said. After students came forward to the media outlet, Harding Principal Steven Stefanick released a public statement, confirming the accusations that an OCU representative led an activity with students that involved inappropriate and hurtful statements. The principal went on to say how the preparatory school does not approve of the recruiters behavior and values diversity and inclusion. In a statement released to News 4, Oklahoma Christian University explained that the recruiter was fired shortly after his visit. The OC admissions counselor who visited Harding Charter Preparatory Academy on Monday is no longer an Oklahoma Christian University employee, the school said. OC admissions leadership did not approve the inappropriate activity in advance and has communicated closely with Harding administration since the visit. OCU admissions staff are scheduled to visit Harding on Monday to apologize formally to students and staff. Stefanick explained in his statement that OCU administrators were quick to react after they were told of the allegations. The sequence of events are that the staff members of Harding Charter Preparatory, stunned and distraught with the students, were quick to react by going to school administration immediately while some staff remained with the students, he said. Within the next hour, communication was made with Oklahoma Christian University officials. We then learned that the recruiter was no longer employed at the university. Stefanick praised OCU, saying that the school has maintained a strong relationship with the university and have never encountered events as such. As a school community, we are proud of our students and staff members for taking a stand on this issue and showcasing our community values of diversity, inclusion, and a safe and supportive learning environment, the principal wrote. OCU, founded in 1950 as Central Christian College, has about 2,200 students and is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. But students of all beliefs are welcome. With roots in the Restoration Movement, it is our goal to define our values and behavior by the Bible, rather than by the culture that surrounds us, the universitys website reads. OCU President John deSteiguer held a meeting Sunday on OCUs Edmond campus to inform OCU students about the incident, according to the student newspaper Talon.News. The school newspaper reports that deSteiguer named Sunray as the accused former employee in question. The president explained that Sunray was already under an internal investigation for a similar activity he led during an on-campus event on Feb. 13. Talon.News reports that school officials learned over the weekend that Sunray was alleged to have led a similar exercise at another high school in northwest Oklahoma. We need to do better, deSteiguer was quoted as saying, adding that university failed miserably because the recruiter should have been sidelined. He should not have been going and making presentations during the investigation, deSteiguer admitted. OCU will roll out new programs and mandatory cultural sensitivity training for its employees, according to deSteiguer. "God instructs us to love one another and that everyone, and I mean everyone, is valued, deSteiguer was quoted as saying. "We will learn and we will redouble our efforts to do better." Getty Images Economist Nouriel Roubini, who's nicknamed "Dr Doom" for his pessimistic predictions, has said the coronavirus will stop President Donald Trump from getting re-elected. The academic is known for correctly predicting the 2008 housing crisis and recession, and he now says the coronavirus could have a bigger impact on the global economy and Mr Trump's presidency than people predict. "I expect global equities to tank by 30 per cent to 40 per cent this year," Mr Roubini, who works as a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, told German magazine Der Spiegel last week. Wall Street saw the worst week since the 2008 recession hit with markets like the DOW, a stock market index that measures the stock performance of 30 US companies, falling 12.4 per cent. The fall in stocks was due to growing concerns by investors about how the coronavirus would impact the global economy. Besides focusing on the markets, Mr Roubini said he thought the virus would impact the president politically come November. "You can't build a wall in the sky," he said. "I live in New York City and people there are hardly going to restaurants, cinemas or theatres, even though nobody there has been infected by the virus thus far. If it comes, we are totally f***ed." Mr Trump has previously garnered support by inciting fear into his followers about immigration and economy concerns. But Mr Roubini did not think fearmongering over the coronavirus would aid in the president's re-election efforts. "Not at all. He will lose the election, that's for sure," he said. "This has always been the case in history. Ford lost to Carter after the 1973 oil shock, Carter lost to Reagan due to the second oil crisis in 1979, and Bush lost to Clinton after the Kuwait invasion." He added: "The Democratic field is poor, but Trump is dead." A strong economy is one area Mr Trump has consistently rallied his supporters around, seeking to convince them his presidency results in more jobs and increased wealth. Story continues Nouriel Roubini, who is known as Dr Doom, predicts President Donald Trump will lose the 2020 election because of the coronavirus (Getty Images) But these talking point are lost if the markets can't stabilise amid the coronavirus threat. Wall Street surged on Monday over hopes the Federal Reserve and other central banks will intervene to help limit the global impact of the coronavirus, following massive losses last week. But the markets still remain volatile as more cases of the coronavirus are confirmed across the US and globally. Read more The appeal of Joe Biden finally makes sense after seeing him up close Amy Klobuchar drops out of 2020 race day before Super Tuesday Former Republicans will vote for a Democrat just not Bernie Sanders Coronavirus news: CDC mistakenly releases patient- follow live The coronavirus outbreak could tip much of Europe into recession and cut global growth in half this year, economists have warned. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said the euro area, which includes some of Europes biggest economies, could enter a contraction within months. Global growth may be as low as 1.5 per cent this year, down from the 2.9 per cent previously forecast, the OECD said on Monday. The think tank, which represents 36 wealthy countries, said Japan could also be tipped into recession. It warned that the Covid-19 virus presented the gravest threat to global economic growth since the financial crisis and could cause a domino scenario where the viruss intense impact on China is mirrored across other advanced nations, severely hitting confidence, travel and spending. 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 Chinas economy will suffer a severe, short-lived downturn, with growth dropping from 6.1 per cent in 2019 to less than 5 per cent this year before recovering in 2021, according to the OECD. The virus risks giving a further blow to a global economy that was already weakened by trade and political tensions, said OECD chief economist Laurence Boone. Governments need to act immediately to contain the epidemic, support the health care system, protect people, shore up demand and provide a financial lifeline to households and businesses that are most affected. To mitigate the economic fallout, employees should be allowed to work from home, the OECD said. It urged governments to step in to support sectors most affected such as travel and tourism, and the car and electronics industries. It also called for central banks to provide extra liquidity to banks so they can help businesses suffering immediate cashflow problems. If the epidemic spreads widely, the G20 economies should lead an internationally coordinated framework for health care support, combined with coordinated fiscal and monetary stimulus to rebuild confidence, the OECDs report said. Amid trade tensions and political uncertainty, Europe and Japan were already growing slowly before the new coronavirus began to spread. The prospect of a pandemic sparked a rapid sell-off on stock markets around the globe last week as investors weighed up the impact of factory shutdowns, cancelled flights and disruption to the supply of goods. The FTSE 100 regained some of the lost ground on Monday morning, trading 1 per cent up on Fridays close. Markets will gain little comfort from the OECDs report or from separate data showing a slump in Chinese manufacturing. Factory activity plunged in February at its fastest rate and to its lowest level on record as anti-virus controls brought some production lines to a standstill. A monthly purchasing managers index released by Caixin magazine fell to 40.3 from Januarys 51.1. A reading below 50 indicates output is shrinking. With many companies and countries reliant on imports of goods from China, the slowdown will begin to impact supplies globally in the coming weeks and months. Coronavirus: Matt hancock refuses to rule out shutting down cities What has the OECD said? Its central or base scenario is that global economic growth will be 2.4 per cent this year, down from the 2.9 per cent it had forecast as recently as November. However, it also warns that the economic impact from coronavirus remains very uncertain and growth could fall much further, to 1.5 per cent this year. Much of this downward revision results from a slowdown in China where factories and cities have been shut down to contain the virus. Countries strongly interconnected with China, such as Japan, Australia and South Korea, will also experience economic damage, the OECD says. The organisation thinks the most likely scenario is that the effects of the virus will fade relatively soon. If the countries most exposed to coronavirus take effective action to mitigate the impact of coronavirus, global growth could rebound to 3.4 per cent next year. What about the domino scenario The OECD says: A longer lasting and more intensive coronavirus outbreak, spreading widely throughout the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and North America, would weaken prospects considerably. In this scenario, economies in Europe and North America will also experience significant economic fallout from the virus. Demand is likely to be significantly hit across much of the world for an extended period, with countries accounting for 70 per cent of global GDP likely to be affected. Other countries may not fully replicate Chinas tough restrictions on movement, but many of the economic impacts are likely to be similar. This would significantly damage confidence, causing heightened uncertainty, while voluntary restraints on travel and commercial and sporting events are all likely to depress spending. On Sunday, the UK health secretary Matt Hancock refused to rule out shutting down cities if the virus spreads widely in the country. Mr Hancock said he would not take anything off the table at this stage when asked about a Wuhan-style quarantine by BBCs Andrew Marr. Theres clearly a huge economic and social downside to that but we dont take anything off the table at this stage because youve got to make sure that you have all of the tools available if that is whats necessary, he said. MADISON, Wis., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Herzing University has announced the appointment of Dr. Jeff Hill as president of its Madison campus, where the healthcare-focused university has offered a variety of career-oriented programs for 50 years. In his new role as Regional Campus President, Hill who started as Kenosha Campus President in 2016 will direct all operations for Herzing's Madison and Kenosha campuses. In Madison, Hill will focus on initiatives designed to enhance student experience, retention and graduation outcomes. He will also strengthen Herzing's relationships with healthcare providers, businesses and community organizations across the Madison area. The Madison campus has degree programs in nursing, healthcare, technology, public safety and business. "I'm excited to continue Herzing's long history of connecting students with rewarding careers in the fastest-growing area of Wisconsin," Hill said. "We will continue to expand our existing employer relationships and identify new opportunities to help Herzing students answer workforce demands and community needs." Hill has more than 15 years of experience in higher education. At Herzing-Kenosha, he focused on improving student success and expanding community partnerships. He is leading the campus's move to downtown Kenosha, which will provide a more modern learning environment for students while positioning the school as an engaging focal point in the community. "Jeff is a proven, community-minded leader who continues to elevate Herzing with his passion for helping individuals reach their full potential," said Herzing University President Renee Herzing. "He'll make sure our students continue to get the support and resources they need to begin and advance their careers in Madison, Kenosha, and everywhere in between." Hill received a Doctor of Education from Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., and an MBA from Westwood College in Denver. Herzing is a transfer-friendly university offering year-round study, flexible schedules, accelerated formats and a personalized approach to education. Herzing's Madison campus became part of Herzing in 1970, when Herzing University acquired the Wisconsin School of Electronics, which has a history dating back to 1948. For more information about Herzing University-Madison, visit the campus at 5218 E. Terrace Drive, during business hours or call 608-807-1909. About Herzing University Herzing University is an accredited, private nonprofit institution with nine campuses across seven states, a continuing education division and an online division. Founded in Milwaukee in 1965, more than 30,000 students have graduated from the University's career-focused and flexible master's, bachelor's, and associate degree, diploma and continuing education programs. Fields of study span nursing, healthcare, technology, business and public safety. From 2013 through 2020, U.S. News & World Report has continually recognized Herzing University as having some of the best online programs nationally. Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission; www.hlcommission.org or (800) 621-7440. More information about Herzing University is available at www.herzing.edu. Contact: Candice Hudson 312-661-1050 [email protected] SOURCE Herzing University Related Links https://www.herzing.edu Fox News is set to broadcast from Houston on Wednesday morning. Poll says: Day before election, many Texans still undecided on Democratic Senate primary The day after Super Tuesday, when most states including Texas hold nominating contests, correspondent Todd Piro will be live from Midtown Bar & Grill at 415 W Gray St. for a segment of "Breakfast with Friends," according to a Monday release. Piro will discuss the results of Super Tuesday, the 2020 election and the news of the day with customers. The segment will be featured on the "Fox & Friends" show, which airs at 5 a.m. weekdays on the Fox News Channel. Early voting turnout surges: Democrats gain ground on GOP amid blockbuster Texas turnout Marcy de Luna is a reporter. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna. Holding placards and shouting slogans, the TMC MPs said that the issue will be raised very strongly in Parliament New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs will stage a dharna on Monday demanding answers from the government on the Delhi riots near the Gandhi statue in Parliament on the first day of the second half of the Budget Session. Holding placards and shouting slogans, the MPs said that the issue will be raised very strongly in Parliament. At least 42 people died and more than 200 were injured during the communal riots in northeast Delhi. Opposition MPs have also given notice in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the Delhi riots. Those who gave notice include Congress' NK Premachandran (RSP), PK Kunjalikutty (Muslim League), Elamarom Kareem (CPM), Binoy Vishwam (CPI). TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched 'Banglar Gorbo Mamata' (Bengal's pride Mamata), a public outreach campaign to connect with more than 2.5 crore people and get the party battle-ready for the upcoming civic polls and the 2021 state assembly elections. Over 75,000 party leaders, big and small, and five lakhs party cadres would fan out across the state during the 75-day programme that kicked off on March 2 and will conclude on May 10. "The aim of the programme is to further reinvigorate the party's communication and engagement with people at all levels. All leaders and workers should sincerely participate in the campaign," Banerjee said at its launch. According to TMC sources, the campaign is aimed at celebrating the political journey of Banerjee and projecting her as a "fierce protector and guardian" of the ideals of justice, liberty, equality and faternity enshrined in the Constitution. "We will also celebrate her as a passionate proponent and true custodian of Bengal's culture, dignity and pride. It will be a reaffirmation of people faith and trust in her... that she is the leader who is working tirelessly to restore Bengal's past glory and steer it towards a prosperous future," a TMC leader, who preferred not to be identified, said. Like the "Didi Ke Bolo" (tell Didi) campaign, the new programme is also a brainchild of poll strategist Prashant Kishor and his team- I-PAC. According to TMC sources, the decision was taken following the "massive" response to the three-phase 'Didi Ke Bolo' initiative, which provided a platform to people to approach Banerjee for redress of their grievances. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, however, mocked the programme, calling the TMC a "sinking ship". "The TMC is a lost case in Bengal. Only TMC leaders think Mamata is their pride not the people," he said. According to TMC sources, the campaign will help energise the party for the municipal elections and lay the groundwork for the assembly polls. Elections to 107 municipalities and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), to be held this year, are being dubbed as "mini assembly elections". Banerjee had in July last year launched a helpline number and a website as part of an outreach programme suggested by Kishor, whom the party appointed an adviser after Lok Sabha poll reverses. The programme had received encouraging response with more than 10 lakh people recording their grievances in the first month alone, party sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) His perception changed about who he wanted to be, Laws said Monday. She noted her son had cried while standing cuffed on the Metro platform and then became embarrassed. He was a very proud boy, she said. It was hard to get him to open up. He didnt want anyone to see him as weak. The incident kind of broke him. . . . It made him really closed. He lost all respect for authority, to the point where you really couldnt touch him. Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak discussed a prisoner swap with Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of Russia Dmitry Kozak at a meeting in Minsk. "During the meeting, the parties discussed the issue of the mutual release of detained persons in all-for-all format, agreed on by the Normandy format leaders at the meeting in Paris in December 2019," the Office of the President of Ukraine posted on Telegram. Yermak, in particular, indicated his intention to conduct the next swap in March. The parties underscored the need to continue negotiations in order to fully implement the agreements reached during the Normandy format summit. Representatives of Ukrainian and Russian delegations also took part in the negotiations. As reported, the President of France, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, the President of the Russian Federation and the President of Ukraine at the Normandy format summit in Paris on December 9, in particular, agreed that the parties would take measures to encourage the Trilateral Contact Group to contribute to the release and exchange of the conflict-related prisoners in the all-for-all format by the end of the year beginning with "all identified for all identified" with the understanding that the international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), will be given full and unconditional access to all detained persons. The participants in the Trilateral Contact Group reached an agreement during a videoconference on December 23 on the conduct of the prisoner swap by the end of the year. On December 29, the prisoner swap took place at the Mayorske entry-exit checkpoint in Donetsk region. Seventy-six captives returned to the government-controlled territory of Ukraine. Four people held captive in the occupied Donbas refused to be exchanged. ol ATLANTA, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT), founded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is honoring leaders with the 2020 80% In Every Community National Achievement Award, given in recognition of distinguished, ongoing efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening rates across the United States. Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States and the second most common cause of cancer deaths when men and women are combined. "Regular colorectal cancer screening is one of the most powerful weapons for preventing colorectal cancer," said Richard Wender, MD, ACS chief cancer control officer, and NCCRT chair. "With regular screening, most polyps can be found and removed before they have the chance to turn into cancer. Screening can also find colorectal cancer early, when it's small and easier to treat. So, we are honored to recognize the dedication of these community leaders that share our goal of increasing the number of people that have access to life-saving colorectal cancer screening." 80% in Every Community is an NCCRT initiative that works with community health centers, health plans, hospitals, health systems, employers, and others to reach 80% colorectal cancer screening rates nationally. Nearly 1,800 organizations have signed a pledge to make this goal a priority. The 80% In Every Community National Achievement Award includes one grand prize winner and five other honorees. Each receives a monetary award to be used to support continued efforts to increase screening for colorectal cancer. This year's recipients include The University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL; Representative Fred Allen, Little Rock, AR; Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Norton Sound Health Corporation, Nome, AK; North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Union City, NJ; and North Dakota Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, Bismarck, ND. Award winners will be recognized during the annual NCCRT Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Webcast on March 5 at 2:00 pm ET featuring Dr. Wender and other guests celebrating the successes of the 80% in Every Community initiative and sharing more about colorectal cancer screening. Register to attend the live webcast and learn more about increasing colorectal cancer screening rates. More details about this year's recipients: $3,000 Grand Prize Winner: Category: Employer The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is the state of Alabama's largest employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center. Its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs are consistently ranked among the nation's top 50. In 2016, UAB Medicine and UAB Employee Wellness began partnering with the American Cancer Society to increase colorectal cancer screening and awareness among the university's 23,000 employees. These efforts led to the Love Your Bum, Get it Screened campaign, a creative and multifaceted campaign with screening events including an inflatable walk-through colon, lunch and learns with physician presentations, educational videos highlighting UAB leadership, contests, and screening and awareness messages on employee websites and social media. As a result, colorectal cancer screening among UAB employees enrolled in a medical plan has increased from 54% in 2014 to 68% in 2019. $1,000 Honoree: Category: Policy Maker/Elected Leader Representative Fred Allen, Little Rock, AR Representative Fred Allen is a fifth term legislator in the Arkansas State House of Representatives. As a stage IV prostate cancer survivor, Representative Allen understands how important it is to have access to timely, quality cancer screening, diagnostic follow up, and treatment. However, as of 2014, colorectal cancer screening in Arkansas ranked 46th in the nation despite being one of 12 states with a cluster of counties experiencing significantly high death rates from colorectal cancer. As a result, Representative Allen partnered with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to lead a legislative effort to improve access and funding for colorectal cancer screening in Arkansas. Act 655, signed into law on April 2, 2019, established the Arkansas Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative and provides $500,000 in new funding for colorectal cancer screening, education, diagnostic, and treatment services with priority given to uninsured and underinsured individuals across the state. $1,000 Honoree: Category: Cancer Center Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX The NCI-designated Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (DLDCCC) at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, engages with community partners to improve access to cancer screening and prevention among the medically underserved. In collaboration with Harris Health System, a safety net healthcare provider, and community clinics, the DLDCCC implements multi-level interventions to increase cancer screening and primary prevention. Its colorectal cancer screening program includes community outreach, culturally and linguistically tailored educational materials, point-of-care patient education videos, patient navigation services, and provider and staff training. Since 2010, DLDCCC has achieved an over 250% increase in the proportion of age-eligible patients who complete a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) at Harris Health. In 2018, DLDCCC navigated 5,422 patients with an abnormal FIT to diagnostic follow-up, educated 21,686 patients about colorectal cancer screening, and distributed FIT kits and instruction sheets to 74,583 patients. Through its Community Theater program, the DLDCCC raises awareness about cancer screening and early detection at community venues in medically underserved areas. $1,000 Honoree: Category: Community Health Center Norton Sound Health Corporation, Nome, AK Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC) is a tribally owned and operated healthcare organization serving 20 tribes in the Bering Strait region, a 44,000 square-mile section of northwestern Alaska. The Alaska Native population that NSHC serves has significantly higher colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates compared with national averages. NSHC patients also experience significant barriers to screening; most patients live below 200% of the Federal Poverty level, many communities are only accessible by airplane, and five villages do not have running water or sewer. Despite these challenges, NSHC has been able to increase colorectal cancer screening rates from 7% in 2013 to 70.5% in 2019. NSHC proactively identifies patients in need of screening, offers patients a choice of screening tests, provides stool tests with no out of pocket costs, offers colonoscopy screening each month in the Nome clinic, and coordinates all of the necessary arrangements including travel, housing, food, and escorts for patients that need to travel for a colonoscopy. $1,000 Honoree: Category: Community Health Center North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Union City, NJ North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) is the largest health center in New Jersey with 10 delivery sites located in Hudson, Bergen and Passaic counties. NHCAC, a certified Patient Centered Medical Home, has made colorectal cancer screening a priority across its health centers which serve over 86,000 predominately Hispanic/Latino patients. After receiving an American Cancer Society grant to accelerate the existing work that the health center was doing to increase colorectal cancer screening in 2014, NHCAC implemented a number of evidence-based systems changes, including patient navigation, patient and provider reminders, and reduction of structural barriers including transportation and client costs. Screening eligible patients also received a screening recommendation at all health center visits, including dental and behavior health, to avoid critical, missed opportunities. As a result, NHCAC reached an 84% screening rate in 2018, achieving the 80% goal and dramatically improving access to quality preventative care for the community they serve. $1,000 Honoree: Category: Cancer Coalition/State Roundtable North Dakota Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, Bismarck, ND The North Dakota Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NDCCRT), co-led by the American Cancer Society and the North Dakota Department of Health, is a statewide coalition of organizations dedicated to reducing the incidence of and mortality from colorectal cancer in North Dakota, through coordinated leadership and strategic planning. Prior to the NDCCRT's formation in 2015, North Dakota had some of the lowest screening rates in the nation. With participation from numerous partners, including community health centers, health plans, integrated delivery systems, the primary care association, the Tribal Chairmen's Health Board, the Indian Health Services, and the North Dakota Medical Association, NDCCRT partners have worked together to forge a coordinated, collaborative, and focused prioritization of colorectal cancer screening across the state. Coordinated activities focused on provider education, public awareness, and access to care. Colorectal cancer screening in North Dakota has increased from 58% in 2012 to 67% in 2018, making it one of the most improved states in the nation. To learn more about the NCCRT, and the 80% In Every Community initiative, visit https://nccrt.org/. SOURCE American Cancer Society Related Links www.cancer.org Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana whose presidential campaign made strides in early primary states, is ending his bid for the Democratic nomination. Mr Buttigieg told supporters of his decision on Sunday evening, after a campaign aide had earlier confirmed his intention to drop out of the race for the White House. He rose to prominence as the first openly gay candidate to seek the presidency, scoring a virtual tie with Bernie Sanders in Iowa and a strong finish in New Hampshire. But Mr Buttigieg then slipped to third place in the Nevada caucus and barely registered with black voters in South Carolina, failing to capture a key demographic vital for the success of a Democratic nominee in the diverse electorates in crucial high-delegate states on Tuesday. Speaking in South Bend, Mr Buttigieg said he entered the race in order to bring a certain set of values to the White House. "And so we must recognise that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our nation together," he said. "So tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency." 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 His absence could give a boost to Joe Biden as the leading moderate, or to Michael Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren, as Sanders' opponents hope to edge him out of his lead and give his rivals enough votes to make them eligible for delegates - if Mr Sanders isn't their second choice. Following an unsuccessful bid to chair the Democratic National Convention in 2017, Mr Buttigieg attracted significant media attention with his entry into the race, where the Afghan War veteran and Harvard and Oxford graduate was heralded as a moderate underdog. But the former mayor was scrutinised for his controversies within his police department and his work with consulting firm McKinsey & Co, as well as significant backing from the health industry as he promoted a healthcare plan that took aim at Mr Sanders' vision of Medicare for All. The campaign made a big advertising splash in South Carolina, second only to Tom Steyer, who made a third-place finish but dropped out of the race that night. Ms Warren, who fell to fifth place in the state, after back-to-back fourth-place finishes, remains in the race. Mr Buttigieg had been scheduled to head to Texas from Alabama, where he joined other candidates to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday. His campaign then quietly announced a detour to Indiana, where he confirmed his decision to step aside. In a statement earlier to The Independent, the campaign said that Mr Buttigieg "believes this is the right thing to do for our country, for our party and for Americans across the country eager to heal our divided nation, defeat this president and work to fix our broken politics." There was a time before on-demand viewing and internet streaming when fans of a television show felt the crushing disappointment of having to wait a whole week to find out what happened to their favorite characters after a cliffhanger. In 2012, the term binge-watching became popular and changed the way people watched television. Binge-watching, according to the MacMillan Dictionary blog, is the act of watching TV for an extended period of time, e.g. several episodes of a series. The best setting for binge-watching, in this writers opinion, is on a comfortable couch, with an array of snacks nearby, over a weekend in which the viewer has canceled all other plans in order to complete the task. The term was borrowed from the phrases binge-eating and binge-drinking, and is most commonly associated with Netflix, which helped popularize it. The streaming service also coined binge-racer, a variation on binge-watcher. A binge-racer is a viewer who aims to finish a full season of a show within 24 hours of its release. Another opinion: If you are a binge-racer, be sure to add a catheter to your list of things to have handy to avoid interruptions in your rather intense TV viewing, and stay hydrated. Buddha takes up a lot of space in Simon Goh's life and in his new restaurant, Buddha Love, at Darling Square. "Everyone says he's taking up too much room and that I should have more tables," laughs Goh. The three-metre high, round-bellied "laughing buddha" statue, last seen at Goh's Temple of Love in Darling Harbour nearly 20 years ago, happily eats up space that could fit another 25 diners. Enlightenment isn't necessarily good for business. Goh is returning to a smaller, simpler version of his endlessly reincarnated formula, born in 1988 in Melbourne's Prahran. Chinta Ria Jazz combined curry laksa and roti flatbread with a jazz playlist inspired by his moonlight gig as a jazz radio DJ. Since then, he's done Chinta Ria Soul, Chinta Ria R & B, Chinta Blues, Blue Chillies, Chinta Ria Temple of Love, Chinta Ria Mood for Love, Sassys Red, Chinta Kechil, Ella Blues, and now Buddha Love. The wok-scorchy, lup cheong-loaded char kway teow. Credit:Wolter Peeters In fact, this small, cute canteen takes me right back to the original. With Wayne Finschi's bold primary colours across piles of noodle bowls, metal-framed chairs and wooden tables, it's like some sort of Golden Gumnuts daycare for people who love Malaysian food. And Ella Fitzgerald, of course, is in the house. Darling Square has more than its fair share of smartly fitted-out modern Asians Tan Viet, Hello Auntie, Dopa by Devon, Bau Truong, Lilong, Mr Bao and XOPP, to name a few and you can lunch around here very nicely for $15. Buddha Love joins the fray with its nasi lemak ($15) and a wok-scorchy char kway teow ($14) of flat rice noodles tossed with bean shoots, fish cake and frizzled lup cheong sausage. A rich, coconut-creamy seafood curry laksa is fine ($18) although I'm not mad about the prawns. Chicken laksa ($15) might be a better choice. Kevin Costner, eat your heart out. New research shows that the early Earth, home to some of our planet's first lifeforms, may have been a real-life "waterworld"-- without a continent in sight. The study, which appears March 2 in Nature Geoscience, takes advantage of a quirk of hydrothermal chemistry to suggest that the surface of Earth was likely covered by a global ocean 3.2 billion years ago. It may even have looked a bit like the post-apocalyptic, and land-free, future imagined in Costner's infamous film Waterworld. The group's findings could help scientists to better understand how and where single-cell organisms first emerged on Earth, said Boswell Wing, a coauthor of the research. "The history of life on Earth tracks available niches," said Wing, an associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. "If you've got a waterworld, a world covered by ocean, then dry niches are just not going to be available." The study also feeds into an ongoing debate over what ancient Earth may have looked like: Was the planet much hotter than it is today? "There was seemingly no way forward on that debate," said lead author Benjamin Johnson, who conducted the research during a postdoctoral position in Wing's lab at CU Boulder. "We thought that trying something different might be a good idea." A crazy place For him and Wing, that something different centered around a geologic site called the Panorama district located deep in Northwestern Australia's outback. "Today, there are these really scrubby and rolling hills that are cut through by dry river beds," said Johnson, now an assistant professor at Iowa State University in Ames. "It's a crazy place." It's also the resting spot for a 3.2 billion-year-old chunk of ocean crust that's been turned on its side. In the span of a day at Panorama, you can walk across what used to be the hard, outer shell of the planet--all the way from the base of that crust to the spots where water once bubbled up through the seafloor via hydrothermal vents. The researchers saw it as one-of-a-kind opportunity to pick up clues about the chemistry of ocean water from billions of years ago. "There are no samples of really ancient ocean water lying around, but we do have rocks that interacted with that seawater and remembered that interaction," Johnson said. The process, he explained, is like analyzing coffee grounds to gather information about the water that poured through it. To do that, the researchers analyzed data from more than 100 rock samples from across the dry terrain. They were looking, in particular, for two different flavors--or "isotopes"--of oxygen trapped in stone: a slightly heavier atom called Oxygen-18 and a lighter one called Oxygen-16. The duo discovered that the ratio of those two isotopes of oxygen may have been a bit off in seawater 3.2 billion years ago--with just a smidge more Oxygen-18 atoms than you'd see today. "Though these mass differences seem small, they are super sensitive," Wing said. Lost at sea Sensitive, it turns out, to the presence of continents. Wing explained that today's land masses are covered by clay-rich soils that disproportionately take up heavier oxygen isotopes from the water--like mineral vacuums for Oxygen-18. The team theorized that the most likely explanation for that excess Oxygen-18 in the ancient oceans was that there simply weren't any soil-rich continents around to suck the isotopes up. That doesn't mean, however, that there weren't any spots of dry land around. "There's nothing in what we've done that says you can't have teeny, micro-continents sticking out of the oceans," Wing said. "We just don't think that there were global-scale formation of continental soils like we have today." Which leaves a big question: When did plate tectonics push up the chunks of rock that would eventually become the continents we know and love? Wing and Johnson aren't sure. But they're planning to scour other, younger rock formations at sites from Arizona to South Africa to see if they can spot when land masses first roared onto the scene. "Trying to fill that gap is really important," Johnson said. For now, Costner may want to start planning the prequel. ### "We believe the intrinsic differences women bring to the construction side of our business make us not only a stronger organization, but also a better homebuilder," said Charissa Wagner, Senior Vice President of People Development and Operations. "While no two people are the same, women are often naturally communicative, empathic with our buyers, and possess strong attention to detailall excellent qualities to find in a construction professional." According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationally, women account for 47 percent of total employment yet make up only 9 percent of the construction industrya number that has remained largely the same for the last quarter of a century. Taylor Morrison, however, boasts nearly equal male-to-female workforce representation and women touch every single aspect of the business. In recent years, the company has observed more and more women choosing construction roles. Taylor Morrison currently employs 47 women in construction-specific roles across all marketsa 34 percent increase year over year with hopes of continuing to increase these numbers in years to come. The uptick may be attributed to the company's recruitment and people development philosophy of ensuring the very best talentregardless of genderis chosen for each role. This has led to the company earning a reputation for advancing gender equality, evidenced by their inclusion in Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index in 2019 and 2020. The increase of women in construction roles may also be attributed to the presence of Taylor Morrison Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheryl Palmerwho serves as a role model for women across the industryand who remembers her start as a woman in a male-dominated field and sponsors advancing women's equality. In honor of Women in Construction Week, Taylor Morrison spoke with women who work in various construction roles across the company. Sarasota, Florida, Assistant Superintendent Jessica Percel said Taylor Morrison was her first choice for homebuilders to work for due to Palmer's leadership and the company's dedication to women's empowerment. Percel was recently honored at the 2020 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas as the National Association of Home Builders' 'Young Professional of the Year' and is active in several local construction groups and associations including the Professional Women in Building group in Florida. Percel's advice to young women considering a career in construction is, "Just do it. Find what you're passionate about and go for it. No one is going to stop you." Corporate Director of Field Operations Jennifer Sutton began her career in homebuilding nearly two decades ago in a hard hatand since then, she has also worked on the purchasing and sales sides of the business. In her current role, Sutton oversees the systems and applications for Taylor Morrison construction teams nationwide. "My experience working in the field as a superintendent is what fuels my passion for improving technology and building efficiencies for our construction teams," Sutton said. Austin, Texas, Superintendent Michelle Pope's first brush with construction was at the age of 15 when she assisted her uncle on different job sites throughout Texas. Pope says she was born mechanically inclinedalways intrigued by construction materials, tools and the assembly of things. Two years ago, Pope was hit with a string of personal tragedies when her father, mother and significant other passed away, but she finds strength in building. "Every day is a new adventure. I get up, I get dressed and I'm glad I can build things. Building homes has always made me happyI think it's one of the greatest things in the world," Pope said. From cabinetry to concrete to custom homebuilding, construction runs in Denver, Colorado, Superintendent Amber Fitzsimon's family. Initially on a path to a criminal justice career, Fitzsimon switched gears to work in the office of her father's custom cabinetry businessdoing data entry and purchasing. It was then that she realized construction was calling her name. "Being in the fieldboots in the trenchesand physically seeing and touching the project I'm working on is just moving to me," Fitzsimon said. About Taylor Morrison Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (NYSE: TMHC) is a leading national homebuilder and developer that has been recognized as the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 America's Most Trusted Home Builder by Lifestory Research. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona we operate under two well-established brands, Taylor Morrison and Darling Homes. We serve a wide array of consumer groups from coast to coast, including first-time, move-up, luxury, and 55 plus buyers. In Texas, Darling Homes builds communities with a focus on individuality and custom detail while delivering on the Taylor Morrison standard of excellence. Sources https://www.bls.gov/cps/tables.htm CONTACT: Alice Giedraitis (480) 840-8137 [email protected] SOURCE Taylor Morrison Related Links www.taylormorrison.com Ho Chi Minh City has an incredibly diverse urban cultural heritage, accumulated over more than 300 years of development. Notre Dame Cathedral in HCM City These heritages have the potential to become main tourism products, playing an important role in the preservation and development of the citys unique values and culture. There are more than 170 historical sites listed in Ho Chi Minh city, showing the early beginnings and development of Vietnams largest economic hub and the experience of generations of local residents. The citys most prominent historical sites include the Reunification Palace, the Cu Chi Tunnels, and the Dragon Wharf. There are nearly 1,000 temples and pagodas in HCM city, many of which have existed for over 100 years like Linh Son pagoda and Sac Tu Truong Tho pagoda. According to the municipal department of tourism, the city welcomed more than 8.6 million foreign visitors and more than 32 million domestic visitors last year. Most tourists prefer famous landmarks like the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, the Municipal Theatre, the Reunification Palace, Ben Thanh Market, and Nguyen Hue walking street to historical sites. Nguyen Thi Hong Phuong, a tourist from Ha Long, said she wanted to visit these historical sites but little information about them is available. "Before visiting Ho Chi Minh city, I researched online information but couldnt find much about its historical sites. This information should be put online or be made available some other way to reach interested tourists," said Phuong. The Secret Weapons Cellar in Ho Chi Minh City's District 3 Doctor Nguyen Duc Hiep is a member of the Office of Environment and Heritage in New South Wales, Australia, and author of a series about old HCM City, formerly known as Sai Gon. The book series includes Sai Gon Cho Lon, History as Described from Documents Before 1945 and Sai Gon Cho Lon, Memories of A City and Its People. Hiep said the best way to promote Ho Chi Minh citys historical sites is through stories, which give visitors the feelings of being part of the community. Its also necessary to have billboards or signposts marking the historical sites, providing basic information that visitors can understand, added Hiep. "We can mark certain landmarks visited by famous people. This is a very popular way to promote tourism in many other culturally rich cities. For example, certain landmarks in France have signs that say Ho Chi Minh lived here. A city should appreciate not only its local inhabitants, but also every outstanding person that spent time there," said Hiep. Heritage is an important non-renewable resource, accumulating cultural and political value as time passes. This can be turned into long term economic value for the whole community, not for a single person or group. VOV Relics of 1,000-year-old temple architecture found in Tay Ninh The Southern Institute of Social Sciences Centre for Archeological Studies has recently discovered vestiges of an ancient temple architecture dating back to over 1,000 years ago in Tay Ninh Province. Taliban Peace Deal Paves Way For a US 'Power Competition' With China Pentagon Chief Sputnik News 22:23 GMT 01.03.2020 On Saturday, the Qatari capital of Doha witnessed the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban movement that envisages a timetable for the US to withdraw some 13,000 troops from Afghanistan. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper is reportedly treating the peace deal signed on Saturday with the Taliban as chance for the US to focus more directly on a potential future conflict with China. After reaching a deal with the movement to the longest war in US history - 19 years - Esper will reportedly be able to bring US troops home and focus on a "great power competition" with China and Russia. The US Defence Secretary, during a joint declaration with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul, said that reducing US troops levels in Afghanistan to zero is Washington's "ultimate objective", though he noted that the Trump administration "will not hesitate" to respond to "terrorist threats" endangering the safety of the US or its allies. Washington's deal with the Taliban movement opens doors for Esper to achieve plans he earlier revealed in a previous announcement noting his willingness to reduce US troop levels in Afghanistan even if no agreement was made with the Taliban. The secretary revealed at the time that he "would like to do that because what [they] want to do is reallocate forces to" the Asia-Pacific region. "All of these places where I can free up troops where I could either bring them home to allow them to rest and refit and retrain or/and then reallocate them (to the Asia-Pacific region) to compete with the Chinese, to reassure our allies, to conduct exercises and training," Esper said at the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum in December 2019. Esper reportedly seeks to bring home as many troops as possible to prepare them for potential warfare with Beijing, as Washington attempts to stay a step ahead of China and Russia in battlefield tech, including in space and the development of strategic weapons including hypersonic missiles and advanced nuclear weapons. The US-Taliban deal suggests a gradual withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan. The first phase seeks to slim US forces down to 8,600 in the first 135 days following the deal's ratification. Residual US forces will pull out over the next nine-and-a-half months, and all military bases will be abandoned. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Special Cell of Delhi Police's Cyber Wing has identified around 70 Twitter accounts which were used to circulate posts aimed at disturbing communal harmony in North East Delhi from between February 20-February 25. The Special Cell has sought details of these accounts from Twitter for further investigation. The Special Cell has also identified some other social media platforms, including Facebook, which were used to circulate hate messages to fan communal violence in North East Delhi. The Cyber Wing is also probing accounts of some social media platforms in connection with this case. Meanwhile, Intelligence agencies have exposed a conspiracy to spread riots in the national capital using students in Hyderabad, who are being instructed to post fake messages on social media to spread rumours, sources told Zee Media. According to the report, Intelligence agencies have also prepared the list of fake messages which have been used to spread rumours. One Intelligence official told Zee Media that students from Hyderabad are being used to spread such messages. These students are being instructed to post upload or post messages using a particular hashtag. The hashtag which are being used to spread fake messages like #ShaheenBagh, #DelhiPoliceMurders, #JusticeforFaizan, along with other hashtags include #AAPsharamkaro, #AmitShahResign, #AmitShahIstifaDo, #DelhiPogrom, #DelhiViolence2020, and #GoBackAmitShah. The attempt is to make these hashtags trend on social media platforms. The agencies have also said that Pakistan's official twitter handle was also being used to hatch a conspiracy to instigate Muslims in India. Zee Media has come to know about several such fake messages that are being used to spread rumours. The 73-year old woman suffered a shrapnel wound after the attack with the use of 120 mm mortar Open source An attack on residential quarters of Krasnohorivka, Donetsk region resulted in an injury, as a local civilian was wounded after a mine explosion. This is reported on the Facebook page of the Joint Forces Operation HQ. "The enemy shot to kill, hitting the houses of peaceful residents with the use of 120 mm mortars, being perfectly aware that the attacks will pose a threat to life and health of the civilian population. One female resident was wounded with the fragments of window glass, shattered by the explosive wave (...)", reads the message. The HQ reported that such actions show that the militants were interested in further escalation in eastern Ukraine. The Joint Forces used the allowed weapons that were at their disposal so as to prevent any armed provocations. The return fire proved effective; enemy casualties are being specified. The attack occurred at about 7 a.m. The criminal case was opened on the respective article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The punishment foresees from five to ten years behind the bars. Manila, March 2 : The Philippine police ended a 10-hour hostage incident in Metro Manila on Monday, convincing the gunman to free all the hostages and surrender himself to the authorities. Around 30 people taken hostage by the gunman were released and left the V-Mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila. The hostage-taker -- identified as Archie Paray, a former security guard of the mall, exited the building later and surrendered to the policemen around 8.18 p.m. Paray, who had a pistol and grenades, agreed to leave his weapons in the shopping mall, Xinhua reported. The hostage-taker was allowed to speak to the public after he left the building but policemen tackled him from behind while he was airing his grievances before the media and authorities, and arrested him. Criminal charges are expected to be filed against him. The 32-year-old hostage-taker entered the mall in the up-scale district in Manila around 10 a.m., shot and wounded a mall guard and took around 30 people, mostly employees of the mall, as hostages inside the mall's administration office. The wounded victim was sent to a nearby hospital and in stable condition. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and the management of the shopping mall confirmed that Paray is a disgruntled former security guard who was fired from his job. An initial investigation from the city administration and police showed the hostage-taker has been unsatisfied with his layoff, which may be the motivation of his move. Shortly after Paray held people hostage, policemen locked down the shopping mall and asked the mall-goers to stay away from the area. The authorities and policemen then started to negotiate with the hostage-taker in the afternoon while dozens of heavily-armed special policemen were deployed and surrounded the mall. Just under a month ago, as Democrats scrambled to certify results in the Iowa caucuses after an election app went on the fritz, Pete Buttigieg stood before a crowd in the Hawkeye State and thanked those voters for making history. It would be a while before those results were actually in, but Mr Buttigieg and his campaign were confident that he had won and he did win the most delegates in the state, propelling the campaign of a 38-year-old with scant political experience forward as a front-runner in the Democratic nomination for president. Oh, how quickly things can change: on Sunday, Mr Buttigieg rerouted his plane to his home town of South Bend, Indiana. And, there, just weeks after that triumphant showing just two states to the west, Mr Buttigieg suspended his campaign. The decision marked the latest scramble in a tumultuous primary season that saw Mr Buttigieg go from winner to loser quite fast, with the man who came in fourth place in Iowa, Joe Biden, rising to the top of the moderate field following a decisive win in South Carolina. So, what will it mean that a once leading candidate has now suddenly dropped out? Heres what you need to know. 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 Where he wants his votes to go In announcing his withdrawal from the race, Mr Buttigieg said that he did not see a viable path towards victory in the Democratic race, but gave some suggestion as to what he would like his supporters to do now that hes gone. He spoke of unity in the effort to defeat Donald Trump. His aides later said he did not want to be a spoiler. But an adviser also told Reuters that he was dropping out in large part because he believed staying in the race could help Bernie Sanders, the current front-runner, to run away with the election. So, conventional wisdom would point to Mr Biden as the likely candidate, after his strong showing in South Carolina not to mention Michael Bloombergs horrible debate performances that has signalled to many within the moderate arm of the Democratic Party that hes the guy to coalesce around. Where they will actually go This is a big question, especially with just a day (as of this writing) until voters head to the polls in Super Tuesday states (in many cases, early votes may have already been cast). Its hard to say with certainty, even, if Mr Bidens decisive victory in South Carolina on Saturday will tip the scales much. Still, while its hard to say with certainty where his supporters might go, the absence of Mr Buttigieg has the very real chance of helping several candidates across the country, and hurting Mr Sanders. Thats because many of the leading alternatives to Mr Sanders are flirting with the 15 per cent viability mark that is necessary to win delegates in state and congressional contests. (Mr Sanders, meanwhile, has less to worry about on that front and it is highly likely that he passes that threshold in virtually all of the 14 states to vote on Tuesday). That means that Buttigieg supporters could help Elizabeth Warren, Mr Biden, Mr Bloomberg or even Amy Klobuchar to push past that threshold, and keep Mr Sanders from being the only candidate to receive delegates. Pete Buttigieg says if Trump loses election and refuses to leave White House, he could do chores Heres who Buttigieg supporters have said are their second-choice candidates Its worth remembering that voting blocs arent monoliths, and ideological purities arent necessarily the only factor for how voters might rank their candidates. By and large, voters have said beating Donald Trump in November is their biggest concern so a relative progressive like Ms Warren might attract Buttigieg supporters in much the same way that relative moderates like Mr Biden or Ms Klobuchar might. There are six contenders in the race now. According to a recent Quinnipiac poll released last month, Ms Klobuchar is the second choice for a good 26 per cent of Buttigieg voters, which makes her tied with Ms Warren, who also was named by 26 per cent of Buttigieg supporters as their second choice. Behind those two were Mr Biden, at 19 per cent, and then Mr Sanders, at 11 per cent. Mr Bloomberg was the second choice for just 9 per cent of Buttigieg voters. But, polls vary. A Morning Consult poll released in February, for instance, found Ms Warren to be the second choice for 19 per cent of Buttigieg voters, Mr Biden as second choice for 19 per cent of those voters as well, and Mr Sanders as second choice for 21 per cent of those voters. Another 17 per cent said Mr Bloomberg was their second choice in that poll. Ms Klobuchar was not listed. Pete Buttigieg is asked for advice on coming out as gay by 9-year-old What about the 'money primary'? One astounding aspect of Mr Buttigieg's campaign was that he attracted the kinds of high dollar donors that have become mainstays of most major presidential campaigns in recent elections (Mr Sanders, and, to a lesser degree, Ms Warren are something of outliers on that front). And, through those massive fundraising totals, Mr Buttigieg was able to remain competitive with $24.7m raised in just the final months of 2019. So, who might benefit from his departure? Well, at least one influential Democratic donor aligned with Mr Buttigieg, Orin Kramer, has already indicated he's backing Mr Biden, which is a move other donors are reportedly considering, according to the Wall Street Journal. What's next for Mr Buttigieg Now that he has dropped out of the race, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend has been heralded by columnists as a keen political talent, and one with a bright future in Democratic politics. In the near term, he will likely be considering who to endorse in the Democratic race, assuming he hasn't decided who to throw his weight behind already. Mr Biden's campaign would certainly be hoping for that kind of recognition. He has set himself up quite well for potential a high level appointment in a future Democratic administration. His supporters chanted "2024" when he dropped out of the race. Others have suggested he may have to wait a bit until the 2030s for that kind of presidential chance. Fourth-grade teacher Erin Zarzycki discusses civic responsibility with her class at Eleanor Rush Elementary in Cinnaminson on Feb. 21, 2020. Read more Students in Erin Zarzyckis fourth-grade class want New Jersey to have an official beverage and have persuaded their local lawmakers to back their proposal making cranberry juice a state symbol. They turned a history lesson at Eleanor Rush Intermediate School in Cinnaminson into a civics project. They became lobbyists, writing letters and visiting the Statehouse to learn how a bill becomes a law. They also got a tough lesson in politics when the bill stalled. I think it has a good chance, said Andrew Kenney, 9. The class won over State Sen. Troy Singleton (D., Burlington) and Assemblywoman Carol Murphy (D., Burlington), who introduced bills in November. But the legislative session ended in January without a vote on the bills. Now, the legislation has been reintroduced, and the fourth graders are optimistic it will eventually land on the desk of Gov. Phil Murphy, who could sign it and designate cranberry juice as the state beverage to celebrate New Jerseys cranberry-growing heritage. This is their bill. Im just the vehicle, said Murphy. Their involvement is extremely important for the issues of this bill. READ MORE: New Jerseys cranberry kings hope surpluses and tariffs dont bog them down During a lesson on state symbols, the Rush elementary students were surprised to learn that the state doesnt have a state beverage. They began brainstorming and soon rejected tomato juice because they didnt think that would be popular. They turned down blueberry juice, too. The bill credits the schools fourth graders for their advocacy. Murphy recently sponsored a bill by a Voorhees girl that established a state muffin blueberry cheesecake. Laws designating the blueberry as the state fruit and Hadrosaurus foulkii as the state dinosaur were proposed by students. During a recent class, Zarzycki and special education teacher Jillian Watson provided an update on the bill. The class has been carefully tracking the bill, which was assigned a new number when it was introduced again. Zarzycki cautioned that the governor could veto the measure if it is approved by lawmakers. But, noted 10-year-old Madison Danowski, they can override it. In their pitch to the lawmakers, the class conducted research about cranberries, which grow in sandy bogs in the Pinelands. Growers harvested 51.2 million pounds of cranberries on 3,100 acres in 2018. New Jersey ranks third in the country, with a crop production value of $15.8 million. The tart berry is native to North America and was grown first by the Lenni-Lenape people of South Jersey, who used it in remedies, foods, and drinks. Most of the cranberries harvested in the state are sold to the Ocean Spray Cooperative, which is composed of more than 700 growers and which produces bottled cranberry juice and cranberry sauce. READ MORE: Good news for wild blueberries in faltering No. 1 state Zarzycki said she was proud of her class for its commitment. The group hopes to return to the Statehouse for a bill signing, she said. Were going to win this one. Were going all out, she said. You know what you did two summers ago. Thats because you took notes: where you were, your thoughts and hopes, observations and desires. Someday, those words could set someone on a new path in life because journals have meaning. In "The Lost Diary of M" by Paul Wolfe, one womans diary could have worldwide impacts. Mary Pinchot Meyer met Jack at a college dance in 1936, and she never forgot him. But, of course, she was just Mary Pinchot then. She wasnt yet married, wasnt divorced, wasnt the mother of three sons, or a painter, or a Washington socialite. ADVERTISEMENT And he wasnt the president of the United States. She wasnt in his bed then, either, but that changed in 1961 when they reconnected at a White House function. There he was, that big grin, trying to seduce her, his wife just across the room. Mary always wondered if Jackie knew when she joined Jackies husband in the Lincoln Bedroom. She wondered if anyone knew, but mostly, she didnt care. She painted in her studio, went to lunch with her small circle of friends, and took up the Pinchot mantle by working toward a peaceful world. When she had a chance to meet Timothy Leary and try some LSD, she did that, too, and it meshed nicely with her quiet activism. She began to think that perhaps LSD was the way to peace. Shed need to talk to Jack about that, maybe sometime when he wasnt dealing with pain, illness, the Bay of Pigs, nuclear war, Khrushchev, public speaking events, and a hundred other things he discussed with her after their trysts. One day, shed make him see how important a peaceful world was, because too many people had already lost loved ones. Mary herself lost her sister and a son already in her short life. And though she didnt know it, she was about to lose much more ... ADVERTISEMENT Dont be surprised if several different emotions go through your mind as youre reading "The Lost Diary of M." Surely, theres a certain voyeuristic feeling to this novel, and it starts in the first sentence, in which were warned that a death has occurred. Thats compelling enough, until were plunged into a romance that we see is somewhat one-sided, but author Paul Wolfes Mary cant. She cant confide in anyone, either, and her emotions run from schoolgirlish to introspective as she dreams of a life with JFK beyond politics and ponders the current events that consumed Washington in 1963. Even the mundane is noted, which may or may not affect the story itself, but which belong to balance out this novel about a life. Indeed, Mary Pinchot Meyer existed and was murdered some months after the Kennedy assassination. "The Lost Diary of M" is loosely based on her secret life and other historical events, and its blithely upper-crust mien, its elegance, its gossipy flair, and its shocking end perfectly match those truths. If you might remember Camelot and its aftermath (or wish you did), take note. "The Lost Diary of M: A Novel" by Paul Wolfe is available at Barnes & Noble at Apache Mall, through online booksellers and at the Rochester Public Library. ADVERTISEMENT Home Search ICH The fabrication of the myth of the "Syrian revolution" by the United Kingdom By Thierry Meyssan March 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - New documents have leaked on the organization of British propaganda against Syria. They provide insight into how bona fide journalists could have been permanently intoxicated by the myth of the "Syrian revolution" and why the UK withdrew from Syria despite the success of this operation. Democracy presupposes the ability to hold honest public debates. Therefore, propaganda would be the prerogative of non-democratic regimes. Yet history teaches us that modern propaganda was conceived in the United Kingdom and the United States during the First World War, and that the USSR and Nazi Germany were pale copycats. During the war against Syria, we have often explained that the reality on the ground did not correspond in any way to the image that Westerners had of it. We denounced the fabrication of evidence by the US, British, French and Turkish secret services to conceal Western aggression and to incite a revolution against a dictatorship. While the United Kingdom has not been present on the ground since 2018, journalist Ian Cobain has just published official British documents in the Middle East Eye that shed light on how London massively intoxicated bona fide journalists and then withdrew (1) He had already published in the Guardian, in 2016, revelations on the organisation of MI6 in this matter (2) Above all, it is important to remember that the British were not pursuing the same objective at all as their US ally. London hoped to regain its influence from the colonial era (as did Paris). The United Kingdom did not believe that the United States intended to destroy the state structures of the broader Middle East as a whole (Rumsfeld/Cebrowski strategy). That is why it had conceived the "Arab Spring" operation on the model of Lawrence of Arabias "Great Arab Revolt" (the Muslim Brotherhood now playing the role of the Wahhabi of World War I). Their propaganda was therefore designed to create New Syria around this Brotherhood and not to divide it as the CIA wanted and still wants. Westerners had already been convinced of revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. It was therefore easier to sell them a fourth field of operations. Good-faith journalists had been led by revolutionaries (actually Turkish and NATO secret services) to a Syrian village, Jabal Al-Zaouia, to attend and film Free Syrian Army rallies. Many of them were intoxicated and believed in a popular uprising. When Daniel Iriarte denounced this production in the Spanish daily ABC - because he had recognized on the spot not Syrian but Libyan fighters under the orders of Aldelhakim Belhaj and Mehdi al-Harati (3) - the press refused to recognize the manipulation to which it had been subjected. The inability of journalists to admit their mistakes, even when some of their colleagues confuse them, remains the best asset of the masters of propaganda. As always, the British RICU (Research, Information and Communications Unit) had recourse to a scientist, here an "anthropologist", to supervise the manipulation. It entrusted its implementation to several subcontractors, including a "former" MI6 officer, Colonel Paul Tilley; the word "former" is important here, as it means that he could deny all responsibility if the operation went wrong. To get closer to the field, three ad hoc offices were opened by MI6 contractors in Istanbul, Reyhanli (Turkey) and Amman (Jordan), while the CIA operated from Germany. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter This operation began in the wake of the chemical weapons affair in the summer of 2013, when the House of Commons, scalded by propaganda during the war against Iraq, strictly forbade the Ministry of Defence from deploying troops on the spot. As a result, the initial budget of the Foreign Office was increased and assumed by the British Ministry of Defence and Canadian and American agencies, as the military had no other means of intervention. It was placed under the command of an MI6 officer, Jonathan Allen, who became the number two in the British diplomatic delegation to the Security Council at the UN. The originality of the operation, led inter alia by Innovative Communications & Strategies (InCoStrat), is that it is presented as a business partnership with no links to the UK authorities. The Syrians who participated did not feel that they were betraying their country, just that they had found an opportunity to make money to survive despite the war. Indeed, in relation to their standard of living, the salaries paid were very high. The system of "citizen journalists" was very economical in relation to the 500,000 per month of the British budget ($50-200 for a video, $250-500 for regular freelancers) to find "information" or "evidence" of the regimes repression against its own population. These materials, once sorted, were sent by MI6 to the BBC, Sky News Arabic, Al-Jazeera (Qatar) and Al-Arabiya (Saudi Arabia), four stations that are fully participating in the Western war effort, in violation of UN resolutions banning war propaganda. The Syrian collaborators had to undertake in writing to remain anonymous, unless expressly authorized, and not to divulge their links with any company. Western bona fide journalists, unable to trace Syrian "citizen journalists" and verify the context of videos and other "evidence" - which is the raison detre of their corporation - were convinced by the noise of the four television stations. Ian Cobains documents attest that in addition to this international target, there was also a target in Syria. London wanted to provoke a change in the populations attitude in favour of the "moderates" in the face of the "extremists". On this point, it does not seem that Middle East Eye realised that these words should not be interpreted in the ordinary sense, but in the light of Prime Minister Tony Blairs decisions. He, during the elaboration of the "Arab Spring" plan, had stated that His Majestys administration should consider as allies the "moderately anti-imperialist" leaders such as the Muslim Brotherhood, while the opponents were the "anti-imperialist extremists" such as the nationalist regime of the Syrian Baath (4) The anthropologist who supervised the programme also indicated the need to create emergency services on the ground (the Free Police and the White Helmets of the former MI6 officer James Le Mesurier) not so much to help the population, but to give it confidence in the institutions to come once the National Union regime around the Baath is defeated. On this point, he referred to the plan for the total and unconditional surrender of Syria drafted by the German Volker Perthes for the number 2 of the UN, Jeffrey Feltman (5), which the British therefore misinterpreted. This disagreement is the main cause of the scramble of this operation when Washington tried to create "Sunnistan" with Daesh and "Free Kurdistan" with the Turkish PKK and the Iraqi KDP. The British, considering that this was no longer their war, decided to withdraw. The MI6 programme had three components: Unite Syria: Unite Syrians through positive affirmation of common cultures and practices and to restore trust between neighbours, while illustrating Syrians strength in numbers. Free Syria: Seeks to build confidence in a future Syria free from extremist rule". Undermine: Seeks to degrade the effectiveness of VE [violent extremist] networks in Syria by undermining the credibility of VE narratives and actors and isolating VE organisations from the populace. According to Ian Cobains documents, MI6 subcontractors also trained Syrian opposition spokesmen, developed accounts on social networks and organised press offices operating 24 hours a day. They do not mention the logo design and Hollywood staging that we have reported, such as the military parade in the Ghouta with tanks passing in front of the camera and with extras. The press offices aimed to put Syrian opposition spokesmen in touch with Western journalists and brief them before interviews. In this way, the Western press believed in good faith that it was getting its information from an independent source at low cost. If, at the beginning, during the destabilisation phase (until mid-2012), all the international media sent reporters to the field (which the British manipulated), there are none today. Westerners have become accustomed to believing the news agency set up by MI6 in London with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, although it does not have the means to know anything about some of the events it reports on. Thierry Meyssan Political consultant, President-founder of the Reseau Voltaire (Voltaire Network). Latest work in English Before Our Very Eyes, Fake Wars and Big Lies: From 9/11 to Donald Trump, Progressive Press, 2019 - Translation - Roger Lagasse - " Source " Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here Notes Middle East Eye, February 20th, 2020. (1) REVEALED: The British governments covert propaganda campaign in Syria , Ian Cobain & Alice Ross,, February 20th, 2020. (2) How Britain funds the propaganda war against Isis in Syria, Ian Cobain, Alice Ross, Rob Evans, Mona Mahmood, The Guardian, May 3rd, 2016. (3) Islamistas libios se desplazan a Siria para ayudar a la revolucion, por Daniel Iriarte, ABC (Espana), 17 de diciembre de 2011.. English version : Libyan Islamists go to Syria to "help" the revolution, by Daniel Iriarte, translated by libyasos.blogspot.com, ABC (Spain) , Voltaire Network, 22 December 2011. (4) Before Our Very Eyes, Fake Wars and Big Lies: From 9/11 to Donald Trump, Thierry Meyssan, Progressive Press (2019). (5) Germany and the UNO against Syria, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Al-Watan (Syria) , Voltaire Network, 28 January 2016. Draft Geneva Communique Implementation Framework, Confidence Building Measures, Essential Principles, Representativness and Inclusivity, The Preparatory Phase, The Transitional Governing Body, The Joint Military Council and Ceasefire Bodies, The Invitation to the International Community to Help Combat Terrorist Organizations, The Syrian National Council and Legislative Powers during the Transition, Transitional Justice, Local Governance, Preservation and Reform of State Institutions, Explanatory Memorandum, Key Principles revealed during Consultations with Syrian Stake-holders, Thematic Groups, United Nations Department of Political Affairs (DPA), 2012-2014 (unpublished). ==See Also== Authorities across the United States on Monday prepared for more cases of illness caused by the new coronavirus after a second fatality over the weekend, with the emphasis on ratcheting up the number of available test kits. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose state has one confirmed case, welcomed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allowing New York to test for the virus that has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide since it emerged in China in December. "I would like to have a goal of 1,000 tests per day capacity within one week because again the more testing ... India has screened 5,57,431 passengers at the airports, and 12,431 at the seaports as part of its novel coronavirus (COVID-19) monitoring and management strategy, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan informed a Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to assess the situation. Of the total of 3,245 samples that were sent out for testing, 5 samples were found to be positive, while the results of 23 are awaited. The rest were all found to be negative, the Minister informed. In its third meeting, the ministerial panel, which met in Delhi today were also told that of the five positive cases, three earlier patients from Kerala have already been discharged from the hospital. Two new positive cases, one from New Delhi and another from Telangana with travel history from Italy and Dubai, respectively, are under treatment, Vardhan further said. ALSO READ: Ministerial panel assures preparedness to combat coronavirus outbreak According to the Minister, 15 laboratories are functional and 19 more will be made operational soon to enhance the testing capabilities in the country. Reagents to test up to 25,000 samples are also available, Vardhan said. He advised Indian citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore, Republic of Korea, Iran and Italy. People coming from Republic of Korea, Iran and Italy or having such travel history since February 10, 2020, may be quarantined for 14 days on arrival to India. "We are monitoring the evolving global scenario. Restrictions may be further extended to other countries, as per the situation," the Health Minister added. The minister also said that 112 people, inluding nationals from Myanmar (2), Bangladesh (22), Maldives (2), China (6), South Africa (1), the United States of America (1), and Madagascar (1) from Wuhan were evacuated and are kept at ITBP camp at Chhawla. All of them have tested negative in preliminary examination. He added that 124 people have been brought back from Japan on the morning of February 27, including 5 foreign nationals. They have also tested negative and are being kept at the Army facility in Manesar. ALSO READ: Coronavirus to have larger economic impact than SARS, says OECD All joint secretaries in Ministry of Health are assigned to assess the preparedness of states for COVID-19. In addition, more than 3,695 Gram Sabha meetings have been conducted in 21 Bordering Districts in 5 states (Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim). As of now 10,24,922 individuals have been screened at the Nepal border. He further stated that the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), N95 masks, etc, are available in adequate quantity. The GoM was constituted to review, monitor and evaluate the preparedness and measures taken regarding management of COVID-19. The members of the GoM, headed by the Health Minister, include Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityananda Rai, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya, and Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey. ALSO READ: Coronavirus in Delhi: How to stay safe? A joint KFC and Long John Silvers location has abruptly closed in Howell, a KFC spokesman told NJ Advance Media on Monday. The conjoined fast-food restaurants located at 1466 Route 9 South shuttered on Feb. 25. The news comes after the closure of the KFC in Neptune City. The KFC franchisee made a business decision to close the restaurant. The KFC and Long John Silvers on Route 9 was owned by a different franchisee, the KFC spokesman said. These closings are not related. There are over 50 KFC locations in New Jersey listed on the companys website, but its Howell spot has not yet been deleted. Long John Silvers Howell spot also hasnt been deleted. There are just two other New Jersey locations listed on its website. RELATED: 4 Levels of Salmon: Amateur to Food Scientist KFC is known for its buckets of fried chicken, while Long John Silvers sells seafood like salmon and fried cod. Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips MORE RETAIL AND SHOPPING COVERAGE: GameStop to close Hamilton Mall location Pier 1 Imports files for bankruptcy: Here are some of the best online deals right now Sandwich franchise Cosi files for bankruptcy a 2nd time Express News Service Many on social media were unable to caption the image of eight-year-old Ayan crying in shock at the body of his beloved mamu (uncle) Mudassir Khan, massacred in the Delhi riots 2020. Ayan has come to join the list of Vietnams Napalm Girl, Syrias Aylan Kurdi and Omran Daqneesh, Iraq Samar Hassan, Steve McCurrys Afghan Girl iconic war photographs that make you believe humanity is dead. Children living in conflict zones, who have lost their home and kin, witnessed mob lynching and other hate crimes, mangled bodies, and/are themselves victims of such atrocities are known to carry such trauma for life. But trauma can also rears its ugly head in children, young adults, the post-millennial Tik Tok/Instagram-hungry generation at the consuming end of such news reports and visuals. For these woke young guns, the anti-CAA NRC protests, Shaheen Bagh, Articles 370 and 377, Kashmir shutdown, COVID-19, Amazon fires, climate crisis matter. With a lot happening in Delhi and the world scene over the last few months, kids who have witnessed violence directly or indirectly can feel traumatised, caution Delhi-based experts from mental health, education and theatre. Children can thus either become like the aggressor or internalise it emotionally; both behaviours leading to disturbed worldviews. Abort mission Dr Amit Sen, Co-Founder of Children First, says that violence can shake a childs world view and sense of security. The child psychiatrist notes that children traumatised by any level of violence, are known to develop depression, anxiety, panic attacks, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or substance misuse disorder. So, unless a pretty dramatic step like therapy or counselling is taken, theres a strong possibility of them carrying this on an emotional or behavioural level. Hes also against adults shielding children from news on violence. But this tactic can backfire, as it did for Suddhodana with son Prince Siddharth who became Gautama Buddha. Some parents want their kids to only know that life is full of love and harmony. But children are very smart and are able to recognise when something is not right in their community and get deeply disturbed when their curiosity leads them to access social media and TV channels, and they find it there. Emulate the oppressor Vikramjeet Sinha, Director of BOAT (Building on Art Therapy), warns about a kind of trauma usually noticed in mental health experts called vicarious trauma of people responding to disturbing news as if it is happening to them. Vicarious trauma is this as if notion. Its I love those disturbing images! The child gets hooked on to this pain-body through the constant news reminders. Theatre veteran Feisal Alkazi; Dr Amit Sen; school coordinator Rannu Pathak Working with children in conflict zones over 20 years, Sinha has come to observe how certain kids on viewing the negative acts of perpetrators, arrive at the conclusion that Might is Right (a tactic identified by Arthur Desmond in his eponymous 1890 book, inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche). Some kids will follow whoever the leadership rests with. They wont get disturbed by the victims, but role model the oppressor. This kind of trauma involves acting the trauma out to other people. I slap you, you will slap someone else back. Because you think slapping is legitimate. Violence is more and more getting justified, as the right way to be. Drama is one of the solutions Sinha uses to works with sensations, memories, feelings and behaviours in children, using metaphors and images. Theres a certain metaphor, the wounded metaphor, which is a transformational healing method that organically comes out as the child goes through acting the play. So, you want to show blood? Want darkness? Well let you play it out in a good framework. We first establish what you are feeling, allow the repressed stuff to come out and then look for antidotes. Veteran theatre director Feisal Alkazi, who has worked with kids who witnessed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the Assam Movement, says the more you talk about any issue, the more you come to terms with it. The more you bottle it up, the more traumatic its going to be. He recounts the play on the Diary of Anne Frank that he staged with a few kids from South Delhi schools at BC Pal Auditorium at CR Park. The suggestion from the kids themselves who found it relevant to whats happening in Delhi today. It was so ironic that the day we did the show, December 15, was when the Jamia violence took place. Many of the kids live in that vicinity, at New Friends Colony, so they started getting frantic calls after the show. The show had such an amazing resonance with the kids and audience who found it therapeutic. Rannu Pathak, Senior Coordinator at Mount Abu Public School, Sector 5, Rohini, who also teaches Political Science to Class 11 and 12 students, says she tells her students how violence is politically orchestrated and not to trust social media for the fake news it coughs up. She has given projects and held classroom discussions with the students on Article 370, Ayodhya dispute, CAA, Operation Blue star, etc. She says, I dont harp on what is right or wrong, because at their age they are yet to form an opinion and back in the four walls of their homes, they may get to hear something else and get confused. I only tell them that every issue has two sides, how rumour mongering instigates society, that half ignorance is dangerous, to have an opinion that is backed by logic but not get carried away by it, and learning to agree to disagreewhich is what democracy is about. We try to make our children responsible citizens. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Monday reported a 9.1 per cent decline in total vehicle sales at 11,356 units in February as against 12,497 units in the same month last year. In the domestic market, the company posted sales of 10,352 units last month, down 11.9 per cent from 11,760 units in February 2019, TKM said in a statement. "We have smoothly transitioned to BS-VI manufacturing and started delivering BS-VI vehicles to our customers before the stipulated deadline of April 2020. A total of 31,853 BS-VI vehicles have been dispatched to our dealerships till date," TKM Senior Vice President (Sales and Service) Naveen Soni said. In order to make the transition smoother for customers, the company has offered introductory pricing so as to not pass on the full increase of BS-VI product price at one go, he added. The BS-VI petrol Yaris and Glanza have been well received last month while the company's flagship brands Innova Crysta and Fortuner continue to do well, Soni said. "As we prepare to meet the evolving market sentiments, our efforts are to ramp up production to improve deliveries," he added. Soni said in order to smoothen the transition, the company introduced the BS-VI Innova Crysta in January this year at an introductory offer. "We have chosen not to pass on the full impact of an increase in cost to the consumers at the launch. We had to take a difficult decision, that we will not transfer the price in one go, we will have a stage-wise implementation. Having said that, in the long run, we would be forced to increase our prices in the mid-term," he noted. Accordingly, while the consumer acceptance of BS-VI so far has been positive, the challenge in the upcoming months is to see how the customers will accept the full increased pricing once the introductory offer is phased out, Soni said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenia airline cancelled Yerevan-Tel Aviv-Yerevan flights until March 22 as the citizens of Israel are returning back their tickets due to the novel coronavirus, Marketing Manager at the Armenia airline Nelli Kostandyan told Armenpress. Our company made a decision to cancel Yerevan-Te Aviv-Yerevan flights until March 22 as the government of Israel urged its citizens to avoid travelling as much as possible especially to those countries where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, as well as several people are returning back their tickets, she said. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan Rice Village Medical Supply received a shipment of 240 face masks from an overseas supplier on Wednesday. Within half an hour, the entire stock of $10 masks was sold out. Three people came in and bought all of them, Manager Chris Adams said. Were now waiting for our next shipment coming next Wednesday or Thursday. Retailers across the Houston area are struggling to keep up with a sudden spike in demand for face masks amid fears of the coronavirus. Face masks are flying off the shelves at local home improvement stores, pharmacies and medical supply shops, causing shortages at some locations, price gouging by unscrupulous resellers and forcing at least one major retailer to put a cap on customer purchases. On HoustonChronicle.com: coronavirus fears disrupt Rice University, cancel CERAWeek Federal authorities are increasingly worried that consumers rushing out to stockpile face masks could prevent health care workers and patients from accessing them. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is planning to acquire up to 500 million N95 respirators to bolster its national stockpile of 30 million masks, earmarked for health care workers. Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! Surgeon General Jerome Adams said in a Saturday tweet. They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #coronavirus, but if health care providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk! Public health officials do not recommend the average American use a face mask to prevent catching the coronavirus, instead encouraging people to wash their hands frequently, disinfect surfaces and cover their mouths while sneezing or coughing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization advise people to wear masks only if they are displaying symptoms of the coronavirus or are taking care of someone suspected of having the virus. Those warnings havent stopped Houstonians from stocking up, particularly N95 masks that are tighter-fitting than surgical masks and filter 95 percent of airborne particulates if worn correctly. Demand for face masks as well as disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer is expected to grow, especially after the CDC on Tuesday urged Americans to start preparing for a possible major outbreak in the U.S. The novel coronavirus, which can cause a respiratory disease called COVID-19, has infected more than 88,200 people in at least 60 countries, including 73 people in the U.S. Eleven cases have been reported in Texas; none in Houston. Its pandemonium How to Properly Wear a Face Mask How to Properly Wear a Face Mask Public health officials say the coronavirus is more likely to be transmitted from touching contaminated surfaces than through airborne droplets from a cough or a sneeze. People wearing masks risk getting infected by touching their face while adjusting their masks. - Cover nose and mouth and tie mask securely to minimize gaps between the face and mask - Avoid touching face while wearing mask - Dispose of mask as soon as they become damp - Remove the mask from behind, avoiding touching the front of the mask SOURCE: World Health Organization See More Collapse Spring Branch Medical Supply, one of the largest medical supply shops in the Houston area, has been out of N95 face masks for four weeks and is not expecting to receive its next shipment until early April. Despite displaying four out-of-stock signs on the door and by the countertop, more than 100 customers walk in daily, asking if the shop carries the masks. In addition, the retailer has been inundated with upwards of 150 calls a day from customers inquiring about face masks, triple the number of calls it gets on a typical day. Its pandemonium, said Faisal Poonawala, the company owner. Theres a lot of unnecessary panic. Major retailers, including Home Depot, Lowes, CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens, said they are seeing increased demand for face masks nationally, and are working to restock them as quickly as possible. Soaring demand has forced Home Depot, the nations largest home improvement retailer, to institute a purchasing cap of 10 masks per customer. We are seeing increased demand for face masks and have limited purchase quantity to 10 per person to best serve as many customers as possible, Home Depot spokeswoman Margaret Smith said in an email. Our merchandising and supply chain teams are working hard to replenish these items as quickly as possible. On HoustonChronicle.com: coronavirus fears weigh on Houston economy as oil prices fall, businesses lose customers H-E-B, the San Antonio-based grocery chain, said Sunday it would limit to four the number of hand sanitizers, wipes and similar items customers could purchase. Adams, the manager of Rice Village Medical Supply, said the uptick in demand began about a month ago, starting with calls from Chinese exporters looking to ship face masks overseas. In recent weeks, the Rice Village retailer has seen more average consumers and health care workers asking for masks. The store is selling a box of 25 N95 masks, imported from an overseas supplier, for $249. Its difficult to turn people away Ron Gerson, owner and chief executive of Gerson Co., one of the four major U.S. manufacturers of N95 masks, said the influx of cheaper, Chinese face masks caused many domestic manufacturers to shut down, creating the shortfall in masks. To keep up with rising demand, Gerson said he began running his factory 24/7 last month, up from the regular 80 hours a week. His company has more than doubled production. The Massachusetts-based company, which sells N95 masks to Houston-area distributors and retailers, received more than a years worth of mask orders in a single month, and is fielding as many as 100 calls an hour from customers looking to replenish their stocks. On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas scrambles to prepare for coronavirus outbreak now moving into next phase Its difficult to predict how long demand for face masks will last. During the SARS epidemic in the early part of the century, the demand peaked within three or four months. During the H1N1 swine flu epidemic of 2009, the demand lasted a full year, Gerson said. Its a very frustrating situation for us, Gerson said. Its difficult to turn people away and say were out of the product. Companies reliant on face masks such as nail salons, demolition crews and drywall and floor sanders are increasingly concerned about how the run on face masks may impact their businesses. Stephen McNiel, the owner of Houston-based Creative Property Restoration, said his remodeling crews dont use a lot of masks on a regular basis, but said they are indispensable for some jobs, such as demolition and flood remediation. After Hurricane Harvey, McNiel relied on N95 masks frequently for employees helping rebuild flooded homes that had mold and asbestos. Absolutely, Im worried, McNiel said of the shortage. I have project coming up where we need to do quite a bit of demolition. Travel prep Shavonne Garcia, 37, and her 17-year-old daughter Shyanne, walked into the Spring Branch Medical Supply shop on a recent Thursday afternoon, desperately looking for N95 face masks. Over the past couple of weeks, Garcia had called around to at least six retailers without any luck finding the masks. Ive called everywhere and looked online, Garcia said. Everyone says theyre back-ordered. Garcia, the owner of Soul Street Dance Co. in Spring Branch, said she wants to buy face masks for her five-member breakdancing troupe, which is planning to travel next month to Samoa and New Zealand as part of a U.S. Embassy-organized cultural exchange trip. She wanted to make sure her break dancers including her husband feel comfortable and protected while traveling through international airports. After the CDC warned Americans to start preparing for an outbreak, Garcia said she wanted masks for herself and her daughter as well. Something small can turn into something big, Garcia said. I dont want to risk it. I want to be prepared. paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi Tim Gruber has been named president and chief revenue officer for MLive Media Group, effective today. He will oversee all aspects of sales, content and marketing for the company. The announcement was made by Brad Harmon, Midwest regional president for Advance Local. Gruber, who was president of Michigan.com and The Detroit Free Press, replaces Dan Gaydou, who transitioned to a senior adviser for Advance Local at the end of 2019. I am excited to have Tim join the MLive team and lead us into the future, Harmon said. As we considered several candidates, Tim stood out among the field. His passion for the industry, knowledge of Michigan, and entrepreneurial spirit, along with his collaborative leadership style, make him the perfect choice. Gruber said: I am honored to lead an organization that, throughout its history, has made a meaningful impact on the people in this great state. I am confident, with the tremendous team that MLive Media Group has put together, that well continue to uphold that tradition and be a valuable voice for individuals and businesses across the state." Gruber has more than 25 years of management experience with a focus in sales, marketing and business development. While at Michigan.com, he also oversaw advertising sales for The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press, as well as for Gannetts other Michigan properties, including The Lansing State Journal, Lansing Community Newspapers, Port Huron Times Herald, Battle Creek Enquirer, Livingston Daily Press and Argus, and the Observer & Eccentric weeklies. Before joining Gannett, Tim held various senior leadership positions within the communications industry. A native of Michigan, Gruber attended the University of Michigan, and lives in Fenton with his wife, Kim, and three daughters. MARCH 2, 2020 The UTSA Staff Council has announced an exciting step forward in the organizations 22-year history. As of spring 2020, Staff Council has officially rebranded as Staff Senate. UTSA is the second institution within the University of Texas System to align faculty and staff organizations under the senate brand. This change supports the Staff Senates goal to create a larger and more visible presence among the UTSA community as a shared governance body that works to advance staff initiatives, said John Shaffer, Staff Senate chair. This year the Staff Senate has already developed a variety of new collaborative efforts, such as the upcoming Staff Helping Staff campaign, as well as personal and professional staff development sessions designed to align with President Taylor Eighmys well-being initiative. In addition to adopting a new brand the Staff Senate cocreated Faculty Senate and Staff Senate liaison positions to better align initiatives and efforts between the two organizations. This change supports the Staff Senates goal to create a larger and more visible presence among the UTSA community. Faculty Senate and Staff Senate are working together more closely than ever before, said Veronica Salazar Mendez, chief financial officer and senior vice president for business affairs, who also serves as Staff Senate adviser. With the alignment of the senate branding and the dedication to collaboration between governing bodies, I feel confident that these groups will continue to achieve excellent results for our faculty and staff. Learn more about the Staff Senate, including your reps and Staff Appreciation Awards. Since its inception, the 35-member shared governance body has: Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 22:38:06|Editor: zyl Video Player Close Policemen and security guards lead hostages to safety as they are freed during the shooting and hostage-taking incident in San Juan City, Metro Manila, the Philippines on March 2, 2020. The Philippine police ended a 10-hour hostage incident in Metro Manila on Monday, convincing the gunman to free all the hostages and surrender himself to the authorities. Around 30 people taken hostage by the gunman were released and left the V-Mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) MANILA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine police ended a 10-hour hostage incident in Metro Manila on Monday, convincing the gunman to free all the hostages and surrender himself to the authorities. Around 30 people taken hostage by the gunman were released and left the V-Mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila. The hostage-taker identified as Archie Paray, a former security guard of the mall, exited the building later and surrendered to the policemen at around 8:18 p.m. local time (1218 GMT). Paray, reportedly with a pistol and grenades, agreed to leave his weapons in the shopping mall. The hostage-taker was allowed to speak to the public after he left the building but policemen tackled him from behind while he was airing his grievances before the media and authorities, and arrested him. Criminal charges are expected to be filed against him. The 32-year-old hostage-taker entered the mall in the upscale district in Manila at around 10:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), shot and wounded a mall guard and took around 30 people, mostly employees of the mall, as hostages inside the mall's administration office. The wounded victim was sent to a nearby hospital and in stable condition. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and the management of the shopping mall confirmed that Paray is a disgruntled former security guard who was fired from his job. An initial investigation from the city government and police showed the hostage-taker has been unsatisfied with his layoff, which may be the motivation of his move. Shortly after Paray held people hostage, local policemen locked down the shopping mall and asked mall-goers to stay away from the area. The V-Mall, located in the San Juan City of Metro Manila, is a shopping complex famous for its restaurants, shops, bars and a bazaar. It is also near a residential area. The local authorities and policemen then started to negotiate with the hostage-taker in the afternoon while dozens of heavily-armed special policemen were deployed and surrounded the mall. Six security officials, all from the mall and the security company that the hostage-taker used to work in, held a press conference at around 6:00 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) and told the media that they felt sorry for the incident. The official said they were ready to step down from their respective posts if the hostage-taker would end the incident and release the people. The hostage-taker watched the press conference through cellphone video call but gave no response. Around 7:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT), Mayor Zamora made another phone call to persuade the hostage-taker to walk out and ensured his safety. Then Paray released all hostages and walked out of the mall. The local authority and police refused to give more details on the hostage incident after it was peacefully resolved, but they promised that there will be a further investigation. By Keydra Manns 60 Minutes has Twitter in a tizzy over its latest episode. The long-running CBS program recently aired the story of Eddie Gallagher the Navy SEAL who was accused of murdering a war prisoner. With the help of Donald Trump, Gallagher was acquitted on all charges but the Navy SEAL has a history of violence and inappropriate behavior so by telling his story some viewers are calling 60 Minutes out for glorifying a war criminal. Was 60 Minutes wrong? This isnt the first time 60 Minutes has been called out. The series has prompted a few online petitions calling for its cancelation. Some say the show is insensitive to certain issues and needs to be more cautious about the stories they choose to share. I will literally never watch this show again; their standards are nauseating. Anyone else?#Boycott60Minutes https://t.co/4012HJxhNI Gus Posey (@gus_posey) March 2, 2020 But critics say the show is about journalism and not fluff. They believe the program is doing its due diligence by reporting on all types of stories and not just stories that everyone one will agree with. #Boycott60Minutes trending cracks me up. all these crybabies who actually think their little hashtag will have any effect. They ran a story, its what they do, not stories you like, but stories. Get over it and your inflated view of your relevance. Tony Lindsey (@TLindsey_Coach) March 2, 2020 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, wed love to hear what you have to say. In an apparent effort to address Bangladesh's concerns over the updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC), Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday (March 2) stressed that the NRC will have no implications for Bangladesh and its people and the process is "entirely internal to India". "As closest of neighbours, it is inevitable that events in each other's countries create ripples across the border. A recent example is a process of updating NRC in Assam, which has taken place entirely at the direction of the Supreme Court," Shringla said while addressing a seminar in Dhaka. "This is a process that is entirely internal to India. Therefore there will be no implications for the Bangladesh Government and the people of Bangladesh. You have our assurance on that count," he added. Notably, Shringla is currently on a two-day visit to Bangladesh and his visit to Dhaka is the first high-level contact between India and Dhaka since the eruption of nationwide protests against NRC and Citizenship Amendment Act. Meanwhile, talking about the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka on March 17 to commemorate the birth anniversary of 'Bangabandhu' or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Shringla noted that PM Modi is waiting for his visit to Dhaka. "PM Modi has been specially invited to take part in the inaugural ceremony of Mujib Barsho later this month. We are looking forward to this visit, both because of the priority Prime Minister attaches to this relationship and even more so, because Bangabandhu is just so iconic - as a globally-recognised statesman and iconic symbol of liberation for Bangladesh and for our subcontinent. For us in India, there is a special resonance to his name," he said. This is due to the alleged lack of sufficient votes in the Rada to appoint a new PM. A few days ago, media outlets reported on the looming and almost inevitable dismissal of incumbent Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk. Initially, the media suggested Ukrainian politician Sergiy Tigipko might become a new prime minister, but such rumors were denied by Chairman of Ukraine Parliament's leading Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia. Meanwhile, new rumors are spreading: since there are supposedly not enough votes for the appointment of a new prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who joined the Cabinet only a month ago, may become acting head of government after Honcharuk's resignation. UNIAN gathered some information about the official. Who is Denys Shmyhal According to the Government portal, he was born in 1975 in Lviv. In 1997 he graduated from Lviv Polytechnic National University with a degree in production management (mechanic engineering), engineer-economist. Ph.D. in Economics (2003). From 2009 to 2013 he became a public servant and worked in Lviv Regional State Administration. In 2014, Shmyhal was appointed Deputy Head of the Main Department of the Ministry of Revenue and Duties in Lviv region. In 2015-2017, he worked as an advisor Vice President CEO, Member of the Supervisory Board of Lvivholod Ltd., and in 2017-2019, he held positions at PJSC DTEK Zakhidenergo. Read alsoHoncharuk, Yermak meet in Kyiv restaurant amid rumors of PM's imminent sacking (Photo, video) From August 2019 to February 2020, he served as Head of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration. On February 4, 2020, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine. Shmyhal told journalists that President Volodymyr Zelensky and later Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk had suggested that he join the government. When the Verkhovna Rada considered the issue of appointing Shmyhal, the prime minister separately noted the candidate's success in his work as Head of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration. In an interview with the media, Shmyhal called the priorities of his work for the year "the completion of centralization, the successful start of reform in construction industry, and the launch of large-scale housing development across the country." Shmyhal in politics In 2014, he ran for the Verkhovna Rada as an independent candidate in the 121st constituency in Lviv region. However, he failed to gain enough votes to be elected (188 votes were cast in his favor). A year later, he ran for Lviv Regional Council with the People's Control Party again, without success. Shmyhal's declaration of assets According to his declaration for 2018, the official owns a garage and a 2,200 square meter land plot in Lviv region. His wife Kateryna owns a 215 square meter house, several land plots, and a non-residential building with an area of over 400 square meters. She also owns a 2016 Land Rover worth almost UAH 832,000 (US$33,835). In 2018, Denys Shmyhal earned about UAH 3.5 million (US$142,334) working at DTEK. His wife declared UAH 200,000 (US$8,133) in income from the alienation of movable property. The couple has US$115,000 in cash. A woman who lost her husband and daughter in the Shankill bombing is one of 36 people living at a nursing home which is due to close within weeks, it can be revealed. Elsie Frizzell (89) has been living at Ravenhill Private Nursing Home for three years due to her ailing health. However, her family are now faced with the difficult task of finding suitable alternative accommodation after the shock announcement on Thursday that the home is to close. None of the families or the 65 employees who work at the home have been told when residents must leave. However, it is understood that the Northern Trust, which currently has 33 people living there, is aiming to relocate residents within a month. The Shankill bombing happened at the fish shop which was owned by Mrs Frizzell and her husband, John Desmond, in October 1993. Nine innocent people, including Mr Frizzell and his daughter, Sharon, who was helping out in the shop, were killed in the explosion. Alan McBride, who was married to Sharon, said: "As a family, we are absolutely devastated that the home is closing. "Elsie has been through so much in her life. Her daughter and husband were killed in the Shankill bomb, she has had so much trauma already to deal with and now this. "She was walking up the street, she had stepped out for a loaf of bread, when the bomb went off and her daughter and husband were in it. "It's so distressing for all of us that this is happening now, although we don't want to tell Elsie until we have found her somewhere else to go." Mr McBride said the family have been delighted with the care that his mother-in-law has received since moving to Ravenhill Private Nursing Home, which is located on the Shore Road in Greenisland, where properties can fetch in excess of 500,000. "It's never easy to put a loved one in care, but she has been settled here," he said. "It's so close to the sea and the views are wonderful, the staff are great, they look after her very well. "One of the biggest concerns for us is, at 89 years old, what the impact of moving is going to have on her at this time in her life. "She's had so much upheaval in her life and she has developed dementia, she will be 90 on her next birthday and she's very frail. "With her dementia, she can still be very clear about things. "For example she was a great baker and she was talking recently about how you make a Pavlova, but she can become confused as well. "Her dementia has definitely got worse. She would ask where her husband is and I tell her he's away singing in the choir, because he used to sing in the choir and she'll say, 'Sure, he can't sing a note'. He added: "Then she'll say things like, 'Didn't I have another daughter' and I'll tell her yes, but then tell her that she isn't very well. "We thought this would be her home for the rest of her life and now we have to find her somewhere new and try and get her settled again. "The staff here know her, they can't do enough for you and I was just saying the other day, before all this happened, that she is the best I have seen her in years. "As a family, even though I am a son-in-law, I think what we have been through brings you closer together. "It's a real tragedy this has to happen." A petition calling for Health Minister Robin Swann to intervene and halt the closure of the home has been set up. It is available by logging on to www.change.org and searching for Robin Swann Save Ravenhill Nursing Home. Sydney specialist pathologist Dr Adrian Cachia was on a skiing holiday in Japan with a bunch of other doctors last week when the coronavirus got to him. His nerves, mostly. "My family said, 'Don't go', but it seemed very much confined to China and there were only a handful of cases in Japan when I left Australia", aside from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Cachia grew alarmed when the Japanese government declared its so-called "basic policy" even if you feel unwell, don't go to the hospital unless you have a fever of 37.5 degrees or more sustained for four days. Just stay home. Why? "Because it meant that they had given up on trying to contain the virus and had moved to manage the enormous strain on their health care system," says Cachia, who has 25 years of experience as a pathologist. He points out that more than 80 per cent of people infected will have only mild cases, or show no symptoms at all. "But if that's not you, and you need a ventilator for a few days, there may not be enough to go around if there's a sharp peak in infections." He pulled the plug on his trip and headed home when his roommate developed a cough. But Cachia's concerns didn't end when he set foot in Australia last Thursday, the same day the Morrison government announced that it was activating its pandemic response plan. He worries that Australia is surrendering a big, natural advantage its ability to easily control its borders to prevent infection. He points out that Turkey has banned arrivals not only from China and Iran but also from Italy, South Korea and Iraq. For the fifth year, Lauren Holtkamp, Dean Holtkamp and the Montgomery County 4-H Horsemanship club hosted the 4-H Angels Rodeo. The rodeo was established when Holtkamps cousin Ryan, who had special needs passed away. The cousins wanted Ryans legacy to be honored. The brother, sister duo worked with their parents, grandparents and 4-H club to secure a venue, community sponsors, volunteers and children from five surrounding districts to participate in the rodeo event. Lauren Holtkamp said, It was very rewarding to host the 5th Annual Angels Rodeo with my family. Its moments like these that I truly cherish. The fifth-annual event took place on March 1 at the Lone Star Equestrian center in Conroe. The event began with the posting of colors by Conroe High Schoool ROTC, Lauren sang the National Anthem and Dean lead the prayer. Ten organizations worked together to produce this free community event that offered contestants and their families a day of fun-filled activities. (Newser) As the US reported its second death from the coronavirus, yet more countries reported their first casesincluding Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation. Joko Widodo, the country of 272 million people's president, says two women have been hospitalized in Jakarta after being infected by a Japanese citizen who has now left the country, the Guardian reports. Since there is a lot of traffic between China and Indonesia, the lack of reported COVID-19 cases puzzled experts, who suspect many cases are undetected. More: Sect leader apologizes. Lee Man-hee, head of a religious sect linked to hundreds of coronavirus cases in South Korea, bowed his head to the floor in a televised apology Monday, AFP reports. "I seek the forgiveness of the people," said 88-year-old Lee Man-hee. Authorities in Seoul have charged him with murder, accusing him of failing to cooperate with efforts to stem the largest coronavirus outbreak outside mainland China. Authorities said Monday there have been 4,335 cases detected in South Korea and at least 26 deaths. story continues below EU raises alert level . European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that the European Union has raised the coronavirus risk level from "moderate" to "high," the BBC reports. Health officials say the coronavirus has now spread to at least 18 European Union countries, with more than 2,100 confirmed cases and almost 40 deaths, most of them in Italy. . European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that the European Union has raised the coronavirus risk level from "moderate" to "high," the BBC reports. Health officials say the coronavirus has now spread to at least 18 European Union countries, with more than 2,100 confirmed cases and almost 40 deaths, most of them in Italy. Senior official dies in Iran . Authorities in Iran confirmed Monday that Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a 71-year-old member of the council that advises the country's supreme leader, had died of the coronavirus, reports the AP. Iran has now reported 66 deaths and 1,501 confirmed cases, though based on the number of deaths, experts believe there are many more infections. . Authorities in Iran confirmed Monday that Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a 71-year-old member of the council that advises the country's supreme leader, had died of the coronavirus, reports the AP. Iran has now reported 66 deaths and 1,501 confirmed cases, though based on the number of deaths, experts believe there are many more infections. World markets volatile . After major losses last week, world markets were "unsteady" Monday, with investors reacting both to suggestions that central banks would step in to ease the economic pain and to predictions that the global growth will be hit hard if the outbreak continues to spread, the New York Times reports. . After major losses last week, world markets were "unsteady" Monday, with investors reacting both to suggestions that central banks would step in to ease the economic pain and to predictions that the global growth will be hit hard if the outbreak continues to spread, the New York Times reports. Cases jump in France . In France, authorities said Sunday that the number of confirmed cases had jumped from 100 to 130, with two deaths. Authorities said the epidemic is now in "Stage 2" of a three-stage process, and promised a "very adapted, pragmatic and reactive attitude." . In France, authorities said Sunday that the number of confirmed cases had jumped from 100 to 130, with two deaths. Authorities said the epidemic is now in "Stage 2" of a three-stage process, and promised a "very adapted, pragmatic and reactive attitude." New cases in India. For the first time in weeks, India reported new coronavirus infections Monday, bringing the total to five, the Washington Post reports. One patient had traveled to Italy and the other to Dubai, authorities say. India is now screening travelers from more than a dozen countries. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Advertisement The travel plans of tens of thousands of holidaymakers have been thrown into doubt after British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair cancelled hundreds of flights due to coronavirus. In a dramatic development, BA yesterday axed hundreds of short-haul flights to destinations across Europe, including Italy, France, Germany and Ireland, from March 16 to 31. The airline also scrapped 12 long-haul flights from Heathrow to New York, its busiest and most profitable route, along with dozens of services to China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul. In all, the airline has cancelled about 3 per cent of its flights until the end of this month. Bosses at BAs parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), are in crisis talks over the outbreak, which has led to plummeting demand for international travel as passengers stay at home for fear of contracting the virus, or being stranded abroad and forced into quarantine. Among the worst-hit carriers is EasyJet, which has cancelled 500 flights to 13 airports in Italy over the second half of March affecting one in ten flights to the country British Airways has cancelled a string of transatlantic flights from London to America due to wide-spread coronavirus fears. Pictured: The virus has spread to 50 countries worldwide The airline says it is reducing the volume of flights because less people want to travel amid growing concerns about coronavirus. Pictured: A traveller wears a surgical mask at LaGuardia Airport, New York Many airlines have recorded pitifully low passenger numbers and delays caused by passenger no-shows. Among the worst-hit carriers is EasyJet, which has cancelled 500 flights to 13 airports in Italy over the second half of March affecting one in ten flights to the country. The airline, whose share price has dropped by a third this week, has rolled out emergency measures to deal with reduced ticket sales, including a staff pay freeze. Yesterday Ryanair also announced it would reduce the number of flight to and from Italy, from airports across Europe, by up to 25 per cent from March 17 to April 9. A spokesman wouldnt confirm which Ryanair routes had been cancelled, but said passengers would be contacted at least 14 days in advance. Until now, the vast majority of cancelled flights across all airlines had been due to depart to the worst-hit countries, such as mainland China and, in recent days, cities in northern Italy. But the latest announcement of sweeping cancellations to locations across Europe and even the US threatens to ruin the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people. BA grounded 24 flights between Heathrow and New York's JFK airport. Pictured: A man wears a mask in London's Heathrow Airport BA will waive flight-change fees for people who book within the next two weeks, amid uncertainty about the spread of the virus (stock image) Although most airlines have cancelled flights up until March 31, there is no guarantee that it wont be extended into April, which could spell chaos for families with planned Easter getaways. 70% leap in calls to 111 hotline Calls to NHS 111 are up by 70 per cent on last year as thousands of Britons seek advice on coronavirus. In the past seven days the helpline fielded 442,948 queries an average of 66,300 a day compared to 318,191 for the same week last year. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week the number of calls was nearly 70 per cent higher. The surge in demand coincided with a spike in cases in Northern Italy where many Britons had just returned from half-term ski trips. Several patients complained they waited four hours for a call-back and one claimed it took four days. Last night the NHS announced an extra 1.7million would be ploughed into the service to recruit 500 extra staff and set up a new virus advice website. Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, admitted the helpline had come under pressure as the first port of call for worried patients. The entire health service is bracing for a surge in demand in the coming months. Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday said he feared widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK may be inevitable. He also warned front-line medics may themselves get infected. Advertisement The sheer number of cancellations has forced BA to waive the fee it usually imposes on customers who wish to change the date of their flight. However, this applies only to new bookings made between March 3 and 16, and if the new flight is more expensive, passengers will have to pay the difference. BA has also contacted customers on cancelled flights and is offering them the option of rebooking with other airlines, a full refund, or a seat on a BA flight at a later date. Consumer champion Which? called on airlines to urgently update families in the run-up to Easter. A spokesman said: BA and Ryanair must ensure they are keeping passengers informed and quickly rerouting them to their destinations on the next available flight, with other carriers if necessary. Given the circumstances, airlines should also consider offering flexibility to customers who dont want to travel, such as allowing refunds and waiving flight change fees for both existing and future bookings. Industry insiders fear a global pandemic will devastate the aviation and travel industries. Ryanair boss Michael OLeary said: Our focus at this time is on minimising any risk to our people and our passengers. While we are heavily booked over the next two weeks, there has been a notable drop in forward bookings towards the end of March, into early April. It makes sense to selectively prune our schedule to and from those airports where travel has been most affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. A spokesman for BA said: To match reduced demand due to the continuing coronavirus issue, we are merging a number of flights between March 16 and March 28. EasyJet said: We can confirm that we have taken the decision to cancel a number of flights mainly to and from Italy following a slowing in demand. The cancellations are for some flights between March 13 and March 31, most of which have multiple daily frequencies. Budget airline Ryanair is to cut flights in and out of Italy, its largest market, by 25 per cent for three weeks. Pictured: A passenger wears a mask in arriving from Italy at Vnukovo International Airport, Russia Most of BA's cancellations are for short-haul flights between Heathrow and Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. Pictured: A woman wearing a face mask at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport PM surfaces and vows that Britain will not be defeated By Jason Groves, Political Editor for the Daily Mail Boris Johnson took personal charge of handling the coronavirus outbreak last night and declared that Britain will not be defeated. The PM had previously faced criticism for delegating the issue to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Today Mr Johnson will publish a battle plan for coping with a potentially major outbreak of the virus in the UK. Last night he gave his first major interview on the issue, in which he conceded Britain could be facing a mass epidemic, but insisted preparations were in hand. The moves follows Labour claims that Mr Johnson was a part-time prime minister, an allegation that appears to have stung him. In recent weeks, he also faced major criticism for refusing to visit areas devastated by the February floods. A Heathrow Terminal 2 airport staff member wore rubber gloves and a face mask as he greeted passengers arriving for the Air China flight to Beijing on Saturday Officials yesterday said the PM had been receiving daily updates on the virus and holding twice-weekly meetings with Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty since January.But the jibes appear to have jolted No 10 into action to reassure voters that the PM has a grip on the situation. Yesterday he chaired his first emergency Cobra meeting on the matter after leaving Mr Hancock to chair the previous five. Outbreak may halve global growth The coronavirus outbreak could slash global economic growth in half and plunge many countries into recession, an influential watchdog warned yesterday. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development lowered its central growth forecast for this year from 2.9 per cent to 2.4 per cent but predicted a longer-lasting and more intensive coronavirus outbreak could slash this to 1.5 per cent. Laurence Boone, the OECDs chief economist, said: The main message from this downside scenario is that it would put many countries into a recession, which is why we are urging measures to be taken in the affected areas as quickly as possible. The watchdog said lower interest rates and stronger government spending can help boost confidence with the recovery of demand once the outbreak eases and travel restrictions are removed. With savers reeling from the worst week on stock markets since the financial crisis, the Bank of England said it was working closely with HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority as well as our international partners to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect financial and monetary stability. Analysts predicted the Bank could swiftly cut interest rates from the current 0.75 per cent in a bid to boost the economy. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group issued a joint statement saying they stand ready to help our member countries address the human tragedy and economic challenge of the crisis. Advertisement In an interview with the BBC last night, Mr Johnson said the Government had taken every possible precaution in its preparations for a possible outbreak - and said the NHS would get all the resources needed to handle an unprecedented challenge. He said that todays battle plan, which will include proposals to shut down mass gatherings if the situation worsens, was intended to give people a sense of... the menu of options that we have to try to stop that expansion, that spread of the disease. He added: The most important thing now is that we prepare against a possible very significant expansion of coronavirus in the UK population thats clearly on the cards. And Ill just remind everybody what Ive said for a while now: this country is very well-prepared, we have a fantastic NHS, we have a fantastic ability to conduct large-scale testing. The PM acknowledged that the UK was likely to have thousands of cases of the virus in the coming months, although privately officials acknowledge that there could be millions in a worst case scenario. Mr Johnson also warned that the disruption caused by people being off work would hit the economy. He said: Something like a mass epidemic is going to have all sorts of consequences and there is always the potential for an economic downside as well... But dont forget the fundamentals of the UK economy are very strong. He added: I have absolutely no doubt that this country will not be defeated by coronavirus and that we will come through it very well, in the end. A war room has been set up in the Cabinet Office to bring together health and communications experts together ahead of a major public information campaign. Meanwhile, it emerged the UK is set to pull out of a European scheme for tackling virus pandemics. Downing Street said the UK would look to develop alternatives to the Early Warning and Response System after the Brexit transition expires despite health experts and the NHS urging ministers to retain membership of the scheme. Can VITAMIN C beat coronavirus? It boosts brains, combats sepsis and tackles colds no wonder Chinas doctors are racing to test its effects on deadly outbreak Desperate to avoid coming down with a winter cold or worse, plenty of us will be dosing up on vitamin C supplements and doctors in China are even looking into its effectiveness against coronavirus. Research into new and exciting uses such as battling sepsis and memory loss is also under way. We spend more than 880 million on vitamin C supplements globally, with that figure expected to top 1.1 billion by 2024. Its popularity is rooted in the belief that vitamin C can prevent colds a theory first set out in 1970 by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling. He was convinced of its benefits and personally took 3g a day, although much of his research on the vitamin was later discredited. Certainly, when it comes to infections or a virus such as flu, it is accepted that vitamin C is part of the immune response and quickly becomes depleted. It helps by encouraging the production of white blood cells that fight disease, attaching themselves to, and killing, invading microbes. Eating one medium orange will provide almost double the daily amount at 70mg, and two medium tomatoes will hit the goal at 20mg each (stock image) However, multiple studies have failed to back up Paulings theory of vitamin C as a preventative supplement and, according to a 2017 report by the authoritative review board the Cochrane Collaboration, the best we can hope from taking a well above average daily 1,000mg of vitamin C is shortening the length of a cold by 8 per cent about 0.4 days. Higher doses than this have been found to shorten colds further research from the University of Helsinki in 2017 found that daily doses of 6g to 8g could shorten symptoms of a cold by 19 per cent. But in the general population, vitamin C was not found to have any preventative effect. In other words, while it might help fight a cold, supplementation didnt alter how frequently people come down with one. The NHS recommends healthy adults consume 40mg of the vitamin daily. We are all genetically deficient as we do not naturally provide the vitamin C we need, says Dr Thomas Levy, a U.S. cardiologist and author of Primal Panacea, a new book about the uses of vitamin C. Eating one medium orange will provide almost double the daily amount at 70mg, and two medium tomatoes will hit the goal at 20mg each. Although vitamin C may not be the way to avoid the winter bugs, scientists are increasingly looking to use it as a treatment for other conditions, from coronavirus to memory loss. COvid-19 In China, a study is under way to see if high doses of vitamin C can help fight off coronavirus (officially known as COVID-19). Scientists at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University are testing its effects on 120 patients who have the virus, giving them daily infusions of 24g of vitamin C for seven days. Results have not yet been published. The dosage being used in China is around 60 times as much as the NHS daily recommended amount and 24 times the amount trialled against colds in reviews by Cochrane. In tests, vitamin C has worked against every virus if given in sufficient concentration, says Dr Levy. Dr Mike Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, says we wont know vitamin Cs value against coronavirus for some time, and says the dose being tested is massive. Theyre doing the trial, says Dr Skinner Lets see if it has any benefit. MEMORY LOSS Could a lack of vitamin C also be a factor in brain health? Researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that vitamin C could be a key factor in the prevention of cognitive decline caused by ageing and disorders such as dementia. Their review, published in the journal Nutrients in 2014, reported a direct effect of vitamin C deficiency on brain function throughout our lives, from development in the womb to regrowth following a traumatic brain injury such as a stroke. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that vitamin C could be a key factor in the prevention of cognitive decline caused by ageing and disorders such as dementia (stock image) In another study involving 80 healthy adults, researchers in Australia found that vitamin C supplementation could improve performance on tasks involving attention, working memory and decision speed. The report, in the journal Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience in 2019, suggested that further investigation could be useful in elderly groups as they are most likely to be deficient. Vitamin C is thought to have a protective effect on brain cells and tests on mice have found that extra vitamin C improved memory and ability to do tasks such as navigating mazes. SEPSIS New research into the use of vitamin C therapy for sepsis where the bodys immune system overreacts following infection, with potentially fatal results is positive. In the UK there are about 48,000 deaths a year connected to the condition. Now U.S. researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University have discovered that intravenous vitamin C given every six hours for four days within hours of admission reduced the risk of patients with sepsis dying from 46 per cent in a placebo group to almost 30 per cent in the vitamin C group after a month. On average, the vitamin C group spent three days fewer in intensive care and a week less in the hospital overall. This therapy could potentially transform the way we care for sepsis patients, says Dr Alpha Fowler, a lung disease specialist who led the research last year. Professor Ron Daniels, a consultant in critical care at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, says researchers have been exploring the potential of vitamin C in the management of sepsis for several years now. Results have been variable, with some studies suggesting benefit and others not, he says. The evidence is not yet enough to revolutionise sepsis care. METABOLIC ISSUES Doctors use the term metabolic syndrome to describe conditions including obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar, that raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease (the build up of fat in the liver), and cognitive dysfunction. Now researchers from Oregon State University have reported that anyone affected by metabolic syndrome might need more vitamin C. Their 2019 study, published in the journal Redox Biology, suggests that the high saturated fat, low-fibre diet that raises the risk of metabolic syndrome can disrupt the natural gut flora or microbiome. Doctors use the term metabolic syndrome to describe conditions including obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar, that raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease (the build up of fat in the liver), and cognitive dysfunction (stock image) When this happens, some types of harmful bacteria can pass into the bloodstream where antioxidants such as vitamin C are needed to neutralise them this can cause a deficiency if the vitamin is not replenished. Professor Maret Traber, who led the research, said: People with metabolic syndrome can consume the same amount of vitamin C as people without the condition but have lower levels of vitamin C in their blood. The researchers believe that further work is needed to establish whether vitamin C supplements could have a positive effect on reversing aspects of metabolic syndrome. HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? The NHS warns that taking extremely large amounts (more than 10g per day) of vitamin C can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea and flatulence. But there is no known level of vitamin C which is toxic, says Dr Levy. This is because vitamin C is water soluble, so anything the body doesnt use will be excreted in urine. However, he warns that in cases of kidney failure, supplements should only be given with close monitoring. This is because when the kidneys which make urine are failing, it is more difficult for the body to excrete excess vitamins. This young lady should be US president Washington, SANA-US Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has affirmed that the Turkish regime headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been supporting Daesh (ISIS) and al-Qaeda from behind the scenes for long years, and now it has been forced to show this role which it has played against the Syrian Government from years ago. In a video published on her account on Twitter, Gabbard indicated that Erdogan is the most dangerous dictator in the world, and he is not a friend for the U.S. Gabbard noted that Erdogan wants to restore the Ottoman empire and he is working with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organization to achieve that goal. She warned that U.S. President Donald Trump mustnt provide support to Erdogan as the U.S. and its mass media have no interest in supporting his paranoia and his terrorist tools which are affiliated to al-Qaeda. Gabbard added that it is shameful for America and its media to continue to describe the terrorists in Idleb as gunmen or rebels, condemning in this context the misleading campaigns launched by the international media, the U.S. media in particular and Trumps administration for justifying their support to terrorists. She called for passing the Stop Arming Terrorists Act at the Congress which will prevent the U.S. administration from continuing its support to states such as Turkey which supports the U.S. enemy, namely al-Qaeda terrorist organization. She also called on Trump and the NATO to not support Erdogan in his expansionist war which aim at achieving his defunct Ottoman dreams and not to be dragged into a war with Russia for a dictator aggressive regime. Ruaa al-Jazaeri Source: Gabbard: Erdogan most dangerous dictator in the world Syrian Arab News Agency By Hu Meidong, China Daily | Mar. 01, 2020 Packages stuck in Taiwan due to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province, which weigh 585.5 kilograms, arrived at Changle International Airport in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province on Friday via a temporary airline. According to Fuzhou customs, the packages would be transferred to Beijing on Saturday, after the temporary airline connecting Taiwan, Fuzhou and Beijing officially opened. Due to the epidemic, many international flights going to and from China were cancelled or cut, and piles of packages including masks, preventive clothing and other anti-epidemic goods and daily necessities purchased by Chinese people were stuck overseas, said Fuzhou customs. The national customs authorities supported China Post, a national delivery company to add Fuzhou, Xiamen in Fujian province, Zhengzhou in Henan province and Weihai in Shandong province as new international transportation hubs, based on existing ones including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, in a bid to resolve the delivery difficulties. According to Fuzhou customs, the new airline, which meets the package delivery needs of civilians from Chinese mainland and Taiwan, is the first temporary airline it opened. The custom also said it has cooperated with Beijing customs and made considerate working plans, in an effort to ensure the entering packages pass the custom fast and simplify the transfer procedures to the maximum. The custom will strengthen the supervision, set up a special working team, have each transfer link under control, and assign employees to assure the preciseness of package data, ensuring that the packages pass the custom fast, it said. Huang Siyu contributed to this story. Mumbai, March 2 : In an effort to raise funds for relief efforts in bushfire-devastated Australia, Bollywood actresses Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, are selling select pieces from their personal wardrobes, starting Monday. The joint wardrobe is available for sale, which went live on Monday through Mi Wardrobe is Su Wardrobe (MiSu), Alia's closet sharing initiative for charity, on SaltScout.com. This is the seventh edition of MiSu. Earlier wardrobes have supported local initiatives such as the Liter of Light program, The Corbett Foundation, Kalote Animal Trust, Being Human - The Salman Khan Foundation and Salaam Bombay Foundation. Image Source: IANS News Affecting millions of hectares of bush, forests and parks, and the health and lives of the people and the native wildlife, the fires had national repercussions and made the world stand in solidarity with the country. This latest initiative, coming from Bollywood, will help "raise funds and aid in the recovery and rehabilitation of the affected wildlife". Asked why she chose to focus on the relief efforts in Australia, Alia Bhatt said, "The bushfires were an ecological disaster and the effects can be seen well beyond Australia's geographical limits. We've all watched the news and seen the images of the animals and birds, bruised and burnt, and it's been heartbreaking. Image Source: IANS News Alia, Priyanka and Sonam to raise funds for Australia relief efforts. Priyanka Chopra Jonas said she is "happy to participate in this initiative that is working towards supporting the rehabilitation of animals in Australia" and that "we must keep finding ways to come together in support of this global tragedy". Sonam Kapoor Ahuja added, ' Over the last few months, unprecedented bushfires in Australia have turned forests into ashes, destroyed the habitat of the native wildlife and have brought some species closer to extinction. Many organizations are working tirelessly on the ground to rescue and rehabilitate the birds and animals - sharing my wardrobe through MiSu is another small way in which I can continue to support their efforts.' (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in) -- Syndicated from IANS After serving for more than a decade as President and CEO of Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks, Rajeev Suri has stepped down, paving the way for Pekka Lundmark to wear his shoes in the global role, the company announced on Monday. Suri indicated earlier to the Nokia Board's board of directors that he was considering stepping down from his role at some point in the future, provided a solid succession plan was in place. "After 25 years at Nokia, I wanted to do something different," said Suri. "Nokia will always be part of me, and I want to thank everyone that I have worked with over the years for helping make Nokia a better place and me a better leader," he said. Nokia's board worked closely with Suri to develop internal candidates and identify external candidates. Currently President and CEO of Fortum, a leading energy company based in Espoo, Finland, Lundmark is expected to start in his new role on September 1, the company said in a statement. "With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia," said Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia Board Chair. "On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Rajeev for his many contributions to Nokia, where he has served with both honor and distinction," Siilasmaa added. Suri will leave his current position on August 31, 2020 and continue to serve as an advisor to the Nokia Board until January 1, 2021. "I look forward to working with him (Lundmark) on a smooth transition and wish him the best success in his new role," said Suri. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:59:52|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close TOKYO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Many schools across Japan were closed on Monday as part of a concerted government effort nationwide to contain the new coronavirus (COVID-19) and combat its further spread in Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the school closure plan last Thursday and made the request to local governments to shutter their schools starting Monday and for the schools to remain closed nationwide until early April. The education ministry subsequently made the request to local education boards, with Japan's Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda on Friday requesting that all children not attending elementary, junior and high schools in the country that have been closed to contain the coronavirus to remain indoors while at home. "We ask for the cooperation of relevant ministries and agencies so that pupils and students will stay at home in principle and not go outside unless it is necessary," Hagiuda said. Hagiuda said the decision was made by the government because "experts have been saying schools have a high risk of group infection." The timing of the nationwide school closures comes a few weeks ahead of the the schools' spring break, scheduled for late March. The announcement, however, has been met with some uncertainty from teachers, students and parents who have said they have not been given enough time to prepare for the unscheduled break. In an attempt to mitigate the confusion and help ease the financial burden on parents, Abe said parents who need to take time off work to look after their children during the shutdown will be eligible to receive financial assistance. The government will cover the costs associated with the extra time children will spend out of school and parents will not be asked to contribute to these costs. Parents using babysitters will be eligible for increased subsidies, allocated from a monthly maximum of 52,800 yen (488 U.S. dollars) to 264,000 yen (2,439 U.S. dollars) for the whole of March, the Cabinet Office said. By Anne Kauranen HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia has rehired former executive Pekka Lundmark from energy group Fortum to lead the Finnish telecoms company's efforts to revive its faltering 5G business. Lundmark, who will succeed Rajeev Suri as Nokia chief executive in September, will team up with Sari Baldauf, the incoming chairman, in a move that reunites two figures from the era when the Finnish company dominated the mobile handsets business. Baldauf and Lundmark have also worked closely in recent years, as Baldauf chaired Fortum's board between 2011 and 2018. The leadership change at Nokia comes as uncertainty mounts over the future of Europe's telecoms vendors, with speculation surfacing last week that the group could be set for a tie-up with more profitable Swedish peer Ericsson. China's Huawei Technologies dominates the European market for telecommunications gear but the United States wants a global ban on Huawei from 5G networks on fears that its equipment could be used for spying, allegations the group has strongly rejected. In a highly unusual move, the U.S. Attorney General William Barr said last month that the United States and its allies should consider taking a controlling stake in one or both of Nokia and Ericsson to counter Huawei's dominance. But Nokia's outgoing chairman Risto Siilasmaa told a news conference on Monday Nokia has no plans to assess its strategic options. "The new CEO after coming in will do his normal review on our strategy and may then propose changes to the board. But at the moment, we have no such actions underway," Siilasmaa said. Nokia's shares, which in October lost a third their value when the group admitted to some delays in its 5G development and issued a profit warning, were originally up 4% on the news, but had dropped back to nearly flat by 1140 GMT. Lundmark, CEO at Fortum since 2015, held executive positions at Nokia between 1990 and 2000, including vice president of strategy and business development at Nokia Networks. By 1998 Nokia had grown into the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, a position it maintained for more than a decade. Story continues His appointment will reunite him at the top of the company with Baldauf, another key executive from that period, who headed Nokia's networks unit - now the group's main business - between 1998 and 2005. "This is clearly a choice of Mrs Baldauf due to their common history at both Nokia and Fortum," Nordea analysts said. "A new era will start at Nokia and could include strategy and portfolio revisions announced in H2. We welcome this change and view Mr Lundmark as a good choice for the job given the situation," they said in a note to clients. "NEED FOR REDIRECTION" Lundmark led Fortum to embark on a bold attempt to gain control of its German rival Uniper, resulting in a power deadlock between the companies that has yet to be resolved. Before his time at Fortum, Lundmark led Finnish cranemaker Konecranes for 10 years until 2015. "We view the change of CEO positively due to the fact that in its current situation Nokia needs a greater redirection which embarks from changing the management," said analyst Mikael Rautanen of Inderes. "At the same time, the news strengthens our earlier assessment that the company has more than just temporary problems," he added. Nokia halted dividend payouts after the October profit warning. While Huawei has suffered from U.S. authorities' decision last May to blacklist the group, Nokia has struggled to capitalise on those restrictions. One of the firm's main headaches has had to do with delays and additional investments in its 5G system-on-chip (SoC) development, which allows a single chip to carry an entire computer system and enables Nokia to produce its network technology more cheaply. A Reuters report revealed last month that Europe's biggest telecoms operator Deutsche Telekom had dropped Nokia as a provider of radio gear from all but one of its dozen markets in the region, telling it to improve its products and service. Nokia shares rose last week after Bloomberg News reported that the Finnish telecom network equipment maker was considering asset sales and mergers. However, a source close to the company told Reuters there was no truth to the report. Nokia declined to comment at the time. (Reporting by Anne Kauranen and Terje Solsvik; Additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Douglas Busvine; Editing by Kim Coghill, Keith Weir and Jan Harvey) A California teen was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to carry out a massacre at his former high school just two years after he was expelled for making similar threats. Devin Anthony Harper, 18, was taken into custody early Saturday morning by officers from the Montebello Police Department. Police responded to the 500 block of South 6th Street around 11.56pm after the mother of another teenager reported the alleged threat that had been shared on Instagram. Devin Anthony Harper, 18, of California, was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to carry out a massacre at his former high school, Montebello High School (pictured), just two years after he was expelled for making similar threat The woman told police that her son received a message on the social media platform that said Harper had planned to 'take a gun and start a massacre at Montebello High School' on Monday, March 2. Police said they confirmed the threats from the Instagram account and immediately located Harper. When questioned about the alleged threat, Harper denied posting it to Instagram, police said. He then told officers that he was unable to access his Instagram account when they asked him to pull it up. Authorities then arrested Harper for making criminal threats. Police said Harper is a former Montebello High School student who was expelled in 2018 for making the same type of threat. Harper's bail was set at $50,000 pending his initial court appearance, which is scheduled for Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Desideria Cempaka Wijaya Murti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 16:29 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067c3566 3 Opinion tourism,local-destination,health,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia Free As the third-largest travel and tourism market in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has been severely been hit by the coronavirus outbreak. According to Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, the tourism sector in Indonesia could suffer losses of almost $500 million per month. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis is not a totally new challenge. There was a SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003 that killed more than 800 people around the world. In 2014-2016, the Ebola virus claimed more than 11,000 lives in West Africa. From all these outbreaks, it is clear that tourism can be hit by crises occurring beyond a countrys borders. However, have we, as a nation, prepared the sector with crisis mitigation measures? Is our tourist industry resilient enough to withstand a global health crisis? The theory of resilience was proposed by ecologist CF Buzz Howling in 1973. The idea of tourism resilience is to treat the crisis as a turbulence and disequilibrium in a tourism cycle. Tourism resilience is vital to negotiate the variety of global crises using controlled variables within the socioecological system and resources in the destinations. Accordingly, stakeholders in tourism need adaptive skills and tools even before a crisis happens. In the tourism cycle, they need to identify and characterize the stage of the crisis, their adaptive capacity, forms of resources, potential capital accumulated during the stages. The industry stakeholders need to set parameters when stress events occur and create turbulence. They should prepare the steps to reach a state of equilibrium again. Some responsive action from the central government during this health crisis must be appreciated. For example, there are 135 thermal scanners at gateways to Indonesia. There are also 100 hospitals ready to accept patients. President Joko Jokowi Widodo himself has requested scenarios of health disaster mitigation from all relevant ministries at a coordination meeting of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). However, tourism in Indonesia has not been prepared with the necessary tools and awareness on building industry resilience. There are at least three problems, pertaining respectively to dependability, budget distribution and guideline availability. First, tourism still depends heavily on central government intervention, incentives and initiatives. As a result, local governments, the hospitality industry and tourism communities are vulnerable in a time of crisis due to a lack of initiative and progressive steps to face any global health crisis. For example, the government has set aside more than Rp 4.3 trillion in financial support for the tourism industry to allow businesses such as airlines, hotels and restaurants to lower prices by up to 50 percent for foreign and domestic tourists in 10 major destinations: Bali, Yogyakarta, Labuan Bajo, Lombok, Manado, Lake Toba, Batam, Malang, Tanjung Pandan, and Tanjung Pinang. This contingency measure has been taken because of the virtual stop in foreign tourist arrivals, especially from China, which last year accounted for more than 2.1 million tourists, or 13 percent of total arrivals in Indonesia, who spent on average $1,000 each per visit, according to news agency Antara. Second, the government body that supports tourism resilience by providing training in risk, crisis and disaster mitigation, such as the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has its budget cut every year. The budget has gradually decreased from Rp 1.83 billion in 2014 to Rp 610 million in 2019. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati revealed recently there would be a Rp 7 billion on-call budget readily available for this body in response the COVID-19 crisis handling. However, that merely shows that the budget is set up to counter disasters only after they happen. It is clear that the government must set up budgets and programs to stimulate adaptive skills during a crisis involving all tourism stakeholders: the government, academia, the private sector, the media and civil society through community-based tourism organizations. Otherwise, stakeholders in the sector will not be trained well enough to build, reorganize, collaborate, change plans and implement effective responses during destabilizing events. Third, tourism stakeholders also need guidelines and crisis management models as a reference point and to stimulate ideas. For example, in 2003, the Asia Pacific High-Level Conference on Crisis Management held by the World Trade Organization distributed guidelines on mitigating risks before, during and after a crisis. In 2019, Indonesia finally devised crisis management rules for tourism. However, these rules are not compulsory but rather serve as guidelines for preparing standard operating procedures in destinations and setting up tourism crisis centers (TCC). Government Regulation No. 10/2019 on crisis management also consists of rules to encourage local governments to set up special budgets for crisis management in tourism. Such a budget can be used for physical infrastructure or human resource investment. For example, the local government could produce interactive guidelines, information boards and provide adequate safety equipment for various types of crises. They can also prepare contingency plans, train people to reorganize events at a time of crisis, establish diversity in the portfolio for different markets and identify effective crisis communication channels. The coronavirus crisis should be a wake-up call for Indonesia to build tourism resilience. It will ensure the framework of crisis will readily work by mitigating shocks and impacts and devising an effective response. Eventually, when disaster strikes, the tourism sector will be ready to adjust to the situation to achieve a new equilibrium. *** University of Atma Jaya Yogyakarta lecturer in marketing communication specializing in tourism and culture. This is a personal opinion. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe cannot restore its homelands through the land-into-trust process , a federal appeals court ruled last week in a major blow to plans to open a casino in Massachusetts. In a unanimous opinion issued barely a month after arguments in the case , the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals said the tribe failed to show that it was "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934. The tribe did not gain formal recognition of its status until 2007, long after that date. As a result, the Bureau of Indian Affairs cannot go against the "unambiguous" language of the Indian Reorganization Act , a three-judge panel of the court determined. The 22-page decision affects the tribe's proposed casino site, as well as its headquarters, some 321 acres altogether. Theres no question that this is a grave injustice, Chairman Cedric Cromwell said in response to the ruling . Much of this case revolved around the ambiguity of two words now and such. We will continue to fight, as our ancestors did, to preserve our land base, our culture and our spiritual connection to our homelands. Though further appeals are possible, the fight will continue in the political sphere, Cromwell noted. Passage of H.R.312 , the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act, would ensure that the tribe's lands are indeed in trust. The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R.312 by a vote of 275 to 146 on May 15. The bill has not yet been taken up by the U.S. Senate , which is in Republican hands. Additionally, a second lawsuit is pending in federal court. The tribe sued the Trump administration after the Bureau of Indian Affairs changed course and determined that the fee-to-trust process is not available to the People of the First Light, whose ancestors helped the first Europeans survive at Plymouth in the early 1600s. While the case is before an entirely different court in Washington, D.C., the 1st Circuit's ruling does not bode well for the tribe. Language in the decision gives strong weight to the BIA's line of thinking. "Because the IRA unambiguously forecloses the BIA's interpretation," Judge Sandra Lynch wrote for in the decision, "the Secretary lacked authority to take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe." The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe leads a march from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., to the U.S. Capitol on November 14, 2018, Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Lynch also pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court , through a decision known as Carcieri v. Salazar , prevents the BIA from looking at other ways to help the tribe restore its homelands. During the Barack Obama administration, the agency had relied on a different section of the IRA when it took the 321 acres in trust. "We hold that the plain meaning of the IRA's text precludes the BIA's interpretation of that section," Lynch wrote for the court. The BIA, however, has not taken the tribe's reservation out of trust, something that hasn't happened since the termination era . Current regulations do not provide a mechanism for the agency to do that. Congress could rectify the situation by enacting a "fix" to Carcieri . On the same day H.R.312 passed the House, the chamber approved H.R.375 to ensure that all tribes -- regardless of date of federal recognition -- can follow the fee-to-trust process at the BIA. > But as with the Mashpee bill, the Senate has yet to take up the Carcieri fix. "If this bill can become law, it would right a huge wrong in Indian Country. It would correct a blatant injustice," Brian Lightfoot Brown, a citizen of the Narragansett Tribe, wrote on Indianz.Com last week. The Narragansetts, whose federal recognition was formalized in the 1980s, were the first ones impacted by Carcieri despite their long history of relations with colonial governments. The Supreme Court prevented the tribe from acquiring land for a housing project in neighboring Rhode Island. Read More on the Story 1st Circuit Court of Appeals Decision Federal Register Notices Join the Conversation Related Stories So instead, Amtrak has been studying ways to fix the interiors of the existing tunnels with minimal disruption to service, a company official said. The plan might cost more than $100 million. The effects It was unclear last week exactly how service would be affected, but the repairs would almost certainly mean schedule disruptions for riders in the Northeast particularly for the 70,000 commuters during rush hour who go to and from Penn Station each weekday. The tunnels operate at full capacity during peak periods, and they are the sole route for trains moving between Manhattan and New Jersey. Recent aggravations Last month, a power failure disabled a train and created chaos for thousands of riders, some of whom were stranded for over four hours on a Monday evening at Penn Station. Last summer, New Jersey Transit canceled over 60 trains in one week, again leaving thousands of people scrambling to find another way to their destination. The reasons for the cancellations included crew shortages and a lack of available trains. And then, last fall, Mr. McGeehan perhaps found the worst train in America: North Jersey Coast Line 2606 failed to show up for its morning run nearly 20 times between January and September. Finance & Development, March 2020, Vol. 57, No. 1 PDF version Population 2020 Demographics can be a potent driver of the pace and process of economic development David E. Bloom Demography is destiny is an oft-cited phrase that suggests the size, growth, and structure of a nations population determines its long-term social, economic, and political fabric. The phrase highlights the role of demographics in shaping many complex challenges and opportunities societies face, including several pertinent to economic growth and development. Nevertheless, it is an overstatement to say that demography determines all, as it downplays the fact that both demographic trajectories and their development implications are responsive to economic incentives; to policy and institutional reforms; and to changes in technology, cultural norms, and behavior. The world is undergoing a major demographic upheaval with three key components: population growth, changes in fertility and mortality, and associated changes in population age structure. Population growth It took more than 50,000 years for world population to reach 1 billion people. Since 1960, we have added successive billions every one to two decades. The world population was 3 billion in 1960; it reached 6 billion around 2000, and the United Nations projects it will surpass 9 billion by 2037. The population growth rate has been slowing, however, from peak annual rates in excess of 2 percent in the late 1960s, to about 1 percent currently, to half that by 2050. Although global income per capita more than doubled, life expectancy increased by 16 years, and primary school enrollment became nearly universal among children during 19602000, rapid population growth poses myriad challenges that are both privately and publicly daunting. These challenges include the need for more food, clothing, housing, education, and infrastructure; the absorption of sizable numbers into productive employment; and more strenuous environmental protection. Although the explosive nature of global population growth is abating in relative terms, decade-on-decade increases remain sizable and are taking place from ever more populated starting points. Earlier concerns about a global population explosion have, to some extent, yielded to concerns about rapid population growth in particular countries and regions (see Coming of Age in this issue of F&D). Indeed, the overall slowdown in the rate of world population growth masks significant shifts in the distribution of world population by development status and geographic region. Countries the United Nations classifies as less developed encompassed 68 percent of world population in 1950; today they represent 84 percent. That share will continue to rise, because virtually all of the nearly 2 billion net additions to world population projected over the next three decades will occur in less developed regions. This is a major concern, because less developed regions tend to be more fragilepolitically, socially, economically, and ecologicallythan their more developed counterparts. With 1.44 billion people, China currently has the largest national population in the world, followed by India, with 1.38 billion. But by the end of this decade, India will be the most populous country, with a projected 1.50 billion people, compared with Chinas peak population of 1.46 billion. Between 2020 and 2050, Nigeria (projected to overtake the United States to become the worlds third-most-populous nation) and Pakistanalready among the 10 most populouswill surge forward. Asia will continue to be home to a dominant but declining share of the worlds population (60 percent today and 54 percent in 2050). Finally, notwithstanding continued global population growth, in 61 countries and territories that are currently home to 29 percent of the worlds people, population growth in 202050 is projected to be negative, with the sharpest decline (23 percent) projected for Bulgaria (see Eastern Europe's Exodus in this issue of F&D). Mortality, fertility, and migration Population size and growth reflect the underlying forces of mortality, fertility, and international migration. These forces vary considerably across countries and can help account for key differences in economic activity and performance, such as physical capital, labor, and human capital accumulation; economic well-being and growth; and poverty and inequality. These forces generally respond to economic shocks; they may also respond to political developments such as the beginning and ending of wars and governance crises. In many developing economies, population growth has been associated with a phenomenon known as the demographic transitionthe movement from high to low death rates followed by a corresponding movement in birth rates. For most of human history, the average person lived about 30 years. But between 1950 and 2020, life expectancy increased from 46 to 73 years, and it is projected to increase by another four years by 2050. Moreover, by 2050, life expectancy is projected to exceed 80 years in at least 91 countries and territories that will then be home to 39 percent of the world's population. Increased longevity is a colossal human achievement that reflects improvements in survival prospects throughout the life cycle, but especially among infants and children. Cross-country convergence in life expectancy continues to be strong. For example, the life expectancy gap between Africa and North America was 32 years in 1950 and 24 years in 2000; it is 16 years today. Historic and anticipated reductions in cross-country health disparities reflect gains in income and nutrition among low- and middle-income countries, the diffusion of innovations in health technologies and institutions, and the distribution of international aid. In the 1950s and 1960s, the average woman had roughly five children over the course of her childbearing years. Today, the average woman has somewhat fewer than 2.5 children. This presumably reflects the growing cost of child-rearing (including opportunity cost, as reflected mainly in womens wages), increased access to effective contraception, and perhaps also growing income insecurity. The social and economic implications of this fertility decline are hard to overstate. Among other things, lower fertility has helped relieve many women of the burden of childbearing and child-rearing. It has also contributed to the empowerment of women in their households, communities, and societies and has allowed them to participate more actively in paid labor markets. All these factors reinforce the preference for low fertility. Between 1970 and 2020, the fertility rate declined in every country in the world. Fertility tended to decrease more in countries with high initial fertility, another facet of demographic convergence. Among geographic regions, Africa and Europe are currently homes to the highest (4.3) and lowest (1.6) fertility rates, respectively. If the populations age structure is sufficiently weighted toward those in prime childbearing years, even a fertility rate of 2.1 can translate into positive population growth in the short and medium term, because low fertility per woman is more than offset by the number of women having children. This feature of population dynamics is known as population momentum and helps explain (along with migration) why the populations of 69 countries and territories are currently growing even though their fertility rates are below 2.1. Cross-country migration is also relevant to population growth. The effects are quite important in some countries, such as Guyana, Samoa, and Tonga, where net emigration in the past 30 years has been appreciable. Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have had the highest rates of net immigration. Among the worlds 10 population super powers, migrants have the largest relative presence in the United States (15 percent in 2019). For most countries, though, international migration has not been a dominant demographic force, because more than 96 percent of the worlds population currently live in their countries of birth (see Immigrant Swan Song in this issue of F&D). Age structure dynamics The age structure of a population reflects mainly its fertility and mortality history. In high-mortality populations, improved survival tends to occur disproportionately among children. This effectively creates a baby boom. Eventually, the boom ends when fertility abates in response to perceptions of improved child survival and as desired fertility declines with economic development. But as the relatively large baby-boom cohorts proceed through adolescence and into their adult years, the population share at the peak ages for work and saving swells. This enhances the productive capacity of the economy on a per capita basis and opens a window of opportunity for rapid income growth and poverty reduction. Events of the past decade, ranging from the Arab uprisings to more recent mass protests in Chile and Sudan, also show that countries that fail to generate sufficient jobs for large cohorts of young adults are prone to social, political, and economic instability. The demographic dividend refers to the process through which a changing age structure can spur economic growth. It depends, of course, on several complex factors, including the nature and pace of demographic change, the operation of labor and capital markets, macroeconomic management and trade policies, governance, and human capital accumulation. Nonetheless, the demographic dividend model can account for much variation in past economic performance among different countries and regions (e.g., East Asia vs. Latin America vs. sub-Saharan Africa) and helps identify more- and less-promising country settings for future economic growth. For example, from 2020 to 2030, Nepal, Jordan, Bhutan, and Eswatini are projected to experience the largest gains among countries in the ratios of their working-age to non-working-age populations. The dependency ratiothe inverse of the working age to non-working-age ratiomeasures the economic pressure working-age individuals face to support, in addition to themselves, those who are not of working age. In 1990, the ratio in more developed regions was appreciably lower than in less developed regions (0.68 versus 1.04). But by 2020, as a result of different patterns of fertility decline and population aging, the ratio had increased to 0.70 in more developed regions and decreased to 0.75 in less developed regions. And by 2050, the dependency ratio is projected to be greater in more developed regions (0.89) than in those that are less developed (0.77). This switch suggests that in the coming decades, demographics will be more favorable to economic well-being in less developed regions than in more developed regions. This will be especially true in Africa, the only region in which this ratio is projected to decline by 2050. For countries that have yet to experience appreciable demographic transitions (like Chad, the Central African Republic, Somalia, and Sierra Leone), policies are appropriately oriented toward catalyzing those transitions. Such policies include investment that promotes infant and child survival, such as expanded vaccine coverage as well as wider access to well-provisioned and appropriately staffed primary health care systems. For populations that have experienced health and survival gains, countries could benefit from policies to enable a decline in fertility, such as promoting girls education and access to reproductive health and family planning services. And countries with relatively sizable portions of the population concentrated in the high-work and high-savings part of the life cycle need policies to realize the potential benefits of favorable demographics. Such policies include support for the operation of competitive labor and capital markets, equipping workers with human capital, building infrastructure, sound macroeconomic management, carefully designed trade policies, and good governance. Such policies are always desirable, but a large working-age population share raises the stakes. In some countries, making investments in these various sets of policies could be challenging, as per capita income is currently lower in real terms than it was in some of todays advanced economies when they were at a comparable demographic stage. Global graying Population aging is the dominant demographic trend of the twenty-first centurya reflection of increasing longevity, declining fertility, and the progression of large cohorts to older ages. Never before have such large numbers of people reached ages 65+ (the conventional old-age threshold). We expect to add 1 billion older individuals in the next three to four decades, atop the more than 700 million older people we have today. Among the older population, the group aged 85+ is growing especially fast and is projected to surpass half a billion in the next 80 years. This trend is significant because the needs and capacities of the 85+ crowd tend to differ significantly from those of 65-to-84-year-olds. Although every country in the world will experience population aging, differences in the progression of this phenomenon will be considerable. Japan is currently the world leader, with 28 percent of its population 65 and over, triple the world average. By 2050, 29 countries and territories will have larger elder shares than Japan has today. In fact, the Republic of Koreas elder share will eventually overtake Japans, reaching the historically unprecedented level of 38.1 percent. Japans median age (48.4) is also currently the highest of any country and more than twice that of Africa (19.7). But by 2050, Korea (median age 56.5 in 2050) is also expected to overtake Japan on that metric (54.7). Three decades ago, the world was populated by more than three times as many adolescents and young adults (15- to 24-year-olds) as older people. Three decades from now, those age groups will be roughly on par. By income group, the sharpest growth in the numbers of older people will occur in countries currently classified as middle income. This is unsurprising, as these countries make up 74 percent of the world population. What may be surprising is that the older-population share in middle-income countries is increasing at a much faster rate than in their low- and high-income counterparts. Moreover, in comparison with high-income countries, todays middle-income countries are projected to have appreciably greater real incomes when their older-population shares reach comparably elevated levels. This contradicts the common claim that developing economies are getting old before they get rich. The challenge middle-income countries face is not predominantly insufficient income to take care of their older people. Rather, it is how well institutions and policies can promote economic and social security among older people in a financially sustainable way. Population aging is sounding alarms worldwide. Whether increased longevity is associated with more or less of a persons life lived in frailty is among the most salient unresolved questions public and private policymakers throughout the world face (see The Long, Good Life in this issue of F&D). Economists continue to express concerns. These relate to downward pressure on economic growth due to labor and capital shortages and falling asset prices in the future as a growing and more aged cohort of older people seeks to support itself by liquidating investments. Another major issue has to do with fiscal stress. Government coffers will be strained by rising pension liabilities and the cost of health and long-term care associated with the expected growth in the incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, among others. These challenges will, however, be partially offset by the increasing, but typically neglected, value older people create through productive nonmarket activities like volunteer work and caregiving. Without historical lessons from a world with such large numbers of older people, there is even more uncertainty about our collective future. However, adopting a business-as-usual approach to the challenges of population aging would be irresponsible. Various responses could cushion the economic burden of population aging. These include policy reforms to promote the financial sustainability and intergenerational equity of health and pension financing. Raising the legal age of retirement, which has been relatively stable in nearly all countries for the past several decades (see Getting Older but Not Poorer in this issue of F&D) would also ease the burden. Pronatalist tax incentives are also a policy option for the long term, but their effect on fertility is thus far unproven. Additional approaches include efforts to increase health systems emphasis on early detection and on prevention of disease through, for example, better awareness of the benefits of physical activity and subsidization of such activity. Relaxing the institutional and economic barriers to international immigration from regions with relatively large working-age populations could alleviate labor shortages. Finally, technological innovations are likely to ameliorate the effects of population aging. New drugs to slow the process of aging and add healthy years to peoples lives and the invention and deployment of assistive devices such as robots are two among many such improvements. Institutional innovations like new models of home health care, public transportation systems, the design of urban layouts, and financial instruments are also on the horizon. The bottom line Global, regional, and country demographic indicators have changed dramatically since the early 1950s and are poised for equally dramatic changes in the coming decades. Population aging continues to displace population growth as the focal point of interest among global demographic phenomena. Nonetheless, both phenomena and their underlying drivers have had, and will continue to have, profound repercussions for myriad indicators and determinants of economic well-being and progress. Demographics are not, however, set in stone. Nor are their implications for individual and collective well-being. Opinions expressed in articles and other materials are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect IMF policy. The CDC has been in touch with Bedford, and although agency experts note that his hypothesis has validity, scientists need more data, according to a Department of Health and Human Services official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly. It is far from definitive, the official said. The particular strain found in these two samples is widespread in China and elsewhere. Its possible that someone else introduced the virus into the community that we didnt pick up, the official said. Once Nathan saw the family atmosphere that Premier Pools & Spas offered their owners/employees, he knew he had to be a part of the family himself. Premier Pools & Spas Expands to Two New Locations Premier Pools & Spas, the nations #1 swimming pool builders, has begun expansion into the Billings, MT and North Tampa Bay, FL metropolitan areas. President of Premier Franchise Management, Aaron Gurley, has hand-picked Nathan Lose and Ryan Foster to become the new franchise owners of each respective location. Premier Pools & Spas would like to congratulate both Nathan and Ryan on this momentous occasion. Billings, MT | Owner: Nathan Lose Nathan started in the pool building business by helping his father with his own pool contractor business for years. Since meeting with some current members of the Premier Pools & Spas family, almost 4 years ago, Nathan has carried a continuous interest in owning his own franchise. When the opportunity arose to start his own franchise in Billings, Montana, Nathan knew he couldnt miss out on his chance. Family has always been very important to Nathan; his close connection with his family made it even more clear that Premier Pools & Spas was the right fit for him. Once Nathan saw the family atmosphere that Premier Pools & Spas offered their owners/employees, he knew he had to be a part of the family himself. North Tampa Bay, FL | Owner: Ryan Foster Ryan started his career in the pool builder industry at the age of 13 and has continued his work in the in-ground swimming pool industry ever since graduating from college. When a good friend became an owner of a Premier Pools & Spas franchise, Ryan took advantage and gained first-hand knowledge of the company. It was through this interaction, and many more with other Premier Pools & Spas owners, Ryan decided that he wanted to join the Premier Pools & Spas pool builder family. With his vast experience in pool building, Ryan knew that he would be able to run his own pool company; however, it was the benefits he saw firsthand from his friend, and fellow pool contractors, that pushed him to become a part of the greatest team in this industry. Ryan plans to work closely with our South Tampa Bay, FL location to make sure that they are both the #1 in-ground pool builders in the Greater Tampa Bay area. About Premier Pools & Spas Since redefining the pool building industry in 1988, Premier Pools & Spas has received numerous awards. This includes several Association of Pool & Spa Professional (PHTA) International Awards of Excellence for Design. Premier Pools & Spas was also named the National Pool Builder of the Year (2006) and were ranked #1 Pool Builder (2012) in the US, by Pool & Spa News. As of 2017, Premier has begun franchising service companies under the name Premier Pool Service. Today, Premier Pools & Spas is one of the top pool builders in the industry; with more than 70,000 pools built, and serving more than 50 markets worldwide, Premier Pools & Spas is constantly looking to expand even further. To become a Premier Pools & Spas franchisee you will need to pass a comprehensive background check, multiple inquiries to local vendors and distributors, as well as previous customer and personal references. If you are interested in joining the Premier Franchise Family, or interested in pool builders near me, then please visit: http://joinpremierpools.com/join-our-team/ or call (855) 212-2210. ANNE DRAGO, Stonington, Girls Basketball, Senior; Drago was named to the all-tournament team at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. In two games, she scored 38 points and had eight rebounds. DANTE WILK, Westerly, Boys Basketball, Senior; Wilk was named MVP of the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament after the Bulldogs beat Chariho in the title game. Wilk had a combined 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in two tournament victories. TYLER LABELLE, Chariho, Boys Basketball, Junior; LaBelle scored 41 points in two games to earn all-tournament honors at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. LaBelle had 22 in a win against South Kingstown and 19 in a loss to Westerly. ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler, Girls Basketball, Senior; Hauptmann scored 32 points in two games in the Montville Christmas Tournament. She also had 20 rebounds, seven assists and eight steals. Vote View Results The corporate regulator has confirmed it is formally investigating the billion-dollar tech stock iSignthis as a company report significant discrepancies in the shareholdings of chief executive John Karantzis. The latest iSignthis annual report raises questions about how many shares Mr Karantzis actually owns. According to the 2018 annual report he owned 153.15 million shares as of December 31, 2018. However, the latest annual report reveals he owned 450.3 million shares on January 1, 2019. The latest directors' interest notice lodged with the ASX reports that Mr Karantzis last year stated he holds about 227.9 million shares. A spokesperson for iSignthis confirmed the latest annual report is accurate. A Delhi court on Monday declined to stop the execution of four convicts in the 2012 gang rape and murder case. The four convicts are scheduled to be hanged at 6 tomorrow morning. A court on January 7, 2020, issued the death warrant against four convicts and scheduled their execution on January 22. The execution date was postponed twice, first to February 1 and then to March 3 due to the convicts not having exhausted their remedies. The central government had also moved the Delhi high court seeking permission to hang those convicts who have exhausted all their legal remedies separately. The Centre argued that the law does not mandate that all death row convicts in a given case should be executed simultaneously. In December 2012, five men and one juvenile had raped and brutalised a young para-medic student in a moving bus in Delhi leading to nationwide outrage. The victim later died from the injuries received. One of the accused committed suicide in Tihar jail during the trial while the juvenile accused was sent to a reform house and released three years later. The four remaining accused were convicted and sentenced to death by the trial court in 2013. The conviction and sentence were confirmed by the Delhi high court in 2014 and the Supreme Court in May 2017. . Press Release February 29, 2020 Villanueva, Revilla seek job security for military reservists Senators Joel Villanueva and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. acknowledge the significant role military reservists play in times of calamities and in thwarting terrorism. Senate Bill Numbers 1147 and 1203 were filed by Villanueva and Revilla, respectively, to strengthen the employment rights of the reservists of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The proposal was filed and passed on third reading at the Senate during the previous congress. The final copy of the measure was sent to the House of Representatives requesting for its concurrence but failed to act on it. "Citizen soldiers or reservists play an integral role in defending the Philippines in times of war, armed conflicts and similar occurrences, and in providing assistance during natural disasters, among others," Villanueva explained. He cited the five-month long Battle of Marawi in Lanao del Sur that starter on May 23, 2017 between the AFP and the militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, including the Maute and Abu Sayyaf jihadist groups. During those months, the AFP mobilized two battalions of reservists either to be in the frontlines or provide assistance to soldiers and civilians caught in the crossfire. In 2013, hundreds of military reservists were also deployed for search and rescue operations in provinces, mostly in Leyte, devastated by super-typhoon Yolanda. These citizen soldiers risk their lives to save lives, said Villanueva, and many of them have decent jobs in private firms to catch up after their tour of military duty. "Unfortunately, reservists often risk losing their civilian careers when they render military service," the senator said, citing a Harvard Business Review study on the inclination of US companies to hire active military reservists. The 2017 study found out that American employers find it challenging to hire or invest in military reservists due to the possibility that they might be called regularly, and will, thus, take long leaves from work to render military service. In the Philippines, there is very little protection for reservists in terms of employment rights, such as payment of compensation and wages while in military service, prohibition against discrimination, rights of reservists upon returning to work, as well as payment of social security-related contributions while on military service, Villanueva said. "Our reservists should be entitled to their original position without loss of seniority rights or reduction or pay. Likewise, their military service should not be considered a break in the employment for retirement purposes," Villanueva said. Revilla, in his SBN 1203, said: "The risk for reservists to lose their civilian careers when they render military service for our State, despite fighting for the country, is unforgiving. The siege created a problem making it difficult for the reservists to reintegrate back to their old jobs, since there is no current law covering that." The twin measures, to be called "Reservist Employment Rights Act," seek to strengthen the employment rights of Reserve Force of the AFP to give recognition to its role in mission areas and in national security. "It aims to ensure the security of tenure of reservists and entitle them to their original position or substantially equivalent position, without loss of seniority rights and diminution of pay. It also intends to institute programs that will protect current and prospective reservists from discrimination in terms of job hiring, reinstatement, promotion, or any benefit of employment on the basis of rendering military service for our country," Revilla added. Both measures are now pending at the Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development Committee. C ancer surgeons have achieved a world-first by using a robot to remove tumours from a patients neck and lung in the same operation. The six-hour procedure at Guys hospital, revealed today by the Evening Standard, ensured the patient, a father of four, was able to start radiotherapy and chemotherapy much more quickly, improving his chances of being cured. Conventional surgery would have involved splitting his jaw and rib cage, a long stay in intensive care, relying on breathing and feeding tubes and weeks of recovery. The chemotherapy could have been delayed by months. The patient, a 49-year-old London psychiatrist called Harvey, was found to have throat cancer after noticing a lump in his neck. A secondary tumour in his right lung was also discovered. Asit Arora, robotic head and neck surgical lead, and Jean-Pierre Jeannon, clinical director for surgical oncology, first removed the throat tumour. Mr Andrea Bille and a colleague operating on Harvey at the console (Guy's Hospital ) / St Guy's Hospital The Da Vinci Xi robot was repositioned and given an extra arm and consultant thoracic surgeon Andrea Bille removed two-thirds of Harveys right lung while he was still under anaesthetic. Harvey, a former smoker who married his partner of more than 20 years Lorraine the day before the operation last August, said: It was devastating to be told I had cancer. "To be my age and have two cancers, particularly in the lung as well, is a spot of bad luck to say the least. In my professional life Ive had a longstanding interest in research. "Even if this does take me down, [the fact that] the treatment has produced a world first and hopefully informed research felt very fitting. Its given us hope where we had none. Mr Andrea Bille and Mr Asit Arora Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust carries out the most robotic operations in the UK about 800 a year. Mr Arora said: It is testament to Harveys courage, his willpower to recover and the minimally invasive robotic approach, that he went home six days later without the need for a feeding or breathing tube. He was able to start radiotherapy almost straight away due to the success of this ground-breaking operation. It was life-saving for him. If we had done this conventionally it would have taken him months to recover and it would have delayed the start of his radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Mr Bille said: It was a challenging situation. We wanted to minimise the time between surgery and the patient having other treatment. "We wanted to speed his recovery and get him ready for the next stage. By Alexander Cornwell DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's role in clinching a historic U.S.-Taliban accord over the weekend could further strengthen its relationship with key ally Washington despite efforts by fellow Gulf Arab states locked in a dispute with Doha to sideline it on the world stage. The deal, which creates a path for the United States to gradually pull out of Afghanistan and opens the way for a potential end to the 18-year conflict, was signed after more than 1-1/2 years of talks that were held mostly in Doha, which hosts the Taliban's political headquarters. [nL4N2AT036] 'Qatar has been an enormously important partner to get us to this very moment. By Alexander Cornwell DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's role in clinching a historic U.S.-Taliban accord over the weekend could further strengthen its relationship with key ally Washington despite efforts by fellow Gulf Arab states locked in a dispute with Doha to sideline it on the world stage. The deal, which creates a path for the United States to gradually pull out of Afghanistan and opens the way for a potential end to the 18-year conflict, was signed after more than 1-1/2 years of talks that were held mostly in Doha, which hosts the Taliban's political headquarters. [nL4N2AT036] "Qatar has been an enormously important partner to get us to this very moment. When we've had hiccups in the road they have helped us smooth them out," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters after the signing ceremony in Doha on Saturday. Although peace negotiations between the sides within Afghanistan could now drag on for years, the Doha accord allows Trump to claim a major foreign policy success.[nL1N2AT03W] "The Qataris have essentially tried to make themselves crucial to the United States in being mediators where the Americans need mediators and of course post-2017... positioning Qatar that way was very important, said James Dorsey of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and Middle East Institute in Singapore. In 2017, Trump initially appeared to side with Saudi Arabia and its allies when they severed ties with Qatar over allegations it supports terrorism and is cosying up to regional foe Iran. Doha denies the charges and says the political, trade and travel embargo imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt since mid-2017 aims to curtail its sovereignty. Washington, which wants a united Gulf front against Iran, has tried to mediate an end to the dispute which erupted from long simmering tensions over tiny but wealthy Qatar's outsized role in the Middle East and its sponsorship of opposing factions in regional conflicts. SOFT POWER The Taliban deal could place Qatar in a position to help de-escalate tensions between Washington and Iran. Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region and shares a giant gas field with Iran, which sided with Doha in the Gulf spat. "I think now global actors know where to go if they want conflicts resolved in our region," Qatar's assistant foreign minister Lolwah Rashid Al Khater told reporters on Saturday. Two Western diplomats told Reuters that Qatar played a vital role when U.S.-Taliban negotiations broke down. A Qatari official involved in the process said Doha looked for a "face-saving" way to salvage talks when Trump cancelled a meeting in September with Taliban leaders at Camp David after the group claimed an attack in Kabul that killed a U.S. soldier. "We thought about two things to do. Number one a hostage release or swap and the second one to work on a reduction in violence," said Mutlaq Al Qahtani, Qatar's foreign ministry envoy for counterterrorism and mediation of conflict resolution. "We thought if we succeeded in those two points we can save the process and bring the parties to the negotiating table again, and that's what we did in November," he told Saturday's news briefing. He was referring to the Talibans' release of American and Australian professors, held hostage for over three years, in November in return for the release of three Taliban commanders. A seven-day reduction in violence period preceded Saturday's signing. Qatar also advised Washington against "fragmentation and proliferation" of efforts, he said, in an apparent reference to attempts by Doha's rivals to host some rounds of the talks. Taliban representatives and U.S. officials had met in the UAE in December 2018 with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE also taking part. Prominent UAE commentator Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said in a Twitter post on Saturday that while the U.S.-Taliban deal should have happened under the aegis of "a Gulf state other than Qatar", it was still considered a victory for Gulf diplomacy. Qatari Twitter user Hamad al-Qahtani shot back that the "victory is solely for Qatari diplomacy". (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Frances Kerry) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WKTV Back to Work Job Orders for March 2 March 6, 2020 Monday March 2, 2020 Job Title: Carpenters Recruitment City Utica, NY Apprentice Carpenter Recruitment Monday March 2nd, 6pm to 8 pm at the Utica State Office Building, 207 Genesee St. Utica. Please bring valid ID for building security. Please use the ground floor, Genesee St. entrance. Learn to be a Carpenter in the commercial construction trade. Must be able to lift 50 lbs. and have a HS diploma or GED, a valid driver license and reliable transportation to and from statewide work sites. Use of hand tools/power tools. Will be working outside in all types of conditions. Must pass drug test. Pay: not specified Job Order # NY1328822 ___________________________________________________________________________ Monday March 2, 2020 Job Title: Furniture Delivery Driver City Utica, NY The Utica/Rome area's premier, family-owned furniture retailer is currently seeking career-minded individuals for the position of full time Furniture Delivery Drivers. We will train the right person for a successful career in the furniture business. We offer a competitive salary, 5 day work week, available health and dental plans, employee purchase plan, retirement plan and paid vacation. Pay: not specified Job Order # NY1335256 _________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday March 3, 2020 Job Title: Director of Development City Jordanville, NY Summary: seeking an energetic, highly motivated and experienced individual with a proven track record to serve as its first Director of Development. The Director of Development will build upon recent successes in fundraising to plan and implement a comprehensive development program in addition will play a key role in capacity building and programmatic growth aimed at sharing our outstanding collections with an increasing audience. Pay: varies Job Order # NY1335099 _________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday March 3, 2020 Job Title: Construction Workers City Cazenovia, NY Seeking Laborers, Carpenters and/or Steel building workers. Responsible for completing interior and exterior rough carpentry work and/or erecting building steel buildings. Minimum qualifications: Previous basic carpentry or building steel storage building experience is needed. Must be able to stand, walk, stoop, bend and lift up to 50 lbs. Must have a drivers license or ability to get to the work site each day. Experience with heavy equipment; bobcat is preferred but not required. Pay: $15-$25/hr Job Order # NY1335293 __________________________________________________________________________________ Wednesday March 4, 2020 Job Title: Furniture Sales Associates City Marcy, NY The Utica/Rome area's premier, family-owned furniture retailer is currently seeking career-minded individuals for the position of full time Furniture Sales Associates. We will train the right person for a successful career in the furniture business. We offer a competitive salary, 5 day work week, available health and dental plans, employee purchase plan, retirement plan and paid vacation. Pay: $40,000-$50,000/yr Job Order # NY1335338 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Wednesday March 4, 2020 Job Title: LPN City Rome, NY Very competitive rates. Open interviews every Friday from 11am-3pm. Ask about out $2000 sign on bonus for full time and $1000 for part time. Work doubles on Saturday and Sunday and get paid for 5 shifts. Actively seeking LPNs for our skilled nursing facility. Full and part time positions. Flexible schedules available. Compensation is extremely competitive & includes a comprehensive benefits package. Current NYS LPN licensure required. Pay: not specified Job Order # NY1335254 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Thursday March 5, 2020 Job Title: Motor Equipment Operator City Canastota, NY Summary: Must possess one year of full time paid experience or its part time equivalent in the operation of automotive equipment or an equivalent combination of training and experience. Possession of a Class B CDL issued by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is required at the time of appointment. Pay: not specified Job Order # NY1335117 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Thursday March 5, 2020 Job Title: RN Supervisor City Rome, NY Sign on bonus $10,000 for full time, $5,000 for part time. Negotiable salary. Seeking a full time or part time RN Supervisor. We offer competitive rates and in addition you will enjoy working in a team-oriented environment where you will be respected. Current NYS RN Licensure, BSN preferred but not required. Minimum two years of experience in LTC or medical/surgical. Minimum one year of experience in a supervisory capacity. Pay: negotiable Job Order # NY1335253 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Friday March 6, 2020 Job Title: Furniture Repair Technician City Utica, NY The Utica/Rome area's premier, family-owned furniture retailer is currently seeking career-minded individuals for the position of full time Furniture Repair Technicians. We will train the right person for a successful career in the furniture business. We offer a competitive salary, 5 day work week, available health and dental plans, employee purchase plan, retirement plan and paid vacation. Pay: not specified Job Order # NY1335256 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Friday March 6, 2020 Job Title: Maintenance Mechanic City Little Falls, NY Assists in the operation and maintenance of buildings, grounds and equipment, performs related work, as required. An appointive position that directly assists the Working Foreperson in providing the efficient and economical operation and maintenance of the Authority buildings, grounds and equipment. Responsibilities include making independent decisions to implement Authority procedures to be followed in the completion of various tasks. Must have 3 years experience. Pay: $18/hr Job Order # NY1335290 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Based on the combination of sufficient evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case being investigated by the Special Investigation Service of Armenia in regard to unlawful gathering and dissemination of information deemed to be secret of personal life and abuse of official position, the head of the relevant subdivision of the National Security Service of Armenia has been charged with abuse of official position. As reported the Special Investigation Service, based on the charge brought against the head of the subdivision, without necessity as an official, in the absence of a goal and other legitimate grounds prescribed by law, on January 9, 2020, asked the employee of the relevant subdivision of the National Security Service to check information regarding conviction of Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia Suren Papikyan in the database. Upon the request of the head of the subdivision, the employee received a statement of information on data deemed to be secret of Suren Papikyan's personal life from the Police of Armenia and transmitted it to the head of the subdivision. Signature to not leave the country has been selected as a pre-trial measure for the accused-on-trial. The investigator has decided to temporarily terminate the term of office of the officer. The preliminary investigation continues. This is the heart-stopping moment a young girl clings to the outside of a residential tower block after climbing out the window in search of her mother. The five-year-old girl, who lives on the tenth-floor flat in the city of Hefei, Anhui Province, East China, had climbed her way down four-floors before getting stuck. Footage taken by a neighbour on Thursday shows the girl standing frozen on a 6th-floor building ledge in a pink down jacket. The child, whose mother reportedly left her at home alone in order to buy necessities, had climbed down the side of the residential building using the security bars on the windows. However she could go no further than the sixth floor as the building has no window bars below that and found herself stuck hanging on the ledge. In the video, a group of residents can be seen standing on the ground floor while holding out a large blanket in a bid to catch the girl if she fell. The girl, five, is seen on the ledge before a brave resident of the fifth floor, Li Xue, (right) steps out from his window to bring the girl safely inside According to reports, the girl was unharmed and reunited with her mother as she returned to the gated community Thankfully a brave resident of the fifth floor, Li Xue, steps out onto the ledge from their window to bring the girl safely inside. Another man can be seen holding on to Mr Li as he attempts to reach the girl. Mr Li, 30, said: 'I took off my coat and stood on the ledge. Others behind me held on to my clothes as I carried the girl back inside.' In the video, a group of residents can be seen standing on the ground floor while holding out a large blanket in a bid to catch the girl if she fell He added: 'If it wasn't me, someone else would've saved her, too.' According to reports, the girl was unharmed and reunited with her mother as she returned to the gated community. It is not known if any action was taken against the mother in response to the incident. More than 17 lakh students from across Maharashtra are expected to appear for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination for class 10 beginning Tuesday. State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary chairperson Shakuntala Kale said on Monday that the SSC exam based on the new syllabus will be organised across nine divisions--Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Konkan, Latur, Aurangabad, Amravati and Kolhapur--during March 3 to 23. A total of 17,65,000 students are expected to appear for the exam. "The students should follow only official schedule of the examination that was published by the state board," Kale added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 22:12:37 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 334 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB and SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Emerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSXV:EBY)(OTC:EMBYF) (the "Corporation", the "Company" or "Emerald Bay") today announced that at its special meeting of the Company's shareholders held on February 28, 2020 (the "Special Meeting") the shareholders approved, via special resolutions, the following: (i) the consolidation of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Corporation on a "1 new for 15 old" basis (the "Consolidation"); and (ii) changing the Corporation's name to "Nexera Energy Inc." (the "Name Change").The Corporation is currently coordinating the timing for the implementation of the Consolidation and Name Change (management of the Corporation anticipates it to occur in the next 5 to 10 business days). As of the today's date, there are 354,103,367 Common Shares issued and outstanding. There will be, post-Consolidation, approximately 23,606,891 Common Shares issued and outstanding.About Emerald BayEmerald Bay Energy Inc. (TSX Venture: EBY, OTC: EMBYF) is an energy company with oil producing properties in Southwest Texas as well as non-operated oil and natural gas interests in Central Alberta, Canada. EBY is the operator of the Wooden Horse and Nash Creek Projects in Guadalupe, Texas, where the Company currently owns a 50.00% working interest those projects. Additionally, the Company owns and operates various working interests in the HugoCellR, Cotulla, and MarPat partnerships. The Company also owns 75% of Production Resources Inc., a South Texas oil company.For all upcoming news releases, articles, comments and questions, to stay updated and speak with management about Emerald Bay Energy. Please JOIN our Investor Information Group at:For further information, please contact:Emerald Bay President, Shelby D. Beattie, or CFO, Mike Rice, by telephone at (403) 262-6000Email: info@ ebyinc.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Emerald Bay Energy Inc. Two men have been hospitalised after having substances sprayed on them in separate attacks across London tonight. One man in his 40s was sprayed by an 'unknown substance' in Lewisham, south London, at around 9.20pm this evening. The man is in hospital and his condition is not thought to be life threatening. Two men have been hospitalised after having substances sprayed on them in separate attacks across London tonight. Pictured: The scene in Lewisham after a man in his 40s was sprayed by an 'unknown substance' The first attack, at around 9.20pm this evening, left a man in hospital but his condition is not thought to be life threatening A second attack in Waltham Forest saw a man in his 20s stabbed and a substance sprayed at him at 10.40pm. He is currently in hospital and his condition is unknown. Lewisham MPS tweeted: 'We're working in Lewisham High Street after a man in his 40s was assaulted and sprayed at around 9.20pm with an unknown substance. Lewisham MPS tweeted: 'We're working in Lewisham High Street after a man in his 40s was assaulted and sprayed at around 9.20pm with an unknown substance.' Pictured: Police at the scene The tweet by Lewisham MPS added: 'He has been taken to hospital for treatment (condition not thought to be life-threatening). No arrest yet.' Pictured: Police at the scene in Lewisham 'He has been taken to hospital for treatment (condition not thought to be life-threatening). No arrest yet.' Waltham Forest MPS wrote: 'We're investigating a stabbing at 10.40pm in Queens Road, Walthamstow. 'A substance was also sprayed at the victim, aged in his 20s, who has been taken to hospital. 'We await assessment of condition. No arrest.' A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 9.21pm last night to reports of an assault in Lewisham High Street. 'We sent an ambulance crew, our hazardous area response team and an incident response officer to the scene. 'We treated a patient at the scene and took them to hospital.' A British-owned craft gin company has scooped two awards at the recent World Gin Awards in London. Run by husband and wife team Chris and Carolina Tunmore, Hayes Gin won the prestigious Gold Award for its London Dry Gin. The couple, both avid gin connoisseurs, also picked up the bronze in the flavoured category for their blood orange and ginger-flavoured gin. The global awards select the very best in all internationally recognised styles of gin, and categories included contemporary, flavoured, sloe and London Dry gin. The awards highlight the exceptional products, distilleries and people within the gin industry. Winners are selected through a vigorous blind tasting and unique scoring process. The carefully selected judges look for specialisms in distillation, mixology, marketing and distribution. Chris and Carolina began to explore the craft gin business in 2016. The couple, both long-time residents on the Costa del Sol, began by making different types of gin in their home in Fuengirola. After selecting the right distillery in Madrid in 2017, they launched the Hayes Gin brand, which quickly began to attract the attention of gin lovers on the coast. Award winning recipes It took the couple about a year to perfect their award-winning recipes by bringing together the very best tasting natural ingredients to produce their small-batch craft gins. "Becoming Spain's number one gin is such an honour. There are some great gins in Spain, so for us to win both gold for the London Dry and bronze for our blood orange and ginger flavour for Spain, is incredible," Chris says. This is the first time the couple have entered the competition, which this year received more than 400 entries from around the world. "This is the first time we have entered the World Gin Awards. From our point of view, we love our gins and feel we put our heart and soul into every bottle. But when a panel of industry experts award you gold and bronze for Spain, you suddenly think, wow, we are making something very special," Carolina explains. Making an impact The couple created their bold flavours after finding the correct German copper still, and they are delighted to have made such an impact on the gin market in just three years. "We are so happy our Mediterranean London Dry has taken the Gold Award. There are different ways to make gin, but London Dry is the hardest. A lot of people think London Dry means the gin has to be distilled in London. In fact, it means that once the gin is distilled you can't add anything but water. We wanted to create a Mediterranean London Dry that was smooth and refreshing, yet flavourful and full of character. I think this award proves we have achieved that," Chris says. Chris and Carolina are hoping to open a new distillery in Malaga in 2022. At the moment, they are preparing to release their new barrel-aged spiced gin, which they hope to present at next year's World Gin Awards. They also plan to promote their brand again at this year's the Marenostrum festival in Fuengirola. Bernie Sanders is heading into California's primary on Tuesday as the clear favourite among Democrats, enjoying a massive lead over his competitors, notably among young voters and Latinos. A win in the liberal stronghold that has 415 delegates -- the largest number of any state -- would give the 78-year-old Vermont senator a formidable advantage in the overall race for the Democratic nomination. Political observers say his appeal in California has only grown since the last presidential election, in large part because he has not wavered on his signature issues, including health care, income inequality and student debt. He has also aggressively courted Latino voters, who make up about a quarter of the estimated electorate for the California primary. "Sanders has really focused on engaging the Latino electorate by meeting them where they are, hiring locally and opening field and campaign offices in Latino communities," said Sonja Diaz, founding director of the Latino Policy and Initiative at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "It's pretty clear in terms of his campaign tactics that Latinos are critical to his campaign's success." Sanders, the oldest candidate in the race, also owes much of his success in California to young voters hungry for change. "A lot of my peers feel like Bernie speaks to young people's issues and is really authentic," said Alex Brandolino, 21, a student and vice president of UCLA's chapter of the California Young Democrats. "We are a generation that feels like there's these huge challenges like climate change, health care and student debt, and we need change now to address these issues." Brandolino feels confident that Sanders will manage to get young voters -- who historically are less likely to turn out -- to actually show up at the polling stations this year in greater numbers. "I believe that Sanders has developed a real, unique connection with young voters that I think is very rare among politicians, and I do think youth turnout would increase if he is the nominee," he told AFP. "Whether or not that would offset potential alienation of more moderate and older voters, I don't know," he added. Several supporters interviewed at a recent Sanders rally in Santa Ana, south of Los Angeles, said the Vermont senator appealed to them because of his consistent message on key issues and his progressive ideas. "He's never changed. Everything he says now, he's been saying for years and years and years," said Ed Shaiman, 71, a retired teacher. "And I believe he cares about people." Edgar Pedroza, 25, a bartender whose parents immigrated to the US from Mexico, said he was voting for Sanders because he was convinced he could stand up to President Donald Trump in the November election. "I just hope that the Democratic Party will rally around Bernie if he is the Democratic nominee," Pedroza said. "Because I think Trump is a horrible human being, and that reflects badly on us as a society, as a country." Sanders will be going into Super Tuesday -- the most important day on the Democratic primary calendar when more than a dozen states hold primaries -- charged up from his victories in New Hampshire and Nevada and a tie for the lead in Iowa. He was back in the Golden State on Sunday, telling a rally in San Jose that he was the best placed candidate to beat Trump and urging young supporters to vote. "This generation does not vote in the kinds of numbers that we need," he told a roaring crowd. "Today I am here to ask you, to beg of you, let us reach out to people all across the state, all across this country... tell them that we need them at our side in the political struggle for justice." A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that 32 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the staunchly liberal state prefer Sanders. Trailing well behind in second place is former vice president Joe Biden with 14 per cent, Elizabeth Warren with 13 per cent and Michael Bloomberg at 12 per cent. The survey showed that among young voters aged 18 to 44 and among Latinos, Sanders enjoys 53 per cent support, far more than the other Democratic presidential hopefuls. "Bernie Sanders leads all candidates in the Democratic presidential primary today, and he is most likely to be named by voters as the candidate who can win against Donald Trump in November," said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute. "He has had a consistent message of a more expansive role of government that resonates with most young adults and Latino voters in California," he added. "More recently, he has been emphasising the importance of climate change and income inequality, and these are concerns that many Californians are raising about the future of this state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Acting on anonymous tips mailed to a casino and library in Ohio, police spent two days searching a snow-covered wooded area for missing Bridgeton 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, but no evidence was found despite using K-9s and drones, a detective there told NJ Advance Media on Monday. Austintown, Ohio, police scoured 30 to 40 acres near a Hollywood Gaming casino and horse racing track using two cadaver dogs, according to Austintown Detective Lt. Jordan Yacovone. The drones used for the aerial search were equipped with infrared technology, Yacovone said. Up to 10 officers took part in the searches Saturday and Sunday. Apart from confirming the tips were mailed to the casino and Austintown Library, Yacovone declined to comment on the contents of the letters. The two-page, handwritten letter was received by the library within the last week and a half, according to Janet Loew, the librarys community and public relations director. She also declined to discuss the contents of the letter, but noted that much if it was illegible. Dulce disappeared during a family outing to Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16. Her case sparked numerous searches of the Greater Bridgeton area and tips have come in from around the country. A reward stands at $75,000. The area searched by Ohio police, located close to the Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, is snow-covered currently and additional searches may be conducted once the weather warms up, Yacovone said. He noted that this is one of hundreds of tips authorities searching for Dulce have received in the investigation and each one needs to be pursued. We just dont blow it off. We investigate every tip, Yacovone said. What were doing is dotting our is and crossing our ts." He said New Jersey authorities remain in charge of the investigation. Im basically here to help them, he said. Whatever they ask me to do, Ill do. In a post on Facebook Sunday, Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari confirmed that nothing was found in Ohio and noted that erroneous information from less than credible sources has diverted police resources during this investigation. This type of activity hinders investigators efforts in locating Dulce and determining the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, he wrote. Gaimari previously said police have investigated 5,000 leads and have analyzed cellphone data and video gathered from the area of the park. Authorities have asked anyone with information about Dulce to call the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or the Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033. Tips may also be phoned in to 1-800-CALL-FBI and select option 4, then select option 8. Anonymous tips may be sent by text to TIP411 with Bridgeton in the message line. Prayer candles stand at the tribute to Dulce Maria Alavez in Bridgeton City Park, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020.Al Amrhein | For NJ Advance Media Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. 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. New Delhi, March 2 : The Congress has given notice to discuss the issue of Delhi riots in Lok Sabha, which begins on Monday after a recess. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury gave notice to Speaker Om Birla to suspend all business in the House to discuss riots in Delhi. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the government is ready to discuss all issues as per rules. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would be moving 'The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020 for consideration and passing to provide for resolution of disputed tax. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is to be introduced by Union Minister Harsh Vardhan to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will move The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020. This is to be moved to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934. The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill,2020 would be introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and to amend the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015. He would also lay on the table an explanatory Statement showing the reasons for immediate Legislation by promulgation of the Mineral Laws Ordinance, 2020. A report of the Standing Committee on Railways would be presented by Radha Mohan Singh and Sunil Kumar Mondal regarding the "Demands for Grants (2020-21) of the Ministry of Railways". The MPs to move that the "Lok Sabha recommend to the Rajya Sabha that the Upper House do agree to nominate seven members from it to associate with the Committee on Public Accounts of the House for the term beginning on the May 1, 2020 and ending on April 30, 2021 and do communicate to this House the names of the members so nominated by Rajya Sabha." The deadly plague mushrooms. The list of its victims grows longer. Yet the mercurial president and his lap-dog lieutenants send out mixed messages, promising measures to keep us safer, then backing away from any corrective that might save lives. I'm not talking about COVID-19 (the disease caused by the infamous coronavirus). I'm talking about gun violence, which has long been a pandemic in the United States. On Wednesday, a troubled employee of Milwaukee's Molson Coors brewery killed five of his colleagues on the sprawling campus before fatally shooting himself. According to The Washington Post, it was the first mass killing of 2020 defined as an attack in which four or more people are killed. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said it was Wisconsin's 11th mass shooting (wherein four or more people are injured) since 2004. Let that sink in for a moment. In the past decade and a half, one state and far from the most populous has had 11 mass shootings. Yet the Milwaukee atrocity barely broke through news coverage of President Donald J. Trump's disastrous press conference on his administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak. Even so, mass shootings draw more news media attention than the routine gun carnage that wreaks havoc on communities across the country. We have grown inured to the child shot dead by a stray bullet on a playground, to the crazed motorist firing at the driver who cut him off in traffic, to the estranged husband gunning down his wife. In 2017, the last year for which authoritative federal data were available, about three-quarters of all homicides in the U.S. were committed with firearms, according to the Pew Research Center. And here's something we don't discuss: About 60 percent of firearms deaths are suicides. For some perspective, consider these statistics: So far, there have been 100 reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. By contrast, nearly 40,000 Americans were killed by firearms last year, and there's no reason to expect this year to alter the statistics significantly. We have panicked over COVID-19. Certainly, Trump's casual attitude in minimizing a possible pandemic even as his medical experts had just told the public to expect more cases did little to reassure us. We buy masks, hand sanitizer and household antimicrobial cleaners. We avoid shaking hands with business acquaintances, we cancel travel, we swear off ocean cruises. But we don't vote out the politicians who cower before the gun lobby. When 20 little children and six adults were gunned down in Sandy Hook in 2012, I was certain that Congress would finally find the guts to stand up to the National Rifle Association and its power-mad allies. It didn't. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Now, we just shrug when Congress fails to pass the sensible measures that the overwhelming majority of Americans support, such as background checks for private gun sales. Instead, we hire security guards to patrol our sanctuaries during worship and teach our children to cower under their desks during active-shooter drills. We lay wreaths at the scenes of mass shootings. While we have not conquered the opioid epidemic, we have found the will to bring massive lawsuits against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who blanketed the landscape with their addictive drugs. But gun manufacturers are protected against lawsuits, even though their deadly products do so much harm. Worse yet, the gun lobby strangely enough has even fought new technology for "smart guns," which could only be fired by authorized users. Why? What sort of madness would inspire that stance? Recently, I listened to my fifth grader's school principal explain that the district is considering adopting a new approach for active-shooter drills. Instead of teaching the children to hide in a closet the shelter-in-place technique is outdated, it seems schools may be telling kids to run, to scatter or even to tackle the shooter. This is the instruction that could be given to 11-year-olds. As many psychologists have pointed out, that sort of training is likely to scare kids into nightmares while doing little to protect them from harm. Trump, who is wrong about so many things, was misinformed when he suggested at his press conference that scientists are close to finding a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. They are not. But they will find a cure for that coronavirus much faster than for the firearms madness that is killing so many of us. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-03 01:01:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RIYADH, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia registered on Monday the first novel coronavirus case, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Health Ministry revealed that the case is a Saudi national traveling from Iran to the kingdom through Bahrain. The ministry said that a medical team was sent for medical tests that were positive. He was kept in isolation in the hospital, while those who made contact with him are being tested. The ministry confirmed that the test results would be announced soon. Saudi Arabia has taken precautionary measures to prevent the spreading of the virus after cases were registered in neighboring countries, such as temporary suspension of Umrah and tourism visas. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been criticised for failing to pass on information which doctors say might help to save the lives of American coronavirus patients. The CDC, a national public health institute, provides information to physicians on how to manage outbreaks including coronavirus. The federal agency has so far only released one detailed case study of a US patient who recovered from the illness, outlining the treatments given to him and his response to them. Although the CDC has been given clinical information on other US coronavirus patients, it has not yet shared it with doctors around the country. The CDC has been contacted for comment. Doctors say they want to learn from the findings of fellow medics who have treated coronavirus patients. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, told CNN: "It's a medical truism that it's absolutely essential that physicians with experience with a particular condition disseminate information to others. He added that he believed it was inexplicable and inappropriate not to share such information. Similarly, Paul Offit, an infectious disease doctor at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said: "If you're a doctor dealing with this in the emergency department, you want to know what we've already seen in the United States. The CDC does offer further advice on its website to doctors on how to best treat coronavirus patients, but this guidance is largely based on Chinese research. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, is among those who think that the CDC will soon publish the reports. The one report published so far by the CDC concerns a 35-year-old man in Washington state and includes a list of his symptoms and x-ray images of his lungs at different stages of the illness. Responding to the criticism of the CDC, campaign journalist Brian Beutler tweeted: CDC is withholding potentially lifesaving treatment information from U.S. doctors treating coronavirus patients as some of said patients die. Story continues This comes as the CDC has also been condemned for allegedly releasing a patient from quarantine from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, who later tested positive for the illness. Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio, said on Sunday: The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable. The US has so far confirmed that two patients have died in the country from COVID-19. The illness has now spread to every permanently-inhabited continent amid fears that coronavirus will become a pandemic. Read more Coronavirus: Second person dies in US, authorities confirm MotoGP cancels opening two races of 2020 season due to coronavirus Bloomberg addresses nation on coronavirus in $1.5m-plus TV ad Coronavirus outbreak triggers Serie A emergency assembly Scientists believe regional cooperation will help cope with the effects of climate change. A research work by the Institute of Meteorological Science and Climate Change and the Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute shows that climate change impact includes water shortages, lower water quality, and river bank and coastline erosion. The problems have become even more serious because of the appearance of many hydropower dams on the Mekong mainstream upper course and the overexploitation of natural resources. Many wetlands such as mangroves, ponds, lakes, lagoons and wet grasslands are disappearing to make room for irrigation works, afforestation projects, salt fields, industrial development and shrimp farming. The overexploitation of natural resources is a major threat to the ecosystem. The land and water reclamation and intensive agriculture, plus the negative ecological impacts left by the war have significantly reduced the area of natural forests, wetlands and other natural habitats. The overexploitation of natural resources is a major threat to the ecosystem. The land and water reclamation and intensive agriculture, plus the negative ecological impacts left by the war have significantly reduced the area of natural forests, wetlands and other natural habitats. Due to coastal protection works, the area of coastal tidal areas has narrowed, reducing the mangrove area which worsens coastal erosion. As the mangrove forests have shrunk, shrimp hatchery areas have increased and the use of salted underground water for aquaculture, saline intrusion, especially in coastal areas, is getting worse. Meanwhile, hydropower dams have caused the decline of flow in the dry season and the decline of alluvium. It is estimated that the amount of alluvium reaching the Mekong Delta is 15 million tons only. Saline intrusion will increase in most coastal areas. Saline intrusion appears earlier by 1-1.5 months than previously. In the years before 2012,l tlsaline intrusion occurred from February to April. In recent years, it began in late December and reached its peak in February. Since 2010, landslides have increased in both scope and severity, threatening people's lives and properties, seriously affecting the security of disaster prevention works, infrastructure in coastal areas, and degrading coastal mangroves. The erosion causes the loss of 300 hectares of land and coastal mangrove forests each year. 564 landslide spots with the total length of 834 kilometers have been found in Mekong Delta. These include 512 riverbank landslide spots (566 kilometers in total), mostly along the Tien, Hau, Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay Rivers, and 52 coastline spots (268 kilometers). The experts from the Institute of Human Geography under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) believe that the problems need to be solved with solutions on regional cooperation. It is necessary to complete coordination to ensure the harmonization of development interests among stakeholders, between immediate priorities and long-term goals, and minimize conflicts of interest among localities, sub-regions in the region, and among economic sectors. Thien Nhien Scientists warn of climate change's effect on water resources in Vietnam The rapid population increase as well as agricultural development and aquaculture in the last decades have significantly reduced the natural value of Mekong Delta. She is most recognisable for her sensational physique and years spent as a Victoria Secret's Angel. And Alessandra Ambrosio looked every bit the off-duty model when she went for a casual stroll on Sunday with her son and dog in Malibu. The 38-year-old slipped her svelte physique into cobalt blue gym leggings paired with a soft white tunic. Model behaviour: Alessandra Ambrosio, 38, looked every bit the off-duty model in cobalt blue leggings when she went for a casual stroll on Sunday with her son and dog in Malibu The mum-of-two accessorised her low-key look with aviator frames and twisted her brunette locks into a simple top knot. The runway star accentuated her radiant complexion by opting to go make-up free for the stroll. She led her Cavapoodle puppy on a long red lead and was followed closely by her seven-year-old son, Noah. The Brazilian beauty is mother to two children from her 10-year relationship with fiance Jamie Mazur, they also share daughter Anja, 11. Stylish: The mum-of-two accessorised her low-key look with aviator frames and twisted her brunette locks into a simple top knot, she was followed by her son Noah, seven The runway star appeared to be without her beau model Nicolo Oddi, who she has been romantically linked to since July 2018. During her hugely successful career she modelled for high-profile brands such as Armani exchange, Next, Christian Dior and Ralph Lauren. Alessandra's former workplace, Victoria's Secret is in hot water over allegations of 'misogyny and harassment' at the lingerie company. The Model Alliance advocates for the protection of models and claims the 'culture of misogyny, bullying, and harassment' was 'even more egregious and more entrenched than previously understood.' Hot water: Her outing comes as 100 other models signed an open letter to the CEO of Victoria's Secret accusing the company of fostering an environment of 'misogyny, bullying, and harassment' (L-R Models Lily Aldridge, Adriana Lima, Elsa Hosk, Alessandra and Taylor Hill in 2016) They've now written two open letters to CEO John Mehas; the second was published yesterday. Signatories of the letter include catwalk stars such as Christy Turlington Burns, Iskra Lawrence, Edie Campbell, Amber Valletta and Felicity Hayward. Models who have worked with Victoria's Secret such as Karen Elson and Caitriona Balfe also co-signed the document. Alessandra Ambrosio was not one of the 100 nor were many of the VS big wigs like Giselle, Miranda Kerr, Behati Prinsloo, Kendall Jenner or the Hadid sisters. Alessandra was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2004-2017. The new peace agreement is the beginning of the end, or a new beginning, of the United States (US) war in Afghanistan. The US and the Taliban deal could see US troops ending their 20-year military presence in 14 months. What it is designed to do is symbolically fulfil President Donald Trumps electoral promise of ending Washingtons most expensive overseas war ever. One can expect many a slip between the cup and the lip, given how little spadework has been done. Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis block on the first step in the agreement, the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, is a reminder that many stakeholders are not party to the deal. India may be unhappy, but this the treaty has been in the offing for over a decade. President Barack Obama tried repeatedly to get the US to leave Afghanistan. The noise from the US presidential campaign indicates a strong and bipartisan desire for a troop withdrawal. The only difference is that Mr Trump seems less concerned about the regional consequences of such an action. In the past, this would have puffed up the Pakistan military and their terrorist cohorts and spelt trouble for India. Today, New Delhi has far less to worry about given the economic weaknesses and international isolation of Islamabad. A trickier debate is whether the Taliban, and Afghanistan as a whole, have evolved to becoming more resistant to manipulation by Rawalpindi and its terrorist cohorts. A lot will depend on a set of variables that will play out over the next few years. One of these will be the Indian-backed Chhabahar port and its promise of economic independence from Pakistan. New Delhi knew, for several months, that a US withdrawal was more than likely, only the timetable was uncertain. Talk of India attempting to fill the spaces that the US may leave is hubris. India lacks the financial and military capacity and geographical proximity to do so. India can only seek to make the withdrawal process more drawn-out and Kabuls role in the negotiations more robust. A more useful goal would be to restore the democratic process in Kashmir as fast as possible before it becomes a chink in the countrys external armour once again. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 01:55:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CAIRO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Egypt on Sunday rejected Ethiopia's recent statement justifying its absence from the talks over its giant Nile River dam project and its decline to sign a deal to settle the dispute. Ethiopia's failure to attend the Feb. 27-28 ministerial meeting with Egypt and Sudan in the U.S. capital of Washington D.C. "deliberately" hindered the course of negotiations, the Egyptian ministries of foreign affairs and water resources said in a joint statement. The statement cast doubt on Ethiopia's explanation that it needed more time to consider, "after more than five years of being fully engaged in intensified negotiations that tackled all dimensions and details of the issue." Ethiopia, an upstream Nile Basin country, started building its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011 on the Blue Nile, raising concerns from downstream Egypt that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of Nile water. While the Ethiopian team did not show up in Washington, Egypt unilaterally initialed on Saturday a U.S.-sponsored agreement that was supposed to be signed by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that "the text reportedly initialed 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." It added that the guidelines and rules for filling and operating the GERD must be prepared by the three countries. "Ethiopia as the owner of the GERD will commence 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 as provided for under the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DOP)," the ministry said. Egypt's fellow downstream country Sudan eyes future benefits from the GERD construction despite Egyptian concerns. The tripartite negotiations have been fruitless for years, and the U.S. recently sponsored fresh talks to push for an agreement that was supposed to be signed by the three parties in late February. Filling the reservoir, whose total capacity is 74 billion cubic meters, may take several years. Egypt seeks to prolong the period to avoid the negative effects of water shortage, which is a main point of the talks. The GERD is expected to produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity and become Africa's largest hydropower dam upon completion. / -- Chief Guest Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways; Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India; Guest of Honor Shri. Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Hon'ble Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries and MSME and Special Guest Shri. R.P. Singh, National Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), felicitated the award winners and the finalists at the grand ceremony of the 10th edition of Aegis Graham Bell Awards on 27th Feb 2020 at NDMC Convention Centre, New Delhi. Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) was initiated in 2010 by Aegis School of Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecom to recognize young top brains who has potential to grow as technology leaders; start-up founders; innovators; entrepreneurs; intra entrepreneurs who are transforming the lives of millions of Indians by their work in the fields of education, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data science, Internet of Things (IoT), Smart city, Telecom, Mobile, Health, eCommerce, Blockchain, Fintech, Cloud, social good, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Governance, MSME, Transportation, Retail, Cyber Security, and many more. AGBA is supported by NITI Aayog, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCOE) and powered by mUni Campus. Shri Nitin Gadkari Minister for Road Transport & Highways ; Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) the Chief Guest of the event commended, "Congratulations to the winners, finalists and also the Aegis team for encouraging the innovators and their work. I would like to reiterate the innovators to concentrate more on rural, agricultural, tribal areas and on the world's import substitute and improve the export. There is no dearth of innovation in India, and so in the world market I want our talent to be highlighted in innovation, skill, technology and entrepreneurship. To make India super economic and to achieve the 5 trillion economy goal we need to concentrate on the research and development." At the event, Hon'ble Minister Shri. Nitin Gadkari recognized 20 talented students, who were provided with a 100% scholarship to study Post Graduate Program (PGP) in Data Science; PGP in Applied AI, Machine Learning & Deep Learning and PGP in Cyber Security from Aegis School of Data Science & Cyber Security in association with IBM. The winners were selected through Aegis Graham Bell Awards (AGBA) National Talent Hunt from across the country who has the potential to grow as leaders in Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security. Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), the Guest of Honor for the evening said, "This award is named after Graham Bell and it is recognition to young talents who inspire other entrepreneurs, scientists, and technocrats to work and strive hard towards excellence." He also appreciated the technocrats by saying, "You are all experts and so all your expertise should be put together to achieve the national goal and to achieve the 5 trillion common goal we should make all efforts in the same direction"The award day started with 'Innovators Talk' and a keynote address by Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, an Indian engineer, innovator and education reformist. He is the founding-director of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), as well as panel discussions and key talks around the theme 'India at the power of innovations' by various innovative pioneers and learned orators. The winners and finalists for the 10th AGBA: Winners Finalists Innovation in Artificial Intelligence Innovation in Artificial Intelligence LivNSense Technologies Analyttica Datalab Playment Innovation in Data Science Innovation in Data Science Intelligence Node Course 5 Intelligence Quantiphi Innovation in Cyber Security Innovation in Cyber Security WiJungle Seclore Technologies Volon Cyber Security Innovation in Internet of Things Innovation in Internet of Things LetsTrack Sixth Energy Tata Communications Innovation in Robotics Process Automation Innovation in Robotics Process Automation Hethi Inc Vodafone Idea Quantiphi Innovation in Managed Services Innovation in Managed Services Wipro Spectra Innovation in Digital Transformation Innovation in Digital Transformation Porter IFTAS Sigmoid Analytics Innovative Enterprise Solution Innovative Enterprise Solution Idea Bridge Cisco Locus Innovation in Cloud Innovation in Cloud Parallel Wireless ESDS Cloud4C Innovation in Blockchain Innovation in Blockchain Wipro Wipro Siemens Innovation in eCommerce Innovation in eCommerce Niki Meesho Ntex Transport (Elastic Run) Innovation in Health Tech Innovation in Health Tech Xcellence in Bio Innovations and Technologies HCL MetFlux Research Innovation in Clean Tech Innovation in Clean Tech Mudita & Radheshpvt.ltd. Lithion Power Private Limited Innovation in EdTech Innovation in EdTech Odo Technologies The Prayas India Simplilearn Innovation in Transport Tech Innovation in Transport Tech Yulu Lithium Urban Technologies Shadowfax Innovation in Governance Tech Innovation in Governance Tech NxtGen Datacenter & Cloud Technologies Param Paisa Innovation in FinTech Innovation in FinTech Finnew Solutions Pay1 Bharti Airtel Limited Innovation in Consumer Tech Innovation in Consumer Tech Bobble AI Bharti Airtel Limited Comviva Technologies Innovative Mobile App for Consumer Innovative Mobile App for Consumer Uber Data Xgen Technologies ShareChat Application for Social good Application for Social good Reliance Foundation Bliss and Style Mobility Vodafone Idea Innovation in Telecom Infrastructure Innovation in Telecom Infrastructure Ramboll India Parallel Wireless STL Technologies Innovative Telecom Product Innovative Telecom Product C-DOT Neron Informatics Huawei Innovative Smart City Solution Innovative Smart City Solution Bharti Infratel Cisco Ramboll India Bhupesh Daheria, CEO of Aegis School of Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecom and Founder of Aegis Graham Bell Awards said, "Congratulations to the AGBA winners and finalists. It's very important for India to recognize the innovators as they are the major drivers of the economic growth. Participating firms alone at AGBA and innovators contributed hugely by employment generation of over 8 lakhs+; 65000+ crores revenue and raised investment over 6000+ crores." He also congratulated the 20 talented students who were selected through AGBA National Talent Hunt and who will get a 100% scholarship for courses in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. He said, "With the AGBA talent hunt we want to identify and nurture the future technology leaders." Aegis School of Business Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecommunication: Aegis School of Business, Data Science, Cyber Security and Telecommunication was founded in the year 2002 with support from Bharti Airtel to develop cross functional technology leaders. In 2015, Aegis and IBM collaborated to launch, India's first Post Graduate Program (PGP) in Data Science, Business Analytics and Big Data and later in 2017 PGP in Cyber Security. These programs are jointly certified and delivered by Aegis School of Business in association with IBM. Aegis is the number One School of Data Science. Aegis takes up various industry projects, research and consulting assignments in the field of data science under its initiative 'Data Science Delivered' and 'Data Science for social good', and helping organizations for devolving skills on data science, ML, DL, Big Data, Analytics etc. For further information, please visit: www.aegis.edu.in or www.bellaward.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097751/AGBA_NITI_Aayog_Aegis_School. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New York's governor on Monday warned that the coronavirus would spread in the global financial hub as President Donald Trump prepared to meet pharmaceutical executives on the response to the outbreak that has claimed two lives in America. Andrew Cuomo said it was "inevitable" more people in the city would test positive for the deadly virus after its first confirmed case was detected in a health care worker who had visited Iran. "There is no doubt that there will be more cases. This is New York, we're a gateway to the world," Cuomo told reporters. "People are going to test positive, not just one or two or three or five, there will be many who test positive," he added. Cuomo said the 39-year-old woman who tested positive at the weekend had mild symptoms and was recovering at home. He added that the Manhattan resident had been "very aware of her situation" and had taken a private car to her home from the airport on Tuesday. "She did textbook everything right. We don't believe she was contagious on the airplane or in the car," he said. Cuomo added that she was isolated at home with her husband who is also expected to test positive for coronavirus. The United States has now had two deaths and has recorded more than 80 confirmed cases. Some of those are believed to be the result of its spreading within communities, as opposed to infections contracted overseas or from persons who had recently travelled to foreign hot spots. While Cuomo said New York's first case was not itself a cause for broader concern, he announced $40 million to contain the spread of the virus and a target of testing 1,000 New Yorkers a day. He said cleaning of public places will be increased and added that the city was used to dealing with health crises, citing Ebola and SARS. Cuomo said residents should not worry, adding: "In this situation the facts defeat fear because the reality is reassuring." His conference came shortly after Trump announced on Twitter that he would meet with leading pharmaceutical companies at the White House on Monday "about progress on a vaccine and cure." The meeting is due to take place at 3:00 pm (2000 GMT). "Progress being made!" Trump tweeted. Also Monday, the United States' leading public health spokesman warned that wearing a face mask could actually increase the risk of infection. "Folks who don't know how to wear them properly tend to touch their faces a lot and actually can increase the spread of coronavirus," US Surgeon General Jerome Adams told Fox Globally, more than 3,000 people have died as a result of the virus, which has now infected nearly 90,000 people with cases in over 60 countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Labor party "fixer" who failed to appear at a corruption inquiry has returned to Australia after a lengthy spell in Lebanon. Bechara Khouri, who prefers to call himself a "facilitator," was a key person of interest during the Independent Commission Against Corruptions long-running inquiry into planning matters handled by Canterbury City Council. Bechara Khouri leaving his home last week. Credit:James Brickwood The inquiry heard that Mr Khouri, a former business partner of Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid, had a substantial interest in several of the properties under scrutiny and that the 62-year-old had lobbied councillors Michael Hawatt and Pierre Azzi to achieve favourable planning outcomes without disclosing his interest. Since his return from Lebanon in November 2019, Mr Khouri has met frequently with Mr Azzi. Story COVID-19 test results have come back from the Washington State Public Health Laboratory confirming four additional cases of COVID-19 in King County residents. With these four new results, the total number of cases in King County is ten. Todays results include an additional death, bringing the total number of deaths in King County from COVID-19 to two. King County Executives Office will join local and state public health officials on Monday to discuss the latest cases and the King County response to this outbreak to discuss the latest cases and the King County response to this outbreak. The four new cases are in: A female in her 80s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition A female in her 90s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The woman has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition A male in his 70s, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland. The man has underlying health conditions, and is in critical condition A male in his 70s was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth. He had underlying health conditions and died on 2/29/20. All of these newly identified cases are among residents of LifeCare, the skilled nursing facility in Kirkland that was previously identified to have two associated cases. Six other cases, already reported earlier by Public Health, include: A man in his 60s, hospitalized at Valley Medical Center in Renton. A man in 60s, hospitalized at Virginia Mason Medical Center. A woman in her 50s, who had traveled to South Korea; recovering at home A woman in her 70s, who was a resident of LifeCare in Kirkland, hospitalized at EvergreenHealth A woman in her 40s, employed by LifeCare, who is hospitalized at Overlake Medical Center A man in his 50s, who was hospitalized and died at EvergreenHealth Public Health is working hard to identify close contacts of these confirmed cases. These close contacts may include family members, co-workers, emergency responders and other contacts. A team of CDC officials is on-the-ground working with Public Health, along with the Washington State Department of Health, our healthcare system partners and many others. The public can help: Coronation Street star Julia Goulding returned to the cobbles with her baby son, Franklin Wolf Silver, after welcoming him in December with husband Ben. The soap star, 35, was spotted arriving on set in Manchester cradling her little one under her red knee-length padded coat after just four months off work. The TV actress, who has played Shona Platt since 2016, teamed the ITV Studios-branded coat with a pair of ripped knee denims and red leather Doc Martens. Back to it: Coronation Street star Julia Goulding was pictured on returning to the Cobbles with her son, Franklin Wolf Silver, after welcoming him in December with husband Ben Making sure her bundle of joy remained warm, Julia wrapped him in her padded coat as she walked to set while the three-month-old snuggled close to her chest. The TV star appeared in jovial spirits as she laughed and smiled walking back to the Cobbles, sporting a radiant make-up look and her hair in messy top knot. Earlier on Monday, the brunette beauty revealed she will be returning to the cobbles after welcoming her little bundle of joy. The soap star appeared in a video shared to the soap's Twitter account on Monday to tell the news to fans. She's back! The character was last seen coming out of a coma and unable to recognise her husband David or his family after being shot during the Christmas Day seige Wrapped up: The soap star, 35, was spotted arriving on set in Manchester cradling her little one under her red knee-length padded coat Baby on board: The TV actress, who has played Shona Platt since 2016, teamed the ITV Studios-branded coat with a pair of ripped knee denims and red leather Doc Martens The tweet read: 'Guess who was back filming with us this week? We've missed you @juliagoulding #SaturdaySneakPeek #Corrie #BehindTheScenes. (sic)' In the clip, actress excitedly jumped into vision in the clip and said to the camera: 'Hi everyone, you may be wondering why I am wearing my Coronation Street warm coat - it's because Shona's back!' The star began her maternity leave last year just a few weeks before the birth of her son and promised fans she only planned to take a short break. Julia has played Shona Platt (nee Ramsey) in Coronation Street since 2016. Adorable: Making sure her bundle of joy remained warm, Julia wrapped him in her padded coat as she walked to set while the three-month-old snuggled close to her chest Excited: Coronation Street star Julia revealed on Monday she will be returning to the cobbles after welcoming her son The character was last seen coming out of a coma and unable to recognise her husband David or his family after being shot during the Christmas Day siege. The news of her return prompted excitement from fans, one exclaimed: 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS IVE MISSED YOU Hope you and the baby are doing brilliant xxx' Another shared: 'Yess I missed Julia fabulous actress xx' Reunited: Julia's on-screen son Clayton Hibbs, played by Callum Harrison, was also pictured on set with her Story: The actor appeared in good spirits as he got back to work on their tense storyline Fans react: The news of her return prompted excitement from fans who took to Twitter to share their delight One added: 'Welcome back Julia Goulding. We've missed you. Hope you and little one are well x' Back in December, the soap actress made the joyous announcement on her Instagram account that she had welcomed a baby boy. She shared a snapshot of herself and husband Ben Silver posing in a park shortly after she went into labour. Captioning the image, which showed the couple wrapped up in woollen coats, she wrote: 'Thank you to the lovely couple in the park who took this picture for us: Taken as I was in early labour on my due date. Big news: The soap actress made the joyous announcement on her Instagram account and shared a snapshot of herself and husband Ben Silver posing in a park shortly after she went into labour 'The next day Ben and I welcomed our baby son into the world. Franklin Wolf Silver born on 30/11/19.' She concluded the heartwarming post: 'He's changed our lives for the better in every way. I feel like I've known him my whole life.' Her post, which garnered almost 8,000 likes in less than six hours, was met with a flood of congratulatory messages from well-wishers, including Corrie co-stars Helen Flanagan, Nicola Thorp, and Ellie Leach. Brunette beauty Julia announced her pregnancy back in May last year, three months after tying the knot with husband Ben in a romantic ceremony. Warm wishes: Her post was met with a flood of congratulatory messages from well-wishers, including Corrie co-stars Helen Flanagan, Nicola Thorp, and Ellie Leach The actress revealed on ITV's Lorraine that her co-stars Jane Danson and Tina O'Brien guessed her big news before she spilled all in the soap WhatsApp group. She revealed to host Lorraine Kelly: 'Tina and Jane knew for quite a while. They both picked up on it to be fair and they've been wonderful. So kind and lovely. 'I told the girls on our WhatsApp group and had a 'baby on board' badge down in London and sent them a little selfie.' The interview also saw the actress speak about her wedding to Ben, which took place last February. Oh baby! Brunette beauty Julia announced her pregnancy last May, three months after tying the knot with husband Ben in a romantic ceremony Julia and her teacher husband got engaged after three years of dating, but kept the news private for 10 months. They tied the knot on stage at Manchester's Albert Hall last February, surrounded by friends and family. Flouting tradition for the wedding, the couple walked up the aisle together hand-in-hand in what they revealed was their own choice. 'It was so nice. Neither Ben nor I are very traditional and neither are our parents and it made sense to start our journey together,' she said. Baby joy: Julia announced her pregnancy on her Instagram account last May, sharing a sweet snap of herself alongside her 'overjoyed' husband Ben Well-wishes: Her Corrie co-stars were quick to congratulate her on the good news, sharing their well-wishes on her Instagram account Julia previously confessed she didn't have time to plan her own wedding due to her heavy Corrie workload. The actress admitted she hadn't had a 'moment's rest' in the run-tip to the wedding, and left Ben to organise the nuptials. Julia told The Sun: 'There's not really been a moment's rest, but that's just the way I like it. You can get your teeth really stuck in and even in quieter periods she's working in Roy's Rolls so it's nice to be in the hub of everything.' 'I was very fortunate as well, as I was very busy at work so my husband did a lot of the planning with me.' With multiple bills that target their authority looming in the Legislature, Louisiana Judiciary Commission officials announced Saturday that they are considering three changes to long-standing rules that require secrecy in investigations of judicial misconduct. +13 Recent judge scandals prompt legislators to ask for more sunlight on judicial misconduct Louisianas judges have promised the Legislature over and over again that they can clean up their own scandals and hold themselves to an ethic Should the reforms be endorsed by the Louisiana Supreme Court, they would mark a significant move away from 50 years of near-total secrecy over Judiciary Commission cases, and the misconduct complaints that spawn them. The proposed changes would increase public access to Judiciary Commission hearings and documents; limit how many private admonishments judges can rack up within a certain time frame; and provide more information about private actions the commission takes against judges. The Supreme Court is asking lawyers and judges to weigh in on the proposals before deciding whether to implement them. The proposed changes place the judiciary and the publics interest in transparency in a fair and balanced position, lawyer Ed Walters and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal Judge John Molaison, the commissions chair and vice chair, wrote in a statement. The most sweeping proposal would allow the public to attend hearings once a judge is under investigation and a notice of hearing has been filed. The public would also be able to review filings, exhibits, testimony, hearing officer findings of fact and conclusions of law in those cases, while the result of the Judiciary Commissions hearings and deliberations would be public as well. The proposal is an extension of a rule change the Supreme Court announced in September, saying that people who filed complaints against judges could discuss them once the Judiciary Commission closed a file or set a hearing in a misconduct case. Several critics argued those rule changes did not go far enough. The prospect of the public attending Judiciary Commission hearings still does not resolve concerns over the commissions private handling of discipline in many cases. State Rep. Jerome Zeringue, a Houma Republican, has filed legislation that would make the commission go public with any action it takes to resolve judicial complaints. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up +5 Secrecy rules over complaints against Louisiana judges chill free speech, new lawsuit says Attorney Richard Ducote opened a new front in his war against the secrecy surrounding Louisiana judicial misconduct investigations by filing a The Judiciary Commissions proposed changes would limit judges to one private admonishment within a specified time period; any subsequent admonishment would become public. Judges, however, would still be able to receive an unlimited number of private cautions and warnings from the commission. Though the commission sends cautions, warnings and admonishments to resolve complaints against judges, they do not consider such actions to constitute discipline part of the commissions rationale for keeping them private. The Judiciary Commissions third proposed rule change would require it to publish more detailed information regarding the Commissions private, nondisciplinary dispositions, without identifying the judge involved, but with a description of the type of infraction and the action taken by the Commission. In other words, judicial discipline would be publicized in the aggregate, but the specifics would remain vague. +5 Amid blowback over secrecy, Louisiana Supreme Court changes confidentiality rules Under fire over a cloak of secrecy that envelops misconduct investigations against state judges, the Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday announc Walters and Molaison largely defended the Judiciary Commissions work in explaining the proposals. They also made clear their unwillingness to allowing full transparency around Judiciary Commission complaints, saying defendants on the losing end of a court battle might take out their anger through a judiciary complaint. Because many of these complaints are frivolous and are dismissed for not alleging misconduct, these complaints are confidential, just as complaints filed with the Board of Ethics are confidential, they wrote. Confidentiality protects the person who makes a complaint from retaliation or recrimination, the judge who is the subject of the complaint from frivolous complaints, and the public at large by ensuring integrity in the investigatory process. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman ruled in 2014 that the Ethics Boards rules barring people from discussing complaints they filed against public officials were unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds. A tourist wearing a face mask takes pictures inside the Duomo gothic cathedral as it reopened to the public after being closed due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak in northern Italy, in Milan, Monday, March 2, 2020. Churches in much of Veneto and Lombardy, two of regions hardest hit by the virus, have closed their doors under widespread measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP) The number of new virus cases in China dropped to its lowest level in six weeks Monday and hundreds of patients at the outbreak's epicenter were being released, while a grimmer reality set in elsewhere, with swelling infection numbers and growing dread that no area could fend off the illness. Clusters of infections in South Korea, Italy and Iran continued to expand and COVID-19 was raising distress and reshaping routines around Europe and across the Atlantic in the United States. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned that the world economy risked contracting this quarter for the first time since the international financial crisis more than a decade ago. Major cities including Jakarta, New York and Berlin grappled with their first recorded cases. Schools emptied across Japan, mobile hospitals were planned in Iran, and the Mona Lisa, accustomed to droves of staring tourists, hung in a vacant room of the shuttered Louvre in Paris. "Just about everywhere, the cases are rising quite quickly in a number of countries," said Ian Mackey, who studies viruses at the University of Queensland in Australia. Malaysia and Portugal were the newest places to detect the virus. More than 60 countries around the worldincluding nine of the 10 most populous have found infections, with a global count of nearly 89,000 people affected by the illness. Even as alarms grew louder in much of the world, Monday brought positive signs from China, where the outbreak started. A tourist wearing a mask walks away from the Louvre museum in Paris, Monday, March 2, 2020. The Louvre Museum was closed again Monday as management was meeting with staff worried about the spread of the new virus in the world's most-visited museum. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) China's economy delivered hopeful cues, with mainland Chinese stock benchmarks charging back 3% and data showing progress in restoring factory output after weeks of disruptions related to the outbreak. The country reported 202 new cases of the virus, its lowest daily count since Jan. 21, and the stricken heart of the health crisis, Wuhan, said 2,570 patients were released. At the largest of 16 temporary hospitals that were hastily built in Wuhan in response to the outbreak, worries over the availability of supplies and protective gear abated and pressure on medical staff eased. Dr. Zhang Junjian, who leads a temporary hospital at an exhibition center in Wuhan which has a staff of 1,260, said optimism was high that the facility would no longer be needed in the coming weeks. "If nothing special happens, I expect the operation of our makeshift hospital ... could complete its historical mission by the end of March," Zhang said. Lee Man-hee, a leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, bows during the press conference in Gapyeong, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. In the hastily arranged news conference Lee, the 88-year-old leader of a religious sect which has the country's largest cluster of infections, bowed down on the ground twice and apologized for causing the "unintentional" spread of the disease. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP) China's sunnier news came two months into its outbreak. In the places the virus has spread more recently, the problems continued to magnify. South Korea, with the worst outbreak outside of China, said it recorded 599 new cases of the virus Monday, bringing the total to 4,335. The death toll there rose to 26. To cope, the country said hospitals would be reserved for patients with serious symptoms or preexisting conditions, with mild cases now routed to other designated facilities. "If we continue to hospitalize mild patients amid the continued surge in infections, we would be risking overworking medical professionals and putting them at greater risk of infections," said the country's vice health minister, Kim Gang-lip. South Korea said it would keep its schools closed longer than previously announced, with a planned reopening of March 9 delayed another two weeks to March 23. And the leader of a church that's blamed for being the source of the country's largest cluster of infections bowed in apology. South Korean soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus in front of the Daegu city hall in Daegu, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. (Choi Soo-ho/Yonhap via AP) "We also did our best but weren't able to contain it fully," said Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old leader of the Shincheonji church, which some mainstream Christian groups reject as a cult. In the Middle East, a worsening situation in Iran was accompanied by concern for its top leaders after a member of the council that advises Iran's supreme leader died of COVID-19. Iran has confirmed 1,501 cases of the virus and 66 deaths, but many believe the true number is larger. Its caseload surged more than 250% in just 24 hours. Major Shiite shrines remain open despite civilian authorities' calls to close them. The holy cities of Mashad and Qom, where Shiites often touch and kiss shrines in a show of faith, have had high numbers of infections. The Revolutionary Guard said it would install some mobile hospitals in response and authorities have been cleaning the shrines and even spraying down city streets with disinfectant. Commuters wearing masks stand in a packed train at the Shinagawa Station in Tokyo, Monday, March 2, 2020. Coronavirus has spread to more than 60 countries, and more than 3,000 people have died from the COVID-19 illness it causes. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) "We will have two difficult weeks ahead," said Ali Raibiei, a spokesman for the Iranian government. Meantime, Israel, an enemy of Iran, was deciding whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power. Among the voting sites were 15 stations especially for quarantined people who may have been exposed to the virus. In Europe, leaders braced for worsening caseloads after the count surged in France, Italy and to a lesser degree Spain over the weekend. Italy's number of infection ballooned by 50% in 24 hours to 1,694. Health officials in northern Italy sought to bring doctors out of retirement and to accelerate nursing students' graduations to help an overwhelmed public health system. The Louvre, the world's most popular museum, remained closed as its 2,300 workers expressed fears the site's international appeal could make it a prime target. At Fashion Week in Paris, attendees passed up kisses, instead greeting each other with elbow touches. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's outstretched hand was rebuffed by her interior minister at a meeting with migrant groups. Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a department store in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. South Korea has the world's second-highest cases. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) In this photo released by Government Spokesman Office, a health official checks the body temperature of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha before he delivers policy to the drought management at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March 2, 2020. Thailand reported its first death form COVID -19 illness on Sunday (Government Spokesman Office via AP) A worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a department store in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. South Korea has the world's second-highest cases. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a department store in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. South Korea has the world's second-highest cases. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) A thermal camera monitor shows the body temperature of people at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. South Korea has the world's second-highest cases of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) A seagull stands in a pole next to parked gondolas at the lagoon on a rainy day in Venice, Sunday, March 1, 2020. Italian tourism officials are worrying a new virus could do more damage to their industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) People wearing face masks to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. South Korea has the world's second-highest cases. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) A woman adjusts her protective face mask walks by an office building at the Central Business District in Beijing, Monday, March 2, 2020. China's manufacturing plunged in February as anti-virus controls shut down much of the world's second-largest economy, but companies are confident activity will revive following government stimulus efforts, according to two surveys. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) A woman wearing a protective face mask talks on her phone at the Central Business District in Beijing, Monday, March 2, 2020. China's manufacturing plunged in February as anti-virus controls shut down much of the world's second-largest economy, but companies are confident activity will revive following government stimulus efforts, according to two surveys. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Saint Raphael Academy stands in the background as Susan Rivet looks on from across the street where she lives in Pawtucket, R.I., Sunday, March 1, 2020, when the state confirmed its first case of the new COVID-19 virus. The Catholic high school posted an online statement Sunday saying students and chaperones who were on a trip to Europe with an infected person will be out of school until March 9. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A woman wearing a protective face mask walks by rows of bicycles from bike-sharing companies parked outside a subway station in Beijing, Monday, March 2, 2020. China's manufacturing plunged in February as anti-virus controls shut down much of the world's second-largest economy, but companies are confident activity will revive following government stimulus efforts, according to two surveys. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) A woman with a mask shops at a bakery at Shinagawa Station In Tokyo, Monday, March 2, 2020. Coronavirus has spread to more than 60 countries, and more than 3,000 people have died from the COVID-19 illness it causes. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Lee Man-hee, a leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, speaks to the media during the press conference in Gapyeong, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. In the hastily arranged news conference Lee, the 88-year-old leader of a religious sect which has the country's largest cluster of infections, bowed down on the ground twice and apologized for causing the "unintentional" spread of the disease. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP) Lee Man-hee, a leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, speaks to the media during the press conference in Gapyeong, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2020. In the hastily arranged news conference Lee, the 88-year-old leader of a religious sect which has the country's largest cluster of infections, bowed down on the ground twice and apologized for causing the "unintentional" spread of the disease. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP) A resident receives a temperature check from a security guard as a man collects his online purchased groceries at a pickup point outside a residential apartment buildings which is closed off to the non-resident following the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing, Monday, March 2, 2020. China's manufacturing plunged in February as anti-virus controls shut down much of the world's second-largest economy, but companies are confident activity will revive following government stimulus efforts, according to two surveys. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Commuters wearing masks sit on a train in Tokyo, Monday, March 2, 2020. Coronavirus has spread to more than 60 countries, and more than 3,000 people have died from the COVID-19 illness it causes. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) In the United States, authorities have counted at least 80 cases of the virus, two fatal, and concern was driving some to wipe store shelves clean of bottled water, hand sanitizer and other necessities. Both deaths were men with existing health problems who were hospitalized in Washington state. Investors awaited Wall Street's opening after rallies in Asian markets. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, though, lowered its forecasts for global growth this year and said the world economy could shrink this quarter for the first time in more than a decade. "Global economic prospects remain subdued and very uncertain," the agency said. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. After the Union Health Ministry announced on Monday that a Delhi resident has tested positive for novel coronavirus, the crew who had flown the Vienna-Delhi flight on February 25 on which he was the passenger have been asked to stay in isolation at their homes for 14 days, officials said. "The crew members of February 25 Vienna-Delhi flight will remain in isolation for 14 days at their respective homes. If, during this period, they show any symptoms related to novel infection, they have to immediately contact doctors," the officials told PTI. Giving details of the fresh cases, Health minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said the person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, while the other patient who has tested positive for the COVID-19 infection is from Telangana and has a recent travel history to Dubai. officials said, "The male passenger had travelled to Italy by road. He took the February 25 Vienna-Delhi flight. Highlights: - Decline in realisations of carbon and advanced materials- Steady operating performance, unlike peers, is noteworthy- Higher allocation of green petcoke and traction in key projects are positive- Other than end-market challenges, supply chain impact due to coronavirus needs a close watch------------------------------------------------- Rain Industries (CMP: Rs 103/share; market capitalisation: Rs 3,475 crore) quarterly result was weighted down by weak realisations for carbon and advance material products, majorly reflecting the sharp decline in the prices of oil derivatives. Sequentially, volumes sold was relatively better for carbon products, which is noticeable given the weak end-markets. Operating performance was much ahead of peers Himadri Chemicals (coal tar pitch) and Goa Carbon (calcined petroleum coke). Source: Company Source: Company 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 Carbon products (67 percent of Q4 CY19 sales) revenue declined 21 percent year-on-year on account of steep decrease in realisations. Sequentially, lower realisations were particularly visible for CPC (calcined petroleum coke), but this was more than offset by better volumes. The average blended realisation for carbon products decreased by about 8 percent due to weaker end-market of aluminium. In spite of this, profitability per tonne for carbon products has been stable. In the preceding quarter, the company was able to get rid of its high-cost inventory, which has helped segmental margins to normalise to near historical levels. In case of advance materials segment (24 percent of sales), sales volumes were affected by lower demand for products in steel, graphite and North America construction industries. The weak performance was also attributed to sluggish demand for resins by adhesive players and European automakers. Average blended realisation in this segment decreased by about 7 percent due to a decline in prices across the crude oil value chain. Key observations: Sequential improvement in CPC volumes sold point towards a normalisation in production volume throughput, which have been affected by import restrictions for CPC import, and import quotas for GPC (green petcoke). Note that the companys earlier business model required it to import CPC from its US plant, blend and re-export it. But due to the import ban, the company was not able to pursue this blending process, which aids margins as well. However, there are couple of trends, which are helping it to meet these challenges. Rain is able to operate the CPC plant at optimum levels despite the current GPC import quota as it can use domestically-sourced petcoke and adapt it for calcination purposes. Consequentially, the company is procuring anode-grade GPC from domestic refineries. Another positive newsflow that helps in better capacity utilisations is the allocation of additional GPC of 103,852 tonne from the volume quota surrendered by other calciners. This has led to a 20 percent higher allocation for the current fiscal. Additionally, the Supreme Court is expected to receive new guidelines for calcination plant emissions from the government in March. It is expected that FGD (flue-gas desulfurization) installation would be made mandatory for all CPC manufacturers. Since this may not make economic sense for small players to continue, it can lead to better market share gains and higher share in GPC quota. An FGD system helps in reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by more than 90 percent. Rain Industries' FGD system removes nearly 98 percent of the facility's sulphur dioxide emissions. The company has also launched a new product called anhydrous carbon pellets (ACP), which is at par with the quality of GPC. The calcined version of ACP offers some unique advantages to anode producers like lower power consumption. Due to this advantage, some of the headwinds in the domestic CPC business can be compensated through ACP, which doesnt faces challenges of import ban/quota and can be made from the refinery products available in India. Hence, the company plans to commission two ACP plants at a total cost of USD 27 million, one each at India (capacity: 250,000 tonne) and another in the US (200,000 tonne). Its India ACP plant is expected to be commissioned by H2 2020, while the one in USA is expected to start operations in Q2 2020. Initially, the company plans to sell a blend of ACP and CPC to aluminium smelters, which would offer better quality than a CPC-only product. In fact, the company has already imported the first shipment of ACP produced on a small-scale at a US pilot plant and the product acceptance would be tested in coming days. The companys vertical shaft CPC plant at Visakhapatnam is on track and is expected to start operations in the current quarter. Further, the hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins (HHCR) plant in Germany is also slated to start operations from Q2 2020. This plant has a water-white resin (dicyclopentadiene) capacity of 30,000 tonne, which is used for waterproof applications such as food packaging and diapers, and high-end polymer applications such as high strength glues. Plant commissioning has been delayed due to hindrance in getting the supply of some equipment from Italy on account of the coronavirus scare.Business cycle-related challenges due to weak end-markets such as automotive, aluminium, steel and graphite industries are expected to continue in the near term. In addition, the coronavirus-led supply chain and demand distortion is a bigger challenge. The management said it does not supply CPC to China and hence shutdown of aluminium plants there will not impact it. Regarding GPC, it is not worried about sourcing of the same and is confident that it can protect segmental margins. An encouraging sign is that the company is quickly moving past the recent regulatory headwinds. The company is likely to receive a higher GPC import quota as high cost calciners close down. Also, it is fast tracking commercialising a close substitute to CPC, which in turn is expected to offer varied other market applications as well. The companys balance sheet is on the mend. Currently net debt-to-EBITDA is 3.8 times, which the management plans to reduce below three times by CY20-end. In sum, the company has been able to tackle few of the structural challenges to its business such as actions from regulatory agencies and loss-making product lines by resorting to reengineering product manufacturing and restructuring operations, respectively. At the same time, some business cycle-related challenges remain, which is dependent on a recovery in global growth. We may see few more quarters of modest performance, but estimate that the near-term stress in the demand environment is already priced in its valuations. Since the stock trades at an inexpensive valuation of 4.5 times CY21 estimated earnings, investors can accumulate the stock on every dip. Follow @anubhavsays For more research articles, visit our Moneycontrol Research page A newly retired High Court judge in Akwa Ibom State, Ifiok Ukana, said he was trailed by operatives of the Nigerian secret police, the State Security Service (SSS), for two years, after he delivered judgment on a particular case. The retired judge said he knows that times are bad in Nigeria and that he has paid for his casket, in case he was killed. Mr Ukana said this on February 25 in Uyo during a valedictory service organised for him by the Akwa Ibom state judiciary. The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom, Godwin Abraham, was among the dignitaries present at the event. Mr Ukana said the SSS action was one of the most agonising moments in his life as a judge. He said the state chief judge, Mr Abraham, whom he said is his friend and a born again Christian like him, refused to come to his aid when he reported the matter to him. Mr Ukana said Mr Abraham had, at some point when he was seeking for his intervention, retorted, Who will believe you that these men are after you? The last two and a half years for me has been one of great pain and regret, the retired judge said to a large audience which comprised judges, lawyers, politicians and ordinary Nigerians who came out to honour him. I have shared with many of my learned brothers and they know my travails on the bench. The SSS was released against me from July 2017 up till this morning. If you come to my neighbourhood youll see them there. What are they looking for? What is their mission? I sit next to the chief judge, a believer, and a friend. But I regret to say in this moment of trial, he did not come to my aid. Several learned brothers raised the issue pointblank, I complained (to the chief judge) but the retort he made at a particular occasion left me pained, he said, Who will believe you that these men are after you? Mr Ukana had put aside his prepared speech for the valedictory service and chose to speak extempore. Many people considered his remarks as being rare in the history of Akwa Ibom judiciary and an open rebuke on the state chief judge. Continuing, Mr Ukana said, Ask anybody in my church, I dont belong to the group that fancy long life, particularly in a country like Nigeria. In this country, a serving attorney general was killed and nothing happened! Let me reveal to you, I had to pay for my casket. I had to because these same men masquerading can kill me anytime, he said. The retired judge gave a little insight into the case he said prompted the SSS to trail him. If a matter is decided and the principal litigant did not like it, why did he not appeal? Why resort to guerilla tactics and abuse of state authority to intimidate, to harass and cause me sleepless nights? he said. A judge cannot be subservient, there is only one oath of allegiance which is to dispense justice without fear or favour, with ill will to none. And if I have done that and somebody sitting somewhere believing he is connected politically and hide under the shadow of rehabilitation into a new caucus and do this to me, then he has failed. The rehabilitation is one thing, being fully in control is another thing. Three persons who are knowledgeable about the case in question told PREMIUM TIMES that the retired judge was referring to a case in which a former governor of Akwa Ibom State allegedly had interest. They declined to provide further details. Mr Ukana said Nigeria was going through turbulent times and that lawyers must spend sleepless nights to think of how to salvage the country. All of us will not join the ruling party, all of us will not join the opposition either. But some of us will remain the conscience of the society men who are driven by higher goals that will reform our society. Advertisements If we are privileged to have three square meals, let us remember those living next to us who cannot afford one meal. High fences, iron gates, protectors are useless if the masses revolt, Mr Ukana said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The rainbows were out early along Forest Avenue on Sunday, hours before the start of the annual St. Patricks Parade. Members of the gay community were not permitted to march in the parade under their own banner. Parade organizers had said that the parade was not a sexual-identification event. Guess what? By digging in on the stricture, organizers made the parade about just that. With the controversy intensifying by the day, it was almost like the organizers got together and said, How can we make this situation even worse? How else to explain the last-minute decision to ban all borough beauty pageant winners from the parade? That came after Miss Staten Island 2020, Madison LInsalata, announced publicly that shes bisexual and would wear a rainbow colored scarf while riding in the parade. Not in our parade, you wont, was the message from organizers. The pageant winners werent alone. City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-South Shore) got bounced for wearing a rainbow flag pin on his lapel that you would have had to squint to see. Marching bands from Tottenville and Port Richmond high schools were banned for wearing gay-supportive stickers on their uniforms and instruments. Just when you thought things couldnt get more ridiculous, the parade kept reaching new depths. Members of the Staten Island Pride Center were all along the route, handing out rainbow flags and pins. Stores and bars were festooned with rainbow balloons. The parade did in effect become a pride event. So much for the organizers stricture. Just proof that the harder you try to hold onto something, the more things will slip through your fingers. There wasnt a lot of tolerance for the organizers ban at the annual pre-parade breakfast in Jodys Club Forest. Thats where you could find the pols who were taking a pass on marching in the parade amid the controversy. District Attorney Michael McMahon got up and said that we needed to stop focusing on the things that make us different from each other. He said it will be a great day when all are able to march in the parade under their own banners. Speaking to the Advance, McMahon and NYPD Chief Kenneth Corey, the borough police commander, basically called shenanigans on the organizers statement that the pageant winners were banned for their own safety. Hey, public safety is our job, the lawmen said. We got this. Parade organizers should take note of the crumbling support for their ban at the literal home office of the St. Patricks Parade. The organizers have also said that the parade is their own private event, so they can decide who can march and who cannot. Its not a private event when you close down a major street like Forest Avenue. When city buses are rerouted around the parade. When you lock down mailboxes in the interest of public safety. Maybe its time for government to withhold logistical support for the parade until the event is all-inclusive. This is one of those instances when one group makes all Staten Islanders look bad. Gays can march openly in every other major St. Patricks parade you can name, including the big one that steps off in front of St. Patricks Cathedral in Manhattan. But on Staten Island? Were still living down to our reputation for intolerance in the year 2020. At least thats the way it looks to the outside world. Its mind-boggling. Much about the parade was outwardly the same on Sunday. There were bagpipers. NYPD and FDNY marchers. Muscle cars. Motorcycle groups. Step-dancers. Irish flags. Shamrocks. Green everywhere you looked. And, yes, the usual cadre of liability drinkers, as well as a regular whiff of weed up and down Forest Avenue. But you couldnt help but feel that something has changed, that this ban on gays marching openly simply isnt sustainable anymore. Its only going to become more controversial in the future. The ground has shifted. Everybody but the parade organizers seems to see that. Zimra has kept the machines and this has so far affected our training session. If the equipment is not released, we would have travelled over 400 miles to Bulawayo for nothing. They are saying we should deposit a duty of 3 000 pounds. I bought an Ultra Sound Machine because I was not sure if they had such equipment in Bulawayo and we will be taking the machine back but the rest of the things they are supposed to be used by the institution after the training programme, he said. The premium of crop insurance is likely to be revised after the Union Cabinet approved the changes in the existing Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, an official said. Under the new farm insurance scheme which is also considered as PMFBY 2.0, the government made major changes making it optional for farmers. Launched in February 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is mandatory for loanee farmers to take insurance cover under the PMFBY. Currently, 58 per cent of the total farmers are loanees. "We are waiting for the detailed guidelines. Yes, I think we will have to revisit our products and premium of crop insurance, taking into account the new developments," chairman and managing director of Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd, Malay Kumar Poddar told PTI. The state-owned crop insurance company official, however, did not disclose whether the premium would be increased or not, but experts said that it may head north for a particular risk coverage. "Now, with crop insurance being made optional for both agriculture loanee and non-loanee, the number of farmers under the coverage may come down, which could lead to an increase of the underwriting cost," an insurance company official said on condition of anonymity. In the existing scheme, there are five riders in the crop insurance coverage but under the new scheme, one can pick and choose the risk cover according to one's need, Poddar said. AICIL currently has a licence for crop insurance in the country and has sought approval from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India for offering more products covering other verticals of agriculture and allied sectors, he said. The company said it aims at offering "comprehensive" insurance products for the rural population rather than restricting itself to crop insurance. Poddar said he expects to get the regulator's nod in near future for "rural comprehensive insurance product that will cover all areas related to agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry and farm equipment". He also hoped that the company will be able to bring down the total cost of insurance with the comprehensive policy by covering all risks of a farmer's livelihood. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OTTAWA: Canada largely avoided the doldrums that afflicted other advanced economies last year amid a global slowdown. Immigration is a big reason why. Economic growth over the long term generally has two sources: an expanding workforce and advances in productivity, or output per hour worked. When more people are employed, they produce more goods and provide more services, earn more and spend more, creating demand for more workers. Canada owes its relatively solid pace of economic growth in recent years to gains in the labor force rather than productivity, which has stagnated. Canadas labor force grew 2% last year according to data from the OECD, faster than the U.S. and Japan, the only other two countries for which the organization had data available for 2019. Most of that was fueled by population growth, about 80% of which comes from immigration. The growing head count, in turn, has supported growth in consumer spending and a rebound in home sales and prices that began during the second half of last year. That helped Canada overcome a sharp slowdown in trade, muted business investment and a cooling global economy last year. Without the immigration boom, the Canadian economy would be lost right now," said David Rosenberg, chief economist at Toronto-based Rosenberg Research and Associates. Its not just the main game in town, its the only game in town." View Full Image Photo: WSJ In any one year, economic growth is affected by many factors. The 2019 global slowdown largely resulted from trade tensions and Chinas loss of momentum. The U.S. Federal Reserve and several other central banks responded with interest rate cuts or other stimulus measures. The U.S. economy, which grew 2.3% last year, also benefited from the lingering effects of recent tax cuts and government spending increases. Canada has enjoyed relatively high population growthan annual average of around 1% since the early 2000s. It quickened after the Trudeau government bumped up immigration levels in 2016, reaching 1.4% in 2018, the fastest among the Group of Seven advanced economies, according to the World Bank. While full 2019 figures arent available, recent Canadian government estimates place the annual rate at 1.5% in the year ended in October. Canada, with a population of 38 million, accepted about 340,000 new permanent residents in 2019, up from 270,000 in 2015. It also issued roughly 810,000 permits to international students and temporary workers in 2019, up from about 470,000 four years earlier. Economists say that influx helped Canadas economy expand 1.5% in 2019, the second-best pace in the G-7 after the U.S., according to International Monetary Fund estimates. The Trudeau administrations higher level of immigration has provided stimulus thats roughly comparable to an interest-rate cut of between a quarter percentage point and a half point, Bank of Nova Scotia economist Derek Holt said. View Full Image Photo: WSJ By contrast, economic growth was just 0.5% in Germany and 1.2% in the euro area as a whole, according to the IMF, where waves of asylum seekers have hardened public attitudes on immigration. Still, last year marked a loss of momentum amid the global slowdown. From 2010 through 2018, Canadas annual growth in gross domestic product averaged 2.2%, slightly below the U.S. and above the rest of the G-7, according to the World Bank. The Bank of Canada has held its benchmark overnight interest rate since October 2018 at 1.75%, the highest among major advanced economies. Many analysts now see a rising likelihood of central bank interest rate cuts this year, including possibly by Canada, due to the coronavirus outbreaks risk to global growth. The Bank of Canadas next interest-rate announcement is due on Wednesday. One way population growth bolsters Canadas economy is through its housing markets. Home prices are rising again in Toronto and the surrounding area and have stabilized in Vancouver after mortgage rules aimed at limiting risky borrowing weighed on prices and sales in 2018 and early 2019. With more people living in the country, demand for housing has naturally increased," said TD Bank chief economist Beata Caranci. Economists say Canada benefits from a system that gives preference to immigrants with the ability to find and keep a job, based on criteria such as education, language skills and whether they have a job offer. About 60% of the immigrants to Canada are selected with this criteria, a figure that also includes those immigrants immediate family members. The rest come as refugees or to be reunited with family members already in Canada. Among the recent arrivals in Canada is Albert Cuesta Reig, a Spaniard who came in 2016 to complete a masters degree in business administration at the University of Toronto. After receiving a three-year work visa he launched an app-based travel services businesssomething he says wouldnt have been possible in the U.S., where he had studied for a year on an exchange program. In the U.S., they have amazing schools, but then its hard to stick around and make use of the network youve built there," he said, blaming restrictive immigration rules. Mr. Cuesta Reig is now applying to become a permanent resident in Canada. 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 London, March 2 : British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to drive a "hard bargain" with the US ahead of the transatlantic trade talks scheduled later this month. The British government on Monday published its negotiating objectives for the post-Brexit free trade agreement with its largest bilateral trading partner, saying it would deliver a 3.4-billion-pound ($4.36bn) boost to the British economy, Xinhua reported. Manufacturers of ceramics, cars, food and drink, and professional services including architects and lawyers are among the British industries expected to be the biggest winners from tariff-free access to the US market, the Department for International Trade (DIT) announced here. "We're going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry. Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choices for our shoppers. Most importantly, this transatlantic trade deal will reflect the unique closeness of our two great nations," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The trade talks will alternate between Britain and the US. The DIT said the agreement will deliver for the whole of Britain, with Scotland and the northeast and midlands regions of England forecast to benefit most from removing barriers to trade with the US. A British government analysis published Monday shows the British economy will benefit from a 3.4-billion-pound boost, with the new trade deal increasing transatlantic trade flows by 15.3 billion pounds ($19.58 billion). "The negotiating objectives set out that any future agreement must protect our NHS (National Health Service) and uphold our high standards on food safety and animal welfare. The agreement will also include a chapter on digital trade, to maximise opportunities for businesses to trade digitally across the Atlantic," said the DIT. On the British side, talks will be overseen by Crawford Falconer, the DIT's chief trade negotiation adviser. Falconer was New Zealand's former chief negotiator and ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The British government will shortly set out negotiating objectives for Australia, Japan and New Zealand, with the aim of having 80 percent of total British external trade covered by free trade agreements by 2022, the DIT said. "Striking ambitious free trade agreements with our partners around the world is one of the key opportunities of Britain becoming an independent trading nation once again," said International Trade Secretary Liz Truss. "This deal with our biggest single trading partner will cut red tape for our small businesses, cut tariffs for our great products from dairy to cars and increase growth in all four nations," Truss added. "FSB research shows that the United States is the number one individual country that UK small businesses are looking to as they consider where to trade, with 46 percent of UK SME (small and mid-size enterprise) exporters prioritizing the US market over the next three years," said Mike Cherry from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). "This shows the sheer scale of ambition that will be unleashed, if we can take full advantage of the opportunities a Free Trade Agreement will open up." "Our negotiating objectives for all proposed agreements are also underpinned by one of the biggest consultations ever undertaken with the UK public, businesses and civil society on new FTAs," the DIT added. She has recently returned to the UK from a sun-soaked holiday with her long-term beau. And Laura Whitmore seemed to be pining for the South African coast as she shared a sizzling throwback snap of herself kicking back in a bikini while gazing at the lush scenery to her Instagram on Sunday. The Love Island presenter, 34, showed off impressive balancing skills in the poolside snap. Flexible: Laura Whitmore seemed to be pining for the South African coast as she shared a sizzling throwback snap of herself kicking back in a bikini to to her Instagram on Sunday The model supported her weight on her arms while holding her body aloft and kicking one leg in the air gleefully before the breathtaking scenery in South Africa's Stellenbosch. Irish beauty Laura showed off her stunning figure in a barely-there striped bikini and sported a wide grin as she looked out at the incredible mountain peaks and vineyards. The presenter wore her blonde tresses in a simple chignon and shielded her eyes from the tropical sun with a pair of sunglasses. The image was taken during Laura's recent romantic break with her partner Iain Stirling, 32, who she has been seeing since 2017. Gorgeous: Laura and her boyfriend Iain shared a glimpse at their time in South Africa to their Instagram pages, offering insight into their stunning winery accommodation, safari trip and salmon skills Wow: The Love Island host shared another swimsuit snap to Instagram last week After the dramatic finale of last season's Love Island, the pair jetted off to the Western Cape to enjoy some down-time together. Laura took to Instagram to share special moments from the pair's South African break, including a once-in-a-lifetime safari trip. Blonde beauty Laura, and her voice over artist boyfriend were rumoured to have spent their holiday at a 2,500 per night winery as they unwound after Love Island's finale. During the getaway, Laura showcased the location's stunning scenery as she twirled around a vineyard wearing a lime green dress and frolicked in the sun. A trying time: Having wrapped series six of Love Island, Laura and Iain have taken some time to enjoy South Africa and wind down - following a very difficult couple of weeks The blonde beauty took to social media to share a snap from her sunny getaway while her boyfriend Iain posted his hilarious attempt at the salmon, after the couple brought the most recent series to a close on Sunday. She also showed her followers how Iain was getting on with perfecting the infamous salmon move into the swimming pool, by posting a series of attempts before he finally managed to get it right. Laura oozed summer chic in a beautiful green dress with pretty frilled layers as she wandered through the vineyards in the stunning South African sunshine. Third time lucky! She also showed her followers how Iain was getting on with perfecting the infamous salmon move into the swimming pool, by posting a series of attempts before he finally managed to get it right Cheeky: The Irish presenter shared another slew of posts from her getaway while beau Iain posted a video of his hilarious attempt at the salmon Beautiful: Laura oozed summer chic in a pretty green silk tiered dress as she enjoyed a stroll through a vineyard The presenter teamed her low-key look with a black chain strap bag and white flat shoes as she wandered through the stunning scene. In the series of snaps Laura displayed the stunning views in the South African views, while another video showed her overlooking the valleys next to the stunning swimming pool. Laura captioned her post: 'Sometimes you just need to feel the sun on your skin...' Earlier in the week the TV host shared a sexy swimsuit snap as she looked out over the hills wearing a khaki green one piece, as she joked in the caption: 'Anyone elses a*** constantly trying to eat your bathing suit?!' Casual: Iain also shared a snap as he embraced the vineyard's stunning sights with his girlfriend Laura Meanwhile her beau Iain shared his own snap from the beautiful South African plains, along with a hilarious video of his attempt at the salmon. He captioned the post: Absolutely shocking technique, celebration after inexcusable. Sorry @christophertaylorofficial.' Another part of their trip included visiting the same safari that Mike Boateng and his girlfriend Priscilla Anyabu enjoyed their final date at during the last week in the villa. The couple spotted some lions and a mother and baby rhinoceros. It's been a difficult few weeks for the couple, who were devastated by the death of their close friend Caroline Flack, who tragically took her own life last month. In the wild: Another part of their trip included visiting the same safari that Mike Boateng and his girlfriend Priscilla Anyabu enjoyed their final date at during the last week in the villa I did it! While he poked fun at his attempt in the post's caption, Iain seemed far happier with him display in the video Laura was lauded for handling the death of Caroline heroically, as she paid tribute to her friend during the Love Island final ahead of a montage of her work hosting the show. Iain - who has narrated Love Island since it began in 2015 - was also lauded for an emotional tribute to his friend when the show returned to the air last week after being pulled from air for several days. After the final, Laura and Iain marked the end of series with winners Paige Turley and Finley Tapp, who were crowned champions of the show's first ever winter series. The blonde beauty shared a cheery snap with the winners as they toasted their success with cups of champagne. She captioned the images: 'Your Love Islander Winners and finalists!! Their warmth, kindness and smiley faces helped me more than theyll ever know #loveisland.' Laura returned to her presenting gig on BBC5 live this morning, sharing a post to her Instagram stories captioned 'Back on the Radio this morning from 10am @bb5live' as she sat at the radio desk. Back in Blighty: Laura returned to her presenting gig on BBC5 live this morning, sharing a post to her Instagram stories captioned 'Back on the Radio this morning from 10am @bb5live' If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org On Saturday the U.S. government announced that there will be a travel restriction affecting countries that have the highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections. The countries are South Korea, Italy and Iran. The announcement also follows the first death of a patient in the United States. There has been a large international worry as cases of coronavirus soar in South Korea, Italy, and Iran. It alarmed not only the neighboring countries, but all governments worldwide. Some 48 countries are now affected by COVID-19. The number of reported infections doubled in Italy and Iran within just two days. According to Vice President Mike Pence the travel ban also extends to foreign nationals who traveled from South Korea, Italy and Iran in the past 14 days. The state department also increased the advice to Americans not to travel to the countries that were mentioned due to an increase of the outbreak. Right before the conference at the white house, health officials had already announced the first death of the patient in Washington State. According to Vice President Mike Pence, the patient was a man who already had other health complications. As of Saturday, more information was reported that most people who had been infected with the virus came from South Korea, France and Qatar. Oregon and California also reported new cases regarding people who have not traveled to those countries that were hit hard by the outbreak or had contact with anyone who had coronavirus which is considered community transmission by health professionals. There are also reports that three new cases of the virus, including the person who died, were with circumstances that were suggested that a person-to-person spread cases of the disease in the community. One patient was identified to be a health worker at a nursing facility, the other patient was also a female resident aged 70 from the same nursing facility, this report was announced from Washington on Friday. Santa Clara County in California also reported two cases of community transmission and one case was from Solano County. On Saturday, Illinois reported a third case, but the cause of how the person acquired the virus was not stated. Other reports also include the five new cases that were announced on Saturday brought the number of diseases in the United States to 24 and the repatriations were not included. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that 47 of the travellers from Wuhan, China to the United States who rode the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship were also infected by Coronavirus. Washington also announced the first outbreaks were in a long term nursing facility and that adults with poor immune system can also face high risks of having the disease. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also widened their scope of testing coronavirus by speeding up every hospital's ability test. Some were just worried due to the changes that fell short in minimizing logistical burdens. In addition to the huge outbreak in China and South Korea, Italy became the third country to have the most number of outbreaks with 1000 cases of the virus, 401 of those patients were hospitalized and the others were treated at their home. Beirut: Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister seeking re-election for the third time in under a year, has again promised that the annexation of swathes of the occupied West Bank would happen within weeks if he wins Monday's election. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits an Israeli army base in the Golan Heights on Sunday. Credit:AP The appropriation of the Jordan Valley and other parts of the region was his priority among "four major immediate missions" and would take no longer than two months, Netanyahu told Israeli public radio on Sunday. Annexing the West Bank has long been seen as an endgame for Palestinian hopes of statehood. The widely criticised Middle East "peace" plan by Donald Trump, the US president, published in January, gave Israel the green light for the move. A lot of ladies travelled far and near to take part in the Miss Ghana 2020 auditions on Saturday with hopes to get selected among potential queens who will compete at the pageant this year. Exclusive Events Ghana, organisers of the pageant, is seeking to crown a selfless queen who would not only represent Ghana at the Miss World 2020 pageant but also lead charity campaigns by Miss Ghana Foundation to help the vulnerable in society. The queen is, therefore, expected to be beautiful, intelligent, disciplined, hardworking and also committed to serving Mother Ghana. Saturday's audition ceremony was held at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra, and the turnout was more than encouraging. Young women came out in their numbers to take part. Majority of the ladies exhibited high level of acumen in answering questions from judges, while others demonstrated great talent in singing, rapping, dancing, among others. They were also articulate in their views about the Miss Ghana pageant. But it wasn't all rosy for some of the ladies, as there were moments when they could not express themselves or answer questions correctly because they were tense. Among the judges for the event were ace presenter and veteran actress Akumaa Mama Zimbi, Exclusive Events CEO Inna Patty, businessman and showbiz enthusiast Prince Attipoe, rapper Okyeame Kwame and others. One of the major highlights of the Saturday event was the dominance of ladies from the Volta Region. They did not only come in their numbers but also came well prepared. They were well spoken and dressed appropriately for the occasion. It could be recalled that the first Miss Ghana winner, Monica Amekoafia, represented Volta Region, and since then, a number of ladies from the Volta Region have been crowned queens. From the turn events on Saturday, the 2020 crown could again go to the Volta Region. ---Daily Guide The first cases of Coronavirus in Mexico have been announced and confirmed by the Health Ministry and it has causes citizens to panic. Most rushed to the nearest pharmacies to purchase face masks, a preventative item. As soon as they discover that all the face masks at every pharmacy, whether it was a small local pharmacy or large chains are all out-of-stock, they were displeased since it was only a few hours after Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the Deputy Health Minister announced in the morning press conference of the president regarding the newly discovered cases of COVID-19. Coronavirus, the epidemic that originated in Wuhan, China last year, had been discovered in Mexico City and Sinaloa. According to a statement of El Universal, a newspaper, panic-buying of face masks also took place in several parts of the United States, but it was more widespread in Sinaloa and Mexico City. Nearly all the drugstores in a mecca, a historic center of the capital, in search of medicines and medical supplies, had their supplies of face masks and anti-bacterial gel depleted shortly after the report of the arrival of the virus in Mexico. El Universal stated that a pharmacy in downtown set up a sign to announce that they do not have any sources of face masks anymore. On a busy Friday in the streets of Mexico, vendors of face masks suddenly appeared and took advantage of the crisis and the panic of the people. It has been reported that few pharmacies in Mexico state raised the prices of the face masks to 200% at the demand of the items also rose. El Universal said the population of people using face masks of diverse designs and colors on the public places in the capital had significantly risen. Karla, a woman recognized wearing a pink-colored mask in the metro station of zocalo that in this season, people die from influenza more than coronavirus and that scares her more than the virus coming from China. It was rare to find anyone who isn't wearing a face mask outside the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, located in the Tlalpan borough in southern Mexico City. El Universal was told by the small medical supplies store, which is in front of the emergency department, attendant that he normally sells around 15 to 20 masks every day yet the demand jumped up to 50 this week, and that it completely drains him. Karina Lopez, the owner of the pharmacy nearby, stated that even before the news about coronavirus had reached Mexico, her stocks of face masks have already depleted. She explained that anyone could find stocks of face masks in hardware stores better than they could find in pharmacies since hardware stores market face masks for painters and respirators. Health experts suggests that to be protected from COVID-19, everyone should wash their hands completely and frequently, prevent touching the mouth, nose, and eyes, when sneezing and coughing, covering the mouth with inner of the elbow is a must, and to avoid contact with someone with similar symptoms, and that they should not solely rely on wearing a masks. Lopez-Gatell also advises people to avoid greeting other people with hugs and kisses yet his message didn't arrive to the president. During an event in the Chontal, an indigenous community, Lopez Obrador greeted all supporters with plenty of hugs and kisses on Friday afternoon and those greetings were returned. Alicia Sanchez stated that Obrador came from their place and that to greet him with hugs and kisses is something they want to do and they want to tell him that they are with him until the end. Former Abortionist, Hollywood Film Producer and Rape Victim Celebrate Life on Broadway March 25 NEWS PROVIDED BY March 2, 2020 NEW YORK, March 2, 2020 / Christian Newswire / -- The International Gift of Life Walk will have its run on Broadway March 25, as hundreds gather to celebrate the gift of human life. Participants gather on Foley Square to call for "Life without compromise" and decry abortion. The crowd will then parade down Broadway through New York City's "Canyon of Heroes." The event is sponsored by Personhood Education NY, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing personhood, the paramount right to life. Participants will hear from actress Kristi Kollar, a young mom whose daughter was conceived in rape. Though some told her that abortion was the easier option, she saw her unplanned pregnancy differently. "No matter how terrifying my situation was, and just because her dad was a rapist -- none of this was my baby's fault," Kollar asserted. "There was this life inside of me, and it's not my right to take it away." Indeed, little Adeline was born and today accompanies her mother to speak on behalf of life around the country. International pro-life advocate Shawn Carney, President of 40 Days for Life, will be joined by former abortionist Dr. Haywood Robinson, filmmaker Robert Kollar, and Brooklyn Church@The Rock's Rev. Kenneth Griepp to share the stories behind their outspoken support of life. The event will also feature operatic tenor James Scott Berry performing the National Anthem. WHEN: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 9 a.m. (Eastern) WHERE: Foley Square, 111 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013 WHO: Advocates for human life, to hear from Kristi Kollar, actress and life advocate, Personhood Education NY and Save The 1 Shawn Carney, President and CEO, 40 Days for Life Dr. Haywood Robinson, Director of Medical Affairs and Education, 40 Days for Life Robert Kollar, filmmaker and "fatherhood" advocate, Personhood Education NY Rev. Kenneth Griepp, Senior Pastor, Church@The Rock (Brooklyn) James Scott Berry, operatic tenor Dawn Eskew, President, Personhood Education NY DETAILS: FREE and open to the public Organizer Dawn Eskew calls Kristi "compelling" and is quick to point out that each of the men speaking has the best interests of women at heart. "While many label abortion a 'women's issue' and invalidate male discourse on the matter, these gentlemen illustrate how that categorization is far removed from reality," she explained. "Take Robert Kollarhe's a filmmaker and actor, but he will tell you that his greatest role is that of father and grandfather of a child conceived in rape. He stood by his daughter, Kristi, through the trauma of assault, pregnancy, and single motherhood," shared Eskew. "Together as a family, they speak out for voiceless children of violence offering life-affirming help and compassion to sexually abused women and their loved ones." "They all have stories to tell," Eskew added. "From Shawn Carney's conversion of Abby Johnson from Planned Parenthood director to pro-life advocate, Dr. Haywood's journey from abortionist to defender of life, and Pastor Griepp's tale of persecution by the state of New York for sharing life-affirming alternatives to abortion-bound women. None of this is academic. It's personal." Eskew noted that the parade route begins at Foley Square, also known as Thomas Paine Park, home of the African Burial Ground National Monument, commemorating an 18th century burial ground for an estimated 15,000 Africans enslaved in New York City. Participants will also glimpse a view of Freedom Tower, where among the memorialized victims of 9/11, are 11 unborn babies listed as children. "These two historical points of reference highlight the tragedy of American abortion," Eskew pointed out. "Less than 200 years ago slavery was legal. It was never morally right. Today, the same is true of abortion. Our mourning of the pre-born children murdered in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center underscores our innate recognition of their humanity." A few days before The International Gift of Life Walk, Eskew will receive the Sanctity of Human Life Award from the Queens Village Republican Club, the oldest GOP club in America. About the International Gift of Life Walk - NYC The International Gift of Life Walk - NYC is an annual public event celebrating the innate value of all human life. Besides decrying abortion, the mother organization - Personhood Education NY - teaches about all the ways that the personhood of human beings is being attacked at every stage of human development through the fast-paced advancement of science and technology. This rally and parade through the heart of the city began in 2017 after its pro-life founders were denied the opportunity to have a float in New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade. The International Gift of Life Walk - NYC is dedicated to converting hearts toward compassion for women, children, and families. Sponsored by Personhood Education NY , participants seek to ensure life-affirming alternatives to abortion. Learn more at: The International Gift of Life Walk NYC SOURCE TC Public Relations Related Links Julie Davis and her husband found what they thought was the perfect getaway: a cute, 520-square-foot cottage on a lake. The price was right, but when the Southington couples lawyer was ready to finalize the deal, a remnant of Connecticuts racist past jumped out at them: No portion of this said premises shall be conveyed or leased to any other than the Caucasian Race, the deed reads. Julie, a state employee, and her husband Peter, who are both white, were appalled and nearly rejected the sale. Its sad and sickening and disturbing, she said. While they went ahead with the purchase, they want to possibly wipe out the offending line in the deed to their new summer place in the Moodus section of East Haddam. Its an indelible part of Connecticuts history, when neighborhood associations and even entire subdivisions were whites only, until federal law overruled the tactic of restrictive covenants in property deals to exclude minorities. Such restrictions were common throughout the state even after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of 1948. Now, more scholars and interested citizens are discovering the states racist past. Restrictive covenants are buried deep inside historic property documents in city and town halls throughout the state. And while the language has virtually no legal effect, they remain provocative evidence of discrimination that lingers in the states predominantly white suburbs and housing discrimination that still concentrates minorities in the states big cities. Its the bedrock of racism in America, Scot X. Esdaile, president of the state NAACP, said Friday, admitting that he is both saddened and excited by the evidence of obstacles faced by previous generations. Housing has been a huge issue for black people in America, he said. Its the difference between landlord and the landless and shows how systemic racism has blocked our people and continues to block people. Widespread, lingering legacy of racism David K. Ware, a retired corporate lawyer and candidate for a master of laws degree at the University of Connecticut School of Law recently published a study that uncovered about 250 properties in three neighborhoods in the city of Manchester that had racially restrictive covenants, including Greenway Park, Lakewood Circle and Bowers Farm, which were developed before 1950, when the citys African American population totaled one fifth of one percent. The continued existence of racially restrictive covenants in out land records is an irritant that cannot escape the attention of groups and individuals that care about equality, fairness and inclusion, Ware wrote. If we hope to ever achieve the ideals that inform our best aspirations for human fairness we must begin by examining both our informal practices and behaviors and importantly for present purposes the government-sanctioned receptacles of our formal acts and deeds, i.e. the statements contained in the local record themselves. Jack A. Dougherty, a Trinity College professor, and co-author of a book on the development of West Hartford that also includes a deed to the Moodus Estates in East Haddam, said that even in state neighborhoods without written racial specifications, prospective homeowners were forced to continue the exclusionary tactics, which were rampant across the nation from the 1920s to the 1948 court ruling. The theory is they couldnt buy the property unless they agreed to the bylaws, Dougherty said in an interview, stressing that the practice was likely routine across the state. And until the St. Louis-based court case of Shelley v. Kraemer, it was the job of state officials to enforce the covenants, if black families tried to moved into neighborhoods and a neighbor filed suit. These tools of segregation have created the privileges that exist today, Dougherty said. Sara G. Bronin, a UConn law professor who is an expert on housing and land use, said property owners in Connecticut have the ability to simply take out the offending covenant language and record a new deed without the covenant. A town clerk has to accept any document related to a piece of land, said Bronin, describing such restrictive covenants as very common. Expunge or preserve historic evidence They can just take it out, Bronin, the wife of Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, said in an interview. Just delete it from the land description. Its void as a matter of public policy and need not be included. But in doing so, residents may wipe out a telltale record of a state that promotes itself as progressive and inclusive. The issue dates back about 90 years, when the Federal Home Loan Bank Board was created during the Great Depression to help homeowners keep their properties, said LaDale Winling, a history professor at Virginia Tech who studies housing. It was most frequently used for racial and home-value restrictions, making sure sure that African Americans and other minorities and immigrant groups did not move into neighborhoods that could change the character of neighborhoods and put investors money at risk, Winling said during a forum led by Dougherty on Friday in downtown Hartford at Trinitys Liberal Arts Action Lab. Winling suggested that homeowners in communities where restrictive covenants have been found should get together to address the issue. There are neighborhoods where people say this should be a testament, Winling said. Its tough for me to say if there is a right strategy. Individually if someone is extremely uncomfortable with that language on their deed, then absolutely go for it. In other states, legislatures have allowed property owners to amend their deeds, repudiating the history of covenants while not expunging them from the record. All I want to do is avoid people whitewashing the past by putting it under the rug, Dougherty said. Unlike some of the western states that have tackled the issue, Connecticut has no measures in place to repudiate the historic language. I understand it is part of history, said Davis, the lakeside cottage buyer. I dont need to see it in black and white. Its important to be able to get rid of this stuff. The fact that they wrote something like this in the past is sickening and disturbing and offensive. I want to have the ability for this to be purged. State Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, co-chairman of the Real Estate and Insurance Committee, said he was amenable to expunging town records. I think it sounds like a great idea, he said. It is a horribly embarrassing anachronism. That institutionalized racism has shaped our geography today. Attorney General William Tong agreed that housing discrimination exists to this day, with minority neighborhoods subjected to denials of mortgages in tactics called redlining. These racist restrictions are etched in our land records as shameful evidence of a not-so-distant past, Tong said. These covenants have not been legally enforceable since 1948, but housing discrimination is alive and well today. Discrimination is not always explicit. Thinly-veiled discrimination is at work today including exclusionary zoning ordinances, redlining, and source-of-income discrimination. Where we live affects every aspect of our livesour health, safety, education, transportation, access to jobs, and more. This was true pre-1948, and is still true today. We need a dialogue about this, the racist secrets of America, said Esdaile, a member of the NAACPs national board. This racism still exists in housing and people feel the effects of it. Organisations representing the Jewish community have accused the University of Sydney's student-run newspaper of "textbook anti-Semitism" over a satirical photograph in its weekly publication. An image published in a satire section of Honi Soit last week shows a blackboard with the words: "Should we get the Jews back for what they did to our absolute boy [Jesus]? Yes or No?". Pictured next to the blackboard are containers where students can vote for an answer with paddle-pop sticks. The Australian Union of Jewish Students political affairs director Gabi Stricker-Phelps, daughter of former Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps, said the image was "an instance of a student newspaper openly laughing about taking retribution against Jews", while her colleague Daniel Elberg labelled it "textbook anti-Semitism". "As a student at the University of Sydney I hope that there will be serious consequences for such irresponsible and reckless writing," Ms Stricker-Phelps said. But the student editors of Honi Soit, which is published independently by the university's student council, defended their publication against allegations of anti-Semitism. Three foreigners and a Ukrainian turned for help recently; so far, none of the patients who sought help in Ukraine appear to be infected with this particular virus Ukraine's Healthcare Ministry expects the results of four tests for Chinese coronavirus, or Covid-2019. The potential patients are three foreigners and a Ukrainian citizen who returned from Italy. Viktor Liashko, the Deputy Healthcare Minister of Ukraine reported that at a briefing in the Cabinet. Eight tests for Chinese coronavirus were conducted; all results proved negative. Tests for another four suspected cases are now being run for in the lab", he said. Liashko added that the Ukrainian citizen is a resident of Chernivtsi region; he recently came back from Italy. On Sunday, the Ministry received the results of tests from Kropyvnytsky city, Ivano-Frankivsk region and Kyiv; these, too, proved negative. Thus, so far, none of the patients who sought help in Ukraine appear to be infected with this particular virus. Earlier, German medics confirmed the first case of COVID-19, the Chinese coronavirus in Berlin. The doctors began to check the people who contacted the infected person, DW reports. The doctors do not disclose any personal data of the infected person. Three weeks ago, I spent nearly two hours chatting to buyers, sellers and onlookers at Drumshanbo Mart. Prices were up - nobody was sure why, but sellers at least were pleased. Yet there was a palpable sense of uncertainty, foreboding and in many instances, hopelessness. This was driven by a firm belief that they will be the last generation to rear sucklers and sheep around Leitrim, Cavan, Sligo and further afield. Some even felt two to three years would see them out of business. Farmers are well used to market fluctuations, but this was far deeper. There was a real sense that the deck was stacked against them at every turn. They often take prices below production costs and see no fairness, transparency or accountability for what happens in the food supply chain after their animals leave the farm gate. Earlier that day I visited the hugely successful Food Hub, a beacon of rural entrepreneurship. Drumshanbo has a number of thriving businesses, but plenty have closed or are in danger of closing. The future of business in Drumshanbo is strongly linked to the future of the mart, and not just for the mart-day business. Drumshanbo is a typical rural town, surviving but struggling. So how can that sense of hopelessness I met in the mart be assuaged, and how can we replace it with a more encouraging vision of a sustainable future for rural Ireland? We must move away from any image of rural Ireland as a supplicant, to one where it is a real player, actively shaping its changing future. This requires certain tools, structures and supports. It also requires a total change from the mindset that rural and indeed regional Ireland can be placated with a few goodies from a generous Minister. Instead, balanced regional development must be at the core of Government policy so that we become an Ireland of the regions. Each region must be given the tools to play to its strengths and contribute to a more stable, diverse and resilient economy. High-speed broadband is essential and will allow us to access the global digital economy, helping to provide off-farm employment that will in turn help to sustain family farms. We must ensure an adequately resourced CAP that protects the incomes of farmers who produce food in compliance with EU food safety and traceability standards and delivers proper funding for schemes that mitigate climate change, protect our biodiversity, manage our peatlands and promote agroforestry. Food producers' position must be strengthened through strong producer organisations, increased transparency and regulation to prevent any abuse of a dominant position. This must be overseen by a regulator with statutory powers to act when necessary. We immediately need a fully inclusive engagement of all those involved in food production with the relevant experts to find solutions to reduce GHG emissions. This must be supported by the very best research, and any proposed changes must be based on the principle of a just transition. A few final takeaways: Planning must be required for more than 5ha of forestry and cumulative effects of planting taken into account. Promotion of agroforestry and national burden sharing is essential. Increased funding for LEADER and enterprise boards and the re-rating programme must not threaten the viability of even more rural businesses. We need a national plan to ensure reasonable access to public services throughout the regions - and no, that doesn't mean hospitals in every town or second level schools in every parish, it simply means reasonable access. Balanced regional development must no longer be an add-on, or an afterthought, it must become how we do our business. Marian Harkin is an independent TD for Sligo-Leitrim OLX is India's number one consumer-to-consumer marketplace for pre-owned cars and motorbikes, mobile phones, household items, jobs and real estate. Indias No.1 online classifieds platform - OLX has partnered with American premium bike manufacturer Harley-Davidson for a joint initiative called Ride In, Ride Out that gives an opportunity for passionate bikers to upgrade their existing bikes to a new Harley-Davidson. In a first of its kind partnership, OLX and Harley-Davidson conducted an offline camp during the India bike week in December last year (2019) where bike owners got a chance to list their bike on OLX and ride out with a new Harley-Davidson. The OLX team assisted users in listing their pre-owned bikes on OLX in order to get better value for the same while the Harley team offered on spot exchange offers on new bikes as part of the association. The pre-owned two-wheeler market (scooters and bikes) in India is estimated to be 12 billion dollars annually. As per market data, the demand for high-end bikes/superbikes is on the rise given the aspirational status associated with them and a spurt in the rise of the biking culture. Over the last few years, biker groups have sprung up all across India who are fuelling this demand for cruiser and premium bikes. With this initiative, OLX not only aims to boost the adoption of superbikes amongst existing owners but also amongst first time buyers. Under this initiative, OLX will ensure that the pre-owned bikes listed on the platform as a part of this process undergo stringent checks in order to allow only genuine listings while enabling potential superbike owners to upgrade/exchange in a convenient manner for a better value. Over the last 10 years, OLX has emerged as a one-stop destination for bike lovers across India given the large inventory of unique bikes listed for sale every day. Superbikes being listed on OLX have grown by 27% in a year(Dec 19 vs Dec 18) and premium bikes on OLX generate over 5 million replies every month. Users on an average spend 16.5 minutes on OLX every day indicating the high engagement on the platform and the bikes category alone attracts 9.3 million unique monthly viewers. Superbikes on the platform generate over 21 unique replies per listing per week since 40% of visitors on OLX bikes are also interested in buying a new bike thereby indicating a high pent up demand for pre-owned superbikes. Talking about the new initiative, Tarun Sinha, Business Head Advertising, OLX India, said, OLX is a one-stop-shop for bike lovers to either buy a pre-owned luxury bike or sell their existing bikes. With a massive amount of fresh supply for bikes every day and high liquidity on the platform, users can get their desired bikes at attractive prices and also sell their bikes conveniently. We would like to thank Harley-Davidson for their association and we are in active discussions with more OEMs to conduct similar such camps in 2020 across India. With such partnerships, we aim to drive the adoption of superbikes and educate users on the benefits of owning a pre-owned superbike. OLX is Indias largest marketplace for pre-owned automobiles and commands a market share of 80%. In the two-wheeler category alone, OLX lists 18000 two-wheelers on the platform daily for sale. Every month over 6000 luxury bikes and around 12000 luxury cars are also listed for sale. For sellers, OLX offers the highest amount of liquidity vs any other platform given over 1 million people visit the automobile category on OLX every day. With a high amount of user interest generated per listing, sellers are able to sell their pre-owned bikes at their desired price with minimal hassle. About OLX India OLX is India's number one consumer-to-consumer marketplace for pre-owned cars and motorbikes, mobile phones, household items, jobs and real estate. In India, it already has 85% market share of the C2C online trade, 80% of the pre-owned cars market share via OLX Auto & OLX CashMyCar. OLX has also been certified by Great Places To Work. OLX is the number #1 buying + selling mobile App in India, according to Google Play Store and is currently trending at 7 billion page-views a month. OLX India has won prestigious industry awards and accolades and has been recognized by the prestigious Superbrands in 2016 ,and was also awarded as Indias most trusted brand in 2019,under online classified ads portal category presented by IBC InfoMedia. Note: Safety of our users is the utmost priority at OLX. We are committed to make the experience on our platform simple, secure and trustworthy for our users. We would advise our users to follow the safety guidelines at help.olx.in . In case of any issues, our users can reach out to us on our helpline 1800-103-3333 or write to us at support@olx.in . To report any fraud, users can call us on our Trust & Safety helpline + 91 9999140999 or write to us at safety@olx.in . OLX works closely with Law Enforcement Authorities to create awareness and ensure adherence with the law. This is a Partnered content. Is Connecticut prepared for coronavirus? The answer is yes at least for now. If the question is, are we adequately prepared, that remains to be seen, said Kevin Dieckhaus, chief of UConn Healths division of infectious diseases. Have we prepared for COVID-19 specifically? The answer is no one knew what this was before 2019. But certainly emergency preparedness is part of what we do. There have been outbreaks before SARS, MERS, swine flu, avian flu, ebola and more and dealing a disease outbreak is similar to dealing with any natural disaster. Infectious disease experts in Connecticut say that, as of right now, hospitals do have enough coronavirus testing kits, masks, gowns, disinfectant and particle respirators. SEARCHABLE DATABASE: Get the latest coronavirus information from your town. But nobody knows how the virus will progress, and so nobody can say what may be needed. We are very confident in what we have right now, said Dr. Paul Nee, infectious disease expert at Nuvance Health, which runs hospitals in Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon. If were dealing with large numbers of people no matter what organization you are theres going to be issues with the supply chain. Theres no question that the deadly potential of specific coronavirus now spreading across the world, first identified in China in December, should not be minimized. Albert Ko, chairman of the Yale School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, said as much on a call with reporters Monday. So far, there are no confirmed cases in Connecticut, though the state is surrounded there have been confirmed cases in New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The spread is not confined to people traveling from overseas. There has been person-to-person transmission on the West Coast. Five people have died in the United States. Were now experiencing sustained community transmission, Ko said. Its now evident that containment is not an option. But the disease is still new, and just how infectious it is, and how deadly it may be, is still very much in question. Epidemiologists use a metric called the reproduction number (or R-naught) to define how infectious a disease may be. It signifies how many people a single patient is likely to infect. The Journal of Travel Medicine estimated that for every person infected with COVID-19, an average of 3.28 are likely to catch the virus. The possible range is wide. The reproduction number is currently thought to be somewhere between 1.4 and 6.49. The death rate, too, is in question. Initial estimates from Wuhan, China, suggested that as many as 3 percent of those infected will die. But doctors writing in the New England Journal of Medicine said that the real number may be closer to 1 percent. With this particular virus we dont know what the epidemiology is going to be, Dieckhaus said. The data thats coming out is not very refined. How the disease spreads will be dependent on a lot of factors, Ko wrote along with hundreds of other doctors in an open letter to Vice President Mike Pence. The extent and impact of the outbreak in the U.S. is difficult to predict and will depend crucially on how policymakers and leaders react, the letter said. It will depend particularly on whether there is adequate funding and support for the response; fair and effective management of surging health care demand; careful and evidence-based mitigation of public fear; and necessary support and resources for fair and effective infection control. Theres also no treatment yet approved by the FDA. A vaccine may be more than a year away, and while there are several treatments being considered, none has yet been identified and approved. We urgently need a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19, said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director and U.S. Coronavirus Task Force member Anthony S. Fauci. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial is the gold standard for determining if an experimental treatment can benefit patients. Nee said treatment right now is largely supportive, and that it may take weeks or months until a medical treatment is approved and makes its way to Connecticut hospitals. It may take a few months, he said. You really do need trials to make sure its effective. You want to make sure youre not making someone worse or giving them a horrible side effect. Nee said his staff have been preparing for the possibility of a patient, but theres no telling when that might happen. Fortunately weve seen nothing, he said. One of the things weve been dealing with is peoples fear. Viruses proliferate more in the cold weather, and the best case scenario is that the spring and summer solve the problem. What happens in spring and summer is, it goes away, Dieckhaus said. The best outcome is that we will hit a warm season. With the changing season it may peter out. Dieckhaus compares the coronavirus to the swine flu epidemic of 2009 and, in that case, one season wasnt enough. What happened with swine flu is that it kind of went away, he said. And then in the wintertime it came back. New Delhi, March 2 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday indicated he could quit social media from the coming Sunday. "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @ YouTube. Will keep you all posted," Modi said in a tweet. There may be a lot more coronavirus infections in Washington state than officials realize. That is the conclusion of a genetic analysis that claims the new virus may have been spreading around Washington state for as many as six weeks undetected. If true, it means there could be hundreds of undiagnosed cases in the area. The study by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington was not published in a scientific journal or reviewed by other scientists. Advertisement Trevor Bedford, an associate professor who announced the findings, said that an analysis of the virus found that a specimen from a newly diagnosed patient matched that of another person who traveled from China in January and was the first known case in the United States. I believe were facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China, Bedford wrote on Twitter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I believe we're facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China. 6/9 Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) March 1, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Two new cases were confirmed in Washington states King County on Sunday as authorities are monitoring a possible outbreak in a nursing home. A third case was also announced in Illinois, and the first case detected in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island patient, who appears to be the second on the East Coast, had traveled to Italy in February. There have been a total of 74 confirmed cases in the United States so far, and Americans have been descending on stores to stock up on basic goods. The Trump administration tried to calm the public that it has things under control and there are enough diagnostic test kits to test 75,000 people. That was the announcement that Alex Azar, the health and human services secretary, made on Sunday as the Food and Drug Administration also allowed labs and hospitals across the country to carry out tests without having to go through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet despite the assurances, a devastating piece in the Washington Post describes how President Donald Trump tried to continually minimize the outbreak in an effort to contain any political damage. Its complete chaos, a senior administration official said. Everyone is just trying to get a handle on what the [expletive] is going on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around the world the coronavirus continued spreading, with more than 60 countries now reporting cases as the death toll reached at least 3,000. Scotland and the Dominican Republic were among the countries that reported their first cases Sunday. The number of coronavirus cases surged in Italy with a total of 1,694 confirmed cases and 34 deaths. In France, where there have been 100 cases and two deaths, the famous Louvre Museum was closed after workers said they were fearful of the virus. We are very worried because we have visitors from everywhere, said Andre Sacristin, a Louvre employee and union representative. The risk is very, very, very great. The French government had earlier decided to ban any indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people. Advertisement Advertisement With "Port of Go! uniquely positioned as travel showcase experience, it promises the savvy traveler education, luxury of choice and tourism exclusives. "Port of Go!" - Cruise, Destination & Travel Showcase! is a one-of-a-kind, niche event series in the Travel and Tourism industry. This show represents a unique ability for companies with a consumer focus to expand upon their brand identity and foster new business within a highly targeted and motivated subset of consumers. Port of Go! is set to launch in Fall of 2020 in Orlando, Florida and was founded by R. Stan Kelly, CEO of Othal Partners, LLC. 20,000 are expected to be in attendance. Karla Jo Helms, Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR Strategist of JOTO PR Disruptors, recently signed Port of Go! and recognizes the opportunity in the changing travel and tourism market. The [travel] industry is predicted to experience explosive growth and even more innovative disruption in the coming years, Helms said. Part of the disruption Helms refers to is the new consumer mindset dictating the expansion. Consumers are demanding travel experiences that fulfill criteria in the areas of self-fulfillment, individuality, social consciousness and bucket-list traveling. With "Port of Go! uniquely positioned as travel showcase experience, it promises the savvy traveler education, luxury of choice and tourism exclusives. The event is aimed to give industry retailers a platform to get in touch, in real time, with a captive and motivated audience of avid travelers. One of Port of Go!s consumer audiences are working nomadstravelers who want to stay on track with work while enjoying a cruise vacation. (1) As a remote workforce since 2015, Helms says she understands the value of this group. Digital nomads can work remotely and fulfill their need of opting in for work-life balance, she says. This is a growing niche within the travel industry today. Port of Go! will also incorporate job fairs into their showcase, helping to fulfill large job demands before the upcoming 2020/2021 cruise traveler spike. For instance, tourism in Antarctica has seen a 50% spike over the past four years, and luxury travel companies are tripping over each other in the race to capitalize on it. (2) There are seven to ten industry trends disrupting the travel industry. Port of Go! aims to capitalize on them all. JoTo PR has a history of innovative PR services that demonstrates their ability in gaining consistent news traction within the media for national and international organizationshelping provide front-line information to the media about industry disruptions and technological solutions aimed at making markets better for consumers. About JOTO PR DisruptorsTM: After doing marketing research on a cross-section majority of 5,000 CEOs of fast-growth trajectory companies and finding out exactly how they used PR, how they measure it and how they wanted the PR industry to be different, PR veteran and innovator Karla Jo Helms created JoTo PR and established its entire business model on those research findings. Astute in recognizing industry changes since its launch in 2009, JoTo PRs team utilizes newly established patterns to create timely PR campaigns comprising both traditional and the latest proven media methods. This unique skill enables JoTo PR to continue to increase the market share and improve return on investment (ROI) for its clients, year after yearbeating usual industry standards. Based in Tampa Bay, Florida, JoTo PR is an established international public relations agency. Today, all JoTo PRs processes are streamlined PR services that have become the hallmark of the JoTo PR name. For more information, visit JoTo PR online at http://www.jotopr.com. About Karla Jo Helms: Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR Strategist for JoTo PR. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the lineand how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumna of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators and the media to help restore companies of goodwill back into the good graces of public opinionKarla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances, and doing what it takes to excel. Karla Jo has patterned her agency on the perfect balance of crisis management, entrepreneurial insight and proven public relations experience. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of PR to drive markets and impact market perception. 1. 2020 State of the Cruise Industry Report, CLIA, December 12,2019, cruising.org/-/media/research-updates/research/state-of-the-cruise-industry.pdf. 2. Wiley, Melissa. Tourism in Antarctica Has Seen a 50% Spike over the Past Four Years, and Luxury Travel Companies Are Tripping over Each Other in the Race to Capitalize on It. Business Insider, Business Insider, 31 Dec. 2019, businessinsider.com/how-to-visit-antarctica-travel-tourism-increase-luxury-2019-12. Carrie Symonds is considering giving birth at home, it has been claimed today. Miss Symonds, 31, is said to be keen on a home birth, which could mean Boris Johnson's baby is born at No10 Downing Street or Chequers. His partner announced the pair are engaged and expecting their first child together in late May or early June in an Instagram post on Saturday. It came just 11 days after the Prime Minister, 55, agreed a divorce settlement with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler in court, although it is not clear what stage proceedings are at. While Ms Wheeler is said to be 'crushed' by her ex-husband's double announcement, Miss Symonds is already planning her birthing arrangements and her wedding. Carrie Symonds announced she and Prime Minister Boris Johnson are having a baby and are engaged on Saturday night Miss Symonds, 31, is said to be keen on a home birth, which could mean Boris Johnson's baby is born at No10 Downing Street (pictured together outside on December 13) A source told The Sun: 'Carrie has told Boris that a home birth is one thing she's very keen on. She likes to do things her way. 'She has a few options where she could have their firstborn. It could mean Downing Street, Chequers or even Chevening, Kent.' Only one in 50 women in England and Wales opt for home births. There are greater risks of complications, from 5 in every 1,000 births in hospital to 9 in every 1,000 at home. Will Boris miss the birth of his baby? Prime Minister is due to attend series of official engagements when Carrie Symonds is due in the summer Boris Johnson's new baby boy or girl will come into the world at an immensely difficult period for the Prime Minister politically - and could make it difficult for him to take any paternity leave. His partner Carrie Symonds has told friends she is five months pregnant, which means she will give birth in late May or early June. Here is a list of Mr Johnson's engagements during that time: May 8-10: Lead role in 75th anniversary celebrations for VE Day as part of a three-day event June 10-12: G7 leaders' summit at Camp David, Maryland, USA June 18-19: Meeting with EU leaders in Brussels to decide on a potential extension to Brexit transition period beyond the end of this year June 22-27: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda, Africa Advertisement NHS figures show 45 out of every 100 women having their first baby at home had to be transferred to hospital because of complications. Only 12 in 100 having their second, third, or fourth child had to go into hospital. On Sunday, Mr Johnson said of the pregnancy: 'Absolutely delighted, I'm absolutely delighted, of course.' But Ms Wheeler and their four children Lara, Milo, Theodore and Cassia are said to be 'furious' at the idea Mr Johnson became engaged and tried for a baby while he was still going through a divorce process. Ms Wheeler, who recently overcame cervical cancer, threw the PM out of their marital home in 2018 amid claims he was having an affair with Miss Symonds, 24 years his junior. A hearing at the Family Court in London on February 18 heard a financial settlement between the two had been agreed. Ms Wheeler was granted a decree nisi, the initial stage of the divorce, but it is not clear if she has a decree absolute - the second stage in the process. The couple are the first unmarried one to live in Downing Street together for many years. They met when Miss Symonds worked on his successful bid for a second term as London Mayor in 2012, but were only linked romantically in 2018, shortly after his split from Miss Wheeler. They have made very few public appearances, with Miss Symonds often on the sidelines away from the rest of his family. The Prime Minister's sixth known child could be born at the country estate Chequers in Buckinghamshire But the former Conservative Party press officer is believed to have a 'hands on' approach behind the scenes, taking credit for her fiance's new image, weight loss and election success. The wedding will be Mr Johnson's third and he has at least five children already four with Miss Wheeler and a fifth from an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Reports have suggested that Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds might 'slip away quietly abroad to marry in private' but their plans are unknown. With new laws in place to extend rights to new fathers, Mr Johnson could take paternity leave, with the couple entitled to split 50 weeks off equally. But their plans are not yet clear and with the birth in the middle of a number key engagements, Mr Johnson could risk missing it completely. The country retreat at Chevening, Kent (pictured), where the couple recently stayed, could be another option for Miss Symond's home birth At the end of May he will play a lead role in three-day 75th anniversary celebrations for VE Day. In early June he will travel to Maryland, USA, where he will meet with President Donald Trump and other leaders for a G7 summit. He is also expected at a high-level Brexit summit in the days before a crucial European Council meeting in Brussels, meaning he could be away from Britain for at least 11 days in June. Towards the end of June he will be out of the country in Rwanda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Bookmakers have begun offering odds for the name even though the gender is not yet known, with Charlotte and James early favourites. Winston and Emmeline have also been popular, because of the Prime Minister's wartime hero and Miss Symonds' support for women's rights. Stanley has been mooted as a tribute to Mr Johnson's father. EDMONTONAdvocates and defence lawyers are growing worried as the Alberta government looks at largely decriminalizing drunk driving in the province, a surprising reversal in the United Conservative Partys original stance on the issue. The reverse in policy for the United Conservatives, who blasted the NDP government for considering a similar change in the laws when they were the Opposition in 2018, concerns anti-drunk driving advocate Sheri Arsenault. During a meeting with Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer last week, Arsenault urged him not to proceed with decriminalization and an administrative penalty system. She says Schweitzer told her all options were being considered, including decriminalization, due to a backlog of cases tied up in the courts. Another source familiar with policies being considered within the justice ministry confirmed to the Star that decriminalization hadnt been ruled out. Arsenaults son, Bradley, along with two of his friends, died in a collision with a drunk driver in Alberta in 2011. Shes been advocating for tougher impaired driving laws at the federal and provincial levels ever since. Arsenault believes the potential for criminal charges is the best deterrent for people getting behind the wheel after drinking. Im hoping this government doesnt go through with something as ludicrous as decriminalizing impaired driving, Arsenault said. But (Schweitzer) says hes looking at all options right now. A spokesperson for the department of justice said they were looking at a variety of options but that no final decisions have been made. In 2010, British Columbia moved to largely decriminalize drunk driving and Manitoba has also adopted a similar approach. Its a policy option Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has supported, as the organization has said it means stronger prevention and fewer cases weighing down the courts. Police officers in B.C. have discretion to lay criminal charges or administer sanctions on the side of the road under provincial rules. Largely, the shift meant first time offenders were off the hook for criminal charges, clearing up space in the courts and promoting rehabilitation, said MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie. (Police) can have an option, in certain circumstances, one time only, to take a person through an administrative system, which focuses largely on sanctions and rehabilitation versus the justice system, which just solely focuses on punishment, he said. Murie said B.C. has seen a 50 per cent decrease in alcohol related deaths since it adopted the new policy. Theyve had nine years of saving lives, he said. Its part of a national downward trend. According to Statistics Canada, there were just over 72,000 police-reported impaired driving incidents in 2015. Thats the lowest number of impaired driving incidents since they started collecting data in 1986. Since B.C. and Manitoba have made the changes, Murie said other provinces might be looking to follow suit as well. It allows you to keep the criminal system to deal with the repeat offenders and those people like obviously, if theyre in a crash where somebody is hurt or killed, or a childs involved, then theyre not eligible, he said. Thats a small percentage, but largely youre redirecting maybe as high as 70 per cent from a court system into an administrative system. In 2018, the former NDP government in Alberta was considering moving to an administrative sanction system like B.C.s as well, but it never came to fruition. At the time, Arsenault met with UCP MLA Mike Ellis, who served as justice critic in Opposition in 2018, and Arsenault says he was outraged at the mere thought of decriminalizing it. Theyre the tough on crime party, or so I was told, she said. When they were voted in, I honestly took the first sigh of relief in a long time. Ill never have to worry about impaired driving being decriminalized in Alberta again. Ellis didnt respond to a request for comment in time for publication. Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is considered an offence under Canadas Criminal Code, but provinces can largely decide how to penalize those caught doing it. Last weeks speech from the throne, delivered by Alberta Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell, alluded to whats in store from the United Conservatives, stating: My government will table bills to toughen sanctions against impaired driving. But Greg Dunn, a criminal defence lawyer in Calgary who represents people charged with impaired driving, agrees with Arsenaults philosophy that the possibility of a criminal record is the best prevention and says that a criminal charge also gives people a chance to defend themselves. When you are charged criminally, you have protections under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he said. Youre entitled to the presumption of innocence. Under administrative law, you have neither of those protections. As it stands, a person caught driving impaired is given a 90-day licence suspension, followed by one year of an ignition interlock program, which would require the driver to blow into a breathalyzer before starting the vehicle. Parallel to that is a criminal charge where, if someone is convicted, they could also receive a $1,500 fine. An administrative law system like British Columbias could mean having your vehicle seized, impound fees, safe driving courses that cost money, and licence reinstatement fees, said Dunn, adding that police officers also become judge, jury and executioner when doling out sanctions on the side of the road. All of that could mean paying upwards of $5,000, he said. People that are on the lower end of the scale financially just cant afford it, said Dunn. They cant afford to fight it, and they cant afford to pay the fees. So it becomes essentially a massive money grab that hurts the poorest in society the most. With files from Alex Boyd Read more about: Khadi and Village Industries Commission is playing a pivotal role in enhancing employment opportunities across India under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), KVIC's top official said on Monday. KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said India is passing through a transitional phase from developing nation to a developed nation and schemes like PMEGP are the strongest pillars on which the country's future is embarked. "We aim not only to provide employment at the doorstep, but also to encourage the traditional artisans, self help groups and educated unemployed to build an enterprise of their dreams. This scheme (PMEGP) also helps to prevent migration of unskilled workers to urban areas," he said. Saxena said aligned with the Digital India doctrine of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, KVIC had launched an integrated PMEGP portal developed in July 2015 to promote more number of small and medium enterprises in rural and urban areas. "Before 2015, on an average, KVIC used to receive less than 10,000 applications yearly, however, after the launch of the online portal we receive an average 4,00,000 applications annually ,this itself shows the popularity of the scheme," he said. He said KVIC being the nodal agency for PMEGP receives funds from the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, helps in the identification and screening of deserving candidates and then releases the funds to the Corporation Bank, a nodal bank approved by the ministry. The Corporation Bank then releases it to the financing banks for beneficiaries in a transparent disbursement mechanism. This year, as on February 5, KVIC has already released Rs 1,400 crore to the financing banks, out of which more than Rs 1,300 crore has already been disbursed to the respective beneficiaries, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi court refuses to stay Nirbhaya convicts' execution tomorrow India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Mar 02: A Delhi court on Monday refused to stay the execution of the four Nirbhaya case convicts, scheduled to be hanged at 6 am tomorrow. The Patiala court dismissed an application to stay the execution of the convicts Akshay Thakur, 31, Pawan Gupta, 25, and Mukesh Singh, 32. The first date was set for January 22. The next date was fixed for February 1 and then another date was set for March 3. If it is put off again, then the trial court would need to issue a fresh death warrant. Nirbhaya: SC rejects curative plea filed by Pawan Gupta Earlier in the day, the supreme court has rejected the curative petition filed by Pavan Gupta, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya case. With this all the four convicts have exhausted their legal remedies. Gupta was the last of the four killers to file a curative plea in the Supreme Court. "They have wasted the court's time and tried to subvert system. Now they will be hanged tomorrow," said Nirbhaya's mother. 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. BETHESDA, Maryland, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health has updated an online tool to provide information for clinicians and parents on outcomes for extremely preterm infants. The key change in the update was the incorporation of data from the hospital where the infant was born, which the researchers found was as important as gestational age in determining infant outcome. The original web-based outcome tool was developed in 2008 by the Neonatal Research Network, a group of clinical sites supported by NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The revised tool, developed using data from the Neonatal Research Network and later validated using data from hospitals in the Vermont Oxford Network (VON), is based on outcomes for extremely preterm births in the United States. The tool is available only in English. The researchers also used VON data to describe differences in survival across U.S. hospitals. The researchers describe the basis for the revision in an article appearing in JAMA Pediatrics. The extremely preterm infants in this study were born from weeks 22 through 25 of pregnancy; a full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks. Many of these infants die soon after birth, despite receiving the best treatment available. Although some survive and reach adulthood largely unaffected, others will experience disability, ranging from correctable hearing loss to profound physical or intellectual impairment. Physicians and family members often must choose between aggressive treatment to save an infant's life or comfort care, which meets the infant's basic needs but forgoes painful medical procedures unlikely to benefit the infant. Like its predecessor, the new tool provides information on infant survival and neurological impairment on the basis of five factors: gestational age (the week of pregnancy the infant was born), whether the baby is male or female, birth weight, whether the baby was a single baby or from a multiple pregnancy, and whether the baby's mother was given antenatal steroids during labor to accelerate the baby's maturation and overall development. Hospital-specific estimates of survival for each participating hospital in VON are now available to that hospital through the VON website. The developers of the tool stress that while it provides information useful for families and clinicians considering treatment options, it cannot substitute for a physician's careful assessment or predict with certainty the outcome for any infant. Reference Rysavy, MA, et al. Assessment of an updated Neonatal Research Network extremely preterm birth outcome model in the Vermont Oxford Network. JAMA Pediatrics. 2020. About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): NICHD leads research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. For more information, visit https://www.nichd.nih.gov. About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit https://www.nih.gov. SOURCE Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institutes of Health (NIH) Related Links https://www.nih.gov four years in February, raising a red flag over manufacturing in the worlds third-largest economy as the impact from the coronavirus outbreak spreads. The manufacturing slowdown offers the clearest evidence yet of the epidemics damaging effects on global growth and businesses and is likely to ramp up pressure on Japanese policymakers to boost growth. The au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) slipped to a seasonally-adjusted 47.8 from a final 48.8 in the previous month. The February reading was its lowest since May 2016. The index stayed below the 50.0 threshold that separates contraction from expansion for a 10th month, marking the longest stretch since a 16-month run to June 2009 during the global financial crisis. Near-term prospects for Japans industrial sector appear very bleak, said Joe Hayes, economist at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey. Weakness was driven by the demand-side in a broad-based fashion. Consumer, intermediate and capital goods producers recorded faster declines in demand and overall order books fell at the sharpest rate in over seven years. The pressure on the worlds third-largest economy has built rapidly during the past weeks as the virus outbreak is dealing a sharp blow to Chinas economy, Asias biggest. China is one of Japans top export markets, and many Japanese firms sell their products to Chinese customers to supply its factories with parts and equipment for manufacturing. The PMI survey showed new orders falling at the fastest pace in more than seven years due to weak economic conditions and lower sales to customers in China. Other indicators such as overall output and backlogs of work also dropped, while new export orders contracted for the 15th straight month. Hayes also said that some Japanese companies reported they were unable to source key raw materials from suppliers in China. Existing buffer stocks helped to offset some of the shortfall, but if supply chain disruptions carry on for an extended period then the risk to industrial output will be far greater, he added. Amit Shah to visit Ram Lalla, Hanumangarhi temple today, to address 3 public rallies in UP Targeting Akhilesh, Shah asks why Lord Ram had to live in a tent Stop us if you can: Amit Shah on citizenship law India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Kolkata, Mar 02: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that the Narendra Modi government will not stop until and unless all refugees in the country are granted citizenship under the CAA. Shah, addressing a rally here, also exuded confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form the next government in Bengal with two- third majority after the 2021 assembly polls. Accusing opposition parties, including the TMC, of misguiding the refugees and minorities, Shah said not a single person will lose citizenship as a result of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). People who want to divide nation, disrupt peace must fear NSG: Amit Shah in Kolkata "The opposition is terrorising minorities... I assure every person from the minority community that CAA only provides citizenship, does not take it away. It won't affect your citizenship," the home minister said. "We will not stop until and unless all the refugees are granted citizenship," he added. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 Shah also launched the BJP's 'Aar Noi Annay' (no more injustice) campaign in West Bengal at the rally. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 8:08 [IST] The police said that on February 25, Nafisa and her sister went to Saber's house where he introduced them to Ebrahim, who put forth a proposal to marry one of the siblings, but they rejected his proposal. The same day, Sabers wife Sameena called Nafisas younger sister and asked her to visit. She then took her to Ebrahim. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: A 60-year-old Bahrain national was arrested on Monday for raping a 25-year-old woman from the city and also branding her with cigarettes when she tried to resist. The police also arrested a salesman who sheltered the Bahraini, while a couple who are charged with trafficking in women are still at large. According to the police, on October 21, Ebrahim Shukralla Mohamed Bairam, 60, a retired nurse from Bahrain came to the city and checked-in at a hotel in Nampally. Ebrahim contacted Saber, a resident of Nabeel Colony to arrange a woman for marriage. About a week ago, he moved to Barkas and took shelter in the house of Salam Bin Sayed Bafanna, who works as a salesman. Saber and his wife Sameena, who were acquainted with the family of the 25-year-old victim and her elder sister Nafisa (name changed), contacted them and asked them to visit his house, as he had a client who wanted to buy their house. The police said that on February 25, Nafisa and her sister went to Saber's house where he introduced them to Ebrahim, who put forth a proposal to marry one of the siblings, but they rejected his proposal. The same day, Sabers wife Sameena called Nafisas younger sister and asked her to visit. She then took her to Ebrahim. When her sister had not returned even late at night, a worried Nafisa contacted Saber, but he denied knowing the whereabouts of the victim. On Sunday, Nafisa heard that her sister was illegally confined in a house in Barkas. When she went there, Ebrahim was present. Learning that her sister was illegally confined by Ebrahim, who had raped her multiple times, and also branded her on the foot with a cigarette when she resisted him, Nafisa lodged a complaint on Sunday night, the police said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 13:59:56|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close ASADABAD, Afghanistan, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Six insurgents affiliated with the hardliner Islamic State (IS) group have been confirmed dead as unmanned aircrafts pounded the militant group's hideout in Nurgal district of the eastern Kunar province on Sunday, said an army statement released here Monday. Two local commanders of the hardliner group identified as Qari Zahir and Ghani are among those killed in the airstrikes, the statement asserted. Three more IS militants, according to the statement, have given up fighting and surrendered to security forces in the neighboring Chawkay district on the same day on Sunday. More than 40 IS militants, according to local officials, laid down their arms in the provincial capital Asadabad on Sunday and their surrender took place in the wake of inking a peace deal between the Taliban and the United States on Saturday to end the war in Afghanistan and facilitate the U.S. forces pull out from the country. The hardliner IS outfit, which is operational in parts of Kunar with Asadabad as its capital, 185 km east of Kabul and the neighboring Nuristan and Nangarhar provinces, has yet to make comments. Amy Klobuchar will suspend her campaign and endorse Joe Biden Monday night in Dallas, Texas, her campaign confirmed to DailyMail.com. Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out of the race Sunday night, will also endorse Biden, Reuters reported minutes after Klobuchar pulled the plug on her campaign. Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, had momentum coming out of the New Hampshire primary, but couldn't repeat the result in the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina who held contests the last two Saturdays. Her announcement comes one day before voters in her home state of Minnesota were to go to the polls as part of the 14 states that vote on 'Super Tuesday.' Klobuchar looked poised to do well in Minnesota and Minnesota only. And Bernie Sanders, having the high-profile endorsement of Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the four members of the so-called squad, could have eaten into Klobuchar's totals in that state. With her endorsement of Biden, the former vice president looks to be consolidating moderate Democrats to go up against Sanders, a liberal who refers to himself as a democratic-socialist and is technically one of the Senate's two independent lawmakers. Out: Amy Klobuchar becomes the latest to quit the race, meaning there have been three departures in less than 36 hours Boost: Joe Biden, whose thumping victory in South Carolina revived his campaign, will now receive an endorsement from Amy Klobuchar which consolidates him as the moderate favorite Also endorsing: Pete Buttigieg's announcement that he too would back Biden was overshadowed by Klobuchar dropping out of the race Two women still standing: Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard are the youngest two of the five Democratic candidates Klobuchar follows Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old openly gay ex-mayor of South Bend, Indiana, out the door. Buttigieg made his announcement Sunday night in South Bend. CNN reported that Buttigieg would also be joining Biden at the Dallas rally with Klobuchar. The optics of both Klobuchar and Buttigieg onstage with Biden will be a real show of unity for the moderate wing of the party after the Minnesota senator and the Indiana mayor had several heated moments on the debate stage. Klobuchar referred to Buttigieg as a 'local official' and a 'cool newcomer,' and suggested that sexism was at play to allow a 38-year-old man with a thin resume to be seriously considered for the White House. Buttigieg, in turn, took advantage of some of Klobuchar's missteps, including when she couldn't recall the name of the president of Mexico. Since winning the South Carolina primary over Sanders on Saturday night, Biden has seen a number of mainstream Democratic politicians endorse his campaign. The first out of the gate was former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who campaigned for Biden in Virginia over the weekend. Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's vice presidential pick in 2016, had previously announced his support for Biden and also campaigned for the ex-veep in the commonwealth. Biden picked up former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Monday as well. Reid declined to endorse a candidate in the run-up to the Nevada caucuses last month. Sanders crushed Biden there by 26.6. points. Still in it: Mike Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders both hit the campaign trail ahead of Super Tuesday. The billionaire former New York mayor was in Manassas, Virginia and the Vermont senator was in Salt Lake City, Utah Ahead of California's vote, Biden snagged former Sen. Barbara Boxer's endorsements too. Klobuchar's exit means that just five Democratic candidates remain: Biden, Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg and Tulsi Gabbard. While Biden and Sanders look to be in the strongest position to win the nomination, Bloomberg and Warren have become wild cards. Bloomberg, worth $55.4 billion, hasn't participated in the first four primaries and so the strength of his campaign, and the hundreds of millions he's poured into it, won't be measurable until the results of 'Super Tuesday' come in. Warren has had two impressive debate showings and outraised Biden in February, receiving $29 million to Biden's $18 million. Sanders earned the most in February, bringing in $45.6 million. Fundraising clearly played into both Buttigieg and Klobuchar's decisions. Klobuchar ended January with just $2.8 million in the bank. However, she raised almost that much - $2.5 million - in the day following her third place finish in the New Hampshire primary. Buttigieg fundraising had been strong through the race, but by the time the Nevada caucuses rolled around, he was pleading for $13 million more to get through Super Tuesday. While Biden, Klobuchar and Buttigieg appear together in Texas Monday night, the other candidates march on. Warren will be campaigning in East Los Angeles Monday night. Sanders held a rally in Salt Lake City, Utah Monday afternoon and will head to Klobuchar's home state of Minnesota Monday night. Both Warren and Sanders will be in their home states on Tuesday, while Biden will be in Los Angeles, California. Gabbard, a congresswoman from Hawaii, hasn't been actively campaigning. Klobuchar announced that she was running for president in February 2019. She gave her speech outside, during a snowstorm - a visual she often referred back to when speaking on the campaign trail. 'There were certain pundits who predicted when I started, with that speech in the middle of the Mississippi in a blizzard, that I would never make it to the end of the speech,' she often told her crowd. Several weeks into her bid, the New York Times reported what was long-rumored in D.C. - that she was abusive to staff. The Times report included several bizarre anecdotes, the most memorable being that Klobuchar ate a salad with a hair comb after a staffer forgot to give her utensils as she was boarding a flight. 'What happened next was typical: Ms. Klobuchar berated her aide instantly for the slip-up. What happened after that was not: She pulled a comb from her bag and began eating the salad with it, according to four people familiar with the episode,' the Times report said. The reports of staff abuse ran contrary to the kind of politics Klobuchar was trying to export: one of 'Minnesota Nice,' and talk of finding common ground over a 'hotdish,' the Minnesota version of a casserole. Millions of men and women across the country have started careers as fresh-faced recruits in basic military training (BMT) on the West Side of San Antonio at the "Gateway to the Air Force," Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Training Airmen since 1946, Lackland is the Air Force's only program for basic military training, and has been the site for rigorous combat drills and endless marches and parade rests under the South Texas sun. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Police used a water canon, tear gas, and dogs to disperse demonstrators in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Protesters had gathered to demand the release of jailed Kyrgyz politician Sadyr Japarov, who was given an 11 1/2-year prison sentence in 2017 for hostage-taking. The Independent March 1, 2020A cult church leader claiming to be the Messiah could face "murder" charges in connection with the worst coronavirus outbreak outside of mainland China.The majority of cases in South Korea where the virus has killed at least 18 people and infected more than 3,700 are thought to be members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.Officials have accused the church of exacerbating the outbreak by deliberately failing to provide an accurate list of its more than 200,000 worshippers and thus interfering with government attempts to curb the virus' spread.Amid growing public outrage, Seoul city government has filed a criminal complaint to prosecutors against the church's leader Lee Man-hee who himself is awaiting the result of a coronavirus test and 11 other senior members.Seoul's mayor Park Won-soon alleged the church's actions amounted to "murder through to willful negligence" in a widely shared Facebook post on Sunday, translated by the Korea Herald.South Korean law follows the principle of dolus eventualis, meaning a person can be convicted of murder if they foresaw the possibility of their actions resulting in the death of someone but continued regardless.The church which teaches that only Mr Lee can interpret the Bible's true meaning strenuously denies all accusations and insists it is the victim of a "witch hunt".While followers believe Mr Lee is immortal and will take 144,000 people to heaven with him on Judgement Day, some former members have now turned on him.This week, a group of former worshippers visited district prosecutors and alleged that "by submitting fake documents, he has impeded the government in its epidemiological efforts against the new coronavirus", the Korea Times reported.The church is also accused of lying about its missionary work in Wuhan, regarded as the outbreak's epicentre.South Korea's justice ministry said on Saturday that 42 members of the church had entered the country from China since July, with some visiting Wuhan in January. The church had repeatedly denied making new converts in the Hubei city until last week.The virus was first discovered to have infected a 61-year-old woman dubbed "Patient 31" who had attended services at the church's Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony branch in the country's fourth largest city, Daegu.The city of 2.5 million people was swiflty put on lockdown, and was likened to a "zombie apocalypse" by one resident. While cases have been identified around the country, it remains the most affected city.A second outbreak was then discovered at a hospital in Cheongdo county. It soon emerged that several of the church's followers visited the hospital to attend a funeral for Mr Lee's brother.Shortly afterwards, the church said it had closed all of its 74 sanctuaries in South Korea and told followers to instead watch its services on YouTube."We are deeply sorry that because of one of our members, who thought of her condition as a cold because she had not travelled abroad, led to many in our church being infected and thereby caused concern to the local community," it said in a statement.At Shincheonji, attending church-related gatherings "isn't an option, but a requirement," Ji-il Tark, a professor of religion at Busan Presbyterian University in South Korea, previously told the Associated Press.Mr Tark said Shincheonji followers are more vulnerable to virus infections as they often sit very closely together on the floor during services.While all of the church's members have now been interviewed by officials, according to the BBC, roughly 9,000 of them are displaying symptoms.While the church now acknowledges the virus, a recording emerged of one leader having previously said: "No Shincheonji member in Wuhan has contracted the virus thanks to their faith."As public anger over the outbreak grows, some members have said they fear being outed as Shincheonji followers."We're being treated like criminals. We had a bad image before and now I think I'd be lynched if passers-by knew I belonged to Shincheonji," 26-year-old Ji-yeon Park told The Guardian "Our church didn't invent the virus. This is just an excuse to shift blame. Throughout history, minority groups have always been blamed for bad things happening in society. The same is happening to us." Kia Seltos | Rs 9.89 lakh | The Kia Seltos was launched just last year and was recently updated as well. It already had a bag of features to bolster its position but the update brings in even more features such as a 360 degree camera, Blind view monitor, front parking sensor and a Bose 8-speaker sound system. Kia Motors India on March 2 said its wholesales in February stood at 15,644 units. The company dispatched 14,024 units of Seltos and 1,620 units of Carnival to dealers last month, Kia Motors India said in a statement. The automaker said it has now become the third-largest car manufacturer in the country. "Our latest offering, the Carnival, has been received well and this has helped to add to our sales numbers," Kia Motors India Managing Director and CEO Kookhyun Shim said. This not only testifies the quality, reliability and design prowess of Kia vehicles but also gives a hint that India is evolving and Indian customers now don't just settle but opt for better product offerings, he added. "With the upcoming new compact SUV, Sonet launch slated for the second half of the year, I am confident that we will continue to carry this momentum throughout this year," Shim said. The strategic town of Saraqeb has already changed hands twice in less than a month during heavy fighting. Syrian forces entered parts of a strategic rebel-held town on Monday as Turkey said it would keep hitting President Bashar al-Assads troops after ramping up operations in its biggest intervention yet into the Syrian civil war. Turkey and Russia which have come closer than ever to direct confrontation in Syria in recent days traded threats over air space after Turkish forces shot down two Syrian government warplanes and struck a military airport. One million people have been displaced in Syrias Idlib region since December near Turkeys southern border, causing what the United Nations says may be the worst humanitarian crisis in nine years of war. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hopes to reach a deal on a ceasefire in Syrias northwest when he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later in the week. I will go to Moscow on Thursday to discuss the developments in Syria, Erdogan told members of his party in the capital, Ankara. I hope that he [Putin] will take the necessary measures there, such as a ceasefire, and that we will find a solution to this affair, Erdogan said in the televised speech on Monday. Key town changes hands A Syrian state television correspondent in Saraqeb said the army was combing the town after the retreat of Turkey-backed rebels. Rebel sources said clashes were continuing in western parts of the town. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said rebels were trying to regain control. Saraqeb has already changed hands twice in less than a month, reflecting its importance as a gateway to the government-controlled northern city of Aleppo and to rebel-held Idlib city to the west. Rebels said Turkish drones had been striking Syrian army positions on the Saraqeb frontline, hitting at least two rocket launchers. Turkey, which has backed rebels fighting al-Assad for much of Syrias nine-year civil war, stepped up its intervention in response to the killing of 34 Turkish soldiers in Idlib last week, the deadliest strike against the Turkish army in decades. Turkey, which backs certain groups in the last rebel-held stronghold of Idlib, has sent thousands of troops into the province but faces a difficult situation with Moscow backing al-Assads forces with air power. We do not aim to face-off with Russia. Our only aim is to stop the Syrian regimes massacres, radical groups, the displacement of civilians, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Sunday. Turkish forces had so far destroyed eight helicopters, scores of tanks, and five air defence systems, Akar said on Monday. Russia, for its part, said it could not guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft over Syria, and Damascus said it was closing Syrian air space over the Idlib region. Also on Monday, the Kremlin said cooperation with Turkey on Syria is a top priority, confirming the meeting between Erdogan and Putin scheduled for March 5. Russia attaches great importance to cooperation with our Turkish partners, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Earlier, TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying his country does not plan to go to war with anyone, but wants to dissuade other countries from engaging in conflict with Moscow. Refugee crisis Despite backing opposing sides in Syrias war, Turkey and Russia have coordinated closely in the past. In 2018, they reached a deal that led to Ankara establishing 12 military observation posts in Idlib, home to more than three million people, to prevent a Syrian government offensive. Last month, Erdogan had repeatedly warned that Turkey would push the Syrian government forces away from its military observation posts in Idlib. The confrontation between Syria and NATO-member Turkey has prompted worries over a wider conflict and a refugee crisis in Europe similar to 2015, when more than a million people fled to Europe in what became the continents worst refugee crisis since World War II. Turkey already hosts more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees and says it cannot absorb any more. Refugee numbers have already surged along the European frontier after Erdogan, seeking to pressure the EU over Syria, said last week the country had opened the doors to Europe. The [EU] should keep its promises, Erdogan said, referring to a 2016 deal with Brussels to stop the flow of refugees in exchange for billions of euros in financial aid. Greece said on Sunday it has blocked nearly 10,000 Syrian refugees at its border with Turkey. Some 13,000 refugees have amassed at the Turkey-Greece border, including families with young children who spent the night in the cold, the International Organization for Migration said. The Taliban deal makes sense only if the U.S. wants a glide path out of the Afghan war regardless of the consequences. The agreement, signed by the U.S. and the Taliban, commits us to eliminating our military presence in the next 14 months. First, the U.S. will reduce its troops by 5,000 over the next several months and then remove the remaining 8,600 next year. In exchange, the Taliban supposedly will not allow al-Qaeda or any other groups to use Afghan soil to threaten the United States, and will enter into cease-fire negotiations with the Afghan government. Its hard to take the Talibans commitment on al-Qaeda seriously. It already denies that it collaborates with terror groups, including al-Qaeda, even though this is blatantly false. As Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal point out, in 2016 the U.S. killed Farouq al-Qahtani in eastern Afghanistan, where he was fighting alongside the Taliban and running al-Qaeda operations against the West. The data clearly show, they write of their analysis of U.S. counter-terror operations, that al Qaeda and allied terrorist groups have been operating on Afghan soil for the past two decades with the approval of the Taliban. Its not encouraging that the Taliban wasnt willing to negotiate with the Afghan government prior to getting the U.S. commitment to a withdrawal, or to implement a cease-fire during the talks. Bending over backwards, the U.S. cut the Afghan government out of the negotiation, and asked only for a reduction of violence over the course of a week as a sign of good faith. Incredibly enough, the agreement calls for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners at the outset of the intra-Afghan negotiations and the release of all prisoners of both sides in three months. The Afghan government is balking at this provision for good reason. Its understandable that we want to find a way out of the Afghan war after 18 years of heartache and toil. But we shouldnt want the entire effort, and the Afghan government, to collapse. We could have minimized our troop commitment by dropping down to 8,600 troops unilaterally. Making the promise of a total withdrawal only reduces our leverage and that of the Afghan government. In theory, we can always stop a withdrawal based on Taliban non-compliance, even though there are no verification provisions in the public agreement. But the worry has to be that President Trump wants the deal as a justification for a withdrawal he is determined to undertake one way or the other. Story continues Civil wars often end in negotiations. But the Taliban clearly thinks that its winning and that it has us on the cusp of the exits, so all it has to do is cleverly bide its time until the correlation of forces turns decisively in its favor, perhaps as soon as next year. Then, it wont matter what it told us in Doha. More from National Review The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is seeking a preliminary injunction in federal court in an attempt to stop the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) from conducting enforcement proceedings against the association. This comes after DFS served a statement of charges against the NRA on February 5. The charges allege the association violated New York state insurance law by acting as an insurance producer without a license and engaged in deceptive marketing practices regarding its self-defense liability insurance programs, including Carry Guard. The NRAs motion, filed on February 28, 2020, claims DFS actions are a politically motivated attempt to single out the association. The evidence supports the NRAs belief that this is part of a coordinated effort in opposition to the NRAs political point of view, William A. Brewer III, outside counsel to the NRA, said in an emailed statement to Insurance Journal. In its court filing, the NRA says DFS investigation into its insurance products, commenced in 2017, has broadened into a blacklisting campaign that coerced insurers, banks and others to cut ties with the association. In May 2018, DFS fined Lockton $7 million for serving as the administrator of the program. In a December 2018 consent order, 10 Lloyds of London underwriters also entered into an agreement to pay $5 million to DFS for underwriting firearms liability insurance programs branded by the NRA. The NRA initially brought a federal lawsuit against DFS, former DFS Superintendent Maria T. Vullo and Governor Andrew Cuomo in May 2018, alleging a regulatory overreach by New York officials that resulted in violations of the NRAs First Amendment rights. The February 28 filing is the NRAs latest move to push back against DFS actions. A spokeswoman from DFS said in an email that the NRAs most recent filing is an attempt to distract and deflect from the serious allegations brought by DFS asserting that the NRA violated state law. The charges announced by DFS on February 5 allege the NRA violated state law by acting as an unlicensed insurance broker and deceiving consumers, the spokeswoman stated. This state matter is entirely separate from the NRAs meritless lawsuit in federal court. In DFS statement of charges issued this month, the department alleges the NRA has worked with the broker Lockton Companies since 2000 to offer a variety of insurance products to NRA members, their families and affiliated businesses, which it endorsed and marketed to its members without having an insurance producer license from DFS. The charges claim the association participated in generating more than 28,000 insurance policies for New York consumers and unlawfully received royalties of about $1.8 million between 2000 and 2018 from Lockton on the policies issued in New York. Additionally, DFS alleges the NRA misrepresented the insurance offerings to its members, claiming they were being offered at the lowest cost possible when the organization was actually receiving royalties based on a percentage of the premiums paid by its members. Under the relevant state insurance laws, the NRA faces civil monetary penalties of up to $500 for each of the 28,000 policies. Namely, the NRAs self-defense liability insurance program Carry Guard was allegedly marketed and sold throughout the U.S. with about 680 policies unlawfully issued to New York residents, according to a DFS press release. The charges state the Carry Guard program offered coverage for losses associated with the aftermath of the purposeful use of a firearm, including defense costs in a criminal prosecution. Under New York law, these types of intentional acts cannot be insured. Several other states have taken issue with the Carry Guard program as well. An investigation by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance found Lockton Affinity violated certain state laws and regulations through administering Carry Guard in the state on behalf of the NRA. In September, Lockton Affinity agreed to pay a $1 million fine as part of a consent order with the department. The NRA also agreed in May to stop soliciting Carry Guard in California without a license, addressing allegations made in a 2018 cease and desist order issued by the California Department of Insurance. In Washington state, Illinois Union Insurance Co. a Chubb subsidiary paid a $102,000 fine after Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler in March ordered the company to stop underwriting Carry Guard. The company reportedly sold 811 policies to Washington consumers. Through its charges against the NRA issued earlier this month, DFS is seeking civil monetary penalties as well as injunctive and other appropriate relief. A hearing is set to be held at the departments office on April 6. The NRA acted appropriately at all times, Brewer said. The NRA did not underwrite, sell, or administer any insurance programs, period. Instead, like countless other affinity groups, the NRA relied on insurance-industry experts to oversee and market products tailored for its members. Brewer said he believes the NRA has been treated more harshly by DFS than other regulated entities in an effort to weaken gun-rights advocacy in New York. DFS actions are about politics, not protecting consumers, he said. Related: Topics Abuse Molestation Washington New York Lockton Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday urged Indian authorities to ensure the well-being of all Indians and not let "senseless" violence prevail. India's Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday that law enforcement agencies were working on the ground to prevent violence and ensure restoration of confidence and normalcy. Kumar has urged international bodies not to make irresponsible statements at this sensitive time. "Iran condemns the wave of organised violence against Indian Muslims. For centuries, Iran has been a friend of India. We urge Indian authorities to ensure the wellbeing of ALL Indians & not let senseless thuggery prevail. Path forward lies in peaceful dialogue and rule of law," Zarif tweeted. The communal violence over the amended citizenship law in Delhi has claimed at least 42 lives. Frenzied mobs have torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at police personnel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Asian longhorned tick. Credit: Kevin Lahmers, Virginia Tech When seven cattle mysteriously died on a farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, in 2017, veterinary anatomic pathologist Kevin Lahmers had no reason to suspect the culprit: a tiny pest carrying a disease commonly confined to the Eastern Hemisphere. "I was investigating cows that had died from Theileria," said Lahmers, clinical associate professor of anatomic pathology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology (DBSP) at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. "I was asked if I wanted to look at the ticks found on the property, so I agreed." In short order, Bruce Bowman, a field veterinarian for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' (VDACS) Veterinary Services, delivered the ticks to Lahmers. An expert in the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in domestic animals, Lahmers serves as the associate director and the head of research and development for the veterinary college's on-site diagnostic lab, the Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services, or ViTALS. He works in conjunction with the lab's clinical microbiologist to identify threats, develop appropriate diagnostic tests, and rapidly respond to emerging diseases. Upon receiving the ticks from Bowman, Lahmers knew immediately that something was amiss. "I saw they weren't what they should be," he said. "They weren't typical, and that's when we alerted the federal authorities." Lahmers brandished a glass vial with tick samples floating in alcohol. "Here, we've got the big engorged ticks, we've got the medium-sized ticks that are not engorged, and we've got the smaller ticks," he explained. Nymphs, adults, and well-fed specimens swished together in the fluid. They are a striking burgundy color, and the blood-engorged samples have collapsed a bit, resembling partially dried cranberries. Testing in ViTALS determined that the ticks were a species called the Asian longhorned tick, first reported in the Western Hemisphere in 2017, and now present in 30 counties in Virginia and 12 states nationwide. The presence of the pest in Virginia and the disease it transmitsTheileria orientalisare still unexplained. In addition, although T. orientalis has been identified in other regions of the U.S, the Ikeda subtype found in 21 Virginia counties is a new discovery. At present, ViTALS is the only laboratory in the U.S. capable of testing for the Ikeda genotype, which causes anemia in cattle. ViTALS' director, Tanya LeRoith, clinical professor of anatomic pathology in DBSP, was particularly eager to work with the ticks. "Having done my Ph.D. on a related parasite in cattle, I welcomed the opportunity to study hemoparasites," she said. "Other strains of T. orientalis, one of which we have found in Virginia, are considered nonpathogenic." In order to limit the spread of the parasite, LeRoith said, it is important to distinguish between the Ikeda strain and other strains. The clinical signs can mimic those of Anaplasma marginale, but do not respond to antibiotic treatment. To that end, ViTALS runs a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test that can identify both T. orientalis and A. marginale concurrently, decreasing cost and turnaround time. Lahmers noted that the Ikeda strain was identified in the course of looking for a disease that could potentially spread to other animalsand humans. "We had the knowledge that this tick existed in New Jersey, and T. orientalis Ikeda genotype was considered a foreign disease," he said. "If we hadn't gotten this information from a human medicine angle, the connection between the tick and this disease might not have happened. The fact that this tick has the potential to carry human diseases, as well as animal diseases, is significant." Even though no cases of human disease from the ticks have been reported in the U.S., Lahmers said, "lots of people are looking." He points to the unusual case in the New Jersey suburbs, where an Asian longhorned tick was found on a man who had picked it up on his mowed, suburban lawnan unexpected development, for the longhorned tick is typically associated with leaf litter and tall grasslands. Other potential complications have also surfaced. "This tick can feed on multiple species," said Lahmers. "The second issue is it reproduces asexually. So one tick, translocated somewhere else, can reproduce." The lab's findings regarding the T. orientalis Ikeda genotype and how it may be transmitted in cattle by the Asian longhorned tick were published in the September 2019 edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases. First author, Vanessa J. Oakes (D.V.M. '16), a fourth-year resident in veterinary anatomic pathology and a third-year Ph.D. student in biomedical and veterinary sciences, collaborated with veterinary college co-authors LeRoith, S. Michelle Todd, Katie M. Boes, Meghan Brookhart, and Lahmers, along with researchers from the University of Georgia, Kansas State University, VDACS, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In a November 2019 story in Bovine Veterinarian about the threat posed by the tick and the disease, Lahmers underscores the impact of T. orientalis and discusses how the disease can result in lower profits for farmers and a compromised quality of life for cattle. In the absence of any immediate threat to humans, Oakes likewise considers the disease process from a farm-to-table perspective because, obviously, healthy production animals yield a more secure food supply. "A human who eats beef or drinks milk from an animal that may have had T. orientalis isn't going to contract T. orientalis," she said. "But that sick animal will be contributing less to the food supply. It's easy for us to walk into Kroger and forget that the burgers we're picking up for dinner come from an animal that had to make muscle first." In plain terms, production animals that are chronically sick fail to produce enough for farmers to earn a living. "For example, a beef cow that's infected with T. orientalis Ikeda will spend energy fighting off disease instead of laying down muscle," Oakes explained. "The more time she spends sick, the less time she spends making muscle, which translates to less money for the producer and less food for the general population." More expansively, Oakes makes the case for human commitment to animal health, reflecting the veterinary college's One Health orientation. She believes that veterinary researchers must do more than just prevent disease from spreading to humans; they must also work to ensure that domesticated animals live well. "The moment in our evolutionary history that we started taking wild animals and domesticating them to serve our purposes, we became the stewards of their health," Oakes said. "We really owe it to the creatures that give their lives for us to ensure those lives are as free from discomfort as possible." As the son of a dairy veterinarian who was raised on a cattle and swine farm, Lahmers is similarly inclined. "I got into this field to answer questions," he said. "I've been given an opportunity to do something that helps the agricultural community, and I want to do it well. Having to contend with a new disease is not ideal, but I want to be part of the solution." That expertise will most certainly be needed. In late January, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype in three West Virginia counties through work with ViTALS to determine the extent of the disease across the region and its impact on the livestock industry. At this time, additional surveillance samples are being collected throughout the state. Explore further New tick species spreading in the US More information: Vanessa J. Oakes et al. Theileria orientalis Ikeda Genotype in Cattle, Virginia, USA, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2019). Journal information: Emerging Infectious Diseases Vanessa J. Oakes et al. Theileria orientalis Ikeda Genotype in Cattle, Virginia, USA,(2019). DOI: 10.3201/eid2509.190088 COLUMBIA, Mo. - A Columbia man accused of killing his Chinese wife pleaded not guilty Monday to abuse charges related to the couples child but a plea in his wifes death was delayed. Joseph Elledge is charged with first-degree murder in the killing his wife, Mengqi Ji, who has not been seen since early October. A grand jury indicted him Friday on the murder charge, as well as child abuse, child endangerment and third-degree domestic assault. An initial plea on the murder charge was delayed Monday until Elledge can secure a lawyer for that case, KMIZ-TV reported. Prosecutors initially charged Elledge with child abuse and endangerment for alleged crimes involving the couples 1-year-old daughter but not directly related to the murder charge. Prosecutors allege Elledge killed Ji because he wanted to avoid a costly divorce and ensure that she didnt flee to China with their daughter. Investigators believe Elledge strangled his wife and dumped her body in a remote area, according to court documents. Despite repeated searches, authorities have not located Jis body. The global wood furniture market is poised for solid growth over the coming years and is expected to top $74 billion by 2023, while the woodworking machinery market worldwide is likely to surge by $961.6 million, said an expert ahead of a major industry event, Dubai WoodShow (DWS). The leading platform for wood and woodworking machinery in the Middle East will run from March 16 to 18 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, featuring six country pavilions that will cater to more than 7,000 visitors this year. The 15th edition of the DWS is being held in conjunction with Dubai International Furniture, Accessories and Components (DIFAC), said the organisers, Strategic Exhibitions & Conference. It will showcase the best products and innovations of top international wood and woodworking machinery companies in Russia, Turkey, America, Canada, China and Gabon, it added. In the US, the wood products serve as a vital contributor to its economy with the American wood product companies generating $210 billion in products each year. Russia, which owns the largest amount of timber in the world, is also one of the top five exporters of wood construction materials. There are also several prominent builders and suppliers in the country that provide cutting-edge technologies when it comes to woodworking, furniture manufacturing and utilising wood waste. In Turkey, wood processing has a vital role in boosting its economic growth. The country offers diverse products such as logs, veneers, sawn timber, panels, flooring, doors and door frames, moulding, windows and window frames, and other construction components and accessories, said the organisers. Canada is currently increasing more opportunities for the wood industry to flourish in their fight against climate change by developing wooden skyscrapers in a number of cities across the country. China is the worlds largest furniture exporter and the wood furniture industry is a crucial part of its economic development as well. In Gabon, 80% of the country is surrounded with tropical rainforests, which makes timber its second highest export. The country is also known in manufacturing and exporting high quality veneer. On the upcoming event, Roderick Wiles, the director of American Hardwood Export Council in Africa, Middle East, India, and Oceania, said: "DWS has become a regular feature on the calendar of our US hardwood exporting members and they see it as their annual opportunity to connect with existing contacts in the Gulf and wider Middle East region, as well as to make new ones." "We hope to satisfy our members needs in providing a platform for them to showcase their products to as wide as audience as possible," he stated. Each of the 17 companies in our pavilion is an exporter of American hardwood lumber or veneer, or both. To potential buyers/importers, visiting the American Hardwood Pavilion at the expo is the best way to make direct contact with these suppliers and to see their products, added Wiles. Renato Manganelli, the managing director of Biesse Middle East, dubbed it as the most ideal exhibition for its business in the Middle East region. "There are a huge number of visitors coming from the GCC countries, thus we consider DWS as the right platform to participate in. In this edition, Biesse is proud to present the routing machine solution with an all-new technology like no other, for the application of edges on shaped and linear panels, the Ray Force System," he added. Dawood Al Shezawi, the president of the committee of Woodshow Global, said: "Furniture will bring in huge gains adding substantial force to global growth as its primed to reach more than $2.9 billion by 2025." "Thus, this is the most opportune time for stakeholders in wood, woodworking machinery and furniture accessories industries to take advantage of this event to explore abundant opportunities waiting for them," he stated. DWS is one of the three events under the WoodShow Series that offers the ideal opportunity for local, regional and international companies all over the globe to showcase the best wood and woodworking machinery products, furniture accessories and the latest technologies, and establish connections with top buyers, traders and investors, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Frankfurt's international airport was shut down temporarily after a drone was spotted near the facility on Monday, German federal police said. There are currently no departures and landings, police said in a tweet. Police said they were investigating the situation. A pilot reported the drone over the southern part of the airport around 11:15 a.m. Police were searching the area with the support of a helicopter, the German agency dpa reported. Several flights were canceled or rerouted, among them a plane with the governor of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, who was returning from a visit in Israel. Only a few weeks ago, Frankfurt airport had to be shut down for about an hour because of a drone sighting and in 2019, some 28 drone sightings were reported there, dpa wrote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Against a backdrop of growing concern and uncertainty about the US-Taliban deal, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that western powers should ensure the achievements of the past 18 years in Afghanistan arent jeopardised. Worries about the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban in Doha on Saturday have been growing in New Delhi, especially as the deal talks of the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan over the next 14 months without, what experts say, are adequate guarantees from the terror group. Asked about the deal during an event organised here by the Centre for Policy Research, Jaishankar said: To the US and to the West, our message has been that the achievements of the last 18 years, it is in the global interest that those achievements are secured and protected, they are not jeopardised in the process of whatever they do. He contended recent events hadnt come as a surprise because everybody knew something like this was happening. Only time will tell, he said, how the US goes about reducing its presence and backing the Afghan government and security forces. Jaishankar highlighted several issues to which there were no clear answers, such as cohesion among different stakeholders and whether the Taliban will join a democratic set-up. There is a lot of interest in various countries that the neighbours of Afghanistan and those who have interests there also play some role, he said, referring to Indias stakes in that country. People familiar with developments and diplomats of several European countries said they believed the deal didnt go far enough to address counter-terrorism concerns. In New Delhi, the concerns have centred round reports that some 500 fighters of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been moved into Afghanistan. The LeT was formed at Kunar in Afghanistan and has long-standing ties with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and its fighters could pose a threat to Indian interests, the people cited above said. Anand Arni, a former special secretary in the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) who closely tracks developments in Afghanistan, said the US-Taliban deal was lopsided and had an unrealistic timeframe as it speaks of the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners by March 10, delisting of UN-sanctioned Taliban leaders by May 29, and the US reducing its forces by July 15 and removing all its sanctions by August 27. By end-August, when the UN and US sanctions are lifted, the Taliban would have achieved most of what it needs release of 5,000 prisoners, troop withdrawal, closure of US bases, legitimacy for the Haqqani Network and others, but would concede virtually nothing in return, he said. The Haqqani Network, Arni pointed out, is a group with deep ties to Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) that has specifically targeted Indian interests in Afghanistan. This has even been acknowledged by the US. The US-Taliban deal also makes no mention of the Afghan Constitution, womens rights, human rights, democracy or elections, Arni noted. Mr. Price, who is now managing director of Rock Creek Global Advisors, an economic advisory firm, said, This negotiation seems more driven by politics at the top than by U.S. or U.K. commercial interests. For Mr. Trump, a trade deal is a reward for Mr. Johnsons championing of Brexit, which undermines the European Union, a supranational project he deeply distrusts. For Mr. Johnson, a deal is Exhibit A of the new path that Britain can forge, having thrown off the shackles of Brussels. That is not to say there are no concrete economic benefits. The British government said Scotland could export more Scotch and smoked salmon, northern England more cars, and the Welsh more lamb to the United States. Both countries are competitive in industries like finance and digital services; executives in those industries say they could benefit writing rules looser than those of the European Union. But Britain must still decide whether to tax American technology firms like Google, Facebook and Amazon. The Trump administration will push to reduce barriers to its farm products and press the National Health Service to pay more for American drugs both of which raise vexing political issues in Britain. In its blueprint, the government said, the NHS is not, and never will be, for sale to the private sector, whether overseas or domestic. But the Labour Party and other critics warn that Mr. Johnson will accept chlorinated American chicken and allow American companies to buy chunks of the revered health service. British officials have hinted at more flexibility on American food. Mr. Lowe, the trade expert, noted that the blueprint commits only to preserving Britains high standards in food safety not the existing regulations that keep out American poultry. Boris Johnson has ordered an inquiry into a bullying row involving Home Secretary Priti Patel following the shock resignation of her top civil servant, it was announced today. The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to 'establish the facts' around Sir Philip Rutnam's shock decision to quit and sue the Government, Michael Gove told MPs this afternoon. Ms Patel, 47, is facing mounting political pressure to explain what is happening at the Home Office, after she was branded a liar and a bully by Sir Philip as he resigned on Saturday. Answering an urgent question from Jeremy Corbyn in the Commons today over allegations Ms Patel had broken the ministerial code, Mr Gove said: 'The Home Secretary absolutely rejects these allegations. 'The Prime Minister has expressed his full confidence in her and having worked closely with the Home Secretary over a number of years I have the highest regard for her. 'She is a superb minister doing a great job. The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to 'establish the facts' around Sir Philip Rutnam's shock decision to quit and sue the Government, Michael Gove told MPs this afternoon Labour led calls for Ms Patel (pictured arriving at work today) to address the fallout in the Commons after she was branded a liar and a bully by Sir Phillip Rutnam. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said this afternoon: 'A minister in breach of the ministerial code cannot remain in office and should be dismissed' 'This Government always takes any complaints relating to the ministerial code seriously, and in line with the process set out in the ministerial code the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to establish the facts. 'As is usual, the independent adviser on ministerial interests, Sir Alex Allan, is available to provide advice to the Prime Minister.' Sir Philip sensationally resigned as Permanent Secretary on Saturday and announced plans to take the Government to court. The mandarin had been at the centre of a furious spat over Ms Patel's handling of her department which spilled over into a bitter briefing war. Last night Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had full confidence in his 'fantastic Home Secretary'. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said this afternoon if the 'serious allegations' raised by the permanent secretary at the Home Office Sir Philip Rutnam about the Home Secretary's conduct are true 'then that would clearly constitute a breach of the ministerial code'. Sir Philip Rutnam sensationally resigned as Permanent Secretary on Saturday and announced plans to take the Government to court He added: 'Why, without a proper investigation, has the Prime Minister defended the Home Secretary calling her fantastic and saying he absolutely has confidence in her? 'It's not enough just to refer this to the Cabinet Office, the Government must now call in an external lawyer as quite rightly suggested by the union for senior civil servants, the First Division Association. 'A minister in breach of the ministerial code cannot remain in office and should be dismissed.' Mr Corbyn said: 'Isn't the truth that this is a Government led by bullies, presided over by a part-time Prime Minister who not only can't be bothered to turn up but simply won't take the vital action required when the very integrity and credibility of the Government is on the line.' Last night it was claimed that Ms Patel, 47, is nicknamed 'my personal piranha' by husband Alex Sawyer, because she is 'quite small and combative', according to the Mirror. The shadow Brexit secretary has called for Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to start 'an immediate investigation' into the circumstances surrounding Sir Philip's departure. The civil servant vowed to sue the Government for constructive dismissal after his name appeared on a 'hitlist' of senior civil servants that Downing Street wanted to sack that was leaked to the media. It is understood that tensions in the Home Office came to a head in September after Sir Philip blocked a pre-election announcement that Ms Patel wanted to roll out Taser stun guns for police. It was also felt at the top of Government that Sir Philip had been 'a roadblock to change' and has consistently tried to stymie reforms needed to get Britain ready for Brexit. Labour leadership candidate Sir Keir Starmer said: 'The Home Secretary has a duty to come to Parliament on Monday to explain the allegations made about her own conduct' In his statement on Saturday, Sir Philip said the campaign against him included 'false' claims that he had briefed the media against the Home Secretary. He said: '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 effort I would expect to dissociate herself from the comments. 'I believe these events give me very strong grounds to claim constructive, unfair dismissal and I will be pursuing that claim in the courts.' Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark issued a brief statement about two hours after Sir Philip quit, saying he had accepted his resignation 'with great regret', and adding: 'I thank him for his long and dedicated career of public service'. ' I absolutely do have confidence in Priti Patel,' he added. 'I think she is a fantastic Home Secretary' Speaking during a visit to a laboratory in Colindale, north London, Boris Johnson (pictured) gave his full support to Ms Patel in her role in 'one of the toughest jobs in Government' Mr Johnson last night intervened in the growing row to back his most senior female minister. Speaking during a visit to a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale, north London, he said: 'I absolutely do have confidence in Priti Patel ... I think she is a fantastic Home Secretary.' 'It is never an easy job, as anyone who has been Home Secretary will testify. It is one of the toughest jobs in Government. 'There is a big, big task ahead of us now. We are delivering, at last, a new immigration system for this country, a points-based immigration system. 'That will take a lot of work by the Home Office, a fantastic department.' His comments followed reports that a complaint about Ms Patel's conduct was made when she was Employment Minister at Department for Work and Pensions. The BBC reported that the 47-year-old was the subject of a formal complaint whilst in her former junior role, which she served in between May 2015 and July 2016. Sir Philip's resignation was followed by almost 24 hours where no minister spoke out in defence of the embattled former international development secretary. Yesterday morning Health Secretary Matt Hancock had earlier defended his Cabinet colleague as being 'extremely courteous' in her dealings with colleagues. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme: 'Priti is a very determined Home Secretary. 'I also think she is extremely courteous, and in every dealing I've had with her she has been very courteous.' And Conservative ally Nusrat Ghani MP, who was sacked as a minister by Mr Johnson last month, said the criticism of Ms Patel had sexist overtones. The former transport minister Ms Ghani told Sky News: 'I do think it's curious that if you're providing leadership, if you're determined, working at a fantastic pace, that within men that is seen as a fantastic skill and for women sometimes it's seen as challenging.' The death toll from the new coronavirus in the United States climbed to six on Monday as the contagion took root in the country's Pacific Northwest and continued its march across the globe. Worldwide, close to 3,100 people have succumbed to the illness even as a clear shift in the crisis was emerging, with nine times as many cases recorded outside China as inside, according to the UN health agency. Andorra, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Jordan, Latvia, Portugal, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia were among countries that confirmed their first cases, along with Senegal, which became the second sub-Saharan African country to do so. All of the US deaths have occurred in the state of Washington, where officials warned residents the battle against the disease was shifting from containment to mitigation. "The risk for all of us of becoming infected will be increasing," said Jeff Duchin, a health officer in King County where five of the deaths occurred. The district is home to Seattle, a city with a population of more than 700,000 people. The White House, which has been accused of downplaying the threat from the virus, continued to strike a bullish tone. Vice President Mike Pence declared that a treatment "could literally be available by this summer, or early fall." He was likely referring to remdesivir, an antiviral drug developed by the pharmaceutical firm Gilead that has already been used to treat one US patient and was moving toward two expansive final stage trials in Asia. Pence also announced American pharmaceuticals were teaming up in a consortium to fight the virus, and said that South Korea and Italy, two of the hardest-hit nations, would screen all their airline passengers bound for the US. Despite its world-class hospitals and cutting edge research, the US is viewed as vulnerable to an epidemic because of glaring disparities in its health care system, including nearly 28 million people without coverage. - 'Window of opportunity' - With fears of a pandemic on the rise after the virus emerged in China late last year, the World Health Organization urged countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a "window of opportunity" remained to contain the outbreak, noting that "more than 130 countries have not detected any cases yet." Globally, the virus has infected nearly 90,000 people in more than 60 nations. Italy, Europe's worst-affected country with around 1,700 infections, said Monday its deaths from the virus had jumped 18 to 52. The outbreak has raised fears for the world economy, with the OECD slashing its global growth forecast by half a percentage point to 2.4 percent, the worst performance since the 2008 financial crisis. But strength on Wall Street -- which rebounded from sharp losses last week to post gains of more than five percent Monday -- helped European markets emerge from the red after governments and central banks said they would step in if needed to soften the blow. China's economy has halted with large swathes of the country under quarantine or subject to strict travel restrictions. Other countries have enacted their own containment measures including travel restrictions, locking down towns and suspending major events. The Louvre -- the world's most visited museum -- was closed on Sunday and Monday after staff refused to work while the UN headquarters in Geneva said it was closing to visitors. In Italy, tourist hotpots including the Duomo in Milan reopened to visitors but access was limited to avoid overcrowding in a bid to contain the virus. Elsewhere in Europe, Sweden barred flights from Iran while France, Germany and Britain said they would send aid to the Middle Eastern nation. Iran reported 12 more deaths on Monday, raising the country's toll to 66, the second biggest after China's, while its overall number of cases rose to 1,501. - South Korea sect - China reported 42 more deaths on Monday -- all in central Hubei province, bringing the death toll to 2,912. The pathogen is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei's capital Wuhan. Overall, China recorded just 202 new infections however, the lowest daily rise since late January, bringing the nationwide total to over 80,000, as massive quarantine efforts paid off. The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit people over the age of 60 and those already weakened by other illnesses. Its mortality rate is between two and five percent. South Korea, the worst affected outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000. Four more people died there, taking the toll to 22. Half of South Korea's cases are linked to a sect whose leader Lee Man-hee apologized Monday for the spread of the disease. Seoul's city government has asked prosecutors to press murder charges against him for failing to cooperate in efforts to contain the virus. burs-ia/it People wear face masks as they walk down a street in Flushing area of Queens on March 2, 2020 in New York City A vendor wears protective gear in Yueyang, Hunan province, China, where massive quarantine efforts have paid off WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of new coronavirus cases registered in the past day in China was far lower than in the rest of the world The Louvre, the world's most visited museum, closed after staff refused to work The different steps in effectively washing your hands Technical illustrations and artificially coloured handout images of the new coronavirus (formally known as SARS-CoV-2) which causes the disease known as COVID-19. BMC, a Houston, TX -based provider of IT solutions for the digital enterprise, is to acquire Compuware, a Detroit, MI-based provider of mainframe application development, delivery, and support solutions. The amount of the deal expected to be completed in the coming months subject to customary closing conditions was not disclosed. The combined company will allow customers to manage their mainframe operations, cybersecurity, application development, data, and storage as part of their enterprise DevOps strategies, as well as provide integration of the mainframe platform development and management processes into the enterprise technology stack. Led by Ayman Sayed, President and CEO, BMC delivers software, services, and expertise to more than 10,000 customers, from mainframe to mobile to multi-cloud and beyond. It is a KKR portfolio company. Led by Chris OMalley, CEO, Compuware provides large companies with software that enables IT professionals with mainstream skills to develop, deliver and support mainframe applications with ease and agility. Its solutions automate mainframe work, integrate into a cross-platform DevOps toolchain and measure software delivery quality, velocity and efficiency. Compuware is a Thoma Bravo company. Editorial contacts: Sheila Watson BMC D: 713.918.8832 M: 713.294.6818 [email protected] SOURCE BMC Related Links www.bmc.com Phuket elephant camp formally warned over baby elephant abuse allegations PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) has issued a formal warning to an elephant camp in Rawai following photo evidence surfacing over the elephant being overly restrained by chains while in its infancy. By Tanyaluk Sakoot Monday 2 March 2020, 03:39PM The enclosure where the baby elephant was kept in its early years. Photo: Supplied Phuket DLD Chief Manas Thepparuk told The Phuket News that his officers returned to inspect the Phuchada Safari camp, located in Rawais Saiyaun area, last week. The camp owner last month was given 15 days to clean the area where a 2-year-old baby elephant is kept after an inspection prompted by allegations that the baby elephant had suffered maltreatment at the camp. (See story here.) The return to the camp followed the Phuket DLD receiving photos and videos of the baby elephant while still at the camp recently after it was born, Mr Manas explained. The infant elephant was restrained with chains to all four of its legs, preventing it from walking any distance. The baby elephant also had wounds on its head that appeared to have been inflicted by a mahouts bullhook. Chief Manas said that his officers last week interviewed 50-year-old Somsak Timtong, the mahout responsible for looking after the baby elephant Meena, who is now 2 years and 11 months old. He said the wounds on the baby elephants head were self-inflicted by Meena. She was naughty and hit her head on a corner of the fence. He said that it did not happen from a bullhook, Mr Manas told The Phuket News. Mr Somsak also said that Meena was chained by only two legs, not four. This was done when she was being naughty. Most of the time, the baby elephant was free to walk around, not chained, he added. Mr Manas explained that as his officers had no way of refuting the explanations given, his officers were unable to press any charges over animal abuse, despite the evidence provided. I made an official record of this inspection and we warned Mr Somsak that he must not use a bullhook and chains. If he does, he will be charged, Mr Manas confirmed. I also asked them to improve the shelter with smooth materials to prevent any further harm to the elephant. When this is done this will be a much better shelter for the elephant to rest, he added. Mouse droppings in cake boxes and deep fryers, a fraudulent food safety certificate, and a stray strand of hair in a yogurt container were enough to close restaurants in this edition of Clean Plates. But among the more than three dozen Philadelphia eateries shut down this time around, just one had a previous closing that made headlines. City sanitarians temporarily closed Midtown Villages Green Eggs Cafe on Feb. 25, noting in a health inspection report that the 1301 Locust St. location had issues such as live German cockroaches on ceiling tiles, in a dry storage room, and behind an electrical socket plus a dead rat between walls and dead roaches on duct tape on a lighting cover. The restaurant, inspectors added, had also removed walls and sheetrock throughout the facility before submitting a construction plan to the Office of Food Protection. That location, foodies may remember, also closed in early May 2013 after video clips and photos of rats in its dining room went viral. The rats, which were described as large, were seen scrambling atop pizza boxes left behind by employees at the time, the Inquirer reported. The rats reportedly entered the restaurant after a sewage line broke in the facility. In a statement at the time, Green Eggs Cafe said that it hired a sanitation service to sanitize the Midtown Village restaurant, and had contractors seal the buildings foundation against unwanted guests. It reopened about three weeks after the closure. Green Eggs Cafe wasnt the only local favorite to close briefly. Out in Northeast Philly, sandwich shop Finks Hoagies was shut down due to infractions that included a roach and mouse infestation, as well as a dirty slicer. Finks briefly operated a Center City location that closed for good in September 2016, with owner Dennis Fink telling the Inquirer that he was unable to find quality staff. From Feb. 17 to March 1, Philadelphia inspectors closed at least 41 facilities for various violations, some more than once. Inspectors visit nearly 1,000 eateries and food retailers every two weeks. Each inspection is generally regarded as a snapshot in time, and not necessarily a reflection of day-to-day conditions. Most violations were corrected immediately in the presence of an inspector. To look up reports on a specific Philadelphia restaurant, or a Montgomery, Bucks, or Gloucester County eatery, visit philly.com/cleanplates. A list of eateries that were closed follows: Little People Little Stars 6866 N. 19th St. 14 violations, 7 serious Facility did not have a Health Awareness Reporting Procedure unaware of 5 reportable food-borne illnesses and symptoms; Handwash sink in the basement toilet room did not have running water faucet was broken and not in use; Debris observed in cabinets in prep area; Food prep area floors were unclean The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 18. Tortorices 233 S. 20th St. 22 violations, 12 serious Facility did not have a readily available handsink in the basement; Person in charge observed barehanding bread and salami; The handsink in the rear basement preparation area is blocked by a refrigerator, full with cleaning supplies, debris, and mouse droppings; Mouse droppings observed in single service cups and trays in the basement; Fruit Flies observed in the basement by the three compartment sink and the mop sink. Some fruit flies observed harboring on the walls in the upstairs. Mouse droppings observed in the basement; on shelving, in the handsink, in single service items, under three compartment sink. Mouse droppings also observed upstairs in the cabinets; cabinet under handsink where cleaning supplies were stored and in the cabinet where single service, hot chocolate and tea bags were stored. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Philly Smoke Shop 3056 Kensington Ave. 9 violations, 3 serious Severe leak at the drainpipe under the handwash sink in the toilet room; Hot water 100 degrees F or above was not available in the toilet room; Observed insecticides (Raid) not labeled by the manufacturer for food facility usage, in the toilet room; Toilet room was unclean items cluttered in toilet room, debris on floors, and debris on toilet and handsink fixtures. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Martins Deli 2772 Kensington Ave. 24 violations, 7 serious Hot water was not available at the handwash sinks in the restrooms. The temperatures reached 48-52 degrees F which is below the minimum requirement of 100 degrees F; Encrusted food residue was observed on food-contact surfaces of the slicer; It should be disassembled then washed, rinsed and sanitized every 4 hours; Some spoon surfaces (customer utensils) were not clean in the coffee area; A cat and litter box was observed in the upstairs storage area; Gnawed bags of pet food were observed in the storage area; Sufficient hot water was not available at all sinks and at all times; One of the customer toilets was in need of repair. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Koolae Restaurant 3153 Kensington Ave. 24 violations, 7 serious Hand washing sink in the food prep area was observed soiled; Ice scoopers handle was in direct contact with drinking ice inside ice machine; Internal parts of the slicer was soiled with old food debris; Mouse feces were observed on the prep table shelf in the rear prep area; Clean plates located under the front counter was not stored inverted; Fish was observed in the washbasin of the 3 basin sink; Food residue was observed on the walls throughout the rear food prep area; Old mouse feces and cigarette butts were observed on the floor in the basement. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 18. Clearfield Convenience 3111 Kensington Ave. 6 violations, 1 serious Cats (2) observed in the rear storage area; Retail items are not stored at least 6 inches above the floor. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. China House 3102 G St. 15 violations, 4 serious Freezer burned chicken was observed in the basement deep freezer; Mouse feces were observed in the rear food storage area; Rat feces were observed in the rear of the basement; Aluminum foil was observed lining the fire suppression system. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Kellis Bar 3163 Kensington Ave. 18 violations, 6 serious Boxes of tobacco products, cigarette butts, tobacco fillings, and ashtrays found in the customer, bar, and prep/rear areas during the inspection; Hot water 100 degrees F or above was not available at the handwash sink in the women's toilet room hot water temperature peaked at 82 degrees F; Visible physical evidence of rodent (mouse feces) activity observed in the cabinet area where the electrical panel is located, and in the rear prep/storage area; A separate lidded receptacle for the disposal of women's sanitary products was not available in the women's toilet room. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. New Cambria Breakfast Restaurant 2775 Kensington Ave. 19 violations, 4 serious The Person in Charge did not demonstrate knowledge of the proper wash-rinse-sanitize cleaning process; Potentially hazardous foods (sausage, mayo etc.) in the cold prep unit were stored at 47.6-48 degrees F, rather than 41 degrees F or below; Visible physical evidence of rodent/insect activity observed in the rear prep and storage areas: Large horse flies, Mouse feces along the perimeters and on floor areas; Utensils were stored on the floor in the rear storage area; The restroom door was detached and in need of repair; Cleaning was needed throughout due to debris, clutter and mouse feces observed on floor areas and along perimeters. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Sunny Food Market 2779 Kensington Ave. 9 violations, 1 serious Soap and paper towels were not available at the handwash sink in the restroom; Mouse feces observed along the rear floor perimeter and rear shelves; Used cigarette butts were observed in the restroom and storage area. Smoking is prohibited inside of the establishment. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Clearfield Restaurant 3100 G St. 24 violations, 8 serious Hand washing facilities for consumers was not provided; Interior and exterior of the food prep sink was soiled with dirt and grime; Medication was improperly stored in the food prep area; Small toddler was observed in the food prep area; Plastic grocery bags were used for food storage in the reach-in freezer; Restroom fixtures and surfaces were heavily soiled and in disrepair; Ventilation was not provided in the restroom. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 18. Medina Food Market 3129 Kensington Ave. 15 violations, 4 serious Hot water 100 degrees F or above was not available at the sinks in the food prep area and toilet room; Chemicals were stored above and on the same shelf with pet food in the retail area; Employee medicines stored in on top of the deli display case in the food prep area, and were not stored to prevent the contamination of food, equipment or utensils; Visible physical evidence of rodent (mouse feces) activity observed in the retail area; A separate lidded receptacle for the disposal of women's sanitary products was not available in the toilet room; Mechanical ventilation (or open window) was not observed in the restroom. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Lords Favor 2803 Kensington Ave. 17 violations, 6 serious Chicken wings were stored on the warewashing sink; Chicken wings, eggs and rice were stored at room temperature without an updated time log to monitor the 4-hour time limit; Fresh rat feces was observed on the floor in the rear walk-in cooler area; Equipment surfaces, shelves and food containers throughout the prep area were in need of cleaning due to accumulated residue observed. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 18. Ioannis & Sophia, Aifantis/Food Cart/V00820 118 S. 6th St. 8 violations, 2 serious Unit did not have hot water. Hot water is required for proper handwashing; Eggs and cheese were held at 48.9 to 65 degrees F, rather than 45 degrees F or below as required; Open bags of rolls observed stored directly on the floor; Surfaces observed with grease buildup and debris; Cardboard observed lining the floor. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 19. Checkers 3588 Aramingo Ave. 10 violations, 2 serious Slicer (tomatoes/onions) had an accumulation of food residue on the food contact surfaces and was not being washed, rinsed and sanitized at least every 4 hours; Fruit flies were observed in the warewashing area; Paper containers were not inverted to prevent contamination from dust and debris; Faucet at the handwash sink in the restroom was not in good repair; Hot water delay was observed at the handwash sink in the food prep area. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 19. New Station Pizza 2206 W. Hunting Park Ave. 26 violations, 9 serious A food employee was observed touching ready to eat food (hoagie roll) with her bare hands; Raw and commercially processed food items observed stored uncovered in the chest freezers in the basement prep area; Rusted shelves observed in the basement area walk-in cooler; Debris accumulation observed on door tracks of beverage refrigeration unit; Grease and food debris accumulation observed behind cooking equipment in the food prep area; A covered receptacle for sanitary napkins not provided in a toilet room used by females; Light observed out in Snapple refrigeration unit. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 19. Philadelphia Elks Center 4930 N. Broad St. 12 violations, 2 serious Facility lacked an indirectly plumbed food prep sink to properly rinse produce and thaw foods; Debris observed in the beverage chest cooler behind the bar area; Damaged window screen was in the upstairs men's toilet room; Old mouse droppings observed along the floor perimeters in the banquet hall. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 19. Nannie Franco 910 S. 9th St. 23 violations, 9 serious Food Employee did not follow proper handwashing procedure. Wash solution in a container with a scouring pad was used to wash hands; In use utensils (spatula) observed stored on a surface with debris and dust; Potentially hazardous food was held at 44.4 to 80 degrees F rather than 41 degrees F or below as required; Fresh and old mouse feces was observed on the floors throughout the facility; Live mouse observed on the floor in the food prep area; Utensils, containers, etcetera were observed stored in the oven. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 19. El Grande Food Market 946 S. 5th St. 18 violations, 7 serious Cellphone observed on prep table. Instructed person in charge to wash, rinse, sanitize and air-dry the table immediately; Lemon juice labeled refrigerate after opening observed stored in the prep area; Opened commercially processed ready to eat food (deli meats and cheeses), located in the deli case, and held more than 48 hours, was not marked with the date it was opened; Freezers holding open food for prep observed in retail area were unlocked. Food in areas accessible to the public must be protected. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 20. Bells Market 8330 Bustleton Ave. 28 violations, 7 serious The peak hot water temperature at customers' restroom was 73 degrees F; Ravioli in two chest freezers are contaminated by ice accumulation in retail area; Mouse droppings were observed in take out containers in the storage room and in cake boxes in bakery area; The can opener had an accumulation of food residue on the food contact surfaces; Food in three open display cases (pickle bar, deli department and retail area) was not held at proper temperature; A dead mouse was observed on the floor of the food storage room behind bakery department; Unapproved fly lamp is observed in the meat preparation room; Mouse droppings were observed in food preparation area, storage area, warewash area and bakery aisle in retail area, locker room and employees' breakroom, restrooms and pharmacy. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 20. Bells Market 8330 Bustleton Ave. 28 violations, 7 serious The peak hot water temperature at customers' restroom was 60 degrees F; Two bags of 50 pounds flour were gnawed on a shelf in the bakery preparation area; Mouse droppings were observed on two cutting boards in the main kitchen; Slicer and meat grinder has an accumulation of food residue on the food contact surfaces and was not being washed, rinsed and sanitized at least every 4 hours in the main kitchen; Food facility preparing beef back fat, salami, smoked pork loin, prosciutto italiano, drohobytskayo using reduced oxygen packaging without the required written procedures or HACCP plan; Mouse droppings were observed in food preparation area, storage area and retail area; Open rodenticide are observed on floor in the storage area; Mouse droppings are observed at the following locations: On shelves in the bakery aisle and pumpkin seed aisle in retail area, storage area and food preparation area (main kitchen), on dough mixing bowl holder in bakery preparation area, on two boxes of cat food and a bag of cat food is gnawed. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 21. Nannie Franco 9 violations, 3 serious A fraudulent City certificate was observed posted in the establishment. ServSafe certification could not be verified due to missing certification numbers; No sign or poster was posted at the handwash sink in the prep area to remind food employees to wash their hands; Wall is soiled in the warewashing area. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 21. Au Bon Pain 421 Curie Blvd 4 violations, 1 serious Mice droppings were observed on prep table under bread slicer, and under single use cups and lids, under salad bar where single use items were stored, mice droppings observed on bakery trays in proffer area and also in rear prep/warewashing areas, droppings observed under two-compartment sink in rear warewashing area along floor perimeter of warewashing room, droppings observed along floor perimeter of walk-in cooler; Potential rodent harborage areas inside the food facility observed in the facility area due to: utility lines not properly sealed, holes and opening in equipment. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 21. Hak, Chengrapo/Ravits Fruit Salad Cart/V08211/Roamer Non-permanent location 19122 7 violations, 4 serious No hot water present in unit; Take-out containers and water bottles stored in handwash sink; Facility approved to prepare green smoothies which requires limited washing and sanitizing of blender cups on unit. Sanitizer not present; Grey water tank observed leaking during inspection. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 21. Sweeneys Verree Tavern 7968 Verree Rd. 18 violations, 5 serious Fresh produce (lettuce and tomato) were handled/prepared in the facility without a food prep sink installed to properly clean/prepare foods; Soft pretzels and hoagie rolls were stored below raw beef in a reach in freezer in the basement; Black residue on the interior of the ice machine bin; A compressed gas cylinder in the basement was not anchored; There was no lidded trash can in the restroom for sanitary napkins disposal; The basement was utilized for food preparation without approval. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 24. Prestige Cafe 1444 N. 7th St. 17 violations, 11 serious Food Employee eating in cashiers area as evidenced by observed partially consumed food in the cashiers area; Food employee did not wash hands after eating and helped customer; Raw eggs were stored above ready to eat foods in the refrigerator; Chemicals were stored above or on the same shelf with food, equipment, and/or single service articles in the cabinet under coffee machine. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 24. Save-A-Lot 2101 W. Lehigh Ave. 4 violations, 0 serious Visible physical evidence of rodent activity observed in the retail, rear storage, and produce prep areas. Rodent droppings observed on shelving and flooring throughout the retail and rear storage areas; Rodent droppings observed on shelving and in cardboard trays throughout the retail area. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 24. iPHO 1923 Fairmount Ave. Unit C-3 16 violations, 5 serious Spoiled onions observed in a container in the basement; Interior lip of ice machine needed cleaning; Live fruit flies observed in mop sink area; Blade of large can opener needed cleaning/sanitizing before next use; Food was not stored at least 6 inches above the floor bag of onions observed on the floor, container and bag of carrots on floor in walk-in cooler; Knives and spatulas stored in lukewarm & cool water (to be stored in dry container, running water, or hot water 135 degrees F or above); Toilet rooms: ceiling vent/fan covers were dusty; restroom trash cans needed emptying. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 24. Rockoz 6171 Torresdale Ave. 8 violations, 1 serious No Food Safety Certified Person was present for the second time; Visible physical evidence of rodent activity observed in kitchen and at bar (mouse droppings); Clean equipment in kitchen observed not inverted on shelving while stored. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 24. The Deli At The Curtis Center 601 Walnut St. 12 violations, 8 serious Strand of hair observed in container of yogurt; Dozens of raw eggs observed above ready to eat foods; Deli meat, dressings labeled "refrigerate after opening," salads, a sandwich and chicken were held at 44.4 to 68.9 degrees F rather than 41 degrees F or below as required; Food employees observed not wearing beard restraints; Thermometer on refrigerator in the dining area observed displaying a temperature of 44 to 46 degrees F; Debris observed on the table holding the grill in the warewashing area. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 24. Green Eggs Cafe 1301 Locust St. 4 violations, 1 serious Cheese and Sour Cream was held at 51 and 48 degrees F rather than 41 degrees F or below as required; Live German Cockroaches observed in the ceiling tiles in the dry storage rooms and in the exposed sheet rock. A cockroach was observed walking on the wall in the dry storage room. German Cockroaches observed behind electrical socket by the cold holding unit in the kitchen. Live German cockroaches observed in the seams of a cold holding unit; Dead cockroaches observed on duct tape on a lighting cover; Dead rat was observed between walls that were knocked down; Facility has removed walls and sheet rock throughout the facility and has installed new walls and covings. Alteration or construction began prior to plan submission and approval. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 25. Philly Smoke Shop 3056 Kensington Ave. 9 violations, 1 serious Cigarettes, cigarette butts, ashtray found on the counter in the retail area during the inspection; Drain flies observed under restroom sink inside and around white drainage pipes; Food was not stored at least 6 inches above the floor; Toilet room was unclean items cluttered in toilet room, clutter and hand sink basin. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 25. El Bacado 1001 E. Passyunk Ave. 21 violations, 7 serious Food safety certified person could not demonstrate adequate knowledge of food-borne illnesses, symptoms and reporting procedures; Faucets and handles were missing at the warewashing sinks. A food facility that uses pots, dishes and utensils may not operate without a 3-basin warewashing sink; Multiple potentially hazardous foods stored in the prep area were held at 52.5 to 57.4 degrees F rather than 41 degrees F or below as required; Visible physical evidence of rodent / insect activity observed in the food prep area and basement. Mouse feces was observed on the floor in the food prep area and basement and on clutter in basement; Plastic spoons in the point-of-sale area were not covered, wrapped inverted or otherwise protected from contamination; Black residue and rust observed at the bottom interior of the reach-in refrigerator. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 25. Phu Fha Thai Take-out 355 Lyceum St. 15 violations, 4 serious Food employees observed donning single use gloves without a prior hand wash; Residue observed on the prep table surfaces and sinks in the food prep area; Food employee observed washing hands at the warewash sink instead of the designated handwash sink; Old mouse droppings observed inside of the deep fryers. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 25. Big Lots # 1984 161 Franklin Mills Blvd. 7 violations, 1 serious Open rodent poison blocks were observed in the stockroom; Mouse droppings were observed in the stockroom and retail area; Mouse droppings were observed on a retail shelf next to white cheddar potato sticks, and in the stockroom on pallets and cinder blocks around the water heater; Unclean men's restroom floor surfaces were observed. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 26. Elmasnaouy, Abdelouahed/Nassim Food Truck/V07037 4109 Frankford Ave. 12 violations, 3 serious No hot water available for employee wash hands, cold at 50 degrees F only; Raw eggs observed being held at 50 degrees F; Food observed thawing at room temperature in a non refrigerated box; Several surfaces throughout cart observed unclean with excess residues and debris including hand washing sink, cooking equipment, and shelving; Floors inside on cart observed with heavy accumulation of dirt and food debris. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 26. Kaker, Zabie/ Sofia Food Services -Vendor Commissary Garage #7 1332 N. 9th St. Unit 7 15 violations, 2 serious Visible physical evidence of mice feces observed in the dry storage, food preparation areas, restroom, area around water heater, and along floor-wall junctures and perimeter of facility; An insect control device, electric fly zapper located in food preparation area with potential to contaminate food, equipment, and / or utensils; Person in Control of premises had not posted "No Smoking" signs. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 27. Finks Hoagies 4633 Princeton Ave. 12 violations, 4 serious Slicer had an accumulation of dried food residue on the food contact surfaces and was not being taken apart, washed, rinsed and sanitized at least every 4 hours; Observed insecticides (can of pray and Combat gel) and rodenticides (block of poison not contained in a tamper resistant trap) not labeled by the manufacturer for food facility usage, in the food prep and storage areas; There is a roach and mouse infestation in this facility; Observed mouse droppings throughout the facility; Observed live roaches on the gaskets of the chest freezers; Mouse droppings on the floor perimeters and coving throughout the facility. For example, customer waiting area, food prep, storage, warewash, and basement storage areas. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 27. Hong Kong Express 1341 W. Olney Ave. 20 violations, 8 serious Mouse feces observed on top of the prep unit and on sheet pans stored on storage rack; Sinks (handwash, warewash, and food prep) and prep surfaces were not clean to sight and touch; Visible physical evidence of rodent (mouse feces) activity observed throughout the facility; Single-use plasticware were not stored in the same direction to prevent contamination of the lip contact surfaces when retrieved. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 27. Good Taste Restaurant 5608 Chew Ave. 10 violations, 2 serious Roaches observed in the prep area hand sink and mouse droppings present on the rear storage area prep table; Excessive dirt present along the floor perimeters throughout the prep area and basement. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 27. Golden China Restaurant 5650 W. Chew Ave. 26 violations, 5 serious Food employee did not follow proper handwash procedures did not wash hands after touching cat, prior to touching a bowl of rice; Gnawed candy (Peanut Chew) observed on the floor corner in the rear storage area; Cat observed in the food prep and storage areas; Visible physical evidence of rodent (mouse feces) activity observed in the rear storage area; Cat hair and other debris observed on commercially packaged beverages and caddies in the rear storage area; Personal items, unnecessary to the facility's operations were cluttered throughout the rear prep/storage areas, creating potential harborage. The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 27. Moms Cookin 319 1601 Market St. 9 violations, 3 serious Food employee observed smoking in the retail area; Holes observed around plumbing throughout facility; Person in Control of premises had not posted "No Smoking" signs The establishment agreed to discontinue food operations and voluntarily close until it is approved by the Department to resume operations. Inspected Feb. 28. Dollar Tree #1604 1601 Market St. 8 violations, 1 serious Visible physical evidence of rodent activity observed: 1 dead rat observed on floor/trap in canned food aisle; rat feces observed on floor in restroom, behind refrigerator in stockroom, and on glue trap under bottled/canned beverages in retail area; Leak observed above entryway to trash storage/Dumpster area, causing liquid to accumulate (rodent harborage issue). The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected Feb. 28. Noas Ark Daycare and Learning Center 6604 Castor Ave. 3 violations, 0 serious Potential rodent harborage areas inside the food facility on floor surfaces perimeters and junctures in the bathroom, kitchen, bottom cabinets in the kitchen, basement utility room, basement; Mouse droppings on floor perimeters and corner areas in 1st floor and basement. The establishment was issued a Cease Operations Order and was required to discontinue food operations immediately. The establishment could not operate for a minimum of 48 hours. Inspected March 1. Ukraine's consul in Thessaloniki is planning to visit Serhiy Melnychuk, former commander of the Aidar volunteer battalion and former Verkhovna Rada deputy, who has been detained in Greece, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. "As soon as Melnychuk's detention by Greek law enforcement agencies on March 1, 2020 was reported, Ukraine's consul in Thessaloniki immediately rushed to the scene. The consul agreed with Greek police that the detainee be temporarily held at the police station and be provided with everything necessary (drinking water and food)," the press service for the Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Monday. Melnychuk has also been provided with a Russian-speaking lawyer, the ministry said. A prosecutor from Thessaloniki is also expected to arrive on Monday at the police station where Melnychuk is being held. Melnychuk's wife and small child have been accommodated at a hotel near the police station, and Melnychuk is allowed to use a telephone, the ministry said. Interpol detained Melnychuk at the Greek border on Sunday, as was announced by Melnychuk himself in a video posted on Facebook. He said he was being detained at Russia's request. Melnychuk asked the Ukrainian embassy to provide him with a defense attorney and said he was being held at the police station along with his pregnant wife and nine-month-old son. San Antonio Mayor Declares Health Emergency Over Coronavirus, Mall Closes as Precaution The mayor of San Antonio, Texas, issued a public health emergency over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and also ordered that anyone quarantined at Lackland Air Force Base be prohibited from entering the city. At the same time, the North Star Mall announced it would close after a coronavirus-infected patient visited it over the weekend. Mayor Ron Nirenberg made the declaration in an attempt to make sure more than 120 coronavirus evacuees who were being quarantined at the Air Force base stay there. The people under quarantine were evacuated from the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that was held off the coast of Japan for weeks in February, by the State Department before they were transported to several military bases across the United States. Pursuant to the statutory authority , I, Mayor Ron Nirenberg, declare that ingress into and travel through the City of San Antonio from Lackland by those persons that have been quarantined in the facility is not permitted. No previously quarantined person shall be permitted to enter the City of San Antonio until further notice, he said in the declaration on Monday. His declaration might mean that the evacuees stay in quarantine on base for another week under state law. Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said that Texas and federal officials cannot release the remaining evacuees in quarantine at Lackland unless they can be tested again for COVID-19. At the same time, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) needs to provide a written statement before they release more people. Travelers wear protective mask as they walk through in terminal 5 at OHare International Airport in Chicago on March 1, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo) City officials had announced in a press conference that a coronavirus patient who was held in isolation at another facility was released into the San Antonio community for about 12 hours after testing negative for the virus twice, but she later tested positive. Nirenberg told a news conference that she visited a local mall and hotel after she was released. In announcing a closure on Monday, North Star said, We were notified this morning by the San Antonio Metro Health District of an individual who visited our shopping center and was later found to have tested positive for the coronavirus. The San Antonio Metro Health District has stated this individual was not exhibiting any symptoms and is considered to be relatively low risk to the public. While the shopping center had been cleaned several times using CDC-recommended products, as an abundance of caution, we made the decision to close North Star Mall temporarily to allow for a further deep cleaning of the center, according to KENS5. The emergency declaration also authorizes the City to commandeer or use any private property, temporarily acquire, by lease or other means, sites required for temporary housing units or emergency shelters for evacuees, subject to compensation requirements. According to the Houston Chronicle, the woman was evacuated from Wuhan, China, before she was taken to the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, where 10 other COVID-19 patients are being treated. Abbot said that everyone who was in contact with the woman needs to be tested for the virus. What happened in San Antonio and what the CDC did is completely unacceptable, he said. It appears to be a case of negligence with regard to allowing this person who had the coronavirus virus leave the Texas Center for Infectious Disease and go back into the general population. I think they understand the magnitude of that error they made. The Delhi police and rapid action force (RAF) in Shiv Vihar had given brief permission to people to check out their houses. New Delhi: Log toot jaate hain ek ghar banane mein, tum taras nahin khate bastiyan jalane mein. (People get sold in making one house, you dont have mercy while burning colonies). The famous lines of Urdu poet Bashir Badr must have crossed the mind of Najma as she broke down at the first sight of her house in Shiv Vihar. What was once her small world with all essentials of life under one roof, stands covered in dust and ash. Almost one week after they fled to escape violence, people on Monday made an attempt to take a peek in their houses that now stand completely destroyed. In Shiv Vihar, the epicentre of violence, men and women cried bitterly as they saw their things looted, houses burnt and nothing to retrieve from a pile of ashes and rubble. They have taken away my jewellery, my gas cylinder, my utensils and burnt the entire furniture, Najma cried bitterly. Her 8-year-old son had another reason to mourn loss his tricycle was lying burnt in the bylane. Najma and her husband Asif, a government employee, had struggled for years to arrange for the basics of life. They had little, but they were happy. They could have left my sons cycle at least, she sobbed. The Delhi police and rapid action force (RAF) in Shiv Vihar had given brief permission to people to check out their houses. With the security situation fragile, victims do not have permission to return. The riot victims of Northeast Delhi are trying to pick up the pieces and come to terms with the losses. Traumatized students are trying to focus on exams. Iram and her friends called this reporter asking for Class 10 books in Hindi medium. The students were preparing for their CBSE Board examination when the violence took them by surprise. What has happened is past. We want to focus on the future. I will study hard and become a police officer and ensure justice to all whenever, God forbid, a situation like this happens again, Iram said. Iram, her cousins and friends have moved to a relatives house in Mustafabad, from Chaman Park where they had initially taken shelter. Her parents still remain in makeshift camps elsewhere. We have shifted here to study. Please send us stationary, geometry box and copies to write, said Shaira. Books and stationary were delivered promptly. Women and girls are the worst affected. They do not have basics like undergarments and sanitary napkins as everyone fled in the clothes they were in. Traumatised people have no faith in police and administration. As they shift to bigger camps, set up by their own community, most of the night shelters notified as relief camps by the Delhi government were seen empty. The displaced families have preferred to stay either with relatives, or at places of worship for safety reasons. Both Hindu and Muslims had initially taken shelter in homes opened by sympathetic people in closeby localities. In Bhajanpura, some 50 Muslim families were huddled in an under-construction building in Aulia Gali. Their Hindu tenants had thrown them out of the houses and locked the gates to escape being the target of attacks. Medical camps were desperately needed as the injured people and pregnant women refused to step out of the safety net of their community. Besides, several are scattered in different areas and are not aware of compensation announced by the Delhi government. There is so much sense of fear and panic that in some areas victims refused details to volunteers from civil society to fill compensation form saying this may be used against them for NCR. Scores of people in violence-hit areas of northeast Delhi have been spending their nights in the dark as power lines damaged during the riots remain unrepaired and dangle precariously outside their houses. Damaged electricity meters are also yet to be repaired and people complain that no help has reached them till now. Infrastructure of the BSES Yamuna Power Limited, which supplies electricity to northeast Delhi, suffered considerable damage during the violence that left at many dead and over 200 injured, including three workers of the power discom. Last December we learned that 630,000 acres of Weyerhaeuser timberland was to be sold to Southern Pine Plantations for a paltry $230 per acre. I would like to see a more robust discussion of this issue by politicians and regional stakeholders. Many people are not aware that most of this land can be traced back to the 1864 and 1870 land grants to the Northern Pacific Railroad. The grant cut an 80-mile-wide swath across the state, amounting to 20% of Montana. According to the law, this land was to be sold off to settlers in parcels of 160 acres or less at not more than $2.50 per acre. Furthermore, the sales were to be finished within five years of the completion of the transcontinental link. (The deadline of 1879 was extended to 1890 but was largely ignored.) The proceeds were supposed to pay off banks and bondholders that financed the construction. The main line was belatedly completed in 1883, allowing Northern Pacific to claim 44 million acres. Congress soon learned that the land and the minerals under the land were worth more than four times the $70 million construction cost. When the railroad became insolvent in 1893, the Northern Pacific once again managed to avoid a public auction of land assets as required in the 1870 legislation. The era was called the Great Barbecue in 1927 by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Vernon Parrington. To summarize, the story of this land is riddled with bribery, conflicts of interest and subversion of the 1870 law. Of course, much of this land is not suitable for settlement in 160-acre parcels. Nevertheless, Congress sought to diversify the ownership while putting the land to productive use. What would the 1870 Congress say about the recent deal on 630,000 acres? What would they say about the export to Asia of raw or nearly raw logs (canted on two sides) from former Northern Pacific lands in Washington State? We inherited this mess when a suit filed in 1930 by the administration of President Herbert Hoover against the Northern Pacific was quietly settled in 1941. It was on the eve of World War II. Congress had the authority to modify the grant but was too busy preparing for the war. We now face the prospect of forest gentrification, the loss of public access, and negative impacts on wildlife. Who is getting roasted in this Great Barbecue? For more information on this topic, see landgrant.org and the 1950 masters thesis of Ted Schwinden (late governor of Montana) online at the University of Montana Library. Dennis Brosten is a crop consultant and agronomist. He writes from Kalispell. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 After serving for more than a decade as President and CEO of and Siemens Networks, Rajeev Suri has stepped down, paving the way for Pekka Lundmark to wear his shoes in the global role, the company announced on Monday. Suri indicated earlier to the Board's board of directors that he was considering stepping down from his role at some point in the future, provided a solid succession plan was in place. "After 25 years at Nokia, I wanted to do something different," said Suri. "Nokia will always be part of me, and I want to thank everyone that I have worked with over the years for helping make Nokia a better place and me a better leader," he said. Nokia's board worked closely with Suri to develop internal candidates and identify external candidates. Currently President and CEO of Fortum, a leading energy company based in Espoo, Finland, Lundmark is expected to start in his new role on September 1, the company said in a statement. "With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia," said Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia Board Chair. "On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Rajeev for his many contributions to Nokia, where he has served with both honor and distinction," Siilasmaa added. Suri will leave his current position on August 31, 2020 and continue to serve as an advisor to the Nokia Board until January 1, 2021. "I look forward to working with him (Lundmark) on a smooth transition and wish him the best success in his new role," said Suri. The coronavirus could become an infection that never goes away and causes seasonal outbreaks of illness, according to scientists. Countries around the world are in the grip of the first ever epidemics of the virus, which has infected around 90,000 people and killed more than 3,000. While the number of cases in South Korea, Italy and Iran continue to soar, the spread of the infection is beginning to come under control in China. But scientists now say the coronavirus may never go away completely and that it could become a perennial illness like colds, chest infections and flu. These are viral illnesses that go round every winter, cannot be cured and that people often don't development immunity to because they change so often. The coronavirus, which has so far killed just over three per cent of everyone who has caught it, could follow in the same footsteps and become a normalised illness. A healthcare worker at Cremona Hospital in northern Italy inspects a swab sample from a suspected coronavirus patient. Around 1,700 people have now been infected with the illness in Italy and the government has almost a dozen towns on lockdown The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (illustrated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is similar to the ones that cause the common cold, which mutate so often that people cannot become immune to the illness 'If you look at other members of the coronavirus family, that are respiratory viruses and we've known about them for the last 50 years or more, they're seasonal,' Professor John Oxford, from Queen Mary University in London, told The Telegraph. 'They're just like the common cold, there's probably a few thousand people infected with them at the moment in England. 'Whether Covid-19 will fit into that pattern or not, we will just have to wait and see but my guess is it will.' The coronavirus is currently causing a self-sustaining outbreak, which means it is constantly being passed on without anyone coming into contact with the original source. It is thought to have broken out at an animal market in Wuhan, China, and since then has continued to spread among people. As long as people continue to spread it to new areas faster than health authorities can isolate the infected communities, the virus will keep spreading. When an illness becomes a permanent feature of a country or region it is described as endemic, meaning it is native there. 'This is going to be with us for some time,' said Dr Amesh Adalja, a disease expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He told Business Insider: 'It's endemic in human populations and not going to go away without a vaccine.' Scientists around the world are working to try and develop vaccines for the virus, with some already in animal trials, but the process is a lengthy and uncertain one. Even if they are successful, the virus could mutate and become completely different to what the vaccine is able to protect against. This is the case for flu, which has so many strains that the vaccine must change every year to try and match the strains most likely to infect people at that time. It is never perfect or able to offer full protection. Coronaviruses are known to spread more quickly in the winter because they are able to survive for longer and reproduce more effectively in colder, drier weather this makes them more likely to infect people. And because the northern and southern hemispheres have their winters at different times, even a seasonal bug can continue to spread all year round. Dr William Schaffner, from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, told CNN: 'We know respiratory viruses are very seasonal, but not exclusively. 'One would hope that the gradual spring will help this virus recede [but] we cant be sure of that.' VideoSix Healing Sounds Qigong recommends for COVID-19 patients By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-03-02 11:52 As traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has proved to be effective in the treatment of the novel coronavirus-related pneumonia, many people are beginning to try the therapy. For those patients in the stage of recovery, a set of Six Healing Sounds (also called Liuzijue in Chinese) Qigong is recommended by TCM experts. Wang Zhenwei,Deputy Chief Physician fromYueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,demonstrates the Six Healing SoundsQigong. [Photo/kankannews.com] The Six Healing Sounds is a breathing technique devised by the ancient Chinese to improve health and promote healing and longevity. The earliest record of the breathing technique is believed to appear during the Southern and Northern Dynasties written by Tao Hongjing, a well-known TCM doctor, Taoist, alchemist as well as astrologer who lived from AD 456 to 536. According to the TCM theory, the five major organs heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney are each assigned an element (fire, earth, metal, water or wood). Every organ also has an associated sound which the organ resonates with. By using the associated sound, stale and congested qi can be expelled from the affected organ and be replaced with fresh and clear qi. Therefore, the Six Healing Sounds practice helps to move congested qi and allow the body to get rid of it by creating different internal vibrations and pressures within different parts of the body through the inhaling and exhaling of air. In other words, when people make the six healing sounds, they are giving the internal organs a good massage to expel stale qi. Subtitles: Zheng Qian; Video source: Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine MANILA, Philippines Seven foreigners caught violating immigration laws are currently facing deportation proceedings, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said. In a statement issued Sunday, March 1, the BI said five Korean and two Vietnamese nationals were arrested by its agents on February 11 for working without permits in Pampanga. The foreigners were nabbed while in the act of working as laborers in a construction site in Clark Sharp Hills in Angeles City, Pampanga. The bureau said the arrest follows reports they received on aliens working in the site without proper visas. We conducted a case buildup, and upon confirmation, the Commissioner issued a mission order to implement the arrest, BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan said. Upon inspection, the 7 were found to be undocumented, hence they were arrested and will be subjected to deportation proceedings, he added. The bureau said these foreigners face immigration raps for violating the conditions of their stay by working without appropriate permits, as stated in the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. They are temporarily detained at the BI Detention Center in Bicutan, Taguig pending deportation proceedings, it added. The post 7 Koreans, Vietnamese, nabbed; face deportation in PH BI appeared first on UNTV News. Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday hit out at the Centre terming the communal violence in Delhi a 'state-sponsored genocide and that BJP was trying to replicate the 'Gujarat model of riots' across the country. "It was a planned genocide, yet BJP has not apologised for it. And shamelessly they came here and said they want to capture Bengal," she said. "Even yesterday, the bodies were fished out of drains in northeast Delhi. It is a planned genocide. The Delhi police doesn't report to the state government and works under the Centre," she said. Mamata, who addressed a Trinamool Congress event today, also condemned those who raised the controversial 'Goli maro...' slogans during Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in Kolkata on March 1. "I am deeply pained by the killing of innocent people in Delhi. I think it was genocide. The violence in Delhi was state-sponsored," she said. "I know some people who came to BJP rally yesterday raised 'Goli Maro' slogan. It is illegal. And I assure all those who used such language will face the law," she said, while asking that why BJP leaders were not arrested for their provocative speeches during Delhi election. "In Delhi, BJP leaders who gave provocative slogans have not been arrested, but I got three of the BJP workers arrested," she said. She claimed it was due to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that so many people were killed in the Delhi violence. "Amit Shah should keep this in mind". She also asked the BJP to take responsibility for Delhi riots and issue an apology. "The BJP is trying to replicate the Gujarat model of riots across India, including in West Bengal," the Bengal CM added. Earlier today, the Kolkata Police have arrested three BJP workers over 'Goli maaro...' slogans. The three arrested BJP workers have been identified as Surendra Kumar Tiwari, Dhruba Basu and Pankaj Prasad. An FIR was lodged at the New Market police station late on Sunday evening in this connection. Amit Shah, during the course of his speech, had said that BJP would turn West Bengal into 'Sonar Bangla' if given an opportunity by the people of the state. (With PTI inputs) Taliban's spokesperson has declared on March 2 that if Afghanistan does not release its prisoners, there will be no intra-Afghan talks. Just days after the momentous peace deal was signed between the United States and the Taliban, the row has continued over talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan. The US had assured the insurgent group with the release of its 5,000 prisoners on March 10 in exchange of 1,000 Afghan government captives. However, earlier Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani denied following this part of the accord saying that the prisoner swap could be included in the agenda of intra-Afghan talks but cannot be prerequisite for talks. Taliban's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters over the phone that If our 5,000 prisoners - 100 or 200 more or less does not matter - do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks. Read - China Pledges Support For US-Taliban Peace Agreement Ghani refuses to release prisoners Ghani had rejected the demand of prisoners' release on March 1 as the condition for intra-Afghan talks. Afghan President's statement reportedly came against the backdrop of the struggles faced by the American negotiators in steering Kabul administration and Taliban towards peace talks. After countless meetings when US and Taliban finally signed the accord, Ghani has said that the partial truce will continue with goal of reaching a full ceasefire but declined to release the Taliban prisoners and cited the right and self-will of Afghan citizens. Ghani said, There is no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners. This is the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan. It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks. According to international reports, the agreement says that the US and the Taliban were committed to working towards the release of combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure with the coordination of all relevant sides. However, Afghan President has now claimed that it is not in the authority of the United States to decide and also called Washington only a facilitator. Read - Taliban Meets International Diplomats After Signing Peace Deal With US US-Taliban deal The US signed a landmark deal with the Taliban on February 29 which laid out the timetable for America's full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within the period of 14 months marking US' exit from its longest war. According to international reports, the accord is expected to lead the way for a dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghanistan government, and if it turns out successful, it would end an 18-year-long conflict. The deal was signed in a conference room of luxury Doha hotel, with Taliban fighter-turned-dealmaker, Mullah Baradar alongside Washington's chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad and the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. Reportedly, as Baradar and Khalilzad finally inked the accord, the people in the room shouted, Allahu Akbar. Before that Pompeo had also urged the insurgents to keep your promises to cut ties with Al-Qaeda. Read - Afghan President Refuses To Release 5,000 Taliban Prisoners After Peace Deal Read - Pentagon Chief Says 'road Ahead Will Not Be Easy' After US-Taliban Deal (With agency inputs) 1. Were your recent remarks that the yellow locusts are not a threat to human beings scientifically proven? Could you please shed some light on this? Francis Njuguna, Kibichoi My remarks were taken out of context. Scientifically, it is acknowledged that as the locusts transform, their bodies assume extra muscle mass, load up on carbohydrates, especially as they change to the gregarious phenotype. They consequently change from the black and yellow colour which are not as dangerous as the hoppers (instar stage one and two upon hatching), which are voracious feeders. But once the locusts become yellow, which are adults that are ready to copulate, the females lay eggs on the moist ground, and die. In context, however, the yellow locusts could wreak more damage if allowed to breed a new generation. And that is why my ministry is putting in all resources to contain these subsequent upsurges. 2. The average age of farmers in Kenya is 60. What efforts are you putting in place to enable young people to get involved in agriculture? Raphael Obonyo, Nairobi My ministry, together with county governments, and in collaboration with development partners have developed a National Youth in Agribusiness Strategy (2017-2021). The strategy aims at creating innovative, attractive and sustainable employment opportunities for the youth through active engagement in agribusiness. I encourage the youths to acquaint themselves with this strategy. My ministry also implements the Enable Youth Programme, whose objective is to create business opportunities and decent employment for young women and men along priority agricultural value chains, through the provision of entrepreneurship skills, funding and business linkages. The ministry has developed the Kenya Youth in Agribusiness strategy (2018-2022) and it is available online. The strategy guides youth engagement in agribusiness by identifying the challenges facing the youth and proposing interventions by sector players. The ministry also developed the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy and Gender Mainstreaming Guidelines in 2007 to generate equality in agricultural processes and activities. The 4K manual has been developed to guide establishment and running of school clubs. The manual is an attempt to address the negative attitude towards these future agriculture practitioners. The government is also developing a curriculum for agricultural technical and vocational education training to capacity build the youth on modern and innovative ways of practising agriculture as a business. 3. At independence, Kenya had created legislation to support the dairy and pork industries as high growth sectors. While the dairy sector has grown thanks to considerable government support, the pork industry has declined with pig populations stagnating over the last ten years. What plans does the ministry have to revive the pork industry? Sam Watene, Nairobi My ministry is addressing the pork subsector in two ways: One, policy legislative environment through the review of the Livestock Policy and Livestock Bill which are at the Cabinet level and will be approved in a short while. These tools will create a conducive environment to the revival and development of the pig industry. Two, my ministry has identified pig production as a priority area for the attainment of 100 per cent food and nutrition security, and we are therefore enhancing the breeding, multiplication and distribution capacity of piglets at the ministries institutes, namely Ngong and Naivasha vet farms. 4. There is this matter of the ban imposed on fairly priced fertiliser from Morocco because it is poisonous yet other countries buy it. Instead, Kenya prefers to source its fertiliser from Russia where it is fairly expensive. Will you engage the Kenya Bureau of Standards on this matter? Githuku Mungai, Nairobi Yes, my ministry is systematically reforming the inputs subsidy programme (e-voucher system) for proper targeting and appropriate input supply. This process will be private sector-led, and will involve soil testing, capacity strengthening of SMEs (agro-vets) to supply standard inputs, in liaison with the Kenya Bureau of standards. It is the private sector that will import inputs, which will be supplied to farmers using a voucher. 5. On the occasional dishing out of money to New KCC by the government in the name of subsidising the farmer, it appears as if this programme is not properly structured. Does the New KCC deserve to get the handouts? Githuku Mungai, Nairobi The recent fairly heavy rains that were experienced in the country led to overproduction of milk, causing the market dynamics to push milk prices to unsustainable levels. Therefore, it was necessary for the government to intervene, by rescuing the farmer without harming the New KCC. The government, therefore, financed the firm to buy and process excess milk into powder for storage and subsequent future reconstitution. In other words, we are enhancing the national milk reserve. 6. For nearly two months, locusts have devastated several parts of the country. Has your ministry tried to quantify the cost the insects have caused to farmers and the impact their unwelcome visit will have on food security? Neville Amboso, Isiolo My ministry has put up a team of experts who will soon be dispatched to counties to conduct damage assessments. 7. Is the government aware that there has been total breakdown of disease control in counties to the point that disease outbreaks is causing massive havoc to the sector, wiping away the investments that had been done? Zoonotic diseases such as rabies, anthrax, brucellosis are on the rise. What measures have you put in place to arrest the situation which is threatening human health? Dr Miheso Mulembani, secretary general, Union of Veterinary Practitioners Kenya I take note that livestock disease control is a devolved function. This, therefore, means that all funds for control measures are entrusted to each county government, which are expected to institute science-based control strategy for each disease while mainstreaming support for laboratory facilities in the requisite diagnosis. My ministry has consequently prepared guidelines for delivery of veterinary services. However, adequate facilitation for an effective disease control by counties has not been realised. My ministry has taken note and has been enhancing capacity development initiatives while also advocating that counties enhance the funding and employment of veterinary personnel to support these services. 8. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Kenya has skyrocketed which has caused huge economic losses and loss of lucrative international market. Counties and farmers have been pumping in a lot of money to buy vaccines with no tangible results because it is alleged that the vaccines used are ineffective. Will the government consider compensating farmers for the losses owing to substandard vaccines? Dr Miheso Mulembani The vaccines used in Kenya are generally locally produced by the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute or imported from approved manufacturers. It is notable that there is a quality control system in place by the State Department of Livestock to ensure that all vaccines available in Kenya are effective. My ministrys approach to disease control is to have an integrated focus that requires an adequate and trained veterinary personnel (public/private); an effective vaccine; informed cold chain; informed intervention strategy; informed administration and delivery procedures and regime for vaccine/vaccination measures; and effective livestock movement control measures to stop spread. My ministry is working hard to ensure the above are in place. And I encourage counties to put in place adequate measures to support the surveillance, diagnosis and reporting of disease incidences in the country, which then improves preparedness and intervention during outbreaks. 9. In the newly introduced Livestock Bill, many players in the sector have voiced their concerns on the requirement for livestock farmers to be registered by your ministry. How do you plan to fully execute this programme especially in arid and semi-arid areas where pastoralists keep moving from one area in search of pasture and water? Dan Murugu, Nakuru My Ministry has established the Livestock Identification and Traceability System, which has been piloted in Laikipia County. The system targets to register all livestock including in Asal areas, for purposes of disease control, security and traceability for trade. This can also be an effective tool for creditworthiness of livestock keepers, because it will enhance their livestock records 10. When President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the country had struck a deal with the Chinese government for the country to export frozen avocados to China, many an avocado farmer were happy with the prospect of a bigger market for their produce. But since then, there have been mixed signals on the same without official communication. What is the true position on this deal, considering the coronavirus outbreak in China? Komen Moris, Eldoret The situation in China is a drawback to my ministrys plans, but that will not stop us. We believe this is a temporary setback. However, we will continue to encourage farmers to increase avocado production, and that the Chinese market will soon be available. We are also exploring other markets in the west, for example, the USA. 11. Annual coffee production have declined from 130,000 tonnes to 40,000 tonnes. Though agriculture is devolved, what do you intend to do to increase production? Dr Irungu Maina, Muranga In collaboration with county governments, a Coffee Revitalisation Action Plan was developed based on the said recommendations. The action plan has nine thematic areas, including an e-voucher input subsidy programme; good governance (forensic audits are carried out in the co-operative societies to ensure prudent utilisation of farmers money) and marketing to be done through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. On finances, the government has allocated Sh3 billion Cherry Advance Fund to be given to farmers. The government has also partnered with World Bank to fast track the implementation of these reforms in the coffee sector. 12 There are many agriculture-related research institutes dealing with crop, climate and soil research housed in your ministry yet farmers have crop failure challenges arising from poor seeds to unproductive soil and post-harvest challenges. What is your ministry doing to protect the farmer? Shem Onderi, Kisii My ministry has a number of programmes that are addressing the issues of climate change. We are implementing sub-projects on crops, livestock and marketing infrastructure development. We are conducting continued sensitisation and training of stakeholders, service providers and agricultural officers in 24 counties, to develop proposals for the eleven project priority value chains. We have launched a digital weather observatory platform, Kenya Agro Observatory Platform (www.kaop.co.ke). (CNN) The first novel coronavirus cases were reported in Florida and New York on Sunday while officials in Washington state confirmed the second US death from the outbreak. The New York patient is a woman in her late 30s, who contracted the virus while traveling in Iran and is currently isolated in her home, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York," Cuomo's statement read. The New York State Department of Health said the patient went to a hospital in Manhattan after contracting the virus. Cuomo said approval for state testing was granted Saturday and the positive test was confirmed by New York's Wadsworth Lab in Albany. "There is no cause for surprise -- this was expected," Cuomo said. "As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York." Disease detectives in New York have already identified close contacts of the patient, according to New York City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot. "As we confront this emerging outbreak, we need to separate facts from fear, and guard against stigma and panic," Barbot said. Coronavirus cases continue to rise in US Officials in King County, Washington, confirmed the second US coronavirus death was a male patient in his 70s with underlying health conditions. He was hospitalized at Evergreen Health in Kirkland and died Saturday, according to a King County Public Health news release. Vice President Mike Pence told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that more US deaths were "possible." "We could have more sad news," he said. "But the American people should know the risk for the average American remains low." The New York case was one of several reported Sunday. Two new presumptive positive cases were identified in Florida, according to a press release from the Florida Department of Health. These are the first cases in the state of Florida. Seven more cases were reported in Washington state, bringing the total to 13 cases. Three have been reported in Snohomish County and 10 have been reported in King County, including two deaths. But those were just the latest developments in Washington state, where officials Saturday announced the first coronavirus death in the US and where authorities were investigating a nursing facility outside Seattle. Of the 88,443 cases confirmed globally, at least 3,041 have been fatal -- 2,912 of which were in China. The US has at least 88 confirmed cases of the virus, according to counts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health authorities. Officials investigate Washington nursing facility Among the US cases are several believed to have been spread person-to-person with unknown origins, including the patient in Washington state who died, according to Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC. The patient was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, according to Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County, Washington. Officials announced two cases linked to Life Care Center, a nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, including a 40-year-old health care worker and a woman in her 70s. The health care worker is in satisfactory condition at a local hospital, and the woman in her 70s is hospitalized in serious condition. But more than 50 residents and staff at the facility are experiencing symptoms and will be tested for coronavirus, Duchin told reporters Saturday. Four new presumptive positive cases were detected Sunday, all of whom were residents of the Life Care Center, according to a press release from Seattle and King County Public Health. . "We're in the process of investigating this situation as an outbreak," he said. "We take the event very seriously," a statement from the facility's executive director said, in part. Life Care Center is not allowing visits from families, volunteers or vendors, and admissions have been placed on hold for the time being, the statement said. But residents and staff weren't the only ones impacted. At least 25 firefighters and two police officers who responded to the Life Care Center have now been placed under quarantine "out of an abundance of caution," according to a statement from the City of Kirkland. Firefighters are either under quarantine at home or at a Kirkland fire station, the statement said. There were also concerns that 16 nursing students and a faculty member from Lake Washington Institute of Technology were exposed to the virus after visiting the center late last week, the school said in a statement. The campus will be closed Monday and Tuesday to be cleaned and disinfected. Five more cases identified in California A total of five new presumptive positive cases of coronavirus were identified in California Sunday, according to health departments in three counties. Two patients are health care workers from Alameda County and Solano County, according to a joint press release from two localities. Both are employees at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, California, according to the release. Vacaville is about 34 miles southwest of Sacramento. The two patients came into contact with a community-acquired case currently hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, the release said. The patients are currently in isolation at home. These cases are pending confirmatory testing from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the release said. The three other cases were identified in Santa Clara County, according to the county's health department. The total number of cases in the county is now seven, the release said. One of the cases in Santa Clara is a woman with chronic health issues who is hospitalized, the release said. Officials have not said how this person contracted the virus. The other two cases are a husband and wife, the release said. Both are hospitalized and the husband has chronic health conditions. Both recently traveled to Egypt, the release said. The Rhode Island Department of Health announced the state's first presumptive positive case on Sunday morning. The patient was said to be in their 40s and had in mid-February traveled in Europe, including Italy, where there were 1,694 cases as of Sunday. The Rhode Island patient is being treated at an undisclosed hospital, and officials are reaching out to people who has had direct contact with the individual, the state Department of Health said in a statement. The patient has had limited travel within the state and hasn't been to work since returning from Italy. Among the US cases are 44 people who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people who were repatriated from China and 38 cases that were detected in the US. At least 17 cases in the US are travel-related and at least 17 are linked to person-to-person spread, according to the CDC. Four are of unknown origin. But New York University doctors and other experts say the US probably has more cases than identified officially. That's because of testing delays and the virus' ability to spread before an infected person shows any symptoms. The New York Times reported Sunday the virus might have been in Washington state for weeks and up to 1,500 people might be infected there. US expands travel restrictions The vice president said Saturday the administration is expanding existing travel restrictions on Iran to include foreign nationals who had visited Iran in the last 14 days. The US will also increase travel advisories for Italy and South Korea to Level 4 -- the highest level -- advising Americans not to travel to specific regions in those countries. On Sunday, President Trump announced via Twitter new screening procedures for people arriving in the US if they are traveling from "high-risk countries." Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for Vice President Pence, clarified to CNN what is covered under the screening measures Trump mentioned in his tweet: "There is already screening for those coming into the United States for those who have been in China in the last 14 days. This will be expanded to Italy and South Korea. Additionally, we are currently working on exit screening from South Korea, Italy, and other European nations as needed," Miller said. An Australian father has issued a desperate plea to the government to rescue his ISIS bride daughter and her children from a Syrian camp. Bankstown-born Mariam Dabboussy claims she was tricked into entering the war-torn country in mid-2015 by her terrorist husband Kaled Zahab, who died shortly after they arrived. Kamalle Dabboussy has called on officials to repatriate his daughter and grandchildren, aged two, three and five, to Sydney from the disease-ridden and overflowing al-Hawl detention camp in Syria's north-east. 'The red cross have said it is the most dangerous place on the planet for children, they are using plastic bags for toilets,' Mr Dabboussey told 9News. Kamalle Dabboussy with his daughter Mariam Dabboussy (right) and her daughters Aisha (left) and Fatema in al-Hawl camp in north-eastern Syria 'My greatest fear is that she will die.' Mr Dabboussy said the Australian Federal police knocked on his door five years ago to tell him that his daughter had been 'coerced' into entering the middle-eastern nation while on a family holiday to Turkey. Her husband had been radicalised into joining the Islamic State by his older brother. Two years ago, the United States offered to rescue coalition partner's citizens and return them home. However, the Morrison government has so far declined assistance, arguing the extraction mission would put Australians in danger and some of the women have been radicalised and would pose a risk to the country. Kamalle Dabboussy is afraid that his daughter Mariam Dabboussy (pictured together) will die if she is left at the Al-Hawl detention camp in Syria 'If you take your children into the middle of a war zone it's very difficult for me to put our Australian soldiers and our officials at risk to go in there and extract people,' Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said previously. Mr Dabboussy said there has never been any indication to the Australian Government or to law enforcement that his daughter went to Syria willingly. There are currently 19 women and 47 children, most of them aged under five, trapped in al-Hawl in grim, unsanitary conditions with limited resources. Matt Tinker from Save The Children said youngsters in the camp were suffering through ailments. 'There's an Australian girl with frostbite, there's Australian children with shrapnel wounds from the conflict, there's Australian children with pneumonia,' he said. Ms Dabboussy is one of more than 60 Australians, most of them children, detained. Her father said she is happy to undertake strict house arrest-like conditions if she is allowed home, including having her telephone monitored and regularly reporting to a police station. Last week, the United Nations urged countries, including Australia, to take their citizens out of the war zone, with a focus on protecting children. On February 21, the Australian Federal Police announced 42 arrest warrants had been taken out for Australian men and women who had travelled to Syria 'for alleged offences against Australian law,' the Guardian reports. Some include women held at Al-Hawl. Mariam claims she was duped and coerced into entering Syria and did not pose a threat to Australia. Her eldest child was born in Australia and the other two, in Syria (pictured is the al-Hawl refugee camp) She said she was forced into the war-torn country while on a holiday with her husband and then 18-month-old daughter. She had her two younger children in the conflict zone (all three pictured together at al-Hawl) UN Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Lowcock told the Security Council that at least 100 civilians were killed in February in air and ground strikes in the north-west, 35 of them children. He reported that although people are trying to find shelter in increasingly crowded areas, nowhere is safe. 'Almost 50,000 people are sheltering under trees or in other open spaces,' he said. 'I am getting daily reports of babies and other young children dying in the cold. Imagine the grief of a parent who escaped a warzone with their child, only to watch that child freeze to death.' Delta is joining American Airlines in suspending some of its services to Italy, halting the airline's daily flight between New York's JFK and Milan Malpensa airport for two months with six U.S. deaths from the coronavirus now confirmed. The airline announced the move on Sunday, a day after President Trump's administration announced it was implementing a heightened travel advisory to the countries hardest hit by the deadly disease. On Monday, Delta will fly its last service from JFK to Milan with the final return flight taking off on Tuesday. The airline intends to resume service on May 1 and 2. Delta announced Sunday it was suspending its daily flight between JFK and Milan Delta will offer a change waiver fee to travelers changing their flights from the U.S. bound for South Korea, Italy and China after services were suspended amid coronavirus concerns There are now six confirmed deaths in the United States, all in Washington state Delta will continue its service between JFK and Atlanta to Rome, where the Italian virus outbreak has not been as severe. On Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence said the travel advisory alert was being raised to 'Level 4 - Do Not Travel' for the Veneto region and Lombardy, of which Milan is the capital, in Italy. The Level 4 warning is the most severe that can be issued. 'Delta has put in place numerous processes and mitigation strategies to respond to COVID-19 (coronavirus) concerns,' the airline said on its website. 'Delta remains in constant contact with the foremost communicable disease experts at the CDC, WHO and local health officials.' Delta airplanes sit on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on January 31, 2020 as fears grow around the globe over the coronavirus and the airline suspends flights to Milan A luggage wrapping machine stands in an empty departure hall at Linate airport in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday, February 26 as more airlines announce a suspension of their service to the area The company added that it aims to 'respond to the coronavirus as well as ensure training, policies, procedures and cabin cleaning and disinfection measures meet and exceed guidelines'. Delta has already suspended US services to Shanghai and Beijing until April 30 and reduced its service to Seoul in South Korea. This included a reduction in the number of flights between Seoul and Seattle. The six confirmed deaths in the U.S. have all been in Washington state but there is as yet no plan to suspend domestic services to the airport. The airline states it will waive the fee for travelers wishing to change their flights from the U.S. to South Korea, Italy and China. Delta's announcement came a day after American Airlines said it was suspending flights to Milan after the U.S. State Department announced on Saturday that it was raising its travel warning for parts of Italy amid the coronavirus crisis. The airline said it would suspend flights between the U.S. and Milan. The flights will be grounded until April 24 from New York-JFK and Miami. The company said the decision had been made after a reduction in demand. The Chicago-based company revealed last Monday that short-term demand for its trans-Pacific routes was down by 75% - excluding China where demand has almost disappeared A traveler posted this picture from an empty flight on Tuesday United Airlines has already cut flights to Asia and suspended services to mainland China and Hong Kong through April 30. On Friday, it then sharply slashed flights to Japan and South Korea. Munoz did not specify which routes would next face the chop. However, the Chicago-based company revealed last Monday that short-term demand for its trans-Pacific routes was down by 75% - excluding China where demand has almost disappeared. Among US airlines, United has the biggest international exposure, drawing about 40 percent of its revenues from overseas flights. Airlines are even feeling the squeeze on domestic US flights as companies reconsider the need for business travel and conferences. On Friday, Amazon deferred all non-essential travel, within the US and beyond, and Google set new restrictions for travel to South Korea and other places, as corporations moved to protect their employees from the spread of coronavirus. Canada's TD Bank Group told Reuters it was suspending all non-essential business travel to China, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Its peer Bank of Nova Scotia has also reportedly halted non-essential travel. JetBlue, which flies in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America, became the first US airline to offer waivers for all travel on Wednesday, announcing it would suspend change and cancellation fees for new flight bookings between February 27 and March 11 this year. Hours before American Airlines' announcement on Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence said the travel advisory alert was being raised to 'Level 4 - Do Not Travel' for the Veneto region and Lombardy, of which Milan is the capital, in Italy Travelers wearing masks at Miami International, one of the airports where flights to and from Milan will be suspended The government said the decision to heighten the travel advisory to level 4 was made 'due to the level of community transmission of the virus and imposition of local quarantine procedures'. Pence said on Saturday the U.S. State Department would work with Italy to coordinate medical screening for anyone traveling to the United States. A health alert has now been established at TSA checkpoints for travelers going to China, warning that a travel advisory is in place and informing passengers that they should not travel if they are sick. Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, has sickened at least 89,620 people and killed 3,048 in 54 countries. Panic buying hit New York on Sunday as it had its first confirmed case of the virus and the number of cases nationwide reached at least 100, with six patient deaths. Two coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed in Kirkland, Washington state, as a resident at the Life Care Center nursing home and a patient at the EvergreenHealth hospital. A further four deaths were confirmed in Washington on Monday. Six coronavirus cases have been confirmed at the Life Care Center, including one resident in his 70s who later died at the hospital, while more than 50 staff and residents have shown symptoms and will be tested. It has also emerged that the facility has been slammed for failing to control the spread of viruses in the past. The Life Care facility provides 24-hour care for residents, including physician and nurse coverage, many of whom have long-term and chronic conditions. Around 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have shown some symptoms of the virus, including some cases where individuals had contracted pneumonia. A health alert for people traveling to China is shown at a TSA security checkpoint at the Denver International Airport on Monday, March 2, after a travel advisory came into effect Saturday The airline said the decision had been made after falling demand. The coronavirus scare has led to a sharp reduction in air travel demand in the U.S. as major companies such as Amazon orders freezes on all non-essential employee travel The majority of cases in the US were people who were evacuated 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 whom are elderly patients or those with compromised immune systems. The outbreak is leading to sharp reductions in air travel demand in the US, with major companies such as Amazon ordering a freeze on all non-essential employee travel. The result is clear in photos showing empty airplane seats and deserted terminals. In China, the impact has been even more severe, with air travel plummeting 80 percent at the country's busiest airports and mass cancellations of both domestic and international flights. The reduction in global airline capacity, measured by how many seats remain grounded, is now greater than after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, industry analysts say. After 9/11, airline revenue dropped an estimated $19.6 billion in 2002 dollars. The coronavirus crisis could cost the industry an estimated $29.3 billion in lost revenue for 2020, according to the industry group IATA. The group said on Friday that countries with confirmed virus cases in excess of 90 China, Italy, Iran, Japan, Singapore and South Korea represent 25 percent of global airline passenger numbers and 20 percent of global passenger revenues. 'Back after 9/11 at the end of 2001, it really took about nine months before we saw the industry recover from the impact of the events,' said Wall Street Journal aviation correspondent Benjamin Katz. 'Now, with the coronavirus, it's a very different situation and it's difficult to give an assessment, but analysts are expecting with the coronavirus this could actually last quite a bit longer,' he continued. With the extent of the crisis still unknown, experts cautioned that the full impact on airlines remains to be seen. 'If we look back in ten years time, will this be seen as a blip or a game changer?' IBA Aviation Consultancy CEO Phil Seymour told the Journal. A convoy comprised of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) (R), the vehicle carrier MV Resolve (C), and the Military Sea Lift Command (MSC) roll-on roll-off cargo ship USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) steam in formation. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andrew Waters/Released) US Navy Convoy Crosses Atlantic for First Time Since Cold War For the first time since the Cold War, a U.S. Navy convoy is steaming through the blue-gray Atlantic swell, bringing supplies to the largest U.S. military exercises in Europe for over 25 years. The U.S. 2nd fleet is conducting convoy operations with the logistics arm of the Navy, known as Military Sealift Command (MSC), according to a Feb. 28 statement from the Navy. For the last two years, the U.S. military has been pivoting away from its counterinsurgency to tackle what is often called renewed great power competition with China and Russia. In addition to scrambling to modernize its weapons and strategy, the U.S. military has also been increasing readiness and exercises to keep adversaries on their toes. The convoy exercise is the first one since 1986, aimed at stretching the ligaments of the militarylogistics. In a real-world conflict, much of the military equipment must still go by sealift, which makes convoy operations a critical skill set to maintain and practice, said Capt. Hans E. Lynch, Commander of Military Sealift Command Atlantic, according to the statement. A convoy comprised of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) (R), the vehicle carrier MV Resolve (C), and the Military Sea Lift Command (MSC) roll-on roll-off cargo ship USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) steam in formation. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andrew Waters/Released) The convoy comes ahead of the largest-scale U.S. deployment in Europe for a quarter-century. With equipment already needing to be shipped across the Atlantic for the exercises, the Navy took the opportunity to carry out its convoy practice. This exercise allows us to sharpen our ability to move critical resources across the Atlantic from the United States to Europe, said Admiral James G. Foggo III. As I have said before, logistics is the sixth domain of warfare, and a critical part of any successful operation or exercise, Foggo said. The transatlantic bridge is just as important today for moving troops and military equipment, supplies and material from the United States to Europe as it has been at any point in history. Russia is seen as the second priority for the military after China. U.S. military leaders often emphasize that the modernization process for great power competition is not primarily aimed at winning an all-out war. Rather, it enables the United States to compete geopolitically with Russia and China, to blunt aggression that falls below the threshold of war, and to support allies. The U.S. Navy has been ramping up readiness, changing its deployment patterns to meet the demands of the 2018 National Defense Strategy for the military to be strategically predictable, but operationally unpredictable. In 2018, for the first time in a decade, the Arabian Gulf was left without an aircraft carrier strike group, as the USS Harry Truman sailed to the Arctic Circlethe first carrier to patrol there since the Cold War. It was the first taste of a new strategydynamic force employmentdesigned to keep U.S. adversaries guessing. Update: The convicts won't be hanged on Tuesday morning as a Delhi court has stayed the execution of the four convicts and deferred the matter for further orders. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had dismissed the curative petition filed by Pawan Gupta, the last of the four convicts on death row paving the way for the execution of the four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case. With this, all four have exhausted their legal remedies. A five-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana considered the curative plea in-chamber, also rejected Pawan's application seeking a stay on the execution. "The application for an oral hearing is rejected. The application far stay of execution of the death sentence is also rejected. The curative petition is dismissed...," said the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra, R. F. Nariman, R. Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan. Pawan, in the curative plea, had urged the top court to commute his death penalty to life imprisonment, besides seeking a stay on the execution of the black warrant issued by the trial court. AP Advocate AP Singh, representing Kumar, said he was a juvenile during the time of the commission of the offence, and the death penalty should not be awarded to him. Singh also sought a stay on the execution of the black warrant, on the hanging, issued by the trial court. With the last legal option exhausted Gupta has now filed his mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind. The three other convicts have already exhausted all their legal remedies and have their mercy pleas rejected by the president. Another convict, Akshay, had last week filed another mercy plea, asserting that the previous one was "incomplete". Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed an application to stay the execution of the convicts which is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Welcoming the court's decision, Asha Devi, the mother of the victim said: "They have wasted the court's time and tried to subvert the system. Now they will be hanged tomorrow." AFP The four men were sentenced to death in 2013 for the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student on a moving bus in Delhi on December 16, 2012. Two other accused in the case, the driver Ram Singh was found dead in jail while the sixth accused who was tried as a minor was released in 2015. The delay execution of the four convicts in one of the most heinous crimes against women recorded in India has been weeks in India's legal system, which allowed the convicts to make a mockery of it. A total of 164 customized bus routes were put into service on Feb. 27 in Beijing in an effort to facilitate resumption of work amid the novel coronavirus epidemic, Beijing Daily reported . (Photo/Beijing Daily) Passengers need to have their temperatures taken by staff members of the bus before boarding. The buses are required to fill no more than 50 percent of the seats in a bus as to ensure the safety of passengers during the epidemic, according to Wan Yifei, a manager at the Beijing Public Transport Corporation. A mini-program on WeChat has also been developed and upgraded to assist passengers when booking bus trips and also to help them pay bus fares. A QR code is automatically created on the mini-program after people pay the bus fare, which enables people to get on these customized buses after having their QR codes scanned at the bus door, rather than having to buy tickets on-site. The bus stops were formulated using big data as well as field visits to relevant communities. One of the aims of this special service is to minimize the amount of time needed to walk, according to a manager at one branch of the Beijing Public Transport Corporation. The customized bus can take me directly from my neighborhood to the stop across the street from my company. Now I walk a lot less than I did before to go to work, said a man surnamed Song, who told Beijing Daily that he used to only be able to reach his company after several transfers, which was very inconveniencing. Customized bus routes have relatively fixed passenger groups who can all be traced as they have provided relevant information on the real-name registration system within the mini-program at the time that they buy tickets, said Wan, adding that the buses ensure that every passenger has a seat and will ensure that certain distance is maintained between passengers. By 12 p.m. on Feb. 26, the mini-program for the customized bus routes had more than 20,000 registered users and recorded over 2,600 effective orders, with the number of presold tickets reaching 10,000. According to a credible source, other than helping passengers buy tickets online, getting to bus stops with the help of a navigation system as well as saving and sharing routes, the mini-program will also gradually roll out functions that enable users to choose seats, check the real-time locations of the buses, and see the real environment of bus stops online. Unions are calling on the federal government to lift the "discriminatory" Chinese travel ban, with some businesses struggling to cope without temporary workers who remain trapped in China. Under the ban, Chinese nationals who are permanent residents are able to enter Australia from China but temporary workers are blocked unless they spend two weeks in a third country. Jess Wu, 24, is stuck in Guangzhou and has lost contact with her employer. Childcare and meat production have been particularly hard hit, with some operators asking employees to cover more hours and others using employment agencies to recruit fill-ins. Childcare worker Jess Wu travelled home for Chinese New Year and was due to return to Melbourne in early February. The Union has received the mercy petition of Pawan Kumar Gupta, one of the four men facing the gallows in the 2012 gang rape and murder case, officials said on Monday. The ministry will forward the petition to for his consideration and decision. A 23-year-old woman, who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya' (fearless), was gang raped and savagely assaulted in a moving bus in south on December 16, 2012. She succumbed to injuries days later, on December 29, at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore where she was taken for better medical treatment. A total of six people -- Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta, Ram Singh and a juvenile -- were convicted in the gang rape and murder of the paramedic student here. The has already rejected the mercy petitions of Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay. While Ram Singh had committed suicide in jail, the juvenile was released from custody after completion of his term. Germany, France and Britain said on Monday that they would be sending emergency equipment to Iran to fight the coronavirus outbreak as well as giving five million euros in financial aid. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom express their full solidarity with all impacted by COVID-19 in Iran," the three countries said in a joint statement, adding that material including laboratory test equipment and protective body suits and gloves would be sent by plane later Monday. They also committed to providing "urgent additional financial support" of 5.0 million euros (USD 5.6 million) for Iran, where the new coronavirus has killed 66 people and infected 1,501. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide a lawsuit that threatens the Obama-era health care law, a case that will keep health care squarely in front of voters even though a decision wont come until after the 2020 election. The court said it would hear an appeal by 20 mainly Democratic states of a lower-court ruling that declared part of the statute unconstitutional and cast a cloud over the rest. For the more than 20 million people covered under Obamacare, nothing changes while the Supreme Court deliberates. The laws subsidized private insurance coverage and Medicaid expansion remain in place while the issues are litigated again. Defenders of the Affordable Care Act argued that the questions raised by the case are too important to let it drag on for months or years in lower courts and that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans erred when it struck down the health laws now toothless requirement that Americans have health insurance. The case will be the third major Supreme Court battle over the law since President Barack Obama signed it nearly 10 years ago, on March 23, 2010. The court has twice upheld the heart of the law, with Chief Justice John Roberts memorably siding with the courts liberals in 2012, amid Obamas reelection campaign. The majority that upheld the law twice remains on the court, Roberts and the four liberal justices. The Trump administrations views on the law have shifted over time, but it has always supported getting rid of provisions that prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against people with existing health ailments. Even as the administration seeks to overturn Obamacare in court, President Donald Trump has claimed people with preexisting conditions would still be protected. Neither the White House nor congressional Republicans have specified how. Congressional repeal narrowly failed in 2017, when the Republicans controlled the House and the Senate. Any repeal effort now would be blocked by the Democratic-led House under Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Supreme Courts review of the case guarantees that the fate of the health care law will be in the publics eye as the election approaches, even if the decision doesnt come until 2021. The timing means written briefs from both sides will likely be due in the summer, and arguments could take place in early fall before the election, if the court follows its usual practice of scheduling cases. If that happens, audio snippets from the oral arguments would be available for campaign commercials, said Timothy Jost, a retired law professor for Washington and Lee University in Virginia and a supporter of the ACA. I think the Democrats will hammer away at the fact that the Trump administration is not defending the law, and basically arguing the whole thing should be invalidated, said Jost. Theyll focus on issues like pre-existing conditions and 20 million people losing health insurance. Democratic presidential candidates agree on expanding coverage to the 28 million people who remain uninsured, even as they sharply debate how to do that. Former Vice President Joe Biden and other moderates would build on the ACA, while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to institute a new government health plan to cover all U.S. residents, including those who now have private insurance. This case is a stark, life-and-death reminder how much is at stake this fall, Biden said in a statement. The Democratic states had asked for a fast-track review with a decision by late June, before the 2020 elections in November. Instead, the justices probably will hear arguments in the fall, with a decision likely in the spring of 2021. Still, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra welcomed the courts decision to take up the appeal. As Texas and the Trump Administration fight to disrupt our healthcare system and the coverage that millions rely upon, we look forward to making our case in defense of the ACA. American lives depend upon it, Becerra said in a statement. The high court action takes the case out of the hands of a federal district judge in Texas who had previously struck down the entire law. The new case stems from the 2017 passage of tax legislation that left in place the laws requirement that Americans carry health insurance but eliminated the financial penalty for not buying coverage. Congress made no other changes to the law. Texas and other Republican-led states sued, arguing that the elimination of the penalty rendered the laws so-called individual mandate unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor agreed, adding that the mandate was so central to the law that without it the rest of the law must fall, too. While finding the health laws insurance requirement to be unconstitutional, the appeals court made no decision on such popular provisions as protections for people with preexisting conditions, Medicaid expansion and coverage for young adults up to age 26 on their parents policies. The 5th Circuit sent the case back to OConnor to determine whether other parts of the law can be separated from the insurance requirement and thus remain in place. University of Notre Dame law professor Richard Garnett said the high courts decision to intervene now, and not as it could have to wait for the case to develop more below, suggests that the justices are skeptical about the challengers sweeping argument that the entire Act is unconstitutional. Besides expanding insurance coverage, the 900-page law also made many changes to other programs, including Medicare, community health centers and fraud-fighting. Sorting out whether some provisions could remain while others go with the insurance mandate would be a colossal effort. The justices on Monday granted two different appeals, one from the Democratic states and the other from the Republican side, that essentially put all the issues in front of the court, from the insurance mandate to the validity of the entire law if the mandate does not survive. The court took no action on a separate appeal filed by the Democratic-led House of Representatives. ___ Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report. Amid the tumult of WeWork's implosion, investors may be forgiven for asking whether coworking will ever work for them. We are convinced the answer is a resounding yes. Although we think the current structure of the coworking industry involving risky long-term leases and high market share concentration will prove ephemeral, the demand drivers for flexible office space should endure. Among these, we point to the increasing pace of disruption in the economy and the evolving nature of how work is done, both deriving from the inexorable march of the digital revolution. In concrete terms, these drivers manifest themselves in the emergence of the gig economy and the increasing acceptance of remote-work arrangements. Although these dynamics have left some to believe that the institution of the office is on the wane, it appears that the desire to conduct work in a dedicated space persists. What has changed has been the nature of how work is done and, consequently, how office space is being demanded. Once a staid industry relying on long-term leases, office real estate has been upended by users' voracious appetite for flexibility. As coworking emerges to meet that need, we think it will increasingly form an ever-greater portion of total office space. We expect coworking space in the United States to more than quadruple from around 80 million square feet in 2018 to over 360 million square feet by 2028. Globally, we expect coworking space to increase sevenfold, reflecting the ripe conditions for growth outside the U.S. Amid this breakneck pace of growth, we estimate that coworking will increase its overall share from around 2% of occupied office square footage in the U.S. in 2018 to around 8% by 2028, with this figure growing from 2.5% to 14.5% globally. With Regus' parent company, IWG, representing the only publicly traded coworking company, investors may have to wait to fully share in the spoils. Nevertheless, companies across the real estate industry should benefit from the impending shift, including the office real estate investment trusts and the commercial real estate brokers we cover. In terms of valuation, New York office REIT SL Green SLG and commercial real estate broker Jones Lang LaSalle JLL are our top picks, with Boston Properties Group BXP and CBRE CBRE worth watching in the event of a pullback. Story continues Key Takeaways In the U.S., we forecast that coworking square footage will grow from around 80 million square feet in 2018 to 360 million square feet by 2028, an increase of 4.5 times. Accordingly, we expect flexible office space will account for an ever-greater share of total office space, rising from 2% in 2018 to 8% by 2028. Globally, we estimate that coworking square footage will increase from 363 million square feet to a staggering 2.5 billion square feet, an increase of 7 times. We expect coworking will go from 2.5% of occupied office space in 2018 to around 15% by 2028. In the U.S., we expect total demand for office space to increase by a 0.5% compound annual growth rate through 2028, reflecting slower working-age population growth and the continued shift toward office-using employment. Globally, demand will increase by a 1.5% compound annual growth rate in our estimates, with sluggish growth from developed economies being offset by elevated growth from developing countries with higher population growth, continued urbanization, and a shift to office-using employment. Remote-work arrangements should provide a headwind to office demand, but the effect will be muted by the tendency for employees to work from home only part of the time, meaning they are still allocated office space. The rise of the gig economy should provide a tailwind. Incremental demand resulting from the availability of coworking should more than offset attrition of office employees due to gig employment. The coworking industry is currently dominated by a few large players, such as WeWork and Regus, with many smaller companies. Competitive pressures and more judicious venture capital money should result in less-concentrated market share. We also expect the coworking industry to shift from treacherous traditional long-term lease agreements exemplified by WeWork to operating agreements that feature a management fee to operate space. Because of the real estate focus of coworking companies, economic moats will be exceedingly hard to come by amid a struggle to find avenues for differentiation. However, a focus on real estate services rather than exposure to real estate economics remains the best bet, in our view. At current prices, we think SL Green and Jones Lang LaSalle are compelling options for investors, with Boston Properties Group and CBRE meriting attention in the event of a pullback. The office REITs we cover stand to benefit from the rise of coworking in the form of increased demand for office real estate, but they should be wary of added risks attached to that exposure. The commercial real estate brokers should see increased competition, but we expect narrow-moat CBRE and JLL will share in the spoils because of their position atop an industry benefiting from tailwinds related to consolidation and a rising appetite for real estate outsourcing. This information was published Feb. 10 as part of a Financial Services Observer, which is available to Morningstar's institutional clients. Former Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) isn't leaving Washington, D.C., anytime soon. Hill's short congressional tenure ended in October when nude photos of her leaked online, and she resigned after admitting to an "inappropriate" relationship with a subordinate staffer. After a few not-so-restful months, Hill is plunging back into politics to make amends for the "unreconciled dynamic" surrounding her departure, Caitlin Moscatello reports in a profile of Hill for New York Magazine. Following her resignation, Hill returned home, telling Moscatello "there's a lot I have to heal from." But she ended up dealing with her mother's surgery, and then finding her 20-year-old brother dead from an overdose just hours after they'd been together. Hill's family worried about her mental health after everything she'd gone through, but Hill said "my mom and sister made me make a pact that I would never actually do something like that," alluding to her brother's death. Hill then returned to Washington, moving into an apartment using an advance for her forthcoming memoir. "Being out of office is so much easier than being in office," she told New York Magazine, explaining that "this year, I'm going to make a lot more money. I'm going to have a bunch of vacations. I'm going to have a lot of downtime." Hill also started a PAC, called HER Time, that's focused on getting women elected, in attempt to resolve "this unreconciled dynamic around what happened with" the staffer, she said. But after a person tied to Hill's 2018 campaign was arrested for allegedly hacking into and disrupting a Democratic rival's campaign, "the possibility that Hill's campaign had cheated" is marring her political future once again. Hill denies knowing about the alleged hacking. Read more at New York Magazine. More stories from theweek.com The end of Chris Matthews Was Mike Pence exposed to coronavirus? The 3 most likely Super Tuesday outcomes JERUSALEM - Israels long-serving ruler Benjamin Netanyahu faces off against former army chief Benny Gantz on Monday in the countrys third parliamentary elections in under 12 months. The battle between Netanyahus Likud Party and Gantzs Blue and White ended in a deadlock in elections last April and September. Opinion polls are once again projecting a close race. Heres a look at the two main contenders: BENJAMIN NETANYAHU Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu, Israels longest serving prime minister, is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office, and fifth overall. He failed twice last year to form a governing majority after two inconclusive elections. Now he aims to solidify his grip on power while hes also facing criminal proceedings by winning a decisive victory in Israels unprecedented third parliamentary elections in under a year. Netanyahu, a formidable Israeli politician for the past three decades, has cast himself as a seasoned statesman capable of representing the country on the world stage and leading Israel against the rising threat of Iran. His campaign has focused on his foreign policy accomplishments particularly his close relationship with President Donald Trump and cultivation of close, if clandestine, ties with the Arab world and downplayed his legal woes. To secure support among religious nationalist voters, Netanyahu has vowed to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank, particularly its Jewish settlements deemed illegal by most of the international community, if voted back into office. But just two weeks after the election, Netanyahu will have to appear in court to face criminal charges in three cases involving fraud, breach of trust and bribery. Netanyahu has defiantly denied any wrongdoing and refused to step down, insisting he can lead the country and defend himself in court. Netanyahu has galvanized his supporters and locked down the support of his steadfast religious and nationalist allies, but it remains unclear whether his right-wing bloc will succeed in capturing the majority in the Knesset, Israels parliament, needed to form a government. ___ BENNY GANTZ A year ago, Benny Gantz was a former army chief and political novice who presented himself to Israeli voters as an untainted alternative to Netanyahu. In the past 12 months, he has amassed campaign experience with ceaseless politicking and his Blue and White party has become the largest party in parliament. Gantzs military credentials have made him the first realistic challenger to Netanyahus more than a decade of rule in a country where security issues have long reigned supreme in national politics. Blue and Whites centre-right alliance of former generals and reformist politicians has presented itself as an alternative to Netanyahu and vowed to never join a government with him while he faces criminal indictments. Many of its positions, particularly when it comes to security and the Palestinians, closely mirror those of Netanyahus Likud party. But it has also promised to enact secular reforms that have appealed to a broad swath of Israeli society. Having sworn not to form a government with the support of the countrys Joint List of Arab parties, however, Blue and Whites path to governing remains unclear. Even if it matches its performance in the past two elections and secures 33 or more seats in government, a centre-left bloc is not likely to be able to control the 61 seats needed to form a ruling majority coalition. A 25-year-old pet alligator found in a home in Madison Township, Ohio, will be sent to an animal sanctuary in South Carolina. COLUMBUS, Ohio A guest who had overstayed his welcome was removed from a Madison Township homes basement Thursday by police and workers with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Madison Township police were called to a home in the Groveport area after township firefighters responding to a medical emergency observed an alligator penned in the basement. Responding officers found what police say was an about 5-foot-long alligator being kept as a pet. The state Department of Agriculture was notified, and it was determined that the owner of the alligator did not have an exotic-animal permit as required by law. The alligator is believed to be about 25 years old. American alligators are believed to have a lifespan of 30 to 50 years. The owner surrendered the alligator, which police said will be taken to an animal sanctuary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was not immediately known whether the property owner would face any charges. Follow Bethany Bruner on Twitter: @bethany_bruner This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 25-year-old alligator being kept as pet discovered in Ohio basement He injected meth daily, while she snorted it on the weekends, documents state. Wenzel moved into the rental home about five months earlier, she told police. They did not do drugs in front of her daughters, 16 and 8, and the girls did not go into areas where Wenzel worked, Ziembicki told to police. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-03 00:07:16 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 615 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Prospera Energy Inc. (TSXV:PEI)(FRA:OF6A) ("Prospera" or the "Corporation") announces the resignation of Mr. Daryl Fridhandler as Chairman and a member of the Board of Directors. Prospera wishes to thank Mr. Fridhandler for his past services, commitment and dedication to the company and wish him well in all his future endeavours. The Corporation will be announcing the appointment of another director as soon as possible.About ProsperaProspera Energy Inc. is a Canadian natural resource Corporation engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of oil and gas properties with operations in Alberta and western Saskatchewan.For further information:Sarshar AhmadInterim Chief Executive Officer & DirectorEmail: sahmad@ prosperaenergy.com Tel: (403)454-9010Website: www.prosperaenergy.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSThis news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Corporation and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Corporation, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.Although Prospera believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Prospera can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward- looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks), commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures.The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Prospera. As a result, Prospera cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and Prospera does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by Canadian securities law.Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Prospera Energy Inc. Shimla, March 2 : Payment of arrears to apple growers in Himachal Pradesh touched Rs 2,449.19 lakh owing to fund crunch and the liability has been pending since 2013, state Horticulture Minister Mohinder Singh informed the assembly on Monday. The reason for not making the payments to the farmers is due to the fact that procurement of culled apple was more than double in comparison to the last year, he said in a written reply to CPM member Rakesh Singha. The liability of the payment is being carried forward since 2013-14. The budget allocated under the scheme was as per the procurement of the previous year. The total amount to be paid to the farmers by HPMC (Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corp) up to January 31 is Rs 2,449.19 lakh, he said. The HPMC is unable to pay interest to the farmers for delayed payments due to its poor financial position, the minister added. Himachal Pradesh is one of India's major apple-producing regions, with more than 90 per cent of the produce going to the domestic market. Virgin Australia's share price is now worth less than 10 cents - sparking fears the airline could collapse as coronavirus stops Chinese tourists from visiting Australia. A leading aviation expert also fears Australians would pay significantly more for airline tickets if Virgin struggled to service its debt and went into administration, leaving rival Qantas with a domestic monopoly. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's last week downgraded its outlook for the airline from stable to negative, with the airline's losses during the past decade exceeding $2.1billion. The carrier, co-founded two decades ago by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, was also in danger of having debt levels six times higher than earnings, by the end of June, as the coronavirus worsened. Virgin Australia's share price is now worth just 9.7 cents - sparking fears the airline could collapse as coronavirus stops Chinese tourists from visiting Australia. Pictured is co-founder Sri Richard Branson launching Virgin Atlantic flights from Sydney to London in 2004 'We revised the outlook to negative based on our expectation that restrictions on inbound tourism from Chinese nationals will cut Virgin Australia's earnings for fiscal 2020,' S&P said in a briefing note on Friday. Virgin Australia shares fell by 7.6 per cent on Monday from 10.5 cents to just 9.7 cents - as the broader Australian market fell 1.9 per cent, marking the seventh straight day of losses. Tom Youl, an aviation analyst with IBISWorld, said Virgin Australia's high debt levels threatened the viability of the airline, which employed 9,800 people. 'If it continues to stretch on, the amount of debt they have, there is going to be a concern there,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday. 'In terms of actual viability of the company, it is of concern.' A Virgin Australia spokeswoman however said the airline 'strongly rejected' suggestions its future was at risk, citing the listed company's $1billion cash balance and the retention of the B+ S&P credit rating. 'Our S&P ratings remain the same and there is no impact on our borrowing strategy or existing facilities,' she said. 'S&P's updated outlook for the business reflects their view that the industry will continue to experience challenging conditions over the next six months due to the coronavirus. 'Virgin Australia maintains a strong cash position in excess of $1billion and our recent financial results last week showed an increase in revenue and passenger numbers. 'Any speculation about the future of the business is untrue and misleading.' Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's last week downgraded its outlook for the airline from stable to negative, with the airline's losses during the past decade exceeding $2.1billion. It also expected coronavirus (Chinese city of Suzhou pictured) to reduce earnings by $75million by June 30 But Mr Youl said the Australian government may have to intervene to stop Virgin Australia from going under - and giving Qantas the power to push up airline ticket prices. Virgin Australia Holdings annual losses 2009: $160million 2011: $67.8million 2013: $98.1million 2014: $353.8million 2015: $93.8million 2016: $224.7million 2017: $185.8million 2018: $653.3million 2019: $315.4million Source: Virgin Australia Holdings annual reports showing the statutory net loss after tax for the full year Advertisement 'There is some argument to suggest the government or any sort of regulatory body wouldn't want to see Qantas return to a monopoly in the domestic market,' he said. 'They'd have complete power, they could almost do what they want with prices.' A Sydney investment banker, who declined to be named, told Daily Mail Australia the unpopularity of Virgin Australia's corporate bonds was a real worry in light of S&P's outlook downgrade. 'There is a danger they could collapse,' she said. 'Their bonds are really underperforming and there is a bit of concern that they will not have enough free cash to service their debt payment.' Should Virgin Australia be placed into administration, it would the first collapse of an Australian domestic carrier since Ansett Airlines was wound up in 2002. The airline industry in general is already struggling, with Virgin Australia's share price having fallen from 17 cents since September. They have dropped from 13 cents since February 21. Tom Youl, an aviation analyst with IBISWorld, said Virgin Australia's high debt levels threatened the viability of Virgin Australia, which employs 9,800 people Meanwhile, the broader Australian share market has sustained losses of 13 per cent or levels approaching $300billion following seven consecutive days of decline. 'Because of coronavirus the market is in a really bad place anyway,' the banker said. 'Airlines are underperforming and people are not travelling.' S&P also forecast the coronavirus outbreak could reduce Virgin Australia's earnings by $50million to $75million by June 30 - before the effects of the summer bushfires were factored in. 'In addition, Australia's prolonged bushfire season and softer economic conditions are contributing to a broader industry downturn,' it said. It forecast the airline having a debt-to-earnings ratio of 6:1 by the end of this financial year. Last year, tourists from mainland China were Australia's greatest source of international visitors, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed. Last year, tourists from mainland China were Australia's greatest source of international visitors, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed. Pictured is Broadbeach on Queensland's Gold Coast Still, the 1.453million Chinese visitors was up by just 0.9 per cent, with the weakest annual growth pace in almost a decade occurring before the first cases of coronavirus were confirmed in January. Virgin Australia announced it would make a loss of $88.6million after tax in the six months to December 31. During the past decade, its full-year losses have added up to more than $2.1billion, even when the years of profit were factored in. Mr Youl said Virgin Australia had spent big on new, more fuel efficient airlines. Despite that, it had failed to dent Qantas's hold over the business class market. Virgin's budget offering Tigerair had also failed to steal sufficient market share from Qantas discount carrier Jetstar. Malaysia's Muhyiddin Yassin, a Malay nationalist politician backed by the corruption-tarnished former ruling party, was sworn in as prime minister Sunday after the king picked him to replace 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad. The swearing-in capped a week of turmoil that began with Mahathir's resignation in an apparent bid to consolidate power, but ended with him sidelined and complaining of betrayal after decades dominating Malaysian politics. Mahathir promised to seek a vote in parliament to challenge Muhyiddin's support, but conceded he might not win. Muhyiddin, 72, was sworn in at a palace ceremony in front of Malaysia's king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and promised to fulfill his duties as prime minister. The change in leadership comes less than two years after Mahathir joined old rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, to defeat the ruling party of six decades, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), on an anti-corruption platform. "This is a very strange thing," Mahathir said. "This is the losers that will form the government," he added, referring to the outcome of the 2018 election. He said he had the support of 114 of parliament's 222 members, but it was not guaranteed that they would all support him at a vote in a country of tangled political interests where horse-trading is commonplace. 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. YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. The monitoring conducted in 90 pharmacies and pharmacy networks across Armenia revealed that the large networks didnt increase the prices of face masks due to the novel coronavirus, but there is a deficit of these items, Chairman of the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition Gegham Gevorgyan told reporters today. After conducting a monitoring in pharmacies on March 1 we have found out that masks were exported from Armenia by non-major sellers. We have also recorded that no major importer has increased the prices of masks. At the moment there are some networks which do not have masks, but their prices have not increased, he said. He denied the reports according to which an artificial deficit of masks is created or there is an ungrounded increase in prices of masks. There is an increase in prices of masks in small pharmacies, for instance up to 200 or 300 drams. At the moment we are holding negotiations with our foreign partners so that the Armenian importers can bring new batch of masks from abroad. The foreign partners inform that the deficit of masks exists in the whole world, Gegham Gevorgyan said. Gevorgyan also informed that the healthcare ministry has stored masks, there is no shortage of them in the state reserve. First case of novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Armenia on March 1. The patient arrived in Armenia from Iran. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan This is an open letter to President Salvar Kiir, I am writing to you dear President in my capacity as a citizen of East Africa, as an African, a pan Africanist, a lover of the dignity which truth and freedom gives to human life and as passionate crusader for the rights and freedom of conscience, freedom of expression through the media, and freedom of intellectual socialization in all the spaces that humanity can access. Now, let me hope that this letter gets you well , as it also gets your foot-soldiers in proper shape of the spirit fit enough to appreciate the inherent gist of the letter so that you collectively act thereupon in an effect of accepting to respect the democratic spaces for all the 70 tribes of the people of Southern Sudan, to respect the liberty and equality of both the tall and short Southern Sudanese or liberty and equality of both the brown and the dark skinned Southern Sudanese, a desired out-come in which I dream to see you President Salvar Kiir stop perpetrating some kind of economic persecution against Taban Lo Liyong for nothing other than him having intellectually greased the conveyor belt of democracy to roll down the aisle of history by speaking naked historical truths of democratic technicality to the powers that be in the East African land of Southern Sudan. Facts-In early February 2020, the government of Southern Sudan under the auspice of you, the one Salvar Kiir, suspended Professor Taban Lo Liyong from University of Juba.The Nature of suspension was indefinite with no clear explanation about the date on which Taban Lo Liyong is supposed resume his work at the University. The reason why Taban was dismissed is due to his gadfly nature of intellectual audacity evinced in the article he wrote and published in one of the editions of the Juba Monitor during the month of February 2020.The content of the article was simple and clear; political leaders in southern Sudan must stop arming people to kill one another, they must fairly represent all the 70 tribes of Southern Sudan in sharing government jobs like ministries and state corporation leadership, the government of Salvar Kiir must stop arming the tribe of Dinka so that they can brutally loot and grab land-resources from the un-armed non Dinka communities of Southern Sudan, the government of Salvar Kiir must ensure inclusive governance of the oil resources by using the money from the oil to fight poverty ,disease and starvation but not to buy guns for killing the rural peasants from other tribes that dont speak Dinka language. The article also invited the world to appreciate an idea that if the government of Salvar Kiir is not capable to the above cited it must open itself to the referendum through which the new constitution can be made forging way for the proper formation of the state, the nation and the government of Southern Sudan. Dear President Salvar Kiir, active history of the state of Southern Sudan justifies the position taken by Taban Lo Liyong. Some few technical things must be done to form a pragmatic state, a solid and inclusive nation and as well as a modern type of government in Southern Sudan. Otherwise the world must be prepared to see a series of military Juntas succeeding one another like the actors in the movies of nickelodeon, Tom & Jerry or any another cinematic juvenile phantasmagoria interpolating what was supposed to be a mature political state. The gnome-like technical fallacy eating like a wood-pore into the rotten substructure that was supposed to form Southern Sudan as a political state was clearly explained by professor Mahmoud Mamdani in an article published in the Boston Review which decried the panicky manner in which the USA, Britain, Japan and United nations acted when forming the New State of southern Sudan from Sudan. In the same article, Mamdani subtracted the United Nations to remain with the three Western bourgeoisie States which he euphemistically described as the un-holy trinity that betrayed state-formation in Southern Sudan. And it is true, Southern Sudan was formed in a hurry to create accessible land to be used as a military strong-hold for the Western powers in their war on the Islamic Statists like Al gaeda, Al-Shabab, Hezb Allah, Boko-Haram and mention all in the region of Arab speaking Islam confessing countries in the North Africa, Middle East and Arab emirates. And the only way for this strong-hold to be formed was to hurriedly cut off the region of Southern Sudan from Sudan that was then led by Omar Al Bashir. It was so unfortunate that the African union did not interfere with the process to question and caution the quality of the State that was being formed for our brothers and sisters in Southern Sudan. It happened like this not because the member States of the African union had ideological incompetence to deal with the matter, but most of them had chosen to have a blind eye to these facts so that they could enjoy diplomatic leeway through which they could make money from un-guarded oil, wood and war in Southern Sudan. These political precedents are not a road to any strange revelation, they only mean that there is no freedom in Southern Sudan. Indeed, it is astounding to see President Salvar Kiir and his fellow Dinka tribes-men claiming that there is freedom in Southern Sudan, when only the actual truth is that the people of Southern Sudan are now buckling under the yoke of dictatorship of the military Junta formed by a hundred percent one tribe of the Dinka Bor in mad looting spree of community resources as they use their crude military capacity to kill the poor, to rape women, to leave children in starvation as they subject a whole nation to the tyranny of disease and poverty. Dear President Salvar Kiir, on the inception of Independence of the County of Southern Sudan you did not mind to demobilize the former guerrilla fighters to come up with a modern Army that can give professional services of national defense to the people of Southern Sudan. You deliberately maintained illiterate guerrilla and upgraded them into the state Army with a technically incompetent command structure. Let it be known to you dear President Kiir that the former bush guerrilla will never form any modern armed defense service unit. However, it is so commendable that now you are trying to demobilize some of the former guerilla who have started becoming aged into a para-military service for wild-life protection. I was fortunate in the month of August 2019 to meet some of them at Kenya Wildlife Services Training Institute in Naivasha, they had been brought there for a course of three years in Wildlife management. They were around two hundred thin, dark skinned and extremely tall men and women in their late forties and early fifties. All of them were Dinka Bor, they were all proud of having had served in the bush war and now the government has taken them to school. Some among them were close family members. Like in one of the classes, there was a son, a father, a mother, a daughter in law and a brother in law. They were all on a full government sponsorship which included tuition, food, a beer a day and earning a salary. When I asked one of them why other Southern Sudanese people that dont speak Dinka Bor have not come to learn, he responded to me in a vulgar manner- Dinkar Bor are in power and hence they are the ones to come to school. Dear President Salvar Kiir, you were the best speech maker when you recently came to Kenya to attend the state sponsored funeral of the late President Daniel arap Moi at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi . The most remembered words in your speech were that, the people of southern Sudan remember Moi as a beacon and an Icon of liberation, freedom and Independence of Southern Sudan. Your tall physique and the black bowel of a Godfather hat your head made you look a spectacular speaker. I was among the Gallery, I listened to you, and I looked at you and mused within myself about what your were speaking, then my minds eye peregrinated from those foreigners in Southern Sudan that are often unfairly condemned to life sentence or to other long term jail terms after only going through a skewed trial by a military Kangaroo Court without any right to access representation by a lawyer to the 63 non-Dinka Bor speaking tribes in Southern Sudan that have been systematically excluded socially and politically by your government. I wondered which type of freedom and Indepdence you were talking about. Or you thought a Dinka Bor with a gun is freedom? No, it is not freedom, either in Southern Sudan or anywhere else. Thus, these are the things that Taban Lo Liyong was staging an intellectual protest against. He is not doing this for his personal benefit, but for the benefit of East African citizens. But it was so sad that you never listened to him, instead you chose to persecute him by imposing some economic sanctions on him through unfair and indefinite suspension from his academic work at University of Juba. You were unfair in your choices. Not only unfair but also misfortunate in your misperception that Taban Lo Liyong works for money, no, his work at University of Juba is substantially charitable in kind and nature. He is doing it out of sympathy to redeem the girl-child and the boy-child of Southern Sudan from the abyss of illiteracy, and technical as well as intellectual incompetence. Mr. President Salvar Kiir, you are not one of your kind to try entrenching a gestapo like police dictatorship by muffling and terrorizing the media and those that are organic in the sense of being intellectually revolutionary. It is indisputable fact that ancestry of world politics is a pantomime of your kindred. Ranging from Anton Gramsci detention in Turin, Russian Stalinist dictatorship that persecuted the poet Osip Mantelsdam and Alexander Solsyntsyn, the Nigerian tribal dictatorships that terrorized Wole Soyinka, the Kenyan dark-time political leadership that detained the poet Abdallah Abdallatif, the Ugandan political buffoonery that terrorized Okello Oculli, Teresa Nanziri Bukenya and activated mysterious death of Okot P Bitek , the Apartheid of South Africa that dreamed to muffle Alex La Guma and Denis Brutus to many other historical experiences that wanted to make the muzzle of the gun to tower the power of truth in the pen. But it did not, the truth that was spoken straight to the face of power always reigned. Just as it is true that the ideas, dreams and prayers of Taban Lo Liyong over Southern Sudan will be realized at one time in the future. Alexander Opicho writes from Lodwar, Kenya - [email protected] KOLKATA: A day after Union home minister Amit Shah launched the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) campaign for next years assembly elections in the state, West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, finally reacted to last weeks communal clash in the national capital, blaming the BJP for it and terming it planned genocide. She also criticised BJP workers for raising the controversial shoot the traitors slogan in Kolkata on Sunday, even as Bengal BJP leaders said they stood in support of those whom the police booked for raising the slogan. I have been told by many persons that its a planned genocide later shown as a riot. Delhi Police are under the Centre. And BJP is so shameless that they have not even sought an apology, she said while addressing a gathering of party workers at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Monday. Targeting Shah who, during his rally in Kolkata on Sunday, called for the toppling of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, Banerjee said: They are shamelessly seeking to capture Bengal. Just look at what they have done to the states under their control. All seven Delhi MPs belong to the BJP. It got riots. Assam got NRC [National Register of Citizens], chaos and terror. In Uttar Pradesh, no one gets to lodge FIRs [First Information Reports] at police stations. The chief minister also lashed out at BJP supporters, who raised the Desh Ke Gaddaro Ko, Goli Maaro Saalo Ko (shoot the traitors) slogans in Kolkata on Sunday during the BJP rally. Those who talk about Bengals law and order (should) tell me why BJP leaders who created the provocations [before the Delhi clashes] with the slogan have not been booked and arrested. They did it here yesterday and we have picked them up today. Its Kolkata, not Delhi. If we spare a single person, others will be encouraged, the chief minister said. Dozens of BJP supporters raised the slogan while marching to the venue of Shahs rally on Sunday. Union minister of state for finance, Anurag Thakur, in January, led a group of BJP supporters in the chant during an election meeting in Delhi, although he himself did not utter the controversial second part of the slogan. Banerjees reference is also to other BJP leaders who have been accused of hate speech in Delhi. Officers at New Market police station on Sunday registered a suo motu case under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 505 (statements conducing public mischief), (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. On Monday, three BJP supporters, Prem Narayan Tewari, Surendra Kumar Tewari and Dhruba Basu, were arrested. Bengal BJP unit president, Dilip Ghosh, said Banerjees planned genocide remark was irresponsible for a chief minister. In Bengal, people who shout Pakistan Zindabaad are not penalised and Bharat tere tukde honge (India will be split) are not penalised and but those who call for shooting the countrys traitors are arrested. Whats wrong with the goli maaro slogan? Should anti-nationals be worshipped? I myself called for shooting anti-national elements, said Ghosh, a Lok Sabha member. BJP state unit general secretary, Sayantan Basu, said the party would move the Calcutta high court against the police for arresting the three BJP supporters for raising the slogan. Bengal governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar, weighed in on the goli maaro controversy on Monday when he said that the media was highlighting a minor incident in a major rally and advised it to refrain from playing a partisan role. TMC secretary-general, Partha Chatterjee, and CPI-M legislator, Sujan Chakraborty, said the governor was compromising the honour of his chair by commenting like a political leader. At the party workers gathering, which was also attended by TMCs political advisor, Prashant Kishor, Banerjee launched a mega public outreach campaign, Banglar Garbo Mamata (Bengals Pride, Mamata). Mamata is our pride because of three reasons: a) as a fierce protector of the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution; b) the true custodian of Bengals culture, dignity and pride; and c) weaving Bengals turnaround story, said Abhishek Banerjee, the chief ministers nephew, and the TMCs youth wing chief. Shah, on Sunday launched the BJPs Bengal campaign, named Aar Noy Annay (no more injustices), seeking to topple the TMC government by winning two-thirds of the states assembly seats in next year. Last May, the BJP won 18 of the states 42 Lok Sabha seats; while the TMC won 22. What happened over Sunday and Monday in Kolkata will not only intensify political polarisation, but social polarisation as well, said Amal Mukhopadhyay, a former principal of Presidency College, Kolkata. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Facebook has revealed a new version of Messenger that has been rebuilt "from the ground up", according its engineers. The app will now load twice as fast and use a quarter of the space, the company claimed. The rebuild will also mean that "a few features will be temporarily unavailable", Facebook said. It is working to bring those features back "soon", it said. Facebook said the Messenger app had become increasingly burdened with features since it launched in 2011, with the addition of video calls, moving GIFs and more. But those features had made the app "increasingly complex" for both its users and the phones that run it, it said. The new version of Messenger came from what it referred to as "Project LightSpeed", under which it looked to simplify and redesign the app. Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty It will start rolling out to iOS users "over the next few weeks", it said. Recommended Facebook Messenger lets parents see who their children are talking to The redesign was done with a particular focus on those users who are on older phones or slower connections, to ensure they can chat without technical issues, wrote Raymond Endred, vice president of engineering for Messenger. Mr Endred also said that the new version of the app "lays the foundation" for Facebook's plans to bring its messaging apps together, allowing users to chat between Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. By Ofeliya Afandiyeva Azerbaijan and Georgia have discussed joint projects in the Black Sea, to increase the competitiveness of the common corridor, Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava told local media. We invest heavily in infrastructure of Georgia, including in port and railway infrastructure. Obviously, if the region as a whole uses this corridor, it will cause even greater pressure and development. First of all, it depends on our relations and cooperation with Azerbaijan, the press service of the Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development quoted Turnava as saying following the meeting with Azerbaijani Minister of economy Mikayil Jabbarov. At the same time, Turnava noted that very close business ties and friendly relations were established between the two countries, the ministries of economy, which can contribute to the development of joint terminal projects and accelerate completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project and others. We are also talking about completely new, stimulating projects related to the Black Sea. It is possible to include relevant private and public structures of Azerbaijan in these projects, which will increase the overall competitiveness of our common corridor, the Georgian minister emphasized. According to the minister, she presented to her Azerbaijani counterpart a new initiative - the project of laying a high-voltage transmission line along the bottom of the Black Sea, which will connect Georgia with the EU energy market. This project, of course, will be of greater importance and commercial attractiveness if it is attended by a region, including Azerbaijan, which today is our reliable partner, supplying electricity in those periods when there is a shortage of electricity in the Georgian market, Turnova underlined. Note that the head of the Georgian Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia during her visit to Azerbaijan attended in the 6th meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor. The Southern Gas Corridor provides for the creation of a pipeline infrastructure for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe through Georgia and Turkey as part of the Stage 2 development of the Shah Deniz field. Note that Azerbaijan is Georgia`s fourth largest foreign trade partner, with the bilateral trade between the two countries totaling $932.7 million in January-November of 2019, according to the Georgia`s National Statistics Service. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By PTI 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 per cent to around 5.5 per cent. 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 reasons 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. S tunning photos show homes in northern and western New York covered in ice after blizzards swept across rural areas along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Homes were turned into icy igloos with some residents having to dig past two feet of snow to get out of their properties. Winds have blighted the state since Thursday and pictures show houses in the Hoover Beach area covered in snow from strong gusts. New York resident Duane St Louis said he spent all day on Friday clearing his driveway in Copenhagen despite getting up at 4am. Blowing snow has fallen around the state since Thursday / AP Weve got banks that are five over five foot high, he told WNNY-TV. "You wont see a car coming down through until its right on you." Snow remover Kevin Groff added that he has not had much sleep over the last few days. "Definitely the biggest of the year that's for sure and one of the top five in my memory," he said. The heaviest snowfall was concentrated in largely rural areas east of Lake Erie / AP About two feet of snow fell around the Tug Hill region in northern New York. South Watertown reported 34 inches and a social media report said four feet of snow fell in Carthage, according to the National Weather Service. Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo said he was dispatching 15 additional snow plows to the region east of Lake Ontario. Crew closes a road due to Lake Erie flooding, during a blizzard in New York / REUTERS The state also sent equipment to hard-hit areas in western New York, east of Lake Erie. The heavy snow in northern New York was coupled with fierce winds that reduced visibility and created high snow drifts. Ive seen 5 feet of snow before. But this one, you couldnt see across the street, John Swinyer told The Associated Press from the Copenhagen Volunteer Fire Department house. Houses along Hoover Beach are covered in ice after a blizzard hit New York / AP Mr Swinyer, a volunteer firefighter, spent the night in the firehouse to help out and had to dig a path to get to his truck Friday morning. Its another day in the North Country, he said. The National Weather Service has issued a series of watches, warnings and advisories associated with heavy, blowing snow around the state. The low temperatures, strong winds and waves as high as 18 feet along Lake Erie left the sides of several homes encase in ice on Hoover Beach south of Buffalo, according to WGRZ. The doctors do not disclose any personal data of the infected person Open source German medics confirmed the first case of COVID-19, the Chinese coronavirus in Berlin. The doctors began to check the people who contacted the infected person, DW reports. The doctors do not disclose any personal data of the infected person. It is expected that the city senator for healthcare will host a press conference; he is to reveal more information. The infected man had rest in the largest aquapark in Germany, which is why the local staff is tested for possible signs of coronavirus. This is not the first case in Germany; Berlin is the tenth of sixteen German federal lands where the disease was observed. 14 cases were observed in Austria, eight of them in Vienna. As of March 2, the current number of cases worldwide has exceeded 89,000. 3,048 patients deceased. Another 45,095 people recovered successfully. Meanwhile, the first cases of the disease occurred in the Czech Republic and the Dominican Republic. March 1, Australia and Thailand officially confirmed the first deaths from the coronavirus CoVID-2019. WASHINGTON Former Vice President Joe Biden finally got the win he needed. After nearly a month of underperforming in Iowa and New Hampshire, and finishing in a distant second in Nevada, Biden sealed a definitive win in the South Carolina primary, with black voters pushing him to victory. It's the first primary win ever for Biden, who is running for president for the third time. According to exit polls, 64% of black voters supported Biden. Sen. Bernie Sanders came in a distant second with black voters at 15%, followed closely by billionaire activist Tom Steyer at 13%. Here are some takeaways from the South Carolina Democratic primary: Joe Biden's big win South Carolina voters also turned to a key endorsement to make their decision. According to exit polls, six out of 10 primary voters took into account Rep. Jim Clyburn's endorsement of Biden. Clyburn is a Democratic icon in South Carolina, and told CNN on Friday we will have to sit down and get serious about how we retool this campaign following Saturday's primary. Biden's win gives him a much-needed boost going into Super Tuesday, where about 33% of national pledged delegates are up for grabs. He has now leapfrogged into second place among national delegates, following Sanders. One hurdle Biden will face, however, is competing with former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg for the first time this primary season. The two candidates are competing for much of the same center-left base, as is former mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. But Biden's win will likely encourage voters and donors to move forward with supporting his campaign many of whom have been wary of the candidate following his low standing in other early states. People cheer as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is announced as the projected winner in the South Carolina presidential primary on Feb. 29 in Columbia, South Carolina. South Carolina is the first-in-the-south primary and the fourth state in the presidential nominating process. Bernie Sanders slips to second Sanders is holding his lead in national delegates, but it's clear the race is changing. Saturday's nights distant second place shows Sanders might see some trouble with some black voters, who make up one of the largest voting blocs in the Democratic Party. Story continues Only 15% of black voters supported Sanders in the South Carolina primary, according to exit polls. But nationally, Sanders has seen an increase in support among black voters. He stands at 29% with black voters nationally, following Biden, who is leading at 31%, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. In 2016, Sanders only won about 26% total in South Carolina, compared to his then-Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton at about 73%. More: Joe Biden posts a convincing and quick win in South Carolina primary More: Sanders supporters denounce news outlets calling SC primary for Biden 'with 0%' of the vote In addition, Sanders is opting out of attending the Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, Alabama, which commemorates Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, that lead to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Alabama's primary is part of Super Tuesday. Although Sanders is holding a lead in polling, both nationally and in several Super Tuesday states, it's unclear whether Biden's win Saturday will push some voters to turn to the former vice president. Sanders, a Democratic socialist, appeals mostly with younger voters, who have traditionally not voted on the levels of older voters. However, in 2018, 18-29 year-olds made up the largest increase in voter turnout. One state that could keep Sanders on top is California. The Vermont Senator holds a huge lead in polling in the state, which has 415 delegates. Candidates need to get at least 15% across the state to win delegates and Sanders is the only one who passed that threshold in a recent CNN poll, where he stood at 35%. Tom Steyer spends at least $18 million, drops outs Tom Steyer, who invested millions into the South Carolina primary, including about $18 million in TV ads alone, couldn't break past Biden's firewall. Steyer ended his campaign after finishing in a distant third place Saturday. "I said if I didn't 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," he told supporters during a rally in Columbia, S,C. Prior to dropping out, Steyer had seen an increase in polling among black voters. He also received several high profile endorsements in the state, including Johnnie Cordero, chair of South Carolina's Black Caucus. Steyer didn't earn any delegates in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada before dropping out. Black voters rally behind Biden According to exit polls from The Washington Post, Biden won with a whopping 60% share of the votes cast by African Americans in South Carolina, who accounted for more than half of the ballots in the Palmetto State. That level of support is even higher than expected after recent polls showed him with about 40% support among black voters. Bidens large share of the African American vote could foreshadow good things if it carries over into Super Tuesday states with large populations of African American voters, such as North Carolina and Alabama. That voting bloc, who made up about a quarter of the votes cast in the 2016 Democratic primary, could prove key to making Biden competitive against Sanders on Super Tuesday. Black voters in Saturdays primary represented a lower percentage (56%) than those who turned out in 2016, when they made up 61% of the South Carolina vote. But total turnout that year was 370,904, compared with 528,720 (and counting) votes in 2020, meaning about 60,000 more black voters cast ballots in this contest than four years ago. If that level of turnout continues, that could be good news for the Biden campaign moving forward. More: Donald Trump says Mike Bloomberg should end 'joke of a campaign' after South Carolina primary What about the other candidates? It wasn't a good night for former mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar or Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Buttigieg, who saw strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, fell flat in South Carolina. This comes a week after placing a distant third in Nevada. In the weeks leading up to South Carolina's primary, Buttigieg continued to struggle with black voters, staying in the single digits among that bloc. This could spell trouble for Buttigieg going forward, where many of the states in Super Tuesday have a large population of black and Latino voters. Warren has continued to plateau as the primary continues. The Massachusetts Senator underperformed in New Hampshire after placing third in Iowa. She also didn't do well in Nevada. Despite having electric debate performances in the past two weeks, Warren has yet to find momentum at the polls. Klobuchar hasn't been able to keep her momentum after a surprising third place New Hampshire win earlier this month. The Minnesota Senator has also struggled with voters of color, staying in the single digits with black and Latino voters. It's unclear whether she will be able to break through the pack of the still crowded field of eight candidates. But her home state of Minnesota is among those that vote Tuesday. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: South Carolina primary: Joe Biden gets dominate win and other 2020 takeaways The gunman who took 70 people hostage on Monday showing what appeared to be a grenade on a video call with a a police officer, witnessed by members of the media, outside a mall in San Juan City in Metro Manila, Philippines. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, a disgruntled gunman claiming he had a live grenade took over a mall for 10 hours on Monday. He held as many as 70 people hostage and shot one person, who is in stable condition. Unusually, after releasing the hostages, he had an impromptu news conference for 20 minutes explaining why he took the mall hostage. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A disgruntled former security guard held dozens of people hostage in a mall in the Philippines on Monday. Afterward he told journalists exactly why he'd done it in an unusual press conference. Archie Paray, 31, was recently fired from V-Mall in San Juan City in Metro Manila after failing to show up for work after security guards' shifts were changed. On Monday, he entered his former workplace, shot another security guard, and then took as many as 70 people hostage. The mall was evacuated. Police and SWAT officers promptly arrived. The situation was taken seriously. Authorities wanted to avoid a repeat of several other deadly attacks in the Philippines in recent years. For 10 hours, Paray communicated with the authorities and the media. He showed both the hostages and a grenade, via a video call. The police haven't confirmed he had a real grenade. By the evening, all of the hostages were released unharmed. But what was unusual was that after releasing the hostages Paray was given a chance 20 minutes to voice his concerns to the media. He took journalists' questions and accused the mall's security of being corrupt. He was then tackled by the police and taken into custody. Here's how it happened, in photos. At about 10 a.m. on Monday, a former security guard named Archie Paray opened fire in V-Mall in San Juan City, based in the Philippine capital of Manila. People gather outside the V-Mall where gunshots rang out inside, in Manila, Philippines, Monday, March 2, 2020. Aaron Favila / AP Sources: The New York Times, Al Jazeera Paray shot a security guard, who was taken to a hospital and was later in stable condition. Then, he entered administrative offices on the second floor and took 30 to 70 people hostage. They were mostly employees. Story continues People stand behind a police tape outside the V-Mall where gunshots rang out inside, in Manila, Philippines, Monday, March 2, 2020. Aaron Favila / AP Sources: Al Jazeera, USA Today Other people in the mall heard the shots and evacuated. Hundreds of shoppers and employees managed to get out. The police closed the mall off. Police officers block the area outside Virra Mall where gunshots were fired, in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Sources: The New York Times, Al Jazeera More than a dozen SWAT commandos swiftly surrounded the mall, armed with long guns. Members of a police SWAT team arrive after a hostage situation was reported at a mall in suburban Manila in March 2, 2020. Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty Source: Time In the Philippines, malls are a community center, filled with food courts, shopping, medical centers, and churches, according to Al Jazeera. Inside Glorietta Mall in Ayala Center, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. Andrew Aitchison / In pictures / Getty Source: Al Jazeera While hostage events aren't common in the Philippines, in 2010 a disgruntled former police officer took over a busload of tourists from Hong Kong and died in a gunfight along with eight civilians. Agents hand out free newspapers in Hong Kong on August 24, 2010 with headlines and photos about the bus hijacking crisis in Manila the previous day. Mike Clarke / AFP / Getty Source: Al Jazeera More recently, in 2017 a gunman entered a mall-casino, also in Manila. He set gambling tables alight, which killed 36 people, primarily from smoke inhalation. Employees of Resorts World Manila Casino and Shopping mall light candles at he memorial for the victims of the deadly attack by a lone gunman Sunday, June 4, 2017 in suburban Pasay city, southeast of Manila, Philippines. Bullit Marquez / AP Source: NBC News The authorities did not want a repeat of either of these tragedies. Police prepares to enter a mall in Manila, Philippines Monday, March 2, 2020. Aaron Favila / AP While the entrances were all closed, people gathered outside the mall, waiting to see what would happen. Shoppers and vendors stand outside Virra Mall where gunshots were fired in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Relatives of the hostages arrived, too. As the day went on, more information became available. Relatives of mall employees arrive after gunshots were fired in Virra Mall, San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Source: The New York Times Mayor Francis Zamora of San Juan City told reporters that Paray "felt bad because he was removed as a guard." Zamora also said he had called for his former coworkers to join him, but no one did. Archie Paray, the gunman and former security guard who hostaged dozens inside a mall, is arrested by police in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Source: Time Throughout the day, journalists and officials had a direct connection to Paray, via his walkie-talkie and a video call. Journalists talk to the gunman who has hostaged dozens inside a mall via a walkie-talkie and a video call with a policeman, in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Source: Al Jazeera The video showed what he claimed was a live grenade, but there's been no confirmation it was real. The gunman who has hostaged at least a dozen people shows a grenade on a video call with a policeman, witnessed by members of the media outside a mall in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Source: ABC News He also showed the hostages on the video call. He told reporters, "Just wait, they will come out alive." A police officer holds a phone where the gunman and hostage-taker of at least a dozen is on a video call inside a mall in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Source: Al Jazeera SWAT entered the mall at some point during the day. Police enter a mall in Manila, Philippines Monday, March 2, 2020. Aaron Favila / AP Source: ABC News Even so, the authorities spent hours on the phone with Paray, asking for him to give up the hostages. In the early evening, in an attempt to appease him, six of the officers, who ran the mall's security, apologized and resigned or offered to resign. Officials from the security agency that had previously employed the hostage taker holds a press conference outside the V-Mall in Manila, Philippines, Monday, March 2, 2020. Aaron Favila / AP Sources: Al Jazeera, ABC News Paray said he would release the hostages as long as no one tried to trick him. After his safety was guaranteed, he kept his word. In the evening, the hostages filed out. Hostages walk out at the V-mall in Manila, Philippines on Monday, March 2, 2020. Aaron Favila / AP Source: Los Angeles Times Then, instead of being bundled into a van and taken to prison, Paray led an impromptu news conference for 20 minutes. Archie Paray, the gunman and former security guard who held dozens in hostage inside a mall, speaks to the public after releasing the hostages in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 2, 2020. Eloisa Lopez / Reuters Source: The New York Times He accused the mall's security-guard roster of corruption and said he was the "fall guy," according to The New York Times. Hostage-taker Archie Paray (L) talks to the media after releasing hostages before he was subdued by police outside a mall in Manila on March 2, 2020. Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty Source: The New York Times He took questions from reporters. Hostage-taker Archie Paray (C) speaks to media after he releases hostages outside a shopping mall following a shooting incident in San Juan City, Philippines, 02 March 2020. Dante Dennis JR II Diosina/Anadolu Agency / Getty But when he reached for something in his waist band, the police descended on him, tackling him to the ground. Policemen subdue hostage-taker Archir Paray (C) after he surrendered outside a mall in Manila on March 2, 2020. Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty Source: The New York Times He was subdued. Policemen subdue hostage-taker Archir Paray (obscured) after he surrendered outside a mall in Manila on March 2, 2020. Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty The police took him away. Hostage taker Archie Paray, center, rides a police vehicle after his arrest at the V-mall in Manila, Philippines on Monday, March 2, 2020. Gerard Carreon / AP It was an unusual ending to a hostage situation. Zamora told reporters: "What is important is that we had zero casualties. That was what we wanted. That the hostages can all go out safe." Two women walk free after they were rescued by police inside a mall in Manila on March 2, 2020. Maria Tan / AFP / Getty Source: The New York Times Read the original article on Business Insider The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday following uproar by Opposition parties over the violence in the national capital, with members accusing the government of sleeping while Delhi burnt. As the Upper House re-assembled at 2 pm after an adjournment earlier in the day, Opposition MPs including those belonging to the Congress, AAP, Left, TMC, SP, BSP and DMK were up on their feet shouting slogans and accusing the government of failing in its duty. Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was conducting proceedings, made repeated appeals to protesting members standing in the Well to return to their seats so that the House could function normally. He also urged three members sporting black blindfolds to remove them, saying these were against the decorum of the House. However, the members were unrelenting and protests continued. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi has left at least 42 dead and over 200 injured. Amid the sloganeering and protests, Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' introduced a bill which seeks to convert three deemed-to-be Sanskrit universities into Central Sanskrit Universities. The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 was passed by Lok Sabha in December last year. Pokhriyal moved that the Bill to establish and incorporate universities for teaching and research in Sanskrit, to develop all-inclusive Sanskrit promotional activities and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration. As opposition members kept protesting and raising slogans, the Minister spoke about the importance of the Sanskrit language. As per the proposed legislation, Sanskrit Central Universities will be set up by converting three deemed Sanskrit universities, presently functioning in the country. The three deemed universities are Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in New Delhi, and the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Tirupati. Earlier in the day, proceedings of the House were adjourned till 2 pm after the entire opposition vociferously protested over the issue of communal violence, with members alleging that the government slept while Delhi burnt. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the issue was definitely important but the priority should be to restore normalcy and then discuss ways and means of preventing it. When his appeals to members to resume their places went unheeded, he adjourned proceedings till 2 pm. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad charged that the Central government "slept" when violence rocked Delhi for three days. Earlier, when the House met it mourned the death of former member A V Swamy, followed by Naidu reading out a record of department related standing committees that considered demands for grants for 24 departments. He said the proceedings of the House during the first half of the current Budget session were "largely purposeful" with 96 per cent sitting. The House in the second half, that began Monday after a three week break, would be more meaningful, he hoped. Naidu said he has received notices from members of opposition parties seeking adjournment of proceedings to discuss the present situation in Delhi and other parts of the country. "The matter is definitely important and deserves to be discussed," he said, adding he will admit a discussion and allot time after discussing with the minister concerned as well as the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. "Our priority should be restoring normalcy. We should see that normalcy is restored and then we can discuss ways and means of preventing it (such violence)," he said, adding he wanted the House to send out a message in one voice on the issue. Let peace be restored, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Concurs repetat pentru selectarea unei companii sociologice, care sa efectueze un studiu tematic "Barometrul opiniei publice in domeniul schimbarilor climatice" BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced Rs 10 lakh as aid for a BSF jawan posted in Maoist-hit Malkangiri district whose house was recently torched on February 25 during communal riots in Delhi. Expressing grief over the incident, Patnaik spoke to BSF constable Mohammad Anees and empathised. He sanctioned aid from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund (CMRF) for the loss. Constable Mohammad Anees is working in the 9th Battalion deployed in the Maoist affected district of Malkangiri. This Battalion of BSF is responsible for the overall security in the Swabhiman Anchal (erstwhile Cut-off) area, which includes the Gurupriya bridge in Malkangiri district, the CMO stated in a release on Sunday. Currently, Anees is posted at Hantalguda camp in Chitrakonda area. Anees house at Khajuri Khas extension in Delhi was pelted with stones and burnt down during wide spread communal violence on February 25. The Border Security Force (BSF) has extended helping hand to rebuild the house. The 29-year-old BSF Constable hails from Munger district of Bihar. His family has settled in Delhi four decades ago. HOLYOKE Behavioral Health Network already had been working to expand and improve its community crisis stabilization programs before Providence Behavioral Health last week announced its plan to close all inpatient beds at its hospital in Holyoke. With this announcement we are working even more aggressively, said Steve Winn, psychologist and chief operations officer of Behavioral Health Network. The stars were aligning to help us provide more services. But we werent there yet. This will just compound the need. Springfield-based BHN is just one of the area mental health providers swinging into action to replace the expected loss of services at Providence. Providence is currently the only place in Western Massachusetts with inpatient pediatric behavioral health beds. There has got to be something done to help the community meet those enormous needs, said Deborah Shields, executive director of NAMI Massachusetts, a statewide advocacy organization. Its going to leave a lot of people without services. NAMI stands for National Alliance on Mental Illness. One in five people have a mental health condition, according to the group. On Friday, Mercy Medical Center in Springfield and parent Trinity Health Of New England announced they will close all three inpatient units at Providence Behavioral Health adult, pediatric and geriatric as of June 30. Thats a total of 74 inpatient psychiatry beds, although the hospital said it has operated with fewer than 60 beds in recent years, citing a shortage of psychiatrists. Trinity Health is also cutting its methadone drug treatment program on Mill Street in Springfields South End, pointing to other providers that also have clinics in the city. Its methadone clinic in Holyoke will remain open. The moves will cost 200 jobs out of a total of about 466. Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders issued a written statement in which she was blunt in her assessment of the shutdown. This announcement jeopardizes access to acute psychiatric treatment for children, youth, adults, and elders in Western Massachusetts, Sudders wrote. "Mercy Hospital has not provided an adequate plan to avoid a disruption in psychiatric inpatient services in Western Massachusetts. The hospital must comply with the legal 90-day discontinuance notice that will result in a public hearing chaired by the Department of Public Health. Providence plans to continue its substance use disorder services, including acute treatment service detoxification, clinical stabilization service post-detoxification, and outpatient substance use disorder services, with an intensive outpatient program. Winn, a psychologist who will take over as Behavioral Health Networks CEO in June with the retirement of current CEO Katherine B. Wilson, said BHN runs Western Massachusetts crisis team, fielding calls from patients and their families who need help immediately. The sky didnt fall in over the weekend, he said. But we are concerned. BHN already has 16 beds in three community crisis stabilization facilities in Springfield, Holyoke and Westfield. These programs provide short-term care now, and while patients live there, they do not provide the same level of services as a psychiatric unit in a hospital. "We're hoping not just to expand the number of beds, but to enhance our services so we can accommodate more of these patients," he said. Steve Wynn psychologist and COO of Behavioral Health Network. Photo provided) Baystate Health plans to build a dedicated inpatient psychiatric hospital in Holyoke. Baystate said recently that it is still evaluating potential partners. Baystate Health now has 98 inpatient psychiatric beds in Western Massachusetts: 28 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, 22 in Greenfield, 28 at Baystate Wing in Palmer and 20 at Baystate Noble in Westfield. Winn said that makes any Baystate expansion at least two or three years in the future too long for communities that fear losing access to inpatient services at the end of June. We like to keep people in their communities when at all possible, Winn said. Unfortunately, the demand tends to outplace the supply. There are many times when we have people waiting for beds and we dont have beds available for them. Often they are waiting in the emergency room even though thats not where they need to be. Winn said the emphases will need to be on care given early enough to prevent as many hospitalizations as possible. In early February, BHN announced that it will open a drug treatment outpatient center at its campus in lower Liberty Heights that will include methadone and counseling services. Long term, Winn said hes hopeful that the state, through the Gov. Charlie Baker administration and Sudders, is able to provide enough funding to replace services being lost in the Providence cutbacks. In October, Baker introduced a plan to increase spending on behavioral and primary care. He wants to require doctors and insurers to increase the amount of money they spend on those services by 30% over three years. The state Senate has its own plan to allow those with acute mental health symptoms to get treatment without waiting for authorization and to roll out a pilot program for telepsychiatry services in schools. Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke.The Republican file Its encouraging to see the issue getting a lot of attention on Beacon Hill and we just hope that a viable solution moves forward fast enough, said Ben Craft, vice president of community engagement at the Center for Human Development, which provides outpatient, home-based and residential behavioral health services in the area. We would expect some ripple effect from the change at Providence, both in terms of placement for inpatient services as well as referrals for people coming out of that care, Craft said. Right now, we are assessing steps we can take to mitigate impact however we can. He said the need is obvious, but providers often have a hard time making those services pay for themselves. NAMIs Shields pointed to Attorney General Maura Healeys recent enforcement effort against insurers that had been paying less for psychiatric services. Seven health care companies agreed to pay $1 million and to change their practices. Its also just grossly unfair, Shields said. We do have parity laws on both the state and the federal level, and they are not being followed. Thats highly disturbing. In the short term, Shields said Western Massachusetts needs to come up with a plan to fill in the gaps. And she asked people to call lawmakers and the state Department of Public Health to voice their concerns. Put pressure on hospitals to stay open, she said. Related Content: What better way to celebrate the best state in the Union than with live music, beer and free Texas-shaped tattoos? Die-hard Texans gathered for just that Saturday at Truck Yard Houston to celebrate Texas Independence Day, which occurs March 2. Google has now unveiled two new features for Chromebooks outside of the standard update cycle, including Ambient EQ and Netflix Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. The former feature is going to be hardware related and limited to devices that are beginning to launch this year. But the other should be available to any user as of this writing. Namely, thats Netflix PiP mode. As its name implies, PiP mode for Netflix applies solely to that streaming service and enables a scaled-down window for that service to be overlaid on the screen. Summarily, that means users will be able to watch a Netflix show or movie while continuing to use their device. For clarity, something like PiP mode could already have been accomplished via Netflixs web interface. Users would simply need to put the service in its own window and resize that down. The new feature will work automatically and via the app, offering a more Android-like intuitive experience. Advertisement Theres no setup required for that feature to work either. No settings need to be adjusted. Users will need to ensure they have the latest version of the app from the Chromebook variant of the Google Play Store. Then, selecting another window or app will automatically scale down the app window to PiP mode. Ambient EQ is the bigger feature here, despite its limited reach Ambient EQ is arriving later this year for select Chromebooks but it will be the bigger feature as it becomes more commonly implemented. Thats because the feature works similarly to Androids automatic brightness features. That is to say, it adapts the display to better suit the users environment. Where Ambient EQ rises well beyond its mobile counterpart is in the breadth of whats adjusted, likely enhanced by its premiere devices AMOLED display. First set to appear on the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, Ambient EQ adjusts more than screen brightness. Advertisement Google says the feature naturally adjusts the white balance and color temperature of your Chromebooks screen. Thats not just based on room brightness. Google also engineered it to adapt based on the users surroundings. In theory, that should equate to more in-depth adaptations than auto-brightness. But Google does provide an example shot showing Night and Day modes. So it wont be too dissimilar to that either. The search giant says that the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook will arrive in early April. That will be the first gadget to receive Ambient EQ features. Other Chromebooks will follow over the ensuing months and going forward. Advertisement Out of cycle updates are out of the norm for Chrome OS Now, out of cycle updates for Googles own hardware or for Android arent necessarily uncommon. But it is out of the norm for Ambient EQ and Netflix PiP to arrive on Chromebooks outside of the Chrome OS update cycle. But that doesnt mean they both will and while PiP for Netflix is new, its arriving via an app update. Chrome OS 81 isnt slated to arrive until March 24. So Ambient EQ is likely to be added at that time. So the key difference here is that no hardware will support Ambient EQ until the arrival of Samsungs Galaxy-branded Chrome OS 2-in-1. Iran's Health Ministry reported 12 more deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total to 66 deaths, while the number of cases in the country has reached 1,501. A member of a council that advises Iran's supreme leader is among those who died, state television reported on March 2. Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi died at a Tehran hospital of the virus, state radio said. He was 71. Mirmohammadi is the first top Iranian official to succumb to the COVID-19 disease that is affecting several members of Iran's leadership. The council advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It also acts as a mediator between the supreme leader and parliament. Mirmohammadi's death comes as other top Iranian officials have contracted the virus. Iran has the highest death toll in the world after China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Infections Could Be Higher Among those who are infected are Vice President Masumeh Ebtekar and Iraj Harirchi, the head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus who tried to downplay the virus before falling ill. Across the wider Middle East, there are over 1,150 cases of the new coronavirus, the majority of which are linked back to Iran. Experts say Iran's ratio of deaths to infections, around 5.5 percent, is much higher than other countries, suggesting the number of infections in Iran may be much higher than official figures show. In a move to stem the outbreak, Iran on March 2 held an online-only briefing by its Foreign Ministry. Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi opened the online news conference by dismissing an offer of help for Iran by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Meanwhile, a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) has arrived in Tehran to support Iran's response to a coronavirus outbreak, the UN agency said. The plane carrying the team also contained "medical supplies and protective equipment to support over 15,000 health care workers, as well as laboratory kits enough to test and diagnose nearly 100,000 people," the WHO said in a statement. The supplies worth more than $300,000 were loaded onto the United Arab Emirates military transport plane in Dubai. Earlier, Britain, Germany, and France have offered Iran a "comprehensive package of both material and financial support" to combat the spread of coronavirus. In a statement, the three European countries committed themselves to providing financial support "close to" 5 million euros ($5.6 million) through the World Health Organization or other UN agencies. The group would send by plane medical material to Iran on March 2, including equipment for laboratory tests, protective body suits, and gloves, it said. The British Embassy in Tehran announced that it has begun evacuations over the virus. It said that essential staff were still in Iran, but if "the situation deteriorates further," the embassy's ability to help British nationals there "may be limited." With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa Watertown, NY (13601) Today Flurries and a few snow showers throughout the day. High 21F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 40%.. Tonight Snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low -8F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y.(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The approximately US$ 7.8 billion market for security screening is highly likely to approach the revenues worth US$ 10 billion in the next two years. As indicated by a newly launched research report by Future Market Insights (FMI), more than half of the total demand for security screening is being accounted by the developed regional markets. East Asia however is cited as the most lucrative market for investors in security screening systems and solutions. Rapid growth in the economy, necessitating increasing expenditure on the national and infrastructural security, will continue to push deployment of reliable and advanced technology enabled security screening systems. While FMIs analysis identifies an impressive rate of adoption within emerging economies, China, India, and Russia are more likely to be at the forefront of this growth, in the security screening market. Airports Generate Maximum Demand for Security Screening, Explosive Trace Detectors Bestselling Over 2/5th of the global security screening demand is accounted by airports, which will remain the dominant application area for security screening systems manufacturers and suppliers. As government buildings are highly vulnerable owing to the voluminous sensitive information that they procure, public recreation areas such as malls are also cited as the next sensitive area for implementation of effective security screening. Border check points are also expected to emerge lucrative through coming years, in the security screening market. Explosive trace detectors, currently accounting for nearly 1/4th share of the total sales of security screening systems, will reportedly witness strong growth in demand through the coming years. According to the report, X-Ray screening systems and biometric systems are also highly popular among the end-use application areas in security screening market. The collective market value share of the aforementioned security screening systems is just-under 50% and the report expects attractiveness of the latter to surge - with growing adoption of fingerprint and face recognition technologies. Smart Security Screening Trending in the Global Market Looking at the loopholes in current security screening models in terms of efficiency and sustainability, airports have been accelerating the industry's shift to smart security screening solutions, over the recent past. A combined initiative of Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), smart security is emerging as a streamlined solution for airlines, passengers, and their belongings. Recently, Australia's first-ever smart security screening checkpoint was unveiled at the Melbourne Airport. Key Vendor Insights: Global Security Screening Market Westminster Group PLC, one of the key players competing in security screening market, recently completed the acquisition of Keyguard UK Ltd. The latter is a leading company in the security screening space, providing the blend of manned security and the latest technology enabled security screening systems. The former will now offer packages combining technology and guarding particularly to the infrastructure security domain. This deal is expected to benefit both the business bases, in form of multiple cross-selling opportunities. Besides Westminster, FMIs report covers detailed strategic profiles of some of the most prominent companies operating in security screening market landscape, including American Science and Engineering, Inc., Analogic Corporation, Argus TrueID, Aware Incorporation, Digital Barriers, Mangal Security Systems Ltd., OSI Systems, Inc., Smiths Group plc, LAXTON GROUP, NEXT Biometric, Aratek, NEC Corporation, and Cognitec Systems GmbH. Press-Release Source https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/04/10/1801946/0/en/Security-Screening-Market-to-Grow-at-a-CAGR-of-7-3-during-2018-2028-Future-Market-Insights.html About Future Market Insights (FMI) Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and take critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Contact Mr. Abhishek Budholiya 616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage, NY 10989, United States T: +1-347-918-3531 F: +1-845-579-5705 T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790 For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com The Glooscap First Nation in Nova Scotia has lost its quota to import 25 tonnes of feta cheese from Greece. The one-year quota was awarded as part of the Canada Europe Trade Agreement. It led to a failed cheese-import business that is now in the hands of the RCMP and subject to a lawsuit launched by Glooscap Chief Sydney Peters against former partners in the scheme. Between 2017 and 2019, the federal government spent over $2 million on the business venture to import, process and distribute feta cheese from Greece. But a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said the arrangement had expired. The spokesperson said Glooscap had failed to meet requirements and was ineligible for a quota in 2019. On Friday, a former business development promoter for Glooscap First Nation filed court papers denying any wrongdoing in the affair. Claude O'Hara served as vice-president of corporate development at Glooscap Ventures, the band's economic development agency. O'Hara is one of eight defendants named in the lawsuit launched following the debacle. He was the last to file a defence. The deal started in the fall of 2017, when the 300-member Annapolis Valley band was approached by businessmen Peter and Dimitri Tsakanikas with a proposal to distribute feta cheese from their company in Greece. CBC In court papers, Glooscap said it paid $2.3 million for equipment to process and package feta cheese imported by its partner, ILIA Gourmet Canada, headed by Peter and Dimitri Tasaknikas. The band said the equipment never arrived, nor did a processing facility that met federal standards. Glooscap alleged some band money earmarked for the feta cheese partnership was diverted to salaries and vehicles used for unrelated businesses operated by its partner. Glooscap said it called the RCMP after it learned of spending irregularities. It said $3.1 million in funds are under police review. Defendant says band aware of old fraud allegation In the lawsuit, Glooscap said O'Hara was negligent in not warning of prior fraud allegations against the promoter of the partnership, Peter Tsakanikas. Story continues In his defence, O'Hara denied telling the Glooscap Ventures board the background check was "positive in all respects" and further denied allegations he acted to further his "'personal interests' or in order to perpetrate any fraud." O'Hara said the allegation against Tsakanikas was over a U.S. lawsuit that was settled more than 10 years ago. The civil action was disclosed in a background check carried out by a company hired by the band to vet Ilia Gourmet. O'Hara said due diligence was not his responsibility, but belonged to Amanda Peters, then the CEO of Glooscap Ventures. "The defendant received the information within the same email that Amanda Peters sent to her uncle Chief Sydney Peters, which contained [the] comprehensive report," O'Hara said. Defendants deny wrongdoing The band also accused O'Hara of providing confidential information about Glooscap operations to the promoters, in violation of a confidentiality clause. O'Hara admitted he is now a director of a business affiliated with the promoters, but denied he breached any confidentiality agreement. All others named in the lawsuit, including Ilia Gourmet directors Peter and Dimitri Tsakanikas, have already filed separate defences denying any wrongdoing. The defences dispute the band's most serious claims, including the accusation funds were improperly diverted to unrelated businesses. They said the processing equipment is in Greece awaiting a suitable processing facility. The band was blamed for not securing a facility acceptable to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. ACOA owed money The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is still owed $907,000 for a loan it made for the project. Indigenous Services Canada also gave the band $1 million. Some feta cheese did make it from Greece to Nova Scotia, but the band says it expired in August 2019 and at the end of February 2020. MORE TOP STORIES CLIFTON HEIGHTS Comments made by Upper Darby School Board members and a school district attorney during last weeks finance and operations committee has raised the ire of Mayor Joe Lombardo and borough attorneys. Clifton Heights officials were accused of creating roadblocks in reference to the proposed construction of a new middle school on North Springfield Road, resulting in the district paying $20,000 to $30,000 a month in legal fees and delaying the project one year. They are trying to intimidate us and it isnt going to work, Lombardo said. We have done nothing to block them. The district has been trying to jam things down our throats and we are going to make them go through the proper steps. We are doing our jobs as elected officials. As far as I am concerned the district is creating its own roadblocks. Lombardo said the projects traffic study is incomplete and the district has presented three plans that are basically similar. He added that the borough gave the district a laundry list of items to address, that has yet to be completed. It is not our responsibility to hold their hand and tell them what they should do, Lombardo said. They need to present a plan that works for our municipality within our guidelines as far as our building codes are concerned. The proposed $65 million, 147,000-square-foot middle school is an absolute necessity, due to overcrowding at both Beverly Hills and Drexel Hill Middle Schools, according to district officials. Other construction sites were considered, however, none were suitable due to restrictions or costs. The property on North Springfield Road is owned by the Upper Darby School District and building at that location is ideal, said district officials. Land development attorney Andrew Stoll, who is representing the district in this project, stated last week that interactions between the district and Clifton Heights have not been typical. We have had some roadblocks from the municipality, Stoll said during last weeks meeting We continue to move ahead despite the roadblocks and plan on building a school there. Clifton Heights special attorney John McBlain wrote a letter to Stoll taking issue with the comments. During our involvement in this matter, the district has publicly presented the narrative that Clifton Heights has obstructed the land development process and has not been cooperative because the borough refuses to sit down to discuss the districts design and refuses to answer questions in public, McBlain wrote. The district asserts that this is not typical in land development matters, with the implication being that the borough has acted in a way that contravenes its duties and responsibilities under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Code, or some other statute, regulation or court decision. This narrative of implied dereliction is false. McBlain goes on to say the project in question is the largest in the history of the borough and will increase the daily population by 20 percent. The traffic generated by the school could add more than 1,000 daily vehicle trips to a highly populated neighborhood, and increase the need for borough resources such as police protection. The borough is determined to ensure public confidence in whatever the outcome by ensuring transparency and avoiding backroom deals, wrote McBlain. Contrary to what the district wants the public to believe, the borough has acted in good faith in evaluating the proposed land development plans. Lombardo also stated that the district is costing themselves money by not having a separate project manager. The Superintendent and Dr. (Greg) Manfre are not qualified to be project managers, as their degrees are in education, not engineering and architecture, Lombardo said Look, they gave been throwing stuff at us expecting us to rubber-stamp it, and that is not going to happen. We are committed to making them do due diligence and what is best for our residents in Clifton Heights, not the Upper Darby School District. The incident is the first since North Korea declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests was over. North Korea has fired two unidentified projectiles, South Koreas military said, weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over. The two devices were fired on Monday eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The military is monitoring for additional launches and maintaining readiness, the statement added. The projectiles flew for 240 kilometres (149 miles), reaching a height of 35 kilometres (22 miles), the military said. North Korea carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems, although others called them ballistic missiles. It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December. At a party meeting at the end of that month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened a demonstration of a new strategic weapon soon. The move came with nuclear negotiations with the US at a standstill and as a unilateral deadline Pyongyang set Washington to offer it new concessions on sanctions relief expired. Pyongyang has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates. It is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes from the United Nations Security Council, US, South Korea and other bodies. Heightened tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington, including three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump but little tangible progress was made. Kipiu.yxhbgc.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 19 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the kipiu.yxhbgc homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if kipiu.yxhbgc has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the kipiu.yxhbgc homepage on Twitter + the total number of kipiu.yxhbgc followers (if kipiu.yxhbgc has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the kipiu.yxhbgc homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the kipiu.yxhbgc homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the kipiu.yxhbgc homepage on Delicious. Basic Information PAGE TITLE w-U-20126 DESCRIPTION w-U-20126 KEYWORDS w-U-20126 OTHER KEYWORDS u, u, , u , u, u , u The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE SERVER Microsoft-IIS/6.0 (PHP/5.2.17) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2003 Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Operative System running on the server. The language of kipiu.yxhbgc.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for kipiu.yxhbgc.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 A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND As concerns around the spread of coronavirus in the United States have reached a fever pitch in recent days, the issue has managed to influence the upcoming Super Tuesday primaries in at least some ways. In at least one California county hit by the spread of the virus, Solano County, voters have been told they can drop off their ballots without getting out of their cars. And, all poll workers in the county which saw a resident test positive without any link to foreign travel are being given disinfectant wipes to use on voting machines. Were definitely trying to give voters another couple of options to still get their vote out but not have to interact, if they didnt want to, with the public, said John Gardner, the assistant registrar of voters, in an interview with ABC News. The decision in Solano County is one among just a few precautions being implemented in the 14 states that are set to vote on Tuesday, with most planning no changes at all, according to reports. 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 Its pretty much business as usual, said Steve Hurlbert, the communications director for the Colorado Secretary of State, according to the New York Daily News. So far, the coronavirus outbreak in the US has largely appeared contained, even as two deaths were reported over the weekend and some scientists have raised concerns that the virus may be spreading undetected, and have a much larger footprint than believed. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have declared that it is a matter of when, not if, the virus impacts the United States, and Donald Trump has assigned a task force to try and combat that spread. While Super Tuesday states may not be taking many extra precautions, it may be likely that future primaries are impacted going forward. Should health officials cancel school and sporting events, it would seem likely that they could also delay in-person voting as well. The plan by the National Security Adviser (NSA) to constitute interim management committee instead of appointing the coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) will be resisted by the Ijaw youths, the president Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, has warned. According to him, "The NSA should rescind the idea of appointing interim management committee. IYC will not accept it", he threatened. This is contained in a press release signed and made available to our correspondent Sunday by the IYC president. Hear him: "We heard that the following persons are to be appointed as members of the interim committee to coordinate the affairs of the Programme. Viz: 1. Mr. A. A. Lawal- Chairman 2. Col. Udoma- Secretary 3. Mr. Anthony S. A. (Legal)- Member 4. Brig-Gen Mohammed- Director of Finance and Administration together with one other person representing the SGF. "The PAP is not a northern affairs. This programme is the reason why the oil sector is experiencing peace. President Buhari should advice the NSA to disband that devious committee. We will revolt against it. Niger Delta region will not have peace especially the oil platforms should the FG go-ahead with this so-called committee. "We sensed that the NSA, the SGF and some powerful forces in the presidency are clandestinely making moves to hijack the Amnesty Programme. We will resist it even with the last drop of our blood. IYC will short down the oil sector if Buhari allows these desperate elements in the presidency to hijack the Amnesty Programme like what they're doing to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the NDDC. "Our demand is that Mr. President should for the sake of peace in the oil sector appoint a coordinator immediately from among competent Ijaw people. We are watching the fold of events as we will not hesitate to short down all the oil platforms in Ijaw lands. Do not blame us should there be break down of law and order in the region. "Buhari's government is provoking the Ijaw people to anger. We will not accept the government turning the Amnesty Programme as a northern affairs in order to pay political followers. This is the height of provocation. "We will not allow cabals in the Government to take away the Programme from us. That's an invitation to anarchy. Definitely, the boys will go back to the creeks. We hope that President Buhari will treat this message as a warning as the consequences of the NSA's action will be catastrophic to the nation's mono-economic. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the use of force, while the state's attorney and FBI conducted the underlying criminal review. Guglielmi said the department was cooperating fully. Foxx's office didn't immediately return a message Sunday. Roman's attorney, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, has said he underwent surgery after he was shot in the abdomen and buttocks, and that he will likely need more operations. He remained hospitalized Sunday but was no longer in critical condition. Roman's family is pleased with the decision to dismiss all charges, Schmidt Rodriguez said. He is cooperating with the various investigations into the shooting, she said. The shooting happened Friday afternoon. An officer who spotted a man jumping from one car to another in violation of a city ordinance and called for backup, and two officers chased and grabbed the man. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed Monday that the first person to test positive for coronavirus in New York city was a health worker who had recently traveled to Iran. Cuomo cited the patients background during praise for the textbook way the 39-year-old woman operated after returning home from Iran. He added that the patient was not symptomatic upon returning to New York, and was self-isolated in her apartment in Manhattan. She was not on any public transportation, she has been in her home virtually isolated and she is isolated once again, Cuomo told CNN. So in this case, because of those circumstances because of her knowledge she acted in a textbook way. In his initial release detailing the case, Cuomo made no mention of the patients status as a healthcare worker. We have learned of the 1st positive case of COVID-19 in NY. The patient contracted the virus while in Iran & is isolated There is no reason for undue anxietythe general risk remains low in NY. We are diligently managing this situation &will provide info as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/rLnObvrg3R Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 2, 2020 Cuomo also admitted that while at this point we have no reason for concern, it is inevitable that there will be community spread. You cant have it be in this many places in the globe and this many places in the country and not be in New York. So that is going to happen, he stated. U.S. officials announced Sunday night that the second American had died from the virus, with both mortalities occurring in the same hospital in Kirkland, Wash. As of Sunday night, 88 cases of coronavirus have been identified in the United States. More from National Review By Jung Min-ho Korea has advised its citizens against traveling to Japan and Italy due to coronavirus concerns. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a Level 1 travel advisory for Japan on its four-tier scale on Saturday. The COVID-19 virus has killed 12 people and infected more than 900 (including those from the cruise ship Diamond Princess) in Japan. "The decision was made after considering the risk of infection in Japan," the ministry said in a statement. "We will keep an eye on the situation developing in Japan and, if necessary, will change the advisory level." On Friday, the ministry issued a Level 2 travel advisory for three regions in northern Italy Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna for the same reason. The death toll has hit 34 and nearly 1,700 people infected in the country. "Korean citizens who stay in northern Italy should be mindful of health and safety; if you are considering visiting the region, we urge you to review the necessity of the trip carefully," the ministry said. Meanwhile, the ministry confirmed that 80 countries and territories are restricting the entry of travelers coming from Korea, where the virus has killed 22 people and infected more than 4,200. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: The Bihar government raised the countrys first tribal women police battalion named the 'Bihar Police Swabhiman Vahini' with a strength of 675 constables. Lauding the Bihar police, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday at the partys conference, said that the empowerment of women in all walks of life is one of the top priorities for the state government "and the countrys first 'Bihar Police Swabhiman Vahini' is a living example of our dedication and commitment to uplift the lives of ST women." The passing out parade of this battalion was held last Wednesday at Patnas Mithilesh stadium. Exuding confidence, the women police - the majority of whom belong to tribal communities, exhibited their skills at the parade before the chief guest DGP Gupteshwar Panday and other senior officers of the department. Speaking to this newspaper, ADG (CID) Vinay Kumar said that majority of the battalion included constables who are part of ST communities from Bettiah, Jamui, Rohtas and other areas. The women cops recruited in this battalion displayed marvellous talent during training and exhibited a high degree of professional skill, he said. He said that the battalion's permanent headquarters would be at Valmikinagar in West Champaran but for the time being, they have been stationed at BMP-5 till the infrastructure is set up. ADG (HQ) Jitendra Kumar confirmed that the battalion, being the first in the country, underwent rigorous training for several months at the BMP-2 headquarter in Rohtas. The parade was headed by a woman constable Karuna Hansdah belonging to the Tharu tribe. According to the ADG (HQ), a requisition has been made to the Central Selection Board of Constable to make another round of recruitment. Franklin Graham has launched legal proceedings against more venues following the cancellation of his UK tour events. A spokesperson for the American evangelist said that claims have now been filed against the FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield and ICC Wales. Legal proceedings were already underway against the Scottish Event Campus, owners of the Glasgow Hydro, after it cancelled his evangelistic event, which had been due to take place on May 30 - the first night of his UK tour. A court in Scotland last week asked the SEC to explain within seven days why it had cancelled the booking. But a report in the Scottish Herald on Friday said that the SEC intends to "resist" the request. Christian Today contacted the SEC for further comment but was referred back to its original statement following the cancellation of Graham's event. That statement reads: "The booking for this event was processed in the same way we would for any religious concert of this nature and as a business we remain impartial to the individual beliefs of both our clients and visitors. "However, we are aware of the recent adverse publicity surrounding this tour and have reviewed this with our partners and stakeholders. "Following a request from our principal shareholder the matter has been considered and a decision made that we should not host this event." Graham's spokesperson said the evangelist was still hoping that his Glasgow event could take place at the Hydro as planned. "We have received a report that Scottish Event Campus Limited and Glasgow City Council intend to resist the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's request for judicial relief, and have been advised that they will have another seven days to file a substantive answer," the spokesperson said. "We will continue trying to work toward a resolution that will allow the Graham Tour UK to be held at The SSE Hydro as planned." Graham is head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which has been overseeing preparations for his UK tour. Seven venues had been booked across the UK but they all pulled out after coming under pressure from LGBT campaigners because of Graham's traditional views on marriage and sexuality. In addition to the FlyDSA Arena, the Sheffield claim involves the city council and Sheffield City Trust. The case in Wales involves the Welsh government. Graham's spokesperson said that the actions of the venues had "alarming" implications for free speech and religious freedom. "BGEA's position remains that in nearly 70 years of public evangelistic outreach ministry, there is no evidence whatsoever that any BGEA event involving Franklin Graham has ever caused a danger to public safety or incited public disorder," he said. "The actions taken by these venues and those responsible for them to publicly repudiate these contracts are clear efforts to distance the decision-makers from BGEA, Franklin Graham and other Christians who hold similar beliefs. "There is no question that this was done under pressure from those with opposing views who have demonstrated a relatively predictable pattern of harassment and bullying of those doing business with BGEA. "This disregard for principles of good faith and fair dealing, based on the mere suggestion that a person's sincerely held religious views or statements are 'hateful' or would result in public disorder, should be very alarming to anyone who is genuinely concerned about diversity, inclusion and tolerance, let alone free speech and the free exercise of religious beliefs." Reposted with permission of Christian Today Video Archives Now Available: Chuck Davis, CEO of Stone Point one-on-one interview with host Matt Bird at the Greenwich Economic Forum. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Equities News releases CEO of Stone Point, Chuck Davis's one-on-one interview with Traders Network Show Host Matt Bird, live from Greenwich Economic Forum in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Greenwich Economic Forum is a global alternative investment industry conference that convenes some of the brightest minds in global finance for discussions on global trade, capital markets and investing - representing more than $17 trillion AUM. Highlights Stone Point Capital's trident funds seek to make equity investments between$50-$500 million Stone Point managed 8 private equity funds with aggregated committed capital of $25 billion Chuck Davis has over 30 years-experience in private equity investing Watch full video: One on One Interview Event Details Event: Greenwich Economic Forum Guests: Chuck Davis, CEO of Stone Point Release Date: Mar, 2 2020 Location: Greenwich, Connecticut Network: Equities News Show: Traders Network Show Host: Matt Bird Equities News: Chuck Davis Archive & Transcript YouTube Archive: Click Here About the Greenwich Economic Forum The Greenwich Economic Forum is an elite international gathering of leaders in global finance. Founded in 2018 by Wall Street veterans Bruce McGuire and Jim Aiello, GEF convenes some of the brightest minds in global finance, business, media and Government for discussion and debate on the defining issues of our times. Topics on the agenda of the Forum include central bank policy, global markets & asset allocation, international trade policy, ESG investing, and the bilateral relationship between the US and China. Greenwich is famous as the "hedge fund capital of the world" and many of the leading hedge fund and private equity firms are represented at the Forum. While a finance conference at its core, GEF strives to promote diversity of connectivity and thought and we welcome cultural influencers to join the discussion. About Traders Network Show The Traders Network Show (an Equities News original program) is a not-for-profit business news program covering full-length economic development and impact events around the Greenwich; Greenwich Economic Forum, OECD, EU Parliament, Vatican, U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations and more. Hosted by Matt Bird and David Nelson, the Traders Network Show interviews the front-page titans, government officials, CEO's, influencers and power executives making headlines today on how economic development and impact strategy is shaping our emerging growth economies. For more information visit: www.tradersnetworkshow.com | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn About Equities News | Equities.com Equities News (www.equities.com) is a digital news agency - a leading producer, aggregator, and provider of full-length video and editorial coverage of economic development, sustainability, and impact events worldwide. Equities provides turn-key hosted and monetized business news solutions for publishers globally. Equities News operates five news bureaus: New York, Los Angeles, Vatican City, Baku, and Brussels. The Equities News network reaches more than 40 million households with its original content syndicated across all four major news networks and dozens of financial and business portals, magazines, and newspapers. For more information visit: Equities.com | Instagram |Facebook | LinkedIn *Equities News are proud supporters of the UN SDGs and Humanity 2.0 CONTACTS: Business and Partnership Inquiries: Matt Bird President Equities News | Equities.com C: +1 646.401.4499 E: matt@equities.com Matt Bird's LinkedIn Communications Contact: Nicole Liddy Communication Coordinator Equities News | Equities.com C: +1 848.702.4173 E: nicole.liddy@equities.com SOURCE: Equities News View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578631/Chuck-Davis-of-Stone-Point-Interview-with-Host-Matt-Bird-at-Greenwich-Economic-Forum--Traders-Network-Show-Equities-News A Delhi court on Monday reserved its order on a petition filed by Pawan Gupta, a death row convict in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, seeking a stay on the execution as his mercy petition is pending before the President. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana reserved the order after hearing arguments from all the sides in the matter. The four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh -- are scheduled to be hanged at 6 am on March 3. During the hearing, advocate AP Singh said that he filed the mercy petition before the President of India on behalf of convict Pawan Gupta as soon as he received the information that the convict's curative petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court earlier today. Singh said that the former Justice (Markandey) Katju has emailed him and stated that he will meet the President of India regarding the mercy petition. Public prosecutor Irfan Ahmed, on the other hand, opposed the application and contended that this plea is not maintainable. Judge Dharmendra Rana asked Singh how he could afford to ignore the order of the Delhi High Court, which granted a week's time to the convicts to avail all legal remedied available to them. "How can this Court ignore it? Once, Delhi High Court had given you seven days' time, it is binding upon me. How do we ignore those instructions?" Judge Rana said expressing displeasure with advocate AP Singh. The court observed that the defence has already lost the seven days period granted by the High Court. Lawyer for victim's family, advocate Jitender Jha submitted that that trial court does not have jurisdiction to deal with this situation adding that only the High Court can impose stay as per Section 415 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with the postponement of execution sentence of death in case of appeal to the Supreme Court. Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmed said that as per the mandate of prison rule, the President will seek a report from Jail authorities and the execution will be stayed suo moto. He said that the court cannot pass any order at this stage adding that this petition is premature. Earlier today, the court dismissed an application seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrant but slated to hear a petition afresh after advocate AP Singh informed the court that the mercy petition of convict Pawan Gupta was filed before the President. President Ram Nath Kovind had on February 5 rejected the mercy petition of convict Akshay Thakur. So far, mercy petitions of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh have also been rejected. The case pertains to the gangrape and brutalising of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) YPSILANTI TWP., MI -- Ypsilanti Township resident and community activist Michael White is running for a seat on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. White is aiming to represent District 5, which covers most of Ypsilanti Township and all of Augusta Township. Hell be running against social work professor Justin Hodge in the Aug. 4 primary. Commissioner Ruth Ann Jamnick confirmed she will not seek reelection. Social work professor to run for Washtenaw County commissioner White, a U.S. Army veteran and chairman of the Eastern Washtenaw Democratic Club, said hes running for office because he wants to impact his community, according to a news release. He wants to focus on poverty, housing, criminal justice reform and economic opportunities if elected. Its time to stop abandoning issues that affect white, black and brown people. We need to have multiracial, class-conscious, conversations that bring us together and affect positive action in our community for all working families, White said in a statement. White has endorsements from former Ypsilanti Schools Superintendent James Hawkins and Ypsilanti City Councilman Anthony Morgan. I am supporting Michael White because I believe he has the best opportunity to offset the deliberate strategic policy disparities between the east and west sides of Washtenaw County, Morgan said in a statement. I strongly feel that his voice and perspective will exhume fairness, compassion, and eagerness more than any other candidate in this race. White has a bachelors degree from Eastern Michigan University, a masters degree in administration from Central Michigan University and is completing a doctorate in educational technology at CMU, according to the release. He is a senior manager at AT&T. White had an unsuccessful campaign for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2016. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Police unions question Ann Arbor chiefs integrity after investigation University of Michigan issues travel restrictions to Italy amid new coronavirus outbreak Heres who Ann Arbor-area officials are backing in the presidential race Twelve people were taken to a hospital after becoming ill on Saturday night in a home with high levels of carbon monoxide in Lower Macungie Township, authorities report. Macungie Ambulance was dispatched to the home in the 3600 block of Clauss Drive, then called in the township fire department at 10:27 p.m. to help treat sick people, fire Chief David Nosal said. The ambulance corps also called in other EMS units from around the area, Nosal said. Pennsylvania State Police troopers were dispatched at 10:28 p.m. and learned people were complaining of feeling dizzy and sick, police said in a news release. Troopers helped patients into waiting ambulances, police said. The 12 people were treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township for symptoms related to carbon monoxide inhalation, a health network spokesman said Monday morning. One person was admitted and they were stable as of Monday, Brian Downs said. The fire department shut off the natural gas feed and ventilated the home, the chief said. Firefighters ventilated the attached home as a precaution, Nosal said. The attached home had minor carbon monoxide readings, he said. UGI personnel locked out the gas meter until evaluation/repair could be made to the heating unit which was the suspected source of (the) CO buildup, Nosal said. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. If you see typos or other errors in this post, please email him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Deborah Dugan, the embattled president and chief executive of the Recording Academy, was fired by the groups board on Monday following weeks of internal turmoil between the organization that runs the Grammy Awards and its new leader. The academy announced Ms. Dugans removal in a letter from its executive committee, sent to the organizations members. We placed our trust in her and believed she would effectively lead the organization, the committee wrote in the letter. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. Ms. Dugan was first removed from her position in January, when the academy placed her on administrative leave five months after she joined the organization and 10 days before the Grammy Awards. At the time, the academy attributed its decision to a formal allegation of misconduct against Ms. Dugan. But in a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Ms. Dugan said her removal was retaliation for speaking up against misconduct within the organization, including sexual harassment, corrupt voting procedures and conflicts of interest among board members. She also said she was harassed by Joel Katz, a powerful industry lawyer with deep ties to the academy. He has denied the allegations. A Cairo criminal court has sentenced terrorist leader Hisham Ashmawy to death, as well as 36 defendants, in the case known in local media as the Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis case. The court convicted the 37 defendants of carrying out 54 assassinations of police and citizens, most notably policemen Mohamed Mabrouk, Mohamed Abu Shakra and Mohamed Said. The defendants were also convicted of bombing three security directorates, including Cairo Security Directorate in 2014, and vandalising 25 public and private institutions, including police headquarters, churches and mosques. The court also gave life sentences to 61 defendants, sentencing 21 to ten years in prison and 15 others to 15 years. The sentences comes a few weeks after the same court referred the preliminary death sentences to the grand mufti for his recommendation, which is a necessary, albeit non-binding, procedure before issuing a death sentence in the Egyptian penal code. The defendants can still challenge the sentences at Egypt's Court of Cassation. This is the second death sentence given to Ashmawy, a former Egyptian military officer turned militant, in recent months. One of the most-wanted Egyptian militants, he was apprehended in Libya in October 2018 and handed over to Egypt by forces loyal to Libyas Khalifa Haftar in May 2019. In November 2019, an Egyptian military court sentenced Ashmawy to death for his involvement in a number of terrorist attacks, most notably a 2014 ambush that killed 22 Egyptian military border guards near Libya. Ashmawy led the Sinai-based Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, the military has said. He broke away from the group after they swore allegiance to the Islamist State militant group in late 2014. Watchdogs are warning of a new health threat posed by dark kitchens selling takeout food online. People without training in hygiene or allergies are selling through social media such as Facebook Marketplace. They are tapping into a growing appetite for home delivery that was started by Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats. So great is the explosion in demand that even major businesses such as McDonalds have set up dark kitchens, which do not have a restaurant attached and operate from trading estates. Just Eat is now displaying hygiene ratings and all new services must score three or above, amid fears that some businesses, which score badly on hygiene, have sold food through the major delivery services While these are legitimate and well policed, others are operated out of home kitchens by people with no training. Curries, pasta dishes and party food made in home kitchens are being sold without clear information on ingredients, which is risky for allergy sufferers. The Food Standards Agency has put Facebook on notice that it expects food sold through its services to be policed correctly. Last week the FSA said the number of people who fall ill from eating tainted food was 2.4million. A total of 380,000 food-borne illnesses a year are caused by the winter vomiting bug norovirus with almost two thirds linked to eating out or takeaway meals. Food businesses are required to register with their local council for hygiene and standards, receiving a rating from zero to five. There are fears that some businesses, which score badly on hygiene, have sold food through the major delivery services without declaring this to customers. Just Eat is now displaying hygiene ratings and all new services must score three or above. UberEats also displays ratings. The FSAs head of regulatory compliance, Michael Jackson, said the watchdog is speaking to Facebook about consumer protection. Of the 380,000 food-borne illnesses per year, nearly two thirds are linked to takeaways (file image) or eating out, says FSA figures. The FSAs head of regulatory compliance, Michael Jackson, said the watchdog is speaking to Facebook about consumer protection Everyone involved in online marketplace selling must meet their responsibilities to ensure food is safe and what it says it is, he said. Anyone selling food online on an organised basis must be registered as a food business with their local authority. Our advice when ordering food online is to check the business has a food hygiene rating and choose only a rating of three or above. Cuts in council funding mean standards and hygiene checks have been cut, with the number of council food standards staff falling by 45 per cent between 2012-13 and 2017-18. Just 37 per cent of standards checks designed to ensure food is what it says it is were carried out in 2017-18. There was also a 13 per cent fall in hygiene inspectors. Councillor Simon Blackburn, chairman of the Local Government Associations Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: Significant funding pressures make it extremely difficult for some councils to maintain previous levels of food work. There is a pressing need for Government to come up with a sustainable funding model for food regulation Facebook Marketplace allows users to post free advertisements to sell a range of goods. Facebook said: Sellers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, is planning to bid for Air India, but a final decision on the matter has not been taken yet, said company's chairman Bhaskar Bhat on Monday. Responding to a question whether Vistara was interested in Air India, Bhat told PTI: "Which company would not be interested in evaluating a sovereign airline of the country?" "Whether we bid or not comes later," he further added. On being asked if Vistara or Tata Sons were evaluating Air India, Bhat said: "We (Vistara) are a joint venture." Vistara, the Gurugram-based full service carrier, is a 51 per cent and 49 per cent joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, respectively. There is buzz in the market that the Tata Group, which founded Air India 87 years ago, may bid for the airline put up for sale by the government. According to analysts, the acquisition of Air India, India's flag carrier, would help the Tatas expand their aviation business. The group operates aviation business through two joint ventures - Vistara, a full-service airline in collaboration with Singapore Airlines, and second with budget carrier AirAsia. Apart from Tatas, Gautam Adani-led Adani Group may join the race to buy state-owned Air India. Hinduja group, IndiGo and a New York-based fund, Interups, are already in line to buy the debt-ridden national carrier. The government has invited bids for selling its 100 per cent stake in Air India and Air India Express Ltd, as well as 50 per cent shareholding in Air India SATS Airport Pvt. Ltd. This is government's second attempt to sell its national carrier after an unsuccessful attempt in 2018, when the airline failed to draw a single bid. The government has asked interested bidders with net worth of Rs 3,500 crore or more to submit their bids for Air India till March 17. Of the total debt of Rs 60,074 crore as on March 31, 2019, the buyer would be required to absorb Rs 23,286.5 crore, while the rest would be transferred to the special purpose vehicle (SPV) Air India Assets Holding Ltd (AIAHL). Meanwhile, the government has extended the last date to raise additional queries regarding Air India disinvestment till March 6. By Chitranjan Kumar with PTI inputs Also Read: Govt to sell 100% stake in Air India; issues bid document Also Read: Adani Group may enter the race to buy Air India Also Read: Air India sale: Debt burden on buyer to be Rs 23,286 crore A Syrian migrant seeking to cross from Turkey into Greece died after Greek security forces intervened to prevent the passage of migrants gathered on the border, Turkish security sources said Monday. A Greek government spokesman denied the report, calling it Turkish propaganda. The incident occurred after the Turkish government opened its border last week to let migrants reach Europe. There was no immediate comment from Greek officials. More than 10,000 migrants have attempted to cross by land at the border, where guards from both sides have fired tear gas into crowds caught between the fences in no-man's land. At least 1,000 more have reached Greece's Eastern Aegean islands by boat since Sunday morning, Greek police say. Earlier on Monday, a child died after being pulled from the sea when a boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos, in the first confirmed fatality since Turkey opened its border. Turkey, which is home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees and has another million on its doorstep from a new surge of fighting, said last week it would stop enforcing a 2016 agreement that had prevented migrants from reaching the EU. Greek officials accused Turkey of orchestrating a coordinated effort to drive migrants across the frontier. "This movement is guided and encouraged by Turkey," government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters after a national security meeting in Athens. He called the surge of migrants at the border "an active, serious, severe and asymmetrical threat to the national security of the country". Turkey's announcement last week threatens to reverse an agreement that halted Western Europe's biggest wave of migration since World War Two. Some 4,000 people drowned in Aegean and more than a million reached Greece at the height of the crisis between 2015 and 2016. The Greek coast guard said the boat which capsized off Lesbos on Monday morning had been escorted there by a Turkish vessel. Forty-six people were rescued and two children taken to hospital, one of whom could not be revived. Story continues Another dinghy with about 30 Afghans arrived on Lesbos early in the morning, a Reuters journalist reported from the island. Thirty-two others were rescued in the seas off Farmakonissi, a small island close to Turkey, the coast guard said. "This is an invasion," Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis told Skai TV on Monday. Late on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that Greece was determined to protect its borders and warned migrants not to attempt to cross as security was increased to the maximum. He is expected to visit the border on Tuesday with Charles Michel, chairman of EU leadership summits. French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his full support for Greece in a tweet on Sunday, saying France was ready to contribute to European efforts to lend assistance [to Greece] and protect the borders. Under a 2016 EU agreement with Turkey, Ankara agreed to stop migrants from crossing into the EU and accept most of them back if they did cross, effectively ending a crisis which toppled several EU governments and fuelled the rise of the far right. In return, the EU offered funds. But Turkey says the arrangement is in jeopardy with a new wave of Syrian refugees on its southern border, driven there by an escalation of fighting since December. Last week, at least 33 Turkish troops sent to Syria to monitor a crumbling ceasefire were killed in the Turkish army's worst attack in nearly 30 years. The 2016 agreement halted most crossings between Greece and Turkey, although there are more than 40,000 migrants on the Aegean islands in severely overcrowded camps. On Monday, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 2016 migrant deal between Turkey and the EU was still in place and should be adhered to. "We are convinced about the value of the agreement and we expect it to be upheld," Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin. The EU's chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, expressed sympathy with Turkey over the conflict in Syria but said it was not possible for Ankara to let refugees and migrants on its territory cross into Europe. "I acknowledge that Turkey is in a difficult situation with regards to the refugees and the migrants. But what we see now cannot be an answer or solution," she told a news conference. (FRANCE 24 with REUTERS) Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos accused Turkey of intentionally organizing the migrants along the shared border after finding out where Greek troops are posted. Greece said on Sunday it was facing a "severe" threat from thousands of migrants gathering on its borders after Turkey eased curbs on their movement. "This movement is guided and encouraged by Turkey," government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters, according to Reuters. "Under the present conditions the present situation is an active, serious, severe and asymmetrical threat to the national security of the country." As reported earlier, Greek officials said they had blocked 10,000 people from entering the European Union from Turkey, while Ankara reports 76,000 people have crossed the border. The EU's border control agency says it is on "high alert," adding they are deploying support to Greece, according to DW. Read alsoRussia should stay out of Turkey's fight against Assad regime, Erdogan tells Putin media Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos accused Turkey of intentionally organizing the migrants along the shared border after finding out where Greek troops are posted. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "Full solidarity with Greece and Bulgaria, France is ready to contribute to European efforts to give them rapid assistance and protect the borders. We must act together to avoid a humanitarian and migration crisis." Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said: "We are ready to support countries on the EU border with additional police forces. If this does not work, Austria will defend its own borders." The situation of 2015 must not repeat itself, according to Kurz. The latest influx of refugees was a result of the spark of hostilities in northwestern Syria where Turkish forces clashed with Russia-supported Syrian government troops to protect the last stronghold of Syrian rebels, the city of Idlib. At least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in just one day last week, which prompted a firm response by Turkey's air force and artillery which engage "all known" targets of Syrian forces in the area. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Ankara has asked Moscow to stay out of its fight against Assad regime forces in Idlib as Turkish forces continued to target regime positions in northern Syria. "I asked Putin for Russia to leave Turkish forces alone to fight the regime, we can't seem to understand Russia's intentions there," Erdogan said. "Now Israel is small, we know, and resilient, and surrounded by adversaries," the former New York City mayor told the audience at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. "And if you caught the last couple of presidential debates you know that I can empathize," he joked. Bloomberg then moved on to criticize Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who declined to appear at AIPAC and described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "a reactionary racist who is now running" that country. "Unfortunately," Bloomberg said, "not all of my fellow Democrats in this race have attended an AIPAC conference. One of them, Senator Sanders, has spent 30 years boycotting this event. And as you've heard by now, he called AIPAC a racist platform. Well, let me tell you, he's dead wrong." Both Bloomberg and Sanders are Jewish. If one of them were to win the Democratic nomination, it would mark the first time a major U.S. political party tapped a Jewish candidate for president. [March 02, 2020] Dahua Thermal Solution Supports Epidemic Prevention and Control The year 2020 is bound to be a special year with the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) globally. Until today, the highly contagious disease has taken away many lives, especially in China, South Korea, Japan, and some countries in Europe and Middle East. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005479/en/ Dahua Thermal Solution to Measure Human Body Temperature (Photo: Business Wire) Dahua Technology, a world-leading video-centric smart IoT solution and service provider, has been an early participant in the epidemic prevention and control in Asia, joining the global efforts in combating the virus to minimize the impact on mankind. Since sending its first batch of thermal cameras to the hardest-hit area Wuhan on January 24h, Dahua thermal solution has been deployed in thousands of sites in China, including transportation hubs, commercial complexes, banks, and other places, and some are on the way to multiple countries in Asia. Hong Kong, a financial capital in Asia, also suffers from the COVID-19 epidemic situation. Dahua Thermal Solution has been applied in some local business complexes, banks, company parks, and other places. To enable a safe and smooth work resumption recently, quite a few major corporations have been using Dahua Thermal Solution in their headquarters to improve their workplace safety, such as Paul Y. Engineering Group Limited. Dahua Thermal Solution measures the body temperature of their employees, handling thousands of staff flow every day. Compare to the traditional way of body temperature measurement - a forehead thermometer, using Dahua Thermal Solution will significantly improve speed and accuracy, meanwhile help reduce cross-infection via non-contact measurement. To measure the temperature of 5,000 people, it will take about 4.2 hours using a forehead thermometer, as it takes at least 3 seconds to measure a person. However, it takes only 30 minutes if you use Dahua Thermal Solution, which measures 3 person per second. It also features a high accuracy of 0.3? . "Dahua Thermal Solution helped us detect a couple of suspected cases in just a few hours of operation, which we greatly appreciate," a Hongkong user commented. Dahua Thermal Solution has been on the front line since the very beginning, helping with the epidemic prevention and control in airports, railway stations, hospitals, schools, and other sites all over Asia. Featuring high accuracy, high efficiency, strong adaptability and easy deployment, Dahua Thermal Solution can also be applied to all kinds of entrances and exits, kitchens and kindergartens. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005479/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Telangana: Gay couple enter into wedlock, say it has sent out a message KT Rama Rao fines party leader Rs 1 lakh on stage for putting up flexes over his visit India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P Hyderabad, Mar 02: A video of Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) has gone viral after he fined his party leader of Rs 1 lakh on stage, for setting up flexes in the town over his visit. Rao's decision came during a meeting held in Yellandu on Sunday with respect to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party's 'Pattana Pragathi' programme. "This plastic is like a ghost that will haunt us and we have to fight it. I even told (Yellandu municipal chairperson) Dammalapati Venkateswara Rao just now that though I insisted against it, they (TRS workers) have put up flexes. I told him that I will fine him. Should I not fine them? These flexes are of no use," KTR said while addressing the rally. Telangana govt kills circulation of fake news on Coronavirus by eating chicken at event "Is there any use of flexes except politicians can see their own face?. They are leaders if they win a place in people's hearts," KTR said. As the crowd lauded KTR, he said, "I am fining your municipal chairman Rs 1 lakh on behalf of the Municipal Administration Department. Though he has put up a cloth flex, I don't even want to accept that." After this statement, KTR asked Khammam Collector to ensure that the challan was issued and that the fine was paid by the municipal chairman. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 14:18 [IST] A court in southern Vietnams Ho Chi Minh City on Monday rejected the appeal of an Australian citizen convicted last year on charges of engaging in terrorism, sending him and two men convicted with him back to prison to serve their full terms. Chau Van Kham, 70, a resident of Sydney Australia and member of the banned U.S.-based Viet Tan opposition party, was sentenced on Nov. 11, 2019 to a prison term of 12 years. Two men convicted with himNguyen Van Vieng and Tran Van Quyenwere handed terms of 11 and 10 years respectively. Labeled a terrorist group by Vietnam in October 2016, Viet Tan describes itself instead as committed to peaceful, nonviolent struggle to promote democracy and human rights in Vietnam, and all three of those convicted had rejected prosecutors accusations of terrorism in appealing their sentences, one of their lawyers said. Speaking to RFAs Vietnamese Service on Monday following the court hearing, defense attorney Nguyen Van Mieng said that the three defendants admitted joining Viet Tan in 2010 but said that terrorism had never been proposed as a tactic in any of the meetings they had attended. Chau said that if he had ever thought that Viet Tan promoted terrorism, he would never have joined, Nguyen said, adding that Nguyen Van Vieng also declared that he had never heard terrorism planned or discussed at any Viet Tan meeting. 'The latest victims' In a statement given on Monday by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australiawhere Chau had worked as a bakervoiced disappointment that Chaus appeal had been rejected. We are concerned about the length of Mr Chaus sentence, particularly given his health and welfare may be severely impacted by serving such a sentence at his age, DAFTA said in a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Vietnamese authorities understand our strong interest in his wealth and welfare, DAFTA said, adding, Australian officials have raised Mr Chaus case and will continue to do so. Meanwhile, also speaking to ABC, Elaine Pearson of Human Rights Watch called Chau and his co-defendants the latest victims in a spiraling crackdown on dissent and free speech within Vietnamthey are among hundreds of political prisoners who are currently detained. The Australian Government should redouble its efforts to press strongly for Chaus return to Australia, Pearson said. "On some occasions, Vietnam has allowed political prisoners to be released into exile in Europe or the U.S., but that will only happen if there is strong pressure from the Australian Government," she said. Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huynh Le. Written in English by Richard Finney. Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Monday adjourned till 2 pm after the entire opposition vociferously protested over the issue of communal violence in the national capital, with members alleging that the government slept while Delhi burnt. Opposition MPs including those belonging to the Congress, Left, TMC, SP, BSP and DMK were up on their feet shouting slogans and accused the government of failing in its duty. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the issue was definitely important but the priority should be to restore normalcy and then discuss ways and means of preventing it. When his appeals to members to resume their places went unheeded, he adjourned proceedings till 2 pm. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad charged that the Central government "slept" when violence rocked Delhi for three days. While members shouted slogans such as 'Delhi is Burning', three TMC members sported black bands on their eyes. Naidu ordered them to remove them as sporting badges is not allowed inside the House. The members complied, but the vociferous protests continued, forcing the adjournment. Earlier, when the House met it mourned the death of former member A V Swamy, followed by Naidu reading out a record of department related standing committees that considered demands for grants for 24 departments. He said the proceedings of the House during the first half of the current Budget session were "largely purposeful" with 96 per cent sitting. The House in the second half, that began Monday after a three week break, would be more meaningful, he hoped. Naidu said he has received notices from members of opposition parties seeking adjournment of proceedings to discuss the present situation in Delhi and other parts of the country. "The matter is definitely important and deserves to be discussed," he said, adding he will admit a discussion and allot time after discussing with the minister concerned as well as the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. "Our priority should be restoring normalcy. We should see that normalcy is restored and then we can discuss ways and means of preventing it (such violence)," he said, adding he wanted the House to send out a message in one voice on the issue. Let peace be restored, he said. However, members continued their protests, forcing the adjournment. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi has left at least 42 dead and over 200 injured. Also read: Arvind Kejriwal urges people to share info on needy people for quick response Also read: Delhi Riots: 254 FIRs registered, over 900 people arrested Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tue, March 3 2020 Rubem Antonio Correa Barbosa (JP/Anton Hermansyah) There are many things a country can do to maintain its sovereignty. For Brazil, it was to build a new capital city in 1960 about 1,000 kilometers northwest of Rio de Janeiro, which had been the capital for centuries. The Jakarta Posts Apriza Pinandita talked with Brazilian Ambassador to Indonesia Rubem Antonio Correa Barbosa about the countrys experience relocating the capital. Question: What was the reason behind the move? 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 Model Hailey Baldwin owes a big thank you to Jimmy Fallon. On Hailey's Friday appearance at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the host asked the blonde beauty if she did any party tricks while doing the cover shoot for Elle magazine. To recall, Hailey did open a bottle of Corona using her teeth on her 2018 appearance in the show. "Did you do any party tricks?" Fallon asked. "Well, I say this because the last time you were on your show, you did something that was the most amazing ever. Everybody was talking about it, you opened your bottle with your teeth." In an interesting development though, Hailey responded by detailing what happened after the beer-opening segment in 2018. Apparently, the next morning after the interview aired, Hailey got a "certain phone call from a certain someone. It was none other than Justin Bieber, who reportedly called Hailey to talk about the cool act he made in Jimmy's show. "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," Hailey shared. "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." The show host then quipped, "Thank you very much. You think I'd be invited to the wedding," Fallon also recalled that Alec Baldwin's daughter initially met the former YouTube sensation when she was only 13 years old in 2009. "I know it sounds like this weird arranged marriage situation. We met because my dad, he brought me to the 'Today' show when Justin performed there. He was no more than 15, I think," Baldwin said. When the host asked if she was a "Belieber" back then, Hailey admitted that she was not and, in fact, does not know a lot about Biebs back then. According to Hailey, Justin's mom and her dad instantly connected as friends that the Baldwin's invited them over to their house the next day for dinner and then went bowling. After being months of an on-again, off-again relationship, Justin and Hailey rekindled their romance in April 2018. Later that September, the two secretly tied the knot in a New York courthouse ceremony. A year later, they married again in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by their family and friends in South Carolina. A Better Man With Hailey On the other hand, while promoting for his new album "Changes," Justin Bieber opened up about his wife and spoke candidly how Hailey made him a better man after having a few rough years. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Bieber revealed that while dating Hailey, he was unsure if he could remain utterly faithful to her. "I am still hurt, I am still trying to discover my path, and I am not ready to commit to you," he said before adding that he was focused on himself, trying to make the right decisions and become a better person overall.0 Although he was already done with the past, Bieber only said it because he wanted to be honest with Hailey Baldwin. Above all, Bieber credited his wife as a massive reason as to why he is now a better person. He also credited her for tying it all together for him, emphasizing that there would be no Justin Bieber-Hailey Baldwin story without the 23-year-old model loving him unconditionally. A woman has been filmed flossing her teeth on a packed commuter train to London Paddington. Shocking footage, filmed on a mobile phone, also shows the woman picking at her teeth and placing her fingers inside her mouth. It comes after the UK reported 13 new cases of coronavirus yesterday, bringing the total number in Britain to 36. Public health officials have urged people to maintain hygiene by washing their hands with soap and water and to avoid touching their mouths if their hands are dirty, as they step up efforts to contain the virus. Woman was filmed flossing her teeth on the packed Reading to London Paddington train at 8am on Thursday last week The 15-second clip shows the woman touching her mouth repeatedly as she cleans her teeth on a Reading to London Paddington train at 8am on Thursday last week. She appears to be trying to watch a programme on her Ipad and has a headphone in one ear. A coffee cup and toastie packet are positioned next to her. 'I was beyond appalled,' said a passenger, who wished to remain anonymous. 'We all live in fear of the coronavirus at the moment, it's just unacceptable.' One COVID-19 case reported yesterday had 'no relevant travel' outside the UK, making it unclear how they contracted the virus. Three other cases were 'part of an adult family cluster' of a man from Surrey who tested positive for the virus on Friday. One is from Surrey and two are from West Sussex. A further eight cases - from London, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire - had all recently visited affected areas. Six went to Italy and two to Iran. The first case in Scotland was diagnosed in a patient that had recently travelled to Italy. The passenger that took the film said they were 'beyond appalled'. 'We all live in fear of the coronavirus at the moment, it's just unacceptable,' they said The woman is pictured above flossing her teeth on the packed morning commuter train There are almost 90,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide so far, prompting fears it may be declared a 'pandemic' by the World Health Organisation The prime minister has today pledged to 'stop at nothing' to contain COVID-19 and cautioned that the virus will likely present a 'significant challenge' to the UK. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned yesterday that the UK will not rule out shutting down cities to contain the virus. A total of 11,500 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK, the government said yesterday. Globally, cases of coronavirus crept up to almost 90,000 last night, prompting fears that the World Health Organisation may declare COVID-19 a pandemic. There have been more than 3,000 deaths attributed to the virus globally so far, with a disproportionate number in older people. A former First National Vice-Chairperson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Madam Anita DeSoso, says she is worried about President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos health and the possibility of him carrying the deadly coronavirus into the country. She therefore wants the president to be quarantined upon arrival back home from his two-weeks trip abroad. Interestingly, the NDC stalwart would prefer such an exercise is done under the radar so as not to demean Nana Addo and the high office he holds. Yes, we must quarantine him but it shouldnt be made public to embarrass my big brother [President Nana Akufo-Addo], she said during an interview on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. Anita DeSosos comment comes days after the Member of Parliament for the Kumbungu Constituency in the Northern Region, Ras Mubarak, wondered if Ghanas health authorities would quarantine President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo after his return from Europe, as part of measures to prevent the possible introduction and spread of the deadly coronavirus in the country. President Akufo-Addo is currently on a 12-day working visit to Scotland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Belgium. He is set to return to Ghana on March 4, 2020. Incidentally, some of these countries have had reported cases of the COVID 19. So far, there have been 85,721 cases recorded with 2,933 deaths. The coronavirus COVID-19 has affected 61 countries and territories around the world. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Three persons were arrested from a five-star hotel in Mumbai for allegedly cheating a businessman to the tune of Rs 80 lakh under the pretext of offering him new bank notes of Rs 2000 denomination at half the rate through their 'money exchnage', police said on Monday. The accused have allegedly cheated many people from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and other parts of the country by employing a similar modus operandi in which they would claim to having "contacts" in the Central government. The trio, identified Anand Tiwari alias Atul (30), Sujit Yadav (27) and Gayatri Shukla (31), used to claim that they run a money exchange, a crime branch officer said, adding that they were arrested on Saturday. Tiwari claims himself to be a real estate businessman from Uttar Pradesh. The accused would claim that they have good contacts in the Central government and promised to give the 'second series' notes of Rs 2000 at the half rate, the officer said. They would ask their victims to pay them up in the denominations of Rs 100 and Rs 200, he said. After taking money from the gullible victims, they would cry a raid by police and flee. They cheated many people by handing them bundles of papers cut in the shape of the bank notes, he said. Police recovered seven mobile phones and six debit and credit cards from the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After growing up with no official nationality in an orphanage, now Francoise (left) and Christel are proud citizens of Cote d'Ivoire. UNHCR/Mark Henley Five years since the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration on the Eradication of Statelessness by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is lauding progress and urging a redoubling of efforts. This is to ensure everyone in the region has a nationality and benefits from the rights of citizenship. Since the Declarations adoption in February 2015, by all Member States of ECOWAS, 12 of its 15 states have now ratified both UN Statelessness Conventions. Nine ECOWAS states have put in place National Action Plans to resolve and prevent statelessness. Birth registration campaigns have taken place in four countries, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Cote dIvoire, with support from UNHCR and its partners. In Cote dIvoire, birth registration of school age children has benefitted an additional 400,000 children, reducing their risk of statelessness and helping ensure their access to education. Sierra Leone has removed gender discrimination from its nationality laws which prevented mothers from passing nationality to their children on an equal basis as men. Liberia has pledged to do the same this year. We are seeing significant progress in terms of both policy and legal reform to address statelessness across the region. This is an exceptional demonstration of political will and commitment, said UNHCRs Regional Bureau Director for West and Central Africa, Millicent Mutuli. At a time when parts of the region are facing horrific violence and mass displacement, it is more crucial than ever for us to be vigilant. We must redouble our efforts to ensure refugees, displaced people and persons at risk of statelessness are protected, she said. Millions are estimated to be stateless or at risk of statelessness across West Africa. The actual figure remains unknown as only one country, Cote dIvoire, reported numbers on its stateless population last year, estimated at 692,000. In line with the Abidjan Declaration commitments, eight countries have launched studies on statelessness or included questions to collect data on statelessness in upcoming population census. This will help clarifying both the magnitude and reasons why individuals are stateless or at risk, a key step towards resolving their situations. The Abidjan Declaration is a regional initiative in line with UNHCRs global #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness. UNHCR launched the campaign in 2014 to mobilize governments and partners to resolve statelessness within 10 years. For more information on this topic, please contact: Obviously Mr. Domingos team was not in favor of releasing details of the allegations, probably for different reasons, Mr. Egert said. The union had planned to release only its top-line conclusions, which said, somewhat vaguely, that Mr. Domingo, 79, had engaged in inappropriate activity, ranging from flirtation to sexual advances, in and outside of the workplace. But before it issued the findings, The Associated Press reported that the investigators had spoken with women and witnesses who described unsolicited kisses on the mouth, groping, late-night calls and pressure to have sex. When the conclusions of the investigation were announced, Mr. Domingo issued a statement saying that he accepted full responsibility for his actions and was truly sorry for the hurt he had caused women. But less than 48 hours later, after some European arts organizations cited his apology as a reason to cancel or re-evaluate his coming performances, Mr. Domingo amended it. I have never behaved aggressively toward anybody, nor have I ever done anything to obstruct or hurt the career of anybody, he said. The union began an inquiry to find who had leaked information that the board had agreed to keep confidential. In his resignation letter, Mr. Schultz, a baritone, said that he had provided it to The A.P. because he believed the unions lack of publicly available details about what Mr. Domingo had done amounted to a betrayal of the women who had been harmed. Rather than allowing the details of the investigation to be made public, the union entered into a deal with Domingo which protected his reputation, and has allowed him to continue to assert publicly that he did not aggressively sexually harass women or harm their careers, Mr. Schultz wrote. The details of the investigation, had they been made public, would have demonstrated the falsity of his denials. Supreme Court will on Monday hear the curative petition filed by one of the four death row convicts, Pawan Kumar Gupta, seeking commutation of his death penalty to life imprisonment in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Gupta had on Friday filed a curative petition before the apex court seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. He is the fourth convict in the case to file a curative petition. The Supreme Court has already rejected the curative petitions of the remaining three. This comes as a fresh death warrant has been issued for the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh, which orders their hanging at 6 am on March 3 at Delhi's Tihar Jail. The case pertains to the brutal gang rape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg) -- Greece invoked an emergency clause of European treaties on Sunday and suspended accepting asylum applications, after an influx of migrants seeking refuge in Europe raised tensions along its heavily fortified border with Turkey. The rapidly evolving crisis came after Turkey told millions of migrants and asylum seekers hosted on its soil that it wont stand in the way if they want to leave. As thousands of desperate people flocked toward the Greek border, clashes erupted with Greek security forces seeking to hold them back. Our national security council has taken the decision to increase the level of deterrence at our borders to the maximum, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a Twitter post after a meeting late Sunday. As of now we will not be accepting any new asylum applications for 1 month. While the Turkish side says more than 100,000 refugees have left the country in the past few days, it remains unclear how many have crossed into Europe or got stuck in no mans land along the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Greece says it has stopped mass crossings while the International Organization for Migration has said a much smaller number than what Turkey claims has been trying to cross. The European Union has maintained a guarded approach, wary of a repeat of the migration crisis that tested its physical frontiers five years ago and stoked anti-immigration populism from Italy to Germany. A desire to control migrants contributed to the U.K.s decision to quit the EU, so the political reverberations are real. The EUs foreign chief says the bloc is following the situation closely, and its top diplomats have been summoned for an extraordinary meeting, while EU Council President Charles Michel will visit the Greek border on Tuesday. But the impression is that the EU -- and Germany, as the dominant economy -- is biding its time to see how events unfold on the ground. For now, the climate is politically charged. When approaching Greek borders in the area, holders of foreign mobile phones receive text messages saying that Greece is increasing border security level to maximum. Do not attempt to illegally cross Greek borders. Story continues Greece invoked a clause of EU treaties that mandates the bloc to extend solidarity to a member state receiving a sudden influx of migrants, as it also sought permission to send migrants back without considering asylum applications, in essence suspending fundamental principles of international law. Since the crisis started, Greek police has been pushing back migrants from regular border crossings with tear gas, despite international and EU law provisions. Syria Campaign The chaos began when Turkey unsuccessfully sought EU and NATO support for its military campaign in Syria, following the heaviest troop losses in decades last week. The EU has yet to agree on a joint position, prompting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to proclaim that his country can no longer accommodate people fleeing Syrian President Bashar al-Assads offensive. Turkey already hosts the worlds largest number of Syrian refugees. With Erdogan continuing to order Syria strikes in retaliation for the deaths of his troops, Turkey shot down two Syrian SU-24 warplanes and destroyed three air-defense systems, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Sunday in a statement. The Syrian jets were downed after they attempted to attack Turkish planes, the ministry said, without elaborating. Turkey has warned that the fall of Syrias northwestern Idlib province, the last rebel bastion in the country, may trigger another mass exodus of refugees toward its border. Migration flows to Europe decreased following a 2016 deal under which Ankara stemmed the wave in exchange for financial assistance. It was unclear as of Sunday whether this deal is still being implemented, amid repeated messages from Turkey that it will loosen its controls. The German government expects Turkey to fulfill the EU refugee agreement, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday. In a phone call with Erdogan on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Turkeys effort to aid Syrian refugees, and asked that it cooperates on the management of migrant flows, reminding the Turkish leader of the solidarity of France and the EU. Its unlikely that such verbal expressions of sympathy will be sufficient to appease the Turkish president. Border Showdown As thousands of desperate asylum seekers continued flocking toward Greece, the prospect looms of uncontrolled violence with Greek security forces sent to stop them. Homeland Security Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said on Saturday that Greece wants to send the message that no one shall pass into Europe without the appropriate legal travel documents. An EU diplomat in Brussels said that conveying this message may be hard, unless the bloc as a whole, including Germany, makes clear to the people trying to leave Turkey that the way in is shut. EU government envoys will meet in Brussels on Monday, after successive attempts to agree on a joint position over the weekend failed. Another wave of migration could derail a delicate recovery for the entire region, already gripped by fear and travel restrictions over the spread of the coronavirus, which is morphing into a pandemic and defies national frontiers. Anti-immigration populist politicians from Italy to Germany are poised to seize the opportunity to go on the attack. (Updates with emergency declaration from first paragraph) --With assistance from Paul Tugwell, Arne Delfs, Constantine Courcoulas, Nikos Chrysoloras, Ugur Yilmaz and Cagan Koc. To contact the reporters on this story: Sotiris Nikas in Athens at snikas@bloomberg.net;Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.net;Onur Ant in Istanbul at oant@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Flavia Krause-Jackson, Karl Maier 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. Industry body on Monday called for measures to prevent the spread of deadly in India, even as two more cases -- one in and another in Telangana -- were reported in the country. It suggested adoption of infection control practices and strengthening of screening at airports, among others. "Till date India has been relatively untouched. The most important part of our strategy must be screening and ensuring that the virus does not enter and parallelly a hospital preparedness strategy is in place," president Sangita Reddy said. She said this needs to be further backed by mapping of available health-care resources in both public and private sector, for sample testing, quarantine and treatment to prepare for likely spread. The on Monday said two more positive cases of the novel -- one in and another in Telangana -- have been reported. "Screening at all ports of entry for travellers from all countries should be immediately strengthened. As private hospitals in India cater to many international patients under Medical Value Travel, active involvement of the private healthcare providers becomes even more critical to develop protocols for screening, isolation and treatment of COVID-19 infected persons," Reddy said. For a Revolutionary International Womens Day In this year 2020, the Communist Party of Australia is marking the 100th anniversary of the communist movement in Australia. Since its beginnings communists have been to the fore in struggles for womens rights. The first International Womens Day (IWD) in Australia was celebrated in 1928, with a rally in Sydneys Domain, organised by the Militant Womens Group of the Communist Party. At that time, the demand was for equal pay. I would like to recognise the hard work of women in the CPA and in all the struggles in our country and elsewhere. Women are fundamental for revolutionary change and without them we cant make a revolution. Today women are more than half of union members in the country and are at the front line of social change. Working men and women strive for a better world that is more than necessary today to save the mere existence of human beings on the planet. However, on this IWD we see that a culture of domestic violence against women still thrives and continues to rob women and children of their lives. More and more services are defunded so that women find difficulty in escaping the perpetrators of violence, with no shelter, no safe place to go to. Women are also more likely to experience precarious work, lower paid, and insecure jobs although this is becoming more and more a reality for all workers. As a Party we declare: Like men, women should be afforded the real value of their labour, and not simply the same wage as the opposite sex ... Capitalism cannot provide solutions to the problems that women encounter because the system as a whole is driven by the profit ambitions of private companies. I would like to acknowledge the female revolutionaries who have historically played a role in our Party, often leading roles, including one General Secretary. Many Party women have leading roles as well in the peace movement, as authors, trade unionists, in the womens movement and more. They are present in all struggles of the working class in Australia. Happy International Womens Day 2020. The Communist Party of Australia calls for: One KIA, seven WIA amid 12 enemy attacks in Donbas in past 24 hours JFO HQ Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 12 attacks on Ukrainian Army positions in Donbas, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another seven as wounded in action (WIA), the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported. "The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 12 times on March 1. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another seven were wounded as a result of the enemy shelling," the JFO staff said on Facebook on Monday morning. The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, an anti-tank missile system, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles. Ukrainian positions near the towns of Avdiyivka and Maryinka, and the villages of Pisky, Lebedynske, Nevelske, Berezove, Taramchuk, Luhanske, Nyzhnioteple, Novoluhanske, and Novotoshkivske came under attacks. An outfall pipe recently completed by Watercare on the Mahurangi Peninsula. Watercare has forcibly extended the lease on its wastewater project site at Dawson Road until January 2024 by using the Public Works Act after a lease extension was denied by the Rodney Local Board. Mark Dinniss, of the Snells Beach Ratepayers and Residents Association (SBRRA), told local residents at a meeting earlier this month that he intended to investigate the validity of using the Act in this way. Previously, the SBRRA successfully lobbied the Local Board not to renew Watercares lease, after Dawson Road residents complained about noise, dust pollution and threats to their childrens safety because of the site. Watercare spokesperson Maxine Clayton says careful consideration was given to public and Local Board feedback when considering the extension of the lease using the Act. Re-establishing the site elsewhere was rejected by Watercare due to the significant project expenses and disruption to the programme of works. She says relocating the site would have cost more than $500,000, at a time when Watercare was under significant financial pressure due to Covid-19 and the recent drought. Ms Clayton says Dawson Road will no longer be used as a construction site and instead will be used for temporary offices and storage of pipes. This will mean fewer heavy vehicle movements, which will also be restricted during school drop-off and pick-up times. Work will resume later this year to build a new pump station at Warkworth and a trenchless wastewater pipe from Warkworth to a new wastewater treatment plant at Snells Beach. At the meeting this month, Mr Dinniss told residents that he did not believe it was appropriate for pipes to be stored on Dawson Road when the majority of the works were being done further north. Itanagar, March 3 : The Indian Army has rescued 111 tourists and locals including women and children, stranded in sub-zero temperatures at snow-bound Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh, a defence official said on Monday. Army spokesman, Lt Col P. Khongsai, said two Army teams, along with medical staff and recovery vehicles, launched a major rescue operation on Saturday to rescue the stranded locals and tourists at an altitude of approximately 140,00 ft. "The soldiers accompanied by medical personnel relentlessly worked throughout night till early hours of Sunday to rescue 111 stranded tourists and local civilians including women and small kids," he said, adding that the stranded people were taken out in 70 vehicles. Khongsai said that the Army, after rescuing the people, provided them hot tea, snacks and food. The tourists expressed their gratitude to the troops for their efforts which they termed as a "god sent help". Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister's secretariat, which was also monitoring the situation, also complimented the Indian Army for their timely and effective response. The Sela Pass, which also called Se La (La means pass) is a high-altitude mountain pass located in Tawang District of western Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China. It connects the Buddhist city of Tawang to Tezpur and Guwahati in Assam and is the main road connecting it with the rest of India. The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a PIL by former Bombay High Court judge Michael Saldanha, seeking directions for donation of organs by four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, saying "death is the saddest part and the organ donation has to be voluntary." A bench headed by Justice R. Banumathi rejecting the petition asked the petitioner to "have human approach". Saldana in the petition contended that the apex court may pass directions to the Tihar jail authorities, where four death row convicts are currently lodged, to give them an option to offer their bodies for medical research and also donate their organs, which could help in saving lives of critically ill people. The top court said, "The execution of a person is the saddest part for the family. You (petitioner) want their body to cut into pieces... have some human approach....organ donation has to be voluntary". The petitioner also urged the apex court to consider the desirability of making it as a condition in cases where convicts are on death row. All four death row convicts have exhausted all the legal remedies available for death row convicts. Earlier today, the top court rejected a curative petition by Pawan Gupta, one of the four convicts, a day before the four convicts are scheduled to be executed. Gupta, 25, was the lone convict in the case who had not exhausted his legal options of a curative petition. Gupta has also filed a mercy plea before the President. Akshay Singh has not yet challenged the rejection of his mercy petition. A death warrant was issued against Kumar along with three other condemned prisoners for the execution of death sentence on March 3. Advocate A.P. Singh, representing Kumar, said he was a juvenile during the time of the commission of the offence, and the death penalty should not awarded to him. Singh also sought a stay on the execution of the black warrant on the hanging issued by the trial court. He is the only convict who is yet to exhaust all legal remedies -- the curative petition, which is the final legal remedy available, and the filing the mercy petition before the President. Speaking to media persons, Singh had said there have been many errors in the previous judgements and he expected through this curative petition those errors are amended. "Our main contention is that at the time of the commission of the offence, Pawan was attending a musical programme", said Singh. The top court had earlier dismissed separate pleas filed by Mukesh and Vinay challenging the decision of the President to reject their mercy petitions. Akshay is yet to challenge the rejection of his mercy petition. A fresh date of execution of death warrant was issued by the trial court on February 17. The trial court fixed the execution on March 3 at 6 am for the four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Singh (31) -- in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. The President has rejected the mercy petitions of three convicts -- Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay. 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 Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition seeking quashing of a provision in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) which provides for execution of death row convicts by hanging. "We are not inclined," said a Bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant to the petitioner, who had contended that the practice of hanging a person by neck was a "colonial hangover". An 88-year-old Kerala-based freedom fighter, S Parameswaran Nampoothiri, has challenged the legality and validity of section 354 (5) of the CrPC which stipulates that "when any person is sentenced to death, the sentence shall direct that he be hanged by the neck till he is dead". Nampoothiri has claimed in his plea that section 354 (5) of the CrPC is against the "letter and spirit" of the Constitution and is violative of the fundamental rights, including under Article 14 (equality before the law) and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty). "The present writ petition is maintainable as it is an issue concerning the life of the citizens, an issue touching the basic features and basic structure of the Constitution. The petitioner is challenging a practice followed, which is in conflict with the ideals and objectives of the Constitution," said the plea, settled by advocate Wills Mathews. The plea said that such a way of executing a convict is "not Indian and a continuation of the colonial hangover" and almost all democratic countries have stopped this practice. It said that "sentencing a person to 'death' invoking section 354(5) CrPC....is in conflict with the basic structure of the Constitution of India and also the basic features of the Constitution of India, its ideals, values, philosophies enshrined in the Constitution, the Fundamental Rights, the Directive principles of the State policy, the Preamble, including the DNA of the Constitution... (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 04:02:31 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 736 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Solely Soleil in collaboration with I Heart Fashion I Heart Kids, presents its official launching at Fashion Designers Expo to be held at MIAMI AIRPORT CONVENTION CENTER on Feb. 29, 2020MIAMI BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 1, 2020 / Solely Soleil Resort Wear in collaboration with I Hearts Fashion I Heart Kids, announces its official launching at Fashion Designers Expo 13th annual fashion show to be held at MIAMI AIRPORT CONVENTION CENTER 711 NW 72nd Ave, Miami, FL 33126 on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020The internationally acclaimed Fashion Designers Expo (FDE) announces its highly anticipated runway exposition aimed at empowering and supporting rising fashion icons.With World Fashion Organization's USA President and Global Creative Leader for Fashion, Karine Melissa, leading Team FDE, the company will host its runway expo AND it's signature kid's event, I Heart Fashion I Heart Kids, BOTH on Saturday, February 29th at The Miami Airport Convention Center benefiting Fashion for Charity; a 501(c)3 non-profit organization empowering youth in the arts. "It is my goal to provide a strong platform for rising leaders and influencers in the fashion and beauty industries to bring their dreams to reality", says Karine Melissa.A day of fashion shows, workshops, and lunch on anti-bullying, self-esteem building, self-confidence focused, young entrepreneurship and creative hearts. Featuring Soleil Nation's Solely Soleil resort wear collection.About Soleil NationAs a young future icon fashion designer, having fun and expressing love is very important to Soleil and this is reflected in her work. Art has always played an important role in the Fashion World and is constantly used as an inspiration. Soleil's fashion brand is just that, her fabric designs derived from her artwork.In today's society, we are under constant and intense media bombardment about what is "accepted" and capitalism has turned fashion into a tool for mass production and fast consumption. Slowing down. The process, Soleil wanted to concentrate on the essence of human relationship which for her is Art, fabric, and common ground. This fun spring/ summer collection explores inclusivity while prideful of our tribe. It was inspired by a Japanese culture called Osoroi code (), or matching outfits, and people who practice it do it when they're out with friends, partners or family. Osoroi code people say that wearing matching outfits is an expression of their love and closeness with their partners or friends. To learn more visit https://soleilnation.com/ About Fashion Designers Expo and I Heart Fashion I Heart Kids (IHFIHK)Fashion Designers Expo (FDE) is an internationally cultured runway exposition produced by Karine Melissa and Team FDE. Celebrating 13 years with over 30 runway productions in Miami, FL and Los Angeles, CA showcasing rising icons in the industry from all over the world.FDE is designed to show the world "Who's NEXT in Fashion!" The expert staff of FDE oversees this powerful platform and uses their industry intelligence and experience to educate and empower the emerging generation of icons.I Heart Fashion I Heart Kids (IHFIHK) is empowering youth one runway at a time.Their mission is to strengthen the self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth of our youth as we encourage them to dream big and know that they can do anything they put their minds to, making an impact in their community, their nation, and even their world.IHFIHK has featured over 800 kids and teens, strengthening their Self Confidence, Self Esteem, Self Worth, as the youth while encouraging them to dream big. The goal is to let youth know that they can do anything they put their minds to. They can make a difference in their community, their nation, and even their world! AND NO BULLYING!TeamFDE presented the first HFIHK in 2012 to empower youth around the globe using their love for fashion as the tool.Past Sponsors|Supporters include Fuze Beverage, Smart Water, Chrysler, Kent Security, Constant Contact, Miami-Dade County, Forever 21, Macy's, Target, Bakers, Revlon, and more.There are two types of youth registrations.GENERAL HEARTS REGISTRATION (GEN HEARTS) - $25Includes all participation in workshops & runway showVIP HEARTS REGISTRATION (VIP HEARTS) - $125Includes all participation in workshops, a trend show with special design features, VIP Hearts goodie bag, I Heart promo photoshoot, and surprise gifts from our sponsors!Visit website for complete info and registration. https://www.fashiondesignersexpo.com Contact Info:Name: Remy NationEmail: Send EmailOrganization: Soleil NationAddress: 2655 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33140, United StatesPhone: +1-518-491-5009Website: https://soleilnation.com SOURCE: Soleil Nation NEW YORK, NY and TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / GlobeX Data Ltd. ("GlobeX" or the "Company") (https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SWISF/overview) (SWISF) and (https://thecse.com/en/listings/technology/globex-data-ltd) (CSE: SWIS, SWIS.WT). GlobeX Data Ltd. (https://globexdatagroup.com) The leader in Swiss hosted cyber security and Internet privacy solutions for secure data management and secure communications, is pleased to announce the signing of a new Reseller in the New Zealand, Fiji and the South Pacific Islands for its cybersecurity and secure communications and data management cloud services, DigitalSafe, PrivaTalk, Custodia and Sekur, GlobeX's latest service geared for executives and High Net-Worth individuals ("HNWIs") and C level executives and government high ranking officials, to be launched in Q2 2020. The Company has signed a three-year exclusive agreement for Fiji and the Pacific Islands and a three-year non-exclusive agreement for New Zealand with Solace Data Management Group Limited ("SDMG") to resell all its cybersecurity and secure communications and secure data management cloud services. SDMG principals have decades of experience and business relations in the South Pacific Islands and New Zealand and plan to launch GlobeX's services by April 2020. The targeted industries will be financial services, legal services, large conglomerates, telecom operators and government entities. The deal could represent up to USD 2.5 million a year in revenues assuming 25,000 users of GlobeX's basic secure email services only, in a population of close to 7 million in the region. This would be for the private sector only, as the government sector would increase these estimates dramatically. Alain Ghiai, CEO of GlobeX Data said: "Interest in our cybersecurity, secure communications and secure data management services continues to increase in emerging markets. The financial industry in the region of Fiji and the South Pacific Islands, as in many other regions, is in need of secure solutions such as secure data protection and secure communications, such as secure email and messaging. The financial industry represents almost a third of all cyber-attacks globally and there is an urgent need to protect the billions of dollars in transactions occurring on a daily basis. GlobeX is here to help mitigate those risks to the best of our ability, and we are very keen to deploy our services to this very underserved region when it comes to cyber security." Story continues About GlobeX Data Ltd. GlobeX Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure data management and secure communications. The Company distributes a suite of secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery, document management, encrypted e-mails, and secure communication tools. GlobeX Data Ltd. sells its products through its approved wholesalers and distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. GlobeX Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide. For more information please contact GlobeX Data at corporate@globexdatagroup.com or visit us at https://globexdatagroup.com Forward Looking Information This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "achieve," "could," "believe," "plan," "intend," "objective," "continuous," "ongoing," "estimate," "outlook," "expect," "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. GlobeX cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond GlobeX's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the future of the Company's business; the success of marketing and sales efforts of the Company; the projections prepared in house and projections delivered by channel partners; the Company's ability to complete the necessary software updates; increases in sales as a result of investments software development technology; consumer interest in the Products; future sales plans and strategies; reliance on large channel partners and expectations of renewals to ongoing agreements with these partners; anticipated events and trends; the economy and other future conditions; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in GlobeX's prospectus dated May 8, 2019 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, GlobeX undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. On behalf of the Board of Directors Alain Ghiai, CEO +1.212.372.8828 or +1.416.644.8690 corporate@globexdatagroup.com SOURCE: GlobeX Data Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/578676/GlobeX-Data-Signs-Reseller-Partnerships-In-New-Zealand-Fiji-And-All-Of-The-South-Pacific-Islands-For-Its-Cybersecurity-Secure-Data-Management-And-Secure-Communications-Cloud-Services The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) on Monday demanded a probe into the alleged 3,000 illegal appointments made in the J&K Bank during the PDP-BJP regime in the Union Territory. The party also questioned the rationale behind cancellation of the selection process for J&K Bank POs and banking associates conducted and duly completed by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). JKNPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh claimed that 145,000 applicants were anxiously awaiting for the results after having appeared in the preliminary and main exams conducted by the IBPS in 2018. Singh said rather than quashing the selection process of banking personnel held by a reputed central agency, the focus of UT administration needed to be over the "illegal backdoor appointments made by corrupt political regime". "We demand a probe into all backdoor appointments made during the previous PDP-BJP regime in Jammu and Kashmir," he told reporters here. The JKNPP chief alleged that thousands of SPOs were appointed in the Police Department during the BJP-PDP rule without following the prescribed norms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Navneet Damani China's shutdown puts OPEC and allies nations in an awkward position. Markets keep on assuming the virus clears up pretty quickly, but as the spread of the virus to Italy and Korea accelerate, the crisis could continue to grow worse. OPEC is worried about the slump in Chinese oil demand pressuring oil prices below the pain threshold of its members. An emergency meeting of technical experts over February 4- 6 recommended a deepening of collective output cuts to 2.7 million barrels per day in the second quarter from the cut of 2.1 million barrels per day agreed for January-March. OPEC+ has a great responsibility as there is a greater need for OPEC and its allied to cut output more sharply and bring balance in the markets. However, the alliance between Russia and Saudi Arabia appears to be floppy as Russia has kept radio silence after Saudi Arabia recommended a cut of 6,00,00 bpd in its JTC meet. Traders were waiting to hear whether Russia would be on board with deeper production cuts, but hopes were dashed as OPEC and Russia announced that it would not move up its March 5-6 meeting to discuss the options earlier than planned, implying that Russia was probably not on board, as suspected. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The decision to not move the meeting up highlights the lack of urgency in the cartel for the coronavirus fears and waits to get a clear picture on how long coronavirus will have an impact. Back to Saudi Prince Abdulazizs call to treat the oil market as a house on fire the question for oil traders is: how will he put out the blaze? The decision can act as double-edged sword and crucial as if the global economy decelerates in 2020, OPEC+ would need to guard against propping up crude too much. But higher prices by OPEC+ decision would slow down recovery from Covid-19, especially in China and broader Asia, their most important market. On the other hand, if prices stay at these levels, it will start hurting economies of Middle east especially Iran, Iraq where the cases of Coronavirus has led to slowdown and stoppage of transportation Source: Motilal Oswal Many North African countries are already struggling with political and domestic conflicts, sanctions like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Libya and Nigeria. China is Saudi Arabias most important customer and along with other Asian countries like India and South Korea, is increasingly vital for the big oil producers around the Persian Gulf. Any slowing of these economies will sap demand for oil, hitting prices and the revenues that OPEC governments depend on. The other factor would be if the cuts were to be implemented in the second quarter and demand starts to revive by that time, the OPEC+ alliance could just lose more market share to unconventional producers. Source: Motilal Oswal Libya blockage will automatically help OPEC as it has lost 1.0 Mbpd of production and its absence will be a gain. But it might not be easy for OPEC to come up with an effective response. For one, it is difficult to predict how long coronavirus crisis will last and how much damage it will do to the world economy. Also, possibility of deep cut would require producers to absorb serious pain. It is also difficult to judge when Libyan volumes, now down about one million barrels a day because of political infighting, will return. Russia Saudi Relationship: Positively Engaged Russia hasnt said whether it will support a proposal by the coalition known as OPEC+ for deeper production cuts of 600,000 barrels a day. Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak is positively engaged with Saudi Arabia and other suppliers, Prince Abdulaziz said. Currently, reports suggest that Saudi Arabia is reportedly in talks with the UAE and Kuwait on a joint cut of about 300,000 bpd instead of the earlier proposed 600,000 bpd cut that Moscow kept rejecting. But a 300,000-bpd cut would only partially compensate for the lost demand as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. Unable to count on Russia, the Gulf States may act on their own, although its not clear that the move will be sufficient. The tussle between OPEC and Russia raises substantial doubt about the continuation of production cuts and therefore a return to a heavily oversupplied market. There can be a possibility of a total breakdown of the OPEC+ alliance, which can boost supplies by 2-3Mbpd in an already oversupplied market. In the past, Saudi Arabia has been adamant that all production cuts be shared pro rata between OPEC and Russian alliance members. Source: Motilal Oswal Markets question is whether OPEC would continue to shoulder all the cuts on its own without pro rata participation from Russia. The market believes it wont, and this fear is weighing in on the oil price. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, meanwhile, remained resolute that OPEC+ should not bring forward its meet and find an urgent solution to the hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil demand it was losing a day in China. Novak also described the coronavirus impact on oil as pretty uncertain and changing rapidly. If the If the alliance were to split, the immediate reaction would be a drop in oil prices, but that could be reversed by a strong OPEC cut. Outlook: OPEC seemed to be trying to prop up the market with talk of a meeting, but this tactic did not work. The OPEC/non-OPEC alliance's decision on the size of supply cuts for the second quarter and beyond will indicate whether producers are willing to risk short-term pain for a potential long-term market gain. While Gulf Arab states have shown their backing for the cuts, Russias energy minister Alexander Novak remained sceptical of the impact of the virus in curbing oil demand growth and said the country needed more time to assess the full impact. Energy markets can make a sustainable move higher, but a more aggressive OPEC+ response is going to be needed at the March meeting, and thus far Russia is seemingly reluctant to participate in further curtailments which is raising fears of an OPEC+ break-up. Our analysis says that OPEC i.e. Saudis, Kuwait and UAE to cut even more to shore up the market in the face of the impact of the coronavirus impact on Chinese and global demand and cut more than 6, 00,000 bpd-1Mbbpd in markets and extend the agreement for another quarter, till March 2020. This will push prices higher for short term but for long term perspective, we expect Money managers to add selling pressure to Brent in response to strengthening downside momentum. What is becoming clearer by the hour, is the disruption from coronavirus to business globally, in the form of supply chain bottlenecks and falling sales. Against that backdrop, any short-term rallies in asset markets, are likely to be just that, short. Oil market has entered a vicious circle of selling pressure with no hope in sight. The worst thing would be to call a meeting and keep a wait and watch situation for markets. Brent can see some recovery on hopes of OPEC and push prices to $55 but later on, the fundamental picture still looks negative with compliance from OPEC member still a major constraint for the markets and prices can touch $40 after the OPEC saga and Coronavirus fears which is turning into a global epidemic. For All Commodities Related News - Click Here (The author is Vice President, Commodity & Currency Research, Motilal Oswal) : The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. An evacuee from Wuhan, China, believed to have recovered from the coronavirus was released from a San Antonio medical facility Saturday and went to a local hotel before officials learned she had again tested positive for the virus, possibly exposing up to a dozen people in the meantime. On Sunday, health officials said they are tracing the womans contacts with people and notifying them of their potential risk of infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement issued to the San Antonio Express-News. The CDC said Sunday that the woman met the criteria for release, including two negative test results, before leaving the Texas Center for Infectious Disease in San Antonio on Saturday. The patient was returned to isolation at the facility, a state hospital on the Southeast Side typically used to treat tuberculosis patients, early Sunday after a pending, subsequent lab test came up positive for the virus, known as COVID-19. The woman, who was brought to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on Feb. 7, had first tested positive around Feb. 12 and was moved to Methodist Hospital | Texsan. She was the first person in the state with the virus and the countrys 15th case. She was later moved to TCID. The woman was discharged from TCID on Saturday after tests taken Feb. 21 and again last Tuesday came back negative. In addition to the negative test results, she also showed no symptoms of the virus. Rear Adm. Nancy Knight, who heads the CDCs Division of Global Health Protection, said the CDC wasnt aware of a third test done Thursday by the tuberculosis hospital until Saturday night. WIN TICKETS: Spurs Nation is giving away four box seat tickets to the March 22 home game Following the patients release, results of a subsequent sample were received and determined to be weakly positive. Out of an abundance of caution, CDC decided to bring the individual back into isolation at a local medical facility, the agency said. Knight described the woman as extremely compliant after being met by officials at the hotel, which she did not identify, and said the room was disinfected and closed for use. She said the cycle of the womans infection ran longer than what has been previously seen in the patients. Its possible, Knight said, the later oral and nasal swab test may have detected pieces of dead virus, which would not be transmissible. The test used, she added, cannot tell the difference between dead and live virus. She said this was the first time the CDC had seen a coronavirus case where two negative tests had been followed by a positive granted, weakly positive. Its important to remember that this is a new virus and we are learning more about it every day, the CDC said. The cycle of infection with COVID-19 is not yet well understood, but the amount of virus is typically highest when the person is sickest. As the illness resolves, the amount of virus falls. The patient had been in isolation while being treated in San Antonio for several weeks after being flown from Wuhan, China, to the U.S. aboard a State Department-chartered plane. San Antonio Metro Health said it is now tracking where she went, whom she interacted with and who might have been exposed. In a release issued late Sunday, Metro Health said it would share that information with the public when its work is completed. Now Playing: Sig Christenson is a senior reporter who covers the military for the San Antonio Express-News. He is currently reporting on the coronavirus evacuee situation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Video: San Antonio Express-News On ExpressNews.com: Two more Diamond Princess evacuees at Lackland test positive for coronavirus, bringing confirmed cases to 8 Reaction to the news sparked anger and some alarm among local and congressional leaders. Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, along with local health professionals, had expressed grave concerns over, among other things, the federal protocol of transporting evacuees from Lackland to area hospitals and increasing the risk of exposing the public to the virus. The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable, Nirenberg said Sunday night. We will hold the CDC accountable to providing complete transparency for the public. This situation is exactly why we have been asking for federal officials to accept the guidance of our medical community. The mayor added that he is not critical of the local congressional delegation. Wolff said local officials concerns have not been addressed. Time and time again, I have raised issues concerning evacuees, inappropriate accommodations, the risk of exposure during transporting and the need for additional monitoring and extended quarantine periods, he said Sunday night. Reps. Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett, both Democrats, were displeased as well. If reports are true, the CDCs premature release of a quarantined patient carrying the coronavirus into San Antonio raises serious questions about CDC management, protocols and the attentiveness of the administration to public safety, said Castro, who expressed confidence in the competence of the medical professionals at the CDC. Doggett called the incident yet another troubling episode in the chaotic mismanagement of this looming threat. Releasing an evacuee prior to negative test confirmation by CDC in Atlanta is completely unjustified. It is vital this not happen with any others in quarantine, who are scheduled for Monday release. As things stood Sunday night, 11 evacuees in all were at the tuberculosis hospital. The CDC planned to release most of the Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers from Lackland on Monday. Originally, 144 evacuees arrived two weeks ago. Knight, though, cautioned that a handful would remain on the base. On Feb. 7, 91 evacuees from Wuhan were brought to Lackland for quarantine. Ninety of them completed their 14-day quarantine and were released Feb. 20. The CDC said Friday that two more Diamond Princess evacuees quarantined in San Antonio had tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the city to eight. Three others who also tested positive in Japan were awaiting confirmatory testing by the CDC as the weekend began. On Sunday, the CDC warned against unnecessary travel to China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea. The virus had turned up in a total of 87,137 cases in 60 countries, the latest Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Ireland, Monaco and Qatar, the World Health Organization reported Sunday. Most of the cases 78,968 were in China, where 2,873 deaths have been reported. The CDC reported last week community spread of the virus in California, Oregon and Washington state. It also discovered the first case of coronavirus in a health care worker and first potential outbreak in a long-term health care facility. While the CDC stressed that Americans are unlikely to be exposed to the virus, it also warned that the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is very high, to the United States and globally. The CDC noted that if the risk of exposure to the virus is low, current global circumstances suggest it is likely that this virus will cause a pandemic. Health care workers caring for those with COVID-19 are at higher risk of exposure, as are those close to infected patients. Symptoms reported for coronavirus patients include mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Those symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure. Those developing symptoms or who have been in close contact with someone known to have coronavirus or visiting an area with widespread incidents of it should call their doctor. The CDC said its developed guidance to help in the risk assessment and management of people with potential exposures to COVID-19. It went on to say there is no vaccine to protect against coronavirus and no medications approved to treat it. The CDC recommends common preventive measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus and other respiratory diseases. They include: Avoiding close contact with people who are sick. Avoiding close contact with people who are sick. Not touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Not touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Staying home when you are sick. Staying home when you are sick. Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throwing it in the trash. Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throwing it in the trash. Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. You should not wear a face mask to protect yourself from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Masks should be used only by those who show symptoms of coronavirus to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. sigc@express-news.net Space scientists have successfully predicted satellite-killing radiation storms two days before they strike beating out the previous model that alerted experts only one day in advance. The new model, called PreMevE 2.0, uses machine-learning to improve forecasts by incorporating upstream solar wind speeds from the Van Allen belts. The technology compiles existing data sets to 'learn' patterns and predict future storms so satellite operators can take protective measures, including temporarily shutting down part of or even the whole satellite to avoid damage. The model's creators have also noted that it can be used to capture earthquake patterns on earth in order to predict when these natural disasters will strike. Scroll down for video This new model, called PreMevE 2.0, uses machine learning to improve forecasts by incorporating upstream solar wind speeds from the Van Allen belts PreMevE 2.0 was developed by space scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, who are working in a NASA and National Oceanic and atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Yue Chen, a space scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and principal investigator on the project, said: 'Radiation storms from the Van Allen belts can damage or even knock out satellites orbiting in medium and high altitudes above the Earth, but predicting these storms has always been a challenge.' 'Given that the Van Allen Probes, which provided important data about space weather, recently de-orbited, we no longer have direct measurements about what's happening in the outer electron radiation belt.' 'Our new model uses existing data sets to 'learn' patterns and predict future storms so satellite operators can take protective measures, including temporarily shutting down part of or even the whole satellite to avoid damage.' The new model does build on its predecessor that was able to predict these radiation storm one day in advance. The technology compiles existing data sets to 'learn' patterns and predict future storms so satellite operators can take protective measures, including temporarily shutting down part of or even the whole satellite to avoid damage (artist impression of Van Allen belts) However, scientists have learned that incorporating upstream solar wind speeds can add another day to their prediction. Youzuo Lin, a computational scientist at Los Alamos who developed the machine-learning algorithms for the model, said: 'With the expectation that similar patterns may reveal themselves in the future, our model is capable of making predictions by capturing some critical signatures as a precursor to those future events.' By testing the model with multiple machine-learning algorithms, this work confirms the predictability of MeV electrons, as well as the robustness of using low-Earth-orbit electron observations to drive predictions,' added Chen. 'In addition, the framework set up in this work allows us to easily include more input parameters to predict more energetic electrons in the next step. The machine learning framework developed for PreMevE 2.0 can also be applied to many broad applications that use time-related measurements, such as capturing earthquake patterns among large volumes of seismic time-series data, enabling detection of small earthquakes out of the noisy environments. Police shot dead an armed man when he went into a church with a gun because he was 'distraught over a relationship', police said. Santa Ana police officers fatally shot the armed man on Sunday afternoon inside a Catholic church, just before a service was due to start. He was shot at the altar after officers were flagged down at 4.20pm and told someone inside Immaculate Heart of Mary Church had a gun. Officers found the armed man inside the building and opened fire, according to local media. The man then ran outside with the weapon and collapsed on a nearby street. Santa Ana detectives and officers investigating the scene where an armed man was shot by police at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Santa Ana, California on Sunday afternoon Police detectives huddling underneath umbrellas at the scene in Sana Ana on Sunday He was pronounced dead at the scene, police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. Bertagna told the Orange County Register: 'We understand he was distraught over a relationship. We're not sure if that's why he was here.' Police Chief David Valentin said witnesses reported the man was distraught and possibly suicidal, but it did not appear he was planning a mass shooting. 'It's tragic, it really is. Any loss of life, it's tragic. In this circumstance, it's a place of worship', Valentin said. 'People come here for comfort, spiritual healing, support, so for this to happen here it's traumatic for everyone involved.' Officers were told by people inside the church, who had arrived for a 5pm service, that another person may have been with the suspect. Santa Ana Police detectives standing by the scene on Sunday. Officers fatally shot an armed man inside the Catholic church The church and a nearby school was searched by officers, but by early Sunday evening had not yet found another suspect, Bertagna added. Police withheld the suspect's name pending notification of family. Maria Roque, 39 of Santa Ana, a member of the church, told the Register that she, like the others, was surprised to find out a shooting occurred. Friends were in the library inside the church when the shooting took place, but they were all safe, she said. 'It's scary to think we're not even safe here,' Roque said. 'I've been coming here since I was 16 years old.' My wife Mary and I attended CPAC conservative convention to promote the March 3rd 11:55 a.m. release of my new Trump Train song and music video. While most people at CPAC are excited to meet members of Congress, I tend to gravitate to vendors, authors, and everyday patriots in attendance. From among the many vendors selling Trump gear, Mary had to have a Trump purse shaped like a Coke can. Mary shot a short video of my interview with Mary Lou, the vendor. One of the most creative things I saw was the Trump hammocks. Enjoy this short video of my interview with Steve, the hammock designer. Walt was a 70-something year-old farmer, sporting a great cowboy hat. Obama's policies caused Walt to attend CPAC every year. Walt owns 70 acres. He grows corn. Walt and I chuckled about Mike Bloomberg's insulting comments about farmers. I sat in on a breakout session by Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends. Their point is that progressives own the climate-change issue. They believe to win the millennial vote, Republicans must come up with their free-market solution to the problem of climate change. While I understand their thinking, I have a problem surrendering to the lie that man can control the climate. I covet your input. A drag queen wearing a patriotic themed outfit -- big blonde wig, miniskirt, and knee-high boots -- drew attention at CPAC. Some folks gathered to take a picture of themselves with the drag queen. Amid the throngs, black conservative radio show host Lonnie Poindexter and I spotted each other. We embraced. Like me, Lonnie has been unable to break his black family and friend's loyalty to the Democratic Party. He excitedly reported a tide change. Abortion and the aggressive bullying of LGBTQ activists is causing blacks to finally turn away from Democrats. Lonnie introduced me to a new political term, leaner. Leaners are people who lean in close to whisper into your ear that they are voting for Trump. Back in my hotel room, Democrats and their fake news minions were all over TV despicably trying to cause Americans to panic over the coronavirus. Proving once again that they do not care about American lives, Democrats view the virus as a golden opportunity to sell their lies that Trump does not care, that Trump is incompetent, and that Trump must be removed from office for the safety of America. Democrats and fake news media are joyfully awaiting for Americans to begin dying from coronavirus. Even more disturbing was watching talking heads on our side attacking Trump for firmly calling out the Democrats' cold, calculated, and irresponsible politicizing of the situation. Over the past three and a half years, the behavior of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives led by Nancy Pelosi has made it abundantly clear that they only have one agenda item: to remove Donald Trump from office by any means necessary. Democrats and their fake news media minions have deemed that undermining whatever is good for America and even sacrificing American lives are acceptable weapons to achieve their goal. Therefore, these people are evil and extremely dangerous. Given this shocking truth, it blows my mind that people on our side still criticize Trump for pushing back hard against Democratic and fake news media accusations. Establishment Republicans want Trump to express his displeasure with dignified presidential politeness. Meanwhile, Democrats get to spew whatever vile evil hateful lie that comes out of their hearts with impunity. Twenty-four/seven fake news media promotes absurd accusations like Trump wants you dead; Trump is racist, and Trump lies about everything. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Democrats are guilty of every accusation they launch against Trump. I say, let Trump fight our Democrat-giant-enemy-within in his own way. When young David stepped up to fight Goliath the giant in the Bible, King Saul offered David his battle tunic, his sword, his armor and a helmet. But it was too heavy and awkward. David said thanks, but I'm going to fight him my way with my trusty slingshot. David defeated Goliath. God has prepared Trump for such a time as this. Though unconventional, Trump continues to win unprecedented battles against progressives for We the People. I feel comfortable allowing Trump to be Trump, courageously fighting for us in his own way. One principle Trump understands is that the aggressor sets the rules of engagement. Trump fights his opponents with equal or more force. I love that he is suing the arrogant New York Times. Win or lose, Trump is pushing back against fake news. For years, We the People have been frustrated by Republicans like Mitt Romney who foolishly persist in bringing an olive branch to engage in policy battles in which Democrats bring guns, flamethrowers, machetes, and grenades. CPAC was really encouraging, folks -- tons of young people, college students and millennial conservatives. It was surprising to learn that for many of them, their conservative values are an outgrowth of their Christian faith. The big message of CPAC was Trump 2020! Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Help Lloyd Spread the Truth https://www.trumptrainusa2020.com/ http://LloydMarcus.com OurCrowd, a global crowdfunding venture investing platform and venture investor, added Jason Greenblatt, former Assistant to the President of the United States, and Special Representative for International Negotiations, as partner. Greenblatt will have responsibility for building ties with the Middle East region. Greenblatt is considered as the architect of President Trumps Deal of the Century Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. He was a keynote speaker at the 2020 OurCrowd Global Investor Summit in February. Led by founder and CEO Jon Medved, OurCrowd is a global venture investing platform that empowers institutions and individuals to invest and engage in emerging companies. The most active venture investor in Israel, OurCrowd vets and selects companies, invests its capital, and provides its global network with access to co-invest and contribute connections, talent and deal flow. The firm builds value for its portfolio companies throughout their lifecycles, providing mentorship, recruiting industry advisors, navigating follow-on rounds and creating growth opportunities through its network of multinational partnerships. With $1.4 billion of committed funding, and investments in 200 portfolio companies and 20 venture funds, the firm offers access to its membership of 41,000 individual accredited and institutional investors, family offices, and venture capital partners from over 183 countries to invest alongside, at the same terms. Its portfolio is diversified across sectors and stages, ranging from seed and series A through late stage and pre-IPO firms. Since its founding in 2013, OurCrowd portfolio companies have been acquired by some of the most prestigious brands in the world, including Uber, Canon, Oracle, Nike, and Intel. FinSMEs 02/03/2020 Several researches have been undertaken in the mainstream sciences to investigate the level of difficulties associated with the study of concepts in biology, chemistry, physics, computer studies and a host of others. What has been lacking in literature have been researches related to the social sciences and humanities on concept difficulties related to the study of such course. Funded by the World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence ( Lagos State University) and the Okebukola Science Foundation, a number of researches have been conducted on the science, with one in the humanities (public administration). In a study of 650 students from five African universities (University of Professional Studies Accra, University of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Adminstration, Crawfrod University( Igbesa) and the Lagos State University, results of ground breaking research found that, the most difficult concepts in the study of public administration is politics. Using mean ranks, the study suggests the following results; Table 1: Ranking of Difficult Concepts in the Study of Public Administration Table 1 - Mean rank analysis of difficult concepts in Public Administration (N = 650) S/N. Difficult concepts Mean Ranking B8 Politics 1.83 1st B1 Bureaucracy 1.81 2nd B7 Public Policy 1.77 3rd B6 Decentralization 1.74 4th B5 Governance 1.62 5th B9 Public Personnel Administration 1.58 6th B3 Corruption 1.49 7th Topic Arms of Government 1.48 8th B2 Ethics 1.42 9th B10 Defining Public Administration 1.39 10th Source: Indigenous (Cultural) Knowledge Related To the Concept of Politics as a Difficult Topic in Public Administration The table shows the ranking of the difficult concept in the study of Public Administration. The study shows that Politics with a mean of 1.83 is perceived the most difficult concept in the study of public administration. Public Policy, Decentralization, Governance, Public Personnel Administration, Corruption, Arms of Government, Ethics and Defining Public Administration followed in the order of difficulties in understanding by African university students studying public administration (Awaah, 20202). [KO1] The study suggests that, to make politics easy to understand, African university teachers should adopt the Cuturo-Techno- Conceptual Approach (Okebukola, 2015) in teaching the course. The study explained the approach as emphasizing on using examples and explanations that are related to the students cultural environment to aid understanding. For instance, the study argued that, politics is not new to Africans. Before the advent of western political systems, Africans had their indigenous ways of getting into political office; majorly through the clan and chieftaincy systems. In West Africa just as it pertained in many parts of Africa, ascending to the positions of a chief or head of a kingdom had criterion that one had to meet just as it is with qualifications for being elected in modern day political office. For instance, among the Gurune speaking people of northern Ghana, some key qualifications included being whole bodied, not of a questionable character, must have a wife, not impotent, must be from the royal clan, be of sound mind, and not leprous amongst others. If one did not meet any of these criteria, such a person would be disqualified from being enskinned a chief. This aspect of indigenous criteria for qualifications into chieftaincy can be likened to modern day vetting on pre-established criterion for getting into political office like being a citizen, clean police records, declaration of assets amongst others (Awaah, 2020). The paper further argues that, in modern day politics as taught in the classrooms, dispute is an integral part of the systems and such disputes take the wisdom of the courts to settle. This is not new to Africans. In time past, the elders and chiefs in Africa were repositories of traditional wisdom and would sit in the compounds of the chief to adjudicate matters relating to sub chiefs and other subjects. When the matter was higher than a given chief, the matter would be referred to the overlord of the given traditional area. It is common knowledge that, in matters pertaining to some tribes in the Upper East Region of Ghana, when disputes arose and the immediate chief of the locality lacked the jurisprudence to mediate the matter, the matter was sent to the Nayiri (overlord of Mampurrgu) for settlement. This practice is still prevalent with the Mole Dagbani group of Ghana (bid). The author further argues backs his script with narratives from oral tradition of one such dispute within the Dagbon kingdom - the people of Dagbon could not resolve the matter pertaining who became the next chief or overlord of Dagbon (Yaa Naa) within a given period. It was agreed before the Dagbon state that, the matter be referred to the Nayiri for settlement. This reflects the dispute settlement systems of modern-day politics when matters begin from lower to higher courts depending on the magnitude of the dispute. Of particular interest in this narration is that, when the Dagbon state agreed to refer the matter to the Nayiri, the youngest contender for the skin knowing he is the least advantaged in the race went to Nayiri ahead of the appointed date. He enquired of the Nayiri what name would be one appropriate and impressive for the next chief of Dagbon (Yaa- Naa). Oral traditions has it that, the Nayiri, not knowing his motive mention Nyo-u din galsi ni dei bobri transliterated as the chest that is big will get decorations. The phrase actually connotes the virtue of patience and unity as it really means one needs patience to get power or acclaim. Subsequently, the day for the real adjudication came and all contenders were seated before the Nayiri. Amongst other criterion, all contenders were asked to suggest their skin names, the youngest knowing the mindset of the Nayiri mentioned Nyo-u din galsi ni dei bobri. He was crowned the chief of Dagbon. Oral tradition has it that, he was one of the key chiefs in the history of Dagbon to bring developments into the area. Apart from settling the dispute, this further reflects the concept of modern day lobbying as pertains in politics, for Naa Zangina would have missed out on the chieftaincy if he did not lobby the Nayirri. The full article is published in the book, Breaking Barriers to Learning: the Culturo-Techno-Conceptual Approach and would be available on amazon for sale shortly By Akbar Mammadov The OSCE Minsk Group must implement more effective works for resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Movlut Cavusoglu tweeted. This solution should be in full respect of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, the minister wrote on his Twitter account. Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijans breakaway region which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz I am sitting in the quiet of the Chorten Ningpo monastery, high up in the hills above the rice terraces of Punakha Valley. A young Lama, across the room from me, is preparing the tools for my blessing; a bell and tiny drum, holy water and a brush to dip into it, thin threads in yellow to tie around my wrist. While I am waiting I watch how the sunshine streaming through the intricately carved wooden windows illuminates the brilliant yellow and deep red silks that festoon the room. A clock, hanging slightly askew on the wall, ticks quietly, five hours ahead of real time. It is just one of the memories that I carry back with me into the real world when I go, across an invisible, but very real divide, for Bhutan is definitely as other worldly as I have ever come across. The last time I went to Bhutan was 2006; few people had heard of it, even fewer had been there. As it has slowly opened up to the world with its high-end, low-impact tourism model aiming to preserve the country by limiting the number of incoming visitors, it has gained column inches. These articles describe how Bhutan is a country the size of Switzerland on the eastern edge of the Himalayas. That it is the last Buddhist kingdom in the world. That it is the worlds only carbon-negative state, with a commitment to preserve 60 per cent of the country as forest. That fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchucks belief in Gross National Happiness being more important than Gross National Product became a guiding philosophy which the government enshrined in the 2008 constitution. But even armed with these facts you will be amazed within minutes of your arrival, if not before as you tightly corkscrew down, having flown over the Himalayas, into Paro airport; its short runway playing centre stage in a national joke about being the longest stretch of straight road in the country. Male passport officers wearing the national dress of gho, a woven cloth, striped or checked and worn to the knee above long black socks and shiny black leather shoes, greet you before you are swept out into a landscape of white-washed stone Dzongs, or monastic fortresses, and Chortens, or stupas, fluttering prayer flags and spinning prayer wheels, ancient temples where butter lamps flicker and hay fields are being harvested by women in colourful long skirts or kira. Houses, all white-washed, have pitched roofs, with overlapping wooden shingles held down by stones, normally covered with a scattering of red chilli drying in the sun. But whereas in 2006 I was taken to a simple house for a lunch of the national dish Ema Datshi, a concoction of cheese and chillies, and a cup of yak butter tea which I managed to fob off on my son to drink, this time I was transported to the Six Senses Paro. It is one of four lodges that the group opened across the kingdom last year, with the fifth due in the forests of Bumthang in the east this spring. My lunch there of an elegant circle of quinoa, topped with avocado, and a sprinkling of fresh flowers prompted a need to question my guide as to what else had changed since I was last there. Now we have mail vans instead of runners, he told me, and there is the internet and Facebook. And, I added, looking at the map there are passable roads which can take me to Punakha and Gangtey from Thimphu, something I couldnt do before. Special treatment: a room at the Six Senses Paro / Six Senses After two days in Paro to acclimatise to the altitude, we set off on our travels. I had, again, succumbed to the magic of Bhutan. In the Six Senses Lodge in Paro, the caring gentleness of the staff pervaded my stay, from my dressing gown being warmed before I was helped into it after spa treatments, to a hot water bottle tucked into my bed at turndown and the wood-burning bukhari stove stoked to glow in my bedroom until the early hours. We drove to Thimphu, the only capital in the world without traffic lights, just a policeman in a carved and painted wooden podium. There the Six Senses stands high above the town at 2,650m, designed to reflect a palace in the sky, a prayer pavilion surrounded by water mirroring the blue pine forests on the surrounding mountains. From there to Punakha, a deep and fertile valley where I tried the potent Ara, the national drink of fermented or distilled high-altitude grain and visited the 17th century Dzong on the riverside. In Gangtey, where the endangered black-necked cranes migrate to the wetlands from Tibet every year, apparently flying three times around Gangtey Goenpa Monastery as they arrive, I walked through fields of buckwheat, visited a yak farmer and his herd and searched for the elusive Himalayan red panda. The view from Six Senses Thimpu / Six Senses The employees provident fund (EPF) acts a safety net for retirement for most in the organised sector. However, you can withdraw sums even before retirement for specified needs. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) allows partial withdrawals for marriage, education, medical emergencies, home loan repayment, purchase or renovation of a house, etc. But, there are certain rules for partial withdrawals that you must be aware of before making claims. Marriage and education You can withdraw from the EPF for your marriage as well as for those of your siblings and children. You are also allowed tap into the kitty for paying the fees related to your childrens higher education, i.e., after the completion of 10th grade. The EPFO body allows withdrawal of up to 50 per cent of your contribution to the provident fund with interest. But, you should have completed a minimum of seven years in service to be eligible for this withdrawal. Even if you have switched jobs in this period, you would be eligible, but as indicated earlier, you should have worked for a total of at least seven years. Lets say you have contributed Rs 4.5 lakh towards your EPF and with the interest income the value has increased to Rs 5 lakh. So, you can withdraw up to Rs 2.5 lakh for marriage or education. Till retirement, you can withdraw three times for marriage or education. Home loan repayment If you wish to repay your home loan, you are allowed to withdraw the amount from your provident fund account after completion of 10 years of service. This withdrawal is subject to certain conditions: the home for which loan is being repaid should be registered in your name, spouses name or held jointly. You have to submit the relevant documents to the EPFO while applying for withdrawal. You can withdraw the least of: 36 months basic wages and dearness allowance, total of employee and employers contribution with interest income in the provident fund account, or the total outstanding principal and interest amount of the home loan. Purchase of land or construction of a house You can withdraw from the EPF for purchasing a house or buying a piece of land to construct a house. You can also withdraw money to fund the construction of your house. You should have completed a minimum of five years in service. The house or land for construction should be registered in your name, your spouses name or held jointly. Archit Gupta, Founder and CEO ClearTax adds, The withdrawal condition for purchasing a piece of land for a house will be the least of: 24 months basic wages and dearness allowance, total of employee and employers contribution with interest income in provident fund account, or the total cost of purchasing a land. You are allowed to withdraw the least of: 36 months basic wages and dearness allowance, total of employee and employers contribution with interest income in provident fund account, or the total cost incurred for the construction of the house. Procedure for PF withdrawal You can withdraw from provident fund account by submitting an online application or using a physical form at your local EPFO office. For partial withdrawals, you will need to submit a self-attested form. You can submit a provident fund withdrawal application online through the EPF portal for various purposes. To apply online, your universal account number (UAN) should be activated and linked to your Aadhaar, permanent account number (PAN) or bank account. Should you withdraw from your EPF corpus? The monthly contribution from an employee and employer in the EPF helps salaried individuals to accumulate funds during their work lives. The corpus built is meant for the period after retirement. Ashish Apte, CEO at AAA ResearchOne Financial Consultants says, The amount accumulated in the provident fund over the years is not supposed to be withdrawn before its maturity for any reasons as this could put one's retirement at risk. Thus, if you spend the amount meant for your retirement years on purchasing a home or renovating the house, you are exposing yourself to the risk of leaving no funds for your retired life. Pankaj Mathpal, founder of Optima Money Managers, a wealth management and financial planning firm says, Remember, there are many banks that are willing to lend you money to buy or renovate a house. But nobody lends you money to live a retired life. The EPF is an opportunity to accumulate money for the post-retirement period. When you keep contributing to this corpus and do not withdraw money in the interim period, the magic of compounding works in your favour during working years. That leaves you with a large corpus that is otherwise difficult to accumulate for many salaried individuals. Mathpal points out, There are cases where individuals use their EPF money for buying a home, childs education, marriage or other purposes. Such individuals find it difficult to pay for their day-to-day expenses after they retire. So, take your decision wisely. Do not withdraw from your EPF account until it becomes essential. Let your EPF balance compound and help you retire rich. The Taliban said Monday they were resuming offensive operations against Afghan security forces, ending the partial truce that preceded the signing of a deal between the insurgents and Washington. The declaration comes only a day after President Ashraf Ghani said he would continue the partial truce at least until talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban kick-off, supposedly on March 10. It ran for one week ahead of the signing of the historic accord in Doha on Saturday, and continued over the weekend. ALSO WATCH | Prisoner release cant be a pre-condition: Ashraf Ghani on US-Taliban deal The reduction in violence... has ended now and our operations will continue as normal, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP. As per the (US-Taliban) agreement, our mujahideen will not attack foreign forces but our operations will continue against the Kabul administration forces. Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the defence ministry said the government was checking to see if (the truce) had ended. We have not had any reports of any big attacks in the country yet, he added. Since the deal signing on Saturday, the Taliban have been publicly celebrating their victory over the US. Under the terms of the deal, foreign forces will quit Afghanistan within 14 months, subject to Taliban security guarantees and a pledge by the insurgents to hold talks with the Kabul government. The dramatic fall in attacks due to last weeks partial truce between the Taliban, US and Afghan forces offered Afghans a rare opportunity to go about their daily lives without fear of violence. Ghani warned the insurgents Monday that he was not committed to a key clause in the Doha deal involving the release of thousands of Taliban prisoners. The novel coronavirus has sparked intense debate in Iran between ultra-conservative Shiite clerics and the government on how to most effectively tackle the deadliest outbreak of the disease outside China. The issue has also been divisive among religious authorities. "This is a historic debate between Muslim jurists that dates back to the early days of Islam," said Mohsen Alviri, an academic and theologian from Qom, a Shiite holy city that is the epicentre of Iran's coronavirus outbreak. "Some people prioritise religious rituals, which they place above everything, even medical science," said the hodjatoleslam, or middle-ranking cleric. Others "think we can abandon obligatory prayers to save a human being's life," he added. Ayatollah Mohammad Saidi, head of the Fatima Masumeh mausoleum in Qom, a place of pilgrimage visited each year by crowds of Shiites from Iran and abroad, is from the first category. In an online video that went viral last week, Saidi insisted the place of worship should remain open to the faithful, despite the COVID-19 illness outbreak, which Iran says has claimed 66 lives out of 1,501 cases of infection. "This sacred shrine (is) a house of healing," he said, inviting pilgrims to come so that they can be "healed of their physical and spiritual illnesses". 'Antibacterial effects' Two days earlier, Qom's top security body had ordered the suspension of collective prayers in the province. It also ordered the disinfection of the mausoleum and the installation of barriers to keep people back from a tomb whose ornate silver-plated enclosure is usually touched or kissed by the faithful. An article published a few hours later on the mausoleum's website criticised the decision as "an error based on lack of faith". The article, which was referred to as a statement by Iranian media but is no longer available online, repeatedly referred to what it presented as "the antibacterial effects of silver". Following the exchange between the government and the mausoleum, Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced restrictions on the entry to Shiite holy sites. The government had to make concessions, he implied, while indicating that it had made proposals that were "stricter" than those that were finally adopted. Under the government's new guidelines, worshippers would only be allowed to enter pilgrimage sites if they had hand sanitising liquid and masks, and as long as they avoided close contact with each other and simply prayed before leaving. Advice on ways to prevent novel coronavirus infections has appeared in droves on billboards and on television in Iran. Authorities also took the rare decision to cancel the main weekly Muslim prayers in Tehran and other cities, including Mashhad, an important pilgrimage site. Eating the virus "Nothing justifies the closure of this divine duty," Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, the imam who leads prayers in northeastern Mashhad, was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. But one hodjatoleslam has a different opinion. "If specialist doctors recommend collective prayers should be temporarily suspended or that attendance at religious sites should be reduced, then this should be adhered to," Mohammadreza Zaeri said. "If someone were to be contaminated by (a cleric's) negligence, then (this cleric) would certainly be religiously responsible," Zaeri, who writes for a religious monthly, said on the messaging service Telegram. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered the debate on Thursday, praising doctors and nurses and expressing hope that their dedication would "soon eradicate the sinister virus". In Qom, Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani issued a fatwa on Saturday calling on the population to "take into account" the health ministry's recommendations. But in another viral video, Jafar Ghafouri, an activist of a branch of Shiism that rejects the Islamic republic, appears to lick the tomb of Imam Reza in Mashhad, saying, "I am eating the virus to reassure you and keep you coming to the mausoleum". He has since been arrested, according to several Iranian media outlets. Since it first emerged in China late last year, the novel coronavirus has spread to more than 60 countries and infected nearly 90,000 people. Iran has the highest death toll for any country outside China. 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 Malayali retail tycoon MA Yusuff Ali received become the first Indian to receive Saudi Arabia's green card, said the LuLu Group he owns in a statement. Last year, MA Yususff was named the richest expat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the Forbes magazine. Malayali retail tycoon MA Yusuff Ali became the first Indian to receive Saudi Arabias premium residency, claimed a statement from his office on Monday, March 2. The 64-year-old Yusuff Ali is the chairman of the LuLu Group, who was named the richest expat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the Forbes magazine in 2019. Saudis Green Card gives expats the right to live, work and own business and property in Saudi Arabia without a sponsor. The decision to give Saudis Premium Residency was taken in the light of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans 2030 vision for Saudi Arabias economic reform and booster plan. 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 Sharing the news, Yusuff Ali said that its obviously a very proud and humbling moment for him. He called the Saudi princes decision a great honor for the entire Indian expat community and thanked the Saudi Home Minister, King Salman, the Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and the government of Saudi Arabia. The Premium Residency congratulated Yusuff Ali for getting the green card and quoted his statement in a tweet stating the Kingdom has become an attractive investment destination due to the remarkable growth in the economy. Yusuff Ali @Yusuffali_MA , an investor from India, after obtaining Premium Residency in Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom became an attractive investment destination due to the remarkable growth in economy" pic.twitter.com/wqch8YCE93 | Premium Residency (@SaudiPRCen) March 2, 2020 Yusuff Ali added he is sure that this new permanent residency initiative would boost Saudi Arabias image and economy and present the kingdom as one of the key investments and business hubs. It will attract new investors which may boost Saudi Arabias economy. For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Terrible week for financial markets, 11,000 last ray of hope Its been a week of distress, intimidation and a lot of uncertainties for all equity markets across the globe. Until last week, probably no one had sensed how massive the overall adverse effect of Coronavirus would be. The moment it started spreading rapidly outside China, things became worse and this eventually resulted into a complete meltdown in global markets. For us, we saw some hope of revival on Thursday but Fridays huge gap down followed by sustained selling poured water on it. Eventually, we concluded by ... This photo taken on February 28, 2020 shows workers producing face masks at a factory in Handan in China's northern Hebei province. STR | AFP via Getty Images Medical experts have urged people to stop panic buying face masks, warning that such equipment is not an effective way to protect yourself from the fast-spreading coronavirus. The advice comes at a time of intensifying concern about COVID-19, which has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide since late last year. The outbreak was first identified in Hubei province, China, where over 90% of the deaths have been reported. More recently, the virus has been spreading at a faster rate outside China than inside the country. The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency, with almost 60 countries reporting cases of the coronavirus. Epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have been at pains to emphasize against an unwarranted scramble for face masks in recent weeks, particularly because such hoarding behavior elevates the prospect of an equipment shortage for medical workers. "Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS!" U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said via Twitter over the weekend. "They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" Tweet 1 The warning from America's top doctor is consistent with medical advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has said there is no evidence to support wearing face masks. Instead, Adams said "the best way to protect yourself and your community is with everyday preventative actions, like staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water, to help slow the spread of the respiratory illness." 'Not a lot of evidence' to support wearing face masks It has been suggested wearing face masks could be useful if you're sick in order to prevent you from sneezing or coughing into somebody's face, David Heymann, who led WHO's infectious disease unit at the time of the SARS epidemic in 2002-2003, said at a Chatham House press briefing last month. But, "a mask that is used to stop getting an infection is sometimes not very effective because people take it off to eat, many times they are worn improperly (and) if they get wet and somebody sneezes on that mask it could pass through. So, there is really not a lot of evidence (to support wearing masks)." Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine, a popular spritual landmark in Bangkok on January 27, 2020. MLADEN ANTONOV | AFP via Getty Images "One of the most important ways of stopping respiratory outbreaks such as this is washing hands," Heymann continued. That's because "if you touch a patient, if you shake hands, if you touch a door that has a droplet on it which could theoretically happen then you touch your face (or) your mouth and you become infected." "So, handwashing is the most important. And second is, people who are suspected as being patients, be very careful when you are dealing with them. Avoid face-to-face contact and wash hands when you're treating," Heymann said. "It is very important that people understand that they can prevent themselves from being infected if they follow a few simple measures," he added. 'Don't touch your face' South Korea, Italy and Iran have all recorded sharp upticks in cases of the coronavirus in recent days, with many other countries imposing travel restrictions on virus-hit areas worldwide. Infections have now been reported in every continent except Antarctica. Emily Landon, medical director for infection control at the University of Chicago Medical Center, told CNBC late last week that face masks were "not a great choice" for everyday use. "First of all, there are multiple different kind of face masks. There is the surgical mask that people wear that doesn't really seal up very well. That's super good if you put it on the patient who's sick because that will contain their secretions and protect everyone around them." "However, if you are the one who wants to protect yourself, those N95 masks are much better," Landon said. Leader and founder of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Mr. Kofi Akpaloo has chided the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, tagging him as one of the African leaders who are greedy. The firebrand politician has vehemently stated that the 2016 electoral defeat suffered by former President Mahama is gradually taking a toll and turning him into a man filled with greed. He stressed that Mr. Mahama could have simply laid back after all the roles he has played in the country. Ghanaians dont need Mahama again,If there is any unfinished business that he is coming to do then probably it is the loot and steal from Ghanaians againWe had corruption out of proportion levels. John Mahama comfortably presided over that and could not stamp his authority, Percival Kofi Akpaloo told Kwaku Dawuro on Pae Mu Ka on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 The former president, his brother are greedy because they created all kinds of mushroom organs such us Celebrities for Mahama, Ladies for Mahama setting aside party structures to steal from the nation. According to the Presidential hopeful, John Mahama has no unfinished business to continue and that he has had his turn, and should allow others to take up the mantle for the NDC. If you look at it through history, any country where a president has come back and it is a non-consecutive term, it has always been a disaster. Kofi Akpaloo stated that John Mahama must learn to speak like a Statesman and avoid attacking the same institution that declared him President in 2012. ---KingdomfmOnline PHILADELPHIA, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaskela Law LLC announces that it is investigating AVX Corporation (AVX) (NYSE: AVX) on behalf of the companys shareholders. AVX 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/ , to receive additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options. On February 21, 2020, AVX announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Kyocera Corporation (Kyocera) pursuant to an all-cash tender offer for $21.75 per share. Following completion of the proposed transaction, AVX will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera, and AVXs shares will no longer be publicly traded. Kaskela Law LLCs investigation seeks to determine whether $21.75 per share represents adequate consideration for AVXs shares, and if the proposed transaction as currently structured is fair to AVXs stockholders. 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. CONTACT: The former New York mayor had absolutely nothing to offer beyond what President Trump has already done on the coronavirus. But he did film his expensive commercial in front of a set that was modeled on the Oval Office, apparently intending to suggest to viewers that he has presidential gravitas. Others call it presidential cosplay. Video screen grab. Never forget that campaign consultants get a percentage of the cost of TV ads when a candidate buys the airtime. Mike Bloomberg's consultants must have made ton of money after talking him into buying three full minutes on two broadcast networks last night for the ad, which is embedded below and whose script is has nothing to offer except his claim that he would be prepared better, and the implication that President Trump was not prepared. As for that claim to be so excellent on planning, consider what veteran New York Times reporter Clyde Haberman wrote about Bloomberg's response to Hurricane Sandy that devastated New York City: "[A]ny mayor would have done what he did in the crisis. So why give him credit?" Does that sound harsh? It does to our own ears. But we're simply applying the same standard that Mr. Bloomberg uses for other leaders[.] ... In an eyebrow-arching exchange, the mayor was asked if President Obama deserved credit for ordering the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year." [snip] "So as eager as we are to credit Mr. Bloomberg for his calm handling of preparations for Hurricane Sandy, it's hard to see how to do so and stay true to the test of leadership that he himself set." NEW YORK, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 10,000 U.S. and global securities, and Advokatfirmaet Raeder, a leading law firm with broad financial expertise in Oslo, Norway with broad financial expertise in the Nordic region, announced that they will cohost an exclusive forum on Tuesday, March 3 to discuss the benefits of cross-trading in the U.S. capital markets for publicly-traded Norwegian companies. Raeder was recently designated as the first OTCQX sponsor representing the Nordic region. The event is designed to convene companies, industry experts and investors in the Nordic region to share best practices, address challenges and provide insight on OTC Markets Group's solutions. Focused discussions will center on supporting publicly-traded companies in the globalization of their capital markets strategies and expanding their U.S. investor base without the cost and complexity of listing on U.S. exchange. The program will take place at the offices of Raeder in Dronning Eufemias, gate 11, 0191 Oslo, Norway with the agenda as follows: 8:00 am - Registration 8:30 am- Welcome remarks, OTC Markets introduction 9:00 am - Panel discussion with Carl Garmann Clausen, Partner at Raeder; Jason Paltrowitz, EVP Corporate Services of OTC Markets; Derek D'Antilio, CFO of IDEX Biometrics and moderated by Joe Coveney, VP Corporate Services of OTC Markets 9:30 am - Q&A 9:45 am Networking "OTC Markets Group is delighted to partner with Raeder to drive discussions surrounding international growth opportunities and U.S. investor access for the public companies of the Nordic region," said Jason Paltrowitz, EVP of Corporate Services at OTC Markets Group. "Nordic companies continue to recognize the value of cross-trading on our premium OTCQX and OTCQB markets. Our goal remains to offer international companies a more cost-effective solution to raise capital, expand their global visibility, and gain secondary access to U.S. investors. We are committed to expanding our footprint in northern Europe and helping Norwegian companies benefit from the breadth of our premium U.S. markets." To register for the conference, please click here. About OTC Markets Group Inc. OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors. To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com . OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed Media Contact: OTC Markets Group Inc. +1 (212) 896-4428 [email protected] SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc. Related Links http://www.otcmarkets.com RIL buys 37.7% stake in textile manufacturer Alok Industries for Rs250 cr Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Saturday said it has acquired 37.7 per cent stake in textile manufacturer Alok Industries Ltd for Rs250 crore, following approval from the Ahmedabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal and the Competition Commission of India Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) jointly with JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co Ltd had bid for acquiring Alok Industries that was auctioned under the insolvency and bankruptcy law by lenders to recover their unpaid loans. "Please note that in accordance with the approved Resolution Plan, ALOK has today allotted 83.33 crore equity shares of Re1 each at a premium of Rs2 per equity share for cash at a total consideration of Rs250 crore to RIL," Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) said in a regulatory filing. Pursuant to this acquisition, RIL will hold 37.7 per cent equity share capital of Alok Industries, it added. Also, in accordance with the approved resolution plan, Alok Industries has allotted 250 crore 9 per cent Optionally Convertible Preference Shares (OCPS) of Re1 each for cash at par, for a total consideration of Rs250 crore to RIL. The NCLT had, in March 2019, approved the sole RIL-JM Financial ARC bid for Alok for Rs5,050 crore. RIL had planned to raise about Rs4,550 crore through bank loans while infusing Rs500 crore equity in the company. Incorporated on 12 March 1986, Alok Industries is a Mumbai-based is an integrated textile manufacturer with interests in the polyester and cotton segments. It manufactures a range of textle products, including cotton yarn, apparel fabrics, bed linen, terry towels, embroidery, garments and polyester yarn. The company has representative offices for sales promotion in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It posted a profit of Rs2,283.82 crore on a turnover of Rs3,128.76 crore in 2018-19. "Approval of National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad Bench and Competition Commission of India have been received," the filing said. SBI, the lead bank, had initiated insolvency proceedings against Alok Industries in June 2017. It was among the 12 accounts with outstanding loans greater than Rs5,000 crore that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked banks to refer to the NCLT process. Alok Industries owed lenders a total of Rs30,000 crore. Chief Justice of India S A Bobde said on Monday that the judiciary needs to reduce delays in dealing with cases involving foreign investors or arbitration awards to minimise risk of claims against the country in international fora under Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). The CJI said at the launch of a book on Arbitration laws by Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra that action of Indian judiciary has given rise to claims under BITs in the international plane, "which is unprecedented". Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who also spoke at the event, expressed concern that there appeared to be a bias towards big economies while granting awards as huge damages are never awarded against big countries like USA, UK or Europe. "Therefore, can we not infer that some kind of different treatment was accorded," Prasad said. CJI Bobde further said: "One thing judiciary can do to minimise risk of such claims is to address the issue of delays, especially in cases involving foreign investors or foreign arbitration awards." The minister, while addressing the gathering comprising judges from the SC and Delhi High Court, the Attorney General K K Venugopal and the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said that globally there was concern over the "manner in which BIT awards were being given" and it "cannot be glossed over". He further said that India was keen on becoming a centre for institutional arbitration and foreign arbitrators would be permitted here. The CJI also appeared concerned over BIT claims against India, saying such claims have been made to "essentially halt ongoing criminal proceedings within the country" which were initiated against Indian and foreign nationals for alleged offences under our anti corruption laws. He said that Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which contains BITs, needs to be reformed. ISDS is a system through which investors can sue countries for discriminatory practices. The CJI further said that judges need to be conscious of all these aspects while deciding cases involving foreign entities or nationals. Justice Malhotra also, towards the end of the event, stressed on the need to reduce delays in arbitration award matters and to fastrack them, saying even the interest component of such awards over time "would be took much for an emerging economy to bear". She also agreed with the Law Minister on the aspect that arbitrators are often biased in favour of investors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top officials from Reserve Bank of India (RBI), including Governor Shaktikanta Das urged public sector banks to improve their credit in a meeting with their heads. The meeting took place at RBI headquarters in Mumbai on Monday. According to reports, RBI expressed its discontent over muted credit growth in banks. Latest RBI data shows that bank credit growth declined 8.5 per cent in January, as opposed to 13.5 per cent in the corresponding period last year. Das questioned banks as to why credit growth was not picking up, CNBC-TV18 quoted a bank executive who attended the meeting as saying, adding that the RBI Governor asked bankers to get out of branches, develop connect with enterprises to push credit. ALSO READ:Bank credit growth slows to 8.5% in January; personal loan up 17%: RBI The central bank also asked lenders to avail of the long-term repo operations (LTROs) window to push credit to specific sectors, and not use it for treasury operations or otherwise, the CNBC-TV18 report said. A lot of public banks are sitting on a lot of liquidity and are not using the LTRO window, the report quoted another banker present at the meeting as saying. In its February policy, the RBI had announced a one lakh crore long-term repo auction for banks to borrow one and three year loans at repo rate. During the meeting today, the RBI also sought status report on resolution of cases under the June 7 circular issued by the apex bank on stressed assets. ALSO READ:RBI may have a solution for Yes Bank's billion-dollar problem Last week, while speaking at an event, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman acknowledged that bank credit growth is yet to pick up, while emphasising that banks cannot be "wild" in writing loans. She had added that banks have been specifically directed to avoid mistakes of 2008-09, when excess lending to stimulate Indian economy led to an NPA crisis. Geneva, 1 March 2020 (SPS) - Sahrawi activist Aminatou Haidar called on the UN Human Rights Commission to send inquiry commissions to the occupied areas of Western Sahara and respond to the grave violations committed by the Moroccan occupation against the Sahrawi civilian population. Attending the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the 2019 alternative Nobel Prize winner expressed her deep "concern over the sufferings of Western Sahara people who have been militarily occupied by Morocco since 1975". "Since that date, Morocco continues to systematically violate all our legitimate rights", denounced the icon of the Sahrawi peaceful resistance. "Torture, cruel and degrading treatment, arbitrary detention, false accusations, expulsion from work, forced eviction from the Moroccan cities, defamation by the Moroccan press" are some of the methods used by the Moroccan regime against the Sahrawi citizens, cited by the Sahrawi human rights activist. "These constant violations occur at a time when international observers cannot have access to the occupied territory," she said. The "Sahrawi Gandhi" also warned that "to maintain this peaceful resistance" in Western Sahara, the UN "must take concrete measures to guarantee respect for fundamental rights and thus guarantee the Sahrawi people the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination." Haidar, human rights defender in Western Sahara, victim of torture, enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention, renewed her appeal to the international community to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and ensure the security of the population living in the Sahrawi areas occupied by Morocco. (SPS) 062/SPS When a patient dies, his or her death is usually blamed on sickness, but dont be mistaken: Nigerian health officials would have enormously contributed to it. Deaths of many patients would have been fast-tracked by the many drawbacks of a comatose public health system. However, to ascertain the time an average patient spends before seeing a doctor, and to experience what patients go through in government hospitals, Information Nigerias Gbenga Odunsi who disguised and registered as a patient at theOgun State General hospital on Sokenu Road, Ijaye in Abeokuta brings this report. At about 1:30 pm on a sunny afternoon, the patient-journalist walks up to the registration desk to make inquiries on how to get hospital card. Here, every patient is required to pay N300 to obtain a card before seeing a doctor. You cannot get a card now, says a woman at the small cubicle where patients register to obtain hospital card. You have to wait till 3:30 pm when the doctor for the next shift arrives. Alarmed, I ask what would happen if I have brought an emergency case. You still have to wait till 3:30 pm, she said. But you can go to the emergency ward and tell them. They may attend to you if they see your condition requires emergency, she added. Well, since there was no possibility of seeing a doctor, I left the hospital. The next day, I got to the hospital at about 8am. I met a young lady at the point of payment section of the General Outpatient Department (GOPD). She was the only one attending to patients both new and returning ones. At the Records department, a middle-aged man and lady tended to every patient. The job of the lady requires collecting receipts after payment, while the man inputs the demographic details of patients in a higher education book (not even a computer). This process lasted several hours and patients, including those with emergency cases, had to wait it out. After my details were collected, I joined the queue of patients waiting to see the doctor. At about 9:45am, a nurse called me to check my blood pressure. At the hospital, it is a norm for nurses to examine patients before assigning them to a doctor And again, this process took longer time; even though three nurses were responsible for this procedure. They were seen gisting, chatting, and laughing while attending to sick patients. Many Nigerians prefer to practice self-medication than visit the hospital. The fear of spending long hours before seeing a doctor drives sick people to self medicate. While waiting to see a doctor, Information Nigeria observed that consultation session with doctors did not last up to 10 minutes. Despite complaints of a severe and constant headache, accompanied by body pains, the consultant doctor only asked two questions and scribbled down medical jargons on my card. This didnt last up to 6 minutes either. How doctors negligence led to the death of a sick child Information Nigeria recalls a Nigerian woman, Oyin Gucci, who lost her child in 2019. The bereaved mother recounted how she lost her nine-month-old son due to carelessness of a doctor at the Ikorodu General Hospital in Lagos State. According to Gucci, her son suffered from an attack at 3 a.m. on July 19 and she rushed him to the General Hospital, Ikorodu. A nurse on duty met them, but the doctor who was scheduled to be on duty was absent and his phone was switched off. Consequently, the nurse said there was little she could do for the sick child. Gucci narrated how two hours later; the doctor strolled in leisurely, unperturbed. He acted as if there was no emergency and did not offer any direct treatment to her son. Instead, he wrote some prescriptions for her to buy and left for the mosque to pray. Thirty minutes later, he returned and attended to other patients. Gucci felt these other cases were not as serious as her sons, whom she could see was struggling to breathe. In the end, her son died more than 6 hours after arriving at the hospital. The situation is not different at Ogun state hospital Crossing his arms with his left hand out, Bimbo detailed how his brother died at the state hospital due to negligence of the doctor on duty. Wearing a sombre look, the agony in her eyes is evident. Two months after the sad experience, the 32-year-old lady has not been able to get over her loss. She gnashes her teeth intermittently, stressing that her brothers death has caused damage in the family. Bimbo says her brother, who was ill, was rushed to the state hospital on 2nd December, 2019. On arriving at the hospital, he was wheeled to the emergency unit but nurses refused to attend to him until a hospital card was obtained, which took up to an hour, due to a large number of patients on waiting to obtain a card. Several minutes after getting the card, the patient was still not attended to. A nurse attends to a patient at the Ogun state hospital. Image credit: Information Nigeria The nurses on- call were like voltrons; they work at their own convenience and you cannot confront them. But I managed to challenge the doctor when he walked majestically into the ward. With no sign of remorse, the doctor said he wont kill himself over an emergency case. My brother was finally examined; his blood sample collected, and the doctor asked me to take it to the lab for a test. The doctor finally examined my brother, took blood samples and asked me to take it to the lab for test. But unfortunately, when I got to the lab, I was told its past 4pm and I would have to come back the following day for result. With this development, my brother was left without treatment throughout that day until the lab test results were ready the following day. Two days after, he was hurriedly moved out of the emergency unit, due to lack of bed space. On the third day, his condition worsened, his breathing changed. Again, we were told there was no doctor on duty and we would have to wait till the next doctor on shift resumes. I almost ran mad when my brother breathe his last breath. Laboratory section of Ogin State hospital. Image credit: Information Nigeria Why a state hospital is understaffed is what I am yet to understand. Many tragic incidents that happened in this hospital could have been avoided if there were enough doctors, Bimbo added, in an embittered voice. Like Bimbo, the visit to Ogun State hospital was similarly a nasty experience for Mr Toba Ogundele, a 41-year-old secondary school teacher. Ogundele had gone to the hospital to complain of chest pain. According to his narration, he got to the hospital around 10am but was unable to see the doctor until 2:10pm, after a long wait at the General Outpatient Department On seeing the doctor, I explained the symptoms of my illness and he suggested I have a blood test. But on getting to the laboratory department, I was told to come back the following day as they could no longer take blood sample for the day. I had to go back home, still in pains. The next day, I ensured I arrived the hospital by 9am before it was already crowded. The lab attendant asked me to pay N1500, which I did. The blood sample was taken and I was asked to return for the result by 1pm. Due to the excruciating pain, I couldnt go to work or even move around; so, I hung around the premises. By 1pm, I was back at the lab for my result. Lo and behold, it wasnt ready. It took another 55 minutes for the result to be ready. I collected it and hurried back to the General Outpatient Department, hoping to see the doctor and get drugs, but those I met on the queue were already tired and lamenting the queue wasnt moving at all. Out of frustration and annoyance, I left the hospital unattended to, after all the sufferings. Endless frustration of patients Information Nigeria met with a man where he sat on a covet beside the maintenance department of the facility, fanning himself on a Thursday afternoon. Recounting his experience on how doctors and nurses treated patients when his mum was placed on admission at the state hospital, the 35-year-old man, who pleaded anonymity said: The nurses have bad manners; they are always rude to patients. Some go as far as screaming at sick patients. While I was at the ward with my mother, on several occasions, I kept reminding nurses that the drip of a patient was finished and needs to be changed. You can imagine that kind of negligence, he says, while his face contours into a frown. Most of the nurses are only good at gossiping with themselves on their seat. When their attention is needed, they find it difficult to leave their seat to attend to patients in the ward. They hardly treated emergency cases with speed of urgency. If they were truly trained as nurse, they would understand that 3 seconds is a lot of time to waste. If some patients had 3 seconds, they could have been alive today. It is a pity but with my experience here, I can boldly state that a lot of deaths that happen in Nigerian hospitals occurred because the patients lived in Nigeria. You would never find unruly health workers in foreign countries, and they take patients health more seriously. Would you blame politicians who travel to foreign countries to treat cough and headache, when health practitioners in Nigeria, who took an oath to save lives are doing the exact opposite? Just two days in the ward, I saw more patients die like it was the latest trend. I would never forget a young girl who was frequently in pain while his parents watched helplessly, but the nurses did nothing about it. Regularly, I would go to meet the nurses to please come attend to her. I got to the ward this morning to hear she had died, just imagine such, in a country that claims to be giant of Africa. Some patients waiting to see a doctor at Ogun State hospital. Image credit: Information Nigeria It is widely believed that medical bills at state hospitals are relatively cheap and affordable for the average Nigerian, but with the attitude of Ogun health workers, sick patients prefer visiting private hospitals where they will have to pay much but get timely attention. While patients have recounted their experiences of longer waiting in emergency ward or at the General Outpatient Department, leading to frustration and anxiety, some have put the blame on the underfunded system and understaffing. Temidayo, 28, a webmaster based in Abeokuta said he once left the state hospital in anger after several efforts to see a doctor but was discouraged by the number of patients on queue waiting to be attended to. I was not feeling too well sometimes last month, I made a decision to visit the state hospital for a checkup, since it is just a mile away from my house. I arrived there at about 11am but was greeted by hundreds of patients waiting for a doctor to attend to them. If I had waited on that particular day, I am sure I wont be able to see the doctor until evening. So, I went back home and returned the following day, this time, around 8am. Again, I was welcomed by tens of other patients already seated at the general out-patient department, waiting to see a doctor. I had thought I would be among the first ten patients. I joined others, but when it didnt get to my turn around 11am, I left the hospital and checked into a private hospital where I was given quick attention. Mortuary with limited body trays With the negligence, carelessness and recklessness of doctors and nurses at Ogun State Hospital, it is not surprising that the mortuary section of the hospital is filled to the brim. On February 14th, a day commonly known as Valentines Day, I stormed the mortuary, posing as bereaved hunting for a morgue for a freshly dead uncle. I spent time with dead bodies; moving from one corpse to another, ranging from accident fatalities, murder victims, among others. The morgue-attendant, an elderly man in his mid-50s, shows no pity at the bereaved visitor trying to make inquiries. Bring your corpse first, I will explain everything to you, he says. I made him understand family members sent me and I need to get the necessary information to make an informed decision on whether we will bring our corpse or find somewhere else. Knowing I may change my mind if he doesnt spell out the costs and other necessary information, the tall, slim-figure mortuary attendant opens up. Mortuary section of Ogun State hospital. Image credit: Information Nigeria I need to see the place where the deceased will be kept, I interrupted. You want to enter? Come in, he says, without hesitation. The morgue of the state hospital is neat and well cleaned. All the corpses were neatly placed on body trays, and no stench emanated from the air-conditioned room. Inside the mortuary, a brightly lit room is quiet; no sound whatsoever. The smell of cleaning agents filled the air. Out of respect for the dead, I decided not to take pictures of corpses. Although the room is neat, stainless body trays were in limited supply. Asked where the new corpse I intend bringing will be laid, the morgue attendant insists I bring it first, then we will find a space for it. Depositing a corpse at the state hospital morgue costs N25,000 for the first one week, after which N500 will be paid daily at the expiration of the first seven days. These are official rates pasted on the door entrance of the morgue. It is time to bargain price, but the attendant insists the prices are official. Even though I knew he could do some reductions to make gain for his personal pocket, I blatantly told him the prices are on the high side and I may just have to look for another morgue. This price is cheap when compared to other mortuaries in town, you can go there to confirm, he says, insisting he would not soil his hands in corruption. This attendant is not your average Nigerian. He belongs to a slim clique of men who, despite temptations, would remain resolute while shunning corruption. In his 2020 budget presentation to the State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, 3rd December 2019, Governor Dapo Abiodun says a total sum of N44.719 billion has been earmarked for the Health sub-sector . Abiodun said his administration will enhance health care delivery in the State through rehabilitating, equipping and providing adequate staffing for the general hospitals and the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) so as to continue to serve as effective referral centres for the lower tier healthcare delivery centres. The state hospital is vast becoming a home of pains, agony, and deaths, and Ogun state residents can only but hope that the several challenges facing the state hospital, including understaffing, would be resolved soon to forestall further loss of lives of patients. Story & Image credit: Information Nigeria Kolkata: Nine years ago, in the sweltering month of March, Kolkata witnessed an uneasy calm at the iconic 31, Alimuddin Street housing the state Communist Party of India (Marxist) office, popularly known as Muzaffar Ahmad Bhawan. To be precise, it was Sunday, March 27, 2011. A woman wearing slippers and a white sari was seen emerging out of the dust blanket thrown up by the footsteps of a sea of people in south Kolkata. Children with mothers, the elderly students, housewives, the physically challenged everyone was seen marching behind her. It was none other than Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee, popularly known as Didi. She was campaigning for senior party leaders Shovan Chatterjee from the Behala East constituency and Partha Chatterjee from Behala West for the assembly elections. Wiping away sweat from her forehead, Mamata roared: Aamra ora noi, aamra sobai (Not me and you, this is us). The slogan garnered a lot of attention and helped the TMC chief emerge as a mass leader with a subtle message that her duty is to serve all: irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Not only that; this also helped her to create a Bangaliana face for the people of West Bengal. Many in the Opposition allege that she is involved in appeasement of minorities but statistics present a different picture as Hindus have voted for her in large numbers in all the polls since 2011. What happened next is well known history was made as the 2011 assembly polls marked the defeat and end of the 34-year rule of the Left Front government in Bengal. Mamatas clout in Indian politics could be gauged when former President Pranab Mukherjee described her as a born rebel. After years of her governance, Bengal seems to be changing colours and now its saffron which has emerged as an immediate challenge for Mamata after the BJP secured 18 of the states 42 Lok Sabha seats last year. In between, a lot of water has flown under the bridge and a jolted Mamata roped in poll strategist Prashant Kishor to fix the chinks in her partys armour on June 6, 2019, shortly after the parliamentary poll results came out. Kishor created the Didi Ke Bolo (Tell Didi) campaign which yielded results as the TMC won the Kaliaganj, Kharagpur and Karimpur assembly seats in the bypolls held late last year. With central agencies zeroing in on several Trinamool leaders in connection with the Narada and Saradha scams, Mamata got a much-needed platform to bounce back from with the uproar triggered by the BJP-led central governments moves on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), National Population Register (NPR) and the Citizenship Amendment Bill that later became an Act. While the BJP was seemingly on the back foot, the Bengal chief minister got more ammunition to attack the saffron party after the Delhi riots and an opportunity recall her historic slogan. Though the phrasing this time is Banglar Gorbo Mamata (Bengals pride Mamata) and not Aamra ora noi, aamra sobai, the narrative is clear. We want to give the message that we are here to embrace all, but these outsiders (the BJP) are trying to divide us, a senior TMC leader said. While elaborating more on Banglar Gorbo Mamata, he said, The aim is to create an atmosphere of Trinamool across the state. This is a good concept and the party is certainly going to benefit from it ahead of the municipal and assembly polls. Actually, through this campaign, we will project the BJP as an outsider, which is a fact as Amit Shah knows nothing about Bengal. Our target will be to endorse Mamata as the saviour of all who are living peacefully in Bengal. The state poll panel is expected to announce dates for civic elections in a few days, being seen by analysts as a semi-final before the high-stakes assembly polls next year. The TMC is projecting the CM as the fiercest protector and guardian of the ideals of justice, liberty and equality, as enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution. We will tell people that she is the true custodian of Bengals culture, its dignity and pride and they (BJP) are outsiders who do not even know how to pronounce names of great leaders like Swami Vivekananda. You must have noticed that our party supremo during her speech had said this. Also, she indirectly blamed the BJP for vandalising Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagars bust. The speech was crafted to highlight them as outsiders because she wants people to know that a true Bengali can never misspell names of Vivekananda and a true Bengali will never vandalise Vidyasagars bust, the TMC leader said. The Banglar Gorbo Mamata (BGM) is a 75-day extensive public outreach programme. It will start from March 2 and end on May 10. It will involve the participation of more than 75,000 leaders and grassroots workers of the TMC, covering 15,000 of the most-populous habitations and directly reach out to nearly 2.5 crore people in Bengal. The first phase of the campaign will have Trinamool Congress Kormi Sammelan (congregation of TMC workers) on March 7, 2020 to kick-start the campaign in all the 294 assembly constituencies. From March 8 to March 14, there will be Jolojoge Jogajog informal meetings of the party leaders with around 2,500 media personnel in every assembly constituency. As per Prashant Kishors plan, a list of 10-15 media personnel will provided by the party for each assembly seat. On the day of the meeting, TMC leaders will have an informal interaction with members of the local media. On March 15, there will Shikriti Sammelan an event in every constituency to recognise and felicitate more than 10,000 veteran workers for their contribution towards building Trinamool Congress. The second phase of the campaign will entail three activities: Bongodhwani Jatra from March 20 to April 5, Songhati Sabha on April 14 and Chetona Sabha on April 19. In Bongodhwani Jatra an extensive 15-day political procession will be carried out by TMC workers in all assembly seats. Trinamool cadres will have to visit and pay respects at three to four religious and socio-religious places of importance, meeting at least five influential people of each locality, have lunch at a party workers house, as well as pay respects and felicitate local heroes and achievers. In Songhati Sabha, community meetings will be held between party leaders and more than 2.5 lakh members of the Scheduled Caste community in 277 assembly constituencies. The event will also cover grand celebrations of Ambedkar Jayanti and felicitation of key people from this segment. During Chetona Sabha, meetings will take place involving Trinamool leaders and 50,000 members of the Scheduled Tribes in 97 assembly constituencies. The third phase of Banglar Gorbo Mamata will start on April 20 and end on May 10. This period will contain public meetings at panchayat, municipality and ward cluster levels under the banner of Banglar Barta. Also, a grand ceremony will be held on May 3 under the banner of Nobin Boron Sabha to mark the joining of 1 lakh young individuals in the TMC. There will an event Bishishta Sammelan on May 8, to felicitate around 15,000 influential women in each assembly seat. Finally, there will be Trinamooler Sathe Manyojon, from March 20 to May 8, a series of one-on-one meetings between key party leaders and around 25,000 influencers in all constituencies, and Trinamool Padatik Sammelan, a grand culmination of the campaign with a 1,500-km padyatra, or hike, across the state. Mercy Grief group SPRINGFIELD - Mercy Medical Center, 299 Carew St. will hold a weekly grief support group for people who have experienced loss of a spouse, partner, family member or friend. All are welcome. The group meets every Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (excluding major holidays) in the Deliso Conference Center, O'Hare Room on the lower level. Survivors of Suicide Loss support group EAST LONGMEADOW - Survivors of Suicide Loss, a support group for adults who have lost a loved one to suicide, meets on the 3rd Monday of each month (except major holidays or severe weather) at the Forastiere Smith Funeral Home, 220 North Main St. from 7 to 9 p.m. This is a peer-facilitated group. The meetings are open, meaning new members are always welcome. For questions, contact Jim at 413-734-3676 or mcaleer2006@verizon.net. NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group AGAWAM - NAMI Western Massachusetts, the local organization of the National Alliance on mental illness, offers the following NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group Programs: Agawam, meets Thursdays 2:30 to 4 p.m., at NAMI Western Mass. office, 324A Springfield St. Call for more information, 413-786-9139. Easthampton, meets Mondays, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Easthampton Congregational Church, 112 Main St. Call Ellen for more information, 413-923-8481. The NAMI Connection is a recovery support group program that offers respect, understanding, encouragement and hope. NAMI Connection groups are free and confidential, held for 90 minutes, designed to connect, encourage, and support participants using a structured support group model, led by NAMI trained facilitators living in recovery themselves. Bestlife Safe Space Support & Education SPRINGFIELD - Bestlife Emotional health & Wellness presents a safe space support and education groups for LGBTQ+ for youth and young adults. For ages 18-26, the group meets Mondays from 3 to 4 p.m. and for ages 12-17, meet Wednesdays, 4 to 5 p.m. The support is provided by a group of people who have had similar experiences. Through shared experience, BestLife LGBTQ+ support groups help members build a healthy, positive lifestyle through participating and understanding. To learn more, get help or start a conversation, call BestLife at 844-MHA-WELL or visit mhainc.org/bestlife-wellness-center. Baystate Regional Cancer programs WARE - Baystate Regional Cancer Program at Baystate Mary Lane announces the 2019 Support group listing. Breast Cancer Support Group: open to all women with breast cancer regardless of stage of treatment. meetings are held the 4th Wednesdays of every month, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Circle of Angles, A Quilting Support Group for People Who have been touched by Cancer: meets twice monthly on Tuesdays of every month, 10 a.m. to noon. Expressive Writing Through Cancer: open to all cancer diagnoses. meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of every month, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. General Cancer Support Group: open to all cancer diagnoses. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Partners in Caregiving: an early evening support group for caregivers of people with cancer. Meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 5 to 6:30 p.m. All meetings are held at Baystate Mary Lane, 85 South St. For more information, contact Camille St. Onge, LICSW, Oncology Social Worker at the Baystate Regional Cancer Program, 413-967-2245. Daniel Radcliffe undoubtedly contributed a lot to the success of the "Harry Potter" film series. However, it seems the actor no longer wants to get back to his roots. Radcliffe certainly became famous because of the "Harry Potter" series which began with the 2001 film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." However, HP fans have not seen Radcliffe again since the last release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" in 2011. And that is unlikely to change any time soon. No More Radcliffe, No More Harry Potter? The former "Harry Potter" star appeared in an interview with Variety to promote his true-life prison drama "Escape From Pretoria." The actor also took the chance to reveal that he is already doing fine years after the "Harry Potter" franchise ended. Radcliffe opened up about how he does not want to abruptly "say no" if there would be a future "Harry Potter" series again. However, he also clarified that coming back to do a role in the possible "Fantastic Beasts" movies is not something he badly wants to do right now. "I feel like those films have moved on, and they're doing just fine without us," he said, referring to his friends and former co-stars Emma Watson (Hermione), Rupert Grint (Ron), and the others. "And I don't want to get into a situation where I'm signed up for one series for years in advance." Radcliffe added that he is already happy with his life now and is loving the "flexibility" of his acting career. The 30-year-old actor became the center of the whole "Harry Potter" franchise. He was a witness to the success the series received throughout the years, including their never-below-75-percent Rotten Tomatoes' critic reviews and numerous international and local awards. As Radcliffe noted, however, his post-Potter roles had been focused on distinguishing himself from that universe. "I think people saw me play one thing for so long that it seems more notable that I do loads of different stuff now," Radcliffe continued. What Keeps Him Busy Now? Since the series ended, Radcliffe became part of several odd roles that were far from what he showed during "Harry Potter." For instance, he joined the Broadway show "Equus" where he had a 10-minute intimate and explicit scene with his co-star Joanna Christie. Fans also heard his voice on the animated film "Playmobil: The Movie." Moreover, he starred in award-winning films like "Horns," "BoJack Horseman" and "The Simpsons." The former titular protagonist also appeared in "Swiss Army Man" with actor Paul Dano in which he played a farting corpse. "I wasn't picking projects that were weird for weird's sake," Radcliffe told Variety at that time. "'Swiss Army Man' was weird in that it's about a farting corpse coming back to life, and that's not for everybody." With the busy schedule he has, maybe it is really time to say goodbye to the character who completed people's childhood years ago. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar. 2 By Fidan Babayeva - Trend: Azerbaijans export exceeded $19.6 billion in 2019, which is 0.8 percent more compared to 2018, Yusif Abdullayev, acting president of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) said, Trend reports. He made the remark in Baku at the press-conference dedicated to the activity of AZPROMO in Azerbaijan in 2019, the promotion of the Made in Azerbaijan brand and upcoming tasks. Abdullayev added that income from exports of oil and gas products amounted to $17.6 billion, and non-oil products - $1.9 billion. Export missions to 33 countries have been organized by Azerbaijan so far. Nine of them were created in 2019 and covered the countries such as China, Poland, Latvia, Qatar, Switzerland, Russia, and UAE, the acting president noted. The press-conference dedicated to the activity of AZPROMO in Azerbaijan, the work on promoting the Made in Azerbaijan brand and upcoming tasks has been held in the Baku Convention Center on March 2. Press Release March 2, 2020 Transcript of Interview of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III On the abrogation of the VFA SP Sotto: ...Constitution on the issue of abrogation. Q: Ano ito, joint or concurrent resolution? SP Sotto: It's a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate. If it is approved tonight, and hopefully it will, we will incorporate it in the petition that we will be filing, most probably tomorrow, if we (unclear) to file the petition tonight. Q: Why is there a need to file a new resolution? Bakit hindi na lang yung kay Senator Drilon? SP Sotto: Medyo merong mga issues kasi yung committee on foreign relations about the contents of the (unclear). Very specific kasi yung issues kasi doon concerning the ICC (unclear) statute so medyo the chairman of the foreign relations committee was still trying to get the pulse of his members. Therefore, I talked to him today, this morning actually, together with Senator Lacson, sinabi ko sa kanya, kung ganoon, medyo matatagalan kayo, magfifile na ako ng resolution today to finally ask the Supreme Court to vote. Sabi niya pagusapan daw namin ngayon. Hindi kailangan ng committee report because my resolution will be referred to the committee on rules and the committee on rules is empowered to call into plenary right away any resolution, bill or whatever is filed in its jurisdiction. Q: May commitment na to adopt yung chamber? SP Sotto: We will find out later, I cannot predict. I will sponsor it personally. Q: Yung resolution ninyo, generic siya? SP Sotto: Yes, generic. Q: Walang laman na ICC...? SP Sotto: Wala, generic lang. Q: For future policy? SP Sotto: Yes, it simply wants to ask the Supreme Court to agree or disagree with the assertion of the Senate that any abrogation, when we are empowered to ratify, there is no treaty without the ratification of the Senate. Therefore, an abrogation, we believe, majority of us, most of us believe, that it should be also concurred in by the Senate. Q: If the resolution is passed, it will be given more weight by the Supreme Court? SP Sotto: I hope so. I think so. Q: (Unclear) SP Sotto: Yes, it will be attached. Q: Hindi po ba it's questioning the decision of the President? SP Sotto: No, not at all. Q: Pero may ganoong naging concern ba, baka mahurt si Presidente that you had to file a new resolution? SP Sotto: You better ask the others, I have no idea concerning... Q: Yung petition, sino ang magiging petitioner? Buong Senate or select people lang? SP Sotto: If it is approved by the body, then we can use the resolution as part of the petition, then it will be the Senate. Q: Target pa rin to file this week? SP Sotto: Hopefully tomorrow, if we can finish it tonight. At the latest, perhaps Wednesday. Q: Kayo personally ang magfifile? SP Sotto: Most probably kami personally. I will ask Senator Lacson, Senator Drilon, and whoever would like to join us. Q: There is this allegation or pronouncement by Senator Gordon about the so-called Chinese workers, na parang may information siya na papunta na siya sa national security issue aside from the usual POGO trafficking? SP Sotto: I think it is but proper for the committee to look into it, or probably the committee on justice to look into the matter because this might also involve the issue on money laundering. Q: Do you share the concern (unclear)? SP Sotto: Of course. Q: (Unclear) pinababayaan? SP Sotto: Yes, hindi lang pinababayaan, ano ba ito, nagviviolate ng anti-money laundering laws natin, di ba? Are these funds registered? Are they declared? I don't know. Q: There is this espionage theory pa...ginagamit daw yung POGO using the law of China? SP Sotto: Teka muna, masyadong maraming issues pa na hindi natin masiguro kung totoo (unclear). Q: But it is worth looking into? SP Sotto: It is all worth looking into. Always. Mabuti na yung tinitingnan natin. So kung balewala naman yun, then we will brush it aside, but if it is true then we must act accordingly. Q: (Unclear) another group of senators are filing a concurrent resolution for ABS CBN, this time up to June 30, 2022 ang gusto nilang provisional authority, the end of the 18th Congress. SP Sotto: We can talk about it, I am sure. Q: Pero kayo, pabor ka ba sa provisional authority? SP Sotto: I'd rather discuss it with the rest muna before I come up with my (unclear). Delicadeza dictates that I do not react muna. Q: But there is no discouragement to refer it to the appropriate committee? SP Sotto: It is going to be referred. It will be referred to the proper committee. Baka sa public services (unclear). Win Tell us what songs you like and you could win this week's prize! NEW YORK, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zhang Investor Law announces a class action lawsuit on behalf of shareholders who bought shares of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY) from February 20, 2015 through May 2, 2017 (the Class Period). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation investors under the federal securities laws. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 20, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. To join the class action, http://zhanginvestorlaw.com/join-action-form/?slug=anadarko-petroleum-corporation&id=2184 call Sophie Zhang, Esq. toll-free at 800-991-3756 or email info@zhanginvestorlaw.com for information on the class action. http://zhanginvestorlaw.com/join-action-form/?slug=anadarko-petroleum-corporation&id=2184 According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants and its senior executives presented false and misleading financial statements or omitted (1) the value of the Shenandoah assets and the success of the Shenandoah appraisal wells were overstated; (2) the Company lacked effective internal control over financial reporting; (3) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants statements about the Companys Shenandoah assets lacked a reasonable basis; and (4) accordingly, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. A class has not been certified. You may retain counsel of your choice. You may take no action at this time and be an absent class member. Your ability to obtain a recovery is not dependent upon being a lead plaintiff. Zhang Investor Law represents investors worldwide. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Virgin Media has been branded 'unscrupulous' after selling a high-tech package to a 'confused' dementia-suffering pensioner who only watches two TV channels. The firm sold Sydney Gill, 85, the 681-a-year fibre optic set-up with film and sport channels despite his daughter telling them five times about his diagnosis. Retired Metropolitan Police officer Mr Gill, who is from Fareham in Hampshire, has no smart TV, mobile phone, or computer and only watches BBC and ITV on Freeview. His MP, attorney general Suella Braverman, said Virgin Media has been 'insensitive and unscrupulous' and has vowed to raise his case in Government. Sydney Gill, 85, was sold a 681-a-year TV package by Virgin Media despite his daughter Janet Thorpe, 55, (pictured with her father) telling the company five times that he had dementia It is thought that the great grandfather-of-five contacted Virgin media after a message popped up on his TV and suggested he call the company. He was then transferred to the sales team which sold him the pricey package after asking if he wanted to resume services. But the pensioner only had a phone package with the company at the time as his TV package had been cancelled more than two years previously. His daughter Janet Thorpe, 55, - who has lasting power of attorney since her father's diagnosis in 2017 - realised what had happened after checking his emails. She believes he saw a message on his television asking him to call Virgin Media if he wanted to subscribe to a new channel and mistakenly thought there was an error. Mr Gill was sold a costly 12 month package totalling 681.20 which included installation fees and one-off charges. Ms Thorpe thinks that her father saw a message (pictured) on his TV asking him to call Virgin Media if he wanted to subscribe to a new channel and mistakenly thought there was an error Virgin Media - owned by US billionaire John Malone - has since admitted failing to update its records after Ms Thorpe said her father was 'too confused' to understand he was sold the package. Ms Thorpe, an ex-project manager at Lloyds Banking Group, said: 'They sold him a top package even though we have told them at least five times over the phone that he has dementia. 'The Financial Conduct Authority has a big policy around organisations' behaviour towards people they could class as vulnerable customers, so it defies belief how they can sell that package to an 85-year-old who has zero devices in his house. 'Where are Virgin's morals and what were the questions they asked my dad on that phone call? 'I could understand if these were fraudsters, but 95 per cent of the mis-selling is from supposedly reputable companies. Virgin Media have since offered to give Mr Gill (pictured) six months' free service as a goodwill gesture and have apologised for not correctly updating her father's account details Attorney General Suella Braverman (pictured) said she will raise Mr Gill's case with the business minister and called Virgin Media's behaviour 'insensitive and unscrupulous' 'I want to know what's being done to hold these companies to account and get them to put in place robust practices for vulnerable customers.' A Virgin Media spokesman said: 'We have apologised to Mr Gill's daughter for not correctly updating her father's account details to reflect that he has dementia. 'As a gesture of goodwill we have offered six months' free service which has been accepted. 'Virgin Media is committed to ensuring our vulnerable customers are treated with care and we provide specialist training to our front-line staff so they can support customers appropriately.' Mrs Braverman said she was backing Ms Thorpe's campaign to crackdown on 'endemic mis-selling' to vulnerable customers. She said: 'It deeply saddens me that Virgin Media has behaved in such an insensitive and unscrupulous manner, forgetting the human element to the customer relationship. 'In my capacity as Sydney's MP I will raise his case with the business minister to ensure we put an end to the exploitation of the elderly, so that others do not suffer as Sydney has.' The National Museum of American Jewish History on Independence Mall in Philadelphia June 9, 2017. It moved into the current building after new construction, opening in November 2010. Read more The National Museum of American Jewish History filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, seeking relief from what museum officials characterize as a crushing debt burden incurred by construction of its home on Independence Mall a decade ago. In papers filed with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Philadelphia, the museum said that it owed a little more than $30 million to bondholders and about $500,000 to unsecured creditors. The Bridgehampton National Bank on Long Island holds about $16.4 million of the museums debt; a group of donors and lenders, many of whom backed the museums mall construction, holds about $14 million. Our museum, since its open, has been lugging around over $30 million of debt, and it is a weight on our shoulders that we have to get rid of, Phil Darivoff, chair of the museums board of trustees, said. It affects the way donors look at us. It affects our confidence in our future. And frankly, the debt service is too big a burden for us. Officials said that the bankruptcy proceedings would not affect museum operations or staffing. Lawrence G. McMichael, the Dilworth, Paxson bankruptcy attorney who handled the Philadelphia Orchestra bankruptcy a few years ago and is representing the Jewish museum, said he wanted to get the museum in and out of bankruptcy court as quickly as possible, about six months. The museum has more debt than it can sustain, McMichael said. And that has a lot of negative implications for a nonprofit. Its really no different than other nonprofits Ive taken through Chapter 11 in Philadelphia, in the sense that what happens when a nonprofit has more debt than they can reasonably ever repay, donors start to get cold feet and they back off of it. That, he said, fuels a proverbially vicious cycle, and the only way to deal with it, ultimately, is to resolve things through a Chapter 11. Thats what Chapter 11 is there to do. The museum is known for its unusual, sometimes quirky, exhibitions, everything from a big overview of Leonard Bernstein in 2018 to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sara Bermans Closet in 2019. Officials emphasized that the museum will remain open during the bankruptcy proceedings and all programming will continue as planned. In essence, the filing places the museum under court protection, holding creditors at bay while at the same time negotiating a financial and operating plan. At the end, McMichael noted, the bondholders will walk away with some portion of their principal; the museum will walk away with its existence and reduced debt obligations. Fundraising for the museum hit a recent high of $7.4 million in fiscal 2017, according to audited financial statements. That fell to $5.9 million in 2018 and an unaudited $4.8 million in 2019. Total revenue has fallen from a recent high of $9.4 million in 2017 to $6.3 million in 2019. Attendance has followed a similar path. In 2017 it hit 108,745; by 2019 it had dropped to 82,950. Darivoff said that the museum has been paying about 20% of its budget in interest payments every year. The decision to file for bankruptcy was prompted by the expectation that it would lead to a reduction in debt that will create a new level of sustainability. Our budget is around seven-and-a-half to $8 million, and we have $30 million of debt, and that is just too huge a number and we have to deal with that, he said. The entire board is with this plan. We feel this is something we must do. What has particularly focused the attention of the board, Darivoff said, is the fact that a large balloon payment looms. In July 2022, the $16 million-plus bond held by the Bridgehampton National Bank will come due. The museum has been negotiating with the bank to restructure the bond payments, but those talks have been fruitless. In August of last year, the museum did not pay the interest obligation on the bonds, according to court records. The bank countered with a demand for immediate repayment of the full amount. No payment has been forthcoming, putting the museum in default. We've been negotiating with our creditors, said Darivoff. We just reached a point where we felt that this [bankruptcy filing] was the way to get the best terms for the museum. The situation of the museum is not unfamiliar on the Philadelphia cultural landscape. In fact, almost the exact scenario played out with the Please Touch Museum, which filed for bankruptcy in 2015. With Please Touch, the debt obligation was much larger about $60 million. It incurred the debt after moving from a small space on North 21st Street to the dramatic, but dilapidated, city-owned Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. Please Touch could not generate the revenue to cover its operations and debt burden from extensive renovation and construction. It exited bankruptcy in 2016 with a significant debt reduction and a refocused mission. Similarly, the Jewish museum was operating in a small exhibition venue on North Fourth Street, behind Congregation Mikveh Israel. But in the early 2000s, many supporters of the museum urged an expanded space and a more robust programming schedule. A $150 million construction and endowment campaign ensued, running headfirst into the Great Recession. But the museum broke ground anyway and opened in its radically expanded home at Fifth and Market Streets in 2010. In 2012, less than two years later, The Inquirer reported that membership and visitor numbers were falling and that the museums initial optimistic attendance forecasts were widely off the mark. In 2017, the museum said it was eliminating 18 positions through layoffs and attrition. According to Mondays court filing, the museum now employs 25 full-time staff members and six full-time hourly workers. All are nonunion. Court records describe the situation dryly: Since opening in 2010, the museums revenues from gate receipts and events have not reached the levels expected. Last year, chief executive Ivy L. Barsky resigned. Misha Galperin, a New York-based financial and management consultant, has been named interim chief executive in the wake of Barskys departure. Given such problems, Darivoff was asked if the institution regretted the move out of its manageable quarters behind Mikveh Israel into the big six-story show on Independence Mall. I dont regret it; I applaud it, he said. The group of people in Philadelphia who recognized the need in the American Jewish community to tell the story of Jews in America in a way that couldnt be done in a one-room museum, I think was an act of great leadership, Darivoff continued. Telling history is central to the Jewish people. Its central to who we are. We are a people in part because of the way we retell our history. Our Bible is, in fact, a recitation of the history of the Jewish people. And we stay together as a community by retelling that history. NEWTOWN >> The Council Rock School Board on Jan. 6 announced that it has granted Superintendent Dr. Robert Fraser a temporary leave from his duties as administrative head of the school district. In the interim, the board has appointed assistant superintendent for teaching and learning Dr. Susan Elliott as substitute Superintendent. The Board looks forward to Dr. Fraser's return to the district... As Portland-area residents head back to classrooms, offices and mass transit, the coronavirus is front of mind. Luckily, there are three easy ways to reduce your risk of spreading or catching illnesses, such as coronavirus illness or others like the flu: Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. Heres three more. First, sneeze into your bent elbow, not your hands. Its known as the Dracula sneeze, as in a vampire shielding his face with his arm. Try it if you are squeezed into a crowded bus or MAX car. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE Better yet, if you are sneezing a lot, stay home. Second, if you must touch, use the first bump rather than a handshake. Welsh researchers at Aberystwyth University found shaking hands transmitted 10 times more bacteria than a fist bump. (They also checked high fives, and shaking hands transmitted twice as much bacteria). A year earlier, a West Virginia doctor publicized similar findings. He said a handshake typically lasts 2.7 times as long as a fist bump and, naturally, transmits more bacteria. On Friday, German chancellor Angela Merkel said not shaking hands is OK, the Los Angeles Times reported. Handshaking has a particular place in German culture, the article said. Im not going to shake anyones hand tonight, Merkel said bluntly at the end of a speech. Third tip: Avoid elevator buttons like, well, the plague. According to a University of Arizona study: The number of bacteria present on an elevator button is almost 40 times higher than on a public toilet seat. In the United Kingdom, this article goes to quite elaborate lengths to help readers avoid elevator buttons. Some people use elbows, some swear by using a knuckle to tap the button. But remember, if you use your knuckle on the elevator button, youll still need to wash your hands thoroughly before all that fist bumping. Heres the best way to wash up. Dont forget the basics, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: A growing number of discharged coronavirus patients in China and elsewhere are testing positive after recovering, sometimes weeks after being allowed to leave the hospital, which could make the epidemic harder to eradicate. The Osaka prefectural government in Japan said a woman working as a tour-bus guide had tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time. This followed reports in China that discharged patients throughout the country were testing positive after their release from the hospital. An official at Chinas National Health Commission said on Friday that such patients have not been found to be infectious. Experts say there are several ways discharged patients could fall ill with the virus again. Convalescing patients might not build up enough antibodies to develop immunity to SARS-CoV-2, and are being infected again. The virus also could be biphasic, meaning it lies dormant before creating new symptoms. But some of the first cases of reinfection in China have been attributed to testing discrepancies. On Feb. 21, a discharged patient in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu was readmitted 10 days after being discharged when a follow-up test came back positive. Lei Xuezhong, the deputy director of the infectious diseases center at the West China Hospital, told Peoples Daily that 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. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at Britains University of East Anglia who has been closely following the outbreak, told Reuters that although the patient in Osaka could have relapsed, it is also possible that the virus was still being released into her system from the initial infection, and she wasnt tested properly before she was discharged. The woman first tested positive in late January and was discharged from the hospital on Feb. 1, leading some experts to speculate that it was biphasic, like anthrax. A Journal of the American Medical Association study of four infected medical personnel treated in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, said it was likely that some recovered patients would remain carriers even after meeting discharge criteria. In China, for instance, patients must test negative, show no symptoms and have no abnormalities on X-rays before they are discharged. Allen Cheng, professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at Monash University in Melbourne, said it wasnt clear whether the patients were re-infected or had remained persistently positive after their symptoms disappeared. But he said the details of the Japan case suggested the patient had been reinfected. Song Tie, vice director of the local disease control center in southern Chinas Guangdong province, told a media briefing on Wednesday that as many as 14% of discharged patients in the province have tested positive again and had returned to hospitals for observation. He said one good sign is that none of those patients appear to have infected anyone else. From this understanding ... after someone has been infected by this kind of virus, he will produce antibodies, and after these antibodies are produced, he wont be contagious, he said. Normally, convalescing patients will develop specific antibodies that render them immune to the virus that infected them, but reinfection is not impossible, said Adam Kamradt-Scott, a specialist in infectious diseases at the University of Sydney. In most cases though, because their body has developed an immune response to the first infection, the second infection is usually less severe, Kamradt-Scott said. Other experts have also raised the possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement, which means exposure to viruses might make patients more at risk of further infections and worse symptoms. China represents almost 46% of the total cases on the Chinese mainland. If the 14% rate of reinfection is accurate and remains consistent, it could pose a wider health risk. I would say that it is less about if it is possible that re-infection can occur than how often it occurs, Cheng said. Search Keywords: Short link: [March 02, 2020] Stay the Course: Idaho Technical Career Academy Now Enrolling for the 2020-2021 School Year Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA), an online public-school serving students in grades 9-12 throughout the state, is ready to welcome students to enroll for the 2020-2021 school year beginning March 2. ITCA gives your student a personalized learning experience designed to assist those who seek alternative pathways to education. With over five years as a trusted education program, ITCA is tuition-free to all students who reside in Idaho. Accredited by Cognia, and delivered entirely online, ITCA combines online instruction, rigorous curriculum and the support of state-licensed teachers. In addition to working towards their high school diplomas, ITCA students can participate in the Destinations Career Program, which allows them to discover exciting options for their future in career fields like Business, Health & Human Services, IT, and Agriculture, Food, and Natura Resources. Students can also earn college credits through partnerships with local colleges and universities and prepare to take industry-recognized certification exams upon graduation. "With college costs spiraling out of control, it's good for Idaho students to get an idea of what they want to do before they get there. Our career program lets students try new things and understand their options, while still in high school, helping Idaho students take charge of their own future," says Head of School, Monti Pittman. Overall, ITCA offers challenging academic curriculum focused on college preparation. Students take a full course load in the core subjects of math, science, English language arts, and history in addition to career technical pathway courses. ITCA also offers student clubs, in-person field trips, and social gatherings to foster a sense of school community. Virtual classes are taught by Idaho-licensed teachers who provide instruction during live online class sessions, and are available to students via phone, email, and virtual one-to-one meetings. "Doing online school and going through ITCA, I've just been able to be me again," said ITCA student Jordin Oborn. Students choose online school for a variety of reasons including advanced learning, a bullying-free environment, and the ability to support extracurricular pursuits or medical needs. ITCA's online platform gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals in a supportive environment and at an appropriate pace for their learning style. ITCA is now accepting enrollments for the 2020-2021 school year. Families are encouraged to attend an online information session hosted by the school. More information on ITCA, how to enroll, and a schedule of upcoming events can be found at itca.k12.com. About Idaho Technical Career Academy Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA) is a Cognia-accredited, full-time online public charter school that serves students statewide in grades 9-12. As part of the Idaho public school system, ITCA is tuition-free, and gives parents and families the choice to access the curriculum provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of K-12 proprietary curriculum and online education programs. For more information about ITCA, visit http://itca.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005031/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Bitterroot Public Library was successful in its petition drive to place a three mill levy on the June ballot. The library greatly appreciates the support of our community in getting this levy on the ballot for June, said Mark Wetherington, Bitterroot Public Library director. It was very helpful to get feedback from the community during the petition process about what the library was doing that benefited the community, what they would like to see us add and other suggestions for improvements. Over 900 signatures from registered voters in Victor, Hamilton and Corvallis school districts were certified by the Ravalli County Elections Office to support placing the levy on the ballot. The minimum number of signatures required for ballot placement was 800. BPL Trustee Brittany McKenzie said the library trustees appreciate the community's support to both gather signatures and sign the petition. We look forward to continued conversations about how the library can continue to evolve to best meet the needs of our community and our patrons, McKenzie said. This is the librarys first ballot request for additional mills in over 20 years. The proposed three mill levy will translate into a tax increase of $4.05 per $100,000 of property valuation. The increase will impact property owners in the librarys funding district encompassing the school districts of Victor, Corvallis and Hamilton. If approved, the mill levy would provide the library an additional $143,900 per year. They are currently funded at approximately 8.9 mills. Hamilton and the surrounding areas have grown significantly over the last 20 years and so has the use of the library, Wetherington said. To keep up with increased demand weve added staff, doubled the number of computers available to the public, and expanded our budget for books, DVDs and other materials. Theres also been the challenge of keeping up with the maintenance of a facility that was built in 1916, he said. Several large donations over the last decade allowed us to pay for ongoing expenses and new services, like e-books and 24/7 Wi-Fi, but we are drawing those donations down and estimate that theyll run out by 2022. The library expanded its operating hours in 2018 to open earlier and stay open later on more days based on patron feedback. In recent years the library has invested in improvements to the accessibility and efficiency of the building, including a roof over the handicap access ramp, automatic doors at ramp entrances to the meeting room and main floor, and LED lighting which has decreased electricity costs by 20%. The library will replace its 32-year-old roof this year which is estimated to cost approximately $50,000. In addition to books, DVDs, and other materials the library provides assistance with job applications and searches, weekly free programs for children, families, and adults, as well as a large community room with wireless internet and a media center that the public can reserve. It also provides access to materials at other Montana libraries through membership in the Montana Shared Catalog and importantly this time of year, free tax forms. With a successful mill levy, we would be able to better plan for the future and expand on what we already do that people value, Wetherington said. Without sustainable funding, we would eventually have to reduce services, reduce hours, and ultimately reduce what we can provide to the community. We want to keep moving forward with our community as it grows and do everything we can to keep serving our communitys needs and interests. For more information on the mill levy increase or anything else library related, contact the library at 406-363-1670 or at info@bitterrootpubliclibrary.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Do I have this right? In 2013, defying federal guidelines, Maryland became the first state on the East Coast to issue drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. Now, a few years later, Maryland is the only state that permits Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct warrantless scans of the license database and hunt down undocumented immigrants. And ICE conducts its hunt with photo-matching technology that cant be trusted to distinguish a dog from a cat. A video appearing to show Greek coastguard officers attempting to capsize a boat full of migrants at sea by firing rounds has today been released by the Turkish authorities. The footage was shared alongside claims by Turkish authorities that the Greek coast guard is harassing refugee boats by firing warning shots and pestering them with boat hooks. Today Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Europe it will have to accept the 'burden' of 'millions' of incoming migrants after it opened its boarders to allow them passage to Europe. In the video a coastguard officer aboard a large dingy is seen waving his arms at the boat full of migrants before prodding them repeatedly with a large stick - shots are later seen hitting the water around the boat. Occupants of the boat can be heard screaming as their rubber dingy endures rough waves and is sandwiched between Greek coastguard's larger dingy and a 50ft coastguard vessel. With an armed officer standing upon the coastguard's boat above them and pointing a gun towards them the migrants manoeuvre their dingy away from the authority and towards the open sea. A video appearing to show Greek coastguard officers attempting to capsize a boat full of migrants at sea by firing shots has today come to light The coastguard then appears to shoot at the migrant's vessel, with bullets splashing as they hit the water next to it. Another clip shows migrants trying to reach for help at the side of the large vessel while a coast guard uses a stick to push them and their boat away. On Monday a four-year-old Syrian boy drowned off the Greek coast when a migrant boat capsized near Lesbos, reported authorities - it is not known if the video relates to the same incident. Occupants of the boat can be heard screaming as their rubber dingy endures rough waves and is sandwiched between Greek coastguard's larger dingy and a 50ft coastguard vessel Another clip shows migrants trying to reach for help at the side of the large vessel while a coast guard uses a stick to push them and their boat away A Turkish official claimed that Turkey's own coast guard had saved people in a dinghy after they were targeted by Greek guards. The official claimed that the Greek coast guard 'performed manoeuvres aimed at sinking' the inflatable boat, which had set off from near Bodrum, as well as firing warning shots and hitting those on board with boat hooks. There was no immediate reaction from the Greek side. The coastguard then appears to shoot at the migrant's vessel, with bullets splashing as they hit the water next to it A Turkish official claimed that the Greek coast guard 'performed manoeuvres aimed at sinking' the inflatable boat Last week, hundreds of local people on the Greek island of Lesbos protested against government plans to build a new migrant camp, clashing with riot police sent to the island to protect construction workers. Erdogan vowed today to keep the doors open for migrants heading for Europe, saying the European Union had not delivered the promised aid. Migrants trying to get into Greece have told reporters that border guards are firing tear gas and warning shots to stop them crossing the border into the EU. Migrants lift their inflatable boat onto the shore at the village of Skala Sikaminias, on the Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing on a dinghy from Turkey today Stranded migrants on a boat, including a young child, are rescued by a disaster and emergency management team from an islet in the Evros River in Turkey today Meanwhile more than 13,000 migrants have gathered on the Turkish side of the river which runs 125 miles along the frontier and separates them from Greece, and therefore the EU. Greek police were today firing tear gas at the crowds, as migrants tried to swim across the river or squeeze through fences at one of the few land crossings, although only dozens have succeeded so far. The UN refugee agency says around 1,200 people have arrived on Greek islands in the last two days. A tear gas canister spirals through the air near a border crossing today as migrants try to reach Greece and enter the EU Turkish security forces also claimed that a Syrian migrant had died from injuries after a clash with Greek security forces, but Athens has today branded the claim and an associated video 'fake news'. The flow of migrants has triggered fears of a re-run of the 2015 refugee crisis when a million people crossed into Europe, most of them fleeing the Syrian civil war. 'This is what happened in 2015, it's repeating itself. Thousands at our borders, God help us,' said a 63-year-old resident of the border village of Kastanies. Erdogan has been guarding Europe's border since then but opened the doors to his country's 3.6million refugees on Friday, in a move he has long threatened, hoping to pressure Western leaders over the conflict in Syria. He is already facing a backlash in Europe today where German chancellor Angela Merkel said it was 'unacceptable' to pressure the EU 'on the back of refugees'. According to Daegu city officials, 1,661 coronavirus patients have been quarantined at home. Out of 1,399 new confirmed infections in Korea over the weekend, 1,126 were in Daegu. Two more patients died in their own homes in the southwestern city on Sunday, bringing such cases to four. One 86-year-old woman who tested positive on Feb. 28 and suffered from diabetes and hypertension could not be hospitalized due to a shortage of beds and died Sunday. Another 80-year-old woman died in her home while awaiting test results and was found infected afterwards. More coronavirus patients in Daegu are dying at home as they wait for hospital beds to become available amid a spike of infections there. The government on Sunday belatedly decided to change the way it processes incoming patients. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promised to evaluate the severity of infections and send acute cases to hospital while quarantining mild cases at other facilities. Oh Myung-don at KCDC said, "We must now come up with a system to save the lives of acute cases. We need to allot patients to specific facilities by severity, boost the number of treatment hospitals and dispatch more medical professionals." Meanwhile, the number of cases in Korea reached 4,212 on Monday morning, making it the country with the highest number of infections compared to the total population, followed by China. The surge is partly due to the Korean medical system's effectiveness in identifying infected people. A total of 100,000 people have been tested here so far, far surpassing Japan and the U.S. At least on paper, the per-capita rate of test in Korea is 60 times higher than Japan and 700 times higher than the U.S. Japan is being accused of trying to hide the number of infections by being slow to test them, while the U.S. government is focused on the upcoming presidential election. A new test kit here invented by a Korea company makes it possible to detect a new infection in just six hours while the process used to take a whole day. It costs no more than W160,000 and the government reimburses patients (US$1=W1,216). The same test costs W4 million in the U.S., which precludes most people with symptoms from getting tested because they have no medical insurance. A former director at the juvenile justice facility at which Edward Bryan worked for 15 years has called for the publication of the full report into how allegations made against the former Christian Brother were handled. Bryan, 67, and with an address in Achill in County Mayo, was jailed a fortnight ago after pleading guilty to the indecent assault of a 14-year-old boy while he was teaching at Corks North Monastery Secondary School almost 40 years ago. It was the third time he had been convicted of historic sexual assaults involving a number of young males while he was teaching there. From 1994 to 2010 he worked at the Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre, initially as a teacher but later as a Deputy Director. The Irish Examiner revealed on Monday that an unpublished report, commissioned by the Department of Children and the Irish Youth Justice Service, raised concerns over how allegations against Bryan while at Finglas were handled. A summary of the full report, written by child welfare expert Kieran McGrath, indicates that Bryan was suspended twice while in Finglas, and on both occasions responded through legal actions first against the board of management and Department of Education, and subsequently against the HSE. Mr McGraths refers to a "catalogue of concerns" about Bryan while he worked at Finglas, as well as "micro-management" of the case by the Department of Education, and a "plethora of delays" throughout the case which contributed to it getting "bogged down in a series of legalities that ultimately were both counter-productive and extremely costly to the State". In light of the story, Tony Keating, a former director of the Finglas Centre and now a senior lecturer in forensic criminology at a British university, said that the full report should now be published: "I would say that why not? What is to hide?" Mr Keating said he also received a summary of the report in 2015 in which then Childrens Minister, James Reilly, said the findings had been disseminated to inform staff induction and training. Mr Keating also worked in Finglas from 1994, in the remand unit in St Michaels, while Mr Bryan was in St Laurences. He said despite the close proximity of the buildings, there was little overlap. However, when Mr Keating was appointed acting director of the facility around 20 years ago, he said other staff members began raising concerns about Bryans conduct, such as providing boys detained there with inappropriate magazines, cigarettes and sweets. "I advised him of the inappropriateness of that behaviour," he said. Mr Keating said that once he was appointed director he made these and other concerns known to the Department of Education and advised Bryan to only be in the building during office hours. However, he said he then saw CCTV footage of Bryan in the building late at night. Mr Keating said he again notified the Department of his concerns, ahead of what was Bryans first suspension. On taking up an academic position, Mr Keating told the Department he was "deeply concerned" on hearing that Mr Bryan might be returning to the centre. In response to questions from the Irish Examiner the Department said: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs does not comment on individual cases." ST. LOUIS, Mo.Linguist Jodi Zirbel got a new and positive view on China when she attended Shen Yun Performing Arts in St. Louis, Missouri on March 1, 2020. Here in the United States, she observed, we hear a lot about China, but the news isnt often good. Seeing New York-based Shen Yun, however, the artists have taken a step back and present stories, legends, and song lyrics from throughout Chinas heroic and morally-strong 5,000-year history. The color, the pageantry, but the history, Zirbel said with astonishment about the classical Chinese dance performance at the Stifel Theater. Also really the humor. As Shen Yun revives ancient Chinas civilization that was once almost lost, the storytelling dances they present range in tone from heavenly to heartbreaking to humorous. The comedic timing was perfect, Zirbel said of the humorous storytelling dances. It was so understandable bythere was a little tiny child in front of us. And I was sitting next to a very old woman from China. And everybody was laughing. I was laughing. She was laughing. He was laughing. I thought this hits all generations and all different cultures.' The more heart-wrenching stories in the performance depict spiritual believers in China who are persecuted at the hands of the current communist regime. Even these stories inspire hope, however, because of the compassion, faith, and forgiveness the believers exhibit even amidst violence. I was amazed by the piece about the persecution, Zirbel said. That was really hard to watch. And I realized that is what is going in China right now. And that was really hard. Throughout its five millennia, Chinese culture has always acknowledged the divine and the role that the Creator plays in life on earth. Zirbel observed these traditional beliefs continuing on in Shen Yuns performance. I think that [traditional Chinese people] probably have a set of morals built [in] When you believe in God, you usually will have a strong set of morals and ethics to live by. And you dont ever hear about that, you know, because you hear about how China is repressing that kind of thing in their culture today. So it was interesting to see it presented here, she said. It was just interesting to see that they have a deeper sense of spirituality than we hear about on the news. This enormous culture. This enormous group of people from all different ethnic groups and how complex and deep [Chinese culture] really is. Maybe thats what is my take away. You really pulled for the characters even though you knew it was just short little dances. Jodi Zirbel If empathy and compassion are the winners of the day, Zirbel herself is also a shining example. You really pulled for the characters even though you knew it was just short little dances. But you still felt for those people, the characters that they presented, very much, she said, adding that she felt the artists spirituality come out in the passion of their performances. With reporting by Stacey Tang 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. A top federal scientist sounded the alarm about what he feared was contamination in an Atlanta lab where the government made test kits for the coronavirus, according to sources familiar with the situation in Atlanta. Driving the news: The Trump administration has ordered an independent investigation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab, and manufacturing of the virus test kits has been moved, the sources said. Why it matters: At the time the administration is under scrutiny for its early preparations for the virus, the potential problems at the lab became a top internal priority for some officials. But the Trump administration did not talk publicly about the Food and Drug Administrations specific concerns about the Atlanta lab. Senior officials are still not saying exactly what the FDA regulator found at the Atlanta lab. The CDC lab in Atlanta developed the testing formula for the coronavirus test which the government says works and was manufacturing relatively small amounts of testing kits for laboratories around the country. This is where the lab ran into problems, per sources familiar with the situation. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said, in a statement to Axios, that government agencies have already worked together to resolve the problems with the coronavirus tests. Upon learning about the test issue from CDC, FDA worked with CDC to determine that problems with certain test components were due to a manufacturing issue, he said. We worked hand in hand with CDC to resolve the issues with manufacturing. FDA has confidence in the design and current manufacturing of the test that already have and are continuing to be distributed. These tests have passed extensive quality control procedures and will provide the high-level of diagnostic accuracy we need during this coronavirus outbreak. The big picture: The FDA says it now has full confidence in the coronavirus diagnostic kit, but a slew of new cases announced over the weekend suggest the virus has spread throughout the country while the U.S. government tested only a narrow subset of the population for it. The U.S. government had admitted to problems with its diagnostic tests which have put the U.S. well behind China and South Korea in doing large-scale testing of the American public for the coronavirus. But the U.S. has now tested more than 3,600 people for the virus, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The big question: It was not immediately clear if or how possible contamination in the Atlanta lab played a role in delays or problems with testing. Nor was it clear how significant or systemic the contamination concerns may be; whether it was a one-time issue thats easily resolved, or a broader concern involving protocols, safeguards or leadership. Behind the scenes: The FDA official who visited the Atlanta lab, Timothy Stenzel, is the director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health. About a week ago, when the Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar was under extreme pressure over the delays in getting coronavirus testing kits to market, Stenzel traveled to Atlanta to help troubleshoot whatever technical problems might have been occurring with the tests. Stenzel was alarmed by the procedures he witnessed in the Atlanta laboratory and raised concerns with multiple CDC officials, per a source familiar with the situation in Atlanta. Stenzel is a highly-regarded scientist and diagnostics expert. He was on the ground in Atlanta to deal with technical issues and happened to stumble upon the inappropriate procedures and possible contaminants. He is not a laboratory inspector and thus was not charged with producing an inspection report on the lab conditions. But he raised the concerns and they have been taken seriously and risen to the highest levels of the U.S. government. On Thursday afternoon, the concerns about the Atlanta laboratory were raised in a conference call that included senior government officials from multiple agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health. The calls purpose was to figure out ways to mass produce the testing kits and get them to market quickly. The Trump administration says its now figured out how to get over those hurdles. An HHS spokesperson promised that by the end of this week, we will have the capacity to test up to 75,000 individuals for the coronavirus What's next: The FDAs manufacturing concerns which include the possible contamination of testing kits have also resulted in the Trump administration ordering an independent investigation of the CDCs Atlanta laboratory, according to senior officials. HHS has launched an investigation and is assembling a team of non-CDC scientists to better understand the nature and source of the manufacturing defect in the first batch of COVID-19 test kits that were distributed to state health departments and others, said an HHS spokesperson. HHS/CDC have been transparent with the American people regarding the issue with the manufacturing of the diagnostic and will be transparent with the findings of this investigation. (But the administration was not transparent about the senior FDA official's concerns about the conditions and procedures in the Atlanta laboratory.) A senior administration official added that the government also moved the manufacturing of the coronavirus tests out of the Atlanta laboratory of CDC. The official said that the CDC engaged with a third party contractor on Feb. 20 to help manufacture the testing kits. The official added that the FDA regulator, Stenzel, visited the Atlanta laboratory on Feb. 22. Between the lines: Until Thursday, the CDCs guidance was to only test Americans for the coronavirus if theyd recently traveled to China or had close contact with someone known to have the virus and were symptomatic. Under this policy, the CDC initially refused to test a California patient who didnt fit this criteria but had the coronavirus, although the CDC disputes that it denied doctors testing request. As of Friday, South Korea had tested 65,000 people for the coronavirus; the U.S. had tested only 459, per Science Magazine. China can reportedly conduct up to 1.6 million tests a week. Although the World Health Organization has sent testing kits to 57 other countries, the U.S. decided to make its own. There have also been problems with the tests themselves. On Feb. 12, the FDA announced that health labs across the country were having problems validating the CDC's diagnostic test, Science reports in an in-depth account of what went wrong with the tests. The FDA announced yesterday that public health labs can create their own diagnostic test. Scott Becker, the CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, told Science that he expects that public health labs will be able to do 10,000 tests a day by the end of the week. Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details about how many people in the U.S. have been tested for the virus. After being stopped by police, a 39-year-old Wyandotte man said he was trying to figure out why he had been evicted. But as it turned out, his troubles went deeper than just an eviction. The incident began at about 1:30 p.m. Feb. 4 when two officers were sent to the 200 block of Highland regarding a man who showed up after he had been evicted. The officers were told the man left the residence, possibly with some items from the house, and was driving a silver Dodge Ram that was pulling a trailer. Police pulled him over in the area of Alfred and Emmons. An officer noted in a report they were already aware that he had a suspended license. He told officers he wanted to figure out what was going on regarding his eviction. Officers arrested for driving with a suspended license. In searching him, police found a small clear baggy in one of his pockets. It contained crystal-like pieces that tested positive for methamphetamine. In conducting an inventory search of his vehicle, police found a machete on top of a backpack, as well as a large knife clipped on to the backpacks strap. Inside the backpack police found a Colt handgun, loaded with six bullets. Police also found 19 loose bullets, as well as multiple other knives inside the backpack. But there were still other items in the backpack that concerned police, including 18 fentanyl spray units. A clear pipe, the type commonly used to smoke meth, was found in the center console of the truck. Police confirmed that the handgun had been reported stolen in Ohio. Also during inventory search, officers found miscellaneous tools in the trucks backseat. Police noted that the suspect was currently under investigation for a home invasion where tools were stolen out of a garage. He was charged with stolen property (the firearm), weapons offense, concealed knives; possession of crystal methamphetamine; and driving while license suspended, second offense. The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, an anti-tank missile system, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles. Russia's hybrid military forces on March 1 mounted 11 attacks on Ukrainian Army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another seven as wounded in action (WIA). "The armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire six times on March 1. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another seven were wounded as a result of enemy shelling," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said in an update posted on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on March 2. Read alsoOne killed, four injured as Russia-led forces strike Ukraine military truck with anti-tank guided missile The enemy engaged Ukrainian troops with proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, an anti-tank missile system, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and rifles. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the towns of Avdiyivka and Maryinka, and the villages of Pisky, Lebedynske, Nevelske, Berezove, Taramchuk, Luhanske, Nyzhnioteple, Novoluhanske, and Novotoshkivske. "Since Monday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near Maryinka, using grenade launchers of various types, and rifles," the update said. No casualties were reported among Ukrainian troops Monday morning. Global power sector leaders will gather in the UAE for this weeks mega Middle East Energy exhibition and probing conference series which begin a three-day run at the Dubai World Trade Centre tomorrow (March 3). Set against the background of an industry in the midst of major disruption and transformation, the show, previously known as Middle East Electricity, has attracted more than 1,100 exhibitors from more than 130 countries. Industry heavyweights will demonstrate breakthrough technologies that are changing the entire energy eco-system, with power capacity in the Mena region set for annual 6.4% growth through 2022, according to the Energy & Utilities Market Outlook Report 2020, produced by Informa Markets, organiser of Middle East Energy. The same report predicts that investment in renewable energy in the Mena region will top $35 billion per year by the end of 2020. Underlining its reputation at the forefront of energy sector innovation, Middle East Energy will launch on Tuesday with plenary sessions of the much-anticipated conference series. Fatima Alfoora Al Shamsi, assistant undersecretary for electricity and future energy, at the UAE Ministry for Energy and Industry, will head a thought-provoking opening session under the theme Energy in Transition, connecting the world: Demand, Digitalisation, Diversification. Joining her in the opening session are fellow energy luminaries Nasser Saidi, chairman, Clean Energy Business Council (Mena); Yousif Al Ali, executive director, Masdar; and Gauri Singh, deputy director General, Irena. The plenary sessions are expected to unearth key insights into future developments in an industry battling with a complex mix of sustainability and conservation needs alongside rising global power demand. This years expanded, free-to-attend Middle East Energy knowledge programme also features a dedicated Digitalisation in Energy Conference, which has a focus on digital grids and digital future cities and a conference, devoted to Renewables. Together they comprise 30 conference sessions, over 150 speakers and represent 25 hours of learning opportunities. Visitors to Middle East Energy will find a technology showcase across the events five product sectors of power generation, renewables, transmission & distribution, energy conservation & managements and digitalisation. As energy demand continues to rise and renewables play an ever-increasing transformative role, Middle East Energy will once again be at the forefront of driving discussion and setting the agenda to meet global power needs, said Claudia Konieczna, exhibition director Informa Industrial Group. The show has once again attracted the major players showcasing the latest breakthroughs while taking a deep-dive into hot industry topics such as digitalisation. With Expo 2020 on the horizon, Middle East Energy will shine the spotlight on many solutions that will be optimised when Dubai welcomes the world again in October. Middle East Energy is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Deputy Ruler and is hosted by the UAE Ministry of Energy. Middle East Energy will be open daily from 10 am to 6 pm and, following a partnership between the event organiser Informa Markets and Dubai Expo 2020, exhibition goers can purchase Expo 2020 tickets at this weeks show. A range of Informa Markets exhibitions will be held as part of the Expo 2020 experience. TradeArabia News Service Justice Alito said there was no reason for the official to determine that Mr. Thuraissigiam faced a credible fear of persecution. All he said was that people drove up and they beat me, Justice Alito said. And thats it. Mr. Gelernt said his clients account was consistent with documented instances of abuses directed against Tamils in Sri Lanka. There is an exact M.O. on how Tamil people are persecuted in Sri Lanka, Mr. Gelernt said. Men arrive in a white van. They abduct the person. They blindfold the person. They beat and torture him. Mr. Thuraissigiam filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in federal court. A trial judge rejected it, saying it was barred by the 1996 law. But a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled the law unconstitutional, saying that it violated the Constitutions Suspension Clause. The clause says that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. At Mondays argument in the case, Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam, No. 19-161, the two sides disagreed about the effect of a ruling allowing judicial review. Mr. Gelernt said habeas petitions from asylum seekers would be rare. In the year since the Ninth Circuit has allowed them, he said, only about 30 of more 9,000 immigrants denied asylum have filed such petitions. Edwin S. Kneedler, a lawyer for the federal government, said he was aware of about 100 petitions. The potential for a flood would be, of course, far greater if this court holds that there is a right to file, he said. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked whether it was significant that Mr. Thuraissigiam was apprehended inside the United States. Mr. Gelernt said that people denied asylum at ports of entry should also be allowed to go to court. Poland is having problems maintaining its jet fighters and training enough pilots to fly them. This is a complex problem because it involves money shortages plus the different needs of each aircraft type. The Polish air force currently has 28 MiG-29s, and 48 F-16s plus 32 elderly Su-22 fighter-bombers. The Su-22s are first in line for retirement, followed by the MiGs. The first F-16s arrived in 2006 and the air force always had problems training enough pilots for these new aircraft. The main problem was not enough money for training. There were not enough modern jet trainers and it took years to address that problem, which is still not solved because there is not enough money in the defense budget to buy sufficient numbers of new trainers fast enough. The training itself is expensive, especially when the new pilots begin using the F-16 and require lots of expensive flight hours. Fuel and spare parts to keep F-16s flying is a major expense and the end result is that Poland only has 23 F-16 pilots who have sufficient training to fly the aircraft at night and in bad weather. Basic pilot training produces pilots who can handle the aircraft in daylight and good weather. Each pilot needs at least a hundred flight hours a year to maintain proficiency and, to get the most out of their F-16s, pilots should fly nearly 200 hours a year. Thats the experience of the U.S. and the rest of NATO when it comes to any kind of modern fighter. The air force has to economize and one area where that was done is stocks of spare parts for F-16s. More flying hours means more parts wear out and need replacement. You know you have problems when you start grounding some F-16s so you can use some of their components as spare parts to keep others flying. The Russian MiG-29s are another maintenance problem. This is made worse by the fact that Polish MiG-29s are older and MiG-29s have long been known to be very expensive to maintain. Poland did not begin receiving MiG-29s until the end of the Cold War (1991). Most of their MiG-29s were purchased second hand from East European users who were quick to get rid of them and adopt Western fighters. All users found the MiG-29 expensive to maintain and less reliable. The Poles found this to be true even after they refurbished some of the MiGs to extend their service life. Nations that can afford to so are backing away from MiG-29s because of reliability and durability problems. This negative reputation is sustained by the continued problems Russia has with these aircraft. It has become quite common for Russia to ground its MiG-29s because of crashes and suspicion that there might be some kind of fundamental design flaw. All aircraft were eventually returned to flight status but the frequency of these problems has added to the bad reputation of the aircraft. The MiG-29 entered Russian service in 1983, as the answer to the American F-16. Some 1,600 MiG-29s have been produced so far, with most (about 900) exported. The biggest customer, India, received its first MiG-29s in 1986, with deliveries continuing into the 1990s. The 22 ton aircraft is, indeed, roughly comparable to the F-16, but it depends a lot on which version of either aircraft you are talking about. Then there are the notorious reliability problems. Compared to Western aircraft, like the F-16, the MiG-29 is available for action about two thirds as often. The F-16 was the popular choice for new, post-Cold War NATO members like Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria. All were seeking to replace early model MiG29s. The latest F-16 version, the F-16V, is now being offered to India to replace its Cold War era MiG-21s and MiG-27s. India also has some MiG-29s and pilots of these aircraft believe a late model F-16 would be a better aircraft than their current late model MiG-29s. Pilots of the older MiGs prefer any Western fighter as a replacement for their aging and frequently crashing, MiGs. New users of the F-16 also purchase spares, maintenance equipment, training, aircraft accessories, like look and shoot helmets, plus tech support and setting up maintenance and support facilities. These can be used for other aircraft types. F-16 buyers also buy lots of air-to-air missiles and smart bombs. Noting how extensive the upgrades were for the F-16V, the manufacturer renamed this version the F-21. That designation has already been used for former Israeli Kfir fighters used, since the 1980s, to represent enemy aircraft in adversary combat training for the air force and navy. No one is complaining about the F-21 name being used for the Block 72 version of the F-16. The F-21 is basically an F-16 Block 70 or, rather the Block 72 for the model offered to India. Meanwhile, there are other customers for the Block 70, which has also been sold to Slovakia (ordered 14), Bulgaria (eight) and Bahrain (16 new plus twenty older F-16s upgraded to Block 70). In addition, South Korea is upgrading over a hundred of its F-16s to the Block 70 standard. The F-16V was introduced in 2012 and was believed to be the last model of the F-16. One reason F-16 production did not end in late 2016, after 44 years, was because unexpected orders, or sales opportunities, kept showing up. Production of F-16s has been going on since 1973 when the first prototype was built. Production continued for more than 40 years. There are several recent and future sales keeping production going. Other F-16 users are considering purchasing the V/F-21 model to replace elderly fighters or to upgrade some or all of the older F-16s to the Block 70 standard. These Block 70 upgrades are not always possible, or practical, for the oldest models of the F-16. These upgrades include replacing many structural elements as well as installing more powerful engines and the most modern electronics and fire control systems available. Although mass production of the F-16 in the United States has ended the manufacturer (Lockheed Martin or LockMart) continues doing upgrades and refurbishments and this will continue as long as there is demand (definitely through the 2020s and possibly the 2030s) Many of those upgrades will be to the V standard. Currently, LockMart has orders for over 300 upgrades of late-model F-16s to the F-16V standard and a growing number of requests for newly built F-16Vs. Unlike the MiG-29, where Russia is the main, and often only, source of spare parts, three times as many F-16s were built and a larger percentage are still flying compared to the MiG-29. There are more parts suppliers and more nations that supply refurbishment and upgrade services. So in addition to being a more reliable aircraft, the F-16 is cheaper to operate and maintain than the MiG-29. That means little if an F-16 user is beset by constant budget shortages as well as the need to keep as many F-16s flying and the pilots in the air frequently enough to get the most out of the aircraft. It is no secret that most of the lifetime cost of a modern jet fighter consists of maintenance, spare parts and fuel. Governments tend to focus on the initial cost of the aircraft and ignore the implications of the lifetime cost and how it all combines to product fighters that are in flying condition when needed and pilots who can make the most of the aircraft capabilities. Lastly Poland is also ordering the F-35, a few at a time, over the next decade or so until they have 32 to 48. T he whole country is concerned about coronavirus (Covid-19). That is a good thing. Because everyone has a part to play in tackling it. As a new virus, the lack of immunity in our population means that Covid-19 has the potential to spread widely. A vaccine is unlikely to be developed for some months at the earliest. We need everyone to act on their concerns, not with fear but by following expert medical advice. The Governments approach is to prepare for the worst and work for the best. This means we are basing our planning assumptions not just on what is most likely to happen but on the reasonable worst-case scenario. The Prime Minister has today chaired a meeting of the Government emergency Cobra committee on the outbreak , where we finalised and signed off our battle plan a four-part strategy to contain, delay, research and mitigate the virus, which we will be publishing this week. We have some of the finest scientific minds on the planet working on our response day and night, and this plan is driven by the best possible evidence and guided by leading experts such as the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty. Currently, we are in the contain phase of the plan, which is where we have been since we first learnt about Covid-19 at the end of last year. The contain phase is about detecting and isolating the early cases currently standing at 36 people in the UK tracing their close contacts and preventing the disease from taking hold in the UK for as long as we reasonably can. This has also given the NHS time to ramp up its preparations. Taking action: the Government has devised a four-part battle plan to contain, delay, research and mitigate. The public are urged to keep up to date with the latest official advice / Jeremy Selwyn We have not taken more radical measures such as banning flights from China because the science shows they would not work, as Italys example indicates. We have had some success with the contain approach. But we are realistic about the fact that globally cases are rising and we may not be able to rely on it forever, especially if coronavirus becomes more widespread in Europe. If everyone does their duty, follows the Governments advice and plays their part we will make it through The next phase is delay. We will move to this phase if the global situation makes containing the virus impossible. At this point widespread transmission may become inevitable so delay is about slowing the spread, lowering the peak impact and pushing it away from the winter season when the NHS is under maximum pressure. Everyone can do their bit today by using and binning tissues and properly washing their hands more often. This becomes even more critical in the delay phase. If you are advised by the NHS to self-isolate then you need to follow that advice to protect others. If necessary we have the power to compel people to self-isolate, but I do not want to have to see that power widely used. You can also help by keeping yourself informed with the latest official advice on gov.uk, combating the virus of fake news in parallel with the real virus. We may need to take further measures to delay the spread of coronavirus, including actions that have already been taken by other European countries at more advanced stages of an outbreak. All options are on the table. And while protecting the public is our first priority, as far as reasonably possible we want to minimise the social and economic costs that some options entail. It will not help the situation nor the NHS if we cause widespread social or economic disruption by going too far too fast. Our actions will always be guided by expert scientific advice: planning for the worst and working for the best. The third part of our battle plan is to research the virus. This has been ongoing ever since we learnt of its existence. The UK has world-leading expertise and we are putting it at the worlds disposal, working with international partners to co-ordinate research on better diagnostics, treatments and ultimately a vaccine. This could take many months or longer to develop and our plan does not assume the availability of a vaccine in the near future. If coronavirus does become established in the UK population, we will only be able to delay for so long. Once it becomes widespread we will then move to the mitigate phase. This is about providing the best possible care for those who fall sick, with the best use of resources in the hospital system which will come under major pressure. Our focus will also be on maintaining essential services at a time when large parts of the workforce may be off sick. The NHS has been preparing for this kind of situation for many years and will be able to draw on medical stockpiles that we built up during Brexit planning last year. The whole machinery of government has been working round the clock on this battle plan for many weeks now. The Prime Minister and I have been hugely impressed by the response of my officials, Public Health England and the whole NHS and we thank them for their hard work. I will do everything I can to protect the public and I know they will too. The Government has duty to the public but times like this remind us that we all have a duty to each other. If everyone does their duty, follows advice and plays their part we will make it through. Matt Hancock is the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Listen to today's episode of The Leader podcast: Many are disappointed and frustrated that Deep-State actors are not being prosecuted for their acts that certainly appear to be crimes while, on the other hand, conservatives are facing long jail sentences for less egregious behavior. Some are even suggesting that Attorney General William Barr is a member of the Deep State himself and never intends to prosecute Deep-State malefactors. However, prosecuting such Deep-State snakes as Brennan, Clapper, Clinton, Comey, McCabe, and others involves a number of difficulties. Consider: 1. These actors know the system from the inside. They know what to expect and how to game the system. They have friends on the inside. 2. From decades of "public service," most of them are quite wealthy. They will be able to afford top-notch legal talent to defend them. 3. Probably most of the apparently criminal acts occurred in Washington, D.C., meaning that the cases would have to be prosecuted there. The Washington jury pool is over 90% Democrat and biased in favor of the snakes and against the Trump administration. 4. The judges in Washington are as biased as the jurors. Just last week, for example, Judge Amy Berman Jackson demonstrated that she is little better than a Democrat National Committee operative. 5. The defendants will be able to craft "graymail" defenses, putting the government to the dilemma of either harming national security by disclosing classified information, or dropping charges. 6. Early failure may be fatal to any later cases. If the first case to go to trial should result in a dismissal or a "not guilty" verdict, the DNC-complicit corporate media would trumpet headlines about it for weeks. It could ruin chances for success in later cases. In light of all of these difficulties and there are probably more that are not readily apparent from the outside it is not strange that, if A.G. Barr is preparing prosecutions, it would take some time. Perhaps this is part of what President Trump was referring to when he recently remarked that the swamp was a lot deeper than he had expected. Frankly, in light of these difficulties, we should be surprised if any successful prosecution results. It would take immense hard work, legal genius, and some luck. Following an attack that killed 33 Turkish soldiers, Turkey hit back with multiple strikes, some of which killed high level members of Assad's forces reports Alsouria Net. Regime loyalist pages mourned a number of officers from Assads forces, including a general from the Republican Guard, who were killed during a Turkish bombardment of their positions in response to the killing of Turkish soldiers in Idleb. Loyalist pages said that Major General Burhan Rahmoun, commander of the 124th Republican Guard Brigade, was killed alongside Brigadier General Ismail Ali, commander of the 873rd Brigade, and Colonel Mazen Farwati and Lieutenant Mohamed Hamoud. Local activists said that these officers were killed during a Turkish aerial bombardment that struck an Assad regime position in the al-Zarba area in the southern Aleppo countryside. Meanwhile, the Turkish Defense Ministry published new scenes of bombardments carried out on Friday against regime military targets in response to an attack carried out by the regime on Idleb on Thursday, which killed 33 Turkish soldiers. In the scenes, air bombardments destroys a military facility (for chemical production), a rocket launcher, and a number of positions south of Aleppo province where regime soldiers were present, according to Anadolu agency. The Turkish defense minister on Friday in comments from the military command room on the border with Syria in Hatay province reviewed the losses of Assad regime forces, saying: Following the treacherous attack, more than 200 Syrian regime targets have been bombed intensively by Turkish fighters, armed drones, and ground fire support units. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) is now an official member of the Caribbean Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM) Network as of February 2020. CARICHAM was officially launched on April 1, 2019. The Network of CARICHAM was established to promote cooperation and collaboration between its 19-members within the Caribbean Basin. The grouping also seeks to improve the levels of trade and investment within the region and between the region and other trading partners. CARICHAM would represent the interest of the private sector on regional and international issues; facilitate capacity building opportunities for members and representatives of the Chambers of Commerce; identify and undertake training, and facilitate other cooperation programs that will benefit the membership of the Chambers, as well as the next generation of Caribbean business leaders; foster innovation and strategic collaboration among members to increase global competitiveness of industries; develop and share business-to-business market intelligence; share experiences and best practice in areas such as trade and investment, renewable energy/energy efficiency, disaster risk reduction and climate change; and finally add value as well as identify opportunities for the members of the respective Chambers. I am very pleased that the Chamber has become a member of CARICHAM as it will benefit St. Maarten COCI registrants. The Chamber started its journey of connecting to the other Caribbean islands since 2018. We see this membership to further establish the working relation with CARICHAM as a strategic goal to improve the possible trade between the islands, improved working relations and contribute to the overall economic development of the entire Caribbean Region. We would add value to the terms Growing our Network to improve our net worth, President of the COCI Board Benjamin Ortega said on Sunday. The members of CARICHAM are Chambers of Commerce & Industry from the following countries: Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and Guadeloupe. A US father born on February 29 has just welcomed a baby girl on the same date defying reported odds of 2.1 million to one. Camila Penaloza was due on March 3, according to local reports, but arrived three days early making her a leap year baby. In a staggering twist of fate her father, Ivan Rebollar Cortez Penaloza, 32, was celebrating his eighth leap year birthday on the same day. "I prayed to God for my little baby girl and now we are going to share this amazing bond for the rest of our lives, Mr Penaloza said in a statement following the surprise delivery. I am just so happy!" The proud dad was thrilled to share such an 'amazing bond' with his daughter / Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael, CA)/Facebook Camilas mother Jennifer Rebollar Cortez added: "We feel so blessed to have our little Camila here and so incredibly shocked at the coincidence that she now shares her leap day birthday with her dad." Staff at the Mercy San Juan Medical Center in California, where the new leaper was born, marked the special occasion with cake, balloons and a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for both dad and daughter. They also presented her with an adorable "leap frog" outfit in which she was pictured in the arms of her beaming father. The hospitals president Michael Korpiel issued a statement detailing their delight at the arrival, saying: We feel incredibly fortunate to share in this special, life-changing moment with this family. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 13:30:13 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 479 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / MCTC Holdings, Inc. (OTC PINK:MCTC), a cannabinoid and hemp extract science forward company developing infusion and delivery technologies announces an upcoming press event to be hosted on March 12, 2020, to introduce the Company's new Hemp You Can Feel Alcohol-Free cocktails. The event will feature some of the best bartenders and servers in the Los Angeles area as they mix up both classic and new age hemp infused cocktails based on the Company's next-generation all-natural hemp extract and CBD beverage infusion technologies."When was the last time you were able to relax with a cocktail, but not have to worry about the negative effects of alcohol?" commented, Arman Tabatabaei, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. We have invented something truly extraordinary with our Hemp You Can Feel technology - In fact, it is so unique, we have filed several patents on the underlying technologies. We invite all area presses to be among the first to try these all-natural hemp extract and CBD cocktails." The feeling? You'll feel relaxed and happy! The Hemp you Can Feel cocktails produce feelings of joy, pleasure, and smiles - but with no alcohol. And the taste? They are delicious!All of the Company's hemp infusion cocktails are made of the finest ingredients available. The patent pending Hemp You Can Feel infusion technology is free of all chemical, surfactants, and additives and utilizes advanced flavor moderation allowing for hemp infusions of beverages without affecting the taste. The secret of the technologies lies in the true water solubility that allows the hemp extracts to be easily absorbed by the body.The invite-only event will be held in Los Angeles at 7:00 PM on March 12, 2020 at Mama Lion, one of the most popular restaurants, bars, and lounges in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles.Interested press members should contact Chief Executive Officer, Arman Tabatabaei at IR@ CannabisGlobalInc.com for invite information.About MCTC Holdings, Inc.MCTC Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a: Cannabis Global) is a Delaware registered, fully reporting and audited publicly-traded company. With the hemp and cannabis industries moving very quickly and with a growing number of market entrants, MCTC plans to concentrate its efforts on the middle portions of the hemp and cannabis value chain. The Company plans to actively pursue R&D programs and productization for exotic cannabinoid isolation, bioenhancement of cannabinoids and polymeric solid nanoparticles and nanofibers for addition into consumer products and for dermal application. The Company was reorganized during June of 2019 and announced its intent to enter the fast-growing cannabis sector and its intent to change its corporate identity to Cannabis Global. The Company is headed and managed by a group of highly experienced cannabis industry pioneers and entrepreneurs.More information on the Company can be viewed at www.CannabisGlobalinc.com For more information, please contact:Arman TabatabaeiIR@ cannabisglobalinc.com SOURCE: MCTC Holdings, Inc A carpooling project that incentivises workers who have limited transport options by paying them 50 cents a mile to be involved is being launched in an Indianan city. Hytch Rewards has been named an official tech partner of the city of South Bends, Commuters Trust set up last year by former mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. ') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> The initiative is working with employers to help low-income and part-time workers with unreliable transportation options to be able to commute to and from their jobs, after it was revealed that it was the primary barrier to maintaining employment for approximately 10,000 residents. The lack of dependable transportation or no vehicle at all makes it difficult for some people to consistently get to work on time, or forces them to turn down work opportunities when public transit options arent available, said Aaron Steiner, program director for Commuters Trust. Our program solves a specific problem around access to employment. Ultimately, we think Hytch Rewards will become an important piece of the puzzle, to provide local workers more options to commute to work and reduce transportation as a barrier to employment. The Hytch mobile app will be used to verify shared rides in real time and distribute per-mile cash incentives to passengers and drivers. Any South Bend resident can download the app and coordinate with friends or co-workers to provide transportation for the program. Not only can they earn up to 50 cents per mile when carpooling with a program participant, because every qualified mile earns carbon offsets, drivers can also eliminate the carbon footprint for their daily commute. Hytch launched its commute for cash rewards platform in the companys home city of Nashville in early 2018, and is now being rolled out to other markets including Seattle and San Francisco. In those cities, Hytch partners with employers, brands and governments to reduce traffic congestion and emissions. However, in the smaller market of South Bend (population: 102,245), the primary application will be to coordinate a peer-to-peer shared ride alternatives for workers with limited public transportation options. For overnight and weekend workers in a city the size of South Bend, public transportation may not always be operating. This private-public partnership connects people to their workplace, said Mark A. Cleveland, co-founder and CEO of Hytch. By directly rewarding people for networking within their most familiar communities, we inspire carpooling at scale, avoid the fixed costs of mass transit and carve out the venture-capital-funded middleman. South Bend is showing other low-density and car-dependent cities, as well as rural areas, how to get it done at a very low cost. Funding for the Commuters Trust program was provided by the city winning a US$1million grant through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge. Follow us on twitter @TrafficTechMag Riteish Deshmukh has most certainly made a mark in Bollywood, be it as an actor or a producer. His latest acting gig is in director Ahmed Khans Baaghi 3, in which he plays lead actor Tiger Shroffs brother. When I received a call from Sajid Nadiadwala (producer), I was like, mein kya kar raha hoon iss sequel mein (What am I doing in this sequel)? But then, no sooner did Ahmed Khan came home for narration, I was emotional enough about the story of two brothers. I could identify with it because, since the time I am born, us (real) brothers have had the same connect until this day. And so I agreed to be the part of this sequel, the actor reveals about his role in the film. One may recall that Riteish is the son of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Late Vilasrao Deshmukh. When asked if the actor-producer is looking to make a biopic on his late father, he says that it will be difficult for him and his family. His biopic can be an interesting one as he has risen from being the village sarpanch to the chief minister. It can be a great story as an individual. Many people have written a script on his life, but it will not be easy for us to produce his biopic as he is very close to our hearts. So obviously, as a family, we will not be able to make it. What we may like to show in that restrained time of about two hours, others may like to see something else. Also if someone else makes it, we may feel like Why has he shown him in this light? He was not like this? Therefore, making an individuals biopic who has risen to such heights will be undoubtedly interesting and a great story to tell, he says. Meanwhile, the actor recently announced that he would soon start working on his passion project, a multi-lingual trilogy based on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Backed by his home banner Mumbai Film Company, the film will be helmed by Nagraj Manjule of Sairat fame. Right now, we are planning to make it in three parts. We have decided to make it in Marathi and Hindi, but since his father lived down south, we might have to explore in South Indian languages too. Presently, we are concentrating on the casting of the film, Riteish updates before signing off. COVID-19 has hit home. As of Monday evening, two new cases of the novel coronavirus disease officially named COVID-19 by World Health Organisation (WHO) have been diagnosed in Delhi and in Telangana. While the infected person from Delhi has travel history from Italy, the one from Telangana has travel history from Dubai. In early February, three students from Kerala were treated for the disease and subsequently discharged from the hospital after they recovered and tested negative for the novel coronavirus. All three were students who returned from Wuhan in China the epicentre of the outbreak, in January. We dont need to assert how important it is to rush to the doctor and get yourself screened in case you have been feeling under the weather lately. If you are down with a runny nose, headache, cough and fever, and have travelled to a part of the world with sustained community transmission of COVID-19; within 14 days of feeling sick, you need to rush to the hospital. Sustained community transmission means that the local population has been infected with the virus and the spread is ongoing. Getting yourself tested (and quarantined till full recovery if tested positive) is the first step to save yourself and also others. A health desk to screen travelers for signs of the coronavirus at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala, India. (Photo: Reuters) You will need to get your blood tested if you are suspected of having been infected by the virus that is officially named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). According to health officials at NIV (National Institute of Virology), Pune, it takes about two to three days to get the test results. However, informed sources tell DailyO that the test result normally should be out in three to four hours. "DNA extraction takes an hour. RT-PCR takes about two to two and a half hours. The extra time sought could be because of the paucity of testing kits. Also, it requires a lot of skill to perform the test. The lack of skilled hands is also a problem. We need more kits and better-trained personnel," the source says. Despite this, Indian authorities are taking no chances. According to the Minister of Health for State Ashwini Choubey, 15 laboratories are working to control the disease and 19 more are in the process of being set up. All these are working closely with NIV and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The government has announced 011-23978046 as the helpline number for COVID-19 and email ncov2019@gmail.com. The Indian government has upped the ante by imposing travel restrictions to the worst-affected countries, including China, South Korea, Iran, Italy and Singapore, preparing itself for the testing and treatment for COVID-19 and being transparent about the number of cases diagnosed. A woman walks past South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear while they sanitise a street in front of the city hall after the rapid rise in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea. (Photo: Reuters) Not the same can be said of other countries. While China was infamously suppressing information on the outbreak and spread, North Korea lags no far behind. In South Korea, 599 new cases were confirmed on Monday. With the new tally at 4,335 confirmed infections and at least 26 deaths, South Korea has the second-largest national caseload after China. However, its hostile neighbour North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the deadly virus yet. On Friday, its leader Kim Jong Un held a meeting with officials to discuss stricter enforcement of top-class anti-epidemic steps in the country, according to the state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA further said that people exhibiting symptoms have been subject to a month-long quarantine. In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences. No special cases must be allowed within the state anti-epidemic system, Kim was quoted as saying at the meeting. In the Middle East, Iran is the epicentre of the outbreak. In an announcement on state TV, Iranian Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said that 66 people have died and 1,501 people have been infected in the country by COVID-19. Members of the medical team spray disinfectant to sanitise outdoor place of Imam Reza's holy shrine, following the coronavirus outbreak, in Mashhad, Iran. (Photo: Reuters) Death toll in Iran is the highest after China. The situation in Iran is something to be especially concerned about since it mirrors most of the overpopulated and developing countries around the world. For instance, millions of Muslim pilgrims travel in the region to visit Shiite holy sites in Iran and Iraq. In January alone, it is estimated that over 30,000 people returned to Afghanistan from Iran, and hundreds of others continue to make the pilgrimage every week to Qom the site of the outbreak. Afghanistans first confirmed case a 35-year-old man from Herat was the one who had recently travelled to Qom, following which, on Sunday, the Afghan government suspended all air and ground travel to and from Iran. The public health system is not too robust in Iran following years of unrest and political turmoil. Further, thanks to the sanctions imposed by the US and world leaders ostracising the country, Irans economic lifeline remains to be trade relations with China. With barely any travel restrictions on Chinese travellers to the country and inadequate screening processes, Iran has made itself very vulnerable to the outbreak. So what can you do to prevent being infected? As to contain the spread of the infection in India (and across the world), here are a few very simple steps for prevention, as prescribed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): 1. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds 2. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60 per cent alcohol 3. Avoid close contact with people who are sick 4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth 5. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash, and wash your hands 6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces 7. Stay home when you are sick Also read: What is coronavirus? Should Wuhan flu worry you? The communal conflagration in Delhi was "state-sponsored planned genocide", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Monday and claimed an attempt was being made by the BJP to replicate the "Gujarat model of riots" across the country. Banerjee, while addressing a TMC event, insisted it was due to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that "so many people were killed" in the Delhi violence. "Amit Shah should keep this in mind". The Trinamool Congress supremo also condemned those who raised the controversial "goli maro..." slogan while heading to Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in the city on Sunday. "I am deeply pained by the killing of innocent people in Delhi. I think it's a planned genocide. I am calling it a genocide because it was state-sponspored violence that was later projected as riots. Delhi police is under the Centre. There was Delhi police, CRPF, CISF but nobody did anything, everybody was inactive," she alleged. Banerjee hit back at Shah, who had expressed "anguish" over the law and order situation in Bengal at his Kolkata rally, demanding that the BJP apologise for the Delhi violence before lecturing others. "Why hasn't BJP apologised for it? Then they come here and shamelessly say they will capture (kabza) West Bengal. The BJP is trying to replicate the Gujarat model of riots across India, including in West Bengal. After the Gujarat riots of 2002, they did it in Uttar Pardesh and now Delhi," she said. Her stinging remarks came in the backdrop of opposition CPI(M) and Congress questioning her "silence" on Delhi violence that has left over 42 people dead and more than 200 injured. Though she had not condemned the killings in speech, Banerjee had penned a poem a few days ago voicing her concern over the orgy of violence. She urged TMC workers to hold state-wide rallies against the communal riots in the national capital and also raise funds to help the victims. Condemning the goli maaro... chants by alleged BJP supporters during Shah's rally, Banerjee said nobody who raised such divisive slogans will be spared by police. "The slogan is incendiary, provocative and illegal. All who raised it will be penalised and law will take its own course. Its Kolkata, not Delhi. Its Bengal. Police has already taken action," she said. The Kolkata police on Monday arrested three BJP supporters for allegedly raising the provocative slogan. "Those who talk about Bengal's law and order...tell me why the BJP leader who instigated the violence has not been booked and arrested? Why no action has been taken against Yogiji (Yogi Adityanath) for his hate speeches?" she asked. Banerjee asked party workers to help police identify from media footage others involved in raising the slogan but urged them not to take law into their hands. She alleged the BJP relied on either inciting riots or whipping up war frenzy to win elections. "Despite losing one election after the other since last year it is shamelessly boasting about capturing Bengal". The feisty Bengal politician alleged that the CPI(M) and Congress had a tacit understanding with the BJP and they ensured the victory of its candidates in the Lok Sabha polls in the state by splitting anti-BJP votes. "Yesterday, he (Shah) said that they will set a target of winning 200 seats in Bengal (in the Assembly elections). Why not all 294 seats? Because they only want to target Trinamool Congress seats and not those of CPI(M) and Congress. We will target all the seats," she said. Reacting to Banerjee's allegation, senior BJP leader Babul Supriyo said, "She doesn't understand the meaning of genocide and should think twice before speaking such things." The Union minister said peace had returned to Delhi and Banerjee should stop making provocative comments. If she has any suggestions, she should meet Amit Shah, he said. CPI(M) politburo member Mohammed Salim called Banerjee's remarks "a staged drama" as her police stood as a "mute spectator" when provocative slogans were raised. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh critised the TMC government for its failure to act against those who chant "anti-India' slogans. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a year-long investigation by Claudia Joseph, Simon Trump, Ewan Fletcher, Adam Luck, Jason Buckner and Craig Hibbert, the Mail on Sunday named Banksy as Robin Gunningham. The search began with a photograph taken in Jamaica showing a man in a blue shirt and jeans, with a hint of a smile on his face and a spray can at his feet. Taken in 2004, it was said to show Banksy at work. When the picture was published it appeared to be the first chink in the armour of anonymity with which the artist has shielded himself ever since his work began to attract the attention of the art world. Armed with this photograph, the team travelled to Bristol, long said to have been Banksy's home city, where they made contact with a man who claimed to have once met the artist in the flesh. Many people claimed as much, but the moment one started asking for more information, one discovered they actually 'know someone who met Banksy' - and the trail ran cold. However, this man claimed not only to have met the elusive artist but was able to furnish us with a name - not the usual variations of the name Banks but one all the more intriguing. The man in the photograph, he insisted, was formerly known as Robin Gunningham - and it didn't require much imagination to work out how such a name could result in the nickname Banksy. From records available to the public, they were able to glean further information. Robin's father, Peter Gordon Gunningham was from the Whitehall area of Bristol. His mother, Pamela Ann Dawkin-Jones was a company director's secretary and grew up in the exclusive surroundings of Clifton. The couple married on April 25, 1970, at Kingswood Wesley Methodist Church. On February 8, 1972, their daughter Sarah was born at Bristol Maternity Hospital, by which time Peter had been promoted to area manager for a hotel company and the couple had bought their first home, a semidetached house in Bristol. On July 28, 1973, Robin was born in the same hospital. According to neighbours, the boy had early surgery for a cleft palette. The images provide a behind-the-scenes look at the guerrilla artist creating some of his famous works, captured by his long-time associate - although they do not appear to capture his face When Robin was nine, the family moved to a larger home in the same street and it is there he spent his formative years and became interested in graffiti. A neighbour, Anthony Hallett, recalls the couple moving into the street as newlyweds and living there until 1998. They have since separated. When they showed Mr Hallett the Jamaica photograph, he said the man in it was Robin Gunningham. In 1984, Robin, then 11, donned a black blazer, grey trousers and striped tie to attend the renowned Bristol Cathedral School, which currently charges fees of 9,240 a year and lists supermodel Sophie Anderton as a former pupil. It was hard to imagine Banksy, the anti-authoritarian renegade, as a public schoolboy wandering around the 17th Century former monastery, with its upper and lower quadrangles and its prayers in the ancient cathedral. But they then found a school photograph, taken in 1989, of a bespectacled Robin Gunningham in which he shows a discernible resemblance to the man in the Jamaica photograph. Pictured is the former family home of Robin Gunningham in Bristol. It's believed Gunningham is Banksy Indeed, fellow pupils remember Robin, who was in Deans House, as being a particularly gifted artist. In the rare interviews Banksy has given (always anonymously), the artist has acknowledged that it was while at school that he first became interested in graffiti. Robin Gunningham left school at 16 after doing GCSEs and began dabbling in street art. As the investigation continued, their inquiries demonstrated again and again that the details of Robin Gunningham's life story dovetail perfectly with the known facts about Banksy. By 1998 Robin Gunningham was living in Easton, Bristol, with Luke Egan, who went on to exhibit with Banksy at Santa's Ghetto, an art store which launched at Christmas 2001 in London's West End. Egan and Gunningham are believed to have left the house when the owner wanted to sell it. Camilla Stacey, a curator at Bristol's Here Gallery who bought the property in 2000, said that Banksy and Robin Gunningham are one and the same person. She knew the house had been inhabited by Banksy because of the artwork left there - and she used to get post for him in the name of Robin Gunningham. Once the group were almost certain Banksy was Gunningham - they went searching for him and tried to see if his parents would help. His mother Pamela lived in a neat modern bungalow in a village outside Bristol. After identifying ourselves, they asked her if she had a son called Robin. Her reaction was very odd. They showed her the Jamaica photograph and she was visibly startled, but said she didn't recognise the man in the photograph, to whom she bears more than a passing resemblance. They asked if she could put us in touch with him. 'I'm afraid I don't know how to get in contact with him,' she said. So she did have a son called Robin? 'No, I don't. I don't have a son at all.' They asked her if she had any other children. 'Yes, a daughter.' But no son and certainly not a son who went to Bristol Cathedral School? 'No,' she said, and went on to deny she was Pamela Gunningham, insisting that the electoral roll must be incorrect. Their conversation with Peter Gunningham, who now lived in a gated development in the suburb of Kingsdown, was equally baffling. Again, they presented the photograph of Banksy/Robin Gunningham. Mr Gunningham said he didn't recognise the person in the picture. They told him that they believed his son to be Banksy. 'No,' he replied. 'I can't help you, really.' Mr Gunningham politely continued to deny that his son was Banksy but his manner was almost playful. He refused to give them any information about Robin. It was all very strange. Had the couple never heard of Banksy or Robin Gunningham, one might have expected a reaction of complete bewilderment. This did not seem to be the case. Dublin, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Uganda" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This HospeTrack is the largest database of hospital level medical equipment installed database, currently available on the market. It covers 48 countries with more added each quarter. The data is run through an update cycle each year. The Uganda Total Hospital & Medical Installed Base Mapping report was updated in 2020 and includes 150 hospitals from the country with their health infrastructure detailed out. Contents 1. Visualize and Map the Total Installed Base of the Country by Hospital Monitoring & Access: ECG Machines, Holter monitors, Patient monitors, Ventilators, Anaesthesia machines, Stress Testing Machines Surgical: C-Arms Cardio: Echo, Cath Labs Diagnostic Imaging: PET-CT, SPECT, CT Scanners, MRI Scanners, Ultrasound, X-Ray Machines, Mammography machines Infant Care: Incubators, Radiant Warmers, Fetal monitors, Phototherapy Units, Infant Ventilators 2. Generate Targeted Leads Based on Current Care Area Focus of a Hospital 12 care areas tracked for each hospital General Medicine, Gyn/Obs, Neurology, Internal Medicine, ER/Trauma, Pulmonology, GI, Cardiology, Oncology, Radiology, Ortho and Nuclear Medicine included in the report 3. Visualize the Current Health Resource Status of a Hospital Total number of doctors by hospital Total number of Radiologists by hospital Total number of Cardiologists by hospital Total number of internal medicine physicians by hospital Surgeons, neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons by hospital 4. Comprehend Medical Services Potential Using Bed and Operating Rooms Data Total bed size of a hospital Number of ICU beds by hospital Number of NICU, PICU beds by hospital Number of Major and Minor Operating Rooms available per hospital Total number of outpatient visits per hospital where available Total number of inpatient visits per hospital where available 5. Understand and Identify Types of Hospitals Hospitals by ownership type - public and private, corporate and missionary Assess and differentiate based on size of hospital - Regional referral, national referral, speciality center, general, military, private hospitals and imaging centers Chart and map based on level of care - Primary, secondary and tertiary care 6. Create Opportunity Heat Maps 150 hospitals and diagnostic imaging centers in Uganda listed by city, region, latitude and longitude and Zip Code Contact numbers available for 50% of the hospitals Website links mentioned for hospital where available 7. Estimate Medical Device Penetration and Potential in the Country Key Topics Covered 1. HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Uganda, Introduction Introduction and guidance to HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence Data. Page allows user to access other sections in the Excel report. 2. HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Uganda, Guidance & Hospital Segmentation Provides a brief methodology of research along with extensive detail around total coverage of hospitals in Uganda, by type of hospital. Also provides detail on customer segmentation. Figure 1: Percentage Coverage for all the Public and Private Hospitals in Uganda, 2020. Table 1: Hospital/Customer Segmentation in Uganda, by Type of Hospital, by Level of Care and Size of Universe, 2020 3. HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Uganda, Insight Summary 3.1 Total number of hospitals in Uganda 3.2 Total number of hospital beds in Uganda 3.3 Key hospital and installed base summary in Uganda Fig 2. Total Hospitals in Uganda by Ownership Type, 2020 Fig 3. Total Care Areas or Hospital Departments in Uganda, 2020 Fig 4. Patient Monitoring IB Summary in Uganda, 2020 Fig 5. Hospital Distribution in Uganda, 2020 Fig 6. Total Hospitals in Uganda by Type of Hospital, 2020 Fig 7. Total Hospitals in Uganda by Bed Size, 2020 Fig 8. Total Core Installed Base Summary in Uganda, 2020 3.4 IB Penetration Summary for Uganda by Care Level of Hospital, 2020 Fig 9. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Ventilators, 2020 Fig 10. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Incubators, 2020 Fig 11. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Radiant Warmers, 2020 Fig 12. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Fetal Monitors, 2020 Fig 13. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Phototherapy Units, 2020 Fig 14. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Infant Ventilators, 2020 Fig 15. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Anesthesia Machines, 2020 Fig 16. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, C-Arms, 2020 Fig 17. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, ECG Machines, 2020 Fig 18. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Holter Monitors, 2020 Fig 19. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Stress Test Machines, 2020 Fig 20. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Echo, 2020 Fig 21. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Cath Labs, 2020 Fig 22. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, PET/CT, 2020 Fig 23. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, SPECT, 2020 Fig 24. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, CT Scanners, 2020 Fig 25. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, MRI, 2020 Fig 26. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Ultrasound, 2020 Fig 27. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, X-Ray, 2020 Fig 28. Installed Base Penetration in Uganda, Mammography, 2020 4. HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Uganda, Installed Base Pivot Analysis Provides a pivot chart to analyse data from the Installed base file. Allows users to identify and map account level statistics by care areas, type of ownership, by bed size, by level of care etc. 5. HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Uganda, IB Base File Provides the raw data for all installed base equipment by account in Uganda. Each hospital contains ownership type, hospital type, level of care, departments and care services provided in the hospital, installed base counts for patient monitoring devices, critical care devices and diagnostic imaging. The worksheet also provides hospital demographics such as bed sizes, ICU bed sizes, NICU/PICU bed sizes, Operating Room counts, Total number pf physicians, specialists etc. GPS coordinates, zip codes, in-patient volumes, out-patient volumes and contact details of each hospital have also been provided. Companies Mentioned Siemens Healthineers Philips Healthcare Sonoscape Shimadzu Corp FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. Fujifilm Medical Systems SIUI For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vx7569 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Singapore on Monday confirmed two more cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of infections in the city-state to 108. The Health Ministry said one of the cases is linked to a cluster at Wizlearn Technologies at the Science Park hub in the residential and industrial region on the west coast of the city. Among the two new cases, is a 68-year old female Singapore citizen having no recent travel history to China, but she was in Jakarta from February 11-14. She is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and is linked to a previous case of COVID-19, reported the Channel Asia. Prior to hospital admission, she had mostly stayed at her home at Bishan Street 13, a major public housing estate here. Another case is a 34-year-old maid from the Philippines working in a Singapore household which had two cases of coronavirus. Her infection was discovered on Monday and she is currently warded in an isolation room at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. Singapore had reported four cases each on Saturday and Sunday. With the latest two cases, it has had 108 coronavirus cases. The Ministry said four coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals on Monday. In total, 78 patients have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ALBANY A Vermont state official confirmed Monday that the controversial burning of toxic PFAS materials at the Norlite plant in Cohoes began at least as early as 2018. Cohoes residents in recent weeks have been surprised to learn that the Norlite incinerator on Saratoga Street had for two years been burning the chemicals in its kilns under a contract with the federal Department of Defense. After that activity came to light as an element of a federal lawsuit spearheaded by environmental groups, New York officials noted that the burning had been shut down pending research into whether it could be done safely. But the state of Vermont in 2018 shipped 2,150 gallons of PFAS chemicals enough to fill a tanker truck to Norlite that the company incinerated for $45,000. A lot of fire departments had them, said Chuck Schwer, director of the Waste Management and Prevention Division of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. PFAS were used in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), a substance used to fight fires. As worries about the toxicity of PFAS grew in recent years, Schwer said, the materials were phased out. After local fire departments began asking the state what they should do with their surplus, Vermont officials decided to collect those PFAS/AFFF supplies and arrange for their disposal. The recent revelations about the Department of Defense contract with Norlite have raised concerns about exposure for Cohoes residents, including the residents of a housing project next to the plant. Read more: The lingering threat of PFAS New Hampshire officials have also sent PFAS/AFFF to Norlite during the past few years, said Judith Enck, a former regional EPA administrator and longtime environmental activist. Enck and a number of local and state lawmakers gathered Monday to discuss a proposed bill that would ban the incineration of AFFF in New York. This is one of the most serious environmental threats facing the Capital Region in some time, Enck said. She was joined by state Assemblyman John McDonald and Sen. Neil Breslin, who are sponsoring a bill that would ban AFFF incineration. AFFFs had been made with so-called PFAS chemicals. The perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds are associated with health problems when ingested, including thyroid disorders and cancer. Discovery of these substances in the Hoosick Falls village water supply several years ago when Enck was with EPA led to a major effort to filter and eventually replace the water system there. PFAS have also turned up in groundwater near other communities, including Newburgh and Cairo in the northern Catskills. McDonald said theres still a great deal thats not known about how much PFAS chemicals have been burned or may have been stored at the Norlite plant over the years. The Cohoes Democrat a former mayor of the city said he has pressed the state Department of Environmental Conservation for that information. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. DEC officials said they are currently checking to make sure all the permitting and regulatory requirements surrounding the storage and processing of AFFFs are being followed. The plant's incinerator is currently shut down for renovations, and isn't expected to start up again until late spring. Because PFAS arent heavily regulated by the EPA, McDonald said, the public is at a disadvantage. There is, for example, no requirement that an incinerator needs to notify anyone that it is burning the substance. More for you Comes amid revelations that the chemicals were burned in Cohoes McDonald did say that Norlite, to the companys credit, voluntarily told the DEC that it was burning the material. Norlite's Environmental and Compliance Manager Prince Knight said in an email that the company is aware of the proposed bill. "Norlite has not processed AFFF material at its Cohoes facility since December 2019, and is not accepting or processing such material pending further research by the U.S. EPA and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to confirm the existing evidence that thermal destruction is the safest and most effective disposal method for AFFF material," he said. "We understand and are sensitive to public questions and concerns about AFFF. We have no interest in any activity that federal and state regulatory agencies believe, based on sound science, would adversely affect the environment or the local community." Norlite is among a handful of PFAS/AFFF incinerators nationwide, noted Enck. There are also facilities in Ohio and Arkansas. Scher said Vermont officials had initially looked at shipping their PFAS/AFFF to Ohio, but backed off after learning the plant there had run afoul of federal environmental rules. rkarlin@timesunion.com (518) 454-5758 @RickKarlinTU PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 16:50:28 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 408 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Mace Security International Inc. (OTCQX:MACE) today released its schedule of Investor Relations events for 2020. MACE leadership will be presenting in person at several investor conferences, will add a virtual investor conference to its lineup of IR events in 2020, and will continue its popular Investor Day presentation where investors can get a mid-year update on new products and programs in the personal safety and security area.For more Information about any of these events, please contact Mace Investor Relations at IR@ mace.com Conference/ EventDatePlanet Microcap - Las VegasApril 21-23, 2020Mace Q1 2020 Earnings CallMay 2020Mace Annual Shareholders Meeting and Investor DayMay 2020Mace Q2 2020 Earnings CallAugust 2020Investor Summit Microcap conference, NYCSeptember 29-30, 2020OTC virtual investor conferenceOctober 8, 2020Mace Q3 2020 Earnings CallNovember 2020LD Micro Main EventDecember 8-10, 2020Mace Q4 2020 Earnings CallFebruary 2021About Mace Security International, Inc.Mace Security International Inc. is a globally recognized leader in personal safety and security products. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the Company has spent more than 30 years designing and manufacturing consumer and tactical products for personal defense and security under its world-renowned Mace Brand - the original trusted brand of pepper spray products. The Companies other leading brands include Tornado Brand stun guns and pepper spray, and Vigilant Brand alarms. The Company also offers aerosol defense sprays for law enforcement and security professionals worldwide through its Take Down Brand.Mace Security International distributes and supports its products and services through mass-market retailers, wholesale distributors, independent dealers, e-commerce channels and through its website, www.mace.com . For more information, please visit www.mace.com Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements and information included in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words or phrases "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "projected," "intend to" or similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to certain risks, known and unknown, and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic conditions, dependence on management, our ability to compete with competitors, dilution to shareholders, and limited capital resources.Mark BarrusSVP and Chief Financial Officermbarrus@ mace.com SOURCE: Mace Security International Inc. The first new Suzuki model is the S-Presso, a small but tall hatchback that will be new and most affordable model in the Suzuki line up. The company is launching only one version of it: the 2020 Suzuki S-Presso GL M/T, and they're pricing it at PhP 518,000. Specs, variants and prices have been leaked by different contacts within Suzuki, and smartly too: many have been inquiring with us and with dealers as to what the new models will cost. But now, we can officially cite the prices of the two new vehicles from Suzuki Philippines, a company that's been experiencing a very strong surge in sales following the success of the Vitara, Ertiga, and Jimny. In the last few weeks, the local interwebs have been abound with insider info regarding two upcoming models from Suzuki Philippines: the S-Presso and the XL7. As expected, the funky-looking crossover-ish model will have a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine that makes 67 PS, a 5-speed manual as the sole gearbox option, and crucially about 180mm of ground clearance. Suzuki Philippines hasn't released the full specifications yet, but interestingly they're offering a PhP 15,000 discount for customers that place a PhP 5,000 reservation up until March 18. The second model is the XL7, which is essentially the SUV-inspired variant (complete with black cladding and accents) of the seven-seater Ertiga multipurpose vehicle. Just like the S-Presso, Suzuki Philippines is launching just one variant: the 2020 Suzuki XL7 GLX A/T at PhP 1,068,000. Suzuki hasn't updated the brochure list yet, but they did say the Indonesian-made XL7 will have the 1.5-liter K15B engine (the same as the Ertiga), a 4-speed automatic, and 153 liters of space with all seats up. The vehicle uses a new platform shared with the Ertiga that uses high strength steel and a versatile interior with multiple configurations. Given that the full specifications have not been released, we can't be sure what it has. We can, however, logically extrapolate that the XL7 GLX will have similar features to the Ertiga GLX like the 10 multimedia touchscreen, 6 speakers, ABS, push button ignition system, and more. The key differences between the Ertiga and the XL7 is ground clearance; sources say that the XL7 has 200mm of clearance versus the Ertiga's 180mm. Like the S-Presso, there's a discount for early birds who want to reserve an XL7; if you place a PhP 5,000 reservation fee until March 18, you can avail of a PhP 30,000 discount for the XL7. What do you think of these two new models from Suzuki Philippines? The Ghana Health Service has dismissed calls for President Akufo-Addo to be quarantined when he returns from his European tour. There are calls for the President to undergo detailed checks and quarantined upon return from his trip abroad in the wake of the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Europe. Kumbungu MP Ras Mubarak in a speech in parliament last week wondered if the first gentlemen would be kept aside for medical purposes before being made to resume his duties in the country. And finally Mr Speaker, could my honourable friend confirm whether upon arrival in the country from his European tour, his Excellency, the president would be quarantined, he queried. He went on it will be very helpful to get an indication whether the president will be quarantined or not upon his arrival into the country. The president on his European tour visited Norway where a case of the deadly virus has been detected. However, speaking on the Morning Starr Monday, the director-general of the Ghana Health Service said quarantining the president is out of the picture. Once he fills the forms and the basic checks are done I think it should be fine. I dont think its (quarantine) anything anyone should contemplate, Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye told Francis Abban Monday. Meanwhile, the coalition of NGOs in Health says the 2.5 million Ghana government has committed to the fight against the deadly Coronavirus is not enough to even embark on proper clinical research on a disease or a virus. We want to see how the health personnel are oriented to play critical role, thankfully we have the national ambulance working. Th GHC2.5 million cannot even do proper research into a disease of a virus especially a biological one, it is not enough, but if the director-general of the Ghana Health Service says it is enough we leave it that for them. He said the country requires about GHC35 million to effectively prepare for a potential outbreak. ---starrfmonline By Renee Creange When my first-grade daughter struggled with reading, her teacher struggled with how to teach her. We eventually found a path forward but only with the aid of my intervention. The following year my daughter advanced too quickly, reading chapter books while the other second graders read picture books. Again, I felt the school wasnt adapting to her development. I learned an important truth those two years in district schools; kids learn at their own pace, sometimes slower, sometimes faster, but often schools have difficulty knowing how to respond. I knew I needed to take action for the sake of my daughters future, so before she entered third grade, I helped parents in my town launch an alternate type of public school, a charter school. It wasnt easy, especially the first year. Many community members raised lots of questions about the new school. Some parents wondered aloud about the impact of a new school on local public school funding. But in reality, tax dollars just followed the students to their new public school. Im proud to say Ive been associated with the Teaneck Community Charter School for 22 years now, 14 of those years as a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher. Over the course of my career, Ive seen our education system from multiple perspectives; working for college presidents, as a communications consultant, a speech writer, a parent, a charter school founder, and now a teacher. The most crucial lesson I have learned is that theres no single best way to teach all children. This is why our communitys response to the Teaneck Community Charter School is now resoundingly positive, and its why weve had so much success. Our school is public, free and open to all, and it prioritizes that each student receive individualized attention in the classroom. With more than 52,000 students enrolled in 88 charter schools across New Jersey, including 333 at the Teaneck Community Charter School, the benefits are clear; charter schools have helped narrow the achievement gap by providing more children with better access to a high-quality public education. As an educator, I can say that the flexibility and autonomy of a charter school allows teachers to be responsive to every child, providing individual engagement and meeting students at their own level. All families should have access to a quality education. Too many kids get stranded in schools that are a bad fit and have no other options. In America, and in New Jersey, families need a choice. Charter schools were set up to innovate in the classroom and strengthen a public education system in need of vast improvement. The evidence of their success in that mission is overwhelming, and heres one small example to prove it. In all my years as an educator one of my favorite students was a fifth grader who had transferred from a larger district. He was instantly my most reluctant writer, and writing is the subject about which I feel most passionate. I spent extra time with him ardently trying to get him to express himself by putting pen to paper. I tried having him type everything on a computer. No luck. I coaxed, cajoled, and encouraged. Still no luck. I eventually even gave him a white board in case he wanted to erase anything he wrote and leave nothing permanent behind. He still didnt budge. One day during a chat he mentioned how much he loved pomegranates. Later that day, I bought him a pomegranate at the grocery store and brought it to school. You wouldnt believe how much this simple gift transformed him. It signaled that I had heard him. And somehow, it made him believe that I believed in him. He opened his mind, stopped resisting, and started writing. Joseph never developed into my best writer, but he has remained my most cherished. A framed thank you poem he wrote to me at graduation still sits on my desk at home. Teaneck Community Charter Schools school culture allowed me to devote the extra time and energy needed to meet Joseph where he was at, and we both flourished because of it. And his breakthrough would not have been possible without a school climate that championed individualized attention. My charter school story is just one of thousands across the country. These schools are providing children with opportunities that may not be available to them in their zoned schools. After nearly two decades of being in the education system, I am sure of one thing, we need more public charter schools. Renee Creange is a teacher at Teaneck Community Charter School. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. By PTI TOKYO: All crew members from a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off Japan have now disembarked, the country's health minister said. The crew began leaving the Diamond Princess on Thursday for quarantine ashore after the last of the passengers had departed. "Including the captain, all crew members disembarked," health minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters late Sunday. Around 130 people -- including the captain and 98 health ministry officials who were working aboard -- tested negative for the virus as they left the vessel, he said. They will spend 14 days at government-designated dormitories before being allowed to leave Japan, while the vessel will be disinfected before sailing again. At least six people who were hospitalised after being taken off the ship have died, including a British male passenger, the health ministry said. On Sunday a 78-year-old man evacuated from the vessel died at a Perth hospital, becoming Australia's first fatality from the disease. Japan quarantined the cruise ship after an 80-year-old passenger who disembarked on January 25 in Hong Kong tested positive for the deadly virus. The quarantine has been heavily criticised after more than 700 people on board tested positive for the virus. The ship carried about 3,700 passengers and crew members when it reached the port of Yokohama. Kato said the government "will have to review the whole process", but for now authorities were focusing on efforts to contain the spread of the virus. As his son battles the USs extradition attempt, John Shipton fears for the whistle-blowers mental and physical health. The extradition hearing of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange started one week ago at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London and wrapped up on Friday. It is set to resume on May 18. Assange, an Australian citizen who is currently being detained in the maximum-security Belmarsh prison in London, was arrested in the English capital in April, after being evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy where he was kept for more than seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden on charges of rape. The rape charges were subsequently dropped. In June last year, the United States requested the United Kingdom to extradite Assange. The 48-year-old has been indicted on 17 counts of violating the 1917 US Espionage Act. He is accused of conspiring with former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain and disclose information. In 2019 US Vice President Mike Pence described it as one of the greatest compromises of classified information in American history. But free speech activists see his arrest as an assault on freedom of information and a potential threat for journalists. Born to Christine Hawkins and John Shipton on 3 July 1971, Julian Assange took the name of his stepfather Brett Assange. Julian Assanges father, John Shipton, spoke to Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera: What is your biggest worry regarding your sons current extradition hearing and his overall health? Shipton: My greatest worry is that after 10 years of steadily increasing persecution, Julian will die in jail. Al Jazeera: How much contact have you had with your son since he was first granted asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012? Have you managed to have any private conversations since then? Shipton: Each Christmas I would spend 10 days with Julian as allowed by the Ecuadorian embassy. I have not had a private conversation with him since 2012. A private conversation has not been possible because of surveillance a matter that is now being investigated by the Spanish courts. If something we wanted to discuss was private, we wrote notes to each other. Al Jazeera: Have you observed changes in your sons personality and physical health? Shipton: Julian has lost about 15 kilograms of weight since leaving the Ecuadorian embassy in April. He has also become vulnerable to clinical depression. Al Jazeera: How do you characterise the treatment of your son by global powers? Shipton: There have been ceaseless calumnies, smears and abrogation of human rights laws and increasing intensity of surveillance with each and every moment recorded on video. Al Jazeera: What impact did the accusations of rape have on your son? Shipton: There were no criminal charges. Allegations were made upon falsified witness testimony. Al Jazeera: How would you describe Australias support? Shipton: The Australian governments assistance has been negligible. This has been demonstrated by silence over many distortions of procedure, falsification of witness testimony, abrogation of human rights and abandoning agreed-upon international obligations while continuously repeating vacuous mantras about due process and non-interference with the legal systems of other countries. At the same time, the Australian government announces support for the elevation of Juan Guaido to the Presidency of Venezuela. Al Jazeera: What are you demanding of the international community? Shipton: Of necessity, international laws need international support. Julians persecution is a global matter. In this matter, the only international law that has been observed is the extradition treaty between the US and the UK. All other international law has been abrogated. Abrogation of treaty obligations and human rights conventions reduce us to savagery. Al Jazeera: You have previously quoted the Australian human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce who said: If you arrest Assange, we will fight this until the end of time. Who is going to continue fighting for your son? Shipton: All the wonderful people worldwide who are fighting with constant determination. The talented lawyers, journalists and doctors, parliamentarians, publishers and publications all those who understand the meaning of intimidation and oppression of comment and discussion globally inherent in Julians persecution, as well as Julians family. Al Jazeera: What are your hopes for Julian Assange? Shipton: My dream for him is that he should enjoy the ordinary commonalities of life, that he enjoys the company and care of his children, family and friends. I also dream that he should feel the suns warmth and walk freely among people. The interview was edited for brevity and clarity. A pupil has her temperature taken by a teacher during an emergency care service at an elementary school in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. The service has been implemented as a part of support for working parents as schools in the country have delayed the commencement of spring semester over concerns over the spread of COVID-19. By Bahk Eun-ji With the snowballing numbers of COVID-19 infections here, all kindergartens, and elementary, middle and high schools have been ordered to delay their new school year by two more weeks, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said Monday. The education ministry had already ordered schools to postpone their new school year by a week. The spring semester will now begin March 23. The move comes amid growing concerns of the infectious disease spreading among young children who have more vulnerable immune systems. As another sharp increase in confirmed cases has been reported in Daegu, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak here, the city's education office ordered its 800 schools to delay the start of the new semester by an additional 2 weeks. The government has so far reported more than 4,200 new COVID-19 cases, with more than 87 percent of them identified in the southeastern city of Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC). The education ministry had been expected to delay schools reopening for the spring semester by two more weeks as the country has observed a soaring number of people infected with the highly contagious virus. The health authorities also said many more confirmed virus cases are expected in the coming days as health authorities have begun testing more than 210,000 followers of the Shinchoenji Church in Daegu. The education ministry said it has been closely consulting with regional education offices to rearrange the academic calendar of the schools following the delayed spring semester. The MOE has advised them to reduce the coming summer vacation which will start in July. "The decision has come with the recent increase in the number of confirmed cases in the country. It is important to prevent students from being infected with the highly contagious virus through the pre-emptive measure to block the further spread in their homes and the community," Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during a press briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul. Following the measure, an emergency care service for preschool and elementary-age children of working parents has been put in place. The MOE said more parents are expected to apply for the emergency care services during the extended period until school reopening. In addition, the education ministry announced earlier that it will take 5.8 million of the 12.7 million masks purchased by elementary, middle and high schools and redistribute them to the general public so as to ease a supply shortage of masks. Those masks will be available at post offices and stores of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation soon, better known as Nonghyup here. The MOE also said schools in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi Province and Incheon supplied 1.6 million masks Saturday, and dozens of other regions including Gangwon, Daejeon, Busan and Ulsan will also hand over 4.2 million masks soon. Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council in Moscow MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia can cope with the recent decline in oil prices as the coronavirus has spread internationally but offered a chink of light to OPEC as the producer group pushes for deeper supply cuts. Moscow has been resisting further curbs, arguing that reduced output by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, will not necessarily revive demand, sources said. OPEC+ is due to meet in Vienna this week to decide on production policy when its existing supply pact expires at the end of March. Several key members of Saudi Arabia-led OPEC are leaning towards a bigger than previously expected output cut, four sources with knowledge of the talks have told Reuters, but Russia has yet to make clear its stance on proposals for further cuts. "I want to stress that for the Russian budget, for our economy, the current oil prices level is acceptable," Putin told a meeting with Russian energy officials and producers to discuss the coronavirus and its implications. The price of Brent crude slumped to $50.05 on Friday, its lowest since late 2018, on fears that the coronavirus outbreak will trigger oil demand destruction. Russia, which has more than $560 billion in its reserves, envisages in its budget an average Brent crude price of $42.40 a barrel, Putin said. "Our accumulated reserves, including the National Wealth Fund, are enough for ensuring a stable situation, the fulfilment of all budget and social liabilities, even under a possible deterioration of the global economic situation," Putin said. FORECASTING DIFFICULTY He added, however, that this does not set aside the need for action, "including together with foreign partners". Putin also highlighted the difficulty in forecasting moves in oil prices and acknowledged that Russia needs to be ready for various scenarios. OPEC+ has "proved to be an effective instrument to ensure long-term stability on global energy markets", he told the meeting, with his comments released on the Kremlin website. Story continues "Thanks to that, we have obtained extra budget revenues and, what is important, provided a possibility for upstream companies to confidently invest in promising development projects." Putin asked meeting participants for their views on further possible action on the global oil market and said he hoped that steps taken by Russia to prevent the spread of the coronavirus were effective. "The situation is under control overall," he said. Russia has limited entry for Chinese, South Korean and Iranian citizens and said it will deport 88 foreign nationals for alleged violations of quarantine measures. Three Russian nationals are receiving treatment in Russia after contracting the virus on a cruise ship in Japan, authorities have said. Two Chinese nationals were taken to hospital in Russia with the virus but have since recovered. Last week the rouble slid beyond 67 per dollar to its weakest since early 2019 and the stock market dropped, pricing in a global sell-off and another increase in tensions with Turkey over Syria. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Andrey Ostroukh; Writing by Polina Ivanova and Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Susan Fenton and David Goodman) Veteran composer, songwriter Alan Menken is set to be honoured with this year's Max Steiner Film Music Lifetime Achievement Award. The honour is bestowed by the City of Vienna and named for Austrian composer Max Steiner, who penned the scores of "Gone With the Wind" and "Casablanca" among others. Menken, the Oscar-winning composer behind some of Disney's most beloved songs, will receive the award on October 3 during the Hollywood in Vienna gala concert, reported Variety. "I am truly honoured to be receiving the prestigious Max Steiner Award this year. And I feel humbled to have my name and work associated with the brilliant and legendary Max Steiner himself. "The way his creative life moved from theatre to film to the concert stage, even as his personal life moved him from Austria to England, and from Broadway to Hollywood, is an inspiration for all of us who follow in his footsteps nearly 50 years after his passing. And to receive this award in Vienna, the classical music capitol of the world, promises to make this one of the highlights of my life and career," Menken said in a statement. In his four decades long career, the musical mastermind has been behind beloved classics as "Under the Sea", "Be Our Guest", "Seize the Day" and "A Whole New World". Menken has won best original song and score Oscars for "The Little Mermaid" (1989), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "Aladdin" (1992) and "Pocahontas" (1995). Previous honourees of Max Steiner award include Alexandre Desplat, Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman and Randy Newman. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A British woman has been found dead at a dog shelter in Egypt after police say she was mauled to death by animals she helped care for. Anne Johnson, 61, who is thought to have grown up in Macclesfield, was found dead at the shelter in the Red Sea city of Dahab on Friday afternoon. Officers called to the scene say she was attacked by three dogs who bit her on the face and neck while she was going to feed them. But a friend who spoke to MailOnline believes Ms Johnson fell unconscious while going to feed the animals, and was bitten after she collapsed. Briton Anne Johnson, 61, who was known locally as Janet, was found dead at a dog shelter she ran in Dahab, Egypt on Friday last week Police say Ms Johnson was mauled to death by three dogs at the shelter as she went to feed them, and was found with bite marks to her head and neck She was found by workers at the shelter with lacerations to her neck while lying next to a bag of food, according to Egyptian site Ahram. Her remains have been sent for forensic examination and an official cause of death has not been given. Ms Johnson - known to her friends as Janet - lived in Egypt for 16 years, where she worked to save stray and abandoned animals. Her shelter was funded by a UK-based non-profit, which accepted donations via a website. It is thought she ran the shelter largely single-handed. Friends and family are now desperately trying to re-home the animals that Ms Johnson looked after - which included rabbits, cats, horses and a donkey. A friend who spoke to MailOnline said those who knew Ms Johnson 'utterly refute' that she was attacked by the dogs. They believe the Egyptian police are using her death as an excuse to get rid of the rescue shelter, which was unpopular with locals who are fearful of stray dogs. But friends say the dogs would never have attacked her, and speculate that she fell unconscious and was bitten as she lay on the ground Anne's loved ones are now trying to raise money to save the shelter, and are 'gravely concerned' for the animals living there - including hundreds of dogs 'Authorities have tried shutting her down for years, they're obviously using this to push for the shelter to be shut down,' they said, adding: 'We are very concerned for the animals. 'She dedicated her life to the dogs. This is not what she would have wanted.' Paying tribute to Ms Johnson online, a Facebook post read: 'It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our dear friend, Janet passed away this afternoon. 'Janet spent her life saving neglected and suffering animals of Dahab and fought for them when they had no one else. 'Janet will forever be in our hearts, she helped so many. She will be greatly missed and will be remembered for her passion, dedication and big heart. 'We extend our heartfelt condolences firstly to all her fur babies whom she saved and tried tirelessly to find a better future and to get them more help, to her friends and family. The rescue world has lost a a very special person today. 'May you rest in peace.' Locals are said to be fearful that the stray dogs will now start making their way into nearby villages in search of food, if the shelter is unable to care for them. Anne had been in Egypt for 16 years helping to run the shelter, where she took care of stray and abandoned animals - including many street dogs The was unpopular with locals who feared the stray dogs, and Anne's friends believe police will use her death to try and shut the shelter down Recent posts on social media suggest that donations had been running low and she was struggling to feed the animals. Dozens of people paid tribute to Ms Johnson online following the news of her death, praising her commitment to the shelter. Hind Samy wrote: 'I'm am very sad to hear this. She was a force of nature for those dogs. What a loss. Rest in peace. I'm terrified for all the dogs now. 'I hope someone is found to take over.' Charlie Berwyn Homer added: 'I cannot say how sorry I am to read this message. Maybe we can honour the memory of an incredibly precious lady by carrying on the work and helping to support the things that mattered to her. I am so so sorry.' A Foreign Office spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Egypt and are in contact with the Egyptian authorities. 'Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.' Dont criminalise people with drugs problems, say North Wales Youth Commission This article is old - Published: Monday, Mar 2nd, 2020 An influential group of young people are calling for a radical new approach to tackling drugs. The North Wales Youth Commission appointed by the regions Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, say a less authoritarian style of policing is needed. They have published a new report recommending that people with problematic drug use should be supported rather than criminalised. The Youth Commission is being overseen by Mr Jones deputy, Ann Griffith, whose portfolio includes children and young people. All of its members are aged between 14 25 and the four key priorities identified by them as major concern were the relationship between young people and the police, drug issues, anti-social behaviour and mental health issues. They meet once a month under the guidance of Leaders Unlocked, a specialist social enterprise organisation that works with young people across the UK and which has been running eight similar Youth Commissions across England since 2013. Also involved is Sian Rogers from Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the youth organisation, who is there to ensure equal access to the Welsh language in partnership with Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services The Youth Commission role is to advise Mr Jones over the policing priorities for North Wales, particularly as they affect young people. The report says: Young people feel the reaction of the Police and teachers to drugs is very authoritarian, with a lack of support or consideration to the circumstances. Young people said punishment appeared to be at the forefront of their attitude towards anyone taking drugs. However, a more understanding approach would encourage discussion about why young people are using drugs. Young people are concerned of the amount of drug exploitation across the region. Specific areas mentioned were key towns and rural areas where drugs are widely used and distributed Remote villages and small towns feel ignored or off the radar in terms of policing drug issues. Exploitation of young people and countryside drug deals were consistently mentioned within conversations with young people. Safety was a concern, along with feeling vulnerable after dark, due to fear of drug-related crimes. Young people felt that the Police ignored the situation and that it is normalised across the region. Young people spoke of Class C drugs being acceptable and they were unclear on the law surrounding these substances. There is a lack of local support services for those with addiction issues, and for those who live in supported housing where drugs are often distributed. The Youth Commission says it wants to see more done on crime prevention, and has called for schools, colleges and universities to offer peer-led education workshops on exploitation and drugs, including real life stories from those who have been exploited or addicted. It believes workshops should take a peer-led approach and should focus on support and guidance. It also wants to focus on rural areas, to make them feel safer and advertise how to report concerns anonymously. It wants more police officers to be active and visible around areas of high drug use, and to take a harsher line with anyone exploiting young people to sell drugs. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has welcomed the report. He said: Attitudes towards the way we should tackle the problem of drugs in our communities are changing and this report by the Youth Commission is a reflection of that. More and more people are coming to the realisation that the current approach to the problem just isnt working, and that we need to do something different. I have been calling for drug misuse to be treated as medical issue rather than a criminal matter for many years. Throwing people in prison who are desperately unwell in many cases just makes the problem worse because it doesnt tackle the underlying issues. To do that we need to give people help and support to turn their lives around. Doing that is not only better for the individuals concerned, but it is also better for society as a whole. It also saves a lot of money in the long run. Going after people for minor drug offences is a huge waste of police time. That time would be much better spent going after real criminals so we catch them, prosecute and imprison them. Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Griffith said: This is a ground-breaking report and one that I am delighted that we are leading the way in Wales in seeking the views of young people about how the region should be policed. We need to listen to young people and get their perspective on the issues they face and take them into account rather than just imposing our own views on them. It was a sentiment endorsed by Youth Commission member and former Ysgol Morgan Llwyd pupil, Charlie Parry, 18 from Wrexham. She said: We need to improve relations between young people and the police. Ive been out on patrol with the police cadets and you do encounter hostility from young people sometimes. Ive heard young children saying pig. We need to do more to bring people together. Drugs is a big issue where I live. You see a lot of people in the street during the day who are high on spice. I agree with Arfon Jones that we need to do more to support people who are addicted to drugs instead of criminalising them. I also think we need a drug consumption room in Wrexham so needles that children could pick up arent left out on the streets. Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi pupil and Youth Commission member, Sarah Goodsir, 17, said: I think there needs to be more of an understanding attitude towards young people because there could be underlying causes for their behaviour like trouble at home or mental health problems. I would like to see the police reach out to young people more. There are lots of young people who need help but dont know where to turn. If you criminalise people who have drug problems and dont give them help and support then you dont tackle the root causes. Maureen Fratantoni (center), a South Philadelphia resident, loudly protests, along with the rest of the crowd, the proposed supervised injection site on South Broad Street on Sunday. Read more Hundreds of South Philadelphia residents gathered Sunday afternoon to celebrate having stopped plans for a city-backed supervised drug injection site from opening in their community and to warn city officials not to try it again there or anywhere else in the city. They want to tax our soda and say soda is no good for you. But illegal heroin, thats the answer! Anthony Giordano shouted into a microphone. Giordano, the founder of Stand Up South Philadelphia and Take Back Our Streets, an anti-crime community group that started in January, was on a stage in front of the South Broad Street building where the supervised injection site was scheduled to open until the sites nonprofit operator pulled the plug last week due to community backlash. Giordano, joined by his wife and three children and other speakers in keeping the crowd of several hundred pumped up, said that despite the reprieve, those who oppose the concept of providing a place for drug users to shoot up will not back down until the city drops all plans to support such sites. I wanted to send a message to whoever thinks that theyre going to open up. This is whats going to happen to them, also. Were going to come out, were going to stand united, were going to have a positive, peaceful front, said Giordano. He encouraged those at the rally to make plans to be at a March 10 community meeting being held by Safehouse, the overdose prevention nonprofit that has city and court backing to open the site. The location of the meeting has not been announced, Giordano said. Ronda Goldfein, Safehouse vice president, said Sunday: Over the last few days, weve heard strong support and loud opposition to our public health approach to overdose prevention. This week, we will evaluate the best way to have productive conversations that focus on saving lives. Many at the rally said they did not see anything positive about the proposed supervised injection site, while they cited fears that the site would lead to more crime from more people in addiction and drug dealers in the community, and more people staying hooked on deadly drugs. Advocates say supervised injection sites help prevent overdoses, by keeping people alive until they can go into recovery. They argue that similar sites in Canada and Europe have not attracted drug dealers or people in addiction to the area. Mayor Jim Kenney has said the site could save at least dozens of lives each year in Philadelphia, which has logged more than 3,000 fatal drug overdoses in three years. Dennis Payne, 59, traveled from Kensington, ground zero in the citys opioid crisis, to support those standing against the injection site, the Constitution Health Plaza. The former meth user and glue huffer, who only has one tooth left, said he had been clean and sober since the late 1980s. The people who took time to plan this site were only thinking of themselves and their own gain and not about the community, he said. Mayor Kenney, you know Ive been trying to get you to clean up Kensington for a long time. ... You have sold out the youth of Philadelphia to black-market drug dealers. Tiffany Rittenhouse, 44, and her daughter Victoria, 9, hoisted signs denouncing the proposed site. Giving a drug addict drugs is not going to help them. Giving them psychological help is what they need, Rittenhouse said. If they take that money and they open up a rehab that would be good, that would be helping these addicts. Lena Ruiz, 36, held a sign that said, Fuhgeddaboudit Not In Our City. Ruiz, who works for the citys Department of Human Services, said crime is rampant already. This will probably bring even more crime. They really need to think things out better, because they did this very sneakily. Most of the signs at the rally carried messages blasting the injection site, Kenney and former Gov. Ed Rendell, who backs the opening of the site. Frank LoScalzo, 39, held an inflatable effigy of Kenney with real dollar bills stuffed in its waistband. Theyre not bringing drugs to our neighborhood. Were good people here, he said. If you want them not to die, get them off drugs. This is not the way to do that, said LoScalzo, who noted that his first cousin died from drugs last year and his wifes father also died from addiction. But Christopher Chabolcarminati, of Glenolden, held high a sign with dozens of names on both sides of friends and friends of friends who died of drug overdoses. Most died alone, he said, which is why he came to support the Safehouse site. I understand why these people are upset, but I also keep in mind that [the safe injection site] may save lives, said Chabolcarminati, 35, a social worker and recovering heroin addict. I support them standing up for their community, but I have to speak for those who do not have a voice. As the crowd moved from the rally site at Broad Street and Passyunk Avenue to Marconi Park, several blocks away, Rosemarie Bronico, 66, recalled that about 10 of her 38-year-old sons friends died from opioid overdoses when they were in their 20s. I came out here to tell the city that we dont want safe injection sites anywhere in Philadelphia. Helping kids shoot up on drugs is not helping anyone. Put that money into rehab, hire doctors that dedicate themselves to helping them, she said. Parents dont want their kids to have a safe place to shoot up. Editors note: Ronda Goldfein of Safehouse is married to David Lee Preston, an editor at The Inquirer. He is not involved in coverage of this story. She joined the TikTok's social media platform a mere four days ago. And Alison Hammond got This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in on the action as they showcased their moves for a video, which she shared on Instagram. Celebs Go Dating star Alison, 45, signed up to the video-sharing social network last week and already appeared to be hooked on the newest app as she got Holly and Phil dancing live on Monday's show. Scroll down for video Dance it out: Alison Hammond persuaded This Morning's Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield to dance for a TikTok video on Monday She's dotty for it: Holly got really into things when Celebs Go Dating star Alison, 45, roped her into making a video with her All three began by swaying from side-to-side before lifting their arms in the air then moving their hands behind their head while their hips dipped. The trio looked like pros as they tackled the app's 'Ahi Challenge' dance, which went viral on social platform TikTok in January after TikToker ROD shared it on his feed. Captioning the fun video, Alison penned: 'Welcome to my Tik Tok this is me @hollywilloughby @schofe smashing it, I dont go for what is trending just what I like. #justforfun' (sic). Although she only joined four days ago, the Birmingham native has amassed over 31,500 followers on TikTok and will no doubt get a boost after enlisting the help of her This Morning colleagues. Work it: All three began by swaying from side-to-side before lifting their arms in the air then moving their hands behind their head while their hips dipped Spot the difference: Celebs Go Dating star Alison, 45, signed up to the video-sharing social network last week and already appeared to be hooked on the newest app as she got Holly and Phil dancing live on Monday's show Alison social media post comes days after she left This Morning viewers believing that they were hallucinating when they watched her interview a tree on Wednesday. The presenter had fans at home in stitches when she was filmed chatting to a 1000-year-old oak tree in Liverpool, which has been nominated for European Tree Of The Year. Hosts Holly and Phillip couldn't contain their laughter as they watched poker-faced Alison quiz the sessile oak about its rich history via the medium of a tree whisperer. Challenge accepted: The trio looked like pros as they tackled the app's 'Ahi Challenge' dance, which went viral on social platform TikTok in January after TikToker ROD shared it on his feed Social: Although she only joined four days ago, the Birmingham native has amassed over 31,500 followers on TikTok Having fun: She will no doubt get a boost after enlisting the help of her This Morning colleagues Approaching the oak, Alison asks tree guru Holly Worton: 'I've interviewed Hollywood superstars... but never a tree! 'Do we need to touch the tree? Do I just ask the tree a question?' Taking the responsibility very seriously, the bubbly presenter begins: 'OK so here we go, for our exclusive interview. Barking up the wrong tree! This Morning viewers thought they were hallucinating when they watched Alison interview a tree on Wednesday 'First of all, you are up for this amazing, prestigious title. How does it feel to be nominated for European Tree Of The Year?' Alison presses her ear closer to the trunk, a deadpan expression on her face as she pretends to listen for a response. Speaking through the interpreter, the tree replies: 'It feels very exciting, it's an honour to be recognised in this way.' Probed further, the tree says: 'Well if people get out there and vote for me, they're really good. This is a community and the more people that come to see me will come to see them as well. Bizarre: Taking the responsibility very seriously, the bubbly presenter begins: 'OK so here we go, for our exclusive interview' A bit wooden? Alison quizzed the ancient oak about its history via the medium of a tree whisperer named Holly Worton 'All of the people standing here and all the people that have come, walking through this park.' However, when asked the age of the tree, which viewers had been told was around 1000 years old, the interpreter appeared to have been caught out. She said: 'The tree does not measure time so the tree does not have an exact answer'. Incredulous viewers couldn't believe what they were seeing, with most finding the segment completely bonkers (in the best way possible). A Delhi court on Monday dismissed the pleas of two of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case who were seeking a stay on the execution of death warrants, scheduled for Tuesday morning. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana rejected the applications of Akshay Singh and Pawan Kumar Gupta. After the order was passed, Gupta's lawyer, A P Singh, told the court that a mercy plea has been filed by his client before the President and therefore, his execution ought to be stayed. The court, thereafter, asked Singh to come after lunch to argue on the point. The lawyer also said he filed the mercy plea after getting information that the Supreme Court had dismissed Gupta's curative petition. Earlier in the day, the apex court dismissed the petition, saying no case is made out on the curative petition filed by convict Gupta. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington: The Democratic Party is gearing up for what is likely to be the most consequential day of its search to find a presidential nominee: the massive "Super Tuesday" contests. When the results come in on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEDT) we will have a good idea of who the party's nominee will be, or at least who the top two contenders are. The field of candidates is expected to winnow significantly after Super Tuesday. Indeed, the intimidating prospect of having to compete across so many states at once has already led three candidates to suspend their campaigns in recent days: billionaire businessman Tom Steyer and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg. Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota has also pulled the plug on their campaign. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is ahead in the polls in the crucial Super Tuesday state of California. Credit:AP But while some candidates are dropping out, one big name is only just hopping in: former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will be on the ballot for the first time on Super Tuesday. The second phase of the Budget Session of Parliament opened to protests from the opposition parties on Monday with leaders demanding action in the riots in north-east Delhi, which has claimed more than 40 lives so far. The House was adjourned several times and once after members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress pushed and shoved each other in the Lok Sabha. Members of the Congress party, including its Leader of Opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Manickam Tagore and SU Thirunavukkarasar, pressed for adjournment motions, to discuss the Delhi riots which the party described as a communal conflagration. In all, 23 notices of adjournment were filed by opposition members. Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, then carried out a protest outside the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, demanding the resignation of Union home minister Amit Shah. Members of the Trinamool Congress also protested outside the statue of Mahatma Gandhi before the House convened, where MPs blindfolded their eyes with black cloth. The Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) members, too, filed adjournment motions. Once the House convened, several Opposition MPs rose to protest against the Delhi riots, demanding a discussion. However, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 2pm after an obituary reference to JD(U) member from Bihars Valmiki Nagar Baidyanath Prasad Mahto, who died on February 28. Later, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after the protest in the House led to jostling between opposition MPs and treasury benches. But a revised notice said it was adjourned till 3pm. Congress MP Ramya Haridas alleged she was hit by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jasleen Kaur and she went to complain to the Speaker with some of her women colleagues. The House was adjourned till 4pm as a result. Govt agenda Government business in Lok Sabha includes the introduction of The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (29 January) approved increasing the time limit for conducting a medical abortion from the current 20 weeks to 24 weeks and allowed the option for special categories of women that would include vulnerable women such as rape survivors, victims of incest, differently-abled and minors. The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill will also be introduced. Later in the day, the government plans to pass The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill in the Lower House. In Rajya Sabha, the government wants to pass the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill that aims to establish and incorporate Universities for teaching and research in Sanskrit. Another important legislation, The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill will also be brought for passage. The legislation aims a medical education system that improves access to quality and affordable medical education, ensures availability of adequate and high-quality professionals of Indian System of Medicine. The Centre may also bring The National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill to promote high-quality Homoeopathy medical professionals in the Upper House. Opposition plans But this elaborate legislative agenda may hit a roadblock amid opposition plans to protest and bring adjournment motion on Delhi riots, demand Amit Shahs resignation. The Congress and other opposition parties also want to target the ruling dispensation over the economy and farmers plight. The BJP has sounded ready to take on the Opposition. Union minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday demanded strict action against those involved in the violence in north-east Delhi but claimed he was not involved in hate speech. From Monday, Parliament session will begin, questions are raised there also from economy to various other issues and on that platform, answers will be given on various matters, Thakur said in Chandigarh. Congress floor leader Adhir Chowdhury announced on Sunday that the party will strongly raise the issue of communal riots in Delhi and demand Shahs resignation over alleged police lapses. The government has miserably failed to maintain law and order. I think there must be some sort of a nexus between the rioters and a section of police officials which resulted in gruesome killings and arson that has tarnished our image across the globe. This is a matter of serious concern for us, he said. Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has already hit out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi for instigating violence and questioning the rival partys shifting policies. Partys senior leader in Rajya Sabha, Abhishek Singhvi, added that the wanton destruction of democratic values in this country with the active approbation and, frequently, the selective Nelsonian blind eye of the government will be taken up in the strongest possible terms. The country is assured that we will discharge our responsibilities vigorously and without fear, despite extreme and illegal intrusion and harassment, Singhvi said. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has already set the tone by repeatedly demanding Shahs resignation - first in a rare press conference after a meeting of the partys working committee on Wednesday and then in her memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday. The second phase of the budget session is scheduled from March 2 to April 3. A cancer medic and a worker at a London school are among the latest UK coronavirus cases, it was confirmed today as health chiefs warned a widespread outbreak was now highly likely. They stressed it could hit within days and outlined more dramatic steps to fight Covid-19, including urging hundreds of thousands of workers and other people to stay at home if they have a cold, cough, sneezing or fever. As Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a coronavirus meeting of Whitehalls Cobra emergency committee: It emerged that a medic at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Northwood, Middlesex, is among the confirmed cases of coronavirus announced over the weekend. All individuals who were in contact with the clinician have been identified and the appropriate measures taken, said East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets with staff in a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale / POOL/AFP via Getty Images Leading school Wimbledon College announced it was closing until March 10 and undergo a deep clean after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus following travel to Italy. Wimbledon College / Google StreetView Health Secretary Matt Hancock, writing in the Standard, made clear that he was ready to order infected patients to be detained if necessary to stop the spread of the virus. Police officers in protective suits could be deployed to deal with the most difficult cases. Health chiefs were braced for another significant rise in cases this week. They were preparing to move from the containment phase of their four-pronged battle plan to delay when an outbreak can no longer be stopped in the UK, but if it can be pushed back to the summer it is expected to be less harmful. Most cases still involve people who have travelled abroad but the source of the infection for a few people who have not been abroad has not been identified, raising suspicious that it may already be spreading here. Business executives and other people were stopping hand-shaking, though this is not yet the official advice as it is in France, where there is more widespread infection. About 25 Britons have left the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel, Tenerife, which was quarantined after several Italian guests came down with the virus, but 150 UK citizens are still there. Three of the latest cases are family members of a man from Haslemere, Surrey who tested positive on Friday. He had no recent travel history and is believed to be the first person to contract Covid-19 within the UK. 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 were also seeking to identify how another new patient, from Essex, caught the virus, having not recently travelled to an infected area. About 25 Britons have left the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel, Tenerife / AP Cases in Italy are spiralling, with at least 1,694, including 34 deaths. All local government members in Italys Lombardy region, the area worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, will undergo tests after a councillor tested positive for the illness South Korea reported 599 new cases, taking its national tally to 4,335, including 26 deaths. Lee Man-hee, founder of the church at the centre of the countrys coronavirus outbreak, apologised after one of its members tested positive and infected many others, calling the epidemic a great calamity. Sixty-six people have died and 1,501 people have been infected by coronavirus in Iran, deputy health minister Alireza Raisi said, though health experts believe this is a huge underestimate. The FTSE 100 was up about one per cent this morning, having seen the value of UK blue chip shares plummet by some 200 billion last week. Coronavirus: Confirmed cases around the world As the infection spread in more and more countries, Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director of Public Health England, told BBC Breakfast: The increase in numbers of people that we have seen affected both in this country and in other countries, in Europe and South East Asia, do I think make it likely now that we will see in due course widespread transmission in the UK? It is now highly likely. He added: It could happen in the next few days or it could take a little longer. He stressed on Sky News that everyone had a part to play to slow the spread of the infection, including hand washing, plus coughing and sneezing into a tissue and then binning it, and then washing your hands. If you have a cough or a cold or respiratory symptoms, stay at home, dont go to places where you can spread it to others, he added. Professor Cosford also emphasised that for the vast majority of people the infection was mild and they would make a full recovery. A woman who has recovered from the COVID-19 is disinfected / AFP via Getty Images He warned that there would become a point where we reduce social contact if we see more widespread transmission but the aim was for people to still be able to go to work and school. Asked whether it was OK still to offer handshakes, he said he thought so before adding: Perhaps, I should not, Im not quite sure. With 36 cases already in the UK, Mr Hancock said the global situation may make it impossible to contain the infection here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 19:09:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement as a positive step in achieving a political solution of the Afghan issue, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday. Representatives of the United States and the Taliban on Saturday signed the long-awaited deal in the Qatari capital city of Doha, calling for a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops if the Taliban negotiates with the Afghan government and cuts ties with terrorist groups. The signing ceremony was attended by representatives of many regional and international organizations and countries including China. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing that China welcomes the agreement and firmly supports the broad and inclusive peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. He expressed the hope that the deal can facilitate a lasting peace on the land of Afghanistan. Zhao said foreign troops in Afghanistan should withdraw in an orderly and responsible way to ensure a smooth transition in the Afghan situation and avoid a security vacuum, which terrorist organizations may take advantage of. Meanwhile, the international community should continue to support and participate in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. "China calls on the Afghan Taliban and all parties in the country to grasp the opportunity to start the intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible, and to negotiate for political and security arrangements acceptable to all so as to realize lasting peace and stability of Afghanistan," said the spokesperson. He said China is willing to work with the international community to continually provide supports and assistance to the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. The U.S. side and the government of Afghanistan also released a joint declaration on Saturday in Kabul. When asked for comments, Zhao said that China will continue to work as a supporter, mediator and convenience provider of the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, and play a constructive role on the basis of respecting the will of all parties in Afghanistan. It took a while but finally it's here. Passengers will be now allowed to use Wi-Fi during flights in the Indian airspace as government has issued notification in this regard. The government notification says that subject to permission by the main captain, all flights will be able to switch on in-flight Wi-Fi for the benefit of fliers. The government on Monday permitted airlines that are operating in India to provide free in-flight Wi-Fi services to passengers thus lifting restrictions on flyers. The Civil Aviation Ministry in a notification said that the passengers would now be able access Wi-Fi in the flights. But the availability of the Wi-Fi during flights will be -- broadly -- subjected to two conditions: 1- The main captain will have the authority to switch on or switch off the Wi-Fi in flights, and the captain will be required to follow certain guidelines on this matter. For example, Wi-Fi would be switched on only when the plane is at the cruising speed. During take-off or landing, it will not be available. Also, if the weather is not clear, chances are that the captain will not turn on Wi-Fi. 2- Each plane that offers in-flight Wi-Fi will have to be certified by DGCA for this purpose before fliers in it can enjoy connectivity. The official notice by the Civil Aviation Ministry states: The pilot-in-command may permit the access of internet services by passengers on board an aircraft through Wi-Fi on board when laptop, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, e-reader or a point of sale device is used in flight mode or airplane mode. Provided that the director general shall certify the aircraft for usage of internet in flight through Wi-Fi on board subject to procedures as specified in this behalf. This means that the passengers will be able to stream online, on devices other than their phones. The notice further states that an aircraft shall be deemed to be in flight when all its external doors are closed, following embarkation until the moment when any such door is opened for disembarkation. The government earlier had allowed cellular communication during flights. However, there was no mention about the phone communication in the current notice. Vistara CEO, Leslie Thng on Friday said that their airline would be first in India to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services. The latest notification also states that the use of mobile phones may be permitted by the pilot-in command after the aircraft has landed and cleared the active runway, except when the landing takes place in low visibility conditions as may be determined by the director-general." No public objections were received where the draft rules regarding the current development are concerned, the notice stated. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 22:50:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday appealed for support for his leadership to build the country. In his first public address since assuming office on Sunday, Muhyiddin asked that he be given the chance to set up a credible administration and to continue measures to improve the country. "After the political turmoil that has plagued our country for a week in the past, I know you definitely want our country back on the right track," he said in a televised speech, referring to the country's political situation following the abrupt resignation of his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad a week ago. While acknowledging that he did not come to power in an election, Muhyiddin said he had been appointed through constitutional means as he commands the majority support from the lower house of the parliament. Muhyiddin said he understood people's hope for a clean and efficient government in solving people's concerns, as well as better health service and education, promising that these will be his government's priorities. "I know you want a stable, peaceful and prosperous country, a country that offers better life for us," he said, "Join me to rebuild our country and bring it back to glory." Muhyiddin, a former deputy prime minister, took the oath of office on Sunday to become Malaysia's new prime minister. He was appointed following the abrupt resignation of 94-year-old Mahathir, who had been in office since the general elections in 2018. According to Malaysia's constitution, the King shall appoint a prime minister who in his judgement is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the house. There was a furious backlash last night against Government plans for a 2.7billion raid on small and medium-sized businesses. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is proposing to use next Wednesdays Budget to scrap entrepreneurs relief a tax break that was introduced in 2008 to encourage start-ups. It allows business owners to pay capital gains tax at 10 per cent, rather than the usual rate of 20 per cent, when they sell their firm, up to a limit of 10million. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has angered small businesses by proposing to scrap tax breaks Removing the break would be a tax on ambition, critics said last night, and would encourage entrepreneurs to move abroad, hitting UK jobs. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said that if the tax break is scrapped, it estimates that business owners will be hit with a 15,000 penalty on average. It added that scrapping the relief would break manifesto commitments made just two months ago and will destroy retirement plans of the owners of small business, 90 per cent of which are valued at less than 1 million. A group of 150 prominent business owners including Seraphine founder Cecile Reinaud and Graham Hobson, who sold the printing company Photobox for more than 300 million in 2016 wrote to the chancellor on Friday to say entrepreneurs will move abroad if the relief is removed. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) provide jobs for 16 million people in Britain. The Government hopes scrapping the tax relief will help pay for nurses, police officers and building projects in the Midlands and the North. Mike Cherry, chairman of the FSB, said: Scrapping entrepreneurs relief would make a mockery of the idea that its ever sensible to build up a business. This move would mark an incredibly damaging way of telling anyone thinking of investing in their business not to bother. The Conservative Party made a clear commitment to reform not scrap this relief in its general election manifesto. They should keep to their word. Matt Kilcoyne, of the free market think-tank the Adam Smith Institute, said: The entrepreneurs relief is a policy that is based on good, solid Conservative values, so it seems strange for Rishi Sunak to put a tax on ambition. The relief cost the Treasury 2.7billion in 2018/19, compared with 427million in 2008/9 when it was introduced. The Treasury declined to comment. Syrian Army Will Seek to Down Any Aircraft Breaching Airspace - State Media Sputnik News 09:33 GMT 01.03.2020(updated 12:59 GMT 01.03.2020) Tensions escalated in Syria's Idlib province earlier this week after 36 Turkish soldiers were killed and over 30 injured in an airstrike. The Syrian army has announced the closure of airspace over Idlib, saying it will down any aircraft that breaches its airspace. "The command of the armed forces declares closure of airspace for planes and other aircraft over northwestern Syria and especially the Idlib province. All planes violating our airspace will be considered hostile and shot down to prevent them from fulfilling [their] objectives," the command said in a statement as quoted by state-run SANA news agency. In a separate development, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that media reports about the alleged downing of a Russian Su-24 above the de-escalation zone in Idlib are false. "The information, referencing internet sites of the militants, about an alleged downing of the Russian Aerospace Forces' Su-24 plane by a man-portable air defence system in the airspace over the Idlib de-escalation zone is fake," the ministry said in a statement. The Russian Defence Ministry added that Russian planes are performing their tasks in Syria as normal. According to SANA, a Turkish drone was downed over the city of Saraqib in Idlib province but no Syrian plane was damaged. The anti-aircraft missile system that downed the drone has been destroyed, as well as two other anti-aircraft missile systems, the Turkish Defence Ministry said. Two Syrian Su-24 planes that had been carrying out attacks on our aircraft were shot down, it added. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Sunday that Operation Spring Shield, that was launched in Idlib on 27 February is aimed against the Syrian regime, adding that Turkey is not seeking a military confrontation with Russia in Syria. "Some 2,200 Syrian regime troops, a drone, eight helicopters, 103 tanks, tens of howitzers, three air defence systems have been neutralized," Akar said. The operation was launched after tensions in the region escalated following the death of 36 Turkish soldiers in a Syrian airstrike in Idlib on Thursday. As the Russian military explained later, the Syrian army was targeting terrorists from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that operates in the province and was not informed about the presence of Turkish military there. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A judge has ordered a wedding videographer to give a full refund of 1,000 to a recently married Co. Kildare couple after they told a court that the quality of their wedding video was very poor. At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan issued a decree in the sum of 1,000 in favour of John and Sabrina McDonnell against videographer, Niall Coley of Old Gort Road, Ennis. The two got married and had their wedding reception on Clares Atlantic coast at popular wedding venue, the Armada Hotel, owned by Mount Everest conqueror John Burke last June. However, the McDonnells have suffered the "wedding blues" over the poor quality of the wedding video and embarked, as a "last resort", on going the legal route in order to get some redress from Mr Coley. Also the McDonnells have failed to obtain from Mr Coley of Dream Day Wedding Films the raw video footage of their wedding day so that they can employ someone else to edit their video. Speaking after court, Sabrina said: For me, especially having children please God in time, we want to be able to show them the video of Mam and Dad walking down the aisle - all the rest and we wont have that - which was the whole purpose of going to the expense of the videographer. The two went for Mr Coleys Silver wedding video package on the day which involved Mr Coley and a second camera person. The Silver Package at 1,000 involves coverage from 11am until 10:30pm and covered bridal preparations, ceremony, couple shoot after church with their photographer, arriving at reception, cutting cake, speeches and first dance and three songs after. Mr Coley told the couple that it also included a second videographer to cover the groom's preparation on the morning. The package was made up of two edits - a long edit and a short social media edit to share with their guests. However, in the statement of claim read out by Judge Durcan at the Small Claims court, there was no second cameraman on the day. In the statement of claim, Mr McDonnell said: This did not happen, much to our disappointment, and Mr Coley didnt offer any financial rebate. On the day of the wedding, Mr Coley discharged his duties in terms of being present and filming the days events, but when it was time to provide us with the video he missed deadlines which he himself agreed to. The wedding took place on June 2 last and the two didnt receive their wedding video from Mr Coley until August 18. In Mr McDonnells statement read out by Judge Durcan it goes on to state that the quality of the content was very poor and was no way in keeping with the quality of the work that his website testimonials had indicated. Mr McDonnell stated that his wife, Sabrina, emailed Mr Coley on proposed changes to be made to the video and Mr Coley made numerous promises and he continues to not do so. The court statement added: We were willing to give Mr Coley the benefit of the doubt until Sabrina had come across a wedding page online where numerous different people had given their accounts and their poor experience with Mr Coley. John and Sabrina McDonnell from their wedding day at the Armada Hotel on Spanish Point, Co Clare, on June 2. Judge Durcan told Mr McDonnell that he would give him a decree for the full amount of 1,000 and noted that Mr Coley didnt show up in court for the case. Judge Durcan asked Mr McDonnell in the witness box other than that, was the wedding day a good day? Mr McDonnell replied: Yes, it was a great day. Our first weekend away together was at Spanish Point so we wanted to go back there." Mr McDonnell told Judge Durcan: For us, the money is insignificant. The most important thing is getting the raw footage from the day which is quite important to us." In reply, Judge Durcan said: We cant deal with that - you are doing very well here today, so you are. My advice is this - weddings arent made on the day, they are made on the future. "Get ahead, enjoy life together and make the future your business. Judge Durcan added that if Mr Coley has any wisdom, bearing in mind what has been said and bearing in mind the nature of the court order, he would provide the footage. Speaking after the case outside court, Mr McDonnell said: "We didnt want to come in here. We didnt want to end up in this situation but we felt that we had no recourse but to go the legal route. It wasnt about getting the money back, all we wanted was the video. We cant go back and have our day again. Mr McDonnell isnt too optimistic about getting the 1,000 back from Mr Coley. He said: Mr Coley has been unwilling to engage with us and I wouldnt have much confidence if he will engage with the order or we get the get money back. The money is neither here nor there. It is all about getting the raw footage. We are leaving today disappointed when the judge didnt make an order over the raw footage. Ms McDonnell said: We actually dont have the video. The video didnt download as the link was so big and it expired after 24 hours. We never downloaded the video so we have no video. Mr McDonnell said that it has been a lot of hassle and frustration over the last number of months chasing up Mr Coley. He said: We wanted to see would he do the right thing, but alas no. The main hope is that no one else is affected. If no one else has their hopes of a video ruined that would be a good thing. Mr McDonnell added that it seems that Mr Coley has gone to ground, before revealing: The last email to him bounced back. Seanad nominations for inside candidates closed today with a number of failed election candidates given a second chance at public office by their parties. Most notable for the Green Party is Saoirse McHugh, the Mayo native who ran for both European and general elections and has become the face of the younger generation of Green voters, sometimes at odds with her own party leadership. Ireland has entered a new stage politically; it is more important than ever that social justice and environmental protection form the basis of legislation going forward," Ms McHugh said in a statement. "We have a huge opportunity to improve peoples lives as we respond to avert climate breakdown." Councillor for Galway City West Pauline OReilly and incumbent senator and former candidate for Laois-Offaly Pippa Hackett have also been nominated by the party to the upper house. Likewise, a number of former Fianna Fail TDs who lost their seats last month have secured nominations to the Seanad. Timmy Dooley, who was forced to apologise to the Dail last year for his part in a voting irregularity scandal, has secured a nomination along with former Meath West TD Shane Cassells, Roscommon-Galways Eugene Murphy, Louths Declan Breathnach and Wicklows Pat Casey. Nine inside candidates have been nominated in total by Fianna Fail, four of whom are women including shock loss to the party and Brexit spokesperson Lisa Chambers of Mayo and Margaret Murphy-OMahony of Cork South-West. Former Fianna Fail TD Margaret Murphy-OMahony Along with former TDs, a number of failed general election candidates have also been selected including Catherine Ardagh and incumbent senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee. Incumbent senator Diarmuid Wilson has also been reselected. Wexfords short-lived Fianna Fail by-election winner and former TD Malcolm Byrne has been nominated by the Drama League of Ireland for a place on the Cultural and Educational Panel. Fianna Fails Director of Elections, Robert Troy said the party worked hard to ensure a geographically well-placed panel to represent the widest electorate. The selection of candidates will do little for the long held belief that the Seanad is often used as a "dumping ground for failed TDs" and a breeding ground for future TDs. Dr Maurice Manning, author of the 2018 Manning Report to significantly reform the Seanad says that if his groups proposals were implemented which includes public voting, the type of candidates would change. "It would certainly broaden out the possibilities for nominations," he said. "Some people at the minute who would like to be in the Seanad cant get nominations due to how its currently structured. Taking this away would hugely broaden the choice for voters. The proposals have been accepted in principle but the pace of reform is very slow. "Its not fit for purpose, it disfranchises most Irish people. There is need to reform it in such a way that the functions are updated, and electoral systems ensure that more people have a vote." Polling for the vocational panels on the 60 seats in the Seanad closes on March 30. New Delhi, March 2 : Twitterati on Monday paid rich tributes to Sarojini Naidu who is popularly known as "Nightingale of India" on her 70th death anniversary. Taking to his Twitter handle Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy wrote, "Remembering the 'Nightingale of India' Smt. Sarojini Naidu, on her death anniversary. A great orator, poet, freedom fighter, she inspired scores of motivated individuals in fighting the tyranny of the imperialists." Union Minister Sanjay Dhotre wrote, "Humble tributes to the 'Nightingale of India' Smt. #SarojiniNaidu Ji on her death anniversary. Her significant role in India's freedom struggle will continue to inspire many across the world." "Humble Tribute to the freedom fighter, poet, writer, and first woman to become governor in 1947 #sarojininaidu on her death anniversary. The woman who dedicated her life fighting for India," tweeted Union Minister of State of Railways Suresh Angadi. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted, "My humble tributes to prominent freedom fighter, poet, writer, thinker & first woman governor of India #SarojiniNaidu ji on her death anniversary. Her indomitable spirit, courage and her struggle for upliftment of women would always be an inspiration." A user wrote, "Humble Tribute to the freedom fighter, poet, writer, and first woman to become governor in 1947 #SarojiniNaidu on her death anniversary. The woman who dedicated her life to fighting for a better India." Another wrote, "Remembering #NightingaleOfIndia Smt. #SarojiniNaidu on her death anniversary. A strong proponent of civil rights & women's emancipation, her contributions in India's freedom struggle remain an inspiration." A post read, "Nightingale of India #SarojiniNaidu actively participated in the freedom movement & was a part of the #RoundTableSummit held in 1931. In 1942, she was arrested along with #MahatmaGandhi for her involvement in the #QuitIndiaMovement & was jailed for 2 yrs. Tributes on SmrutiDin." Sarojini Naidu was the first woman to become the Governor of an Indian state in 1947. She was also awarded with the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for her work during the plague epidemic in India in 1929. She died on 2 March, 1949 due to cardiac arrest at the Government House in Lucknow. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text A local court on Monday ordered the confiscation of movable and immovable properties worth over of Rs 58.48 lakh of Pankaj Trivedi, the then controller of VYAPAM, according to a press release. The Lokayukta police raided Trivedi's places in Indore and Bhopal in 2014. The Vyapam scam was an entrance examination, admission and recruitment scam that was unearthed in Madhya Pradesh in 2013. It involved 13 different exams conducted by Vyapam, for the selection of medical students and the state government employees. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pop Smoke was a pivotal figure in the Brooklyn drill movement. Photo: Arik McArthur/Getty Images Early in the morning on February 19, up-and-coming Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed at the home he was renting in the Hollywood Hills. Real name Bashar Barakah Jackson, Pop Smoke was on the forefront of Brooklyns exploding drill movement, paving the way with hits like Welcome to the Party and Dior. His second mixtape, Meet the Woo 2, came out on February 7, less than two weeks before his death. On July 9, five suspects were arrested in connection with his death, but few details about the 20-year-olds murder have been released. While the Los Angeles Police Department investigates, internet sleuths are looking for their own theories, creating confusion around an already senseless loss. Heres everything we currently know about Pop Smokes death. How did Pop Smoke die? On Wednesday, February 19, at around 4:30 a.m., the New York Times reports that four suspects in hoodies, including one wearing a mask and carrying a weapon, entered a Hollywood Hills house where Pop Smoke was staying and fatally shot the rapper. He was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he died a few hours later. How did the police respond to Pop Smokes death? Responding to a call from the East Coast saying that several people had entered their friends home, the LAPD arrived to find Pop Smoke with gunshot wounds. There were other people in the home, but Pop Smoke was alone when the gunman found him, and he was the only person shot at. The police detained several people at the house, but all were let go. According to the authorities, at least four suspects fled the scene. There have been no arrests. As of February 29, police struggled to find a motive, according to TMZs law enforcement sources. Many witnesses are either uncooperative or unreliable. Per TMZ, there are no neutral witnesses who may have seen the suspects enter or leave the home. On July 9, five suspects were arrested in connection with Pop Smokes murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. No charges have been disclosed as of this publishing time. Two suspects are juvenile males, and three are adult males. TMZ reports the LAPD served several search warrants in L.A. on the morning of July 9 and arrested the five men on warrants. Where was Pop Smoke when he died? Pop Smoke was renting Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband Edwin Arroyaves home through a third-party agency. Mellencamp extended her condolences on Instagram: Early this am we were informed by a 3rd party leasing and management company overseeing a rental home we own in Los Angeles that a shooting had taken place at the property, she wrote in the caption. Foremost, we would like to extend our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss of life. According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators believe the house itself could have been a target for home invasion and robbery, following a string of robberies at homes rented by musicians, although Robbery Homicide Division Captain Jonathan Tippet also told the Times he was not comfortable calling it a robbery right now. Was Pop Smokes address leaked online? Fans and internet investigators initially believed Pop Smokes death was the result of a robbery gone wrong. Earlier, Pop Smoke had posted photos on social media showing large amounts of money, designer goods, and a luxury car. His friend Mike Dee also posted images, including one in which the homes address can be partially seen in the background. The rapper also posted a story on Instagram and Facebook of designer bags, and the houses full address could be read on the packaging. Authorities are aware that the address was shared online, but are not drawing any conclusions about motive. Its an angle were looking at, Tippet said of Pop Smokes Instagram posts. It also extends the pool of people that would have known where he was at and could have targeted him for a variety of reasons. pop smoke had accidentally posted his address on instagram last night showing his amiri bags. the story is deleted now but the address was clear as day, 2033 hercules drive. somebody saw it on his ig & took it as an opportunity to rob him. rest easy pop smoke pic.twitter.com/7yjjicfWP2 nico (@sknabocin) February 19, 2020 comments on Pop Smoke friends Instagram after he posted a picture forgetting to blur the address out. crazy pic.twitter.com/fDCR9uvTsP Abdi TV (@AbdiTV) February 19, 2020 Was Pop Smokes death gang related? Per the Times, Los Angeles investigators are considering the possibility that Pop Smokes death was gang related. East Coast officials have tied the rapper to the Crips, and they suspect that the assailants may have been gang affiliated. Tippet noted that there is no indication that a rival East Coast gang traveled to the West Coast to target him. What does surveillance footage show? TMZ spoke to sources who have seen surveillance footage from Pop Smokes rental home. According to those witnesses, four men went around to the back of house but only three returned to the front. The fourth suspect exited through the front door, presumably having entered through the back door. Multiple shots were heard inside the home. While TMZs sources did not recall items being taken from the home, police told the New York Times there were items missing. There were a couple of items that were taken, but some of the things you would think would be taken werent even really looked for, Tippet said. So thats why were not really saying that it was a robbery or that he was the intended target. After the news broke about Pop Smokes death, many videos claiming to be related went viral, but ultimately the police found no connection, per TMZ. Did Pop Smokes friend Mike Dee set him up? Fans were quick to accuse Mike Dee, who posted the photo with the address in the background, of setting Pop Smoke up. After deleting everything off of his Instagram page, Dee mourned his friend and cleared his name. CANT NOTHING EXPRESS THE PAIN IM FEELING .I JUST LOST MY FUCKING BROTHER, MY HEART MY DAWGZ YOU GUYS HAVE NO TYPE OF SENSE OR SYMPATHY! he wrote underneath a photo of them as children. YALL DONT KNO WHATS GOING ON YALL COME ON HERE PLAYING INVESTIGATOR AND BASHING ME ON THE INTERNET, I WOULD NEVER IN MY LIFE SET MY BROTHER UP, WE ATE TOGETHER , BROKE BREAD TOGETHER THIS REALLY MY MOTHER CHILD. How has Pop Smokes family reacted to the news? Pop Smokes family issued their first statement about his death on February 28. The family of Bashar Pop Smoke Jackson would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone for your support, it reads. Every prayer, call, and act of kindness is deeply appreciated as we mourn the loss of our son, brother, and friend. Brooklyn knew him as Bashar, they continued. He was educated and nurtured in Brooklyn and his rise to fame all developed from the place he proudly represented. Within the last year, his extraordinary giftedness was revealed to the world, introducing Pop Smoke. The family asked for privacy and respect as there are no public details regarding the rappers murder, adding, Inaccurate reports only add unnecessary pain to a grieving family. This post has been updated throughout. Posted on Friday, February 28, 2020 KINGSVILLE (February 28, 2020) The undergraduate teacher preparation program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville has been given an A rating by the National Council on Teacher Qualitys Teacher Prep Review. In total, 15 traditional undergraduate and graduate programs in Texas earned an A in the 2020 Teacher Prep Review. Texas A&M-Kingsville joins Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University-San Antonio as the only schools in The Texas A&M University System included in the ratings. Texas is committed to utilizing evidence-based techniques identified in the science of teaching reading so that every child can not only read, but read well. This requires those preparing to be elementary teachers to be trained on these techniques and the science behind them, said Mike Morath, Texas Commissioner of Education. By requiring mastery of these instructional strategiesas the state legislature has now donewe will positively change the trajectory of educational outcomes for countless Texas children. I am hopeful that there are visionary deans who will read the results and having earned an A will not be satisfied until they are certain preservice teachers they prepare are surgically precise in their ability to teach reading, said Dr. Tracy Weeden, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neuhaus Education Center in Texas. For more information on the programs offered by the College of Education and Human Performance, visit the website at http://www.tamuk.edu/education/index.html. About the College of Education and Human Performance The College of Education prepares professionals for positions of responsibility and leadership in a global society. Faculty and staff are dedicated to enabling students to attain high academic, professional, and ethical standards that promote student achievement and lifelong learning. The programs prepare students to be successful in their professional careers by integrating technology, valuing diversity, and promoting authentic applications of knowledge. The College strives to offer the highest quality in teaching, research, and service. About the National Council on Teacher Quality The National Council on Teacher Quality is a nonpartisan research and policy group, committed to modernizing the teaching profession and based on the belief that all children deserve effective teachers. They recognize that it is not only teachers who bear responsibility for their professions many challenges, but the institutions with the greatest authority and influences over teachers. More information can be found at their web at www.nctq.org. -TAMUK- Vladimir Putin said the Russian constitution should define marriage as between a man and a woman and nothing else, a senior politician said. Putin - who previously said it is his 'duty' to stop gay people from getting married in an attempt to 'reinforce families' - proposed the changes as part of a far-reaching political shake-up in Russia. He and his supporters consider the impending change an opportunity to enshrine what they see as Russia's core moral and geopolitical values for future generations. Vladimir Putin (pictured in the Kremlin today) said the Russian constitution should define marriage as between a man and a woman and nothing else, a senior politician said Putin previously said it is his 'duty' to stop gay people from getting married in an attempt to 'reinforce families'. Pictured: Police officers detain a protestor during a rally held by LGBT activists and their supporters in 2019 Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy chairman of Russia's lower house of parliament, said one of Putin's proposed changes was to 'enshrine in basic law the concept of marriage as a union between a man and a woman'. Putin said last month Russia would not legalise gay marriage as long as he was in the Kremlin. He said he would not let the traditional notion of a mother and father be subverted by what he called 'parent number 1' and 'parent number 2'. Putin proposed the changes to the constitution as part of a far-reaching political shake-up in Russia. Pictured: Putin and the Chairman of the Executive Board at Sberbank Herman Gref today Homosexuality in Russia was a criminal offence until 1993, and classed as a mental illness until 1999. Pictured: Officers block participants of a rally by members of the LGBT community last year Western governments and human rights activists have criticised the Russian authorities for their treatment of LGBT people. Pictured: Officers block participants of a rally by members of the LGBT community last year Homosexuality in Russia - where the influence of the socially conservative Orthodox Church has grown in recent years - was a criminal offence until 1993, and classed as a mental illness until 1999. Under Russian law, only heterosexual couples can adopt children in Russia. Western governments and human rights activists have criticised the Russian authorities for their treatment of LGBT people. Elton John was among those to speak out against a 2013 law that banned the dissemination of 'gay propaganda' among young Russians. In June last year, Putin said Russian authorities had a 'relaxed and unprejudiced' attitude towards LGBT people. Pictured: LGBT activists put tape over their mouths during a protest in Saint Petersburg Under the law, any event or act regarded by the authorities as an attempt to promote homosexuality to minors is illegal and punishable by a fine. The law has been used to stop gay pride marches and to detain gay rights activists. Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people, but that he finds a Western willingness to embrace homosexuality and gender fluidity out of step with traditional Russian values. In June last year, Putin said Russian authorities had a 'relaxed and unprejudiced' attitude towards LGBT people, but decisions about gender identity could only be made by adults and therefore minors need to be 'left alone'. Russian law bans 'propaganda of homosexuality among minors'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday wished a successful surgery and speedy recovery to his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli. The Nepalese Prime Minister is to undergo his second kidney transplantation procedure on March 4. Prime Minister Modi also expressed that he looks forward to working with KP Sharma Oli. My dear friend @kpsharmaoli ji, wishing you a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. May Lord Pashupatinath bless you always with good health, happiness and a very long life. Look forward to your continued contribution to taking India-Nepal relations to new heights. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2020 Oli will reportedly be admitted to the Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Maharajgung on Monday itself for the kidney transplant, Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Spokesperson Narayankaji Shrestha had said. READ | Two Nepali Nationals Having Flu Symptoms Kept In Isolation First kidney transplant in 2007 67-year-old Oli had last undergone a kidney transplant in India in 2007 after both his kidneys failed to function. Since then, he has travelled abroad on several occasions for health-checkups and has undergone multiple rounds of dialysis. READ | Everest Climbers Withdraw, Tourism Declines In Nepal Amid Coronavirus Dread Oli had undergone an appendicitis surgery in November 2019 and was kept on the ventilator for a while. It was after his condition improved that he was taken off of the ventilator. The Nepalese PM had also undergone regular dialysis as his transplanted kidney has stopped functioning. He spent about 10 days in the hospital. Also, the Nepal Prime Minister had undergone four cycles of hemodialysis (procedure of purifying the blood of a person whose kidneys aren't working normally) at Grande International Hospital of Nepal. READ | Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli Cuts Cake Depicting Country's Map, Netizens Furious READ | Six Pilgrims From Nepal Killed In TN Road Accident Overnight reports from Jacksonville police: Someone broke into The Handlebar Pizza and Pub at 304 S. Main St. and stole a safe, according to a report filed at 7:42 a.m. Sunday. Eric L. Peters, 35, homeless, was arrested at 4:11 a.m. Sunday on a battery charge. He was accused of punching a woman Feb. 25 in the 700 block of North East Street, but could not be located at that time. Todd M. Linear, 30, 347 Caldwell St. was arrested at 9:19 a.m. Saturday on disorderly conduct and resisting a peace officer charges. He was accused of entering a residence in the 400 block of South Clay Avenue and threatening a resident and then barricading himself inside when officers arrived. Linear also resisted attempts to put him in handcuffs, according to a police report. A Barry woman was cited on a charge of driving while license is revoked and failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident after a single-car accident at 8:20 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 72 in Pike County. According to an Illinois State Police report. Julie D. Safe, 48, of Barry was going east on I-72 when her car began to go off the left side of the road. The driver over-corrected, causing the car to spin off the right side of the road and overturn, according to the report. Safe was treated at Blessing Hospital for moderate injuries. Two passengers in the car, an 8-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, were not injured, according to the report. David C.L. Bauer KIEV, March 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk on Monday said he had not submitted his resignation but added that consultations with the president and parliament were ongoing about potential personnel changes in the government. The Ukrainian news outlet NV on Friday night reported that Honcharuk had resigned after reports that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was gearing up to oust him. Zelenskiy has asked a special parliament meeting to convene on Wednesday. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; writing by Matthias Williams) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:42:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Nurses and children infected with novel coronavirus pneumonia cheer themselves up at a ward in Wuhan Children's Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 26, 2020. (Xinhua) China's measures had won time for the world to combat the disease and led to valuable prevention and control experience from which countries around the world could learn, read messages from leaders of foreign political parties and organizations. BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of foreign political parties and organizations have sent messages to China, speaking positively of the country's achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The messages sent to the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee also said China's measures had won time for the world to combat the disease and led to valuable prevention and control experience from which countries around the world could learn. They said they look forward to working together with China to stem the disease's global spread. In a joint message, Pakistan's National Party President Abdul Malik Baloch and General Secretary Jan Muhammad Buledi paid tribute to the CPC cadres and the Chinese people for the valor and unity demonstrated during the fight against the epidemic. They also condemned some Western media for making false claims about the outbreak. Under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC, China will no doubt defeat its current difficulties and become ever stronger and more united, they added. Secretary-General of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) Roque Silva Samuel said that China has made achievements in epidemic prevention and control, a reflection of the effectiveness of China's measures. The four male nurses Tang Qiaojie, Liu Ming, Zhang Yong and Zhang Yingzhen (L to R), from a special team taking care of children infected with novel coronavirus pneumonia, cheer themselves up in Wuhan Children's Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 26, 2020. (Xinhua) Noting that the FRELIMO -- supported by the CPC -- has taken corresponding preventive measures, Samuel said that under Xi's leadership, the Chinese government and people will quickly beat the epidemic and set an example for the world. Secretary General of the Rwanda Patriotic Front Francois Ngarambe said that under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have overcome many challenges, and the outbreak will prove no exception. Ngarambe said he believes that the epidemic will not seriously impact the Chinese economy, and China's long-term sound economic growth remains unchanged. General Secretary of Cape Verde's Movement for Democracy Miguel Monteiro said that as the epidemic continues to spread, some countries are facing increasing risks. The Chinese government has taken strong measures and effectively contained the outbreak, Monteiro said, adding that China's valuable experience is helping other countries across the world. The construction site of Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 4, 2020. Leishenshan Hospital is one of the makeshift hospitals to treat pneumonia patients infected with the novel coronavirus. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) China's response has played an important part in safeguarding global public health security, he added. Slumber Tsogwane, chairman of the Botswana Democratic Party and vice president of Botswana, noted that the epidemic is not just a challenge for China but rather a common challenge for the whole world. Had the outbreak originated in another country, the consequences would have been unimaginable, he said. Tsogwane said that China has been actively sharing information and its experiences with the World Health Organization and other countries, demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a major country. Polish Democratic Left Alliance Vice Chairman Andrzej Szejna said he believes the outbreak will not impede China's path to modernization and the rapid growth of its economy, neither will it hinder cooperation between Poland and China, especially pertaining to the Belt and Road. China's experience in handling the epidemic will prove invaluable to global fights against possible future outbreaks, said the official. Branislav Djordjevic, director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics of Serbia, said the Chinese leadership is dedicated to finding the best solution to safeguarding people's livelihoods and reducing threats brought by the epidemic. China's efforts have earned international acclaim, Djordjevic said, expressing his belief that China will win the battle against the crisis and return to its devotion of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Air Force's operation in Wuhan shows its mobility, capabilities, military official says Military medics airlifted by the transport aircraft Y-20 of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force arrive at Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Feb 13, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] The People's Liberation Army Air Force's large-scale airlift operation and dispatching large- and medium-sized transport aircraft to support Wuhan, Hubei province, showed rapid mobility and long-range delivery capabilities, an official with the Central Military Commission said on Monday. Zhang Tianxiang, an official with the commission's logistics support department, said the Air Force used 12 transport aircraft, including Y-9, IL-76 and Y-20, to carry 1,600 military medics to Wuhan on Feb 13 and 17. The Y-20 has made 10 flights, the first time that this large strategic airlifter domestically developed in China participated in non-war operation since its first flight in 2013, Zhang said. The Air Force sent out its first batch of 450 military medics and medical supplies to Wuhan on Jan 24 from Shanghai, Chongqing, and Xi'an, Shaanxi province, by using three IL-76 transport planes. On Feb 2, eight IL-76 planes carried the second batch of nearly 800 medical staff members to Wuhan from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Lanzhou, Gansu province and Shenyang, Liaoning province. "The Air Force dispatching large- and medium-sized transport planes systematically and in large scale to perform emergency airlift missions tested the Air Force's capabilities in rapid mobility and long-range delivery," he said. Zhang said the PLA has sent military medical support to Hubei by air, railway and road. On Feb 2, 13 and 17, the PLA sent a total number of more than 1,200 military medics and over 100 tons of medical supplies to Wuhan from 22 railway stations across the country by high-speed trains. A coronavirus patient has said that people who self-isolate are 'stupid' and 'afraid of death' after sneaking out of a hospital in Wuhan. The 59-year-old man made the claims as he filmed himself strolling on the streets of the locked-down city to flaunt his 'freedom'. He has apologised to the public for his behaviour after returning to the hospital. The 59-year-old coronavirus patient filmed himself strolling on the street of empty Wuhan after leaving a hospital without permission on February 18. He has apologised for his behaviour In another video clip, Mr Li apologised to the public for his 'irresponsible' comments. He filmed the video because he felt angry that his family had not brought him necessities, he explained The controversial clip shows the patient, named Li Jun, walking on a largely empty thoroughfare of Wuhan. In the footage released by Chinese state newspaper Global Times, he claimed that he had 'seized an opportunity' to leave his quarantine unit to buy a bottle of disinfectant, and decided to stroll for a while. 'Look here, there are cars and people. Do you see? People can come out and stroll at will,' he said in the video. '[The authorities] have kept you stupid people at home. [You are] afraid of death,' he added. He then told his viewers how free the birds were before sitting down in a plaza 'to relax'. He stated that he planned to return to the hospital after having dinner. The health crisis emerged in Wuhan in December. The picture shows patients spending the night in their wards inside one of Wuhan's 'fang cang' makeshift hospital on February 18 While the health crisis seems to have slowed down in China after nearly new months, outbreaks outside of China have escalated in the past week. The picture shows coronavirus-infected patients inside one of Wuhan's 'fang cang' makeshift hospital on February 17 Medical staff in protective suits work at one of Wuhan's 'fang cang' hospital on February 17 In another video clip, also published by Global Times, Mr Li apologised to the public for his 'irresponsible' comments. According to the man, who lives in the city's Wuchang district, he was classified as a suspected coronavirus patient on February 16 and transferred from an isolation centre to Wuhan No. 3 Hospital to be treated. Two days later, he secretly left the hospital when medics were busy working and went across the road to buy medicine and disinfectant, he said. He filmed the video and made the remarks because he felt angry that his family had not brought him necessities, he explained. Mr Li claimed his family members were fearing that he would spread the disease to them. The video was allegedly shared by him to his relatives before making waves on social media. Mr Li was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus on February 22. A recovered coronavirus patient gets disinfected while being discharged from a hospital today Recovered patients queue up as they wait to be discharged from a hospital in Wuhan today Volunteer checks bags of medicines for residents in front of a pharmacy in Wuhan on Saturday The man expressed his remorse over the incident. He said: 'After being educated by medical workers and police officers, I have recognised that as a confirmed patient with the novel coronavirus, I have broken relevant law by secretly leaving the hospital. 'I am sorry to have let down the government and doctors who provided me with treatment and care. I am sorry to have blackened the reputation of Wuhan. 'I deeply regret my behaviour. I sincerely apologise to everyone. I promise I will cooperate with the treatment actively from now on. I am willing to receive severe legal punishment upon my recovery.' Wuhan No. 3 hospital told Pear Video that they had 'dealt with' the matter and promised to strengthen their security measures. The video emerged as authorities in China's Hubei Province began to send people who were found strolling on the street to 're-education camps', according to reports. A video shows people studying in a room guarded by anti-coronavirus officers in Hubei, China A video shows the residents studying in a room guarded by officers at one of the centres on February 22 in the city of Huangshi. It is said the detainees would need to pass exams on coronavirus regulations and sign an agreement letter before being released. They were punished for 'being outside for no particular reasons'. Originating in Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has killed at least 2,912 people and infected more than 80,000 inside China. Wuhan, a city of 11 million, went into lockdown on January 23 in the wake of the outbreak. The majority part of Hubei then followed suit. Originating in Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has killed at least 2,912 people and infected more than 80,000 inside China. The picture shows a family wearing face masks and plastic raincoats walking at the Hongqiao railway station in Shanghai on Monday Overnight, the Hubei health officials reported 196 new cases out of a nationwide total of 202 and all of the 42 new deaths nationwide. This picture shows travellers wearing face masks sitting on benches at Changsha railway station in Changsha, Hunan Province, on March 2 Globally, the coronavirus has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,600 Overnight, the Hubei health officials reported 196 new cases out of a nationwide total of 202 and all of the 42 new deaths nationwide. While the crisis seems to have slowed down in China, outbreaks outside of China have escalated in the past week. Dozens of nations are now battling the contagion, with South Korea, Italy, Japan and Iran among the worst-affected. Virus cases in South Korea surged and millions of children in Japan stayed home from school today as officials struggled to contain the epidemic in more than 60 countries. Portugal registered its first two cases of the new coronavirus today, both in people who had recently returned from abroad, the country's Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference. Meanwhile, Public Health England (PHE) warned that widespread transmission of coronavirus in the UK was 'highly likely' as the Prime Minister gathers ministers for an emergency Cobra meeting. Health officials in Washington State in the United States said that a second person had died from the coronavirus - a man in his 70s from a nursing facility near Seattle where dozens of people were sick and had been tested for the virus. Globally, the coronavirus epidemic has killed at least 3,060 people and infected more than 89,600. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A purported white supremacist and neo-Fascist group conducted a banner drop" over the Clove Road overpass of the Staten Island Expressway, the group posted on Gab a lightly-censored social media site. Patriot Front the organization allegedly responsible for the act is a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it solely to them," according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The group was formed by disaffected members of another white supremacist group, Vanguard America, in September 2017, in the wake of the Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., the ADL said. Patriot Fronts propaganda materials have been distributed across the country. While the banner dropped over the Staten Island Expressway was anti-Communist, reading Better Dead than Red a phrase used during the Cold War, several unauthorized and offensive stickers promoting the Patriot Front were recently placed at the Wagner College campus, the Advance previously reported. In that instance, a total of three stickers were found at different locations on campus and were promptly removed, the college said. One version referenced the Patriot Front group, with the words To Ourselves and our Posterity around the organizations emblem, while the second version had the slogan reject poison, with the URL of the Patriot Front. Patriot Front could not be reached at the time of publication. The recent influx in the groups postings comes as propaganda from such organizations continues to turn up around Staten Island and across the country. Earlier this month, the ADL released a study indicating that white supremacist propaganda distribution more than doubled in 2019 compared to the previous year, making it the highest year on record in the United States. Patriot Front, American Identity Movement and the New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA) all groups designated as white supremacist organizations by the ADL are responsible for approximately 90% of the activity, according to the study. At the end of January, the Advance exclusively reported that the NYPD and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon started an investigation into NJEHA. The NYPD said it is also aware of the aforementioned banner drop, and its connection to a purported hate group. The NYPD is aware of the banners and the purported connection to a specific group that has engaged in hate speech, said NYPD spokeswoman Sgt. Jessica McRorie. The matter is being investigated, McRorie said. Commonalities between the manner Patriot Front and the NJEHA distribute propaganda materials are strikingly similar. Both groups utilize Gab.com to promote recent postings, such as flyers, stickers and banner drops. Additionally, both spew intolerance under the guise of saving white European peoples from purported imminent extinction in the case of the NJEHA and saving America from existential threat, according to the Patriot League manifesto. The manifesto has sections that read: Those of foreign birth may occupy civil status within the lands occupied by the state, and they may even be dutiful citizens, yet they may not be American. Membership within the American nation is inherited through blood, not ink. Even those born in America may yet be foreign. Nationhood cannot be bestowed upon those who are not of the founding stock of our people, and those who do not share the common spirit that permeates our greater civilization, and the European diaspora." PROPAGANDA ON RISE The recently-released ADL data shows a total of 2,713 cases of literature distribution nationwide, which is about seven times per day, compared to 1,214 reported cases in 2018. On Staten Island, the ADL said there were 21 instances of white supremacist propaganda in 2019; however, an Advance investigation revealed that NJEHA alone posted at least 50 flyers and stickers across multiple neighborhoods on Staten Island over the past eight months, indicating that the ADLs data could perhaps under-represent the extent of the issue. White supremacists see propaganda distribution including fliering, leafleting and stickering as a convenient and practically anonymous way to promote their messages of hate and intolerance, said ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt. While we know extremists and hate groups are emboldened by the current environment, this surge in fliering and propaganda distribution powerfully demonstrates how bigots are able to spread their message without compromising their anonymity. Rep. Max Rose previously told the Advance that NJEHA is absolutely a threat, adding that the groups recent presence is illustrative of a movement that is not only covering virtually the entire United States; it is also illustrative of a global movement. Rose, who believes that labeling international white supremacist groups as foreign terrorist organizations is a necessary step to combating the extremism as it enables federal authorities to prosecute domestic individuals who provide support to these groups with terror-related offenses recently held his second hearing regarding the matter. Anti-Semitic domestic terrorism is an issue that has deeply affected my district, my community, and the whole New York City area. In the past few months, Jews in New York and New Jersey have been subjected to dozens of anti-Semitic incidents and attacks. And it hasnt stopped. Earlier this week, bomb threats were sent to 18 Jewish Community Centers across New York State, said Rose. In February, the House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously advanced Roses act which would direct the Department of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate a terrorist threat assessment of foreign violent white supremacist extremist groups. The simple truth is that we are under assault by extremists, many of whom are emboldened to act and often encouraged by content on social media platforms. The time for thoughts and prayers has passedthe time for action is now. Let me be clear: I will not lose sight or focus on this issue which has hit far too close to home," Rose said. Researchers find the 'Monday effect' -- that letdown of returning to work after a weekend -- along with other factors, hurts supply chain performance; this means longer times between ordering and shipping, and more errors in order fulfillment The "Monday Effect" is real - and it's impacting your Amazon package delivery. So says researcher Oliver Yao, a professor of decision and technology analytics in Lehigh University's College of Business. He's found that the "Monday Effect" - that letdown of returning to work after a weekend, which is documented to impact finance, productivity and psychology - also negatively affects supply chains. Working with researchers at the University of Maryland and University of California, San Diego, Yao found that process interruptions that occur when operations are shut down over the weekend, along with human factors like the "Monday blues," hurt supply chain performance on Mondays. That means a longer time between when a purchase order is received and when it is shipped, as well as more errors in order fulfillment. It's the first study to look at the impact of the "Monday Effect" on supply chains, the sequence of processes that move a product or service from creation to customer. The findings are published in a new article, "'Monday Effect' Performance Variations in Supply Chain Fulfillment: How IT-Enabled Procurement May Help," appearing in Information Systems Research. Co-authors are Martin Dresner of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland and Kevin Xiaoguo Zhu of the Rady School of Management at University of California, San Diego. Significant shipping delays Yao and colleagues used a dataset of more than 800,000 transaction records gathered during a 12-month period from the U.S. General Services Administration to look at variations in operations performance by days of the week. They also analyzed order and fulfillment data from one of the largest supermarket chains in China. They found the "Monday Effect" was prevalent and significant. For example, time between receipt of a purchase order and shipping is 9.68 percent longer on Mondays than other weekdays, on average, said Yao, who holds the George N. Beckwith '32 Professorship. Mondays, it turns out, are subject to both process- and human-related impacts. Weekends create bottlenecks at distribution centers that are tackled on Mondays as orders are processed, picked, staged and shipped to customers. Humans completing processing activities are impacted by adjusting to returning to work, more prone to errors and less efficient. Most supply chain managers are unaware of this impact, Yao said. But they can take steps to counteract the "Monday Effect." Combating the "Monday Effect" Strategies include increased staffing on Mondays (or any day returning from a break, including holidays), fewer Monday meetings and non-fulfillment activities, better training, additional pay or mood-lifters such as free coffee or motivational talks, and double-checking Monday work. The most effective way to reduce the Monday performance gap is integrating technology solutions, such as automated order processing systems, said Yao, who found using electronic markets can improve Monday performance by as much as 90 percent. For example, technology reduces the Monday performance gap by 94 percent in order-to-shipping time, 71 percent in complete orders fulfilled, and 80 percent in the portion of shipments that have incorrect numbers of products. Technology was most useful in orders of specialized, less frequently purchased or high-value products, about which employees might be less knowledgeable. "Technology is more helpful in substituting for labor when humans are more prone to making mistakes," the researchers said. "Computer-to-computer links avoid potential human effects resulting from the weekend break." After all, for computers and machines, Mondays are just another day. ### Charlie Hurt over at the Washington Times likes to say Donald Trump has the best enemies. Before Hillary and Comey, he had Rosie and Cher. Before Nancy Pelosi and Fake News CNN, he had Russell Brand and Mark Cuban. Before "Fat Jerry" Nadler was creating fake impeachment charges in Congress against President Trump, an even fatter Assemblyman Nadler was preventing 1980s Donald Trump from turning an abandoned rail yard on the West Side into Trump City. There has never been a moment in the public spotlight when Donald Trump was not brawling with somebody, and almost all of his enemies, like deer in the headlights, seem paralyzed with surprise when they find themselves on the receiving end of one of his acerbic barbs. Like Qassem Soleimani, they just never see it coming. Here at American Thinker, Thomas Lifson has given us the necessary corollary to Hurt's Law: as the greatest reality television producer of all time, Donald Trump constructs the best and most compelling story arcs. Think of the many roles he has played. He was the outsider from Queens who rebuilt the Manhattan skyline and signed his name for all the blueblood gentry to see. He was the dealmaker who knew how to turn loss into opportunity. He was the brash New Yorker who got so tired of the country's decline that he descended a golden escalator to Make America Great Again. When Seth Meyers and President Obama used the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner to mock him repeatedly, he never lost his cool; he just smiled back, rolled up his sleeves, and stole Obama's legacy from him five years later. When Obama's loyal henchmen in the federal government orchestrated a coup against his successor out of petulant spite, President Trump calmly looked ahead and kept pushing his agenda forward. He never slowed down. He never gave up. He just bit his lip, bided his time, and prepared for a future settling of all accounts. Along the way, he has become the most transformative and consequential president the country has seen in a hundred years. For three decades, the Republican Party has ashamedly failed at selling to the American people the idea that freedom in all its forms is superior to the socialist slavery the Democrats have on offer. They have so utterly collapsed in the only battle for America's future that matters that political correctness and hate speech laws have metastasized into outright censorship, religious persecution, denial of due process, and gun confiscation. So God sent us a world-class salesman, and the sleeping giant in the middle of the country awoke. For the first time in too long, the very idea of liberty that shaped our nation's birth is bubbling to the surface again, and President Trump has shown a new generation what's at stake. And because freedom is colorblind and an aphrodisiac that invites the unshackled to its banner, he has expanded the Republican Party in ways that seemed unlikely just a short time ago. Now we have a new threat to the country and his presidency: the coronavirus. The media are beside themselves with juvenile glee. The idea that millions of Americans might die from illness and destroy the most vibrant American economy in two generations is like a drop of ecstasy on the tongues of a bunch of journalists who have spent three years eating crow. Their giddy celebration of potential tragedy is exactly why the middle of the country has so little sympathy left for the coasts. While the threat is real, though, I cannot help but see Hurt's Law and Lifson's Corollary playing out once again for the whole world to see. President Trump has rekindled the torch for American freedom, but the evil of Bernie Sanders's communism is also bubbling beneath our feet. Sanders's communism is everything that America is not. It demands to be the only voice heard. It demands that all science be settled. It demands an end to religion and the elevation of tyrants. It seeks absolute rule, absolute control, absolute obedience. It seeks to strangle all dissent, smother all creativity, and leave life dark, bleak, and imbalanced. Sanders's communism steals from you your labor, your thoughts, and finally your will to go on. Like the property he repossesses for the State, he and his heroes chew through your soul and expect you to find nourishment through your servitude. He is everything Americans have fought and a harsh reminder that a bullet to the back of the head is a threat for citizens of all nations, even those birthed in freedom. So, along comes a communist virus, and the metaphor could not be more apt. It shows why national borders are important, why command-and-control economies collapse during crisis, why officials in authoritarian states exacerbate life-and-death problems because they fear telling their leadership difficult truths. How many lives in China and elsewhere would be saved today if China's military and local police had not threatened their own doctors, journalists, and ordinary citizens against speaking truth out loud? In a socialist utopia, though, tragedy and mistake are not allowed; because they reveal rot, they must be ignored. Better to live in a kingdom of pyrite than admit that "the welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants." Bernie Sanders is about to become President Trump's number-one enemy, and the communist virus spreading around the world has just become one of the most compelling story arcs for the 2020 election. While the press and Democratic Party salivate, however, they once again fail to see the president's coming blow. Donald Trump has spent forty years arguing that America's national security depends on being free of China. He has spent his presidency singlehandedly changing the country's course by bringing manufacturing back home. Opposed by Wall Street Democrats, he has demanded America's energy independence from overseas adversaries and has endured endless ridicule for seeking a new renaissance for America's blue-collar workers. While Bloomberg, Biden, and Bernie grovel in obeisance to their Chinese lords, President Trump sees American-made steel, American-made pharmaceuticals, and American-made electronics as instrumental to American freedom. The Democratic Party wants to give American citizenship to the world, but the communist virus is a timely reminder that the illegal and uncontrolled flow of people across our borders not only depreciates wages and destroys American culture, but also sacrifices the lives of American citizens. The misery of Chinese communism created this virus, and the misery of Democratic Socialism seeks to spread it across the United States. Border security is health security. And energy, steel, and manufacturing independence is independence from overseas tyrants. The coronavirus will pass. The stock markets will rise. The current state of fear will subside. But Bernie Sanders and the communist virus are now front and center, and President Trump has one hell of a story to tell the American people. It's a powerful story. It will be a powerful punch. And they'll still never see it coming. Just watch. A Polish student from Jadavpur University (JU), asked to leave India after he took part in a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), has sought time to complete his degree. Kamil Siedcznski is pursuing a masters degree in comparative literature at JU and his final semester is approaching. He has to leave India on or before March 10, according to the notice served to him by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kolkata on February 24. The notice served to Siedcznski was signed by foreigners regional registration officer of Kolkata, Karma Tshering Bhutia. It was written on February 14 but served on February 24 as Siedcznski was visiting Visva Bharati and sought time to respond to the FRROs summon. HT reported the incident on February 29. Siedcznski remained incommunicable but his friends and teachers at JU said while speaking to HT that he wrote a long letter to FRRO on February 27, requesting relief till August so that he can complete his semester. He had told the Union home ministry last week that he studied Hindi and Sanskrit at Warsaw University before coming to India in 2016 to study Sanskrit along with Bengali, at Visva Bharati (VB). Describing his experience in India as fascinating, Siedcznski has told the ministry he was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore and wanted to study in West Bengal despite financial difficulties. JU professors said he was offered a scholarship. HT has seen Siedcznskis letter and the FRRO notice. The notice does not mention any specific event and only says that Siedcznski has been found to have engaged in anti-government activities and has thus committed visa violation. We only follow orders from the ministry. There is nothing we can do, an officer at FRRO in Kolkata said on the condition of anonymity. Pleading his case, Siedcznski told FRRO he accompanied his friends from JU to a rally on January 21 but did not shout any slogan or make comment against any Indian law. He said he was only taking photographs and was misquoted by a section of the local media. Siedcznski also said that three days before the January 19 rally, he attended a music concert at Park Circus, where a Shaheen Bagh-type agitation is on, as he loves Indian music. He said that at JU he witnessed an interaction between activists Umar Khalid and Yogendra Yadav and went to a film festival in the city where writer Arundhati Roy spoke against CAA. The Polish student has argued he was present at all these events as a passive observer and not as a political activist. Many foreigners were present at the film festival, he said. JU vice-chancellor Suranjan Das was out of town and could not be contacted. If the government does not listen to his appeal we will move the V-C and request him to make some arrangement so that he can take the final tests from his home in Poland, said Partha Pratim Roy, general secretary of the JU teachers association. Siedcznskis friends, who did not want to be identified, said he called up the Polish consulate in Kolkata and embassy in New Delhi and was hoping for some kind of relief. He has been living in India since 2016 on a student visa. The visa was extended till August 31, 2019, to enable him to complete his degree, the FRRO notice mentioned. Visva Bharati is a central university of which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chancellor. Incidentally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in favour of promoting Sanskrit and Indias ancient culture and heritage. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The meerkats call to one another as they travel. One of their sounds is a gentle mew that researchers have called a move call. It seems to mean, Im about ready to move on from this dirt patch. Whos with me? In a 2010 study, Dr. Manser and her colleagues studied move calls in a dozen meerkat groups living in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. Groups ranged from six to 19 individuals. But the scientists found that only about three group members had to mew before the whole party decided to move along. The group didnt change direction, but it would double its speed to reach better foraging grounds. Biologists call this phenomenon when animals change their behavior in response to a critical mass of their peers doing something a quorum response. Dr. Manser thinks quorum responses show up in human decision making, too. If youre in a group and somebody says, Lets go for a pizza, and nobody joins in, nothings going to happen, she said. But if the pizza craver is joined by a couple of friends, their argument becomes much more convincing. In another set of experiments, Dr. Manser and a co-author found that it didnt matter whether meerkats making move calls were dominant or subordinate within the group. Rather, she said, It depends on how determined an individual appears. By SA Commercial Prop News South Africas construction sector is facing a host of issues including the so-called construction mafia popularly known as the business forums. SAs distressed construction sector is facing a host of issues including the so-called construction mafia popularly known as the business forums. They have been dubbed criminal, and labelled the construction mafia or community groups who demand a cut in building projects around the country, sometimes even resorting to violence and intimidation to get their way. From some form of employment, sub-contracting to their small businesses or in some cases straight up cash they say theyll continue to hold construction sites to ransom until they receive their share. Their proponents believe they are legitimate agents of radical economic transformation. It is often unclear where the line between armed violence and genuine demands for access to economic opportunities falls. The phenomenon emerged in the Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal and began hitting the headlines in 2016. It has since spread across the country at a time when the construction sector is in dire straits a series of major players have filed for business rescue or have reported depressing financials. The armed gangs turned up at construction sites demanding 30% of the work, then 30% of the revenue, and in some cases 50%. State infrastructure projects have been the worst hit with the likes of the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) seeing more than 60 projects affected to a varying extent, including its R1.6-billion Mtentu bridge project, expected to be the highest bridge in Africa, and a road contract near Stutterheim. Both are in the Eastern Cape. But private sector projects are not immune from destructive actions by people demanding work. A R2.4-billion German oil storage investment, being built by Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) in Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape was halted in early March last year after armed gangs demanded a stake. No longer content to invade larger construction sites in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, the construction mafia has moved into the townships. Mpho Moropane, founder of Phoroza Trading & Projects, was awarded a R6 million contract for the construction of 50 houses in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, by the Gauteng Department of Housing. No sooner had the contract been awarded than representatives of the local community arrived to demand their take a whopping 50% of the budget. They then went further than this, proposing to take over the entire budget and source materials for the project, leaving Moropane with little if anything other than an obligation to deliver the houses to the client. Ten meetings with the national police commissioner to discuss tackling the construction mafia in SA have been cancelled in the past four months, says South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) CEO Webster Mfebe. The latest cancellation came on the eve of the state of the nation address in which President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he is prioritising the fight against armed gangs that have forced contractors to abandon 84 infrastructure projects worth more than R27bn. JSE-listed global infrastructure and resources group Aveng believes there is a contradiction between government plans to address the risk posed by the so-called construction mafia, and the SA National Road Agency (Sanral) wanting to pass these risks onto contractors. Aveng group CEO Sean Flanagan said on Tuesday the noises being made by the government to deal with this issue are the right noises but there is a need to see the implementation of law and order. The problem has now gone countrywide, but is particularly rampant in Gauteng, according to Peter Barnard of attorneys Cox Yeats, who has fought off dozens of mafia invasions through the courts. The only reason it continues is because it is tolerated by law enforcement, says Barnard. Hopefully, we will now see stronger law enforcement to bring an end to this after Finance Minister Tito Mboweni called for tougher action against the mafia. Mboweni in his budget speech last week seemed to have had enough of this lawlessness: The disruptive actions of those who storm construction sites or mines harm growth and lead to job losses. Communities should expose such people to allow ministers [Bheki] Cele and [Ronald] Lamola [ministers of police and justice) to ensure that the law takes its course. I hope all South Africans join me in condemning this, said Mboweni. In the last three years, several large construction companies such as Group 5, Basil Read, Liviero, NMC and Esor Construction have closed operations, while many of the remaining firms have reported financial difficulties. Sluggish economic growth, a decline in government infrastructure spending, late payment of contractors by the state and the lack of capacity to undertake public projects with approved budgets have been recorded as other leading causes of the problem. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced R700 billion in infrastructure development in his state of the nation address earlier this year, but no further details have been provided. Mboweni has committed to providing R10 billion towards a R200 billion infrastructure finance programme by the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Construction contributes about 4% to South Africas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is a key sector for the economy. The board of Barclays should withdraw support for its chief executive Jes Staley over his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, an activist investor has demanded. In a public letter on Monday, Edward Bramson said he strongly recommends chairman Nigel Higgins remove a proposal to re-elect Mr Staley to the banks board for an upcoming shareholder meeting. Mr Bramson, who has a 5.8% stake in the bank through a series of complicated financial arrangements, said it was extremely ill-advised to continue supporting Mr Staley. The activist investor added that removing the boss would help draw a line under this destabilising situation, which has become a circus, as soon as possible. Jes Staley is under pressure over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during a previous job at JP Morgan (Barclays/PA) Last month, the Barclays chief executive said he deeply regrets his relationship with Epstein whilst at JP Morgan, which continued for seven years after the financier was convicted of sex offences. Mr Staley said his last contact with the paedophile was in the autumn of 2015, shortly before he joined Barclays, but not before the banker and his wife sailed to Epsteins private island for lunch that year. He had no contact with Epstein since joining Barclays in December 2015, Mr Staley added. But the Financial Conduct Authority is investigating whether the bank played down the relationship. Officials are looking at a letter the company wrote to the watchdog following Epsteins death in the US and subsequent reports of Mr Staleys relationship while running JP Morgans private bank for wealthy clients. Mr Bramson, who made an ill-fated attempt to take a boardroom seat, has previously called for Barclays to shrink its investment bank and focus on consumer businesses or return cash to shareholders. He was defeated but retains a stake via his investment vehicle. The management of a financial institution that provides services to a client engaged in child prostitution not only potentially violates the rules, but is an enabler of that act, whether unwittingly or notEd Bramson, activist investor The activist investor said: The management of a financial institution that provides services to a client engaged in child prostitution not only potentially violates the rules, but is an enabler of that act, whether unwittingly or not. Issuing the statement via his vehicle Sherborne Investors, he added: A board that tolerates such conduct, whether occurring in the present or in the past, is also an enabler of that act. Any shareholder that votes for a director in these circumstances would also be an enabler. Shareholders will have the chance to vote for Mr Staleys re-election to the board at the banks annual general meeting, being held in Glasgow in May. Investors tend to back chief executives for re-election, with the most recent notable defeat in January 2019 when the former boss of Debenhams lost a vote shortly before the company collapsed into administration. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:17:02|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close SYDNEY, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Highly specialized drone technology has been brought in on an Australian island to assist starving koalas in the aftermath of the recent bushfire crisis. Once a home to over 50,000 koalas, it's now estimated there are only 10,000 left on South Australia's Kangaroo Island, after wildfires tore through around 2,100 square kilometres of vegetation in January. But while the flames are now extinguished, animal welfare groups are warning that one of Australia's most beloved creatures is now facing a new threat. "In the early stages of the search and rescue operation what we were finding was a lot of burnt and injured koalas that had to be taken in for veterinary care," Head of Campaigns at Humane Society International Australia, Nicola Beynon, told Xinhua on Monday. "Now we're finding not so many burn victims, but more koalas that are starving in these burnt out plantations on Kangaroo Island." "There is absolutely no foliage left. It has all been burnt, so there's no food source for the koalas." With time quickly running out, the Humane Society has looked to new technology for answers. "This is the first time anyone has used the combination of high-tech infrared with spot lights and a 180X zoom lens camera to search and rescue for wildlife," infrared drone pilot Douglas Thron explained. "It is working so well we can see it will be a game changer enabling us to quickly locate and save animals." "Time is precious for these animals as they frequently die before they can be reached. Uptake of this technology can shave off countless hours of searching on the ground." Able to hover far above the trees where it does not disturb the animal, when a koala is located by the drone a ground team is then immediately sent in. "We have a number of options depending on where in the tree it is," Beynon said. "If the koala is high up in the tree, we will mark it and start to build a humane trap." "This is an enclosure around the base of the tree in which we put water and nice fresh blue gum leaves." "We leave that overnight and when the koala comes down to get the gum leaves, the enclosure keeps it contained and in the morning we then take the koala into the vet station," she added. If the koala is more accessible and lower down the tree, an arborist is called in to swiftly retrieve the animal and offer it assistance. "Deploying this technology is making rescue efforts much more efficient as we can quickly identify koala hot-spots and map these areas to help all the rescuers rapidly reach animals most in need," Beynon said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:19:24|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close Photo taken by mobile phone shows the policemen deployed outside the V-Mall as they respond to a hostage-taking and shooting incident in San Juan City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on March 2, 2020. A gunman took around 30 hostages at a shopping mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila and one person was shot, a government official said on Monday. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) MANILA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A gunman took around 30 hostages at a shopping mall in the San Juan City of Metro Manila and one person was shot, a government official said on Monday. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said a former security guard of the V-Mall, with firearms, held hostage up to 30 employees of the sprawling mall. "We are currently negotiating with the hostage-taker," Zamora said. Zamora said the gunman shot and injured one person. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, he added. Initial news reports said the attack happened around 10 a.m. local time and is still ongoing. Entry to the mall was sealed and police asked mall-goers to stay away from the mall. One of Australia's largest universities is preparing for a full or partial closure of its campus if a major coronavirus outbreak occurs in Sydney. The closure option proposed by the University of Technology Sydney is among a number of strategies being discussed in the higher education sector, already suffering from the virus through the absence of foreign students particularly from China. Phil Honeywood, who chairs the global reputation taskforce co-ordinating the federal government and education sector's response to the coronavirus, said Japan had set a precedent by closing its schools in response to local outbreaks. "There is ample precedent for some temporary closure of institutions whether schools or post secondary to mitigate or reduce the spread of the virus," he said. Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde have discussed the security situation in Donbas and enhancement of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, according to the presidents press service. "The parties discussed the security situation in Donbas. The minister for foreign affairs of Sweden reiterated the full support for Ukrainian presidents efforts to ensure the peaceful settlement. The minister also confirmed the country's position on maintaining sanctions against Russia until full implementation of the Minsk agreements. In this context, special attention was paid to Sweden's future OSCE chairmanship in 2021," reads the statement. The parties also discussed the prospects for expanding the activities of Swedish investors in Ukraine and further enhancement of bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Andriy Yermak thanked Ann Linde for the Swedish governments strong support of Ukraine, first of all, Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as assistance to the government of Ukraine in carrying out reforms. Home Search ICH Are Russia and Turkey on a Collision Course? By The Saker March 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The murder of the Iranian hero-martyr General Soleimani created a situation in which a war between Iran and the Axis of Kindness (USA/Israel/KSA) became a real possibility but, at the very last minute, Uncle Shmuel decided that he had no stomach for a full-scale war against Iran. Wise decision. This, however, does not at all imply that the AngloZionist Empire decided to stand by idly, far from it. The need to take quick and determined action became particularly acute following the huge anti-US demonstrations in Iraq ( well over one million people in the streets!) which directly put at risk the US occupation (the MSM would call it presence) in both Iraq and Syria. At the same time, Turkish President Erdogans refusal to remove all the bad terrorists from the Idlib province eventually resulted in a joint Syrian-Russian offensive to liberate the province. That offensive, in turn, clearly infuriated the Turks who warned of a major military operation to prevent the Syrians from liberating their own country. This begs the question: are Russia and Turkey really on a collision course? There are certainly some very worrying warning signs including a number of very harsh statements by Erdogan himself, and a suddenly re-kindled Turkish interest for the US Patriots. On the ground in Idlib, the Turks have clearly provided the bad terrorists with a lot of support including equipment, MANPADs, tanks and armored personnel carriers. The Turks actually went as far as sending special forces to assist the bad terrorists directly. Finally, from footage taken by Russian and Syrian drones, and even the bad terrorists themselves, it appears undeniable that Turkish MLRS and regular artillery provided the bad terrorists with fire support. Both sides also agree that a number of Turkish personnel were killed (they only disagree on how many and what these Turks were doing in Syria). Finally, and most ominously, there is even a video circulating on the Internet which appears to show a US Stinger being fired by the bad terrorists at a Russian aircraft which, thank God, managed to evade it (unlike 2 Syrian Army helicopters which were shot down). So the first conclusion that we can come to is that the Turks are already engaged in combat operations against the Syrians. For the time being, these combat operations are just below the threshold of credible deniability, but not by much. For example, if the Turks had shot down a Russian aircraft you can be pretty certain that the Russian public opinion (which has still not forgiven Erdogan for the downed Su-24) would have demanded that the Russian Aerospace Forces massively retaliate (just as they have every time Russian military personnel have been killed) kill scores of Turks. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The Russian position is very straightforward. It goes something like this: The Turks committed to remove all the bad terrorists from the Idlib province, leaving only the good terrorists who are committed to a ceasefire and a political peace process in place. That did not happen. In this case, the Syrians clearly have to do themselves what the Turks refused (or could not) do. The Russian military presence in Syria, and the Russian military operations, are all absolutely legitimate and legal: the legitimate government of Syria invited the Russians in, and the UNSC agreed to back the Syrian peace process. Thus the Russian Aerospace Forces strikes against the bad terrorists are absolutely legal. Furthermore, Russia very much deplores the presence of regular Turkish units among the bad terrorists which is both illegal and very unhelpful. Finally, the Russian Aerospace forces have no way to determine who sits in which tank, or who provides artillery cover for the operations of the bad terrorists. Thus, if Turkish military personnel are killed in Syrian or Russian operations, this would be entirely the fault of Ankara. So far the Turkish military operation has been rather unsuccessful and limited. But Erdogan is now promising a major attack. Will that happen and what can the Turks really do? First and foremost, Turkey does not have the means to enter into a full-scale conflict with Russia. Turkey cannot do that for political, economic and military reasons: Political: the simple truth is that Turkey (and Erdogan) desperately need Russian political support, not only towards the West, but also towards Iraq, Iran or Israel. Furthermore, Erdogan has now clearly deeply alienated the Europeans who are fed up with Erdogans constant threats to open the refugees spigot . As for the Turks, they have already known for years that the EU will never accept them and that NATO will not support Turkey in its (very dangerous) operations in Iraq and Syria. Economic: Turkeys economy really suffered from the sanctions introduced by Russia following the shooting down of the Russian Su-24 by Turkish aircraft (backed by USAF fighters). What was true then is even more true now, and the Turkish public opinion understands that. Military: the past years have been absolutely disastrous for the Turkish armed forces which were purged following the coup attempt against Erdogan. This sorry state of affairs is indirectly confirmed by the very poor performance of Turkish forces in Syria. What about a conflict limited to Syria? Again, Turkey is in a bad position. For one thing, the Syrians and, even more so, the Russians control the airspace above Idlib. The Turks are so frustrated with this state of affairs that they have now reportedly asked the US to deploy Patriot missiles in southern Turkey . This is a rather bizarre request, especially considering that Turkey purchased S-400s from Russia or how pathetically the Patriots actually performed (recently in the KSA and elsewhere before that). This, by the way, might well be a case of fake news since, apparently, there are no Patriots available for Turkey even if the US agreed to sell. Then there is the bellicose rhetoric we hear from Erdogan. For example, he recently declared that: The regime, backed by Russian forces and Iran-backed militants, are continuously attacking civilians, committing massacres and shedding blood, () I hereby declare that we will strike regime forces everywhere from now on regardless of the [2018] deal if any tiny bit of harm is dealt to our soldiers at observation posts or elsewhere. That kind of language is, of course, very dangerous but, at least so far, the Turkish operation has been both limited and unsuccessful. Syrian President Assad was not impressed and declared that : It also means that we must not rest idle, but prepare for the battles to come. As a result, the battle to liberate the Aleppo and Idlib countryside continues regardless of some empty sound bubbles coming from the north (vain threats from Erdogan), just as the battle continues to liberate all of Syrian soil, crush terrorism and achieve stability. In the meantime, in Iraq, the US has apparently dug-in and categorically refuses to leave. In practical terms this means that the Iraqis will have to step up their anti-US campaign both politically (more protests and demonstrations) and militarily (more IEDs, convoy attacks and, probably soon, drone, cruise missile and ballistic missile attacks on US targets in Iraq). I dont believe that the US will be able to sustain that kind of pressure in the mid to long term, especially not in an election year (which promises to be hellish anyway). Right now, the Idiot-in-Chief seems to think that threatening Iraq with very big sanctions is the way to restore good relationships. In reality, all this will do is to further inflame anti-US feelings in Iraq and the rest of the region. Then there is the tactical situation. Please check these two maps: (click on map for a higher resolution) The part in red shows the government controlled areas. The light blue (or light green on the 2nd map) show the Turkish deployment. The part in olive green (or darker green on the 2nd map) shows the parts of the Idlib province which are still under Takfiri occupation. Finally, the small region around Tell Rifaat are controlled by the Kurds. The Syrian forces, backed by Russia, have now pushed back the latest Turkish+Takfiri attack north and west of Aleppo and they are now attacking the southern tip of the Takfiri occupation zone around the Zawiya mountain and highlands, see here: The Syrians have options here. They can either gradually push north, or they can try to envelop the Takfiri forces in a cauldron. Finally, the Syrians would score a major victory if they succeeded in regaining control of the highway between Aleppo and Latakia (in blue on the map). As for the Turkish-backed Takfiris, they are pushing very hard towards Idlib, so far with only moderate and temporary successes (they typically take a location at huge cost in lives and equipment and then cannot hold on to it as soon as the Syrians and Russians bomb the crap out of their newly conquered positions). All of this is taking place while Syrian, Russian, Turkish and US patrols are regularly meeting, often in rather tense situations which could quickly escalate into a firefight or, even worse, an open battle. There is also the risk of an incident in the air since these four nations also conduct air operations over Syria. And, just like in the case of the ground operations, Syrian and Russian air operations are legal under international law, Turkish, US or Israeli operations are not and constitute an act of aggression (n.b: the highest crime under international law). So far, the various negotiations between the parties have not yielded any result. This might change on March 5th when a conference on Syria attended by Turkey, Russia, France and Germany will meet (probably in Istanbul) to try to find a negotiated solution. Considering that Turkish soldiers are killed every day and already that 2 Syrian helicopters have been shot down, this might be too late to avoid an escalation. I will conclude here by posting a (minimally corrected) machine translation of a Russian translation of a text originally written by a Turkish political commentator and translated into Russian by a Telegram channel : (emphasis added) Russias strategy from the very beginning was to return full control of Syrian territories to Assad. And Moscow was implementing its plans, getting closer to the goal step by step. As long as Damascus will not take Idlib, the operation will continue. You dont need to be an expert in this field to understand this. This is obvious. Someone says that Erdogans trip to Ukraine played a role in the offensive operations of Damascus. In fact, this visit is the result of the Syrian armys offensive. The Turkish President went to Kiev just after tensions rose between the Turkish armed forces and the Russian side. Erdogan is in Ukraine made statements that have caused irritation in Moscow. Turkish diplomacy was at an impasse. We discussed for a long time that you cant put all your eggs in one Russian basket. And they said: we will buy the S-400, build a nuclear power plant, and develop tourism. And Putin was made a hero in our country. And now the defense Secretary is talking about buying American patriot air defense systems. And the President is talking about acquiring Patriot. We did not succeed with Russia, we will get closer to the United States this is not how foreign policy is done. We need consistency in foreign policy. It is not appropriate for a country with a strong military power to change sides between world powers once a week. What we are still discussing these days: we need to get closer to Europe and the US against Russia. These discussions worry our entrepreneurs who work with Russia. The tourism sector is concerned. Without Russian tourists, our tourism sector cannot fill all the volumes and make a profit. We have not yet been able to resolve these issues, and we are discussing a clash with Russia. Lets remember what happened after Turkey shot down a Russian plane. Our tourism sector could not recover for two years. What to expect from a military clash. We have to talk about it. The goal of our state: to live in peace on our land, and keep all the troubles away from yourself, while doing this to attract new troubles this is not an indicator of a good military strategy or a well-thought-out diplomatic strategy. Everyone should understand this. The risk for Erdogan is obvious: in case of a serious confrontation with Russia (and Syria AND Iran, dont forget them!), the consequences for Turkey might be severe, resulting in a sharp rise in anti-Erdogan feelings in Turkey, something he can hardly afford. And that brings us to the current US/NATO/CENTCOM posture following the assassination of General Soleimani I mentioned in the beginning of this article. The risks of a quick and dangerous escalation involving the US and Iran are still extremely high. The same can be said for the risks of a resumption of anti-US attacks by Iraqi Shia forces. Then there are the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Yemen, which Uncle Shmuel probably would prefer to end, but has no idea how. In these countries a rapid escalation could occur at any time, especially following Irans officially declared goal to kick the US out of the Middle-East. And now, there is a risk of major escalation between Turkey, Syria and Russia: such an escalation would have a major potential to suck in the US forces in the region, even if nobody does so deliberately (or if the Iranians do that very deliberately). Right now Uncle Shmuel is busy with a strategic PSYOP trying to get Russia and Iran into a conflict (see this propaganda piece for example). That will not work, as both the Russians and the Iranians are waaaaaaay too savvy to fall for such primitive things. The US also tried to instigate riots inside Iran, but they quickly petered out (as did the rumors about the US deliberately shooting down the Ukrainian airliner). The Middle-East is impossible to predict, it is too complex and there are too many possible factors which influence the situation. Still, my guess is that the March 5th conference, assuming it takes place, will force Erdogan to back down and re-pledge his commitment to bringing back security to the Idlib province. That is, as far as I can see, the only way for Erdogan to avoid an embarrassing military defeat with possibly very serious political consequences. Conversely, should there be an open clash between Turkey and Syria+Russia, then I dont see NATO intervening to back Turkey. At the most, the US/NATO can send forces to protect Turkey and equipment, but in both cases these would not be effective (the problems of the Turkish military are too big to be solved by such mostly symbolic actions). While some more rabid countries (Poland, Netherlands, UK and, of course, the USA) might be tempted to get a major NATO action going against Syria and, through that, against Russia, the mentally saner EU countries have exactly zero desire to end up in a war against Russia, not over the Ukraine, and not over Syria. Thus while Erdogan is desperately trying to pit the US against Russia, this will not work, especially since this latest pro-US zag will only further alienate Iran (and the rest of the region). I predict that after the March 5th conference, Erdogan will be forced to resume his friendship with Putin and basically cave in. If that does not happen, for whatever reason, an escalation will be pretty close to inevitable. PS: Colonel Cassad (aka Boris Rozhin) has published on his blog an interesting article which looks at a theory which, apparently, is popular in the Middle-East and Russia. This theory says that what is taking place is a gigantic show, a deception, in which both Russia and Turkey appear to be at odds, but in reality are working hand in hand to disarm the Takfiris and exchange territory. Here are, in his opinion, the possibly indications of such a collaboration: (machine translated and minimally corrected) After some formalities, Turkey resumed joint patrols with the Russian military in Rojava, which is carried out in a routine manner. Russia has increased the quota for the supply of Turkish tomatoes to Russia despite the fact that Russia threatened to block the supply of Turkish tomatoes. US did not give Turkey patriot missile, which was described in the Turkish media referring to anonymous sources in the Turkish government. No actual support from the United States and NATO, Turkey has not received. Despite the fact that the SAA was not going to stop the offensive and continued to surround the Turkish observation points, Turkey has effectively given Assads carte blanche for all of February, stating that no major combat operation will be initiated before the beginning of March. The main chain of the new observation points were deployed by Turkey to the North of highway M-4. The southern direction is not actually strengthened. Attempts to cover the Kafr will Sagna or Kafr Nabl were not undertaken, although this is more important points than Nairab. The bulk of the Pro-Turkish militants were drawn to Idlib and Carmine, while the southern front was actually exposed for Assad there is a situation of maximum favour for liberation dozen cities and towns. The battle of Niravam turned into a week-long meat grinder, where the militants engaged in stupid frontal assaults against Syrian positions with heavy losses but capturing Neirab, there is virtually nothing on the operational level, they did not win losing people and most importantly time. The Russian and Turkish military keep all channels of communication and exchange information, including on the movement of Turkish columns. The Russian military help to supply the surrounded Turkish observational points in the rear of Assad. Moscow and Ankara have repeatedly stressed that not to seek a military conflict with each other, preferring to seek resolution of disputes through diplomatic means. And Rozhin adds: Why all this may be part of a backroom deal? Because such a scenario would allow Turkey to look like a defender of Idlib, which is in strong opposition to the plans of Assad and Putin. At least visually. As for Assad and Putin, they can claim to have liberated part of the Idlib province. The battle of Niravam in this logic allow Erdogan to save face before in the interests of peace and security, to sign a new deal with Russia with a new line of demarcation, which officially has already been discussed at negotiations in Moscow on 17-18 February. Officially, the Turks rejected it. But its official. And if we assume that the agreement already exists and this just fixed sight 5 March, while Assad released another piece of Idlib and the militants An-Nusra will be partially disposed in the battles with the SAA in Idlib and in the southern frontal attack on the front under Niranam. In favor of this version may indicate the previous experience of transactions between Russia and Turkey, when Ankara loudly growled at Assad, but de facto did not prevent the Assad regime to clean up the enclaves and win the battle for Aleppo. Against this version can play what the Turks themselves are suffering losses in manpower, and further concessions to Russia may undermine Erdogans positions in Idlib, so he tries to bargain. I personally doubt this version, if only because this is a very tricky and dangerous way to get things done, and because of the many threats and even ultimatums Erdogan is constantly spewing. A more likely explanation for all of the above is that 1) the Takfiris are desperate and are running out of steam and 2) the Turks are afraid of a serious confrontation with Russia. Rozin concludes: I think that by March 5 the question of whether there is was a secret deal or not will finally be clarified, since Erdogans threats are all focusing on early March, at which point he will have to either attack or chose to play the role of peacemaker, which diplomatically stopped the advance of Assad. Here I can only agree with him. " Source " Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== UN to Syria: Let our al-Qaeda Continue Rule Idlib, Please! : The Secretary-General called upon Syria to put down their weapons and leave al-Qaeda alone. REVEALED: The British governments covert propaganda campaign in Syria : How British contractors recruited Syrian citizen journalists often without their knowledge to promote moderate opposition Telegraph Reporter Ensor Pimps Last Propaganda Post against Syria Leading two-wheeler manufacturers Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company on Monday reported double-digit decline in sales in February as compared to the year-ago period, impacted by BS-VI transition and component supply disruption due to coronavirus outbreak in China. On the other hand, Suzuki Motorcycle and Royal Enfield posted single-digit increase in sales last month. The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp reported 19.27 per cent decline in total sales at 4,98,242 units in February. The company had sold 6,17,215 units in the corresponding month of the previous year, Hero MotoCorp said in a statement. Total motorcycle sales last month stood at 4,79,310 units as against 5,58,884 units in February 2019, down 14.23 per cent. Total scooter sales declined 67.54 per cent to 18,932 units as compared to 58,331 units in the year-ago month, it added. In the domestic market, sales were at 4,80,196 units last month as compared with 6,00,616 units in the same period a year ago, down 20.04 per cent. Hero MotorCorp said its exports last month were at 18,046 units as compared to 16,599 units in February 2019. The two-wheeler major said it has moved ahead to manufacturing only BS-VI vehicles and stopped the production of all BS-IV two-wheelers in February. The ongoing COVID-19 issue had adversely impacted production at the company's manufacturing facilities last month. "Since then, substantial progress has been made in developing alternate sources for procuring components. Meanwhile, the component makers in China, having restarted production, are also expected to resume normal supplies soon," Hero MotoCorp said. Similarly, TVS Motor Company reported 15.39 per cent decline in total sales at 2,53,261 units in February on account of BS-IV reduction and impact of parts supply disruption due to coronavirus outbreak. The company had sold 2,99,353 units in February 2019. "As planned, the company is on track to reducing dealer level BS-IV stock in the domestic market and is confident of retailing it this month," it said. In addition, the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) impacted supply of certain components for production of BS-VI vehicles. All efforts are on to normalise this at the earliest, it added. Total two-wheelers sales were at 2,35,891 units in February 2020 as against 2,85,611 units in the same month last year, down 17.4 per cent. Domestic two-wheeler sales last month stood at 1,69,684 units as compared to 2,31,582 units in February 2019, a decline of 26.72 per cent. Motorcycle sales were down 3.29 per cent to 1,18,514 units in February 2020 as compared to 1,22,551 units in the year-ago month. Scooter sales also declined by 30.25 per cent to 60,633 units as against 86,935 units in February 2019, TVS Motor Co said. Total three-wheeler sales, however, grew by 26 per cent to 17,370 units last month as compared to 13,742 units in February 2019. Similarly, total exports also grew by 25 per cent to 82,877 units in February 2020 as compared to 66,570 units in the same month last year, the company said. Bajaj Auto also reported 10 per cent decline in total sales at 3,54,913 units in February as against 3,93,089 units in the same month last year. Total domestic sales declined by 24 per cent to 1,68,747 units last month as compared to 2,21,706 units in February 2019, Bajaj Auto said in a statement. On the other hand, niche bike maker Royal Enfield reported 1 per cent growth in total sales at 63,536 units in February as compared with 62,630 units in February last year. Domestic sales stood at 61,188 units last month as against 60,066 units in February 2019, up 2 per cent. Exports declined 8 per cent to 2,348 units as against 2,564 units in the same month previous year, it said. Similarly, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) posted a 3.5 per cent increase in total sales at 67,961 units last month. It had sold 65,630 units in the year-ago period. The company's domestic sales during February this year stood at 58,644 units as compared to 57,174 units sold in the year-ago month, a growth of 2.57 per cent. "Inching closer to the end of the current fiscal year, we are happy with our sustained growth momentum," SMIPL Managing Director Koichiro Hirao said. In the four-wheeler segment, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) reported a 9.1 per cent decline in total vehicle sales at 11,356 units in February as against 12,497 units in the same month last year. In the domestic market, the company posted sales of 10,352 units last month, down 11.9 per cent from 11,760 units in February 2019, TKM said in a statement. "We have smoothly transitioned to BS-VI manufacturing and started delivering BS-VI vehicles to our customers before the stipulated deadline of April 2020. A total of 31,853 BS-VI vehicles have been dispatched to our dealerships till date," TKM Senior Vice President (Sales and Service) Naveen Soni said. On Sunday, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and MG Motor India said that they were facing challenges in terms of component supply from coronavirus-hit China. However, major automobile manufacturers Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Toyota Kirloskar Motor said they do not see any immediate impact on their production schedules due to disruption in supply of components from plants located in China. The companies, however, said they continue to monitor the situation closely, especially the operations of their major suppliers, in order to face any adverse situation that may crop up in the future. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Export of all varieties of onion will be free from March 15, the government announced on Monday, lifting around six-month-old curbs on shipments of the bulb following a correction in prices and improvement in local supplies. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) also announced removing the minimum export price (MEP) for outward shipments of the commodity. "The export of all varieties of onions has been made free without any condition of letter of credit and MEP, with effect from March 15, 2020," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. in several parts of Nashik district in Maharashtra agitated over falling onion prices, with an official informing that average per quintal price for Monday was Rs 1,450 at Lasalgaon, the country's largest market for the kitchen staple. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the decision will help boost the income of The government last week decided to lift ban on export of onions in view of projected sharp fall in prices due to bumper rabi crop. In September 2019, the government banned and also imposed an MEP of $850 per tonne. The move came after prices started skyrocketing due to supply-demand mismatch. In December last year, the prices hit Rs 160 per kg in certain parts of the country. The prices are hovering at around Rs 30 per kg at present. Expected monthly harvest in March is over 40 lakh MT compared to 28.4 lakh MT last year, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had tweeted on Wednesday. There was shortage of onion as kharif crop was adversely affected due to excess rains and floods in key producing states, including Maharashtra. Currently, the arrival of rabi (winter) crop of onion has begun in small quantities and would increase from mid-March onwards. Exports of onion are expected to arrest sharp the fall in domestic prices. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden got a boost ahead of the Super Tuesday nomination contests when Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg gave him their endorsements Monday after ending their own White House bids. Fresh off a huge win in South Carolina, Biden seeks to position himself as the most viable alternative to Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic front-runner who is running on a progressive agenda that includes a "Medicare for All" proposal and a plan to erase student debt. Buttigieg and Klobuchar each flew to Dallas on Monday. Biden was scheduled to hold a rally there on the eve of Super Tuesday. At stake in Texas are 228 delegates the third-most delegates available in the Democratic nominating contest. On Tuesday, 14 states will determine one-third of the pledged delegates 1,344 out of the 1,991 needed to win the nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in November. Sanders has led polling averages in the biggest prize of California: 415 delegates are up for grabs. The Vermont senator, who held the most delegates heading into Tuesday, tweeted Monday that he doesn't believe "we will defeat Donald Trump with a candidate like Joe Biden who supported the Iraq War." But many moderate Democrats and establishment party figures feared that if Sanders, a Democratic socialist, won the nomination, he wouldn't be able to attract the broad coalition the party needs to beat Trump. Biden has criticized Sanders' plans such as "Medicare for All" and erasing student debt as too costly. Another wild card is that former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will begin appearing on ballots Tuesday after spending $539 million through Thursday to blanket the country with advertising. To combat Sanders' grassroots campaign and Bloomberg's advertising, Biden spent Monday collecting high-profile endorsements, including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Reid called Biden the "best able" to defeat Trump. Story continues Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who earlier endorsed Buttigieg, threw his support Monday behind Biden, saying "it's time for the party to consolidate." The twin departures of Klobuchar and Buttigieg in less than 24 hours offered Biden an opportunity to unite moderate voters behind his candidacy. Klobuchar pitched herself as a moderate with Midwestern appeal and the political "grit." She enjoyed a boomlet after the New Hampshire primary, where a surprise third-place finish gave her a needed fundraising boost and fresh political momentum. Klobuchar said the New Hampshire results showed she could beat expectations and build a broad coalition, as she had in her Senate races. "I defied expectations, and I won. And I have done it over and over again in the reddest of red districts and the bluest of blue districts, she told supporters in New Hampshire. But her "Klomentum" seemed to evaporate as quickly as it emerged. She garnered only 3% of the vote in Saturday's South Carolina primary, a result that all but closed off her path to the nomination. Buttigieg, a former Navy intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan, was one of the few military veterans in the race. He also offered academic credentials as a Rhodes Scholar with degrees from Harvard University and the University of Oxford who speaks multiple languages. He inspired unity and inclusiveness as an openly gay candidate. But after winning the Iowa caucuses, he found it difficult to gain traction with younger voters and placed a disappointing fourth Saturday in South Carolina. In his departure speech Sunday in South Bend, Buttigieg said he would "do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January. Time to vote: When are the 2020 presidential election primaries? Candidates are making their last push across the state of New Hampshire before the primary on Feb. 11. Presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) speaks during a Nashua Rotary Club Meeting. Klobuchar invested most of her time and money in Iowa, where she finished in fifth place, and New Hampshire, where she snagged nearly 20% of the vote. But just a few days after the New Hampshire primary, Klobuchar stumbled during an interview with Telemundo when asked if she could name the president of Mexico. "No," she responded in a lapse that came back to haunt her during the pivotal Feb. 18 Democratic debate. And the New Hampshire bounce was not enough to help her campaign scale up as the race moved to Nevada and South Carolina. She finished sixth in the Nevada caucuses. Klobuchar's rivals, including Biden and Sanders, were far better organized in those two states. And they enjoyed broader support among Latino and African-American voters, key constituencies she was unable to win over. Klobuchar, 59, has been the senior U.S. senator from Minnesota since 2007 and is the states first female senator. She launched her campaign in the middle of a snowstorm on the Mississippi River shore. "I don't come from money," Klobuchar said as snow piled on the crowd. "But what I do have is this: I have grit. I have family. I have friends. I have neighbors. I have all of you who are willing to come out in the middle of the winter, all of you who took the time to watch us today from home, all of you who are willing to stand up and say people matter." Klobuchar cast herself as the best alternative to liberals in the race, Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, touting her Midwestern roots and her ability to work across the aisle to get things done in the Senate. "I'm someone that can win and beat Donald Trump," she said during the first primary debate last year. "I have won every place, every race, and every time. I have won in the reddest of districts, ones that Donald Trump won by over 20 points. I can win in states like Wisconsin and Iowa and in Michigan." On some progressive policies, such as Medicare for All and access to free college, Klobuchar differed from her more progressive counterparts. On the campaign trail, Klobuchar at times had to contend with reporting that dubbed her one of the worst bosses in Congress, a designation Politico gave her in 2018. Opinion: Klobuchar's bad-boss flaws are disturbing. Should Democrats write her off? The New York Times in 2019 reported multiple cases of her unethical conduct as an employer in February. Among the claims: Klobuchar was known to throw objects in frustration, including binders and phones, in the direction of aides. In one notorious anecdote, Klobuchar reportedly ate her salad with a comb when an aide failed to bring her a fork. Yes, I can be tough, and yes, I can push people, Klobuchar told reporters after initial allegations circulated. I have high expectations for myself. I have high expectations for the people that work for me. But I have high expectations for this country. Contributing: Rebecca Morin This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Super Tuesday: Klobuchar, Buttigieg endorse Joe Biden Subscriber content preview NEW YORK (AP) The Federal Communications Commission has proposed roughly $200 million in fines combined for the country's four major 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. The carriers can object to the proposed fines. . . . Life-threatening flash floods and severe winds could hit the south of the country mid-week as several storm systems move from the west coast. The Sierra Nevada Mountains in California and the Rockies in Wyoming have already been covered in a foot of snow, resulting in the deaths of two people in an I-80 pile-up overnight. But as the harsh weather spreads across the US, people in the south have been warned to look out for hail stones the size of softballs and potentially deadly tornadoes. Affecting Ohio Valley in its path and causing flash flooding in southern Missouri, Memphis and Nashville are expected to receive a lashing from the weather systems later on Monday. Threats for flash flooding, and some renewed river flooding exist in the south this week Storms will bring snow from western mountains across the country The Sierra Nevada Mountains in California have already been covered in a foot of snow At least four people are dead in Wyoming and dozens injured in a pileup that happened amid blowing snow overnight The Tennessee cities could be battered by winds from thunderstorms in the south until at least Thursday. Scattered storms will move from northeast Arkansas and into western Kentucky. But the biggest threat of wind damage from thunderstorms is in central Texas on Tuesday, ABC News reports. Neighboring Georgia is preparing for heavy rain in Atlanta on the same day, plus South Carolina and Alabama face trouble too. Those states saw record heavy rainfall in February and with the ground still saturated in precipitation, the areas have a higher risk of flash-flooding on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over 50 gauges in the south are already above flood level but more could be triggered as south of the Mississippi Valley and south of the Interstate 20 braces for two to five inches of rainfall. But the culmination of days-long rain in the south poses danger for the likes of Houston, New Orleans and the Florida Panhandle by Wednesday. The Wyoming vehicle wreck happened in snowy, blustery weather Sunday on Interstate 80 about 180 miles (290 kilometers) west of Cheyenne But the culmination of days-long rain in the south poses danger for the likes of Houston, Texas, New Orleans, Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle by Wednesday The flash flood threat for the Tuesday-Thursday time frame continues, though there remains some question of where the heaviest rainfall occurs. Slight Risk areas have been placed over parts of the Deep South and central Texas for Tuesday, and the threat extends beyond that time Half a foot of rain is forecast in the lead-up to thunderstorms on Friday, making conditions extremely dangerous. The National Weather Service made a The Simpsons cartoon lousy Smarch weather reference as it shared the news about conditions in Missouri and beyond. NWS tweeted Monday: To borrow a phrase, the southern U.S. is in for some lousy Smarch weather this week with several days of severe weather and heavy rainfall/flooding. They advise to never cross a flooded road on foot or in a vehicle and warned hail larger than softballs can be produced from severe thunderstorms. Winds over 100mph and tornadoes were also a possibility and the danger is only increased in some areas due to snowmelt. A slow moving front will settle across the South through much of this week, bringing several rounds of heavy rainfall and possibly severe thunderstorms to the regions 'Lousy Smarch weather': The National Weather Service warned not to cross flooded roads Over 50 gauges in the south are already above flood level but more could be triggered as south of the Mississippi Valley and south of the Interstate 20 braces for two to five inches of rain At least four people are dead in Wyoming and dozens injured in a pileup that happened amid blowing snow. The wreck happened in snowy, blustery weather Sunday on Interstate 80 about 180 miles (290 kilometers) west of Cheyenne. Besides those killed, about 30 people were taken to the emergency room at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in the small city of Rawlins, hospital spokeswoman Stephanie Hinkle told the Casper Star-Tribune. Officials at the 25-bed hospital called in in three extra doctors and set up a temporary patient holding area in a cafeteria. A 200-mile (320-kilometer) stretch of westbound I-80, from Laramie to Rock Springs, was closed. Wyoming Department of Transportation officials didnt expect the highway to reopen until early Tuesday. Forecasters predicted snow driven by wind up to 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour) would continue to affect travel until Tuesday. Foreign citizenship ban for Russian ombudsman may be fixed in Constitution RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:12 02/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 2 (RAPSI) A proposal to fix a ban on foreign citizenship for Russias High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Constitution has been submitted to the State Duma Committee for State Building and Legislation prior to the second reading of the bill on the Constitution amending in the lower house of parliament. According to the Committees chairman Pavel Krasheninnikov, the initiative envisages that a federal ombudsman must be a citizen of Russia permanently living in the homeland, who does not have a foreign citizenship or residential permit. A similar ban is proposed for Russian prosecutors. In late February, an amendment setting April 22 as the date of the All-Russian vote on Constitution was submitted to the State Building and Legislation Committee of the lower house of Russias parliament in the framework of run-up to the second reading of the bill on Constitutional changes. According to Krasheninnikov, the proposed changes with respect of the date of the All-Russian vote were developed basing on the results of a meeting of the working group on drafting amendments to the Constitution held on February 26. The date of the voting is to be a legal public holiday, it is to be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. President Vladimir Putin brought the bill to amend the Constitution before the parliament on January 20. He clarified the essence of the amendments proposed to the Constitution at a meeting with members of a working group established to elaborate the respective suggestions on January 16. According to the President, the amendments are aimed to further the development of Russia as a social welfare state governed by the rule of law, as well as to achieve higher efficiency of its national institutions, strengthen the role played by its civil society, political parties, and Russias regions in working out most important decisions concerning the development of the state. Vladimir Putin stated that Russia was to remain a Presidential republic, but a more open one, where the significance of its Parliament was to grow, whereas interrelations of lawmakers with the government were to be strengthened. The President was to retain serious powers to dismiss from their posts those violating the law and those failing to be scrupulous about their duties on the basis of loss of trust, Putin said. The Head of the State believes that these powers were imperative due to the complex state structure of Russia, its multi-confessional and multi-ethnic nature, and vast territory. The working group on preparation of proposals concerning amendments to the Constitution was approved by the President on January 15. Among its members are representatives of the Federation Council, State Duma and other public figures. The Congress MPs on Monday staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament House premises after the Chairs on both Houses rejected their demand for a discussion on last week's communal violence in Delhi. Led by Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress MPs carried banners and placards with slogans like "Shah Must Resign", "Save Our India", "Pradhan Mantri Jawab Do" and also raised the same slogans. Talking to ANI, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that the party is demanding a discussion on the Delhi violence and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation. "Our first demand is that discussions must be held on the Delhi violence. Secondly, we want someone to take responsibility for it, therefore we are demanding the Home Minister's resignation and we also want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond over it," Tharoor said. Earlier, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs had also staged a novel protest in front of the Gandhi statue by covering their eyes against the violence in north-east Delhi. At least 46 people lost their lives and more than 200 others sustained serious injuries in the violence that rocked north-east Delhi for four days last week. The Delhi Police has registered 254 FIRs, including 41 cases under the Arms Act, in connection with the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Insurance companies are known to provide various insurance policies that can help policyholders overcome any difficult situations they may encounter, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Insurance companies offer various insurance plans that cover specific events. Before signing any insurance contracts, drivers should do a little research and find out what is covered by each insurance plan. By doing so, drivers will be able to customize their insurance policies with the coverages and options they actually need. The most common insurance policies are: Liability coverage. In many states, this coverage is the minimum required insurance in order to drive legally. This policy has two components: bodily injury liability and property damage liability. Bodily injury liability pays for the medical expenses of the others who were injured by an at-fault policyholder. Property damage liability pays for the repair costs or to replace damaged property by an at-fault policyholder. Personal injury protection. Also known as PIP insurance or no-fault insurance. This policy covers medical expenses for policyholders and their passengers who are hurt in car accidents. Also, this coverage will pay for the funeral expenses, lost wages, child care, house care, and other services a policyholder can't fulfill anymore. Collision insurance. This policy will pay the costs to repair or to replace a damaged vehicle that was involved in a car accident with another vehicle or a collision with an inanimate object like a tree, fence or pole. Also, collision insurance will pay when a policyholder flips his car or he collides with another vehicle he owns. Comprehensive insurance. It covers events that are not related to collisions. This coverage will pay the costs to replace a stolen vehicle or the damage caused by severe weather events, fire, flood, falling objects, vandalism or rampaging animals. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage is a type of coverage that kicks in if a policyholder is hurt or suffers property damage in an accident caused by an uninsured driver. Underinsured coverage will help the policyholders pay their medical bills if they are injured in a car accident caused by a driver that has coverage, but its not enough to pay for the medical bills. Roadside assistance. This coverage helps drivers that suffered a mechanical breakdown. Usually, roadside assistance will provide services like battery jump-start, towing to the nearest repair shop, flat tires replacement, or fuel delivery. 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. For more information, free quotes and money-saving tips, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/. Argentina is set to become the first major Latin American country to legalise abortion after the countrys president announced the imminent new legislation. Campaigners hailed Alberto Fernandez's announcement as a potential turning point for womens rights in the region, after he said a bill would be sent to congress within just 10 days Mr Fernandez made the announcement in the National Congress in the capital of Buenos Aires on Sunday while thousands assembled outside. Some women cried during the speech as others wielded green scarves which have become an emblem of the country's long-running battle to make it legal for women to have their pregnancies terminated. Abortion happens, its a fact, Mr Fernandez, who was sworn in as president in December, said in his first annual address to congress. Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Show all 11 1 /11 Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Pro-choice campaigners stood outside the Stormont Estate on Monday 21 October with the word "decriminalised" spelt out in front of them as some of Stormonts assembly members returned to the chamber for the first time in nearly three years. A group of Northern Irish lawmakers returned to parliament in a failed last-minute protest at the decriminalisation of abortion in the region. AFP via Getty Images Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Attendees at a pro-choice press conference embraced one another ahead of the meeting of the Stormont Assembly on abortion rights and same-sex marriage in Belfast. Getty Images Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland A member of pro-choice group Alliance for Choice smiled as she and others marched in support of abortion rights in Belfast, Northern Ireland, following a pro-choice press conference. Getty Images Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Members of pro-choice groups Alliance for Choice and Pro Life held demonstrations outside Stormont on Monday 21 October as a last-minute attempt to stop the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland was made by the Democratic Unionist party. Getty Images Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland A rally was held in Dublin City centre on Monday 21 October in celebration of the eminent decriminalisation of abortion and same-sex marriage. PA Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Equal marriage campaigners Martha Brown and Louise McCullough celebrated at Maverick Bar in Belfast as same-sex marriage and abortion were legalised in Northern Ireland. PA Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Members of pro-choice group Alliance for Choice made their way to Stormont carrying abortion rights signs. Getty Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Kellie Turtle and Emma Campbell embraced as members of pro-choice group Alliance for Choice held a press conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Getty Images Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Activist Ashleigh Topley wiped away her tears during the Alliance for Choice press conference on Monday 21 October. Getty Images Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Members of Alliance for Group embraced one another after their pro-choice press conference. Getty Images Celebrations as abortion is decriminalised in Northern Ireland Abortion rights campaigners marched through the streets of Belfast ahead of the meeting of the Stormont Assembly on abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Getty A state should protect citizens in general and women in particular. And in the 21st Century, every society needs to respect the individual choice of its members to decide freely about their bodies. He argued the current law had "condemned many women, generally of limited resources, to resort to abortive practices in absolute secrecy, putting their health and sometimes their lives at risk. Abortion is a highly divisive issue in the country of 45 million and a bill legalising the procedure was rejected by Argentinas senate after getting the approval of the countrys congress back in 2018. In contrast to the previous time, the bill has the support of the countrys president. Abortion is permitted in Argentina if the pregnancy is due to rape or in instances when the mothers health or life is in danger but campaigners say the law is not consistently implemented. Fury over abortion laws raged in February last year when authorities refused to let an 11-year-old girl impregnated by an elderly rapist in Argentina have the abortion to which she was legally entitled. The young girl, who had been raped by her grandmothers 65-year-old partner, gave birth by caesarean but her baby died on International Womens Day last year. Mariela Belski, executive director of Amnesty International Argentina, welcomed the presidents announcement on abortion. She said: Congress must now listen to the demands of tens of thousands of women who have fought to have control over what they do with their bodies. Access to safe abortion is a human right. Legalising abortion would be a truly historic step for our country, and women would be able to look forward to a future where their rights are respected and they are treated with compassion. Latin America has some of the worlds most stringent restrictions on abortion with only Uruguay, Cuba and Guyana having legalised the procedure in the region. Forced child pregnancy is a big problem in Argentina and wider Latin America. Tens of thousands of girls in the region become pregnant after being raped every year, according to research by the Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Defence of Womens Rights (Cladem) covering 14 countries. The World Health Organisation estimates that each year between five per cent to 12 per cent of maternal deaths globally can be attributed to unsafe abortion with the annual cost of treating major complications from unsafe abortion estimated at $553m (435m). By Moon Of Alabama March 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - March 01, 2020 -The Russian airforce and air defense went quiet after the bombing of the Turkish infantry battalion. Putin presumably wants a deal over Idleb but neither Damascus nor Ankara are willing to agree to whatever he proposed. Unfortunately there has been no official comment on the situation from Moscow or Damascus. All 'experts' are currently just guessing. Turkey used the Russian air defense pause to send armed drones behind the Syrian lines. These caused damage though less than Turkey claimed. Some Hizbullah and Iranian troops were hit and Turkey has received warnings from Iran and Lebanon that this will have consequences for the Turkish soldiers in Idleb. Today Syria's air defense was again activated and shot down 6 Turkish drones. The Jihadis thought it was a Syrian plane and celebrated. Turkey responded by shooting down a Syrian jet over Idleb. The missile was fired from Turkey. Another drone was shot down near the Russian air base in Latakia. The Syrian army is advancing in Saraqib. Syria's Foreign Minister met his Libyan colleague from the Libyan National Accord under General Haftar. They criticized the "Turkish aggression" against both countries and signed some agreements. Yesterday Sputnik published a piece on Hatay: The Stolen Province: Why Turkey Was Given A Corner Of Syria By France 80 Years Ago Today Turkey arrested the Sputnik bureau chief in Istanbul. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Syria - Another Short Note On The Recent Developments By Moon Of Alabama March 02, 2020 - After the confusion caused by the sudden stand down of Russian forces in Syria and the following Turkish drone attacks everything seems to be back to normal. Russian planes are again bombing Jihadis and Turkey has been told by Russia that none of its planes or drones will be safe within Syria's sky. The Pentagon announced that it will not provide air support to Turkey. It will also not send any Patriot air defense to Syria but President Trump promised to ask other NATO countries to do so. They are likely to deny the request. It seems that Pentagon has won the fight with the State Department which supported the Turkish push for protection. The Turkish president Erdogan said that Turkey has no "particular problem" with Russian and Iran aligned forces in Idleb. This comes after Iran and Hizbullah had warned that Turkish troops in their now surrounded 'observation posts' would be easy targets. The Turkish units which have invaded Idleb were quiet today. (Newser) An investigation is ongoing into allegations that deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department leaked graphic photos of the site of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash, including images that showed the victims' remains. Bryant's widow, Vanessa, is "absolutely devastated" by that claim, her lawyer says. "Mrs. Bryant personally went to the sheriff's office on Jan. 26 and requested that the area be designated a no-fly zone and protected from photographers," said Gary C. Robb, per People. The January accident killed Kobe Bryant; his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; and seven others. Robb added that Vanessa Bryant was promised by Sheriff Alex Villanueva himself that such privacy for the victims and their families would be honored. story continues below Bryant also shared the statement on her own Instagram feed. The allegations were first noted in a Los Angeles Times article, which quoted the chair of the Civilian Oversight Commission calling the accusations "completely unprofessional" and "very regrettable" if true. Robb noted that the allegations came to light after someone filed an online complaint. In its own statement, the sheriff's office says it's "deeply disturbed" by the claim, and that "a thorough investigation will be conducted by the department, with the number-one priority of protecting the dignity and privacy of the victims and their families." It adds that "existing policies and procedures" on how such things are handled will also be scrutinized. (Read more Kobe Bryant stories.) In this file photo from March 2018, shareholders of Samsung Electronics enter the 49th annual shareholder meeting held in southern Seoul. / Korea Times file By Anna J. Park Shareholder activism the tendency of shareholders to exercise a significant influence over a company's decision makings as partial owners is gaining traction in Korea and emerging as a "threat" to major conglomerates. The shift toward the strengthened influence of shareholders is nothing new in Korea, but it is expected to be a major force during this year's annual shareholder meetings, mostly slated to be held in late March. In July 2018, the nation's largest investor, the National Pension Service (NPS), adopted a stewardship code, a set of guidelines aimed at enhancing engagement between investors and company management. In addition, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) loosened up a set of regulations regarding the so-called "5 percent rule" in the securities market in late 2019 with a revision to the Capital Markets Act, easing public disclosure requirements by shareholders with more than 5 percent in equity securities. The eased public disclosure requirements for investors puts more pressure on businesses as it makes it easier for shareholders to voice their opinions, while companies have a harder time assessing shareholders' intentions. Some business associations, including the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF), have voiced opposition to the decision, expressing concerns about shareholders' "excessive control" over businesses. The NPS did announce a decision to actively wield greater influence over companies' business strategies and decisions in which it had a major investment. The NPS has notified the FSS that the state-run investor will change its investment objectives across 56 companies, including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motors, Naver, LG Chem, Celltrion, Samsung C&T, and Posco, to seek more active engagement in the running of the businesses. Other major asset managers, including KB and Korea, have also notified the overseer of their decisions to change their investment objective in companies such as SM, Hyosung TNC and Nexen among others. Another trend that shows a growing emphasis on shareholder activism is the increase in the use of e-voting systems. The systems aim to reflect the voices of minority shareholders who cannot participate in annual general meetings. According to the Korea Securities Depository (KSD), the rate of e-voting use increased to 5.04 percent in 2019, from 1.8 percent in 2017. J&K was better off before Article 370 was abrogated: Azad Article 370: SC refuses to refer matter to larger Bench India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 02: The Supreme Court has rejected a plea seeking to refer the matter relating to Article 370 to a larger Bench. The Bench comprising five judges noted that there is no conflict between the Sampath Prakash and Prem Nath Kaul verdicts of the Supreme Court. A batch of petitions were filed challenging the constitutional validity of the decision by the Centre, which abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. A plea was subsequently filed to refer the matter to a seven judge Bench. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice N V Ramana had on January 23 reserved its order on this issue. Opposing the plea, the Centre had said that abrogation of provisions of Article 370, which granted special status to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, has become a "fait accompli" leaving sole option to accept the change. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 NGO People''s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and an intervenor have sought referring the matter to a larger bench. They had sought reference to a larger bench on the ground that two judgements of Supreme Court -- Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1959 and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1970 -- which dealt with the issue of Article 370 are in direct conflict each other and therefore the current bench of five judges could not hear the issue. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had told the bench -- also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant -- that "the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, has now become a "fait accompli" leaving sole option to accept the change". Referring to the two earlier judgments, Venugopal had said that they were not related to each other and dealt with different issues. He had said that the verdict in Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir did not deal with Article 370 rather with the question whether the Maharaja had the legislative power or not. While referring to the verdict in Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir, Venugopal had said though it dealt with some aspects of Article 370, it was not in direct conflict with the verdict in the Kaul case and therefore the present issue should not be referred to a larger bench. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir administration, had said he adopts the arguments of the Attorney General and favours no reference to larger bench. Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir People''s Conference, had said that he is supporting Centre on the question that no reference is needed to a larger bench. A number of petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists and political parties and they have also challenged the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which splits J&K into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 10:48 [IST] EL PASO, Texas, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Hunt Military Communities ("Hunt"), the military housing division of Hunt Companies Inc., pledged its support of the Department of Defense's Military Housing Privatization Initiative ("MHPI") Resident Bill of Rights. Secretary of Defense Esper and the Secretaries of the Air Force, Army and Navy signed a Resident Bill of Rights on February 25, 2020, which included 15 of the 18 rights Congress mandated for all military families while living in privatized base housing. The declaration is part of the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2020 fiscal year. "We fully support all of the initiatives outlined in the Department of Defense's MHPI Resident Bill of Rights, and we have invested significant time and resources toward advancing these initiatives," said John Ehle, President of Hunt Military Communities. "We remain committed to making further progress and providing the best possible housing for America's Service Members and their families." The Resident Bill of Rights includes a number of initiatives designed to support military members and their families, including the right to reside in a housing unit and a community that meets applicable health and environmental standards, the right to a written lease with clearly defined rental terms, and the right to have sufficient time and opportunity to prepare and be present for move-in and move-out inspections. To view the full Resident Bill of Rights, visit https://www.navy.mil/strategic/TenanBillofRights.pdf. Of note, three rights mandated by Congress were not initially included in the Resident Bill of Rights signed last week because they are still in the process of being developed. Those include the right to access maintenance history, a process for dispute resolution and withholding of rent until disputes are resolved. Hunt is fully engaged with the DoD in advancing these initiatives and is committed to ensuring they become part of the Resident Bill of Rights. "We are actively engaged and are working collaboratively with the Department of Defense and other MHPI project owners on a seven-year maintenance history form for residents and on Dispute Resolution Guidelines that allows for withholding of rent," Ehle added. "Additionally, Hunt is in support of a number of initiatives to standardize and improve the MHPI program for residents, including a Universal Lease and a Universal Mold and Moisture Policy, among others." The Resident Bill of Rights takes effect May 1. About Hunt Military Communities Hunt's Military Communities division is a 50-year partnership created between the Department of Defense and Hunt through the Military Housing Privatization Act. As part of the partnership, Hunt owns approximately 52,000 units spread across more than 40 military installations on Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army installations and is the largest privatized military housing project owner in the nation. For more information, visit www.huntmilitarycommunities.com. SOURCE Hunt Military Communities Related Links http://www.huntmilitarycommunities.com The following individuals were either recently charged in Walworth County Circuit Court or recently made their initial court appearance. James S. Bax, 32, McHenry, Illinois, has been charged with two counts of substantial battery and two counts of disorderly conduct in Lake Geneva. If convicted, he faces up to seven years and six months in prison and $22,000 in fines. Donte R. Brown, 30, Charleston, South Carolina, has been charged with retail theft at a Walmart store in Lake Geneva. If convicted, he faces up to three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine. Jacob E. Caruso, 45, Delavan, has been charged with felony battery, disorderly conduct and resisting police in an alleged domestic violence incident. If convicted, he faces up to five years and nine months in prison and $21,000 in fines. Adam Isaac Cooper, 37, Whitewater, has been charged with operating while under the influence-fifth offense. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Kitty A. Cortez, 41, town of Geneva, has been charged with harboring or aiding a felon. If convicted, she faces up to three years and six months imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. Andrew Allen Dufek, 22, Whitewater, has been charged with bail jumping for allegedly drinking alcohol in violation of a court order. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Randy W. Dotson, 50, Harvard, Illinois, has been charged with felony stalking. If convicted, he faces up to 3 1/2 years imprisonment and $10,000 in fines. Joshua T. Egan, 27, Lake Geneva, has been charged with possession of THC and bail jumping for allegedly entering a tavern in violation of a court order. If convicted, he faces up to six years and six months in office and $11,000 in fines. Jonathan L. Fero, 21, Whitewater, has been charged with manufacture of THC. If convicted, he faces up to three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine. William H. Fuchs, 34, Genoa City, faces numerous drug related charges after police searched his home and reportedly found cocaine and marijuana. If convicted, he faces more than 33 years imprisonment and $50,000 in fines. Samuel Gauger, 41, Elkhorn, has been charged with bail jumping for allegedly failing to appear in court. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Michael V. Gonzales, 34, Milwaukee, has been charged with retail theft at Fleet Farm in Delavan. If convicted, he faces up to three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine. Francisco I. Guerrero, 19, Lake Geneva, has been charged with theft and misdemeanor bail jumping. If convicted, he faces up to six years and nine months in prison and $20,000 in fines. Francisco J. Herrera, 31, Milwaukee, has been charged with bail jumping, retail theft, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of an illegally obtained prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia, following a traffic stop in Delavan. If convicted, he faces up to 17 years and one month in prison and $31,000 in fines. Timothy R. Holmes, 27, Delavan, has been charged with bail jumping for allegedly failing to appear in court. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Lavon L. Leflore, 20, Milwaukee, has been charged with armed burglary, two counts of false imprisonment, endangering public safety by reckless use of a firearm, bail jumping and disorderly conduct at a residence in East Troy. If convicted, he faces up to 37 years and three months in prison and $96,000 in fines. Patrick J. Liddle, 35, Milwaukee, has been charged with two counts of criminal damage to property, criminal trespassing, obstructing police and bail jumping in the town of Delavan. If convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison and $50,000 in fines. Johnathan E. C. Linden, 42, Elkhorn, has been charged with strangulation and suffocation, two counts of misdemeanor battery, and disorderly conduct. If convicted, he faces up to seven years and nine months in prison and $31,000 in fines. Harley B. Menard, 26, Vandalia, Illinois, has been charged with bail jumping for allegedly failing to appear in court in Elkhorn. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Hector L. Miranda Jr., 31, Delavan, has been charged with bail jumping, possession of narcotic drugs, manufacture of THC, misdemeanor bail jumping and possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted, he faces up to 13 years and 10 months in prison and $40,500 in fines. James C. Murphy, 24, McHenry, Illinois, has been charged with threatening a law enforcement officer, two counts of throwing or discharging bodily fluids at a public safety worker, possession of THC, resisting police and disorderly conduct in Lake Geneva. If convicted, he faces up to 18 years and six months in prison and $51,000 in fines. Hunter J. Riedel, 22, Palmyra, has been charged with delivering designer drugs, following an undercover police investigation in Whitewater. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years and six months in prison and a $25,000 fine. Bryar E. Veley, 28, Delavan, has been charged with escape from the countys work-release jail in Elkhorn. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. 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. Flash Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has not authorized any new negotiations to forge a new military pact that will replace the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Sunday. Panelo reiterated Duterte does not want a new military deal with the U.S., adding that the Philippine leader is determined to terminate the VFA. Panelo belied reports which quoted the Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez as saying that Manila and Washington are finding ways to come up with an agreement similar to the VFA. "Actually I was talking to Ambassador Romualdez. He denied it. It's like he was saying that they are studying other agreements, whether they are disadvantageous or advantageous to the country," Panelo said in a radio interview. Panelo said there might be some U.S. officials who are pushing for a possible new agreement but Duterte has already made up his mind not to negotiate a new one with the U.S. "None. There was no approval from President Duterte. It must be an initiative of the counterparts of Ambassador Romualdez. They are the ones affected, that is why they will likely initiate and make a good suggestion," he said. Panelo said any talks for new military pact with the United States is not sanctioned by Duterte. "The president's position remains unchanged. He still wants to scrap the VFA. He wants us to be self-reliant. That's his main point," Panelo said. In a speech this week, Duterte said that the Philippine troops can fight terrorists without U.S. military help. On Feb. 11, the Philippines officially notified Washington of its intention to unilaterally terminate the VFA with the United States. The termination will take effect 180 days after the notification. The two countries signed in 1998 the VFA allowing joint Philippine-U.S. military operations. The Philippine senate ratified the agreement in 1999, seven years after the closure of the last U.S. base on Philippine territory. Over 300 military engagements are scheduled between the two militaries during the entire year. These engagements include training exercises, expert exchanges, functional training and exchanges, planning and table-top exercises. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Cikarang, West Java Mon, March 2, 2020 Retno Anjani, a 39-year-old from Bekasi, West Java, was in awe after watching a simulation of how an advanced air filtration technology, called energy recovery ventilator (ERV), works during a recent event. She was amazed by how the technology could absorb excessive carbon dioxide from the air and transform it into gusts of fresh oxygen. The technology was introduced as one of the appliances installed in smart homes, a colloquial term for houses equipped with high technology. The appliances can control many aspects of the house, from maintaining air quality to monitoring security. Some of the technologies can even be managed using a smartphone. I want a smart home due to its convenience, said Retno, who visited the launch of a smart home project in Cikarang, West Java on Saturday. 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 MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2020) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suspects that seven more individuals could be infected with the new coronavirus in the United States, according to the latest CDC report. The Saturday report says that there is one travel-related presumptive positive case and six presumptive positive coronavirus cases with person-to-person transmission. CDC defines a "presumptive positive" case as a patient who has "tested positive by a public health laboratory and is pending confirmatory testing at CDC." There are currently 15 confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States and one confirmed death from COVID-19, according to CDC. Forty seven more cases are among people repatriated to the US: three from China's Wuhan, where the current coronavirus epidemic started in December, and 44 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that there were 22 patients in the US who were infected with the new coronavirus. US Health Secretary Alex Azar told reporters on Saturday that the risk to Americans from the new coronavirus was low thanks to the protective measures taken by Trump and his administration. New Yorks first coronavirus case was confirmed on Sunday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state health officials are urging people to be cautious but not to panic. The New York City woman who contracted the virus while travelling in Iran the central location of the virus outbreak in the Middle East is currently isolated in her Manhattan home. The woman, who is a health care worker, went to a hospital last week after returning from Iran and has remained at home since then. She also took special precautions and has not used any public transit system since returning to the city. The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York, Cuomo said in a statement sent to The New York Times. New York City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot told the Times that close contacts of the patient, who were exposed to the virus, have also been identified. Our disease detectives have already identified close contacts of the patient, who may have been exposed, and will take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, she said. Despite this development, New Yorkers remain at low risk for contracting COVID-19. On Monday morning, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Cuomo held a joint press conference to discuss the citys first coronavirus case and what residents should know about the possibility of contracting the virus. Gov. Cuomo Holds Briefing on First Confirmed Case of Coronavirus in NYS https://t.co/F6m9DuHSkh Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 2, 2020 Cuomo said that the woman is not believed to have been contagious while flying from Iran to New York, though it is being assumed that her husband who travelled with her will also test positive for the virus. They are both currently isolated in their home. The governor also said that out of extreme caution the people who were on the same flight as the woman as well as the car service driver who brought her home will be contacted and followed up with. The governor also explained that about 80% of people who contract the virus self-resolve and tend to have flu-like symptoms that eventually subside and that about 20% get seriously ill. He also stated that the mortality rate of the virus is about 1.4%, whereas the flu has a mortality rate of 0.6%. Senior citizens and people with pre-existing conditions are most at risk of falling ill from the virus but the state will be executing special efforts to protect those vulnerable communities. The states big challenge is now testing as many people as possible, according to Cuomo. Youre not going to eliminate the spread but you can limit the spread, he said. And testing is very important, and thats why the CDC, the federal governments now allowing us to test is a very big deal, and will make have a dramatic effect on how quickly we can mobilize and respond. Cuomo also said that hes hoping the state will be able to test 1,000 people per day for the fast-spreading virus to prevent spreading. He also added that the state will be moving a piece of emergency legislation on the state side that will authorize an additional $40 million for additional staff, additional equipment. The city is now able to test for the coronavirus, which means that results will be available within hours instead of days but de Blasio said that any New Yorker experiencing symptoms should call any hospital or doctor ahead of their visit. Barbot, who also attended the press conference, advised New Yorkers to continue to go about their daily lives as usual and to take normal precautions to prevent sickness such as covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and frequently washing your hands. We want New Yorkers to go about their daily lives, ride the subway, take the bus, go see your neighbors, she said. The important thing, as both the Mayor and the Governor have said, we want New Yorkers to lean even more into frequent hand washing and covering their mouths and their noses. The city health commissioner also stated that the virus is not believed to be contracted through casual contact but prolonged exposure and told city dwellers to seek out health care if they are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms. While the city is more than prepared for the virus spread, the rest of the state doesnt have everything it needs to combat the virus yet, according to Cuomo. I spoke to Vice President Pence, he's heading the President's task force, Cuomo said. They're going to be doing a supplemental appropriation. This is going to be expensive for the state, for the city, and we are I understand the relationship to the federal government, I understand our responsibility, but this is a significant financial burden. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko has announced the visit of a large Iranian delegation in the near future with news on the case of a downed Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran. He said this during a joint press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde in Kyiv on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "The coronavirus outbreak did not prevent us from carrying out work, we have an embassy there, we keep in touch with the Iranian side. In the near future, we expect a large delegation from Iran, which will bring us the news that we have all been waiting for," Prystaiko said. In addition, he noted that Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne will arrive in Ukraine in a few days, and they will hold a joint phone conversation with the foreign ministers of the countries which citizens died in the plane crash. On January 8, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down near Tehran by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner. ish FROM the outset, the future looked bleak for the young Ned Kelly, who would leave his mothers shack every day and come face to face with the cruel southern Australian outback. But in The True History of the Kelly Gang, director Justin Kurzel tells the story of how he turns this oppressive landscape to his advantage. Adapted by Shaun Grant from Peter Careys Booker prize-winning novel, this film makes no attempt to claim that Kellys story is more than a myth. An opening caption says: Nothing youre about to see is true. Kurzel does attempt to look at why Kellys exploits, which have now been committed to the screen for the 10th time, became so revered in his homeland. Indeed, Kellys life was a short and horrible one. He was hanged at the age of 25 after a two-year crime spree, which included robbery and murder. There are no scenes of him robbing banks to fund the poor with the money all going to line his gangs own pockets. The violence is fierce and at times shocking, with the camera never shying from the spectacle. But Kurzel, too, has a fascination with the lives of those who left a bloody mark, with previous efforts including crime biography Snowtown (2011) and an adaptation of Shakespeares Macbeth (2015). The True History of Kelly and the Gang is told in three chapters Boy, Man and Monitor. In the first, young Ned watches his mother Ellen (Essie Davis) be intimate with a British sergeant (Charlie Hunnam). Then at 14, Kelly comes across a violent bushranger called Harry Power (Russell Crowe), who takes on the boy as an apprentice and Kelly idolises him. George MacKay, who starred in the Oscar-nominated best film 1917, plays Kelly in young adulthood and we see him forming his stick-up crew with his younger brother Dan (Earl Cave, son of rock star Nick), and also his relationship with a young prostitute called Mary (Thomasin McKenzie), who becomes his beloved. The film continuously hits on the idea of toxic masculinity and rigid male roles, particularly in the first chapter, as his mother pressures him to become the man of the house, saying: Are there no men of substance in this godforsaken country? And in trying to fill the void, Kelly becomes both an icon and a bogeyman. The True History of the Kelly Gang is showing at the Regal Picturehouse in Henley from today (Friday). Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani speaks during a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, March 1, 2020. (Xinua/Rahmatullah Alizadah) Though the agreement provides hope for the United States to end its almost two-decade war as well as lasting peace in the conflict-stricken country, thorny issues still remain, said experts. WASHINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The United States signed a deal with Afghan Taliban on Saturday, framing American troops' future exit from Afghanistan and intra-Afghan negotiations. Though the agreement provides hope for the United States to end its almost two-decade war as well as lasting peace in the conflict-stricken country, thorny issues still remain, said experts. OPENING THE DOOR Representatives of the United States and the Taliban signed the long-awaited pact in the Qatari capital city of Doha, calling for a gradual withdrawal of the U.S. troops if the Taliban negotiates with the Afghan government and cuts ties with terrorist groups. According to a joint statement released by the U.S. and Afghan governments on Saturday ahead of the signing, the United States is going to reduce its troops in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days after signing the agreement. Further withdrawal will depend on Taliban's meeting of conditions related to counter-terrorism, the statement added. Speaking at a press conference in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Saturday, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani expressed confidence that the country will "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 said. The pact came after over one year's on-and-off negotiations between the two sides and a "seven-day reduction of violence" across Afghanistan. "The agreement is Washington's best hope of ending the longest American war," noted Carter Malkasian, who served as senior adviser to U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2015 to 2019. "The United States has missed too many opportunities over the course of its long Afghan war. It need not do so again," Malkasian added. According to the deal, the United States is going to reduce its troops to 8,600 in Afghanistan within 135 days, and will, together with its NATO allies, completely pull out the remaining troops in the following 14 months if the Taliban sticks to its commitments. Besides, the pact also sets the stage for intra-Afghan talks which are expected to begin in early March. The value of the agreement lies in "opening the door to an Afghan peace process," said Laurel Miller, director of the Asia Program at the think tank International Crisis Group. Local people celebrate the peace agreement between U.S. and Taliban in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, Feb. 29, 2020. (Photo by Sanaullah Siam/Xinhua) NOT A "PEACE DEAL" ITSELF Experts also cautioned that it is a step toward negotiations but not a "peace agreement" itself. Important though it is, the agreement is not actually a peace deal, said Miller. "It is a chance to get one," she added. "The agreement will break the logjam of the Taliban's longstanding unwillingness to sit in talks with the Afghan government and other Afghan power brokers without first achieving an American commitment to withdraw forces," she noted. The deal itself would neither end the war nor bring all American troops home, wrote John Allen, president of the Brookings Institute, in an article published at the think tank's website. To Allen and two other co-writers of the article, what is more essential is the second phase of the deal which includes a complete U.S.-NATO troop departure and a real Afghan power-sharing agreement. "At present, we are a long way from any such agreement -- even though President Trump would love to be able to announce a U.S. withdrawal by November," noted Allen, taking into account the upcoming U.S. elections at the end of the year. "It is to be hoped that this U.S.-Taliban agreement will indeed lead to vastly decreased violence and casualties on both sides," said James Cunningham, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. Taliban fighters attend a surrender ceremony in Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Feb. 8, 2020. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) FUTURE THREATS Experts think the next stage of talks will be really tough as they will have to tackle thornier issues, which could consume a year or even longer. "The withdrawal of U.S. military personnel could allow a terrorist threat to grow," Malkasian wrote in an article published at Foreign Affairs magazine. To Cunningham, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, what America needs is "caution and realism." Taliban fighters attend a surrender ceremony in Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Feb. 8, 2020. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) "That ... requires that the United States, under either a Republican or Democratic president, dispense with the argument that the 'forever war' in Afghanistan can be ended without regard to the consequences for Afghanistan and the impact on U.S. security," he said. "America might find a way out of this war, at least temporarily -- but Afghanistan most likely will not, and the region could again descend into the type of anarchy that allowed al-Qaeda to establish a foothold there more than 20 years ago," said Allen. "That is not an experiment that anyone should want to run," he noted. Seoul, March 2 : North Korea on Monday fired two unidentified short-range projectiles into the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the first such launches since it warned of "a new strategic weapon" earlier this year. The projectiles were fired from areas near its eastern coastal city of Wonsan towards the northeast at 12.37 p.m., Yonhap News Agency quoted the JCS as saying. It added that both flew around 240 km, reaching a maximum altitude of around 35 km. "North Korea is believed to be continuing its joint strike drill," the JCS said, citing the military drill that the North staged on February 28 under the supervision of its leader Kim Jong-un. It was not immediately known if Kim inspected Monday's launches. "South Korean and US intelligence authorities are analyzing additional features... Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said. It is the first such projectile fire by the communist country since November 28, 2019 when it launched two missiles from what was presumed to be a super-large multiple rocket launcher, the Yonhap News Agency said in the report. Last year, the regime test-launched missiles 13 times amid the stalled denuclearization talks with the US. The tested weapons include new types of short-range ballistic missiles and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). In its New Year's message, Pyongyang warned it would show off a "new strategic weapon" in the near future. Experts said it may mean an advanced version of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or an SLBM. Following Monday's launch, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency meeting of security-related ministers. They expressed "strong concern" about the strike drills, according to its officials. The Monday firing also came days after the first anniversary of the second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi. The two-day meeting collapsed without a deal on Feb. 28, 2019, and little progress has since been made in the denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. Tributes have been paid following the passing of former East Cork Green party candidate Natasha Harty who was the daughter of the late chef Myrtle Allen. Ms Harty, a longtime environmental activist, stood for the party in the 2014 Local Elections and in the 2016 general elections in the Cork East Constituency. Cork Greens chairperson Eithne Lynch said that Ms Hartys passing was a sad loss to the environmental movement in east Cork. The cause of environmental protection generally and the Green Party in particular is much the poorer this morning following the sad passing of Natasha Harty. She had a long time involvement in CHASE over two decades and was more recently active in the Midleton Climate Aware Group. CHASE, or Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment, is an alliance of groups formed in the early 2000s to stop the construction of a large commercial incinerator in Cork. Love of nature and the environmental was central to Natashas whole life, Ms Lynch continued. She was a member of Eco Congregation Ireland and a strong advocate of their belief that Christians have a responsibility to care for the earth and to be environmentally aware and active. Green Party Councillor in East Cork, Liam Quaide, emphasised the impact Ms. Harty had on her community. Natasha was an exceptionally caring person who was held in the highest regard within her community. She was known for her many low-key acts of kindness towards others. Tash had a deep connection with nature and with her community, and was unafraid to stand up for both in her environmental activism. She had the courage to put herself forward as an election candidate for the Green Party and she was a founding member of Climate Aware Midleton. She was respected by us all as an elder with much wisdom to share. Her death is a huge loss to East Cork. Ms Harty is survived by her husband Michael, her siblings Wendy, Tim, Rory, Yasmin and Fern, her children Feidhlim, Malachy, Cormac and Brigid, and her grandchildren. She will be lying in repose at Hyde's Funeral Home, Midleton, this evening (Monday), with visitors welcome from 6.30pm until 8pm. A Quaker Funeral Service will be held at 11am at the Grainstore, Ballymaloe tomorrow. (Tue) The family has requested that donations be given to CHASE or the IQFA (Irish Quaker Faith in Action) in lieu of flowers if desired. Im from the Midwest, and the one thing that really unites our party right now is that we want to win and everyone knows in 2016 we had some major issues in the Midwest, Klobuchar said at a Washington Post Live event last summer. I have won the congressional districts where Donald Trump won by more than 20 points. And I have not done it by selling out. Ive done it by going to where people are, by being honest with them. The future of abortion in the United States could be at stake when the Supreme Court on Wednesday hears what may be its most significant case on the controversial subject in decades. At issue is a state law in Louisiana which requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Pro-choice groups argue that the law would severely restrict access to abortion and lead to the closure of two of the three remaining abortion clinics in Louisiana. The case, June Medical Services v. Russo, will be the first to come before the court since President Donald Trump appointed two conservative justices -- Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh -- to the nine-member panel. "The case is significant because the law that is being challenged is more or less identical to one that the court struck down in 2016," said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University. "Switching court membership? Is that enough to undo a case?" asked Ziegler, author of "Beyond Abortion: Roe v Wade and the Battle for Privacy." Roe v. Wade is the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized a woman's right to an abortion. Ziegler said the ruling in the Louisiana case "might tell you something about how the court might view other precedent, including Roe v. Wade." Trump, who years ago described himself as "pro-choice in every respect," has become a staunch opponent of abortion as he seeks to rally evangelical Christians behind his re-election campaign. A ruling in the case is expected in June, just months ahead of the November presidential vote. The Trump administration is backing Louisiana authorities in the case, as is a group of more than 200 Republican members of Congress. The lawmakers argued in a supporting brief that the case illustrates the "unworkability of the 'right to abortion' found in Roe" and questioned whether it should be "reconsidered and, if appropriate, overruled." Pro-choice groups say banning abortion entirely is the ultimate intent of the law in Louisiana and similar laws in other states that restrict the practice. "These laws are actually designed to shut down clinics, and that's exactly what they will do," said Travis Tu of the Center for Reproductive Rights. "If this law goes into effect, all of the clinics in Louisiana will close except for one, and all the doctors will be forced out of practice except for one, leaving only one abortion provider for over a million women in the state," Tu said. The Louisiana law is part of a wider campaign being waged by opponents of abortion, he said. "Throughout the United States, from the federal government to the state government, we are seeing attacks on women's reproductive rights like never before," Tu said. "Which is why it's critically important the Supreme Court step in and remind everyone that women have a constitutional right to choose abortion." The Supreme Court case stems from a 2014 Louisiana law that requires doctors providing abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles (50 kilometers) of the clinic where an abortion is being performed. Louisiana, where about 10,000 abortions are carried out every year, argues that the law is needed to protect women's health. "Abortion carries known risks of serious complications that may require intervention in a hospital," the state said in a brief for the court. Besides protecting women, "the process for obtaining admitting privileges serves to vet physician competency," it said. The Supreme Court, in a five to four vote, blocked the application of the law in February 2019 but without delivering a final decision. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the four liberal justices on the bench in temporarily blocking the law. He is seen as the key vote this time around. "He is a kind of a wild card," Ziegler said of the conservative chief justice appointed by then-president George W Bush. The court will also be deciding whether doctors who perform abortions have the legal standing to bring suits defending the practice. Louisiana and anti-abortion groups argue that those physicians are motivated by self-interest and "don't have women's best interests at heart," Ziegler said. "If the court buys that, it will tell you a lot about how the court views not only abortion providers but abortion itself," she said. "That might suggest that the court is open to the argument that abortion is bad for women and that they don't need abortion rights. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and plans to endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice-president's White House bid. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar speaks to her supporters during a campaign rally at The Depot in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 2, 2020. The Minnesota senator is hoping to fire up voters before Tuesday's presidential primary. (Steve Griffin/The Deseret News via AP) Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar ended her Democratic presidential campaign on Monday and plans to endorse rival Joe Biden in an effort to unify moderate voters behind the former vice-president's White House bid. She is flying to Dallas and plans to join Biden at his rally Monday night, according to her campaign. Klobuchar was the third presidential candidate to drop out of the race in less than 49 hours, following Pete Buttigiegs departure late Sunday and Tom Steyer's exit late Saturday. Their decisions reflect an urgent push among moderates to consolidate behind Biden as a counter to progressive rival Bernie Sanders. Democratic presidential candidate Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar waves to her supporters after speaking during her presidential campaign rally at The Depot in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 2, 2020. (Steve Griffin/The Deseret News via AP) Klobuchar outlasted several better-known and better-funded Democrats, thanks to a better-than-expected third-place finish in in New Hampshire. But she couldn't turn that into success elsewhere, as she struggled to build out a campaign that could compete across the country and had poor showings in the next contests. The three-term senator had one of this cycle's more memorable campaign launches, standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm last February to tout her "grit" and Midwestern sensibilities. Klobuchar argued that her record of getting things done in Washington and winning even in Republican parts of her state would help her win traditionally Democratic heartland states like Wisconsin and Michigan that flipped in 2016 to give Donald Trump the presidency. She was hoping to own the moderate lane of a Democratic field that grew to some two dozen candidates. But that got much tougher when Biden joined the race in April, starting as a front-runner and remaining there. Klobuchar also was quickly overshadowed by Buttigieg, a fellow Midwesterner who shot from being the largely unknown mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top contender on a mix of intelligence, strong oratory and youthful optimism. Buttigieg dropped out on Sunday, saying he no longer had a viable path to the nomination. He has not endorsed anyone. Klobuchar entered the race with low name recognition compared with many of her rivals, a disadvantage she was still citing a year into her campaign. Outside Minnesota, the lawyer and former prosecutor was best known for her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2020 photo, file photo Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and U.S, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. greet at a South Carolina Democratic Party dinner in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File) Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow teenager when both were in high school, if he ever had so much to drink that he didn't remember what happened. Kavanaugh retorted, "Have you?" Klobuchar continued, unruffled, and Kavanaugh later apologized to the senator, whose father is recovering from alcoholism. Even before she got into the race, Klobuchar was hit with news stories claiming she mistreated her Senate staff, and she had a higher-than-usual turnover rate in her office. Klobuchar said she is a "tough boss" but countered that she has several longtime employees, including the manager of her presidential campaign. She also face questions over her prosecutor past. In January, The Associated Press published a story about Klobuchar's office in Minneapolis having prosecuted the case of a black teenager accused of the 2002 shooting death of an 11-year-old girl. Klobuchar has cited the story to show her toughness on crime. But an AP/APM Reports investigation uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, raising questions about whether Myon Burrell was railroaded by police. The issue followed Klobuchar on the campaign trail, with protesters forcing her to cancel a rally in suburban Minneapolis days before Super Tuesday. Klobuchar campaigned on her productivity in Washington, where she led more than 100 bills that were signed into law. And she criticized the more liberal candidates in the field, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, for running on promises she said they couldn't keep. FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2020, file photo Democratic presidential candidates, former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C., co-hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) Rather than advocate for "Medicare for All," for example, Klobuchar favoured expanding the Affordable Care Act and working to reduce prescription drug costs changes she said had a chance of passing and would make a significant impact. She supported making community colleges free but said she wouldn't promise to do the same for four-year colleges and universities because the U.S. cannot afford it. "I've got to tell the truth," she said during a CNN town hall at a college campus, where she acknowledged her position may be unpopular with younger voters. Klobuchar was one of the first candidates to outline a plan for addressing addiction and mental health, an issue she described as personal because of her father's longtime struggle. Her accounts of growing up with a father suffering from alcoholism and watching him be forced to choose between prison or treatment were some of the most compelling moments of speeches, interviews and discussions with voters. Klobuchar said that her father described getting help as being "pursued by grace" and that it's an opportunity all people fighting addiction deserve. But Klobuchar couldn't match her top competitors in fundraising. She raised about $11 million in the last quarter of 2019 roughly half of what Sanders and Buttigieg received. The lack of finances early on in the campaign meant Klobuchar wasn't able to expand her operation on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire until months after her rivals. She then scrambled to put an operation in place in Nevada, South Carolina and the 14 states that voted on Super Tuesday. 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. Still, there were bright spots, including strong debate performances that helped bring in new donors. Her campaign credited Klobuchar's showing in a debate days before the New Hampshire primary with helping her clinch a better-than-expected third place in the state's primary, topping Warren and Biden. Klobuchar said she raised $12 million in the next week. During one debate she addressed sexism in the campaign, questioning whether a woman with Buttigieg's experience would qualify for the stage. She also pushed back at fears of a female candidacy, saying, "If you think a woman cant beat Donald Trump, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi does it every day." In January, she earned endorsements from The New York Times, which also endorsed Warren, and the Quad-City Times, one of Iowa's largest newspapers. But Klobuchar was sidelined for much of the last few weeks before the Iowa caucuses when she along with fellow candidates Warren, Sanders and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado was stuck in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial. She continued to rack up endorsements even as her campaign struggled, getting the backing of newspapers including the Houston Chronicle, The Seattle Times and the New Hampshire Union Leader. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, "Ground Game." West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday condemned the violence which had broken out in North-East district of Delhi. "We are sad and depressed and condemn the incident that happened in Delhi. I think it is a planned genocide. We have to reach out to more people. We need to keep our ego aside," Banerjee said at an event here. Banerjee further said that she had gotten three people arrested for raising provocative slogans in Kolkata. "In Delhi, BJP leaders who gave provocative slogans have not been arrested, but I got three of the BJP workers arrested (on charges of raising 'desh ke gaddaron ko...' slogans in Kolkata) last night," she said. "These words are provocative, strong action will be taken. This is not Delhi, this is Bengal," Mamata added. "In the name of caste and religion the country is being set on fire," she said, accusing the ruling party of divisive She further urged party MP Derek O'Brien to collect money from the state to help victims of the violence in Delhi and added that "our door is open for them on humanitarian grounds." During the event in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress chief launched an over two-month-long campaign to reach out to the masses. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JERSEYVILLE A wedding cake probably tasted a whole lot better than the first tiered wedding cakes from France in the 1660s. They would have to bake them several days in advance, said Connor Ashlock, a volunteer tour guide for the Jersey County Historical Society. And they didnt have icing in those days, so they just coated them with lard. Well, one day a guy put sugar with the lard and voila, you had icing. Ashlock interpreted wedding traditions through history during Tying the Knot: The History of Wedding Traditions held this weekend at the historical societys Cheney Mansion in Jerseyville. More than a dozen wedding dresses dating back to the 1800s were on display in the home, and those who purchased a $10 ticket could see the dresses, decorations and delicacies from weddings through the past century and a half. We use fluffy wedding cakes over here, but in Europe they used fruitcakes, Ashlock said. Queen Victoria had a fruitcake for her wedding it weighed 300 pounds and was nine feet long. She used what they called egg white icing, which is sometimes called royal icing. The whiter the icing was on your cake, the more affluent your family was, he noted. Because of that, pure white icing was not seen with many Jersey County families in the 1800s, because, if you were a richer family, you could afford more refined sugar. Ashlock talked about grooms cakes, singular wedding traditions, and even the less glamorous nuptial happenings. A lot of people in Jersey County had shotgun weddings, where the bride got pregnant before she got married, Ashlock said. For many couples that meant a trip to Pocahontas, Arkansas, which was like our Las Vegas. Ashlock said the oldest wedding dress owned by the historical society dates to 1868, a time when brides-to-be made their own dresses and continued to wear them to church and other more formal occasions until they no longer fit. Queen Victoria was the first bride to wear white in modern history, but until just before World War I a white wedding dress was a luxury most Jersey County women couldnt afford, he explained. Margaret Kirbach, of Jerseyville, was among those attending Saturdays event, and the wedding dresses from her mothers and grandmothers weddings were part of the narrated tour. They had been hanging in the back of my closet for a long time, Kirbach said. Its pretty nice to see them out and have people really appreciate their beauty. Jerseyville resident Krista Russell learned a lot at the Cheney Mansion over the weekend. We go to weddings and there is a maid of honor and a best man, and you dont necessarily know what is behind that, so it was interesting to learn where those traditions started and why we still do those today, Russell said. It was cool to see Jerseyville intertwined with those traditions so we can see what happened here and to learn about our roots. Tying the Knot is just one of several special events held by the Jersey County Historical Society during the year. Board secretary Roger Scheffel said their big event is the early October Apple Fest, followed by the popular Deadly Departed before Halloween, that features historic funeral customs. He said all of the events highlight the societys artifact collections. Everything we have on display has a Jersey County connection, Scheffel said. For more information, visit the Jersey County Historical Societys Facebook page. The Electoral College is once again under siege. Critics arguing that it is obsolete and undemocratic have greatly overestimated the benefits of electing presidents by popular vote plurality. One key reason the founders of the United States of America created the Electoral College was the possibility that once George Washington retired or died, no other candidate could garner majority support from such a diverse nation. Their concern was well-founded. Related Electoral College: A disaster for democracy Of the 49 presidential elections the United States has held since 1824, when many states began allowing the public to choose electors, a full 18 contests have not given any candidate a popular vote majority. Advertisement The electoral vote has only reversed a popular vote majority once, in 1876, an election called into question by vote fraud. In 1888, when the person who won the electoral vote had a smaller share of the popular vote, no candidate won a popular majority. Likewise in 2000 and 2016, the most recent elections in which critics claim the Electoral College subverted the peoples will, neither Hillary Clinton nor Al Gore won popular vote majorities. Clinton won 48 percent compared to Donald Trumps 46 percent; Gore won 48.4 percent to George W. Bushs 47.9 percent. Clinton and Gore outpolled their opponents, but the majority supported someone else for president. The Electoral College usually amplifies the peoples voice, electing the candidate who wins most states and votes. This allows the winner to claim a mandate and lead the country. Had the founders required presidents to gain a majority of the popular vote rather than of the Electoral College, over 30 percent of our presidential elections would have been decided by the U.S. House. In both 2000 and 2016, the Republican House majorities surely would have chosen the Republican candidate, the same one who won the electoral vote. The problem with House selection is that this raises questions of legitimacy. In 1824, no one won an Electoral College or a popular vote majority. When the House chose John Quincy Adams over plurality winner Andrew Jackson, the latter denounced the corrupt bargain, undermining Adams presidency. Every presidential election which lacked a popular majority featured significant third-party candidates. Gary Johnson in 2016, Ralph Nader in 2000, and Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 are prominent examples. Third-party candidates highlight neglected issues, but increase the probability nobody wins a majority. The problem with electing the candidate who achieves only a popular vote plurality is that someone supported by a small minority of people and states could win, provided everyone else has even fewer votes. By mandating an Electoral College majority rather than a popular vote plurality, the Constitution requires a presidential candidate to win more states. Since over half of the U.S.s population lives in the nine largest states, plurality rules would instead allow presidents to win with only a small minority of states. But since the nine most populous states have only 240 of the needed 270 electoral votes, the current system requires candidates to be competitive in more states. Clinton won almost 3 million more votes than Trump, but she won merely 19.75 states and D.C., while Trump won 30.25 states (they split Maine). Alexander Hamilton defended the Electoral College in Federalist Paper No. 68, stating it was intended to ensure presidents would have the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary. Hamilton called it unsafe to permit less than a majority of the states electors to select the president. Our present system has only elected the candidate who won fewer states thrice, in 1824, 1960 and 1976. The two main candidates tied in the number of states won in 1848 and 1880, but both times the contestant with more popular support won the electoral vote. In every other presidential plebiscite, the winner carried a majority of states. If presidents only needed plurality support, the victor might regularly be the candidate who won fewer states. This would weaken presidential leadership. The Electoral College prevents smaller states from being ignored in presidential elections. The states diversity should be just as fully represented as other dimensions of diversity in our multicultural republic. Electing presidents by popular vote is a bad idea. The only big countries using this method are France, Mexico and Russia. Russia selected Vladimir Putin through popular vote majority. Are these three countries really better governed than America? If our Electoral College mechanism for choosing presidents is imperfect, it is because human beings have never devised a perfect system. But in 11 score and 7 years we have chosen 45 presidents to lead our country. What isnt broken doesnt need fixing. Ingram has a Ph.D. in U.S. politics, teaches about the American presidency at SDSU, and helped reform the mayoral systems of L.A. and San Diego. The White House has nominated Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown to be the next top general to lead the U.S. Air Force. The nomination, announced by the Defense Department Monday afternoon, would make him the first African American officer to serve as the top uniformed officer for any of the military branches. The Wall Street Journal first reported Monday that Brown, currently the head of Pacific Air Forces, would be tapped for 22nd Air Force chief of staff, following Gen. David Goldfein, who is set to retire this summer after four years in the position. Brown would also be the first black officer to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff since then-Army Gen. Colin Powell served as chairman between 1989 and 1993. "The [Air Force] will be well served by the formidable talents of CQ Brown," Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said in a tweet following the announcement. "He has unmatched strategic vision and operational expertise. His leadership will be instrumental as the service continues to focus on the capabilities and talent we need to implement the [National Defense Strategy]." Before his post at PACAF, Brown was the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He also served as the head of Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) between 2015 and 2016, during the height of the air campaign against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria. The highly decorated commander, an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot by training, commissioned in 1984 and has accumulated more than 2,900 flight hours, including 130 combat hours in various aircraft. With posts that have taken him across Europe, the Pacific and the Middle East, Brown has also "commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and two fighter wings" throughout his career, his bio states. Despite publicly stated efforts across the military services to attract and retain minority troops, the most senior ranks remain largely homogenous. A 2015 report from USA Today found that, of 280 Air Force generals at the time, just 18 belonged to minority groups, and just 13 -- or 4% of the total -- were African American. Related: More US Military Power Needed in Antarctic to Deter Malign Activity, General Says Between 2014 and 2015, Brown was the director of operations, strategic deterrence and nuclear integration at U.S. Air Forces in Europe. During that time, the general told Air Force Times he had been focused on watching Russia's activities unfold in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, but quickly had to switch gears during his tour to focus on deterring ISIS forces from making gains in Iraq and Syria. "When you ask me what my biggest accomplishment was during this time of my [AFCENT] command, [strategic] targeting. That was it," Brown told this reporter during an interview in 2016. Brown's goal at the command was to streamline processes between the Air Force, coalition air components and the intelligence community to create better dynamic and deliberate targeting operations for battlefield success. "In the last 15 years or so, we've done a lot of close-air support for troops in contact and overwatch, and the deliberate targeting process -- we lost a little muscle memory from what we had in the past," he said, referencing operations in Afghanistan. "So I think this is something that's going to help us in the [Central Command area of operations] and in other contingencies later on that we as a nation or we as the coalition team may face in the future." Like his PACAF predecessor, Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, Brown has worked to improve collaboration with partner forces, with an emphasis on integrating fifth-generation combat capabilities, such as those within the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, into theater. "Our allies and partners are on the front lines of fifth-generation integration in the Indo-Pacific," Brown said in 2018, referencing how the U.S., Australia, Japan and South Korea will all operate the F-35 in coming years. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her at @oriana0214. Read more: History-Making Air Force General Isn't About 'Firsts' A massive white dwarf star with a bizarre carbon-rich atmosphere could be two white dwarfs merged together according to an international team led by University of Warwick astronomers, and only narrowly avoided destruction. They have discovered an unusual ultra-massive white dwarf around 150 light years from us with an atmospheric composition never seen before, the first time that a merged white dwarf has been identified using its atmospheric composition as a clue. The discovery, published today (2 March) in the journal Nature Astronomy, could raise new questions about the evolution of massive white dwarf stars and on the number of supernovae in our galaxy. This star, named WDJ0551+4135, was identified in a survey of data from the European Space Agency's Gaia telescope. The astronomers followed up with spectroscopy taken using the William Herschel Telescope, focusing on those white dwarfs identified as particularly massive -- a feat made possible by the Gaia mission. By breaking down the light emitted by the star, the astronomers were able to identify the chemical composition of its atmosphere and found that it had an unusually high level of carbon present. Lead author Dr Mark Hollands, from the University of Warwick Department of Physics, said: "This star stood out as something we had never seen before. You might expect to see an outer layer of hydrogen, sometimes mixed with helium, or just a mix of helium and carbon. You don't expect to see this combination of hydrogen and carbon at the same time as there should be a thick layer of helium in between that prohibits that. When we looked at it, it didn't make any sense." To solve the puzzle, the astronomers turned detective to uncover the star's true origins. advertisement White dwarfs are the remains of stars like our own Sun that have burnt out all their fuel and shed their outer layers. Most are relatively lightweight, around 0.6 times the mass of our Sun, but this one weighs in at 1.14 solar masses, nearly twice the average mass. Despite being heavier than our Sun, it is compacted into two-thirds the diameter of Earth. The age of the white dwarf is also a clue. Older stars orbit the Milky Way faster than younger ones, and this object is moving faster than 99% of the other nearby white dwarfs with the same cooling age, suggesting that this star is older than it looks. Dr Hollands adds: "We have a composition that we can't explain through normal stellar evolution, a mass twice the average for a white dwarf, and a kinematic age older than that inferred from cooling. We're pretty sure of how one star forms one white dwarf and it shouldn't do this. The only way you can explain it is if it was formed through a merger of two white dwarfs." The theory is that when one star in a binary system expands at the end of its life it will envelope its partner, drawing its orbit closer as the first star shrinks. The same will happen when the other star expands. Over billions of years, gravitational wave emission will shrink the orbit further, to the point that the stars merge together. While white dwarf mergers have been predicted to occur, this one would be particularly unusual. Most of the mergers in our galaxy will be between stars with different masses, whereas this merger appears to be between two similarly sized stars. There is also a limit to how big the resulting white dwarf can be: at more than 1.4 solar masses it is thought that it would explode in a supernova though it may be possible for that these explosions can occur at slightly lower masses, so this star is useful in demonstrating how massive a white dwarf can get and still survive. advertisement Because the merging process restarts the cooling of the star, it is difficult to determine how old it is. The white dwarf probably merged around 1.3 billion years ago but the two original white dwarfs may have existed for many billions of years prior. It is one of only a handful of merged white dwarfs to be identified so far, and the only one via its composition. Dr Hollands adds: "There aren't that many white dwarfs this massive, although there are more than you would expect to see which implies that some of them were probably formed by mergers. "In the future we may be able to use a technique called asteroseismology to learn about the white dwarf's core composition from its stellar pulsations, which would be an independent method confirming this star formed from a merger. "Maybe the most exciting aspect of this star is that it must have just about failed to explode as a supernova -- these gargantuan explosions are really important in mapping the structure of the Universe, as they can be detected out to very large distances. However, there remains much uncertainty about what kind of stellar systems make it to the supernova stage. Strange as it may sound, measuring the properties of this 'failed' supernova, and future look-alikes, is telling us a lot about the pathways to thermonuclear self-annihilation." The research was funded by the European Research Council and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Tripoli, Libya (PANA) The systematic violations of the truce agreed on 12 January by the belligerents in the Tripoli war have put a question mark on the international community's commitment to ensure that the guns fall silent in the city for a permanent ceasefire to be achieved Montreal, Canada Mass demonstrations, sit-ins and blockades have gripped parts of Canada over the last month as a movement to support the leaders of an Indigenous nation who are opposed to a multibillion-dollar pipeline project in northern British Columbia (BC) grows. The hereditary chiefs of the Wetsuweten Nation have come out against the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which seeks to transport liquefied natural gas from northeast BC to a terminal on the coast near the town of Kitimat. The 670-kilometre (417-mile) pipeline will cut across traditional Wetsuweten lands that cover 22,000sq km across northern BC. The hereditary chiefs, who under Wetsuweten law claim authority over those traditional territories, said they never gave their consent for the project to move forward. They have raised concerns about the pipelines potential effects on the land, water, and their community. On Sunday, a Wetsuweten hereditary chief and government ministers said they reached a proposed arrangement on how to move forward. The details of the agreement will not be released until they have been presented to the Wetsuweten people. While Sundays agreement represents an important step in a conflict that has gripped much of Canada, the struggle of the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs raised important questions of Aboriginal title, land ownership and consultation with First Nations. I think it would be a mistake to understand whats happening right now as just about a natural gas pipeline, said Eugene Kung, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law in Vancouver, before the agreement was announced. There are much deeper, underlying issues that remain unresolved and that I think are at the root of this, Kung told Al Jazeera. Aboriginal title Key among those underlying issues is the fact that the Wetsuweten Nations claim to their ancestral lands, through which the pipeline will be built, remains unresolved. Aboriginal title refers to the inherent right of Indigenous peoples to use and occupy the lands they occupied for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers. Aboriginal title was recognised and affirmed in the Canadian constitution in 1982, and the courts have laid out the test for Indigenous nations to prove their title claims. In a 2014 case, Tsilhqotin Nation v British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Canada explained that Aboriginal title flows from the sufficient, continuous and exclusive occupation of the land. That can include Indigenous culture and practices, such as hunting or fishing. Where Aboriginal title has been established, the Crown must not only comply with its procedural duties, but must also justify any incursions on Aboriginal title lands, the court wrote. Supporters of the Indigenous Wetsuweten Nations hereditary chiefs march as part of protests against British Columbias Coastal GasLink pipeline, Montreal [Andrej Ivanov/Reuters] In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada was asked to determine Aboriginal title in a case involving the Wetsuweten and Gitxsan nations, Delgamuukw v. British Columbia. The court found that the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs were the rightful holders of title to their unceded territories and recognised that the communitys Aboriginal title had not been extinguished, explained Robert Hamilton, assistant professor at University of Calgary Faculty of Law. But for procedural reasons [the Supreme Court] sent the case back to trial and it was not picked up again, Hamilton told Al Jazeera in a phone interview before Sundays announcement. He said the court signalled to the federal and provincial governments that Aboriginal title remains an outstanding issue that must be resolved. Heres the test that were going to use in determining where Aboriginal title exists so, you had best get on with the business of negotiating with these parties that have outstanding Aboriginal title claims,' Hamilton said, about what the court said in Delgamuukw. The Wetsuweten title claim was never resolved, however. Wetsuweten hereditary chief Frank Alec Woos speaks during a news conference at the Mohawk Community Centre in Tyendinaga, Ontario [File: Lars Hagberg/AFP] On Sunday, Wetsuweten Chief Woos, who also goes by the name Frank Alec, said the proposed agreement with the government picks up where Delgamuukw left off. What we were always here to do is to protect our yintah [land] We say to all the developers out there, our pristine waters, our headwaters, our wildlife habitats, our traditional sites we are going to protect it, Chief Woos said during a news conference. It is still unclear what was decided, however, and details of the proposed deal are expected to be presented to the Wetsuweten people over the next two weeks. While we have disagreement on this issue, we are developing a protocol to recognise rights and title for the future, BC Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser said on Sunday in a news conference alongside Chief Woos. I ask for some space and calm to allow us to continue that work. Consultation and accommodation When Aboriginal title is asserted, as in the case of the Wetsuweten, the government holds a duty to consult and accommodate the community when their rights may be infringed by a government decision, such as a resource extraction or development project. That is a lower standard than when Aboriginal title is established under Canadian law, said Hamilton, as in the Tsilhqotin Nation case. The level of consultation and accommodation must be proportional to the potential adverse effects of a decision, or to the strength of the assertion of Aboriginal title, the Supreme Court said in a 2004 decision involving the Haida Nation, also in BC. The Crown is not under a duty to reach an agreement; rather, the commitment is to a meaningful process of consultation in good faith, the court said then. Supporters of the Indigenous Wetsuweten Nations hereditary chiefs pass by CN Rail as they march as part of protests against British Columbias Coastal GasLink pipeline, in Montreal [Christinne Muschi/Reuters] Governments often outsource the consultation process to third parties, such as the Canada Energy Regulator (formerly known as the National Energy Board). But consultation must be carried out in good faith and what is known as the honour of the Crown must be upheld. The process is flawed, however, because the government is aiming for the floor in other words, it works to meet the minimum standard required, Kung told Al Jazeera. He said the consultation framework was also meant to be temporary until underlying land issues can be resolved, but it is instead treated as an indefinite norm and as the end of the line in terms of obligations. Obviously, that approach is not working, Kung said. Who is consulted? The groups that are consulted often also become a matter of contention. In its 1997 ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada recognised that the rightful Wetsuweten titleholders were the hereditary chiefs. The nation is divided into 13 houses and five clans: Gilseyhu, Tsayu, Laksamshu, Gidimten and Laksilyu. Under Wetsuweten law (Anuk nuaten), the traditional territory is divided between the houses and clans, and the hereditary chiefs hold authority over their respective areas. Supporters of the Indigenous Wetsuweten Nations hereditary chiefs block the Pat Bay highway as part of protests against the Coastal GasLink pipeline, in Victoria, British Columbia [Kevin Light/Reuters] But the federal and provincial governments have maintained a policy of denying the Wetsuweten title to the land for decades, said Bruce McIvor, principal at First Peoples Law who represents the Unistoten, a house group of the Wetsuweten Nation. As long as they maintain the position of denial, theyre in a stronger position to force through major resource extraction projects, such as pipelines or open-pit mines or hydro dams. The legal obligations on them are significantly lower, McIvor told Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, TC Energy said it has the utmost respect for the Indigenous systems of governance in BC and strived to engage with all the Indigenous groups along the pipeline route. It said it has engaged in a wide range of consultation activities with the hereditary chiefs, including 120 in-person meetings. The company also said it reached agreements with 20 First Nation bands along the project route, including five Wetsuweten bands. Those deals were developed over many years through collaborative engagement, it said on its website. Indian Act chief and councils The First Nations band council and chief system were created by the Indian Act of 1876, the federal law under which the government regulates and manages the lives of First Nations. The act gives the councils and chiefs, who are elected by First Nations band members, the power to administer the day-to-day running of reserves, the First Nations communities that also were created by the Indian Act. McIvor said while some First Nations have been able to work through the chief and council system with the support of their members, in the case of the Wetsuweten no one really thought that you can simply go speak to the Indian Act chief and councils. The rightful titleholders are the hereditary chiefs, he said, and to say otherwise is either willful ignorance or simple intention to encourage disagreement. Supporters of the Wetsuweten nation Indigenous group who oppose the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline, protest outside the provincial headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Surrey, British Columbia [Jesse Winter/Reuters] It is not clear how many Wetsuweten people on an individual level support the Coastal GasLink project or how many are against it. Some have publicly expressed support for the project, some have shown reticent support, and others are strongly opposed. In the BC Supreme Court decision in late December to issue an injunction allowing construction to continue on the pipeline, Justice Marguerite Church stated that the Indigenous legal perspective, in this case, is complex and diverse. Church also said the Wetsuweten people are deeply divided over the project. McIvor said it is understandable that some Indian Act band councils and chiefs would sign on to the project, as communities are impoverished and have been unable to benefit from projects in their territories. Unfortunately, this is ripe for companies and for [the] government to take advantage of, he said. Beyond Canada Beyond Canadian law, Indigenous rights are also enshrined in international legal frameworks, notably the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). While Canada initially opposed the declaration, it has since signed on and pledged to incorporate it into its national laws. To date, BC is the only place in Canada to pass legislation that aims to get its laws in line with UNDRIP. That move was welcomed in November as a key step on the path to reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and the government. But at the height of the standoff on Wetsuweten lands, BC Premier Horgan said the legislation was not retroactive and would not apply to the Coastal GasLink project. We want everyone to understand that there are agreements from the Peace Country to Kitimat with Indigenous communities that want to see economic activity and prosperity take place, he said on January 13. This project is proceeding and the rule of law needs to prevail in BC. Protesters demonstrate in downtown Seattle, Washington, to support the Wetsuweten First Nation, a community in British Columbia, Canada opposing a natural gas pipeline [File: Ted S Warren/AP Photo] Brenda Gunn, associate professor at the University of Manitoba faculty of law, explained that UNDRIP lays out the governments obligation to obtain Indigenous peoples free, prior and informed consent if their rights will be affected by a decision. One of the key aspects of free, prior and informed consent is the notion of free and this means without coercion and it also means the right to participate according to their own government institutions and determine for themselves who represents them, Gunn told Al Jazeera. She said free also means people should not seek to divide and conquer Indigenous peoples, or in the case of the Wetsuweten, not pit the hereditary chiefs against the band councillors, chiefs or anyone else who supports the Coastal GasLink project. Free, prior and informed consent includes the ability to give or withhold consent. You dont effectively have consent in law if youre not allowed to say no, Dunn said. On Sunday, Canadas minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, Carolyn Bennett, said major projects need to be put before an Indigenous nation as outlined by UNDRIP. It means that at the very first idea of a project, that the rights holders would be there at the table with their Indigenous knowledge and the voices of their nation, she said during the news conference alongside Chief Woos. Whats next? The Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs have repeatedly laid out their demands: withdraw federal police (RCMP) officers from their traditional territory and order Coastal GasLink to suspend construction while nation-to-nation discussions with the government are continuing. It is unclear which, if any, demands are part of Sundays proposed agreement, and what the future of the pipeline may be. Wetsuweten land defenders have set up camps and checkpoints to reclaim their traditional territories in the area slated for pipeline construction and stop the project from moving ahead. They have also insisted that the RCMP leave the area and for Coastal GasLink to stop building and it is unclear what Sundays proposed agreement may mean for them. In January, RCMP officers removed dozens of Wetsuweten land defenders and their supporters from the camps along the pipeline route to allow the company to continue with construction activities. Obviously, [the RCMP is] not out there to protect the Wetsuweten people; theyre out there to protect the CGL employees. We need to correct that, Wetsuweten Chief Woos said on Sunday. After three days and nights of talks NO agreement on Coastal GasLink has been reached. However, a tentative agreement has been reached on Wetsuweten rights and title. This will not be publicly released until Wetsuweten people have a chance to review over the next few weeks. pic.twitter.com/2Zevt7FNmP Gidimten Checkpoint (@Gidimten) March 1, 2020 Late last month, the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) said it could not issue a final certificate authorising construction on the pipeline through a section of Wetsuweten territory until Coastal GasLink went back to negotiate with the leadership about some outstanding potential effects. The office said concerns about the projects effects on a Wetsuweten healing centre still needed to be addressed. It gave Coastal GasLink 30 days to conduct more consultations and provide an updated assessment. It is very distressing, after weve faced assault rifles and endured arrests at the beckoning of CGL, to now be advised by EAO to work collaboratively with them to address these gaps, Karla Tait, a Unistoten house member and volunteer director at the Unistoten healing centre, said in a statement. In a statement, Coastal GasLink president said construction that was paused for talks between the Wetsuweten chiefs and the government will resume on Monday. While much has been accomplished, much work remains and we wish all parties success as their work continues and the Wetsuweten people consider the proposed arrangement, David Pfeiffer said. It was also unclear whether Sundays proposed agreement addressed the presence of the RCMP in Wetsuweten traditional territories. Still, Chief Woos told reporters Sundays announcement represented quite a milestone for all of us to view this together. Were at a point, in this moment in time, to see if the arrangements will work in all aspects of what we stand for as Wetsuweten, he said. Missing among the names of candidates vying for election to Pearland ISDs board this May is that of Position 2 incumbent Mike Floyd, who drew widespread attention when he was elected while still in high school in 2017. Floyd plans to head to law school after he graduates this semester from the University of Houston with a degree in political science. Floyd made waves three years ago when he ran as a high school senior, defeating incumbent Rusty DeBorde. The win made Floyd one of the youngest people elected to an office in the state. Now, hes made the decision not to compete in the May 2 election, a choice he said didnt come easily but represents a natural point of transition. It was a really tough decision to make because I expected to run again, and Im confident I would win, he said. He acknowledged that his nearly three years in office have afforded him opportunities to suceed and fail. Now that he sees himself really hitting his stride in terms of being a better school board member, its a little frustrating to step away. Still, he's optimistic about his decision. "Now is the time to develop myself into a future professional, Floyd said. During his term, Floyd worked with fellow trustees to establish and hold regular town hall meetings for Pearland ISD students and parents. This was a platform he ran on. The school board hosted a town hall meeting late last fall and plans to have another this spring. More Information Pearland ISD trustee election On the ballot: Elections for positions 1 and 2. Candidates for Position 1 are incumbent Charles Gooden Jr. and Toni Carter. Candidates for Position 2 are Kris Schoeffler, Edgar Pacheco Jr., Jessica Garcia Shafer and Carmine Petrillo III. Election Day: May 2 Last day to register to vote: April 2 Early voting: April 20-28 Information:www.pearlandisd.org/boardelection See More Collapse He also lauded the school board and the districts push to improve mental health services on Pearland campuses, including the addition of five student support counselors as part of the districts 52-counselor team over its 23 campuses. Counselors also have hosted parent information nights touching on topics such as the dangers of social media, drug and alcohol use and the importance of mental health. To complement the program, local mental health agencies have joined Pearland ISD, offering information about their services. Weve completely rehauled how we approach and handle crises, Floyd said. Were a model now (for other school districts.) Thats a huge win. He also touted the districts move to give teachers raises every year hes been a board member. Additionally, Floyd praised Pearlands continued academic success and most recent state ratings, changes that have been made to the dress code and the districts new five-year strategic plan the board helped develop and recently approved. We did a lot, and Im really proud of the results, he said. Plans to support trustee candidates in the election Although his name wont be on the ballot, Floyd said he is taking an active interest in the candidates. He said he will be vetting them and campaign for his choices. This May, board president Charles Gooden Jr. is running for re-election for Position 1 against Toni Carter. Vying for Position 2 are Kris Schoeffler, Edgar Pacheco Jr., Jessica Garcia Shafer and Carmine Petrillo III. Ill be vetting candidates for both positions, and Ill be campaigning pretty hard (for my choices), he said. I want to be sure the voice I brought has a shot at being represented again. Even if his chosen candidates dont come out on top, Floyd is proud his example may have inspired others such as 18-year-old Pacheco Jr. to pursue politics at a young age. The teen is a candidate for Floyds spot and is a recent Pearland ISD high school graduate. And as for Floyds own political voice? He said he has no immediate plans to run for elected office, but its not an idea hes given up on. I dont think people should be running for office forever, and I definitely dont wanna do that, he said. But I do think public service is important, and I wouldnt be surprised if I ran again sometime in the future. Republicans in the Oregon Legislature continued their boycott over a climate change bill on Monday, marking the sixth day in the Senate and the fifth day in the House. And unlike last year, Democrats will not forge a private deal with Republicans to lure them back to Salem and end the session with a flood of votes to get key business done, the top officers of the House and Senate warned. With the Legislature required to adjourn by midnight Sunday, there are just six full days left before the 35-day short session must end, even if there is a complete lack of action by then. Democrats top priority this session is a market-based plan to cap and attach a price to greenhouse gas emissions. Most GOP lawmakers walked out last week in an effort to kill the bill or force Democrats to refer it to voters. Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr. has said he believes that putting the measure before voters would also effectively kill it. Two Republicans, Rep. Cheri Helt and Sen. Tim Knopp, both from Democratic leaning swing districts in Bend, have continued to show up for floor sessions each morning. But Democrats need a two-thirds quorum to read and vote on bills under the state Constitution, which would require two Republicans to be present in each chamber. That leaves Democrats unable to wield the supermajorities they won in 2018 to pass their top priorities. House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said during the House floor session Monday morning the number of bills waiting to receive a vote continues to grow. Most of these bills came to the House floor with unanimous support or near unanimous support, Kotek said, citing examples including legislation to allow college athletes to sign endorsement deals, set aside space at the Capitol State Park for a Vietnam War memorial and fund a state study forecasting the demand and supply for behavioral health professionals such as therapists. "The list of bills continues to stand in limbo, Kotek said. The walkout has also held up as much as $490 million in spending on priorities such as wildfire fighting and foster care which lawmakers were considering approving this session. At this point in time, we have not been given any indication that they will be coming, that the Republicans will be coming to the floor except for one that we have," Senate President Pro Tempore Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, said before adjourning. To Knopp, she said, "Thank you for showing. There has been no indication Republicans or Democrats are willing to budge from their respective positions. In a joint statement Monday morning, Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said All of the bills and budgets that have moved through the legislative process this year deserve a floor vote." Kotek and Courtney effectively ruled out any deal like the one Gov. Kate Brown, also a Democrat, struck last year with Senate Republicans during their first walkout over a business tax to fund public education. Republicans had a long list of bills they wanted to kill, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported at the time, and Brown agreed to nix gun control and vaccine bills in order to bring Republicans back to the Capitol to vote on the tax plan. We will not be part of closed-door negotiations or last-minute deals," Kotek and Courtney said in the statement. We will not pick and choose which bills will live and which bills will die. The only job required of a legislator as specified by the Oregon Constitution, and thus captured by our oath of office, is to vote on legislation. Once again, we urge the absent Republicans to return to the Capitol and make their voices heard by voting, rather than continuing this government shutdown. Senate Republicans second walkout last year, to stop an earlier version of the cap-and-trade plan, ended when Courtney conceded his caucus was short of the votes necessary to pass it. Thats not the case this year, Courtney has said. House Democrats last week issued subpoenas for their absent Republican counterparts to return to the Capitol and testify Thursday on the reasons behind their boycott. The governor has dangled the idea that she might call lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session if the regular session ends with Republicans continuing to deny quorum. A political action committee associated with the public employee union backed nonprofit Our Oregon is paying for an ad campaign calling for no more costly walkouts. Baertschiger, the Senate Republican leader, reiterated on Twitter Monday that Cap & trade needs to be referred to voters. Let the people decide! House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, of Canby, issued a statement in response to Kotek and Courtneys comments Monday afternoon. Oregonians should be disappointed that Democrats have apparently thrown in the towel and refuse to participate in good faith conversations moving forward," Drazan said. We are not asking for secret negotiations or last-minute deals. We have repeatedly and publicly asked the majority party to allow the people of Oregon to vote on the cap-and-trade bill and to limit the scope of bills to those consistent with the intent of voter approved short sessions. Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the most followed personalities in India, said he was thinking of giving up his social media accounts. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube, PM Modi tweeted late on Monday evening. Will keep you all posted, PM Modi said. PM Modi, who is among the most-followed political leaders in the world on Twitter, has 53.3 million followers on the social microblogging site. WATCH | PM Modi mulls giving up social media: Congress mocks; fans say #nosir He is the most followed leader on Facebook and Instagram, with 44 million following his page on Facebook and 35.2 million following him on photo and video sharing app Instagram. On YouTube, he has 4.5 million subscribers. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2020 The prime minister did not explain the reasons that provoked him to consider quitting social media but it led to a barrage of requests from his supporters to request him to revisit his stand. His political rivals jeered. Give up hatred, not social media accounts, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, echoing his partys criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders over the recent violence in national capital Delhi. In 30 minutes, not surprisingly, PM Modis tweet had evoked more replies - 13,000 replies - than (9,000) retweets. Prime Minister Modi was one of the early national political leaders to have realised the potential of social media to reach out to people, collaborating with volunteers to spread his message during election campaigns and later. PM Modis government has announced most important decisions on social media over the last five years or so and had, in the early months of the first edition of the NDA government in 2014, nudged his ministerial colleagues to embrace social media. The election that he had swept months earlier was Indias first where political parties had also partnered with mobile and media firms to distribute tweets online and offline. Twitter had emerged as a political tool first during the 2012 US presidential elections, and then during the Arab Spring uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East. His tweet celebrating the Bharatiya Janata Partys victory in Lok Sabha polls was the most retweeted and liked tweets last year and was acknowledged as Indias Golden Tweet of 2019. The Golden Tweet - as Twitter calls it - was posted by PM Modi on May 23, 2019 and said, + + = . Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat. A jeweller to the stars has revealed how a violent armed robbery during which a raider stuck her face with a gun sent her into a spiral of ill-health - but she's now gradually getting her life back thanks to a wonder therapy chair. Suzanne Lauder, 54, runs the family business Moira Fine Jewellery, which has stores in central London. She counts Adele as a customer, loaned Madonna a 49,000 diamond bracelet for her wedding to Guy Ritchie and has also supplied JK Rowling, Daniel Craig and Paul McCartney with jewellery. The mother-of-three told how she was laying out trays of priceless gems in 2002 when the raiders struck - the third robbery she has endured in her life. Suzanne Lauder, 54, runs the family business Moira Fine Jewellery, which has stores in central London. In 2002 she was caught up in an armed robbery which saw a raider hold a gun to her face At the time insurers offered a reward of 100,000 but now, almost 20 years later, Suzanne claims the true value of the stock, of which 80 per cent was taken, was in fact worth millions. Among the treasures stolen was a stunning 19-carat diamond French filigree bracelet, made in 1910 and picked by Stella McCartney to complement the gothic gown Madonna donned for her Skibo Castle nuptials in 2000. Following the horrific ordeal, Suzanne has suffered a series of health issues and was eventually diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) in 2017 - which she believes was triggered by the robbery. Speaking about the harrowing moment a raider held a gun to her face, Suzanne told FEMAIL: 'I could see his eyes, they were so close to me. His pupils were dilated and huge. The gun was so close to my face. Suzanne has supplied JK Rowling, Daniel Craig and Paul McCartney with jewellery. Pictured prior to attending the Spectre film premiere 'I was thinking, "I have got three little babies at home." I was wondering if I was going to see them again. It was terrifying. 'The bloke who shoved the gun in my face wasn't young, he was in his 50s and he was short too. 'It felt as if they were in the shop for 15 minutes, but it was probably more like three minutes. 'An older member of staff came up the stairs while the raid was taking place and said, "What the hell is going on?" One of the gang kicked him back down the stairs extremely hard. He suffered a head injury and was off work for months.' Moira Fine Jewellery is a family business opened by Suzanne's mother Moira and her brother. Pictured: the New Bond Street store where the raid took place Suzanne was previously attacked and threatened at the age of 14 by a gang who pounced on her as she walked back to her mother's car with jewels at Portobello Road market. She was also inside the family's first West End shop on New Bond Street when raiders smashed the windows with hammers in 1995. Suzanne, who is divorced, recalled how it was a May Bank holiday morning in 2002 when, through the window of the New Bond Street boutique, she spotted three men in a van. Believing them to be scaffolders working next door, Suzanne ignored them - but seconds later two of them jumped from the van and, using an iron girder as a battering ram, smashed open the locked doors, screaming: 'Get down, get down!' Following the horrific ordeal, Suzanne has suffered a series of health issues and was eventually diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) in 2017 - which she believes was triggered by the robbery. Pictured left in Brazil in 2014 and right in St Tropez the same year As Suzanne flung herself onto the floor behind a counter to try to protect a younger member of staff, the robbers ransacked the displays and swiped sacks full of glittering gems. Spotting brave Suzanne trying to creep across the floor towards the panic button, one of the gang ran towards her, pulled a pistol from inside his jacket and, pointing it inches away from her face, told her to stop moving. He then grabbed her by the collar and dragged her across the tiles towards the CCTV recording unit, which he ripped off the wall, before fleeing with his accomplice. As the robbers made their escape, they dropped a diamond tiara in the street. The crime made headlines at the time, but despite a Met Police Flying Squad investigation no-one was ever arrested, and the jewels were never recovered. The getaway van was found burned out in nearby Jones Street. Pictured: Suzanne with her mother Moira, who set up the jewellery brand with her brother Suzanne sold Moira Antique Jewellers in New Bond Street in 2014 32 years after it was opened by her mum Moira and her brother - and set up another store in the West End. She also began displaying her collection at Richard Ogden in Burlington Arcade in London's West End. The bracelet supplied by Suzanne which Madonna wore on her wedding day to Guy Ritchie In the wake of the robbery Suzanne was unable to sleep, traumatised by vivid nightmares and flashbacks. Determined not to let the thieves win, Suzanne threw herself straight back into the family business days after police forensic officers finished combing the store for fingerprints and evidence. But the emotional strain of living through such an ordeal began to manifest itself physically. She said: 'The stress of the robbery made me weak and vulnerable.' Suzanne lost clumps of her hair and weeks later contracted Epstein Barr virus a type of glandular fever which damaged her auto-immune system. Months later exhausted Suzanne, who was working 12-hour days and spending two hours a day driving in from her home in North London, was dressing the new shop's window when she slipped and fell, cracking her coccyx. Following a collapse in Spain a year later she was in agony around the clock. Doctors diagnosed her with muscular skeletal issues and an MRI showed she had issues with her lower spine. In the wake of the robbery Suzanne, pictured in London in 2015, was unable to sleep, traumatised by vivid nightmares and flashbacks When epidurals didn't ease the pain, it was suggested she may have 'kissing rib syndrome' which is the twisting of the spine from the neck to the waist. Once this was ruled out, she tested negative for gallstones, prescribed an anti-arthritis drug, then told the issue could be benign hypermobility, a genetic condition with no cure which makes the joints 'looser' than they should be. Suzanne recalled: 'I sometimes felt like my arms were falling out of their sockets. I had a boyfriend who lived an hour-and-a-half out of London. The drive was incredibly painful. 'I honestly sometimes thought I was going to die on the motorway.' Suzanne was then given cortisone injections. She went on to visit an orthopedic expert and then another doctor who told her she was in 'full menopause'. Suzanne, pictured with her mum Moira last year, said the emotional strain of living through such an ordeal began to manifest itself physically It was at this appointment she was informed she had EDS - the condition which caused ex-health minister Baroness Blackwood to collapse in the House of Commons last year and which also affects actress and radio presenter Jameela Jamil. When another top medic advised her to try stem cell treatment, she jetted off to Boca Raton, Florida and underwent a series of treatments. The US appointments proved a success and the pain began to subside, but a later Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) session in London left her in more pain and discomfort. The PelviPower chair, introduced to her by London physio Maria Elliott, strengthened Suzanne's weak rear pelvic floor by delivering magnetic therapy at 50hz Suzanne continued her quest to ease her suffering and even travelled to the SHA Wellness Clinic in Alicante for physio before a UK doctor suggested she try the MEPS clinic run by top London physio Maria Elliott. Elliott was one of the first in the country to install a 44,000 PelviPower chair, which helps strengthen the pelvic floor and improves the blood flow to the pelvic area. How does the PelviPower chair work? The PelviPower chair boosts the pelvic floor muscles by delivering a frequency of 25hz to 50hz, which is an optimal muscle contraction and over a 15-minute session is the equivalent of doing 11,000 Kegel exercises. The pelvic floor is a connective tissue muscle. It's task is to tighten, to relax and to create a counter-pressure in case of a pressure increase, such as sneezing. Due to hormonal changes, birth and sport, the pelvic floor can be weakened. If the pelvic floor is not trained well, this muscle can no longer adequately support certain organs such as the urethra, urinary bladder and rectum. This can lead to urinary leakage (incontinence) or even a uterine prolapse. For more info go to www.pelvipower.com and www.MEPS.org.uk Advertisement It delivers a frequency of 25hz to 50hz to the muscle, which is an optimal muscle contraction. PelviPower strengthened Suzanne's weak rear pelvic floor by delivering magnetic therapy at 50hz. Suzanne explained: 'Maria said I did have hypermobility, which means my core is weak and my hips are very lax. They flop forward. 'I tried Pilates and that didn't work. So, I did eight sessions with the PelviPower chair and it was immediately life-changing. I was ecstatic. 'It was brilliant for my lower back and for my glutes. From nowhere my bottom started to get bigger as the glutes were activated. 'After one or two hours I was able to sit down. It was amazing. 'Before the treatment there were times when I felt like my buttocks were falling off my legs. It was so distressing. 'Getting the diagnosis of EDS in 2017 was such a relief; although it's a horrible debilitating condition it was good to finally have an answer.' Suzanne, whose Moira Fine Jewellery Instagram channel has more than 60,000 followers, added: 'It has been a tough few years but I feel I have started to get my life back now. 'Looking back, it was the robbery that triggered everything. I was in fine fettle before that gang broke in and changed my life.' Alex Brovarnik of 90 Day Fiance saved a man from drowning in Nassau, Bahamas in a dramatic rescue shared by his wife Loren Sunday. 'My husband saved a [man's] life today!' Loren, 31, wrote on Instagram, along with a harrowing video of the rescue. 'And I couldn't be more proud, yet not surprised at the same time.' In a clip she shared, Alex - who appeared on the third season of the series - is seen rescuing a man from under the waves. The video begins as the trained paramedic is making his way into shore, the unconscious swimmer already grasped in his arms. A life saved: Alex Brovarnik of 90 Day Fiance saved a man from drowning in Nassau, Bahamas in a dramatic rescue shared by his wife Loren Sunday Grabbed hold: In a clip she shared, Alex - who appeared on the third season of the series - is seen rescuing a man from under the waves Out cold: The video shows him make his way into shore, the swimmer in his arms Out of it: The man's legs are flopping and head rolling, as Alex rushes him to the sand Good deed: Once clear of the water, Alex drops the swimmer to the ground and immediately begins to check for signs of life Signs of life: Alex puts the swimmer in the recovery position Help: Onlookers can be heard shouting 'is he breathing?', as a crowd gathers round, apparently watching Alex attempt mouth to mouth The man's legs are flopping and head rolling, as a focused Alex rushes him to the sand. Once clear of the water, Alex - who had been on an Invicta Cruise - drops the swimmer to the ground and puts him into the recovery position, then immediately begins to check for signs of life. Onlookers can be heard shouting 'is he breathing?', as a crowd gathers round, watching Alex begin life saving measures. Loren shared the clip, filmed by a friend of the couple, to her Instagram account, noting that the people who were there with the swimmer in distress 'did nothing' to help him. 'My husband was watching a guy who was beyond intoxicated, who was with his 'friends' who just stood there and watched!' she said. 'The man went into the water and about drowned!' She criticized the man's associates for 'standing there and then walking away,' noting that 'NOT ONE OF THEM went in the ambulance with him either. 'It goes to show you may think your friends are your friends, but God forbid something bad happens, would then help you or just stand there and watch you fall?!' Hero: Loren shared the clip filmed by a friend of the couple to her Instagram account, noting that the people who were there with the swimmer in distress 'did nothing' to help him He's a pro: Alex was working as a paramedic when he first met his wife; he was on an Invicta Cruise when he was in the Bahamas Pregnant Loren said that the incident reaffirmed her belief that 'we are meant to be in a place in time for a reason. Loren continued: 'Alex and his friend Sean were meant to be at this beach, at this exact time because if not, who knows what could have happened!' The moment was caught on camera by Alex's friend, Sean Apache Shields, who wrote on Instagram: 'Today Could Have Turned Out Different For This Kid...A Life Was Saved...' He tagged his post 'today a life was saved.' As for Alex, he also commented. 'I am glad I was able to be at the right place at the right time today to pull this kid out of the water before it's too late,' he wrote, modestly. The latest: Alex Brovarnik of 90 Day Fiance helped save a man from drowning in Nassau, Bahamas in a dramatic rescue filmed by his wife Loren Sunday Growing family: Alex's pregnant wife shared the video The paramedic first met Loren when she made a birthright trip to Israel in 2013. He joined her in the U.S., as shown on 90 Day Fiance, where the two wed in 2015. They then had a second ceremony in Israel the following year. Alex became a U.S. citizen in January, which his wife commenting at the time that: 'Our full 90 Day Fiance process in its entirety has been completed!!' Currently, the pair appear on TLC's Pillow Talk, and have also starred on various reality shows, including 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. On the follow up show, Loren shared her battle with Tourette's Syndrome. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based couple are expecting their first child, a boy due in May. Loren told People magazine previously: 'They say there is no bond stronger than the one between a mom and her son, so the fact that I'm getting a mommy's boy has me over the moon, and the fact that Alex has a new fishing buddy and a mini-him, if you will, has him very excited! The Brovarnik name gets carried on another generation!' She added: 'We're obviously beyond excited for BabyBrov's arrival this spring. He is just so loved already by so many!' The fear of economic fallout from coronavirus is challenging equities. In Relxs case it is best to sit on your hands for the time being. Photo: PA AN IRISH tech company has indicated the global coronavirus scare is now even impacting on vital economic and communications infrastructure. While stock markets have slumped and multi-nationals are experiencing supply chain problems because of the increasing impact of the Covid-19 virus, Spearline Technology has revealed communications networks have taken a hit across Asia. The west Cork-based firm - which has servers in 70 countries - found that China experienced a 7.2pc drop in audio quality of international phone lines in January. Further, South Korea experienced a 12pc decline in audio quality in February - precisely when the virus spread to the country from its epicentre in Wuhan in China. Spearline said the decline in audio quality of telecommunications lines is a direct result of engineers being unable to access sites for repairs and maintenance due to local virus restrictions. It is an indicator of the huge impact the virus is now having on the world's economy. Since late January, the decrease in Chinas audio quality has stabilised with no further impact detected. However, a 12pc drop within a two week period in South Korea is massive," Spearline chief executive Kevin Buckley said. "Last week, Italy emerged as an area of concern and we are monitoring any changes in audio quality there closely. Carrier engineers are unable to access key sites for repair due to restricted movement (because of local virus controls). Businesses are altering work patterns, imposing travel freezes and staff are working remotely from home offices." "This new mass dynamic shifts the demand on local and national telecoms networks, impacting international telecoms services as a whole." Spearline operates servers in over 70 countries and reaches 90pc of landlines globally. The firm has conducted millions of test calls worldwide, resulting in billions of data-points. Spearline operates a support service 24 hours per day, 365 days per year for its customers internationally. It is headquartered in Skibbereen, Co Cork and has offices in Waterford, Romania and India. A new trial was granted by the Supreme Court of Georgia to a Columbus couple serving life in prison for the murder of their newborn daughter in 2008. Albert and Ashley Debelbot were sentenced to life in prison in 2009 after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined Debelbots daughter, McKenzy, died of blunt force trauma. The states highest court determined Friday the couple had received ineffective legal counsel during their initial trial and the justices unanimously agreed to overturn their conviction. McKenzy was born on May 29, 2008, at Fort Bennings Martin Army Community Hospital in Columbus and released the next afternoon, The Associated Press reported. After the Debelbot family returned home with their newborn daughter, they found the baby had a lump on her head and brought her back to the Martin Army hospital. McKenzy died later that day and an autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found her cause of death to be blunt force trauma. The Debelbots were the only ones supervising the child after her release from the hospital, and because the child was thought to be healthy when she left the hospital, both parents were charged with murder in 2009. For years, the Debelbots sought a new trial because their lawyers alleged trial attorneys failed to call expert medical witnesses during their initial trial. New defense attorneys say experts would be able to show that McKenzy was born with a brain deformation. According to the Ledger-Enquirer, the Georgia Innocence Project, the Wisconsin Innocence Project, and the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuits public defender office have called experts to testify McKenzys injuries resulted from birth defects and difficult delivery. Their appeal also noted that a trial prosecutor told the jury that reasonable doubt does not require the state to prove defendants guilty with 100 percent certainty. It does not mean to a mathematical certainty, Assistant District Attorney Sadhana Dailey said. Which means we dont have to prove that 90 percent. You dont have to be 90 percent sure. You dont have to be 80 percent sure. You dont have to be 51 percent sure. The high court said in its decision that the explanation was a gross misstatement of the law, and the failure of the Debelbots lawyers to object to that point proved the couple were denied effective counsel. We admonish lawyers not to confuse jurors by attempting to quantify a standard of proof that is not susceptible to quantification, the court stated. The courts decision to overturn the Debelbots trial does not mean they are now free. The case will be expected to be sent back to Muscogee Superior Court. The plan at this point is to try it again, District Attorney Julia Slater told the Ledger-Enquirer on Friday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Vietnam will temporarily suspend visa-free travel for Italians from Tuesday due to concerns about the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The government of Vietnam has decided to temporarily suspend visa exemption for citizens from Italy from March 3 amid fast rising COVID-19 infections in the European country, the government said in a news release on Monday. The decision was made during a meeting of the steering committee for the prevention of the COVID-19 on Monday. According to current regulations, Italian citizens are not required to apply for a visa if their stay in Vietnam is less than 15 days. Italy is one of 13 countries currently benefiting from Vietnams unilateral visa exemption program with a duration of stay not exceeding 15 days, the government said on its verified Facebook account on Monday. Vietnam said on Friday it would suspend visa-free travel for South Koreans starting on Saturday, February 29, to prevent the spread of the epidemic. The COVID-19 has killed 3,053 people and infected over 89,000 globally since it first hit the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, according to the South China Morning Post. Italy has the third largest number of COVID-19 patients, following mainland China and South Korea, with 1,694 confirmed cases as of Monday. A total of 34 people have been killed by the disease in the European country. Vietnam has so far confirmed 16 cases of the viral infection, including 13 Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. All of them have fully recovered and have been discharged from the hospital. The country has reported no new cases since February 13. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said there is no coronavirus patient in the state and the country, and appealed to citizens not to panic. During a discussion on the issue in the state Assembly through a Calling Attention notice, members cutting across party lines expressed concern over the fast spreading epidemic. They requested the Maharashtra government to take whatever precautionary steps are needed to prevent the spread of the virus in the state and the country. Tope said he had discussed the issue with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan during his recent visit to Mumbai. "The three patients who tested positive in Kerala have been discharged after treatment. There is no vaccine for the treatment of coronavirus. Only general respiratory etiquette and symptomatic treatmenthas to be followed," he said. "There are no coronavirus patients in the state or in the country. There is no need to panic," the minister said. The House members sought a ban on the export of N95 masks, in case they are required in emergency. They also wanted the government to take steps to bring back Maharashtra citizens who are stranded in China and other affected countries. Some members also wanted to know what affect the epidemic has on industries, and if the virus is going to impact employment. They demanded that thermal screening of passengers at the Munbai airport be monitored effectively. Tope said till February 24, thermal screening of 50,091 people was done at the airport. Of these, 294 were from Maharashtra. Out of the 85 people quarantined for symptoms like fever, cough, cold, reports of 84 were negative and one person's report is yet to be received, he added. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Legislative Council Chairperson Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar directed the Upper House to hold a special half-an-hour discussion on Tuesday on the coronavirus and preparations of the state health department for it. Congress MLC Prakash Gajbhiye raised the issue in the Council through Point of Propriety. "There has been an outbreak of coronavirus in the world and several people, suspected to be infected by the virus, have been screened so far at the Mumbai airport. We want to know the exact picture at the state level," he said. Responding to his demand, Nimbalkar instructed the House to hold a special discussion on coronavirus on Tuesday. The coronavirus has infected nearly 89,000 people globally and caused more than 3,000 deaths, including 2,912 in China. The deadly virus, first detected in China in December last year, has spread to more than 70 countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (March 2) will hear the curative petition of one of death row convicts in Nirbhaya case, Pawan Gupta, who approached the top court on Sunday seeking a direction that his plea should be heard in an open court. The convict`s lawyer AP Singh submitted this plea as the matter is related to the death penalty. "The apex court had on Saturday fixed the curative petition for a hearing on Monday at 10.25 am in a chamber by a five-judge bench, headed by Justice N V Ramana. Pawan had filed the curative petition before the top court on Friday, seeking its direction to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment," Singh told ANI. The five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice NV Ramana will also comprise Justice Arun Mishra, Justice RF Nariman, Justice R Banumathi and Justice Ashok Bhushan. On Friday, Pawan Gupta had filed a curative petition before the apex court seeking commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. He is the fourth convict in the case to file a curative petition. The Supreme Court has already rejected the curative petitions of the three other convicts. The petition comes in the wake of a fresh death warrant being issued for the four convicts -- Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, and Mukesh Singh, for their hanging at 6 am on March 3 at Delhi`s Tihar Jail. Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Saturday asked Tihar jail authorities to file a report on an application moved by convict Akshay Kumar Singh, seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrant. Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana listed the matter for further hearing on Monday. Advocate AP Singh, the lawyer of the convict, had informed the court a "complete" mercy petition of the convict Akshay Kumar Singh has been moved before the President of India claiming that the earlier one, which was dismissed, did not have the "complete facts". The petition said that a curative petition of convict Pawan Gupta and a special leave petition are pending before the Supreme Court while a criminal appeal case is also pending before the Delhi High Court. It said that a petition is also pending before the election commission of India challenging the mercy petition of Vinay Sharma. The apex court has also slated for March 5 hearing on a petition filed by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), seeking directions to separately execute the convicts. Notably, the case pertains to the brutal gang rape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in Delhi. The Food and Drug Administration announced on Saturday that it was giving laboratories and hospitals across the country the go-ahead to conduct tests, and on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence said the federal government released 15,000 testing kits over the weekend, and was working with a commercial provider to distribute 50,000 more soon. The expansion of testing swiftly turned up new cases. What prompted us to start looking is a change in the testing criteria, said Dr. Francis Riedo, an infectious diseases specialist at EvergreenHealth, a public hospital district in northern King County and southern Snohomish County. Dr. Riedo said that the positive tests among hospital patients in Washington were the tip of the iceberg the most severely ill patients were being tested, but many others with less severe illness could be out in the community with undetected infections. Dr. Scott Lindquist, epidemiologist for communicable diseases with the Washington State Department of Health, said that he was aware of cases in which physicians suspected coronavirus and could not get the patients tested before the change in criteria, though he did not know how many such cases there had been. Dr. Lindquist said the state laboratory was rapidly ramping up to be able to perform 200 tests a day. Were really aggressively sampling in Washington State now, because we feel like it has been here and we havent had the ability to lab test, Dr. Lindquist said. Dr. Delaney Ruston, a primary care physician in Seattle, said she had seen a patient last week with a low-grade fever who had been in China about three weeks earlier. She said public health officials told her the patient did not meet criteria for testing because the patient had been away from China for more than two weeks. Even so, Dr. Ruston wondered whether the patient, who wore a mask in the clinic to protect others and had no cough, could have had a mild case of the illness. All of us are in dire need for a point-of-care test, she said, meaning a test that can be performed quickly on site, like those now in use for seasonal influenza. The incident began about 2 a.m. when the 26-year-old driver struck the other car near Ohio and Wells streets, police said. The woman driving the other car got out and was hit as the man continued driving, telling her he had a gun. The woman was not injured. The increase in profit, Euler Hermes said, was mainly due to higher premiums and a better combined ratio, coupled with higher current investment income. Solvency II ratio for the company was at 159% at the end of 2019, improving by four percentage points from end-2018. Furthermore, the company said that its strategy based on diversification in terms of products and geographies is paying off. For the second year in a row, Euler Hermes achieved the highest level of new business in its history, alongside an excellent retention rate of 91%. Asia-Pacific achieved very positive results in 2019 which is a strong testament to our customer-centric strategy, said Holger Schaefer, Euler Hermes Asia-Pacific regional CEO. I am very pleased that we are once again contributing to the groups overall success. As envisaged, 2020 is filled with uncertainties and challenges for our customers. Together with our team, I am confident that we can navigate our customers through the volatile markets and grow profitably and sustainably together. [March 02, 2020] AXA launches 'Digital Enrolment System' HONG KONG, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA Hong Kong always puts 'customers first' and focuses on understanding customer needs. In view of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and aligning with the Insurance Authority's temporary facilitative measures, AXA Hong Kong is rolling out a non-face-to-face sale process (the 'Digital Enrolment System') for new applications for Qualifying Deferred Annuity Policy and VHIS Products, helping customers to purchase tax-deductible products in a safe and convenient environment before 31 March 2020, so as to enjoy tax concession for the assessment year. Starting from today, Hong Kong residents who are staying in Hong Kong* can easily apply for AXA 'Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme' (VHIS) and 'Qualifying Deferred Annuity' products digitally. AXA's financial consultants will provide support and explain the product details and relevant information to customers via digital means, such as phone, email to assure they will fully understand these products before choosing the right protection. The company's financial consultants will also assist customers in the application process, making the entire procedure easier and more flexible during this period. Alternatively, customers can also choose to submit their applications by mail or meet with a financial consultant to complete the sales process in accordance to their preference and personal circumstances. Sally Wan, Chief Executive Officer, AXA Hong Kong and Macau, said, "AXA began offering the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) and Qualifying Deferred Annuity Plan last year and they have been well-received in the market and have gained encouraging results. For VHIS, 90% of those insured have chosen our flexi plan, and nearly 40% of the VHIS customers aged 20-39. The figures reflect the strong demand from customers for comprehensive medical protection and show that more young people are concerned about their health and wellbeing. For AXA's qualifying deferred annuity plan, most customers who purchased the plan are under 55 showing their intent to use the product to save up to achieve their life goals and to prepare for their retirement. In view of the current coronavirus situation, we are launching the Digital Enrolment System in view of the Insurance Authority's temporary facilitative measures and to enable our customers to apply for insurance protection in a safe environment. This way, we can ensure that they can not only enjoy our offer but also the tax concession before the end of the assessment year." Offering up to 6 months' premium discount and enjoying tax deduction benefits AXA has launched the 'Wonderful Year' programme, providing a series of premium discount offers to customers over this challenging times. From now to 30 April 2020, if customers successfully apply for the 'AXA WiseGuard Pro Medical Insurance Plan' and qualifying deferred annuity policy/supplement, with the required annualised first year premium, and satisfying other applicable requirements, they may enjoy up to a total of 6 months' premium discount*. Moreover, given each taxpayer can enjoy tax deductions on qualifying premiums paid for the Qualifying Deferred Annuity Policy and Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, customers who successfully apply for both the 'AXA WiseGuard Pro Medical Insurance Plan' and qualifying deferred annuity plan can enjoy a tax deduction of up to HK$68,000# annually. Customers enrolling now in these plan can benefit from the premium discount, the tax benefits and get comprehensive protection in one go. For information on the AXA 'Wonderful Year' programme, please visit www.axa.com.hk. To learn more about the 'Digital Enrolment System', please contact the AXA 24-hour Customer Service Hotline (852) 2894 4701. AXA Hong Kong is committed to work with the people of Hong Kong to fight the novel coronavirus and protect their health and wellbeing. We will continue monitor and to provide appropriate support in the face of any new developments. *Subject to relevant terms and conditions. #HK$68,000 is the maximum tax deductions per individual taxpayer per year for Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (excluding specified relatives), Qualifying Deferred Annuity Policy premiums and MPF tax deductible voluntary contributions. For details on tax deductions, please visit Inland Revenue Department ird.gov.hk, and to consult your tax/accounting advisors for professional advice. ABOUT AXA HONG KONG AND MACAU AXA Hong Kong and Macau, a member of the AXA Group, prides itself on serving over 1.3 million customers[1] with our superior products and services. AXA is the top-tier life insurer in Hong Kong with the longest history[2]. In addition to being the No. 1 global Property & Casualty commercial lines insurer[3], we are the No. 1 most considered insurance brand in Hong Kong[4]. We are also one of the largest health protection providers in Hong Kong and Macau. AXA is one of the most diversified insurers, providing a full range of coverage for individual and commercial customers. We offer all-round, integrated solutions across Life, Health and Property & Casualty to address all of our customers' insurance needs. In keeping with our brand promise "Know You Can", AXA strives to be a lifelong partner to our customers by empowering them to achieve their goals and live better lives. As an innovative insurer, we leverage on Big Data and AI to transform the customer experience end-to-end, making insurance simpler and more personal. We continue to drive innovation notably in health and protection, supporting customers in prevention, treatment and recovery. We also believe it is our inherent responsibility to support the communities in which we operate. AXA Foundation is our flagship corporate social responsibility programme covering all our efforts in promoting holistic wellbeing and supporting the underprivileged to create a positive and lasting impact in the communities of Hong Kong and Macau. [1] Including customers of AXA China Region Insurance Company Limited, AXA China Region Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited (incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability), and AXA General Insurance Hong Kong Limited [2] Top tier insurers are defined based on the annualised premiums of Individual Direct New Business (Classes A to F) of Statistics on Hong Kong Long Term Insurance Business published by the Insurance Authority. [3] AXA Corporate Solutions, AXA Matrix Risk Consultants, AXA Insurance Company, and AXA Art with AXA XL's insurance and reinsurance operations combined [4] AXA Hong Kong Brand Preference Tracking Report 2019 THIS PRESS RELEASE IS AVAILABLE ON AXA'S WEBSITE: AXA.COM.HK IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans, expectations or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause AXA's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward looking statements. Please refer to Part 4 - "Risk Factors and Risk Management" of AXA's 2018 Registration Document, for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect AXA's business and/or results of operations. AXA undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws and regulations. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200302/2735260-1 SOURCE AXA Hong Kong [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] It would be mistake for Ukraine to limit itself to western vector - Deputy PM Kuleba Ukraine should be integrated in the European Union and NATO, but it should have deeply developed relations with those regions of the world where it sees its national interests, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba said. "I am deeply convinced that it would be a big mistake for Ukraine to limit itself solely to its western vector. The world is much bigger, much more complex, there are a lot of opportunities in the world," Kuleba said on Ukrainian television. At the same time, the deputy prime minister said he sees Ukraine as a member of the European Union and NATO. "I see Ukraine as a state, integrated European and Euro-Atlantic state, which has deep developed relations with those regions of the world where it sees its national interests," Kuleba said. Kuleba said he sees Asia as such region as "the heart" of the world's economy is now beating there. "It's China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore - that's where the economic heart of the world is beating now," Kuleba said. Former New York City Mayor, and Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg addresses his supporters in McLean, Virginia. Preston Ehrler / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images On the Nevada debate stage last month, Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg said the non-disclosure agreements that his company asked employees were "agreements between two parties that wanted to keep it quiet, and that's up to them. They signed those agreements, and we'll live with it." Business Insider spoke to at least a dozen former Bloomberg LP employees who said they had signed agreements limiting their ability to speak freely. Almost no one agreed to speak on the record, and some vividly described a powerful sense of fear at risking the ire of Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg or the dozens of loyal aides in his employ. "We agree to stay silent not because we don't want our side heard," said one former employee, "but because we often need the money to help repair the massive financial damage incurred after unexpectedly losing a job and spending thousands on lawyers in hopes of winning some of it back." "The full force of the Bloomberg machine, when it's directed at you, is pretty intense," another former employee said. "Never underestimate how scary it has been for so many women." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. On the Nevada debate stage last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren pressed former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg about how many non-disclosure agreements his company had signed with employees, and if he would release them from those agreements to talk about their experience. Bloomberg declined, describing the NDAs as "agreements between two parties that wanted to keep it quiet, and that's up to them. They signed those agreements, and we'll live with it." But a Business Insider investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace culture at Bloomberg found several women who wanted to speak out about their experiences, but feared doing so. Business Insider spoke to at least a dozen former employees who signed agreements with the company that limited their ability to speak freely. Almost no one agreed to speak on the record, and some vividly described a powerful sense of fear at risking the ire of Mike Bloomberg or the dozens of loyal aides in his employ. Story continues "The full force of the Bloomberg machine, when it's directed at you, is pretty intense," one former employee said. "Never underestimate how scary it has been for so many women." Bloomberg LP says the company will stop using confidentiality agreements to resolve sexual harassment claims, and would release three women who had made specific allegations against Mike Bloomberg from their NDAs. Warren responded that three releases were not good enough, calling for a blanket release. Two women who signed NDAs with Bloomberg tell Business Insider that the agreements weren't voluntary, and that they wish they could speak out In interviews with more than 40 current and former Bloomberg LP employees, Business Insider has found allegations of a toxic, macho workplace culture fueled by fear, in which powerful people screamed at underlings and bullied them with impunity. When they reported claims of inappropriate behavior to human resources, these staffers said, they were routinely ignored. One lawyer who has represented several women in disputes with Bloomberg initially agreed to speak to Business Insider on the record, but backed out on the advice of his internal counsel because of fears that his comments might violate the non-disparagement agreements that some of his clients have signed. Two women who signed such agreements and who are not among the three that Bloomberg has agreed to release told Business Insider that their continued silence is not voluntary. "NDAs are never signed by 'two parties who wanted to keep it quiet,'" said one woman who signed an NDA with Bloomberg LP. "They are signed by women who are often broke and unemployed and lack the resources to press a case against a billionaire. We agree to stay silent not because we don't want our side heard, but because we often need the money to help repair the massive financial damage incurred after unexpectedly losing a job and spending thousands on lawyers in hopes of winning some of it back." Another former Bloomberg employee who signed an NDA said, "I would gladly talk on the record about this, but I can't. I've been waiting for a long time to have my experience come out, but also at the same time living with fear about talking about it. And it doesn't seem fair that I went through this thing this is my life and I'm not even allowed to share what happened to me. This is why it would suck if Bloomberg was elected president. He silenced all these people. We don't know half the things that have gone on at his company." A Bloomberg spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement: "We offer severance agreements, which contain routine confidentiality provisions, to employees whose employment is coming to an end for a variety of reasons. Whether they choose to accept the offer is entirely up to them." A former employee who came forward with sexual harassment allegations withdrew her cooperation after telling Business Insider that she had been advised to retract her story Last month, a former Bloomberg LP employee sent an unsolicited email to Business Insider alleging that she had experienced sexual harassment at the company. The woman agreed to share her story anonymously, and after a Business Insider reporter spent two weeks investigating her allegation including obtaining contemporaneous documentary evidence that Mike Bloomberg had been personally informed of her complaint we presented the reporting to Bloomberg LP for comment. The company replied that it had "investigated this complaint thoroughly" at the time and was "unable to corroborate the specific allegations." Twenty-seven hours after we first contacted Bloomberg LP about her allegations, the woman withdrew her cooperation, saying she had been advised to retract her story. Business Insider is honoring her request not to report details that she had previously provided for publication. In a statement, a Bloomberg spokesperson said the company played no role in the source's reversal. "We did not contact the former employee upon hearing from Business Insider and have not been in communication with her. We would never pressure someone to retract their story." Read the original article on Business Insider Plans for a 198-unit, build-to-rent, shared living development in Castleknock, Dublin, have been challenged in the High Court. Bartra Property (Castleknock) Ltd got planning permission from Bord Pleanala last January for the development, which will contain 210 beds and two car park spaces, on the site of Brady's Castleknock Inn on the Old Navan Road. Brady's is currently still operating as a pub but would be demolished to make way for this project, the court heard. Barry O'Lone, a student who lives with his family across the road from Brady's, is concerned that with only two car park spaces, the development will cause "a severe strain on the area" with regard to car parking. While the O'Lone home has a driveway, they also avail of the current on-street parking outside the house as do visitors, he says in an affidavit. He also says the residential amenity and value of their home will be adversely affected. Today, Mr O'Lone's lawyers were granted leave, following a one-side only represented application, to seek to quash the board's decision granting permission. Bartra Property is a notice party. The case comes back in May. In his challenge, Mr O'Lone claims the board appears to have based its decision on Government guidelines for new apartments. It is claimed there is no evidence to suggest the Brady's site is within an "urban area" and the only evidence is that it is within a "suburban area". The guidelines make it clear that shared accommodation is appropriate for city centre locations and/or core urban locations. Neither of these apply to the Brady's site, it is claimed. It is further claimed the board did not have jurisdiction to deal with it as a strategic housing development. Mr O'Lone also says the decision was irrational, flew in the face of common sense, contravened the local development plan and took irrelevant considerations into account. The board erred in holding that the existence of Blanchardstown Hospital justified granting permission, he says. The hospital is "remote from the site" and there is not any proper and/or safe means of accessing it by bike or foot, it is claimed. Mr Justice Charles Meenan, in granting leave to bring judicial review proceedings, said an application to seek a stay on any works could be made with 48 hours' notice. Delhi violence: Crime branch to probe 47 murder cases India pti-PTI New Delhi, Mar 02: The Delhi Police crime branch will investigate 47 murder cases which were filed after violence rocked the northeast part of the national capital, sources said on Monday. The death toll in the communal clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that erupted a week ago remained at 42 even as four bodies were fished out of drains in northeast Delhi on Sunday. The sources said some of the cases have already been transferred to the crime branch, while the remaining cases will be shifted either on Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile, the department is facing difficulties in the investigation as tracing eyewitnesses has become a daunting task for the force. "We met several people in the riots-hit areas and no one has come forward to give us authentic and credible evidences so that we can proceed with our investigation. It is feasible to detain people for rioting after analysing CCTV footage, but not so easy in case of murders," the sources said. "Till now, we are majorally relying on eyewitnesses as several CCTV cameras were vandalised in the riots," they said. On February 23, clashes broke out between pro and anti-CAA groups near Jaffrabad in northeast Delhi. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. A large number of properties have been damaged. Frenzied mobs had torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel. There has been no fresh violence since last five days and heavy deployment of security personnel continues in the riot-hit areas. Two summers ago, in August, Mark David Chapman took off his prison uniform, put on his smartest clothes and under the watchful eyes of the Wende Correctional Facility guards made his way to the New York Parole Board building complex. This was the 10th time Prisoner 81A2860 had made such a journey, all of which had taken place within the past 20 years, having made his first appeal two decades after his initial conviction for the murder of John Lennon. Ten journeys there. Ten journeys back. And 10 rejections, despite this time Chapman seeming more contrite than hed ever been in his many appearances in the now familiar setting. Thirty years ago, I couldnt say I felt shame and I know what shame is now, he told the parole board. Its where you cover your face, you dont want to, you know, ask for anything... The man who violently ended the life of Lennon and any hope that The Beatles may reunite 11 years after their messy split in 1969 is now 64. He is losing his hair and resembles little the doughy, socially inept young man who announced himself to the world 40 years ago. Five shots. Four bullet-holes in the back of Lennon, who was pronounced dead on arrival at Roosevelt Hospital, New York, a little after 11pm on the evening of 8 December 1980. He told us to imagine no possessions and there he was, with millions of dollars and yachts and farms and country estates, laughing at people like me who had believed the lies and bought the records and built a big part of their lives around his music Chapman was arrested metres from where the murder took place, outside the Manhattan Dakota apartment that Lennon and wife Yoko Ono shared with their five-year-old son Sean. There was the killer, leaning silently against the wall of the Dakota, reading the JD Salinger novel The Catcher in the Rye. The book, he would tell police upon their arrival, doubled as his manifesto. I acted alone, he said as handcuffs were applied. Lennon was 40 at the time of his death. He had only just returned from a self-imposed five-year musical absence in which he had baked bread and looked after the baby. Then that October he released his first new music in years, with the release of the single (Just Like) Starting Over. His album with Ono, Double Fantasy, followed the next month, featuring songs he had written or finessed during a sailing trip in the summer of 1980. The trip was to be ill-fated; journeying from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda, Lennons yacht entered a prolonged storm. With most of the crew suffering from seasickness, the musician was forced to take control of the wheel alone. What followed was much meditation on the fragility of life. I was so centred after the experience at sea, he said, that I was tuned into the cosmos and all these songs came Lennon and Chapman shared little in common, but both were searching for something. Just a few years prior, Chapman had made his own journey. He travelled to Tokyo. To Seoul. Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi and Beirut, then London, Paris and Dublin. Through his adventuring, Chapman met his wife, a Japanese American woman several years his senior called Gloria Abe. Shed been his travel agent. They married on 2 June 1979 (and remain wed to this day). They settled in Hawaii. He took a job as a night security guard and started drinking heavily. In September 1980 he wrote a letter to a friend. Im going nuts, it read. It was signed The Catcher In The Rye. Salingers meditation on alienation has a dark legacy; the book was found in John Hinkley Jrs hotel room after his attempt on President Ronald Reagans life in 1981. Robert John Bardo was carrying the book when he murdered the model and actor Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness Show all 12 1 /12 The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 12. Yellow Submarine (1969) Not as bad as popular myth would have it, nevertheless, the soundtrack to the bands animated movie is the one Beatles album that comes closest to a file under for completists only rating. The best-known songs All You Need Is Love and Yellow Submarine are available on innumerable compilations, and of the four new songs, only Lennons raw and menacing Hey Bulldog hits the mark. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 11. Beatles For Sale (1964) With three albums, a clutch of classic singles, a landmark movie and a hectic touring schedule including their conquest of America to their name, a weary band retreated to Abbey Road to record their fourth album in less than two years. The results were variable on a covers-heavy set with folk and country influences on some downbeat but effective originals such as No Reply and Im a Loser, while Eight Days a Week represents the pinnacle of the Lennon/McCartney writing partnership before they began to write less and less together. However, with too much filler and some perfunctory covers, Beatles For Sale hasnt stood the test of time as well as any of their other 1962-1966 (The Red Album) era long players, resulting in its low position here. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 10. Let It Be (1970) The messy break-up album recorded under trying circumstances contains a few tracks I would be happy never to hear again but any album that includes Get Back, Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road (with or without Phil Spectors ethereal choir and strings which McCartney hated), and Lennon and McCartney harmonising together for the first time in years on Two of Us has to have something going for it. Ultimately, therefore, Let It Be proved something of a sad but not entirely unworthy epitaph for the greatest pop group ever. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 9. With the Beatles (1963) Between their first and second albums The Beatles had three No 1 singles From Me to You, She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand but the temptation to include any of them on their second long-player was resisted. However, with 14 tracks on With the Beatles, the band couldnt be accused of not giving value for money, even if it duplicated their first album with six covers, including several impressive nods to their love of Motown on Please Mr Postman, You Really Got a Hold on Me and Money. Elsewhere, George, who surprisingly has three solo vocals on the album, as many as Paul, tears up Roll Over Beethoven while McCartneys All My Loving is still one of the groups most loved early songs. Its an album largely dominated by Lennon however, and he excels on It Wont Be Long Not a Second Time and the aforementioned Money. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 8. Please Please Me (1963) The tone of the thrilling debut that launched the Fab Four into pop music history is set by Paul on the opening track as he counts in I Saw Her Standing There (One, Two, Three, Four!). Lennons justly lauded, throat-tearing version of Twist and Shout bookends the album and in between theres a mix of originals and covers including a fine Harrison vocal on Do You Want to Know a Secret and the first two hits Love Me Do and the euphoric title track as the band struck up an immediate rapport with producer George Martin, even if George (Harrison) didnt like his tie. Almost half the 14 tracks were cover versions, and as such, Please Please Me is an undeniably raw, but breathless and brilliant rush through the bands live act of the day, with Ringo proving conclusively that he was the right man for the job. It also points to the future of pop music as acts more and more began to write their own material, and remains one of the great debut albums. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 7. Help! (1965) A tie-in with the bands second film, Help! was a considerable improvement on previous album Beatles For Sale, and in truth is a bit of a mixed bag, but the best songs are very good indeed, rising to classic status with Ticket to Ride, McCartneys Yesterday the ultimate Beatles standard and the title track, which was Lennons very real cry for help. Bob Dylans influence permeated Lennons superb Youve Got to Hide Your Love Away and McCartneys countrified Ive Just Seen a Face rolls and tumbles sumptuously, and then theres the bittersweet Youre Going to Lose That Girl a cavalcade of riches that emphatically compensate for some of the lesser tracks on show. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 6. A Hard Days Night (1964) Partly the soundtrack of their first movie which amounts to their first quantum leap with all 13 tracks penned by Lennon and McCartney. The Beatles third album was light years ahead of the opposition in their homeland in 1964, from the moment it announced itself with the epochal opening chord on Georges new Rickenbacker 12-string on the famous title track. Lennon sang or composed the bulk of the songs, with I Should Have Known Better and Ill Be Back particular highlights, but McCartney owned three of the most lustrous jewels in And I Love Her, Cant Buy Me Love and the bands most sophisticated song to date, Things We Said Today. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 5. Rubber Soul (1965) The Beatles entered their seminal middle period with another seismic leap in quality with their first true masterpiece which, although influenced by soul and Dylan, proved so influential itself that it spurred contemporaries such as Brian Wilson to hitherto unimagined heights. The quality control barely lapsed over the fourteen tracks with the band never tighter than on the opening Drive My Car and then the innovations flowed. Harrison's sitar on Lennon's sublime confessional Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), double-tracked vocals on several tracks, fuzz bass on Harrison's Think For Yourself, which along with If I Needed Someone demonstrated that Harrison had arrived as a songwriter of note, and who can forget Lennon's intake of breath on the superlative Girl? McCartney tossed off another standard in Michelle. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 4. The Beatles (1968) The sprawling White Album was recorded in an atmosphere of tension and strained relationships as the group disintegrated, yet somehow a work of great quality emerged, even if it was the product of the four individual members pulling in different directions. Theres little cohesion here in the scattershot mix of styles, just a lot of great songs interspersed with some not so great songs, and some rubbish. With 30 tracks, there is much merit in the oft-repeated claim that with some judicious pruning, The Beatles could have been the greatest single album of all time. A snapshot of just some of the great songs includes McCartneys Blackbird, Helter Skelter, Back in the USSR and Birthday; Lennons Julia, Dear Prudence, Happiness is a Warm Gun and Revolution 1, while Harrisons stellar contributions include While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Long, Long, Long. With that quality, single album or not, it would still have to be a heck of a long album. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 3. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) Five decades and more since its release, Sgt Pepper, with its band within a band concept and drugs-influenced vibe still reigns imperiously as the most famous pop record ever made. It may now not be considered the greatest album ever recorded, or indeed the greatest Beatles album, but with George Martin at the peak of his powers and the band now retired from touring, they were able to hone their mastery of the studio. Sgt Pepper remains a piece of art that in terms of experimentation, innovation and influence has rarely, if ever, been bettered. It contains some of the bands most-loved songs With a Little Help From My Friends, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, a genuine masterpiece for the ages in Shes Leaving Home, and their greatest, A Day in the Life, but overall, the albums greatness lies in the old cliche of the sum being greater than the parts. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 2. Abbey Road (1969) With Let it Be in the can but not yet deemed fit for release due to the fractious nature of the recordings, Abbey Road was chronologically the last Beatles album to be recorded. Fittingly, although many of the tracks were the products of the individual members, Abbey Road reunited the band for one last magnificent stand. Abbey Road is justly celebrated for the McCartney-led 16 minute medley on side two commencing with You Never Give Me Your Money and concluding beautifully and with appropriately with The End, but it's also a side that begins with Harrison's Here Comes the Sun. The Beatles studio albums ranked in order of greatness 1. Revolver (1966) For a good number of years, Revolver lay in Sgt Pepper's shadow - universally admired to be sure, but somehow a little harder to love than previous simpler pleasures and Pepper itself. Part of that may be due to the mind-blowing eclecticism and scale of ambition of the album, which all these years later still astounds. The influence of drugs, psychedelia, and Eastern religion came to the fore on Revolver with double-tracked guitars, reversed tape loops, varispeed and various sound effects as the band, with George Martin an equal partner, fully explored the boundless sonic possibilities of the studio. Its long been believed that Chapmans plan to kill his idol was formulated in the midst of his heavy drinking. In recent years Chapman has claimed that his hit list extended beyond Lennon. In 2010, he claimed hed chosen Lennon out of convenience. It could have been Paul McCartney, Elizabeth Taylor, talk-show host Johnny Carson, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, actor George C Scott (famous for turning down the Best Actor award at the 1970 Oscars), even the aforementioned Ronald Reagan. Hawaii governor George Ariyoshi rounded out the list. Its been said the musician Todd Rundgren was a target (Chapman was wearing a promotional T-shirt for Rundgrens album Hermit of Mink Hollow when he was arrested). David Bowie once claimed he was second on the list. So at that point, I had abandoned all of the plans and was going to throw the gun in the river and that type of thing and come back and everything was going to be OK. Of course, that didnt happen The question as to why Chapman killed John Lennon has never truly been answered. Hes given conflicting versions of his rationale for decades citing his spiritual beliefs, his own desire to become famous, even that killing Lennon would help promote his beloved Catcher in the Rye almost as if hes still trying to make sense of the event himself. He had no criminal convictions prior to the murder. Hed loved The Beatles almost all his life. Lennon was his hero. As a teenager, the British bands vivid, colourful pop provided him with a place to escape to when the fists of his violent US Air Force sergeant father reigned down upon him. By 14, he was experimenting with LSD and missing classes at Columbia High School, Decatur, Georgia. The Beatles then were into long hair, beards, meditation, and drugs, he said. The Beatles were into things that fit my life perfectly. Unquestionably, the teenage Chapman was also already showing signs of mental instability. Most nights he would lay in his bedroom, imagining he was the king of a tiny race of people who lived in the walls. Generally, the appeal of his sovereignty over the Little People was their adoration (I was their hero and was in the paper every day and I was on TV every day!) but, he would later tell the journalist Jack Jones, sometimes when Id get mad Id blow some of them up. Id have this push-button thing, part of the [sofa], and Id like, get mad and blow out part of the wall and a lot of them would die. But the people would still forgive me for that, and, you know, everything got back to normal. Thats a fantasy I had for many years. Prior to killing Lennon, Chapman would say that the little people in the walls had come back. A recent mugshot of Mark David Chapman (Shutterstock) (Kypros/Shutterstock) And around this time he also discovered religion, attending a retreat held by the Chapel Woods Presbyterian Church when he was aged 15. He found the experience deeply affecting. He stopped taking drugs. Put away his hippie clothes. Started wearing a suit and carrying a bible at all times. He even began to leave religious tracts in the school lockers. At some point I lifted my hands and I said, Jesus come to me. Help me, he recalled. And that was my time of true spiritual rebirth. That night I came to a door. When I opened the door and let God come physically into my heart, I felt cleansed. I felt totally forgiven and totally renewed. Crucially, he also began to sour on Beatle John. Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up When Lennon had told the Evening Standard in March 1966, as part of the papers regular franchise How does a Beatle live?, of his belief that the Beatles were now more popular than Jesus; that perhaps rock music would outlive Christianity, it drew little controversy. When the quote made it to the United States a few months later, via a reprint in the teen magazine Dateline, it induced apoplexy. Across the bible belt, Beatles records were set alight on huge bonfires. Radio stations stopped playing their songs. The Ku Klux Klan picketed performances in Washington, DC and Memphis, Tennessee. At the latter, someone threw a firecracker on stage. Briefly the band thought it was gunfire. The Beatles had headed to America to promote their seventh studio album, Revolver. They talked little about the record. They, and John right until the very end would never tour again. Chapman was smarting. His dislike would only intensify with each passing year. Lennon, he decided, was a hypocrite. The release of Imagine in 1971 a song Chapman considered communist was perhaps the final straw. He told us to imagine no possessions, he would say, and there he was, with millions of dollars and yachts and farms and country estates, laughing at people like me who had believed the lies and bought the records and built a big part of their lives around his music. The cod theological pondering of God on 1970s John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album I dont believe in Jesus, I just believe in me probably didnt help. Mourning: a fan holds a sign remembering the murdered Lennon at a New York memorial in December 1980 (Shutterstock) (Sipa/Shutterstock) Chapman had made a trip to New York in October with the intention of doing the deed then. While there, he watched the film Ordinary People, notable for being the directorial debut of Robert Redford. Something about the movie spoke to him. I came out of the theatre and called my wife and for the first time, I told her, he said. I told her what I was going to do, and I was crying. And I said I thought about life and thought about my grandmother, and I told her, I said: Your love has saved me. Im coming home. And she said, Just come home. Please, come home. So at that point, I had abandoned all of the plans and was going to throw the gun in the river and that type of thing and come back and everything was going to be OK. Of course, that didnt happen. After returning home and making an appointment with a clinical psychologist he wouldnt keep, he returned to New York on 8 December. Chapman spent most of that day at the Dakota. No-one thought anything of it; as well as Lennon and his family, an assortment of celebrities including Leonard Bernstein and Lauren Bacall called the complex their home. Fans would lurk outside the building all the time. Chapman had left his 64 ($83) a night room at the Sheraton Centre downtown early, but had missed Lennon when he stepped out of a cab and entered the Dakota that morning after becoming distracted. He was much more focused a few hours later when he spotted Lennons housekeeper, returning from a walk with then five-year-old Sean. Youre a beautiful boy, said Chapman, referencing the song John had written about his younger son, Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy), and shaking the little boys hand. At 5pm, Lennon and wife Yoko Ono left the building. They had an appointment at the Record Plant Studios on West 44th Street. As the pair walked towards their limousine, Chapman approached John and asked if hed sign his copy of Double Fantasy. Lennon did, writing John Lennon 1980 on the sleeve. During his wait at the Dakota, Chapman had befriended an amateur photographer called Paul Goresh. He captured the act of Lennon signing the album for Chapman on camera. When Lennon had gone, Chapman panted excitedly: John Lennon signed my album! Nobody in Hawaii is going to believe me! He tried to talk Goresh into waiting around with him for Lennon to return later. He could get his album signed too. You never know if youll see him again! Chapman told his new friend. Six hours later, John Winston Ono Lennon was dead. Lennon and Ono had returned a little after 10.50pm. As their limousine pulled up to the Dakotas archway entrance and Lennon stepped out onto the pavement, Chapman dropped to one knee, firing five hollow-point bullets from his .38 special revolver into Lennons back and shoulder. His lung was punctured, his left subclavian artery torn. Two hours after that, Chapman would get on his knees and pray to God, pleading for the ability to rewind time. In August earlier this year, Mark David Chapman took off his prison uniform, put on his smartest clothes and made his way to the New York Parole Board building complex once more. There the three-member board were in possession of a letter from Yoko Ono still a resident of the Dakota, incidentally in which she pleaded for Chapman to remain imprisoned, as shes done for every previous appeal in the past 20 years. It was unthinkable that the judgment, in this year of all years, would be any different to the 10 that have preceded it. And as anticipated, Chapman returned to his cell, stripped and put on his prison uniform once more. Just him and his Little People. Just him and his regret. I do know how it got started the shooting and the town hall meeting, said Gladys Muhammad, a black South Bend native who stumped on Buttigiegs behalf. Those of us who were not involved and just in the community, we decided not to speak. We decided to let the grass-roots people voice their concerns because they needed to be heard. We wanted that to happen. As angry as they were, they needed to say what they needed to say. We stepped back and didnt say anything. Accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of instigating riots and burning of trains and railway stations in Bengal during the violent anti-CAA movement in the state, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday alleged that she was 'disrespecting' the founding fathers of the constitution as also tribal and scheduled caste leaders by opposing and spreading fear about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Shah said not a single member of any minority community would lose citizenship because of the legislation, which seeks to provide Indian nationality to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists who fled religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh till December 31, 2014. "The opposition is terrorising minorities... I assure every person from the minority community that CAA only provides citizenship, doesn't take it away. It won't affect your citizenship. "No minority community member from Kolkata or West Bengal will lose citizenship because of the CAA," Shah said, addressing a large BJP rally at the Shahid Minar Maidan here. He said lakhs and crores of Bengalis were facing a big problem all these years as they had come to India as refugees and did not have citizenship. "Now Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given citizenship to lakhs of people. But from the time Modi brought the CAA in the Parliament, the Congress, the Communists and Mamata Banerjee have all been opposing it. "The refugees are being made to fear that they will have to produce documents. Nothing of this sort will happen. Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jains do not need any documents." "I want to ask Mamata didi -- why are you hurting the interests of our refugees?" he said. Shah also wondered what harm has the dalit Namashudras and Matuas done to Banerjee that she thinks they are not her people. "She opposed the CAA and instigated riots, torching of trains and railway stations in Bengal. You only care about infiltrators. Refugees are being misled and scared... Hindus who fled our neighbouring countries who were raped and threatened and killed... should they not get citizenship? Why are you only fond of infiltrators?" Shah said. Shah said by opposing CAA, Banerjee was disrespecting the commitments give to refugees by Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Ballabhbhai Ptel and Moulana Abul Kalam Azad. "By opposing a law passed by parliament you are also disrespecting the Father of our Constitution Ambedkar. You are also disrespecting the likes of Harichand Thakur, Guruchand Thakur (founders of Matua sect) and Panchannan Barma (a leader of Koch and Rajbanshi people)," Shah said during his aggressive speech. However, he categorically said the centre would give citizenship to all refugees and "not stop until and unless all of them get it". "Mamata didi cannot stop us," he added. The CAA has generated much political acrimony in Bengal, with the Banerjee led Trinamool, as also the Left and the Congress going all out to oppose it. In fact, one of the prime reasons for Shah's rally was to give a boost to his party's campaign backing the law. Political observers feel the CAA could be a game-changer either way in the civic polls, being considered the semi-final before next year's all-important assembly polls. Shah also launched a new BJP political campaign Aar Noe Anyay (No more injustice). "It is a campaign to change the government in Bengal," he said, and made public a mobile number on which party supporters can give missed call to be a part of the programme. A man and a woman charged with murdering a toddler who vanished in regional Queensland more than four years ago have faced court. Sinitta Dawita, 28, and her fiance, Tane Desatge, 40, are accused of murdering her daughter Kaydence Dawita Mills. Police excavate a backyard in the southern Queensland town of Chinchilla in December last year. Credit:Nine News Queensland They did not apply for bail as they faced Dalby Magistrates Court on Monday afternoon. In Queensland, prisoners accused of murder must apply to a higher court for bail. Kaydence was born in September 2014 but was last seen in 2016. After Teck Resources canceled its oil sands project, even approved oil sands projects could be difficult for Canadas companies to bring online in the short term until more pipeline capacity becomes available and the federal regulatory process becomes clearer, analysts tell The Canadian Press. Last month, Teck Resources said it had withdrawn its application for a regulatory review of the Frontier oil sands project. The federal government of Canada was set to decide by the end of February whether to approve Teck Resources Frontier Projecta truck-and-shovel oil sands mine located between Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan in northeast Alberta. But Teck Resources didnt wait for the federal governments official response and dropped the project estimated to be worth US$15.6 billion (C$20.6 billion). According to Phil Skolnick, an oil sands analyst at Eight Capital, Teck Resources decision shows that companies with already approved projects and plans for expansion of existing facilities have an advantage over new projects, especially new projects for open mining of bitumen. The low oil prices make the economics of oil sands mining projects more difficult to work, Skolnick told The Canadian Press. I think the era of multibillion-dollar oilsands projects is definitely over, Benjamin Israel, a fossil fuels analyst for the environmental Pembina Institute, told The Canadian Press. Related: Russias Oil Production Rises Ahead Of OPEC+ Meeting Under any scenario that has us addressing climate change, business-as-usual cannot continue and, simply, wont be profitable in the long run as the market shifts toward lower-carbon products, Simon Dyer, executive director at the Pembina Institute, said last week, commenting on Teck Resources decision to ditch the project. Canadas oil sands production could grow in the future, Eight Capitals Skolnick told The Canadian Press, but the growth will depend on additional pipeline takeaway capacity, which has been the key hurdle to Canadas oil industry growth in recent years. Upstream capital investment in Canadas oil sands is expected to grow this year from 2019 for the first increase in capital expenditures in five years, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) said earlier this year, attributing its rosier expectations for 2020 to a more competitive economic environment due to some recent policies that the Alberta government has undertaken. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The leader of the South Korean sect at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak has today begged on his knees for forgiveness after authorities launched a bid to charge him with murder. Self-proclaimed messiah Lee Man-hee offered a 'sincere apology' and admitted that 'many people have been infected' after an outbreak at the Shincheonji church. The 88-year-old twice got down on his knees to bow before reporters in Gapyeong, his head to the floor, as he pleaded for the 'forgiveness of the government' today. The secretive church is linked to more than half of South Korea's virus cases and has been accused of failing to co-operate with authorities over the outbreak, prompting Seoul officials to press for charges. Begging for forgiveness: Lee Man-hee, leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, bows during a press conference at a church building in Gapyeong today Apology: Self-proclaimed messiah Lee Man-hee offered a 'sincere apology' and admitted that 'many people have been infected' after an outbreak at the church 'I would like to offer my sincere apology to the people on behalf of the members,' Lee said today, his voice breaking. 'Although it was not intentional, many people have been infected,' he said. 'We put our utmost efforts but were unable to prevent it all. I seek the forgiveness of the people. 'I am very thankful to the government for its efforts. I also seek the forgiveness of the government.' Lee insisted that the group was 'actively cooperating with the government'. 'We will do our best and not spare human and material support,' he added, pausing occasionally to wipe tears from his eyes as protesters shouted abuse. The outbreak is believed to have begun after a 61-year-old woman developed a fever on February 10 but attended at least four church services in Daegu before being diagnosed. More than half of South Korea's 4,000 cases have been linked to the church and numbers are expected to rise further as 260,000 people associated with Shincheonji are tested for the virus. The 88-year-old twice got down on his knees to bow before reporters in Gapyeong, his head to the floor, as he pleaded for the 'forgiveness of the government' today Lee speaks to assembled reporters and camera crews at a press conference where he insisted that the group was 'actively cooperating with the government' People watch a TV broadcast in Seoul as Lee Man-hee begged on his knees for forgiveness after authorities launched a bid to charge him with murder Many have blamed the church's secretive nature and tightly packed conditions at services for the large number of cases linked to it. Many members have not responded to health officials, acknowledged Shincheonji's director of international missions Kim Shin-chang. 'It is possible that our members are not completely forthcoming with the authorities on their movements out of fear their Shincheonji affiliation could be exposed,' he said. 'Social hatred and discrimination against our members is so pervasive that many fear losing their jobs or fuelling conflict among family members if their faith is revealed.' According to reports, more than 1,000 people associated with Shincheonji have not answered survey calls. 'We have urged our members to tell the authorities everything,' said Kim - but he added that doing so was a 'personal decision'. South Korean police officers wearing face masks stand guard near the location where Lee Man-hee gave his press conference amid protests against him today South Korea's case numbers are expected to rise further as authorities carry out checks on more than 260,000 people associated Shincheonji Seoul's city government has asked prosecutors to press charges, including murder, against Lee and 11 other sect leaders for failing to co-operate. The prosecutors' office said it had received the complaint and was reviewing it. South Korea's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 476 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, raising the total to 4,212 with 22 deaths. Lee is revered by his followers as the 'Promised Pastor' who will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the Day of Judgement, and his group is often condemned as a cult. With more members than places available, followers say who will be chosen is 'in the hands of God'. In a message to his followers, Lee has called the outbreak the 'work of the devil' intended to 'thwart the growth of Shincheonji'. 'But we are the sons of God,' he added. 'We will triumph over this challenge.' Adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei Dies of Coronavirus A close adviser to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died on Monday in Tehran after succumbing to the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to state-run media. Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, was a member of Khameneis Expediency Council, reported The Associated Press, citing state-run radio. Iran has confirmed over 1,500 infections and 66 deaths as of Monday, AP reported, which added that China, where the COVID-19 outbreak is believed to have originated, has sent health experts to deal with the outbreak. Meanwhile, Iran announced that it would be mobilizing some 300,000 soldiers in an attempt to contain the outbreak. Several other top Iranian officials have been infected with the virus, including Masoumeh Ebtekar, a vice president for Women and Family Affairs and a spokeswoman during the 1979 revolution, as well as Iraj Harirchi, the head of the regimes task force to combat COVID-19. In recent days, Irans neighbors and other Middle Eastern countries have closed their borders and suspended air travel after coronavirus patients were traced back to the country. Irans Vice President for Women and Family Affairs and Head of Environmental Protection Organization, Masoumeh Ebtekar, meets with French Ecology Minister in Tehran on Aug. 28, 2016. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images) We have no plan to quarantine any district or any city. We only quarantine individuals, Irans President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, according to BBC. Irans parliament has been suspended indefinitely, universities and schools have been closed, and public gatherings have been canceled, according to state-run media outlets. Tehran received critical words from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month, who called on the Iranian regime to exercise transparency. Pompeo also accused the Chinese regime of engaging in a cover-up of COVID-19 cases and deaths. A pedestrian wearing a face mask crosses a street in northern Tehran, Iran, on March 1, 2020. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo) All nations, including Iran, should tell the truth about the coronavirus and cooperate with international aid organizations, Pompeo said, according to reports. He said the United States has also offered to help Iran in curbing the outbreak. We have made offers to the Islamic Republic of Iran to help, and weve made it clear to others around the world and in the region that assistance, humanitarian assistance to push back against the coronavirus in Iran is something the United States of America fully supports, Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week. During the hearing, Pompeo cited Irans relatively poor healthcare system as a reason for why the virus could spread easily and why the regime likely needs further assistance. A source in the Iranian regime, meanwhile, told the BBC that more than 210 people have died from the virus, about six times higher than what has been officially reported. The report prompted a foreign ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour, to insist that Iran is being transparent and accused the BBC of spreading false information. Another spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, dismissed Pompeos offer for 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, according to the broadcaster. Connecticut: Artificial intelligence can improve the precision of sleep medicines, resulting in more patient-centered care and better outcomes, suggests a new study. The position statement of the study was published in the journal - Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The position statement was developed by the AASM's Artificial Intelligence in Sleep Medicine Committee. According to the statement, the electrophysiological data collected during polysomnography - the most comprehensive type of sleep study - is well-positioned for enhanced analysis through AI and machine-assisted learning. "When we typically think of AI in sleep medicine, the obvious use case is for the scoring of sleep and associated events," said the lead researcher Dr Cathy Goldstein. "This would streamline the processes of sleep laboratories and free up sleep technologist time for direct patient care," she added. Because of the vast amounts of data collected by sleep centres, AI and machine learning could advance sleep care, resulting in more accurate diagnoses, prediction of disease and treatment prognosis, characterization of disease subtypes, precision in sleep scoring, and optimization and personalization of sleep treatments. Goldstein noted that AI could be used to automate sleep scoring while identifying additional insights from sleep data. "AI could allow us to derive more meaningful information from sleep studies, given that our current summary metrics, for example, the apnea-hypopnea index, aren't predictive of the health and quality of life outcomes that are important to patients," Dr Cathy Goldstein said. "Additionally, AI might help us understand mechanisms underlying obstructive sleep apnea, so we can select the right treatment for the right patient at the right time, as opposed to one-size-fits-all or trial and error approaches," she added. Important considerations for the integration of AI into the sleep medicine practice include transparency and disclosure, testing on novel data, and laboratory integration. The statement recommends that manufacturers disclose the intended population and goal of any program used in the evaluation of patients; test programs intended for clinical use on independent data; and aid sleep centres in the evaluation of AI-based software performance. "AI tools hold great promise for medicine in general, but there has also been a great deal of hype, exaggerated claims, and misinformation," said Goldstein. "We want to interface with industry in a way that will foster safe and efficacious use of AI software to benefit our patients. These tools can only benefit patients if used with careful oversight," Goldstein added. She's had a busy week in France, having taken to the runway for a range of internationally renowned designers as a part of Paris Fashion Week. And Kaia Gerber, 18, was seen pressing on with her sartorial efforts on Monday evening, when she hit the catwalk for Alexander McQueen's A/W 20/21 presentation. The California native commanded attention as she stepped out in a plunging black skirt suit and slicked down black and red wig. On the catwalk: Kaia Gerber took to the runway for Alexander McQueen's A/W 20/21 presentation during Paris Fashion Week on Monday evening The tailored blazer featured eye-catching red-lined wings along the length of each arm. Teaming her ensemble with a pair of thigh-high black leather boots, the daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber donned a wig, which wound around her head in different directions. Keeping her makeup notably light for the occasion, the teen model accessorised with a selection of bold jewellery, which included large hoop earrings and a pair of gold necklaces all bearing glittering heart pendants. Wings: The California native commanded attention as she stepped out in a plunging black skirt suit, which featured eye-catching red-lined wings along the length of each arm Stand tall: The teen model teamed her ensemble with a pair of thigh-high black leather boots Tress-ed to impress: he daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber covered her tresses with a black-and-red illusion head wrap Heart: Keeping her makeup notably light for the occasion, she accessorised with a selection of jewellery, which included hoop earrings and gold necklaces all bearing heart pendants She was joined on the runway by veteran model Amber Valletta, 46, who looked sensational in a plunging rose gold trouser suit, which she also teamed with heart pendant jewellery. Just a day before, Kaia wowed as she took to the runway for Valentino's Paris Fashion Week presentation, walking alongside supermodel Irina Shayk, 34. Kaia sparkled as she stepped out in a blue sequinned top, which featured a cape over the arms and was teamed with baggy black trousers and heavy duty boots. Wearing her chestnut brown tresses in a sleek side-swept style with a parting, she sported a light palette of makeup, which featured a variety of soft, natural tones. Wow: She was joined on the runway by veteran model Amber Valletta, who looked sensational Running theme: Like Kaia, she donned a black-and-red head wrap and heart pendant jewellery Golden: The star wowed as she made her way down the catwalk in a plunging rose gold trouser suit, which she teamed with strappy heels Attention to detail was also paid to her accessories, as she stepped out wearing dazzling blue stud earrings, which she teamed with a large gold statement necklace, which itself boasted embedded blue jewels. Before hitting Paris, Kaia was in Milan for Fashion Week where she walked for brands including Prada, Fendi, Moschino and Max Mara. Despite being one of the most in demand models, the daughter of former supermodel Cindy Crawford, admitted she was 'sceptical' 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. Chic: The models took to the runway in a series of designs, which showed modest silhouettes Hair we go again: All of the models at the presentation were seen sporting illusion head wraps Tripoli, Libya (PANA) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned attacks targeting the airport and civilian districts in the south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, underlining that civilians must be protected at any time in accordance with international humanitarian law Amid massive protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Population Register (NPR) across the state, Tamil Nadu government on Monday rushed two senior ministers to New Delhi to meet Home Minister Amit Shah to apprise the situation and discuss the sensitive issue. Even as two senior ministers met Shah in New Delhi, BJP General Secretary in-charge of Tamil Nadu P Muralidhar Rao held discussions with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at his official residence here on Monday evening. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and Electricity Minister P Thangamani, close confidants of Palaniswami, rushed to New Delhi and submitted a letter written by the Chief Minister to Shah. Though government officials were light-lipped on the contents of the letter, speculation was rife here that the AIADMK dispensation had sought exemption from NPR for the time being. Government sources indicated that CAA and NPR was the point of discussion between the ministers and Shah. However, there was no clarity on whether exemption to conduct NPR exercise will be sought. Sources said Rao met Palaniswami over the CAA and NPR during which the Chief Minister explained his partys stand vis-a-vis the controversial legislation and apprised him of the political situation in the state. The AIADMK government is under tremendous pressure to not implement the CAA and NPR in Tamil Nadu. Opposition parties have demanded that the assembly pass a resolution rejecting CAA and resolving that NPR will not be implemented in the state. Spontaneous protests have been breaking out in the state since December with various Muslim organisations coming onto the streets. Women of Washermanpet area in Chennai have been holding a protest on the lines of Delhis Shaheen Bagh for about a fortnight now. Noah Henry answers a question during his full-day kindergarten class at Walton Farm Elementary in Lansdale. Gov. Tom Wolf wants to require that all school districts in Pennsylvania offer free, full-day kindergarten. Read more Last Tuesday morning, 22 kindergartners at Walton Farm Elementary in Lansdale sat at tables with white boards and dry-erase markers, tapping their fingers as they sounded out words announced by teacher Tammy Swearingen. Im seeing a lot of beautiful Ys, my friends, Swearingen said as her students wrote the word yet. The next word, quit, was trickier. Why U? Swearingen asked, reminding students who had skipped the second letter that U follows Q." It was the type of exercise that Swearingen, who has taught kindergarten for 30 years, would have been hard-pressed to incorporate in the past, when the North Penn School District offered only half-day kindergarten. This school year, the Montgomery County district launched a full-day program. Now, "were giving them the gift of time to practice skills, Swearingen said. Before, I felt like I was presenting, presenting, presenting every day, with never time to dig into it. Its one of the latest districts in the region to add full-day kindergarten, responding to research around the importance of early childhood education and ramped-up state standards for young students. Many parents have also clamored for the programs, including those juggling work schedules and seeking consistency for children in full-day prekindergarten. But although most Pennsylvania districts provide full-day kindergarten, those that dont say its a challenge due to lack of money and space and question how they would implement a proposal by Gov. Tom Wolf to require it. Of Pennsylvanias 500 school districts, 428 provide full-day kindergarten to all students, according to the state Department of Education. The rest mostly offer half-day, with some districts offering both though the full-day programs may not be open to all students, the department said. In New Jersey, 514 school districts offer kindergarten, 20 of which are half-day-only programs, according to the states Department of Education. The states are among eight nationally that dont require all school districts to provide kindergarten either half- or full-day according to the most recent information from the Education Commission of the States. Wolf wants to change that in Pennsylvania, calling in his budget address for the expansion of universal, no-cost, full-day kindergarten so that its available for every child in our commonwealth." Rick Levis, an education department spokesperson, said the governor wants to require all districts to offer full-day programs through legislation expected to be introduced in the near future. In Perkiomen Valley, which considered adding full-day kindergarten last year, the district decided against the program after determining its elementary students already performed well academically compared with other Montgomery County districts. That was a turning point for us: Is it really necessary for us in Perkiomen Valley? said Laurie Smith, assistant to the superintendent. While we would love to offer it and think it would be a benefit to all of our students, Smith said, given the anticipated costs $700,000, primarily for teachers and transportation it didnt come out to be a top priority. The district does have full-day instruction for kindergarten students screened as needing additional learning, Smith said. Money isnt the only issue. In affluent Lower Merion, which has been grappling with increased enrollment, we do not have adequate classroom capacity to provide full-day kindergarten," said spokesperson Amy Buckman. The district has been maximizing space in its elementary schools by dividing single classrooms into two, adding modular classrooms at one school, and eliminating art rooms, she said. Even if there were funds to add classrooms, Buckman said, there isnt necessarily space to do so. Wolfs budget plan doesnt include funding designated for full-day kindergarten. The Democrat says that if a charter school reform proposal he backs passes the Republican-controlled legislature, districts will receive an additional $280 million they could use for kindergarten. The prospect for that legislation which charters oppose is unclear. READ MORE: Wolf pushing charter-school bill that would change funding, accountability rules Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, said superintendents worry about a kindergarten mandate without additional funding. We agree 100% with the goal, DiRocco said. Its how do you go about it in such a way that it doesnt become a burden for the district. Advocates have focused on early childhood education to reduce achievement gaps between students. There are strong data that early language and literacy skills really do predict later achievement, said Barbara Wasik, the PNC endowed chair in early childhood education at Temple University. But full-day kindergarten doesnt automatically net those benefits, Wasik said. Program quality is key, she said, including a lot of language interactions between teachers and children and time for play and socialization. Districts that have added full-day kindergarten said they took a careful approach. In North Penn, leaders formed a team of 50 including teachers, reading specialists, and psychologists to plot out what a full day would look like. It begins at exploration stations," with small groups of students doing hands-on activities, followed by a morning greeting. In Swearingens class, students seated in a circle passed a stuffed heart as they each shared how they felt that morning. I feel surprised, and I feel like eating ice cream now, said one boy, prompting giggles and yeahs from other students. Parents like the emphasis on social and emotional learning, in addition to academics, said Betty Santoro, North Penns director of elementary education. The districts kindergarten enrollment grew this year with the full-day program, she said from an average 780 to 800 students to nearly 1,000. READ MORE: Why Philly parents lined up at 4 a.m. to get their kids into kindergarten Some parents in districts without full-day kindergarten have been choosing private schools for their full-day programs. Among them is Christine McGill, who moved to the Council Rock School District from Connecticut a year ago, and whose children have already been in full-day prekindergarten programs. Being a pretty good school system, we were just surprised that it didnt have full-time kindergarten, McGill said. While her family still chose to move into the Bucks County district and can afford private kindergarten, McGill supports universal full-day kindergarten to give all the children the same opportunities. (Council Rock spokesperson Susan OGrady said the district considered adding full-day kindergarten in 2015, but found the $2.9 million annual cost exceeds our budgetary capacity.) Cari Bryce, a Lower Merion parent who has a child in private full-day kindergarten, said she considers half-day kindergarten archaic." Its frustrating because Lower Merion is always one of the top-ranking school districts. A lot of families live here for that reason, and we cant get over this kindergarten hump, Bryce said. Its almost as if it needs to come from the top down to make this change. At least 13,000 migrants tried to cross the Turkey-Greece border after Ankara officially opened its western border with Europe. According to reports, several hundred people reached three Greek islands by boat while some even tried to swim across the Evros river to reach the country. Greek police reportedly fired tear gas and stun grenades in an attempt to hold back the migrants who in return hurled stones at the forces. Read: Turkey Announces Military Operation Spring Shield Against Syrian Regime According to reports, Turkey opened its western border for migrants after accusing the European Union of slow fund release to support the Syrian refugee influx in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had long threatened to open its western border allowing migrants to cross to Europe, with which it had signed an accord in 2016 promising to prevent migration in return for financial support. As per reports, Turkey on Friday ordered its police, coastguard and border guards to stand down, meaning a passage for migrants to cross to Europe. Read: Greek PM Calls National Security Council Meeting As Turkey Refuses To Seal Borders However, some media reports suggest that the new shift in Turkey's policy is because Ankara wants to secure NATO and European Union's support over it's latest military campaign in the north-western Syrian province of Idlib, where it backs the rebel forces fighting against the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad. According to reports, Assad's forces backed by Russian air power launched an offensive attack against rebel fighters in their last stronghold in Idlib, which triggered a new wave of migration into Turkey. Read: Russian News Agency Staff Attacked, Detained In Turkey Turkey-Syria conflict Turkey launched the new military campaign in Idlib dubbed operation Spring Shield after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike on Thursday night. As per reports, Erdogan wants Syrian troops to withdraw beyond the borders that Turkey and Russia outlined in a 2018 agreement. Back in 2018, Turkey and Russia collaborated together to set-up a 'de-escalation zone' in Idlib in order to stem the violence in the region. The latest offensive launched by the Syrian government threatens the fragile agreement between Ankara and Moscow. Erdogan had earlier warned the Syrian government, setting a deadline to withdraw until the end of February. Read: Erdogan Says Western Border Will Remain Open As Greece Battles Refugee Influx Married At First Sight fans were perplexed during Monday night's episode, as to why Kasey 'KC' Osborne was cast as an intruder bride on the show. A series of tweets saw viewers describing the aspiring pop star as 'stunning', with 'good hair' and 'perfect teeth'. The 32-year-old was a vision in a plunging beaded princess-style gown that revealed her ample cleavage, as she 'wed' musician and charity founder Drew Brauer, 31. Perplexed: Married At First Sight viewers were baffled during Monday night's episode, as to why 'stunning' Kasey 'KC' Osborne was cast as an intruder bride on the show 'How is KC single? Get me on the show,' one viewer cheekily posted on Twitter. Another added: 'KC is very pretty, no really she is, not even being sarcastic and that is a first for me.' One said she had 'perfect teeth' while another simply called the brunette 'hot'. Gorgeous: The aspiring pop star and dancer was a vision in a plunging beaded princess-style gown that revealed her ample cleavage, as she 'wed' musician and charity founder Drew Brauer (right), 31 Baffled: A series of tweets saw viewers describing the aspiring pop star as 'stunning', with 'good hair' and 'perfect teeth' Fans also envisioned the couple having 'genetically blessed' children, with one writing: 'If KC and Drew were to have a kid, they would be the most genetically blessed kid in history.' During Monday night's episode, KC walked down the aisle in a couture gown that not only enhanced her bust, but also cinched in at her tiny waist. The Sydney-based beauty styled her mid-length locks in soft waves, with several strands held back with jewel hair clips. Looking to the future: Fans also envisioned the couple having 'genetically blessed' children, with one writing: 'If KC and Drew were to have a kid, they would be the most genetically blessed kid in history' Back in Australia for love: After spending the last 10 years living in Los Angeles and working as a dancer, KC said she returned to Sydney in search of love Her makeup was elegant and included defined brows, lashings of mascara and a soft pink colour on her plump pout that enhanced her sparkling white teeth. After spending the last 10 years living in Los Angeles and working as a dancer, KC said she returned to Sydney in search of love. KC worked as a Pussycat Doll in the famed musical act's burlesque show, and even met Harry Styles and David Beckham. Abroad: KC worked as a Pussycat Doll in the famed musical act's burlesque show, and even met Harry Styles and David Beckham But she said she always felt like something was 'missing' from her 'amazing' Hollywood life. 'Dating life in LA, it's just like guys are always looking for the next best thing,' she confessed. 'As soon as you have a bit of a hiccup in your relationship, they're just onto the next. It has been a little bit exhausting.' Challenges: But she said she always felt like something was 'missing' from her 'amazing' Hollywood life: 'Dating life in LA, it's just like guys are always looking for the next best thing,' she confessed Recounting her dating history, KC revealed guys had previously cheated on her and claimed to be single when they weren't. 'I just found it really hard to meet someone who just wanted to fully commit and go all the way,' she added. KC said she began to feel 'unhappy' with the direction her life was taking, and claimed even her 'dreams weren't fulfilling me anymore'. 'I just realised I would never find love in LA. And that's when I said, "I'm going to come back to Australia, and hopefully I'll meet Mr Right",' she said. Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AgraFlora Organics International Inc. (AgraFlora or the Company) (CSE: AGRA) (PU31.F) (OTCPK: AGFAF), a growth oriented and diversified international cannabis company, is pleased to announce that one of its subsidiaries, Propagation Services Canada Inc. (PSC), has entered into an agreement to acquire a curated portfolio of elite live-plant cannabis genetics (the Live-Plant Genetics") that will accelerate the Companys plans to disrupt the Canadian cannabis market. The Live-Plant Genetics will be acquired from an award-winning Canadian cannabis cultivator (the Vendor) with extensive experience in genetic development and commercialization for at-scale cannabis production. The curated portfolio of Live-Plant Genetics has been assembled, selected and refined by the Vendor over the past 24-months to meet the needs of large-scale commercial cannabis production. The Live-Plant Genetics have been tailored to work with PCSs infrastructure and cultivation program to optimize three primary commercial characteristics: cannabinoid and terpene content, plant yield and crops per year. These elements are intended to be the cornerstone of the PSC brand for cannabis products: the highest potency at the lowest cost. By acquiring Live-Plant Genetics, the Company will expedite its go-to-market timeline and strategy. Live-Plant Genetics can be put immediately into production whereas seed-based genetics require at least one preliminary selection crop cycle which can take up to six months to complete. This transaction will provide PSC with award-winning genetics that are focused on high-potency, strong flavours and desirable terpene content, all while preserving strong agricultural characteristics such as yield and flowering time. Securing these Live-Plant Genetics is an important element of the Companys plans to position PSC, once licensed, to disrupt the Canadian dried flower market. Dried flower represents the largest channel of focused revenue in the Canadian cannabis industry. According to recent market data aggregated by Health Canada, dried cannabis flower sales comprised 92 per-cent of total sales during the relevant period.1 Story continues PSCs investment in elite Live-Plant Genetics is expected to generate a positive impact on the three key drivers of profitability for a cultivator: improved sales prices, greater per-plant yields and shorter flowering time. Management believes the Canadian market has suffered from a lack of strong genetics resulting in low THC values, undesirable flavour profiles, and a lack of product differentiation. These Live-Plant Genetics will allow PSC to cultivate more desirable varieties with a focus on high-THC content. The Live-Plant Genetics are expected to contribute to meeting or exceeding PSCs expectations for annual financial productivity per square foot, because the selections were made to maximize per-plant yield and crop cycles per year in addition to maximizing THC concentration per gram. Having the right genetics are a must-have in the vegetable business, and choosing the right genetics means life or death for a cultivator. We believe cannabis is no different. We are used to working with genetics that have been specifically curated and selected for our cultivation strategy and with this deal we now have that level of confidence in our cannabis genetics, said Ruben Houweling, General Manager of Houweling Nurseries. We are excited to begin cultivating the Live-Plant Genetics quickly upon receipt of our Cultivation License and will be able to bring our cannabis products to market faster by avoiding the need for a complicated and time-consuming seed selection process. I am confident that the combination of these Live-Plant Genetics with the quality of the team and greenhouse we are developing in Delta, BC will position PSC to be a leading brand with a goal of producing the highest-potency THC cannabis at the lowest-cost. PSCs success as a licensed cannabis entity will require strength in three elements: cultivation, post-harvest processing and genetics. These three elements, when taken together, are the key drivers of unit revenue and pricing, demand and volume, and unit cost. The PSC teams multi-generational experience, as well as the unique characteristics of the existing location in Delta, BC affords the Company a strong platform for cultivation and positions it well to produce high potency cannabis at a low cost. Delta, BC enjoys strong levels of sunlight throughout the year, temperate weather and low humidity. These factors reduce the capital and operational expense incurred by many cultivators with respect to environmental controls, HVAC and increased levels of artificial lighting. The Company has been working with the PSC team, key consultants and experienced industry advisors to develop an efficient post-harvest processing facility and associated workflow, with the objective of allowing PSC to cultivate, dry, trim and package cannabis in a way that will preserve potency and bud quality while maintaining a strong focus on cost control. Genetics determine key economic elements such as yield, harvests per year, and cannabinoid potency. In the current market environment, management believes delivering consistently high cannabinoid potencies at a reasonable cost to the customer will be disruptive to the flower segment nation-wide. Genetics further define the consumer qualities such as aroma, flavour and bud structure. Management believes that the Canadian cannabis cultivation industry is ripe for disruption by PSC through its focus on producing high-potency cannabis that possesses certain key consumer elements such as pleasing aromas and smooth flavour. Our goal with PSC is to position the company and the brand to focus on an underserved market: customers seeking enjoyable cannabis flower that combines high potency with low pricing, said John Fowler, Principal of Blaise Ventures, a full service consulting firm engaged by the Company to support the execution of its strategic priorities to license, operationalize and solidify a path to profitability. John is the former CEO and President of the Supreme Cannabis Company, Inc. from 2014 to 2019. I have been continually impressed by the quality of the PSCs agricultural and operational team, and I believe over time Delta, British Colombia will emerge as Canadas low-cost cannabis cultivation cluster. With our focus on higher potency achieved through the elite Live-Plant Genetics, I believe PSC will be positioned for strong financial performance focused on contribution per gram and return on assets. To facilitate the transaction, PSC will utilize certain provisions of the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations which allow a newly licensed company to acquire and possess live-plant cannabis starting materials from existing legally registered personal producers of medical cannabis. By pursuing the transaction of elite Live-Plant Genetics as compared to acquiring seeds, PSC will avoid the requirement to pursue a seed selection program, which can take many months and has no guarantee of producing commercially viable genetics due to the variability present in cannabis seeds. About Propagation Services Canada Inc. Propagation Services Canada Inc. (PSC) is a company co-owned by AgraFlora and the Houwelings Group, one of North Americas leading producers and innovators in the greenhouse vegetable production industry. For three generations, Houwelings has been championing innovation in North American vegetable production, holding multiple patents and developing large-scale commercial greenhouses in British Colombia, California and Utah. The Houwelings Group was the first in the USA to utilize combined heat and power co-generation, and the first to develop a proprietary sealed growing technology. PSC will operate an automated greenhouse facility with an expandable footprint of up to 2,200,000 sq. ft. PSC is expected to commence cannabis operations in 2020 with a focus on producing high-potency cannabis at the lowest possible cost to drive margin growth and profitability. About AgraFlora Organics International Inc. AgraFlora Organics International Inc. is a leading cannabis company building shareholder value through the development of revenue generating operating assets in the global cannabis industry. AgraFlora is focused primarily on the Canadian cannabis industry; the worlds most advanced and regulated legal cannabis market. Flagship Canadian assets include: Edibles & Infusions, a fully automated manufacturing facility in Winnipeg, MB for white-label and consumer branded edible production; an interest in PSC, who will be operating a large-scale commercial greenhouse in Delta, BC focused on reshaping the Canadian flower market with high-potency, low cost cannabis flower, and AAA Heidelberg, a craft focused cannabis producer in London, ON. In addition, AgraFloras wholly owned subsidiary Farmako GmbH is scaling towards its goal of being Europes leading distributor of medical cannabis. Farmako currently has active distribution operations in Germany and expects to commence active operations in the United Kingdom in 2020. For more information please visit: https://agraflora.com/. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brandon Boddy Chairman & CEO T: (604) 398-3147 For additional information: AgraFlora Organics International Inc. Tim McNulty E: ir@agraflora.com T: (800) 783-6056 For French inquiries: Remy Scalabrini, Maricom Inc. E: rs@maricom.ca T: (888) 585-MARI The CSE and Information Service Provider have not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Companys control. There are no assurances that the business plans for AgraFlora Organics described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Companys filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available at www.sedar.com . 1 https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/research-data/market.html SANTA ROSA (BCN) Santa Rosa police arrested a man on suspicion of stabbing his roommate with a knife late Sunday night. Police responded around 11 p.m. to the 200 block of Hazel Street in southeast Santa Rosa after a male caller reported his roommate attacked him. The caller said he defended himself with a knife. A second male then called police and said he was attacked by his roommate, and when police arrived, they determined the first caller did not appear to be injured. The second caller had stab wounds to the head, torso and back, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries, police said. Police identified the second caller was the actual victim and learned the first caller, identified as Justin Dane Takacs, 36, of Santa Rosa, had been acting erratically over the past several days. During an argument Sunday night, Takacs stabbed the victim and left the residence, police said. Police found a knife in the residence and determined Takacs was a convicted felon in possession of two guns and ammunition. Takacs was booked into Sonoma County Jail Monday morning on suspicion of attempted murder, mayhem, and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He is scheduled to appear in Sonoma County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. On Sunday, Pete Buttigieg announced that he was quitting the Democrat primary race. This was a surprise, given his announcement earlier in February that he had won the Iowa caucus. In his resignation speech, Buttigieg explained that his primary goal was "to help unify Americans to defeat Donald Trump." He felt that the best way to achieve this goal would be to withdraw. Watching his speech, one gets the impression that he may have been pressured to withdraw to allow more moderate Democrats to consolidate around Biden. (Buttigieg is not a moderate; he is simply a Fabian, meaning he wishes to achieve full socialism by slower means than Bernie Sanders proposes.) .@PeteButtigieg: "I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency. I will no longer seek to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January." pic.twitter.com/pbDXsWwFPZ CSPAN (@cspan) March 2, 2020 Buttigieg's campaign has always been unusual. On paper, the 38-year-old candidate never offered any accomplishments that would justify elevating him to the highest office in America and the most important position in the world. Here are the highlights from Buttigieg's resume: Buttigieg was a good student who eventually received a Rhodes Scholarship. Buttigieg held a variety of low-level white-collar jobs, both after Harvard and after Oxford. The job at which he stayed longest was as a consultant for McKinsey & Company, analyzing various companies to recommend courses of action to increase profitability. Inspired by John Kerry, Buttigieg enlisted in the Naval Reserve. He was an intelligence officer but concedes that he mostly drove a jeep and sat around reading and smoking cigars. Although he used the experience to claim he had the makings of a commander in chief, both his path to being an officer and his responsibilities while on duty do not impress other veterans. Buttigieg successfully ran for mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a city of slightly over 101,000 people. Out of the 14,883 people who voted, Buttigieg got 10,991 votes. He was re-elected in 2015, receiving 8,515 votes. Although South Bend is the 306th largest city in America, it ranks 69th in a list of America's most dangerous cities. Both its violent crime and property crime rates are almost twice the U.S. average. That did not change under Buttigieg's watch. Buttigieg's accomplishments as mayor were limited. Among other things, he fired his black police chief, gentrified black neighborhoods, initiated a laser light show, came out as gay, worked on an initiative to make streets more user-friendly, and helped residents make "green" repairs on their homes. The Buttigieg mayoralty had a pattern: Buttigieg's penny-ante stuff mostly went through while he struggled with larger initiatives, whether they passed or not. South Bend's Deep State resisted re-organization, and when Buttigieg was successful in pushing through urban redevelopment, his plans displaced minority communities. Buttigieg's one other attribute is a sonorous voice that allows him to make vapid platitudes sound meaningful at the moment they're uttered. This is not presidential timber. Yet Buttigieg did well, surviving in the Democrat primaries long after other, arguably more accomplished, competitors failed. His success reveals the dead end that is Democrat identity politics. In 2008, Barack Obama was as lacking in accomplishments as Buttigieg. However, Obama's election represented the promise of healing a deep wound in America's psyche and its founding sin namely, the fact that a "nation conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" nevertheless allowed slavery to exist for 80 years after its inception and then allowed racial discrimination to continue for another 80 years. Homosexuality is not in the same class. While homosexuals have been subject to legislative and social discrimination, that is not a uniquely America sin. It's just one of many societal issues that's been the subject of evolution in the Western world. Buttigieg's ascension to the White House would not have promised to heal a uniquely American wound. But Buttigieg still succeeded, proving that, when it comes to identity politics, being gay is all that's left to the left. Ironically enough, when a truly accomplished man who happens to be gay, as is the case with Richard Grenell, was raised to some of the highest offices in the land, the left didn't celebrate his sexual orientation. Instead, it brutishly castigated his politics. It was a travesty that Buttigieg lasted as long as he did. And it's a sad day for the American Democrat party when the best it can offer the American people is someone sold as distinguished merely by virtue of his choice of bedmate. The stepmother of Gannon Stauch was arrested Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on suspicion of first-degree murder, as a five-week search for the Colorado Springs-area 11-year-old pivoted from a missing persons case to a murder prosecution. Authorities said Monday the boy's remains haven't been found and they declined to say how they connected Letecia Stauch to the boy's apparent death. Her arrest affidavit was sealed. I never thought I would be standing here its a nightmare," the boy's mother, Landen Hiott, said between sobs at an El Paso County Sheriff's Office news conference announcing the arrest. Letecia Stauch, 36, was arrested without incident at about 6 a.m. Mountain Time on Monday, El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder said. She is to be held without bond at the Horry County, South Carolina, jail until her extradition to Colorado Springs, officials said at the news conference. - VIDEO ARCHIVE: KKTV's full interview with Letecia Stauch. - Letecia Stauch slams El Paso County Sheriff's Office. In addition to first-degree murder, Letecia Stauch was arrested on suspicion of child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence, all felonies, law enforcement officials said. Court records show the El Paso County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant for her arrest on Friday. Hiott who, overcome with emotion, sometimes struggled to remain standing during the news conference held hands with the boy's father, Al Stauch, as authorities announced the arrest. Although Gannon's remains haven't been found, authorities have information expected to "narrow the search," El Paso County Sheriff's Office Lt. Mitch Mihalko said. "Today I got the worst news and the best news," Hiott said at the news conference. "Obviously we know what the worst news is. The best news is, is that justice will be served and Ill make sure that justice is served, because my boy did not deserve any of this that has happened to him. Hiott said she hoped Gannons stepmother, whom she trusted, would pay 100% for this heinous thing that shes done. If convicted, Letecia Stauch faces life in prison without parole. In a statement read by a spokeswoman, Gannon's father said although he was mourning that his "little boy is not coming home," he couldn't question God for "bringing Gannon home to him." Monday's arrest and the presumption Gannon was dead meant "we will never play Nintendo again, no more Taco Tuesdays," Al Stauch said. The person who committed this heinous, horrible crime is one that I gave more to than anyone else on this planet, and I will carry that burden for a very long time. But the God I believe in is the owner and decider of justice and vengeance, and only he can repay." The Sheriffs Office will continue to work closely with the 4th Judicial District Attorneys Office, the FBI and other agencies to investigate the boys death, Mihalko said. Focus on Finding Remains Prosecutor Michael Allen from the district attorney's office said efforts will focus on finding Gannon's remains and prosecuting Letecia Stauch. One, we still want to bring Gannon home so that he can have a proper burial and his family can achieve the closure that they need," Allen said at the Monday news conference. "But we also want to hold the person that we are charging ... accountable for what she did in this case." Sheriff's Office officials declined to answer questions at the press conference. Gannon was last seen five weeks ago by Letecia Stauch, who told investigators that the boy had walked to a friend's home nearby and didn't return. No information has been released on whether the boy made it to the friend's house. Gannon's disappearance was initially treated as a runaway. After two days, sheriff's officials referred to him as a missing and endangered child, which allowed them to call on the resources of the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In the weeks since, the search moved north of the El Paso County border to southern Douglas County. Crews were seen in videotaped footage throwing snow against a sifter, as if searching for small items. Searchers most recently probed an area near Colorado 105 and Colorado 83, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said Saturday. Never Worked for Peyton School District While a LinkedIn profile appearing to belong to Letecia Stauch stating that she is employed as a curriculum developer at School District 49, she does not and has never worked for it, the Peyton-based district spokesman David Nancarrow said Monday. Whatever shes posted is not correct, he said. We have no motivations for what that is. Letecia Stauch received a Colorado license to teach elementary school, special education and secondary social studies in March 2019, according to the Colorado Department of Education. Letecia Stauch has prior addresses in Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet and Mount Pleasant, all in South Carolina, and in Lumberton and Pembroke, North Carolina, according to public records. She has also used the last names Hardin and Hunt. In South Carolina, Letecia Stauch was cited with domestic violence-first offense, a misdemeanor, in November 2010, but the case was dismissed. In North Carolina, she was placed on probation in 2001 and 2002, after being cited with communicating threats in February 2001, simple assault in April 2001, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in June 2001, according to North Carolina state prison records. Details of those crimes, including where they were committed, werent available. She accused Hiott of contributing to what she called harassment and retaliation when she worked for seven days as a middle school social studies teachers in Marion County School District in South Carolina. The South Carolina Board of Education suspended her educator certification to teach in May 2016 for breach of contract in abandoning her teaching duties with the district. Letecia Stauch had signed an annual contract with the Marion County School District on June 24, 2015, and had also signed a contract to teach in Charleston, South Carolina, for the same time period, according to court documents. She indicated she left because she experienced harassment and retaliation at requesting to be released from her contract due to a pending military move, which she said was denied. She alleged the harassment and retaliation were because the district superintendents niece was her husbands ex-wife, Hiott. Leticia Stauch threatened to file an equal-opportunity complaint unless she was released from her contract. The harassment and retaliation claim was investigated and remains unsubstantiated, the order of suspension concluded. The suspension was for six months; there is no evidence it was reinstated. Gazette reporters Lance Benzel and Debbie Kelley contributed to this report. SEOUL, South Korea The number of new virus infections rose worldwide along with fears of a weakening global economy, even as cases in China dropped to their lowest level in six weeks on Monday and hundreds of patients at the outbreaks epicenter were released from hospitals. The number of deaths worldwide from COVID-19 topped 3,000 with expanding clusters of infections in South Korea, Italy and Iran. The virus was reshaping routines around Europe and across the Atlantic in the United States. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned that the world economy risked contracting this quarter for the first time since the international financial crisis more than a decade ago. "Global economic prospects remain subdued and very uncertain," the agency said. Major cities including Jakarta, New York, Moscow and Berlin grappled with their first recorded cases, and health officials in Washington state confirmed a second death there a man in his 70s from a nursing facility near Seattle, in a region where researchers believe the virus may have been circulating for weeks undetected. Oregon on Sunday identified a second patient with presumptive coronavirus as state health officials braced for the likelihood that future testing will identify more Oregonians with the potentially deadly virus. Officials provided limited information about the new case but said it is linked to Oregons first coronavirus case identified Friday. Related: Coronavirus in Oregon: Cancellations and closures Schools emptied across Japan, mobile hospitals were planned in Iran, and the Mona Lisa, accustomed to droves of staring tourists, hung in a vacant room of the shuttered Louvre in Paris. "Just about everywhere, the cases are rising quite quickly in a number of countries," said Ian Mackey, who studies viruses at the University of Queensland in Australia. Malaysia and Portugal were the newest places to detect the virus. More than 60 countries around the world including nine of the 10 most populous have found infections, with a global count of nearly 89,000 people affected by the illness. In the United States, cases ticked upward. Even as alarms grew louder in much of the world, Monday brought positive signs from China, where the outbreak started. China's economy delivered hopeful cues, with mainland Chinese stock benchmarks charging back 3% and data showing progress in restoring factory output after weeks of disruptions related to the outbreak. But gains in European stock markets were wiped out Monday after the OECD warning. China reported 202 new cases of the virus, its lowest daily count since Jan. 21, and the stricken heart of the health crisis, Wuhan, said 2,570 patients were released. At the largest of 16 temporary hospitals that were hastily built in Wuhan in response to the outbreak, worries over the availability of supplies and protective gear abated and pressure on medical staff eased. Dr. Zhang Junjian, who leads a temporary hospital at an exhibition center in Wuhan which has a staff of 1,260, said optimism was high that the facility would no longer be needed in the coming weeks. "If nothing special happens, I expect the operation of our makeshift hospital ... could complete its historical mission by the end of March," Zhang said. China's sunnier news came two months into its outbreak. In the places the virus has spread more recently, the problems continued to magnify. South Korea, with the worst outbreak outside of China, said it recorded 599 new cases of the virus Monday, bringing the total to 4,335. The death toll there rose to 26. To cope, the country said hospitals would be reserved for patients with serious symptoms or preexisting conditions, with mild cases now routed to other designated facilities. "If we continue to hospitalize mild patients amid the continued surge in infections, we would be risking overworking medical professionals and putting them at greater risk of infections," said the country's vice health minister, Kim Gang-lip. South Korea said it would keep its schools closed longer than previously announced, with a planned reopening of March 9 delayed another two weeks to March 23. And the leader of a church that's blamed for being the source of the country's largest cluster of infections bowed in apology. "We also did our best but weren't able to contain it fully," said Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old leader of the Shincheonji church, which some mainstream Christian groups reject as a cult. In the Middle East, a worsening situation in Iran was accompanied by concern for its top leaders after a member of the council that advises Iran's supreme leader died of COVID-19. Iran has confirmed 1,501 cases of the virus and 66 deaths, but many believe the true number is larger. Its caseload surged more than 250% in just 24 hours. Major Shiite shrines remain open despite civilian authorities' calls to close them. The holy cities of Mashad and Qom, where Shiites often touch and kiss shrines in a show of faith, have had high numbers of infections. The Revolutionary Guard said it would install some mobile hospitals in response and authorities have been cleaning the shrines and even spraying down city streets with disinfectant. "We will have two difficult weeks ahead," said Ali Raibiei, a spokesman for the Iranian government. Meantime, Israel, an enemy of Iran, was deciding whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power. Among the voting sites were 15 stations especially for quarantined people who may have been exposed to the virus. In Europe, leaders braced for worsening caseloads after the count surged in France, Italy and to a lesser degree Spain over the weekend. Italy's number of infection ballooned by 50% in 24 hours to 1,694. Health officials in northern Italy sought to bring doctors out of retirement and to accelerate nursing students' graduations to help an overwhelmed public health system. The Louvre, the world's most popular museum, remained closed as its 2,300 workers expressed fears the site's international appeal could make it a prime target. At Fashion Week in Paris, attendees passed up kisses, instead greeting each other with elbow touches. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's outstretched hand was rebuffed by her interior minister at a meeting with migrant groups. In the United States, authorities have counted at least 80 cases of the virus, two fatal, and concern was driving some to wipe store shelves clean of bottled water, hand sanitizer and other necessities. Both deaths were men with existing health problems who were hospitalized in Washington state. The Associated Press Author Preety Praveen recently launched her maiden novel 'Cross Connection' at a formal launch in Sapna Book House, Residency Road, Bengaluru. The realistic fiction read is inspired by a true story and published by Blue Rose Publishers. Cross Connection is a story of love, commitment and destiny. Set in the simple town of Salem, Tamil Nadu, the storyline takes readers through the lives of Simar and Naveen, who are distinctly different people, with whom one can identify with almost instantaneously. With nothing in common, destiny brings them together in a captivating plot, connecting them in a lifelong bond. "One of the most powerful words that we all find the need to come to terms with is 'destiny'. We all start by believing that life is in our hands and the decisions we make are what transpires as our little anecdotes to share," said Preety Praveen, speaking on the book. "But beyond just human power lies destiny, and this is exactly what I was meaning to express through this book. It is a story that is very close to my heart and one I look forward to sharing with readers all over," Preety Praveen added. Cross Connection is sure to strike the right chord as it connects the lives of Simar, a bold and brilliant girl with a pampered upbringing and Naveen a determined youngster with a brusque exterior. While she traces her roots to Punjab, he comes from Kerala. Long after recognizing and accepting their love for each other, the couple has a tough battle ahead of them convincing their respective parents to accept their relationship. Simar has to also cope from the turmoil of recovering from a life-threatening car crash without Naveen by her side. Through love, tears, anger, sacrifice, sadness, hope, triumph and joy, the captivating plot makes Cross Connection a compelling read. "It was a pleasure working with Preety Praveen on this book. The moment we read the story for the first time, we knew instantly that it was one that would connect with people on many levels. This book is definitely a must-read and I am confident that it will leave a mark on this genre for many years to come," said Syed Asad Hassan, Managing Director of Blue Rose Publishers. A Bengaluru based psychologist, Preety Praveen draws from her personal and professional experiences to give readers an insight into the ups and downs of relationships and the importance of commitment. Cross Connection was released in collaboration with Avasar Foundation and a percentage of the profits are pledged to open doors of education for girl children. The book launch of Cross Connection was presented in partnership with Radio Indigo 91.9, Asher Encarv Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore, Keroline Martis - Homebaker and WEconsult. Preety Praveen is also penning down a sequel to the book, titled 'A Pocket Full of Promises' As the name suggests, the book is an honest take on the ups and downs Simar and Naveen face after marriage. Cross Connection is priced at Rs 299 and available for purchase on Amazon, Flipkart, ShopClues and leading bookstores across the country. Blurb of the Book To accomplish the dreams of her parents, Simar, a girl from Punjab, lands up in Tamil Nadu to complete her degree in dentistry. But fate had written a different story for her. Struggling to survive in a new world, she meets the love of her life, Naveen, a boy from Kerala. Smiling in the world of their love, they weave a beautiful life around their dreams. But everything changes once Naveen leaves India, trying his luck to get a job abroad. After a year, he comes back to marry her...but...is she still there waiting for him...??? This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researcher receives grant to study effects of hypersonic shock waves Chris Combs, the Dee Howard Endowed Assistant Professor in UTSA's Department of Mechanical Engineering, is one of 40 young researchers who will receive a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research's Young Investigator Research Program. The three-year grant, totaling $450,000, will support Combs as he investigates the effects of hypersonic shock waves on future U.S. Air Force flight systems in his research effort titled "Effects of ablation-induced distributed roughness on shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions." The Young Investigator Research Program fosters creative basic research in science and engineering while enhancing early career development of outstanding young researchers. Hypersonic flight, with velocities faster than five times the speed of sound, is an emerging national priority that has the potential to be a truly disruptive technology with an impact on commercial aviation, defense and space exploration. Hypersonic speed, or Mach 5, is a velocity of roughly 4,000 miles per hour. Sustained flight at these speeds has obvious appeal when one considers that a hypersonic trip from New York to Los Angeles would take only 30 minutes. This flight regime is also significant for military and defense applications, since a rapid-response capability to hotspots and crisis points around the world is highly desirable. Recent demonstrations of hypersonic technology by Russia and China have put pressure on the United States to develop hypersonic systems of its own; however, hypersonic flight poses many technical and engineering challenges owing to the extreme flow velocities, temperatures and pressure loads imposed on a vehicle system. One of the many issues with sustained and reusable hypersonic flight is the extreme heat experienced by these vehicles, which can approach the temperature of the surface of the sun. For this reason, most hypersonic cruise vehicles employ protective surfaces called thermal protection systems that are designed to keep the system safe. These thermal protection systems are often designed to ablate, which means that a sacrificial outer surface is designed to burn and erode away as heating loads are applied to protect the primary vehicle. Previous research has shown that this ablation can generate roughness on a vehicle surface. Some thermal protection systems are also designed using woven composite materials, which naturally have a complex, textile and rough surface architecture, like a thick wool blanket. Very little previous work has been conducted to study the impact of these rough surfaces on a hypersonic flow. The design of hypersonic systems is further complicated by the presence of shock waves on the surface of a vehicle. These shock waves are generated by fins and control surfaces and can create catastrophic pressure and thermal loads leading to vehicle damage or failure. "Moving at such high speed, if a shock wave is interacting with a vehicle surface it can quite literally burn a hole through your aircraft, so that's obviously something we'd like to avoid," said Combs. "The problem is that the underlying physics of these interactions is very complex and the necessary experiments and computations are quite challenging. So after over 50 years of research in this area we still do not have a good feel for how to control or mitigate these interactions, particularly when they occur over realistic vehicle surfaces." To address these issues, Combs will employ real-world materials to study the effect of surface roughness on the dynamic behavior of hypersonic shock-wave interactions in UTSA's Mach 7 Ludwieg Tube facility. Coupled with the deployment of a variety of laser-based experimental measurement techniques, this approach should reveal key insights into the nature of these flows that will aid in the design of the next generation of Air Force flight systems. The hypersonic Ludwieg Tube facility, which is anticipated for completion in March 2020, consists of a long section of pressurized pipe--the driver tube--which creates a hypersonic flow in the test section by exhausting through a nozzle and into a vacuum reservoir. Ludwieg tubes are classified as impulse test facilities that are characterized by a rapid release of energy and short windows (tens to hundreds of milliseconds) of test time. However, by using high-speed data acquisition these relatively short test windows still result in hundreds of thousands of data points for each wind tunnel run. Hypersonic wind tunnels like UTSA's Mach 7 facility are rare, with approximately one dozen Mach 5+ facilities at U.S. universities. Once complete, UTSA will be operating one of only three Mach 7+ hypersonic facilities housed on an academic campus in the United States. ### This story has been published on: 2020-03-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 15:06:49|Editor: mingmei Video Player Close VIENTIANE, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Lao Ministry of Health has urged the public to get information about the COVID-19 from only reliable and official sources to avoid the snare of fake news. The ministry and the World Health Organization are the only reliable sources of information on the virus and prevention efforts, local daily Vientiane Times on Monday quoted Rattanaxay Phetsavanh, director general of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under Lao Ministry of Health, as saying. He spoke at a press conference last Thursday about efforts to stop fake news on the spread and treatment of the COVID-19 in Laos. The public should not read or share social media posts that contain misinformation. At present, two facilities can carry out urgent blood tests to identify symptoms of the COVID-19, namely the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology, and the Pasteur Institute in Vientiane. Health officials said Mittaphab Hospital (Friendship Hospital) and Mahosot Hospital in capital Vientiane were the only two hospitals in the city designated to treat anyone who contracts the virus. "We will work with other hospitals in Vientiane capital, especially the 103 Hospital, if Mittaphab has more patients than it can handle," he said. Health officials advise anyone with flu-like symptoms who has travelled to an outbreak area or had any contact with an at-risk group to get in touch with hospital staff. The Lao ministry is also advising the general public to protect themselves against the virus by limiting contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections. Officials are strengthening preparedness for and response to the COVID-19, Rattanaxay added. He said Laos has a well-established system to identify unusual clusters of disease or illness, and this was being strengthened to ensure capabilities in detecting anything unusual. Even though no case of COVID-19 has been reported in Laos, the government urges everyone to be on their guard and take precautions such as distancing themselves from people with coughs. Piers Morgan today picked apart Harry and Meghan's decision to leave baby Archie in Canada while they jet to the UK for their final round of royal engagements. Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated to Canada, the pair have travelled to various events overseas, but never with their nine-month-old son who was born in Britain. The couple will fly from Vancouver Island back to the UK on March 5 for Family duties before peeling away from the front line indefinitely. But the Good Morning Britain presenter questioned why the recent parents would leave their infant for a period of time and not take him with them. Speaking on the show as panelists discussed whether or not UK tax payers should foot the bill for the family's security, he said: 'It's a bit odd, I've had four kids and the rule was always that both parents wouldn't be out of the country at the same time as the kids when they were that young, I'm very surprised. Scroll down for video Piers Morgan (pictured above) was criticised by social media users today after he suggested Meghan and Harry shouldn't be leaving baby Archie on his own Harry and Meghan are pictured above with their son baby Archie before they relocated to Canada Harry and Meghan's travels this year and where they are expected to be going in March 'We don't know for sure if Archie is coming on this trip, but it struck me as slightly odd I have to say, that both parents would be in London and this little eight/nine-month-old baby is left back in Canada'. Social media users hit back at Piers and said he needs to 'talk about something else' and claimed he needs to 'leave Meghan and Harry alone'. One user said: 'I need to let you all know that #BettyFromBuckingham aka the queen left her children, for 6 months and went on a royal tour. So please leave #HarryandMeghan alone when it comes to THEIR SON #Archie.' Many agreed and another user said that Kate and William had left baby George with a nanny for their second honeymoon, accusing Piers of bullying Meghan. Harry and Meghan spent their first Christmas with baby Archie at this 10million waterfront mansion on Vancouver Island in Canada and have left the baby there during their travels The Duke of Sussex released this photograph of him with baby Archie on New Year's Eve in Canada. Harry has recently been in Edinburgh without his son Another added: '1.Funny how no one ever questions when fathers leave their kids to work or travel. 2. You say 'leave them' like it's permanent 3.There is global virus going around and we know kids and elderly are more susceptible. 4. You are once again making something out of nothing.' One said that it was 'time you left them alone and stopped criticising them for everything', while another chimed in: 'OMG. Leave Harry and Meghan alone. Each person is different. Enough this bullying'. Harry has been in the UK since February 26 for an event in Edinburgh and last week visited Abbey Road studios while Meghan stayed in Canada with Archie. On February 6 they attended an event in Miami without Archie before going to California on February 11, also leaving him behind. Social media users criticised Piers Morgan today after his comments about Meghan leaving baby Archie on his own Piers added: 'On the financial aspect of this it means that Archie has to be protected in Canada while both his parents have to be protected somewhere else.' Earlier on in the show co-host Susanna Reid said she had previously struggled to leave her children on their own when she went on holiday with her ex partner. She said she had been unable to board a plane and was reduced to tears as she was 'so worried' that 'something bad would happen'. 'For my 40th we were supposed to go away without the children and I literally physically couldn't get on the plane with my children's Dad who I was with at the time as I couldn't stand the thought that something might happen to us and we had left the children at home. Former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe said baby Archie was the biggest threat to the family and that there was a 'real risk of kidnap' due to the bad press the couple have created around themselves. This is while Ateh Jewel said the family should continue to have security from the British tax payer. She added: 'She's a young mother, all bets are off, maybe she thinks it's safer to be on an isolated island than in London. I'd send my girls to an island for them to be safe.' Also on the show it was revealed that more than nine out of 10 Good Morning Britain viewers believed that taxpayers should not have to pay the couple's 20million security bill. The shows Twitter poll garnered from than 14,000 responses to the question: Should UK taxpayers foot the bill for Harry, Meghan and Archies protection? A massive 90.6 per cent responded 'no', leaving just 9.4 per cent answering 'yes' since the poll surfaced yesterday. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said that it is necessary for the youth to be educated as it is also linked with the development of the state. He also said that the youth should sharpen their skills so that they get employment in the field of their choice. The Chief Minister was addressing a gathering during the inauguration of Community Centers built at a cost of about Rs 3.52 crore in Pundrak, Kachhwa and Dabri villages in Karnal assembly constituency on Sunday. According to a press release, Khattar said the State government has taken several steps in this direction so that good education is imparted to children and to youth. He said that the state government is focussing its attention on generating employment opportunities for the youth and in the last five years, 80,000 youths have been provided employment and in the next two years, more youth will be provided employment. The Chief Minister said that in the budget this year besides focussing on the education sector, health sector has also been given priority in the budget as the state will increase awareness about leading a healthy lifestyle. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 14:11:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHANGSHA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, has launched temporary chartered cargo flights to Hong Kong to support enterprises to resume business amid the novel coronavirus epidemic. The outbound cargo flight loaded with 13 tonnes of goods left the Changsha Huanghua Airport for Hong Kong on Feb. 29. The inbound cargo flight carrying tonnes of goods returned on the same day from Hong Kong to Changsha. Funded by the Changsha municipal government, it was the first chartered cargo flight traveling between Changsha and Hong Kong since enterprises gradually resume businesses in the provincial capital city. "Since the company resumed production, a batch of mobile phone protection screens has been produced to be delivered to the warehouse in Hong Kong," said Yang Shensong, logistics director of Lens Technology. "The chartered cargo flights funded by the government greatly reduced the logistics cost and improved the transportation efficiency," said Yang. Affected by the epidemic, Changsha's international air routes are largely grounded. To guarantee the trade demand of materials for local enterprises to resume production, Changsha decided to open temporary chartered flights to transfer cargos. Changsha will also launch cargo flights to Europe, Africa, America and other regions of Asia to meet the demand for goods trade and transportation. Businessman in Kolkata shot at after his car was stopped by 18 men Kolkata police arrest 3 BJP workers for raising Goli Maro.. slogan India oi-Mousumi Dash Kolkata, Mar 02: Three BJP workers were arrested by the Kolkata police on Monday for raising the incendiary "Goli Maro..." (shoot the traitors) slogan while they were on their way to a rally addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the heart of the city, Esplanade area in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon. Reportedly, FIR have been registered in the night at the New Market police station against Surendra KumarTiwari, Dhruba Basu, and Pankaj Prasad. BJP workers raise 'goli maro...' slogan en route to Shah rally All the three BJP workers have been booked under Sections 505, 506, 34 and 153A of the IPC. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 On Sunday, a group of BJP workers, carrying party flags, were heard shouting the slogan en route to the Shahid Minar ground during Shah's day-long visit. The BJP supporters sloganeering came close to Congress and Left Front members who chanted "Go Back Amit Shah" on Sunday, however, disturbance were averted as a large number of police personnel posted nearby intervened and took control of the situation. Earlier, six persons were arrested at Delhi's Rajiv Chowk metro station on Saturday for raising the same "Goli Maro" slogan. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 10:22 [IST] DARIEN, IL - Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve efficiencies and precision in sleep medicine, resulting in more patient-centered care and better outcomes, according to a new position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Published online as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the position statement was developed by the AASM's Artificial Intelligence in Sleep Medicine Committee. According to the statement, the electrophysiological data collected during polysomnography -- the most comprehensive type of sleep study -- is well-positioned for enhanced analysis through AI and machine-assisted learning. "When we typically think of AI in sleep medicine, the obvious use case is for the scoring of sleep and associated events," said lead author and committee Chair Dr. Cathy Goldstein, associate professor of sleep medicine and neurology at the University of Michigan. "This would streamline the processes of sleep laboratories and free up sleep technologist time for direct patient care." Because of the vast amounts of data collected by sleep centers, AI and machine learning could advance sleep care, resulting in more accurate diagnoses, prediction of disease and treatment prognosis, characterization of disease subtypes, precision in sleep scoring, and optimization and personalization of sleep treatments. Goldstein noted that AI could be used to automate sleep scoring while identifying additional insights from sleep data. "AI could allow us to derive more meaningful information from sleep studies, given that our current summary metrics, for example, the apnea-hypopnea index, aren't predictive of the health and quality of life outcomes that are important to patients," she said. "Additionally, AI might help us understand mechanisms underlying obstructive sleep apnea, so we can select the right treatment for the right patient at the right time, as opposed to one-size-fits-all or trial and error approaches." Important considerations for the integration of AI into the sleep medicine practice include transparency and disclosure, testing on novel data, and laboratory integration. The statement recommends that manufacturers disclose the intended population and goal of any program used in the evaluation of patients; test programs intended for clinical use on independent data; and aid sleep centers in evaluation of AI-based software performance. "AI tools hold great promise for medicine in general, but there has also been a great deal of hype, exaggerated claims and misinformation," explained Goldstein. "We want to interface with industry in a way that will foster safe and efficacious use of AI software to benefit our patients. These tools can only benefit patients if used with careful oversight." The position statement, and a detailed companion paper on the implications of AI in sleep medicine, are available on the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine website. ### To request a copy of the statement "Artificial Intelligence in Sleep Medicine: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement," or the companion paper, "Artificial Intelligence in Sleep Medicine: Background and Implications for Clinicians," or to arrange an interview with an author or an AASM spokesperson, please contact the AASM at 630-737-9700 or media@aasm.org. Accepted papers, which are published online prior to their final inclusion in an issue, are not embargoed. The position paper and companion paper are scheduled to appear in the April 2020 issue of the journal. The monthly, peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a professional membership society that advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM encourages patients to talk to their doctor about sleep problems and visit SleepEducation.org for more information about sleep, including a searchable directory of AASM-accredited sleep centers. From blockades to rail stoppages: Wetsuweten protests grab spotlight nationwide Those knowledgeable of Canadian history must find it puzzling that the term colonial is used by some vocal activists as a derogatory descriptor. Will the words settlers, pioneers, and explorers be included? Those people laid the foundation of this great nation. And it was the colonial mentality that proved a bulwark against absorption of British North America into our powerful southern neighbour. It is because of colonialism and the flood of immigrants it encouraged that Canada is truly multicultural today. My foreparents immigrated here from Ireland so I will always be grateful to the colonial officials of that era. There may have been flaws in our nations infancy, but few toddlers are perfect. As father would have grumbled, Stop whining, and get to work. Samsungs Galaxy Z Flip may have been the first flip smartphone to arrive in India, but it wasnt the first; that honour belongs to the Moto Razr. After the success of the Galaxy Z Flip, the Moto Razr is gearing up for the launch of its Razr folding phone in the country. Now, the Motorola Razr has got a confirmed launch date and will arrive in India on March 16. Since all the details about the Moto Razr have already been revealed during its initial launch, the company will provide clarity on pricing and availability of the Razr. Unlike the Galaxy Z Flip, which offers top-tier flagship-grade specs, the Moto Razr plays on the nostalgia rather than wielding an impressive spec sheet. The Moto Razr is priced at $1,499 in the United States, which is approximately Rs 1,09,300 that is roughly the same price as the Galaxy Z Flip (Rs 1,09,999) in India. We expect the Moto Razr to be priced identically to the Galaxy Z Flip. Specs Moto Razr Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 Display 6.2-inch Foldable P-OLED (Unfolded) / 2.7-inch G-OLED display (Folded) Memory 6GB RAM / 128GB Storage Rear Camera 16 MP, f/1.7 + TOF 3D depth sensor Front Camera 5 MP, f/2.0 Battery 2510 mAh battery (15W Fast-charging) Software Android 9.0 (Pie) Colours Noir Black and Blush Gold Price $1,499 (Approx. Rs 1,09,300) All things considered, the Razr will be a tough sell, given the Galaxy Z Flips superior spec sheet. Additionally, the Razrs hinge has raised questions about its durability in the past. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip vs Motorola Razr: What's the difference between the two clamshell phone and which one is better? By Express News Service HYDERABAD: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday termed the Delhi riots as targeted structural violence and said that the responsibility lies with the BJP government to maintain peace in the troubled areas. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected areas. Addressing a public meeting held on the occasion of AIMIMs 62nd foundation day here on Sunday, the Hyderabad MP said the riots in Delhi were the result of the speeches made by BJP leaders. This communal riot was planned. An atmosphere of hatred was created. It cannot be called a communal riot, but a pogrom, he said. Referring to the incident of some youngsters raising slogans such as goli maaro desh ke gaddaron ko (shoot the traitors) in Delhi metro, Owaisi asked what rights do they have in raising such slogans in an attempt to create fear among people. He criticised the Prime Minister for his silence over the issue. The Hyderabad MP lashed out at Delhi police for not responding to the phone calls made by Muslims who were affected by the Delhi violence. He further said that the MIM elected representatives would donate their one months salary to the families of those killed in the Delhi violence. Social media becoming a tool for misinformation Kishan Reddy stated that even though social media made an immense contribution to breaking the hegemony of certain media houses, it has also become a tool for misinformation campaigns. Speaking on CAA, he said that the Act was not going to take away the citizenship of any citizen of India, but was aimed at giving citizenship to people from religious minorities who have been facing persecution in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. He appealed to the youngsters to debate and come up with new ideas, which can shape the future of India. The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Monday organised a protest march against last week's communal violence in Delhi and demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation over his alleged "abdication of duty" during violence that rocked parts of the capital for four days. The IYC also demanded registration of FIR against BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for allegedly instigating and inciting the public through their hate speeches. "The government has miserably failed to maintain law and order in the city. The recent Delhi communal killings and arson show a nexus between the rioters and a section of police officials which resulted in gruesome killings and arson that has tarnished India's image across the globe," the IYC said in a statement. Referring to the recent Delhi violence, the statement said, "The inactions on the part of the Police under Amit Shah coupled with instigating hate speeches of BJP leaders depict wanton destruction of democratic values in this country with the active approbation and, frequently, the selective Nelsonian blind eye of the government. Home Minister Amit Shah has no right to remain in the post and must resign immediately from his post." IYC President Srinivas BV said, "at least 46 people have been killed and homes and property of thousands of people have been burnt down. It is absolutely shameful for this government to be still in power." He further stated that the government "needs to stop using innocent people to instigate its state-sponsored violence". Last week, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had passed a resolution demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah with immediate effect over Delhi violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of migrants and refugees from Turkey are attempting to enter Greece after Ankara announced it could no longer enforce a 2016 deal with the EU to prevent migrants entering Europe. Turkey has said it will not prevent migrants on its territory from reaching Europe, triggering an almost instant rush to the borders it shares with European Union member Greece after the Syrian conflict escalated. Turkey can no longer enforce a 2016 deal with the EU to prevent migrants entering Europe. (Reuters) Read more: Turkey shoots down two Syria warplanes in escalating offensive The International Organisation for Migration put the number of people along the Greece-Turkey border at 13,000. A young boy died when a boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos on Monday, Greek police said, the first reported fatality since Turkey opened its borders last week. A man holds a banner as thousands of migrants continue to gather at the Pazarkule Border Gate in Karaagac neighbourhood in Edirne, Turkey to reach Greece. (Getty) Silhouettes of irregular migrants are seen as they continue to wait near the border gate in Edirne, Turkey to reach Greece on Monday. (Getty) A child wakes up beside another sleeping child at the Pazarkule Border Gate in Karaagac neighbourhood in Edirne, Turkey. (Getty) Nearly a million Syrians have fled to the Syrian-Turkish border since December, amid heavy fighting in the Idlib region between Turkish-backed rebels and Syrian government forces. Turkey has an estimated 3.7 million Syrian refugees, as well as migrants from other countries but previously stopped them from entering Europe. Read more: Migrants head to Greece as Turkey opens the doors The deal was proposed as a solution to the migrant crisis in 2015 where almost one million refugees and migrants arrived in the EU. Hundreds of thousands of people fled to escape the wars in Syria and Afghanistan. Migrants sleep on a field near Edirne, at the Turkish-Greek border on Monday. (AP) Migrants receive food as they gather in a field near Edirne. (AP) On Monday, a senior Turkish official told the Reuters news agency: We have decided, effectively immediately, not to stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe by land or sea. Read more: Turkeys borders with Europe open as migrants gather, says president "All refugees, including Syrians, are now welcome to cross into the European Union." The prospect of a new migration crisis caused alarm in European countries already contemplating restrictions on internal borders and public gatherings to fight the coronavirus. Tear gas is being used during clashes at the Turkish-Greek border near the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, Turkey to stop migrants from entering Greece. (AP) Greek police fire tear gas at migrants who trying to enter Greece.Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey's western frontier, trying to enter Greece by land and sea. (AP) A migrant reacts as Greek riot police guard the border gate in Kastanies village on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP) Greece, a European Union member state neighbouring Turkey, vowed not to admit the migrants and responded to the incoming refugees at its border. Story continues Greek police fired tear gas toward migrants who were gathered on its border with Turkey and demanding entry on Saturday. In addition to some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, Turkey also hosts migrants from Afghanistan, Iran and Morocco, among others. Delhi violence state-sponsored genocide, Goli Maaro slogans won't be tolerated in Bengal: Mamata India oi-Mousumi Dash Kolkata, Mar 02: Condemning the northeast Delhi riot, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging the communal violence in Delhi was "state-sponsored genocide". She also claimed that the BJP is trying to implement "Gujarat model of riots" across the country, including in West Bengal. Addressing a TMC event, Mamata also condemned those who raised the controversial "goli maro..." slogan while heading to Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in the city on Sunday. TMC, AAP MPs hold protest inside the Parliament premises against govt over Delhi violence "I am deeply pained by the killing of innocent people in Delhi. I think it was genocide... the violence in Delhi was state-sponsored," she said. The TMC supremo claimed it was due to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that "so many people were killed" in the Delhi violence. "Amit Shah should keep this in mind," she said the BJP should apologise for the Delhi riots. "The BJP is trying to replicate the Gujarat model of riots across India, including in West Bengal," the chief minister added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 14:01 [IST] A child has drowned after a boat with migrants rolled over into the sea on the Greek island of Lesbos, Reuters reported. Over 10,000 migrants, mainly from Syria, other countries of the Middle East and Afghanistan, reached Turkeys land borders with the EU states - Greece and Bulgaria, as Ankara said last Thursday it would cease to contain them on its territory. Greek and Turkish police used tear gas against people who ended up between fences on no man's land last weekend. About 1,000 more migrants reached the eastern Aegean islands of Greece on Sunday morning, according to Greek police. The Greek coast guard reported that a boat that had flipped over at Lesbos was escorted by a Turkish ship. Forty-six people were saved, two children have been hospitalized, but one could not be saved. Another boat with 30 Afghans arrived early in the morning. The coast guard reported that another thirty-two people were rescued at sea near Farmakonissi, a small island near Turkey. This is an invasion, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis told Skai TV on Monday. Greek officials accused Turkey of organizing a coordinated effort to move migrants across the border. One Greek policeman accused Turkish soldiers of giving cutters to migrants to cut holes in the fence to get through it. Migrants on the Turkish side of the border called on Greek soldiers and riot police to open the gates and let them in, saying that they had children and women. Some of the were with white flags. Spokesman Stelios Petsas said the migrant surge poses an active, serious, severe and asymmetrical threat to national security. BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha on Monday as opposition parties vehemently protested over the issue of violence in Delhi and demanded resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. Lok Sabha was adjourned thrice till 4.30 pm amid continuing ruckus. Speaker Om Birla said that he was pained by what has happened during the day, before adjourning the House till Tuesday. As soon as the House met at 2 pm, opposition members started raising slogans from the Well against the government. They went into the area of treasury benches carrying a black banner, which demanded Shah's resignation, as Speaker Om Birla took up the listed business. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned their "unruly behaviour" and asked the Speaker to continue with proceedings. Joshi alleged that "these are the people" who have provoked the riots. "They murdered 3,000 people in 1984 (riots) and did no investigation. The priority is to restore peace... but they want to create tension," he said. Seeking to restore normalcy in the House, Birla asked opposition members who were in the Well to take their seats even as they continued to shout "we want justice" and "Amit Shah Murdabad" (Down with Amit Shah). They were also holding placards saying "stop hate speech, save our India". Things took a turn for worse as Congress' Gaurav Gogoi and Ravneet Singh Bittu holding the black banner went to the Treasury benches where BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal was speaking on 'Vivaad Se Vishwas' Bill. BJP members, including Ramesh Bidhuri and Nishikant Dubey, asked them to return to the Well. Some Congress members tore papers and hurled them in the air. The charge by the Congress MPs angered the BJP members, including many from back benches, who rushed towards the Congress members. Members from both sides then began pushing and shoving each other following which the proceedings were adjourned till 3 pm by the Speaker. Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani were seen trying to pacify the agitated members. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi were present in the House during the uproar. When the House reassembled at 3 pm, some BJP members were seen blocking the way to their side of the Well. Congress member Ramya Haridas complained about being manhandled by BJP members. BJP's Rama Devi, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House again till 4 pm saying "whatever you have done is wrong". But the ruckus continued when the House again met and it was adjourned till 4.30 pm by the Chair. However, the slogan-shouting by the BJP members continued. They chanted slogans like "Desh ki raksha kaun karega, hum karenge hum karenge (Who will defend the nation, we will do it)" and "Mahatma Gandhi amar rahein, nakli Gandhi jail mein rahein (Long live Mahatma Gandhi, fake Gandhis stay in jail)". Some Opposition members placed a placard demanding Shah's resignation on the Speaker's table but it was swiftly removed by the staff. Earlier, Birla asked leaders of oppositions parties to ensure that their members take their respective seats as the "people of the country are watching (the proceedings)". "This is the temple of democracy. There are certain rules and tradition. You should not come to the Well," he said. Birla also said "as you are responsible representatives of people here, it is your collective responsibility to maintain peace and tranquility." As the House met at 4.30 pm, the Speaker said, "We must maintain decorum in the House. It belongs to every member. "I am personally pained at the developments in the House. You are not pained. I do not want to run proceedings under such circumstances.... Everybody should deliberate to ensure that the dignity of the House is maintained." He said senior members of the House should do their bit to ensure it runs smoothly. Amid the din, two bills -- The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill and Mineral Laws Amendment Bill-- were introduced. Also the Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill was moved for consideration and passing. In the morning, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm as a mark of respect for sitting JD(U) member Baidyanath Prasad Mahto from Valmiki Nagar in Bihar who died on February 28. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ties between Hungary and Croatia are excellent but could improve even further, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, after talks with his Croatian counterpart, Gordan Grlic-Radman, in Budapest. Szijjarto said bilateral ties have been mutually beneficial but could be even more advantageous. Croatia is the prime target of Hungarian investment, Szijjarto noted. Hungary and Croatia agree on the nature of the major challenges facing the European Union, Szijjarto said, and both see it as important to keep cohesion funding at current levels. Both countries see the EUs enlargement in the Western Balkans and stopping illegal migration as of primary importance, he said. Regarding the issues that could be improved between the countries, Szijjarto said Hungary is working for a comprehensive agreement with Croatia on the diversification of gas supply resources through the liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal currently under construction in Croatia. Szijjarto said Hungary maintains its proposal to connect the gas pipe networks of the two countries and an offer to buy a minority share in the terminal. Croatia is the prime target of Hungarian investment, Szijjarto noted. Hungarian gas and oil company Mol has recently announced a 540 million euro investment at a refinery in Rijeka, and Hungarys OTP bank owns the fourth most shares on the Croatian market, he said. Trade between the two countries hit a record 2.5 million euros, and a record 644,000 Hungarian tourists visited Croatia last year. Hungary also proposes to declare a day of Hungarian-Croatian friendship and to open several new border crossings to bolster traffic between the countries, he said. Grlic-Radman praised political cooperation but said there was room for improvement in economic ties. The situation of Croatian minorities in Hungary and of Hungarian minority groups in Croatia should be improved, he said. He praised Hungarys contribution to concluding Croatias accession procedure with the EU in 2011. Grlic-Radman said Hungary and Croatia both have an interest in a larger EU budget for the 2021-2027 financial cycle. They also agree on the need for a new EU migration policy, that it is necessary to fight against illegal migration and to enlarge the EU on the Western Balkans, he said. MTI Photo: Koszticsak Szilard NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstan's Interior Minister says about 80 people were briefly detained on March 1 during unsanctioned rallies in several cities over the mysterious death of a civil rights activist while in police custody. Erlan Turghymbaev told reporters in the capital, Nur-Sultan, on March 2 that one person was fined and three jailed for several days for organizing the events and resisting police. "Practically all of [those detained] were held for about three hours and then released after speaking with police," Turghymbaev said. Police in Nur-Sultan, the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty, as well as in the cities of Shymkent, Aqtobe, Atyrau, and Oral detained dozens of activists before and during the March 1 rallies, which were peaceful. Kazakh human rights activists said late on March 1 that, according to their data, police detained 144 activists on that day, many of whom were forcefully removed from the rallies. The demonstrations were organized by the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement led by opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov, who lives in self-imposed exile in France, as well as by the Street Party, Respublika, and Wake Up, Kazakhstan movements. The protesters and the organizers of the events demanded a thorough investigation into the death of Aghadil, a 43-year-old civil rights activist and a father of six, who died in police custody just hours after he was detained by police on February 24. They also called for ex-President Nursultan Nazarbaev to leave the country's political arena. Nazarbaev stepped down last year as head of state but remains influential through his chairmanship of the increasingly powerful Kazakh Security Council and other political channels. Demands for a probe into Aghadil's last hours intensified when a video emerged on February 28 showing what appeared to be wounds on the dead man's hands and feet and bruise-like discolored areas scattered across his shoulders, back, upper arms, and other areas of the body. Friends and fellow rights defenders have questioned the official account of Aghadil's latest detention alleging he was intoxicated, saying he did not drink due to a medical condition. They also say he had no history of heart issues, an explanation given by the authorities. Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev broke his public silence on Aghadil's death in an interview on February 29, saying, "Given the public outcry, I carefully examined this matter [and] I can confidently say that, unfortunately, activist Aghadil died as a result of heart failure. To say the opposite is to deny the truth." Aghadil had spent a combined two months in jail since his arrest in August 2019 for taking part in unsanctioned rallies, and had made headlines with an escape one day before his planned release in November in what he said was a "protest [of] my illegal arrest." He was buried on February 27. A capital gains tax claim for about $500 million is holding up Total SAs acquisition of Occidental Petroleum Corp.s assets in Ghana, according to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. Occidental is seeking regulatory clearance for the deal and the tax bill is among matters still to be resolved, Ofori-Atta said by phone on Monday. Houston-based Occidental agreed to offload to the French supermajor the African projects acquired in its $37 billion takeover of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in August. While Ghana and Occidental havent yet reached an agreement on the tax bill, the government expects that the matter will be finalized soon, said Ofori-Atta. Ghanas tax authority estimates Anadarko will make $2.5 billion in capital gains from the sale of the assets, he said. Its an issue of seeking whats in the sale for Ghana, said Ofori-Atta. Its not any sort of a bellicose action. Occidental and Total didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, Occidental said on its earnings conference call its continuing to work with the governments of Ghana and Algeria on the asset sales. Total Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said last month Occidental was still in talks with Ghanaian authorities over the taxation of the transaction. The Total deal is part of Occidentals plan to sell at least $15 billion of assets by mid-2020 to help the company reduce the debt it took on to buy Anadarko. Occidental said in last weeks conference call with analysts that theres increased risk to both the timing and certainty of the sale of the Ghanaian and Algerian assets. Algerian authorities have told Occidental that state-owned Sonatrach Group has the right to preempt the transaction. Elsewhere, the purchase of assets in South Africa and Mozambique has already been completed. MBBank staged a private placement and a treasury share issuance this year, both falling slightly short of their targets MBBank (HXS-MBB) announced finishing a private placement on February 26, under which it issued 64.3 million shares at the price of VND27,000, collecting VND1.73 trillion ($75.2 million). The offering cost VND16.5 billion ($717,391). KIM Vietnam Growth Equity Fund, a South Korea-based investment fund, purchased nearly 24 million newly-issued MBB shares, the largest portion of the issuance. Along with the treasury shares bought earlier, KIM owns nearly 32 million shares, equivalent to nearly 30 per cent of the shares in foreign hands. Earlier, at the end of January 2019, MBBank also issued 21.4 million treasury shares. The buyers in both transactions were the same eight foreign financial investors. The price of the treasury shares has yet to be disclosed, however, investors are not subject to transfer restrictions as stipulated for newly-issued shares. Based on the approval letter from the State Bank of Vietnam issued on January 31, MBBank is gunning to increase its charter capital to VND690 billion ($30 million), equivalent to 69 million newly-issued shares. In the latest private placement, which is thought to be instrumental in raising the bank's charter capital, 64.3 million shares were issued, which is slightly less than the plan. This is not the first time this year that MBBank falls just a little short of its issuance target: at another treasury share issuance at the end of January 2020, MBBank sold 93 per cent of the registered amount at a price that failed to meet the expectations of the Board of Directors. A Bloomberg source said that by the end of October 2019 MBBank planned to sell 7.5 per cent of its capital to foreign investors, including 141.5 million new shares and 47 million treasury shares. In a plan approved by the banks 2019 general shareholders' meeting, MBBank also proposed a plan to issue 211 million new shares. Reducing the number of shares issued, on the other hand, helps the bank reduce the dilution pressure of stocks, which requires the growth of profits to keep or improve profitability. In fact, many banks have been planning to raise capital, but most postponed plans due to the unfavourable stock market conditions. Since the VN-Index peaked in April 2018, the capital raising deals of banks or the listing of stocks have been coming along slowly. Besides MBBank, BIDV also successfully staged a private placement of more than 603 million shares to KEB Hana Bank, collecting more than VND20 trillion ($869.57 million). While BIDV was looking for a strategic partner, MBBank investors are foreign funds. The woman fatally stabbed in Amesbury Saturday was killed by her son, authorities said Sunday. The Essex District Attorneys office identified 65-year-old Barbara Diehl-Peirce as the woman killed inside the 23 Chester St. home in Amesbury. Her son, 27-year-old John Brittan, is now facing a murder charge in her slaying. Brittan is also accused of stabbing his 65-year-old stepfather, who is recovering from his injuries at a New Hampshire hospital. The district attorneys office said Brittan was also charged with assault and battery on a person over 60 and assault with intent to murder. Brittan, of Amesbury, is expected to be arraigned Monday in Newburyport District Court. Authorities did not discuss a motive in the killing. Officers were called to Chester Street Saturday around 4:05 p.m. for a report of a stabbing. Police found the husband and wife with injuries. Diehl-Peirce died at a Boston hospital Saturday night. Democratic presidential hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during the eighth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., on Feb. 7, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images) Expat Americans in Canada Gear up for Super Tuesday WASHINGTONEven though they live in Canada, expatriate Americans north of the border are gearing up to weigh in on the Democratic nomination on Super Tuesday and beyond as the battle to challenge U.S. President Donald Trump appears poised to morph into an ideological fight between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Of the estimated 3 million voting-age U.S. citizens living outside the country, Canada is home to the most in the world: more than 622,000 in 2016, says the Federal Voting Assistance Program. Of those, however, a paltry 5.3 per cent cast a ballot in the election that propelled Trump to the White House. Democrats Abroad, the partys official international wing, aims to change that in 2020 beginning with the primary race, which shifts into high gear this week with 14 states, one territory and expat voters around the world eligible to weigh in on their preferred nominee. The Democrats Abroad Global Primary, which runs March 310, allows voters in 190 countries, representing every state and congressional district in the United States, to cast ballots. The results will send 13 delegates to the partys national convention in July, along with the eight Democrats Abroad members of the national committee. Some 19 polling stations will be set up across Canada, the bulk of them on Tuesday. The numbers pale in comparison with the bonanza available to candidates on Super Tuesday itself1,357 delegates from 14 states and one territory, including California and Texas, the two biggest prizes of primary season. But every vote counts, especially in a delegate-based system, said Liz Olin, a Sanders supporter and member of Toronto for Bernie, a group actively drumming up Canadian support for the independent senator from Vermont. Reaching U.S. citizens in Canada is of great importance many people we talk to dont realize they can vote or have never heard of the Democrats Abroad primary, Olin said. Because the voting rate is typically so low, each vote in the global primary can have a significant impactoften around four times the impact of a vote in a states primary. In a recent online survey by the Angus Reid Institute, 28 per cent of respondents said they believed Canada-U.S. relations would improve the most with Sanders, an outsider and self-styled democratic socialist whose progressive policies, combative approach and electability against Trump have been giving moderate establishment Democrats heartburn for months. Biden, Barack Obamas vice-president and a moderate long seen as a viable Trump challenger thanks to his popularity with black and Latino voters, registered a distant second in that survey with just 14 per cent, followed by Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., at 10 per cent, who suspended his campaign on Sunday night. Biden flipped the script in dramatic fashion Saturday with his first-ever primary win in South Carolina, silencing critics who had placed his campaign on life support following dismal showings in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. But it will take Super Tuesday to determine whether hes able to capitalize on his newfound momentum and prevent Sanders from establishing an insurmountable lead. For the rest of the Democratic fieldMassachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and billionaire Mike Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who makes his ballot debut Tuesdayit could be a week of difficult conversations and heart-rending decisions. Both have struggled to connect with black voters, who play a key role on Super Tuesday in places like Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar will end her presidential campaign on Monday, her campaign said. Tom Steyer, the billionaire activist who spent $24 million on TV advertising in South Carolina in hopes of springboarding into contention going into this week, pulled the plug Saturday after finishing a distant third. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Novel biomedical advances that show promise in the lab often fall short in clinical trials. For researchers studying peripheral artery disease, this is made more difficult by a lack of standardized metrics for what recovery looks like. A new study from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers identifies major landmarks of PAD recovery, creating signposts for researchers seeking to understand the disease and develop treatments. "Having these landmarks could aid in more optimal approaches to treatment, identifying what kind of treatment could work best for an individual patient and when it would be most effective," said Illinois bioengineering professor Wawrzyniec L. Dobrucki, who led the study. He also is affiliated with the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. PAD is a narrowing of the arteries in the limbs, most commonly the legs, so they don't receive enough blood flow. It often isn't diagnosed until walking becomes painful, when the disease is already fairly advanced. Diabetes, obesity, smoking and age increase the risk for PAD and can mask the symptoms, making PAD difficult to diagnose. Once diagnosed, there is no standard treatment, and doctors may struggle to find the right approach for a patient or to tell whether a patient is improving, Dobrucki said. The researchers used multiple imaging methods to create a holistic picture of the changes in muscle tissue, blood vessels and gene expression through four stages of recovery after mice had the arteries in their legs surgically narrowed to mimic the narrowing found in PAD patients. They published their results in the journal Theranostics. "There are a lot of people who study PAD, so there are all these potential new therapies, but we don't see them in the clinics," said postdoctoral researcher Jamila Hedhli, the first author of the paper. "So the main goal of this paper is utilizing these landmarks to standardize our practice as researchers. How can we see if the benefit of certain therapies is really comparable if we are not measuring the same thing?" Dobrucki's group collaborated with bioengineering professor Michael Insana, chemistry professor Jefferson Chan and senior research scientist Iwona Dobrucka, the director of the Molecular Imaging Laboratory in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, to monitor the mice with a suite of imaging technologies that could be found in hospitals or clinics, including ultrasound, laser speckle contrast, photoacoustics, PET and more. Each method documented a different aspect of the mouse's response to the artery narrowing - anatomy, metabolism, muscle function, the formation of new blood vessels, oxygen perfusion and genetic activity. By serially imaging the mice over time, the researchers identified key features and events over four phases of recovery. "Each imaging method gives us a different aspect of the recovery of PAD that the other tools will not. So instead of looking at only one thing, now we're looking at a whole spectrum of the recovery," Hedhli said. "By looking at these landmarks, we're allowing scientists to use them as a tool to say 'At this point, I should see this happening, and if we add this kind of therapy, there should be an enhancement in recovery.'" Though mice are an imperfect model for human PAD, each of the imaging platforms the researchers used can translate to human PAD patients, as well as to other diseases, Dobrucki said. Next, the researchers plan to map the landmarks of PAD in larger animals often used in preclinical studies, such as pigs, and ultimately in human patients. "We are very interested in improving diagnosis and treatment," Hedhli said. "Many people are working to develop early diagnosis and treatment options for patients. Having standard landmarks for researchers to refer to can facilitate all of these findings, move them forward to clinic and, we hope, result in successful clinical trials." ### The National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland supported this work. Chan, Dobrucki, Hedhli and Insana also are affiliated with the Beckman Institute. Hedhli was supported by a Beckman-Brown Postdoctoral Fellowship. Editor's note: To contact Wawrzyniec L. Dobrucki, call (217) 244-3938; email dobrucki@illinois.edu. To contact Jamila Hedhli, email hedhli2@illinois.edu. The paper "Imaging the landmarks of vascular recovery" is available online. DOI: 10.7150/thno.36022 As a new coronavirus spreads quickly around the world, health officials say they are aggressively assessing how long it can survive on surfaces to better understand the risk of transmission Based on what is known about similar coronaviruses, disease experts say the new outbreak of the virus, named COVID-19, is mainly spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Contact with fecal matter from an infected person may also transmit the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it may be possible for a person to become infected by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes. An analysis of 22 earlier studies of similar coronaviruses, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) published online this month in the Journal of Hospital Infection, concluded that human coronaviruses can remain infectious on inanimate surfaces for up to nine days at room temperature. However, they can quickly be rendered inactive using common disinfectants, and may also dissipate at higher temperatures, the authors wrote. It is not yet clear, however, whether the new coronavirus behaves in a similar way. On copper and steel its pretty typical, its pretty much about two hours, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, referring to how long the new coronavirus may be active on those types of materials. But I will say on other surfaces - cardboard or plastic - its longer, and so we are looking at this. The agency said there is likely a very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. A CDC spokeswoman, in an emailed statement, said the agency is still looking into how contagious the virus can be when deposited on more common, everyday surfaces. The Food and Drug Administration this week said it has no evidence that COVID-19 has been transmitted from imported goods, but the situation remains dynamic and the agency said it will assess and update guidance as needed. The important big take-home message is that this is probably a small proportion of the transmission of respiratory viruses, said Dr. Timothy Brewer, professor of epidemiology and medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Out in the community, these viruses are probably not surviving for a long time on surfaces. Brewer explained that such viruses tend to survive the longest in low-temperature, low-humidity environments, that is why you see lots of respiratory viruses during the winter. Search Keywords: Short link: [March 02, 2020] Saab Announces 'Gripen for Canada Team' STOCKHOLM, March 2, 2020 /CNW/ - Saab is bidding for Canada's Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP) and today announced that leading Canadian aerospace companies IMP Aerospace & Defence, CAE, Peraton Canada and GE Aviation are the 'Gripen for Canada Team'. Saab is offering Gripen E, with the support of the Swedish government, for Canada's future fighter requirement of 88 new aircraft to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force's existing CF-18 Hornet fighter fleet. The Canadian Request for Proposal requires companies to deliver high-quality industrial and technological benefits, such as Saab has demonstrated with Gripen for Brazil and is offering for Finland and India's fighter requirements. Saab's bid to the Government of Canada will include a comprehensive proposal to deliver those benefits, with high quality jobs and technology, adding greater economic value and knowledge across Canadian industry coast to coast. Today's announcemnt is the first step toward achieving this offer with IMP Aerospace & Defence, CAE, Peraton Canada and GE Aviation as the 'Gripen for Canada Team'. "Over the past two years, Saab and the Swedish Government have been encouraged by Canada's open and transparent competition to replace its fighter fleet. Today, we are delighted to announce the 'Gripen for Canada Team'. We have assembled a dynamic roster of innovative leaders within Canada's aerospace industry, across multiple regions to offer the best solution for Canada's future fighter," said Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and head of Business Area Aeronautics. He further stated that, "Saab is committed to securing long-term relationships in Canada that will create a significant number of highly-skilled, sustainable jobs for Canadians within domestic and international supply chains." IMP Aerospace & Defence will contribute with in-country production and in-service support for the life of the Canadian Gripen fleet. CAE will provide training and mission systems solutions, while Peraton Canada will provide avionic and test equipment component maintenance, repair and overhaul, and material management. GE Aviation will provide and sustain the fighter's engines in Canada. The 'Gripen for Canada Team' presents a genuine 'Made in Canada' solution and looks forward to demonstrating how Gripen is the best value for Canada's aerospace industry and taxpayers in terms of life-cycle costs and sustainment throughout the FFCP competition. Saab's Gripen fighter meets all of Canada's specific defence requirements, offering exceptional performance, advanced technical capabilities, future-proof upgradeability and NATO interoperability. www.saabgroup.com www.saabgroup.com/YouTube Follow us on twitter: @saab Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defence and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers' changing needs. SOURCE Saab [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The Local Enterprise Offices supported by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation are now supporting 38,535 jobs across 7,400 client companies it was announced today at the start of Local Enterprise Week 2020. The 2019 figures for the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), operated in partnership by Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, show that 3,149 net jobs were created last year across the country. This is the 6th year of continuous employment growth for the Local Enterprise Offices since their inception in 2014. LEOs saw increases across all supports in 2019 including training, mentoring and funding. The number of those trained in 2019 was up 6.4% last year with 37,306 availing of training through their Local Enterprise Office. There was also an 10.5% increase in mentoring assignments completed, with 10,756 clients benefitting from LEO mentoring. Over 20million was invested in Local Enterprise Office clients and start-ups last year, up from 18.2million in 2018. In 2019, the Local Enterprise Offices also worked successfully with their clients to assist 162 companies transfer to Enterprise Ireland. The figures were announced today at the start of Local Enterprise Week 2020, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, now in its 6th year. From today, 2nd March, to Friday 6th March, over 300 events will take place run by the 31 LEOs across the country. These will focus on everything from starting your own business and financial planning to how to make your business more sustainable and how to pitch for funding, aimed at helping entrepreneurs and small businesses to start and grow. Welcoming the results, Minster for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys said, "The Local Enterprise Offices are to the fore in our Future Jobs strategy and make a significant contribution to boosting local economies across the country. They are helping to create jobs in every area across Ireland with funding, supports and expert guidance. Year on year we have increased our support for the Local Enterprise Offices and they have repaid that support with results which have been on the up since they began 6 years ago. We will continue to support them and ensure that training, mentoring and financial support is available to our small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them to plan, start and grow." Chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, Oisin Geoghegan added, "These figures continue to emphasise the impact that the Local Enterprise Offices are having on indigenous Irish businesses across the country. Whether its through training, mentoring, funding, or expert one to one business advice, the Local Enterprise Offices are making it happen for small businesses and entrepreneurs." Source: www.businessworld.ie New Delhi: The Supreme Court's five-judge Constitution bench on Monday (March 2) said that there is no need to refer pleas challenging government's abrogation of Article 370 to a larger bench. The apex court was hearing the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's move to remove the said Article. Earlier on January 23, the top court had reserved the decision in the matter of whether or not to deliver before the big constitution bench of seven or nine judges. The five-member constitution bench headed by Justice NV Ramana had reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments of the petitioners as well as the Centre. The petitioners were represented by Dinesh Dwivedi, Rajeev Dhawan, and Sanjay Parikh, while Attorney General KK Venugopal argued on behalf of the central government. NGO People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, and an intervenor had sought the matter to be referred to a larger bench, submitting that two judgments of apex court -- Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1959 and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1970 -- which dealt with the issue of Article 370 are in direct conflict with each other, therefore, the five judges bench could not hear the matter. In August 2019, the central government abrogated Article 370, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the region into two Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. China steps up efforts to prevent imported COVID-19 cases Global Times By Zhao Yusha and Liu Caiyu Source:Global Times Published: 2020/3/1 21:13:40 China has stepped up efforts against imported cases of COVID-19 infections amid a growing number of cases in which travelers reportedly bring the virus into China. The Beijing municipal government said Sunday that Beijing reported two imported cases of COVID-19 infections on Saturday. The two travelers, both Chinese nationals, who took flight from Iran and had been in close contact with the first confirmed COVID-19 patient who came back to Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from Iran. The two were confirmed on Saturday and are currently under treatment. All people who had close contact with the two have been placed under medical observation. South China's Shenzhen also reported its first imported case of coronavirus infection on Sunday. The patient came from London and went back to Shenzhen via Hong Kong, according to media reports. A total of 93 people have been identified as having close contact with the patient. Before the case, the city had reported zero new infections for 8 consecutive days. Despite the obvious signs that COVID-19 outbreak is easing in China, Chinese officials and experts have been expressing concern about cases imported from abroad. The topic immediately trended on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo platform where internet users shared worries that the imported cases risked reviving the spread of the virus in China. All passengers arriving in China must file a personal health report and have their body temperature taken at customs, officials said Sunday at a press conference by the General Administration of Customs. All confirmed cases, suspected cases, people with symptoms or having close contact with COVID-19 patients would be transferred, quarantined or undergo medical observation. Before international flights arrive in China, National Immigration Administration officials will have already screened travelers from certain countries and regions via big data analysis, the immigration authority said on Sunday. Passengers who enter China will also undergo a strict inspection, immigration official Liu Haitao told media. Those with travel or residence history from areas where the epidemic is severe would undergo further inspection and quarantine measures, Liu said. A total of 7,600 confirmed coronavirus cases were found in countries and regions outside China, of which seven countries and regions reported more than 100. An imported contagion could lead to regional outbreaks if local governments, especially cities with large numbers of visitors, don't take strict measures, Zhou Zijun, a professor at Peking University's school of public health, told the Global Times on Sunday. Last week Beijing government required all returnees to the city, including foreigners, to quarantine themselves for 14 days upon arrival. A similar measure was also adopted by Shanghai. Some city authorities in East China's Shandong Province and Northeast China's Liaoning Province have introduced measures such as 14-day quarantines for people arriving from virus-hit Japan and South Korea, and arranging hotels for arriving foreign visitors. But Zhou said that it was unnecessary for China to close its borders. Such a serious measure should not be taken "without a precise evaluation," he said. Cui Aimin, director-general of the department of consular affairs at China's Foreign Ministry said Sunday that China would pay close attention to overseas epidemics and strengthen communication and coordination with relevant countries to reduce unnecessary cross-border travel activities. "We hope to work with foreign parties to ensure that personnel exchanges and cooperation in various fields are not greatly affected," Cui said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Highlights include: Drill hole SDD-019; 25.2m @ 5.45 g/t gold and 57.8 g/t silver; incl. 13.0m @ 9.38g/t gold and 70.5 g/t silver VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (TSX.V: VLC) (Velocity or the Company) announces that it has received results for four additional drill holes for the Sedefche Gold Project (Sedefche), Bulgaria. Velocitys results continue to broadly confirm the grade and tenor of historical results and have identified a number of higher-grade zones like those for drill hole ODD-019 (Figure 1 and Table 1). The results support the potential to fast-track development of the Sedefche deposit along the lines of an existing, permitted Mine Design Plan completed by Bulgarian partner Gorubso-Kardzhali A.D. (Gorubso). Figure 1: Cross Section at Sedefche Gold Project showing results for drill hole ODD-019 and drill holes for which results are pending and planned drill holes. Drill hole locations are shown on Figure 2 below: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/53e87b8e-d448-4257-ae43-df0c9a19727c Velocitys results have returned better grade and tenor than previous results and continue to define a number of higher-grade zones within the existing resource envelope, which were not identified by historical exploration (Figures 1 and 2). Drill hole SDD-019 (Figures 1 and 2) returned a 25.2m intersection grading 6.40 g/t gold (5.45 g/t gold using a 20g/t top cut) and 57.8 g/t silver, including 13.0m grading 11.22 g/t gold (9.38 g/t gold using a 20g/t) top cut and 70.5 g/t silver. Top cutting is done when samples return analysis in excess of 20 g/t gold; in this drill hole being three samples, peaking at a grade of 30.9 g/t gold over 1 meter. Drill hole SDD-018 (Figure 1) returned three significant intersects of 4.0m grading 1.58 g/t gold and 67 g/t silver, plus 6.1m grading 2.17 g/t gold and 92.5 g/t silver, plus 4.7m grading 1.20 g/t gold and 34.8 g/t silver to a depth of 69.1m from surface. Additional drilling and engineering due diligence is planned with the aim of reaching a decision point on exercise of the Sedefche option in H1, 2020. Table 1: Significant Drill Results at Sedefche Gold Project: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bcd58ca7-32b5-479a-9c2b-6011feb51cec Quality Assurance / Quality Control Velocity have not assessed the Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QAQC) of historical results and as such historical results are not consistent with the standards of disclosure defined by NI 43-101 and may not necessarily be consistent with CIM best practice with respect to reporting. The work program at Sedefche was designed and is supervised by Stuart A. Mills, CGeol, the Company's Vice-President Exploration, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to ALS Global laboratory in Romania. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by fire assay using a 30-gram charge in compliance with industry standards at ALS Romanian laboratory. A sample split of the milled material is shipped to ALS Irish laboratory for multi-element analysis using an inductively coupled Mass Spectrometer. Field duplicate samples, blanks and independent controlled reference material (standards) are added to every batch. Drill intersections in this news release are calculated using a 0.3 g/t gold trigger, a minimum 0.7 g/t gold composite, and a maximum of 1.5 metres consecutive waste. Figure 2: Map of the Sedefche Gold Project, showing the drill traces of completed and planned drilling as well as those for which results are pending. The drill hole locations are displayed on a geological map of the deposit including positions of previous drill collars A section locations is included for Figure 1.: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ca979ec4-7daa-45d8-8697-833b3ed4a414 Qualified Person The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Stuart A. Mills, BSc, MSc, CGeol, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and the Companys Vice President Exploration. Mr. Mills is not independent of the Company. About Velocity Minerals Ltd. Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on southeastern Bulgaria. Velocitys strategy is to develop a low cost centralized Hub and Spoke operation whereby multiple projects within this emerging gold district produce gold concentrates for trucking to a central processing plant for production of dore. The Company envisions staged open pit mining of satellite deposits and processing in a currently operating carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant. Velocity has a 70% joint venture interest in the Rozino gold project and has entered into option agreements to earn a 70% interest in the Obichnik, Makedontsi and Sedefche gold projects, with Gorubso, an established and respected mining company in Bulgaria. Velocitys management and board includes mining industry professionals with combined experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies. About Bulgaria Bulgaria is a member of NATO (2004) and a member of the European Union (2007). The local currency (BGN) has been tied to the Euro since 1999 (1.956 BGN/EUR). The country is served by modern European infrastructure including an extensive network of paved roads. Bulgaria boasts an exceptionally low corporate tax rate of only 10%. The countrys education system is excellent with good availability of experienced mining professionals in a favourable cost environment. Foreign mining companies are successfully operating in Bulgaria. The countrys mining law was established in 1999 and updated in 2011. Mining royalties are low and compare favourably with more established mining countries. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Keith Henderson President & CEO For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Phone: +1-604-484-1233 E-mail: info@velocityminerals.com Web: www.velocityminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future exploration, testing and Initial Drilling and, if applicable, the Additional Drilling carried out at the Project, the exercise of the Option, the entry into of the Joint Venture and any payments in connection with same and the future business and operations of Velocity. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by words such as pro forma, plans, expects, may, should, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, believes, potential or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained gold demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Bulgarian projects, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Companys projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities for Sedefche and the Companys projects generally, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs for the projects, the fact that the Companys interest in Sedefche is only an option and there is no guarantee that such interest, if earned, will be certain, actual results of exploration activities, including the Initial Drilling and, if applicable, the Additional Drilling, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the ability of the Company to obtain access to the CIL Plant and to have ore from the Project (and the Companys other projects) processed at the CIL Plant on profitable terms, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital to fund the Company's business plan, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the TSXV), permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading. "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual management's discussion and analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. For the third time in under a year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking re-election, and once again the Israeli leader is on the ropes. After two inconclusive elections last year, opinion polls forecast another stalemate - a troubling scenario for Mr Netanyahu, who will go on trial on corruption charges just two weeks after today's vote. Expand Close Neck and neck: Benny Gantz is Mr Netanyahus opponent. Photo: Reuters/Nir Elias / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Neck and neck: Benny Gantz is Mr Netanyahus opponent. Photo: Reuters/Nir Elias This election campaign has been especially tumultuous. US President Donald Trump launched his long-awaited Middle East plan, a proposal that heavily favoured Israel and was seen as an election gift to Mr Netanyahu. The Israeli leader, meanwhile, was forced to drop his bid for immunity from prosecution, and just a week ago, Israel battled Gaza militants in a two-day round of fighting. Today's election is seen as another referendum on Mr Netanyahu, the country's longest serving prime minister. And once again, the country seems hopelessly divided. With seeming boundless energy, the 70-year-old Netanyahu has taken to the airwaves and hit the campaign trail, presenting himself to adoring audiences as a global statesman uniquely qualified to lead the country through its many complicated challenges. In recent weeks, he flew from the White House to Moscow to bring home a young Israeli woman jailed there on drug charges, then on to Uganda for a surprise meeting with a leader of Sudan, a long-time enemy country. He claims credit for a strong economy and boasts of close relationships with world leaders, while deriding opponent Benny Gantz as a lightweight. Mr Netanyahu and his Likud party associates recently spread unfounded allegations claiming his opponent is corrupt, unstable and susceptible to blackmail by Iran. Mr Gantz, a former military chief of staff, has focused his campaign on Mr Netanyahu's character, saying a man accused of serious crimes is unfit to lead. He has painted Mr Netanyahu as an out-of-touch egomaniac obsessed with remaining in power and escaping justice, while portraying himself as a moderate alternative to the polarising prime minister. "Netanyahu, look me in the eye. Because of your obsession with evading trial, you're lying, attacking, dividing, mudslinging, spreading malicious rumours and inciting. Netanyahu, you're poisoning Israel," Mr Gantz said last week. "You've lost it, and you're unworthy of being prime minister for even a single day longer." Weekend polls showed Mr Gantz's Blue and White and Mr Netanyahu's Likud party in a tight race, though Mr Gantz's party has shown some small signs of slippage over the past week. Even so, the polls forecast both parties and their smaller partners will again fall short of securing the 61-seat majority in parliament required for government. The easiest way out of the deadlock would be a unity government between the two parties, which together are expected to control a majority in the 120-seat parliament. But Mr Gantz says he will form a partnership with Likud only if Mr Netanyahu steps down. Mr Netanyahu insists he remain prime minister in any deal. The deadlock has raised the possibility of a fourth election in quick succession. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 The Supreme Court has retracted its prohibition on taking photographs of or recording courtroom proceedings without a special permit after mounting protest from activists and media groups that fear such a ban would reduce transparency. The prohibition was included in a circular issued by the Supreme Court on courtroom rules of conduct and signed by Supreme Court director general of general courts Prim Haryadi on Feb. 7. The circular stipulated that taking photos and making sound or video recordings during trials required prior approved from the heads of local courts. The ban, according to the Supreme Court, was designed to differentiate journalists from public attendees in an effort to ensure court hearings proceeded smoothly and without disruption. Supreme Court spokesman Justice Andi Samsan Nganro said on Friday that Chief Justice Muhammad Hatta Ali had ordered Prim to revoke the ban. 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 UW College of Health Sciences Supports Mental and Behavioral Health in Rural Communities Leaders of the new professional learning community on primary and mental health integrative care are, from left: Sandy Root-Elledge, executive director, Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND); Mary Burman, a professor in UWs Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing; Canyon Hardesty, director of community education in WIND; and Nancy McGee, a clinical assistant professor in UWs Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing. (UW Photo) The Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) and the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing in the University of Wyomings College of Health Sciences have partnered to launch a new online professional learning community, UW ECHO for Integrative Care: Primary Care and Mental Health. This new network will provide structure and guidance to better equip primary care physicians and other health care professionals throughout Wyoming to more effectively identify and treat mental and behavioral health issues in rural, underserved communities. The integrative care network will use the ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) model, with Zoom videoconferencing technology, to enable health care professionals to participate statewide. WIND successfully integrated this model for use in health, education and family support training networks. UW ECHO for Integrative Care was launched last month. Nancy McGee and JLaine Proctor, clinical assistant professors in the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program in the UW School of Nursing, presented models of integrative care. Integrative care is the result of a team of primary care and behavioral health clinicians working together using a systematic approach to provide patient-centered care. Integrating mental health services and primary care is critical in Wyoming, given the significant unmet needs related to mental illness and substance abuse disorders, McGee says. This ECHO project is one aspect of the School of Nursings efforts to address these needs. The ECHO sessions provide the opportunity to present both individual and programmatic case scenarios that represent challenges to patient care involving behavioral health. Working within the network, cases can be reviewed by primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and social workers to identify how patient care can be delivered more effectively. The McMurry Foundation provided funding for the ECHO Integrative Care learning sessions for a three-year period. We are so grateful to the McMurry Foundation for funding the ECHO for integrated behavioral health care, says School of Nursing Professor Mary Burman. This allows us to work with primary care and mental health clinicians from across the state as we increase access to mental health services for all. ECHO gives us the ability to not only hear and see you, but to talk directly with you about your concerns and what youd like to learn more about, says Canyon Hardesty, director of community education in WIND. This way, we can all learn from one another. ECHO sessions will be provided every other week through May on Thursdays from noon-1 p.m. Sessions are open to individuals providing health care in Wyoming, including physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers and mental health professionals. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/wind/echo/mental-health/index.html. A 24-year-old man, with thousands of followers on social media, has been arrested for allegedly posting details of fake incidents in west Delhis Nihal Vihar, the police said on Monday. Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa said Abhishek Shukla was arrested from Nihal Vihar area. The cybercrime cell of Delhi Police arrested Shukla for spreading rumours about riots in Nihal Vihar. He has over 10,000 followers on social media, and was using that particular platform to spread rumours, a senior police officer said, according to news agency PTI. ALSO WATCH | Situation normal, dont panic: Delhi police denies rumours of fresh tension Shuklas mobile phone has been recovered and the alleged social media post has been confirmed to have been uploaded from his profile, they added. Delhi Police said on Monday they have also arrested 24 people in connection with the rumour-mongering, which lead to panic in some parts of the Capital on Sunday, news agency ANI reported. It said the force has also initiated action against 18 people and registered two cases. Delhi Police had also apprehended two suspects involved in rumour-mongering on Sunday. Police had received around 1880 calls of rioting on Sunday night, all of which turned out to be a hoax. The panic spread in some areas after the Capital had witnessed at least four days of deadly violence in the northeast region last week as armed mobs went on a rampage killing and destroying property in the area. More than 40 people have been killed in the violence, which broke out in the northeast district of the capital. The force was quick to refute the claims of violence and deny there was any unrest in the national capital in a series of tweets. Passengers on board a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney are being told to self-isolate after a female passenger was diagnosed with coronavirus. Authorities have urged any traveller aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR 908 that landed in Sydney on February 23 to remain alert and go to hospital if they start displaying symptoms. It comes after a female passenger in her 50s was diagnosed with coroavirus after travelling from Iran to Sydney. The woman flew back to Australia via Qatar, developing symptoms a day after landing. On Monday NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said the government were trying to contact passengers that had been sitting near the woman. Passengers on board a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney are being told to self-isolate after a female passenger was diagnosed with coronavirus (stock) Coronavirus has killed more than 3,000 people globally and can cause severe lung damage and trigger multiple organ failure 'Anyone on that flight, QR908, that arrived on February 23 at 6:50pm at Sydney Airport, should be very aware that there was someone on the flight who had the coronavirus and if they do have any of these symptoms, then, flulike symptoms effectively, then you should get along to your doctor,' he said. 'If you have any doubts or thoughts it may be the coronavirus, please ring ahead to your GP or go to the local emergency department so they are aware and can take the appropriate steps to keep everyone safe.' On Sunday a man in his 40s was also diagnosed with coronavirus after arriving in Sydney from Iran. The total number of Australians diagnosed with the virus is now 29, including James Kwan, 78, from Perth, who tragically died on Sunday. NSW chief heath officer Kerry Chant said the new cases in NSW were not linked and they were not on the same flight. The male in his 40s arrived on February 22 and did not 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. The state's four previous cases have all been discharged from hospital. Travellers at Brisbane International Airport on January 29 (pictured) Dr 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. Another woman who recently returned from Iran, a 63-year-old, is being treated at the Gold Coast University Hospital after being confirmed as having the disease. 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. Press Release February 29, 2020 Dispatch from Crame No. 726: Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Statement on the AFP's Acquiescence and the People's Capitulation to Treason 2/28/2020 The Filipino people must act before treason becomes capitulation. Let me explain. Duterte says that if we cannot be capable in defending our country, we should choose either to be a US territory or a province of China. However, it is clear that he has already chosen for us, and his choice is for us to be a province of China. It is astounding how the most treasonous of statements coming from the President himself can be made on national media without the Malacanang-payrolled AFP brass batting an eyelash. Maybe counting all those millions of monthly payola disbursed by Bong Go has kept them so busy to be bothered even to show the slightest of reactions. But Duterte's policy of subservience and surrender to China, without China having to fire a single shot, is HIGH TREASON, plain and simple. We do not need our AFP generals to tell us that. The generals not telling us that Duterte's actions smack of treason does not make said actions any less treasonous, it only makes the generals accomplices to his treason. There is no more reason to sugarcoat the AFP's role in Duterte's successful pivot to China. (Correction, we have not been pivoted to China, in as much as we have been made to bend over to the communist state.) The AFP is the protector of the people and the defender of our country's territorial integrity. That it has all but become an accomplice in Duterte's treason by silence, acquiescence, or even affirmation by continuing to receive wads of cash in monthly payola in exchange for shutting their mouths is already a testament to their own role in this administration's capitulation to China. Naka-discount pa ang China. Imbes na sa kanila manggaling ang pang-suhol sa ating mga heneral, sarili pa nating pera ang ipinamumudmod ni Duterte at Bong Go sa kanila para lamang sila tumahimik sa plano ng dalawang traydor sa bansa na ipa-alipin tayo sa Tsina. Sa madaling salita, patuloy tayong ginigisa sa sarili nating mantika. This is why the Constitution did not leave all the defending of the national territory to the AFP. Every six years it allows us to reject leaders who failed in their job or betrayed their sacred oath to uphold the Constitution and defend the nation. Under extraordinary circumstances, it has provided for the mechanism of impeachment, especially for cases of the high crime of treason, when elections are not enough to respond to the national emergency of dealing with a fifth column head of state. But the latter has failed, while waiting for the former option might already cost us our patrimony and independence by that time, with China already in full control of our government through Duterte's fifth column as they prepare their successor Manchurian-candidate-in-waiting, a Senator cum national caregiver. Where does all these leave us? We still have legal options. The creative people in our legal community can come up with a petition prohibiting the President from further pimping us to China, or even one for quo warranto, after the case of Chief Justice Sereno opened the ouster of impeachable officials by other means, subject only to who holds the sway at Padre Faura. (Duterte, of course, so that immediately strikes out the creative legal options. But we can always try.) But more than all these, it is public opinion that is crucial in ending this treasonous buffet in our highest executive and defense offices. As long as Duterte remains popular, we are all party to this treason. When majority of Filipinos, by their vote of confidence for Duterte, effectively approves of this treason, then it ceases to be such. Duterte's approval rating is an indication of how the Filipinos will exercise their right to national self-determination, i.e., to vote for its exact opposite. Apparently, the Filipino people, in the exercise of this right, will decide to cease to exist as a nation, and instead choose to be exactly what Duterte wants them to be, a province of China. In such a case, this will no longer be treason. This will be surrender. We are only calling Duterte's and the AFP's actions and omissions treasonous under the presumption that the people are still loyal to the flag of the sovereign Philippine Republic. We hope they still are. At least our ancestors shed blood before being forced to sign instruments of surrender. Today's Filipino race cannot even be bothered to protest the treason of its officials and reject their surrender to a foreign power. Through a national referendum of the Filipino people's continuing support for Duterte and, vicariously, his pivot to China, one person's and his entire defense establishment's treason would thus become - hopefully not inevitably - a whole nation's capitulation. 300 years under Spain, almost half a century under America, four years under Japan, now China. With the novel corona virus presently decimating China's social infrastructure, we only have our stupidity to blame for settling for the worst of would-be foreign masters. Napakatanga na lang ng sambayanan na sa yugto na ito ng ating kasaysayan, ay Tsina pa ang pipiliin na bagong among pagsisilbihan. ### (Access the handwritten version of Dispatch from Crame No. 726, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_726) on Monday fired two unidentified short-range projectiles into the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the first such launches since it warned of "a new strategic weapon" earlier this year. The projectiles were fired from areas near its eastern coastal city of Wonsan towards the northeast at 12.37 p.m., Yonhap News Agency quoted the JCS as saying. It added that both flew around 240 km, reaching a maximum altitude of around 35 km. " is believed to be continuing its joint strike drill," the JCS said, citing the military drill that the North staged on February 28 under the supervision of its leader Kim Jong-un. It was not immediately known if Kim inspected Monday's launches. "South Korean and US intelligence authorities are analyzing additional features... Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said. It is the first such projectile fire by the communist country since November 28, 2019 when it launched two missiles from what was presumed to be a super-large multiple rocket launcher, the Yonhap News Agency said in the report. Last year, the regime test-launched missiles 13 times amid the stalled denuclearization talks with the US. The tested weapons include new types of short-range ballistic missiles and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). In its New Year's message, Pyongyang warned it would show off a "new strategic weapon" in the near future. Experts said it may mean an advanced version of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or an SLBM. Following Monday's launch, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency meeting of security-related ministers. They expressed "strong concern" about the strike drills, according to its officials. The Monday firing also came days after the first anniversary of the second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi. The two-day meeting collapsed without a deal on Feb. 28, 2019, and little progress has since been made in the denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. BRIDGEPORT A former Sacred Heart University student, accused of disseminating nude photographs of a young woman on social media, has applied for a pretrial probation program. Nicholas Otto-Bernstein, 20, of New York City, charged with disseminating intimate images, voyeurism and disseminating voyeurism images, applied Monday in state Superior Court for accelerated rehabilitation. A hearing on the application has been scheduled for April 2. At that time, the victim will have a chance to object. Under accelerated rehabilitation, a pretrial program for nonviolent offenders, Otto-Bernstein would not plead guilty to the charges against him but would be placed on up to two years of probation. If he commits no other crimes during that probation, the charges against him will be dismissed. Voyeurism and disseminating voyeuristic material are Class D felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison. The other charge is a misdemeanor. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, on Oct. 6 a 20-year-old woman went to the Bridgeport Police Department and reported she had been sexually assaulted. The SHU student told police she had gone to a Sacred Heart house party on Reservoir Avenue with some girlfriends on Oct. 5. At the party, she recalled drinking two alcoholic beverages before midnight, the affidavit states. The woman said she did not remember anything after she finished her second drink, including how she made it home nor who accompanied her back to her residence in Bridgeport, the affidavit continues. The affidavit states that the next thing the woman remembers was 1:14 a.m. on Oct. 6 and looking at a text message from a friend sent at 12:46 a.m. telling her that a nude photo of her had been digitally shared. The woman then realized that there was a white man with dirty-blond hair in her bedroom, the affidavit states. She told the man to leave her apartment at which time he referenced having sexual intercourse with her, according to the affidavit. The woman told police she did not remember having sex with the man, but she believed it did occur. She also told police she did not know the mans name but recognized him as a SHU student, the affidavit states. On Oct. 7, the universitys Investigative Supervisor Peter Bravo, a former Fairfield police detective, sent Bridgeport Police Detective Albert Palatiello an email identifying the suspect as Otto-Bernstein with his New York address, the affidavit states. The woman viewed a suspect photo lineup and picked out a photograph of Otto-Bernstein taken from his Facebook page. She said she was 100 percent sure of her selection, the affidavit states. The affidavit states police viewed campus security camera footage that is believed to show the woman and Otto-Bernstein get out of a vehicle and walk toward the womans dormitory at 12:32 a.m. Oct. 6. The woman enters her room followed by Otto-Bernstein. At 2:20 a.m., Otto-Bernstein is seen on camera leaving the womans room, the affidavit states. The affidavit states the woman showed police a screenshot of the nude photograph that was sent to her friend from Otto-Bernstein via the mobile messaging app Snapchat. The affidavit states the photograph showed the woman lying naked on a bed with white sheets. The woman appeared to be awake in the photo but was not looking into the camera. The woman said she did not consent to the photograph or for anybody to transmit it. The woman stated she believes the photograph was sent to 30 or 40 students, the affidavit states. On Oct. 13, another person provided police with the same image, which had been shared with a Snapchat group. The photo had been sent from Otto-Bernsteins account, the affidavit states. Bridgeport Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said investigators were able to determine that Otto-Bernstein took the nude photograph of the victim and disseminated it online to other students. Detectives did not have probable cause to charge Otto-Bernstein with sexually assaulting the victim, Fitzgerald said in a statement. Otto-Bernstein withdrew from the university after the woman made her complaint. Deepening the political crises in the country, Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi on Monday withdrew his candidacy for the post. Announcing the withdrawal of his candidacy on Twitter, Allawi accused political parties of obstructing him. "I heard that there is a plan to prevent the Cabinet from receiving confidence from the parliament in order to continue corruption and thefts because the ministries will be headed by independent and impartial ministers. They are paying money to the members of the parliament to fulfil their scheme," Allawi tweeted. According to al-Monitor, the development comes hours after the Parliament failed to approve his cabinet for the second time amid political infighting. President Barham Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for a new prime minister within 15 days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former executive with San Antonio refining company Andeavor has launched pipeline company Tatanka Midstream with a half-billion dollars of private equity. Tatanka, founded last month by Andeavor's former Executive Vice President Keith Casey, said it acquired a $500 million commitment from private equity firm EnCap Flatrock Midstream. Tantanka doesn't have any assets in the field but plans to use the investment to buy and build pipelines and storage terminals that serve the North American energy market. The company has pledged to develop its pipeline, storage terminals and processing plants in a sustainable manner. Supersize Me: Moda Midstream has VLCC-sized plans for exports Headquartered in San Antonio with offices in Oklahoma City and Houston, EnCap Flatrock Midstream now has $9 billion of investment commitments with 17 pipeline companies. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox China's Huawei Technologies, which for years has denied violating American trade sanctions on Iran, produced internal company records in 2010 that show it was directly involved in sending prohibited US computer equipment to Iran's largest mobile-phone operator. Two Huawei packing lists, dated December 2010, included computer equipment made by Hewlett-Packard Co and destined for the Iranian carrier, internal Huawei documents reviewed by Reuters show. Another Huawei document, dated two months later, stated: Currently, the equipment is delivered to Tehran, and waiting for the custom clearance. The packing lists and other internal documents, reported here for the first time, provide the strongest documentary evidence to date of Huawei's involvement in alleged trade sanctions violations. They could bolster Washington's multifaceted campaign to check the power of Huawei, the world's leading telecommunications-equipment maker. The United States is trying to persuade allies to avoid using Huawei equipment in their next-generation mobile telecommunications systems, known as 5G. Separately, U.S. authorities are battling Huawei on a legal front. The newly obtained documents involve a multi-million dollar telecommunications project in Iran that figures prominently in an ongoing criminal case Washington has brought against the Chinese company and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou. The daughter of Huawei's founder, Meng has been fighting extradition from Canada to the United States since her arrest in Vancouver in December 2018. Huawei and Meng have denied the charges, which involve bank fraud, wire fraud and other allegations. The documents, which aren't cited in the criminal case, provide new details about Huawei's role in providing an Iranian telecom carrier with numerous computer servers, switches and other equipment made by HP, as well as software made by other American companies at the time, including Microsoft Corp, Symantec Corp and Novell Inc. A U.S. indictment alleges that Huawei and Meng participated in a fraudulent scheme to obtain prohibited U.S. goods and technology for Huawei's Iran-based business, and move money out of Iran by deceiving Western banks. The indictment accuses Huawei and Meng of surreptitiously using an unofficial subsidiary in Iran called Skycom Tech Co Ltd to obtain the prohibited goods. Huawei could thus attempt to claim ignorance with respect to any illegal act committed by Skycom on behalf of Huawei, including violations of U.S. sanctions laws, the indictment states. Skycom, which Huawei has described as a local business partner in Iran, is named as a defendant. Records in Hong Kong, where Skycom was registered, show the firm was liquidated in June 2017. The newly obtained records reviewed by Reuters show that another Chinese company, Panda International Information Technology Co, which isn't named in the U.S. indictment, was also involved in acquiring hardware and software for the Iranian project. Panda International has longstanding ties to Huawei and is controlled by a Chinese state-owned company. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, it is not appropriate for Huawei to comment at this time, a Huawei spokesman said in response to questions about the newly obtained documents. Huawei is committed to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate, including all export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN, U.S., and EU. China's foreign ministry said that the United States, without presenting any evidence, has been over-generalizing the concept of national security and abusing its state power to unreasonably suppress specific Chinese firms. It referred questions about the Huawei documents to the company. PACKING LISTS The U.S. indictment cites articles by Reuters in 2012 and 2013 which reported that Skycom had offered in late 2010 to sell at least 1.3 million euros worth of embargoed HP computer equipment to Mobile Telecommunication Co of Iran. The Iranian mobile provider is variously known as MCI and MCCI. MCI's parent company is Telecommunication Co of Iran. At the time, TCI was controlled by a consortium whose largest stakeholder was a company controlled by the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Another stakeholder was Setad, an organization controlled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The earlier Reuters reports were based on a partial price list included in a Huawei and Skycom proposal in October 2010 to expand MCI's customer billing system. Huawei had provided MCI's original billing system, which wasn't keeping pace with MCI's growing customer base. The price list was marked with Huawei's logo and stamped SKYCOM IRAN OFFICE. At the time, Huawei said it ultimately never delivered the HP goods to Iran. A Huawei spokesman told Reuters in 2012 that the price list was a bidding document submitted by Skycom and that Huawei has never provided the equipment; nor done so through Skycom. But the newly obtained documents - more than 100 additional pages related to the project - show that Huawei was involved in sending at least some of that U.S. equipment to Iran. The documents are variously written in English, Chinese and Farsi. One internal document showed that Huawei was deeply involved in the MCI expansion project. It states that on September 25, 2010, MCI asked Huawei to start the project. The equipment contract was signed, the document states, without providing details. The documents also include a Bill of Quantity Quotation, a 2010 proposal that listed the equipment needed for the project. It was produced by Huawei and includes HP gear, as well as server software made then by Microsoft, Symantec and Novell. The documents also include two packing lists that were dated December 7 and December 13, 2010, with Huawei's logo at the top. The name Huawei also appears in the lists' metadata computer information about the documents creation. The packing lists, which include some prohibited HP equipment, provided extensive details of 340 shipping cases, such as weights and sizes, with ultimate destinations in the major Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz and Mashhad. The packing lists include numerous HP servers, switches and disk arrays, as well as Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000 software. SALE 'PROHIBITED' Reuters did not have access to other transport records, such as customs and delivery forms, specifying which equipment reached MCI. But a later Huawei document stated that equipment for the telecom expansion project had arrived in Iran. MCI did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Hewlett Packard Enterprise said: Our contract terms prohibited the sale of these products to Iran, and required that our partners comply with all applicable export laws and regulations. This remains true today. Microsoft did not answer questions about the legality of shipping its server software to Iran. Symantec, now called NortonLifeLock Inc, declined to comment. The current owner of the Novell software didn't respond to a request for comment. Some of the newly obtained documents suggest Huawei may have used Panda International to purchase hardware and software. The records include a signed equipment contract between MCI and Panda International that included more than $10 million worth of equipment for the billing system project, although it doesn't specify all of the gear. According to the contract, which references an invoice from September 2010, MCI was to pay Panda International through China Construction Bank's branch in the city of Shenzhen the location of Huawei's headquarters. Panda International is controlled by China Electronics Corp, a Chinese state-owned tech company. According to Panda International's website, Panda has a long and deep history with Huawei that began in 2007. People familiar with the matter told Reuters that Huawei regularly used Panda International to ship equipment to customers in Iran and Syria. Panda International, China Electronics and China Construction Bank did not respond to requests for comment. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Commerce added Panda International to its Entity List - a roster of companies effectively banned from doing business with U.S. firms. The department said Panda International may have attempted to export items to destinations sanctioned by the United States. The documents reviewed by Reuters show that Huawei was involved in the equipment contract between Panda International and MCI. A letter from MCI to Huawei with a handwritten date in July 2011 reported a series of problems with the installation of HP racks and other equipment in Shiraz related to the Panda International contract. Two years later, a joint letter signed by officials from Huawei and MCI in October 2013 confirmed that problems and shortcomings under the equipment contract were resolved by Huawei. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 15:32:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military will actively conduct international military cooperation and work with other countries' militaries to fight against public security threats including the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, a Chinese spokesperson said Monday. Addressing a press conference on the work of China's armed forces in the virus battle, Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, thanked countries and militaries that have offered China sincere help and support in the country's full-swing fight against COVID-19. Wu said the strength, spirit and efficiency China has demonstrated in its COVID-19 prevention and control work have won widespread praise from the international community. He mentioned a number of countries that provided support and help to China, including countries whose defense and military leaders conveyed sympathy through letters, whose defense ministries and militaries made donations to China, and which sent military aircraft to transport key supplies. A Ryanair aircraft landing at Eindhoven airport in Netherlands. (Nik Oiko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Ryanair (RYA.L) and British Airways on Monday announced the cancellation of hundreds more flights in response to the continued spread of coronavirus. In a statement, Ryanair said that it would reduce the number of short-haul flights by up to 25% between 17 March and 8 April, which it said would mainly affect flights to and from Italy. The low-cost carrier said that it has seen a significant drop in bookings as a result of the virus. There has also been a significant step up in passenger no-shows on flights, particularly from and within Italy, the airline said. British Airways, which is owned by IAG (IAG.L), said it had merged a number of flights between 16 March and 28 March to match reduced demand due to the continuing coronavirus issue. It said it had cancelled some flights between Londons Heathrow Airport and New Yorks JFK airport, Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland. It has also cancelled flights between Gatwick and Italy, France and Albania, as well as flights from London City Airport to and from Germany and Italy. Read more: Coronavirus 'biggest threat to global economy We will be contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including re-booking onto other carriers where possible, full refunds or booking with BA for a later date of travel, the airline said. The cancellations come after EasyJet (EZJ.L) last week announced that it was also cancelling some flights as a result of the outbreak, including those to and from Italy. Some staff have been offered unpaid leave, according to the Mirror. The cancellations came as the director general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that the window of opportunity to contain the coronavirus outbreak was narrowing. Speaking on Monday afternoon, he noted that the WHOs message has been to calm down and do the right thing in order to tackle the spread of the virus. So it is still the same message but in some places we are not seeing the level of response that we expected and thats why we have been again saying to the world, reminding the world, that the window of opportunity is narrowing and that we have to still do our best to catch up. 'Korea should cut taxes for small service sector businesses' By Kim Bo-eun Andy Xie Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (R) and Maj. Gen. John K. Love, U.S. representative to the NATO Military Committee (L), attend the NATO meetings in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 15, 2020. (NATO Photo) Top US General Says Military Preparing for Potential Coronavirus Pandemic Gen. Mark Milley says officials are preparing for several different scenarios The top U.S. uniformed military general said the military is planning for a number of different scenarios presented by the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, including a potential pandemic situation. The United States military looks at a wide variety of scenarios, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon. A pandemic is the worst case, he added. Of course we do all kinds of planning in the department of defense, Milley added to reporters. He was asked about a possible vaccine, replying, With respect to the vaccine, yes, the military labs are working very consistently working in direct support with health and human services. Milley said the overall impact thus far from the coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in mainland China late last year, has been minimal. Healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland on Feb. 29, 2020 in Kirkland, Washington. (David Ryder/Getty Images) Overseas, we have a variety of exercise operations ongoing. Right now, the overall broad impact to the uniformed U.S. military is very, very minimal. Thats not to say its zero, but its very very minimal, he said. Protective gear and test kits are being distributed to U.S. military facilities with a priority on distribution to the Korean Peninsula, Milley said. South Korea reported 599 new cases on Monday, taking its national tally to 4,335. There have been 26 deaths. Last week, the United States was forced to cancel a joint annual training exercise with South Korea amid the virus. In announcing the cancellation, Kim Jun-rak, a spokesman at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Politico that the two countries will put off their drills until further notice. Authorities across the United States prepared for more cases of illness caused by the new coronavirus with the emphasis on ratcheting up the number of available test kits. Over the past several days, there has been an uptick in cases in the United States, including confirmed patients in Rhode Island, New York, Florida, and New Hampshire. Washington state, meanwhile, confirmed that two people died from COVID-19 over the weekend. Public health emergencies were both declared in Florida and Washington state. Officials in Washington are now investigating whether an outbreak occurred at a nursing home in King County after several COVID-19 cases were traced to there. Around 90 cases have been confirmed in the United States so far. Reuters contributed to this report. Video game retailer GameStop will close its Hamilton Mall store at 4403 East Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing, its store manager told NJ Advance Media on Monday. An official closing date has not yet been announced, but the manager said the shop is expected to close by the end of March and that liquidation sales are currently in progress. There are currently 72 GameStop locations in New Jersey, according to the companys website. GameStop announced in September 2019 plans to close up to 200 stores amid declining sales. Its hardware sales plunged 41.3% in the quarter ending of Aug. 3 and overall sales fell about 14%. Retailers have been hit hard by the retail apocalypse in the last few months. Pier 1 Imports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Modells Sporting Goods announced the closure of three New Jersey stores. GameStop was founded in 1984 in Dallas, Texas. Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips MORE RETAIL AND SHOPPING COVERAGE: Falafel restaurant franchise opens in Paramus, eyes additional N.J. locations Pier 1 Imports files for bankruptcy: Here are some of the best online deals right now Sandwich franchise Cosi files for bankruptcy a 2nd time As fears of coronavirus mount locally following news of a second U.S. death and possible contagion in San Antonio, some are calling for officials to cancel a major annual Texas event. More than 19,000 people have signed a petition to have the annual SXSW festival in Austin cancelled amid fears of coronavirus. The petition says holding the event during an outbreak would be "irresponsible" and calls on Gov. Greg Abbott, festival organizers, Austin Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control to cancel the event. The petition, launched on Change.org four days ago by the account Shayla Lee, had more than 19,100 signatures as of Monday morning. It listed a goal of 25,000 signers. SXSW is set to begin March 13, and Austin officials have "no imminent plans to postpone any current events," according to the city's website. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has cancelled his speaking engagement at the festival, and Twitter said in a blog post Sunday that it was suspending all non-critical business travel and events. On Sunday, the CDC announced that a woman released from quarantine in San Antonio later tested positive for the coronavirus. The woman went to a hotel and a major regional mall before she was returned to isolation. False negatives: Coronavirus patient released in San Antonio went to North Star Mall before returning to quarantine San Antonio is located about 80 miles southwest of Austin. Recent tweets from the city and Austin Public Health about the coronavirus garnered dozens of replies exhorting officials to cancel the popular festival. On Change.org, the petition to cancel showed some supporters' reasons for signing. "It's ridiculous we are even considering having this festival!!!" Elizabeth Huffmaster wrote. "No amount of $ to the city is worth infecting our citizens." Many of the comments brought up the clear financial ramifications of cancelling SXSW and encouraged officials to prioritize safety, with some signers pointing to the potential spread of coronavirus as much more financially risky than losses from canceling SXSW. Others said as large companies and prominent speakers pull out of the festival, their ticket becomes less valuable, making a cancellation and refund preferable. The 10-day festival, or collection of festivals, focuses on the tech, film and music industries. Speakers include top minds from those fields and others, and this year is planned to be no different, with big names including Hillary Clinton, Anita Hill, Janelle Monae, Kim Kardashian West and numerous others. On HoustonChronicle.com: Coronavirus fears cancel Houston's biggest oil and gas conference A report from SXSW says its 2019 attendance totaled more than 280,000 people, and puts the event's economic impact on Austin at $355.9 million. The number of attendees and the fact that they came from 106 countries, according to SXSW, might have been a source of pride for Austin at another time, but this year it has become a major reason for concern among those asking for the festival to be canceled. Major international conferences that have been canceled over the past week include Facebook's F8 in San Jose, CA., and CERAweek in Houston. On Sunday, the event website issued an update on its attendee safety page asking people to follow World Health Organization safety precautions for coronavirus. "SXSW is working closely on a daily basis with local, state, and federal agencies to plan for a safe event," the update said. "As a result of this dialogue and the recommendations of Austin Public Health, the 2020 event is proceeding with safety as a top priority." STAY INFORMED: Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. New Delhi: Panic gripped the residents of several parts of Delhi on Sunday evening following false rumours of violence, even as the Delhi Police and Aam Aadmi Party leaders denied any incident and appealed people to remain calm. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said it had shut down the entry and exit gates of seven metro stations but did not give any reason. The stations were later reopened. "A rumour has been noticed that there is some tension in Khyala-Raghubir Nagar area of West District. There is no truth behind it. All are requested to keep calm as the situation is absolutely normal and peaceful," deputy commissioner of police-west Deepak Purohit said. "There are some rumours regarding some communal tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala areas. It is intimated that there is no tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala and the whole west district area. Nothing to worry about," he added. Police said some "unsubstantiated reports" of tension in southeast and west districts were circulated on social media. "It is to reiterate that these are all rumours. Don't pay attention to such rumours. Delhi Police is closely monitoring accounts spreading rumours and taking action," they said, adding that rumours about tension in Dwarka and Badarpur areas were also "unsubstantiated". The DCPs of some police districts and station house officers of police stations took to Twitter to assure people that their areas were peaceful and normal. However, shopkeepers downed shutters and vendors closed weekly markets as people rushed home early in several areas, including Subhash Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri and Khyala areas in west Delhi. Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh too urged people to remain calm. "I reached at the site as soon as I heard of the rumour of riots, shops were shut people were in a state of panic but no one saw any riots happening. It was a conspiracy to spread rumours and spoil the atmosphere. I appeal to people to maintain peace and brotherhood and do not believe the rumours," he said. Rajesh Sharma, a resident of Subhash Nagar, said he had gone to a mall in west Delhi when at around 7:45 pm, he witnessed sudden commotion. "The outlets inside the mall began shutting down and the situation remained tense for nearly 20 minutes before police arrived and assured everyone that the situation was normal," he said. Meanwhile, the metro stations which were briefly shut down included Tilak Nagar, Nangloi, Surajmal Stadium, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Uttam Nagar west and Nawada. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said he spoke to acting Delhi Police chief S N Shrivastava on the rumours of fresh violence in the national capital and was ensured that the situation was under control. Anxious people also took to Twitter asking if the rumours were true. Police said that they were talking to people to assure that nothing untoward has happened and they should remain calm. The AAP MP, in a tweet, requested people not to pay heed to any rumours. "Rumours of violence are being spread in Delhi. In this regard I spoke to Delhi CP (commissioner of police) and he said that reports of violence are rumours and the law and order situation of the national capital is completely under control," he tweeted. He also posted a video of AAP leader Amanatullah Khan saying there are rumours being spread that fights have broken out in Madanpur Khadar, Jaitpur and Okhla areas. "These are all rumours senior officers are present there. Please don't listen to rumours. If anyone says that violence has broken out, ask them for evidence. Don't get frightened. We all have to fight these rumours. Rumours spread panic and that in turn leads to violence. Believe that we are all with you," he said in the video. AAP leader Atishi also took to Twitter and said she received WhatsApp messages about mobs in Govindpuri and Kalkaji areas. "These rumours are all false. Situation is peaceful. Police is patrolling the area," she said asking people to remain calm. China is preparing to expel more foreign journalists, a Beijing-based press group said on Monday, adding that the Chinese government is using visas as weapons to intimidate journalists from abroad like never before. The China story has only one narrative, and thats the Chinese governments narrative, the report said. The Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) annual report was released Monday in the backdrop of the unprecedented expulsion of three reporters from The Wall Street Journal over what it deemed a racist headline for an opinion piece they did not write. In February 2020, visas and press credentials for an additional three foreign correspondents the Wall Street Journals Josh Chin, Chao Deng and Philip Wen were revoked in the biggest group expulsion in three decades, the report said. This amounts to the most brazen attempt in the post-Mao Zedong era to influence foreign news organizations and punish those whose work the Chinese government deems unacceptable. Since 2013, when Xi Jinpings ascension to power was completed, China has forced out nine foreign journalists, either through outright expulsion or by non-renewal of visas, the report added. In 2019, at least 12 correspondents received credentials valid for six months or less, more than double the five short-term visas issued the year prior. Resident journalist visas are typically issued for one year. Outlets affected include the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, Telegraph, Globe and Mail, Le Monde, Sankei Shimbun and the Voice of America, the report said. Local Chinese employees in foreign media are not spared, the report indicated. Chinese employees at international media organisations who do a variety of demanding and important work continued to face intensifying intimidation and harassment, including being detained, interrogated and threatened, the report added. This report, FCCC said was based on a survey of journalists who belong to the group. Conducted in December 2019, 114 of 186 correspondent members representing news organizations from 25 countries and regions responded to the survey. Pressure on foreign journalists extends to their home offices, as Chinese diplomats stationed abroad regularly seek to influence editors and demand coverage from correspondents that fits with the tone and content of state-controlled media, the FCCC said. The influence and pressure brought to bear on foreign journalists in China reflects how Chinese authorities extend their reach and scope in chilling ways to ensure the China story has but one narrative theirs, the report said. The Chinese foreign ministry dismissed the FCCC report. I must stress that we have never recognised this institution you mentioned. So, I think it is very inappropriate for this so called organisation to say these things. We always welcome foreign media to cover news in China in an objective manner and we provide support and convenience for them, and which is witnessed by all, foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said at the regular ministry briefing on Monday. What happened to WSJ journalists is just an individual case. There are over 600 journalists stationed in China. They dont need to worry about their reporting in china as long as they observe Chinese laws and regulations, Zhao said. In the meantime, the foreign correspondents in China should observe locals and regulations and their professional ethics, which is the same in every country, he said. A former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has made his Nollywood debut in a new series titled Silent Prejudices (Season 2). Fani-Kayode stars alongside his ex-beauty queen and actress wife, Precious, in the movie. The series, which exposes the evils associated with the Osu caste system in the Southeastern part of Nigeria, is currently being shot at various locations in Abuja. It has the endorsement of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission whose Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, also makes an appearance. Mr Fani-Kayode is not the only Nigerian politician on the set of the series. Others include businessman Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, ex-senator Dino Melaye and a former Anambra State governor, Chukwuemeka Ezeife. Produced by Chris Oge Kalu, the 13-episode series also features the likes of Clems Ohameze, Amaechi Muonago, Monalisa Chinda, Chuks Chyke, Vitalis Ndubuisi, Steve Eboh, Ofiafuluagu Mbaka, and linc Edochie. In a post on Facebook on Monday, Fani-Kayode, who was on the set of the movie on Saturday, hailed actors and applauded their craft. We were on set the whole afternoon and, though grueling, it was a great experience and tremendous fun! Many do not know just how hard actors work and the energy and discipline that goes into their craft. READ ALSO: Being a thespian is no mean feat. It requires total dedication and focus and, having been through what I experienced on Saturday, my respect for them is boundless. Also starring in the series is Larry Koldsweat, Obi Idejimba, and T.T. Temple. Season 1 is already being aired on AIT on Wednesdays at 9.00 pm while Season 2, which Fani-Kayode featured in, will soon be aired. Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media NORWALK A drunken man who was trapped in a South Norwalk apartment buildings parking garage attacked a resident who confronted him because he was honking his horn for more than an hour and was trying to pry open the gate to get out, police said. The incident occurred around 1:40 a.m. Monday morning at the SoNo Pearl, an apartment complex on Washington Street. The Social Democrat majority in Parliament's Standing Bureaus is "digging in its heels in an irresponsible attitude of boycotting, blocking the constitutional procedures," Chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Ludovic Orban said on Monday, voicing his displeasure at the fact that the date of the Parliament's plenary meeting for the Citu Cabinet's investiture vote has not been set. "I am unpleasantly surprised by the decision of the joint Standing Bureaus which established only the days for the hearing of the candidates for minister, but not also the date of the plenary meeting, despite our express proposal that the plenary should be called as soon as possible after the committee hearings; our proposal had been for either Thursday or next Monday. I cannot remember of any decision of the Standing Bureaus not establishing the date of the plenary meeting as part of the calendar of the investiture procedure. To me this is proof that the PSD majority in the Standing Bureaus is digging in its heels in an irresponsible attitude of boycotting, delaying and blocking the constitutional procedures. We will request that the meeting of the Standing Bureaus be called as soon as possible in order to set the date," Orban said at the Palace of Parliament.According to him, any delay and "any procedural trick" will only affect the unfolding of the government's investiture procedure.At the end of the negotiations held this Monday with representatives of the Save Romania Union, the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania, Pro Romania and of the national minorities, Orban emphasized that the Liberals have attempted to marshal a majority."We tried to negotiate in order to obtain a majority. (...) The Prime Minister-designate presented the list of the government and the governing program, and based on the mandate received from the PNL Political Bureau, we started the rounds of negotiation with the parliamentary political formations, in an effort to form a majority, in the attempt to ensure the unfolding of the procedures in accordance with the Constitution of Romania and with the provisions of the Statutory Regulation of the Houses. (...) Tomorrow we will continue discussions," said the PNL Chairman.He also assured that the Liberal MPs will attend the plenary meeting. "I trust the sound discernment of each PNL lawmaker. At each procedure we will vote as we deem fit and normal," Orban said. AGERPRES The particularly challenging aspect of that and concerning to us is that she has not travelled to Iran, Mr Hazzard said. Loading "So it would appear that there is at least a high likelihood of transmission here in NSW from her brother, Mr Hazzard said, not ruling out transmission from other connections. Dr Chant conceded the new cases meant it was possible other COVID-19 cases have been overlooked. Its always possible theres a case out there we could have missed, she said. But I am reassured that there isn't widespread transmission because we are doing lots of testing." She said more than 3500 people have been tested for COVID-19 and "high rates of testing" continue. "Our first job is to contact staff or patients that have been in close contact with this person." Anyone who has been to Iran should remain particularly vigilant of COVID-19 symptoms, she said. There is some conjecture as to whether these coronavirus cases are the first locally acquired. A communique from the COVID-19 National Incident Room Surveillance Team dated February 22 said there was evidence of "limited secondary transmission of COVID-19" for three people in a five-person cluster in Queensland. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant and Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Monday afternoon. Credit:AAP The cluster of confirmed COVID-19 cases was part of a small group of nine people from mainland China that had been travelling together, the document read. Mr Hazzard said the health department was being transparent about what they knew so far of the new cases, and the community should be cautious and not alarmed. I wont be changing anything about what I do on a daily basis, he said. But he advised the public to forgo handshakes for "a pat on the back". Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was "highly likely" that more cases would emerge - but that people should "go about their daily business". "COVID-19 represents a significant risk to Australia and we continue to manage that risk based on the best and latest medical advice," he said on Monday evening. "It is important to reiterate the great majority more than 80 per cent of people diagnosed with COVID-19 have a mild illness, so mild that the symptoms are often barely noticed. "If you do get symptoms, such as fever and cough, and are a returned traveller or potential contact with someone who may have COVID-19, please isolate yourself and seek medical advice. This is how we can best reduce the spread." Search for passengers continues NSW Health is also searching for the unsuspecting passengers who were seated near a woman diagnosed with the new coronavirus on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney. The woman in her 50s became the sixth confirmed case of COVID-19 in NSW after returning to Australia from Iran. She arrived in Sydney on flight QR908 from Iran at 6.50pm on February 23 and started to feel ill almost immediately. "Anyone on that flight should be very aware that there was someone on the flight who had the coronavirus," Mr Hazzard said at an earlier press conference on Monday. Loading The woman did not keep her flight ticket and her seat number is not known, Dr Chant said. NSW Health is in contact with the airline to determine where she sat and to identify passengers who sat in the two rows in front of, and behind, her to alert them to the possibility that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus, Dr Chant said. Those "close contacts" will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days, she said. "We will be reaching out as soon as we have [their] contact details." Mr Hazzard said any passengers on the flight with flu-like symptoms should contact their doctor. "If you have any doubts or thoughts that [it] may be the coronavirus, please ring ahead to your GP or ring ahead to the local emergency department so they are aware and can take the appropriate steps to keep everyone safe," he said. Nirbhaya Case: Delhi Court Defers Hanging Of 4 Death Row Convicts Till Further Order A Delhi court on Monday deferred till further order the hanging of four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder convict. Hanging of the four convicts was scheduled for Tuesday at 6 AM. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana said the death sentence cannot be executed pending disposal of mercy petition of convict Pawan Kumar Gupta. Read more. Two Fresh Cases Of Coronavirus Detected In India, One From Delhi, Another From Telangana Two more positive cases of the novel coronavirus -- one in Delhi and another in Telangana -- have been reported in the country, the Union Health Ministry said. The person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, while the other patient who has coronavirus infection has a recent travel history to Dubai, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said. Read more. Practicing Yoga Can Prevent Coronavirus, Says UP CM Who Also Thinks Swine Flu Is Not A Disease Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has claimed that deadly diseases like coronavirus can be eliminated by regularly practising yoga. Inaugurating the week-long International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh on Sunday, Yogi said that one who remains both mentally and physically fit through yoga need not fear diseases like coronavirus. Read more. AAP Govt Announces Rs 1 Crore Compensation To Family Of IB Officer Killed In Delhi Riots IB 1 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 2, 2020 Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced an honorarium of Rs 1 crore for the family of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma who was killed during the violence that erupted in Delhi's northeast last week. "Ankit Sharma was a brave officer. He was brutally murdered in the riots. The country is proud of him. The Delhi government has decided that his family will be given an honorarium of Rs 1 crore and a job to one person of his family. May his soul rest in peace," the Delhi chief minister tweeted. Read more. Dr Kafeel Khan Arrested Under NSA Can Be Killed In Jail, Says Wife; Moves Court For Protection Shabista Khan, wife of suspended paediatrician Dr Kafeel Khan, has said that she fears that her husband's life is in danger. She has written to the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court and senior government authorities seeking security for her husband who is lodged in Mathura jail after he was arrested in Mumbai by the SIT of UP Police. Read more. Kerala Priest Convicted Under POCSO For Rape & Impregnating 16-Year-Old Expelled By The Vatican In what is probably the first such instance in India, a Catholic priest has been expelled by the Church from its ranks after he was found guilty in a rape case. Robin Vadakkumchery, who was a priest of the Mananthavady diocese in Kerala was expelled from the Church by Pope Francis. Read more. The Britains Best Loaf 2020 competition is fast approaching, with only a few weeks left to enter. Taking place at the Farm Shoop & Deli show at the Birmingham NEC on Monday 7 September, it offers bakers the perfect opportunity to flex their floury muscles and pit their loaves against the finest in the country. The event is sponsored by ADM, American Pan UK and Scobie McIntosh/Revent. There are six categories, including Gluten Free, Innovation, White and Wholegrain. Due to huge the interest in sourdough and high number of entries, the category has been split into two (see below). The winning loaf from each of the six categories will be in the running to take the ultimate accolade of Britains Best Loaf. Entries close on Monday 9 March. To find out more, and to enter, visit: britainsbestloaf.co.uk. Need more convincing? Heres what it takes to secure a category win and even the ultimate accolade of Britains Best Loaf, as well as the benefits of doing so: We judge a loaf by its cover (among other things) A loafs looks dont necessarily equate to its tastiness, but when it comes to Britains Best Loaf achieving the best of both worlds is important. As 2019 champion Lee Smith, from Poppyseed Bakery in East Sussex, says about his winning Wholemeal Sourdough: Our sourdough stands out because we put in as much effort on the appearance as we do the eating quality. Both are important for the customer. He should know, having won the competition in 2013, 2014 and 2016. This year, hes on the judging panel that will be scoring every entry on external appearance, internal structure, aroma and taste. We allow the dough time, which helps our sourdough to be consistent and so popular, he adds. The wholemeal sourdough has become even more popular since the 2019 win,1 with sales up 50%. Think outside of the box when it comes to innovation Its fair to say that Innovation category winner in 2019 definitely thought outside the box and thats exactly what the judges are looking for in this category as well as perfectly baked bread. Pappa-Gs Taste of India loaf (above), from Cardiff-based The Danish Bakery, was thought up by one of the bakerys apprentices and was inspired by their travels in India. Taking 74 hours to produce, the loaf features chilli, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger and onions. I like to give my team a challenge and get them experimenting with the knowledge they have gained working with our bread recipes, but then make their own creations, says The Danish Bakery founder Betina Skovbro. In 2018, the Innovation winner was an Easter Bread by Joes Bakery. The winning loaf was a yeasted wheat and rye bread containing hazelnuts, raisins, cherries, mixed citrus peel and lemon zest. The only limit in innovation is your imagination. Get creative with sourdough As interest in sourdough has exploded, so has the sourdough category at Britains Best Loaf. So much so that weve had to split it into two. Heres what it looks like for the 2020 competition: Plain Sourdough: A loaf made 100% by fermentation using naturally occurring lactobacillus. May contain only flour, salt and water. Sourdough with Other Ingredients: Made 100% by fermentation, using naturally occurring lactobacillus. May contain flour, salt and water, plus additional ingredients such as nuts, seeds, vegetables and honey. This leaves plenty of room for experimentation be it in the type of flour used or the natural ingredients added. In previous years the judges have been wowed by all manner of sourdough loaves and they are frequently among the overall winners. In 2018, a White Seeded Sourdough from Sussex-based Foodhaven clinched the title. It has a 30-hour fermentation and comprises strong white flour, water, salt, oil and seeds. On the more unusual side was the 2017 winner a Beetroot Multiseed Sourdough from Seasons Bakery in Ingleton, North Yorkshire (pictured above). The loaf is so successful, it was also named Speciality Bread Product of the Year at the 2019 Baking Industry Awards hosted by British Baker. The loaf involves a three-day process which starts with a sourdough ferment to which beetroot is added for flavour and colour. The dough is made a day later after the ferment has been fed twice. It is then left to bulk-ferment for another day before seeds are added and the earthy flavour left to develop. Think youve got what it takes to make Britains Best Loaf? Enter via britainsbestloaf.co.uk. Syria: NGO says over 30 killed in 24 hours in Idlib clashes Pro-Turkish militants advance, govt forces counter-attack (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, MARCH 2 - More than 30 Syrian government soldiers, pro-Syria militants and pro-Turkish fighters have been killed in recent hours in armed clashes in the northeastern region of Idlib, where the Turkish and Syrian armies have been facing off for days, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). It said clashes are underway in the strategic city of Saraqeb, between Idlib and Aleppo. According to sources, 23 pro-Turkish fighters were killed, as well as 11 pro-Syrian government fighters. On Sunday, Turkey announced the start of a military campaign in Idlib and the surrounding areas. SOHR said Turkish and allied forces have taken various towns south of Idlib in the past 24 hours. However, a counter-attack by Russian-backed Syrian government forces was underway as of Monday morning.(ANSAmed). Twitter joined a growing list of companies suspending business travel and events amid coronavirus concerns as cases in the United States reach 92 people. The social media giant announced Sunday their strategy for preventing the spread of the virus among their employees and partners, immediately banning all non-critical travel and events. According to God-is Rivera, global director of culture and community for Twitter, the company has also banned outside visitors to its global offices. Other companies to halt travel and events include Facebook, Amazon, and TD Bank group. Headquarters of social network Twitter in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco where visitors are now banned to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among employees A woman wearing a protective face mask walks in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. Cases of the coronavirus continue to rise across the globe as U.S. companies ban unessential travel There are now six confirmed deaths in the United States, all in Washington state 'Out of an abundance of caution and because the situation is evolving so rapidly, Twitter is implementing a mandatory global business travel restriction for our employees, canceling all upcoming events, and pausing external visitors to company offices, effective immediately,' God-is Rivera, global director of culture and community for Twitter, wrote in a statement on Twitter. The pause was first announced to employees and partners on Saturday, February 29, and will include a #BlackTwitterLive live-streaming that was set to take place on Tuesday. The company plans to keep the ban in place until the 'World Health Organization or Centers for Disease Control or when a vaccine becomes available', according to a statement released Sunday night. In the statement, Jennifer Christie, head of human resources at Twitter, said that the company has 'the responsibility of ensuring that the health and safety of our employees and partners is not compromised'. 'We have continued to monitor the situation closely and are adjusting our internal policies to respond to this rapidly-evolving situation,' she said. 'On February 29, we informed our people and started notifying partners that we are suspending all non-critical business travel and events. God-is Rivera, global director of culture and community for Twitter, reveals the visitor ban A sign outside of the Twitter office building in San Francisco. The company suspended business travel and events as coronavirus cases in the United States reach 92 people An employee works at a reception desk of the Twitter Inc. office in Tokyo, Japan. Travel between the company's global offices has been suspended until the coronavirus crisis ends Jennifer Christie, head of human resources at Twitter, announced the travel policy on Sunday 'Our goal is to reduce the risk that anyone at Twitter might contract or inadvertently spread the virus,' Christie added. 'It is important that we take these proactive steps to protect ourselves and others and minimize the spread of COVID-19. 'There are enormous transnational efforts underway to tackle this virus. As a global company with a global workforce, we want to do what we can to help the success of these multi-stakeholder containment efforts. 'Temporarily suspending travel is an immediate and important step.' On Friday, Amazon also deferred all non-essential travel, within the US and beyond, and Google set new restrictions for travel to South Korea and other places, as corporations moved to protect their employees from the spread of coronavirus. Amazon, the second largest private employer in the United States, confirmed on Sunday that two of their European employees had tested positive for the coronavirus and they had taken the decision to pause travel to prevent their employees from being affected by a further outbreak. Amazon spokesperson Drew Herdener said that the internet retailer was 'supporting the affected employees, who were in Milan and are now in quarantine' and that no employees in the U.S. had become sick. As part of the new policy, any Amazon employee looking to book critical travel must get approval from the vice president while employees have been told to refrain from scheduling meetings that require flights until at least the end of April. United Airlines revealed last Monday that short-term demand for its trans-Pacific routes was down by 75% - excluding China where demand has almost disappeared amid virus panic Delta announced Sunday it was suspending its daily flight between JFK and Milan Canada's TD Bank Group told Reuters it was suspending all non-essential business travel to China, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Its peer Bank of Nova Scotia has also reportedly halted non-essential travel and media giant Thomas Reuters followed suit banning non-essential travel to China, Hong Kong and South Korea. 'Thomson Reuters has halted all non-essential travel to China, Hong Kong and South Korea. All other travel remains under constant review,' a company spokesperson said. Facebook also said it would cancel its annual developer conference in May because of the virus and a memo over the weekend ended social visits from non-employees to any of its global offices, according to the New York Times. JetBlue which flies in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America, became the first US airline to offer waivers for all travel on Wednesday, announcing it would suspend change and cancellation fees for new flight bookings between February 27 and March 11 this year. It was quickly joined by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Over the weekend, Delta and American Airlines suspended flights to Milan, the capital of the Lombardy region which has been hit hard by the Italian virus outbreak, the biggest in Europe. United Airlines has postponed its new pilot class which was scheduled to commence in March. Coronavirus fears have intensified in recent days as the US has recorded its first six deaths from the disease and 92 cases were confirmed. All of the deaths took place in Washington state. On Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence said the travel advisory alert was being raised to 'Level 4 - Do Not Travel' for the Veneto region and Lombardy, of which Milan is the capital, in Italy. The Level 4 warning is the most severe that can be issued. The government said the decision was made 'due to the level of community transmission of the virus and imposition of local quarantine procedures'. Pence said on Saturday the U.S. State Department would work with Italy to coordinate medical screening for anyone traveling to the United States. Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, has sickened at least 89,620 people and killed 3,048 in 54 countries. An ambulance transports a patient from the Life Care Center of Kirkland, the long-term care facility linked to the several confirmed coronavirus cases in the state on Sunday Healthcare workers transport a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Kirkland, Washington, where a resident died from the coronavirus on Saturday Two coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed over the weekend in Kirkland, Washington state, as a resident at the Life Care Center nursing home and a patient at the EvergreenHealth hospital. A further four deaths were announced in Washington state on Monday. Five of the six deaths have been linked to the LifeCare long-term care facility, EvergreenHealth, in Kirkland just outside Seattle. Six coronavirus cases have been confirmed at the Life Care Center, including one resident in his 70s who later died at the hospital, while more than 50 staff and residents have shown symptoms and will be tested. Around 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have shown some symptoms of the virus, including some cases where individuals had contracted pneumonia. The majority of cases in the US are people who were evacuated 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 whom are elderly patients or those with compromised immune systems. The outbreak is leading to sharp reductions in air travel demand in the US, with major companies such as Amazon ordering a freeze on all non-essential employee travel. The result is clear in photos showing empty airplane seats and deserted terminals. The logo of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is seen during a news conference in Santiago By Hugh Bronstein and Cassandra Garrison BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A new program being discussed by Argentina and its biggest lender, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), could set up private bondholders for heavy losses without requiring the spending cuts needed to make the country solvent, investors say. Argentina and the IMF announced last month they would start Article IV consultations - allowing the Fund to inspect Argentina's accounts - as a stepping stone to a possible new program that would replace a defunct $57 billion loan agreement struck by the previous government in 2018. An IMF technical team is due in Buenos Aires this week to meet with economy ministry officials and review the left-leaning government's economic plans. The negotiations with the Fund are part of a broader restructuring of about $100 billion in debt that Argentina's government says it cannot pay unless given time to revive stalled economic growth. Analysts and bondholders said discussions on a new program between President Alberto Fernandez's government and the Fund are better than the alternative of having Argentina unilaterally impose terms without IMF feedback. But so far, the Fund has not challenged Argentina's refusal to impose fiscal austerity on an economy in recession. That is stirring unease among investors - who are hoping the new program will include measures to rein in spending - as they brace for hefty "haircuts," or reductions in principal payments on their bonds. "Our view is that the capacity for Argentina to service its debt is a lot higher than what the government claims and they should be aiming for a higher fiscal surplus," said Steffen Reichold, portfolio manager at Stone Harbor Investment Partners, which holds some Argentine debt. "Many people have raised this point. We've raised it to IMF. This will be a key issue in the discussions once Argentina makes its first offer," he said. Economy Minister Martin Guzman has stressed two points in talks with the IMF and comments to Congress: the government, in office since December, will not keep paying debts it considers unsustainable and fiscal austerity would only hinder Argentina's repayment capacity by worsening the economy. Story continues Guzman insists that growth, not fiscal surpluses, should be first on the agenda as he tries to steer Latin America's third-biggest economy toward solvency. Wall Street, aware of Argentina's decades-long history of financial mismanagement, wants to see close IMF supervision. "The market would like to see the Fund use its institutional credibility and expertise to encourage the authorities to strengthen their fiscal stance and embrace structural reforms," said Goldman Sachs emerging markets analyst Alberto Ramos. "But it seems the IMF will not do that. The Fund seems happy with Argentina's lack of commitment to significantly improve the medium-term fiscal picture and deal with its perennial fiscal imbalances," Ramos said. 'MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION' The last IMF mission to Argentina ended on Feb. 19. At that time, the Fund said Argentina's debt situation was unsustainable and urged Buenos Aires to draft a definitive plan to restore debt sustainability, including a "meaningful contribution from private creditors." President Fernandez - initially deeply skeptical about continued involvement with the IMF - has set a March 31 deadline to deal with the country's public debt, and the Economy Ministry has published a timeline for the process. Some analysts, however, doubt the deadline is realistic. "It's a fantasy," said Mariano Marco del Pont, chief of trading at Silver Cloud Advisors in Buenos Aires. Carlos de Sousa, lead emerging markets economist at Oxford Economics, said it was unlikely Argentina and the IMF would agree on a new program before the year ends. "IMF loan maturities don't start coming due until the second half of 2021, so there's no rush to agree on a new program," De Sousa told Reuters. The last time Argentine did a big bond restructuring was in 2005 and 2010. That deal, done without the IMF's endorsement, resulted in years of lawsuits that kept the country in default until 2016. Guzman has said he wants to avoid that this time around by striking a collaborative agreement with holders. It will not be easy. Bond prices are already showing expectations of a 40% to 50% haircut, depending on bond maturity and whether the debt is governed by local law, Marco del Pont said. The big question, analysts said, is whether the IMF will sign off of on a program that contains no push to cut spending in order to ensure the government's ability to repay its debts. "The IMF will ask for tougher measures for Argentina and the government should take them if it wants the fund's support," Marco del Pont said. "There is a great uncertainty and the clock is ticking," he said. "I would be very cautious." (Reporting by Hugh Bronstein and Cassandra Garrison; additional reporting by Tom Arnold; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Steve Orlofsky) Dr. Scott Gottlieb, member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina and former FDA commissioner, and Dr. Matt McCarthy, an infectious disease physician, were on CNBC to discuss the latest on the coronavirus outbreak. McCarthy and Gottlieb believe there are now in a few thousand undiagnosed coronavirus cases in the United States. The FDA recalled a test kit and has not issued a new one. This has hamstrung the US medical system from accurately testing and diagnosing coronavirus cases. McCarthy believes there will be school shutdowns in the USA and there will be significant outbreaks. The US has the means to prevent an epidemic but more extreme measures will be needed. Gottlieb and McCarthy believe that we are in the mitigation phase. There are six deaths in the USA from coronavirus. Those were in Washington state. They believe the South Korea statistics for cases and deaths is the most accurate. This means case fatality of 0.2 to 0.4%. This is for the overall population. People over 80 on a cruise ship could have 10% fatality. It will take two weeks for the US to ramp up to 20,000 tests per day. This is when we will start to get real numbers of cases. We will start to see better numbers at the end of this week when there is 10,000 test per day capacity at 100 labs. It will more convenient for doctors when the academic labs have testing capacity. SOURCES- CNBC Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com The Vietnam Association of Securities Businesses (VASB) may propose market regulators reduce trading taxes for investors, according to general secretary Nguyen Thanh Ky. The move aims to encourage investors to increase their activity on the Vietnamese securities market amid the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on the global economy, Ky told au tu Chung khoan (Securities Investment) newspaper. The VASB will suggest Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh stock exchanges cut trading fees for brokerage firms, then the companies will consider doing the same for investors, he said. The association will also propose the National Assembly consider tax cuts for the securities sector so the market may flourish in 2020, he said. The targets set for the securities sector in 2020 may not be achieved if no measures are carried out, Ky said. According to Bao Viet Securities Co.s general director Nhu inh Hoa, the Government should think about a tax cut and tax free policy for investors. Such a policy is a support of the Government for investors amid the volatility of the global market and economy, he said. The policy will encourage investors to stay with the Vietnamese market and become more professional, he added. Solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of the Vietnamese securities market must be done in 2020, especially those that were issued years ago but have remained undone, he said. Investors and companies expect market regulators will receive and process their ideas in a better manner, Hoa said. The biggest challenge for the securities market and investors is margin lending interest, according to business insiders. Investors will suffer more if the market keeps going down as their assets become cheaper than their initial purchasing prices while they still have to pay to keep their portfolios active, they said. The current market condition is pretty harsh and it would be difficult for companies to increase the number of new active investors, they said, adding many active investors have closed their accounts while some others are waiting for more signals to close theirs. Administration, foreign limit Besides taxes, improving administrative procedures is one of the key issues that has weighed on the local market, according to Nguyen Hoang Hai, general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI). A slow-moving administration will hamper the chance of success for companies, even kill many of them, especially those in the real estate sector, he said. Amid the existing difficulties, the Government needs to put administrative reform on top, really cares and supports the business community with its utmost enthusiasm and passion so that local companies and local market can develop, Hai said. Foreign investors should also be allowed to increase their ownership in local public companies, he suggested. If local firms are able to raise more foreign capital, they can reduce their dependence on the banking sector and the capital cost in the economy will get lower, he said. In 2020, the market is expecting the Governments large-scale divestment from State-owned enterprises. If the cases are done successfully, more foreign investors will appear in Viet Nam and provide the Government a new flow of cash to invest in infrastructure projects, he said. ACV VNS Some SOEs being enlisted for divestment in 2020 include the Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex), the Airports Corporation of Vietnam () and national carrier Vietnam Airlines. Mumbai, March 2 : The Mumbai Police refused to grant permission to the Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank's depositors to hold a protest at the Reserve Bank of India building in Bandra Kurla Complex here on Monday. The protest was cancelled in view of prohibitory orders clamped in the the vicinity in view of the CAA-NRC-NPR agitations in Delhi and its fallout. PMC Depositors Association activists informed others via social media that their proposed agitation would be on hold for at least 10 days or till the ban orders are lifted. However, some representatives of depositors were assured of a meeting with the RBI officials, details of which are awaited. The PMC Bank's aggrieved depositors have been agitating virtually non-stop ever since the bank was embroiled in a multi-thousand crore rupees scam which came to light last September. He interviewed a whos who of celebrities during his career. Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton has passed away at the age of 93, according to TMZ. The report says he lost his battle with cancer. Lipton was born in Detroit in 1926. He graduated from Central High School and attended Wayne State University for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Early in his career, Lipton played Dan Reid, the Lone Rangers nephew, on WXYZ Radios The Lone Ranger. Lipton is best known for hosting Inside the Actors Studio, which aired for 22 seasons on Bravo from 1994 to 2018. The program is now airing on Ovation with various guest hosts. Rest in peace James Lipton - the 'Inside the Actors Studio' creator and host has passed away at the age of 93. pic.twitter.com/Dja7RXO70z Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) March 2, 2020 TMZ reports Lipton passed away peacefully this morning at his New York City Home after battling bladder cancer. A judge accused a teaching assistant of 'particularly wicked behaviour' after she made her daughter take a driving test on her behalf. Donna Campbell, 40, failed her driving theory test several times and resorted to 'corrupting' her daughter, Sharma, 21, by insisting she took the test instead and pretend to be her. The driving authorities suspected Sharma was too young to be her mother and challenged her once she completed the test. Donna Campbell, left, failed her driving theory test several times and resorted to 'corrupting' her daughter, Sharma, right, by insisting she took the test instead and pretend to be her Sharma immediately confessed and apologised to DVLA staff and police, saying she 'knew it was wrong', while Donna refused a police interview. District Judge Michael Snow admonished Donna for 'blighting' her daughter's future. Stephen Thomas, prosecuting, told Westminster Magistrates' Court: 'On 20 March 2019 the daughter attended Southwark driving centre. She had been supplied with the mother's provisional license. The mother had failed her theory test on several occasions so she asked her to take the test for her and she agreed. 'The driving authorities were concerned she looked too young to be the candidate so they thought she might be the daughter. 'When she completed the test she was challenged. She readily admitted it and stated she knew it was wrong. 'Donna exercised her right not to attend. Sharma did attend, where she made a full admission and expressed regret. The mother and daughter were sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court (pictured) in central London 'The DVLA are satisfied that as far as Sharma in concerned, she made no personal gain. It occurred out of loyalty to her mother.' Both mother and daughter represented themselves at court. Judge Snow asked Donna if she had anything to say in her defence. 'I have nothing to say, your honour,' she said. She was then asked if she was sure she had nothing to add. She replied: 'No. Oh, I'm sorry.' Sharma was asked three times whether she had anything to say and replied 'no' each time. Judge Snow said: 'These offences are serious because they undermine the whole driving test regime. Anything that undermines that is an attack on the values we have and the protection in place for everybody. This behaviour is always serious. Addressing Donna, Judge Snow said: 'The particularly wicked behaviour, however, is yours. You have encouraged your daughter to commit a crime to help you out. She now has a criminal record because of your behaviour. That might end up blighting her future to some extent. You have corrupted your daughter. Turning to Sharma, the judge said: 'You were impersonating your mum when taking your driving theory test. 'You felt a massive amount of pressure to help her out. You're her daughter, you're 21, you'd find it more difficult to think about the long-term consequences. Nonetheless you are an adult. You could have said no.' Donna, of Brixton, south London, admitted making and supplying an article for use in fraud and was given a 12-month community order, 20 day rehabilitation requirement, eight-week curfew and ordered to pay 900 in costs. Sharma, also of Brixton, south London, admitted fraud by false representation and was given a 12-month community order, ordered to undertake 40 hours community service and told to pay 500. M illennials from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are at greater risk of being in unstable employment compared to their white peers, new research has found. The Race Inequality in the Workforce report was introduced in Parliament today as its authors called on the Government, mental health services and employers to tackle racial inequalities in access to good work. Their findings showed that BAME millennials are 47 per cent more likely to be on a zero-hours contract, and have 10 per cent greater chance of working a second job. They are also five per cent more likely to be doing shift work and are four per cent less likely to have a permanent contract than white workers. Millennials in unstable employment also suffered poorer mental health, the study by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Carnegie UK trust and Operation Black Vote. The study draws on information from a nationally-representative group of more than 7,700 people living in England who were born in 1989-90. It shows that although BAME workers on the whole had more trouble finding stable employment than their white counterparts, experiences in the job market varied for different ethnic groups. Pakistani millennials, for instance, were more likely to be on a zero-hours contract or be working shifts, and less likely to have a permanent job than their white peers. Meanwhile, Indian and Black Caribbean workers were no more likely than their white counterparts to be in these types of employment. Black African 25-year-olds had lower odds of being in a permanent role and were more likely to be doing shift work than white workers of the same age. But, Mixed-race, Indian and Black Caribbean millennials had similar chances of being in these types of jobs. Only Black Caribbean 25-year-olds were more likely than their white peers to be working a second job. The findings held even when other factors that could affect labour market success were taken into account, including gender, family background and educational attainment. The research also showed that, on the whole, millennials from BAME backgrounds were 58 per cent more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts. But, it showed that even though ethnic minority groups faced more challenges in the labour market, the overwhelming majority of millennials were in permanent employment at age 25. Lord Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote said: This report must be a serious wake up call for the Government, industry and our mental health practitioners. New Delhi, March 2 : A Delhi court on Monday dismissed an application seeking stay on execution of death-row convicts in Nirbhaya rape and murder case. The four convicts --Akshay Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Mukesh Kumar -- are scheduled to be hanged at 6 a.m. on March 3. After the pronouncement of order, counsel for convicts, A.P. Singh apprised Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana that Pawan has filed a mercy petition on Monday. The court will consider the fresh mercy petition at 2 p.m. on Monday. The convict filed the plea after his curative petition was rejected by the Supreme Court earlier on Monday. Pawan was the only convict who had not yet exhausted his legal remedies. Nirbhaya's mother expressed happiness over dismissal of convict's application and said, "I am glad that they will be hanged tomorrow. These last few hours are crucial for us." During the course of proceedings, Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmad, told the court that condemned convict are playing with the rule of law and are adopting all kinds of frivolous tactics to delay the hanging. "There is no plausible or legal ground to stay the execution of death sentence which has already been deferred twice." Meanwhile, advocate A.P. Singh, representing the convicts, said that Rule 836 of the Delhi Prison Rule, 2018, unequivocally mandates that "as long as any appeal or application of the convict is pending before the apex court, the deaths sentence cannot be executed." He argued that the court should stay the execution of death sentence against all the convicts otherwise the remedies would become "meaningless and illusionary". The case pertains to the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl, called later as Nirbhaya, in the national capital in December 2012. Six people, including the four convicts and a juvenile, were named as accused. Ram Singh, the sixth accused, allegedly committed suicide 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 story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles on Monday, the South's military said, weeks after Pyongyang declared its moratorium on long-range missile tests over. The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. "The military is monitoring for additional launches and maintaining readiness," the statement added. The North carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems, although others called them ballistic missiles. It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December. At a party meeting at the end of that month, leader Kim Jong Un declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon. The move came with nuclear negotiations with the US at a standstill and as a unilateral deadline Pyongyang set Washington to offer it fresh concessions on sanctions relief expired. Pyongyang has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates. It is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes from the United Nations Security Council, US, South and other bodies. Heightened tensions in 2017 were followed by two years of nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington, including three meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump, but little tangible progress was made. Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will give homes to nearly 5,000 dabbawalas under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authoritys Mumbai Repair and Reconstruction Board chairman Vinod Ghosalkar on Sunday said that due to lack of open land in Mumbai, the housing authority would develop the houses in Thane and Kalyan. After the world-famous Mumbai dabbawalas demanded accommodation, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had recently directed the concerned departments to provide homes to dabbawalas under the PMAY which aims to provide housing for all. Under the scheme, dabbawalas will get 300 sq ft houses. Talking to media Ghosalkar said, Since there is no open land in the Mumbai city, Mhada has earmarked parcels of land in Thane and Kalyan city. Collector owns the said land so it will be available at reasonable rates. 3,000 swine die from latest African swine fever in Indonesia New African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in East Nusa Tenggara bordering East Timor has prompted the Indonesian government to impose tighter restrictions on swine and pork product transports, reported Reuters. The Agriculture Ministry said 2,825 swine died from ASF in five areas in East Nusa Tenggara. The new transport restriction measures will be enforced throughout the country's border to East Timor, which had reported several ASF cases since September 2019. I Ketut Diarmita, the Agriculture Ministry's director general for livestock and animal health, said officers and quarantine officials have been informed of the new measures. Additionally, the ministry is currently investigating the source of the ASF outbreak, as well as conducting disinfection and improving biosecurity measures. Farmers have also been informed not to sell sick livestock and correctly dispose of swine carcasses. According to government data, East Nusa Tenggara has 2.1 million swine. The new cases come after 47,000 swine were killed due to the disease in North Sumatra, western Indonesia. More than 1,700 swine have also been suspectedly killed by ASF in Bali. - Reuters MANILA, Philippines The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday announced it has implemented an outright ban on single-use plastics in its offices in line with efforts to promote sustainability. In a Memorandum dated February 28, the Supreme Court said it is adopting the solid waste avoidance and waste management strategy of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The NSWMC last week approved a Resolution No. 1363 banning unnecessary single-use plastics, covering national government agencies, local government units, and other government controlled-offices. The resolution directs the DENR to prepare and implement the ban on single-use plastic products, including cups less than 0.2 millimeter in thickness, drinking straws, coffee stirrers, spoons, forks, and knives. The ban also covers labo or thin and translucent plastic bags, and thin-filmed sando bags lower than 15 microns. The commission said the move is seen as a major step to curb the use of single-use plastic items that pollute our waterways, kill marine life and contribute to our countrys increasing solid waste. This directive is consistent with the Courts efforts towards sustainability, the high court said in a statement. The SC also revealed that in October 2019, it has presented a construction project of the Manila Hall of Justice (MHOJ), which is certified as the first green courthouse in the Philippines. The project, which will feature three environment-friendly and green-certified interconnected buildings, is set to be completed by 2022. The post Supreme Court bans single-use plastics in its offices appeared first on UNTV News. Guy Fieri is opening two new restaurants in Boston this year. Fieris Boston Kitchen + Bar and Chicken Guy! will open in Bostons Theater District, in partnership with Big Night. The new restaurants will be at 186 Tremont St. replacing the Explorateur Cafe, Restaurant & Bar. Explorateur will close Monday and the space will undergo renovations for a planned opening in the summer. "The people of New England, and specifically Boston, have always been important to the greater food landscape. And Ive been lucky enough to meet a bunch of them through my DDD travels and of course, by feedin em at Guys Foxwoods Kitchen + Bar and Tequila Cocina, said Guy Fieri, of his restaurant at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. But theres more cookin to be done so Im stoked to be bringing my Guys Kitchen + Bar to Boston as well as Chicken Guy!, servin up hand-breaded chicken tenders and 22 scratch-made sauces. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri began his love affair with food at the age of ten, selling soft pretzels from a three-wheeled bicycle cart he built with his father called The Awesome Pretzel Cart, and went on to win an Emmy, become a New York Times bestselling author and is now opening two new restaurants in Boston. The restaurants will feature Fieris signature cuisine of robust, bold-flavored dishes and over-the-top culinary creations. MassLive reviewed the Trash Can Nachos at his Tequila Cocina restaurant in Boston in December. After working hand-in-hand with Guy for years and forging a very close personal and business relationship with him, we were able to secure, not just one, but two Guy Fieri concepts! We are thrilled to be offering the neighborhood a Guy Fieris Boston Kitchen + Bar and a Chicken Guy! both under one roof, Ed Kane, principal of Big Night said. Guy Fieris Boston Kitchen + Bar will occupy the same space as Chicken Guy!, known for its all-natural fresh chicken tenders, hand-pounded and brined in fresh lemon juice, pickle brine and buttermilk and infused with fresh herbs. Paired with a wide selection of sauces, tenders are available grilled or fried in sandwiches, straight up on skewers, or in meal-sized salad bowls alongside sides like Chicken Guy Fries, Mac Daddy Mac n Cheese, fried pickles and fresh slaw. Guy Fieris Boston Kitchen + Bar will be open daily for lunch and dinner and offer guests a taste of Fieris signature cuisine of robust, bold-flavored dishes and over-the-top culinary creations. The menu features an extensive variety of burgers, wings, small bites and shareable food items with New England influences and a wide selection of craft beers and signature cocktails. This will mark the second and third Guy Fieri and Big Night collaboration to be introduced to the Boston market following the successful opening of Guy Fieris Tequila Cocina located at the Hub on Causeway. Explorateur was my baby. I live 100 yards from the front door and it was where I started pretty much every day for the last two years, said Kane. As such, I had a great affinity for the employees and clients there. Explorateur employees will be offered a continued place in the Big Night family" following the restaurants closure. PM: We should see to it that Armenia's friends increase in world PM: We should see to it that Armenia's friends increase in world As we kick the week off, we can't just say yet it's race week, but we can say officially say it's race month! All drivers and teams can't contain their excitement as the countdown to the 2020 season is truly on now! Ocon and Ricciardo share some jokes #TuesdayTreat anyone? How about a few gorgeous shots of our duo, taken around our Enstone factory! @amysplat#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/0YPL8XgKI6 Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) March 3, 2020 Driving to Melbourne Mercedes have joked on social media that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will be driving to Melbourne in their F1 cars. Even though they've got the quickest car, they still might be arriving late... Better get a move on, Team. Its quite a long drive to Melbourne! pic.twitter.com/Xs9P9xSw8H Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) March 2, 2020 Racew- month! With the Australian Grand Prix just 13 days away now, teams and drivers alike are eager to just get going. Let's look at some of the tweets! It's March It's Official WE'RE BACK RACING THIS MONTH!!! #F1 pic.twitter.com/08TtfvWAjF BWT Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) March 1, 2020 Only two more Sundays without #F1 pic.twitter.com/vGWbqGyOJ5 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 1, 2020 No, no, no. This isnt a race week tweet. Its a Im flying to the race this week tweet #AusGP pic.twitter.com/5yM1kH7nV2 Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) March 2, 2020 F2 testing with 18-inch wheels Formula 2 will race with 18-inch tyres in the 2020 season before F1 makes the switch in 2021. Testing started today in Bahrain, and the first pictures of the new big tyres. Thoughts? With West Texas Intermediate falling below $45 a barrel after the latest burst in coronavirus panic, U.S. shale oil and gas producers are feeling growing heat. Except for the Permian, where production of both oil and gas is still growing, the U.S. shale patch is retrenching. And the Permian may soon follow suit. In its latest Drilling Productivity Report, released earlier this month, the Energy Information Administration said oil production had declined across six of the seven major shale plays in the country, by some 21,000 bpd. In the Permian, however, production rose by 39,000 bpd, tipping the total into a net increase of 18,000 bpd. Now, while this confirms the star status of the Permian, it also suggests that oil production growth is becoming uneconomical in other shale plays. A recent report on oil and gas production trends in 2019 showed the slowdown is not a sudden one. Titled Rockies and Bakken in Focus, the report, by Enverus, says growth in production in these regions had slowed to a crawl amid the low oil prices. Pipeline constraints, the oil and gas info provider noted, were also stifling production growth. While relief for the pipeline constraints in the Bakken and the Denver-Julesburg area is coming, prices dont look like they are going anywhere except maybe further down if OPEC+ fails to agree to deeper cuts. This means the financial pressure many oil and gas drillers in the shale patch are already feeling will only deepen and production growth will slow further. Earlier this week the chief executive of Schlumberger said as much. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of an industry event in Saudi Arabia, Olivier Le Peuch said he expected growth in U.S. shale oil production to slow down to 600,000 to 700,000 bpd this year and further to just 200,000 bpd next year as low prices continue to take their toll. This wasnt all, either. According to Le Peuch, unless the oilfield service sector comes up with new extraction technology that works at lower than current costs, U.S. shale oil production will not return to growth at all, but plateau. Shale production growth will go to a new normal ... unless technology helps us crack the code, Le Peuch said. Related: Russia: Coronavirus Impact On Oil Is Worse Than Expected This is the latest reminder yet that there is only so far that you can cut costs by choosing the sweetest spots in a shale play and using the most efficient technology. Add to this the fact that the sweet spots are already depleted and producers have moved to not so low-cost locations, and the outlook for U.S. shale oil darkens. The situation in gas is even worse. As the Enverus report notes, the breakeven cost for gas production in the Denver-Julesburg Basin and the Bakken are now higher than the Henry Hub benchmark and quite a bit higher, at that. Henry Hub futures prices are currently below $2 per million British thermal units until July, when the futures price tops $2 per mmBtu. The breakeven for producers in the Rockies and the Bakken, on the other hand, is more than $3 per mmBtu. While for oil the biggest problem is the slump in demand in China and the fear of slumping demand elsewhere as the coronavirus conquers new territory, for gas the problem is a persistent overhang in inventories. To make matters worse, the coronavirus fallout is also affecting demand for gas. Earlier this month a buyer cancelled two cargos of liquefied natural gas from Cheniere Energy, Bloomberg reported last week. The cargoes were to be delivered to Spains Repsol and Endesa, in yet another confirmation that the European market is oversaturated with gas for the time being. Related: The Holy Grail Of Clean Energy Is Closer Than Ever Shellthe worlds biggest LNG traderand Qatar are rerouting deliveries and rescheduling them in response to the escalation in the demand situation, Bloomberg also reported, adding that more buyers of U.S. LNG were considering delivery cancellations. The solution? Build more power plants. Prices globally are converging and until there is a boatload of new generation built domestically and abroad, there is just simply not much room in the market, Campbell Faulkner, OTC Global Holdings chief data analyst, told Bloomberg. This will be quite an undertaking and it would take quite a while to complete provided there is enough investor interest and government support for so much new generation capacity. Essentially, the solution is hypothetical and as such useless for the immediate term. What is left is shrinking production further, which gas producers are already doing. The ironic twist: it is still growing because of associated gas. The Permian, where companies have gone to produce oil, not gas, booked the biggest increase in gas production last month, at 198 million cu ft daily. This compares with a combined decline of 360 million cu ft daily combined for Appalachia and the Anadarko basin, according to the EIAs drilling productivity report for January. In other words, drillers in the Permian are producing more gas whether they want it or not, because they are producing more oil. To cut the gas inventory overhang, shale drillers, and not just those in the Permian but everywhere in the shale patch, would need to cut oil production and that would put them at greater financial risk because of their reliance on borrowed capital. Once again, U.S. shale drillers need a price miracle to keep going without too much pain. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Hours after the confirmation of two cases of coronavirus in India on Monday (March 2), Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the government is actively monitoring the situation and screening of passengers is being done at 21 airports, 12 seaports and 65 minor seaports. Addressing a press conference, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that over 5 lakh passengers have been screened at airports while 12,431 passengers have been screened on minor and major seaports so far. The Union Minister added that 23 samples have been sent for testing and the results are awaited. We advise Indians to avoid non-essential travel to China, Iran, Korea, Singapore, and Italy. As the situation develops, the travel restrictions may be further extended to other countries also, he added. Dr Harsh Vardhan confirmed that one positive case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Delhi and Telangana each. "The person who has tested positive in Delhi has travel history from Italy while the other person has travel history from Dubai. Both the patients are stable and being closely monitored," a statement from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated. Meanwhile, the US confirmed the second death case by coronavirus infection on Sunday. Public health officials in King County, Washington, said a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions died on Saturday at Evergreen Health Hospital in Kirkland, CNN reported. It is the same facility where officials witnessed the nation`s first coronavirus death on Saturday. The first US death in Washington state was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, officials said. The patient had no recent travel history or contact with people known to be infected, officials said. Officials also announced three other confirmed coronavirus cases in the county, all at Evergreen Health. They include a woman in her 80s, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 70s. All were in critical condition with underlying health issues. All four new cases were residents of a nursing facility in Kirkland where two other people -- a resident and a worker -- had previously tested positive. As of Sunday night, 87 cases of coronavirus had been identified in the United States, according to The New York Times. The first of those cases was announced on January 21. Twenty-two cases were announced on Saturday and Sunday, including the country`s first two deaths, both in Washington State. In Italy, the number of people infected with the coronavirus has reached 1,577, while five more have died, bringing the death toll to 34, the civil protection chief said on Sunday. In mainland China, at least 2,912 people have so far been killed of the deadly virus whereas the global death toll crossed over 3,000, according to the National Health Commission. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas and Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 17:31 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067c755f 1 Business tourism,tourist-arrivals,China,Statistics-Indonesia,Malaysia,BPS,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free The novel coronavirus spread, first reported in China, has started to hit Indonesias tourism sector as the country has recorded slower growth in tourist arrivals following bans applied to visitors from China. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) revealed on Monday that tourist arrivals amounted to 1.27 million in January, around 5.85 percent higher than the 1.20 million recorded in the same month in 2019. However, the growth is much lower than the around 9.5 percent increase in arrivals during January 2019 compared with the same period in 2018. The coronavirus impact can only be significantly seen in the last week of [January]. Some countries saw a decline [in tourist arrivals], like China, Malaysia and Singapore, but in total, they still record an increase," said BPS deputy for statistics distribution and service Yunita Rusanti in Jakarta. "Why is it increasing? Because there was the Chinese New Year [holiday] and tourist arrivals usually increase [during this period], she added. Read also: Indonesian tourism suffers estimated US$500 million in losses due to COVID-19: Minister Luhut The statistics agency data showed that the number of Malaysian tourists fell 10.6 percent year-on-year (yoy) to 206,532 arrivals in January, around 16 percent of the total visits, the highest among other countries of origin. Chinese tourists trailed behind Malaysians at 181,281 arrivals, a slight rise of 1.46 percent yoy, a far cry compared with the 73 percent annual growth recorded in January 2019. Indonesia has closed its borders for those traveling to and from China in a bid to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like illness. President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced on Monday morning the first two COVID-19 positive cases on Indonesias soil after a Japanese tourist allegedly spread the virus during a visit to Jakarta. COVID-19 has infected more than 88,000 people in some 60 countries and killed around 3,000 people. Indonesia has set a target of welcoming 17 million tourists this year. Last year, a total of 16.1 million tourists visited the country, a far cry from the 2019 target of 18 million. Read also: Govt to pay Rp 72 billion to influencers to boost tourism amid coronavirus outbreak The BPS also revealed that passengers on international flights increased by 12.13 percent yoy in January to 1.68 million, higher than the 11.27 percent annual growth recorded in the first month of 2019. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels stood at 49.17 percent in January, a decline of 2.3 percentage points compared with the occupancy rate in the same month last year of 51.47 percent. The average length of stay at star-rated hotels was 1.88 days in January, 0.17 days shorter compared with the same month in 2019. The government has announced a stimulus package worth Rp 10.3 trillion (US$742 million) to support the countrys economic growth. The package will include aid for staple goods programs and housing loans and payment subsidies for the bottom 30 percent of people in the income bracket to maintain consumer spending. Consumer spending contributes more than a half of Indonesias gross domestic product (GDP). The government will also grant Rp 3.3 trillion to 33 regional authorities to compensate for tax revenue losses from the tax exemptions given to hotels and restaurants for the next six months, give Rp 298.5 billion in incentives to airlines and travel agents to attract foreign tourists to Indonesia and another Rp 443.39 billion in discounts for domestic tourists visiting 10 tourist destinations. Indonesia Tourism Intellectuals Association (ICPI) chairman Azril Azahari cast doubts on the fiscal incentives, adding that he would much rather see the government use the funds to improve the current weaknesses in the tourism sector to prepare for 2021s arrivals and promote quality rather than quantity in tourism. Read also: Lets not kid ourselves. Indonesia is unlikely to be COVID-19-free. And thats not our biggest problem. Indonesia still ranks 80th for security and safety, 98th for tourist service infrastructure, 102nd in health and hygiene and 135th for environmental sustainability, ranking lower than Singapore and Malaysia both in the competitiveness index and the four sub-indexes in the 2019 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). "Under such conditions, no matter what [the government] does to promote tourism through low prices, when the public says no, it's still a no," Azril said. He also urged the government to remain transparent on the COVID-19 outbreak developments, citing Saudi Arabia's decision to include Indonesia among 23 countries in a temporary ban on all umrah pilgrims as an example of how foreign countries are increasingly wary of the virus spread in Indonesia. Birmingham police are investigating after a man was found dead outside his car early Monday morning. Officers from the West Precinct responded at approximately 1:14 a.m. to Valley Road and Court I after receiving a Shot Spotter alert and other calls from residents reporting gunfire, according to Sgt. Rod Mauldin. When officers arrived, they found the victim laying on the ground by his car. He had suffered an apparent gunshot wound, Mauldin said, and was pronounced dead on the scene. Investigators believe the victim, whose name has not been released, was having car trouble and got out of his car. The investigation showed a suspect then drove up beside the victim and spoke, before shooting the victim. No suspects are in custody and no motive has been established, Mauldin said. Anyone with information on the incident should call the Birmingham Police Department Robbery/Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or CrimeStoppers at 205-254-7777. This is Sinn Fein Finance Minister Conor Murphy with the IRA commander whose gang members are accused of murdering Paul Quinn. Mr Murphy is photographed enjoying a meal and drinks with Frank 'One Shot' McCabe, and also socialising with him at the Sinn Fein Newry and Armagh Christmas party just two months ago. McCabe was the 'officer commanding' (OC) of the IRA in South Armagh when its members lured the 21-year-old Cullyhanna man to a barn in Oram, Co Monaghan, and beat him to death with iron bars and nail-studded cudgels. It must be stressed that there is no suggestion he played a role in the actual killing in October 2007. The Sinn Fein minister is pictured with McCabe in a restaurant with food and bottles of beer on the table.He is also photographed with him at a party in Newry just days before Christmas. The Crossmaglen grandfather is a hugely influential figure in the border area and is a key Sinn Fein supporter. Expand Close Conor Murphy with Frank McCabe at Christmas party (McCabe in light blue shirt top right) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Conor Murphy with Frank McCabe at Christmas party (McCabe in light blue shirt top right) Weeks after Paul Quinn's murder, Conor Murphy branded him a smuggler and a criminal. He insisted that the Provos weren't responsible for the brutal killing. "I have spoken to the IRA in his area and I am satisfied with the assurances they gave me, very solid assurances, that they weren't involved in his death," he said. Years later, the Sinn Fein minister denied that he had accused Paul of being a criminal but he was forced to admit he had done so, and to retract the slur, after the BBC tape of his interview was unearthed during the Dail election campaign last month. While he apologised to the Quinns, he has refused their request to unambiguously state that their son wasn't a criminal. Paul's parents have asked why he won't follow the example of Sinn Fein leaders, Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill, and say those words. Mr Murphy again refused to do so at a press conference at Stormont last week. He said he had already made a statement on the issue. "I am content to meet the family at any time and discuss these matters with them," he said. However, the Quinns won't meet him until he publicly states that their son wasn't a criminal. Expand Close Paul Quinn who was murdered at a remote border barn in County Monaghan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Paul Quinn who was murdered at a remote border barn in County Monaghan Breege Quinn told Sunday Life that in the weeks before Paul was executed in October 2007, he was involved in a fight with McCabe's son Tomas. There is no suggestion that he was involved in Paul's murder. Breege Quinn said: "I believe that the IRA decided to kill Paul because of that fight. He had the temerity to physically challenge relatives of what was seen as republican royalty in South Armagh. "That's why my son had every major bone in his body broken below his neck. That's why we couldn't even place rosary beads in his hands as he lay in the coffin." The McCabe family has always denied suggestions they had any involvement in the Quinn murder. In a letter responding to a previous Sunday Life article in February, Frank McCabe's lawyer said: "Our client and his family deny any involvement in or knowledge of the murder of Paul Quinn. Our client also denies allegations made in your article that he is an 'IRA godfather'." Frank McCabe's wife Eileen has publicly confirmed that their son was involved in a clash with Paul Quinn whom she admits confronting afterwards, but she is adamant that the matter went no further. Breege Quinn told this newspaper: "After his row with Tomas McCabe, Paul was told that he would be shot by the IRA. Later, he was told by someone else that he would be found dead in a black bin bag by the side of the road. I believe that this fight was the reason why the IRA decided to murder my son." In 2008, Eileen McCabe denied her family had any links to Paul's murder. However, she admitted that Tomas had rowed with the murder victim prior to his killing, and that she had raised the fight with him. "I was angry and warned him (Paul) I'd speak to his mother who I've known for years," Mrs McCabe told the Irish News. "I met Breege afterwards but never mentioned it because, as far as I was concerned, it was over and done with. "I couldn't believe Paul had been murdered, but I was physically sick when I heard someone was putting it about that me or my family had anything to do with it." "They were saying that I'd gone to his house and threatened him with a hammer," added Mrs McCabe, who confirmed that she and her son Tomas had made statements to gardai. "I wanted to go to the Quinns' house after Paul's murder to assure Breege that I hadn't anything to do with it. In the end I didn't go because I was told it would only make matters worse." The aftermath of the fight between Paul and Tomas McCabe is a key line of inquiry for detectives on both sides of the border investigating the killing. In an Assembly debate in February 2008, at which Breege and Stephen Quinn were present, Conor Murphy ignored cross-party appeals to him to lift his slur against Paul. SDLP MLA Dominic Bradley recalled in graphic detail how the IRA gang had beaten the 21-year-old unconscious and how "even when he had stopped crying out for mercy, the dull thuds of the blows continued to rain down on his broken body until he lay motionless". He said the killers had "proceeded to spray his body and the crime scene with a substance that would render DNA evidence from the scene unusable". He said: "They wore forensic suits and gloves and smashed the mobile phones of those (Paul's friends) who were present before they left the scene. "It was a group of up to 10 people who knew what they were doing . . . and who organised, planned and executed that dreadful deed with military precision. "They were 10 men against one young man, to show who was boss in the area. I do not believe that anyone in South Armagh believes that the IRA was not involved in Paul Quinn's murder." Mr Murphy told the Assembly that, from the start, he had "completely condemned" Paul's murder and had called on anyone with information to "co-operate with the police investigation on both sides of the border". He added: "I have repeated, and stand by, my assessment of what was involved in Paul Quinn's killing." Frank McCabe served an eight-year prison sentence in the Republic during the 1980s for possession of explosives and a firearm. IRA member Bernard McGinn, who was in a Provo sniper team in south Armagh, repeatedly named the republican in statements to police after his arrest in 1997, explaining how he was central to a bombing campaign in England after the breakdown of the organisation's ceasefire the previous year. Bengaluru: The Congress kicked up an uproar in the Karnataka Assembly today over allegedly derogatory remarks made by the BJPs senior legislator and former Union minister Basangouda Patil Yatnal against freedom fighter H S Doreswamy. As a result, no business was conducted on the first day of the budget session. The house was adjourned twice to facilitate talks between the speaker and Congress floor leaders. The talks failed as Congress members demanded a discussion on Yatnal without notice and speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri insisted he would allow one only if a notice was filed. With the talks thus stalemated, Congress members decided to intensify their agitation in the House until a discussion was allowed. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said Yatnals remarks against Doreswamy were certainly derogatory in nature and also in contempt of the House. Yatnal called Doreswamy a Pakistan agent and a fake freedom fighter. Stringent action must be taken against the BJP legislator, he said. As Congress members staged a dharna in the House, ruling party BJP MLAs asked them derisively what action ought to have been taken against those who made derogatory remarks against prime minister Narendra Modi. Parliamentary affairs minister J C Madhuswamy said it would be improper if the chair allowed the opposition to raise the matter without notice. Ministers C T Ravi and K S Eshwarappa joined him in support of the argument. Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah pleaded with the speaker to allow him to make a preliminary submission on the matter. Since the BJP member has shown disrespect to a freedom fighter, it was a matter of public importance that merited a discussion. But the speaker did not allow the opposition to make a preliminary submission and proceeded with the agenda of the day. Both Congress and JD(S) members staged a protest in the House, in the midst of which chief minister B S Yediyurappa replied to the governor's address. The remarks in question were made by Yatnal at the Constitution Day celebrations in Vijayapura. He said, There are many freedom fighters in this country, and one is staying in Bengaluru. Doreswamy behaves like a Pakistan agent. He is a fake freedom fighter. He should behave properly because his statements have hurt many. He has also given statements against prime minister Narendra Modi. Maori women are beaten and killed by their partners at the highest rates in New Zealand and they say they are at risk no matter what they do. Research shows up to 80 per cent of Maori women will experience family violence in their lifetime. Maori women are three times more likely to be killed by a partner than non-Maori. But as high profile cases of intimate partner death make the headlines in New Zealand and abroad, there is concern that women are being blamed for not ending the relationship. It's hard to get out East Coast woman Patricia Walsh says all three of her past relationships were violent, including her first long-term relationship which started at age 14. "Every day I was beaten and I had black eyes every week for the whole of those three years." Later, she would spend nine years with a man who was in and out of prison for abusing her. But it would be a third relationship that was extremely violent that put her off relationships. Patricia says she has not been brave enough to step back into a relationship since 1998. "I was hospitalised, I never had a broken bone, but the stitches - I have had my injuries described as equivalent to somebody in a car crash. "I have been too scared to go to the hospital because I thought that they were going to tell me that part of my skull was missing, because it felt so mushy." In New Zealand, one in three women will experience violence in their lives, but research shows that figure is up to 80 per cent for Maori women. But Patricia, now a registered social worker and family harm advocate, says it is not as simple as simply walking away. Women in violent relationships felt scared and powerless and some believed they were worthless, she says. They did not know where they would go, how they would afford the basics or how they would keep their children safe, she says. "To step out of that space takes a huge amount of mana that we don't actually know we have. "It is a very complex place to be in and until you experience it, it is actually unhelpful to be asked and to hear those statements - 'why don't you leave'." Hannah Clarke with her to-be ex-husband, Rowan Baxter, and their children. Photo: Facebook. High risk of homicide after leaving The nation went into shock when Brisbane woman Hannah Clarke and her three children were killed in a car fire by her ex-husband last month. The Family Violence Death Review Committee's Fifth Report Data showed that between 2009 - 2015, half of women killed by their partner were killed after they left them. Auckland University of Technology Professor Denise Wilson of Tainui says leaving a violent relationship does not guarantee safety. "Leading up to the time, and from the time of leaving, women are highly at risk of homicide." "It doesn't go away in a few weeks or a few months - in some cases it could be up to a couple of years later that somebody is killed." The report also shows Maori women were three times more likely to be killed by a partner than non-Maori. Denise says Maori women had limited options and faced risks whatever way they chose to handle the situation. Last month, South Auckland woman Karen Ruddelle was convicted of manslaughter after killing her abusive partner. Denise says most women who killed their partners were the primary victims of violence, and they inflicted one - sometimes two - wounds. But she says the courts were not sympathetic towards women, especially Maori. "It was disappointing, I think she was cast as being irrational - it was said that she could have just left, but leaving would have meant leaving her 14-year-old son behind. "Her partner was incredibly angry and violent, had been violent, and it is not that simple, and she acted in self defence." Karen Ruddelle. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen Fear of losing kids when reaching for help Some social services are required to notify Oranga Tamariki if it comes to their attention that a child is living in a violent home. The fear of having their children removed from them was a major barrier to Maori women in violent relationships asking for help, Denise says. Part of her research found Maori women were judged and treated poorly when they did seek help from social services. Nina Stirling runs a women's support group in Whanganui and says women were sometimes in impossible situations. "The system is poor - it's very poor and it does not help at all the way the system is designed," she says. "And as it is a western system I would not expect any less... It is of utmost importance to try a different approach, try something new." Nina says there is a lot of intergenerational hurt and trauma that whanau are carrying, and they need help to identify their mamae. She says her programme Legacy, which had ties to Destiny Church, offered a compassionate and non-judgemental space, with 24-7 support, for women who wanted to live their best lives. Whanau needed to be more involved in each others lives and regularly check in on those at risk, she says. Where to get help Women's Refuge: (0800 733 843) It's Not OK (0800 456 450) Shine: 0508 744 633 Victim Support: 0800 650 654 HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): be 04 801 6655 0 Leigh-Marama McLachlan/RNZ. (Bloomberg) -- As the coronavirus ricochets around the world, the impact extends way beyond the health implications of an epidemic that has already killed 3,000 people. The prospect of coordinated action by central banks and possibly governments may halt the immediate slide in markets, which have suffered the worst rout since the global financial crisis. But underlying economic and political vulnerabilities have been exposed. Chinas manufacturing activity hit a record low in February, risking damage to companies such as Apple and Volkswagen that rely on Chinese production facilities. More broadly, damage to supply chains caused by the virus is fanning concerns from Australia to the U.S. of an over-dependence on China. In the political arena, President Donald Trumps Republican supporters accuse Democrats of stoking fears that could derail the U.S. economy and undermine Trumps re-election hopes. From South Korea to Europe, theres a rush to blame foreigners and to further restrict immigration. Trump tweeted over the weekend that his moves to close the border and curb flights put the U.S. way ahead in our battle with Coronavirus. Panic and political opportunism pose the biggest challenge yet to the interlinked world we live in. Globalization may prove to be just another victim. Global Headlines Moment of truth | The best chance Bernie Sanderss Democratic opponents have of stopping him from winning the partys presidential nomination comes tomorrow. But his top two challengers a newly buoyant Joe Biden and a beleaguered Michael Bloomberg both face huge obstacles to doing so, while Elizabeth Warren is struggling for momentum. Still, if the nominee is going to be anyone but Sanders, Democrats in the 14 states voting in the single biggest day of balloting on Super Tuesday need to choose an alternative. Click here for more on how Californias crisis over income inequality and housing affordability has boosted Sanders ahead of the states primary. Pete Buttigieg who rose from a young mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city to the first openly gay presidential candidate to earn delegates ended his campaign yesterday. (Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.) Story continues Border tensions | While Turkey says more than 100,000 migrants have left for Europe amid the latest Syria fighting, and Greece says it has stopped mass crossings, visits to both sides of the border suggest it's not yet a crisis of such magnitude. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is playing a particularly sensitive card as populists beat the drum about migrants coming to Europe with diseases. European foreign ministers plan to meet this week, while Erdogan is set to visit Russia on Thursday to speak with President Vladimir Putin on the Syria issue. Turkey has deployed swarms of killer drones to strike Russian-backed Syrian government forces. Ordinary triumph | Slovak anti-corruption parties led by Ordinary People scored an unexpectedly big win at weekend elections, riding public anger at the 2018 murder of an investigative reporter. The result anchors Slovakia in Europes mainstream, averting the risk it could veer onto the rebellious paths of neighboring Hungary and Poland, and shutting out a far-right party's challenge. But questions remain over the likely new government's stability amid opposing policies and personalities among its four members. Behind the fall | Before his shock resignation as Malaysia's prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad was dealing with a series of by-election losses and damaging internal bickering. But it was a failed $7 billion roads deal that eventually brought his coalition unstuck, Anisah Shukry, Elffie Chew and Yantoultra Ngui report. Mahathir isnt giving up: he says he has the numbers to oust new Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a March 9 parliament vote. Rocket Mans return | North Koreas launch today of two unidentified short-range projectiles off its eastern coast comes just after the first anniversary of the failed Hanoi summit between Kim Jong Un and Trump. Pyongyang may be using this day as a platform to nudge Washington or neighboring South Korea to take action on Kims demands, including sanctions relief.What to Watch This Week Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz are locked in their third match-up in less than a year, as Israelis burdened by election fatigue and political paralysis vote today with surveys forecasting another deadlock. The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear its first abortion case since Chief Justice John Roberts became the pivotal vote on the issue, possibly foreshadowing a fight over the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. British and European Union officials start formally hashing out a future trade deal today in Brussels amid fears that red lines on both sides could lead to a breakdown in the talks as early as April. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans Wednesday to unveil a proposal to make the EU climate neutral by 2050. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez called yesterday for an orderly resolution of the nations debt crisis, speaking at Congresss opening legislative session for 2020. Thanks to all who responded to our pop quiz Friday and congratulations to reader Stephen Liddiard, who was the first to name Italy as the initial Group of Seven nation to sign up to Chinese President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative. Tell us how were doing or what were missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. And finally News that U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to wed his partner Carrie Symonds and that the couple expect a baby in the early summer prompted British media to note that the Conservative Party leader will be the first premier in history to divorce, marry and father a child while living at 10 Downing Street. Saturday's announcement came as Johnson, who has been married twice before, battles fallout from the resignation of a top civil servant alleging a campaign of smears and bullying at the Home Office. --With assistance from Kathleen Hunter, Jon Herskovitz, Andrew Langley and Ruth Pollard. To contact the author of this story: Alan Crawford in Berlin at acrawford6@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net, Anthony Halpin For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. ONE OF Irelands most revered contemporary hip-hop artists, God Knows, will release his new EP Whos Asking? this week. The Zimbabwean-born Shannon MC, one-third of the critically acclaimed Rusangano Family, will release the much-awaited four-track record on all digital platforms this Friday. Produced by Liverpool-based Northern Irish artist SertOne, the new EP features familiar local voices such as renowned Denise Chaila and rising acts Hazey Haze, Citrus Fresh, Gavin DaVinci, and Strange Boy Nature. Speaking about the record, God Knows said: Whos Asking? is a direct answer to the questions Im asked all the time about Irish rap. I believe in my county; I believe in my country. Irish music has always punched above its weight on the worlds stage and put its own stamp on popular music - why should rap and hip-hop be any different? Read also: Limerick museum puts call out for local rugby club artifacts This EP is just the first volume and its being released on my brother SertOnes label, Fly High Society. He has always been supportive and we share the same beliefs. Look out for more work by us. God Knows is now a household name in Limericks culture scene, credited with being the creative launch pad for the regions booming hip-hop circuit, through his work with Rusangano Family. The trio received the Choice Music Prize for their debut album Let The Dead Bury The Dead, released in 2016. In 2019, God Knows released his debut single Crown. The enemy lost five units of military hardware last month. Russia-led forces' casualties in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in February 2020 included 38 dead soldiers, while 44 were wounded. The figures were reported by the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) on March 1. Read alsoDonbas war escalation: Almost 20 enemy attacks, two Ukraine soldiers wounded on Feb 29 What is more, the enemy lost five units of military hardware, including an electronic warfare system. In the event of a threat to the life and health of Ukrainian soldiers, JFO members always give an adequate response by opening fire on the enemy if the latter attempts to seize territories or counteract an enemy reconnaissance group attempting to cross the contact line, it said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia-led forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, mounted 19 attacks on Ukrainian positions on February 29, as a result of which two members of Ukraine's Joint Forces (JFO) were wounded in action, and another one sustained combat-related injuries. Police are investigating a 'suspicious' e-mail that 'cult mom' Lori Vallow allegedly sent posing as her then-husband Charles Vallow to her new husband Chad Daybell, inviting him to stay in their Arizona home last year. Lori Vallow, 46, has been charged with desertion and nonsupport of dependent children JJ, seven, and Tylee, 17, who have been missing since September in Idaho. She was arrested in Hawaii on February 21 and is being extradited to Idaho to face charges. Investigators with the Chandler Police Department in Arizona, where the Vallows used to live together, said Saturday they are looking into two e-mails: one from Charles Vallow to his brother-in-law Adam Cox and another that Vallow claimed Lori sent in his name to Chad Daybell. Charles Vallow, 62, was killed in self-defense by his former brother-in-law Cox on July 11, 2019. Police are investigating a 'suspicious' e-mail that 'cult mom' Lori Vallow (right) sent in her then-husband Charles Vallow's (left) name to her new husband Chad Daybell, inviting him to stay in their Arizona home last year On June 28, 2019, an e-mail in Charles Vallow name was sent to doomsday writer Chad Daybrell (above) asking him to visit him and Lori in their Arizona home, stay with them, and work as a ghostwriter for a book Vallow was writing The alleged 'false' e-mail sent on June 28, 2019 said: 'Hello Chad...I will cut to the chase. I'm willing to pay you well to help me get this book into shape as my ghostwriter....Is there any way you could come here for a couple of days and help me get the book underway? ...I would gladly fly you down here early next week before the holiday and cover your expenses. You could stay in our guest room like before, or in a hotel if you prefer' 'It is suspicious and it draws various questions that we would need to ask Lori and Tylee and possibly Chad to get to the bottom of it,' Sergeant Jason McClimans with the CPD said according to KTVB. On June 29, 2019 - just 12 days before his death - Vallow e-mailed Adam Cox expressing concern that his wife Lori and Daybell were 'up to something' according to an email acquired by news outlets that police confirm they are investigating. Lori has two brothers: Alex who killed Vallow and later died himself of unknown causes in December, and Adam, who Vallow e-mailed. Vallow alleged that Lori created a false e-mail account in his name and sent an e-mail to Daybell asking him to be a ghostwriter for a book Vallow was never actually writing. Vallow wrote to Cox: 'Open this letter and see what she did. I'm not sure if the relationship with her and Chad Daybell but they are up to something.' 'She created an e-mail alias for me as I've never set this one up. She sent this yesterday and I guess she forgot all her e-mails are on the computer at my house,' he added. Vallow said he confronted Lori about this e-mail account in his name and she started to point the finger at other family members. 'I asked her to explain it and she started blaming you, Brandon and me for perpetuating a scheme against her. Just more of her paranoia. She will not explain it.' On June 29, 2019 - just 12 days before his death - Charles Vallow (left) e-mailed Lori's brother Adam Cox (right) expressing concern that his wife Lori and Daybell were 'up to something'. This is the e-mail that Charles Vallow sent to his brother-in-law Adam Cox saying: 'I'm not sure of (sic) the relationship with her and Chad Daybell but they are up to something. She created an e-mail alias for me as I've never set this one up' He forwarded to Adam Cox the e-mail that he accused Lori of sending to Daybell in Vallow's name. The alleged 'false' e-mail sent on June 28, 2019 said: 'Hello Chad, I hope you are doing well. This is Charles Vallow from Arizona. We really enjoyed having you stay with us back in November when you came to the Preparing A People Conference.' 'I will cut to the chase. I'm willing to pay you well to help me get this book into shape as my ghostwriter. I really liked your autobiography and the tone you took in sharing experiences without preaching. Is there any way you could come here for a couple of days and help me get the book underway?' In the alleged fake e-mail Vallow offered Daybell to stay in his home in Arizona and even offered to cover his flying expenses. 'I'm out of town Saturday, but I would gladly fly you down here early next week before the holiday and cover your expenses. You could stay in our guest room like before, or in a hotel if you prefer.' Lori Vallow pictured in an orange jumpsuit in court last week on the Hawaiian island of Kauai for a hearing to reduce bail, which was denied. She's being held on $5million bail Seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan have not been seen since September. Police in the city of Rexburg, Idaho, have said they 'strongly believe that Joshua and Tylee's lives are in danger' In Vallow's concerned e-mail to his brother-in-law he claimed that he is a 'victim' of her 'craziness'. 'I wish you luck trying to help her. I was the only one brave enough to try to get her help in January and look what happened to me,' he wrote to Cox. Timeline of JJ and Tylee's disappearance July 11: Lori Vallow's husband, Charles Vallow, is killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in Arizona August: Lori moves children JJ and Tylee to Rexburg, Idaho September 23: The last time JJ was seen at his school in Idaho October 19: Chad Daybell's wife Tammy dies at their Idaho home October 25: A friend of Tylee receives a text from her phone November 5: Lori and Chad marry November 26: Out-of-state relatives ask Idaho police to perform a welfare check on JJ. Lori and Chad claim he is in Arizona with relatives. Police also learn Tylee has not been seen since September, either November 27: Police execute a search warrant at Lori and Chad's home, discovering the couple have fled Idaho December 11: Tammy Daybell's body is exhumed from the Utah cemetery December 12: Lori's brother, Alex Cox, believed to have died in Arizona December 21: Police issue a press release about JJ and Tylee, revealing they believe their disappearance is linked to Tammy's death December 24: Lori and Chad issue a statement through an attorney saying they love their son and daughter and look forward to addressing 'allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor' December 30: Police accuse Lori and Chad of lying to investigators and say they believe the couple know where the kids are or what happened to them January 26: Lori and Chad are seen for the first time in months as police serve two search warrants in Kaua'i January 30 Lori misses court deadline to produce the children to authorities February 21: Lori is arrested in Kauai Advertisement Vallow said in his e-mail that he found the contact for Chad Daybell's wife Tammy Daybell and was going to contact her. It's not clear if he ever did. Lori and Charles Vallow married in 2006. They lived in Hawaii for a couple of years but returned to Arizona in June 2018. In February 2019 Charles Vallow filed for divorce saying Lori was uninterested in him 'because she had a more important mission to carry out'. Lori claimed she was 'a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020', according to the court filing. The tangled case also includes the investigations into three deaths - Lori's estranged husband Charles Vallow, her brother Alex Cox and Chad Daybell's ex-wife Tammy Daybell, all of whom passed away sometime last year. Vallow was killed in July by Lori's brother Alex Cox in Arizona. Then Cox, who claimed the shooting was in self-defense, died of unknown causes in December. Chad Daybell was married to his wife Tammy for 28 years before Tammy unexpectedly died on October 19, 2019 in Salem, Idaho. According to an obituary in her name, she passed away peacefully in her sleep and was buried three days later in Springville, Utah. Eleven days after that Chad Daybell remarried Lori Vallow on November 5 in Hawaii. After Daybell and Vallow married aw enforcement became suspicious and had Tammy's remains exhumed. Chad Daybell has not been charged in any of the investigations. Daybell has written several apocalyptic novels based loosely on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both he and Vallow were involved in a group that promotes preparing for the biblical end times. The disappearance of JJ and Tylee captured worldwide attention after authorities pleaded for help in finding them late last year. The probe into JJ and Tylee's disappearance began in November when Idaho police tried to conduct a welfare check on JJ, who is adopted and has special needs. Vallow and Daybell claimed JJ was staying with a family friend in Arizona, which Rexburg police said was a lie. When cops tried to have a follow-up interview with Daybell and Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho they found the couple fled town. On February 21 Lori was arrested in Kauai, Hawaii where the couple had moved. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 01:52:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MANAMA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain's Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed six new cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's total number of confirmed cases to 47. The six new cases include five Bahrainis and a Saudi national who arrived in the country from Iran by indirect flights, the ministry said in a statement. The six new cases were transferred to the designated isolation facility and are receiving treatment, said the statement. Furthermore, the ministry explained that among the 1,977 people who returned from Iran and other countries, 1,930 were tested negative for the virus while the other 47 were confirmed infected with the virus. The Health Ministry on Sunday announced the launch of an online registration portal to ease the process of scheduling medical examinations for individuals who have returned from Iran last month. A hotline was also set up to assist travelers who returned from Iran last month to schedule hospital appointments. Bahrain has set up a national taskforce to combat the coronavirus, and developed an integrated national plan to fight the virus. San Francisco IPhone owners could get $25 from Apple after the company agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle claims over intentionally slowing down older phones to preserve older batteries. Apple and lawyers representing iPhone consumers agreed to a deal stemming from Apple's 2017 admission that it was slowing down phone performance in older models to avoid unexpected shutdowns related to battery fatigue. That admission led to Apple offering discounted battery replacements at $29, but many people claimed they had already spent hundreds of dollars to buy new phones because Apple didn't reveal the cause of the problem. If they had known they could just buy new batteries, they might not have bought new phones, some consumers in the case said. Apple did not admit wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, the company will pay $310 million to $500 million, including about $93 million to lawyers representing consumers. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. IPhone users who were named in the class-action lawsuit will get up to $3,500 each. The rest of the settlement money will be distributed to owners of iPhone 6, 6S, 7 and SE models who meet eligibility requirements related to the operating system they had running. They must file claims to get the award. If too many people file, the $25 amount could shrink. A federal judge in San Jose, California, still needs to approve the settlement. Its Daddy G.Os birthday today and we cant but thank God for his life. We are happy about how God is using him to win souls to his Kingdom, and ofcus how he is a great blessing to us too. He made Christianity very easy and understandable, and the first time people like us heard him preach, we totally fell in love with Christ. We also love the fact that, the only person he fears is GOD, and so he never twists the scriptures to please anyone or the youths of today. Its either you take the truth or you leave it, LOL. We also love the fact that whatever thing he says goes viral, and he doesnt give a damn (LOLLLL). Below is a little write about the man of God. HAPPY 78TH BIRTHDAY DADDY WE LOVE YOU. The Man, Adeboye Adeboye was born on 2 March, 1942 in Ifewara, near Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. He went to the University of Nigeria, (UNN) in Nsukka but because of the Nigeria Civil War, he completed his first degree in the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) graduating with a bachelors degree in Mathematics in 1967. That same year, according to writings by his admirers on him, he married Foluke Adenike. They have four children namely: Adeolu Adeboye, Bolu Adubi (nee Adeboye), Leke Adeboye and Dare Adeboye. In 1969, he obtained a masters degree in hydrodynamics drom the University of Lagos . He joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 1973 and began interpreting Yoruns to English by Pastor Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi. In 1975, he obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Lagos. He holds a position as Professor of Mathematics at University of Lagos. He was ordained a pastor of Redeemed Church in 1977. He became General Overseer of the church in 1981. For three years, he filled the role part-time at University of Ilorin before giving up his university position to preach full-time. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates FLINT, MI The city of Flint is owed more than $4.8 million for pipeline work done last year but it hasnt turned in the paperwork to get it. The money, paid to contractors for replacing pipelines, is reimbursable by the state. Officials say Flint hasnt submitted the proper paperwork to Michigans Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to receive the funds. In 2017, Flint was given $120 million in federal dollars from the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. This money, along with a $97 million state settlement, is funding the citys massive pipeline replacement program. State officials said in order to refund Flint, it needs documents the city signed, which gave contractors a notice to proceed with work. The contractors are WT Stevens Construction, hired for $5.6 million, and Lang Constructors, hired for $5.2 million. 2 contractors being considered to replace Flints remaining lead pipes Marjory Raymer, Flints director of communications, said the city is working diligently to process a backlog of pay requests to the state. When we came into office, we discovered the prior administration had failed to complete paperwork and assessments needed to receive approximately $6 million in reimbursements for service line replacement work, Raymer stated in an email to The Flint Journal-MLive. Since November, Flint signed off on three pay requests totaling $3.1 million for work done in the last two years. The proper paperwork was filed, and the state gave Flint that money back. 1,000 Flint residences still need to be checked for lead water pipes There is an additional $198,427 in pay requests for work done in 2018 and 2019 that Flint hasnt signed off on, according to state officials. Thats not including the $4.8 million worth of work done last year the city still needs to be reimbursed for. Of course, the service line replacement work is ongoing, so we continue to file additional reimbursement requests and supply (the) necessary documentation to the state of Michigan to bring those dollars back to Flint, Raymer said. As of November, Flint has checked service lines at 24,304 residences and replaced 9,448 lead or galvanized steel service lines since the FAST Start pipe replacement program began in 2016. In 2019 alone, the city had replaced 1,413 lead or galvanized service lines and checked pipes at 3,863 homes. We continue to move forward and to clean up what was undone by the previous administration. We expect substantial additional reimbursements soon, Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. This week's Newton County Sheriff's Report: Hope everyone had a great week. Not too bad around here. Let me start off by thanking all the area Go Texan Committees here in SE Texas. They work so hard for our kids. Great job to Newton, Jasper, Tyler, Sabine, Hardin, Orange and Jefferson County Go Texans. We had a great weekend. We ran a search warrant in the Bon Wier area. We recovered several stolen items including guns, game camera, and lots of hunting clothes that came from deer camps. Recovered some deer head mounts. Missing any mounts, give us a call. Great job Deputy Sonny White for putting this together. Deputy Cathey got after a guy who ran from him on foot. A couple of men from Deweyville helped Scott chase him. They didnt catch him, but we know who he is. Thanks to those men who helped Deputy Cathey. We get so many calls where ex-girlfriends and boyfriends, ex-husbands and ex-wives are feuding over custody of the children. If you cant act right how can you expect your kids to act right. The police cant fix these kinds of problems. Received a call from Jefferson County ER about a woman who had been assaulted at a deer camp somewhere in Newton County. She wasnt sure what time. We are looking into it. Not much to go on now. Gotta go. Thought for the week: Never laugh at your wifes choices. You are one of them. Yall have a great week and if we can help, just holler. God Bless. Note: This report has been published exactly as received. P lane parts maker Seniors turbulence from Boeings 737 Max debacle has left many investors feeling a little queasy but full-year results were cheered on Monday after cost-cutting measures meant they landed better than expected. The UK engineering group makes parts to help circulate air conditioning around planes including the 737 Max, among other things. The grounding of the Max after two deadly crashes has hurt sales at Senior but it has ramped up cost cuts and turned its attention to manufacturing parts for other planes to mitigate the Max problems. Despite reporting a 50% profit drop for 2019 to around 29 million, the market took a shine to the cost reductions and also an upbeat outlook about the next couple of years and sent the shares up 7% up 10.5p to 151.7p. The FTSE 100 fell again after last weeks coronavirus battering with the elite index down 75.85 points at 6,504.76. If youre dining out at a swanky restaurant this week please take a moment to inspect the whiter-than-white tablecloth; it could one of those supplied by burgeoning laundry supplier Johnson Service Group. The AIM-listed firm does chefs whites and tablecloths for 3000 eateries across London and the UK, including bankers favourite The Wolseley as well as Cubitt House. The shares were on a tear, up 10%, or 18.4p, to 202p, as full-year results showed a 13% hike in the dividend to 3.5p after new contract wins boosted sales. Avon Rubber, which makes protection equipment to try to stop people dying in nuclear or chemical attacks, clinched a large new contract with the US Army to supply soldiers with body armour. The companys recently acquired ballistic-protection business, which it bought from 3M in January, will make the plates which go into bulletproof vests to protect US Army soldiers. The new plates are designed to be lighter and more comfortable for soldiers to wear. Avon chief Paul McDonald said it demonstrated Avons position as the leading provider of next-generation body armour to the US armed forces. The shares were flat at 2730p. Software group Sages shares rose nearly 2% or 12p to 693p, after selling one of its Brazilian businesses to the local management team for 1 million. [March 02, 2020] Fight fraud this March! The Competition Bureau launches the annual Fraud Prevention Month campaign The campaign aims to help Canadians stand up to scammers who are costing them millions of dollars every year GATINEAU, QC, March 2, 2020 /CNW/ - During the month of March, the Competition Bureau and its nation-wide partners will help Canadians recognize, reject and report fraud. In 2019 alone, recent statistics from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, show that Canadians lost over $98 million to fraud. Scammers can target anyone. Every demographic is at risk of fraud, from young teens to the elderly, from consumers to big corporations. As the digital economy plays an increasingly important role in the lives of Canadians, it is also making for more cutting edge scams. Fraud awareness remains vital so that Canadians can navigate the digital world with confidence. For the sixteenth edition of this nationwide awareness campaign, the Competition Bureau will share tips on how to spot and stand protected against widespread scams impacting Canadians. In keeping with its focus on the digital economy, the Bureau will also tackle digitally-enabled fraud. Campaign efforts will be set out on social media and at community events in Canada. The Bureau is also working with key partners, like the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the RCMP, and other police services across Canada, to encourage victims of fraud to file reports. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that Canadians have only reported approximately 5% of fraud cases to the authorities. This means that the actual impact of fraud is probably even more important than figures suggest. Quick Facts The Competition Bureau initiated the Fraud Prevention Month campaign in 2004, with the support of the Fraud Prevention Forum. The Fraud Prevention Forum is chaired by the Competition Bureau, and currently consists of a group of 60 Canadian organizations, ranging from consumer and volunteer groups, government agencies, police services and enforcement organizations to privatecompanies. The easiest way for Canadians to learn how to "Recognize, Reject and Report" the latest scams is to follow the Competition Bureau on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well as by following this year's campaign hashtag: #FPM2020. "The digital economy is changing the way Canadians work, live and interact. Being connected also means that our exposure to fraud has grown exponentially. No one is immune to fraud, so everyone should learn to protect themselves, and know that reporting can help prevent more harm." Josephine Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner of the Deceptive Marketing Practices Directorate, Competition Bureau of Canada Related Products Associated Links www.competitionbureau.gc.ca Enquiries | Complaints Stay connected: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | RSS Feed | Email Distribution List The Competition Bureau, as an independent law enforcement agency, ensures that Canadian businesses and consumers prosper in a competitive and innovative marketplace. SOURCE Competition Bureau An arsonist doused three police cars in petrol and set them alight in a brazen late-night attack. Three vehicles outside Western Australia's Fremantle Police Station went up in flames at about 11pm on Sunday night. The cars were parked on Leake Street at the back of the station. Tourist Lyn Dade told 9News she saw huge flames exploding out of the cars from her balcony across the road. Three police cars at West Australia's Fremantle Police Station were set on fire at around 11pm on Sunday night The cars and the equipment inside were completely destroyed in the arson attack 'We've been saying for three weeks how quiet it is down here, you couldn't be safer at the back of a police station and then suddenly this,' she said. The cars were completely destroyed in the attack, with police appealing to the public to help find a man they believe can assist with inquires. He was spotted at a nearby petrol station earlier in the evening and again at the scene with a jerry can. 'If that person is watching this now, I would encourage that person to surrender to police because we will find you. It's only a matter of time,' Commander Greg Knott said. Police are appealing to the public to help find a man they believe can assist with inquires Anyone with information is urged to contact police. The station is now down three cars but police say their operations won't be affected. Commander Knott said he was unaware of the motive behind the attack and that taxpayers will cop the bill. 'This is hard taxpayers money that pays for these items, so an attack on our premises is an attack on all West Australians,' he said. GARDAI responded to a 999 call at a house used by two men allegedly involved in the murder of Adrian Donohoe four days before the fatal shooting, a court has heard. The emergency call was made in the early hours of the morning reporting three suspicious males at the Louth home located around a mile from the Lordship credit union where the detective garda was shot dead. This morning the Central Criminal Court heard from a number of gardai who responded at around 4.40am on January 21, 2013, but didn't find any intruders. The jury previously heard that Aaron Brady, who denies capital murder, had stayed at the property around the time of the killing along with another man who the prosecution say was also involved but cannot be identified for legal reasons. Mr Brady (29) is on trial for the murder of Adrian Donohoe (41), who was then a member of An Garda Siochana acting in the course of his duty at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013. The accused, of New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, is also charged with the robbery of approximately 7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Gda Fergal McCarthy said he was on duty in the Louth divisional control room, based at Drogheda Garda Station, in the early hours of January 21, 2013. He said he received a call on the emergency line at 4.38am from a man who identified himself and said he lived at an address near Bellurgan in Co Louth. The court heard this man said he spotted three males dressed in black clothing in the yard of the house. Gda McCarthy said he forwarded this call on to the radio control room in Dundalk. Gda Damien Welby gave evidence that he was on patrol when he received a call about a possible trespasser and arrived on scene at 4.45am. He told the court he made his way to the property and met two men in the house, which included the person who made the emergency call. Gda Welby agreed with Lorcan Staines SC, prosecuting, that the men said they heard noises and when they looked outside they saw what they believed to be a person wearing all black. This individual was alleged to have been near a container at the rear yard of the property. The court heard that gardai carried out an inspection but noted there was no damage to the lock of the container. He said they checked the grounds and didn't notice signs of footprints or suspicious vehicles parked up nearby. Garda Robbie Peelo said he arrived in a separate patrol car a short time before Gda Welby He said he spoke to a male who identified himself and reported seeing a man dressed in black at the rear of the house. They conducted a search of the yard and spent between 10 and 15 minutes there but found nothing suspicious. Gda Peelo also recalled commenting to his colleague at the scene that there were no footprints on the grass at the property when they initiated their search. The witness said it was "clean" and that there was heavy dew on the grass but no footprints. The Central Criminal Court also heard evidence of mobile numbers being attributed to nine people as part of the investigation. Det Gda Colin Compton, of Dundalk Garda Station, gave evidence of attributing three of these phone numbers to Aaron Brady. One of these, linked to his Facebook account, was registered under the name 'Lexi' and had a date of birth given as February 1999 with an address in Armagh. The trial continues before Mr Justice Michael White and a jury of seven men and seven women tomorrow morning. This afternoon Det Gda Conor Kiely, attached to the Fingerprint Section of the Garda Technical Bureau, said he examined a number of locations in and around the credit union in the days after the robbery. He said he examined a shed near the back wall of Lordship credit union for DNA and fingerprints after the owner indicated some of the items inside were disturbed. The witness agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, that someone could have been taking refuge in there and that a vehicle of interest was seen in the area at 8.50pm. The court heard that nothing of forensic value was recovered. Published on 2020/03/02 | Source BTS /Newsis Donations are pouring in to help fight against the coronavirus outbreak from celebrities and their fans. Advertisement The Korea Disaster Relief Association said Sunday it received over 8,000 donations totaling W388.94 million on behalf of K-pop band BTS (US$1=W1,216). Since BTS member Suga, whose hometown is Daegu, made a donation of W100 million to the organization on Feb. 27, fans have voluntarily followed suit. Actress Jun Ji-hyun also donated W100 million to the organization. Actor Ji Chang-wook donated W100 million to the Daegu branch of the Korea Red Cross. Actors Kim Soo-hyun and Jung Hae-in also donated W100 million each to the Daegu branch of Community Chest of Korea. Daegu has become a hotbed of infections since a so-called supercarrier, a follower of the secretive Shincheonji sect, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Feb. 19. Members of a police SWAT team take positions outside one of the entrances to a mall after a hostage situation was reported in suburban Manila. AFP Photo Manila: Police were in a standoff Monday with a "disgruntled" former security guard who shot at least one person and took about 30 others hostage at a shopping mall in the Philippine capital, officials said. Workers and customers were evacuated from the V-Mall shopping centre in Manila early Monday after gunshots rang out and officers wielding assault rifles rushed to the scene. "We have confirmed reports of... a hostage-taking of some of our employees by a former... security guard," the mall management said in a statement. The Philippines' malls are centres of life that include everything from restaurants and shops to churches and medical facilities. The building was full when the violence began. The mayor of the section of Manila that is home to the mall told reporters the "disgruntled" ex-guard had a pistol and claimed to have a grenade, but that had not been confirmed. "At present we are unable to determine exactly how many are inside. Our estimate is around 30 people," said San Juan city mayor Francis Zamora. He added the hostages were being held in the mall's administrative offices and at least one person was shot. The victim was rushed to hospital and was in stable condition. Negotiations John Paul Buenavista told AFP he saw a wounded person -- believed to be a guard at the mall -- being put into a wheelchair and whisked away. "We heard three gunshots. Then we saw people running, saying they saw someone getting shot," he said. Authorities are negotiating with the hostage taker, who has demanded to speak with other guards and the media. "We'll do our best to settle this issue peacefully," Zamora said, adding the hostage taker was upset over his treatment by his employer. Manila was the site of a high-profile 2010 hostage taking that ended in the deaths of eight tourists from Hong Kong. That day-long ordeal started when an ex-police officer, armed with an M-16 assault rifle, hijacked a bus near Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination just a few blocks from police headquarters, in a desperate bid to get his job back. Negotiations broke down after nightfall when the ex-officer began shooting passengers, prompting commandos to lob tear gas inside the bus before storming it and firing dozens of bullets into the vehicle. Kremlin Responds to Erdogan's Request That Russia 'Step Aside' in Syria Sputnik News 17:21 GMT 01.03.2020(updated 17:48 GMT 01.03.2020) On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to "get out of Turkey's way" and to leave Ankara "face to face" with Damascus in the renegade Syrian province of Idlib. Russia is the only country with a legitimate, internationally recognized right to station troops in Syria, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. "Russia is the only country which has troops in Syria on a legal basis and at the request of the legitimate Syrian government," Peskov said, speaking to Russia 1's Moscow.Kremlin.Putin programme on Sunday when asked to comment on President Erdogan's remarks about what "business" Russia has in Syria. "All other military forces of other countries are in Syria in contravention of the norms and principles of international law," Peskov added. According to the Kremlin spokesman, all of the actions by the Syrian military in Idlib in recent days have been aimed at fighting terrorists. Turkey, on the other hand, has failed to meet its obligations under the Sochi agreements, he said. "We know that under the Sochi agreements from a year ago, it was the Turkish side which was required to ensure a regime of inactivity by these terrorist elements. Unfortunately, Turkey has not fulfilled these obligations, and the terrorists went on the offensive against Syria's armed forces," Peskov said. Peskov recalled that in addition to attacking the Syrian Army, the terrorists were also attacking Russian military units in the Arab Republic. "Therefore," he noted, "regardless of any statements, the fight against these terrorist elements will continue." Meeting This Week Peskov also confirmed that Presidents Putin and Erdogan would meet on March 5 or 6 in Moscow to discuss the Syrian crisis. According to Peskov, the meeting would not be an easy one. "This will undoubtedly be a difficult meeting, but the heads of state have nevertheless affirmed their focus on resolving the situation in Idlib and their adherence to the Sochi accords. This is important," he said. Putin and Erdogan spoke by telephone on Friday. On Saturday, Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul that he asked Putin about Russia's "business" in Syria, adding that while Turkey didn't mind if Russia established a base in the country, it should "get out of our way and leave us face to face with the [Syrian] regime." Russia established an airbase in Latakia, northwestern Syria in 2015 on the request of Syria's internationally recognized government to assist the country in its fight against a broad array of foreign-backed terrorists. Russia and Turkey reached an accord in Sochi in September 2018, allowing the Turkish military to establish observation posts in Idlib on the condition that terrorist groups be separated from other armed groups and expelled from the de-escalation zone. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has recently said that Ankara has failed to do so. Tensions in Idlib escalated in February after Syrian artillery struck a Turkish observation post, killing eight Turkish troops and injuring several others. The situation has since turned into a shooting war between Syrian troops, Turkish forces and Ankara-backed militants. On Thursday, Syrian strikes killed at least 33 Turkish troops who were mixed in among jihadist militants, sparking off a Turkish response which included attacks on dozens of Syrian government targets in 'Operation Spring Shield'. Syria initiated its Idlib operation in December, citing repeated terrorist attacks on army positions. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address With parents keeping vigil outside examination centres in riot-hit northeast Delhi, Class 12 students appeared for their physics board exam despite being distressed over the communal violence that gave many of them sleepless nights and interrupted their studies and concentration. IMAGE: Delhi Police personnel offer flowers to students as they leave after appearing in the Central Board of Secondary Education Class 10 and 12 exams, at riot-affected Jafrabad area of northeast Delhi. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo According to the Central Board of Secondary Education, around 98 per cent attendance was recorded in the first board exam held in violence-affected northeast Delhi on Monday. Many parents stayed put outside the examination centres during the three hours when their wards appeared for the exam. At many centres invigilators counselled students before they started writing the exams, asking them to not "get stressed due to the past week's events" and focus on the paper. Outside the examination centres, police and paramilitary personnel were deployed which inspired confidence in parents, teachers and students. Police personnel also gave roses to students outside some centres to wish them good luck before their exam. Like Priya, a Class XII student who is a resident of Maujpur, many students said their preparations were affected due to the violence. "I had prepared for the exam but I didn't get sufficient time for revision due to the riot situation. I could not sleep or focus because there was so much fear in the locality," said the student after her physics exam. Her mother Yogesh accompanied her daughter to the examination centre. Parents said they had counselled their children to appear for the annual exams and not waste an academic year. IMAGE: Security personnel stand guard outside a school during Central Board of Secondary Education Class 10 and 12 examinations at riot-affected Shiv Vihar area of northeast Delhi. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo Ekta Yadav, a resident of violence-hit Yamuna Vihar area, said she was tensed while preparing for the exam do to the clashes and as her parents along with her neighbours were guarding the localities. "The paper was neither difficult nor easy. We had heard reports about stone-pelting and firing in the nearby localities. Fortunately, my locality was safe. But I could hardly focus on preparation because there was always fear," Yadav said. Had the riots not taken place, Yadav said she would have prepared peacefully. Another student, Mohammad Aahil, said, "My father's factory in Karawal Nagar was vandalised during the riots on February 25 and when the situation worsened near our home in the same area, we left for a relative's place in Ghaziabad. "I didn't have my books and somehow studied using the internet. The situation is still tense and we are scared of returning to the area. I do not even have my books for my chemistry exam." IMAGE: A view of a school during Class 10 and 12 examinations at riot-affected Jafrabad area. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo Aahil said they plan to return home only after Holi. Another class 12 student, Riya Jain, a resident of Maujour, said her coaching centre was closed as teachers at the centre could not come because of safety concerns. "Even though we had some doubts before the exam, we could not clear them," she said. Her friend Kanishka Sharma said rioters were sitting right outside their homes and there was fear that they could be attacked. Shoaib, a resident of Karawal Nagar, said, "Stones were being pelted on houses in the area, vehicles were being torched while my parents motivated me to concentrate on preparing for exams. I have had sleepless nights in the last few days because of fear". Rohan Arya, a resident of Maujpur, said, "Physics and Maths are tough subjects and due to riots I could not go for my tuitions in Karawal Nagar". Students also said that during the first two days of the violence, they could hardly concentrate on studies as gunshots and loud threats were ringing out in their localities. Mohammad Izrish, whose son is appearing for Class XII exams and daughter for Class X exams, said his children were traumatised after seeing rioters roaming in their locality in Bhagirath Vihar with sticks, swords and guns. "One of my daughters lost consciousness after seeing the scene and due to the fragile emotional state of my children, I shifted to Nehru Vihar to my brother's place. We returned when the situation calmed down but went back to Nehru Vihar after it seemed that the situation could again turn tense," he said. IMAGE: Students outside an examination centre, before appearing in the examinations at riot-affected Jafrabad area. Photograph: Arun Sharma/PTI Photo Seema Gupta, head of Gyandeep Vidya Bhawan school which was one of the exam centres, said 22 students did not turn up for the exam. "However, we received information about one student that he had left for his village from Mustafabad due to riots. We do not have any information about the other students. Some of them are also private students," she said. Gupta said they called up their school's students and assured them of all the help. The school authorities said that if their uniforms had been burnt in the arson, they need not worry as they would be allowed entry in casual clothes in the respective exam centres. Farooq Nawab of Victoria Public School said, "Out of 121 students who were to appear for Boards, 120 were present. The one student who did not appear had also not taken the practicals." Sudesh Sharma, a teacher at Hindon Public School in Harsh Vihar, said his daughter appeared at Victoria Public School and when violence broke out in Maujpur, he was present there. "Stone pelting had started near Maujpur Chowk and we thought students would not be safe. I helped at least 20 students in reaching their homes. At that time violence had not spread to inner lanes of Maujpur and through the lanes, we walked almost eight kilometres to Loni border from where we took a tempo to Harsh Vihar," he said. After the students were rescued, two school buses were torched and stones were pelted at the school building. At Hindon Public School, which is one of the exam centres, 23 students were absent during the exam on Monday. He made a tiny yet sweet gesture for his girlfriend Sofia Richie when he had a bag of McDonald's food delivered to her private plane before takeoff. Scott Disick made another sweet display on Sunday, this time for his own family. The 36-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians fixture spent some quality time with his youngest son Reign, five, as they went search for toys at a Barnes & Noble in Calabasas, California. Fatherson time: Scott Disick, 36, bonded with his youngest son Reign, five, as they went to a Barnes & Noble in Calabasas to buy some new toys Scott stuck with a nondescript look featuring a white hoodie with a Keith Haring drawing, as well as acid wash jeans and Yeezys. The businessman previously advertised the hoodie as a collaboration between his clothing label Tasteless and the Keith Haring Foundation in an Instagram post from January. Reign looked cute in white shorts, sandals, and a pale blue Toy Story shirt reading, 'Saturdays Are For The Toys.' Cool and casual: Scott was dressed in a white Keith Haring hoodie and jeans, while Reign wore a blue Toy Story shirt and white shorts Iconic: The businessman previously advertised the hoodie as a collaboration between his clothing label Tasteless and the Keith Haring Foundation in an Instagram post from January Even though it was Sunday, Scott and Reign visited the Barnes & Noble's toy department and stocked up on some new playthings. The Flip It Like Disick star also shares an older son, Mason, 10, and a daughter, Penelope, seven, with his former partner Kourtney Kardashian, 40. The couple were together from 2006 through 2015, though they never married. Old ties: The Flip It Like Disick star also shares an older son, Mason, 10, and a daughter, Penelope, seven, with his former partner Kourtney Kardashian, 40 Absent from his weekend outing was Scott's 21-year-old girlfriend Sofia Richie. Earlier this month, People reported that the reality star and the fashion model often break up before making up shortly afterward. 'Scott and Sofia are the type of couple that constantly split up and get back together,' a source close to the couple said. 'Its all very dramatic, and then all good again.' On and off: Absent from his weekend outing was Scott's 21-year-old girlfriend Sofia Richie. People reported this month that they regularly break up and quickly get back together Rare PDA: The couple were last seen together on February 21 at a launch party for Sofia's collaboration with Rolla's Jeans, where they showed off plenty of PDA The couple were last seen together on February 21 at a launch party for Sofia's collaboration with Rolla's Jeans, where they showed off plenty of PDA. The daughter of Lionel Richie shared a photo of the two kissing passionately at the party, captioning it, 'My love.' The mercurial couple haven't been seen together since then, but Sofia's video of Scott's fast food gift to her on a recent flight suggests the two are in the midst of an upswing. Riding high: The two haven't been seen together since, but Sofia did share a video of some McDonald's Scott sent to her for a private plane voyage, so they seem to be on an upswing Outside his comfort zone: In a recent trailer for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Scott was filmed with Kim Kardashian as the two took an improv class In a recent trailer for Keeping Up With The Kardashians' season 18, Scott was filmed with Kim Kardashian as the two got outside their comfort zones to take an improv class. Kim didn't last long, and she ducked into the audience shortly after she got too embarrassed during a warm-up vocal exercise. But Scott stuck with it and finished the class, eliciting praise from his fellow improvisers at his natural flow. Ducking out: Kim didn't last long, and she ducked into the audience shortly after she got too embarrassed during a warm-up vocal exercise 02.03.2020 LISTEN Introduction Education has a strategic role it plays in the global system. In an era when the whole world is aiming at achieving quality and equitable education for all by the year 2030 (SDG4), barriers to accessing all forms of education at all levels should be eliminated. There is a vast level of differences in the quality of education across countries; even within the same country, the disparities in the quality of education between rural and urban centres is one major reason for internal migration. This explains the frequent movement of students from developing countries to the developed world to pursue higher education. In some countries like Ghana, there are deliberate policies to sponsor a certain category of students to study in other countries to enable the transfer of knowledge across regions. An Era of International Education International education has grown to be an avenue for a new strategic direction in comprehensive education which leads to the broadening of perspectives, building diverse connections and encouraging innovation and ideas across borders. The primary goal of international education is to broaden knowledge and cultural capital, learning about places and cultures and gaining intercultural skills in the process. The social and economic benefits of international education to the host country as well as the country of origin cannot be overemphasized. Economically, the host country benefits substantially. According to the U.S. Department of Commence (2019), international students contributed $45 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018. Again, the BBC in January 2018 reported that international students added 20 billion to the UK economy. The report further indicated that, these international students spending support local economies citing London as the highest beneficiary gaining 4.6 billion out of the total amount. The situation is not different for the numerous countries that serve as a host to foreign students. A cursory look at the international education scene brings to the fore the desire of countries to improve their economy by opening their borders to students who would want to further their education in a foreign country. In 2019, Kenya announced that they plan to hit 30,000 international students over five years. In Rwanda, there have been a well thought out plan to increase the number of international students. In Ghana, the number of students offering degree programmes abroad increased by 40% from 2012 to 2017. Research has shown that, Ghana is the third largest country in Africa with more international students in the the United States aside Nigeria and Kenya. However, Ghana have had its own share of international students, between 2007 and 2015, Ghana was able to increase the number of international students in the country by 838%, that is from 1,899 to 17, 821 students (World Education Services, 2019). Global outbreak of Infectious Diseases This effort by countries to attract international students is highly threatened by the continuous global outbreak of infectious diseases. An infectious disease is any disorder caused by pathogens such as bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoan etc. They are transmitted from one person to another by an agent. According to scientist, infectious diseases spread by air, by infected food and water, direct contact and by vectors. Over the years, there have been serious outbreaks of global infectious disease that have killed many people and have led to countries closing their borders, employing strict immigration policies and scaring people from traveling across borders. Since entering the 21st Century, there have been an outbreak of infectious diseases that have threaten the very existence of humanity. The century was greeted with the SARS outbreak in 2002 which spread across 29 countries, infected 8,098 people and killed 774 (WHO, 2010). Again, the Ebola outbreak in 2013 which was described as the most widespread of the Ebola Virus Disease in history, infected 28,616 people and killed over 40% of those infected (11, 310 deaths) (WHO, 2016). The nature and spread of these disease puts an amount of fear and panic in the global populace resulting in various health policies by the World Health Organisation and individual countries as to how best to protect their citizenry. These outbreaks have also had grave consequences on global education. For instance, research has shown that, the Ebola crisis had a major impact on education in West Africa. Over 10,000 schools in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea were closed for an academic year. In Sierra Leone, schools were closed for eight months. This was necessitated as a result of the ban on public gathering which invariably affected schooling. According to a World Bank research, the reopening of schools offered a fresh start for most of the students even though majority of them have lost track of what they have been taught over the years. International Education and the Outbreak of COVID-19 The most recent disease outbreak is the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) which was detected in Wuhan, China and reported to the World Health Organisation in China on 31st December 2019. The disease has spread to 54 more countries aside China with a total of 83,386 cases recorded and 2,860 deaths within its first three months of spread. The rate of spread has become very alarming that all countries are taking serious precautions to ensure the safety of its citizens. The bigger question however is, how does the spread of these life threatening disease affect the promotion of international education and what should be done to by countries to continuously benefit from international education in the event of global disease outbreaks. China is seen as the third country globally with more international students apart from the United States and the United Kingdom. The total number of international students seeking higher-education increased by 13% over the past 10 years since 2006. I dare say that, presently China can be said to be a source and hub for international education. Data from Statista (2020) suggests that in 2018, about 662,100 Chinese students left China to pursue studies abroad which represented a 11.74% increase from the previous year. According to the Chinese Daily Mail (2019), a total of 5.86 million Chinese studied abroad from 1978 to the end of 2018. These statistics buttress the extent to which an outbreak of COVID-19 would impact on international education. In the case of Ghana, available data suggest that, about 5,516 Ghanaian students are studying in China with 1,006 having received Chinese government scholarship. The number of Ghanaian students in China has been ranked as the top African students in China for three consecutive years. This implies that, most countries have their citizens schooling at different levels in China whereas Chinese students are spread across the globe. The impact of this disease outbreak on these international students cannot be underestimated. Likewise, an outbreak of any global disease will have dare consequences on all forms of education. Countries will begin to be cautious with their immigration policies which will affect international students. The issues of travel ban, prohibition of social gathering and quarantines impact significantly on education at all levels both within countries and internationally. Those who are currently in these affected countries would have a distorted academic calendar and in some instances might have to abandoned their education till the host country is able to control the spread of the outbreak. These will have a multiplying effect on the economies of the affected countries whereas the loss of human capital cannot be downplayed. The social challenge of stigma and the ability of a countrys educational system to come back on its feet after months of closure all come into play. It must be noted that, countries with very weak educational systems might not survive after such crises. Way Forward; Era for Ed-Tech and University Affiliation Policies The most immediate step that educational institutions in the world should take is to improve their e-learning systems and employ more sophisticated measures to deliver education to people from across the globe. These unfortunate outbreaks could serve as the tipping point for the boom of Ed-tech in the global education system. Education Technology refers to hardware and software designed to enhance teacher-led learning in classrooms and improve students education outcomes. Online learning, webinars and flipped classrooms will be the potent mode of education delivery in the advent of such outbreaks. The use of modern technology and innovations should make it possible for countries to still deliver education to their citizens while pursuing their international education agenda. There are various Ed-Tech platforms available and which are being used by some countries like Australia to assist their students. These platforms should be optimized and made an alternative to residential education. Again the global education platforms should be used to promote the practice of affiliation among institutions of higher learning. Even though not novel, it is important for universities across the globe to pursue this policy of affiliation vigorously. The constant outbreak of global epidemics threatens the global education agenda. It has the huge potential to break educational systems of countries, affect international education and deny many access to quality and equitable education. It is therefore important for education to assume a different structure, format and dimension. Educational institutions should metamorphose to offering quality education to the global community through a non-residential format than focusing on residential set-up. There is the need to use technology to create access and promote quality education; that is the quintessence of Ed-Tech. The writer is an Education Economist, Researcher and Curriculum Expert and Currently the Ag. Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST), an education think tank in Ghana. Lawrence authorities have identified the man killed in a Sunday morning shooting as 23-year-old Alan Jimenez, of Lawrence. The Essex District Attorneys Office and Lawrence police said Jimenez was found dead in a car on Market Street just after 3 a.m. A 19-year-old woman, who suffered serious gunshot wounds was found in the car with Jimenez. She was transported to a Boston hospital where she is being treated. Police said they were called to the area of 90 Market St. at about 3:10 a.m. for reported gunshots. The first responders found Jimenez and the woman still in the car. Lawrence police and Massachusetts State Police detectives attached to the District Attorneys Office are investigating the homicide. InDesign Magazine Issue 131: InQuestion This article appeared in This article appeared in Issue 131 of InDesign Magazine. Your Trickiest InDesign Questions Answered Our online communities on Facebook and LinkedIn bring together people who are passionate about using InDesign. When someone has an issue with the program, the community is ready to jump in and offer solutions. In this Q&A column, Ive once again distilled a few excellent questions and responses on several topics. Note that the discussions have been edited for brevity and clarity. . . . . This article from InDesign Magazine is for InDesignSecrets premium subscribers only. To continue reading, please log in above, or sign up for a premium membership today! Thanks for supporting InDesignSecrets! A proposed public walk and cycleway path from Eaves Bush to West Hoe Heights, which is on the Hibiscus & Bays Local Boards Greenways Plan, has not found favour with some of the residents of Kensington Park. Building the entire length of the pathway is estimated to cost $2.2million (HM November 1, 2018), so the local board divided it into sections so that the money can be found over a period of years. Currently the section of the path from Pacific Heights to Hibiscus Coast Highway, which includes the southern edge of Nukumea Stream, is being investigated. The proposed route would pass alongside The Ferns (one of the blocks in Kensington Park), which has upset residents. At the local boards February 20 meeting, The Ferns body corporate chair Paul Roberts suggested an alternative route, on the opposite side of Nukumea Stream, to members, pointing out that this would utilise new boardwalks currently being built in Eaves Bush as a kauri dieback preventative, saving money and duplicated effort. He asked the local board to investigate this alternative, saying that many Kensington Park residents are not in favour of the other route. There would be a significant loss of amenity for those Kensington Park residents who live near the route because it runs so close to homes, he said. Investigations into the proposed route, which include discussions with Kensington Park representatives, specialised geotechnical, arboricultural, ecological and surveying advice and formation of a concept design, are budgeted to cost $275,000. A report is due to come to the local board this month, with the proposed route to go out for public feedback in April/May. North Logan, Utah, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Space Dynamics Laboratory announced today that a small satellite built by SDL was successfully deployed into orbit, and early telemetry indicates that the spacecraft health is nominal and the satellite is operating as designed. On November 2, 2019, a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying the SDL-built Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter CubeSat, known as HARP, in its Cygnus cargo spacecraft launched from Virginia Spaces Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility. Following a three-month stay on the International Space Station, HARP was deployed into its intended orbit on February 19. Measuring approximately 10 centimeters wide, 10 centimeters high, and 30 centimeters long, the HARP satellite was built by SDL to carry the HARP payload built by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Miniature spacecraft of this size are often classified as CubeSats. We are honored to be part of this important mission, led by principal investigator J. Vanderlei Martins from UMBC, that will enable scientists to better understand aerosol and cloud processes in our atmosphere, said SDLs HARP program manager Tim Neilsen. The ground-breaking advances provided by Dr. Martins and his team enable valuable atmospheric measurements to be made by a much smaller package than previously possible. We are grateful for the partnership with UMBC and NASAs Earth Science Technology Office on HARP, and look forward to a successful mission on orbit. Cloud and aerosol processes influence weather variation, which affects our oceans, ecosystems, and society at large. The largest impediment to estimating weather variation is a lack of quantitative information about aerosols and particulates in the atmosphere. Scientists require new observations and a better understanding of aerosol and cloud processes to narrow weather variation estimate uncertainties. The objective of HARP is to validate the in-flight capabilities of a highly accurate and precise wide field of view hyper-angular polarimeter for characterizing aerosol and cloud properties. Additionally, HARP will demonstrate that CubeSat-size technology can provide science-quality multi-angle imaging data, paving the way for lower-cost aerosol-cloud instrument development. Since the start of mission planning, and throughout HARPs life cycle, including system engineering and design, fabrication, and rigorous testing of the CubeSat, the dedicated engineers, scientists, technicians, and business professionals at SDL have remained committed to ensuring the success of HARP, said Asal Naseri, SDLs small satellite technologies branch head. SDL is now flying HARP and monitoring its health while it is in a low-Earth orbit from one of our small satellite Mission Operation Centers. The telemetry indicates that spacecraft health is nominal and the satellite is performing as designed. Once satellites are placed into their intended orbits, operational work continues throughout their lifespan to ensure mission success. Monitoring the health of spacecraft, delivering commands to conduct orbital maneuvers, and performing other operational requirements are all accomplished through mission operation centers. Large satellites, sometimes the size of a school bus, often dominate the resources needed to operate smaller satellites. However, with the increased use and utility of small satellites, dedicated mission operation centers like those at SDL are becoming more common. The Space Dynamics Laboratory has been solving the technical challenges faced by the military, science community, and industry for six decades and supports NASAs vision to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. As one of fourteen University Affiliated Research Centers, SDL serves as a subject matter expert in its core research areas to the US Government and ensures that essential engineering and technology capabilities of the Department of Defense are maintained. SDL is a DoD research laboratory headquartered in North Logan, UT, and has offices in Albuquerque, NM; Bedford, MA; Dayton, OH; Huntsville, AL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Stafford, VA; and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.sdl.usu.edu. Attachments A flexi hoarding erected by Khammam municipal corporator and TRS town president K. Murali in Khammam on Sunday welcoming the visit of ministers K.T. Rama Rao and Puvvada Ajay Kumar. (Photo: DC) Khammam: TRS corporators of Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) were sho-cked when municipal administration minister K. T. Rama Rao asked the 16th ward corporator Kamartapu Murali to pay Rs 1 lakh fine to the corporation for erecting flexis everywhere in the town without taking permission from the KMC. KTRs order to Murali, who is also TRS town president, came when the corporator tried to present him a memento at a meeting held on Sunday in connection with the Pattana Praga-thi programme. Mr Rao directed Mayor Papalal, who was there on the dais, to ensure that the corporator paid the fine. KTR reacted in a similar vein against Yellan-du municipal chairperson Dammalapati Venk-ateswara Rao. Pointing to the flexis at the public meeting, the minister asked the chairperson too to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh to the Yellandu municipality. We should conquer the hearts of people by implementing development works for the society and not just erecting flexis, Mr Rama Rao remarked. The municipal administration and urban development minister said once people in responsible positions are fined for erecting flexis, general public will stop putting up flexis on their own. The two incidents became a topic of discussion among TRS leaders and officials. An uproar erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday as BJP and Congress MPs pushed and shoved each other after the Opposition party protested over the issue of the Delhi violence and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. Ruckus erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday as BJP and Congress MPs pushed and shoved each other after the Opposition party protested over the issue of the Delhi violence and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. Congress MP Ramya Haridas wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that she was physically assaulted by BJP MP Jaskaur Meena, who denied the allegation. In the letter, Haridas wrote, I was physically assaulted by the MP Ms Jaskaur Meena. Is this repeatedly happened to me just because I am Dalit and woman? [sic]. Cong MP ramya haridas writes to speaker - says she was pushed by sobjp leaders .. pic.twitter.com/LQUkM5rgKD pallavi ghosh (@_pallavighosh) March 2, 2020 She was also quoted by ANI as saying, I am a Dalit woman. Today when the Parliament session started at 3pm, I was moving towards the Well of the House to raise the issue of Delhi violence. That time the BJP MP hit me on my shoulder. Parliament is not secure for women Parliament members. However, Meena, claiming that the allegations were false, said, As she opened the banner in Lok Sabha, it hit me on my head. I asked her to move ahead. I didn't hit or push her. If she says she is using 'Dalit' word, then I'm also a Dalit woman. Soon after the session in the Lok Sabha commenced at 2 pm on Monday, Opposition members started raising slogans from the Well against the government. The Lower House was adjourned three times till 4.30 pm as the ruckus continued. The Opposition members went into the section of the treasury benches carrying a black banner, and demanded Shah's resignation, as the Speaker took up the listed business. Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi condemned their "unruly behaviour" and asked the Speaker to continue with normal business. Joshi alleged that "these are the people" who have provoked the riots. "They murdered 3,000 people in 1984 (riots) and did no investigation. The priority is to restore peace... but they want to create tension," he said. Seeking to restore normalcy in the House, Birla asked Opposition members who were in the Well to take their seats even as they continued to shout the slogan We want justice. They were also holding placards saying "Stop hate speech, save our India". Things took a turn for worse as Congress' Gaurav Gogoi and Ravneet Singh Bittu took a black banner to the Treasury benches where BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal was speaking on 'Vivaad Se Vishwas' Bill. BJP members, including Ramesh Bidhuri and Nishikant Dubey, asked them to return to the Well. The charge by the Congress members angered BJP members, including many from back benches, who rushed towards the Congress members. Members from both sides then began pushing and shoving each other following which the proceedings were adjourned till 3 pm by the Speaker. Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani were seen trying to pacify the agitated members. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi were present in the House during the uproar. When the House reassembled at 3 pm, some BJP members were seen blocking the way to their side of the Well. BJP's Rama Devi, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House again till 4 pm saying "whatever you have done is wrong". But the ruckus continued when the House again met and it was adjourned till 4.30 pm by the Chair. However, the slogan-shouting by the BJP members continued. They chanted slogans like "Desh ki raksha kaun karega, hum karenge hum karenge (Who will defend the nation, we will do it" and "Mahatma Gandhi amar rahein, nakli Gandhi jail mein rahein (Long live Mahatama Gandhi, fake Gandhis stay in jail). Some Opposition members placed a placard demanding Shah's resignation on the Speaker's table but it was swiftly removed by the staff. Earlier, Birla asked leaders of Opposition parties to ensure that their members take their respective seats as the "people of the country are watching (the proceedings)". "This is the temple of democracy. There are certain rules and tradition. You should not come to the Well," he said. Birla also said "as you are responsible representatives of people here, it is your collective responsibility to maintain peace and tranquility." Amid the din, two bills The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill and Mineral Laws Amendment Bill were introduced. Also the Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill was moved for consideration and passing. With inputs from agencies LOS ANGELES For one 24-hour period, Joe Biden had everything going right for him from his win in South Carolina to Pete Buttigieg dropping out, clearing one moderate opponent from the presidential primary field. But the progressive movements answer to Bidens run of good fortune was quickly materializing in California where the deafening crowds that met Bernie Sanders on Sunday screamed a reminder of how quickly he still could pull away from Biden. The Super Tuesday map broadly favors Sanders, and polls suggest the Vermont senator is all but certain to win in California on Tuesday, the largest delegate prize. The corporate establishment is getting nervous, Sanders warned a crowd of 9,500 people in San Jose, a refrain he reprised in front of thousands more in Los Angeles hours later. The political establishment is getting nervous as well. Some in the Democratic establishment are saying, My God, look at the turnout here! The effect of Buttigiegs withdrawal from the race is unclear, with his supporters potentially going to any number of other candidates, including Sanders. On Twitter on Sunday, he congratulated Buttigieg "for running a strong and historic campaign" and went on "to welcome all of his supporters into our movement." But it is Biden, more than any other contender, who is desperate for a consolidated field that will offer him a head-to-head race with Sanders. And on Sunday, Sanders himself implicitly cast the contest as a two-person race, tearing into Biden over his votes for the Iraq War, trade agreements and bankruptcy legislation part of a critical riff that has grown in size and scope. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Joe Biden is a friend of mine, Sanders said to boos in San Jose, which went on for so long that he felt compelled to step in and stop them. No, no, no, he interjected. But weve got to be honest about which campaign can beat Trump, he added, arguing that Bidens record would not create the kind of excitement needed to win. Story continues Bidens campaign has been riding an uncharacteristic high in recent days, raising much-needed money while needling reporters and pundits who doubted his prospects in South Carolina. In crowing, the campaign is hoping that it can keep its momentum going into Super Tuesday. Kate Bedingfield, Bidens deputy campaign manager and communications director, wrote on Twitter, Lets play a game. You name a county in South Carolina, I will tell you @JoeBiden won it. Go. But it is Sanders, not Biden, who is best positioned to dominate on Super Tuesday, most of all in California, where he carried over a massive organization of supporters from his failed run in 2016. Sanders said volunteers have already knocked on more than one million doors in the state. In Los Angeles on Sunday night, he told a roaring crowd that with your help on Tuesday, were going to win the Democratic primary here in California. He added, The candidate who wins in California has an excellent chance to win the Democratic nomination. If Sanders wins California, it will be because of that organization which has allowed him to almost singlehandedly co-opt a state where centrist Democrats failed this year to coalesce around an alternative. Former Gov. Jerry Brown, a relatively moderate icon in California who endorsed Clinton over Sanders in 2016, has been silent. So has his successor, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the states junior senator, Kamala Harris, who ended her own campaign in December. Sen. Dianne Feinstein endorsed Joe Biden, to little effect. Instead, the crowds that Sanders began building four years ago, when he made his last stand in California with a spate of rallies up and down the state, are propelling him forward. Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, led the crowd in San Jose in a call-and-response that touched on the themes of Sanders campaign, closing with Not me, us! Not me, us! Not me, us! Sanders campaign co-chair and local Congressman Ro Khanna framed Sanders priorities as falling in perfect harmony with this liberal state. Silicon Valley is more than the tech CEOs! Khanna railed. He recalled talking with a woman recently in South Carolina, who told him, were not just one movement. Were many movements within the movement, listing a diverse coalition of people from different backgrounds and jobs. And shes right, Khanna said. The screams of struggle for dignity and equality are converging at this moment ... and a man (Sanders) will lead us to the dawn of a new progressive era. Noting that Sanders is knocking it out of the park with young voters, Bonnie Castillo, executive director of National Nurses United and the California Nurses Association, suggested Sanders success in California is in part because young people are open to new and bolder ideas. In 2016, the actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke told Sanders supporters in Los Angeles, voters werent quite getting" what Sanders said. This time, he said, they are. Dutch firm Royal DSM, plans to introduce its pre-mixed micro-nutrient daily home fortifier 'Nu-Shakti' in north India soon. Nu-Shakti is a first of its kind product category that is based on home fortification to enhance essential nutrients and vitamins without altering taste, odour or appearance of their daily food. Currently, Nu-Shakti products -- fortified rice and wheat flour kernels, fortified orange-flavoured beverage mix; and vitamins and mineral mix -- are being sold in Tamil Nadu alone. "It's been six months since we launched Nu-Shakti. We are still in a pilot stage and present only in Tamil Nadu right now. However, we are evaluating other markets in north India. We will finalise one of the northern states for the launch in a month,' DSM India Business Director Alok Kohli told PTI. The product was first launched in Tamil Nadu because the severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children under age of five in the state was higher than the national average of 7.5 per cent, as per the National Family Health Survey, Kohli said. The fortified rice and atta kernels products are available at Rs 5 per sachet at present. The company has sold around 5,00,000 packs of these products so far and going forward the figures are expected to rise with increased awareness about fortification, he said. Kohli explained one sachet of fortified rice kernel is sufficient to mix with one kilo of traditional rice. It can be mixed with rice before cooking and store it else can be used while cooking rice. The same is for fortified atta (wheat flour) kernel. To address malnutrition in the country, the central government is working on a pilot scheme to sell fortified rice to the poor through ration shops at a subsidised rate. Founded in 1902, DSM Group has annual net sales of about 10 billion euro with approximately 23,000 employees and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One firefighter was hurt in large late-night fire at a truck repair facility in Elizabeth that triggered explosions and a roof collapse. The fire broke out around 11 p.m. Sunday at Elizabeth Truck Center on North Avenue East, according to WABC-7. No one was inside when the blaze erupted, though gasoline and diesel run off from several vehicles inside led to several small explosions, according to News 12 New Jersey. Flames and smoke could be seen several miles away. Firefighters continue to pour water following a fire at Elizabeth Truck Center in Elizabeth, March, 2, 2020.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for The cause of the fire is under investigation as firefighters check for hot spots early Monday. Elizabeth officials couldnt be immediately reached for additional information. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The Delhi riots have left not just 47 dead but also a series of troubling questions. We need to pay attention to these in our own interests. For the last three months, the seeds of violence were being sown in Delhi. This is the tragic culmination of the provocative issues our political leaders have been trying to focus on in the last several elections. The invisible warriors of social media were also stoking this fire. Why dont we understand the fact that the tone and language of our politicians change according to the place, time and circumstances? Take the example of former Delhi Member of Legislative Asembly (MLA), Kapil Mishra. Till a few years ago, as a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mishra used to rebuke Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2019, Mishra joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and suddenly became a self-declared protector of Hindu interests. You must have seen him on television channels, saying in the presence of a deputy commissioner of Delhi Police, that we are waiting for the American President Donald Trumps visit to the Capital city to get over to act. Mishra warned that if the blocked roads were not opened after the visit, then his forces would be unstoppable. These remarks set the ground for the horrific Delhi riots. Here, its important to mention AAP councillor Tahir Hussain. The manner in which petrol bombs, stones and chemicals were allegedly found in his custody shows what a dangerous game our politicians are playing. The councillor has refuted these charges, but a case has been filed against him, charging him with complicity in the murder of Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma. It is also worth mentioning here the statement of a former All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator,Waris Pathan. He had said 150 million [Muslims] will weigh heavily on a billion Hindus. Mishra and Pathan are two sides of the same coin. The Union government and political parties must deal with such elements strictly and without delay. The Shaheen Bagh movement, though inadvertently, has helped such people. Admittedly, the women protesting have succeeded in maintaining social harmony. But there is a palpable sense of dissatisfaction even among those who sympathised with the protests due to the constraints on mobility. Similarly, when traffic jams took place in Jaffrabad in Delhi, this underlying dissatisfaction gave miscreants like Mishra an opportunity to stoke passions. Now lets come to Delhi Police. Had the police got into action at the right time, people wouldnt have had to turn to the courts asking for help. The situation got so out of control that their own head constable fell victim to the violence. Dozens of policemen were injured and one Indian Police Service officer was admitted to hospital. This must be among the first instances when the police looked like they were just going through the motions, even when their own were affected by the violence. Is our police force not neutral anymore? Or, has the force become inactive or incapable? It was not long ago that a young man brandished a gun near Jamia Milia Islamia. Abusing the demonstrators, he was shouting the slogan: Delhi Police zindabad! Who convinced him that the police were with us? This is the reason why National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had to take charge of the situation. When northeast Delhi was engulfed in communal violence, the mohallas of old Delhi, where Hindus and Muslims have been living side by side for centuries, was peaceful. Not one stone was hurled there. Why? The residents here have learnt to live together despite disagreements and fights. Questions also arise on the functioning of the new government in Delhi. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal used to pass on the responsibility for all that went wrong on the Centre. He has now returned to power in Delhi after winning the support of half of the voters of Delhi. He says that riots were spread by outsiders, not Delhiites. Is he not the chief minister of the riot-affected areas? Didnt the people vote for him? It is true that his ministers and MLAs tried to talk to the officials concerned, but Kejriwals admirers expected and needed much more from him. Had he followed Bapus methodology instead of sitting at Rajghat, some lives might have been saved. At such a time, Gandhi did not sit in isolation. He used to go to such places where violence was taking place and put his own life at stake to save others. Finally, a question to the people of this country. Are the people of this country so naive that they can be tricked by what various leaders say? If we stop voting for such leaders, they will also be forced to forgo such incendiary phrases and rhetoric. It is important to remain vigilant and aware, and not fall prey to divisive politics. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan The views expressed are personal Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 2, 2020) - Relay Medical Corp. (CSE: RELA) (OTCQB: RYMDF) (FSE: EIY2) ("Relay" or the "Company"), a developer of MedTech innovation, provides an update on Glow LifeTech Ltd. subsidiary and corporate expansion activities. In December 2018, Relay announced the formation of Glow LifeTech Ltd. ("Glow"), a subsidiary to explore technology opportunities in the global cannabis sector. Relay Medical is pleased to announce that its Glow LifeTech subsidiary has signed a commercialization agreement (the "agreement") with the innovative biotechnology company Swiss PharmaCan AG to acquire the exclusive rights for the manufacturing and sales of the patented and award winning MyCell InsideTM advanced drug delivery technology (the "Technology"). Under the agreement, Glow LifeTech and Swiss PharmaCan are joint strategic partners in bringing the technology and products to the North American market and will maintain an ongoing, collaborative working relationship providing support with ongoing studies and access to a pipeline of future product innovations. The technology allows Glow to formulate cannabinoids and nutraceuticals with dramatically improved absorption, fast-acting onset, precise dosing and superior therapeutic benefits, to meet the growing demands for next generation value-add, high margin cannabis and nutraceutical products. The initial terms of the agreement include exclusive licenses for curcumin, iron, Vitamin K and all cannabis related formulations for the United States, Mexico and Canada markets. The technology was recognized by the pharma industry with the prestigious CPhl Award for excellence in formulation in 2018 and has been successfully commercialized in Europe with growing sales in CBD, curcumin, vitamin and other nutraceutical health products. "Not only does Glow's proprietary technology meet the requirements of enhanced bioavailability and water solubility, but also has the advantages of proven scalable manufacturing processes, verified consumer traction and a proprietary all-natural ingredient process proven on nearly 300 compounds," said Tom Glawdel, Chief Science Officer, Relay Medical Corp. "It is well known that fat-soluble nutraceutical compounds, such as THC, CBD, and curcumin are difficult for the body to absorb which results in waste, slow onset, unpredictable dosing and therapeutic benefits. Glow's technology mimics the human body's natural process for absorbing such compounds by encapsulating them in pre-formed micelles making these compounds ready for near immediate absorption when ingested. The process does not change the underlying molecular structure of the compound and the plant based all-natural ingredient adds no additional taste, odour or colour. Where conventional CBD oils taken orally have a bioavailability of 10%, meaning 90% never reaches the blood stream and is wasted, oils transformed by MyCell Inside can have close to full absorption." Story continues "We are very excited to partner with Relay and fully capitalize on bringing our leading-edge technology and products to the North American nutraceutical and cannabis markets. We are confident that our shared vision and strategy will not only disrupt the marketplace, but more importantly enrich the lives of consumers looking for natural and effective products for nutrition, pain relief and recreational therapy," said Michel Faessler, Managing Director, Swiss PharmaCan AG. Product & Technology Highlights: Proprietary Breakthrough Innovation Recognized by the Pharma Industry: Prestigious CPhI Award Supported by continued scientific and clinical studies A suite of nearly 300 compounds (CBD, Curcumin, Vit A, Vit K, Omega 3+) Unlocks Enhanced Potential of Cannabis and Nutraceuticals Mimics the bodies natural process of oral intake of fat-soluble compounds Maximizes absorption and bio-activity Get full value with minimal waste of expensive materials Allows for a predictable experience with faster onset/offset Accurate and precise dosing Maintain full spectrum profile of cannabis plant if desired Seamless integration into beverages, tinctures, sprays, foams, foods, topicals Smaller gel-capsules from increased potency 100% All-Natural ingredients Non-GMO, plant-based materials No synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, alcohol or preservatives No soap or chemical taste Key ingredient is source controlled and processed Commercially validated processing technology Partner in EU already selling diverse product line including CBD and nutraceuticals Mfg line is compact and scalable to local jurisdictions Production economics have been validated TAM includes Cannabis, Vitamins, Functional Food and Pharma North American Cannabis & Nutraceutical Market The North American markets for cannabis and nutraceutical products are set for robust growth. The adult-use cannabis market alone is projected to be $97 billion by 20261, fueled by novel developments such as cannabis-infused food and beverages and the federal legalization of hemp-derived CBD. According to Deloitte research, 22%2 of the Canadian adult population consumes recreational marijuana on an occasional basis, and the market set to reach $9.2 billion domestically by 20252 with strong growth in 'Cannabis 2.0' such as edibles, beverages and topicals, which are a natural fit for MyCell InsideTM technology. In addition, Mexico is poised to legalize adult-use cannabis as early as April 2020. The Canadian functional foods and natural health products market which encompasses Glow's nutraceutical initiatives was estimated to be $24 billion in 2018. As North American consumers continue to seek alternatives to better health and well-being, the nutraceutical market will experience strong growth fueled by and relating to widespread nutritional deficiencies, weight management, digestive health, and other doctor recommended use of such products. 1https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/12/11/1959304/0/en/Cannabis-Market-Size-Worth-USD-97-35-Billion-by-2026-Driven-by-the-Massive-Product-Demand-Across-the-World-Says-Fortune-Business-Insights.html 2https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ca/Documents/c-and-ip/ca-en-consumer-nurturing-new-growth-en-aoda-may31.pdf 3https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/canada-functional-foods-natural-health-products-market Opt-on to Glow's mail distribution list at www.glowlifetech.com or for further inquiries contact: James Van Staveren Corporate Development & Research Glow LifeTech Ltd. jamesv@glowlifetech.com The Board of Directors of Relay Medical Appoint Yoav Raiter as CEO of the Company Relay Medical's board of directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Director of Product Development, Yoav Raiter as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "Yoav is an immensely talented leader who has been a driving force behind the commercialization of the Company's projects for the past two years and the board of directors collectively have both fostered and anticipated his ascent to the role of CEO. We look forward to working with Yoav in his expanded leadership role as he continues to advance the Company's projects towards commercial readiness," said Gerard Edwards, Chairman, Relay Medical Corp. As Relay's Director of Product Development, Yoav was responsible for project management, user testing, paths to commercialization, design, research and consumer insight. Prior to joining Relay Medical, Yoav built a 30-year career managing product development and innovation, leading the development of large-scale software teams, and medical device development management. Yoav was formerly the project manager for strategic accounts at StarFish Medical and Director of project management and business development at Kangaroo Group. Yoav has additionally managed large-scale ERP product development and implementation projects for broadcasters in Canada and the US for Pilat Media and SintecMedia. Yoav received an MBA, Specialized in High Tech Innovation Strategy, from Haifa University in Israel and B.Sc., Industrial Engineering, major: Project Management, Business Development and Information Systems from the Technion at Haifa, Israel. With the promotion of Mr. Raiter, Lahav Gil has stepped down as CEO and Director of Relay Medical. Mr. Gil joined the Company as CEO in January 2018 and has been responsible for the building of the Company's commercialization infrastructure and advancement of the development of the HemoPalm Corp. and UX Data Science product lines. Mr. Gil will continue to advise on a project by project basis. Mr. Raiter's appointment as CEO is effective as of March 1, 2020. About Relay Medical Corp. Relay Medical is a MedTech innovation Company headquartered in Toronto, Canada focused on the development of novel technologies in the diagnostics and data science sectors. Website: www.relaymedical.com Contact: W. Clark Kent President Relay Medical Corp. Office. 647-872-9982 ext. 2 TF. 1-844-247-6633 ext. 2 investor.relations@relaymedical.com Bernhard Langer EU Investor Relations Office. +49 (0) 177 774 2314 Email: blanger@relaymedical.com Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for Glow Lifetech Ltd. described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52999 Ramniklal Solanki, who arrived in the UK in 1964 as a correspondent for Indian newspapers and went on to found the multi-title Asian Media Group that closely reflected the achievements and setbacks of the Indian diaspora over several decades, passed away on Sunday after a brief illness aged 88. Home secretary Priti Patel, whose parents arrived from east Africa, paid tributes to Solanki: Generations of British Gujaratis including my parents avidly enjoyed his publications. He wrote with great empathy chronicling the plight of the East African Indian community through expulsion and the challenges of settling in Britain. But as the British Indian community flourished, its success was celebrated and acknowledge by Ramniklal through new publications recognising the professional contribution of our community to the cultural and economic strength of Britain, she added. Described as a giant in Gujarati-language journalism and pioneer of the Asian media in the UK, Solankis career began over six decades ago when he wrote for local papers in Gujarat and as the London correspondent of the Mumbai-based Janmabhoomi Group of newspapers. He was the founder-editor of the Garavi Gujarat newsweekly and the Asian Media Group, whose titles include Eastern Eye, Asian Trader and Pharmacy Business. His contribution was honoured with royal honours OBE in 1997 and CBE in 2007. Lacking finance and latest technology, Solanki and his wife Parvatiben launched Garavi Gujarat as a cyclo-styled, black and white news-sheet from a small house in Wembley on April 1, 1968. It soon gained a following, becoming the largest-selling Gujarati newspaper outside India and a focal point for the community. Solanki and his publication closely covered the arrival of Asian immigrants expelled from east Africa in the early 1970s, as the families faced hostility while adjusting to a new life in Britain. He visited refugee camps and heard accounts of those affected by the political upheaval in Idi Amins Uganda. Solankis group hosts annual events and awards such as GG2 Leadership Awards, the Asian Business Awards, and Asian Trader Awards, which are attended by leading lights from politics and other spheres, including diplomats from the Indian high commission. In 2014, former Prime Minister David Cameron was the chief guest. Solanki is survived by wife Parvatiben, sons Kalpesh and Shailesh, daughter Sadhana and 11 grandchildren. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The show will highlight student actors Neo Valentin and Devin A. Gibbs. MCLA Spring Theatre Season Kicks Off With 'Topdog/Underdog' NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts theater program kicks off its spring season with Suzan-Lori Parks' "Topdog/Underdog." The play will be directed by visiting guest artist Rodney Creech, with student John Archer-Harvey serving as assistant director. "Topdog/Underdog" opens on Friday, March 6, with additional shows on March 7, 10, 11, and 12. All performances begin at 8 p.m. There will be additional matinee performances at 2 p.m. on March 7 and 8. A talk-back with Creech and the cast will be held after the March 8 matinee performance. General admission tickets are $15. The play explores the lives of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth, locked in a battle of wits over a game of Three-card Monte while struggling to come to terms with their identities. With her trademark explosive language, Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning comic drama explores the deepest of connections, and what it means to be a family of man. Furious passengers on board Virgin's first ever cruise ship have lashed out after being told the vessel will skip its planned stop in New York and divert to Miami amid coronavirus fears. After setting sail from Liverpool the Scarlet Lady was due to dock in the Big Apple this weekend to give media and travel experts a chance to look at the luxurious cruise liner. But Virgin said Monday it had cancelled the promotional events, citing branding concerns rather than any health risks. Virgin insisted it had no health issues on board and had made the decision not to dock in the Big Apple itself. It comes as New York recorded its first case of coronavirus on Sunday, adding to a nationwide total of 77, including two deaths in Washington state. Virgin claimed the decision had nothing to do with coronavirus, while alluding to 'global health concerns.' Its decision comes after a string of high profile cruise liner quarantines with high infection rates, including the Diamond Princess and the Westerdam, which were evacuated after weeks at sea in southeast Asia. he Virgin Voyages cruise ship Scarlet Lady is seen on the River Mersey in Liverpool last week before setting sail for New York Live tracking data captured this morning showing the current position of the vessel after it set sail from Liverpool Virgin Voyages' full statement: In light of the current news headlines, we want to ensure everyone feels it is the right time to celebrate with us. We understand people may want to focus on other things at the moment, so we have made the decision to reschedule our upcoming Showcase Tour stop and events in New York City. We plan to sail back to New York soon for you to visit her. We have absolutely no health concerns or issues on board and elevated our health protocol and processes when we took delivery of Scarlet Lady to keep our crew and visitors well and happy. With no other events scheduled in New York at this time, we will instead sail Scarlet to her new home in Miami, where we will continue our plans for launch and welcome our Sailors for the first time. Our Crew are so excited to host you, and we know that when you meet them and experience all we have to offer, you will see what we're doing to change vacations at sea forever. We will be in touch soon with new dates for your visit. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to seeing you very soon. Advertisement In a statement to passengers obtained by The Sun, Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin said today: 'In light of growing media focus on global health concerns, we do not feel that it is the right time to showcase our brand in New York. 'We have absolutely no health concerns or issues on board, but the elevated health protocols and processes we put in place when we took the delivery of Scarlet Lady have kept our crew and their family and friends well and happy.' Some of those on board the vessel have expressed fury at the news they will be landed in Florida, hundreds of miles from their intended destination. One told the Sun: 'One member of staff let slip that they found out three days ago that we weren't going to be docking in New York but it's only now they've told us it's a joke. 'We'll be docking in Miami on March 7 and I, like hundreds of others, will be clamoring to get to New York or have new flights booked from Miami to home. 'Virgin should be putting on flights to get their passengers home safely it's disgusting.' The irate passenger claimed he was to be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket by the diversion and said he had thought it was a joke when the announcement was first made. The 850 aboard the colossal vessel are family and friends of those who work for Virgin, as well as the crew. Its true maiden voyage - open to the public - is scheduled for next month when it will sail from Miami around the Caribbean. Mr McAlpin added in his statement: 'In positive news, most airlines have relaxed fees and penalties for flight changes, and you now have five days to adjust your plans where needed. 'If you do incur costs, Virgin Voyages will reimburse up to $200 per person for any incremental air costs.' The Virgin Voyages cruise ship Scarlet Lady is seen on the River Mersey in Liverpool on February 26 In a statement to passengers Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin (pictured) said today: 'In light of growing media focus on global health concerns, we do not feel that it is the right time to showcase our brand in New York' In a further statement today, Virgin said that the vessel 'will instead sail to her new home in Miami, where we will continue with our plans for launch and welcome our Sailors for the first time.' The weekend's events in New York had been set to include a Drag Brunch and a dinner at the ship's Razzle Dazzle venue. Tickets, which quickly sold out, were offered to both media representatives and members of the public for a two-night stay on the vessel while it was to be docked. It comes as Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed the first coronavirus patient in New York over the weekend with reports a woman is currently in Manhattan and has isolated herself at home. The central atrium is seen on the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady cruise liner at Dover Port in Dover, Britain, February 21, 2020 Chairs sit at a bar area on the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady cruise liner at Dover Port before its transatlantic voyage A man walks through the central atrium on the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady cruise liner at Dover Port A statement from the Cuomo's office revealed the patient, an unidentified woman in her late 30s, contracted COVID-19 while traveling in Iran. At least 77 patients in the US have now been confirmed to have coronavirus, after one was reported in Rhode Island and a fifth 'unknown' origin case was found in Chicago on Sunday. Gov. Cuomo admitted that the deadly virus' entrance into New York's population of 19million was a 'matter of when, not if.' Government censors are stepping up their war on any online content not previously approved by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. A new set of regulations took effect on Sunday warning content creators and their platforms that content that seeks to "hype" news stories including scandals and official wrongdoing or "improperly comments" on major news events will result in the deletion of user accounts. Large numbers of social media accounts were being shut down on Monday by content providers, who are obliged to police content published on their platforms, RFA has learned. Much of the content deemed "improper" by the authorities relates to unapproved information about the coronavirus epidemic. "We have to be careful now to avoid getting shut down," a social media user surnamed Meng told RFA after a group chat on the WeChat social media platform was shut down by the authorities on Friday. "Our group and our personal accounts were all shut down last night," Meng said. A social media user surnamed Sun in the central province of Hubei, worst-hit by the coronavirus epidemic, said he was detained for more than two months after he posted something the authorities didn't like. Now, his new account has also been shut down. "I sent five photos of the [pharmaceutical product] Vedesive," Sun said. "Now my account has been shut down and the municipal police came to call." Paying a heavy price Beijing-based poet Wang Zang said the new rules outlaw anything that the government doesn't regard as "positive news." "Countless accounts and posts continue to be deleted, as people fight to get through internet loopholes," Wang said. "Many people have paid a heavy price for their struggle for freedom of speech." "With the [new rules], the authorities are continuing to violate Article 35 of the Constitution ... In terms of the freedom of speech environment, we are now even deeper into the ice age," he said. Under the new rules issued by the powerful Cyberspace Administration, content providers and platforms must refrain from using the internet to "insult, defame, threaten, spread rumors, or violate the privacy of others." The rules also take aim at "exaggerated headlines" that seek to "hype up" scandals and other negative news stories. "Those who produce online news and content must take measures to prevent and resist the production, reproduction, and publication of such content," the rules say. Law expert and online commentator Zhao Yiming said the new rules should be subject to the country's constitution, but in fact they have the effect of overturning it. The next stage More than one billion people use WeChat, but complaints of account and group shutdowns are becoming more and more widespread. Zhang Jianping, an activist from the eastern province of Jiangsu, said the new rules are the next stage in the ruling Chinese Communist Party's exercise of total control over all forms of public expression. "If we could solve our country's problems by keeping our mouths shut, and set it on the path to better development, then we would be willing to do this," Zhang said. "But this is clearly not the case." Content producers are forbidden to produce, copy, or publish content containing "illegal" information including "endangering national security," "leaking state secrets," "subverting state power," or "undermining national unity." They are also forbidden to allow content that smears or mocks the names of revolutionary heroes and martyrs or contemporary public figures. Social media user Dong Qin said she has had her account shut down 11 times, and counting. "I am now on my 12th account. The last time I was blocked, I only wrote a couple of words," Dong said. "I was also blocked another time when I said two words during an audio call." "It's a huge hassle to try to get an account again," she said. "I only managed to get my 12th account after trying for three days." Stability maintenance Sichuan-based social media user He Xi said online censorship is part of China's "stability maintenance" system of pre-emptive law-enforcement that protects Communist Party rule. "This is the way that they maintain stability," He said. "Nobody has any privacy at all in mainland China." "Everything is subject to big data controls. You can start your own business, but your assets won't be protected ... they just don't run the country according to law." Instead of allowing "rumors" and "negative news" onto their sites, content providers are urged to "Propagate Xi Jinping's thinking on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era," and the party's "theoretical line, policies, and major central decision-making arrangements." Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Lau Siu-fung for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. People magazine recently published its pro-abortion issue, Womens Choices, Womens Voices. In it youll find the misleading story of an Orthodox Jewish mother and wife in the suburbs of New York City who once traveled to Colorado to abort a distressed baby in the 31st week of pregnancy. The woman chose to tell her traumatic story, relayed to a People staffer, anonymously because she fears her community and friends will stigmatize her for ending a life, even for medical and religious reasons. And she ends her story on a curiously secular-sounding note: We look at it as a religious right, and a right to healthcare. (Italics mine.) We do? Though Im not a rabbi I havent even attended yeshiva in decades I cant recall ever hearing or reading any Orthodox Jewish scholar asserting that theres a religious mandate to abort an unborn baby. A necessity, perhaps. A tragedy? Definitely. So while Im no authority, its certainly fair to say that Jewish law on the topic of abortion is complicated (you can read a short explainer here). To refer to Orthodox Jews as politically pro-life, for example, would be somewhat misleading though nowhere as misleading as claiming theyre pro-choice. As one Orthodox rabbi friend of mine notes, the woman in the piece may be underestimating the chances of viability for that pregnancy, but there are cases where Halacha [Jewish religious law] allows abortions with a combination of extremely low-viability chance (not just speculative) and mental- or physical-health stress on the mother. Even we accept that a very prominent Orthodox rabbi had blessed euthanasia and thats what the woman claims to have done, as she admits to not knowing if the baby was going to die it doesnt mean that abortion is generally permissible in Orthodox communities. It certainly doesnt indicate that aborting a sick baby is considered a right or a religious necessity, as the People magazine piece tries to suggest. Story continues As a religious matter, this Jewish woman surely knows that theres a difference between a mitzvah, or commandment, and a heter, a dispensation, because of some extenuating circumstance, to act in a way that is otherwise forbidden. Even while theres much debate over abortion in Orthodox Judaism, most cases are contingent on the baby being considered a rodef, an entity thats chasing the mother with the intention of killing her. That was not the case with this woman, as far as we know, so it was an outlier, at best. Abortions undertaken to save the lives of women wouldnt be illegal under any ban, as no mainstream pro-life group supports such restrictions. Its always possible that People editors didnt fully convey the womans thoughts on the matter. By stripping a thorny religious issue of all its complexity, People is purposely mischaracterizing the Jewish position to the public. Its less a matter of faith and more about media malpractice. The entire point of the piece, of course, is to suggest that even Orthodox women support late-term abortion. This is almost surely a lie. The woman, needless to say, is, like the rest of us, free to embrace any position she wants on the matter of abortion. Her notion that aborting a baby for convenience the motivation for the majority of abortions, both early and late should also be regarded as healthcare isnt a religious position. Its a secular political position. Like hers, my views on abortion have little to do with any specific theology. Though they do rely on basic science and longstanding concepts of morality that are informed by religion. But its important to note that Orthodox Jewish beliefs regarding abortion are organized around a respect for the sanctity of life including the mothers not expediency or choice. This isnt the Reform movement, whose often malleable religious teachings comport with whatever radical progressivism happens to be in vogue. Whatever else this woman claims, its absurd to argue that Orthodox rabbis share the contemporary Lefts views on the rite of abortion, far more reminiscent of Baalism than of rabbinic Judaism. More from National Review The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has come under intense criticism on social media for ... This mornings newspapers, all of them have Coronavirus as the lead, cover story. When will they bring the spotlight to bear on 822 who are killed by malaria everyday in Nigeria? Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) March 1, 2020 If according to you- Thanks abunch for bragging over the deaths of over 822 hapless Nigerians to malaria, daily. COMMON SENSEIf according to you- @GarShehu , malaria kills over 822 Nigerians, daily, even under @Mbuhari . You are simply telling us that your boss has FAILED on PUBLIC HEALTH.Thanks abunch for bragging over the deaths of over 822 hapless Nigerians to malaria, daily. March 1, 2020 That is how insensitive these spokesmen of the President can be. Imagine what this Garba Shehu is saying. Malaria we all know it cure, but for now no any cure for coronavirus. So why won't the papers talk about it. Jesse (@Jesse65551751) March 1, 2020 When the incompetent, clueless, corrupt, inept and failure #ICCIF Major General Buhari @MBuhari that you work for decide to prioritise health sector the way he prioritises his healthcare in the United Kingdom https://t.co/CHxqfbD0aK March 1, 2020 Shehu had taken to his Twitter and Facebook accounts to ask why all the newspapers used coronavirus headlines as their cover page stories.He wrote, This mornings newspapers, all of them have coronavirus as the lead, cover story. When will they bring the spotlight to bear on 822 who are killed by malaria every day in Nigeria?However, Shehus comment had attracted about 500 mostly negative comments from his followers.An aide to former Senate President Bukola Saraki, asked Shehu to stop creating the wrong narrative.Tweeting with his handle, @MrBanksOmishore, he said, Please stop this attitude of us (presidency) versus everyone. Stop looking for imaginary enemies. If you are not attacking those you call opposition or wailers, you are attacking media houses. For once, preach unity to face #coronavirusnigeria then go back to your politicking once defeated.Bring Back Our Girls co-convener, Aisha Yesufu, said Shehus tweet was evidence that Buharis government was incompetent in the area of health.When the incompetent, clueless, corrupt, inept and failure #ICCIF Major General Buhari @MBuhari that you work for decides to prioritise health sector the way he prioritises his healthcare in the United Kingdom, she replied@IbangaImmanuel tweeted, I love this..Papers are tired of reporting your principals failure as lead story. What pains most is the numerous fools liking his self indicting comment. Whats more important is it reporting malaria scourge or ending it? Whos responsible to end malaria scourge? Media or government?Another user, Deji Babalola, asked Shehu to advise Buhari to address the country on the dangers of coronavirus like United States President, Donald Trump had done.@jumupwell tweeted, Just to add, sir, that Cuba, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Armenia, Morocco, Turkmenistan, UAE have been declared malaria-free. When will Nigeria mark five years without a single case of malaria? Help us ask Buhari. Thanks. Later in the day, the Rajasthan government announced that an Italian tourist, who was admitted in a Jaipur hospital, was tested positive for Covid-19. New Delhi: Three cases of coronavirus were reported in the country one each in Delhi, Telangana and Rajasthan. The person from Delhi has a travel history from Italy. Further details of his travels are being ascertained, said health minister Harsh Vardhan. The Air India crew who had flown the Vienna-Delhi flight on February 25 on which the Delhi patient was the passenger have been asked to stay in isolation at their homes for 14 days, officials said. Later in the day, the Rajasthan government announced that an Italian tourist, who was admitted in a Jaipur hospital, was tested positive for Covid-19. The 69-year-old man has been placed under isolation at the government-run Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. The man is part of the group of 20 tourists, who are now in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Aviation regulator DGCA, meanwhile, decided to expand the universal screening of all passengers arriving in flights from Italy and Iran (also) besides the flights from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thai-land, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. With previously reported three coronavirus cases from Kerala, who were discharged from hospitals after recovery, the total number of cases detected in India so far has risen to six. The Union health minister also advised people to take precautions and in case of any symptoms of coronavirus report to the nearest public health facility. People may pose their queries at the health ministrys 24x7 control room at 011-23978046 or email at ncov2019@ gmail.com, the health minister added. Philadelphia Police arrested a man late Friday after he allegedly stole a Fire Department ambulance and led them on a chase through Northeast Philadelphia. Read more Philadelphia police on Monday identified the man who allegedly stole an ambulance Friday night in Northeast Philadelphia, setting off a chain of events that included a police shooting; a circuitous, crash-filled, hour-long chase; and, ultimately, the mans arrest. Mark Giwerowski, 42, of Wissinoming, was to be charged with robbery, carjacking, and a host of related counts, police said. Giwerowski was in critical condition at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital. He was shot by Officer Timothy Kelley, a 27-year veteran, who fired at Giwerowski after he allegedly struck Kelley with the ambulance. About 9 p.m. Friday, police said, firefighters responded to a report of a medical emergency and possible assault at a hotel on the 7600 block of Roosevelt Boulevard. A woman was helped by hotel security after leaving a room and screaming; Giwerowski, who left the same room shirtless, was treated by firefighters for injuries to his face. But Giwerowski became combative with the firefighters, police said, and after police officers arrived, he ran toward the medic unit in the parking lot. After getting in the vehicle, he allegedly drove it in reverse and struck Kelley, then it collided with a police car and nearly struck another cop. Kelley fired into the drivers-side door of the ambulance, police said. Giwerowski drove away on the Boulevard and evaded police for more than an hour, allegedly striking at least four vehicles as he was pursued by police cars and a helicopter. The pursuit was shown live on local TV. State police used spike strips to flatten the ambulances tires, police said, and Giwerowski was arrested on the 2700 block of Tolbut Street after a city officer used a Taser to subdue him before placing him in handcuffs. Kelley was treated at Nazareth Hospital, police said. A second Dail vote for Taoiseach is set to go ahead on Thursday as parties continue to meet and debate policies in an attempt to form a government. Labour has indicated that it will table a motion to the Dails business committee for the vote, which other parties are expected to allow. Fine Gael, Sinn Fein, and others have indicated their support for it. Outgoing Labour leader Brendan Howlin wrote to Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail and the committee late last week seeking the fresh vote. The move comes amid an awareness among leaders to step up talks to form a government after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed here and as post-Brexit trade negotiations begin tomorrow. Nonetheless, even with a fresh vote for Taoiseach, which could be agreed by an incorporeal meeting of the committee as early as tomorrow, the outcome is expected to be the same as it was on February 20, when no leader came close to securing sufficient support to lead the country. The business committee ruled out the vote last Thursday, but Labour pushed on Friday for one to proceed. Fine Gael will tomorrow begin two days of meetings with the Greens before holding what is being deemed a seminar or one-day policy meeting with Fianna Fail on Wednesday. Fine Gael sources insist the talks are non-committal, given that the party intends to go into opposition. This week isnt a negotiation, said a source. Thats why the Taoiseach was clear that he wasnt appointing a negotiating team. Much attention will focus on the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael meeting, and whether the two sides will speed up talks, given that coronavirus has arrived on Irish shores. Tense EU-UK negotiations on a future trade deal also begin tomorrow, amid threats from London to trigger a fresh Brexit no-deal scenario. Wednesdays meeting between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail is expected to include discussion on affordable childcare, income tax change proposals and affordable housing. However, Government sources also stress that the talks between Fine Gael and the Greens will be equally important. They come on the back of emerging gaps between the Greens and Fianna Fail on transport funding and climate change provisions, following tough talks between those two sides last week. MEPs, TDs, and senators will all three groups will be updated at their party meetings in Leinster House during the week on government formation talks. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein is scheduled to meet the Social Democrats, the Green Party, People Before Profit, Independents4Change, and other Independent TDs for talks this week. Mary Lou McDonalds party will also hold a further open public meeting in Cavan tonight, while another one is scheduled in Galway on Friday. Sinn Feins attempts to lead a left-leaning government have received a boost after a Behaviour and Attitudes opinion poll on the weekend put support for the party at 35%, a rise of 10 points since the election. The surge for Ms McDonalds party saw losses for others, with Fine Gael slipping 3 points and Fianna Fail 2 since the February 8 vote. Satisfaction ratings for Ms McDonald have also surged by 13 points to 53%, 22 points ahead of her nearest rival Micheal Martin. The Fianna Fail leader is down 15 points to 31% while satisfaction for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is down eight points to 27%. The poll was conducted from face-to-face interviews with 917 eligible voters on February 17 to 25. Whats at stake? In another election cycle, President Trumps proposed solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was unveiled in January, might have been a defining feature of the campaign. Rights groups condemned the plan for neglecting Palestinian interests, while Israeli settlers said it did not annex enough Palestinian land. But since Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gantz both back the proposal, the election has instead become a plebiscite on Mr. Netanyahu himself. He was indicted on corruption charges in November and, if re-elected, would become the first Israeli prime minister to hold office while a defendant in a criminal trial. Mr. Gantz says the integrity of Israeli democracy is at stake. Mr. Netanyahu says Mr. Gantz is incompetent, and only he has the experience to protect Israels economy and security. Will anyone win a majority? Probably not. But with voter fatigue setting in and fears of coronavirus rising, a lower-than-expected turnout might spring a surprise. All eyes are on Avigdor Liberman, a former ally of Mr. Netanyahu who is now a potential kingmaker. He leads a small secular nationalist group and has yet to clarify whom, if anyone, he will support. To get over the line, Mr. Gantz would also need support from an alliance of Arab parties. But that in turn might put off Mr. Liberman, who has historically ruled out joining a government that includes those Arab lawmakers. Hundreds of Indian Youth Congress members on Monday organised a protest march from Dr Rajendra Prasad Road here against the communal riots in Delhi, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation, but were stopped by police shortly after. Police barricaded the road even as the protesters tried to climb them. Several IYC protesters were detained. The workers of the Congress' youth wing also demanded registration of FIR against BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for their purported hate speeches . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, March 2 : After Congress MP Ramya Haridas complained to Lok Sabha speaker Om Prakash Birla against BJP MP Jaskaur Meena, the BJP's Dausa representative too complained against the Congress. A group of women members of parliament too went and met Birla to raise the issue of the alleged attack on Meena and Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje. During the pandemonium in the House, both the Congress and the BJP came face to face which was followed by minor shoving as well. It started when Congress members came down to the treasury benches as the BJP's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Sanjay Jaiswal was speaking in the House. Soon, BJP members like Ramesh Bidhuri came to Jaiswal's rescue. The House witnessed scattered incidents of face offs. As the Congress-led opposition demanded Amit Shah's resignation as Home Minister, the treasury benches reminded of Sonia Gandhi's speech "aar paar ki ladai" which she delivered from Ramlila Ground on December 14 last year, suggesting that it was inciting. Following scuffles, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. But the after-effects of the heated arguments were felt even after the adjournment. Meena is not only a former Union minister but was also in charge of the Scheduled Tribes (ST) Morcha of the BJP at the national level. Hence, allegations made by Meena have political significance as well. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan may be roaming around the world, even though he is getting his praise but truth is that the people of Pakistan do not likehim. This disclosure can be clearly seen in an international survey. Recently, a survey conducted by Pakistan unit from International Survey Organization has revealed that 66 percent of Pakistanis are not satisfied with the functioning of Imran government. This survey has been done in the month of February. Let us tell you that only 32 percent of Pakistanis are satisfied with the functioning of the Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI) ruling Imran government while 66 percent are considered dissatisfied. The Intelligence News Agency has clearly stated that 59 percent of the people of Pakistan said that the performance of Imran government is worse than the previous governments while 22 percent said that this government looks better than the earlier governments. At the same time, 62 percent of the participants said that the country is not going in the right direction, but 35 percent said that the country is going in the right direction. According to this survey, only 16 per cent of people in Sindh, 13 per cent in Balochistan and 34 per cent in Punjab have expressed satisfaction over the performance of the Imran government. 64 percent people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said that they are satisfied with the Imran government. According to this survey, a fact came out that among the people dissatisfied with the work of Imran government, the number of men is 70 percent and women is 60 percent. Disappointment has also been seen among some youths about the work of the government. At the same time, 66 percent of those under 30 said that they are not happy with the work of the federal government. According to the survey, 76 percent of the traditional voters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party said that the country is in the right direction, but 26 percent of these voters said that they do not think the country is going in the right direction. Also Read: America imposed travel ban on these countries Nawaz Sharif accused of violating bail rules India will contribute to the universe, will look for explosion in supermassive black hole Turkish attack on Syria intensifies, destroyed fighter aircraft Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 18:20:05|Editor: zyl Video Player Close Illegal migrants are attacked by tear gas from Greek police at border zone in Edirne Province, Turkey, on March 1, 2020. (Xinhua) ISTANBUL, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Greek police on Monday fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons against illegal migrants who have been waiting at Turkey's border gate with Greece to cross into Europe, eyewitness said. Thousands of refugees seemed to be stuck at the borderline in Turkey's northwestern province of Edirne as Greek authorities are determined not to allow them into the country. Greek police have beefed-up the security measures in the Pazarkule border gate by covering the zone with additional barbed wires and deploying more troops, said state-run Anadolu Agency. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on Sunday night that so far, over 100,000 refugees have managed to cross to Greece from Edirne. According to local reporters, refugees are mostly using the Evros River, flowing in between the two countries, to sneak into the Greek side. Last week, Turkey decided to open its border gates for illegal migrants after at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed 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 also flooded Turkey's border with Syria. The Turkish government has been repeatedly announcing that it could no longer take the burden of refugees as the country is already hosting over 3.7 million Syrians. Health officials clarify Cancun, Riviera Maya region remain coronavirus free Playa del Carmen, Q.R. State health authorities confirm that the state of Quintana Roo remains free of cases of coronavirus after a Canadian tourist to Playa del Carmen showed symptoms. Dr. Homero Leon Perez, head of the Jurisdiccion Sanitaria 2 de Quintana Roo, explained that the suspected case of COVID-19 coronavirus in the Canadian has been ruled out by health officials. Reports from health services of Quintana Roo confirm there are no cases reported in the state or the municipality of Solidaridad. Head of the Secretaria Estatal de Salud (SESA) Alejandra Aguirre Crespo confirmed that two suspected cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the state have been ruled out. He says two suspected cases were identified in Quintana Roo and were negative to the tests performed at the State Public Health Laboratory. Consequently, he added that Cancun, Riviera Maya and the entire state of Quintana Roo remains free of this condition that currently keeps the health world on alert. Last week, confirmed cases of the coronavirus were announced in Mexico City and Sinaloa. Commercial property specialists, CBRE Ireland yesterday released their first bimonthly property market report for 2020. According to CBRE, in addition to having to contend with property-related measures announced in Budget 2020 towards the end of last year, noise about the status of some open-ended property funds and some unrealistic election manifesto promises in the run up to last months General Election created further uncertainty in the opening months of 2020. Nevertheless, while negotiations regarding the make-up of Irelands next administration and the creation of a Programme for Government continue, the property consultants say that activity has continued at pace in the commercial property sector during January and February, boosted to some degree by a healthy carryover of transactions from 2019 which will boost first quarter sales and leasing activity in many sectors. Total returns from Irish commercial property reached 5.1% during 2019 according to the MSCI Irish Index - a respectable ungeared return that is attractive to long-term investors, particularly when the strength of Irish economic activity and underlying occupational demand is factored in. Activity has continued at pace in the Irish investment market since Christmas with a number of notable transactions completed in the opening months of the year including the sale of several office buildings - Classon House, The Reflector, The Treasury Building, 4&5 Harcourt Street and La Touche House in the IFSC. Despite political uncertainty, CBRE say that assets are continuing to be launched for sale and demand remains strong. That said, according to CBRE, the sooner there is clarity on the complexion of the next Government the better. The figures show that demand for office accommodation is at an all-time high and supply is coming on stream in a very controlled fashion. Even before any 2020 transactions are recorded, almost half of all office stock that is currently under construction in the capital has been pre-committed. Solid occupier demand for new office buildings that are under construction in provincial cities including Galway, Limerick and Cork, which will give rise to leasing transactions being announced in these cities over the coming quarters. There has been a notable increase in small and medium sized requirements in recent months. Some of this is emanating from indigenous companies that are proceeding with office searches now that Brexit uncertainty has eased; some is from firms wishing to come out of flexible space while some are being triggered by upcoming lease events. Furthermore, having recorded almost 1.2 billion of trades during 2019, the Irish development land market has started well in 2020, boosted by a carryover of sales which had been agreed towards the end of last year. In addition, there has been considerable activity underway off-market in the opening months of the year, most notably in the industrial land market. Demand for residential sites continues at pace with particularly strong demand for both zoned and unzoned land in Dublins commuter belt. Several strategic sites are being prepared for sale at present while there is a good level of pitching underway giving visibility on pipeline for the coming months. CBRE say that irrespective of the hue of the next Government, it is clear that all parties aspire to significantly increase housing supply over the coming years and in particular to increase the delivery of both social and affordable housing, which augurs well for the land sector of the market. According to Executive Director & Head of Research at CBRE Ireland, Marie Hunt said, "Several new mandates have been activated since the beginning of the year and there is good visibility on pipeline over the coming months, which is encouraging to the many investors who continue to seek investment opportunities in the Irish market. Activity in the office and industrial occupier markets remains particularly healthy with new supply continuing to be delivered, albeit on a very controlled and measured basis." She added, "However, at this juncture, the market requires visibility on the Programme for Government. This is particularly true in the multifamily sector where investors need clarity on the potential for a rent freeze - a measure which has invariably proved counterproductive in many other markets across Europe. Whatever the hue of the next administration, engagement with the industry is critical. We need long-term thinking to bring certainty to this sector, which has a vital role to play in the economy." Source: www.businessworld.ie Three men have pleaded guilty to scamming Florida Panhandle homeowners out of about $319,000 by promising to repair hurricane damage and never doing the work. Edward Newton, Christoper Mayes and Christian Pantazonis each pleaded guilty Wednesday in Tallahassee federal court to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to court records. The Tampa Bay area men each face up to 20 years in prison at a July 2 sentencing. Newton, 45, hired Mayes, 29, and Pantazonis, 31, in November 2018, about a month after Hurricane Michael hit Florida, according to an indictment. The men went door to door in Bay County to solicit home repair contracts. The men collected down payments for the supposed purpose of buying building materials, prosecutors said. When major repairs never started, Newton initially told complaining homeowners that he would provide refunds. But in May 2019, Newton sent each homeowner a letter saying that he didnt intend to complete the work or return their money. To anyone who endured the devastation of Hurricane Michael, it is almost inconceivable that anyone could stoop so low as to prey on the storms victims in such a craven way, U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe said in a statement. These men took advantage of trusting people in their time of greatest need, and I am pleased that our office has brought these thieves to justice. Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018. It was the first Category 5 storm to strike the contiguous United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Hurricane Homeowners Numbers Sinn Fein appears to have given up its quest to secure the numbers to form a government coalition. The party now say it is concentrating on "the programme for government" during government formation talks, rather than the numbers for a coalition. Eoin O Broin, one of the partys negotiating team, says that a minority Sinn Fein-led government is possible if Irelands left-leaning parties can collectively agree on a range of policies to enact in the new term. "People get very caught up in the numbers, but if we can get a programme for government together that the progressive left parties agree on, we can put that to the Dail floor," he said. "The parties would be voting on the programme rather than the government formation or coalitions, which would effectively lead to a minority government, in which Mary Lou McDonald would be the Taoiseach, as we would still be the largest party in that grouping." In order for this arrangement to be implemented through the Dail, all left-leaning parties and independents would have to vote for it, and one of the larger parties, Fianna Fail or Fine Gael would have to abstain. However both parties have ruled this "reverse confidence and supply" arrangement out in the past. Mr O Broin says whether either party would abstain from such a vote remains to be seen: "What were going to find is that the public is going to get very fed up, weve already seen today in the media there is serious concerns over lack of government over issues like flooding and the coronavirus outbreak, so parties need to act quickly and effectively around the table." Fellow negotiator, Louise OReilly, said that a credible programme for government is "first and foremost on our minds". "We need a credible basis to form a government, we need to step back from the personalities and look at policies this was policy-based election," she said. Im optimistic we can work out a programme for government,and thats the stage were at now, what it would look like and what could be achieved. In order to form a government, parties must command 80 seats: Sinn Fein has 37, Fine Gael has 35 and Fianna Fail has 38. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats have repeated their message that to form a viable government, two of the three big parties must be involved. The message comes as Sinn Fein and the Social Democrats will meet over two days this week to discuss policy. "These are policy discussions, getting out the manifestos and seeing where we agree, but there are some fundamental differences," a spokesperson said. Weve said from the outset, were willing to sit down for discussions but we need two out of the three big parties to form a coalition, because anything else wont be viable. Meeting in Leinster House on Tuesday and Thursday, the two parties have agreed to nine topics to discuss. Tuesdays topics will cover housing and planning, health, "objective resource allocation", which includes funding of public services and disability services. Thursdays will cover workers and families, climate, anti-corruption, good governance, childcare and Irish unity. The Social Democrats will meet the Green Party for similar talks on Wednesday. Filmibeat had an exclusive chat with casting director Mukesh Chhabra at his new office in Mumbai, where he talked about his journey so far and his upcoming projects. For the unversed, Chhabra has been praised tremendously for his excellent casting in films including Dangal, Gangs of Wasseypur, Queen, Panga, Kai Po Che!, Tamasha, Ugly, Shahid and Rockstar. He has won accolades for web series like Sacred Games, Leila, The Family Man and Delhi Crime. Speaking of his journey in Bollywood, Mukesh said that he commenced his filmy journey as an assistant director and later, after gaining experience, he became a pro in the field of casting and started his own work as a full-fledged casting director. When we asked Mukesh Chhabra about working with actress Kangana Ranaut in films like Queen, Rangoon and Panga, he was all praise for her. "I toh love Kangana. I am in love with her," he said, adding that Kangana Ranaut is a great person and very dedicated towards her work. Kareena Kapoor Khan Is All Praise For Kangana Ranaut; Says 'Actresses Are Braver Now' When asked about his upcoming projects in casting, he spoke about his films - Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone's '83, Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt's Brahmastra and Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha. Chhabra also said that he's thankful that he's getting to collaborate in such mega projects and great directors, as he will always the cherish these experiences. Watch the full interview of Mukesh Chhabra here: Filmibeat Specials: Casting Director Mukesh Chhabra Exclusive Interview And Office Visit Gangs Of Wasseypur Casting Took A Year; 384 Actors Were Cast: Mukesh Chhabra [Watch Interview] A swab to be used for testing novel coronavirus in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. It's not clear if this is one of the potentially faulty test kits. David Ryder/Reuters US health authorities are investigating a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab initially tasked with producing coronavirus test kits in the US, according to multiple outlets. A Food and Drug Administration official raised alarm last week about possible contamination in the lab, Axios reported. The agency confirmed a "manufacturing issue" with the tests, which were distributed to numerous state health departments, but the exact nature of the problem is not yet clear. The test-kit production has now been moved to a different lab. The news comes as a further embarrassment to the CDC, which had rejected coronavirus test kits distributed by the World Health Organization in an attempt to make its own. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab that was initially responsible for producing coronavirus test kits in the US is being investigated over fears some of the test kits were faulty, according to multiple reports. The exact nature of an apparent "manufacturing issue" is unclear, but Axios cited unnamed sources on Sunday as saying that a Food and Drug Administration official who visited the lab last week raised the alarm that the lab itself might be contaminated. In a statement to Axios, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said that "problems with certain test components were due to a manufacturing issue," without specifying further. The tests produced at the lab had been distributed to state health departments and other unspecified locations, the Health and Human Services told Axios in statement. The Atlanta lab had manufactured "relatively small amounts" of the kits for labs around the country, Axios wrote, though the exact number remains unknown. Production of the kits has now been moved to a different lab, Axios said. It's unclear whether the coronavirus test kits are suspected of wrongly diagnosing people or missing new diagnoses, but US officials had been under scrutiny for testing relatively few people for the novel coronavirus relative to other countries. Story continues New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sought permission for in-state development of coronavirus test kits after the issue raised in the Atlanta lab. Reuters/Stephanie Keith Timothy Stenzel, the FDA official who Axios said flagged concerns with the lab to other government officials, is the director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health but is not a lab inspector. He had traveled to the Atlanta lab to troubleshoot technical issues in production, where he spotted inappropriate procedures and possible contaminants, according to Axios. The manufacturing issues prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York to apply for emergency permission to develop test kits at the state level, Reuters reported. New York confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on Sunday. The new details are an embarrassment for the CDC, which had refused to use the World Health Organization's test kits and opted to develop its own, according to a ProPublica investigation. Nonetheless Hahn, the FDA commissioner, told Axios that his agency had "confidence in the design and current manufacturing of the test that already have and are continuing to be distributed." President Donald Trump and Dr Anthony Fauci at a White House news conference on the coronavirus crisis on February 26, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty HHS Secretary Alex Azar told ABC News on Sunday that the US was "ramping up" testing and said 75,000 tests were available. More than 3,600 people around the US have been tested so far, Azar said. The US has 86 confirmed cases. The Trump administration has been criticized for the way it's handled the public-health crisis. Last week it barred all government health officials from speaking to the public about the outbreak without prior permission from the White House, The New York Times reported. One of those officials is Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the country's top experts in infectious diseases. Fauci's previous statements had struck a markedly different tone from those of the president, who has been accused of downplaying the threat of the outbreak. Trump has called criticism of his response to the virus a "hoax," in tactics that have been compared to those used by authoritarian regimes, Business Insider's Sonam Sheth and John Haltiwanger reported. Read the original article on Business Insider The 84-year-old Allen is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for such works as Annie Hall and The Purple Rose of Cairo, and is among the most influential comedians of his time. But allegations by daughter Dylan Farrow that he molested her as a child in the early 1990s have effectively idled his movie career in the U.S. Amazon Studios backed out of a production and distribution deal with Allen, and numerous actors have said they wont work with him anymore. His A Rainy Day In New York was released in Europe last year but not in this country. His current production, Rifkins Festival, starring Christoph Waltz and Gina Gershon, was shot last summer and is seeking distribution. When architect Michael Davis was just 19, he came across an abandoned warehouse in a part of Brooklyn that he says "time forgot." It was 1979, long before Brooklyn Heights became a hot spot for celebrities. But even then, the historic brick facade with an enormous clock at the top was a standout. The grandeur of the building and extraordinary views of the bridge, the river, and the skyline entranced me, he says. He vowed to live there one day. In 1997, after the building was converted to residential units, Davis bought the top unit with the clock. Now, 23 years later, the iconic clock tower penthouse is on the market for $2.3 million. "Its hard to find something thats this rare and unique thats in this [price] range," says listing agent Nick Gavin of Compass. He and Josh Doyle, also of Compass, represent the listing. Besides the clock, you have two massive skylights, and the scale and proportion of the rooms are really large, Gavin says. Its not like a cookie-cutter development." That's putting it mildlywe've run across only one similar residence. In San Francisco, a rare clock tower penthouse became available four years ago, but is no longer on the market. In the 1990s, the interiors of the Brooklyn unit didnt measure up to what Davis had imagined. The developer had covered all the original details with Sheetrock and dropped the ceiling height. But there was the clock, Davis says. The historic watch face also doubles as a window in the spacious living room, offering views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, East River, and Lower Manhattan. The clock tower Donna Dotan/ Compass Watch face doubles as a window Donna Dotan/ Compass Bedroom with skylight Donna Dotan/ Compass Davis opened up the space, removed the drop ceilings, restored the brick, and returned its soul. Now a one-bedroom, one-bathroom loft with nearly 17-foot-high ceilings, skylights, as well as large open spaces, light pours in. The 1,260 square feet of living space also include a custom kitchen with extensive storage, a Viking convection stove, Fisher & Paykel dishwasher drawers, paneled Sub-Zero refrigerator, and stone countertops. The spacious master bedroom comes with heated flooring, walk-in closets, millwork and exposed brick, and a skylight. The bathroom features a soaking tub. A washer and dryer has been installed next to the bathroom. Originally constructed in 1892, the landmarked building was headquarters for the Brooklyn Eagle, a local newspaper once edited by poet Walt Whitman. Since 1980, the Brooklyn landmark has been home to 85 residential units on nine floors. Amenities include a door attendant, live-in superintendent, on-site manager, bike storage, fitness center, and lobby. The building is perfectly positioned at the entrance of Brooklyn Bridge Park, and close to shops and restaurants. The area is also close to the subway as well as ferry access to Lower Manhattan. And thanks to the now-working clocknewly restored after years of dormancyyoull never have an excuse to be late. As for Davis, he's leaving for the countryside to raise his daughter. After almost 25 years of caring for the clock, it is time to pass it on, he says. The post Ticktock, This Place Rocks: Brooklyn's Clock Tower Penthouse Is Listed for $2.3M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Two Syrian Planes Downed by Turkey Over Idlib, Pilots Safe Reports Sputnik News 12:35 GMT 01.03.2020(updated 15:12 GMT 01.03.2020) Earlier, the Syrian Army announced that the airspace over Idlib had been closed, and warned that it would down any aircraft breaching its airspace. Turkey has shot down two Syrian aircraft in Idlib province, with the pilots ejecting and managing to land safely, SANA has reported. The planes involved are believed to be fighter jets. No further information has been provided. Syria's inventory of combat aircraft is known to include Mig-29s, Su-22s, and Su-24s. SANA did not clarify whether the planes were hit by Turkish forces, or by Turkish-backed militants, with the attackers described only as the "Turkish regime's terrorist forces." Earlier, unconfirmed pro-Turkish sources reported that the planes may have been downed by Turkish F-16s. Later in the day, a source in the Syrian Defence Ministry told Sputnik that Turkish F-16s had violated Syrian airspace on two occasions Sunday. The source confirmed that the Turkish planes shot down two Syrian aircraft. The source also indicated that the pilots managed to successfully eject, and that they were now safe. According to the source, Syrian air defence units destroyed six Turkish drones which were firing on Syrian forces on Sunday. Unconfirmed footage of one of the plane's destruction has appeared online, with men off-camera heard shouting "Allahu Akbar." The news comes following a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry earlier Sunday denying that a Russian Air Force Su-24 had been downed over the Idlib de-escalation zone. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that Russian aircraft in the Arab Republic were performing their tasks as normal. Also Sunday, Syrian media reported that a Turkish drone had been downed over the city of Saraqib in Idlib, possibly by pro-Turkish militants. Earlier, Syrian Army Command announced the closure of the airspace in the country's north, including in Idlib province, and warned that "all planes violating our airspace will be considered hostile and shot down to prevent them from fulfilling [their] objectives." In February, two Syrian Army helicopters were shot down over northern Syria by Nusra Front* terrorists, with the jihadists believed to have received the US-made MANPAD mobile air defence systems from Turkish military stocks. Turkey began a military operation called 'Operation Spring Shield' in Idlib province on Thursday, soon after at least 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian Army attack on terrorist positions. Immediately after the attack, the Russian military reported that the Turkish forces were operating outside the observation post positions Ankara has dotting the renegade province, and said that the casualties were mixed in with Nusra militants. Syria began a military operation in Idlib province in December 2019, following repeated attacks by Nusra and other terrorist militants, which claimed the lives of dozens of Syrian servicemen. Tensions over the province escalated dramatically in early February after a Syrian artillery strike hit a Turkish observation post, killing over half a dozen troops. The situation has since turned into a shooting war between Syrian government forces on one side and Turkey and Turkish-backed militants on the other. Russia has urged for calm from both sides, and on Saturday reported that Ankara had committed to reducing tensions on the ground. The same day, however, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to leave Turkey "face to face" with Damascus during a telephone conversation on Friday. * a.k.a. al-Qaeda in Syria, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many countries around the world. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The United States is seeing a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in just a couple of days, reporting its second death. Two states have been in the hotspot with new confirmed cases of the deadly virus, Washington has reported eight new cases, with the first death related to the disease. Now, health officials race to trace the contacts of these patients to help contain the virus. Image Credit: Savanevich Viktar / Shutterstock Washington reports two deaths Washington had reported the first death in the United States. Health experts suspect that the virus has been spreading in Washington for weeks before symptoms in these patients emerged. Genetic analysis shows that the cases are tied through community transmission and has been going on undetected for weeks. On Mar. 2, the government reported the second death related to the coronavirus, a patient in his 70s residing in the Seattle area. Just like the first death related to COVID-19, the patient has underlying health conditions. Further, health officials are currently investigating a long-term care facility that might be exposed to the virus, though the death was not linked to the facility. They are investigating 27 patients and 25 staff members at the center who are manifesting symptoms associated with COVID-19. The Life Care Center of Kirkland said new patients, as well as visitors, are now no longer accepted to prevent further spread while everyone in the center is currently under quarantine. A high school boy from Snohomish County had flu-like symptoms and underwent testing, the student's family said in a statement. He was tested for flu, but tests came back negative, and the student returned to school after being home fever-free for two days. After around five minutes back on the campus, the parents called the boy to come home immediately after the tested positive for coronavirus. "The family did not know their son was being tested for COVID-19... Like most people, they assumed it was the flu. They did all the right things," the health district said. New York has two new cases In New York, health officials have reported the state's first coronavirus case, a woman in her 30s who had been on a recent trip to Iran. The woman had been placed in isolation in her home, and she is in a stable condition. "We have learned of the 1st positive case of COVID-19 in NY. The patient contracted the virus while in Iran & is isolated," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "There is no reason for undue anxietythe general risk remains low in NY. We are diligently managing this situation &will provide info as it becomes available," he added. The patient, though manifesting respiratory symptoms, is not in a serious condition. Gov. Cuomo said there is no reason for undue anxiety, and the general risk remains low in New York. Now, New York, as reported in another case, is also from Iran. The two confirmed cases in New York are a couple. Rapid increase worldwide The cases across the globe have rapidly increased in just a couple of days. The number of confirmed cases in Hubei province, China has also increased for two consecutive days after a period of decline, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports. The WHO is currently investigating and monitoring the situation. South Korea has reported the highest number of cases outside mainland China, with more than 4,212 confirmed cases. Iran follows with nearly 1,000 cases, and Italy with nearly 1,700 cases. Iran has reported the highest number of deaths outside China, with a death toll of 54, followed by Italy with 34 and South Korea with 22. The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to develop plans to contain the virus and prevent its rapid spread. "What we see at the moment 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," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said. "As long as that's 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. As I said yesterday, there are different scenarios in different countries and different scenarios within the same country. The key to containing this virus is to break the chains of transmission," he added. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a petition that sought immediate registration of FIRs against political leaders for inflammatory speeches and slogans but underscored that courts could not prevent such things and came into a picture only after an event had taken place. We read newspapers blaming us. There is so much pressure on us. But we cannot prevent such things, Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde observed after hearing lawyer Colin Gonsalves. We dont want people to die We want peace. But the court has never been able to curb such violence, Chief Justice Bobde said. The bench agreed to take up the petition on Wednesday. Colin Gonsalves had mentioned the petition before a bench led by the Chief Justice of India to request an early hearing into the petition. Gonsalves had underlined that the FIRs should be registered immediately since nearly 10 people were dying every day. Last night 6 or 7 people died, he told the bench. The urgency is that 5 or 6 personalities are going around encouraging it, Gonsalves said. A bench of the Delhi High Court led by Chief Justice DN Patel and justice C Hari Shankar had last week given the police four weeks to respond to petitioned that hate speeches by some political leaders had incited the protestors, leading to the riots in the national capital. Forty-six people died in the riots and over 300 were injured. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the request at an early date but underlined that courts could not prevent such riots. We will hear it. But you must understand we are not equipped to prevent such things from happening. We can only come into the scene after such riots have happened Court can never prevent such things, CJI Bobde said. On Harsh Manders petition in the high court, a bench of justices S Muralidhar and Talwant Singh had initially come down hard on the police asking them to review all the video tapes of hate speeches and report back to the court within 24 hours with its decision on registration of cases. Orders to transfer Justice S Muralidhar were issued before this 24-hour deadline ended. The next day, a bench led by Chief Justice Patel of the high court gave the police four weeks after Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta repeated that the atmosphere was not conducive to file cases at the moment. Mehta had taken a similar stand when the case was heard by Justice Muralidhars bench but it had criticised the police for inaction, asked them to do a review, take a decision, and reply the next day. Iran's Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raeesi says 1501 Iranians have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) and at least 66 have died until Monday morning March 2. Raeesi told reporters in Tehran that the new figure includes 523 new cases and that the death toll has risen by 12 during the past day. He also told Mehr news agency that 291 patients previously in hospitals, have recovered. Many in Iran, however, challenge the figures announced by the government and believe the contagion has spread much wider and the death toll is more than what the government says. With reports of more deaths emerging, the figures announced by officials get closer to the ratios registered between deaths and infections in China. Previously, the death toll in Iran was much higher compared with the official number of infected cases, reaching to more than 10 percent. The new ratio is less than 3 percent. Dr. Abdolreza Fazel, head of the Health Authority in Golestan Province says 594 patients have been diagnosed with Coronavirus in that province alone. He explains in great detail how the virus affects and damages people's lung. Gholam Ali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi, a member of Iran's parliament from Rasht in northern Iran says the situation in his constituency, Gilan Province, is critical and all the hospitals in the provincial capital Rasht are filled with coronavirus patients. Imanabadi said figures released by the government is "something like a joke." The lawmaker urged the media to pay more attention to Gilan as the situation there is even more critical than Qom which is said to be where the contagion originated. He said disinfection started 10 days after the outbreak and after hundreds of people were hospitalized. Imanabadi added that there is a serious shortage of equipment in hospitals in Gilan. Many of the hospitals are overcrowded and Razi Hospital has announced that it can accept no more patients. The lawmaker said officials don't tell the truth about the outbreak and the death toll is much higher than what the authorities say. He added that burial of those who died of coronavirus has taken place in a non-hygienic way in the villages. The causes of many deaths have not been registered, he said. He also criticized officials for not telling the people about the serious threat to public health. He said some 700,000 Iranians have traveled to Gilan from the other parts of the country since the outbreak started. During the past days, other members of the Iranian parliament, including Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, MP for Qom, have also accused the government of concealing facts and figures about the outbreak. Farahani who has himself been tested positive for the virus said that at least ten people die in Qom every day as a result of the virus. In the meantime, there have been many complaints about discrimination in the allocation of medical services to various groups of people. The cause of death of a 25-year old nurse in Lahijan in Gilan Province has been established as coronavirus, seven days after her death. Earlier, the cause of her death was officially announced as "flu-like symptoms." This comes while well-connected individuals including Farideddin Haddad-Adel, a member of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's family, had their test immediately after they feared they might have caught the virus. Another MP from Gilan, Mohammad Hossein Qorbani complained on Sunday that samples are being sent to Tehran and the results arrive with long delays. Health Minister Saeed Namaki said on Tuesday that the police are going to control traffic to and from the most seriously affected areas, however, there is still no news about imposing quarantine on badly hit places such as Qom and Rasht. Meanwhile, as it was found that many Chinese patients contracted coronavirus at local medical centers, Gilan Province authorities have shut down private sector medical centers and clinics to avoid exposure to the virus in waiting rooms. Meanwhile, the Rouhani administration's spokesman, Ali Rabiei said on Monday that Iranians will have to face another two difficult weeks before the impact of coronavirus begins to diminish in warmer weather before the Iranian New Year Nowrouz in late March. However, experts say the rise in temperature does not affect coronavirus. A first-time video titled "We Are All Fighters" by a Chinese woman has had a total of over 200 million views on the Internet in just a few days since it went online, inspiring numerous Chinese and foreign netizens to comment on various platforms where the video was posted and forwarded. The videos creator, Jessicia Liu, who is from Shenzhen in southern China, said she made the video to bring confidence and hope to everyone battling the virus, and let the world know about China's indomitable fighting spirit and determination to win. "This is great! I am so inspired!" "My eyes are filled with tears while listening to this video. We shall prevail. Salute all soldiers!" "We are all warriors, China will win!" These were just some of the hundreds of comments that appeared in both Chinese and English below the video, whose most striking quality lies in its simple and powerful message. Im so surprised that the first video I ever made could go viral," said Jessica Liu, who majored in Japanese, but is also proficient in English. Jessica likes to give speeches in English and is engaged in transnational cultural exchanges. She added, The reason why I chose to record the video in English is that the spread of the virus knows no borders and is a common challenge facing mankind. This is a time when we must make our voices heard. "I hope to bring sunshine and confidence to all and help those who feel depressed in difficult situations to get out of the haze as soon as possible, Liu said to explain the intention behind her creation. Since the video was released, many foreigners have contacted Jessica Liu to express their support and praise. Some of them have never been to China; some of them have lived in China for a long time. But they all love China very much. "What surprised me the most was that many children born after 2000 and 2010 also liked my video. I even heard that some people in their 60s and 70s shared it with their families. Im so flattered, Liu said, adding that Chinese people always have hope in the midst of adversity. Echoing the theme of her video, Liu said, Our people may get sick; our city may get sick. But we, as a great nation, will never ever get sick. Because we have the spirit, history and determination to win. According to Jessica, there were three forces behind the videos popularity: the power of language, the power of the Internet and the power of the human heart. Liu has always loved English and public speaking, and working in the field of international cultural exchanges for so many years has given her a deep understanding of how to convey this energy directly to people through simple language. "In the past, I could not have imagined that I could gain so much support in such a short time. Thanks to the Internet, every ordinary person has a voice, Liu said. File image Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's "silence" on the violence in the national capital. "Why is the Delhi chief minister silent?" he asked in a statement. Khan also sought to know what transpired at the meeting Kejriwal held with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah recently held the meeting with Kejriwal to discuss the prevailing situation in the national capital after violence in northeast Delhi over the amended citizenship law claimed several lives. "He has not spoken anything on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah when Delhi was burning," Khan said. "The people, who have lost their family members in the violence, won't get them back now. Hence the announcement of compensation is not going to help them in any way," he said. Pakistans southern province of Sindh extended the closure of all educational institutions following the confirmation of a second coronavirus case in Karachi, the countrys largest city. Pakistan has confirmed four cases of coronavirus, three of them involving people who had traveled to neighboring Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak that began in China in December. While two of the confirmed cases were in the southern port city of Karachi, the other two were in the capital Islamabad. Schools in Sindh have been closed since Feb. 27, after the first case in Karachi was confirmed. The Sindh government has decided to keep the schools closed till March 13, so the isolation period of the suspect cases could be completed, Saeed Ghani, provincial education minister, told Reuters on Monday. We dont want to take any risk. Schools in Islamabad have remained open, but the thinly populated western province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran, closed its schools last week. Pakistan suspended all flights with Iran and closed the land border last week. Health Minister Zafar Mirza has said that the government is gradually allowing pilgrims to return from Iran, after holding them in quarantine at the border for 14 days. Around 700 pilgrims arrived in Karachi from Iran over the weekend, the Sindh chief ministers office said in a statement. By Syed Raza Hassan A Delhi High Court on Monday asked the police to file a status report nr the steps taken for providing medical treatment and rehabilitation of the people affected in the violence that erupted in northeast Delhi last week. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar directed Delhi Police to submit a report and listed the matter for further hearing on April 30. Advocate Rahul Mehra, the standing counsel of Delhi government, informed the court about the rumours related to riots spread on Sunday evening and said that the police has done a good job in handling such kinds of rumours. The court was hearing a plea filed by Rahul Roy seeking safe passage of ambulances for the injured and other medical assistance to people affected in the recent violence. In this matter, the court had earlier conducted a midnight hearing last week and directed Delhi Police to ensure the safe passage of the injured victims by deploying all resources, as well as to make sure they receive immediate emergency treatment. This comes in the aftermath of the violence that erupted in north-east Delhi last week, in which at least 47 people died and around 200 sustained injuries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (CNN) -- Washington state health officials are investigating a possible outbreak of coronavirus at a long-term nursing facility in which two people tested positive for the disease. In all, eight people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the state, including a man whose death was reported Saturday, making him the first coronavirus fatality in the United States. Two new cases were confirmed by Seattle and King County Public Health officials on Sunday. They are both males in their 60s with underlying health conditions. One is "in critical but stable condition" at Valley Medical Center in Renton. The other is in critical condition at Virginia Mason Medical Center, a news release said. "This number is expected to rise as more people are tested and results confirmed," according to a news release from the health department. The other cases are a high school boy, a woman who traveled to South Korea and an unidentified man. California is the only state with a higher number of positive cases, with 11. Nursing home case The cases associated with the Life Care Center, a nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, include a 40-year-old female health care worker who has no known travel outside the US. She is in satisfactory condition at a local hospital, officials said. The second one, a woman in her 70s, is hospitalized in serious condition. More than 50 residents and staff from the Life Care Center in Kirkland are experiencing symptoms, and will be tested for coronavirus, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County. "In addition, we're aware of a number of individuals associated with the 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," Duchin said. "We're in the beginning stages of our investigation." In a statement, the facility said it's not allowing visits from families, volunteers or vendors, and is also placing admissions on hold for the time being. "We are now in the process of working with the long-term care facility, with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," Duchin said. "And we're in a process of providing support to that facility to care for the infected patients, to protect the uninfected patients, and to provide infection control." The news comes the same day the first US death from coronavirus was reported in Washington state, health officials said Saturday. The man in his 50s, who had underlying health conditions, was not a resident at the care facility. High school boy had flu-like symptoms The high school boy in Snohomish County became ill with flu-like symptoms last Monday, the student's family said in a statement. He was tested for the flu but the tests came back negative, so he returned to Jackson High School on Friday, the county health district said in a blog post. He stayed on campus about five minutes and went home because the family was notified by health officials that his original sample had been tested for coronavirus and came back presumptive positive, the health district said. "The family didn't know their son was being tested for COVID-19.... Like most people, they assumed it was the flu. They did all the right things," the health district said. The high school was closed over the weekend and will be closed Monday to allow for a thorough cleaning and disinfecting before the students return. District health officials say they are investigating this case since it suggests that local transmission of COVID-19 is occurring. "Our team is still in the midst of the investigation, so we do not yet know the possible source of infection," said Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer for the Snohomish Health District. State of emergency in Washington state There are now at lest 74 confirmed and presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in the United States and one death. They include 44 people who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people repatriated from China and 24 cases that occurred in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases across the US are in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Wisconsin. A presumptive case is a patient who has tested positive at a state, county or city lab, but whose results have not yet been confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency Saturday, directing state agencies to use all resources necessary to respond to the outbreak. "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." Masmovil, a Spanish publicly listed mobile network operator (MNO), acquired Lycamobile Spain, for 372m. With the deal, subject to the authorization of antitrust authorities (CNMC), Masmovil has also opted to retain the Lycamobile brand in Spain for the long term. Launched in 2010 Lycamobile Spain was part of Lycamobile, the worlds largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and part of the Lyca Group. Launched in 2010, Lycamobile Spain has since become the countrys leading MVNO, achieving market penetration with over 1.5 million customers. THE PRESS RELEASE Lycamobile Spain Acquired by Fast Growing Spanish MNO Masmovil for 372m Sale allows Lycamobile to continue its growth in existing and new markets Masmovil to retain the Lycamobile brand in Spain London, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ Lycamobile, the worlds largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and part of the Lyca Group, is delighted to announce the sale of Lycamobile Spain (the Company) to the publicly listed Masmovil, a Spanish mobile network operator (MNO). The deal is valued at 372 million and Masmovil has also opted to retain the Lycamobile brand in Spain for the long term. The deal is subject to the authorisation of antitrust authorities (CNMC). Lycamobile Spain launched in 2010 with the aim of delivering low-cost mobile services of the highest quality to the market. The Company has since become the countrys leading MVNO, achieving impressive market penetration with over 1.5 million customers. Masmovils acquisition of the Company is an affirmation of the accomplishment of Lycamobile in the market. Commenting on the transaction, Allirajah Subaskaran, founder and Chairman of the Lyca Group said: When we entered Spain, we dreamed of building the countrys largest MVNO with high-quality, cost effective mobile services. We have now succeeded in that mission, and the acquisition by Masmovil is an affirmation of our success and we are proud that Masmovil has retained the Lycamobile brand for the long term. We wish Masmovil the very best and continued success and growth in Spain. We will now turn our attention to building our global presence with entry into new and exciting markets to add to our existing 23 markets, and furthering Lycamobiles capabilities in the industry by rolling out similar MNO launches to that which we recently did in Uganda. We would like to thank our loyal customers, our business partners, and the dedication of our Spanish Lycamobile team, who made our story in the country such a success. Macfarlanes LLP and Cuatrecasas advised Lycamobile on English and Spanish law respectively. FinSMEs 02/03/2020 Fresh violence in DR Congos restive northeastern Ituri province has killed at least 20 more people, the army and a local source said Monday. Congolese soldiers clashed with raiding militia fighters from the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) on Saturday night in the village of Kparangaza, army spokesman lieutenant Jules Ngongo said. Nine militia fighters and three soldiers died in the violence, he told AFP, and the militia was eventually chased out of the village. In the nearby village of Venru, CODECO militiamen shot and hacked to death eight others, a tribal chief said. The victims were a man, two women and the rest were children, chief Jean-Richard Ehnakondo told AFP. Local official Desire Malo said the situation was worrying in Venru still on Monday, as it remained a target. CODECO is an armed political-religious sect drawn from the Lendu ethnic group. Conflict erupted between the Lendu, mainly farmers, and the Hema, herders and traders, in the gold-mining and oil-rich province between 1999 to 2003, killing tens of thousands. According to the UN, most victims were targeted because they were Hema. The conflict has reignited and more than 700 people have been killed in Ituri since late 2017, a UN report said in January, adding that some of deaths might constitute a crime against humanity. #More than half a million people have been displaced by the violence since February 2018, the report said. On Friday, 24 people were killed during attacks near Djugu, which lies in an eastern part of Ituri near Lake Albert. Authorities nonetheless celebrated the same day the signing of a peace agreement with an armed group in the south of the province, the FRPI (Patriotic Resistance Forces in Ituri), which has been active in the area for two decades. OPEC ally Russia is not saying whether it will agree to further cuts to offset dent in demand from coronavirus. With a critical meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) just days away, the cartels most crucial ally, Russia, remains cagey about its willingness to cut oil production to buoy prices hit by the coronavirus outbreak. The cartels de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, has reportedly been leading the charge for OPEC and its allies, a grouping known as OPEC, to lower production by as much as one million barrels per day in response to the outbreak. But Russia has yet to get on board with that strategy. On Monday, Russian energy minister Alexander Novak told reporters in Moscow that he is still evaluating a proposed production cut of 600,000 barrels per day made by an OPEC technical committee last month. We are looking at the recommendation made by the technical committee, said Novak, adding that he had not yet received a proposal to deepen cuts by one million barrels per day (bpd). OPEC and its allies are scheduled to meet in Vienna on March 5-6 to discuss whether to extend their current production cuts of 1.7 million bpd that were agreed in December and run to the end of March. The OPEC technical committee will meet again on Tuesday to iron out details in advance of the Vienna talks. Global pandemic fears continued to intensify over the weekend with additional coronavirus cases reported in China, Italy, Iran and the United States, rattling markets and threatening a global economic slowdown. Last week, Saudi Arabias energy minister expressed confidence that OPEC would respond in a timely matter to the spread of the virus. The kingdom needs oil to fetch approximately $83 per barrel to break even or balance its state budget, according to the International Monetary Fund. Russia needs oil to fetch less than $50 a barrel to break even. In Moscow, Energy Minister Novak has expressed scepticism that the virus will dent demand as much as others say. This may be a holding position, or reflect a desire not to rush into policy change, Laura James, senior Middle East analyst at Oxford Analytica, told Al Jazeera. Global benchmark Brent crude fell below $50 per barrel last week, its lowest since July 2017. On Monday, it bounced back to above $51 on hopes for a new deal among OPEC and its cartels. And OPECs oil output plunged again in February, according to a Reuters survey, as a conflict in Libya further restricted supplies. There are technical drivers for a reluctance to slow production and Russian energy companies have commercial concerns, although on the government side, fiscal pressures are currently manageable, James added. With $500bn in state coffers, Russia has room to mull over further cuts. It has in the past resisted proposals to cut production only to get on board at the last minute and has yet to indicate whether it will support additional joint cuts. The 2020 fiscal breakeven price for Russia is down to $42.4 per barrel. In the last decade state finances were more of an issue, but in 2019, the focus was actually on managing to disburse budgetary allocations, she added. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with oil companies to discuss the impact of coronavirus on global oil prices, the Kremlin said. Putin said while Russia is mostly protected from the oil price fall this does not set aside the need for action, including together with foreign partners. Still, analysts say there will be added pressure on Saudi Arabia to bring all partners to the negotiating table and fast as pandemic fears intensify, factories in China remain shuttered and health officials warn that the virus may get worse before it gets better. The Saudis are responding appropriately to the coronavirus. OPEC has already cut production by 1.7 million barrels a day. Now, the Saudis are asking for another big cut, up to another million barrels per day, Jim Krane, Wallace S Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies at Rice Universitys Baker Institute, told Al Jazeera. Its not easy to align a slow-moving global industry with a fast-moving virus, but that is what seems to be happening, Krane added. ALLEGAN, MI -- Allegan County is the latest in Michigan to be declared a Second Amendment Sanctuary county. The Allegan County Board of Commissioners last week approved the sanctuary resolution by a 6-0 vote with one absent. It is the desire of this Board to declare its support of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and to the provisions of the Michigan Constitution which protect Allegan County citizens individual rights to keep and bear arms, according to the resolution. Per the resolution, the board affirms its support for the Allegan County Sheriff and County Prosecutor in the exercise of their sound discretion to not enforce against any citizen an unconstitutional firearms law. A copy of the resolution will be forwarded to the countys other elected officials, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigans federal and state lawmakers. Related: 5 things to know about the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement in Michigan A number of counties across Michigan and the United States have taken up gun sanctuary resolutions after Virginia lawmakers earlier this year introduced gun control bills. These bills included red flag legislation, which allows family members or police officers to petition courts for temporary firearm removal if the person is thought a danger to themselves or others. The red flag legislation was turned down. Among the counties in Michigan that have adopted sanctuary county resolutions are Jackson, Lapeer, Mackinac, Cheboygan, Otsego, Presque Isle, Oscoda, Kalkaska and Osceola. Read more: Jackson becomes 2nd Amendment sanctuary county after tense 6-2 vote Some lawmakers support making Michigan a Second Amendment sanctuary state 2nd Amendment Sanctuary resolution pitched to Genesee County board SIOUX CITY -- Joanne Kuhlers, an LPN who runs the Greenville Pharmacy's home health department, has a new rule: only one face mask per customer. She implemented her new policy in the face of heightened demand for face masks at the Sioux City drugstore due to fears of the coronavirus, also called COVID-19. The widely reported illness began in China and has since spread across much of the globe, claiming the lives of more than 2,900, mostly in China, as of Sunday. "They came in yesterday by droves, sold everything I had but one," Kuhlers said on Friday. Separately, face masks are on the shelf at the Greenville Pharmacy's main retail floor -- they just got a fresh supply on Thursday. The price is somewhat higher for these masks than those under Kuhler's counter. Once her current supply runs out, Kuhlers said she doesn't know when more masks will arrive at the store: "They're back-ordered." Iowa has seen no confirmed coronavirus cases, though as of Friday, 13 people were under supervision for the virus, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. All 13 were asymptomatic, meaning they showed no symptoms. The first U.S. death due to the coronavirus was reported Saturday in Washington state. The number of U.S. cases grew overnight following reports of the first infections in Illinois and Rhode Island. 'I'm selling them like crazy' Other retailers in Sioux City reported a shortage of masks in recent days. At UnityPoint Health's home medical equipment store on Hamilton Boulevard, there are no more face masks. "Honestly, we are out, and we have some on order, and we aren't getting an ETA from our vendors as of right now," said Keri Wavrunek, the store's home medical equipment director. "We have people coming in all day asking for them too." Wavrunek said the store ran out of face masks the week before last. Many of the customers she sees are seeking masks because they plan to travel. "We don't usually have 10 to 15 people coming into the store a day asking for masks," she said. Jay Bickford, the manager of the Walmart at Singing Hills Boulevard, said there are never enough face masks to keep up with the demand. "I'm selling them like crazy, I don't have any currently at the moment," Bickford said Friday. Shipments of goods come in every day, he added, so whether or not his Walmart has masks on the shelves will depend on the day and the time of day. The store keeps masks of somewhat different styles in their sporting goods, pharmacy and paint supply sections. "In every one of those areas, I'm completely sold through at the moment," Bickford said. The shortage of masks is far more acute in Asia -- the Associated Press reported on Friday that stores in Asia were even running out of paper products due to rumors that toilet paper or napkins could be used as face masks. The government of China has taken over face mask manufacturers there and shipments of the masks abroad have plummeted. Whether it's necessary for a healthy person to wear a mask to prevent coronavirus exposure is questionable, at best. "Personally, I wouldn't be off buying them, because, really these are intended to be used for people who have the virus, to prevent them from fluids coming out, because that's how it's transmitted. For those of us walking around, we don't really need that," said Dawna Swick, a pharmacy tech at the Greenville Pharmacy. Swick added, however, that those who are immunocompromised -- those whose immune systems are impaired by cancer or HIV, for example -- could possibly benefit from face masks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not recommending face masks for people who aren't sick or caring for people who do have the virus. Rather, the agency is suggesting people keep about six feet away from others when possible, covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, washing your hands and staying home when sick. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams took to Twitter on Saturday to express the same sentiment, though his wording was somewhat more blunt. "Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" the Surgeon General wrote on Twitter. Who has masks, who doesn't Face mask availability in Sioux City was varied as of Saturday evening. Menards and the Bomgaars locations at Gordon Drive and Hamilton all had a supply of dust masks in their paint supply areas, while at Lowe's an employee reported that dust masks sold out due to virus fears, leaving only the respirator-type masks normally used in heavy, hazardous renovation work or painting. The Home Depot was also out of dust masks Sunday afternoon. An employee of the CVS Pharmacy inside Target said the store had run out of face masks and that staffers are recommending customers go to stores that sell paint, where such masks may remain in stock. All four Walgreens locations in Sioux City and South Sioux City had no face masks left on the shelves Saturday evening. A cashier at the Morningside location said the store had been out of masks for "quite some time." Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. AP The husband of Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey has been caught on video pointing a gun at Black Lives Matter activists shouting at them to "get off of my porch". The activists were attempting to meet with Ms Lacey to discuss the more than 500 police killings that have happened during her tenure in the build up to Tuesday's District Attorney primary, where she is hoping to be re-elected. The police were called to her home on Monday morning, with officers arriving at the residence in the 17900 block of Mayerling Street at about 5.40am according to LAPD Officer Lizeth Lomeli. In the video, a woman off-camera can be heard saying: "Good morning. Are you going to shoot me?" A man, believed to be David Lacey, stands in the doorway pointing a handgun in front of him and responds: "I will shoot you. Get off of my porch." The woman replies: "Can you tell Jackie Lacey that we're here?" The man says: "I don't care who you are, get off of my porch right now. We're calling the police right now." No arrests have been made so far and at the time of writing, Ms Lacey's campaign was not available for comment. Im front of DA Jackie Laceys house for that community meeting she promised with the @BLMLA crew. Rang her bell to invite her. Her husband pulled a gun, cocked it, pointed it at my chest and said Ill shoot you. I dont care who you are. @WP4BL @RealJusticePAC @shaunking pic.twitter.com/WtazUWSJIC Melina Abdullah (@DocMellyMel) March 2, 2020 Ms Lacey has worked for the LA District Attorney's office since 1986 and became the first African American and the first woman to be elected as DA for the county when she first ran in 2012. Story continues The 63-year-old's record has been criticised and last year a representative for her office, Shiara Davila-Morales, confirmed to LAist that she still favours the death penalty for "the worst of the worst offenders, including child murderers and serial killers". This confirmation came after an open letter signed by 75 legal experts urged her to reconsider her stance on the death penalty as only people of colour had been sentenced to death in the county in the previous seven years. One of her opponents, 65-year-old George Gascon, is a former police officer and is running a "reformer" campaign, saying he does not support the use of the death penalty and thinks the office has lost its way under the current District Attorney. The current DA's other opponent is 36-year-old Rachel Rossi who also identifies as a reformer and resigned as the majority counsel to the House of Representatives' subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland security in September in order to run. Writer Jasmyne Cannick, who had been posting about Ms Lacey on Twitter the night before, stated that Black Lives Matter Los Angeles had protested outside her office for years. "@BLMLA has been holding weekly protests in front of her office for years now. Years. What elected official can get away with refusing to meet with their constituency for an entire term in office and expect to be re-elected?" tweeted Ms Cannick. .@BLMLA has been holding weekly protests in front of her office for years now. Years. What elected official can get away with refusing to meet with their constituency for an entire term in office and expect to be re-elected? Jasmyne Cannick (@Jasmyne) March 2, 2020 Additional reporting by the Associated Press Read more Black Lives Matter activist Muhiyidin Moye shot dead in New Orleans Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Shaun Tandon (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Mon, March 2, 2020 11:11 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067ac8ce 2 World #USA,#Elections,BenjaminNetanyahu,Bernie-Sanders Free Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday assailed US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, whose unprecedented boycott of the leading pro-Israel US lobby has laid bare divisions among Democrats. Sanders is staying away from the annual conference of AIPAC, saying it offers a platform for "leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights," and has denounced Netanyahu as a "reactionary racist." Netanyahu, addressing the conference by satellite on the eve of Israeli elections, made a clear albeit unnamed swipe at Sanders, a leftist who would be the first Jewish US president. "This year AIPAC was accused of providing a platform for bigotry. These libelous charges are outrageous," Netanyahu said. Speaking to the thousands of AIPAC activists gathered at a Washington convention center, Netanyahu said: "You send a powerful message to all those who seek to weaken our great alliance that they will fail." Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, was far more direct in attacking Sanders. "We don't want Sanders at AIPAC. We don't want him in Israel," Danon said. "Anyone who calls our prime minister a 'racist' is either a liar, an ignorant fool or both," Danon said. Sanders lived on a kibbutz in Israel in the 1960s and calls himself a supporter of the Jewish state but has voiced alarm at its rightward turn. Netanyahu has vilified Israel's Arab minority and vowed to annex much of the occupied West Bank if he secures another term in elections Monday -- the third time Israelis are voting in less than a year amid a political deadlock. Calling the Palestinians "the pampered children of the international community," Netanyahu voiced confidence that the United States would recognize the annexation -- in line with a controversial Middle East peace plan presented a month ago by President Donald Trump, a staunch Netanyahu ally. "This will be a truly historic day. The map of Israel will change, the future of Israel will change, and it will change for the better," he said. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 01: Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders holds a campaign rally at the Los Angeles Convention Center on March 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Sanders is campaigning ahead of the 2020 California Democratic primary on Super Tuesday, March 3. (AFP/David McNew/Getty Images) 'Even-handed' Sanders Sanders, asked about AIPAC in a televised interview Sunday, promised to protect Israel's security but also to be more "even-handed." "What we need in this country is a foreign policy that not only protects Israel but deals with the suffering of the Palestinian people as well," he said, deploring the 12-year blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip. Ex-military chief Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's centrist rival, did not mention Sanders in his own remarks by satellite to AIPAC but vowed to rebuild support for Israel in the United States. "I will instill hope and not hate. That is the Israel we know; that is the Israel we need," Gantz said to applause. "Israel will never, ever become a partisan issue," he said. "I will work effectively across both sides of the aisle." While showing few gaps with Netanyahu on security issues, Gantz said he would oppose far-right politicians seeking to enter parliament and, in an issue important to many American Jews, promised inclusion at Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall, where women are restricted. NORFOLK, VIRGINIA - MARCH 01: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden poses for selfies with supporters during a campaign event at Booker T. Washington High School March 1, 2020 in Norfolk, Virginia. After his major win in South Carolina, Biden continues to campaign for the upcoming Super Tuesday Democratic presidential primaries. (AFP/ Alex Wong/Getty Images) Biden warns on annexation AIPAC for years has been an election-year rite of passage for candidates of each party, but only one Democratic contender plans to attend in person this time: former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg. Former vice president Joe Biden, who was energized by a primary win Saturday in South Carolina, sent a video message in which he urged both Israelis and Palestinians not to scuttle a two-state solution. He warned Israel not to move ahead with annexation and criticized the Netanyahu government's approval Thursday of nearly 1,800 new homes in the West Bank. "That's going to choke off any hope for peace," Biden said. "To be frank, those moves are taking Israel further from its democratic values, undermining support for Israel in the United States, especially among young people of both political parties. And that's dangerous," Biden said. But while promising to speak his mind, Biden said, "I will never boycott you." Fellow centrist Democratic contender Amy Klobuchar also sent a video message to AIPAC, while liberal Elizabeth Warren is skipping it. [March 02, 2020] Dorsey & Whitney Expands "China Initiative" Task Force International law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced today that it has expanded its "China Initiative" Task Force to provide bilingual legal assistance to research institutions, their faculty members and other clients in navigating the U.S. government's enforcement actions under the "China Initiative." The Department of Justice's "China Initiative" prioritizes U.S. government enforcement actions against Chinese companies and persons doing business in the U.S. or partnering with U.S. companies and universities, as well as individual researchers and scientists with ties to China. The focus of this DOJ initiative includes: Investigate and prosecute Chinese persons for trade secret theft cases. Target (News - Alert) individuals, universities, and companies for transferring technology to the Chinese government and institutions. Engage U.S. colleges and universities in identifying and monitoring persons and companies with ties to Chinese companies and the Chinese government. Aggressively use existing authorities, including the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Foreign Agent Registration Act, Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, NIH and DOD grant rules, university ethics rules and conflicts of interest policy, and export control laws, to target companies and persons seeking to obtain U.S. companies' intellectual property and technology. Dorsey's U.S.-China Practice Group has deep experience and longstanding involvement with China-related legal issues. The expanded "China Initiative" Task Force at Dorsey is a bilingual, multi-disciplinary team of highly-skilled attorneys from the U.S.-China Practice Group and attorneys who formerly worked at U.S. government enforcement agencies. Our representations include U.S. academic research instittions and organizations, individual faculty members, and corporations. Dorsey's "China Initiative" Task Force will help organizations and individuals successfully navigate the increased risks posed by the DOJ's China Initiative. Dorsey Partner Catherine Pan, who co-chairs the Firm's U.S.-China Practice Group and is a leading member of the "China Initiative" Task Force, stated, "We help clients with four key components of the 'China Initiative': (1) internal investigations; (2) government enforcement actions; (3) federal grant regulations and related disclosure requirements; and (4) conflicts interest disclosure and compliance. Our Task Force is able to deliver around-the-clock, seamless legal services to our clients with cross-border legal needs." "Recent charges against university researchers who were involved in the Chinese 'Thousand Talents' (????) and 'Chang Jiang Scholar' (????) programs signal the further escalation of the China Initiative by the DOJ and FBI. Research institutions and faculty members who have received federal grants (including NIH, DOD and other grants) need to carefully review the bio sketches and 'other support' information they provided to the grant making agencies to check whether the disclosure guidelines are strictly complied with," added Catherine Pan. Partner Alex Hontos, another key member of the Dorsey "China Initiative" Task Force and a former DOJ trial attorney, said, "Whether you agree with the policy arguments behind the 'China Initiative' or not, this is the reality we live in." Dorsey's China Initiative Task Force has been handling "China Initiative" cases on behalf of universities, hospitals, scientists and faculty members, including some of the high profile cases reported in the media. Dorsey's deep understanding of China and the Chinese language capability of the expanded task force is critical to properly handling these cases. To learn more about Dorsey's "China Initiative" Task Force click here. About Dorsey & Whitney LLP Clients have relied on Dorsey since 1912 as a valued business partner. With locations across the United States and in Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, Dorsey provides an integrated, proactive approach to its clients' legal and business needs. Dorsey represents a number of the world's most successful companies from a wide range of industries, including leaders in banking & financial institutions, development & infrastructure, energy & natural resources, food, beverage & agribusiness, healthcare and technology, as well as major non-profit and government entities. www.dorsey.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005913/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Bob Ross step aside: Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President and current 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden, is a painter now. After a chaotic few years that included a divorce, the discovery of an illicit child, another marriage, and an inextricable connection to the Trump impeachment, the younger Biden opened up to the New York Times about his artistic pursuits, which he said are literally keeping me sane. While painting isnt actually new for Biden, he said hes recently embraced the hobby with renewed vigor and, it seems, confidence. For years I wouldnt call myself an artist, he told the Times. Now I feel comfortable saying it. According to Biden, hes been dabbling in art since childhood. Though he has no formal training as an artist, he told the Times art is something Ive taken seriously for a long time. However, the former lawyer, lobbyist and director of private equity firms may have a difficult time breaking into the professional art world. According to the Times, Biden could have a challenge convincing the public that the word artist belongs in his CV. Biden differs from most beginner artists in that he comes with built-in name recognition, which could either be a boon or a disadvantage, depending who you ask. Art collector Beth Rudin DeWoody believes the Biden name will at least generate intrigue in the new artist on the block, if nothing else. Theres probably going to be a lot of curiosity, she told the Times. If he turns out to be a great artist, of course. Others in the art world, however, caution that Bidens reputation could precede him in a negative way. Too much baggage, said Michael Kohn, owner of Los Angeles Kohn Gallery. Depending on his skill level, the paintings could be quite good, Kohn added. However, it will be a long time before he will break into the art world as I and my colleagues know it. As far as Biden is concerned, his art is untouchable, regardless of its public reception. The one thing I have left is my art, he said. Its the one thing they cant take away from me or conflate with anything else. Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter. The post Hunter Biden Is Launching an Art Career appeared first on InsideHook. [March 02, 2020] New East Daley Report Identifies Oil and Gas Market Opportunities Amidst Coronavirus Fears and Economic Downturn East Daley Capital Advisors, Inc., an energy data and insights company, released a new report: "Market Fears Go Viral - The Varying Degrees of Midstream Immunity," which analyzes the market impact of the recent economic downturn as fears of Coronavirus spread. In the report, East Daley outlines a macro view of company financial and commodity market expectations using an extreme downside scenario and asset-level detail to determine the potential long-term impact and opportunities for the midstream energy market. Coronavirus fears have hammered the financial markets over the past few weeks leading to wild volatility and equity markets selling off over 10%. Energy stocks have not been spared with WTI prices losing 25% since early January and midstream companies under East Daley's asset-level coverage also losing an average of 25%. However, some assets are far more sensitive to shifts in commodity prices than others. Key findings from today's East Daley's report are as follows: Commodity prices have plunged 25% and energy equities have sold off aggressively due to recent fears of a world-wide recession as a result of the Coronavirus. The downside price forecast leads to forecasted peak to trough declines for U.S. oil and gas production of 1.3 MMb/d and 5.9 Bcf/d respectively. Using a downside scenario which assumes additional commodity price declines, East Daley's midstream company models, which specifically forecast every major company asset, shows a wide discrepancy between recent equity fluctuations and forecasted sensitivity to lower prices. Excluding counterparty risk, eleven midstream companies are forecast to experience only a 0-5% EBITDA declin in the downside price scenario versus a much wider spread of -4% to -38% in YTD equity return. Midstream companies with the highest risk have G&P volume exposure to mid-tier basins, with potential 14-19% EBITDA downside when comparing January commodity prices to our price downside scenario. Overall, there is a wide discrepancy of cash flow impacts for specific midstream companies relative to the market's perception given the drop in commodity prices. While the oil and gas market is feeling the effects of the Coronavirus fears, this report demonstrates that the degree to which certain companies will be impacted will vary as some assets are more sensitive to shifts in commodity prices than others. To learn more, register now for East Daley's upcoming webinar on What's Next for Midstream on Thursday, March 5 at 3:00 p.m. EST featuring Matt Lewis. About East Daley Capital Advisors, Inc. East Daley Capital is an energy data and insights provider that is redefining how markets view risk for midstream and exploration and production (E&P) companies. In addition to using top-level financial data to predict a company's performance, East Daley Capital digs deeper to deliver asset and commodity analysis that provides comprehensive, fact-based intelligence. Supported by a team of unbiased, experienced financial and commodity experts, East Daley Capital provides its clients with unparalleled insight into how midstream and E&P companies operate and generate cash flow, in addition to commodity forecasting. East Daley Capital uses publicly available fundamental data and intersects that data with a company's reported financials to asset-level adjusted-EBITDA and distributable cash flow (DCF). The result allows for more informed investment decisions. Founded in 2014, the company is based in Centennial, Colorado. For more information visit http://www.eastdaley.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005936/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] India on Monday assured Bangladesh that the updation of the National Register of Citizens will have no implications for its people, asserting that it is a process that is entirely internal to the country. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India in December over prevailing situation following passage of the new citizenship bill. Bangladesh was also apparently upset following the roll out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam even though India conveyed to it that the issue was an internal matter of the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had taken up the issue of NRC with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their bilateral meeting in New York in September. "Updation of National Register of Citizens is a process that is entirely internal to India," Foreign Secretary Shringla said on Monday. "India assures Bangladesh that NRC will have no implications for the country and its people," he said at a seminar 'Bangladesh & India: A Promising Future' held in Dhaka. Shringla, who previously served as India's high commissioner in Dhaka, is in Bangladesh on a visit during which he would meet Prime Minister Hasina and Foreign Minister Momen. According to the he Citizenship Amendment Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A coughing Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is cancelling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold. It is the first time in his seven-year papacy that he has missed the spiritual exercises that he initiated early in his pontificate to mark the start of each Lenten season. Such retreats are typical Jesuits, an order to which he belongs. The 83-year-old pontiff, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory illness as a young man, has cancelled several official engagements this week as he battled an apparent cold. His weekly appearance Sunday to pilgrims from a window high above St. Peters Square was the first time he has been seen publicly since Ash Wednesday, when he was seen coughing and blowing his nose during Mass. Francis paused twice to cough Sunday while addressing the faithful. At the end, he asked for prayers for the spiritual retreat, adding unfortunately a cold prevents me from participating this year. I will be following the meditation from here. Earlier this week, the pope cancelled 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. Francis has never previously cancelled so many official audiences or events in his papacy. He was, however, continuing to work from his residence at the Vaticans Santa Marta hotel and was 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. He was to have left Sunday for the retreat outside of Rome. The Vatican has described Francis condition as a slight illness, without giving other details. Francis illness, though, has come amid general alarm in Italy over the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 1,100 people, mostly in northern Italy. There have been just six cases reported in Lazio, where Rome is located, to date. CLEVELAND, Ohio Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of more than $356,000 from an Akron man they say made money from trafficking drugs, according to court documents. Agents seized the money from the Brittany Boulevard home of Cory Grandison. The 32 year old has not been charged with a drug crime, though he pleaded guilty Feb. 18 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and police seized a loaded Smith & Wesson pistol, along with the money and other items, during the search of his home on Oct. 30, court documents say. Grandison could face a federal prison sentence of between 30 and 37 month on the firearm charge and he agreed to forfeit the weapon and ammunition, records show. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 27. In addition to the weapon and money, almost all of which was in a backpack, authorities also seized an 18-karat Rolex watch, more than $67,000 worth of assorted jewelry, two money counters, a bag of marijuana, marijuana edibles and a vial of steroids, according to the forfeiture complaint filed Feb. 25 by the U.S. Attorneys Office. Grandison said he made money by flipping vehicles, the complaint says. However, the DEA believes he made the seized money by dealing drugs. Agents made undercover purchases of nearly a pound of crystal methamphetamine from him on three occasions between October 2018 and March 2019, according to the complaint. He also has state court drug convictions. The governments civil asset forfeiture process allows authorities to seize assets when it suspects a person obtained money or property illegally. Civil liberties groups have said the process is ripe for abuse, as it allows officials to seize money from people who were never convicted or even charged with a crime. His attorney Thomas Bauer Jr. did not immediately return a phone call. Washington state declares state of emergency over COVID-19 outbreak People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 11:06, March 01, 2020 SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Governor Jay Inslee of the U.S. State of Washington Saturday declared a state of emergency after the state reported the first death in connection with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States. Inslee said the local emergency declaration seeks to coordinate state agencies and departments to utilize all possible resources to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic and assist affected communities in their recovery from the disease. "This is a time to take common-sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state," he said. The declaration came after a person has died from the COVID-19 in King County, Washington, the first death caused by the disease in the United States. It is not known how the patient was infected with the virus. With the emergency measure, Inslee is able to deploy, if necessary, the Washington National Guard to combat the infectious disease. Washington health officials announced two new cases of the COVID-19 in the state Friday night. The two patients include a student at Jackson High School in Mill Creek and a King County woman in her 50s, who recently traveled to Daegu, South Korea. Washington reported the first COVID-19 case of the United States last month after a man in his 30s from Snohomish County tested positive for COVID-19 following his return from China's central city of Wuhan. More cases of the coronavirus disease of unknown origin have been reported in U.S. western states, triggering concern about local person-to-person spread of the infectious disease. California reported a second COVID-19 case of unknown origin in the United States on Friday, while Oregon Health Authority said an elementary school employee tested coronavirus positive, though the person had no travel history nor close contact with infected individuals. The Oregon patient is the state's first "presumptive" COVID-19 case ever reported. U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States currently has 22 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that there have been three cases of person-to-person transmission. There are also 47 infected people who evacuated from either Wuhan city or the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 16:26:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HAIKOU, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Hainan Airlines will resume nearly 2,000 domestic flights in a week amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, to aid the work resumption of enterprises across the country, according to the company. The flights cover many popular routes linking cities including Shenyang and Ningbo, Taiyuan and Guangzhou for returning workers. The company resumed more than 450 flights last week. The company launched charter flight services for government and enterprise customers on Feb. 19 to support the resumption of work and production across the country. The first case of coronavirus has been detected in Delhi, the government said on Monday, even as another case in Hyderabad took the number of reported infections in the country to five amid a global alarm over the outbreak that has rapidly spread from China to dozens of countries and claimed more than 3,000 lives. The person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy, while the patient from Hyderabad has a travel history from Dubai, the health and family welfare ministry said. Both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms. They tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said. While reports quoted Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma as saying that an Italian tourist was found positive for the virus in Jaipur, the central government did not confirm the development. The outbreak has expanded alarmingly since it began in December last year in China, where at least 80,000 people have now been infected and 2,915 have died. Outside China, infections have been confirmed in 54 countries, taking the total number of infected to at least 88,900. The virus is believed to have infected the first human in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. India has stepped up preparedness in anticipation of cluster cases after the two fresh cases of the coronavirus, which has been named SARS-Cov-2,with the disease it causes being called Covid-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The two patients of the disease arrived in India without symptoms a few days ago and interacted unprotected with their families, friends, colleagues and commuters over the past week. Three people were previously diagnosed in Kerala with the disease, but they have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the infection. The patient in Delhi, a 45-year-old man, was shifted to a 50-bed quarantine ward at Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday night, by when he had no symptoms, according to a person employed at the hospital. Four people from his family who showed symptoms have also been quarantined and are being tested for the virus, the person said on condition of anonymity, adding that two others who came into contact with the man are likely to be quarantined. The two new cases were self-reported, with the Delhi patient going to a private practitioner in Mayur Vihar, who referred him to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, from where he was shifted to the Safdarjung Hospital. The Telangana case was tested at Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Hyderabad and has been quarantined there, a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Hospital staffers who treated the Delhi patient at RML Hospital have also been quarantined at home for 14 days, according to a person aware of the developments. The private practitioner the Delhi case went to has been contacted, and asked not to examine patients and stay under home quarantine for two weeks. He has been asked to report Covid-19-related symptoms of fever, cough and difficulty breathing, another government official said, asking not to be named. After the Union health ministrys announcement on Monday, the Air India crew that flew the Vienna-Delhi flight on February 25 on which the 45-year-old infected man was a passenger have been asked to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days. The man in Hyderabad contacted the local Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) unit when he developed fever. The list of people he has come into contact with since his return from Dubai is being compiled and these people are being traced within community. If any of them show symptoms, they will be isolated in a hospital, the rest will be asked to stay vigilant, the ministry official said. Briefing reporters about the fresh developments, Union health minister Vardhan said: We are taking all possible measures to screen and contain. So far, 15 labs under ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) have been testing Covid-19. We have the capability to increase the network to 50 labs; we will make 19 other labs functional in the next two or three days. While there is currently no known effective antiviral therapy for Covid-19, many ongoing clinical trials are evaluating different therapeutic interventions globally, according to WHO. Vardhan said 557,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far. As many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across the country, the minister said, as he advised people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore. Thirty-seven people across the country are currently hospitalised after showing symptoms of coronavirus. Vardhan said that so far, 3,217 samples have been tested, out of which five tested positive for Covid-19, while reports of 23 are awaited. Following the two fresh cases of coronavirus, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday issued an order that said passengers coming from Italy and Iran will also undergo thermal screening at airports. Other than Italy and Iran, India is screening passengers at airports coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. Indias stock markets fell on the news on Monday, reversing sharply from earlier gains. Market benchmark index Sensex wiped out its sharp gains in the last hour of trade to close down by 153 points on Monday as detection of fresh coronavirus cases in India spooked domestic investors. The two new patients in Delhi returned from Italy and Dubai about a week ago. Both countries have reported local transmission of Covid -19. The global death toll rose above 3,000 on Monday and Wuhan, the Chinese province at the epicentre, reported a fall in new cases. Outside China, more than 6,500 cases and over a 100 deaths have been reported. In the largest outbreak outside the country, South Korea has had 26 deaths and reported another 599 infections on Monday, taking its tally to 4,335 following Saturdays biggest daily jump. Italy has 1,694 cases, the vast majority in the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna. Another of the worst-hit nations, Iran, reported infections rising to 1,501 on Monday, with 66 deaths. While there has been no reported community transmission of the infection so far in India, public health experts say localised outbreaks are bound to occur at some point. Its a matter of time before highly infectious viruses that are primarily transmitted through droplets from, and close contact with, infected people, start community transmission. Weve seen it with H1N1, and now with Covid-19, which is causing multiple outbreaks in many countries, said Dr Dileep Mavalankar, director, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar. (With inputs from agencies) Michigan State was rewarded for its impressive 2-0 week. Michigan was not punished much for going 0-2. The Spartans climbed eight spots to No. 16 in Mondays Associated Press top-25 poll. They beat Iowa on Tuesday and won at Maryland on Saturday. Both of those opponents remained ranked. Michigan, meanwhile, had returned to last weeks poll (at No. 19) following a six-week absence. It looked like it might be a brief stay, given that the Wolverines lost at home to Wisconsin on Thursday and fell at Ohio State on Sunday. Neither loss was particularly bad -- both opponents are now ranked -- but it was still somewhat surprising Michigan remained in the poll, albeit at No. 25. It speaks to the quality of the Big Ten, which was represented throughout the weekly poll. Maryland is at No. 9. Iowa, Ohio State, and Penn State are 18 through 20. Illinois (23), Wisconsin (24), and Michigan round out the rankings, giving the Big Ten eight ranked teams. The ACC is second with four. Kansas held on to the top spot for the second straight week, followed by Gonzaga, Dayton, Baylor, and San Diego State. Each Big Ten team has two regular-season games left before next weeks conference tournament in Indianapolis. Michigan hosts Nebraska on Thursday and visits Maryland on Sunday. The Spartans visit Penn State on Tuesday and host Ohio State on Sunday. The entire AP top-25 is below: 1. Kansas 2. Gonzaga 3. Dayton 4. Baylor 5. San Diego State 6. Kentucky 7. Florida State 8. Seton Hall 9. Maryland 10. Louisville 11. Creighton 12. Duke 13. Oregon 14. Villanova 15. BYU 16. Michigan State 17. Auburn 18. Iowa 19. Ohio State 20. Penn State 21. Houston 22. Virginia 23. Illinois 24. Wisconsin 25. Michigan More MLive college basketball content: Miniscule margin for mistakes for Michigan in March 5 things to watch: Michigan States revenge tour, senior day and rooting for Michigan Eli Brooks makes sacrifice for Michigan, returns from sinus infection with black mask Michigan State freshman duo emerges in win over Maryland State ordered to give reasons for super max prison transfer We appeared in the High Court last week representing an individual moved to South Africas only super maximum security prison for no clear reason CALS represents an individual who is currently incarcerated in South Africas only super maximum security prison, Ebongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad. Our client began serving his sentence at Westville Prison, which is close to where his elderly mother and child live. Over the next few years, he was subjected to a number of transfers before finally being moved to Ebongweni. At Ebongweni, our client has been kept in a windowless, segregated cell for 23 hours per day, has been allowed very little contact with other people and has not had access to a doctor on site. The prison is almost 300 kilometres away from our clients family, meaning that they have not been able to visit him. Though our client was already eligible for parole in October 2018, he cannot qualify for release until he is transferred out of Ebongweni. Despite numerous attempts to engage with the head of Ebongweni and other Correctional Services officials, we have not been able to obtain adequate reasons for our clients transfer to the super maximum security facility. We thus approached the Court in July 2019 asking that the decision to transfer him be reviewed and set aside using the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act. On 27 February 2020, CALS appeared on his behalf in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. The same day, the Court ordered the State to provide a record of their decision to transfer him within one month. This is the first step towards getting justice for our client, says Thandeka Kathi, attorney at CALS. There is no apparent reason for his rights to family life, human dignity and freedom should have been affected in this way. All our client is asking for is to be transferred to a prison closer to his family where he has the option of applying for parole. Read the founding papers in the case here. For inquiries, please contact: Commercial real estate broker CBRE is forecasting major investment in Canadas commercial market in 2020, with domestic and foreign investors plowing as much as a record-breaking $50 billion into the sector and Winnipegs market could reap the benefits. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Commercial real estate broker CBRE is forecasting major investment in Canadas commercial market in 2020, with domestic and foreign investors plowing as much as a record-breaking $50 billion into the sector and Winnipegs market could reap the benefits. "Canada has so many advantages, and so many underlying fundamentals that are positives over the long-term, that we certainly think that growth in the Canadian commercial real estate market is going to continue," said CBRE Canada vice-chairman Paul Morassutti. Major influxes of capital typically flow into bigger commercial real estate markets than Winnipeg, such as Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, said Ryan Behie, a Winnipeg-based vice-president with CBRE. "However, the domestic players who are increasing (capital) allocations look to compete with that foreign capital in those major markets," Behie said. "And in order to do that, theyve already started (asset) disposition programs in the smaller markets. So theyre selling smaller, non-core assets in the smaller markets in order to compete with the foreign capital with the larger markets, and as a result that is unlocking good assets in smaller cities like Winnipeg." Behie gave the example of Kildonan Crossing Shopping Centre, which he said RioCan REIT sold last year as part of an asset disposition program in order to focus on core assets in larger markets. "Large, local private capital jumped at the opportunity to acquire something like that," he said. At the national level, CBREs forecast calls for a slight increase in downtown office vacancy rates, from 9.8 per cent in 2019 to 10.2 per cent in 2020. Average asking rents for prime downtown office space in Canada will increase from $22.08 in 2019 to $22.84 in 2020, CBRE projected. In Winnipegs downtown, the firm sees office vacancy rates climbing by 0.2 percentage points on an annual basis to 11.8 per cent in 2020, with asking rents for class A office space decreasing by $0.21 to $22.50 per square foot. "And that is related to the new construction that has occurred downtown in recent years, that has created a glut of office space when you consider the market overall," Behie said. The forecast for suburban Winnipeg office space sees vacancy rates increasing from 5.7 per cent in 2019 to 7.5 per cent in 2020, with asking rents increasing by $1.03 to $16.95 per square foot. Behie described that trend as a regression to the mean after a strong 2019 that saw suburban office vacancy rates shrink. Firms looking for commercial real estate in Winnipeg will be facing "a relatively tight market" in the year to come, Behie predicted. "Touring multiple options of a desired size, location or quality is not going to be a luxury that most occupiers will have in 2020," he said. "Theyre going to have to move quickly when a viable option presents itself." As for Winnipegs stock of industrial real estate, CBRE predicts availability will increase by 0.3 percentage points from 2019 to 3.9 per cent in 2020, with asking rents increasing by $0.09 to $8.15 per square foot. The slight increase forecasted for industrial vacancy rates is "the result of a strong market that has spurred new construction," said Behie. "And so we have some much-needed new (industrial) supply coming in 2020, and as that space is leased up throughout the course of the next year, or over a multi-year period, we expect to see some temporary times of some higher vacancy rates." CBREs national commercial real estate forecast warned of "significant structural issues" that could impact Canadas urban commercial real estate in the coming years, including diminishing housing affordability that could drive people away from urban cores, insufficient transit infrastructure and the spectre of climate change. 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. "Left unaddressed, these forces have the potential to not only slow commercial real estate momentum, but worsen income inequality and sow the seeds of social discord," said the CBRE report. "Stability is attractive in times of uncertainty," said CBREs Behie. "And as we see the capital inflows coming from global players in our larger markets, and the trickle-down effect into Winnipeg, and as Canada is a stable market globally and Winnipeg is a particularly stable market within the Canadian landscape, I think were going to see positive capital inflows into Winnipeg." With files from the Canadian Press solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca @sol_israel In a continent where armies often prop up governments, crush dissent and interfere in mainstream politics, Malawi in southern Africa has been an exception for decades. From Sudan to Zimbabwe to Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, the military has had a long track record of being state flunkeys, breaching the neutral role it is supposed to maintain. But Malawi, which was ruled with an iron fist by founding president Kamuzu Banda since independence from Britain in 1964, broke out of that mould in 1993, a year before Banda lost in the country's first multi-party polls. Although allegiance to Banda was enforced at every level, the army swiftly dismantled the dictator's renegade paramilitary wing, the Malawi Young Pioneers, and Banda lost power in 1994. The military's latest intervention occurred after a fraud-marred election last year that returned President Peter Mutharika to office. The results were annulled by the country's top court and fresh polls are due in May. Thousands of civilians last month marched to the offices of the disgraced electoral commission where they chained and padlocked its entrance -- and handed the keys to an army officer. The opposition is all praise for the army. By Amos GUMULIRA (AFP/File) "Recent images of Malawi army soldiers protecting and leading opposition rally demonstrations are counter-intuitive in the eyes of many Africans," said New York-based Malawian political analyst Nathan Chiume. In Africa "we are used to seeing national armies typically deployed on the streets to enforce government's orders against opposition members, not to guarantee the rights of citizens to peacefully demonstrate and petition the government," he said. Violent clashes between police and protesters last year led to the military getting involved. Police indiscriminately fired teargas and on numerous occasions the marchers fought back. In one incident, in a restive area near the capital Lilongwe, a policeman was stoned to death during the violence. On another occasion in Lilongwe, protesters burnt a police armoured vehicle and torched several police houses. The army then stepped in to restore order and calm and protected demonstrators. While deploying forces in August last year, Malawi Defence Forces (MDF) commander Vincent Nundwe declared that his "priority is to ensure that Malawi is sovereign as well as peaceful". Professional force The Malawian army has played a crucial role during times of political and social turbulence. It intervened in 2012 when then president Bingu wa Mutharika collapsed and died, and the cabinet tried to stop his constitutionally-mandated but estranged deputy Joyce Banda from assuming power. Soldiers control protesters in Lilongwe during a protests at alleged attempts to bribe judges overseeing a legal challenge to the president's re-election. By Amos GUMULIRA (AFP/File) The army "allowed democracy and constitutionality to prevail," Banda told AFP. She said the armed forces had "always been instrumental in bringing about justice, particularly on behalf of the poor and voiceless Malawians". The army "intervenes only to remove the obstacles to proper functions of civilian political system, including police," said security expert, retired brigadier Marcel Chirwa. "The MDF returned to the barracks after it was satisfied that the adversary or the threat had been well taken care of and could not harm national security," he said. 'Army should have stopped demos' Opposition politicians, whose supporters led last year's protests while the top court combed through evidence of electoral fraud, have only praise for the military. "The MDF is one institution the people of Malawi have always been able to count on to uphold the constitution in times of political crisis," said main opposition Malawi Congress Party leader Lazarus Chakwera. Another opposition politician Saulos Chilima added: "They stood up to their billing and reputation as one of the most professional armies in Africa and the world." But for the president's supporters, the army was soft on protesters. Peter Mutharika's re-election was finally annulled by the Constitutional Court. By AMOS GUMULIRA (AFP/File) "People can protest and hold demonstrations in a democracy but my only issue was that these weren't peaceful demonstrations," said Joshua Khan, a Democratic Progressive Party activist. "You don't claim to fight for your rights while infringing on other peoples rights," he said. "The army should have stopped the demos. People even died! And MDF seemed to be okay with it". Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 14:32 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067b9b66 1 Business KCIC,Jakarta-Bandung-High-Speed-Train,China,State-owned-Enterprises-Ministry,erick-thohir,transportation-ministry,Public-Works-and-Public-Housing-Ministry Free The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry has demanded a full assessment of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project over environmental and human concerns. It also demanded consortium PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), which is developing the railway, repair its drainage system. The system has been blamed for inundating the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road located near the project, causing traffic congestion in the area. Ive requested PT KCIC conduct a full evaluation regarding the weaknesses of project management that have caused environmental damage, SOEs Minister Erick Thohir said in a press release on Monday. In a letter sent to PT KCIC on Feb. 27, the Public Works and Housing Ministry (PUPR) demanded the project be halted for two weeks starting from March 2, citing the projects poor drainage system. Erick said the company must file a report in two weeks regarding its progress on drainage system repairs and environmental management. We appreciate and fully support the PUPR Ministrys action to halt the project for two weeks, he said. Separately, the Transportation Ministrys secretary-general Djoko Sasono said on Monday that the ministry would carry out an internal discussion regarding the issue before taking further steps. Were currently gathering information [regarding the project] in order to take further action, he said. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway project is one of the government's national strategic projects (PSN) in the transportation sector and is expected to require a total investment of US$6.07 billion. The railway project will serve four main stations: Halim in Jakarta, Karawang in West Java and Walini and Tegaluar in Bandung regency. A total of 80 km of the railway will be elevated, while a further 16.9 km will be in tunnels. The trains will travel at 350 km per hour, cutting travel time between Jakarta and Bandung to 45 minutes, faster than the approximately three hours on the existing train. (mpr) China on Monday said foreign journalists reporting from the country need to follow professional ethics and Chinese laws, as it dismissed a media group's report that Beijing is using visa as a weapon to intimidate foreign media "like never before". Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian's remarks while responding to questions on Foreign Correspondent's Club of China (FCCC) annual report stating that Beijing is using visa as a weapon to control foreign media, following the expulsion of three Wall Street Journal reporters last month. "We always welcome foreign media to cover in China in an objective manner and we provide support and convenience for them, and which is witnessed by all," Zhao told a media briefing here. "In the meantime, the foreign correspondents in China should observe local laws and regulations and their professional ethics, which is the same in every country, Zhao said adding FCCC is not recognised by China. The Beijing-based FCCC in its report released said Chinese authorities are using visas as weapons against the foreign press like never before, expanding their deployment of a long-time intimidation tactic as working conditions for foreign journalists in China markedly deteriorated in 2019. Titled "FCCC Report on Media Freedoms in 2019 ctrl+halt+Del", it said the foreign journalists are not only being denied visas but Chinese authorities issued record number of severely truncated visas to resident journalists last year. "Also for the second consecutive year, not a single correspondent said conditions improved, in response to an annual survey by the FCCC," it said. One Wall Street Journal correspondent was expelled in August last year after being denied visa followed by three more in January this year, the biggest expulsion in three decades, it said. The three were expelled over THE WSJ carrying an article on the coronavirus crisis titled China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia. "This amounts to the most brazen attempt in the post-Mao Zedong era to influence foreign organisations and punish those whose work the Chinese government deems unacceptable," the report said. "Since 2013, when (president) Xi Jinping's ascension to power was completed, China has forced out nine foreign journalists, either through outright expulsion or by non-renewal of visas. The FCCC fears that China is preparing to expel more journalists, it said. Zhao said what happened to the WSJ journalists was just an individual case. "There are over 600 (foreign) journalists stationed in China. They don't need to worry about their reporting in China as long as they observe Chinese laws and regulations. On the content of the FCCC report, the spokesperson said I must stress that we have never recognised this institution you mentioned. So, I think it is very inappropriate for this so-called organisation to say these things. The expulsions of the three WSJ journalists by China followed a day after US designation of five major Chinese state-run media companies as effective extensions of the Chinese government, sparking speculation whether Beijing action was a retaliation to Washington's move. The US official justified the designation saying the outlets are owned and effectively controlled by the government in Beijing and that each meets the definition of a foreign mission. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australians should focus their attention on securing the freedom of Melbourne academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert ahead of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, a Liberal MP and former diplomat has told Federal Parliament. In a speech to the House of Representatives on Monday night, Dave Sharma said Mr Assange has strong legal representation and would receive a fair hearing in court, while Dr Moore-Gilbert was trapped in an Iranian prison after being tried and convicted in secret. Liberal MP Dave Sharma. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong Following the visit of independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Nationals MP George Christensen to Mr Assange in a London prison, Mr Sharma said he wished a "comparable number of Australians would show the same level of commitment and interest in the case of Dr Moore-Gilbert". The former ambassador to Israel said Dr Moore-Gilbert's circumstances were "far more compelling of our national sympathy and attention". Former senator Nova Peris has said she quit politics rather than compromise her core beliefs as an Aboriginal person. Ms Peris, who was a Labor senator for the Northern Territory for one term from 2013, also told the ABC's Q+A about the torrent of racism she faced in the role. "If not every day, every second day I would be attacked: by racist trolls, mail that was sent, phone calls, you know: 'get back in your box you black b----', and all the rest of it," Ms Peris said. "It was horrific. "I had death threats, the AFP were tracking down mail that was sent to me. If you are an Indigenous person and you challenge the status quo, you are going to be attacked." The OneGhana Movement has complained about Ghanas preparedness for a potential novel coronavirus case in Ghana. According to the group, the failure to ratchet-up interventions in the face of the likely spread could have dire consequences for the healthcare system and infrastructure should Ghana experience any outbreak in the country. In a statement signed by the Acting Executive Director of the group, Emily Kanyir Nyuur, it has asked the government to among other things, create a comprehensive national Covid-19 awareness program to sensitize and help prepare the population psychologically. They also asked the government to as a matter of urgency, get the country together in readiness to forestall or minimize loss of life in the event of a Covid-19 spread to Ghana. The One Ghana Movement further expressed confidence in the governments ability to lead in such times where the disease has been declared as a global health emergency. Click here to read the full statement. Ghanas preparedness Per Ghana's preparedness plan for an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, the state is operating along the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols. Alerts have been sent to all regions to update their respective preparedness plans and activate their respective public health management committees. So far, the Ridge Hospital and the Tema General Hospital have been earmarked as case management centres. Four other facilities; the Ga East Hospital, the Police Hospital, the LEKMA Hospital and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital have been identified as additional facilities to support case management. Technical support visits have also been undertaken by the Institutional Care Division (ICD) of Ghana Health Service and WHO to some designated facilities to assess preparedness. Staff at the two identified treatment centres have also been given preliminary training in case management. We currently have testing capabilities for the virus at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research. The centres have handled 24 suspected cases so far. The United States government is, so far, also providing technical support and funding. The National Technical Coordinating Committee has met twice to coordinate national preparedness activities. Ghana's National Public Emergency Preparedness Plan has been updated and a draft COVID-19 preparedness plan has been developed. citinewsroom The Supreme Court Monday rejected an SIT plea seeking early hearing of its petition challenging the anticipatory bail granted in 2018 to jailed former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases. "Application for early hearing is dismissed," said a bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kand. While refusing the plea, the bench asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT), "Is he inside the jail or not". The bench was referring to the case in which Kumar has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The SIT has filed appeal against the Delhi High Court decision of February 22, 2018, upholding a trial court order granting anticipatory bail to Kumar in two anti-Sikh riots cases, saying that according to records, he was available throughout the investigation. He was granted anticipatory bail by the trial court on December 21, 2016 in two cases of killing of three Sikhs during the riots which had occurred after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. Kumar had submitted that his name was never taken earlier and it was a case of fresh allegations coming up after three decades. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in another 1984 anti-Sikh riots case on December 17, 2018. Kumar resigned from the Congress after he was convicted by the high court. The case in which he was convicted and sentenced relates to the killing of five Sikhs in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar Part-I area of southwest Delhi on November 1-2 in 1984, and burning down of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part-II. Kumar has also challenged in the apex court the Delhi High Court's verdict of December 17 last year that awarded him life imprisonment for the "remainder of his natural life" in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. It had also upheld the conviction and varying sentences awarded by a trial court to five others - former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and ex-MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar. The high court had set aside the trial court's 2010 verdict, which had acquitted Kumar in the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) T wo police officers who helped deal with the Streatham terror attack are being investigated after an unmarked armed response car crashed. The investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct centres around alleged dangerous driving and misconduct. One of the officers was driving an undercover police vehicle towards the terror attack when the car was involved in a crash with two other vehicles, leaving the driver and one other person injured. The other officer being investigated was driving an armed response vehicle in full livery and was not involved in the crash, instead continuing to the scene of Sudesh Ammans attack. Amman, 20, was shot dead by police after he stole a knife from a shop on Streatham High Road on February 2 and attacked members of the public. Amman, 20, had previous terrorism convictions / PA He had recently been released from prison having been jailed for terrorism offences, and was under 24 hour surveillance. The terrorist managed to injure two passersby before he was stopped by officers, and was found to be wearing a hoax suicide vest. A spokesman for watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: We are conducting an independent investigation into a road traffic incident involving a Metropolitan Police car which collided with two vehicles while responding to the terror attack in Streatham on Sunday February 2. Two people received injuries. On Friday February 28 we served notices of investigation for dangerous driving and gross misconduct on the officer driving the vehicle involved in the collision and on the driver of a marked police vehicle which was in close proximity to the unmarked vehicle but not involved in the collision. Ken Marsh, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents officers, said: "The public will be appalled when they hear that brave police officers responding to a terrorist attack can be treated in such a manner. University students have detected a newly flaring black hole 30,000 light-years away. While observing an asteroid using NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, the team spotted a glowing object in the constellation Columba. The instrument, developed by students at MIT and Harvard and designed to measure X-rays emitted from asteroids, accidentally picked up a showy flare of X-rays from a black hole that is now named MAXI J0637-430. These X-ray emissions occur when a black hole pulls in matter from a normal star that is in orbit around it and as the matter spirals onto a spinning disk surrounding the black hole, an enormous amount of energy is released in the process - primarily in the form of X-rays. Scroll down for video The new black hole was detected last fall and just a week after Japan's MAXI telescope discovered it. NASA has now released a GIF showing a visualization of the outburst detected by the OSIRIS-Rex instrument. Madeline Lambert, an MIT graduate student who designed the instrument's command sequences that serendipitously revealed the black hole, said: 'Detecting this X-ray burst is a proud moment for the REXIS team.' 'It means our instrument is performing as expected and to the level required of NASA science instruments.' The instrument, developed by students at MIT and Harvard anddesigned to measure X-rays emitted from asteroids, accidentally picked up a showy flare of X-rays from a black hole that is now named MAXI J0637-430 X-ray blasts, like the one emitted from the newly discovered black hole, can only be observed from space since Earth's protective atmosphere shields our planet from X-rays. These X-ray emissions occur when a black hole pulls in matter from a normal star that is in orbit around it. As the matter spirals onto a spinning disk surrounding the black hole, an enormous amount of energy (primarily in the form of X-rays) is released in the process. 'We set out to train students how to build and operate space instruments,' said MIT professor Richard Binzel, instrument scientist for the REXIS student experiment. 'It turns out, the greatest lesson is to always be open to discovering the unexpected.' The main purpose of the REXIS instrument is to prepare the next generation of scientists, engineers and project managers in the development and operations of spaceflight hardware. WHAT ARE BLACK HOLES? Black holes are so dense and their gravitational pull is so strong that no form of radiation can escape them - not even light. They act as intense sources of gravity which hoover up dust and gas around them. Their intense gravitational pull is thought to be what stars in galaxies orbit around. How they are formed is still poorly understood. Astronomers believe they may form when a large cloud of gas up to 100,000 times bigger than the sun, collapses into a black hole. Many of these black hole seeds then merge to form much larger supermassive black holes, which are found at the centre of every known massive galaxy. Alternatively, a supermassive black hole seed could come from a giant star, about 100 times the sun's mass, that ultimately forms into a black hole after it runs out of fuel and collapses. When these giant stars die, they also go 'supernova', a huge explosion that expels the matter from the outer layers of the star into deep space. Advertisement Nearly 100 undergraduate and graduate students have worked on the REXIS team since the mission's inception. OSIRIS-REx left Earth more than two years ago on its mission to study an asteroid and, hopefully, bring a sample back home in 2023. The craft will spend the next year in orbit around its target before dropping down briefly so it can get close enough to scoop up a sample of dirt and rock from the surface. Osiris-Rex ultimate goal is to bring back a regolith sample of at least 2.1 ounces. Asteroid Bennu is said to be a carbon-rich hunk of rock that might contain organic materials or molecular precursors to life. Analyzing a sample from Bennu will help planetary scientists better understand the role asteroids may have played in delivering life-forming compounds to Earth,' NASA explains. 'We know from having studied Bennu through Earth- and space-based telescopes that it is a carbonaceous, or carbon-rich, asteroid. Carbon is the hinge upon which organic molecules hang. 'Bennu is likely rich in organic molecules, which are made of chains of carbon bonded with atoms of oxygen, hydrogen, and other elements in a chemical recipe that makes all known living things. Army personnel rescued 111 civilians and 70 vehicles caught in the snow-clad Sela Pass situated atop 14,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh, in a civic action operation conducted on Saturday. A statement issued on Monday said two teams of the Army along with their medical staff and recovery vehicles relentlessly worked throughout the night, till wee hours of Sunday, to help as many as 111 civilians, including women and children in 70 vehicles, who got stranded in heavy snow at Sela Pass in sub-zero temperature. Sela Pass, situated close to India-China border attracts tourists as the area witness snowfall during the winter. The locals and tourists in distress also were provided with hot tea, snacks and food at the site by the army personnel, it said. "The tourists expressed gratitude to the troops of the Indian Army for their efforts which they termed as a God sent help. The office of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, which was also monitoring the situation, also complimented the Army for their timely and effective response, said the statement. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD as it is known, is supposedly rampant. Although the label should be used only for extreme cases, PTSD is mentioned casually and frequently. It is indeed a story of the moment. There is always a story of the moment. It rises and crests, and then attention turns elsewhere, having occupied busy minds without sparking new insights or creating permanent help. Post-9/11, books with American in the title had a sales boost, so for a decade books listed alphabetically crowded into the A section. At various times, with occasional flashbacks, we have been bombarded with fringe medical cases, misery memoirs, tales of tidying and discarding, breast cancer, veganism (a form of tidying), Generation Z anger, and now aging and death (boomers are aging and dying). But PTSD, on the other hand, keeps rolling along because it has a crisp abbreviation and seems to explain so much when it really only begins to explain. Its so handy. PTSD is a psychiatric diagnosis for some people who have seen or experienced terrible trauma, often in the course of their job. Allegedly 9.2 per cent of Canadians (but only 3.5 per cent of Americans, which seems implausible) will suffer it in their lifetime, with women being diagnosed twice as much as men. As with COVID-19, amorphous conditions tend to breed unreliable numbers. The disorder is allegedly worsened by a lack of social support and life explosions, like job loss or divorce. But isnt everything? PTSD causes nightmares and flashbacks. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, sufferers think negatively, feeling irrational fear, anger, guilt and shame. They live on permanent edge, leaving them irritable, numb, emotionally distant and unable to sleep. They may often feel like something terrible is about to happen, even when they are safe. Here is where I part company with the very idea of PTSD, as opposed to PTS. I do not think such reactions are a disorder. Instead, they are the reactions of any sane person to a horrible event outside their control. The last two sentences of the previous paragraph are a crisp description of how most Canadians feel about Donald Trump being the American president, or how I feel in a large grocery store. Call it PTSR, post-traumatic stress reaction. There is such a thing as the over-medicalization of life, with people being misdiagnosed or overdiagnosed in tandem with the view that says traumatized people should toughen up, get a grip, and just do their job. But they cant because theyre traumatized. The disorder is a sane and understandable response. Look at the people said to suffer PTSD: dispatchers, nurses, police, firefighters, jail guards, rape victims, jurors, homeless LGBTQ people, prisoners, gig workers, stabbing victims, women in rural work camps who cant escape their rapist, the overworked, those worried by climate change, older people isolated by storms, prosecutors in the Flint, Mich., water poison case, and migrant parents who had their children taken at the U.S. border. I believe them. Those jobs can wreck people. I wont mock them by saying they suffer from a disorder. No, they suffer from being rape victims, police, firefighters, nurses, migrants whose children were stolen, etc. Psychiatry helps, but it can also distort. The word stigma is overused in a particular situation, anything can be stigmatized but why call coping with life a psychiatric condition? Its a condition, surely, but a normal one. PTSD can be used like an elastic band, stretched far beyond its meaning. When an Edmonton man, Silva Koshwal, claimed PTSD flashbacks in 2015 caused him to stab his ex-girlfriend to death, remove her heart, ovaries and uterus, and nail that heart to the wall, well, no. Airplane passengers say PTSD requires the company of their emotional support animal, but cant provide a psychiatrists letter, not even to over-medicalize their natural stressed state. Here we sit, with the planet baking and COVID-19 hoping to travel to Canada and stay in the cheap Airbnbs that are our lungs. That is stressful, which is normal. What if you come down with the coronavirus? What name should we give that kind of stress? Perhaps PTS-19 would cover it. A furious paramedic has revealed how he discovered his personal belongings had been stolen from an ambulance while he was helping a patient. Karl Williams, who works for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said 'disappointed and slightly angry' didn't even begin to cover his feelings. The clinical team mentor tweeted on Friday and has since received more than 100 replies with people saying they think the thief's actions were 'disgusting'. Karl Williams (pictured), who works for West Midlands Ambulance Service, found his personal belongings had been taken from his ambulance while he was helping a patient Mr Williams wrote: 'The last thing I expect to find when I return to my Ambulance after treating an individual, is to find my personal belonging have been stolen from my Ambulance. Disappointed and slightly angry doesn't even cover it.' The paramedic, who is based in Coventry, also promised that the thief would be caught. More than one hundred people have retweeted Mr Williams' post, with dozens saying it was shocking that his belongings had been taken while on the job. One person wrote: 'I think this is disgusting. They may need your help one day. Hope they get caught and are severely punished.' Mr Williams said 'disappointed and slightly angry' didn't even begin to cover his feelings after discovering that his items had been taken while he was on the job While others asked if the ambulance had been fitted with cameras, which have helped catch and convict others who have targeted emergency crews. Fellow paramedic Matt Harrison related a similar experience in his reply to the tweet. He wrote: 'The guy who did the exact same thing to me got caught. He was identified by a local neighbour Bobby from the ambulance CCTV but nothing was done. My belongings were never recovered. I got off lightly. He was already on remand for mugging & stealing from an old lady.' More than 100 people replied to Mr Williams' tweet saying they found the thief's actions to be 'disgusting' and that they hoped the person was caught Adam Alcock also told how thieves had stolen from his ambulance, taking potentially life-saving equipment, while he was on duty in Hanley. Adam wrote: 'Walked back to the truck with my crew mate and ops manager to find the side window on the sliding door smashed with a vodka bottle. They took 2 personal kit bags. Bls bag, als bag. Entonox and tried to get into the safe.' Other Twitter users said the latest incident as a sign of the times, with one writing 'The UK in the 21st century'. And another wrote: 'Very sad. There is no respect for emergency workers any more people really need to take a long hard look at themselves.' Other paramedics also replied and shared stories of similar incidents happening to them Replying to being tagged in the comments, Adam Alcock said he found his ambulance had been broken into and equipment taken In October 2018, West Midlands Ambulance launched an appeal after a thief broke into an ambulance to steal the paramedics' belongings. The vehicle had been parked up in Northfield, Birmingham, while the crew attended an emergency. The culprit was caught one on the vehicle's cameras smashing a side window to snatch personal items including an iPhone before making off. West Midlands Ambulance Service told MailOnline: 'We are extremely disappointed to hear of staff being victims of crime. 'It is completely unacceptable that ambulance staff, who are responding to help people in their hour of need, should have to face theft or be the victim of any type of crime.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 Indonesia offered congratulations to Malaysias newly appointed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, a presidential spokesperson said, after his inauguration on Sunday to replace veteran politician Mahathir Mohammad, who resigned on Feb. 24 during a week of political turmoil. Presidential spokesperson Fadjroel Rachman said President Joko Jokowi Widodo expressed his sincere good wishes and congratulated Muhyiddin for his inauguration. God willing, [he will] fulfill his mandate and be successful. Hopefully [God] will continue to bless the good relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries that share the same roots, Fadjroel tweeted on behalf of the President on Sunday. 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 Or let Google manage your subscription Video emerged on Monday of Greek coastguard officers apparently trying to capsize a boat full of refugees at sea, as a crisis mounted over migrants from the Middle East attempting to reach western Europe. A migrant child was also killed on Monday when the boat they were aboard capsized off the island of Lesbos and a Syrian refugee trying to cross the Greek border was reportedly killed by rubber bullets, underscoring the dangers faced by those attempting make the passage west from Turkey. It is unclear if the child was on the boat seen in the video. The deaths, alleged abuse at sea and a diplomatic standoff over migrants between Turkey and the European Union follow an attack by forces loyal to the Damascus regime of Bashar al-Assad on Thursday that killed at least 33 Turkish soldiers in northwest Syria in a confrontation at one of a dozen bases controlled by Ankara. In response to the incident, Turkey allowed thousands of migrants penned up in the country to head towards its EU land and sea borders with Greece and Bulgaria. The move is seen by analysts as both an attempt to put pressure on western powers to help it resolve the Syria crisis, and to distract the Turkish public from the loss of soldiers in a foreign land. Turkey says it has allowed more than 117,000 migrants to cross into Europe, but Greeks say no more than 1,000 have made it across. Neither figure has been independently verified, and each country has a political interest in fudging the numbers. On Sunday, Greece suspended temporary protection for asylum seekers, citing national security reasons, drawing criticism from campaigners. "I get that they have some security issues and concerns," said Devon Cone, senior advocate at Refugees International. "But they also have international obligations towards people seeking safety who approach their borders." 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 The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that millions of migrants would soon head to the European border. Since the moment we opened our borders, the number heading to Europe has reached hundreds of thousands, he said during an event in Ankara. This number will be stated in the millions soon. The Greek coastguard claimed in a statement that the boat carrying the lost child was overturned off the coast of Lesbos by its occupants in an attempt to draw rescuers, who managed to save all but the child. A video released by Turkish authorities purportedly showed Greek coastguard officers attacking a boat full of migrants nearly ramming their vessel, firing warning shots at them, and striking them with a sharp object. Greek coastguard officials performed manoeuvres aimed at sinking the rubber boat en route to Greece carrying irregular migrants off the Bodrum district of Mugla province, a Turkish official said in a note to journalists. They opened fire afterwards. Later on, irregular migrants in the rubber boat were hit by long sticks used for manoeuvres. The migrants were later rescued by the Turkish coastguard, said the official, and it was not clear if the video showed the incident described by the Greeks. A 22-year-old Syrian man from Aleppo was also reportedly killed Monday after he was allegedly shot with a rubber bullet while trying to cross the Greek frontier by foot, according to Jenan Moussa, a correspondent from pan-Arabic Dubai-based al-Aan news channel. A Greek government spokesman called reports of a slain refugee at the border fake news. The opening of the Turkish border is seen as an attempt to put pressure on the European Union, which has downgraded Syria to below Libya and Iran on its list of Middle East and North Africa priorities. Turkish officials accuse the west of abandoning the country to fend for itself as it is flooded with millions of refugees from Syria and faces the prospect of hundreds of thousands more because of the ongoing Russian and Syrian offensive to retake Idlib province from rebels. Turkey was supposed to curb the flow of migrants and refugees to Europe as part of a 6.6bn (5.4bn) aid package, but only half the money has been dispersed, owing to EU accounting rules. But the Turks say the allocated funds are not nearly enough to cover the costs of at least 3.6 million Syrians sheltering in the country. In a speech on Monday, Mr Erdogan demanded that Europe do their fair share for migrants, who are leaving Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan for Europe. The era of unilateral sacrifice is over, he said. In a series of tweets, Mr Erdogan's communications director pressed Turkey's demands on the EU. "Europe must act on principle in the most serious challenge of our age, the migration crisis," wrote Fahrettin Altun. "It will not be resolved by denying entry to thousands of refugees seeking protection. It starts with working with Turkey on comprehensive solutions and a European-wide mobilisation." New Delhi March 3 : Is PM Modi readying to make a big announcement this coming Sunday? And will it connect the dots on the PMs cryptic announcement on Monday about him thinking of logging off from social media platforms which he dominates like a colossus? As news spread like a raging bush fire, speculation began all round on why the PM who loves engaging with people through social media handles has decided to detox. This Sunday, March 8, happens to be International Women's day followed by Holi to be celebrated on March 9 and 10th. Sources close to developments said that PM Modi may make a major announcement on the important date (March 8) that could possibly relate to social media. In his tweet PM Modi has clearly mentioned his social media accounts on four different platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube - which he is thinking of giving up. No where in his tweet or messaging on other platforms does he hint that he will quit social media entirely. Many opposition leaders, of course had their own interpretations articulating that this may well be a precursor to banning social media platforms in the country. Moreover, the Govt has taken an adversarial position against big data companies, its stated position as explained by the Ministry of IT is - "Internet has emerged as a potent tool to cause unimaginable disruption to the democratic polity, it was felt that the extant rules be revised for effective regulation of intermediaries keeping in view the ever growing threats to individual rights and nation's integrity, sovereignty, and security." Further, the government wants to revise the existing rules for intermediaries or social media apps and platforms that rely on users to create their content, such as TikTok, Instagram et al. Sources indicated that PM Modi might switch on to a new swadeshi social media platform and may also request his supporters to follow it. For quite sometime, Swadeshi Jagran Manch and RSS think tanks have been suggesting to launch an Indian social media platform like Facebook and YouTube. Industrialists like Anand Mahindra have also tweeted in the past about starting an Indian social media platform too. Yoga Guru Ramdev has also spoken on such lines advocating the creation of a domestic a social media app. Some BJP leaders on condition of anonymity also dropped hints on the same lines suggesting that an internal message was doing the rounds that BJP karyakartas and followers should join NamoApp's Swadeshi platform #MyNetwork and give vent to their voice, feelings and emotion. Will NamoApp's #MyNetwork be the platform on which Indians can create their profiles and exchange messages and ideas? With iconic PM Modi's endorsement, will he first personally migrate to an Indian social media platform to be followed by a multitude of his countrymen? Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston The Supreme Court will on Monday hear an application filed by Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), asking it to review a judgement on Imo governorship that declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the March 9, 2019, election. Mr Ihedioha and the PDP had approached the court after the apex court on January 14 nullified his victory and declared Mr Uzodinma as the winner of the election. Mr Ihedioha was earlier declared the winner of the election by the electoral umpire, INEC. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how, in a unanimous judgment of the seven-member panel, read by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the apex court agreed that results in 388 polling units were unlawfully excluded during the collation of the final governorship election result in Imo State. Mr Kekere-Ekun said with the results from the 388 polling units added, Mr Uzodinma polled a majority of the lawful votes and ought to have been declared the winner of the election by the poll commission. Strangely, the court, however, did not provide the details of the new votes scored by each of the candidates after the addition of the results from the 388 polling units. Consequently, the court voided and set aside the declaration of Mr lhedioha as the winner of the 2019 governorship election in the South-east state. The court ordered that the certificate of return issued to Mr lhedioha be immediately withdrawn by INEC and a fresh one issued to Mr Uzodinma as the elected governor of the state. Vote due to the appellant Senator Hope Uzodinma and the APC from 388 Polling Units were wrongly excluded from scores ascribed to the appellant (to them), the justices ruled. It is thereby ordered that the appellant votes from 388 Polling Units unlawfully excluded from the appellant vote declared shall be added and that the first respondent, Emeka Ihedioha, was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the said election. His return as the elected governor of Imo State is hereby declared null and void and accordingly set aside. It is, hereby, declared that the first appellant (Mr Uzodinma) holds the majority of lawful votes cast at the governorship election held in Imo State on March 9, 2019. Not satisfied Dissatisfied with the apex courts decision, Mr Ihedioha and the PDP in their application filed through their lawyer, Kanu Agabi, said Mr Uzodinma obtained the judgement by deceit. Mr Ihedioha added that the apex court was misled to have given that judgment. The former governor described the apex courts judgment as a nullity, and asked that the decision be set aside. The aggrieved party brought their application pursuant to Section 6 (6) of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act 2004. In buttressing their allegation of fraud, Mr Ihedioha and the PDP claimed that Mr Uzodinma and his party fraudulently misled the apex court into holding that 213,495 votes were unlawfully excluded from the votes they scored in the governorship election held on March 9, 2019. They said Mr Uzodinma, while under cross-examination, admitted that he was the person, who computed the result that gave him the 213,495 votes alleged to have been excluded from his total votes in the election and not INEC. According to them, The fraudulent nature of the additional votes was demonstrated by the fact that the total votes cast as shown in the first appellant/respondents computation was more than the total number of voters accredited for the election and in some polling units more than the total number of registered voters. The fraud was also demonstrated by the fact that the result computed by the first appellant/respondent showed only the votes of the first applicant and the first appellant/respondent without specifying the votes scored by the other 68 candidates who participated in the election. They further argued that the judgment, which is a nullity sought to be set aside because it was given per incuriam. Per incuriam, literally translated as through lack of care, is a device within the common law system of judicial precedent. A finding of per incuriam means that a previous court judgment has failed to pay attention to a relevant statutory provision or precedents. Advertisements They also said by Exhibit A1, the total number of voters accredited for the election was 823, 743 while the total valid votes cast was 731, 485. Also, as part of their argument was that the inclusion of 213, 695 votes for the first appellant/respondent, made the total number of votes cast at the election to be more than the total number of votes accredited for the election. The applicants, among other grounds argued that the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal dismissing Mr Uzodinmas petition as incompetent continues to subsist as the appeal against that decision was not considered by the apex court. Uzodinmas response But, in a 19-paragraph affidavit filed in opposition to Mr Ihediohas request, Mr Uzodinma and the APC said the 60 days allowed for the apex court by the constitution has since elapsed. The undisputed facts relating to the respondents/applicants motion hereinafter referred to as the motion are to the effect that the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on 21st September 2019, while the one sought to be set aside, was delivered on 14th January 2020. Clearly, the 60 days allowed by Section 285(7) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for this Hon. Court to hear and determine an appeal from the Court of Appeal in an election matter, lapsed on January 17, 2020. The motion to set aside was filed on February 5, 2020, 19 days after the time allowed by the Constitution. It is now a settled law that the 60 days time limit to determine and conclude litigation on election matters is sacrosanct and cannot be extended by any guise, they stated, in the counter-affidavit filed on their behalf by their lawyer, Damian Dodo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In the counter-affidavit deposed to by Mathew Mola, the two respondents said the Supreme Court is not in the habit of sitting on appeal over its own judgment as being demanded by Mr Ihedioha. The deponent averred that by the rule of the apex court, the court is prohibited from reviewing its own judgment once delivered except to correct clerical mistakes or accidental slips. As the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court jealously guides its process against abuse by litigants, he said, and does not indulge in academic exercise or answer by hypothetical questions. He said contrary to the claim of Mr Ihedioha in his application, the scores of all the candidates in the election as declared by INEC were clearly set out. The deponent added that a petitioner, whose votes were excluded from the declared results, is entitled to compute the votes excluded in the presentation of his case. The counter-affidavit denied the allegation that Mr Uzodinma admitted that he allocated votes to himself or that the votes in the 388 polling units were in excess of the registered voters. I know as a fact that the issue of a total number of votes cast exceeding the total number of accredited voters did not arise from the petition or the appeal considered and determined by the Supreme Court. I also know that the issue of the votes of 68 other candidates not being reflected was never raised by Ihedioha in the appeal that led to the judgment now being challenged, he added. The deponent noted that Mr Uzodinma and APC did not mislead the Supreme Court to perpetrate any fraud in the appeal that brought them to power, describing Mr Ihediohas allegations as wild and baseless. Request The governor and his party, in their joint preliminary objection, asked the apex court to strike out the request for being baseless and unwarranted. They argued that the application by Mr Ihedioha constitutes a gross abuse of court process, an exercise in futility and an attempt to force the apex court to sit on appeal in its own judgment. According to the respondents, by virtue of Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Supreme Court could no longer decide on the matter that has become statute-barred. A similar application would be heard tomorrow, where APC is seeking a review of the judgment which nullified the victory of the candidates of the party at the 2019 general elections held in Zamfara State. Ripples Meanwhile, some pro-democracy groups and concerned civil society orgnisations on Sunday appealed to the Supreme Court to rise to the occasion, rekindle hope and demonstrate courage in the interest of justice, by ensuring that the errors reversed and not preserved and justice is not delayed in its review of the Imo State Governorship election appeal. The groups, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, Coalition for Democracy and, Justice and Unity and other CSOs, in a joint-statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES and signed by Ariyo-Dare Atoye, urged the justices of the apex court to uphold the truth, show fairness, and ensure that justice is regained in the instant case. The statement read: We are delighted that the respected justices of the Supreme Court have not been invited to review its own judgement based an allegation of a judgement obtained by fraud in the case of Imo case, but via a window of justice prescribed by the apex court under order 8 rule 16. The extremely unique opportunity of order 8 rule 16 made available by the Supreme Court for use in exceptional cases like that of the Imo Appeal, is a validation of the courage of the apex court that only God is infallible and also that the fallibility of the Supreme Court can be redressed to preserve only justice not error, as the final court. We make bold to say that it is more than a national consensus that the Imo judgement was given per incuriam with due respect to the Supreme Court, and since the attention of the apex court has been through a formal application for review drawn to the obvious errors and slips in the matter, it was only a matter of when and not if, for the court to depart from the judgement of January 14, 2020. We humbly and passionately appeal to the Supreme Court to review and redress its January 14, 2020 ruling over Imo in the instant case because, an opportunity to depart from the errors made in the decisions may not come in the distant future and these decisions reached would be cited at the lower courts to constrain future elections petitions. The January 14, 2020 judgement of the Supreme Court was delivered in error to the extent that: an accidental slip was made in ruling on results from two political parties instead of 70; clerical error was made in calculating results from 388 polling units instead of less 366 polling units tendered by the principal witness (PW54) Another clerical error was made in allowing the votes accepted by the Supreme Court to be higher than the number of accredited voters for the election; and also, the apex committed a slip in accidentally omitting the its well settled judgment over spread in declaring a winner. Having observed clear cases of errors and slips in the Supreme Court ruling of January 14, 2020, we have decided to equally appeal to the apex court to remember its decision in FRN V. MKO Abiola (1995) 7 NWLR, that: justice must be rooted in confidence and confidence is destroyed when right-minded people go away thinking: The judge is biased. We believe that the Supreme Court has the power to overrule itself and do justice to Imo people, because according to the late sage and jurist, Oputa JSC, it is far better for the court to admit an error than to persevere in error, and we believe the Supreme Court will do the needful. Justice is the ultimate, justice is the beacon of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court is last hope of every Nigeria, and therefore it is expected that it would neither preserve error over the Imo matter nor persevere in error. Rotunda Rumblings A look-ahead: Since many lawmakers are focusing on the March 17 primary, well see a little less action at the Ohio Statehouse this week. But it wont be completely dead. The Senate is meeting on Wednesday, and it could take up a ban of medication abortions administered through telemedicine. Senate Bill 260 was only introduced Jan. 21 and was passed out of a committee last week. Also this week: People who want to legalize recreational marijuana may submit the proposed constitutional amendment and summary language to appear on the ballot to the Ohio Attorney Generals office. This kicks off the effort for the campaign to get on the November ballot. On Thursdays schedule is a summit in Columbus between the Ohio Department of Health and officials from Ohios 113 local health departments to exchange information on the new coronavirus, since its spreading faster in the U.S. than in recent weeks. Jobs Jobs Jobs: JobsOhios reported job-creation numbers fell in 2019 compared to the previous year, cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias reports. The states economic development nonprofit took credit for getting companies to commit to creating 22,770 new jobs with $1.2 billion in new payroll last year, compared to 27,071 and $1.3 billion in 2018. But the payroll number was the second-highest since JobsOhio was launched in 2013. Its employee headcount rose from 93 to 102, and its payroll rose from $11 million to $12.5 million. Speaking of JobsOhio: State Rep. John Rogers, a Mentor-on-the-Lake Democrat, announced a bill on Friday that would submit JobsOhio to state audits while maintaining its private status. The bill has 10 Democratic co-sponsors and one Republican state Rep. John Becker. Bidens back? After a dominating victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, former Vice President Joe Biden looks like hes resurrected his campaign. As cleveland.coms Seth Richardson points out in his latest piece, that bodes well for Biden in Ohios March 17 primary. Kids cuts: There have been theories on why Ohio children are losing health insurance at one of the highest rates in the country, but not a lot of study. The Childrens Defense Fund of Ohio is embarking on a research project, thanks to funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundations Finish Line Project, as well as Ohio-based charities such as the Cleveland Foundation. The CDF is reaching out to parents whose children lost coverage and never got insurance from another source. Theyre going to talk to physicians, immigrants, caseworkers and others. Give it away now: The group founded by Cleveland Heights Pastor Darrell Scott, an ardent ally of president Donald Trump, indefinitely postponed a planned $50,000 cash giveaway in downtown Cleveland over the weekend, citing security and a smear campaign against them, Richardson reports. The Urban Revitalization Coalition has come under fire for its cash giveaways at events lauding the economy under Trump. The Ohio Democratic Party asked for a criminal investigation of the URC last week. Oops: The Ohio Department of Health made a data input error last week, which means the number of people being tested for coronavirus is actually zero as of the most recent update on Thursday afternoon, not one, as was previously reported, cleveland.coms Laura Hancock writes. Crowded field: Cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton has a look at the candidates challenging U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge in the Democratic primary, as well as the field of Republicans seeking the nomination to run for the seat in November. Phoning a friend: Gearing up for her March 17 primary against Morgan Harper, Rep. Joyce Beatty had an LGBTQ canvassing event on Saturday at the Ohio Democratic Party headquarters in Columbus. Among those who joined her: Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline, sponsor of the 2019 Equality Act. No smoking: In a vote that went largely along party lines, the U.S. House on Friday passed a bill that would ban the sale of flavored cigarettes and e-cigarettes, including menthol cigarettes, as part of a drive to stop youth smoking. Fudge was among a handful of Congressional Black Caucus who joined Republicans in opposing the bill because of its ban on menthol, which is favored by some African American smokers. Suicide prevention plan: Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday unveiled Ohios first statewide collaborative suicide prevention plan, designed by a 33-member panel in response to an increase in the number of suicides in the Buckeye State. The three-year plan includes raising public awareness of the warning signs of suicide; incorporating suicide-prevention and suicide-care practices into health care, public safety, and education systems; and focusing prevention efforts on high-risk groups. All wet: A federal judge has struck down a law Toledo residents passed last year that would give them sweeping powers to protect Lake Erie, saying the law was too vague and gave the city too much power, cleveland.coms Eric Heisig reports. The Lake Erie Bill of Rights was part of what is called the Rights of Nature movement, in which environmentalists seek to give nature the same rights as corporations. Drake deal: Ohio State University President Michael Drake could potentially make more than $1.4 million after he steps down, under new terms approved by the schools board of trustees., cleveland.coms Emily Bamforth writes. Drake plans to retire in November. Page Turner: Former Ohio Sen. Nina Turner was profiled in a Friday article in the Washington Post, the day before Saturdays South Carolina primary, featuring her work boosting Bernie Sanders with black voters in the state. She wants to be addressed formally: First name, senator. Last name, Turner, writes Jenna Johnson. Her colleagues and friends call her SNT, short for Sen. Nina Turner, a job she held for five years. Who shot ya? Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat running for president, is on TV in Ohio now with ads attacking former New York Mayor Mike Bloombergs candidacy. Warren revived her presidential hopes a bit after going for Bloombergs jugular in a Democratic debate. In the Ohio ad, which will play in other post-Super Tuesday states as well, Warren goes after Bloomberg for his massive spending on campaign ads and points out that Bloomberg endorsed a Republican over her in her first Senate race. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the Feb 18, 2020 financial disclosure of state Rep. Anthony DeVitis, a Uniontown Republican: 1. In addition to his legislative salary of $77,624, Devitis disclosed making $10,000 to $24,999 from DeVico, LLC, a real-estate partnership, and $25,000 to $49,999 each from DeVitis & Sons, Inc., an Italian specialty store, and DeVitis Fine Italian Foods, Inc., a food distribution company. 2. Besides his state pension and family company stock, he also has a 401(k) with American Funds. 3. At some point during 2019, he owed at least $1,000 to JP Morgan Chase Bank, Ford Credit, Bank of America, American Express Centurion Bank, Angelo DeVitis, Janet DeVitis and David DeVitis. 4. He reported $4,626.40 in House travel reimbursements, and $266.80 in caucus campaign travel reimbursements. 5. He does not hold any professional licenses. Birthdays State Rep. Gayle Manning: Mindy Spain, legislative aide to Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes; Mitchell Tulley, Ohio Republican Party deputy political director Straight from the Source I ask you to see me as a human, not a victim. -Felicia Snell, who was on a panel of human trafficking survivors who shared their stories last week at the Statehouse, per the Columbus Dispatch. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, urging him to use his leadership position to ensure that the bill that would allow repentant Boko Haram terrorists to access public funds to enjoy foreign education is immediately dropped. SERAP also asked the Senate President to sponsor bills that would ensure access to justice and reparation for the victims of Boko Haram terrorist group. SERAP argued that, the bill, which has passed the first reading at the Senate would give opportunities to repentant terrorists to receive foreign education including by accessing funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and subventions from the government. SERAP in the letter dated 28 February 2020, signed by the Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, protested: This bill erodes justice and makes a mockery of the suffering of victims, and the unspeakable human tragedy, humanitarian crisis and appalling atrocities committed by the Boko Haram terrorist group. By calling Boko Haram members ex-agitators, the bill mocks the victims of appalling atrocities committed by the terrorist group, and is a blatant affront to victims dignity. Repentant Boko Haram terrorists are not ex-agitators; they are terrorists under Nigerian and international laws. SERAP, therefore, demanded: Boko Haram members should not be allowed to enjoy foreign education while over 13 million Nigerian children of school age are roaming our streets. Alleged perpetrators of gross violations should not get the benefits at the expense of these and other deserving children. Rather than allowing perpetrators to access public funds to enjoy foreign education, the Senate should be promoting reparation for victims, to prevent future criminality and ensure the best interest of justice. SERAP warned: Should the Senate go-ahead to pass the bill, and should the bill be supported by the House of Representatives and assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Registered Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions nationally and internationally to challenge the legality of any such law and ensure that it is never implemented. The letter read, in part: Prioritising the education of Boko Haram members over the rights of Nigerian children to quality education is discriminatory, as it violates Nigerian constitutional provisions, international and regional human rights obligations, and will undermine national development. This bill serves neither justice nor the public interest. The bill also does not represent value for money for Nigerian taxpayers, especially coming from an institution whose individual member reportedly takes home about N182 million yearly, translating to N15.1 million monthly or N45.3 million quarterly. Internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in many parts of the country are in shambles, with people lacking access to basic necessities like food, clothing and children of victims lacking access to basic education. Without justice, the seeds of future criminality and militant terrorism will grow. This bill, if passed, would only lead to more terrorism and suffering. The Senate should focus on passing bills that would ensure access of victims to effective remedies including adequate reparation, and effective prosecution of repentant Boko Haram members rather than rewarding them with opportunities to study abroad. Prioritising alleged perpetrators rights at the expense of the victims rights, interests and needs is discriminatory, illegal and unconstitutional, as it amounts to re-victimization. While the alleged repentant Boko Haram terrorists have the right to an impartial and fair trial, they have absolutely no right to enjoy foreign education. Pursuing accountability of perpetrators would also show that Nigerian authorities will take action against those who commit gross human rights violations against their own people. In proposing bills to respond to the atrocities committed by the Boko Haram terrorist group, the Senate should ensure strict adherence to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and Nigerias international human rights obligations and commitments, including the 1985 United Nations Declaration of the Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, which provides for the basic standards for victims treatment. The Boko Haram terrorist group has committed numerous human rights atrocities against the Nigerian people. By prioritising prosecution of alleged perpetrators, the Nigerian authorities will be sending a powerful message to the victims and the international community that atrocities committed by the terrorist group will not be ignored. According to our information, the proposed bill aims to establish a National Agency for the Education, Rehabilitation, De-radicalisation and Integration of Repentant Insurgents in Nigeria. The agency will get its funding from the Universal Basic Education Commission, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and annual subventions from the government. Section 5(m) of the bill gives repentant terrorists the opportunity of receiving foreign education, by among others accessing the services of offshore and Nigerian institutions in the pursuit of the educational needs of ex-agitators. Under the bill, one per cent of TETFund and UBEC fund will be used in funding the agency for rehabilitating the terrorists. The agency will also be funded by 0.5 per cent of the federal allocation of the six North-East states. The bill, sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Geideam, representing Yobe East, has passed the first reading in the Senate. Among the likely beneficiaries under the bill will be 25 Boko Haram members and their wives, who recently arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno State, after they reportedly surrendered to troops in Niger Republic. SERAP, therefore, urged Lawan to urgently initiate four separate bills to ensure: adequate reparations for victims of Boko Haram atrocities; the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those much in need; access to free, inclusive and quality education to Nigerian children from socially and economically disadvantaged sectors of the population. Any such bill should remove school fees and charges to ensure all students can access school equally, and target financial support for girls at risk of dropping out through girls education strategies; accelerate effective prosecution of alleged repentant Boko Haram members and other members. PV: 0 Even before they exchanged "I Dos" to mark the beginning of their marriage life, Prince Charles broke Princess Diana's heart by doing something ridiculous in front of her. In November 1977, the then-16-year-old Princess Diana met the heir to the throne, who happened to be dating her older sister. Prince Charles saw Princess Diana as her potential bride, and their relationship progressed since then. Despite seeing each other for just 12 times, Prince Charles proposed to Diana in February 1981 at Windsor Castle. Because of the "too abrupt" wedding proposal, Princess Diana had it worst, most notably when she felt like her future husband's heart belonged to someone else already. How Did Charles Broke Diana's Heart? A few weeks later after proposing, as they were in in the middle of wedding planning, Prince Charles had to continue his royal duties and had to travel to Australia and New Zealand. However, before the Prince of Wales jetted from the country, Princess Diana admitted years later that her then-soon-to-be-husband did something that broke her heart. Royal expert Anthony Holden revealed in his book "Charles: A Biography" that when Princess Diana was about to bid her goodbye to Prince Charles, the phone rang. Apparently, the mysterious call came from Camilla Parker Bowles. The royal prince, instead of ignoring the call and focusing on his bride first, picked up his phone and completely snubbed Princess Diana. Holden said that the Princess of Wales walked out of the room crying since the conversation appeared "so tender" that she felt like she needed to leave. After she set foot outside the room, that was when Prince Charles talked to her. "[Diana] was weeping because her last minutes alone with the prince at the palace had been interrupted by a phone call," the royal expert and author said. "That moment, she said 10 years later, 'just broke my heart.'" Not a Fairy Tale Aside from the heartbreaking moment which Princess Diana only revealed years later, royal watchers already saw some signs that everything between the royal couple was not like those stories in a fairy tale book. Before the royal wedding, Prince Charles and Princess Diana appeared in an interview with Former BBC News Anchor Angela Rippon. The Queen's press secretary Michael Shea warned them that the interview could be interrupted and ended if the anchor would ask any question which they never agreed on. Michael stood behind the news anchor to make sure that everything would be smooth sailing. Shea reportedly told then 20-year-old Princess of Wales to "get it right" since they were sitting in front of the television camera and millions of people were watching them. Prince Charles and the press secretary looked very protective of the princess since she was "almost slumped in the chair" during the interview. "I'm not quite sure how comfortable it made her feel," Rippon said as she watched the interview again for Channel 5 documentary's "Charles and Di: The Truth Behind their Wedding." "With the knowledge of hindsight, you read so much more into body language, what was said, looks that were given, reactions. That's the value of hindsight, isn't it," she went on. Police officer and trainee firefighter test positive for Coronavirus. A Rome policeman in service at Spinaceto, in the capital's southern XII municipality, has tested positive for Coronavirus following tests at Rome's Spallanzani hospital, reports Italian news agency ANSA. The news was announced by the Lazio Region health councillor Alessio D'Amato who confirmed the "epidemiological link with the Lombardy region" in the case. The 50-year-old man's wife, two children and a sister-in-law have also tested positive but are being monitored at home by health authorities. The policeman has been absent from work since 25 February due to flu symptoms following a visit by a friend from one of the Coronavirus-hit areas of Lombardy. The case has led to the closure of the Pascal high school in the town of Pomezia, south of Rome, where the policeman's son is one of the 1,200 students. The computer science department at Rome's La Sapienza University - where the police officer's other son is studying - has also been closed. In addition to the policeman, doctors at the Spallanzani are treating a young trainee fireman from Piacenza in the northern Lombardy region, reports ANSA. The Rome hospital is now treating a total of seven Coronavirus cases, including the Chinese couple who were the first cases of Coronavirus on Italian soil and are currently making a good recovery. The other three cases are from the same family from the coastal town of Fiumicino near Rome who were hospitalised over the weekend after becoming infected following a visit to northern Italy. Photo RomaToday Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have made a new contribution to the ongoing search into the possibility of life on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Using quantum mechanical calculations, they have shown that azotosomes, a proposed alternative to cell membranes, could not form under the conditions there. Their research is published in the journal Science Advances. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has a dynamic surface, with seasonal rainfall, and lakes and seas at its polar regions, as well as a dense, nitrogen-rich atmosphere. These similarities to Earth have led many to consider the possibility of life there. The liquids on Titan are not water, however, but seas of methane and ethane, and the surface temperature is around -180C. Lipid membranes, of the type common to life on Earth, could not function under such conditions. This has led researchers looking for signs of life on Titan to contemplate alternative forms of cell membrane that could tolerate these extremes. One such alternative form, suggested by a team from Cornell University, is called an 'azotosome'. The idea of azotosomes has gained traction in the field of astrobiology, and it has been shown computationally that such structures would survive the conditions on Titan. The azotosome was proposed to be formed from the organic compound acrylonitrile - which was later confirmed to exist on Titan. "Titan is a fascinating place to test our understanding of the limits of prebiotic chemistry - the chemistry that precedes life. What chemical, or possibly biological, structures might form, given enough time under such different conditions? The suggestion of azotosomes was a really interesting proposal for an alternative to cell membranes as we understand them," says Martin Rahm, Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology. "But our new research paper shows that, unfortunately, although the structure could indeed tolerate the extremes of Titan, it would not form in the first place," he explains. Using advanced quantum mechanical calculations, the researchers compared the energy of the proposed azotosome membrane embedded in methane with that of the molecular crystal form of acrylonitrile - its molecular ice. They discovered that each building block added to the azotosome increased its energy significantly, making its formation progressively less likely thermodynamically. They conclude therefore that while azotosomes could survive on Titan, they would not self-assemble under such conditions. Instead, acrylonitrile would crystallise into its molecular ice. Despite the 'negative' results of their work, Martin Rahm sees the study, which was done together with PhD student Hilda Sandstrom, as providing highly valuable information for ongoing research in astrobiology. "With this work we hope to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the limits of chemistry and biology in environmental extremes. Though we have shown that acrylonitrile is not a viable building block for workable cell membranes on Titan, we now have a better understanding of the environmental limits for cell membranes. Titan is a highly interesting and unique environment with many unanswered questions and possibilities left to explore," he explains. Their work is also an important step forward in demonstrating the potential of computational astrobiology, which offers the chance to evaluate, prior to experiments or sampling, whether or not a particular structure or process might be a biosignature, a marker for potential biology. Interest in astrobiology on Titan is very high in the scientific community - so much so that in 2026, NASA will launch the billion-dollar Dragonfly spacecraft, which will make the 8-year journey to Titan to investigate its surface. It will spend around 3 years flying to different locations around the moon, assessing the conditions for habitability, prebiotic chemistry, and looking for signs of past and present life. Read the article "Can polarity-inverted membranes self-assemble on Titan?" in the journal Science Advances. The likelihood of life on Titan and other similar worlds While stressing that life under the extreme conditions found on Titan and other such worlds is highly unlikely, the researchers do, however, consider another possibility. They hypothesise that perhaps cell membranes are not a necessity for life everywhere, as we see they are on our Earth. One crucial function of cell membranes on Earth is to protect the contents of a cell from being diluted and destroyed in larger bodies of liquid water. However, on the surface of Titan, any hypothetical life-bearing biomolecule would exist in the solid state, due to the low temperature, and never risk such destruction by dissolution. Because hypothetical biomolecules on Titan would be immobile, they would need to rely on the diffusion of small energetic molecules, such as hydrogen gas or acetylene, to reach them before they could grow or replicate. Such molecules would need to be transported through the surrounding atmosphere or through liquid hydrocarbons, and a membrane would, in this case, hinder the desired diffusion. A membrane would likely be a similar obstacle in the opposite direction, for the necessary removal of waste products from the biomolecule's metabolism. "One can therefore ask what the benefit would be from having cell membranes under such different conditions?" explains Martin Rahm. ### For more information, contact: Martin Rahm Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering martin.rahm@chalmers.se +46317723050 A man killed his partner with a kitchen knife during a frenzied stab attack at their East London home, a court heard today. Yi Xing Song, 53, is accused of murdering Li Qing Wang, 35, at their house in Magnolia Close, Leyton, on the morning of February 25. He stabbed her in the bedroom 22 times, the Old Bailey was told after a post-mortem revealed the victim's multiple injuries. Scotland Yard officers discovered Ms Wang's body and the bloodied kitchen knife at the scene. Li Qing Wang, 35, (pictured) was stabbed 22 times by suspected murderer Yi Xing Song, 53, at their home in Leyton last week, a court heard Paul Jarvis, prosecuting, said: 'The defendant was found in the same house as his deceased partner. 'The stabbing had taken place in the bedroom she shared with the defendant. The bloodied kitchen knife was found in the bedroom alongside her body.' Song, of Magnolia Close, is charged with murder and appeared over video-link at the Old Bailey aided by a Chinese interpreter. Judge Anne Molyneux remanded Song in custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on May 18 and trial on August 3. Ms Wang's death marked the 15th suspected murder in the capital this year. The tally has since risen to 17. Many rights groups say conditions in Myanmar do not guarantee a safe return for the Rohingya. Al Jazeera cameras were allowed on a tightly-controlled, government-organised trip to Rakhine state in northern Myanmar, where the army has denied carrying out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya. Al Jazeeras Florence Looi reports from Maungdaw township in Myanmar. People enjoy things in different ways; some prefer to go shopping, some enjoy swimming, some want to eat, some want to go for outdoor games, but in Mexico a family can enjoy the available amusement parks and will have the time of their lives. As the saying goes "Carpe Diem", live every moment and always seize the day! Xcaret, Playa del Carmen Amusement Park Xcaret, Playa del Carmen, the amusement park that is filled with joy with its amazing and out of this world amenities. This amusement park has almost all with wildlife, snorkeling, zip-lining, swimming, food, shows, hiking, diving, shopping, history, gourmet dining experiences, kids' games and a top-of-the-world tower to look out over the entire property. It is probably Mexico's most famous theme park, with everything in it, it gives everyone multiple choices to enjoy. The park is also located at the beautiful River Maya and cloudy days are also not considered that's why every day is a sunny day! Six Flags, Mexico City Amusement Park Six flags rides that contain the best roller coasters, bumper cars, extreme batman rides, tsunami and the popular splash. Rides for the whole family, rides for all ages. It has the best games for the whole family. It also has light parades, dolphin shows and a whole new lot of high quality attractions that you can enjoy with more ways than one. Exquisite restaurants with different courses are also offered for resting and refuelling for the next activity. September and December also gives a special screening for its Horror Spectacle and Christmas in the Park specials. Xel-Ha, Cancun Aquarium, Park Aquatic park south of Cancun and north of Tulum brings you dozens of water activities to keep you refreshed and entertained. The park is most famous for their crystal clear cenotes (sinkholes) and underground rivers, there are opportunities to snorkel. You should also never miss their crystal clear cenotes (sinkholes) and underground rivers, there are opportunities to snorkel in the crystal clear cenotes (sinkholes) and underground rivers. You can also snorkel or float in the Lazy River on an innertube. Ziplines, single-rope bridge and single-rope bridge are also available to test your balance, confidence and strength. The sultry coastal jungle should also be ventured if you are in the park. Parque de los Suenos Amusement Park The bohemian island Isla de Mujeres, just off the Gulf Coast and a quick ferry ride from Cancun is the perfect place to visit if you are a water lover. The park is equipped with one with large swimming pools, waterslides and games, and one with access to the ocean. The park will provide you all the water sports, like snorkeling, paddle-boarding and surfing. Dating for adults can also be the choice for an ocean-view infinity pool and a swim-up bar. They serve from breakfast to dinner with their main specialty Aemrican-style BBQ cuisine. Selva Magica Amusement Park, Park, Zoo Located in the northern part of one of Mexico's largest cities, Guadalajara, is elva Magica. The amusement park that comes with a zoo and Barranca de Huentitan National Park. Also considered to be one of the Mexico's biggest theme park equipped with rollercoasters and kiddie rides, you can free fall, sky dive, zip-line, rock climb and bungee jump-your adrenaline will surely rise up and your heart will get you serious pumping Maya Park, Lost Mayan Kingdom Amusement Park Worth the visit amusement park for only US $99 for adults, Maya water park located on the Mexican Carribean coast mixed with an ambiance of a lost Mayan city in the middle of a jungle, equipped with different water adventure that is from mellow to extreme, with zip-lines, rollercoasters and island water adventure is the perfect place for island and jungle adventures. Reviews of Maya Park gets high reviews from its visitors and it is a must place to go to. La Feria Chapultepec Amusement Park One of the smaller known parks in Mexico but with own kind of charm. La Feria in Mexico City's Chapultepec Park has about five big roller coasters. One of them is inspired among the 20 most classic wooden roller coasters in the Americas, the vibe will give you a tummy and heart rumbling experience that you won't forget. Built in 1964 with a rustic environment that will make the age of the roller coaster scary but will give you the funnest ride of your life. Equipped with kiddie rides and a giant carousel will make your visit a day you won't forget. Parque Xplor Amusement Park The amusement park that brings unlimited international buffet and unlimited drinks your visit will be a full tummy course that brings a jungle adventure park with a system of seven zip-lines that will take you to a whole new experience, you will discover a treetop tour of the landscape, underground rivers and cenotes, spelunking and 4X4 free-wheeling through the jungle. Fuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more The American Civil Liberties Union earlier this week criticized facial recognition tool developer Clearview for making misleading claims about the accuracy of its product. Clearview apparently has been telling law enforcement agencies that its technology underwent accuracy testing modeled on the ACLUs 2018 test of Amazons Rekognition facial recognition tool. For that test, the ACLU simulated the way law enforcement used Rekognition in the field, matching photos of all 535 members of the United States Congress against a database it built of 25,000 publicly available mugshots of arrestees. Rekognition incorrectly matched 28 lawmakers with arrestees photos. The false matches disproportionately featured lawmakers of color. Clearviews Test Examined Clearviews accuracy test reportedly compared headshots from all 535 members of Congress, all 119 members of the California State Legislature, and 180 members of the Texas State Legislature against its database. Clearview has a database of about 2.8 billion faces scraped from various social media and other public Internet websites. Clearviews test couldnt be more different from the ACLUs work, and leaves crucial questions unanswered, wrote Jacob Snow, a technology and civil liberties attorney at the ACLU. Rather than searching for lawmakers against a database of arrest photos, Clearview apparently searched its own shadily assembled database of photos. The companys accuracy test report, dated October 2019, was signed by three people: Jonathan Lippmann, chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 2009-2015; Nicholas Cassimatis, formerly head of the Intelligence Innovation Lab at Samsung Research America; and Aaron Renn, an urban policy analyst who formerly was a partner at Accenture. The three rated Clearview 100 percent accurate. However, none of them has expertise in facial recognition. There is no indication that Clearview submitted its product to rigorous testing, the ACLUs Snow maintained. An algorithms accuracy is likely to be reduced in the real world because of photo quality, lighting, user bias and other factors. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but this is flattery we can do without, Snow wrote.If Clearview is so desperate to begin salvaging its reputation, it should stop manufacturing endorsements and start deleting the billions of photos that make up its database, switch off its servers, and get out of the surveillance business altogether. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Bad Buzz Clearview has generated considerable controversy with its ad campaigns and claims: It claims to have helped the New York Police Department arrest suspects in at least two cases, which the NYPD denies; Clearviews claims to have a thousand or so police forces using its application have not been substantiated; Twitter, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Venmo and LinkedIn have written the company demanding it stop scraping photos from their platforms; Concerns about Clearviews technology led EPIC and other organizations to write the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board demanding the suspension of facial recognition systems pending further review; The Electronic Frontier Foundation has called for comprehensive federal privacy legislation around data collection; Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., has written Clearview demanding information about its marketing to law enforcement agencies considering its technology; and A lawsuit seeking class action status has been filed in an Illinois court alleging Clearviews product breaches the states Biometric Information. Privacy Act (BISA). Breaching BISA cost Facebook a US$550 million fine, a record for any privacy lawsuit. Clearview appears to be extremely dishonest with their claims and, as a company, they are untrusted, observed Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. Given that, you cant really trust how good the tool is, he told TechNewsWorld. So youll take a lot of heat deploying it and then, if it doesnt work, youll look like an idiot. That could be a career ender for those involved. Appropriate Use of Tech The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has ruled that its Next Generation Identification System (NGI) is exempt from one or more provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. That is one of the reasons facial recognition raises concerns. Another is that some schools have begun using facial recognition systems. Everybodys concerned that the unrestricted use of facial recognition could be detrimental to personal freedom, said Mike Jude, research director at IDC. Clearview is currently not regulated and, obviously, has a powerful incentive to promote the use of facial recognition, he told TechNewsWorld. False positives are always an issue, Jude noted. Facial recognition is not foolproof. Its simply a case of garbage photos in, garbage identifications out. However, the technology can be a very valuable tool in various areas, including retail, depending on how it is used, he said. A D V E R T I S E M E N T It would be unfortunate if we tossed the baby out with the bath water, said Jude. There will probably be laws that seek to control the use of facial recognition. The European Union, which initially considered a five-year ban on facial recognition in public places, instead decided to let member states deal with the issue. French and Swedish data protection authorities have ruled out using facial recognition software in schools. In the UK, police use the technology, which they have deployed in London. In China, registering for a mobile phone service requires a face scan. Meanwhile, India is preparing to install a nationwide facial recognition system. In the U.S., Oregon, New Hampshire and California have banned the technology, but only in police bodycams. Several cities, including San Francisco and Oakland, ban it altogether. Facial recognition is coming whether we like it or not, Enderle predicted. This means there needs to be more focus on improving the training sets, and putting in place rules about where and when these tools can be used. They have been attending a slew of high-profile shows and event during Paris Fashion Week. Yet the Kardashian sisters let their hair down with a more relaxed affair on Sunday night as they took their daughters to the fairground. Kim Kardashian, 39, and her sister Kourtney, 40, opted for a more fun-filled outing as they treated North, six, and Penelope, seven, to a carousel ride by the Eiffel Tower. Fun-filled outing: Kim Kardashian, 39,treated her daughters to a carousel ride by the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sunday (pictured with North West, six) Appearing in great spirits, the make-up mogul posed up a storm as she and her mini-me sat on a train, while giddy Kourtney flashed a wide smile as she held onto a horse. Kim appeared keen to showcase her entire new collection from the fashion house at once, as she was spotted wearing a third Balmain outfit for the day as she and her sister Kourtney took to their children to dinner at Ferdi. The mother-of-four looked sensational as she made her way to the upscale eatery in a taupe ensemble, which consisted of a high-neckline catsuit with a matching structured jacket. Holding on! Her sister Kourtney, 40, also let loose on the evening as she enjoyed a ride on the carousel Family first: Kourtney flashed a wide smile alongside her daughter Penelope Disick, seven Strike a pose: Kim ensured she worked her best angles as she posed up a storm Young at heart: At one point, Kim appeared to be having more fun than her eldest child, who pulled a kooky face during the ride The important things in life: The girls took a brief break from their busy schedules as they enjoyed some downtime with their children Busy bee: The media personality has been busy promoting her new shapewear brand SKIMS in recent months Wearing her raven locks in a sleek shoulder-length style, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star sported a rich palette of makeup, while she accessorised with a gold nameplate necklace. Standing tall in a pair of strappy heels, the doting mother held hands with North, who displayed her own sense of style in an orange trouser suit under a matching fluffy jacket. Kourtney also turned heads as she arrived with her sister in a black sheer top, which she teamed with leather trousers, heeled boots and a chic coat. Appropriate? Despite hopping on a ride, the brunette bombshell still decided to sport her signature heels Having fun: Poosh owner Kourtney couldn't contain her delight as she was whisked around on a horse Style savvy: The TV star looked as sensational as ever in her clingy PVC number What's up there? The entrepreneur appeared pensive as she and North looked up at an object in the distance Doting dad: Also joining the duo was Kanye West, who placed a protective hand on little North's shoulders Rocking a low-key look: The rapper opted for a bright blue hoodie and a pair of leather trousers Wearing her glossy locks in a bun, the star kept her makeup light as she stepped out for a family meal with her daughter Penelope, who wore a brown full-length coat with jeans, boots, and a black top. Just hours earlier, Kim was seen wearing yet another Balmain ensemble fresh off the runway. Earlier in the day the reality star modelled a caramel hued latex outfit which debuted on the Balmain A/W 20/21 catwalk in Paris on Friday. In her element: The Kourtney and Kim Take New York star continued to record her experience on her device Off they go! The group were guided off the merry-go-round by their bodyguard before heading out for more fun Gifts: They looked at key chains of the iconic Parisian monument during their journey Taking a bit of Paris home with her: Kim bought replicas of the Eiffel Tower for her nearest and dearest Come along! The doting mothers held hands with their kids as they enjoyed a tour of the fashion capital And leaving her hotel once again, Kim made a jaw-dropping exit in a dramatic chocolate-hued creation, no doubt custom made for her. Kim and husband Kanye West have been longtime pals of Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing so it's no surprise she's got her hands on the looks first. The Skims creator teased more looks to come as she took to Twitter telling fans: 'Two more Balmain latex looks coming they we're [sic] not in his show! I might just keep them coming all night.' Following in mummy's footsteps: Kourtney wore her tresses in a sleek bun as she joined her lookalike child Catching the eye: Kim accentuated her famous in her outfit, which came complete with matching gloves Three times a lady: Kim wowed in her third Balmain ensemble for the day as she made her way to Parisian eatery Ferdi with her daughter North Working it: The mother-of-four donned a taupe ensemble, which consisted of a high-neckline catsuit with a matching structured jacket Wow: Kourtney also turned heads as she arrived with her sister in a black sheer top, which she teamed with leather trousers Sense of style: Kim and Kourtney's daughters also showed off their own sense of style as they joined their famous parents for dinner On good terms: The girls have been enjoying their time in the European city after a trailer for an upcoming season of KUWTK showed Kim punch Kourtney A 6-year-old girl was struck and killed by a truck as she waited for her school bus to arrive with her grandmother. The incident occurred on Feb. 28 at approximately 6:30 a.m. in Lancaster County, South Carolina, when Beatrice Mayson was accompanying her 6-year old granddaughter Jerrnia Horne while they were both waiting for the school bus to pick Jerrnia up a routine they did every day, according to ABC News Charlotte affiliate WSOC. MORE: College recruiter fired for lining students up by skin color, 'nappiest hair' It was then that authorities say a 39-year-old woman driving a truck on Kershaw Camden Highway hit Jerrnia while she was holding her grandmothers hand. PHOTO: Beatrice Mayson talks to reporters after her six-year-old granddaughter Jerrnia Horne was struck and killed by a truck while waiting for her school bus in Lancaster County, S.C., on Feb. 28, 2020. (WSOC) "We were on the sidewalk. Then, I saw the black truck coming," Mayson told WSOC. "I tried calling her, 'Jerrnia! Jerrnia!' (but) I can't hear no voice." MORE: Student airlifted to hospital after alleged altercation with teacher over a juice box Jerrnia, who attended Heath Springs Elementary School, reportedly waited at that exact location every morning with a parent or grandparent. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances around the accident and they have not said if the 39-year-old driver will face charges. The victim was immediately rushed to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, but died later that same night. MORE: Grandmother arrested after abducting granddaughter at gunpoint from hospital "Everything we do as school officials is first and foremost to take care of children and when we see a child get hurt in the community for whatever reason, I think it everybody hurts," School Safety Director Bryan Vaughn told WSOC. "This is one of the darkest days that you can have as a school employee." PHOTO: A road is marked near where six-year-old Jerrnia Horne was struck and killed by a truck while waiting for her school bus in Lancaster County, S.C., on Feb. 28, 2020. (WSOC) Girl, 6, run over and killed while holding grandmother's hand waiting for school bus originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The pathogen behind the current epidemic: a coronavirus. Credit: Science Photo Library Analyses of publicly available genome data provide clues to the beginnings of the coronavirus epidemic in China. Researchers from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel used a statistical model they had developed in recent years. Since the current coronavirus epidemic started, scientists and authorities have determined the genetic fingerprint of virus samples from numerous affected countries. More than 100 of these gene sequences, which are present in coronaviruses in the form of RNA, are available in public databases. Tanja Stadler, Professor of Computational Biology at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel and an expert in questions of molecular epidemiology, has now studied this data. Using a statistical model her group developed to analyse the genetic genealogy of pathogens, she gained new insights into the beginnings of the epidemic in China. Professor Stadler's analyses suggest that the epidemic in China began in the first half of November 2019, whereas most previous estimates assumed that the virus did not pass from an animal to the first human until the second half of November. "The widespread hypothesis that the first person was infected at an animal market in November is still plausible," Stadler says. "Our data effectively rule out the scenario that the virus circulated in humans for a long time before that." Rapid pre-quarantine spread Stadler also analyzed the dynamics of the epidemic before the city of Wuhan was quarantined on 23 January 2020. She used the genetic data to calculate the new coronavirus's basic reproduction number, a figure that indicates the average number of people an infected person goes on to infect. According to Stadler's estimates, it lies between two and 3.5 in the period in question. This corroborates the previous estimates based on the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, which suggested a figure between two and four. What this means is that infections occur much more quickly than with seasonal influenza (which typically has a basic reproduction number below 1.5). "The basic reproduction number is one of the central parameters of an epidemic," Stadler says. "It provides important information on the effectiveness of measures such as quarantine. Control measures are effective only if they are able to reduce this number." That's why Stadler wants to determine what this number is during the timespan of the Wuhan quarantine. However, she says, the data for this period in Wuhan are unclear, which makes a reliable analysis impossible for now. Determining the hidden figure Because viral genomes are constantly changing, Stadler could use these changes to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the virus. "Using statistical methods, we can calculate how many people were infected at any point in time in the past," she explains. Her analysis showed that on 23 January, between 4,000 and 19,000 people must have been infected. At that time there were 581 confirmed cases of the disease. This means that in the most extreme case, only one in 33 infected persons appeared in the official statistics; in the best case one in seven. Stadler emphasizes that there are other methods than hers for determining epidemiological parameters. However, her method, which analyses the genomes, has a great advantage in that it allows reliable conclusions to be drawn even with data from relatively few patients. In particular, her method is beneficial in situations where it is no longer clear who infected whom. This is currently the case in our neighboring country Italy, and has been the case in China for some time. Making real-time analysis possible Finally, Stadler's method would even allow the real-time analysis of an epidemic, which would enable the authorities to continuously review and adjust the effectiveness of control measures. A prerequisite for this would be regular spot checks to examine the viral genome in newly infected persons. However, at present almost no sequence data is being published for new viral genomes from Wuhan. Stadler and her colleagues have made their analysis available to other scientists on Virological, an online portal. The ETH researchers point out that their work has not been reviewed by other scientists, as is standard practice in research, as this would take too long in a situation like the current one. Stadler also stresses that the quality of her analysis can be only as good as the quality and quantity of genetic data published. In this study, her team analyzed 93 RNA sequencesmost of them from China, with 38 from other countries. Stadler will continue her analysis and expand it with newly published genome data. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Evolutionary & epidemiological analysis of 93 genomes: Evolutionary & epidemiological analysis of 93 genomes: virological.org/t/evolutionary is-of-93-genomes/405 Former Soviet law enforcement officer serving life sentence not to be freed on parole flickr.com/ meesh 15:10 02/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 2 (RAPSI) The Supreme Court of Russias Republic of Mordovia has rejected a parole petition lodged by the 74-year ex-law enforcement officer Pavel Stakhovtsev serving life prison sentence for creating a gang, lawyer Sergey Mukhanov has told RAPSI. Stakhovtsev was convicted and sentenced to shooting death in the early nineties for organizing a gang engaged in robberies and murders. However, the judgment was not executed because of the breakup of the Soviet Union; and the defendant was sentenced to life. In 2016, the convict petitioned for parole, but was denied. Another petition was dismissed in November. This ruling was appealed by the convict in the republican Supreme Court. Other officials sought to distinguish the U.S. action from Chinas expulsion of nine foreign reporters since 2013, when Xi Jinping ascended to power. The expulsions were usually attributed to the governments unhappiness with news coverage. U.S. officials said it will be up to the designated outlets to determine which employees to cut and said there will be no restrictions placed on their content or choice of what to cover. Sanderss Green New Deal Is a Global Disaster (Bloomberg Opinion) -- As Donald Trump left India after a largely unsuccessful visit last week, Senator Bernie Sanders, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, expressed himself on the subject with his accustomed vehemence. Instead of selling $3 billion in weapons to enrich Raytheon, Boeing and Lockheed, the United States should be partnering with India to fight climate change, he tweeted. Sanders added: We can work together to cut air pollution, create good renewable energy jobs, and save our planet. Two parts of this tweet deserve attention. We can dispose of the first quickly: By the standards of international defense deals, $3 billion is not a lot, and the U.S. defense industry continues to view India as a missed opportunity. Sanders is turning a fairly low-key sale into something that looks like an unusual, and personal, achievement for Trump. The second and more worrying point is about partnering with India to fight climate change. This is a wonderfully warm and fuzzy sentiment. Yet theres nothing in Sanderss platform to back it up in fact, quite the reverse. Sanderss climate change plan is the most financially ambitious of any of the Democratic candidates. It devotes $16.3 trillion to reshaping the American economy through what the partys left has come to call a green New Deal. That money would be spent on new and renewable energy ($2.5 trillion); energy efficiency subsidies for households and small businesses ($2 trillion); and so on. And, certainly, a reduction in U.S. emissions is vital if we are to keep global temperature rises under control. But the fact is that, if countries like India proceed on a carbon-intensive development path, those efforts would be moot. Any partnership with India to address climate change would have to ensure that Indian governments and companies have the finance and technology to build out infrastructure and industries that dont triple or quadruple their carbon emissions per capita. (Currently, they dont have access to either the money or the tech.) Story continues Does Sanders really want to address that problem? The numbers are stark: Out of the $16.3 trillion he promises for climate change, a mere $200 billion is to go to the Green Climate Fund for developing countries. Thats a tiny fraction (1.2%) of the $90 trillion that the world is expected to invest in infrastructure over the next decademoney that wont go toward low-carbon, energy-efficient projects without significant steering and incentives. Sanderss shortchanging of that effort is a reminder that real partnerships with countries like India are the last thing on his mind. India and much of Africa will only be set on a low-carbon development path if they have the resources to do so. And the West, and specifically Westerners savings, is the only hope for those resources. Clearly, rich-country governments will balk at scooping up these savings and sending them abroad; so we have to incentivize the private sector to do so instead. This could work, especially as the returns on green infrastructure in the emerging world can be quite attractive if properly packaged. Yet Sanders and other proponents of Green New Deals want to do the opposite. They want to put those savings to work at home, creating domestic jobs rather than solving the global problem of climate change. To do this they will restrict financial flows if necessary and, in Sanders case, vastly expand the amount of U.S. income and investment controlled by the government. Their concern isnt really the environment it is, of course, domestic inequality. The climate crisis is merely a handy excuse for reshaping the economy. Which would be fine, if not for the fact that its also, well, a crisis. Greta Thunberg warned about exactly this in her speech to U.S. lawmakers last year: Of course a sustainable transformed world will include lots of new benefits. But you have to understand. This is not primarily an opportunity to create new green jobs, new businesses or green economic growth. This is above all an emergency, and not just any emergency. This is the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. Forcing U.S. savings and profits to stay home instead of putting them to work in the developing world is bad for the environment and pretty immoral as well if you actually care about inequality, since the U.S. is one of the richest places on earth, the global equivalent of the one percent. Donald Trump has been a disaster for the fight against global warming. But Bernie Sanders cannot credibly claim to be a climate warrior, either. When it comes to the environment, as with trade and development, he would mostly leave the rest of the world to struggle alone. So please, just spare us the sanctimonious tweets about weapons and partnership. To contact the author of this story: Mihir Sharma at msharma131@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gibney at jgibney5@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Mihir Sharma is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was a columnist for the Indian Express and the Business Standard, and he is the author of Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy. 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. The new Prime Minister of Malaysia Muhyiddin Yassin arrived on Monday to clock in for work amid disputes on his legitimacy, after the shock resignation of Mahathir Mohamad last week. Muhyiddin Yassin, a seasoned politician who once famously quipped that he is Malay first and Malaysian second, was sworn in as the new leader at the palace Sunday after getting the support of several opposition parties. Muhyiddin served in various ministries during Mahathir's first stint as prime minister for 22 years until 2003. He was appointed as deputy prime minister when Najib took power in 2009 but was sacked in 2015 after he criticized Najibs handling of the 1MDB scandal. Bersatu teamed up with the Alliance of Hope with a pact that Mahathir would eventually hand over power to former rival Anwar Ibrahim. Muhyiddin was the former home minister under the short-lived alliance but only took up the post months later following treatment for pancreatic cancer. Muhyiddin's new government, dubbed the National Alliance, has stoked fears of increasing Islamization because it will also bring to power a fundamentalist Islamic party with strong rural support that espouses strict Islamic laws. Ethnic Malays account for 60% of Malaysia's 32 million people, which includes sizable minorities of ethnic Chinese and Indians. Press Release 2 March 2020 Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand's leading hotel operator, is providing a reassuring hand to travellers with added safety measures and greater flexibility for changing travel plans. Advertisements The outbreak of the novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, has brought a sense of uncertainty to consumers who have already made travel plans or are currently considering future travel, unsure whether it is safe to travel. The World Health Organization (WHO) has continually reiterated that it is not recommending any restriction on international travel or trade but Centara has nevertheless put in place a comprehensive range of safety measures at each of its properties to further protect and assure the health and safety of its guests and employees. "We understand the concern and anxiety travellers are experiencing in light of the coronavirus situation, and we want to reassure them that there is no greater priority than the safety of our guests and employees," said Thirayuth Chirathivat, Centara's Chief Executive Officer. "The enhanced measures we have put in place at our properties will provide an added level of safety and protection, whilst we are providing flexibility to travellers from China who have had their travel plans affected." Safety measures include: installation of additional hand washing hand sanitising stations in public areas of hotels and resorts and in common areas frequented by guests and employees; expanded employee training in transmission prevention, which incorporates guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO); notices in public areas to inform guests about the situation and protective measures they can take; frequent periodic sanitising of common areas within each property, including food preparation areas, restaurants and bars, spas, fitness centres and common guest areas; and providing updates to guests on the situation as needed. In addition, thermal scanners check the temperature of guests and visitors; those with high fever or other symptoms may undergo additional screening. When checking in, all hotel guests are also asked to fill out a questionnaire enquiring about prior China travel. The company's hotels and resorts in Thailand are further supported by the country's highly regarded national healthcare system Thailand is ranked 1st in Asia and 6th in the world in World Health Security. (Source: Global Health Security Index 2019). The country earned its highest ratings in the Prevention and Rapid Response categories and it has been identified as being among the world's "Most Prepared Countries to Respond to an Epidemic/Pandemic". At the same time, the company is waiving cancellation fees and allowing free modifications to bookings for all travellers coming from affected areas. A number of travellers from China have had to cancel planned trips after travel restrictions were imposed by the China government and this offer of flexibility and goodwill is just a small example of the support being offered to the Chinese people at this difficult time. Centara extends its sincere good wishes for all those in China affected by the ongoing health situation, especially the residents of Wuhan. The company and its employees look forward to welcoming all Chinese travellers once again, as they are able to travel, at Centara hotels and resorts in Thailand and around the world, all of which remain fully operational as usual. NORWALK A 43-year-old man sexually assaulted his live-in girlfriend and then tried to get her to drop the charges when she went to police, according to an arrest warrant. Gerver Chitay, 43, of Riverhead, N.Y, was charged Wednesday with third-degree sexual assault and tampering with a witness. The arrest warrant said Chitay forced himself on his girlfriend of two years on Jan. 8, despite her repeated objections. The next day, the woman reported the incident to police. According to the warrant, she told police that Chitay, whom she called a sex addict, had been forcing her to have sex with him two or three times a day since December. In an interview with police, Chitay admitted she had told him no and confessed to persisting, despite her unwillingness, the warrant said. He didnt care, the woman told police, according to the warrant. (He) got on top of me and used his legs to pry open my legs. On Jan. 17, just over a week after the alleged incident, she obtained a restraining order against Chitay. Police said he violated that order five days later when he called the woman at work. In addition to the sexual assault and tampering charges, Chitay was also charged with violating a restraining order. Chitay was held on $75,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday. Third-degree sexual assault and tampering with a witness are both Class C felonies. Class C felony convictions carry a minimum sentence of 1 to 10 years in prison and a possible fine of $10,000. Randeep Hooda is all set to make his Hollywood debut with Netflixs upcoming film Extraction. The highly anticipated Hollywood biggie has been directed by Sam Hargrave and stars Chris Hemsworth in the lead role. The movie has been penned by Joe Russo, of the directing duo Russo Brothers. Randeep recently opened up about his association with the project in a press statement and revealed, I get to do a lot of action in the movie. I might be the first Indian male actor to do such an action-packed role in a Hollywood film. It was a great experience working with Hemsworth, Russo brothers and the director, Sam Hargrave. He went on to add, It (Randeeps character) is described as a wrecking ball in the script. Hes had a run as a military personnel and is now working for Ovis father. For the action shots, we rehearsed twice a day for 10 days, since many of my roles so far have been more dramatic. I must say, Ive never had a director on a wire, hanging next to me, giving me instructions. (sic) Extraction revolves around a fearless, black market mercenary, Tyler Rake played by Chris Hemsworth. Chriss character embarks on the most-deadly extraction of his career where he has to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. The Netflix film also stars Pankaj Tripathi in a pivotal role and is scheduled to release on April 24. For the uninitiated, Chris Hemsworth will be visiting India this month for the promotional tour of the action film. In the meantime, Randeep is currently busy working on Salman Khans Radhe The Most Wanted Bhai. The actor was last seen on screen in Imtiaz Alis Love Aaj Kal featuring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan in lead roles. ALSO READ: Randeep Hooda Requests For A Wildlife Photography Safari With Waheeda Rehman On Her Birthday! ALSO READ: Radhe Release Date: Salman Khan Locks The Date For Eid 2020 ISTANBUL Barbed wire and chain-link fence separate Greek security forces in riot gear from a growing number of refugees and migrants arriving at Turkeys Pazarkule border gate after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his nations border guards would not stop individuals from entering Greece. Since Friday's announcement at least 13,000 people have reached the land crossing, according to United Nations estimates, under the impression they could cross the border. Most have so far been stopped by Greek police, which requested the rapid deployment of the European Unions border agency, Frontex, to help manage a sudden surge in attempts to enter the country. Ali, a 24-year-old Syrian living in Turkey, was among the thousands of people at the border gate Saturday. Speaking while tending a campfire to keep his wife and six-month-old son warm, Ali said he was shocked to find the border closed when they arrived Friday evening. We were told the border was open, Ali told Al-Monitor, sharing only his first name. What are we supposed to do now? We did not bring anything. No food, no money, no place to sleep. The developments come as Erdogan seeks to pressure European Union officials over what he says is a lack of support for Ankaras military operation against the Syrian government to stem an offensive in Idlib that has displaced about one million civilians since December. On Monday, the Turkish leader doubled down on prior statements regarding border security, saying Ankara needs more support in managing the humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria and that Turkey has been carrying the burden alone for nine years, referring to the length of the Syrian war. Turkey will not close its border gates for refugees to cross into Europe anymore; it is a done deal, Erdogan said Monday, warning millions of refugees might soon head out for Greece. In recent days, Turkish officials have claimed large numbers of asylum seekers entered Europe, but Greek reports labelling such statements as "disinformation" claim security officials arrested about 150 people who entered the country informally over the weekend. Greek islands near the Turkish coast also witnessed a spike in arrivals, with at least 1,000 people reaching Greek shores over the last 24 hours, according to local police. The death of one child was reported when a boat capsized in the Aegean Sea, while a separate incident along the land border resulted in the death of a young Syrian man Monday. The situation shows few signs of ebbing as buses, vans and taxis continued dropping off hopeful asylum-seekers at border points between Turkey and Greece Monday. In response, Greek officials announced they would suspend asylum applications for a month. Marian Karagyozov, the Turkey correspondent for Bulgarian National Radio, said few crossing attempts were reported along the Bulgarian border, where the situation remains stable. He also noted new arrivals at Greek border gates would likely camp out in the cold, awaiting an unlikely change in policy from Athens. I saw people in the city center of Edirne buying some food products, big bottles of water and other necessities, so I think they are expecting to stay in this border zone for a while, Karagyozov told Al-Monitor. Though journalists were initially allowed access to the Pazarkule border, Turkish security forces set up a roadblock Saturday evening, barring media organizations from approaching the gate as refugees and migrants continue to stream toward what has become a fast-growing encampment. Meanwhile, media rights organizations report at least 10 journalists have been detained in Turkey while covering developments along the border. On the Greek island of Lesbos, at least one journalist was attacked by a group of vigilantes seeking to stem new migration flows. Eva Cosse, a western Europe researcher for Human Rights Watch based in Athens, said groups of far-right vigilantes were taking matters into their own hands on the island and that church bells there were ringing nonstop Sunday, a traditional warning signal for a coming catastrophe. Vigilante groups stopped some boats from reaching the shores. They beat some journalists. One was taken to the hospital bleeding and they stopped a van with NGO workers and beat them near the airport on Lesbos, Cosse told Al-Monitor. She added that the same groups are believed to have set fire to a refugee facility on Lesbos and may be using speedboats to block incoming asylum-seekers in the Aegean Sea for the first time in years. The developments raise questions over the sustainability of a 2016 migration accord that aimed to stop informal border crossings from Turkey in exchange for six billion euros in EU funding to support the nearly four million refugees living in Turkey. With the situation now, the migration deal is off the table, Cosse told Al-Monitor, adding, The Greek coast guard said they had identified boats in Turkish waters and were calling the Turkish coast guard, but they were not responding. High level meetings in the coming week will shape events moving forward. Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 5 to discuss operations in Idlib. In the meantime, asylum seekers faced with heightened security measures on the Greek land border are expected to increasingly seek out water routes to Greece, said Fabrice Balanche, an associate professor at the University of Lyon 2 and adjunct fellow at The Washington Institute. Its blackmail, Balanche told Al-Monitor. [Erdogan] is using the refugees to get political and financial support in Syria. He added, Europe is in a very sensitive situation. If you have one million new refugees arrive now, the unity of Europe is broken. A key figure in Algeria's protest movement has been acquitted of charges of undermining the state, for which he faced up to a year in prison. Fodil Boumala was active in the 2019 protest movement that pushed then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to abandon a bid for a fifth term in office and step down. "He has been acquitted. He will go home today," said Zoubida Assoul, one of Boumala's lawyers told the AFP news agency. Boumala was accused of "undermining [national] territorial integrity", which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and of distributing "publications that could undermine the national interest", punishable by a year in prison. Prosecutors had asked for a year in prison for Boumala, a former state television journalist, who had co-founded an opposition group. He had been held in detention since his arrest in mid-September. A ruling on another key protest figure, Karim Tabbou, also charged with undermining national territorial integrity, and also accused of similar crimes, is expected on Wednesday, 4 March. Though Bouteflika stepped down in April 2019, the protest movement continued. The army toughened its line on demonstrators and increased arrests of protesters in June. In early February the CNLD prisoners' rights group said 142 members of the Hirak protest movement were still in preventive detention. By Delana Isles OSWALD Skippings, former chief minister and now ex-leader of the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA), has returned to his old stomping ground the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). On Tuesday (February 25), the former party leader shared with the Weekly News that after "returning to his beloved party, during branch elections on Monday he was voted chairman of the Grand Turk branch of the PDM after receiving 70 percent of the votes. The PDM later clarified - in an invited comment - that Skippings was actually nominated to the position, and even though he has accepted the nomination, certain procedures are still to be followed for him to be able to hold any office within the PDM. Party chairman Hon. Doug Parnell stated that while the PDM welcomes the renewed interest of Skippings, the proper method befitting a person of his standing is to make proper application to the national general council of the party for reinstatement. Parnell reminded that the former leader had been suspended from the PDM because of his role in the PDA which went against the partys constitution. "Currently, Mr Skippings cannot hold any office in the party until a position on his suspension and membership is decided on by our partys NGC. "No communication to the NGC has been received as of the date of this release, therefore the nomination of Mr Skippings and his acceptance for branch chair of the Grand Turk branch is not valid, the PDM chairman further clarified. Third party failure Questioned about his decision to return to the party which he helped to found in 1975, the twice elected chief minister said that the third party option did not work out quite as he had expected. "Well its obvious that the people of the Turks and Caicos are not ready to embrace a third party, Hon. Skippings reflected. However, he said in spite of this, his passion for the advancement of his people and country has not by any means abated. "Moreover, there is a large portion of the masses, who like myself, being cognizant of my record, my experience and my commitment, insist that I return in the political arena to make an invaluable contribution. That being the case, the former chief minister said he was left with the sole option of reconciling with the party that he helped to form with JAGS McCartney and others to facilitate him to assist them in their relentless quest to save the TCI. As for the PDA, Hon. Skippings said he left the party "functioning so that those who remain and choose to continue, may do so. The former leader officially resigned as PDA leader, treasurer and member of the party on January 20, 2020, with a letter to the Integrity Commission. Under Skippings leadership, the PDA contested the 2016 elections with a 111-page manifesto promising a "new beginning spiritually, politically, socially and economically for the people of the TCI and an alternative for broken promises. The party won 243 district votes and 1,117 at large - resulting in no seats in the House of Assembly. All of the polls suggest that it is possible only two or three candidates could reach the 15 percent viability needed in any individual congressional district to earn delegates. That would make it possible for Mr. Sanders to win half the delegates in the state even if he wins only one-quarter of the total vote. And all of the polls suggest one group is helping Mr. Sanderss numbers: Latinos, particularly young Latinos, whom the campaign has aggressively courted. [Sign up for California Today, our daily newsletter about the Golden State.] What do the demographics of expected voters tell us? There are more than 6 million no-party-preference voters in the state, a figure that skews younger, suggesting that many California voters dont align with either party. Roughly 53 percent of the expected 14.5 million voters will be white voters, compared with about 26 percent Latino, 15 percent Asian-American and 6.5 percent black voters, according to a forecast by the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative at the University of California, Los Angeles. How has the states shift to an earlier primary affected the race? California has long been a political A.T.M. for both parties. But this years Democratic primary has made it so that candidates are focusing in on areas that have long been ignored including the Inland Empire and the Central Valley. The primary is not a winner-take-all contest: Delegates are awarded based on how candidates do in each of the congressional districts. So, for example, Mr. Bloomberg has focused much of his investment on Orange County, where Democrats flipped several congressional seats in 2018. Who has spent the most money and time in the state? Mr. Sanders has held several high-profile rallies in the state over the last several months, including recently in Santa Ana, and a pair in San Jose and Los Angeles on Sunday. Mr. Biden, by comparison, has kept a relatively low profile in the state, and has not invested much time or energy in field operations in the state either. Nobody has put more money into the primary than Mr. Bloomberg, who has also spent lavishly in the state, sending millions of campaign mailers to voters daily for more than a week. Mr. Bloomberg has spent more than $66 million on television so far, according to Advertising Analytics, an amount that drastically dwarfs all other candidates. Tom Steyer, who dropped out of the race after the South Carolina primary on Saturday, spent $32 million on television, compared with Mr. Sanderss nearly $7 million. While Ms. Warren did not spend her own campaign money, a super PAC supporting her spent roughly $3.6 million. Who has received important endorsements? Many of the states most high-profile politicians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have stayed neutral since Senator Kamala Harris dropped out of the race late last year. (Though his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, backed Ms. Warren on Friday.) Ms. Harris herself has not made any public comments about the remaining candidates, and neither has Jerry Brown, the popular former governor and former presidential candidate. Shanghai on Sunday unveiled a number of new measures on facilitating the development of foreign enterprises as part of its efforts to further open up and spur growth and minimize the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The city aims to build up foreign investors' confidence on long-term investment and operation by easing market access, Hua Yuan, director of the municipal commission of commerce, said during a teleconference. "We will strive for expanding opening-up in key sectors including telecommunication, insurance, securities, research and technical services, education and health services," Hua said. Hua urged more support on attracting foreign investment, especially those on high value-added modern service industries such as advanced manufacturing, science and technology services as well as the information service industry. Shanghai is expected to see 40 more regional headquarters of multinationals and 15 more foreign-funded research and development centers this year, according to Hua. Teleworking modes such as video conference and signing contracts online should be promoted to strengthen the communication with foreign investors, Hua added. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia on Thursday for a summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the mounting tensions in Syria, his office said Monday. "The president is due to pay a one-day visit to Russia on March 5," the Turkish presidency said in a statement. Turkey confirmed on Sunday that it had launched a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces following increasing clashes in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib. Ankara, which backs Islamist fighters in the province, killed 19 Syrian soldiers in drone strikes on Sunday, and downed two regime planes. But it remains determined to avoid direct clashes with Moscow, with which it shares significant defence and trade ties. Despite being on opposing sides of the conflict, Turkey and Russia have coordinated closely in the past. They secured a deal in Sochi in 2018 that led to Turkey establishing 12 military observation posts in Idlib to prevent a Syrian offensive and a fresh flood of refugees into Turkish territory. But Syria and Russia look increasingly determined to regain full control of the area and an offensive launched in December has displaced close to a million civilians, and seen increasing clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces. The latest escalation followed the killing of 34 Turkish soldiers last week in an air strike blamed on Damascus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistans southern province of Sindh extended the closure of all educational institutions following the confirmation of a second coronavirus case in Karachi, the countrys largest city. Pakistan has confirmed four cases of coronavirus, three of them involving people who had travelled to neighbouring Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak that began in China in December. While two of the confirmed cased were in the southern port city of Karachi, the other two were in the capital Islamabad. Schools in Sindh have been closed since Thursday, after the first case in Karachi was confirmed. The Sindh government has decided to keep the schools closed till March 13, so the isolation period of the suspect cases could be completed, Saeed Ghani, provincial education minister told Reuters on Monday. We dont want to take any risk. Schools in Islamabad have remained open, but the thinly populated western province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran, closed its schools last week. Pakistan suspended all flights with Iran and closed the land border last week. Health Minister Zafar Mirza has said that government is gradually allowing pilgrims to return from Iran, after holding them in quarantine at the border for 14 days. Around 700 pilgrims arrived in Karachi from Iran over the weekend, the Sindh chief ministers office said in a statement. [March 02, 2020] Y Combinator-Backed EdTech Startup Edwin Merges With Voice Assistant Company MyBuddy.ai to Teach Children Spoken English Edwin, the EdTech startup backed by General Catalyst, Y Combinator, and Google (News - Alert) Assistant Investments Program, among others, has merged with MyBuddy.ai, an educational voice technology company. Both companies shared the same goal - to make English as a foreign language (EFL) tutoring affordable and accessible by leveraging AI. Combining resources strategically positions the resulting company to achieve this goal and become an important player in the 80 billion-dollar global market serving 1 billion English learners worldwide (according to The British Council, 2019). Edwin's team developed adaptive learning technology and built English test prep courses taught in tandem by a Facebook (News - Alert) chatbot and a human teacher. Over 800 thousand students across Latin America, Korea, and Japan have improved their English by practicing with Edwin. The MyBuddy.ai team developed a mobile app based around Buddy the robot, a cute cartoon character that helps children practice their spoken English through conversations and voice-based games. Buddy is serving a global audience of English-learners, including immigrant children in the US, as well as English-learning kids in Europe and Latin America. The app's user base has reached 17 thousand paying students and is growing by 20% per month. The resulting company will keep the name "MyBuddy.ai". Headquartered in San Francisco, it will focus on building a virtual English conversation partner for over 500 million children around the globe who are trying to learn English, but can't reach fluency because they lack genuine practice speaking the language. The company will double down on its mobile app Buddy, he voice-based English tutor for kids, organically combining solutions developed by MyBuddy.ai and Edwin. "Before the merger, it was like we were building two parts of one solution: Buddy - the voice-based educational game, and Edwin - the adaptive learning technology and EFL curriculum. Together, we'll be able to offer a unique solution for this important educational problem and build a sustainable business in this multi-billion dollar market," said Dmitry Stavisky, co-founder of Edwin and COO of MyBuddy.ai. "We all have personal stories that motivate us. My daughter had to learn to speak English when I brought her to the U.S. when she was 3 years old. Through her struggle, I understood the scale of the problem. Now, she's in the first grade and still plays and learns with Buddy," says Ivan Crewkov, co-founder and CEO of MyBuddy.ai. "We believe Buddy the teaching assistant can become an important tool for EFL teachers by automating the mundane part of their job at a fraction of the cost. And this lets teachers and parents give kids unlimited speaking practice, essential for mastering language," says Dima Plotnikov, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of MyBuddy.ai. Download the app here (iOS / Android) and check out Buddy the robot in action with a 1-minute demo video from Sophia, daughter of MyBuddy.ai's CEO. About Edwin Edwin is an AI-powered service for learning English as a foreign language. It combines the latest adaptive learning and Natural Language Understanding technology with pedagogical content as well as on-demand human instructors to offer its students affordable, personalized, 1:1 learning. Based in San Francisco, the company was funded by General Catalyst, Y Combinator, Google Assistant Investments Program, and several other investors. Over 800 thousand students have improved their English with Edwin. About MyBuddy.ai MyBuddy.ai is a voice-based AI English tutor for kids. Buddy lets children practice their spoken English by conversing with a virtual AI-powered cartoon character in a mobile app. With its engaging virtual character, speech technology, and adaptive learning, Buddy is making speaking practice affordable for 500 million children around the globe by automating the mundane 80% of tutoring work at 2% of the cost. This enables teachers and parents to give kids unlimited speaking practice, essential for mastering English. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005207/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BAHRAIN I ask a man who offered me his seat at the bar what he had for dinner. With great enthusiasm, he says, I had the Philly! Cheers! In the kitchen, the expediter calls out to a team of fine-dining line cooks from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, France, and Bahrain. Fire six Philly! Fire four Philly! A chorus of yes, chef punctuates the sizzle of meat on a flat-top grill, ladles clanging against bain-maries filled with cheese sauce. The scrape of spatulas makes the kitchen sound like Reading Terminal Market, but Im at Wolfgang Pucks CUT Steakhouse in Bahrain, a small island in the Arabian Gulf almost 7,000 miles away from Philadelphia. Brian Becher, 39, is executive chef of two Wolfgang Puck restaurants at the Four Seasons Bahrain Bay: CUT, and re/Asian. Its surreal for this Delaware County native to be responsible for crowds of Bahrainis, expats, and Saudi nationals who make the 16-mile trek across the King Fahd Causeway to visit his restaurant and eat his Philly cheesesteak. In October 2014, Becher, his wife, Alexis, and their two dogs moved to Bahrain from Atlantic City, where he had been executive sous chef at the Borgatas Wolfgang Puck restaurants. Because his staff in Bahrain hailed from all over the world, he and chef de cuisine Joshua Wetshtein a native of Akron, Ohio would assign a different cook to make staff meal each day. It was both for team-building and because I was curious about the food of my staffs home countries, Becher says. It dawned on us that we should do the same for our staff, so Josh made Skyline Chili from Ohio, which everyone called American curry, and I made cheesesteaks. The response was overwhelmingly positive. The impetus to put the cheesesteak on the menu came from Sheikh Rashid Khalifa Al-Khalifa, general manager of Peninsula Farms, which supplies CUT Bahrain with local produce. Al-Khalifa, a regular at CUT, attended Valley Forge Military Academy in the early 2000s and would visit Philadelphia on weekends to have cheesesteaks. He and Becher connected over their shared Pennsylvania connection and came to be friends. Becher made repeat trips to Peninsula Farms, where tomatoes, peppers, and many varieties of lettuce are grown hydroponically, and where goats are kept and milked. Becher raves about the fresh goat milk that Peninsula Farms turns into cheeses and labneh; he brought Wolfgang Puck to visit, as well. The friendship between Becher and Al-Khalifa developed from there. Six years on, Becher still expresses surprise, I met a sheikh with a Philly accent! Al-Khalifa interjects, My accent is definitely D.C. I went to middle school there. Anyway, Becher says, I asked him if Bahrainis would like cheesesteaks and I cooked one up for him to try. It was a game-changer, Al-Khalifa declares. I took a bite and just kept nodding. CUT Bahrain now sells between 50 and 95 cheesesteaks a day for about $34 each. The sandwich has gained such a reputation in Saudi Arabia that Becher reports when newcomers place orders, we often have guests from across the bridge that arrive at the restaurant and simply show me a photo of our cheesesteak a friend had sent them. Then I assure them that they are in the right place. Saudi nationals and expats living in Saudi Arabia frequently drive across the bridge to Bahrain to indulge in more affordable alcohol, movies, coed dining, and generally more freedom. Bahrain is Allahs blind spot, Becher says, referring to its relatively relaxed religious restrictions in contrast with those of Saudi Arabia. The Philly has made CUT Bahrain, a 30-minute drive from the Bahrain entrance of the King Fahd Causeway, even more of a draw. Dining out in Bahrain is frequently a glitzy affair. CUT is considered one of countrys best restaurants, tucked into the Four Seasons, which occupies a private man-made island that juts out into Bahrain Bay. International chain restaurants abound here. You can see neon signs lighting up the facades of Katsuya by Starck, a branch of the Turkish Emirgan Sutis, and a Cheesecake Factory across the water from the CUT terrace. The signature dish is undeniably the Philadelphia-style cheesesteak. This lowbrow hometown comfort food has exposed our restaurant to more people than anything else we have done, Becher says with a laugh. Its truly amazing. For all the accolades CUT Bahrain has received over the years, my dad, a South Philly native, is most proud of the fact that we are sharing this with the people of the world. Becher uses halal-certified USDA prime rib loin for his cheesesteak. (All beef that enters Bahrain must have a halal certificate to clear customs.) The roll is a hoagie roll-brioche bun hybrid and, like all the bread at the Wolfgang Pucks Four Seasons restaurants, is made in-house. The Cheez Whiz is made using a blend of Vermont white cheddar and yellow American cheese. The sandwich is served with caramelized onions on a porcelain plate with a side of fries, a tiny ramekin of ketchup, and carefully arranged pickles. As upscale and luxurious as this presentation is, Becher tolerates few modifications from guests. In true South Philadelphian spirit, we dont take kindly to people who compromise the integrity of our cheesesteak. I will allow a no onion modification. We dont serve the sandwich without cheese. We wont serve it on a different type of bread. If that is the request, we find it best for everyone to guide the guest to enjoy one of our other offerings. Becher beams when he describes introducing guests to their first cheesesteak. Its a way for him to bond with his guests before even meeting them. I will meet people, both in and out of the restaurant, for the first time, and they will sing praises to me regarding the sandwich. It is very interesting that we as humble cooks can create joy for those we have yet to meet. Its really quite powerful. I usually tell guests that the cheesesteak is the indigenous food of my people. Al-Khalifa glows when describing Becher: Brian is truly loved on this island. Hes a good guy who does right by his staff and right by his food. I know this because I like to snoop around. As for Bechers favorite cheesesteak when hes visiting family back in Philly? Joes Steaks + Soda Shop on Torresdale [Avenue] in the Northeast. The second-generation Surface Go will get a new CPU. Its expected to have the same 10-inch form factor with thick bezels. Microsoft launched the Surface Go tablet in India a little over a year ago but appears ready to give it a quick upgrade sometime soon. According to a recent report from Windows Latest, Microsoft will equip the second-generation Surface Go with an Intel 8th Gen Core m3 CPU. Expected to hit the stores later this year, the Surface Go 2 will feature some minor design changes but wont look drastically different from the way it does now. We can expect the Surface Go 2 to cost the same $399 (Rs 28,870 approx) as before. The report indicates that the Microsoft Surface Go( 38599 at flipkart) 2 will be powered by an Intel Core m3-8100Y CPU, which is a dual-core mobile processor built on a 14-nanometre process. It has a base frequency of 1.10GHz and a maximum boosted frequency of 3.40GHz. It will be accompanied by 8GB of RAM. Though Microsoft appears to be throwing a new CPU into the mix, it could continue to sell the base variant with Intels Pentium Gold 4415Y CPU and 4GB of RAM, especially in emerging markets such as India. The report goes on to say that Microsoft will give the Surface Go 2 a mild exterior refresh but not an extensive overhaul. The compact Windows tablet is expected to retain its silver magnesium-alloy finish along with its thick black bezels. The size of the screen, too, is expected to go unchanged at 10 inches. The screen resolution, too, will be the same 1800 x 1200 pixels. Like before, Microsoft could sell Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + LTE variants of the Surface Go. The outgoing Surface Go is available on Flipkart at a starting price of Rs 29,999. This base variant comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC flash storage. The high-end variant, which is the only other variant in India, offers 8GB of RAM and 128GB of solid-state storage. Both variants weigh half a kilogramme and ship with Windows 10 in S Mode, which does not allow app installations outside the Microsoft Store. This restriction, of course, can be circumvented. To learn more, you can read our review of the Microsoft Surface Go here. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shared some details of his conversation with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump concerning defense spending. In his interview to TASS for the project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin" the Russian president that the U.S. was spending far more on defense than Moscow. According to the Russian leader, Trump told him the U.S. "have adopted a huge budget for the next year." "$738 billion budget, I think," he added. Trump "said this with regret, he remarked. "The costs were too high. But he had to do it. He actually advocated disarmament, as he said," Putin concluded. D onald Trump's boast that US-UK trade would quadruple after Brexit was doused in cold water today as the Government published its proposals for a future agreement. Far from the surge that the US President predicted, the Government assessment put it at around a 7.5 per cent increase in trade flows, worth around 15.3 billion. For London, the boost to the economy would be 650 million which leading economist Howard Archer pointed out was hardly a game-changer. London, whose powerhouse services sector was not covered, will gain less from a US trade deal than other regions including Scotland, the analysis showed. It also confirmed that the economic benefits of a trade deal with America would be much smaller than the estimated losses caused by Brexit to growth of up to 7.6 per cent . In September at talks with Boris Johnson in New York, Mr Trump said: We can quadruple our trade with the UK. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump / Getty Images A month later, in an interview for LBC, he claimed we can do many times the numbers that were doing right now. Economist Jonathan Portes described the more sober assessment published by the Department for International Trade showed the benefits are de minimis compared with the economic costs of its Brexit proposals. Todays formal launch of the US trade talks mandate was timed to coincide with the first round of talks between EU and British negotiators in Brussels, symbolising Mr Johnsons strategy of playing each side off against each other. Ms Truss / Reuters We are not going to trade away our fishing in a deal with the EU or any other negotiating partner, she said, following French threats to block a deal if its fishermen are barred from UK waters. UK negotiator David Frost and 100 British officials were sitting down with EU counterparts led by Michel Barnier for talks so large they could not fit in the European Commission HQ. On the US talks, Ms Truss said it would be a red line to reject foods that did not confirm to UK safety standards. She also rejected Mr Trumps demands for drugs prices paid by the NHS to be on the table. I can absolutely guarantee that in a trade deal with the US we will not diminish our food safety standards and we will also not put the NHS on the table or the price the NHS pays for drugs on the table, she said. She added: If we dont get the deal we want we will be prepared to walk away. The EU talks are due to end in December at the latest. They cover everything from aviation to nuclear isotopes to student exchanges. A second round will be held in London later this month, with further meetings every two to three weeks. Broome and Wyndham, to which war has come, have little in common except their isolation in the great north-west. They are quite different in their community life and outlook. Broome, centre of an industry that has given the world its most magnificent white pearls, is a polyglot town. Wyndham, farther north in the neck of Cambridge Gulf, boasts nothing more romantic than a State meat-works. Broome in its heyday produced more than half the world's output of pearl and pearl-shell. Its waterfront was crowded with luggers. JAPANESE DIVERS Because white divers do not survive the rigours of their calling, Broome attracted coloured men of many nations, particularly Japanese. Years ago a Royal Commission re-commended that no attempt be made to transfer the industry from Asiatics to Europeans, and said that it would not weaken or imperil the While Aus-tralia policy. So, with legal sanction but under stringent control, indentured coloured labour has been permitted to man the Western Australian pearling fleet, on condition that Asiatics must be re-turned to their native lands at the end of their engagements. But every boss of a lugger must be a white man. Pearl fishing has declined in recent years and the population of Broome has dropped from the 4,000 of all races which it boasted a few years ago. Before the last war the north-west pearling fleet consisted of more than 300 luggers and schooners valued at nearly 200,000. Many of the whites enlisted between 1914 and 1918 and luggers were laid aside, never to be used again. Now there are fewer than 80 luggers at Broome, but the limits of the shell bearing grounds are unknown. Pearling crew off 80 Mile Beach, Broome, WA, on March 27, 1942. Credit:Department of the Interior The problem is partly economic and partly racial. Bloome claims distinction as the place with the biggest tidal rise and fall in Australia. At top spring tide there is a difference of 32 feet between rise and fall. Ocean-going steamers tying up at the jetty are stranded dry on the sand until the water comes rushing in again and puts them afloat. WYNDHAM SCENE The Wyndham scene is different. There the cattle come in from the Victoria River and Ord River country, stirring up high clouds of dust in their stampede. Cattle being shipped at Wyndham is one of the sights of the north-west. In the busy season, the shipping went on throughout the day and, with the aid of flares and arc lights, by night. The Wyndham record was 688 bullocks shipped in one and three-quarter hours. To the little town of 800 or 900 people, folk from stations in the grassed hinterland come to shop or to collect their mail. Occasionally camel teams stalk into the town loaded with wool or cotton. On boat-day the women and children - and men if they are not busy - go down to the jetty to see the arrival and departure. It is an old Wyndham custom. Broome and Wyndham are both inthe Kimberley division, which has yielded a lot of gold. And between the two on the coastline is Yampi Sound with large iron ore deposits, which Japan was anxious to secure some years ago. She was, in fact, given a concession to work the ore deposits, but it was withdrawn before work began. A third of the pledged delegates to the July convention in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are at stake in the Tuesday voting, when former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's name will appear on the ballots for the first time. Biden declared that he can beat Republican President Donald Trump in November's national election and "bring along [Democratic] candidates and win the Senate" that is now controlled by Republicans. "It's going to be very hard to make up ground in California," Biden acknowledged Sunday on ABC News's "This Week." But he said, "I feel very good where it's going" in other states, adding that he's "not even certain" that he will be trailing Sanders in the overall convention delegate count after the Tuesday voting. Biden, in three runs for the presidency, had never won a state primary nominating election until Saturday. But pre-election surveys show that Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, is handily leading in California, where the most delegates to the party's mid-summer national presidential nominating convention are at stake in the next round of voting. The polling shows Biden ahead in seven of the states with Tuesday contests, Sanders in six and Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the lead in her home state of Minnesota. Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, the easy winner of the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, faces an immediate new challenge from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders when 14 states vote Tuesday in party contests across the country. Sanders said on ABC that Biden "did well" in South Carolina. "We'll see what happens Tuesday, but we have an excellent chance to win some of the largest states," he said. Some national Democratic figures have voiced concern that Sanders, who has called for a government-run national health care system and an end to the private insurance plans now used by most Americans to help pay their medical bills, would turn off voters with his left-wing political views and lead to Trump's re-election to a second White House term. Sanders called Biden "a decent guy" and said that both of them of would support the eventual Democratic nominee against Trump. But Sanders said that he, and not Biden, would bring new voters to the Democratic party to defeat Trump, whom he called "a fraud, a liar who has undermined the democratic process" in Washington. The mounting count of delegates to the national party convention is all important. The state-by-state Democratic primary contests award national convention representation based on the vote counts in the primary elections and caucuses, but candidates only win any delegates if they reach a 15-percent threshold in a given state. Current projections show Sanders possibly reaching the national convention with a plurality of the delegate votes, but not a majority on the first ballot. Sanders has argued that if he is close to a majority, the other Democratic candidates should unite behind his candidacy, while Biden and other presidential aspirants have contended that the convention should then move to a second ballot where superdelegates (mostly party officials and elected Democratic officials) would be allowed to vote, allowing them to possibly deny Sanders the nomination. Bloomberg, whose business information company has made him the 12th richest person in the world, has spent upwards of $400 million of his own money on his campaign. But by choice he skipped the voting in the first four primary contests. Polling shows Bloomberg has some support for the Democratic presidential nomination race heading into the Tuesday voting, but often trailing both Sanders and Biden. Other contenders are also looking for a breakthrough in the new contests, including Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Klobuchar, all of whom have had key moments in the spotlight during a lengthy run of debates among the Democratic challengers. But current polling shows none of the three would reach the Milwaukee convention among the leaders in the count of pledged delegates. In the South Carolina vote, Biden won nearly 50 percent of the vote. Sanders was in a distant second place, with 19 percent. Tom Steyer, a billionaire and philanthropist who has invested substantial time and money campaigning in South Carolina, was in third place, with 11 percent of the vote, but after the result became known, ended his campaign. Trump congratulated Biden after the South Carolina vote, but disparaged Steyer and Bloomberg's candidacies. "Tom Steyer who, other than Mini Mike Bloomberg, spent more dollars for NOTHING than any candidate in history, quit the race today proclaiming how thrilled he was to be a part of the the Democrat Clown Show. Go away Tom and save whatever little money you have left," Trump said on Twitter. Trump added, "I would find it hard to believe that failed presidential candidates Tom Steyer, or Mini Mike Bloombeg, would contribute to the Democrat Party, even against me, after the way they have been treated - laughed at & mocked. The real politicians ate them up and spit them out!" The man continued to flee on foot but was found a short time later hiding near a home in the 2100 block of South California Avenue, Waller said. Officers began using their medical training and their first aid kits to stabilize the man before an ambulance arrived. Why do I see myself differently in photographs compared with when I look in the mirror? Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa used his reply to the governors address in the states Assembly today to do some grandstanding on the border dispute with Maharashtra. The chief minister asserted that not an inch of land would be given to Maharashtra, and instead, his government would move five or six departments to the Suvarana Soudha in Belagavi to firm up Karnatakas claim to the disputed region. Yediyurappa said, Maharashtra has often been raising the border issue. However, our government stand is clear that the Mahajan committee report on the border dispute is final. Not an inch land will be given to Maharashtra. A good part of the chief ministers speech went to crowing about the BJPs victory in the recent byelections. Taking dig at Congress leader Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa said, The BJP has won 12 out of 15 seats in the byelections. It shows that the BJP has the blessings of the people. It was a moral victory for our party. Siddaramaiah, let me make it clear to you, that the people of the state are with us. In the last Lok Sabha elections, your party won only one seat and we won 26. The chief minister hailed the Supreme Court for dismissing the Goa governments challenge of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) order. He thanked the court for directing the Centre to issue a notification in this regard. Singapore's Health Ministry confirmed four more cases of coronavirus on Sunday, including a Japanese national and two maids from Myanmar and the Philippines. Three of the latest cases are from a cluster at Wizlearn Technologies in the Science Park hub within the residential and industrial region on the west coast. The other is a 54-year-old Japanese national who was in Singapore on a work pass, reported the Channel Asia. But the Japanese man had no recent travel history to China or the provinces of Daegu and Cheongdo. Among the new cases is a 25-year-old maid from Myanmar, who was in the Indonesian island of Batam, closer to Singapore, from February 21-23. Another is a 41-year-old Filipino woman, who is also on a work pass here but does not have any travel history to China. The four latest cases take the number of people infected by COVID-19 to 106 in Singapore, 74 of whom have recovered. The ministry had confirmed four cases on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Syrian Jets 'Downed' As Turkey Says 'No Desire Or Intention To Clash With Russia' By RFE/RL March 01, 2020 Turkey's defense minister said on March 1 that his country was "successfully" continuing its military operation in northwestern Syria against the Russian-backed regime in Damascus and that Ankara doesn't have "the desire or intention to clash with Russia." Within hours of that statement, reports from Syria claimed that Turkish forces had downed Syrian warplanes as concerns mounted of an escalation of direct clashes between NATO member Turkey and forces of Russian ally Syria. Turkish military forces announced an intensification of their campaign via Operation Spring Shield after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in a Syrian air strike in the Idlib region, where Russian air power has been used to help forces loyal to embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "Following the heinous attack on February 27 in Idlib, Operation Spring Shield successfully continues," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted by AFP as saying via state news agency Anadolu, adding, "We don't have the desire or intention to clash with Russia." Idlib is part of the last remaining Syrian territory held by Turkey-backed rebels. Later on March 1, after Syria's government said it was closing the airspace in the northwestern part of the country, Damascus alleged that Turkey had "targeted" two of its jets over Syrian airspace. A rebel group and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the two planes had been "downed." Syria's official news agency, SANA, said the four pilots ejected and landed safely. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- whose country is a NATO member -- said on February 29 that he told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone conversation that Moscow should stand aside in Syria to let Turkey deal with Syrian government forces. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the same day that the two sides had agreed to reduce tensions while continuing military actions there. Erdogan reportedly also spoke with other world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Russia's state news agency Sputnik said on March 1 that the head of its Turkey operations had been "taken into custody" by police in Istanbul. RT and Sputnik chief editor Margarita Simonyan claimed the organization had been unable to contact employees in Ankara after attacks by "rioters" who were trying to break into their apartments. That information could not immediately be confirmed. Turkey had responded to the death of dozens of its troops in the air strike this week in Syria with deadly bombardments of its own in the Idlib region. Syrian and Russian warplanes on February 29 kept up air strikes on the Idlib city of Saraqeb, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported. The city is located on a key highway that has been a flash point of fighting in recent days. Turkey on February 29 heaped pressure on the international community to confront anew the flow of migrants from war-torn Syria, with President Erdogan announcing an "open door" policy that would not prevent migrants on Turkish territory from continuing on toward the European Union. That sparked a flood of attempts at illegal crossings into Greece and possibly Bulgaria that put the EU's border authority, Frontex, on "high alert" on March 1. Based on reporting by AP, AFP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-fights- on-in-syria-with-no-desire-or-intention-to-clash -with-russia-/30462594.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Far Resources Ltd (CSE:FAT) (FSE:F0R) (OTC:FRRSF) and partners BattMat Technologies (BM) and Electric Blue Power (EBP) are pleased to announce the start of an extreme cold temperature field testing program for the VAB Controller. Initial tests will be carried out on Whiteface Mountain, in northern New York State, located about 1,483 metres (4,865 feet) above sea level. The area recently recorded a record low temperature of -81C (-114F), and as such makes a perfect testing ground for the performance of the proprietary VAB Controller system in harsh conditions. The first ruggedized VAB Controller units will be installed and testing will commence around March 7, 2020. The first unit is being installed on an LMC snowcat. The Whiteface Mountain testing program also includes a Ford F-450 and a Chevy Tahoe. Prior to installation, rigorous bench testing of the units will be completed at the unit assembly site in Pennsylvania. From this same site, results of the initial road testing of the system electronics, coming from a ford F250 are also being taken into account. The testing program will compare test results with baseline data logged, using a conventional data logger, on several snowcats and other vehicles operated by a local trail grooming association. Continuous improvement and refinement will occur during testing. This testing program utilizes only some of the vehicle types on which the VAB Controller can be installed. However, it will demonstrate the capabilities and advantages of using the VAB Controller, including fleet uses, on a much wider range of vehicles. For example, the Ford F-450 is a test bed for ambulances and light utility trucks. The Chevy Tahoe has features analogous to law enforcement and emergency medical service (EMS) vehicles. This vehicle will continue to be used for government testing and general demonstration purposes. EBP President and CTO, Lee Wheelbarger, commented, This extremely rigorous testing regime of exposing the system to extreme operating environments will prove that the VAB Controller will withstand operation in some of the toughest conditions on the planet. In turn, this will establish the systems reliability in regions where current inefficiencies and high costs in battery maintenance and vehicle operation cause problems for fleet managers and vehicle operators. This test program will prove that the system is not only commercially viable, but will be a cost competitive means of operating vehicle fleets in harsh conditions. For and on behalf of the Board Toby Mayo President and CEO About Far Far Resources Ltd. is a Canadian battery and technology metals exploration and development company with lithium exploration projects in Canada and the USA. In Canada, Far is advancing its Zoro Lithium Project, located in the mining-friendly Snow Lake region of Manitoba. Zoro covers numerous known lithium pegmatite dykes and hosts the companys 1.1 million tonne resource (0.93% Li 2 O at a 0.3% cutoff), plus an additional fifty targets. The company also holds a 60% stake in the Hidden Lake Lithium Project in Northwest Territories. In the USA, the company owns the Winston Project in New Mexico, a historic mining property with potential for bonanza-grade silver and gold. More information is available at Fars website: www.farresources.com. About BattMat BattMat Technologies Inc. is dedicated to capitalizing on the advancement of battery-focused technologies and applications, including systems for distributed power, marine power and energy storage. More information is available at BattMats website: www.battmat.com. About Electric Blue Power Electric Blue Power, LLC operates the all-electric vessel Electric Blue Yacht and is developing the VAB Controller and other related designs of inventor Lee Wheelbarger. You can read more about EBP at www.electricbluepower.com. Information Contact L. Frank Anderson, Director Far Resources Ltd. +1 (604) 253-3444 The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. Forward Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance, including planned exploration, and reflect managements current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company. Readers 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. All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required under applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell securities and the company is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Almost half of the electorate were ignored at Decembers general election due to a morally and politically bankrupt voting system, according to a new report demanding proportional representation. The survey by the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) an organisation campaigning against the existing first-past-the-post system claims that 14.5 million people, or 45 per cent of all voters, cast a vote for a non-elected candidate. Of course, not every candidate or party can or should secure representation, but first past the post is brutal in denying millions of voters any representation at all, the report said. In their audit of the election Voters Left Voiceless and using data from pollsters YouGov, the ERS added that nearly one in three voters, or 32 per cent, held their nose and voted tactically, instead of choosing their preferred party or candidate. Citing campaigns for tactical voting at the 2019 election, it added: That these issues were key talking points reflects the dysfunctional nature of Westminsters electoral system. Under proportional systems, tactical voting is far less of an issue: what you vote for is what you get. Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Show all 10 1 /10 Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Dennis Skinner - Labour Labour MP of 49 years Dennis Skinner lost his Bolsover seat to Conservative Mark Fletcher, losing 16% of the vote share PA Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Jo Swinson - Liberal Democrat Leader of the Liberal Democrats lost her Dunbartonshire East seat in a 6.8% swing to the SNP PA Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Anna Soubry - The Independent Group for Change Leader of The Independent Group for Change, formerly Conservative MP, Anna Soubry lost her Broxtowe seat, coming third behind the winning Conservatives and Labour PA Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Dominic Grieve - Independent Prominent Remain-backing MP Grieve lost the contest for Beaconsfield, coming second to the Conservatives, his former party AFP/Getty Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Luciana Berger - Liberal Democrat Luciana Berger lost the contest for Finchley and Golders Green, coming second to Conservative Mike Freer PA Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Laura Pidcock - Labour Prominent Corbyn ally Laura Pidcock lost her Durham North West seat to Conservative Richard Holden PA Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Chukka Umunna - Liberal Democrat Prominent anti-Brexit MP Chukka Umunna lost the contest for the Cities of London & Westminster, coming second to Conservative Nickie Aiken Getty Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Zac Goldsmith - Conservative Former candidate for Mayor of London Zac Goldsmith lost his Richmond Park seat to Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney PA Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Nigel Dodds - DUP Former leader of the DUP Nigel Dodds lost his Belfast North seat to Sinn Fein AFP/Getty Big beasts lose their seats: Prominent MPs gone after election Gareth Snell - Labour Labour MP Gareth Snell lost his Stoke-on-Trent central seat to the Conservatives PA The organisation suggested that for Labour, the concentration of the partys vote in certain areas meant that it took on average 50,835 votes to return a Labour MP compared to 38,264 for a Tory MP. The report added: This vote concentration is also seen in the top 10 largest majorities, nine of which are Labour seats, where parties pile up votes with securing real representation. While the Conservative party is benefiting from Westminsters voting system across the UK as a whole, in Scotland, a substantial Conservative vote share (25.1 per cent) yielded just six sears (10.2 per cent). The ERS added that smaller parties were penalised by the current system, despite an increase in vote share on 2017 in the first December election in almost a century. Smaller parties contesting seats spread across the whole of Great Britain the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Brexit Party continue to lose out, the report said. For the Liberal Democrats, an 11.5 per cent vote share across Britain resulted in just 1.6 per cent of the Commons seats. Dr Jess Garland, the director of research and policy at the ERS, said: It is no wonder trust in politics is at rock bottom; the vast majority of peoples votes are being systematically ignored by a voting system that is morally and politically bankrupt. Westminster cannot go on like this all parties must get behind reform of this broken system at long last. Its time Westminster caught up with the rest of the UK and ensures seats in parliament reflect how people actually want to vote. No more holding your nose tactical votes, ignored votes and warped results. This research exposes the scale of disenfranchisement that is happening under one-party-takes-all voting. Its time for proportional representation and real democracy at Westminster. The hotline is designed for those who have recently travelled to high risk zones, or have come into contact with infected patients, displaying symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, breathing problems). From 2pm on 2 March, a hotline intended for the general public will open under the number 8002-8080. The emergency number 112 is reserved for emergencies. Any travellers displaying the virus symptoms from a risk zone [mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Iran, northern Italy (Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont)] must call the Health Inspectorate (247-85650), respectively 112 outside of office hours. Further information can be found on the government website, with FAQs available in English. The Prime Minister has convened a pandemic crisis cell, as it is possible other cases may arise in Luxembourg following the confirmed diagnosis of a patient over the weekend. However, the risk is still said to be low and measures are in place to limit and mitigate the spread of the virus among the population. The crisis unit does not recommend cancelling events or demonstrations, except those which are likely to bring together a large number of people from regions at risk. In case of doubt, organisers are requested to contact the Ministry of Health, which will assess the situation according to the recommendations of the Robert-Koch-Institut. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 12:15:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Workers produce medical N95 masks at a mask production company in southwest China's Chongqing, March 2, 2020. China's daily output of face masks reached 116 million units as of Saturday, 12 times the figure reported on Feb. 1, as production expansion moves into top gear, official data showed Monday. By the end of February, the daily production capacity of masks in China more than quintupled from Feb. 1 to 110 million units that came in medical and non-medical calibers, the National Development and Reform Commission said. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's daily output of face masks reached 116 million units as of Saturday, 12 times the figure reported on Feb. 1, as production expansion moves into top gear, official data showed Monday. By the end of February, the daily production capacity of masks in China more than quintupled from Feb. 1 to 110 million units that came in medical and non-medical calibers, the National Development and Reform Commission said. The consistent rise in both capacity and output further narrowed the supply deficit. As of Saturday, the daily output of N95-rated medical masks reached 1.66 million units to ensure medical staff at the forefront of the battle against the novel coronavirus are well-equipped, the commission said. China produces about half of the world's masks with a daily output of 20 million units before the epidemic. The country had to launch massive production expansion to secure supply given the explosive growth in demand. Measures were introduced to prioritize the smooth operation of mask producers and support technological upgrading in the sector, while some firms retooled their production for churning out the much-needed protective gear to bolster the national fight against the coronavirus. In south China's economic powerhouse Guangdong Province, Guangzhou Xingshi Equipments Co., Ltd, a manufacturer of diapers and sanitary napkins, converted one of its lines for fully-automated mask production. With a capacity of assembling 1,000 medical masks per minute, or 1.4 million per day running non-stop, the ultra-fast line is believed to be among the world's fastest, according to local authorities. PR-Inside.com: 2020-03-02 18:07:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 682 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTG or the Company") (OTCQB:TPTW) announced today it has successfully paid off the remaining balance of the convertible promissory note due June 6, 2020 issued by the Company to JSJ Investments Inc for $112,000 on June 6, 2019. ("JSJ"). The remaining balance paid included a premium and equaled $97,000, including accrued interest, which amounts were aside from the $43,680 in principal that was converted into 18,500,000 shares of the Company's common stock since June 6, 2019. The payoff was made possible due to a new merchant advance loan entered into by the Company with Advantage Funding for which the Company received $500,000 in cash proceeds on February 25, 2019 and is required to be repaid at a rate of $14,221 weekly for 50 equal payments for a total of $716,720.The proceeds from the convertible promissory note issued to JSJ were used as part of the acquisition of the assets of SpeedConnect, LLC, which assets were conveyed into TPT SpeedConnect, LLC ("TPT SpeedConnect"), wholly owned by the Company. The acquisition included the tradename of SpeedConnect. SpeedConnect is located in Frankenmuth, Michigan and is one of the largest Rural Wireless Internet Services Providers in the United States. SpeedConnect has operations in 10 Midwestern states, Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Texas. The Company's plans are to upgrade the existing SpeedConnect 10 state Broadband network to a 4G+/5G network offering faster speeds and added value products such as TV, Voice and Data Services to its 16,000 Rural Middle American telecommunication's customers."The conversion to stock and subsequent sale by JSJ has had an adverse effect on our TPTW common stock price. JSJ converted portions of their convertible promissory note adding pressure on the company's stock price. We are very pleased the company has been able to pay off the remaining balances of the JSJ convertible promissory note. In the month of February, the company successfully completed paying the remaining balances of three debt relationships, Advantage Funding's merchant advance loan of $753K, Geneva Roth Remark Holdings convertible promissory note of $43K and now the remaining balance on JSJ's $112,000 convertible note." said Stephen Thomas CEO TPTW.This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings and pursuit of new markets are forward looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.About TPT Global TechTPT Global Tech Inc. (OTC:TPTW) based in San Diego, California, is a Technology/Telecommunications Media Content Hub for Domestic and International syndication and also provides Technology solutions to businesses domestically and worldwide. TPT Global offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT's also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cellphone services, Mobile phones Cellphone Accessories and Global Roaming Cellphones.`CONTACT:Frank Benedetto619-915-9422SOURCE: TPT Global Tech, Inc. Egypt launched a website to spread awareness among Egyptians about coronavirus that emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, the Egyptian cabinet's media centre said on Monday. The website provides public information about the deadly virus, such as means of transmission, protective measures, and answers to the most frequent questions about the virus, in addition to the latest updates on the situation nationwide and worldwide in accordance with the World Health Organisation. Awareness leaflets and banners have been distributed to all ministries and government bodies to raise awareness about the fast-spreading virus in implementation of the directives of Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Osama Al-Gohary, the prime minister's assistant said. Earlier today, Egypt announced the second coronavirus case of a Canadian employee who works in an Egypt-hosted oil and gas company. The patient has been isolated in a hospital to receive the necessary medical care. The epidemic has killed over 3,000 people worldwide, with the vast majority in mainland China and infected 90,000 globally. Search Keywords: Short link: For the March 2 work meeting of the Cy-Fair ISD board of trustees, the board will receive reports about 2020 summer school plans and community programs. Administration will present reports on plans for elementary, middle and high school students for summer 2020 during the meeting, 6 p.m. at the Instructional Support Center, 10300 Jones Rd, Houston. The administration will also report on possible cooperatives for the 2018-2019 fiscal school year, end-of-year academic performance and programs for the community. Every year, more and more entrepreneurs and investors are entering the competitive market as Mexican startup businesses. An article from Latam List stated that Mexico's startup ecosystem is the second largest in the entire Latin American region. With support from the government, startup accelerator campaigns, and escalation of venture capital activities, it is no doubt that its startup ecosystem is thriving. From 2018 to 2019, investment in startup ventures had doubled. Here is a few Mexican startups and some stories about its major investors and potential growth predictions that we should look forward to in 2020: Clip This Mexican startup is one of the largest startups in Mexico. It has a post-money valuation of $350 to $400 million after its last round. Similar to the US's Square, it creates mobile credit card readers. It targets small businesses and aims to help them receive card payments. Additionally, the company captured the attention of Japan's SoftBank. This lead to an investor of $100 million Series C round with contribution from General Atlantic from the US. Konfio Mexico's attraction to the fintech market is evidenced by this startup business. This is one of the startups in Mexico that attained relevant foreign investment. It is a fintech business that offers credit lines through an online mechanism to SMEs that often goes unnoticed by banks. It had acquired major investments from SoftBank and Goldman Sachs. Cornershop Cornershop mainly provides mobile grocery delivery services. It aims to help Latin Americans do their grocery shopping without having to leave their homes. This Mexican-Chilean startup business recently reached headlines after Uber purchased its 51% shares at $450 million. Previously, a 100% acquisition agreement with Walmart was prohibited by the government of Mexico for a potential breach of the antitrust law. However, the Uber purchase had helped skyrocket the startup business's value by four times in four months. Grow Mobility This Mexican startup business primarily offers e-scooter services. It offers alternative transportation options for at least five million commuters in 23 different Latin American cities. Grow Mobility takes third place as the biggest e-scooter business in the world after Grin (Mexico) and Yellow (Brazil) collaborated to establish this startup company. Recently, the company merged with Flinto, a Mexican fintech business. This was done to facilitate easy online payments through their application. It is now being considered as the county's potential future unicorn. As Grin is available through the Rappi application, it opens access to millions of people in the region. Billpocket Billpocket is a helpful tool for vendors. It is a mobile POS system that helps sellers to conveniently accept and manage debit and credit card payments from their customers. It announced an investment from Axon Partners Group for their Series A. The startup business targets assisting Mexican SMEs to access financial services. It also aims to help SMEs improve their sales by up to 30%. They plan to do this by streamlining card payments. The market for mobile POS in Mexico is competitive. Billpocket is a growing business to look out for. While the Covid-19 continues to spread, concerns are growing over whether or not travel should be canceled or postponed. Though there are ways to protect yourself against illness like washing your hands and disinfecting spaces, some people may be wondering if it's enough. Not only is the status constantly changing with the virus popping up in every continent except Antarctica, it's hard to know what the next few months or even weeks will look like. Although airport screenings for coronavirus are in place, there are restrictions that vary from country to country (the International Air Transport Association has a detailed list of these restrictions). Meanwhile, some of the busiest airports in the world have implemented extra precautions including separate gates and extra screenings. Should you cancel your travel? This can be answered depending on where you are going and how essential it is. At time of writing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of travel recommendations related to Covid-19 includes avoiding nonessential travel to China and South Korea while enhanced precautions are recommended for Italy, Iran, and Japan. If you are scheduled to travel to any of these regions with enhanced precautions, contact your airline to see what options you might have. You may be able to get a full refund if you are scheduled to travel to a destination that has had an outbreak. This does vary by airline and by region, though. Additionally, American, Delta, and United are not flying into China and now offer travel waivers for South Korea and Italy. Air France is allowing people traveling to Italy or China to reschedule flights. British Airways has canceled flights to select places while Hawaiian Airlines has suspended their flights to South Korea. Lufthansa has canceled flights to China and is reducing some of their other flights. Finally, ask yourself how important the trip really is and if travel is necessary. Is the trip essential or can it be done by other means? Perhaps it can be done virtually or via teleconference. Alternatively, if it can wait until later in the year, consider rescheduling. Refunds If you are worried about the virus but aren't traveling to a place with a confirmed outbreak, there's a good chance you will not be able to get a refund. Unless you purchased a travel insurance plan that lets you cancel for any reason, you may not have many options. However, because of the constantly changing situation, it's best to contact airlines, hotels, insurance companies, and even your credit card if you used it to purchase travel in order to see what can be done. If you have a weak immune system, you may try explaining your concerns. If you can't get a refund, ask for a credit to travel at a later date. Or, if you are concerned about going somewhere that is close to the affected areas, ask if you can change your destination and either pay the difference or pay any fees for the change. Stay up to date If you will be traveling later in the year to an area that hasn't been restricted, it's important to stay up to date on what is happening in the region. Follow official organizations like the World Health Organization and the U.S. State Department to keep track of the latest. Consider the possibility of contact and quarantine When you travel, you run the risk of coming into contact with someone who has been to an affected area (or a newly affected area with travel restrictions, like Italy). Can you afford to be quarantined? Consider whether or not the business travel is crucial enough that you run that risk. If you do decide that it is worth the risk, pack extra clothing and medication. Since people are being monitored for two weeks, it is suggested that you bring enough of your essentials for two extra weeks. Be prepared for disruptions Regardless of whether you travel internationally or to the closest major city to you, it seems that we can only expect disruptions and delays in travel. With additional screenings and flights being moved around, give yourself extra time. Buy insurance If you need to travel, it is worth it to buy travel insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. Purchase airfare and hotel stays that are refundable. Check policies and try to get everything in writing. Some airlines are working to boost confidence. Though JetBlue doesn't fly to the affected areas, they are waiving change and cancellation fees for bookings in order to encourage travel. Alaska Air is also waiving those fees. The novel coronavirus has claimed over 3000 lives and created havoc across the world. While the scientists are finding it extremely difficult to find an antidote to it, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says that the deadly virus can be cured by regularly doing Yoga. He recently said, while inaugurating a week-long international Yoga Festival in Rishikesh, that a person who remains mentally and physically fit through Yoga shouldnt fear the deadly virus. According to a report by Indiatimes, UP CM said, The Indian tradition needs to be understood more deeply as it has tremendous things to offer through yoga. The world is waging a war against mental and physical illnesses. If these are cured, then no one will suffer from blood pressure, heart attack, kidney failure, liver failure or even coronavirus for that matter. The very first training given to space travelers is certain yogic kriyas along with pranayama to stay fit. This is a well-kept secret, he added. Twitter/Yogi Adityanath Speaking at another event in Aurangabad recently, UP CM Adityanath also said that swine flu is not a disease and that people suffer from cold and cough due to the changing weather conditions. He said, "Yesterday, I found that there was information about some number of people dying of swine flu in Meerut. Flu is not a disease. When the weather changes, some people catch a cold. It is flu in itself. Based on what it causes, we call some as swine flu or bird flu or by any other name. BCCL Heres what people think about UP CM Yogi Adityanaths claims about curing deadly coronavirus: Lol China please take him!! Thanks in advance! Ann Francis (@AMF_ANN) March 2, 2020 Umm... Maybe he meant that yoga will increase immunity n body's ability to fight off viruses?? May or may not hold for this new virus strain Ranjana Rajan (@rajan_ranjana) March 1, 2020 Ouch! He shud be asked to prove it by going to Wuhan and meeting a few persons in quarantine. Subhash Mittal (@subhashmittal) March 1, 2020 Hahaha Corona!! Ab tujhe mai bhi nahi bacha nahi Sakta pic.twitter.com/7zuVN2fw1N Bhau. (@Bhau2020) March 1, 2020 Teena Thacker (@Teensthack) March 1, 2020 While the world is searching for a cure and preventive measures to cure the deadly coronavirus, a lot of misinformation is making matters worse. What do you think about UP CM's claims? Let us know in the comments section below. Even as India grapples with improving its brick-and-mortar institutes, the new kid in town is the edtech (technology in education) sector that is making inroads into the country. While working on a two-part series on this relatively unknown creature, I learnt to my absolute astonishment that in a span of less than a decade, a total of close to 4,600 startups have jumped into the fray. Venture capital in excess of $2 billion has flown into Indian edtech companies since 2014, far lower than in China (over $12 billion) and the USA (over $8 billion) but more than the European Union ($1.27 ... U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a news conference at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Feb. 29, 2020 in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) FDA to Expedite Coronavirus Testing as Commissioner Joins Pences Task Force The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced a new policy which would allow specific laboratories to develop and use their own validated COVID-19 screening tests before receiving authorization from the agency, in a bid to accelerate testing capacity in the United States. The move was announced by the FDA on Feb. 29, as three of four new confirmed coronavirus cases on the West Coast indicated community spread of the virus across the United States. The first American to die from coronavirus, was a man in his 50s with underlying conditions in Washington state, officials said Saturday. A second American, a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions, also died on Saturday after contracting coronavirus, according to a Sunday press release from Seattle and King County Public Health. As of March 1, 88 cases of the novel coronavirus had been identified in the United States, with New Yorks first case confirmed on Sunday. We have learned of the 1st positive case of COVID-19 in NY. The patient contracted the virus while in Iran & is isolated There is no reason for undue anxietythe general risk remains low in NY. We are diligently managing this situation &will provide info as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/rLnObvrg3R Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 2, 2020 The policy change also came as FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn joined the White House coronavirus task force. The government is scrambling to reassure Americans of the nations preparedness while the disease spreads, and businesses cancel conferences and flights. Federally certified laboratories will be able to develop and use their own molecular diagnostics tests for the virus without waiting for an emergency use authorization to be issued by the FDA, the agency explained in a release. Although the labs tests will still need to go to the agency for approval, the FDA will provide a grace period of 15 business days during which the labs can use the tests to screen patients while submissions are gathered. We believe this policy strikes the right balance during this public health emergency, Hahn said 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. 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. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told ABCs This Week on Sunday that the United States now has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number radically in the coming weeks. Right now, its important that we test people who have any type of respiratory illnessrespiratory symptomsthat is unidentified, Azar said. More than 3,600 people have been tested for coronavirus across the United States, Azar said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tested fewer than 500 cases, according to official figures. A Surge in US Coronavirus Cases Expected Public health officials have said the increased testing will likely result in a surge of confirmed coronavirus cases across the United States. More than 40 public health laboratories are expected to be able to test for coronavirus by the end of this weekend, according to Scott Becker, the head of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. This figure, Becker added, should grow to more than 100 laboratories over the next week as the CDC sends out more test kits. As of tonight, there are 31 #PublicHealth laboratories across the country able to test for #coronavirus with 10 more expected over the rest of the weekend. Then next week @CDCgov sends more test kits & well have 100+ labs ready. Scott Becker (@scottjbecker) March 1, 2020 The CDC previously advised only testing individuals who either had a history of travel to affected countries or had come into contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. Meanwhile, testing kits distributed to state and local labs, which were developed by the CDC, had faulty components and produced inconclusive results. Only seven state labs had the ability to test for the coronavirus locally as of Feb. 26, while the CDC worked on manufacturing new kits that produce more reliable results. I certainly do wish that the testing was available sooner. There was this very unfortunate challenge in the production process, and it did put us a few weeks behind, Becker told NPR, adding that the United States is going to start to see more and more cases pop up across the country. Well have a much greater understanding of whats going on with the virus here in America, he added. Vice President Mike Pence told CNNs Jake Tapper on Sunday that more coronavirus deaths in the United States were possible. We could have more sad news, he said. But the American people should know the risk for the average American remains low. Reuters contributed to this report Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said he is staying on top of the ever-changing coronavirus outbreak, working with state public health officials to ensure schools have the best information available as more cases are reported across the country. It is one of our highest priorities right now, Mackey said. No cases of Covid-19, the new coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands across the globe, have been identified in Alabama, according to state health officials. We are talking about if there is an outbreak, what would we do, Mackey added. But the response could be different depending on if and when Alabamas first case is confirmed. If that happens, where that happens, how pervasive (the outbreak is) will determine how officials respond, Mackey said. Mackey sent a letter from the Alabama Department of Public Health to all schools last week, which gave basic instructions on what to do if students and staff have recently traveled to China. Jefferson County and Tuscaloosa City officials sent parents and employees information through social media and other channels on Friday, assuring them that officials are staying on top of the situation. An message from Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin Posted by Jefferson County Schools on Friday, February 28, 2020 Community colleges also forwarded the letter to local officials statewide. Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker has convened an internal group of health experts, emergency management personnel, and others to plan for any potential impact on students, faculty and staff in the system, according to spokesperson Rachel Adams. Mackey said theyre closely watching the official response in Washington and California as they deal with a growing outbreak there. If a case of coronavirus is diagnosed, Mackey said, Public Health will make a decision about quarantine, and then we will follow their lead. If parents are concerned, he said, they should stay in touch with local school officials. Recognizing that the coronavirus outbreak is changing by the hour, Mackey said its important for people to be aware of how to prevent the virus. The flu is much more pervasive here, he said, and the precautions to take against the coronavirus apply to the flu, too. Related: Alabama college closes Italy campus as coronavirus spreads in region Alabama public health officials held a press conference Monday morning to address concerns, and said people worried about the virus can take steps to prevent infection, including washing hands with soap and water, covering coughs and avoiding those who are ill. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the Alabama Department of Public Health has received tests for the virus and training about best practices. The agency could be testing patients later this week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has handled all prior testing. Although the number of U.S. cases is rising, officials urged people to remain calm and take the same preventative measures they would for other respiratory illnesses. Above all, they said people who are sick should avoid public spaces and remain home to prevent outbreaks. Mackey said Jennifer Ventress, who heads up the education departments school nurses division, is in touch with schools statewide. Mackey said he has talked with a dozen superintendents, most of whom are concerned about school-related travel over spring break and during the summer. Local school boards and officials will make decisions about travel, he said. What were recommending is that people follow guidance of the U.S. State Department about which destinations to avoid. Mackey said a level four country should be avoided, but that China is the only country designated level four at this moment. Any decisions about travel in connection with community colleges are made at the local level, a spokesperson for the Alabama Community College System said. RELATED: Complete coverage of coronavirus Learn more about the TCS commitment to student health and safety. http://bit.ly/32B2Z7R Posted by Tuscaloosa City Schools on Friday, February 28, 2020 Updated 5:50 p.m to include statement from the Alabama Community College System. Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be stepping down as senior royals, questions have been raised about the couple's multi-million pound security arrangements. A Twitter survey conducted by Good Morning Britain found 90% of respondents believe Harry and Meghan's security should not be funded by British taxpayers. The Sussex family, who recently relocated to Los Angeles from Canada , were even the subject of a tweet by President Donald Trump. Trump said he had no intention of paying for their security: "I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen & the United Kingdom" he tweeted, "it was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the U.S. however, the U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!" The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are transitioning away from royal life / PA Hours later, the Sussexes confirmed via a spokesperson that they were "privately funding" their own security. The spokesperson said, "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the US government for security resources. Privately funded security arrangements have been made." Previously, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force and Canadian taxpayers were initially footing the bill for Sussex security in Canada. Following protests, the Canadian government announced it would stop providing security to the Sussexes once they stepped down as senior royals in keeping with their change in status. Getty Images The question remains now: who is going to help protect Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their son Archie? We spoke with Intelligent Protection, a firm which specialises in commercial Royalty Protection and whose employees include former royal protection officers. Alex Bomberg, the companys group CEO, explained it was highly unlikely they would be able to hire a commercial security firm due to many legal barriers - especially due to their jet-setting lifestyle. Getty Images Bomberg said, From the off, I think that it is important to look at what is and what is not possible or feasible in relation to commercial Close Protection for The Duke and Duchess. I cannot see how a commercial firm could provide them with armed Close Protection, there are far too many legal barriers. Members of the Royal Family have in the past been the target of assassination attempts, terrorist attacks and kidnappings. In 1994, royal protection officers protected Prince Charles from an assassination attempt in Sydney when an armed man stormed the stage. The family have started a new life in Canada / Getty Images In 2014, an alleged Islamic terrorist attack on Queen Elizabeth was thwarted ahead of a Remembrance Day ceremony. Ken Wharfe, Princess Dianas former personal protection officer, said today on Good Morning Britain that there was a real risk of kidnap when it came to the Sussexes son Archie. Bomberg explained that providing protection for Prince Harry in particular would be a big job, especially as he was once stationed in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot where he fought and killed members of the Taliban. Getty Images Bomberg said, Protecting any Royal is complex at the best of times, but a high profile member of the British Royal family (who has served in Afghanistan) is quite another issue. The Royal Family have not disclosed how much their security costs, with a statement on Gov.uk reading, No breakdown of security costs is available as disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of these arrangements and affect the security of the individuals protected. It is estimated to cost 100 million a year for the entire Royal Family, with protection provided by a special branch of the Metropolitan Police Service called Royalty and Specialist Protection. After Wharfe was told on GMB that the Sussexes protection is estimated to cost 20 million, he agreed with the estimate and revealed that a personal protection officer is typically paid 100,000 per year. Getty Images Prince Harry, Meghan and Archie would require two officers each at a minimum, with additional costs incurred regarding travel, accommodation and more. In contrast, the commercial Royal Protection Services that Bombergs company offers costs upwards of 15,000 per day. For those who require daily round the clock protection, that number quickly reaches a staggering 5,475,000 a year. The service includes security trained chauffeurs, a discreet intelligence cell and technical surveillance countermeasures to combat listening devices for example. AP Bomberg said, The only real option would be to make use of a commercial firm to support the Residential Security whilst utilising the present security afforded to them by the Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP). Tony Blair has a set up where he pays for an element of the protection that he uses when he is taking part in commercial activities. However, even that may even be a stretch as the Sussexes would require international protection (especially as the pair are dividing their time between Canada and the UK) and top-secret security information cant be shared with just anybody. Bomberg said, The Duke and Duchess are living a lifestyle where they are constantly crossing borders and it would not be possible or realistic for a commercial firm to obtain all the firearms licenses required. Also, one has to consider the intelligence support provided to RaSP, this is not commercially available nor would information sharing to a commercial firm be on the cards any time soon I would expect. Getty Images He continued, The Duchess does have a relationship with a firm in Canada who provided her with Close Protection whilst she was living in Canada filming Suits. It is probable that if a firm is involved in providing on the ground commercial support, it will be that firm. Wharfe completely ruled out turning to a private security firm, citing the car chase that ended Princess Dianas life as an example. He said, We know what happened with Diana in 1997, because of the inefficient security that was afforded her at that time, we cannot go down the private sector here, because with security you need access to government intelligence in this country and abroad. Getty Images As senior royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markles security was paid for by British taxpayers and was additionally supplemented by Canadian taxpayers while there. However with the Sussexes set to step down from their roles at the end of the month, the Canadian government announced, As the Duke and Duchess are currently recognised as Internationally Protected Persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as-needed basis. The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status. Prince Harrys father, the Prince of Wales, is set to offer the couple financial assistance as they find their feet which could help cover security costs. However, it is not known if this will stem from his 21 million Duchy of Cornwall income or another private revenue stream. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II pose for a picture during the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony / POOL/AFP via Getty Images Wharfe suggested another avenue that the Royal Family could explore, saying, Given the fact that the Queen subsidises the security given to Beatrice and Eugenie, now is the time to look at the Queen herself, or even [Prince Charles], should subsidise this security bill. Prince Harrys mother, Princess Diana, turned down royal protection following her divorce from Prince Charles and opted for private security. Former Scotland Yard Chief Superindendent Dai Davies told the Daily Mail he believed she would not have died in a Parisian car accident had she continued to use Met protection. Meghan and Harry greet fans in Melbourne, Australia, in October last year / Getty Images He said, I believe Princess Diana would not have died in those circumstances that night had she been accompanied by a police protection officer.Things would have been done differently, more professionally. There would have been a lot of planning ahead of the trip in terms of the route and potential security risks. Hear more in this episode of The Leader podcast: El Paso County Sheriff's Office The stepmother of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, who went missing two months ago, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. El Paso County Sheriffs deputies took Leiticia Stauch into custody on Monday morning and said they would discuss a break in the case on Monday afternoon. Gannon, 11, was last seen on 27 January near his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ms Stauch originally reported the boy missing, telling police that she had last seen him between 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. before he left to walk to a friends house. ABC7 News reported that Gannons disappearance was initially being investigated as a runaway situation, but was reclassified as a missing/endangered persons case on 30 January. According to a neighbour, security camera footage captured Ms Stauch driving away in the morning with Gannon in her car and her arriving hours later by herself. Now confirmed that not only was Letecia Stauch arrested, but that she is now facing first degree murder charges. This is the same woman who told me a month ago I would never want someone to think that I would hurt Gannon...that is just not the case.#GannonStauch https://t.co/8UDI4liIE8 pic.twitter.com/reolsHHFuG Spencer Wilson (@Spencer_WNews) March 2, 2020 Authorities said the footage was one piece in a very, very large puzzle. Roderrick Drayton, the neighbour whose camera captured Ms Stauch leaving with the boy, said that Mr Stauch broke down crying after seeing the video. [Albert Stauch] just broke down crying and said She lied, she lied about the time. He didnt go to a friends house, he said. In an interview with KKTV, Ms Stauch denied having any hand in the boys disappearance. Story continues I took care of Gannon for the last two years because his mother didn't want to do it, she said. I would never, ever, ever hurt this child these people have these conspiracy theories .. Im like why are you saying Gannon is dead? He is not dead. We are going to find Gannon. Gannons mother, Landen Hiott, told ABC News that she was certain her son would not run away. That is not my boy, 100 percent without a shadow of a doubt, my boy would not run away, she said. Ms Liott told the station that her son was her hero. Hes my hero. He gives me life, he gives me energy. If a bad day is going bad I just hear his voice and it makes it better, she said. When questioned about the incriminating video, Ms Stauch claimed that Gannon simply exited the truck on the side of the vehicle facing away from the neighbours camera. SOUTH BEND, Ind. Pete Buttigieg, a former small-city Indiana mayor and first openly gay major presidential candidate, said Sunday night he is dropping out of the Democratic race, after a crushing loss in the South Carolina primary where his poor performance with black Democrats signaled an inability to build a broad coalition of voters. The decision comes just 48 hours before the biggest voting day of the primary, Super Tuesday, when 15 states and territories will allot a third of the delegates overall. The results were widely expected to show him finishing far behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Buttigieg canceled plans for a Sunday night rally in Dallas and a Monday morning fundraiser in Austin, Texas, to return to South Bend to address supporters. Sometimes the longest way around really is the shortest way home, he said. The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close, for our candidacy if not for our cause, he said. Tonight I am making the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the presidency. Invoking his experience as a two-term mayor of South Bend, he said his candidacy caught on not despite that experience but because of it. America, he said, was eager to get Washington to start running like our best-run communities. On a conference call with campaign donors Sunday evening, Buttigieg said he had reached the decision with regret but concluded it was the right thing to do, when we looked at the math, according to one person on the call. Without mentioning opponents by name, Buttigieg said he was concerned about the effect he would have on the race by staying in, saying Democrats needed to field the right kind of nominee against Donald Trump. Buttigiegs departure was another step in the narrowing of a Democratic field that once featured two dozen candidates, and now has six. His move comes one day after Tom Steyer, the San Francisco former hedge fund executive, dropped out after a disappointing finish in South Carolina. Buttigieg, 38, skyrocketed from obscurity into the top tier of Democratic presidential candidates largely on the strength of his robust fundraising totals early last year. He collected more than $24 million in the three-month period ending June 30, more than any other candidate in the field. The campaign spent nearly all of its funds to deliver its virtual tie for first place in Iowa and a narrow second-place finish behind Sanders in New Hampshire. But Buttigieg never broadened his breadth of support in a party with a large component of nonwhite voters, and one that has veered leftward since 2018. He came in a distant third in the Nevada caucuses, which drew strong numbers of Latino voters, and then fourth place in South Carolina. In the last presidential debate, Buttigieg forcefully warned that nominating Sanders would lead to crushing defeat in the fall, not just four more years of Donald Trump, but the loss of the Democratic House majority secured by moderate candidates who won in suburban swing districts in 2018. Reid J. Epstein and Trip Gabriel are New York Times writers. Israel: polling stations open for elections, 6.5 mn eligible Separate polling places for those in coronavirus quarantine (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, MARCH 2 - Israeli elections began on Monday at 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. in Italy) with the opening of 10,631 polling stations where, throughout the day, a total of 6.5 eligible voters will be able to express their preferences. A total of 16 separate polling stations have been made available to the 5,600 Israelis currently under quarantine for the coronavirus, where they will be able to vote in complete confinement. The polls will close at 10 p.m. local time, at which time the three national broadcasters will release results of their exit polls. Election results will be made public on Tuesday morning. This is the third election in less than a year, and as in the past, surveys show that the two main political parties, Likud and Blue and White, are running neck and neck. "I hope that starting today a healing process begins and that we can start to live together, side by side," said Benny Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White party and the biggest competitor for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gantz's comments came after voting together with his wife at the Rosh Ayin polling station in central Israel. "In recent days we have been subjected to lies, recordings, and a system that has tried to pit us against each other," Gantz said, adding that he hoped the vote would defeat Netanyahu and that the country would emerge from a prolonged political stall. Netanyahu, meanwhile, appealed to Israelis to get out and vote and not be afraid of the coronavirus. "I urge everyone to go vote," Netanyahu said, after voting at a polling station in Jerusalem. "It's a great democratic right and we have to be proud of it. Go with pride and in safety. I say this because we are doing everything that is necessary to look after the question of health and the coronavirus. You have nothing to be afraid of. Only one thing, don't pay attention to fake news and attempts to stop you from voting," he said.(ANSAmed). By Dalila Ouerghi Local exporters that applied for the force majeure "legal shield" cover over 30 different sectors, according to a CCPIT announcement on its website on February 26. The legal provision is traditionally used in contracts to protect parties under unforeseeable circumstances that prevent them from fulfilling the contracts obligations. The force majeure certificates awarded to Chinese firms allow them to claim exemption of liability for breaking the contract with a counterpart, according to Chinese commercial law. CCPIT announced the provision of the certificates in late January after the coronavirus started to spread more widely in in China. The certificate holder may claim partial or complete exemption for the contracts liability for non-performance, partial performance or delay, the CCPIT said. The certificates issued are worth roughly 109.9 billion yuan ($15.7 billion) in contracts, with the largest deal is worth around 23 billion yuan, it said. Chinese authorities are attempting to support local businesses to tackle the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on its domestic economy. At the time of writing, travel restrictions in place in the country - implemented to contain the spread of the virus - were still in place, causing logistic disruptions and paralyzing many of domestic industry supply chains. International trade impact In its statement, CCPIT reassured that counterparts of Chinese businesses holding the force majeure paper have been "understanding". However, the legal validity of these certificates in courts outside China remain unclear. Counterparts to Chinese firms "kept the order and agreed to delay the delivery, avoiding the liability of [breaching] the contract due to delayed performance" CCPI said. A vaccine, however, would be tremendously helpful. At least 10 coronavirus vaccine development projects are underway, according to U.S. health officials. But the one furthest along at the National Institutes of Health is still about six weeks away from starting the process of a phase-one trial in human volunteers that will take three to four months to complete and to show (hopefully) that the vaccine is safe and produces specific antibodies. A phase-two trial will follow and will take at least six to eight months to determine whether the vaccine is efficacious in people at risk for infection. Then production would need to be scaled up by a pharmaceutical company willing to deal with a global crisis. All this in total will take at least a year assuming there are no unpredicted scientific obstacles in the way. Military medics format after they deplaned an aircraft of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 17, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] Nearly 3,000 beds have been set up by 63 military hospitals designated to treat patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with over 10,000 military medics working at the front line, a military official said Monday. As of Sunday, the designated hospitals of the armed forces and military medical teams dispatched to the virus-hit Hubei Province had treated 4,450 COVID-19 patients with 1,000 cured, said Chen Jingyuan, a health official with the Logistic Support Department of the Central Military Commission, at a press conference in Beijing. Three military-led hospitals in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, had admitted 3,467 severe COVID-19 cases and cured 689 patients, said Chen. While sticking to scientific treatment, the military medics have attached importance to self-protection, with no infection found among them so far, Chen added. The Huoshenshan Hospital, a major makeshift hospital and one of the three military-led hospitals in Wuhan, has been running well, said Chen. As of Sunday, the hospital had admitted 1,597 COVID-19 patients, with 611 discharged after recovery. The hospital has been increasing its capacity for treating severe cases. Apart from two intensive care sections, sections for common cases have also started to admit severe patients, he said. Flooded community in Brazil where the researchers are working. Credit: University of Warwick Brazilian communities that are vulnerable to devastating floods are being united and empowered to defend themselves, using 'citizen science' and a specially developed mobile app, thanks to two research projects led by the University of Warwick. Led by Professor Joao Porto de Albuquerque, researchers are forming a network of citizens of all ages across the country who, together, are collecting and recording data on rainfall and flooding in different regionsleading to more effective flood risk governance at local and at national levels. In one project, the research team is mobilising 81 schools in Brazil, training students to gauge rainfall levels using the traditional method of measuring rain in bottles. The students will record this data from all their various locations into an app that is being developed by the researchers to collate and centralise the information digitally. Combining and sharing all this information from local communities will create an effective data tool, which can be used to support and supplement current flood monitoring practices in different regions effectively and in real-time, boosting resilience against weather events throughout the country. As well as working with schoolchildren, the researchers are also engaging with older people in communities, encouraging them to share their stories of past floodstheir memories becoming crucial data that will inform future flood defence, bringing neighbours of different ages together. Urban flooding is one of the biggest challenges for contemporary Brazilian cities. Its catastrophic impact was shown on the 10th February 2020 in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, when intense, torrential rain paralysed the city. Professor Joao Porto de Albuquerque, who is the director of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development at the University of Warwick, said: "Our research is about transforming the everyday experience and knowledge of individuals into a powerful collection of dataa comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date evidence base about how weather is affecting communities throughout Brazil, which can be used to strengthen local and national flood defence planning. Credit: University of Warwick "Each one of us has the power to gather and use data that can save lives, but that information is only effective when it is collated and shared in the correct way, and with the right people." Professor Porto de Albuquerque's team is collaborating with Brazil's National Centre for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Early Warning (CEMADEN) and international partners at Fundacao Getulio Vargas (Brazil) and Heidelberg University (Germany), connecting local communities to centralised authorities, and informing national disaster management processes with the data collected by ordinary people. "I am delighted that our partners at CEMADEN are using the citizen data to inform their policies," said Professor Porto de Albuquerque. "This gives a voice to the most affected people in major national processes of environmental planning, benefitting the country as a whole, and the individuals who now have agency to protect their own communities." The project is not just about collecting data to save lives. A principal focus for the researchers is spreading awareness of the most effective and simple ways in which communities can work together to make themselves less vulnerable to social and environmental menacesusing the abilities and the knowledge that each citizen already possesses. Guidelines and materials for creating local awareness and building flood resilience will be developed by the researchers and circulated amongst schools, citizens, and stakeholders. Professor Porto de Albuquerque commented: "Establishing a more robust defence against flooding is hugely important, and equally crucial to this project is raising awareness of how neighbours can come together, listen to each other's experiences, share information effectively, and collaborate to make their communities more resilient against any natural threats." Dr. Liana Anderson, from Cemaden, a federal research unit from the Ministry of Science and Technology, commented: "In the process of co-collecting and sharing data with citizens, we advance the scientific knowledge and the technical development for societal benefits in three distinct pathways. First, we can better understand how the citizens perceive the risk they are exposed to and the short and long term impacts that these events causes to their lives. "Secondly, together with citizens and local institutions we can better think about best practices on how we, as a federal institution responsible for monitoring and issuing warnings of disasters, can communicate the risk and the potential impacts to the society. "Finally, with a robust technological product, the app, we can gain scale and reach other regions of Brazil, strengthening the network and communication among scientists, communities and local and regional institutions. Moreover, this project will contribute to the understanding of the multi-dimensions of the societal vulnerabilities from the communities that live in flood prone areas, which is useful for subsidizing Cemadens decision making process for improving our warnings." Explore further Researchers find collaborative flood modeling process effective The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Saturday it had handed over to the Somali Federal Government weapons of war captured from Al-Shabaab terrorists. 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. The Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, symbolically handed over the weapons to Somali officials on Thursday in Mogadishu, Somalia. The weapons of war handed over to Somali authorities are part of a large cache of small arms and light weapons. This is just a symbolic handover. We have got stores the Somali authorities will access, see and ship the weapons for safe storage, Ambassador Madeira explained. The AMISOM Force Commander Lt. Gen. Tigabu Yilma Wondimhunegn said AMISOM and Somali security forces were in the process of streamlining the procedure of handing over captured weapons. Recently, we had arms and ammunition recovered especially in Lower Shabelle, and the process for their hand over is ongoing, added Lt. Gen. Tigabu. The contingent commander of AMISOMs Uganda forces, Brig Richard Otto, noted that the capture of weapons from Al-Shabaab is a tangible achievement from joint operations to degrade the terrorist group. Al-Shabaab remains a threat to the defenseless population, especially those who are in areas not controlled by AMISOM and the government security forces, noted Brig. Otto. 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. The latest report by Armed Conflict, Location and Event Data indicates that Al-Shabaab has killed over 4,000 civilians in the last decade, with a majority being in Somalia. Although the militants have been waging sporadic attacks, a recent report by the UN indicated that most of them have either surrendered or moved to urban areas due to frequent US airstrikes in remote villages of Somalia. Further, the group is also fighting internal conflicts, which have seen many fighters quit. Most of those who surrender have been repatriated to the community, officials in Somalia said. 3 1 of 3 Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A Harris County jury on Monday found accused serial killer Lucky Ward guilty in two strangling deaths from 2010, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet. The jury will now hear evidence in the punishment phase of the capital murder trial and decide whether to sentence Ward to life in prison or death. Moscow City Court to reconsider rally order breaches case of Russian activist TASS, Andrey Vasilyev 16:03 02/03/2020 MOSCOW, March 2 (RAPSI) The Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction on Monday returned a case of activist Konstantin Kotov over repeated violations of a rally holding order to a lower court, RAPSI reported from the courtroom. The Moscow City Courts ruling against Kotov is overturned, the court is ordered to reconsider the matter by another bench. Kotov is to stay in detention until May 2. Moscows Tverskoy District Court convicted and sentenced Kotov to 4 years in jail in September. A month later, the Moscow City Court upheld the verdict. He filed a cassation appeal against the ruling. Moreover, in February, Russias Prosecutor Generals Office petitioned to reduce Kotovs sentence up to 1 year. According to attorney Sergey Golubok, prosecutors believe that the 4-year term given to Kotov is illegal and disproportionate. Investigators claim, the man, who was repeatedly brought to administrative liability for breaking an order of public events in the last 180 days, recently took part in an unauthorized protest action ignoring police demands to stop illegal actions. Investigative authorities claimed that his actions had an intentional nature. Kotov pleaded not guilty. His defense insisted that there were no elements of a crime in his actions.Protest actions began in Moscow in mid-July after election commissions denied registration of certain opposition members as candidates for the Moscow City Duma elections reasoning that documents submitted by them contained numerous violations. The first unauthorized rally took place hear the Moscow City Election Commissions building on July 14 and looked like a provocation, according to law experts. Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were also held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result. Following the 27 July rally, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over mass riots. Investigators believe that the protest action was held with the use of force against representatives of authority. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 04:50:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close VALLETTA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-five of 42 Maltese police officers arrested in connection with an overtime racket have been granted special police bail until their eventual arraignment in court, a police spokesman told Xinhua on Sunday. Figures seen by Xinhua showed that of those arrested, 35 officers are currently on police bail while investigations continue over allegedly claiming overtime for hours they did not work. The remaining seven arrested officers were released without charge after preliminary investigations showed how they were not involved in the alleged wrongdoing. According to information given recently in parliament, Maltese police claimed some 350,000 hours of overtime and extra duties in the first six months of 2019. The large-scale investigation began after a whistleblower spilled the beans on what he alleges has been happening for years, local media reported. The fraudulent scheme is being investigated jointly by three Maltese police sections -- the Criminal Investigations Department, the Anti-Fraud Unit and the Internal Affairs Unit. promit BHPian Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 362 Thanked: 585 Times Ho Chi Minh City (Part 1) Day - 1 (District 1, Walking Street) We took a Thai Airways flight. DEL-BKK-SGN. The layover in Bangkok was just 2 hours. The second leg didnt have an English speaking crew and the onboard food option was only pork. Do keep this in mind while taking the local sector flights. We arrived bright and early in Ho Chi Minh City at 9 AM. There is a direct Vietjet flight now. The Indian carrier (Indigo) lands in the dead of the night which wasnt very convenient. After changing money and getting a pocket full of Dongs and feeling like poor millionaires. (Rs 3000 is the equivalent of 1 Million Dong), we set off in an airport cab. Our chariot was a black Fortuner. Beginning to like this country already. 30 minutes later, we landed up at our hostel in District 1 in the heart of Saigon. This hostel was a bit of an experiment. We booked two beds in a dorm in the supposed best party hostel in Saigon called. And boy did it live up to the tag. The building used to shake with music from its rooftop party spot. The location of the hostel was perfect. Bang in the center of town and one block away from the Bui Vien street (The Walking Street). I must confess, the three-night hostel experience in Saigon was quite enjoyable. It was a great way to see the city and meet people. Would I stay in a dorm again? Probably not. Too stressful especially when you are carrying a lot of cash and stuff. It was great that AS was with me. There was always someone to watch over bag and valuables while the other went to the washroom or something. After settling down stepped out on foot to take in the sights and smells of a new city/ country. Loved it! Stopped at a street-side restaurant for fried chili fish and sticky rice meal. We spent the afternoon chatting with people in our hostel and got out in the evening to get some Banh Mi. Signed up for a pub crawl on the walking street later that night. AS on the Bui Vien street. This street is the main walking street. It completely transforms after the sun goes down. That's the Bitexco Financial Tower in the background. Typical scene A Vietnamese rickshaw. Here the rider sits behind the passenger. Banh Mi - The star of the trip. Making of the above Banh Mi. https://youtu.be/MeAdqYYK6dY Day - 2 (Downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Financial District, Cu Chi Tunnels) I took a morning walk to explore the financial district. Sat by the Saigon river and enjoyed some egg coffee. Cafe Apartment was a residential building at some point. Each unit is a cafe now. The building with the helipad is the Bitexco Tower. One of the most iconic buildings in Vietnam! We visited the building the following day. Cafe Appartement Bitexco Financial Tower. I believe the helipad (on the 52nd floor) was constructed at a considerable cost in the original plan but has never been used due to airspace restrictions. Saigon River The plan for the day was to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. It is easily an 8 Hour affair. Takes about 2 hours each way with traffic. The Cu Chi visit was spectacular. It is unbelievable when they show you and tell you how the Viet Cong lived 6 meters below the ground. The Viet Cong outwitted the Americans with their intricate tunnel network spanning 200 kilometers and booby traps in this forest. The tunnels were 2-3 levels deep. They had smokestacks for cooking, bunkers, living quarters, medical centers, oxygen vents - all deep under the ground. This tunnel network helped them gain the upper hand and ultimately win the war. Two small sections of the tunnel are open to the public. It is tiny. Not recommended if you are claustrophobic. There are stretches where you cant stand straight and have to crouch to move forward. At the Cu Chi tunnel complex, you can fire an Ak-47 or an M-30 for 10-15 USD if I remember correctly. One of the entrances to the tunnel network. One of the tunnels open to the public. Cu Chi Complex A destroyed American tank (M-41 Tank) from the war. Scroll to the next day to see a well-preserved example at the War Remnants Museum. B-52 Bomb crater. One of the many reminders of a war-torn region. This Friday night was EPIC!! Ho Chi Minh City knows how to party. We had some delicious Pho at a corner local restaurant at 6:30 PM, spent the whole night out and had Pho again at the same restaurant 12 hours later. We begin the night at our hostel bar. It was game night (actually almost every night is), you had to have a shot for your country to score a point. We were severely outnumbered by Australians. We met 2 other Indians and our tally was just 20, Australians were on 120 something. With our tail between our legs, we made a hasty retreat. We ended the night at a club which shuts at 7 AM!! Pho the other star of the trip. Dinner Pho at 6:30 PM Breakfast Pho at 6:30 AM The Walking Street. This was clicked early evening. The street gets quite crowded later. Day - 3 (District 1, War Remnants Museum, Bitexco Tower, Saigon Skydeck, Ben Thanh Night Market) The plan of the morning was to get some Banh Mi for breakfast and have some great egg coffee. This Banh Mi was a freak. It had 4-5 types of meat in it. Moved onto some lovely Egg Coffee at a very quaint cafe. Ordered 2-3 types to try. Wasnt disappointed at all. Two in one. Iced milk coffee & egg coffee. Milk coffee in Vietnam means cold or hot coffee with condensed milk. It gives it some sweetness and a different texture. It is out of the world! I was eagerly looking forward to spending some time at the War Remnants Museum. Spent the entire afternoon there. You cant have a tear in your eye at the end of it. I was familiar with the war and the events. I believe there isn't any online resource that had this kind of a detailed account with pictures. There were seperate sections devoted to Agent Orange, all sorts of weapons, news clippings from the time. There is a particularly moving section devoted to torture and brutality to prisioners of war and civilians. Not for the faint hearted for sure. I didn't take a lot of pictures inside the galleries. The outdoor area is devoted to military vehicles. Some aircrafts, helicopters, tanks, flamethrowers and a variety of artillery. There was even a speed boat on display. I highly recommend visiting this museum. War Remnants Museum UH-1 Huey Helicopter. Don't miss the machine gun on the side of it. A37 Fighter Bomber F5 Fighter Jet CH-47 Chinook heavy cargo helicopter. M48 and M41 behind it. A1 Skyraider Next, we visited the Skydeck on the 49th Floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower. These are the panoramic views of Saigon which we saw. We bundled it with a tour of the Heineken Experience Centre on Floors 58-60. (I am told beer consumption in Vietnam is extremely high). The Helipad of the building is on floor 52. When you look down from the Heineken center at it you can see the H. The good folk at Heineken insist the 'H' is for Heineken. Panoramic view of the city! Looks lovely at night doesn't it? Walked over to Ban Thanh market. Picked up some touristy Tshirts. We were craving some good seafood. Sat down at a big set up. Should have known better since there was no chicken on the menu. The biggest hint was that this restaurant served snails and frog legs, etc. Ordered a prawn hot pot. The hot pot, soup, noodles, veggies, and prawns arrived on our table to be assembled. Except, the prawns were very much alive!!! We politely asked to take it back, and that we are more than happy to pay for it but would like to order something else. The restaurant manager took it back and did not charge for it. (Thats Vietnam for you!). Spent some time at the walking street again and called it a night. We had an early morning flight to catch to Da Nang! Missed - The Independence Palace. A historical landmark, signifying the fall of Saigon when the Vietnam war came to an end in 1975 - when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through its gates. Suggestions - 3 days is enough, space it out over 4 if you want to see Ho Chi Minh City at a more leisurely place. Consider checking out Mekong Delta and the floating market. There is a beach 2 hours away called Mui Ne. You can consider clubbing Ho Chi Minh City with a visit to the island of Phu Quoc. It short flight away. Also, try a street food tour. I tried doing it myself but I am sure a curated one would be better. We took a Thai Airways flight. DEL-BKK-SGN. The layover in Bangkok was just 2 hours. The second leg didnt have an English speaking crew and the onboard food option was only pork. Do keep this in mind while taking the local sector flights. We arrived bright and early in Ho Chi Minh City at 9 AM. There is a direct Vietjet flight now. The Indian carrier (Indigo) lands in the dead of the night which wasnt very convenient.After changing money and getting a pocket full of Dongs and feeling like poor millionaires. (Rs 3000 is the equivalent of 1 Million Dong), we set off in an airport cab. Our chariot was a black Fortuner. Beginning to like this country already. 30 minutes later, we landed up at our hostel in District 1 in the heart of Saigon. This hostel was a bit of an experiment. We booked two beds in a dorm in the supposed best party hostel in Saigon called. And boy did it live up to the tag. The building used to shake with music from its rooftop party spot. The location of the hostel was perfect. Bang in the center of town and one block away from the Bui Vien street (The Walking Street). I must confess, the three-night hostel experience in Saigon was quite enjoyable. It was a great way to see the city and meet people. Would I stay in a dorm again? Probably not. Too stressful especially when you are carrying a lot of cash and stuff. It was great that AS was with me. There was always someone to watch over bag and valuables while the other went to the washroom or something.After settling down stepped out on foot to take in the sights and smells of a new city/ country. Loved it! Stopped at a street-side restaurant for fried chili fish and sticky rice meal. We spent the afternoon chatting with people in our hostel and got out in the evening to get some Banh Mi. Signed up for a pub crawl on the walking street later that night.AS on the Bui Vien street. This street is the main walking street. It completely transforms after the sun goes down. That's the Bitexco Financial Tower in the background.Typical sceneA Vietnamese rickshaw. Here the rider sits behind the passenger.Banh Mi - The star of the trip.Making of the above Banh Mi.I took a morning walk to explore the financial district. Sat by the Saigon river and enjoyed some egg coffee. Cafe Apartment was a residential building at some point. Each unit is a cafe now. The building with the helipad is the Bitexco Tower. One of the most iconic buildings in Vietnam! We visited the building the following day.Cafe AppartementBitexco Financial Tower. I believe the helipad (on the 52nd floor) was constructed at a considerable cost in the original plan but has never been used due to airspace restrictions.Saigon RiverThe plan for the day was to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. It is easily an 8 Hour affair. Takes about 2 hours each way with traffic. The Cu Chi visit was spectacular. It is unbelievable when they show you and tell you how the Viet Cong lived 6 meters below the ground. The Viet Cong outwitted the Americans with their intricate tunnel network spanning 200 kilometers and booby traps in this forest. The tunnels were 2-3 levels deep. They had smokestacks for cooking, bunkers, living quarters, medical centers, oxygen vents - all deep under the ground. This tunnel network helped them gain the upper hand and ultimately win the war. Two small sections of the tunnel are open to the public. It is tiny. Not recommended if you are claustrophobic. There are stretches where you cant stand straight and have to crouch to move forward. At the Cu Chi tunnel complex, you can fire an Ak-47 or an M-30 for 10-15 USD if I remember correctly.One of the entrances to the tunnel network.One of the tunnels open to the public.Cu Chi ComplexA destroyed American tank (M-41 Tank) from the war. Scroll to the next day to see a well-preserved example at the War Remnants Museum.B-52 Bomb crater. One of the many reminders of a war-torn region.This Friday night was EPIC!! Ho Chi Minh City knows how to party. We had some delicious Pho at a corner local restaurant at 6:30 PM, spent the whole night out and had Pho again at the same restaurant 12 hours later.We begin the night at our hostel bar. It was game night (actually almost every night is), you had to have a shot for your country to score a point. We were severely outnumbered by Australians. We met 2 other Indians and our tally was just 20, Australians were on 120 something. With our tail between our legs, we made a hasty retreat. We ended the night at a club which shuts at 7 AM!!Pho the other star of the trip. Dinner Pho at 6:30 PMBreakfast Pho at 6:30 AMThe Walking Street. This was clicked early evening. The street gets quite crowded later.The plan of the morning was to get some Banh Mi for breakfast and have some great egg coffee. This Banh Mi was a freak. It had 4-5 types of meat in it. Moved onto some lovely Egg Coffee at a very quaint cafe. Ordered 2-3 types to try. Wasnt disappointed at all.Two in one. Iced milk coffee & egg coffee. Milk coffee in Vietnam means cold or hot coffee with condensed milk. It gives it some sweetness and a different texture. It is out of the world!I was eagerly looking forward to spending some time at the War Remnants Museum. Spent the entire afternoon there. You cant have a tear in your eye at the end of it. I was familiar with the war and the events. I believe there isn't any online resource that had this kind of a detailed account with pictures. There were seperate sections devoted to Agent Orange, all sorts of weapons, news clippings from the time. There is a particularly moving section devoted to torture and brutality to prisioners of war and civilians. Not for the faint hearted for sure. I didn't take a lot of pictures inside the galleries. The outdoor area is devoted to military vehicles. Some aircrafts, helicopters, tanks, flamethrowers and a variety of artillery. There was even a speed boat on display. I highly recommend visiting this museum.War Remnants MuseumUH-1 Huey Helicopter. Don't miss the machine gun on the side of it.A37 Fighter BomberF5 Fighter JetCH-47 Chinook heavy cargo helicopter.M48 and M41 behind it.A1 SkyraiderNext, we visited the Skydeck on the 49th Floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower. These are the panoramic views of Saigon which we saw. We bundled it with a tour of the Heineken Experience Centre on Floors 58-60. (I am told beer consumption in Vietnam is extremely high). The Helipad of the building is on floor 52. When you look down from the Heineken center at it you can see the H. The good folk at Heineken insist the 'H' is for Heineken.Panoramic view of the city!Looks lovely at night doesn't it?Walked over to Ban Thanh market. Picked up some touristy Tshirts. We were craving some good seafood. Sat down at a big set up. Should have known better since there was no chicken on the menu. The biggest hint was that this restaurant served snails and frog legs, etc. Ordered a prawn hot pot. The hot pot, soup, noodles, veggies, and prawns arrived on our table to be assembled. Except, the prawns were very much alive!!! We politely asked to take it back, and that we are more than happy to pay for it but would like to order something else. The restaurant manager took it back and did not charge for it. (Thats Vietnam for you!).Spent some time at the walking street again and called it a night. We had an early morning flight to catch to Da Nang!- The Independence Palace. A historical landmark, signifying the fall of Saigon when the Vietnam war came to an end in 1975 - when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through its gates.- 3 days is enough, space it out over 4 if you want to see Ho Chi Minh City at a more leisurely place. Consider checking out Mekong Delta and the floating market. There is a beach 2 hours away called Mui Ne. You can consider clubbing Ho Chi Minh City with a visit to the island of Phu Quoc. It short flight away. Also, try a street food tour. I tried doing it myself but I am sure a curated one would be better. Last edited by promit : 29th February 2020 at 18:00 . BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 25 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on March 2. The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Login Login or e-mail Password Login Register Forgot password Login with Facebook Login with Facebook Register First name * Last name * Login or e-mail * Phone Company Industry Password * Confirm password * Register Login with Facebook Login with Facebook Married At First Sight's Michael Goonan has hit back at 'out of control' rumours being circulated about his personal life. On Monday, fellow MAFS star Josh Pihlak claimed fame had gone to Michael's head during an interview with Sea FM's BarRat and Heidi. He even accused the 28-year-old company director of hiring a personal bodyguard, which Michael has strongly denied. Married At First Sight EXCLUSIVE: Michael Goonan (pictured) has hit back at 'out of control' rumours being circulated about his personal life Michael is the director of his family business, Adelaide Ice, South Australia's largest ice manufacturing and packaging company. He became a shareholder at the age of 24, thereby becoming a millionaire. Josh told Sea FM that one of his friends had seen Michael being rowdy on a night out in Newcastle last month. 'He was carrying on telling everyone how well off he is, and how much he pays his bodyguard, and being a sleazeball,' he claimed. Having his say: On Monday, fellow MAFS star Josh Pihlak (pictured) claimed fame had gone to Michael's head during an interview with Sea FM's BarRat and Heidi But Michael has denied these accusations, telling Daily Mail Australia on Monday: 'These rumours are out of control. Entirely false. 'It's sad to see what people will say to stay in the limelight. It's a worry, but that's what we have to deal with at the moment. 'I'm honestly getting used to it. It's out of control. This is truly a trainwreck. I've heard some horrible things about myself through third party articles.' Wild accusations: Josh even accused Michael of hiring a personal bodyguard, which the company director strongly denies While Michael acknowledged he's 'not perfect', he said that his close friends and family know the 'truth' about him. Elsewhere in the interview, Josh described Michael as the 'one bloke' he couldn't stand to be around during filming. 'He's exactly how you see on TV. He's a s**t stirrer, he came across quite arrogant and I thought he thought he was above everyone else,' Josh said. Success story: Michael is the director of his family business, Adelaide Ice, South Australia's largest ice manufacturing and packaging company During Sunday's commitment ceremony, Michael's 'wife', Stacey Hampton, broke down in tears after he made her spend another week with him by voting to stay. He had previously told her he would vote to leave, thereby giving her the freedom to quit the experiment if she wanted to, but changed his mind. Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine Tears: During Sunday's commitment ceremony, Michael's 'wife', Stacey Hampton (pictured), broke down in tears after he made her spend another week with him by voting to stay (Alliance News) - British Airways has cancelled more than 400 flights due to a drop in passenger numbers caused by Covid-19, the airline has announced. British Airways is owned by London-listed International Consolidated Airlines SA. Most of the cancellations are for short-haul flights between Heathrow and Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. It has also grounded 24 flights between Heathrow and New York's JFK airport. A British Airways spokesman said: "To match reduced demand due to the continuing coronavirus issue, we are merging a number of flights between March 16 and March 28. "We will be contacting customers on cancelled flights so we can discuss their travel options, including re-booking on to other carriers where possible, full refunds, or booking with BA for a later date of travel." Airlines operating in the EU are not required to pay compensation for flight cancellations if passengers are told at least 14 days before they were due to travel. British Airways told the PA news agency that pilots and cabin crew due to work on the affected flights would still be paid. The airline has already suspended its flights serving mainland China and reduced the frequency of flights to northern Italy and Singapore. It also announced on Monday that it has waived its fees for customers who book flights in the next two weeks, but later decide not to travel. Ryanair Holdings PLC said it is cancelling up to one in four flights on some of its routes, particularly those serving Italian airports. The reduced schedule will operate from March 17 until April 8, following a "significant drop in bookings" over the period, according to the carrier. The Dublin-based airline said it is taking a series of measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak. These include "rolling schedule cuts", allocating leave or paid leave to pilots and cabin crew, working with suppliers to cut costs and freezing recruitment, promotion and pay across its network. Ryanair insisted it is "one of the strongest airlines in the industry" but predicted that Covid-19 "will result in further EU airline failures over the coming weeks". Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said: "This is a time for calm. We will make sensible cuts to our schedules over the coming weeks to reflect weaker bookings and changing travel patterns." easyJet PLC announced last week that it was cancelling some flights because of the coronavirus. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) warned last month that airlines could lose USD29.3 billion this year due to the outbreak. The trade association, which represents airlines, has called for regulators to relax rules on take-off and departure slots amid the drop in demand. Allocation of slots at UK airports is governed by the EU, which has a so-called "use it or lose it" rule, which means airlines must use 80% of their slots or risk losing them. Iata claimed it would be "inappropriate" to apply the rule in summer 2020, to allow airlines to adjust their schedules in response to the "extraordinary demand developments" caused by Covid-19. In response, trade body Airports Council International Europe said the virus is "significantly impacting Europe's airports". It added: "We support a partial relaxation of EU rules governing the use of airport slots use, but do not consider at the moment that a blanket relaxation for all air routes is justified." By Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a tweet saying he was thinking of giving up his social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube this Sunday (March 2), former Congress president Rahul Gandhi advised him to give up hatred and not quit social media. "Give up hatred, not social media accounts," Gandhi tweeted. Give up hatred, not social media accounts. pic.twitter.com/HDymHw2VrB Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 2, 2020 Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also posted a tweet saying that he would wish that PM Modi would give this same advice to "the concerted army of trolls who abuse, intimidate, badger and threaten others every second in your name". PM Modi created a flutter on social media by tweeting that he will be going off social media from Sunday, sparking speculations over his sudden move. "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted," PM Modi said. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2020 PM Modi's tweet was liked over 25,000 times within 30 minutes. It is to be noted that PM Modi is one of the most followed persons on different social media platforms and he often uses social media to remain in touch with billions of people across the world. Notably, PM Modi currently has 53.3 million followers on Twitter and 44,722,143 followers on Facebook. The prime minister is quite popular on Instagram and Youtube also with 35.2 million and 4.5 million subscribers respectively. Minnesotans from all over the Twin Cities and beyond drove to St. Louis Park High School yesterday evening for the rally that was to feature Minnesota Senator and favorite daughter presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar. Following the cancellation of the rally as a result of the thugocratic works of Nekima Levy Armstrong and her BLM colleagues, Star Tribune editorial editor and vice president Scott Gillespie sent out this Star Tribune Opinion email blast this morning (links omitted): Its a disappointing state of affairs when a U.S. senator and presidential candidate is unable to address supporters in her home state. Thats the scenario that played out Sunday for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was forced to cancel a campaign rally at St. Louis Park High School. Dozens of protesters chanted for Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County attorney, to quit the presidential race over her handling of the case against Myon Burrell, a black teen convicted in a 2002 child slaying. The Klobuchar campaign said protesters initially agreed to leave the stage and allow the rally to proceed in exchange for a meeting with the senator. But protest organizers told reporters that they continued to disrupt the rally because the campaign rejected their demand that Klobuchar acknowledge Burrell during her remarks. It was a rough weekend for Klobuchar, who performed poorly in the South Carolina primary and faced new pressure to leave the race. She did pick up the Star Tribune Editorial Boards endorsement, however. A Star Tribune/MPR News poll showed Klobuchar leading Sen. Bernie Sanders by 6 percentage points. But its critical to note that the margin of error was +/-4.5%, that 21% of those polled were undecided, and that the poll was in the field Feb. 17-20. Not much has gone well for Klobuchar since Feb. 20, although former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigiegs Sunday decision to leave the race is a wild card. The Minnesota senator is in a tight battle to win her home state, and having a local rally shut down by protesters isnt the ideal optic just two days before her make-or-break stand. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 05:43:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DUBLIN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A secondary school in the eastern part of Ireland will be closed for 14 days after the school is found to have close contact with the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the country, announced the Department of Health on Sunday. The announcement came one day after the first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported on Saturday night. "Contact tracing of the confirmed COVID-19 case, in the East of Ireland, has identified and made contact with a secondary school," said the Department of Health in a statement, adding that all pupils and teachers of the school have been treated as close contacts of the confirmed case after risk assessment. All pupils and teachers of the school have been asked to restrict their movements until the end of the incubation period, it said. On Saturday night, the Department of Health announced that a man, living in the eastern part of Ireland, was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus after returning home from a trip to an affected area in northern Italy. TORONTO - The chief executive of TD Bank Group saw his total compensation for 2019 fall compared with 2018 when his received a special one-time stock option award of $1.9 million. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Toronto-Dominion Bank chief executive Bharat Masrani speaks at their annual general meeting in Toronto on Thursday, March 29, 2018. The chief executive of TD Bank Group saw his total compensation in 2019 fall compared with 2018 when his received a special one-time stock option ward of $1.9 million. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO - The chief executive of TD Bank Group saw his total compensation for 2019 fall compared with 2018 when his received a special one-time stock option award of $1.9 million. According to regulatory filings ahead of the bank's annual meeting, TD says Bharat Masrani earned total compensation valued at $12.6 million in 2019. 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 pay packet included $1.4 million in salary, nearly $5.5 million in share-based awards, nearly $2.7 million in option-based awards, a $2-million cash bonus, $907,000 in pension value and $118,000 in other compensation. That compared with total compensation valued at $15.3 million in 2018 when Masrani earned $1.3 million in salary, nearly $5.6 million in share-based awards, $4.6 million in option-based awards, a $2-million cash bonus, nearly $1.6 million in pension value and $89,000 in other compensation. Under Masrani's leadership, TD says the bank delivered "modest" earnings and earnings per share growth though a challenging operating environment. TD earned $11.7 billion in its 2019 financial year, up from $11.3 billion the previous year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:TD) (CNN) 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." This story was first published on CNN.com, "A high school student created a fake 2020 candidate. Twitter verified it." Shillong, March 2 : Curfew was extended in several areas of Meghalaya's capital Shillong and its outskirts on Monday though there was no fresh violence reported in the hill state, officials said. Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district Deputy Commissioner Matsiewdor War Nongbri said that the curfew was extended on Monday morning and would continue till Tuesday morning. "Though there are no fresh major incidents of violence, we have extended the curfew as a precautionary measure," the Deputy Commissioner told IANS over phone. Police officials said that central para-military and state security forces continued to be deployed in the sensitive and mixed population areas of Shillong and its outskirts including the market places and business locations. However, students writing the exams being conducted by the Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education (MBOSE), have been exempted from the purview of the curfew. The MBOSE final exams began on Monday. Since Friday, three people, two non-tribals and a tribal, have been killed and many injured in ethnic clashes and attacks by rival groups in East Khasi Hills district and adjoining areas. The violence was triggered by the issue of anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-ILP (Inner Line Permit). Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma ordered an inquiry into these incidents. "A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. The district and police administrations have ensured that enough security personnel were put in place in the affected areas," the Chief Minister told the media after a review meeting with senior police and civil administration officials. The Meghalaya government has arranged buses for the stranded tourists in Cherrapunjee (Sohra), Shillong or any other nearby places. The state government has announced it will provide free transportation to ferry the tourists out of the state. The Meghalaya Assembly on December 19 last year had unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the Centre to promulgate the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the mountainous state to keep the state out of the purview of the CAA, but the union Home Ministry is yet to issue the statutory notification in this regard. The mountainous state had witnessed violent agitations in December last year over the issue of CAA and ILP. The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (COMSO), a conglomerate of agitating bodies, said the demand for the regulatory permit would continue until the union home ministry gives its approval. In the second week of December, Sangma had led a delegation of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) and met Home Minister Amit Shah to demand introduction of the ILP in the remaining part of the state. CALGARY - An Alberta energy services company says its management accepts full responsibility for a decal the business distributed bearing its logo beneath a sexually suggestive cartoon appearing to depict 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg attends a rally at the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley CALGARY - An Alberta energy services company says its management accepts full responsibility for a decal the business distributed bearing its logo beneath a sexually suggestive cartoon appearing to depict 17-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. "This does not reflect the values of this company or our employees, and we deeply regret the pain we may have caused," X-Site Energy Services said in a statement on its website Monday. The sticker had a black-and-white drawing of a female figure's bare back with hands pulling on her braided pigtails. The name "Greta" was written below. The company's logo was under the drawing. The image unleashed a torrent of outrage after it began circulating online Wednesday. It prompted condemnations from Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, provincial cabinet ministers and members of the House of Commons. "We are taking action to condemn this image and its publication and are committed to recovering and destroying the decals we distributed," X-Site's statement read. "Management accepts full responsibility and, effective immediately, has made organizational changes to reflect this." A call to Doug Sparrow, who was listed as X-Site's general manager last week, went straight to voice mail and he did not immediately respond to a message seeking further clarification. X-Site's 24-hour dispatch number was directed to Sparrow's voice mail. An email to Sparrow was not immediately returned. In August 2016, a tattoo artist in Argentina posted on his Instagram feed an identical drawing to the one used in the decal. German Canalla's drawing didn't have the word "Greta" written on it. He said he didn't give permission for his drawing to be used and he's angry. "Most of my work is about erotic situations, sex and (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism)," Canalla wrote in an email Monday. "My primal idea is consent, respect and above all, love. What they did is archaic, retrograde and misogynist. I'm ashamed of what they did with my work." Michelle Narang of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., said last week that a friend sent her a picture of the decal and told her they were being handed out at job sites. She said the image was so jarring and hurtful that she cried. Narang said she called Sparrow on Wednesday and he told her he was aware of the stickers being distributed and that he stood by them. Narang said Sparrow told her: "She is not a child. She is 17." Sparrow later denied responsibility in an interview with Calgary radio station 660 News. "It's not from X-Site or any employee. Someone has done this. That's all I know," he told the radio station. X-Site's statement does not make clear who made the decals, whose decision it was to hand them out and what the "organizational changes" entail. It adds that "other parties" have been making more images with X-Site's logo, but did not elaborate. "These have nothing to do with our company, and we ask for everyone's help in taking them and the original decal out of circulation and hope people will stop republishing these images." X-Site said it is discussing a code of conduct with its employees and that it will hold sessions on respect in the workplace with all staff. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "We have let our employees, our families and our customers down with this careless action. But just as we are committed to help reduce our industry's environmental footprint, we are committed to learn from and correct our mistake," it said. "We will do better." The RCMP reviewed the decals, but determined that, while "distasteful," they did "not meet the elements of child pornography." 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. "They are starting to get more and more desperate," she said Saturday of her critics on Twitter. "This shows that we're winning." This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020 Jurors are also expected to learn that the police chase began with an infraction that turned out to be tragically minor. Witnesses in pretrial hearings earlier this year revealed for the first time that police officers only stopped Legghette on Lower Wacker Drive that day because he appeared to be urinating on a wall or pillar. People think there is always a pearl of hidden wisdom in the worlds grand politics, there is no place for mistake or absurdity, all the steps are well-studied, and every decision drives to an end. However, some decisions are illogical, some policies are applied without adequate studies, and many analyses and theories bear fabricated wisdom. I write this as the US war in Afghanistan comes to an end after 18 years. The war started in 2001 against the Taliban regime and ended in 2019 with the return of Taliban. In 2001 Taliban was a large terrorist movement and in 2019 it is a political force that participates in peacemaking. Why, then, was the war waged? Why was money wasted and blood spilt? Why were all those speeches and statements made? Contemplating the longest war in US history, one reaches the conclusion that logic is taking up a smaller space by the day. President Donald Trump said, We spend $50 billion on the war in Afghanistan every year. Now we are negotiating with them to return to what was before 18 years ago. The US Defense Department estimated the war cost around $45 billion in 2018 and Trump estimated it at $50 billion a year, which translates to $990 billion in the past 18 years. This number is close to the estimate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. But other think tanks estimated the war cost close to $1 trillion, and Brown University, in the US, raised the number to more than the double. The BBC site cites Neta Crawford, co-director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University, saying the War Project team on the cost of war on Afghanistan estimate is more than $2 trillion. The cost of the US wars -- in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq since 2001 -- exceeded $5 trillion. These numbers dont include the future costs of the war veterans medical care. Linda Blimes, of Harvard University, approximates the cost of the medical services of war at more than $1 trillion during the next 40 years. The cost of the war on Afghanistan exceeds that of the Vietnam War. According to a number of researchers, the Afghanistan war is the second costliest war in history after World War II. Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel prize in economics, concluded in a Harvard University study that the Iraq war cost exceeded $4 trillion, excluding future medical services. Trump estimated the Iraq war cost at more than $6 trillion. If we relied on President Trumps figures on the Iraq war and the Brown University on the Afghanistan war, the cost of the two wars reaches $8 trillion. Mohamed Said El-Sahaf, the most famous Iraqi information minister, told me when I met him in Abu Dhabi years ago: We offered America to take oil at the rate of $10 a barrel, but Bush Jr refused and insisted on war and toppling Saddam Husseins regime. In my opinion, if America had made such a deal it would have saved trillions of dollars spent on war along with trillions of dollars spent on oil. The blood spilt in these wars is far more costly than all these trillions. In the Afghanistan war, the American side lost 2,000 lives and 20,000 were wounded. Afghanistan lost more than 100,000 lives. US social studies centres talk said more than 330,000 veterans, who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, suffered from wounds in the head that caused mental disorders. According to the BBC, the National Center for PTSD, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, 20 war veterans attempt to commit suicides every day. Many Americans understand President Trumps statement I inherited a total mess the Endless Wars of unlimited spending and death. The question now is where is the logic in all this? Where is Washingtons interest in spending trillions of dollars and burying those killed? Many speak about the immorality of war; the countries that were destroyed, the blood that was spilt, the mother of all bombs and the drones. But the reply to all this is that the war in itself is an immoral idea. As long as the victors objectives have been achieved, talks about the morality of war wont go beyond the margins of history. But the dilemma here isnt as such. The dilemma is the illogicality of war in spite of the immorality of war. Its blood wasted futilely. Absurd wars ended where they started. After long years of money and blood, Taliban returned to what it has been before the war. Therefore, there is no objective and no end. No logic in the 18 years of war and no vision. Some will say the objective was destroying Afghanistan. Thats true, but it was originally destroyed. Therefore, the objective was toppling the regime, but the regime has returned once again and was recognised as legitimate and is being negotiated with. What nobody thought of or nobody dared to think of is that it might be a conspiracy against America as much as it is a conspiracy against Afghanistan; exhausting America through destroying Afghanistan. President Trump dared to make this probability likely. The rise of illogicality in international relations is the biggest source of threat to world peace. Some will try to act as if they are being wise by using hindsight and pretending false ingenuity. However, all this wont deny the big rise of the political role of stupidity. Search Keywords: Short link: We have an array of local elections being held, May 7th, in England and Wales. We have the high profile Mayoral contests along with a complicate mix of contests in district councils, unitary authorities, and metropolitan boroughs. I have already provided an initial overview but as Polling Day approaches, I will provide a closer look at the different categories in a weekly series. We shall start with the Police and Crime Commissioner elections. Contests to elect a PCC will take place in the following areas: Avon and Somerset Cheshire Derbyshire Devon & Cornwall Dorset Gloucestershire Gwent Hampshire Humberside Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Merseyside Northamptonshire North Yorkshire South Wales Staffordshire Surrey Sussex Thames Valley West Mercia West Midlands West Yorkshire Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner elections last took place in 2016. That time the Conservatives won 20 PCC posts with 15 going to Labour. Both parties made gains at the expense of independents, though the independents still won three seats. I suspect that some voted for an independent at the first elections in 2012 due to a vague sense of disquiet that a PCC could order the police to go off and arrest political opponents (or decline to arrest political supporters). As such concerns proved ill-founded, the independents found it more difficult in 2016. Perhaps they will have a revival this time if disillusioned Labour voters turn to them finding that easier than voting Conservative. Plaid Cymru won two seats. Elections took place the same day for the Welsh Assembly which probably helped Plaid and certainly will have increased turnout. That will not apply this time, as the Welsh Assembly operate on a five year cycle and so takes to the polls next year. Dyfed-Powys was gained by Plaid from the Conservatives last time. The General Election in December would suggest the Conservatives have a decent chance of taking it back. Labour only narrowly won in Cheshire and Derbyshire. Leicestershire was a fairly close Labour victory. So those will be potential Conservative gains. Humberside will be more of a stretch but it was won by the Conservatives in 2012. The same applies to Leicestershire. UKIP got a significant vote share last time 13.7 per cent. Where will those votes go? The Lib Dems only got 8.6 per cent. Even in their best result, Cumbria, they were in third place. So even if they substantially increase their vote share they are unlikely to win any seats. Might Labour be saved from a drubbing by the election of a new Leader on April 4th? It is expected that Sir Keir Starmer will win. That will give him a chance to tour the studios and proclaim that Labour has a fresh start, that it has moved on from Corbynism. Surely, on the issue of crime, the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn must have been especially toxic for Labour? With his sympathies for assorted terrorist groups, any Labour candidate claiming the Party was tough on crime faced being laughed to scorn. The difficulty for Labour is that they are doing so badly at present that even if a Starmer Bounce does transpire, giving them an extra couple of points in the polls, they would still be likely to lose seats. So the Conservatives have good prospects of winning the PCC elections. Why does that not set the pulse racing? Why have several of the Conservative candidates been selected late and secretively? After all, the PCCs have real power. They can set the budget and policing priorities. They have the power to hire and fire the chief constable. The contrast between the previous regime of police authorities which were toothless talking shops is stark. The cost of the system is much the same. But the new arrangements offer real democratic accountability. For that very reason some of the chief constables dont like it. But there are advantages for them too. The PCC can help communicate with the public and provide joined up Government between the police and local authorities and the NHS. The language used doesnt help. The areas covered sometimes have artficial bureaucratic names such as Thames Valley, Humberside, or West Mercia. Then there is the title Police and Crime Commissioner. Dan Hannan first proposed that such a role should be introduced. He suggested they should be called sheriffs. This title was rejected as too American an objection that betrays a limited grasp of history. Hannan also argues that the PCCs be given power over local sentencing guidelines. He says: Imagine that the PCC for Kent jailed shoplifters, while the PCC for Surrey took a softer line. One of two things would happen. Either a flood of Kentish crooks (and crooks of Kent) would pour across the county border, encouraging Surrey to elect someone tougher; or, conversely, Kentish taxpayers would baulk at funding the extra prison places. Either way, voters would be in charge. That reform would be welcome. But so would the existing PCC doing a more effective job with their existing powers. How many have really made clear that political correctness is to be banished and free speech upheld? Or taken bold steps to bring in reforms to improve value for money? What has been done to reduce bureaucracy and make policing less risk averse? Often it is the poor who suffer most when the police decide not to take action over minor crime such as the theft of low value items. What are PCCs doing to change that defeatist culture? The test would be if it really makes any difference if there is a Labour of Conservative PCC. In London, the role is taken on by the Mayor and there is clear evidence that the failings of Sadiq Khan have had an impact on rising crime. Im not sure if there is a such a strong contrast between police forces elsewhere. In fairness, there have been quiet achievements by PCCs that have tended to attract little media interest. But it is time for more assertiveness if the role is to win public credibility. For many Conservative PCC candidates, the hardest part will not be winning the election in May, but in proving that their victories make a difference to the rest of us. The coronavirus global death toll has reached nearly 3,000 as countries around the world continue to report their findings to the World Health Organization. At least 74 cases and two deaths have been confirmed in the U.S., according to authorities. Here is how the situation is unfolding on Sunday (all times Eastern). 10:10 p.m. Second coronavirus death reported in U.S. Washington state officials said Sunday night that a 70-year-old King County resident had died from the coronavirus, making him the second person in the U.S. to die from COVID-19. The first victim, a man in his 50s, was also a King County resident. Authorities in Washington state also announced three additional cases, bringing the number of cases there to 10. 9:50 p.m. First presumptive coronavirus cases reported in Florida Two presumptive positive cases of the coronavirus have been reported by the Florida Department of Health. Florida officials said that both individuals are in isolation at this time. The first patient is an adult Manatee County resident who has no travel history to countries identified for restricted travel by the Centers for Disease Control, officials said. The second patient is an adult resident of Hillsborough County with a history of travel to Italy. Both individuals will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials, authorities said. 9:10 p.m. New York confirms positive coronavirus case A Manhattan woman is New York State's first confirmed case of the coronavirus, authorities announced Sunday night. The woman, who is only described as being in her late 30s, contracted the virus while she was traveling in Iran and is currently isolated in her home, said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York," he said in a statement. "From the beginning, we have said it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of coronavirus in New York," New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said in a statement. "Now our first case has been confirmed." Story continues "Our health authorities have been in a state of high alert for weeks, and are fully prepared to respond," he added. "We will continue to ensure New Yorkers have the facts and resources they need to protect themselves. Investigators have already identified close contacts of the patient who may have been exposed, and will take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, said New York City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot. "Despite this development, New Yorkers remain at low risk for contracting COVID-19," the commissioner said. A lab in Albany confirmed the test, according to Cuomos office. 5:45 p.m. Two new presumptive cases confirmed in California Officials with the Alameda County Public Health Department and Solano Public Health Department said two health care workers are presumptive positive for the coronavirus. The CDC is still testing their cases, according to health officials. The unidentified health care workers worked at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital and were exposed to the patient who was diagnosed last week as the first community acquired case, the health officials said. MORE: Coronavirus has 'pandemic potential,' WHO warns as US ramps up testing "Due to the aggressive measures that public health and hospital staff undertook, all potential exposures to the case were promptly identified and isolated so that patients are not placed at higher risk," Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano County Health Officer said in a statement. The initial patient is recovering from the virus and her family members have tested negative while in quarantine, the Alameda County Public Health Department said. The health care workers are currently in isolation at home, the health department said. The staff that worked with them have been identified and are currently in isolation or in quarantine, according to the health department. Health officials warned that additional COVID-19 cases may be diagnosed from that group in the coming days. "We remain in close contact with national, state and local public health authorities to ensure we are following the most up-to-date protocols and procedures for dealing with this evolving situation, Aimee Brewer, president of NorthBay HealthCare Group said in a statement. Alameda County declared a local public health emergency, which would allow it to receive more resources to deal with the virus. 5:30 p.m. American Airlines waives change fees for flights American Airlines joins the growing list of air carriers that will waive fees for all of its flights due to coronavirus concerns. All travelers who book an American flight between March 1 and March 16 can have their change fee waived as long as the request is made up to 14 days prior to the flight, airline officials announced Sunday evening. "This change offers customers the best fares with even more flexibility," an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement. JetBlue said it would waive change and cancellation fees for flights booked through March 11. This new rule applies to travel completed by June 1. 2:30 p.m. Rhode Island patient is member of school community The patient in Rhode Island who is being treated as the state's first presumptive positive case of coronavirus is a member of the Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, school officials said in a statement. The man has not returned to the academy since arriving back from Europe, and none of his immediate family members are symptomatic at this time, according to the school. The students and chaperones who were on the recent trip to Europe will be out of school until March 9 at the directive of the Rhode Island Department of Health and the CDC. All students, faculty and staff will have to participate in virtual days at home on Monday and Tuesday while ongoing campus sanitation continues, and all extracurriculars are canceled as well. Classes will resume on Wednesday. 2:20 p.m. Italy announces more than 800 new cases, 13 more deaths Italian officials announced Sunday that the number of positive cases of coronavirus is now at 1,694, including 806 additional cases on Sunday -- marking a 91% one-day increase. The majority of the cases, 887, are in Lombardy, while 277 are located in Emilia Romania and 263 in Veneto, the Italian Civil Protection reported. Twenty-one regions are reporting positive cases. PHOTO: A woman who has recovered from the coronavirus is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine after being discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, in China, March 1, 2020. (AFP/Getty Images) Officials also announced 13 more deaths in the country, bringing the total to 34 and making it a 62% increase since Saturday. In France, 130 people have tested positive to date, 73 of which are new, marking a 125% one-day increase, Director General of Health Department Jerome Salomon said in a press conference Sunday. 2:10 p.m. Postal worker among confirmed cases in Washington Two new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Washington state, according to health officials. The cases include a male in his 60s, who has underlying health conditions but is stable, and another man in 60s with underlying health conditions but is in critical condition. Both cases are in King County, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county to six. One of those cases is a U.S. postal worker, county's health administration stated. The risk of being infected through packages is "very low," according to the CDC. "There is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures," according to the CDC website. "Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods." 1:15 p.m. Australia confirmed 1st death; the Dominican Republic confirms 1st case The Australian Health Ministry has confirmed its first death of coronavirus, while the Dominican Republic's Public Health Minister Rafael Sanchez Cardenas has confirmed the country's first case. The patient in the Dominican Republic is a 62-year-old Italian citizen who entered the country on Feb, 22 with no symptoms, Cardenas said. He is currently asymptomatic and is being isolated at a military hospital. PHOTO: A medical staff member wears protective gear inside the yellow control lines at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus in Daegu, South Korea, March 1, 2020. (Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images) In South Korea, the health ministry announced that the number of cases had grown to 3,736 confirmed and 18 dead. 12:50 p.m. Officials added to coronavirus task force Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced three additions to the President Donald Trump's task force for the coronavirus. Dr Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of food and drugs, and Kelvin Droegemeier, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, have all been added, according to a White House press release. The administration previously named four others to the task force: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx. 12:30 p.m. Rhode Island officials provide update on presumptive confirmed case Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo stressed to residents not to panic at the news that the first presumptive case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the state. "My primary message to the people of Rhode Island this morning is that the risk in Rhode Island at this point is low and that we have been preparing for this for weeks," Raimondo said during a news conference Sunday afternoon. "We did not wake up today and just get started in our preparation." MORE: Secretary Alex Azar says HHS is 'ramping up' testing for coronavirus Raimondo urged residents to "be careful and be vigilant but dont panic." The case was discovered on Saturday, Raimondo said. The patient is in his or her 40s and had recently traveled to Italy, France and Spain, Rhode Island Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott told reporters. The patient did not go to work once he or she arrived back into the U.S. and had limited travel within Rhode Island, Alexander-Scott said. People who came in contact with the patient are being asked to self-quarantine, she added. PHOTO: Customers wearing face masks amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus give their orders inside a restaurant, in Hong Kong, March 1, 2020. (Vivek Prakash/AFP/Getty Images) The case is considered presumptive until it is confirmed by laboratories at the CDC, Alexander-Scott said. 12:20 p.m. Department of Health and Human Services 'ramping up' testing for virus Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said on "This Week" on Sunday that the department is "ramping up" testing for COVID-19. "I think it's very important that we treat the American people like adults and explain to them that we don't know where this will go, that we will see more cases, that we will see continued community spreading in the United States, as we're seeing around the world," Azar said. .@GStephanopoulos: Should Americans be prepared for a dramatic increase in coronavirus cases and more disruption to their daily lives? Azar: We will see continued community spreading but how big that gets, we do not know and U.S. working on a vaccine. https://t.co/9ADVQQZKN0 pic.twitter.com/z7QG82ZLmQ This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 1, 2020 11:57 am. Sen. Charles Schumer pushes full Medicare coverage for coronavirus vaccine New York Sen. Charles Schumer is pushing for the coronavirus vaccine to be fully covered by Medicare once it is ready. Schumer said that senior citizens are among the population that needs the vaccine the most and should not "have to choose between shelling out or going without." Immunization coverage varies by vaccine under current Medicare rules, Schumer said. 11:50 a.m. Delta suspends flights between New York and Milan Delta Airlines announced Sunday it has suspended flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Milan Malpensa Airport until May 1. American Airlines previously said it was suspending flights between JFK and Milan until April 25. Delta, American and United Airlines are currently offering travel waivers to Italy. The three carriers had previously suspended flights to mainland China and Hong Kong through late April. PHOTO: Medics check the body temperature of passengers, as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, upon their arrival by bus in Syria's Kurdish area from Iraqi Kurdistan via the Semalka border crossing in Syria, March 1, 2020. (Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images) 11:22 a.m. The Louvre Museum not opening on Sunday The famed Louvre Museum in Paris announced Sunday that it would not be opening due to the threat of the coronavirus. The museum had announced earlier that it was delaying the opening following instructions from officials. The Louvre Museum cannot open today, Sunday March 1st. We invite you to write to Assistance-billetterie@louvre.fr for a refund for any entrance tickets for today. We apologize for any inconvenience and will keep you informed of developments. pic.twitter.com/kRbaUtbKg0 Musee du Louvre (@MuseeLouvre) March 1, 2020 On Saturday, French officials announced that collective gatherings "in confined spaces" of more than 5,000 and all big events susceptible of bringing foreigners coming from "risk zones"were banned. Those who bought advance tickets to the museum will be refunded. 10:12 a.m. 1st presumptive case of coronavirus detected in Rhode Island The Rhode Island Department of Health has announced the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in the state. The patient is in his or her 40s and had traveled to Italy in mid-February and had limited travel within the state -- and not returned to work -- since arriving back in the U.S., according to the health agency. MORE: President Trump confirms 1st known death in US from coronavirus All infection protocols are being followed at the hospital where the patient is being treated. "The Rhode Island Department of Health has been preparing for weeks to ensure that we have a structure in place to, to the best of our ability, limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Rhode Island. We fully anticipated having a first case of COVID-19," said Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, in a statement. "We are not seeing widespread community transmission in Rhode Island, and the general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is still low. However, everyone in Rhode Island has a role to play in helping us prevent the spread of viruses, just like the flu. It is very important that people wash their hands regularly, cover their coughs and sneezes, and stay home if they are sick." 9:19 a.m. U.S. Surgeon General releases information to "stop the spread of rumors" The U.S. Surgeon General has released a thread of information on Twitter to prevent the spread of misinformation on the coronavirus. The first issue the agency tackled was the apparent racism against Asian Americans that has been spreading as a result of the virus. MORE: Some election officials scrambling to address coronavirus concerns ahead of Super Tuesday "Diseases can make anyone sick regardless of their race or ethnicity," the tweet read. "People of Asian descent, including Chinese Americans, are not more likely to get COVID19 than any other American." The Surgeon General also said that while the disease is serious, immediate health risk to the general public is "considered low" and reminded people to know the signs and symptoms of the virus as well as the steps to take to keep you and those around you safe. PHOTO: Soldiers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus, at Dongdaegu railway station in Daegu, South Korea, Feb. 29, 2020. (Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images) Trump announces new screening procedures President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that an additional screening procedure will be implemented for travelers who are traveling to the U.S. from "certain designated high risk countries, or areas within those countries." Those travelers will go through an additional screening when they arrive in the U.S., Trump said. Coronavirus: In addition to screening travelers prior to boarding from certain designated high risk countries, or areas within those countries, they will also be screened when they arrive in America. Thank you! @VP @SecAzar @CDCgov @CDCDirector Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020 Earlier One death has been recorded in the U.S. after a man in his 50s succumbed to the virus in Washington State, officials announced on Saturday. Washington state is also looking into a number of illnesses at a long-term care facility, health officials said. There have been 87,138 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in at least 60 countries and 2,980 deaths, according to the latest figures released by WHO. MORE: California, Oregon confirm 2 more coronavirus diagnoses from community spread On Sunday, Iran's Health Ministry raised the number of people who died from the virus to 54 after the tally of infected jumped overnight to 978, The Associated Press reported. Symptoms of the coronavirus are similar to pneumonia, and can range from mild symptoms, like a slight cough, to more severe symptoms, including fever and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. The first cases of COVID-19 were believed to be linked to a live-animal market in China, but the virus has since been spreading from person to person -- likely within close contact of at least 6 feet. The CDC doesnt currently recommend any healthy person wear a face mask, as fiddling with the mask could risk more exposure of hands to the face. ABC News' Alexandra Faul, Joshua Hoyos, Benjamin Stein, Mina Jaki, Rashid Haddou, Erin Schumaker and Christine Theodorou contributed to this report. Authorities report 2nd coronavirus death in U.S. originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A previous statement from Kenosha police reported that nearby officers heard gunshots in the area and, on arriving, found a large crowd near Boyd, who had been shot. The statement added that Boyd was rushed to the Pleasant Prairie campus of Froedtert Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Advertisement Malawis with albinism are having to carry personal alarms to help fend off attackers after a spate of killings. People with albinism in several African countries live in fear of being abducted and killed because of the widespread but mistaken belief that their body parts carry special powers. Because of the superstition surrounding people with albinism, their body parts can be sold for thousands of dollars. To help address the concerns, the Malawi Police Service began distributing personal security alarms. Catherine Amidu, a 17-year-old with albinism, survived an attempt on her life in 2017 when unknown attackers whisked her from her Malawi home in the middle of the night but quickly abandoned her when villagers intervened. Catherine Amidu, 17, (right) with her neighbourhood friend Aisha at her home in Machinga, Malawi. She survived an attempt on her life in 2017 when unknown attackers whisked her from her Malawi home in the middle of the night People with albinism in several African countries live in fear of being abducted and killed because of the widespread but mistaken belief that their body parts carry special powers. Pictured: Catherine Amidu who was abducted in 2017 Because of the superstition surrounding people with albinism, their body parts can be sold for thousands of dollars. Pictured: Mina Godfrey attends class at the Nsanjama Private Primary School in Zomba, Malawi Catherine Amidu shows off her protective alarm inside her home in Machinga, Malawi. She says: 'Without it, it means I don't have protection at all' She now sees the new keychain-like alarm as the best way to alert others in case of another attack. 'Without it, it means I don't have protection at all. What will I do when the people return to finish what they started?' Catherine's home district of Machinga has more people with albinism than anywhere else in Malawi, with over 3,000. The southern African nation has more than 134,000 people with albinism, representing 0.8% of the total population, according to the national statistics office in 2018. The vulnerability of people with albinism is compounded by poverty and superstition. The southern African nation has more than 134,000 people with albinism, representing 0.8% of the total population, according to the national statistics office in 2018. Pictured: Catherine Amidu who survived an attack in 2017 Since 2014, at least 26 people with albinism in Malawi have been killed while 11 remain missing, according to The National Association of Persons with Albinism. Pictured: Mina Godfrey attends class at the Nsanjama Private Primary School in Zomba, Malawi Catherine Amidu, second left, poses for a photo with her family outside their home in Machinga, Malawi. She says the new keychain-like alarm as the best way to alert others in case of another attack Since 2014, at least 26 people with albinism in Malawi have been killed while 11 remain missing, according to The National Association of Persons with Albinism. On February 24, the United Nations office in Malawi condemned a new attack in which a 92-year-old woman with albinism was assaulted by people who cut off two of her toes. The UN noted a spike in such attacks and killings during election tensions last year. At the request of the Association of Persons with Albinism, President Peter Mutharika last year appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the abductions and killings. Its results have not yet been released. Authorities say the sound the alarm produces when a pin is pulled alerts people in nearby neighbourhoods to assist whenever a person with albinism is in danger. At least 5,000 of the alarms have been distributed to people with albinism, Malawi's finance minister, Joseph Mwanamvekha, told parliament on February 21. Catherine's mother, Chrissy Stephano, said the alarms offer hope but shortcomings exist. At the request of the Association of Persons with Albinism, President Peter Mutharika last year appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate the abductions and killings. Its results have not yet been released. Pictured: Catherine Amidu, right, plays with friends at her home in Machinga, Malawi Mina Godfrey, left, attends class at the Nsanjama Private Primary School in Zomba, Malawi. The UN noted a spike in attacks and killings during election tensions last year in Malawi She said her daughter is lucky that the local chapter of the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi managed to bring her a spare gadget about two weeks after the original one failed. 'One time, the alarm ran out of batteries and I took it to police for charging, only to collect it sometime later in the same day. 'The problem is that it does not have any accessories like an electric charger one can use to recharge,' Ms Stephano said. Mercy Mleme, secretary of the local chapter of the Association of Persons with Albinism, acknowledged the problems. 'Being a rural area, we do not have electricity. Catherine Amidu's mother Chrissy Stephano looks on inside her home in Machinga, Malawi Chairperson for the Machinga Association of Persons with Albinism Abdul Byson, right, talks during a meeting with members of the association in Machinga, Malawi Catherine's home district of Machinga has more people with albinism than anywhere else in Malawi, with over 3,000 In a low-tech alternative to the alarms, people with albinism have been encouraged to buy whistles to help alert neighbours in case of emergency. Pictured: Catherine Amidu shows her protective alarm inside her home in Machinga, Malawi 'Even in a case where we had power, most persons with albinism live in the remotest of areas and cannot manage to charge their gadgets,' Ms Mleme said. 'We have advised them to take care of themselves because the alarms do not provide enough security. 'We also have told them to walk with company and in groups made up of people they rely and trust.' In a low-tech alternative to the alarms, the association has encouraged people with albinism to buy whistles to help alert neighbours in case of emergency. Abdulrazak Baison, chairman of the association's chapter in Machinga, said they were sidelined when the personal alarms were handed out. 'We cannot even say how many alarms have been distributed because the police were distributing them without involving us,' he said. He warned that some people were putting too much faith in the alarms and encouraged them to maintain any previous security measures. 'Those that had people accompanying them in their houses for security at night should not stop because they have received alarms. The community surrounding the house of a person with albinism should always be alert,' Mr Baison said. Agnieszka Kurants lower Manhattan studio stands among a scattering of cultural outposts that represent some of the most recent efforts of the avant guard to grapple with our cultural moment. When I visited in late January, a gallery two doors down was hosting a reproductive rights-themed show with works listed for upwards of $30,000. Across the street, four floors of the windowless New Museum were taken over by a retrospective of artist Hans Haacke, which included a demographic survey, a portrait of Ronald Reagan and a grass-covered mound of dirt. The seventh floor was occupied by a mixed reality pop-up, sponsored by Ruinart champagne, in which visitors could wander about in virtual reality glasses. Minders politely asked those without reservations to step away from the experience. Technology and late capitalism similarly intersect in Kurants work, though perhaps with a greater degree of self-awareness. A conceptual artist, she explores modern questions over data rights, online labor exploitation and the power of big corporations. With growing public awareness of issues like the commodification of big data and the ever-increasing power of artificial intelligence (AI), shes part of a new generation of artists and curators who are trying to represent the nature of these new technologies, and the ways we are being transformed by them. To talk about any kind of new media or new technology, sometimes its better to use an analogue technology, Kurant says, showing a photograph of a 2017 piece entitled A.A.I. She says the name is based on a phrase coined by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, artificial artificial intelligence, which describes the process of digitally outsourcing work to human freelancers through distributed labor platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk. The artwork consists of a series of fluorescent termite mounds created from green, blue, violet, yellow or orange artificial sand. She collaborated with entomologists at the University of Florida to enlist the labor of the termites. Story continues If you give them something else that is not sand they will not notice the difference and they will still keep building, Kurant says. She sees termite societies as a kind of dispersed factory akin to the mechanism by which large tech companies collect massive quantities of information about users in order to power sophisticated advertising algorithms. We are all working on a very long, gigantic conveyor belt providing our data or expressing our emotions so that corporations could capitalize on it, she says. New digitally-enabled economic systems figure even more directly into some of Kurants other pieces. In her Production Line series, produced between 2016 and 2017, she contracted hundreds of Amazon Mechanical Turk workers to each draw a single line which were then algorithmically assembled into cohesive drawings. When a painting is sold, the Turkers are given part of the profits. Artist Agnieszka Kurant stands in front of Collectivity figures prominently in another of Kurants series, The End of Signature, in which she used computer algorithms to coalesce hundreds of individual signatures into a single illegible line. Another of her series, Conversions (2019), focuses on the ways in which collective social energy, in the form of tweets, posts and online searches, is transformed into revenue streams. Consisting of a copper plate covered with liquid crystal paint and attached to computer-controlled heat pumps, the painting changes composition in response to algorithmic sentiment analysis of tens of thousands of social media feeds tied to protest movements, continuously transforming collective societal disquiet into physical heat energy. Even the activities of protest movements are somehow taken advantage of by corporations, says Kurant, explaining the context of the piece. There is a price tag on social energies. Other contemporary artists are also grappling with the intersection of artificial intelligence, data and capitalism. At San Franciscos de Young museum, an exhibition entitled Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI (Feb. 22 Oct. 25, 2020) takes its name from a term describing how artificial representations of ourselves can come too close for comfort. According to curator Claudia Schmuckli, the installation makes the case that widespread use of AI has brought about a fundamental change in humans relationship with machines. The contemporary uncanny valley is no longer occupied by the image of the machine but by the statistical data profiles of humans that are compiled by algorithms, which are designed to mine and analyze behavior and project them into tradable or governable futures, Schmuckli says. She adds that famous pop culture representations of AI, like 2001s HAL and Schwarzeneggers Terminator, have been replaced by something even more unsettling: the reflected data profiles generated from our own lives. A still of Stephanie Dinkins in Notions of uncanny resemblance figure prominently into another piece at the de Young, Conversations with Bina48, which features artist Stephanie Dinkins speaking with a humanoid social robot built to resemble a black woman. [I] wanted to see what would happen if I tried to become friends, Dinkins tells TIME. Shes interested in exploring how communities of color fit into the new world being created by companies struggling to become more diverse. There is a small subsection of the population thats creating AI ecosystems that will be contributing to many of our lives, she says. What happens if regular people are not a part of thinking about and calling for transparency? Installation of Ian Cheng's Other artists are using AI to take decidedly unconventional approaches to the uncertainties of our time. In BOB (Bag of Beliefs) (2018-2019), artist Ian Cheng combines neural networks with a video game engine to create an intelligent simulation named BOB. The digital animal resembles a multi-headed snake. As users interact with it via a smartphone app, BOB develops beliefs about the world it inhabits, and its personality evolves over the course of a simulated lifetime. BOBs body and BOBs personality and BOBs beliefs continue to grow, explains Cheng. BOB is quite particular by the end of any of these given exhibitions. New technologies get blamed for much of todays collective unease, but for Cheng, that same technology may also provide one of the best ways to come to terms with the times we live in. I want to feel that the thing Im looking at is alive, that it has something that can surprise me, Cheng says of his artificially intelligent artworks. It mirrors a bit the way that life feels right now where everything is constantly changing theres no story that stays stable for too long. (Newser) James Lipton, the iconic longtime host of Inside the Actors Studio, died Monday morning at his New York City home, his wife tells TMZ. The 93-year-old had been fighting bladder cancer. "There are so many James Lipton stories but Im sure he would like to be remembered as someone who loved what he did and had tremendous respect for all the people he worked with," she says. Lipton developed a three-year educational curriculum for performers in the 1990s, and ultimately ended up implementing it at New York's Actors Studio, which was in danger of shuttering at the time, per the Hollywood Reporter. Lipton ended up the dean of the Actors Studio Drama School, and designed a series of master classes featuring sit-downs with top-tier actors, with him serving as interviewer though he had no training as such. He did, however, have vast experience in showbiz himself. story continues below "I sent word back into the community from which I had come, and where I was known and knew people," he once recalled of Inside the Actors Studio's origins, "and said, 'These people are liable to say something worth preserving. That requires television. Anybody interested?' Bravo was." Starting in 1994, the show aired on Bravo for 22 seasons with Lipton at its helm; he retired in 2018 after nearly 300 interviews, but the show lives on, moving its 23rd season to Ovation TV with a rotating panel of guests hosting it. Lipton's own acting career was rejuvenated as he became well-known and loved for his interviewing gig; in particular, his love of words and distinctive style of delivery. Lipton himself praised Will Ferrell's spot-on imitation of him on many Saturday Night Live sketches. See THR for much more on the interesting life he led pre-Actors Studio. (Read more James Lipton stories.) McDonald And Dodds Rating: Homeland Rating: According to Father Ronald Knox, the priest and writer of detective novels 100 years ago, a sidekick in crime stories is bound by strict rules. Knox calls him the stupid friend, and says: His intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader. Yes, Doctor Watson and Sergeant Lewis, we are talking about you. McDonald And Dodds (ITV) takes Knoxs law and turns it inside out. This show is all about the sidekick, Sgt Dodds, a man so diffident that he doesnt even have a first name. Jason Watkins (pictured) seizes his role with relish in ITV's McDonald and Dodds. Its the sort of part he does to perfection an odd, awkward, craven, brilliant man. He is photographed with co-star Tala Gouveia Jason Watkins, who has repeatedly astonished viewers in dramas such as Line Of Duty and The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies, seizes the role with relish. Its the sort of part he does to perfection an odd, awkward, craven, brilliant man who (Sorry, maam) cant stop apologising. Dodds has the hawkish eye of a Holmes and the rational mind of a Morse. One glance at the dry floor of a hallway after a break-in and he was half-way to solving a murder. Dodds (pictured) has the hawkish eye of a Holmes and the rational mind of a Morse - and one of his great strengths as a detective is that people barely notice him (pictured) But hes so obsequious its almost creepy, and he has some revolting personal habits... such as dipping his chips in butter. Hoping to freeze him out, his colleagues stick his desk under the office air vent. Dodds doesnt take the hint he just wears a hat and scarf indoors. Hes a marvellous character, one who promises to be fascinating as we discover more about him. One of his great strengths as a detective is that people barely notice him: in fact, the working title of the show was Invisible. Three episodes into Homeland's final season, it is a rich whirl of betrayal and lies, with a few punishment beatings thrown in. Pictured is Claire Danes looking lost in thought in the second episode, titled Catch and Release The other half of the duo, DCI Lauren McDonald (Tala Gouveia), is less intriguing. Her job is simply to be the opposite of Dodds: assertive, professional and unimaginative. Shes the ambitious career detective, not afraid to tread on a few toes, etc., etc. So far, the most interesting thing about her is the hint of a damaged love life her current boyfriend is thick as treacle, she says, but at least hes not unfaithful. More entertaining is the vain Chief Super (James Murray), a man who wears his uniform like a body stocking ... tight in all the strangest places. The backdrop of Bath looks striking, too: this is the city as the Jane Austen guidebooks would like you to imagine it always looks. Robert Lindsay played the villain, an inventor who made his fortune in household gadgets, including vacuum cleaners. (Lets hope that James Dysons libel lawyers have a sense of humour.) For some reason, the plot spelled out from the start that Lindsays character was behind the murder. That spoiled the suspense but maybe, if the sidekick is a genius, its now our job to be slightly stupider than average. No one could accuse Homeland (C4) of spelling out its plot. Three episodes into its final season, it is a rich whirl of betrayal and lies, with a few punishment beatings thrown in. CIA maverick Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) set off to meet a Russian spook. She didnt want to be recognised, so she wore the famous Carrie Disguise a brunette wig. No matter how often she loses her medication or gets kidnapped, shes always got that hairpiece in her handbag. Saul (Mandy Patinkin) took a rifle butt full in the face, but luckily his beard absorbed the force of the blow. Radio expert Max (Maury Sterling) didnt get off so lightly. It appears the entire U.S. Marine Corps harbours the superstitious belief that rubbing Maxs tummy fends off all danger in battle. Max doesnt like this much. Perhaps hes ticklish. A bar owner in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has been found guilty of intentionally setting fire to his business, as well as several felony offenses related to the arson. According to U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, , a jury found Brian Whitton, guilty of arson of a commercial business, mail fraud, use of fire to commit another felony offense, and making a false statement to federal law enforcement agent. After a four-day trial, Whitton was found guilty of intentionally setting fire to his business, a bar called The Stage Off Main, on March 25, 2017. The bar was located at 854 Martin Street in Waukesha. At the time of the fire, the building housed both Whittons bar and an occupied rental unit. Whitton was convicted of submitting a fraudulent, sworn proof of loss claim to his insurance carrier, United States Liability Insurance Company LLC, in which he falsely claimed that the fire was the result of an accident. The jury also found Whitton guilty of lying to an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) during the course of the investigation. Whitton is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2020. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment for the arson conviction, to be followed by a consecutive, mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment for the use of fire to commit another felony conviction. The maximum penalty for the mail fraud conviction is 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release. Whitton also faces up to 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release for the false statement conviction. The prosecution of Whitton was the direct result of an investigation by ATF, the Waukesha Police Department and the Waukesha Fire Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly B. Watzka and Timothy W. Funnell. Source: U.S. Attorneys Office Topics USA Fraud Wisconsin Arson The Supreme Court on Monday refused to refer the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 to a larger bench. NGO Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and an intervenor had challenged the constitutional validity of the Centres decision of August 5 last year and sought referring the matter to a larger bench, of either seven or nine judges. The top court accepted the Centres arguments in the limited aspect of reference and held that there is no conflict in the earlier Supreme Court judgments of Sampat Prakash and Prem Nath Kaul. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice N V Ramana had on January 23 reserved its order on this issue. Opposing the plea, the Centre had said that abrogation of provisions of Article 370, which granted special status to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, has become a fait accompli leaving sole option to accept the change. The petitioners have sought reference to a larger bench on the ground that two judgements of apex court - Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1959 and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1970 - which dealt with the issue of Article 370 are in direct conflict each other and therefore the current bench of five judges could not hear the issue. In Sampat Prakash judgement, the Supreme Court had 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. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had told the five-judge bench that the two earlier judgments were not related to each other and dealt with different issues. The Centre had argued that the sovereignty of J&K enabled by Article 370 was temporary. At least 23 petitions have been filed in the apex court against stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and splitting it into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Besides challenge to the abrogation of Article 370, a slew of petitions were also filed in the 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. The Maharashtra health department on Monday said of the 137 travellers quarantined in the state for possible coronavirus infection, 132 have tested negative so far, while more than 64,000 passengers have been screened at the airport here for the deadly pathogen. Acting on the Centre's guidelines, state officials have screened 64,098 passengers at the Mumbai international airport since January 18, days after the coronavirus (COVID- 19) outbreak was reported from the Chinese city of Wuhan in December-end, the health department said in a statement. The state government has kept track of all 382 travellers who arrived here from the coronavirus-hit countries and territories till date, it said. Of these, 318 travellers have already completed their mandatory 14-day follow-up period, the statement said. According to the department, of the 137 people quarantined until now, only seven are under observation at isolation facilities --- four in Pune, two in Mumbai and one at Nashik. Medical reports of five travellers are awaited. Till today (Monday), of the samples of 137 people sent by the state for analysis, 132 have been found negative (for COVID-19) as per the reports of the National Institute of Virology, Pune, the statement said. Passengers arriving from 12 coronavirus affected countries/regions -- China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Italy, Iran and Malaysia -- are being screened at the Mumbai airport. All travellers arriving from Wuhan city, which reported the first case of the viral infection, are being isolated and tested whether or not they show any symptoms of the disease, the department said. All travellers coming from affected countries have been asked to observe home isolation for two weeks from their date of departure from the affected country. Their health status is being followed up during this period by local health authorities on a daily basis, it said. Those who are suspected to have contracted the deadly infection are sent to isolation facilities for treatment, the statement said. Field surveillance is also actively going on across the state in search of people coming from the coronavirus- affected areas, it said. According to the department, apart from Mumbai, Pune and Thane, travellers are also being monitored in Gadchiroli, Nanded, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Palghar, Amaravati, Jalgaon, Chandrapur, Nashik, Solapur and Satara districts. Symptoms of COVID-19, which may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to the virus, include fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Akbar Mammadov 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, Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry reported. 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, said MFA of Azerbaijan. Besides the theoretical overview of the relevant legal norms, the report contains convincing evidences and factual information of violation of these norms by Armenia. Referring to the documents of international organizations, decisions of European Court of Human Rights, the report also allude to 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. Being divided into two sections, the report covers both the historical and factual background and analysis of the war crimes. While the first section includes a general overview of international humanitarian law and an analysis of the responsibility of Armenia, the second section consists of the following order of war crimes committed by Armenia. 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, the forced displacement and changing the character of the occupied territories, war crimes relating to destruction of cultural heritage and damage to the natural environment. The report also refers to the UN Security Council resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993), emphasizing an unambiguous support of the UN Security Council to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of international borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In the meantime, the document highlights that Nagorno-Karabakh region is an integral part 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. Underlying that Armenia ignore all these demands and resolutions, the report also mentions that it continues to maintain the territories of Azerbaijan under occupation. Additionally, the report shows that Armenia even violates norms of international law and carries out various illegal activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. 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 A driver was killed early Monday morning after crashing into the back of a stopped SUV in west Harris County. The man was southbound in a Nissan Altima on Texas Highway 6 approaching Empanada Drive around 1:40 a.m., according to Harris County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Dashana Cheek-McNeal. At the same time, a man driving an Infiniti SUV was stopped at the light, Cheek-McNeal said. The outcome appeared to break more than a year of bitter political deadlock, in which Netanyahu and Gantz battled to inconclusive finishes in elections in April and September, and neither was able to cobble together a parliamentary majority. Many Israelis dreaded the prospect of another election. But despite fears of voter fatigue after previous balloting, Monday's vote was driven by robust turnout, particularly in strongholds of Netanyahu's party. The exit polls on Israel's main television channels projected that Netanyahu's conservative Likud, together with its religious-nationalist partners, would garner 59 seats - two short of a majority in the Knesset. His opponents were together projected to get a majority of 61 seats. But with his main challenger, the centrist Blue and White party, trailing Likud by several seats and the rest of the opposition fragmented, polls were pointing to a continued paralysis of Israel's political system. Official results slowly trickled in and by early Tuesday morning about 14 per cent of the ballots had been counted. The centre-left bloc led by Gantz's Blue and White party was projected to win 52 to 54 seats. But the exit polls sometimes diverge from the official result, which was not expected until late Tuesday or Wednesday. Addressing a raucous crowd of thousands of ecstatic supporters at 2.30am, Netanyahu said his era wasn't over. "This is a victory against all the odds, because we stood against powerful forces," he said. "They already eulogised us. Our opponents said the Netanyahu era is over." A Likud spokesman said that after the exit polls were released Netanyahu telephoned the leaders of parties that have already partnered with Likud and "they agreed to form a strong, national government in Israel soon." If Netanyahu's projected edge holds, legal challenges are expected as to whether an election victor who is under indictment can be given the mandate to form a new government - something that the head of the leading vote-getting party is usually asked to do. Analysts said the early projections seemed to bear out the leader's reputation as a consummate political survivor. "While we need to wait for the final results, there is no doubt that Prime Minister Netanyahu has won a significant political mandate from the Israeli people," said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. "At the same time, the country is heading toward constitutional uncertainty." If he does secure a victory, Netanyahu appeared ready to use his power to try to undermine court proceedings against him. His allies have already said they will seek to pass a law that would preclude or freeze the prosecution of any sitting prime minister. But legal experts are sceptical that such a measure, even if passed very quickly, could affect the course of a trial set to begin very soon, on March 17. Netanyahu, accused of bribe-taking, fraud and breach of trust, is the first Israeli prime minister to be indicted while in office. Prosecutors who charged him in three separate criminal cases said Netanyahu accepted lavish gifts and used improper measures to try to influence media coverage. The Prime Minister has railed against what he calls a rigged judicial system, calling the charges against him a "witch hunt." The campaign was an ugly one, up to the end. On election day, Netanyahu's social media accounts showed a misleadingly edited video, in which a mumbling Gantz appeared to tell a crowd to vote against his Blue and White party. In fact, Gantz called for support. Netanyahu, as in past votes, received a pre-election boost from US President Donald Trump, who in January unveiled a Middle East plan that grants most of Israel's wishes but that Palestinians consider a death knell to their statehood hopes. A man and his daughter vote during elections in Tamra, an Arab town in Israel. Credit:AP During his time in office, Trump has also handed Netanyahu other significant concessions that reversed decades of US policy, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967. Palestinians were crestfallen at the projected outcome of the vote. "Settlement, annexation and apartheid have won the Israeli elections," Saeb Erekat, a longtime Palestinian negotiator, wrote on Twitter. As he has done before previous votes, Netanyahu pledged to move toward annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank if he is able to form a government. Most of the outside world considers the settlements illegal under international law. In the last vote, in September, Gantz's Blue and White won one more parliamentary seat than Netanyahu, and the retired general hoped to match or surpass that performance. He sought to make the race a referendum on the Netanyahu's character, likening him to a mobster. The two main parties have similar views on security matters, including on Iran and dealings with the Palestinians. But Gantz has evinced more openness to negotiating Palestinian statehood, which is envisioned in the Trump plan, but with onerous obstacles. Arab citizens of Israel make up about a fifth of the electorate, and in the last vote, the Arab parties formed a bloc called the Joint List, which performed strongly, garnering 13 parliamentary seats. Pre-election polls suggested a surge of support for it, which appeared borne out by exit polls. Loading Throughout the campaign, Netanyahu sought to inflame his nationalist base by warning that Gantz, if victorious, would depend on the Arab parties for parliamentary support. Because smaller parties can be kingmakers under Israel's political system, the final showing by the secular ultranationalist party Yisrael Beiteinu will be closely watched. The party is led by Avigdor Lieberman, an immigrant from the former Soviet Union and a former defence minister who is an erstwhile ally of Netanyahu, but the two had a falling-out and did not team up during the Prime Minister's previous effort to form a coalition government. Anshel Pfeffer, who wrote a biography of Netanyahu, said on the website of the left-wing Haaretz newspaper that a win for the veteran politician would be a "stunning comeback" for a man "who doesn't lie down after a setback". GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Guyana voted for a new government on Monday in a bruising fight for control of a tiny South American country whose oil revenues in the next decade could make it one of the wealthiest in the hemisphere. A consortium comprised of ExxonMobil and partners, Hess Oil of the US and CNOOC of China began in late December to pump oil from offshore deposits that so far contain an estimated 8 billion barrels. Guyana in late February sent its own first shipment of 1 million barrels to markets in Asia and the U.S. as part of a production-sharing agreement. Officials say Guyana will earn $300 million as its share this year, but the figure will jump to $5 billion by 2025, when crude from a third oil field begins to flow. Foreign direct investment from oil-related activities is nearing $1 billion. Under terms of the deal with Exxon, the nation of fewer than 1 million people gets a 2% royalty and 50% of sales after the consortium recovers its investment from every shipment. The commercial finds have already brought all of the worlds majors, like Tullow of the U.K., Repsol of Spain and Total of France to the continents only English-speaking nation, as well as support companies like Haliburton of the U.S. All plan to drill wells this year. Members of the governing multiparty coalition led by 74-year-old retired army Gen. David Granger and supported mainly by descendants of Africans brought to Guyana as slaves say they will be better stewards of the countrys newfound wealth. Governing coalition leader Aubrey Norton told The Associated Press that the opposition Peoples Progressive Party, supported mostly by Guyanese of East Indian descent brought to Guyana as indentured servants, had an established record of corruption. The PPP was in power for 23 years, until 2015. When they were in power and we had little or nothing, they stole terribly. What will prevent them now from stealing again? Oil around the world has been associated with corruption. They simply cant be trusted with our oil wealth, Norton said. PPP presidential candidate Irfaan Ali, a 40-year-old former housing minster, has faced questions about potentially fraudulent academic qualifications but said he is also confident of victory. Former two-term President Bharrat Jagdeo of the PPP said his party would negotiate far better contracts with incoming oil companies. They signed a contract that was so lopsided that the foreigners and those people will benefit from almost everything. We the people will get very little. The oil belongs to the people of Guyana, all 800,000 of us, and it must benefit our people, Jagdeo said at a recent rally. More than 2,500 polling stations opened at 6.am on Monday with observer groups from the Commonwealth of former British territories, the Caribbean trading bloc and the Organization of American States. In December, a ruling-party lawmaker sided with the PPP in a no-confidence motion, erasing the governments one-seat majority in the 65-member house and forcing it into caretaker status. Parliament has not met for most of the last year and is suspended because of elections. The lawmaker said he was dissatisfied with the governments performance and denied allegations he was bribed to side with the PPP. He fled to Canada hours after the vote nevertheless. Both parties have been trying to win over the 10% of the population in indigenous communities near Venezuela and Brazil that function as swing votes. Tensions between blacks and East Indians Guyanese date back to the era of British plantation slavery. Indians were brought as indentured servants to replace blacks on sugar and other plantations after slaves were emancipated in the 1830s. The Indians were generally treated better than the blacks, spawning resentments that remain to this day. Race riots in the 1960s left more than 150 dead, large parts of the capital were burnt and many Guyanese migrated to North America and Britain. Both parties have been accused of transferring much of the wealth, state contracts and land to supporters. The founder of a personalised multi-vitamin business has raised the second-largest seed funding for a sole female entrepreneur. Melissa Snover, 39, raised more than 2million from angel investment houses to expand Nourished internationally and widen its range of products. The firm, which launched in October, allows customers to take an online lifestyle questionnaire that produces a recommended set of vitamins and minerals, which is then produced as a daily chewable gum. The founder of a personalised multi-vitamin business has raised the second-largest seed funding for a sole female entrepreneur Snover, who is originally from the US and now lives in Birmingham, said she dreamt up the idea of putting several supplements in one pill after spilling a box of vitamin pills on an airport floor in 2018. She co-founded her first business, Burton Mortgage Services, when she was 23, and helped launch Katjes Magic Candy Factory, which sells customer-designed sweets at corporate events and featured on the BBCS Dragons Den show. Snover also hopes to sell personalised medicine, after human clinical trials were conducted in Spanish hospitals under her Scripted brand. Lunac Therapeutics, a Leeds-based drug firm founded by Professor Helen Philippou, raised 3.1million in December. As Indian media reported citing sources from the government of India, Armenia has signed a contract worth about $40 million to purchase four Indian ground-based mobile Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) stations for its artillery. India's Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) was selected by Armenia as a result of a tender, which involved similar radars of Russian and Polish manufacture. Their shipment is being carried on. Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR): Indian land-based radar detection mobile station parading at the Republic Day military parade in New Delhi, 25 January 2017 (Picture source: Government of India) The Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) is a mobile artillery-locating phased array radar developed by India. This counter-battery radar is designed to detect and track incoming artillery and rocket fire to determine the point of origin for counter-battery fire. The WLR has been jointly developed by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The sub-systems have been fabricated by BEL based on the DRDO designs and delivered to LRDE for integration. The detection range for large-caliber artillery rounds is up to 30 km, and increases to 40 km for unguided rockets. The robust design of the radar array and algorithms allows the WLR to effectively operate even in a high-density fire environment, in severe clutter and interference (jamming) conditions. Up to 7 targets can be tracked simultaneously. The radar can track rounds fired at both low and high angles, and at all aspect angles - from behind or towards the radar, or at an oblique angle to the array. The WLR features adaptive radar resource scheduling to increase efficiency and reliability. At a given position, the radar can scan for targets in one quadrant, encompassing a 90 sector. The array can electronically scan up to +/-45 from its mean bearing. Additionally, for 360 coverage from a given position, the whole array can be rotated by 135 on either side within 30 seconds to quickly change the scanning sector in response to threats. Upon detecting an incoming round, the automatically acquires and classifies the threat and initiates a track sequence, while continuing to search for new targets. The incoming round's trajectory is tracked, and a computer program analyses the track data and then extrapolates the round's point of origin. This calculated point of origin is then reported to the radar operator, thus allowing friendly artillery to direct counter-battery fire towards the enemy artillery. The WLR also allows for remote operation and data-linking for better situational awareness at higher echelons of the command hierarchy. The data can be automatically transmitted to a command center and can communicate with higher echelons. The radar data can also be displayed on a remote screen to protect operators from any targeted attacks on the radar. The operators can also remotely change the scanning sector. Many radars can be networked together to work in tandem and increase accuracy and provide more information. The WLR is configured on an 8x8 Tatra truck platform. The trucks are manufactured by BEML in India under license. The WLR is designed to operate in a high-density fire environment and has all-weather capability, high mobility and quick reaction time. The system is a two-vehicle configuration, with the primary sensor, processors, displays and control unit on a single vehicle, and a separate power vehicle to power the radar. The radar data can also be displayed remotely. The Radar is designed to operate in harsh environments ranging from -20 to +55C, in hot and humid conditions, and can be safely stored from -40 to +70C. It can operate at high altitudes up to 16,000 feet (4,900 m).[1][2] Shock & vibration performance and resistance to EMI/EMC are according to international military standards. The WLR is designed for quick deployment and decamp, and can be ready for action within 30 minutes. In case of any incoming threats, the radar can be quickly moved out of the threat area. Swathi WLR has been tested and proven by DRDO since 2003, but it was not until March 2017 that the first of 28 ordered series systems were handed over to the Indian Army. Armenia becomes the first known foreign customer for Swathi radars. The Afghanistan peace deal isnt worth the blood it was written with. But hey, itll end one of our endless wars, so its worth celebrating, right? Wrong. The pact, signed by representatives of the Taliban and the U.S. government on Saturday, establishes a firm timetable for the removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. In exchange, the Taliban makes some promises. What could possibly go wrong? Over the near term, U.S. forces in Afghanistan will be reduced from about 13,000 to some 8,600, with the drawdown scheduled to be completed over the next 14 months. At that point -- far beyond Election day, not coincidentally -- well be out of Afghanistan fully. This, it should go without saying, is exactly what the Taliban has long wanted. And we get nothing in return -- except for pledges from a group of fanatics who had provided safe harbor to terrorists. The deal, between the United States and the Taliban, left the Afghan government on the sidelines. Plans call for the Taliban and Afghan authorities to work things out going forward. This is what is called a dream. U.S.-led coalition forces struck back at Afghanistan early in October 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Those attacks, of course, were carried out by Al-Qaida operatives, who trained, and launched their attacks, while the Taliban was ruling Afghanistan. Put plainly, we signed a so-called peace deal with the folks who allowed the Sept. 11 attacks, giving them what they wanted, and we got nothing in return. It's easy to complain about endless wars. No one backs them. And our involvement in Afghanistan is our longest war by far. But we didn't just head on over there for the heck of it. We launched an attack after 9/11, when doing nothing in response was not an option. Those who rail against endless wars need to acknowledge one thing: There's always been one way to end any conflict: surrender. And it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that that is effectively what we've done in Afghanistan. It's entirely likely that the Taliban -- one of the most repressive regimes on the planet -- will hold sway in Kabul in the not-too-distant future. And all the lives lost and all the money spent will have been for naught. Greeting people can be confusing at the best of times. Will a simple handshake do? Should you launch into a hug? Or offer a peck on the cheek (or two)? But throw in a contagious virus with a worrying mortality rate, then the ritual of the greeting others becomes even more puzzling. The kiss on the cheek greeting isn't recommended right now. Credit:Getty The spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected almost 90,000 people and killed more than 3000, is leading to cultural soul-searching on the question of how friendly is too friendly when it comes to greeting others during a public health emergency. In Italy and France, authorities are encouraging people to quit greeting others with kisses on the cheek. "We have lots of contact, we shake hands, we kiss each other, we hug each other," said Italy's special commissioner for coronavirus, Angelo Borrelli. "Maybe it is better in this period not to shake hands, and to not have too much contact." Seema Singhal, M.D., is a Professor of Medicine (Hematology Oncology) and Chez Family Professor of Myeloma Research at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago Illinois. Dr. Singhal has conducted numerous clinical trials and published more than 230 publications describing her findings. She is the key opinion leader in Myeloma treatment and authored the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for Myeloma Treatment. Azra Raza, author of The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last, oncologist and professor of medicine at Columbia University, and 3QD editor, decided to speak to more than 20 leading cancer investigators and ask each of them the same five questions listed below. She videotaped the interviews and over the next months we will be posting them here one at a time each Monday. Please keep in mind that Azra and the rest of us at 3QD neither endorse nor oppose any of the answers given by the researchers as part of this project. Their views are their own. One can browse all previous interviews here. 1. We were treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 7+3 (7 days of the drug cytosine arabinoside and 3 days of daunomycin) in 1977. We are still doing the same in 2019. What is the best way forward to change it by 2028? 2. There are 3.5 million papers on cancer, 135,000 in 2017 alone. There is a staggering disconnect between great scientific insights and translation to improved therapy. What are we doing wrong? 3. The fact that children respond to the same treatment better than adults seems to suggest that the cancer biology is different and also that the host is different. Since most cancers increase with age, even having good therapy may not matter as the host is decrepit. Solution? 4. You have great knowledge and experience in the field. If you were given limitless resources to plan a cure for cancer, what will you do? 5. Offering patients with advanced stage non-curable cancer, palliative but toxic treatments is a service or disservice in the current therapeutic landscape? Readers hoping to buy CLP Holdings Limited (HKG:2) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. If you purchase the stock on or after the 6th of March, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 19th of March. CLP Holdings's upcoming dividend is HK$1.19 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of HK$3.08 per share to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that CLP Holdings has a trailing yield of 3.8% on the current share price of HK$81.8. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing. Check out our latest analysis for CLP Holdings Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. CLP Holdings distributed an unsustainably high 167% of its profit as dividends to shareholders last year. Without extenuating circumstances, we'd consider the dividend at risk of a cut. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. SEHK:2 Historical Dividend Yield, March 2nd 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with falling earnings are riskier for dividend shareholders. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. CLP Holdings's earnings per share have fallen at approximately 16% a year over the previous five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the past ten years, CLP Holdings has increased its dividend at approximately 2.2% a year on average. The only way to pay higher dividends when earnings are shrinking is either to pay out a larger percentage of profits, spend cash from the balance sheet, or borrow the money. CLP Holdings is already paying out 167% of its profits, and with shrinking earnings we think it's unlikely that this dividend will grow quickly in the future. Story continues The Bottom Line Is CLP Holdings worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share are in decline and CLP Holdings is paying out what we feel is an uncomfortably high percentage of its profit as dividends. Generally we think dividend investors should avoid businesses in this situation, as high payout ratios and declining earnings can lead to the dividend being cut. CLP Holdings doesn't appear to have a lot going for it, and we're not inclined to take a risk on owning it for the dividend. Curious what other investors think of CLP Holdings? See what analysts 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. A person reportedly shooting at a Beaumont business was shot by a Beaumont police officer Sunday night. The Beaumont Police Department said officers were called to Temptations, located in the 500 block of College Street, after being told someone was shooting at the business. Police "quickly arrived and encountered the suspect with a gun. Shots were fired and the suspect was injured. The suspect was then taken into custody and was transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital," the department said. Someone inside the business was also injured. PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that the JD(U) would contest the next Assembly elections along with NDA and win more than 200 seats. He was addressing JD(U) workers at Gandhi Maidan on the occasion of his 69th birthday. While showcasing achievements of his government, Nitish said The government has worked for the uplift of every class in the state. The scenario has become vibrant in the field of education. Distribution of uniform and cycles has increased the confidence of students, especially girls, who can be seen attending classes even in rural areas. The rally is seen as a show of strength ahead of Assembly elections, slated to be held in October-November. According to JD(U) leaders, the mammoth political event ahead of elections will serve as a befitting reply to the opposition parties, which have been involved in a campaign against NDA. Earlier people used to talk only about jungle raj in Bihar but now law and order has improved. The crime ratio is among the lowest in the country, he said. Kumar pointed out that the Assembly had recently passed a unanimous resolution against NRC and NPR and there was no need to lose patience on the issue of CAA since the matter was before the court. The NPR will be done on the basis of 2010 format and a resolution regarding the issue has been passed in the State Assembly, he said. Bihar had become the first NDA ruled state to pass a resolution to implement the NPR in 2010 format with the inclusion of a trans-gender column. The House has also passed a resolution that NRC will not be implemented in Bihar. 95 Members of Parliament didnt attend any meeting of the standing committees of the Rajya Sabha in the past month, House Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said on Monday, citing a review done by his officials. The attendance of the lawmakers in eight department-related standing committees was monitored as a part of Naidus larger goal to improve participation of MPs in the House panels. Altogether, there are 24 such panels that review the work of different central ministries. Of these, eight are with the Rajya Sabha and the remaining 16 fall under the jurisdiction of the Lok Sabha. All committees have members from both houses of Parliament. I thought it necessary to present in the process, the functioning of the Parliament in proper perspective to the people through you and the media. It is because, the general impression is that the sittings of the Parliament are steadily declining over the years and it is around 60 to 70 sittings per year now as against 100 to 150 days per year in the 50s, Naidu told the House while presenting the report. The attendance was monitored only for the recess or the period between the two halves of the budget session. This period is crucial as the budget allocations for respective ministries are discussed in the panels during this period before Parliament clears the union budget. Naidu said that out of the 78 Rajya Sabha MPs who are members in these eight panels, 23 did not attend any meeting. Similarly, 72 of the 166 Lok Sabha members in these panels skipped all their meetings. According to the report, the panel on health led by Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav has the best attendance, 65.5% followed by the hHome and transport panel (54.8%). The standing committee on Human Resource Development and law recorded 53.7% and 48.3% attendance while the panel on industries has 43.5% turnout. The panel on science and technology has marked just 35.5% attendance and the panel on commerce recorded the lowest at 32.25%. A senior official added, that in two of the three meetings of commerce panel held during this period, minimum required attendance or quorum was missing. Naidu pointed out that since the introduction of these committees in 1993, substantial work of the Parliament is being transacted by these Committees in which all most all the parties and groups are represented. He added that the eight Rajya Sabha panels have altogether held 20 meetings lasting at least 63 hours. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON China's endeavors in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has inspired the world. But the situation in other parts of the world is getting more serious, and the Middle East should be worried. During this special period, countries in the Middle East have to put aside their previous disputes and differences to fight against the epidemic in a coordinated way. According to reports, Iran has seen a sudden rise in infected cases in the last week. Iran found the first case of the disease on February 19, and the number of the infected has risen to 987 as of March 1. Three Iranian high officials, including Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, and the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran's parliament Mojtaba Zonnour, have all been infected with the coronavirus. Iran may become a center that will radiate the disease. Iran is located between South Caucasus to the north and South Asia to the south and between Central Asia to the east and West Asia to the west. It has very intensive political, economic, and religious interactions with the regions mentioned above. The epidemic in Iran can very easily spread to these regions at scale. In fact, the spread has already taken place in the region. Some neighboring countries, including Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Afghanistan, have already found infections. The disease is not to fear, but obstacles in the cooperation could result in severe consequences. The long-existing mistrust and tensions in the region could hurdle the joint efforts to fight the disease. As is known, the tensions between Iran and its Arab Gulf neighbors have been there for a long time. As in many other crises, the epidemic could add stress. It is a real challenge to contain the outbreak as countries involved will complain about not doing enough, such as not controlling the infected, and for doing too much, such as placing travel restrictions to keep their own country safe. To avoid the worst scenario, countries in the region have to put aside their previous disputes, avoid complaining against each other, and cooperate with each other. This is the most efficient and economical way to contain the spread of the disease. Otherwise, all those living in the region will have to pay the price. For the purpose of cooperation, the countries will also have to stay alert about any attempts of external powers to politicize the issue. Despite Iran's efforts to contain the outbreak, some government officials of external powers were talking about Iran's concealing the details of the epidemic, which suggests that the COVID-19 issue could become another one to be employed as a political instrument to isolate Iran politically. At this particular moment of the epidemic, what is needed most is cooperation. Regional countries should be well aware that cooperation and coordination prevail. It is paramount for the countries in the region to establish mechanisms between their health ministries to regularly exchange information and data about the epidemic. Similar mechanisms should also be established between ministries of interior affairs and transportation affairs to track and monitor cross-border traveling. Difficulties are looming since mutual mistrust has existed for a long time, and countries might feel some of the information is too sensitive to share. The above-mentioned mechanisms will have to take into consideration the protection of privacy and secrecy of the data. It seems that WHO can play a role in bridging the gap and promoting the mechanisms. It can also help map out an integrated plan for the fight against the virus in the region. Iran will have to understand why some of its neighboring countries, like Turkey, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, are taking reasonable measures, such as pushing back and monitoring cross-border travelers. This is routine in containing the spread. But on the other hand, regular exchanges of people should not be disrupted, as this will seriously undermine cooperation and the economy. All in all, the epidemic should not be regarded as the problem of a specific region but rather as a global problem. Countries in the region will have to urgently find ways to cooperate to fight the common threat. Jin Liangxiang is Senior Research Fellow with the Center for West Asian and African Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Albwardy Damen, a joint venture between Dubai-based Albwardy Investments and Damen Shipyards Group, has signed an agreement with Oman's Sohar Port and Freezone to open a repair workshop. The signing took place at Sohar Port and Freezones head office in Oman, and was represented by Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of Sohar Port, and Albwardy Damen was represented by Ibrahim Mohamed Al Shidi. The agreement will see the installation of a 40-ft workshop container at a service jetty in the port, in collaboration with Albwardy Damens Omani partner, Sawahel Sohar Al Almya, and will be Albwardy Damens fourth operational location in the Middle East, along with those in Sharjah, Dubai and Fujairah, said a statement. Mark Geilenkirchen said: Albwardy Damen is one of the renowned shipbuilding and ship repair providers in the Middle East. Our partnership with them is truly a reflection of our efforts to provide all our clients with state-of-the-art and high-quality services. The new service will also be a valuable addition to our offerings here at Sohar, further enriching our offerings, to ensure that we continue on our path of growth and progress in the region, he added. The upcoming workshop will be fitted out with relevant machinery and tools, including lathe, press, drilling and welding machines to offer easy and quick services for vessels calling at the port. There will also be the presence of certified engineers, to meet requisite customer needs. Mark Pearson, operations director of Albwardy Damen, said: Vessels calling into Sohar will also be able to benefit from the underwater services that are provided by Albwardy Damen Diving, which has an extensive history in serving the marine industry since 1995. The workshop container is currently being fabricated and we look forward to delivering it to Sohar, he added. TradeArabia News Service Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday sought an open debate on the recent Delhi violence in Parliament and said like the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, it has shaken the country. At least 42 people were killed and over 200 injured in communal violence in areas in northeast Delhi. "Like the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the recent violence in Delhi has shaken the entire country. It would be better, if Parliament today adjourn all business, and hold an open debate and answer the questions of the public. But, not doing this is unfortunate (lekin, aisaa nahi karnaa dukhad)," she said in a tweet in Hindi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Developers who are looking to build new projects in Bound Brook will now have to pay for increased security measures at construction sites after a destructive Main Street fire in January that investigators have said was purposefully set. The borough committee last week unanimously passed the new ordinance, which will be added to its construction code, that will require developers to have 360-degree motion detectors and video surveillance, along with a physical security guard, on-site at all times once there are flammable materials, like wood, at the property. Because of the fire, I felt it was very important to tighten up security at the building construction sites, said Mayor Robert Fazen. The new ordinance, which was drafted by the mayor, comes about a month after a seven-alarm fire destroyed two apartment buildings that were under construction and two other buildings on Main Street on Jan. 12. After an investigation into the cause of the fire, Juan Hector Padilla, 28, of Bound Brook, was charged with aggravated arson and hindering apprehension. Video footage from a neighboring building captured Padilla in the area of the Meridia construction project, and authorities say he posted several messages online that alluded to the fire and threatened to burn things down. The case is scheduled to be heard by a grand jury before April. The fire is estimated to have caused $52 million in damages to the downtown area, and forced many of the businesses on the street to remain closed for a month while the borough awaited approval from safety inspectors. The fire recovery has been going well. We had been held up a little bit by insurance assessments and inspectors, Fazen said. But now all of the stores on Main Street are open. The Meridia apartment complex, and The Mosaic apartment complex, both 5-story structures, were destroyed. A boarding house with six units and an apartment building with four units were also damaged. Both of the destroyed apartment buildings are expected to be rebuilt. The developers will resubmit their final design documents with some minor changes to the planning board within the next few months, Fazen said. Their developer, Meridia, did not respond to requests for comment from NJ Advance Media. A spokesperson for the League of Municipalities, an association of towns across the state, told NJ Advance Media there can be a need for security measures like the ones adopted in Bound Brook, as it can be very easy for a fire to occur and spread during parts of the construction process. It has not, however, seen a trend in municipalities increasing security measures at construction sites, though it does not track every ordinance that is passed throughout the state. Acts of violence or destruction continue to be an important issue," said Peter Cocoziello Jr., a managing director at Advance Realty, a local developer who often works on projects in and around Bound Brook. But overall, community awareness and channels to anonymously alert proper authorities can help prevent these acts from happening at the source. Communities must be proactive and vigilant in protecting the safety of residences. Fazen said that the new ordinance will require developers to have these extra security measures in place at an earlier point in the construction timeline than most towns require. After what happened, we went above and beyond in our construction code to prevent this from happening again, Fazen said. Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- China has called for creating a fair environment for all the candidates of the upcoming election of the director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). China has nominated Wang Binying, currently a deputy director general of WIPO, as a candidate for the election. "The nomination of Ms. Wang Binying as a candidate for the WIPO director general election embodies China's desire to make greater contributions to international cooperation and development in the field of intellectual property," said Shen Changyu, commissioner of the National Intellectual Property Administration, during an exclusive interview with Xinhua. China has always been a follower, participant and upholder of the international rules of intellectual property. China has always carried out cooperation and exchanges with WIPO and its members in strict accordance with the rules of WIPO, actively fulfilling its international obligations, seeking common development and promoting common progress, Shen said. Wang Binying has worked for WIPO for nearly 30 years, and served as a deputy director general of WIPO for more than a decade, becoming an internationally recognized expert in the field of intellectual property. She has rich experience in international intellectual property affairs and in promoting the reform and development of WIPO. She is capable of dealing with complex situations, bridging differences between all parties, coordinating the interests of all parties and promoting common development, Shen said. Her outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments and enthusiasm for work, as well as her adherence to the goals of the United Nations and the principles of WIPO, have earned her a stellar reputation in the international intellectual property community and within WIPO, Shen said. Wang has always adhered to the values of WIPO, followed the working rules of the organization, and actively promoted relevant work. Especially in her more than 10 years as a deputy director general of WIPO, Wang has worked hard to provide open, fair and effective services for each member of WIPO, winning wide recognition and trust in the international community. The incumbent and former three directors general of WIPO are from Australia, Sudan, the United States and the Netherlands, respectively, and all of them are male. "If Ms. Wang Binying, as a female candidate from a developing country, could be elected, the United Nations would have another outstanding female leader of an international organization. It would be the most vivid and persuasive embodiment of the idea of ability first and women first," Shen said. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO has clear rules for the election of its leader. "We believe that the most appropriate leader will be elected as long as all parties abide by the rules and engage in fair competition," Shen said. When talking about China's intellectual property protection, Shen quoted the saying that "facts speak louder than words." Since its reform and opening-up, China has seen its intellectual property work advance rapidly. So far, China has established a relatively complete intellectual property legal system in line with prevailing international rules, and joined almost all major international treaties on intellectual property. It has been insisting on equal treatment and protection of the intellectual property rights of both domestic and foreign enterprises. The government has attached even more importance to intellectual property work since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The Chinese leadership has enunciated China's intellectual property protection principles and positions on many occasions, and made a series of important arrangements, including the establishment of specialized intellectual property courts, the reform of the intellectual property administrative system, the revision of relevant laws and regulations, such as the foreign investment Law, the trademark law and the patent law, as well as the strengthening of administrative law enforcement, he said. At the end of last year, China issued a set of opinions on strengthening intellectual property protection, which contains 99 new measures to apply even stricter protection for intellectual property rights, he added. Driven by the above policies and measures, China's intellectual property protection has kept progressing, with its patent and trademark applications taking the lead in the world for many years running. The number of applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty from China ranks the second and the volume of its applications for international trademark registration under the Madrid System ranks the third in the world. China's effective protection brings huge benefits to foreign intellectual property rights holders every year. In 2001, China paid only 1.9 billion U.S. dollars for intellectual property royalties, while the figure exceeded 34 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. China's work in this field has also won acclaim in the international community. According to the 2019 Global Innovation Index released by WIPO, China's ranking increased from 35th in 2013 to 14th in 2019, one of the countries with the fastest progress in the world. A survey on social satisfaction with China's intellectual property protection showed that the satisfaction of foreign-funded enterprises in China has remained higher than the average level for many years in a row. The 2019 Member Survey by the US-China Business Council also showed that the number of U.S. enterprises sharing the view that China enhanced its intellectual property protection in 2018 reached a record high since the survey started in 2011. "China has done substantial work on intellectual property protection and should be evaluated objectively and fairly," Shen said. The Congress on Monday said it will continue to protest in Parliament over the communal violence in Delhi as it is the party's duty to uncover the "conspiracy" behind the riots. The opposition party's assertion came soon after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. The House was earlier adjourned thrice with members from the BJP and the Congress pushing and shoving each other amid the Opposition's protests against last week's communal violence in Delhi, which has claimed over 40 lives. The Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, said "democracy was torn to shreds" and alleged that a ruling party MP assaulted one of the Congress' Dalit women MPs in the Lok Sabha. He said the Congress will continue to protest in Parliament and it is the party's duty to uncover the "conspiracy" behind the Delhi violence. Earlier, the Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for the day on Monday following uproar by Opposition parties over the violence in the national capital, with members accusing the government of "sleeping" while Delhi burnt. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meghan Markle may be angry for being blamed for "Megxit," but in the coming weeks, the Duchess of Sussex will be enjoying the freedom she has at the Met Gala 2020. The Duchess of Sussex has chosen the perfect city to make it known to the world that she and husband Prince Harry are no longer tied to the neck to their royal duties. By the end of this month, the couple will officially be royal-free, and so Meghan is expected to be at this year's Met Gala in New York City. Back Where She Belongs According to the report released by The Sun on Sunday, the 38-year old mom of Prince Archie has been invited to this year's Met Gala. She will be rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in the fashion industry, including the editor-in-chief of British Vogue Edward Enninful. However, the report also suggested that the Duchess of Sussex will be going to the event alone. She will be leaving her husband at home while she walks the red carpet for her first "Hollywood appearance" after Megxit. Their life outside of the royal family will officially begin on April 1, 2020. However, according to the details of their new arrangement, their status as independent members of the royal family will be reviewed after a year. Markle famously co-edited an issue of British Vogue alongside Enninful last year. According to the report released by The Sun, Meghan is planning to wear something glamorous yet androgynous to achieve a new look for the May 4 event. The report suggested that the theme Meghan picked was based on the character in "Orlando" written by Virginia Woolfe. Although Meghan has yet to confirm her attendance at one of the world's most talked-about events in Hollywood, her fans could not help but feel excited to see her back in her comfort zone. The Met Gala Every fashion enthusiast knows the importance of one's attendance at the Met Gala. It is an event reserved only for who's who in show business. The name of Meghan naturally came on the first few names on this year's guest list. A source of The Sun said that Edward and his team are excited to see the two brilliant minds together again at the Gala. "Meghan is keen at getting out and attending social occasions without Prince Harry by her side. It will help her establish herself again in Hollywood," the source added. Meghan became popularly known in Hollywood for the role she played in the hit television series "Suits." In fact, the couple may have opted to live in North America -- particularly in Canada -- as the country has been home to the Duchess. She stayed there for years while filming the series. The report also revealed that Markle has been trying to line up roles in Hollywood. This time, she got her eyes on superhero flicks. Buckingham Palace did not confirm or deny anything. They also have not responded to the requests for comments. Alabama churchgoers turn backs on Bloomberg at Bloody Sunday anniversary service Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Former New York City mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg got spurned by a group of black churchgoers who turned their backs on him as he delivered remarks about voter suppression and civil rights during a "Bloody Sunday" commemorative service on Sunday. Bloody Sunday occurred on March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, when more than 500 demonstrators, participating in a right to vote march, were met with violence by state troopers and others after they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. A reenactment of the march happens annually and Bloomberg and other presidential candidates had arrived in the state to mark the 55th anniversary of the march and court black voters ahead of Super Tuesday on March 3, when 1,357 delegates will be up for grabs in 14 states, including Alabama, where more than 60% of Democratic voters are black. Bloomberg has been under fire in recent weeks for his controversial support of stop-and-frisk policies that targeted mainly black and Hispanic residents. The criticism has come in the wake of the revelation of audio, reportedly from a 2015 speech in Colorado, in which Bloomberg claims that "95%" of "murders and murderers and murder victims" are male minorities between the ages of 16 to 25 and the way to reduce violence in the city is to throw minority kids "up against the walls and frisk them." "You can just take the descriptions and Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops," Bloomberg can be heard saying on the audio. Congregants at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama turn their backs in protest while Michael Bloomberg speaks.pic.twitter.com/26RdruTre7 Chloe Salsameda (@ChloeSalsameda) March 1, 2020 As the former Big Apple mayor delivered his remarks at the historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, on Sunday, the group of approximately 10 people silently stood and turned their backs to him, multiple outlets reported. "For too long we have gone on with just listening and letting the status quo continue," Bloomberg said, according to the Star Tribune. He highlighted his ability as mayor of New York to work with activist Al Sharpton, seated a few feet away from him. Ryan Haygood, one of the people who turned his back during the billionaire presidential candidates speech at the church, told the Montgomery Advertiser that he hoped the former New York City mayor would have taken the opportunity to right a wrong concerning his administrations stop-and-frisk policy but he didnt. I was sitting there really wrestling with the fact that 55 years ago 600 or more people assembled at this church and they prayed and prepared to be brutalized by Alabama state troopers about a half a mile up the bridge, Haygood said. Then comes Michael Bloomberg who when he was the mayor of New York City presided over those very kinds of police brutality practices and policies. So in my mind, I thought, though I was surprised to see him come through the doors, I thought he would use this space to atone for that. When it was clear that there wouldn't be any atonement, thats when Haygood said he decided to stand quietly and turn his back. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that seven others then stood beside him and turned their backs while a few others across the church stood and did the same for about 30 seconds. Theres a direct connection to the police brutality on Bloody Sunday and that brutality he presided over in NYC. So I thought he would lean into the moment, to really acknowledge it, take responsibility for it and atone for it, Haygood argued. And not only did he not do that, it was clear to me that he wasnt even going to address the issue at all. And so I wrestled with it. So I felt like I had to do something to acknowledge that thats not OK especially in this sacred space. This is a space that changed the world. The Rev. Leodis Strong, the churchs pastor who introduced Bloomberg to the church, told the New York Post that he encouraged the former mayor to come to the church on the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. I think that its important for Mr. Bloomberg, Mayor Bloomberg, to hear from you, listen to you, to learn from you, Strong told the church. Let me just say this. I think its important that he came, he added. And it shows a willingness on his part to change. And I like that, and I think that that is important. British royal visitors Prince William and his wife Kate say they hope to build a "lasting friendship with the Irish people" on their tour of Ireland, which begins tomorrow. But after nine years together, during which they have traversed the world as ambassadors for the British royal family, their presence in Ireland weeks after Brexit is more a reflection of the delicate state of Anglo-Irish relations than a quick jaunt across the water to pour pints of Guinness and charm local communities. For the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, royal visits are an elevated version of the work they already do at home: meet-and-greets with inspiring everyday people, highlighting charitable causes and being impeccably dressed in the process. Foreign visits also have the added pressure of exposure to a pool of global reporters analysing adherence to local customs, looking for the big moments that will make more than a footnote in history. When Queen Elizabeth made her historic first official visit to Ireland in 2011, which Tanaiste Simon Coveney described as a "watershed moment", she paved the way for the next generation to soften the family's image on our shores. Prince Charles says he aims to visit all 32 counties during his life, and Prince Harry and Meghan chose Dublin as their first 'mini-moon' destination weeks after their 2018 wedding. However, these days, the Cambridges are the sturdiest young couple within the British royal family, especially as Harry and Meghan will step down as senior working royals later this month. They are the "big guns" guaranteed to earn positive headlines around the world, set to the backdrop of Ireland, whose booming economy is thanks in no small part to a thriving tourism industry. Paul Kelly, the chief executive of Failte Ireland, said these high-profile visits provide an opportunity to showcase Ireland at its best, while simultaneously offering an opportunity to boost UK tourism post-Brexit. "Trips such as these attract a lot of media attention so all eyes will be on Ireland, giving us amazing exposure abroad and highlighting our rich and diverse offering in Dublin, Ireland's Ancient East and along the Wild Atlantic Way," he told the Irish Independent. Video of the Day And he said the visit "could in particular provide a boost to the UK market which has been a challenge in recent months due to Brexit". Brexit is the main driving force for the trip, and a visit of this magnitude allows the Cambridges to showcase their informal ambassadorial talents to strengthen the bond between the UK and Ireland. "This is the first royal visit post-Brexit, so it shows how key the UK-Irish relationship is and sending William and Kate reinforces it because they are highly valued in terms of soft diplomacy," Emily Nash, 'Hello' magazine's royal editor, said. "We've seen annual visits to Ireland from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in the past five years plus Harry and Meghan in 2018, following on from the queen's historic visit in 2011, so I think it's important that the next generation are also committed to building on that relationship." This week's trip is the couple's first overseas visit since Meghan and Harry's departure announcement, but Ms Nash said the visit reflects the evolution of their roles. "There's no doubt that William and Kate are busier than ever at the moment, but this is as much about the natural progression of their roles as about the departure of Harry and Meghan," she said. "The younger royals are stepping up to support the queen in the UK and overseas." Elizabeth Holmes, author of 'HRH: So Many Thoughts On Royal Style', said the visit was an opportunity for Kate to showcase her international wardrobe and add some new Irish names to her roster of preferred designers. "I'm sure Kate and her team have put together an exciting slate of ensembles, researching each engagement and carefully choosing colours, patterns, and designers," she said. "She typically wears a blend of British designers and local talent on tour. For the latter, she could easily pull from her own closet, rewearing perhaps her tweed Dubarry jacket or an Orla Kiely dress or one of her fabulous Philip Treacy hats." Pete Buttigieg announces the end of his campaign for president in South Bend, Indiana (Santiago Flores/South Bend Tribune via AP) Pete Buttigieg, who rose from relative obscurity as a mayor in Indiana to a barrier-breaking, top-tier candidate for the Democratic US presidential nomination, has ended his campaign. The decision by the first openly gay candidate to seriously contend for the presidency - and among the youngest ever - came just a day after leading rival Joe Biden scored a resounding victory in South Carolina. That sparked new pressure on the party's moderate wing to coalesce behind the former vice president. "The truth is the path has narrowed to a close for our candidacy if not for our cause," Mr Buttigieg told supporters in South Bend, Indiana. "We must recognise that at this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and country together." He did not endorse any of his former rivals, though he and Mr Biden exchanged voicemails on Sunday. Mr Buttigieg has spent the past few weeks warning that nominating progressive leader Bernie Sanders to take on President Donald Trump would be risky. The 38-year-old called on supporters to ensure that a Democrat wins the White House in November and that the party's success carries over to races for the House of Representatives and Senate. During previous debates, Mr Buttigieg said Mr Sanders could threaten Democratic seats in Congress. More broadly, Mr Buttigieg urged Americans to move beyond the divisive politics of the Trump era to embrace a more inclusive, unifying approach. "Politics at its worst is ugly," he said. "But at its best, politics can lift us up. It is not just policymaking. It is moral. It is soulcraft. That's why we're in this." Mr Buttigieg kissed his husband Chasten as he walked on to the stage and offered a message for children who might be watching. "We send a message to every kid out there wondering if whatever marks them out as different means they are somehow destined to be less than," Mr Buttigieg said. "To see that someone who once felt that exact same way can become a leading American presidential candidate with his husband by his side." Voters saw Mr Buttigieg in the more moderate lane of the Democratic field, and he flourished early with a top finish in the Iowa caucuses and a close second place finish in New Hampshire. But as the race moved to more diverse states, less dependent on college-educated voters, Mr Buttigieg struggled. Despite robust organisations in Iowa and New Hampshire and supporters who included an influx of former independents and Republicans, Mr Buttigieg failed to overcome daunting questions about his ability to draw African American support key to the Democratic base. He earned just 3% of the non-white vote in South Carolina's Saturday primary, according to AP VoteCast, a wide-ranging survey of the electorate. As mayor of a city that is 25% black, Mr Buttigieg faced criticism for firing the first African American police chief in the history of South Bend and for his handling of the case of a white police officer who fatally shot an armed black man in June. A Black Lives Matter group from South Bend released a statement saying it was "excited" that Mr Buttigieg left the race. "We hope that he learned his lesson - that neoliberalism and anti-Black policies will no longer be tolerated," the group wrote. After his unexpected rise to contention in Iowa and New Hampshire last autumn, Mr Buttigieg became the target of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren for the high-dollar fundraisers he was hosting, notably one in a wine cave in California. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar also went at Mr Buttigieg in the months before the caucuses for lacking national experience. She noted that he had lost his only statewide race as a candidate for Indiana treasurer in 2010, while she had won three statewide terms in Minnesota in part by carrying Republican-heavy regions. Mr Buttigieg presented a starkly different figure on the debate stage than the other leading candidates - all septuagenarians - and drew admirers for his calm, reasoned demeanour and rhetorical skills that reflected his Harvard-trained, Rhodes scholar background but that some voters and operatives described as "robotic". He had modelled his campaign somewhat on that of former president Barack Obama, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses largely based on a message of unity and by drawing in a healthy bloc of first-time caucus participants, often the key in a crowded, high-turnout contest. Democratic strategist David Axelrod said "the Pete Buttigieg story isn't over". "He's 38 years old," Mr Axelrod said. "He's vaulted himself into the national conversation. "He obviously has work to do on some things - some weaknesses we've seen in this election - but whenever there is a conversation again about Democratic candidates, he'll be in that conversation. "And that's a remarkable achievement, given where he started a year ago." Technavio has been monitoring the hops market and it is poised to grow by USD 231.9 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 4% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005612/en/ Technavio has announced its latest research report titled Global Hops Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Increasing applications of hops in pharmaceuticals and processed food industries has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Request a free sample report Hops Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Hops Market is segmented as below: Type Aroma Hops Bitter Hops Geographic segmentation APAC Europe MEA North America South America To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40180 Hops Market 2020-2024: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our hops market report covers the following areas: Hops Market Size Hops Market Trends Hops Market Industry Analysis This study identifies increasing emphasis on dual-purpose hops as one of the prime reasons driving the hops market growth during the next few years. Hops Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the hops market, including some of the vendors such as BarthHaas GmbH Co. KG, Bintani Australia Pty. Ltd., Charles Faram Ltd., Hildegard Eisemann KG and Indie Hops. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the hops market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Hops Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist hops market growth during the next five years Estimation of the hops market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the hops market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of hops market vendors Table of Contents PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis Value chain analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2019 Market outlook Market size and forecast 2019-2024 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TYPE Market segmentation by type Comparison by type Aroma hops Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Bitter hops Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by type PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024 South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Market opportunity PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges PART 11: MARKET TRENDS Rising exports of hops from US Increasing emphasis on dual-purpose hops Growth in online retailing globally PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors BarthHaas GmbH Co. KG Bintani Australia Pty. Ltd. Charles Faram Ltd. Hildegard Eisemann KG Indie Hops Kalsec Inc. New Zealand Hops Ltd. Steiner Hops Ltd. Yakima Chief Hops LLC PART 14: APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations Definition of market positioning of vendors PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005612/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Neither Bernie, Nor Biden, Nor Bloomberg Will Stop Trumps Winning Commentary Im glad Joe Biden won the South Carolina primary so decisively. Judging by the vacant but enthusiastic smile on his face at his victory celebration, I suspect he believes he just won the presidency. I hope no one will disabuse him of that fantasy. He should now gracefully retire to private life and entertain himself with memories of his glory days and his incrediblyI use the word advisedlylong list of accomplishments. Poor Biden. His victory in South Carolina wont, as some pundits are claiming, resuscitate or breathe life into the ailing former vice presidents asphyxiating campaign. That ship has sailed, as well all see on March 3, when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg divide up most of the delegate cake. I have no doubt that Bloombergs wall-to-wall advertising blitz will win him a lot of votes. As Ive noted previously, money doesnt have a large vocabulary, but it does know how to say Yes. Mini Mike has spent some $500 million dollars so far, and his campaign is barely underway. Still, I doubt hell be able to effectively impersonate Autolycus, that amiable rogue in The Winters Tale, who bragged that he, like the chap who stole Odysseuss helmet, was a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles. I understand that the Democrats, most of them, are in panic mode over the prospect that SandersCrazy Bernie, in the presidents apt epithetmight actually be the partys nominee. But I dont think the presidency of the United States is for sale. Conrad Black might slightly overstate the reality when he predicts that, should Sanders be the nominee, he would lose all 50 states, including his home state of Vermont. But it is, at most, a slight overstatement. Donald Trump, the most successful president in living memory, would ride to victory in a historic landslide, taking the vast majority of states and dragging along some extra Senate seats and perhaps a couple dozen House seats as well. Sanders Isnt the Lefts Trump I stress this now because of an objectionI think it is a silly objectionthat I have heard making the rounds these last couple of months as the Sanders express has gathered, and emitted, more steam. It goes like this: Donald Trump was a surprise, populist candidate that the Republican establishment (and leftists, too, of course) despised. Nevertheless, he rode to a surprise victory in 2016. Just so, Sanders is a populist candidate who terrifies the Democratic establishment (and sane people everywhere). Nevertheless, he has a vocal claque of supporters and therefore he, too, might ride to a surprise victory in 2020. Whats wrong with this picture? This is a column, not a treatise, so I wont provide an exhaustive inventory of what is wrong with this misbegotten analogy. The critical point is this. Donald Trump arrived in 2015 to capitalize on a long-smoldering rage against the deep-state establishment. He came on a platform of security, prosperity, and, above all, putting America first. He has had three years to show what he meant, and has presided over one of the most astonishing economic renaissances in history. In an effort to rekindle the impartial dispensation of justice, he has nominated and seen confirmed more than 200 federal judges and two Supreme Court justices. He has done an immense amount to roll back the busybody, initiative-draining regulatory state; he has rebuilt our depleted military; he has expended extraordinary efforts to close the holes in our porous borders and battle illegal immigration; he has enacted tax cuts and other policies that have brought unemployment down to historic lows, and sparked real wage growth for the first time in decades. The list goes on and on. Trump entered the race promising to Make America Great Again. People, disgusted with what they saw happening to our country, trusted him to try. Now theyre grateful for his manifold successes and look forward to more. The best is yet to come, he says in his ads and campaign speeches. Many people believe hes right. Sanderss central platform, by contrast, revolves around a totalitarian program that would put big government in charge ofwell, everything. Call it Make America Poor Again. Thats the essence of his platform. Lenin said communism means keeping track of everything. This, Sanders would do. Among much else, he would abolish private health insurance, putting the government in charge of everyones health care (what could go wrong?). He would make drastic cuts in the military. He would adopt many elements of the Green New Deal, declaring war on one of the primary initiatives responsible for our newfound prosperity: fracking and other new energy technologies. Like many of the millennials who flock to his cause, Sanders comes to the fray announcing that he was told there would be no math. Thirty trillion dollars, $60 trillion, $100 trillion?; he has no idea how much his programs would cost. Nor, really, does he have any idea how he would pay for it all, beyond saying he would tax the rich. Unless you work for a fiction outlet such as CNN or The New York Times or have delayed your passage to full maturity by inhabiting a college environment, you know that what Sanders has on offer is a poison chalice. More to the point, the votersthe vast majority of themunderstand this. Not Tired of Winning Trump is in some ways a histrionic politician. He glories in rude tweets, diminishing (but painfully apt) nicknames, and the art of the insult. But he also has been remarkably consistent about his essential message. In an op-ed for the Reno, Nevada, Gazette-Journal in January 2016, for example, a time when most people still considered him a joke, he wrote this about the rule of law and the concentration of unaccountable power in the executive branch: Why has our Congress allowed the president and the executive branch to take on near-dictatorial power? How is it that we have a president who will not enforce some laws and who encourages faceless, nameless bureaucrats to manage public lands as if the millions of acres were owned by agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy? The only way to change these circumstances is to bring to Washington a president who will rein in the federal government and get Congress to do its job. Who will work with Congress to make sure the legislative branch does its job. A president who has the will, strength, and courage to lead. What is needed in Washington is a president who is not beholden to special interests and who is only interested in putting America and Americans first. This is exactly what Trump has endeavored to do. During his first campaign, he used to joke that he would be so successful at turning around the country that people would get tired of winning. They arent tired of winning yet, which is why the wrecking ball that is Bernie Sanders will be shattered during the nomination process or, should he win the nomination, be utterly obliterated come the election in November. Roger Kimball is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books. His most recent book is The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Amid concerns in Dhaka about the potential fallout of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and a possible all-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the cancellation of the fourth high-level visit from Bangladesh to New Delhi in three months, India on Monday sought to reassure Bangladesh these are internal matters with no implications for the neighbouring country. The assurance, given by foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on his maiden visit to Bangladesh after taking office, marks an important step in what will be an important month for bilateral ties. Shringla is in Dhaka to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Bangladesh on March 17, where the PM will deliver the keynote address at the opening of celebrations marking the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of current PM Sheikh Hasina. Besides the governments diplomatic outreach, which is based on both rewinding to historical links and current shared concerns, this month will witness an admittedly unrelated, but crucial, bipartisan message from India about the importance of ties with Bangladesh. Dhaka has invited former president Pranab Mukherjee to address a special session of the Bangladesh Parliament on March 22, and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to attend the beginning of the 50th Independence Day celebrations on March 26. The Bangla-speaking former president has deep ties with the entire political spectrum in Bangladesh and is a widely respected figure. Hasina also shares close links with the Nehru-Gandhi family, going back to Indira Gandhis support for her party, the Awami League, and the war of liberation in Bangladesh in 1971. Whether Mukherjee or Gandhi would indeed visit could not be confirmed. But the current churn in the relationship is primarily due to the controversial citizenship law, the NRC process in Assam, and the possibility of a nationwide NRC, which the government has clarified is not on the agenda yet. Hasina has raised the NRC and citizenship issues with her Indian counterpart twice after senior BJP leaders spoke about deporting all people not included in the register in Assam. Hasina has also questioned the need for Indias CAA, which has sparked disquiet in Bangladesh. Foreign secretary Shringla addressed these issues during a speech at the think tank Bangladesh Institute for International Studies (BIIS), attended by diplomats, academics and Gawher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to Hasina. Shringla cited the Supreme Court-mandated updating of the NRC in Assam and said it was inevitable that events in each others countries create ripples across the border irrespective of whether there is real justification. He said: Let me clearly state here what our leadership has repeatedly confirmed at the highest level to the government of Bangladesh: this is a process that is entirely internal to India. Therefore there will be no implications for the government and people of Bangladesh. You have our assurance on that count. Shringlas comments came close on the heels of the cancellation at the last minute of a visit to New Delhi by a Bangladeshi parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Shirin Chaudhury. The announcement was made late on Sunday, hours before the delegation was to leave for India. Reports have linked the cancellation of at least four high-level Bangladeshi visits, including that of the Speaker, to the controversy around the citizenship law. A statement issued by Bangladesh Parliament secretariat on Sunday night, however, attributed the cancellation of the Speakers visit to her involvement in preparations for the birth centenary of Mujibur Rahman. Writing in The Daily Star newspaper, columnist Tasneem Tayeb said the Indian government must now demonstrate strong political will to root out factors creating rifts among the people and steer the economy back on a growth trajectory. Shringla also addressed what he described as uninformed speculation about New Delhis position on the Rohingya refugee crisis. India, he said, appreciates Bangladeshs decision to offer shelter to nearly one million displaced people and will work for the speedy repatriation of the Rohingya. As the only country that is an actual neighbour of both Bangladesh and Myanmar, we are committed to offering the fullest support for any mutually acceptable solution that will enable the earliest possible return of displaced persons to their homes in Rakhine State and to a life of dignity. Shringla noted India is ready to provide more assistance following the five tranches of aid to relief camps through the Bangladesh government, and is investing in the socio-economic development of Rakhine. There is no difference between India and Bangladesh in addressing the humanitarian problem and New Delhi encourages stakeholders to lower the rhetoric and find practical and pragmatic solutions, he added. India is looking forward to Modis visit to Bangladesh later this month because of the priority the Prime Minister attaches to this relationship and since Mujibur Rahman is equally revered in India, Shringla said. In an apparent bid to counter criticism in Dhaka of Prime Minister Hasinas efforts to forge stronger ties with New Delhi, Shringla said India will always seek the closest possible ties with Bangladesh. In an acknowledgement of Dhakas concerns, Shringla also said both sides could and should do much more [for] the management of our shared river waters. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amy Klobuchar suspended her presidential campaign on Monday. The senator from Minnesota announced the end of her campaign after failing to draw significant support in the South Carolina primary. She is expected to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden at a rally in Dally Monday night. The announcement comes one day ahead of Super Tuesday. Voters across Massachusetts and 13 states, the District of Columbia and other territories head to the polls on Tuesday, March 3. 1,357 delegates about a third of the 3,979 contested nationwide will be divided proportionally among candidates who earn at least 15% support. A candidate would need 1,991 to win the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic convention. The Democratic nominee needs 1,991 delegates to win the nomination at the Democratic National Convention to be held July 13-16 in Milwaukee. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 04:45:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Debris are seen in the Maarat al-Numan city, Idlib Province, Syria, on Jan. 30, 2020. (Photo by Maher/Xinhua) Russian military facilities in Syria come under shelling by terrorists, so fight against these terrorist elements will be continued against all the odds, Peskov said. MOSCOW, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The fight against terrorists in Syria will continue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television channel, TASS news agency reported on Sunday. Peskov noted that Russian military facilities in Syria come under shelling by terrorists, so "fight against these terrorist elements will be continued against all the odds." According to Peskov, Turkey was supposed to ensure inaction of these elements under the Sochi agreements. "Unfortunately, Turkey failed to fulfill its obligations and the terrorists went over to the offensive against the Syrian armed forces," he added. Peskov recalled that Russia is the only country to have its soldiers in Syria at the request from the Syrian legitimate government. On Thursday, at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes in Syria's Idlib, which Turkey blamed on the Syrian government. The incident marked a serious escalation between the Turkish and Syrian forces and raised the prospect of an all-out confrontation between both sides. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed Friday to examine the possibility of meeting in the near future to discuss the situation in Idlib. Teresa Giudice had her breasts enhanced in 2019 as she said she needed to feel her 'best self' after splitting from husband Joe Giudice. And over the weekend the 47-year-old siren was showing them off in a plunging black-and-gold one-piece swimsuit. The Real Housewives Of New Jersey star was on the beach in Miami outside the Eden Roc. And her ex noticed her beach look as he added four fire emojis in her comment box in a shot where she had on a Balmain T-shirt over her suit. New body: Teresa Giudice had her breasts enhanced in 2019 as she said she needed to feel her 'best self' after splitting from husband Joe Giudice. And over the weekend the 47-year-old siren was showing them off in a plunging black-and-gold one-piece swimsuit A 10: The TV vet looked incredible in the unforgiving suit that showed off not just her chest but also her small waistline and toned legs. The former prisoner had on tinted sunglasses with her long raven hair worn down over one bare shoulder The TV vet looked incredible in the unforgiving suit that showed off not just her chest but also her small waistline and toned legs. The former prisoner had on tinted sunglasses with her long raven hair worn down over one bare shoulder. There were gold bracelets on her arm as she flashed a fresh French manicure. Next to her was a silver purse that had butterflies on the front from designer De Vesi. Now covered up: The reality TV sensation was also seen in a black Balmain T-shirt as she was on the same chair with the same purse He can't let go: And her ex noticed as he added four fire emojis in her comment box. The reality TV sensation was also seen in a black Balmain T-shirt as she was on the same chair with the same purse. Her caption read, 'Feeling Miami Heat.' His fire emojis are not new. He did the same for a photo she shared on the carpet at the Paws 4 charity gala on Saturday night. Joe, 47, shared five fire emojis and one rose emoji in one of the first comments on her post. Failed: Just one day after admitting he 'failed' in his 20-year marriage to Teresa, Joe left some flirty emojis on Teresa's Instagram whens he was at Paws 4 in Miami on Saturday Flirty: Joe, 47, responded with five fire emojis and one rose emoji in one of the first comments on her post Teresa did not respond to her ex-husband's comment, but other fans did, with one, xo_alley_p stating she hopes they 'find your way back to each other.' 'One way or another, you will always be in each others lives. You both did an amazing job raising those 4 beautiful daughters. Stay positive, and keep loving,' she said. The flirty comment comes as Giudice reflected on his marriage to Teresa, which lasted from 1999 to 2019 when Joe was deported to his home country of Italy. Marriage: The flirty comment comes as Giudice reflected on his marriage to Teresa, which lasted from 1999 to 2019 when Joe was deported to his home country of Italy 'No matter how much energy and time I devoted to trying it failed. I did my best and put all efforts into making this a great experience for my family,' Joe began. I did try to address issues in the relationship that bothered me throughout the years in return portrayed it as Criticism! My key role was to always to be a great father and husband not the (male symbol),' he added. Today, I cant allow others to keep lingering toxins and undesirable demands around me. I choose to have a solid foundation with strong and inspiring people around me in IT,' he concluded. Energy: 'No matter how much energy and time I devoted to trying it failed. I did my best and put all efforts into making this a great experience for my family,' Joe began Joe's post comes just days after Wednesday night's Season 10 finale of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. The episode followed Teresa and their four daughters visiting Joe in Sala Consilina, Italy, where he's been living as he waits for an appeal on his deportation decision. 'I mean, we've got 20 years in our marriage,' he told her after hinting that he hoped they'd sleep together that night. Finale: Joe's post comes just days after Wednesday night's Season 10 finale of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. But Teresa said they haven't been together in four years and it would be 'weird' with Joe adding that was the 'Aha' moment he knew the relationship is over. 'A lot's happened. We live in two different countries,' she said, though the two ended their evening with a hug. Joe also confirmed that he and his family are safe after an outbreak of the Coronavirus in Italy. As far as her breast job, Teresa talked about it earlier this year on social media. '10 Years after my first Breast Augmentation I decided to have my breasts re-done. I am so thankful for Dr. Preminger @premingermd.... I was very nervous to re-do my breasts, but I felt it was necessary for me to feel like my best self,' said the star. She added, 'I believe its important to always stand strong and feel like your best most confident self.' And the TV vet also said: 'I encourage anyone who doesnt feel their best self to work on feeling better. Even if it is the smallest thing every day. If it is something that requires cosmetic surgery to feel better I highly recommend Dr. Preminger @premingermd, and could not be happier with the results. I felt like she understood me, and really made me feel comfortable. 'I am grateful to have had such a professional approach.' 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 a Korean Airlines flight attendant was diagnosed with coronavirus after passing through LAX last week, Mayor Eric Garcetti sought to calm travelers' fears. He said LAX was being disinfected every hour. But during an hour-long stakeout at the airport's Bradley International Terminal arrivals area Friday morning, I saw no sign of an hourly wipe down by airport workers. I saw workers empty trash cans, but I saw no door handles or seat arms or handrails being cleaned during that time. Los Angeles World Airports spokesman Heath Montgomery said he was unable to get information about what cleaning actually was done during that hour Friday. He reiterated airport policy, saying workers (both in-house and an outside firm) are "deep cleaning and sanitizing" restrooms, handrails, door handles and other public areas of the terminals. The airport has added 250 hand sanitizing stations around the airport and hosted Centers for Disease Control screeners at the airport, he said. In fairness, I saw only one small part of a giant airport, a part that people move through quickly on their way from customs to their destinations in Southern California. I didn't have a ticket to get into the secured passenger areas where people spend more time, and LAX officials declined to do an interview or escort me there to see the cleaning for myself. The reasoning was that if they did it for a radio reporter, they'd have to do it for TV stations as well, Montgomery said. LAist only exists with your support. No paywalls here: just free, independent journalism for you and your city. Donate now. MASKS, MASKS EVERYWHERE That doesn't mean people aren't taking their own precautions to avoid spreading or acquiring a virus. Health officials recommend wearing the masks if you have symptoms. But they say the masks are not helpful in avoiding getting a virus, and that handwashing and using hand sanitizer and avoiding touching your face, nose and eyes is a better prevention method. Flight attendants with Japan Airlines wear masks in the arrivals area of Bradley International Terminal at LAX Friday, February 28, 2020. (Sharon McNary/KPCC/LAist) Plenty of passengers coming into the arrivals area from customs and the people waiting to receive them wore masks. A dozen Japan Airlines flight attendants all wore masks. Lauren Mackin wore a blue and white medical face mask as she arrived at LAX after 18 months of missionary service in Thailand with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There to greet her were five family members, all wearing their own black cloth masks. She said that being greeted by a family of mask-wearing people was not at all odd, given the heightened coronavirus concerns already in Thailand. "Everybody wears one," she said. As I circulated about the terminal arrivals area, I offered hand sanitizer to the people I spoke to, and nearly all accepted the offer, or showed me their own personal containers of the stuff. An employee for an outside company that runs the snack stand said he wipes his own counter as often as he can. I also saw a manager of the currency exchange kiosk wipe his counter and the bulletproof glass window separating customers and clerks. Marla Wiley, who volunteers two days a week at the travelers information booth, says the terminal cleaners rarely wipe down the counter she works at. And she couldn't recall seeing any airport workers clean off the chairs in her part of the arrivals area. "I haven't seen anything," she said. Ashley Holmes wore a mask to protect her from the coronavirus as she traveled through LAX on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (Sharon McNary/KPCC/LAist) Outside Terminal 1, which serves mostly domestic flights, Ashley Holmes had just arrived on a flight from New York City. She wore a mask printed with a zipper where her mouth would be. She ordered it a few days ago online. "I got a few of them and I wanted them to be cute," Holmes said. "If we're gonna have to wear these masks let it have a design on it or something." She works in the recording industry, and her New York office told employees who were travelling on business to take precautions against getting the virus. She said she did see extra cleaning going on at LAX as she walked through the terminal. "As I was going down the escalator, there's definitely someone who's wiping the handrails," Holmes said. "So as you're going down, they're wiping behind you. So I can appreciate that, for sure. Made me feel safer." AIRPORT WORKERS ON EDGE OVER VIRUS There was a heightened level of concern among airport workers. Derrick Griggs works for a firm responsible for moving passengers' bags from one plane to another -- bags that have been touched by people all over the world. "It's a little weird working with the virus," Griggs said. "We're all a little on edge here as employees. But, you know, we're doing the best we can to just handle our business." UPDATES: 2:35 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect additional hand sanitizer stations added recently at LAX and to note that in-house cleaners are supplemented by an outside firm to accomplish hourly cleaning. This article was originally published at 11:52 a.m. The Executive Director of Attorney General Africa, Karen White has disclosed that as part of measures at tackling the realities of Transnational Crime in Africa, six U.S. State Attorneys General from the United States of America (U. S. A) will be addressing different stakeholders in the justice and law enforcement sectors in an 8 day conference in Accra. According to her, the 2nd annual conference will focus Cross Border Solutions and International Cooperation. In a release sighted by Modern Ghana, the Executive Director added that the AGA-Africa Conference will bring together the U.S. State Attorneys General and other counterparts to discuss, collaborate, and coordinate on new strategies and solutions to combat these serious issues. Executive Director of the Attorney General Africa, Karen White said "This years conference in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Authority, Food and Drugs Authority of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service provides an important platform for U.S. and African law enforcement officials and other key stakeholders to collaborate on strategies to combat transnational crime networks that pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the U.S., Africa, and the entire international community" She further disclosed that issues of Transnational Crimes can only be solved through international cooperation and coordinated action. Madam White further commended the six State Attorneys Generals for their leadership and commitment to help put an end to these cross-border problems including human trafficking, corruption, and counterfeit drugs. State Attorneys General Letitia James of New York, Karl Racine of Washington, D.C., Denise N. George Virgin Islands Attorney General, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Aaron Ford of Nevada, Kwame Raoul of Illinois will travel to Ghana to take part in the conference. AGRA-Africa says it sees Ghana as a valuable partner to convene this important conference considering it sits at the heart of West Africa and is an important African trafficking route, making it an important player in combating the growing illicit trade in persons, drugs, artefacts and wildlife across West Africa. In other developments, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) says it will sign a memorandum of understanding with the AGA- Africa to promote Responsible Tourism in Ghana as part of the Beyond the Return initiative. Background Established in 2016 by the Attorney General Alliance (AGA), the AGA - Africa is a U.S.-based organization that seeks to build and foster robust relationships with justice and law enforcement agencies and officials throughout Africa to support the rule of law and combat transnational criminal activity. AGA-Africa collaborates with different stakeholders in the justice and law enforcement sectors in Africa to share information, training, technology and experience in the fight against transnational crime networks including human trafficking, wildlife trafficking, counterfeit drugs, corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime. By Kim Hyun-bin The conflict between SK Broadband and Netflix over network sharing costs could be resolved as early as May as the Korea Communication Commission (KCC) is expected to come out with an arbitration proposal. The arbitration results will likely be utilized as a future dispute resolution guideline for local telecom companies and global content providers. Since December 2018, SK and Netflix have voiced their differences over network usage fees. "The arbitration results between SK Broadband and Netflix will be confirmed in May," a KCC official said. SK Broadband, an affiliate of the nation's top mobile carrier SK Telecom, has clashed with Netflix as the U.S. streaming giant refuses to pay for using SK Telecom's internet networks. Netflix causes heavy network traffic as it is a streaming service. SK Broadband CEO Choi Jin-hwan Last month, the KCC requested both companies to submit formal stances. Industry watchers say the KCC will review the two stances and fact-check to produce a detailed arbitration draft. "We have submitted all requested documents to the KCC and are waiting for the arbitration results to come out. We hope the results can create an environment where fair price measurement for network usage is established," an SK Broadband official said. The deadline for Netflix to submit all required documents to the KCC was originally set for early March, but has been extended until the end of the month. "We plan to submit the requested documents within this month," a Netflix spokesman said. "The firm has made heavy investments into network and infrastructure worldwide, and established the Open Connect Appliances (OCA) to reduce traffic." Netflix says it is operating in conjunction with more than 1,000 internet service providers worldwide, including Korea. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings In the past week, Delhi Police got as many as 40 social media accounts suspended for allegedly fuelling the violence in north-east Delhi. The accounts were with websites like Twitter, Faceboook and Instagram. Investigators said that these accounts were circulating fake images and videos to spread rumours and had been broadcasting messages to gather crowds in the riot-hit areas. Till Sunday, Delhi Polices cyber cell had registered 20 first information reports (FIRs) under the Information Technology Act. Officers said the number is expected to increase in the coming days. Over 900 people have been detained or arrested in connection with the violence. However, police did not specify how many of them were because they had posted fake messages online. A senior police officer from the cyber cell, who did not wish to be named, said, These accounts were sharing posts that were malicious and may have fuelled the violence in many affected areas. We have found that these accounts were also circulating false and fake images or videos spreading rumours related to violence-hit areas. We will enlarge these images and video screengrabs to identity the troublemakers. The officer said police began writing to Twitter and Facebook last week on these suspected accounts, and said that the numbers are expected to increase in the coming week. Delhi Police spokesperson additional commissioner of police (crime) MS Randhawa confirmed that the police did get in touch with the social media companies over accounts that were found to be provoking people to resort to violence. Apart from this, the police have also gathered more than 1000 pictures and videos from social media accounts, WhatsApp groups and from local people which they are scanning to zero down on the perpetrators (source of the messages). Many of these accounts, police said, had no pictures or proper names. The officer said investigations have also revealed that a majority of these accounts had been set up recently. They were sending broadcast messages and had formed groups to connect with a large number of social media users. The messages were being used to mobilize mobs particularly in and around the riot-hit areas, the officer added. Police have also found that few of these accounts were being operated from outside the country, but refused to reveal the name of the countries, saying that investigations related to them are still under process. We are trying to identify the account owners and users. All those who were associated with these accounts in any way are also being identified. We are compiling a data of on what time, from what place, and from which device these accounts were active, the officer added. Lucknow, March 2 : Beleaguered Samajwadi Party MP Mohammad Azam Khan has finally found support outside his party. The Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia Chief Shivpal Singh Yadav on Monday alleged that the Yogi Adityanath government was indulging in political vendetta. "The state government has heaped false cases against Azam Khan and his family and is now troubling him further by changing jail at short intervals," he said. Azam Khan, his wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam had surrendered in a court in Rampur on February 26 and they were shifted to the Sitapur jail the next day. A day later, they were taken back to Rampur for a hearing in court and then brought back to the Sitapur jail. "It is inhuman to treat a political leader in this manner. Azam Khan is a nine-term Legislator and a sitting member of Parliament. He and his wife are over 70-years-old and yet, they are being subjected to this kind of physical torture," said Shivpal Yadav. Shivpal also warned that the ruling party should also remain prepared to face similar treatment once they are voted out of power. The Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia is the first political party to have announced support to Azam Khan and his family. Socialism Regarding 40 years after the Miracle on Ice, socialism returns, (A11, Feb. 27): Well the silly season is now in full force when distortions and exaggerations fill the media spurred by the upcoming presidential election. A recent example is the op-ed in Thursdays Houston Chronicle by Marc Thiessen about socialism. In his zeal to demonize Sen. Bernie Sanders, Thiessen proceeds to conflate communism with socialism, claiming that socialism is what caused the killing of 100 million people by communist regimes. Socialism and communism are not the same things. Specifically a socialist economic system rewards individual effort and innovation, and in its modern version, it seeks social reforms and redistribution of wealth through democratic processes and can co-exist alongside a free-market capitalist economy. I am not so naive as to think that the socialism tag will not continue to be used as a blunt political weapon dependent upon most people not knowing what socialism really is. But lets be honest, that is just plain demagoguery. The sober approach would be to debate whether we want basic medical care, affordable college tuition, affordable drugs, etc. and how much we are willing to pay for it. Doug Verret, Sugar Land Marc Thiessens at it again. He writes an article about this generation which has no understanding of socialism then proceeds to demonstrate his own ignorance by writing a totally biased article citing the worst excesses of communism (not socialism). Wheres the balance, buddy? A simple nod to the socialist Scandinavian countries would be sufficient to offset his badly skewed and totally biased portrait of socialism. People there are generally happier, better educated, live longer, have better health outcomes, more free time, better retirement, at a cheaper rate, etc. than the U.S. Thiessens doomsday picture is totally flawed. David J Smith, Spring Anti-lynching bill Regarding Gohmert votes no on Till lynch bill, (A4, Feb. 27): So Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert voted against a bill making lynching a federal hate crime. May I respectfully request that we vote him out of office! I cannot think of a single reason to vote against this bill. Emily Murphy, Kingwood Coronavirus and Medicaid Regarding Health officials: U.S. must prepare for virus, (A1, Feb. 26): The World Health Organization describes the coronavirus pandemic as a very grave threat to the rest of the world. This is on the heels of a Trump administration announcement that it would push for block grants in the federal-state Medicaid program. Connecting the dots of these two headlines is chilling: block grants lower and fix federal funds; the cost of dealing with anything unexpected like the coronavirus or the recent zika threat would fall entirely on the state, likely decimating the Texas state budget. The current flexible system with federal funds accounting for roughly 60 percent of total Medicaid cost allows for the unforeseen, as well as the expanding needs of Texas growing population. Dont let one potential disaster compound another. No Medicaid block grants. Dennis Borel, Coalition of Texans with Disabilities executive director, Austin RodeoHouston is ready for the crowds. Photo: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Photo: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo RodeoHouston is sharing health tips for visitors amid fears of coronavirus. The Rodeo said in a statement it is "working with the Houston Health Department to ensure the safety and well-being of our guests." SHE READY: Becky G promises a 'unique' RodeoHouston experience They have increased the number of hand sanitizer stations throughout AgVenture, The Junction and in the food tents. Hand sanitizer stations are also located throughout the carnival. Additionally, there are hand washing stations in AgVenture, near the petting zoo and pony rides and outdoors near Fun on the Farm and Mutton Bustin. There are handwashing instructions in the bathrooms and additional signage reminding guests to wash their hands has been added near the bathrooms and the livestock stalling area. Guests are encouraged to wash hands before eating or drinking and after touching animals or touching anything in surrounding environments. A page offering health tips on visiting the Rodeo, along with links to the Houston Health Department and CDCs websites on Coronavirus, have been added to the official site. RodeoHouston runs March 3-22 at NRG Stadium. Joey Guerra is the music critic for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter. Get experts picks for concerts, kids stuff, fine arts, movies and more by subscribing to the Preview entertainment newsletter. The 16th Annual Convocation of Globsyn School (GBS) was held at Hyatt Regency Kolkata on March 1, 2020. Over 170 students from Globsyn School's post graduate management programmes were felicitated at the event. Air Chief Marshall (retd) Arup Raha, PVSM, AVSM, VM, Former Chief of Air Staff was the Chief Guest of the event and addressed the gathering. Sharing a message for the students, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog congratulated and urged the graduating students to have the prudence of judgement to make the right choices, not just for themselves, but also for the nation. The convocation was presided over by RC Bhattacharya, Vice-Chairman, GBS. The welcome address was delivered by Rahul Dasgupta, Director and Trustee, GBS, while Bikram Dasgupta, Founder and Executive Chairman, Globsyn Group, addressed the convocation and later conferred diplomas to the students. Those present at the convocation included the Governing Council, Academic Council and faculty of the B-School, parents of the students graduating and GBS alumni. In 2019, Globsyn School became the first AICTE approved B-School in India to use Blockchain technology for issuing diplomas - a feat that has yet to be achieved by any other academic institutions in India, and among the very few to have taken this disruptive step globally. This year too, more than 170 students from Globsyn Business School's post graduate management programmes were issued diplomas using Blockchain technology. The rollout of the diplomas on Blockchain will allow the students and their prospective employers to access the diploma credentials from any geographical location, without any need to send or present physical certificates. "I would like to congratulate one and all graduating today at Globsyn Business School's 16th Convocation ceremony. I am happy to know that 170 students from Globsyn's post graduate management programmes will be graduating today in the presence of their family and faculty, and midst the cheers of their batch mates," said Amitabh Kant in his congratulatory message for the graduating batch. "I would like to congratulate Globsyn Business School for its disruptive step of issuing the diplomas of graduating students using Blockchain technology. This is extremely unique and path-breaking! I wish almost all the colleges and universities of India learn from this great institution and adopt Blockchain technology in issuing diplomas and certificates. I am sure that in areas of emerging technologies, Globsyn Business School will take the lead to drive India's growth in the coming future," he further added, while commenting on the B-School's success with issuing diplomas using Blockchain technology. "With a journey of over 20 years encompassing education, technology, skill development and infrastructure, Globsyn Group is now focused on evolving GBS into a global B-School with an edifice that promotes Innovation, Research and Technology. With the Group now focusing on emerging technologies as a way of life, exciting times are awaiting the students, alumni, corporates and other stakeholders of GBS. I congratulate the students graduating today and wish them all the best for their ambitious career," said Bikram Dasgupta, while addressing the gathering. Globsyn Business School, with its belief in learning 'Beyond Education', also recognised outstanding contributions of several of their student-volunteers who are a part of the Kalyani Youth Leadership Forum (KYLF). Members of KYLF undertake the B-School's 'Care for Society' initiatives implemented under the aegis of Kalyani - a Bikram Dasgupta Foundation. Kalyani works with a credo of 'touching human lives' through projects aimed at providing long-term benefits to women, the elderly and the differently-abled. 'Care for Society' activities form a regular part of the event calendar for the management students of GBS whose leadership skills and managerial abilities are shaped while executing large-format community development projects. This initiative has also been recognized by AICTE as a 'Best Practices' nationally by approved institutions in India, and has been mentioned in AICTE's Best Practices bulletin. "With the introductions of courses like 'Community Service Program' and 'Industry 4.0' as a part of the B-School's curriculum architecture, we ensure that the students not only become dedicated and compassionate managers but also be technologically bent, which will make them truly 'ready' and 'relevant' for the current industry. We have also been seamlessly blending in the essence of 'Experiential Learning' through activities like Boardroom Simulation, Corporate Connects, Industry Visits, amongst others," said Rahul Dasgupta, while speaking on recent academic enhancements of the B-School. "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our corporate partners for their continued support and trust over the years on the brand 'Globsyn Business School', as it is because of them that we have successfully completed the full-time placements for 2020," he further added, while commenting on the B-School's successful full-time placement drive. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Venture: Former Ryanair CFO is a member of Irelandia Aviations advisory group. Photo: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg Irelandia Aviation, the investment vehicle controlled by Declan Ryan, has taken a stake in a budget Colombian hotel chain that's continuing an expansion trail around South America. Dublin-based Irelandia was part of a clutch of investors that took part in a recent $8.7m (7.9m) Series A funding for the Ayenda hotel group. The money is slated to help the chain expand in Peru. Mr Ryan is a son of the late Tony Ryan, a co-founder of Ryanair. Irelandia, whose advisory group includes the former Ryanair chief financial officer Howard Millar, has invested in a number of low-cost airline start-ups over the past couple of decades, including Tigerair, Allegiant and VivaAerobus. It owns a majority stake in Colombian airline Viva Air. The investment in Ayenda was led by Kaszek Ventures, an Argentina-based venture capital firm that has invested more $1bn (906m) in the past decade. Ayenda was founded two years ago and operates a franchise model that standardises the offering of each hotel, as well as managing room inventory and marketing. It has 4,500 rooms operating under the Ayenda brand in Colombia, where it has become the country's biggest hotel chain. Ayenda is aiming to have more than one million guest stays this year. Its rooms start from as little as $20 (18) a night, with free wifi among the amenities included. Meanwhile, Irelandia has also earmarked a 2pc stake in Viva Air for staff after achieving a number of major milestones during the eight-year history of the carrier. But the award is contingent on Viva Air successfully completing a stock market flotation in the medium term. Viva Air chief executive Felix Antelo said the airline wanted its staff to reap the benefit from its success. Last year, Mr Ryan said that he expected to float Viva Air at some time in 2020. Since taking over as chief executive of Viva Air in 2018, Mr Antelo has scrubbed up the airline's image and improved its punctuality. About 20pc of its passengers are people flying for the first time ever. A teacher from Fort Ann is under quarantine in China, where he took a job last fall and now finds himself trying to teach via app through his cellphone. David Sherwood, an Iraq War veteran who couldnt find a full-time teaching position at home, moved to Hefei, China, in August. An international school hired him and tossed in a free apartment to sweeten the deal. At the time it seemed like an adventure. Now hes spent nearly a month in his apartment, teaching his students online, thanks to coronavirus. Sherwood isnt sick, just quarantined. China quarantined whole cities to try to stop the spread of the illness. Hefei is about the size of New York City. Its about 200 miles from Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak began. In Hefei, hes only allowed to leave for food three times a week. To keep track of it, he has a pass from his apartment complexs management. It is stamped by police who have taken up posts at the entrance to each residential block. While one officer stamps his ticket, another checks him for a fever. The only businesses still open in this city are grocery stores, pharmacies and liquor stores. It is now illegal for bars, restaurants and cinemas to remain open to the public. The local McDonalds has managed to function as food delivery service, he said via email. A few colleagues avoid going out by having food delivered straight to their doors. He doesnt know Chinese well enough to order food for delivery, so he has ventured out to the grocery store a few times, he said. Every time Ive been out, though, Im amazed how empty the city seems. Foot traffic is a scant fraction of what it normally is. The normally crazy road traffic here is now almost non-existent, he said. To get into any store, the customer generally must be wearing a mask, he added. At the grocery store, everyone had to have a mask, pass a temperature check and sanitize their hands at the entrance. Once, he stood in line for 20 minutes just to get into the store. Hes not sure how other people are managing to pay for rent or food if their employer has closed for the quarantine. Since hes still working, hes still getting paid. But those who work at the grocery store seem increasingly anxious about their proximity to so many potential carriers of coronavirus. The staff in the grocery store at a minimum wear gloves and a mask; some take even more precautions. The cashier who checked me out last time was wearing gloves, a mask, goggles, and a full smock, he said. He is also noticing some food scarcity now, several weeks into the quarantine. Many imported brands are no longer available, apples and bananas are hard to find and prices are going up. He thinks hell be quarantined for at least another month. At this point, if Im back teaching in an actual physical classroom by April, Ill be ecstatic, he said. Hes not happy with the online teaching situation. Everyone in my school came to China with computers, but not with this in mind. I possess a low-end laptop, thinking Id only be using it for word processing. When I tried setting it up to host an online class, it crashed trying to maintain connections to 50-plus students, he said. The school decided in early February to move all classes online. There was no time to buy compatible laptops and software for everyone, so students and teachers are just using what they have. It has not gone well. Compatibility issues have been a nightmare. Ive had to settle for using the social media app WeChat instead, he said. Functional but far from ideal. Frustration is building among students and teachers, he added. Im a war veteran, so Ive been through worse ordeals. I consider this more of an annoyance, he said. But he wishes he was back home. Especially since Im not teaching in a physical classroom. I could just as easily teach online from the states, maybe even more easily, he said. Still, he left the United States to pursue his dream of teaching. After serving in the military, he got a teaching degree and was certified as a New York state teacher. He substituted nearly every day, in most of the school districts in the region, but never got a full-time job. Then he got the call from Hefei. With my New York state teacher certification about to expire, with no real hope of being able to renew it, I leaped at the prospect of finally getting my own classroom, even if it was on the other side of the planet, he said. The only other option I saw before me was perhaps rejoining the military. It wasnt a hard choice. You can reach Kathleen Moore at 742-3247 or kmoore@poststar.com. Follow her on Twitter @ByKathleenMoore or at her blog on www.poststar.com. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. She's the fitness entrepreneur who often shares her workouts with her dedicated fanbase on Instagram. And on Monday, Tammy Hembrow looked downcast as she arrived at a Gold Coast gym. The 25-year-old, who revealed her toned tummy in a black midriff and coordinating leggings, was engrossed on her iPhone after parking her Mercedes-Benz. All okay? Ab-baring Tammy Hembrow, 25, (pictured) looked downcast as she arrived at a Gold Coast gym on Monday, after jetting to Milan for Fashion Week Tammy added white sneakers to the look and ankle straps for the gym's cable machine. She slung a grey towel over one forearm, and came prepared to break a sweat with a water bottle and three of her own booty bands. The mother-of-two slicked her blonde locks into a tight bun, drawing attention to her defined brows, long lashes and a natural colour on her plump pout. Dressed for the gym: Tammy came prepared to break a sweat in a black midriff and matching leggings. She added white sneakers and ankle straps for the gym's cable machine Engrossed: The mother-of-two looked to have had a lot on her mind as she left her Mercedes-Benz. She was engrossed on her iPhone and then appeared to have taken a call Tammy looked to have had a lot on her mind as she read something on her iPhone, and appeared to have taken a call before entering the gym. It's been a whirlwind past few weeks for Tammy who debuted the latest pieces from her Saski Collection at New York Fashion Week. She then attended the Philipp Plein show at Milan Fashion Week. En route to the event, the blonde bombshell posed up a storm in a swanky bathroom in a racy black frock with cut-out detail, that accentuated her ample cleavage. Promoting her brand: It's been a whirlwind past few weeks for Tammy who debuted the latest pieces from her Saski Collection at New York Fashion Week Va va voom! She then attended the Philipp Plein show at Milan Fashion Week. En route to the event, Tammy posed up a storm in a swanky bathroom in a racy black frock with cut-out detail Tammy played with the fabric of her eye-catching dress, which also featured a crystal heart clasp at the waist. She later cheered on Jada Pinkett Smith and Olivia Culpo as they walked down the runway, and offered a glimpse of her decadent dinner table setting. Tammy's jet-setting lifestyle is a far cry from her very humble beginnings. She revealed in her podcast, Hanging With The Hembrows, in January, that she previously held jobs in telemarketing and at a burger chain. Stellar rise: Tammy's jet-setting lifestyle is a far cry from her humble beginnings. She revealed in her podcast, Hanging With The Hembrows, that she previously held jobs in telemarketing and at a burger chain The Instagram sensation said she used to get screamed at while dealing with disgruntled customers during her stint in telemarketing. 'I just got screamed at all the time. I literally used to cry after work,' Tammy said with a laugh. Speaking of her fast food job, she said: 'Grill'd was pretty bad as well, making burgers, but I got free burgers out of that and they were delicious.' The daughter of a former Italian crime boss has described her father being there to celebrate her 50th birthday as 'amazing' - after he came out of hiding to attend her party. Mafia 'princess' Marisa Merico took over as leader of the infamous 'Milan Ndrangheta' gang aged 22, while her father gave her orders from a prison cell in the late 1980s and 90s. The Sunday Mirror reported that reformed Emilio Di Giovine, 70, recently flew into Manchester Airport from an unknown location where he has been in hiding since informing on his fellow gang members almost three decades ago. It was the first time he he's left Italy, with Marisa previously travelling to see him, her most recent visit being six years ago. The pair cried and held each other during their reunion, before heading to a country house near his daughter's home in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, for a party - where Marisa wore a Versace dress. Mafia Princess Marisa Merico and her father Emilio Di Giovine, 70, were reunited as he left Italy for the first time in 27 years to celebrate Marisa's 50th birthday Marisa also spoke candidly about the day she married henchman Bruno Merico, and narrowly escaped death. Had her father been in the car to give her away, she says, two armed men on bikes would have destroyed the vehicle to kill him - and they wouldn't have thought twice about shooting her in the cross-fire. 'There were times when I was in dangerous situations. The most was my wedding,' she said. 'There were not only the police but two men with bikes who would have shut down the car had my father been there to give me away.' Marisa took over as leader of the Milan Ndrangheta gang aged just 22 as her father gave her orders from a prison cell in the 1990s (pictured together when she was a baby) Thankfully they had decided it would be too dangerous for Emilio to attend, and he missed the wedding, making a reunion for Marisa's 50th even more poignant. About him being with her for her birthday she said: 'I cant believe he is here, where I have lived most of my life. Its surreal.' Marisa went public with her story after turning her back on crime following a two years and nine months stint in HM Prison Durham for using laundered Mafia money to buy a 1.6million house in England. Aged 11 a photograph was taken of Marisa with a doll in one hand and a gun in the other, as she became more involved in her father's criminal enterprise The pair cried and held each other during their reunion, before heading to a country house near his daughter's home in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, for a party (pictured) Despite moving with her British-born mother back to her home town of Blackpool aged nine, Marisa spent each summer with her Italian family in Milan. The family business - at first unknown to her mother Pat, who was aged 23 when she fell in love with Emilio, then 20 - was drug smuggling. The pair met when Pat was working as an au pair and they enjoyed an intense romance before splitting when Marisa was one. Aged 11, a photograph was taken of Marisa with a doll in one hand and a gun in the other as she became more involved in her father's criminal enterprise. By the time she was 17 she had officially joined the firm and met her first husband, with whom she was sent on a Bonnie and Clyde-style adventure across Europe to deliver 500,000 to gangsters in Seville. Despite moving with her British-born mother back to her home town of Blackpool aged nine, Marisa (pictured in her Versace party dress) spent summers with her Italian family in Milan She described the moment the pair stopped for coffee on their ten-hour drive only to find five Carabinieri (Italian police) cars at the services. Trying to avoid any suspicion, despite having a car filled to the brim with weapons, they still stopped their Citroen for a coffee - and avoided detection. She had her first child, a daughter Lara, now 28, with Bruno, but they divorced in 2000. Marisa had her second child, son Frank, now 19, with Frank Birley - who was shot dead while she was pregnant in April 2000. He had just been released from jail after serving a 14-year sentence for armed robbery and hostage-taking. Emilio and Marisa (pictured when she was a young girl) were first reunited by the Sunday Mirror six years ago during a cloak-and-dagger meeting Her mother Pat died in 2012 and Emilio is now married to a woman ten years younger than his daughter. Emilio and Marisa were first reunited by the Sunday Mirror six years ago during a cloak-and-dagger meeting and hadn't seen each other again as Emilio lives under a false name. Marisa has turned her life around and now gives talks on her story alongside studying for a degree in Criminology. Her book, Mafia Princess, is being turned into an Italian Amazon Prime film. Bamidele Omotola is a public health expert and development consultant. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES Nike Adebowale, he talks about the Sustainable Development Goals and the efforts required if Nigeria is to meet the 17 goals by 2030. PT: Do you think Nigeria can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? Omotola: From my own perception, we may not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We still have 10 years to plan, but, unfortunately, Nigeria does not plan. If you plan and implement your plan, we are likely to get there. We are in a country where people just wake up and whatever happens is what we do. We have a national population policy (of) four children per family. Unfortunately, one of our senators recently said he had 27 children and still counting but we laughed and clapped for him. What are the status of those children? What kind of provision has he kept in place for those children, not to talk of his wives? We are in (a) country where a governor said meningitis is due to peoples promiscuity. Are we serious? Look at Coronavirus now, what have we done apart from praying? We are talking about quality education for all, opportunities for all ages at all times but we do not know the number of teachers or classrooms needed. I was in a part of this country, where I saw in one classroom, 280 registered pupils. We know what to do but we are not doing it. Mind you, the SDGs are global targets, so how much of those global targets align with Nigerias target? We just developed the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) by 2017 while the SDG has been on since 2016. The discussion started from 2012 yet when we were doing ERGP we didnt factor in the SDGs except we now begin to realign the ERGP into the SDGs. Remember, the SDG is about leaving no one behind, whether a child or an adult. The thing we need to do to achieve these goals is simple but we must learn to plan. PT: Are there reasons, in relation to the recently released Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), why Nigeria may not achieve the goals? Omotola: All the NDHS data points to this answer. It took us several years, yet we did not attain mortality figures for Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and even now, we (do) not. Our health coverage is very low, despite the SDG goals of leaving no one behind. We still have stunting rate of 37 per cent and we are supposed to bring it down to less than five per cent. Look at the number of years it took us to get to this level. The change is so small that by the end of 2030, we will not be there. It is just like the cheetah and the tortoise running a race. Nigeria is the tortoise and the rest of the developing countries are the cheetahs. They will get there and we will still be running. We are talking about universal education; we are not there. We still have 10 million children out of school. Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa with over $398 billion. PT: How much does Nigeria need to meet the goals? Omotola: Given the current data we have, if we have to achieve Universal Health Coverage for all, education for all, zero hunger for all by 2030, the country needs about $350billion. Our total income in 2018 was $398billon, so, it means we should just spend all that money to achieve (the) SDGs. The president said he wanted to lift 100 million people out of poverty. As of 2019, we have 98 million people and we know where 70 percent of them are. So what program are we putting in place? All these small interventions wont help us. We must have policies that are effective, policies that are implemented, effective and of wide coverage. Its not to do a small thing in one corner of Nigeria. PT: What plan do you think can be put in place to meet these goals? Omotola: We must have policies that are effective, policies that are implemented and of wide coverage. The former minister of health said he wanted to achieve Universal Health Coverage but where are we today? We have been talking about National Health Insurance Scheme and as at 2018, only three per cent of Nigerians are covered. That means people are left to access health services out of pockets. Unfortunately, our leaders are not accountable. They must be accountable for what they do and be held accountable (for) what they fail to do. We have had Boko Haram in the North since 2009, so what are the states affected doing with their monthly allocation. Donors are putting money on a regular basis, the whole state is putting money to solve insurgency, so what are they doing with it? They also have high numbers of Internally Displaced Persons, how much of the money have they used to help them? PT: What are the implications of not meeting the goals by 2030? Omotola: You know (how) Nigeria is being rated amongst other countries. Nigeria will continue to be at the bottom of the ladder. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. Phnom Penh, March 2 : Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that the US has cancelled a summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which scheduled to be held on March 14 in Las Vegas. Speaking at a university graduation ceremony here, Hun Sen said coronavirus outbreak was perhaps the main reason that US President Donald Trump decided to cancel the summit, reports Xinhua news agency. "I support President Trump's decision taking this time, because both the US and ASEAN are busy with trying to to control the situation relating to this virus," he said. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Meanwhile, Hun Sen called on health authorities in Cambodia to continue strengthening thermal scanning at all airports, ports and border checkpoints to prevent the virus from spreading to the country. The Prime Minister said that so far, there were no new confirmed case of the virus in the country. Cambodia confirmed the first and only case of the COVID-19 on January 27. The victim was discharged from the hospital on February 10 after fully recovering from the disease. Finance & Development, March 2020, Vol. 57, No. 1 PDF version Reversing Demographic Decline Singapores experience in trying to raise its fertility rate offers lessons for other countries Poh Lin Tan Globally, fertility is on the decline. While a total fertility rate below the replacement level of 2.1 is now the norm for advanced economies, the very lowest rates are found in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan Province of China, and higher-income Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Hong Kong SAR. As a result, in the absence of immigration, this region is set to experience the most rapid population aging and decline. In the case of Singapore, the government has grappled with the relentless downward trend in fertility since the 1980s. After a public campaign and limited programs failed to produce results, a package of pronatalist incentives was introduced in 2001 and enhanced over the years. Currently, the package includes paid maternity leave, childcare subsidies, tax relief and rebates, one-time cash gifts, and grants for companies that implement flexible work arrangements. Despite these efforts, the fertility rate deteriorated from 1.41 in 2001 to a precarious 1.16 in 2018. What can we learn from Singapore? Lesson 1: Address the rising age at childbearing The mean age of childbearing has increased by approximately one year a decade among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, according to calculations by Oxford Universitys Melinda Mills and colleagues (Mills and others 2011). In Singapore, changes in the age composition of women giving birth have been especially dramatic. Women ages 2024 are now as likely to give birth as women ages 4044 and far less likely than women ages 3539. Moreover, unlike in a number of European countries, the steep decline in fertility among women in their 20s has not been offset by higher birth rates among women in their 30s. Instead of merely being delayed, these missing babies have vanished permanently. The rising age at childbearing is the lowest-hanging fruit from a policy perspective. It is far easier to help couples who are already married and desire at least two children to achieve their fertility goals than to attempt to match singles in the marriage market or persuade couples who do not want more children to change their minds. While the two-child-family ideal continues to hold in Singapore, the phenomenon of higher ages at parenthood reduces the probability that families will achieve it, because of either unforeseen changes in circumstances such as divorce, health, or income shocks, or reduced ability to conceive and carry a child to term. The Singaporean policy approach aims to create a more conducive environment for marriage and fertility for all groupsin particular to help married women reconcile labor participation with motherhood. However, few if any of the instruments are designed specifically to allow women to become mothers at peak childbearing ages, either to stem the decline among women in their 20s or to boost fertility rates among women in their early 30s. As a result, the lack of age sensitivity represents a lost opportunity to cater to the most receptive group of prospective parents. Lesson 2: Reproductive technologies are not a panacea One reason for older childbearing in advanced economies is the publics misplaced faith in reproductive technologies effectiveness. According to Judith Daniluk and colleagues at the University of British Columbia, common fertility myths include the belief that good health and in vitro fertilization (IVF) can offset the effects of age-related infertility (Daniluk, Koert, and Cheung 2012). Few people are aware that IVF poses health risks to women or that delayed childbearing can lead to more complications during pregnancy or birth and more birth defects. Men and women thus tend to underestimate the risks associated with delaying marriage and childbearing. As part of the package of pronatalist incentives, the Singaporean government subsidizes up to 75 percent of assisted reproductive technology treatment costs for qualifying married couples and allows them to tap into their medical accounts under the national savings program to pay for the procedures. Singapores fertility experience suggests that access to IVF and other reproductive technologies is not sufficient to ensure that older women have enough babies to compensate for fertility decline among younger women. Japan, another excellent example, has the worlds highest percentage of babies born through IVF (about 5 percent), as well as one of the lowest fertility rates. Lesson 3: Household production cannot be fully outsourced Singapores low fertility also demonstrates the limitations of formal sector provision of childcare and housework. Peter McDonald at the Australian National University argues that even though women have more educational and labor market opportunities than ever, gender inequality at home, which places the burden of caring for children and household chores on women, results in very high opportunity costs of childbearing and hence very low fertility (McDonald 2006). Singapore provides insight into this issue because of the unusually robust range of options its formal sector provides. The government is heavily involved in the provision of low-cost and high-quality formal childcare. Working mothers receive childcare subsidies of S$300 a month for formal childcare; lower-income families receive more. Moreover, unlike in most other advanced economies, families can (and many do) hire relatively low-cost domestic workers from neighboring Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Hence, it is relatively easy for women to outsource childcare and housework in Singapore. Singapores low fertility rates suggest that formal sector provision cannot substitute for parents spending quality time with children. While access to excellent childcare options and domestic workers may help, institutional supportparental leave and flexible work arrangements that allow families to spend more time together is needed as well. Lesson 4: Acknowledge human capitals true cost It is no coincidence that Japan, Singapore, and other very low fertility countries also tend to score very well in human capital rankings, from Program for International Student Assessment tests to the new World Bank Human Capital Index. Economists have long noted a trade-off between quantity and quality of children (in terms of resources devoted per child). My coauthors and I argue (Tan, Morgan, and Zagheni 2016) that the East Asian institutional emphasis on early life achievements increases returns from investing in childrens human capital, which means more children, more expense. The other side of the coin is the serious consequences of being less successful than others, both for parents and their children. Local surveys suggest that a large proportion of singles wish to be married someday but choose to pursue educational or career success over dating. The majority of married couples have children, but most stop at one or two, owing to high education- related expenses and the desire to invest more in each child. Couples who might otherwise want children voice concern over the ethics of a stressful childhood and upbringing or worry that they would lack the energy or ability to help their children compete effectively. Singapores human capital success story, which has propelled it to the top of international rankings, thus comes at a cost to its peoples willingness and ability to build families. The inability to raise the fertility rate is hence not so much a testimony to ineffective pronatalist policies as to the overwhelming success of an economic and social system that heavily rewards achievement and penalizes lack of ambition. Tackling the fertility rate may therefore require confronting some of the weaknesses of the underlying system, which means not only addressing demographic challenges, but also potentially helping build social cohesion or healthy cultural attitudes toward risk taking. At the end of this years Forbes Global CEO Conference, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that with help from immigration, a fertility of rate of 1.31.4 may be enough to meet the countrys needs (Yong 2019). As long as there is tension between human capital and fertility, raising birth rates in Singapore to replacement levels will take more than just policy updates and patches. However, a mix of age-sensitive policies and enhancements of pronatalist incentives may push fertility to a more modest target of 1.4. Singapore has little time to lose: as the population ages, fewer and fewer couples will be of childbearing age, and a higher fertility rate will deliver less bang for the buck. Its now or never. PHOTO: DREAMSTIME.COM / ANDREI IANCU Opinions expressed in articles and other materials are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect IMF policy. Non-Asian students also liked trying the different cuisines. Raine McClory, a sophomore, said she really enjoyed the Korean food, but her favorite item from the event was the green onion pancakes from the Taiwan booth. She also learned about countries that she was not too familiar with. IDEX Corporation IEX, on Feb 28, announced that it completed the acquisition of Phoenix, AZ-based Flow Management Devices, LLC. The transaction value was $125 million. It is worth mentioning here that the buyout deal was announced by IDEX on Jan 29. Privately-owned Flow Management Devices specializes in providing flow measurement systems, especially for customers in the oil & gas industry. The firm has manufacturing facilities in Arizona, and owns offices in Pittsburgh and Houston. It was founded in 2007 and generates $60 million in revenues globally. Inside the Headlines As noted, IDEX will benefit from the integration of Flow Management to its energy group, especially boosting the latters pump and metering systems business. Businesses from customers like pipeline operators, refineries and chemical manufacturers are expected to flourish. It is worth noting here that IDEXs energy group is part of the companys Fluid & Metering Technologies segment. The energy group comprises the business of Liquid Controls, SAMPI, Corken and Toptech Systems. In 2019, the Fluid & Metering Technologies segment accounted for 38% of IDEXs revenues. Moreover, the energy market accounted for 17% of the Fluid & Metering Technologies segments sales in the year. IDEXs Inorganic Initiatives The above-mentioned transaction is consistent with IDEXs policy of acquiring meaningful businesses to gain access to improve its product lines and market exposure. In 2018, the companys acquisition of Phantom Controls intellectual property assets (in June) and Finger Lakes Instrumentation (in July) deserves a mention. Further, IDEX acquired Velcora Holding AB, with its Steridose and Roplan businesses, in July 2019. The buyout added strength to the companys sealing solutions platform. In fourth-quarter 2019, acquired assets positively impacted IDEXs sales by 2%. In 2020, the buyouts are predicted to positively impact its revenues by $21 million and earnings by 3 cents per share. Zacks Rank, Price Performance and Earnings Estimates With a market capitalization of $11.3 billion, IDEX currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). It faces headwinds from forex woes and challenging end markets. Also, impacts of variable compensation, tax rate and growth investments might be dragging. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. In the past three months, IDEXs shares have dipped 6.2% versus the industrys decline of 2.8%. Story continues The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share is pegged at $5.74 for 2020 and $6.14 for 2021, marking declines of 4.5% from the respective 60-day-ago figures. Also, estimates represent a year-over-year decline of 1% for 2020 and a dip of 6.9% for 2021. IDEX Corporation Price and Consensus IDEX Corporation Price and Consensus IDEX Corporation price-consensus-chart | IDEX Corporation Quote Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the industry are Graco Inc. GGG, Tennant Company TNC and Dover Corporation DOV. While both Graco and Tennant currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Dover carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. In the past 60 days, earnings estimates for these companies have improved for the current year. Further, positive earnings surprise for the last four quarters, on average, was 0.40% for Graco, 26.60% for Tennant and 5.36% for Dover. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Graco Inc. (GGG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Dover Corporation (DOV) : Free Stock Analysis Report IDEX Corporation (IEX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tennant Company (TNC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research OMJASVIN M D By Express News Service CHENNAI: Taking yet another step towards realising the Zero Waste Chennai concept, Tiruvottiyur Zone of Greater Chennai Corporation is now refurbishing discarded school bags into brand new ones. Refurbished bags are given to Corporation school students for free while public too can get them. Being the first zone to take up this initiative, three refurbishing points have been set up in the area, one being the zonal office itself. Sanitary workers collect the discarded bags and take them to the refurbishing points. The main aim is to reduce any waste going to landfills, a Corporation official told Express. The sanitary workers collect between 50 to 100 bags daily from the 14 wards of the zone. Then these bags are brought to the refurbishing points where they are washed with soap and dried for the rest of the day. To refurbish the bags, we have engaged three women from Self Help Groups, who work from 6 am to 1:30 pm, the official said. Once these bags are dried, they add paint coatings to them so that the bags look new. The three staff are also specialised tailors. They fix the zips and refurbish them as proper bags which students can use, added the official. Every day, the civic body refurbishes around 25 bags and the next day itself, they are sent to Corporation schools. This not only helps the Corporation school students but also sends a message to people that nothing has to be discarded and a zero-waste city is possible, the Corporation official further said. According to current data, about 5 to 10 tonnes of waste like leather and rexine materials is collected by the Corporation from every zone in a month. Besides school bags, they have refurbished lunch bags and travel bags too. The Corporation has designed a poster inviting people to come and take the bags from them. Officials are hopeful that this initiative can be implemented in all 15 zones.Apart from this, the Corporation has also been converting waste cloth into carry bags and giving them to people free of cost. To get one of these refurbished school bags, the public can either visit the Tiruvottiyur Zonal Office or contact 9445190511. From behind a steering wheel, primary season in Laredo seems pretty ordinary this year. Theres an average number of yard signs, the typical gaggle of supporters waving to cars 100 feet outside of polling stations and the occasional candidate at a busy intersection. READ MORE: Webb Co. Sheriff Candidate defends past after Matin Cuellar claims he lied about arrest The real difference is that this year that candidate is U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who has not had a substantial opponent to fight since 2006. Now in the throes of a challenge from the progressive, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez-approved Jessica Cisneros, Cuellars campaign has spent over $2.2 million this cycle and received outside support from political action committees such as the Voter Protection Project, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Koch-funded LIBRE Action and Americans for Prosperity. And local voters would be hard-pressed not to notice, having received stacks of mailers and a deluge of ads across television, print, social media and radio. Cuellars campaign will have knocked on over 100,000 doors across the 28th Congressional District by the time this article runs, according to Colin Strother, Cuellars campaign spokesperson. Last weekend, in the middle of the busiest day of Washingtons Birthday Celebration, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, along with Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee Nita Lowey, rallied a group of volunteers and supporters at Cuellars campaign headquarters. We want this to be not only a victory, but a resounding victory for Henry, Pelosi said. Every step you take, every door you knock, every call you make, will make that resounding victory possible. Cuellar has this support of the political establishment in Washington, D.C. and from officials throughout his district. His campaign touts the endorsements of over 200 local leaders across the nine counties he represents, plus Laredos Border Patrol, police officer and firefighter unions. Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz said he is supporting Cuellar because he works hard, he follows through and hes a moderate. The city needs someone who can work on both sides of the aisle, he said. As the mayor, I dont really care where the money is coming from. Republican or Democrat, we need them both, Saenz said. Saenz added that he has not met Cisneros, but that he feels comfortable with Cuellar. Ultimately its the work he has done and his consistency, the mayor said. Former Webb County Democratic Party Chair Sergio Mora has been a longtime friend of Cuellars. Mora said he is definitely more liberal than the congressman and that he disagrees with on several issues, but that Cuellars focus is to produce for his district. He has delivered results, Mora said. READ MORE: Jessica Cisneros nets endorsement from Bernie Sanders in primary battle against Henry Cuellar His support for Cuellar in this election is pragmatic, Mora said. He met with Cisneros briefly and liked her; she seemed qualified, nice and charismatic, Mora said. But this is Texas, and the 28th District encompasses significant swaths of rural, conservative areas, he said. Mora believes that affects a lot of the way this district votes. In her first interview with Laredo Morning Times, Cisneros said people understand the 28th District to be conservative-leaning Democratic because Cuellar perpetuates this idea as their conservative Democratic representative. Her campaign is taking a bet that Laredo, by virtue of its position on the border and among the most impoverished areas of Texas, will take to proposals such as Medicare for All, a $15 an hour minimum wage and the Green New Deal, which are all part of her platform. This has led to innumerable national media outlets labeling Cisneros as the next AOC. And the Nation this week called her campaign the second-most important race for progressives this primary season. Cisneros has been endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez, progressive presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the Texas largest labor union, the Texas AFL-CIO, Texas American Federation of Teachers and others. Cuellars campaign argues that Cisneros progressive proposals will ruin the economy of the district. To end oil and gas production would devastate families and school districts, and without the USMCA, Laredos economy would collapse, Strother said. Cisneros tweeted in October that workers and labor groups should have a seat at the negotiating table for USMCA. Her ideas are really harmful to this community, and she doesnt understand that because she hasnt lived here as an adult, Strother said. This has been the prevailing message of the bulk of Cuellars attack ads that Cisneros is an interloper who doesnt know the district. Cisneros was born and raised in Laredo but went to college and then law school at the University of Texas. She then took a fellowship with a public defender group in New York before moving back to Laredo for the campaign. One of the mailers going around shows a photo of a piece of NYC pizza, an NYC bagel and then a photo of Cisneros, labeled an NYC candidate. Another shows the image of what is meant to be Cisneros calendar from the month she announced her candidacy, adorned with scribblings such as Yay law! and Run for Congress! Strother said if she really cared about her community, Cisneros would have moved back to Laredo after graduating from law school. Cisneros said these attack ads are childish, infantilizing and a window into how Cuellars campaign views women. She noted that she has been doing immigrants rights work since 2012, representing families in San Antonio immigration courts and working with people in the Laredo detention center. For him to come up with lies to try to misrepresent my experience, its a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues, she said. READ MORE: Laredoans react to the Cisneros campaign announcement Amber Avis, president of Webb County Young Democrats, used to be a big fan of Cuellars. But after the Justice Democrats, the group that backed Ocasio-Cortez, announced that they would be challenging Cuellars seat next, Avis started to look into his voting record and contributors to his campaign. She does not believe his voting record reflects the Democratic Party. Then she learned that in 2018 and this year, Cuellar has been among the top recipients of campaign contributions from payday lenders and for-profit prisons. I keep learning more and more, and it makes my skin cringe, Avis said. Strother says Cuellar has never let a contribution of any size impact his decisions and that he votes for his district. Cisneros has exceeded Avis expectations as a candidate. Cisneros wants the national media and the world to know what the issues are here, and she cares about the community, Avis said. Kike Lobo, who represents Laredo on the board for Equality Texas, is also supporting Cisneros, citing a need for change. She is not a political insider and feels like one of us, Lobo said. Although Cuellar voted for the Equality Act last year, Lobo said the congressmans support of the LGBTQ community has not been enough of a priority. Both candidates feel their opponent has been fixated on negative campaigning rather than self-promotion of their ideals. And both candidates indicated that throughout their time door-knocking, calling, raising money and shaking hands with voters, that they have felt validated by the feedback they have received. But in spite of the outreach from both camps, plus a hefty amount of national media attention, early voting turnout in Webb County was low this year, with 20,253 votes representing a 15.2% turnout of registered voters. The 2016 and 2012 primaries turned out 16.4% and 16.6% of registered voters in Webb County, respectively. This has been interpreted disparately among the public. Mora believes that if Cisneros were running a successful campaign it would be reflected in a higher turnout. She is depending on a lot of young, first-time voters to come out to the polls, and Mora hasnt seen that. Avis thinks the low turnout is good for Cisneros, because it provides an insurgent opportunity to people who are voting for change. READ MORE: Cuellar-Cisneros primary battle gets national spotlight on HBO show Regardless, Tuesday will be the first litmus test in years to reveal the true ideology of this South Texas district. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com AP - Amy Klobuchar is ending her Democratic presidential campaign and is set to endorse Joe Biden. The Minnesota senator announced the decision Monday, calling it quits after a bid that broke briefly into the top tier with a third-place finish in New Hampshire but failed to sustain that energy further into the Democratic nomination fight. The three-term senator launched her campaign in a Minnesota snowstorm last February, touting her grit and Midwestern sensibilities. But she couldn't compete with her rivals in early fundraising, and her effort to own the primary's moderate lane got tougher when Biden and another Midwesterner, Pete Buttigieg of Indiana, got in. RELATED: Stay with Action News Now for full Super Tuesday coverage on-air and online. Read More A young father of a newborn baby was hacked to death by a machete-wielding gang who ambushed him on his way to work a night shift. The hooded men attacked Asante Campbell, 24, in the car park of a housing estate in Hendon at 9pm on Saturday. Witnesses said Mr Campbell was stabbed with arm-length blades before his killers fled in a silver hatchback after being disturbed by residents. Mr Campbell tried to drive his VW Polo to safety but crashed into a parked car less than a mile away. Crime scene in Parson Street, Hendon after a man in his twenties was stabbed to death / NIGEL HOWARD Mr Campbell, known as Santz, was later pronounced dead in hospital. Detectives said he had left his girlfriend and their daughter at their home in Edgware only 15 minutes earlier to travel to work. Today a crime scene remained in place at the Belle Vue estate as forensic officers searched for evidence. A tribute left where Mr Campbell was attacked read: Asante, I never thought I would have to do this. Your energy spoke volumes, your spirit will live on forever. Crime scene in Parson Street, Hendon after a man in his twenties was stabbed to death. / NIGEL HOWARD A resident, 22, told the Standard: We saw him being attacked by four people in dark clothing. The victim was outside his own car when he was being attacked. If my mum hadnt have shouted at them they were going to keep on attacking him. After his car hit the railings, mum heard him shouting for help. Then they tried to push the car over him. When he started screaming my mum shouted: Whats happening? Im going to call the police. At that moment they all started running. They were all armed and had weapons, arm-length, the victim had something in his hand a long metal item that he must have used to defend himself. NIGEL HOWARD A woman who lives in Parson Street, where the victim was found, said: There were lots of people around him on the floor, they pulled him out of the car. He was bleeding a lot, but they couldnt do anything. Last night grieving friends gathered on the estate in Stratford Road. One said: He was a lovely guy and didnt deserve to die this way. His girlfriend and mother are going through hell. "These people dont realise how many lives they have ruined. Scotland Yard said his next of kin have been informed and a post-mortem examination and formal identification will be arranged in due course. There have been no arrests. Meanwhile, a boy, 16, was stabbed in a childrens play park in Basing Hill Park, Golders Green, at 4.50pm yesterday. Just over 15 minutes later a 20-year-old man was found with stab injuries in Longfield Avenue, Walthamstow. At about 9.20pm a man in his forties was assaulted and sprayed with an unknown substance on a bus in Lewisham High Street. Police said all three victims were today recovering in hospital and had non-life threatening injuries. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday mocked rights advocates for criticizing the recent arrest of a woman who dressed too sexily while selling products on Facebook, challenging them to post similar sexy photos and videos of their wives and daughters. The National Police arrested Thai Srey Neang last month for dressing provocatively on the social media website, charging her for pornography. Hun Sen, who was at a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh, made a shocking comment on Monday asking those who criticized the arrest to post sexy videos of their wives and daughters and that he would help publicize these posts. Please have your wife [pose] nude or wear sexy [clothes], and we will help broadcast. I am willing to pay and have the posters posted on trees. Do you dare? he said, with officials at the meeting laughing at his suggestion. The woman was charged under trafficking law and could face up to a month in prison if found guilty. The move was summarily criticized by rights groups and women rights advocates as moral policing that blamed victims for sexual trafficking. It is important to note that social values are arbitrary, relative, and constantly changing. Also, there is no evidence-based research that affirms that womens clothing choice is the root cause of degradation of social morality, read a statement released by rights groups and advocates in February. Bunn Rachana, director of women rights organization Klahaan, said the authorities should focus on addressing and reducing trafficking rather than spend time telling women how to dress. It is the matter of moral or traditional code. It should not be a matter related to criminality, she said. Human rights lawyer Sok Samoeun said people could take a moral stand on what women wore, but there was no legal provision to arrest them for their sartorial choices. Law on human rights trafficking refers to any images which could cause sexual arousal. But just wearing undergarments would [not be] at the level of raunchy images, he said. DEFIANCE COUNTY, Ohio A man is in custody after police say he killed another man Sunday then took off with his two young daughters, prompting an AMBER Alert. According to WTOL Channel 11, deputies in Defiance County were called to a home at about 4:15 p.m. for a reported domestic dispute between the suspect, Dustin Vogelsong, 33, and his girlfriend. Deputies then discovered the body of a man inside the home, WTVG Channel 13 reports. Deputies tell WTOL that Vogelsong had left the home with his two daughters, ages 7 and 3. After issuing an AMBER Alert, deputies were called to a home in Hillsdale County. Vogelsong, apparently bloodied, left his daughters at the strangers home unharmed before again driving off, WTOL reports. Vogelsong was later tracked down and taken into custody by State Highway Patrol troopers and Williams County deputies at a Pilot gas station near the Ohio Turnpike, reports say. Defiance County Sheriff Douglas Engel tells WTOL that Vogelsong is being charged with aggravated murder and will appear in court this morning. The identity of the victim has not been released. More crime-related content on cleveland.com: Euclid man arrested, charged in connection with catalytic converter thefts from Wickliffe impound lot Man arrested after plowing into gas pump, vehicles at Lake County GetGo, threatening deputies with gun Man accused of selling drugs in Giant Eagle parking lot in Geauga County, authorities say Man robs GenFed Financial Credit Union in Lorain, FBI says Cuyahoga County Jail officer convicted in inmate beating will likely serve prison time in protective custody The High Court heard how a man charged with the murder of journalist Lyra McKee had 17 points of reference on his clothing linking him to the killing. Belfast High Court also heard how Paul McIntrye, 52, allegedly escorted the gunman to the scene of the shooting and picked up his bullet casings during rioting in Derry last year. Details emerged as the Public Prosecution Service mounted an appeal against McIntyre being granted bail. Ms McKee, 29, was shot as she observed street disorder in the city's Creggan area on April 18. Police had come under attack by stones, petrol bombs and other missiles, while vehicles were also hijacked during the unrest said to have been orchestrated by members of the New IRA. McIntrye, with an address at Kinnego Park in Derry, was initially charged with rioting, petrol bomb offences, and the arson of a tipper truck. But last month he was further charged with the journalist's murder, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, and belonging to a proscribed organisation. Challenging a Magistrates' Court decision to grant bail, Crown lawyer Robin Steer claimed McIntyre can be identified by clothing on mobile phone and television footage on the night of the shooting. Counsel submitted that the accused is seen throwing and lighting petrol bombs, and emerging from the truck which was then set on fire. Later in the footage an unidentified gunman emerges, with McIntyre allegedly identified escorting him to the area where the shooting occurred. "The gunman fires a number of shots, and the prosecution say this applicant is crouching down directly behind him, picking up four cartridge cases which have been ejected from the gun," Mr Steer said. Referring to a report produced by a forensic company as part of the investigation, he told the court it has "identified 17 points of reference in his (McIntyre's) clothing". The court was told 16 PSNI officers pointed out the accused at an earlier stage in the evening, when he was unmasked but wearing the same clothing. During the hearing details emerged of an alleged conversation where he was challenged about dissident republican political party Saoradh the day after Ms McKee's death. According to a statement provided as part of the case, McIntyre replied: "It wasn't me, it was one of our member's sons." Mr Steer claimed this was a reference to the gunman. Opposing bail, the barrister contended that McIntyre was part of a joint venture in the killing. "The prosecution say this person is a member of a terrorist organisation, he's a member of the New IRA." Concerns were raised about the potential risk of interference with witnesses. Mrs Justice Keegan was told graffiti has appeared in the Creggan warning that "any RUC touts will be executed". Defence counsel Mark Mulholland QC insisted however, that McIntyre must released. He argued that no prima facie case has been established on the charge of murder, adding that his client had already secured High Court bail on the other alleged offences. Mr Mulholland also challenged the admissibility of the forensic report, stressing that another court case has already ruled that a similar comparative analysis of clothing cannot be treated as expert evidence. The appeal hearing continues. LONDON, ONT.Police say theyve charged 10 people, including three Hells Angels, as part of a probe into a drug-trafficking ring in the London, Ont., area. City police say they worked with the RCMP and provincial officers to raid six locations in southwestern Ontario, where they seized drugs and weapons. Police say they confiscated cocaine, marijuana, cannabis resin, crack cocaine and oxycodone, as well as three sets of body armour and two stun guns. Officers arrested three full-patch members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club as well as seven other suspects. The accused are between the ages of 35 and 77. They face numerous counts, including drug-trafficking-related charges and weapons possession offences. Read more about: Credit: CC0 Public Domain The number of US deaths from the novel coronavirus rose to six on Monday, all in the state of Washington, officials said, signaling the contagion has taken root in the Pacific Northwest. Vice President Mike Pence announced a treatment for the disease could be available by summer or early fall, but that a vaccine was farther off. Pence, the administration's pointman for the crisis, also said the government was moving to screen 100 percent of passengers flying in from Italy and South Korea, two serious virus hot zones. Five of the six American fatalities have been from King county, the most populous in Washington state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people. The sixth victim was from neighboring Snohomish county, officials said. "The risk for all of us of becoming infected will be increasing," said Jeff Duchin, a health officer in King County. "Although most of the cases will be mild or moderate, the infection can cause serious illness and there's a potential for many people to become ill at the same time." The state reported four new cases, three from the same nursing home, taking the total number of US cases to more than 90about half of which were people repatriated from either China or a virus-stricken cruise ship off Japan. Dow Constantine, the top official in King County, said his office was in talks to purchase a motel in which to place people who required isolation, adding: "We have to move to a new stage in the fight to contain, mitigate and manage this outbreak." Treatments coming in a few months? Pence told reporters at the White House that treatments "could literally be available by this summer, or early fall." He was likely referring to the drug remdesivir, an antiviral drug developed by the pharmaceutical firm Gilead that has already been used to treat one US patient and was moving toward two final stage expansive clinical trials in Asia. There are numerous vaccines and treatments under development, but remdesivir is the closest to market availability. Pence added that US pharmaceutical companies had formed a consortium to work together and share information to develop these drugs. New travel protocols "will ensure that anyone traveling on a direct flight to the United States of America receives multiple screenings at all airports in Italy and South Korea," he said. Italy has had 1,700 cases and South Korea has had 4,000. The United States is also drastically expanding its diagnostic efforts after coming under fire for not testing enough. "The estimates that we're getting from industry right now, by the end of this week close to a million tests will be able to be performed," said Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn. 'Inevitable' spread in New York In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo warned it was "inevitable" that the virus would spread in the global financial hub after its first confirmed case was detected in a health care worker who had visited Iran. "There is no doubt that there will be more cases. This is New Yorkwe're a gateway to the world," Cuomo told reporters. "People are going to test positive, not just one or two or three or five, there will be many who test positive," he added. Cuomo said the 39-year-old woman who tested positive at the weekend had mild symptoms and was recovering in isolation at home. Her husband is however expected to test positive as well. Globally, more than 3,100 people have died as a result of the virus, the vast majority of them in China. More than 90,000 people have been infected, with cases registered in more than 60 countries. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP Keeping the condition on the ground in mind, it is only natural that the sudden appeal from the Muslim community to the Dalits to join the protests have had little or no impact on them. Even as Muslim numbers swell in the anti-CAA-NPR-NRC demonstrations across the country, the conspicuous absence of sizeable Dalit protests anywhere in the country, given that the community is equally vulnerable to similar repercussions which the Muslim community fears is unmissable. While most narratives highlight the concerns of the Muslim community, they are comparatively silent on the complex reasons of vulnerable communities other than the Muslims for not participating in these demonstrations. Not only the leaders from the other communities are hesitating to come and speak in these protests, but the Dalit public as a whole is finding it difficult to make sense of the urgency of protests. This warrants the necessity to fathom the sources of their confusion, worry and fear. Although Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad is found addressing rallies across the country, he struggles to do the same in Uttar Pradesh. His first attempt to address a rally in the state in all these months resulted in his detention in Lucknow. Whatever little protests from other communities are coming up is mostly hosted on platforms provided by the Muslim community as leaders of these communities are not able to bring out their own community to oppose the CAA. Azad might be touring other states interacting with Dalits and Muslims but in Aligarhs deep pockets of Dalit areas, people could not recall his name on being asked about him. He should keep this stark reality in mind and instead of focussing on the country as a whole, Azad needs to unite his community in Uttar Pradesh first. Aligarhs history of communal disturbances, riots between Dalits and Muslims and Aligarh Muslim University being the centre of Muslim education make it an appropriate site for a better understanding of the imbroglio. The frequent snapping of the internet, fear that mischievous text messages might trigger unrest is palpable in Aligarh. The deep feeling of distrust between Muslims and Dalits only makes the atmosphere far more delicate. The Dalits are traversing the twilight zone of trust deficit vis-a-vis Muslims and are facing the brunt of uncertainty with regard to government policy to map citizens. Although the narrative of only Muslims fearing the Citizenship Amendment Act is being built upon, there are other people who are equally apprehensive about these moves. The Dalits are apprehensive about the implications of the NPR-NRC process and expressed their fear of failing to prove their citizenship if asked to establish. The governments fluctuating stance is feeding the confusion and fear further. Initially, people thought that like Assam, they need to submit various legacy documents but the government later on clarified that in NPR no documents would be asked. However, the statements from the government that all existing documents like Aadhaar, PAN card, passport, driving license and ration Card are not proofs of citizenship further compounded the fear among people. People are uncertain as to what sorts of documents would be required eventually. The benefits of government schemes hardly reach these communities despite the documentation and document-making has always been a struggle for them. This time there is a crystal difference between the apprehensions of Muslims and Dalits. The fear among the Muslims stems from the sense of hostility and practices of exclusion whereas the Dalits saw the States apathy as the major reason for their anxiety. Such is the cynicism that has gripped the Dalit-Muslim relationship that the Dalits are doubtful of the intentions of the Muslim community and are apprehensive that they might be tricked to tag along with them. The fear of violence in the protest sites is also another reason for the Dalits staying away from these locations with the police strictly controlling the mobility of the Dalits in and around these spots. Sporadic withdrawal of internet is adding to the already existing fear of clashes. Moreover, the Dalits have found it unconvincing the attempts made by the Muslim community to convince them that they will suffer as Brahmanism will be back as a full-fledged system due to the implementation of CAA and other demographic exercises. It is because of the social settings and segregation of places of residence, trust deficit has increased between Dalits and Muslims. There are no attempts to have a common understanding of issues affecting them. Minimal efforts have been made to forge an alliance between the two communities on a social level. There were attempts to bring them together through political parties but these yielded no substantial results as far as trust-building is concerned. Keeping the condition on the ground in mind, it is only natural that the sudden appeal from the Muslim community to the Dalits to join the protests have had little or no impact on them. Tarushikha Sarvesh is an assistant professor of Sociology, Advanced Centre for Womens Studies, Aligarh Muslim University and Abdul Hafiz Gandhi is an assistant professor at Unity PG Degree and Law College, Lucknow. Vatican City: The Vatican unseals the archives of history's most contentious popes on Monday, potentially shedding light on why Pius XII stayed silent during the extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust. Two hundred researchers have already requested access to the mountain of documents, made available after an inventory that took more than 14 years for Holy See archivists to complete. Award-winning German religious historian Hubert Wolf will be in Rome on Monday, armed with six assistants and two years of funding to start exploring documents from the "private secretariat" of the late pope. Wolf, a specialist on the relationship of Pius XII with the Nazis, is anxious to discover the notes of his 70 ambassadors -- the pontiff's eyes and ears during his time as head of the Catholic Church between 1939 and his death in 1958. There should also be records of urgent appeals for help from Jewish organisations, as well as his communications with the late US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The unsealed archives additionally cover a post-World War II era in which writers were censored and some priests hounded for suspected communist sympathies. The Vatican first published the essentials covering the Holocaust four decades ago, an 11 volume work compiled by Jesuits. But some crucial pieces are still missing, including the pope's replies to notes and letters -- for example, those about Nazi horrors. The Jesuits already published "documents the pope received about the concentration camps, but we never got to see his replies," Wolf said in an interview. "Either they do not exist, or they are in the Vatican," he told AFP. Historians have already examined the 12 German years of Eugenio Pacelli, the future pope's real name which he used while posted there as the Holy See ambassador in 1917-1929 There, he witnessed the rise of Nazism, then returned to Rome to become the right-hand man of his predecessor Pius XI, elected in 1922. Past archives have revealed exchanges in which he was alerted about the extermination of European Jews once he himself became the pope. "There is no doubt that the pope was aware of the murder of Jews," Wolf said. "What really interests us is when he learned about it for the first time, and when he believed that information." On December 24, 1942, Pius XII delivered one of history's most debated Christmas radio messages. Buried in its long text was a reference to "hundreds of thousands of people who, without any fault of their own and sometimes for the sole reason of their nationality or race, were doomed to death or gradual extermination". Was his message -- delivered in Italian and aired just once, and which never explicitly mentioned either the Jews or Nazis -- heard and understood by German Catholics? "The only ones who heard it were the Nazis," said Wolf, noting that the radio waves were scrambled and that the pope could have spoken German -- if he had really wanted to reach the German faithful. "After the war, Pius XII told a British ambassador: 'I was very clear.' And the ambassador will say in reply: 'I did not understand you'," the historian said. Those who rise to the pope's defence note that Pius XII was a former diplomat who was trained in prudence, anxious to remain neutral in time of war, and concerned about being able to shield Catholics from the unfolding devastation. He simply could not be any more explicit, Pius XII's supporters say. Historians estimate the Church hid around 4,000 Jews in its Roman institutions during the war. "Quite a few Jews were saved in convents," David Kertzer, an American historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for a book about the era, told AFP. "But why were they murdered by people viewing themselves as Christians?" For Kertzer, the reasons behind the "silence of the pope" are key. "He wasn't happy about mass murder. He seemed upset. He knew by 1941," said Kertzer. And yet "never uttered the word Jew". Wolf, the German historian, added that Pius XII "remained very withdrawn after the war, saying nothing about the Holocaust". He also never recognised the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. "Why?" Wolf asks. Picture a President Bernie Sanders. And picture an America with no prisons. That's what Bernie Sanders is now embracing, fully confident he's the Democratic frontrunner who's in a position to beat President Trump. According to the Daily Caller: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign has embraced a far-left group that seeks to abolish prisons and has promoted a group the U.S. State Department designated as a Palestinian terrorist organization, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation found. Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign website touts an endorsement from the radical group, Dream Defenders, and the group's co-director, Phillip Agnew, is a top Sanders surrogate. The group's political arm, Dream Defenders PAC, has been holding twice-weekly phone banking events in support of Sanders. Dream Defenders aims to abolish the use of prisons, according to the group's website and public statements. "Police and prisons have no place in 'justice.' Police and prisons aren't just racist but they work to enforce the separations of rich and poor," Dream Defenders's website states. Apparently, rich and poor being separated is a lot worse than a killer who's just spray-shot a schoolyard being held in the can, by this group's logic. Even Bernie Madoff, it seems, should be among us. And, of course, racism. The surrogate who's behind this recipe for chaos is one Phillip Agnew, who engages in anti-Semitic positions elsewhere and leads Bernie rallies with the likes of Linda Sarsour and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His signature cause is the abolition of private prisons, presumably to be replaced with "restorative justice," which amounts to admitting wrongdoing and moving on, scot-free. This is about as crazed as it gets, and now Bernie's embraced it, along with a desire to govern through "executive actions," so don't think this won't be easy for him to enact. Another prominent supporter of this end-all-prisons movement is former Communist Party USA vice presidential candidate Angela Davis, who has been propounding this idea to the young college wokesters in her traveling teaching career since at least 2014. I first heard this idea at a 2014 speech she made at UCLA. Now it's gone mainstream Democrat with Bernie Sanders's embrace of the idea. Apparently, nobody should go to prison now, no matter what he does, which is at least as crazy as handing out free health care to all foreigners who break into the U.S. illegally. In fact, it's about as extreme as it gets, a recipe for anarchy if Bernie goes through with it. It does dovetail nicely with Bernie's curious attraction of violent groups, who'd be all in for a free pass to get violent on their political opponents. According to an undercover tape done by Project Veritas's James O'Keefe, that's exactly what they have in mind. It shows the extent to which Sanders has embraced so much extremism he can't even think straight. Yet he's now the Democratic frontrunner, pulling in votes from Democrats who are angry at the Democratic Party, if not extremists themselves. And Bernie's still leading, Joe Biden comeback or not. Texas and California are beckoning now with Bernie in a huge lead. This is your Democratic Party on Bernie. What could go wrong? Image credit: Mark Strozier via Flickr, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.0. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been criticised for failing to pass on information which doctors say might help to save the lives of American coronavirus patients. The CDC, a national public health institute, provides information to physicians on how to manage outbreaks including coronavirus. The federal agency has so far only released one detailed case study of a US patient who recovered from the illness, outlining the treatments given to him and his response to them. Although the CDC has been given clinical information on other US coronavirus patients, it has not yet shared it with doctors around the country. The CDC has been contacted for comment. Doctors say they want to learn from the findings of fellow medics who have treated coronavirus patients. 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 Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, told CNN: "It's a medical truism that it's absolutely essential that physicians with experience with a particular condition disseminate information to others. He added that he believed it was inexplicable and inappropriate not to share such information. Similarly, Paul Offit, an infectious disease doctor at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said: "If you're a doctor dealing with this in the emergency department, you want to know what we've already seen in the United States. The CDC does offer further advice on its website to doctors on how to best treat coronavirus patients, but this guidance is largely based on Chinese research. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, is among those who think that the CDC will soon publish the reports. The one report published so far by the CDC concerns a 35-year-old man in Washington state and includes a list of his symptoms and x-ray images of his lungs at different stages of the illness. Responding to the criticism of the CDC, campaign journalist Brian Beutler tweeted: CDC is withholding potentially lifesaving treatment information from U.S. doctors treating coronavirus patients as some of said patients die. This comes as the CDC has also been condemned for allegedly releasing a patient from quarantine from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, who later tested positive for the illness. Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio, said on Sunday: The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable. The US has so far confirmed that two patients have died in the country from COVID-19. The illness has now spread to every permanently-inhabited continent amid fears that coronavirus will become a pandemic. A disgruntled ex-security guard who shot one and kept dozens of shoppers hostage at a mall in the Philippines has released his captives. After a day-long standoff with police, the sacked employee of the V-Mall in Manila's San Juan City, walked out of the centre surrendering to officers positioned outside. The gunman, a former guard of the complex, was allowed to speak to reporters and authorities to outline his grievances against his former superiors, whom he accused of corruption and abuse, before police approached and subdued him. He had opened fire in the capital's upmarket commercial district on Monday before midday local time, shooting a mall officer, as he tried to enter the administration office. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and was in a stable condition. SWAT teams are attempting to negotiate with the ex-guard turned gunman / AFP via Getty Images He then rushed to the second floor of the mall where he took more than 30 people captive, mostly employees, inside the retail centre as he warned he had a grenade, according to the city's mayor Francis Zamora. Mr Zamora said: "He is carrying a pistol. He is shouting he has a grenade but we don't have any way to confirm that for sure." "He was trying to initially to get the other guards to join him for some sort of coup d'etat against the mall management," Mr Zamora told news channel ANC. "He felt bad because he was removed as a guard," he added. Philippines: Manila V-Mall shooting 1 /20 Philippines: Manila V-Mall shooting AFP via Getty Images Police subdue hostage-taker Archir Paray after he surrendered outside a mall in Manila AFP via Getty Images AP AP Police subdue hostage-taker Archir Paray after he surrendered outside a mall in Manila AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AFP via Getty Images AP AFP via Getty Images AP AFP via Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images The armed man has expressed anger over a change in his work hours and accused his superiors of corruption. He was apparently dismissed from work after abandoning his job in recent weeks without notifying management. Armed police and negotiators surrounded the mall and were trying to end the standoff peacefully. A SWAT team was seen entering the four-storey mall, which has more than 100 outlets. Shoppers were evacuated and a security cordon established around it. The city's mayor said the hostage-taker wanted to talk to his former colleagues via video call / AP In a bid to appease the hostage-taker, six officers in charge of overseeing the mall's security apologised to the suspect at an early evening news conference for their "shortcomings" and offered to resign. "I'm asking for his forgiveness, and because of this, I'll resign from my job so this crisis will come to an end," said Oscar Hernandez, one of the security officers. An initial police report said the hostage-taker, who was identified as Archie Paray, shot a mall official before rushing to the second floor of the complex, where he was holding dozens of mostly employees in an office. Dozens of mall workers are being kept inside by the dismissed guard who has a pistol / AFP via Getty Images The report said "more or less 50 staffs" were being held hostage, but it did not provide other details. Mr Zamora said about 30 to 40 people were being held, adding that his estimate was based on the size of the administrative office where they were being held. The suspect was complaining of "unequal treatment," the police report said. San Juan police at the scene / REUTERS The gunman was sacked by the company that provides security for the mall and had tried to get other guards involved, Zamora said, adding that he was demanding to speak to his former colleagues by video call. Anna Alberto, whose daughter Pauline works in the office, said she was concerned about her safety. Candidates prepare to take part in the Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina: AP It is now just days away. No matter the outcome, the Super Tuesday Democratic primary elections will be a turning point in the race to determine which candidate will face Donald Trump in November. This year, 14 states will vote on Super Tuesday, including the nations most populous states, California and Texas. Of crucial importance, we will see the impact of former New York mayor Michael Bloombergs non-traditional, self-funded run, that has seen him invest up to $400m to win support in many of the states voting on Super Tuesday. In order to win any delegates (a candidate needs to amass 1,991 delegates to achieve the partys nomination) candidates have to win at least 15 percent of the vote in the state. There are enough delegates at stake that a strong showing for senator Bernie Sanders could cement his spot as Democratic nominee. At the same time, should he fail to overcome his top rivals, the race could become a serious competition between two or potentially even three candidates. Heres a state-by-state breakdown to keep you informed heading into Super Tuesday. All demographic numbers are from the Centre for American Progress States of Change report. Alabama The Yellowhammer state has 61 total delegates including 9 superdelegates up for grabs on Super Tuesday. Demographically, Alabama is one of six states along with the District of Columbia where black Democratic voters are the majority. Democratic voter composition in Alabama in 2016 was 71 per cent black, 26 per cent white and three per cent other races. According to 2016 Census data, Alabama has a slightly higher than average population of individuals 65 years of age and older almost 20 per cent versus the 19 percent average. The states median household income is more than $10,000 less than the national average, $42,830 versus $53,657 nationally. FiveThirtyEight predicts former Vice President Joe Biden will take the state, giving him a 61 percent chance at victory in the state. Mr Sanders is the next most likely to take the state with a 21 percent chance of victory, and Mr Bloomberg is in third with a 17 percent chance of victory. Story continues Arkansas There are 31 pledged delegates available to win in Arkansas including five superdelegates. Demographically, Arkansas Democratic voters are 69 per cent white, 36 per cent black, three per cent Hispanic and two per cent other races. According to 2016 Census data, the state has a slightly higher than average population of individuals over the age of 65 21 per cent versus the national average of 19 per cent and a median household income of $41,262 more than $10,000 less than the national average of $53,657. FiveThirtyEight predicts Mr Sanders has the best chance to win the state. He was given a 38 per cent chance to win the state. Mr Bloomberg is the next most likely to win, with a 28 per cent chance of victory. Mr Biden has a 25 per cent chance to win. The most recent poll examining the Arkansas electorate from Talk Business & Politics/Hendrix College Poll reported that Mr Bloomberg had a 3.2 percent lead over Mr Sanders in the state. Just under 20 per cent of respondents said theyd vote for Mr Bloomberg, while 16.4 per cent said theyd vote for Mr Sanders and 18.5 per cent said theyd vote for Mr Biden. California This is a massive prize. California, the countrys most populous state, has 415 pledged delegates and 79 superdelegates up for grabs. Californias Democratic voters are 50 per cent white, 26 per cent Hispanic, 15 per cent Asian, eight per cent black and one percent other races. Census information from 2016 shows that 17 percent of the state is over the age of 65, just under the national average of 19 percent. The states median household income is $61,933, which is $2,276 higher than the national average. Despite this, the states poverty rate, 14.5 per cent, is slightly higher than the national average of 13.6 per cent. Mr Sanders is overwhelmingly favoured in polling to win California. FiveThirtyEight gives Mr Sanders an 89 per cent chance to win, with poll averages predicting Mr Sanders will win between 24 per cent and 43 per cent of the vote and win an average of the states 227 pledged delegates. Every other candidate is at risk of falling under the 15 per cent viability threshold. The closest runner up, Mr Biden, is only expected to win an average of 17 percent of the vote and an average of 83 delegates. Mr Sanders and Mr Biden are the only candidates whose predicted averages exceed the 15 percent viability threshold. Colorado The Centennial State has 67 pledged delegates on the line and nine superdelegates. Colorados Democratic voters are 75 per cent white, 15 per cent Hispanic, six per cent black, and four per cent Asian and other races. Census data from 2016 shows that the state has a population of individuals 65-year-old and over that is 2.4 percent lower than the national average of 18.9 per cent. The states median household income is $61,303, $7,676 more than the national average. The states poverty rate is 2.6 per cent lower than the national average of 13.6 per cent. FiveThirtyEight predicts Mr Sanders will win Colorado with 31 per cent of the vote and earn an average of 35 delegates. Maine Maine has 24 pledged delegates with three PLEO delegates available to win. The states Democratic voter demographic makeup is 95 per cent white, one percent black, one per cent Hispanic and two per cent Asian and other races. FiveThirtyEight predicts that Mr Sanders has a 67 per cent chance to win the state. The next closest runner-up is Mr Bloomberg with a 10 per cent chance at success, then Mr Biden and Ms Warren at eight per cent each. Mr Buttigieg is just behind that at seven. Massachusetts Massachusetts Ms Warrens home state has 91 pledged delegates, including 12 superdelegates. The state Democratic voter demographic makeup is 80 per cent white, eight per cent black, seven per cent hispanic and five per cent Asian and other races. FiveThirtyEight predicts Mr Sanders has a 58 per cent chance of winning the state. Ms Warren who is the states senator has a 25 per cent chance to win. The next closest candidate is Mr Biden with an eight per cent chance of victory. Mr Sanders is predicted to win an average of 35 delegates from the state. Minnesota Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchars home state has 75 pledged delegates, including 10 superdelegates. It is also a place where Mr Trump narrowly lost in 2016 and is at the top of Republican target lists. The states Democratic voter demographics are 84 per cent white, eight per cent black, five perc ent Asian and other races, and two per cent Hispanic. FiveThirtyEight predicts the Minnesota race will be a toss-up between Mr Sanders and Ms Klobuchar. Both Mr Sanders and Ms Klobuchar were given a 47 per cent chance to win the state. The next closest candidate is Ms Warren with a three per cent chance to win. Ms Klobuchar is expected to win an average of 29 delegates and Mr Sanders is predicted to win an average of 28. North Carolina Long a battleground state in the general election, there are 110 delegates up for grabs in North Carolina, including 14 superdelegates. The demographics of the states Democratic voters is 52 percent white, 41 percent black, four percent Hispanic and four percent Asian and other races. FiveThirtyEight predicts that Mr Sanders is the most likely to win, with a 43 percent chance to take the state. Mr Biden is the next most likely to win, with a predicted 36 percent chance of victory. After that, Mr Bloomberg has a 19 percent chance to win and Ms Warren is given a two percent chance. Oklahoma Oklahoma has 37 pledged delegates, including five superdelegates. The states Democratic voter demographics is 66 per cent white, 20 percent black, nine per cent Asian and American Indian, and five per cent Hispanic. FiveThirtyEight predicts a close race in Oklahoma. Mr Sanders leads the pack with a 35 percent chance to win. Mr Biden and Mr Bloomberg are tied, both with a possible 30 percent chance of victory, and Ms Warren is the next closest with a three percent chance to win. Tennessee Tennessee has 64 pledged delegates, including eight superdelegates. The Democratic voter makeup in Tennessee is 55 percent white, 41 percent black, two percent Hispanic and two percent Asian and other races. FiveThirtyEight predicts Tennessee will be a toss-up between either Mr Biden or Mr Sanders. Both have been given a 39 percent chance of victory. The next closest candidate is Mr Bloomberg with 17 percent, and Ms Warren at three percent. Texas As the second most populous state in the US, Texas has 228 pledged delegates, including 30 superdelegates. It is also the second most sought-after state in terms of electoral college votes. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win here was Jimmy Carter in 1976. The Lone Star States Democratic voters are 39 percent white, 29 percent Hispanic, 27 percent black and five percent Asian and other races. FiveThirtyEight predicts Mr Sanders will win the state with a 52 percent chance of victory. Mr Biden was given a 35 percent chance of victory and Mr Bloombergs chances of winning are 10 percent. Mr Sanders is expected to win an average of 84 delegates from the state, and Mr Biden is predicted to win 74. Utah Utah has 29 pledged delegates, including four superdelegates. Utahs Democratic voter base is 83 percent white, 11 percent Hispanic, four percent Asian and other races, and two percent black. FiveThirtyEight predicts Mr Sanders will have an overwhelming victory in Utah, giving him an 87 percent chance of winning. His next closest competitors are Mr Bloomberg and Ms Warren, who both have a four percent chance of victory in the state. Vermont Vermont Mr Sanders home state has 16 pledged delegates including two superdelegates. Vermonts Democratic voter base is 95 percent white, two percent Hispanic, two percent Asian and other races and one percent black. FiveThirtyEight predicts it is a virtual certainty that Mr Sanders will win the state. Virginia Virginia has 99 pledged delegates, including 13 superdelegates. The states Democratic voter base is 54 percent white, 32 percent black, eight percent Asian and other races and six percent black. FiveThirtyEight predicts Mr Sanders has the best chance of winning the state, giving him a 48 percent chance of victory. Mr Biden was given a 27 percent chance at winning the state, and Mr Bloomberg was given a 22 percent chance of victory. American Samoa American Samoa, a US territory in the South Pacific, has six delegates. The territory does not have superdelegates. FiveThirtyEight predicts that Mr Sanders has the best chance of winning the territory, giving him a 40 percent chance of victory. Mr Biden has a 27 percent chance of winning and Mr Bloomberg has a 20 percent chance of victory. Rajya Sabha proceedings were on Monday adjourned till 2 pm after the entire opposition vociferously protested over the issue of communal violence in the national capital, with members alleging that the government slept while Delhi burnt. Opposition MPs including those belonging to the Congress, Left, TMC, SP, BSP and DMK were up on their feet shouting slogans and accused the government of failing in its duty. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the issue was definitely important but the priority should be to restore normalcy and then discuss ways and means of preventing it. When his appeals to members to resume their places went unheeded, he adjourned proceedings till 2 pm. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad charged that the Central government "slept" when violence rocked Delhi for three days. While members shouted slogans such as 'Delhi is Burning', three TMC members sported black bands on their eyes. Naidu ordered them to remove them as sporting badges is not allowed inside the House. The members complied, but the vociferous protests continued, forcing the adjournment. Earlier, when the House met it mourned the death of former member A V Swamy, followed by Naidu reading out a record of department related standing committees that considered demands for grants for 24 departments. He said the proceedings of the House during the first half of the current Budget session were "largely purposeful" with 96 per cent sitting. The House in the second half, that began Monday after a three week break, would be more meaningful, he hoped. Naidu said he has received notices from members of opposition parties seeking adjournment of proceedings to discuss the present situation in Delhi and other parts of the country. "The matter is definitely important and deserves to be discussed," he said, adding he will admit a discussion and allot time after discussing with the minister concerned as well as the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. "Our priority should be restoring normalcy. We should see that normalcy is restored and then we can discuss ways and means of preventing it (such violence)," he said, adding he wanted the House to send out a message in one voice on the issue. Let peace be restored, he said. However, members continued their protests, forcing the adjournment. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi has left at least 42 dead and over 200 injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Appointment 2 March 2020 An established member of the upstate New York hospitality industry, Plouffe has previously led the growth and development for several of the largest tourism spaces in Rochester and Syracuse. As local of the Finger Lakes region, a burgeoning tourism destination, Plouffe has launched the region's most notable new hotels and reenergizing existing hospitality destinations. This year, he will apply her expertise to the anticipated Hotel Canandaigua. A thirty-year hospitality veteran, Todd Plouffe joined Hay Creek Hotels in September 2019 to become General Manager of Hotel Canandaigua. One of the hotel's first team members, Plouffe is involved in all crucial development aspects of the property, from forming the hotel's mission and design, to setting revenue goals. He will oversee the property's progress from concept to opening, and guide the property in fulfilling its role as a culinary and cultural extension of the Finger Lakes experience. Prior to his current role, Plouffe was the general manager of Marriott Syracuse Downtown and manager of hotels under the DoubleTree, Hyatt and Renaissance brands. Plouffe's list of accolades include highest guest-rated hotel within a brand, named General Manager of the Year in North America four times by Renaissance Hotels and was named one of Rochester Business Journal's 40 Under 40. He is a graduate of Michigan State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in hotel, restaurant and institutional management. Afraid of traveling during an outbreak of the coronavirus? Wondering if you should cancel or postpone a trip? Here is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have to say about travel and the coronavirus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19. What are the countries to avoid during the coronavirus outbreak? First, the basics. The CDC recommends that people avoid all nonessential travel to China, Iran, South Korea and Italy. These countries are subject to level 3 travel health notices because of widespread community transmission of the virus. With China and Iran, there are also restrictions on entry to the United States for foreign nationals. The CDC also recommends that seniors and anyone with a chronic medical condition postpone travel to Japan, which is subject to a level 2 travel health notice. This means enhanced precautions should be taken because the country is the site of community transmission of the virus. Hong Kong has a level 1 travel health notice, meaning usual precautions should be taken, because there has been limited community transmission of the virus there. The usual precautions include avoiding contact with sick people, hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer. A tourist wearing a face mask poses in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in the center of Milan, Italy on Feb, 28.Miguel Medina | AFP via Getty Images You can search geographic risk assessment by country on this CDC map. What should you do if theres a layover in an affected country? Layovers are not exempt from CDC travel notices. The CDC recommends that travelers stay at the airport if their flight has a layover in a country with a level 3 travel notice, meaning all nonessential travel there should be avoided. These travelers could be subject to screening and monitoring when they return to the United States. What preventative measures can you take while traveling? Here are the World Health Organizations guidelines for international travelers: People who are sick, have chronic diseases and elderly travelers should avoid traveling to areas affected by the coronavirus. Dont touch your mouth and nose. Face masks are not required if you dont have symptoms. Wash your hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. When coughing or sneezing, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow. Throw the tissue out immediately and wash your hands. A pilgrim enters the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem wearing a protective mask. Israel denied entry to dozens of foreign nationals who had landed on flights from Italy.Emmanuel Dunand | AFP via Getty Images Anyone returning from an area affected by COVID-19 should self-monitor for symptoms for a period of 14 days or follow quarantine procedures put in place by the country they are entering. If symptoms appear, call a local health care provider and tell them about the health issues and your travel history. Practice food safety: wash hands before and after food preparation. Wash your hands after going to the bathroom. Sanitize all surfaces used for food preparation. Are you going on a cruise? Heres what to do. The CDC recommends that passengers and crew members on cruise ships avoid contact with sick people as well as avoid touching their own eyes, mouth and nose with unwashed hands. Follow best practices for hand washing, meaning you have to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after going to the bathroom, before eating and after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol if you dont have soap. If you get sick, stay in your cabin and let the ships medical center know if you feel feverish, have a fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) or have symptoms like a runny nose, shortness of breath, a cough or sore throat. Are some airlines waiving change fees? Yes. On Sunday, American Airlines became the latest carrier to waive change and cancellation fees on new ticket purchases due to the coronavirus outbreak. JetBlue last week was the first airline to do it, citing evolving coronavirus concerns." Alaska Airlines was the second. Southwest Airlines doesnt charge change fees. There has been a steep drop in airline ticket purchases since the virus began spreading beyond China. 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. By Agencies KABUL: The Taliban said Monday they were resuming offensive operations against Afghan security forces, ending the partial truce that preceded the signing of a deal between the insurgents and Washington. "The reduction in violence has ended now and our operations will continue as normal," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. 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. ALSO READ: US, Taliban sign deal aimed at ending war in Afghanistan The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. Trump had 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 also approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. ALSO READ: US-Taliban deal no surprise, it's like watching 'Pakeezah' after trailers, says EAM S Jaishankar 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 promised not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the U.S. or its allies. "As per the (US-Taliban) agreement, our mujahiddin will not attack foreign forces but our operations will continue against the Kabul administration forces," Zabihullah Mujahid said. Selma, Ala. An emboldened Joe Biden tried to cast himself as the clear moderate alternative to progressive Bernie Sanders on Sunday as the Democrats' shrinking presidential field raced toward Super Tuesday. One of Biden's leading moderate rivals, former small-city mayor Pete Buttigieg, dropped out of the campaign just 24 hours after Biden scored a resounding victory in South Carolina, his first of the 2020 rollercoaster nomination fight. While other rivals appeared undeterred, Biden pressed his case during a round of national television interviews that reflected a stark reality a day after his resounding primary victory in South Carolina: The former vice president was forced to rely upon free media coverage because he was understaffed, underfunded and almost out of time as he fought to transform his sole win into a national movement. Biden vowed to improve his campaign operation, his fundraising haul and even his own performance in an interview on ABC's "This Week." He warned of a "stark choice" between him and Sanders, while making the case he was the candidate who could win up and down the ballot and in states beyond those voting next week. Biden added a swipe at one of Sanders' signature lines during an appearance on "Fox New Sunday": "The people aren't looking for revolution. They're looking for results." The newfound confidence came at a crossroads in the Democratic Party's turbulent primary season. Sanders remained the undisputed front-runner. But the rest of the field was decidedly unsettled, even after Biden's South Carolina blowout and Buttigieg's sudden departure. Most notably, New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg could create problems for Biden as the race speeds toward Super Tuesday, when 14 states from Maine to Alabama to California hold Democratic elections as the 2020 primary moves into a new phase. No longer will individual states hold primaries every week. Starting Tuesday, and most Tuesdays through early June, batches of states will vote at the same time in what will essentially become a national election. Biden claimed a handful of new endorsements and fundraising successes on Sunday in his quest to project strength. At the same time, a handful of high-profile political strategists with ties to former President Barack Obama encouraged Biden's rivals including Bloomberg to quit the race to allow anti-Sanders' Democrats to unify behind Obama's former vice president. "Most of them have seen the writing on the wall for at least the last week," said Rufus Gifford, who held top fundraising posts on both of Obama's campaigns and was part of Biden's fundraising operation. "It's clear the Democratic alternative to Bernie Sanders is Joe Biden." Text messages reviewed by The Associated Press revealed an outpouring of interest in Biden from donors supporting other candidates, including Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren. Biden announced he took in $5 million immediately after his South Carolina win, by far his best single day of fundraising over the last year. Also on Sunday, however, Sanders announced he had raised an eye-popping $46.5 million for February. That compared to $29 million for Warren and $18 million for Biden over the same period. Sanders, who dominated the money race for much of the year even though he did not court wealthy donors, said it was not the overalll fundraising haul that should impress but the enthusiasm of working people fueling his candidacy. "No campaign out there has a stronger grassroots movement than we do," Sanders said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "That's how you beat Trump." Biden allies conceded that the post-South Carolina fundraising surge would have little impact on Super Tuesday. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Super Tuesday is too close," said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Biden supporter. "Fortunately, Joe Biden has been on the national scene for 35 years. He has less need to advertise." Barry Goodman, a top Biden donor in Michigan and a prominent member of the Democratic National Committee, said he'd heard from about "a dozen or so" regular party donors who had been on the sidelines and now wanted to support Biden. He said he had personally targeted at least 20 Bloomberg supporters who had been sitting on their checkbooks at Bloomberg's request. "If Mike had known what was going to happen last night in South Carolina, he'd never have gotten in," Goodman said. While Buttigieg bowed to the pressure, Biden's other rivals showed no interest in getting out of the race. In fact, some vowed to keep fighting no matter what happened on Super Tuesday. Warren campaign manager Roger Lau spoke brazenly of pushing into a floor battle at the Democratic National Convention this summer if no candidate emerged from the primary season with a clear majority, which was possible even if someone had a large delegate lead. "The convention in Milwaukee is the final play," Lau wrote in a Sunday memo. And Bloomberg, who this week will be on the ballot for the first time, insisted that he was not going anywhere before Tuesday's primaries. "I'm optimistic," he told voters in Selma, Alabama, where many of the White House hopefuls gathered for ceremonies commemorating civil rights heroism. Yet Bloomberg received a mixed reception as he spoke from the pulpit of Selma's Brown Chapel AME Church. Multiple parishioners stood and turned their backs to the New York billionaire near the end of his 10-minute speech. That was after the pastor told the congregation that Bloomberg initially said he was too busy to attend because he had to "beat Donald Trump." Biden declined to ask rivals to bow out when given the opportunity. "It's not for me to tell another candidate to get out of the race," Biden said on Fox. She said Mr. Trumps attempts to minimize the threat posed by the coronavirus was a dramatic departure from the way most political figures have approached past health emergencies Weve never had a political leader say stuff like this, she said. But, she added, At the same time, what we cant do is just have media messages that focus on his words and not address practical things that people can do, concrete information that she said everyone, Trump supporters and critics alike, are hungry for. That national outlets may be more alarmist and politicized than local ones is common to nearly every epidemic she has studied. But what sets this one apart from most of those is that it is unfolding on Facebook and Twitter as well. The most alarming messages have come from just people speculating on social media and other people taking that as fact, she said. Already, a number of Democratic voters said they had little confidence in Mr. Trumps public statements. I dont think he gives a damn, said Shelli Hunt, 62, a saleswoman for a cable company in Las Vegas who voted for Bernie Sanders in last months Democratic caucuses. Its all about the spin. If he spent half of the energy he does running the country that he does into tweeting and blaming people, wed be in a lot better shape. Other experts questioned whether Mr. Trump has the credibility to guide the country through a public-health crisis given his history of making false claims. After Hurricane Maria shattered Puerto Rico in 2017 leaving thousands homeless or without power for months, Mr. Trump hailed himself in 2019 as the best thing thats ever happened to Puerto Rico and disputed the official estimates that about 3,000 people died because of the storm. Insurance companies may make the claims process simpler for those hit by loss of kin and property in the communal violence in Delhi. Just as was done during Chennai and Kerala floods, the insurance companies may follow a similar procedure that will be less cumbersome. Senior insurance executives told Moneycontrol that the initial estimates show that there could be insured claims to the tune of Rs 10 crore. A majority of the claims filed so far pertain to motor vehicle damage and business losses. "A slightly relaxed claim process like in the case of the past floods will be done," said Sanjay Datta, Chief Underwriting, Claims, Reinsurance and Actuary, ICICI Lombard General Insurance. He added that if there is damage the surveyor will look at the extent of damage. Sources said that slain police official Ratan Lals death claim was settled by LIC within two days. Head constable Ratan Lal was killed in violence in northeast Delhi on February 24. The surveyor At a time when those affected by the incident are trying to assess the extent of damage, insurance companies are busy talking to surveyors to ensure that rightful claims are quickly settled. Insurers may seek a lesser set of documents to settle these claims. At present, claims above Rs 50,000 for motor insurance and Rs 1 lakh for others, qualify for the services of insurance surveyors and loss assessors. When a surveyor is appointed for assessing a claim, they get 30 days to review the filed claim and submit the report. The job of the surveyor is to physically review the property or vehicle that has been damaged and assess how much could the loss could be. Insurers said that when it comes to violence-related incidents, the time limit of filing a claim is also usually not adhered to. Hence the claims settlement in these conditions takes longer. The claims Violence-related incidents involve two different type of claims: life claims and property/vehicle claims. An insurance official said that companies have seen cases of fraudulent claims being filed in the past and hence they have to be careful. It is not possible to do away with surveys because there could be cases of people filing false or inflated claims during periods of crisis, said an underwriting official at a state-owned general insurance company. When it comes to life insurance claims for death, a simple certificate confirming the death is taken to pass the claims. Often large insurers like Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) set up special claims teams to handle cases related to both natural catastrophes like floods, earthquakes as well as man-made incidents like riots, accidents. During the Chennai floods, insurance companies had done away with the practice of waiting for a death certificate in case a persons body was not found. Instead, a statement from a municipal body or a list of deceased from government hospitals was considered adequate for settling death claims. As per the general practice in the insurance industry, a company has to wait seven years before settling a death claim, in case a person is missing. After seven years, a person is presumed to be dead. In general insurance, claims could be related to loss to property and equipment, business interruption as well as damage to machinery. In these cases, the premium receipt, FIR report as well bills related to repairs/purchases have to be kept ready. However, for calamities like the Delhi violence it is likely that the surveyors report could be adequate to pass the claim. In past incidents like the riots in Mumbai (then called Bombay) in 1992-93, procurement of policy documents for death claims and property claims was a challenging task since a majority papers were destroyed. The concept of electronic documentation did not exist back then which lead to claim delays. However, in the present scenario if an individual remembers the policy number and name of policyholder, the documents can be retrieved online. Dr. Walter Rodney in his six chapters' non fiction book highlighted how Europe under-developed Africa and one of the cardinal negative impacts of colonial masters is the imposition of foreign languages on Africans in their educational system because Africa was in the same shoe of development with Europe before the stem engine age Professor Idris Bugaje, 2020. In most African countries the foreign languages are seen as treachery to knowledge while for Professor James Wathiango foreign languages to Africans is imperialism that is subverting the African nations and for that reason he changed his baptized name to Ngugi and discontinued writing in English for his Mother Tongue language of Gukuyi. To understand the impact of borrowed language, Babs Fafunwa the first Nigerian Professor in education conducted a research in the year 1989 to find out the effect of Mother Tongue in teaching and learning and at the end the research proved that Mother Tongue is the best language mechanism in impacting knowledge. It is also for this thematic paradigm Professor Idris Bugaje, Kaduna Polytechnic Rector reiterated in a lecture in Kaduna State University, Kaduna State to Nigeria government to overhaul the academic curricula of learning to suit the needs of the country. Language is an important vehicle of disseminating information and impacting knowledge. Researches have proven that Mother Language is the easiest and accessible medium of teaching that facilitates quick understanding, comprehension and responses and for its importance UNESCO established International Mother Language Day to celebrate culture and linguistic diversity for sustainable society with the aim of promoting the languages and keeping them alive. The day was approved in 1999 with the effort of the Bangladesh students that took the streets of the country to have their Mother Tongue as their instructive language in school, the protest claimed the lives of four students but the effort was fruitful and the day is being celebrated in every year of 21st February. Foreign languages are making much harm that good to African heritage in the field of science and technology and the hype and vogue the languages are creating among Africans are squashing the Africans identity, entity and also stagnating the Africas development. According to 'This is Africa' report it says, In a continent of 55 countries and over 2,000 languages, it is shocking that the official languages predominantly used are foreign languages." Imposition of foreign language on Africa by the Westerners locked African science and technological conquest and 'This is Africa further explained the detriment of foreign languages on Africans saying 'It is even worse that the medium of instruction in learning institutions are foreign languages. The marginalization of indigenous languages left many of the African languages without a role to play' in the field of knowledge. Looking at the position of foreign language in Nigeria, English Language has continue to divide the country in educational lines and scraping many languages. In Nigeria, there are almost ten languages that have been extinct; some of them are Ajawa, Basa-Gumna, Auyokawa, Gamo-Ningi, Kubi, Kpati, Mawa, Odut and Teshenawa. "The diversity of cultures, languages and ethnic groups have been more of a source of division than unity across the continent, In 2012 the United Nations Educational Cultural and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) predicted that the Igbo language which has a current population of 25 million speakers will be extinct by 2025.' because English Language is the official language of the country. Nigeria is multilingual and because all the tribes embraced English Language the indigenous languages are diminishing and by predictions all the languages will extinct for English Language. In the strength to save Nigeria languages and preserve the countrys identities the Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) of Nigeria, Associate Professor of Theatre and Cultural Studies at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK). Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma said the teaching of indigenous languages in tertiary institutions in Nigeria should be made compulsory in other to reduce the communication barrier in the country and to preserve the countrys languages. However, Governor Nasir Elrufai of Kaduna State is with the same opinion with Barclays to overhaul the educational sector of Nigeria. The governor stated this at the 4th inaugural lecture of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, titled: Transforming Nigerian Educational System: Looking Back and Looking Forward." The governor expressed the need for the Federal Government to include indigenous languages in educational curricula to accelerate knowledge delivery and understanding in Nigeria schools. Foreign languages of Portugal, French and England torn Africa apart from brotherhood and relations but for the importance of Mother Tongue many countries employ their indigenous languages to teach, Rwanda use Kinyarwanda, French, English and Swahili, Kenya use Swahili and English as its official languages, South Africa use Afrikaans, English, Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Venda, Swati, Sotho, Northern Sotho, Tsonga and Tswana. Zimbabwe is the only country with highest 16 official languages that included the different main languages of Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and English while Eritrea is the only country in Africa that does not have official language when Nigeria the most giant country is left with English as it official language, a system that many elites posed as retrogressive system. A report by Katrin Gansler a DW journalist reported in 2019 how English Language is threatening Nigeria native languages in a report titled 'English threatens Nigeria's native languages'. Professor Wale Adegbite a lecturer of English Language at the Obafemi Awolowo University says scholars mainly see language as a means of communication, but there is a stronger link between development and communication. Adegbite feels it is bad for Nigeria to continue using only English as its official Language. He added that the overuse of English has led to an underuse of the indigenous Nigerian languages which is why there is a collective language failure in all ramification of advancement. Many linguists have emphasized that a national language is vital to a country's development. Even though English is the national language in Nigeria, national development will not occur as long as English remains its high status, (kwintessential blog). The Federal Government of Nigeria in 2017 through the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu in collaboration with the Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu disclosed during a Joint Ministerial Committee meeting that the Federal Government has prepared to start teaching Mathematics and Science in Local Languages and the Minister added that the government will also write text books in the local languages that would enhance teaching comprehension and practice but the system is yet to key in. There is a vital need for Nigeria to make the main native languages its official languages with the inclusion of the English Language to serve as the National Language and the universal Language. This will break the language barrier in the political arena, administration and places of work because there are many people with skill and ideas but the use of English Language is hindering them to give their contribution in the development of the country. Media outlets most especially the press, Parents, teachers and concerned citizens in Nigeria have not relent in their effort in enlightening the government in the prospect of using indigenous languages in teaching like many African nations because the system will yield better results for the country. Now is the time for the Federal Government of Nigeria to fulfill its promise of teaching Mathematics and Science in schools for the benefit of all with the hope by next year this dream Will come true. Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim Goronyo is a Lecturer, Mass Communication, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna [email protected] A people-smuggling boat carrying eight people has been intercepted by Australian authorities off the coast of Western Australia and turned back to Indonesia. It is the 38th people-smuggling turnback since the Coalition launched Operation Sovereign Borders in 2013. Peter Dutton says the latest turnback is evidence of the need to continue strong border protection measures. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The eight "potential illegal immigrants" were returned to Indonesia after the small boat was intercepted near Cape Leveque by in mid-January. All eight people on board, who were Chinese and Indonesian nationals, were returned to Indonesia. It is unclear how many were asylum seekers trying to reach Australia. DUBAI, March 1 (Reuters) - The United States has no legal standing to sign an agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, referring to a deal signed between Washington and the insurgent group on Saturday. Iran welcomes any initiative that helps to secure stability and peace in Afghanistan, but that will only be possible through domestic talks and by taking into consideration the interest of Afghanistan's neighbours, the ministry said in a statement. The deal, signed in Qatar, could pave the way towards a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war in the nation. (Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Mark Potter) The downing of Flight PS752: Iran may have kept airspace open due to lucrative overflight fees Iran made more than $100 million a year in overflight fees after the ISIS surge in neighbouring countries. That revenue might have factored into the fateful decision not to shut down Iran's airspace the night Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down, according to multiple aviation experts. "It's because of the money," said Babak Taghvaee, who has worked in Iran's military aerospace industry and is the author of two books on Iranian military aviation. "It's a huge amount of money for the [Iran Airports] Company and the ministry of transportation." In recent years, Iran has taken advantage of its location beside Iraq and near Syria by providing a safe passage for foreign airlines to fly between Europe and Asia or from Asia to other areas of the world. Like many countries, Iran charges airlines an overflight fee for using its airspace. According to an analysis of estimates provided by the International Air Transport Association, Iran's overflight fees are more than double Canada's. With more than 800 flights a day and an average bill of more than $1,000 Cdn per flight overflight revenue was a business in Iran worth hundreds of thousands of dollars daily. Iran's airport authority reported to Iranian media it earned more than $140 million in overflight revenue between March 2018 and March 2019. CBC 'It was going to be a panic' Iran admitted its military mistakenly shot down the jet on Jan. 8, just hours after Iran's forces fired missiles at Iraqi bases where U.S. troops were stationed. The attack was in retaliation for an American drone strike that killed a high-ranking Iranian military general in Iraq. All 176 people on board the plane died including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents of Canada. Some were families travelling with young children, while others were professors or university students with big dreams. Ever since, victims' families have wondered why the flight was allowed to take off at all. Story continues Taghvaee says Iran kept commercial planes in the sky on a night of heavy military activity to "normalize the situation." "When Iranians feel that the war is coming they quickly go to the money exchange companies, they go to the banks and buy foreign currency," said Taghvaee."Then the foreign airlines were going to panic and switch their flights to Iraq. It was going to be a panic inside the country and outside the country." The Iran Airports Company did not respond to a request for comment. 'They're very dependent on foreign currency' Ukrainian-Canadian global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw said it could have been a mixture of incompetence and miscommunication between civilian and military officials that caused the airspace to remain open. But he says overflight fees may have also been a factor. He noted Iran has been under economic pressure because the Trump administration hit the country with severe sanctions in 2018. "They're very dependent on foreign currency, foreign income which overflight fees gives them," said Bociurkiw. "So it was ... probably factored into that decision." Bociurkiw was a member of the first team of international observers to reach the crash site of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people. He acted as the spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe observing and relaying information from the crash site to a long list of countries, including Canada. He said the MH17 investigation revealed that countries are often reluctant to close their own airspace for economic reasons. The loss in revenue also stretches beyond airport fees, he said. "I think that it does send a bad signal for investment for tourism as well," said Bociurkiw. "For countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, who are very dependent on any source of foreign currency, their reluctance to close down airspace would be very, very great." Watch: Analyst Michael Bociurkiw explains why he thinks Iran left its skies open to commercial traffic during an armed conflict with the U.S. Breakdown across the board Andrew Nicholson, the CEO of Osprey Flight Solutions in the U.K., works with airlines around the world providing risk management. Before the night Flight PS752 was shot down, his company labelled the risk level "extreme" and warned his clients to stop flying over Iran. Nicholson said the Iranian government, military, civil aviation authority and airport, as well as the airline, all bear responsibility and had a role to play in keeping passengers safe. "All the way across the board there were failures in risk management across all those organizations," he said. "I think it's much more likely that that confusion, that high-tension environment, led to a breakdown in the process or a breakdown in the communication between the relevant organizations that would need to have been in the discussions about closing airspace." Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne will be in Ukrainian capital Kyiv Tuesday for a two-day visit that will include meeting with Ukraine International Airlines to talk about speeding up compensation for victims' families. Watch: The National: Money may have kept Iran's airspace open when Flight 752 was shot down Israel held its third election in less than a year today to break a grinding political deadlock, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chasing re-election while facing criminal indictment. The campaign was condemned by President Reuvin Rivlin as 'awful and grubby', as voters flocked to polling stations to cast their vote yet again. The vote comes just two weeks before Netanyahu, the longest-serving premier in Israeli history, stands trial after being formally charged in January with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. But final polls indicated that Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister ever indicted in office, had not lost support since inconclusive elections in April and September. Israel held its third election in less than a year today to break a grinding political deadlock, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured today with wife Sara) chasing re-election while facing criminal indictment The election is being held amid the coronavirus epidemic, with 10 cases so far confirmed in the Jewish state and another 5,600 Israelis under self-quarantine, many of whom visited countries where the virus is prevalent. 'The coronavirus thing is completely under control,' Netanyahu said after voting in Jerusalem. 'People can vote with complete confidence.' Israelis wearing protective masks were forced vote at one of the special polling station erected for the 5,600 voters under quarantine, many of whom had visited countries where the coronavirus COVID-19 is prevalent. Voicing the feelings of many ballot-weary Israelis after nearly a year of political stalemate and a caretaker government, Rivlin said the Jewish state does not 'deserve this never-ending instability.' Election day is 'normally a festive day,' he added. The election is being held amid the coronavirus epidemic, with 10 cases so far confirmed in the Jewish state and another 5,600 Israelis under self-quarantine An Israeli man casts his ballot during the Israeli legislative elections, at a polling station in Jerusalem 'But the truth is that I don't feel like celebrating. I only (feel) a sense of deep shame when I face you, my fellow citizens.' Voting in the central town of Rosh Haayin, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz voiced hope that Israelis would finally 'change the tune' after 11 years of the current Netanyahu tenure. But Likud and the centrist Blue and White are both expected to fall well short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and will have to strike deals with smaller parties to forge a stable coalition. That proved impossible after the last two votes and a further stalemate remains possible, with few undecided in the divided country of 6.4 million eligible voters. Political leaders are keen to avoid a fourth vote given the damage done by the impasse, as the caretaker government's inability to pass a budget has left key social programmes unfunded. 'The coronavirus thing is completely under control,' Netanyahu said after voting in Jerusalem. Pictured, Israelis wearing protective masks vote at one of the special polling station erected for the 5,600 voters under quarantin Israelis wearing protective masks vote at one of the special polling station Netanyahu supporter Ella Levy told AFP that Israel was 'flourishing' under the premier's leadership, downplaying the importance of the indictments. 'For me, he is innocent until they prove otherwise,' she said at a polling station in Jerusalem. The 70-year-old premier, who will face trial from March 17, faces accusations including receiving improper gifts worth thousands of dollars and offering a media mogul lucrative regulatory changes in exchange for favourable coverage. His main opponent Gantz, a former military chief, has been accused of saying little about his vision for Israel, defining himself primarily as Netanyahu's clean rival. Blue and White supporter Inbal, who did not want to give her last name, said Gantz 'doesn't really impress' her. 'I honestly think they are losers, Blue and White. But there is nothing else to vote for for people with my opinions,' the 27-year-old math student said in Jerusalem. Facing static polls, parties focused their attention on turnout. The 70-year-old premier (pictured with wife Sara) will face trial from March 17, faces accusations including receiving improper gifts worth thousands of dollars The election is being held amid the coronavirus epidemic, with 10 cases so far confirmed in the Jewish state and another 5,600 Israelis under self-quarantine, many of whom visited countries where the virus is prevalent. 'The coronavirus thing is completely under control,' Netanyahu said after voting in Jerusalem. 'People can vote with complete confidence.' Sixteen special polling stations for those under quarantine have been set up. Election workers in protective suits handled materials in bright blue gloves as mask-wearing people arrived to vote. Exit polls will be released immediately after voting ends at 10 pm (2000 GMT), with final results expected Tuesday morning. While many have predicted further deadlock, significant developments since September - beyond the Netanyahu indictments - could tip the results. Exit polls will be released immediately after voting ends at 10 pm (2000 GMT), with final results expected Tuesday morning In January, US President Donald Trump unveiled controversial peace proposals greenlighting Israel's annexation of settlements and swathes of land in the occupied West Bank, sparking Palestinian outrage. Bolstered by US support, Netanyahu has campaigned on building thousands more homes in Jewish settlements in the territory. All settlements are considered illegal by the international community. Gantz, a security hawk, has also welcomed the Trump proposals. Despite backing Gantz, the mainly Arab Joint List alliance that finished a surprising third in September has campaigned on opposition to the Trump proposals, which were immediately rejected by the Palestinian leadership. Ofer Zalzberg, an Israeli analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank, predicted the final results will look similar to those in September. 'The most likely result is we wake up Tuesday morning still stuck without a clear winner,' he told AFP The UN World Health Organisation on Monday sent its first planeload of assistance to help fight coronavirus in Iran, the second-worst hit country after China, as the death toll rose by 12 to 66 in the Islamic republic. Iran's confirmed cases leapt by 523 from the previous day to 1,501, said Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi. Regional countries have especially worried about the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. In the Gulf region, some 129 cases have been confirmed across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar -- many of them pilgrims returning from Iran, especially the Shiite holy city of Qom. US President Donald Trump had Saturday offered that "if we can help the Iranians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so... All they have to do is ask." Tehran on Monday however rejected the offer from Trump -- who has heaped sanctions and a campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran -- charging he had made it "for propaganda purposes". 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 "We are suspicious of the intentions of the Americans and do not count on this aid," said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi, as quoted by the official agency IRNA. China's foreign ministry said an expert team from the Chinese Red Cross had arrived on Saturday in Tehran "to provide what assistance it can in terms of epidemic prevention and control and medical relief". The WHO meanwhile dispatched six medics with tonnes of medical equipment and test kits aboard a UAE military aircraft to Iran's capital, where it arrived later Monday. "Today's flight will carry 7.5 tonnes of medical equipment and supplies, primarily the critical items needed for infection prevention and control to support health care workers in Iran," said Robert Blanchard, from the WHO in Dubai. As the supplies worth more than USD 300,000 -- including gloves, surgical masks and respirators -- were loaded onto the United Arab Emirates military transport plane in Dubai, Blanchard warned that global supplies were running low. "What we see now is that demand has greatly exceeded our available stocks... and we are struggling to get access to more supplies." The six-member medical team is made up of doctors, epidemiologists and laboratory specialists to help the Islamic republic detect and control the virus, Blanchard said, adding it was the first WHO team to be sent to Iran since the crisis began. WHO operations manager Nevien Attalla said some 15,000 health workers in Iran would benefit from the supplies which were the "first big shipment which supports the response to coronavirus". "Iran is a challenging country. You don't have always easy approvals to go," she said. The UAE provided the military transport plane for the flight to Tehran despite having downgraded its relations with the Islamic republic amid fierce rivalry between Iran and regional power Saudi Arabia. Gulf states have announced a raft of measures to cut links with Iran to curb the spread of the virus, cutting off transport links and telling citizens not to visit. "Aid should reach all people regardless of their background," Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, the UAE's undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, said at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport. Iran's IRNA agency meanwhile reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 72, a member of the Expediency Council which advises the supreme leader. It did not specify the cause of death but said he had died at Tehran's Massih Danechvari Hospital, the capital's main centre for patients suffering from the new coronavirus. Angel Broking's report on Crude Oil Last week, WTI Crude prices plunged 13 percent after markets assessed that the lethal virus breakout could lead to a far greater economic damage than initially thought which might dent the demand for fuel. Moreover, increase in number of cases outside China raised worries of a possible economic slowdown. Even Libyas Oil output dipped sharply since mid-Jan20 reflecting the blockade of ports and oil fields by groups loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar. The OPEC+ stated that they would further trim their output to counter the slumping demand due to the coronavirus outbreak in the major Crude consumer, China. OPEC+ plans to meet in Vienna on 5th -6 th March 2020. Outlook Rising worries over the Coronavirus breakout might further dent the demand worries for Crude and push the prices lower. However, expectation of aggressive output cuts by OPEC amid stimulus measures by various central banks might support Crude. On the MCX, oil prices are expected to trade lower today. For all commodities report, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies 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. Read More The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak spiked dramatically on Sunday, with more countries reporting additional cases. The deadly virus has added 13 more confirmed cases in the United Kingdom, with Scotland reporting its first case. Health officials are racing to identify people who are unaware they may have been exposed. The total confirmed cases in the UK has topped 36, with 13 new cases added to the toll. Health officials are working with experts to determine the source of the outbreaks reported in Sussex, Surrey, and Essex. They are trying hard to trace carriers of the virus, which are not aware they are infected, predisposing others to the Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is the culprit pathogen behind the coronavirus disease outbreak, which originated in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China. The COVID-19 outbreak has already infected 89,072 people worldwide, the majority of whom are in mainland China. There are now over 3,000 deaths related to the new disease, with Iran reporting the highest number of deaths outside mainland China with 54 deaths as of March 2. Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19. isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. Credit: NIAID-RML Numbers tripled in four days The UK government and health officials are alarmed by the fast spread of the virus in just a couple of days. The total number of confirmed cases in the UK has tripled in just four days, with the virus now reaching all corners of the British Isles. Doctors report that five of the latest infected people contracted the coronavirus within the United Kingdom, and not via overseas travel. What the government is doing The UK government plans to contain the coronavirus by creating an emergency plan. They have not ruled out drastic measures to contain the virus, including locking down affected areas and cities, closing schools, prohibiting concerts and large gatherings, and recalling retired doctors to add to the health care workforce. Further, Matt Hancock, UK's health secretary, said that the government is planning in case the worst-case scenario happens. They plan to shut down cities and areas that are affected, postponing events that will draw large crowds, dissuading people from using public transport, closing schools, and urging work-from-home schemes for employees. The government also plans to release the contingency plan by the NHS to help people prepare in case the outbreak worsens. The plan will have four phases containment, delay, mitigation, and research. Containment measures will be carried to care for infected people while tracing their close contacts to prevent further spread. The delay phase involves deciding on what actions to take to curb or stem the spread of the deadly virus, while mitigation includes measures to limit the damage if the virus spreads widely. Lastly, research will involve constant and ongoing work to develop therapeutics and vaccines against the virus, as well as study the virus's nature and behavior. Currently, the country is in the containment phase, racing to track all people who have been in contact with confirmed cases. They may still be unaware that they are infected and can spread the virus to others. Scotland reports first case Scotland has reported its first coronavirus case, with the patient having a history of travel to Italy. The patient, who is from the Tayside area, tested positive and is in isolation at a hospital. Meanwhile, five new countries have also reported their first coronavirus cases, including Qatar, Monaco, Ireland, Azerbaijan, and Ecuador. "The continued increase in the number of cases, and the number of affected countries over the last few days, are clearly of concern," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said. "Our epidemiologists have been monitoring these developments continuously, and we have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of the impact of COVID-19 to very high at a global level," he added. Washington: Three former rivals for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination have thrown their support behind Joe Biden, delivering a big boost to the former vice-president ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday primary contests. Former candidate Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O'Rourke all endorsed Biden and appeared alongside him in Texas, the state with the second biggest number of delegates up for grabs on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT). Klobuchar announced that she was dropping out of the race a day after Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, told supporters he was ending his campaign. Amy Klobuchar is dropping out of the presidential race. Credit:AP Their withdrawal and speedy endorsement of Biden was part of a concerted effort from moderate Democrats to deny democratic socialist Bernie Sanders the party's nomination. China's forestry and grassland authority on Monday urged efforts to prevent the spread of desert locusts as the destructive migratory pests may enter the country from Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Kazakhstan. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicted that the desert locust plague, which originated in Africa, may last until June, with swarms growing to 500 times the current level, according to a statement on the website of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Desert locusts may enter Tibet from Pakistan and India, fly to southwest China's Yunnan Province from Myanmar, or invade Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Kazakhstan, posing a major threat to food security and rural livelihoods, according to experts. The administration urged local authorities to step up monitoring of the pests, issue early warnings and alerts in a timely manner, strengthen staff training, and devise and improve emergency response plans to combat the possible spread of locusts. LONDON, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lycamobile, the world's largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and part of the Lyca Group, is delighted to announce the sale of Lycamobile Spain ("the Company") to the publicly listed Masmovil, a Spanish mobile network operator (MNO). The deal is valued at 372 million and Masmovil has also opted to retain the Lycamobile brand in Spain for the long term. The deal is subject to the authorisation of antitrust authorities (CNMC). Lycamobile Spain launched in 2010 with the aim of delivering low-cost mobile services of the highest quality to the market. The Company has since become the country's leading MVNO, achieving impressive market penetration with over 1.5 million customers. Masmovil's acquisition of the Company is an affirmation of the accomplishment of Lycamobile in the market. Commenting on the transaction, Allirajah Subaskaran, founder and Chairman of the Lyca Group said: "When we entered Spain, we dreamed of building the country's largest MVNO with high-quality, cost effective mobile services. We have now succeeded in that mission, and the acquisition by Masmovil is an affirmation of our success and we are proud that Masmovil has retained the Lycamobile brand for the long term. We wish Masmovil the very best and continued success and growth in Spain." "We will now turn our attention to building our global presence with entry into new and exciting markets to add to our existing 23 markets, and furthering Lycamobile's capabilities in the industry by rolling out similar MNO launches to that which we recently did in Uganda." "We would like to thank our loyal customers, our business partners, and the dedication of our Spanish Lycamobile team, who made our story in the country such a success." Macfarlanes LLP and Cuatrecasas advised Lycamobile on English and Spanish law respectively. SOURCE Lycamobile Panic gripped the residents of several parts of Delhi on Sunday evening following false rumours of violence, even as the Delhi Police and AAP leaders denied any incident and appealed people to remain calm. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said it had shut down the entry and exit gates of seven metro stations but did not give any reason. The stations were later reopened. "A rumour has been noticed that there is some tension in Khyala-Raghubir Nagar area of West District. There is no truth behind it. All are requested to keep calm as the situation is absolutely normal & peaceful," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) West Deepak Purohit said. "There are some rumours regarding some communal tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala areas. It is intimated that there is no tension in Tilak Nagar and Khyala and the whole west district area. Nothing to worry about," he added. Police said some "unsubstantiated reports" of tension in southeast and west districts were circulated on social media. "It is to reiterate that these are all rumours. Don't pay attention to such rumours. Delhi Police is closely monitoring accounts spreading rumours and taking action," they said, adding that rumours about tension in Dwarka and Badarpur areas were also "unsubstantiated". The DCPs of some police districts and station house officers (SHOs) of police stations took to Twitter to assure people that their areas were peaceful and normal. However, shopkeepers downed shutters and vendors closed weekly markets as people rushed home early in several areas, including Subhash Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri and Khyala areas in west Delhi. Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh too urged people to remain calm. "I reached at the site as soon as I heard of the rumour of riots, shops were shut people were in a state of panic but no one saw any riots happening. It was a conspiracy to spread rumours and spoil the atmosphere. I appeal to people to maintain peace and brotherhood and do not believe the rumours," he said. Rajesh Sharma, a resident of Subhash Nagar, said he had gone to a mall in west Delhi when at around 7:45 pm, he witnessed sudden commotion. "The outlets inside the mall began shutting down and the situation remained tense for nearly 20 minutes before police arrived and assured everyone that the situation was normal," he said. Meanwhile, the metro stations which were briefly shut down included Tilak Nagar, Nangloi, Surajmal Stadium, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Uttam Nagar west and Nawada. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said he spoke to acting Delhi Police chief S N Shrivastava on the rumours of fresh violence in the national capital and was ensured that the situation was under control. Anxious people also took to Twitter asking if the rumours were true. Police said that they were talking to people to assure that nothing untoward has happened and they should remain calm. The AAP MP, in a tweet, requested people not to pay heed to any rumours. "Rumours of violence are being spread in Delhi. In this regard I spoke to Delhi CP (commissioner of police) and he said that reports of violence are rumours and the law and order situation of the national capital is completely under control," he tweeted. He also posted a video of AAP leader Amanatullah Khan saying there are rumours being spread that fights have broken out in Madanpur Khadar, Jaitpur and Okhla areas. "These are all rumours senior officers are present there. Please don't listen to rumours. If anyone says that violence has broken out, ask them for evidence. Don't get frightened. We all have to fight these rumours. Rumours spread panic and that in turn leads to violence. Believe that we are all with you," he said in the video. AAP leader Atishi also took to Twitter and said she received WhatsApp messages about mobs in Govindpuri and Kalkaji areas. "These rumours are all false. Situation is peaceful. Police is patrolling the area," she said asking people to remain calm. W imbledon College has announced it will close until March 10 and undergo a deep clean after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus after travelling to Italy. A letter sent to parents by the school said it had been contacted about the case by Public Health England (PHE). The member of staff was last in school on February 25 and has not had contact with pupils since the beginning of this half term, the letter said. However, as some staff members are now classed as close contacts of a confirmed case of Covid-19 they are required to self-isolate as a precautionary measure for 14 days, the letter said. Wimbledon College is latest in a line of schools to close due to coronavirus / PA It said the school must close due to low staff numbers and hopes to reopen on March 10. It is the latest in a number of school closures caused by the coronavirus crisis. At least 10 primary and secondary schools have been closed over the last week, as the countrys top medic said long-term closures would be a possibility during a pandemic of Covid-19. Thirteen new UK coronavirus cases as total climbs to 36 Moorlands infant and junior schools in Bath closed for the first time on Friday, after a member of the school community developed symptoms after travelling abroad. Acting head teacher Warrick Barton said in a statement: I hope that you will understand that I have taken this decision with childrens health as the first priority, as well as the health of the whole school community. This is very much a precautionary measure, but one that puts children first. Willow Bank Infant School in Reading, Berkshire, which has been shut after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. / PA The ill person is said to have been to a category two country in the last 14 days, which could include China (but not Wuhan city or Hubei province), northern Italy, Japan or Singapore, among others. Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire, also remained closed on Friday, after a parent was thought to have contracted the illness while on holiday in Tenerife. Cransley School in Cheshire closed on Tuesday after a number of students and staff who went on a ski trip to northern Italy over half-term began showing flu-like symptoms, and is yet to reopen, as is Trinity Catholic College in Middlesbrough. Dulwich Prep School in south London took the decision to close on Thursday, after a number of pupils fell ill after travelling during the half-term break and were due to be tested. The school has not yet confirmed whether it will reopen on Monday. Coronavirus: What we know so far In the middle of the week, Public Health England (PHE) advised schools to stay open, with medical director Paul Cosford saying: Schools have to face difficult decisions, given the complexity of issues that they are facing. Yemenis seize capital of strategic al-Jawf as Saudi-led mercenaries retreat Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 6:45 PM Yemen's armed forces, along with Houthi fighters from Ansarullah movement, have taken control of the strategic city of al-Hazm, the capital of the northern al-Jawf province, as Saudi-led mercenaries retreated after losing ground in the region. Sources close to Saudi-allied former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, confirmed Sunday that forces led by Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement took control of al-Hazm, which is located only 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of the border with Saudi Arabia. This came after fierce fighting with Saudi-led mercenaries who were forced to withdraw to neighboring Ma'rib province. At least 30 Saudi-led forces, including high-ranking pro-Hadi officers, were killed in the fighting over the past two days. Maged al-Madhaji, executive director of the Sana'a Center, a Yemeni think-tank, told AFP that the Houthis' capture of al-Hazm could be a game-changer. "Control of the capital of al-Jawf could totally change the course of the war. Houthis have made an exceptional advance and are changing the balance" in their favor, he noted. Madhaji also said the advance would enable the popular Ansarullah-backed forces to surround neighboring oil-rich Ma'rib province, the most significant territory in the hands of the pro-Saudi mercenaries. The new achievement by Yemeni forces and the Houthi fighters also secures supply lines between Sana'a and the Houthi northern stronghold of Saada, Madhaji said. The Beirut-based al-Akhbar newspaper had reported Saturday that the advances by Yemeni forces continued towards the strategic city and that major Saudi positions surrounding al-Hazm had fallen. According to the report, Saudi Arabia had sent dozens of military vehicles along with hundreds of mercenaries from the central Ma'rib and southern Shabwah province in a bid to push back the Yemenis advances. Saudi Arabia had also sought to win the loyalty of Yemeni tribes against the Yemeni forces in the region by offering money, the report added. Due to Saudi intervention and influence, al-Jawf province was effectively deprived of using its oil reserves, which are largest in Yemen, and attracting needed investment, it added. Saudi Arabia and a number of its Persian Gulf regional allies launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 to reinstate the administration of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and crush the popular Ansarullah movement. The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past four and a half years. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Venkatesh Murali, new head of Channels, Nascent and Vietnam Armed with almost two decades of solutions sales and channel development experience, Venkatesh will focus on driving VMwares growth in Vietnam and other developing markets by delivering VMwares industry-leading innovations to help organisations in the region build, run, manage, connect, and protect their businesses for an increasingly digital future. With Vietnam being named the second-fastest growing internet economy in Southeast Asia in 2019, VMware is excited to deepen our support for business transformation in the fast-growing country as well as other developing economies in the region as they charge ahead into the digital economy, said Pham Viet Thang, country sales manager in Vietnam at VMware. The addition of Venkatesh to our Nascent Markets and Vietnam leadership team will sharpen VMwares focus on extending our hybrid and multi-cloud solutions to Vietnam, empowering enterprises with the tools to leapfrog in business transformation through technology in an exciting growth phase aided by new digital economy. Prior to joining VMware, Venkatesh was head of Software-defined Infrastructure, Central Asia-Pacific for Lenovo Enterprise Solutions, where he led the Software-defined Solutions & Datacenter sales strategy for governments, corporations, and small- and medium-sized enterprises across the region. He also built and led the customer advisory team for Enterprise Solutions while head of Global Computing and Networking Solutions at Dell Global BV. He joins a strong stable of VMware Channel and Partner leaders for the wider region that includes Fan Qu, director, Partner Business, Southeast Asia and Korea, as well as Uma Thana Balasingam, vice president and channel chief, Asia-Pacific and Japan. Digital transformation is a top priority for enterprises, particularly in Vietnam. With the limitless opportunities afforded by hybrid cloud and multi-cloud, VMware enables its partners to leverage cutting-edge solutions to accelerate business enhancement initiatives, said Venkatesh. Channel partners are core to VMwares strategy to build a vibrant ecosystem encompassing both developed and developing markets. Accessing and utilising cloud capabilities are the first step for enterprises seeking to harness innovation and architectural flexibility in their continuous evolution. VMware software powers the worlds complex digital infrastructure. The companys cloud, networking and security, and digital workspace offerings provide a dynamic and efficient digital foundation to customers globally, aided by an extensive ecosystem of partners. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough innovations to its global impact. Zilingo acquires software company nCinga Innovations for $15.5 million Singapore-headquartered technology platform, Zilingo, scales up its global supply chain capabilities with the acquisition of the Sri Lanka-based Software-as-a-Service company. BSA launches Clean Up to the Countdown to legalise corporate software assets By launching Clean Up to the Countdown, BSA seeks to team up with Vietnamese authorities and CEOs to make substantial reductions in the corporate use ... Time is ticking and Indian pharmaceutical units dependent on crucial raw materials from China - active pharmaceutical ingredients and key starting materials to make medicines in India - are waiting and watching developments unfold this month. The industry expected things in China to return back to normal by mid-February at the conclusion of the extended Chinese New Year holidays. However, it seems far from business as usual. According to a senior member of the Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association, if raw material supplies from China remain disrupted beyond March then it would have an impact on production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients made using key starting materials and drug intermediates from China. This will, in turn, affect the production of final formulated products - the tablets and capsules that people consume. It is not as if there is a complete standstill in imports from China. Officials from Indian pharmaceutical companies say manufacturing and shipping have resumed in parts of China away from the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. There is, however, no clarity on the extent to which production has resumed and shipments commenced. For instance, a senior official of a leading company estimates that around 30 per cent of usual pharmaceutical production appears to have started in China, and 25 per cent of shipments have resumed. ALSO READ:Enough masks, equipment available to fight coronavirus menace, Health Minister tells GoM ALSO READ:Internet rumours can now land you in jail in China "Most API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) manufacturers in China are not working at full capacity, but are working partially, and shipments are coming in. Ports and airlines are functional now. Our own supply chain is working fine but not at full scale. We have some stock that we always maintain, which came in handy during this emergency. Whatever vendors have already manufactured, we have requested them to ship. That is also coming in bits and pieces now, and the contact of an agent that government offered is also available for us. We will work in a multi-pronged approach," said Cipla Global CFO Kedar Upadhye. "As of now there is no problem in terms of API inventory, but in a month or month and a half, if the plants in China don't operate at full capacity, then there might be an issue. But as of now, we are okay," he further added. There are however no easy solutions. "In the near or medium term, there is no substitute to China because their capacities are massive. In India, if you want to replicate that, the land required, the reactors that you have to put in, technology, labour arbitrage, there are multiple things here. One can't just shift the manufacturing to India from China. Also, when one files a dossier with the regulator, it has the API source as China, and changing the source would require the company to make changes to the dossier," said Upadhye. Most, however, echo one point raised by him about the long-term solution to the problem, which centres around mitigating the supply security risks by diversifying sourcing either from within India or from locations outside China. ALSO READ:Coronavirus to have larger economic impact than SARS, says OECD ALSO READ:Coronavirus in Delhi: How to stay safe? Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: A BJP MLA in Assam claimed cow dung could help fight coronavirus that has killed thousands worldwide. The government is doing research on cow dung and cow urine. When cow dung is burnt, the smoke that emits has the power to destroy the virus. I believe cow dung can help fight the outbreak of coronavirus, Hajo MLA, Suman Haripriya, told the Assembly during a discussion on cattle smuggling on Monday. She is a first time MLA and daughter of BJP stalwart and former Union Minister Bijoya Chakraborty. She was into film-making prior to joining politics. There are scientific reasons why we use cow dung and cow urine during religious rituals. There are some hospitals in Gujarat which treat their patients with ayurvedic medicines. The patients there are kept alongside cows and given Panchamrit prepared from cow urine and cow dung, the MLA said. ALSO READ: Avoid travel to Iran, Italy, S Korea, Singapore, says Centre after two more test positive for coronavirus She said cancer could be fought by following the alternative method vis-a-vis the use of cow dung and cow urine. I learnt about cancer patients getting cured by following this method. Thats the reason why people worshipped cows in the olden days. Every single thing that cow gives us is important, the MLA said, adding The sages and saints used basil leaves during religious rituals. We now know basil leaves are a cure for diabetics. She said she had learnt about the usefulness of cow dung and cow urine and the ongoing research on them from BJP leader and Assams Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The police in Assam often face a problem in keeping seized stolen cows due to lack of space. The MLA urged the police stations to send the cattle to the cow reserves in Hajo. We have plenty of space there to keep them, she said. By Deepak Chopra, MD If you find yourself living in a troubled world, what should you do? The question is as old as recorded history, but over the millennia only three basic answers have emerged. If you find yourself living in a troubled world, you should A. Turn to God or the gods, B. Place your trust in science and rational thought, or C. Renounce the world and retreat inward. These answers have practical outcomes, which is why we have cathedrals, space programs, and monasteries. But what if none of the three time-honored answers works anymore? Thats the general situation most modern people find themselves in, and so they retain a diluted loyalty to old answers in the absence of a better one. For example, most Americans do not believe the creation story in the Book of Genesis, but neither do they completely believe Darwinism, telling pollsters that in some undefined way God enters into evolution despite the view among evolutionary scientists that Darwins theory is completely valid. The third option, retreating from the world, is actually the one most of us have chosen more or less automatically. We lament the state of the world but spend every day occupied with our personal affairs. If you do nothing to improve the world, you are for all intents and purposes reliant on your own thoughts and actions. A higher authority or proven worldview is irrelevant. What we need to realize is that a refusal to have a higher vision of life is self-defeating and will do little but let the troubled world go its own way. Shrugging your shoulders and retreating is an attitude that builds no cathedrals or space programs. It represents stasis instead of evolution. I am a great believer in evolution myself, and heres why. If you examine the religious worldview, the scientific worldview, and the renunciant worldview, you can say yes or no to any of them. But you cannot say yes or no to the consciousness that originated them. In consciousness we create the story of humankind and always have. When a worldview gets wobbly or collapses, nothing changes consciousness. It is free to invent and reinvent stories endlessly. This ability is the key to a brave new world. We need to adopt a higher vision that places human consciousness at the core. Recently there was a fascinating article proposing a new theory of time. According to this new theory, every aspect of timepast, present, and futureexists simultaneously. A map of cosmic time would give equal weight to every kind of time, embracing them all without preferring any single one. This seemingly bizarre viewpoint actually builds upon Einsteins similar view, expressed in one of his more famous quotes: The distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. Most people would strongly resist that there is no real past, present, or future, but Einstein meant his insight to be liberating. If time can exist simultaneously in any form, then pride of place must be given to consciousness, because it is already free from past, present, and future. Its very easy to prove this idea. Imagine a scene from your childhood, then imagine your next vacation, and finally look at your watch. You have just time-traveled through past, present, and future. In order to do that, you need a place to stand that is outside past, present, and future. The only viable place is consciousness, because every other location in spacetime is either totally fixed or depends upon the human mind to exist. Every previous worldview has given rise to a story or narrative that people shape their lives around. The religious story in the West was about getting to Heaven and avoiding Hell. The scientific story is about constant material progress. But consciousness has no story. If you are free to time-travel in consciousness, you can pick which direction you want to go in. The same is true in all things. If you are not tied to any story, you can choose your experience, give it meaning, and decide on how to follow your bliss. A brave new world will not emerge by worrying over the troubled world. Anxiety isnt creative. Only creative intelligence is creative, and that intelligence is innate in all of us. You do not even need to abide by the story you apply to your body, to aging or death. In the perfect equanimity of consciousness, direct experience is the foundation of a new world because each person will feel new. This isnt a dream. If you stand back to see time in its wholeness, according to the new theory, all time is simultaneous. There is only a field of time with free choice about the vectors an event travels along. What saves this notion from total disorder, with time whizzing back and forth like leaves in the wind, is the stability of consciousness. We live in a cosmos that contains form, structure, evolution, organization, and infinite correlation across billions of light years. The tremble of an electron is registered everywhere. It is no accident that human life is also organized and structured, or that the trillions of cells in our bodies are correlated with one another. Wholeness rules. The parts that seem to move randomly fit into perfectly organized structures. Without physics, there would be no name for atoms, molecules, quarks, quasars, etc. By naming these phenomena, we lasso them into the human world and give them reality. But there is no necessity to name consciousness itself. Consciousness simply is. It defines wholeness in the only valid way wholeness can ever be. Ill write more about the brave new world, because people today feel increasingly powerless, desperate, helpless, and hopeless about the troubled world. The message that needs to be sent everywhere is that the world isnt our boss. We created the human world, and our creative intelligence can never desert us. If truth exists with a capital T, it resides in consciousness and nowhere else. DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. His 90th book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century. [The stream is slated to start at 10 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] World Health Organization officials are holding a press conference Monday to update the public on the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more that 89,100 people and killed at least 3,040 across the world. Named COVID-19, the virus has shuttered commerce across China and is hitting company earnings. The virus has sent global stock markets falling, manufacturing has slowed as factories close their doors, and companies have been forced to cancel planned events around the world. WHO officials said on Friday they were increasing the risk assessment of the coronavirus to "very high" at the global level. In January, it declared the virus a global health emergency, while urging the public against over-reacting to the virus. The organization has yet to classify the virus as a pandemic and has maintained that its attention is on containing the spread, although the virus has substantially moved beyond China and has now been found in nearly 60 countries. Epidemics have emerged in Iran, Italy, And South Korea, where the number of cases is rapidly increasing. The U.S. recorded its first two deaths from the virus over the weekend and confirmed the first case in New York City on Sunday. Every country should prepare for its first case and no one should assume it won't get any cases, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said last month. "This is a reality check for every government on the planet: Wake up. Get ready. This virus may be on its way and you need to be ready. You have a duty to your citizens, you have a duty to the world to be ready," said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's health emergencies program, during a press conference on Friday. Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak. The search for Madeleine McCann has gone on now for over a decade and has cost millions in taxpayer funds. Nonetheless, that isn't stopping the family of the missing child, and detectives, from asking for even more money to assist in the search. Will all the money in the world find little Maddie? Or are detectives wasting public tax dollars to throw at a fruitless endeavor? Madeleine McCann search is downright expensive The search for the missing British toddler has cost more than 11 million (More than $14 Million USD) thus far, but detectives think that asking for more money will somehow assist them in this ongoing investigation. The Mirror reports that they are asking for as much as 12 million (Approximately $15.4 Million USD) more, just a handful of months after asking for another substantial chunk of taxpayer money. With all the money being spent searching for Madeleine McCann, there are parents of other Missing Children who are being left in the cold -- financially speaking. There is also the idea that all of these tax dollars could be used to help people in need, infrastructure and other places where the money is needed. A petition exists on Change.Org demanding that public tax money stop being used to fund the search for this missing child. This petition really didn't gain any steam, but the public sentiment about the use of tax money is more than vocal on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter -- all using the hashtag #McCann. Money donated to the family should go toward the search BBC News reports that the McCann family received more than 1 million ($1.2m), in donations from the public over the course of Maddie's disappearance. However, they've used that fund to pay off their mortgage. It's not known if they continue to receive public donations, but with so much money being given -- enough to pay off a home, at least -- they should be more than able to help fund the search. Discuss this news on Eunomia That's especially since this is the search for their own missing daughter. Furthermore, Kate and Gerry McCann have made money off book sales surrounding the publication of a book Kate wrote about Madeleine. Some users on social media believe that they should be funding the search for Madeleine with the royalties. This missing child is still more important than the money Every missing child is more important than money, but how much is too much? So many hundreds of thousands of people go missing every year -- many of whom are children -- and many of them do not get a lick of media attention or financial assistance. It's easy to see where feelings can go sour with the public concerning how and where their tax money is going, and it can be said that these same people also want to see a positive outcome in the search for Madeleine McCann. The CBI on Monday accusedthe state police of not handing over the necessary documents needed for the investigation into thekillingof two Youth Congress workers in Kasaragod in February last year. The CBI mentioned about the alleged non-cooperation by the crime branch wing of the Kerala police in the status report of the probe submitted by the CBI investigation officer before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here. The CBI submitted that the Crime Branch had not handed over the 'CD' file besides statements and documents collected by them during the investigation despite requests. Observing serious lapses in the police investigation, the court last September handed over the case of the killing of the two workers to the Central Bureau of Investigation after dismissing the charge sheet filed by the crime branch. Two Youth Congress workers, Kripesh (20) and Sharth Lal (24), were hacked to death allegedly by CPI(M) workers at Periya in Kasaragod district last year. The parents of the victims had moved the court seeking a CBI investigation, saying police investigation was not on the right track. The state government had challenged the single bench order for conducting a CBI probe but a division bench declined to stay it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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. Pauline Hanson has hit out at the government's new regional skilled migration visa because it allows immigrants to access welfare if they lose their job. The program forces workers to live in regional areas for at least three years before they are able to apply for permanent residency. Getting migrant workers to live outside Australia's overcrowding cities is a longstanding problem the scheme is hoped to solve. However, amendments to be put to parliament giving them access to welfare services like Centrelink and paid parental leave angered the One Nation senator. 'I'm absolutely disgusted with this,' she told Sky News on Tuesday morning. 'Australia is taxed to the hilt and we're encouraging more people to come out here. I'm furious about it.' Senator Hanson said she told Immigration Minister David Coleman 'in strong terms' that the government would not get her crucial Senate vote. 'There's no guarantee that when they go out to these areas that they're going to have a job and they [may] end up on all these benefits,' she said. 'I'm gobsmacked, I cannot understand the reasoning of the government.' Pauline Hanson has hit out at the government's new regional skilled migration visa because it allows immigrants to access welfare if they lose their job Senator Hanson instead suggested tax relief for Australians who move from the city to the country, and lower payroll tax on companies that operate there. Workers would be eligible for family assistance benefits, disability pensions, and university loans to study bridging courses so they can use their overseas qualifications. They can also access the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and go on paid parental leave. Mr Coleman's office wrote in an explanatory memorandum for the amended bill that the changes were to ensure workers had the same rights as those in cities. 'The amendments in this bill will ensure that holders of the... visas have access to welfare payments or government services consistent with the current arrangements applicable to permanent residence visa holders,' it read. Workers would be eligible for family assistance benefits, disability pensions, and university loans to study bridging courses so they can use their overseas qualifications 'These arrangements also ensure that provisional skilled regional visa holders are not disadvantaged compared to holders of permanent skilled visas available for people to work in metropolitan areas.' Mr Coleman wrote that the visa may otherwise 'indirectly discriminate against those provisional holders that do not receive such benefits'. The memorandum said this would encourage workers to remain in regional Australia with their families, which in turn would support and grow local communities. BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2 Trend: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry congratulates the Iranian government on the successful holding of parliamentary elections, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva told reporters in Baku, Trend reports on March 2. We believe that close cooperation between the two countries will continue, the spokesperson added. The 11th parliamentary elections were held in Iran on Feb. 21, 2020. According to the statistics, 24.5 million out of 57.9 million Iranians, who were eligible to vote, used their suffrage in the elections. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] BAY CITY, MI - The ball is starting to roll forward on a new, affordable housing project in Bay City as the Bay City Housing Commission moves to make it a reality. On Monday, March 2, Bay City Commission is being asked to direct the city manager to write a letter to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority confirming that the development will make an annual payment in lieu of taxes for an affordable housing project at 501 Columbus Ave. The project entails development of 56 Housing Commission-owned affordable units in a complex built at the Columbus site - the former YMCA site. The plan calls for 17 townhomes in two- and three-bedroom floor plans, plus a four-story building with 39 one- and two-bedroom units. The project would take up the block that starts at the corner of Columbus and North Madison Avenue, which includes the former YMCA at 111 N. Madison Ave. and a white house at 501 Columbus Ave. Chief Executive Officer of the Bay City Housing Commission William Philips explained that the property was clumped together under the 501 Columbus Ave. address of the house. The Housing Commission is preparing to submit a tax credit application for their project to MSHDA, which is due by April 1. According to Philips, this is an initial step in a lengthy process to get the project moving. Philips explained that this project benefits families looking for affordable living solutions while promoting economic development in the area. There hasnt been any activity to speak of off the river. The focus has been on the river, and thats good, thats a valuable asset to the community, he said. "But its not the same kind of market. I think having a new property like this begins to show other investors that its time to start looking at these other locations. The payment in lieu of taxes option has its roots in a 1968 cooperation agreement between the Bay City Housing Commission and the City of Bay City. While the development of subsidized-rent housing projects are for public purpose and exempt from all real and personal property taxes, the cooperation agreement sets for the terms for a payment in lieu of taxes. The payment in lieu of taxes will be set to the amount of 10% of the aggregate charged shelter rents for the project. In August 2018 the City Commission approved the sale of the former YMCA property, which had been foreclosed on, to the Bay City Housing Commission on an 8-0 vote. The original development plan for the site had a more modern spin to it. In keeping with Bay Citys focus on historical buildings, the plans were redesigned to incorporate traditional architectural elements. Philips explained that the new design is to have a single building designed to look like staggered, old-style buildings that one would expect to find 100 years ago on Columbus Avenue. We listened a lot to the community and all the input that we received from all the various approval agencies and city commission," said Philips. "There was a strong desire to be sure that the development was honoring the historic nature of the community, certainly Columbus Avenue, that ties in also with downtown. The housing project proposed for the site was previously rejected in 2018 when the citys Planning Commission voted 4-2 against it, arguing it did not follow the recommendations found in a 2016 Bay City housing study. The Bay City Zoning Board of Appeals then gave its blessing to the project, according to Philips. Philips said that the Planning Commission sent back its own appeal, but the matter was later dealt with in circuit court, where the Zoning Board of Appeals original decision was upheld, allowing the plan to go forward. The Bay City Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the commission chambers at 301 Washington Ave. Related: Putzs Hardware in Bay City is ringing up its final sales Mineral extraction company coming to Bay City, plans 50-100 permanent jobs Studio 23 bringing art craft bar to downtown Bay City Nigeria: The countrys Health Minister announced that 58 people who had come into contact with the Italian man who had the first case of the coronavirus in Nigeria have been quarantined. Racist Poison ... White Australia The White Australia policy is the ill-visaged, ill-begotten child of imperialism ... The intention is to build up here a reliable bastion of British imperialism with an eye to it helping to keep in subjection the coloured peoples of the British colonial empire. Coloured men in Australia in these circumstances might be expected to sympathise with other coloured people, consequently, would prove to be unreliable. Therefore, the White Australia policy is no different to any other racial policy. Race superiority and colour prejudices were handy weapons for the imperialists. The coloured Asiatics were depicted as an inferior variety of humanity who needed the aid of the European bourgeoisie to civilise them and make them fit to govern themselves. Such were the type of moral arguments used by imperialism to justify and conceal its brutal exploitation and repression of the colonial races. Markets, super-profits, raw materials, cheap labour for finance-capital, were the real objectives of the conquest of Asia. When L L Sharkey visited India and Malaya (1948) the Australian press invented some choice distortions of statements he had made on the White Australia policy in those countries. He had added nothing new to well-known Communist policy, e.g. it never proposed that his country be flooded with cheap labour from any country, Asiatic or otherwise, or that the control of immigration be taken out of the hands of the Australian people. But racist poison was commonly featured in the press, and the Labor imperialists (as L L Sharkey termed them) added their share. In recent times, people from the Asiatic countries, American Negroes, and others have been seized by the Chifley Labor government police and forcibly deported in spite of the fact that many of them served Australia in the war against Japanese fascism, are married to Australian citizens, and parents of Australian-born children. Only energetic protests from the New Zealand government prevented the deportation of Maoris also from Australia. [...] Asia is on the march. There is a tremendous revolutionary ferment, which is smashing to smithereens the chains of feudalism, imperialism, and medievalism which have hitherto bound the Asiatic peoples. Some of them may even evolve into imperialistic powers. The future alone can decide this. Therefore, it is not in any sense in the true national interests of Australia to continue to affront these peoples and cause resentment in their minds against this country. On the contrary we need, because of our nearness to these countries, leaving aside all other considerations, to cultivate the closest and most friendly relations with the Asiatic countries. That is why I repeatedly had to point out to the press and political representatives of Asiatic countries that a considerable body of progressive opinion in Australia opposed the so-called White Australia policy, irrespective of the distortions and outright lies that I knew would be broadcast by the reactionary press of Australia about what I had to say on this subject. [...] After the experiences of Hitlers racist savagery, with the slaughter of millions, it was thought that no decent person would tolerate a repetition. Yet the violence of the race-hate propaganda was growing alarmingly. The fascist-minded Bulletin is as unashamed in the starkness of its racial propaganda as the Hitlerites. Langs Century vies with the Bulletin and Smiths Weekly in the virulence of its anti-Semitic and anti-alien campaign. [...] The political life of this country is more and more poisoned by it. The so-called White Australia policy aims at the exclusion of coloured peoples on the ground of racial purity. The Communist Party of Australia and the Labour movement generally, on economic grounds, is against the swamping of this country with immigrants, no matter from where they come. But the phrase White Australia should be dropped and a quota of immigrants from coloured countries allowed entry, as in America. [...] Again, it (race purity) is to be found in immigration. Despite the tremendous contributions to world civilisation and culture of the Latin countries, their glittering military history and so forth, they are regarded by the government and immigration authorities as inferior and to be discouraged, and, outside of the British people, only Scandinavians should be encouraged to come here. The population of most of the Scandinavian countries is microscopic and consequently immigrants from there wont be too plentiful, even if they were superior. Such is the contradiction which racial purity has injected into immigration policy. In the end the racial problem can only be finally solved on the basis of proletarian internationalism, on the basis of Marxist-Leninist teachings. It can only be finally solved in a Socialist society. Inevitably capitalist imperialism, with its greedy and selfish aims, will stir up anti-Semitism, antagonism between white and coloured workers, will stir up every form of racial conflict to prevent unity in the struggle against capitalism, poverty and war. Therefore, in the interests of the whole of the working masses, the Communist Party unceasingly wages the fight against racial discrimination, for international unity and solidarity under the great slogan Workingmen of all Countries, Unite! This essay originally appeared in The Sharkey Writings, an edited compilation of L L Sharkeys writings. The essay was edited from Tribune articles in February and April of 1947-48 respectively. For the past 23 years, Claudette Leclerc has put the Manitoba Museum first as its longest-serving executive director and CEO. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. For the past 23 years, Claudette Leclerc has put the Manitoba Museum first as its longest-serving executive director and CEO. Claudette Leclerc was executive director of the Folk Arts Council, which puts on Folklorama. (Sasha Sefter / Free Press files) And she was still putting it first when she announced, last week, that shed be retiring from its helm in 2021. "Its our 50th anniversary and, at the end of this calendar year well be finishing our big capital renewal of the galleries, our Bringing Our Stories Forward project, and I just thought that this would be a really good time to pass the baton to my successor," she said during an interview in the book-lined Dr. F.A.L. Mathewson Reading Room at the Manitoba Museum. "We have a major capital renewal vision that has three major steps. The first one was the expansion and renewal of Alloway Hall, which was $5.3 million. The second is the Bringing Our Stories Forward gallery renewal project, which is $20.5 million. The third one is a big one, and its the biggest: we want to establish a science centre for Manitoba. But that would be another 10-plus year commitment, and I realized that I didnt want the organization to stall on its plan of renewal. Leclerc has been the CEO and executive director of the Manitoba Museum for 23 years. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "Im not one to ever abandon a project," she says. "Youre all in or youre out, and I want the organization to keep the foot on the gas." Leclerc, 58, has long been a pillar of the Winnipegs arts and culture scene. She began her career leading the Winnipeg International Childrens Festival and then became executive director of the Folk Arts Council, the organization that puts on Folklorama. Following the announcement of her retirement, the Free Press sat down with Leclerc to discuss her career, the importance of mentors, and why both Manitoba and the Manitoba Museum have special places in her heart. Jen Zoratti Tell me about what it was like when you started at the Manitoba Museum, in the late 1990s. Claudette Leclerc Well, I had the great fortune to come into the position succeeding one of my mentors, Joanne DiCosimo. She had started a major capital campaign which saw the building of the original 5,000-square-foot Alloway Hall, the expansion of our collection storage and systems, and she also worked very hard for the museum to acquire the HBC Museum Collection. I came in at a point when that capital campaign was halfway done, and the major projects remaining were the completion of a 30,000-square-foot addition to the museum, which would house the HBC Museum Collection, as well as the HBC Gallery, and expand our collections spaces and technical services, as well as to finish the story of Manitoba. When our founders developed the plan for the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, ancient to contemporary time, north to south, it was like a chapter book. When it first opened, yes, that iconic bison diorama was there, but each gallery came on in stream. The most diverse region culturally and naturally in our province is the parklands region. The development of the parklands gallery was kept for last. It was the last chapter of the storybook of Manitoba that was yet to be told. Jen Zoratti It sounds similar to now: lots of change, and lots to do. Claudette Leclerc Ill tell you, the foundation of the staff who were here, including Joanne, who had laid such a strong and solid foundation for me to step into, I will be eternally grateful for. The new Winnipeg Gallery at the Manitoba Museum opened in November 2019. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files) Jen Zoratti I noticed you teared up a bit talking about Joanne. Claudette Leclerc Joanne was on the committee that hired me for my very first cultural director job. I was in my early 20s, and I applied to be the executive director of the Winnipeg International Childrens Festival. When she was leaving here, she encouraged me to apply. I said, "No, theres no way Id be qualified for that job." And she said, I think you should consider it. I had six interviews for this job, and I have to say that I wasnt that far into the process when I fell in love with the place and I thought, "This is somewhere Id really like to work." Jen Zoratti And it certainly seems like youve loved working here. Claudette Leclerc This is a dream job. When I started 23 years ago, I never intended to stay here 23 years and retire here. But I have to say, Ive stayed because theres not days or weeks where I dont learn something new here. I continue to learn and be challenged by this job. And weve had some tough times like any non-profit charity, but theres not a day that Ive gotten up that I havent been really embraced the day and the job that needs to be done and Ive always held in the highest regard my colleagues and the work we do here. Jen Zoratti You were young when you took the helm, in your 30s. Claudette Leclerc I was definitely the youngest on the senior team. Jen Zoratti Was that intimidating? Claudette Leclerc No. When I met the senior team on the very first day, one of the first questions they asked me was, "Are you a cat or a dog person and wheres your lake?" And I thought, "Were going to get along just fine." I have a cat (Morris) and a dog (Ruby), and my lake is Lake of the Woods. Jen Zoratti I assume spending some time there is part of your post-retirement plan. Claudette Leclerc Yes, definitely. Were also taking an extended trip to Italy. Weve always wanted to go for a longer period of time and were big lovers of Italy. Were starting our training; were going to do some of, not all of, the Camino de Santiago (in Spain). Were going to do the last 120 kilometres. Im interested in doing volunteer work, but Im not making any decisions yet. Ive been reaching out to my retired CEO friends for advice on decompressing because Ive been an executive director for 37 years. Ive been carrying the responsibility of small, medium and large organizations and all of their committed volunteers and boards and staff. All of those jobs Ive thought about and worried about 24/7, so Im ready to pass the baton. Leclerc's tenure has included a major capital campaign that saw the renewal of many of the musuems galleries. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Jen Zoratti You say "we" are you married, or do you have a partner? Claudette Leclerc Ive been married for 31 years to Rob Kennedy (Manitobas film liaison, also recently retired). We have a wonderful daughter (Zoe Leclerc-Kennedy) who is a theatre professional; shes the apprentice stage manager for Women of the Fur Trade (currently playing at Royal MTCs Warehouse theatre). Jen Zoratti It seems like youre a pretty artsy family. Claudette Leclerc When I met my husband he was the technical director at Manitoba Theatre Centre, and we had our wedding reception in the then-remodelled lobby of the Warehouse. We are very much an arts and culture family. Jen Zoratti Not only did you stay at the Manitoba Museum, you built your career and life in Manitoba. (Her family moved to Winnipeg from Hamilton when she was nine.) Why? Claudette Leclerc Oh, Im a Toban. To live here is to love Manitoba. I love the very rich Indigenous history we have here in this province. Ive learned so much from our elders and communities. My eight years at Folklorama exposed me in major immersion to new Canadians and why they choose to be here. The reasons they chose and stay here are similar to mine; this is a very special place. And I know when we do a national search for a senior position, I cant tell you how many people we hear from who say, I want to come home. I like the size. Ive often said that you cant burn bridges in River City and I really do believe that. I find a lot of people operate that way here. I live three kilometres from the museum, but I gotta get over two bridges to get home. I dont like to burn bridges. I like to work collaboratively with people and, at the end of the day, I like to get home. Jen Zoratti Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Weve talked about the evolution of the museum. What, to your mind, is the role of a modern museum? Claudette Leclerc I think a modern museum needs to be a place where the community feels safe to gather and to share. To discuss different views. I think dialogue is really important, and I think museums are safe havens for dialogue to occur. The program staff here does an incredible job in creating those opportunities for dialogue, and the curators do an incredible job on providing, then, the backdrop of exhibits from which those two can come to life. We, as citizens, have an obligation to learn from our past because its through the learning of our past that we can shape a better future. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @JenZoratti If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Northern Irelands health minister has warned of the risks stemming from undue panic or hysteria in reaction to the outbreak of coronavirus. Robin Swann said it is vital to keep a balanced, proportionate approach to dealing with the possibility of coronavirus spreading in Northern Ireland. He confirmed to the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday that 150 people have been tested for the disease to date, with one testing positive last week. The Ulster Unionist said that the woman has been receiving appropriate specialist health care since their diagnosis was confirmed last Thursday. He said that Northern Ireland has planned for worst case scenarios, adding that Stormont has also contributed to a UK-wide action plan due to be published on Tuesday. Health Minister gives reassurance on the response to Coronavirus. Statement: https://t.co/70emw2kJGy#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/N84yJJ5xCB Department of Health (@healthdpt) March 2, 2020 He told the Assembly: It is vital that we keep taking a balanced, proportionate approach at all times with our actions based on the best scientific advice. Complacency is our enemy but so too are panic and hysteria. As weve said, we will continue to prepare for all eventualities. It is normal practice to plan for worst case scenarios. This does not mean these outcomes are expected or likely. This is a really important point to underline. Our primary focus remains on containment at this time and then to delay and mitigate. There are risks for society in taking premature actions actions not grounded in scientific advice. We have already heard fears being voiced about our economy and jobs, including in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Obviously, public health protection must come first. Im sure all members would agree on that. However, premature actions in the current situation could also have impacts on our health. Im thinking of the risks from undue panic or hysteria, and also of social isolation as a result of social distancing. Complacency is our enemy but so too are panic and hysteriaRobin Swann He said that the Public Health Agency have been publishing the number of tests on a weekly basis. However, this is now changing to twice weekly updates following lat weeks development as well as the first confirmed coronavirus case in the Republic at the weekend. He said that the woman diagnosed with Covid-19 in Northern Ireland followed public health advice and had self-isolated before seeking medical attention. I am sure Members will join me in wishing them a speedy recovery, Mr Swann added. The SDLPs Justin McNulty queried whether Northern Ireland has access to a suitable amount of coronavirus testing kits. Mr Swann said: At present in Northern Ireland we can carry out about 32 tests per day. He added he wants to increase this so that several hundred tests can be completed per day. Mr Swann also told Alliance Party MLA Paula Bradshaw that there is a plan in place to deal with an increase in cases. As coronovirus and cases expand we have the capacity in the system to manage those, he added. It may result in us having to scale other services in the NHS back. I dont want to make people concerned that it will bring the NHS to its knees, it wont. Meanwhile, Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster, Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill, Mr Swann and chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride, have participated in a Cobra meeting on Covid-19. Ms Foster said: We have had a very useful meeting of the UK Governments emergency committee with the Prime Minister and colleagues from around the UK to discuss the current situation in relation to the Covid-19 virus. I am reassured that the procedures and practices that we have in place across the UK are robust and that the system is prepared for a range of scenarios. Ms ONeill added: It is vital that we work together to prevent the spread of the virus, including close cooperation north-south to tackle the issue. We will continue our engagement with ministers and health professionals in all jurisdictions on this basis. The coronavirus is now responsible for six deaths in the U.S. Health officials in Washington state said six people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Eighteen people in Washington state have tested positive for the virus and another 231 are being monitored. Four of the deaths have been linked to a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, located in King County. Among the dead are two men and a woman, all in their 70s, with underlying health conditions and a woman in her 80s who had been listed in critical condition. The youngest death was a man in his 50s. Several other residents of the nursing home are in critical condition. Some 25 firefighters who responded to the nursing home are being quarantined as a precaution. King County has approved the purchase of a motel that will be used to isolate patients in recovery as well as those in active treatment. The county also announced it will place modular units around the county to serve as quarantine and treatment facilities. The outbreak traces its origins to Wuhan, China but quickly spread across Asia and parts of Europe before coming to the U.S. Cases have been reported in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, Nebraska and Washington state. Globally, more than 3,000 people have died due to coronavirus, the vast majority of fatalities in mainland China. You can see John Hopkins tracking of the coronavirus here. From the Washington state Health Department: 1 - Do not go to the emergency room unless essential. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs. If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your regular doctor first. 2 - Stay home when sick. 3- Practice excellent personal hygiene habits, including handwashing, coughing into tissue or elbow, avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth. 4- Stay away from people who are ill, especially if you are 60 and older or have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or a weakened immune system. Here is AL.coms complete coverage of the coronavirus. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya and Gisela Swaragita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 20:54 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067cfb4e 1 National coronavirus,COVID-19,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,house-of-representatives,prevention Free Members of the House of Representatives have demanded that the government enact stronger coronavirus containment measures following the confirmation of two cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Indonesia. Darul Siska, member of House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health, workforce and population issues, said the government, especially at the country's points of entry, had failed to conduct proper screenings to keep the virus from entering. "It should be the government's priority to tighten up screening and not just take some random samples. "Anyone who enters Indonesia must be thoroughly checked with the proper procedure [...] at airports and ports. The screening procedure must be conducted in detail," he told the press on Monday. Read also: Lets not kid ourselves. Indonesia is unlikely to be COVID-19-free. And thats not our biggest problem. Earlier on Monday, President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced that two Indonesians had tested positive for COVID-19, which made them the first two confirmed cases of the disease in the country. Jokowi said that the two people, a 64-year-old and her 31-year-old daughter, had been in contact at an event in a club in Jakarta with a Japanese citizen who tested positive for COVID-19 in Malaysia on Feb. 27 after visiting Indonesia in early February. Darul Siska said all people who attended the event should be medically tested. Everybody who attended that event should be checked thoroughly. God forbid if the two patients were treated but the others spread the disease, he said. The Golkar Party politician also recommended the government set up a crisis center to prevent further infection. Ahmad Riza Patria, deputy head of Commission V overseeing transportation, said the COVID-19 cases had put transportation authorities in a predicament about whether to close contact with other countries. We have to make extraordinary prevention efforts by limiting border access to our citizens but at the same time maintaining communication and relations with other countries," he said. Ahmad mentioned that Saudi Arabia had temporarily banned the entry of foreign pilgrims and tourists arriving from countries considered at risk for COVID-19. He also mentioned Indonesia's decision to limit trade with China. I think the Transportation Ministry has to immediately examine which flights to limit, he said. Later, Commission V will further discuss flights to countries that have been hit by the coronavirus, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 19:41:20|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense on Monday donated 300,000 surgical masks and protective medical clothing to China's Ministry of National Defense to aid the fight against COVID-19. Cambodian Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh handed over the items to Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian at a ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh. Gen. Banh said the donation was to express solidarity and Cambodia's full support for China's efforts to combat the virus. He said although Cambodia is a small country, the country has a big heart and always helps friends in difficult times. "I'm strongly confident that the government, the ministry of national defense, and the people of China have enough capacity to stop the spread and eliminate the virus in the near future," said Gen. Banh, who is also a deputy prime minister. He also extended his profound condolences to the Chinese government and people over the loss of lives and wished the patients a speedy recovery. Ambassador Wang said "a friend in need is a friend indeed" and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Cambodia for standing firmly with China to fight the virus. "This is a big spiritual encouragement for the Chinese people to tide over this difficult moment," he said. Belfast's Clayton Hotel has unveiled the next stage of its 6m refurbishment. The Ormeau Avenue hotel, which is owned by Dalata Group plc, is relaunching its Olympic Suite, one of the largest conference and banqueting facilities in the city. The suite, which caters for up to 550 guests, will also include high definition AV equipment, LED lights and a private reception space. The refurbishment programme, which started in 2018, has so far included a new meeting and events centre which features 10 meeting spaces. It also included the upgrade of some 170 bedrooms and the refurbishment of the hotel's Avenue 22 restaurant and bar. The investment roll-out will continue into 2020 with the refurbishment of the Club Vitae gym and changing area. Jonathan Topping, general manager Clayton Hotel Belfast, said: "We are delighted to unveil the next phase of our 6m investment in the Clayton Hotel Belfast - the relaunch of the Olympic Suite. "With a range of fantastic new features coupled with an excellent and experienced operations teams, the Olympic Suite is a significant addition to our refurbishment portfolio. "This investment is part of our continued commitment and support to Belfast city as a must visit destination for business and leisure. Looking ahead, we are very excited to move into our next phase." Dalata Hotel Group operates more than 40 hotels under the Maldron Hotel and Clayton Hotel brands throughout NI, the Republic and the UK, as well as managing partner hotels. Madhavan said an amount of Rs 9,600 crore will be required for design as well as to produce the prototype of the helicopter. New Delhi: In an ambitious project with strategic significance, aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has started ground work to produce a 10 to 12 tonne attack helicopter by 2027 which will be comparable with some of the best medium-lift military choppers globally like the Apache of the Boeing. Chairman and Managing Director of HAL R. Madhavan said the aim of the mega project is to stop import of more than Rs 4 lakh crore worth of military helicopters for the three services in the coming years. Madhavan said the HAL has completed the preliminary design of the helicopter and that initial plan is to produce at least 500 units with the first prototype set to be ready by 2023 if the government gives the go ahead to the project this year. One major project we are focusing on is to produce a helicopter in 10 to 12 tonnes category to replace the Mi-17 fleet. It will be an indigenous platform with the potential to manufacture around 500 helicopters. It will stop import of more than Rs 4 lakh crore worth of platforms from foreign countries, he said. Madhavan said an amount of Rs 9,600 crore will be required for design as well as to produce the prototype of the helicopter. If we get the approval in 2020, we will be able to manufacture the first chopper by 2027. We are looking at producing at least 500 helicopters of the variant. It will be a major project we are working on, he said. A military expert described the project as the biggest by the HAL after development of the Tejas military aircraft. We have done the preliminary design. We have also been in discussion with the Air Force and the Navy. The 10-12 tonnes category will have two basic structures on similar platforms. The naval version will have different dimension compared to the one for the Army and the Air Force, Madhavan said on the proposed mega project. Like the LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) we developed from the Dhruv platform, a similar variant of 10-12 tonnes category can be produced to make it an Apache equivalent, said Madhavan. The helicopter will be powered by twin engines and will feature blade folding option for ship deck operations. The planned roles for the helicopter will be to support air assault, air transport, combat logistics and combat search and rescue. The chopper will also have a very superior weapons package. Madhavan said the helicopter will have a huge potential for export. The Mi-17 helicopters make up the backbone of the IAFs helicopter fleet and they are planned to be phased out by 2032. The HALs product range includes a number of helicopter like the LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) and multi-role ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) and Chetak choppers. India is one of the largest importers of arms and military platforms globally. The government has been focusing significantly on promoting defence indigenisation by taking a slew of reform initiatives including liberalising FDI in defence sector. The IAF is procuring a total of 22 Apache Guardian attack helicopters from aerospace major Boeing under a multi-billion dollar deal. Additionally, the Army is procuring six Apache helicopters along with weapons systems, a deal for which was sealed during Donald Trumps visit to India. Press Release March 2, 2020 Senators adopt resolution seeking SC ruling on Senate's abrogation of treaties Majority of senators on Monday voted in favour of adopting a resolution asking the Supreme Court to rule whether or not the Senate must concur in the abrogation of a treaty that was previously concurred in by the upper chamber. Twelve senators voted to adopt Resolution No. 337 sponsored by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III while seven abstained. No negative vote was cast. Those who abstained were Senators Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, Imee Marcos, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Bong Revilla, Francis "Tol" Tolentino and Cynthia Villar. The resolution co-sponsored by Senators Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon, Majority Leader Migz Zubiri and Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon was supported by Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Risa Hontiveros, Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Francis Pangilinan, Joel Villanueva and Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto. In presenting the resolution on the floor, Sotto emphasized the need to clarify the question of law citing the grey area in the 1987 Constitution on matters concerning the termination of a treaty. "We want clarity and I hope that once and for all the honourable SC could shed light on this purely question of law," Sotto said in his speech. Section 21, Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution provides, "no treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate." On the other hand, Section 25, Article 18 of the 1987 Constitution states, "after the expiration in 1991 of the agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America concerning military bases, foreign military bases, troops or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty, duly concurred in by the Senate and when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State." "Although it is clear from the provisions of the 1987 Constitution that the concurrence of at least two-thirds of all the members is necessary for a validity of a treaty or international agreement, there is obviously a lacuna legis or an absence of an explicit provision in the 1987 Constitution as to whether or not the concurrence of the Senate is necessary for the termination of any treaty earlier concurred in by the Body," Sotto said. The Senate President further emphasized that the resolution does not seek to question the decision of the Executive to withdraw from the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States government or from being a signatory to the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court (ICC). "The resolution simply seeks to find out if the power to ratify carries with it the power to concur in abrogation," Sotto said underscoring the Executive's and the Legislative's shared competency on treaty-making. The question being raised, Sotto said, involves an issue of transcendental importance that impacts on the country's constitutional checks and balances. "It presents a constitutional issue that seriously affects the country's legal system as well as the country's relations with the international community," he said. "I respectfully adhere to the rule that the President of the Philippines is the sole representative of our country in foreign affairs and I do not intend to go against the tide. I just want clarity," said Sotto. Students at the University of Pittsburgh and other colleges in the city suddenly have more to worry about than their next math test or final exam. Thats because the Steel City has become the steal city following a series of thefts and at least one strong-arm robbery attempt targeting college students there. As WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh reports, the most serious case is the attempted robbery of a female student walking along Fifth Avenue near Pitt when a man grabbed her shoulder from behind, causing her bag and coat to fall off around 9 p.m. Saturday night. The woman told police she then ran toward Oakland Avenue as the man chased after her while riding a bike. She said the man then fled on the bike on Forbes Avenue toward Bigelow Boulevard, WTAE writes. The woman wasnt injured and nothing was taken. However, in wake of the incident, the University of Pittsburgh issued an alert about the attempted robbery to all of its students, WTAE reports. Meanwhile, police are also on the look-out for a suspect in a series of burglary thefts targeting university students in Pittsburgh. WTAE reports police have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, identified as Karim Davis, 37, of Tigard, Oregon. Details from WTAE: According to court paperwork, Davis is accused of making his way onto college campuses, breaking into rooms and then walking away with thousands of dollars in stolen items. On Feb. 7, Davis allegedly stole a MacBook Pro laptop computer worth nearly $2,000 as well as a Duquesne University credit card and approximately $100 in cash. The door to the room in College Hall had been pried open. Police said Davis later used the stolen credit card at the Walmart at the Waterworks Shopping Plaza, charging more than $2,000. Davis is also accused of stealing wallets from inside rooms at the University of Pittsburgh. Police said credit cards taken in those thefts were later used in Pittsburgh, Beaver Falls and Ohio. A lieutenant from West Virginia University police said a suspect matching the same description was identified as an actor in a theft on their campus. However, all the cases remain open, and the hunt for suspects continues. READ MORE: Dead body found behind Corelife restaurant in Pa. Panera Bread in Pa. cited for fly infestation: Uncontrolled pests in a food prep area Woman in BMW crashes into Pa. daycare during nap time; 4 injured, 1 critical Drunk Pa. man exposes himself after police are called to Ruby Tuesdays Pa. judge who called black juror Aunt Jemima made other racial comments, transcripts show Pa. couple accused of locking son, 9, in closet to go out to party: state cops Pa. mom in Cookie Monster costume arrested after ODing in car: cops Singer Harry Styles visits Wawa for a tuna hoagie: OMG! OMG! OMG! Pa. man accused of DUI-by-marijuana in crash that killed his passenger, 28 Pa. college student lives to tell about absolutely terrifying 80-foot fall while hiking: It happened so fast Pa. woman guilty of stabbing her wretched, evil grandma to death learns her fate Man wanted for ripping off big TVs at Pa. Walmart 4 times and counting It is now possible to see documents and notes from a period that spans the years of World War II and those subsequent to the communist "threat". Particular attention can be expected on the relationship that the Catholic Church had with the Nazi and fascist regimes, especially for the controversial question of the "silence" of Pius XII on the Holocaust. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - From today the Vatican Apostolic Archive and other archives of the Holy See are open for consultation of the documents of the pontificate of Pius XII (1939-1958). It is a world-wide event for scholars in general and for historians in particular, since the pontificate of Pope Eugene Pacelli embraces the years of World War II and those following the communist "threat". In particular, great attention is expected to focus on the relationship that the Catholic Church had with the Nazi and fascist regimes, especially for the controversial question of Pius XIIs "silence" on the Holocaust. Two sides debate this issue. On the one hand, those who claim that Pope Pacelli did everything possible to save the lives of the Jews, on the other, those who argue that he should have publicly condemned the persecution and those who carried it forward. In this regard, the then cardinal Pacelli, who became Secretary of State, is accused of having signed the agreement with Germany on 20 July 1933 in which, just a few months after Hitler had come to power (30 January 1933) and which, therefore, was a recognition for Nazism. From the Vatican view point, however, this agreement restored the rights that had been suppressed by Germany at the time of Vatican Council I to the Church and the German Catholics. Moreover, his election to the Papal Throne on March 2, 1939, was commented in a decidedly negative way by the Nazi German press or those close to the regime. In the same year, a few days before the invasion of Poland, which started World War II (September 1, 1939) he gave one of his radio messages urging all involved not to resort to weapons stating that "Nothing is lost with peace; everything can be lost through war." Since then the question of Pius XII "silences" on the Holocaust have been a source of controversy. During the war and in the years immediately following, personalities of Jewish backgrounds expressed public and private gratitude for what the Holy See was doing or had done for the Jews. They range from Albert Einstein to Alex Easterman, British representative of the Jewish World Congress, from the great rabbi of Jerusalem Isaac Erzog to the future Israeli premier Chiam Weiwmann, from the chief rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli to the secretary general of the Jewish World Congress, Leon Kubowitzky. And on October 10, 1958, at the death of Pius XII, Golda Meir, Israel's foreign minister, said: During the decade of Nazi terror, our people suffered a terrible martyrdom. The Pope's voice rose to condemn the persecutors and to invoke pity for the victims. " The few discordant voices gathered in 1963 around the work of the German playwright Rolf Hochhuth "Der Stellvertetrer", (the vicar), who accuses Pius XII of complicity with Nazism in the extermination of the Jews. Since then the "silences" of Pope Pacelli have become a topic of discussion. Only some remember that on July 20, 1942, when the Dutch bishops published a pastoral letter that openly condemned the Nazi deportations of the Jews, the Nazis responded by sending 40,000 Catholics of Jewish origin to concentration camps. Among them the future saint Edith Stein. From today, therefore, it will be possible to find documents and notes resulting from a work of over fourteen years and which involves, in addition to the Vatican Archive, the historical Archive of the Section for relations with the States of the Secretariat of State, the Archive of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Historical Archive of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (de Propaganda Fide), the Historical Archive of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, the Archive of the Apostolic Penitentiary and the General Historical Archive of the Fabrica of S. Pietro. To give an idea of the vastness of the documentation made available, in the Vatican Archive, as regards the pontificate of Pope Pacelli, 73 archives of pontifical representations, 15 series of the Secretariat of State, 21 from the Roman Congregations and curial offices and palatine will be consulted, 3 from Vatican City State and 8 other foundations. Overall, therefore, 120 between collections and series, for a complex of about 20 thousand archival units. Only one of these series, certainly the largest, that of the General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, includes almost 5,000 boxes that have been reordered, numbered and described by a group of 15 archivists who produced an inventory of about 15 thousand pages, which can be consulted in digital form, and which reflects twenty-years in the life of the Church and society. (FP) Do not be bothered comrades about my expulsion. I am not refusing to be expelled. It is not the first time, history is repeating itself. I am waiting for their resolution on all the silly allegations I am facing just like what the G40 did in 2014 and 2015 when I was arrested five times. In my view my case is so serious which warrants suspension without hearing, Tsenengamu said. People say it's not what you know in life but who you know. Certainly I've always coveted friends, family, work colleagues and the tens of hundreds of contacts I've accrued as a journalist with nearly 40 years on the clock. I have the telephone numbers of politicians past and present (including the PM's mobile), movers and shakers in the arts, business, sport, the medical profession, academia, the Church of England (I once covered religious affairs) and key 'sources,' 'deep throats' and general renegades from various walks of life. Then there's the all-important telephone numbers of plumbers, electricians, restaurants, my GP surgery, the dentist, the chap who does my car's MoT, and the neighbours across the street who turn off the burglar alarm if it goes off when my wife and I are not at home. The list is long and it's a lifeline of sorts. A part of me, a part of who I am. Or, at least, it was. Because ten days ago I lost everything from my mobile phone. People say it's not what you know in life but who you know. Certainly I've always coveted friends, family, work colleagues and the tens of hundreds of contacts I've accrued as a journalist with nearly 40 years on the clock, writes Mark Palmer (stock image) To make matters worse and in a display of stupidity of the highest possible order I had never done a back-up because I assumed there was a cloud somewhere which automatically would store my data. There wasn't. Instead, I am now wandering around under clouds of confusion and despair, angry with myself and infuriated that a small device made by Samsung in far-away South Korea can have such a devastating impact on one's life. You are told you should take deep breaths when faced with a crisis. Others bang on about how it's a case of getting up and dusting oneself down. Believe me, I've tried but the frustration gets worse rather than better. Not only have I lost every single contact but my photo 'gallery' has been wiped clean as well. Photographs which I always promised would one day go into a physical album (but realistically knew it might never happen), are lost for ever. That means all the pictures of my daughter's wedding in October have disappeared, including the precious one of the two of us walking down the aisle to the strains of Pachelbel's Canon in D. Then there are the photos of my father-in-law's 90th birthday celebrations; pictures of my stepson's new-born baby; snaps of my wife visiting Malawi, where she was born, and one of me shaking the hand of Sir Bobby Charlton, whom I bumped into a few years ago at a railway station. It felt as if a crucial part of my life had been eradicated, that I was trapped in a Kafka-esque nightmare as a victim of the tyranny of the mobile. And if that sounds a touch melodramatic, then so be it. This is how it happened. My wife and I were on holiday on the delightful island of Grenada in the Caribbean, staying at a resort on famous Grand Anse Beach. On the fateful day, I had left my phone in our hotel room while we enjoyed a tour with a guide. We returned around 5pm in good spirits and were planning a swim, followed by a cuppa and then something stronger. I picked up my phone and realised straight away that something was not right. For a start, I did not need to punch in any numbers to unlock the device. Then I noticed that my screen saver photo (the one of my daughter and me at her wedding) was not there. For a second, I thought it could not be my phone but then I saw its various scratches and realised it was indeed mine. But why was it asking for passwords and wanting me to 'allow' various things? Why did I have to flick through reams of terms and conditions and agree to 'accept them'? I have the telephone numbers of politicians past and present (including the PM's mobile), movers and shakers in the arts, business, sport and the medical profession (stock image) Why were there no apps installed on the phone? The frightening answer was that my three-year-old Galaxy S8+ had reverted to its factory settings. Out of the blue. I looked at the 'contacts' folder but it was empty; I checked the photo 'gallery' and it, too, was bare. There were no emails of any description, no text messages, no WhatsApp. All my music (I am almost embarrassed by the hours I took compiling my playlists) had vanished; my Uber account gone, along with my online banking app and, well, all the apps I had ever set up. Once a mobile phone was for making calls and that was it. Then it became an address book. Then a camera and a photo album. Then, bit by bit, a device that allows us to run our lives, be it ordering from Amazon, choosing a takeaway, transferring cash, booking a hotel it's endless. I realised that without it I was lost. My first thought was that I would call my friend Nick back in London. He's something of a genius when it comes to technology. But, of course, I no longer had Nick's number. I no longer had anyone's number. A computer man at the hotel gave me the grave news that my back-up had not been activated but I held on to the hope that someone back in the UK might just find a way to salvage the situation. I told myself that experts would have the necessary equipment to eke out my contacts and look at my photos. I might have to pay good money for this and it might even be illegal. For the final three days of our holiday, I tried to put it all behind me, but back home restoring my phone became my overwhelming priority I wanted my life back! 'Sorry, we just can't go that deep,' said a man in a tiny shop with a sign talking about 'mobile repairs,' 'unlock your phone' and 'data recovery'. I called in at my local O2 store where I last signed a contract, but the woman behind the counter could not have been more uninterested. 'It's not something we can help with,' she said dismissively. I called Samsung and spoke to a customer service person. 'Phones are like computers,' she said. 'Sometimes they go wrong.' 'But what could have gone wrong in this instance?' I asked. 'I really can't say.' 'Do phones often revert to their factory settings without being prompted to do so?' 'Very rarely,' she said. 'But it's always wise to back up your phone.' Yes, yes, I know that now. Which only makes it worse because this catastrophe need not have happened. What hurts, too, is seeing people on the bus or on a train flicking through their photos, sending text messages, looking at Instagram. I feel like an outsider. I am no closer to an explanation, other than, according to Samsung, what happened to me is 'highly unusual'. There is a way to return to factory settings but it is a complicated procedure that I was ignorant of and could not have done accidentally. In times like this, some solace can be found on the internet because surely someone, somewhere has had the same experience as me. I found a forum on 'android central' and sure enough there was a posting from a man six years ago describing how his phone, just like mine, had reset itself to the factory settings. He, too, was in despair and said 'as a true-blue, red-blooded American man, I had nothing backed up'. I know the feeling. But, then, he made a posting a little later saying 'here comes the magic ... when I looked at my phone [two days later], the first thing I notice is: IT'S BACK TO NORMAL!' I'm pleased for him of course but ten days have passed since my own horror. A sudden reversal of fortune won't be magic but a miracle. Meanwhile, I really must text my children to remind them about backing up their data. Except that I don't have their numbers. Even as the Trump administration and Congress prepare to direct billions of dollars to coronavirus prevention, human error remains a formidable threat to preventing the spread of the virus. Mistakes already abound as federal, state and local public health departments scramble to prepare for outbreaks in the United States or detect those that may already have begun. Flaws in a test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coupled with initial federal rules limiting who should be tested, delayed the ability to diagnose patients. A hospitalized patient in California wasnt initially tested for the virus for days, potentially leaving health care workers exposed. A whistleblower has alleged health workers werent properly protected when they met flights carrying American evacuees back from China. A recent cluster of cases at a long-term care facility in Washington state where six people have tested positive so far and one person has died shows that those types of mistakes could already have allowed the virus to outpace the attempts to stop it. Past epidemics show just how quickly human error can lead to disaster. During the Ebola outbreak in 2014, a Dallas emergency room failed to recognize an Ebola case nearly creating a national emergency. Diseases surprise us, Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a recent call. We need to be reacting to the current situation even if it differs from what we planned for. The United States built up public health preparedness and stockpiles for either a natural outbreak or bioterrorism after the anthrax attacks in 2001. Since then, public health experts have been tested and gained experience through a flu pandemic, Ebola, Zika, SARS, MERS and a few false alarms. But the best-laid plans go awry. Every single person has to perform their given tasks flawlessly. Every system has to work. Foreign countries have to do their part and do it well. When encountering a dangerous new disease that jumped from animal to human, luck also plays a role. Story continues The crisis response lodestar is to plan for every possible scenario and still expect the unexpected. These are your classic low-likelihood, high-magnitude events. said Nirav Shah, director of Maines CDC. Theyre unpredictable by nature. But the red flags are mounting even as the White House and administration officials are sending mixed messages about the possible severity of an eventual widespread outbreak in the United States. Washington state over the weekend reported the countrys first two coronavirus-related deaths. Seattle and King County have reported 10 cases so far, including six people who contracted the virus in the long-term care facility. Those cases along with possible coronavirus symptoms by dozens of patients and staff elevated concerns that there may be an outbreak in that health center, which houses older and sicker people particularly vulnerable to the disease. A whistleblower has accused HHS of sending workers without training or protective gear to greet people being evacuated from China and quarantined in the U.S. after possible exposure to the virus. Administration officials say they followed protocol. The California patient who presented coronavirus symptoms wasnt tested for an entire week because the person had no known exposure or travel history criteria the CDC relied upon when deciding whom to test. That patient was later confirmed to be the first case of potential community spread in the U.S., possibly unknowingly exposing countless others to the virus. CDC Director Robert Redfield told a congressional panel last week that as soon as the agency discovered the California case, it broadened the criteria for testing, allowing anyone who doctors or public health officials suspect may have the coronavirus to get the test. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield arrives to brief senators during a closed all-senators briefing on the coronavirus on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) A handful of cases have been diagnosed in the last few days in Washington, California, Rhode Island and Illinois. As broader testing gears up, there could be an influx of new cases and a clearer picture of how much the disease has spread and how much public health ground was lost to the faltering start to testing. There have been other errors. In San Diego, a woman who had been evacuated from China and hospitalized was declared free of the virus and allowed to return to the evacuees quarantine quarters because of a mix-up that meant her samples werent even tested. By the time doctors diagnosed her, she could have exposed others. And troubles with the diagnostic tests sent to public health labs around the country have both slowed down testing of potential patients and delayed the start of broader surveillance efforts to see if the disease is already stealthily spreading. Until state labs are up and running, the CDC has to do the testing itself, and it has limited capacity. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday said CDC was sending out 15,000 tests to state and local health officials and that the government is working with a private contractor to distribute an additional 50,000 tests. The Association of Public Health Laboratories told POLITICO it understands there will be enough kits to test 75,000 patients by the end of the week. Tom Frieden, who was CDC director under former President Barack Obama during the 2014 Ebola crisis, said the unpredictable nature of emergencies, mixed with the possibility for mistakes, means officials must be adaptable and be transparent when things go wrong. Its very important to tell people what you know and when you know it, Frieden told POLITICO, noting that officials must often make decisions quickly and with incomplete information. In 2014, a Dallas hospital didnt recognize that a man from Liberia the epicenter of the worst Ebola outbreak on record had symptoms of the disease. Not only did hospital staff return him to the community, exposing others and triggering panic, but their error also delayed care that might have saved his life. In addition, two nurses in that hospital were not properly instructed on how to protect themselves and also became infected with the deadly virus, though both survived. The CDC modified its protocols and also decided to send any Ebola patients to a handful of specially equipped hospitals, rather than assume community hospitals could safely treat them. Frieden credited the CDC an agency thats mostly career staff, not political appointees with being upfront about the coronaviru challenges, including its problems with testing capacity and protocols. To produce hundreds of thousands of tests in a matter of days, it is not surprising this happened. Im sure in other systems there would be a lot less openness. To admit something like that has happened, is why the CDC is widely trusted, he said. In emergencies like this, one of the things thats really important is that you base decisions on science ... with the most up-to-date information analyzed by people who understand it best, Frieden said. CDCs Redfield on Thursday told a congressional panel his agency is working to address shortfalls in coronavirus testing, and was shipping new tests out to states. Asked if he thinks states, already working overtime and stretching their resources, will be prepared to handle an influx of cases as a result of broader testing capabilities, he replied, "I think the public health community is going to be able to meet that need." State and local health departments, meanwhile, are having to divert staff and resources to prepare for coronavirus spread in their communities. Philip Huang, director of the Dallas County Health Department, says his staff is working overtime to prepare for all the different possibilities. "Nothing goes perfect and we have to deal with whatever realities and different scenarios there are," he said. Former BJP MP from Assam's Tezpur seat Ram Prasad Sarmah has joined the Congress. Sarmah along with many others, including senior journalist Zamsher Ali, joined the Congress here on Sunday. Sarmah, who is from the Gorkha community, had won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from the Tezpur seat on a BJP ticket. He had resigned from the BJP in 2019 after his name was not included in the party candidate list for the Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that the Congress will win at least 80 seats out of 126 in the Assembly polls in Assam next year. "I do not have any religion. I eat at any place if I wish to have good food. I have mutton at a Nepali household, fish at Assamese, curd at Muslims of char areas and local liquor at the houses of tribal people," Sarmah said at the Assam Congress headquarters here on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TRINITY COUNTY, Calif.- A woman led a Trinity County Sheriff deputy on a high-speed chase that ended with her crashing her vehicle into a pole. Officials say on Saturday, Feb 29, at approximately 3:45 p.m., a Deputy with the Trinity County Sheriffs Office was patrolling the Weaverville area near Hall Way when they observed a suspicious vehicle. The Deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to yield and a high-speed pursuit ensued. police say the pursuit ended near the intersection of Highway 299 and Little Browns Creek Road, where the driver went up an embankment and eventually became high centered on a downed telephone pole. The suspect was arrested and taken transported to the Trinity County Jail for booking. Police say, due to the uncooperative nature of the suspect, her identity is not yet known. The US- negotiations that culminated with a peace deal signed in Doha began with former US President Barak Obama's administration, but remained a secret, the spokesperson for Talibans political office in Doha said. The hopes to reach an agreement with the Afghan government before the total withdrawal of the troops within 14 months, the spokesman, Suhail Shaheen told Efe news in an interview on Sunday. "It took a long time to reach a deal with the US because they started a few years back but it was away from the eye of the media so it was only in the time of the Trump administration that we openly talked with them and all the details were told to the media," he said. Although he did not reveal when the talks exactly began, but he pointed out that it got underway "during the Obama administration". The talks were "hidden behind closed doors" in Doha, where both parties signed the historic peace agreement on February 29. The deal lays out a roadmap for the full withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan starting with the removal of 8,600 soldiers, in a period of 135 days after the signing of the peace agreement. Currently, some 14,000 US troops are deployed in the country. During the process, the group remained united with leaders in the field following orders thanks, in part, to the political office Shaheen has been working at for eight years. The seven-day reduction in violence implemented by the before the signing ceremony was a good example of that, he told Efe news. After reaching a future intra-Afghan peace deal that ends the war, Shaheen hopes that "all" Taliban members, including its leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, will be able to return to Kabul. Hibatullah succeeded former leader Mullah Mansour who was killed in a 2016 drone attack in Pakistan. The intra-Afghan talks are scheduled to begin on March 10 in Oslo, where the Taliban will be represented by the same delegation, he said. "The sooner we resolve the Afghan domestic issue, the better because we have to call a government before the completion of the withdrawal of the foreign forces from Afghanistan," Shaheen added. During these talks, both parties would address the formation of an "Islamic" government, its form and participation, without revealing whether his group will take part in elections. Sectors of Afghan society and activists fear the return of the group that ruled the country with an iron fist between 1996 and 2001. The Taliban has also been criticized over its stance towards women, who were locked up in their homes under the Islamic regime. "There was propaganda against us by our hostile groups, our enemies," he said. "Regarding women's rights, if they want to have education we have no problem with that, if they want to work, we have no problem with that," he added. He did not reveal whether they planned to implement the Islamic Sharia law, saying that following intra-Afghan talks, a scholar committee will be formed to present suggestions. For now, the signing of a deal with the US has been a historic step after nearly two decades of war. Although pundits and analysts think there is a long road to cover, Shaheen deemed it a "very joyful moment for all our members and all the Afghan people". "We hope to reach during intra-Afghan negotiations, another success and that is to form a government that will be another joy for us and then we say farewell to war," he concluded. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is to hold a jamboree in Hungary in May, its first ever event held in Europe, the daily Magyar Nemzet said. Miklos Szantho (pictured on top), head of the Budapest-based Centre for Fundamental Rights, told the paper that the Hungarian CPAC will focus on promoting the role of nations and national identity. President Donald Trump addressed thousands of supporters at the annual gathering of conservatives on Saturday in Maryland. Just before the presidential address, the organisers, the American Conservative Union (ACU), were slated to introduce the events foreign partners on the main stage. Szantho and ACU president Matt Schlapp were to announce that the next international CPAC will be organised by the Centre for Fundamental Rights in Budapest in late May. Szantho said at a CPAC panel discussion in Washington, DC on Thursday that national security starts with border protection and continues with family protection. MTI Photo Rajendra Sharma, steno of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Charu Nigam, has alleged that Nigam abused and shouted at him inside her chamber. Prasad was admitted to a hospital here after he got fainted. "She called me inside her chamber and started shouting and abusing. I felt nervous and fainted," Sharma said. Naveen Arora, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), said, "Charu Nigam had called Rajendra Sharma insider her chamber to question him about some allegation against him. The Commissioner of Police has entrusted me with the responsibility to investigate the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "The innovative women recognized each year as Women in Biometrics award winners have made incredible advancements toward creating a more secure world through guiding this crucial technology market. SIA looks forward to welcoming the next class of awardees to this elite group. SIA CEO Don Erickson Nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 Women in Biometrics Awards, a globally-recognized program co-founded by the Security Industry Association (SIA) and SecureIDNews and co-presented with sponsors IDEMIA, Biometric Update and the SIA Women in Security Forum. The recipients of this years Women in Biometrics Awards will be honored at the 2020 SIA GovSummit, held June 2-3 in Washington, D.C. Biometric technologies are fundamental to securing physical and digital identities in todays society and to helping protect our cities, businesses, schools and citizens, said SIA CEO Don Erickson. The innovative women recognized each year as Women in Biometrics award winners have made incredible advancements toward creating a more secure world through guiding this crucial technology market, and SIA looks forward to welcoming the next class of awardees to this elite group. The Women in Biometrics Awards recognize top female leaders in the biometric identity and security industry. Nominees and past winners include those working for biometric companies, peripheral suppliers, system integrators, academia, government and security and IT departments at a variety of organizations in the United States and internationally. Since we launched the Women in Biometrics Awards in 2015, the program has recognized more than 20 entrepreneurs, scientists and visionaries guiding the biometric identity and security industry, said Chris Corum, publisher of SecureIDNews. When we started, biometrics was an emerging technology. Today it is a key tool securing modern society, and female leaders are charting the course. Each nominee should exemplify one or more of the following contributions to the industry: Leadership: Substantive and defining leadership in academic, public awareness, legislative and/or standards efforts Participation: Efforts that go above and beyond individual company walls and into the larger identity sphere Innovation: Pioneering product development, innovation or corporate startup efforts Mentoring: Industry involvement sharing expertise and mentoring peers, thus growing the market IDEMIA has been an enthusiastic sponsor of the Women in Biometrics Awards since 2015, and we are proud to have many highly-skilled and deserving women at IDEMIA selected to represent the industry over the years, said Ed Casey, chief executive officer of IDEMIAs business in North America. IDEMIA wouldnt be the technology leader it is today without the women on our team and women everywhere working to advance the science of biometrics. They inform, inspire and encourage us. We are honored to partner with SIA and SecureIDNews to recognize their contributions. Nominations for the 2020 Women in Biometrics Awards program will be accepted until April 24. A jury comprised of previous award winners will select this years award recipients. Learn more and submit a nomination for the 2020 award program at womeninbiometrics.com. Biometric Update is proud to support the Women in Biometrics Awards both to advance the role of women in this important and fast-growing STEM area and to improve the breadth of perspectives at play in the identity ecosystem, said Biometric Update Editor Chris Burt. Identification and identity-proofing systems must work for everyone in order to be truly effective, and the way to ensure that is by encouraging inclusive teams and product development. Award winners will be recognized alongside other distinguished security industry leaders during the prestigious SIA GovSummit, the annual government security conference held by SIA. SIA GovSummit brings together government security leaders and private industry technologists for top-quality information sharing and education on cutting-edge security topics affecting federal, state and even local agencies. This years GovSummit will be held June 2-3 at the National Association of Home Builders headquarters in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the 2020 conference including key topics and speakers and hotel and travel information and register at securityindustry.org/summit. About SIA SIA is the leading trade association for global security solution providers, with over 1,000 innovative member companies representing thousands of security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels, creating open industry standards that enable integration, advancing industry professionalism through education and training, opening global market opportunities and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. As the premier sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities. SIA also enhances the position of its members in the security marketplace through SIA GovSummit, which brings together private industry with government decision makers, and Securing New Ground, the security industrys top executive conference for peer-to-peer networking. SIAs Women in Security Forum offers programs, networking and professional growth events and thought leadership opportunities to promote and advance the involvement of women in the security industry. Any employee of a SIA member company regardless of gender is eligible to join the forum. About SecureIDNews SecureIDNews is an industry-leading source for enterprise and government identity, credentialing and security markets published by AVISIAN. More than 30,000 subscribers and hundreds of thousands of web visitors get their ID technology news from AVISIANs suite of identity and security publications. About IDEMIA IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets our identity whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from the financial, telecom, identity, public security and IoT sectors. With 13,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. About Biometric Update BiometricUpdate.com is the leading news property that publishes shareable breaking news, analysis, and research about the global biometrics market. Our global audience of 900k+ readers includes governments, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and many other vertical industries along with OEMs, service providers, system integrators, enterprise and industry professionals. Mike Bloomberg went on the attack against Bernie Sanders during his remarks at a pro-Israel conference Monday, slamming his fellow Democratic candidate for calling the non-profit 'racist.' While touting the bipartisan nature of the U.S.-Israeli relationship and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Bloomberg bashed Sanders for skipping out on the conference, which the Vermont senator has never attended. 'The relationship between our two countries has been so strong precisely because it transcends partisan politics both here and in Israel,' Bloomberg said during his remarks. 'But in recent years, we've begun to see cracks in that bipartisanship, and that is deeply disturbing. 'Unfortunately, not all of my fellow Democrats in this race have attended an AIPAC Conference,' he continued. 'One of them, Senator Sanders, has spent 30 years boycotting this event. And as you've heard by now, he called AIPAC a 'racist platform.' Well let me tell you, he's dead wrong.' The two Democratic presidential candidates are Jewish, but hold very different views on the relationship between the U.S. and the world's only Jewish state. Mike Bloomberg slammed Bernie Sanders for claiming pro-Israel group AIPAC is a 'racist platform' 'Unfortunately, not all of my fellow Democrats in this race have attended an AIPAC Conference,' Bloomberg said during his remarks. 'One of them, Senator Sanders, has spent 30 years boycotting this event. And as you've heard by now, he called AIPAC a 'racist platform.' Well let me tell you, he's dead wrong' The former New York City mayor and Democratic presidential candidate made remarks at the AIPAC conference Monday Bloomberg received several rounds of applause during his remarks, and even garnered some standing ovations when voicing his support of Israel, including keeping the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, where President Donald Trump moved it toward the beginning of his presidency. The billionaire also said he joined Trump in realizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Sanders, who represents Vermont in the Senate and is a Democratic socialist, announced last Sunday in a tweet that he would not be attending the conference in Washington, D.C. 'I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference,' the Vermont senator wrote on Twitter late last month. 'As president, I will support the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians and do everything possible to bring peace and security to the region,' he posted in a second tweet. AIPAC responded to the senator's tweet by claiming he had never attended the conference, so this year would be no different. 'Senator Sanders has never attended our conference and that is evident from his outrageous comment,' the pro-Israel nonprofit posted in a statement. 'By engaging in such an odious attack on this mainstream, bipartisan American political event, Senator Sanders is insulting his very own colleagues and millions of Americans who stand with Israel,' the statement continued in an attack against Sanders. 'Truly shameful.' Vice President Mike Pence also spoke at the conference Monday, closing out the day's main session He took a hit at Sanders, too, claiming he would be the 'most anti-Israel president' in U.S. history if he were elected to the White House in November It is wrong to boycott and slander Israel, it is wrong to boycott and slander AIPAC,' Pence said of Sanders' attacks against the nonprofit Vice President Mike Pence, who was the final speaker in AIPAC's main hall Monday morning, also took a more veiled hit at Sanders. 'If we can agree on one thing, it should be this: Those who side with Israel's enemies must never be allowed to call themselves friends of Israel. It is wrong to boycott and slander Israel, it is wrong to boycott and slander AIPAC,' Pence said as the crowd rose to their feet to cheer on Trump's No. 2. He then went on to insinuate that Bernie Sanders would be the most 'anti-Israel president' in U.S. history if he were to win the White House in November and Pence turned his platform at AIPAC into a mini-rally for the president. 'I say from my heart, in the days ahead, we must ensure the most pro-Israel president must not be replaced by one who would be the most anti-Israel president in the history of this nation,' the vice president asserted. 'That's why we need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House,' he said. A few distant chants of 'Four More Years' broke out in the audience, exhibiting the pro-Trump presence at the conference by echoing the often repeated cheer at the president's rallies. Bloomberg was one of three Democratic presidential candidates to attend the four-day event, and he said Sanders' criticism of the organization is a reflection of his failure to ever attend the AIPAC conference. 'This is a gathering of 20,000 Israel supporters of every religious denomination, ethnicity, faith, color, sexual identity and political party. Calling it a racist platform is an attempt to discredit those voices, intimidate people from coming here and weaken the U.S.-Israel relationship,' Bloomberg said in his continued assault on the frontrunner 2020 candidate. 'The reality is: AIPAC doesn't fuel hatred, AIPAC works to combat it and the violence it can produce. And if more elected officials spoke to the people here, they'd understand that,' he asserted to a cheering crowd at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Bloomberg attempted to lighten the mood by cracking a joke about how Jewish people can't agree on anything maybe a reference to his deviation from Sanders' a more progressive candidate. 'Now, I've always believed that you should meet with people who may disagree with you and listen to them. That's how I've always led. But there's one thing I know about Jewish people is that we don't agree on anything,' he laughed, garnering a few chuckles from the thousands listening to his remarks. He then went into a tangent on the debate over who is the funnier New York comedian: Jerry Seinfeld or Larry David, who are both Jewish. Bernie Sanders issued an attack on AIPAC last weekend, claiming he would not be attending the conference because it provides a platform for 'bigots' Sanders tweeted his announcement that he was skipping the conference in Washington, D.C. AIPAC responded in a tweet claiming the Democratic socialist senator and presidential candidate has never attended the AIPAC conference Sanders is currently leading the Democratic presidential field with 58 delegates after the first four early state contests done. Joe Biden is in a close second with 54 delegates Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar appeared via video feed at the pro-Israel conference on Sunday and Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to do the same. Four years ago, AIPAC rejected an offer from Sanders to deliver a video message to the conference while campaigning to be the Democratic presidential nominee against Hillary Clinton. At the time, the nonprofit explained that it had changed its rules to bar all video speeches that year. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who dropped out of the 2020 presidential race in January, made remarks a few speaker slots after Bloomberg. Booker, who represents the state with the second-biggest Jewish population, received more enthusiasm from attendees than was given during Bloomberg's remarks. Bloomberg is a latecomer to the presidential race, announcing his candidacy in mid-November. But has since then risen in the polls and in a national average ranks third among the six remaining Democratic candidates. Although he has not yet earned any delegates, Bloomberg has focused almost all of his campaign efforts on Super Tuesday, where this Tuesday, 14 states and one U.S. territory will vote on who to nominate to take on Trump in November. Bloomberg's campaign staff said Monday that they are expecting the former mayor to perform well on Tuesday, and suggested he would stay in the campaign. 'We're expecting to have a really good Super Tuesday night,' a staffer told DailyMail.com when asked if he felt Bloomberg would reach 15 per cent as more than a dozen states prepare to head to the polls. When pushed on if Bloomberg would drop out of the race if he did not reach that threshold, the campaign repeated that they expected the turnout to be in the candidate's favor. After leaving AIPAC, Bloomberg is heading to Florida, where he will remain through the Super Tuesday elections. The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu was given a rousing welcome at Sukura Zongo in Accra last night during the commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad, known in Islamic circles as the Maulid. The Vice President was the Special Guest of Honour for the Maulid, and the announcement of his imminent arrival by the master of ceremony set the place agog. Shortly after the announcement, the Vice President's entourage arrived and what followed was a stunning reception from the crowd. The overwhelming crowd cheered the Vice President's entourage on, and as Dr. Bawumia himself stepped out of his vehicle, many of the enthusiastic crowd even attempted to get closer and shake hands with him. Dr. Bawumia reciprocated the warm gesture of the congregation by going round to wave and exchange pleasantries with his fellow Muslims and dignitaries who had gathered to commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Without doubt, the popularity of Dr. Bawumia has grown considerably in the Zongos, and such warm and rousing receptions for him at events have become familiar. During his address, the Vice President reminded the congregation of the significance of the occasion, and urged them to emulate the remarkable life of Prophet Muhammad in their daily lives. Dr. Bawumia also advised all, especially the youth, to respect divergent political views and not resort to violence, as the nation prepares for election in December. On development, the Vice President reiterated President Akufo-Addos commitment to develop the Zongos through the Ministry of Inner Cities and Zongo Development Fund, announcing that about 226 projects in various Zongos across the country have either been completed or ongoing. Dr. Bawumia also stated that in line with President Akufo-Addo's vision of developing human capital in the Zongos, the government has, through the Ministry of Inner Cities and Zongo Development and the Zongo Development Fund, granted scholarship to 40 students from Zongo and deprived communities to study medicine in Cuba. The Vice President revealed that the first batch of the 40 students has arrived safely in Cuba and the second batch is set to leave this week. The Maulid in Sukura brought together Muslim leaders and scholars across the country, Zongo Chiefs and a large number of Muslims from various Zongo communities. 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 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said migration of people from one state to another should not be seen as a problem as he asserted that the "nation is one" and people are free to move from one place to another. The Janata Dal (United) chief's reaction came after election strategist and former party national vice-president Prashant Kishor and CPI's Kanhaiya Kumar flagged the issue of migration of youths from Bihar to other states and unemployment recently. Addressing a JD(U) 'karyakarta sammelan' here, Kumar challenged his political opponents to have a look at the various measures taken by his government which have resulted in creation of jobs. Recounting a conversation that he had with Raghunandan Lal Bhatia, who served as the governor of Bihar in 2008-09, Kumar said, "He asked me why was it that Punjab had started getting so fewer migrant workers from Bihar. Similar was the observation of the then Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal." He said, a fall in the number of migrant workers from Bihar was also the common refrain in Bhutan when he visited the Himalayan kingdom. "Those who are interested in knowing the facts can come to us. We will provide them with exact figures of the number of vacancies filled by the state public service commission and other bodies entrusted with recruitment of manpower. They will be also given an exact idea of how much things have changed since the preceding regimes," Kumar said. He, however, also said "ek gandi cheez shuru ho gayi hai migration ke naam se (a bad thing has started by way of this discourse over migration)." "The nation is one and belongs to all. People from all parts of the country are and must be free to travel to any other part. Has Bihar not benefitted from the services of nurses from Kerala since long back? Are people from other parts of the country not contributing to the states growth by making use of their talents here?" the chief minister asked. "Why should then it be seen as a problem if our people go to other parts of the country, make use of their skills and help the local economy flourish while earning a livelihood," he said. Migration of Bihari youth to other states was recently flagged as a major political issue for the state by Prashant Kishor, who was earlier the JD(U)'s national vice-president but expelled in January following sustained attacks on his own party for supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Former JNU Students' Union president and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who recently completed a state-wide 'Jan Gan Man Yatra' with the motto "Bihar maange rozgar, nahin chahiye NPR" (Bihar needs jobs, not the National Population Register), made stirring speeches about his experiences as a young student who had to migrate to the national capital for higher studies, for want of good educational opportunities back home, despite coming from a family with limited means. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has named his state-wide tour 'berozgari yatra' and sought to make a "domicile policy" reserving up to 90 per cent of jobs and seats in educational institutions for people of the state a poll plank. LJP chief Chirag Paswan, an NDA ally, has also been on a "Bihar First Bihari First Yatra" with the primary underlying theme being better educational and employment opportunities which could reduce the need for people to leave their home state in search of greener pastures. Key indices were trading sharply higher on strong buying in index stocks. At 9:24 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 523.26 points or 1.37% at 38,820.55. The Nifty 50 index was up 162.85 points or 1.45% at 11,364.60. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 1.50%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 1.59%. Both these indices outperformed the BSE Sensex. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1019 shares rose and 227 shares fell. A total of 45 shares were unchanged. Stocks in news: Maruti Suzuki India rose 0.86%. Maruti Suzuki India reported a decline of 1.1% in overall sales, including domestic and exports. Maruti sold 147,110 units in February 2020 as compared to 1,48,682 units in February 2019. Mahindra & Mahindra fell 2.10%. Mahindra & Mahindra reported a 42% fall in total automotive sales to 32,476 units in February 2020 from 56,005 units in February 2019. Tata Motors shed 0.04%. Tata Motors reported 32.4% decline in total sales (domestic & international) to 40,634 units in February 2020 from 60,151 units in February 2019. Eicher Motors gained 1.43%. Eicher Motors' unlisted subsidiary VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) reported 28.7% decline in total sales to 4,586 units in February 2020 from 6,428 units in February 2019. Reliance Industries jumped 2.51%. Reliance Industries (RIL) said it has acquired 37.7% stake in textile manufacturer Alok Industries for Rs 250 crore. RIL and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co had jointly bid for acquiring Alok Industries that was auctioned under the insolvency and bankruptcy law by lenders to recover their unpaid loans. Bharti Airtel was up 1.17%. Bharti Airtel said it has paid an additional Rs 8,004 crore towards AGR dues. With the latest payment, the company has paid Rs 18,004 crore in all. The company has also deposited an additional amount of Rs 5,000 crore as an ad-hoc payment to cover differences, if any, arising from the reconciliation exercise with the Department of Telecommunication (DoT). Dr. Reddy's Laboratories advanced 0.98%. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administrator Investigator has revised Form 483 with just one observation, in place of two observations intimated earlier for the Formulations Manufacturing Plant - 3 at Bachupally, Hyderabad. NTPC was up 1.97%. NTPC 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. Global Markets: Overseas, most Asian stocks were trading lower on Monday as investors were rattled by weekend data from China that showed its fastest ever contraction in factory activity, raising fears of a global recession from the coronavirus.. Chinese factory activity slumped to its sharpest contraction on record after the virus crippled manufacturing in February. The closely watched Caixin/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) tumbled to 40.3 last month, the lowest level since the survey began in 2004, and down sharply from the 51.1 reading in January. In US, stocks closed mostly lower on Friday, but off session lows, while recording their worst weekly slide since October 2008 amid intensifying fears over the potential degree of damage the spread of COVID-19 will inflict on the global economy and supply chains. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 02, 2020] Capella University Opens New Campus Center in Augusta, Ga. Capella University has opened its second Campus Center in the country in Augusta (News - Alert), Ga. The institution held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Campus Center on February 27. The Campus Center is located in the same building as the existing Strayer University Augusta Campus, marking a first for a new model of "co-located" Strayer and Capella University (News - Alert) campuses. This location will provide university-specific, in-person support and resources for students attending both universities. Located at 1330 Augusta West Parkway, the Augusta Campus Center is easily accessible to busy adults and in a centralized location. While the universities operate as separate institutions with different accrediting bodies, student bodies, and academic protocols, the co-location of campuses will help both universities share best practices that benefit students. "The new Campus Center in Augusta will offer Capella students the best of a flexible online education and the benefits of personalized in-person support," said Dr. Dick Senese, President of Capella University. "We look forward to sharing the building with Strayer and expanding our education services in Georgia." "Both Strayer and Capella are driven by the belief that today's workforce can't be supported by yesterday's education," said Dr. Michael Plater, President Emeritus of Strayer University. "That is why we are committed to finding new ways to support our students as they work toward advancing or changing careers. I look forward to the increased energy that Capella University and its students will bring to this location." Capella University - although exclusively online - is planning to launch Campus Centers across the nation to offer its students resources not typically available to online-only education programs. Capella will do this in two ways: by opening standalone Capella Campus Centers and by tapping into Strayer University's existing brick-and-mortar presence to provide in-person support to its students in a co-located format. Capella University opened its first standalone Campus Center in downtown Atlanta, Ga. in May 2019. "Because our adult students are often juggling many responsibilities, they benefit rom our flexible offerings to grow their knowledge to make an impact on their profession. We're pleased more Capella students in Georgia will have access to these in-person resources," said Dr. Senese. Owned by Strategic Education, Inc., both universities primarily serve working adult students and share a commitment to innovation, relevancy, and results for all their students. According to a recent study by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, Capella University ranks within the top two percent in students' return on investment over 40 years. This newest Campus Center reinforces the University's commitment to provide the best opportunities for its students. All student-facing services remain university-specific with each institution offering their own enrollment services, financial aid support, student support staff, networking and career services events. Students from both institutions will have access to high-speed Wi-Fi and a joint studying space to encourage peer networking and support. Capella University offers certificates, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, providing a variety of academic programs, including nursing, business, and psychology. Capella is also one of the only institutions in the country to offer direct assessment competency-based learning, through its FlexPath offerings. Strayer University offers associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees, with a range of courses including criminal justice, business administration, education, information technology, and more. About Capella University: Capella University (www.capella.edu) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Founded in 1993, the university is dedicated to providing flexible, professionally aligned online degree programs designed to help working adults advance in their careers. Known for its commitment to learner success, academic quality and innovations in online education, Capella pioneered competency-based direct assessment programs, allowing learners to learn at their own pace. For more information, call 1.888.CAPELLA (888.227.3552). About Strayer University: Founded in 1892, Strayer University is an institution of higher learning for working adult students. It offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, accounting, information technology, education, health services administration, public administration, and criminal justice. Strayer University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104 (267-284-5000, www.msche.org). The Commission is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. For more information, visit www.strayer.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005154/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Two men were shot and killed in Houstons First Ward late Sunday night, and police are still searching for the pair of gunmen responsible. The two suspected shooters were waiting for their victims at the dead end of Johnson Road near Ovid Street around 10:40 p.m., according to Houston Police Department Lt. Christopher Bruce. Once the victims drove to the dead-end, the two gunmen came out from hiding and started shooting, Bruce said. JOHANNESBURG Over 200 leading African political, business, and diplomatic leaders gathered in Johannesburg for the 8th African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Award dinner. They witnessed Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, being honored as the African of the Year 2019. Themed Africa for Africans Exploring the Gains of a Connected Continent, the evening brought together dignitaries including South African Deputy President, David D Mabuza, South African Ministers Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Lindiwe Zulu, and Dr. Ken Giami, Publisher of African Leadership Magazine. The highlight of the event was the keynote speech delivered by Dr. Adesina. His passion for the continent was palpable, connecting with the attentive audience throughout his speech. Dr. Adesina expressed his humility in being recognised for my very modest achievements and contributions to Africa. Humbled to be nominated by what I gather to be 60% of the votes cast by some 1 million people, humbled to be at the helm of an organisation that is making a tremendous difference across Africa the African Development Bank. An organisation that is daily making prosperity a reality. He dedicated the award to his wife, Grace, the Board, staff, and colleagues at the bank, his mother, and to the young mothers, struggling to bring up a child, to the farmer in search of a better tomorrow, to the youth of Africa longing for a better future, and to Africas journalists who risk their lives in helping to tell Africas true story. Dr Adesina, the visionary behind the African Development Banks High 5 strategy, explained that primary focus of the African Development Bank is to light up and power Africa, to feed Africa, to industrialise Africa, to integrate Africa, and to improve the quality of life of the people of Africa. Five simple, strategic, and highly focused objectives. South African Deputy President, David Mabuza, delivered the second keynote speech. Accepting the Award on behalf of South Sudans President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his First Vice President, Dr Riek Machar Teny, Mabuza said: the struggles of our people and their development aspirations remain fundamentally intertwined with those of fellow Africans elsewhere on the Continent. He added: these are the values that President Oliver Tambo and President Nelson Mandela taught us. Our commitment to the cause of a prosperous and better Africa is unwavering. It is in that spirit that as a country, we have placed our resources both human and financial, to the resolutions of conflicts. The African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Awards is now the most popular vote-based third-party endorsement in Africa. Dr. Adesina was elected the 8th President of the African Development Bank in 2015. He has been a leader in the African agricultural innovation space for over 30 years. He has contributed to Africas economic growth by helping to strengthen the continents food security and promoting a workable agribusiness model. Under his leadership, in the past four years, the bank has helped 18 million people get electricity, 141 million people get agricultural technologies, 13 million people get finance through private sector investee companies, 101 million people get improved transport services, and 60 million people get better water and sanitation. In his remarks, Adesina urged Africans to rise, be bold and determined. Africa does not need anyone to believe in her or to affirm her place and position in history. Africa will and must develop with pride. For right on the inside of us, as Africans, lies our greatest instrument of successes: confidence! Adesina said. Dr Adesina is in good company joining some notable previous winners of the African of the Year Award: Former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2011) Sudanese businessman, Mo Ibrahim (2012) Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar (2013) Former President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete (2014) Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan (2015) Tanzanian businessman and philanthropist,Mo Dewji (2016) President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame (2017) Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Abiy Ahmed (2018 Related Tyler Cameron is mourning the loss of his mother Andrea, who died suddenly on Friday. The Bachelorette alum is said to be 'devastated' at the loss which was confirmed by Us Weekly. On Sunday, the 27-year-old was spotted looking somber as he ate lunch with what are presumed to be family members at a restaurant in his hometown of Jupiter, Florida. Brave face: Tyler Cameron was spotted Sunday putting on a brave face Sunday as he stepped out with family for lunch after the sudden death of his mother A source told Us Weekly: 'Tyler is utterly devastated and in shock. It doesnt feel real. His entire family is strong as hell but their world has been shattered.' Andrea Cameron passed away one day after being admitted to hospital. No further details are known. Tyler had tweeted Thursday: He wrote: 'Have to cancel GMA group run tomorrow. Family emergency. Please pray for my mom and my family.' Ryan shared a video of him and his mom, writing: 'God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. Pray for my momma.' In mourning: The 27-year-old has yet to publicly address the death of his mother since returning to his hometown of Jupiter, Florida Beloved mother: Andrea Cameron passed after being taken to the hospital on Thursday with causes still yet to be confirmed Family emergency: Tyler previously took to Twitter on Thursday to abruptly cancel his Good Morning America appearance set for the next morning due to a family emergency Thoughts and prayers: At the time, he didn't go into detail about the nature of the emergency but his brother Ryan also asked for prayers on Instagram Tyler introduced his mom to the world in July during the hometown dates episode on season 15 of The Bachelorette. They had a heart-to-heart in one scene in which he revealed to his mom that he was ready to propose to Hannah Brown. Friends of the family took to social media Friday with their condolences over the tragic loss. Trudy Schmitt posted a photo Friday with Andrea and friends to Instagram, writing: 'I will miss you my friend. You live life to the fullest. Everyday a great day. That's how you live everyday.' TV debut: Tyler introduced his mom to the world in July during the hometown dates episode on season 15 of The Bachelorette Proud mom: They had a heart-to-heart in one scene in which he revealed to his mom that he was ready to propose to Hannah Brown Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java Mon, March 2, 2020 16:34 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067c3855 4 People Srihadi-Soedarsono,Painter,arts-and-culture,artist,maestro,Indonesian-artists,exhibition Free At 88 years old, Indonesian maestro painter Srihadi Soedarsono is still productive and disciplined in his creative process. Srihadi, who once worked as a painter reporter during the Indonesian independence revolution era, will hold his 21st solo exhibition entitled Man & Universe from March 11 to April 10 at the National Gallery in Jakarta. For the display, Srihadi is presenting his latest 37 works created over the past three years. A total of 44 paintings from his private collection will be shown. Some are old ones like Bandung Jelita Satu [Beautiful Bandung One], which can be compared with Bandung Jelita Dua [Beautiful Bandung Two] to find the change in Bandungs landscape from the past to the present, said Srihadi at his home on Jan. 29. How it came to be: Srihadi explains one of his paintings called Mt. Merapi The Powerful Nature at his studio in Bandung, West Java. (JP/Arya Dipa) Originally, only 36 new paintings were going to be displayed, but Srihadi had already finished another one entitled Jakarta Megapolitan Patung Pembebasan Banjir (Megapolitan Jakarta Flood Liberation Statue). Red, purple and dark orange dominate this 128-by-205 centimeter painting, with the West Irian Liberation Monument in Banteng Square, Jakarta, in the foreground and submerged buildings lower than the statue. White paint in the background depicts solid high-rise construction. The Jakarta floods [in early 2020] were a big event, he said. On top of the canvas is a maroon annular solar eclipse. Srihadi relies on observations and imagination in creating his work. Painting is like recording, said the painter, who was a member of the Young Indonesian Artists under S. Sudjojono in from 1946 to 1948. The same process has been applied to his other art in the show, such as Papua The Golden River Belongs to its People, a work that he finished in 2017 as a contemplation of an event in 1970, when he was flown in a helicopter over Sorong, Papua, to work on a job for state oil company PT Pertamina. Srihadi marks the horizon as an important element to present the natural boundary with sunrise and sunset in his Papua The Energy of Golden Rivers, measuring 105 by 600 centimeters. The rivers look golden from the sky when flying in the morning and afternoon, noted Srihadi. The recipient of the Bintang Gerilya RI (Indonesian Guerrilla Star) also interprets the existence of humans, cultures and the universe in his creations. One of them is Horizon The Golden Harvest, depicting Hindus maintaining their paddy fields through an irrigation system called subak without ignoring their daily religious rituals. There are no details of the people and paddy being harvested, but his impressions are reflected. A landscape isnt a mere mooi indie [beautiful picture] to attract tourists. Theres more profound beauty. Its part of a culture, so it isnt just an expression, he said. The lines brushed on the canvas along with their colors, according to Srihadi, result from sensitized feelings. They symbolize a spiritual dialogue between artistic ideas and the energy he feels while painting. Srihadi showed his works themed Borobudur Temple and Volcanoes, with such energy emanating from them. Horizon The Golden Harvest (2018) by Srihadi Soedarsono. (JP/Arya Dipa) Srihadi releases his emotions through the colors he paints while moving from one canvas to another in his studio to match his prevalent feelings. Technically, as the oil paint hasnt dried yet, the husband of Siti Farida Nawawi tries to get new hues. Every color can represent a certain atmosphere. The point is to enhance [the works], so Im moving from rice fields to mountains, he added. Exhibition curator A. Rikrik Kusmara said this time Srihadi would like to convey several messages. He added that from 2016 to 2020, Indonesia had entered different sociopolitical contexts of greater intensity involving issues of identity, welfare and religion. Srihadis creations offer metaphors and symbols of complexity. Though not so explicit, the issue of Papua is composed through his Golden River Belongs to Its People, which is very close to Papua becoming a political commodity, said the fine art lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). Srihadis latest landscape paintings are also very interesting and challenging to study. Behind the subtle aesthetic series, something is worth observing and exploring in each of the works as well as the whole batch as an interrelated configuration, Rikrik suggested. The painter encourages contemplation about human existence and its relation with nature. Despite Srihadis dominant mountain, land and sea images, he never forgets the presence of humans and their cultures. Theres dynamism. Theres an offer to pause to look ahead, which is a cultural moment, said Rikrik, adding that the maestro had had a long career since the war of independence. The solo exhibition will also see the launch of Srihadi Soedarsono: Manusia dan Alam Semesta (Srihadi Soedarsono: Man and the Universe), written by cultural observer Jean Couteau. Srihadis previous retrospective solo displays were in 2012 and 2016. In 2016 he presented 300 drawings and water color paintings produced over his 70-year career. How can Srihadi be so productive in his creative process? I lead a regular life. I maintain discipline to make constant progress, said Srihadi, who exercises with his trainer at home twice a week. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 15:57:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A cargo truck loaded with a standard container of goods departing from Germany arrived in the city of Taicang in east China's Jiangsu Province on Sunday night, marking the first direct cargo truck between Taicang and Germany since the novel coronavirus outbreak. The cargo truck, belonging to Sino-Europe Trucking (Jiangsu) Logistics Service Co., Ltd., left the German city of Duisburg on Feb. 15 and arrived at Taicang on March 1 after traveling about 12,000 km. Affected by the epidemic, many overseas air cargo and sea cargo routes have canceled or reduced transportation services to China, according to Hu Rongyi, general manager of the company. The company decided to resume its cargo truck service from Germany to Taicang, which is about 40 percent cheaper than the cost of air freight. In order to provide support for more companies to lower logistics costs and resume production, Hu said the company has increased the frequency of trucks to four a week since the Spring Festival holiday. So far, the company has transported over 50 batches of commodities worth 30 million yuan (about 4.3 million U.S. dollars). Since the first German company settled in Taicang in 1993, an increasing number of German companies have come to the city, covering a wide range of fields such as high-end equipment manufacturing and auto parts. Taicang has also set up platforms to promote the development of German enterprises there, including a cooperation and innovation park and a China-Germany international education park. Chandigarh, March 2 : Amid the growing scare over coronavirus (COVID-19), the Punjab government on Monday announced emergency measures, including setting up of flu corners in all government and private hospitals, to prepare for any exigency arising from the epidemic. The flu corners will screen all suspected cases of respiratory tract infections at the earliest and ensure that movement of such cases is restricted in order to prevent the spread of the disease. The Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, took stock of the situation triggered by the global epidemic, even as one confirmed case each of the disease was reported from Delhi and Telangana. The Cabinet approved the Punjab Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 under the ambit of section 2, 3 and 4 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to combat the menace of COVID-19 (Corona Virus Diseases 2019), an official spokesperson told IANS after the meeting. A notification to this effect will be issued soon, he added. No private laboratory has been authorised to take or test sample of coronavirus in the state, as per the notification approved by the Cabinet. Further, no person or institution or organisation will use any print or media in any form for giving information COVID-19 without prior permission of the Department of Health and Family Welfare. The spread of any rumours or unscientific information regarding COVID-19 will be a punishable offence under the notification, said the spokesperson. As per the Cabinet decision, all the hospitals in the state are being directed to take a suspected patient's history of travel to any country or area from where spread of disease is being reported, and also history of coming in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, from case of respiratory tract infections or case presenting with symptoms similar to coronavirus. If there is any history of travel or history of contact with a case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days of development of symptoms, the person has to be kept in hospital isolation and the Department of Health has to be informed immediately by that doctor or hospital. 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. MP Mangala Samaraweera yesterday issued the following statement on Sri Lankas withdrawal from Resolution 30/1 and subsequent resolutions extending its mandate in the UN Human Rights Council On 23 May 2009, the then President of Sri Lanka and the Secretary-General of the United Nations adopted a Joint Statement in which Sri Lanka reiterated its strongest commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, in keeping with international human rights standards and Sri Lankas international obligations. Further, in the Joint Statement, the Secretary-General underlined the importance of an accountability process for addressing violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and the Government stated that measures will be taken to address those grievances. The Government of Sri Lanka also tabled a resolution in the Human Rights Council in 2009 at a special session and had it adopted by a vote on 27 May 2009. No Cabinet approval was sought for the Joint Statement or for the Resolution at the time. In this 2009 resolution which was Sri Lankas own, where Sri Lanka was the main sponsor, the assurance given by the President of Sri Lanka that he does not regard a military solution as a final solution, as well as his commitment to a political solution with implementation of the 13th amendment to bring about lasting peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka was welcomed. The resolution also contained elements including Sri Lankas continued commitment to the promotion and protection of all human rights and upholding human rights obligations and norms of international human rights law; commitment to strengthening its activities to ensure that there is no discrimination against ethnic minorities in the enjoyment of the full range of human rights; welcoming the visit to Sri Lanka of the UN Secretary-General at the invitation of the President of Sri Lanka, endorsing the joint communique issued at the conclusion of the visit and the understandings contained therein; and urging the international community to cooperate with the Government of Sri Lanka in the reconstruction efforts, including by increasing the provision of financial assistance, and to continue to ensure the promotion and protection of all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights. However, the years that followed saw Sri Lanka fall short of these commitments that it undertook voluntarily as a means of discharging its own sovereign responsibility towards her own citizens including the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). This led to a series of resolutions in the Human Rights Council moved by the United States of America, co-sponsored by other members, in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Adopting an aggressive stance, Sri Lanka refused to work with other members of the Council to find consensus solutions. What should have been done as a responsible government, if it was seriously committed to protecting its sovereignty, should have been to take charge of processes and not have allowed matters to escalate up to the point of an international investigation on Sri Lanka being appointed. However, the Government failed to do so. As a result, in 2014, resolution 25/1 eventually set up a human rights investigation on Sri Lanka which was called the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL). This was the first-ever investigation of this nature on Sri Lanka by an international entity. Sri Lanka was in economic doldrums by then and isolated internationally. Sanctions were imposed on IMF and World Bank lending, GSP+ was lost. Our security forces lost opportunities for training with the best in the world and participating in UN peacekeeping operations. The respect, trust, dignity, and confidence that Sri Lanka enjoyed in the international community were in tatters. We were on the verge of facing further international action such as travel bans being imposed on our security forces and our leaders; a special rapporteur or a commission of inquiry being appointed; facing further action against Sri Lanka in other UN bodies to name and shame our country; losing credibility and facing further isolation both regionally and internationally at all levels, and cases being lodged in foreign courts against leaders and officials under universal jurisdiction. The Government of the day was very well aware that the resolutions in 2012, 2013 and 2014 would be adopted even if Sri Lanka did not cooperate. Yet, the Government, with full knowledge, dragged the country and the security forces into an international investigation in 2014. The political leaders decided to portray themselves locally as victims of an international process for local political gain while in fact placing the security forces personnel at the peril of international action when the option of asserting sovereignty and initiating a local process for investigations was in Sri Lankas hands. No responsible country fights battles in the Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council is not a battlefield and it is certainly not a court of law. But the government spent enormous sums of money sending large delegations to Geneva to stage protests, sending special envoys to countries all over the world all for local political purposes while knowingly dragging the country to an international investigation; when all that was required was to uphold the rule of law and the human rights of all our citizens, investigate into allegations of human rights and humanitarian law violations in the country by all sides, and provide reparations to victims on all sides including families of missing police and security forces personnel. At a time when Sri Lanka was in dire straits, the government changed in January 2015, and the Government of the day, under the leadership of President Sirisena decided, based on the 100 Day Program, 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. 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. The consensus resolution was intended to achieve three main aims. 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 Sri Lanka 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. The legislation to criminalize enforced disappearances, the work of the Office on Missing Persons and the Office of Reparations, releases of private land, and the strengthening of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka including the Commission regaining A grade status stand as testaments to the partial fulfillment of these aspirations. Second, the process undertaken allowed Sri Lanka the means to restore the dignity of the institutions of the army, air force, navy, and police, by investigating locally, through locally designed processes, all allegations of violations of the law including by the LTTE and any others. Third, it enabled Sri Lanka to regain its due place and dignity on the international stage, normalizing its relations with the international community to chart its path to economic progress and prosperity as a hub in the Indian Ocean. In addition to many other benefits, normalizing ties with the EU which is the largest market for Sri Lankan exports enabled the restoration of GSP+ which has helped create many jobs. The resumption of military-to-military ties and intelligence sharing arrangements with the worlds most powerful country, the United States of America enabled the establishment of the Sri Lankan Marine Corps and opened up opportunities for our security forces to participate in joint training and exercises including on humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Other than training and equipment transfers such as blue-water ships, the value of this partnership could not be clearer than in the days and weeks after the tragic Easter Bombings, when US experts played an immediate and critical role in helping to identify the remaining terrorist operatives in Sri Lanka. 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. Once the resolution was adopted by the Council, it was tabled in Parliament on 23 October 2015. There was broad consensus in the House. Members from the major political parties represented in Parliament including the UNP, SLFP, TNA, and JHU - spoke in favor of the resolution. We all agreed that Sri Lanka had to come to terms with its past and reflect and introspect in order to move forward and achieve reconciliation, peace, stability, and prosperity that had eluded our nation since Independence. President Sirisena also convened 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, if I recall correctly, the parties representing what was then called the Joint Opposition in Parliament did not submit any views at the time. When the resolution was discussed and debated in Parliament and the Paranagama Commission report was tabled in Parliament as well, our current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was then an MP, was too anxious to even make an appearance in the House. After all, it was his promises on accountability in the Joint Statement with the then UN Secretary-General that started this whole process, and this would have been a wonderful opportunity for all sides to work together to formulate a local process for healing our beloved nation. There was nothing in the resolution that was not contained in the recommendations of the commissions that had been appointed by Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was President, including the LLRC, Paranagama, and Udalagama commissions and the National Human Rights Action Plan approved by his Cabinet. Indeed, he too, as I well know, is no stranger to Geneva, having taken documents regarding missing persons to the then UN Commission on Human Rights. It was Mahinda Rajapaksa who first called for Amnesty International to visit Sri Lanka, and even called on foreign countries to cut off aid to Sri Lanka if the human rights situation does not improve. However, when the opportunity arose, following the adoption of resolution 30/1 to work together to establish mechanisms to ensure non-recurrence of enforced disappearances and non-recurrence of conflict for sustainable peace and progress in Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa was absent in Parliament and his supporters were so bereft of argument that they became an unruly mob to disrupt Parliamentary proceedings. 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 does 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. Over the last five years, the country was slowly healing. Relations between the communities were beginning to normalize. A Sri Lanka where everyone felt truly at home and at peace, as equal brothers and sisters, was beginning to emerge. 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. Similarly, on a personal note, 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. JERUSALEM - Israel is holding its third election in less than a year on Monday, with over 6.4 million eligible voters set to cast their ballots for the 23rd Knesset, or parliament. With the actors all the same as the last round in September and pre-election opinion polls predicting similar results, weary Israelis are still hoping to see an end to the year-long deadlock that has paralyzed national politics. Here is a closer look at what to expect: THIRD TIMES A CHARM The March 2 vote is Israels third parliamentary election in under year, an unprecedented situation for the 71-year-old country. The third election was called after neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival, former army chief Benny Gantz, succeeded in forming a governing coalition following the Sept. 17 election. The Knesset voted to dissolve itself and send the country to yet another election. Similar deadlock followed elections last April. THE BIG NAMES Netanyahu, who has been prime minister for over a decade, is seeking what would be his fifth term overall, including an earlier stint in the 1990s. In July, Netanyahu secured a place in history as the countrys longest-serving prime minister, surpassing Israels founding father David Ben-Gurion. He faces tough opposition from Gantz, whose Blue and White party seeks to replace Netanyahus long-dominant Likud. VETERAN VS. CLEAN SHEET For the third time running, the main contenders remain Netanyahu and Gantz. Netanyahu has campaigned on his experience and diplomatic accomplishments, pointing to his opponents inexperience. Gantz has stumped on Netanyahus inability to serve under the shadow of a looming trial on corruption charges. Netanyahu was indicted on fraud, breach of trust and bribery charges in November. He had sought immunity from prosecution from parliament, but later rescinded his request. His trial is scheduled to begin on March 17, just two weeks after election day. Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing and says hes the victim of a witch hunt by police, prosecutors and the media. The election is widely seen as a referendum on his character and ability to govern while facing criminal charges. THE CONTENDERS All 120 seats in the Knesset, Israels parliament, are up for grabs. Twenty-nine parties are competing, including the large front-runners, ultra-Orthodox religious parties, Arab factions and fringe movements. But only a handful are expected to garner the 3.25% of the vote necessary to break the electoral threshold and earn the minimum four seats in parliament. TURNOUT AND FATIGUE Israeli elections tend to have robust turnout. Election day is a national holiday, a measure aimed at encouraging participation. In both of last years elections, turnout was about 69%, slightly below the 72% figure in the 2015 vote. But with voter fatigue high after the repeat elections, it remains to be seen whether parties efforts to get out the vote will succeed. ROUND FOUR? No Israeli party has ever won an outright majority, which forces the larger parties to form blocs with smaller allies. After the election, Israels president will meet with party heads and select the party he believes is most capable of forming a coalition. That party, which is usually but not always the largest faction, then has four weeks to form a coalition. A new government will be given a four-year term, but disagreements between coalition parties often result in early elections. Preelection polls point to a similar outcome as Septembers election, suggesting Likud and Blue and White could both struggle to form a coalition. Whether the two parties can agree to form a unity government something they couldnt do after the last election remains a remote possibility to break the year-long political deadlock. Recent opinion polls have indicated softening support for Blue and White, giving Netanyahu a remote chance of claiming victory. Another key player could be the secular, ultranationalist party Yisrael Beitenu, whose leader, Avigdor Lieberman, has refused to commit to either side. The predominantly Arab Joint List is also expected to make a strong showing. While an Arab-led party has never served in a government, the Joint List could provide external support to push Gantz over the top. Another possible outcome is that there is once again no clear winner and Israelis will head to the polls for an unprecedented fourth vote. ___ Follow Ilan Ben Zion on Twitter: https://twitter.com/IlanBenZion The Clean Energy Finance Corporation's close relationship with fintech firm RateSetter will be investigated by the federal government amid concerns other green energy lenders are missing out on lucrative contracts. Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor on Monday referred the matter to the head of his department after The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed widespread industry concerns about the Commonwealth body and RateSetter teaming up to win two state government contracts worth more than $100 million that did not go out to tender. The CEFC says RateSetter is not an exclusive partner. Credit:AFR The CEFC claims it is not behind the decisions of the NSW and South Australian governments to choose RateSetter as its partner. But the South Australian energy department on Monday said the CEFC nominated RateSetter to administer the financing component of the scheme. Shes only 38, people. Photo: Ray Tamarra/GC Images The newest woman to be anointed as a Bachelorette lead, Sacramento hairstylist Clare Crawley, is daring to disrupt the franchise by being, gasp, over the age of 30. (Shes 38.) At her official unveiling on Mondays Good Morning America, Crawley, who has been a staple within the franchise for many years, laughed off the idea that being an older woman (again, shes only 38) will somehow impede her chances at finding love. I feel like lot of people put it out there as a negative thing, she explained, joking that she could be the mom of Peter Webers current Bachelor contestants. For me, its more years under my belt, more learning and knowing what I want and what I dont want, and what I wont settle for. Crawley noted that, historically, shes been known to date younger men, so pursuing them on the show wont be a problem for her. Meet Clare Crawley! We talk to #TheBachelorette about her new journey to find love on @bacheloretteabc. https://t.co/dRn1AIbzEW pic.twitter.com/wmgJq1d7uv Good Morning America (@GMA) March 2, 2020 Im wondering if theyre ready for me, for my age, she teased. I feel that would be more of an issue than me with them, because I feel so much younger at heart than my actual age. Im proud of my age, but I just feel younger. That, to me, is whats important. As for what kind of antiJuan Pablo Crawley will be looking for when her flock of men descend upon the Bachelor Mansion when filming begins, a healthy sense of vulnerability will be appreciated, if not required. The most important thing is, I want a man who will take off his armor, she said. I want a man whos strong, whos willing to take off the body armor, open himself up, and be vulnerable. I think thats some serious strength right there. And dont even think about if Crawley has thick enough skin for the gig: Im not the one you guys should be worried about. Let me tell you that. Its them. We totally believe her. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Washington, D.C., March 2, 2020 The U.S. government should immediately suspend efforts to effectively expel dozens of Chinese journalists and put a halt to mutual retaliation over media operations, which threatens to undermine the free flow of information as the COVID-19 epidemic spreads throughout the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement today that the United States would limit the number of visas available for Chinese journalists working at five designated media organizations. The outletsXinhua, CGTN, China Radio, China Daily, and The Peoples Dailywill be limited to 100 visas in total, according to news reports. Those outlets currently employ 160 Chinese citizens, meaning 60 will be forced to leave the United States by March 13 unless they have another type of visa that would allow them to remain in the country, according to those reports. Pompeo cited Chinas increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and intimidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China in his statement announcing the visa cap. The announcement follows Chinas decision on February 19 to expel three Wall Street Journal reporters, as CPJ documented at the time. That move came one day after the U.S. government reclassified the five outlets now subject to the visa cap as foreign missions, as designation typically used for embassies and consulates, according to CPJ research. China and the United States need to pull back from this dangerous cycle of tit-for-tat retaliation that threatens the free flow of information in both countriesespecially during a global health crisis, said Steven Butler, CPJs Asia program coordinator. As a democracy with a strong constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press, the U.S. in particular must show leadership in the area of press freedom, rather than adopting Beijings authoritarian tactics. The Chinese government said it was expelling the three Journal reporters in retaliation for what it called a racist headline on an opinion column that read, China is the Real Sick Man of Asia, as CPJ reported. News reporters at the Journal have no involvement in the editorial pages, according to a report by the paper. U.S. State Department officials, speaking on condition they not be named, told reporters on February 18 that the decision to classify Chinese media operations as foreign missions came as part of the administrations efforts to confront great power adversaries, according to a transcript of the briefing. They said, however, that the designation would not impede the organizations newsgathering activities. They also cited the increased controls over media under President Xi Jinping as justification, and acknowledged the already difficult working conditions for foreign correspondents based in China. CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon, writing in the Columbia Journalism Review on February 21, noted the risk that China would take reprisals against U.S. reporters in that country for restrictions on Chinese reporters imposed by Washington. [S]eeking to regulate or control Chinese state media in this country is likely to be counterproductive because it turns journalists into diplomatic pawns and provides a framework that favors Chinese censors who are already seeking to control the work of the international media, he wrote. In a report released today, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China found that Chinese authorities have increasingly used the threat of expulsion and visa denial to retaliate and warn against critical foreign coverage. China is the worlds worst jailer of journalists according to CPJs most recent annual survey, with at least 48 journalists behind bars at the end of 2019. Autopilot, Super Cruise and Drive Pilot are different names given to technology that automates steering and braking in a growing number of vehicles, but none of it can safely pilot cars without regular human intervention. These systems and the potential for consumers to misunderstand and misuse them are putting pressure on regulators everywhere to overhaul safety testing and consumer rating systems that have not kept up with the pace of deployment of new semi-automated driving technology. That may be especially true in the United States, where the National Transportation Safety Board chided regulators this week for lagging their European counterparts in efforts to ensure consumer and road safety. The acting head of the U.S. vehicle safety regulator said on Wednesday that his agency would make changes this year to a testing program that assigns safety grades to new and future vehicles. Were raising the bar for safety technologies in our new vehicles, said acting National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief James Owens. NHTSA in December 2015 issued proposed rulemaking for testing procedures that would be similar to more comprehensive testing done by European regulators. What to Call Newfangled Driver Assistance Technologies Automotive technology continues to evolve quickly with 93% of new vehicles offering at least one advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) feature. Recent AAA research found that consumers are faced with as many as 20 names for a single ADAS feature, varying by vehicle manufacturer. Four consumer and safety organizationsAAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and the National Safety Councillast year urged all organizations, automakers and the media to adopt standardized naming for advanced driver assistance technology in an effort to reduce confusion. They said the use of common terminologies will help educate consumers on the benefits, limitations and proper use of these technologies. At this time, five categories have been created to group technology by type: Driving Control Assistance Adaptive Cruise Control Active Driving Assistance Lane Keeping Assistance Collision Warnings Blind Spot Warning Forward Collision Warning Lane Departure Warning Parking Obstruction Warning Rear Cross Traffic Warning Collision Intervention Automatic Emergency Braking Automatic Emergency Steering Rear Automatic Braking Parking Assistance Active Parking Assistance Remote Parking Other Driver Assistance Systems Automatic High Beams Backup Camera Driver Monitoring Head-Up Display Night Vision Surround-View Camera The groups said the naming list will be continually refined as they work with automakers and policymakers and as new systems come to market. The groups say these terms are not meant to replace automotive manufacturers proprietary system or package names; rather, they are meant to achieve clearer information on window stickers, owners manuals and other marketing materials on generic system components. No rules have been put forward since then, however, and Owens comments came a day after the NTSB sharply criticized NHTSA for its hands off approach to overseeing semi-automated driving technology. The NTSB, an independent U.S. government agency, also compared NHTSAs testing and ratings unfavorably to consumer safety systems put in place by European agencies. Surveys have shown that consumers overestimate the capabilities of semi-automated systems, as automakers race to deliver on the promise of truly driverless cars. Safety advocates also criticize manufacturers for using misleading terms to market those systems, including Autopilot, Pro Pilot Assist and Traffic Jam Pilot. European regulators have been expanding their rules and ratings to evaluate new technology such as automatic braking and lane-keeping, while U.S. regulators have done little to change their traditional five star crash test grading system. European safety ratings assess all advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) currently available and regulators have passed some laws on the technology. In 2018, European Union regulators required the installation of acoustic and visual warning signals for lane-keeping systems every 15 seconds if drivers take their hands off the wheel. As a result, Tesla had to issue a software update to its Autopilot system in the EU. A regulatory body is currently working on rules for more advanced hands-off systems that can control braking, acceleration and lane changes at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph). Under draft EU rules, carmakers among other things need to show how the system safely hands control back to the driver, how the car monitors the road and how it reacts in emergency situations. Pressure on automakers in Europe also comes from non-binding performance ratings by Europes New Car Assessment Program, known in the industry as Euro NCAP. Euro NCAP began rating automatic braking systems in 2014. It is testing the performance of advanced cruise control, lane-centering systems and blind spot detection since 2018 and beginning in May will also grade how well a cars system is keeping the driver engaged. The group is a non-governmental body but funded by some EU countries and also receives money from national motor clubs and insurers. Matthew Avery, a Euro NCAP board member, said the group was sharing testing methods with NHTSA and the NTSB on a regular basis. As regulation moves slowly, Euro NCAP plays a crucial role in holding carmakers accountable, Avery said. The manufacturers initially scream blue murder and say our targets are impossible to achieve, but then one of them does it and everyone follows, he said. Carmakers in the United States are allowed to self-certify that their vehicles comply with existing rules, said University of South Carolina law professor Bryant Walker Smith, who focuses on automated driving. But there are currently no rules for ADAS. NHTSA also publishes an annual New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), which evaluates the crashworthiness of a vehicle and outlines what semi-automated features a car comes with. But the agency does not assess the safety of those systems despite nearly all modern cars being equipped with some features like automatic emergency braking. (Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Tom Brown) Related: Topics Auto InsurTech USA Tech Europe Personal Auto Manufacturing The signing of a deal Saturday in Doha, Qatar, to start withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan may not immediately stop the fighting, but it will at least usher in a new era in the 18-year war Washington: Intelligence briefers regularly present President Donald Trump with a classified map of Afghanistan, usually the only report on the war he examines, displaying the strikes carried out in recent days and, critically, the number of Taliban and other militants killed. During his presidency, enemy body counts have been the lens through which Trump has viewed the Afghanistan War an often meaningless metric in disrepute since the Vietnam War. Now the US de facto war of attrition against the Taliban has, at least theoretically, come to an end. The signing of a deal Saturday in Doha, Qatar, to start withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan may not immediately stop the fighting, but it will at least usher in a new era in the 18-year war. The deal will also begin the process of drawing down the US intelligence presence. There are many questions about what the role of the remaining military forces and intelligence officers will be, but the rough outline of how the mission is likely to shift has become apparent. The work that Trump is most interested in hunting and killing Al-Qaeda and Islamic State terrorists will continue for a time, albeit with fewer people to carry out the mission. Raids and airstrikes may eventually have to be launched from other countries, although that is yet to be determined. Other tasks that have occupied American service members and intelligence professionals, such as the training of Afghan forces and airstrikes on Taliban militants, will wind down or even cease in the months to come, if the accord holds, and as international troops draw down and the Taliban sit for talks with the government. Under the current plan, all of the approximately 12,000 troops now in Afghanistan will leave within 14 months. Whether that timetable will hold up is not known, and less than 24 hours after the signing, the first stumbling block appeared as confusion over whether the Afghan government must quickly release Taliban prisoners threatened to inflame tensions. Many veterans of the Afghanistan war remain wary of the withdrawal accord, even as they welcome a potential end to the long war. Some current and former US diplomats and military officials questioned whether the Taliban and the Afghan government would ever agree to a power-sharing arrangement or even engage in meaningful talks. Some fear that the Taliban will seek to overthrow the government once Americans are gone. Even if the Taliban do not seek to control Kabul, the capital, completely, they could allow Al-Qaeda to re-emerge as a power or fail to contain a rejuvenated Islamic State. A potential terrorist threat remains in the region. Most remaining Al-Qaeda leaders are hiding in Pakistan but could return to Afghanistan under a Taliban-dominated government. Al-Qaeda and Taliban factions continue to be intertwined in some parts of the country, especially in Afghanistans west. But some analysts and government officials say the risk may be overstated. Many intelligence officials argue that groups like the countrys Islamic State affiliate are much more of a regional threat, posing a problem to the Taliban and Afghan government rather than Americans. Whether that will remain the case after the US exit, however, is the unanswered question. No one wants to end endless wars more than those who have experienced them firsthand and understand the price of them, said David Petraeus, a former top US military commander in Afghanistan and CIA director. That said, we need to end them the right way, or, as we have learned in the past, we may have to return to them. The deal with the Taliban ultimately calls for all troops to leave. Many officials said that the schedule is likely to slip but that the Taliban almost certainly would not allow a residual US force to remain indefinitely. To the Taliban, one senior US official said, zero means zero. Some military officers and intelligence officials, however, cite the US long-term national security needs to keep a presence there. But the issue is not just the Taliban. Trump, too, seems intent on bringing US forces home. My biggest concern is the president, said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who ran Barack Obamas first Afghanistan policy review. The talk of a complete exit, including the relocation of US command to neighboring countries, makes some veteran officers nervous. At various points in the war, military planners looking forward to the moment of a peace deal have calculated how small they could shrink the force and still fight terrorist threats and shore up the government in Kabul. One of those plans called for a residual force of 2,000 to conduct counterterrorism missions. If the United States wants to also continue some training of the Afghan forces, a minimum of 5,000 troops are needed, said James Stavridis, a retired US admiral and former top commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. More important than troops, potentially, is the willingness for the international community to continue to finance the Afghanistan government after a peace deal. The real key to whether Afghanistan avoids falling into an even longer civil war is the degree to which the United States and NATO are willing to fund and train the Afghan security forces over the long term, Stavridis said. When Vietnam collapsed and the helicopters were lifting off the roof of the US Embassy, it was the result of funding being stopped. That situation has played out in Afghanistan as well. Historians note that the Soviet-installed government in Kabul held on to control even after the withdrawal of Moscows troops in 1989 and fell to the Taliban only after Boris Yeltsin, the new president of a post-communist Russia, came to power in 1991 and subsequently eliminated the large-scale assistance that had continued to flow to the Kremlins former allies in Kabul. The US command has pledged for now to keep open seven bases, according to defence department officials. Those bases are in Herat province, Mazar-e-Sharif, Bagram, Jalalabad, Kabul (both the airport and the main U.S. base next to the embassy) and Kandahar Airfield in the south. What remains unclear is how the US military will treat some of the outposts primarily used by the CIA, such as Camp Chapman in the countrys east. Trump toyed with replacing the US military trainers, advisers and specialized military strike forces, such as Delta Force or SEAL Team 6, with teams led by the CIA. Such a plan could have brought in more CIA paramilitary forces to train and carry out missions with Afghan commandos and more agency officers to work with Afghan militia groups, like the Khost Protection Force. The shift to a bigger role by the CIA was viewed skeptically in Washington and the agencys Langley headquarters. More important, the Taliban adamantly opposed the move, which has now been largely discarded. With the new Taliban deal in place, the CIA will not increase its presence in the country, officials said, although the agency will draw down its personnel more slowly than the military, according to people familiar with the matter. The agencys mission will change, and its methods in Afghanistan are likely to as well. The agency has long used the militarys intelligence efforts to bolster its own and used military bases to operate deep inside the country to get its operatives and case officers closer to the terrorist and Islamic State groups that have been its top priority. The agency, according to current and former government officials, will now look for new ways to collect its intelligence on terrorist groups. For the CIA, the most critical question is the future of its relations with its network of militia partners, which operate under the loose supervision of Afghanistans intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security. The militia groups remain deeply divisive in the country, accused of reckless violence causing civilian casualties and criticized by human rights groups. The structure of the government that emerges there after talks between the Taliban and the administration of President Ashraf Ghani will determine that relationship between the CIA and its militia partners. The Taliban, as a condition of a peace deal, could seek to dismantle or take over the Afghanistan intelligence agency and end its work with the CIA. Some current and former officials believe finding a way for the CIA and its militia forces to continue to work with a new Afghan government, one that includes the Taliban, is critical to the long-term survival of such a deal. Having the US military or intelligence agency work with its enemy of nearly two decades may seem like an impossibility to some, but it has been an offer from the Taliban for nearly a decade, and the US military has already taken its first tentative steps toward such a wary partnership, said David Kilcullen, a former adviser to the US government in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last year, the United States conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State in Afghanistan, which had the effect of helping Taliban forces that were fighting the group, said Kilcullen, author of a new book on the future of global conflict called The Dragons and the Snakes. We are already, in a de facto sense, fighting alongside the Taliban against the more extreme groups, which are actually more of a threat to them than they are to us, Kilcullen said. How aggressive the Taliban will be in keeping Al-Qaeda in check is one of the most critical questions of the deal. Sirajuddin Haqqani, a deputy Taliban leader who employed brutal tactics during the war and was responsible for the deaths of thousands, refused to address Al-Qaeda by name in a recent Op-Ed in The New York Times. Instead, he referred to al-Qaida only as a disruptive group. While he said it is not in the interest of any Afghan to allow such groups to hijack the country, he also countered that concerns about the groups were politically motivated exaggerations by the warmongering players on all sides of the war. The willingness of a new government, one that includes the Taliban, to work with the US to disrupt terrorist groups and prevent civil war is likely to be critical to the success of the withdrawal accord. For such a strategy to succeed will require a shift in thinking in the White House, Kilcullen said. Trump will have to give up on his map enumerating how many militants have been killed, switching to an approach heavier on economic power using trade pacts and development aid to lure the Taliban to keep to a power-sharing deal. Trump hates foreign assistance, and he likes to pressure the Taliban using bombs, Kilcullen said. But there are a lot of tools that dont involve killing people that could cement a deal. Julian E Barnes, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Eric Schmitt c.2020 The New York Times Company Up to 8,000 Google staff and contractors in Ireland will work from home tomorrow because of concerns over coronavirus. An employee in its Dublin office has reported flu-like symptoms - but it's not a confirmed case of Covid-19. But as a precaution, the company has asked its Dublin teams to work from home tomorrow. The decision affects most of Google's offices in Ireland. A Google spokesperson said: We continue to take precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our workforce, and as part of that effort we have asked our Dublin teams to work from home tomorrow. It comes as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Simon Harris are to seek Cabinet approval on Tuesday to establish a special committee to examine the full impact of the coronavirus on the economy and society. The Irish Examiner has learned that the Taoiseach will chair the new sub-committee. "The Taoiseach and the Minister will now establish a special Cabinet committee to assess the impacts of Covid-19 and oversee the cross Government response. This will be chaired by the Taoiseach, a spokeswoman for Mr Harris said. A teenager remains under treatment in a Dublin hospital and his school, Scoil Chatriona in Glasnevin will be closed for 14 days as a result of the diagnosis. Mr Harris, speaking on RTE's Six One News said: We won't be surprised if we see more cases and we've been preparing for that for a number of weeks. Earlier, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has revealed that her children attend the Dublin school that is closed due to a case of the coronavirus. "We are following all of the chief medical officer's advice and therefore the children have to be at home for the next 14 days," she said, adding it was a "worrying time" for parents and pupils of the school, "particularly for the family of the person affected. We wish them a speedy recovery." Additional reporting Daniel McConnell and Joel Slattery Three new cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) were confirmed Sunday by the Santa Clara Public Health Department, bringing the total to seven in the county. Two of the new cases are a husband and wife who had both recently traveled to Egypt. The husband is said to have "chronic health conditions." The third newly confirmed case is an adult woman, also with chronic health conditions, the health department said Sunday. All three patients are hospitalized, according to a statement from the health department. Their conditions were not publicly shared Sunday. Due to medical privacy requirements and to protect their identity, further information about these cases will not be released. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department will continue to identify anyone who has come into contact with these cases, Sunday's statement said. The health department will also be doing "community surveillance" to determine the extent of possible disease spread in our community. News of these latest confirmed Coronavirus cases comes the same day as the Alameda County Public Health Department and Solano Public Health are reporting that two health care workers are presumptive positive for the Coronavirus, both pending confirmatory testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both of those patients are health care workers at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, and are currently in isolation at home, the Alameda County Public Health Department said Sunday in a statement. One lives in Solano County, the other in Alameda County. Both were exposed to the community-acquired case currently hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. 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. Two Chicago police officers have been filmed shooting a man after he moved between train carriages at a bustling subway station. Ariel Roman was apprehended by a male and female officer for the city ordinance violation at Grand station on Friday, Chicago Police Department said. After appearing to deploy tasers and pepper spray to subdue Roman - who repeatedly says, 'I didn't do nothing to you guys' - the female officer opens fire. Roman then makes a break for the escalator where the officers pursue him before another shot is fired. Roman, who had surgery for bullet wounds to the abdomen and buttocks, is in a stable condition and won't face charges, Cook County prosecutors said Sunday. The police officers, who have not been named, have both been assigned desk duties pending an investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Ariel Roman is seen making a break for the escalator at Grand subway station in Chicago on Friday. The female officer fires a shot as it goes up the stairs. The officers pursued him and he was shot again 'Given the totality of circumstances and the department's significant level of concern around this incident, it would be insensitive to advocate for these charges,' police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. 'While we will not rush to judgment, the level of concern over the tactics used in this incident is significant.' Mayor Lori Lightfoot said footage of Friday's shooting was 'extremely disturbing' and that she supported the rare request for prosecutors to be sent directly to the scene. The shooting came the same day that Lightfoot and the department announced a safety plan for the city's rail system amid a spike in crime, including more officers on trains and at stations. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the use of force, while the state's attorney and FBI conducted the underlying criminal review. Guglielmi said the department was cooperating fully. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office said they agreed with Chicago police's request to drop the charges. The officers attempt to subdue Roman on the ground, appearing to deploy stun guns and pepper spray The male officer is seen with his hand in Roman's face during the struggle while the female cop stands over them Roman's attorney, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, has said he will likely require further operations after his initial surgery. He remained hospitalized Sunday but was no longer in critical condition. Roman's family was pleased with the decision to dismiss all charges, said Schmidt Rodriguez. In a statement, she said Roman 'remembers everything about the incident that took place and is fully committed to cooperating with the various investigations.' The shooting happened Friday afternoon. An officer who spotted a man jumping from one car to another in violation of a city ordinance and called for backup, and two officers chased and grabbed the man. The video shows a male officer on top of the suspect at the base of an escalator, struggling to keep the man still. The suspect can be heard saying, 'I didn't do nothing to you,' as the officer trying to hold him down says, 'stop resisting,' several times. Roman gets to his feet (left) as the officers stand off him while he can be seen pulling taser wires off himself They stand up, and a female officer appears to try to pepper spray the man's face before telling him to show his hands. The man refuses to be handcuffed. Stun guns can be seen on the floor. With the man still struggling to get away, the female officer shouts, 'Give him your hands,' and a gunshot rings out. As the man flees up the escalator with the officers in pursuit, a second shot is fired. Shaheen Bagh protesters put forth new demand to call off agitation India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Mar 02: The protesters at Shaheen Bagh have said that they are ready to call off their 78 day protest if the BJP government gives a written assurance that their citizenship would not be snatched. They have demanded that the government gives a written assurance on a Rs 10 self-attested affidavit that their citizenship would not be taken away. This demands comes in the wake of Section 144 of the CrPC being imposed at Shaheen Bagh. However, after the decision to impose Section 144 was taken, several women came out on to the streets on Shaheen Bagh and joined the protest. The protesters have resolved not to leave the site. Shaheen Bagh tense: Police deployment enhanced They have said that either the newly amended citizenship law be rolled back or they be given a guarantee that their citizenship would not be snatched away. NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 The protesters have said that in the absence of any document such as the voter identification card, Aadhaar or passport, a self attested affidavit on a Rs 10 stamp paper duly signed by two witnesses should be enough to prove citizenship. The protesters have also demanded that a representative of the government should meet them. We will greet them with flowers as our protest is peaceful, they have also said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, March 2, 2020, 8:27 [IST] (Newser) Cellphone video of a police shooting rocked Chicago this weekend after officers struggled with a man on the subwayand apparently shot him twice, the Chicago Tribune reports. Police say two officers tried arresting Ariel Roman at Grand Station on Friday for jumping train cars. Video shows officers attempting to cuff him, Tasing him, possibly pepper-spraying him, and telling him "Stop resisting!" seven times, per the Chicago Sun-Times. Roman eventually staggers to his feet and stumbles back as one officer yells, "Shoot him." The Tribune says it's unclear whether this meant "more pepper spray or use of force," but a shot is fired as Roman runs up the escalator. The officers pursue and another shot is heard. story continues below Now Chicago authorities have dropped charges against Roman (for narcotics and resisting arrest) as he recovers in hospital. "Given the totality of circumstances and the departments significant level of concern around this incident, it would be insensitive to advocate for these charges," tweets a police rep. "While we will not rush to judgment, the level of concern over the tactics used in this incident is significant." Indeed, both officers were taken off the street, two investigations are underway, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls the video "extremely disturbing." As for Roman, a family lawyer says he was shot in the abdomen and buttocks and underwent surgery; USA Today reports he's no longer in critical condition. As an aside, the two officers involved appeared to be black and the suspect white. (Read more police shooting stories.) The full name of the storm is 'Storm Jorge - named by the Spanish Met Office'. It seems we are keen to stress at every opportunity that we did not name this storm. We do not have notions. It's called Hor-hay because it's Spanish. And thank God it has a Spanish name. Can you imagine if it had a Chinese name, or an Italian name? We'd be hysterical. Or more hysterical than we already are. Virologists estimated that we reached peak hysteria last Friday. No one knows who patient zero was but he or she seems to have been a super-infector. The virus was mainly spread through phones. And the worrying thing, say experts, is that it is mutating. It began with pictures of allegedly Chinese people allegedly eating bats, but by last Thursday it had mutated into reports of coronavirus in a Dublin Hospital. By last Friday there was coronavirus in nearly all the Dublin hospitals and there was also a hotel in lockdown. By last Friday afternoon it was said the Government were keeping it all a secret to stop hysteria from spreading. Bit late for that. Even the calmest among us had the hands washed off ourselves at that stage, singing happy birthday twice as advised to ensure we washed for the requisite amount of time. If you had just arrived in the country you might have thought we were having a large birthday party for anxious germaphobes. And even the rational among us were casually picking up some extra pasta (from Italy! Noooooo!) and rice (Hang on, is rice not from China? Nooooooo!). Shares in Corona beer went down and some people stopped drinking Cidona too, just to be sure. One report said that the coronavirus could be worse than the winter flu season. How bad is winter flu season? So bad that 60pc of healthcare workers in this country don't bother getting the simple jab to protect against it. So people won't get a flu jab, but they're willing to lock down the country for something that might or might not be as bad as flu. Another strange phenomenon that emerged as the week went on was that it turned out that over the mid-term breaks the ski slopes of Northern Italy seem to be almost exclusively peopled with kids from schools in Ireland. Who knew that teenagers needed a ski break to recover from the difficult first five weeks of term? Many teenagers self-isolated during the week, and so did some of the ones who came back from Italy. And then, while we were all in a frenzy over all that, along came something with far more likelihood to affect most of us. Hor-hay. And all over south Dublin could be heard the sound of Eoghan Murphy shouting "Hooray for Hor-hay" as he scrambled under the bed for his hi-viz and managed to take some of the attention away from Simon Harris. As the two of them went around looking alert, determined and decisive, they must have felt a little pang of "if only we'd held off the election until next week". Shure people barely noticed the huge jump in homelessness figures the other day we were all so busy watching the caretaker Government save the world. Tourists wear face masks as they watch the Changing of the Guard, at Buckingham Palace, in London: AP A patient who was released from a Texas facility operated by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) later tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, it has been claimed. Ron Nirenberg, the mayor of San Antonio, revealed the news and suggested the development may have caused the public to be exposed to the mysterious virus. Today we learned that the CDC mistakenly released a patient from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease who later returned a positive COVID-19 reading, the mayor wrote. He added: The fact that the CDC allowed the public to be exposed to a patient with a positive COVID-19 reading is unacceptable. The new coronavirus was reportedly responsible for at least two deaths in the US and more than 3,000 worldwide the majority of those occurring in China, where the virus was believed to have originated at a market in Wuhan. The patient in question had reportedly met guidelines required to be released from the San Antonio Texas Centre for Infection Disease, including two negative test results for the coronavirus. Following their return to the medical facility, the patient tested positive for COVID-19 the official name for the Wuhan coronavirus and was placed back into isolation. The CDC said in a statement that local officials have been tracking where the patient went during their release, including who they interacted with, timeframes outside the federally ordered quarantine and who may have been exposed. Mr Nirenberg also said that his office would hold the CDC accountable to ensure the centre releases more information about the patient to the public, adding: I have asked the CDC to do everything in their power to ensure that those who are released pose no risk to the community. The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Follow live updates about the coronavirus here. Read more Coronavirus causes iPhone and Samsung factories to shut down New York Governor Andrew Cuomo delivers a speech at Fordham Law School in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, on July 18, 2019. (Scott Heins/Getty Images) New Yorks First Coronavirus Patient Is a Health Care Worker, Governor Says New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the states first COVID-19 coronavirus case is a female 39-year-old health care worker who had worked in Iran before she returned to the United States last week. The woman, he added, didnt take any public transportation and wasnt believed to have been contagious while flying back to New York. However, some infectious disease experts and federal health officials have said they believe the virus can be spread without a patient showing any symptoms. We will have community spread, Cuomo told reporters on Monday alongside New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Dr. Ken Davis of Mount Sinai Health just hours after the state confirmed the case. That is inevitable. When she arrived in New York City, the unidentified patient took a private car back to her home, according to the governor. The woman then started developing respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19, which is believed to have emerged in mainland China in late 2019. Whats more, the governor and mayor didnt elaborate on where in the five New York City boroughs she lives or the airport she used. Her husband, who is also a health care worker, was tested for the new coronavirus and is under self-quarantine. Were assuming that hes positive, Cuomo said, adding that he is undergoing the same protocol. Her condition is mild, she wasnt hospitalized, and she is at home with her husband, the governor said. People wear surgical masks in fear of the coronavirus in Flushing, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens on Feb. 3, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images) The governor said that state health officials are contacting other people who were on the same flight with the woman as well as the driver of the private car service that she used. They will also trace anyone who may have had contact with her. She was not on any public transportation, she has been in her home virtually isolated and she is isolated once again, Cuomo told CNN earlier in the day. So in this case, because of those circumstancesbecause of her knowledgeshe acted in a textbook way. Federal officials approved New York State to perform its own coronavirus testing, said Cuomo, who also asked the state legislature for $40 million to deal with the outbreak. The test was confirmed by the Wadsworth Lab in Albany, the capital. Cuomo attempted to assuage fears that New Yorkers might have after the states first confirmed case, saying that he would tell residents the same thing he told his daughter: Its deep breath time. He said that the fatality rate for COVID-19 isnt too high and noted that a small percentage of people have died, adding that senior citizens and people with underlying illness are vulnerable. Children do not appear to be vulnerable to this virus, he said. De Blasio said in the press conference this is a situation that can be managed New Yorkers do not scare easily. New Yorks first case comes as Florida and Rhode Island both reported their first cases on Sunday. Both Washington state, which reported the first U.S. death over the weekend from the virus, and Florida both declared public health emergencies over the COVID-19 outbreak. Tehran [Iran], Mar 2 (ANI): Either it is Afghanistan or Syria, the United States 'is THE problem,' Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Sunday in his first-ever response over the recently signed joint declaration between America and the Taliban that facilitates withdrawal of American troops from the war-torn country. "US occupiers should've never invaded Afghanistan. But they did, and blamed everyone else for consequences. Now after 19 yrs of humiliation, US has tendered its surrender. Whether in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq or Yemen, US is THE problem. It will leave--while leaving huge mess behind," Zarif wrote on Twitter. After 18 months of talks and nearly 20 years of war, the Taliban and the United States last week signed an agreement in the Qatari capital of Doha 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. (ANI) Some people do not think twice before hurting animals, and that's only made worse by the fact that most countries do not have strict laws against animal cruelty. In a case where the price of human fun was paid by not only a mother bear but also her cubs, has come to light. The Siberian Times Two bear cubs have been reported frozen to death after their mother was woken up by 'drunks' who attacked her with a chainsaw, and forced her to flee her den where her cubs lay asleep. The two cubs were found by hunting experts who were patrolling a forest in the Anuchinsky district in the Far East of Russia. The police have identified some suspects who are responsible for the death of the cubs but have not made their names public. The matter is being investigated. The Siberian Times According to a local, the men involved were woodcutters who were drunk. The guys got drunk after cutting logs and went for a walk about the woods. They came across a den and thought it would be a great idea to wake up the bear. They didn't succeed at first, but then the mother bear woke up, got out and lashed aggressively at them. The men defended themselves with a chainsaw, wounding the bear which fled the spot, VladNews quoted the local as saying. The Siberian Times The Siberian Times was informed by Dmitry Pankratov from the regional department for Wildlife Control, Protection and Regulation that the mother bear survived the encounter, the cubs could not. This could not even be termed as a man-animal conflict - this was a clear violation of the bears space. The culprits should be arrested and punished, in order to discourage a repetition of such an incident. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-03 00:21:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Some 125 Ethiopian migrants left the Yemeni southern port city of Aden on Monday towards Addis Ababa, a government official told Xinhua. "A plane of Yemen's Airways took off from the international airport in Aden with 125 Ethiopian migrants on board," the local government official said on condition of anonymity. He said that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) voluntarily evacuated the Ethiopian migrants from Yemen through Aden airport. The official confirmed that the IOM hired the Yemeni Airways plane and covered all the travel expenses for the Ethiopian migrants. Several previous voluntary evacuations that included thousands of Ethiopian and Somali refugees were conducted by the IOM due to the prolonged war that began in 2015. The grinding war has pushed over 20 million Yemeni people to the verge of starvation. I recently travelled to Belarus to an orphanage in Vesnova where Adi Roches Chernobyl Children International works tirelessly at the deinstitutionalisation of children within the orphanage. This is just one orphanage of many. Unfortunately, in Belarus, when you are in an institution you hold no rights and if able must complete an exam to gain ones rights back. It was an immense experience and a real eye opener. When I returned from my trip I really began to appreciate my life a lot more. We often take for granted what life we are born into. The children over there that we encountered were of all abilities some bed ridden and severely disabled with cerebral palsy and many defects of the body and heart. The effects of the Chernobyl disaster are still plain to be seen and devastating both on a genetic level and also social/economic stance. The children and adults within the orphanage were so kind and always greeted us with a hug, its hard to think that all these individuals are yearning for is some affection and time. We are very lucky in Ireland as we have very good facilities for children and adults with disabilities and special needs whereas in Belarus they are still coming to terms with the needs of those with such needs. As travelling with a group of Roses and escorts we had many talents and skills to bring to the table being a mixed bunch. It was a very special experience to be able to share with the other Roses and escorts and we each had each others back for support when emotions were high. We slept within the orphanage, had no use of running water facilities for the week and no phones for the trip, so we were really immersed in the conditions and reality of being within this institution. Adi Roche joined us midway through our trip. One night she talked to us for three hours solid on her experiences of Chernobyl and conditions when she first travelled over. She showed us pictures and told us some harrowing stories as well as ones of bravery and selflessness. An amazing heroine who too often is not accredited for all she does. But no man is an island and we were accompanied by the few of many amazing volunteers of the charity who give up their time monthly to travel to the orphanage with a group of volunteers. It was amazing to be so involved with aiding the children in feeding, bathing, changing and playing and the sense of reward when you were able to put a smile on the face of a child who was in severe pain is something money can't buy. A lot can be said for the power of touch and the power of a smile. Chernobyl Children International is an amazing organisation who not only works within this but also outwards in the community in recently setting up a palliative care home for babies. They also aid those parents who wish to keep their children at home but need greater assistance in the community and if that wasnt enough they work directly with the state in organising homes of hope for children who are in the care of the state by giving these children families to live in whilst providing the maintenance of the families who take in these childrens houses. It is an experience I will never forget and something I will always hold close in my heart, with hopes to return some day very soon. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who donated towards this charity and donated aid in the preparation for this trip. Representing Longford this year as the Rose has been an amazing experience to date. It has been a real privilege to stand proud and represent this amazing county. Whilst the many doors and opportunities and experiences it has presented me with are in abundance, most of all it is the people I have met and befriended who I will always have by my side forever as we each hold the special bond that is to be a Rose. Villanova graduate student Angelina Lincoln scoured the archives of Saint Thomas of Villanova monastery in researching the life of William Moulden, born an indentured servant, who left his $10,000 farm to the financially struggling school in the late-19th century. Read more In her junior year at Villanova University, Angelina Lincoln lived across from a student apartment building called Moulden Hall. Passing by the gray stone residence, she often wondered about its namesake. Never did she imagine someone so unlikely. Nor did she imagine that her postgraduate studies would be consumed by a man who, born to enslaved parents as an indentured servant, decided in 1886 to will his $10,000 farm to the schools Augustinian friars. In precarious times that saw Villanova forced twice to close its doors, William Moulden would help it survive. His gift was forged in an "unlikely 30-year friendship between a black man and the priests he came to trust and a university built on that trust, Lincoln wrote in a summary of her masters degree research, titled The Rooted Project. At a time when black men were losing ground, when their rights were slipping away and white men turned their backs on them, Moulden found some who did not. Until Lincoln began digging into the lives of Moulden and his wife, Juliana, nearly everything that university administrators knew about them fit into a blurb on Villanovas website: They were the first known African American Catholics in the area, gave $200 toward construction of the first chapel on campus, and left their estate to the school. But she kept finding more and more," said the Rev. Peter Donohue, university president, "... more than anyone else at Villanova knew. Donohue had assumed that the land Moulden donated was the site of the familys original, mid-19th century log cabin, where the law school stands today. Lincoln, however, discovered that he went on to purchase a three-acre farm two miles away on what is now Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr (occupied, in part, by a Qdoba restaurant). Of that land, so precious to a freed black man, Moulden wrote in his will: I give divise [sic] and bequeath unto my friend Reverend Francis M. Sheeran O.S.A. But that is only the end of the story. Examining university ties to slavery For the 23-year-old Lincoln, it began with a class assignment from history professor Judith Giesberg, asking students to explore whether Villanova ever had ties to slavery. Such revelations had shaken several other universities, including Georgetown and Dartmouth. Lincoln could find no links. Instead, she encountered William Moulden. Her research, as follows, started in earnest last summer. Pennsylvanias Gradual Abolition Act of 1780 set the course for Mouldens life at the moment of his birth in Philadelphia in 1818. His parents had spent years in slavery on a Maryland plantation owned by the father of John Rudolph, a Philadelphia merchant who with his wife, Jane Lloyd Rudolph, bought an estate on what would be known as the Main Line. They called it Belle-Air. Under the Abolition Act, people who were enslaved remained enslaved, but their children were born as indentured servants, bound as such until age 28. Moulden was one, and went to work at Belle-Air at 15. In January 1842, with her husband dead and gone, Jane Rudolph sold the property to Augustinian priests, who later that year founded a university there. She asked them to allow Moulden and his new wife known to have grown up in Radnor, raised by a Quaker woman to remain on the land as farmers. She also manumitted him, releasing him from servitude, when he turned 26, two years earlier than the law required. For five years, he and Juliana worked the schools soil. They started a family, which would grow to 13 children, and still squirreled away enough money to buy land down the road. By 1870, the passage of the Reconstruction Amendments the 13th, 14th, and 15th had ended slavery and defined citizenship for all people born in the United States. The Mouldens could ride Philadelphias street cars with white people, and William could vote. Under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1875, black Americans could sue if denied access to public establishments, such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels. Rising racial tensions Yet, as the Reconstruction Era neared its formal close in 1877, when the last government troops would withdraw from the South, simmering white resentment of black progress was beginning to boil. After Reconstruction ended, there was a backlash from whites, even in the North," said Lincoln. Moulden was wise enough to take the temperature of the times, and feared for his familys safety. He was justified, Lincoln said. She cited reports by pioneering black newspaper woman Ida B. Wells, who wrote that between 1884 and 1892, 728 black men were brutally murdered by their white neighbors, often as a result of black economic success and property ownership. Newspapers in the North, including the New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, fueled tensions merely through the words they used, Lincoln found. In 1886, when a black man named Jack Mingo was lynched in Eatontown, N.J., The Inquirer labeled him the brute. In Lower Merion, Moulden was well-aware of what was happening around him. In 1885, after a white farmer named John Sharpless was murdered, several black men were rounded up and held for questioning. The next year, a black woman, Catherine Taswell, was killed. No one was charged. Moulden was no fool, Lincoln said. "He knew his neighbors well enough to be wary of what might happen after he was gone. So, in 1886, unable to read or write, he asked Sheeran, the schools president, to compose a will leaving his farm to the Augustinians. He used his mark to sign it. But there was a stipulation. By then, all that remained of his family were Juliana and two adult children, William Celestine and Mary. The friars would have to protect them and permit them "to remain upon and occupy the house in which I now reside. But Juliana preceded him death, in 1888. Two years later, in an article recounting a much-talked-about murder in the area, The Inquirer claimed she had once spread rumors about the crime, and described her as an ignorant and half-witted negro woman." Moulden himself died in 1893. When Mary, the last of his progeny, followed in 1898, the Augustinians sold the property and used the proceeds to grow their university. Well-timed gifts from friends and relations saved it repeatedly," Lincoln wrote. Gifts like Mouldens. Nearly a century later, in 1994, a stone residence was built on West Campus. Its signage said only Moulden Hall, leaving students such as Angelina Lincoln to wonder. The work goes on On a recent day, Lincoln stood in the cemetery of St. Denis Roman Catholic Church in nearby Havertown, deciphering time-worn words on the headstones of William and Juliana and some of their 13 children, the last generation of Mouldens. One had lived a year, another 12, another 16, and so on. She has scoured archives of the St. Thomas of Villanova monastery and Delaware and Montgomery Counties, and she is far from done. The Miami native, who earned a bachelors degree in Spanish and history in 2018, will receive her masters this summer. Both professor Giesberg and president Donohue say theyd like the university to fund an extended stay because, as Giesberg put it, we havent told the full story yet. Lincolns thought, exactly. I want to take the time to do it well, she said. I want to do the family justice. In 2017, a new organization was started to change the way the world researched and developed vaccines to combat new infectious diseases. It is the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a Norway-based public-private partnership whose slogan is New Vaccines for a Safer World. The World Health Organization had a list of pathogens for which it wanted vaccines developed, but pharmaceutical companies had shown little interest since the outbreaks were in Africa and Asia, where they had concluded the financial returns were too small to justify any investment. Before Covid-19 was identified last December, CEPI had raised three-fourths of the $1 billion it determined was necessary to fund the innovative research for expedited development of vaccines to treat new epidemics. Japan, Germany, Canada, Australia and Norway, as well as the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, had given $460 million. In the last two years, CEPI has used that money to provide grants for some leading edge biotechnologies that could revolutionize vaccine research and production. But what has played mostly out of public view over that same time was the organizations failed effort to get large pharmaceutical firms to agree to be partners without insisting on substantial profits or proprietary rights to research that CEPI helped to finance and produce. That did not surprise many industry observers who knew that since the 1930s, the National Institutes of Health had spent over $900 billion on grants that drug firms relied on to patent brand-name medications. Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) encouraged a policy by which all countries would have equal and affordable access to CEPI-funded vaccines. The organization initially embraced those principles in a detailed policy paper in which it agreed to set prices to insure equitable access during a pandemic. Drug firms would have to share all vaccine research data. Contracts for manufacturing vaccines would be submitted first to a public review board. And CEPI retained the right to access intellectual property that companies developed with CEPI funding, even if they left the program. Drug companies on CEPIs scientific advisory panel, including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Japans Takeda, pushed back. CEPI mostly capitulated in a December 2018 two-page declaration in which it jettisoned specifics but gave lip service to its founding mission of equitable access to these vaccines for affected populations during outbreaks. Last March, Doctors Without Borders wrote an open letter expressing its concern and disappointment about CEPIs vague, toothless and weak new policy. It also concluded that CEPI had taken an alarming step backwards. the revised policy marks a concerning pivot away from CEPIs early commitments to access, transparency and openness, and to breaking new grounds in terms of public responsibility. It betrays the interests of everyone who invested in CEPI because they wanted to change the deadly status quo. Covid-19 is the ultimate test case for whether drug firms might at last become full partners in a public-private partnership to develop as quickly as possible a vaccine that could save an untold number of lives. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 15:00:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The decision of cancelling CERAWeek 2020 was made after careful consideration following an advisory issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a joint statement issued Sunday night in Houston, U.S. state of Texas. The statement, jointly issued by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and IHS Markit Vice Chairman and CERAWeek Chair Daniel Yergin, said the decision was made after careful consideration following a WHO advisory about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, "a growing concern about large conferences with people coming from different parts of the world and the restriction of travel by a growing number of companies." "Nothing specific to Houston led to this decision," the statement added, stating the city reports no confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far. "The focus of concern was the number of delegates coming to Houston from more than 80 other countries at this particular time of uncertainty," said the statement. For the same reason, IHS Markit has also cancelled two other international conferences this month scheduled in the United States. The decision of the cancellation "was precautionary to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 in the United States," said the statement. The CERAWeek 2020 was originally scheduled to run between March 9 and March 13 in Houston, which has hosted the conference for more than 35 years. The CERAWeek, an annual energy conference held in March, is usually attended by around 5,000 people across the world. During the CERAWeek 2019, there was a special dialogue on China, as well as several discussions, designed to focus on Asian and Chinese energy market since China has become one of the largest energy consumption economies in the world. A 35-year-old man died and his wife was injured when their motorcycle was hit by a tractor in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district, police said on Monday. Shivkumar Prajapati and his wife were going to Majhgava for medical treatment when the accident happened at Dhagwan village in Rath area on Sunday. Prajapati died on the spot, while the woman was seriously injured, Majhgava police station incharge Ramjeet Singh Gaur said. A case has been registered against the driver for rash driving, and he has been arrested and the tractor seized, the officer said, adding that the body of the deceased had been sent for post-mortem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) Members of the Permanent committee of the Congolese National Episcopal Conference (CENCO) have expressed concerns over the crisis shaking the ruling coalition Australians are likely to swelter through summers which will last twice as long as winter - bringing about an increased fire danger and drought. Temperatures throughout the nation are currently increasing at a faster rate than the global average, the Bureau of Meteorology head of climate monitoring Karl Braganza warned. He said Australia had warmed by about 1.4 degrees Celsius while the rest of the world had increased by 1.1C. 'Australia warms slightly more than the global average,' Dr Braganza told a Senate estimates committee in Canberra on Monday. They are also experiencing an additional 31 days of summer temperatures, an independent study found. Australians are expected to swelter through summers which last twice as long as winter - bringing about an increased fire danger and drought (Pictured: People at Bondi beach in late December) This graph shows the changing lengths of summer and winter in capital cities throughout Australia When temperatures across the rest of the world increase by 3.4C on average - which was estimated in a recent report - Australia is projected to be closer to 4C, he said. BoM chief Andrew Johnson said Australia was expected to become drier and warmer, which would see the risk of severe fire weather continue. Australians witnessed the worst bushfire season on record at the tail end of 2019 and early 2020, with millions of hectares of land destroyed and 33 fatalities. An additional estimated one billion animals also perished as blazes tore through the nation. An independent analysis of weather data shows Australian summers are getting longer and winters shorter. The Australia Institute has studied two decades worth of BoM data for the nation's cities, comparing it to a benchmark from the mid-20th century. NSW Rural Fire Service crews watch on as on as the Gospers Mountain Fire destroys Bilpin in December. Longer summers could bring about longer fire seasons BoM chief Andrew Johnson said Australia was expected to become drier and warmer, which would see the risk of severe fire weather continue The think-tank is calling on the federal government to boost its emissions reduction plan to prevent more climate change related warming. The study found that summer temperatures are continuing for 31 days longer than the benchmark, while winters are 23 days shorter. Australia Institute's climate and energy director Richie Merzian said having more extreme heat events puts the public at risk and hurts the economy. 'The Australian government's current emission reduction targets are aligned with three to four degrees of warming,' he said. Beachgoers are seen at Wylie's Baths during hot weather in Sydney, Saturday, February 1 Beach goers are seen enjoying the hot weather - which is predicted to start lasting a lot longer each year 'Which leaves young Australians having ever-lengthening summers with significant consequences.' The federal government has committed to the Paris agreement, which aims for a 26 to 28 per cent reduction on 2005 greenhouse gas emissions levels by 2030. The agreement also includes a pact to achieve net zero emissions in the second half of the century. Labor has committed to net zero emissions by 2050, but hasn't revealed if its 2030 goal would be more ambitious than what the Paris target stipulates. 2019/2020 FIRE SEASON DEATH TOLL The national death toll of Australia's 2019/2020 bushfire season was 33 as of Monday, March 2, with 25 confirmed deaths in New South Wales, three in South Australia and five in Victoria. OCTOBER New South Wales: Robert Lindsey, 77, and Gwen Hyde, 68, were found in their burned out Coongbar home near Casino on October 9th. NOVEMBER New South Wales: The body of 85-year-old George Nole was found in a burnt out car near his home in Wytaliba, near Glen Innes. Vivian Chaplain, a 69-year-old woman from Wytaliba, succumbed to her injuries in hospital after attempting in vain to save her home and animals from the blaze. The body of 63-year-old Julie Fletcher was pulled from a scorched building in Johns River, north of Taree. Barry Parsons, 58, was found in a shed at Willawarrin, near Kempsey. Chris Savva, 64, died after his 4WD overturned near burnt-out South Arm bridge, near Nambucca Heads. A 59-year-old man was founded sheltered in a Yarrowitch water tank on November 7. He died of injuries on December 29. Victoria: David Moresi, 69, died after being involved in a traffic incident while working at the at the Gelantipy fire in East Gippsland on November 30. DECEMBER New South Wales: Firefighters Andrew O'Dwyer, 36, and Geoffrey Keaton, 32, died on December 19 after a tree fell on their truck while they were travelling through Buxton, south of Sydney. Samuel McPaul, 28, was battling a blaze in Jingellic, in Green Valley, about 70km east of Albury on the border of NSW and Victoria, on December 30 when a 'fire tornado' caused his 10-tonne firetruck to roll. South Australia: The body of 69-year-old Ron Selth was found in his Charleston home, which was destroyed by the Cudlee Creek blaze on December 21. NEW YEAR'S EVE FIRES New South Wales: Dairy farmer Patrick Salway, 29, and his father Robert, 63, died trying to save their property in Cobargo, near Bega, on December 31. A 70-year-old man, named by local media as Laurie Andrew, was found dead outside a home at Yatte Yattah, west of Lake Conjola. The body of a 70-year-old man was found in a burnt vehicle on a road off the Princes Highway at Yatte Yattah on the morning of New Year's Day. The body of a 62-year-old man was found in a vehicle on Wandra Road at Sussex Inlet about 11.30am on New Year's Day. A body, believed to be a 56-year-old man, found outside a home at Coolagolite, east of Cobargo on New Year's Day. An off-duty RFS firefighter, believed to be 72-year-old Colin Burns, was found near a car in Belowra after the New Year's Eve fires swept through. Victoria: Beloved great-grandfather Mick Roberts, 67, from Buchan, in East Gippsland, was found dead at his home on the morning of New Year's Day. Fred Becker, 75, was the second person to die in Victoria. He suffered a heart attack while trying to defend his Maramingo Creek home. JANUARY New South Wales: David Harrison, a 47-year-old man from Canberra, suffered a heart attack defending his friend's home near Batlow on Saturday, January 4. A 71-year-old man was found on January 6. Police have been told the man was last sighted on December 31, 2019 and was moving equipment on his property in Nerrigundah. An 84-year-old man who stayed to defend his home in Cobargo, NSW, dies in hospital three weeks after fire hit. His pet dog Bella, who stayed by his side as fires raged, was also killed in the disaster. Three American firefighters are killed when Coulson Aviation C-130 Hercules water bomber Zeus crashed while fighting fires near Cooma on Thursday January 23. They have been named as Capt. Ian H. McBeth, 44, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr, 43. On January 24, Michael Clark, 59, was found in a Bodalla home destroyed by bushfires near the NSW South Coast town of Moruya. Victoria: Forest Fire Management firefighter Mat Kavanagh, 43, was killed Friday January 3 when he was involved in a two-car crash on the Goulburn Valley Highway. Bill Slade, a 60-year-old father of two from Wonthaggi was fighting fires with Parks Victoria at Omeo when he died on January 11. He has been remembered as one of the longest serving, most experienced and fittest firefighters. South Australia: Well-known outback pilot Dick Lang, 78, and his 43-year-old son, Adelaide surgeon Clayton Lang, died in the Kangaroo Island bushfire after their car was trapped by flames. Advertisement Give up hatred, not social media accounts, said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, reacting to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet wherein he had talked of giving up his social media accounts. "Give up hatred, not social media accounts," Rahul tweeted with a screenshot of Prime Minister's tweet. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is "thinking of giving up" his social media accounts. "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted," Prime Minister Modi tweeted. Prime Minister said that he is yet to take a final call on the matter. Prime Minister Modi has over 53 million followers on Twitter, over 44 million followers on Facebook and over 35 million followers on Instagram. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Latisha R. Blango, a mother of three and a veteran of the United States Army, has completed her new book Plantation: a gripping and potent narrative that chronicles an authors quest to find a story worth telling where he has eventually seen and discovered more than what he expected. Latisha writes, Richard is an author that loses himself and motivation for writing. His manager sends him to Louisiana to a well-known plantation to discover what will be his next biggest story. The plan is to enrich himself in the history and gain inspiration but, will this house be more than he expected? Published by Page Publishing, Latisha R. Blangos interesting tale will draw the readers into a beautiful and exciting venture of a writer at a literal loss for words. Here, one can join Richard as he is lost in the wonders of history in Louisiana. Readers who wish to experience this riveting work can purchasePlantation at bookstores everywhere or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Pete Buttigieg lost his primary bid on Sunday night when he dropped out of the Democratic presidential race, yet theres little question that the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., won his personal campaign to become a national political figure. Mr. Buttigieg had tried before to become a power broker in national politics. His early efforts failed: In his race to become the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Mr. Buttigieg stepped aside before the vote was tallied to avoid a potentially low vote total. Three years later, he is leaving the primary race on very different footing, as one of the most prominent figures in the Democratic Party, and as a politician with a devoted following and a defined brand who even taught much of the country how to say his difficult-to-pronounce surname. (Its Boot-EDGE-EDGE, in case you missed all of the campaign signs.) Mr. Buttigiegs accomplishments go beyond his strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two voting states. His bid gave Mr. Buttigieg a place in the history books as the countrys first gay major presidential candidate. Students from St. Louis Secondary School in Dundalk are through to the National Final of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) One Good Idea competition to encourage climate action following their success at the regional finals at Omniplex Cinema Rathmines, Dublin. The SEAI One Good Idea Competition encourages students, their families and communities to take individual and collective responsibility for tackling climate change. Students created a one-minute film and campaign to inspire people to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions in an effort to address climate change. At the regional final, students showcased their film on the big screen and presented their campaign to a panel of judges. Active Angels from St. Louis Secondary School were named Senior Winner in the Post Primary Category for their campaign encouraging students and staff members to use their bikes instead of either public transport or the car when possible. They will now go on to compete against the other regional winners in the National Final on Thursday, 23 April in Omniplex cinema Rathmines, Dublin. Congratulating all participants, Emer Barry, Programme Executive with SEAI, said: Its fantastic to see the passion and enthusiasm these students have shown in promoting a better, more sustainable future. SEAI One Good Idea empowers young people and encourages leadership. It gives them a chance to have their voice heard in the vital national conversation we are having around climate change and the Governments Climate Action Plan. All those involved have encouraged their classmates, teachers, families and communities to make positive changes an achievement they can all be proud of. I also thank the many teachers who helped their students in this important campaign. Young people learn by example, and you are setting a great example for our younger generations. "The standard of projects this year was exceptional, and I am looking forward to seeing the all the regional winners showcase their work in the national final in April. As part of SEAIs One Good Idea competition, students learn important skills in communication, film-making and creating real change at a community level. This year, over 180 campaigns were developed by young people all over Ireland. In the last decade, over one and a half million people in Ireland have been reached by the projects put together by 7,500 inspiring schoolchildren. Chicago police officers shot an unarmed Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) passenger inside a subway station at Grand Avenue and State Street in the River North neighborhood during rush hour Friday. The shooting has sparked widespread public outrage with a smartphone video taken by a witness garnering 1.8 million views and thousands of comments on Twitter. The harrowing video shows two African-American police officers, one female and one male, forcibly restraining Ariel Roman and pinning him to the ground while repeatedly shouting, Stop resisting! The cops are seen pepper spraying and tasering Roman before he breaks free from their grip, posing no physical threat to them and showing his hands, while the officers corner him and the male officer shouts, Shoot him! Then the female officer pulls out her gun, shooting him once. Roman flees from the assault and is followed by the cops up an escalator, and another gunshot is heard. Man attempts to clear his eyes of mace seconds before being shot by a Chicago Police Officer. (Photo Credit Twitter: @FreeRangeCritic) Roman was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for surgery and is now in stable condition. His attorney, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, told the press that her client will likely undergo another surgery as he suffered two gunshot wounds, one to the abdomen and another to the buttocks. American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois lawyer Rachel Murphy told press that the footage was evidence of the lack of meaningful deescalation by Chicago police officers in reference to a provision of the toothless Chicago Police Department (CPD) Consent Decree, which states that CPD will require officers to deescalate potential and ongoing use of force incidents through the use of techniques, including slowing the pace of an incident, verbal warnings, and the use of trauma-informed communication. The consent decree was approved by a federal judge at the end of January 2019 just before former Democratic Mayor of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel left office. The Illinois State Attorneys Office is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to investigate the incident for possible criminal charges against the police. The two police officers will remain on desk duty and will not be allowed in the field pending the outcome of the investigation. Like the vast majority of police brutality cases, it is likely that the officers will not be charged or will only receive light punishment for their crimes. Roman was approached by police officers because he was allegedly walking from car to car as the train was moving, something commonly done by many homeless people and youth. Though a violation of a Chicago city ordinance, it is by no means considered a serious crime. Violations are most often petty offenses like traffic tickets and are generally only punishable by fines. The police shooting happened on the same day that Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot and interim CPD Superintendent Charlie Beck unveiled their new safety plan with CTA President Toby Boyd at the Red Line station on Roosevelt Road. The plan will deploy an additional 50 officers to the train stations beginning March 4, bringing the total number to 250. A team of investigators outfitted with advanced surveillance tools, referred to as smart policing technologies, will also be deployed alongside police officers as part of the plan. Just nine days before on February 20, CPD announced that it would deploy SWAT officers to ride the trains around the clock and to police the stations during evening rush hours. The official reason given is that there have been several violent crimes reported on the CTA since the beginning of the year. The same week, 50 cops were assigned on a full-time basis. The SWAT officers will supposedly be recalled once the new plan takes effect. On Sunday, Beck asked Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx to drop the charges of narcotics possession and resisting arrest against Roman in an attempt to save face for the CPD and contain growing outrage over the continued use of deadly force by the police. The widespread attention which the video received certainly spurred the quick move towards an investigation, in an effort to prevent a political disaster for Lightfoot, who touted herself as a police reform candidate before her election and is now overseeing a vast expansion of systematic police brutality. In response to the video, Lightfoot gave a statement on Friday night saying that the footage was extremely disturbing and that she promised full transparency and accountability ... to ensure the public gains a complete picture of what happened. The mayors vow is empty, considering her own history of covering up police brutality and protecting criminal cops in Chicago. She was elected in 2019 in a race with a low voter turnout to replace Emanuel, beating Cook County Commissioner Toni Preckwinkle in part based on an identity politics platform. She was promoted by sections of the Democratic Party as a progressive candidate because she is an openly gay African American woman, characteristics which would supposedly curb police violence and growing social inequality in the city. A former corporate lawyer and federal prosecutor, Lightfoot is a steadfast defender of the capitalist class. In 2015 she was brought in by Emanuel to serve as president of the Civilian Police Board and to head a task force aimed at damage control for the CPD and the mayors office over the coverup of the fatal 2014 shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by a white cop, Jason Van Dyke, on Chicagos southwest side. During the McDonald investigation, her team produced a report that did not reveal anything other than what was already a known fact, that the CPD routinely acts with lethal violence and racism. One of her recommendations was to replace the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), essentially a new name for the same discredited organization. Lightfoot served as the head of IPRAs predecessor, the Office of Professional Standards (OPS). OPS was replaced by IPRA after it was badly discredited for failing to act against police implicated in the torture ring led by deceased CPD Commander Jon Burge. Fridays incident stands in sharp contrast to the Democratic Partys racialist politics and the pseudoleft organizations in its orbit, such as Black Lives Matter and Democratic Socialists of America, which portrays police brutality as a problem that stems from racism, not from the failure of capitalist system. According to the website killedbypolice.net, which tracks police killings across the US, 151 people have been murdered by cops this year. The year 2019 saw 1,004 police murders, the highest of the past five years. These numbers do not include the police shootings in which the victim is injured but not killed. Although African American and Hispanic victims are overrepresented as victims of police murder compared to their total share of the whole population, the largest number of victims of police murder have been white. What almost all of these victims share in common is that they are working class or poor. Workers in the city of Chicago face rising levels of social inequality, as low wages and high costs of living have left an increasing number of workers on the brink of financial insecurity and homelessness and forced others out of the city. In Chicago and countless other cities around the world, the working class is moving sharply to the left in the face of the assault on their living standards by the capitalist class, of whose interests both the Democratic and Republican parties represent. The feverish arming of police forces and the institutionalization of police violence as standard operating procedure for even the most minor offenses in Chicago and across the United States have become a part of everyday life. The ruling class fears that it will not be able to suppress the mounting class tensions that will erupt as the working class moves into open political struggle against the state and the capitalist system as a whole. While taking the delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft at Everett on last Friday, Vistara CEO Leslie Thng had told reporters that it would be the first plane in India to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services. New Delhi: The Central government on Monday permitted airlines operating in India to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services to passengers, according to an official notification. Central government permitted airlines operating in India to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services to passengers. Notification says Pilot-in-Command may permit the access of Internet services by passengers on board an aircraft in flight, through Wi-Fi on board pic.twitter.com/JAICnz8v3k CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) March 2, 2020 "The Pilot-in-Command may permit the access of Internet services by passengers on-board an aircraft in flight, through Wi-Fi on board, when laptop, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, e-reader or a point of sale device is used in flight mode or airplane mode," the notification stated. While taking the delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft at Everett last Friday, Vistara CEO Leslie Thng had told reporters that it would be the first plane in India to provide in-flight Wi-Fi services. In May 2018, the government had held detailed discussions with telecom operators and airlines on framing guidelines for in-flight data and voice services. The meeting comes within a fortnight of the Telecom Commission, the highest policy-making body of Department of Telecom (DoT), clearing a proposal for allowing in-flight connectivity. As per the telecom regulator's recommendations a separate category of licencees -- in-flight service providers -- would be created for offering such services in India, and licence fee for such niche providers will be pegged at Re 1. Globally, many airlines are already offering wi-fi for passengers, but they currently have to switch off the facility when they enter the Indian airspace. by Nirmala Carvalho A meeting sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life saw the presence of Microsoft President Brad Smith, IBM Executive Vice President John Kelly III, European Parliament President David Sassoli, and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. The conference stressed the importance of a Call for Ethics" as the path to evaluate the effects of artificial intelligence and related technologies. Vatican City (AsiaNews) The Pontifical Academy for Life held a meeting centred on The good algorithm? Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Law, Health. Tech giants of Microsoft and IBM were represented at the event, and joined the Vatican in calling for a clear system of ethics to guide developments. Artificial intelligence is going to change the world, and before we go too far forward with it, we need to think hard about the kind of impact we want to have, said Microsoft president Brad Smith. In his view, the Catholic Church a voice for humanity amid the buzz over AI technologies. For Smith, the final document, Call for an AI Ethics, is a clarion call for a new generation of ethics, and is designed to promote an ethical vision of artificial intelligence. Microsoft and IBM were the first to sign the document, which stresses that new technologies must be researched and produced in accordance with criteria that ensure it truly serves the entire human family, especially the most vulnerable. Now more than ever, says the document, we must guarantee an outlook in which AI is developed with a focus not on technology, but rather for the good of humanity and of the environment. Systems must be conceived, designed and implemented to serve and protect humanity regardless of race or social status, the document adds, noting that as AI technology develops, it must meet three essential requirements: include everyone, promote the good of each individual and of humanity as a whole, and be aimed at protecting the planet. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, highlighted the importance of the voice of the Catholic Church in the debate. We could say that the digital galaxy, and specifically artificial intelligence, is at the very heart of the epochal change we are experiencing, he said, altering the way we think and act. In his address, IBM Executive Vice President John Kelly III outlined the different stages of technological development, identifying three key eras of advancement: first, tabulation; programming; and now artificial intelligence. As the global community wades deeper into the latter, Kelly, a Catholic, said it is important to remember that while AI machines are capable of learning without the need for specific instruction, they still take their cues from human beings. AI machines dont have a consciousness. They are simply a reflection of us as humans, he said, noting that when an AI machine is built, its dumb, only learning by what we teach it. If we build it, wouldnt we expect it to absorb out own biases and hypothesis? Its like looking in a mirror and seeing ourselves in these machines, he said, stressing the need to make ethically sound choices in developing these technologies In his address, Bishop Paglia cautioned that the instrumentalisation of AI can produce negative consequences, including vast inequalities and forms of control and exploitation. Technology can create, but it can also destroy, he added, challenging those present to avoid man becoming technolised, rather than technology becoming humanised. The prelate stressed the role of education, research, production and fair distribution of artificial intelligence technologies, in order to ensure that they have an ethical use. He stressed the need for dialogue and collaboration with all parties, from leaders of the worlds religions, to major tech companies to political actors. We intend to develop humanism in the digital era, the archbishop said, insisting that the Rome Call for AI Ethics document is not a point of arrival, but departure. Speaking to AsiaNews after the conference, about the significance of the meeting for India, Archbishop Paglia said that India is so great a country, it is so diverse. The people of India are remarkable, with rich and varied religious traditions and dialogue. India has tremendous technical expertise. Thus, It is important that we work together. We need your encouragement, we need your brotherhood, we need you spirit and need your family. All of us need each other, to help each other, for the good of humanity and for the good of the planet. US beef producers oppose re-entry of Brazilian beef over safety concerns US beef producers have expressed "serious concerns" about the re-entry of Brazilian beef to the US market. The US Department of Agriculture made the decision to allow Brazilian beef imports on Feb. 21. In airing its concerns, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) recalled the "numerous food safety violations" after Brazil's was granted initial access to the US market in 2016. "[W]e were not surprised when Brazil forfeited its beef access to the US in 2017 due to numerous food safety violations", Kent Bacus, NCBA senior director, international trade and market access, said in a statement. "Given Brazil's history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and its track record of repeated food safety violations at ports-of-entry, you can rest assured that NCBA will keep an eagle eye focus on all developments with Brazil and we expect nothing less than the highest level of scrutiny from USDA and customs officials", Bacus added. Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, also believes Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue had hastily allowed fresh beef from Brazil by claiming Brazil meets US safety standards. 'Erroneous belief' He also feared that imported beef could be sold to American consumers with USDA safety inspection sticker that could lead consumers to erroneously believe all the beef available in the grocery store is US beef. Bacus echoed Bullard, saying, "The re-entry of Brazilian beef to the US market only further exacerbates concerns about the use of 'Product of USA' labels on beef sold in the United States. As the trusted leader and definitive voice of the US beef industry, NCBA will continueto address any labels that may allow imported beef to carry a 'Product of USA' label". In 2017 Brazilian meat caused an international scare after police claimed that health inspectors had been bribed to certify meat no longer fit for consumption. Exports were stopped from 21 meat processors under investigation, and at least 30 people were arrested. China, Hong Kong, the EU, Japan, Mexico, Chile and Egypt, among others, at the time imposed either a total or partial ban on Brazilian meat. Advertisement The annual Cobra Gold military exercise began in Thailand on Tuesday. The event sees thousands of US troops taking part in a series of grueling and garish tasks all in the name of survival. Twenty-nine other nations are also attending the largest event of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, which teaches troops how to survive in extreme conditions in the jungle. Around 4,500 members of the US armed forces will be taking part in drills on land and sea. Alongside them will be there counterparts from Singapore, China , Japan , India, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia. The training is now in its 39th year and lasts for 10 days. The US Marines got stuck into the drills on Tuesday as they lined up to drink the blood of a decapitated cobra - which is said to be a good source at re-hydrating the body should drinking water not be available during a jungle mission. Some of the pictures show the bright red blood being dripped onto their tongues. US Marines are pictured drinking raw cobra's blood offered by a Thai Marine during jungle survival training as part of the multinational joint military exercise Cobra Gold 2020 at a Navy camp in Chanthaburi province, Thailand A US Marine, right, reacts next to a Thai Marine, left, after killing a chicken with his bare hands during jungle survival training Tens of thousands military personnel from 29 countries, led by the US troops, take part in the largest annual multinational military exercise in the Indo-Pacific designed to enhance regional security cooperation A US Marine bites the tail of a cobra after killing it during jungle survival training A US Marine tastes a live gecko during jungle survival training after skinning the reptile A Thai Marine demonstrates to US Marines how to eat a live scorpion during jungle survival training A Thai Marine demonstrating how to handle a cobra. Thai soldiers showed the troops how to properly kill the snake first A Thai Marine lets US Marines touch a snake during a jungle survival training as part of the Cobra Gold military exercise A Thai Marine places a snake around the shoulders of a US Marine. The exercise is aimed at drawing the U.S. closer to allies in Southeast Asia A Thai Navy instructor holds up two cobras as he passes on his knowledge about how to catch and kill the venomous snakes Some of the soldiers stuck out their tongues tentatively. Many squeezed their eyes shut, while their comrades looked on and laughed - with some even taking cellphone pictures and video to capture the moment. Thai soldiers showed the 10,000 competing troops how to properly kill the snake first. A number can also be seen almost celebrating as they guzzle down the snake blood - described as 'fishy' tasting - in front of their jubilant comrades at Akatotsarot Camp, in Phitsanulok, Thailand. US Marines queued up to drink the blood of a cobra - with some more enthusiastic about the prospect than others 4,500 members of the US military are taking part in the exercise, which ends on March 6 Some tentatively presented their tongues with their eyes tightly shut, as their comrades looked on and laughed US Marines watch a cobra during jungle survival training as part of the multinational joint military exercise A challenge with a sting in its tail - A U.S. Marine prepares to eat a scorpion during the jungle survival exercise in Thailand Marines were forced to eat a variety of creatures indigenous to densely wooded areas, including scorpions and tarantulas Being stuck in a jungle is a real-life situation that the troops might be stuck in at some point in the future and the war drills prepare them for that by completing the trials Marines were also forced to eat a variation of other creatures indigenous to densely wooded areas, including scorpions, tarantulas and other jungle bugs. There are three major components of the exercise: military field training, humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief training. The marines were also taught how to find water in jungle vines and identify edible plants by military trainers. Soldiers learn to de-fang tarantulas before eating them, as well as consuming lizards and other creatures indigenous to densely forested areas. There are also vegan options too with the jungle being rich in fruit and other lush, edible vegetation. A Thai Marine demonstrates how to catch snakes to US Marines during jungle survival training Cobra blood is said to be a nutritious and hydrating option, should clean drinking water not be available in a jungle disaster A US Marine handles a tarantula. The troops learned how to de-fang tarantulas before eating them A Thai Marine instructor demonstrates to the U.S. Marines how to catch a cobra during the jungle survival exercise The 11-day exercise, called Cobra Gold, involves soldiers from Thailand, the US, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea A US Marine is offered to taste a live gecko by a Thai Marine during jungle survival training There seems to be more than enough geckos to go around at the 11-day training in the Thai jungle Other exercises include military field training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief drills across the next five days, before the closing ceremony on March 6. A 2014 army coup in Thailand tested ties with Washington, which urged a return to democracy and scaled back military aid. But the two countries have upped their engagement under President Donald Trump, who has taken a softer stance on human rights issues and even embraced Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha in the White House. A Thai Marine demonstrates how to eat a live tarantula during jungle survival training A Thai Marine demonstrates how a gecko bites, although he will later get his own back as he eats the reptile The Marines also learn how to find and eat other jungle creatures, like geckos, pictured, and gibbons. A Royal Thai Marine instructor shows US Marines different types of snakes during jungle survival training and demonstrates how to catch a cobra to US Marines CONCORD, N.H. - A hospital employee who recently travelled to Italy is the first person in New Hampshire to test positive for the new coronavirus, state officials said Monday. The male patient is experiencing mild symptoms and remains at home in Grafton County while health officials investigate, according to Dr. Benjamin Chan, the state epidemiologist. Hospital officials confirmed the patient is an employee of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, which has set up an incident command centre. While it could take several days for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the states test results, officials said they are moving ahead with containment plans. Were going through the process of not only figuring out how to reach out to individuals that may have had contact with this individual, but much more broadly, how do we address concerns of the public, said Dr. Joanne Conroy, Dartmouth-Hitchcocks CEO. The illness, named COVID-19, is characterized by fever and coughing and, in serious cases, shortness of breath or pneumonia. As of Sunday, the U.S. had at least 80 confirmed cases of the virus, which first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. Worldwide, the number of people sickened has climbed to more than 88,000, and there have been more than 3,000 deaths, most of them in China. New Hampshire health officials were joined at Mondays news conference by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu and members of the states Democratic Congressional delegation, all of whom emphasized co-operation. We will continue to work together to make sure that we do everything possible to address the public concern, said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. The most important message we can get out is that the state is prepared, said Sununu. We dont know how its going to develop on the next few weeks, but it is an all-hands-on-deck effort. Sununu said he spoke to Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Sunday not just about whats happening in their states but also Canada, which borders northern New England. Communication and co-ordination, thats really the most powerful tool were going to have, he said. Lets give a high five to our top boss, Tony Sanders, who earlier tonight learned that he has met all the benchmarks and passed the tests that earn him the title of superintendent, the Facebook post said. His leadership, hard work, dedication, along with some nice song writing skills, are a great example for the U-46 team and our more than 38,000 students. This year marks the fourth time the annual SeaShorts Film Festival is held. 2 Mar SeaShorts Film Festival 2020 is set to be held from 25 to 30 August, marking this year as its fourth edition in Malaysia. As the annual film festival travels to a different city for each edition, this year it will be held in Ipoh, Perak. Previous cities that have played host to it are Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca. Entries are now officially accepted as the film festival has opened its call for submission, which will close on 30 April 2020. Submissions under all genres and forms by filmmakers from across the ASEAN region are welcomed, as long as each entry is capped at under 20 minutes. This year's entries will need to adhere to the theme "Reimagining Short Films, Reinventing Southeast Asia". Tan Chui Mui, Festival Founder and Co-Director, said in a press statement: "SeaShorts has always been about looking at Southeast Asia-how we were in the past, what we could be in the future, and where is there room for reinvention-through the filmmaking lens. And what better way to explore that than through the possibilities of short film." 30 titles will be selected to compete for the SeaShorts Award, with the Next New Wave Award reserved exclusively for Malaysian filmmakers. The rest of the categories consist of outstanding achievement in direction, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, sound and acting. Among the jury for this year are Malaysian historian Dr. Farish A. Noor, Singaporean sound engineer Rennie Gomes, Philippine producer Bianca Balbuena, and Cambodian-French filmmaker Davy Chou, following in the footsteps of their predecessors such as Rithy Panh (Cambodia), Philip Cheah (Singapore) and Sharifah Amani (Malaysia). The SeaShorts Film Festival is the annual marquee event of the SeaShorts Film Society. Since its inaugural edition in 2017, it has showcased 375 short films. Last year's edition saw more than 2,000 admissions, with Indonesia's "Ballad of Blood and Two White Buckets" by Yosep Anggi Noen winning the SeaShorts Award and Malaysia's "Vinegar Baths" by Amanda Nell Eu nabbing the Next New Wave Award. Read more: Amusement park insurance: coverage for the thrills Meanwhile, news of the popular parks closure has been met with a measure of surprise and sadness by the local community. I wish it would stay open, local resident Alexander Jacquart told WRAL.com. I actually miss the beach. Im from, like, a beach town. We lived just a few blocks from the beach, and this is almost just like that. Theres not another place to go like this that is close by, Warner said, adding that she hopes to re-open sometime in the future. Its hard for someone who has a business like this, or small business, if you do have an incident, that your insurance or the rates are raised or whatever, Jackie Warner, mayor of Hope Mills, told WRAL.com. Its tough, and I understand completely. SSH, a leading masterplanning, infrastructure and project management company in the region, said its key project, Al Salam Palace has been selected as the national winner for Kuwait in the Social, Cultural & Heritage Project of the Year category of the 2020 MEED Projects Awards. The magnificent and luxurious Al Salam Palace was initially built in the 1960s as an official guesthouse for Kuwait's top VIP visitors, in addition to a place to hold official and international conferences and meetings. It continued to receive Kuwait's guests until it was severely damaged, and its content stolen during the Iraq invasion in 1990. The palace stayed abandoned until 2013, when it was proposed to restore the historic structure and turn it into a museum, celebrating 300 years of Kuwaits historical past, said the statement from SSH. The challenge of the redesign was to incorporate contemporary architectural elements that would meet 21st century requirements while simultaneously preserving and incorporating the palaces historical character into one harmonious vision, it stated. However, the SSH Design team successfully achieved this by analysing the unique elements of the existing building, conserving those elements and inserting contemporary architectural elements that would all work symbiotically and complement one another. Visitors now have the chance to follow in the footsteps of heads of states and VIPs as they journey through nine recreated palatial rooms and galleries. The restored palace borders the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre, forming part of Kuwait's vibrant new cultural district, it added. Khalil Alonaizi, the resident director at SSH, Kuwait, said: "Al Salam Palace is one of the most historically iconic architectural landmarks in Kuwait and, as such, holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Kuwaitis." SSHs vision for the project was to bring this building of cultural significance back to life, giving it new purpose as well as making it a source of education and enjoyment for future generations of Kuwaitis and visitors to the country, he added. Lauding the winners, Richard Thompson, the editorial director at Meed, said: "The high quality of entries combined with the number of those received this has year made the judging incredibly challenging. Despite the challenges in the market, it is fantastic to see such high calibre projects being executed and is a testament to the commitment and excellence of the regions infrastructure stakeholders." "These companies have re-affirmed why they are considered the bedrock of the regions economy,," he added. Al Salam Palace will now fight it out with its Gulf rivals for the top spot at the 2020 Meed Projects Awards, being held in association with Mashreq.-TradeArabia News Service Diggers and trucks in a coal mine I wish I could say that the reason for Teck Resourcess (TSX:TECK.B)(NYSE:TECK) stock price disaster in February was due to coronavirus fears, because the actual reason is far more sinister for Canada. While the coronavirus did play a part in the Tecks stock price decline of 21.1% in February, the most significant reasons are outlined below, and one relates directly to Canada and the business environment for the oil and gas industry. Tecks stock price suffers due to withdrawal of the Frontier oil sands project Tecks 21% interest in Suncors Fort Hills project is not as profitable as management initially expected, with an oil price far below initial expectations. In fact, the situation is so dire that Teck recently took a $1.2 billion writedown on the project. So, while the Frontier oil sands project would arguably be significantly cheaper to build than Fort Hills, it faces many of the same challenges mostly the fact that higher oil prices are needed to make this a sustainably profitable mine. Coupled with environmental concerns and government delays, Teck management did not see a favourable way forward, and even though Tecks Frontier mine would have been among the least emissions-intensive oil sands projects (40% below the oil sands average), emissions were still a problematic issue. As Tecks CEO Don Lindsay said, the project has landed squarely at the nexus of a much broader national discussion on energy development, Indigenous reconciliation, and of course climate change, so we are stepping back to let Canada have this important discussion without a looming regulatory deadline for just one project. There is work to be done to reconcile Canadas environmental goals and its path forward for its economic growth, which is heavily tied to its oil and gas industry, and Teck is bailing on a project that is fraught with major uncertainties and a bad undertone. Teck suffers due to QB2 delays and cost overruns The start of the Quebrada Blanca phase two (QB2) mine in Chile will elevate Teck to one of the worlds major copper producers. This is the good news. The bad news is that permitting delays and social unrest in Chile has caused delays of up to six months and cost increases of up to 14.5%. While this setback is certainly a negative for Teck, as we can see in the Teck stock price reaction, we really should try to keep our eyes on the long term. Story continues Tecks QB2 copper mine is the companys highest-priority major growth project. As one of the worlds largest undeveloped copper resources, this mine has an initial life of 28 years with the potential for further growth. Construction on the mine was sanctioned in December 2018 and first copper production is planned for the second half of 2022. This focus on copper is a good strategic move for Teck, as copper is one of the most versatile and durable base metals. It is used extensively in the renewable energy industry, and so it has a solid secular demand growth trend supporting its market fundamentals. Foolish final thoughts Teck is a company that is not only trading at cyclical lows but that is experiencing a secular shift in its business, as commodities such as coal and bitumen from oil sands are experiencing huge shifts in demand-and-supply controls as a result of environmental concerns. As evidenced by the stocks 55% decline in the last year, the future is uncertain, but bear in mind that Teck stock trades well below book value, and the company is replacing its coal production with copper production, which is a metal that is very much needed in the new clean energy future. In closing, I would like to remind Foolish investors of our belief in holding great businesses for the long term. While this belief remains intact, we are also aware that sometimes, short-term stock price movements create opportunities to create wealth. Blending this long-term focus with a keen eye for short-term stock mispricings, we can use both strategies in harmony, and our quest for financial freedom can be fulfilled. More reading Fool contributor Karen Thomas has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 A Maryland man died after a two-vehicle crash Sunday on Interstate 81 in Rockbridge County, Virginia State Police said. The wreck happened at 2:08 p.m. about two miles north of the northernmost U.S. 11 exit to Lexington, near mile marker 196.6. A 2006 Jeep Wrangler driven by Edgar Stuart Almony, 70, of Jarrettsville, Maryland, crashed into the back of a 2008 Freightliner tractor-trailer in the northbound travel lane, state police said. Almony, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken to Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington, where he died from his injuries. A passenger in the Jeep was also taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. The driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured. State police are investigating. 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. 2.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) will be ending her presidential campaign and appearing at a rally with Joe Biden to endorse the former vice president. CNN confirmed: Sen. Amy Klobuchar will end her presidential bid on Monday and endorse Joe Biden, a campaign aide tells CNN. The Klobuchar campaign confirmed that the senator is flying to Dallas to join the former vice president at his rally, where she will suspend her campaign and give her endorsement on the eve of Super Tuesday. . A Democratic official told CNN that the Klobuchar campaign was worried that the senator would lose her home state of Minnesota on Tuesday. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the races front-runner, is holding a rally in the state on Monday night. There was no path for Klobuchar to stay in the race. She could have, and some would say should have, dropped out after Nevada. She is going beyond what Pete Buttigieg did when he dropped out by endorsing Joe Biden right away. The Democratic primary field has thinned as three Democrats have dropped out of the race since Saturday night. Amy Klobuchar gave it a good run and made it further than many expected, but it was time for her to leave the stage, as a split race on helps Bernie Sanders. Democrats are coming together behind Biden, as a Biden vs Sanders vs Warren primary is now the heart of the Democratic campaign. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook REUTERS Former Vice President Joe Bidens landslide victory in South Carolina demonstrated that Sen. Bernie Sanders earnest and substantive efforts to court black voters since 2016 were no match for a decades-long intimate political relationship with the communityfor now. From the moment Biden launched his candidacy in 2019 hes banked his fortunes in the Democratic primary on black voters and with good reason. African-Americans are the most influential bloc within the partys base, especially in the South where they dominate its ranks. In fact, all of the successful Democratic presidential contenders of the last half centuryCarter, Clinton and Obamahad a natural or well-cultivated comfort within the African-American community. Times Up for the Democrats Black Voters Just Rejected The vice president has been roundly mocked for placing his relationship with President Obama at the center of his campaign. But the fact is the way Biden comported himself as Obamas VP did earn him a lot of goodwill within communities of color. And, the fact that Delaware, the state which Biden represented for decadesis more diverse than the stomping grounds of most of his Democratic rivalshas been mostly overlooked. Biden won in South Carolina by tapping into the qualities that made him appealing in the first place: his ability to make a genuine, human connection with voters (remember when politicians used to do that?) and the strength of his bonds with his fellow establishment pols (even Lindsey Graham adored Biden before he wasnt allowed to anymore). Veteran S.C. Rep. Jim Clyburns pivotal endorsement said it all about the structural advantage Biden enters into in every primary state with a predominantly black population: "I know Joe. We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us," Clyburn said. And Joe railroaded Anita Hill. And Joe wrote the crime bill. And Joe made up a story about being arrested protesting for civil rights alongside Nelson Mandela. Story continues And yet the Joe they know proved more appealing for most black voters in the state than the Bernie they dont. Biden cleaned house, earning over 60 percent of the African-American vote according to exit pollsa dynamic that suggests a familiar challenge ahead for Sanders. In 2016, his insurgent campaign against Sec. Hillary Clinton saw its momentum blunted repeatedly by her overwhelming support among African-Americans. Sanders very well may have won that nomination if he could only have drawn more black support. After licking his wounds, Sanders learned his lesson and did the hard work of establishing more of a sustained presence in black and brown political life. He dramatically diversified his campaign at the top and made inroads with younger, more progressive up-and-coming community leaders and politicians of color who tend to be more open to his ambitious agenda than more moderate, older African-Americans. For some time now, it appeared as though Sanders work was paying off. He handily won Latinos and held his own with African-Americans in Nevada, the first truly diverse state to participate in the 2020 primary to date. And until recently, polls showed him surging in South Carolina, even threatening to take the lead. Pundits will have a field day trying to diagnose what went wrong for the 2020 frontrunner in South Carolina. Was it the Clyburn endorsement (which felt dramatic and inevitable at the same time)? The impact of the most prolonged attacks on Sanders by his competitors since the race began? Sanders continues to show strength with black voters under 40, which is more than can be said for Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and arguably Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who have all garnered almost no support from African-Americans to date. Biden very well may have peaked on Saturday, or his win may be the beginning of something newa two, maybe three-person race, featuring all white men aged 75 and up. It appears that the old white man who can make the best case to the black voters of the Democratic party will be the one who gets to face down Trump this November. 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. Upcoming political events in the Bay Area: WEDNESDAY Gender issues and political identity: Rose McDermott, international relations professor at Brown University, discusses gender issues and leaders emotional manipulation of political identity. $5. 7 p.m., 518 Valencia St., San Francisco. More information is here. THURSDAY Rahm Emanuel: Former Chicago mayor and Barack Obama adviser on how mayors run the world. $40 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $15 for students. 6:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. FRIDAY Our bodies, our planet: Breaking the Chains editor Nathalie Hrizi speak on the state of the womens movement, and San Francisco public school educator Jael Castro discusses the leading role women have played in the critical struggle to respect the environment. Sponsored by San Francisco Party for Socialism and Liberation. $3-$10. 7 p.m., 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. Facebook: Author Steve Levy discusses his new book, Facebook: The Inside Story. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12 advance, $15 at the door. 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 2407 Dana St., Berkeley. More information is here. SUNDAY Politics for teenagers: Democracy Online: A Political Discourse Conference for Teens features experts in ethics, journalism and technology to discuss the role of the internet in politics. Free. 10 a.m., Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. More information is here. Spanish for activists: A session on canvassing in the Latinx community, sponsored by Democracy Action. Intended for intermediate and advanced Spanish speakers. Bring a laptop and phone. Free. 10:30 a.m., 80 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 20, Sausalito. More information is here. MARCH 11 Civility: A discussion of the increasing polarization of society and the impacts of civility and outrage as alternative ways to it. Part of the Professor of Practice Series at Pacific School of Religion. $20. 6 p.m., Bade Museum, 1798 Scenic Ave., Berkeley. More information is here. Swing Left San Francisco: Former Federal Election Commission chair Ann Ravel is the guest speaker at groups general meeting. 6:30 p.m., Park library branch, 1833 Page St., San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 12 Breaking down the primary: Political experts discuss the results of Californias primary. Panelists include Aimee Allison, founder and president of She the People; Jennifer Fernandez Ancona, co-founder of Way to Win; and pollster David Binder. Hosted by KQED and SPUR. $10 for nonmembers, free for members. SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 15 Watch party: For the Democratic presidential debate. $10. 5 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 17 Primaries 101: An explainer on how the Democratic presidential nominee will be chosen, with Stanford University political science Professor Bruce Cain. $5-$10. 6 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. American Jews and Israel: Former Knesset member Yossi Beilin, chairman of the Geneva Initiative, on the relationship between Israelis and American Jews today and where we go from here. Hosted by Center for Jewish Peoplehood. $18 in advance, $25 at the door. 7 p.m., Osher Marin JCCs Hoytt Theater, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. More information is here. Dan Pfeiffer: Pod Save America podcast co-host on A Plan to Make America a Democracy Again. $27 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $8 for students. 7 p.m., Oshman Family JCCs Schultz Cultural Hall, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. More information is here. MARCH 18 Congress at War: Fergus Bordewich, author of the new book on Congress role in winning the Civil War, in discussion at Book Passage. Free. 7 p.m., 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. More information is here. MARCH 21 Robert Reich: UC Berkeley public policy professor and former U.S. labor secretary talks politics and his new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It. $32 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $9 for students. 7 p.m., 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara Convention Center Theater, Santa Clara. More information is here. Noam Chomsky: Political activist and social critic on What Hope for Palestine-and Beyond? The World After 2020. Introduced by Daniel Ellsberg; musical performance by Naima Shalhoub and Excentrik. $29-$99. 7:30 p.m., Sidney Goldstein Theatre, 275 Hayes St., San Francisco. More information is here. MARCH 27 Jesse Wegman: Journalist and editor discusses his new book on the electoral college, Let the People Pick the President. $7. 7:30 p.m., Keplers Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. More information is here. APRIL 4 Racial justice: A session on white fragility and cultivating resilience for coping with it, drawing from the work of racial justice experts including authors Robin D'Angelo and Resmaa Menakem, theater practitioner and political activist Augusto Boal, and activist, racial justice trainer and psychotherapist Katherine Roubos. Hosted by Showing Up for Racial Justice Marin. Free. 1 p.m., YWCA, 30 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. More information is here. APRIL 7 Thomas Piketty: Author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century and Capital and Ideology on global history, contemporary politics and his vision of a more just and equal future. Free. 4 p.m., Pauley Ballroom, 2495 Bancroft Way UC Berkeley. More information is here. APRIL 9 Pelosi challenger: Shahid Buttar, running against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her San Francisco seat, in conversation at the Commonwealth Club. $5 for nonmembers, $3 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. APRIL 16 Assemblyman David Chiu: San Francisco Democrat explains his support for a constitutional amendment to allow control of campaign spending. Hosted by Business for American Promise. $10. 5 p.m., Variety Club Preview Room, 582 Market St., San Francisco. More information is here. APRIL 28 Democracys future: Stanford University history Professor David Kennedy on the future of democracy in America. $30 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. 6:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. To list an event, please email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com. The Maharashtra government is mulling a law on the lines of one in Andhra Pradesh in which criminal offences are registered against companies supplying bogus seeds, pesticides and fertilisers, Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse told the Assembly on Monday. He said a study of the AP law was underway. Bhuse was responding to supplementaries to the main questionasked by BJP's Devendra Fadnavis and others over adulteratedseeds supplied by Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agriculture University in Parbhani. He said the information about the university supplying adulterated soyabean-71 breeder seeds to state-run Mahabeej, also called Maharashtra State Seeds Co. Ltd, came to light in January this year, and added a penalty would be recovered. The seeds were adulterated as a combine harvester was used and the university has been directed not to use this machinery, he told the House. Fadnavis said laws to check adulteration must be strictly implemented and informed that compensation given earlier in such cases was Rs 1 lakh. In reply to a question on salt pan land from Vikhroli to Mulund in the metropolis, state Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat said a high powered committee under the chief secretary was studying a proposal to release such land for low cost housing. Thorat also agreed to a proposal by BJP's Ameet Satam to have a geological survey of these salt pans by IIT Bombay. There are 40 salt pan lands in Mumbai, and 355.33 acres, spread over seven plots, can be used for development, Thorat said quoting a MMRDA report. Meanwhile, Home minister Anil Deshmukh told the House that 22 people arrested in connection with irregularities in Mathadi worker funds by the Labour Management Board in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai will be booked under the stringent MCOCA Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former military chief Benny Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main challenger in elections Monday, voiced hope the country would "change the tune," after a year of political stalemate. "It's about time that we be much more united," Gantz said after voting in the central town of Rosh Haayin. "I hope that today will be the day that we change the tune, stop the mudslinging (and) stop the lying," he added, in an apparent dig at Netanyahu following an at-times bitter campaign. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lord Nazir Ahmed, a member of the House of Lords landed in soup after spreading fake news about India on Monday. In a post shared on Twitter, Lord Ahmed claimed that the video contained the rescue of a mother and child being buried alive by a fascist. After his contention was proven to be false by social media users, he was forced to delete the tweet. However, the member of the House of Lords has not issued an apology yet. After Republic TV confronted him on this controversy, Lord Ahmed evaded a direct response to the issue. Instead, he pointed to the violence in the national capital. This is how @Twitter provides a platform for macabre anti-#India propaganda. A #Pakistani using horrific crimes of #Pakistan to peddle anti-India hate and fuel/instigate riots. As intermediary which refuses to act against such hate handles, Twitter is accountable. @rsprasad pic.twitter.com/XBq6XjOkm0 Kanchan Gupta (@KanchanGupta) March 1, 2020 Read: UK MP Debbie Abrahams Issues Statement On Deportation From India; Claims Victimisation The reality of the video As per reports, the video was shot in January 2020 in the Islampur area of the North Dinajpur district in West Bengal. Far from being a communal situation, this was a case of domestic violence. A man identified as Akbar Alam murdered his wife and two-month-old daughter and buried them in the backyard of their house. Reportedly, Alam was unhappy with the birth of a girl child. Read: Delhi Police Arrests 1 Person For Spreading Fake News And Disseminating Misinformation Lord Ahmed's anti-India stance Pakistan-origin Lord Ahmed has been a member of the House of Lords since 1998. He has often been involved in demonstrations against the Indian government. Moreover, he has openly expressed his support for the Khalistan movement. Until recently, he was the Honorary President of the All-Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group. The aim of this group is to support the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people through dialogue; to seek support from British parliamentarians; to highlight the abuses of human rights in Kashmir, and to seek justice for the people there. Read: Home Minister Amit Shah Says Opposition Spreading Fake News, Instigating Riots Over CAA Read: UK MP Debbie Abrahams Meets Pakistan PM Imran Khan After Her Deportation From India BAE Systems Secures $188 Million Contract for U.S. Navy's AEGIS Combat System BAE Systems (News - Alert) Inc. was awarded a five-year $188.2 million contract to provide the U.S. Navy's AEGIS Technical Representative (AEGIS TECHREP) organization with critical large-scale system engineering, integration, and testing expertise for the AEGIS Weapons and Combat Systems aboard U.S. Navy surface combatant ships. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005616/en/ BAE System will provide the U.S. Navy's AEGIS Technical Representative organization with critical large-scale system engineering, integration, and testing expertise. (Photo: BAE Systems) "BAE Systems personnel have worked side-by-side with Navy sailors and civilians for nearly 40 years to strengthen and modernize the fleet of AEGIS-equipped surface ships," said Mark Keeler, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Integrated Defense Solutions business. "Our team brings a wealth of AEGIS combat system expertise with the agility, innovation, and technical acumen to ensure the U.S. Navy has the safe and effective combat capability it needs to meet mission objectives." As part of the AEGIS Technical Representative Engineering Support Services contract, BAE Systems will provide Navy acquisition managers with on-site leadership and systems engineering to validate Total Ship Combat design at Navy sites in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey; Bath, Maine; and Pascagoula, Mississippi. The company also will support systems engineering and test and evaluation personnel to provide fleet experience and operational insight. Additionally, the company will provide logistics, cybersecurity, production, acquisition, and waterfront support required for upgrading and maintaining development of AEGIS Combat System capabilities and baselines across the entire life cycle. BAE Systems delivers a broad range of services and solutions enabling militaries and governments to successfully carry out their respective missions. The company provides large-scale systems engineering, integration, and sustainment services across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. BAE Systems takes pride in its support of national security and those who serve. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005616/en/ (The ODA said it would release more details March 3. Check back for updates.) * Updated March 2, 4:10 p.m. * Updated March 3, 12:10 p.m. SALEM, Ohio The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced that it will begin accepting applications for hemp cultivating and processing licenses March 3 at noon. Those interested will be able to apply at www.agri.ohio.gov then. The online application will include a mapping tool to allow farmers to indicate where they plan to grow hemp. At this point, there does not appear to be an option for applying off-line. The response time will depend on how complete the application is, the number of applications received and how quickly the background check is completed and returned. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. There is no cap on the number of licenses the ODA will give out this year. The deadline to apply for cultivation licenses has been extended to May 1 for this year. Licenses are good for three years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced Feb. 27 that it will delay enforcing some rules of its hemp program until Oct. 31, 2021, or until the final rule is published. The USDAs interim final rule for the program requires labs that test hemp plants for compliance to be registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration. For now, however, the USDA is allowing labs that are not registered with the DEA yet to conduct testing, as long as they meet the other requirements the rules list. The USDA has also identified other options for disposing of hemp plants that test hot with over 0.3% THC. These options include plowing under non-compliant plants or composting them into green manure to use on the same land. The new methods are meant to allow farmers to use common on-farm practices to destroy non-compliant crops. States, tribes and state departments of agriculture are responsible for developing procedures to make sure non-compliant hemp is handled in compliance with state, tribal and federal laws. The USDA has a list of allowed disposal methods and descriptions at www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/hemp. Processors may need to have their processing site inspected to complete the application. The ODA is expecting this to take a few weeks. All applicants and key participants must have a background check done before they apply. Key participants are sole proprietors, partners in partnerships or executive managers in corporations. This does not include non-executive managers like farm, field or shift managers. Background checks are already available. To get a background check, visit one of Ohios WebCheck locations, listed at www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Business/Services-for-Business/WebCheck/Webcheck-Community-Listing. People seeking background checks will need to provide the address of the ODAs hemp program. That address is Ohio Department of Agriculture, Hemp Program, 8995 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. For more information, contact the ODAs hemp program at 614-728-2101 or hemp@agri.ohio.gov. Turkey announced Thursday it will provide citizens of four EU countries and Norway, 90-day visa exemption for tourist travel. "In order to sustain unity in our visa regime towards the members of the European Union and Schengen area, Turkey has decided to exempt visa requirements for the citizens of Croatia, Ireland, Malta, Portugal and Norway," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy in a statement. The exemption will be provided to countries for tourist travel for 90-day visits once every 180 days. "This step aims at increasing our tourism potential with these countries as well as further developing our bilateral relations in other areas," it added. Image Credit: AA In recollecting the legacy of legendary General Electric boss Jack Welch, the companys current CEO reflected on his most recent visit with the man who many regard among the most influential business leaders in history. When I last saw him, what I remember most vividly was when he asked me, So how exactly are you running the company? GE CEO Larry Culp Jr. reflected on Monday, in a statement forwarded by GE. Jack was still in it committed to GEs success. And to have Jack Welch ask me how I am running GE is pretty humbling. Welch died Sunday of renal failure at age 84, with his imprint on Americas corporate corridors reflected in tributes flooding websites and social media on Monday. Leading GE during its heyday as a Fairfield-based conglomerate, Welch received the nickname Neutron Jack for a zealous drive ruthless in the eyes of some to vaporize jobs in the interest of building shareholder value. Welch not only bolstered the stature of the American CEO and the size of General Electric to more than $130 billion a year in sales he helped make Fairfield County a financial powerhouse. Under his tenure, GE Capital became one of the half-dozen largest entities in the U.S. financial industry with assets of more than $500 billion, with its loans reaching into aviation, energy, real estate and consumer finance among other areas. GE Capital generated half or more of GEs total profits, with much of the business managed from offices in Norwalk, Stamford and Danbury, unlike GEs other divisions, which had the bulk of operations located elsewhere. He created thousands of jobs for our state and showed the value of a leader willing to make tough choices and to stick with them, said Bob Stefanowski, a former GE Capital executive who ran for Connecticut governor in 2018. Welchs vision influenced numerous executives, such that in 1999 Fortune magazine awarded him the title of manager of the century for shaping how a new generation of corporate boards viewed shaping the value of their enterprises, in a time of hidebound, formulaic thinking in Fortunes words. During the Welch era, GE squared off each year with Microsoft as the worlds most valuable company, with Fortune crediting him with recognizing the leaps by Japan and Germany in honing the quality of their manufacturing output while controlling costs, and positioning GE to catch up. Welch was hardly the first person to see the new world coming. His great achievement is that having seen it, he faced up to the huge, painful changes it demanded, and made them faster and more emphatically than anyone else in business, Fortune wrote. He led managers into this new world, which we still inhabit, and just as important, he showed business people everywhere a method of attacking change of any kind. In an interview last year posted by Strayer University, an online program that runs the Jack Welch Management Institute, Welch reflected on his philosophies, both leading the company with a timeline dating back to Thomas Edison and ideas Welch has been building on since. This game were in is all about self confidence, Welch said. And not arrogance you gotta fight arrogance but confidence to try things new, to do things that you wouldnt have [dreamed]. Luck plays a big part in all of this, you get the right bounce or the wrong bounce and you dont make out, he added. But I think its all about confidence. You go into new situations, and you carry your weight. Outside the norm Welch had a major influence on another educational institution, providing Sacred Heart Universitys business school with an endowment that prompted the Fairfield school to rename it the Welch College of Business & Technology. Not only did he contribute to student scholarships, he also committed to regular visits here to share his advice and guidance with students a commitment he lived up to, stated John Petillo, president of Sacred Heart, as quoted in a statement forwarded by a spokesperson. His imprint will always remain on our [university] through the impact he has made on the many students and faculty members who heard him speak here over the years. He will be missed. Welch ranks alongside Connecticuts other industrial innovators who left legacies of lasting duration, names like Frederick Rentschler, Igor Sikorsky and Bill Rasmussen of ESPN. Welch led GE for two decades before handing the CEO role to his lieutenant Jeff Immelt on the eve of the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Immelt attempted to position GE for a new century of success, but ultimately unsuccessfully. After selling off core businesses like NBC Universal and GE Plastics based in Pittsfield, Mass., the financial panic of 2008 prompted Immelt to begin a dismantling of GE Capital. Immelt called Welch a brilliant, aspirational leader and the best boss I have ever seen, in a LinkedIn post on Monday afternoon. People knew what to expect from Jack, Immelt wrote. Jack could be bombastic he upped the theater quotient in many meetings but people enjoyed interacting with him. Meanwhile, metrics mattered and they kept us accountable. Yale University management guru Jeffrey Sonnenfeld said Monday that while Welch deserves credit for upending how business managers view the enterprise, it did not come without a cost for those who implemented his moves and otherwise absorbed the culture he instituted at GE. And he suggested Welchs obsession with the bottom line may have inhibited GE from being more accountable when it came to corporate responsibility, for instance cleaning up pollution its factories spewed into the Housatonic and Hudson rivers. He was outside of the norm as a...non-patrician, earthy leader there was some directness about him that was a refreshing change, and that all did a lot to keep GE from going the way of Westinghouse or Litton Industries or U.S. Steel or Woolworths or companies like that, that lost their way in this period, Sonnenfeld said. The other side of it was he did rely on the cookie jar of GE Capital he wound up catapulting them way beyond their comfort zone in knowing how to fund purchased equipment and leases, into highly risky insurance and derivatives businesses that blew up on them later. ... That disguised a lot of the more volatile, mixed performance in the core industrial investments they were making. In 2016, Immelt moved GEs headquarters to Boston, justifying the decision on the need to reinvigorate the companys engineering and entrepreneurial roots, with Sacred Heart University taking over the companys Fairfield campus just off the Merritt Parkway. The board replaced Immelt within a year by his own lieutenant, John Flannery, then brought in former Danaher CEO Culp in October 2018 on his vision for a revival of GE pegged to its corporate heritage of industrial innovation. As part of that process, Culp stripped GEs headquarters operation in Boston of many of its duties, assigning greater responsibility for decision making to GEs remaining operating businesses. What Jack would want us to do After retiring from GE, Welch moved to Massachusetts where he married Suzy Wetlaufer, an editor of the Harvard Business Review, who controversially began a romance while penning an article about Welch. Welch was married twice previously, having four children with his first wife Carolyn. After the couples 1987 divorce, Welch married Jane Beasley before divorcing again in 2003. Born in Peabody, Mass., on Nov. 19, 1935, Welch grew up an only child in Salem. He studied chemical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, graduating in 1957 and getting a doctorate in the discipline three years later from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. GE hired him that year and assigned him to Pittsfield, which would become a grooming station for future senior executives. He won the top job in 1981 as the replacement for Reginald Jones, who moved into GEs new corner office in Fairfield in 1972 after the company moved from New York City amid a boom in suburban office park construction. The cuts followed, with Welch eliminating more than 100,000 jobs over a half decade many in middle management and changing how managers were compensated for hitting business goals, including awards of GE stock and options to get them acting as shareholders would want their business units run. Investors responded, sending GE shares up more than 40-fold during Welchs two decades running the company, generating significant wealth for remaining employees and retirees who received those stock incentives, including in Connecticut. Under Welch and Immelt, GE proved a major benefactor in communities throughout the state, whether through gifts from its philanthropic foundation or in commitments by its employees to area nonprofits. But GEs fortunes subsided during the Immelt era, with the company pinning its hopes on Culp to bring back the magic of the Welch era. Jack was larger than life and the heart of GE for half a century, Culp stated. He reshaped the face of our company and the business world. ... Well continue to honor his legacy by doing exactly what Jack would want us to do: win. Dan Haar contributed to this report. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman With the Business Improvement District (BID) campaign underway and voter apathy the biggest risk to its success, take a minute to remember the advocacy wins One Warkworth has achieved and, importantly, if you are a business or commercial property owner, vote Yes to the BID now. Case in point, it is no surprise to see there is finally movement on decisions about Hill Street and Matakana link road (MLR) given the collaborative pressure generated at the Transport Forum meetings every two months. These have been facilitated by One Warkworth since 2017. Co-chaired by One Warkworth chair, Chris Murphy and Mark Mitchell MP, the forum has brought together local politicians, concerned residents, local planning and engineering experts, developers, and representatives from the Warkworth Area Liaison Group, Mahurangi East Residents and Ratepayers, Fix Hill Street Now, Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, road builder NX2 and the NZ Transport Agency. With the help of experts like Roger Williams and David Stott, the forum has pushed hard for bureaucrats to listen to local concerns and take a pragmatic and commonsense approach to a solution. For Hill Street, this includes changes to the design, design budget and the intention to allocate build budget for a 2022 start. For the MLR, it resulted in a four-lane carriageway and bridge option being chosen and consent for winter works to be applied for, so it can be completed in time with the new motorway. Justifiably, it can be argued that without One Warkworth leading the charge with these transport forum meetings, this would not have been achieved at least not within the required time. If the BID is successful, One Warkworth will be able to continue this type of advocacy work. We will be able to keep working hard to get land use planning right and the necessary infrastructure to support it. Without the BID, pushing for what we need will fall back to a small group of volunteers with little time and no resources to make a difference. Our future could end up in the hands of bureaucrats at Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, other Council Controlled Organisations and private developers. The hopes, aspirations and needs of the community could well be left behind. This is why is it so important that local business people and commercial property owners find out more and vote Yes to support the BID. With the BID, we will have a structure that will ensure the future of One Warkworth and our ability to go into bat for the local community. Voting papers have been distributed by Independent Election Services and the biggest risk we face is voter apathy. Weve had great feedback that One Warkworth is doing a good job. Please show us your support by voting yes for the BID and voting now. We need at least 150 votes, and the majority of them in favour of the BID to get this over the line. If you believe in the future of this town, and you want One Warkworth to continue its important work, please make sure you vote before March 16, and please vote Yes to the BID. We are stronger together. Mark Macky, Deputy chair, One Warkworth www.onewarkworth.co.nz COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Georgia Supreme Court has granted a new trial to a couple serving life in prison for murder in the death of their newborn daughter. The justices unanimously agreed that they received ineffective legal counsel. Albert and Ashley Debelbot had their convictions overturned Friday, the Ledger-Enquirer reported. Their daughter, McKenzy, was born in 2008 at Fort Bennings Martin Army Community Hospital in Columbus. The parents took the baby back to the hospital days after the birth when they discovered a lump on her head. She later died, and an autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined that the cause was blunt force trauma. The Debelbots trial lawyers failed to call expert medical witnesses during the trial. Their new defence attorneys say experts would be able to show that the baby was born with a brain deformation. Their appeal also noted that a trial prosecutor told the jury that reasonable doubt does not require the state to prove defendants guilty with 100% certainty. It does not mean to a mathematical certainty, Assistant District Attorney Sadhana Dailey said. Which means we dont have to prove that 90%. You dont have to be 90% sure. You dont have to be 80% sure. You dont have to be 51% sure. The high court said in its decision that the explanation was a gross misstatement of the law, and the failure of the Debelbots lawyers to object to that point proved the couple were denied effective counsel. We admonish lawyers not to confuse jurors by attempting to quantify a standard of proof that is not susceptible to quantification, the court stated. The case was expected to be sent back to Muscogee Superior Court. The Debelbots remain in prison. Cindy and Chad Ring At Caring Transitions, we dont just want to come in and complete a task. We want to learn about your personal goals for the project and then help you reach those goals in the most compassionate way possible. - Chad Ring Long-time Omaha residents Cindy and Chad Ring are pleased to announce the launch of their new relocation and estate-clearing company, Caring Transitions of Northwest Omaha. This senior-focused relocation and estate-clearing company serves Northwest Omaha, Fremont, Bennington, Blair, Fort Calhoun and the surrounding areas. Caring Transitions specially-trained professionals handle decluttering, organizing, packing, moving, resettling, in-home estate sales and online auctions, estate clearing and preparing homes for market. The services we provide at Caring Transitions are not about helping you move or clearing out a house. Your home is your castle youre proud of it and you have a lifetime of memories there and you need a company that understands and respects that. At Caring Transitions, we dont just want to come in and complete a task. We want to learn about your personal goals for the project and then help you reach those goals in the most compassionate way possible, Chad said. Caring Transitions services are perfect for managing the many aspects of a senior move, including assisting with the process of downsizing to provide a safer living situation, as well as for busy families and people clearing out the home of a loved one who has moved into assisted care or passed away. All of Caring Transitions services are customizable, so clients choose the solution that best fits their needs. Chad started his career in automotive work and then moved into the insurance industry while Cindy has worked for a large corporation. They were both caught up in the monotony of working in corporate America and, although they knew they were ready for a change, they werent quite sure what they wanted to do. Then, in 2019, they each lost a grandparent. We watched our families navigate the challenges of the homes left behind some people wanted to sell, some people didnt; some people thought the house was worth more than it was; people wanted to keep all their stuff, and then they didnt want any of it. As we were watching this unfold we thought, there has to be a better way. When we came across a http://www.CaringTransitionsNWO.com ad after having gone through all of that, we realized this was what wed been looking for, Cindy said. My grandmother is still alive and is having memory problems. She and my grandfather were married for 70 years that life is all she had ever known and it would be been great if my family had been able to spend more time supporting her without having to worry about the house and all the stuff that goes along with that. Im hoping that time is something we have help families get back, she added. Caring Transitions of Northwest Omaha, which is part of the national Caring Transitions franchise, is bonded and insured and all employees are CRT trained and background checked. For additional information, call 402-281-2670, email CharlesRing@CaringTransitions.com or visit http://www.CaringTransitionsNWO.com. Afghan President Ghani: Kabul not committed to releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 10:31 AM Just one day after the United States and the Taliban militant group signed a peace agreement, Afghanistan's government has announced that it does not consider itself bound by the terms of the deal to free thousands of Taliban prisoners. The agreement was reached between Washington and the Afghan militants in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday, after at least 10 rounds of talks over the past 18 months. The accord was signed by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. As a condition for talks with the Afghan government, the deal noted that 5,000 Taliban prisoners would be freed in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10. But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told reporters at a news conference in Kabul on Sunday that his government had no commitment to release the Taliban prisoners as stated in the deal. The Taliban's demand for the release of its prisoners from Afghan jails cannot be a precondition to direct talks with the government, Ghani added. The US has agreed to cut down the number of its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 within 135 days of signing the deal. Washington has also agreed to withdraw all its forces from the country in 14 months provided that it sees no hostilities from the Taliban. However, representatives from the Kabul government were not present during the Doha deal and a meeting was instead held in Kabul, where the Afghan president and the Pentagon chief issued a joint declaration. The NATO chief was also present. The joint declaration calls on the sides to work together to reach a comprehensive and sustainable peace deal to end the war in Afghanistan for the benefit of all Afghans. According to the declaration, the peace deal will guarantee to prevent the use of Afghan soil by any international terrorist groups against the US security; will present a timeline for the withdrawal of all US and NATO forces; will secure a political settlement through intra-Afghan dialog; and will enforce a permanent ceasefire. NATO, despite not being part of the agreement, will conform with the future peace deal and gradually pull its troops out of the country. Despite its strong willingness to restore peace across the war-torn country, Afghanistan's government has voiced Kabul's opposition to some articles of the Doha deal. The Taliban, in response, claims that it does not recognize the legitimacy of the Kabul government. US forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 under the pretext of the so-called war on terror, overthrowing the Taliban regime in Kabul. Since the US invasion of Afghanistan, Washington has spent more than $2 trillion waging war on the impoverished country, leaving more than 2,400 American soldiers and tens of thousands of Afghan civilians dead. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Actor and aspiring politician Rajinikanth has said that he is ready to play any role to maintain peace in the country. He made the comments on Twitter after meeting a few leaders from a Muslim outfit at his residence. I am willing to play any role in order to maintain peace in the country. I too agree with their (Muslim outfit leaders) comment that a countrys prime objective should be love, unity and peace, the 69-year-old actor said in a tweet on Sunday. Rajinikanth also assured the members of Tamil Nadu Jamaathul Uama Sabai (TNJUS) that he would do the needful, said the outfits president KM Baqavi. The TNJUS members had met Rajinikanth on Sunday and apprised him of issues Muslims would face due to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The actor had earlier said he would be the first person to raise voice even if a single Muslim was affected by the CAA. He also said the central government might not withdraw the CAA as it had been passed by Parliament and okayed by the Supreme Court. Last week, Rajinikanth had lashed out at the Centre over the violence in Delhi, saying the riots should have been dealt with an iron fist. In a sharp attack on the BJP-led Centre, he asked those in power to resign and go if the violence could not be crushed. It is an intelligence failure and hence home ministry also failed. Protests can happen peacefully but not in a violent manner. If violence breaks out, it should be dealt with iron hands, the actor had said. The comments were significant as Rajinikanths critics accuse him of being soft on the BJP. He didnt spare the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Arvind Kejriwal either and said it was equally responsible for letting the situation worsen in the capital. His contemporary and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan endorsed Rajikanth in a tweet in Tamil and said he had chosen the right path. Sabash friend @rajinikanth. This path is the right path (it is) not a separate path..., he said in an apparent reference to Rajinikanth famous film dialogue-- my path is a separate path. Photos From Burial Ceremony of 4 Kids Killed By Their Dad After He Accused Their Mother Of Infidelity The burial ceremony of the four kids who were allegedly murdered by their father after he accused their mother of cheating and infecting him with HIV took place on Sunday march 1st, at Ga-Phasha village, outside Burgersfort in Limpopo, South Africa. Scores of mourners including learners from local schools and government officials gathered on Sunday march 1st, at Ga-Phasha village for the burial ceremony. The bodies of the siblings, Katlego Phasha 9, Joyce Phasha 7, Tshepho Phasha 5 and Adel Phasha 2, were found with multiple injuries in the bushes around the area. The children were brutally murdered by their father, 50-year-old Lucas Phasha after he accused their mother of infidelity. Their father Lucas Phasha, has been remanded in custody after appearing at the Mecklenberg Magistrates Court last week. The Father, Lucas Phasha MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Hon. Namane Dickson Masemola joined councillors from both Sekhukhune District and Fetakgomo-Tubatse Municipalities, Traditional Leaders, SAPS Management, ANCWL members, and other mourners to pay their last respect. BOZEMAN -- Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, a pair of Montana State University researchers are setting out to prove caddisflies are more than fish food. "They play other really important roles, like processing nutrients, influencing streambed flow regimes and providing habitat for other things living in the streambed, like microbes or other invertebrates," said Lindsey Albertson, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology in the College of Letters and Science at MSU. Albertson and collaborator Geoffrey Poole, a professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture, were awarded the $1.17 million NSF grant in January. The grant will provide three years of funding for their research into how these aquatic insects influence the streams in which they live. "This is an excellent example of inter-department and inter-college collaboration to further our understanding of aquatic ecosystems," said Diane Debinski, ecology department head at MSU. The collaboration began after Poole attended a presentation given by Albertson as a means to introduce himself to a new colleague who, although from a different college on campus, also specializes in aquatic ecology. Albertson was talking about net-spinning caddisflies and how their activity binds together stream-bed sediment. Caddisfly larvae spin and tend silk nets, not unlike spider webs. These caddisfly webs, however, are in water and catch tiny organic particles rather than insects. They aren't big -- usually a half inch or less -- but a square meter of streambed may be home to hundreds or thousands of such nets. The little nets were fascinating for Poole. With a background studying groundwater hydrology, his mind immediately went to how they would change the streamflow. "That's changing the way water moves in the system," he remembers thinking. "It has to be." Albertson, who had been researching the insects in terms of how their nets influence sediment movement and habitat creation for other organisms, hadn't measured their effect on the water's flow in the stream bed. When Poole approached her about working together, Albertson was thrilled at the chance. "If these net-spinning caddisflies are influencing flow, then they should be influencing the streambed community," Albertson said. "That got me really excited, because I'm a community ecologist." The pair set out to collect preliminary data to support their hypothesis -- that the tiny nets created by larvae could influence the water flowing through them -- working for two years with graduate student Michael MacDonald to demonstrate that caddisfly nets were able to slow the flow of water within the sediment and are therefore likely to have other influences on the system. With the grant, approved by the NSF in January, Albertson and Poole are seeking to understand how nutrients and organic matter are processed within a stream and the associated role of the caddisflies in that system. Caddisfly nets create a completely novel habitat for microbes within the stream sediments and boost the overall prevalence of the microbes, Poole explained. The increase in microbial biomass then affects the rate at which nutrients and organic matter enter the streambed, the amount of time they spend there and the capacity of the stream to process them. According to Albertson, caddisflies remain in their net-building aquatic larval stage for 10 to 11 months, then quickly transition through the pupal stage to emerge from the water as an adult caddisfly. The entire life cycle is about a year. Mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies are often used to monitor stream quality in an index named for their scientific family names: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Tricoptera, or EPT. An abundance of these insects is an indicator that the stream is healthy. "The flipside of that is our research is actually suggesting the EPT, or at least the caddisflies, actually influence water quality," Poole said. "It's not just a one-way relationship. It's not just that the water quality influences the community, it's that the community then feeds back and influences the water quality." The research will take place both in a lab and in field sites. In the lab, water will circle continuously around a device known as an annular flume, which mimics water moving over a stream bed. The researchers can add the caddisfly larvae collected at area stream sites to the controlled system to measure changes in flow in different situations. They will then test the same ideas in the field within enclosures on Cherry Creek west of Bozeman. The work will combine the two researchers' skill sets. Poole is a veteran researcher who often works in computer modeling of stream networks. Albertson's work with macroinvertebrates and their place within freshwater ecosystems often takes her into the field. "You think about those ideas you wish you could pursue or you wish you had all the skills to accomplish, but most scientists don't have everything and that's why working with someone who has that complementary skill set can be really, really fruitful," Albertson said. ### The victory of former Vice President Joe Biden in Saturdays South Carolina presidential primary is being hailed by the Democratic Party establishment and its allies in the corporate media as a milestone in their joint effort to block the nomination of Senator Bernie Sanders. This celebration may be premature, with Biden expected to perform poorly in the Super Tuesday primaries tomorrow, when Democratic voters in 14 states go to the polls, including California and Texas. Sanders is expected to win a large plurality, if not the majority, of the more than 1,300 delegates to be chosen on March 3. But how Biden prevailed in South Carolina is nonetheless portrayed as an important lesson for the Democratic presidential contest going forward. He ran up a huge margin among African-American voters, who comprise 60 percent of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina, and particularly among older black voters, since Sanders won a majority among black voters under 30, just as he did among young voters as a whole. Joe Biden gestures to Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., at a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 after winning the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) The final push for Biden was spearheaded by Representative James Clyburn, the congressman from the Sixth District of South Carolina for the past 28 years, a senior leader of the Congressional Black Caucus and, as House minority whip, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. Clyburn gave his endorsement to Biden on Wednesday, and half of all black voters in South Carolina, according to exit polls, said that his support had influenced their ultimate choice in the primary. Clyburn was speaking for both the Democratic congressional leadership as a whole and for a specific social layerthe upper-middle class and bourgeois blacks who have made use of identity politics to advance their interests, even while poor and working class blacks continue to face grinding poverty and social misery. In the 2020 primaries, even more so than in 2016, this layer of the black upper-middle class is being mobilized to prop up the Democratic Party establishment against the challenge posed by the Sanders campaign. The influence of figures like Clyburn and an array of lesser black politicians is being used to cut across the appeal to class interests made by Sanders with his (very timid) avowals of democratic socialism, his denunciations of billionaires and his claims to advocate for those struggling to survive from paycheck to paycheckwhich includes the vast majority of the African-American population of South Carolina. Sundays television interview programs were full of speculation that the Biden campaign might be able to use the assistance of other influential black politicians in southern states like Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina to win the primary elections in those states on Tuesday, or at least cut significantly into Sanders lead among convention delegates. Biden himself appeared on four of the five network and cable interview programs to push this narrative. The use of race-based appeals to black working people in South Carolina as a means of blocking Sanders class appeal was so brazen that one black professor, Eddie Glaude Jr. of Princeton, appearing Sunday as a pundit on NBCs Meet the Press program, admitted, I would have never imagined, although I understand the data, that African Americans would in some ways be the firewall for the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. To me, that is just stunning news. At one point it appeared that the most venal layer of black Democratic Party operatives in South Carolina had been swayed by the millions pumped into the state by billionaire Tom Steyer$20 million in all, 18 times what the Biden campaign was able to spend. Several black state legislators endorsed Steyer, and his poll numbers rose. But ultimately the pressure from the Democratic Party establishment prevailed: Biden won 48 percent of the overall vote, compared to only 11 percent for Steyer, who failed to win a single delegate. Every Democratic candidate opposing Sanders has upheld the primacy of racial politics in one form or another. This was made plain in last Tuesdays debate in Charleston, South Carolina. Senator Amy Klobucharwhose record as a district attorney included railroading innocent young black men to prisonpostured as an opponent of racism in the criminal justice system. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who oversaw racist attacks by his police force, declared his sympathy with poor black rural residents. Steyer chimed in, declaring, Every single policy area in the United States has a gigantic subtext of race. Elizabeth Warren had gone further than any other candidate in an earlier debate. On February 7 in New Hampshire, she declared herself in favor of race-conscious laws, supposedly to rectify past injustices, and she repeated a variant of that formulation in the debate in South Carolina. When Warrens remark in New Hampshire came under attack on the grounds that race-conscious laws were the essence of Jim Crow segregation in the South prior to the civil rights movement, she received support from a revealing corner: Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project. This is the effort by the New York Times to reframe the entire history of the United States as the working out of black-white racial conflict. It denigrates the American Revolution as a revolt of the slaveholders against British-backed plans for emancipation, and dismisses the Civil War, in which hundreds of thousands of white Americans gave their lives in a war to destroy slavery, claiming that blacks fought for their freedom largely alone. Hannah-Jones tweeted in defense of Warrens support for race-conscious laws, writing, race-conscious laws to discriminate are different than race-conscious laws to address centuries of said discrimination. It is no wonder that the 1619 Project entirely ignores the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement: Kings goal was to build a multi-racial movement against injustice and oppression, fighting for racial and social equality, not the establishment of special privileges for a section of upper class blacks in return for their services in maintaining the suppression of the vast majority of working class blacks. The author of that policy, which he called black capitalism, although it was ultimately given the less obnoxious title affirmative action, was Richard Nixon. The political strategy of the Democratic leadership is evidently to attempt to re-create the electoral base of its defeated candidate in 2016, Hillary Clinton, as well as its victorious right-wing candidates for Congress for a series of Republican-held seats in 2018. That strategy focuses on obtaining a heavy turnout of minority voters, long the main popular base of the Democratic Party, together with an appeal to upscale suburban voters, particularly women. In the 2020 primaries, the intent is to consolidate the moderate wing of the Democratic Party around Biden. This process that is now underway, with the withdrawal first of Steyer, who quit the race Saturday night after gaining zero delegates from his quarter-billion-dollar investment, followed by the announcement Sunday night that former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is suspending his presidential campaign. Sanders himself has no answer to these political maneuvers. While the mass support for his campaign shows an important shift to the left among millions of youth and working people, for whom his identification with socialism is a positive attraction, Sanders seeks to trap his supporters within the framework of the Democratic Party, an institution of the capitalist ruling class that is unshakably committed to the defense of Wall Street and American imperialism. The struggle to unite the working class across all lines of race, gender, national origin and sexual orientation can go forward only through a revolt against the entire structure of two-party politics in America, which is completely controlled by the ruling elite. The working class must establish its political independence from the Democratic Party and every other political representative of big business. That is the purpose of the Socialist Equality Party campaign in the 2020 elections. Our candidates, Joseph Kishore for president and Norissa Santa Cruz for vice president, fight to unite the working class, not only within the United States, but internationally, in a common struggle against world capitalism and the capitalist ruling elite, on the basis of a socialist program. For information on the SEP presidential election campaign and to get involved, visit socialism2020.org/townhall. The States chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan has defended the HSEs handling of the countrys first confirmed case of the coronavirus which has forced the closure of a Dublin secondary school on infection control grounds. More than 400 students of Scoil Chaitriona in Glasnevin, Co Dublin are today beginning two weeks off after public health officials ordered it to shut to prevent the spread of the disease. Dr Holohan again declined to identify the school or the individual patient, pointing out that confidentiality must be maintained so that the public would feel confident about coming forward if they thought they might have contracted the virus. However, Read More: Breaking: Scoil Catriona in Glasnevin closed for 14 days after a case of Covid-19 identified in a person in the school #iestaff pic.twitter.com/3xP3u2Cddb Daniel McConnell (@McConnellDaniel) March 1, 2020 A series of measures had been outlined to parents of pupils at the school urging the students to limit their social interaction and not to attend social gatherings. The HSE will hold a public meeting on Monday evening for parents who will also be texted daily to check on symptoms so there can be immediate action and follow up if necessary. Dr Holohan said he understood the impact this could have on families in terms of parents having to take off work if necessary to care for their child, it was a decision that had not been taken lightly. We felt this was a proportionate measure, in the event that someone else becomes ill, they can be diagnosed quickly. However, he said that other steps that have been taken by sport clubs cancelling training (near the school in question) were not necessary. The HSE will find ways to work with all organisations to help provide a response that is proportionate, he added. Dr Holohan warned that social media had highlighted concerns that had no basis in fact. Anyone with access to social media, has access to www.hse.ie for accurate information. Some of the information being shared on social media was completely false and inaccurate and the public should rely only on trusted sources. Dr Holohan said this was a fast changing situation and it was difficult to predict what might be of concern in 10 days time, such as large gatherings like the St Patricks Day parade. The chief medical officer was also adamant that the country has sufficient isolation rooms, but pointed out that most people who had been infected elsewhere had experienced only a mild infection. When asked about the possibility of people being infected a second time, Dr Holohan said this was an open scientific question as there was much still unknown about the virus. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday declined to refer to a larger 7-judge bench a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 on August 5 last year. A 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice N V Ramana said there were no reasons to refer the matter to a larger bench. NGO, People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association and an intervenor had sought referring of the matter to a larger bench on the ground that two judgements of the apex court -- Prem Nath Kaul versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1959 and Sampat Prakash versus Jammu and Kashmir in 1970 -- which dealt with the issue of Article 370 were conflicted each other and therefore, the current bench of five judges could not hear the issue. Disagreeing with the petitioners, the bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, B R Gavai and Surya Kant, said it was of the opinion that "there is no conflict between the judgements". "The plea of the counsel (of PUCL, the bar association and the intervenor) to refer the present matter to a larger bench on this ground is, therefore, rejected," the top court. The apex court also did not agree with the contention that judgement in the Prem Nath Kaul case was not considered by the top court in its subsequent verdict in the Sampat Prakash matter. The petitioners had contended that as the decision in the Kaul case was not considered in the subsequent judgement, the latter verdict was "per incuriam" or wrongly decided. The bench said, "At the cost of repetition, we note that the rule of per incuriam being an exception to the doctrine of precedents is only applicable to the ratio of the judgment. The same having an impact on the stability of the legal precedents must be applied sparingly, when there is an irreconcilable conflict between the opinions of two co-ordinate benches. "However, as indicated above there are no contrary observations made in the Sampat Prakash case to that of Prem Nath Kaul, accordingly, the case of Sampat Prakash is not per incuriam." Article 370: 5 judge Constitution bench of the SC held that there is no need of setting up a larger bench @NewIndianXpress kanusarda (@sardakanu_TNIE) March 2, 2020 The apex court further said that "in light of the aforesaid discussion, we do not see any reason to refer these petitions to a larger bench on the questions considered". A number of petitions have been filed in the apex court including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists and political parties and they have also challenged the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which splits J&K into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. After the order was pronounced, some of the lawyers appearing in the matter requested the bench to fix a date for the hearing of the main matter. The bench said that schedule of hearing on the batch of petitions challenging the validity of abrogation of the provision of Article 370 would depend on the hearing by a 9-judge bench in the Sabarimala case, which is expected to start after the Holi break. In context: While the novel coronavirus is spreading across the world, China, the source of the outbreak, has suffered most. The virus has killed almost 3,000 people in the country and has been especially bad in Wenzhou and Hubei, where some Apple employees have been left stranded. But the company is trying to help its workers get through the ordeal by sending them care packages that include iPads. According to Chinese social network Weibo (spotted by MacRumors), Apple sent employees stranded in Wenzhou and Hubei gift packages made up of face masks, hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes, coffee, tea, and food. They even include a new 10.2-inch iPad, which Apple says can be used to facilitate childrens online learning or to help pass the time at home. Apple also enclosed a letter, which was addressed to employees. Dear Colleagues in Hubei and Wenzhou, We hope this note finds you heathy (sic.) and well. Since the last communication with you, we understand that you are all staying strong in this challenging time. We understand the difficulties you are facing and would like to provide our best support to you and your families. Hubei and the city of Wuhan have been hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, which has now claimed 2,835 lives in China. We are sending our best wishes to you, on behalf of the entire Apple Team, together with another CareKit for you and your families. In the kit, you will find comfort items and an iPad which can be used to facilitate children's online learning or help pass the time during the prolonged stay at home. In addition, a series of counselling and consultation services have been prepared especially for you to help you through this time. While over half of Apples stores have reopened on reduced hours in China, many companies are telling their staff to stay at home. CEO Tim Cook feels that the situation in the country is improving, and noted that some of the factories manufacturing its devices were reopening. "It feels to me that China is getting the coronavirus under control. I mean you look at the numbers, they're coming down day by day by day. And so I'm very optimistic there," he told Fox Business. The company has warned, however, that the impact of the virus means Apple will fall short of its revenue guidance. Fears over the novel coronavirus have seen GDC postponed and Facebooks F8 conference and MWC canceled. It could also cause the PC market to shrink by 8.8 percent. UPDATE: Man caught in vigilantes predator sting video charged with luring, attempted sex assault Authorities in Ocean County are investigating the authenticity of a YouTube video that shows a man posing as a teen girl online and then confronting the suspected child predator with whom he had been chatting. In the nine-minute video posted Sunday, the host of the YouTube channel Minority vs. Predator meets up with a man at a Five Guys restaurant in Toms River. He describes in the video how he had previously pretended to be a 14-year-old girl in exchanges on the social media app Skout. The host, named Minnow, reads aloud lewd messages between the two before they make plans to eat lunch and go to a hotel room. The video was being shared Monday on numerous social media sites, and had over 38,000 views Monday evening. Toms River police spokeswoman Jillian Messina directed questions about the video to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, which is investigating the incident. She warned that such "To Catch a Predator-style videos can be unsafe for those that arent trained law enforcement. To Catch a Predator was a part of the "Dateline NBC news show that ran from 2004 to 2007, during which host Chris Hansen confronted on camera suspects who arrived at a house thinking they were meeting an underage female for sex. We always appreciate the assistance from the public, however, some matters can be extremely dangerous and should be handled by professionals, Messina said. In a statement, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said that any probe into criminal activity should be left to police, not the public, to avoid compromising investigations. "They can also find themselves in a very dangerous situation. Please leave criminal investigations to the professionals, Billhimer said in a statement. Upon arriving at the Five Guys, the vigilante YouTuber approaches the man, who is sitting at a table with a chocolate milkshake. "Listen, Im not a cop. Im not here to hurt you. I just want to have a conversation with you, okay? So what are you doing here today? the host asks before saying he wants to interview the man as part of a psychological study. The man says that he was supposed to be meeting up with a girl who is underage. "I didnt pressure her. Im not a sicko, the man says as he exits the building. My mother died last year in December. And I feel like Im on a downward spiral ever since she passed away. Ive done nothing but eat, do drugs, and be a philanderer. Asked what he wouldve done had a real teenager arrived, the man said he wouldnt "pressure anyone into sexual activity and it would have to be consensual. Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Idahoans who visit our United States Capitol Building may have seen Idahos contributions to the collection of statues donated by each state to honor people notable in each states history. Rooms and halls of the Capitol are adorned with this collection of statues. Idaho has given statues of two notable IdahoansGeorge Laird Shoup and William Edgar Borahthat pay tribute to the service of these esteemed individuals and represent the many Idahoans who are part of our state and nations deep history. If you are planning to travel to Washington, D.C., this spring or summer to see the many area attractions, now is not too early to plan and request tours. Washington, D.C., is a popular tourist destination at all times of year, but March through June are especially busy times for tours. People from all over the world visit our capital in the spring. Information is available on my website, at www.crapo.senate.gov/services/visiting-dc, that includes a list of sites and tour tips. Most tours can be scheduled and conducted on your own, but some require reservations through a congressional office. You may fill out a tour request form on my website to request Capitol, White House, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Department of the Treasury tours. The White House limits the number of daily visitors. Our chances improve significantly with more advance notice. If possible, please give more than three months notice for White House tours, and three months notice for Treasury tours. One to three months minimum notice is encouraged for Capitol and FBI tours. Similar advance notice is encouraged for Library of Congress and Bureau of Engraving and Printing for tours scheduled between April and September. The Washington Monument, Capitol building, and the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials are obvious attractions, as they are easily visible upon arrival. However, sightseers can see many fascinating parts of our history beyond the main attractions. Visitors with comfortable shoes can walk along the National Mall stopping at various Smithsonian buildings and nearby sites, including the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and memorials honoring our nations servicemembers. The memorials include the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, Korean War Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial. Many buildings of the Smithsonian border the National Mall. Entry is free to all Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and this immense museum has no shortage of remarkable exhibits to peruse. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only Smithsonian museum requiring tickets during certain peak times and seasons, and groups are required to have passes every day during peak and off-peak seasons. Timed-entry passes can be reserved through the museums website, nmaahc.si.edu/visit/passes. Arlington Cemetery is a short drive or Metro ride across the Potomac River. Visitors can watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In addition, many Civil War battlefields, including Bull Run/Manassas, Antietam and Fredericksburg, are less than one hour away. Mount Vernon, George Washingtons home, is just 15 miles south of downtown Washington, and Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, is located near Charlottesville, Virginia. Washington is also home to many art galleries, including the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Corcoran Gallery. These are just some of the many capital-area attractions. Washington, D.C., is a beautiful city with a lot of history, notable architecture, impressive museums, political landmarks and family-friendly activities. Please contact me if you have questions and need help arranging tours. I look forward to seeing you in our nations capital. Mike Crapo represents Idaho in the U.S. Senate. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A man who stabbed Victorian grandmother Karen Ashcroft in the heart with a hunting knife after a party claimed he "had to do it". Ben Wardlaw had been staring at the 52-year-old woman for long periods during the gathering at a Maryborough house, near Ballarat, in May 2018. Ben Wardlaw. Credit:Facebook During the party he had been using ice and was described as "quiet, withdrawn, distant and agitated" before he attacked the beloved grandmother. As Ms Ashcroft went to leave, Wardlaw stabbed her through the heart with an orange-handled knife hed concealed in his left hand. Each of our four days in the counties of Donegal, Sligo and Mayo included plenty of fresh air and walking pursuits rewarded with comfortable chairs, warm fires and equally warming beverages. Would we have seen more and done more if wed been there in August? Probably. But I bet we would have also spent more time checking off must-see boxes, and less time checking in with each other easier to do on a long, uncrowded walk or in a quiet pub. Total of 130 coronavirus cases confirmed in France In Paris, the Louvre Museum remained closed whereas the Paris half-marathon, set to take place today, was also canceled. France reported 130 cases of coronavirus Sunday evening, a rise from 100 cases recorded earlier in the day. The announcement was made at a media briefing by Director General of Health Jerome Salomon at 4:00 p.m. (1500GMT). NINE IN CRITICAL CONDITION Some 116 of the reported ill are hospitalized, nine of those in serious clinical situations. Previously, 12 cases had been cured, whereas two people died from the virus, also known as COVID-19. The cases stretch across the French Republic, from Paris to the Oise region in the north to the Caribbean island territories, with three cases reported in Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin. One of the more notable patients is the mayor of La-Balme-de-Sillingy in the Haute-Savoie, an Alpine region in the east, where 13 people are infected. Mayor Francois Daviet announced his infection on Facebook, saying that he would be moving to a hospital. Strict measures have been taken in the Haute-Savoie as well as in Oise, another center of France's outbreak, where there are 47 cases. "We are doing everything to slow development, and protect areas with little or no impact," Salomon said. The government has banned gatherings in a confined environment of more than 5,000 people, and only in open environments under certain conditions. It has also recommended the postponement of all non-essential travel (specifically outside the EU) and of excessive social interaction if returning from an area where the disease is in circulation. Hosts Bengal tightened their grip over the Ranji Trophy semifinal by reducing Karnataka to 98 for three after setting them a stiff 352-run target on day three of the contest, here on Monday. Resuming the day at 72 for four, Bengal could manage just 161 but the massive 190-run first innings lead meant that Karnataka now have a mountain to climb. Anustup Majumdar, who staged a fourth rescue-act this season with an unbeaten 149 in the first innings, hit a combative 41 in Bengal's second innings amid yet another batting collapse. Bengal, who won their previous Ranji title during Sourav Ganguly's debut season in 1989-90, would go for the kill to make their first final in 13 years. They had lost to Mumbai by 132 runs in their last final appearance in 2007. Karnataka have already lost their top-order and they have to produce a superlative batting effort to score the required 254 runs in the remaining two days of the match. KL Rahul (0) was dismissed by a peach of a delivery by the first-innings hero Ishan Porel. Fresh from three half-centuries and one century in the limited overs series in New Zealand, Rahul offered no shot and chose to leave the delivery outside the line but it swung in sharply to have him plumb in front. As Karnataka lost their star player in the second ball of their innings with the scorecard reading zero, the 21-year-old pacer was thumping his chest in jubilation. On a pitch which has slowed down and ball has turned soft, Karnataka duo of R Samarth and Paddikal put up a 57-run partnership after the fall of Rahul. Bengal broke the partnership overturning the umpire's decision with a successful review from the bowling of Akash Deep who had Samarth plumb in front. Mukesh Kumar dismissed Karun Nair (6) as all the three pacer had a share of one wicket each at the close of day three. The 19-year-old Padikkal remained unbeaten on 50 in company of Manish Pandey (11). Earlier, Sudip Chatterjee (45) was Bengal's top scorer in their second innings, while Majumdar and all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed (31) continued their fine form in a 61-run partnership to prop up their overall lead after a familiar top-order collapse. Mithun bagged 4/23 and was their most impressive bowler, while Ronit More (2/56) dismissed Chatterjee and Shreevats Goswami off successive deliveries. Majumdar was initially lucky and survived on 10 overturning a decision with successful review. An inside edge narrowly missed the stump when he was on 21. But he broke free in the next ball with back-to-back boundaries pulling More, while Shahbaz also got into rhythm as the duo frustrated the Karnataka bowlers. Krishnappa Gowtham (3/15) gave the breakthrough dismissing Ahmed and Bengal innings folded in 34 balls after lunch. Brief Scores: Bengal 312 and 161; 54.4 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 45, Anustup Majumdar 41, Shahbaz Ahmed 31; Abhimanyu Mithun 4/23, Krishnappa Gowtham 3/15). Karnataka 122 and 98/3; 38 overs (Devdutt Paddikkal 50 batting). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Last month, Apples CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Apple will be opening its first retail store in India in 2021. The company had been trying to get the necessary approval from the Indian government for the last few years but only managed to succeed now. As it turns out, the White House lobbied for Apple which paved the way for the company to officially have a retail presence in the country. In an interview with Fox News, Tim Cook revealed this saying that the company had wanted to enter the market for years but could not do so without a partner. However, since Apple wanted control over its brand, it decided not to do so. Finally, the Trump administration worked with the Indian government and lobbied on Apples behalf to make this possible. I see India as a huge opportunity for us, for years we could not enter there unless we entered there with a partner [] and we did not want to do that, we wanted to maintain control of our brand and so forth, he said. The administration worked on this with the Indian government and that change has been made, he said. President Donald Trump had met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India last week where they held trade talks. The president also shares a close relationship with Apples CEO Tim Cook which probably helped the companys case here. Despite their close ties, Trump has publicly lashed out at Apple many times before for various reasons. [Via Business Insider A mother who suffered from post-natal depression after a forceps delivery left her with both physical and emotional scars has revealed how the trauma left her terrified of going through labour again. Ashleigh, 26, from Lancashire, was filmed giving birth to her second son, Hughey, for tonight's The Maternity Ward on 5Star, which follows expectant mothers at the Royal Preston Hospital. The dance teacher explained in tonight's premiere that she went through post-natal depression following the birth of her first son, Blakeley, two, after he required forceps to be born, which left her with several stitches. To add to her trepidation, Ashleigh was told she had a 50 percent chance of experiencing post-natal depression again, especially if the birth was difficult. In powerful scenes, an exhausted Ashleigh was filmed in one of the hospital's birthing pools, begging the midwifes for an epidural, but it was too late and she had to work through the pain in order to deliver her baby. Ashleigh, 26, from Lancashire, was filmed giving birth to her second son, Hughey, for tonight's The Maternity Ward on 5Star, which follows expectant mothers at the Royal Preston Hospital. Pictured: Ashleigh with her second son Hughey Ashleigh (pictured during delivery) went through intense amounts of pain in order to have a water birth without an epidural Ashleigh had to go through several hours of contractions on a hospital bed, in order to become dilated enough for birth. Then, she moved on to the inflated pool in her room. Once submerged in the water, Ashleigh's baby was yet to pass through her birth canal, the most painful part of labour. Delivery suite manager Emma, who accompanied Ashleigh through her birth, told the camera: 'There's a misconception that pushing is really easy, that it's really quick, the baby just comes flying out. But it really isn't like that. 'Pushing is an incredible amount of effort and it's really hard.' Ashleigh's partner Adam rushed in for a kiss after she's delivered their second child and cried tears of relief In tonight's show, Ashleigh revealed her first son Blakely, two, had to be delivered with forceps, which left her with several stitches In the suite, Emma did her best to give Ashleigh much-needed encouragement. 'You're amazing, you've crossed so any hurdles today, haven't you,' she said. 'You've grown this baby, you can give birth to this baby.' Eventually, with one last push, Ashleigh delivered Hughey, who reached the surface of the water as his crying mother welcomed him in her arms. Ashleigh could be seen powering through the pain during her water birth in hospital, accompanied by her mother and husband Adam After nine hours of labour, Ashleigh was able to hold her son Hughey for a well-earned cuddle Ashleigh, who was exhausted after nine hours of labour, kept repeating, both to her birthing team, her husband, her mother and herself 'I did it,' while tears of relief and joy poured down her face. In the days leading up to her second trip to the delivery room, Ashleigh, spoke about her difficult birth with her first son, Blakely. 'He entered the world with forceps, so I ended up with quite a lot of stitches afterwards and I still find it quite traumatic,' she said. 'I probably didn't realise for about six months after the birth that it affected me so much. Adam teared up as he recalled how Ashleigh did not want to see their son during her battle with post-natal depression 'I found myself a lot of times starring at nothing, not enjoying anything, I wanted to stay in bed.' 'It felt at times like there was a wall between us,' she said of her son, 'I loved him, but I didn't want to be with him. I felt he didn't like me, and everything I did he just wanted to go to someone else,' she explains. 'So I booked myself into the doctor's and she said straight away "I think you have post-natal depression",' she explained. Her husband Adam, a warehouse worker, who lived with Ashleigh throughout the ordeal, couldn't help but tear up as he recounted her darkest days. 'She was, I mean it's not nice to say, but she was getting angry. I felt like some days she was getting over stressed out by the littlest things,' he explained. 'And she felt bad in herself,' he added, his voice cracking. 'She shouldn't have felt like that, 'cause it was towards Blakely.' The Maternity Wars airs tonight at 9pm on 5Star. Check out what is on the news today: Politics -- A Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung had working trips to the UK and India from February 23 to March 1 to boost cooperation in economy, trade, and investment. Society -- Can Tho International Airport on Sunday received three flights with 618 passengers, including 85 from the COVID-19 epidemic areas of Daegu and North Gyeongsang in South Korea. The flights were re-directed to Can Tho instead of Tan San Nhat International Airport to share the pressure with the Ho Chi Minh City-based airport when the number of tourists from South Korea to Vietnam has spiked. -- In the first two months of this year, the Dong Trieu bus company in the south-central province of Binh Dinh offered many free rides to cancer patients from Ho Chi Minh City to Binh Dinh. The owner of the bus company says what he did derives from his understanding of the burden those patients have to carry, judged by his familys experience. -- A medical equipment supplier on Sunday donated many medical items to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, including 30,000 face masks, 1,000 medical protective suits, and five machines for monitoring patients to help the city combat with COVID-19. -- The Vasco da Gama cruise ship carrying nearly 700 tourists from the UK, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden aboard on Sunday arrived at a port in Phu My Town, located in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau. All passengers had their body temperature measured and were asked to wash their hands before carrying out immigration procedures. Business -- Despite being affected by COVID-19, China is still the largest export market of Ho Chi Minh City enterprises, with export turnover reaching US$1.2 billion in the first two months of this year, a 22.5-percent increase year on year, according to the Statistics Office of Ho Chi Minh City. -- Ho Chi Minh City licensed 4,103 businesses with a total registered capital of VND52,512 billion ($2.2 million) from January 1 to February 15. The number of licenses rose by 0.3 percent compared to the same period last year, but the capital went down sharply by 42.1 percent. Lifestyle -- Famous Vietnamese painter Tran Luu Hau passed away on the evening of February 29 at his home in Hanoi, aged 92 years old. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Nine is estimated to inject about $5 million a year into AAP, while News Corp gives about $10 million, according to sources familiar with the arrangements. AAP, which is owned by newspaper publishers, provides a range of services to media companies including newswires, subediting, photography and directories. Its shareholders are facing their own financial challenges with conditions in the advertising market the toughest since the global financial crisis, and competition from global digital giants for audiences intensifying. On Monday Mr Davidson convened an urgent board meeting with representatives from AAP shareholders, including Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Nine Entertainment Co, the owner of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, to determine the service's future. It came after this masthead revealed as many as 180 jobs could be culled from AAP - the entirety of its editorial operations - amid pressure from shareholders. Australian Associated Press chief executive Bruce Davidson has been in talks with private investors about acquiring some of the 85 year old agency's operations as its core newswire service faces closure. Seven West Media and Australian Community Media are minority shareholders, the latter contributing about $1 million a year. Other organisations like Guardian Australia and SBS pay a smaller amount in subscription fees. Stockbroker John Murray confirmed he was in talks with Mr Davidson and other investors about potential deals involving certain AAP divisions including its directories business and content studio, but not its newswire. "Bruce is a fabulous operator and a great entrepreneur. We have been in discussions with Bruce for a long time and are willing to back any plans that he has for parts of the business," Mr Murray said. Mr Murray, who works for brokerage house Aitken Murray, is no stranger to media deal-making after recently selling Sydney club rugby television rights to Rugby Australia. Mr Davidson on Monday sent an email to reassure staff, claiming the reports of mass job cuts and potential AAP closure were speculative. "The speculation today is just that, and I ask that you rely on information provided by AAP management in regard to this matter," Mr Davidson said. "Please be assured that I and the senior management team at AAP will communicate any change on the status of AAP if and when that is appropriate." The outcome of Monday's board meeting is unknown but multiple senior media industry sources have told the Herald and Age the AAP newswire operation will be shuttered. "We'd like to wait and see the detail out of the announcement and I'd like to see whether there are opportunities that come out of that that we may be able to partner with other people in," Australian Community Media chief executive Allen Williams said. More than 12,000 kilometres of Australia's sandy beaches are threatened by coastal erosion by the end of the century, with greater losses predicted if greenhouse gas emissions remain high. The projections, made by European researchers and published in Nature Climate Change on Tuesday, used satellite data that tracked shoreline change from 1984 to 2015. They found a "substantial proportion" of the world's sandy coastline is already eroded, a trend that could worsen as climate change pushes up sea levels. Australia's coastline has already seen significant areas of retreat in recent years, such as at Inverloch, in Victoria. Credit:Google News Lab Under a "moderate" effort to curb emissions - with carbon pollution peaking at 2040 and then declining - at least 12,324 kilometres of Australia's sandy coast will be threatened with erosion by 2100. That tally is the most of any nation, and would amount to about 40 per cent of the country's sandy beaches. Should greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise through the century - the so-called 8.5 Representative Concentration Pathway - Australia's sandy coastline at risk increases to 15,439 kilometres, the paper said. Chandigarh, March 2 : Punjab Police have arrested seven accused, including three most wanted gangsters, in a spate of heinous crimes after an over two-month long, 1,500-km chase spread over four states, the state police chief said on Monday. Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said the the gangster trio were arrested from Sojat in Rajasthan's Pali district after a tip-off of the local police. The trio -- Harman Bhullar, Balraj Singh and Harwinder Sandhu, members of a gang led by US-based Pavittar Singh -- had been changing their locations and creating various fake identities while being on the run across Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The gang was involved in cases of extortion, attempt to murder, murder, rioting, etc, he said. While Bhullar was allegedly involved in eight criminal cases, Balraj Singh was wanted in 10 and Sandhu in three cases. Coming close on the heels of the arrest of another noted gangster Buddha from Armenia, these arrests showed a large number of gangsters-criminals had moved out of Punjab, the DGP added. The chase of criminals, which started from Amritsar on January 28, culminated on March 1 as a result of the perfect inter-state coordination and cooperation of the four states, he said. Finally, after one of the longest chases covering a distance of over 1,500 km, they were arrested with the help of Rajasthan Police. The breakthrough regarding their movement came when Ranbir Singh was admitted to the PGI in Chandigarh on February 23 after having accidentally shooting himself with a country-made weapon. The subsequent investigations led to revelation of the weapon being provided by Bhullar and his associates through Harry Bajwa of Chandigarh. Bajwa, who provided a house to the accused in Chandigarh where they stayed two months, has also been arrested. The arrest of the three criminals further led to arrest of two of their associates -- Gurpreet Singh and Gurwinder Singh -- from Uttarakhand from Monday. Melbourne: Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been accused of making "brazen" and "offensive" comments about Hinduism and other Indian religions in Parliament, according to media reports. Last week, Liberal Party leader Frydenberg made repeated references to Hinduism and other Indian religions while criticising the Opposition Labor Party's idea of potentially pursuing a New Zealand-style "wellbeing budget", 9News reported on Sunday. "They (Labor) are inspired by their spiritual leader, the member for Rankin (Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers)," Frydenberg was quoted as saying by the report. "I was thinking yesterday, as the member for Rankin was coming into the chamber fresh from his Ashram deep in the mountains of the Himalayas barefoot in the chamber, robes flowing, incense burning, beads in one hand, wellbeing budget in the other, I thought to myself: 'What yoga position the member for Rankin would assume ... to deliver the first wellbeing budget?'' The Hindu Council of Australia on Saturday night described the treasurer's comments as "brazen, racist and Hindu-phobic", the report said. "The comments made by Frydenberg are derisive and very offensive to the Hindu community," the council said in a statement posted on Facebook, calling on Frydenberg to re-think the statements he made and urged the Liberal Party to consider where it stands on the comments. The Universal Society of Hinduism urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to censure the treasurer. However, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann defended Frydenberg by sharing statements on Twitter from other groups, including the Confederation of Indian Australian Association and the Federation of Indian Associations Victoria, both of which said "no apology" was needed, Australian Associated Press reported. Cormann, addressing Labor, said Frydenberg "appropriately used humour to make a serious point". "The joke is on you @KKeneally & @JEChalmers. @JoshFrydenberg appropriately used humour to make a serious point. Labor can't hide its economically harmful high taxing, high spending, anti-business agenda behind its silly wellbeing budget diversion," Cormann tweeted. Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally said she doesn't think Frydenberg is a racist or a bad person, but that he "exhibited bad judgment". "What I would encourage from Frydenberg today is to read and reflect on the call from the Hindu Council of Australia to consider his actions and fix this mess he has created," she told reporters in Sydney on Sunday. "I would expect Frydenberg to do the right thing." Labor MP Michelle Rowland also slammed Frydenberg for his statements deemed by many Australian Hindus as offensive. "Hindu Australians deserve our respect - not cheap jokes on the floor of the House of Representatives," Rowland tweeted. On Monday, in the House of Representatives, Rowland said she would not let the "offensive" comments "go unchecked". "As a regular feature as my role as the member for Greenway, I spend time with several hundred Australians of Hindu faith every week," she said. The global coronavirus outbreak has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths worldwide, dramatically depressing stock markets and sending public officials scrambling to contain the virus. Amid this turmoil, company leaders are facing strategic and operational challenges that likely need to be disclosed in company reporting. But what are they reporting, and how are they reporting it? Here are some examples from public documents filed with the SEC. Yum! Brands: In its annual report filed Feb. 20, the operator of brands such as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, Yum! listed health concerns arising from coronavirus among the risk factors that may have an adverse effect on the business. The company has a significant number of KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in China operated by its franchisee, Yum China. Many of our restaurants located within mainland China have been temporarily closed, have shortened operating hours and/or have otherwise been adversely affected by the impact of the coronavirus, and these developments have also impacted the ability of Yum Chinas suppliers to provide food and needed supplies at our Concepts restaurants in mainland China, the company reported. Other franchisees, including those in Hong Kong and Taiwan, also have experienced significant sales declines, according to the reporting. The company wrote that it is unable to accurately predict how the coronavirus will affect the results of its operations because the diseases severity and the duration of the outbreak are uncertain. However, while it is premature to accurately predict the ultimate impact of these developments, we expect our results for the quarter ending March 31, 2020, to be significantly impacted with potential continuing, adverse impacts beyond March 31, 2020, the company wrote. The Senate leader and the states most powerful Republican throws around words such as socialized medicine and dire predictions that the federal government wont keep its promises. In mid-February, WRAL found that 57% of people polled agree with Cooper that North Carolina should expand Medicaid as 37 other states already have. That percentage is down from some polls last summer, mostly because of those GOP scare tactics. But it still shows strong popular support. Cooper also believes that North Carolina must continue to work to improve pay and conditions for teachers. The quality of education for children depends upon that support, he argues, and hes right. But when they passed their budget last summer, Republicans decided that it was more important to give businesses another tax cut than to give schools and teachers more money. After Cooper vetoed that budget, they came up with a mini budget in November offering an average 3.9% raise for teachers over two years, but Cooper did some heel-digging himself with another veto. He favors teacher raises more in the range of 9%. The only thing on the minds of the staff and students in the school hit with a case of coronavirus, the wider education community and the population as whole, is the health and safety of all involved. The disruption to the students' education takes second place and, even looking at it from that perspective, two weeks out of school is not the end of the world. Of course, exam students will have specific concerns, particularly with the orals and practicals coming up, and education authorities will address any concerns that may arise. It is understood that Education Minister Joe McHugh has been in touch with the principal of the school and assured her that whatever supports are needed will be made available. The unprecedented nature of this, the shock it has caused and the sudden decision to close the school means that what happens next has to be worked through. The practical issues for an individual school include whether it is possible to support pupils' learning at home during an enforced closure, presuming, obviously, both teachers and students are well. Technology can help here, but, with the school closed and everyone asked to restrict their movements, if communication was reliant on the use of personal email addresses, it may depend on arrangements for online contacts between teachers and pupils outside the school. A school's closure also raises practical issues for the family if a parent has to take time off work because a child is not at school. The inescapable issue now for Mr McHugh and the education authorities is what happens if events determine that widespread school closures are required, mandated by the Government to minimise the risk of cross-infection. And not only schools, but pre-schools and higher education institutions. Could Ireland's education system be facing the sort of shutdown that has been seen elsewhere? In China, where coronavirus first emerged, school closures on the mainland have seen nearly 200 million students doing online classes from home for weeks - and with no end in sight. In Hong Kong, schools have been closed for more than a month and will remain shut until after Easter, at least. In Japan, where there is a big worry that coronavirus could hit the Tokyo Olympics in the summer, the prime minister asked all schools to close for a month from today. Lebanon has asked all schools, universities and nurseries to close for a week as a precautionary measure. In Singapore and South Korea, schools have stayed open, to date at least, but they are taking elaborate precautions including checking temperatures and requiring parents to test children at home. Enemy troops shelled Ukrainian positions near the Maryinka checkpoint, using a portable anti-tank missile launcher. Russia-led forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, mounted 19 attacks on Ukrainian positions on February 29, as a result of which two members of Ukraine's Joint Forces (JFO) were wounded in action, and another one sustained combat-related injuries. They used proscribed weapons, namely 120mm and 82mm mortars, as well as a portable anti-tank missile launcher, grenade launchers of various systems, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a morning update on March 1. Read alsoRussia-led forces attack JFO positions near Maryinka checkpoint in Donbas A pair of enemy snipers were reportedly working there too. Ukrainian positions near the Maryinka checkpoint were shelled with the use of a portable anti-tank missile launcher, the JFO HQ said. Since Sunday midnight, Russia-led forces have already fired two 82mm mortar shells. They also used grenade launchers and heavy machine guns to attack Ukrainian soldiers defending the village of Pisky. No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported since then. (CNN) Electronics manufacturers face weeks of delays in parts shipments because of coronavirus. That could affect the availability of a number of tech products down the road. Roughly 65 percent of electronics makers reported suppliers told them that the coronavirus outbreak will result in shipment delays, according to a survey released this week by electronics trade group IPC. Most expect the delays to last four to six weeks. IPC surveyed its members about coronavirus last week and compiled the report based on 150 respondents. Those companies include suppliers, manufacturers and sellers of products ranging from electric lawn mowers or cars to smartphones or cable boxes. "Many US and European-based manufacturers rely on inputs from China in order to produce finished goods in their domestic factories," the report states. "Delays in these inputs result in delays in production of finished goods." Coronavirus wreaked havoc on financial markets this week as fears mounted that the disease could become a pandemic. Some companies have warned investors that they could miss financial targets previously set for the quarter. The tech industry is especially vulnerable to issues in China because much of its supply chain and production is centered in the country. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, many Chinese factories and suppliers were forced to remain closed longer than expected following the Chinese New Year holiday, and travel restrictions and quarantines for workers have hampered their ability to quickly return to full capacity. Some survey respondents said they're looking for other countries from which to source supplies, but that process can be long and complicated. Apple told investors last week it will likely miss its revenue projections for the quarter because coronavirus is causing challenges for making and selling iPhones. Microsoft announced Wednesday it also expects to fall short of its quarterly guidance for sales of Windows and Surface laptops because its supply chain is returning to normal at "a slower pace than anticipated." Those announcements, however, likely aren't a reflection of the IPC survey's findings. The survey points to longer-term effects on the industry because electronics manufacturers typically place orders for supplies months in advance of when they actually plan to deliver finished products to the sellers, according to Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at the IPC. It's hard to tell just how significantly the current delays will affect availability of finished tech products in the coming months, DuBravac told CNN Business. "It really depends on a few things: how long the delay goes, if it's extended beyond current expectations and which components are delayed," he said. "The finished product is nothing more than the sum of a lot of individual components, so if even one of those doesn't show up, they can't start manufacturing until they have it." Already, the survey shows most manufacturers anticipate a situation worse than what they're hearing from suppliers. While companies are being told by suppliers to expect, on average, three weeks of delays, most say they're expecting an average of five weeks of delays. Many companies maintain inventories sufficient to sustain them for several weeks, but if the delays continue, that could be an issue that changes what's available to buy on big shopping days later in the year like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday. And the survey found that even if suppliers and manufacturers' factories get back up and running, transportation disruptions caused by coronavirus could extend the time it takes for finished products to make it to consumers. One company responded to the survey saying coronavirus was causing issues for the company's US assembly operations because it relies on Chinese suppliers. "I believe the worst is yet to come," the company's response reads. "Even when the factory gets started, we are very concerned about being able to get product to customers based on the air transportation situation ... We are reliant on logistic carriers which are fully backed up." But DuBravac said the delays are unlikely to affect entire categories of products, but rather just certain models of devices. Companies can respond to supplies shortages by reengineering certain products or by focusing on producing and promoting models for which all of the supplies are available. "I've been talking with electronics manufacturers since the end of January and they were already spinning up resources to monitor it and address it," DuBravac said. "A lot of it is around information capture let me increase the frequency in which I'm talking to my suppliers so I can prepare my downstream customers. At the same time, I'm going to try to find some other suppliers and talk to my customers and see if there's alternatives that they are aware of or are willing to do." This story was first published on CNN.com, "You may have to wait for your next gadget: Electronics makers can't get parts quickly enough." Ghana's Rapper Sarkodie leads nominations for the 21st edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Award (VGMA) to further stamp his authority in Ghana's music scene as one of the best. Nominations for this year's award ceremony were officially released on Saturday with a launch ceremony at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra with performances from Dada Hafco, Fameye and MOG. The main award ceremony is scheduled for May 2 at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC). Prior to that, there would be a nominees' jam at Koforidua on April 4 and a music business seminar to discuss prospects in the music industry at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel on Thursday, April 30, 2020. Sarkodie got nominations in 10 categories, including artiste of the year, in which he is competing with equally hardworking artistes such as Diana Hamilton, Kofi Kinaata, Kuami Eugene and Medikal. He also got nods in rapper of the year, hiplife/hip-hop artiste of the year, hip-hop song of the year, Vodafone most popular song of the year and highlife song of the year with the song 'Saara' which features Efya. His 'Ofeets ' song with Prince Bright was also captured in hiplife song of the year and his 'Black Love' album made it to album of the year, competing with King Promise, Kwesi Arthur, Okyeame Kwame, Kidi, Joe Mettle and Nacee. The other categories are best collaboration of the year and best international collaboration. Sarkodie's works cut across hiplife, highlife, hip-hop and rap which helped him to receive double nominations under a under a category. Kwesi Arthur came close with nine nominations, while Medikal and Kidi also had eight nods each. Kuami Eugene also had seven nominations. Dope Nation and Diana Hamilton had five nominations each to indicate how hard they have worked in 2019. Other nominees include Mr. Eazi, GuiltyBeatz, King Promise, Worlasi, Kofi Mole and more. Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of Charterhouse, Theresa Ayoade, who congratulated all nominees, said she was amazed by the number of new artistes who entered the award this year. She revealed that this year's event would be held under the theme: 'Music First'. Sometimes we get carried away by the drama that surrounds the industry and then we forget the reason why we are here in the first place. So this time, we just want to draw your attention back to the subject matter and why all this. It is because of the music and our love for it. No matter the distractions, let's stay focused on music first. Let's protect the music. She also assured patrons of utmost security this year. We wish to assure our patrons that your safety is our utmost priority and we working hand in hand with our sponsors Vodafone Ghana and the nation's security apparatus to put robust safety and security plan to ensure your security, she indicated. The nominations release event was attended by a number of personalities like Adina, Sista Afia, Mark Okraku Mantey, Bessa Simons, Amandzeba Nat Brew and more. ---Daily Guide Diego Sanchez, 18, of Wauconda, was arrested the night of the incident and was held in the Lake County jail on Monday, the statement added. All three men face charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm, and were being held in lieu of bail between $500,000 and $1 million. A couple seen wearing face masks outside the Parliament House. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE China understood why Singapore had to restrict nationals from the Chinese mainland from travelling to Singapore due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (2 March). The minister was speaking about Singapores decision to ban travellers from China in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Committee of Supply 2020 debate in Parliament. The decision was not an easy one and that the paramount concern was to protect public health in Singapore, Dr Balakrishnan added. After all, we are a densely populated city, state, and we are an international transportation hub. We did not want to import, nor export infection. These stringent measures were necessary in order to prevent the virus from spreading here. Stating that the measures were not directed at any cut specific country nationality or race, Dr Balakrishnan nevertheless said that the government recognised that the travel ban could impact Singapores bilateral relations with China. We therefore gave China heads up before making the public announcement, and we made a special effort to explain why we had to do this, he said. And I spoke to a senior Chinese leader recently, he conveyed China's understanding of the actions that were taken, he added. The decision to suspend the issuance of all forms of new visas to those with China passports came on 31 January. The travel restriction meant that China passport holders not residing in Singapore were barred from entering or transiting through the Republic. New visitors with recent travel history to mainland China were also restricted from entering or transiting through Singapore from 1 February. Said Dr Balakrishnan, I think his exact words (in Chinese) to me were, (We can understand your special circumstances). He added that the Chinese leader had expressed gratitude towards Singapore for the nations efforts in supporting China during the outbreak, including sending testing equipment and test kits, which were developed in Singapore. Story continues We also send personal protective equipment and other medical supplies that were needed because of the sheer scale of the challenges that they were facing. The Singapore Red Cross has also raised more than $6 million for the affected communities across China, he added. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: COVID-19: Singapore confirms four new cases, including Myanmar and Japan nationals 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 President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday emphasised the need to inculcate moral values in as the key objective for students was not just to acquire a degree but become a good human being. He was addressing the 8th convocation ceremony of Guru Ghasidas Central University in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur. "I am happy to see a good number of daughters among the medal winners....Seeing the achievements of daughters, we are confident if given the opportunity, they can excel in any field. This is the picture of a golden India everybody is seeing through daughters today," he said. "The main objective of is not only to get a degree but also to become a good human being. I used to say, one who is a good human and if he is a doctor, then he will be a good doctor, if he is a teacher then he will be a good teacher and if a student then he will be a good student...," he said. A good human being can be a good husband and father, and a good woman will play the role of a good wife, mother and daughter, he added. Learning without moral values is not beneficial for society and teachers should inculcate honesty, discipline, tolerance and respect for the law among students so that they become true citizens, he added. "Today, India is being recognised as a modern and entrepreneurial nation, and for this all, especially our hard-working youth, deserve praise. Because of our hard- working youth, we have set up the largest startup ecosystem and achieved success in areas from technology to space science," he said. Chhattisgarh has a large population of tribals, the president said, and praised Guru Ghasidas Central University for spreading the light of among them. "I have been told Guru Ghasidas Central University is encouraging innovation in education. An 'endangered language school' has been setup in the university to preserve languages that are becoming extinct. Preserving a language is very important as it will ensure protection to our tradition and culture," Kovind said. "During my earlier visit to Chhattisgarh, I interacted with students of Astha Vidya Mandir (in Bastar) established for children of families affected by Naxal-violence and listened to their experiences. I saw their strength of faith and resolution," he said, adding that education would end terror and violence. Governor Anusuiya Uikey and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel were also present on the occasion. During the convocation, 74 gold medals and 76 PhD degrees were conferred on students. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Odessa woman has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a two-vehicle crash that occurred early Saturday morning on State Highway 191, according to a press release from the citys spokeswoman. Marissa Morales Ramos was driving a BMW 320I westbound on SH 191. She was driving at a high rate of speed behind a Chevrolet Silverado, according to the release. The car hit the pickup from behind, causing the pickup to leave the roadway and enter the median between the westbound lanes of travel and the north service road. The pickup began to roll, and Anna Marie Ring of Elbert, Colorado, who was a passenger in the pickup, was ejected, according to the release. She died at the scene. Ramos was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital and was cleared medically to be booked into jail, the spokeswoman said in an email. The pickup driver also was treated for minor injuries and released. The wreck occurred at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday about 1 mile west of State Highway 158. Ring is the eighth person to die on roads in Midland County this year and the third in February, according to Reporter-Telegram records. The number of fatalities year to date has equaled or surpassed the number of people who died year to date through at least 2013, according to Reporter-Telegram records. In 2014 and 2013, eight people had been killed in wrecks on roads in Midland County through the first two months of the year. In 2017, six people had died, in 2019 and 2015, four people had died, and in 2018 and 2016, two people had died, according to Reporter-Telegram records. Hudaydah skies see another Saudi-led drone targeted by Yemeni fighters Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 2:59 PM A drone belonging to the Saudi-led military coalition has been intercepted and targeted by Yemeni forces as it was flying in the skies over the western coastal province of Hudaydah. A local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the drone was shot down while it was on a reconnaissance mission over the besieged city of Durayhimion Sunday afternoon. Yemeni army forces are supported by allied fighters from the Popular Committees. On February 8, they shot down a similar aircraft with a surface-to-air missile in Hudaydah skies. An unnamed Yemeni military official censured the coalition at the time for breaching an agreement reached between the warring sides during a round of UN-sponsored peace negotiations in Sweden in December 2018. Delegates from the Ansarullah movement and representatives loyal to former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi attended the peace negotiations in Rimbo on the outskirts of Stockholm. The talks resulted in the announcement of a breakthrough agreement. The document included three provisions: a ceasefire along the Hudaydah front and the redeployment of armed forces out of the city and its port; an agreement on prisoner exchange; and a statement of understanding on the southern Yemeni city of Ta'izz. Yemeni child killed in Saudi shelling in Sa'ada Also on Sunday, a child lost his life when artillery rounds and mortar shells fired by Saudi forces rained down on residential neighborhoods in the Razih district of the northwestern province of Sa'ada. Separately, Saudi-led warplanes carried out three airstrikes against areas in the northern province of al-Jawf. The warplanes also struck Khaniq area in the province of Nihm. Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing back to power the government of Hadi and crushing Ansarullah. The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past nearly five years. The Saudi-led coalition has been widely criticized for the high civilian death toll from its bombing campaign. The alliance has carried out nearly 20,500 air raids in Yemen, according to the data collected by the Yemen Data Project. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address By Trend Turkey increased its chemical exports to Israel in January 2020, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Trade Ministry. Turkey's exports of chemical products to Israel exceeded $40.8 million in January, 2020, which is 23.47 percent more compared to January 2019. Turkey's total exports of chemical products to the world market amounted to $1.7 billion in January 2020, having increased by 10.6 percent, compared to January 2019. Exports of chemical products accounted for 11.5 percent of Turkey's total exports in January 2020. Turkey's total exports of chemical products amounted to over $20.7 billion in the last 12 months, which indicates 11.4 percent growth on an annualized basis. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Madame Tussauds has unveiled a new companion for its Boris Johnson waxwork - a newborn baby. The Prime Minister's lookalike model, which is housed at the London tourist attraction along with other famous politicians, has been kitted out with a papoose. The waxwork museum revealed its latest creation today to mark the news that Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds were expecting a baby. On Saturday, Ms Symonds used her Instagram page to announce the pregnancy and also revealed that the couple had recently became engaged. An artist at Madame Tussauds in London fits the museum's waxwork of Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a baby carrier today The Prime Minister's lookalike model, which is housed at the London tourist attraction along with other famous politicians, has been kitted out with a papoose She said: '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. Feel incredibly blessed.' 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. Miss Symonds, a conservationist and former Tory communications chief, first found herself making headlines when she was romantically linked to Mr Johnson earlier in 2019. 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. The new arrival will be the third baby born to a serving prime minister in recent history. Carrie Symonds announced she and Prime Minister Boris Johnson are having a baby and are engaged on Saturday night Tony Blair's wife Cherie gave birth to son Leo in May 2000, three years after her husband's first election victory. 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. Earlier this month, a court heard the Prime Minister and his estranged second wife Marina Wheeler were preparing to end their marriage after reaching an agreement over money. Mr Johnson is believed to be the first prime minister to get divorced and marry in office in modern times. Miss Symonds, 31, is said to be keen on a home birth, which could mean Boris Johnson's baby is born at No10 Downing Street (pictured together outside on December 13) The last PM to do so was Augustus Henry FitzRoy, the 3rd Duke of Grafton, who became prime minister in 1768 and got divorced and remarried the following year. Ms Wheeler and Mr Johnson, who have four children, separated in 2018 after marrying in 1993. The couple announced they had separated in September 2018. 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, while they were students at Oxford. They married in 1987 but the marriage was annulled 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. In 2004, he was sacked from the Tory frontbench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt. BANGKOK (AP) The Latest on the virus outbreak (all times local): 3:20 a.m. Seeking and sharing accurate information is one of the best things we can do to keep rumors and misinformation about COVID-19 from spreading. The latest information from DOH: https://t.co/wp8TtPf9Ke pic.twitter.com/hR7RQzljKK WA Dept. of Health (@WADeptHealth) March 2, 2020 Washington state has reported a 10th death from the new coronavirus and California announced its first. Health officials in Northern California say the elderly man who had other health conditions died Wednesday at a hospital in Roseville where he was in isolation. The man was likely exposed to the virus while he travel in February on a Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico, officials said in a statement. The Washington state Department of Health released updated figures Wednesday morning, showing that nine people had died in King County, the states most populous, and one person in Snohomish County. Washington state has now reported 39 COVID-19 cases, all in the greater Seattle area. No other information about the newly reported Washington state death was immediately available. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington on Sunday said they had evidence COVID-19 may have been circulating in the state for up to six weeks undetected. If true, that could mean that there are hundreds of undiagnosed cases in the area. ___ 3:10 a.m. Officials in Los Angeles have signed proclamations of local emergencies after six new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the county, where there was one previously. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the director of the county Department of Public Health, said Wednesday that all of the COVID-19 cases were due to a known exposure and not the result of so-called community transmission. She said one person was hospitalized and five others were in self-quarantine at home. The emergency declarations in the county and city are aimed at aiding efforts to respond to the virus and free up resources. Authorities are also assisting shelters to prevent transmission of the virus in the homeless population. ___ 2:05 a.m. President Donald Trump is putting a positive spin on the fallout from the coronavirus, saying a lot of people are staying in the United States and theyre shopping and staying in the hotels. Trump spoke with leaders of the airline industry on Wednesday at the White House. The executive spoke of steps theyve taken to confront the spread of the new virus. Southwest Airlines CEO and board chairman Gary Kelly said employees have stepped up efforts to make sure airplanes are clean and disinfected. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz said workers are doing what he called the corona bump, where they bump elbows as part of their greeting. Trump thanked the airlines and said theyve stepped up to stem the spread of the virus. ___ 1:50 a.m. Italy has ordered schools to close nationwide through March 15 in a bid to contain the coronavirus, saying the prudent suspension was taken after a careful analysis of how the epidemic was spreading. Civil protection officials said Wednesday a total of 3,089 people have tested positive in Italy and 107 of them had died the largest number of deaths outside of China. Education Minister Lucia Azzolina announced the school suspensions, which start Thursday, saying she hoped schools would be able to continue with lessons via distance learning. Italy has seen its virus caseload explode since the first homegrown positive test was registered in northern Lombardy on Feb. 19. Italy had earlier closed schools in the hard-hit regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna. ___ 1:35 a.m. A U.S. health official says six new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Los Angeles County, where there was one previously. Each case confirmed Tuesday night was due to a known exposure and not the result of community transmission, according to Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health. She spoke at a press conference on Wednesday. She says one person has been hospitalized and five others were in self-quarantine at home. The county's first case was in January, a person who lived in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. She says that person is no longer infectious. ___ 1:15 a.m. A U.N. agency estimates that a shortage of industrial parts from China caused by the coronavirus outbreak has set off a ripple effect that caused exports from other countries around the world to drop $47 billion last month. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development says figures from Chinese businesses suggest an annualized 2% decline in output in China. That has led to shrinking supplies for automotive, chemicals, communications and other industries in many countries, in turn reducing their export capacity. The agency says Wednesday that the preliminary figures show industries outside of China that rely on components, parts and other inputs from the country aren't able to export goods as much as they had before the virus erupted. The outbreak began late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan, shutting down factories and quarantining workers at home. The drop in Chinese output results in a ripple effect throughout the global economy that rises "to the tune of a $50 billion fall in exports across the world, said said Pamela Coke-Hamilton, director of the UNCTAD international trade and commodities division. Exports from the European Union alone made up about one-third of that, or nearly $15.6 billion. Exports of the United States were second, at nearly $5.8 billion, and Japan was third at almost $5.2 billion. ___ 12 midnight The International Air Transport Association says the virus outbreak hit passenger flight demand in January, slowing monthly growth to its lowest level since April 2010, when a volcano erupted in Iceland, causing massive airspace closures and days of travel chaos in Europe. The group says year-on-year growth in December 2019 was 4.6%. In January 2020, growth in passenger traffic was only up 2.4% compared to a year ago. IATA, which represents some 290 airlines making up most of the world's air traffic, said that figures for January this year would only represent the "tip of the iceberg" as China only began imposing major travel restrictions toward the end of the month. Domestic air traffic in China fell 6.8% in January, year-on-year, as a result of the coronavirus restrictions. ___ 11 p.m. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the wife, two children and a neighbor of a New York lawyer who is hospitalized in critical condition with COVID-19 have also tested positive for the disease. That increases the number of confirmed cases in the state to six. Yeshiva University, where one of the children is a student, said it's canceling classes at the upper Manhattan campus where he is enrolled. The positive test results for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 came one day after Cuomo announced that the student's father had become the second coronavirus case in New York state. The family has been quarantined at home in suburban Westchester County. The neighbor is also self-quarantined at home. ___ 10:25 p.m. As Britain braces for a much wider spread of the new coronavirus, some government officials and lawmakers are worried not just about the nations health, but about their own. Hundreds of lawmakers drawn from across the U.K. work alongside thousands of staff in the crowded, crumbling Parliament complex in London. While most people who contract the virus experience mild symptoms and recover quickly, the risk rises with age. The average age of lawmakers in the House of Commons is 50 and in Parliaments upper chamber, the House of Lords, it is 70. On Wednesday, Scottish lawmaker Carol Monaghan asked in Parliament whether lawmakers might be able to work remotely, using electronic voting and conference calls, to help stop the spread of the virus. Britain currently has 85 confirmed coronavirus cases, but the government says that number is likely to rise dramatically. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson replied his government would say a little bit more in the next couple of days about what we're going to do to delay the advance of coronavirus in Parliament and at other large gatherings." ___ Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ 9:55 p.m. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging Israelis to stop shaking hands in light of growing concerns over the new coronavirus and suggests instead they adopt the Indian greeting of namaste" instead. At a press conference Wednesday announcing new steps to deal with the virus, Netanyahu pressed his hands together in a prayer position and bowed when he made his suggestion, stressing the need for personal hygiene. He also added additional European countries to a list of destinations from which returning Israelis would need to self-quarantine for two weeks. Meanwhile, Israels chief rabbi is urging observant Jews to refrain from kissing mezuzot, a small item encasing a prayer scroll posted by Jews on doorposts. Observant Jews typically touch the item and then kiss their hands when walking through a doorway. Chief Rabbi David Lau made the call in a letter Wednesday. ___ 8:50 p.m. Israeli health authorities have ordered everyone from a regional high school and dozens of soccer fans into home quarantine after their possible exposure to a teenage boy who tested positive for the coronavirus. The Health Ministry said it closed Brenner High School and told all students, teachers and staff members to quarantine at home until March 11. Some 1,000 students, including the boy, attend the school in central Israel. The ministry also instructed dozens of people who sat in the vicinity of the boy at a Feb. 24 soccer game in Tel Avid to isolate themselves at home until March 8. The boy apparently became infected while working at a toy store whose owner tested positive for the virus after returning from Italy. Israel has confirmed 15 coronavirus cases in all and ordered several thousand people into home quarantine after possible exposure. ___ 8:25 p.m. Italian media say the Italian government has ordered schools nationwide to close for the next two weeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus, but the country's education minister says a final decision on the closure not yet been confirmed. State-run RAI, the ANSA and LaPresse news agencies reported Wednesday that Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte had agreed on the closure during a cabinet meeting. But Education Minister Lucia Azzolina told reporters that nothing is final yet. Italy has seen its virus caseload explode since the first positive test was registered in northern Lombardy on Feb. 19. Since then, more than 2,500 people in Italy have tested positive, and 79 have died. Italy is the epicenter of Europe's outbreak. In the early days of the outbreak, officials closed schools in Lombardy and Veneto, the two hardest-hit regions. Over the weekend, they closed schools in Emilia Romagna. 8:20 p.m. The Baltic nation of Lithuania has cancelled most of the indoor events planned for the 30th anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union because of the coronavirus. The speaker of the Lithuanian parliament said Wednesday authorities decided to call off the events since many of the people expected to attend the events are elderly and at higher risk of infection. Parliament speaker Viktoras Pranckietis says most foreign leaders also cancelled scheduled trips to attend the anniversary events in Lithuania. He didn't name names, but invitations had been sent to lawmakers in Ukraine, Poland and neighboring Baltic states Latvia and Estonia. There will be several events in downtown Vilnius, including a flag-raising on Independence Square on March 11 and an evening concert. Lithuania so far only has reported one virus case. ___ 7:30 p.m. The Louvre Museum in France is open again after employees worried about catching the coronavirus agreed to return to work. The Paris museum where Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting hangs had been closed since Sunday while employees fearing infection stayed off the job. But Louvre staff members voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to resume work and the Louvre opened its doors in the afternoon. Management presented a raft of new anti-virus measures to try to coax employees back to work. Among them: wider distributions of disinfectant gels and more frequent staff rotations so employees have time to wash their hands. __ 6:30 p.m. The London Book Fair has been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. The fair, which usually draws more than 25,000 writers, agents and publishers to one of the international publishing industrys biggest gatherings, had been due to take place at Londons Olympia conference venue March 10-12. Organizer Reed Exhibitions said Wednesday that it had decided with reluctance to cancel the event. The decision came after several major publishers, including HarperCollins and Penguin Random House, pulled out of the fair because of the disease, citing the risk to staff. Also Wednesday, organizers announced that Asias biggest casino industry trade show has been postponed because of the virus. Global Gaming Expo Asia, originally scheduled to be held on May 19-21 in Macao, will be held at the end of July. More than 13,000 people attended last years expo, jointly organized by the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions. ___ 6 p.m. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the social network is stepping up its efforts to combat virus-related misinformation by giving the World Health Organization free advertising. Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook account that the company is working with national health ministries and global organizations like the World Health Orgnization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF to get out timely and accurate information on the virus. Zuckerberg said Facebook will also give support and millions more in ad credits to other unspecified organizations. Facebook has previously taken other measures to fight virus hoaxes and misinformation, including removing false claims and conspiracy theories and showing users a pop-up directing them to the World Health Orgnization or their local health authority for the latest information. ___ 5:50 p.m. A Beijing-based intensive care doctor now working in Wuhan the city at the epicenter of Chinas coronavirus outbreak says designated hospitals in the city are seeing an increasing number of empty beds after a large number of virus patients were discharged. Du Bin added, however, that theres always the possibility of another spike in new cases. Du said Wednesday that a major cause of deaths in younger patients may have been the prolonged application of certain high-dosage treatments that ended up causing more harm than good. Cao Bin, a doctor specializing in respiratory research who is also currently in Wuhan, told reporters, The war is not over. Cao said Chinese researchers have led initial clinical trials of two antiviral drugs and will soon share the results of the trials with the World Health Organization. ___ 5:20 p.m. Germany has joined several other countries in banning the export of medical equipment such as respiratory masks, gloves and protective suits in most cases. Germany, like other nations, has faced a shortage of such equipment as concerns over the widening coronavirus outbreak have mounted. In Germany itself, 240 infections have been confirmed so far. Germanys interior ministry said Wednesday that exemptions from the export ban will be allowed only under strict conditions, such as for concerted international aid actions. Russia's government on Wednesday banned the export of masks, respirators and other protective gear along with anti-virus medicines until June 1. It also noted that the ban doesnt cover humanitarian aid. The Ministry for Industry and Trade said the move is intended to prevent an artificial deficit of protective goods, which are being increasingly sold abroad as global demand has soared. The Czech government also said it is banning exports of respirators and will start regulating their sale at home, saying it needs them for health workers and others. The Czech Republic has five confirmed cases of the new virus. ___ 4:30 p.m. The Louvre did not open as scheduled on Wednesday, and several hundred people who lined up outside were greeted by a sign saying, Due to exceptional circumstances, the museum will open later. The world's most visited museum has been closed since Sunday because of workers' worries about the potential spread of the new virus. Management laid out a series of new measures to prevent contamination, trying to coax the staffers back to work. The proposed steps include the wider distribution of disinfectant gels and more frequent rotations so staff can wash their hands. Most of the Paris landmark's 9.6 million visitors last year came from other countries, and the museum that houses the Mona Lisa and other treasures welcomes tens of thousands of people every day. ___ 4:15 p.m. The European Central Bank says it's restricting all nonessential travel by members of its executive board and employees through April 20 as a precautionary measure amid the global coronavirus outbreak. The central bank for the 19-nation eurozone said Wednesday that visits to its Frankfurt headquarters and its public visitor center are being suspended for the same period. It is postponing or cancelling conferences that were due to be held at the bank but says that news conferences after regular policy-setting meetings of its governing council are unaffected, and that the next one will go ahead March 12 as planned. The ECB stressed that the move was a precaution and there have been no recorded cases yet of bank employees being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. ___ 3:30 p.m. India says its number of confirmed coronavirus cases has jumped to 28, up from just five. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says an earlier COVID-19 patient who had traveled to Italy led to the confirmation of six other infections. Another cluster of cases that emerged centered around a large group of Italian tourists who had entered India on Feb. 21. India also announced Wednesday that it has imposed universal screening of all passengers on international flights. Meanwhile, South Korea reported 435 new cases, pushing its total to 5,621 the second-highest total after China. How fitting that Twitter a social media platform apparently built for bickering co-sponsored a political debate that often descended into an unintelligible screaming match among too many candidates whose differences belie a vast common ground. Any one of the candidates in the Democratic race would be among the most progressive leaders ever elected to the White House, so common sense suggests that a few contenders bow out, to clarify the choice and ensure that a consensus nominee can emerge. That would be welcome. But disarray has a way of keeping even the slimmest of hopes alive. As the country learned in 2016 with Republicans, the primaries and caucuses are a mess, giving the illusion of a choice in a situation where in fact voters have just the opposite no clear choice. This year, Bernie Sanders won close to a majority in Nevada, but in the two earlier contests, in Iowa and New Hampshire, no candidate won more than 26% of the vote. This fragmentation helps those candidates with passionate followings, like Sanders, as it helped Donald Trump in 2016, but it produces nothing like a consensus candidate. Sanders has won only 2.3% of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the nomination, yet hes widely considered the front-runner. Single-winner elections do a poor job of winnowing a large field of candidates down to one who reflects majority agreement, and encourage the type of nastiness were seeing now, because its all-or-nothing for each candidate. And the winner of this process can be the choice of as little as 25% or 30% of the electorate, which is another way of saying that he or she was not the choice of up to three-quarters of voters. This is no way to pick the person who will challenge a president one who was himself nominated first by a minority within his party, then elected by a minority nationwide. There is a straightforward and elegant solution: ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting. Already in use all over the world and in cities and towns across the United States, its a popular and proven way of electing leaders who are what a radical notion actually supported by most voters. It is effective in any multi-candidate race, but its ideal for making sense of a large and fractured pool of candidates. Ranked-choice voting works on a simple premise: Instead of being forced to choose a single candidate, voters rank some or all of the candidates in order of preference they rank their favorite candidate first, their next-favorite candidate second, and so on. If one candidate wins a majority of the vote outright, he or she is the winner. If not, the ballots are tallied in a series of rounds. In each round, the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is eliminated. Each ballot ranking that candidate first is then transferred to the candidate whom it ranked second. The process repeats, eliminating the lowest-scoring candidate and redistributing his or her ballots, until one candidate has more than 50% of the vote. How would ranked-choice voting work in primaries with many candidates? Well find out this year, when four states are using it for the first time: Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii and Kansas. As in all other Democratic primaries, they will award delegates proportionally to candidates who win at least 15% of the vote. But rather than simply eliminate any candidates who dont reach that threshold, the ballots listing those candidates first will be transferred to their second-place choices, a process that will be repeated until all remaining candidates have at least 15% support. Polls consistently show high voter satisfaction with ranked-choice voting, and its no surprise. By allowing voters to express their support for more than one candidate, ranked-choice voting makes more votes count. By allowing voters to rank a personal favorite first, even if that candidate is unlikely to win, it eliminates the risk of spoiler candidates. And by encouraging voters to find something they like in multiple candidates, it fosters consensus. The candidates respond in turn, by behaving more civilly and reaching out to voters beyond their own base. Running a negative, divisive campaign may pay off in a head-to-head (-to-head-to-head, etc.) election, but not in a ranked-choice one, where victory can depend on appealing not just to a core of supporters, but also to voters who might not be inclined to pick the civil candidate first. New York Times Mask-clad commuters make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo on Feb. 28, 2020. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images) New Hampshire Confirms First Coronavirus Case, Patient Traveled to Italy New Hampshire confirmed its first presumptive positive case of the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan. That person, he said, had recently traveled to Italy and is an adult who lives in Grafton County. The patient has not been hospitalized because they are currently on home isolation and are not sick enough to be hospitalized, Chan told reporters. Officials believe there is no reason to believe the case represents wider spread community transmission, Chan said, noting that the person had traveled to Italywhich has experienced a high degree of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. A test result came back from New Hampshires public health laboratory on Monday, but it hasnt yet been confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We will be working very closely with healthcare providers in the community and the hospital system involved in order to investigate this case of COVID-19 and try and prevent further transmission in our community, Chan said. We have been asked multiple times, Are we prepared for the introduction of this novel coronavirus in New Hampshire? and I want to say Yes,' Chan added. This is part of the core public health work that we do. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said he will speak to Vice President Mike Pence and other officials to determine what is happening at a national level. Last week, President Donald Trump appointed Pence to be in charge of the U.S. coronavirus response force. Travelers wear protective masks as they walk through terminal 5 at OHare International Airport in Chicago on March 1, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo) Communication is the most important tool that we have in terms of getting through this issue, Sununu said during the conference. More than 90 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed so far in the United States. On Sunday, New York, Florida, and Rhode Island confirmed their first respective cases. But in Washington state, the situation appears to be more serious after two people died of COVID-19, the first of which triggered Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency in response to the outbreak. Officials in King County on Sunday night confirmed another death, saying the second fatality was a man in his 70s who was living in a nursing facility that is now suspected of being the first outbreak site in the United States. The first person in the United States to die from the virus was confirmed as a man in his 50s with underlying health problems. Both of the patients died at the EvergreenHealth hospital in King County. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a public health emergency after two COVID-19 cases were confirmed over the weekend. The New York City case involves a female health care worker in her 30s who had recently traveled to Iran. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told a news conference Monday that both she and her husband are in self-quarantine, adding that the woman did not use public transportation. Police were called to an Ohio home to remove a large alligator that had been living in the basement for 25 years. The five-foot long reptile was living in a tub-like structure with water and a pump at the house in Groveport, Franklin County, Ohio. Owner Dusty Rhoades - who did not have an exotic animal permit - said he had bought 'Alli' at a reptile flea market. Video courtesy WSYX ABC 6 The five-foot long reptile was living in a tub-like structure with water and a pump at the house in Groveport, Franklin County, Ohio. Pictured: a police officer holds the animal Madison Township Patrol Commander Darrel Breneman said he got a call from paramedics saying they had just responded to a home and could not believe what they saw in the basement. 'I've been a police officer 17 years, and I've never come across an alligator,' he told Fox 28. Without an exotic animal permit, it's Department of Agriculture policy that the animal is taken to a more suitable environment. The owners voluntarily surrendered the animal when state wildlife officials came to seize it. Owner Dusty Rhoades - who did not have an exotic animal permit - said he had bought 'Alli' at a reptile flea market 'They kind of grow to the size of the enclosure that they're in, so he's not reached his full potential, and I think it's pretty exciting to know that he's going to an alligator sanctuary in a warmer climate where he can reach his full potential and experience that,' Breneman said. He is being kept in ODA's Dangerous Wild Animal Facility in Reynoldsburg until he can be taken to an alligator sanctuary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Vets found no signs of abuse and considered him to be in average health for an alligator who has lived in captivity. Owner Dusty said: 'I just got him when he was about a foot long. I've had him ever since.' Neither police nor the Department of Agriculture are pursuing any charges against the owner. A police spokesperson said: 'The Ohio Department of Agriculture was notified, and confirmed the residents did not possess a valid exotic animal permit as required by Ohio law. 'Our 25-year-old scaly friend is retiring to an animal sanctuary in sunny Myrtle Beach, SC.' Julian Assange Rally Report PERTH, WA On Sunday, 23rd February 2020, the Perth 4 Assange group held its first action outside the US Consulate the imperialist state which seeks to have him extradited from the United Kingdom to face a Grand Jury indictment over allegations he hacked government computers to obtain information about people who the US was trying to protect. The US government indictment would seek to have him imprisoned for 175 years which would see him die in custody if he were to be extradited and found guilty at trial. From the US Consulate about forty protesters marched along St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street to Forrest Place where the rally was held calling for the release of Julian Assange and his return to Australia. Mitch Duirs, who started the group Perth 4 Assange in October 2019, stated at the commencement of the rally that support for Julian Assange is growing, including amongst Federal parliamentarians of whom twelve senators have signed a letter and sent it to Foreign Minister Marise Payne calling for his repatriation back to Australia which is his right as an Australian citizen. Duirs also said that currently two Australian parliamentarians, Andrew Wilke and George Christensen were lobbying for his release in England as he prepared for his extradition hearing. Lucy Nicol, a former candidate for the Wikileaks party in the 2014 Federal election said that at the time of her election campaign, she had to put up with a lot of abuse and bad sentiment over her support for Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Nicol reported that she no longer feels animosity directed towards her since the US began its extradition case against Julian Assange last year. Even the radio shock jock Alan Jones from Sydney ran a radio poll in which seventy-three per cent of respondents said our government should do more to bring Julian Assange home. In 2019, the ABC journalist Kerry OBrien pointed out we will not see our rights taken away suddenly but slowly and surely, as they are being eroded. If we do not act to save them then the day will come when we will notice they are gone. Nicol also said the lawyers for Julian Assange have warned of the precedent the conviction of Julian Assange would set, putting a journalist on trial for preserving the publics right to know what and how their governments supposedly act in their name. Since Donald Trump has come to power, he has tried to undo anything done by former US president Barack Obama which includes rearresting Private Chelsea Manning who helped Assange gain access to large troves of government documents which contained evidence of government wrong doing. The next speaker was Richard Titelius from Perth Politics in the Pub, a public forum held every six weeks with notable speakers on important and controversial subjects from a left and progressive perspective. Titelius noted that once video footage was released by Wikileaks in 2010 of the attack by US military personnel in two Apache helicopters of unarmed civilians and two journalists in Iraq in 2007, the world could see and judge how at times the state which says it acts in our interests clearly does things that are not only immoral but illegal and exceeds its lawful mandate. It was just like in a criminal trial where evidence is lead by a defence lawyer which shows when the police or any prosecuting authority exceeds its warranted power it then becomes a duty of citizens to question and even resist this authority. In those cases, the defendant should be found not guilty as is the case which Julian Assange currently faces. Titelius also questioned how a democracy is supposed to function when the truth or facts in a matter are not presented fully. The corporate media and government also want only a certain picture of the world to be presented to ensure that the masses uncritically embrace their production and consumption roles but humans are more than free wheeling gonads of consumerism. They want a peaceful and just world. It was this excessive consumption which led to a waste of resources and is a leading cause of global warming crisis. Mitch Duirs addressed the rally further to recall an important quote from Julian Assange, If wars can be started with lies then peace can be started with the truth. This is possibly why imperialist powers prop up the military industrial complex as defined by Professor Noam Chomsky. Duirs also spoke about the surveillance carried out by a Spanish security company at the behest of the US government so that it could gather information about Assange pending his extraction from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Someone even stole his shaving equipment to ensure that he would have a shabby appearance when he was seized to diminish sympathy for Assange. However, these machinations have had the opposite effect and public support for Assange has grown since the extraction and again this week as the extradition hearing has commenced in a courtroom aside the Belmarsh Prison where he has been kept on an overblown breach of bail charge. The Communist Party of Australia calls for the immediate release of Julian Assange from prison and his return to Australia. TARRYTOWN, N.Y., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. (NYSE:PBH) today announced that the Companys Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $25.0 million of the Companys issued and outstanding common stock. Separately, the Company plans to present at the Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference at 8:40 a.m. ET today, March 2nd. Ron Lombardi, Chief Executive Officer of Prestige Consumer Healthcare, said, "Todays share repurchase program announcement demonstrates the Board and managements continued confidence in the long-term growth prospects of Prestige and our proven three pillar strategy focused around organic growth, free cash flow and capital allocation to drive shareholder value. The authorized repurchases are part of the ongoing commitment to a disciplined and opportunistic capital deployment strategy that is enabled by our robust financial profile. We look forward to discussing our business strategy in greater detail at the Raymond James conference later today. Share Repurchase Details Under the approved authorization, the Company may purchase common stock through March, 2021 utilizing one or more open market transactions, transactions structured through investment banking institutions, in privately-negotiated transactions or otherwise, by direct purchases of common stock or a combination of the foregoing in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The timing of the purchases and the amount of stock repurchased is subject to the Company's discretion and will depend on market and business conditions, applicable legal and credit requirements and other corporate considerations including the Companys historical strategy of pursuing accretive acquisitions and deleveraging. 41st Annual Raymond James Conference The Company is presenting at the Raymond James 41st Annual Institutional Investors Conference today, March 2nd at 8:40 a.m. ET. The presentation will be webcast live and can be accessed on the Companys website, www.prestigeconsumerhealthcare.com, and will remain available as an archived replay for one week following the presentation date. About Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. Prestige Consumer Healthcare markets, sells, manufactures and distributes consumer healthcare products to retail outlets throughout the U.S. and Canada, Australia, and in certain other international markets. The Companys diverse portfolio of brands include Monistat and Summers Eve women's health products, BC and Goody's pain relievers, Clear Eyes eye care products, DenTek specialty oral care products, Dramamine motion sickness treatments, Fleet enemas and glycerin suppositories, Chloraseptic and Luden's sore throat treatments and drops, Compound W wart treatments, Little Remedies pediatric over-the-counter products, Boudreauxs Butt Paste diaper rash ointments, Nix lice treatment, Debrox earwax remover, Gaviscon antacid in Canada, and Hydralyte rehydration products and the Fess line of nasal and sinus care products in Australia. Visit the Company's website at www.prestigeconsumerhealthcare.com . Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws that are intended to qualify for the Safe Harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "assumptions," "target," "guidance," "prospects," "outlook," "plans," "projection," "may," "will," "would," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe, "potential," or "continue" (or the negative or other derivatives of each of these terms) or similar terminology. The "forward-looking statements" include, without limitation, statements regarding the expected consumption trends and market share for the Companys products, costs and timing of the transition to a new logistics provider, the Company's expectations regarding future operating results including revenues, organic growth, earnings per share and free cash flow, the Companys disciplined capital allocation, the Companys ability to create value for its stakeholders and reduce debt and the Companys ability to position itself for long-term growth. These statements are based on management's estimates and assumptions with respect to future events and financial performance and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results could differ materially from those expected as a result of a variety of factors, including the impact of the Companys advertising and promotional and new product development initiatives, customer inventory management initiatives, general economic and business conditions, fluctuating foreign exchange rates, consumer trends, competitive pressures, the impact of the transition to a new third party logistics provider, and the ability of the Companys third party manufacturers and logistics providers and suppliers to meet demand for its products and to reduce costs. A discussion of other factors that could cause results to vary is included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019 and other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investor Relations Contact Phil Terpolilli, CFA, 914-524-6819 irinquiries@prestigebrands.com Dothager said he recognizes he has an issue with volume control," but that if he was elected he would conduct (himself) with the respect for the position that it does entail. Dothager said he was on the debate team in college and on many committees, so he knows how to discuss difficult issues. For the past several years, the U.S. defense budget has averaged about $650 billion. For about the same time period, the defense budgets of Norway and Sweden have been less than $10 billion and less than $5 billion for Denmark and Finland. This enables these countries to offer greater health care and social support to their populations. Sidney Gottlieb. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: AP) MK-Ultra was the code name for a notorious government mind control program conducted in the 1950s and 1960s in which the CIA directed scientists to dose unsuspecting human guinea pigs with LSD and other drugs. The program was recently back in the news when a juror in the case of one of those guinea pigs the late Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, whom the CIA had injected with LSD when he was a young prison inmate said she wouldnt have voted to convict him of 11 murders had she known what the U.S. government had done to him. Bulger, who was given LSD over 50 times, would go on to terrorize South Boston as the notoriously violent leader of the Winter Hill Gang. In a new episode of Buried Treasure, a regular feature of the Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery, Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman interview historian and journalist Stephen Kinzer, the author of the new book Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control. Its a biography of the man behind MK-Ultra, a chemist named Sidney Gottlieb, who also devised poisons the agency used to try to assassinate foreign leaders such as Fidel Castro and Patrice Lumumba. What follows is an edited transcript of the interview. Yahoo News: Lets just start out by telling our listeners about Sidney Gottlieb. Who was he? Stephen Kinzer: Ive devoted a lot of my career to try to find out what happens behind the facade of public politics and public diplomacy that we can see. Ive discovered a lot of things in the course of that research. ... This is the first time Ive been shocked. I still cant believe that this happened, that there was such a thing as MK-Ultra and that there was such a person as Sidney Gottlieb. He lived in total invisibility. So in a sense, my book is the biography of a man who wasnt there. You approached a former director of the CIA, who professed not to know who Sidney Gottlieb was. Gottlieb has faded away almost entirely, and that was his desire. He was conducting the most extreme experiments on human beings that have ever been conducted by any agency or officer of the U.S. government. He had what was, in effect, a license to kill. ... Gottlieb was probably the most powerful unknown American of the 20th century. Story continues Is it possible that one reason Sidney Gottlieb has escaped attention is because the CIA never confronted ... the awful things he was doing? They ultimately have said, essentially, that Gottlieb was some kind of wacko. He was not supervised well, things got off the rails, the project got out of control, there were problems with supervision. ... It was all Sidneys fault. This is a way of eliminating all institutional responsibility on the part of the CIA. How did he fit in at the CIA? Sidney Gottlieb joined the CIA in its early years, in 1951. ... Almost all of the senior officers of the CIA came from a particular social class. They were silver spoon products of the American aristocracy, who knew each other from prep school, and the same colleges, and investment banks, and law firms. Sidney Gottlieb was completely different ... from the rest of them. He was the son of Jewish immigrants. He grew up in the Bronx. He stuttered. He had a limp. So he was very much of an outsider. ... [Agency officials] knew that what he was doing was brutal, was bloody, and was causing an unknown number of deaths. They didnt want to put somebody from their own social class in the position of having to oversee this project that they knew was very horrific. What Sidney Gottlieb was running was a covert program aimed at mind control [and] experimenting with LSD on some of the most vulnerable Americans with no consent at all. The idea behind MK-Ultra was to find a substance that would allow the CIA to control peoples minds and manipulate them and make them do things that they would never otherwise do. And then, if you were lucky, just forget that they had ever done them. [Gottlieb] decided that before you could find a way to insert a new mind into somebodys brain, you first had to find a way to blast away the mind that was in there. ... He used every kind of drug combination he could imagine, plus sensory deprivation, hypnosis, electroshock and all kinds of other techniques, all aimed at trying to find a way to destroy a human mind. ... Behind him, he left a trail of wounded and dead in numbers that nobody can even estimate because records were all destroyed as Gottlieb left the CIA. Gottlieb, left, a former CIA scientific chief, talks with his attorney, Terry Lenzner, before testifying to a Senate health subcommittee on Sept. 21, 1977. (AP) So this was a Cold War program started in the early 1950s. And like much else from the Cold War era, it arose out of fears that the Soviets and international communism were doing something like this, and therefore we couldnt have a mind control gap, as it were. What do we know about what the Soviets were up to and what U.S. intelligence thought the Soviets were up to? Now those are two very different things: what the Soviets were doing and what we thought the Soviets were doing. So I asked myself the same question. ... What led the early directors of the CIA, and in particular, Allen Dulles, and then the person he hired to run this MK-Ultra project, Sidney Gottlieb, to believe that there was such a thing as mind control? In the end, after 10 years, Sidney Gottlieb finally concluded that there is no such thing as mind control. ... But what made them think that it was possible? ... I think it has to do with the cultural conditioning with which they were brought up. Think of all the books, and the stories, and the movies, about mind control. ... There are Edgar Allan Poe stories, and Sherlock Holmes stories, and movies like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Gaslight. Those guys grew up watching those movies, and reading those stories, and I think they believed that since fiction could imagine it, there probably was an element of truth to it. That also fed their desire to plunge into this project. There was The Manchurian Candidate, a novel and then a movie, that came out in the early 1960s, which was about Korean mind control programming an American to assassinate a presidential candidate. And ironically, it was the book The Search for the Manchurian Candidate, by John Marks, in the 1970s, that I believe first revealed the existence of MK-Ultra? Youre right. When Sidney Gottlieb left the CIA in 1973, along with his longtime mentor, Richard Helms, who was at that time the director of the CIA, the two of them sat down and quickly decided that all the files from MK-Ultra should be destroyed. Gottlieb actually had to go out to the CIA records center in Wharton, Va., and oversee the destruction of seven crates of documents. ... A priceless archive was lost. Later on, in the mid-1970s, this researcher, John Marks, decided to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the CIA, asking if there were any other documents. ... This request landed at a time when the CIA was under orders from a new president, Jimmy Carter, to open up and be more honest. [A] search turned up ... a set of records that listed expense accounts for many of the people involved in MK-Ultra. From those records, we have been able to develop an idea of what were these 149 sub-projects. ... The Search for the Manchurian Candidate is the foundation for later research that has deepened our understanding of this project. The CIA and Sidney Gottliebs experiments using LSD on unsuspecting people, in a way, that seeped in and helped ... is it overstated to say helped create the counterculture in the 1960s, particularly in San Francisco? [Were] people like Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey ... experimenting and using LSD because of this program? Sidney Gottlieb was fascinated by LSD. It was a newly discovered drug. It had only been discovered in the 1940s. It was colorless, odorless, and had amazing effects in very small quantities. Gottlieb himself used LSD, by his own estimate, at least 200 times. He and the people around him began to feel that perhaps this drug could be what one of them called the key that could unlock the universe. In other words, it might be the answer to whats the substance that can open up peoples minds to outside control? So in 1953, Gottlieb persuaded the CIA to buy the entire world supply of LSD. It was then being manufactured ... by one company in Switzerland, the Sandoz company. All of that LSD came to the United States, and came to the CIA. Gottlieb used it for two kinds of experiments. Some were horrifically brutal, carried out in prisons in the United States and in safe houses around Europe and East Asia. Many people were fed overdoses without being told what they were being given. ... One experiment at the federal prison in Lexington, Ky. ... Seven African-American inmates were given triple doses of LSD every day for 77 days while locked in a padded room. So if the object of that experiment was to find out whether such an overdose could destroy a human mind. The answer is obviously yes. ... [But] who were among the first people who signed up to take LSD in those benign LSD experiments? Well, one of them was Ken Kesey, who went on to write One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest that became a great bible of the counterculture. Another was the poet Allen Ginsberg, who listened to Tristan and Isolde on his headphones while taking LSD. Another was Robert Hunter, the lyricist for the Grateful Dead. These guys all took LSD home with them. They turned on all their friends. This is how the Grateful Dead got its LSD. It sounds like we have a lot to be thankful to Sidney Gottlieb for Later in life, all these people came to realize that their LSD had come from the CIA. I found an interview with John Lennon in which he was asked about LSD, and he said, We must always remember to thank the CIA. ... And of course, the irony is ... the drug that Gottlieb hoped would give the CIA the tool to control peoples minds actually wound up fueling a generational rebellion that was aimed at destroying everything the CIA believed in. One of the most fascinating stories from your book is that of Whitey Bulger. Tell us how he became a subject of MK-Ultra. Whitey Bulger fits very much into the category that I was just discussing. So under Gottliebs supervision, a number of federal prisons began experiments with LSD using inmates. And, of course, thats an ideal population because those people are totally dependent on the prison doctor and the prison warden. During the mid-1950s when MK-Ultra was at its peak, Whitey Bulger, the famous Boston gangster, was in prison as a truck hijacker in Atlanta, Ga. He was approached by the prison doctor, who told him that the prison was going to be participating in a major project aimed at finding a cure for schizophrenia. And if Bulger would agree to take a certain drug that they were investigating, he might have some considerations [such as] shorter time in prison and better conditions. So he was given LSD for months, at least 50 times, without being told what it was. He later wrote what a nightmarish experience this was and how ... for his whole life, he never recovered from it. Years later, when he found out that this doctor was actually working on a CIA project and not trying to cure schizophrenia, he told other members of his gang, Im going back to Atlanta. Im going to find that guy, and Im going to kill him. He didnt find that doctor, who died of apparently natural causes soon thereafter, but definitely Bulger is interesting because hes one of the few MK-Ultra subjects who later came out and explained what had happened to him. Gottlieb was involved in another very high priority operation of the CIAs in the 1960s and that was the plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. Tell us that story. MK-Ultra didnt have a firm ending, but it kind of petered out towards end of the late 50s and into the early 60s. Gottlieb, as I said earlier, had come to realize ... these drugs like LSD were too unreliable to be used as tools for mind control. ... But then Gottlieb went on to a completely new phase in his career. He was the CIAs chief chemist. So when President Eisenhower ordered the assassination of Fidel Castro in the summer of 1960 and the CIA decided to use poison, it was quite logical that Sidney Gottlieb would get the assignment. He knew more about poisons than anyone in the CIA, anyone in the United States, and Im going to guess more than anybody in the world. He was obsessed with finding all sorts of natural poisons, and he was getting the gallbladders of crocodiles from Africa and poison barks from Southeast Asia and shrubs from Central America. Anything that could be seen as poison he assembled. So it was Gottlieb who concocted all the poisons that were intended to kill Fidel Castro. One that was supposed to make his beard fall out, and one that would make him seem disoriented in public, but also ones that were supposed to be fatal. It was Gottlieb who made the L-pills I learned a whole new vocabulary while writing this book that means lethal. Those other fatal pills, when you drop it into someones tea they die. Gottlieb made those, and they were delivered to Cuba for use in killing Castro. Gottlieb made a poison wet suit, which was tainted with a virus inside that would eat away Castros skin if he put it on. Gottlieb made a poison pen with a hypodermic needle that was superthin so that if it was stuck into Castros thigh from behind, he wouldnt even feel it. Is there any indication at all that Gottlieb was held accountable? Towards the end of his life, Gottlieb was facing two different situations. One was internal, the people around him in his final years have all said that he was obviously haunted by something that he wouldnt talk about. One person who visited him in that period said he was haunted by guilt. Uh, he was a destroyed man, if he had been Catholic, he would have gone to a monastery. So he was obviously deeply troubled, but he would never speak about it. Then another factor that added to his anxiety was that after many, many years, a couple of lawsuits seemed to be getting closer to him. What were these lawsuits? One involved a case that stemmed from the poisoning by LSD of a young American who had met a guy with a limp in a bar in Paris and whose life was destroyed thereafter. So evidently this guy had been poisoned by Gottlieb. It took 20 years for this case to begin working its way through the judicial system. And finally, a trial date was set for the beginning of 1999. ... Just as the case was about to come to trial, Gottlieb died. The cause of death was never announced. ... I did find a few people who truly suspect that he might have killed himself to avoid having to testify, that he basically fell on his sword rather than be put in a position where hed have to betray secrets that he had sworn to keep. Nobody knows if thats true, but its a very intriguing footnote to Gottliebs death in 1999. Brown University professor Stephen Kinzer in his office in Providence, R.I., on Jan. 30. (David Goldman/AP) _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Youth on the streets are calling for "systems change, not climate change." And, according to a new report by Future Earth, the digital transformations unfolding today could help answer this call. Historically, the report says, climate and digital agendas have been approached as two independent issues but increasingly are recognized as intertwined. Humans are connected to each other through and dependent on both the digital and the natural worlds. Global systemic risks are likely to emerge from both these worlds if we fail to act urgently and continue on our current trajectory. Yet within this link lies an opportunity to re-shape our everyday interactions with each other and the natural world, the way we conduct business, and how we govern our society, to meet the climate crisis. The report, Digital Disruptions for Sustainability (D^2S, available post-embargo at https://sustainabilitydigitalage.org), explores these interconnected agendas and highlights research, innovation, and actions needed to drive societal transformations in support of a more sustainable and equitable world. This report was developed over a year-long collaborative process with input from more than 250 sustainability and digital experts worldwide from academia, business, and civil society. "Climate strategies tend to focus on targeting investments on emission reductions by sector," says Amy Luers, Executive Director of Future Earth and the project's leader. "This sector-based work is critical, of course, but insufficient to meet our climate goals. This is because while research indicates that deep decarbonization is technically possible, we have not yet figured out how to steer society onto a deep decarbonization path. More research and innovation on this issue are urgently needed." "This is the focus of the D^2S Agenda. It approaches climate as a social challenge. Rather than focus on the high carbon-emitting sectors, the Agenda focuses on the rules, norms, power structures, and mindsets underpinning all sectors and constraining climate actions." It explores the opportunities and challenges of leveraging new capabilities of the digital age to break these constraints and drive rapid and unprecedented societal transformations needed to achieve the Paris Agreement climate goals. Examples include leveraging the digital age to decentralize power from the top and empower more stakeholders, to shift social norms of consumption toward low carbon products, and to reshape society's mindset from more efficient fossil fuel use to shifting off them. "The initial promise of the digital revolution was democratized information, more accountable governments through broader citizen participation, and the growth of a more equitable and greener economy," says Dr. Luers. "Yet many of these aspirations have not been realized, because society failed to anticipate how the digital revolution would unfold. As a result, today the digital world threatens individual rights, human dignity, social justice, the future of democracy, and environmental sustainability." According to the D^2S Agenda, it is not too late to change course. Artificial intelligence, coupled with a broader range of digital tools, still have the potential to change for the better our economic systems, our governance systems, and even our cognitive systems - in short, to achieve the systems change that young protesters are demanding. But it will take a conscious collective effort to make that happen. As Dirk Messner, President of the German Environment Agency, and a collaborator on the project, comments in the report, "We will only achieve our sustainability goals if digitalization is consciously geared towards them." The D^2S Agenda outlines a framework for this collective work. It centers around steering the effect of four "digital disruptors" that are altering fundamentally the power, rules, and mindsets of society today. The 4 "Digital Disruptors" Unprecedented Transparency: Satellites and other remote sensors in cell phones and elsewhere are making transparency the norm and privacy harder to protect. Mass Collaboration: The social web and the rapid spread of mobile devices are giving rise to new ways to collaborate around the world. Intelligent Systems: Big data, machine learning capabilities, and cloud computing have enabled smart systems that combine human and machine intelligence. Mixed Reality: Virtual and augmented reality are merging the physical and virtual worlds, shifting how we engage with each other and the environment. Four digital disruptors are already driving transformations in our social and economic systems. Now, scientists, tech innovators, policy and business leaders, and citizens must collaborate consciously to steer these disruptions to drive transformations to a sustainable, climate-safe, and equitable world. While these digital disruptors are already driving societal transformations at an unprecedented scale and pace, they are not on track to build a climate safe and equitable world. The D^2S Agenda outlines an initial set of research, innovation, and action priorities to make that shift, summarized below (high-res here). This work will require collaboration across disciplines and sectors, including efforts from the private sector to build these partnerships. For example, says Lucas Joppa, the Chief Environment Officer at Microsoft, and an advisor on the D^2S Agenda: "By accelerating investment and deployment of AI solutions, we have the potential not only to mitigate climate-related risk for our businesses, but to fundamentally transform how we manage Earth's natural resources for a more prosperous and climate-stable future." While the private sector is a critical part of the solution, the D^2S Agenda highlights that success depends on involving all sectors of society, including the most marginalized, in digital transformations to achieve climate solutions. As Leena Srivastava, Deputy Director of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and a co-chair of Future Earth Advisory Committee, writes, "Sustainability calls for digital empowerment of the poor; not digital empowerment for the poor." As a result tackling the climate crisis and working towards a just and equitable digital future are inherently interconnected agendas. The D^2S Agenda is part of a new initiative - Sustainability in the Digital Age - which seeks to support and strengthen the growing diversity of actors engaging with the interconnected digital and sustainability agendas, a critical step in driving changes we need and to build a more sustainable and equitable world. The framework of the D^2S Agenda is sketched out in an animated video here: http://bit.ly/2VnZRe7 Advisors / collaborators reflect on the D^2S Agenda "Data is not the new oil - it's the new plutonium. Amazingly powerful, dangerous when it spreads, difficult to clean up and with serious consequences when improperly used. Data governance is therefore more urgent as a policy challenge than climate change because abuse of data compromises the very democratic processes on which we rely to intelligently and effectively address challenges like climate change. The Digital Disruptions for Sustainability Agenda provides a helpful framework for understanding the powerful connection between the data governance and the climate agendas, and highlights important work needed to move forward on both." Jim Balsilie Canadian Council of Innovators; member, Future Earth Advisory Committee "Climate change is humanity's biggest crisis. A critical obstacle to addressing this crisis is that, despite the growing intensity of extreme weather events, to many people climate impacts still often seem distant and abstract. Machine Learning and interactive technologies could help make climate risks more concrete and more personal. Our hope is that these technologies will enable the scaling of more targeted and personalized public engagement strategies that could ultimately strengthen collective action." Yoshua Bengio A.M. Turing Award Winner, 2018; MILA; University of Montreal "Many are optimistic about the role of unprecedented levels of transparency in securing more accountable and effective global sustainability governance. Yet, research suggests that transparency may not be all that it promises to be. For example, transparency is often assumed to be essential to trust, however, the opposite might well hold: there might need to be trust first, in order to have meaningful transparency. And thus it is critical to research not only the design of transparency systems, but also the normative and political contexts within which such systems are deployed, as these shape whether and under what conditions transparency may realize its transformative potential in global sustainability governance." Aarti Gupta Professor, Wageningen University "Digital technologies are enabling unprecedented transparency of lifecycle impact data of raw materials, products, and supply chains and present new platforms to channel consumer behavior into market signals to activate demand for sustainable products. In order to steer towards this opportunity, it is imperative to advance dialogues around the role of government and other actors in the digital economy." Tom Hassenboehler Partner, The Coefficient Group; Executive Director and Founder, EC-MAP "As we work to implement decarbonization strategies, we are proactively working with partners to leverage the power of data and artificial intelligence to be part of the broader solution of building a climate-safe world." Ravi Jain VP Search Science and AI, Amazon "At ClimateWorks, we've been exploring how alternative futures might impact climate strategies. One critical disruptive force is the digital revolution, which is creating new challenges but may also offer huge opportunities to drive systems change and accelerate climate action. The D^2S Agenda sets out a valuable framework for leveraging the digital revolution to achieve positive change." Charlotte Pera President and CEO, ClimateWorks Foundation "We need to focus on harnessing the potential of the digital sector for global public benefit. This will require public-private partnerships to both support the development of public benefit data and services, and to build the institutional and regulatory context needed to steer the digital transformations underway to both empower business and support the wellbeing of people and the planet." Asun Lera St. Clair Senior Principal Scientist, DNV GL; member, Future Earth Advisory Committee ### Future Earth Future Earth is an international research organization, collaborating with science and society on solutions to global sustainability challenges. It encompasses nearly 30 research-to-action networks, groups of scientists and practitioners around the world, studying the environmental and human aspects of global change. We help incorporate the latest scientific knowledge into decision-making, with a mission to accelerate transformations to sustainability through research and innovation. Future Earth is governed by the International Science Council (ISC), the Belmont Forum of funding agencies, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations University (UNU), the World Meteorological Organization, and the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-24 23:13:26|Editor: yan Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of demonstrators, brandishing placards and chanting slogans, gathered Monday in front of the French embassy to Cameroon to protest against what they described as Paris' intervention in the internal affairs of the country. "We will not give up our country for France," one of the protesters, Doret Ndongo, said. "Cameroon is an independent country and can solve its problems. We don't need France to tell us what to do and what not to do." The protest came after remarks by French president Emmanuel Macron on Saturday promising to put "maximum pressure" on Cameroonian president Paul Biya over separatist conflicts in Cameroon's English-speaking regions. Macron was responding to a Cameroonian activist at a farm show in Paris. "The manner of the remarks (by the French president) was insensitive and condescending, giving the history between Africa and Europe," said a senior member of ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement and former minister of forestry and wildlife, Elvis Ngolle Ngolle. On Sunday, Cameroon's Minister of Communication Emmanuel Rene Sadi urged "foreign friendly countries" to desist from listening to activists whose aim is "to tarnish the reputation of Cameroon." Armed separatists seek to form a breakaway state they call Ambazonia in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. They have been clashing with government forces since 2017, causing a major humanitarian crisis among the local population. If you think New Jerseys political system is broken, one solution could come in the form of election ballot layout reform. Remember how you voted in high school for class president? Everyone running for the position was listed in in a single vertical column. This layout does not give an unfair politically-based advantage to any one candidate. In contrast, in statewide elections, most New Jersey counties have a horizontal ballot layout, with columns labeled A, B, C, etc. The office sought appears to the left of these across columns with candidates names. This virtually guarantees preference for certain candidates, because a candidates name may appear directly below others running for higher offices. County chairpersons or committees can decide who gets the line" a single vertical column with names of all endorsed candidates. Its often the first column next to the list of offices at stake. A preferred candidate for a county or local office, for example, could be listed right under a popular presidential candidate. Your eye naturally goes down the (vertical) line on a ballot. This is especially critical in primary elections when people may not be familiar with those running for local offices. Non-endorsed candidates names can be placed in columns far to the right, where voters might not notice them. However, it doesnt have to be that way by law. In fact, Salem County, does not design its ballots this way; there is no official line. If you agree that changing the ballot would give all candidates a more level playing field, call your county clerk and let him or her know. Lets work together to get rid of the line on New Jersey ballots. Rachel Donohue, Woodbury Heights Try again to close N.J. vaccine loophole Ive been reading a lot of articles on the refusal of some people to get their children vaccinated for a variety of reasons. Its important to know that vaccines are one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. Before vaccines became standard, thousands of children suffered and died from diseases such as smallpox, pertussis and polio. We dont think much about these diseases anymore, because effective vaccines have virtually eradicated them in the United States. This is why some people take community vaccination benefits for granted. They subscribe to anti-vaccine propaganda and conspiracy theories across social media and news outlets. Its because of vaccines that they have never known a time when people actually died from these diseases, and theyve fooled themselves into thinking it cant happen today. Its only common sense to push back against dangerously misinformed fear-mongering. Unfortunately, many parents buy into a baseless lie that vaccines cause autism and other illnesses. Scientific research shows this to be false. I want to thank state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D- Essex, for standing their ground against the senseless anti-vax agenda. I only wish Gov. Phil Murphy would join them and urge parents to protect their childrens health. Sweeney and Weinberg are working on getting legislation passed. Every person who believes in common sense and protecting public safety needs to make their voice heard on this issue. Harold H. Spence Jr., Mantua Township Editors note: Gov. Murphy has indicated he will sign a bill if one reaches his desk eliminating the current religious exemption that allows parents to skip requirements that children get certain vaccinations before they can attend school. Efforts to pass such a bill failed in the Senate at the end of the 2018-2019 session. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Trump administration on Monday imposed limits on the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work in five Chinese state media entities in the United States. The announcement was made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said that Washington hopes that the action will "spur" Beijing to adopt a "more fair and reciprocal approach to the US". This comes in the backdrop of China's decision last month to expel three Wall Street Journal reporters over a headline on a coronavirus opinion piece on February 3 which read: "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia." Though Pompeo did not specify figures, a senior State Department official told reporters Monday that the entities together employ approximately 160 Chinese citizens and "the cap will bring this number to 100". They noted that Chinese "citizens working for other media organizations in the United States are not affected by the cap". "The U.S. government is today instituting a personnel cap on certain PRC-controlled state media entities in the United States -- specifically, the five entities that were designated by the U.S. State Department on February 18, 2020, as foreign missions of the People's Republic of China. This cap limits the number of Chinese citizens permitted to work for these organizations in the United States at any given time," Pompeo said in a statement on Monday. "It is our hope that this action will spur Beijing to adopt a more fair and reciprocal approach to the U.S. and other foreign press in China," he said. According to the officials, only four of the five entities are being affected by the cap at this time. A second senior State Department official said China Radio International will only be permitted to employ two Chinese nationals, China Daily Distribution Corporation will be permitted nine personnel, China Global Television Network will be allowed 30, and Xinhua will be allowed 59. Hai Tian Development USA, which distributes the People's Daily, is not being affected at this time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The smell of marijuana has driven some residents of the Southern California city of Carpinteria to sue local growers. The lawsuit filed last week contends the growers should seal their greenhouses and use carbon-based filtration methods, KEYT-TV reported. The suit claims that so-called vapor-phase systems currently in use to mitigate odors cause eye irritation and worsen allergies and asthma. Weve been breathing this brew of chemicals for the last two and a half years, said plaintiff Greg Gandrud. Greenhouses that grew flowers before California legalized recreational cannabis are less than 100 feet from the windows and backyards of some of the plaintiffs. Gandrud said the marijuana smell scares away prospective buyers for his house, which has been on the market over the past two years. The lawsuit states that the residents would likely dismiss or settle the action if the greenhouses change filtration systems and the odor improves. KEYT reported that a representative of the growers said they had not been served with the lawsuit as of Thursday night and did not have a response. Carpinteria is a small seaside community in south Santa Barbara County. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits California Cannabis U.S. President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at a Keep America Great Rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States on February 28, 2020. President Donald Trump on Monday brushed off concerns that holding rallies presents a public health risk, even as companies are canceling major events and restricting travel. "These were set up a long time ago," Trump told reporters Monday during his White House meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque. "And you could ask that to the Democrats, because they're having a lot of rallies, they're all having rallies, they're campaigning," he added. "I think it's safe, I think it's very safe." Democratic candidates have yet to cancel their major rallies and events as the field of candidates continues to shrink. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., held a rally Sunday in a region of northern California that has reported a few infections of the virus. Trump, meantime, held a rally Friday night in North Charleston, South Carolina, a day ahead of the state's Democratic primaries. He is scheduled to hold one Monday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, the night before that state's Super Tuesday primary. The GOP will hold its nominating convention in late August in Charlotte. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Health experts in most states have advised Americans to continue with their normal activity, but use good hygiene, such as washing their hands. But as confirmed cases continue to rack up, some experts have wondered how much longer campaigns can carry on as normal, without looking irresponsible. As of Monday morning, there were 91 confirmed cases in the U.S. Two people, both in Washington state, have died from the virus. States including California, Illinois and New York now have confirmed cases. CNN on Monday reportedly said in an internal memo that parent company WarnerMedia's major TV events, such as Democratic debates and NBA/NCAA coverage, will be staffed but limited to "absolutely critical" personnel. CNN is co-hosting the next debate on March 15 in Phoenix, Arizona. A spokesperson for WarnerMedia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tweet A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee said in a statement to CNBC on Monday that its "number one concern is to ensure all eligible voters are able to make their voices heard without jeopardizing anyone's health and safety." The Democratic National Convention, where the party will pick its presidential nominee, is scheduled to be held in July in Milwaukee. The spokesperson added that it will "continue to closely monitor as the situation develops." The campaign for former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who has staked his candidacy in large part to his experience in crisis management, has yet to cancel any events. "We have not pulled down any events but are closely monitoring the situation in multiple cities," a representative said. The campaign did, however, issue guidelines to its employees for preventing infection and contending with the outbreak. "Events scheduled to take place in an affected city or community would be postponed," according to the memo. Representatives for candidates Sanders, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and former Vice President Joe Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment. SYRACUSE, N.Y. A 31-year-old man was charged with homicide after allegedly punching a victim repeatedly in the head in early December, causing him to die of blunt head trauma five days later, according to Syracuse police. Police responded to 337 Shonnard St. regarding a fight at 7:50 p.m. They found Robert Pickett, 49, who did not visibly appear injured" and no evidence of a fight, said Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Malinowski. Police later learned that a witness saw Randy Bailey, of Onondaga Street in Syracuse, repeatedly punch Pickett in the head and face while Pickett sat defenseless on a couch, Malinowski said. Over the course of the next day, Pickett complained to his live-in girlfriend of severe head pain, and she called for an ambulance that took him to Upstate University Hospital. On Dec. 7, hospital staff told police that Pickett would not survive his injuries, and an investigation began into the fight, police said. On Dec. 9, Pickett was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said. Two months later, the Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office ruled that Pickett died due to blunt head trauma and ruled his death a homicide, police said. On Thursday, Syracuse police detectives found Bailey and charged him with criminally negligent homicide, a felony. Under New York state law, criminally negligent homicide is defined as person failing to perceive the risk of death, acting in a manner thats far beyond how a reasonable person would act in a similar situation. Bailey was released from jail on an appearance ticket. He did not meet any of the exceptions under the New York state bail reform that would have allowed a judge to hold him or set bail for him. Patrick Lohmann covers breaking news and many other topics. He can be reached at PLohmann@Syracuse.com or by phone at (315)766-6670. Pekka Lundmark, the current CEO of energy firm Fortum, will take over as president and CEO of Nokia on September 1. Suri, 52, will work towards smooth transition with his successor before he leaves in August. After 25 years at Nokia, I have wanted to do something different," said Suri. Nokia will always be part of me, and I want to thank everyone that I ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The US administration has ruled out retaliatory airstrikes in Syria after at least 34 Turkish troops were killed in an attack last week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said today. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, the US militarys top officer, said today that the United States "doesn't have clear, unambiguous intelligence on who was flying which planes." But the deadly strikes took place at night, and Al-Monitors Amberin Zaman reported on Sunday that only Russian pilots have the capability to fly in Syrian airspace after dark. Esper and Milleys comments appeared to further steer the US administration away from a possible military response in Syria, even after President Donald Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called for an immediate no-fly zone over Idlib on Thursday. Graham spent hours with Trump on Friday at a rally in his home state. But current and former administration officials said there was little likelihood of such a no-fly zone, which would require the Pentagon to take out aircraft and airfields. That would be impossible unless we were willing to shoot down Russian or Turkish jets, a former senior administration official told Al-Monitor. In the wake of Grahams statement, Capitol Hill sources contacted by Al-Monitor said they were not aware of any legislative proposal for a no-fly zone in Syria. Esper told lawmakers last week that the administration had not discussed reengaging in the civil war. The State Department, led by special envoy for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey, has tried to put forward the idea of a no-fly zone before, but only for areas where 600 US troops are stationed in northern Syria, the former official told Al-Monitor. The idea had not come up at US Central Command, the Pentagons command center for the Middle East. Legal barriers to such a proposal could also prove prohibitive, US officials have said. A senior aide to Jeffrey said at a closed-door event in Washington last week that the United States lacks legal avenues to ground Syrian President Bashar al-Assads air force or shoot down his warplanes. American troops are still in Syria in a reduced role after Trump ordered a withdrawal from areas of the northeast recaptured from the Islamic State last fall to allow for a Turkish incursion. The US forces killed 200 to 300 Russian fighters and pro-regime troops in a four-hour battle in February 2018 over the Conoco oil fields, a major petroleum installation controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Turkey also triggered consultations under NATOs Article 4 on Friday as it carried out a series of drone strikes targeting Syrian regime forces that Ankara says laid waste to more than 100 tanks and killed 2,212 pro-Assad forces since Feb. 27. Esper said he spoke to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg about the uptick in Syrian fighting during a visit to Afghanistan over the weekend as the United States looks toward a humanitarian response to the crisis. Jeffrey and US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft began a trip to Turkeys border region today. This is where we all knew where the rubber meets the road, a US official told Al-Monitor. Turkey cant afford to back down, but Russia has no interest in mediating. And add hundreds of thousands of potential refugees on top of it. My fear is that this is going to get really, really ugly. Afghan President Casts Doubt On Key Aspect Of U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan March 01, 2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has questioned a key component of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Ghani told a news briefing in the capital, Kabul, on March 1 that his government has made no commitment to free up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners, as set out in the February 29 agreement. The Western-backed Kabul government was not a signatory of the bilateral U.S.-Taliban deal. "There is no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners," Ghani said, adding that any prisoner release was "not in the authority of the U.S., it is in the authority of the Afghan government." "This is the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan," Ghani added. "It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks." There was no immediate response from the United States or the Taliban. There are an estimated 10,000 Taliban prisoners being held in Afghanistan. The U.S.-Taliban deal said Washington was committed to the release of "up to five thousand" Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government and "up to one thousand...prisoners of the other side will be released by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations." Road Map To Peace Pursuit of a lasting peace -- which is heavily conditioned on guarantees that Afghanistan won't be used to stage attacks on the United States or its allies -- could face considerable obstacles as Washington tries to shift the burden of peacemaking to the warring Afghan sides with Ghani's government facing its own challenges following his disputed reelection victory. The long-awaited road map to peace was signed by the leader of the political wing of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Washington's chief negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, in the Qatari capital, Doha. In it, the United States commits in the deal 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." Ghani told CNN on March 1 that U.S. President Donald Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and that the political consensus needed for such a major step did not currently exist. "The people of Afghanistan need to believe that we've gone from war to peace, and not that the agreement will be either a Trojan horse or the beginning of a much worse phase of conflict," Ghani told CNN. Earlier, at his press conference, Ghani expressed hope that a seven-day partial truce that helped finalize the U.S.-Taliban agreement would continue until a more permanent deal was reached. "The reduction in violence will continue with a goal to reach a full cease-fire," Ghani said. Trump said on February 29 that American troops would "immediately" begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan. "Today. They will start immediately," Trump told reporters when asked when the soldiers would start to leave. "No one should be criticizing this deal, after 19 years," Trump said, adding that he will "be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-so-distant future," without specifying. The agreement 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 -- which it so far has refused to do. According to a joint declaration published by the U.S. and Afghan governments, the United States and NATO would withdraw all troops in Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban upholds the commitments made in the agreement. The U.S. military has some 13,000 troops in Afghanistan and plans to immediately cut the level to 8,600, leading up to a potential final pullout in 2021. Trump told a conservative political conference in suburban Maryland that if the Taliban lives up to its commitments, the war will "be over." "We can't be the policeman for the world," said Trump, who has often vowed to halt America's involvement in "endless wars" around the world. John Bolton, Trump's hawkish former national-security adviser, wrote on Twitter that "signing this agreement with Taliban is an unacceptable risk to America's civilian population." "This is an Obama-style deal. Legitimizing Taliban sends the wrong signal to [Islamic State] and Al-Qaeda terrorists, and to America's enemies generally," he said, referring to former President Barack Obama, Trump's predecessor. Republican U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney under George W. Bush, also ripped the deal, saying the U.S. administration must explain how it will verify Taliban compliance. "Today's agreement with the Taliban includes concessions that could threaten the security of the United States," she said. 'Everyone Is Tired Of War' Many experts have also said that eventual talks, if they occur, between Afghan government officials and the Taliban could prove to be troublesome. Many in Kabul have rejected talks with the extremist group, expressing doubts about its sincerity and ability to control its fighters. Trump, however, said he was optimistic that such talks will be successful, saying "everyone is tired of war." "The other side's tired of war. Everybody is tired of war -- a particularly long and gruesome one," he said. "We've had tremendous success in Afghanistan, in the killing of terrorists, but it's time, after all these years, to go and to bring our people back home." Meanwhile, chief Taliban negotiator Abbas Stanikzai said, "There is no doubt we have won the war.... This [is] why they are signing a peace treaty." The Foreign Ministry of U.S. foe Iran, which shares a long border with Afghanistan and has a sizable population of Afghans, said the United States has no legal standing to sign a deal with the Taliban, Reuters reported. Tehran also reportedly stressed the need for intra-Afghan talks and urged considerations for the interests of Afghanistan's neighbors. Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said he considered a prisoner exchange an important confidence-building measure. "The prisoner exchange will be one of the first confidence-building measures, so it will remain a very critical step that we need to push forward," he added. Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib told Afghanistan's Tolo TV channel that the government had made no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners by March 10. Mohib also questioned the deal's seeming absence of specifics on the Taliban's ties to neighboring Pakistan, which Kabul and Washington have long accused of harboring militants who conduct cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, his chief political rival who has disputed official results of September's presidential election that showed the president winning reelection, have yet to agree on the composition of the government's negotiating team for any peace talks with the Taliban. With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, The New York Times, and the BBC Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us- troops-to-begin-leaving-afghanistan- immediately/30462190.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address H aseeb Ahmad has good reason to pin his colours to the mast of Big Pharma, an industry with a reputation on a par with Harvey Weinsteins. Hes the UK boss of 187-billion Swiss medicines giant Novartis and president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, but admits he was sheepish about his profession until an incident at a dinner party. He uses an anecdote to explain why the industrys bad rep frustrates and disappoints me. Back in 2007, he was at a regular north London dinner with a group of university friends when they began to mock each others professions. Ahmad braced for a barrage, unable to find the words to defend his trade when a fellow attendee whod been through years of trying to get the right treatment to allow her to have children piped up. She talked about this journey going through the healthcare system of moving from hope to despair back up the hope and despair again. You could hear it in her voice this was really painful for her, this was not just about a medical condition. Eventually, thanks to a new rapid service from a pharmaceutical company, she had a child. But it makes me feel really proud because that ladys my wife and I now have two children and its only when you go through something like that it just really hits you. Theres a practiced, movie-like reveal to the culmination of this story, but Ahmad whos rangy with chestnut brown eyes is suitably sincere, banging his fist on the desk. Were in Novartiss new UK headquarters, recently unveiled to the world in a ceremony featuring health secretary Matt Hancock. Its a significant move for the firm, which employs 109,000 people across 155 countries. The UK division has moved from sleepy Frimley in Surrey to a gleaming WeWork-style complex in White City. It doesnt feel very pharma: downstairs there are guitars to borrow for the idle strummer and staff with asymmetric haircuts file into ITVs office. Novartis is here to take advantage of the proximity to the NHS, regulators and Imperial College Londons life sciences campus, which sits across the road with the Grenfell Tower a spectre behind it. Group chief executive Vas Narasimhan has been busily shifting Novartis away from cheaper everyday medicines he sold its consumer healthcare arm to GlaxoSmithKline for $13 billion in 2018 and towards researching treatments to sell into the healthcare system. Ahmad hopes to use artificial intelligence and data science to transform research into areas like cell and gene therapy, tapping into Londons burgeoning life sciences and biotech scene to develop collaborations and hire talent. The offices will also host health tech start-ups to breed new ideas. One of the things that frustrates me is that we live in a society where a new smartphone he picks up his device with disdain with half a megapixel of additional camera is valued as innovation. What were seeing coming through now is real innovation that can potentially treat and cure disease on a scale never seen before. Ahmads mantra is that he wants to be as clever in getting into the hands and homes of patients as Novartis is in R&D, fuelling closer relations with healthcare providers and regulators. He sees a recent deal with NHS England as an example. Typically Novartis has to spend time and money finding patients for trials. Now, the pair will analyse NHS data to identify patients at risk of heart disease who will receive quick access to its cholesterol-lowering drug inclisiran. That type of partnership hasnt happened before and its a lot easier to partner if youre in the same town. How we collaborate has to be just as innovative if we want to transform the healthcare system, says Ahmad. Another study will see Novartis work with the NHS and Oxford university on Orion-4, a global research study into a potential cholesterol-lowering injection. He elaborates: The nature of medicines is changing and we wanted to really double down. We wanted to be a research-intensive medicines company, focused on new, high-tech prescription-based medicines. Its a position thats taken time to reach. If you look at the last 20 years, Novartis has scaled back from being an unwieldy company with businesses across generics, vaccines, diagnostics, and consumer healthcare to become a more-focused, medicines business, says Liberum analyst Graham Doyle, who adds that Novartiss lack of scale in consumer healthcare meant it was a sensible sell-off. Theres even talk that its generics business, Sandoz, will be spun off or sold. But some in the City have questioned the risk involved in rebalancing away from everyday drugs. Theres always a trade-off between having a diversified business and having focus. Ultimately strategys a choice and choosing to do everything isnt a choice, says Ahmad. This strategy has been overshadowed by a string of scandals. There were bribery and data-tampering allegations in Japan and the submission of manipulated data on its Zolgensma drug to US regulators. Novartis has also defended holding a global lottery to win a dose of the drug, used to treat infants with a life-threatening genetic disease. Separately, the firm revealed in 2018 it paid Donald Trumps lawyer Michael Cohen $1.2 million for advice on Obamacare that he proved unable to carry out. Investors appear unfazed; the shares are up 35% over the past four years. Looking ahead, the pharma giant is busy launching several key drugs including treatments for lung cancer and sickle cell disease, estimated to add around 5% to revenue growth annually for the next three years. Ahmad says the firm is ready to help deal with coronavirus, but it doesnt produce vaccines. Running Novartiss UK arm is something of a coup for Ahmad. He points out it has 800 million customers worldwide or 10% of humanity. Hes an industry lifer after being tempted into healthcare by his family. His parents came to Liverpool from India and Pakistan, and he spent his childhood observing the goodwill of his GP mothers and nephrologist fathers patients. His dad co-invented an early portable kidney dialysis machine. Ahmads youth had plenty of Merseyside hallmarks: he went to school on Penny Lane, had his haircut at the Beatles barber, lived down the road from Brooksides set and spends his time following Jurgen Klopps high-flying Reds. His career began in sales at US behemoth Schering-Plough (later Merck Sharp & Dohme) in Nottingham, before switching to marketing and studying how drugs were developed and launched. Jobs followed in Ireland and Greece, where he endured the economic crisis. When I arrived the government hadnt paid us for 520 days but we were still supplying medicines. There was no question we wouldnt, its a long life cycle business, he says, noting Novartis has been in the UK for more than 100 years. There, he has set about changing the culture to the idea of being unbossed allowing employees at any level to contribute to decision making. Theres a lot of intellectual masturbation around leadership and culture but if theres one thing Ive learnt on my journey is that happy people are more productive, he explains. Hes also forthright on diversity, keen that you can bring your full self to work, you shouldnt have to hide who you are. New Haven Police photo NEW HAVEN A man police said was found passed out in a car with a gun in his lap was arrested following a chase early Sunday. Capt. Anthony Duff said the incident began around 4:30 a.m. Sunday when police responded to a restaurant at 280 Kimberly Ave. for a 911 call about a man passed out in his car in the drive-thru with a gun on his lap. ST. STEPHEN, N.B. - A New Brunswick church says it is being disowned by its Canadian denomination because it refuses to stop performing same-sex marriages. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. ST. STEPHEN, N.B. - A New Brunswick church says it is being disowned by its Canadian denomination because it refuses to stop performing same-sex marriages. Peter Fitch, pastor of St. Croix Vineyard Church in St. Stephen, says Vineyard Canada has asked his congregation to leave the group which has 45 churches across the country and stop using the Vineyard name. "Our church was one of the founding members of the Vineyard denomination of Canada in 1995. We are very invested in this group. We love this group," Fitch said Monday. He said his church has performed same-sex marriages even though the association asked in 2014 that pastors not conduct them. "When we were asked to do a same-sex marriage by people locally, we said to the denomination that we were going to do it, in spite of the requirement that Vineland pastors not do it," he said. "We've done two others over the years as well." Fitch said national leaders of the conservative evangelical organization felt challenged by that, but they took the time to take a thorough look at the issue. "But in the end they thought they couldn't have churches like ours as part of the group. They asked any church that couldn't comply with their requirements to leave and not use the name Vineyard any more," he said. Fitch said he understands the association's position because it is hard for people to change. He said that with religious groups there's a desire to be faithful and obedient to what they understand. Fitch said he has a brother who is gay, and he never felt at peace with the position of Vineyard Canada. In an emailed statement, the national directors of Vineyard Canada, David and Anita Ruis, described the New Brunswick congregation as "stepping away" from the national group. "We recognize the St. Croix community has come to a different perspective than our movement of churches," they said. "We respect and appreciate the need for them to follow their conscience as they find a way forward apart from Vineyard Canada." In a Feb. 5, 2020 letter to Vineyard Canada churches, the Ruises said the organization would not be changing its position on same-sex marriage. "Vineyard Canada remains committed to an understanding of Christian marriage as an exclusive, covenantal relationship between one man and one woman, consistent with traditional understanding of the Biblical witness and the historical church," they wrote. Vineyard has about 2,400 associated churches around the world. 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. Fitch said congregation members have been supportive of his stand, and he doesn't think parting with Vineyard will impact their numbers. "Almost a decade ago we started to lose people who wanted to keep a traditional perspective, but our church grew up again with people that might not have thought they would be churchgoers," he said. "Young people and people of different sexualities, and people who are atheists and lots of different people come to our church." A service will be held March 15 to rename the church. Fitch said it will take the form of a New Orleans jazz funeral with lots of music and stories. "We've been working in this community since 1992 and we have lots of things we do here. We'll keep doing them. We'll just have a new name," he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020. By Kevin Bissett in Fredericton 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 As the Iranian government grows more repressive of artists, director Mohammed Rasoulof was banned from leaving the country and jailed for a year. Punishment like Rasoulofs is an all-too common story in contemporary Iranian cinema, a thriving, internationally respected scene. Yet despite the governments repressive measures its approval is required for shoots and screenings he and other directors have grown more emboldened to speak out, in formal letters, on awards stages, through social media and on film. The New York Times Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 21:04:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army will respond to Turkish attacks and interference in the Syrian affairs, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday. The ministry condemned the current Turkish attacks on Syrian military positions in the northwestern province of Idlib, saying it is "flagrant aggression." The ministry said the Turkish forces are trying to revive the "terrorist groups" in Syria. It urged the international community to condemn the Turkish attacks in Syria. Since December 2019, the Syrian forces have been on a wide-scale offensive against the ultra-radical rebels in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold, which borders Turkey. Thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside rebel-held areas of Idlib. On Thursday, at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes in Idlib, which Turkey blamed on the Syrian government. The incident marked a serious escalation between the Turkish and Syrian forces and raised the prospect of an all-out confrontation between both sides. A day earlier, Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes in Idlib. By Trend Iranian Ambassador to Belarus Saeed Yari held talk with Public Health Minister of Belarus Vladimir Karanik on ways to fight against coronavirus, Trend reports with reference to IRNA. In the meeting, both sides reviewed avenues concerning how to support Iranian students based in the host country. During the meeting, Karanik pointed out that the health status of Iranian students is under control. Approximately 800 Iranians are studying at the universities of Belarus. Earlier, Head of the Iran's Health Ministry's public relations office said that the coronavirus death toll has mounted to 54 in Iran out of the total figure of 987 people who have been affected by the virus. By Gemma Handy THE TCI is being cited as a cautionary tale by Bahamian officials who this week pledged to aggressively track down illegal immigrants and "take our country back. In a vociferous speech delivered to Parliament on Monday, prime minister Hubert Minnis claimed the TCI was "swamped with illegal migrants and even asserted they outnumber ordinary residents. "Residents in Turks are so fed up that they themselves are capturing the illegals, tying them up and taking them to the authorities and requesting that they be deported, PM Minnis alleged. "I would not like to see us reach that point, he added. Minnis was speaking during a budget debate in which he outlined an arsenal of measures aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration in the Bahamas. They include the establishment of a strike force to hunt out people there illicitly by combing streets and job sites across the island chain. He also pledged to toughen up immigration policies while urging his compatriots not to hire people without proper documentation. Minnis is known for his inflammatory language when it comes to illegal migrants, the majority of whom hail from Haiti. The Bahamas came under fire internationally last year for its efforts to deport migrants living in shantytowns wiped out by hurricane Dorian. Plans to demolish informal settlements where impoverished Haitians reside has been a hallmark of Minnis administration. His government is currently locked in a legal fight to proceed with bulldozing them. Earlier this month, Caricom announced a fact-finding mission would travel to Haiti in a bid to help the worlds oldest black republic. Minnis will be part of the group, along with representatives from Barbados and Jamaica. The Bahamas, like the TCI, has long grappled with an influx of boats ferrying desperate migrants out of Haiti, the scene of a protracted political crisis and slew of bloody protests in recent months. At just 125 miles away from Cap-Haitien, the TCI has been disproportionately hit by the volume of sloops leaving Haiti laden with migrants eager for a better life. However, increased funding and technology, including a multi-million dollar radar system, have paid dividends in the TCIs interception rate. In the last 10 months alone, more than 1,500 people who arrived by illegal sloop have been repatriated. Deputy Premier Sean Astwood rebuffed Minnis claims, telling the Weekly News it was "not true that TC Islanders were outnumbered by illegal migrants. TC Islanders general minority status in their homeland is a well-documented fact. Figures from years past have suggested native Islanders comprise around one in three of the countrys population. The latest statistics from the 2020 World Population Review puts the overall immigrant population at just over half 57.5 per cent of the TCIs total 38,700 people. But Astwood said it was wrong to suggest that those in the TCI illegally formed the bulk. The deputy premier said Minnis comments suggesting TC Islanders were adopting a vigilante approach to undocumented migrants referred to an "isolated incident earlier this month. "This is not widespread, he confirmed. Astwood continued that plans announced in September for a new border protection agency to curb the inflow of sloops were now "very well advanced. "We are in the process of recruiting a division commander for that, he told the Weekly News. The agency will operate as its own entity, "totally independent of police and immigration, and forms part of a national security strategy, he explained. "We have a new permanent secretary to head it. The agency is in the set-up stages now, it will feature all the latest technology and will grow over time, he added. Beefed-up maritime protection measures will see the acquisition of drone aircraft and additional sea craft to boost the current sloop detection rate. The National Security Strategy is a multi-pronged approach to tackling crime in TCI generally. It features efforts to identify immediate national security threats, better management of current resources and the procurement of additional ones and stronger partnerships with crime-fighting bodies overseas. Figures released last week revealed that the TCI spent $3 million in 2019 repatriating illegal migrants, mostly to Haiti. A father was stabbed to death while on the way to work, just 15 minutes after leaving his girlfriend and their newborn baby at home. Asante Campbell, 24, was found with knife wounds in Hendon, north west London, just after 9pm on Saturday. Witnesses said a gang of four people with 'arm-length' machetes attacked Mr Cambell before fleeing in a silver hatchback car after a resident shouted that she would call the police. Mr Campbell - from Edgware - was found inside a silver VW Polo and police believe he was attacked in a car park. The car then crashed into a parked vehicle on Parson Street. Father Asante Campbell, 24, was stabbed to death while on the way to work, just 15 minutes after leaving his girlfriend and their newborn baby at home Mr Campbell was found with knife wounds in Hendon, north west London , just after 9pm on Saturday. Pictured: A forensic officer at the scene A local resident who witnessed the attack told The Evening Standard: 'They were all armed and had weapons, arm-length, the victim had something in his hand a long metal item that he must have used to defend himself.' He was taken to a north London hospital where he later died. His next of kin have been informed and a post-mortem examination is yet to happen. A friend of Mr Campbell told The Sun: 'He played a big part in so many peoples lives. 'Anywhere you go, anyone you speak to, theyll never say anything negative about him because there just wasnt anything. Just not one thing.' There have been no arrests. Urgent enquiries are underway, led by homicide detectives from Specialist Crime, to establish the full circumstances. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge said: 'We believe the victim was parked up in the silver VW Polo in the car park in Stratford Road, off Bell Lane, NW4, minutes before the collision took place in Parson Street. We believe he was attacked in the car park. 'The victim was arriving at the car park, in order to travel to work for a night shift. He had just left his girlfriend and newborn baby at home in Edgware 15 minutes earlier. Mr Campbell was taken to a north London hospital where he later died (officers are seen working on the car in Hendon on Sunday) Police said the new father was leaving for a night shift when he was stabbed on Saturday night 'It is likely that a number of witnesses in the Belle Vue Estate may have witnessed the attack. 'I am appealing for anyone who saw the incident, or who knows anything about what happened, to make contact with my officers, all calls will be treated in the strictest confidence. Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to call police on 101 quoting ref 7686/Feb29. If you do not want to speak to police, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also visit their website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. They never ask your name and cannot trace your call or IP address. A new bank branch is coming to the Boonsboro area. Lynchburg City Council last week voted 6-0 to approve a rezoning request to allow the construction of a new branch of First National Bank at 5010 Boonsboro Road, next to Walgreens and across the street from a Bank of the James location. The move came despite a recommendation from the Lynchburg Planning Commission the project be shelved. Ward IV Councilman Turner Perrow, who owns stock in the bank, abstained from the vote. When the planning commission rejected the request late last year, it cited a diminishing number of residential properties in the area and feared rezoning the site could set a precedent that would affect the entire Boonsboro corridor. But council members were swayed by arguments from bank officials that the largely vacant site was not suitable for new housing developments and a new 4,500-square-foot bank building with a drive-thru and associated parking could help spur economic growth along a thoroughfare linking Bedford County with downtown Lynchburg. We need to have smart growth and we need to promote a scenic gateway, at-large councilman Randy Nelson said. And I think approving this plan does both. In its denial recommendation, the planning commission also stated in documents that although the proposed use would be in close proximity to other commercial uses, the zoning for these uses has been in place since 1978. With the exception of rezoning 4835 Boonsboro Road in 1987, the Planning Commission and Council have consistently followed the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan in the Boonsboro Road area, city planners wrote. The Citys Comprehensive Plan places a high value on the Citys residential neighborhoods. While the Royal Oak Subdivision to the west of the proposed development could serve as a natural break of commercial development, this large lot low density zoned property could also serve to ease the transition to residential from commercial. At a public hearing earlier this month, a handful of citizens spoke in opposition to the project. Ellwyn Andrusky, who owns property directly next to the proposed site, said the bank would disrupt residential life in the area. She urged the council to reject the rezoning request. It would adversely impact my property on a daily basis and I believe that it will make the property value of my property go down, she said. To ease some of the concerns raised before the commission and council, First National amended its original request to limit construction to just two acres of the more than 5-acre site. Todd Hall, bank president and CEO, pledged to set aside the remainder of the land as green space and to maintain existing vegetation. We absolutely want to do the right thing, Hall said. We want to be a good neighbor to the residential citizens that would be near this site. When the new location opens, it will be the 12th branch for the bank, founded in 1908 in Altavista, and its sixth in the Hill City. The company plans to open another branch in the second quarter of this year in a former SunTrust location in the Graves Mill Shopping Center in Forest. A construction timetable for the Boonsboro branch has not been released. Richard Chumney covers Liberty University for The News & Advance. Reach him at (434) 385-5547. Richard Chumney covers Liberty University for The News & Advance. Reach him at (434) 385-5547. 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. MANILA, Philippines Eight suspected human trafficking victims were rescued by the authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said. In a statement issued Sunday, the BI said the victims were intercepted by its agents in three separate operations between February 27 to 29. BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan said the first four of the female victims were intercepted last February 24 at NAIA Terminal 3 while attempting to depart to Bangkok, Thailand. The four initially pretended to be tourists traveling together for a vacation but was later found to be in possession of United Arab Emirates visas. They also eventually admitted to being bound for Dubai to work as household service workers, the BI said. Upon interview, they alleged that their documents were processed by a fixer they only knew as Mark, the bureau added. On February 27, 3 more victims who attempted to fly to Brunei were intercepted by immigration officers at NAIA Terminal 3. The BI said the passengers initially claimed to be overseas Filipino workers but system checks revealed that they carried falsified overseas employment certificates that belonged to someone else. Meanwhile, an underage female was also intercepted by immigration officers at the NAIA Terminal 2 while she tried to depart as a Filipino worker to Riyadh. Upon interview, it was noted that she gave several inconsistent statements and could not answer basic questions about her age. She eventually admitted to lying about her age by presenting a falsified birth certificate, the bureau said. All eight individuals were referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance in filing criminal cases against their recruiters, the BI said. The post BI rescues 8 suspected trafficking victims at NAIA appeared first on UNTV News. Former British Society of Baking chairman Ian Melling has passed away peacefully at home. Ian trained as a baker and worked for a number of bakery companies, and also taught part-time at the National Bakery School. He later moved on to the bakery equipment side of the industry, finishing his career as managing director of Record Bakery Equipment. Ian joined the British Society of Baking (BSB) in 1975 and was a member until his retirement. He was chairman of the society in 1991-1992 and served on various committees during the 1980s and 1990s. The BSB described Ian as a very enthusiastic member who had contributed to the societys success, adding that he stayed in touch as a retired member. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him in the BSB and in the baking industry in general, said the BSB, which has sent its condolences to Ians widow Affie. Only last year Ian donated his collection of bakery books to the National Bakery School (NBS). He and Affie delivered them personally to the school and were given a tour of the NBS facilities by course director Elaine Thomson. A service will be held on Monday 9 March 2020 at 1:45pm at Gold Hill Baptist Church, Gold Hill East, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, SL9 9DG. Warning that it will be a ``long, windy, bumpy road'' to peace in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday he has approved the start of an American troop withdrawal even as the Taliban said it would continue attacks against Afghan forces. Speaking at a Pentagon news conference, Esper said he wasn't sure if the drawdown had begun, but he said it must start within 10 days of the US-Taliban peace agreement that was announced on Saturday. Esper said Gen. Scott Miller, the US commander in Kabul, will begin the withdrawal to about 8,600 troops from the current total of nearly 13,000, and then will stop and assess conditions. The agreement with the Taliban followed a seven-day ``reduction in violence'' period that, from the Trump administration's viewpoint, was meant to test the Taliban's seriousness about moving toward a final peace agreement. ``Our expectation is that the reduction in violence will continue,`` said Esper, adding that officials will work to determine who is responsible for any acts of violence. ``That's going to be the nature of this over the next days, weeks and months,'' he said. ``I'm not going to get too exited about what happens at the moment. We're just going to deal with each situation as it arises.'' Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there is no expectation that violence in Afghanistan will ``go to zero'' quickly. And Esper said the US expects violence will ``taper off,'' leading to a start by March 10 of peace negotiations among Afghan groups, including the Taliban. ``This is going to be a long, windy, bumpy road. There will be ups and downs, and we'll and stop and start,'' said Esper. The Taliban military commission on Monday issued an order to its fighters on the ground to resume attacks against Afghan forces and the ``the Kabul puppet administration,`` but not against foreigners. And there were reports of an attack in the eastern province of Khost, but Milley said it was not yet clear who was responsible. That area is known for Taliban activity, but other insurgent groups, including the Islamic State, could be responsible. The peace agreement signed with Taliban militants on Saturday aims to bring America's longest war to an end after 18 years of bloodshed that began after the 9/11 attacks. Under the deal, the US would draw its forces down to 8,600 in the next three to four months, and the remaining troops would leave within 14 months. The withdrawal depends on the Taliban meeting its commitment 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.'' The deal does not, however, tie the US withdrawal to any specific outcome from the all-Afghan peace talks, according to US officials. ``We are going to show good faith and begin withdrawing our troops,'' Esper said. But both he and Milley said the US will continue counterterrorism strikes against other groups, such as Islamic State militants who pose threats to the US Search Keywords: Short link: Harrowing footage shows a Central Park carriage horse dragging its hind legs before collapsing in front of horrified tourists, prompting New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to call for an investigation. The horse, called Aisha, had to be euthanized after she suffered cardiac arrest, stumbled to the ground and failed to get up again on Sunday. She had done a single ride around the Manhattan park during the day, and was waiting at the carriage stand with her handlers for about a hour and a half before she fell to the ground, according to the Historic Horse-Drawn Carriages of Central Park - the group that represents owners and drivers. Horse thrashed around after collapsing from an apparent cardiac event in Central Park in New York City Men attempt to gain control of horse named Aisha who draws a carriage in NYC's Central Park Aisha's hind legs appeared too weak to support the rest of her body weight, causing multiple collapses Men attempt to lift Aisha into a horse transportation vehicle The footage of the heartbreaking incident, taken by animal advocacy group NYCLASS, shows Aisha's handlers attempting to help her up. She is eventually lifted into a horse float and taken back to her stables. The group is now calling for an investigation. 'It's very clear that it's not possible for horse carriages to operate in NYC without causing tremendous suffering, cruelty and abuse to the horses,' Edita Birnkrant, executive director of NYCLASS, told CBS News. In a statement to CBS News, Christina Hansen, a spokesperson for the NYC carriage industry, said the horse probably fell due to a 'cardiac event.' 'Animal rights extremists are already exploiting this tragedy to further their anti-horse agenda during our time of grief and shock,' Hansen said. 'This medical emergency appears to be something that could happen to any horse, any time, anywhere, for any number of reasons, under a wide variety of conditions.' The incident has also caught the attention of New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio, who pledged in his first campaign in 2013 to ban horse carriges. He has yet to deliver on that promise, but called Saturday's video painful. In a tweet, he said: 'The video of a horse collapsing ad dying in Central Park yesterday is painful and says so much about a persistent problem. 'We've made real progress in animal welfare but we must go further. The NYPD's Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad is on the case and WILL get answers.' In 2016, a deal fell apart that would have greatly reduced the number of carriages in the city. The following year, NYCLASS announced it had given up on pushing to get rid of horse carriages and would try to protect the animals through other methods.Horri BOULDER, Colo., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A three-year old girl from Colorado who has been battling brain cancer for a year has inspired Bobo's, a Boulder-based natural foods company and maker of freshly baked whole grain snacks, to continue to bake with love and release a new, limited-edition oat bar. Connected through local nonprofit, There With Care, the Bobo's team quickly fell in love with the vibrant Nora, diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in 2018, and decided to honor her courage with her own Bobo's Oat Bar. The "There With Care Chocolate Almond Brownie Bar" was created by Nora at the brand's Boulder, CO bakery, driven by her love of chocolate and selected from a collection of signature mixes. While it's the first time Bobo's has released the flavor, it's extra special because 100 percent of the proceeds of the new bar are donated to There With Care, an organization that provides critical resources for children and families across the country facing medical crisis. Bobo's There With Care "Nora" Bar Founded in 2005 by Paula DuPre Pesmen, There With Care works with licensed social workers to identify families and learn what resources are needed, be it transportation, grocery and meal deliveries, family therapy programs or anything else necessary to ease the burden of life's day-to-day obligations. Bobo's has been a proud community partner since 2016, donating over one hundred hours in volunteer time, thousands of Bobo's Oat Bars and over thirty thousand dollars to the families they serve through the organization. "We were touched when we heard Nora's story and knew we had to do something to help," said T.J. McIntyre, CEO at Bobo's. "As a company born from a mother and daughter baking tradition, our mission is to always to 'bake with love' and to feed everyone like family. We have loved working with There With Care over the past several years and are deeply honored to have the opportunity to work with Nora's family. We hope everyone will support the organization and their powerful mission, our goal is to work together to drive awareness." "We are blessed to have had the assistance of There With Care throughout Nora's battle," said Caroline the mother of Nora. "Right after her first round of chemotherapy, the team at There With Care reached out and showed up for us by providing resources to ease the burden of day-to-day tasks, allowing me to focus on my family. We are just so thrilled to be working with both Bobo's and There With Care and hope this bar will encourage others to support There With Care so they can continue to serve families like ours nationwide." Nora's limited-edition There With Care Bar will be available on March 1st in Chocolate Almond Brownie, and can be purchased in six-bar boxes that will retail for $14.99. Bobo's will donate 100% of the proceeds from every box sold to There With Care. To learn more, please visit https://eatbobos.com/therewithcare. ABOUT BOBO'S: BOBO's has been making people everywhere feel like family with fresh-baked, wholesome and handmade snacks since 2003 when BOBO and her mother decided to whip up their favorite homemade goods in their Boulder, CO kitchen. Sticking true to the brand's beginnings, every BOBO's treat is still made with an extra helping of love using the same recipe, the same pan, in the same small-batches, and the same simple wholesome ingredients found in your everyday kitchen. Today, the BOBO's family of products include the original bars and has expanded with oat bites, nut-butter filled bars, toaster pastries, stuff'd bites and protein nut butter bars that can be found in natural and conventional grocers around the country. Every healthy BOBO's treat is still 100% gluten free, kosher, and non-GMO certified. To learn more about BOBO's and how the brand stays committed to feeding everyone like family, visit eatbobos.com or follow @eatbobos on social media. ABOUT THERE WITH CARE: A Colorado-based nonprofit, There With Care's mission is to provide a wide range of thoughtful and fundamental services to children and families during the critical phase of a medical crisis. They serve families referred by medical agencies, by building a network of services and people who ease the burden of life's day-to-day obligations with compassion and care. Contact: Sonja Melin 213.516.2476 [email protected] SOURCE Bobo's With China assuming the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of March, India is bound to face a tough month ahead. Chinas Permanent Representative Zhang Jun will assume the presidency on Monday, March 2, 2020, according to a report by The Indian Express. The UNSC follows a rotational system where its five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members enjoy a month-long presidency. The rotation takes place in the alphabetical order. The UNSC president presides over meetings, calls for meetings and oversees any crises. Also Read: China defends raising Kashmir issue at UNSC to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions This is the first time China will be holding the UNSC presidency since August when Article 370 was abrogated, thereby, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, Beijing has raised the Kashmir issue twice and withdrawn its attempt to raise the issue in December. After the abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act has gained global attention including last weeks violence in Delhi. India is likely to see a month of tough discussions and arguments at the security council on Article 370, Kashmir, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and NRC. Also Read: China should reflect on global consensus: MEA When China had raised the issue in January at Pakistans behest, it had failed to achieve an outcome, the Council said that it was not the right forum to raise the issue. In a closed-door meeting in August too, Beijing attempted to raise the Kashmir issue but the other P5 members thwarted the attempt to discuss Kashmir at the meeting. New Delhi: The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue collection in the month of February stayed above the Rs 1 lakh crore mark for the fourth consecutive month, at Rs 1.05 lakh crore. GST collection last month was 8.35 per cent higher than Rs 97,247 crore reported during the same period last year. Out of the total collection of Rs 1.05 lakh crore, CGST was Rs 20,569 crore and SGST was Rs 27,348 crore, an official statement said. IGST collection stood at Rs 48,503 crore, including Rs 20,745 crore collected on imports and cess collected was Rs 8,947 crore, including Rs 1,040 crore collected on imports. The total number of GSTR 3B Returns filed for the month of January up to February 29 is 83 lakh. "The GST revenues during the month of February, 2020 from domestic transactions has shown a growth of 12 per cent over the revenue during the month of February, 2019," said a Finance Ministry statement. Taking into account the GST collected from import of goods, the total revenue during this February has increased by 8 per cent in comparison to the revenue during February last year "During this month, the GST on import of goods has shown a negative growth of (-) 2 per cent as compared to February, 2019." The government settled Rs 22,586 crore to CGST and Rs 16,553 crore to SGST from IGST as regular settlement. The total revenue earned by Central Government and the state governments after regular settlement in the month of February 2020 was Rs 43,155 crore for CGST and Rs 43,901 crore for the SGST. 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. New Delhi, March 2 : The Centre on Monday decided to lift the export ban on onions from March 15. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification in this regard. "The effect of the notification will be that the export of all varieties of onions has been made 'free' without any condition of 'Letter Of Credit' and 'Minimum Export Price', with effect from 15th March, 2020," the Commerce & Industry Ministry said in a statement. The decision was taken by a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister Amit Shah on February 26. Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, in a tweet, said: "Permitting the export of onions from 15th March is a step in the direction of farmers' welfare. This decision will help in increasing the income of farmers." In the last 6 months, prices of onions had sky-rocked due to shortage of supply as a result of widespread flooding in key producer states. The Centre, in a bid to control the soaring prices, had imposed the ban in last September. A 21-year-old Forks Township man, who is awaiting sentencing in three cases and is facing charges in two others, was arrested Monday on 11 counts of burglary out of Warren County, authorities said. A search warrant was served Monday morning at Torrance Q. Williams apartment at 1011 George St. and numerous burglary proceeds were recovered, Greenwich Township police reported in a news release. Forks police took Williams into custody, Greenwich police said. He appeared in the district court in Palmer Township on a fugitive from justice warrant and was held in Northampton County Prison without bail pending extradition proceedings to New Jersey, a clerk confirmed. Williams is charged with 19 counts of attempted burglary in addition to the burglary counts in a theft from vehicle spree that lasted more than three months in the township just outside Phillipsburg, Greenwich police said. He is also charged with theft and criminal mischief, police said. Evidence from Ring doorbells pointed to Williams, Chief Richard Hummer said. Greenwich police worked with New Jersey State Police, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Forks police in the extensive investigation and subsequent warrant service, a news release said. The probe remains open and other suspects are being sought, Greenwich police said. If anyone in Greenwich is the victim of a vehicle burglary in the past three months and didnt report it, they can call the township police nonemergency line at 908-454-1010, Hummer said. Williams also faces sentencing in negotiated pleas in theft-related cases brought in 2019 by Forks and Bethlehem township police and Colonial Regional police, records show. Sentencing was pushed back from Jan. 8 to an unspecified date, records show. He was out on bail awaiting sentencing, records indicate. Williams also was out on bail on Dec. 18 when charges were filed by Forks police of access device fraud (six counts) and receiving stolen property (six counts), records show. He was arraigned Dec. 23 and made the 10% of $20,000 bail. He faces a preliminary hearing on March 24. He is also out on $5,000 bond posted Feb. 19 after he was charged Feb. 17 in Whitehall Township with loitering and prowling at nighttime. That preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. April 1. Williams attorney Gail Marr said she wasnt aware of the New Jersey charges so she couldnt comment, but was hoping, as the judge prepares to schedule the sentencings in the three cases already at that stage, that the process could wait and combine pending actions when they reach the same point. It wasnt clear if Williams would be returned to New Jersey to face those charges before being sentenced in Northampton County in the three cases that resulted in guilty pleas. An assistant district attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking more information. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. If you see typos or other errors in this post, please email him. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Thousands of followers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi retweeted and commented on his post on Twitter about his decision to leave social media platforms on Monday. Within minutes of the Prime Ministers tweet, No sir became a top trend on Twitter with nearly 50,000 replies to his two-line post. This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted, PM Modi wrote. WATCH | PM Modi mulls giving up social media: Congress mocks; fans say #nosir His followers commented as some asked about his thought to quit the social networking sites, while others criticised him as well. People Around The World Love You So Much Modi Ji. You May Take A Short Break From Social Media If You Want But, #NoSir We Requesting You Musnt Leave Social Media (sic), a user tweeted. No sir. Please rethink your decision. It will be difficult for us to express our feelings to you. Only this is the way you are in direct contact with normal citizens. You are like Shiva of Kailash who is never deviated nor disturbed. Vandematram. Jai Hind (sic), wrote another. PM @narendramodi Ji, I think you should not give up over social media. The concept of Digital India is defined by you only. Because of social media millions of Jihadis exposed on a daily basis. People may misuse, abuse, etc. But dont give up! RT if you feel the same (sic), was another such tweet. Sir youre our inspiration on SM to fight against antinationals, Break India forces, tukde tukde gang , expose the lies and fake narratives of enemies of India. If you leave SM, all your followers will get disheartened & leave too (sic), a user said. One of his supporters wrote, Nooooo Please dont do so. I am here just because of you,,this is the only way where we communicate directly (sic). Some users even started a poll with options of yes, no, cant say in Hindi. There were detractors as well with some users talked about last weeks violence in Delhi. Also, we know this your Digital Detox gimmick to divert attention from the Delhi Violence. This is all you know to do. One gimmick after another like Good governance day, Yoga Day and now Digital Detox day. If only this much effort you had put for Economy & society (sic), was one such tweet. Happiest day for social media users (sic), another user said. Some were just sarcastic and others didnt believe it the Prime Minister tweeting. Nahi ho paayega. Main khud 3-4 baar try kar chuka hun (sic), a follower said. Oh... No! Is it really you Tweeting this? I hope it is not hacked You will be dearly missed Sir! Pls give it a rethink before you take this step. A humble request from all your followers, Sir, said another. Prime Minister Modi is one of the most followed world leaders on social media with 53.3 million followers on Twitter, 44 million on Facebook, 35.2 million on Instagram and 4.5 million on YouTube. Moscow, March 2 : Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia will continue to fight against terrorists in Syria, TASS news agency reported. In an interview with Rossiya-1 television channel on Sunday, Peskov noted that Russian military facilities in Syria come under shelling by terrorists, so "fight against these terrorist elements will be continued against all the odds", Xinhua reported, citing TASS. According to Peskov, Turkey was supposed to ensure inaction of these elements under the Sochi agreements. "Unfortunately, Turkey failed to fulfil its obligations and the terrorists went over to the offensive against the Syrian armed forces," he added. Peskov recalled that Russia is the only country to have its soldiers in Syria at the request from the Syrian legitimate government. On Thursday, at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in air strikes in Syria's Idlib, which Turkey blamed on the Syrian government. The incident marked a serious escalation between the Turkish and Syrian forces and raised the prospect of an all-out confrontation between both sides. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed Friday to examine the possibility of meeting in the near future to discuss the situation in Idlib. But the stream wasnt so calm one afternoon in July 2004. About five inches of rain fell within two hours across the area, and as it surged down branches of what is known as the Dead Run, the waters rose quickly into the homes. It seemed as though it had only been raining for 10 minutes when there was suddenly six inches of water in Vaughns house, she said. Tunis Interior Minister has dedicated the Prince Naif Award for Arab Security, which he won for being the best Interior Minister in the region, to His Majesty for the great leadership and supportive stances. This came as Tunisian President Kais Saied yesterday received at the Carthage Presidency Palace Arab Interior Ministers on the side-line of 37th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council in Tunisia. The Tunisian President welcomed the Arab officials, highlighting the importance of those meetings in reinforcing regional security cooperation and joint Arab work in all fields. He wished success to those meetings to meet the inspirations of Arabs. Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa chaired Bahrains delegation that took part in the sessions meetings held on Sunday and led by Sudanese Interior Minister, Lt-General El Tereifi Idris, head of the session. The agenda of the session included various essential security topics, including the formation of a work team to monitor terrorist threats and immediate analysis of terrorist acts, the recommendations of conferences and meetings that held by the General Secretary in 2019 and the results of joint meetings with Arab and international organisations. The council decided at the end of the session based on a proposal by the General Secretariat of the Prince Naif Award for Arab Security, led by His Royal Highness Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the honorary President of the Council to grant the Prince Naif Medal for Arab Security to Interior Minister of Bahrain that is awarded to a security leader with distinguished and active role. BRENTWOOD (BCN) Two people were transported to hospitals and one of them is suspected to have been driving under the influence following a wrong-way, head-on collision in Brentwood late Sunday night, according to police. The collision was first reported at about 10:45 p.m. on Lone Tree Way near Fairview Avenue, Sgt. Mitch Brouillette said. A 2015 Nissan crossed a double-yellow line and struck a 2012 Hyundai. The driver of the Hyundai was airlifted to John Muir Walnut Creek Medical Center with injuries not considered life-threatening. The driver of the Nissan was transported to a hospital via ground ambulance and is suspected of driving under the influence, according to Brouillette. Lone Tree Way is open early Monday morning after being closed for around two hours after the collision. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that I-T raids in the state are "politically motivated". In his letter to the Prime Minister, Baghel pointed out that the actions of Finance/Home Ministries of Government of India are "nothing short of an affront to the idea of 'Cooperative Federalism' that you have often spoken about but instead reflects 'Coercive and insecure Centralism'." "The actions of agencies of the Government of India is political vendetta on one hand and threaten the very core of our democracy on the other. As a former Chief Minister, you would agree that law and order is a state subject and central forces cannot be deployed in a state without the consent of and prior intimation of the state government. If each one of us fails to adhere to this cardinal principle of our Constitutional democracy, we would become an undemocratic anarchy," Baghel said. He noted that the Income Tax Department conducted "multiple raids (25 as per reports) on various locations in the state of Chhattisgarh between February 27 till date." "It is my belief that the method, manner and intent with which the raids have been conducted invites questions for two reasons - First, the raids have been conducted in a clandestine, cloak and dagger manner without any information being provided to the state government or the state police," Baghel wrote. "Second, and perhaps of greater concern for your good self, the officials of the IT Department carrying out the raids were accompanied by officials of the Central Reserve Police Force, a central and specialised elite force to be deployed only in cases of 'internal disturbances' in the country or at the specific request made by the state government to the Centre. The logic is simple, as your good self is well aware and as you have espoused in the past as the Chief Minister of Gujarat - law and order is a state subject," he added. The Income Tax Department had on Monday conducted a raid on the residence of Saumya Chaurasiya, deputy secretary to the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister. The team of IT Department entered the residence in the presence of Chaurasiya. The department had, on February 29, sealed the residence. The I-T Department had last week 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.) A multi-state investigation has led to the arrest of a Mexican man who was charged in Etowah County last year with multiple counts of child abuse, authorities said. Jose Bulmaro Cruz-Guillen, who also goes by Bulmaro Cruz and is from Mexico, has been wanted since September 2019 after the Etowah County Grand Jury indicted him on sex abuse of child less than 12, first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy. After following many leads in Mexico, Alabama, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, Cruz-Guillen was found and apprehended by the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force on Feb. 18. Along with facing the outstanding indictment charges, Cruz-Guillen also faces federal charges for illegally being in the country. Cruz-Guillen was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protections in February 2019 and June. According to NPR, four studies, including one from a peer-reviewed crime journal, have proved that illegal immigration doesnt increase violent or nonviolent crime. Cruz-Guillens charges stem from an Alabama Department of Human Resources case that was opened in January 2019 after a female student told her teacher her step-father, Cruz-Guillen, had been touching her since she was 7-years-old. Gadsden Police also worked on the case. Cruz-Gullien also had an open DHR case from 2014 for punching his 4-year-old step-sons face and body multiple times. When DHR went to the childs home in east Gadsden, DHR saw the boy had a busted lip from the incident. Cruz received counseling about appropriate and inappropriate discipline techniques in the 2014 case. The United States Marshals Service and Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force received a request for the adoption of the Etowah County indictment on Jan 8 when Cruz-Guillen couldnt be located by local authorities. After being arrested in February, Cruz-Guillen was placed in Richmond County Jail where he remains until extradited to Etowah County. Trinamul Congress leaders protest against Delhi violence at Parliament by blindfolding themselves and keeping a finger on their lips pointing to the governments attitude towards the riots on Monday. (D. KAMRAJ) New Delhi: There was uproar in both Houses of Parliament on Monday over the Delhi riots, with the Lok Sabha witnessing unprecedented scenes when members of the treasury and Opposition benches almost came to blows while the latter was protesting in the well of the House. The go-ahead for the protests by the Congress was given by party chief Sonia Gandhi at a meeting in the morning where she said that MPs should demand nothing less than the resignation of Union home minister Amit Shah. The House was adjourned till 2 pm over the death of sitting JD (U) member Baidyanath Prasad Mahto, the MP from Valmikinagar in Bihar. When the Lok Sabha reassembled at 2 pm, the Opposition, led by the Congress, began protesting and shouting slogans seeking the resignation of Mr Shah. The members belonging to the Congress, DMK and Trinamul were carrying placards saying Save Democracy, Home minister resign and No more hate. Mrs Sonia Gandhi and former party president Rahul Gandhi were present in the House as were senior leaders of other parties like Samajwadi Partys Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Speaker after dismissing all the adjournment motions of the Opposition leaders tried running the House normally with Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman introducing the Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill and health minister Harshvardhan introducing the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill and Mineral Laws Amendment Bill. When West Champaran BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal was speaking on the finance Bill, Congress MPs Hibi Eden and Gaurav Gogoi went towards him and tried to block him on camera with a banner demanding the resignation of the home minister. Mr Jaiswal then made a comment on Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Rahul Gandhi and very soon all hell broke lose as the two MPs moved menacingly towards him and ruling party MPs rushed towards them to separate them and both sides almost came to blows. Following this, there seemed to be a free for all as MPs from both Opposition and ruling sides pushed and shoved in the well. The Speaker them adjourned the House till 3 pm. The drama continued even after the House was adjourned as MPs traded barbs and many like BJP MPs Ramesh Bidhuri and Ashwini Chaubey and Congress Mr Eden and others continued to argue. Even as this was going on, another battlefront opened with Congress Kerala MP Ramya Haridas claiming that BJP MP Jaskaur Meena had physically assaulted her during that time. Ms Haridas later wrote a complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker to this effect. The BJP MP denied and has since then filed a counter complaint. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he was pained to see the situation in the House. This is the temple of democracy. There are certain rules and tradition. You should not come to the Well. As you are responsible representatives of people here, it is your collective responsibility to maintain peace and tranquility". After this, he adjourned the House till Tuesday. Speaking to reporters later, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the party demanded that the violence in Delhi should be discussed in the Lok Sabha as it was a very important issue and the world was talking about it. The government should put forward its views on it. We were trying to make this request, but the government did not allow us to do so and kept making one excuse after another," he said. The Rajya Sabha too had to be adjourned for the day after Opposition parties members rem-ained adamant with their demand for Mr Shahs resignation and kept shouting slogans against the Modi government. As the Upper House assembled in the morning, chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu disallowed the discussion on Delhi riots as demanded by the Opposition, saying the issue was important but the priority should be to restore normalcy. An error has occurred within file /articles.aspx Please report the error to support@bizcommunity.com and it will be fixed as soon as possible. Measuring CACI International Inc's (NYSE:CACI) track record of past performance is an insightful exercise for investors. It enables us to reflect on whether the company has met or exceed expectations, which is a powerful signal for future performance. Below, I will assess CACI's recent performance announced on 31 December 2019 and compare these figures to its historical trend and industry movements. See our latest analysis for CACI International Have CACI's earnings improved against past performances and the industry? CACI's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 December 2019) of US$265m has increased by 0.6% compared to the previous year. However, this one-year growth rate has been lower than its average earnings growth rate over the past 5 years of 20%, indicating the rate at which CACI is growing has slowed down. To understand what's happening, lets take a look at whats occurring with margins and if the whole industry is feeling the heat. NYSE:CACI Income Statement, March 2nd 2020 In terms of returns from investment, CACI International has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 11% instead. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 5.9% is below the US IT industry of 7.1%, indicating CACI International's are utilized less efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for CACI Internationals debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 8.9% to 8.4%. What does this mean? While past data is useful, it doesnt tell the whole story. Positive growth and profitability are what investors like to see in a companys track record, but how do we properly assess sustainability? You should continue to research CACI International to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for CACIs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for CACIs outlook. Financial Health: Are CACIs operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why weve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 31 December 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. 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 38-year-old openly gay former mayor of the fourth-largest city in Indiana was always going to be a long shot to win a major party's presidential nomination. That Pete Buttigieg managed to get as far as he did in the extraordinarily crowded race to become the Democratic Party's nominee in 2020 including a very narrow win in the Iowa caucuses is a testament to what a rare political talent he is. I don't know precisely what role he will play through the weeks and months ahead. (I'm sure the Biden campaign would be thrilled with an endorsement as quickly as possible.) But I do know that, if he wants it, Buttigieg is going to have a very bright future in Democratic politics. In the Sunday evening speech in which he announced the end of his campaign, Buttigieg displayed many of his characteristic strengths as a candidate. Introduced by his husband Chasten Buttigieg and standing before an adoring crowd in South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg spoke about his responsibility to step aside to help unify Americans to defeat President Trump. He took a dig at Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) polarizing socialist crusade for president by implying that America needs a broad and inclusive politics to win the House and Senate along with the White House. He also spoke of hope and belonging and other noble communitarian principles that Trump defies and defiles in a daily basis. And he portrayed politics itself in the loftiest possible terms as a noble pursuit that at its best can elevate individuals as well as nations. More than anything, Buttigieg's remarks, which built to a clamorous crescendo of idealism in its final moments, resembled former President Barack Obama's breakout speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. But then, Buttigieg was always striving to evoke Obama's rhetorical flourishes, sometimes in a way that inadvertently highlighted his own youth and inexperience. Obama always exuded gravitas. Buttigieg sometimes sounded like he was playacting it. Story continues That could be grating, which is how it's often felt since last October, when Buttigieg finally committed to running as a moderate. I wouldn't have expected that at the start of his campaign. When Buttigieg first jumped into the race, he managed to gain attention for himself by sitting down for a string of interviews with high-profile media outlets. In these conversations, he came off as smart, knowledgeable, and almost preternaturally articulate. He also displayed a potent combination of progressive passion and sincere empathy for those who expressed their discontents with recent economic and cultural trends in American life by voting for Trump. Buttigieg seemed to "get" the kind of Midwestern voters who switched from Obama to Trump in 2016. That ability to "read" voters who come from different places on the ideological spectrum is an essential skill in any Democrat hoping to win the presidency in the 21st century. Put that verbal and emotional fluency together with a capacity to speak several foreign languages and play multiple musical instruments, and Buttigieg was catnip for highly educated upper-middle-class white voters a group he eventually came to split with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to his left. I certainly liked him at first even as he foundered through the spring and summer, trying to decide whether to compete with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (Texas), and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro for the title of wokest Democrat around. Oddly, my enthusiasm waned once he moved closer to my own centrist commitments. That's when he jumped up in the polls and began to seem like a viable candidate. But it's also when the Obamisms got out of hand. Modeling oneself on a first-class politician is a perennial temptation for an ambitious young pol. But it's also an amateur move, and something that needs to be shed before breaking into the biggest leagues. O'Rourke suffered from the same problem, sounding during most of his relatively short-lived campaign like he was auditioning for a role in a film about Robert F. Kennedy's doomed presidential run in 1968. There are undoubtedly many reasons why Buttigieg struggled so mightily to win the support of African-American voters, including his sexual orientation. But I suspect one of the big ones was that he not only sounded like Obama. He sounded like he was trying hard to sound like Obama. Buttigieg will have to learn to craft his own political identity and get beyond the urge to emulate his heroes. I don't doubt that he will. There were other minor missteps over the past year including Buttigieg's decision to waste limited time during the Las Vegas debate picking a series of petty and mutually diminishing battles with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D). But none of that should take away from the real story of Buttigieg's campaign, which is that it succeeded in catapulting him from political obscurity to someone who is bound to be a fixture on the national political scene for decades to come. During the year-long run-up to the start of the primaries, I've sometimes permitted myself to tell a little joke about my difficulty finding a candidate to commit to. "I support Warren with two plans instead of 12, Klobuchar after a charisma transplant, Biden 15 years ago, and Buttigieg 15 years in the future." See you in the 2030s, Mayor Pete. If not before. Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here. More stories from theweek.com 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's coronavirus response Coronavirus czar Mike Pence is now apparently bundling tweets praising his, Trump's coronavirus response Joe Biden and Beto O'Rourke celebrated Biden's big Dallas rally at a Whataburger Channel Nine and Endemol Shine Australia are bracing themselves for a court battle as the father of a Married At First Sight groom considers legal action over a shocking false rumour. Sydney anesthetist Dr Andrew Pembroke was falsely accused this week of sleeping with his son Mikey's on-screen 'wife', Natasha Spencer. The salacious allegations will apparently be made at the upcoming MAFS reunion dinner party, which was filmed in January. Mikey, 29, told Yahoo! Lifestyle on Monday that his father is 'contemplating legal proceedings' before the episode airs. Hitting back: Married At First Sight has been plunged into a legal nightmare as Mikey Pembroke's father, Dr Andrew Pembroke (right), 'considers his options' over Stacey Hampton's false claims he slept with Natasha Spencer 'He is a doctor and runs aged-care businesses. This has taken it too far,' he added. It comes after fellow MAFS star Stacey Hampton claimed to New Idea that Mikey had told her during filming he suspected Natasha had seduced his father. She alleged: 'Mikey said, "I'm pretty sure [Natasha] hooked up with my dad or at least I'm pretty sure she's hooking up with my dad." He was pretty certain. It wasn't a joke.' Rumours: Sydney anesthetist Dr Andrew Pembroke (left) was falsely accused this week of sleeping with his son Mikey's on-screen 'wife', Natasha Spencer. The salacious allegations will apparently be made at the upcoming MAFS reunion dinner party, which was filmed in January Allegations: It comes after fellow MAFS star Stacey Hampton (pictured) claimed to New Idea that Mikey had told her during filming he suspected Natasha had seduced his father Dr Pembroke is single, having separated from Mikey's mother, Mary, years ago. Natasha has denied the false rumours in an official statement. 'The accusation that I slept with Mikey's dad is completely untrue. I cannot believe that anyone would start such a horrible rumour,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'The only times I've met Mr Pembroke was on the show during the wedding and on parents day. I'd ask that the media please respect the Pembroke family and stop spreading this vile and inappropriate gossip. It's not fair to bring Mikey's family members into these unfounded stories.' Wild claims: Natasha (left) has denied the false rumours in an official statement. Mikey (right) has also strongly denied his father had any physical contact with his 'wife' Mikey also weighed in on the scandal on Monday, telling Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa the speculation was 'ridiculous'. 'My dad would never do something like that, it would be completely weird, but it's just so far fetched,' he said. He clarified that his father had no contact with Natasha outside the experiment. 'Let me clear his name. I know [with] 100 per cent absolute certainty that he would never, and has never, slept with Natasha or done anything like it, messaged [her] or anything. I completely have his back,' he said. Setting the record straight: Mikey weighed in on the scandal on Monday, telling Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa the speculation was 'ridiculous' Mikey confirmed he had spoken to his father about Stacey's false claims and said Dr Pembroke was 'not happy' about the situation. 'He's like, "Why am I getting involved in this stuff?" He was against me doing [MAFS] in the first place. The last thing I want to do is get my family involved,' Mikey said. The scandal will apparently play out at the upcoming reunion dinner party when Stacey yells at Natasha, 'You slept with Mike's dad!', in front of the whole group. Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Nine New Delhi: Bhojpuri hot cake Anjana Singh and actor Pravesh Lal have collaborated for a special Holi project. The stars have shared on-set pictures on their respective social media handles, hinting at a new Holi song. Anjana Singh, who is also known as the Lady Rajinikanth of Bhojpuri movie industry can be seen dressed in a white saree with colourful contrast blouse. Pravesh, on the other hand, is donning a bright red shirt with yellow tee inside and blue denim jeans. Check out the pictures: Several Bhojpuri actors such as Aamrapali Dubey, Nirahua, Pawan Singh and Khesari Lal Yadav have released their songs on Holi and other festivals. Anjana Singh has worked with almost all the A-listers there. She is also one of the most sought after and highest-paid actresses in the movie business. She has several hit songs and movies to her credit. Anjana Singh is known for her acting chops and impeccable dance moves. In 2019, she was seen in as many as three movies, namely Bitiya Chhati Mai Ke, Maine Unko Sajan Chun Liya and Saiyaan Ji Dagabaaz. In 2018, she won Best Actress at the International Bhojpuri Film Awards held in Malaysia for the film 'Jigar'. 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Images have surfaced that allegedly show Weinstein watching television while sitting in a leather chair next to a wheelchair. Weinstein was brought to the Bellevue Hospital Center on 24 February after he was found guilty of third-degree rape and a criminal sex act in the first degree, based on two assaults in the New York area He was handcuffed and removed from the courtroom after a judge immediately ordered him to jail to await sentencing. He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced on 11 March. After his verdict, Weinstein left the courthouse in an ambulance to be taken to the medical wing of Rikers Island, but he instead was placed in Bellevue's secure ward. Doctors had examined him for heart palpitations and high blood pressure. He was seen entering and leaving the court relying on a walker after undergoing back surgery in December. Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Show all 50 1 /50 Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein trial in photos On January 6 the trial process began in New York. Harvey Weinstein arrived using a walking aid, looking frail Getty Images Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Actresses Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette and other women protested outside court after he arrived AFP via Getty Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Jury selection was completed on 21 January and the rape and sexual assualt trial began in earnest the next day Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast points at Harvey Weinstein during his sexual assault trial as accuser Mimi Haleyi appears on the screen Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Files arrive at the rape trial AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Lawyer Damon Cheronis stands near his client Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Louis R Aidala attends the trial Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Lance Maerov testifies Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein is photographed by members of the media as leaves court with the aid of a walker AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Attorney Gloria Allred speaks to the media during the trial Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein arrives to court with the support of the members of his defense team EPA Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Actress Annabella Sciorra arrives to testify as a witness EPA Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein looks on as she is questioned by prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon on the stand Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Assistant District Attorneys Meghan Hast, left, and Joan Illuzzi leave the Harvey Weinstein rape trial during the lunch break AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Actress Ellen Barkin arrives after a lunch break to watch the case of film producer Harvey Weinstein Actress Ellen Barkin arrives after a lunch break to watch the case of film producer Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein's attorney Donna Rotunno leaves Manhattan Supreme Court AFP via Getty Images Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Kara Young exits after testifying Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Film producer Harvey Weinstein takes notes as Dr. Barbara Ziv testifies in front of Judge James Burke as she is questioned by prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Dr. Barbara Ziv leaves court after testifying AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Actor Rosie Perez points at film producer Harvey Weinstein as she testifies Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Rosie Perez exits after testifying Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Mimi Haleyi, former production assistant, arrives to testify Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos A member of the prosecution pushes a cart loaded with files AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein looks on as Mimi Haleyi testifies Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Elizabeth Entin, right, a witness in the Harvey Weinstein rape and sexual assault trial, walks towards the courtroom with Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein smiles as he arrives for his trial Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Witness Elizabeth Entin is questioned by Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Tarale Wulff, witness in the trial, leaves the courtroom for a break Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Witness Dawn Dunning is cross-examined by defense lawyer Arthur Aidala Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Lincoln Davies, a former boyfriend of accuser Dawn Dunning, leaves court after testifying AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Weinstein looks into the camera as he leaves court on 29 January Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Dev Sen, an attorney from Boies Schiller, leaves after testifying Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Witness Monika Mikkelsen testifies Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Photos are passed around to the jury Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Hotel worker Rothschild Capulong testifies under a photo of the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel in Midtown as Judge James Burke listens Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Playwright Warren Leight arrives to Criminal Court Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Professor Elizabeth Loftus is questioned by lawyer Diana Fabi Samson in front of Judge James Burke Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Actress Talita Maia leaves after testifying Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Nelson Lopez is questioned by defense lawyer Arthur Aidala Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Model Claudia Salinas leaves court after testifying AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein and lawyer, Donna Rotunna arrive at court smiling on 14 February EPA Harvey Weinstein trial in photos District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr watches as prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon gives her closing arguments in front of Judge James Burke on February 14 Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Weinstein departs the same day with a smile on his face Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos The press watch as Harvey Weinstein and his legal team arrive at the Criminal Court on February 18 Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Judge James Burke, left, instructs the jurors before they begin deliberating on Harvey Weinstein's rape trial. The panel of seven men and five women heard instructions in the law from the judge before going behind closed doors to consider charges Elizabeth Williams via AP Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein sits with his attorney Donna Rotunno as Judge James Burke instructs the jury on charges as they begin deliberations Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Women watch as Harvey Weinstein exits the courtroom Reuters Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Harvey Weinstein arrives to hear verdict EPA Harvey Weinstein trial in photos Weinstein sits at the defense table reading papers during jury deliberations Reuters Images reportedly show Weinstein wearing a hospital bracelet and a white shirt while seated in the hospital's prison ward. Lysette Anthony, who accused Weinstein of raping her twice, said: "Is this the 'soft landing' we heard he'd been assured of?" She shared another tweet asking: "Why the f*** is Harvey Weinstein still in the hospital and not in jail where he belongs?" Sharing reports that Weinstein was going "stir crazy" while in custody, Rosanna Arquette - who also alleged Weinstein's sexual abuse - said: "Yes, this is what rape survivors filled with horror and trauma have felt like for years. It's not a good place to be. Acknowledge it." He is reportedly under strict supervision of the New York Department of Corrections' Emergency Service Unit. In a statement, the agency said that Weinstein is "currently in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction and health care is provided as appropriate." Reports say that the former producer - whose empire had crumbled following dozens of allegations that the producer had forced himself on women over several decades - has struggled to come to terms with his guilty verdict. As his New York trial began earlier this year, prosecutors in Los Angeles announced a separate investigation following reports that the producer had assaulted two women there in 2017. SCHAUMBURG, Ill., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Emergency health care experts from Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be a focal point of the education offered by the Emergency Nurses Association at its Spring Regional Symposium in Nashville on April 2-3 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Featured speakers include Vanderbilt University Associate Professor Dr. Jin Han presenting "Five Simple Steps to Becoming a Delirium Master," while Kevin High, Elizabeth Owen and Kyle Luckey-Smith from Vanderbilt University Medical Center are scheduled to speak on clinical issues in the emergency department. "Our Regional Symposium Series is rooted in the idea of putting the spotlight on local experts in emergency care and clinical skill development," said ENA President Mike Hastings, MSN, RN, CEN. "Attendees in Nashville can expect a great educational experience provided by a talented lineup of speakers, including the hometown presenters from Vanderbilt." The symposium's first day includes ENA Board Member Terry Foster's fun and nostalgic look at emergency nursing through the years, as well as a panel featuring local emergency care providers discussing disaster preparation, response and the lessons learned from regional incidents. Nevada ENA State Council President Dustin Bass closes out the symposium on a high note as he encourages attendees to "Amplify their Awesomeness" when providing high-quality patient care. Established in 2018, ENA's Regional Symposium Series of educational and networking events brings high-quality ENA programming to members and non-members on the local level. In just two years, hundreds of emergency nurses have traveled to Las Vegas, Orlando, Seattle and Milwaukee for the opportunity to participate in regionalized learning opportunities. To learn more about the exciting lineup in Nashville and to register, visit the Spring Regional Symposium page on the ENA website. Stay up to date on the latest symposium news by following ENA on Facebook. About the Emergency Nurses Association The Emergency Nurses Association is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With 45,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines, and guides emergency health care public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org. ENA Media Contact: Dan Campana Senior Manager, Communications 847-460-4017 [email protected] SOURCE Emergency Nurses Association Related Links http://www.ena.org The bitter amaro combined with the quinine-based Bonal form a dark, earthy flavor base; the singani lightens the drink and adds buoyancy, MacDonald says. Im very picky about unaged brandies, and I dont carry grappa. Singani is a great substitute for grappa as a digestivo. Its made from floral, aromatic, intensely flavored grape, and that flavor is preserved in the final distilled product. It really shows off the skill of the distiller. I was born into a law enforcement family. My father was a game warden, then went to DPS and retired as a Texas Ranger in 1985. At the age of 6, I decided that I wanted to be in law enforcement. As soon as I graduated from high school, I came to Midland and went to work for Sheriff Gary Painter. I started in the jail in January of 1986. After I graduated from the law enforcement academy in 1988, I continued to work in the jail until I was promoted to the patrol section. In 1991, I was promoted to the Criminal Investigation Section where I primarily worked in narcotics for several years conducting sting-type investigations and confiscating drugs. In 1998, I was promoted to lieutenant over the Criminal Investigation Section, supervising around 15 employees. Then in 2002, I was promoted to captain over Public Safety Division supervising around 90 employees. I was promoted to chief deputy in 2016 supervising around 200-plus employees, and I am currently the chief deputy for the Midland County Sheriffs Office. In recent months, many things have been said about me and the employees of the Midland County Sheriffs Office. My opponents have said numerous times that the Midland County Sheriffs Office is not being transparent with the media or the public. That is due to their lack of experience in what can be released to the public during any ongoing investigation. One opponent says he will always be transparent to the public in everything. This will compromise the integrity of any active case. Confidentiality is required for an effective investigation. Maintaining this confidentiality is critical to the integrity of any investigation. Another opponent has, to my knowledge, never been transparent to the media as constable of Precinct 1. He has not released to the media any information on any of his investigations as a constable. So, it is obvious that the constable of precinct 1 does not work high-profile cases where they would have to know what they can or cannot release to the media. What my opponents have to realize is that the attorney general of Texas regulates what can and cannot be released to the public during an ongoing investigation to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Again, this shows their inexperience on this topic. Many negative things have been said about the Sheriffs Office 30-plus-year-old policies. These policies have been updated as needed, and they will continue to change. According to the county attorney, more than 95 percent of the lawsuits filed against the Sheriffs Office have been dismissed. If the policies were so outdated and so wrong and if training for the deputies was not what it needed to be, how could these lawsuits have been dismissed? One opponent has attacked me saying that I have had nine months to change things at the Sheriffs Office. What he fails to realize is that I am not currently the sheriff. A chief deputy can suggest policy change but cannot actually change it, because its the sheriff that would have to defend the policies in court. This same opponent says that his chief deputy will be able to hire and fire and change policy etc. So, my question to him is, what will you do as sheriff since it sounds like your chief deputy will be doing your job? I am the longest tenured employee at the Sheriffs Office. I have spent over half of my life carrying a badge that says Midland County Sheriffs Office. On numerous occasions, I have been the lead investigator on major crime scenes and supervisor on major crime scenes. I assisted in implementing one the first Mental Health Law Enforcement units in the state of Texas, and I am committed to assisting those residents with mental health issues. Unfortunately, with growing population, the criminal element rises as well. Our jail facility is nearing being overcrowded on a daily basis, and I am prepared to begin talks with Commissioners Court for a resolution, which will be adding on to our current facility. I am pro-Second Amendment, and I am also prepared to present a resolution to commissioners court making Midland County a Second Amendment sanctuary city. The federal government will never enter Midland County and tell me, as sheriff, to take your weapons. I will continue to fight for the employees to receive much-needed pay raises, equipment to better perform their jobs and more personnel which in turn will help the citizens. I will review the policies in existence and change the ones that should be changed and keep the ones that should be kept. My door will always be open to any employee and any resident to express their concerns that need my attention. So, what I bring to the table is 34-plus years at the Midland County Sheriffs Office. That makes me the most qualified to be sheriff of Midland County. I thank you for your support and vote on March 3. Bangladeshi elite police on Monday shot dead seven suspected Rohingya gangsters involved in drug and people smuggling, a spokesman for the force said. Tensions are rising in south-east Bangladesh two and a half years after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fled a military offensive in Myanmar. The latest gunfight came after a recent spike in human smuggling as gangs lure refugees onto rickety fishing boats for often dangerous sea journeys to Malaysia. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said it was involved in a three-hour shootout with members of a bandit group led by notorious Rohingya gang leader known as Zokir. "So far we have recovered seven bodies with bullet wounds," RAB spokesman Abdullah Sheikh Sadi told AFP. He added that it was unclear if Zokir was among the dead. Last month a boat packed with at least 138 Rohingya -- mostly women and children -- sank en route to Malaysia. Some 44 passengers are missing presumed drowned. Since last year, Bangladeshi authorities have picked up over 700 Rohingya from fishing trawlers or coastal villages as they waited to board boats. Bangladesh and Myanmar have signed a repatriation deal but the refugees have so far refused to go home without guarantees for their safety. Rights groups regularly accuse Bangladeshi security forces of staging encounters with criminals in what in effect are extrajudicial executions. Dublin, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "EMI Shielding Market by Material (EMI Shielding Tapes & Laminates, Conductive Coatings & Paints, Metal Shielding, Conductive Polymers, EMI Filters), Method (Radiation, Conduction), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global EMI shielding market size is projected to grow from USD 6.8 billion in 2020 to USD 9.2 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2020 to 2025. The need for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is propelled further by the increasing clock frequencies, faster slew rates, increasing packaging density, as well as rising demand for smaller, lighter, cheaper, and low-power devices. Factors that are driving the growth of the EMI shielding industry include ongoing demonstrations of field trials and pilot projects to develop the viability of 5G technology across the world and stringent EMI regulations. Consumer electronics to account for the largest share of the global EMI shielding market The consumer electronics industry held the largest market share in 2019. This is because the EMI shielding market for smartphones has shown tremendous growth in the past years owing to the commoditization of this product as it becomes an alternative to various electronics devices, such as digital cameras, GPS navigators, MP3 players, and computers. Increased complexities in smartphones require EMI shielding to protect them from harmful radiation. Hence, the consumer electronics segment will have the highest market share of the EMI shielding industry during the forecast period. EMI shielding tapes & laminates are expected to witness the highest CAGR in the EMI shielding market from 2020 to 2025 A typical application of EMI shielding tapes is in shielded rooms where economical and effective shielding of the seams and apertures is needed. EMI shielding tapes are also used for ground planes or shielding of the electronic cables. Cables' conductive sheath is bonded with the EMI shielding tapes and to the metallic tip of the connector to provide complete end-to-end shielding. The doors and panels of the electronic cabinets and enclosures are shielded by durable and reliable EMI shielding tapes, which provides a contact surface for conductive gaskets for EMI shielding. To prevent broadband emission, EMI shielding tapes are commonly used between the transformer coil windings to reduce electrostatic coupling and around the outside of the coils and relays. The numerous applications of EMI shielding tapes & laminates make the segment have the highest growth rate during 2020-2025. APAC contributed the largest share of EMI shielding market in 2019 APAC accounted for the largest market share in 2019 because of the factors such as the rising demand for consumer electronic products such as smartphones and home appliances and the development of advanced telecom infrastructure. China, a manufacturing hub for various electronic devices, contributed to the rapid increase in the requirement of EMI shielding. On the other hand, the Japanese market over the next five years would be driven by the demand for electric and hybrid vehicles and advanced consumer electronic products. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Growth Opportunities in EMI Shielding Market 4.2 Market, By Method (2020-2025) 4.3 Market, By Material (2020-2025) 4.4 Market for Conductive Polymers, By Type (2020-2025) 4.5 Market : Major Countries 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Surging Demand of Consumer Electronics 5.2.1.2 Stringent Environmental and EMC Regulations Across Various Industries 5.2.1.3 Increasing Electromagnetic Pollution 5.2.1.4 Ongoing Demonstration of Field Trials and Pilot Projects to Manifest Viability of 5G Technology 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 High Cost of EMI Shielding 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Rising Adoption of Advanced Technologies in Modern Automobiles 5.2.3.2 Growing Trend of Electric Vehicles (EVS) 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Trade-Off Between Miniaturization and EMI Shielding of Electronic Devices 5.3 Value Chain Analysis 5.4 Impact of Emerging Technologies on EMI Shielding Ecosystem 5.4.1 5G 5.4.2 IoT 5.5 EMI Regulations and Standards in Select Markets 5.5.1 US 5.5.2 Japan 5.5.3 China 5.5.4 Europe 6 Effectiveness Tests of EMI Shielding 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Shielded Box Test 6.3 Shielded Room Test 6.4 Open Field Test 6.5 Coaxial Transmission Line Test 7 Different Formations of EMI Shielding Materials 7.1 Introduction 7.2 EMI Shielding Gaskets 7.2.1 Applications of EMI Gaskets 7.3 O-Rings 7.4 Liquid Gaskets 7.4.1 Key Properties of Liquid Gaskets 8 EMI Shielding Market, By Material 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Conductive Coatings & Paints 8.2.1 Conductive Coatings are Used in Variety of Applications 8.3 Conductive Polymers 8.3.1 Conductive Elastomers 8.3.1.1 Silicone and Fluorosilicone 8.3.1.1.1 Silicon and Fluorosilicone Contribute Larger Share in Conductive Elastomers Market 8.3.1.2 Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) Rubber 8.3.1.2.1 EPDM has Major Applications in Telecom and Electronics Applications 8.3.2 Conductive Plastics 8.3.2.1 Conductive Plastics are Majorly Used in Automotive Applications 8.4 Metal Shielding 8.4.1 Aluminium and Copper are the Most Preferred Shielding Materials 8.5 EMI/EMC Filters 8.5.1 EMI/EMC Filters Market, By Load Type 8.5.1.1 AC Filters 8.5.1.1.1 Single-Phase Filters 8.5.1.1.1.1 Single-Phase Filters are Used Where High Attenuation Id Required 8.5.1.1.2 Three-Phase Filters 8.5.1.1.2.1 Three-Phase Filters are Largely Useful in High Load Applications 8.5.1.2 DC Filters 8.5.1.2.1 Telecom Applications Majorly Employ DC Filters 8.5.2 EMI/EMC Filters Market, By Insertion Loss 8.5.2.1 Common Mode (Asymmetric) 8.5.2.1.1 EMI Signals Flow in the Same Direction in A Pair of Lines for Common Mode Type 8.5.2.2 Differential Mode (Symmetric) 8.5.2.2.1 Differential Mode Insertion Loss in EMI/EMC Filters has Higher Growth Prospects in Future 8.6 EMI Shielding Tapes & Laminates 8.6.1 EMI Shielding Tapes are Extensively Used in Consumer Electronics 9 EMI Shielding Market, By Method 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Radiation 9.2.1 Significant Amount of EMI is Scattered Largely Through Radiation 9.3 Conduction 9.3.1 Switching Power Supplies are Common Sources of Conducted EMI 10 EMI Shielding Market, By Industry 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Consumer Electronics 10.2.1 Smartphones 10.2.1.1 Inbuilt EMI Shielding Technologies in Smartphones are Being Eminent in Market 10.2.2 Tablets 10.2.2.1 Complex Design Structures of Tablets Enable Growing Requirement of EMI Shielding Solutions 10.2.3 Televisions 10.2.3.1 OLED and Micro-Led are Trending Television Technologies 10.2.4 Others 10.3 Telecom & IT 10.3.1 5G Creates Enormous Opportunities for EMI Shielding Solutions Suppliers 10.4 Automotive 10.4.1 Increasing Employment of Advanced Electronics in Automobiles Requires Critical EMI Shielding Solutions 10.5 Healthcare 10.5.1 Advancement in Medical Devices Technologies Tend to have Wide Applications of EMI Shielding in Healthcare Industry 10.6 Aerospace & Defense 10.6.1 EMI Shielding has Diverse Applications in Aerospace & Defense Industry 10.7 Others 11 EMI Shielding Market, By Geography 11.1 Introduction 11.2 North America 11.2.1 US 11.2.1.1 US is Expected to Retain Its Dominant Position in North American Market 11.2.2 Canada 11.2.2.1 Canada to Grow at Moderate Pace During the Forecast Period 11.2.3 Mexico 11.2.3.1 Mexico Expected to Record Highest Growth Rate in this Market 11.3 Europe 11.3.1 Germany 11.3.1.1 Germany Holds Significant Market Share in European Market 11.3.2 France 11.3.2.1 Increasing Adoption of Automation Technologies to Fuel the Growth of Market 11.3.3 UK 11.3.3.1 Growing Trend of EVS to Fuel the Market in UK 11.3.4 Rest of Europe 11.4 APAC 11.4.1 China 11.4.1.1 China Held Significant Market Share of Market in APAC 11.4.2 Japan 11.4.2.1 Growing Consumer Electronics and Automotive Industries Support Growth of Market in the Region 11.4.3 Rest of APAC 11.5 Rest of the World (RoW) 12 Competitive Landscape 12.1 Overview 12.2 Competitive Analysis 12.2.1 Ranking Analysis of Players in EMI Shielding Market (2019) 12.3 EMI Shielding Market (Global) Competitive Leadership Mapping, 2019 12.3.1 Introduction 12.3.1.1 Visionary Leaders 12.3.1.2 Dynamic Differentiators 12.3.1.3 Innovators 12.3.1.4 Emerging Companies 12.3.2 Competitive Leadership Mapping 13 Company Profiles 13.1 Laird Performance Materials 13.2 Parker-Hannifin 13.3 PPG Industries 13.4 HENKEL 13.5 RTP Company 13.6 3M 13.7 Kitagawa Industries 13.8 Tech-Etch 13.9 Leader Tech 13.10 Schaffner 13.11 Right to Win 13.12 Other Players 13.12.1 Nolato 13.12.2 Cabot Corporation 13.12.3 MG Chemicals 13.12.4 ETS-Lindgren 13.12.5 Oerlikon 13.12.6 Spira Manufacturing 13.12.7 Littelfuse 13.12.8 Rogers Corporation 13.12.9 Integrated Polymer Solutions 13.12.10 Polyone Corporation 13.12.11 Holland Shielding Systems 13.12.12 Marian 13.12.13 Effective Shielding Company 13.12.14 Eckart 13.12.15 Applied Ink Solutions For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bqvgf2 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 02, 2020 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 02, 2020 | 10:57 AM | PADUCAH Two Livingston County women were arrested Friday in McCracken County after a search of a home. The McCracken County Sheriff's Office says detectives conducted an investigation that led to the execution of a search warrant at a home on Virginia Street Friday evening. Detectives found three women and small child inside. They said it was apparent that all three women were under the influence of illegal drugs. During a search of the home detectives reportedly found marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Deputies arrested 37-year-old Rebecca Dial and 35-year-old Melissa Lyman. Another woman was taken to an area hospital after complaining of chest pain and high blood pressure. A child in the home was released to a family member. Dial was on felony probation from a 2019 drug conviction, and Lyman was out on bond from a McCracken County arrest in December. Dial is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with physical evidence, failure to notify dot of an address change and wanton endangerment 1st degree. Lyman is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and wanton endangerment 1st degree. Deputies said additional arrests and charges are likely. Gold prices fell for the fifth consecutive day on March 2, hitting Rs 42,326 per 10 gram in the Mumbai bullion market. The yellow metal fell sharply on February 28 as investors were forced to liquidate their precious metal positions to meet margin calls to cover losses in the stock market. The rate of 10 grams 22-carat gold in Mumbai was Rs 38,771 plus 3 percent GST, while 24-carat 10 gram was Rs 42,326 plus GST. The 18-carat gold quoted at Rs 31,745 plus GST in the retail market. According to Navneet Damani, Vice President, Motilal Oswal, worries over coronavirus has forced investors to look for safe-havens. The broader trend on Comex is at $1,580-1,625 and on domestic front, prices may hover in the range of Rs 41,450-Rs 42,250, said Damani. The gold/silver ratio currently stands at 93.89 to 1, which means the amount of silver required to buy one ounce of gold. Silver prices fell Rs 435 to Rs 45,080 per kg from its closing on February 28. In the futures market, gold rate touched an intraday high of Rs 42,343 and an intraday low of Rs 41,646 on MCX. For the April series, the yellow metal touched a low of Rs 37,530 and a high of Rs 43,788. Gold futures for delivery in April rose Rs 758, or 1.83 percent on the MCX trading at Rs 42,155 per 10 gram in evening trade in a business turnover of 13,815 lots. Gold contracts for June delivery gained Rs 829, or 1.99 percent, at Rs 42,412 per 10 gram in a business turnover of 9,077 lots. The value of the April contract traded so far is Rs 5,963.25 crore and June contract saw the value of Rs 509.81 crore. Similarly, Gold Mini contract for April jumped Rs 734, or 1.77 percent at Rs 42,137 in a business turnover of 10,006 lots. Axis Securities advised its client to buy April Gold at Rs 42,100 level with stoploss at Rs 41,950 and a target of Rs 42,300. MCX Gold has strong resistance at Rs 42,275-42,345 whereas support is at Rs 42,030-41,910, according to Motilal Oswal. The brokerage firm said spot gold has intraday support at $1,602-1,595 whereas resistance is at $1,618-1,625. At 12:34 pm (GMT), spot gold was up $11.75 at $1,596.49 an ounce in London trading. So, for many health experts, the most troubling aspect of a recent increase in the number of children without health insurance is a spike in the number of uninsured kids under 6. That figure has climbed above a million for the first time since most of the Affordable Care Act was implemented in 2014, according to a recent analysis of census data by researchers at Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families. Married At First Sight's Michael Goonan has given an excruciatingly response when he was put on the spot and quizzed on his feeling towards ex-'wife' Stacey Hampton during an awkward interview on Monday. Appearing on Today Extra, the Adelaide businessman, 28, discussed his 'juvenile' behavior on the show, admitting he regretted ruining his relationship with the single mother. 'You said you are in love with her', Today Extra host Belinda Russell interjected. Suddenly looking sheepish, Michael went silent and began nodding slowly. He then pulled several pained expressions while mouthing unintelligibly to someone off-camera. Today Extra's David Campbell noticed the sudden awkwardness, remarking: 'Yeah, you did! Just the nod.' Cringe alert! Married At First Sight's Michael Goonan, 28, gave a VERY awkward response when asked whether he loves Stacey Hampton, 26, during an interview with Monday's Today Extra What's going on here? Michael made several strange expressions and mouthed unintelligible words when quizzed on his famous declaration of love Imitating Michael, David joked: 'I did say that didn't I? That happened on TV.' Indeed, Michael famously told Stacey he'd 'loved her since the honeymoon' just moments after his cheating scandal with Hayley Vernon was laid bare at a dinner party. 'The thought of losing you is crippling,' Michael told the blonde after being hung out to dry by the rest of the participants. Remember this? Indeed, Michael famously told Stacey he'd 'loved her since the honeymoon' just moments after his cheating scandal with Hayley Vernon was laid bare at a dinner party 'I haven't told you this but, I've loved you since the honeymoon. I think the world of you,' he said. Meanwhile, on Sunday's episode, Stacey broke down in tears after being forced to remain in the experiment after Michael elected to stay for another week. Michael attempted to make amends with his 'wife', pleading: 'I am sorry for what I've done and I'm sorry that I've betrayed your trust. I'm going to make it up to you anyway that I can this week.' Married At First Sight returns Monday at 7.30pm on Nine. With every town hall, debate, and caucus, were inching closer to a Democratic presidential nominee. Several candidates have made astronomical spending promises during their campaigns in the area of education. Elizabeth Warren, for instance, vowed to quadruple federal Title I grants for disadvantaged students to $450 billion over 10 years. These kinds of wild spending proposals are becoming commonplace. A report released last year by California-based education consulting firm WestEd recommended that $8 billion be spent over the next several years for North Carolina school initiatives, in response to a decades-long educational inequality case. Cries to increase funding in the name of correcting inequality perpetuate the narrative that a lack of proper funding is the source of public educations woes. But theyre wrong as proven by the success of charter schools and their smart budgeting. Corey DeAngelis, the Reason Foundations Director of School Choice, examined per-pupil revenues and expenditures between public charter schools and district public schools in Texas. The study found that public charters were not only more cost-effective than their district-run counterparts, but that there was a positive relationship between per-pupil spending and testing outcomes for charter schools. This correlation didnt exist for traditional district-run schools. So, while theres obviously a minimum level of funding required to teach kids, its important to examine where money is being spent in order to know what can be improved. Just take a look at how things are playing out in North Carolina. Its per-pupil spending stands at an average of $9,367 substantially higher than that of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. But the latter greatly outperform the United States in academic achievement. One culprit could be the fact that in the U.S. a great deal more was spent on support staff (administration, operations, etc.) than teaching staff. Support services spending has increased by 50% between the 1999-2000 and 2014-2015 school years in North Carolina. Such has been the broader trend in the United States overall, where school staffing growth, reduced only briefly during the recession, climbed consistently since 1950 at a rate greater than student growth. So, while teaching staff in U.S. public schools grew by 243% between 1950 and 2015, administrative and support personnel increased a whopping 709% during the same period. Spending money on perpetual bureaucratic bloat and top-down pedagogical approaches that assume one-size-fits-all doesnt mean educational equity will follow. Indeed, this growth of support services at greater rates than teaching faculty demonstrates just how large the educational-industrial complex has become. And the more distance put between bureaucrats making these funding decisions and the schools they work for, the less likely it is theyll spend wisely (and the more likely theyll never be satisfied with the amount received). The rising number and popularity of charter schools in states like North Carolina and Texas, then, illustrate the effectiveness of local educational governance and decision-making, especially concerning finances and student achievement. In 2011, the North Carolina General Assembly lifted the charter school cap from its maximum of 100. As a result, charters have grown while traditional public school districts have contracted. The Opportunity Scholarship, NCs voucher program, has nine times the number of students it did in its inception year of 2013. More constituents have voted with their feet, choosing alternatives to traditional public schools, like charters or private schools using the Opportunity Scholarship. Their record of student success and prudent spending speaks for itself. Hopefully, legislators will learn from the charter example that money well spent is far more valuable to students than a poorly managed influx of cash. Members of an Austrian business delegation pose for a group photo during their visit to a research and development center in Ulsan, Feb. 24, to promote Austria's hydrogen technology. The delegation's visit was arranged by the Embassy of Austria in Korea. / Yonhap President Donald Trump View Photo President Trump with the Coronavirus Task Force held a Press Conference in the Press Briefing Room at the White House. Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: I want to provide an update to our people, to our citizens to the world, frankly on our action to address the coronavirus and those that have been hurt badly by it. At this moment, we have 22 patients in the United States currently that have coronavirus. Unfortunately, one person passed away overnight. She was a wonderful woman a medically high-risk patient in her late fifties. Four others are very ill. Thankfully, 15 are either recovered fully or theyre well on their way to recovery. And in all cases, theyve been let go in their home. Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover. And we think that will be a statement that we can make with great surety now that weve gotten familiar with this problem. They should be able to recover should they contract the virus. So, healthy people, if youre healthy, you will probably go through a process and youll be fine. Since the early stages of the foreign outbreak, my administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to confront the spread of this disease. We moved very early. That was one of the decisions we made that really turned out to be a lifesaver, in a sense. A big lifesaver. On January 31st, I imposed travel restrictions on foreign nations who had and anybody that had been to China or people coming out of China. And I want to say that China seems to be making tremendous progress. Their numbers are way down. And if you read, Tim Cook of Apple said that they are now in full operation again in China. Their numbers are way down. Experts now agree that the decision to move so quickly, despite a lot of opposition on that decision, was a wise one. It greatly slowed the spread of the virus to the United States, and it really gave us time to do some of the critical moves that weve done. And it allowed these great professionals to get together and figure it all out. And we think theyve done that. Weve taken the most aggressive actions to confront the coronavirus. They are the most aggressive taken by any country. And were the number-one travel destination anywhere in the world, yet we have far fewer cases of the disease than even countries with much less travel or a much smaller population. As an important part of our efforts, on Monday, Ill be meeting with the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, actually. Theyll be coming to the White House, and were talking about a vaccine and developing, very quickly and theyve already started working on it developing, very rapidly, a vaccine for the virus, to combat the virus. And were having very good initial feedback. But these companies will be coming to the White House on Monday. Tremendous amounts of supplies are already on hand. We have 43 million masks, which is far more than anyone would have assumed we could have had so quickly, and a lot more are coming. Today, the White House Coronavirus Task Force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, they met for two and a half hours. I spent a lot of that time with them also, and we came up with some ideas, recommendations, and, frankly, some pretty strict edicts that were going to be going by. And Mike is going to be discussing that. But we are really having a group of people that is so talented and theyre working around the clock. And for that reason, I really would wish that we could really that we could report exactly whats happened: how well were doing under quite adverse circumstances. But were doing really well. Very, very professionally handled. Our country is prepared for any circumstance. We hope its not going to be a major circumstance; itll be a smaller circumstance. But whatever the circumstance is, were prepared. And Id like to just ask and caution that the media we would respectfully ask the media and politicians and everybody else involved not do anything to incite panic because theres no reason to panic at all. This is something that is being handled professionally. I also want to thank, by the way, governors and representatives of our various states in some cases, some more than others because theyve really been working very hard in areas where weve seen indication of the virus. But I want to thank the governors and all of the representatives from all of our states. The rooms theyve made available, the speed with which theyve worked, has really been incredible. So, again, thank you to everybody. Im going to ask Mike Pence now to discuss a little bit about travel. And we have some restrictions on some travel from other countries that are having a hard time. And I want to thank everybody. Well take some questions as soon as were finished. Thank you very much. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you, Mr. President. Let me begin, as the President did, by expressing our deepest condolences to the family of the woman in Washington State whos lost her life to the coronavirus. I want to assure that family that theyre on the hearts of every American. And those that are continuing to struggle in some cases, in ICU units can be assured of the prayers of millions of Americans. From the moment that this country learned of the spread of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump took decisive action and established the White House Coronavirus Task Force. And as the President just described, the President took unprecedented action to suspend all travel into the United States from China. It simply had never been done before by any previous administration. And it is among the reasons why the threat to Americans of coronavirus remains low, despite todays tragic news from Washington State. The task force met this morning and brought the President a range of options. And at his direction, we will be doing the following: First, the President authorized action today to add additional travel restrictions on Iran. We will be using Section 212(f), banning travel from Iran. Iran is already under a travel ban, but we are expanding existing travel restrictions to include any foreign national who has visited Iran within the last 14 days. In addition to moving Iran, we are going to increase to the highest level of advisory which is level four advising Americans do not travel to specific regions in Italy and South Korea. Let me say again: The President today has authorized the State Department to increase the travel advisory for Americans to level four. 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. The President has also directed the State Department to work with our allies in Italy and in South Korea to coordinate a screening a medical screening in their countries of any individuals that are coming into the United States of America. And we look forward to working with them in a collaborative and a cooperative way. Now, with regard to the task force, Im just a few days into this job, but I can tell you, having spent time with these extraordinary professionals that the President just alluded to, having spoken directly to more than a dozen governors including Governor Jay Inslee this morning in Washington State I am I think every American would be proud to know what Ive heard about the work of HHS, the work of CDC, the work of all of our agencies. At the Presidents direction, this team has been working seamlessly with health officials at the state and local level. And I can assure the American public that we will continue to live out the Presidents admonition a few days ago that were all in this together. And as we work with members of Congress Ive had the opportunity to speak with Republican and Democrat leadership in the Congress well be working very closely on a supplemental funding bill to make sure that not only do all these agencies have the resources that they require, but well also make sure that state and local health officials have the resources and the reimbursement to take such actions that are necessary to protect the health of the American people. The President mentioned masks. This morning, we talked a great deal about additional medical supplies. Let me be very clear and Im sure the physicians who are up here will reflect this as well: The average American does not need to go out and buy a mask. But this administration is going to always put first our patients, first. And second, were going to make sure and protect the health of our healthcare providers. As the President said, we have more than 40 million masks available today. Weve contracted now with 3M. Thirty-five million more masks per month will be produced, and were also going to be working with other manufacturers. In addition to that, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response will be announcing today courses of action to increase the availability of masks, as well as prioritizing availability to high-risk healthcare workers, modifying guidance, and developing a whole-of-nations communications plan. The President wants us to be certain that our healthcare providers have the support they need to do their job and to do their job safely. So, with that, Im going to yield the podium to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and then well hear from some of our medical experts. But let me assure every American: At President Trumps direction, this is an all-hands-on-deck effort. And while the risk to Americans remain low, the Presidents actions today with regard to Iran, with regard to Italy and the South Korea, and with regard to making medical supplies more available, I hope gives evidence to the fact that, at his direction, were going to continue to lean into this effort and put the health and safety of the American people first. Mr. Secretary? SECRETARY AZAR: Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Let me begin by, on behalf of all of the officials at HHS and our whole teams, expressing our sadness for the loss of this patient in the state of Washington. Any single death for us is a real tragedy. And our sympathy to her family and our solidarity with all those who are and will suffer from the novel coronavirus. From day one, this is what we predicted, this is what we expected. The risk to any average American is low, from the novel coronavirus. The risk remains low. Thanks to the unprecedented actions President Trump has taken and the actions hes announcing today, that risk remains low. But this can change rapidly. We have always said, from the first moment that we have spoken about this, that we would see more cases. We are seeing more cases. We will see more cases. But its important to remember: For the vast majority of individuals who contract the novel coronavirus, they will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and their treatment will be to remain at home, treating their symptoms the way they would a severe cold or the flu. For some individuals, a smaller percentage, especially those who may be medically fragile, they will require medical attention, including possibly hospitalization. Our basic message in terms of the containment of this disease and the measures that we have and are taken and are today announcing is: We want to lower the amount of travel to and from the most impacted areas. This is a basic containment strategy. That is the philosophy behind the moves that we have taken, the moves were announcing today, and any moves that we will consider in the future. With that said, let me turn things over to Dr. Tony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease at NIH. Thank you very much. Dr. Fauci? DR. FAUCI: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. I want to first, again, as the entire team feels, to extend our sympathies to the family of the individual who expired as a result of this particular virus and this particular disease. But I also want to underscore and emphasize the points that the Secretary made about what is evolving here. Youve heard of the terminology, community spread. Well, community spread is when you have infection in the community in which you dont have a direct link to a known index case. That really challenges us with something that we need to do and that we do very well. The state and local health authorities, in collaboration with the CDC, would need to identify, isolate, and contact trace. And thats whats going on right here in the country. With regard to the particular area thats involved now in Washington, the country as a whole because we get asked that all the time still remains at low risk. But when we say that, we want to underscore that this is an evolving situation. And in real time, we will keep you appraised of what is going on just the same way as though we are doing it today. So how do you address this new challenge? Theres what we do from within and what we do from without. I hearken back to the original decision that was made by the President of making sure that we knew the scenario that was going on in China. We prevented travel from China to the United States. If we had not done that, we would have had many, many more cases right here that we would have to be dealing with. So in that spirit, the approach is going to be as we address this challenge, which is going to evolve by the day and by the week, to do what was just mentioned: to try and keep our citizens from going to places that are active infection, and to prevent places where there are active infection to necessarily easily get here. Thats the getting it from without to within. From within, we will very aggressively do the kind of public health measures that would hopefully contain this. But as we say this, we need to prepare for further challenges. And we will have them. You will hear about additional cases that will be coming on. You should not be surprised by that, but to realize that that is something that is anticipated when you get community spread. So when you have cases throughout the world, the way were seeing now South Korea, Italy, Iran, and places like that the United States cannot be completely immune to that. The challenge is how we deal with it. And I can assure you all the resources that are necessary are going to be put into dealing with what we see evolving right now. Again, wed be happy to answer any questions later. But, Bob, do you want to say a few words? DR. REDFIELD: I also want to add my prayers and sympathies for those that are sick and obviously our citizen that unfortunately died last night. Currently, as said, theres 22 cases in the United States. And these initial cases were really linked to travel to China and their contacts. Recently, as was stated, weve confirmed new cases with no link to travel history or contacts. And the health departments, under the leadership of the states, and local health departments supported by CDC, are aggressively evaluating these cases in California, Oregon, and Washington. As was said, we should anticipate to see additional cases and clusters in the days ahead, and we will continue to aggressively evaluate them by the state and local and territorial and tribal health departments, in conjunction with CDC, by embracing early case recognition, isolation, contact tracing, and begin to do that to limit the further spread. I want to also add my emphasis to what was said: That as we stand here today, the risk of the American public remains low. As was said, we should anticipate more cases, but again, the current risk to the American public remains low. THE PRESIDENT: So, ladies and gentlemen, well be doing this quite often. Were going to keep you abreast of all of the facts. And again, I want to thank the professionals. They are great professionals. Ive gotten to really know them and see them under very interesting and tough and trying conditions. We have the finest in the world. I will say this: Other countries call us and they ask, would it be possible for them to speak to Anthony and Bob and the people that youre talking to on a daily basis now. So were going to be very transparent. Well be meeting you probably tomorrow or the next day. Well keep you abreast. Thank you very much. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. Netanyahu got people to come out and vote for him. He realized correctly there were only a few votes in play and that this election was all about turnout, said Jonathan Rynhold, a professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. He did not have to convince people to vote for him, but he needed to get people to go out and vote. A Cork man who killed his friend by repeatedly punching him in the head during a pub row had drank 20 pints on the day and had failed to listen to his wife when she earlier tried to persuade him to leave, the Central Criminal Court has heard. Michael Dineen (aged 28), who shouted that he was "the king of Mitchelstown" after the attack, now prays "on a daily basis" for victim Patrick 'Ginty' O'Donnell, the court also heard. Dineen was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Mr O'Donnell (aged 36) by unanimous verdict on December 6 last. In a victim impact statement, Mr O'Donnell's partner Leanne Whitehead said she will never be able to fill the hole in her familys hearts and that she now she has to be both a mother and father to their four children. Former State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy gave evidence during the 10-day trial that Mr O'Donnell died from inhaling his own blood and teeth after he suffered serious injuries to his face and head. Prof. Cassidy testified that Mr O'Donnell had lost seven teeth in the assault and she found one of these lodged in his trachea and another lodged in the bronchi leading to his left lung. His nose had also been fractured and flattened. Dineen of Ard Mhuileann, Ballinwillin, Mitchelstown, had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr O'Donnell at Willie Andies bar on New Square, Mitchelstown on June 1, 2018. An early plea of manslaughter had been offered by Dineen in advance of his trial but this was not accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The deceaseds partner of 17 years and mother to their four children, Leanne Whitehead, told the court in her victim impact statement today that she will never forget the phone call to say that her Ginty had been hurt. Ms Whitehead said: Me and my mum rushed to the pub. When we arrived, there was an ambulance present, then I saw a man putting forensic tape around the pole; my heart sunk. I knew my Ginty was dead. A doctor came out and told us that he had passed away, I went numb. I was in a bubble, how could anyone do something like that and how am I going to tell our children. Our lives before this tragic night was a loving caring family, our trips fishing, camping, going to Galway, we were a happy family, she continued. Ms Whitehead said that her partner Ginty was always there for them. Our two oldest boys were like Gintys shadows and they are completely lost without him. This night has changed my childrens lives, my own life and his mother and siblings lives," she said. The witness said she has had to console their children at night when they woke up with nightmares or crying because they wanted their daddy back,. She told the court that to see her children so hurt and upset is unbearable. Our children will not visit the cemetery, its too upsetting for them. Our children are lost without their dads presence, the feel of his hugs and the sound of his voice, she said. Ms Whitehead said she wakes up every day in an empty bed and goes to bed at night in an empty bed. The hugs, the kisses, the chats we used to have, the feel of his skin, the warmth of his presence and the feeling of his safeness, its all gone, she continued. Ms Whitehead said she is now on medication and attends counselling. Daily chores are a struggle for me, getting the kids to school is a struggle, just not being able to pick up the phone to say hello and hear his reassuring voice," she said. As a result of this event, Ms Whitehead said she is so afraid that something might happen to someone else so she is overprotective of her four children. The witness said she never thought that her partner would come out of the pub in a body bag after going there for a few drinks following a weeks work. I am trying to stay strong for our children but the loss, depression and anxiety makes daily chores a challenge, she continued. I can never explain the hole in our hearts and it will never ever be filled now. I have to be a mother and a father which was not my choice, she said. Gintys mother Irene is heartbroken, she always says to me that a mother should always go before their child. He had his whole life ahead of him, concluded Ms Whitehead. Leading Litigation Partner Brian P. Kavanaugh Joins Sidley in Chicago Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Brian P. Kavanaugh has joined the firm in Chicago as a partner in its global Litigation group. He joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he was a litigation partner and one of the leaders of its Data Security & Privacy practice. Mr. Kavanaugh will split his time between the firm's Chicago and Dallas offices. Mr. Kavanaugh has built a robust practice focused on healthcare, insurance and data privacy. He has defended clients in matters ranging from multidistrict litigation and class action suits to complex commercial disputes and arbitrations. A litigator for over two decades, Mr. Kavanaugh has represented major companies in a variety of industries, including life sciences, insurance, automotive, energy and cybersecurity. "A tril lawyer of Brian's caliber making a move to Sidley is another example of our status as a litigation powerhouse," said Yvette Ostolaza, co-leader of Sidley's global Litigation group. "Brian's energy and experience fit seamlessly with that of our talented team, and will undoubtedly strengthen our healthcare, insurance and privacy litigation work. We're thrilled to welcome him aboard as we continue to invest in top talent, ensuring that our clients have a litigation team built to handle their most complex matters." Mr. Kavanaugh previously served as a member of Law360's Privacy & Consumer Protection Editorial Advisory Board and was recognized as an "Illinois Rising Star" in Class Actions by Super Lawyers. He practices in both Illinois and Texas. With 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across the spectrum of industries. Follow Sidley on Twitter (News - Alert) @SidleyLaw. Attorney Advertising - Sidley Austin LLP, One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, +1 312 853 7000. Sidley and Sidley Austin refer to Sidley Austin LLP and affiliated partnerships as explained at www.sidley.com/disclaimer. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005810/en/ Farmers in several parts of Nashik district in Maharashtra agitated on Monday over falling onion prices, with an official informing that average per quintal price for Monday was Rs 1,450 at Lasalgaon, the country's largest market for the kitchen staple. Road blockades and protests were held in Lasalgaon, Dewla, Pimpalgaon, Yeola and Andersul in the district, due to which auctions for the day were halted, officials said. Onion prices increased by Rs 300 per quintal on an average at Lasalgaon APMC after reports came in, on February 27, that a ban on its exports had been lifted by the Centre, officials said. "However, a notification on the lifting of the export ban is yet to arrive, leading to fall in prices, which resulted in protests and agitations by farmers. Onions were auctioned at Rs 900 minimum, Rs 1,652 maximum and Rs 1,450 average per quintal at Lasalgaon AMPC today," an official said. In comparison, onion prices were Rs 851 minimum, Rs 1,982 maximum and Rs 1,825 average on Saturday, he added. The fall in prices led to angry members of Maharashtra Onion Growers' Association and APMC farmers stopping auctions. As part of the protests, farmers blocked the Nashik- Aurangabad Highway while some threw their onion stock on the streets in Vinchur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Did NCP chief Sharad Pawar had secret meeting with Amit Shah, Fadnavis? Here's the truth 'There is no UPA now': Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Cong, calls for unity of regional parties against BJP 'Manmohan & I were opposed to vindictive politics against then-CM Modi', says Sharad Pawar Why is Sharad Pawar so obsessed with Bhima-Koregaon India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Mar 02: Sharad Pawar, a seasoned politician has proved himself by setting foot on every difficult sky. However, his moves and statements often have an undercurrent that is only visible after a period of time. Recently, Pawar's demand of instituting a special investigation team (SIT) probe into the Bhima Koregaon case has raised many eyebrows. Move to polarise Dalit votes? Political experts say, it is a masterstroke to weaken the Dalit base of Reublican parties, especially of Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar. After Pawar started raising these issues, the Dalits are seeing a new hope in the leader. Soon after the Maha Vikas Aaghadi government was formed, Pawar has strongly objected and raised concern over the investigation of the Bhima Koregaon and Elgar Parishad cases. He insisted that the state government set up an SIT to probe into the matter. Pawar trying to implicate 'Hindutvawadis' in Koregaon Bhima Even after Centre announced a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Pawar is firm on an SIT investigation because the Bhima Koregaon is very close to Dalits in the state. A definite agenda on Hindutvawadis? NCP president Sharad Pawar was working on a definite political agenda to implicate "Hindutvawadis" (supporters of Hindutva) in the Bhima Koregaon case, former chief minister and Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis has claimed. Speaking on Pawar's stiff opposition to transfer the Elgaar Parishad case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe instead, Fadnavis said, "During my tenure as chief minister (he was also in charge of Home), there was a thorough probe." NEWS AT NOON, MARCH 2nd, 2020 Thus, it is evident that the NCP president is keen on revoking the matter with a definite agenda. Maha govt will last its full term: Pawar Shortly after the Bhima Koregaon violence, Fadnavis recalled how the NCP president had convened a press conference and alleged the role of right-wing leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide. Accordingly, the then BJP-Sena government initiated a probe. Bhide was given a clean chit but action was taken against Ekbote. GARRETT SUTTON, ESQ - LEGAL EXPERT is the Founder of Corporate Direct and Sutton Law Center, Rich Dad Advisor and Bestselling Author of six Rich Dad Advisors Series books (RDA Press) The Coronavirus is a big wake-up call for small businesses to take proactive steps to protect their personal and business assets. - Garrett Sutton, Esq, Legal Expert, Corporate Attorney and Bestselling Author of 6 Rich Dad Advisors Series Asset Protection Expert, Corporate Attorney and Bestselling Author of 6 Rich Dad Advisors Series books Garrett Suttons tips for How to Protect Your Personal and Business Assets from a Coronavirus Black Swan Event were featured recently on BBC World News: Talking Business with Host Aaron Helsehurst and Newsmax: American Agenda. Sutton emphasized, The Coronavirus is a big wake-up call for small businesses. As the author of Start Your Own Corporation and Loopholes in Real Estate, Sutton recommended these action items for business owners, entrepreneurs and investors when asked four questions by the hosts: 1. How can entrepreneurs protect themselves if they are doing business in China? - Sutton explained, They need to operate as a corporation or an LLC. Every country has limited liability entities that you can use so instead of being sued personally, you limit your liability to the claim to just against the business. So now is the time to set up a corporation or an LLC for conducting your overseas business. 2. Can you get insurance for a Black Swan Event if a planned event is cancelled like the Mobile World Congress (MWC) was in Barcelona? Sutton explained, There are event liability insurance policies, but there are a lot of exclusions. The Mobile World Congress, for example, the government didnt cancel it. It was businesses pulling out, so unless the government cancelled it, you wouldnt get the insurance. 3. How can small businesses take steps to protect their assets? Sutton emphasized; If youre importing goods from China that you sell on Amazon, and are operating as a sole proprietor without a corporation or LLC, youre putting all of your personal assets (like your home) at risk. So now is the time to set up a corporation or an LLC for conducting your overseas business. You also want to take steps to find alternative suppliers. 4. How can you protect your investments? - Sutton added, Well I always recommend that personal investors hold their brokerage accounts through an LLC. Theyre not expensive to set up or maintain. In addition, Sutton recommends setting up Contingency Plans, along with protecting your most important asset your employees by letting them work at home and reducing travel. Media Contact Liz Kelly, 310-987-7207 ABOUT GARRETT SUTTON, ESQ - LEGAL EXPERT is the Founder of Corporate Direct and Sutton Law Center, Rich Dad Advisor and Bestselling Author of six Rich Dad Advisors Series books, including: Start Your Own Corporation, Loopholes of Real Estate, Writing Winning Business Plans and Run Your Own Corporation, Buying and Selling a Business, and The ABCs of Getting Out of Debt. He is also a Contributor to More Important Than Money, An Entrepreneurs Team (Rich Dad Advisors Series, RDA Press). Sutton is a nationally acclaimed corporate and asset protection attorney. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Hastings College of the Law, the University of Californias law school in San Francisco, Garrett has written a number of books guiding entrepreneurs and investors. Since 1988, Suttons Corporate Direct and Sutton Law Center have provided affordable asset protection and corporate formation and maintenance services for investors around the world. Sutton and his work have featured on FOX and Friends, ESPN Cover Your Assets Radio Show, Think Realty Podcast and in Forbes, and other media. For more information, visit http://www.corporatedirect.com RICH DAD ADVISORS SERIES BOOKS The Rich Dad Advisors Series includes financial education books published by RDA Press primarily for entrepreneurs, business owners and investors. The series includes industry leading authors, seasoned entrepreneurs and experts in each of their respective areas of wealth creation and protection. These bestselling books provide practical advice that you were never taught in school with lessons learned based on a proven track record of success in their specific area of expertise. The Rich Dad Advisors team was originally assembled by Rich Dad Poor Dad author, Robert Kiyosaki, as his mastermind group of experts who meet to discuss business best practices, philosophies, systems, and investing strategies. Kiyosaki realized that each Advisor has mastered skills by being on the front lines, weathering the challenges and making millions of dollars for themselves, their families, their teams and charities. https://rda-press.com The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the police to file a status report on measures taken by it for medical treatment and rehabilitation of violence-affected people in northeast Delhi. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar directed the Delhi Police to submit a report on the measures taken by them in compliance with the court's February 26 order by which certain directions were made for rehabilitation of victims. The court listed the matter for further hearing on April 30. Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra informed the court about rumours that were being spread on Sunday evening about riots breaking out in other areas of the national capital. He said the police is doing a good job in tackling such rumours. He also informed the court that the existing number of helplines are still not adequate to deal with the sheer number of calls that are being made by the victims. The court was hearing a plea seeking urgent orders for safe passage of ambulances for the injured and rehabilitation of the violence-affected people. At least 42 people died and more than 200 were injured during the communal violence in northeast Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Paris, New York, Tokyo. They're all amazing vacation destinations, but sometimes (always?) it's preferable to get away from the crowds. With that in mind, users on the querying site Quora asked for "some of the best travel locations that most people have never heard of." There are hundreds of replies on the thread, and the answers uncover a world of fascinating, underrated locales. Opponents said the House bill went too far, noting that the new law raising the age of tobacco use has been in effect for only two months. Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued rules that prohibit fruit, candy, mint and dessert flavors from small, cartridge-based e-cigarettes like Juul, the most popular brand in the U.S. VANCOUVER, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Solaris Resources Inc. ("Solaris" or the "Company") and its subsidiary, Lowell Mineral Exploration Ecuador S.A., are pleased to announce the completion of a pilot project on its Warintza Project in southeast Ecuador, which was facilitated by the government in advance of the establishment of a Prior Consultation norm for the country. The Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources of the Republic of Ecuador carried out the assessment in late 2019 within the indigenous communities of Warints and Yawi, which belong to the Shuar Nation, within the Company's Warintza Project concessions. The purpose of Prior Consultation is to create opportunities for transparent dialogue in order for Indigenous people to reach agreement and consensus regarding development in their communities within the broader regional and national development frameworks. The pilot project successfully met the objectives to empower these citizens and strengthen their capacities to participate in a free and informed manner. The process strengthened trust with the communities and facilitated an understanding of the social, cultural and political dynamics to be observed in future Prior Consultation processes. Enrique Gallegos, Vice Minister of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, comments, "Having a modern, socially and environmentally responsible commercial mining industry in Ecuador is now a reality. This pilot project represents an important step toward establishing a framework for dialogue and consensus-building to foster greater participation in the next wave of projects by the remote and indigenous communities that host them." Franklin Kuja, Indigenous Leader of the Warints community, states, "Ecuador is a megadiverse country, and we came to PDAC to show the industry that it is possible to develop mining projects in a responsible and inclusive way and that we are the main guarantee of the Warintza Project moving forward." Daniel Earle, President & CEO, added, "We would like to thank the Government of Ecuador for facilitating this important initiative and the Warints and Yawi communities for participating. We're very proud to have been able to present this project at PDAC to an audience that included the Vice Minister of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, Enrique Gallegos, and Undersecretary of Strategic Development of the Vice President's Office, Freddie Villao. We are hopeful the success of this pilot project can inform the design of a model Prior Consultation process for the rest of the country and we are looking forward to building on this foundation of trust to further advance our innovative community social relations program on the Warintza Project." For a video on the pilot project, please click here: https://youtu.be/HaTqJGV5f3g On behalf of the Board of Solaris Resources Inc. "Daniel Earle" President & CEO, Director About Solaris Resources Inc. Solaris is advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in the Americas, which includes: a high-grade resource with expansion and additional discovery potential at the Warintza copper and gold project in Ecuador; discovery potential on the grass-roots Tamarugo project in Chile and Capricho and Paco Orco projects in Peru; exposure to US$130M spending / 5-yrs through a farm-out agreement with Freeport-McMoRan on the Ricardo Project in Chile; and significant leverage to increasing copper prices through the 60%-interest in the development-stage La Verde joint-venture project with Teck Resources in Mexico. Solaris Resources operates as a reporting issuer, however, is not currently listed on a designated stock exchange. Cautionary Notes and Forward-looking Statements This document contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of the words "will", "may", "can", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although Solaris believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Solaris can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Solaris' periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and Solaris does not undertake any obligations to publicly update and/or revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of additional information, future events and/or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE Solaris Resources Inc. Related Links https://www.solarisresources.com/ nndp87 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Mumbai Posts: 81 Thanked: 512 Times Coastline of Gujarat - Beaches, Temples, Villages, Lighthouses & Ports How about Coastal Gujarat. "Gujarat", I had similar reaction when I started a research on Coastal Gujarat Trip. The only thing I knew about Coastal Gujarat was, Gujarat State has the longest coastline in India of 1600 Kilometers approximately. So even if you travel 200 Kilometers daily, it should take 8 days. I have previously traveled on MSH 4 and covered it in 3 days, but MSH 4 is 700 Kilometers. I didn't expect anything from Gujarat Coastal Ride, it was just a ride to explore and visit the areas which people usually don't visit. My research didn't fetch much information since very few people might have done something like this i.e. a complete trip from Southern Coast of Gujarat to Northwestern Coast of Gujarat, and it's not necessary they might have shared the details on internet. My route planning was entirely based upon Google Maps, during route planning my intent was to ride and stay as close as possible to the coast. I have virtually traveled this route on Google Maps. I have recently moved to Hero X-Pulse 200 from Yamaha FZs and it was gonna be our ride companion for the trip. Luggage system needs to be thought about in case of Hero X-Pulse 200 especially if you are traveling with a pillion. Saddle bag cannot be used because of high exhaust system and after market saddle stays are available but they look ugly in my view, so after careful analysis, I came to conclusion that luggage rack on the rear would be best option. So I got the luggage rack done from A4 Moto Designs located in Dahisar East. I also bought used Gypsy tail bag from OLX, its enough for carrying 10 days luggage. A4 Moto Designs provide custom made accessories for motorcycles. Location: The ride preparation and things to carry is not much in comparison to what we prepare and carry for Himalayas, because entire route has phone connectivity and major cities are maximum 60 kilometers away from any point on the route and are well connected. So things to carry included Clothes, Winter Jackets, Toolkit, Battery operated Air Pump, Bungee Cords, Flip flops and Toiletries. In technical terms Coastal Gujarat Ride starts from a village named Govada in Southern Gujarat and ends at Lakhpat in Northwestern Gujarat. So on the cold winter morning we left Mumbai to explore the unexplored with the help of Google Maps. Before we move ahead, enjoy the starters. Umarsadi Jetty Fishing Vessels anchored at Dholai Fishing Port Nishkalank Mahadev Temple, Koliyak Jaffarabad Lighthouse Fort St. Anthony of Simbor Parking Area of Fishing Vessels, Veraval En-route Dwarka Mandvi, Kutch Koteshwar, Kutch End Point of Coastal Route - Lakhpat, Kutch Coastal Gujarat ride can be broadly divided into following parts: 1. Mumbai Valsad Dandi Hazira 2. Hazira Bharuch Khambhat 3. Khambhat Bhavnagar Alang Pipavav 4. Pipavav Mahua Jaffarabad Diu Somnath 5. Somnath Dwarka Okha 6. Okha Jamnagar Maliya 7. Maliya - Kandla Mundra Mandvi 8. Mandvi Jakhau Naliya Koteshwar Lakhpat My Companion for the Trips: My Wife, Mayuri. My Ride, Hero X-Pulse 200. D1: As usual my father came down to see us off and wished us safe ride. Getting out of Mumbai was breeze since it was early Saturday morning. Weather was cold and the ride through NH8 was quick and within 90 minutes we made it to Charoti Naka. We left fast NH8 from Charoti Naka and rode towards Dahanu. First coastal town of the trip is Dahanu. The ride from Dahanu to Gujarat border is beautiful, one rides parallel to the coast for most of the time, on one side of the road is beautiful Arabian Sea and on the other side, chickoo plantation, coconut tree plantation and farmhouses. We crossed the town of Gholvad and Bordi and reached the last village of Maharashtra called Zai. Father Seeing Off First Fuel Stop, Dahanu First Breakfast Point, Dahanu Finally on Coastal Route, Dahanu Beach Beautiful views of Coastal Road from Dahanu to Gholvad Welcome to Gujarat, there was no signboard indicating it except small Water Departments Board. We continued ahead, the first major town in Gujarat is Umbergaon. We explored the Beach area of Umbergaon and then moved towards Lighthouse. We successfully persuaded the lighthouse in charge to allow us, climbing stairs wasnt easy, but the view from the top was simply stunning and worth taking the pain. After visiting lighthouse we explored Umbergaon town and thereafter rode towards Nargol. Umbergaon Beach Umbergaon Lighthouse If you see the map a small creek needs to be crossed to reach Nargol from Umbergaon, there are small ferries which carry passengers, however it doesnt carry vehicles in it, so one has to take the long detour through main road to reach Nargol, this is the difference between Coastal Gujarat and Coastal Maharashtra, Coastal Maharashtra is approximately 700 Kilometers, however it has numerous ferry options which carry vehicles as well. Nargol, it has been quoted that Parsi (Persians) from Persia first migrated on the shores of Nargol and slowly spread across the region till Udvada. Nargol beach is wide and lonely, you will hardly find any tourist here. Luckily google map took us to the beach through some unmarked road and it turned to be a small trail passing through tree plantation on both the side and opening straightaway on the beach. We stayed there for some 30 minutes, it was so peaceful and serene that we never wanted to leave but this is just the beginning and there is more to come. We marked our way back towards the main road and continued towards another small settlement called Tadgam. Tree Plantation Trail, that takes you to Nargol Beach Nargol Beach I had planned this trip back in 2013, but it never happened for some or the other reason. This time I had clear window of 10 days and I didn't see any hurdle coming my way. Coastal Ride, as a traveler when we hear coastal ride, the immediate circuits or routes that comes to our mind is Maharashtra Coastal Highway known as MSH4 and East Coast Road known as ECR.How about Coastal Gujarat. "Gujarat", I had similar reaction when I started a research on Coastal Gujarat Trip. The only thing I knew about Coastal Gujarat was, Gujarat State has the longest coastline in India of 1600 Kilometers approximately. So even if you travel 200 Kilometers daily, it should take 8 days. I have previously traveled on MSH 4 and covered it in 3 days, but MSH 4 is 700 Kilometers. I didn't expect anything from Gujarat Coastal Ride, it was just a ride to explore and visit the areas which people usually don't visit. My research didn't fetch much information since very few people might have done something like this i.e. a complete trip from Southern Coast of Gujarat to Northwestern Coast of Gujarat, and it's not necessary they might have shared the details on internet. My route planning was entirely based upon Google Maps, during route planning my intent was to ride and stay as close as possible to the coast. I have virtually traveled this route on Google Maps.I have recently moved to Hero X-Pulse 200 from Yamaha FZs and it was gonna be our ride companion for the trip. Luggage system needs to be thought about in case of Hero X-Pulse 200 especially if you are traveling with a pillion. Saddle bag cannot be used because of high exhaust system and after market saddle stays are available but they look ugly in my view, so after careful analysis, I came to conclusion that luggage rack on the rear would be best option. So I got the luggage rack done from A4 Moto Designs located in Dahisar East. I also bought used Gypsy tail bag from OLX, its enough for carrying 10 days luggage.A4 Moto Designs provide custom made accessories for motorcycles.Location: https://goo.gl/maps/46vV5c1hqm483ZpD9 The ride preparation and things to carry is not much in comparison to what we prepare and carry for Himalayas, because entire route has phone connectivity and major cities are maximum 60 kilometers away from any point on the route and are well connected. So things to carry included Clothes, Winter Jackets, Toolkit, Battery operated Air Pump, Bungee Cords, Flip flops and Toiletries.In technical terms Coastal Gujarat Ride starts from a village named Govada in Southern Gujarat and ends at Lakhpat in Northwestern Gujarat. So on the cold winter morning we left Mumbai to explore the unexplored with the help of Google Maps.Before we move ahead, enjoy the starters.1. Mumbai Valsad Dandi Hazira2. Hazira Bharuch Khambhat3. Khambhat Bhavnagar Alang Pipavav4. Pipavav Mahua Jaffarabad Diu Somnath5. Somnath Dwarka Okha6. Okha Jamnagar Maliya7. Maliya - Kandla Mundra Mandvi8. Mandvi Jakhau Naliya Koteshwar LakhpatMy Wife, Mayuri.My Ride, Hero X-Pulse 200.As usual my father came down to see us off and wished us safe ride. Getting out of Mumbai was breeze since it was early Saturday morning. Weather was cold and the ride through NH8 was quick and within 90 minutes we made it to Charoti Naka. We left fast NH8 from Charoti Naka and rode towards Dahanu. First coastal town of the trip is Dahanu. The ride from Dahanu to Gujarat border is beautiful, one rides parallel to the coast for most of the time, on one side of the road is beautiful Arabian Sea and on the other side, chickoo plantation, coconut tree plantation and farmhouses. We crossed the town of Gholvad and Bordi and reached the last village of Maharashtra called Zai.Welcome to Gujarat, there was no signboard indicating it except small Water Departments Board. We continued ahead, the first major town in Gujarat is Umbergaon. We explored the Beach area of Umbergaon and then moved towards Lighthouse. We successfully persuaded the lighthouse in charge to allow us, climbing stairs wasnt easy, but the view from the top was simply stunning and worth taking the pain. After visiting lighthouse we explored Umbergaon town and thereafter rode towards Nargol.If you see the map a small creek needs to be crossed to reach Nargol from Umbergaon, there are small ferries which carry passengers, however it doesnt carry vehicles in it, so one has to take the long detour through main road to reach Nargol, this is the difference between Coastal Gujarat and Coastal Maharashtra, Coastal Maharashtra is approximately 700 Kilometers, however it has numerous ferry options which carry vehicles as well.Nargol, it has been quoted that Parsi (Persians) from Persia first migrated on the shores of Nargol and slowly spread across the region till Udvada. Nargol beach is wide and lonely, you will hardly find any tourist here. Luckily google map took us to the beach through some unmarked road and it turned to be a small trail passing through tree plantation on both the side and opening straightaway on the beach. We stayed there for some 30 minutes, it was so peaceful and serene that we never wanted to leave but this is just the beginning and there is more to come. We marked our way back towards the main road and continued towards another small settlement called Tadgam. Last edited by nndp87 : 1st March 2020 at 14:28 . Reason: Further Update Dec. 23, 1968, was the day the young Army lieutenant stepped from a helicopter into a pitched battle in a Vietnamese rice paddy. It was the day he watched his radio operator fall, wounded, at his side. It was the day he was close enough to see enemy soldiers. It was the day he called in an F-4 Phantom jet to drop napalm. It was the day his actions earned him a Bronze Star. The NSW Fair Trading Commissioner will investigate whether the organisers of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras breached Australian Consumer Law by misleading people who purchased tickets to the official after-party. The party, which kicked off after Saturday's Mardi Gras parade and ran until 8am on Sunday, was headlined by international acts Sam Smith, Dua Lipa and Kesha. Dua Lipa, centre, was one of the headline acts at the Mardi Gras after-party. Credit:AAP Mardi Gras organisers confirmed 10,000 people purchased tickets to the sold-out event at the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park. But almost half of those partygoers missed out on the highlight performances of the night with the main venue, the Hordern Pavilion, quickly reaching its capacity of 5500. Dozens of ticketholders, who were stuck in queues for hours, took to social media on the night to criticise the event's organisation. Tickets to the after-party included access to four smaller stages in the precinct, where lesser-known artists performed. [March 02, 2020] CPP Investments participates in Waymo's first external investment round TORONTO and SAN FRANCISCO, March 2, 2020 /CNW/ - Waymo has announced its first external investment round, led by Silver Lake, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), and Mubadala Investment Company. Additional investors in this initial US$2.25 billion close include Magna, Andreessen Horowitz, and AutoNation, as well as Alphabet. "We've always approached our mission as a team sport, collaborating with our OEM and supplier partners, our operations partners, and the communities we serve to build and deploy the world's most experienced driver," said John Krafcik, CEO, Waymo. "Today, we're expanding that team, adding financial investors and important strategic partners who bring decades of experience investing in and supporting successful technology companies building transformative products. With this injection of capital and business acumen, alongside Alphabet, we'll deepen our investment in our people, our technology, and our operations, all in support of the deployment of the Waymo Driver around the world." "Waymo is the proven leader in self-driving technology, is the only autonomous vehicle company with a public ride-hailing service, and is successfully scaling its fully driverless experience," said Egon Durban, Co-CEO, Silver Lake, and nominee for Waymo's Operating Board. "We're deeply aliged with Waymo's commitment to making our roads safer, and look forward to working together to help advance and scale the Waymo Driver in the U.S. and beyond." This investment round follows a recent series of major operational and technical milestones. The Waymo Driver has driven more than 20 million miles on public roads across over 25 cities, and over 10 billion miles in simulation. Engineers and technicians at Waymo's Detroit factory, the world's first factory dedicated to the mass production of L4 autonomous vehicles, have shipped the first vehicles (electric cars and Class 8 trucks) integrated with fifth-generation hardware, with all-new, more powerful compute and more capable sensing. "CPP Investments is focused on identifying and investing in long-horizon growth opportunities across the globe. This investment in Waymo, the clear leader in developing autonomous vehicle technology with the potential to create several global markets of tremendous scale through deployment of the Waymo Driver, will enhance our ability to deliver long term, sustainable returns for the Fund's 20 million contributors and beneficiaries," said Ryan Selwood, Managing Director, Head of Direct Private Equity, CPP Investments. Waymo One, the world's first public self-driving ride-hailing service, serves thousands of customers in Arizona, and has already provided thousands of fully driverless rides to our riders, in a high-speed mixed usage market area larger than San Francisco. The Waymo Driver is now deployed across a variety of vehicle platforms and business applications, including Waymo Via, which is focused on all forms of goods delivery. About CPP Investments Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) is a professional investment management organization that invests the funds not needed by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to pay current benefits in the best interests of 20 million contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build diversified portfolios of assets, investments in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income instruments are made by CPP Investments. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, Sao Paulo and Sydney, CPP Investments is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At December 31, 2019, the CPP Fund totalled C$420.4 billion. For more information about CPP Investments, please visit www.cppinvestments.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. SOURCE Canada Pension Plan Investment Board [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Catholic and private school systems will have significant discretion over how they spend a special $1.2 billion fund, with newly released rules for the "choice and affordability fund" giving them wide flexibility on what the money is used for. The fund was announced by the Morrison government in September 2018 to assist non-government schools to transition to a new funding model as part of a $4.6 billion package. Following negotiations with the sectors, the education department has quietly released guidelines shedding light on how the fund will work. The government has quietly released details of its $1.2 billion choice and affordability fund. Credit:Michele Mossop The details have come to light just as the government moves to legislate on the other $3.4 billion of extra spending, to be allocated under the funding model based on a new measure of parents' taxable income. The legislation has been backed by the Catholic sector but has already sparked fears from regional independent schools. The choice and affordability fund guidelines have attracted concerns about the level of discretion the school systems will have to dole out the funding, a "doubling up" with ordinary school spending and a potential funding cliff for the schools in 2029 because the value of the fund will grow every year rather than tapering off. Both vehicles turned turtle due to negligence of the two drivers in the separate accidents, leading to their respective vehicle falling into a deep ditch, causing the death of 10 persons. VIJAYAWADA: In two separate tragic incidents, a total of ten people have died in Guntur district on Sunday. The first of the two road accidents took place at the 5-mile junction point in the Vatticherukuru mandal in which six people died. The second accident occurred at the Ramapuram thanda in Veldurthi mandal, in which four persons died on the spot, while four others were injured. Both vehicles turned turtle due to negligence of the two drivers in the separate accidents, leading to their respective vehicle falling into a deep ditch, causing the death of 10 persons. Six people were killed when a seven-seat car in which they were driving turned turtle after hitting a caution board while trying to overtake another vehicle near a deep curve. They were the locals of Kakumanu village of Vatticherukuru who had gone to Etukuru village in Guntur rural mandal to attend a function, and were returning. The vehicle fell into a deep pit dug up close to a local stream at the 5-mile point in Vatticherukuru mandal. As many as 11 persons were travelling in the car when the incident took place. The car fell into a pit dug up to over 15 feet depth. Five people were killed on the spot, a sixth person died while being shifting to the Guntur general hospital, while the reaming five others were injured. The deceased were identified as Vannuru Prasadam (55), Pogartha Ramana (48), Pogartha Sitamma (65), Pogartha Veeralakshmi (50) and driver Kammadulu Srinu (45), who died on the spot, while Vajra Subbulu (48) died on the way to hospital. Guntur urban SP P.H.D. Ramakrishna visited the spot and initiated an inquiry into the accident. Guntur district collector I. Samuel Anand Kumar also expressed condolences and visited the injured persons at the hospital. Home minister Mekathoti Sucharita expressed condolences and consoled surviving family members. She directed doctors to give best medical services to the injured. She promised a house site and support to construct a house to surviving members. Giving details of the second accident, Macherla rural circle inspector P Baktavachala Reddy said that a speeding lorry slipped into a deep quarry after applying a sudden brake at Bondalaveedu village of Veldurthi mandal in Guntur district. The lorry fell into a deep quarry pit at Ramapuram thanda. It was carrying a load of red chilli, and ferrying along agriculture workers. The deceased include Sadanala Harikrishna (25), Sadanala Srinivasa Rao (36), Nayudu Sambaiah (60), besides the driver, who all died on the spot. Police are trying to identify the driver to contact his relatives. The police have shifted the injured persons to Macherla area hospital for treatment and further investigation is on. Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey's western frontier Sunday, trying to enter Greece by land and sea after Turkey said its borders were open to those hoping to head to Europe Kastanies: Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey's western frontier Sunday, trying to enter Greece by land and sea after Turkey said its borders were open to those hoping to head to Europe. In Syria, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military downed a Turkish drone, a major escalation in the direct conflict between Syrian and Turkish forces. Turkey's decision to ease border restrictions came amid a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive into Syria's northwestern Idlib province. That offensive has killed dozens of Turkish troops and led to a surge of nearly a million Syrian civilians fleeing the fighting toward Turkey's sealed border. Turkey backs the Syrian rebels fighting in Idlib province, and has sent thousands of troops into the area. Idlib is the last opposition-held stronghold in Syria, and is dominated by al-Qaida linked fighters. A Turkish official said the fighting in Idlib was directly linked to Turkey's decision to open the gates for refugees to Europe. He said Ankara had changed its focus to preparing for the possibility of new arrivals from Syria instead of preventing refugees who intend to migrate to Europe. Europe and others must take robust action to address this monumental challenge, said Fahrettin Altun, the communications director for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We cant be expected to do this on our own. Erdogan's decision open his countrys borders with Europe made good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into the continent. His announcement marked a dramatic departure from a previous policy of containment, an apparent attempt to pressure Europe into offering Turkey more support in dealing with the fallout from the Syrian war to its south. 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. Turkey has since accused the EU of failing to honor the agreement, and Erdogan has frequently threatened to allow refugees into Europe unless more international support was provided. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, as well as many others from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Turkey borders Greece and Bulgaria, both European Union members. On the Greek-Turkish land border, Greek army and police patrols using tear gas and stun grenades to thwart attempts by thousands to push into the country overnight. Officials said the situation was much calmer Sunday morning. But in the afternoon, authorities used tear gas and water cannons to push back another crowd attempting to cross. Migrants threw rocks and other objects, and one policeman was injured. Greek authorities said they stopped about 10,000 crossing attempts Saturday, and another 5,500 on Sunday. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis convened the defense and foreign affairs committee Sunday evening. Afterward, a government spokesman said Greece was starting a one-month freeze on accepting asylum applications from migrants who enter illegally. Europe's border agency Frontex said it was redeploying equipment and additional officers to Greece. A Greek government official said the Turkish authorities also fired teargas at the Greek border, using drones flying close to the border. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to discuss the matter with the media. Stavros Zamalides, the president of the Greek border community of Kastanies, said Turkish soldiers used wire cutters to actively help people cross. The United Nations migration organisation reported at least 13,000 people had massed on Turkeys land border by Saturday night, the vast majority apparently from Afghanistan. In Istanbul, a steady stream of buses, taxis, cars and minibuses were ferrying hundreds more throughout Sunday to Edirne, a town near the border with Greece. The vehicles werent part of any regular bus route. Those boarding the buses the vast majority Afghans said they were heading to Greece and eventually hoped to get to Germany. On the Greek islands, more than 500 people had arrived from the nearby Turkish coast by Sunday evening, a clear increase in the usual number of people who arrive on eastern Aegean islands from Turkey. Existing migrant camps on the islands are already dramatically overcrowded, and tensions there have mounted. In a small harbor on Lesbos, angry local residents refused to allow migrants including families with young children and babies to disembark from a dinghy that had just arrived. Groups who arrived on other parts of the island remained there for hours because locals prevented buses from reaching them to transport them to the main camp. On Sunday night, a former staging area used for new arrivals on Lesbos was set on fire. More than 19,300 people already live in and around islands migrant camp, which has a capacity of 2,840. Protests by island residents last week over the situation degenerated into clashes with riot police on Lesbos and Chios. Greece said it was using all available means to tell migrants that the countrys borders were closed, including text messages to foreign mobile phones in the border area. In Syria, fighting escalated on the ground and in the skies between Turkish and Syrian troops. Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, remained largely on the sidelines through the weekend even as a Turkish-led counter offensive blunted and in some cases reversed Syrian government advances. But the head of the Russian militarys Reconciliation Center in Syria, Rear Adm. Oleg Zhuravlev,, warned Turkey that its aircraft could be in danger if they fly over Syria. In view of the sharp exacerbation of tensions in the air space over Idlib, the Syrian government was forced to declare it closed, Zhuravlev said in a statement released late Sunday. In this situation, the Russian troops command cant guarantee security of flights of Turkish aircraft in the skies over Syria. Syrias official news agency SANA said the four pilots in the two jets shot down Sunday had ejected and landed safely. Turkey's Defense Ministry said it had hit the two SU-24 aircraft as well as Syrian air defense systems after one of its aerial drones was downed. Earlier Sunday, Syria said northwestern airspace was closed and any aircraft or drone that entered will be treated as hostile and shot down. The Syrian announcement followed two days of Turkish drone strikes in Idlib province. Syrian activists said the strikes killed more than 50 Syrian government forces and allied fighters. Turkey has lost 54 soldiers in February, including 33 killed Thursday in a single airstrike. Outraged, Erdogan announced his country's European borders were open Saturday. The crisis in Idlib stems from a Syrian government offensive with Russian military support, which began 1 December. Turkey is worried it might come under renewed international pressure to open its now-sealed border with Syria and offer refuge to hundreds of thousands more Syrian civilians. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, speaking from a military headquarters near the Syrian border, said Turkey aimed to confront Syrian government forces rather than Russian troops. He called on Moscow to persuade Assad to withdraw to 2018 cease-fire lines on the edges of Idlib. Referring to losses inflicted on Syria, he said Turkey had neutralised more than 2,200 Syrian troops, 103 tanks and eight helicopters. The operation is Turkey's fourth in the war-torn country since 2016. Altun, the Turkish communications director, claimed 80,888 migrants had left Turkey for Europe in the past several days." There was no evidence to support his claim. Greeces Foreign Ministry tweeted that these numbers were false and misleading." The fact that he was Jewish probably had little to do with Jacob Leisers decision to come to Missoula in 1870. At that time it was probably partly driven by gold, Paul Kingsford said Wednesday. Leiser was born in the early 1840s in West Prussia, now part of Poland, and he was a teenager when he arrived in the United States in 1857. After his merchant tailoring business burned in one of Helenas frequent fires, Leiser started anew in a fledgling Missoula that was awash in the recent Cedar Creek gold strikes 50 miles to the west. If the impassioned and ongoing research of Bert Chessin and Kingsford is correct, and chances are good it is, Leiser became the first Jew to settle in Missoula. Chessin and Kingsford, members of Missoulas Har Shalom Jewish community, dont know exactly when in 1870 he arrived. If they did they might build a special 150th anniversary event around the namesake of their exhibit at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Leisers Footsteps, on display through May 10, relates an under-told story of Missoulas original Jewish citizens and their contributions to Missoulas growth and culture. Kingsford, a graphic artist and native Englishman, designed the large, wood-framed panels that describe the lives of pioneer merchants Leiser and Herman Kohn, Shakespearean actor and eccentric rancher Daniel Bandmann, union organizer Sam Rivin and, from the University of Montana, Leslie Fiedler and Henry Ephron. Fiedler was a cornerstone of the Missoula Jewish community from the early 1940s to the mid-1960s. He was a literary critic, author and professor of English, and known as a national voice of Jewish intellectuals. Ephron, who died in Missoula in 1992, was an internationally recognized classical Greek and Latin scholar and code cracker who, according to his panel, solved two confounding archaeological mysteries without stirring from his basement study on Woodworth Avenue. Their individual stories suggest a broader range of topics, including the 19th century Jewish immigration to the United States from Central and Eastern Europe, and the relationships between Native tribes and Jewish merchants in the United States. Missoula is very much a reflection of the larger picture of what happened elsewhere, said Chessin, the research director for Leisers Footsteps. A Missoula native, Chessin is himself a member of an important Jewish family. His late father Meyer Mike Chessin was a New York-born botanist who taught for 41 years at the University of Montana and was a lifelong public welfare activist. Florence Flo Chessin was co-founder of Missoula Women for Peace 50 years ago. Bert Chessin, a board member at Har Shalom and former president of the board, has been collecting stories and artifacts from the local Jewish community since he moved home from North Carolina 13 years ago to help care for his parents. He hatched the idea of uncovering Missoulas Jewish history in late 2018 when Missoula was wrestling with its responses to anti-Semitic flyers and graffiti that appeared around town. With the support of Har Shalom and Rabbi Laurie Franklin, Chessin and Kingsford set out on a quest that includes, in addition to the museum exhibit, an ever-growing website, Bearboneshistorians.org, and plans for a larger project encompassing the Jewish history of Montana. We wanted to set the record straight, the exhibit introduction said. To do that, we focused on the lives of remarkable Jews from Missoula. In telling these stories, we revealed how each in their own special way helped make their communities and new home country a better place. The exhibit in a rougher form was displayed to good reviews last fall downstairs in the Hammond Arcade on Higgins Avenue. Jacob Leiser married Fannie Lebensberger, a Jewish woman from Deer Lodge, and in 1892 built what the Morning Missoulian referred to as the New and Elegant Leiser Block on West Main. He did not become wealthy as wealth is considered these days but by prudence and economy he acquired sufficient of this worlds good to enable him to live and to support his family in comfort, the Missoulian eulogized upon Leisers death in 1902. Many of the Leiser stories came from daughter Esther, who aided librarian Sue Rhinehart when the first Missoula Public Library opened in the Higgins Building in 1894. Later she was reference librarian at the library on Pattee Street, todays Missoula Art Museum, for 25 years before retiring in 1945. The new public library wants this exhibit in the fall after they open, Chessin said. Its a lovely connection between Esther Leiser and her parents and the history of Missoula. Kohn arrived in 1879, opened a saddle shop and later had a jewelry store in the Florence Hotel. He invested heavily in Missoula properties and civic projects. Both he and Leiser integrated easily into the business community. One of the primary resources that kicked this up by order of magnitude was making contact with Herman Kohns great-granddaughters, Chessin said. Brenda Henry and Mary Paulson grew up in Missoula, left for other lives and have since moved back. Their mother was Mary Kohn Blastic, who passed down a treasure trove of Kohn family pictures. When I was invited to go see the family collection and started looking through photo albums, I was knocked off my feet by the photos they had that date back to the the 1890s, Chessin said. There were pictures of Salish gatherings, powwows, with both the Native folks and with the local white folks, particularly the Kohn family. The panels arent ready yet but by mid-March Leisers Footsteps will include stories of the Jewish-Salish connection. Featured will be three men who found their way into the Kohn photos Eneas Big Sam, who witnessed the Hellgate Treaty negotiations in 1855; Bitterroot Jim Sapiye, an accomplished hunter and respected elder and leader, and Joe LaMoose (1845-1931), one of the Salish who met Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perce in the Bitterroot Valley on their 1877 flight from U.S. Army forces. A century and a half after Leiser arrived, Missoulas Jewish roots are flowering. Franklin, the longtime spiritual leader at Har Shalom, was ordained a rabbi last year, becoming the congregation's first person to make the journey from congregant to rabbi while living in Missoula. The city is home to two other rabbis. Rabbi Chezky Vogel and his wife Rochi of New York became co-directors of Chabad Jewish Center Missoula in November of 2018. Rabbi Mark Kula of Miami, whose wife Coreen Duffy is director of choirs at UM, lives in Missoula but as of last July has served Beth Shalom of Bozeman part-time. Kingsford said people often come to a museum to learn about heroes and movie stars. But the real heroes of the United States are people like this, he said. They just happen to be Jewish in this case. They could be from anywhere, and its those stories that are kind of lost to history. Ted Hughes, curator of collections at the Fort Missoula museum, said he owes a debt of gratitude to Chessin and Kingsford for uncovering the history. It just reminds me that a lot of Missoulas history is still out there in peoples homes, Hughes said. Its a constant, ongoing process. You have to get out there and talk to people. Its not all in the archives. Its not all at the Mansfield Library. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 21 Trend: Azerbaijan has confirmed its reputation of a reliable partner, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said while making a press statement together with President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, Trend reports. Today, as Mr. President said, we also touched upon cooperation in the field of culture, Ilham Aliyev said. We want to deepen cooperation in this area. There are plans to open a Culture Center of Azerbaijan in Italy. Several years ago, a monument to brilliant Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi was erected in the Villa Borghese park. We have very fruitful cooperation in the field of education. There are plans to sign documents in this area too. Currently, more than 1,500 Azerbaijani students go to Italian universities. With regard to energy issues, Azerbaijan is Italy's main supplier of crude oil, the Azerbaijani president noted. Azerbaijan accounts for 17 percent of crude oil consumption in Italy. For almost 15 years, Azerbaijan has been exporting crude oil to Italy, and there were no problems or force majeure circumstances over this time. So Azerbaijan has confirmed its reputation of a reliable partner. As for the exports of natural gas, this project is also being completed, added Ilham Aliyev. The implementation of the TAP project has reached 92 percent. This is the fourth and final project of the Southern Gas Corridor. Prior to this, three projects were implemented. Azerbaijan is located on one side of the Southern Gas Corridor and Italy is on the other. There is cooperation with five other countries located between us, so in total there are seven countries involved, the Azerbaijani president said. This cooperation will also have a positive impact on the energy and all other areas, because these countries are closely connected with each other. After this, the development of political, economic and cultural ties between these countries will go even faster, of course. The Southern Gas Corridor is a historic project, and I would like to express my deep gratitude to President Mattarella for the efforts made because during an official visit to Azerbaijan in July 2018, Mr. President and I talked about this, Ilham Aliyev noted. After that conversation, the implementation of TAP went faster, and we are currently at the final stage of the project. We have also had an exchange of views on the relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan, said the Azerbaijani president. Work is under way on a new agreement between the European Union and Azerbaijan. I believe that the Joint Declaration on Strengthening Multidimensional Strategic Partnership, which will be signed today, can be an excellent basis for this agreement. The relations between NATO and Azerbaijan are developing successfully, added Ilham Aliyev. Many years ago, we sent our troops to Afghanistan. Azerbaijan is actively involved in peacekeeping operations. We are providing very important logistical and transport services to NATO forces. Given the very favorable geographical location and transport infrastructure of Azerbaijan, we are successfully cooperating in this area. So all the questions and thoughts that have been voiced clearly show that strategic partnerships and friendly ties have been established between our two countries, and these ties will successfully develop in the future, said the Azerbaijani president. Thank you! Physician education, monitoring, and incentives lead to a shift from longer-term to shorter-term prescriptions for surgical patients, according to new Journal of the American College of Surgeons study CHICAGO (March 2, 2020): Opioid prescriptions have been a known driver of the opioid epidemic, and it's now known that opioid prescriptions that last longer than five days are a risk factor for longer-term opioid use.1 As some surgeons' prescribing patterns have been found to be part of the problem, the surgical community is now working hard to address it. A recent solution has been enacted by a large health-care system in central Texas, where surgeons implemented a pain management program that reduced longer-term prescriptions by two-thirds, according to a study published as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website ahead of print. The program reduced postsurgery opioid prescriptions at Baylor Scott &White (BSW) hospitals of more than five days by 64 percent, from 1,228 in the three months before the program started to 432 in the first three months of 2019. Prescriptions of less than five days duration increased 15 percent, from 5,133 to 5,923. Baylor Scott & White in central Texas consists of 15 hospitals, 104 clinics, and 1,543 physicians. Overall, BSW encompasses 50 hospitals, more than 7,800 physicians, and 5,100 patient beds. "Opioid prescriptions of over five days have been shown to dramatically increase addiction to opioids," said lead study author Richard Frazee, MD, FACS, a general surgeon at Baylor Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, Texas. "We established a standard of opioid prescriptions of five days or less after elective surgery." The program consisted of using the monthly surgical grand rounds--a conference of a hospital's physicians, residents and medical students--to educate surgeons and anesthesiologists about the opioid epidemic and how postsurgery opioid prescriptions contributed to it. At these meetings, the rationale for limiting opioid prescriptions to five days or less was introduced. The program also used the electronic health record (EHR) to monitor each physician's opioid prescribing practices and, after six months, tied this measure to the quality component of their compensation. Overall, the study included 31,814 patients who had elective surgery at the hospitals from January 2018, when the program began, through March 2019. Over the five quarters the study observed, a greater proportion of opioid prescriptions shifted from more than five days to fewer than five days. Changing the way surgeons prescribe pain medication after surgery was not easy, Dr. Frazee acknowledged. The researchers noted that surgeons' prescribing patterns have been slow to respond nationally to the opioid crisis, citing a Kaiser Health News-Johns Hopkins analysis2 that found that surgeons frequently wrote prescriptions of 100 pills or more from 2011 to 2016. "As always, to change surgeons' behavior you have to convince them that it is a benefit to their patients," he said. "We had to overcome many years of misinformation on the 'safety' of liberal use of opioids after surgery." The program is one that can easily be used in other hospitals and health systems, Dr. Frazee said. "This is an issue that health-care providers and the public are increasingly aware of," he said. "The Baylor Scott & White Healthcare System has adopted and emphasized a culture of safety. This program offers a model for other health-care systems and individual surgeons to adopt in the care of their patients." But tackling opioid addiction requires a multipronged approach. "The opioid crisis is ongoing; this study is one step in the process to addressing it," Dr. Frazee said. "A continued multipronged approach is needed that incorporates education, pharmaceutical reform, rehabilitation programs, and easy disposal of unneeded prescriptions." ### Study coauthors are Emily Garmon, MD, of the department of anesthesia; Erin Bird, MD, MBA, of the department of urology; and Claire Isabel, MD, FACS, and Harry Papaconstantinou, MD, FACS, of the department of surgery at Baylor Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, Texas. "FACS" designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. The authors have no relevant financial disclosures. The study was originally presented at the Southern Surgical Association 131st annual meeting, Hot Springs, Virginia, December 2019. Citation: Postoperative Opioid Prescription Reduction Strategy in a Regional Healthcare System. Journal for the American College of Surgeons. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2019.12.023 1 Shah A, Hayes DJ, Martin BC. Characteristics of initial prescription episodes and likelihood of long-term opioid use-United States 2006-2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2017. 66 (10): 265-269. 2 Appleby J, Lucas E. (2019, June 19) Surgeons' Opioid-Prescribing Habits Are Hard to Kick, Kaiser Health News. Available at: https://khn.org/news/surgeons-opioid-prescribing-habits-hard-to-kick/. Accessed: February 24, 2020. About the American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 82,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit http://www.facs.org. Meanwhile, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said an Italian tourist has tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur. India had earlier reported three cases from Kerala, including two medical students from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: India on Monday reported two new cases of the novel coronavirus, including one from the national capital, the Union health ministry said as the government stepped up its efforts to detect and check the infection which has killed more than 3,000 people globally. Giving details of the two cases, health minister Harsh Vardhan said the person from Delhi had travelled to Italy, while the other patient who has tested positive for the COVID-19 infection is from Telangana and has a recent travel history to Dubai. Meanwhile, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said an Italian tourist has tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur. The first sample collected from the tourist on February 29 tested negative but his condition deteriorated so a second sample was collected which tested positive on Monday, the minister said, adding, Since there is a variation in the reports, samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for testing. India had earlier reported three cases from Kerala, including two medical students from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus. They had self-reported on their return to the country and tested positive for the infection. They were discharged from hospitals last month following recovery. Speaking of Mondays two cases of Indians, Mr Harsh Vardhan said, Both the patients had self-reported after they developed symptoms. They tested positive. They are stable and being closely monitored. The person in Delhi had self-reported at the RML hospital after returning to India while the one in Telangana had initially gone to a private medical facility and then was referred to a government hospital in the state, the minister said. As part of the governments contact tracing efforts to control spread of the epidemic, authorities are in touch with the family members and employees in the offices where the two infected persons work. After the ministry announced details of the Delhi resident who has tested positive for novel coronavirus, the Air India crew who had flown the Vienna-Delhi flight on February 25 on which he was the passenger have been asked to stay in isolation at their homes for 14 days, officials said. The crew members of February 25 Vienna-Delhi flight will remain in isolation for 14 days at their respective homes. If, during this period, they show any symptoms related to novel coronavirus infection, they have to immediately contact doctors, the officials told PTI. Air India officials said, The male passenger had travelled to Italy by road. He took the February 25 Vienna-Delhi flight. Mr Vardhan also advised people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, Italy, South Korea and Singapore and said India was in discussions with authorities in Iran and Italy, two countries badly affected by the infection, to evacuate Indians there. The novel coronavirus or COVID-19, which originated in China, has spread to over 60 countries, including the US, Italy and Iran. The health minister, who held a meeting of the Group of Ministers constituted to monitor the current status and actions for prevention and management of the virus, said India has already suspended e-visas/visas issued to Iranian and Chinese nationals over the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in these countries. Depending on the situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries, he said. Asked if there could be a drug shortage in the country as around 70 per cent of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) come from China, Mr Vardhan said he has spoken to the minister in-charge who has informed that we are adequately prepared to deal with the situation as of now. Mr Vardhan said around 1,086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance. Authorities are screening travellers arriving from Kathmandu, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan at 21 designated airports in the country for a possible exposure to the virus, he said, adding, a total of 5,57,431 passengers have been screened at airports and 12,431 at major and minor seaports so far. He also informed that around 10,24,922 people have been screened in the villages of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim bordering Nepal. Besides, as many as 25,738 people are under community surveillance across India while 37 people with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 across the country are currently hospitalised and their samples have been sent for testing, a senior health ministry official said. So far 3,245 samples have been tested out of which five have tested positive for COVID-19 while reports of 23 are awaited, the minister added. The minister further informed that 112 people including nationals from Myanmar (2), Bangladesh (22), Maldives (2), Chinese (6), South African (1), USA (1) and Madagascar (1) have been evacuated from Wuhan and kept at the ITBP camp at Chhawla. They have tested negative in the first round of tests, he said. He added that 119 Indians and five foreign nationals have also been brought back from Japan through an Air India flight on February 27. They all have tested negative and are kept in the Army Facility at Manesar. Mr Vardhan also advised people to take precautions and in case of any symptoms report to the nearest public health facility. People may pose their queries at the Health Ministrys 24x7 Control Room at 011-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.Com, he added. Local officials launched a series of maneuvers Monday in an attempt to wrest control of the coronavirus quarantine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and stop the scheduled release of evacuees housed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. By the end of the day, the two sides were at an impasse and evacuees were not allowed to leave. Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff castigated the CDC for releasing an evacuee over the weekend, not knowing that a later test would show she still had the virus in her system. She left a hospital, checked into a San Antonio hotel and visited a mall, potentially exposing the public to the virus for 12 hours. Both officials, already frustrated by the federal governments handling of the evacuees, said they didnt want the mistake repeated with the 122 evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship poised to leave Lackland. Local health professionals, in whom I have the utmost confidence, are working very hard to prevent the spread of this virus here in San Antonio, and we simply cannot have a screw-up like this from our federal partners, Nirenberg said at a news conference. Hours later, Nirenberg and Wolff each declared a local public health emergency to assert their authority over the evacuees and block them from leaving the base until the CDC retested them for the virus. Then, the city tried to get a temporary injunction to keep the quarantine in place for another two weeks, but a federal judge rejected it. The CDC did not respond to requests for comment Monday and canceled a scheduled national telebriefing. The cruise ship evacuees who have not tested positive for the virus or developed symptoms were left in limbo all day, caught in a struggle between different levels of government. Many woke up early Monday with the expectation that they would finally be going home after nearly a month of quarantine almost two weeks on the Diamond Princess and another two in a hotel at Lackland. Some were packing their bags as officials fought over their release. As night fell, they were still under guard by U.S. marshals with no firm answers about what was to come. On ExpressNews.com: CDC says coronavirus patient released in San Antonio later turned up positive for infection San Antonio and federal officials negotiated throughout the day. Local officials want more tests to confirm the evacuees are virus-free and pose no public health threat, while the CDC is obligated to release them, now that the 14-day quarantine has expired. Locally, CDCs hands are tied, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in an interview. They have to go by the guidance of their higher-ups, and thats what theyre doing. And what weve communicated with them and what were working to do is to ensure that theres no additional exposure to the public based on that quarantine mission. Now Playing: Sig Christenson is a senior reporter who covers the military for the San Antonio Express-News. He is currently reporting on the coronavirus evacuee situation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Video: San Antonio Express-News Nirenberg added that it was unclear how that could be accomplished. More Information Evacuee's movements Saturday, Feb. 29 2:53 p.m.: After being released from the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, the Wuhan evacuee is dropped off at the Holiday Inn Express near San Antonio International Airport by a third-party driver. She enters her room at 3:11 p.m. 5:13 p.m.: She returns to the hotel lobby and requests a shuttle to the mall, which arrives at 5:23 p.m. 5:30 p.m.: The evacuee visits North Star Mall, including the food court, where she orders Chinese food and eats alone. She visits a number of stores, including Dillard's, Swarovski and Talbots. 7:30 p.m.: She returns to the hotel on the shuttle, re-entering her room about five minutes later. Sunday, March 1 2 a.m.: The evacuee is transported back to TCID in a specialized ambulance, accompanied by medical personnel outfitted in personal protective equipment. Source: city of San Antonio See More Collapse In denying the citys request to keep the quarantine in place, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez noted that the federal governments current determination that a 14-day quarantine and two negative tests for the virus are sufficient to prevent transmission or spread of COVID-19. The court, Rodriguez wrote further, has no authority to second-guess those determinations even though the court also shares the concerns expressed by the (city). On ExpressNews.com: Calm the panic: With impending release of cruise ship evacuees, San Antonio health officials begin pivot to community coronavirus plan The controversy highlighted the dysfunctional relationship between local and federal officials, who have repeatedly clashed over the handling of the Diamond Princess passengers. Throughout the quarantine, they have disagreed over the risk of transporting presumptive coronavirus patients into the community. Tensions boiled over with the premature release of the evacuee, who arrived at Lackland on Feb. 7 from Wuhan, China. Of the 91 people in that group, she was the only one infected by the coronavirus. The remaining Wuhan evacuees were released from quarantine Feb. 20. Health experts around the world are working to understand the virus, called COVID-19, which has infected almost 90,000 people globally. Much remains unknown about the virus, including firm details about its transmission, incubation period and the length of time it can survive on surfaces. That has officials worried about a local outbreak here. This is not meant to alarm people. I think weve got good health officials here, but weve had our problems with the CDC and how theyve handled things, and were not very appreciative of it, Wolff said at a news conference Monday. Gov. Abbott called the evacuees release a case of negligence on the part of the CDC and said everyone the woman came into contact with should be tested for the virus. He and the states health commissioner, Dr. John Hellerstedt, also urged the CDC not to allow any evacuees to depart without further testing. They also wanted federal officials to provide a written rationale before releasing anyone. Later, the governors spokesman and state officials said the CDC has allayed their concerns. In a letter , Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDCs director, said all but 11 of the 144 Diamond Princess evacuees brought to Lackland had been tested for the virus. Because the evacuees have not developed symptoms for the duration of the quarantine, Redfield said, they have been medically cleared. Redfield wrote that the CDC did modify its policies in response to the mix-up with the mistakenly released evacuee. Now, previously symptomatic coronavirus patients will be released only after two sequential negative tests within 24 hours. None will be released if any tests are still pending. Evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship arrived at Lackland on Feb. 17. Of the 144 who were initially quarantined, seven have tested positive by the CDC. Three more tested positive before leaving Japan, where the ship was docked. They are awaiting confirmatory testing from the CDC. No cases of community infection have been identified in San Antonio. By declaring a public health emergency, Nirenberg and Wolff have more authority to take actions necessary to promote health and suppress disease, including isolation and quarantine efforts. The declarations also outline local officials authority to use private property to house the evacuees and block any new evacuees from arriving. Their authority lasts at least a week. It is unclear whether the evacuee from Wuhan who was released by mistake is actively contagious to others. After being held in isolation for several weeks at two area hospitals, she was released Saturday afternoon, having twice tested negative. The results of a third test that same evening came back as weakly positive for the virus, forcing federal authorities to track the woman down early Sunday at the Holiday Inn Express, near San Antonio International Airport. By then, she had already visited North Star Mall, one of the citys busiest retail centers. CDC officials said Sunday that the woman was asymptomatic at the time of her initial release and met all agency criteria for recovery resolution of any symptoms and two consecutive sets of negative test results, collected more than 24 hours apart. Following the patients release, results of a subsequent sample were received and determined to be weakly positive, the agency said in a statement. The woman was taken back to the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, a state hospital where 10 other coronavirus patients are being treated in isolation. Her hotel room was closed off and disinfected, and at 2:50 p.m. Monday, North Star closed temporarily for further deep cleaning. Once the mistake was known, the Metropolitan Health District began to retrace the womans steps and learned that she had taken a hotel shuttle to the mall, where she stayed for about two hours Saturday evening. She spent much of that time alone at the food court, eating Chinese food. The exact number of people the woman had contact with, and possibly infected, is not known. Health officials conducted an investigation, reconstructing her contact with others, and assessed each persons risk for contracting the highly contagious virus that has killed more than 3,000 people across the world and has begun spreading in some communities in the U.S., where it has killed six people so far. The investigation identified 18 people at the hospital, where tuberculosis patients are treated, who were potentially exposed to the virus. Most were deemed to be at a low risk, while two were found to be at medium risk, said Anita Kurian, who leads the communicable disease division at Metro Health. Three people at the hotel, including the shuttle bus driver, also could have been exposed. Officials are confident that exposures there were pretty confined and contained, Kurian said. An unknown number of people at North Star came into contact with the woman, but officials said the potential exposure at the mall is believed to be low. When she did enter stores including Dillards, Swarovski and Talbots she browsed and did not spend a significant amount of time interacting with store cashiers or other customers, Kurian said. She did not stay in one place for longer than maybe two minutes, three minutes, she said. We certainly want folks to come forward and let us know if they think theyve been exposed. Kurian said the relevant areas at the mall where the woman was have been disinfected, but the mall still voluntarily closed later Monday. Staff writer Andrea Zelinski contributed reporting from Austin. Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe | Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba TORONTO - Ontario reported three new cases of the novel coronavirus Monday, bringing the total in the province to 18, though officials say the virus is not spreading locally. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/3/2020 (679 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. 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. Ontario is reporting three new cases of the novel coronavirus today, bringing the total in the province to 18. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-NIAID-RML via AP TORONTO - Ontario reported three new cases of the novel coronavirus Monday, bringing the total in the province to 18, though officials say the virus is not spreading locally. A spate of new cases has been reported over the past few days, all of them people who had recently travelled to Iran or Egypt, or family members of those who had visited the countries. The latest three cases included two women in their 60s and 70s who returned from Egypt on Feb. 20, and a man in his 60s who returned from Iran on Feb. 23. The province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said he would have expected even more cases of the virus known as COVID-19 after more countries were put on the watch list for testing beyond China, where the outbreak originated. "Right now, how many patients are in the hospital (in Ontario) with COVID-19? None. How many have been in the hospital with COVID-19 in Ontario? One. How may deaths have we had with COVID-19? None," he said. "So those are important things. It's not that we're not interacting with the global picture we are and yet our citizens and our system continues to respond in a way that we would say to Ontarians, 'It's a low risk still with Ontario.' Why? Because of the ongoing vigilance and the amount of resources and staff we're putting into monitoring, surveying and following up." Health Minister Christine Elliott said Ontario hasn't seen any indication at this point that the virus is spreading locally, beyond close contacts. But the province is prepared for any eventuality, she said. "If that should happen or if there is a rapid number of cases coming in from other jurisdictions, of course we would step up to the next gear," said Elliott. "But we are monitoring this very carefully." Ontario's three new cases bring Canada's total to 27, with eight cases in British Columbia and one in Quebec. Williams said Ontario has started a pilot at some hospitals in which people without any concerning travel history who present with respiratory symptoms are being tested for COVID-19, to see if any cases are being missed. Elliott announced that a new bureaucratic structure will now be in place for dealing with the virus. Various groups on regional planning, emergency operations, scientific advice and ethics will assemble and a "command table," involving health officials and executives, will take the lead and report to Elliott. The province's first four cases were people with a travel history to China, where the outbreak originated, and three of those have since been completely cleared of the virus. Several countries and territories have since been added to a list of areas of concern, including Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Iran, Singapore and South Korea. Egypt is not on that list, and Ontario in fact now has more Egypt-linked cases of COVID-19 than that country itself has publicly reported. Williams said another country has encountered the same situation with Egypt-linked cases, leading him to believe this is a cluster related to a specific event there. Egypt has only two publicly reported cases of the illness. Iran has confirmed 1,501 cases of the virus and 66 deaths, but many believe the true number is larger as the country's caseload surged more than 250 per cent in just 24 hours. In China, nearly 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 2,800 have died. Health officials say the best ways to prevent the spread of any virus, COVID-19 included, include frequent hand-washing and staying home from school or work while sick. Almost nine times more cases were reported outside China than inside it over the past 24 hours, according to the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. with files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 2, 2020. Income Tax raids conducted in Chhattisgarh have revealed that "unaccounted cash" sourced from liquor and mining businesses was being paid to public servants every month, the CBDT said on Monday. Issuing a late night statement, the board claimed "unaccounted transactions" of over Rs 150 crore have also been unearthed during the searches that were conducted on February 27 against a group of individuals, hawala dealers and businessmen in state capital Raipur that covered over 25 premises. Without naming anyone, the statement said the action "was mounted on the basis of credible inputs, intelligence and evidence of generation of huge unaccounted cash from liquor and mining business and transfer of the same to public servants, huge cash deposits during demonetisation period, accommodation entries from shell companies and undisclosed investment in properties, among others". "Incriminating documents and electronic data seized during the search show that substantial amount of illegal gratification was being paid to public servants and others every month," it said. The CBDT frames policy for the I-T Department. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, saying the raids were "politically motivated" and termed the action as an affront to the idea of cooperative federalism. The board said that the searches are still on and "a number of prohibitory orders have been placed, including on several bank lockers". It added that "details of daily unaccounted sales, bank accounts opened in the names of employees having transactions worth crores and an unaccounted bank account have been found" during the raids. Details of benami vehicles, hawala transfers, transfer to Kolkata-based companies and creation of shell companies with huge land bank have also been found and seized, it claimed. The statement said some "substantial amount of cash" has also been seized by the tax sleuths. "The total unaccounted transactions unearthed till date are over Rs 150 crore and the figure is likely to substantially increase after the seized evidences and leads found during the search are further scrutinised and investigated." Based on evidences found during the searches, a few other premises were also covered in consequential actions, it added. Sources had earlier said the premises linked to A K Tuteja, joint secretary in the state commerce and industry department, retired IAS officer and former chief secretary of the state Vivek Dhand and Raipur MayorEzaj Dhebar were covered. Dhand is also the chairman of Chhattisgarh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA). Some locations linked to liquor barons AnwarDhebar (Dhebar's brother) and Pappu Bhatia were also searched, they had said. The Congress, during a press conference held in Delhi on Sunday, had said the "cloak-and-dagger" I-T raids showed that the Centre was "scared" after the state government launched a probe into alleged corruption under the previous BJP government. The party also claimed that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a central force, was being used for "political vendetta" like other investigative agencies during the searches. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) William Friesen was one of many making the most of the weather in March 2014. SAN JOSE, Calif., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SDC Energy, a bespoke investment firm specializing in renewable investments, launches the SDSF Solar Fund IV for private investors, family offices, and financial advisors seeking to invest smart for good. The fund leverages solar incentives to offset investors' taxes through financing commercial photovoltaic projects for non-profits, which are not eligible for income-reducing subsidies. Commercial Solar System SDC Energy has created the Solar Fund with its partners Sunforce Solutions International, a solar project developer and CollectiveSun, a firm dedicated to helping nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations fund solar projects. The Solar Fund is being hosted by InfraShares, a crowdfunding platform helping companies raise money to make cities smarter and more sustainable. "We are excited to make our tax-advantaged solar financing program accessible to a broader pool of conscientious investors," says SDC Energy President Charles Schaffer. "Our Solar Fund offers a triple play of benefits: it lowers taxes, offsets dirty fossil fuels, and helps mission-based organizations acquire clean, cost-effective solar." With a minimum investment of $25,000, investors gain 100% ownership in commercial solar assets, reap a 26% federal investment tax credit, and exit after six years with a net profit. Accelerated depreciation and state incentives add substantial tax advantages. "Joining the SDSF Solar Fund IV will help boost financing for nonprofits," says Sunforce Solutions CEO Phillip Herzog. "The fund leverages our innovative financing model, which provides the least expensive funding options for nonprofits that are excluded from using tax benefits." "The Solar Fund is the perfect fit with our Smart City crowdfunding platform," says Brian Ross, co-founder of InfraShares. "Our platform provides direct investment opportunities in Smart City companies lowering barriers to raising capital for innovative start-ups committed to making cities and communities smarter, more livable, and sustainable." For more information about how to offset taxes with SDC Energy's Solar Fund visit infrashares.com. About SDC Energy SDC Energy is the leader in commercial solar financing, connecting private investors and installers to fund projects that create significant tax benefits and cost-effective renewable energy. Since 2009, SDC Energy has helped American businesses finance over 52 gigawatt hours of clean solar power. sdc-energy.com About Sunforce Solutions International / CollectiveSun Sunforce Solutions/CollectiveSun is proud to be the only company in America that exclusively helps nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations fund solar projects nationwide. Through its unique funding model, CollectiveSun applies tax credits that reduce the cost of tax-exempt organization's solar projects. collectivesun.com About InfraShares InfraShares Capital LLC is a crowdfunding platform that makes it possible for individuals to invest directly in companies that provide social, economic, and environmental benefits through the development of Smart City technologies and projects. infrashares.com Contact Information Fabienne Rodet, SAGEWORKS Marketing, [email protected], 650.804.2504 SOURCE SDC Energy Related Links http://sdc-energy.com She commanded attention as she hit the catwalk for the Italian clothing company's Autumn/Winter showcase later in the day. And Irina Shayk proved she's just as striking off the runway as she was pictured heading to Valentino's Paris Fashion Week presentation on Sunday afternoon. The supermodel, 34, turned heads as she strutted across the streets of the French capital in an all-white outfit, which featured a longline coat, straight-leg trousers and a classic top. Effortless style: Irina Shayk proved she's just as striking off the runway as she was pictured heading to Valentino's Paris Fashion Week presentation on Sunday afternoon Injecting her appearance with even more glamour, the Vogue coverstar boosted her frame with square-front heeled boots by Kurt Geiger. Irina took a walk on the wild side as she toted her essentials in a snakeskin print handbag, while accessorising with square-framed shades. With her tresses slicked into a tight bun with a side swoop, the catwalk queen complemented her beauty with light touches of neutral-toned make-up. All eyes on her: The supermodel, 34, turned heads as she strutted across the streets of the French capital in an all-white outfit Standing tall: Injecting her appearance with even more glamour, the Vogue coverstar boosted her frame with square-front heeled boots by Kurt Geiger Moments later, the Russian bombshell looked sensational as she joined Kaia Gerber at one of the event's leading shows. Mother-of-one Irina recently admitted there have been some tough times as a single mother since she and Bradley Cooper, 45, separated. The stunner - full name Irina Valeryevna Shaykhlislamova - split from Bradley in June 2019, after four years together. Working it: The Russian bombshell commanded attention as she hit the catwalk for the Italian clothing company's Autumn/Winter showcase later in the day 'It's hard to find a balance between being a single mom and being a working woman and provider,' she said in an interview with British Vogue. 'Trust me, there are days I wake up and I'm like, "Oh my god, I don't know what to do, I'm falling apart."' But the pair still appear to be on good terms, and were pictured together reuniting at a fashion event in London last month. By Express News Service Indias automobile companies continued to report contracting demand, with sales data for February indicating that there has been little improvement in offtake. A few automobile manufacturers have also highlighted possible supply constraints arising from the coronavirus outbreak, which could affect production in the near future. For February, Mahindra & Mahindra reported a steep 42 per cent fall in total sales year-on-year, at 32,476 units compared to 56,005 last year. Domestic market sales were down 42 per cent at 30,637 units compared to 52,915 in February 2019 and exports dived 40 per cent. In the passenger vehicles segment, including utility vehicles, cars and vans, M&M reported a decline of 58 per cent while commercial vehicle sales fell 25 per cent. As for Tata Motors, domestic sales fell 34 per cent in domestic sales at 38,002 units against 57,221 units last year, while Hyundai Motor reported 7.2 per cent decline in domestic sales and 22 per cent fall in exports. The countrys largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) also reported a decline in total sales, but at a marginal 1.1 per cent compared to the previous year. Domestic sales dropped 1.6 per cent to 1,36,849 units last month but, exports were up 7.1 per cent year-on-year. Coronavirus may hit parts supply Auto majors also highlighted possible risks to their supply chains due to the coronavirus outbreak. Mayank Pareek, president (PV Business Unit), Tata Motors, said that the outbreak and a recent fire incident at one of its strategic vendors had affected vehicle production and wholesale volumes. Actions are being taken to reduce the impact, staying close to our customers by providing transparency of the delivery situation, he said. M&M chief of sales and marketing Veejay Ram Nakra said that because of the unforeseeable challenges on the parts-supply from China, BS-VI ramp-up has been affected. Going into March, we anticipate the challenge on parts-supply to continue for another few weeks, before we get back to normalcy, he said. Sales figures M&M reported a 42 per cent fall in sales YoY, while Tata Motors saw domestic sales drop by 34 per cent. Hyundai reported 7.2 per cent decline in sales, while Maruti Suzukis sales fell 1.1 per cent Onward Chris Pratt and Tom Holland- starrer animated film, Onward, that comes from Academy award winners Disney and Pixar. Releasing on March 6, 2020, the film will bring back the actors after MCU releases Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In the film, the two will be seen as brothers, who embark on a magical journey to bring their father back from the dead, for one day. Bloodshot Vin Diesel is currently gearing up for the Fast and Furious series' 9th instalment. However, he will also be seen as the graphic novel superhero Bloodshot in the upcoming film. The trailer has fans excited to see a glimpse of Vin in an avatar similar to his previous cult classic, Riddick. Bloodshot has Vin playing marine Ray Garrison, who after being killed alongside his wife, is resurrected by a team of scientists. A Quiet Place II Sequel to the original film released in 2018, of the same name, A Quiet Place II is one of the most awaited releases. Starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski as wife and husband, the original, which can be called a silent film, went on to spook people on a different level. Fans are now waiting to see what the makers will pull off in the sequel, as they reveal who the monsters are and how the Abbot family fights them. Mulan Disney is set to make some big changes with the release of the live-action version of 1998 film Mulan. Last year, the studio released the live-action version of The Lion King, which received mixed reviews. However, fans have big hopes from the upcoming Mulan, thanks to Yafi Liu who will be seen playing the lead character. The film has been making headlines and facing some criticism for scraping the soundtrack and removing Mulan's love interest. Releasing on 27 March, Mulan will decide if Disney will continue to make more live-action films, and also the success of live-action The Little Mermaid. MyHam.net Share your passion for the hobby with the rest of the community. A new social network called MyHam Network has been established by IECRO. This new online portal will provide all amateur radio operators across Ireland and Britain with a number of new exciting services. No matter what your favorite topic is in the hobby, MyHam aims to provide something for everyone. The site will bring together into one online place valuable information such as european-based amateur radio news, european contests/DX, the MyHam callbook, tutorials/howtos, study/mentoring for people wishing to become licenced, DMR, Echolink registration and much more. All amateurs holding an EI, GI or MI callsign are welcome to join the MYHam Network website for free by visiting www.myham.net. By Express News Service Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has made public finance more accountable and transparent and has helped the government save Rs 1 lakh crore. This is the biggest revolution. The Rs 1 lakh crore you have saved through DBT is not just symbolic. The Rs1 lakh crore being saved for the public (is) by efficient use of technology without making anyone feel sorry, Sitharaman said, addressing officials on the 44th Civil Accounts Day in Delhi. Today, all over the world, DBT and GST are being talked about as one of the silent revolutions that the democracy can show off, she said. Data shows the cumulative DBT from 355 crore transactions is at Rs 2,31,927 crore so far this fiscal. Lauding the role of accounting officials, she said, You have proven that corruption and wrongdoing can be just moved out of the system. The DBT was adopted with the aim of cutting down middlemen and facilitating benefits to reach the target people without any leakages, she added. The minister further asked civil accounts officers to focus on bringing in more efficient and adaptive technologies to further smoothen the working of the public financial management system. Technology itself is a challenge. It changes every day, newer versions come in, rapid changes are happening. And therefore, to keep on top of it is a big exercise. You have to constantly keep changing the milepost, bring in more and more efficiency and adaptive technology, Sitharaman said. Australia's reigning kaftan queen, Camilla Franks, has forced a competitor to stop selling several designs that she believes were imitations of her work. The other brand, Czarina Kaftans, must also stop attaching swing tags to its kaftans with the words "made with love xx", the exact same wording Franks uses on her designs under her label Camilla, which she has been running for 15 years. Kaftan queen Camilla Franks has settled with a brand she alleged copied her designs and tags. Credit:Gettty Images Camilla chief executive Jane McNally issued a statement on Monday saying the companies had reached a confidential settlement. "I can confirm that we are pleased with this outcome," Ms McNally said LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (https://compare-autoinsurance.org/) is a top auto insurance brokerage website, providing car insurance quotes online from trustworthy agencies all over the United States. This website offers car insurance info about different coverage types, available discounts, and money-saving tips. Getting online quotes is the best thing to do when shopping around. The client will get relevant information about the average insurance costs. To get free quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/. There are few rules to follow when shopping around: Get quotes from reliable websites . This requires some research, but it will be worth the time. Find out which companies and which brokerage websites have a long-established online and get quotes from them. Always use websites that ask ZIP codes . The neighborhood is an extremely important rating factor. Every insurance company uses it to check for the number of uninsured drivers, car theft incidents, population density, and road conditions. Avoid using websites that do not ask this, since the quotes obtained may not be relevant to the client's location. Have the car's documentation nearby . Providing correct info about the car's model and its safety features is a must. This is why clients should keep documents about the car close when getting online quotes. Avoid websites that ask for sensitive, financial information . Do not provide information like Social Security Number to websites claiming to offer quotes. Insurance providers do not need that in order to provide quotes. 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. 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CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing Company Person for contact Name: Gurgu C Phone Number: (818) 359-3898 Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.biz Website: https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ SOURCE: Internet Marketing Company View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/578501/Car-Insurance-2020-Tips-How-To-Fill-In-Online-Car-Insurance-Quotes-And-Get-The-Best-Results Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 19:03:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A reader selects books at Zhongshuge Bookstore in Yangzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Meng Delong) "The development of intellectual property in China over the past 30 years is as impressive as the country's economic growth," said Renata Righetti Pelosi, president of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property. BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Bastiaan Koster, an accomplished South African expert in intellectual property (IP) law, finds it regrettable that many people in his country have little idea about how much progress China has made in improving IP protection. "When I tell some people in my country that China has one of the most sophisticated IP systems and files the most patents and trademarks in the world, it comes as a surprise to them," Koster said. The former president of the Bureau of Federation of International IP Attorneys is among many experts in the world's IP law community who feel China's progress in IP protection deserves more credit and acknowledgment. RAPID DEVELOPMENT "I believe China has done an excellent job with an excellent IP system given the fact that the country only adopted its first patent law in 1984," Koster said. The front door of China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) in Beijing, July 8, 2019. (Provided by CNIPA) China has achieved "very rapid" development in IP protection since the 1980s when the country started to establish its IP protection system, Beate Schmidt, the president of the German Federal Patent Court, said. Today, just 40 years later, China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has become the largest IP Office in the world, receiving the highest number of applications worldwide, with further growth expected over the next few years, she added. In order to guarantee effective enforcement of IP rights, China established an increasing number of specialised IP courts all over the country in the last 10 years. It also established an IP court under the Supreme People's Court in 2019. Staff of China National Intellectual Property Administration provides service to residents in Beijing, Feb. 3, 2020. (Provided by CNIPA). "No other country embraced the idea of IP protection and its importance for economic development so quickly and consequently as China did," Schmidt added. "The development of intellectual property in China over the past 30 years is as impressive as the country's economic growth," said Renata Righetti Pelosi, president of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property. INNOVATION-DRIVEN The rapid development of IP protection in China reflects the Chinese government' commitment to transforming the economy from manufacturing-driven to innovation-driven, Pelosi said. As Chinese companies invest more in innovation, their need for IP protection also increases. As a result, patent filing grew exponentially, boosting the growth of the IP sector. Ryan Ding, Executive Director of the Board and President of Huawei's Carrier BG (business group), speaks at Huawei product and solution launch event in London, Britain, Feb. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan) Chinese companies like Huawei, Oppo, ZTE and BOE Technology ranked among the first 100 patent filers at the European Patent Office in 2018, with an impressive second place for Huawai, falling just a little behind the first filer Siemens, Pelosi said. "This is a sign that Chinese companies are taking the lead in innovation in particular in the tech sector, not only domestically but also worldwide," she added. Pelosi sees Chinese IP professionals as another factor that contributed to China's rapid development of IP protection. "China has many talented IP attorneys, with a truly global vision, that are leading the impetuous growth of this sector; these professionals have opened up the industry to increasingly sophisticated legal issues," Pelosi added. CONFIDENCE IN FUTURE China is strongly committed to the introduction of new and increasingly stringent rules in IP protection. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that any shortcoming, if any, will be resolved in a not too distant future, Pelosi said. A staff member (R) demonstrates 5G-based remote control of a robot during the 2019 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in east China's Shanghai, Aug. 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) Koster is also impressed by the Chinese government's dedication to building a strong intellectual property system. "To process the large number of patents, utility patents and trademarks annually being filed in China is no easy task." Given the success story of the IP system in China and the very short time it was obtained, Koster is confident that China's IP system will continue to improve rapidly. "The rest of the world can be assured that their IP rights will be well protected and enforceable in China," he said. Hinduja flagship firm Ashok Leyland on Monday reported 37 per cent decline in total sales at 11,475 units in February as against 18,245 units in the same month last year. Domestic sales declined 39 per cent to 10,612 units last month as compared to 17,352 units in February 2019, Ashok Leyland said in a statement. Total medium and heavy commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market dipped 47 per cent to 6,745 units as against 12,621 units in the same month last year, it added. Light commercial vehicle sales also declined 18 per cent at 3,867 units as compared to 4,731 units in February last year, the company said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) I am not sure if he has been asked, but he has not given permission for his name to be made public. He might want his privacy and there is no need for anyone to know his name. Prince Harry's last round of royal engagements in the United Kingdom Is an 'emotional time' and 'very hard for the loving and loyal royal,' a friend has claimed. The Duke of Sussex, 35, left wife Meghan Markle, 38, and their nine-month-old son Archie in Canada as he embarked on a final round of official duties last week. 'It's an emotional time for him in many ways,' one of the Prince's oldest friends told Vanity Fair. 'I think in many ways it's bittersweet.' 'He's always wanted to have a regular life and to get away from the spotlight, and that's what he's doing, but it basically means walking away from his family. He continued: 'Harry's a loving loyal guy so that will be very hard for him.' Prince Harry's last round of royal duties in the United Kingdom is an 'emotional time' for the 'loving and loyal royal,' a friend has claimed, speaking to Vanity Fair. Pictured, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend the WellChild Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 15 October 2019 Prince Harry along with Jon Bon Jovi and members of the Invictus Games Choir recreates the iconic Beatles 'Abbey Road' album cover photograph on the zebra crossing outside the Abbey Road Studios where the Invictus Games Choir are recording a special single in aid of the Invictus Games Foundation on February 28, 2020 in London Launching an eco-friendly travel company in Edinburgh, the senior royal made headlines when he asked delegates 'just to call him Harry' on Thursday. Former Labour advisor Ayesha Hazarika told crowds at the sustainable travel event in the Scottish capital: 'He's made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry. So ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, warm, Scottish welcome to Harry.' The Duke of Sussex also performed a duet with Jon Bon Jovi at Abbey Road Studios for a new charity single before recreating the Beatles' iconic zebra crossing photo outside. He flew to Britain on a commercial flight and arrived in Edinburgh on an eco-friendly LNER train from, with taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard bodyguards. Meghan Markle is not expected to bring son Archie with her when she joins Prince Harry in Britain. Pictured, the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, holding their son Archie during a visit to the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, on 25 September 2019 Prince Harry will be joined by Meghan this week for five further official appearances - including the Endeavour Fund Awards on March 5 and the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall two days later. They will also attend the Commonwealth Day Service on March 9th - which will mark the couples last official engagement before they stand down at the end of the month. However, Meghan Markle is not expected to bring son Archie with her when she joins Prince Harry in Britain. The Queen, 93, and Prince Philip, 98, are said to be 'very sad' by the news, having seen so little of Archie since his birth, according to the Sunday Times. It is believed that Archie, who has yet to set foot on UK soil this year, will remain with the Sussexes' nanny, and with Meghan's friend Jessica Mulroney. Archie's last official sighting was in a photograph with his father the Duke of Sussex, posted to the Sussex Royal Instagram account last New Year's Eve. The Maharashtra Congress unit on Monday extended its support for giving a 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in educational institutions in the state. Senior Congress leader Manikrao Thakre on Monday said, "Congress is firm to give reservations to Muslims in the state as soon as possible." Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik had welcomed Madhya Pradesh government's plans to give reservation to minorities in the educational institution and added that politics should not be done on such issues. "According to the recommendations of the Sachar Committee report, the conditions of Muslims socially and economically is not good. And, if anyone gets education then its good for them. One should not see politics in this. Muslims are also an important part of society," Malik said while speaking to ANI here on Sunday. He said that the Muslims' development will also reflect in the country's overall development and the "BJP should also understand this". On Friday, Malik, who is the Minority Affairs Minister in the Maharashtra government, had announced that a law will be made to give reservation to Muslims in educational institutions in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 23:18:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIRUT, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Pierre Abi Hanna, head of infectious diseases at Rafic Hariri Hospital, said on Monday that the number of COVID-19 cases in Lebanon increased to 13, MTV local TV channel reported. Abi Hanna said that Rafic Hariri Hospital has a special department and medical team to take care of COVID-19 patients. He called upon people to take necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. Abi Hanna added that there should be increased cooperation among private and public hospitals in addition to citizens to contain the virus. Israel is holding its third election in less than a year on Monday in a bid to end a long-running political deadlock, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing criminal indictment as he tries to fend off a challenge from main rival Benny Gantz. The campaign, which included tit-for-tat mudslinging between Netanyahus right-wing Likud party and Gantz's centrist Blue and White party, was condemned by President Reuvin Rivlin as awful and grubby. Voicing the feelings of many ballot-weary Israelis after nearly a year of political stalemate and a caretaker government, Rivlin said the Jewish state does not deserve this never-ending instability. Election day is normally a festive day, he added. But the truth is that I dont feel like celebrating. I only [feel] a sense of deep shame when I face you, my fellow citizens. The vote comes just two weeks before Netanyahu, the longest-serving premier in Israeli history, stands trial after being formally charged in January with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. But final polls indicated that Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister ever indicted in office, had not lost support since inconclusive elections in April and September. According to earlier projections, Netanyahus and Gantzs parties would each win 33 seats in the 120-member Knesset, Israels parliament, in Mondays polls. That result would be almost identical to the previous round, after which each leader tried and failed to form a government. In separate television interviews on Saturday evening, Gantz and Netanyahu ripped into each other. Netanyahu told private Channel 12 that his opponent, a decorated former head of Israels armed forces, was not fit to be prime minister of Israel. He is weak, hes 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. Story continues Turnout unknown 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. 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. That has forced candidates to put added energy into bolstering turnout. I am encouraging citizens to get out and vote, Gantz told public radio Sunday. You cant just sit at home clicking your tongue, saying, Oy vey! Whats happening here? Voting is critical, he said. Arab votes In the September election, turnout unexpectedly increased 1.5 percent to 70 percent compared to April, largely due to an unexpected surge in Arab votes. Israeli Arab parties, united in the Joint List alliance, garnered 13 Knesset seats, making them the third-largest grouping, after Blue and Whites 33 and Likuds 32. This time around they hope to do better still, due to Arab voters opposition to US President Donald Trumps 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 states major priorities at the expense of the Palestinians, who gave no input to the Trump initiative and rejected it immediately. On Sunday Netanyahu pledged to annex key parts of the occupied West Bank within weeks if re-elected. In an interview with Israeli public radio, he said annexation of the strategically crucial Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank was his top priority. That will happen within weeks, two months at the most, I hope, he said in the interview aired 24 hours before polls were scheduled to open. But former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, also an ex-Netanyahu ally, publicly accused the prime minister of engaging in empty political rhetoric. Lieberman, who heads the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party and may again be in the position of kingmaker following Mondays vote, said he had ironclad information that Netanyahus comments on the Jordan Valley were at least partly insincere. A few days ago, it became clear to me that he sent a message to [Jordans] King Abdullah, [saying], Dont worry, it's just elections, there will be no annexation of the Jordan Valley, Lieberman said in a TV interview. Coronavirus effect There is another new element in this third round the 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. Officials have warned that fears of new coronavirus transmission in densely packed polling stations could impact voter participation. Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan has warned against potential attempts to spread false rumours about the outbreak in order to diminish voter turnout. Netanyahus trial Netanyahus graft trial opens on March 17 in Jerusalem. Accused of receiving improper gifts and offering a media mogul lucrative regulatory changes in exchange for favourable coverage, he was charged with corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust. Research shows that Israeli voters, including Netanyahu supporters, care about the criminal allegations against him, said the president of the Israeli Democracy Institute think tank, Yohanan Plesner. The numbers indicate that about a third of those who self-identify as right-wing voters are very uncomfortable, or think it is impossible, for someone to continue to serve as a prime minister after being indicted, Plesner told AFP. But that does not necessarily mean that they are going to change their voting patterns, he added, explaining that personal affinity for the prime minister and his policies may prove paramount. Plesner explained that 70 percent of Likud supporters have simply rejected the indictments as baseless and politically motivated. That position is ludicrous, he said, but noted that Netanyahu had skillfully managed to persuade some that he was engaged in legitimate political wheeling and dealing, not corruption. At the Gantz rally in Tel Aviv, Avi Regev, a long-time Netanyahu supporter, explained why he had decided to switch sides and become a Blue and White activist. Bibi was a wonderful prime minister, said Regev, using the premiers nickname. But, Regev argued, Netanyahu had pivoted from being focused on Israels priorities to being consumed by his personal concerns, now including his corruption trial. Today, its more, Is it good for Bibi or not? This I dont like, he said. (FRANCE 24 with AFP) Track the ongoing confirmed cases below. For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here." UPDATE: March 4, 4:15 p.m.: Three more individuals in Santa Clara County, all men, tested positive for coronavirus, local health officials revealed Thursday. The results bring the total of those with COVID-19 in the county to 14. One is hospitalized; the other two, who were reportedly "close" in proximity to another affected person, are being monitored in their home. UPDATE: March 3, 7:24 p.m.: A resident of Contra Costa County tested positive for the coronavirus, officials announced Tuesday night. This is the first person in the county to test positive for COVID-19. According to NBC Bay Area, the resident did not have any known recent travel history. UPDATE: March 3, 7 p.m.: Sonoma County health officials said at a Tuesday night press conference that a coronavirus patient being treated in the county took a Princess cruise from the Port of San Francisco to Mexico in February. The newest case in the county was announced Monday but officials didn't provide details on the cruise. The patient first noticed symptoms after returning from the cruise on Feb. 11, and is being treated at an undisclosed medical center in the county. An investigation is underway to identify people who came into contact with the person. The individual took a shuttle from the San Francisco port to the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa. Anyone who may have been on that shuttle is asked to contact the health department at 707-565-4566. UPDATE: March 3, 3 p.m.: The city of Berkeley announced its first known case of coronavirus Tuesday. A resident tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Berkeley on Feb. 23. City officials say they believe that the resident came into contact with the virus while traveling, though they did not disclose the location of that trip. The resident is said to have "largely stayed at home in a voluntary self-imposed quarantine," but local health officials are investigating if he or she came into contact with others who now may be at risk. The Berkeley resident brings the total number of known cases in California to 44. UPDATE: March 3, 2:30 p.m.: Santa Clara County announced two new coronavirus cases Tuesday afternoon, bringing the county total to 11. The cause of infection in these two patients is under investigation. Of the nine other confirmed cases in the county, four are travel related, three had close contact with a known case and two have been determined to be community transmission. SFGATE is tracking new cases in the region and will update this story when new information is issued. UPDATE: March 2: The number of coronavirus patients in the San Francisco Bay Area climbed Monday to about two dozen cases. Sonoma County announced its second case and declared a public health emergency. The newest patient is isolating at home and recently returned from a cruise ship that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico, according to county health officials. San Mateo County also reported a case in a resident who is presumed to have the virus; test results are pending. Public health officials reported two new cases of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County, bringing the county total to nine. Both had known contact with infected patients. Outside the Bay Area, a healthcare worker in Placer Couny was confirmed to have the virus. The worker had been in contact with another confirmed case in Solano County who was an employee of NorthBay VacaValley Hospital, ALSO: Healdsburg School in North Bay closes amid coronavirus concern The majority of coronavirus cases in California are from people who recently traveled to Wuhan recently or who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan to the Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, before being transferred to medical facilities around the state. Health officials have recorded about 100 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, including people evacuated from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Six deaths have been reported in the U.S., all in Washington state, where many cases are linked to a nursing facility. Below is a rundown of the cases around the greater Bay Area. We will continue to to update this story as new cases pop up. Alameda County A county resident, who is a health care worker, was exposed to an infected patient at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville was announced as presumptive case on March 1. On March 3, the City of Berkeley announced a resident tested positive for the virus after returning to the city from traveling. (Officials didn't say where the resident had traveled from.) Contra Costa County Three patients transferred from Travis Air Force Base to Contra Costa County hospitals have tested positive, according to health officials. Marin County A patient with laboratory-confirmed novel coronavirus was transferred from Travis Air Force Base in Solano County to a Marin County hospital on Feb. 27, according to health officials. The patient is isolating at home. Napa County Napas Queen of the Valley Medical Center treated two patients with suspected coronavirus. The two patients arrived in Napa on Feb. 17 after being transferred from Travis Air Force Base. They had originally been under quarantine for two weeks aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan before being evacuated with other American residents to West Coast locations. The hospital reported the patients were transferred to another location on Feb. 24. San Mateo County County health officials reported a case in a resident who is presumed to have the virus on March 2; test results are pending. A repatriated patient was transferred to a county hospital on Feb. 27. Santa Clara County This county has the most confirmed cases. Since March 2, health officials have identified a total of 11. Among the recent cases are an adult male who had household contact with an infected patient in Santa Clara County. He's in isolation at home. The eighth person to test positive was an adult male who had household contact with an infected person in another county. He's also isolating at home. The county's sixth and seventh cases were a husband and wife who recently traveled to Egypt. The fifth was a woman who officials said has chronic health conditions. All three people are hospitalized. A fourth case was confirmed Feb. 29 in a resident who had household contact with the third case who was identified Feb. 28 as a 65-year-old woman with no travel history to a country with an outbreak and no known contact with an infected patient. She was the second case of "unknown origin" in the U.S. This patient had chronic health conditions and was hospitalized for a respiratory illness. The county's second case was confirmed on Feb. 1 a woman who visited Wuhan stayed at home except to go to a medical clinic on two separate occasions. The first Bay Area case was identified in Santa Clara County on Jan. 31; a man returned from Wuhan and Shanghai on Jan. 24, and left his home only for medical care. San Francisco County No cases of coronavirus have been identified in San Francisco residents. San Francisco has treated three out-of-county patients in SF hospitals, according to local officials. One traveled in China, one was the spouse of that person, and one was from the cruise ship and had tested positive, with no symptoms. Solano County The county has at least five cases. American evacuees from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess arrived at Travis AFB in the county on Feb. 5. Some people who tested positive days after arrival were transferred to hospitals in and outside the county. A health care worker who was exposed to an infected patient at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville was announced as presumptive case on March 1. That patient is isolating at home. A female resident was the first case of "unknown origin" in the U.S. and was infected with virus without any travel history or contact with another known case. She first arrived at the NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville on Feb. 15 and was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center three days later, before being tested. Sonoma County A patient evacuated from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship off the coast of Japan to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield tested has been in isolation at a Sonoma County hospital. The person tested positive but wasn't showing symptoms. Sonoma County announced its second case on March 2 and declared a public health emergency. The newest patient is isolating at home and recently returned from a cruise ship that traveled from San Francisco to Mexico, according to county health officials. San Benito County The husband and wife, both 57, both tested positive and were initially placed in isolation in their home before being transferred to a hospital in San Francisco for treatment. They were later discharged. The man, who traveled to Wuhan, tested positive for the virus and subsequently transmitted it to his wife, according to officials. This was the first California case involving person-to-person transmission. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: A full list of online coronavirus resources: Where to get your questions answered How to tell if you have a cold, the flu, or coronavirus The worst myths and misinformation about coronavirus What's the difference between coronavirus, the flu and the common cold? Are the elderly at a greater risk for coronavirus complications? US Surgeon General: 'Seriously people - STOP BUYING MASKS' Bay Area company to expand coronavirus drug trials to other companies CDC warns men with beards amid coronavirus scare Press Release 2 March 2020 Indonesia Government Announces IDR298.5 Billion Budget to Lift Tourism Business Advertisements The Indonesia government has allocated a budget of IDR298.5 billion (USD21.5 million) to stabilise Indonesia's economy and cushion the impact of economic slowdown on tourism. IDR98.5 billion has been set aside as incentives for airlines and tour operators to encourage provision of special discounts for tourists. IDR103 billion has been earmarked for promotional activities, IDR25 billion will go towards improving tourist destination while IDR72 billion will be invested on influencers. The government will grant IDR443 billion to airlines in the form of a 30% discount for 25% of the total available seats per flight to destinations such as Yogyakarta, Manado, Bali, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, Bangka Belitung, and Batam, and inject additional incentives of up to 50% for flight tickets to ten tourist destinations. The central government will also provide grants of IDR3.3 trillion to 33 district and city governments in the ten tourist destinations in return for waiving hotel and restaurant taxes for the next six months. Trepang Hotel Group Acquires Kimberley Sands Resort and Spa in Broome Australia-based Trepang Hotel Group ("Trepang"), owned by businessman, John 'Foxy' Robinson, has announced the acquisition of the 72-key Kimberley Sands Resort and Spa in Broome, for an undisclosed sum on 13 February 2020. Trepang has portfolios located across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, including the 72-key Kimberley Grande Resort in Kununurra, the 200-key Rydges Palmerston in Darwin and the 192-room hotel at the Coolangatta Airport on the Gold Coast, which is currently under construction. Subsequent to the acquisition, Kimberley Sands Resort and Spa will be the first niche market luxury hotel in Trepang's portfolio. Trepang is expected to keep the resort name, remove its adult only policy, invest in modernising and upgrading some facilities before reopening in May 2020. PHP1.6 Million Partnership Between Metro Pacific Investment Corporation and Dusit International in the Philippines Philippine-based PSE-listed Metro Pacific Investments Corporation ("MPIC") has signed a PHP1.6 billion (USD32 million) investment agreement with Thailand-based Dusit Thani Public Company Limited ("Dusit"), branded as Dusit International, to jointly develop and manage hospitality and residential properties in the Philippines. The partnership will focus on the development of two hotels and three condominiums at sites long held by the company in the province of Batangas as well as upgrading Dusit's existing properties in the country. Under the agreement, Philippines-based Metro Vantage Properties Incorporation, the newest real estate, hospitality, and tourism subsidiary of MPIC, will lead the design, development, marketing, and sales of the real estate properties while Dusit Thani Philippines will oversee the hospitality and tourism business. VietJet Air to Commence Three New Routes to India Vietnam-based budget carrier, VietJet Air ("VietJet"), has announced the commencement of three new flights to India. VietJet will begin flying five times per week on the New Delhi-Danang route starting 14 May 2020. VietJet will also connect Mumbai with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City through thrice-weekly flights and four-times-weekly flights, commencing on 15 May and 16 May 2020, respectively. The new routes will complement VietJet's existing service to India, which include direct flights to New Delhi, with the launch of four-times-weekly flights from Ho Chi Minh City, and thrice-weekly flights from Hanoi. The airline is also negotiating with India-based low-cost carrier, IndiGo, to forge a codeshare agreement to expand its reach to other Indian cities where the airline is not operating flights. VietJet is focusing on point-to-point services in the Indian market. VietJet has a joint venture, Thai VietJet Air, established with Thailand-based Kannithi Aviation Company Limited, operating as regional carrier, Kan Air, and may consider operating flights through Thai VietJet Air to India in the future. When it comes to climate change, building construction is a major culprit. According to the 2019 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme, the building and construction sector accounted for 36 percent of final energy use and 39 percent of energy and process-related CO 2 emissions in 2018. After leveling off between 2013 and 2016, in 2018 global emissions from buildings increased for the second year in a row. In order to meet the benchmarks set by the Paris Agreement and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Developments Goals, the report noted that the energy efficiency of buildings must be improved by 3 percent each year, a standard that will require significant and widespread effort to reach. While the architecture industry started off strong in its approach to setting benchmarks for environmental stewardship in the 1970s, Jesse Keenan, Ph.D., a lecturer at Harvard Universitys Graduate School of Design and John F. Kennedy School of Government in Science, Technology, and Public Policy, notes that the field has now fallen behind. At the moment, architecture is in a state of paralysis, says Keenan. It thought that it had gotten to this penultimate moment of environmental stewardship and sustainability, only to realize that it was fairly self-serving and that there are much bigger questions about density, affordability, accessibility, all of these other collateral social issues. In other words, its not just about installing solar panels and calling it a day. You can have an entire suburb of sustainable homes, but its still a suburb, he says. Photo: Courtesy of Blackstation Some firms have been grappling with these larger questions for years, while others have yet to take them into consideration at all. In 2006, the nonprofit group Architecture 2030 issued the 2030 Challenge, which seeks to make all new buildings, developments, and renovations carbon-neutral by 2030. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2030 Commitment brings together firms to work toward this challenge, evaluating each reporting signatory firms entire portfolio and collecting data on the progress being made. According to AIA President Jane Frederick, 252 out of 600 signatory firms reported data in 2018, and the reported projects had an overall predicted energy-use reduction equivalent to avoiding 17.7 million metric tons of CO 2 emissions. Story continues While the 2030 goals are lofty, one roadblock is that participation is still optional, and for now its up to individual firms to push for progress and to self-report. But architects do have to comply with building codes, so an essential part of pushing the industry toward energy efficiency will be changing those codes on local, state, and even international levels. [The AIA] has been working with the Architecture 2030 group advocating for the International Code Council to include a zero-code, renewable-energy appendix in the next edition of international building code, says Frederick. So local municipalities or states can choose to adopt that as their code. The AIA has also thrown its weight behind language in recent bills that supports the design of resilient buildings, extends energy tax incentives, and forces FEMA to follow the latest building codes for hazard-resistant design for the construction of homes and facilities as part of hazard-mitigation projects. Currently, it is working with the SHELTER act, a bill introduced in the House that would give tax credits to individuals and businesses for disaster-mitigation expenditures. The National Institute of Building Science research has found that mitigation funding can save the nation six dollars in future disaster costs for every dollar spent on hazard mitigation, says Frederick. Photo: Paul Rivera Keenan believes an all-hands-on-deck approach is necessary to make meaningful progress. Were running out of time, he says. Everybody has to do everything. It has to be the AIA, the profession, the state licensing boards, and the schools of architecture and design. Keenan particularly sees an opportunity for architecture schools to influence the industrys response by giving the next generation of architects a critical base of knowledge. [The schools] have to step up and start training students because theres theoretical and aesthetic and conceptual knowledge that you can learn to engage people in environmental problems. But theres also a lot of technical knowledge since theres a lot of science in the world of adaptation, he adds. We need to start teaching those students and making sure that we are certifying them to a certain professional standard. A bright spot is an increased awareness of the need for sustainable design and advancements in technology that make it easier and more affordable to build more energy-efficient structures. But in order to meet the necessary targets, its imperative that architects start thinking ahead. When we look at the upcoming benchmarks for climate change, theyre coming in 2030 and 2040 and 2050, says Stephanie Horowitz, managing director of New England firm ZeroEnergy Design, which specializes in high-performance buildings and is a signatory to the AIAs 2030 Commitment. The homes and the buildings that were designing and building today are going to carry us well through those targets and if were not building them to be in alignment with those goals, whats the point? Image: Courtesy of Think! Architecture + Design And its not only new construction that needs to be addressed. According to the AIA, approximately 95 percent of all buildings in the U.S. are more than a decade old, and 82 percent of the countrys commercial buildings were built prior to 2000, before building energy codes for design and construction were modernized. The new homes that we design and build are the low-hanging fruit, says Horowitz. The challenge is the existing housing. Costs are another obstacle. One of the problems with architecture is that its slow and its expensive, says Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG. I like to say that a typical mid- to large-scale mixed-use development in New York City is more expensive than the movie Avatar, which was the most expensive movie ever made. So that means that its a very risk-averse industry. People dont want to do things that havent been tested. Photo: Chuck Choi Photography To quell fears of high costs, architects are trying to change the way clients view the economics of sustainable design. While the upfront costs are higher, the long-term operational costs are much lower. One area where this is key is affordable housing, particularly given that climate change will have a larger impact on lower-income and marginalized communities. Jack Esterson of New York firm Think! Architecture + Design notes that it can be difficult to incorporate sustainable elements into affordable housing projects because often the group funding the building is not the same group that will operate it and therefore does not see any of the long-term savings. Nonprofits are often more open to sustainable building practices. When a nonprofit client builds affordable housing, they end up owning and operating the building, so the cost of energy to maintain the building is extremely crucial, says Esterson. So even though its more expensive upfront to build a building with Passive House, they save as much as 80 percent of the annual energy costs to run the building. Image: Courtesy of BIG Ingels also notes that its important for firms to commit to sustainability across their entire portfolios, rather than just doing the occasional splashy sustainable project. You have to make the money somewhere, so youd better make money on something that is sustainable, says Ingels. Otherwise youre keeping unsustainable businesses running profitably so you can use the excess profits to do something that looks sustainable. Real impact will only come if we can make solutions that are both ecologically and economically sustainable. See the video. While the industry faces challenges in combating climate change, architects have a crucial weaponingenuity. Big ideas and a rejection of the status quo will be necessary to make meaningful progress in the coming years, and Ingels notes that seeing these big ideas in practice will make them easier to replicate. One of the things we can do is we can actually try to fight in our projects to make some examples realized, he says. Because once something is built, it goes from the realm of imagination into hard facts. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 3 days time. You will need to purchase shares before the 6th of March to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 20th of March. Comfort Systems USA's next dividend payment will be US$0.10 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of US$0.42 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Comfort Systems USA has a trailing yield of 1.0% on the current share price of $42.22. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Comfort Systems USA's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. View our latest analysis for Comfort Systems USA 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. Comfort Systems USA has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 13% of its income after tax. 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. The good news is it paid out just 13% of its free cash flow in the last year. It's positive to see that Comfort Systems USA's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. NYSE:FIX Historical Dividend Yield, March 2nd 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 fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. It's encouraging to see Comfort Systems USA has grown its earnings rapidly, up 38% a year for the past five years. With earnings per share growing rapidly and the company sensibly reinvesting almost all of its profits within the business, Comfort Systems USA looks like a promising growth company. Story continues Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. In the last ten years, Comfort Systems USA has lifted its dividend by approximately 8.8% 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. To Sum It Up Has Comfort Systems USA got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? We love that Comfort Systems USA is growing earnings per share while simultaneously paying out a low percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. These characteristics suggest the company is reinvesting in growing its business, while the conservative payout ratio also implies a reduced risk of the dividend being cut in the future. Comfort Systems USA looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely. Wondering what the future holds for Comfort Systems USA? See what the three analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting 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. Maiseroulle picked as 2020 Good Apple Award winner Monday, March 2, 2020 4:00 PM News, Science and Technology, Alumni, People and Society Pittsburg, KS Trevor Maiseroulle has already achieved a great deal in the four short years since he graduated. Now, he can add one more award to his shelf, and its one he says is especially meaningful: Hes been named the 2020 Good Apple at Pittsburg State University. Maiseroulle is the Technology and Engineering Education teacher for Parsons Middle School and Parsons High School in Parsons, Kansas, where he advises FIRST Robotics, Technology Student Association, and SkillsUSA teams. The award, started three years ago, is to honor recent graduates who already have made an impact in their career fields or communities while showcasing their Gorilla pride. Its our hope that the winner can inspire our up-and-coming leaders, said Taylor Panczer, coordinator of the Good Apple Award committee. Maiseroulle accepted his award during the Apple Day Ceremony Monday afternoon, where he encouraged students in attendance to be good apples themselves, in whatever community they wind up. He graduated with a bachelors in Technology and Engineering Education in 2016, earned his masters degree in Career and Technical Education, and is working on an Educational Specialist degree in Workforce Development Education all from Pittsburg State University. Next up: hell pursue his doctoral in Adult Learning (emphasis in Technology Education) from the University of Arkansas. In October of 2018, his program at Parsons Middle School was nominated and won the International STEM Education Association STEM School of Excellence Award. Hes had a dramatic impact on students lives at the middle and high school level, said Andrew Klenke, interim chair of the Technology and Engineering Education department at PSU and one of Maiseroulle's former teachers. Maiseroulle continually researches methods, new strategies and ways to engage students, Klenke said, and comes to PSU often to assist with special events in the Kansas Technology Center and to teach. If I was going to pick out somebody that I wanted to teach my own children, Trevor would be that person, Klenke said. Maiseroulle said he values his education and time spent at PSU because it laid a foundation for him to be effective in his own classroom every day. They prepared me with classroom management, how to teach the content. Dr. Klenke and Mr. Neden did a wonderful job preparing me to go into the teaching field, he said. His mantra? I tell my students: dont give up, even when its difficult. loading......... Malibu, CA, Mar 3, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - GATLING EXPLORATION INC. ( CVE:GTR ) ( OTCMKTS:GATGF ) (the "Company" or "Gatling") is pleased to announce that its maiden drill program at the Kir Vit prospect has hit gold mineralization in 13 of 16 drill holes over a 500 meter strike length and has discovered 2 new gold trends.Results include intervals highlighted by KV-19-01 which intersected 5.9 g/t Au over 3.0 meters. Kir Vit is a recent addition to Gatling's Larder gold project in Ontario, Canada, and lies 6 km north of the main trend that hosts the Company's three deposits.Based on this early success, Gatling plans to follow up with additional drilling at Kir Vit in summer 2020 to further outline the new mineralized systems that are open along strike and at depth.Gatling Exploration is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on advancing the Larder Project, located in the prolific Abitibi greenstone belt in Northern Ontario. The Larder property hosts three high-grade gold deposits along the Cadillac-Larder Lake Break, 35 km east of Kirkland Lake.To view the interview, please visit:About Gatling Exploration Gatling Exploration (CVE:GTR) (OTCMKTS:GATGF) is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on advancing the Larder Gold Project, located in the prolific Abitibi greenstone belt in Northern Ontario. The Larder property hosts three high-grade gold deposits along the Cadillac-Larder Lake Break, 35 kilometers east of Kirkland Lake. The project is 100% controlled by Gatling and is comprised of patented and unpatented claims, leases and mining licenses of occupation within the McVittie and McGarry Townships. The 3,370-hectare project area is positioned 7 kilometers west of the Kerr Addison Mine, which produced 11 million ounces of gold. All parts of the Larder property are accessible by truck or all-terrain vehicles on non-serviced roads and trails. About The Ellis Martin Report The Ellis Martin Report (TEMR) is an internet based radio program showcasing potentially undervalued companies to an audience of potential retail investors and fund managers that comprise our listening audience. TEMR is broadcasted on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel and The Opportunity Radio Network. CEO and company interviews are paid for by those represented on the program. New Delhi, March 2 : The Canadian city of Calgary on Monday invited Indian business to invest in Canadas third largest city, which has a substantial population of South Asians, towards contributing to the growing volume of bilateral trade between India and Canada. The call to Indian business to invest in Calgary was made by the city's Indian-origin Mayor Naheed Nenshi at a roundtable here organized by industry chamber CII. Nenshi is on a visit to India as the head of a Canadian business delegation. Pointing out that Calgary's strengths include the energy, financial technology (fintech) and "creative industry" sectors, the Mayor said that with Canada having a trade deficit with India, his mission is help to Indian companies locate in Calgary which has the expertise to help Indian firms grow their business. "In a world increasingly defined by closure, we are defiantly open to the best talent in the world. The H-1B visa (US) has become almost impossible to get, whereas the same kind of visa can be got for Canada in 10 days," Nenshi said. Noting that the Economist has ranked Calgary as the western hemisphere's best city to live in, he said that Calgary is looking to intensify trade relations at the state level in India. His delegation is also scheduled to visit Mumbai and Bengaluru. "Calgary wants to be the destination of choice for the best innovators and entrepreneurs in order to solve the hardest problems like the climate change issue, as well as the most difficult one of how different peoples can live together...to build a community in these dark and divided times," the Mayor said. "When you ask how all this is linked to business, the question for us is how to be able to succeed both socially and economically," he said, adding that "the South Asian community has been in Calgary since the beginning." More than 25 per cent of Calgary's population belongs to a visible minority group, of whom South Asians comprise 7.5 per cent, followed by the Chinese (6.8 per cent) and Filipinos (4.4 per cent). A delegation member, Calgary Economic Development Commissioner of Film and Creative Industries Luke Azevedo, said that they were looking to expand cooperation with the Mumbai film industry as well as with regional cinema, particularly from south India. A CII statement said that India-Canada trade has been steadily increasing over the last two decades, and in 2018, imports from India were the "Canadian market's fastest-growing (non-US) source at a 30 per cent increase from the previous year". Bilateral trade in 2017-18 was worth $7.23 billion. The number of Indians studying in Canada has also grown phenomenally to around 2 lakh students. SALINA, N.Y. -- A Jamesville-based real estate investment company has agreed to buy the former General Motors Inland Fisher Guide factory, now a multi-tenant industrial park named Salina Industrial Powerpark. RACER Trust said today it has a contract to sell the 805,000-square-foot building and the 78.5-acre property its sits on to RAV Properties. The sale is expected to close in late 2020. The price was not disclosed. Salina Industrial Powerpark is a great property in an excellent location, Robert Lieberman, managing member of RAV Properties, said in a statement. We plan to make strategic investments that will enhance the experience for current tenants and encourage future growth. We have confidence in our vision for the property and in the strength of the local market, and we are looking forward to getting started. In 2010, RAV Properties purchased and made improvements to a two-building industrial complex once known as Flickingers Warehouse on Thompson Road in DeWitt, two miles from Salina Industrial Powerpark. RACER was created in March 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to clean up and position for redevelopment properties and other facilities owned by the former General Motors Corp. before its 2009 bankruptcy. Its creation was the result of a settlement agreement between the U.S. government, the 14 states where the former GM properties are located and St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, which owns land adjoining one of the properties in Upstate New York. GM began operations in Salina in 1952. It used the plant to make metal automotive components and, later, plastic auto parts. The automaker closed the plant in 1993, eliminating 1,300 local jobs. Former GM factory in Salina finds new life as industrial park RACER turned the plant into an industrial park that now has 11 tenants employing a total of 425 people. The tenants include Carpenter Industries, which performs abrasive blasting, welding and fabrications; Syracuse Glass, which manufactures architectural and tempered glass building products; Stone Central, a maker of custom countertops; and Roth Global Plastics, a plastics blow molding manufacturing facility. Elliott P. Laws, administrative trustee of RACER Trust, said the organization was pleased to have found a local buyer who understands and has had success in the Central New York market. It was important to RACER that we find a capable buyer who would continue to provide opportunities for local businesses to invest and create jobs at that location, and RAV Properties has indicated its intention to seek additional tenants, he said. Located on state Route 298, the industrial park has access to CSX rail service and is within a short drive of the state Thruway, Interstate 81 and Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Kolkata: With an eye on the upcoming municipal polls and the 2021 assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday (March 1) launched a mass outreach programme 'Banglar Gorbo Mamata' (Bengal's pride Mamata). Trinamool Congress sources said the new mass outreach campaign would focus on the developmental work done by the Mamata Banerjee government since 2011. Banerjee has convened a meeting of the councillors, chairmen, vice-chairmen and senior leaders of the party- controlled municipalities on March 2 at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here to prepare the strategy for the upcoming municipal polls in the state. The first phase of the programme will be for 75 days. The elections to 107 municipalities and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), to be held this year, are being dubbed as "mini assembly elections" ahead of the 2021 state polls. In the last Lok Sabha polls, BJP emerged as a prime challenger of the TMC in Bengal and won almost all the Lok Sabha seats spread across North Bengal and Junglemahal area in South Bengal. According to TMC sources, the decision was taken following the massive response to the three-phased 'Didi ke Bolo' initiative, which provided a platform to the people to directly report their complaints to Banerjee. Like the "Didi Ke Bolo" campaign, the new programme is also a brainchild of poll strategist Prashant Kishor and his team I-PAC, according to a TMC leader. In July, 2019, Mamata had launched a helpline number and a website as part of the outreach programme on the advice of poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who was appointed by the TMC after its Lok Sabha poll reverses. The outreach programme had received a huge response in its first month with more than 10 lakh people registering their grievances, party sources said. (With PTI inputs) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2) Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II reportedly protected the "pastillas" scheme in the Bureau of Immigration and has been receiving his share from the grease money even after leaving office, columnist Ramon Tulfo said Monday. Citing the account made by whistleblower Allison "Alex" Chiong, Tulfo told senators that Aguirre was the "protector" of the illegal scheme that allowed Chinese nationals to pay their way for easy entry to the Philippines. "Siya po ang protektor ng sindikato base sa ni-report sa akin ni Mr. Chiong [He is the protector of the syndicate based on what Mr Chiong reported to me]," Tulfo told the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality. The bureau is under the watch of the Department of Justice. Tulfo first revealed irregularities within the BI in an April 2019 column, during the time Filipinas were being sent abroad as prostitutes but were cleared by Immigration officers to leave the country for a fee. In a column last month, Tulfo also claimed that Aguirre received kickbacks from the scheme via a chartered helicopter, which is used to send cash from Manila where the supposed syndicate operates to his province in Mulanay, Quezon, which is six hours away by land. Aguirre denied backing the illegal scheme, saying that he has filed libel charges against Tulfo and would be suing him again. "The charges of Ramon Tulfo is an absolute lie and a complete fabrication of Tulfo," he said in a text message. "For repeating these falsities, I will write the Senate committee of Senator Hontiveros to invite me and Tulfo if there is any future hearing so I could refute them and tell Tulfo to his face that he is liar... Kahit saan, I could face anybody for I am completely innocent of his charges." An earlier witness a Taiwanese woman brought to Manila to work for a online gambling company named a certain "Michael Yang" as the "very powerful" backer of Chinese POGO firms in the Philippines. A Davao-based businessman Michael Yang once served as President Rodrigo Duterte's economic adviser until the end of 2018, but it is unclear if he was the one being referred to. Under the "pastillas" scheme revealed by Chiong, an immigration officer, Chinese nationals pay 10,000 as "service fee" or grease money for special treatment as they enter the Philippines. He earlier said that only 2,000 paid by each foreigner goes to immigration officers, while the remainder is split among the foreign tour operator, its partner in the Philippines, and the syndicate running the entire ploy at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The money was initially paid out rolled inside a sheet of bond paper, similar to how the milk candy is packed thus, the moniker. READ: Removal of overtime pay of immigration officers led to the pastillas scheme Chiong said kickbacks go as high as 20,000 per week for immigration officers assigned in NAIA Terminal 1, which receives the most number of flights from China. He added that he received payouts for several years before he decided to run to Tulfo and eventually, to the Senate, for his tell-all tale. Immigration Deputy Commissioner Tobias Javier said initial investigations showed that the list of names of Chinese nationals and their dates of arrival matched the bureau's records. Despite this, Immigration employees whose names were included in the Viber group chat where the lists are distributed denied being part of the process. Marc Red Marinas, who has been accused as one of the men behind the "pastillas" scheme, admitted that he was appointed by Aguirre as head of the bureau's Port Operations Division in 2016. He denied knowing the scheme, but Chiong said it was impossible for him not to know. Marinas also belied Chiong's claims, saying the video to supposedly expose the scheme was taken with malice. "An ordinary, innocent standard procedure in the course of primary inspection of arriving passengers was twisted to suit his intention of passing it to the committee as evidence of corruption," he told the Senate body. "Hindi po ganito ang nangyayari at hindi po ito ginagawa ng ating Immigration officers." Witness: 90% of Immigration Bureau personnel involved in 'pastillas' scheme Commitee chair Senator Risa Hontiveros showed a photo of a yellow helicopter that carried several passengers including Marinas. Tulfo said that chopper was often spotted in Mulanay Aguirre's hometown with a local saying that the vehicle would sometimes make two trips in a month. However, Marinas said he only boarded that helicopter once, and it was to attend festivities at the nearby town of San Narciso. His father, Maynardo Marinas, also served as chief of the Special Operations and Communications Unit. Immigration Deputy Commissioner Tobias Javier said having a father-son tandem in the bureau was "outside the norm." A department order issued by Aguirre in August 2017 gave the younger Marinas the authority over the issuance and review of applications for visa upon arrival, which is a special arrangement for Chinese nationals. Hontiveros said he had been so "favored" in the bureau. Marinas left the BI in October 2018 when he ran for Muntinlupa mayor, but lost during the 2019 elections. He was asked how much he spent during the campaign, but said he could not recall the amount. Hontiveros said the body will recommend a lifestyle check for Immigration officials, as she pointed out that some of the accused have assets beyond what their salaries were in the bureau. The Senate will invite Aguirre to air his side on the issue, she added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 19:19:28|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close KATHMANDU, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government has suspended the visa-on-arrival regime for nationals of five countries - China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran which were badly affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, a Nepali minister said. "A Cabinet meeting on Sunday decided to discontinue visa-on-arrival for nationals of these five countries to avoid the risk of the deadly diseases being spread in Nepal," Yogesh Bhattarai, minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation told, Xinhua on Monday. "The restriction will be applicable from next week." Ram Chandra Tiwari, information officer at Nepal's Department of Immigration, said on Monday that there has been discussion on whether to suspend the visas for the nationals of these countries for one month or until another notice is issued. "Nepali embassies abroad will decide whether to provide visas to the nationals of these countries after checking their health certificates," he said. Nepal has offered visa-on-arrival for tourists from all countries other than 12 countries and territories as well as refugees with travel documents. The nationals from Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria and the refugees with travel documents should currently acquire visa prior to their arrival to Nepal. Nepal received 169,543 Chinese mainland visitors in 2019 while the number of tourists from Japan stood at 30,534 and those from South Korea stood at 29,680, according to Nepal's Department of Immigration. Likewise, the Himalayan country received a total of 15,676 Italian tourists and 1,882 Iranian nationals last year, the department said. Meanwhile, a senior official of Nepal's Ministry of Health of Population said none of the Nepalis evacuated from China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, two weeks ago, have been infected with the virus. In BBCs series of letters from African journalists, journalist Ismail Einashe takes a trip to find out about the lost Armenian community of Ethiopia. He states that In the 19th Century, a handful of Armenians played a vital role in the court of Emperor Menelik II, and later, in the early 20th Century, a community settled that went on to have an economic and cultural impact in the country. In Addis Ababa, he visits the St. George Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, which was the heart of the Armenian community during the reign of Haile Selassie, or Ras Tafari. In 1924, Ras Tafari visited the Armenian monastery in Jerusalem where he met a group of 40 children who had been orphaned by the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during WWI. Moved by their plight, he asked the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem if he could take them to Ethiopia and look after them there. The 40 orphans, or arba lijoch in Amharic, were all trained in music and went on to form the imperial brass band of Ethiopia. Despite their small numbers the Armenians had a crucial role in ushering Ethiopia into the modern world - from helping to develop the distinctive Ethiopian jazz style to working as tailors, doctors, business people and serving in the imperial court. But as the Armenian community was tied to the imperial history of the country, once the emperor fell the community declined. Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974 by the Marxist Derg junta, which went on to seize businesses and property, including that of the Armenians. They can still be seen in the church for special religious celebrations. The author says there is also the Armenian social club, which has a restaurant that reminds people of the taste of home. At the restaurant, he meets three women of Armenian descent. That night, as I tucked into delicious and sumptuous borek and lyulya kebabs, I felt I was tasting the history of the Armenians in Ethiopia. 82 mm mortar mine in the ground, Donbas Open source On March 1, pro-Kremlin armed mercenaries violated ceasefire in Donbas 11 times. The enemy used 82 and 120 mm mortars, as well as anti-tank missile systems, grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms. Seven attacks took place in Donetsk region, the rest in Luhansk region. One fighter of the Ukrainian military deceased in action, while seven more sustained combat injuries. Previously, Mariinka entry-exit checkpoint resumed work after the attack by Russian militants. As wereported earlier, on March 1, all the entry-exit checkpoints in Donbas switch to the spring working mode. The Joint Forces Operation HQ reported that on February 24, referring to the decision of the JFO commanding officer. The entry-exit procedures and respective control measures will be conducted daily since 7 a.m. till 6.30 p.m. Earlier, Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk claimed that the ongoing disengagement in Donbas does not significantly affect the security situation; that is more like a way to solve humanitarian problems for the locals. "The disengagement does not entirely change the security situation because if there's political will on the other side to escalate the conflict, two kilometers will make little difference. It's not an issue for snipers or sabotage groups", Zahorodniuk said. The division of forces along the entire disengagement line contradicts the Minsk agreement, the official said. The mobile phone market is getting saturated and phone distributors must seek a new driving force for growth from other sectors. In 2018, the TV sector saw a growth rate of 10 percent, air conditioners 11 percent and other electronics sectors less than 10 percent, much lower than previous years. In 2019, GfK said the mobile phone sector no longer has much expectation for growth. In 2019, the phone distribution sector of The Gioi Di Dong (MWG), the largest mobile phone retail chain in Vietnam, saw modest growth rate of 2 percent. The driving force of the company was in the distribution of laptops and other electronics and refrigeration products with the growth rates of 10-20 percent. Meanwhile, air conditioners reportedly had the high growth rate of 60 percent compared with 2018. The mobile phone market is getting saturated and phone distributors must seek a new driving force for growth from other sectors. As for FPT Shop, the turnover from ICT products grew by 8 percent only, lower than the expected 15 percent. The management board of the company explained that the purchasing power decreased in the year, while the sales of iPhones, the key product, were unsatisfactory. When drawing up business plans for 2020, MWG and FPT Shop have not put high expectations on the mobile phone sector. MWG plans to boost the sales of watches, glasses and home appliances to maintain its growth momentum. The company hopes that it can get revenue of VND122.445 trillion and post-tax profit of VND4.835 trillion, increasing by 18 percent and 26 percent compared with 2019. FPT Shop hasn't set goals for the mobile phone sectors growth. It will spend time to make investment in drug distribution and seek new business types. If we still hover about ICT products, we wont find a way out, a senior executive of FPT Shop said. Meanwhile, VNDirect Securities predicted that the mobile phone distribution sector will be healthy again thanks to the governments strong determination to accelerate the deployment of 5G technology. When 4G became popular in 2012 (GSMA Intelligence), the demand for smartphones increased sharply in the world. In Asia Pacific, the sales of 4G phones soared with the CAGR of 129 percent in 2012-2018. With the 5G wave, more than 1 billion 5G smartphones will be sold by 2025 as estimated by Counterpoint. VNDirect Securities believes that Vietnam will pioneer 5G which will stimulate demand for 5G devices. If so, MWG and FPT Shop will get benefits from the 5G wave. The government has set a goal for nationwide 5G coverage by 2030, at reasonable costs. Ha An Viettel, Vingroup to pioneer manufacture of 5G devices Vietnam is not only a pioneer in experimenting with 5G, but also aims to be a manufacturer of 5G telecom devices that could be launched on the market as early as this year. New Delhi, March 2 : The Congress held protests outside parliament on Monday, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation for allegedly failing to maintain law & order in Delhi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also seen to be back in action after his rumoured vacation. Holding posters like "PM jawab do" and chanting slogans of "Amit Shah istifa do", the Congress brigade was seen standing around Gandhi statue in the parliament premises. Party MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Shashi Tharoor among others demanded Shah take responsibility for the Delhi riots that killed at least 45 people including a Delhi police personnel on duty and an IB staffer with 400 injured. However, Rahul Gandhi wasn't seen chanting slogans. In his absence, his mother and interim President Sonia Gandhi had to lead the pack recently by holding an unusually rare press conference on Delhi violence. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Jacob Rees-Mogg advised people to wash their hands to the tune of the national anthem. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP) Jacob Rees-Mogg has advised people to wash your hands to the national anthem to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Boris Johnson later suggested using the tune of Happy Birthday, twice, would be the most effective. When asked by reporters whether the government has the spread of the virus under control, Rees-Mogg replied: Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, keep it in your handkerchief. The leader of the House of Commons gave the response as he entered an emergency Cobra meeting called by the prime minister at the Cabinet Office on Monday morning. Read more: Coronavirus could return every winter 'like the common cold' 'Wash your hands to the national anthem' When asked by @PaulBrandITV if the government has a grip on coronavirus, @Jacob_Rees_Mogg says 'coughs and sneezes spread diseases, keep it in your handkerchief' https://t.co/lUghdiDvJh pic.twitter.com/jCDygOyMgH ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) March 2, 2020 The meeting was called after 12 more people in England and one in Scotland tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of UK cases to 40. After the emergency session, the prime minister said the virus was "likely to become more significant in the days and weeks ahead". He said the government was taking steps to try to stem the spread of the virus and repeated Rees-Moggs advice for people to wash their hands regularly to help contain the disease. Boris Johnson at the Public Health England National Infection Service in north London on Sunday. (Henry Nicholls) Read more: MP accuses Boris Johnson of burying bad news with baby announcement He said: "I think it's important to stress that this [the coronavirus] is a problem that is likely to become more significant for this country in the course of the next days and weeks, and therefore we will be making every possible preparation for that. Story continues "We've also agreed a plan so that as and when it starts to spread - as I'm afraid it looks likely that it will - we are in a position to take the steps that will be necessary, will be reasonable, to contain the spread of the disease as far as we can, and also to protect the most vulnerable." 'Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, keep it in your handkerchief,' Jacob Rees-Mogg said. (Peter Summers/Getty Images) Mr Johnson said that "the single most useful thing we can all do to support our NHS, to stop the spread of the coronavirus, is to wash our hands - two times happy birthday, hot water and soap", and that people should otherwise consider things "business as usual". The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends people wash their hands for the duration of the song "Happy Birthday", sung twice. Read more: Venice deserted as coronavirus fears sweep Italy Asked about potential school closures and other measures to control the spread, Mr Johnson said they would take the lead of scientific advisers and the UK's chief medical officers. As the virus continues to spread across Europe, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk of the virus has increased from "moderate" to "moderate to high". Some of the American pharmaceutical companies have speed up their work towards finding a vaccine for the new coronavirus strain, President Donald Trump said on Monday, ahead of a meeting with executives of drug companies. "I'm meeting with the pharmaceutical companies later on this afternoon. We have a big meeting with the biggest companies...we're talking about a vaccine... maybe a cure; it's possible. So, we'll see about that," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. "We're talking about a vaccine. They are moving along very quickly. All pharmaceutical companies are moving along very quickly," he said. The US so far has reported 80 cases of infection and two deaths from COVID-19, which was first detected in China in December. The US, Trump said, is working with other countries to find vaccine for the novel coronavirus. "We're working very much with a lot of other countries on -- including Colombia -- but we're working with a lot of other countries on helping them with respect to this problem. And, again, we're doing very well," he said in the presence of his Columbian counterpart. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LONDON, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Moneypenny, the UK's leading provider of web chat, answering services and outsourced switchboards for small and large businesses, has extended its services in the US with the acquisition of VoiceNation and Ninja Number. The details of the transaction have not been disclosed. VoiceNation is an award-winning bilingual telephone answering provider and Ninja Number is a cutting-edge business phone app which provides a virtual phone system for entrepreneurs. Both companies were co-founded by Jay Reeder and Graham Taylor in 2002 and are based in Atlanta Georgia. Moneypenny is the market leader and fastest growing company in its sector, with over 750 staff and 20% growth year-on-year with offices in the UK and in Charleston, South Carolina. It delivers outsourced telephone answering, live chat, switchboard and a host of technology-enabled services to a wide range of businesses, from sole traders to multi-national corporations. Moneypenny handles 15 million calls and chats annually for more than 13,000 clients in the UK and US. In 2018 Moneypenny's co-founder, Ed Reeves, introduced investment from ECI Partners to help drive the Company's ambitious growth plans and this latest acquisition will take US revenue from 10% of the group total to over 25%. The company plans to sustain its growth plans with further acquisitions in the future. Demand for Moneypenny's services is growing at a significant rate as businesses continue to look at ways to improve how they interact with customers, and to maximize operational efficiencies. Over the past 18 years, VoiceNation has offered a quality virtual receptionist service to clients. Ninja Number provides a virtual phone system which works with business owners' mobiles to manage their communications and allows them to manage their personal and business life from one device. Joanna Swash, CEO of Moneypenny comments, "We are delighted to welcome VoiceNation and Ninja Number into the Moneypenny family. They are both award-winning, successful brands and the combination of these businesses will further complement the services we can offer our clients in the US. Our aim is to be the number one provider in the US for outsourced communications, supporting businesses of all sizes to deliver a great customer experience with every interaction, regardless of channel. "Jay Reeder and Graham Taylor and their team have built an incredible business and we look forward to supporting their future growth." Jay Reeder, co-founder of VoiceNation and Ninja Number adds: 'We are excited about the opportunities this next phase presents for our business and more importantly, for our team and customers. "We have really enjoyed working with Moneypenny on this deal and appreciate their refreshingly open and honest approach. There's a great fit not just with our cutting edge technology, AI driven products, and our service offerings, but more importantly with our culture and ethos. Looking after your people and putting the needs of the customer front and centre, are key values both organisations deeply care about." www.moneypenny.com/us About Moneypenny Moneypenny is the world's leading provider of telephone answering, outsourced switchboard, live chat and customer contact solutions. Moneypenny works with businesses of all shapes and sizes, from sole traders right up to multinational corporations. Moneypenny has over 750 staff based in the UK and Charleston, USA. The company was founded by a brother and sister team in 2000 and currently handles over 15 million calls and live chats for 13,000 businesses. Moneypenny is proud to have won the Queen's Award for Enterprise and has been recognised in The Sunday Times '100 Best Companies to Work For' six times. VoiceNation VoiceNation is America's leading answering service, offering call answering 24 hours a day and bilingual service. It has provided quality answering services clients for more than 18 years. Ninja Number Ninja Number provides a virtual phone system which works with business owners' mobiles to manage their communications and allow them to focus on more important aspects of their business and personal life. Ninja Number use leading-edge technology and artificial intelligence to create a mobile app that will save time and money. With multiple extensions, businesses appear bigger and more professional. SOURCE Moneypenny Related Links https://www.moneypenny.com Architect Lisa Carolan has a passion. She loves historic buildings, no matter how dilapidated. In fact, since returning home from Amsterdam four years ago, she has renovated two derelict properties and poured love - and money - into their restoration. The first was an old commercial property in Ardee, Co Louth. The second is the Old Cabra Schoolhouse in Kingscourt, which launches to market this week with an affordable pricetag of 189,000. The schoolhouse had lain empty for years, still in the same layout as when the owners of nearby Cabra Castle built it for the estate children back in 1886. There were some unusual touches - including two entrances, one for boys and one for girls and a dividing wall that ran all the way through the rear playground. Lisa also found a piece of poetry penned by a student back in 1937 that bemoaned the lack of play time at Cabra school. It hangs framed in the living room. Read More "I thought the house was dreamy and very cute and got totally sucked in by its charm," says Lisa of her first viewing. Still, while the house had good bones, it was in a poor state, without running water and electricity. "It seemed OK internally," says Lisa, "but there was an area where the floor was rotten at one end of the building. When we took it up, we found that the entire floor structure was rotten. It was a suspended wooden floor so all the joists that had been there since it was built had to come out." She fitted new wooden floors and took the opportunity to insulate underneath, keeping heat loss to a minimum and making the BER-exempt Victorian house remarkably snug. Expand Close Architect Lisa Carolan outside the Victorian schoolhouse in Kingscourt that was a labour of love. Throughout, she mixed the best of old and new. PIC - Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Architect Lisa Carolan outside the Victorian schoolhouse in Kingscourt that was a labour of love. Throughout, she mixed the best of old and new. PIC - Frank McGrath She also reconfigured the interior to open up the space and take advantage of the pretty triple arched Victorian windows. "The main difference between the schoolhouse and your typical Irish vernacular cottage," says Lisa, "is the solid-to-void ratio, in other words - those windows. They are majestic and probably the key feature both externally and internally. "We don't get enough daylight in Ireland and so this is a key feature in any design I work on. I arranged the kitchen-living-dining space to maximise solar gain. The triple aspect space enjoys the sunshine from sunrise to sunset." The kitchen is decked out with smart bespoke grey units and a Belfast sink. The open fireplace has the original ornate fireplace cradle. "I wanted to respect the old building but at the same time make it relevant for today's taste," Lisa says. "Luckily for me I could source these finishes quite readily as Victorian-inspired furniture and even kitchens are big on trend right now." Expand Close Old Cabra Schoolhouse, Lisaturrin, Kingscourt, Co Cavan. PIC - Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Old Cabra Schoolhouse, Lisaturrin, Kingscourt, Co Cavan. PIC - Frank McGrath The Old Schoolhouse has full planning permission for a two-storey extension, designed by Lisa, that would add a further two bedrooms, a large living space, veranda and a south-facing patio. Lisa is ready to start a new project. "Financially, it has been a personal risk to me, as lenders won't support people renovating on a small scale." She thinks that banks and lenders are missing a trick. "We have small derelict houses dotted all over Ireland which people can't get mortgages against. If our lenders would support people to renovate them, it would considerably alleviate the shortage of housing. "Lenders will support the purchase of a property that is 'liveable' and this means it needs to have heating, electricity, running water, a working kitchen to name a few. But they won't furnish any extra funds for renovations and they require a hefty deposit. This really narrows the possibilities for a potential buyer. It's a real shame." Expand Close Old Cabra Schoolhouse, Lisaturrin, Kingscourt, Co Cavan. PIC - Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Old Cabra Schoolhouse, Lisaturrin, Kingscourt, Co Cavan. PIC - Frank McGrath Nor are developers interested in projects such as the Old Schoolhouse, she says. "I can only speculate on the reason why - maybe it's profit, maybe it's the unforeseen problems that arise, maybe it's difficultly in acquiring planning permission." Though she is quick to point out that in this case, the local planning authorities were very helpful. The house sits on 0.3 acres surrounded by mature trees, and is five minutes' walk from the centre of Kingscourt itself where the much-loved thatched local, Gartlan's pub, has buzzing Sunday night trad sessions. Kingscourt is 86km drive from Dublin, and there are regular bus services. The 565-acre Dun na Ri forest park is a big draw locally, with walks and wildlife to be enjoyed, and a trail from Kingscourt to the park passes just 200m from the house. Expand Close Old Cabra Schoolhouse, Lisaturrin, Kingscourt, Co Cavan. PIC - Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Old Cabra Schoolhouse, Lisaturrin, Kingscourt, Co Cavan. PIC - Frank McGrath "This has been a labour of love," says Lisa of the restoration. "I've been privileged to be one of the schools many caretakers. I hope that a new owner will love and care for it into the future." Era: 1886 Size: 83.6sqm Agent: Keenan Auctioneers (042) 966 7224 Viewing: By appointment only By PTI NEW DELHI: Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Monday reported a 9.1 per cent decline in total vehicle sales at 11,356 units in February as against 12,497 units in the same month last year. In the domestic market, the company posted sales of 10,352 units last month, down 11.9 per cent from 11,760 units in February 2019, TKM said in a statement. "We have smoothly transitioned to BS-VI manufacturing and started delivering BS-VI vehicles to our customers before the stipulated deadline of April 2020. A total of 31,853 BS-VI vehicles have been dispatched to our dealerships till date," TKM Senior Vice President (Sales and Service) Naveen Soni said. In order to make the transition smoother for customers, the company has offered introductory pricing so as to not pass on the full increase of BS-VI product price at one go, he added. The BS-VI petrol Yaris and Glanza have been well received last month while the company's flagship brands Innova Crysta and Fortuner continue to do well, Soni said. "As we prepare to meet the evolving market sentiments, our efforts are to ramp up production to improve deliveries," he added. Soni said in order to smoothen the transition, the company introduced the BS-VI Innova Crysta in January this year at an introductory offer. "We have chosen not to pass on the full impact of an increase in cost to the consumers at the launch. We had to take a difficult decision, that we will not transfer the price in one go, we will have a stage-wise implementation. Having said that, in the long run, we would be forced to increase our prices in the mid-term," he noted. Soni said that while the consumer acceptance of BS-VI so far has been positive, the challenge in the upcoming months is to see how they accept the full increased pricing once the introductory offer is phased out. Two Cork candidates for the Seanad election are united in their criticism that the institution is undemocratic. Former Fianna Fail TD Margaret Murphy-OMahony was announced by her party to run for the Seanad on Monday. Now running to be one of 60 candidates to the upper house, Ms Murphy-O'Mahony, says she sees her future in politics. "The minute I was elected to Cork County Council I gave up everything else. I think Im good at it, and Im not going to use the Seanad to get elected to the Dail again," she said. I dont agree with anyone who uses the Seanad for that. If youre elected to the upper house you need to do the work you were selected to do. The Seanad often comes under criticism for being elitist and undemocratic for the way voting is delegated, and Ms Murphy-O'Mahony agrees. "I think more people should have a say in who gets elected, but councillors are elected by the people, and they elect senators, so its not as out of touch as people say," she added. "The university panels could be improved. Everyone should have a say, we can't say one degree is better than the other, and I'd be a big believer in giving the man in the street a say in who is elected." Ms Murphy-O'Mahony, 50. a Bandon native, was one of many female TDs who lost their seats last month, and served just one term in office for Cork South West. She says she lost out due to bad planning by the party. "I suppose we ran too many candidates and there was a swing to the left," she said. I dont think it was because Im a woman, we lost a lot of good women in this election but I think that was a coincidence. Ms Murphy-O'Mahony, who voted no in the Repeal The Eighth referendum, describes her politics as an "all-rounder" rather than right or left-leaning. "I can see the good in everyones beliefs and have huge admiration for anyone who runs for any cause, I have a broad attitude." From the other side of the political spectrum, independent candidate for the UCI panel, Laura Harmon says work must be done to reform the Seanad from the inside. Laura Harmon "I went to college at UCC and came out as gay in my early 20s, which politicised me," she said. "I joined the LGBT society, and became very involved in student politics and later the marriage equality referendum." Ms Harmon, 33, from Ballyvourney and currently working for the National Womens Council of Ireland, previously held a senior role in the Together For Yes campaign and ran for the Seanad in the last election, coming in fifth place in the race for three seats. "I always knew I would run again. I dont see the Seanad as a consolation prize," she said. I think it is undemocratic, and believe eventually we should extend the voting franchise to all citizens. "Im running on the NUI panel, which has a limited number of people who can vote, but I think the reform has to come from inside. I campaigned to keep the Seanad. We need the checks and balances and it can amend legislation that will have a huge impact on society." Ms Harmon, a former Labour Party equality officer, says the new Seanad should reflect the new Ireland. "I think that there is huge potential in this election to elect progressives onto the panel, NUI graduates want to see change," she said. Ms Harmon says that her full focus is on the Seanad election, but has not ruled out running for general election eventually. Karim Hegazi spends his days at an Egyptian clinic taking care of animals long considered troublesome in the country: street dogs. Stray or wild dogs can be found in almost every neighborhood in Cairo, Egypts capital. They run around building developments. They search through trash for food. They cry out nightly on top of parked vehicles. The government says Egypt has about 15 million stray dogs. Stray dogs bite about 200,000 people each year, notes the World Health Organization. They also spread rabies -- one of the deadliest diseases in the world. There are other reasons dogs have not been well-liked in Egypt. Many Muslims believe the animals are impure or not clean. A famous Islamic saying warns that angels will not enter your home if there is a dog inside. But after centuries of negative comments, street dogs in Egypt are finding popular acceptance -- and support. That support includes medical care, as well as operations to prevent them from reproducing. Volunteers use huge fishing nets and other tools to catch, vaccinate and operate on dogs before releasing them again. Such efforts aim to fight back against the usual government policy of killing street dogs by poisoning them. Karim Hegazi, the animal doctor, said, Ive seen a major shift...people are seeing a value in strays. Hegazi told The Associated Press he is treating more and more baladi street dogs, animals that people have taken in. Growing acceptance of dog ownership Egypts wealthier citizens have increasingly accepted the idea of dog ownership. In major cities, you can now find businesses such as pet grooming centers or hotels where dogs can be left when their owners go away. Social media has played a big part in the movement. A Facebook group for animal doctors exploded into a community of 13,000 pet lovers who tell their stories. Animal shelters work to set up adoptions online by publishing pictures of dogs on Instagram. What began online is expanding. People living in Cairos wealthy neighborhoods are forming spay and neuter teams. They aim to fight back against the governments methods to control the dog population. The General Organization for Veterinary Services is part of the Egyptian agricultural ministry. It often sends workers to kill stray dogs by releasing poison into the streets at night, many activists and locals say. They say they have woken up in the morning to find dead dogs along the sides of streets, or sick dogs crying out in pain. Its a horrible way to die, said Mohamed Shehata. He founded Egyptian Vets for Animal Care, or EVAC, the countrys first spay and neuter program. The government agency did not answer a request for comment on its policy. But in a recent report, it described street dogs as a time bomb that threatens our children. It defended the killing of dogs that are harmful to people, noting Islamic law. Controlling the population Shehata described his groups spaying and neutering efforts as a more humane, scientific and effective way to control the dog population. On a recent morning, teams of volunteers ran after the wild dogs. Unpleasant loud sounds of barks and cries could be heard, as dogs got trapped in nets, and then given vaccines. The noises were loud enough to wake up people who were sleeping. The methods may look severe, but Shehata says it is for the best -- and keeps the dogs safe from rabies for a year. The dogs are also spayed and neutered at EVACs offices. They are then taken back to where they were caught. A small cut in their ear shows that they have been sterilized. Shehata says his teams have treated about 10,000 stray dogs over the last few years. Such efforts are being carried out in at least five neighborhoods in the center of Cairo. Local groups say they have seen dog populations remain the same or even shrink. But animal experts say Egypts efforts still lack government support or a legal structure to protect stray dogs. This means their future remains uncertain. We will do our best to reach our targets, Hegazi said, while carrying his next patient into the exam room. But itll take a much longer time. Im Ashley Thompson. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Are there stray dogs or other animals where you live? How does your city or community deal with them? Let us know in the comments section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story clinic - n. a place where people get medical help trash - n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away net - n. a device that is used for catching or holding things or for keeping things out of a space and that is made of pieces of string, rope, wire, etc., woven together with spaces in between angel - n. a spiritual being that serves especially as a messenger from God or as a guardian of human beings negative - adj. harmful or bad : not wanted shift - n. a change in position or direction grooming - n. the cleaning and caring of an animal adoption - n. the act or process of taking in someone or something, such as a child or pet spay - v. to remove the sex organs of a female animal neuter - v. to remove the sex organs of a male animal On the frontline of the COVID-19 battle, six smart robots using 5G technology have been working side by side with medics in Shanghai. The robots, developed by China Mobile's Shanghai Branch, are used for tasks such as disinfecting and cleaning patient areas and delivering medicine to reduce the risk of cross-infection and ensure the safety of medics, according to its developer. Powered by the 5G technology, these robots can be used in isolation wards, operation rooms, and fever clinics for improving the efficiency of COVID-19 prevention and control, the company said. According to the Shanghai Communications Administration, 5G technology is being widely applied in Shanghai to battle the epidemic. Apart from 5G robots, leading telecom operators in Shanghai have also come up with smart devices such as 5G thermal imagers and 5G health monitors. Seven 5G base stations have been established near the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center to ensure telecommunications services, the administration said. Amid the coronavirus outbreak in China, which has been walloping all sectors, Constellation Brands Inc STZ is one of the very few companies that remain unaffected. With numerous speculations doing the rounds, the company came up with its own version of the story. It rejected all claims regarding the impact of the virus on its business as well as unfavorable consumer response to its Corona beer brand. In fact, the company stated that its employees, facilities and operations continue to perform well, contrary to many reports. Further, Constellation Brands has been able to steer clear of this situation as it doesnt have much exposure to international markets, including China, which is the most affected region. In fact, this beer retailer derives most of its sales from the United States. Notably, the company is pleased with Corona Extra performance, with 5% sales growth for the latest the four-week period ended Feb 16, per recent IRI retail trends. Also, depletion trend for the brand, starting from the first two months of 2020 through Feb 26, surpassed its year-over-year trend. Moreover, the IRI dollar sales trend for the entire Corona brand has exceeded its 52-week trend in the latest four-week and 12-week periods. Apart from these, the company stated that all business categories have been witnessing sturdy sales trend so far this year. In January 2020, the company reported robust third-quarter fiscal 2020 results, marking the eighth consecutive earnings and sales beat. In the reported quarter, sales improved 7.3%, marking the 39th straight quarter of growth, on the back of a 6.8% rise in shipment volumes and 7.3% overall depletion growth. Solid portfolio depletions mainly stemmed from continued strength in the Modelo and Corona brand families as well as continued innovation. Speaking of the Corona brand, sales grew 7% in IRI channels on sustained strength of Corona Premier, innovation at Corona Refresca and renewed growth of Corona Extra. Going ahead, management estimates 7-8% net sales growth for the beer in fiscal 2020. Story continues Price Performance The launch of Corona hard seltzer slated in spring 2020 alongwith constant brand-building, innovation and premiumization efforts position Constellation Brands well for long-term growth. Notably, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have lost 6.5% in the past three months compared with the industrys decline of 16.2%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Other Stocks Facing the Heat Other beverage companies that recently provided updates on the estimated impacts of the virus spread on its results are Diageo plc DEO, Coca-Cola KO and Anheuser-Busch BUD. Diageo anticipates the negative impact of the coronavirus outbreak on its fiscal 2020 organic net sales to be 225-325 million and organic operating profit to be 140-200 million. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola expects the COVID-19 to hurt its first-quarter 2020 organic revenues by 1-2 percentage points, unit case volumes by 2-3 percentage points and earnings per share by 1-2 cents. AB InBev stated that the outbreak has caused nearly $285 million of lost revenues and $170 million of lost EBITDA in the first two months of 2020. For the first quarter of 2020, AB InBev expects EBITDA to decline nearly 10% due to the impact of COVID-19 as well as a challenging market in Brazil. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. See the pot trades we're targeting>> Click to get this free report Diageo plc (DEO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Coca-Cola Company (The) (KO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (BUD) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who distinguished herself over the summer by suggesting "eco-terrorists" had started many of the nation's calamitous bushfires, is now claiming ASIO is upsetting conservatives by warning about the rise of right-wing extremists. Senator Fierravanti-Wells all but set fire to the pants of Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation's director-general, Mike Burgess, after he told a Senate committee the far right had become much stronger in Australia over the past three years. Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has taken issue with the label 'right-wing' extremists. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Senator, a conservative with a capital "C", wasn't about to allow that sort of talk to go unchallenged: it concerned what she identified as her side of politics. "Right is associated with conservatism in this country and there are many people of conservative background who take exception with being tarred with the brush," she protested. Lambert here: I read Frankls Mans Search for Meaning years ago, and found it quite helpful. By Aeon. Cross-posted from Alternet. With our collapsing democracies and imploding biosphere, its no wonder that people despair. The Austrian psychoanalyst and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl presciently described such sentiments in his book Mans Search for Meaning (1946). He wrote of something that so many patients complain [about] today, namely, the feeling of the total and ultimate meaninglessness of their lives. A nihilistic wisdom emerges when staring down the apocalypse. Theres something predictable in our current pandemics, from addiction to belief in pseudoscientific theories, for in Frankls analysis, An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behaviour. When scientists worry that humanity might have just one generation left, we can agree that ours is an abnormal situation. Which is why Mans Search for Meaning is the work to return to in these humid days of the Anthropocene. Already a successful psychotherapist before he was sent to Auschwitz and then Dachau, Frankl was part of whats known as the third wave of Viennese psychoanalysis. Reacting against both Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, Frankl rejected the firsts theories concerning the will to pleasure and the latters will to power. By contrast, Frankl writes that: Mans search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a secondary rationalisation of instinctual drives. Frankl argued that literature, art, religion and all the other cultural phenomena that place meaning at their core are things-unto-themselves, and furthermore are the very basis for how we find purpose. In private practice, Frankl developed a methodology he called logotherapy from logos, Greek for reason describing it as defined by the fact that this striving to find a meaning in ones life is the primary motivational force in man. He believed that there was much that humanity can live without, but if were devoid of a sense of purpose and meaning then we ensure our eventual demise. In Vienna, he was Dr Viktor Frankl, head of the neurology department of the Rothschild Hospital. In Auschwitz, he was number 119,104. The concentration camp was the null point of meaning, a type of absolute zero for purpose in life. Already having developed his theories about logotherapy, Frankl smuggled a manuscript he was working on into the camp, only to lose it, later forced to recreate it from memory. While in the camps, he informally worked as a physician, finding that acting as analyst to his fellow prisoners gave him purpose, even as he ostensibly assisted others. In those discussions, he came to conclusions that became foundational for humanistic psychology. One was that the prisoner who had lost faith in the future his future was doomed. Frankl recounts how even in the camps, where suicide was endemic, the prisoners who seemed to have the best chance of survival were not necessarily the strongest or physically healthiest, but those somehow capable of directing their thoughts towards a sense of meaning. A few prisoners were able to retreat from their terrible surroundings to a life of inner riches and spiritual freedom, and in the imagining of such a space there was the potential for survival. Mans Search for Meaning is structured in two parts. The first constitutes Frankls Holocaust testimony, bearing similarity to writings by Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi. In the second part, he elaborates on logotherapy, arguing that the meaning of life is found in experiencing something such as goodness, truth and beauty by experiencing nature and culture or by experiencing another human being in his very uniqueness by loving him, not simply in spite of apocalyptic situations, but because of them. The book has been maligned as superficial pop-existentialism; a vestige of middle-brow culture offering platitudinous New Age panaceas. Such a reading isnt entirely unfair. And seven decades later, one might blanche at the sexist language, or the hokey suggestion that a Statue of Responsibility be constructed on the US West Coast. However, a fuller consideration of Frankls concept of tragic optimism should give more attention to the former rather than the latter before the therapist is impugned as overly rosy. When he writes Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake, its hard to accuse him of being a Pollyanna. Some critics accuse Frankl of victim-blaming. The American scholar Lawrence Langer in 1982 even wrote that Mans Search for Meaning is almost sinister. According to him, Frankl reduced survival to an issue of a positivity; Langer argues that the book does a profound disservice to the millions who perished. A critique such as this has some merit to it, and yet Frankls actual implications are different. His book evidences no moralising against those whod lost a sense of meaning. Frankls study doesnt advocate logotherapy as an ethical but as a strategic response to tragedy. When identifying meaninglessness, it would be a mistake to find it within the individual who suffers. Frankls fellow prisoners werent responsible for the concentration camps, just as somebody born into a cycle of poverty isnt at fault, nor is any one of us (unless you happen to be an oil executive) the cause of our collapsing ecosystem. Nothing in logotherapy implies acceptance of the status quo, for the struggle to alter political, material, social, cultural and economic conditions is paramount. What logotherapy offers is something different, a way to envision meaning, despite things not being in your control. In his preface to the books 2006 edition, Rabbi Harold Kushner glosses Frankls argument by saying that: Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. Far from being obsessed with the meaning of life, logotherapy demands that patients orient themselves to the idea of individual meaning, to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life daily and hourly, as Frankl writes. Logotherapy asking patients to clear an imaginative space to orient themselves towards some higher meaning provides a response to intolerable situations. Frankl writes that he grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. It is easy to be cynical about such a claim, proving Frankls point. In our small, petty, limited, cruel era, it seems hard to come across much collective human affection, and yet our pettiness, limitations and cruelty are in their own way a response to the looming apocalypse. Every age has its own collective neurosis, Frankl writes, and every age needs its own psychotherapy to cope with it. If were exhausted, fatigued, anxious, enraged, despairing and confused at the collapse of our individual fortunes, our social networks, our communities, our industries, our democracy, our very planet, its no wonder weve developed a certain collective neurosis. Yet humanistic psychology has not been in vogue for decades; in its place, we have fashionable sociobiology and misapplied neuroscience in the form of the Panglossian Steven Pinker and the Svengali platitudes of Jordan Peterson. In one of the books most remarkable passages, Frankl recounts how, when his work group was allowed a meagre few hours of rest, a fellow prisoner interrupted them and asked us to run out to the assembly grounds and see a wonderful sunset. With a prose style that tends towards the clinical, albeit with a distinct sense of the sacred, Frankl here gives himself over to the transcendent: Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west and the whole sky alive with clouds of ever-changing shapes and colours, from steel blue to blood red. The desolate grey mud huts provided a sharp contrast, while the puddles on the muddy ground reflected the glowing sky. From this vision, here in a place whose very definition was the nullification of meaning, another prisoner remarked: How beautiful the world could be! Such is the promise of logotherapy not to ensure that there will be more sunsets, for that is our individual and societal responsibility. What logotherapy offers, rather, is the promise to be in awe at a sunset, even if it does happen to be our last one; to find wonder, meaning, beauty and grace even in the apocalypse, even in hell. The rest is up to us. By Delana Isles FORMER chief minister Oswald Skippings and ex-premier Michael Misick have both supported the appointments of new Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang. Both men expressed that with the appointment of a new chief justice for the TCI, it is hoped that a sense of respectability and fairness will now return to the judiciary. Skippings stated that the appointment offers fresh hope for the execution of exemplary justice at the highest levels "thats not contaminated by conflicts of interest brought about by reported unethical relationships between the chief justice and active, practicing attorneys, but other hope as well. CJ Agyemangs predecessor is Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale. He added that the biography of Agyemang speaks volumes of her proven integrity as she has fearlessly stood up to both political oligarchy as well as social, economic and industrial rule. Misick (who was also a chief minister before the post premier was created) was similarly complimentary. He said: "As a former premier and member of the Bar, I would like to congratulate the new Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang on her appointment. "I endorse the sentiments of my colleague former chief minister Skippings in saying we hope your appointment is a breath of fresh air for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. "We look forward to you re-establishing confidence and dignity in the judiciary of the Turks and Caicos Islands which was lacking in recent years. Rooting out bias The former chief minister said that with the non-political appointment of an unbiased head judge, he hopes that "judiciary irregularities and also blatant bias and prejudice toward local Turks and Caicos attorneys will be impartially addressed. "There are enough blatant in your face examples of bias and prejudice practices, inclusive of the different levels of government legal aid remunerations to foreign attorneys, versus remunerations to local attorneys for executing similar services, Skippings opined. This has been a sore point for years, made even more stark since the inception of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) trial, where foreign lawyers outnumber local counsel. Skippings has called on local attorneys to let their voices be heard on these matters of concern. "It is the responsibility of the local attorneys to bring these injustices and irregularities to the attention of the new chief justice as a first order of business. He added that her approach and response to these "apartheid-like practices would quickly authenticate her impressive and honourable biography, or otherwise immediately relegate it to mere "glorified garbage. Local appointments Misick on the other hand is calling on Governor Nigel Dakin to make another bold step and appoint an indigenous islander to fill the roster of magistrates now less one, due to Tanya Lobban-Jacksons appointment to the Supreme Court. "I now call on Governor Dakin to have the same courage, and now that there is a vacancy at the magistrate level to appoint a Turks and Caicos Islander to a substantive post as a magistrate. He said that in so doing, Dakin would be making history by appointing the territorys first indigenous magistrate. "This is 2020, not 1920. It is long overdue that we begin to be judged by our own people and the appointment of a Turks and Caicos Islander as a magistrate would be a step in the right direction. "There are more than enough Turks and Caicos Islanders lawyers available whereby at least one can be made a magistrate. The young people are watching, the ex-premier added. The first bold step made by the governor, as alluded to by Misick, was in the appointment of Lobban-Jackson as puisne judge in line with practises in other commonwealth countries, where senior judges are given the security of tenure. He said this step will ensure that judges can carry out their duties without fear or favour. Misick encouraged both Lobban-Jackson and newly appointed chief magistrate Jolyon Hatmin to continue to exhibit fairness in their new roles. AirAsia X's BIG members in Malaysia can now avail unlimited international flights for USD 118 or 499 Malaysian ringgit (Rs 8,600). Unfortunately, this does not apply to India-based passengers. The scheme is meant for those flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Australia, Japan, China, India and South Korea and can be availed for unlimited times till March 2, 2021. Passengers will still have to pay taxes and airport fees. The company hopes to revive flying in a time where travel has taken a hit due to coronavirus fear, and the aviation industry in the West has gone for a toss. It hopes that this unlimited travel scheme will be enough to override people's fear of travel during the outbreak. The scheme launched on February 29 is up for grabs till March 7, 2020. "This is unprecedented. However, AirAsia has always been known as the disruptor and we want to restore traveller's confidence amid the current sentiment towards flying," Benyamin Ismail, CEO, Air Asia X Malaysia said. "Travelling is still very safe as long as everyone travels responsibly and is kept updated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or respective government's travel advice." The Air Aisa X, part of Air Aisa group is known for regularly giving discounts and offers on air tickets. The lastest offer might throw bring some positive sentiment towards the company whose CEO Tony Fernandes stepped aside for two months due to bribery charges. ALSO READ:Air India employees need not worry about their jobs, at least not for a year ALSO READ:Rajiv Bansal takes charge as Air India Chairman for second time WATCH THIS:Air India pilot recounts evacuation from Coronavirus-hit Wuhan Islamabad, March 2 : A Pakistani doctor who played a key role in the capture of former Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, on Monday launched a hunger strike inside a jail alleging that appeals against his prison sentence have been delayed repeatedly. Shakil Afridi, who took part in a false vaccination campaign in Abbottabad which was orchestrated by the US' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to obtain Bin Laden's DNA samples, has been serving a 23-year sentence. "He is on hunger strike from today (Monday)," Afridi's lawyer Qamar Nadeem told Efe news regarding his client, who is placed in a high security prison in Punjab province. Nadeem alleged Afridi was facing an "inhuman" and "unjust" situation after around 65 delays in appeal hearings against his sentence, which was based on charges of having links to terrorist groups. "It is inhuman, injustice, and not according to Sharia or any other law," the lawyer added. Afridi was arrested shortly after the Al Qaeda leader was killed in a special operation by US special forces on May 2, 2011, at his compound in Abbottabad. A year later, Afridi received a 33-year prison sentence by a court in the Pakistan's tribal areas, which still follow colonial British era laws not related to the country's constitution, for links to terrorist groups. The doctor was explicitly convicted for high treason for his cooperation with CIA, and his sentence was later reduced to 23 years in prison, although no hearings have taken place since then. In June 2019, the case went to the Peshawar High Court but hearings were postponed five times without any progress in the case, according to the lawyer. US President Donald Trump had said during an election campaign in May 2016 that he would get Afridi freed within two minutes if he won the elections. The comment had evoked a condemnation from Pakistan. The Bishop of Lindi has asked for help from all people of good will. By Fr John Waters As the flooding in Tanzania continues, the Bishop of Lindi, one of the most affected areas of the country, has put out an appeal for disaster relief. Torrential rain has caused flooding in the South-Eastern region of Tanzania since the end of January. Bishop Bruno Pius Ngonyani has called on local caritas groups, state authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and all people of good will to help those affected by the flooding. His appeal echoes another which was made by the Tanzanian Prime Ministers disaster relief team, who called for more donations of money and resources as the crisis continued. At least 21 people have died as a result of the floods, with a further 21,000 people having been displaced. Relief efforts are being hampered by the fact that rain is still ongoing in some of the worst affected areas. A number of road bridges have also been damaged by the floods waters, leaving some areas only accessible by helicopter. In January one national disaster management team said that the situation had left them overstretched and under-resourced. Many schools have been closed to their pupils and are instead being used as shelters for those made homeless. Makeshift hospitals and healthcare facilities are also often based in these converted school buildings. Up to 495 acres of farmland have also been destroyed by the floods, leaving many people without food supplies. Documents from a precision parts maker that has contracts with Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla companies have been leaked online Documents from a precision parts maker that has contracts with Elon Musk's spacex and Tesla companies have been leaked online by hackers. DoppelPaymer, a type of ransomware, has released non-disclosure agreements between Colorado-based Visser Precision and SpaceX and Tesla. The relatively new cyber crime group published the documents on a site they launched just last week called Dopple Leaks. They are demanding that Visser Precision pay a ransom or else more documents will be released. Visser Precision confirmed to DailyMail.com in an emailed statement that the company was 'the recent target of a criminal cybersecurity incident, including access to or theft of data'. 'The company continues its comprehensive investigation of the attack, and business is operating normally,' a spokesperson said. 'Visser Precision will continue full cooperation with its customer partner companies, but will make no further press comment at this time.' DoppelPaymer, a relatively new cyber crime group that uses ransomware, has released non-disclosure agreements between Colorado-based Visser Precision and SpacX and Tesla (file image) The criminals published the documents from SpaceX (file image) and Tesla on a site they created just last week and has demanded that Visser pay a ransom or more documents will be released According to TechCrunch, aircraft maker Boeing and defense contractor Lockheed Martin were also affected by the hack. One of the documents released online appeared to be a partial schematic for a missile antenna and was marked as containing 'Lockheed Martin proprietary information', according to the tech news site. DailyMail.com requests for comment to Tesla, SpaceX and Boeing were not immediately returned. According to a spokesperson from Lockheed Martin, the company is 'aware of the situation with Visser Precision and are following our standard response process for potential cyber incidents related to our supply chain'. DoppelPaymer has been active since last year when hackers from the group demanded about $5million in bitcoin from Mexico's Pemex. The hack forced the oil firm to shut down computers across Mexico, freezing systems such as payments, according to five employees and internal emails. A ransom note that appeared on Pemex computers pointed to a darknet website affiliated with DoppelPaymer. The website demanded 565 bitcoins, or nearly $5million at current prices, and threatened Pemex with a 48-hour deadline, listing an email address to contact. Aircraft maker Boeing and defense contractor Lockheed Martin were also affected by the hack The best recourse for victims of a ransomware attack (file image) is to restore the captive systems from a saved backup, assuming they have one, said Brian Calkin, chief technology officer for the Center for Internet Security At the time, the apparent hackers said that Pemex had missed a deadline for a 'special price,' an apparent reference to the discounts sometimes offered to ransomware victims for early payment. Hackers have increasingly targeted companies with malicious programs that can cripple systems overseeing everything from supply chains to manufacturing, removing them only after receiving substantial payments. DoppelPaymer was also behind the attacks on Chile's Agriculture Ministry and the town of Edcouch in Texas, according to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. In August 2019, more than 20 local governments in Texas were targeted in a coordinated ransomware attack. At the time, the attack took down all municipal computers and left some cities unable to process credit card payments. DoppelPaymer: A type of ransomware that targets corporate networks DoppelPaymer is a type of ransomware variant of BitPaymer, which is a type of ransomware that's operated by eCrime group INDRIK SPIDER, also known as Dridex. The first victims of DoppelPaymer were targeted in 2019. These initial attacks have led researchers to assess that the one or more members of the INDRIK SPIDER have splintered from the group to begin their own operation as DoppelPaymer. The group behind DoppelPaymer has targeted victims for ransoms ranging from $25,000 to $5million. Companies with comprised networks will see a ransom note similar to the one below that tells the user that their network has been encrypted. Companies with comprised networks will see a ransom note similar to the one below that tells the user that their network has been encrypted Another window will show the portal where the company will have to pay the criminals. DoppelPaymer compromises a corporate network by gaining access to administrative credentials. The group then deploys the ransomware on the network to encrypt all devices. If a ransom is not paid by the deadline, the group then releases the stolen files on a public site to expose the victim's confidential files such as lawsuits and non-disclosure agreements. There's only two ways around this: 1. Pay the group and rebuild the system from scratch or 2. Restore the system from a saved backup, but that's assuming companies have one. Another window will show the portal (pictured) where the company will have to pay the criminals Advertisement The best recourse for victims of a ransomware attack is to restore the captive systems from a saved backup, assuming they have one, said Brian Calkin, chief technology officer for the Center for Internet Security. If not, officials must decide whether to pay the ransom or rebuild their system from scratch. Ransomware often spreads through emails containing malicious links or attachments or by visiting a compromised website. According to the FBI, businesses and individuals lost $3.5billion in 2019 to cybercriminals. In 2019, people reported more than 460,000 incidents of cybercrime to the FBI. That's an average of nearly 1,300 incidents every day, and more than 100,000 more than the year prior, according to the report. Gallon by gallon, with a submersible pump humming in the background, a group of veterans and military enthusiasts from all over the country have drained the hulking USS Ling, a World War II-era submarine berthed in the Hackensack River long thought to have been lost to flooding. For a year and a half, as much as 14 feet of murky river water filled the hull of the 312-foot long, 1,500-ton vessel after vandals flooded the boat. The water filled every corner and crevice of the submarines innards, damaging radio and electronic equipment. Era-specific artifacts like mess kits, uniforms and bunks fully furnished with mattresses were also lost. But by November, after months of work that included trudging around inside the submarine clad in wet suits, members of the Louisville Naval Museum Inc. have drained all but a few inches of water inside the boats main compartment. Once again, a person can walk into the submarine and take a glimpse into military history. The mission, the group says, is to restore the Ling to its former glory and to put it on display in a Louisville museum as its showcase exhibit. The helm aboard the Ling.George McNish | For NJ Advance Media Its a little messy with river muck, but now you can just walk on board, said Chris Kerrigan, spokesman for the group. Since September, the group, with members from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey, have made trips to the submarine, in the river alongside River Street in Hackensack, to assess the damage and see about saving the Ling. On the first trip in September, a small crew including Lewis Palmer arrived at the property adjacent to the ship, hopped on a small old dinghy with the markings of the Sleepy Hollow Fire Department and floated to the Ling, climbing aboard to see its condition. Soon after, the crew donned wet suits and dove into the dark waters that sloshed around inside the submarine, exploring the interior of the boat to assess the situation. They found the main compartment was flooded with approximately 14 feet of water, Kerrigan said. "It was pretty full, he said. The forward torpedo room on the USS Ling a World War II vintage submarine. A group of military vets and enthusiasts have banded together and drained the USS Ling, in Hackensack, of gallons upon gallons of river water. Their hope is to salvage the ship and take it to the Louisville Naval museum George McNish | For NJ Advance Media But weekend after weekend, using a submersible pump, generators and an air compressor on loan from a Bogota concrete company across the river from the Ling, the team drained tens of thousands of gallons from the Ling, Kerrigan said. Much of the water, which Kerrigan said was tested, was pumped back out into the river. The groups journey started in of all places a Facebook group that posted photos of the Ling with the caption: "Free to any home. Just tow it away. Palmer, who served in the U.S. Army for three years, saw the post and decided to do something to save the metal behemoth hed never seen in person. Im a sucker for a good story, said Palmer, of Scottsburg, Indiana. Once I read it and heard what happened and stuff like that it tugs at your heart strings. Im just a common sense kind of guy. Everything weve done is just using common sense. I started to get involved and grew a group of people. The team includes an active duty Navy member who works on nuclear vessels and had the expertise to patch up a three-inch hole in the front of the Ling and who, with help from the crew, even managed to bring the atrophied boats ballast tanks, which are responsible for submerging and surfacing a submarine, back to life. Kelly Komar of Roselle, a volunteer, works to cleanup the Ling, on Feb, 29, 2020.George McNish | For NJ Advance Media After draining the boat, the crew used an air compressor to blow out the ballast tanks, a sign that maybe someday the submarine can float again. One of the biggest responses we got out of her, after 40 years, her ballast tanks responded, Palmer said. We blew them out. We got some holes to patch in them but once we weld those up, we believe she can float. Inside the Ling On Saturday, a crew of nearly a dozen crossed the newly installed gang plank donated by a marina in Toms River, and onto the listing sub to continue the clean-up process by tossing damaged materials and power-washing the interior. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy washed away the gang plank used for years to board the Ling. Walking down the metal stairs into the boat, gripping railings wrapped in well-worn cords, the smell of rust and water-logged refuse wafts up. But, as one advances further down, past the light from outside, a world from decades ago reveals itself. Lining either wall-like battered cylindrical shelves are torpedoes, all demilitarized. One of the torpedos propellers still spins if pushed. Artifacts - officers hats and an old typewriter - are strewn about, caked in mold and rust underneath the wire frames for beds where officers would sleep. The crew mess area aboard the USS Ling a World War II vintage submarine. A group of military vets and enthusiasts have banded together and drained the USS Ling, in Hackensack, of gallons upon gallons of river water. Their hope is to salvage the ship and take it to the Louisville Naval museum George McNish | For NJ Advance Media A thick line of filth runs along the top of the walls, marking the water line from the flooding. But ducking through a squat doorway, a time far gone comes alive again. Pots, pans and cooking utensils still sit inside the galley. In the mess hall, theres tables marked with checkers and backgammon patterns for seamen to pass the time. A microphone juts out from a panel in a radio control room, one of the areas most damaged by the flooding. Underneath the conning tower is the control room, the heart of the ship, with gauges, meters and radar and sonar. Roy Venckus, a member of the clean-up crew, traced his gloved hands along gauges and meters, pausing to clean them with a brass brush. Venckus, 76, trained on the Ling in the early 1960s, and remembered loading the boats shower stalls with food - prioritizing snacks over cleanliness. He remembers sneaking beers onto the boat and the ice cream machine that submariners used for an underwater treat. Venckus, who wore a Navy cap with USS Ling emblazoned on the front, said that when the team finishes cleaning up the boat, he vowed to put on his old Dixie hat and uniform shirt and ride the revived submarine along the East Coast down to its new home. Crews quarters aboard the Ling.George McNish | For NJ Advance Media New life for the Ling The Louisville Naval Museums efforts to rehabilitate the submarine marks a sharp turn in the Lings fortunes. Just a few months ago, there was little communication between the Louisville Naval Museum and the Submarine Memorial Association, the group that owns and maintained the Ling for more than 40 years and also operated the former New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack. For decades, the USS Ling was the centerpiece exhibit of the museum, which was housed in a trailer on land feet away from the boat. In 2016, the lease for the land was terminated by Stephen Borg, the former publisher of The Record newspaper and owner of the property on which the museum sat. In 1974, Borgs grandfather had negotiated a deal to lease the land to the museum for $1 a year. The lease had been on a month-to-month basis since 1994. After Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the museum closed. After the Borgs notified the museum that the lease arrangement was ending, the Navy came in and took back artifacts it had loaned the museum. By fall of 2018, the museum had cleared nearly all of the rest of the remaining artifacts from the property. More than a year later, Borg, by way of his company Fourth Edition Inc., gave the Louisville Naval Museum permission to go onto the property adjacent to the boat and get to work saving the Ling, said Bob Sommer, spokesman for Fourth Edition Inc. The simplest answer is yes, Sommer said. They have access to the property. It was the expertise evident in the group and the plan they seemed to have that made the difference to Borg and his company, Sommer said. Theyve got a record of doing this and seem to have a sense of what they wanted to do, he said. As opposed to others who might not have had this expertise, these experts do have that expertise. And it seems suited to be able to try to figure something out. Other people may have loved the boat. This entity, these people working on it now, clearly have the assets, the expertise and the ability to try to save the boat." Communication between the Louisville museum and the Submarine Memorial Association has also been jumpstarted, said Palmer. Around two months ago, Leslie Altschuler, the vice president of the association, gave the group official permission to rehabilitate the Ling, Hackensack Police Capt. Darrin DeWitt said. We had a huge turnaround with the association, said Palmer. Its kind of patched things up. Theyre cooperating like night and day. When Palmer and his crew first boarded the boat, talks between the two groups were tense and slow going, said Les Altschuler, the associations vice president. But when the association saw the crew of active duty military, veterans and maritime enthusiasts, it decided to trust the Louisville Naval Museum. Since then, were all on the same page, he said. Regardless of where it goes. Roy Venckus of Clifton, who served aboard the Ling, cleans gauges on Feb. 29, 2020.George McNish | For NJ Advance Media Louisville bound The groups endgame is to refurbish the Ling enough to float it south to New Orleans, at which point American Commercial Barge Line, based in Jeffersonville, Indiana, would take over and haul the submarine for free to one of its shipyards, said Palmer. The group would then dry dock the sub and repair the hull, he said. Once the hull is repaired, the next step would be to restore the interior. Thats our goal, to restore, said Palmer. To bring her back to what she used to look like and display her. The final resting place, the group hopes, would be across the river from the shipyard, in a new naval museum in Louisville. Raising money for the long and arduous revival of the boat has been a difficult, but steady-going task, Palmer said. The group set a goal of $10,000 to pay for getting the Ling to float once more. At a fundraiser dinner, where the group had raised $3,800, a benefactor told Palmer hed write a check for the difference, he said. Altogether, the group has raised nearly $20,000, though the estimated price tag for dry docking the boat is $1 to $2 million, while the barge-mounted expedition from Hackensack to New Orleans is expected to cost an estimated $1 million, he said. Until then, every weekend or so, volunteers from all over join the core group of would-be naval saviors to power wash the boat and to fix it piece by piece. Eventually, Palmer and his crew hope to create a legacy befitting the well-loved submarine. For Altschuler, one of the boats longtime stewards and a former Ling crew member himself, the progress already made is astounding. And he hopes, wherever the Ling is docked, it will be taken care of. We all agree on one thing," he said. Its not where the boat goes. Its the fact that the boat gets saved. We want to save this submarine. The propellers on a torpedo aboard the Ling.George McNish | For NJ Advance Media Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. (Natural News) Those in the frontlines in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak may have been infected after a woman from California tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection. The woman, who is now critically ill with the coronavirus, was hospitalized for 11 days before her condition was revealed to healthcare workers, thereby raising the potential of broader community exposure to the dangerous respiratory disease. The San Francisco Chronicle says officials have not been able to pinpoint the source of the womans infection. Public health authorities are now scrambling to trace all contacts the woman may have had after becoming sick. However, they have refused to divulge the womans name, her exact address, where she went in her community before seeking medical attention, or who may be at risk of infection. The staff members at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville who had contact with the woman a Solano County resident have been asked to stay at home and monitor themselves for any symptoms. According to Bela Matyas, the public health officer of Solano County Health and Social Services, some staff members may be placed under quarantine. Officials involved in the case, meanwhile, said the total number of possibly exposed health workers is still unknown, but that it should be less than 100. In addition, the womans family is now under isolation and her co-workers identified and evaluated. In a bid to allay the publics fears, Matyas also added that the patient was only potentially infectious for about a three-day window and that the risk to the general public remains very, very low. Meanwhile, UC Davis Medical Center, where the woman was brought after her condition worsened, said the case is now being investigated by the CDC as possibly the first patient to have received the infection from exposure in the community. What happened? According to accounts by hospital staff, the patient brought herself to the 50-bed NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville on February 15, in order to be treated for what then seemed to be flu symptoms. The patient stayed in the hospital until her situation worsened, then she was transferred to UC Davis on the 19th to receive advanced care. Upon her arrival at UC Davis, doctors, worried that she might be infected with COVID-19, asked that the woman be tested. The CDC, however, as revealed by an internal email from a UC Davis vice chancellor, disagreed. According to the email, the CDC initially decided against testing the woman since she did not meet its initial criteria, which include recent trips to China or possible contact with someone infected with COVID-19. The CDC only changed its criteria for testing Thursday, with the list now including people who are manifesting symptoms such as fever and severe respiratory illness without an alternative diagnosis symptoms similar to the ones the woman had when she checked herself in for treatment. Second COVID-19 case confirmed In addition to the woman from Solano, the second case of COVID-19 with an unknown origin has been identified in Santa Clara County, Friday. According to health experts, this is indicative that the coronavirus is likely spreading through more than one community in the US. According to The Washington Post, the second case involves a 65-year-old woman who had no known history of travel to any of the countries that have been hit the hardest by the disease. In the report, it is said that the woman has chronic health conditions and that she was originally hospitalized for a respiratory illness before being tested for the coronavirus on February 26. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County Health Officer, confirmed the news. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission, but the extent is still not clear, Cody said in a press conference. As of press time, 85,206 have been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, with 2,924 confirmed dead. Sources include: ModBee.com SFChronicle.com TheVerge.com WashingtonPost.com Donald Trump and Boris Johnson as the UK and US prepare for trade talks. (PETER NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images) Prime minister Boris Johnson has vowed to drive a hard bargain in talks with the US over a trade deal due to start later this month. The UK government is set to publish its negotiating objectives for the trade negotiations on Monday. It unveiled a similar document over EU negotiations last week, with talks expected to get underway in Brussels on Monday afternoon. The US talks will run in parale Greater trade opportunities with the US could boost the UK economy by 3.4bn, the department for international trade said in a press release late on Sunday. Officials say UK exporters and investors could secure greater access to US markets, with fewer tariffs and less paperwork. Carmakers, food and drink firms, ceramics manufacturers and professional services could be the biggest winners, according to the government. Johnson said: We have the best negotiators in the business and of course, were going to drive a hard bargain to boost British industry. Trading Scottish smoked salmon for Stetson hats, we will deliver lower prices and more choice for our shoppers. Read more: UK government could walk away from Brexit talks in June But campaigners and opposition parties fear the UK may struggle in talks with Trumps administration, which has taken a tough negotiating stance with China, the EU, Canada and Mexico. There are concerns a trade deal could allow US firms into the NHS, and risk undermining food and other UK standards. The government should be focused on getting a good trade deal with the EU not cosying up to Donald Trump, said trade union leader Frances OGrady. Nobody voted for chlorinated chicken or for US corporations to have more access to our personal data. OGrady also warned a bad deal could put workers jobs and employment rights on the line. But the government vowed to rigorously protect the NHS, and to ensure high standards for UK consumers and workers, including on food safety and animal welfare. It also promised one of the biggest government consultations ever, seeking the views of UK organisations and the public to inform the negotiations. Story continues Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said securing a good trade deal with the US was vital to help create new jobs and investment. She said the government had encouraging plans to push for greater migration opportunities for skilled US and UK workers to move between the two countries. Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said firms were enthusiastic about new trade opportunities. But he said most firms main priority was a strong trade agreement with the EU. Donna Estes, program director and instructor of Health Information Management Technology at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, has set up a scholarship through the GNTC Foundation to assist her students in achieving their occupational certification. The scholarship is in memory of her late husband who was also a program director for GNTCs Computer Information Systems (CIS) program. He believed in the underdog students, she said. Charles always felt that no student should fall through the cracks. Ms. Estes met Mr. Estes, a GNTC faculty member of 16 years who passed in spring of 2019, when she first took over the Health Information Management Technology program in 2013. She said he welcomed her to the 600 Building on the Walker County Campus, where they were both located, and cheered her on as she built the program. Marriage was the absolute last thing I was looking for when I moved here from North Carolina, Ms. Estes said laughing. Our first date was to a (Chattanooga) Lookouts game on Labor Day of 2013 and we were married in December 2014. Ms. Estes said her passion for her program comes from her late husbands drive to try and make things better for their students. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) administers the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam certification Estes students take towards the end of their last semester in the program. In most cases the certification is necessary to land a job post-graduation she said, and finances should not be an issue for those who cant afford it. The RHIT certification is about $300, Ms. Estes said. It is my hope this will help someone and Charles name will be remembered. With around 50 graduates entering the workforce since she took over the program, Ms. Estes program boasted a 100% job placement rate for her students in Academic Year 2018. Her online only program has seen graduates enter the Atlanta, Chattanooga and northwest Georgia areas. We are delighted about the establishment of the Charles and Donna Estes Scholarship because it honors and continues the legacy of the late Charles Estes, a dedicated GNTC faculty member, Lauretta Hannon, director of Institutional Advancement at GNTC said. The GNTC Foundation is so grateful for her gift of this scholarship. Charles Estes is the only GNTC employee who has won both the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) award and Rick Perkins Award at the college. He was selected as the GOAL award winner in 1999 while he was a student and nine years later won the Rick Perkins Award as an instructor. So were leaving Afghanistan, with a partial, then ultimately a complete withdrawal. The Taliban has promised to behave themselves (that is, not to support Al-Qaida), or maybe they havent, really (is the extent of the promise really just to not provide aid for any planned attacks on the US?). I could read, and attempt to parse the so-called peace agreement, but I doubt it really matters. Its purpose is not to ensure that the Taliban enter into the Afghan government in a democratic fashion and hew to the norms of a modern democratic state. Its purpose, to the contrary, is to allow the US army to save face as it leaves the country. Am I a fan of this turn of events? Until not that long ago, I would have said that we simply cannot leave, because the fate of women and girls if the Taliban retake power is simply too grim. How can we simply leave them to a fate of being trapped in their homes or under burqas, dying in childbirth because they arent permitted to seek medical care, and the like? Its appalling. But when you do the math when you realize that the young men serving in the military were not necessarily even born when the precipitating event of September 11 occurred well, at some point one must finally recognize that the nation-building that had always been a part of this endeavor simply isnt possible. Why that is, I dont know that is, whether there are cultural differences that mean that the Afghanis simply arent interested in the objective we have in mind for them, that the men (not just Taliban men) think the Taliban proscriptions are entirely appropriate, that they were willing to fight against the Soviet occupiers but not against their own people, that too many of them who might have fought left to claim refugee status in Europe, that those who would have liked to have a western-style democracy and economy simply werent capable enough, etc. And maybe we that is, the U.S. military and the various international development organizations, both the NGOs, and the arms of the US government such as USAID might have been more competent at achieving this goal. Certainly, there were plenty of reports of corruption by the Afghans and of the Americans just standing by and accepting it. But after 18 years, under Bush, Obama, and now Trump, its no longer reasonable to say, well, its the fault of X, and if Y had been in charge, it would have all gone differently. After all, both X and Y were in charge. Bush had his surge, to some degree of success? Did Obama squander it? In the end, it doesnt matter any longer; its just too late now. And its sad, really. I dont harbor any expectation that this will end well. I fully expect that we will at some point be helicoptering people out in a replay of 1975 Vietnam. And I wonder: did supporters of the agreement that led to US withdrawal from Vietnam, believe that it would produce lasting peace? Did they believe that North Vietnam would leave South Vietnam undisturbed? I know some number of war protesters believed that North Vietnam was in the right so would have been fine with an agreement that meant little more than a structure under which the U.S. would leave. In the end, its one of a series of lessons. After all, I was a college student when the Berlin Wall fell, and in my understanding of the world, that was a clear divide between the Cold War era and fears of nuclear war, and a brighter future. True, the Tiananmen Square protest did not have the same outcome as those of the Soviet satellites, but I admit I bought into the idea that as China became more prosperous, it would eventually become more free. We have this sense that we are somehow hardwired for democracy. Is that really true? Consider the scene in the first Avengers movie, when Loki says, It is the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. (Yes, Ive seen it multiple times I have three boys, after all but pulled the line from a quotes website.) Were not meant to believe that this is actually true but there is a certain truth to it, at least insofar as the narrative of fighting for freedom doesnt always play out as we imagine. So anyway, thats all I have to say on the subject. How about you? Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AWomen_in_burqa_with_their_children_in_Herat%2C_Afghanistan.jpg; By Arnesen (Woman and Children) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Prior to the re-emergence of democracy in Nigeria in May,1999, political pundits specifically blamed the socioeconomic and political instability on the military. Specifically, while many at that time roundly accused the military of intolerance, immature, corrupt, and seriousness, unpatriotic and tribalistic, some were of the view that until the plundering and debilitating hands of the military are removed from governance, and replaced with democracy-that guarantees rule of law- and ensures decision will be tested, studied, reviewed, and examined through the processes of government that are designed to formulate and implement such policies,the nations infrastructures, education, health and power sectors can never be reconstructed and Nigerians will not enjoy a boom of creativity and productivity, others vividly castigated the military for terminating democracy and its elements-popular sovereignty, political equality, political freedom and majority rule. Indeed, for clarity and clarification, no development-minded Nigeria, looking at their past records here and at global stage, will support a military or any undemocratic forms of government. As mountains of evidence attest that such leadership styles are often always reputed for putting people in prison for their convictions and limit all forms of free expressions and associations. However, for the past two decades, I have followed with curiousity news reports, commentaries, opinion articles and street reactions for and against different political decisions, policies and actions of the nations democratically elected officials. And, a careful analysis of democracy as a system of government in relation to various political and socioeconomic occurances in the country within the period under review, it provides a canonical proof that democracy just like every other system lacks capacity for producing a definite outcome as it depend largely on how they are employed. As an illustration, comprehensive evaluation of the machanics of power, its acquisition, and its exercise in Nigeria which has resulted in fractured the political geography into polarised ethnosyncrasies and idiosyncrasies, coupled with recent fiscal, sociological, political and communal happenings in the country; coupled with the pockets of Ethno-religious upheavals and misgivings from one region against another,bring agitation of different forms and shapes, its enough to feel concerned and look differently at our system and method. Separate from the believe that since the return of democracy in the country, the nation has conducted different elections that cannot be characterized as credible because they were never organized in an atmosphere of peace, devoid of rancor and acrimony, there have been so many sad chapters of democratic practice that sets it apart from that of the wider world. These include; elected officials use of office as an opportunity for private gain instead of avenue for public good. Others includes but not limited to; poor leadership; poor strategy for development; lack of capable and effective state and bureaucracy; lack of focus on sectors that will improve the condition of living of citizens such as education, health, agriculture and the building of infrastructure; corruption and undeveloped. A painful example of these failures and its impact on the nations economy is the national carrier, Nigerian Airways. It was factually supported that as at 1972, Nigerian Airways used to be a super continental airline, traveling to over 1,500 destination across the globe, generating 150 billion naira profit yearly, and providing jobs to about 10,000 Nigerians, Kenyans, Ethiopians and South Africans, to the admiration and amazement of foreign nations. In the same, style, when Nigeria lunched her first television in 1959, under the watch of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, it did that ahead of China, Canada, Netherlands, and a lot of other Europeans, Asia and South American countries today. To find solution to this situation that have persistently occurred for two decades unabated, two vital points need to be underlined. First and fundamental, is that to enjoy good governance, we need not just democracy as a system of government but good people (both leaders and followers) who understand public order, personal and national security, economic and social programmes, and prosperity is not the natural order of things but depends on the ceaseless efforts and attentions from an honest and effective government that the people elect. That, however, good the system may be, bad leaders will bring harm to their people-but several nations, such as China without democratic ethos have been well governed despite poor system because good and capable leaders were involved. To explain the above fact, China, aside from being ruled, increasingly dictatorially by an unelected communist party that puts people in prison for their convictions and limits all forms of free expressions and associations, the country economic and scientific achievements supports the claim that not the system of government but the quality of leaders in charge that determine the height a state or society could go. it is a country that has just experienced a period of economic growth, the likes of which the world had never before seen. Its model, says a report blazes a new trail for other developing countries to achieve modernization and offers a new option for other countries and nations who want to speed up their development. The second concern is that until Nigerians develop the freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thoughts and belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association and political/electoral sovereignty reside in, take actions that will change the narrative, no reform, measures or intervention coming from other quarters will reverse the shocking infrastructural decay and degradation on the nations space, or save this suffering democracy. Until Nigerians themselves re-examine their roles in allowing and not preventing the dangerous imbalance that has emerged with the executive branch dominating the constitutional system. Viewed differently, this worries may not be in any way unique to Nigerians as Samuel Bagg of McGill University in a recent report expressed similar worry about democracy when he passionately submitted that; political ignorance, shortsightedness, and irrationality of the ordinary citizens are the major challenges confronting democracy; warning that for a nation to have a responsible government, such a decision must not be left in the hands of political ignorant or the ordinary citizens or given freely to everyone. In absolute terms, the above argument may not be wrong as; political ignorance, shortsightedness, and citizens non-possession of action logic to study the various propositions presented by the leaders in the past, has resulted in situations where politicians persuaded electorates to endorse and applaud policies that were harmful to their interest. In my objective views, democracy is not the problem but Nigerians. Jerome-Mario Utomi, Lagos. Pete Buttigieg has pulled out of the race for the Democratic nomination. Buttigieg more or less tied Bernie Sanders for first place in the Iowa caucuses and finished second in the New Hampshire primary. However, his only hope for becoming the nominee and it was a slim one was a collapse of the Biden campaign and a failure of the Bloomberg campaign to launch. These occurrences would have made Buttigieg the prime alternative to Bernie Sanders. As such, he might have had an outside shot at the nomination. The Biden campaign almost collapsed, thanks in part to Buttigieg outperforming him in Iowa and New Hampshire. But the South Carolina primary revived Biden and, at the same time, demonstrated that Buttigieg, for all his pandering to African-American voters, has almost zero appeal to this key Democratic constituency. Hence, Buttigiegs exit. I confess to having been fascinated by Buttigieg and his campaign. His success in Iowa and New Hampshire was amazing for such an upstart. In my view, he was easily the most politically talented member of the Democratic field, as well as the most intelligent. He may also have been the most slippery. As the campaign went on, that last quality, his slipperiness, caused me to lose my initial respect for Buttigieg. His ability to face reality and quit a race he cannot win, even though its early and hes in third place in the delegate count, restores a little bit of my respect for him. Polls suggest that Buttigieg had the support of about 11 percent of Democratic voters. Where will that support go now? Initially, it might go to several candidates, thus blunting the impact of Buttigiegs exit. Eventually, though, if the race comes down to Sanders and Biden, most of Buttigiegs support figures to go to Biden. In the post just below this one, John raises the possibility that Buttigieg might be selected as the running mate for either Biden or Sanders. I dont believe Buttigieg is the likeliest selection for either man, but I agree with John that one can imagine him as either Bernie Sanderss or Joe Bidens vice presidential pick. The conspiracy case against an alleged mistress of drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman will be tried in Washington, D.C., according to a grand jury indictment filed Monday. Lucero Guadalupe Sanchez Lopez, 28, has been in federal custody in San Diego since being arrested June 21 at the Cross Border Xpress, a secure passage connecting Tijuanas airport to San Diego. She was arrested on a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine an allegation stemming from a U.S. investigation into Guzmans Sinaloa drug cartel. The investigation is based in part on wiretaps intercepted by U.S. federal agents in Arizona, according to the complaint filed in San Diego. Rather than try the case here, it has been refiled and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justices Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section in Washington, D.C., said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Mellor in San Diego. On Tuesday, Sanchez pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy charge in the Washington, D.C., indictment during a hearing in San Diego. A hearing has been set for July 27 to transfer her custody as well. Advertisement Sanchez, a former legislator in the Mexico state of Sinaloa and long rumored to be Guzmans girlfriend, is accused of facilitating communications between the drug lord and the upper and lower echelons of his cartel. Specifically, she is accused in the complaint of coordinating the flow of illicit money to the cartel via text messages. According to the investigation, she told a cartel member who was cooperating with U.S. agents that she was Guzmans girlfriend and that she was with him when he escaped from a Mexican police raid on Feb. 16, 2014, fleeing into a tunnel under a bathtub. Sanchez is also under investigation in Mexico, charged with using a false ID to visit Guzman in the Altiplano prison outside Mexico City in 2014. Sanchez has publicly claimed that the woman on the prisons surveillance camera is not her, and also denied reports of being romantically involved with Guzman. After her arrest in San Diego last month, her Mexican lawyer told The San Diego Union-Tribune that she had come to the U.S. not knowing that the State Department had canceled her visa to explore some kind of asylum for her and her family. However, that was never mentioned by attorneys in court in San Diego. Prosecutors said in an earlier court hearing that after she was apprehended at the Cross Border Xpress, she tried to run back into Mexico to escape arrest. U.S. Customs and Border Protection had to tackle her to stop her from fleeing, Mellor told the judge. A San Diego federal judge denied her request for bond last month. While her case will proceed in the District of Columbia, Guzmans will be continuing in a Brooklyn federal courtroom, where he is being prosecuted on allegations of running a massive drug operation. He was extradited from Mexico in January. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis ALSO Alleged mistress of El Chapo denied bail in San Diego drug trafficking prosecution An armed man who entered a Southern California church in between Masses died on Sunday after an officer-involved shooting, the authorities said. The episode happened at about 4:15 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Santa Ana, Calif., according to a police spokesman, who said that officers had been responding to two unrelated calls in the immediate vicinity when witnesses reported that an armed man went inside the building. The spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Department, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, said the authorities did not know if the man was killed by the police, or if he fatally shot himself. The authorities previously said they believed the man was shot by an officer in the church. Corporal Bertagna was not able to say whether the man fired his weapon at the officer or how many shots were fired by the officer. By IANS NEW DELHI: For a leader seen as one of the most active politicians on social media, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday dropped a bomb when he claimed that he was thinking of "giving up social media". Modi's reach through social media to Indians in the country and abroad is known to all. In fact, such was his popularity amongst social media users that Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg not only hosted him at the company's headquarters but also changed his profile picture in support of the Modi government's flagship "Digital India" programme. It was in September 2015, that Zuckerberg invited Modi, then on an official visit to the US, for a town-hall meeting at Facebook headquarters in California. ALSO READ | 'Thinking of giving up my social media accounts' says PM; 'Give up hatred' Rahul replies Minutes ahead of his interaction with Modi, Zuckerberg changed his profile picture to support 'Digital India'. Within minutes, Modi too changed his picture to thank him. "I changed my profile picture to support Digital India, the Indian government's effort to connect rural communities to the internet and give people access to more services online. Looking forward to discussing this with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Facebook today," posted Zuckerberg on Facebook. Zuckerberg's new picture showed his side profile overlaid with the saffron, white and green colours of the Indian flag. It was during this event that PM Modi expressed his love for social media, saying: "I did not have the privilege to become a very educated person growing up. My world would revolve around a few words. But social media has filled the gap for me." Modi's influence on social media also became evident during the event when Facebook received over 40,000 questions for the town hall after the Facebook chief had announced the Indian Prime Minister's visit on his page and invited users to post questions. Tens of thousands of comments were made in reply, with questions on internet expansion in India, unemployment and also Modi's human rights record. Its more than sixty acres of land surrounding and protecting a precious source of fresh water, but Boernes Herff Farm is also a place to learn about sustainable living, a place to gather with others in the community, and a spot the whole family can enjoy. Herff Farm located at 33 Herff Road in Boerne and first purchased in 1854 by Ferdinand Herff is a historic site and was one of the first 10 homes in Boerne. In 1935, 68 acres were purchased by George and Erma Rozelle, though it ceased to be actively in production by the 1950s. Today, the site is owned by Cibolo Nature Center and Farm (a 100-acre natural preserve that also contains four ecosystems), offering farm classroom programs for children and local history classes, and also offering visitor tours of the restored original farmhouse. Since Cibolo Nature Center purchased the farm in 2007, many changes have been rolled out and opportunities made available to the public, with crucial changes and renovations taking place to restore the home to its exquisite original state. RELATED: Much to explore in Boerne Herff Farm is located where Menger and Cibolo Creeks meet. Cibolo Creek is spring-fed and provides recharge for the Edwards and Trinity aquifers, so this unique spot provides water to not only Boerne and San Antonio but a large swath of the Hill Country. Since the site is of momentous ecological importance, the CNC also works with The Nature Conservancy, Texas Parks and Wildlife and others to preserve and protect the watershed. For the past 13 years, partnered with REI-San Antonio, Cibolo Nature Center and Farm has also worked on salvaging and restoring the native plant life surrounding the creeks. According to its website, special events are often held at Herff Farm as well, such as the Texas Band of Lipan Apache Blessing. In 2014, an expansion of Herff Road was completed that made the farm and nature center more accessible to the community. Opportunities for kids abound, too. Cibolo Nature School at Herff Farm offers a learning environment for 3 to 5-year-old children with a model similar to Montessori, including nature-based learning and play methodology. Preschool students can attend two days a week, three days a week or five days a week. For adults, the Wildlife Field Research Week will take place May 11-16, and local citizens can learn more about the ecology of the farm and nature center. Children, adults, students and naturalists alike will receive instruction, record scientific observations, and learn more about conducting surveys and making assessments. And, of course, a renowned Farmers Market also takes place on the grounds weekly. The Farmers Market at the Cibolo is noteworthy as the only farmers market in the area held on the site of a Hill Country farm listed on the National Register of Historic Places and certainly the only one where visitors, shoppers and browsers can visit a historic homestead and barn located on dozens of acres of gorgeous Hill Country land. The Farmers Market at the Cibolo is held nearly every Saturday at Herff Farm at the Cibolo Nature Center, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until Dec. 14 each year, when it closes for the winter. (According to information from the Cibolo Nature Center and Farm, the market also closes during the Thanksgiving holiday.) For more information on how to get involved in this beloved Boerne tradition, visit https://www.cibolo.org/herfffarm/farmersmarket.html. And if youre just looking for somewhere to explore, the park and trails are open every day from 8 a.m. to dusk, with the visitor center open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. One thing is certain: One of Boernes best-kept secrets, Herff Farm offers a spot where local farmers, citizens and vendors alike can commune and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Long before the era of the celebrity auctioneer, when figures such as Lord Archer could, through sheer personality, cajole any gathering to part with their money, salerooms were often as hushed and stuffy as a public library. If any one person could have laid claim to have single-handedly changed all that, it was Peregrine Pollen. Behind a facade of studied eccentricity, he recognised that excitement and razzmatazz could not only shake up the formality of the auction house, but also do wonders for the financial bottom line. A day spent at Sothebys in New York when Pollen was presiding over a sale was rarely uneventful. On one occasion when he was auctioning a haul of gold recovered from a sunken galleon, he acquired a large scarlet macaw called Julius to liven up the bidding. A day spent at Sothebys in New York when Peregrine Pollen was presiding over a sale was rarely uneventful, writes Richard Kay Before a casket of gold coins was offered for sale, the macaw screeched: Pieces of eight! Get your pieces of eight! To add to the atmosphere, Pollen, who has died aged 89, dimmed the lights and images of storm-tossed ships were projected on to a screen behind the podium. The sale concluded, Julius went back to the Pollens Manhattan apartment where it startled the auctioneers wife by squawking: Lift up your skirt, lift up your skirt. Not long afterwards the parrot was retired to a pet shop, but this was by no means the end of Pollens fascination with exotica. He returned from a business trip with Papagoya, a South American caique (another species of parrot) that he claimed to have smuggled into America by sedating it with vodka and hiding it in his coat pocket. No wonder Papagoya became addicted to alcohol. This, however, proved a trifling diversion. The bird took to perching on Pollens shoulder, chewing on his ear lobes while the two took walks together in Central Park. This devotion to feathered friends was by no means Pollens only unconventional flourish. A flamboyant dresser, he liked to match his business suits with cowboy boots, together with the semi-permanent cigarette that dangled from the corner of his mouth. Then there was the family heirloom, an old coat that had belonged to his grandfather, with a moth-eaten fur collar. The coat came in handy during a business trip to Argentina when he wanted to smuggle four Impressionist paintings out of Buenos Aires. He rolled them up inside a poster of The Beatles and hid them in its capacious folds. During another excursion in South America, he was said to have ended up serving time in a Chilean prison for a crime nobody ever quite got to the bottom of. It all helped fuel the Pollen myth. Bespectacled and fastidious, he liked to sleep on his back with his hands folded across his chest in a priestly pose and he had a passion for white food soft cheese, Mothers Pride bread, hot dogs and shellfish. With his love for people, places and things, as well as a sense of curiosity, Pollen, whose daughter Bella (pictured with Pollen) is the fashion designer turned best-selling author, was perfectly poised to embrace the new post-War era with money to spend The cultured Old Etonian was instinctively drawn to the beauty of the art world. An insatiable collector, his brilliant eye resulted in a vast range of collections in fields as diverse as minerals, shells and natural history specimens. He was a trustee of Westonbirt, the world famous national arboretum created by his great-grand-father Robert Holford, and would travel the globe collecting, propagating and planting seeds as well as corresponding with experts. One of his most vital tasks was to establish woodlands of native trees to replace the losses from diseases such as ash dieback and Dutch elm. Records show that he planted between 6,000 and 8,000 trees to transform the parkland of Norton Hall, the family home in Gloucestershire. After the excitement of his quarter of a century at Sothebys when he travelled more than 100,000 miles a year, he might have found life there a little slow. Far from it it became the centre of his universe where he would shoot pigeons, build towering bonfires and trundle around the estate at the wheel of a tractor. With his love for people, places and things, as well as a sense of curiosity, Pollen, whose daughter Bella is the fashion designer turned best-selling author, was perfectly poised to embrace the new post-War era with money to spend. Peregrine Pollen was born in Oxford in 1931, the son of Captain Sir Walter Pollen, an industrialist who was awarded the Military Cross during World War I. His sister Pandora was headmistress of Hatherop Castle school, near Cirencester, from where years later she expelled the teenage Bella. Pictured: James Dugdale, assistant to Peregrine Pollen In an interview three years ago, Pollen recalled: My sister was quite right to expel her. Bella is so independent, she rebelled in fact she rebelled at every age. She was just so naughty, so disruptive, but I knew shed be alright. I was more worried about my sister, who thought shed failed me. Of his childhood, he said: We were very spoilt as a family. My grandfather was a banker and he had a wonderful collection of Italian paintings, which he sold in the 1920s. It was quite a serious collection. The money ran out in the 1950s, but we still have some nice pictures. Another family collection, belonging to a great uncle Sir George Holford, which included four Rembrandts, had ended up in the U.S. After Eton, where his contemporaries included Antony Armstrong-Jones, who later married Princess Margaret, he did National Service with the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, and read classics at Oxford, where he won a bet by running a mile, riding a horse a mile and rowing a mile in under 14 minutes. For two years from 1955 he served as aide-de-camp to Sir Evelyn Baring, governor of Kenya at the time of the Mau Mau insurgency. By the time he arrived in the auction world, his CV included work as a petrol-pump attendant, warehouseman, oddjob man in a psychiatric hospital, ships caterer and organist in a Chicago nightclub. Before joining Sothebys he had applied for work at Christies where a cousin was head of Old Master paintings. I got a hugely pompous letter back so I gave up on them. He quickly became assistant to Sothebys then chairman Peter Wilson, but soon got bored and attempted to launch a helicopter commuter service. It failed to take off and in 1960 Sothebys sent him to New York to open an office. When he learnt that the Parke-Bernet galleries, the biggest auctioneers in America, was for sale, he convinced Sothebys to buy. It gave the company its first overseas saleroom and within five years he had tripled their combined turnover. Beanpole-tall Pollen married Patricia Barry, who had worked for the security services, in 1958. In New York she became a teacher. They had three children, Susannah, who is an art adviser, Marcus, who runs a steelworks, and Bella, who famously dressed Princess Diana in the early years of her marriage before becoming a writer. The couple divorced in 1972, but remarried six years later, by which time he had two more children, Josh and Lally with Amanda Willis. Patricia died in 2016. As executive vice-chairman of Sothebys, he was widely tipped for the top job, but after being passed over for chairman in 1982 he quit. In an interview before his death, Bella, recalling the moment she was expelled from school, said: He was there at the station. Instead of giving me a hard time, he took me off for a huge alcoholic drink. She added: If I ever asked him what I should do, he would think for about three seconds, then say: You should do what makes you happy. It was certainly a mantra he lived by. Another District Court judge needs to be appointed to County Kildare. Thats according to the local judge Desmond Zaidan. Im the busiest District Court judge in Ireland, he said, at a sitting of the court in Naas last Wednesday, adding that he has the statistics to prove the fact. There is only one judge and this county needs a second judge, he added. He spoke as a case was adjourned again at a court sitting on February 19. It concerns an allegation which took place in August 2017. The case is now likely to be heard at a special court sitting in Athy. Special court sittings are generally arranged to cope when a large number of cases accumulate or to deal with cases which are likely to take some time. Judge Zaidan said he cannot keep apologising for the lack of judges and delays in the District Court system in County Kildare. Blaming the political system for the failure to make another appointment, he said: People are coming into the court and they just see the judge, they dont see the politicians or the Oireachtas. Judge Zaidan was the fourth busiest judge in the country in 2014 after it was revealed that he handled over 13,000 District Court cases in the space of 12 months. Figures published in The Irish Times showed that District 25, which takes in Naas, Athy and Kilcock courthouses, was the sixth busiest district for court cases in 2014, with some 13,223 cases passing through the doors. Limerick and Cork were the two busiest districts in the country, but Limerick had two judges sitting over the 24,542 cases, while three different judges presided over the 33,687 cases in the Cork district. The highest amount of cases handled by a single judge was in the Ennis/Gort district, with Judge Patrick Durcan working his way through 14,984 cases in 2014. County Kildares population is the 5th highest of any local authority area in Ireland. Muhyiddin Yassin (C) becomes Malaysia's eighth prime minister (Source: AFP/VNA) He was earlier appointed as the prime minister by Malaysian King Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. The national palace statement on February 29th quoted the king as saying that it could not be delayed any longer, as the country needs a government to look after the well-being of the people and the country. This followed a week of political stalemate in Malaysia after Mahathir Mohamad resigned as Malaysia's Prime Minister on February 24th. By the afternoon of February 29th, Muhyiddin was supposed to have enough support from parliamentarians to become prime minister./. A picture taken in June 2004 shows the Nokia logo on the door of the empty premises in Helsinki. Nokia Chief Executive Rajeev Suri will step down in September and is to be replaced by Pekka Lundmark, until now the CEO of energy group Fortum, the telecoms equipment maker said on Monday. Suri steps down after more than a decade in charge of Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks, the company said. Nokia faces intense competition from Sweden's Ericsson and China's Huawei in the race to deliver 5G telecoms networks to operators around the world. Lundmark, head of Fortum since 2015, held multiple executive positions at Nokia between 1990 and 2000, including vice president of strategy and business development at Nokia Networks. "With the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent behind us and the world of 5G in front of us, I am pleased that Pekka has agreed to join Nokia," Nokia Chairman Risto Siilasmaa said in a statement. ANN ARBOR, MI A 10-story high-rise on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor is up for approval. City Council will vote on the plan for The Standard when it meets Monday night, March 2. The block-long apartment building with ground-floor commercial space is proposed on 1.16 acres along the east side of Main Street, starting as 10 stories at William Street and stepping down to five stories at Packard Street. The $40-million development would replace a DTE Energy office building built in the 1980s and a large parking lot. Council members briefly discussed the project at their caucus Sunday night, noting its a by-right development so they dont have much discretion over whether to approve it. There will be a public hearing before council votes Monday night. Ann Arbors small-town look fading as downtown reaches toward sky There would be 218 apartments with 421 bedrooms and more than 6,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The unit mix includes 89 studios, 22 one-bedroom units (two dedicated as affordable housing), 60 two-bedroom units, 12 three-bedroom units and 35 four-bedroom units. The developer is agreeing to include at least 1,250 square feet of rooftop solar panels, estimated to meet over 1% of the buildings annual energy needs. The developer also plans to include one or more public art features, including a sculpture. The apartments are designed primarily for young professionals, University of Michigan students, faculty and visiting professors, according to the plans. Amenities include fitness/yoga rooms, study areas, a small outdoor deck/lounge on the east side of the second floor, and a larger outdoor deck with a hot tub/pool on the west side of the second floor overlooking Main Street. It can be anything from hanging out in hammocks to playing ping pong, architect John Myefski told Planning Commission in January, explaining the plan for the deck spaces. Before-and-after views of downtown Ann Arbors dramatic transformation The project was first proposed under old zoning rules, so new rules incentivizing more affordable housing dont apply. Using the old incentives, the developer is still proposing two affordable housing units permanently available to people making up to 80% of the area median income to gain 6,000 square feet of floor area, as well as designing the building to meet LEED Silver standards for energy efficiency to gain another 25,286 square feet. Another bonus simply for building market-rate housing an incentive the city is eliminating allows another 75,859 square feet, bringing it up to 202,262 total. Georgia-based developer Landmark Properties has teamed up with Chicago-based Myefski Architects, the same firm that designed the new Hub Ann Arbor high-rise on Huron Street, as well as a 171-unit apartment building under construction on Hoover Avenue. Myefski also designed a 17-story high-rise for the city-owned Library Lot that was blocked by city voters in 2018. Construction of The Standard is proposed to start later this summer and be complete by June 2022. Timeline: Ann Arbors downtown housing boom and whats to come The buildings facade would include a combination of brick, steel panels and glass. There are 102 car parking spaces proposed, including 90 interior spaces and 12 exterior spaces on the east side. There would be one underground parking level and one first-floor parking level in the building with access via the adjacent alley. Four spaces would be for electric vehicles and two would be for car sharing, plus 84 bicycle parking spaces. When the project went through Planning Commission, some commissioners suggested theyd like to see more affordable housing, which the developer indicated a willingness to consider. Each of the two one-bedroom affordable units must be at least 600 square feet per the citys rules, and Myefski suggested breaking that up into four smaller studios. Commissioners encouraged the development team to explore that option with city staff. A revised development agreement dated Feb. 26 and on councils agenda Monday night indicates the city and developer are still sticking with the two larger affordable units, rather than four smaller ones. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Ann Arbor council members welcome police chiefs return, interim administrator Arthur, downtown Ann Arbors well-known panhandler, dies at 66 Ann Arbor task force lays out possible next steps for downtown central park 100-year-old actress brings laughs, inspiration in Ann Arbor community theatre production Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "ploy" of leaving social media is to divert the attention of the nation from burning issues, said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday, hours after PM Modi announced he was going to give up his social media accounts. "Modi ji's new ploy of leaving social media is to divert the attention of the nation from burning issues," Chowdhury tweeted. The Prime Minister had on Monday said that he is "thinking of giving up" his social media accounts. "This Sunday, thinking of giving up my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube. Will keep you all posted," the Prime Minister tweeted. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Randeep Singh Surjewala also hit out at PM Modi post his tweet. "Give up hatred, not social media accounts," Rahul tweeted with a screenshot of the Prime Minister's tweet. Reacting to PM's tweet, Surjewala said that he wished the Prime Minister would impart the same piece of advice to trolls who intimidate others in his name. "Respected Modi ji, earnestly wish you would give this advise to the concerted army of trolls, who abuse-intimidate-badger-threaten others every second in your name! Sincere Regards, Citizens of India," tweeted Surjewala. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This is the heartbreaking final photo taken by a group of children just minutes before they were struck by an alleged speeding drunk driver at Oatlands. Smiling and offering up a peace sign as they embark on a 'sunset walk', Angelina, 12, Leanna, 10, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 10, and Mabelle Kassas, pose for a group photo taken about 7.45pm on February 1. Their relatives Antony Abdallah, 13, and Charbel Kassas, 11, are standing out of shot. But just a few hundred metres down the road in Sydney's north-west, as they neared the corner store where they were walking to get ice cream, the group of seven was struck by an out-of-control car, killing four of them. The photo was shared on social media by Leila Abdallah who captioned the picture: 'Their last sunset walk on this earth. Saturday 1/2/2020 before God called them back home.' Scroll down for video This is the heartbreaking final selfie taken just moments before the Oatlands tragedy. (L to R) Mabelle Kassas, Angelina Abdallah, Sienna Abdallah, Veronique Sakr and Leanna Abdallah, all pose happily for the photo just minutes before 8pm on February 1, Saturday Moments later Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, (all left) and cousin Veronique Sakr, 10, (right) would be mowed down by an alleged drunk driver as they walked to get dessert The grieving mother has started a blog called 'The Four Angels' to remember her three children Antony, Angelina and Sienna and their cousin Veronique, who all died in the horrific accident. 'I've started a page where I will be sharing what's in my heart, the wonderful gift my children were and how blessed I was to have them in my life,' Mrs Abdallah wrote. 'Thank you so much for your kind words and the support during this difficult time.' The accident happened when an out-of-control 4WD being driven by alleged drunk driver Samuel William Davidson, 29, ploughed into the group of on Bettington Road. Four children died while three others were treated for serious injuries. One child, nine-year-old Charbel Kassas remains in hospital. Davidson has been charged with 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter and high-range drink driving, and remains behind bars until his next court appearance. The morning after the crash, Danny Abdallah told how he had given money to the children so they could walk to get dessert. Mr Abdallah said he had given the children a 'little bit of independence' when a 'one in a million' tragedy occurred. Leila Abdallah has started a blog called 'The Four Angels' which will commemorate the lives of her three children and their cousin. She is pictured with her husband Danny Abdallah Framed photographs of Antony, Sienna and Angelina are carried out in front of their caskets at the completion of their emotional funeral service in Parramatta last month A picture of Veronique Sakr is lofted high into the air as thousands of mourners file out of her funeral in the chapel at Santa Sabina College in Sydney, where she went to school Bridget Sakr (in blue dress) is supported by her partner Craig MacKenzie, and Danny and Leila Abdallah (end left and right), at the funeral for her daughter 'These kids were just walking innocently, enjoying each other's company,' he said. 'I told them to go for a little walk. 'Stay together, you guys should be OK'. (You) give them a little bit of independence... this is one in a million, they were just walking on the footpath.' Local resident Terri Horton was in the front yard of her home - less than 200 metres away from the crash site - when her dog approached the children as they walked past in a group on their way to the local shops. 'They were talking and giggling, and the dog was on a leash but he loves attention so he ran over closer to them,' she told Daily Mail Australia last month. 'I walked inside to get the bins and then as I walked out a few minutes later I heard this bang. It was so loud, I thought a car had crashed into a house. 'All I could hear was a little girl, screaming at the top of her lungs.' Samuel William Davidson (pictured) was allegedly three times over the limit when he crashed into the group of seven children just before 8pm on Saturday, February 1 Davidson was driving down Bettington Road, Oatlands, just before 8pm when he lost control of his Mitsubishi 4WD (pictured) and ploughed into the group Mr and Mrs Abdallah are overcome by emotion as they visit the makeshift shrine which was set up at the scene on Bettington Road, Oatlands, where their three children and Veronique died Bridget Sakr is supported by her partner Craig and a friend as she kneels down at the shrine set up for her daughter Veronique and the three Abdallah children killed at Oatlands The morning after the tragedy, Danny Abdallah (pictured centre) told how he had given money to the children so they could walk to get dessert when the 'one in a million' tragedy occurred Police will allege that Davidson was driving at between 100kmh and 130km/h when he ploughed into the group. Daily Mail Australia understands police will allege Davidson spent the day drinking in 40C heat at the rental property he shared with two mates, before getting behind the wheel of his vehicle. Davidson is due to return to court on April 2. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric during the 1980s and 1990s who led the company to be the most valuable in the United States at the time, has died aged 84, according to CNBC. During his time as CEO and chairman of the company, Welch gained the nickname "Neutron Jack" for cutting thousands of jobs as he bought and sold businesses to grow the business. Under his leadership, Welch bought and sold scores of companies and expanded the industrial giant into financial services and then consulting. That work grew the market value of the company form $12 billion to $410 billion. But, according to Reuters, the push into financial services nearly meant the end for the company during the 2008 financial crisis, seven years after his 2001 retirement. What's it like to fly Business class? Show all 12 1 /12 What's it like to fly Business class? What's it like to fly Business class? Business class section of the Airbus A350 XWB AFP/Getty What's it like to fly Business class? A steward and stewardess welcome visitors at the bar in business class on board an Emirates A380 Getty What's it like to fly Business class? 'QSuite' business class of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 jet airliner AFP/Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Glossy wood decorates a bathroom in the business class section of an Emirates Airbus A380 Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Business class seat in an Airbus A350 XWB AFP/Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Business class seats in an airbus A330-200 from Italy's Alitalia AFP/Getty What's it like to fly Business class? The lounge of the first and business class of an Airbus A380 of Qatar Airways AFP/Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Business class berths, which lie-flat beds, are pictured on an Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Business class seats in an airbus A330-200 from Italy's Alitalia AFP/Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Business class seats of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the Singapore Airshow AFP/Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Business First Class seats are seen on the United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner Getty What's it like to fly Business class? Business class seating on board an Emirates A380 passenger plane Getty He first became a part of GE leadership in December 1980, when it was announced that he would succeed CEO Reginald Jones. In April of the next year he took over as eighth chairman and CEO. The GE website says he was born in 1935, and received his BS degree in chemical engineering form the University of Massachusetts, in 1957. He later received his MS and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, in 1960. He joined GE originally as a chemical engineer in 1960, when he joined the plastics division in Massachusetts. He was then elected the company's youngest vice president in 1972, and became vice chairman in 1979. He was named "Manager of the Century" by Fortune Magazine in 1999, and was named one of the three most admired business leaders in the world by the Financial Times. Reuters contributed to this report Authorities said a 34-year-old man died after he was injured in a head-on crash in Auburn Thursday afternoon. Keith Arsenault, of Douglas, Massachusetts and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, was just a couple weeks shy of his birthday when he died Sunday night at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, according to Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis Jr. The driver of the pickup truck accused of crashing into Arsenault was identified by police as 30-year-old Dennis Maccarone of Westminster. Sluckis said Maccarone was cited for speeding on Route 20 just five minutes before the crash. Maccarone was driving 70 mph in a 40 mph zone about two miles from the crash, the chief said. Maccarone was cited for a marked lanes violation and driving negligently as to endanger in connection with the crash. Sluckis said Auburn police investigators are now meeting with the Worcester District Attorneys office and he expects more charges will be filed against Maccarone. A preliminary investigation shows Maccarone was driving eastbound on Route 20 in Auburn when he crossed into the westbound lane. He struck the Subaru driven by Arsenault head-on, police said. Arsenault tried to swerve but was unable to avoid the truck. Police responded to the collision before 2 p.m. Thursday, located between the Windbrook Acres mobile homes and Millbury Street near the Worcester line. Route 20 was closed for some time as officers investigated. Sluckis said Auburn police requested the state Registry of Motor Vehicles deem Maccarone an immediate threat and suspend his license. The state RMV has since suspended Maccarones license, according to Sluckis. The crash remains under investigation. Melnychuk was traveling with his wife, who is seven months pregnant, and with a nine-month-old son. Ex-Commander of the Aidar Battalion who later served as member of parliament of the previous convocation, Serhiy Melnychuk, was on Sunday, March 1, detained at the Greek border on the Interpol warrant submitted by Russia. "I was detained at the Bulgarian-Greek border. Russia put the Interpol card," he said on a video uploaded on Facebook. Melnychuk added that he was traveling with his wife, who is seven months pregnant, and a son, who is just nine months old. Read alsoRFE/RL: Bulgaria charges three Russians in absentia over attempted murders in 2015 Serhiy Melnychuk did not comment on the grounds for his detention. In a report released Monday morning, the Foreign Ministry confirmed the fact of detention, adding that the Ukrainian consul was heading to the site. Melnychuk is allowed to use his phone and has been provided with a Russian-speaking lawyer. "On the morning of March 2, a prosecutor from the city of Thessaloniki is set to arrive at the police station," the report said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Donbas war veteran now employed by the Ombudsperson's Secretariat, Ihor Mazur, had been detained by Polish border guards on Russia's warrant via Interpol as he was crossing into Poland for a visit on the invitation of Deputy Marshal of the Sejm (lower house of the Polish parliament) Beata Mazurek. Due to the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats and other authorities, he was eventually released and safely made it back to Ukraine. UNIAN memo. The 24th Separate Assault Battalion, Aidar, is an assault battalion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces which has been taking part in Donbas hostilities since the outbreak of war in 2014. Queen wont get involved in Julian Assange case because its a POLITICAL matter A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman has said the Queen will not intervene to release Julian Assange, vowing to remain non-political. The statement seemingly confirms that Assanges detention is a political, not criminal, matter. With WikiLeaks founder Assange holed up in HM Prison Belmarsh awaiting extradition to the US, activist Chris Lonsdale penned a letter to Queen Elizabeth II last month, asking the monarch to ensure that Mr Julian Assange is freed from Belmarsh Prison unconditionally, in the spirit of justice, peace and fair-mindedness. In a reply posted by Lonsdale on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the Queen said that Her Majesty remains strictly non-political at all times, and Assanges detention is therefore not a matter in which the Queen would intervene. Assanges supporters have long argued that his arrest and imprisonment are motivated by politics, not justice. Assange has languished in Belmarsh since his arrest inside Londons Ecuadorian embassy last April, ostensibly on charges of skipping bail in 2012. He is also facing extradition to the US to answer to a litany of espionage charges, related to WikiLeaks publication of classified US military documents detailing potential war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. If convicted, he faces 175 years in prison. Buckingham Palaces response seemingly admits that Assange is being persecuted on political grounds. Assanges health has been in steady decline since his incarceration. Following a visit to Assange in May, UN rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer declared that the former WikiLeaks boss showed all the symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture. Melzer added that Assange could be exposed to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights ... including torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment if he were extradited to the US. In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution I have never seen a group of democratic States ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law, Melzer said. The collective persecution of Julian Assange must end here and now! Russia Today To the editor: The media people keep asking Bernie Sanders if he is a Democrat and he answers, Democratic Socialist. Sanders hero is Lenin, the founder of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1924. Lenin said Socialism is Communism. Lenin killed millions of people from 1917 to 1924 in forming the Communist Party. Lenin destroyed capitalism, changed it to Socialism, then to the one-party Communist State in seven years. Sanders will [transform] capitalism to Communism if elected president of the United States. The Democratic Party made a very big mistake letting Bernie Sanders run, for Sanders is not a Democrat, but a Socialist. Sanders will censor the peoples freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. Sanders has offered the young people in the United States free college and free Medicare that will total $60 trillion. Our current debt is $21 trillion and $60 trillion cant be sustained, for everyones taxes would triple. It would bankrupt the United States because the federal debt would be tripled. The young people in the United States were told a lie. George Culley Pinckneyville It was unclear whether the adviser, Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, had come into contact with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 80. Even so, it heightened an already chaotic outbreak and raised concerns that vulnerable parts of the Middle East would be hit hard. The government confirmed at least 1,501 infections, but public health experts expressed concern that the official numbers were unreliable. At least seven other prominent officials have also contracted the virus, including one who recently sat near President Hassan Rouhani at a cabinet meeting. There is a real sense of panic and anxiety. People are barricading themselves in their homes, says Farnaz Fassihi, a Times reporter who has been covering Iran. The feeling of uncertainty is exacerbated by the publics lack of trust in the information provided by the government. From what we hear, its a catastrophe unfolding. Here are the latest updates and maps of where the virus has spread. In South Korea: Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old founder of the church at the center of South Koreas outbreak, apologized that so many patients were tied to Shincheonji but he still maintained that the church had not contributed to the epidemic, even as he faces potential criminal charges. Elsewhere around the world: The U.S. announced new cases in New York and Florida as its death toll rose to five people, and the European Union was officially on high alert as its cases soared and residents were told to prepare for larger outbreaks. Local community member donates comic book collection to W&M Libraries Wright Collection: A selection of materials from the Wright Collection, which contains more than 3,100 items. W&M Libraries photo Photo - of - Hide Caption In the fall, William & Mary Libraries received a valuable collection of comic books and other graphic arts depicting African Americans, donated by Richard Percy Wright, an avid collector who lived in Williamsburg, Virginia. We are eternally grateful that Mr. Wright reached out to us about donating his collection, said Carrie Cooper, dean of university libraries. His collection will contribute to the depth of our collections on African American history and culture and will enhance research and scholarship around this topic. Wright passed away in November. Wright first reached out to W&M in a letter he wrote to Cooper. In it, he explained that he was looking for a permanent home for his collection. Wright knew he wanted his collection to reside in a place that would take care of it and where people would have a chance to use it. Mr. Wright had done his homework. He had investigated local universities, trying to decide where his collection would fit best, said Cooper. He heard about our Hip Hop Collection and learned about the courses W&M teaches on African-American history and culture and decided Swem Library would make a good home for his collection. Excited about the letter, Jay Gaidmore, director of the librarys special collections, contacted Wright. Their first meeting gave Gaidmore insight into Wrights relationship with libraries. He told me about how he grew up in the Bronx and how the library became his refuge, said Gaidmore. Wright began collecting comic books that depicted African Americans in 1986. His collection grew to more than 1,000 comic books during the next 30 years. It contains early Tarzan, Avengers, X-Men and the Fantastic Four, featuring Black Panthers first appearance. In addition to comic books, the collection has a variety of other materials that depict African Americans in pop culture including books, magazines, newspapers, original art, sheet music, cartoon drawings, photos and reference books, bringing the total number of items in the collection to over 3,100. His collection is impressive in its richness and depth. Its also unique because it includes his research notes, said Meghan Bryant, library archivist. Mr. Wright created an inventory of his materials, which is wonderful to have as we process the collection. Once processed, the collection will be available to researchers and students who visit Swem Librarys Special Collections Research Center. I expect the collection will be useful for a variety of subjects, including film studies, studies of race and racism, art and illustration, African-American writers and publications, ephemera and advertising studies, and histories of collecting, said Bryant. Hiroshi Watanabe | Getty Images One of the earliest dilemmas most entrepreneurs face is how to expand a workforce as efficiently as possible. Getting access to more skilled workers, or simply a greater number of employees is vital to keep your operation growing but at the same time, youll be working with a limited budget. Trying to find a middle ground requires entrepreneurs to think outside the box. Industrious entrepreneurs might consider hiring an international contractor, or even a team of international contractors, to save money and keep expanding, but is this the best path forward? In the aftermath of the communal violence in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday appealed to the people to provide details of the needy for a quick response from government agencies. "We are working 24/7 to make sure relief efforts reach all in need. If u know of anyone who is in need, use #DelhiRelief to reach us. Pl do mention exact address/contact details so that we can reach him. We will ensure a quick response from our agencies," he tweeted. The violence in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [March 02, 2020] New Advanced Liquid Chromatography System Delivers Productivity, Precision and Compliance in Routine Analyses GERMERING, Germany, March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmaceutical, food and industrial laboratories can optimize their routine testing and quality control (QC) workflows with an enhanced high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system that delivers maximized instrument uptime and precision for any operator, regardless of experience. The new Thermo Scientific Vanquish Core HPLC Systems expand on the award-winning performance of the Vanquish platform to provide a productivity-enhancing solution for routine laboratories. From automatically monitoring and determining solvent and waste levels with the Vanquish Solvent Monitor, to continuous background monitoring of system health, the Vanquish Core HPLC System maintains consistent throughput of dependable results. "Routine analysis laboratories are expected to deliver precise results without delays. Chromatographers are often required to run methods from a diverse range of instrumentation, which presents a unique set of challenges, especially when integrating systems into an existing infrastructure," said Linda De Jesus, vice president and general manager, high performance chromatography solutions, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "While the Vanquish Core HPLC System enables our customers to deliver the results demanded of them, it also drastically simplifies method transfer and offers easy integration with many leading chromatography data system (CDS) software infrastructure." Brian Alliston, data integrity expert, Sterling Pharma Solutions, said, "In this industry, we are under constant pressure to analyze our samples in time without compromising results. We are always searching for new ways to improve efficiency and get the reliable data we need without putting additional burden on our team. The Vanquish Core PLC System provides us with a single analytical solution that minimizes unexpected downtime, delivers results dependably and allows Sterling Pharma Solutions to stay competitive by delivering quality products." The Vanquish Core HPLC System: Minimizes unexpected downtime through the Vanquish Solvent Monitor, which tracks mobile phase consumption and waste accumulation, preventing the system from running dry or from waste overflowing. through the Vanquish Solvent Monitor, which tracks mobile phase consumption and waste accumulation, preventing the system from running dry or from waste overflowing. Simplifies integration with all major CDS software, including the new enterprise-level Thermo Scientific Chromeleon 7.3 CDS software, and other widely-used, leading chromatography data networks. with all major CDS software, including the new enterprise-level Thermo Scientific Chromeleon 7.3 CDS software, and other widely-used, leading chromatography data networks. Facilitates seamless method transfer with Custom Injection Programs, tunable Gradient Delay Volume, and choice of thermostatting technique. with Custom Injection Programs, tunable Gradient Delay Volume, and choice of thermostatting technique. Provides an intuitive user interface for operators of all experience levels, allowing simple viewing of key instrument parameters, system health status, module information, and maintenance videos. For more information on the Vanquish Core HPLC System, please visit www.thermofisher.com/vanquishcore. About Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. Laura Bright Thermo Fisher Scientific +1 562-335-8318 [email protected] Janice Foley BioStrata +1 617-823-5555 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-advanced-liquid-chromatography-system-delivers-productivity-precision-and-compliance-in-routine-analyses-301013841.html SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-02 21:56:32|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close MOSCOW, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a working visit to Moscow on Thursday to discuss the situation in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said Monday. Over the last two weeks Erdogan at least twice publicly suggested meeting Putin, but the Kremlin denied that Putin agreed to the proposal. On Friday, Putin and Erdogan held a telephone conversation and agreed to consider the possibility of holding a top-level meeting in the near future. The Syrian army, backed by Russian airstrikes, succeeded in recapturing the strategic city of Saraqeb in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Monday, four days after losing it to Turkish-backed rebel groups, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Tensions in Idlib have flared up recently as the Syrian government forces, which are launching wide-scale offensives against the rebels in the area, exchanged fire with Turkish troops, causing multiple deaths on both sides. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the current situation in Idlib, saying that it would become clear after the meeting between Putin and Erdogan, adding that the Russian and Turkish militaries have maintained close contacts. He also said Moscow is committed to the Sochi agreement on Syria reached between Russia and Turkey in 2018. Peskov said Russia's position during the upcoming talks "will be absolutely consistent and unchanged" from what was "stated at various levels by both President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as an interdepartmental delegation that has worked with Turkish colleagues in recent days." Amy Cordova, the missions and womens ministry partner for Oklahoma Baptists (formerly BGCO), will speak during OBUs Womens Missions and Ministry Chapel Wednesday, March 11. Amy Cordova to Speak During OBUs Women's Missions and Ministry Chapel March 11 February 29, 2020 Amy Cordova, the missions and womens ministry partner for Oklahoma Baptists (formerly BGCO), will speak during OBUs Womens Missions and Ministry Chapel Wednesday, March 11. The service will take place at 10 a.m. in Raley Chapels Potter Auditorium. The University will host a special womens missions and ministry luncheon with Cordova following the chapel service. Tickets are $15 through March 9 and may be purchased online. Tickets will increase to $20 after March 9, whether purchased online or at the door the day of the event. The High Court has approved personal insolvency arrangements allowing musician Frank McNamara and his wife barrister Theresa Lowe write off almost 3m from their debts. In a judgement given last year, Mr Justice Denis McDonald said that he was minded to approving Personal Insolvency Arrangements (PIAs) sought by the couple but wanted certain matters, including discrepancies in documents filed by Mr McNamara concerning his inheritance from his late father's estate, clarified. The matters came before the court on several occasions since last August's decision was handed down. This morning, Mr Justice McDonald said he was approving the PIAs, which were opposed by financial fund Tanager DAC which is owed 2.26m by the couple. The judge said he was "proposing to confirm" the coming into effect of the PIAs in respect of Mr McNamara and Ms Lowe, subject to confirmation that the estate of Mr McNamara's late father "be administered and the assets realised within a relatively short period." In his judgment the judge said that "discrepancies have been appropriately explained." The discrepancies were between the contents of a document called Standard Financial Statement (SFS) completed by Mr McNamara at the request of Tanager in January 2016 and the information provided in his Prescribed Financial Statement (PFS) The PFS was completed in support of his application in October 2016 to be allowed enter the personal insolvency process. The PFS stated that Mr McNamara had a half share in his late parent's house worth 500,000 with his sister, and that he derived a monthly rental income of 800 from the property. The SFS stated that his share in the property was 182,000 and that Mr McNamara had no income from rent. The judge said that the approach taken by Mr McNamara, and "more particularly" his Personal Insolvency Practitioner (PIP), in their sworn statements in advance of the hearing of the applications for approval in May 2019 was "unsatisfactory." However, the judge said this unsatisfactory approach should not result in the dismissal of the application. The judge, who adjourned the matter to March 20 next, said he would postpone making the formal order approving the PIAs until the court is informed when it is expected that the assets of Mr McNamara's late father will be realised. The couple were not in court for this morning's judgement. After entering the personal insolvency process in 2016 the couple, represented in court by Keith Farry Bl, had been seeking approval for PIAs to allow them write off approximately 2.9m of their debts, and allow them keep their family home. That debt had been secured against the couple's family home in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, which is valued at 550,000. In addition to Tanager the couple owed money to parties including Bank of Ireland, Banco de Sabadell SA, and to the Revenue Commissioners. Mr McNamara, aged 59, worked as musical director on the Late Late Show for 20 years while Ms Lowe, aged 56, was a TV presenter before qualifying as a barrister. Under the terms of the PIA arrangement, which will see the couple return to solvency, the couple will continue to make payments on their mortgage to Tanager. The PIA is to be funded by monies Mr McNamara will receive in an inheritance from his late fathers estate and also from the sale of five acres in Co. Meath. The proposed PIA will also be funded by lump-sum payment of 100,000 and from 30,000 from a life insurance policy when it matures in seven years. The court also heard that Mr McNamara has obtained some work doing music at funerals, and some of this additional income will go to the creditors. In his decision last August, Mr Justice McDonald noted that if the couple were to become bankrupt Tanager would realise 22 cents in the euro, whereas under the proposed arrangement it would receive 27 cents in the euro. Unsecured creditors would likely recover 3.3 cents in the euro, while under the proposed arrangement they will recover 5 cents in the euro. Tanager had opposed the PIA on various grounds including that the arrangement would unfairly prejudice its interests, and that the PIAs would not allow it to recover the debts due to it to the extent that the couple's means reasonably permit. It further argued that a debtor's requirements under the 2012 Personal Insolvency Act of making a complete and accurate prescribed financial statement had not been satisfied. (CNN) Pete Buttigieg will end his campaign for United States President on Sunday, multiple aides tell CNN, ending an unlikely campaign that vaulted the once-unknown mayor from South Bend, Indiana, to a top presidential contender. Buttigieg was scheduled to fly from Selma, Alabama, to Dallas, Texas, but during the flight he informed reporters that he would be flying back to his hometown of South Bend to make an announcement on the future of his campaign. That announcement, aides said, is that he is ending his run. Buttigieg made the decision on Sunday, aides said, after he struggled to compete in South Carolina's primary and had little path toward success on Super Tuesday. "He believes this is the right thing to do right now for our country and the country to heal this divided nation and defeat President Trump," the aide said. The aide added: "He decided that now was the time and, I think that is exactly why he is getting out. He believes this is the right thing to do." Buttigieg broke barriers by becoming the first gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates for a major party's nomination. But Buttigieg's campaign struggled to nationalize its operation after success in Iowa and New Hampshire. The former mayor's struggles to win over voters of color, a key base to the Democratic Party, proved insurmountable in Nevada and South Carolina, two states where Buttigieg finished significantly behind the race's frontrunners. And the mayor's lack of momentum heading into Super Tuesday sunk the upstart campaign. The mayor's top advisers believed that a win in Iowa could provide Buttigieg with enough momentum to turn in strong performances in both New Hampshire and Nevada. That success, they believed, would be followed by a fundraising boost, allowing them to nationalize the campaign by the time Super Tuesday rolled around in early March. Results of the Iowa caucuses That strategy, however, ran into numerous issues. The results of the Iowa caucuses were repeatedly delayed due to mistakes by the state party, denying Buttigieg the ability to fully tout that he won more national delegates out of the state than any other candidate. And one of Buttigieg's primary opponents, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, delivered a strong debate performance before the New Hampshire primary and turned in a surprising third place finish in the state, possibly syphoning votes from the mayor. Overarching all of these issues, too, was former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the hundreds of millions he was spending on his campaign. Bloomberg provided voters yet another alternative to consider, thwarting Buttigieg's attempt to coalesce moderate Democrats. Buttigieg entered the 2020 race as a relative unknown, launching his exploratory committee from a windowless conference room in Washington, DC. "The case here is simple," Buttigieg said at the time. "It is time for a new generation of leadership in our county." For months, the candidate toiled in obscurity, one of nearly two-dozen Democrats running for the chance to take on President Donald Trump. But Buttigieg got his break after a CNN townhall in Austin, Texas, last March introduced Democratic voters to the young mayor, leading to a steady climb in polls and a significant boost to his fundraising. "It reminded me of early Obama and the shooting-fish-in-a-barrel phenomenon," Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, Buttigieg's first congressional endorser, said at the time. "Everyone I called (to ask for money) said yes." Early momentum Buttigieg officially launched his campaign in April with an event that used his hometown -- South Bend -- as a character in his presidential pitch. His campaign picked the hollowed interior of the once bustling Studebaker plant as the site of his launch, a visual symbol of the struggles his city has faced. "There's a long way for us to go. Life here is far from perfect. But we've changed our trajectory and shown a path forward for communities like ours. And that's why I'm here today," Buttigieg said as rain audibly beat down on the steel roof above him and as the lectern in front of him visibly took on water. Buttigieg raised more than $80 million during his 2020 run, including impressive $25 million haul in the second quarter of 2019 that allowed the former mayor to invest heavily in Iowa, a state where he and his top aides believed his Midwestern roots, veteran status and focus on faith could build a broad coalition of support across the state. But Buttigieg's money was not everlasting. The campaign entered February with just $6.6 million in the bank and they struggled to hit their goal of raising $13 million in the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday. Part of the problem was small dollar donors. The percentage of Buttigieg's fundraising from small dollar donors -- over time -- has fallen from 65% in early 2019 to just 29% in January, according to his financial filings. Some of Buttigieg's early momentum was also stalled by persistent questions about his ties to communities of color, an issue that was highlighted in June, when black South Bend resident Eric Logan was shot and killed by a police officer. The subsequent protests forced Buttigieg off the campaign trail for nearly a week, including skipping a key campaign event in South Carolina, and further revealed the existential problem if his campaign. "Maybe the level of attention on this will help us do some good," a visibly emotional Buttigieg told reporters after a particularly contentious June town hall in South Bend over the police shooting. "Because everybody has got to be a part of it. There is just no running away from it, not for me." Although Buttigieg often pushed back against progressive criticism by noting, should he win, he'd be the most progressive president in a generation, he offered voters a more moderate approach than Sanders. This was clearest on health care, where Buttigieg often touted his "Medicare for all who want it" plan, a more scaled back version that would provide a public option, but allow people to keep their private health insurance if they chose. As the race dragged on, though, Buttigieg's central argument became that the Democratic Party should look to their past success and nominate a younger candidate from outside Washington, DC. "When it comes to electability, every single time my party has won the presidency in the last 50 years, it's been with a candidate who was new on the national scene, hadn't spent a lot of time in Washington, and represented a new generation of leadership," Buttigieg often said. The line morphed into a direct attack on former Vice President Joe Biden, who Buttigieg criticized repeatedly as a backward-looking candidate. He touted what Biden was able to accomplish during the Obama administration, but at a debate in New Hampshire added, "those achievements were phenomenally important because they met the moment, but now we have to meet this moment, and this moment is different." "I hear Vice President Biden saying that this is no time to take a risk on someone new," Buttigieg said in Decorah, Iowa, days before the Iowa caucuses. "But history has shown us that the biggest risk we could take with a very important election coming up is to look to the same Washington playbook and recycle the same arguments -- and expect that to work against a president like Donald Trump." Buttigieg also ran hard against Sanders at the end of his campaign, raising questions about the self-identified Democratic socialist and the impact that nominating a "divisive" candidate could do to down ballot races. "If you want to keep the House in Democratic hands, you might want to check with the people who actually turned the house blue," Buttigieg said at the South Carolina debate in February. "Forty Democrats... They are running away from your platform as fast as they possibly can. I want to send those Democrats back to the United States House." And he attempted to warn Democrats after Sanders' victory in New Hampshire that the Vermont senator could be the prohibitive favorite after Super Tuesday. "We've got to wake up as a party," Buttigieg said during a January debate in Las Vegas. "We could wake up two weeks from today, the day after Super Tuesday, and the only candidates left standing will be Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg, the two most polarizing figures on this stage." It was that intense focus on Sanders that hinted at Buttigieg's inner thinking: Without taking down the race's frontrunner, Buttigieg's run would effectively end once the Vermont senator began to amass enough delegates to make it impossible for others to catch him. Buttigieg signaled throughout the final weeks of his campaign that he was aware the race was coming to a close. As Buttigieg warned supporters against nominating Sanders and his "inflexible, ideological revolution," his campaign released a memo days later worrying that Sanders could enjoy an "seemingly insurmountable delegate lead" after the Super Tuesday contests. In the end, Buttigieg didn't make it to Super Tuesday. Buttigieg's campaign, though, impressed a host of Democratic heavyweights, many of whom see the former mayor as a key figure in the future of the party. What comes next for the mayor remains unclear -- some top Democratic officials have speculated about a possible Cabinet position in a Democratic administration or another attempt at becoming the Democratic National Committee chairman, a job he ran for and lost in 2017. This story is being updated. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Buttigieg is ending his presidential bid." John Malcolm Patterson was the son of Albert Patterson, who was assassinated outside of his law office in Phenix City, Alabama shortly after he had won the Democratic nomination for Alabama Attorney General on a campaign agenda of elimination of corruption that had existed in the city for over 100 years. Born on September 27, 1921, John served in WWII enlisting in 1940 in the U.S. Army as a private. He rose through the ranks to attain the rank of Major with a Bronze Star in 1945. He graduated from law school at the University of Alabama in 1949 and joined his fathers law practice in Phenix City. Recalled to the military during the Korean Conflict in December, 1953, he later rejoined his fathers law practice. After his father was killed on June 18, 1954, John was elected State Attorney General in 1955. John Patterson campaigned for governor on three main issues in 1958. 1) The cleanup of Phenix City 2) Investigations of corruption in the second administration of governor James E. Folsom, Jr. and 3) Legal attempts to prevent desegregation Although he was a populist and attempted reform in the areas of property tax assessment and education it is in his dedicated fight against integration that he is best remembered. In that capacity, he clashed with the John F. Kennedy administration over the handling of the Freedom Riders who came to Alabama to assist in desegregation efforts. In 1958 he vigorously opposed mixing of the races and he was able to portray George C. Wallace as a moderate on the subject. After his defeat, Wallace is alleged to have stated that this will be the last time I will be out n_ _ _ _ _ _ _ in a political campaign and assumed the hard line against integration which would ultimately lead to national prominence on that single issue. Patterson won the run off with Wallace and received 55% of the vote with support of the Klu Klux Klan, organized labor and working class white votes. When he entered the Governors office, he fought hard for improving education and the revision of the property tax assessment program with limited success. After he left office he was part of the trio of himself, Ryan deGraffenried, and U.S. Senator John Sparkman that fought the Alabama Senate's passage of the successor amendment which would have allowed a Governor to serve two consecutive terms of office. This political fight affected Alabama politics for many years and led to the defeat of many Patterson supporters in the Alabama Legislature. Patterson ran for the Alabama Supreme Court in 1970 but lost to future U.S. Senator Howell Heflin of Tuscumbia, Alabama. Governor George Wallace in 1984 appointed John to the intermediate Court of Criminal Appeals where he was elected for two terms and retired in 1997. When ouster proceedings were filed against controversial Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore he was sworn in as Special Chief Justice where he presided over the court that upheld the decision of the Alabama Court of Judiciary to remove Moore from judicial office. After completing this public service he retired to his place of birth in Goldville on the family farm. In 2008 the University of Alabama Press published Gene Howards, Patterson for Alabama: The Life and Career of John Patterson. ------ Jerry Summers (If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com He posted his best two-day fundraising haul in more than a year, raising roughly $10 million over the last 48 hours. And the former vice president added to his considerable endorsement lead in recent days as elected officials began to coalesce more meaningfully behind him. He has long been the favorite of many elected officials even as he struggled through the first three primary contests of the year. After escalating tensions, the presidents of Russia and Turkey have spoken and agreed to consider a summit to discuss the situation in Idleb writes Al-Masdar. Representatives of Russia and Turkey confirmed their goal of reducing tensions in Idleb, at consultations on Syria in Ankara, while continuing to fight terrorists, Russias Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The Russian delegation included Russias Special Presidential Envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin and representatives of the Defense Ministry. The Turkish delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, the statement says. The sides continued discussing specific steps for achieving durable stabilization of the situation in the Idleb de-escalation zone, based on the full implementation of the memorandum dated May 4, 2017, and the memorandum dated Sept. 17, 2018, the Russian Foreign Ministry informed. Both sides confirmed their goal to reduce the tensions on the ground while continuing the war on terrorists, recognized as such by the UN Security Council, and also to protect civilians inside and outside the de-escalation zone and render emergency humanitarian assistance to all those who need it, the statement reads. The tensions in Syrias Idleb region escalated on Thursday after militants launched a large-scale offensive, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. In the early hours of Friday, the Syrian government forces conducted strikes on their positions, which, as Ankara claims, killed 33 Turkish soldiers. In response, Turkeys Air Force conducted strikes on Syrian troops, later specifying that it had hit more than 200 targets. The Russian Defense Ministry told reporters that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (one of the names of Jabhat al-Nusra which is outlawed in Russia) unleashed a large-scale offensive in Idleb on Thursday. The killed Turkish soldiers were among the advancing terrorists, the Russian Defense Ministry stated. Russias air task force was not employed in that area, the ministry said. Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Idleb situation over the phone on Friday. They stressed the need to take additional measures to normalize the situation in the Idleb province and agreed to consider holding a summit soon. This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. Robotics and tire handling specialist Cimcorp has promoted Joel Kuusman to manager of its US operations and technology services. Kuusman joined Cimcorp in April 2014 as a site manager, overseeing on-site installations of Cimcorps automated solutions. Through his experience on numerous projects Kuusman has acquired a breadth of knowledge in the companys systems and site work management. He will be responsible for leading the Cimcorp US office in Norcross, Georgia, guiding its strategic growth and quality of customer service and aftersales support. ') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> ') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write(' ') } // --> ') } else if (width >= 425) { console.log ('largescreen'); document.write('') } else { console.log ('nompuad'); document.write('') } // --> Kuusman commented, I am excited that Cimcorp has presented me this opportunity. I have been fortunate enough to work for a company that allows me to travel the world and engage with different people on innovative and rewarding projects. Cimcorp has a global reach and our solutions help customers tackle their toughest operational challenges from SKU proliferation and speed of delivery, to labor shortages and seasonal peaks. We truly stand at the forefront of modern order fulfillment. With a master of science in mechanical engineering from LUT University in Finland, Kuusman is an expert in equipment and industrial automation. For the past 17 years, he has helmed many on-site projects in various supervisory roles, including in mechanical maintenance, purchasing, quality control, process engineering and project management. Having spent considerable time living and working in the USA and Finland, Kuusman has a unique understanding of the two marketplaces and cross-cultural communication. This has enabled him to oversee Cimcorp automation projects in both countries. Rick Trigatti, president, Cimcorp Automation, said, Given his background and experience, Joel is the ideal team member to head up our US office. He will help align ongoing operations and strategies between our entities in North America and headquarters in Finland. In his time as site manager with Cimcorp, he has only strengthened his interpersonal skills while interfacing with customers from installation start to finish. Together with his technical acumen, these skills will be invaluable to ensuring we continue to satisfy our customers needs and provide excellent service and support to the US marketplace. Most of the students appeared for board exams in riot-affected northeast Delhi amid tight security on Monday, as authorities maintained that the situation remained calm in the area. There has been no fresh violence since last five days and heavy deployment of security personnel continues in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad, police said. They said 40 people have been arrested across Delhi for spreading false rumours of violence that had triggered panic in the city on Sunday night. Around 98 per cent attendance was recorded in the board exams held in violence-hit areas on Monday, said the CBSE which had earlier postponed class 10 and 12 exams in northeast Delhi and parts of east Delhi till February 29 in the wake of the communal riots over the amended citizenship law. According to an official, out of 2,888 students, 2,837 appeared for the physics and music papers. Like Priya, a Class XII student who is a resident of Maujpur, many students said their preparations were affected due to the violence. "I had prepared for the exam but I didn't get sufficient time for revision due to the riot situation. I could not sleep or focus because there was so much fear in the locality," she said after her Physics exam. Another student, Mohammad Aahil, said, "We had to leave our home in Karawal Nagar for Ghaziabad after the situation there turned tense. I didn't have my books and somehow studied using internet." The schools are closed in the area till March 7. The Board had on Sunday said any further delay may hamper chances of students in securing admission to professional courses like medical and engineering, though it is ready to conduct fresh exams for students who are not able to appear. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Environment Minister Gopal visited riot-affected areas to take stock of the situation and interacted with locals. Rai visited a relief camp set up by the Delhi government at Mustafabad which has a capacity to accommodate 1,000 people. The AAP government has set up nine relief camps for the victims in parts of northeast Delhi. "We will set up more relief camps in other affected areas too if needed," Rai said. The minister said he ha come to know that some "innocent" persons have also been picked up by police. "Their relatives are running here and there in hospitals and police stations looking for them. We expect that this issue may be sorted out immediately. We want the guilty must be caught and punished at the same time the innocent should be spared," he said. Authorities maintained that the death toll remained at 42 in the communal clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Act that erupted a week ago even as four bodies were fished out of drains in northeast Delhi on Sunday. At the relief camps set up by the Delhi government, affected people who have lost their documents in the carnage fear that could create hindrances in getting compensation. Imran, who did not share his second name, said he had taken shelter at the camp in Al-Hind hospital in Mustafabad after rioters attacked his residence in Shiv Vihar - one of worst hit areas. "They torched our house and our documents like voter-identification card, Aadhar and PAN card, were also destroyed. The Delhi government has announced ex-gratia but without documents we are unsure about how to go about it," he said. An official said so far around 25 people have been given compensation, while they have received around 400 applications. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the people to provide details of the needy for a quick response from government agencies. "We are working 24/7 to make sure relief efforts reach all in need. If u know of anyone who is in need, use #DelhiRelief to reach us. Pl do mention exact address/contact details so that we can reach him. We will ensure a quick response from our agencies (sic)," he tweeted. Kejriwal also announced honorarium to Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma who died in the communal riots. His family member will also get a government job, he said. "Ankit Sharma was a brave officer. He was brutally murdered in the riots. The country is proud of him. The Delhi government has decided that his family will be given an honorarium of Rs 1 crore, and a job to one person of his family. May his soul rest in peace," he tweeted. Sharma's body was fished out of a drain in Chand Bagh area last week. Scores of people in the affected areas have been spending their nights in the dark, with damaged power lines still dangling precariously outside their houses. Damaged electricity metres remain unrepaired and people complain that no help has reached them yet. Sujeet Tomar, 28, a resident of Mustafabad, and his family returned to their house six days after violence rocked the area but wondered how will they spend the night without power. "Most of the people, including Hindus and Muslims, in our lane have fled. Almost all the houses are locked. I and my family spent six days at my uncle's house. We returned just now.... Though my house did not suffer any damage but there's no power supply I wonder how will we stay here?" he said. The BSF on Monday handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to its jawan Mohammed Anees after his house was vandalised and burnt by rioters. The border guarding force has also pledged to re-build the house of the jawan and hand it over to him as a 'wedding gift', as he is scheduled to get married soon, a Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said. On Sunday evening, shops in several markets downed their shutters as panic spread across the city over rumours of violence but the police swiftly clarified that they were false and appealed to people to remain calm. Delhi Assembly's committee for peace and harmony in its first meeting on Monday decided to widely publicise that peddling fake can invite a three-year sentence to the offenders. Anyone spreading messages that cause enmity or hatred between two communities or retweeting and posting it on Facebook can land in jail for three years, said chairman of the committee and AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj. The committee will launch a phone number and email for people to send screenshots of such messages for further action by the committee, Bhardwaj said. He said whistleblowers helping to curb such messages will be rewarded with Rs 10,000 if their complaint leads to registration of a case. Meanwhile, human rights activists on Monday denounced the central and Delhi governments alleging they failed to provide any medical or legal help to violence-affected people in northeast Delhi. CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat has written to acting city Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava demanding that the names of those arrested in connection with the violence in northeast Delhi be made public. A similar demand was made on Sunday by rights activists who said that it is mandated by law that police stations display the names of those arrested with their addresses. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced to death 37 defendants, including one of the country's most high-profile militants, following their conviction of terrorism-related charges. The Cairo Criminal Court said the defendants were charged with belonging to a local affiliate of the Islamic State group spearheading an insurgency in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Among those sentenced to death was Hisham el-Ashmawi. The militant leader is a former army officer and was captured in Libya late in 2018 by forces loyal to Libyan Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a close ally of Egypt. A military court separately sentenced el-Ashmawi to death in November for his participation in scores of attacks on government targets. Egypt has been fighting for years militants in the restive northern Sinai area and the vast Western Desert. The men are among more than 200 defendants accused of carrying out more than 50 militant attacks that included killing high-ranking police officers and bombings that targeted the Egyptian capital's police headquarters. The charges include a 2013 assassination attempt on the Egyptian interior minister. The court also sentenced 61 defendants to life in prison, and 85 others got sentences ranging from 15 to 5 years in prison. Monday's verdict can be appealed before a higher court. For years, Egypt's security forces considered el-Ashmawi the country's most wanted militant for his intelligence value. Egyptian authorities linked el-Ashmawi, who is in his 40s, to several major attacks, including devastating assaults on security forces near Egypt's porous desert border with Libya. Before he fled to Libya, el-Ashmawi helped found Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a jihadi organisation based in northern Sinai. His military expertise he left the Egyptian army in 2011 transformed the tiny group into a well-organized guerrilla band that later inflicted painful blows on security forces in Sinai. Beit al-Maqdis swore allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group in November 2014 and is now known as Welayet Sinai, or the province of Sinai. El-Ashmawi did not declare his allegiance to IS, which at that time was at the peak of its power and controlled about a third of both Iraq and Syria. In an audio recording released in 2015 that is believed to be authentic, el-Ashmawi allied himself with the Islamic State group's rival, al-Qaida, led by Egyptian militant Ayman al-Zawahri. After fleeing to Libya, he tried to establish himself among Islamic militants and extremists in the country's east. He created al-Mourabitoun, a militant group blamed for most of the attacks in Egypt's remote Western Desert, such as a 2017 ambush that killed nearly 30 Christian pilgrims on their way to a monastery. Despite government efforts for years to contain the insurgency in Sinai, it gained strength following the 2013 military overthrow of a freely elected but divisive Muslim Brotherhood president. Since then, the government has granted police forces and courts sweeping powers in response to Islamic militant attacks. Egyptian authorities have held mass trials and sentenced hundreds of people to death. Human rights observers have repeatedly criticized such mass sentencings in Egypt and called on authorities to ensure fair trials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CINCINNATI If youre a fan of classical music, chances are youve fantasized about what you would do with a time machine. You could visit Paris in 1913, to see just how riotous, if at all, the audience was at the premiere of Stravinskys The Rite of Spring. Or Munich, where the stubbornly unresolved chord of Wagners Tristan und Isolde was first unleashed on the world in 1865. The most popular destination, however, might be Vienna, for Beethovens Akademie concert of 1808 one of the most important nights of his life, and the stuff of legend. Time travel may be impossible, but the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra offered the next best thing in a marvelous, if anachronistically lavish, re-creation at Music Hall here over the weekend. That night in Vienna, Beethoven unveiled the Fifth Symphony and the Pastoral Sixth. And the Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy, in his last public appearance as a pianist. Any one of those pieces would make for a noteworthy evening; together, they were overwhelming. A critic who was there for the magazine Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung wrote that judging them all would be downright impossible. The composer Johann Friedrich Reichardt said it was proof that one may have too much of a good thing. Never mind that the experience of the concert itself could not have been that enjoyable. It was Dec. 22 frosty outside, and not much better inside the Theater an der Wien as the audience was made to shiver through several hours of music. The orchestra was under-rehearsed and patched with amateurs; the soprano was a late replacement; the Choral Fantasy derailed so severely, Beethoven had to stop and restart it. The widow of the late David Adakudugu, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for the Tempane Constituency in the Upper East Region has replaced him as the Partys candidate for the 2020 elections. Lydia Akanvariba Adakudugu, on Friday February 27, 2020 beat off competition from Cletus Azaabi and one Dr. Anawart to clinch the slot to represent the NDC in the Tempane Constituency. While she polled 402 votes in the primaries, Cletus Azaabi and Dr. Anawart polled 189 and 39 votes respectively. David Adakudugu, a former Member of Parliament for the Garu-Tempane Constituency passed on in September 2019 after a short illness. According to report the late David Adakudugu had won the NDC Primaries to represent the Party in the 2020 elections, but unfortunately died on September 19, 2019 at the Tamale Teaching Hospital shortly after complaining of some sharp pain in his stomach. He was said to be traveling from Accra to Tempane when the unfortunate incident took place. He has since been buried. His widow, will thus face the ruling New Patriotic Partys candidate for the constituency in the 2020 elections. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A team of researchers from New Zealand and Germany has demonstrated that the honeybee brain generates oscillations which share characteristics of alpha oscillations in the human brain. In 1929, German psychiatrist Professor Hans Berger discovered the alpha oscillations: prominent, ongoing oscillations around 10 Hz in the electroencephalogram of the human brain. These alpha oscillations are among the most widely studied brain signals, related to cognitive phenomena such as attention, memory and consciousness. However, the mechanisms by which alpha oscillations affect human cognition await demonstration. The honeybee brain is as an experimentally more accessible model system for investigating the functional role of alpha oscillations. As alpha oscillations are associated with brain functions such as; attention, memory, and consciousness, bee brains may provide new avenues to understanding how our own brains work, said co-author Dr. Paul Szyszka, a scientist in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago. Experiments on humans are expensive, logistically difficult, and time consuming. Moreover, recordings from individual identified neurons are not possible in human brains. By studying the brains of bees we can overcome these limitations and apply that knowledge to research, and eventually perhaps even to treatment, of human brains. The study involved nine female forager honeybees (Apis mellifera) from outdoor hives. In the laboratory, the bees were stimulated with odors, with microscopic electrodes recording their brain activity. It is fascinating to see how bees can learn to associate odors with food in a similar way to humans, Dr. Szyszka said. What we want to do now is examine how these alpha oscillations change in different situations. As a neuroethologist, Im interested in how bees alpha oscillations change during natural behaviors, for example when a bee forages or sleeps. Dr. Szyszka and his colleague, University of Heidelbergs Dr. Tzvetan Popov, found that the bee brain generates oscillations (around 18 Hz) which share characteristics of human alpha oscillations. We termed these 18 Hz oscillations alpha based on their similarity with alpha oscillations in humans (around 10 Hz) and alpha/beta oscillations in non-human primates (1020 Hz), they said. Similar to primates alpha/beta oscillations, honeybees 18 Hz oscillations occurred spontaneously, decreased in power during sensory stimulation, and biased spike timing and higher frequency neuronal activity. What is the function of honeybees alpha oscillation? Alpha oscillations could regulate the information transmission between brain regions. The findings were published in the February 19, 2020 issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. _____ Tzvetan Popov & Paul Szyszka. 2020. Alpha oscillations govern interhemispheric spike timing coordination in the honey bee brain. Proc. R. Soc. B 287 (1921); doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0115 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. US Department of Defense orders next batch of Javelin weapon systems for Ukraine, partner countries The U.S. Department of Defense has signed a new contract for production of Javelin anti-tank missile systems for partner countries, including for Ukraine. The total cost of the contract exceeds $18 million, according to a posting on the website of Pentagon. "Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded an $18,431,215 modification (P00022) to contract W31P4Q-19-C-0059. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona," Pentagon said. The batch is meant for partners of the United States in Australia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates. It is expected that the estimated completion date is June 25, 2020. Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba thanked the United States for support on his Twitter page. "I thank our friends, the USA for keeping our strategic partnership unwavering!" he said. China on Monday welcomed the landmark US-Taliban deal and called for "orderly and responsible" withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan to avoid a security vacuum and prevent the terrorist groups from getting stronger in the war-torn country. After 18 years of war, the US and the Taliban signed the peace deal in Doha on Saturday to facilitate intra-Afghan dialogue in Oslo this month and the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan in 14 months. "China welcomes the signing of the deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban. We think it is important to the political settlement of the Afghan issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday replying to a question over the US-Taliban deal. "We hope taking this as an opportunity, the seed of peace can grow and prosper in Afghanistan. Foreign troops in Afghanistan should withdraw in an orderly and responsible manner to ensure a smooth transition and avoid a security vacuum especially to prevent the terrorist groups from growing stronger in Afghanistan," he said. In the meantime, the international community should continue to support and participate in the peaceful reconstruction process in Afghanistan, he said. "We call on the Taliban and all parties in Afghanistan to seize the opportunity and start inter-Afghan talks as soon as possible to discuss political and security arrangements acceptable to all and make joint efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan," he said. He said that China will continue to work with the international community to support and help the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. China, which also shares border with Afghanistan through the narrow Wakhan corridor besides Pakistan occupied Kashmir, is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Afghanistan amid its own concerns over the situation in Muslim-majority Xinjiang, where it is battling the separatist East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). Beijing claims that the ETIM has links with al-Qaeda and it was believed to be regrouping in Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Xinjiang. China is also trying to work out reconciliation between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the Afghan government's allegation of Islamabad's support to the Taliban through tripartite talks. Responding to a question, Zhao said China attended the ceremony in Doha along with other foreign countries. "China firmly supports the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned broad and inclusive peace and reconciliation process. We support the Afghan government, the Afghan Taliban and all parties in Afghanistan in starting and advancing intra-afghan talks as soon as possible, he said. "On the basis of respecting the will of all parties in Afghanistan, China will like to continue to be a supporter, mediator and convenience provider for the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan and will continue to play a constructive role," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, March 2, 2020 18:59 679 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067cc48f 1 Business bank-indonesia,BI,market-rout,financial-market,government-bond,SBN,rupiah,Foreign-exchange,forex-market,bond-market,stock-market,GWM Free Bank Indonesia (BI) announced Monday five measures to stabilize the rupiah as foreign investors sold off Indonesian financial assets from stocks to bonds and after Indonesia officially reported its first coronavirus cases. First, starting March 16, the requirement for banks to store their dollar funds at BI, called the US$ reserve requirement ratio (RRR), would be lowered to 4 percent from 8 percent at present. Second, the rupiah RRR is also being lowered by 50 basis points (bps), but only for banks with clients engaged in export and import activities, starting April 1. Lowering the foreign exchange RRR will boost banks liquidity by $3.2 billion while lowering the rupiah RRR will support export and import activities, BI Governor Perry Warjiyo told a news conference in Jakarta on Monday after President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced the first coronavirus cases in the country. Read also: BI cuts reserve ratio, frees up $3.2b liquidity in local banks amid market sell-off Jokowi announced on Monday morning that two Indonesians had tested positive for COVID-19. The two people, a 64-year-old and her 31-year-old daughter, had been in contact with a Japanese citizen who tested positive in Malaysia on Feb. 27 after visiting Indonesia in early February. Worldwide, more than 84,000 people have been infected with the virus and more than 3,000 have died with new cases increasingly emerging outside the country in which it is believed to have originated. Third, BI was conducting triple intervention in the financial market: stabilizing the rupiah in the domestic non-deliverable forward (DNDF) and spot markets, as well as buying government bonds (SBN) on the secondary market. The central bank has bought Rp 103 trillion (US$7.24 billion) worth of SBNs, Rp 80 trillion of which followed its assessment that the novel coronavirus may pose risks to Indonesias economy. Weve increased the volume [of intervention] so the market is assured and confident that BI is always in the market to guard the market, Perry said. BI will intensify intervention in the financial market through triple intervention to stabilize the rupiah to follow its fundamental [value]. Read also: Triple market intervention: BI buys bonds, rupiah to prop up prices amid viral rout Fourth, the central bank now allows foreign investors who sell rupiah bonds but place their proceeds in Indonesian banks to turn them into underlying transactions in the domestic non-deliverable forward (DNDF) market. Therefore, foreign investors no longer need to hedge to offshore indexes. This will enable investors to commit to Indonesia, which would be strong in the future, Perry said. Fifth, BI also encourages foreign investors to use domestic banks as custodians for investment activities. The measures could be effective to stabilize the rupiah from the supply-side of the US dollar and anchor the thin domestic foreign exchange market, Bahana Sekuritas economist Satria Sambijantoro said. So far, BIs intervention to support rupiah and bond yields including daily reverse-auctions over the past few days, amounting to Rp 2 trillion today is focusing to resolve the demand-side problem. Exporters of commodities such as palm oil and coal are natural foreign exchange suppliers in the spot currency market, but recently their earnings dried up due to disruption in shipments to China, Satria explained. Meanwhile, massive sell-offs in bond and equity markets have seen foreign investors converting their US dollars to rupiah, disrupting demand for the local currency, he added. Read also: Disappearing act: Market braces for volatile March after $2.4b vanishes in a week Last week, foreign investors sold a net Rp 33.6 trillion (US$2.36 billion) in both Indonesian stocks and bonds, as $5 trillion was wiped off stock markets around the world in the worst week for global shares since the 2008 financial crisis. Over the week, the benchmark stock index, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), fell 7.3 percent to 5,452 and the rupiah depreciated by 4.1 percent to 14,234 per US dollar. Ten-year Indonesian government bond yields, which indicate investment risk, rose 35 basis points last week to 6.83 percent, the third-biggest increase after Turkey and Russia. University Hospital Limerick had the highest number of patients on trolleys waiting for a bed in the emergency department or on wards last month, it has emerged. There were 1,286 patients on trolleys in UHL in February, a 32% increase compared to February 2019 when there were 973, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. Cork University Hospital had the second-highest number of admitted patients waiting for a bed last month, at 1,031, a 40% increase on the same month last year when there were 736. The overall total of 10,446 people waiting was up almost 23% on the same time last year when there were 8,515. Other hospitals with a high number of patients waiting were University Hospital Galway with 805, a 53% increase on the same time last year when there were 526. South Tipperary General Hospital had 653 patients waiting, a 56% increase on February 2019 when there were 419, and St Vincents University Hospital had 535 patients on trolleys, a 70% increase on the 314 waiting during the same month last year. Inmo general secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said the long-running trolley crisis had to be priority number one in the government talks. Our members are forced to provide care in appalling conditions, she said. Severe overcrowding was continuing at a time when qualified healthcare staff were queueing up to work but hospitals were unable to hire them. We have asked the health spokespeople of all the major parties to lift the recruitment embargo, and whatever the make-up of the next government, we will insist that these obstacles to safe staffing are removed immediately. There were 488 admitted patients waiting for beds on Monday and University Hospital Limerick was the worst-hit hospital with 59. Cork University Hospital had 50 patients in the emergency department and on wards waiting for a bed. Other hospitals with a high number of admitted patients on trolleys included University Hospital Galway with 35 and St Lukes Hospital Kilkenny which had 31. According to the HSEs TrolleyGAR which only records patients on trolleys in EDs, 363 patients were waiting, a 2.5% increase compared to last year. The trolley waiters included 202 waiting over nine hours for a bed and 85 who were waiting over 24 hours. On the same day last year, 354 patients were waiting, with 210 waiting over nine hours. Despite a lively cha-cha-cha, it was the end of the Dancing With The Stars journey for queen of the ballroom Mary Kennedy. Mary and her dance partner John Nolan ended their run in the competition as the judges decided to send them home following a dance-off with model Grainne Gallanagh. Mary, you have been our queen of the ballroom with elegance, class, and grace for nine weeks, said guest judge Darren Bennett. Judge Loraine Barry told the former Nationwide presenter: Youve been an inspiration to me, and I also think to many other people watching the programme. Following her elimination Mary said: It was a wonderful opportunity; Ive learnt so much. Ive been out of my comfort zone. It was a great challenge. I really do hope that people of my age, and stage, who have been watching us would kind of say Yeah, I could do that, or Ill try something different or something new, so that would be nice. Dancing the cha-cha-cha to Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton, Mary and John scored 18 from the judges. Mary said: I did enjoy it. The cha-cha-cha is hard and we worked really really hard on it. It took until about Thursday to get it right. I really enjoyed the challenge and the dance. Her pro partner John Nolan, who won the show last year, said he loved working with the RTE star. Shes been the best pupil that I could have ever asked for, he said. We have laughed more times and people dont get to see that side of Mary. Ive been lucky. Shes one of the funniest people ever and I just loved every single minute of our journey. Lottie Ryan and pro dancer Pasquale La Rocca. Picture: Kyran OBrien Fair City actor Ryan Andrews opened the show. Fresh from scoring 30 points from the judges, he and partner Giulia Dotta danced a quickstep to What a Man Gotta Do by the Jonas Brothers. I felt a lot of expectations off all people but as well as myself, Ryan said. I just have to keep doing the best I can week after week. Former Kilkenny hurler Aidan Fogarty was praised for his romantic rumba while Lottie Ryan was lauded for a phenomenal samba. But the judges were less than impressed with fan favourite Fr Ray Kellys quickstep. Fr Kelly and his pro partner Kylee Vincent danced to Im a Believer by the Monkees. After their performance he said: Yeah I was happy. I knew I lost it but I just said I have to get it back on track. An old man and his treasures He sat propped-up in a wicker chair gazing out of the window. With feet wrapped in tartan slippers in coordination with the navy gown tied securely around his waist. A chipped teacup held a lukewarm beverage unsteadily in the faded skin of his well-worn hand. His blue eyes faded grey by cataracts, framed by lines smiling from the yonder years of youth. On the first appearance, he was being suffocated by a random museum of archaic items. However, on closer inspection, this collection of miscellaneous treasures told a story. His story. Photographs of his sweetheart and family loved ones he hadnt seen in years. Collections of books, porcelain figurines and model cars firmly stood their place in the dark mahogany of wooden cabinets. A light coat of mothballs and dust fragranced the air. His home, both his fortress and prison. Re-defining worth Perhaps it is a morbid declaration, but the truth is we are all going to die. As we encroach closer towards our ultimate end date, we are prompted to consider the concept of worth. The worth of life, the worth of possessions and the value we perceive others attribute to these. In his book, Secondhand: Travels in the new global garage sale, 2019, Adam Minter, delves into the fascinating world of secondhand items and the very human process of downsizing in retirement. In an interview with EconTalk host Russ Roberts, Minter further discusses the professional business of the cleanout industry. Minter defines the cleanout industry as a group of professionals who help older adults downsize before moving into retirement. Retirees come face-to-face with the stark reality that their kids dont want their old stuff. Hence professional cleanout consultants counsel others through the traumatic downsizing process. Death cleaning The Marie-Kondo method has been joined with the on-trend Scandinavian model of Swedish death cleaning. Bringing with it the new promises of not only sparking joy but also ensuring that our loved ones will regard us with eternal affection. Swedish death cleaning is a term used to embody the process of removing unnecessary things from ones environment in the preparation of death. Perhaps this final frontier of cleaning resounds with a morbid tone. However, it poses the question how did we come to this point? Why, out of sheer necessity, do we need to downsize, downsize some more, and then death clean? And finally, why should we wait until retirement before we begin the process of re-defining an objects worth? Our process of defining an objects worth is highly dynamic and individualised. Perhaps, it is sentimental, useful, or simply beautiful. Regardless, we risk the potential of being stuffocated when we tightly hold onto our material possessions. Additionally, our culture has shifted from allowing transitional periods in life to naturally prompt us to evaluate relationships, into covertly compelling us to clean out our wardrobe. We have trivialised worth narrowing it down into determining if it sparks joy? Furthermore, the greatest danger we may face is, in fact, the loss of our social conscious. We have begun to value our possessions more than the person who made them. Essentially, we assign more value to things over people. Fostering a social conscious The fact is this. In the Western world, we have too much stuff and we care too little about where it came from. UNICEF states that an estimated 260 million children are currently engaged in child labour. According to the International Labour Organisation, many of these children approximately 170 million of them - work to make textiles and garments to appease the demand of Western consumers. In Proverbs 3, verse 27-28, we are implored to not withhold doing what we know to be good when we are able to act. Do not withhold good from those who deserve it; when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbour, Come back later; Ill give it to you tomorrow when you have it with you now (Proverbs 3, verse 27-28). As accomplices to unethical global trade, we continue to excuse our inaction as ignorant passivity. However, we arent ignorant - this isnt breaking news to us is it? Although we know these statistics, we continue to choose to deprive children, and others, of their fundamental human rights in exchange for our prized collection of treasures. Home fortress and prison Choosing to value things over people isnt helpful for us either. Our clutter full fortress forms a protective barrier against social engagement. We question whether we have the correct gear list for entertaining a social gathering large dining area, appropriate indoor/outdoor flow, large TV, modern furniture, and even a pool. We excuse our ability to be hospitable because we do not fit social medias portrayal of the perfect host or domestic goddess. Yet, we wonder why we are lonely. We live imprisoned by homes stuffed full of things we hold with fierce affection. Until the time comes when we deem these objects no longer worthy of our adoration, hence prompting their careless discard. Yet, we wonder why we feel burdened. Our home has become both our fortress and prison. Tamil actor and video jockey Lokesh has suffered a major stroke which paralysed the left side of his body. According to a report published in a leading portal, he is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai. Reportedly, he has been kept under observation. The news of VJ Lokesh's health has indeed left the Tamil industry in shock. After learning about VJ Lokesh's tragedy, actor Trichy Saravanakumar aka TSK requested fans to pray for him and help him in funding his medical expenses on social media. He wrote, "Pls help him to recover! Really sad to hear! Get well soon da thambi".(sic) See his post: VJ Lokesh's friends are also sharing bank details for financial help. Lokesh played a memorable role in Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara-starrer Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, directed by Vignesh Shivan. He has also hosted a show on TV channel, Adithya and has done a few supporting roles in several films. Get Well Soon VJ Lokesh! President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 2, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) Trump: Its Safe to Hold Large Events Amid Coronavirus Outbreak President Donald Trump said that its very safe to hold large events such as political rallies while speaking to reporters Monday in Washington. The president was queried about the rally he planned to attend on Monday night in North Carolina. Well, these were set up a long time ago, Trump said in the Oval Office. I mean, you could ask that to the Democrats because theyre having a lot of rallies. Theyre all having rallies; thats what theyre doing. Asked if such events were safe, the president said, I think its very safe, yeah. I think its very safe. Trump and Democratic presidential contenders have held numerous rallies in recent weeks. The new coronavirus has been spreading quickly in some areas in recent days, primarily in Washington state. Six deaths from the virus have been recorded as of Monday afternoon, all in the state. Trump and top administration officials held a press conference on Feb. 29 to try to ease fears about the virus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. 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 added. Travelers wear protective mask as they walk through in terminal 5 at OHare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on March 1, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo) He added that he wouldnt be changing his daily routine because of the virus. Later in the day, he called attention to measures he implemented earlier this year, including imposing travel restrictions some argued were overkill. My administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to control our borders and protect Americans from the coronavirus, he said. I ordered sweeping travel restrictions to prevent the uncontrolled spread of this disease and took a lot of heat, as I did it very early, he said, adding that he was called racist for imposing the measures. And that decision has been now given very good grades, like an A-plus. Democratic lawmakers have criticized the administration over allegedly not responding in a timely fashion to the outbreak and over faulty tests the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced. Candidates vying for the partys 2020 nomination have also knocked Trump for his comments about the virus. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took out a three-minute prime-time advertisement on Sunday in which he spoke to Americans about the threat of the virus. Bloomberg made no mention of Trump but said, At times like this, its the job of the president to reassure the public that he or she is taking all of the necessary steps to protect the health and well-being of every citizen. Oxygen When a stage performance is going on, all eyes are on the stage. Could someone really disappear mid-show? It's exactly what happened to Helen Mintiks. It was the night of July 23, 1980. The Berlin Ballet was performing at the famous Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. At one point during the performance, recorded music was played instead of the orchestra, which was made up of talented freelance musicians. These musicians used this period as a break. But 45 minutes later, around 9:30 p.m. Red Arrow Studios International has revealed its first wave of deals for gameshow format Block Out which has been sold to Endemol Shine Iberia for Spain and Portugal, Tin Can for the Netherlands and GM6 for France. In the new format, two teams of four players each with their backs literally against a wall battle it out in a variety of physical games, combining trivia, strategy, and chance. The teams identical walls comprise more than 100 giant blocks. During two rounds, wrong answers and bad judgments see blocks push out in a variety of combinations and speeds, forcing contestants into crazy positions to try and avoid being knocked into a pit below them.The team which keeps at least one contestant on the wall wins the round. The final sees both teams stand on their ledges above the pit. Incorrect answers make the entire wall creep forward, pushing contestants to the edge and over it. As soon as one team has disappeared, the other is declared the winner and takes the cash prize.Originally created by Nippon TV and Red Arrow Studios, the programme made its debut in Thailand, where it proved to be a ratings winner for Channel 7 and subsequently sold to VTV in Vietnam and ANTV in Indonesia. Red Arrow Studios Internationals holds worldwide rights (excluding Asia) to Block Out and commenting on the deals, president Bo Stehmeier said: Part of our formats strategy is creating and representing energetic, bold and hilarious studio-based shows like Block Out, which the whole family can enjoy together. Were looking forward to building on Block Outs success in Asia and introducing audiences across Europe to this engaging and colourful series. Ireland is facing risks that could cause a sharp downturn in the economy, and a raft of changes are needed to solve the housing crisis, according to Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf. In an interview with the 'Financial Times', Mr Makhlouf said throwing money at housing at a time when the economy was running at full employment would not solve the issue. "Absolutely, the supply of housing needs to be addressed," he said. "Whether you can do that overnight is extremely unlikely, so it is going to take a while. It is not simply construction." Mr Makhlouf added that changes needed to be made to Ireland's planning system, to public infrastructure and labour availability. "When you are running, as Ireland is at the moment, an economy at full capacity, you have to meet all of those challenges, in my view, to deliver the housing supply that you may want and need." According to the Central Statistics Office, there were 21,241 home completions in Ireland during 2019 - way off the roughly 35,000 a year that it is reckoned the market needs to meet demand. The Central Bank itself estimates 34,000 a year are required. Sinn Fein has pledged to have 100,000 council and affordable homes built over the next five years if it gets into government. But the party has also promised to cut USC and abolish property tax. With the global economy, including Ireland's, now facing the risk of a slowdown prompted by the spread of the coronavirus, the policy ambitions of whichever parties form the next government may end up being curtailed if the Exchequer's coffers come under pressure. "I'm calling this an interesting conjecture because in a bad scenario you could suddenly find the fiscal surpluses that the current government has forecast are suddenly challenged very much by that change in sentiment and activity," Mr Makhlouf said in the interview. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- In Finlands epic national poem, the Kalevala, a hero is tasked with retrieving the mythical sampo, a mill capable of producing salt, meal and gold that is a talisman of happiness and prosperity. Its a task that now befalls Pekka Lundmark, the executive appointed chief of Nokia Oyj on Monday with a mandate to return the troubled Finnish network-equipment maker to more prosperous times. The time is right for his predecessor Rajeev Suri to hand over the reins. Appointed head of Nokias networks division in 2009, Suri became CEO in 2014 as that business became the firms main operation after the sale of the handset arm to Microsoft Corp. He has overseen the reshaping of a company that at the dawn of the millennium was one of the worlds biggest, with a market capitalization peaking at $290 billion in 2000, and the pride of Finnish industry. By acquiring French rival Alcatel-Lucent in 2016, he ensured that Nokia remained one of the top three suppliers of telecoms equipment, even as Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. spent aggressively to leapfrog it and Swedens Ericsson AB to become the biggest player. But that takeover also caused problems for which Suri now seems to be paying the price. Nokias revenue grew more slowly than either of its two biggest competitors last year. Difficulties integrating the French company proved a distraction as the telecommunications industry started developing fifth-generation network technology. Carriers complain that Nokia now lags Ericsson and Huawei technologically, and the Finnish firm has struggled to compete on cost. Suri will hand over the reins in September. Chairman Risto Siilasmaa said Nokia aims to resolve shortcomings in the semiconductors used in its base stations this year, which ought remedy some of the tech concerns. Siilasmaa already planned to step down, to be replaced in April by Sari Baldauf. All of those missteps had helped drive shares of Nokia in its current form close to their all-time lows as a multiple of expected earnings. The stock was trading at less than 14 times forward earnings before the management change was announced. It traded as high as 29 times earnings on that basis in Suris first year at the helm. Story continues That downward trajectory makes Nokia vulnerable to an approach from an activist investor who could seek a breakup of the company. Replacing the CEO might help the company get ahead of the problem. And it surely cant be a coincidence that Lundmarks appointment follows that of Baldauf as chair of Nokias board: While in the same role at Fortum Oyj, she appointed Lundmark to his current job as CEO of the Finnish utility. Under his leadership, the firm has outperformed its European peers, generating an 80% return for shareholders. One recent event will give Lundmark some breathing space: U.S. regulators decision to approve the acquisition of Sprint Corp. by rival carrier T-Mobile US Inc. The delayed deal, which was first agreed two years ago, has meant that some spending decisions have also been pushed back. Both companies are big Nokia customers, which might help earnings this year. But Lundmark might also learn from the Kalevala. In the poem, the quest results in a fight that sees the sampo smashed into little pieces. Lundmark has been made responsible for determining Nokias strategy, which will include deciding whether Suris approach to offering an end-to-end network solution still makes sense, or whether some businesses are worth divesting. If he dithers, then activists might take the decision out of his hands and lead Nokia to a sampo-like fate. To contact the author of this story: Alex Webb at awebb25@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Melissa Pozsgay at mpozsgay@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Alex Webb is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europe's technology, media and communications industries. He previously covered Apple and other technology companies for Bloomberg News in San Francisco. 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. GRENOBLE, France and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CYTOO , a leading drug discovery company on muscle disorders, today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration aimed at selecting a gene therapy candidate for a rare muscle disorder with Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a clinical-stage, fully integrated adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy company. Under the terms of the agreement, AskBio and CYTOO will work together to develop an AAV-based screening platform derived from patient cells. The goal of the collaboration is to screen and select a preclinical candidate capable of restoring a healthy phenotype from patient cells cultured in vitro. CYTOO has developed a muscle-on-a-plate platform using patients primary cells, called MyoScreen. MyoScreen is an in vitro system in which skeletal muscle cells mimic the physiology, contractile and metabolic functions of human muscle in vivo and allow infection by AAV-based gene therapy vectors targeting muscle. Dr. Philippe Moullier, Chief Scientific Officer, AskBio Europe, said, As a leader in the gene therapy space, the ability to quickly and efficiently screen potential therapeutic candidates will be invaluable. The expertise provided by CYTOO and the MyoScreen platform will potentially give us a better understanding of how those candidates perform in patient cells and improve efficiency throughout the R&D process. Luc Selig, CYTOOs CEO, added, Gene therapy for muscle disorders is becoming a reality for patients and their families, and we are proud that AskBio has chosen our expertise to investigate a potential new treatment. We have developed MyoScreen as a laboratory model of patient-derived muscle that can be used to screen gene therapy candidates and QC clinical and commercial batches. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. About CYTOO CYTOO is a preclinical-stage drug discovery company addressing muscular disorders (NMDs, muscle waste, muscle disuse, metabolic ageing). The company has developed MyoScreen, a versatile and high-throughput muscle-on-a-plate R&D platform, from patient-derived myotubes, that can be used to model any muscle disorder and screen any type of therapeutic candidate. The platform is open to partnering with biotech and pharmaceutical companies and has been the starting point of CYTOOs internal drug discovery program on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Among partners of CYTOO : Daiichi Sankyo, Pfizer, Axcella. CYTOO has offices in Grenoble, France and Bethesda, MD, USA. 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The sketch, which did not air during the NBC broadcast on Saturday night, features guest host John Mulaney and the cast parodying the streaming giants first-ever breakout reality dating series. Love Is Blind, which premiered on February 13, is a blind love experiment where 15 men and 15 women searching for heterosexual relationships are each placed into small, individual living rooms - or pods. These windowless rooms are divided by blue-lit walls that separate the contestants, so that they can hear each other but cannot see one another. John Mulaney, the comedian who hosted Saturday Night Live, is seen above in a sketch that didn't make it on NBC's air due to time constraints. He plays a contestant on the popular Netflix reality dating series Love Is Blind The special 'quarantine edition' of Love is Blind was hosted by parodied versions of Nick Lachey (played left by Alex Moffat) and his wife, Vanessa Lachey (played right by Melissa Villasenor), who are seen in hazmat suits One contestant played above by Kyle Mooney realizes he is ill after bragging to his potential fiancee that he just returned from a business trip to China The SNL sketch begins with a narrator proclaiming that Netflix makes movies too good for the theater and reality shows too degrading for cable. One contestant, Bellinina, who is described as attractive and 28 years old, exclaims: I met my husband! And Ive never even seen him before! Gabriel, 33, whose occupation is computers, appears to give his own testimonial. Its only been five days! he says. But I found the love of my life! The next scene follows a female contestant, Raquel, who is described as a 34-year-old picture taker. As she settles into her pod, she apprehensively tells her potential fiance: Hello, Im Raquel. Her would-be match, Dirk, a 31-year-old boss executive, confidently replies: Im Dirk! Nice to hear you, Dirk says. The sketch pokes fun at the supposedly vapid nature of the conversations, with one woman, Bethany, a 32-year-old living off of her parents money, telling a fellow contestant: I can tell by your voice that youre black. The hit Netflix series takes 15 male contestants and 15 female contestants and places them in 'isolated windowless pods' where they can't see each other but they can hear one another In this parodied episode, the contestants bond through their shared stories of being infected with coronavirus Woah, awesome! says Gabriel, who is a white man. Raquel is seen looking into the camera, saying: Once Im a wife, I wont have problems. But this episode is unlike any other, as the narrator explains: They all share something in common. Not only are they truly desperate to get married, theyre also being quarantined because of exposure to the coronavirus. Ew! Bethany says. The hosts of the show, Nick Lachey and his wife, Vanessa Lachey, are then seen in hazmat suits introducing Love is Blind: Quarantine Edition. Nick Lachey is played by Alex Moffat while his wife is portrayed by Melissa Villasenor. During the get-to-know conversation, Bethany, who is played by SNL cast member Heidi Gardner, tells Gabriel about how she aspires to be a stay-at-home mom. She then talks about her love of travel, saying: I actually just got off a cruise that was supposed to be like five days, but we ended up getting stuck on the boat for like two weeks. Gabriel, played by Mooney, gets to know a woman who brags about her love of travel During the get-to-know conversation, Bethany, who is played by SNL cast member Heidi Gardner, tells Gabriel about her love of travel, saying: I actually just got off a cruise that was supposed to be like five days, but we ended up getting stuck on the boat for like two weeks. Another contestant played by Beck Bennett has his drinking glass confiscated by a person in a hazmat suit Bethany was referencing the Diamond Princess cruise ship, a luxury liner that was ordered quarantined for two weeks by the Japanese government while docked in Tokyo Bay after hundreds of passengers and crew were said to have been infected with coronavirus. Gabriel, who is played by Kyle Mooney, then tells Bethany about a recent business trip to China. I love our connection! Bethany gushes. Gabriel then replies: I never felt this way before! Just like lightheaded...I have the shivers! At this point, it dawns on Gabriel that he is feeling ill. The next scene shows emergency responders in hazmat suits administer intravenous fluids and confiscate their drink glasses. I cant believe how much we have in common! Mulaneys character, Dirk, tells Raquel. They then start to compare their favorite foods, which each of them loving hamburgers, french fries, bats and rats. Yum! Raquel says. I cant believe how much we have in common! Mulaneys character, Dirk, tells Raquel. They then start to compare their favorite foods, which each of them loving hamburgers, french fries, bats and rats. Yum! Raquel, a 34-year-old 'picture taker' says in the sketch Dirk then grabs the engagement ring to propose to Raquel, but as he asks her to marry him, he collapses to the floor due to his poor health, unable to get out the words Exotic animal sandwich? Dirk asks. Oh my god, yes! Raquel, played by Ego Nwodim, says. Dirk is then overcome by a fit of coughing before telling Raquel: You sound hot to me. In real life, there has not been definitive evidence pointing to the source of coronavirus, though some have suggested that it originated in animals and was passed on to humans. Initially reports pointed to the possible source in Wuhan, China, where shoppers frequented a market where exotic animals were sold as edible delicacies like bats, pigs, chickens and other creatures. Some experts believe that coronavirus and SARS both were passed to humans from bats, according to Business Insider. In the next scene, a bachelor played by cast member Beck Bennett asks Bellinina how she got exposed to coronavirus. Im a doctor, she says in a serious, monotone voice. Just kidding! I licked a pole. Like, with your tongue? Bennetts character asks. The next scene shows Mulaneys character, Dirk, hooked up to intravenous fluids while lying down on a couch. In the next scene, Raquel finally comes face to face with her sweaty fiance, who looks pale and sickly while coughing and weezing Before they embrace, an emergency red light is activated and crews in hazmat suits barge into the room to spray down the premises with disinfectant While Dirk is doused with disinfectant, he grabs Raquels hands. Will you be my wife? Dirk yells as he is showered with disinfectant. You are definitely covered in corona but Im 34 so yes, yes, yes! an excited Raquel says I wish I could be there to hug you cause Im a hugger, he tells Raquel. Also, I dont wash my hands and I put my fingers in my mouth. Raquel, who is at this point smitten with Dirk, says: OK, youre my husband! Dirk then grabs the engagement ring to propose to Raquel, but as he asks her to marry him, he collapses to the floor due to his poor health, unable to get out the words. A beaming Raquel then shows off the engagement ring, saying: Breaking news! Im engaged! In the next scene, Raquel finally comes face to face with her sweaty fiance, who looks pale and sickly while coughing and weezing. Before they embrace, an emergency red light is activated and crews in hazmat suits barge into the room to spray down the premises with disinfectant. While Dirk is doused with disinfectant, he grabs Raquels hands. Will you be my wife? Dirk yells as he is showered with disinfectant. You are definitely covered in corona but Im 34 so yes, yes, yes! an excited Raquel says. The sketch ends with the narrator noting that the episode was filmed on an abandoned military base in San Diego. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R), and his wife Sara Netanyahu cast their ballots during the Israeli legislative elections at a polling station in Jerusalem, Israel, on March 2, 2020. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP) Israelis Vote in 3rd Election in a Year Focused on Netanyahu Israelis voted on March 2 in the countrys unprecedented third election in less than a year to decide whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power despite his upcoming criminal trial on corruption charges. Netanyahu, the longest-serving leader in Israeli history, has been the caretaker prime minister for more than a year as Israel has weathered two inconclusive elections and a prolonged political paralysis. With opinion polls forecasting another deadlock, Netanyahu is seeking a late surge in support to score a parliamentary majority along with other nationalist parties that will deliver him a fourth consecutive term in office, and fifth overall. He faces a stiff challenge once again from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose centrist Blue and White party is running even with Netanyahus Likud on a campaign message that Israels longtime prime minister is unfit to lead because of the serious charges against him. Both parties appear unable to form a coalition with their traditional allies. With the prospect of a unity government between them seemingly off the table after a particularly nasty campaign, Mondays vote may well turn into merely a preamble to another election. I hope that today marks the start of a healing process, where we can begin living together again, Gantz said upon voting in his hometown of Rosh Haayin in central Israel, warning voters not to get drawn in by the lies or by the violence after the acrimonious election campaign. Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz meets public after casting a ballot in Rosh Haayin, Israel, on March 2, 2020. (Sebastian Scheiner/AP Photo) There was little fanfare in the days leading up to the vote, with a noticeable absence of campaign posters on the streets and public rallies that typically characterize the run-up to Israeli elections. With voter fatigue clearly a factor, turnout could prove to be decisive. Election day is a national holiday in Israel and the country usually boasts one of the highest voter turnouts among Western democracies. But the second repeat vote and fears of the new coronavirus, which has so far has been kept largely in check, look to hinder turnout. Israel set up some 15 stations to allow voting by hundreds of Israelis who have been ordered to remain in home-quarantine after possible exposure to the virus. The corona thing is completely under control. Today weve taken all the precautions that are necessary, people can go and vote, with complete confidence, Netanyahu said, after placing his vote in Jerusalem. Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as a statesman who is uniquely qualified to lead the country through challenging times. Gantz has tried to paint Netanyahu as divisive and scandal-plagued, offering himself as a calming influence and an honest alternative. Gantz says he favors a national unity government with Likud, but only if it rids itself of its longtime leader because of the corruption charges against him. Netanyahu, who still enjoys widespread support in his party, insists he must remain prime minister in any unity deal. With his career on the line, Netanyahu has campaigned furiously. Hes taken a hard turn to the right in hopes of rallying his nationalist base, promising to expand and annex West Bank settlements. In a campaign that has been marked by ugly smears, Netanyahus surrogates have spread unfounded allegations claiming Gantz is corrupt, unstable and susceptible to blackmail by Iran. The most recent attempt appears to have backfired. Recordings have revealed Netanyahu lied on live television about not being involved in a plot to secretly record a Gantz consultant disparaging his boss. Channel 12 aired audio Sunday night of Netanyahu speaking to the rabbi who clandestinely recorded the Gantz adviser and discussing when it would be leaked to the media. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu pause before casting their ballots during the Israeli legislative elections at a polling station in Jerusalem, Israel, on March 2, 2020. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP) Netanyahu is desperate to score a narrow 61-seat majority in parliament with his hard-line religious and nationalist allies before heading to trial two weeks later. Netanyahu has failed to secure himself immunity from prosecution, but with a stronghold on power he could seek other avenues to derail the legal proceedings against him. Netanyahu goes on trial March 17 for charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust stemming from accusations he accepted lavish gifts from billionaire friends and promised to promote advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in exchange for favorable coverage. He vowed he will prove his innocence in court. Opinion polls forecast similar results to the previous two stalemates, and the deadlock raises the possibility of a fourth election in quick succession. Maverick politician Avigdor Lieberman once again looms as a potential kingmaker, with neither Netanyahu nor Gantz able to secure a parliamentary majority without his support. Lieberman has not committed himself to either candidate, though he has promised there will not be a fourth election. Polling stations opened across the country at 7 a.m. Monday with exit polls expected at the end of the voting day at 10 p.m. (20:00 GMT) Official results are projected to come in overnight. A woman casts her vote during elections in Haifa, Israel, on March 2, 2020. (Mahmoud Illean/AP Photo) Thats when the real jockeying may get underway, with attention shifting to President Reuven Rivlin who is responsible for choosing a candidate for prime minister. He is supposed to select the leader who he believes has the best chance of putting together a stable coalition. The honor usually goes to the head of the largest party, but not necessarily. Just as important is the number of lawmakers outside his own party who recommend him to the president. Rivlins selection will then have up to six weeks to form a coalition. If he fails, another candidate then has 28 days to form an alternative coalition. If that effort fails, new elections would be forced. Its a procedural process that remained hypothetical for Israels first 70 years of existence until it played out after the last election in September. Should results match current opinion polls, and all the major player stick to the campaign promises, it may well repeat itself. This is usually a holiday, but to be honest I have no festivity in me just a sense of deep shame before you, the citizens of Israel, Rivlin said as he cast his ballot. We dont deserve this. We dont deserve another horrible and filthy campaign like the one that ends today and we dont deserve this endless instability. We deserve a government that will work for us. By Aron Heller "A steady stream of Fairbanks area residents filed through the Carlson Center conference room Sunday afternoon for the local launch of part two of the Recall Dunleavy signature gathering effort. Erin McGroarty/ News-Miner Debbie O'Neal-Poole and Lona VanBoven both featured in the conversation series have worked for SDMI for 50 and 41 years respectively, Debbie starting with Dr. Leon Steinberg before SDMI was founded in 1988 and Lona, honored this year with the Healthcare Headliners Lifetime Achievement award, speaks to Debbie O'Neal-Poole as being one of the women in her life who inspires her. Rachel Papka, Chief Health Informatics Officer said in her interview, "Every day I am empowered by the women of Steinberg Diagnostic." Bringing the women together to talk about healthcare will hopefully inspire the women of Southern Nevada to take a more proactive role in their own health and wellness. Many of the women remind us that in order to take care of others we must first take care of ourselves and Dr. Aanshu Shah, Director of Women's Imaging speaks to the advances in medicine, "If we catch it early we can make a significant difference." SDMI offers a wide variety of procedures that are unique to women from annual Screening Mammograms to more advanced procedures like Biopsies. Women can learn about the services offered at SDMI by visiting their new women's imaging section of the website at sdmi-lv.com/womensimaging a page that launched in conjunction with the International Women's Day celebration. The video series can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWFH9X7pVrFM7G3neCdE8o7ZyqV5kUU9F SOURCE Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging 1.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard In the wake of the death of a top aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Abbas Mousavi, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, turned down the Trump administrations offer of help fighting the coronavirus. Since the outbreak of the virus in Iran, we have been observing the U.S.-led anti-Iranian propaganda campaign and know about the measures the Americans have taken to reduce Iranian nations morale, Mousavi told reporters, according to the Mehr State News Agency. We do not need them, he added. He referred to the offer, as political theatre, sowing doubt as to the United States intentions after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo extended the offer. Mousavis comments came after it was confirmed that Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the Ayatollahs Expediency Discernment Council, died at a hospital in Tehran. There have been 1,501 confirmed casesand 66 deathsin Iran since the global coronavirus outbreak began. The death toll in Iran is the highest in the world outside of China, the epicenter of the virus. Mirmohammadi isnt the only Iranian official to die in recent days. Mohammad Ali Ramezani, recently elected to the Iranian parliament, died last week. Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar and Iraj Harirchi, the head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus, are also ill. In the meantime, Health Ministry spokesman Ali Reza Raisi said the Basij, volunteers of the Revolutionary Paramilitary Guard, will lead an effort to sanitize public areas. Coronavirus outbreak: Health scare spreads as US, Australia, Thailand confirm 1st deaths Iran Press TV Sunday, 01 March 2020 8:09 AM The coronavirus scare continues to grip the world, as the United States, Australia and Thailand have recorded their first deaths from the infection, which has already claimed nearly 3,000 lives globally, mostly in China, the country where the epidemic first emerged. Health officials announced three new presumptive positive cases of the infection in Washington State on Saturday. Among those three cases, a man in his 50s died, health officials said, adding that he had had no close contact with an infected person or a relevant travel history that would have exposed him to the virus, known as COVID-19. The new cases have prompted Washington Governor Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency in the state. California also confirmed a second case on Saturday. "Now, we have a case who did not recently travel or come in contact with anyone known to be ill," said Sara Cody, the director of public health for Santa Clara County, near San Francisco. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that more cases are expected across the country, but he sought to quell fears over the widespread outbreak. Vice President Mike Pence said the administration was issuing its highest-level warning of "do not travel" to areas of Italy and South Korea most affected by the virus. He said that the administration was also barring all travel to Iran, and banning entry to any foreign citizen who has visited Iran in the last 14 days. Iran has reported the highest death toll from the viral epidemic outside China. Officials confirmed 43 deaths and 593 cases across the county on Saturday. Italy, the first European state to report the disease, has had more than 1,000 cases, with the death toll rising by eight to 29 on Saturday. France also reported a total number of 100 cases on Saturday. Two patients have so far died. In Asia, South Korea became the second hotspot of the outbreak, with 3,526 positive cases and 17 deaths, as of Saturday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). President Moon Jae-in called for unity and vowed greater efforts, including an extra budget, to fight the outbreak that "can threaten our lives temporarily, but it cannot break our unity and hope." Thailand confirms first fatality Thailand reported on Sunday that a 35-year-old man, infected with COVID-19, had died. The Department of Disease Control said the patient had also suffered from dengue fever. The country has reported 42 cases since January, 30 of whom have recovered and 11 are still being treated in hospitals. Australia reports first death Australia's health officials reported the death of a coronavirus patient, as the first fatality, in a hospital in the western city of Perth early on Sunday. The patient, a 78-year-old man, had been in quarantine after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, according to authorities who said his wife also caught the virus, but is currently in stable condition, China reports fresh spike in cases China on Sunday reported another 573 new infections. All, but three of the cases, were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. Though the numbers in China are now far lower than the huge daily increases reported during the first two weeks of February, the virus has so far spread to more than 60 countries. Nearly 3,000 people have been killed worldwide and about 87,000 infected. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its risk assessment to its highest level on Friday, warning that the spread of COVID-19 is "getting bigger." Coronavirus reaches Africa In Africa, Nigeria reported its first case of the disease. The patient is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and flew into the commercial city of Lagos from Milan earlier this week. The patient, according to authorities, is stable and being treated at a hospital. This has sparked fears that the contagion could spread across the country, which is the continent's most populous nation, and biggest economy. South Africa has also announced that two nationals aboard a cruise ship docked in Japan have tested positive for the virus. "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. WHO has previously warned that Africa's "fragile health systems" meant the threat posed by the virus was "considerable." The health organization has identified 13 African countries as priorities because of their direct links to China. (This story is being updated with the latest information about the coronavirus spread.) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address These mucus and saliva droplets are ejected from the mouth or the nose as we cough, sneeze, laugh, sing, breathe and talk. If they dont hit something along the way, they typically land on the floor or the ground. When the virus becomes suspended in droplets smaller than five micrometers known as aerosols it can stay suspended for about a half-hour, research suggests. To gain access to your cells, the viral droplets must enter through the eyes, the nose or the mouth. Some experts believe that sneezing and coughing are most likely the primary forms of transmission. Professor Kwok said talking face-to-face or sharing a meal with someone could pose a risk. Julian Tang, a virologist and a professor at the University of Leicester in England who is researching the coronavirus with Professor Kwok, agreed. If you can smell what someone had for lunch garlic, curry, etc. you are inhaling what they are breathing out, including any virus in their breath, he said. The virus does not linger in the air at high enough levels to be a risk to most people. But the techniques health care workers use to care for sick people can generate high levels of aerosols. This is part of why its so important that they have proper protective equipment. How close is too close? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping a distance of six feet from other people to minimize the possibility of infection. (A useful way to think about six feet is that its roughly twice the length of the average persons extended arm.) Three feet is the distance the W.H.O. emphasizes as particularly risky when standing near a person who is coughing or sneezing.